Tohru Hashimoto

Spinal NK1 receptor is upregulated after chronic bladder irritation

&NA; It has been suggested that there is a significant upregulation of the NK1 receptor (NK1R) on neurons in the dorsal spinal cord after long‐term somatic inflammation. This upregulation appears to play a significant role in central sensitization in chronic pain states. However, it is not clear whether such a change is also observed after chronic visceral (bladder) inflammation. Changes in NK1R immunoreactivity after chronic bladder irritation were investigated in order to evaluate the existence of hypersensitive states in the spinal cord after chronic bladder irritation. Experiments were performed on a total of 12 adult female Sprague–Dawley rats. In six animals, cyclophosphamide (CPA) was administered intraperitoneally for 2 weeks. Another six animals were given intraperitoneal saline injections and served as the control group. After these treatments, immunohistochemical staining for NK1Rs and substance P in rat lumbosacral spinal cord was performed. In CPA‐treated animals, NK1R‐positive areas and staining intensity within the dorsal spinal cord were significantly increased in the L5 to S2 spinal cord areas, especially in the L6 and S1 segments. In the L6 spinal segment, CPA‐treatment enhanced NK1R immunostaining in the medial and the lateral dorsal horn, as well as in the lateral laminae including the sacral parasympathetic nucleus to a lesser extent. In CPA‐treated animals, substance P staining intensity increased in the same regions in which NK1R immunoreactivity was increased. This finding probably implies the upregulation of spinal NK1R and the occurrence of central sensitization within the spinal cord after chronic visceral inflammation.

Spontaneous Hemorrhage during Pregnancy Secondary to Renal Angiomyolipoma

We report a case of spontaneous hemorrhage secondary to renal angiomyolipoma treated with percutaneous transcatheter arterial embolization. Fourteen and 18 months after the procedure, the patient showed repeated spontaneous hemorrhage during pregnancy. However, a healthy female infant was delivered at the 39th week of the pregnancy. We discuss the management of renal angiomyolipoma in young married women before pregnancy.

Modulation of the urethral pressure by high-frequency block stimulus in dogs

Nerve conduction block by high-frequency stimulus has been used as a method to modulate the contractile force of skeletal muscles. This paper describes the effect of block stimulus on the modulation of urethral closure pressure in dogs. Tetanic stimulus was applied through a pair of electrodes wrapped about the bilateral pudendal nerves and high-frequency stimulus was superimposed through another pair of electrodes wrapped about 1 cm distalward along the nerves. Urethral closure pressure was measured through a transurethral UPP catheter. High-frequency stimulus over 300 Hz reduced elevated urethral closure pressure, which was induced by tetanic stimulus, up to 30-45%.

Effects of estrogen and progesterone on urinary bladder in female rabbit: evaluation by quantitative morphometric analysis.

OBJECTIVES To investigate possible effects of estrogen and/or progesterone on the histologic characteristics of female rabbit urinary bladders, we carried out quantitative morphometric analysis of the rabbit bladders. METHODS Mature female rabbits were treated by ovariectomy with and without successive estrogen and/or progesterone administration. Area densities of the connective tissue (CT) and smooth muscle (SM) cells, the area of single SM cells, and the thickness of the bladder wall were determined by computer-assisted quantitative morphometric analysis. RESULTS Six weeks after each treatment, ovariectomy alone resulted in a decrease in CT density of the bladder. Successive estrogen treatment increased the bladder wet weight and SM cell density within the bladder wall. Progesterone treatment reduced CT degradation in ovariectomized rabbits. Sex steroids did not significantly influence the area of each SM cell. There was no significant difference in histologic characteristics between the rabbits treated by estrogen alone and those treated by combination (estrogen and progesterone) therapy. CONCLUSIONS Ovariectomy and successive hormonal replacement therapy resulted in morphologic changes within the rabbit urinary bladder. Cotreatment with progesterone did not significantly change the morphologic findings produced by estrogen treatment alone.

Spinal substance P immunoreactivity is enhanced by acute chemical stimulation of the rat prostate.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the role substance P (SP) plays in prostatic inflammation, we evaluated SP immunoreactivity within the spinal cord after irritation of the prostate. Because alpha-adrenergic blockade attenuates nociceptor-induced pain, the effects of an alpha-adrenergic blocker on SP immunoreactivity were also evaluated. SP is considered a mediator of nociception in the spinal cord. Immunoreactivity of SP is enhanced after acute chemical stimulation of somata. METHODS Rats received chemical irritation of the prostate with or without pretreatment with tamsulosin. They were killed after 1 hour, and immunohistochemical staining for SP was performed. SP immunoreactive areas were quantified in the dorsal spinal cord of the L5 to S2 segments. RESULTS Chemical irritation of the prostate increased SP immunoreactive areas in the L6 to S2 segments. Enhancement was observed in the whole dorsal spinal cord regions. This enhancement was significantly attenuated by tamsulosin in the L6 and S1 segments. CONCLUSIONS SP probably plays a significant role in mediating nociceptive processing from the prostate. Tamsulosin can attenuate nociception-induced SP upregulation within the spinal cord.

RECURRENCE OF URETHRAL STRICTURE AFTER SINGLE INTERNAL URETHROTOMY

Recurrence of urethral stricture after single internal urethrotomy was investigated in 66 patients with special reference to some factors which would influence restricturing. In the present study, recurrence rate was 16.7% (11 patients). Recurrences occurred within an average of 11.9 months. Factors that had no influence on restricturing were age, aetiology, site of the stricture and duration of indwelling catheterization. On the other hand, stricture length appeared to influence the outcome (χ2, p<0.001). Short stricture (≤10 mm) showed only 4.4% recurrence rate, while 42.9% in long stricture (>10 mm). Internal urethrotomy appeared to be effective particularly when the stricture was short, while it seemed difficult to treat long strictures by single internal urethrotomy.

Pericentric inversion of chromosome 9 in infertile men

Reproductive condition was studied in 6 infertile men with pericentric inversion of chromosome 9. Semen analyses revealed one azoospermia, one oligozoospermia, three asthenozoospermias and one normozoospermia. Four cases showed normal levels of plasma gonadotropins and testosterone. The response of plasma testosterone to human chorionic gonadotropin was within the normal range in all cases. However, the administration of LH-RH resulted in abnormal response of plasma gonadotropin in all patients. These results indicate that infertile males with pericentric inversion of chromosome 9 have an abnormality in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis.

Relative and total volume of histological components in benign prostatic hyperplasia: Relationships between histological components and clinical findings

To investigate the correlation between histological differences and clinical findings in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), quantitative morphometrical analysis on prostate was performed on 26 specimens obtained by TURP. The relative and total volume of each histological component were obtained. In this series, the proportion of fibrous tissue element showed a weak positive correlation with prostatic volume (r = 0.499, P = 0.0087). The relative volume of the smooth muscle component showed an inverse correlation with prostatic volume (r = −0.488, P = 0.0105). Patient age and symptom score showed no relationship with the relative volume of histological components. The total volume of all histological components increased with prostatic volume. However, an increase in the fibrous tissue element appeared to be predominant in prostatic enlargement (r = 0.970, P < 0.0001). Although the total volume of all histological components increased with prostatic size, fibrous tissue appeared to play a major role in prostatic enlargement in BPH.

Serum Prostatic Acid Phosphatase, Gamma-Seminoprotein and Prostatic Specific Antigen in Hemodialysis Patients

Serum concentrations of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), gamma-seminoprotein (gamma-Sm) and prostatic specific antigen (PSA) were measured in 31 hemodialysis patients without clinical signs of malignant disease. PAP, gamma-Sm and PSA levels in serum were not significantly different between control and hemodialysis groups. A significant reduction in these tumor markers was not found after dialysis treatment. This indicates that the measurement of PAP, gamma-Sm and PSA in serum is useful for the detection of prostatic cancer in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

THE USE OF EBASTINE, A MAST CELL BLOCKER, FOR TREATMENT OF OLIGOZOOSPERMIA

The effect of mast cell blocker (ebastine) on semen quality was evaluated in 15 idiopathic oligozoospermic males. Ten milligrams/day of ebastine was administered orally for 3 months. Nine cases (66.7%) showed definite improvement in the semen quality. The wives of 3 patients (20%) became pregnant within 6 months of the initial treatment. It would appear that mast cell blocker (ebastine) significantly improves semen quality in men with idiopathic oligozoospermia.The effect of mast cell blocker (ebastine) on semen quality was evaluated in 15 idiopathic oligozoospermic males. Ten milligrams/day of ebastine was administered orally for 3 months. Nine cases (66.7%) showed definite improvement in the semen quality. The wives of 3 patients (20%) became pregnant within 6 months of the initial treatment. It would appear that mast cell blocker (ebastine) significantly improves semen quality in men with idiopathic oligozoospermia.