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Biomedical subjects

A Endo

Publications and source records attributed to A Endo.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Augmented exercise plasma noradrenaline with impaired chronotropic responsiveness in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

1. There is controversy regarding plasma catecholamine levels in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and few data exist on serial plasma catecholamine measurements during exercise. The present study determined whether cardiovascular and plasma catecholamine responses to exercise were altered in patients with HCM. 2. Plasma noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline were measured at rest, at the end of each stage during exercise and immediately and 5 min after submaximal treadmill exercise in 15 patients with non-obstructive HCM (13 males, two females; mean (+/- SEM) age 54 +/- 3 years) and in 15 age- and sex-matched controls. The ratio of the increment in heart rate (HR) divided by the increment in plasma NA during exercise (delta HR/delta NA) was used as an index of chronotropic sympathetic responsiveness to exercise. 3. Exercise duration was shorter (11.2 +/- 0.6 vs 8.7 +/- 0.6 min for control vs HCM, respectively; P < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher at stages I and II of modified Bruce protocol HCM. 4. Resting plasma NA levels (149 +/- 17 vs 167 +/- 28 pg/mL for control vs HCM, respectively; NS) were not different, but plasma NA levels at stages I and II were significantly higher in HCM than in controls (243 +/- 26 vs 399 +/- 69 pg/mL (P < 0.05) and 308 +/- 30 vs 548 +/- 110 pg/mL (P < 0.05), respectively). 5. Peak plasma NA levels were not significantly higher in HCM than in controls (578 +/- 59 vs 918 +/- 184 pg/mL, respectively; NS). 6. The ratio delta HR/delta NA was significantly lower in HCM compared with control at stages I and II (0.49 +/- 0.10 vs 0.21 +/- 0.05 (P < 0.05) and 0.38 +/- 0.06 vs 0.20 +/- 0.05 (P < 0.05), respectively). There were no differences in plasma adrenaline responses during exercise between the two groups. 7. Patients with HCM had augmented plasma NA levels during submaximal exercise with a higher diastolic blood pressure response. Chronotropic sympathetic responsiveness was impaired during the early stages of exercise in patients with HCM.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Using polymerase chain reaction for rapid sex-determination of a case of sirenomelia.

A rare case of sirenomelia with its autopsy findings is reported. The 1188 g infant was delivered by cesarean section at the 36th week of gestation, and died at 4 h of life. Physical and pathologic findings included sirenomelia (a single lower extremity mass), lung hypoplasia, bilateral renal agenesis, blind-ending colon, severe deformity of the bony pelvis, an imperforate anus, absence of the bladder, and a single umbilical artery. Because of the difficulty in determining the sex of the infant, PCR directed against the SRY gene was performed. The PCR-based sex determination is a rapid technique in patients with ambiguous genitalia.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1998

Isolation of SMTP-3, 4, 5 and -6, novel analogs of staplabin, and their effects on plasminogen activation and fibrinolysis.

Four novel triprenyl phenol metabolites, designated SMTP-3, -4, -5, and -6, have been isolated from cultures of Stachybotrys microspora IFO 30018 by solvent extraction and successive chromatographic fractionation using silica gel and silica ODS columns. A combination of spectroscopic analyses showed that SMTP-3, -4, -5, and -6 are staplabin analogs, containing a serine, a phenylalanine, a leucine or a tryptophan moiety in respective molecules in place of the N-carboxybutyl portion of the staplabin molecule. SMTP-4, -5, and -6 were active at 0.15 to 0.3 mM in enhancing urokinase-catalyzed plasminogen activation and plasminogen binding to fibrin, as well as plasminogen- and urokinase-mediated fibrinolysis. On the other hand, the concentration of staplabin required to exert such effects was 0.4 to 0.6 mM, and SMTP-3 was inactive at concentrations up to 0.45 mM.

Benzopyrans↗
PubMed1998

Enhancement of fibrinolysis by plactins: structure-activity relationship and effects in human U937 cells and in mice.

Plactin D, a cyclic pentapeptide [cyclo(-D-Val-L-Leu-D-Leu-L-Phe-D-Arg-)] produced by a fungal strain, enhances fibrinolytic activity (6). The present study deals with the structure-activity relationship of plactins and their effects in U937 cells and mice. The results obtained from 50 plactin D analogues with a single amino acid substitution demonstrated that the following substitutions were detrimental: the enantiomer for each of the five residues; a polar, an acidic or a basic residue for D-Val, L-Leu, D-Leu or L-Phe; a polar, a hydrophobic or an acidic residue for D-Arg. On the other hand, a compound with L-Leu or L-Val in place of L-Phe was seven times as active as plactin D. These results suggest an essential role of a sterically restricted arrangement of four hydrophobic residues and the adjacent basic residue. The enhancement of fibrinolysis was dependent on plasma, ranging from 2- to 3-fold when U937 cells were incubated with 15-30 microM plactin D in the presence of 6-50% plasma, while no elevation was observed when cells were incubated in the absence of plasma. Plasminogen alone could not substitute for plasma. The plactin D effect was totally abolished by anti-urokinase IgG but not by anti-tissue plasminogen activator IgG. Plactin D caused a plasma-dependent, transient increase in the cellular urokinase activity. This urokinase activation may have accounted for the increased fibrinolytic activity of plactin D-treated U937 cells. Homogenates of the lung obtained from mice 0.5 to 2 h after intravenous plactin D (5 mg/kg) showed 2- to 3-fold increased levels of fibrinolytic activity, while activities of the brain, heart, liver, spleen, kidney and aorta were not significantly affected. In conclusion, plactin D enhances fibrinolysis both in cultured mammalian cells and in experimental animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[A resected case of so-called carcinosarcoma of the lung which was diagnosed as diaphragmatic tumor].

A 64-year-old male complained of right hypochondralgia and was admitted to our hospital. A large tumor (10 x 15 x 10 cm) of the right diaphragm was detected involving the middle and lower lobe of the lung. Microscopic and immunohistochemical examinations showed that bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma was interposed in the sarcoma-like lesion, and this tumor was diagnosed as a so-called carcinosarcoma of the lung.

Carcinosarcoma↗
PubMed1997

Cytogenetic effects of cadmium on unfertilized oocytes in short-term zinc deficiency in hamsters.

Chromosomal mutagenic effects of cadmium were examined during oogenesis in hamsters fed a zinc-deficient diet in the short term. Although mild zinc deficiency per se decreased the number of oocytes recovered, other reproductive and cytogenetic effects were not observed. On the other hand, cadmium induced a high incidence of oocyte degeneration and diploidy, which did not differ between the zinc-deficient and control groups. The mutagenic activities of cadmium were not accentuated in metaphase II oocytes of zinc-deficient hamsters. However, it appears that zinc deficiency alters the effects of cadmium on the reproductive system in female hamsters.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Enhancement of fibrin binding and activation of plasminogen by staplabin through induction of a conformational change in plasminogen.

Staplabin (0.3-0.6 mM), a fungal triprenyl phenol, enhanced 3-fold the plasminogen activator-catalyzed activation of Glu-plasminogen and Lys-plasminogen as well as their binding to fibrin. Staplabin was not stimulatory to the amidolytic activity of plasmin and plasminogen activators. Even in the presence of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) and fibrinogen fragments, allosteric effectors for Glu-plasminogen, staplabin increased the activation of both forms of plasminogen. In size-exclusion chromatography of Glu-plasminogen and Lys-plasminogen, the molecular elution time, which varies as the conformation of a protein changes, was shortened by staplabin. These results suggest that staplabin causes plasminogens to be more susceptible to activation and fibrin binding by inducing a conformational change that is, at least in part, different from that induced by EACA and fibrinogen fragments.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed1997

Enhancement of plasminogen binding and fibrinolysis by chloropeptin I.

Plasminogen is a zymogen of the fibrinolytic serine protease, plasmin. Plasminogen binds, through its lysine binding sites in the kringle domain, to blood and vascular cells or fibrin, where it is efficiently activated and exerts fibrinolytic activity (1,2). We have recently found that complestatin, a peptide-like metabolite of streptomyces (3,4), enhances plasminogen binding to U937 cells and fibrin, thus potentiating fibrinolysis (5). In the present study, complestatin was found to be converted by an acid treatment to a more active isomer in enhancing plasminogen binding to U937 cells. This isomer was identified to be chloropeptin I, which was recently isolated from a culture of Streptomyces sp. by Matsuzaki et al. as an inhibitor of gp 120-CD4 binding (6). The present paper deals with the stimulation of fibrinolysis by chloropeptin I.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1997

Characteristics of 161 patients with cardiac tumors diagnosed during 1993 and 1994 in Japan.

We investigated clinical and pathologic characteristics of 161 patients with primary or secondary cardiac tumors diagnosed between 1993 and 1994 in Japan. The increased use of cardiovascular imaging, especially echocardiography, contributed to the early identification of small cardiac tumors, resulting in a reduction of the serious complications such as embolization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Clinical significance of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor in chronic myeloproliferative disorders.

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels were determined in patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD): 18 with chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase (CML in CP), seven with CML in accelerated phase (AP) or blastic crisis (BC), six with polycythemia vera (PV), eight with essential thrombocythemia (ET), one with primary myelofibrosis (PMF), and 50 controls. The mean (+/-S.E.M.) levels were higher in CMPD than in controls (CML in AP or BC, 2693 +/- 694 U/ml, P < 0.0001; CML in CP, 792 +/- 63 U/ml, P < 0.0001; PV 553 +/- 89 U/ml, P < 0.05; ET, 449 +/- 56 U/ml; PMF, 628 U/ml vs. controls, 395 +/- 25 U/ml). Patients with CML in CP had significantly higher serum sIL-2R levels than patients with ET (P < 0.005), and levels were markedly elevated in AP and BC (P < 0.001). Serum sIL-2R levels were positively correlated with WBC count and lactic dehydrogenase in CMPD, and in CML in CP. Serum sIL-2R levels in CMPD were negatively correlated with RBC and platelet counts. Serum sIL-2R levels were significantly lower in patients with CML in CP who showed a cytogenetic response after interferon (IFN) therapy than in those who showed no response (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that a high serum sIL-2R level reflects the leukocyte growth in CMPD and is useful both for differentiating CML from other CMPD and for predicting the response to IFN therapy in CML.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1997

Endothelium-derived relaxing and contracting factors during the early neonatal period.

The interaction and relative potency of nitric oxide, an endothelium-derived relaxing factor, and endothelin-1, an endothelium-derived contracting factor, may be important in the transition from fetal to extrauterine life. The change in level of nitric oxide during the early neonatal period has not been measured. Accordingly, the serum levels of nitric oxide metabolites (the sum of nitrite and nitrate) and plasma endothelin-1 were determined in 20 healthy neonates at birth, at 12 and 24 h postnatally, and at the age of 5 d. The lowest serum concentration of nitric oxide metabolites was observed at birth (26.2 +/- 9.1 micromol l(-1), mean +/- SD) and increased with age, whereas the highest plasma concentration of endothelin-1 was observed at birth (14.0 +/- 6.7 pg ml(-1)) and decreased with age. These changes suggest that nitric oxide and endothelin-1 play roles in the circulatory adaptation of the neonate to extrauterine life.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

Chemical and functional properties of mutastein, an inhibitor of insoluble glucan synthesis by Streptococcus sobrinus.

Mutastein, a potent inhibitor of insoluble glucan synthesis by Streptococcus sobrinus, is a protein with a molecular weight of approximately 2 x 10(6). Amino acid and ELISA analyses suggested that mutastein is a mixture of heterogenous polymers of alpha-casein contained in the culture medium of the producing strain, Aspergillus terreus M3328. Mutastein strongly inhibited the primer-dependent insoluble glucan synthase of S. sobrinus B13. The primer-independent soluble glucan synthase was not affected by mutastein while primer-dependent soluble glucan synthase was slightly activated.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1997

Clonostachin, a novel peptaibol that inhibits platelet aggregation.

A novel peptaibol, designated clonostachin, was isolated from cultures of Clonostachys sp. F5898 by HP-20 and silica gel column chromatographies and reverse-phase HPLC. The structure of clonostachin was determined by Edman and chemical degradations, positive ion FAB-MS, EI-MS, and NMR analyses. Clonostachin was a linear tetradecapeptide with an N-terminal acetyl group and a C-terminal sugar alcohol. Clonostachin inhibited ADP-induced aggregation of human platelets by 80% at 150 microM.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1997

Enhancement of plasminogen binding to U937 cells and fibrin by complestatin.

Plasminogen binds to endothelial and blood cells as well as to fibrin, where the zymogen is efficiently activated and protected from inhibition by alpha 2-antiplasmin. In the present study we have found that complestatin, a peptide-like metabolite of a streptomyces, enhances binding of plasminogen to cells and fibrin. Complestatin, at concentrations ranging from 1 to 5 microM, doubled 125I-plasminogen binding to U937 cells both in the absence and presence of lipoprotein(a), a putative physiological competitor of plasminogen. The binding of 125I-plasminogen in the presence of complestatin was abolished by epsilon-aminocaproic acid, suggesting that the lysine binding site(s) of the plasminogen molecule are involved in the binding. Equilibrium binding analyses indicated that complestatin increased the maximum binding of 125I-plasminogen to U937 cells without affecting the binding affinity. Complestatin was also effective in increasing 125I-plasminogen binding to fibrin, causing 2-fold elevation of the binding at approximately 1 microM. Along with the potentiation of plasminogen binding, complestatin enhanced plasmin formation, and thereby increased fibrinolysis. These results would provide a biochemical basis for a pharmacological stimulation of endogenous fibrinolysis through a promotion of plasminogen binding to cells and fibrin.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1996

Regulation of fatty acid synthase expression by cholesterol in human cultured cells.

The regulation of fatty acid synthase (FAS) expression by sterols in a cultured human hepatoblastoma cell line, Hep G2, was studied. When cells were treated with compactin in a medium containing lipoprotein deficient serum, FAS mRNA level increased 1.6-fold. A squalene synthase inhibitor, TAN1607A, decreased both free and esterified cholesterol contents in Hep G2 cells and increased mRNA levels for FAS, HMG-CoA reductase, squalene synthase and LDL receptor. However, for the increment of FAS mRNA, a 10-fold higher concentration of this inhibitor was needed. These results demonstrate that the concentration of cellular cholesterol which regulates FAS expression is necessarily lower than the levels which regulate other sterol sensitive genes. FAS mRNA was also increased by an inhibitor of SREBP degradation as well as chenodeoxycholic acid. These results indicate that FAS mRNA expression is regulated by cholesterol and is mediated through SREBPs. The implications of the different modes of sterol regulation of FAS and LDL receptor expression are discussed.

Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic↗
PubMed1996

Relationship between the monosomy X phenotype and Y-linked ribosomal protein S4 (Rps4) in several species of mammals: a molecular evolutionary analysis of Rps4 homologs.

Two isoforms of the human ribosomal protein S4 gene, RPS4X and RPS4Y, are located on the X and Y chromosomes. It has been postulated that haploinsufficiency of these genes may contribute to Turner syndrome. We show here that several animal species that show the Turner-like phenotype on monosomy X have no Y-linked Rps4 homolog. There may be another gene(s) that contributes to abnormal phenotypes of monosomy X. Molecular evolutionary analysis shows that the Y-linked and RPS4X-related homologs diverged prior to the radiation of placental mammals and evolved independently. Furthermore, the functional constraints against the RPS4X-related homologs are much stronger than those against the Y-linked homologs.

Animals↗