Does left ventricular wall motion of akinetic segment improve after reperfusion therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction?: assessment by myocardial contrast echocardiography

AIMS/BACKGROUND: The liver clears circulating plasma-kallikrein through a receptor-mediated endocytosis process: an initial fast phase is followed by a slow exponential phase. METHODS: To determine whether the clearance rate of plasma-kallikrein is affected during liver regeneration, we perfused isolated rat livers with rat plasma-kallikrein (rPK) at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 7 days after partial hepatectomy or sham operation. RESULTS: Liver regeneration was followed by the expression of the proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling index. The serum concentration of alpha2-macroglobulin, an acute phase protein in rats, was measured. At day 1, the fast phase of rPK clearance rate increased in hepatectomized rats when compared with day 0 (4.9+/-0.4 and 3.7+/-0.4 mU/g liver min, p<0.05). However, at day 2, the rPK fast phase clearance rate dropped significantly (2.6+/-0.2, p<0.05), when compared with day 1. No difference was found among the sham groups at different days of hepatectomy. These changes seem to be independent of the acute phase reaction. The regenerative liver weight increased continuously during the observation period. PCNA expression increased significantly after hepatectomy, with maximal PCNA-labeling indices at days 1 and 2, declining thereafter. CONCLUSION: The rPK fast phase clearance rate changes during liver regeneration, with a zenith occurring when PCNA labeling index is maximal (day 1) and a nadir occurring at the mitotic phase (day 2).     

Comparison of the ability of viral protein-expressing plasmid DNAs to protect against influenza

The ability of plasmid DNA encoding various influenza viral proteins from the A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus to protect against influenza was compared in BALB/c mice. The plasmid DNA encoded hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), matrix protein (M1), nucleoprotein (NP) or nonstructural protein (NS1) in a chicken beta-actin-based expression vector (pCAGGS). Each DNA was inoculated twice 3 weeks apart at a dose of 1 microgram per mouse by particle-mediated DNA transfer to the epidermis (gene gun). Seven days after a second immunization, mice were challenged with the homologous virus and the ability of each DNA to protect mice from influenza was evaluated by decreased lung virus titers and increased survival. Mice, given HA- or NA-expressing DNA, induced a high level of specific antibody response and protected well against the challenge virus. On the other hand, mice given M1-, NP-, or NS1-DNA failed to provide protection, although M1- and NP-DNAs did induce detectable antibody responses. These results indicate that both HA- and NA-expressing DNAs for the surface glycoproteins are most protective against influenza from among the various viral protein-expressing DNAs used here.     

Protective effects of an antiulcer agent, ecabet sodium on colorectal carcinogenesis in rodents

A new antiulcer agent, ecabet sodium is one of dehydroabietic acid derivatives prepared from pine resin. The effects of ecabet sodium on colorectal carcinogenesis were investigated in azoxymethane-pretreated mice with chronic ulcerative colitis induced by 3 repeated administration of 3% dextran sulfate sodium and in 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine-treated rats. Although daily treatment with ecabet sodium did not affect the colorectal DNA-synthesizing enzyme activities and bromodeoxyuridine-immunoreactive S-phase cells, high-grade dysplasia in ecabet sodium-treated mice was less frequent than in untreated mice. In rats, ecabet sodium administration reduced the elevated activity of thymidylate synthetase in colorectal tumors.     

Laparoscopy-assisted radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in patients on long-term hemodialysis: report of 2 patients

We successfully performed a laparoscopy-assisted radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in 2 patients on long-term hemodialysis. Both tumors were incidentally discovered on screening by abdominal CT scanning. There were no complications during the operation or in the postoperative period, and both patients resumed normal activities by the fifth postoperative day. A laparoscopic-assisted radical nephrectomy may be useful for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma in hemodialysis patients.     

A modification of hepatic portoenterostomy (Kasai operation) for biliary atresia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of the present study was to compare power Doppler imaging with traditional color Doppler imaging and with contrast enhanced computer tomography in the evaluation of intratumoral vascularity of hepatocellular carcinomas at diagnosis and in response to percutaneous ethanol injection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent colour Doppler, power Doppler and computed tomography at diagnosis. Seventeen patients were studied by the three techniques one month after percutaneous ethanol injection treatment. RESULTS: At baseline evaluation, power Doppler and color Doppler were always in agreement and, with the exception of one case, were also in agreement with the computerized tomography scan. On the contrary, power Doppler and computerized tomography are more sensitive than color Doppler in the evaluation of residual vascularized tumoral tissue after percutaneous ethanol injection. In 3 patients, residual vascularity was demonstrated only by computerized tomography while color and power Doppler were negative. In another 3 cases, a positive power Doppler signal, with a typical arterial Doppler spectrum, was observed while color Doppler and computerized tomography were negative. In these patients, cancer relapse was clinically evident after a few months and treatment was repeated to obtain complete necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that only the integration of the results of all these techniques can reliably evaluate tumoral vascularity after percutaneous ethanol injection.     

Origin attribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in sediment and soil from a Japanese freshwater lake area through congener-specific data analysis

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs) in sediment and soil from a freshwater lake area were congener-specifically determined. The obtained data were examined to estimate the major origins of these compounds, with the aid of principal component analysis (PCA). Four major principal components (PCs) were obtained, and three of them were attributed to PCDDs/PCDFs in the atmosphere, in a diphenyl ether herbicide and in pentachlorophenol, based on congener-specific comparisons with references. One PC remained unattributed. These four were interpreted as the major origins of PCDDs/PCDFs in the area. The relative influence of the origins was also investigated.     

Passively aligned hybrid WDM module integrated with spot-sizeconverter integrated laser diode and waveguide photodiode on PLCplatform for fibre-to-the-home

A low cost and high performance hybrid WDM module assembled by passive alignment has been developed for FTTH systems. High coupling efficiency of a spot-size converter integrated laser diode to a PLC waveguide, which facilitates mass production of the module, is achieved. A minimum optical received power of -37 dBm for a 50 Mbit/s burst signal is also achieved     

Effect of Heat Treatment on Plasma-Sprayed Zircon (ZrSiO ZrSiO4)

The effect of heat treatment on the structure and properties of a plasma-sprayed zircon coating was evaluated. The as-sprayed coating, with open porosity of 10%, is composed of t-ZrO₂ and amorphous SiO₂ After heat treatment at 1473 K, ZrO₂ grows in columnar shape perpendicular to the coating surface, while SiO₂ crystallizes to cristobalite. The open porosity decreases to about 5% after the heat treatment. This can be attributed to the sintering of SiO₂ and the phase transformation of zirconia. When heat-treated at 1673 K, the coating is composed of ZrSiO₄ with dispersed fine m-ZrO₂ The open porosity increases again up to 10%. The thermal conductivity of the zircon coating increases with increasing heat treatment temperature.     

The protective effects of CP-060S on ischaemia- and reperfusion- induced arrhythmias in anaesthetized rats

1. CP-060S is a novel sodium and calcium overload inhibitor, and is also characterized as a calcium channel blocker. As these activities have each been shown independently to ameliorate ischaemia damage in the myocardium, the combination may synergistically exert cardioprotection. In this study, therefore, the protective effect of CP-060S against ischaemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmia was evaluated in anesthetized rats. 2. Rats were anaesthetized with pentobarbitone, and the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for either 5 min with subsequent reperfusion (a reperfusion-induced arrhythmia model) or 30 min without (an ischaemia-induced arrhythmia model). All drugs were intravenously administered 1 min before the onset of occlusion. 3. In the reperfusion-induced arrhythmia model, the animals in the vehicle-treated group exhibited ventricular tachycardia (VT) in 100%, ventricular fibrillation (VF) in 89%, and death caused by sustained VF in 56%. CP-060S (30-300 microg kg(-1)) dose-dependently suppressed the incidences of arrhythmias. Significant decreases occurred at 100 microg kg(-1) in VF (incidence: 42%) and mortality (8%), and at 300 microg kg(-1) in VT (50%), VF (33%) and mortality (8%). This protective effect of CP-060S was 10 times more potent than that of a pure calcium channel blocker, diltiazem (30-1000 microg kg(-1)) we tested, in terms of effective dose ranges. As both drugs decreased myocardial oxygen consumption estimated by rate-pressure product to a similar extent, the calcium channel blocking activity of CP-060S would not seem to be sufficient to explain its potency. 4. In the same model, co-administration of ineffective doses of diltiazem (300 microg kg(-1)) and a sodium and calcium overload inhibitor, R56865 (100 microg kg(-1)), produced significant suppression of VT (incidence: 62%), VF (46%) and mortality (8%). By contrast, co-administration of R56865 at the same dose with CP-060S (300 microg kg(-1)) did not add to the effect of a single treatment of CP-060S. 5. In the ischaemia-induced arrhythmia model, CP-060S (300 microg kg(-1)) significantly decreased the incidence of VF from 75% to 29%, whereas diltiazem (1 mg kg(-1)) was ineffective. 6. These results suggest that CP-060S inhibits both ischaemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmia. The combination of the calcium channel blocking effect and the calcium overload inhibition was hypothesized to contribute to these potently protective effects.