Effects of minaprine and sulpiride injected into the amygdaloid nucleus on the duration of immobility in rats forced to swim

We examined the effects of minaprine and sulpiride injected into the medial amygdaloid nucleus on the duration of immobility in rats forced to swim. Minaprine (50 micrograms/microliter) significantly reduced the duration of immobility, while sulpiride (50 micrograms/microliters) remarkedly enhanced it. These results suggest that the medial amygdaloid nucleus might be involved in the suppressive effect of minaprine on the duration of immobility, as was seen with the tricyclic antidepressants. The pattern of behavior seen with sulpiride administrations differs considerably from that seen with the tricyclic antidepressants.     

Induction of NADPH-diaphorase activity in the hippocampus in a rat model of cerebral ischemia and ischemic tolerance

Preconditioning of the brain with sublethal ischemia induces tolerance to subsequent lethal periods of ischemia (ischemic tolerance). In this study, we used NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry to investigate the postischemic changes of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the hippocampus in a rat model of cerebral ischemia and ischemic tolerance. Forebrain ischemia was induced by 4-vessel occlusion for 3 min as an ischemic preconditioning. Three days after the preconditioning or sham operation, second ischemia was induced for 6 min. A transient increase in NADPH-diaphorase activity, beginning after 2 h and maximal after 1 day, was observed in CA1 pyramidal neurons of rats subjected to 3 min of preconditioning ischemia as well as 6 min of subsequent ischemia both with and without preconditioning. In addition, expression of NADPH-diaphorase activity was seen in reactive glial cells in the damaged CA1 region of animals subjected to 6 min of ischemia without preconditioning. Thus, direct involvement of increased NADPH-diaphorase activity in ischemic tolerance was not suggested because the increased NADPH-diaphorase activity preceded the induction of ischemic tolerance which takes place 1–7 days after preconditioning. However, the present findings suggest that the induction of neuronal NADPH-diaphorase activity occurs in response to cerebral ischemia.     

Cardiac function predicts mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have identified age, renal failure and aneurysm extent as predictors of mortality following thoracoabdominal and descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) repair. We studied the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac function on 30-day mortality following TAA repair. METHODS: Between February 1991 and May 2001, we performed 854 TAA repairs. Two hundred ninety-one patients (34%) had a history of coronary artery disease. One hundred forty-one/291 (49%) had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) prior to TAA repair. We conducted multivariable analyses of known risk factors along with the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and prior CAB to determine the adjusted effect of CAD on outcome. RESULTS: Mortality in patients with CAD was 54/291 (18%) compared to 75/563 (13%) without CAD (P<0.05). In patients who had prior CAB, mortality was 31/141 (22%) compared to 98/713 (14%) patients without prior CAB, (P<0.02). In multivariable analysis, the effects of CAD and CAB on mortality were eliminated by consideration of a low EF (defined as less than 50%). CONCLUSION: Impaired left ventricular function appears to be the strongest cardiac predictor of mortality for TAA repair, independent of the presence of coronary artery disease or coronary artery bypass revascularization.     

Uveitis associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I.

Seroepidemiologic, clinical, and virologic studies were performed to determine whether human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I was closely associated with uveitis in two hospitals. One hospital was in an endemic area of the virus (Miyakonojo, Miyazaki) and the other hospital was in a less endemic area (Kurume). In the endemic area, the seroprevalence of the virus in patients with uveitis without defined causes (35.4%, 62 of 175 patients) was significantly higher than that in patients with nonuveitic ocular diseases (16.1%, 42 of 261 patients), or in patients with uveitis with defined causes (10.3%, eight of 78 patients). The seroprevalence in younger patients (20 to 49 years of age) with uveitis without defined causes in the area was 44.8% (30 of 67 patients), whereas it was only 9.3% (ten of 107 patients) in the other two groups. A similar observation was recorded even in the less endemic area (Kurume). Because the seroprevalence of the virus in the general population is known to be low in younger patients and to increase with age, these findings were interpreted to indicate that the association of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I with uveitis was significant. Most patients, particularly those aged 20 through 49 years, had an intermediate uveitis characterized by a moderate inflammation in the vitreous body accompanied by an iritis and retinal vasculitis. The ocular symptoms in the patients differed from those of other types of uveitis common in Japan (Beh?et's disease, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's disease, and toxoplasmosis, for example).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A case of Machado-Joseph disease--cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen]

A 51-year-old woman, with progressive gait disturbance and dysarthria, had been diagnosed as Menzel-type spinocerebellar degeneration. Later, she developed dystonic posture of upper limbs and bulging eyes. She was diagnosed as Machado-Joseph disease from neurological findings, which consisted of cerebellar signs, pyramidal tract signs and extrapyramidal tract signs and peripheral neuropathy. She died suddenly of unknown origin. Her illness lasted about 13 years. Neuropathological findings showed moderate neuronal loss with gliosis in the subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, dentate nucleus, oculomotor and hypoglossal nucleus and anterior horn. Positron emission tomography (PET) using 15O steady state inhalation technique revealed reduction of cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen in not only cerebellum but also cerebral cortex. These findings are different from typical PET findings of spinocerebellar degeneration.     

Repair of skin defect after extensive resection for penile cancer: report of two cases, and clinical observation of patients with penile cancer at Mie University hospital]

Case 1: A 48-year-old male with stage 4 penile cancer is reported. We used peplomycin (PEP) and cisplatinum (CDDP) for preoperative chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was effective. Radical surgery with bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy was done and skin defect was covered with a skin flap. Case 2: A 61-year-old male with stage 4 penile cancer underwent radical surgery after modified MBD therapy with methotrexate (MTX), PEP and CDDP. Emasculation with skin resection and inguinal and pelvic lymphadenectomy were performed. The skin defect was deep and wide. It was covered with a glacilis myocutaneous skin flap. Distal end of the flap became necrotic. It was covered with tensor fascia lata myocutaneous flap. Seventeen patients with penile cancer were treated between 1972 and 1990 at Mie University Hospital. Nine patients were in stage 1, 4 stage 2, 1 stage 3, 3 stage 4. Treatment consisted of surgery (3), surgery+chemotherapy (10), surgery+chemotherapy+irradiation (2), chemotherapy+irradiation (1), and surgery+irradiation(1). Cancer death was observed in 2 cases (stage 2), 2 patients died of other diseases, 10 are alive, and 3 patients were lost to follow up.     

Clinicopathologic Study of Angiogenesis in Japanese Patients with Breast Cancer

p = 0.0007) and tumor necrosis (TN) (HMC: p = 0.0050). Univariate analysis showed that AMC or HMC was a statistically significant predictor of overall survival in all patients ( p = 0.0086 and p = 0.0307, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that AMC was an independent predictor of node status when we fitted a model with node status, BVI, and either AMC or HMC; but HMC was not independent. However, when we fitted a model including all 11 of the other indicators and AMC or HMC, the node status, HG, and LI were independent predictors, but AMC and HMC were not. Although AMC was a better method than HMC for evaluating angiogenesis, we cannot confirm angiogenesis as a significant independent prognostic factor associated with long-term survival in Japanese breast cancer patients.     

HTLV-I uveitis: a distinct clinical entity caused by HTLV-I.

Seroepidemiological, clinical and virological studies were carried out in an HTLV-I endemic area to find out if HTLV-I caused an intraocular inflammatory disorder, uveitis. The seroprevalence in patients with uveitis without defined etiologies (62/175, 35.4%) was significantly higher than that in patients with non-uveitic ocular diseases (42/261, 16.1%) or in patients with uveitis with defined etiologies (8/78, 10.3%). Moreover, the seroprevalence in young adults (20-49 years) with uveitis without defined etiologies was 30/67 (44.8%), whereas it was only 10/107 (9.3%) in the other two groups. The uveitis in HTLV-I carriers was characterized clinically by a moderate inflammation of the vitreous body accompanied by a mild iritis and retinal vasculitis. The proviral DNA of HTLV-I was detected by polymerase chain reaction from the inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber in 9 out of 9 seropositive patients with the uveitis, but not in any of the tested patients with other types of uveitis. These data, thus, indicate that HTLV-I causes a specific type of intraocular inflammation, uveitis.     

Synchronous pulmonary atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and metastatic osteosarcoma in a young female

A 17-year-old female underwent metastasectomy of three synchronous lesions in the bilateral lungs under the diagnosis of metastatic osteosarcoma, however, one of them was found to be atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH). Since AAH is very rare among young people, a careful evaluation of high-resolution computed tomographic image is important in determining the operative indications and procedures in patients with multiple metastatic tumors.