The relationship between testosterone levels and cognitive ability patterns.

The cognitive performance of normal men and women was studied, grouped according to whether the subjects had relatively high or low salivary testosterone (T) concentrations. Men with lower T performed better than other groups on measures of spatial/mathematical ability, tasks at which men normally excel. Women with high T scored higher than low-T women on these same measures. T concentrations did not relate significantly to scores on tests that usually favor women or that do not typically show a sex difference. These results support suggestions of a nonlinear relationship between T concentrations and spatial ability, and demonstrate some task specificity in this respect.     

Neutrophil elastase inhibitor reduces hepatic metastases induced by ischaemia-reperfusion in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possibility in rats that ONO-5046 Na, a new recombinant inhibitor of neutrophil elastase, can reduce hepatic metastases induced by ischaemia-reperfusion. DESIGN: Laboratory experimental study. SETTING: Research laboratory, Japan. SUBJECTS: Male Fischer rats. INTERVENTIONS: Rats underwent 60 min of 70% partial hepatic ischaemia, after which rat colon adenocarcinoma cells (RCN-H4) were injected into the spleen. The animals were divided into two test groups and a control group. One group was given ONO-5046 Na intravenously at 10 mg/kg/hour. A second group was given a saline solution for the same period, while the controls were not made ischaemic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three weeks after inoculation, the number of tumour nodules on the liver surface was counted. The anti-cancer effect of ONO-5046 Na was measured by monotetrazolium assay. RESULTS: Hepatic ischaemia-reperfusion increased the number of liver metastases of RCN-H4 in both clamped and unclamped hepatic lobes. ONO-5046 Na significantly inhibited this in unclamped lobes, but had no anti-cancer effect. CONCLUSION: Neutrophil elastase may have an important role in increasing haematogenous liver metastases by ischaemia-reperfusion, particularly in unclamped lobes.     

Purification of rabbit, rat and mouse protein C with the use of monoclonal antibody to human protein C, PC01

Ca(++)-dependent monoclonal antibody specific to gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain of protein C was produced. It did not cross-react to the other vitamin K-dependent plasma proteins but to protein C of the other species. Using this monoclonal antibody, PC01, rabbit (170 micrograms), rat (60 micrograms) and mouse (40 micrograms) protein Cs were isolated from 100 ml of their plasma by affinity chromatography. All of these protein Cs were two chain form linked by disulfide bond as well as human protein C and activated by thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. Rat and mouse protein Cs showed similar characters to human protein C. On the other hand rabbit protein C had different M(r) of heavy and light chains and showed lower anticoagulant activity compared with human protein C.     

Leiomyosarcoma originating in Meckel's diverticulum: Report of a case and a review of 59 cases in the English literature

A 49-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of epigastric colicky pain and high fever. Abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography showed a solid tumor in the lower abdomen. Laparotomy revealed a neoplastic mass arising in Meckel's diverticulum; therefore, a segment of the ileum, including the tumor-possessing diverticulum, was resected with a lymph node dissection. A histologic examination confirmed the lesion to be leiomyosarcoma. In the English literature, 59 cases of leiomyosarcoma in Meckel's diverticulum were reported from 1941 to 1994. The majority of patients were in their 4th decade of life, with both sexes equally affected. The most frequent symptoms associated with this disease were abdominal pain with nausea, vomiting, and melena. The majority were larger than egg-size. Although Meckel's diverticulum is difficult to diagnose preoperatively, mesenteric arteriography may at times prove useful. The standard management of this particular tumor is wide segmental resection, including the tumor and diverticulum with lymph node dissection.     

Study on the mass-screening of after-meal serum triglyceride concentration]

The serum triglyceride concentration (TG) tested in health checks after meals cannot properly sort out hypertriglyceridemia with reference to the upper normal limit of fasting TG (150 mg/dl) set by the Japan Arteriosclerosis Society, because TG goes up considerably after a meal. In our survey of a large number of health check examinees (free of abnormal biochemical data other than TG and diseases under medical treatment), the mean (M) of fasting TG + 2 standard deviations (SD) was close to 150 mg/dl. When the screening level was set at M + 2SD for each time span after a meal, the ratio of the screened was distributed between 19.9 and 21.8%, which was close to 23.5%, the ratio of the screened on fasting. Accordingly, the nearest round number ending with zero for the first digit is suggested to be of practical use for the screening level of after-meal TG. The average TG in females was definitely lower than that of males, though proportionately increasing with age. The ratio of the screened among females aged between 20 and 49 was 5.3% on fasting and 3.2-5.8% for after-meal time spans, and that of the screened aged in their fifties was 11.3% and 8.2-12.9% respectively.     

Growth after bone marrow transplantation in children.

Growth of the patients with hematological malignancies, aplastic anemia, Fanconi's anemia, and Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome who had been treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was studied. Fourteen out of 21 patients showed suppression of linear growth after BMT. Recovery of the growth velocity after 1-2 years tended to occur if BMT was performed at younger age. Six of eight patients with chronic graft-versus-host-disease (CGVHD) had impaired growth after BMT, whereas eight of 13 (61%) without CGVHD did. Provocative tests for growth hormone (GH) performed 5-72 months after BMT revealed three boys who showed poor response to more than two different stimuli. Two of these three boys had prolonged suppression of growth. Neither the age at BMT, difference in disease, nor presence of posttransplant growth retardation gave significant difference in the response of GH to provocative tests. It was concluded that approximately two-thirds of marrow-grafted children experienced transient decrease in growth velocity after BMT.     

Comparison of flow capacities of arterial and venous grafts for coronary artery bypass grafting: evaluation with exercise thallium-201 single-photon emission tomography

Stress thallium-201 tomography was performed to compare the flow capacities of arterial and saphenous vein grafts in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). One hundred and seven consecutive patients (95 male and 12 female; mean age 58±9.1 years) underwent exercise-redistribution ²⁰¹Tl myocardial single-photon emission tomography 4–5 weeks after CABG. When a reversible perfusion defect was present in the area covered by a patent bypass graft, the flow capacity of the graft was defined as insufficient. Of all 285 grafts, 211 were considered as complete bypass. Reversible perfusion defects were present in 29 (27%) of 108 myocardial areas supplied by patent arterial grafts but in only 5 (5%) of 103 myocardial areas supplied by patent saphenous vein grafts (P<0.0001). In the LAD area reversible defects were observed in 22 of 82 areas covered by arterial grafts, in contrast to only 1 of 29 areas covered by venous grafts (P<0.01); in the RCA area reversible defects were observed in 7 of 17 and 4 of 41 areas respectively (P<0.01). There was no difference between the native coronary artery stenosis bypassed by patent arterial and venous grafts (88%±12% vs 86%±14% respectively, P=0.27). In conclusion, flow capacities during peak myocardial demand were more frequently insufficient in arterial bypass grafts than in saphenous vein grafts. Received 23 May and in revised form 7 August 1997     

A case of multiple sclerosis with paroxysmal attacks of facial paresthesia, unilateral hand tremor, epigastric pain and urinary incontinence]

A Japanese woman, aged 42, was admitted because of paroxysmal attacks consisting of paresthesia of the left face, tremor in the right hand, epigastric pain and urinary incontinence. A year prior to the admission, she noticed some difficulty in writing, dysarthria and unsteadiness of walking. These symptoms had been persistent since then. At the end of March, 1991, these symptoms rapidly worsened, and she fell down frequently. She also experienced pain behind both eyes, numbness in her left fingers and toe, urinary frequency and the above-mentioned attacks. Neurological examination disclosed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia and upbeating nystagmus on upward gaze, titubation in the head, scanning speech, dysmetria in all limbs, exaggerated reflexes in jaw and both legs, bilateral extensor plantar reflexes and ankle clonus. SEP showed delayed cortical response with stimulation of the median nerves bilaterally and of the right posterior tibial nerve. P40 was absent with the left posterior tibial nerve stimulation. VEP was normal. T2-weighted image of MRI showed multiple high intensity areas located around the third ventricle, crus cerebri and the right upper part of the pons. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was made. Each paroxysmal attack started with numbness in the left face and burning sensation in the neck. Almost simultaneously tremor in the right hand began. The surface EMG showed the rhythmic contractions in the dorsal hand muscles and wrist extensors at a frequency of 6-7 Hz, and sometimes it revealed synchronized contractions of finger flexors and the dorsal hand muscles. A few seconds later she felt painful sensation in the epigastric region, and the tremor gradually increased in its intensity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Severe hypertension with segmental renal infarction following surgical removal of a retroperitoneal malignant hemangiopericytoma: a case report

Severe hypertension developed in a fifty-five year-old woman after surgical removal of a retroperitoneal tumor, when the renal artery was injured. Renal arteriography after the surgery demonstrated a segmental infarction of the right kidney. A close relationship between activation of the renin-angiotensin system and the development of severe hypertension was observed. Satisfactory control of blood pressure concomitant with reduction of plasma renin activity was achieved by a combination of an angiotensin-converting anzyme inhibitor, beta-blocking agent, and calcium-entry blocker. The mechanism of activation of the renin-angiotensin system in renal infarction is discussed.