Association between dopamine beta hydroxylase rs5320 polymorphism and smoking behaviour in elderly Japanese.

The dopaminergic brain pathway is involved in many addictive behaviours, hence represents a good candidate in the study of smoking behaviour and nicotine addiction. Dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) is an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of dopamine into noradrenaline. This study, the first of its kind, was done to investigate the role of DBH rs5320 polymorphism in smoking behaviour of elderly Japanese. This was done by collecting blood samples from 2521 subjects with various smoking habits to genotype the DBH rs5320 polymorphism. Participants also had to fill out a questionnaire containing questions regarding their lifestyles. Some of the questions were from the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the Tobacco Dependence Screener (TDS). It was found that male ever-smokers with AA genotype smoked less cigarettes per day than those with GG and AG genotypes. FTND scores were also lowest in male ever-smokers with AA genotype and in female ever-smokers with AG genotype. There was no correlation detected between the TDS scores and any of the genotypes. This study shows that DBH rs5320 polymorphism influences nicotine dependence.

Association between neuropeptide Y receptor 2 polymorphism and the smoking behavior of elderly Japanese.

Molecular heterogeneity of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its three receptors (1, 2 and 5) has recently been discovered. NPY2R polymorphisms have been shown to be related to cocaine and alcohol dependence in European Americans. To test our hypothesis that these polymorphisms influence the smoking behavior of Japanese population, we investigated the prevalence of the rs4425326 and rs6857715 polymorphisms, which have been suggested to be related to alcohol dependence in European Americans, in 2517 Japanese elderly subjects for whom information on smoking behaviors was available. The prevalence of current smokers was greater among Japanese men having the rs4425326 C allele than ex-smokers. Among the ever-smokers, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence scores were higher in men having the rs4425326 homozygous T allelotype, and the numbers of cigarettes smoked per day were also significantly higher in the male smokers having the TT genotype. No correlations between the Tobacco Dependence Screener scores and any genotypes were detected. These results suggest that rs4425326 polymorphism may be related to smoking behavior in the Japanese elderly population. This study for the first time suggests NPY2R genotype as a possible genetic factor in nicotine dependence.

Cardiac herniation following intrapericardial pneumonectomy with partial pericardiectomy for advanced lung cancer.

We present in this paper a case of cardiac herniation following right intrapericardial pneumonectomy after induction chemotherapy. A 52-year-old man with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung was admitted to our hospital suffering from a dry cough and chest pain. An intrapericardial pneumonectomy with partial pericardiectomy (4 x 4 cm) was performed. The pericardial defect was left open. Just prior to removal of the tracheal tube, cardiac herniation occurred with hypotension, arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. A chest X-ray revealed cardiac herniation into the right hemithorax. Re-thoracotomy was performed and the heart was returned to its normal position and the pericardial defect was immediately repaired with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE) patch. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Unless prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment can be accomplished, cardiac herniation can be a fatal complication. We recommend that when pneumonectomy is performed, pericardial defects should be closed with a prosthetic patch, regardless of the defect's size.

[Histological observation on the structural feature and blood supply of corpus adiposum baccae].

Grafting utilizing corpus adiposum buccae is frequently performed to reconstruct defects in the oral region, and it is known that transplantation that uses corpus adiposum buccae obtains an excellent histological result. Observation was done aiming to clarify the macroscopic and microscopic features of corpus adiposum buccae, using 23 sides of Japanese adult cadavers, and the results were as follows: 1) It was found that there were autonomic ganglia-like structures, composed of nervous cells, in corpus adiposum buccae. 2) Corpus adiposum buccae had a blood circulating system that promoted excellent adaptation and histodifferentiation in the transplanted region. 3) It seemed that corpus adiposum buccae had structural features of a blood circulatory system and interlobular connective tissue that enabled avoidance of graft damage when corpus adiposum buccae was transplanted.