Tsunetada Yazaki

Establishment of a New Prostatic Carcinoma Cell Line (TSU-PR1)

A new epithelial cell line, TSU-Pr1, from a human prostatic adenocarcinoma metastatic to lymph node has been established in long term tissue culture. The cultured cells show loss of contact inhibition, rapid growth in vitro and growth in athymic nude mice. Karyotypic analysis demonstrated an aneuploid karyotype with a modal chromosome number of 80 including a Y-chromosome and at least 10 marker chromosomes. The cells produced only a small amount of prostatic acid phosphatase, and heterotransplanted tumors did not have nuclear androgen receptors.

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood: case report and review of English and Japanese literature.

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is an uncommon disease that is usually seen in middle-aged women and is much rarer in children. We report a case of diffuse xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a 3-year-old boy who had a nonfunctioning hydronephrotic right kidney on an excretory urogram. A review of the English and Japanese literature on xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood revealed 2 remarkable differences regarding the incidence of sex and radiological findings. The majority of patients were girls in the English literature, whereas the opposite sex was seen in the majority of cases in Japan. The involved kidney was functioning on an excretory urogram in the majority of cases reported in the English literature, however, in all cases from Japan the involved kidney was non functioning. These findings further support the newer concept that xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood exists in focal as well as diffuse forms.

Renal Autotransplantation for Localized Amyloidosis of the Ureter

Localized amyloidosis of the ureter is a relatively rare disease, causing at times ureteral stenosis with hydronephrosis and renal function impairment to various extent. Although it is not malignant nearly all reported cases have been treated by nephroureterectomy because it is clinically difficult to differentiate this entity from ureteral malignancy. We report a case in which the ipsilateral kidney was salvaged successfully by renal autotransplantation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case reported of renal autotransplantation for localized amyloidosis of the ureter in the English literature. We suggest that renal autotransplantation be considered in cases of localized ureteral amyloidosis.

Studies on platelet function in patients with prostatic cancer: Preliminary report

Platelet function was evaluated as an index of the thromboembolic tendency in patients with untreated, advanced prostatic cancer. Patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and similar age distribution served as a comparison group. Platelet aggregations were elevated in both groups, but not significantly different from each other. Platelet serotonin level in patients with prostatic cancer was lower than in patients with BPH (p less than 0.01), whereas plasma serotonin level in patients with prostatic cancer (within normal ranges in our series) was lower than in patients with BPH (p less than 0.001). Levels of 2 intraplatelet proteins, beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) in the two groups of patients were similar. However, levels of beta-TG were elevated significantly in both groups of patients compared with those of healthy individuals. These studies revealed that the platelet serotonin levels in advanced prostatic cancer patients differed significantly from those in patients with BPH. The platelet serotonin level thus may provide an index of platelet activation in patients with prostatic cancer.

Circulating Immune Complexes and Immunosuppressive Acidic Protein in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Sera from 23 patients with renal cell carcinoma were tested for circulating immune complexes by Clq binding assay and immunosuppressive acidic protein by single radial immunodiffusion. The mean values of circulating immune complexes and immunosuppressive acidic protein in the patients were significantly higher than those of normal controls, and over-all positive rates were 52 and 35 per cent, respectively. There was a significant correlation between immunosuppressive acidic protein levels and the extent of tumor invasion. Immunosuppressive acidic protein may be a more useful marker than circulating immune complexes. However, presently synthetic evaluations of patients with various nonspecific markers, including these 2 factors, will be necessary.

Large renal hemangioma necessitating nephrectomy

An unusually large renal hemangioma with nonfunction on an excretory urogram is reported. Preoperative angiography revealed typical early draining veins in the kidney. Contrary to the previously reported cases preoperative angiography precluded renal salvage procedure. The resected kidney was nearly completely replaced with cavernous hemangioma. To the best of our knowledge this is the largest renal hemangioma on record.

Multielement analysis of kidneytissue with renal calculi

Tissue distribution and concentration gradients of macro- and micro-elements in the papilla, medulla, and cortex of human kidney with renal calculi were measured with spectrometer. An uninvolved portion of the hypernephroma kidney was used as control. Cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), and molybdenum (Mo) were least in amount in renal papilla as compared with the cortex and medulla in renal stone kidney. Overall there was less Mo in stone kidney tissue, and also significantly less when compared with that of control renal papilla. Considering the reported fact that Mo was found in high concentrations in urinary tract stones and our data that Mo was less in stone kidney, it is speculated that Mo may play some unexplained but significant role in certain stage(s) of the stone formation.

Long-term intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy with Adriamycin for advanced bladder cancer

SummaryLong-term intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy with Adriamycin (ADM) was performed in cases of bladder cancer prior to total cystectomy. This report describes the effects in 13 cases evaluated more than 3 weeks after infusion of 10 mg ADM once or twice weekly.An oblique skin incision approximately 10 cm long was made in the gluteal region to expose the gluteus maximus muscle. A teflon catheter was then inserted into the gluteal artery and fixed; the distal end was brought out from under the skin in the precordial region. A similar procedure was performed on the contralateral side.The catheter was inserted through the superior and inferior gluteal arteries in five and eight cases, respectively. In the former group, partial response was obtained in two cases, minimal response in two and no response in one, so that primary tumor remission was evident in 40% of the cases. In the latter group, all cases but one attained partial response, i.e., remission was seen in 87.5% of cases treated by inferior gluteal infusion.Skin erosion of the gluteal, perineal, and anal regions and sciatica-like pain were observed in some cases; however neither myocardial effect nor bone marrow suppression, which have been reported as side-effects of ADM, were observed in any of the cases.These results suggest that this therapeutic modality could be effective in the preoperative work-up of candidates for total cystectomy, and also that it could be useful in the treatment of patients in whom total cystectomy is contraindicated.

Sarcomatous wilms tumor associated with consumption coagulopathy

This is a case report of a sarcomatous Wilms tumor complicating disseminated intravascular coagulation with gastrointestinal bleeding, ascites, pleural effusion, and hepatitis after the second course of actinomycin D. A sarcomatous Wilms tumor is believed to have an unfavorable prognosis even if multimodal therapy is given. Arteriovenous fistulae which we created for purposes of chemotherapy and hyperalimentation by microvascular-sleeve anastomosis functioned well for three years in spite of repeated punctures.

Usefulness of Scintigraphic Imaging Using 131Iodine-Metaiodobenzylguanidine in Localization of Asymptomatic Pheochromocytoma

Localization of either multiple, metastatic and/or asymptomatic pheochromocytomas sometimes is elusive because all imaging methods to date have been nonspecific in character. We report 2 cases in which scintigraphy was used with a new radiopharmaceutical agent, 131iodine-metaiodobenzylguanidine, for the accurate localization of pheochromocytoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of asymptomatic pheochromocytoma imaged by 131iodine-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy.