Resolution of a leg ulcer after hysterectomy for huge uterine myoma

Venous ulcers are the most common type of leg ulcers, accounting for 80% to 90% of cases. We report a large, therapy-resistant ulcer present for three months on the right leg of a 44-year-old woman who also had a huge uterine myoma. Without any other treatment, the leg ulcer regressed spontaneously three months after a hysterectomy for the uterine myoma that had been demonstrated in a CT image to be compressing the right common iliac vein in the pelvis. Uterine myoma can become the cause of venous insufficiency of the leg, when it is big enough to disturb the blood circulation in the pelvis in individuals who have incompetent perforating veins.     

Cytokine-mediated antitumor effect of OK-432 on urinary bladder tumor cells in vitro

Fatal complications from the intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of superficial urinary bladder tumors have been reported. OK-432, an immunomodulating agent like BCG, may be an effective and safe agent for the treatment of urinary bladder tumors. We investigated the cytokine-mediated antitumor effect of OK-432 on established human bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and KK-47) in vitro. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a healthy volunteer were cultured with OK-432 for various periods, and the culture supernatants were used as conditioned media. Cytokines in the culture supernatants were quantified. The antitumor effect of OK-432 was evaluated by colony-forming assays, using the conditioned media as the culture media. The colony survival of T24 and KK-47 cells was significantly inhibited by conditioned media from 24-h cultures of PBMCs incubated with OK-432 at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 Klinische Einheit (KE)/ml. Conditioned media from PBMCs cultivated with OK-432 for 7 days at 0.01 and 0.05 KE/ml also significantly inhibited the colony survival of both cell lines. Higher concentrations of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were detected in conditioned media cultivated with OK-432 for 24 h than in media from PBMCs alone. However, higher concentrations of interferon (IFN) were detected in conditioned media cultivated with OK-432 for 7 days. Approximately 90% of the inhibition of KK-47 cells by the 24-h conditioned media was neutralized by an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody. The inhibition of T24 cells was neutralized approximately 50% by the same antibody. The inhibition of T24 and KK-47 cells by 7-day conditioned media was completely neutralized by an anti-IFN monoclonal antibody. The cultivation of PBMCs with OK-432 inhibited the production of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) by PBMCs. The inhibition may play a role in the mechanism of the antitumor effect of OK-432. Urinary bladder tumor cell lines have different sensitivities to cytokines. The cytokines induced by OK-432 vary with the concentration of OK-432 and the culture period. It is suggested that in intravesical instillation of OK-432 for treatment of urinary bladder tumor, the optimal dose and interval of instillation should be considered.     

Instantaneous change in transient shift of sleep stage in response to passing truck noise

The transient effects of passing truck noise on sleep stage shift were examined in fifteen male students aged 19–21 years old for 7 to 11 non-consecutive nights. Shift percentage for proceeding from Stage 2 to shallower stages (Stage 1, waking or movement time) as well as that from Stages 3 to 2, Stage 1, waking or movement time were determined. Change in Stage REM by noise was examined for shift to other stages. The percentage for shallower stages from Stage 2 significantly increased by exposure to 45, 50, 55 and 60 dBA noise compared to the non-exposed control, though this was not observed in Stage REM. The percentage of shift to shallower stages from Stage 3 significantly increased at 50, 55 and 60 dBA noise compared to the control. The minimum effective sound level for the percentage of shift to shallower stages from Stage 2 by the passing truck noise was less than 45 dBA, while that for the percentage of change in Stage REM was greater than 60 dBA and that for the percentage of shift to shallower stages from Stage 3 by the noise was between 45 and 50 dBA. Responses to noise exposure in Stage REM was less sensitive than in Stage 3.     

Phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells in splenectomized rats

Summary Carbonized polyethylene microspheres of 3.53 gm diameter were injected intravenously into splenectomized, laparotomized, and untreated rats. The number of Kupffer cells which phagocytosed microspheres and the number of microspheres phagocytosed by single Kupffer cells were counted. The number of Kupffer cells which phagocytosed microspheres was 1.51 times greater in splenectomized rats than in untreated rats, and 1.29 times greater in splenectomized rats than in laparotomized rats, both values being statistically significant. Although this same value was 1.18 times greater in laparotomized fats than in untreated rats, this was not statistically significant. The number of microspheres phagocytosed by single Kupffer cells also increased significantly in splenectomized rats. The intra-acinar distribution of the phagocytosing Kupffer cells showed the number in the periportal area to be 8–9 times greater than in the central area in all 3 groups. No significant difference in this intra-acinar distribution was observed between the groups. In addition, there was no difference in the phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells and the distribution of phagocytosing Kupffer cells between the hepatic lobes.     

Gold-silver-palladium alloys for laser irradiation —Effects of gold addition—

The clasp arms are fatigued by wearing a denture, by taking it off, and by occlusion. We routinely use laser irradiation to harden only the surface layer of clasp arms consisting of gold-silver-palladium alloy partially hardened by laser irradiation to resist fatigue. Recently we tested laser irradiation on silver-palladium-copper alloys, and obtained the following results: