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Volume 216 (2008)
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- Issue 3 Pages 197-
- Issue 2 Pages 99-
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Volume 216, Issue 2
October
Displaying 1-12 of 12 articles from this issue
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Regular Contributions
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Hisashi Masugata, Shoichi Senda, Fuminori Goda, Ayumu Yamagami, Hiroyu ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 99-108
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSCerebral white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are considered to be the result of brain ischemic injury and a risk factor for clinical stroke. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the cardiac diastolic function and cerebral white matter lesions in elderly patients with risk factors for atherosclerosis. The study subjects were 55 patients (75 ± 7 years) with risk factors for atherosclerosis including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. Patients with symptomatic cerebrovascular events were excluded from the study. Cerebral white matter lesions, which were defined as exhibiting high intensity regions on brain MRI, were evaluated with the degrees of periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) according to the Japanese Brain Dock Guidelines of 2003. Peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E' velocity) was measured by tissue Doppler echocardiography, and was used as a parameter of cardiac diastolic function. The mean value of E' velocity was decreased due to the cardiac diastolic dysfunction (5.2 ± 1.4 cm/s). In addition, the E' velocity was inversely correlated with the degree of PVH (ρ = −0.701, p < 0.001). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the decrease in the E' velocity (β coefficient = −0.42, p < 0.001) and the presence of hypertension (β coefficient = 0.31, p = 0.001) were independent determinants of the degree of PVH. Thus, cardiac diastolic dysfunction is correlated to the severity of cerebral white matter lesions, suggesting the cardio-cerebral connection in elderly patients with risk factors for atherosclerosis.View full abstractDownload PDF (811K) -
Hande Turker, Murat Terzi, Oytun Bayrak, Nilgun Cengiz, Musa Onar, Ond ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 109-116
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSBehcet's disease, a multisystemic vascular inflammatory disorder of unknown origin, is relatively rare and central nervous system involvement is seen in 5% of affected individuals. This form of the disease, called as neurobehcet's disease (NB), can be misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disorder of central nervous system, so their differential diagnosis is important. In this study, to identify the parameters of electrophysiological testing that might be useful in their differential diagnosis, we performed evoked potentials (EPs) and electroneuromyography (ENMG) on patients with MS and NB, and on normal volunteers. A total of 95 persons, 55 MS patients, 20 NB patients and 20 normal volunteers between ages 31 and 55, were studied electrophysiologically. Visual evoked potential (VEP), brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP), posterior tibial somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and nerve conduction and needle electromyography studies were performed on all patients and volunteers. All parameters of EPs were compared among the groups. The results of the BAEP and SEP studies did not show statistically significant difference between NB and MS. However, the VEP study indicated that the amplitude values of cortical VEP potentials (P100) in the NB and MS groups were lower than those of the normal group (p < 0.01), and that the amplitudes in the NB group were lower than for the MS group (p < 0.05). Therefore, P100 amplitude measured from peak to peak seems to be more reliable and thus should be used in the differential diagnosis of MS and NB.View full abstractDownload PDF (345K) -
Xifa Lan, Hua Qu, Wenxiu Yao, Chaodong Zhang2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 117-126
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIncidence of cerebral vascular disease (CVD) is higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) than that in individuals without DM, and neuronal apoptosis determines the severity of cerebral infarction. However, there is no effective therapy for CVD. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a potent hematopoietic factor, could inhibit apoptosis of hematopoietic progenitor cells. However, its effect on neuronal cells is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-apoptosis properties of G-CSF in neurons following focal cerebral ischemia in diabetic rats. The diabetic condition was generated in rats by intravenous injection of streptozotocin. After 6 weeks, diabetic rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and received subcutaneous administration of G-CSF (50 μg/kg) daily for 7, 14 or 21 days. We analyzed the changes in neurological severity scores, infarct volume, number of apoptotic neurons, and the expression of G-CSF receptor, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3), cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (cIAP2), Bcl-2, and Bax in the brain tissue. Bax is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 protein family. The DM rats treated with G-CSF not only showed the reduced infarct volume and decreased apoptosis cell number, but also presented improved neurological scores. The G-CSF also increased the expression of pSTAT3, Bcl-2, and cIAP2 proteins as well as Bcl-2 mRNA, but inhibited Bax protein expression in the brain. These results indicate that G-CSF partially increases neuronal survival by affecting apoptosis pathways. G-CSF provides a potential treatment for stroke and other neurological dysfunction accompanied by neuronal apoptosis.View full abstractDownload PDF (2687K) -
Tokio Matsunami, Yukita Sato, Tsunenori Morishima, Yoshihiro Mano, Mas ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 127-132
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe side effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment, such as oxidative stress and oxygen toxicity, have long been of interest. However, there are no comprehensive studies evaluating such toxic effects in diabetes mellitus (DM). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of HBO on glucose homeostasis and histological changes in pancreatic β-cells of experimentally induced diabetic rats. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1) Control group, no diabetic induction without HBO treatment; 2) HBO group, exposed to 100% oxygen at 2.8 ATA (atmosphere absolute) for 2 h once daily, for 7 days; 3) DM group, diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ) injection; and 4) DM + HBO group, received both STZ injection and HBO exposure. HBO treatment, with clinically recommended pressures and duration of therapy, was started on day 5 after STZ injection, when the blood glucose levels were significantly increased. After the last HBO treatment, the pancreatic tissues were immunostained to measure the areas of insulin immunoreactive β-cells in the islets of Langerhans. The blood glucose increased significantly following exposure to HBO, with the highest levels achieved in rats, which had been treated with both HBO and diabetic induction. The area populated with insulin immunoreactive β-cells decreased significantly following diabetic induction and/or HBO exposure, with the smallest area in DM + HBO group. Thus, HBO exposure enhanced the cytotoxic effect of STZ in the β-cells of the pancreas. HBO should be cautiously employed in diabetic patients.View full abstractDownload PDF (1938K) -
Masaru Tateda, Jun Hasegawa, Shun Sagai, Ayako Nakanome, Katsunori Kat ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 133-137
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSInferior laryngeal nerve (ILN), which usually arises from vagus nerve, runs recurrent course and is called recurrent ILN (RILN). Intimate knowledge of normal and anatomic variants of the ILN reduces the risk of nerve injury and vocal cord paralysis in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. The nonrecurrent ILN (NRILN) is a rare nerve anomaly that is associated with a right aberrant subclavian artery. We encountered 2 patients with NRILN during thyroid surgery. Patient 1, a 57-year-old woman, had mediastinal thyroid tumor without vascular anomaly. Patient 2, a 47-year-old woman with a history of esophageal foreign body (fish bone), was suspected to have NRILN with vascular anomaly before surgery, as judged by preoperative enhanced CT. In the patient 1, we verified laryngeal mobility function of the NRILN by nerve stimulation, and confirmed the absence of RILN in usual recurrent course. The findings in the patient 1 indicate that NRILN without subclavian artery anomaly is a genuine entity. In both patients we performed thyroid surgery safely and fast by expectation and identification of NRILN by use of nerve stimulator. In conclusion, we confirm the existence of NRILN without vascular anomaly and show effectiveness of preoperative enhanced CT and valuable use of nerve stimulator for nerve preservation in the patients with NRILN.View full abstractDownload PDF (3051K) -
Baiwen Li, Peihua Ni, Qi Zhu, Haixia Cao, Hong Xu, Su Zhang, Chris Au, ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 139-147
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSPancreatic carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignancies and carries the most dismal prognoses of all cancers. A better understanding of the genes involving in tumor development may allow us to tackle this rapidly progressive disease. The Net gene belongs to the ternary complex transcription factor (TCF) family and is regulated by the Ras/mitogen-activited protein kinase-signaling pathway. Under basal conditions, Net shows strong represssing function on transcription of proto-oncogene gene c-fos. Moreover, the lower expression of Net has been noted in some carcinoma cells, such as cervical cancer. To study the effect of Net on c-fos expression and its potential role in the growth of pancreatic carcinoma, we developed a recombinant plasmid, a pEGFP-N1-Net, which codes for Net-EGFP fusion proteins, and stably transfected it into BxPC-3 human pancreatic carcinoma cells. Using stable transformants, we were able to show that overexpression of Net decreased the expression of c-fos and inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that Net overexpression inhibited cell cycle progression. These findings suggested that loss of Net repression could augment c-fos expression and further trigger neoplastic cell proliferation, which was involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, Net might be a potential target for the treatment of c-fos-positive pancreatic cancer.View full abstractDownload PDF (4933K) -
Daisuke Ishimura, Naoki Yamamoto, Kaori Tajima, Ayumi Ohno, Yasuhiro Y ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 149-156
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe incidence of arthritic diseases is rapidly increasing in most advanced countries. Articular cartilage, which is the most important tissue in the joint, consists of chondrocytes and abundant extracellular matrix, including aggrecan, and shows poor self-repair. We studied the potential of stem cells in mouse subcutaneous adipose tissue as a source of cells to regenerate cartilage tissue. Analysis of adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction culture cells (ADSVFs) using mesenchymal stem cell markers showed that CD90-positive cells accounted for 93.8%, CD105-positive cells for 68.5%, and p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR, CD271)-positive cells for 36.1%. These results indicate that cells positive for mesenchymal stem cell markers are present in ADSVFs. The CD105-positive or -negative cells were isolated from ADSVFs by magnetic cell separation (MACS), and the efficiency of differentiation into chondrocytes was compared with using three methods of pellet method, gel-coating method, and gel-embedding sheet method. Using the CD105-positive cells and the gel-embedding sheet method, aggrecan mRNA was detected about three times higher than pellet and gel-coating methods. The above data suggest that ADSVFs could be differentiated into chondrocyte-like cells in the gel-embedding sheet method and could be useful in regenerative medicine to treat cartilage defects or cartilage degenerative disease. The use of cells sorted by mesenchymal stem cell markers from adipose tissue would gain position in the repair of cartilage tissue.View full abstractDownload PDF (1816K) -
Chuan-Song Wu, Pin-Zhir Chao, Herng-Ching Lin2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 157-164
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has remained one of the most controversial issues in otolaryngology, and there are wide disparities between clinicians' treatment methods for SSNHL. Using five-year population-based data, we explored the relationship between physician and hospital characteristics and the length of stay (LOS) for SSNHL patients in Taiwan. The dataset was derived from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The patients in the study sample were identified by a principal diagnosis of sudden hearing loss. A total of 8712 hospitalization cases between 1998 and 2002 inclusive were included. Multiple regression analyses were performed in order to explore the relationship between physician and hospital characteristics and LOS, adjusting for patients' age and gender, as well as complications or comorbidities. The mean LOS for the duration of the study period was 5.62 days, while the regression analysis showed that, as compared to district hospitals, the LOS in medical centers and regional hospitals was 0.42 and 0.37 days longer, respectively (all p < 0.001). The analysis also revealed that the LOS was 0.71 days shorter for patients who were attended by physicians specializing in otolaryngology than for those attended by physicians specializing in other areas (p < 0.001). This study concludes that there is indeed a relationship between physician and hospital characteristics and the LOS for SSNHL patients. The results of this study serve to highlight the importance of developing treatment protocols for SSNHL so as to reduce the variation in physician or hospital behavior.View full abstractDownload PDF (347K) -
Reiko Dehari, Yoshiyasu Nakamura, Naoyuki Okamoto, Hiroki Nakayama2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 165-172
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThere has been an increased incidence of cervical cancer among young women, and they tend to have a poor prognosis due to unknown reasons. We hypothesize growth hormone (GH) receptor (GHR) may be involved in the proliferation of cervical carcinoma, because GH-related neoplasms arise in various organs and the amount of GH secretion may be different according to age. GHR is normally expressed in the cell membrane and cytoplasm, while the nuclear distribution of GHR has been considered to reflect high proliferative activity of cells. We analyzed the subcellular localization of GHR by immunohistochemistry in cervical neoplasms of 55 patients (38.6 ± 13.9 years old): 33 patients (< 40 years) and 22 patients (≥ 40 years). Nuclear expression of GHR was detected in more than 50% of neoplastic cells present in the tissue samples derived from 20 patients under 40 years (20/33, 61%), whereas less than 25% of neoplastic cells expressed GHR in their nuclei in 17 patients over 40 years (17/22, 77%). In contrast, more than 75% of neoplastic cells showed cytoplasmic GHR expression in the tissues derived from both age groups. Furthermore, the population of cells with nuclear GHR expression was high in the squamous epithelium and the stromal cells of patients under 40, but low in patients over 40. The GH-GHR signal may act at the nuclear level to promote the proliferation of uterine cervical neoplasms in young patients. We suggest the involvement of GHR in progression of uterine cervical carcinoma.View full abstractDownload PDF (4446K) -
Hiroko Tsunoda, Ryozo Yoshino, Kazuhito Yokoyama2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 173-185
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSocial capital refers to the quantity and quality of social relationships, such as formal and informal social connections as well as norms of reciprocity and trust that exist in a place or a community. This article analyzed the data from Japan 2004 B Survey in order to elucidate the effects of social capital and socio-psychological factors on the health of Japanese males and females. The Survey was a part of a nationwide random study on Japanese national character, which has been conducted by the Institute of Statistical Mathematics since 1953. A total of 785 (372 males and 413 females) valid data from 1,200 adult samples were used. Logistic regression analysis showed that the self-reported symptoms were increased by negative attitude to generalized trust in males, and by negative attitude to norm of reciprocity in females. Moreover, in females, health dissatisfaction was enhanced by low perceptions of support. In both genders, self-reported symptoms and health dissatisfaction were worsened by anxiety. The self-reported symptoms were increased by an adherence to religion and spirituality in males, whereas in females, the health dissatisfaction increased with low income and a concern about superstitions. Thus, from a viewpoint of social capital, perceived health is susceptible to personal relationships in females and to distrust in males. Anxiety seems a key factor affecting perceived health. In addition, females are influenced by economic status and superstitions, whereas males are more concerned about religion or the mind in relation to health. These findings are useful in developing health policies for Japanese.View full abstractDownload PDF (489K) -
Shu-Hui Liu, Chao-Shun Wu, Yun-Lian Lin, Yu-Chen Hsiao, Chun-Yuh Yang, ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 187-194
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSStudies on the physicians' health have paid less attention on the Chinese medicine than on the western medicine professionals. Like western medicine professionals, Chinese medicine physicians' health condition is critical to the quality of care and patients' safety. They also cared a large number of patients in many Asia societies. However, no data have been reported regarding the health problems associated with Chinese medicine physicians. The aim of this study was to examine the mortality patterns of a cohort consisting of 6109 male physicians of Chinese medicine who were followed from 1991 through 2003 in Taiwan. The analyses of female subjects were not included due to small sample size. We calculated the overall and cause-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and life expectancy of the study cohort using the death rates of some 11 millions of Taiwanese male population as reference. We found out that physicians of Chinese medicine experienced significantly lower death rate of mortality from all causes (SMR = 0.63, 95% > CI: 0.57, 0.69), from malignant neoplasms (SMR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.82) and from cerebrovascular disease (SMR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.72). Additionally, they have longer life expectancy (ranged from 3 years to approximately 15 years). Our study is crucial to evaluate potential health risks associated with Chinese medicine physicians. Although this study did not reveal elevated death rate among Chinese medicine physicians, researchers and policy makers should not overlook other heath problems that Chinese medicine physicians might have experienced.View full abstractDownload PDF (368K)
Erratum
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Saeko Okutsu, Hiroyasu Hatakeyama, Makoto Kanzaki, Hiroshi Tsubokawa, ...2008 Volume 216 Issue 2 Pages 195
Published: 2008
Released on J-STAGE: October 02, 2008
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTohoku J. Exp. Med. 215: 181-187, 2008.
In the version of this article published in the June issue, 2008, the authors misspelled the last name of the third author as Makoto Kanazaki. The correct name is Makoto Kanzaki (M. Kanzaki). The error was corrected in the online version (PDF), which now differs from the printed version.View full abstractDownload PDF (105K)
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