[en] The concurrent combination therapy of radiation and chemotherapy was performed in a total of 134 cases of stomach cancer. Radiation response of tumor was remarkable in 35 (37%) of 95 cases, irradiated more than 5,000 rad. Yearly survival rates in 81 cases, in which the scheduled curative treatment was completed, were 63% in one, 31% in two, 21% in three, 17% in four and 13% in five years. These rates were intimately correlated to tumor size and cancer type. However, this combination therapy accompanied some fatal complications in a few percent. From the results, it was concluded that this combination therapy should be valuable to prolong the life of patients with gastric cancer, and that the curable indications for this treatment should be T1-T3: M0 cases with radio-responsive tumor. (author)

[en] Live kidney donation is an established form of organ donation but carries the risk of an unnecessary surgery in a normal individual for the benefit of the recipient. Despite a number of recent studies on the renal function of long-term kidney donors, little attention has been paid to the damaging effects of compensatory hyper-filtration on renal tubular cells immediately after donor nephrectomy. The present study therefore aimed to examine the immediate changes in renal function of the remaining kidney using a sheep model of unilateral nephrectomy. We used the gamma camera-based method to measure the glomerular filtration rate and the tubular excretion values after simultaneous injection of ^99mTc-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid and ¹³¹I-ortho-iodohippurate tracers. Compared were the differences in the functions between the remaining left kidney immediately after clamping the right renal pedicle and the baseline values that were measured one week before unilateral nephrectomy. After radionuclide data acquisition was completed, the right kidney was removed. The mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increased by 52.3% from the baseline values (29.5±2.7 to 45.0±6.7 ml/min; n=40, p<0.001), while the mean effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) increased by 40% (225.5±27.8 to 357.8±38.94 ml/min; p<0.001), respectively. Mean filtration fraction was increased from 0.117 to 0.127 immediately after nephrectomy (p<0.001). We conclude that after unilateral nephrectomy the remaining kidney immediately compensates for the loss of a donated kidney by increasing glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow. (author)

[en] The objective of this report is to present a summary of progress of the Marshall Islands Nationwide Thyroid Study. As well known, the US atomic weapons testing program in the Pacific was conducted primarily between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands. The nuclear tests resulted in radioactive contamination of a number of atolls and resulted in exposure of Marshallese to undefined levels before our study. Little information has been paid to health consequences among residents of the nearly twenty inhibited atolls except for some information about nodular thyroid disease which was reported on by an US group. In a cooperative agreement with the Government of the Marshall Islands, between 1993 and 1997 we studied the prevalence of both thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer among 4766 Marshallese potentially exposed to radioiodines from bomb test fallout. That group represents more than 65% of the population at risk. We diagnosed 45 thyroid cancers and 1398 benign thyroid nodules. In addition, 23 study participants had been operated on prior to our study for thyroid cancer. Presently, we are developing a database of information to estimate radiation doses and planning a statistical analysis to determine if a dose-response relationship exists. These data will be important for the health promotion of exposed people all over the world including Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Semipalatinsk, Chernobyl and other locations. A timely completion is important for purpose of assisting Marshallese as well as to add the global understanding of radiation induced thyroid cancer. (author)

[en] Radiology has attracted the world of art with the esthetic value of its images, and as a new medium for the artistic expression. In order to investigate the links between neuroradiology and art, we examined 12,763 artworks presented in corresponding publications and in Google images on the Internet. The selected artworks were created by 1,964 authors. To give our own contribution to this field, we produced several artful radiological images using the X-ray of 4 cerebral hemispheres, one dissected brain, serial sections of one head and brain, the vascular casts of 2 brains, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of one volunteer, and various options in Photoshop. Among the examined artworks, neuroradiological images were used in 129 artworks (1.01%) that were created by 31 artists (1.58%). The artists applied different radiological techniques: X-ray, angiography, computed tomography (CT), multislice CT, MRI, functional MRI, positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), either alone or in various combinations. They used the original images, id est (i.e.) radiographs or scans, or their electronic modifications in Photoshop or three-dimensional (3D) software. Some artworks presented the skull, yet others the brain, and still others both, either with or without a head image. The neuroradiological artworks were created as paintings, photographs, digital works and sculptures. Their authors were professional artists, designers, amateurs and radiologists. In conclusion, thanks to the esthetics of some radiological images and the valuable creations of certain artists, neuroradiology has become an important field of contemporary art. (author)

[en] An investigation was made of the effects on cure rate of postoperative radiotherapy following radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy for cases of invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix performed over 7 years between 1969 and 1975 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University Hospital. For cases in which resection was complete but the cancer extended to the pelvic wall, the 5 year survival rate was similar to that in comparable cases of the same clinical stage regardless of whether or not postoperative radiotherapy was employed. The 5 year survival rate in cases undergoing postoperative radiotherapy because of lymph node metastasis was lower than that of cases where the lesion approached the pelvic wall and for which postoperative radiotherapy was employed. An investigation of the 5 year survival rate among those cases with lymph node metastasis and receiving postoperative radiotherapy indicated that survival in cases with metastasis to only one lymph node was similar to that of cases of the same clinical stage which received the operation only, whereas the survival rate of cases with multiple lymph node involvement was markedly lower. (author)

[en] Treatment by internal iliac arterial infusion chemotherapy (IA) combined with pelvic irradiation has proved to be effective for locally invasive bladder. Eight male patients, median age of 78 years (range 73-81) were enrolled. Pretreatment CT and whole layer core biopsy revealed T3a or T3b. Pelvic CT or fine needle aspiration biopsy following bipedal lymphography revealed N0 in 4 cases, N2 in 2 and N3 in 2, respectively. Three to 7 cycles of cisplatin (CDDP) 30-50 mg/m², methotrexate 20 mg/m² and tetrahydropymnyl-adriamycin 20 mg/m² every 3 week was administered combined with 40-50 Gy of whole pelvis irradiation. In 4 renal function impaired patients, 100 mg/m² of carboplatin was administered instead of CDDP. All patients obtained complete response and the bladders were preserved. Observation periods were from 9 to 75 months (median 37 months). One N2 patient died with metastatic disease and two died without carcinoma. Two patients developed invasive bladder cancer on the side opposite to the primary tumors. Both were successfully treated by IA and irradiation. Bladders of all except one patient functioned for a long period. Side effects of IA and irradiation were not significant. IA combined with pelvic irradiation is effective and safe for elderly patients with bladder carcinoma. (author)

[en] The purpose of this study is to examine the morphological and kinematical changes of the uterus induced by electrical stimulation applied to the skin just above the second and fourth posterior sacral foramens (sacral surface electrical stimulation [ssES]) in 26 healthy subjects. Out of them, eight subjects who had severe pain subjectively during every menstruation received ssES just in menstruation. Morphological and functional changes of the uterus were examined by using T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and T1-weighted MR cinematography, respectively. Cyclic electrical stimulation for 15 min with 5 sec ON and 5 sec OFF was applied just before MR scanning. A decrease in thickness of the muscular layer of the uterus was observed in every subject after ssES for 15 min and was significant as compared with the thickness before ssES. Periodic uterine movement during menstruation was observed in the subjects with severe menstrual pain in MR cine and the power spectrum analysis of the movement showed a marked decrease in peak power and frequency after ssES treatment. We conclude that ssES causes a reduction of static muscle tension of the uterus in all menstrual cycle periods and suppression of uterine peristalsis during menstruation in the subjects with severe menstrual pain. Possible neural mechanisms for these static and dynamic effects of ssES on the uterus at spinal level are discussed. (author)

[en] Radiation therapy (RT) may be suitable for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are difficult to treat with any other option. However, it remains unclear whether RT extends survival in these patients. Among the 957 HCC patients treated at Tohoku University Hospital from January 2007 to December 2013, only 49 patients received RT. We therefore retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of these patients; they were divided into three groups based on the reasons for choosing RT: 27 patients at Stage IV A (67.1 ± 1.6 years, 50.5 ± 2.1 Gy), 9 patients with alternative therapy (42.2 ± 2.4 years, 58.9 ± 1.1 Gy), and 13 patients who received RT after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (75.6 ± 2.1 years, 56.5 ± 1.5 Gy). RT was employed to ensure the local control of the lesion. The patients at Stage IV A were treated with radical RT (n=16) or with palliative RT (n=11). In radical RT group, the response rate was 37.5% and the complete response rate was 25%. The survival rate was 12.5 ± 2.6 months after radical RT. This is considered relatively good for Stage IV A. The disease-free survival rate was 13.0 ± 2.8 months after RT. This excellent disease-free survival indicates that RT is an alternative to other treatments. In the TACE group, patients who received the RT had the significantly long disease-free survival rate than only-TACE (18.0 ± 3.8 months vs. 11.2 ± 0.58 months). We propose that RT is effective and safe for HCC. (author)

[en] Mucosal toxicity is an incapacitating complication of intensive chemo-radiotherapy for children with malignant disorders, and is physically and psychologically distressful. It is therefore important to minimize mucosal toxicity in those patients. In this report, the effects of the combined prophylaxis of oral cooling (cryotherapy) and administration of propantheline, an anticholinergic drug, were studied in patients (aged 2-16 year) with acute leukemias or solid tumors, who underwent myeloablative chemo-radiotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell rescue from 1993 to 1997. Patients were pretreated with the combined prophylaxis (n=12) or single prophylaxis (n=5), or left untreated (n=7). The combined prophylaxis significantly reduced the severe mucositis (combined, 8.3%; single, 20.0%; and untreated, 42.9%) and severe diarrhea (combined, 16.7%; single, 60.0%; and untreated, 57.1%). Moreover, the combined prophylaxis tended to shorten the periods of febrile episodes defined as temperature >38 deg C (combined, 3.8 days; single, 4.6 days; and untreated, 5.6 days). Therefore, the combination of propantheline and oral cryotherapy may be feasible and effective for reduction of mucosal toxicity in patients with malignancy who undergo high-dose chemotherapy. (author)

[en] Radiation-induced intestinal injury is a common complication in radiotherapy for the cancer located in abdomen or pelvis. However, there is no effective treatment for radiation-induced intestinal injury now. It is therefore important to develop new treatments for radiation-induced intestinal injury. In this study, we investigated whether embryonic stem (ES) cells could be transplanted directly into the radiation-damaged intestine and could colonize and differentiate into the intestinal epithelial cells. The intestines of female nude mice (ICR nu/nu) were irradiated at a single dose of 30 Gy, and were immediately transplanted with male 129/Sv-derived ES cells into the wall of the irradiated intestine by direct injection. The intestine was removed on days 13 to 27 after transplantation. The Y-chromosome DNA of transplanted ES cells in the irradiated intestine was determined by polymerase chain reaction. Colonization and differentiation of transplanted ES cells in the irradiated intestine were analyzed by histological and immunohistochemical methods with antibodies against stage-specific embryonic antigen-1, α-smooth muscle actin and cytokeratin AE1/AE3. The cells of donor origin were identified in the intestine of irradiated mice, and intestinal crypt-like structures were observed on day 13 after transplantation. Importantly, we observed that ES cells could differentiate into epithelial cells in the submucosa of irradiated intestine on day 13 and 27 after transplantation. These results suggest that transplanted ES cells could colonize and differentiate in the intestinal intestine. Such a new approach for damaged intestine with transplanted stem cells would be promising. (author)