Survival cells after repeated irradiation may obtain radioresistance: this gene expression study aimed to identify the genes responsible for this radioresistance. After irradiation was administered five times (one cycle), radiation sensitivity was evaluated with cell growth curves, floating cell ratio and quantity of isolation LDH in the medium. The quantity of total irradiation indicated cell radioresistance. The results of these clonogenic assays show that cell radioresistance was confirmed even with a usual clinical irradiation of 60 Gy. Therefore, the quantity of total irradiation used in this study was 60 Gy. We detected five genes which showed changes of expression linked to radioresistance: reticulon 2, cyclin-dependent kinase 8, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, tumor protein p53 binding protein 1, and farnesyl diphosphate synthase.

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the most dangerous complications of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We compared the incidence of CMV infection after cord blood transplantation (CBT) to that after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) . CMV-positive antigenemia was observed in 5 (27.8%) of 18 patients after BMT and in 9 (56.3%) of 16 patients after CBT. In cases involving steroid therapy, the rate of CM V-positive antigenemia rose in both groups. Because the recovery of CM V-specific T cell responses plays an important role in the prevention of CMV disease after stem cell transplantation, it is thought that the recovery of CMV-specific T cells is delayed by the administration of steroids. Moreover, among patients not receiving steroid therapy, the rate of CMV-positive antigenemia was higher after CBT than after BMT. Thus, the immunologic immaturity of cord blood lymphocytes may be associated with delayed recovery of CMV-specific immunity after CBT. Only one patient in the CBT group developed CMV disease after pre-emptive ganciclovir therapy. It appears that preemptive ganciclovir therapy is very effective against CMV infection after CBT.

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By immunohistochemistry, we analyzed the expressions of COX-2, VEGF-A and VEGF-C in 58 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma obtained by surgical resection performed at Showa Univeresity Hospital from 1998 to 2005; in addition, we investigated the correlation of these expressions with clinicopathological parameters, especially lymph node metastasis. Forty-five cases had positive expressions of COX-2, including nine cases of superficial carcinomas and thirty-nine cases of advanced carcinomas. Among the superficial cases, the correlation with COX-2 and lymph node metastasis was statistically significant but was not among the advanced cases. Furthermore, an increase in immunohistochemical score of COX-2 expression correlated with an increase in N-factor, the immunohistochemical score of VEGF-A and the VEGF-C expression. We suggest that COX-2 may be a useful factor to determine the risk of metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

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In a previous study, we examined the influence of several herbal teas including Ten-cha on drug metabolism using human microsomes. The study showed that Ten-cha potently inhibited cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activity. In the present study we investigated the effects of Ten-cha on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of simvastatin. A randomized, two-way crossover design was used at an interval of 1 week. Eight healthy male volunteers were administrated a dose of 10 mg simvastatin with either 200 mL of Ten-cha or water, and blood samples were collected to determine PK parameters. Ten-cha or water was ingested 3 times a day before drug administration and once an hour after dose. The ratios of geometric means of the AUC_0-24, and the C_max of Ten-cha to water treatment were 0.94 and 1.29, respectively. In addition the differences of arithmetic means between Tencha and water treatment of t_{1 2} and CL /F were 0.83 h and 37.5 mL/h, respectively. There were no significant differences of PK parameters between the Ten-cha treatment and water treatment. Even a maximum change of PK parameters exhibited by a volunteer in this study was no more than three-fold. It was suggested that there is little possibility of the occurrence of an adverse event caused by the interaction between Ten-cha and simvastatin under the condition we investigated. However, food and/or health supplement consumption in the responsibility of the user, it is impossible to deny the possibility of the incidence of a clinically important drug vs. Ten-cha interaction. Further interaction studies with Ten-cha are needed under different conditions at various doses, frequency and timing of Ten-cha ingestion, as well as with co-administration of other medicines.

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In recent years, alternative medical treatments have become popular and dietary supplement therapies are now widely used. Flavonoids contained in plant foods are of interest to researchers because several reports have shown that flavonoids have various effect on human cell functions including those of the cardiovascular system. In this study we used boiled golden peas, one of legume family, because the seeds of golden peas are rich in flavonoids such as isoflavone. The experimental group (6 rats) was fed boiled golden peas while the control group (6 rats) was given a normal animal diet, all for 1 month. We collected the blood samples using heparin and EDTA as anticoagulants and measured blood flow by MC-FAN (Microchannel Array Flow Analyzer) . Heparinized blood results show that blood flow time of rats fed golden peas was significantly shorter than that of the control group although blood collected by EDTA, which has anticoagulant and anti-platelet action, showed no significant difference of flow time between the two groups. Video-recorded imaging of blood flow revealed that there were fewer platelet agglutination pattern was in heparinized blood of the group fed golden peas, while EDTA blood showed no significant difference between the two groups. These results indicate that the rich flavonoid content of golden peas and the possible role of flavonoid in the inhibition of platelet activation, adhesion, agglutination and hence the smothering effect on blood flow must be considered.

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Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VPS) is an important operation for patients with hydrocephalus. But, we often experience shunt failures caused by inappropriate location of the catheter tip in the abdominal cavity. On the other hand, laparoscopic surgery has lower rate of postoperative adhesion and can observe abdominal cavity smoothly. Then, laparoscopy-assisted placement of abdominal VPS tip has a possibility of decreasing the rate of shunt failure. After May 2005, we induced laparoscopic technique for VPS operation, and get a good result of short term complication. Therefore, we report a technique of this method. At now, we operated 8 cases and not experienced any complications or failures. Mean operative time was 38 minutes, and operative bleeding was very few on each cases. Therefore, laparoscopy -assisted VPS operation has many advantages and possibility of decreasing the rate of shunt failure.

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The effects of six kinds of kampo medicines used to treat contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis (Oren-gedoku-to: OGT, Unsei-in: USI, Juzen-taiho-to: JTT, Keigai-rengyo-to: KRT, Toki-inshi: TI, Shimotsu-to: SMT) on acute and chronic dermatitis of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), using contact hypersensitivity of a mouse models such as picryl chloride (PC) or oxazolone (Oxa) -induced DTH response, were studied. Acute lesions of PC or Oxa-induced DTH were produced by a single challenge of PC or Oxa in BALB/c or BDF₁ mice. Chronic lesions of Oxa-induced DTH were produced by four challenges of Oxa in BDF1 mice. Six kinds of kampo medicines reduced PC or Oxa-induced ear swelling. However, the effects of most of the kampo medicines were dose-independent responses. OGT, USI, JTT and KRT inhibited ear swelling in Oxa-induced chronic dermatitis. The increase of IgE in ear tissues of Oxa-induced chronic dermatitis was inhibited by administration of OGT, USI and JTT. These results suggest that OGT, USI, JTT and KRT improve acute and chronic dermatitis. The inhibition of ear swelling suggests that the effects of OGT. USI and JTT may be mediated through suppression of IgE production.

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The classification of malignant lymphomas has been controversial in the past two decades. Developing knowledge in the immunology and molecular biology of malignant lymphomas has yielded new entities of these diseases and restructured previously recognized disease categories. The relative incidence of these subtypes of malignant lymphoma is also known to differ according to geographic location. In order to clarify the current status of malignant lymphomas at Showa University Hospital and the relative incidences of their subtypes, 582 patients were classified according to the new World Health Organization classification. Among these were 556 cases (95.5%) of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (453 cases (77.8%) of B-cell lymphoma, 86 cases (14.8%) of T-cell lymphoma) and 24 cases (4.1%) of Hodgkin's lymphoma. The incidences of the major subtypes of non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma were 46.1% for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 11.7% for follicular lymphoma, 11.3% for extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, 5.5% for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (unspecified), 3.1% for mantle cell lymphoma, and 2.1% for adult T-cell leukemia lymphoma, in decreasing order. The nodular sclerosis and mixed cellularity types of Hodgkin lymphoma occupied 1.9% and 1.0%, respectively. These data are distinct from those in Western countries and similar to the result of a Japanese mass study. We believe that the current data of the relative incidence of lymphoma subtypes at Showa University Hospital will contribute to future studies of malignant lymphomas.

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We report the clinical results of 29 open tibia fracture cases. Twenty-four (82.8%) cases obtained bone unions. The bone assessment results were excellent in 20, good in 1, fair in 1 and poor in 7 patients. Functional assessment scores were excellent in 12, good in 12, fair in 4 and poor in 1 patient. Two patients developed deep infection and 5 patients later required further surgery to achieve unions. Immediate internal fixation is a safe and reliable method for the treatment of Gustilo I, H. II A open tibia fractures. Bifocal compression-distraction osteogenesis is a largely successful method for the treatment of Gustilo III C open tibia fractures. Treatment for Gustilo III B or AO Type C open tibia fractures needs further discussion.

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