Twelve patients with advanced carcinoma of the prostate were treated with intravenous high-dose cyclophosphamide. All were hormone-resistant cases. At an interval of 3-4 weeks, cyclophosphamide was administered intravenously. The standard dosage of cyclophosphamide was 1,000 mg/m2 and a 10% lower dose was administered to patients with liver dysfunction, anemia and elderly patients. The results of 10 patients were evaluable. One case showed objective partial response, 1 case was stable and 8 patients showed objective progression according to the NPCP efficacy evaluation standard. The overall response rate was 20%, which we did not consider satisfactory. As to toxicity of cyclophosphamide, one patient died of severe acute hepatic failure, but in others, complications were mild to tolerable.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for patients with partial androgen deficiency of the aging male (PADAM). Twenty-one patients over 50 years of age with PADAM symptoms were included in this study. Laboratory and endocrinologic profiles were reviewed as appropriate, and PADAM symptoms were judged by means of several questionnaires such as the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale, short version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Laboratory and endocrinologic values and symptom scores were evaluated and compared before and after treatment by hCG injection. The treatment period was 8.0 ± 5.0 months (3.0 – 24.0 months). Serum concentrations of testosterone, including total testosterone, calculated free testosterone, and calculated bioavailable testosterone, increased significantly. AMS total scores and subscores decreased significantly after treatment. However, IIEF-5 and SDS scores did not improve. With respect to adverse effects, laboratory tests showed that only red blood cell count, hematocrit and hemoglobin level increased significantly after treatment, however, these values remained within the normal range. No adverse effect was identified after treatment. We conclude that hCG injection may be considered as a treatment for PADAM.
Endovascular endoscope is now widely used not only for diagnosis but also for the therapy of vessel stenosis , vessel sclerosis, and so on, however, it is very difficult to observe the inside of vessels within the blood flow by the endoscope because of the light scattering effect by red cells.In this study, we proposed the limpid liquid injection method to acquire clear image in front of the endoscope inside the blood vessels or chamber for especially cardiac surgery .The prototype of the system and its pre-evaluation are described.
A case of nephrogenic adenoma in the female urethral diverticulum is reported. A 39-year-old woman visited our hospital with the chief complaint of perineal pain. Observation of her perineum and transvaginal digital examination revealed urethral diverticulum, and then diverticulectomy was performed. Histological diagnosis was urethral diverticulum associated with nephrogenic adenoma. In Japan, this is the 1st report of nephrogenic adenoma arising in the female urethral diverticulum. We reviewed 305 cases of nephrogenic adenoma of the urinary tract in the English and Japanese literature.
Summary Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection is becoming a first‐line treatment even for non‐obstructive azoospermia. The current focus of TESE is the identification of seminiferous tubules that contain spermatozoa and minimization of testicular damage. Although microdissection TESE has been introduced as a preferred procedure for sperm retrieval, no serial follow‐up studies of testicular damage have been reported. In the present study, we assayed serum testosterone concentrations and for the presence of antisperm antibodies (ASA) for 1 year after conventional multiple TESE or microdissection TESE and compared postoperative testicular damage between procedures. Thirteen patients who underwent conventional multiple TESE and 12 patients who underwent microdissection TESE were included in this study. Serum total and free testosterone concentrations were evaluated before operation and 1, 6 and 12 months after TESE. Serum ASA was also evaluated before and 12 months after TESE. Serum total and free testosterone concentrations in all patients in both groups showed no significant postoperative decrease. A comparison between the two groups of serum total and free testosterone concentrations showed no significant difference (total testosterone, p = 0.2477; free testosterone, p = 0.3098). No incidence of new ASA formation was identified in the present study. In conclusion, TESE procedures cause neither a decrease of serum testosterone nor formation of ASA. Serum testosterone concentration are similar between patients in the conventional multiple TESE and microdissection groups. Therefore, microdissection TESE is safe with respect to testicular damage, particularly for patients with hypogonadism.
Congenital unilateral multicystic kidney is relatively rare in adult (16% in adult, and 84% in children). Most of the adult cases are asymptomatic, and should be followed up conservatively, but nephrectomy was performed in many cases reported in Japan, because it was difficult to distinguish those cases from renal tuberculosis. Here we present one adult case, and discuss its clinical findings, diagnosis, treatment, etiology and embryology.
We report a case of recurrent IgA nephropathy following renal transplantation under tacrolimus (FK506). A 23-year-old female who had been diagnosed with IgA nephropathy was transplanted from her HLA two-mismatched mother under tacrolimus, prednisolone and azathioprine. Two years after transplantation, suddenly she noticed macroscopic hematuria. At that time, functional renal deterioration (serum creatinine: 2.3 mg/dl) and mild proteinuria were observed. Allograft biopsy disclosed acute cellular rejection. She was administered a bolus injection of methylprednisolone, 15-deoxyspergualin and anti-lymphocyte globulin. However, the response to the treatment was poor. A transplant biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis by PAS staining and granular IgA and C3 deposits on immunofluorescence examination. There was no sign of acute rejection and toxicity by tacrolimus. We diagnosed recurrent IgA nephropathy. At the present time, she has normal urinalysis and renal function is stable (serum creatinine: 1.9 mg/dl). No proteinuria was observed after total dosage of immunosuppressants was increased. Although recurrence of IgA nephropathy in renal allograft is frequent, allograft dysfunction is rare. However, IgA nephropathy has several types with different prognosis. For functional renal deterioration after renal transplantation, we should consider not only an acute rejection or the toxicity of immunosuppressants but also recurrent nephropathy.
A 13-year-old Korean boy is reported here as a case of mixed gonadal dysgenesis. The patient presented with perineal hypospadia. He had scrotal testis, epididymis, vas deferens on right side, and abdominal streak gonad, Fallopian tube on left side. He had also uterus and vagina. His chromosome was 46XY type. Among 59 reported cases in Japan, 12 had undergone plasty into male. All of them had hypospadia. In 51 cases, 17 had testes in scrotum. None of them had a testicular tumor. So we decided to do plasty in male, and to follow up his testis quite carefully.
