胃癌大肠转移的X线钡灌肠表现

目的:分析胃癌大肠转移的X线钡灌肠表现。方法:104例胃癌入院术前检查发现结肠转移或胃癌术后转移入院治疗的病例。分析钡灌肠初次发现大肠转移征象的年龄、发现胃癌原发病变距初次发现大肠转移的间隔时间、转移病变的发生部位和病变造成的X线钡灌肠图像上的肠管变形和粘膜面的改变。结果:104例胃癌结肠转移,男67例,女37例。胃癌术前检查中发现结肠转移者32例,术后发现的大肠转移中,多数转移发生在手术后3年内(占91.3%)。胃癌原发灶的肉眼形态BorrmannⅢ型(28例)和BorrmannⅣ型(65例)者占89.4%,组织学中以低分化腺癌和印戒细胞癌为主要成分者占91.3%。X线钡灌肠检查显示大肠转移的好发部位为横结肠(80),其次为直肠(50)。转移灶可累及多节段肠管,其中横结肠中1/3段(47),横结肠左1/3(44),横结肠右1/3(39)和直肠腹膜返折之上(39)。X线显示肠管单侧变形者227处,双侧变形者96处。黏膜面表现为梳齿状黏膜纹聚集改变253处,颗粒结节状改变23处,外压性改变20处,弥漫性改变62处。结论:胃癌大肠转移的好发部位为横结肠和直肠,结肠黏膜面的梳齿状黏膜纹聚集为胃癌大肠转移的主要X线钡剂灌肠表现。     

Histochemical studies on hyaluronic acid in the developing human retina

Changes in the distribution of hyaluronic acid in the developing human retina were investigated histochemically with alcian blue staining and theStreptomyces hyaluronidase digestion method using 56 human embryos and fetuses ranging from 5 to 41 weeks of gestational age. Hyaluronic acid was first detected in the inner layer of the retina at 12 weeks. The site of accumulation extended towards the outer layer by 20 weeks. At the neonatal stage, longitudinal fibers, possibly the processes of Müller cells, were proved to contain hyaluronic acid. These findings suggest that Müller cells produce hyaluronic acid transiently from 12 weeks’ gestation to the neonatal stage.     

Characteristics of young-onset hypertension identified by targeted screening performed at a university health check-up.

Since the prevalence and clinical characteristics of young-onset hypertension are still to be elucidated, we performed targeted-screening at an annual university health check-up for two consecutive years. Out of 16,464 subjects in 2003 and 17,032 in 2004 that were aged less than 30 years, 22 and 26 students (all males) exhibited high blood pressure (BP), respectively, on three occasions during casual BP measurements at the Tohoku University Health Center (systolic and diastolic BP of 140 and/or 90 mmHg or greater, respectively). These students were asked to measure their BP at home, and 9 subjects in total were diagnosed as having essential hypertension (EH). The remaining students were diagnosed as having white coat hypertension (WCH). In 8 out of 9 EH students, their father and/or mother had also been treated with antihypertensive medication. Adjustment by attendance ratio for each BP measurement suggested that the incidence of EH was around 0.1% and that of hypertension (EH and WCH) was around 0.5% in university students aged less than 25 years, since most of the subjects and hypertensive students were between 18 and 24 years old. Body mass index of the EH, which was more than 25 kg/m2 (overweight), was significantly higher than that with WCH. In conclusion, the combination of repeated casual BP measurements and home BP effectively identified young-onset EH. The clinical parameters indicated that male gender, genetic background, and excessive weight were risk factors for young-onset hypertension.     

Pathological and biochemical studies on a case of Pick disease with severe white matter atrophy

We report on a male patient with Pick disease who had shown severe white matter atrophy and dilatation of the lateral ventricle in the frontal lobe from an early stage. Upon admission to our hospital 2 years after disease onset, the patient showed apathy, and MRI revealed severe atrophy of the cortex and white matter of the frontal lobe. He died at age 74, 11 years after disease onset. Autopsy revealed severe atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, severe loss of white matter in the frontal lobe, dilatation of the lateral ventricles, and cortical thinning. Histopathological examination showed severe loss of myelinated fibers in the frontal white matter and severe neuronal loss with gliosis in the frontal and temporal cortices. Many Pick bodies were seen. Our patient had a rare case of Pick disease predominantly affecting the frontal lobe with severe involvement of the white matter from an early stage. This case suggests that myelinated fibers in the white matter as well as cerebral neurons are primarily affected in Pick disease.     

Hypertonic saline alters electrical barrier of the airway epithelium.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of tonicity changes in nebulizer solutions and irrigations on nasal mucosa is not well known. The present study aims to determine the basic mechanism of hypertonic solution on airway epithelial barrier. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We investigated the electrical potential difference (PD) that is influenced by both active transport and the transepithelial electrical resistance of the epithelial mucosa in the human nose in vivo. The short circuit current (SCC) revealed net ion transport across the epithelium in the guinea pig trachea in vitro. Finally, the size dependency of macromolecules across the tracheal mucosa was determined in vitro using FITC-labeled dextrans of different sizes. RESULTS: PD was significantly decreased after topical application of hypertonic solution both in human and in guinea pig nose. SCC was significantly decreased after application of hypertonic solution. The transport of these dextrans from the basolateral to the apical side was not increased significantly after apical application of hypertonic saline. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertonic saline enhances the electrical permeability of the airway epithelial mucosa but not transport of macromolecule in the short term.     

Carcinoembryonic antigen levels of peripheral and draining venous blood in patients with colorectal cancer. Correlation with survival.

Correlations between preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of peripheral (p-CEA) and draining blood (d-CEA), the CEA gradient between d-CEA and p-CEA (d-p CEA gradient) levels, and survival after resection of cancer lesions were examined in 94 patients with colorectal cancer. Survival rates of patients with normal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels (less than 5 ng/ml) were significantly better than those of patients with abnormal levels (greater than or equal to 5 ng/ml), and the 5-year survival rates were, respectively, 62%, 69%, and 72% in the former and 42%, 41%, and 35% in the latter. The differences in the 5-year survival rates between patients with normal and abnormal d-p CEA gradient, d-CEA, and p-CEA levels were 37%, 28%, and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, the positive rates of d-CEA levels (64%) and d-p CEA gradient levels (48%) were higher than that of p-CEA levels (36%). However, some significant differences in background variables also were found between the respective groups of patients with normal and abnormal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels. These results suggest that patients with poor prognoses are examined more effectively by determining their d-p CEA gradient and d-CEA levels than their p-CEA levels, and that CEA may be expressed as a quantitative sum total of various pathophysiologic variables of patients with colorectal cancer but not as an independent prognostic variable.     

Case of Heerfordt's syndrome with prolonged peripheral nerve involvement]

A 28-year-old man complaining of myiodesopsia was given a diagnosis of uveitis. Subsequently he complained facial nerve palsy and enlargement of parotid gland. Heerfordt's syndrome was diagnosed based on the results of several examinations. Facial nerve palsy, enlargement of the parotid gland and uveitis were improved by systemic corticosteroid therapy. At present he is receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy, but numbness in the mouth, thought to be the involvement of the trigeminal nerve, remains. Systemic corticosteroid therapy is usually effective for most cases with Heerford's syndrome. On the other hand, there are some cases with the prolonged peripheral nerve involvement despite systemic corticosteroid therapy, as seen in this case. If peripheral nerve involvement is prolonged, it is necessary to consider small-fibre neuropathy as one possible cause.     

Effect of circumstances and/or organs on the grade of cancer growth and malignancy

The effect of circumstances and/or organs on the grade of cancer growth and malignancy was studied, using hereditarily identical VX2 cancer. VX2 cancer cells, 10(6) cells/0.1 approximately 0.2 ml, were injected into the liver, portal vein, stomach- and colon-walls of Japanese white rabbits. Each of the experimental groups consisted of 14, 12, 19 and 24 animals, and 3 or 4 animals of each groups were sacrificed 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after the implantation. All the animals of portal vein and liver groups died of cancer within 3 and 4 weeks respectively. However, all the animals of stomach and colon groups survived during 4 weeks. Although cancer volume doubling time was not calculated in portal group because of the multiple and diffuse tumor-formation, the time was 2.6 days in liver, 4.3 days in colon and 5.9 days in stomach groups in which a single tumor developed. Lymphatic and/or hematogenous metastases were found at the same time after the implantation as vascular invasion occurred. Metastases were confirmed in 100% in liver group and 40% in portal group 2 weeks after the implantation, and 80% and 50% in colon and stomach groups respectively 4 weeks after the implantation. The results suggested that hereditarily identical VX2 cancer was variable in the different organs and circumstances, and that the growing circumstances strongly affected the cancer malignancy. It was also suggested that the malignancy was correlated with the growth rate and the time of metastasis of cancer.