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Biomedical subjects

A Nishimura

Publications and source records attributed to A Nishimura.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

An effective intradermal hepatitis B vaccination.

Small dose intradermal (i.d.) inoculation methods of hepatitis B vaccine have been reported to be effective and economical. We determined the best method to obtain high antibody levels within a short period of time and for the long-term maintenance of these levels. A total of 173 female students were randomly allocated to seven groups: six i.d. inoculation groups, to which 6-12 micrograms was administered in three or four divided doses (Groups A-F), and a control group (Group G) which received three 10 micrograms intramuscular (i.m.) inoculations. Serum hepatitis B antibody levels were quantified in weeks 4 and 8, and months 4, 7, and 12. Positivities in all groups were not significantly different at each measurement time. In month 4, geometric mean antibody levels in the three i.d. groups (10-12 micrograms in three divided doses; 79.1-107.0 IU l-1) were significantly higher than in Group G, which had received two of three i.m. injections (17.6 IU l-1; P < 0.01, P < 0.05). In the group which received four 2 micrograms i.d. inoculations, the level was higher than in Group G in month 7, but lower in month 12. It was concluded that three i.d. inoculations, each of 4 micrograms, may be used to obtain high antibody levels within a short period of time. However, it is recommended that a 10 micrograms i.m. injection in month 6 is applied as a booster. Consequently, we could not present an economic and effective low-dose intradermal inoculation method.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1997

Positional changes in the mandibular condyle and amount of mouth opening after sagittal split ramus osteotomy with rigid or nonrigid osteosynthesis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate postoperative positional changes in the mandibular condyle and mouth opening in patients undergoing sagittal split ramus osteotomy with either rigid or nonrigid osteosynthesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The forty-six patients with mandibular prognathism underwent sagittal split ramus osteotomy for mandibular set back followed by fixation with one of four methods: circumferential wire (n = 11), lag screw technique (n = 10), positional screw technique (n = 10), or miniplates (n = 15). The changes in the condylar position were assessed by measuring the angle of the condylar long axis (the condylar angle) on submentovertex radiographs. Mouth opening was evaluated by measuring the interincisal distance immediately after the release of maxillomandibular fixation and by monitoring the duration of trismus. RESULTS: Regardless of the procedure used the condylar angle increased in most patients after surgery (80 of 92 condyles). Although the amount of increase tended to be higher with rigid osteosynthesis than with nonrigid osteosynthesis, no significant differences were observed among the groups. Mouth opening was not significantly influenced by the type of osteosynthesis, and no patient complained of limitation 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Although inward rotation of the condyle frequently occurs after osteosynthesis regardless of the procedure used, the changes in condylar position are within the range of adaptability of the patient.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

Diadenosine 5',5'''-P1,P4-tetraphosphate (Ap4A) controls the timing of cell division in Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: The timing of the cell division in Escherichia coli is highly regulated, but its mechanism has not been identified. Previously we have found that the cfcA1 mutation uncouples DNA replication and cell division and elevates the frequency of cell division. We further analysed the structure and the role of the cfc genes of cfcA11, a derivative of cfcA1, and another cfc mutant, cfcB1. RESULTS: The cfc mutants divided prior to the ordinary stage of cell division and produced many small cells with nucleoid. However, the cells grew exponentially, and the length of a cell cycle and the initiation mass for chromosome replication were not altered by the cfc mutations. These properties resulted from a reduction of the period between the nucleoid division and the cell division in a cell cycle, and a compensatory lengthening of the period between the cell division and the initiation of the next round of DNA replication. CfcA11 has a mutation in glySa which encodes the alpha-subunit of glycyl-tRNA synthetase, and cfcB1 has an IS2 insertion in apaH which encodes Ap4A hydrolase. The cfc properties of both cfc mutants were suppressed by a multicopy plasmid carrying apaH+, and the intracellular level of Ap4A in cfcA1 was 15-fold higher, and cfcB1 was 100-fold higher than their parent. Experiments using wild-type cells showed that a high level of Ap4A caused early cell division, and that a low level of Ap4A caused delayed cell division. CONCLUSION: Ap4A is a signal for the induction of cell division. High levels of Ap4A are responsible for the initiation of cell division. The glyS mutation permits an efficient synthesis of Ap4A.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed1997

Effects of fenthion, isoxathion, dichlorvos and propaphos on the serum cholinesterase isoenzyme patterns of dogs.

The serum cholinesterase (ChE) isoenzyme patterns consist of 5 bands for normal beagle dogs. We examined the ChE isoenzyme patterns and ChE activities of 4 groups, each of which consisted of 4 dogs, given the organophosphate (OP) compounds fenthion (P = S type), isoxathion (P = S type), dichlorvos (P = O type) or propaphos (P = O type) po at 220, 75, 120 or 90 mg/kg respectively. Blood samples were collected for 30 d after the OP administrations. ChE isoenzyme bands 4 and 5 were inhibited 12 h after fenthion and isoxathion administration; dichlorvos and propaphos produced suppression of main bands 4 and 5 20 min after administration. This change was effective to differentiate the type of OP administered (P = S and P = O), while the main ChE isoenzyme bands of dog serum reflected inhibition of serum ChE activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[An autopsy case of sudden death due to Chagas' disease].

An autopsy case of sudden death of a 41-year-old male Brazilian with Chagas' disease in reported. In his life time, right handle branch block and ventricular premature contractions were marked in electrocardiogram. Autopsy revealed striking dilatation of both cardiac ventricles. Histopathologically, extensive myocardial fibrosis due to chronic interstitial myocarditis was observed. On myocardial tissue preparation performed Giemsa's stain, leishmania foci of Trypanosoma crusi were detected around the myocardial fibrosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Cerebral infarction due to bacterial emboli associated with methamphetamine abuse].

The number of stimulant-drug addicts has recently been on the rise again, and they are being increasingly encountered in the emergency room. There are also frequent reports of cerebrovascular disorders complicating drug toxicity. These cerebrovascular disorders have included subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hematoma, and a few cases of cerebral infarction. Here, we report the case of a 37-year-old male with drug toxicity, consciousness disorder, and hyperthermia. He was in a coma with a temperature of 43.1 degrees C and blood pressure of 58/35 mmHg when brought to our hospital. His condition worse rapidly deteriorated, and he died the same day. Cerebral infarction caused by gram-positive bacillus embolism, not necrotizing angiitis, was found at autopsy. Because drug addicts, especially stimulant-drug addicts, tend to inject themselves drug under unsanitary conditions, the possibility of this type of complication is always present. This is the first such case ever reported, and is therefore regarded as a rare complication of stimulant-drug intoxication.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A childhood case of systemic lupus erythematosus associated with myasthenia gravis].

We described a 12-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). She had absence seizures from 6 years old. She admitted to our hospital at 12 years of age because of absence seizures and dyspnea. The diagnosis of SLE was made on the basis of convulsion, arthritis, pleurisy, and positive antinuclear factor and was started therapy with prednisolone. The clinical course was complicated by the appearance of dysphagia and hoarseness. On the basis of positive Tensilon test and a high level of serum anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody, we made a diagnosis of the systemic type of MG. Her condition was improved by methylprednisolone pulse therapy and gamma-globulin therapy after plasmapheresis. The association of early-onset SLE with MG is rare.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1997

[A case of early-onset acute disseminated encephalomyelitis].

We reported a rare case of early-onset acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). After a nonspecific upper respiratory infection, a 14-month-old boy developed oculomotor nerve paralysis, nystagmus, intention tremor and ataxic gait. MRI showed extensive symmetric high signal lesions in th bilateral cerebellar and cerebral white matters. We made the diagnosis of ADEM on the basis of high CSF myelin basic protein, clinical course, symptoms and MRI findings. Following the administration of steroid hormone, his clinical symptoms rapidly improved.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1996

Alteration of serotonergic innervation in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the rat following removal of input fibers from retina and lateral geniculate nucleus.

To examine the influence of afferent input to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) on the development of serotonergic fibers in the SCN, afferent fibers from the retina and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) were eliminated in neonatal rats. Eight weeks after lesion, the distribution pattern of serotonergic fibers in the SCN was examined immunohistochemically. Neither bilateral enucleation nor LGN ablation altered the serotonergic fiber distribution in the SCN as compared to the normal adult rat. However, following combined lesions of bilateral enucleation and bilateral LGN ablation, the density of serotonergic fibers decreased throughout the SCN. The present results indicate that both retino-hypothalamic and geniculo-hypothalamic fibers may play an important role in the development of serotonergic innervation in the SCN in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Rapid natriuresis and preventive hypervolaemia for symptomatic vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage.

To prevent symptomatic cerebral vasospasm, we have used hypervolaemia (HV) or volume expansion in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in recent years. In these patients we could not perform effective fluid and sodium (Na) replacement because of rapid and overwhelming water and Na loss. Although this phenomenon is characteristic under hypervolaemic states, we regard it important to elucidate the mechanism underlying initiation of vasospasm after aneurysmal SAH. Patients with aneurysmal SAH, operated on within 24 hours of onset, were analysed prospectively. We selected 17 patients in good pre-operative condition. Intravascular volume expansion was accomplished with plasma fractionate or albumin and crystalloid solutions in all patients. We divided the 17 patients into two groups; symptomatic spasm group (S-group) consisting of 4 cases developing transient ischaemic symptoms and non-symptomatic spasm group (NS-group) consisting of 13 cases. In S-group, rapid and marked natriuresis developed characteristically before the onset of ischaemic symptoms. The differences in daily Na balance between the two groups were significant on the 3rd and 5th days (p < 0.05). The mean cumulative Na balance in S-group during the 10 days of the study (-375 +/- 159 mEg) was higher than that of NS-group (-24.4 +/- 225 mEq) (p < 0.05). Rapid natriuresis preceded the development of ischaemic symptoms, and was important as a trigger for symptomatic vasospasm after SAH. We considered that hormonal disorders were implicated in this phenomenon, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), renin, and aldosterone were each measured three times during the period, with no significant differences, found between the two groups. It was speculated that another potent natriuretic factor, similar to ANP, induced a rapid selective natriuresis resulting in symptomatic vasospasm.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Preparation of bank bone using defatting, freeze-drying and sterilisation with ethylene oxide gas. Part 1. Experimental evaluation of its efficacy and safety.

We devised a method of sterilising bone allografts which consists of defatting in chloroform and methanol, freeze-drying and sterilisation with ethylene oxide gas. The purpose of defatting and freeze-drying was to facilitate subsequent sterilisation by eliminating the barrier to diffusion of the gas into bone, to lower residual levels of ethylene oxide and its toxic by-products, to eliminate alloantigens and to make storage possible at room temperature. The efficacy and safety of the method were evaluated by testing the sterilisation of infected bone from 6 patients with active chronic osteomyelitis, the penetration of ethylene oxide into human femoral heads treated by this or by freeze-drying or freeze-thawing, and the desorption of ethylene oxide and its toxic by-products from pieces of bone treated by these methods. All the samples of infected bone tested negative for bacteria after treatment. The gas penetrated into the central area of the femoral heads in a few hours. Residual levels of ethylene oxide and its toxic by-products were much lower in the treated bone than in freeze-dried or freeze-thawed bone, and decreased quickly in flowing air. Prior defatting and freeze-drying facilitated penetration of ethylene oxide into bone during sterilisation and the desorption of ethylene oxide and its toxic by-products after sterilisation. Preparation under clean, but not sterile, conditions and storage at room temperature make bone banking more practical and efficient.

Bone Transplantation↗
PubMed1996

Organization of regenerating serotonergic fibers in the hippocampal formation.

To evaluate the capacity of fiber outgrowth of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons from the dorsal raphe tissue, the following three experiments were performed; (1) fetal mesencephalic raphe tissue was transplanted into the ventricle near the denervated hippocampal formation of adult rats, (2) fetal mesencephalic raphe and neonatal hippocampal tissues were transplanted into the anterior eye chamber of adult rats, and (3) fetal mesencephalic raphe tissue was explanted together with the neonatal hippocampal tissue. The extent of the fiber outgrowth was examined immunohistochemically using serotonin and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antisera. Three months after transplantation into the host brain, serotonin-immunoreactive (ir) fibers from raphe graft were densely distributed throughout the graft and in the host hippocampal formation, and TH-ir fibers were restricted to an area near the somata of TH-ir neurons. In particular, hyperinnervation of serotonin-ir fibers was observed in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Two months after intraocular transplantation, mesencephalic raphe tissue contained a large number of serotonin- and TH-ir neurons and fibers. The distribution pattern of outgrowing serotonin-ir fibers in the hippocampal tissue was similar to that observed following intraventricular transplantation. Two weeks after explantation, the raphe tissue contained numerous serotonin-ir neurons and their fibers. These fibers extended into the hippocampal tissue in the same manner as the intraventricular and intraocular transplants. These results indicate that the intrinsic factors of hippocampal tissue influence the organization of serotonergic fibers in the hippocampal formation.

5,6-Dihydroxytryptamine↗
PubMed1996

Herbal medicine 'Sho-saiko-to' induces tumour necrosis factor-alpha and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in vitro in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

'Sho-saiko-to' (TJ-9) is a Japanese herbal medicine that is commonly administered to patients with chronic viral liver disease in order to improve their overall physical condition and to prevent the development of liver cancer, The present in vitro study demonstrated that, by adding TJ-9 to cell cultures, there were dose-dependent increases in production levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in peripheral mononuclear cells of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by liver cirrhosis. Increases in the production of TNF-alpha and G-CSF in control cell cultures exposed to different herbal medicines were low, and this indicates the specificity of the response increases in production of these cytokines to TJ-9. TNF-alpha and G-CSF are known to play important roles in the biological defence mechanism. Administration of TJ-9 may, therefore, be beneficial for patients afflicted with intractable liver diseases because it could mildly induce these cytokines.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed1996

Brief reactive psychosis induced by sensitivity training: similarities between sensitivity training and brainwashing situations.

Sensitivity training (ST), which originated in the USA during the late 1940s, has been used as part of training seminars in Japanese corporations since the late 1950s. The possibility of negative psychiatric effects of ST, and especially its role in inducing psychiatric symptoms, is yet to be clarified. A case of a 41-year-old male company worker whose brief psychosis was induced by a sensitivity training seminar held by the company he worked for is presented. In reviewing the psychopathology of the case with records from the ST seminar, we found similarities between the patient's ST seminar and brainwashing situations. Specifically, the patient experienced severe conflict (of thought process) between his Christian beliefs and being labeled a coward at the seminar. We conclude that monitoring of the ST programs is crucial in order to ensure the psychological safety of ST participants in Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A mother and daughter with agenesis of the corpus callosum.

A mother and daughter with agenesis of the corpus callosum are reported. There have only been 11 prior case reports of the familial occurrence of agenesis of the corpus callosum in the absence of extracranial malformations. Most of these reports have described familial occurrence among siblings. The present communication is only the second description of a parent and child with agenesis of the corpus callosum. A review of the published cases of familial syndrome unrelated agenesis of the corpus callosum indicates that both mental, developmental and neurologic disorders in cases involving parent and child are milder than those in cases involving siblings. Of additional interest, electroencephalography performed in this patient during sleep, frequently revealed bilateral asynchronous sleep spindles, supporting the hypothesis of previous investigators that the synchronicity of sleep spindles requires intact intercerebral commissures.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum↗
PubMed1996

Motor nerve conduction studies on children with spinal muscular atrophy.

Median and posterior tibial motor nerve conduction studies were performed on 10 children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Three patients with SMA type I, in whom rapid deterioration occurred, showed reduced motor nerve conduction velocity and a remarkably low M-wave amplitude in both nerves. In type II and III patients, the motor nerve conduction velocity was normal in the median nerve, although the M-wave amplitude was small in the tibial nerve. In four patients, a reduction of the M-wave amplitude was observed as clinical symptoms advanced. These findings may suggest that motor conduction studies in spinal muscular atrophy provide complementary information for understanding the pathogenesis and are also useful to clarify the heterogeneity of this disease.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Effect of the cytochrome P-450IIE1 genotype on ethanol elimination rate in alcoholics and control subjects.

We studied an influence of genetic polymorphisms in the cytochrome P-450IIE1 (CYP2E1) gene on ethanol elimination rate in alcoholic patients and healthy subjects. The CYP2E1 genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for 124 alcoholics and 54 healthy subjects. There was no significant difference in the gene frequency of CYP2E1 between alcoholics and healthy control subjects. Blood ethanol concentrations in the 65 alcoholics on admission ranged from 0.32 to 4.22 mg/ml. In the patients with the c1/c2 genotype, the elimination rate was significantly correlated with blood ethanol concentration. In each of the three genotypes of CYP2E1, the patients were divided into three groups based on ethanol concentrations. The average of the ethanol elimination rate in the patients with c1/c2 having blood ethanol levels of > or = 2.5 mg/ml was significantly higher than the rates in the two other groups of c1/c2. When blood ethanol levels were > or = 2.5 mg/ml, the elimination rate in the patients with c1/c2 was significantly higher than that in those with c1/c1. Regardless of the CYP2E1 genotype, the elimination rate in the alcoholics was higher than that in the control subjects when blood ethanol levels were < 1.0 mg/ml. These results suggest the possibility that the c2 allele of CYP2E1 Influences the rate of ethanol elimination at high ethanol levels. The rate of ethanol elimination was independent of liver disorder judged by serum total bilirubin values.

Adult↗