Masaharu Takenaka

ADENINE NUCLEOTIDE METABOLISM DURING HEPATIC ISCHEMIA AND SUBSEQUENT BLOOD REFLOW PERIODS AND ITS RELATION TO ORGAN VIABILITY

In an experimental model system for liver transplantation, the ability of the rat liver to synthesize ATP and to maintain adequate energy charge and total adenine nucleotides during restoration of hepatic blood flow following warm ischemia was found to determine tissue viability and survival of the animal. A portafemoral shunt prepared to relieve portal congestion enhanced the rate and extent of ATP resynthesis by the reflow following hepatic ischemia and this was accompanied by an increase in the survival rate of the rat.

Protective Effects Of α-tocopherol And Coenzyme Q10 On Warm Ischemic Damages Of The Rat Kidney

Studies were done on the protective effects of alpha-tocopherol and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on warm ischemic damage to the rat kidney. Administration of alpha-tocopherol (10 mg/kg body wt/day) for 7 days or a single i.p. injection of CoQ10 (6 mg/kg body wt) increased the survival rate from 0 to 46.7% of the rats subjected to warm ischemia for 120 min. The administration of alpha-tocopherol and CoQ10 increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the renal tissue from 0.53 +/- 0.18 to 0.92 +/- 0.29, and from 0.64 +/- 0.26 to 1.00 +/- 0.54 mumol/g wet weight, respectively, 4-hr reperfusion after 120 min of warm ischemia. Serum creatinine levels of the surviving rats after 120 min of warm ischemia was 9.98 +/- 0.19 mg/100 ml in the control group and 5.84 +/- 0.95 and 7.27 +/- 1.62 mg/100 ml, respectively, in alpha-tocopherol and CoQ10 administered group, when determined 2 days after the operation. These results indicate that alpha-tocopherol and CoQ10 have a protective effect on warm ischemic damage to the rat kidney, demonstrated by an increase in ATP resynthesis after reflow following warm ischemia and by the maintenance of a lower serum creatinine level. This effect was accompanied by an increase in the survival rate of ischemic rats.

Bilateral resection and reconstruction of internal jugular vein for thyroid carcinoma

Two patients with thyroid carcinoma infiltrating bilateral internal jugular veins were treated. In reconstruction of the internal jugular vein by implantation of an autogenous venous segment or Gore-Tex artificial vessel, the repaired area soon became obstructed. The repaired area with the Impra-Flex artificial vessel became obstructed again one month after the implantation. In the reconstruction by ipsilateral end-to-end anastomosis between the internal and external jugular veins, good circulation was apparent even 2 years after the operation. The internal-external jugular vein anastomosis is expected to increase the safety of single-stage bilateral excision of the internal jugular vein, as an adjunct to total thyroidectomy, in the surgical treatment of thyroid carcinoma.