Mesoblastic nephroma in adulthood: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Mesoblastic nephroma is an uncommon renal tumor of infancy and rarely occurs in adults. We report an adult case of mesoblastic nephroma. METHODS: A 50-year-old woman was found incidentally to have a right renal mass by abdominal ultrasonography. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a heterogeneous tumor and angiography showed a mixture of hypervascularity and hypovascularity. Right radical nephrectomy was performed. RESULTS: The tumor was an encapsulated yellowish solid mass. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of spindle cell proliferation. Atypia and mitoses were not identified. Among the tumor cells, there were tubular arranged epithelial elements. CONCLUSION: The patient was free of recurrence 14 months postoperatively. Mesoblastic nephroma is classified as a benign tumor but recurrence and malignant formation of this tumor have been reported so regular postoperative follow up is required.

Development in mother-infant en face interaction of high-risk newborn infants: a longitudinal follow-up from 0 to 7 months.

In order to evaluate mother-infant en face interaction of high-risk infants and their mothers, we followed three dyads from a high-risk group and three dyads from a low-risk group, every 3 weeks from 0 to 30 weeks of corrected postnatal age. The mother-infant en face interaction was analyzed by conditional probability analysis with a lag sequential concept. The main findings of this study were: (1) there was almost no clear difference in the amount of movement between the high-risk group infants and the low-risk group infants; (2) behavioral responsiveness of the high-risk group dyads was unclear, however, behavioral responsiveness of the low-risk group dyads was very clear; and (3) in common to all subjects of the low-risk group, an increasing frequency of responsive mother-infant interaction was found during the postnatal period. However, in the high-risk group, each dyad showed a very different developmental course. The findings suggest qualitative differences in mother-infant en face interactions between the high-risk group dyads and the low-risk group dyads.

Quantitative analysis of spermatogenic DNA synthesis in the rat using a monoclonal anti-5-bromodeoxyuridine antibody.

The utility of the 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) labelling technique for the quantitative analysis of spermatogenic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis was investigated in the rat. Rat testicles were labelled by a single intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg kg-1 of BrdUrd. The testicles were removed 1 h after injection, fixed in Bouin's fluid and embedded in paraffin. BrdUrd-labelled cells were detected by immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal anti-BrdUrd antibody. The number of BrdUrd-labelled tubules per total number of tubules (percent L.T.), the number of BrdUrd-labelled cells per total number of tubules (tubular ratio) and the number of BrdUrd-labelled cells per number of Sertoli cells (Sertoli cell ratio in BrdUrd-labelled cells) were calculated as indices of spermatogenic DNA synthesis during each stage of the seminiferous epithelial wave. BrdUrd labelling was found exclusively in the nuclei of spermatogonia and in preleptotene spermatocytes in the seminiferous epithelium. The percent L.T. was generally greater than 50%, except in stages VI, VII and XIV, and the tubular as well as Sertoli cell ratios in BrdUrd-labelled cells was greater than 2.0 and 0.15, respectively, in stages I, II-III, V, VIII, X, and XII. The tubular ratio and Sertoli cell ratio in BrdUrd-labelled cells along the seminiferous epithelial wave had two distinct peaks. The distribution of the tubular ratio using the BrdUrd-labelling technique correlated well with the distribution previously established by measuring tritiated thymidine uptake per tubule. Thus, the BrdUrd labelling technique, which is more efficient than the tritiated thymidine labelling technique, can be used to quantitatively evaluate spermatogenic DNA synthesis.

Flow cytometric DNA analysis demonstrates contralateral testicular deterioration in experimental unilateral testicular torsion of prepubertal rats.

It has been postulated that unilateral testicular torsion causes damage to the contralateral testis and reduces fertility. However, in animal studies such an effect has not been fully proven by histopathologic examination or other conventional assays of spermatogenesis. We investigated the effect of unilateral testicular torsion on contralateral spermatogenesis in prepubertal rats using quantitative flow cytometric DNA analysis. Male rats were divided into three groups which underwent sham-operation, simple hemiorchiectomy or unilateral testicular torsion. Five weeks after these operations, fertility and spermatogenesis by flow cytometry were evaluated. No significant differences were observed in body weight, contralateral testicular weight or serum testosterone concentration among the three experimental groups. In the torsion group, mean seminiferous tubular diameter, number of foetuses, fertility rate and percentage of haploid cells were all significantly decreased compared to the other two groups. These results suggest that unilateral testicular torsion causes damage to the contralateral testis and consequently can reduce the future fertility of prepubertal rats.

Epidemiological and clinical study of autistic children in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

This epidemiological study of autistic children was carried out in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The approaches considered included the analysis of cross-sectional data on non-verbal intelligence, social maturity behavior or adaptive skills test by using statistical or sampling controls. The 5,120 children studied were all Javanese. Doctors, nurses of Public Health Centers and school teachers assisted in assessing the above subjects. The Bryson's screening scale for evaluating autistic children was used. A total of 66 children who scored above 16 were identified. Final diagnosis was done by means of CARS. Six children, who lived within Yogyakarta Municipality, were identified. The prevalence rate of autism within the birth cohort who were born between June 1984 and May 1991 was 12 per 10,000. Observations of the social interactions of 6 autistic and 6 normal children of equivalent mental age were carried out during a free play situation and reunion situation with mother and a stranger. A comparison of the two groups during social interaction made it clear that the autistic children showed more attachment, directed more social-interaction and more physical contact toward their mothers than to strangers during the reunion situation.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for control of intractable cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

We report a case of intractable hemorrhagic cystitis due to cyclophosphamide therapy for Wegener's granulomatosis. Conservative treatment, including bladder irrigation with physiological saline and instillation of prostaglandin F2 alpha, failed to totally control hemorrhage. We then used hyperbaric oxygen at an absolute pressure of 2 atm, 5 days a week for 8 consecutive weeks. The bleeding ceased completely by the end of treatment and the patient remained free of hematuria thereafter. No side effect was noted during the course of therapy. In future, this form of therapy can offer a safe alternative in the treatment of cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

[Utility of pre-operative imaging diagnosis in spermatic cord liposarcoma].

A case of spermatic cord liposarcoma was revealed by imaging diagnosis. The patient was a 59-year-old male, who consulted our clinic with the complaint of painless right scrotal swelling on June 30, 1989. One year earlier, he noticed this swelling, which was slow growing little by little. Palpation revealed a movable mass in right scrotum, 7 x 3 x 3 cm in size and separated from the right testis. Scintigraphy could not show RI accumulation and ultrasonography showed a capsulated homogeneous mass. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed capsulated fat-like almost homogeneous mass, which enclosed the right spermatic cord. This mass was suspected of spermatic cord lipoma or liposarcoma and was removed with radical orchiectomy. The weight of the mass was 246 g. This mass had a bunch of grape appearance and consisted of several masses of various sizes surrounding the spermatic cord, and could be separated from the right epididymis and testis. Histological examination revealed well differentiated liposarcoma and lipoma. Spermatic cord liposarcoma is very rare and this preoperative diagnosis is very difficult. Imaging diagnosis, such as CT, MRI may help our preoperative diagnosis.

Child psychiatry in Japan.

Japanese society strongly influences the mode of presentation of child mental health problems, both in terms of protective factors and pressures inherent in Japanese child-rearing practices. Recent changes in society associated with Japan's rapid economic development are affecting the mental health of children and families. Currently there is concern about levels of school refusal, bullying, suicidal behavior, and delinquency.

Long-term follow-up study of 13 autistic children.

This is a report concerning 13 autistic children who have been followed up from their early infancy to adulthood. Some intake variables, such as speech development at the age of 5, were correlated with the outcome status. As a result, we showed that a higher level of speech development at age 5 did not necessarily lead to a better outcome in social adaptability. We showed also that any of the variables we examined, such as the presence of brain organic abnormality, the duration of schooling and the duration of medical treatment, were not factors in determining a good or poor prognosis. We concluded that a rather poor outcome seen in our subjects might be due to the particular situation in Japan throughout this study period, and not a reflection of the real natural history of early infantile autism.