The Relation of Prostate Tissue Protein Content, Nd : YAG Laser Transmissibility and Thermal Effect on Prostatic Hyperplasia

As our society ages, safe and minimally invasive treatment for the frequent occurrence of prostatic hyperplasia have been sought. We have performed prostatic hightemperature treatment for prostatic hyperplasia with the Prostalase using neodymium : yattriumaluminum garnet (Nd : YAG) laser for patients suffering from a bladder outlet obstruction secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We used agars which included various densities of protein and skim milk as test materials to determine whether the exothermic mechanism of the Nd : YAG laser irradiation has an effect on protein molecules. By measuring the temperature inside the test materials and the irradiation transmissibility, we verified that in tissues with the same degree of color, the higher the protein content, the stronger the exothermic action of the Nd : YAG laser. In addition, in three human prostates obtained through pathological autopsy, the measurement of the protein content and the temperature inside the prostatic tissue in which prostatic thermal treatment had been performed showed that the exothermic action of the Nd : YAG laser varied according to the protein content: the higher the protein content, the stronger was the exothermic action. The present findings suggest that the temperature inside prostatic tissue reaches at least 60-65邃・with intissues with a protein content more than 23g/100g

Papillary Adenoma of Type 2 Pneumocytes in the Lung

Recent developments in radiologic imaging and thoracoscopic excision techniques have increased the possibility of encountering small, benign or premalignant tumors in the lung. In this report, we describe a rare case of papillary adenoma of type 2 pneumocytes. A 51-year-old Japanese woman was hospitalized following a traffic accident. Helical CT scan of the chest incidentally detected a nodular ground-glass opacity measuring 8 mm in diameter at the subpleural region of left lung. The nodule was thoracoscopically resected out. Light microscopic examination demonstrated a noninfiltrative tumor consisting of cuboidal cells covering fibrovascular cores; thus, the tumor exhibited a branching papillary appearance. The cuboidal cells showed little nuclear atypia. Mitotic figures, necrosis, and intercellular mucin were absent. The cytoplasm was immunohistochemically stained for surfactant apoprotein A and cytokeratin, though not for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), or S100 protein. The morphologic and immunohistochemical findings fulfilled the criteria of papillary adenoma of type 2 pneumocytes

A Comparative Study between CT and Histopathologic Findings of Amyloid Goiter

There are only a few reports describing the imaging features of amyloid goiter with adequate histopathologic correlation. We present a case of amyloid goiter, focusing the correlation between CT and autopsy specimen findings. CT showed diffuse low attenuation areas (40-50 H.U. ) which corresponded to the tissue with dense amyloid deposits. There was also focal areas of very low attenuation which contained the adipose tissue. The latter finding is relatively characteristic for amyloid goiter, because fatty infiltration is known to be frequently associated with amyloid goiter : a rare finding in other disorders

Immunohistochemical Detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in the Lung of Child Autopsy Cases

Viral infection in the respiratory tract is suspected in some cases of infant death; however, in most of those cases, routine postmortem examination has been unable to determine a definitive etiology. Using immunohistochemistry with a specific antibody to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in paraffin sections, we investigated a possible association of RSV infection with interstitial pneumonia or bronchitis in four child autopsy cases while two adult cases with cytomegalic inclusion disease, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, or acute interstitial pneumonia were also included as negative control. Immunoreactivity for RSV was detected in one of the 4 child cases; the bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium were immunostained. No immunoreactivity was observed in the two adult cases. Retrospective microscopic examination in routinely stained slides could find no distinctive findings indicating RSV infection in this case as well as the other three cases. Although further evidence, e.g., detection of the viral nucleic acid in specimens, may be needed, the present results suggest that this antibody can be utilized for detection of RSV infection in autopsy samples

Calorie restriction minimizes activation of insulin signaling in response to glucose: Potential involvement of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor 1 axis

Calorie restriction (CR) may modulate insulin signaling in response to energy intake through suppression of the growth hormone (GH)-IGF-1 axis. We investigated the glucose-stimulated serum insulin response and subsequent alterations in insulin receptor (IR), Akt, and FoxO1 in the rat liver and quadriceps femoris muscle (QFM). Nine-month-old wild-type (W) male Wistar rats fed ad libitum (AL) or a 30% CR diet initiated at 6 weeks of age and GH-suppressed transgenic (Tg) rats fed AL were killed 15 min after intraperitoneal injection of glucose or saline. In W-AL rats, the serum insulin concentration was elevated by glucose injection. Concomitantly, the phosphorylated (p)-IR and p-Akt levels were increased in both tissues. The active FoxO1 level was decreased in the liver, but not significantly in the QFM. In W-CR and Tg-AL rats, the serum insulin response was lower, and no significant changes were noted for the p-IR, p-Akt, or active FoxO1 levels in the liver. In the QFM, the p-Akt level was increased in W-CR and Tg-AL rats with an insignificant elevation of p-IR levels. The phenotypic similarity of W-CR and Tg-AL rats suggest that CR minimizes activation of insulin signaling in response to energy intake mostly through the GH-IGF-1 axis

Association between Lysosomal Dysfunction and Obesity-Related Pathology: A Key Knowledge to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity causes various health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. Metabolic organs, particularly white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver, are deeply involved in obesity. WAT contains many adipocytes with energy storage capacity and secretes adipokines depending on the obesity state, while liver plays pivotal roles in glucose and lipid metabolism. This review outlines and underscores the relationship between obesity and lysosomal functions, including lysosome biogenesis, maturation and activity of lysosomal proteases in WAT and liver. It has been revealed that obesity-induced abnormalities of lysosomal proteases contribute to inflammation and cellular senescence in adipocytes. Previous reports have demonstrated obesity-induced ectopic lipid accumulation in liver is associated with abnormality of lysosomal proteases as well as other lysosomal enzymes. These studies demonstrate that lysosomal dysfunction in WAT and liver underlies part of the obesity-related pathology, raising the possibility that strategies to modulate lysosomal function may be effective in preventing or treating the metabolic syndrome

Mitochondrial intermediate peptidase is a novel regulator of sirtuin-3 activation by caloric restriction

Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) regulates mitochondrial quality and is involved in the anti-ageing and pro-longevity actions of caloric restriction (CR). Here, we show that CR upregulates the mature form of SIRT3 and mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (MIPEP), a mitochondrial signal peptidase (MtSPase), in white adipose tissue. We also demonstrate that upregulation of mature SIRT3 is dependent on MIPEP in 3T3-L1 cells, suggesting that MIPEP may contribute to the maintenance of mitochondrial quality during CRvia activation of SIRT3. This novel mechanism of SIRT3 activation through MIPEP facilitates the elucidation of additional molecular pathways of CR