Leiomyosarcoma of the renal vein: Arterial encasement on contrast-enhanced dynamic computed tomography

We report a case of leiomyosarcoma of the renal vein, which is a rare tumor with no more than 30 cases found in the published English language literature. This case demonstrates encasement of the renal artery by the tumor mass, a previously unreported manifestation. The present study could be useful in considering this rare tumor in the differential diagnosis of renal hilar tumors.     

Bioavailability of Bropirimine 250 mg Tablet in Dogs: Effect of Food

The postprandial effect on the bioavailability of bropirimine in dogs after oral administration of bropirimine tablets (Bropirimine 250 mg Tablet) was investigated. At a dose of 500 mg bropirimine (two tablets of bropirimine 250 mg), the maximum plasma concentration under the postprandial condition was about twice that observed under the fasting condition, and the area under the plasma concentration vs time curve under the postprandial condition was also twice that under the fasting condition. The absolute oral bioavailabilities of bropirimine were 41.1% under the fasting condition and 83.5% under the postprandial condition. It is considered that the longer gastric residence time and larger volume of the gastric fluid induced by food-intake caused the increase in dissolution of bropirimine which increased the bioavailability after oral dosing of bropirimine 250-mg tablets.     

Metalloproteinase activity is present in rat urine and derived from the renal cortex

Summary: Matrix metalloproteinases (MP) are important candidates for the degradation of extracellular matrix, but the role of MP in the diseased kidney remains poorly understood. to examine the significance of urinary MP, we first investigated the characteristics of MP in normal rat urine and renal cortex, and then evaluated the urinary MP activity in anti-thymocyte induced glomerulonephritis (Thy.1 GN). Metalloproteinase activity was measured as the EDTA-inhibitable degradation of [³H] gelatin. the enzyme was purified from urine and the renal cortex homogenate in normal Wistar rats by using several chromatographic and gel filtration methods. Both materials contained the identical molecular weight (Mr 126 kDa by gel permeation method) of gelatin-degrading enzymes, the activity of which was inhibited by metal chelating agents and reactivated by ZnC1₂ but not by other proteinase inhibitors. Thy.1 GN was induced by intravenous injection of rabbit anti-thymocyte serum into rats, and daily urine was collected at sequential time points. Urinary MP activity was markedly reduced soon after the serum injection, and returned to the control level in 9 weeks. Conversely, urinary MP-inhibitor activity (Mr 30 kDa), determined as inhibiting activity against MP derived from renal cortex, showed serial changes strikingly reflected as urinary MP activity. These findings suggested that rat urine contained the MP which seemed to be derived from the renal cortex, and the urinary MP activity was decreased in Thy.1 GN model, probably due to the presence of MP-inhibitor. As urinary MP is likely to reflect intra-renal MP, the evaluation of urinary MP may be useful to search metabolic alteration of extracellular matrix in the diseased kidney.     

Incidence and growth pattern of simple cysts of the kidney in patients with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria

BACKGROUND: We examined the incidence and natural history of simple renal cysts found by ultrasonography (US) in patients referred for asymptomatic microscopic hematuria. METHODS: Among the 906 patients aged 18-78 years, 743 patients who had undergone US were included in the present study. The natural history of simple renal cysts was investigated in 55 patients who underwent periodical US examinations for more than 3 years. RESULTS: The incidence of simple renal cysts was 4.3% for ages 29 years or younger, 15.3% for ages 30-39, 21.8% for ages 40-49, 23.3% for ages 50-59 and 32.6% for ages 60 years or older; thus the incidence increased in older age groups (P = 0.0005 for men, P = 0.0020 for women). Men tended to have a higher incidence than women. The degree of hematuria did not influence the incidence of renal cysts (P = 0.9044). The annual growth rate of the mean maximum diameter was 4.2% during a 3-year follow-up period in 55 patients and 5.1% during a 6-year follow-up in 31 patients. CONCLUSION: Since the diameter of a renal cyst may increase by 5% annually, the diameter of the cyst may increase by 1.6 times in 10 years. The scheduling of follow-up examinations depends on the size at the time of disclosure, the effects on calyceal systems, or the suspicion of a concurrent malignant disease. However, the most simple renal cysts may be followed-up at an interval of more than 10 years, once a diagnosis has been established.     

Evaluation of Mini Mental State Examination and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale on aged schizophrenic patients

Abstract  Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and subscales of the BPRS were performed on 73 elderly inpatients (mean age: 67.9 years; standard deviation: 7.2; range: 60–89) diagnosed with DSM-III-R chronic schizophrenia. Forty of the subjects were men and 33 were women. A significant negative correlation was observed between MMSE and the age, factor negative, factor depressive, and total score of BPRS. We believe, however, that it is relatively sufficient to screen for demented illness of schizophrenics using MMSE when considering the age and the psychiatric symptoms (especially negative or depressive symptoms). Forty-eight (66%) of the 73 patients were categorized as 'demented' by MMSE. These results suggest that the aged inpatients with schizophrenia in a hospital showed certain kinds of cognitive deficits (including senile dementia) more frequently than the general population.     

Changes in Cell Characteristics Due to Culture Conditions in Cell Lines From Human Small Cell Lung Cancer

Eight cultured cell lines were established from human smallcell lung cancers. Every cell line showed the morphologicaland biochemical characteristics of small cell cancer. Changesin cell characteristics were observed in many of these celllines when culture conditions were changed: "oat cell type"changed to "intermediate cell type" and vice versa when serum-freemedium was changed to serum-supplemented medium; a deficiencyof vitamin A in the medium caused a change to squamous cellsand vice versa; and a tumor promoter (teleocidin B) enhancedthe adherence of these cells to the surface of plastic culturedishes. These findings provide evidence that many small celllung cancer cell lines can change their morphology with changesin the environment of the cells.     

Excretion Profiles of the Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol, following Oral and Intravenous Administration to Sheep

Excretion Profiles of the Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol, followingOral and Intravenous Administration to Sheep. PRELUSKY, D. B.,VEIRA, D. M., TRENHOLM, H. L., AND HARTIN, K. E. (1986). Fundam.Appl. Toxicol. 6, 356–363. The excretion profiles of deoxynivalenol(DON) and metabolites (DON glucuronide conjugate, 3,715-trihydroxytrichothec-9,12-diene-8-one(DOM-1), and DOM-1 glucuronide conjugate) were defined in malesheep following either intravenous (iv) or oral administrationof the toxin at levels of 0.5 and 5.0 mg DON/kg body wt, respectively.After iv dosing, urinary DON levels declined in a biphasic fashionwith an average elimination half-life (terminal phase) of 1.2hr. diminishing to baseline concentrations by 8 hr. Maximumurinary excretion rates for the two major metabolites identified(conjugated DON, conjugated DOM-1) occurred 0.5–1.5 hrafter dosing, exhibiting elimination half-lives of 2.2 and 3.1hr, respectively. Total recovery accounted for only about 66.5%of the dose: 63.0% in the urine (24.1% DON, 21.2% conjugatedDON, 0.5% DOM-1, 17.2% conjugated DOM-1) and 3.5% in bile (madeup almost completely of conjugated DOM-1). The peak biliaryexcretion rate for conjugated DOM-1 was found to occur within1 hr postdosing, which rapidly declined to baseline levels by5 hr. Following oral administration, urinary excretion ratesof the major metabolites (DON, conjugated DON, conjugated DOM-1)reached maximum 6–9 hr post-treatment, and declined exponentiallywith t values of 3.2, 4.0, and 5.0 hr, respectively. Urinaryand biliary recovery of administered DON averaged approximately7.1%: 7.0% in urine (2.1% DON, 3.6% conjugated DON, 0.06% DOM-1,1.2% conjugated DOM-1) and 0.11% in bile (predominately conjugatedDOM-1). Between 54 and 75% of the oral dose was recovered inthe feces. These findings indicate that DON and metabolitesdo not persist in the body following either a single oral orintravenous dose of DON and are rapidly excreted. However, followingiv administration, a portion of the dose (33.5%) remained unaccounted,presumably converted to unidentified metabolites. Based on theseresults it appears that metabolism is the major process of eliminationof DON in sheep.