Catheter-retaining balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration for gastric varices.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effectiveness of catheter-retaining balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were divided into 2 groups based on concurrent contrast imaging findings. The primary endpoint was effectiveness, the secondary endpoint was complications, and the tertiary endpoint was recurrence of esophageal varices in all cases. RESULTS: The mean volume of EO administered was 16.43 ± 4.37 overall and was significantly lower in group 1 (40.61 ± 14.95 mL; 15 patients, 32.6%) than in group 2 (31 patients, 67.4%). The number of injections was 1.60 ± 0.63 in group 1 and 2.97 ± 0.60 in group 2, and the volume of EO used in 1 day did not differ significantly between group 1 (12.28 ± 6.48 mL) and group 2 (13.54 ± 3.12 mL). The disappearance rate of varices was significantly greater in group 1 (100%) than in group 2 (90.3%). Fever developed in 33.3% of patients in group 1 and 87.1% of patients in group 2. The rates of recurrence of esophageal varices 2, 4, and 9 years after the procedure were 34%, 48%, and 57%, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results show that catheter-retaining BRTO is a simple and highly effective procedure for difficult cases with minor complications. Furthermore, catheter-retaining BRTO does not require a large daily dose of EO and is, therefore, an effective treatment for solitary gastric varices.

Turnover of acinar and islet cells in the pancreas of monosodium glutamate-treated obese mice.

OBJECTIVE: Subcutaneous administrations of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to neonatal animals result in obesity and induce the toxicity on the central nervous system, and furthermore, have an effect on entero-pancreatic hormone. The effect of MSG on the cell turnover of organs, especially the pancreas, has received little attention until now. This study was designed to examine the effect of MSG on pancreatic cell turnover by immunohistochemistry and [(3)H]thymidine autoradiography. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Male JcI-ICR strain mice were SC injected with MSG (2 mg/g body weight daily) for 5 days after birth, received 112 repeated injections of [(3)H]thymidine at 6-hour intervals for 28 days after birth, and then were killed immediately thereafter, or 30, 60, or 120 days after the last injection. Autoradiography was performed on sections immunostained for glucagon, insulin, and somatostatin. RESULTS: After continuous labeling, most pancreatic cells were labeled, and thereafter, labeling of cells decreased in control and MSG-treated mice. The mean grain counts of acinar cells in MSG-treated mice decreased more slowly than those in control mice. On the other hand, those of islet cells, including glucagon, insulin, and somatostatin cells, decreased more rapidly in MSG-treated mice than those in control mice. DISCUSSION: Cell turnover of acinar cells was decelerated and that of islet cells including glucagon, insulin, and somatostatin cells was accelerated in MSG-treated mice pancreas. MSG-induced hypothalamic lesions exert the contrary influences on the cell turnover of acinar and islet cells.