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Biomedical subjects

A Kamiya

Publications and source records attributed to A Kamiya.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Hepatic differentiation induced by oncostatin M attenuates fetal liver hematopoiesis.

Embryonic liver is a transient site for definitive hematopoiesis. Along with maturation of the bone marrow and spleen, hematopoietic cells relocate from the liver to their final destinations while the liver starts organizing its own structure and develops numerous metabolic functions toward adult. Recently, it was demonstrated that the signal exerted by oncostatin M (OSM) through gp130 plays a pivotal role in the maturation process of the liver both in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular basis underlying the termination of embryonic hematopoiesis remains unknown. In this study, we report that primary culture of fetal hepatic cells from embryonic day 14.5 murine embryos supported expansion of blood cells from Lin-Sca-1(+)c-Kit+ cells, giving rise to myeloid, lymphoid, and erythroid lineages. Of interest, promotion of hepatic development by OSM and glucocorticoid strongly suppressed in vitro hematopoiesis. Consistent with these results, hepatic culture from the embryonic day 18.5 liver no longer supported hematopoiesis. These data together with the previous observations suggest that the signals exerted by OSM and glucocorticoid induce hepatic differentiation, which in turn terminate embryonic hematopoiesis and promote relocation of hematopoietic cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Fetal liver development requires a paracrine action of oncostatin M through the gp130 signal transducer.

Fetal liver, the major site of hematopoiesis during embryonic development, acquires additional various metabolic functions near birth. Although liver development has been characterized biologically as consisting of several distinct steps, the molecular events accompanying this process are just beginning to be characterized. In this study, we have established a novel culture system of fetal murine hepatocytes and investigated factors required for development of hepatocytes. We found that oncostatin M (OSM), an interleukin-6 family cytokine, in combination with glucocorticoid, induced maturation of hepatocytes as evidenced by morphological changes that closely resemble more differentiated hepatocytes, expression of hepatic differentiation markers and intracellular glycogen accumulation. Consistent with these in vitro observations, livers from mice deficient for gp130, an OSM receptor subunit, display defects in maturation of hepatocytes. Interestingly, OSM is expressed in CD45(+) hematopoietic cells in the developing liver, whereas the OSM receptor is expressed predominantly in hepatocytes. These results suggest a paracrine mechanism of hepatogenesis; blood cells, transiently expanding in the fetal liver, produce OSM to promote development of hepatocytes in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Dual-beam laser illuminator of fluorescence microscope for in vivo microcirculation studies.

A new fluorescence intravital microscope of long working distance (39 mm) has been developed for the observation of microcirculation in a wide visual field by designing a simple epi-illumination technique with dual laser beams. Cross-illumination, in which a pair of laser beams is symmetrically placed on either side of the objective such that they intersect at the focal plane of the objective, was employed to produce uniform distribution of the incident light in the object plane. In vitro experiments using a fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-dextran; molecular weight = 70,000) solution of known concentration confirmed uniform tracer excitation in a wide visual field (approximately 30 mm2), and a linear correlation between fluorescence intensity and tracer concentration (r = 0.999), ranging between 5 mumol l-1 and 25 mumol l-1. In vivo observations in the microcirculation of a hamster cheek pouch indicated that the present technique had the advantage of high contrast compared with the image obtained by bright-field transillumination. This microscope illuminator may prove useful for the evaluation of vascular permeability under physiological and inflammatory conditions, with sufficient quantitative reliability to determine tracer concentrations in all parts of the microvascular network. Furthermore, a long working distance in this technique could have considerable advantages for the application to nail-fold capillaroscopy in humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

In-vitro effects of a combination of antipseudomonal antibiotics against multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

We evaluated the in-vitro effects of various combinations of five types of widely used antipseudomonal antibiotics (piperacillin, meropenem, ceftazidime, aztreonam and amikacin) against six Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that were resistant to each of these antibiotics. Among two-drug combinations, the combinations of two beta-lactam antibiotics inhibited growth of one to three P. aeruginosa strains, while those of one beta-lactam antibiotic and amikacin inhibited growth of two to four strains. Among three-drug combinations, the combinations of three beta-lactam antibiotics inhibited growth of four to five strains, and those of two beta-lactam antibiotics and amikacin inhibited growth of five strains. These results suggest the potential usefulness of a combination of two beta-lactam antibiotics and amikacin or that of three beta-lactam antibiotics in treating multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa infections.

Amikacin↗
PubMed1999

Correlation between induction of expression of biglycan and mineralization by C-type natriuretic peptide in osteoblastic cells.

We reported previously that C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) promotes the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblastic cells [Am. J. Physiol. 270 (Cell Physiol. 39): C1311-C1318, 1996]. However, little information is available about the mechanism of action of CNP in differentiating osteoblastic cells. Using the technique known as differential display-polymerase chain reaction, we attempted to identify the mRNAs whose levels are regulated by CNP in mouse clonal preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. One species of mRNA whose level was increased by CNP was 99% homologous to the 3'-untranslated region of a mouse gene for biglycan (BGN), a small proteoglycan. BGN is known to be involved in bone formation by osteoblastic cells. Therefore, we investigated the relationship, during the formation of mineralized nodules, between CNP and BGN using calvarial osteoblast-like cells (ROB cells) from newborn rats, that are a good model for studies on bone formation in vitro. Northern blot analysis revealed that transcription of the mRNA for BGN was up-regulated by CNP in ROB cells on days 6 and 8, whereas no effect of CNP was observed on days 3 and 12. Brief treatment with 10(-7) M CNP on days 3 through 9 exclusively enhanced the deposition of calcium, a result that suggests that CNP might regulate the expression of mineralization-related genes and, probably, the gene for BGN during a specific time period.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Sympathetic outflow to muscle in humans during short periods of microgravity produced by parabolic flight.

We have investigated the changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) from the tibial nerve during brief periods of microgravity (microG) for approximately 20 s produced by parabolic flight. MSNA was recorded microneurographically from 13 quietly seated human subjects with their knee joints extended in a jet aircraft simultaneously with the electrocardiogram, the blood pressure wave (measured with a Finapres), the respiration curve, and the thoracic fluid volume (measured by impedance plethysmography). During quiet and seated parabolic flight, MSNA was activated in hypergravity and was suppressed in microG phasically. At the entry to hypergravity at 2 G just before microG, the thoracic fluid volume was reduced by 3.2 +/- 3%, and the arterial blood pressure was lowered transiently and then gradually elevated from 89.5 +/- 1.7 to 100.2 +/- 1.7 mmHg, which caused the enhancement of MSNA by 91.4 +/- 14.2%. At the entry to microG, the thoracic fluid volume was increased by 3.4%, which lowered the mean blood pressure to 77.9 +/- 2.3 mmHg and suppressed the MSNA by 17.2%. However, this suppression lasted only approximately 10 s, followed by an enhancement of MSNA that continued for several seconds. We conclude that MSNA is suppressed and then enhanced during microG produced by parabolic flight. These changes in MSNA are in response not only to intrathoracic fluid volume changes but also to arterial blood pressure changes, both of which are caused by body fluid shifts induced by parabolic flight, and these changes are quite phasic and transient.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Comparative study of autologous fibrin glues prepared by cryo-centrifugation, cryo-filtration, and ethanol precipitation methods.

To establish a speedy preparation method for the fibrinogen-rich fraction (FRF) from autologous plasma using fibrin glue, we compared the concentrations and yields of coagulation factors in FRF prepared by 3 methods. Human plasma from healthy volunteers was divided into 3 samples. Two samples were frozen at -20 degrees C in a freezer and defrosted in a 4 degrees C water bath. One sample of defrosted plasma was centrifuged and FRF was obtained (C method). Another sample of defrosted plasma was filtered and FRF was obtained (F method). The last sample was treated with cold ethanol(1/10) in a 4 degrees C water bath and FRF was obtained after centrifugation (E method). The concentrations of fibrinogen, fibronectin, factor XIII, and plasminogen in each obtained FRF were measured and yields were calculated. (1) The volume of FRF obtained by the E method was greater than that by the C method, but less than that by the F method. While the variation in volume obtained by the E method was the lowest among the 3 methods; (2) the concentrations of fibrinogen obtained by the E and C method were similar, but the yield from the E method was the highest; (3) the concentration and yield of fibronectin from the E and C method were similar and were greater than those by the F method; (4) the concentration and yield of factor XIII from the E method were significantly higher than those from the other methods; (5) the E method preparation time was about 1 h, the shortest among the 3 methods. These results indicate that high quality FRF from autologous plasma can be prepared easily and within 1 h by the E method.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMed1999

Valproic acid elimination rate and urinary excretion of its glucuronide conjugate in patients with epilepsy.

We previously encountered a patient with epilepsy who exhibited rapid elimination of sustained-release valproic acid (VPA) administered at the dose of 2.8 g/d as a sodium salt. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the VPA elimination rate and the proportion of the dose excreted in urine as its glucuronide conjugate (VPA-G) in epileptic patients. Twenty-four-hour urine was collected from four epileptic patients who had taken VPA orally (age: 16-39 y, weight: 50-63 kg, dose: 1.0-2.8 g/d). VPA and its metabolites were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The amounts of VPA, VPA-G, 3-keto VPA, and 3-OH VPA excreted in the 24-h urine were 1.8-13.2, 178-2158, 125-320, and 8.6-18.7 mg (converted into VPA), respectively, and 0.2-0.5, 20.5-88.7, 5.8-18.7, and 0.6-1.0% of the dose administered, respectively. The dose of VPA correlated well with the proportion of the dose excreted in urine as VPA-G in each patient, and the patients administered a high dose excreted a large amount of VPA-G in the urine. Thus, differences in the VPA-G production rate may be one of the major variable factors affecting the elimination of administered VPA. We also present a dynamic model of VPA in the kidney which may explain the VPA elimination phenomena in humans on the basis of the data obtained here regarding the concentrations of VPA and its metabolites in plasma and their urinary excretion levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Efficacy of disinfectants and heat against Escherichia coli O157:H7.

The bactericidal activity of disinfectants and hot water against ten Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains, which were isolated from faeces of patients with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli infection, were evaluated and showed different DNA patterns. After exposure to 0.1% benzalkonium chloride, 0.1% chlorhexidine gluconate containing a nonionic surfactant, and 80% (v/v) ethanol, 99.99% of viable bacterial cells were killed at 20 degrees C within 15 s irrespective of the presence or absence of 0.1% albumin. On the other hand, after exposure to hot water, 99.99% of the bacterial cells were killed within 15 s at 70 degrees C. These results suggest that benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine gluconate containing a nonionic surfactant, ethanol, and hot water at 70 degrees C or more are effective for disinfection of E. coli O157:H7 in hospitals.

Benzalkonium Compounds↗
PubMed1999

Sympathetic vasoconstriction and orthostatic intolerance after simulated microgravity.

Upon a return to the earth from spaceflight, astronauts often become presyncope during standing. This orthostatic intolerance is provoked by the exposure to the stimulation model of microgravitational environment in humans, 6 degrees head-down bed rest (HDBR). The mechanism for the orthostatic hypotension after microgravity remains unclear. It has been reported that a microgravity-induced loss of circulatory blood volume, a withdrawal of vagal tone, or a reduction of carotid-cardiac baroreflex function may relate to this phenomenon. A recent article has reported that astronauts who showed presyncopal events after spaceflight had subnormal increases in plasma norepinephrine under the standing tests, suggesting that a hypoadrenergic responsiveness to orthostatic stress may partly contribute to postflight orthostatic hypotension. However, it is unclear how and whether or not the sympathetic outflow to peripheral vessels and the release of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve terminals were altered after microgravity. The vasomotor sympathetic outflow to the skeletal muscle can be directly recorded as muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) using a microneurographic technique. In addition, the rate of an increase in plasma norepinephrine per that in MSNA in response to applied orthostatic stress can partly indicate the norepinephrine release to sympathetic stimuli as a trial assessment. Therefore, we performed 60 degrees head-up tilt (HUT) tests before and after 14 days of HDBR, and examined the differences in the MSNA response and the indicated norepinephrine release during HUT tests between the subjects who did (defined as the fainters) and those who did not (defined as the nonfainters) become presyncopal in HUT tests after HDBR.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of the effects of lower body positive pressure and head-down tilt on cardiovascular responses in humans.

Both lower body positive pressure (LBPP) and head-down tilt (HDT) can induce fluid shifts from the lower body to the thorax and result in a loading of cardiopulmonary baroreceptors. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of LBPP and HDT on cardiovascular responses in humans. To accomplish this, a graded LBPP test of 10, 20 and 30 mmHg, as well as a 6 degrees HDT was applied. It has been suggested that <20 mmHg LBPP and <30 degrees HDT load the cardiopulmonary baroreceptors by translocation of blood volume from the lower body to the thorax, while >20 mmHg LBPP activates the intramuscular pressure-sensitive receptors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Vasomotor sympathetic nerve responses to static handgrip after simulated microgravity.

During the isometric exercise, the autonomic nervous system has a major role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure, blood flow, and perfusion to the active skeletal muscle in humans. An increase in cardiac sympathetic nerve activity and a withdrawal of vagal tone cause elevations of heart rate, cardiac contractility and cardiac output. An increase in vasomotor sympathetic nerve activity causes a vascular constriction to redirect the oxygen transport to the contracting muscle. It has been reported that the autonomic and cardiovascular systems are commonly affected by the exposure to the real (i.e. spaceflight) and simulated microgravitational environment( i.e. 6 degrees head-down bed rest (HDBR)). The alteration in the autonomic system includes a reduced vagal tone, and an attenuated carotid-cardiac baroreflex function. It may also include an altered control of peripheral vessels, a reduced sympathetic vasoconstriction, an attenuated release of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve terminal, an impaired myogenic contractility, an up- or down regulation of alpha-adrenergic receptors, and an attenuated multiple vasodilatation. Therefore, there seems to be a possibility that HDBR alters the sympathetic and cardiovascular responses to isometric exercise in humans, however, this possibility has not been examined efficiently. We compared the vasomotor sympathetic and cardiovascular responses to sustained handgrip (HG) until fatigue followed by post-exercise muscle ischemia (PEMI) after 14 days of HDBR, to those before HDBR, in 16 healthy males.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity and effects of breathing maneuvers in humans during microgravity induced by parabolic flight.

The mechanism of cardiovascular deconditioning, such as an orthostatic intolerance after space flight, has not been well clarified. Several studies to investigate that mechanism have focused mainly on hemodynamic changes including heart rate, arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, etc., but no studies have yielded a direct insight into changes in the sympathetic nervous system. Among ground-based experiments, parabolic flight is the only maneuver to expose human subjects to actual microgravity although it lasts for only a short duration of approx. 20 sec. Using microneurography, the present study aimed to analyze the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in regulating the acute effects of fluid shift induced by parabolic flight during the transitional changes from 1 G to hypergravity, hypergravity to microgravity, and microgravity to hypergravity by direct measurement of sympathetic outflow to the muscles. Some parts of the study were published elsewhere. We also investigated how the sympathetic outflow to muscle is modified during microgravity with elimination of the breathing effect by comparing the cardiovascular parameters under controlled and uncontrolled respiration.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) after 120 days of 6 degrees head-down bed rest (HDBR).

The alterations in the sympathetic nervous system are commonly seen after spaceflight and its ground-based simulation model, 6 degrees head-down bed rest (HDBR). Several studies have examined the effect of HDBR for a few days or a weeks on the vasomotor sympathetic tone at rest. However, it remains unclear how a long-lasting (>50 days) HDBR affects resting vasomotor sympathetic nervous activity. Consequently, we measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in six healthy male volunteers (range, 26-42 years) in a resting supine position before and after 60 and 120 days of HDBR. MSNA was measured directly from the tibial nerve using a microneurographic technique. Resting supine MSNA significantly increased after 60 (28.2 +/- 2.7 bursts/min) and 120 (29.4 +/- 4.2 bursts/min) days of HDBR compared with the pre-HDBR level (19.0 +/- 2.3 bursts/min). Heart rate was significantly higher after 60 (73 +/- 2 beats/min) and 120 (72 +/- 3 beats/min) days of HDBR than before (65 +/- 2 beats/min). In contrast, mean blood pressure remained unchanged during and after 120 days of HDBR. In conclusion, the resting vasomotor sympathetic tone increased after long-lasting simulated microgravity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Effects of aging on leg vein filling and venous compliance during low levels of lower body negative pressure in humans.

To evaluate the fluid shift and leg venous compliance during orthostatic stress with advancing age, 12 aged and 5 young healthy males were subjected to graded lower body negative pressures (LBNP) of -5, -10, and -15 mmHg. Cardiovascular variables were monitored continuously, and leg venous compliance was determined by venous occlusion plethysmography. Neither heart rate nor mean arterial pressure changed significantly in any subject during LBNP. A progressive decrease in the thoracic fluid volume index and a gradual increase in the leg fluid volume index, indicating a fluid shift towards the lower body were observed significantly in the young group (p<0.05), while these changes were not significant in the aged group. A linear reduction in peripheral venous pressure could be seen during graded LBNP in all subjects, but the reduction rate was smaller in the aged group. Baseline leg venous compliance was reduced in the elderly (p<0.05). During LBNP, venous compliance decreased in all subjects, but the decrease was significantly smaller in the aged group (p<0.05). It is suggested that the smaller fluid shift and smaller decreased leg venous compliance in aged people during gravitational stress were mainly due to the vascular and ventricular stiffness induced by an age-related reduction in visco-elasticity of the peripheral venous and ventricular walls.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Endothelial Ca2+ waves preferentially originate at specific loci in caveolin-rich cell edges.

Stimulation of endothelial cells (ECs) with ATP evoked an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). In a single bovine aortic EC, the [Ca2+]i rise started at a specific peripheral locus and propagated throughout the entire cell as a Ca2+ wave. The initiation locus was constant upon repeated stimulation with ATP or other agonists (bradykinin and thrombin). The Ca2+ wave was unaffected by the removal of extracellular Ca2+, demonstrating its dependence on intracellular Ca2+ release. Microinjection of heparin into the cell inhibited the ATP-induced Ca2+ responses, indicating that the Ca2+ wave is at least partly mediated by the inositol 1,4, 5-trisphosphate receptor. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that caveolin, a marker protein for caveolae, is distributed heterogeneously in the cell and that Ca2+ waves preferentially originate at caveolin-rich cell edges. In contrast to caveolin, internalized transferrin and subunits of the clathrin-associated adaptor complexes such as adaptor protein-1 and -2 were diffusely distributed. Disruption of microtubules by Colcemid led to redistribution of caveolin away from the edges into the perinuclear center of the cell, and the ATP-induced [Ca2+]i increase was initiated on the rim of the centralized caveolin. Thus, caveolae may be involved in the initiation of ATP-induced Ca2+ waves in ECs.

Adaptor Protein Complex alpha Subunits↗
PubMed1998

Fluid shear stress increases the production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by endothelial cells via mRNA stabilization.

To investigate whether the production of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) by vascular endothelial cells is regulated by hemodynamic force, we exposed cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to controlled levels of shear stress in a flow-loading apparatus and examined changes in the production of CSFs at both the protein and mRNA level. Exposure of HUVECs to a shear stress of 15 and 25 dyne/cm2 markedly increased the release of granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) detected by ELISA to 5.0 and 9.5 times, respectively, the amount released by the static controls at 24 hours, but it had no significant influence on the release of granulocyte CSF or macrophage CSF. The results of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that GM-CSF mRNA began to increase as early as 2 hours after initiation of 15 dyne/cm2 shear stress and continued to increase with time, reaching a peak of about four times the control levels at 24 hours. This increase in GM-CSF mRNA levels in response to shear stress depended on protein synthesis, because it was blocked by cycloheximide. Neither nuclear run-on assay or luciferase assay using a reporter gene containing GM-CSF gene promoter showed any significant change in transcription of the GM-CSF gene even after 24-hour exposure to a shear stress of 15 dyne/cm2. Actinomycin D chase experiments using a competitive polymerase chain reaction showed that shear stress extended the half-life of GM-CSF mRNA from approximately 23 to 42 minutes in HUVECs. These findings suggest that fluid shear stress increases the production of GM-CSF in HUVECs via mRNA stabilization.

Base Sequence↗