Self-separated hydrothermal lead zirconate titanate thick films for high frequency transducer applications.

Using a simple rapid heating process, Pb(Zr(0.52)Ti(0.48))O(3) (PZT) thick films prepared by hydrothermal method were separated from a Ti substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the self-separated films were crack-free. After solution infiltration and high temperature annealing, the PZT thick films were shown to possess good electric properties. At 1 kHz, the dielectric constant and the loss were 593 and 0.05, respectively. The remnant polarization was 30.0 muCcm(2) at room temperature. A high frequency single element ultrasound transducer fabricated with these films showed a bandwidth at -6 dB of 73% at a center frequency of 67 MHz.

[A case of a foreign body in the urinary bladder--a surgical suture needle was found in urinary bladder].

We report a case of an unusual foreign body in the urinary bladder. A 66-year-old male had undergone an operation of rectal cancer 6 years previously. He visited our hospital with irritative urinary symptoms. Urinalysis showed hematopyuria, and X-ray examination revealed a curved fine shadow (about 2 cm in length and 3 mm in width) at the vesical region. In cystoscopic examination, a calcified surgical suture needle was identified on the trigonal region. The needle was removed transurethrally by a stone crushing forceps. Thus, it was assumed that the needle had been left in the abdominal cavity at the operation 6 years ago and it had migrated into the bladder during these 6 years. Many cases of foreign bodies in the urinary bladder have been reported. However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a surgical suture needle, in the bladder.

A case of simultaneous contralateral renal cell carcinoma and ureteral transitional cell carcinoma.

A case of simultaneous contralateral renal cell carcinoma and ureteral transitional cell carcinoma is presented. This patient underwent right radical nephrectomy, partial resection of left ureter and bladder, and end-to-end transureteroureterostomy. He is alive with no finding of recurrence after 1 year. Methods of treatment for bilateral urinary tract tumors are reviewed.

[A case of medullary sponge disease associated with horseshoe kidney].

A 60-year-old man visited our hospital with complaints of micturition pain and interruption of urinary stream. X-ray examinations were performed, showing no bladder and urethral stone. However, KUB revealed bilateral multiple renal stones. Excretory urography showed a horseshoe kidney and a concentration of the contrast medium in the ectatic tubules at the pyramidal apices. Calculi were also located in these ectatic tubules. Thus, we considered that this was a very rare case of medullary sponge disease associated with horseshoe kidney. So far there has been no case report of medullary sponge disease with horseshoe kidney in our country.

Critical period of induction by tamoxifen of genital organ abnormalities in female mice.

Genital organs of C57BL/Tw female mice given 5 daily injections of 100 micrograms tamoxifen (Tx) from the day of birth (day 0) were examined at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 60 days of age. The incidence of polyovular follicles (PF) in Tx mice was higher, but the development of uterine glands and tunica muscularis uteri in Tx mice was lower than in the age-matched controls. Uteri of 15-day-old Tx mice underwent a weight increase resulting from edematous change in the stromal tissue lacking type I collagen and fibronectin. Adenosis-like lesions were found in the vaginae of 5- to 30-day-old Tx mice. Mice given neonatal injections of 100 micrograms clomiphene (Clm) and nafoxidine (Naf) were also examined at 60 days. Tx caused much greater damage to the ovary and uterus than did Clm and Naf. In order to examine the critical period of induction by Tx of female genital organ abnormalities, mice were given 5 daily injections of Tx starting at different early postnatal ages. Tx injections starting within 5 days caused a high incidence of PF in the ovary and aplasia of tunica muscularis in the uterus. The Tx treatment also induced atrophy of the uterine luminal epithelium when started within 7 days. The present study suggests, therefore, that the postnatal limit of the critical period for the female genital organs lies within 7 days after birth.

[Adrenal hemangioma: a case report].

We report a rare case of adrenal hemangioma incidentally discovered by computed tomography (CT) in a 75-year-old female, the hormonal examination showed within the normal range, and ultrasound-sonography, CT scan and angiography disclosed the mass to be a non-functioning adrenal tumor. The tumor was removed operatively and the pathological finding was adrenal hemangioma. Twenty reported cases found in the Japanese literature are reviewed.

Abnormal development of the os penis in male mice treated neonatally with tamoxifen.

The os penis of male C57BL/Tw mice given 5 daily injections of 100 micrograms tamoxifen (Tx) starting on the day of birth (day 0) was examined at ages of 5-60 days; the bones of males given Tx injections for 5 days starting at 0-10 days and of those given neonatal injections of 100 micrograms clomiphene or nafoxidine were examined at 60 days. In the control males given the vehicle alone, the proximal segment of the os penis, composed of a compact cell mass found at day 0, developed at 5 days into the membrane bone with bone marrow and hyaline cartilage; the distal segment, composed of mesenchymatous cells until 10 days, developed at 30 days into fibrocartilage characterized by a distribution of type I collagen. By contrast, in Tx mice, fibrocartilage in the distal segment, and hyaline cartilage characterized by a distribution of type II collagen, and bone marrow in the proximal segment disappeared by 30 days. The maximum area of the proximal and distal segments gradually increased with age in control mice, whereas the proximal segment area remained unchanged in Tx mice. In clomiphene and nafoxidine mice at 60 days, the proximal segment was composed of hyaline cartilage; however, the distal segment lacked fibrocartilage. Hyaline cartilage in the proximal segment and fibrocartilage in the distal segment disappeared in all 60-day-old mice given Tx starting within 5 days. Neonatal castration did not suppress the formation of bone marrow and fibrocartilage in the os penis, though the bone size was smaller than in the intact controls. Formation of spines on the glans penis skin was suppressed by Tx given within 5 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[A case of metastatic tumor of the spermatic cord from gastric carcinoma].

A case of metastatic tumor of right spermatic cord in a 54-year-old man is reported. He visited our department with the complaint of a painless mass in right inguinal lesion. The initial diagnosis was a right spermatic cord tumor, and then orchiectomy was performed. Since pathological findings showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, further examinations were done, postoperatively. An upper gastrointestinal series revealed the presence of gastric carcinoma. Thus, these results suggested that the spermatic cord tumor was a metastatic lesion from the gastric carcinoma. Forty eight cases of metastatic tumor of the spermatic cord have been reported in our country. In 26 of these cases, gastric carcinoma metastasized to the spermatic cord.

[A case of urachal cyst prolapsed from external orifice. Review of the literature of 172 cases in Japan].

A case of urachal cyst prolapsed from external orifice in a 15-year-old female is reported. She was admitted to the hospital with complaints of macrohematuria and palpation of a thumb's head size tumor prolapsed from external urethral orifice. An urachal cyst was suspected from the cystogram, CT and the cystoscopy. We extirpated the tumor with the bladder wall. Pathological examination demonstrated a urachal cyst.

[Undescended testis cancer: report of two cases--review of the literature of 179 cases in Japan].

Recently, we experienced two cases of testicular tumor in patients with cryptorchidism. Case 1: A 35-year-old man was admitted because of right inguinal mass. He had a tumor of right undescended testis and underwent right orchiectomy. Case 2: A 45-year-old man, who was pointed out to have bilateral cryptorchidism was admitted because of right groin mass. He underwent right orchiectomy and left orchiopexy. Histological examination of two cases were seminoma. Testicular tumor in undescended testis was made with 179 reported cases from the Japanese literature.

Morphometric analysis of the development of sexual dimorphism of the mouse pelvis.

Sex differences in the innominate bone of C57BL/Tw mice were studied morphometrically from the day of birth to 120 days of age. In neonatal male and female mice, a small cartilaginous spine was found on the basal part of ischium. This process disappeared in males within 24 hours after birth, whereas in females it remained until at least 30 days. Other sexual differences in the pubis and the ischium appeared at 30 and 120 days, respectively. The pubis in female mice was longer and thinner than that in the males, and the ischium in male mice was shorter and thicker than that in the females. Thirty-day-old female mice treated neonatally with testosterone or 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone possessed pubic bones shorter and thicker than those of the age-matched untreated females. Pubes in male mice castrated at the day of birth were thinner than those in intact males. These findings suggest that the shape of the innominate bone is transformed to the male type under the influence of early postnatal androgen.

Permanent chondrification in the pelvis and occurrence of hernias in mice treated neonatally with tamoxifen.

Male and female C57BL/Tw mice were given 5 daily subcutaneous injections of 100 micrograms tamoxifen (Tx), starting on the day of birth (Tx mice). In untreated fetal mice on day 18 of gestation, the greater part of the pubic and ischial bones were cartilaginous. At more than 30 days of age, however, untreated mice showed completely calcified pelvic bone, whereas in age-matched Tx mice the greater part of the junctional regions in the pelvis remained cartilaginous. Treatment with Tx starting within 5 days of age caused bladder hernia with or without cecum hernia. The pubic ligament in Tx mice at ages of 30-540 days was markedly expanded as compared with that in age-matched controls. The permanent chondrification in the pelvis was found in all mice given Tx starting within 10 days of age. By contrast, neonatal treatments of mice with other antiestrogens, clomiphene and nafoxidine (100 micrograms/day), induced neither permanent chondrification in the pelvis nor expansion of the pubic ligament nor hernia. These findings suggest that Tx has a specific effect on the symphysis pubis and some junctional regions of the developing pelvis in mice when given neonatally.