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Biomedical subjects

A Harada

Publications and source records attributed to A Harada.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Segmental glomerular necrosis as an active index of IgA nephropathy: a study with 100 serial sections of 128 cases.

One hundred serial sections from each of 128 cases with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy were examined by light microscopy to clarify the relationship between segmental glomerular necrosis (SGN) and progression of glomerular injury. The cases were divided into five groups according to the percentage of glomeruli with cellular/fibrocellular (C/F) crescents, fibrous adhesion and/or sclerosis: grade I, 0%; grade II, < 20%; grade III, 20-50%; grade IV, 50-80%; and grade V, 80% or more. The serial sections revealed unequivocally focal occurrence of SGN in 39 cases (30%). Segmental glomerular necrosis was never found in the cases of grade I (0%, 0/28), while it appeared in those of grade II (33%, 12/36), grade III (46%, 13/28), grade IV (48%, 13/27) and grade V (11%, 1/9). The incidence of the cases with C/F crescents showed a similar tendency among the groups. In addition, focal C/F crescents were more frequent in cases with SGN (82%) than in those without SGN (24%). In particular, cellular crescents in 26 cases were formed in close proximity to SGN. These results suggested that SGN in IgA nephropathy was a more common finding than formerly evaluated and that it potentially participated in the progression of glomerular injuries closely associated with crescent formation. Unequivocally, focal occurrence of SGN corresponded well with the slowly progressive course of the glomerular disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Effect of fenprostalene 14 days after fertirelin treatment on intervals from treatment to conception in cows with follicular cysts diagnosed by milk progesterone test.

Of 170 cows with ovarian cysts which were detected by palpation of the ovaries per rectum, 88 cows (51.8%) were diagnosed as having follicular cysts on the basis of milk progesterone concentrations. Eighty-three of the 88 cows were used for treatment trials. A group of 56 cows injected subcutaneously with fenprostalene, prostaglandin F2 alpha analog, 14 days after treatment with fertirelin, an analog of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, compared with another 27 cows treated only with fertirelin (controls), showed a higher pregnancy rate within 100 days after the initial treatment (66.1 vs 48.1%) and shorter intervals from the treatment to conception (30 +/- 21 vs 43 +/- 27 days). It was concluded that the administration of fenprostalene following fertirelin treatment is effective in shortening the interval from treatment to conception in cows with follicular cysts.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗
PubMed1993

Direct identification of lung cancer cells producing granulocyte colony stimulating factor with monoclonal anti-G-CSF antibodies.

This is a case report of an 82-year-old man with squamous cell lung cancer which produced G-CSF. The leukocyte cell count was elevated to 94,400/mm3. The serum G-CSF concentration was also elevated to 351 pg/ml. This is the first report to demonstrate, by application of immunohistochemical staining techniques directly to tumor tissue obtained at autopsy, squamous carcinoma cells which produce G-CSF. The tumor cells were stained with monoclonal anti-G-CSF antibodies.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Serum collagenase-like peptidase activity correlated with bone mineral density. A study of 102 elderly women.

To clarify the relationship between collagenase-like peptidase (CL-peptidase) and bone metabolism, serum CL-peptidase activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine, measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), were determined in 102 women with a mean age of 70 (41-94) years. The serum activity of CL-peptidase increased slightly with age up to the 8th decade, and then decreased. Next, we classified the subjects into the following 2 groups by age: a postmenopausal group 50-69 years, and an elderly group over 70 years. In the younger group serum CL-peptidase activity did not correlate with BMD, while in the elderly it did. Our result suggests that serum CL-peptidase activity may reflect bone resorption in elderly women.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Clival chordoma associated with pathological laughter. Case report.

The case of a 40-year-old man with a clival chordoma who presented with symptoms of pathological laughter and left sixth cranial nerve paresis is reported. Laughing and talking during sleep were noted on polygraphic and videotape recordings of nocturnal sleep. Selective disorganization of sleep was observed, with laughing facial expressions and a lack of muscular atonia. The tumor developed in the prepontine cistern, compressing the pontomesencephalic structures backward and involving the upper clivus and the left cavernous sinus. No recurrence of laughter attacks were noted after total removal of the tumor. The sleep patterns observed were similar to those of experimental animals with lesions of the peri-alpha locus ceruleus. The importance of uncontrolled laughter as a sign of a ventral brain-stem mass is emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Structure and function of the molluscan myoactive tetradecapeptides.

Effects of myoactive tetradecapeptides, Achatina excitatory peptide 2 and 3 (AEP2 and AEP3) and Fusinus excitatory peptide 4 (FEP4), on several molluscan muscles and neurons were investigated. In the penis retractor and radula retractor muscles of Achatina fulica (pulmonate), the three peptides enhanced the tetanic contraction elicited by nerve stimulations. The order of potency was AEP2 > AEP3 > FEP4, although the effects of AEP3 and FEP4 on the radula retractor were somewhat irregular. AEP2 also induced rhythmic bursts of activity in the buccal ganglionic neuron B4 known as a cholinergic motoneuron of the radula retractor. In the radula protractor and retractor muscles of Fusinus ferrugineus (prosobranch), FEP4 was most potent in enhancing the contraction. The enhancement was greater in the protractor than in the retractor. It was suggested that myoactive tetradecapeptides modulate mainly the cholinergic transmission in molluscan muscles.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

13C-labeled trioctanoin breath test for exocrine pancreatic function test in patients after pancreatoduodenectomy.

To assess exocrine pancreatic function in patients before and after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), we used the breath test, with nonradioactive 13C-labeled trioctanoin, in 14 patients before pancreatic resection because of localized pancreatic mass (preop-PD group), and in 13 patients who had undergone pancreatoduodenectomy more than 5 yr before (post-PD group). The results were compared with those of the secretin test, N-benzolyl-L-tyrosyl-p-amino benzoic acid (BT-PABA) test, and fecal chymotrypsin. Means +/- SD and frequencies of low values of the recovery of the breath test were 42.0 +/- 3.4%, 0/5 in the control; 24.2 +/- 10.5%, 14/14 in the preop-PD group; and 18.6 +/- 8.0, 13/13 in the post-PD group. The overall sensitivities in the preop- and post-PD groups were 100% for the recovery and 93% for the maximal mass ratio of the breath test, 89% for the secretin test, 67% for the BT-PABA test, and 64% for fecal chymotrypsin. The recovery of the breath test correlated significantly with the duodenal outputs of lipase, amylase, and chymotrypsin, and was not affected in patients with obstructive jaundice or with low D-xylose absorption. The breath test is as sensitive as the secretin test, more reliable than the conventional tubeless tests, and is available to follow up the exocrine pancreatic function before and after pancreatoduodenectomy.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗
PubMed1993

[Severe proteinuria in IgA nephropathy. Clinicopathological study of 8 cases with 100 serial sections].

Using 100 serial sections for light microscopy, we studied the clinicopathologic characteristics of IgA nephropathy with severe proteinuria. Eight out of 128 cases with IgA nephropathy exhibited severe proteinuria of 3.0g/day or more. These cases consisted of 5 males and 3 females with an age range from 15 to 73 years. Daily proteinuria ranged from 3.3 to 7.1 g. At the time of biopsy, the serum creatinine level was 1.2 mg/dl or more in 6 cases; two of these developed end-stage renal failure during the follow-up period. In most of the cases, routine sections for light microscopy revealed moderate to severe mesangial proliferation and tubulointerstitial damage. In 7 cases, variable percentages of glomeruli, ranging from 20% to 95%, were involved by chronic lesion represented by sclerosis and fibrous crescents/adhesion, while only 2 cases exhibited active lesion characterized by segmental glomerular necrosis and/or cellular/fibrocellular crescents. In contrast, thorough observation of 100 additional serial sections disclosed the focal presence of active lesion in all except one case with features of endstage kidney. In addition, the highest percentage of glomeruli with active lesion in the serial sections correlated well with the severity of proteinuria. The results suggested that severe proteinuria in IgA nephropathy depends on, at least in part, focal outbreak of active lesion characterized by segmental glomerular necrosis and cellular/fibrocellular crescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Treatment of thoracic malignancy accompanied with cardiovascular disease].

We treated 10 cases of thoracic malignancy accompanied with cardiovascular disease. Among thoracic malignancy, 7 cases were lung cancer and 3 were esophageal cancer. Accompanied cardiovascular diseases were ischemic heart disease (2 cases), valvular disease (3 cases), WPW syndrome (1 case), aortic aneurysm (4 cases). The mean age was 66, ranged from 51 to 79. The simultaneous occurrence of the two lesions were observed in 6 cases and thoracic malignancy was diagnosed after a varying interval of time following surgery of cardiovascular disease in 4 cases. In cases of thoracic malignancy accompanied with heart disease, the treatment of heart disease should precede the operation of malignant disease to reduce the risk of surgery. For the patient with esophageal cancer, posterior mediastinal esophagostomy should be applied who may have heart surgery in future. In cases of coexisting malignancy and aortic aneurysm, the priority of treatment should be determined considering the size of aneurysm. If the transverse diameter of aneurysm is larger than 7 cm, there is a high risk of rupture, so surgery for the aneurysm precedes operation of malignant diseases. It is desirable to avoid concomitant operation of malignancy and cardiovascular disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Expression of plasminogen activators and their inhibitors in human pancreatic carcinoma: immunohistochemical study.

Expression of plasminogen activators (PA), tissue type (t-PA) and urokinase type (u-PA), as well as PA inhibitors (PAI), type-1 (PAI-1) and type 2 (PAI-2), were investigated immunohistochemically in 97 human pancreatic carcinomas. u-PA expression predominated in pancreatic carcinomas, compared with t-PA [u-PA expression in 76 specimens (78.4%) and t-PA in eight specimens (8.2%)]. PAI-1 expression was detected in 80 carcinoma specimens (82.5%) and PAI-2 in 79 carcinoma specimens (81.4%). PAI-2 expression was significantly lower in carcinomas with peritoneal metastasis (p < 0.02). Strong PAI-2 expression was associated with significantly higher survival than negative or weak PAI-2 expression (p < 0.05). We conclude that immunohistochemical analysis of PAI-2 expression in pancreatic carcinomas may yield important prognostic information.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Hepatitis C virus infection in hepatocellular carcinoma. Detection of plus-strand and minus-strand viral RNA.

BACKGROUND: Although serum antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is found in many patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the actual roles of HCV in carcinogenesis are unknown. METHODS: With reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), HCV RNA was examined in the sera and liver tissues of 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who did not have hepatitis B virus markers, 13 of whom had anti-HCV. RESULTS: In the 13 patients with anti-HCV, the HCV genomic plus-strand RNA was detected more frequently in noncancerous tissues (8 patients, 61.5%) and in sera (6 patients, 46.2%) than in cancerous tissues (3 patients, 23.1%). No viral RNA was found in either sera or tissues in the three patients without anti-HCV. By using a sense primer for the RT in the RT-PCR assay, amplification was attempted of a putative complementary minus-strand RNA that is believed to reflect viral replication in the eight patients with the plus-strand RNA. The minus-strand RNA was found in the noncancerous tissues of six patients; it was not detected in the cancerous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HCV can infect and replicate predominantly in noncancerous cells but rarely in tumor cells.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Expression of HLA-DR in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Expression of HLA-DR was investigated immunohistochemically in 20 cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, as well as 9 normal livers that had been obtained at autopsy. Five of the nine normal livers had peribiliary glands that showed HLA-DR. Positive staining for HLA-DR on tumor cells was observed in 6 of 13 cases of cholangiocarcinoma of the hepatic hilus and in only 1 of 7 cases of peripheral cholangiocellular carcinoma. In cholangiocarcinomas of the hepatic hilus, the 5-year survival rate for tumors that had positive staining for HLA-DR was better than that for tumors that had negative staining. Based on these results, the presence or absence of HLA-DR on tumor cells could have a pathologic significance for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Adenoma, Bile Duct↗
PubMed1992

Results of hepatic resection and postoperative arterial chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

To improve the outcome of patients who had undergone hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we employed postoperative adjuvant hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (AHAI) in 23 patients. Patients showing various risk factors for the recurrence of HCC were given one shot of doxorubicin and mitomycin C suspended in an oily medium (lipiodol) and an infusion of 5-fluorouracil. The 3-year survival value calculated for patients who were treated with AHAI was 75%, which was significantly higher than that found for patients who did not receive AHAI (n = 156; P < 0.05). In addition, among the patients who underwent hepatic lobectomy, the survival of those who received AHAI was also significantly greater than that of those who did not (n = 46; P < 0.01). AHAI did not cause any severe complications. These results indicate that AHAI may be an effective therapy for patients with HCC.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1992

The course of respiration and circulation in death due to typical hanging.

Experiments were carried out on 15 dogs to investigate the course of respiration and circulation during the agonal period of death due to typical hanging. Animals were asphyxiated by a method simulating typical hanging. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), blood pressure (BP) in the femoral artery and intrathoracic pressure (ITP) were registered. In typical hanging, the course of respiration was characterized by shorter stages of dyspnoea and initial apnoea and a longer stage of the terminal respiration when compared with obstructive asphyxia. However, the whole time of the course of respiration and circulation in typical hanging was almost the same as that in obstructive asphyxia. The BP increased rapidly, was maintained during the dyspnoea stage, and then decreased gradually. EEG disappeared with, or a short time after, the end of the dyspnoea stage. The increased heart rate in the dyspnoea stage remained until circulatory collapse. The analysis of the ECG complexes revealed that the heart muscle adapted to oxygen deficiency during typical hanging.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1992

Homicidal manual strangulation and multiple stun-gun injuries.

Stun guns are electric shock devices that are used by a number of law enforcement agencies to subdue violent offenders, but sometimes are discharged into human bodies as offensive weapons. We autopsied a 22-year-old woman who was strangled and had many stun-gun injuries on her head, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. The stun-gun injuries consisted of many pairs of round erythemas with or without central paleness, some of which were accompanied by circumferential abrasions. To determine whether the electric shocks were administered before or after her death, we studied stun-gun injuries on pigs before and after death and found that the shocks after death did not mark the animal skin. Based on this experiment, all of the stun-gun injuries on the victim's body were concluded to have been inflicted before her death.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Postoperative changes in the spinal cord in cervical myelopathy demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging.

The relation between improvement of myelopathy achieved by surgery and postoperative spinal cord morphologic changes was investigated by magnetic resonance imaging in 51 patients with cervical myelopathy. In 22 patients, the cord indentation disappeared completely (Type I), in 23 it partially disappeared (Type II), and in 3 it remained unchanged (Type III). In three patients the cord enlarged after surgery (Type IV). With the exception of Type IV, increased restoration of cord morphology paralleled improvement in the myelopathy, suggesting that morphologic changes closely reflect neurologic recovery. In Type IV, notwithstanding the peculiar postoperative reaction, improvement was relatively good, and shrinkage of the cord enlargement was seen after 1 year. This kind of postoperative change has not been demonstrated previously by other conventional imaging methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Beneficial effects of cyclosporine on postischemic liver injury in rats.

The discovery of cyclosporine has had a significant impact on preventing the rejection of transplanted organs in humans. In this study, we present another positive aspect of cyclosporine. Rats were pretreated with cyclosporine (10 mg/kg, i.v.), or untreated. After 2-hr ischemia or 1 hr of reperfusion following 2-hr ischemia, livers were isolated and liver adenine nucleotide concentrations were determined. Liver mitochondria were prepared and their function was estimated polarographically. Leakage of AST, ALT, LDH, and adenine nucleotides into the hepatic vein just after reperfusion was also measured. Cyclosporine treatment did not affect ischemia-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, nor did it prevent the associated decrease in adenosine triphosphate concentration. However, treatment with cyclosporine accelerated the recovery of mitochondrial function and of tissue adenosine triphosphate concentrations. Cyclosporine treatment also mitigated leakage of AST, ALT, LDH, and adenine nucleotides after reperfusion. These results indicate that cyclosporine shows a potent protective effect on ischemia-reperfusion-related liver injury.

Adenine Nucleotides↗