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Biomedical subjects

A Kamiya

Publications and source records attributed to A Kamiya.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Microbial contamination of brushes used for preoperative shaving.

Microbial contamination of brushes used for preoperative shaving was investigated. Of the 24 brushed examined, 18 were contaminated with 10(6)-10(9) colony forming units (cfu) per brush. Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Xanthomonas maltophilia, and yeast-like fungi such as Candida parapsilosis were the primary contaminants. The mean bacterial count on the skin after the use of contaminated brushes (having a mean bacterial count 2.2 x 10(8) cfu) in 14 subjects was 4.6 x 10(5) cfu 25 cm-2, which was about 100 times (p less than 0.001) the control level. Contaminated brushes could not be disinfected with 80% ethyl alcohol, 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 0.5% chlorhexidine. These findings suggest that the use of brushes should be avoided for preoperative shaving with a razor, and that sterile gauze and shaving foam should be used instead of a brush and soap.

Candida

Microbial contamination of enteral feeding solution and its prevention.

In an investigation of microbial contamination of enteral feeding solutions, all 22 residual solutions obtained immediately after administration were contaminated at concentrations of 10(3) to 10(6) viable counts/ml. Major contaminants were glucose-nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var anitratus. Contamination seemed to have been caused by frequent reuse of bag-type containers and the infusion tubes connected to the bags, neither of which can be washed or dried. Decontamination methods were evaluated by using polypropylene containers that can be washed and disinfected for administration. Few Serratia marcescens on the inside wall of the container were removed by rinsing with tap water, alone or in combination with detergent scrub. Tap water and detergent plus air-drying at 56 degrees C for 1 hour reduced Serratia marcescens only somewhat. Tap water and detergent plus immersion in 0.01% sodium hypochlorite for 1 hour or in water at 70 degrees C for 3 minutes eliminated all 10(11) cells of Serratia marcescens.

Colony Count, Microbial

Simulation of the profile of water, NaCl, and urea transport in the countercurrent multiplication system between thin ascending limb and inner medullary collecting duct.

We simulated the profiles of water, NaCl, and urea transport in the countercurrent multiplication system between thin ascending limb (TAL) and inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) by a mathematical model consisting of three compartments (TAL, IMCD, and CNW [capillary network]), using phenomenological coefficients for hamsters. They are separated by two membranes with distinct permeability properties. The primary driving force which generates "single effect" has a lower reflection coefficient for urea than for NaCl in IMCD. The difference in urea and NaCl concentrations between CNW and IMCD provides an effective osmotic driving force which is favorable for water absorption from IMCD without physicochemical osmotic gradient. The entry of water in the CNW reduces the concentration in CNW and generates the concentration gradients which are favorable for these solutes to diffuse out of TAL. Thus, the fluid in IMCD is concentrated and that in TAL is diluted. The results of simulation showed that the concentration gradients were generated along the medullary axis, resulting in excretion of hypertonic urine. In addition, we examined effects of changes in phenomenological coefficients of IMCD on this concentrating system. Decreases in permeability and in reflection coefficient for urea and increase in hydraulic conductivity increased the osmotic gradients along each compartment.

Body Water

Blood flow dependence of local capillary permeability of Cr-EDTA in the rabbit skeletal muscle.

To examine direct influences of capillary blood flow on its permeability of water-soluble substances, we measured the local capillary permeability in the rabbit tenuissimus muscle at various capillary blood flow levels by the use of microscopic tissue clearance method. After staining the muscle with Cr-EDTA (M.W.: 341) as the test tracer by suffusing its solution around the tissue, subsequent concentration change in the tissue due to the tracer washout by capillary blood flow was measured from the intensity change on the TV monitor through the vital-microscope. The decay constant of obtained tissue clearance curve has been theoretically predicted to be equal to the local capillary permeability surface area product (PS) per unit tissue volume (Vt). The local capillary permeability (P) could be quantified by calculating the capillary surface area (S) from the perfused capillary density in the visualized microscopic field. The calculated values of P and PS/Vt in the high flow state were 6.00 +/- 0.70 (X 10(-6) cm/s) and 5.85 +/- 0.77 (X 10(-4)/s), respectively, which were significantly larger than those in the low flow state (p < 0.01). It was suggested that there was a mechanism in the red cell passage through the capillary which facilitated the substance exchange across the capillary wall.

Animals

Microbial contamination of ambient air by ultrasonic humidifier and preventive measures.

The microbially contaminated ultrasonic humidifier (UH) causes humidifier fever. The number of airborne viable bacteria was determined when the UH was operating, and other methods to humidify the air of hospital wards were also examined. A UH contaminated with 10(5) bacteria ml(-1), a level common in hospitals, increased the bacterial count in the air from 860 m(-3) to 88,000 m(-3) at a distance of 3 m from the humidifier. Thus UH in hospitals may contaminate the air and be a potential hazard to patients. Contamination was slight when a washable and disinfectable ultrasonic nebulizer was used with disinfection at 24 h intervals. In tracheostomy patients requiring a high degree of air humidification, ultrasonic nebulizers which are readily washed and disinfected are recommended.

Aerosols

Effect of extracellular ATP level on flow-induced Ca++ response in cultured vascular endothelial cells.

Cultured vascular endothelial cells loaded with the highly fluorescent Ca(++)-sensitive dye Fura-2 were exposed to the flow of a fluid containing various concentrations of ATP (0, 0.5, 1, 5 microM) in an apparatus designed on the basis of fluid dynamics, and simultaneous changes in intracellular free Ca++ concentration were monitored by photometric fluorescence microscopy. The flow rate of the perfusate was altered from 0 to 6.3 to 22.8 to 39.0 cm/sec, inducing shear stress on the cell surface of 0, 2.9, 10.4, and 17.9 dynes/cm2, respectively. Although no significant change in intracellular Ca++ level was observed at ATP levels below 100 nM, at an ATP level of 500 nM, the intracellular Ca++ level increased together with an increase in the flow rate of the perfusate. At this level of ATP, the intracellular Ca++ levels at flow rates of 0, 6.3, 22.8, and 39.0 cm/sec were 44.8 +/- 7.3, 60.3 +/- 10.7, 74.0 +/- 5.8 and 89.4 +/- 6.4 nM (mean +/- SD; n = 8), respectively. At ATP levels over 1 microM, the flow-rate dependency of Ca++ response became less clear than that observed at the ATP level of 500 nM. These Ca++ responses to changes in flow rate disappeared when extracellular Ca++ was chelated by adding 2 mM of EGTA to the perfusate. These results suggest that the vascular endothelial cell has a mechanism that elevates the intracellular Ca++ level in accord with the flow rate at appropriate ATP concentrations, and that changes in intracellular Ca++ level under this mechanism seem to be chiefly caused by the influx of extracellular Ca++ into cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Moment analysis of drug disposition in kidney. V: In vivo transepithelial transport of p-aminohippurate in rat kidney.

A new method that can assess the kinetics of in vivo transepithelial transport in rat kidney has been established. The method is based upon a multiple-indicator dilution experiment and the moment analysis theory. After simultaneous bolus injections of p-aminohippurate (PAH) and inulin into the right renal artery, blood samples were taken from the carotid artery and urine was separately collected from right and left ureters. The characteristic response for the first passage of drugs through the right kidney was evaluated by taking blood circulation into consideration. To determine the mean artery-to-vein transit time and the extraction ratio in the kidney, an intravenous injection was also performed as a reference experiment for deconvolution. The urinary excretion curve corresponding to the first passage was obtained as the difference between both kidneys. The mean artery-to-lumen transit time (mean transepithelial transit time, Tcell) was computed by subtracting the mean urinary transit time of inulin from that of secreted PAH. Since transport across the luminal membrane into the lumen from tubular epithelial cells can influence the cellular residence time of drugs, Tcell and the single-pass mean residence time in epithelial cells (Tcell,sp) can be thought of describing luminal membrane transport. The value of Tcell obtained for 0.1 mM PAH was 22 sec and it was prolonged to 61 sec in the presence of probenecid, suggesting an inhibitory effect on transport across the luminal membrane. On the other hand, antiluminal membrane transport into cells from blood is characterized by the volume of distribution in the kidney (VdPAH). VdPAH was remarkably decreased by treatment with probenecid, indicating an inhibitory effect on antiluminal membrane transport. The effects of probenecid on both sides of epithelial cell membrane transport were first demonstrated in vivo. The present method is useful for the analysis of in vivo transepithelial transport including antiluminal and luminal membrane transport for drugs excreted via tubular secretion.

Animals

Moment analysis of drug disposition in kidney. VI: Assessment of in vivo transmembrane transport of p-aminohippurate in tubular epithelium.

This paper describes a novel method to assess the antiluminal membrane (ALM) and luminal membrane (LM) transport in vivo across renal tubular epithelial cells. The method is based upon a noncompartmental moment analysis of the plasma concentration and urinary excretion rate curves following renal artery injection. Quantitative relationships are represented between the noncompartmental parameters (clearance, volume of distribution, and the mean transit time) and the first-order rate constants associated with transmembrane transport processes. The in vivo transepithelial transport of [14C]p-aminohippurate (PAH) was examined using the rat kidney in the absence or presence of various plasma concentrations of unlabeled PAH, cefazolin, and methotrexate. The tubular secretion intrinsic clearance was reduced with an increase in the plasma concentration of concurrent unlabeled organic anions. The distribution volume of PAH in the kidney decreased in association with a decrease in the amount of PAH secreted, whereas the mean transepithelial (artery-to-lumen) transit time (Tcell) remained constant. These findings indicate that ALM transport is a capacity-limited process determining the amount of tubular secretion, and that LM transport is linear over the concentration range examined and independent of the amount of secretion. The contribution of ALM and LM transport to transcellular transport was first clarified in vivo. The present method will be useful for analyzing the transmembrane transport processes in vivo for highly diffusible substances in the kidney.

Animals

Moment analysis of drug disposition in rat kidney: role of basolateral membrane transport in renal transepithelial transport of p-aminohippurate.

The determining step in transepithelial transport of p-aminohippurate (PAH) in renal tubular secretion has been elucidated in the rat isolated perfused kidney. The method was based upon a multiple indicator dilution experiment and non-compartmental moment analysis. Single-pass dilution curves were obtained from venous and urinary effluents after simultaneous intra-arterial injections of Evans blue with albumin, [3H]inulin and [14C]PAH. Probenecid was used as a transport inhibitor and dissolved in both perfusate and injection solution. The urinary excretion of PAH decreased depending on the probenecid concentration, while that of inulin was not affected. No correlation was observed between the amount of secretion and the mean residence time of secreted PAH in renal epithelial cells (Tcell). Since Tcell ought to be affected by the rate of secretion from cells to lumen, it was suggested that the secretion rate was independent of the amount secreted. In contrast, the amount of PAH excreted via tubular secretion showed a linear correlation with the volume of distribution in the kidney and the apparent rate constant for tubular uptake of PAH. Since these kinetic parameters reflect the transport from blood into cells across the basolateral membranes of renal epithelial cells, the present results demonstrated that basolateral membrane transport is a determining step in the transcellular transport of PAH and that the major effect of probenecid is the inhibition of transport from blood into cells.

Animals

Flow effects on cultured vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell functions.

Cultured vascular endothelial cells were exposed to fluid shear stress by means of a rotary-disc shear-loading device, and the physiological effects of the conditioned medium (CM) and the homogenate (HM) of the cells on migration, adhesion and growth of endothelial cells (EC) or smooth muscle cells (SMC) were studied. Effects of shear stress on the production and secretion of collagen, one of the extracellular matrices of EC, were also studied. CM stimulated the adhesion and growth of SMC, but not of EC themselves. The ability to stimulate SMC adhesion and growth was similar in CM obtained from the static and shear-loaded cells. HM of the shear-loaded EC stimulated SMC migration. Further, HM of the shear-loaded EC contained increased amounts of collagen compared with the static EC. These results suggest that: 1) EC produce and secrete accelerators for the adhesion and growth of SMC, 2) EC react to the physical stimulus of fluid shear stress to produce stimulators of SMC migration, and 3) EC produce collagen, the production of which is enhanced by fluid shear stress.

Animals

Pressure-volume relationships of finger arteries in healthy subjects and patients with coronary atherosclerosis measured non-invasively by photoelectric plethysmography.

Knowledge of the mechanical properties of the small arteries is important for understanding physiological and pathophysiological conditions in the human peripheral circulation. We have recently developed a new method for the noninvasive measurement of arterial elastic properties in human fingers using photoelectric plethysmography. In this study, the pressure-volume relationship, an index for expressing arterial elasticity, was measured by this method in the finger arteries of 91 healthy subjects and 102 patients with coronary artery disease. Aging effects on the elastic properties of finger arteries were examined in healthy subjects classified into three groups: under 30, 31-49, and over 50 years of age. The pressure-volume curve shifted downward with increase in age, indicating that the elasticity of finger arteries decreased with age. Patients with 75% or greater coronary stenosis, as compared with age-matched healthy subjects, showed distinctly lower elasticity of finger arteries. As the number of diseased coronary arteries increased, the elasticity of finger arteries tended to decrease steadily. The elasticity of finger arteries decreased in coronary disease patients with hypertension much more than in those without hypertension. These results suggest that age-related changes in arterial elasticity can occur in peripheral small arteries, and that peripheral arteries in patients with coronary atherosclerosis are less elastic than those in healthy subjects.

Adult

Measurement of local capillary permeability in skeletal muscle by microscopic clearance method.

To measure local capillary permeability to lipid-insoluble substances, we developed a microscopic tissue clearance method. It has been theoretically predicted that, when a tissue is stained with a dye by suffusing its solution around the tissue, subsequent concentration changes of the dye in the tissue due to adequate capillary flow washout takes a monoexponential time course of which decay constant is equal to the local capillary permeability surface area product (PS) per unit tissue volume. Therefore, when the capillary surface area (S) is calculated from the open capillary density in the adjacent tissue, it is possible to estimate the local permeability (P). This method was applied to the rabbit tenuissimus muscle under maximum vasodilatation, using Cr-EDTA (M.W. = 341) as a tracer. The correlation coefficient of the obtained clearance curves to the monoexponential decay was averaged to be 0.958 +/- 0.029 in 12 curves. The calculated values of Cr-EDTA permeability, 6.0 +/- 0.7 x 10(-6) cm/s, fairly well agreed with those reported for sucrose (M.W. = 342). It was concluded that this method is useful to measure local capillary permeability of small lipid-insoluble tracers.

Animals

Moment analysis of drug disposition in kidney. III: Transport of p-aminohippurate and tetraethylammonium in the perfused kidney isolated from uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure rats.

A different manner of insufficiency of renal epithelial cell transport between the organic anion and cation, p-aminohippurate and tetraethylammonium, respectively, was observed in the perfused kidney isolated from uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure (ARF) rats. The single-pass outflow pattern of the perfused kidney was analyzed by noncompartmental moment analysis. The active tubular secretion was impaired faster than the reduction of glomerular filtration, and the tetraethylammonium secretion decreased at an earlier stage of ARF than p-aminohippurate. The apparent uptake rate constant from blood to cells of p-aminohippurate was reduced with the progress of ARF and associated with the amount of this drug secreted, whereas the uptake rate constant of tetraethylammonium did not change until the late stage of ARF. The mean residence time in renal epithelial cells of tetraethylammonium was prolonged with reduction of the amount to be secreted, while that of p-aminohippurate remained unchanged. Therefore, the uptake of p-aminohippurate across the basolateral membranes decreased gradually, and the transport across the brush border membranes was still unchanged after uranyl nitrate treatment. On the other hand, the secretion of tetraethylammonium from cells to lumen was impaired at first, and then the uptake from blood to cells was impaired. These results suggest that impairment by uranyl nitrate-induced ARF appears at the carrier-mediated transport process of the epithelial cell membranes for both organic anions and cations.

Acute Kidney Injury

Moment analysis of drug disposition in kidney. II: Urine pH-dependent tubular secretion of tetraethylammonium in the isolated perfused rat kidney.

Effects of urine pH on the renal tubular secretion of an organic cation (tetraethylammonium, TEA) and an organic anion (p-aminohippurate, PAH) were investigated using the isolated erythrocyte-perfused rat kidney. The method was based on a multiple indicator dilution experiment and noncompartmental moment analysis. Treatment with sodium bicarbonate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate increased and decreased urine pH, respectively, but affected neither the condition of the perfused kidney nor the renal handling of albumin and inulin. In TEA studies, the increase of urine pH prolonged the mean residence time in renal epithelial cells (T cell) and reduced the apparent secretion intrinsic clearance, but did not influence the volume of distribution in the kidney (Vd drug). The decrease of urine pH did not affect these kinetic parameters. By contrast, PAH secretion was constant against the change of urine pH. Since any change in the basolateral membrane transport is reflected in Vd drug, the net transport from blood to cells can be regarded as similar under these treatments. On the other hand, the prolonged T cell of TEA with the increased urine pH suggested a slow transport from cells to lumen across the brush-border membranes. The present results coincide with the hypothetical mechanism that organic cations are secreted via an active transport system, coupled to the countertransport of H+ into cells. In conclusion, the present method is useful to separately evaluate the transmembrane transport across both sides of the renal epithelial cells in a morphologically intact kidney.

Animals

The efficiency of the vascular-tissue system for oxygen transport in the skeletal muscles.

The efficiency of the vascular-tissue system for oxygen (O2) transport in the skeletal muscle was estimated by using Krogh's cylinder model for the capillary-tissue arrangement. The tissue mass supplied by a single capillary was calculated as the region of positive O2 tension. For given values of total muscle flow and tissue O2 consumption rate, total tissue mass was determined as the function of the capillary number (n). The energy cost to maintain the vascular system with n terminals (capillaries) was assessed by the minimum volume model by Kamiya and Togawa (1972). The efficiency of the entire system was evaluated by calculating the ratio of (total tissue mass) or (total O2 consumption)/(the energy cost). The results of the calculation using physiological data of muscle blood flow and O2 consumption rate in man during exercise revealed the optimum capillary number to be around 1.5 x 10(10) and the Krogh cylinder radius to be 26 microns, which agrees well with the morphological data of these values in human skeletal muscles. It was concluded that the vascular-tissue system in the skeletal muscle is constructed so as to attain the highest efficiency in O2 transport to tissue during exercise.

Animals

Fluid shear stress enhanced DNA synthesis in cultured endothelial cells during repair of mechanical denudation.

We have previously observed a stimulatory effect of fluid shear stress on the regeneration of cultured endothelial cell layers after mechanical denudation. In this study we examined how fluid shear stress affects endothelial cell DNA synthesis during regeneration. Following mechanical denudation of narrow linear areas, monolayers of bovine aortic endothelial cells cultured on plastic dishes were subjected to shear stress of 1.3-4.1 dynes/cm2 for 24-48 hours in a specially designed apparatus. After the application of shear stress, cells were stained with propidium iodide, and its fluorescence intensity, reflecting cellular DNA content, was measured using photometric fluorescence microscopy. The DNA content of cells exposed to shear stress increased significantly more than that of paired, static control cells (p less than 0.005 to p less than 0.001). The DNA histogram showed that cells exposed to shear stress contained a relatively high proportion of cells located in the S, G2, and M phases of the cell cycle as compared with the static control. These data suggest that fluid shear stress enhances endothelial cell DNA synthesis during the repair of mechanical denudation.

Animals