Solitary fibrous tumors arising in abdominal wall hernia sacs

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the peritoneum is an unusual spindle-cell neoplasm. SFT was originally described in the pleura; however it is now diagnosed in multiple extrathoracic sites. Most believe that the tumor is of mesenchymal origin and should be classified as a variant of fibroma. SFT of the pleura and peritoneum have also been called fibrous mesothelioma, and the cell of origin is felt to be a pluripotential submesothelial mesenchymal cell. Primary tumors arising in hernia sacs are rare, and we report on two patients with hernia SFT. The first is a 67-year-old man who had a diffusely thickened distal left inguinal hernia sac. Within the sac was copious myxoid material mimicking pseudomyxoma peritonei. Herniorrhaphy and orchiectomy were performed. The second is a 44-year-old woman with a midepigastric mass attached to a ventral hernia. Wide local excision was performed. Both tumors demonstrated plump spindle cells, one with myxoid background and the other with keloidal collagen. Calretinin immunostaining was positive in both tumors, whereas CD34 was negative. This suggests tumor origin from a submesothial pluripotential cell that maintains potential for mesothelial differentiation. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice with the degree of resectability being a powerful predictor of outcome.

Myocardial perfusion and angiographic correlations in patients with ST-segment elevation during dobutamine stress perfusion imaging

BACKGROUND

There is scanty information on the angiographic and myocardial perfusion correlates of dobutamine-induced ST-segment elevation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We studied 39 patients who exhibited ST-segment elevation during dobutamine perfusion tomography and had recent coronary angiography performed (ie, within 3 months of the dobutamine study). Baseline characteristics, extent of coronary artery disease, relationship of Q waves to ST-segment elevation, ischemic burden, and angiographic findings were assessed. Twenty-nine patients (74%) had prior myocardial infarction, and 77% had abnormal Q waves at baseline. Ninety-three percent of patients had abnormal perfusion imaging. Eighty percent of patients had multivessel coronary artery disease. The left ventricular ejection fraction by contrast ventriculography was 35% +/- 7% (mean +/- SD), the perfusion defect size was 32% +/- 15%, and 73% of patients had some degree of myocardial ischemia. A predominance of ischemia (>50% reversibility) occurred in 38% of patients with Q waves and in 70% of those without Q waves. There was also good agreement between the site of ST-segment elevation and the site of ischemia by perfusion imaging (79%) and between the site of ST-segment elevation and the location of the vessel with significant coronary stenosis (95%).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with dobutamine-induced ST-segment elevation have a depressed left ventricular ejection fraction, a high frequency of multivessel disease, and markedly abnormal myocardial perfusion tomography. In patients with ST-segment elevation and abnormal Q waves, substantial scarring and superimposed ischemia coexist, whereas in patients without Q waves, ST-segment elevation usually denotes severe ischemia.

Future C.E.O.'s in year 2002

Chief Executive Officers of mental health facilities have been interested civil leaders. Many doctors have accepted C.E.O. positions in our history. Today the competitions out to see who will be the future's C.E.O.'s. The rumors run from lawyers to clinicians from many of the hospital's disciplines and from purely administrative side of the hospitals management system. It will not be unusual to see more Ph.D., M.B.A.'s, or M.D., M.P.A. or M.S., M.H.A. degree combinations in year 2002.

Nuances for differences between future C.E.O.'s and middle managers' styles and training

The success of the administrators in the future depends on their ability to motivate people to do better with less. They will be required to promote a good work environment in the midst of cutbacks, layoffs, and continued threats of layoffs. To reach their goals, they will work with staff members that face day to day uncertainties regardless of how hard they work. C.E.O.'s must convince them to continue to do their best in these stressful environments.

Marketing your services

Healthcare managers are debating whether marketing improves their ability to provide services. To reach both short and long range goals, marketing concepts can be useful management tools. Managers who understand the marketing process will be able to interpret their ability to use marketing to increase market share or to obtain greater resources from their governing boards.

Issues of accountability in mental health administration

The issue of accountability in state hospitals and state schools-hospitals can be expected to remain paramount in the future. Almost all areas of mental health services are being scrutinized by consumers who are demanding more for their money. From the Perspective of the mental administrator consumers will have to become a more meaningful part of the decision making process to produce productive changes in these human service fields. Thus, to this end, human service institutions must have the ability to function as open systems and must develop a sense of responsiveness to their consumers' needs.

Role integration and perceived health in Asian American women caregivers

In this study, role involvement, role integration (including role stress and role satisfaction), and perceived health were examined in 50 Asian American women who were caregivers of aging parents in addition to being wives, mothers, and employees. Their mean age was 47.8 years. Twenty-nine of the participants were Chinese and 21 Filipino, with an average length of caregiving for each group of 11 years. All participants were born outside the United States. Instruments used in the study were translated and back-translated into Chinese and Tagalog and tested for validity and reliability. The association of role involvement, role integration, role stress, and role satisfaction with perceived physical and psychological health in the combined and separate groups was examined. Role involvement was not associated with health in the combined group of caregivers but was associated with overall health in the sample of Chinese women. Role integration was positively associated with all three perceived health measures in the Filipino group but not in the Chinese group. Role satisfaction was consistently high in both groups. Role satisfaction and psychological well-being were significantly correlated for the combined group and for the Filipino caregivers. Total role stress was significantly correlated with overall health and current health only in the combined group. Thus, support that helps to decrease role stress and to increase role satisfaction may be more effective than efforts to decrease the extent of role involvement.

Rice 1Cys-peroxiredoxin over-expressed in transgenic tobacco does not maintain dormancy but enhances antioxidant activity

Possible functions that have been proposed for the plant 1Cys-peroxiredoxin, include activity as a dormancy regulator and as an antioxidant. The transcript level of rice 1Cys-peroxiredoxin (R1C-Prx) rapidly decreased after imbibition of rice seeds, but the protein was detected for 15 days after imbibition. To investigate the function of this protein, we generated transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing the R1C-Prx gene. The transgenic R1C-Prx plants showed a germination frequency similar to control plants. However, the transgenic lines exhibited higher resistance against oxidative stress, suggesting that antioxidant activity may be its primary function.

Correlation between ICAM-1 and functional recovery of piglet myocardium with leukocyte-depleted reperfusion

BACKGROUND

Reperfusion injury involves leukocyte-endothelial interaction mediated by cell adhesion molecules. This study was designed to determine the time course of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression and the functional recovery of myocardium when reperfused with leukocyte depleted whole blood.

METHODS

Sixteen neonatal piglet hearts were harvested and stored with 4 degrees C cold University of Wisconsin Solution (UWS) for 12 hours. An ex vivo model consisting of an isolated working heart perfusion circuit, roller pumps, and a membrane oxygenator, was used for reperfusion. Atrial tissues were taken for staining ICAM-1. The stroke work index (SWI) was calculated during 4 hours of reperfusion. Two groups (group 1: reperfused with whole blood, group 2: with leukocyte depleted blood) were compared.

RESULTS

The differences of ICAM-1 expression between group 1 and 2 were significant at 3 and 4 hours of reperfusion (p < 0.05). The differences of the mean stroke work indices were significant at 2, 3, and 4 hours after reperfusion (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Leukocyte-depleted reperfusion attenuates the expression of ICAM-1 and reduces the time-dependent functional deterioration of the myocardium. These results suggest that adhesion molecule like ICAM-1 plays a major role in deteriorating myocardial function during the reperfusion, possibly by leukocyte-mediated inflammatory process.

Functional neuroimaging studies of reading and reading disability (developmental dyslexia)

Converging evidence from a number of neuroimaging studies, including our own, suggest that fluent word identification in reading is related to the functional integrity of two consolidated left hemisphere (LH) posterior systems: a dorsal (temporo-parietal) circuit and a ventral (occipito-temporal) circuit. This posterior system is functionally disrupted in developmental dyslexia. Reading disabled readers, relative to nonimpaired readers, demonstrate heightened reliance on both inferior frontal and right hemisphere posterior regions, presumably in compensation for the LH posterior difficulties. We propose a neurobiological account suggesting that for normally developing readers the dorsal circuit predominates at first, and is associated with analytic processing necessary for learning to integrate orthographic features with phonological and lexical-semantic features of printed words. The ventral circuit constitutes a fast, late-developing, word identification system which underlies fluent word recognition in skilled readers.

Effect of Fiber-Polymer Interactions on Fracture Toughness Behavior of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites

The effect of anodic oxidation on high-strength polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers has been studied in terms of fiber surface energetics and fracture toughness of the composites. According to contact angle measurements based on the wicking rate of a test liquid, anodic oxidation leads to an increase in surface free energy, mainly due to the increase of its specific (or polar) component. For the carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin matrix system, a direct linear relationship is shown between the specific component and the critical stress intensity factor measured by the single edge notched beam fracture toughness test. From a surface-energetic point of view, the anodic treatment may be suitable for carbon fibers incorporated in a polar organic matrix, resulting in an increased specific component of the surface free energy. Good wetting plays an important role in improving the degree of adhesion at interfaces between fibers and matrices of the resulting composites. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

A threshold method to improve standardized uptake value reproducibility

Although standardized uptake values (SUV) are widely used to quantify the uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in tumours, there are systematic differences in the way this index is applied by different investigators. The aims of this study were to compare the effects of using maximum or mean region counts in the calculation of SUV and to investigate an alternative technique based on a fixed fraction of the maximum counts. Simulated PET projections of the thorax were generated together with spherical lesions that varied in diameter from 1.6 to 4.8 cm with uptake values of 2, 4 and 8. The lesion SUVs were determined using either the maximum (SUVmax) or mean count (SUVmean) values found in regions circumscribing the lesion. In addition, average values were calculated that only included region pixels that exceeded a selected fraction of maximum value (SUV0.6max or SUV0.75max). These methods were also applied to six clinical 18F-FDG PET studies with a total of 12 lesions. The SUVs for these lesions were determined independently by four observers. Decreases with respect to SUVmax of 57%, 23% and 14% were found for SUVmean, SUV0.6max and SUV0.75max approaches respectively in the simulation study. The variation in SUVmean with region size was 35%, while the SUV0.6max and SUV0.75max was less than 3%. Similar results were obtained for the clinical data. We conclude that the proposed technique produces SUVs that are essentially independent of lesion region size and shape. It is expected that this will provide a more stable and reliable result than current approaches.

Vasoconstrictive eicosanoid responses to extracorporeal circulation with or without an oxygenator in fetal lambs

INTRODUCTION

This study measured levels of vasoconstrictive eicosanoids during ovine fetal cardiac bypass and compared the measurements between two groups: (1) a group in which the placenta functioned as the only source of oxygen supply during the bypass (the placenta group), and (2) a group in which an artificial oxygenator, instead of the placenta, was included in the bypass circuit (the oxygenator group).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 16 fetal lambs were randomly assigned into either the oxygenator group or the placenta group. Following anesthesia, the fetal cardiac bypass procedure was performed. The placenta group used a centrifugal pump as the pumping device without an oxygenator during the bypass. The bypass circuit in the oxygenator group consisted of a roller pump and a membrane oxygenator. The fetal cardiac bypass procedure was performed for 30 minutes at normothermia in both groups. For the measurements of thromboxane B2(TXB2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), blood samples were taken before the bypass, at 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 30 minutes after the start of cardiac bypass, and at 15 minutes after weaning from the bypass. TXB2 and PGE2 levels were determined by radioimmunoassay with PGE2(125I) and TXB2(125I) assay systems. Hemodynamic observations and arterial blood gas analyses were done every 10 minutes.

RESULTS

The mean arterial pressure and heart rate ranged from 69.8 to 82.6 mmHg and 169 to 182/min during the bypass in the oxygenator group, and from 14.4 to 44.7 mmHg and 64.3 to 75/min in the placenta group. Arterial blood gas analysis showed severe hypercapnia and hypoxemia with acidosis during and after the bypass in the placenta group. Bypass flow rates were maintained at 140.3-164.0 ml/kg/min in the oxygenator group, while flow rates were suboptimal (74.3-97.0 ml/kg/min) in the placenta group. There were no statistically significant differences in PGE2 concentrations before, during, or after bypass, although the placenta group displayed a tendency to higher measurements during bypass, compared to the oxygenator group. The placenta group also showed higher TXB2 measurements than the oxygenator group during the bypass (p = 0.0457).

CONCLUSIONS

We have demonstrated increase measurements of PGE2 and TXB2 in the placenta group when compared with the oxygenator group in an ovine fetal cardiac bypass model, although the PGE2 difference failed to reach statistical significance.

Catastrophic outcomes of noncardiac surgery soon after coronary stenting

OBJECTIVES

To assess the clinical course of patients who have undergone coronary stent placement less than six weeks before noncardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND

Surgical and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty revascularization performed before high-risk noncardiac surgery is expected to reduce perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality. Perioperative and postoperative complications in patients who have undergone coronary stenting before a noncardiac surgery have not been studied.

METHODS

Forty patients who underwent coronary stent placement less than six weeks before noncardiac surgery requiring a general anesthesia were included in the study (1-39 days, average: 13 days). The records were screened for the occurrence of adverse clinical events, including myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, peri- and postoperative bleeding and death.

RESULTS

In 40 consecutive patients meeting the study criteria, there were seven myocardial infarctions (MIs), 11 major bleeding episodes and eight deaths. All deaths and MIs, as well as 8/11 bleeding episodes, occurred in patients subjected to surgery fewer than 14 days from stenting. Four patients expired after undergoing surgery one day after stenting. Based on electrocardiogram, enzymatic and angiographic evidence, stent thrombosis accounted for most of the fatal events. The time between stenting and surgery appeared to be the main determinant of outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Postponing elective noncardiac surgery for two to four weeks after coronary stenting should permit completion of the mandatory antiplatelet regimen, thereby reducing the risk of stent thrombosis and bleeding complications.

Effect of angiopeptin and aspirin on accelerated graft atherosclerosis in transplanted mouse heart

In this study of the inhibitory effects of angiopeptin and aspirin on the development of accelerated graft atherosclerosis (AGAS), 22 B10.BR mice received intra-abdominal heterotopic heart transplants from B10.A mice, without immunosuppression. Group 1 (n = 5) received no pharmacological intervention, Group 2 (n = 6) was treated with angiopeptin, Group 3 (n = 5) with aspirin, and Group 4 (n = 6) with both. There was no significant difference in the incidence of AGAS among these groups. The magnitude of intimal lesion development showed less narrowing of large vessels (> 100 microns in diameter) in groups 2 and 4--i.e. the groups received angiopeptin (Group 1 = 46.9 +/- 9.3%, Group 2 = 28.5 +/- 9.2%, Group 3 = 44.1 +/- 10.9%, Group 4 = 24.2 +/- 5.9%; p < 0.01). Comparison of the fraction of tropomyosin-positive staining cells in the intima revealed a lesser degree of staining in Group 2 (p < 0.01). No intervention was effective in preventing smooth muscle cell proliferation in the media or inflammatory cell infiltration in the adventitia. In conclusion, our data suggest that angiopeptin is effective in the direct inhibition of intimal smooth muscle cell proliferation in relatively large vessels, whereas aspirin exhibits no inhibitory role in the progression of AGAS. Angiopeptin appears to be a potential therapeutic agent for inhibiting the progression of postoperative AGAS in clinical heart transplantation.

Genomic structure of the adult-onset type II citrullinemia gene, SLC25A13, and cloning and expression of its mouse homologue

Citrullinemia is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by an argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) deficiency. Adult-onset type II citrullinemia (CTLN2) is a form of the disease that is defined by a quantitative decrease in ASS protein, but with normal kinetic properties. The gene causing CTLN2 (SLC25A13) was identified by positional cloning (from 7q21.3) and found to encode a putative calcium-dependent mitochondrial carrier protein. To facilitate mutation analysis, here we describe the intron-exon boundaries of the human SLC25A13 gene. We have also cloned and characterized the mouse homologue (Slc25a13), which is predicted to encode a protein of 676 amino acids with 96% amino acid identity to SLC25A13. RNA in situ hybridization analysis shows that Slc25a13 is expressed in the branchial arches, as well as the limb and tail buds, during mouse embryonic development (E10.5). At E13.5 expression of Slc25a13 is most predominant in epithelial structures, in addition to the forebrain, kidney, and liver.

LAT is required for tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase cgamma2 and platelet activation by the collagen receptor GPVI

In the present study, we have addressed the role of the linker for activation of T cells (LAT) in the regulation of phospholipase Cgamma2 (PLCgamma2) by the platelet collagen receptor glycoprotein VI (GPVI). LAT is tyrosine phosphorylated in human platelets heavily in response to collagen, collagen-related peptide (CRP), and FcgammaRIIA cross-linking but only weakly in response to the G-protein-receptor-coupled agonist thrombin. LAT tyrosine phosphorylation is abolished in CRP-stimulated Syk-deficient mouse platelets, whereas it is not altered in SLP-76-deficient mice or Btk-deficient X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) human platelets. Using mice engineered to lack the adapter LAT, we showed that tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk and Btk in response to CRP was maintained in LAT-deficient platelets whereas phosphorylation of SLP-76 was slightly impaired. In contrast, tyrosine phosphorylation of PLCgamma2 was substantially reduced in LAT-deficient platelets but was not completely inhibited. The reduction in phosphorylation of PLCgamma2 was associated with marked inhibition of formation of phosphatidic acid, a metabolite of 1,2-diacylglycerol, phosphorylation of pleckstrin, a substrate of protein kinase C, and expression of P-selectin in response to CRP, whereas these parameters were not altered in response to thrombin. Activation of the fibrinogen receptor integrin alpha(IIb)beta(3) in response to CRP was also reduced in LAT-deficient platelets but was not completely inhibited. These results demonstrate that LAT tyrosine phosphorylation occurs downstream of Syk and is independent of the adapter SLP-76, and they establish a major role for LAT in the phosphorylation and activation of PLCgamma2, leading to downstream responses such as alpha-granule secretion and activation of integrin alpha(IIb)beta(3). The results further demonstrate that the major pathway of tyrosine phosphorylation of SLP-76 is independent of LAT and that there is a minor, LAT-independent pathway of tyrosine phosphorylation of PLCgamma2. We propose a model in which LAT and SLP-76 are required for PLCgamma2 phosphorylation but are regulated through independent pathways downstream of Syk.

Inhibition of initiation of simian virus 40 DNA replication in vitro by the ursodeoxycholic acid and its derivatives

In this study, the effects of the ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), and its derivatives, on DNA replication were examined using simian virus (SV40) DNA replication in vitro. We found that UDCA and its derivatives inhibited SV40 DNA replication, and predominantly inhibited the initiation stage of DNA replication. UDCA and its derivatives inhibited the DNA cleavage by topoisomerase I (topo I). Among them, HS-1183 significantly reduced the activity of topo I. UDCA, at 100 microM, significantly reduced polymerase alpha-primase (pol alpha-primase) activity, but HS-1030 and HS-1183 showed a weak inhibitory effect. The ssDNA binding activity of replication protein A (RPA) was little affected by UDCA and HS-1030, but was weakly inhibited by HS-1183. Based on their properties, we suggest that UDCA and its derivatives might inhibit some molecules that is required to establish replication forks during the initiation reaction and their cytotoxicity might be related to the inhibitory effect they have on this fundamental cellular process.

Dispersive Stabilization of Liquid Crystal-in-Water with Acrylamide Copolymer/Surfactant Mixture: Nematic Curvilinear Aligned Phase Composite Film

The effect of nonionic surfactant, (H(OCH(2)-CH(2))(8)-OC(6)H(4)-C(9)H(19)), on the dispersion stabilization of liquid crystal (LC)-in-water with acrylamide copolymer containing the related nonylphenyl groups was studied. It was observed that the addition of nonionic surfactant increases the stability of LC dispersions and improves the electrooptical properties of the nematic curvilinear aligned phase (NCAP) composite film. On the basis of the surface tension, reduced viscosity, cloud point, and coalescence time measurements, it was proposed that formation of an integrated structure induced by interactions between hydrophobic groups in the polymer chains is probably important to fabrication of a polymer composite film made of LC and polymer matrix. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Integration of T cell receptor-dependent signaling pathways by adapter proteins

The initiation of biochemical signal transduction following ligation of surface receptors with intrinsic cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase activity is common for many cell types. T lymphocytes also require activation of tyrosine kinases following T cell receptor (TCR) ligation for maximal stimulation. However, the TCR has no intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. Instead, the TCR must rely on cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases that localize to the TCR complex and initiate TCR-mediated signaling events. Although much has been learned regarding how these cytosolic tyrosine kinases are activated and recruited to the TCR complex, relatively little is understood about how these initial events are translated into transcriptional activation of genes that regulate cytokine production, cell proliferation, and cell death. Recently, it has become clear that the class of intracellular molecules known collectively as adapter proteins, molecules with modular domains capable of recruiting additional proteins but that exhibit no intrinsic enzymatic activity, serve to couple proximal biochemical events initiated by TCR ligation with more distal signaling pathways.

Identification of a metaplastic cell lineage associated with human gastric adenocarcinoma

Metaplastic cell lineages arising in response to chronic injury are precursors for the evolution of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. Although a subtype of intestinal metaplasia has been associated with gastric adenocarcinoma, the link between this lineage and the evolution of gastric adenocarcinoma has remained unclear. Wang et al (1998) have reported that an aberrant metaplastic cell lineage with morphological characteristics similar to Brunner's glands of the duodenum develops in the fundic mucosa of mice infected with Helicobacter felis. This metaplastic lineage expresses the trefoil peptide spasmolytic polypeptide (SP). Given the epidemiological association of Helicobacter species infection with gastric cancer, we hypothesized that this SP-expressing metaplastic (SPEM) lineage may represent a precursor to or appear commensurate with gastric adenocarcinoma. The SPEM lineage was present in 68% of fundic biopsies from patients with fundic Helicobacterpylori-associated gastritis, but was absent in biopsies of fundic mucosa from patients without H. pylori infection. In a review of archival samples from 22 resected gastric adenocarcinomas, we found the SPEM lineage in 91% of cases, typically located in mucosa adjacent to the carcinoma or areas of dysplasia. Importantly, 59% of resections showed SP immunoreactivity within dysplastic cells. These data indicate a strong association of the SPEM lineage with both chronic H. pylori infection and gastric adenocarcinoma.

Time-dependent expression of ICAM-1 & VCAM-1 on coronaries of the heterotopically transplanted mouse heart

To investigate the pathogenesis of accelerated graft atherosclerosis after cardiac transplantation, a genetically well-defined and reproducible animal model is required. We performed heterotopic intraabdominal heart transplantation between the two inbred strains of mice. Forty hearts from B10.A mice were transplanted into B10.BR mice. Recipients were sacrificed at 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 28, and 42 days after implantation. The specimens from both donor and recipient were examined with fluorescent immunohistochemistry and the serial histopathologic changes were evaluated. In the donor hearts, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expressions were minimal at day 1 and they gradually increased, reaching their peaks on day 5 or 7 and remained unchanged by day 42. However, there were very little expressions in the recipients' hearts. Mean percent areas of intima in the donor coronaries revealed progressive increase by day 42. However, those in the recipients occupied consistently less than 5% of the lumen. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a heterotopic murine heart transplantation model was a useful tool to produce transplantation coronary artery disease and that adhesion molecules on the cardiac allografts were activated very early and remained elevated at all time-points, nonetheless the arterial lesion was detected after day 28 and its progression was accelerated thereafter.