Effects of perinatal exposure to bisphenol A on the behavior of offspring in F344 rats

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate whether perinatal maternal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) at 4, 40, and 400 mg/kg per day affects the behavior of offspring in F344 rats. Perinatal BPA exposure inhibited the body weight increases of male and female offspring in a dose-dependent manner, which continued after weaning. Spontaneous activity analyses revealed that BPA elongated immobile time during the dark phase in female offspring. At 4 weeks of age, male offspring exposed to BPA at 40 and 400 mg/kg per day performed avoidance responses significantly higher in the shuttlebox avoidance test. At 8 weeks of age, however, male offspring only at 4 mg/kg per day showed significantly lower responses. In the open-field behavior test at 8 weeks of age, male offspring exposed to BPA only at 4 mg/kg per day showed a higher percent of grooming than the control male offspring. In conclusion, perinatal exposure to BPA caused the behavioral alterations in the offspring.     

Cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions during corneal epithelial wound healing

The corneal epithelium serves as a barrier and contributes to the maintenance of corneal transparency and rigidity. In most instances, corneal epithelial defects caused by simple injury are resurfaced promptly. However, in individuals with certain clinical conditions, such as herpes simplex virus infection, neurotrophic keratopathy or diabetic keratopathy, corneal epithelial defects persist and do not respond to conventional treatment regimens because of delayed epithelial wound healing. After the corneal epithelium is removed by injury, the remaining epithelial cells migrate over the denuded surface of the cornea in a manner that is dependent both on the interaction of the cells with the underlying substrate and on cell-cell adhesion. In this review, we describe the specific roles of cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions during the course of corneal epithelial wound healing. The clinical implications of the basic research findings are also discussed.     

Brain fiber tracking with clinically feasible diffusion-tensor MR imaging: initial experience

Two technical challenges must be overcome before brain fiber tracking with diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be applied to clinical practice: Imaging time must be shortened, and image distortion must be minimized. Single-shot echo-planar MR imaging with parallel imaging technique enabled both objectives to be accomplished. Twenty-three consecutive patients with brain tumors underwent MR imaging with a 1.5-T whole-body MR system. Fiber tracts on the lesion side in the brain had varying degrees of displacement or disruption as a result of the tumor. Tract disruption resulted from direct tumor involvement, compression on the tract, and vasogenic edema surrounding the tumor. This diffusion-tensor MR imaging method with the parallel imaging technique allows clinically feasible brain fiber tracking.     

Investigation of the cause of polyurethane catheter cracking during constant infusion of etoposide (VP-16) injection (2)--Analysis of ethanol eluting materials from catheter

We studied the cause of cracking of clinically used polyurethane (PU) catheters during the constant infusion of etoposide (VP-16) injection (Lastet inj.) without dilution. After the vehicles used for VP-16 injection, ethanol or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), were infused into the PU catheters at a constant infusion rate (30 ml/h) for 24 h, obvious degradation of the internal wall of the catheter was observed under an electron microscope. When the PU catheter was immersed in ethanol for 24 h, condensed polymers of 1,4-butanediol (BD), contained in PU catheters as an elasticizer, were detected in the ethanol elute using the ESI/MS method. Moreover, time-dependent elution of BD from PU catheters with the infusion of ethanol into the catheter for 24 h at 30 ml/h was observed using the GC/MS method. The cumulative amount of BD eluted from the PU catheter with ethanol vehicle for 24 h was 130 micrograms. In conclusion, degradation and subsequent cracking of PU catheters during the infusion of VP-16 injection were caused by ethanol and PEG400 contained in the injection solution. Furthermore, to prevent the elution of BD from PU catheters, we suggest that PU catheters should not be used for the administration of VP-16 injection without dilution in consideration of safety and efficacy.     

Profile of neurokinin B concentrations in maternal and cord blood in normal pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: Neurokinin B (NKB) is a neuropeptide with a vasopressor effect belonging to the tachykinin family. This neuropeptide has attracted attention since recent reports indicated that it is also secreted in the placenta and is probably a cause of pre-eclampsia. To provide a basis for elucidation of the relationship between pre-eclampsia and NKB, this study aimed to clarify the trend of changes in blood NKB levels during normal pregnancy by measuring NKB concentrations in maternal blood during various gestational periods and in umbilical blood. METHODS: Fifty-nine normal pregnant women, 12 normal puerperal women and 24 nonpregnant women were studied. The normal pregnant women comprised of 24 at 8-20 weeks' gestation (early), 11 at 28-34 weeks (middle) and 24 at 35-40 weeks (late). Plasma was separated from peripheral blood samples, umbilical venous blood samples (n = 24) and umbilical arterial blood samples (n = 9). Peptide fractions were extracted from each plasma sample and NKB concentrations were measured by the radioimmunoassay method. RESULTS: The NKB concentration in early pregnancy was not significantly different from that in the nonpregnant state. During pregnancy, the blood NKB concentration increased with advance in gestational week, and a correlation was demonstrated by a linear regression equation. The concentration during puerperium was significantly lower than that in late pregnancy. The umbilical blood concentration was significantly higher than the maternal blood concentration in late pregnancy. There was no significant difference between umbilical venous and arterial blood. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that NKB secreted from the placenta during pregnancy enters both the maternal and fetal circulation. These results suggest that NKB may modulate fetoplacental haemodynamics through a paracrine mechanism.     

Topographical Electrogastrograms After Radical Esophagectomy with Colonic Replacement

Purpose. To characterize the functional substitution of colon for the esophagus, we compared the electrogastrogram (EGG) maps and spectral frequencies and power of preoperative controls with patients who had undergone colonic replacement.Methods. Monopolar EGGs were recorded and spectrally analyzed at 27 locations on the thoracoabdominal surface. The spectral powers of five frequency groups were converted into EGG maps.Results. In contrast to the epigastric concentrations of maximal power foci in a preoperative 3-cpm (cycles per minute) group, those of the colon replacement subjects seemed not to be concentrated in the epigastric region. Power in the 6-cpm colon replacement group were significantly greater and those in the 3-cpm colon replacement group were significantly less than those in the preoperative controls. Spectral frequencies in the 1- and 3-cpm colon replacement groups were significantly higher than those in the preoperative controls.Conclusions. The colonic and gastric EGG activities had 3-cpm, and probably 6-cpm in common. However, the colonic EGG activities were significantly different from the gastric EGG activities in frequency in the 3-cpm group, and in amplitude in both the 3- and 6-cpm groups. Thus, the replaced colon seems to preserve the original colonic EGG activity.     

Depth of Subserosal Invasion Predicts Long-Term Survival After Resection in Patients With T2 Gallbladder Carcinoma

Background: This study aimed to identify a subgroup of patients with inapparent T2 gallbladder carcinoma who may be best suited for radical second resection.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 126 patients with pathologic stage T2 (pT2) gallbladder carcinoma (51 with clinically evident tumor and 75 with inapparent tumor). Depth of subserosal invasion was measured histologically in each gallbladder specimen. The median follow-up period was 113 months.Results: In all 126 patients, depth of subserosal invasion was the strongest independent prognostic factor by univariate (P < .0001) and multivariate (relative risk, 9.27; P < .0001) analyses. Among the 75 patients with inapparent tumor, the outcome after resection was significantly better in patients who had undergone radical second resection than in patients who had undergone cholecystectomy alone (P = .0006). When depth of subserosal invasion was divided into 2 vs. >2 mm, the effectiveness of radical second resection remained only in patients with subserosal invasion >2 mm (P = .0004).Conclusions:Depth of subserosal invasion best predicts postresectional long-term survival of pT2 gallbladder carcinoma patients. Among patients with inapparent pT2 tumors, those with subserosal invasion >2 mm are good candidates for radical second resection.     

A case of delusional disorder,somatic type with remarkable improvement of clinical symptoms and single photon emission computed tomograpy findings following modified electroconvulsive therapy

A 72-year-old male with delusional disorder, somatic type (DDST), was treated by modified electroconvulsive therapy (mECT). His somatic delusions were completely resolved by mECT. In parallel with the improvement of his clinical symptoms, we observed an improvement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the left temporal and parietal lobes shown by the single photon emission computed tomograpy (SPECT). This study appears to support the utility of mECT for somatic delusions in elderly patients and suggests possible association of the dysfunction in the left temporal and parietal lobes with manifestation of the somatic delusion of the patient.     

Significance of perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates on survival of patients with invasive cervical cancer

The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 129 patients with stage IB and II cervical cancer (93 squamous cell carcinomas, 30 adenocarcinomas, and 6 adenosquamous carcinomas) who underwent primary surgery between 1989 and 2000. Vascular invasion is the predictor of recurrence, and lymphocytic infiltrates within the tumor is associated with favorable outcome in cervical cancer. Hence, 129 patients were divided into three groups according to the presence or absence of vascular invasion (VI) and perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates (PLI); VI- (n = 77), VI+PLI- (n = 26), and VI+PLI+ (n = 26), to evaluate the significance of PLI. Age, clinical stage, histology, tumor grade, depth of stromal invasion, VI and PLI, tumor size, ovarian metastasis, pelvic lymph node metastasis, postoperative irradiation, and chemotherapy were assessed statistically for recurrence of the disease by Cox regression analysis. Disease-free survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Recurrence was observed in 32 (25%) of all 129 cases. In a multivariate analysis, VI ( = 0.003) and histology ( = 0.006) remained significantly associated with recurrence. When divided into three groups, the hazard ratio for recurrence was higher in the absence of PLI (2.95 in VI+PLI- group versus 2.07 in VI+PLI+ group), and value became significant in the absence of PLI (0.008 in VI+PLI- group versus 0.106 in VI+PLI+ group). In Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, only the VI+PLI- group ( = 0.006) was significantly associated with worse survival compared with the VI- group. These results suggest that the coexistence of perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates is associated with a better prognosis in cases with vascular invasion.     

Blood Flow and Metabolism of Oligodendrogliomas: A Positron Emission Tomography Study with Kinetic Analysis of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose

To accurately characterize the pathophysiology and proliferating activity of oligodendrogliomas, we studied cerebral blood flow and metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET) in five patients with this tumor. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), cerebral blood volume (rCBV), oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF), and cerebral metabolic rates of oxygen (rCMRO₂) and of glucose (rCMRGl) were quantitatively measured in tumor lesions and the contralateral gray matter. rCMRGl was analyzed based on both kinetic and autoradiographic methods. Tumor rCBF and rCBV were lower than in the contralateral gray matter in all preoperatively examined patients. Oxygen metabolism, determined by rCMRO₂ and rOEF, was consistently reduced in the tumor (rCMRO₂, P<0.05 vs. gray matter, determined by the Student's t-test). Tumor rCMRGl was significantly lower than the gray matter rCMRGl in both kinetic (P<0.01) and autoradiographic (P<0.05) analyses. Kinetic tumor rCMRGl varied between 1.22 and 4.13mg/100ml/min, but was lower than the gray matter value in all patients. Autoradiographic tumor rCMRGl, which ranged from 1.02 to 5.79mg/100ml/min, was also reduced in all tumors but one; the remaining tumor, which had a relatively high value of autoradiographic rCMRGl (comparable to gray matter rCMRGl), infiltrated the contralateral hemisphere through the corpus callosum, and was characterized by high cellular density. In one patient who suffered from tumor recurrence 8 years and 10 months after initial treatment, phosphorylation constant (K3) and kinetic rCMRGl of the recurring tumor were higher than those of the original tumor. No other tumors have regrown or recurred during the postoperative follow-up periods, which ranged from 22 to 130 months (median=101 months). Circulation and metabolism measured by PET provide in vivo biological characteristics, including proliferating activity, in oligodendrogliomas.