Lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas: report of a case

The aim of this report is to describe the clinical and pathological features of a lympoepithelial cyst of the pancreas and to recommend fine-needle aspiration biopsy for the differential diagnosis of this lesion. A 55-year-old man was incidentally diagnosed as having a pancreatic tumor by abdominal ultrasonography. A hypoechoic cystic lesion was detected on the surface of the pancreatic body. A computed tomography revealed a cystic lesion surrounded by a smooth, flat wall. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the lesion was a low-intensity mass on the T1-image and a slightly high-intensity mass on the T2-image. The lesion was diagnosed as a benign cystic tumor, and enucleation of the tumor was scheduled. The fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed after laparotomy, and cytology of the contents was negative for malignant cells. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was a lymphoepithelial cyst of the pancreas. This cyst is an unusual but benign mass that requires minimal surgery.     

Gabexate mesilate, a synthetic protease inhibitor, attenuates carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats

Background Gabexate mesilate, a synthetic protease inhibitor, is used to treat acute pancreatitis and disseminated intravascular coagulation because it inhibits various serine proteases; however, whether gabexate mesilate prevents acute liver failure has not yet been studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of gabexate mesilate in carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver injury in rats.Methods Acute hepatic failure was induced by administration of CCl₄ intragastrically to male Sprague–Dawley rats. The effects of gabexate mesilate were examined in terms of serum transaminase levels, liver histology, and the prognosis of rats.Results Gabexate mesilate treatment significantly decreased the elevation of serum transaminase levels and improved liver histology 24h after the administration of CCl₄ (0.2ml/100g rat weight). Plasma tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) decreased significantly in the gabexate mesilate-treated rats compared with saline-treated rats. Gabexate mesilate treatment also significantly improved survival rate after a lethal dose of CCl₄ (0.5ml/100g rat weight) from 0% to 20%.Conclusions Gabexate mesilate treatment attenuated CCl₄-induced liver injury via a suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production. In addition, these investigations suggest that gabexate mesilate treatment may provide therapeutic strategies for human acute liver failure.     

Combination gene therapy for liver metastasis of colon carcinoma in vivo.

The efficacy of combination therapy with a "suicide gene" and a cytokine gene to treat metastatic colon carcinoma in the liver was investigated. Tumor in the liver was generated by intrahepatic injection of a colon carcinoma cell line (MCA-26) in syngeneic BALB/c mice. Recombinant adenoviral vectors containing various control and therapeutic genes were injected directly into the solid tumors, followed by treatment with ganciclovir. While the tumors continued to grow in all animals treated with a control vector or a mouse interleukin 2 vector, those treated with a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase vector, with or without the coadministration of the mouse interleukin 2 vector, exhibited dramatic necrosis and regression. However, only animals treated with both vectors developed an effective systemic antitumoral immunity against challenges of tumorigenic doses of parental tumor cells inoculated at distant sites. The antitumoral immunity was associated with the presence of MCA-26 tumor-specific cytolytic CD8+ T lymphocytes. The results suggest that combination suicide and cytokine gene therapy in vivo can be a powerful approach for treatment of metastatic colon carcinoma in the liver.     

Efficient cardiomyogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cell by fibroblast growth factor 2 and bone morphogenetic protein 2.

BACKGROUND: Despite the pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cells, the specific control of their cardiomyogenic differentiation remains difficult. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether growth factors may efficiently enhance the in vitro cardiac differentiation of ES cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Recombinant growth factors at various concentrations or their inhibitors were added according to various schedules during the cardiomyogenic differentiation of ES cells. Cardiomyogenic differentiation was assessed by mRNA and protein expressions of several cardiomyocyte-specific genes. Basic fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and/or bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) efficiently enhanced the cardiomyogenic differentiation, but only when they were added at the optimal concentration (1.0 ng/ml in FGF-2 and 0.2 ng/ml in BMP-2; relatively lower than expected in both cases) for the first 3 days. Inhibition of FGF-2 and/or BMP-2 drastically suppressed the cardiomyogenic differentiation. CONCLUSION: FGF-2 and BMP-2 play a crucial role in early cardiomyogenesis. The achievement of efficient cardiac differentiation using both growth factors may facilitate ES cell-derived cell therapy for heart diseases as well as contribute to developmental studies of the heart.     

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), but not High Glucose, Inhibit the Osteoblastic Differentiation of Mouse Stromal ST2 Cells Through the Suppression of Osterix Expression, and Inhibit Cell Growth and Increasing Cell Apoptosis

Diabetes mellitus is known to be associated with osteoporotic fractures through a decrease in osteoblastic bone formation rather than an increase in osteoclastic bone resorption. However, its precise mechanism is unknown, and we examined whether or not high glucose or advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which play key roles in the pathogenesis and complications of diabetes, would affect the osteoblastic differentiation, growth, and apoptosis of mouse stromal ST2 cells. Ten to 200?μg/mL AGE2 or AGE3 alone dose-dependently inhibited the mineralization. AGE2 or AGE3 alone (200?μg/mL) significantly inhibited alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities as well as the mineralization of the cells (p?相似文献   

Safety and indication of open heart surgery without blood transfusion for congenital cardiac defects in infants]

Between January 1994 and June 1997, 16 cases of ventricular septal defect (VSD) and endocardial cushion defect (ECD) with pulmonary hypertension (PH), each weighing from 5 to 9 kg, underwent definitive surgery at Matsudo Municipal Hospital. We classified them into 2 groups; Group N: 8 cases without blood transfusion, Group H: 8 cases with blood transfusion. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system was a closed circuit and priming volume was 370 to 500 ml. There was no difference between the 2 groups in operative age, body weight, preoperative state, operation time, CPB time, aortic cross clamp time, bleeding and postoperative state. In Group N, CPB blood was returned to the patient as soon as possible after CPB was weaned, and postoperative hemodynamics were stable in both groups. In Group N, hematocrit (Ht) values were consistently lower than in Group H, from initiation of CPB to leaving the hospital. To accomplish safe CPB, we measured systemic venous oxygen saturation (SvO2). In 6 cases of Group N, SvO2 during rewarming was 48.1 +/- 16.0% and Ht value was 13.2 +/- 1.5%. It is thought that the safe CPB could be conducted in Group N. In addition, in Group N, respiratory index showed better values than in Group H during the postoperative period. It is thought that CPB without blood transfusion may be favorable to prevent lung injury after CPB. Retrospectively, it is thought that, to accomplish safe CPB without blood transfusion, preoperative Ht values of over 30% are desirable in patients weighing 6 kg and those of over 35% are desirable in patients weighing 5 kg.     

Open heart surgery without blood transfusion for cyanotic congenital cardiac defects

Between November 1994 and January 1997, 42 cases of cyanotic congenital cardiac defects underwent definitive surgery at Matsudo Municipal Hospital. We evaluated 30 cases, each weighing from 7 to 20 kg. The procedures were performed at the age of 9 months to 6 years (mean age—2.4 years). The body weights were 7.7 to 20 kg (mean weight—11.4 kg). The preoperative diagnoses were Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) in 19 cases, Fontan candidates in 6 and the others in 5. We classified them into 3 groups; Group Abstract—15 cases were completed with non-blood transfusion, Group B—8 cases used only plasma protein fraction and Group C—7 cases used blood transfusion. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system is a semi-closed circuit and priming volume is 400 to 600 ml. There is no difference among the 3 groups in operative age, body weight, opeartion time, CPB time, aortic cross clamp time, bleeding and postoperative state. The same results were obtained in minimum base excess and urine output during CPB and the changes of hematocrit and total protein. In Groups A and B, CPB blood was retruned to the patient as soon as possible after CPB was weaned, but in Group C, blood transfusion was performed without the return of CPB blood. In all groups, hemodynamics were stable. Retrospectively, it is thought that blood transfusion was not necessary in Group C and the use of the plamsa protein fraction was not needed in Group B. In conclusion, the open heart surgery can be performed safely without blood transfusion for cyanotic congenital cardiac defects.     

Elevated spontaneous mutation rate in SV40-transformed werner syndrome fibroblast cell lines

Spontaneous mutation rates of the cells from patients with Werner syndrome were examined, and we found that the spontaneous mutation rates at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus in SV40-transformed Werner syndrome cell lines were markedly elevated, compared to those in SV40-transformed normal control cell lines. Our results suggest that Werner syndrome is a mutation mutant.