The incidence rate of subarachnoid hemorrhage is much higher than that reported so far in the literature, and despite improvement of management and surgical therapy, the actual case-fatality rate is still high, mainly because of the high mortality rate directly associated with the primary bleeding.

culture assembly was also examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTSThe proliferation and differentiation of cancer cells were clearly changed on co-culture with adipocytes compared with the control cultures. The mean (range) bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) indices estimated (according to uptake) to evaluate the growth of the cultured cells were 36.3 (8.55)% in the co-culture and 26.95 (10.50) in the control ( P < 0.02). PC3 cells in co-culture formed larger clusters than in the control, at 16.0 (11.0) vs 14.0 (10.0), respectively ( P < 0.01). Cancer cells also showed pleomorphism, varying from cuboidal to spindle-shaped. The expressions of vascular endothelial and platelet-derived growth factor were greater in co-culture than in the control. CONCLUSIONThese findings suggest that adipocytes modulate the growth, morphology and cytokine expression of prostate cancer cells. This specific mesenchymal stromal cell type is important in the biological behaviour of prostate cancer cells.

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The mechanism of DNA degradation and its clinical applications were examined.When purified A phage and extracted liver DNA were fixed in phosphate buffered formaldehyde, the DNA did not degrade, but there was incomplete digestion with endonuclease. Rat liver tissues were fixed under various conditions and DNA extracted. Immediate fixation with buffered formaldehyde at low temperature, or the addition of EDTA to buffered formaldehyde blocked the DNA degradation. Analysis of pulsed field gel electrophoresis also showed that DNA was degraded before extraction. These results suggest that tissue nuclease has an important role in DNA degradation in tissue. Furthermore, formaldehyde fixation at low temperature, which may take time and which decreases slightly the staining capacity, is useful for the extraction of intact DNA. For clinical application, the detection of provirus was examined. Genomic DNA was extracted from a necropsy sample of adult T cell leukaemia fixed in formaldehyde; human T cell leukaemia virus type-I (HTLV-I) provirus was successfully detected by Southern blotting. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) facilitated the detection of specific genes from paraffin wax embedded tissues which contained relatively low molecular DNA.5 We also extracted DNA from formaldehyde fixed tissues, but the extracted DNA was degraded. We therefore examined the mechanism of DNA degradation. Furthermore, genomic DNA was extracted from a necropsy specimen fixed in formaldehyde and used for the detection of HTLV-I provirus. MethodsTo ascertain the direct effect of formaldehyde on DNA 100 ,ug of i phage DNA (Takara, Kyoto, Japan), salmon sperm DNA, and extracted rat liver DNA were fixed in phosphate buffered formaldehyde (formaldehyde concentration 433%, methanol concentration 0-70, 33 mM NaH2PO4, 45 7 mM Na2 HPO4, pH 7) for 24 hours at room temperature and dialysed once in TNE (10 mM TRIS-HCI, pH 8, 1 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaCl) to remove the formaldehyde.Closed colony Long-Evans (LE) rats were used to study the effect under different fixation conditions. After anaesthesia with ether and laparotomy buffered formaldehyde was immediately injected into the portal vein.

The overall survival rates for patients with ICH or SAH in Izumo were more favorable than those in previously published epidemiological studies. However, despite improved surgical results, the overall management of ICH and SAH still produced an unsatisfactory outcome, mainly because of primary brain damage.

The localization and biological roles of the multifunctional cell type mast cells remain unclear in subacute thyroiditis that is characterized by both epithelioid granuloma formation and thyroid tissue repair. We examined their immunolocalization with tryptase of a mast cell marker, using the biopsy specimens from 12 cases. In the epithelioid granuloma, no mast cells were detected in any of the cases, although a small number of them (4.6 +/- 2.4) were seen at the fibrous stroma around the granuloma in all cases. By contrast, in all cases, increased mast cells (28 +/- 7.2) localized at the thyroid tissue-regenerative site where both thyroid folliculogenesis and angiogenesis take place. To elucidate possible roles of mast cells in the disease, we also examined their immunoexpressions of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which affect thyroid folliculogenesis and angiogenesis. In all 12 cases, mast cells displayed all of these growth factors in a manner not specific to the infiltrating site. The data suggest that growth factor-expressing mast cells may play crucial roles in the thyroid tissue repair of subacute thyroiditis, modulating thyroid folliculogenesis and angiogenesis; and that the multifunctionality of the cells may be partly dependent on their expressions of various growth factors.

Objective: The effectiveness of urinary diversion for patients with renal insufficiency due to extrinsic ureteral obstruction was assessed. Methods: Between 1990 and 2003, 30 males and 45 females, ranging 36-90 years of age (average, 62.7) who had secondary ureteral obstruction due to either a retroperitoneal or pelvic invasion of malignant disease, underwent nephrostomy or ureteral stenting using a double-J stent without side holes. Results: Ureteral stenting was attempted as an initial procedure in 51 of the 75 cases. The remaining 24 cases had a nephrostomy at the first step. Of 51, 37 cases were successfully stented , while internal stenting was unsuccessful in the remaining 14 cases. These 14 cases were treated with nephrostomy at the second step following the unsuccessful internal stenting. Eight cases of the 37 successfully stented cases were eventually changed to a nephrostomy because of catheter trouble. As a result, 29 cases could be managed by internal ureteral stenting up until the end of their life. The follow-up period for the 75 cases who underwent urinary diversion ranged from 5 days to 19 months, averaging 5.7 months. The average period from diversion to death was 5.6 months in the internally stented group and 5.9 months in the nephrostomy group. Conclusion:The high patency rate of the internal ureteral stent in our cases might be due to our use of a stent without shaft vent holes.