Infective endocarditis complicated by mycotic cerebral aneurysm: two case reports of women in the peripartum period.

Mycotic cerebral aneurysm is a relatively rare but very serious complication of infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis is a rare but a potentially fatal complication of pregnancy. We report here two very rare cases of infective endocarditis associated with mycotic cerebral aneurysm in peripartum women. In one case, cardiac surgery was performed prior to cerebral surgery and after delivery. In the other case, emergency cerebral surgery was performed due to rupture on the day cardiac surgery had been scheduled, 45 days after delivery. The surgical management of a patient with infective endocarditis and mycotic cerebral aneurysm is reviewed. The surgical strategy for a pregnant patient is also reviewed.

A novel isoform of rat estrogen receptor beta with 18 amino acid insertion in the ligand binding domain as a putative dominant negative regular of estrogen action.

A novel isoform of rat estrogen receptor (ER) beta, ER beta 2, which is a putative alternative splicing product of the reported ER beta (ER beta 1) has been identified. Rat ER beta 2 cDNA contains an additional, in-frame 54 base pair insertion in the ligand binding domain of ER beta 1, which generates an 18 amino acid residue insertion. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that ER beta 2 coexists with ER alpha and ER beta 1 in all tissues examined including brain, lung, liver, kidney, fat, bone, uterus, prostate, and ovary. The insertion caused loss of ligand binding activity of ER beta 2, whereas the ability to bind the palindromic estrogen response element (ERE) was retained. In an ERE-containing luciferase reporter gene assay using COS-1 cells, ER beta 2 failed to activate estrogen-dependent transcription. Furthermore, ER beta 2 dose dependently suppressed the ER alpha- and ER beta 1-mediated transcriptional activation. These results suggest that rat ER beta 2 functions as a negative regulator of estrogen action.

[Giant testicular tumor associated with scrotal gangrene: a case report].

A case of giant testicular tumor associated with scrotal gangrene is reported. A 33-year-old man had a swollen scrotum (15 cm) accompanied with necrosis and a foulodor. The tumor had invaded the scrotum, perineum and the left spermatic cord. Serum alpha-fetoprotein level was 15,487 ng/ml. The chest radiograph revealed multiple metastases. Bilateral high orchiectomies and local resection with a wide margin were performed. The tumor weighed 2.5 kg and the histopathological diagnosis was teratocarcinoma. He was treated with 3 courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide and peplomycin. A second-look surgery revealed no viable cancer cells in the residual masses. The patient has been free of recurrence 4 months postoperatively.

[Causes, diagnosis, and treatment of anemia in the elderly].

Healthy elderly people are mildly anemic peripheral blood data on 3,583 healthy elderly people (1,590 men and 1,993 women aged 65 years or older) from among those undergoing medical examinations at our hospital in the 8 years from 1988 to 1995 were compiled into 5-year age groups. For both men and women the mean values of red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were slightly lower among older subjects. The main causes of this apparent reduction may be a decrease in the number of hematopoietic stem cells and regression of the hematopoietic microenvironment. Observation of arteries in specimens of hematopoietic bone marrow obtained from the spines of elderly people showed arteriosclerotic changes such as greater hypertrophy of the media than of the intima, and adventitial fibrous hypertrophy. The number of venous sinuses was low and the amount of adipose tissue was high compared to the bone marrow of younger people. The cell density and the ratio of hematopoietic tissue to fat tended to be lower in older subjects. The number of erythroid burst-forming units formed after 14 days in culture medium containing erythropoietin was 28 +/- 19 in 32 healthy elderly people, which was significantly lower than the number in 30 young people 54 +/- 30, (p < 0.005). The value for erythroid colony-forming units was 170 +/- 67 in eight healthy people, which was much lower than in young people, 276 +/- 54. In the elderly subjects, the plasma iron disappearance time (PIDT/2) was 60-80 min (mean: 71.9 min), which was similar to that in the young, but the percent red cell iron utilization was 67.6%-84.9% (mean: 79.7%), which was slightly lower than in younger people. When the diagnostic criterion for anemia in the elderly was set at a hemoglobin value of 11.0 g/ dl, about 13% of outpatients who came to our Geriatrics department were found to have anemia, and in most of them the anemia had resulted from another disease. In conclusion, anemia in the elderly is likely to be affected by reduction in the function of various organs and by the decreased reserves associated with aging. The causes of anemia are complex and diagnosis is often difficult. The present article gives a general outline of the diagnosis and treatment of common types of primary and secondary anemia in the elderly.

[A case of acute mediastinitis with pyothorax secondary to peritonsillar abscess].

A 41-year-old man was admitted to a hospital elsewhere because of tonsillitis with high grade fever. On the 9th day of hospitalization, the patient complained of dysphagia and dyspnea. A chest X-ray film and a CT scan showed right pleural effusion and pericardial effusion, and he was referred to our hospital. Immediately after admission, he underwent pericardiotomy to relieve cardiac tamponade, and a right thoracic tube was inserted for pyothorax. Next day, mediastinal drainage was accomplished through a cervical incision and a right thoracotomy. Eight drainage tubes were left in place. Cultures revealed alpha-Streptococcus, Neisseria and group F Streptococci. Continuous closed irrigation with diluted Isodine (povidone iodine) solution was performed. The last extubation of the drainage tube was done on the 140th day after operation. He was cured and discharged on the 162nd day after operation. In patients with extensive acute mediastinitis secondary to deep cervical infection, early complete mediastinal drainage via a cervical and a transthoracic incision is essential.

[Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of spermatic cord: a case report].

A 52-year-old man presented with a painful, gradually enlarging mass in the left inguinal region. An ultrasound examination demonstrated a lobulated, heterogenous tumor 6.0 x 4.0 x 3.0 cm in diameter, which separated from the left testis and epididymis. Radical inguinal orchiectomy with wide en bloc local resection was performed. Histologic diagnosis was a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) with a giant cell variant. The patient underwent postoperative regional irradiation and has been alive without metastasis and local recurrence 3 months after the operation. Among the 19 patients with MFH of spermatic cord reported in Japan, only two cases were of giant cell type of MFH including the present case.

[A case of aortic valve rupture due to blunt chest trauma].

A case of aortic valve rupture due to blunt chest trauma is presented. 19-year-old man was in good health until he sustained traumatic injury in a traffic accident. He was admitted to a hospital elsewhere because of blunt chest trauma and fractures of the bilateral lower extremities. A heart murmur was detected and echocardiogram revealed marked aortic regurgitation. Then he was referred to our hospital. Progressive congestive heart failure developed. He underwent aortic valve replacement with 25 mm SJM prosthesis 9 days after the injury. The noncoronary cusp was found to be ruptured parallel to and 2 mm from its attachment. His postoperative course was uneventful and he is doing well 4 years and 6 months after operation.

[A case of hypophosphatemia induced by intravenous administration of saccharated iron oxide].

An 81-year-old woman was hospitalised because of pneumonia in December 1989. In February 1991, an iliac bone biopsy was performed on the suspicion of disturbed bone metabolism due to chronic renal failure. Since she developed anemia due to continuous bleeding from the surgical wounds, saccharated iron oxide was administered beginning in March. Hypophosphatemia was noted 23 days after the beginning of administration. Due to the possibility of osteomalacia, active vitamin D was given but the hypophosphatemia persisted. Following an EDTA-2 Na load test performed to evaluate the reabsorption of phosphorus in the renal tubules, it was considered that the patient had a functional disorder of the parathyroid glands and that reabsorption of phosphorus was interrupted in the renal tubules. Furthermore, abnormal distributions of phosphorus seemed to occur in the same areas where sucrose was metabolized and iron was stored. Therefore, it was considered that these abnormalities induced hypophosphatemia following the intravenous administration of saccharated iron oxide. In addition to these actions, the possibility remained that phosphate absorption was inhibited in the small intestine by calcium lactate.

[Cholecystolithotripsy using extracorporeal shock waves].

Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) was first applied for calculi of the bile duct system in 1985. Recent improvement of the crushing apparatus has enabled us to crush the biliary calculus more accurately than before, and moreover, to conduct the procedure without anesthesia, and to treat easily. We performed ESWL in 30 cases of calculus in the cholecyst using MPL-9000 (Dornier Co., Ltd.) which is said to be a crushing device of a new generation. Here, the study is presented. The results of crushing effect demonstrate the efficacy in 26 of 30 cases (87%), and disappearance rate in 18 cases (60%) at present after an average follow-up period of 4.4 months. The disappearance cases were mainly those with a single calculus (75% disappearance rate) or pure cholesterol calculus (100%). Concerning the complications, right upper abdominal pain which was expected to accompany excretion of the crunched fragments was recognized in 10 cases (33%), it was not seen in cases in which laparotomy or endoscopic papillotomy was performed.