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Biomedical subjects

A Higa

Publications and source records attributed to A Higa.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Extramedullary eosinophilopoiesis in the liver of Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice, with reference to hemopoietic stem cells.

Extramedullary hemopoiesis recognized as hemopoietic foci increased in the liver of Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice in parallel with kinetic changes in periovular granuloma formation. At the peak of the response, about 65% of the hepatic hemopoietic foci were of eosinophil lineage. When S. japonicum-infected mice were irradiated, hepatic hemopoietic foci rapidly disappeared within 3 days, whereas inflammatory cells in the periovular granulomas slowly reduced in number. When the number of hemopoietic stem cells in the liver were examined by spleen-colony assay, kinetic changes in the number of hemopoietic stem cells in hepatic nonparenchymal cells paralleled those of hepatic hemopoietic foci. Hemopoietic stem cells were rare in the granuloma cells. These results indicate that in response to the increased demand for eosinophils and other inflammatory cells, the liver acts as an extramedullary hemopoietic organ in which inflammatory cells are generated from hemopoietic stem cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of Toxocara canis infection on hemopoietic stem cells and hemopoietic factors in mice.

The effects of Toxocara canis infection on hemopoietic stem cells and hemopoietic factors were examined in mice. Severe eosinophilia was observed with a peak 14 days after infection. When the numbers of hemopoietic stem cells in peripheral blood, spleen, and bone marrow were examined by spleen colony assay (CFU-S), those in peripheral blood and spleen increased in parallel with peripheral blood eosinophilia. On the other hand, CFU-S in bone marrow did not alter significantly throughout the course of infection. Interleukin (IL)-3, which is known as multi-colony-stimulating factor and is involved in the growth/differentiation of various blood cells including stem cells, was produced by spleen cells of infected mice. The time course study showed that concanavalin A stimulated IL-3 production peaked on day 7 after infection, whereas that with excretory secretory antigen peaked on day 14. Even without stimulation, spleen cells obtained on day 21 after infection produced IL-3 spontaneously. IL-5, which is known to have eosinophil differentiation factor activity, was also produced by spleen cells obtained on day 13 after infection. These results suggest that in response to increased demand for eosinophils, hemopoietic stem cells migrate into various extramedullar hemopoietic organs where they grow/differentiate into mature eosinophils, depending on the hemopoietic factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Clinical evaluation of clarithromycin, a new macrolide antibiotic in children].

A new oral macrolide, clarithromycin (TE-031, A-56268), was evaluated for its safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics in 33 children. TE-031 was effective in all cases of mycoplasmal pneumonia, pneumococcal pneumonia, streptococcal pharyngitis, pertussis and Campylobacter gastroenteritis. The pharmacokinetic availability of TE-031 granule and tablets was much better than the older macrolides; serum half-lives of TE-031 averaged 3.2 +/- 0.25 hours (for the granule preparation). No clinical adverse reaction was encountered, but cases of transient mild elevation of the serum GPT (2 cases) and eosinophilia (2 cases) were encountered. From these preliminary data, TE-031 seems to have a place in the treatment of pediatric infectious diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Bacteriological, pharmacokinetic and clinical studies on clarithromycin in the pediatric field. Pediatric Study Group of Clarithromycin].

Clarithromycin (TE-031, A-56268), a new macrolide antibiotic agent, was evaluated bacteriologically and clinically for its efficacy and safety in pediatrics by a study group organized with pediatricians from all over the country. A summary of the results of the evaluation is as follows. 1. Absorption and excretion Pharmacokinetics of TE-031 was examined by single oral administration of 10% granules and 50 mg tablets at doses of 1, 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg. There were no significant differences between 10% granules and 50 mg tablets, and between administrations before and after meal. Peaks and half-life periods of blood level of TE-031 given once at doses of 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg (10% granules) before meal were 1.58, 4.37 and 3.79 micrograms/ml, and 2.53, 3.17 and 2.20 hours, respectively, and the urinary excretion in 6 hours after the administration were about 20-30%. 2. Antibacterial effects TE-031 was proved to have excellent antibacterial effect, i.e., inhibiting growth over 80% of strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes at 0.10 micrograms/ml, Branhamella catarrhalis at 0.39 micrograms/ml, and Campylobacter jejuni at 0.78 micrograms/ml. Against Staphylococcus aureus, TE-031 showed very similar activity spectrum to EM, and EM resistant strains were also resistant to TE-031. 3. Clinical results A total of 764 cases was studied. Clinical effects of TE-031 were evaluated in 717 cases out of the 764, excluding drop-outs and cases which did not meet specified protocols. Clinically, efficacies of TE-031 were "excellent" in 265 cases and "good" in 161 cases out of 453 cases of Group A in which causal agents were identified, with an efficacy rate of 94.0%, and out of 264 cases of Group B in which pathogens were not detected, clinical effects of TE-031 were "excellent" in 115 cases and "good" in 124 cases, with an efficacy rate of 90.5%. In terms of clinical effects of TE-031 classified by diseases when Group A and B were combined, efficacy rates were 91.6% for upper respiratory tract infection (217/237), 90.0% for bacterial pneumonia (108/120), 97.4% for Mycoplasma pneumonia (111/114), 100% for Chlamydia pneumonia (4/4), 85.0% for pertussis (34/40), 100% for scarlet fever (16/16), 83.9% for skin and soft tissue infection (26/31), and 98.9% for Campylobacter enteritis (87/88).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A case of generalized juvenile gastrointestinal polyposis associated with gastric carcinoma.

A case of generalized juvenile gastrointestinal polyposis associated with gastric adenocarcinoma is described. A 31-year-old male patient developed polyposis of the stomach complicated by gastric carcinoma and multiple polyps in the colon. Polyps of the stomach and colon were pathologically consistent with juvenile polyp, but adenomatous changes were also present in a very small percentage of the juvenile polyps. This case strongly suggests the possibility of carcinoma developing in patients with generalized juvenile gastrointestinal polyposis.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

Immunological and clinical effects of interferon-gamma on Crohn's disease.

Five patients with Crohn's disease (CD) confined to the small intestine were studied to determine whether intravenous administration of interferon (IFN)-gamma to normalize immunological imbalance produces clinical improvement. A daily dose of 12 million IU of IFN-gamma was intravenously infused for four weeks. Laboratory data, immunological responses, clinical and radiologic findings were evaluated after administration. Laboratory data showed no significant change after treatment. Immunological studies also failed to demonstrate any significant change except for a significant increase of natural killer (NK) cell activity after IFN-gamma infusion. Clinical assessment by Crohn's disease activity index as well as radiologic findings disclosed no definite improvement. This study suggests that enhancement of NK cell activity or augmentation of immunological imbalance induced by IFN-gamma does not play an important role in the pathogenesis of CD.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Technetium-99m serum albumin measurement of gastrointestinal protein loss in a subtotal gastrectomy patient with giant hypertrophic gastritis.

Gastrointestinal protein loss was measured using Tc-99m labeled human serum albumin in a patient with giant hypertrophic gastritis. Gastric secretion was aspirated via a nasogastric tube and measured for radioactivity after intravenous injection of Tc-99m albumin. Assessment of radioactivity of the collected gastric secretion yielded a total radiocount of 98.7 kilocounts per minute within 6 hours, which is equivalent to 1.1% of the total dose. Therefore, at least 1.1% of the circulating albumin was excreted into the gastric cavity within 6 hours, and, since simultaneous abdominal imaging did not demonstrate obvious accumulation of tracer in the gastrointestinal tract, protein loss was thought to be due to giant gastric rugae of the resected stomach. It was concluded that Tc-99m albumin is a valuable means for detection of the site of protein loss in patients with protein-losing gastroenteropathy. This method has several advantages in the clinical setting; it is less time consuming, easy to perform, and provides quantitative and qualitative assessment of protein loss.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Cyclic sinus node dysfunction in a patient with hyperthyroidism.

In a 54-year-old woman with hyperthyroidism, episodic sinus node dysfunction (SND) recurred in a cyclic fashion. The SND occurred suddenly during normal sinus rhythm and progressed to marked sinus bradycardia; occasionally, sinus arrest developed with or without ventricular escape beats. A 1-mg dose of intravenous atropine sulfate suppressed the occurrence transiently. After a 200-mg dose of propylthiouracil and a 20-mg dose of prednisolone every six hours, the SND was completely abolished within 21 hours. It is probable that, together with a pathologic process induced by hyperthyroidism, the autonomic nervous system participated in our patient's episodic SND.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1984

Interrelationship between drug resistance and bacteriocinogeny of Clostridium perfringens.

One hundred and eight strains of Clostridium perfringens were collected from polluted waters and tested for their drug resistance and bacteriocinogeny . Thirty of the strains were tetracycline resistant and 36 were bacteriocinogenic. Only one strain possessed both tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogen . Transfer experiments on tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny were carried out with several selected strains among these isolates. Both tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny were shown to be transferable by conjugation-like procedures. Transfer experiments on these two properties revealed that there were two types of recipient strains among the isolates in regard to the acceptance of tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny . In one type of the recipient strain, these two properties seemed to be incompatible although in the other, both tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny were transferred by two-step mating. Transcipients of this two-step mating retransferred their tetracycline resistance but not bacteriocinogeny to another recipient strain. The existence of an incompatibility-like relationship between tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny in one recipient strain, and the inability of these two properties to be co-transferred from the two-step transcipients , suggest a certain interrelationship between the factors responsible for tetracycline resistance and bacteriocinogeny .

Bacteriocin Plasmids↗
PubMed1975

Some properties of the citrate synthase from the extreme halophile, Halobacterium cutirubrum.

1. Citrate synthase [citrate oxaloacetate-lyase (CoA-acetylating), EC 4.1.3.7] was purified about 400-fold from the extreme halophile, Halobacterium cutirubrum, by a method involving (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and hydroxyapatite and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. 2. The purified enzyme was best activated by high concentrations of KCl (3M); the chlorides of other cations and K+ salts of other anions (Br-, NO3-, SCN-) were less effective than KCl as activators. The enzyme was best stabilized by high concentrations of NaCl or KCl. Cold-lability was found in the presence of 3M-KCl, but not in the presence of NaCl at concentrations up to 5M. The results suggest that both the shielding of negative charges on the enzyme molecule and the stabilization of hydrophobic bonds by high KCl concentrations were required for maximum activity of the enzyme. 3. The double-reciprocal plots for acetyl-CoA or oxaloacetate at several concentrations of the co-substrate intersected at the abscissa in the presence of either KCl or NaCl, at either 1 or 3M. The Km for oxaloacetate increased about fivefold with the salt concentration, from 1 to 3M.

Citrate (si)-Synthase↗