Search

Beet western yellows virus (BWYV; genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae) is one of the most important viruses causing yellowing disease of many field and vegetable crops. This study isolated different poleroviruses from sugar beet, spinach, radish and brassica in Japan, and identified them as BWYV‐JP, Beet leaf yellowing virus (BLYV), Brassica yellows virus (BrYV) and BrYV‐R (radish strain) based on host range and molecular analysis. Among over 100 plant species from 19 families inoculated with the vector Myzus persicae, about half of the species in 13 families were infected with some of these viruses. BLYV shared a similar host range to Beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV). These had a much more limited host range than BWYV‐JP, which resembled BWYV‐USA. The host range of BrYV was similar to that of Turnip yellows virus (TuYV). Phylogenetic analyses at the 5′ portion (replication‐related gene) of the genome showed that BLYV, BMYV, BWYV (‐JP and ‐USA) and Cucurbit aphid‐borne yellows virus (CABYV) formed one large group, whereas BrYV and TuYV were grouped together. BLYV and BWYV were most closely related to each other, and were more closely related to CABYV than to BMYV. However, at the 3′ end (coat protein gene), BLYV and BWYV‐JP formed a distinct group, separated from the BrYV group, which in turn was more closely related to BWYV‐USA, BMYV, TuYV and Beet chlorosis virus, a group originating from outside Asia. Thus, this study presents host range differences and phylogeographical relationships of BWYV‐like poleroviruses that are distributed worldwide.

The growth curves of fruit and associated changes in mineral elements were investigated from 1996 to 1999 in 'Woodard' and 'Tifblue' rabbiteye blueberries and 'Jersey' highbush blueberry. Growth rates of the fruit of three cultivars were characterized by double-sigmoid curves. The curves were divided into three stages: stage 1 (young fruit stage), the first period of rapid growth following flowering (lasting to the beginning of July); stage 2 (retarded growth period), a period of little increase in fruit size; and stage 3 (maximum growth stage), a period of rapid growth lasting until maturation. The length of stage 2 varied with cultivars; in 'Tifblue' longer than 'Woodard' rabbiteye or 'Jersey' highbush blueberry. Concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn in fruits (including seeds) were the highest in the beginning of stage 1 and decreased substantially during stage 2 and stage 3. All mineral elements of 'Jersey' highbush blueberry, except for K and Ca, were higher than in 'Woodard' and 'Tifblue' rabbiteye blueberries.

Layered-type junctions of perovskite-type manganite Pr/sub 1-x/Ca/sub x/MnO/sub 3-y/ (PCMO; x=0.3, 0.4, 0.5) and high-T/sub c/ superconductor YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ (YBCO) were fabricated and their resistivity perpendicular to the plane were measured. A field effect was observed in which the resistivity decreased for 4 orders with 10 V of applied voltage at 30 K. Several oxygen-annealed junctions showed an abrupt drop of resistivity at about 2 V, independently to x, which is considered to be a sign of charge-ordering (CO). Annealing, on the other hand, suppressed the macroscopic resistivity of PCMO films. A field effect at room temperature was also observed.

In the pathophysiology of lumbosacral radiculopathy, inflammation of the nerve root is of critical importance. Additionally, free radicals have been shown to be associated with some inflammatory process. This study was designed to investigate whether free radicals participate in the pathophysiology of nerve root involvement. We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 31 patients with unilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy caused by a herniated disc using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry. Then SOD activity was compared with the type of nerve root compression as seen on preoperative myelography. SOD activity in the normal control group was 7U/ml, while that in the hernia group remarkably decreased. The concentration gradient of SOD activity was different between central herniation and centrolateral herniation. Our findings indicate that free radicals are generated after nerve root compression. Under severe deficiency of SOD activity in CSF, serum SOD penetrates into CSF after further compression. In addition, SOD in CSF may play an important role in protecting against nerve root involvement.

In Japan, 16 species of Vaccinium plants grow wild that have not been improved through breeding for commercial growing. The introduction of blueberries into Japan began in 1951; however, commercial blueberry culture made slow progress. In 1991, highbush and rabbiteye blueberries were planted on about 190 hectare (469 A). One of the severe problems of blueberry culture in Japan is the ripening of the main highbush blueberry cultivars during the rainy season (June and July). For this reason, it is a very difficult to produce fruit of high quality. The primary areas of blueberry research in Japan are as follows: (1) variety tests of highbush and rabbiteye blueberries, (2) techniques and appropriate methods of training and pruning, (3) mineral nutrition and diagnosis of nutrient condition, (4) short-term storage tests and keeping quality in the rainy season and mid-summer, and (5) protected cultivation of highbush blueberries.

Osseous sarcoidosis is relatively uncommon, and treatment with corticosteroids is not always effective. Moreover, patients with an advanced stage of pulmonary sarcoidosis are sometimes infected with aspergillus in the cavities of the pulmonary lesions, and long-term use of corticosteroids should be prohibited to prevent the development of fatal invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Here, we described a unique case of osseous sarcoidosis with pulmonary aspergillosis, showing a rapid improvement of the osseous symptoms just after the administration of the antifungal agent, itraconazole. Itraconazole is likely to become a candidate among new therapeutic agents for osseous sarcoidosis.

Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) is a fungus-transmitted soilborne virus responsible for rhizomania disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. var. saccharifera). As more and more viruses with fungal vectors are detected (3) these pathogens have been the subject of growing interest, leading to attempts at classification based both upon the nature of the vector and the properties of the virus. In 1987, the International Committee on Virus Taxonomy classified BNYVV as a possible member of the recently proposed furovirus group fungus-transmitted rod-shaped virions; type member: soilborne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) (56). Furoviruses have rigid rod-shaped virions, plus-strand RNA genomes, are generally bipartite and are transmitted by soilborne fungi of the family Plasmodiophorales. In addition to SBWMV, other accepted members include beet soilborne virus (BSBV), broad bean necrosis virus (BBNV), oat golden stripe virus (OGSV), peanut clump virus (PCV) and

The method described above, based on the electrophoretic migration of bacteriophage particles into an agar gel and their subsequent re-suspension in a suitable medium, has the following advantages: It is simple and can be readily carried out on a comparatively large scale by merely inserting additional units between the same electrode cups. It requires but one extraction and the resulting phage suspension is strongly lytic, an average sample being capable of completely lysing susceptible bacteria at a dilution of 10–16. The suspension contains no proteins demonstrable by the biuret, alcohol, xanthoproteic, Millon or Hopkins-Cole reactions and yields but 0.044 mg. N/cc. directly attributable to the phage. Each corpuscle contains no more nitrogen than a single molecule of protein. In addition the method is applicable to determinations of the electric charge carried by biologically active substances of small dimensions, e.g., phage, toxins, and perhaps some viruses. It offers as well a possible means of purification of these substances. The purified bacteriophage obtained by such a procedure or similar ones is relatively unstable. Work now in progress indicates that it does not possess nearly the resistance to chemical agents, drying, etc., that non-purified phage displays. It is suggested that experiments designed to test the therapeutic value of bacteriophage be conducted, when possible, with purified suspensions thereby avoiding any possibility of obscure non-specific reactions due to other constituents of the lysates.

We investigated the efficacy of the combination of cisplatin and etoposide in endometrial cancer using mice bearing human endometrial cancer. Cisplatin (5 mg/kg) plus etoposide (10 mg/kg) caused markedly greater inhibition of the growth of medium-sized tumors (96.1% inhibition) than cisplatin alone at the same dose. Similarly, the combination of cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg) and etoposide (10 mg/kg) produced a significantly higher complete remission rate in small tumors, compared with cisplatin alone at the same dose (82.6% vs 35.3%, P less than 0.01). As a single agent, etoposide had almost no inhibitory effect on tumor growth and produced a considerably lower complete remission rate. Total platinum and etoposide concentrations in serum and tumor tissue were unaltered when these agents were used either singly or in combination. Our results suggested that combination cisplatin-etoposide therapy was synergistic against endometrial cancer.

In the field of GIS, it is important to support crisis management during disasters. Web-GIS (geographic information system) is used to display disaster information on a map so that it can be shared and support restoration activities. New web technology called Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) offers fast-loading and asynchronous updates. In this paper we introduce a Web-GIS crisis management system using Ajax technology. This system has two features. The first is to integrate disaster information and facilities information on the map. The second is rapid-response by applying Ajax technology to Web-GIS. We also report on an elevator management system we have developed and found suitable for practical application.

In white neutron diffraction studies, the energy, intensity, and number of resolved Bragg peaks depend on detector resolution and background from physics processes. The statistics-sensitive non-linear iterative peak-clipping (SNIP) algorithm is widely used for subtracting the background under a peak. This paper reports the validation procedures and availability of the SNIP algorithm for time-of-flight (TOF) Bragg reflections observed with a TOF single-protein-crystal neutron diffractometer.

Recently, Artificial Heart (AH) is recognized as the alternate method of the heart graft. Though there are many problems and defect on AH, long term durability, miniaturization and weight saving interfaced with flow rate performance, efficiency of device. Considering rehabilitation into the society and advancement of QOL (Quality of Life), the construction of power source which supplies electric power to the device is important and has many problems. Especially, the electric feeder line restricts behavior of the transplant recipient and disturbs rehabilitation into the society. For solving these problems, Transcutaneous Energy Transmission System (TETS) is noticed and studied. This study proposes core-type TETS. It achieves high magnetic coupling compared with air-core-type TETS which is carried out on clinical study. Because core-type TETS has high magnetic coupling, it is possible to reduce the input current and to miniaturize transformer size. This paper mentions the characteristic of core-type TETS.

The standing wave method for the spherical wave incidence has been developed to estimate the complex permittivity of construction materials. In this paper, the behavior of spherically standing wave in front of the construction materials has been theoretically analyzed by the use of the spectral domain approach. As a result, the relationship between the complex permittivity and the reflection coefficient at the front surface of the grounded materials is derived, when a spherical wave is irradiated toward the material. This relationship can be expanded for all types of the incident wave including the plane wave incidence. A number of the numerical models for the composite materials have been so simulated by means of the FDTD technique as to check the validity of the relationship.

An efficient 3D facility management system is developed based on the spatial data structure(MD-tree). In the system, 3D objects in a city are semi-automatically generated from 2D-maps by using appropriate rules. The entire 3D space is sliced into multiple layers depending on the height. The objects that belong to each layer are managed by corresponding 2D MD-tree. Potentially visible objects are obtained efficiently by the data management method based on the multiple MD-trees. The objects close to the viewpoint are searched in the MD-tree that corresponds to the lower layer. Far objects are, on the other hand, searched in the higher layer. The search operation is performed very rapidly by MD-tree. Furthermore, the rendering complexity of each object is adaptively controlled with respect to the the distance from the viewpoint so that the scene complexity is kept bounded. With these techniques, desirable frame update rates for the interactive walkthrough (around 10 frames/sec by SGI CRIMSON/Reality Engine) is realized. >

This paper describes an effective switching loss estimation of nonpunchthrough (NPT) IGBT, and a comparison of switching losses between 1200 V class NPT and punchthrough (PT) IGBT. VVVF inverter loss calculations of 1200 V NPT and PT-IGBT were carried out using the experimental data. The calculation result was reinforced by the numerical device simulation results. As a result, it is shown that switching loss and VVVF inverter loss of NPT-IGBT are larger than that of PT-IGBT for 1200 V class. Using above VVVF inverter loss results, thermal simulation for temperature rise of an IGBT module are demonstrated.

Calu-3 cells secrete HCO(3)(-) in response to cAMP agonists but can be stimulated to secrete Cl(-) with K(+) channel activating agonists. Microelectrode and impedance analysis experiments were performed to obtain a better understanding of the conductances and driving forces involved in these different modes of anion secretion in Calu-3 cells. Microelectrode studies revealed apical and basolateral membrane depolarizations upon the addition of forskolin (V(ap) -52 mV vs. -21 mV; V(bl) -60 mV vs. -44 mV) that paralleled the hyperpolarization of the mucosal negative transepithelial voltage (V(T) -8 mV vs. -23 mV). These changes were accompanied by a decrease in the apical membrane fractional resistance (F(Rap)) from approximately 0.50 to 0.08, consistent with the activation of an apical membrane conductance. The subsequent addition of 1-ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone (1-EBIO), a K(+) channel activator, hyperpolarized V(ap) to -27 mV, V(bl) to -60 mV and V(T) to -33 mV. Impedance analysis revealed the apical membrane resistance (R(ap)) of the forskolin-stimulated cells was less than 20 ohm cm(2), indeed in most monolayers R(ap) fell to less than 5 ohm cm(2). The impedance derived estimate of the basolateral membrane resistance (R(bl)) was approximately 170 ohm cm(2) in forskolin treated cells and fell to 50 ohm cm(2) with the addition of 1-EBIO. Using these values for the R(bl) and the F(Rap) value of 0.08 yields a R(ap) of approximately 14 ohm cm(2) in the presence of forskolin and 4 ohm cm(2) in the presence of forskolin plus 1-EBIO. Thus, by two independent methods, forskolin-stimulated Calu-3 cells are seen to have a very high apical membrane conductance of 50 to 200 mS/cm(2). Therefore, we would assert that even at one-tenth the anion selectivity for Cl(-), this high conductance could support the conductive exit of HCO(3)(-) across the apical membrane. We further propose that this high apical membrane conductance serves to clamp the apical membrane potential near the equilibrium potential for Cl(-) and thereby provides the driving force for HCO(3)(-) secretion in forskolin-stimulated Calu-3 cells. The hyperpolarization of V(ap) and V(bl) caused by 1-EBIO provides a driving force for Cl(-) exit across the apical membrane, inhibits the influx of HCO(3)(-) on the Na(+):HCO(3)(-) cotransporter across the basolateral membrane, activates the basolateral membrane Na(+):K:2Cl(-) cotransporter and thereby provides the switch from HCO(3)(-) secretion to Cl(-) secretion.

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of whole-body MRI(WB-MRI) in the evaluation of cellularity in bone marrow and the distribution of fatty marrow in aplastic anemia. WB-MRI was performed on five patients with aplastic anemia who ranged in age from 62 to 70 years of age, and on four controls with malignant lymphoma who ranged in age from 59 to 67 years. Coronal images were obtained using a body coil with an FOV of 48 cm x 48 cm, and with both fast short T1 inversion recovery(STIR) and spin-echo T1-weighted(T1-WI) in three regions: (1) head to thorax, (2) abdomen to pelvis, and (3) lower extremities. The findings on WB-MRI were compared with those of histological studies of bone marrow at the sternum and the posterior iliac crest. The results were as follows: (1) there was a correlation between the cellularity of histological studies of bone marrow and signal intensity on WB-MRI; (2) WB-MRI could detect the activity of bone marrow; and (3) in a comparison of signal intensity in aplastic anemia and control subjects, there were differences of signal intensity in the central marrow.

Despite constant inhalation of air-borne particles including a variety of microbes and antigens, the normal lungs hardly ever develop infection or airway injury. This is because the normal lung is equipped with sophisticated defense mechanisms against foreign substances. It has been reported that the airway mucosa, especially the submucosal glands, play important roles not only in nonspecific defense using airway secretions but also in specific defense in cooperation with immune cells. In contrast to the nasopharyngeal or intestinal mucosa, which is always exposed to many foreign antigens, the mucosal surface of the lower respiratory tract in known to be kept in a germ-free condition. This fact indicates that immunological information derived from the antigen-rich mucosa, such as the intestine, might be transmitted to the airway mucosa, thus resulting in efficient removal of unwanted substances. This immunological elimination requires specific antibodies (Abs) against harmful antigens, and the major population of Abs in the airway is dimeric IgA. Airway submucosal glands synthesize a secretory component (SC), a transporter of secretory IgA, and immunoglobulin-containing plasma cells have been identified preferentially around the glandular tissue. Overall, the submucosal glands play a key role in the integrity of airway mucosal immunity.

Duodenal diverticulum is a well-known pathological entity. The majority of patients with this condition are asymptomatic. Although hemorrhage has been described, it is an infrequent complication. We report a patient who presented with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding with hypovolemic shock, originating from a duodenal diverticulum. The diagnosis was made by emergency angiography. Superselective arterial embolization was performed with a successful outcome. To the best of our knowledge, superselective embolization for hemorrhage originating from a duodenal diverticulum has not previously been described in the literature.

Prostate cancer frequently metastasizes to bone, inducing osteosclerotic lesions. However, the morphological details of bone metastasis of prostate cancer have not been clarified. The trabecular bone structure of bone metastasis from prostate cancer was investigated in three dimensions using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). A total of 17 cubes of the lumbar spine of a 77-year-old man with prostate cancer were excised post mortem: four of them from non-metastatic and the rest from metastatic sites. The samples were measured using micro-CT with a resolution of 23.2 microns and the standard structural indices and degree of anisotropy were computed. After micro-CT measurement, the samples were tested in a destructive manner for the assessment of mechanical properties. Samples from the metastatic sites showed significantly higher values than those from non-metastatic sites for bone volume (BV), bone surface (BS), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and trabecular number (Tb.N) (p0.005). Bone surface density (BS/BV) and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) were significantly higher in the samples from non-metastatic sites (p0.001). Samples from metastatic sites showed a more isotropic arrangement of trabecular bone than those from non-metastatic sites. Three-dimensionally reconstructed images depicted several different patterns of sclerotic bone metastasis, and osteolytic appearance was observed in all of them. Structural parameters such as BV/TV were well correlated with the mechanical properties (r = 0.899). The present study clarified the trabecular microstructure of bone metastasis from prostate cancer and suggests that both osteolysis and osteogenesis progress while interacting with each other in all phases of bone metastasis.

The crystal structure of glycosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase from the hyperthermophilic archaeum Sulfolobus solfataricus KM1 has been solved by multiple isomorphous replacement. The enzyme is an alpha-amylase (family 13) with unique exo-amylolytic activity for glycosyltrehalosides. It cleaves the alpha-1,4 glycosidic bond adjacent to the trehalose moiety to release trehalose and maltooligo saccharide. Unlike most other family 13 glycosidases, the enzyme does not require Ca(2+) for activity, and it contains an N-terminal extension of approximately 100 amino acid residues that is homologous to N-terminal domains found in many glycosidases that recognize branched oligosaccharides. Crystallography revealed the enzyme to exist as a homodimer covalently linked by an intermolecular disulfide bond at residue C298. The existence of the intermolecular disulfide bond was confirmed by biochemical analysis and mutagenesis. The N-terminal extension forms an independent domain connected to the catalytic domain by an extended linker. The functionally essential Ca(2+) binding site found in the B domain of alpha-amylases and many other family 13 glycosidases was found to be replaced by hydrophobic packing interactions. The enzyme also contains a very unusual excursion in the (beta/alpha)(8) barrel structure of the catalytic domain. This excursion originates from the bottom of the (beta/alpha)(8) barrel between helix 6 and strand 7, but folds upward in a distorted alpha-hairpin structure to form a part of the substrate binding cleft wall that is possibly critical for the enzyme's unique substrate selectivity. Participation of an alpha-beta loop in the formation of the substrate binding cleft is a novel feature that is not observed in other known (beta/alpha)(8) enzymes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of whole body MR imaging (WB-MRI) in the detection of bone metastases from breast cancer and to compare the results with those from bone scintigraphy. In 21 patients with suspected bone metastasis from breast cancer, both bone scintigraphy and WB-MRI were performed. With WB-MRI, coronal images were obtained using a body coil in an FOV of 48 cm, and sequences of fast short TI inversion recovery (STIR) and gadolinium-enhanced fast spoiled GRASS (SPGR) were used in three parts: from the head to the thorax, the abdomen to the pelvis, and the lower extremities. Of the total 105 metastatic bone lesions, 65 (61.9%) were detected by bone scintigraphy, 98 (93.3%) by fast STIR, and 74 (70.5%) by fast SPGR. Thus, the detection of bone metastases by WB-MRI was excellent. However, detectability in the ribs was lower for WB-MRI than for bone scintigraphy. Contrast-enhanced MRI was useful in the differentiation of osteosclerotic lesions, in which high signal intensity is rare, pleural effusion, which has high signal intensity on STIR, and bone metastatic lesions. In conclusion, WB-MRI showed high reliability in the detection of bone metastatic lesions from breast cancer.

Preliminary studies were performed to evaluate the usefulness of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) in the screening of bone metastases. The fast short TI inversion recovery sequence was the most suitable method because of its minimal image distortion and uniformity of fat suppression in a large field of view. In 4 cases of malignant tumor, the localization of all 8 bone metastases detected with bone scintigraphy (BS) could be clarified with WB-MRI. Furthermore, WB-MRI with fast STIR alone could depict 4 lesions undetected by BS, and WB-MRI combined with contrast enhancement could depict 5 such lesions.

Since breast cancer is frequently associated with bone metastasis, bone scintigraphies have been performed to determine pre-operative staging and to survey postoperative bone metastasis. The sternum, in particular, is a site at which is difficult to differentiate between benign bone disease and bone metastasis, because of varied uptake and wide individual variations. In this study, chronological bone images were scintigraphied in six cases with solitary sternal metastasis and three cases with benign bone disease including two fracture cases and one arthritis case. On bone scintigrams in which solitary sternal metastasis appeared, increased uptake was found in five cases, and photon deficiency was observed in one case. During follow-up scintigraphies, abnormal accumulations, such as hot spots and cold lesions, increased in the bone metastasis while abnormal uptake disappeared or was unchanged in the benign bone disease cases. On CT, four cases showed osteolytic change, and one exhibited osteosclerotic change. These findings indicate that sternal metastasis usually shows osteolytic change, even if a hot lesion is recognized on bone scintigraphy. In solitary sternal metastasis, for which early diagnosis is difficult, both an integrated diagnosis using other imaging techniques and chronological bone scintigraphy are important.

In order to evaluate the usefulness in deciding surgical indication in secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHP), 67Ga scintigraphy was performed in 37 patients of SHP before parathyroidectomy (PTx). The radionuclide accumulation in skull and submandible was classified into 4 patterns (skull-submandibular pattern, skull pattern, submandibular pattern and normal pattern). Serum alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly elevated in patients of skull-submandibular pattern (13 cases) compared with skull pattern (6 cases), submandibular pattern (6 cases) and normal pattern (12 cases). Serum intact parathyroid hormone levels were significantly elevated in patients of skull-submandibular and skull patterns compared with normal pattern. No significant difference was observed among the weight of resected parathyroid glands. In 4 of 6 patients of normal pattern on 67Ga scintigram, bone scintigraphy showed a characteristic pattern of SHP including an increased accumulation in the skull and submandible. Bone mineral density (BMD) in the distal radius was increased within six to twelve months after PTx in 10 of 11 patients of skull-submandibular pattern on 67Ga scintigram, whereas only one patient showed an increase in BMD in 9 patients of normal pattern. In summary, it was concluded that 67Ga scintigraphy could provide a useful information in deciding the indication for PTx in secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Each of myocardial blood flow imaging agents has a potential usefulness as an agent for tumor scintigraphy. The tumor accumulation and washout of 99mTc-tetrofosmin and 99mTc-MIBI were comparatively studied using rabbits bearing VX-2 cancer. From seventeen to twenty days after the implantation of VX-2 cancer into the femoral region of seven rabbits, tumor to soft tissue accumulation ratio (T/S ratio) of each agent was calculated in early images (5 min after injection) and in late images (50 min after injection). Compared with 99mTc-tetrofosmin, the T/S ratio of 99mTc-MIBI was higher and, moreover, the washout was delayed. These results suggest that there is a difference in tumor accumulation property between these two agents.

Small cell lung cancer (stage IIIB) developed in a 61-year-old woman. She was treated with chemotherapy in which the cumulative dose of carboplatin was 662 mg/m2 and that of etoposide was 2,000 mg/ m2, and with concurrent irradiation in which the total dose of X-rays was 44.8 Gy. The response to chemotherapy and irradiation was very good. Radiation pneumonitis developed after discharge, but it resolved after steroid therapy. Nine months after the diagnosis of lung cancer the patient was readmitted because of bleeding and leukocytosis. Acute monocytic leukemia (M5a) was diagnosed after examination of a bone-marrow aspirate. The patient was treated with chemotherapy, but she died of severe bone-marrow suppression and multiple organ failure 3 months after the diagnosis of acute monocytic leukemia. Although chromosome analysis could not be done, we strongly suspect that this leukemia was induced by etoposide, because of the clinical course.

Ritodrine and ephedrine can induce hyperamylasemia in pregnant women. The incidence of these beta-agonist-induced hyperamylasemias and their interaction on serum amylase activity are not known.Serum amylase activity was determined 12 to 24 hours after the administration of ritodrine alone (n = 140), ephedrine alone (n = 160), ephedrine and ritodrine simultaneously (n = 34), and ephedrine after prolonged (or = 7 days) use of ritodrine (n = 101).A significantly higher incidence of hyperamylasemia (amylase215 IU/L) was seen in a group treated with ritodrine alone (60/140, 43 percent), ephedrine alone (54/160, 34 percent), or ephedrine plus ritodrine (24/34, 71 percent) compared with untreated pregnant women (21/426, 4.9 percent). There was no difference in the incidence of hyperamylasemia among the untreated pregnant women and women who received ephedrine after long-term ritodrine (8/101, 7.9 percent). Isozyme patterns, examined in 72 out of the 146 women with hyperamylasemia after such medications, indicated that salivary-type amylase exclusively was hypersecreted.Clinical doses of beta-agonists such as ephedrine or ritodrine induce hypersecretion of salivary-type amylase in approximately one-third of women who are pregnant. Desensitization to beta-agonists may occur after prolonged use of ritodrine.

Nitric oxide is thought to mediate the cytotoxic effects of certain neurologic diseases. To investigate whether overproduction of nitric oxide may play a role in lumber spondylosis, we compared the levels of nitrite and nitrate in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with lumbar spondylosis with those from a control group by automated flow injection analysis. CSF levels of nitric oxide metabolites were significantly higher in patients with lumbar spondylosis compared with the control (p0.01). Nitric oxide may play a role in lumbar pain or nerve damage in sciatic and the CSF nitrite/nitrate may be used as a diagnostic parameter of spinal diseases.

We retrospectively analyzed 546 consecutive singleton pregnancies with breech presentations that ended ator = 36 weeks of gestation for the relationship between the intended mode of delivery and fetal outcome. Twelve patients were excluded from the analysis because these infants had major malformations. Of the 534 remaining patients, 124 (23%) were delivered by elective cesarean section. The other 410 women (77%) went into spontaneous labor. Intrapartum emergency cesarean section was required in 112 (27%) of these 410 women; the other 298 (73%) were delivered vaginally. There were 5 poor neonatal outcomes: 3 perinatal deaths and 2 cases of cerebral palsy probably due to intrapartum asphyxia. The risk of poor outcome was thus 1.2% (5/410), in the intended vaginal delivery group vs. no such outcome in the group of 124 patients that had an elective cesarean section. Three of 5 infants with poor outcome were actually born by emergency cesarean section and comparisons of results according to ultimate method of delivery rather than according to intended method of delivery may be misleading and in our case would have been biased against cesarean section.

To determine the age at natural menopause in Japanese women.Cross-sectional and retrospective study.Two thousand two hundred twenty one women attending gynecological clinics between the ages of 35 and 59 who were born between April, 1929 and March, 1953.Age of menopause estimated by the rate of the presence of menses at each age, calculated by probit transformation and by reference to the patient's memory.The median age of menopause based on a cross-sectional study was 50.54, and based on patient's memory is 49.47 +/- 3.53 (SD). The presence of fibroma uteri significantly delays the age of menopause (Odds ratio = 9.41).

A new highly sensitive thermoluminescent (TL) sheet has been studied as a means of in vivo measurement of spatial dose distribution of radiation therapy. This TL sheet (40 cm x 50 cm x 0.2 mm), which is composed of teflon mixed with BaSO4:Eu doped powder, is very flexible and can be cut to the desired size. The TL sheet was found to have a linear response with a very wide dynamic range of at least 0.002 cGy to 5000 cGy absorbed dose. In addition, this sheet does not need be shielded, because of its insensitivity to room light, and therefore the sheet can detect low-energy electrons decreased by a few millimeter thick air for 3H(maximum beta-ray energy: 18 KeV). The spatial dose distribution was printed out with a newly developed digital readout system. In addition, another high-resolution dosimetry system, which exposes X-ray film with TL photons emitted from the irradiated TL sheet at constant room temperature, is reported. Clinically, the in vivo dose distribution on the surface of the rectal cancer for intracavitary radiation therapy was determined. The applicability of TL sheet for in vivo measurement of dose distribution is discussed.

To determine when the extrauterine environment becomes safer than the intrauterine environment with respect to fetal (neonatal) life, we analyzed all 4,896,505 livebirths, all 21,222 stillbirths, and all 7,513 early neonatal deaths after 26 weeks gestation that were recorded between 1989 and 1992 in Japan. Although the risk of early neonatal death (1 week of age) and of neonatal death (4 weeks of age) greatly exceed the risk of stillbirth at 26 weeks of gestation, those risks declined sharply by 39 weeks of gestation, then increased, while the risk of stillbirth within 1 and 4 weeks exceeded the risks of early neonatal death and of neonatal death at and beyond gestational weeks 40 and 38, respectively, for a singleton pregnancy. A similar reversal occurred at 37 and 35 weeks of gestation for multiple pregnancy. Neonates born at 39 and 37 weeks of gestation for singleton and multiple pregnancies, respectively, had the best outcome. It is concluded that the chance of survival for fetuses reaching 40 and 37 weeks of gestation for singleton and multiple pregnancies, respectively, were higher in the extrauterine than the intrauterine environment in Japan today.

A patient with active systemic lupus erythematosus presented with generalized convulsions and acute myocardial infarction during the first trimester. Serial determinations of biochemical variables and liver histology indicated that preeclampsia might be responsible for the life threatening episodes.