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Volume 41 (2010)
- Issue 4 Pages 26-
- Issue 2+3 Pages 19-
- Issue 1 Pages 2-
Volume 41, Issue 4
Displaying 1-3 of 3 articles from this issue
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Original Article
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Hideto SANO, Yukari OHKI, Kazuhiko SATOMI2010 Volume 41 Issue 4 Pages 26-37
Published: 2010
Released on J-STAGE: January 07, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSFor arm movements, Animal experiments suggest that indirect corticomotoneuronal pathways, which are partly mediated by C3-C4 propriospinal neurons (PNs), have important roles as well as direct pathways. The purpose of the present study was to establish a procedure to quantify functions of PNs in human. Surface electromyogram was recorded from the right or left biceps muscle (Bi) of normal human subjects (n=14), who all gave informed consent. During weak tonic voluntary contraction of the muscles, 1) electric stimulation of the ipsilateral ulnar nerve alone, 2) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the contralateral primary motor cortex alone, and 3) combined stimulation of both were delivered in pseudo-random order. Interstimulus intervals for the combined stimulation were set, so that excitatory inputs by both stimulation arrived in PNs simultaneously. When appropriate stimulus strength was selected for both stimulation, TMS-induced potentials in Bi were facilitated by combined ulnar stimulation. However, the facilitation disappeared when strength of the ulnar stimulation and/or TMS were increased. Comparing the maximum facilitations on both sides, they tended to be stronger on the dominant side in right-handed subjects (n=11). The tendency was not clear in left-handed subjects (n=3). We conclude that the current procedure is valuable to quantify functions of PNs, though stimulus condition and handedness have to be considered. Because reflex effects on the pathway by ulnar nerve stimulation were not different regardless of the sides, we also conclude that the asymmetry in the right-handed subjects is caused by pyramidal inputs to PNs.View full abstractDownload PDF (1130K)
Case Report
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Tomoko MATSUDA, Miho KARUBE, Tetsu HAYAKAWA, Yoshihiro ARIMURA, Akira ...2010 Volume 41 Issue 4 Pages 38-43
Published: 2010
Released on J-STAGE: January 07, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSA 44-year-old woman was diagnosed as having systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the age of 18 years. She had been treated with prednisolone (PSL) since then, but stopped taking PSL on her own decision at 28 years of age. Three months later, she was admitted to hospital because of oliguria and anasarca due to lupus nephritis. Methyl-PSL pulse therapy and cyclophosphamide treatment did not improve her symptoms and renal failure progressed. She was then transferred to our hospital in order to begin hemodialysis treatment. Additional methyl-PSL pulse therapy recovered her renal failure and she was withdrawn from hemodialysis 6 months later. At the age of 44 years, she was admitted to our hospital again due to edema and elevation of serum creatinine level. Recurrence of lupus nephritis was suspected. However, a left renal tumor (4.3×4.0×3.8cm) was also detected by ultrasound. Laparoscopic nephrecotomy was performed immediately. Histological findings of the left kidney revealed lupus nephritis (Class IV-G (A)) with clear cell carcinoma. Post-operative Methyl-PSL pulse therapy gradually improved her hematuria and proteinuria.
We found some case reports of SLE associated with malignant lymphoma or lung cancer, but did not find any cases with renal cell carcinoma.
We reported a rare case of lupus nephritis associated with renal cell carcinoma.View full abstractDownload PDF (870K)
Original Article
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A Histometric Approach to Autopsy Cases and En-bloc Surgically-excised Specimens of Small Abdominal Aortic AneurysmsMasao NUNOKAWA2010 Volume 41 Issue 4 Pages 44-56
Published: 2010
Released on J-STAGE: January 07, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo determine factors characterizing the initiation and development of abdominal aortic aneurysms, a comparative approach combining macroscopic measurement and microscopic quantitative analysis is necessary. Aneurysm dilation is defined as local enlargement set points of the aorta. Macroscopic measurements of the inner circumferences of abdominal aortae and histometric studies of these specimens were undertaken to seek correlations between aneurysm dilation and destruction of elastic layers.
This approach was applied to specimens derived from autopsy cases and aneurysm-excision surgery. The former consisted of 121 cases whose aortic specimens were suitable for this study obtained from 242 consecutive autopsies of the elderly in a geriatric hospital. In order to investigate en-bloc excised specimens, processing techniques to preserve structure were developed (3-D specimens). Stereoscopic comparisons between macroscopic findings and microscopic morphology of the elastic layers could be accomplished easily using this approach.
In autopsy cases, marked destruction of the elastic layers of the abdominal aorta was diffusely present and there was little direct correlation between circumference and thickness of elastic layers at each point measured. Relatively high attenuation of the layers may correlate with the circumference of the distal aorta and partial defects of elastic layers. In one case, the 3-D reconstruction revealed longitudinal defects coinciding with the portion of aneurysm enlargement in otherwise well-preserved elastic layers.
These findings suggest that destruction of the elastic layers is necessary for but does not directly cause enlargement, and that some other factors may influence the changes associated with aneurysm development.View full abstractDownload PDF (1784K)
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