初診時に膀胱刺激症状のみを訴えたループス膀胱炎の1例

37歳女性.患者は重度の膀胱刺激症状のみを主訴とし受診, 膀胱生検で粘膜下の炎症と血管炎の所見を認めた.血液データより自己免疫疾患が疑われたため, 更に検査を追加したところSLE(全身性エリテマトーデス)およびループス膀胱炎と診断された.治療として早期のステロイド投与を行なったところ重度の膀胱刺激症状は軽快したCystitis related with systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) is termed as lupus cystitis. It is a subtype of SLE in which gastrointestinal and bladder symptoms are prominent and it usually manifests with other symptoms of SLE. We present a case in a 37-year-old woman whose sole complaint was the severe urinary symptoms. A biopsy of the bladder showed inflammation in the submucosa and the finding of vasculitis. An autoimmune disease was suspected from the blood serum sample. A further laboratory study was performed and she was diagnosed with SLE and lupus cystitis. Prompt therapy with corticosteroids resulted in the improvement of the severe bladder symptoms

放射線エネルギーの違いによる喉頭癌における吸収線量の影響

We investigated the usefulness of Gafchromic MD-55 film (Nuclear Associates, Inc.) for measuring the radiation doses on the radiotherapy of laryngeal cancers. Since larynx has thin wedge-shaped structure in anterior neck adjacent to airway, the radiation doses to the lesion may be diminished because of build-up and build-down. So, the dose has been measured with conventional measuring systems such as thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD). However, it was not possible to evaluate the dose distribution correctly using TLD, because it is impossible to float a TLD chip in an air cavity. In this study, we employed Gafchromic MD-55 film as a dosimeter, for it can be set on the area of interest and with a measurability of dose range of 3 to 100 Gy, though it has no energy dependency. And this radiometer is composition near the soft tissue of the human body. The dose distributions to larynx were investigated with this film using neck phantom under each radiation beam energy of 4, 6 and 10 MV x-rays. Our neck phantom is made from acrylic resin and simulates a normal larynx on the basis of image information of computed tomography (CT). Moreover we observed secondary build-up and build-down curves in tissue in the vicinity of air cavities, especially at 10 MV x-rays. These findings suggest that patients with TI-T2 glottic cancers with anterior commissure invasion may receive more effective treatment with 4 MV x-rays rather than with 6 MV and 10 MV x-rays.Tl声門癌に対して放射線治療を単独で行うのは確立している方法である｡しかし,頚部は解剖学的に複雑であり,前方に薄いⅤ字形で,喉頭が気道に隣接している構造を持つので,病巣への線量はbuild-upとbuild-downの影響による線量低下が生じることが考えられる｡すなわち,放射線エネルギーの選択が喉頭癌の局所的制御に影響を及ぼすと言える｡この影響は,より高い放射線エネルギーでは,それに伴いより強く起きるということが基礎実験にて報告されている｡また,それらの線量測定は,熱ルミネセンス線量計(TLD)のような従来の測定システムで測定されていた｡しかし,空気空洞へTLD を単体 で浮かせ線量を正確に測定し評価を行うのは困難である｡本研究において,我々は Gafchromic MD-55 film (Nuclear Associates, Inc.)を使用し測定した｡ Gafchromic MD-55 film は,フィルムタイプ線量計でありエネルギー依存性がなく,3～100 Gyを測定可能であり,アクリル製頸部ファントムの空気組織境界面及び,空洞部に線量計を容易に精度良く配置することが可能である｡また,この線量計は人体の軟部組織に近い組成である｡そこで, 4, 6および10MVの各エネルギーでこの線量計を用いてエネルギーの違いによる,頸部ファントムを用いて喉頭の線量評価を行った｡その結果,我々は,特に放射線エネルギー10MVで頸部ファントムにおける,前部組織-組織空洞境界面-空洞部の一連したbuild-upおよびbuild-downを線量計で評価することができた｡これらの研究の結果､前交連浸潤を有するT1-T2に相当する声門癌患者は,放射線エネルギー6MVおよび10MVではなく,4MVを用いることによって,より効果的な放射線治療を行えると推測できる

Utilization of ground-based digital photography for the evaluation of seasonal changes in the aboveground green biomass and foliage phenology in a grassland ecosystem

AbstractWe investigated the usefulness of a ground-based digital photography to evaluate seasonal changes in the aboveground green biomass and foliage phenology in a short-grass grassland in Japan. For ground-truthing purposes, the ecological variables of aboveground green biomass and spectral reflectance of aboveground plant parts were also measured monthly. Seasonal change in a camera-based index (rG: ratio of green channel) reflected the characteristic events of the foliage phenology such as the leaf-flush and leaf senescence. In addition, the seasonal pattern of the rG was similar to that of the aboveground green biomass throughout the year. Moreover, there was a positive linear relationship between rG and aboveground green biomass (R2=0.81, p<0.05), as was the case with spectra-based vegetation indices. On the basis of these results, we conclude that continuous observation using digital cameras is a useful tool that is less labor intensive than conventional methods for estimating aboveground green biomass and monitoring foliage phenology in short-grass grasslands in Japan

Changes of a Few Constituents in Purple Laver (Red Alga Porphyra) after Some Peiods of Storage in Frozen State

Changes in the TTC reducing ability and in the contents of a few chemical constituents were studied periodically on the fronds of Porphyra sp. during a six months storage in frozen state (-25℃). The results obtained can be summarized as follows: 1) The TTC reducing ability declined in the frozen fronds either stored in the air or in nitrogen gas; it dropped to one tenth and one fifth of the initial level, respectively, after six months storage. In both cases, rapid decrease occurred during the first two months of freezing storage. 2) Chlorophyll a contents were almost constant in the fronds during the storage. 3) Little changes were observed in the total nitrogen contents of the fronds regardless to the storage period. 4) Extractive amino acids such as aspartic acid, glycine, alanine, isoleucine and threonine and/or serine showed tendencies to decrease during the storage. Among these amino acids, aspartic acid and isoleucine had the most conspicuous rates of diminution. 5) Extractive nitrogen contents in the frozen thalli decreased gradually to about 60% in the air and to about 70% in nitrogen gas within the six months

Circulating levels of ciliary neurotrophic factor in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has been shown to decrease food intake in mouse models of obesity and to improve insulin sensitivity. It is well known that tight regulation of glucose metabolism is essential for successful gestational outcomes (e.g. fetal growth), and that abnormal insulin resistance is associated with preeclampsia (PE). To investigate the possibility that CNTF might be involved in the regulation of insulin resistance during pregnancy, circulating levels of CNTF were assessed in non-pregnant, normal pregnant, postpartum, and pregnant women with PE. Sera from healthy non-pregnant women (n10), pregnant women (n30:1st trimester;n10, 2nd trimester n10;3rd trimester;n10), postpartum women (n10), and patients with PE (n11) were studied with Western blotting. Circulating CNTF was detected by Western blotting, and the levels of CNTF in pregnant women were decreased as compared with those in non-pregnant women, and tended to decrease as pregnancy progressed. A significant decrease was found in PE as compared with normal pregnancy. Circulating CNTF might be associated with physiological and abnormal insulin resistance during pregnancy.</p

RBM10 in complete hydatidiform mole: cytoplasmic occurrence of its 50 kDa polypeptide

Background: RNA-binding motif protein 10 (RBM10), originally identified as S1-1 protein, is a nuclear protein with likely functions in transcription and RNA splicing. The RBM10 gene maps to the X chromosome and, in female cells, is inactivated in one of the two X chromosomes near the boundary with genes escaping inactivation. This study investigated the occurrence of the RBM10 gene product in complete hydatidiform mole, which is composed of cells with paternal diploid chromosomes (46, XX).Methods: Deparaffinized normal chorion or complete hydatidiform mole tissues were hybridized with a fluorescein-conjugated RBM10 gene probe in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy of the tissues were performed using an anti-RBM10 antiserum. Proteins from complete hydatidiform mole tissues and those separated by anti-RBM10-linked affinity chromatography were also examined by western blotting.Results: As expected, the RBM10 gene was detected by FISH as double spots in the nuclei of complete hydatidiform mole cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed a nuclear presence of RBM10 in normal chorion and complete hydatidiform moles, and a notable cytoplasmic presence in complete hydatidiform moles. Western blotting and immunoaffinity chromatography revealed that a 50 kDa protein was predominantly found in the cytosolic fraction of complete hydatidiform moles.Conclusions: A 50 kDa protein with common antigenicity to RBM10 was found in the cytoplasm of complete hydatidiform mole cells, and could represent one of the characteristics of the disease