Hair shaft miRNA‐221 levels as a new tumor marker of malignant melanoma

miRNA‐221 (miR‐221) is known to be abnormally expressed in many human cancers. The serum levels of miR‐221 have been reported as a tumor marker for malignant melanoma (MM). We hypothesized that the hair shaft miR‐221 levels may be increased in patients with MM. We therefore assessed the possibility that hair shaft miR‐221 levels could be a marker for MM. The hair shaft miR‐221 levels were significantly higher in patients with MM than controls. The rates of increased hair shaft miR‐221 levels above the cut‐off value were comparable to those of serum 5‐S‐CD, which is a tumor marker commonly used for MM. Measurements of the hair shaft miR‐221 levels could have potential clinical value in the detection of MM. This is the first report investigating the hair shaft levels of an miRNA in patients with MM. Our investigations offer new insight into the relationship between miR‐221 and MM, and may provide a new, non‐invasive way to screen for melanoma.     

Active production of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM antibody in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy

We investigated the presence of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM in sera and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) by Western blot analysis. Analyses of 36 serum samples revealed that most patients (31/36; 86.1%) had anti-HTLV-I IgM, whereas only four of 23 (17.4%) HTLV-I carriers had it. In studies of cerebrospinal fluid, anti-HTLV-I IgM was detected in 24 of 36 (66.7%) HAM patients, whereas none was detected in nine HTLV-I carriers. The differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that persistent active replication of HTLV-I occurs in the central nervous system as well as in the peripheral blood of HAM patients, and may contribute to the development of HAM.     

Living domino liver transplantation in an adult with congenital absence of portal vein.

Congenital absence of the portal vein (CAPV) is a rare malformation of the splanchnic venous system. Although CAPV is usually detected in the pediatric age group, our patient was a 35-year-old woman. She had been diagnosed with CAPV in 1996 when she was 27 years old. In 1998, she was placed on hemodialysis due to chronic renal failure. After several episodes of encephalopathy in 2002, liver transplantation (LT) was recommended to her and her family. Since there was no suitable living donor candidate, she was put on the waiting list for a deceased donor liver transplant in Japan. In 2004, her ammonia level increased to around 300 microg/dl, and she went into a coma lasting for three days. After recovering from this event, she underwent a living domino transplantation using a whole liver donated by a familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) patient. Her portal vein, which had drained directly into the inferior vena cava (IVC), was transected together with a cuff of the IVC wall and anastomosed to the graft liver portal vein in an end-to-end fashion. In conclusion, liver transplantation proved to be a safe and effective way to save this patient and improve her quality of life.     

Ultrasonographic study on kidneys in patients with acute renal failure]

Ultrasonotomograms of 22 kidneys were obtained in 11 patients with renal-acute renal failure (renal-ARF). The underlying diseases of renal-ARF were acute tubular necrosis in 8 patients and acute on-set chronic glomerulonephritis in 3 patients. They were treated by hemodialysis in 10 patients and intermittent peritoneal dialysis in 1 patient. Ultrasonic measurement of the size of kidneys revealed that the thickness (anterior-posterior diameter) and the ratio of thickness to length (T/L) were greater in patients with ARF than in those with chronic renal failure and normal renal function. The patients with a low value of T/L (under 0.60) had a significantly greater urine volume than those with high a value of T/L (0.60 or more). The sonographic features of renal-ARF kidneys were marked increase in parenchymal echogenicity and appearance of hypoechoic swollen renal pyramids with sharpness of the corticomedullary border. In the course of ARF, these sonographic changes gradually disappeared when the patients had recovered from ARF. However, the prognosis was poor in patients with severer sonographic findings. We believe that repeated ultrasonic examination of the kidneys in patients with renal-ARF is useful for not only differential diagnosis of post-renal urinary obstruction but evaluating the course of ARF.     

Chronological changes in the complement system in sepsis

The time courses of serum complement levels and the severity of sepsis were compared in two groups of septic patients, one in which the patients survived (surviving group) and one in which they did not (nonsurviving group). The components of the complement system, namely, C3a, C4a, C5a, CH50, C3, C4, and C5, were measured at several points in time after the diagnosis of sepsis had been established. A 2-antibody radioimmunoassay was used to measure C3a, C4a, and C5a; the latex agglutination test was used to measure C3 and C4; nephelometry was used to measure C5; and Meyer's 50% hemolysis method was used to measure CH50. Following the diagnosis of sepsis, the levels of CH50, C3, and C4 were significantly lower in the nonsurviving than the surviving group, while the levels of C3a and C4a were significantly higher in the nonsurviving than the surviving group. The C5a levels were significantly higher in the nonsurviving than the surviving group, although no significant intergroup differences were subsequently noted. These results suggest that the serum levels of C3a, C4a, C5a, CH50, C3, and C4 could serve as indices of the severity of sepsis. Thus, monitoring the complement system may be useful for predicting the outcome of patients with sepsis.     

Hemodynamic effects of KRN2391 (potassium channel opener) in halothane-anesthetized dogs

The cardiovascular responses to an infusion of KRN2391, a potassium channel opener, was studied in halothane-anesthetized dogs. Intravenous administration of KRN2391 at 1.0 and 5.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ for 60 min produced dose-dependent decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) associated with dose-dependent increases in the cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume index (SVI) but was not accompanied by an increase in heart rate (HR). The maximum decrease in MAP during the infusion of KRN2391 at 1.0 and 5.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ was −13±7% (P<0.01) and −37±10% (P<0.01), respectively. The maximum reduction in SVR after 1.0 and 5.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ was −20±11% (P<0.01) and −60±16% (P<0.01), respectively. A KRN2391 infusion of 1.0 and 5.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ increased Cl a maximum of 11±13% (P<0.05) and 65±33% (P<0.01), respectively. KRN2391 1.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ showed a tendency to increase SVI but this change was not significant, KRN2391 5.0 μg·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, however, produced a significant increase in SVI. The present results demonstrate that the decrease in MAP and the increases in CI and SVI caused by KRN2391 are due to a reduction in the afterload. Therefore, we conclude that these cardiovascular profiles of KRN2391 may be benificial in perioperative uses including the control of systemic blood pressure and the treatment of hypertension during halothane anesthesia in clinical practice.     

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and vasoocclusive diseases

One hundred and thirty-four patients with vasoocclusive diseases were retrospectively tested for three kinds of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL). The mean age at onset of the disease in 58 patients with aPL was 43 years old. Seventeen, 11, and 9 patients were positive for the aCL IgA, IgM, and IgG isotypes, respectively. The rates of anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) in patients with arterial (n=94), venous (n= 31), or both arterial and venous (n=9) occlusion were 45%, 29%, and 78%, respectively.The rates of APS in patients with autoimmune disease (n=13), thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) (n= 36), arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) with lower leg involvement (n=8) or aortic arch syndrome (n=5), Raynaud's syndrome (n=15), aortitis syndrome (n= 13), ischemic heart disease (IHD) with young onset (n =12), and bilateral leg deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (n=10) were 77%, 46%, 13%, 80%, 40%, 62%, 33%, and 70%, respectively. The cumulative patency rate for reconstructive surgery in patients (n=13) with aCL was found to be considerably lower than that in those without aCL (n=13). From these results it was concluded that IgA was the most valuable aCL isotype for the diagnosis of APS and that aPL should be examined in patients with double-vessel occlusion, autoimmune disease, bilateral leg DVT, aortic arch syndrome, TAO, Raynaud's syndrome, or IHD with young onset. Furthermore, prophylaxis for graft failure is more strongly recommended for patients with aCL than for those without it.     

A case of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor producing gastric cancer]

We report a case of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor producing gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases. A 68-year-old woman who complained of epigastralgia visited our hospital. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination revealed a type-2 gastric cancer. The laboratory data at admission indicated leukocytosis (35,900/microl) and a high level of serum granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (61 pg/mg). Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor producing gastric cancer was diagnosed by immunohistochemistry of biopsy specimen. Since we detected multiple liver metastases, chemotherapy was performed. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor-producing gastric cancer is relatively rare and we summarize previous reports.     

Effects of testosterone, and testosterone plus estrogen, in the castrated rat ventral prostate--histopathological and immunocytochemical studies.

The effects of testosterone (T) and 17 beta-estradiol (E2) on the prostate of castrated rats were investigated by histopathological and immunocytochemical procedures. A significant increase in prostatic weight occurred after 6 weeks treatment with T alone and in combination with E2. The greatest increase in prostatic weight occurred after the administration of T plus E2. Histopathologically, glandular hyperplasia of the prostate was noted, and the number of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cells showed a significant increase over that induced by testosterone alone.