SALVAGE THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH UNRESECTABLE HILAR CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA

We describe our methods and outcomes of multidisciplinary treatments in patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Fifty‐seven patients with a known outcome were enrolled. Thirty‐four of 57 patients were treated and evaluated by salvage therapy. For salvage therapy, we used internal and external radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy, YAG laser therapy and microwave coagulation therapy. The median survival time was 548 days for the group receiving salvage therapy and 198 days for the group not receiving this treatment. In conclusion, although no randomization of the patients was performed in this retrospective study, our present data provide convincing evidence that salvage therapy is a useful therapeutic approach for unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinomas.     

Factors associated with levels of physical activity at work and during leisure time]

Factors associated with levels of physical activity at work and during leisure time were analyzed among 577 subjects who had been selected as population controls for a case-control study by random selection from telephone directories. The intensity of physical activity at work was inversely associated with body mass index, the proportion of professionals & managers, consumption of western style breakfast, coffee, butter/margarine, and whisky; and positively associated with rice intake. Frequency of physical activities during leisure time was positively associated with consumption of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, milk, cheese and coffee, and moderation in eating; and inversely associated with rice intake and the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and medication. The association of physical activity with these factors should be considered in studying its relationship to disease risk.     

A case of lung cancer with hypercalcemia which was incidentally complicated with primary hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid adenoma.

In lung cancer patients, hypercalcemia is a fairly common metabolic problem associated with malignancy. However, the occurrence of hypercalcemia in lung cancer patients means an ominous prognostic sign. As hypercalcemia often causes early death, quick diagnosis and treatment for hypercalcemia are required. A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with anorexia caused by hypercalcemia. On admission, serum level of PTH was elevated and PTHrP was normal. From the results of CT findings and transbronchial lung biopsy, the cause of the hypercalcemia was determined as lung cancer incidentally complicated with primary hyperparathyroidism. First, serum calcium level was returned to normal through hydration with saline and bisphosphonates. Next, left hemithyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism was performed. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as parathyroid adenoma. Fifteen days later, left lower lobectomy for primary lung cancer was performed under a video-assisted thoracoscopic approach. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Four years and three months after the operation, the patient is alive and well with no sign of recurrence. When a lung cancer patient is complicated with hypercalcemia, we need to consider that primary hyperparathyroidism is a possible cause of the hypercalcemia.     

Changes in central dopaminergic systems with the expression of Shh or GDNF in mice perinatally exposed to bisphenol-A.

In the previous study, we reported that exposure to bisphenol-A induced the potentiation of dopamine receptor functions in the mouse limbic area, resulting in supersensitivity to methamphetamine-induced pharmacological actions. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether prenatal exposure to bisphenol-A could produce morphological change in dopaminergic neuron and the pattern of expression of genes regulating the dopaminergic neuron development. Here we found that prenatal and neonatal exposures to bisphenol-A increased the tyrosine hydroxylase- and dopamine transporter-like immunoreactivities in the adult mouse limbic area. The present molecular biological study shows that chronic bisphenol-A treatment produced a significant decrease in the dopaminergic neuron development factors, sonic hedgehog and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, which were also decreased by prenatal exposure to bisphenol-A. These results suggest that chronic exposure to bisphenol-A could disrupt the dopaminergic neurotransmission in the process of dopaminergic neuron development.     

Spinal canal narrowing during simulated frontal impact

Between 23 and 70% of occupants involved in frontal impacts sustain cervical spine injuries, many with neurological involvement. It has been hypothesized that cervical spinal cord compression and injury may explain the variable neurological profile described by frontal impact victims. The goals of the present study, using a biofidelic whole cervical spine model with muscle force replication, were to quantify canal pinch diameter (CPD) narrowing during frontal impact and to evaluate the potential for cord compression. The biofidelic model and a sled apparatus were used to simulate frontal impacts at 4, 6, 8, and 10 g horizontal accelerations of the T1 vertebra. The CPD was measured in the intact specimen in the neutral posture (neutral posture CPD), under static sagittal pure moments of 1.5 Nm (pre-impact CPD), during dynamic frontal impact (dynamic impact CPD), and again under static pure moments following each impact (post-impact CPD). Frontal impact caused significant (P<0.05) dynamic CPD narrowing at C0-dens, C2-C3, and C6-C7. The narrowest dynamic CPD was observed at C0-dens during the 10 g impact and was 25.9% narrower than the corresponding neutral posture CPD. Interpretation of the present results indicate that the neurological symptomatology reported by frontal impact victims is most likely not due to cervical spinal cord compression. Cord compression due to residual spinal instability is also not likely.     

Three-dimensional identification of hemangiomas and feeding arteries in the head and neck region using combined phase-contrast MR angiography and fast asymmetric spin-echo sequences.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a proposed technique for the 3-dimensional (3D) detection of hemangiomas, including vascular malformation and their feeding arteries, in the head and neck. The new technique combines phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (PCMRA) without contrast medium and 3D fast asymmetric spin-echo (FASE) sequences. METHODS: The technique was applied to 3 patients having hemangiomas in the head and neck region. In 1 patient the image obtained with the proposed technique was compared to that obtained by standard contrast angiography. RESULTS: In all 3 patients, the 3D presence of the hemangiomas and the feeding arteries were well defined in images created by the proposed technique. Additionally, the characterization of the hemangioma's 3D structure and distribution of the feeding arteries coincided with those observed using contrast angiography in the case for which contrast angiography was also performed. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary experience shows that the proposed technique combining 3D-FASE and 3D-PCMRA is useful to visualize both the 3D structure of hemangiomas and to identify the 3D distribution of the feeding arteries without using contrast medium.     

Locally applied cilostazol suppresses neointimal hyperplasia and medial thickening in a vein graft model.

BACKGROUND: Pathological changes in vein grafts begin immediately after arterial circulation is applied to the grafts. Chemical mediator stimulation and mechanical strain induce neointimal hyperplasia and medial thickening of the vein grafts, resulting in their failure. We investigated the inhibitory effect of locally applied cilostazol, an inhibitor of cyclic adenosine monophosphate phosphodiesterase III, on neointimal hyperplasia and medial thickening of the grafts. METHODS AND RESULTS: We established a distal anastomotic stricture model of femoral vein-abdominal aorta interposition grafting in rats. In this model, neointimal hyperplasia was observed not only at the distal anastomotic sites, but also in the graft body at postoperative day 14 and was markedly progressed at day 28. A strong expression of tenascin-C was found in the media and neointima of the graft body. In the grafts around which cilostazol was administered locally using Pluronic gel, neointimal hyperplasia was significantly suppressed compared with control grafts treated with the gel alone, with the mean neointimal cross-sectional area reduced by 87.1% for the graft body and by 78.9% for the distal anastomotic sites and mean medial cross-sectional area of the graft body reduced by 54.2% at day 28 versus the control. Cilostazol treatment decreased cell proliferation and the number of tenascin-C-producing cells seen by in situ hybridization, but the expression of tenascin-C protein was not suppressed. CONCLUSION: We concluded that a single perivascular application of cilostazol inhibits neointimal hyperplasia and medial thickening of vein grafts in a rat model.