Molecular cloning, tissue distribution and androgen regulation of rat protein C inhibitor

Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is the plasma serine protease inhibitor of activated protein C, the active enzyme of the anticoagulant protein C pathway. Recently, PCI was also detected in human seminal plasma and reproductive organs (testis, seminal vesicle and prostate) suggesting that PCI may also play an important role in the reproductive system. In this study, we cloned the full length of rat PCI cDNA, and determined its amino acid sequence and tissue distribution. We also evaluated the effect of androgen on PCI mRNA expression in seminal vesicles and testes. The isolated 2074-bp rat PCI cDNA was composed of a 47-bp 5'-non-coding region, a 1218-bp coding region of a 406-amino acid precursor protein, a stop codon and a 806-bp 3'-non-coding region. The deduced amino acid sequence of rat PCI showed 85.7%, 64.1% and 62.2% homology with that of mouse, rhesus monkey and human PCIs, respectively. Northern blot analysis showed that the rat PCI mRNA is expressed strongly in the seminal vesicle, moderately in the testis, but not in the liver. PCI mRNA expression in seminal vesicles and testes was found to increase during the process of development, suggesting that it is under androgen control. Subsequently, we examined the effect of castration and/or treatment with 17beta-estradiol or testosterone on PCI mRNA expression in the mature rat seminal vesicles. The PCI mRNA expression in seminal vesicles was significantly decreased after castration or 17beta-estradiol treatment. Testosterone itself did not affect PCI mRNA expression, but treatment in castrated rats significantly enhanced its mRNA expression. These findings suggest that the PCI gene expression in rat seminal vesicles is regulated by androgen.

[A case of renal cell carcinoma with metastasis in clivus presenting as diplopia]

We report a rare case of renal cell carcinoma presenting as diplopia which was caused by a metastasis to the clivus. A 58-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of diplopia. Head magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass in the clivus accompanied by bone destruction. Metastatic tumor to the skull base was suspected. Further examinations for the primary lesion revealed left renal cell carcinoma. He was relieved of diplopia by radiotherapy to the clivus and subsequently underwent left radical nephrectomy.

[Laparoscopic fenestration of lymphocele after renal transplantation: report of two cases]

Lymphocele after renal transplantation is a complication that often requires surgical treatment. We performed laparoscopic drainage for the postoperative lymphocele in two renal transplantation patients. The patients were suffering from perineal discomfort and urinary frequency due to the lymphocele after the renal transplantation. Percutaneous catheter drainages and injections of tissue sclerosing agents such as povidone-iodine solution and tetracycline were not effective. Then fenestration of the lymphocele by laparoscopic technique was done. This procedure made the lymphatic fluid free from the lymphocele in the retroperitoneal space to the peritoneal cavity following creation of a peritoneal window. There were no apparent complications. The patients were free from symptoms and had no relapse 10 months after the operation. We report the procedure and the results of the laparoscopic fenestration.

Spinal meningeal melanocytoma presenting with superficial siderosis of the central nervous system. Case report and review of the literature

Meningeal melanocytoma is a benign melanocytic tumor that originates most frequently from the melanocytes in the posterior fossa or along the spinal cord. This tumor generally occurs as an extraaxial mass that compresses adjacent neural structures to produce various neurological signs. The authors describe an unusual case in which a patient with a meningeal melanocytoma located at the thoracic spinal cord presented with superficial siderosis of the central nervous system (CNS). Extensive neuroradiological studies identified the presence of a spinal cord tumor, and postsurgical histological examination revealed the meningeal melanocytoma as a bleeding source. After surgery, lumbar puncture demonstrated normalization of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid; however, no neurological improvement occurred. The neurological deficits seem irreversible. Meningeal melanocytoma is biologically benign and can be cured by complete surgical resection; therefore, this tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis of pigmented lesions of the CNS. The authors reviewed 14 cases of well-documented meningeal melanocytoma in the literature and discuss the clinical, radiological, and pathological features of the present case to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and identification of the source of bleeding in patients with superficial siderosis.

Clinical similarities of hereditary progressive/dopa responsive dystonia caused by different types of mutations in the GTP cyclohydrolase I gene

OBJECTIVE

Hereditary progressive dystonia with pronounced diurnal fluctuation [(HPD)/dopa responsive dystonia (DRD)] is a childhood onset dystonia which responds to levodopa. Various clinical signs and symptoms of HPD/DRD have been recognised to date. Mutations in the GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTP-CH-I) gene were recently identified as the cause of HPD/ DRD. In the present study, the GTP-CH-I gene and the clinical features of eight HPD/DRD patients from six families were analysed to determine the correlations between clinical expression and the mutations in the GTP-CH-I gene.

METHODS

The exons, exon-intron junctions, and an indispensable part of the 5' flanking region of the GTP-CH-I gene were sequenced in the eight clinically diagnosed patients with HPD/DRD and their asymptomatic parents.

RESULTS

Three independent mutations in the GTP-CH-I gene were found in three patients. One of the patients and her asymptomatic mother were heterozygous for a novel mutation at the initiation codon. The three patients with dissimilar GTP-CH-I mutations exhibited similar clinical features. The other five patients with normal sequences presented several features not manifested by the three patients with the mutations. No mutation was found in the 5' flanking region of any patients or their parents.

CONCLUSIONS

A novel initiation codon mutation was found in a Japanese patient with HPD/DRD. The clinical manifestations common to the patients with HPD/ DRD with a mutated GTP-CH-I gene were also identified. Although focal manifestations of HPD/DRD associated with the mutations of this gene will be broadened, it is inferred that these clinical features are fundamental to HPD/DRD caused by mutations in this gene.

Normal bladder wall morphology in Gd-DTPA-enhanced clinical MR imaging using an endorectal surface coil and histological assessment of submucosal linear enhancement using [14C]Gd-DOTA autoradiography in an animal model

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate normal bladder wall morphology in gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using an endorectal surface coil and to perform histological assessment of submucosal linear enhancement with experimental [14C]-gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecane-tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) autoradiography.

METHODS AND MATERIAL

MR imaging of the bladder was performed using an endorectal coil in 13 consecutive patients with bladder carcinoma and T1-, T2-, and Gd-DTPA-enhanced spin-echo images of the bladder wall were compared. After injection of [14C]Gd-DOTA into a hamster, autoradiograms of the bladder wall were obtained and compared with serial histological sections.

RESULTS

The normal bladder wall appeared as a homogeneous layer of intermediate intensity on T1-weighted images. After administration of Gd-DTPA, the bladder wall was visualized as three layers: an inner thin layer of low intensity, a middle layer of marked enhancement, and a thick outer layer of intermediate intensity. The autoradiograms demonstrated dense accumulation of [14C]Gd-DOTA in the submucosal layer. Thus, the inner, middle, and outer layers corresponded to the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis propria, respectively. The thickness of the bladder wall demonstrated on T2-weighted images was almost equal to that of the outer layer on enhanced T1-weighted images. Thus, T2-weighted images revealed only the muscle layer as an intermediate-intensity band. In the preliminary clinical study, MR imaging invariably showed accurate stages of the bladder carcinoma in 13 patients.

CONCLUSION

In MR imaging of the normal bladder wall, the submucosa was strikingly enhanced after Gd-DTPA administration, separating the bladder wall into three layers. This may have a potential role in the staging of bladder tumors.

[Percutaneous sclerotherapy for chyluria with leg edema: a case report]

A 45-year-old woman with left leg edema was admitted to our hospital because of chyluria from the previous year. Her left leg edema appeared after Caesarean section for her first delivery and hysterectomy at the age of 31. Because microfilaria was not detected, she was diagnosed with postoperative lymphangiomatosis. The instillation of 0.1-0.5% silver nitrate into the renal pelvis was not effective. We however, after percutaneous sclerotherapy to the left inguinal lymph nodes with doxycycline, the chyluria disappeared and her left leg edema improved. Then, the surplus skin of her left lower leg was resected. We considered percutaneous sclerotherapy to be a good procedure for chyluria due to postoperative lymphangiomatosis.

[A case of metastatic ureteral tumor from rectal cancer]

A 67-year-old man was referred for further examination of left hydronephrosis. He had undergone anterior resection for rectal cancer 2 years previously and also right lobectomy for a solitary hepatic metastasis one year postoperatively. Antegrade pyelography demonstrated a filling defect in middle portion of the left ureter. Cytology of the aspirated urine was class V. Left nephrourete-rectomy was performed. Histologically metastatic adenocarcinoma with intact ureteral mucosa was demonstrated.

[Bone metabolism and phosphorus metabolism in patients with prostate cancer: paracrine and endocrine effects produced by prostate neoplasm]

We examined whether paracrine factors produced by prostate cancer cells can modulate bone metabolism in proportion to the volume of cancer cells in bone metastasis. Endocrine factors produced by prostate cancer cells affect both phosphate and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D metabolisms. Levels of urine pyridinoline (U-Pyr) excretion and serum carboxy-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1CP) in patients with bone metastasis were significantly higher than those in patients without bone metastasis (P < 0.05). In patients with bone metastasis (n = 17), serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were significantly correlated with the levels of U-Pyr and urine deoxypyridinoline (U-dPyr) excretion, serum cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (1CTP), and P1CP levels (p < 0.05). However, serum PSA levels were not correlated with U-Pyr, U-dPyr excretions, serum 1CTP and P1CP levels in patients without bone metastasis. Therefore, prostate cancer cells appear to have some paracrine effects on bone cells. In controls (n = 15), serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels (1,25-(OH)2D) were inversely correlated with serum phosphorus levels (P < 0.01). In prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis, the ability to regulate the serum 1,25-(OH)2D levels in response to serum phosphorus levels is lost. These results suggest that endocrine factors produced by prostate cancer cells disturb the regulation of serum 1,25-(OH)2D in response to serum phosphorus levels.

[A case of asynchronous quadruple cancer arising from the prostate, stomach, rectum and urinary bladder]

Herein, we report a case of quadruple cancer arising from the prostate, stomach, rectum and urinary bladder. A 92-year-old man was admitted to our hospital on March, 1996, with complaints of macroscopic hematuria and micturition pain. He had a history of prostate cancer (no details) at the age of 67, and subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer (tubular adenocarcinoma, conclusive stage Ia) at the age of 89. He underwent a polypectomy for rectal cancer (well-differentiated adenocarcinoma)2 at the age of 90. There was no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis of these three carcinomas. Cystoscopy revealed multiple papillary tumors which were resected transurethrally. At the same time transrectal needle biopsy of prostate was performed. Pathology revealed transitional cell carcinoma G2 of urinary bladder and well differentiated adenocarcinoma of prostate. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient has been doing well without recurrence of bladder cancer during the follow-up period of six months.

[Detection of mutation in dystrophin gene in Duchenne muscular dystrophy--multiplex PCR and Southern blot analysis]

The genetic defect responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can be identified as a partial deletion of the dystrophin gene in 50% of cases, or as a partial duplication in a further 10%. Multiplex PCR has been applied to screening of mutations in dystrophin gene, and it can identify 98% of deletions detected by Southern blot analysis. However, PCR cannot be available for quantifying DNA, so that detection of carrier status or duplication cannot be identified by multiplex PCR. Quantitative analysis of Southern blot hybridization is the most widely used and reliable method for detection of carrier and duplication mutation in dystrophin gene, but this method is a technically demanding procedure.

Incidence of urolithiasis in northeast Thailand

BACKGROUND

Urolithiasis is a major health problem in the northeast part of Thailand. In this study, we examined the prevalence of renal stone disease and differences of urinary components between stone formers and healthy control subjects in northeastern rural areas of Thailand.

METHODS

We selected 3 villages in the rural areas of Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand. Three hundred and sixty-seven persons were asked questions relating to urolithiasis and were examined by abdominal ultrasound (US). We collected a spot urine sample from stone formers and healthy control subjects from each village.

RESULTS

Abnormal findings by US were detected in 39 individuals (10.6%), and included 31 individuals with renal calculi (8.4%), 16 with hydronephrosis (4.4%), and 1 individual with a renal cyst (0.3%). This yielded a disease rate of urinary stones in this study of 16.9%. The male/female ratio was 2/1 and the average age of the individuals examined was 40.3 +/- 13.9 years. However, there was no significant difference between the urinary parameters of stone formers and the healthy control subjects.

CONCLUSION

There was a high incidence of renal stone disease in the northeast part of Thailand, but the tendency for hypocitraturia was only found in stone formers.

[A case of bilateral renal infarction]

A 67-year-old woman was admitted with aching pain in her left flank and nausea. Bilateral renal infarctions were noticed by CT scan and arteriography. Selective intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy was performed. Urokinase (UK) was administered through a balloon catheter embedded into the occlusive segment of the left renal artery selectively. UK (20,000 units/hour) was continuously infused after short-term high dose UK (360,000) infusion. In spite of recanalization of the occluded artery, CT scan and renoscintigraphy image did not suggest recovery of renal function. Conservative intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy is considered to be the most effective treatment for renal infarction.

[Selective transcatheter embolization for renal artery aneurysms: report of three cases]

Selective transcatheter embolization using an interlocking detachable coil (IDC) or detachable balloon was performed in three patients with renal artery aneurysms. All aneurysms were of the saccular type, located on segmental branches of the renal artery. After the embolization procedures, the levels of LDH, GOT, WBC and the body temperature were transitionally elevated in all patients. Complete occlusion of the aneurysms were achieved in all cases. Good clinical results were achieved in two of these patients without any renal dysfunction. However, local infarction of ipsilateral renal parenchyma occurred in one patient immediately after the embolization and a Tc-99m-DMSA renal scintigraphy study suggested renal dysfunction after infarction, and the level of serum renin activity was slightly elevated. Selective transcatheter embolization may constitute an acceptable therapeutic approach for renal artery aneurysms because beside avoiding surgery, it has a low risk of complications.

Balloon-occluded arterial infusion as a useful neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the balloon-occluded arterial infusion (BOAI) of cisplatin and adriamycin as a preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with bladder cancer of stage > or = T2 or in those with stage T1 and multiple large tumours.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study comprised 120 patients with bladder cancer who underwent BOAI from November 1984 to December 1995. BOAI chemotherapy (adriamycin and cisplatin) was administered under ischaemia through a 7 F torque-control balloon catheter, both sides of which were inserted into the contralateral internal iliac artery. The regression rate of tumours and any improvement in tumour stage was assessed.

RESULTS

The clinical response rate (complete or partial) was 66% and the tumour stage improved in 39% of the patients after BOAI. Of 26 patients with stage T3 a diagnosed before BOAI, 12 were diagnosed as T2 or less after treatment. Of 27 patients who underwent total cystectomy because the tumour was diagnosed as T2 after BOAI, the post-operative histopathological examination showed that 22 (82%) were stage pT1 or below. The features associated with a good response to BOAI in patients with up to pT3a disease were grade 3, non-papillary tumours with a diameter of < 3 cm.

CONCLUSION

In patients diagnosed as stage T2 and T3a, or stage T1 with multiple large tumours difficult to be treat by transurethral resection, BOAI should be considered as the first choice to decrease the stage or to confirm the pathological staging.

[Evaluation of renal cystic mass on ultrasonogram and computed tomogram: usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging and renal angiography--category III by Bosniak: report of 5 cases]

Bosniak classification of renal cystic massesis an extremely useful management tool. Of category I-IV by Bosniak, category III lesion is moderately complicated cyst, which cannot be confidently distinguished from malignancy radiologically. Here, we reviewed the clinical course of 5 patients with pathologically proven category III mass by Bosniak in order to evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and renal angiography. Two of the 5 lesions were benign (hemorrhagic cyst) and the other were malignant (RCC). On MRI, the results of 5 lesions were true positive in 1 and false negative in 2. On angiography, the results were true positive in 2 and false negative in 1. MRI has an important role in detection of mass. Angiography is necessary for making a definitive diagnosis of the indeterminate renal cystic masses on US and CT as RCC, but cannot increase enough diagnostic confidence in small cystic renal masses. We experienced indeterminate 2 masses (case 1 and 4) on these four imaging techniques, which were RCC and hemorrhagic cyst, respectively. In category III lesions, if malignant finding was detected by MRI or angiography, we believe that surgical exploration should be performed. But, an absolute decision tree for management of the complicated renal cystic mass has not been published, and further investigation should be required.

[A case of xanthogranuloma of the urinary bladder following herniorrhaphy]

We report a case of xanthogranuloma of the bladder following herniorrhaphy. The patient complained of urinary frequency, residual feeling, and presented with a solid mass located on the dome of the bladder. He had undergone previous inguinal herniorrhaphy. Transurethral biopsy revealed an inflammatory change. Partial cystectomy was carried out for en bloc removal of the tumor. The histological diagnosis was xanthogranuloma of the bladder. Postoperatively, the symptoms disappeared. This is the sixth case report of xanthogranuloma of the urinary bladder and the first case following herniorrhaphy in the Japanese literature.

[Bladder cancer associated with von Recklinghausen's disease: a case report]

A 53-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with urinary frequency and miction pain. He had von Recklinghausen's disease with multiple café-au-lait spots and neurofibromatosis. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an invasive bladder tumor 10 cm in diameter, and not metastasis. He was diagnosed as having a bladder tumor (T3a N0 M0 with von Recklinghausen's disease. After balloon occluded arterial infusion (BOAI) chemotherapy, total cystectomy was performed. Pathological diagnosis was transitional cell carcinoma, G3, pT3aN0M0. We reviewed and discussed 97 cases of carcinoma associated with von Recklinghausen's disease reported in the Japanese literature. Only 5 cases of bladder cancer have been reported, including the present case.

Differences in the p53 gene mutational spectra of prostate cancers between Japan and Western countries

Mutations of the p53 gene are related to development of human cancers and their frequencies and spectra, the latter representing fingerprints left by carcinogens, provide information about the molecular epidemiology of the disease. Prostate cancer is the most common neoplasm in American males and although its incidence is still relatively low in Japanese people, it has recently been increasing with the westernization of life style. To assess the frequency and spectrum of p53 gene mutations in Japanese prostate cancers, we examined a series of 90 lesions using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. The patients' mean age was 69.3 years (range 57-87). Of the total, six were well-, 34 moderately- and 50 poorly-differentiated adenocarcinomas, and the median Gleason score was 7.9. Eleven of the 90 cases (12%) had mutations in exons 2-11 of the p53 gene: none of the five clinical-stage A, one of 25 stage B (4%), three of 35 stage C (9%) and seven of 25 stage D (28%) cancers. The correlation with an advanced stage was statistically significant. One insertion and 10 base pair substitutions were encountered, comprising six transversions (55%) and four transitions (36%). Two of the latter involved methylated cytosine-guanine (CpG). These 11 mutations were combined with 18 other mutations in previous reports concerning Japanese prostate cancers to facilitate comparison of the p53 gene mutational spectrum with those reported for American and European prostate cancers. In the latter, 61% were transitions and 33% were transversions. The greater proportion of transversions in the Japanese population suggests that there are different factors responsible for carcinogenesis of the prostate glands in the various countries.

[Clinical investigation of prostatic cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy: analysis of patients in the Tokai Urological Cancer Registry]

Between 1989 and 1991, 815 cases of prostatic carcinoma were registered in the Tokai Urological Cancer Registry. We investigated the clinical features and prognosis of 69 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. The median age and clinical stage, were 65.9 +/- 4.7 years and A in 7 patients, 66.3 +/- 5.8 years and B in 31, 68.2 +/- 2.7 years and C in 26, 63.4 +/- 13.5 years and N(+) in 5. Neoadjuvant therapy consisting of endocrine therapy and chemoendocrine therapy was administered to 28 and 14 patients, respectively. In comparison to the clinical stage, pathologically, 4 cases (9.5%) showed downstaging or overstaging, 15 (35.7%) understaging and 23 (54.8%) accurate staging in the neoadjuvant therapy group, and, respectively, 2 (7.4%), 12 (44.4%) and 13 (48.2%) in the non-neoadjuvant therapy group. There was a significant difference in the pretreatment prostatic antigen (PA) value between pT0 and pT3 (p < 0.05), between pT0 and pN(+) (p < 0.01) and between pT2 and pN(+) (p < 0.05). In addition, the pretreatment PA value in the recurrence group was higher than that in the non-recurrence group in both neoadjuvant and non-neoadjuvant groups, with a significant difference (p < 0.01) in the neoadjuvant group. Cancer recurrence was noticed in 2 patients given non-neoadjuvant therapy and 3 given neoadjuvant therapy. There was no significant difference in the non-recurrence rate with the pathological stage either with or without neoadjuvant therapy. However, the non-recurrence rate in the neoadjuvant therapy group was higher than that in the non-neoadjuvant therapy group.

[Clinical statistics of living and cadaveric renal transplantation at the Department of Urology, Mie University School of Medicine]

A statistic survey was made on the clinical results of living and cadaveric renal transplantations performed at our department between October 1980 and June 1996. A total of 38 patients received 6 living and 32 cadaveric renal transplants. The graft and patient survival rates of a living renal transplantation were 83.3% and 100% at 3 years, respectively. The graft survival rate of cadaveric renal transplantation was 66.3% at 3 years and 56.0% at 5 years. In a cadaveric renal transplantation, patients with episodes of acute rejection within 12 months showed a significantly worse graft survival rate. This clinical parameter seems to be a prognostic factor for a long-term graft survival.

[Difference of new mutation rates in dystrophin gene between deletion and duplication mutation in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy]

To clarify new mutational rates in the dystrophin gene between deletion and duplication mutations, carrier diagnosis was performed on 123 mothers of probands suffered from Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophy. Quantitative Southern blot analysis with cDNA probes was applied in this study. Out of 108 mothers of DMD/BMD patients with deletion mutation in dystrophin gene, 69 were carriers and 39 were non-carriers. On the other hands, all of 15 mothers of probands with duplication mutation were carriers. The fact that no new mutation occurred in oogenesis in the families with duplication mutations in dystrophin gene indicates that duplications arise in spermatogenesis. The risk of the mother of an isolated case of DMD/BMD with duplication mutation of being a carrier is significantly higher than the estimated risk based on the equality of new mutation in oogenesis and spermatogenesis.