Increased levels of chondrocalcin in knee joint fluid in synovial chondromatosis--a case report

Introduction We used an experimental hip model to assess the mechanical stability of a hip prosthesis, and compared the femoral medullary canal preparation techniques of reaming and broaching.

Methods 15 pairs of cadaveric femora had a simulated replacement, the right femur with a reaming technique and the left with a broaching technique. Both femurs were radiographed to assess component positioning and cement mantle. The femurs were osteotomized 30 days after the procedure. The shear strength of the interface was studied at 4 different levels along an aluminum rod during push-out tests.

Results The overall mean value of the interface failure load was 15% lower with the reaming technique (6.5 kN for the reaming technique versus 7.7 kN for the broaching technique; p?=?0.02).

Interpretation Broaching was superior to reaming for the preparation of the femoral canal, and should be used in order to increase primary stability. Further in vivo studies are required to account for factors such as intramedullary pressure, bleeding and surgical variations, which could not be accounted for in our study.     

Effect of H. pylori on COX-2 expression in gastric remnant after distal gastrectomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori infection is known to induce gastritis, oxidative stress, and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in the gastric mucosa. However, the effect of H. pylori infection on remnant gastritis has not been studied. We investigated whether the severity of remnant gastritis and COX-2 expression were affected by H. pylori infection after distal gastrectomy. METHODOLOGY: The study included 97 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative distal gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy in our department between May 1999 and April 2001. All patients underwent endoscopic examination 2 weeks before and 12 weeks after surgery. The presence of H. pylori infection was determined by urease activity, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunochemical staining. Histologic remnant gastritis was graded based on the degree of neutrophil infiltration using the updated Sydney System. COX-2 expression was estimated immunohistochemically. RESULTS: Both the degree of neutrophil infiltration and the level of COX-2 expression were significantly higher in patients with than without H. pylori (p<0.05). There was a significant correlation between the degree of neutrophil infiltration and the degree of COX-2 expression (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori eradication may become a treatment for preventing both remnant gastritis as well as remnant gastric carcinoma after distal gastrectomy.     

Tranilast inhibits the proliferation of uterine leiomyoma cells in vitro through G1 arrest associated with the induction of p21(waf1) and p53

Uterine leiomyoma is a mesenchymal tumor composed of smooth muscle cells with fibrous tissues and many mast cells. Tranilast is known to suppress fibrosis or to work as a mast cell stabilizer and is reported to inhibit proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. In this study, we examined the effects of tranilast on cultured human leiomyoma cells in vitro to evaluate whether this agent has the potential to inhibit the growth of uterine leiomyomas. Tranilast inhibited the proliferation of cultured leiomyoma cells in a dose-dependent manner without any cytotoxic effect or induction of apoptosis. In association with the inhibitory effect, tranilast induced the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21(waf1) and tumor suppressor gene p53 and decreased CDK2 activity. These results suggest that tranilast arrests the proliferation of uterine leiomyoma cells at the G0/G1 phase, through the suppression of CDK2 activity via an induction of p21(waf1) and p53. Tranilast was concluded to be a potent agent to inhibit proliferative activity of uterine leiomyoma cells.     

Health-related quality of life of unrelated bone marrow donors in Japan

To promote bone marrow donation, both the safety and well-being of healthy unrelated volunteer donors must be protected. This prospective cohort study evaluated donors' health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and identified factors associated with it. Using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) before bone marrow harvesting (BMH), and again 1 week and 3 months after the donors' discharge, we evaluated HRQOL of 565 donors (329 men, 236 women) registered with the Japan Marrow Donor Program (JMDP). We also examined the data routinely collected by the JMDP, such as BMH-related problems and other demographic and medical variables, to determine whether such data could be used to predict donors' HRQOL after discharge. Mean scores of all pre-BMH SF-36 subscales showed better functioning than the national norm. One week after discharge, mean scores on physical functioning (PF) and role-physical (RP) subscales, indicative of physical states, and bodily pain (BP) were approximately 1 SD lower than the national norm; however, mental health (MH) and general health perception (GH) remained above normal; the most frequent BMH-related problems were pain at the donation site and lower back pain, which were associated with lower PF, RP, and BP scores. Female gender and duration of procedure predicted lower PF, RP, and BP. Three months after discharge, mean scores of all SF-36 subscales had returned to baseline levels. These data show that the adverse effects of BMH on donors' HRQOL are transient and can be minimized by better management of pain.     

Quality of life improvements in dialysis patients receiving darbepoetin alfa

Short-acting hematopoietic agents can improve the quality of life (QOL) of hemodialysis patients, but questions remain regarding the domains of QOL affected, the relative importance of initial and final hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, and the use of long-acting hematopoietic agents. We measured Hb concentrations and QOL in 487 hemodialysis patients who were switched from treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin to treatment with darbepoetin alfa. QOL was measured with the Japanese-language version of the SF-36, at the start of therapy with darbepoetin alfa and again 7-14 weeks later. We examined changes in QOL over time in the group as a whole, and in subgroups stratified by the change in Hb concentration. We also studied relationships between the final Hb concentration achieved and the magnitude of change in QOL. QOL scores increased significantly in all SF-36 domains except Social Functioning. The greatest increases were in vitality and in the two role-functioning domains. The magnitude of the increase in Hb concentration was related to the magnitude of the increase in QOL for only one subscale: Vitality. Patients with higher final Hb concentrations also had greater increases in Vitality scores. Hematopoiesis induced by darbepoetin alfa is associated with increased vitality and may also be associated with improved role functioning. Vitality increased significantly only in those patients with the greatest increases in Hb concentration and in those with higher final Hb concentrations.     

Efficient protective activity of a planar catechin analogue against radiation-induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes

About two thirds of biological damage due to low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, such as X-rays and the plateau region of heavy-ion beams, is known to be caused by the hydroxyl radical (˙OH), the most powerful reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated via ionisation and excitation of water molecules. Thus, compounds having an efficient scavenging activity against ROS are expected to exhibit a radioprotective activity. A planar catechin analogue, where an isopropyl fragment was introduced into the catechol ring of (+)-catechin, showed an efficient protective effect against X-ray induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes compared to (+)-catechin. The planar catechin scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH˙) solubilised in water by β-cyclodextrin about 10-fold faster than (+)-catechin in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.4) at 298 K. Furthermore, the experimental log P value of the planar catechin (1.22) is reported to be significantly larger than that of (+)-catechin (0.44). The higher radical-scavenging activity and lipophilicity of the planar catechin than those of (+)-catechin may contribute in part to the higher protective activity against X-ray-induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes.

A planar catechin analogue showed a significant higher protective activity against X-ray induced apoptosis in rat thymocytes than (+)-catechin.