bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Peritubular capillary C4d deposition and renal outcome in post‐transplant IgA nephropathy
Authors: Choi Jung , Cho Yong Mee , Yang Won Seok , Park Tae‐Jin , Chang Jai Won , Park Su‐Kil 
Published: April 2007

Abstract:  Backgrounds:  Immunological staining of the transplanted kidney for C4d in peritubular capillaries (C4dPTC) has emerged as a useful method to detect antibody‐mediated rejection in situ. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the prevalence of C4dPTC deposition in allograft renal biopsies diagnosed of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and analysed its clinical significance.Method:  Sixty‐six biopsy specimens of post‐transplant IgAN, which were obtained to evaluate azotemia and/or heavy proteinuria, were examined by immunohistochemical staining of the paraffin sections with polyclonal antibody for C4d.Results:  C4d was stained positively in peritubular capillaries in 16 (24%) of the 66 cases. The C4dPTC‐negative (n=50) and C4dPTC‐positive groups (n=16) were not different in recipient gender, age, donor age, type of donor (living vs. cadaveric), interval from transplantation to graft biopsy (41.6± 21.8 vs. 48.3±26.1 months) and post‐biopsy follow‐up period (60.3±23.3 vs. 56.9±25.4 months). During the follow‐up period, 12 of 50 (24%) although the incidence of graft failure was not different by the C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries, intervals from renal biopsy to graft failure tended to be shorter in C4dPTC‐positive cases than C4dPTC‐negative cases. In Kaplan–Meier analysis, the renal allograft function of the C4dPTC‐positive group deteriorated more rapidly than that of the C4dPTC‐negative group (p<0.05). Histologically, the C4dPTC‐positive group had findings suggestive of acute cellular rejection more commonly than the C4dPTC‐negative group (p<0.01).Conclusions:  Evidence of humoral rejection, as demonstrated by C4dPTC deposition, was concurrently present in significant portions of post‐transplant IgAN biopsy specimens and was associated with more rapid deterioration of renal function. These results suggest that C4dPTC positivity needs to be determined at the time of biopsy even in cases of post‐transplant glomerulonephritis and immunosuppression may need to be modified accordingly.
Twenty‐five consecutive isolated intestinal transplants in adult patients: a five‐yr clinical experience
Authors: Lauro A. , Zanfi C. , Ercolani G. , Dazzi A. , Golfieri L. , Amaduzzi A. , Grazi G.L. , Vivarelli M. , Cescon M. , Varotti G. , Del Gaudio M. , Ravaioli M. , Pironi L. , Pinna A.D. 
Published: April 2007

Abstract: Patients and Methods:  Between December 2000 and December 2005, 25 isolated intestinal transplants from cadaveric donors have been performed for short gut syndrome (short bowel syndrome, 52%), chronic intestinal pseudo‐obstruction (24%), Gardner syndrome (16%), radiation enteritis (4%) and massive intestinal angiomatosis (4%). Indications for transplantation were: loss of venous access, recurrent sepsis due to central line infection, major electrolyte and fluid imbalance. Liver dysfunction was present in 13 cases. All patients were adult; median age was 36.3 yr and mean weight at transplantation 61.6 kg. All recipients were on life‐threatening parenteral nutrition for a mean time of 23.7 months. Mean donor/recipient body weight ratio was 1.08. Rejection monitoring was accomplished by graft ileoendoscopies and intestinal biopsies through the temporary ileostomy. Our immunosuppressive regimen was based on induction therapy with three different protocols: daclizumab for induction, tacrolimus and steroids as maintenance therapy; alemtuzumab for induction and low‐dose tacrolimus as maintenance; thymoglobulinTM for induction and maintenance based on low‐dose tacrolimus. Closure of the abdomen at the end of transplantation represented a technical problem with several options performed: graft reduction, only skin closure, prothesic meshes, abdominal closure in two steps, cutaneous flaps and abdominal wall transplant in one case.Results:  The mean hospital stay was 37 days. The mean follow‐up 27 months. Twenty patients are alive (80%) with two‐ and five‐yr patient survival rate of 80% and 66%; mortality rate was 20% due to sepsis in all cases. Our two‐ and five‐yr graft survival rate is 76% and 64%, graftectomy rate was 16%. Sixteen grafts are working properly, with no need of parenteral nutrition. We diagnosed 35 mild acute cellular rejection (ACRs), seven moderate ACRs and three severe ACRs (two needed graftectomy). We experienced two episodes of chronic rejection biopsy‐proven. RapamicineTM was added in case of renal failure or biopsy‐proven intestinal rejection. Graft‐vs.‐host disease was not seen in our series while post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disease in two cases. After discharge, the most common indication for medical support was dehydration. The abdominal wall transplant did not experience any rejection.Discussion and Conclusions:  Induction therapy has reduced the amount of postoperative immunosuppressive agents, especially in the first period, lowering the risk of renal failure and sepsis and the mucosal surveillance protocol for early detection of rejection dramatically reduced the number of severe ACR.
Impact of salvage therapy for biochemical recurrence on health‐related quality of life following radical prostatectomy
Authors: Namiki Shunichi , Saito Seiichi , Tochigi Tatsuo , Ioritani Naomasa , Terai Akito , Arai Yoichi 
Published: April 2007

Objective:  To determine the impact of salvage therapy for prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) recurrence on the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RP).Methods:  Between January 2000 and December 2003, a total of 249 patients who underwent RP were available for 2‐year follow up. Of the respondents, 203 men did not show evidence of recurrence (group A), and 46 men received salvage hormonal therapy and/or radiotherapy after RP because of a rise in PSA (group B). The general and prostate‐target HRQOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36‐Item Short Form and University of California, Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index, respectively. Patients completed the HRQOL instruments by mail at baseline and at 24 months after RP.Results:  All of the patients completed both questionnaires. At baseline no significant differences were found between the two groups in any of the HRQOL domains. There were significant improvements in mental health and social function for the patients without biochemical recurrence postoperatively. Repeated measure anova revealed significantly different patterns of alteration in several general HRQOL domains among the treatment groups. The urinary and bowel domains were equivalent between the two treatment groups at baseline and 24 months after RP. The patients treated with salvage hormonal therapy tended to show delayed recovery of sexual function.Conclusion:  Using a self‐administered questionnaire, biochemical recurrence following RP was found to impose a substantial burden in patients with localized prostate cancer.
Prostate‐specific antigen half‐life and pretreatment prostate‐specific antigen: Crucial predictors for prostate‐specific antigen trend in delayed‐combined androgen blockade therapy
Authors: Soga Norihito , Onishi Takehisa , Arima Kiminobu , Sugimura Yoshiki 
Published: April 2007

Purpose:  To elucidate the crucial predictors for prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) trends and determine the usage of anti‐androgen treatment during delayed‐combined androgen blockade (CAB) leading to a PSA level below 0.2 ng/mL.Materials and Methods:  From January 2001 to December 2004, 105 prostate cancer patients were enrolled. Medical castration and anti‐androgen treatment were used sequentially and termed delayed‐CAB. The first goal was to maintain an undetectable PSA level. The nadir PSA was determined after medical castration only. Anti‐androgen was given if a PSA level of more than 0.2 ng/mL was observed and the subsequent PSA response was assessed. All cases were divided into two groups based on whether the PSA was lower (n = 59) or higher (n = 46) than 0.2 ng/mL. An analysis of the difference between the two groups was calculated.Results:  The median of the initial PSA level in the lower group was lower than in the higher group with a 95% cut‐off level of 40 ng/mL. The median PSA half‐life in the lower group was also reduced with a 95% cut‐off of 3.6 months. In a multivariate analysis, the pretreatment PSA level and the PSA half‐life exhibited a significant correlation between the two groups. Anti‐androgen treatment was given to 26 cases in the higher group. The PSA increased in one case, decreased to less than 0.2 ng/mL in 17 cases and remained over 0.2 ng/mL in eight cases.Conclusion:  Both the PSA half‐life and the pretreatment PSA level were useful markers for predicting the PSA trends to determine the optimal use of anti‐androgen treatment during delayed‐CAB.
Technique of anterior urethra urethroplasty using tunica albuginea of corpora cavernosa
Authors: Mathur Raj Kumar , Himanshu Aggarwal , Sudarshan Odiya 
Published: April 2007

Objective:  Over previous years, urethral stricture has constantly created a great problem in efforts to find a permanent cure for it. We describe a technique of anterior urethroplasty using tunica albuginea of corpora cavernosa.Methods:  After a midline penoscrotal incision, the bulbar or penile urethra along with corpus spongiosum was dissected from the corpora cavernosa. Urethra was then rotated dorsally and the stricture was opened along its whole length. The walls of the slit urethra, along with the tunica albuginea of the corpus spongiosum, were sutured to the tunica albuginea of the corpora cavernosa at the 5 and 7 o'clock position after passing an all silicon catheter. We performed this technique on 79 male patients, having anterior urethral stricture, ranging 18–60 years of age (mean, 46 years). The etiology of stricture was trauma in 54, instrumentation in 12, infection in 10 and unknown in three. Follow ups were done at 4, 12 and 24 months by assessing patients' satisfaction rate along with a pre‐ and postoperative urethrogram, labeled as ‘good’, ‘fair’ and ‘poor’.Results:  Good and fair results were considered as successful. The overall success rate was 94.9%. The success rate remained same at 4 months (64 + 11) and decreased to 93.7% (63 + 11) at 12 months and 89.9% (61 + 10) at 24 months.Conclusion:  These observations show that anterior urethroplasty using tunica albuginea of corpora cavernosa have produced satisfactory results and are comparable with any other technique of urethroplasty. Thus, we strongly recommend the use of tunica albuginea of corpora cavernosa for anterior urethroplasty, which is histologically similar and anatomically located near the stricture.
Clinical and pathological data of 10 malignant pheochromocytomas: Long‐term follow up in a single institute
Authors: Huang Kuo‐How , Chung Shiu‐Dong , Chen Shyh‐Chyan , Chueh Shih‐Chieh , Pu Yeong‐Shiau , Lai Ming‐Kuen , Lin Wei‐Chou 
Published: April 2007

Background:  Malignant pheochromocytomas are rare. Many controversies still exists in clinical practice. We report the clinical and histological data of long‐term follow up in 10 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma.Methods:  The clinical charts of 10 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma from a single institute were reviewed. The diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was confirmed at surgery. All patients had metastases in sites where chromaffin tissue was normally absent.Results:  The median follow‐up period was 5.5 years (range, 2–20 years). Extra‐adrenal tumors occurred in four patients including paraganglioma tumors in three cases and bladder tumor in one case. Regional lymph node metastases were noted in six patients. Distant metastases were located in the lungs of two patients, in the bones of two patients and in the liver of one patient. Histological characteristics were not helpful for diagnosis of malignancy and for prediction of prognosis. Metastases were present in postoperative pathology in seven patients. In another three patients, metastases were discovered 6 months to 10 years after surgery. Three patients received chemotherapy and one patient received combination therapy of high‐dose 131I‐meta‐iodobenzylguanidine (131I‐MIBG) therapy and chemotherapy. All patients achieved long‐term survival except for two who died of metastasis 1.5 years and 2 years after diagnosis.Conclusions:  Early complete resection and adjunctive lymphadenectomy can cure malignancy. Close long‐term follow up for more than 10 years after surgery is necessary in patients with pheochromocytoma. The possibility of malignancy should be kept in mind even though the initial pathology is benign.
Impact of various modifiers on calcium oxalate crystallization
Authors: Kulaksizoglu Sevsen , Sofikerim Mustafa , Cevik Cemal 
Published: April 2007

Objective:  This work focuses on the behavior of in vitro calcium oxalate crystallization. The effects of several compounds on the kinetics of calcium oxalate crystallization were examined.Methods:  Rates of nucleation and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystals were derived from 30‐min time‐course measurements of optic density at 620 nm after mixing solutions containing calcium chloride and sodium oxalate at 37°C, pH 5.7. The maximum increase of optic density with time, termed SN, mainly reflects maximum rate of formation of new particles and thus crystal nucleation. After equilibrium has been reached, optic density decreases. No new particles were formed due to crystal aggregation. SA (the maximum slope of decrease of optic density at 620 nm with time, representing crystal aggregation) is derived from the maximum decrease in optic density.Results:  Among the modifiers studied, citrate decreased both SN and SA (P < 0.001). Magnesium was also found to inhibit the rate of nucleation and crystal aggregation, but it appeared in a non‐concentrated manner. Nucleation and aggregation inhibition ratios were related inversely to concentration of albumin (P < 0.001).Conclusion:  The growth and agglomeration of calcium oxalate crystals are differently modulated by various compounds. The treatments aiming at inhibiting crystallization of calcium oxalate can be better defined by these findings. And new treatment modalities can be developed.
Effects of olprinone, a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor, on ischemic acute renal failure
Authors: Anas Chabouk , Ozaki Takenori , Maruyama Shoichi , Yamamoto Tokunori , Gotoh Momokazu , Ono Yoshinari , Matsuo Seiichi 
Published: April 2007

Objective: Renal ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) is unavoidable and is still one of the major problems in renal transplantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of olprinone, a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor, on renal IRI.Methods: After a right nephrectomy, renal IRI was induced in rats. Olprinone was given in two different ways: sustained systemic administration and transient local administration to the kidney. Control rats were treated with saline. Using a magnifying endoscope, the renal blood flow speed was measured at 23 h after reperfusion. Then, blood samples were collected, and kidney specimens were taken for histological study. In order to study the mechanism, we performedin vitroexperiments, using human proximal renal tubular cells (HK‐2) incubated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α along with olprinone or saline, and interleukin (IL)‐8 was measured in the culture supernatant.Results: In the saline group, the blood flow speed (BFS) was greatly reduced compared to that in normal kidneys. In both olprinone‐treated groups, BFS of the renal microcirculation significantly increased, tubular damage and macrophage infiltration attenuated, and renal function greatly improved. Olprinone inhibited the increase in the IL‐8 levels resulting from the incubation of HK‐2 with TNF‐α.Conclusions: Our study successfully demonstrates that olprinone has renoprotective properties when applied locally as well as systemically. The results suggest that olprinone might be clinically useful in renal transplantation for the donor kidney, the recipient, and even in treating acute renal failure.
The pallial basal ganglia pathway modulates the behaviorally driven gene expression of the motor pathway
Authors: Kubikova Lubica , Turner Elena A. , Jarvis Erich D. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe discrete neural network for songbird vocal communication provides an effective system to study neural mechanisms of learned motor behaviors in vertebrates. This system consists of two pathways − a vocal motor pathway used to produce learned vocalizations and a vocal pallial basal ganglia loop used to learn and modify the vocalizations. However, it is not clear how the loop exerts control over the motor pathway. To study the mechanism, we used expression of the neural activity‐induced gene ZENK (or egr‐1), which shows singing‐regulated expression in a social context‐dependent manner: high levels in both pathways when singing undirected and low levels in the lateral part of the loop and in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) of the motor pathway when singing directed to another animal. Here, we show that there are two parallel interactive parts within the pallial basal ganglia loop, lateral and medial, which modulate singing‐driven ZENK expression of the motor pathway nuclei RA and HVC, respectively. Within the loop, the striatal and pallial nuclei appear to have opposing roles; the striatal vocal nucleus lateral AreaX is required for high ZENK expression in its downstream nuclei, particularly during undirected singing, while the pallial vocal lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium is required for lower expression, particularly during directed singing. These results suggest a dynamic molecular interaction between the basal ganglia pathway and the motor pathway during production of a learned motor behavior.
Activity regulates the expression of AMPA receptor subunit GluR4 in developing visual cortex
Authors: Akaneya Yukio 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn the developing visual cortex, the expression of α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluR4 precedes that of the other AMPAR subunits GluR1–3, and then declines to become almost absent in adults. The current study shows that the neuronal activity regulates the expression of GluR4 by a culture system in vitro and a dark‐rearing (DR) system in vivo. Membrane depolarization by treatment of cultured neurons of the visual cortex with a high concentration of KCl (35 mm; HK) promoted a decline in the expression of GluR4. This effect of HK on the expression of GluR4 was significantly blocked by the addition of an N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, (D)‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovaleric acid (APV), but not by the voltage‐sensitive calcium channel antagonist nifedipine. Moreover, the Ca2+–calmodulin‐dependent kinase (CaMKII) inhibitor KN62 and the cAMP‐dependent protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H‐89 blocked this effect, which suggests the involvement of Ca2+ influx via NMDAR and the subsequent activation of CaMKII and PKA. Conversely, the MAP kinase inhibitor PD98059 promoted the effect of HK on the expression of GluR4. Significantly, APV, KN62, H‐89 and PD98059 either promoted or inhibited the expression of GluR4 even in normal KCl (5 mm) conditions. The developmental change in the expression of GluR4 was significantly attenuated in DR in vivo, and the results suggest that neuronal activity such as visual experience may be involved in the mechanism of the expression of GluR4, which is mediated by NMDAR and tuned by certain protein kinases at an early developmental stage in the visual cortex.
Inhibitory effect of voluntary movement preparation on cutaneous heat pain and laser‐evoked potentials
Authors: Le Pera D. , Brancucci A. , De Armas L. , Del Percio C. , Miliucci R. , Babiloni C. , Restuccia D. , Rossini P. M. , Valeriani M. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn our study, preparation of voluntary movement was used to physiologically activate the motor cortex areas and the effect of this activation on CO2 laser‐evoked potentials (LEPs) was explored. LEPs were recorded from 31 scalp electrodes in 10 healthy subjects after painful stimulation of the right C6–C7 skin dermatomes. LEP stimuli were delivered in the time interval between a visual warning stimulus followed after 1 s. by an imperative stimulus. The imperative stimulus triggered: (i) no task in the baseline condition (Pain); (ii) flexion–extension movements of the second finger of the right hand in the movement condition (Pain + Movement); (iii) cognitive task (mathematic computation) in the distraction condition (Pain + Cognition). The experimental conditions were also repeated during application of laser stimuli on the left C6–C7 skin dermatomes. Compared with the baseline condition (no task required), during preparation of right‐hand voluntary movement there was a significant reduction in LEP amplitude and subjective pain rating after right‐ but not after left‐hand stimulation, which suggests that the observed effect cannot be attributed to a nonspecific reduction in attention toward painful stimulus. During preparation of a cognitive task, LEP amplitude was reduced compared to baseline. Our results represent the first neurophysiological suggestion that physiological activation of the motor cortex, occurring during movement preparation, inhibits cortical pain processing by a centrifugal mechanism.
Molecular markers distinguishing supragranular and infragranular layers in the human prefrontal cortex
Authors: Arion Dominique , Unger Travis , Lewis David A. , Mirnics Károly 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe human neocortex is organized into six layers that are differentiated by the size and packing density of their constituent neurons. The gene products that guide the establishment of this lamination have been studied extensively, but the gene expression gradients present across the layers of the adult human neocortex are mostly unknown. As the supragranular (SG) and infragranular (IG) layers of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) differ in their connectivity and developmental time course, we hypothesized that the SG and IG layers will show distinct differences in their transcriptomes. To test this prediction, we used laser capture microdissection coupled with DNA microarray transcriptome profiling. Sixty‐nine genes exhibited robust and highly consistent expression differences between the SG and IG layers. For six selected markers, in addition to validating the microarray findings, in situ hybridization revealed a complex, subpopulation‐specific neuronal distribution. The markers we identified are likely to be related to the functional differences between the SG and IG layers of the human PFC and can be used for assessing alterations in structure and function of this cortical region in human brain disorders.