The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-3329
Print ISSN : 0040-8727
ISSN-L : 0040-8727
197 巻, 3 号
July
選択された号の論文の8件中1~8を表示しています
Regular Contributions
  • IKUYO MARUYAMA, YOKO IKEDA, MITSURU NAKAZAWA, HIROSHI OHGURO
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 125-132
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    In our recent papers, we found the presence of serum autoantibody against neuron specific enolase (NSE) in some glaucoma patients and suggested that this antibody might have significant roles in pathogenesis of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. In order to evaluate further the clinical roles of serum autoantibody against NSE in glaucoma, serum autoantibody against NSE was examined by western blot analysis and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 4 patients with ocular hypertension (OH) and 242 patients with glaucoma (normal tension glaucoma [NTG], 73 cases; primary open angle glaucoma [POAG], 169 cases), and the relationships between the titers of anti-NSE antibody and clinical characteristics were evaluated. The titers of anti-NSE antibody showed a regular decreasing pattern with deteriorating visual field losses and glaucoma stages in POAG, especially early and late stages. However, no systematic pattern was observed in NTG. Although maximum and mean intraocular pressures (IOP)s and progression of visual field losses showed no correlation with the levels of serum anti-NSE antibody titers in either POAG or NTG, the anti-NSE antibody titers were relatively higher in NTG with visual field deterioration than in those without it. The present observations suggest that serum autoantibody against NSE may be clinically useful for diagnosing early stages of POAG, and for monitoring glaucoma progression of NTG.
  • TAKASHI MURAKAMI, KOUSUKE YOSHINAGA, RYO KONNO, YUKIHIRO TERADA, HIROS ...
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 133-138
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    Laparoscopic surgery has inherent restrictions with respect to the operative field of view and the range of surgical manipulation. Of the two procedures which secure sufficient operative space, the operative view of the gasless method is inferior to that of a pneumoperitoneum. In order to gain greater surgical visualization in gynecological gasless laparoscopy, the authors devised the cul-de-sac packing method employing a metreurynter, an instrument familiar to obstetricians in Japan. A metreurynter was lead into the cul-de-sac, and was inflated with saline, which resulted in the adnexae being raised up. This method was performed in three patients whose preoperative diagnoses were unknown infertility, ovarian cyst, and ectopic pregnancy, respectively. In all cases this method was able to keep the bowels out of the cul-de-sac space. In the first case, we were able to perform a tubal patency test under tension-free conditions, while at the same time bilateral tubal information could be obtained in a single view. In the latter two cases the adnexal lesions were maintained at an inspectional position throughout the operation without the necessity of being held by forceps to prevent them from falling down into the cul-de-sac space. No complications occurred in our three cases. This method will not be useful for patients whose cul-de-sac space is closed due to adhesions. However, except in such cases, this technique supplies a good operative view while being simple, safe, and inexpensive. Furthermore, this method supports gentler and less traumatic manipulation throughout the operation.
  • KEIJI CHIDA, NAOSHI OKITA, SADAO TAKASE
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 139-143
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    A retroauricular pain (RAP) ipsilateral to the side of facial paralysis (FP), often experienced patients with Bell’s palsy, usually occurs around the onset of FP. Whether RAP is a risk factor for incomplete recovery from FP is controversial. This paper reports three patients with Bell’s palsy in whom acute RAP preceded FP by several days. The intervals between the onset of RAP and FP were 6, 12, and 12 days, and the quality of RAP was dull/tight or neuralgic. All patients received prednisolone and acyclovir orally, and their facial functions recovered within 8 weeks. Based on the serological tests, FP was diagnosed as due to varicella-zoster virus in two patients and as idiopathic in the other. Among 58 consecutive patients with Bell’s palsy, including the three patients described, 26 (44.8%) experienced RAP, the onset of which ranged from 12 days before to 2 days after the onset of FP. While the prognosis of FP was not different between patients with and without RAP, FP recovered well in all seven patients in whom RAP preceded the onset of FP by 4 days or more. These findings suggest that RAP preceding by several days may predict the good prognosis of FP. As RAP can be a preceding symptom of acute FP, patients with acute RAP require medical attention for at least 2 weeks.
  • SOHTARO MIMASAKA
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 145-150
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    We investigated the usefulness of cytokine measurement in the field of forensic medicine. In this study, the levels of Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 in serum collected within 2 days after death were used to estimate the cause of death. In seventy-one victims, mean age 55.5±17.7 (S.D.) years, the cases were classified as traumatic death (24 cases, trauma group), unnatural deaths by other than traumatic causes (31 cases, unnatural death group), and deaths due to natural causes (16 cases, natural death group). The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that IL-6 and IL-8 were good indices of trauma. According to the Scheffé test, IL-6 and IL-8 levels of the traumatic death group were significantly higher than those of the unnatural death group (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in IL-6 levels between the traumatic death and natural death groups. Further, IL-6 levels showed considerable variability even among similar cases. However, IL-8 measurement of postmortem samples is useful to evaluate non-quantitative damage received before death.
  • TERUKAZU SHIOTA, KENJI HARADA, GORO TAKADA
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 151-158
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    To examine the effects of ductal closure on left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function during the early neonatal periods, 45 normal term neonates delivered after uncomplicated pregnancies (mean 39 weeks) were studied using two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. We measured ductus arteriosus size, arterial blood pressures, ascending aortic size, LV dimensions, and transmitral flow velocity patterns and calculated LV output and rate-corrected fiber shortening fraction (mVcfc) at 2, 12, 24, and 120 hours after birth. The inner diameter of the ductus arteriosus was 4.3±0.7 mm at 2 hours, 2.1±0.6 mm at 12 hours, and had closed in 42 of 45 neonates at 24 hours. LV output and LV end-diastolic dimension showed the highest level at 2 hours of age. However, the mVcfc did not change from 2 to 120 hours of age. The peak velocity during early diastole (peak E) was significantly greater at 2 hours than at 12 hours. The peak velocity during atrial contraction (peak A) remained unchanged during this period. The normalized peak filling rate at isovolumic relaxation time did not change over 120 hours. The present study demonstrated changes in LV systolic function and LV diastolic filling during the early neonatal period. LV systolic and diastolic function was preserved under the hemodynamic changes associated with the early neonatal period.
  • YUKIHIKO OGATA, SHIGETO ISHIDOYA, ATSUSHI FUKUZAKI, HIROYUKI KANETO, A ...
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 159-168
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a major cause of irreversible renal damage in the obstructed kidney. The effects of release of obstruction on the obstructed kidney are not clearly understood. We investigated the effects of the release of ureteral obstruction on renal fibrosis and the expression of fibrogenic factors. Rats underwent 5 day of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). After release of obstruction by removing an encased rubber tube, changes in interstitial volume were morphologically evaluated and the mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), type IV collagen (collagen IV), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) up to 28 days. Renal interstitial volume, collagen IV and PAI-1 mRNA gradually decreased from 7 days to 28 days after release of obstruction. However, increased expression of TGF-β mRNA persisted up to 14 days, and then declined 28 days after release. In conclusion, obstruction-induced renal fibrosis was recovered with diminished expression of TGF-β and collagen IV. Decreased PAI-1 expression in the postobstructed kidney may contribute to the degradation of extracellular matrix proteins and recovery of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, at least partly, after release of ureteral obstruction.
  • SEIICHI TAGAMI, TOSHIRO HONDA, HARUHIKO YOSHIMURA, HIDEAKI HOMMA, KOSE ...
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 169-181
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) play an essential role in the regulation of steady-state phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and other proteins in the insulin signaling pathway. To determine the role of PTPases in adipose tissue in the development into an insulin-resistant state, we examined PTPase activities and protein levels of three major candidate PTPases in adipose tissues of 26-week-old male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Particulate PTPase activities in visceral and epididymal adipose tissues of OLETF rats were increased compared to those in Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats, non-insulin-resistant controls. Cytosolic PTPase activities in these tissues were conversely decreased in OLETF rats. In subcutaneous adipose tissues, those changes were not observed. Western blot analysis showed that the amounts of leukocyte antigen-related PTPase (LAR), PTPase 1B (PTP1B), and src homology 2-containing PTPase (SH-PTP2) were increased in particulate fractions of visceral and epididymal fat of OLETF rats. On the other hand, those in the cytosolic fractions were slightly decreased. Troglitazone was administered to OLETF rats to examine the effect of the drug on the changes in PTPase activity and distribution. Troglitazone treatment restored those alterations in PTPase activity in the particulate fraction and the amounts of LAR, PTP1B and SH-PTP2 in both fractions of visceral and epididymal adipose tissues of OLETF rats. Although it remains unknown whether such effects of troglitazone are mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, these data provide useful information for understanding the significance of PTPase in insulin-resistant rats and the molecular mechanism of troglitazone action.
Short Report
  • YOSHIRO KOIWA, HIDEICHI KAMADA, MIKIO INOSE, KUNIO SHIRATO, YOSHIKO SA ...
    2002 年 197 巻 3 号 p. 183-187
    発行日: 2002年
    公開日: 2004/04/19
    ジャーナル フリー
    Because of the lack of a clinical method for assessing the transmural myocardial function, few studies on the heterogeneity during the myocardial contraction/relaxation sequence inside the human ventricular wall have been reported, despite the fact that the importance of the pathophysiology in the transmural heterogeneity has been stressed in previous experimental studies. We studied the transmyocardial functional heterogeneity of the basal anteroseptal segment in normal subjects (n=8, 40.0±12.8 year, male), adopting the novel high resolution Doppler measurement “Phased Tracking Method”. Each transmural layer of 0.75 mm thickness showed functional heterogeneity (physiological transmural functional heterogeneity), namely larger thickening occurred in the left ventricular endocardial side (right side 1/3: 26.1±5.2% of the total wall thickness, middle 1/3: 31.9±2.7%, left side 1/3: 42.1±6.4%) and the peak thickening shifted smoothly in time from the middle layers to the left subendocardial side during the contraction period. We concluded that transmural functional heterogeneity does exist in normal subjects as well as in the experimental animals of previous reports. Smooth and coordinate myocardial layer contraction across the ventricular wall (physiological transmural functional heterogeneity) is fundamental to maintain the normal ventricular function.
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