Changes in the regulation and activity of glutathione redox system, and lipid peroxidation processes in short-term aflatoxin B1 exposure in liver of laying hens.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term (48 hr) effects of feeding aflatoxin contaminated diet (170.3 µg/kg AFB1) in 49-week-old laying hens. Liver samples were taken at 12-hr intervals. Feed intake, body weight, absolute and relative liver weight were the same in groups. However, there was no feed intake during both dark periods (between 12nd to 24th and 36th to 48th hours of the experiment); therefore, aflatoxin intake was also negligible. Markers of initial phase of lipid peroxidation, conjugated dienes and trienes did not change as effect of aflatoxin, but terminal marker, malondialdehyde content was significantly higher at 12 hr as effect of aflatoxin. No significant difference was found in reduced glutathione concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity between the groups. Expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 gene (GPX4) was significantly reduced due to aflatoxin treatment at 12 and 24 hr, but induced later, while glutathione reductase gene (GSR) expression was significantly lower at 24 hr and glutathione synthetase gene (GSS) in aflatoxin-treated group at 12 hr. The results suggest that aflatoxin induced oxygen-free radical formation, but it did not reach critical level during this short period of time to cause activation of the expression of glutathione system.

Geographical accessibility to dental care in the Japanese elderly.

OBJECTIVE: The current research aims to clarify the factors relevant to elderly people's access to dental care in Japan, particularly focusing on geographical accessibility. METHODS: The sample was taken from among the Japanese elderly, aged 65 and over, who responded to a postal survey conducted in 2003 (n = 2,192). Six types of geographical accessibility to the dental clinics were calculated using Geographic Information Systems. Logistic regression analysis was conducted using 'having a regular dentist' as a dependent variable and geographical accessibility as an explanatory variable. RESULTS: The results showed an association between having a regular dentist and geographical accessibility only for females. In the univariate model, distance to the closest dental clinics (OR = 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43-0.90)), number of dental clinics at the school district level (OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03-1.26)), number of dental clinics at the municipality level (OR = 1.02 (95% CI: 1.00-1.05)), and density distribution of dental clinics (OR = 1.56 (95% CI: 1.11-2.19)) showed significant relations with having a regular dentist. After controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and health related variables, only the density distribution of dental clinics showed significant relations at the 5% level, although distance and number of dental clinics kept a marginal significance. CONCLUSION: The current study verifies that geographical accessibility correlates with access to dental care among women, and that there were large gender differences concerning the issue of geographical access.

[Ganglioneuroma derived from inferior trunk of the brachial plexus and first intercostal nerve].

A 62-years-old Japanese male, who had mediastinal tumor at the left thoracic inlet, was admitted to our hospital to receive surgical treatment. The tumor behind the left subclavian artery was guessed to be neurogenic benign tumor, though the involvement of the brachial plexus was unclear. We approached the tumor by means of left hemi-collar skin incision, resulting in performing safe operation with directly looking at the tumor that communicated with 1st intercostal nerve and inferior trunk of the left brachial plexus. Pathological diagnosis of the resected tumor was ganglioneuroma. Cervical approach by means of hemi-collar skin incision is thought to be available for surgical treatment of tumors at the thoracic inlet because of easy accessibility and less invasiveness than other approach with dividing bones, such as clavicle, sternum, or ribs.

[Massive hemoptysis after lobectomy for bronchiectasis].

A 67-years-old female, who was suffered from hemoptysis for about 50 years and was diagnosed as bronchiectasis of left lower lobe, was admitted to our hospital to receive elective surgical treatment. Left lower lobectomy was performed, and on the 10th postoperative day, massive hemoptysis occurred and intratracheal hemorrhage caused occlusion of the respiratory tract. Selective bronchial arteriogram revealed that bronchial artery of the left upper lobe developed remarkably, compared with the findings 1 year ago, and the bleeding site was located in the left upper lobe, which seemed to be almost normal before the operation. After embolization of this artery the hemoptysis stopped. If bronchial artery, which develop well and distribute to the bleeding lobe of the lung, have branches to adjacent another lobe, change of blood stream of bronchial artery by operation may cause early postoperative recurrence of hemoptysis.

Oral health and cancer, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality of Japanese.

Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory disease are major causes of death in developed countries. No study has simultaneously compared the contribution of oral health with these major causes of death. This study examined the association between oral health and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory mortality among older Japanese. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to participants in the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES) Project in 2003. Mortality data were analyzed for 4425 respondents. Three categories of oral health were used: 20 or more teeth, 19 or fewer teeth and eat everything, 19 or fewer teeth and eating difficulty. Sex, age, body mass index (BMI), self-rated health, present illness, exercise, smoking, alcohol, education, and income were used as covariates. During 4.28 years' follow-up, 410 people died, 159 from cancer, 108 of cardiovascular diseases, and 58 of respiratory disease. Multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazard models showed that, compared with the respondents with 20 or more teeth, respondents with 19 or fewer teeth and with eating difficulty had a 1.83 and 1.85 times higher hazard ratio for cardiovascular disease mortality and respiratory disease mortality, respectively. There was no significant association with cancer mortality. Oral health predicted cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality but not cancer mortality in older Japanese.

[Treatment strategies for lung cancer brain metastases].

Forty-one patients suffered initial relapses with brain metastasis after surgery for non-small lung cancer at our hospital between 1978 and 1995. These patients were a total of 8.4% of all cases of surgical removal, and had an average relapse period of 8.6 months +/- 8.0 months after surgery on the primary lesions. Of these, surgical removal of metastasized lesions was performed on 18 patients (43%), in which the 5-year post-operative survival rate was 35.7%, and the median survival time was good at 28 months. It was found that the survival period was significantly extended in the group whose relapse period was less than one year after surgery on the primary lesions, and in the group who received cranial irradiation post-operatively on the metastasized brain lesion. Following surgery on the metastasized lesion, second relapses occurred in nine patients, and six patients suffered from second relapses in the brain, of which four did not receive cranial irradiation post-operatively. Cases of radiotherapy in patients of 70 years of age or more frequently manifested post-radiotherapy subacute neuropathy. From the above, it is thought that the following procedures should be adopted: 1. Periodic examination for brain metastasis during the 24 months following surgery for non-small cell lung carcinoma for purposes of early detection; 2. in cases where brain metastasis is detected, if no metastasis is identified in other organs, a policy of surgical removal should be adopted where possible; and, 3. in cases of 70 years of age or less following surgery on the metastasized lesion, cranial irradiation should be considered.

[Surgical treatment of pericostal tuberculosis].

The following two points must be considered on treating pericostal tuberculosis: the first is the appropriate time to treat pericostal tuberculosis surgically when the medical therapy fails to induce a remission, and the second is how to prevent postoperative relapse. In the present study, we investigated these two points by examining seven patients who underwent surgery at the department of thoracic surgery (Osaka Red Cross Hospital), during a 10 years period from January 1985 to December 1994. Antituberculotics were administered to these patients for an average of 3.9 months before surgery, but in vain. Therefore, they were surgically treated. In all cases, the incision was closed at once, and there were no severe complications. The signs and symptoms disappeared soon after surgery. It has been reported that the medical treatment leads to recovery or tendency to recovery within three months of drug administration. The conditions of pericostal tuberculosis patients during this period can be used as indicators to decide whether or not to carry out surgical treatment. Also, by active excision of the rib and tumor as one mass, and by administering antituberculotic for 13.1 months after surgery, no relapse took place during the follow-up period (average 37.4 months). And the postoperative respiratory functions did not decrease compared to those before surgery.