Endourologic management of filling defect in renal pelvis: limited value of cold cup biopsy

A fifty-six-year-old woman underwent transurethral ureterorenoscopy and cold cup biopsy for evaluation of a filling defect of the left renal pelvis. The pathology indicated a benign lesion, and percutaneous resection was done with the nephroresectoscope. However, the pathologic diagnosis of the resected tissue showed it to be transitional cell carcinoma, grade I. Consequently we performed a nephroureterectomy with excision of a cuff of bladder and the nephrostomy tract. Residual tumor was found in deep layer of the renal pelvis. The implication from this case in defining the indications for endourologic management of tumors is considered.     

几种评价保湿产品无创性测试方法的相关性评价

目的:对测量皮肤角质层含水量和屏障功能的几种无创性皮肤测试方法进行相关性评价。方法:采用SKICON-200测定皮肤电导法、皮肤保水功能测定、TEWL测定、受试者主观评价的方法,比较某种保湿霜/精华素使用前、后皮肤角质层含水量和屏障功能的变化,并分析这些方法之间的相关性。结果:保湿霜的效果优于精华素,SKICON-200测定皮肤电导法、皮肤保水功能测定以及部分受试者临床症状和主观评价指标(如红斑、脱屑情况,皮肤滋润度的改善、皮肤细纹数量变化和皮肤弹性改善)有很好的平行关系。TEWL结果在本试验中变化不大,与上述指标没有平行关系。结论:SKICON-200测定皮肤电导法、皮肤保水功能测定适合用于保湿化妆品的功效评价。TEWL测定对于屏障功能受损的皮肤可能更敏感,对于健康皮肤使用前、后比较可作为参考指标。     

‘Ischemic tolerance’ phenomenon detected in various brain regions

We investigated the effects of mild and non-lethal ischemic insult on neuronal death following subsequent lethal ischemic stress in various brain regions, using a gerbil model of bilateral cerebral ischemia. Single 10-min ischemia consistently caused neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA1, CA2, CA3 and CA4, layer III/IV of the cerebral cortex, dorsolateral part of the caudoputamen and ventrolateral part of the thalamus. On the other hand, in double ischemia groups, 2-min ischemic insult 2 days before 10-min ischemia exhibited significant protection in the CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus, the cerebral cortex, the caudoputamen and the thalamus. Five-min ischemic insult 2 days before 10-min ischemia also showed protective effect in the same areas as those of 2-min ischemia except for the CA1 region of the hippocampus, while 1-min ischemic insult exhibited no protective effect in any brain regions. In the immunoblot analysis, both 2- and 5-min ischemia caused increased synthesis of heat shock protein 72 (HSP 72) in the hippocampus, but 1-min ischemia did not. The present study demonstrated that the ‘ischemic tolerance’ phenomenon was widely found in the brain and also suggested that ischemic treatment severe enough to cause HSP 72 synthesis might be needed for induction of ‘ischemic tolerance’.     

Measurement of free and total hydroxyproline by automated flow injection of serum or urine samples from maintenance hemodialysis patients with renal osteodystrophy

An automated measurement of total and free hydroxyproline in serum or urine is presented that uses flow injection analysis. After exclusion of nonspecific substances, hydroxyproline was oxidized by chloramine- T and L-cysteine with Ehrlich's reagent. The linearity obtained was from 3.8μmole/ L to 1.22 mmole/L with good precision (CV <3%). Comparison of the proposed method with HPLC yielded r = 0.939 as the correlation coefficient. Reference intervals of free and total hydroxyproline are 1.4–9.7 μmole/L, 3.8–27.2 μmole/L for serum, and 10.0–72.5 μmole/L, 25.2–303.6 μmole/L for urine, respectively. Serum free and total hydroxyproline levels in renal osteodystrophy patients on maintenance hemodialysis (N = 71) were significantly higher than in controls (P<0.0001). This method is superior to the use of HPLC with regard to stability of the color reaction. The measurement of serum free and total hydroxyproline is a useful marker for therapeutic observation of renal osteodystrophy patients. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus-1-positive Cell Line Established from a Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer

A stable cell line, KHM-3S, was established from a patient with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), who had a high serum level of soluble interleukin 2 receptors (sIL2-R) and was seropositive for human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-l. KHM-3S cells were positive for IL2-R (Tac) and NKH-1, but negative for other lymphocytic markers such as OKT 11, OKT 4, OKT 8, T cell receptor (WT 31), B 1, and B 4. Moreover, the KHM-3S cells were negative for leukocyte common antigen and strongly positive for neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Secretion of sIL2-R and NSE by the KHM-3S line was detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Rearrangement of the T cell receptor gene and monoclonal HTLV-1 integration were found by Southern blot analysis of KHM-3S DNA. However, Northern blot analysis showed no T cell receptor mRNA. KHM-3S may be useful for studies on the role of HTLV-1 in carcinogenesis and IL2-R expression in SCLC.     

A case of progressive muscular dystrophy with numerous arterioluminal vessels

A 48-year-old man had histologically demonstrated cardiac involvement associated with progressive muscular dystrophy. On coronary arteriography, numerous vascular communications between the coronary arteries and the left ventricular chamber were found. These vascular communications are considered to be the arterioluminal vessels. This is the first report of a case of progressive muscular dystrophy with numerous arterioluminal vessels.