We evaluated the availability of toluidine blue stain in body fluids, such as peritoneal and pleural fluid and urine. Nine hundreds specimens, i.e., 400 pleural and 400 peritoneal fluids and 100 urine samples, respectively, from Jan. 1995 to May 1996 were included. We obtained the result of high sensitivity and high specificity in toluidine blue stained body fluid in comparison with Papanicolaou stained result. Additionally, we found the diagnostically important crystals in chylothorax and some urine samples, which can not be seen in routine Papanicolaou stain. We thought the toluidine blue stain in body fluid is one of very useful diagnostic methods.
Ascitic Fluid ; Body Fluids ; Chylothorax ; Proteinuria* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tolonium Chloride

The authors collected 53 consecutive cases of chronic subdural hematoma which were diagnosed by carotid angiography and brain scanning. There were 39 males and 14 females. The mean age was 45.6 years old. 80% of all cases had a history of head injury and one of the clinical manifestations of increased intracranial pressure as well as contralateral hemiparesis. The most common site of hematoma was fronto-parietal region. 42 cases were treated with simple drainage and 11 cases with membranectomy. Post-op. course was excellent in all cases of simple drainage, but in 2 cases of membranectomy, recollection of hematoma developed after surgery.
Angiography ; Brain ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Drainage ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic* ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Male ; Paresis

PURPOSE: The evolution of cirrhosis from chronic inflammatory liver disease represents a dysmorphogenic "response to injury". It is important to understand how inflammatory cytokines, known to be associated with such responses, influence the growth of different cell populations within the liver. The purpose of this work is to establish a role of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy in N-nitrosodieth ylamine (DEN)-induced cirrhotic rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. Liver cirrhosis was induced using DEN (100 mg/kg) given once a week for 6 weeks. In Group I (n=18), 70% partial hepatectomy was accomplished and then the resected liver weight, regenerated liver weight, serum IL-6, and serum GOT/GPT was determined on postoperative days 1, 2, and 4 and at intervals. In Group II (n=19), partial hepatectomy was carried out and Laennec, a hepatocyte growth promoter, was injected on preoperative 1 day and postoperative days 1 and 2. RESULTS: The value of serum GOT in Group I was 415 IU/ml on the first postoperative day and peaked at 1870 IU/ml on the third day. In Group II, the level of serum GOT was 404 IU/ml on the first postoperative day and peaked at 593 IU/ml on the third day, then decreased gradually thereafter. The value of serum IL-6 was 106.54 pg/ml on the first postoperative day, 130.59 pg/ml on the 14th postoperative day in Group I, however in Group II, it was 40 pg/ml on thefirst postoperative day and then decreased to 29.18 pg/ml on the 14th postoperative day. The percentages of regenerated weights of liver at intervals following the 70% partial hepatectomy was 55.1% on the first postoperative day, and 102.3% on the 4th week in Group I and 60.4% on the first postoperative day, 95.8% on the first week postoperatively, and 116.1% on the 2nd week in Group II. CONCLUSION: As the value of serum IL-6 was sustained below 40 pg/ml, which was the value on the first postopeative day following partial hepatectomy with Laennec treatment, the resected liver was rapidly regenerated and restored to normal liver function. In cirrhotic liver, regenerative activity was related to serum IL-6 level, so downregulation of serum IL-6 might be helpful to the regeneration of resected liver.
Animals ; Cytokines ; Down-Regulation ; Fibrosis ; Hepatectomy* ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Regeneration* ; Liver* ; Male ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pharyngoesophageal musculature plays an important role in swallowing, and prevents aspiration and supraesophageal reflux. These muscles are closed during the resting state and opens with swallowing to allow the passage of food. In this study, the histochemical characteristics of the upper esophageal sphincter muscles in human were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Muscle samples from the inferior pharyngeal constrictor, cricopharyngeus, upper esophageal muscle and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle were obtained from the healthy portion of nine laryngectomized specimen. We used the H&E staining for identifying the gross anatomy of these muscles, and the myofibrillar ATPase staining and the NADH-TR staining for differentiating the muscle fiber type. RESULTS: Analysis of the muscle fiber types of the upper esophageal sphincter muscle revealed a predominance of type I in the cricopharyngeus (78.9%) and the upper esophageal muscle (85.2%), and type II in the inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle (80%). In the SCM muscle, the percentage of each fiber type was almost the same. The proportion of oxidative fibers within these muscles correlated well to that of the type I fibers. CONCLUSION: The distribution of the type I fibers tended to be higher in the upper esophageal muscle than in the inferior pharyngeal constrictor. These findings about fiber types represents well the physiological features of each muscle, i.e. the inferior pharyngeal constrictors are capable of short rapid contraction and the upper esophageal muscles are capable of slow rhythmic movement.
Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Deglutition ; Esophageal Sphincter, Upper* ; Histocytochemistry ; Humans* ; Muscles ; Pharyngeal Muscles