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Volume 189 (1999)
- Issue 4 Pages 233-
- Issue 3 Pages 171-
- Issue 2 Pages 87-
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Volume 189, Issue 4
December
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
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Regular Contributions
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Yoshiko Akasaka, Shimpei Nishikawa, Makoto Tamai1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 233-238
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the dark area illuminated by scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and cystic spaces around macular holes as shown by optical coherence tomography (OCT). SLO allows for two dimensional retinal examination, using short wave length (514 nm, argon) which is useful for the vitreoretinal surface and inner retina; red helium-neon laser (633 nm), which is capable of imaging deeper tissues; and infrared diode laser (780 nm), for choroidal examination. OCT is analogous to ultrasound except that optical rather than acoustic reflectivity is measured. OCT can produce the cross-sectional view of retina. Using SLO (helium-neon laser) and OCT, we examined 8 eyes with full-thickness macular holes. Eight normal eyes served as controls. Cystic spaces were in proportion to dark areas with statistical significance as shown by correlation analysis. Evaluation of the full-thickness macular holes by using both SLO and OCT is highly useful.View full abstractDownload PDF (731K) -
Yajuan Zhao, Kazuhiro Haginoya, Kazuie Iinuma1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 239-244
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSPlatelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and its α-receptor were localized at human and mouse neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) using specific polyclonal antibodies against each, anti-PDGF-A and anti-PDGF α-receptor, respectively. By applying double fluorescence labeling, immunoreactivity for PDGF and its receptor was closely co-localized with acetylcholine receptors, which were identified with α-bungarotoxin. PDGF might be involved in the interaction between the presynaptic and postsynaptic components. This is the first demonstration of PDGF and its receptor concentrated at human and mouse NMJs.View full abstractDownload PDF (1261K) -
Makiko Owada, Yoshiharu Aizawa, Katsuyoshi Kurihara, Naohito Tanabe, T ...1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 245-258
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIn Japan, studies on the risk factors of sudden death in the working generation have been rarely carried out, especially among extremely rare cases of causative disease. Thus, the present study aimed to identify the risk factors and triggers of sudden death in cases whose causes of death were definitely proven by autopsy. We investigated the legal medical records for four years from May 1994 to February 1998. Out of 271 cases, 176 patients 20 to 59 years were enrolled as cases of sudden death in the working generation. Among these, 91 cases, 52%, could be analyzed by telephone interviews from close family members. Only one examiner undertook all phone questions to the case subjects. As control subjects, 1167 persons who consulted us for a health check were employed. Of the sudden death cases, the final diagnosis in 29 cases was coronary artery disease (31.9%), 18, acute cardiac dysfunction (19.8%), 6, other cardiac diseases (6.6%), 4, acute aortic dissection (4.4%), 4, cerebrovascular disease (4.4%) and 30, other diseases (32.9%). Through conditional logistic analysis, the following risk factors emerged as candidates: Long-term stress, history of heart disease, hypertension, chest symptoms, autonomic disturbance, short-term stress and a smoking habit. Short-term stress, autonomic disturbance and a smoking habit increased the risk of sudden death due to coronary artery disease. Long-term stress was associated with an increased risk of sudden death due to acute cardiac dysfunction. It was also demonstrated that autonomic disturbance and stress were closely related to the occurrence of sudden death. Therefore, to prevent sudden death, it would be helpful to identify subjective symptoms to relieve such stress in some way.View full abstractDownload PDF (847K) -
Hiroshi Onodera, Ichiro Nakashima, Kazuo Fujihara, Tetsuya Nagata, Yas ...1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 259-265
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and one of the earliest changes in inflammatory focus involves the activation of vascular endothelial cells. We determined the plasma level of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a key regulator of fibrinolysis and cell migration, in patients with MS. The level of plasma PAI-1 was significantly higher in active MS cases when compared to stable MS and controls. Plasma concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator, transforming growth factor β-1, and lipoprotein-a remained normal in spite of disease activity. These results suggested that PAI-1 plasma levels are associated with MS disease activity and is a good marker for MS relapse.View full abstractDownload PDF (374K) -
Mitsushi Okada, Hitomi Karube, Masato Niitsuya, Yoshiharu Aizawa, Isao ...1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 267-281
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSGallium arsenide (GaAs), a chemical compound of gallium and arsenic, causes various toxic effects including pulmonary diseases in animals. Since the toxicity is not completely investigated, GaAs has been used in workplaces as the material of various semiconductor products. The present study was conducted to clarify the toxicity of GaAs particles in the alveolar macrophages of hamsters using magnetometry, enzyme release assays and morphological examinations. Alveolar macrophages obtained from hamsters by tracheobronchial lavage and adhered to the disks in the bottom of wells were exposed to ferrosoferric oxide and GaAs particles. Ferrosoferric oxide particles were magnetized externally and the remanent magnetic field was measured. Relaxation, a fast decline of the remanent magnetic fields radiated from the alveolar macrophages, was delayed and decay constants were decreased dose-dependently due to exposure to GaAs. Because the relaxation is thought to be associated with cytoskeleton, the exposure of GaAs may have impaired the motor function of them. Enzyme release assay and morphological findings indicated the damage to the macrophages. Thus the cytotoxicity causes cytostructural changes and cell death. According to DNA electrophoresis and the TUNEL method, necrotic changes occur more frequently than apoptotic changes.View full abstractDownload PDF (1046K) -
Kenji Yasuoka, Kenji Harada, Tomomi Orino, Goro Takada1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 283-294
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo examine age-related changes in right ventricular filling dynamics, we performed conventional pulsed Doppler (n=99) and tissue Doppler (n=30) echocardiographic studies in normal subjects aged 7 days to 273 months. The tricuspid flow velocity during early diastole (peak E) wave correlated significantly but weakly with the logarithm of age. The peak E wave in the early neonatal period was almost 80% of the older children's values and increased to 100% by 36 months of age. In the right ventricular tissue Doppler imaging, the peak myocardial velocity during early diastole also increased significantly with the logarithm of age. However, the tissue Doppler peak A did not change with age. There was a significant correlation between the tissue Doppler peak E wave and the tricuspid peak E wave and between the tissue Doppler peak E/A wave and the tricuspid peak E/A wave. The age-related changes in the tricuspid inflow velocity patterns were similar to the age-related alterations in the right ventricular myocardial velocity patterns. Age-related changes in the tricuspid inflow velocity and myocardial velocity patterns may be related to age-related maturation in the right ventricular diastolic performance.View full abstractDownload PDF (1028K) -
Toshiaki Abe, Madoka Yoshida, Hiroshi Tomita, Tetsuya Kano, Yoichi Nak ...1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 295-305
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSRecent transplantation studies indicate that subretinal space is not always an immunologically privileged site and non-autologous cells may be rejected in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We performed autologous iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cell transplantation by cell suspension after autologous IPE cell culture in 8 patients with AMD. These patients were followed without immunosuppression between 1.5 and 8 months and the retinal function was analyzed. No cystoid macular edema or fluorescein leakage was observed. Six of the 8 patients improved visual acuity of more than two lines and the other two patients retained preoperative visual acuity. Five patients had increased visual field sensitivity, one patient retained pretransplantation sensitivity, and one patient showed a gradual decrease in sensitivity (one patient was not examined). Although 2 of the 8 patients showed decreased amplitude of flicker electroretinography (ERG) (about 60 to 70% as that of preoperative level), the average improvement of each amplitude of a single white flash (a wave), photopic, or flicker ERG was 123, 102, and 107%, respectively. No proliferative change in the submacular lesion or vitreous cavity was observed after transplantation. From this functional analysis, transplanted autologous IPE may have, in part, an alternative function in regard to the retinal pigment epithelium in the subretinal space.View full abstractDownload PDF (715K)
Case Report
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Kenzo Hiroshima, Akira Iyoda, Tetsuya Toyozaki, Takehiko Fujisawa, Fum ...1999 Volume 189 Issue 4 Pages 307-314
Published: 1999
Released on J-STAGE: June 22, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe report six cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis diagnosed at our laboratory with clinical and pathological features. The nodules of dirofilariasis were round in three cases as previously reported, however dumbbell-shaped in two cases. The nodule did not attach to the pleura in four cases. Microscopically, the nodules were granulomas composed of central coagulation necrosis and peripheral fibrosis with round cell infiltration, histiocytes, and multinucleated giant cells. Necrotic pulmonary artery with single or multiple sections of degenerated nematode was observed in the center of the nodule. Dilated bronchioles with inflammation were observed in the nodule in four cases. Collapse of the alveoli, organizing pneumonia, hemosiderin-laden macrophages were observed around the nodule. We suppose that the nodule is not an infarction but a granuloma caused by antigen released from the nematode. Because the pulmonary dirofilariasis is difficult to be differentiated from primary or metastatic lung carcinoma, and the inflammation exists around the nodule, the nodule should be removed surgically.View full abstractDownload PDF (1348K)
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