Postoperative development of sarcopenia is a strong predictor of a poor prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction and upper gastric cancer

Background

There were few studies assessed the postoperative sarcopenia in patients with cancers. The objective of present study was to assess whether postoperative development of sarcopenia could predict a poor prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction, (AEG) and upper gastric cancer (UGC).

Infective Endocarditis Due to Treponema pallidum: A Case Diagnosed Using Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Aortic Valve

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. Syphilitic aortitis might coexist in a dysfunctional aortic valve, but the etiology remains unclear, because microbiological diagnosis is difficult. A 62-year-old man with low-grade fever was diagnosed with aortitis and infective endocarditis, due to Treponema pallidum infection, using polymerase chain reaction analysis. This case suggests that syphilis might cause infective endocarditis.     

Vitamin D,Cardiovascular System,and Longevity of Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract: The risk of cardiovascular death is high in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and thickening, stiffening and calcification of the arterial wall have been shown as its predictive factors. Activated vitamin D preparations are used for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in HD patients, but as they increase serum phosphate and calcium concentrations, there is a concern that they promote vascular calcification and, consequently, exacerbate the outcomes. In this article, the effects of vitamin D therapy on survival, cardiac function, arteriosclerosis, immunity, and inflammation are evaluated by reviewing the literature. In HD patients, the risk of death (particularly cardiovascular death) is significantly lower in those treated than in those not treated with vitamin D. Moreover, activated vitamin D improves cardiac function and alleviates cardiac hypertrophy in HD patients. Experimental data in cultured macrophages, vascular smooth muscle cells, and vascular endothelial cells suggest that it has antiatherosclerotic effects. In vivo, the administration of vitamin D improves immune functions and normalizes inflammatory reactions. In HD patients, vascular calcification is related to the dose of calcium carbonate, but its relationship with the administration of vitamin D is not significant. These observations suggest that, contrary to the general concerns, activated vitamin D exerts favorable effects on the cardiovascular system in HD patients as long as it is used in appropriate clinical doses.     

Stereotyped behaviors and compulsive complaints of pain improved by fluvoxamine in two cases of frontotemporal dementia]

There have been no systematic efforts to manage and treat patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but Perry described pharmacologic interventions for some behavioral syndromes in 2001. In Perry's report, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) were recommended as first choice drugs because they were well tolerated and might have an effect on some symptoms such as compulsive symptoms and eating abnormalities. Some reports were presented concerning Japanese FTD patients which showed the effect of SSRI on stereotyped behaviors and eating abnormalities by Nishikawa, et al. (2001), Ikeda, et al. (2004), and others. We describe two FTD patients with compulsive complaints of pain, one mainly on abdomen and the other on lumbar region. Fluvoxamine markedly improved their complaints of pain as well as stereotyped symptoms. Fluvoxamine might be effective for behavioral disturbances due to improvement of serotoninergic dysfunction in frontal medial and cingulated cortices, as previously described. Moreover, it has been reported that an altered response to pain stimuli, either via a loss of awareness of pain or exaggerated reaction to pain, is a specific feature of FTD, but there have been only a few reports on this feature. Fluvoxamine might be effective for compulsive complaints of pain due to improvements of compulsive symptoms and exaggerated reactions to pain in FTD, or due to the analgesic effect of SSRI. SSRI may improve compulsive complaints of pain in FTD patients.     

Pharmacological studies of 6-amidino-2-naphthyl 4-[(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)amino]benzoate dimethanesulfonate. Effects on experimental pancreatitis

The effects of FUT-187 (6-amidino-2-naphthyl 4-[(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)amino]benzoate dimethanesulfonate, CAS 103926-82-5), a novel synthetic protease inhibitor, were examined in experimental rat and canine models of pancreatitis. 1. FUT-187 significantly increased the survival of rats with trypsin- and phospholipase A2-induced pancreatitis in a dose-dependent manner (10-100 mg/kg, p.o.). 2. FUT-187 decreased plasma enzymatic activity reflecting the degree of pancreatitis in rats with ethionine-induced pancreatitis, and showed a tendency to ameliorate histopathological changes in the pancreas (10-100 mg/kg p.o.). 3. FUT-187 (10 mg/kg) produced an obvious improvement of various biochemical parameters of pancreatitis and also reduced histopathological changes in the pancreas in animals with experimental pancreatitis produced by the closed duodenal loop method. In addition, FUT-187 significantly increased the survival of dogs when given by direct administration into the lumen of the closed duodenal loop. The therapeutic effects of FUT-187 in experimental pancreatitis were nearly equal in most instances to those of camostat mesilate. Thus, FUT-187 would appear to be an effective new agent for the treatment of pancreatitis.     

Organization of the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei in the hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri: a retrograde HRP study

We studied the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei of the hagfish by the retrograde HRP method. We distinguished 4 components in a single column of the motor nuclei of the trigeminal nerve and the facial nerve, viz., the pars magnocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVm), the anterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp1), the posterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp2) and the facial motor nucleus (mVII). Although in Nissl preparations only the mVm could be distinguished from the rest of the nucleus, the boundaries of the other 3 components were clearly demarcated in HRP preparations. Intramuscular injections into two representative antagonistic jaw muscles revealed that there was no apparent topological organization of the neurons pertaining to the opening and closing muscles in the mVm and mVp1, but both antagonistic muscles were innervated bilaterally. Although the hagfish does possess a cartilaginous jaw, the organization pattern of the motor nuclei of the jaw muscles seems to be the most primitive of all living vertebrates.     

The effect of autogenous costochondral grafts on temporomandibular joint fibrous and bony ankylosis: A preliminary experimental study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the functional and histologic fate of costochondral grafts (CG) in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction for unilateral ankylosis in the sheep. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five pure-bred adult Merino sheep were used. Ankylosis was induced by articular damage, disc removal, and placement of a bone graft. At 3 months, a gap arthroplasty was performed with a CG from the thirteenth rib. The sheep were sacrificed 3 months after CG reconstruction. The range of jaw movements were recorded at first operation, at lysis of ankylosis, and at sacrifice. The joints were examined radiologically, macroscopically, and histologically. RESULTS: All sheep showed a decrease in masticatory function, as shown by weight loss and decreased jaw opening, during the ankylosis period. On release, they regained weight and increased the range of jaw movement. Histologically, the joint space was filled with fibrous tissue. However, the partial spaces around the CG head were covered by fibrous tissue and/or fibrous cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, when CGs are used with a gap arthroplasty in a fibrous and bony ankylosed TMJ, masticatory function is restored.     

The evaluation of cystoscopy in the screening of asymptomatic microhematuria

As a prospective study on asymptomatic microhematuria, complete urological examinations including cystoscopy, IVP, ultrasound and urinary cytology were performed on 422 patients over 40 years old between January 1987 and December 1988 (group A). The results of group A was compared with that of retrospective study on 266 patients, who had incomplete urological examination between January 1984 and December 1985 (group B). Cystoscopy was performed on 321 patients (87.2%) in group A and on 108 patients (40.6%) in group B. Bladder tumor was found in 10 cases (2.4%) in group A, including 7 cases of male patients (5.7%), but in only 1 case (0.4%) in group B. Since the negative rate of abnormal urinary cytology was 50% and that of abnormal IVP was 90% in 10 cases of bladder tumor in group A, cystoscopy was considered to be an essential examination for the screening of patients with asymptomatic microhematuria over 40 years old patients.