Single institutional experience of the treatment of angiosarcoma of the face and scalp.

OBJECTIVE: Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm with a poor prognosis. A retrospective study was performed to accumulate radiotherapy (RT) data. METHODS: Data from 17 patients with angiosarcoma of the face and scalp (AFS) who were treated with definitive RT between January 1999 and July 2011 were retrospectively analysed. The total radiation dose was 70 Gy, and the fractional doses were 2.0-2.5 Gy. Combined with RT, chemotherapy using docetaxel alone, recombinant interleukin-2 immunotherapy alone and both of these was performed in 10, 4 and 2 patients, respectively. Three patients underwent limited surgery before RT. RESULTS: The response rate was 82%, and the median overall survival (OS) rate was 26 months. Locoregional relapse alone, distant metastasis alone and both of these were confirmed in 4, 5 and 4 patients, respectively. Patients treated with docetaxel showed a better prognosis (p=0.0477), a distant metastasis-free rate (p=0.0063) and a better in-field control rate, although the last was not statistically significant (p=0.1645). CONCLUSION: Definitive RT combined with docetaxel chemotherapy provided an effective approach for treating AFS. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Since patients treated with chemoradiotherpy using docetaxel showed better OS and distant metastasis-free rates than those who did not receive docetaxel, it was warranted to continue use of docetaxel. In chemoradiotherapy at a dose of 70 Gy using docetaxel, 2-year in-field control rate was 67%.

A dosimetric comparison of RapidArc and IMRT with hypofractionated simultaneous integrated boost to the prostate for treatment of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the dosimetric results and treatment delivery efficiency among RapidArc® (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA), 7-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (7-f IMRT) and 9-field IMRT (9-f IMRT) with hypofractionated simultaneous integrated boost to the prostate. METHODS: RapidArc, 7-f IMRT and 9-f IMRT plans were created for 21 consecutive patients treated for high-risk prostate cancer using the Eclipse™ treatment planning system (Varian Medical Systems). All plans were designed to deliver 70.0 Gy in 28 fractions to the prostate planning target volume (PTV) while simultaneously delivering 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions to the pelvic nodal PTV. Target coverage and sparing of organs at risk (OARs) were compared across techniques. The total number of monitor units (MUs) and the treatment time were used to assess treatment delivery efficiency. RESULTS: RapidArc resulted in slightly superior conformity and homogeneity of prostate PTV, whereas all plans were comparable with respect to dose to the nodal PTV. Although OARs sparing for RapidArc and 7-f IMRT plans were almost equivalent, 9-f IMRT achieved better sparing of the rectum and bladder than RapidArc and 7-f IMRT. RapidArc provided the highest treatment delivery efficiency with the lowest MUs and shortest treatment time. CONCLUSION: RapidArc resulted in similar OAR sparing to 7-f IMRT, whereas 9-f IMRT provided the best OAR sparing. Treatment delivery efficiency is significantly higher for RapidArc. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study validated the feasibility and limitations of RapidArc in the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer with complex pelvic target volumes.

Preoperative diagnosis of obturator hernia by computed tomography in six patients.

Obturator hernia is a rare condition, and the prognosis of patients with this condition is poor. A retrospective study was performed on six patients with obturator hernia between 1993 and 1998. They had been diagnosed preoperatively by computed tomography (CT). The initial CT scan of the abdomen, including the pelvic area, revealed an incarcerated bowel in the obturator foramen of all six patients. All patients underwent laparotomy on the day of admission. Resection of the small bowel was performed in three patients, and release of the small bowel was performed in the remaining three patients. There were no perioperative deaths. In elderly women who have evidence by abdominal plain X-ray studies of small bowel obstruction, we recommend performing CT scan of the abdomen, including CT scan of the pelvic area, for detection of obturator hernia.

New 5-HT1A receptor agonists possessing 1,4-benzoxazepine scaffold exhibit highly potent anti-ischemic effects.

A series of new 3-substituted-4-(4-aminobutyl)-1,4-benzoxazepin-5(4H)-one derivatives (1-5) which showed a very high affinity for 5-HT1A receptor with good selectivity over dopamine D2 receptor was synthesized. Among these compounds, 3-chloro-4-[4-[4-(2-pyridinyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-1-yl]butyl]-1,4-benzoxazepin-5(4H)-one (5: SUN N4057) exhibited remarkable neuroprotective activity in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (t-MCAO) model.

Effects of hypertonic saline and dextran 70 on cardiac contractility after hemorrhagic shock.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of a bolus of 7.5% NaCl-6% dextran 70 (HSD) on cardiac contractility were evaluated in anesthetized sheep with hemorrhagic shock. BACKGROUND: HSD has been shown to be effective at resuscitation in cases of hypovolemia caused by hemorrhage. Common hemodynamic findings after the injection of HSD in hemorrhagic shock are the restoration of cardiac output, increased blood pressure, and improvement of peripheral circulation. Some mechanisms by which HSD maintains circulation in hemorrhagic shock have been proposed: rapid shift of fluid from intracellular to extracellular space, improved peripheral perfusion, and increased cardiac contractility. Conflicting data exist, however, regarding the positive effect of HSD on cardiac contractility after hemorrhagic shock. METHODS: Hemorrhagic shock was induced by shedding mean blood volume of 31.4 mL/kg, and mean blood pressure was maintained at 50 mm Hg for 30 minutes. The HSD group (n = 6) received HSD (4 mL/kg), and the saline group (n = 6) received normal saline (40 mL/kg) after shock. Cardiac functions were measured in both groups using the left ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume relationship and preload recruitable stroke work during the experimental period: before shock, immediately after the resuscitation, and 2 hours after resuscitation. RESULTS: Hemodynamic parameters in both groups demonstrated similar changes throughout the experimental period without significant difference between the two groups. Not only the slopes of end-systolic pressure-volume relationship and preload recruitable stroke work but also their placements did not result in any significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSION: HSD seems to be an effective resuscitation fluid after hemorrhagic shock because the volume required to maintain circulation is smaller than that of normal saline. Our data, however, show that HSD does not enhance cardiac contractility after hemorrhagic shock.

2-Arylmethyl-1,4-benzoquinones. II. Novel inhibitors of platelet aggregation: synthesis and pharmacological evaluation.

Two new series of 2-arylmethyl-1,4-benzoquinones (2 and 3) were synthesized for evaluation of their pharmacological activities. These compounds showed significant inhibition of platelet aggregation and some of them possessed a protective against endothelial cell injury. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that 2b, 2d and 3b are potent inhibitors of platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) with an IC50 in the range of 1-10 micrograms/ml. Among them, 3b showed a significant inhibitory activity against endothelial cell injury caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at 1 microM.

Increase of lipid hydroperoxides in tissues of vitamin E-deficient rats.

The level of lipid hydroperoxides was determined by a newly developed method in rat tissues of vitamin E deficiency, which was a good in vivo model of enhanced radical reactions. In the heart, lung and kidney, the level of lipid hydroperoxides increased significantly as early as 4 weeks after feeding on a tocopherol-deficient diet compared with that of the control group. After 8 weeks of the deficiency, similar results were obtained. These results indicate that the lipid hydroperoxide is available as an extremely sensitive indicator of lipid peroxidation in these organs, because it takes several months to detect manifestations of the vitamin deficiency based on conventional indices.

[Cardiac contractile dysfunction in response to surgical stress including trauma, hemorrhage, and infection].

Shock and multiple organ failure are complications of primary conditions such as trauma, hemorrhage and infection. Ample evidence of cardiac contractile dysfunction has been obtained in both septic patients and experimental animal models of endotoxin shock. Recent advance in molecular biology and immunology has improved our understanding of the pathogenesis of septic shock, and thus, it is now believed that the host's inflammatory response to infection contributes to the development of septic shock. In addition, effects of toxic host mediators including cytokines, kinins, eicosanoids, platelet-activating factor, and nitric oxide, which are produced by activated cells, on cardiovascular system have been examined. The possible involvement of the nitric oxide pathway, not only as a marker for cytokine-induced effects on myocyte gene expression, but also as a mediator for cytokine-induced contractile dysfunction, was explored. According to this hypothesis, trauma and hemorrhage, both of which lead to host's inflammatory response, is also considered to induce contractile dysfunction. In this paper we reviewed the influences of various shock states on cardiac contractility. Hemorrhagic and burn shocks possibly depress cardiac contractility as well as septic and endotoxin shocks. Therefore, it is necessary to improve contractile depression in the diseased states to meet oxygen demand of each patient under monitoring patient's circulatory and metabolic conditions.

Preparation and pharmacological evaluation of 1-(1,4-benzoquinon-2-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalenes as potent cerebral protective agents.

Two new series of 1-(1,4-benzoquinon-2-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalenes (3,4) were synthesized for evaluation of their pharmacological activities. These compounds showed significant anti-lipid peroxidation (ALP) activities with rat brain homogenate and some of them possessed a protective effect against hypobaric hypoxia in mice.

2-Arylmethyl-1,4-benzoquinones. I. Novel inhibitors of platelet aggregation: synthesis and pharmacological evaluation.

A new series of 2-arylmethyl-1,4-benzoquinones (2) was synthesized for evaluation of their pharmacological activities. These compounds showed significant inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) and some of them possessed a protective effect against endothelial cell injury caused by hydrogen peroxide.

Effects of hypertonic saline and dextran 70 on cardiac functions after burns.

The effects of hypertonic saline-dextran (HSD) on cardiac contractility and hemodynamics after burns were studied in anesthetized animals with full-thickness 50% total body surface area burns that were resuscitated with HSD or lactated Ringer solution (LR) alone. No significant difference in cardiac contractility during 6 h postburn was observed between the two groups, as assessed by the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship and the stroke work-end-diastolic volume relationship. An additional bolus of HSD at 6 h postburn caused no significant changes in the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship and stroke work-end-diastolic volume relationship in the burned and sham-burned animals, both of which were resuscitated with HSD. Ten minutes of hemodynamic changes following HSD infusion at 30 min postburn revealed a sudden increase in stroke volume with biphasic responses in left ventricular systolic pressure, which first decreased, then increased, and finally returned to the pre-HSD value. End-diastolic volume was maintained at approximately 110% of the pre-HSD value during this period. We concluded that HSD does not enhance cardiac contractility after severe burns but does produce direct effects on postburn circulation to reduce afterload and augment preload, resulting in a short-lived increase in cardiac output.

Prostaglandin E1 receptor from mouse mastocytoma P-815 cells couples to 60 kDa GTP-binding protein.

The stable [3H]prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-bound receptor, which couples to 60 kDa GTP-binding protein, from membranes of mouse mastocytoma P-815 cells has been purified and characterized. When the membranes were preincubated with [3H]PGE1 for 60 min at 37 degrees C, the dissociation of the ligand from the receptor was remarkably decreased, even in the presence of GTP gamma S. The stable [3H]PGE1-bound receptor complex was solubilized with 6% digitonin. The solubilized [3H]PGE1 receptor was eluted with [35S]GTP gamma S bindings activity from an Ultrogel AcA44 column. The fractions containing activities of both [3H]PGE1 and [35S]GTP gamma S bindings were further purified by column chromatographies on wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-agarose and phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B. The partially purified [3H]PGE1-bound receptor was affinity-labeled with [14C]5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoylguanosine and a protein with a molecular mass of 60 kDa was detected. These results suggest that the ligand-bound PGE1 receptor of P-815 cells associates with a novel GTP-binding protein with a molecular mass of 60 kDa.

Left ventricular contractility and diastolic properties in anesthetized dogs after severe burns.

To clarify the mechanisms of a prompt decrease in cardiac output following burns, we studied left ventricular (LV) contractility and distensibility after full-thickness 50% total body surface area burns in anesthetized dogs during a 6-h postburn period. Contractility was assessed from the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR) and the stroke work-end-diastolic volume relationship (the preload recruitable stroke work relationship; PRSW). LV chamber distensibility was also assessed from the end-diastolic pressure-volume curve. The PRSW slopes in the burn group showed a significant decrease compared with those in the control group (P less than 0.05), indicating burn-impaired contractility. The ESPVR shifted significantly rightward without changes in its slope after burns (P less than 0.02). This also suggested that contractility was depressed by burns. On the other hand, there was no significant change in the indexes of chamber distensibility between the two groups. We therefore concluded that burns decreased contractility as well as preload but did not change end-diastolic distensibility during this early postburn period.

[A case report of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lung].

In this paper, a case of a 59-year-old female of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the lung is reported. The patient, who had dyspnea as a main complaint, presented with an abnormal shadow in the chest about 20 years ago, and rapid increase of the shadow has been recognized from one year ago. A pulmonary tumor of the left upper lobe was diagnosed by chest CT, bronchography, pulmonary arteriography. A left pneumonectomy was performed and metastases in lymph nodes and pleural dissemination were recognized. The tumor was 11 X 8 X 6 cm, white, multiple nodular, and solid with a clear border. Histologic examination showed the storiform pleomorphic type of MFH mixed with fibroblastoid cells and histiocytoid cells. Ga scintigram, bone scintigram, and CT conducted before and after the surgery did not show metastasis, but the patient died due to respiratory insufficiency caused by metastasis to the right pleura at 9 months after surgery.

[A case of dumbbell neurogenic tumor in the posterior mediastinum].

We have recently experienced a dumbbell tumor that developed in the posterior mediastinum in a 64-year-old male. The patient suffered from dorsalgia one year and a half previously. Chest X-ray examinations revealed a well-defined boundary in the right posterior mediastinum. Myelography followed by computerized tomographic scanning (CT) revealed that the tumor developed in a paravertebral area linked with a vertebral canal through an intervertebral foramen and destructed a rib in growing in the paraspinal muscular layer. Longitudinal incision of about 10 cm was made downward from immediately above the first thoracic spinous process, and the chest was opened by posterolateral incision extending into the muscles of the back in an arc shape. The tumor was entirely excised by additional laminectomy. Since malignant schwannoma was diagnosed histologically, Linac X-ray of 50 Gray was given. The patient is now enjoying his healthy daily life with no postoperative complication 2 years after operation. Myelography followed by CT was proved to be quite useful in evaluating a relationship between the tumor and the spinal cord in the diagnosis of this disease.