Hemangioma of the Prostatic Urethra: Hematospermia and Massive Postejaculation Hematuria with Clot Retention

The case of a 53-year-old man with hematospermia and massive postejaculation hematuria that caused urinary retention is described. This is the sixth case in the English and Japanese language literature. Cystourethroscopic examination revealed that a solitary raised tumor was present just distal to the vermontanum, and that bleeding was from its apex. Histologic examination of an excisional biopsy sample showed features compatible with hemangioma.     

Coronary artery bypass in dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis--a case report

A 71-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital by ambulance, because of right chest pain and hypotension. Chest X-ray and standard 12-lead ECG showed mirror-image dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis. ECG with right-left reversal of all leads showed acute inferior myocardial infarction. The patient underwent coronary bypass surgery due to postinfarction angina, and she is now doing well 2 years following the operation. Mirror-image dextrocardia with situs inversus totalis is very unusual. But the patients are believed to have normal longevity, and presumably have an incidence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease similar to the general population. To our knowledge, this is the first case of coronary bypass surgery on a patient with mirror-image dextrocardia in Japan.     

A case of acute focal bacterial nephritis

Acute focal bacterial nephritis refers to a renal mass caused by acute focal infection. We report a case of acute focal bacterial nephritis, herein. The case was in a 56-year-old woman, who was hospitalized with the chief complaint of left flank pain, chills and fever. Intravenous pyelography suggested the presence of a mass in the upper pole of the left kidney. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic mass, CT scan revealed a round, low density mass. Antibiotic therapy resulted in resolution of symptoms, and a follow-up CT scan and ultrasonography showed complete resolution of the renal mass.     

Experimental study on choline acetyltransferase activity measurement for brachial plexus injury

We studied choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in a rat model of brachial plexus injury. In experiment 1, we found that the CAT activity was remarkably high in the anterior roots and low in the posterior roots. In experiment 2, nerve root segments were extracted and examined for CAT activity in the root avulsion group (group A) and the plexus severance group (group B). CAT activity decreased day by day in group A, reaching about 1/20 of the normal 5 days postoperatively. By contrast, in group B activity decreased only slightly, and even at 90 days postoperatively was about 6,000 cpm (one-half normal level). As a result, CAT activity enabled us to distinghish postganglionic from preganglionic injury of the cervical roots. Furthermore, it was a useful adjunct for minimizing nerve loss in intercostal nerve transfer, distinguishing motor and sensory branches of the intercostal nerve, and evaluating the motor nerve activity. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A case of pulmonary varices in which enhanced CT was useful for diagnosis]

A case of pulmonary varices in a 73-year-old female is presented. Routine chest X-ray revealed a mass in the right hilar region. CR tomogram showed a round, clearly defined mass at the right hilum. Computed tomography demonstrated marked enlargement of the proximal portion of the pulmonary vein at the entrance of the left atrium, which was suspected to be pulmonary varices. The diagnosis was confirmed by pulmonary angiography. During the arterial phase no abnormal findings were seen, but during the venous phase the veins of the right upper and middle lobes were found to be draining into the dilated pulmonary vein and then into the left atrium. Thus, the diagnosis of pulmonary varices was established. CT and angiography are the most useful methods for definitive diagnosis of pulmonary varices.     

Antimicrobial activity of AO-128, a novel inhibitor of alpha-D-glucosidase, against anaerobic bacteria]

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of AO-128, an inhibitor of alpha-D-glucosidase, was evaluated against anaerobic bacteria of 45 reference strains (12 genera, 44 species). AO-128 inhibited no strains tested at a concentration of 1,600 micrograms/ml. The results strongly suggested that this compound would not have any influence on the human intestinal microflora, a majority of which is composed of anaerobic bacteria.     

High human IgG levels in severe combined immunodeficient mouse reconstituted with human splenic tissues from patients with gastric cancer.

We implanted normal peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from healthy donors and splenic tissues from patients with gastric cancers into the severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse, demonstrating that SCID mouse with splenic tissue can produce a high level of human immunoglobulin G (IgG). The normal PBLs at 10(7) and 10(8)/mouse were implanted intraperitoneally, and three splenic tissues with a size of 3 x 3 x 3 mm from gastric cancer patients were inoculated subcutaneously into the bilateral backs of the mice. At 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after inoculation, mice were killed, and the human IgG was assessed by an ELISA method. SCID mice with splenic tissue revealed high human IgG levels from 2 weeks after inoculation and approximately 2 mg of IgG per ml was observed at 8 weeks post-implantation, while the IgG levels in mice treated with PBLs were limited. Since the half life of the extrinsic human IgG was 10.2 days, the high level of human IgG in the SCID mice was supposed to be produced by human plasma cells in the splenic tissue from gastric cancer patients. This model was thought to be adequate for evaluating human immunological functions in vivo.     

Surgical treatment of acquired tricuspid stenosis]

There is no definitive surgical procedure for acquired lesions of the tricuspid valve (TV). From Feb, 1978, through March, 1990, the surgical treatment for the organic lesions of TV was performed in 10 patients, repair in 6 and TV replacement in 4. TV was repaired by commissurotomy, annuloplasty or valvuloplasty, or combination of them. When residual significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and/or stenosis (TS) was detected by intraoperative pulsed Doppler echocardiography after reparative procedures, TV was replaced. Follow-up periods ranged from 1 to 12 years (mean, 45.3 months). There was no early death, and late death was noted in one patient 32 months after operation. Preoperatively, 7 patients were in NYHA class IV and 3 in class III. Out of survivors, 7 are in class I and 2 in class II because of progression of mitral stenosis or coronary artery disease. Following surgery, the patients exhibited significant decrease in the cardiothoracic ratio (69.3 +/- 7.2 to 56.9 +/- 6.4%; p less than 0.01) and in the mean right atrial pressure (11.4 +/- 3.6 to 8.6 +/- 3.1 mmHg; p less than 0.05). The postoperative right ventriculography showed mild to moderate TR in 3 of 6 patients who underwent TV repair. In conclusion, TV repair could be a reasonable procedure for the organic TV lesions, although careful follow-up is recommended for residual TR.