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Volume 194 (2001)
- Issue 4 Pages 197-
- Issue 3 Pages 141-
- Issue 2 Pages 75-
- Issue 1 Pages 1-
Volume 194, Issue 3
July
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
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Regular Contributions
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Gerson L.M. Prado, Yoshinao Abe, Hiroshi Saito, Kayoko Nakamura2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 141-146
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSA monoclonal anti-human hemoglobin antibody that cross-reacts with mouse hemoglobin was labeled with Iodine-125 through the Chloramine-T method. The labeled antibody was used in an attempt to recognize bleeding sites from the large bowel in a mouse model, through a non-invasive enema-like study. In vitro experiments after double column chromatography of the labeled antibody and 10% trichloroacetic acid conjugation revealed that about 80% of the radioactivity was incorporated into protein. Inhibition assay containing cold (non-radiolabeled) antibody showed that Iodine-125 radiolabeled antibody preserved its immunoreactivity. Autoradiographs exquisitely demonstrated accumulation of isotope in the corresponding intestinal bleeding areas. These findings suggest that this method can be useful for scintigraphic localization of bleeding sites in the large bowel.View full abstractDownload PDF (439K) -
Kazuya Onuma, Masahito Ebina, Tohru Takahashi, Toshihiro Nukiwa2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 147-156
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe possible roles of airway branching patterns on the pathogenesis of lung diseases, especially on the heterogeneous distribution of the lesions, were examined through three-dimensional (3-D) morphometric analysis of a mouse lung injury, induced by bleomycin. On serial sections of a mouse lung damaged by subcutaneous injection of bleomycin, we performed a computer-assisted reconstruction of the lung for visualizing the relation of airways with the distribution of the lesions, and defined the features of bronchial routes to each lesion by four parameters: LTB; the distance from the hilum, Ng; generation numbers, RD(min); irregularity of airway branching, and θTB; the grade of airway recurrence. Among these four parameters, only θTB was found to correlate with the severity of lesions (p<0.05 by an ANOVA test), which was proved by a posthoc test (p<0.0001). These results showing the acini supplied by recurrent branches are more prone to be damaged than those by non-recurrent branches suggest that branching patterns may underlie the heterogeneous distribution of lesions in diffuse interstitial lung diseases.View full abstractDownload PDF (1171K) -
Kazuya Onuma, Masahito Ebina, Tohru Takahashi, Toshihiro Nukiwa2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 157-164
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSLimited information on the degree of irregularity of branching patterns of a bronchial tree may obscure the cause of heterogeneous distribution of the lesions in a variety of lung diseases. We reconstructed three dimensional (3-D) images from hilum to terminal bronchioles of a mouse lung, and defined the irregularity of airway branching by diameter-based morphometric analysis. The relative diameter ratios of a daughter to the parent branch (D1/D0) and those of a minor to major daughter branches (D1/D2) were calculated, and irregular dichotomies were found to be distributed in 48% of bifurcations. D1/D0 is well correlated with D1/D2, and is proved to indicate regular and irregular branching, as well as D1/D2. Irregular branches with D1/D0 smaller than 0.4 correspond to typical lateral branches, taking off from major bronchi. Our novel 3-D morphometric analysis showed the first portrayal of the 3-D structures of mouse bronchial airways, which provides a quantitative description of branching patterns leading to the correlation with distribution of lesions in the diseased lung.View full abstractDownload PDF (540K) -
Ryuhei Tsuji, Noriyuki Tatsumi, Masayuki Hino, Takuya Nishioka, Takayu ...2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 165-174
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a protease inhibitor of extrinsic coagulation. The present study investigates the possibility of utilizing TFPI as a universal anticoagulant in clinical laboratory tests. The optimal concentration of TFPI for use in clinical laboratory tests was found to be 1 μl TFPI/ml blood (100 mmol TFPI/ml blood); the subsequent analyses were conducted at this concentration. In hematological tests, complete blood cell count and differential white blood cell count were done with an automatic blood analyzer. The results except for platelet and white blood cell counts were similar for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-treated and TFPI-treated samples. The effects of TFPI on platelet count were more pronounced when blood samples were stored at 4°C than at room temperature. The effects of TFPI on cell morphology were evaluated by spreading blood samples into thin films and applying a Giemsa stain. The results showed that TFPI did not alter the morphology of blood cells. An automatic biochemical analyzer performed seventeen basic biochemical tests on serum samples and TFPI-treated plasma samples. The results of seventeen tests were comparable between TFPI-treated samples and EDTA-treated samples. The prothrombin time for TFPI-treated plasma samples was longer than that for citrated plasma samples. Nonetheless, in activated partial thromboplastin time tests, the addition of the reagent caused turbidity and partial coagulation, thus demonstrating that TFPI is not suitable for this assay. These findings suggest that although some tests cannot be performed with TFPI, this compound may be useful as a universal anticoagulant in the future.View full abstractDownload PDF (610K) -
Takashi Murakami, Yukihiro Terada, Rei Yokomizo, Souichi Nakamura, Nob ...2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 175-180
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo summarize the current management of infertility in Japan, a questionnaire survey was administered. A mail-survey method was used, and surveys were sent to 126 obstetrical and/or gynecological medical facilities in Miyagi Prefecture. The respondents included 86 facilities (68.3%). The majority of participants employed routine assessments, and their records included basal body temperature (98.8%), semen analysis (88.8%), and tubal patency tests (78.8%). Laparoscopic diagnosis, however, was uncommon (15.8%). With respect to treatment, surgical procedures, especially endoscopic procedures, were not generally carried out in addition to medicinal treatment. Sixty-one percent of the respondents performed intrauterine insemination, however assisted reproductive technology (ART) was provided by a few participants, for example, in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer was available at 11.3% of facilities. In self-assessment, the median pregnancy rates for the group undergoing laparoscopy and that not were significant different (30% and 20%, respectively), and those of the group undergoing ART provided and that not were significant different (35% and 20%, respectively). In conclusion, there are various differentials in the methods of diagnosis and treatment of infertility in the medical facilities today, and the outcomes are not always satisfactory. For appropriate management of infertile couples, it will be necessary to more closely manage cooperation between primary care doctors and reproductive specialists.View full abstractDownload PDF (316K) -
Yoshiko Tobimatsu, Ryuichi Nakamura2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 181-190
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe purpose of this study was to investigate the order of reacquisition of activity of daily living (ADL) functions during inpatient rehabilitation at our spinal cord injury unit following the individual's initial medical care and to investigate what initial medical and biological factors would affect the ADL functions which the individual with spinal cord injury could perform 14 weeks after the beginning of inpatient rehabilitation. Fifty-two patients with spinal cord injuries who were hospitalized in the rehabilitation unit after their initial medical care participated in this study. The participants' ADL abilities were measured using the Barthel Index every four weeks after hospitalization for a period of 26 weeks. The order of reacquisition of ADL functions included in the Barthel Index was analyzed. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the initial medical and biological factors affecting ADL reacquisition 14 weeks after hospitalization. The order of reacquisition of the ADL functions was almost the same in each individual. The multiple regression equations of the Barthel Index score and number of ADL functions after 14 weeks were both significant and the explanatory variables in both equations included the patients' age, complications on the initial stage and traumatic brain injury as an associated injury with spinal cord injury. We concluded that the patient's score on the Barthel Index and what the patient could actually perform 14 weeks after hospitalization could be predicted from the patient's status at hospitalization in the rehabilitation unit. This predictable correlation can contribute to the rehabilitation management for spinal cord injuries.View full abstractDownload PDF (601K)
Case Report
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Shulin Wu, Motoyasu Sagawa, Satoshi Suzuki, Makiko Kumagai-Braesch, Yo ...2001 Volume 194 Issue 3 Pages 191-195
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: January 18, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSRelapsing Polychondritis is a rare disease which causes the repetitive inflammation of cartilage and connective tissues. Although the large airway is sometimes involved and the stenosis of them often influences the prognosis of the patients, there have been few reports concerning the manifestation of the peripheral lung. A 60-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis was admitted to a regional hospital due to sudden deafness, and then he suffered from relapsing polychondritis. During the steroid therapy, he also suffered from bilateral pneumothoraces. His computed tomogram revealed many bilateral bullae, emphysematous changes, and fibrotic changes in bilateral lungs. The mechanism of generating peripheral pulmonary manifestations is also discussed.View full abstractDownload PDF (914K)
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