Preliminary study on the effects of bar placement on the thorax after the nuss procedure for pectus excavatum using bone scintigraphy.

AIM: Bone scintigraphy was performed to elucidate the effects of the Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum on the bony thorax. METHODS: Eight boys and 6 girls (5 - 24 years of age) underwent bone scintigraphy, using (99m)Tc-HMDP. Eleven patients were studied 5 to 21 days after the Nuss procedure; 6 were studied 20 to 24 months after the operation before bar removal. Three of 14 were studied twice after the Nuss procedure and before bar removal. RESULTS: In the early postoperative phase, RI accumulation was found at the sternum and ribs in only 1 of 6 patients under 9 years of age, whereas in all 5 older patients, RI had accumulated at the sternum. Scintigrams before bar removal revealed, regardless of age, hot spots at the lateral ribs in contact with the bar and at the costochondral junctions where the bar passed through the intercostal spaces. Furthermore, chest roentgenograms showed the deformed lateral ribs in contact with the bar. CONCLUSIONS: The Nuss procedure creates minute fractures at the sternum and the ribs, especially in older patients. The bar deforms the ribs and restrains the growth of the thorax. Furthermore, it constantly rubs against the ribs and can therefore cause late complications. Bone scintigraphy may determine the appropriate timing for bar removal.

An evaluation of use of information technology equipment among Japanese elderly women--relation between health status and the preferred input device for the Internet.

This study was conducted to determine how mobile phones (MP) and the Internet through personal computers (IPC) have been used among Japanese elderly women. It also aims to examine the relationship between the input devices and factors such as age, health status, and future needs for a MP and the IPC. The magnitude of the relation was evaluated by the odds ratio (OR). The survey was done in December 2000 and January 2001. The study sample was forty women, 78.5 +/- 4.5 years of age (70-89), who lived in their own houses in Y Town near Himeji City, Hyogo, Japan. Findings reveal that use of a MP was 10.0% and none used the IPC. On the other hand, 60.0% of the subjects were interested in using a MP in the future and 27.5% in using the IPC. The touch screen was the most preferred input device among the elderly with high age [OR = 3.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83-18.98]. It was also preferred by subjects with more difficulties (OR = 5.00, 95% CI 1.05-25.41) and less future need for a MP and the IPC (OR = 7.22, 95% CI 1.34-43.88). On the other hand, the Japanese kana syllabary (JKS) was the most preferred input device among those with a low age (OR = 4.33, 95% CI 0.68-35.00) and with a more future need for a MP and the IPC (OR = 6.33, 95% CI 1.14-39.59). Considering these results, we intend to create a type of keyboard that combines the features of touch screen and JKS for the elderly women.

Expression of cytokines and factors modulating apoptosis by human sinusoidal leucocytes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver sinusoids contain a large population of spontaneously cytotoxic cells (NK cells), CD8+ T cells and macrophages. The physiological role of these leucocytes remains unclear. They may participate in immune surveillance and peripheral tolerance by deleting tumour cells, virus-infected cells and activated T cells as they traffic through the liver. In order to gain further information about the function of these leucocytes within the hepatic sinusoids, we examined their production of immunomodulatory cytokines and apoptosis-related molecules. METHODS: Semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the spontaneous production of cytokines and apoptosis-related molecules by sinusoidal leucocytes isolated from donor liver preservation solution. RESULTS: In comparison with matched peripheral blood mononuclear cells, sinusoidal leucocytes produced more mRNA for IL-10, IL-15, TNF-alpha, IL-18, IFN-gamma, FasL, perforin and granzyme. IL-4 and IL-12 were not detected and IL-2 was only faintly detected in the liver-derived CD4+ population. Less bcl-2 was expressed in liver-derived CD4+ and CD8+ cells in comparison with matched peripheral blood cell populations. CONCLUSIONS: The cytokines produced spontaneously by sinusoidal leucocytes are consistent with their high level of activation and spontaneous cytotoxicity. Their strong expression of apoptosis-mediating molecules (FasL, perforin, granzyme and TNF-alpha) support a role for these cells in immune surveillance and peripheral tolerance induction.

[The effects of fluid ingestion and its composition on uric acid metabolism during high intensity long term exercise].

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of fluid ingestion and its composition on uric acid metabolism after exercise. Six healthy males volunteered for the study which was comprised of three different experiments; Exp. 1, Exp. 2, and Exp. 3. In all the experiments, subjects performed treadmill exercise (70%VO2max) for 70 minutes respectively. For seven hours after exercise, subjects ingested mineral water at 10 degrees C ad-lib in Exp. 1, 1.5 times the volume of mineral water consumed in the first experiment in Exp. 2, and the same volume of sports drink as in the first experiment in Exp. 3. No significant differences were observed in oxygen uptake and heart rate during exercise among the three experiments, so it was considered that the produced serum uric acid (SUA) levels in the three experiments were about the same level. However, the decrease in SUA, urinary uric acid excretion (UUA), clearance of uric acid (CUA) and fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUA) in Exp. 3, in which the sports drink was consumed instead of mineral water were higher than in Exp. 1 and Exp. 2. On the other hand, no significant differences were found in Exp. 2 and Exp. 3. A significant relationship between UUA and FEUA was found among the three experiments, while there was no corrleation between UUA and urine volume. These results show that; 1) the sports drink ingestion can increase the efficiency of recovery from high serum uric acid after exercise, 2) the increase in uric volume due to high mineral water intake does not elevate UUA, and 3) the increase in UUA due to sports drink ingestion was associated with the increase of FEUA.

A transient increase in endogeneous erythropoietin levels after paediatric liver transplantation.

We investigated whether liver transplantation affects endogeneous erythropoietin (EPO) synthesis. Serum EPO levels were measured before transplantation and during the peri-transplant period in ten consecutive paediatric patients who had received a liver allograft without recombinant EPO therapy. All patients were anaemic on post-operative day 1 (POD 1); however, the haemoglobin levels of three patients gradually increased and required phlebotomy on POD 5-9. The serum levels of EPO in all patients were within the normal range before surgery, but six of the ten patients had a transient increased level of EPO at 1248 h after transplantation. A transient increase of endogeneous EPO following paediatric liver transplantation may be associated with extramedullary erythropoiesis in human liver grafts.

Modified Kasai's procedure for a choledochal cyst with a very narrow hilar duct.

Excision has been widely recognized as the treatment of choice for choledochal cysts. For biliary reconstruction after cyst excision, we have strongly recommended hepaticoenterostomy at the hepatic hilum with a wide anastomotic stoma to prevent postoperative cholangitis. However, we recently treated two infants in whom a wide anastomotic stoma could not be made due to a narrow hilar duct. Therefore, a hepatic portojejunostomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis (Kasai's procedure) was performed after cyst excision in both case to permit free drainage of bile. The mucosa of the hilar duct was everted and fixed to the liver parenchyma to prevent stricture formation. Both babies have done well since the surgery.

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the lung in a child.

The case of a 22-month-old boy with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the lung is presented. Brain metastasis and recurrence of the right pulmonary hilum and parietal pleura developed 6, 11, and 24 months (respectively) after tumor resection. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were effective. Neuron-specific enolase was very helpful in detecting metastasis and disease recurrence. Primary pulmonary rhabdomyosarcoma can be divided into two groups: tumor in the normal lung, and tumor in cystic lesions of the lung.

Does hyperamylasemia in choledochal cyst indicate true pancreatitis? An experimental study.

Patients with choledochal cyst often have repeated attacks of abdominal pain accompanied by hyperamylasemia, and they may be diagnosed as having acute pancreatitis. However, the attacks generally tend to subside in a short period by conservative treatment, and evidence of pancreatitis is rarely observed at the time of surgery. Choledochal cyst is commonly associated with pancreatobiliary maljunction, and high concentrations of pancreatic enzymes in bile are usually observed. When the bile duct pressure increases due to obstructive cholangitis, pancreatic enzymes in bile may regurgitate into the blood stream. Cholangiovenous reflux of amylase might cause hyperamylasemia. In order to investigate the mechanism of hyperamylasemia by cholangiovenous reflux, canine pancreatic juice or bile from a patient with choledochal cyst was injected into the obstructed common bile duct in dogs. The pancreatic enzymes in bile could readily enter into the blood stream at the pressure level of 15 mmHg or more in the bile duct. The peak amylase level in the thoracic lymph was observed to be more than 4 times higher than that in the blood serum, and the lymph flow during 30 minutes increased significantly from 8.1 to 20.4 ml at the bile duct pressure level of 20 mmHg. The reflux of amylase in bile into the blood stream via both the hepatic vein and thoracic duct might result in hyperamylasemia in the patients with choledochal cyst.

Characteristics of choledochal cysts in neonates and early infants.

Thirty-six infants with choledochal cyst consisting of 28 babies less than 12 months of age and 8 between 13 and 24 months of age, were analyzed. Characteristics of cases were as follows: (1) they were usually of the cystic type, (2) a huge abdominal mass and jaundice with alcoholic stool were typically found, (3) no symptom suggesting acute pancreatitis was observed, (4) amylase levels in bile were usually low, despite the presence of pancreatobiliary malunion, while other pancreatic enzymes in bile commonly showed a high concentration, and (5) primary cyst excision and biliary reconstruction was the treatment of choice, and could be safely performed with favorable outcomes even in babies less than 1 year of age.

Biliary complications after excisional procedure for choledochal cyst.

During the last 25 years, from 1969 to 1994, the authors treated 97 choledochal cysts by surgical excision. Biliary reconstruction consisted of 67 hepaticoduodenostomies and 30 hepaticojejunostomies. The common hepatic duct was the site of anastomosis in 9 of the duodenostomies and 13 of the jejunostomies and of the bifurcation of the hepatic ducts in 58 duodenostomies and 17 jejunostomies. Reoperation was required in 10 cases because of recurrent cholangitis with intrahepatic gallstones. Biliary strictures were responsible for the cholangitis in 9 children with anastomoses at the level of the common hepatic duct and in 1 with an anastomosis at the level of the bifurcation. These results suggest that biliary complications develop because of anastomotic stricture or primary ductal stricture, and may be minimised by the creation of a wide anastomosis, which is best accomplished at the hepatic hilum.

The effects of feeding and secretin administration on the pancreaticoduodenal papilla of conscious dogs.

The aim of this study was to define the functional role of the pancreaticoduodenal papilla (PDP) in the regulation of pancreatic outflow into the duodenum in response to feeding and secretin administration in conscious dogs. The canine model we developed allowed for measurement of the pancreatic ductal pressure and pancreatic outflow simultaneously in a physiological state without interfering with the flow of pancreatic juice via the intact sphincter of the duodenal papilla. Feeding increased the pancreatic outflow from 2.8 +/- 0.2 to 13.4 +/- 1.3 ml/15 min with a slight increase in the pancreatic ductal pressure from 8.5 +/- 0.6 to 13.7 +/- 1.4 cmH2O. The administration of secretin increased the pancreatic outflow from 2.8 +/- 0.2 to 12.7 +/- 1.0 ml/15 min without increasing the pancreatic ductal pressure. The viscosity of the pancreatic juice increased during exposure to food, but decreased following food intake and secretin administration, after which the PDP seemed to dilate by about 40% of the fasting value. The results suggest that PDP changes its opening to maintain the pancreatic ductal pressure below a certain level, even if pancreatic secretion into the pancreatic duct increases due to food intake and secretin administration.

Successful left hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in a child after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: report of a survival.

A 12-year-old boy with large hepatocellular carcinoma is presented. The tumor was successfully resected after reducing the tumor size by transcatheter arterial embolization with Lipiodor containing an antitumor drug. The patient has achieved a 2-year-10-month disease-free survival.

Effects of pectin and cellulose on fat absorption after massive small-bowel resection in weanling rats.

The effects of pectin and cellulose on fat absorption after massive small-bowel resection were studied in rats. Weanling Wistar rats underwent 80% resection of the small intestine with gastrostomy, and fat emulsion labeled with 14C-linoleate was given via a gastrostomy tube for the fat absorption test on the 10th postoperative day. They were classified into three groups by diet as follows: E group, a fiber-free, chemically defined diet (CDD); EP group, CDD with 2% pectin; and EC group, CDD with 2% cellulose. The cumulative and hourly output of 14C in the expired air, the absorption rate of 14C in the intestine, and the metabolic utilization rate of 14C were calculated. The cumulative 14CO2 output was significantly lower in the EC group than in the E and EP groups. However, there was no significant difference in the 14CO2 output between the E and EP groups. The highest hourly 14CO2 output in the E and EP groups was observed during the first 2 hours. However, in the EC group, this fluctuated at low levels. No significant difference in the 1-14C-linoleate absorption rate was observed between the E and EP groups, whereas it was significantly lower in the EC group than in the E and EP groups. The metabolic utilization rate of 1-14C-linoleate showed no significant difference among the three groups. These data suggest that an addition of pectin to CDD does not impair small intestinal absorption of 1-14C-linoleate after massive small-bowel resection, and an addition of cellulose decreases absorption of 1-14C-linoleate.

Lung scintigraphy with [123I]IMP in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Lung scintigraphy using N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (IMP) was performed on 26 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Early (5 min after injection) and late images (4 h after injection) were obtained with a large-field gamma-camera equipped with a digital computer. Lung scintigraphy using [99mTc]MAA (MAA) was also done. Although early IMP images showed the same findings as [99mTc]MAA, images, a discrepancy between delayed IMP images and [99mTc]MAA images was seen in some patients. Increment of activities seen in late images was demonstrated in most patients whose chest x-ray findings included exudative inflammatory changes. Uptake and clearance of IMP was considered to be affected by the active phase of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Effects of enteral fat emulsion on fat absorption in obstructive jaundiced rats.

The effects of fat emulsion given enterally on fat absorption were studied with obstructive jaundiced rats (J group) as compared with jaundice-free rats (C group). The J and C groups were subdivided into JE and CE groups using emulsified fat for the fat absorption test, and JU and CU groups using unemulsified fat. Rats in all groups were fed for 7 days with regular rat chow. After fasting for 12 hours, 14C-labeled fat emulsion was infused to the JE and CE, and 14C-labeled unemulsified fat to the JU and CU groups through a gastrostomy for the absorption test. The hourly and cumulative output of 14CO2 by respiration, absorption rate of 14C-labeled fat in the intestine, and metabolic oxidation rate of the absorbed fat were determined during an 8-hour period after the gastroenteral administration of emulsified or unemulsified fat. The peak of hourly output was seen after the first 2 hours in the CE, JE, and CU groups, following which a remarkable decline was seen in the CE and CU groups. However, a more gentle descent in the JE, and fluctuation at a low level in the JU group were observed. The cumulative output in the JE was 61% of that in the CE, while the output in the JU was 16% of that in the CU group. The absorption rate in the JE was 81% of that in the CE group, while the rate in the JU was 22% of that in the Cu group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reduced regional cerebral blood flow in aged noninsulin-dependent diabetic patients with no history of cerebrovascular disease: evaluation by N-isopropyl-123I-p-iodoamphetamine with single-photon emission computed tomography.

Regional cerebral blood flow was measured using N-isopropyl-123I-iodoamphetamine with single-photon emission computed tomography (CT) in 16 aged patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM, average age 72.8 years, average fasting plasma glucose 7.7 mmol/L), and 12 nondiabetic subjects (71.6 years, 5.3 mmol/L). None had any history of a cerebrovascular accident. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels did not differ between groups. Areas of hypoperfusion were observed in 14 diabetic patients (12 patients had multiple lesions) and in 6 nondiabetic subjects (3 had multiple lesions). Areas where radioactivity was greater than or equal to 65% of the maximum count of the slice was defined as a region with normal cerebral blood flow (region of interest A, ROI-A), and areas where the count was greater than or equal to 45% were defined as brain tissue regions other than ventricles (ROI-B). The average ROI-A/B ratio of 16 slices was used as a semiquantitative indicator of normal cerebral blood flow throughout the entire brain. Mean ROI-A/B ratio was 49.6 +/- 1.7% in the diabetic group, significantly lower than the 57.9 +/- 1.6% at the nondiabetic group (p less than 0.005). The ratio was inversely correlated with SBP (r = -0.61, p less than 0.05), total cholesterol (r = -0.51, p less than 0.05), and atherogenic index (r = -0.64, p less than 0.01), and was positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r = 0.51, p less than 0.05) in the diabetic, but not the nondiabetic group. These observations suggest that the age-related reduction in cerebral blood flow may be accelerated by a combination of hyperglycemia plus other risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Serum lipid levels in thyroid dysfunction with special reference to transient elevation during treatment in hyperthyroid Graves' disease.

Lipid metabolism was examined in patients with hyper- or hypothyroidism. Compared with corresponding age and sex matched controls, serum total cholesterol (T-chol), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-chol), phospholipid (PL) and LDL levels were significantly low and free fatty acid (FFA) levels were high with apparently normal triglyceride (TG), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol) levels in 61 hyperthyroid patients, while T-chol, LDL-chol, TG, PL, VLDL and LDL levels were high with normal FFA and HDL-chol levels in 31 hypothyroid patients. Serum lipid levels were then repeatedly measured in 7 men and 7 women with hyperthyroid Graves' disease before treatment (stage I), just after the patients became euthyroid with anti-thyroid drug (stage II) and more than 2 months after the patients remained euthyroid (stage III). Serum T-chol, LDL-chol, PL and LDL levels were low at stage I, significantly elevated at stage II and then normalized at stage III. Transient but significant elevation of serum TG, VLDL and HDL-chol levels at stage II were also observed in men. Accelerated catabolism and anabolism of lipid has been reported in hyperthyroidism. Transient elevation of serum lipid levels suggests a more rapid improvement in catabolism than in anabolism of lipid in an early stage of the medical treatment for hyperthyroidism.