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Biomedical subjects

A Sakamoto

Publications and source records attributed to A Sakamoto.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Pharmacological action of the phospholipase A2 from the venom of Trimeresurus flavoviridis on the smooth muscle of the rat stomach.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from the venom of the snake Trimeresurus flavoviridis produced an increase in resting tension of isolated strips of rat stomach fundus. The contractions of the fundus strips induced by the PLA2 were significantly inhibited by treatment with 10(-6) M indomethacin and in Ca2+-free medium, while treatment of the fundus strips with nordihydroguaiaretic acid caused a marked potentiation of the PLA2-induced contraction. Atropine (10(-6) M), chlorpheniramine (10(-6) M) and methysergide (10(-6) M) had no effects on the contractions induced by PLA2, while tetrodotoxin (10(-6) M) significantly potentiated the contraction. From these results, it appears that exogenously applied PLA2 may cause contraction of the rat stomach fundus through the liberation of endogenous arachidonic acid which may then be transformed into prostaglandins.

Animals↗

Clinical study of primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube: experience with 15 cases.

Between 1950 and 1986, fifteen cases of primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube were diagnosed and treated at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo. These cases constituted 0.14% of the total number of gynecologic malignancies at the hospital during that period. The average age of the 15 patients was 55.7 years. The most frequent symptom was atypical genital bleeding, seen in 12 cases (80%). Massive watery discharge was seen in 4 cases (27%). In preoperative cytologic examination, 6 cases (40%) were positive for cancer. All cases underwent operation as therapy. Postoperative irradiation, adjuvant chemotherapy, and/or second- or third-look operations were also performed. Histopathologically, all materials were found to be adenocarcinoma. Four cases were well differentiated, eight were moderately differentiated, and three were poorly differentiated. As for the prognosis, 7 patients were followed more than 5 years postoperatively. The 5-year survival rate was 57% (4/7). In stage I cancers, the 5-year survival rate was 80% (4/5). The prognosis of stage I cancer patients was estimated to be rather good.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Squamous differentiation in thyroid carcinoma. With special reference to histogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid.

Squamous differentiation of thyroid carcinoma was studied clinicopathologically and immunohistochemically in 29 autopsy cases. Tumor cell nests with squamous differentiation (CNSD), which histologically resembled squamous cell carcinoma, were found in 6 cases (20.7%). All of these 6 cases with CNSD had areas of undifferentiated carcinoma, representing 31.6% of 19 cases with undifferentiated carcinoma, and all but one case also showed coexisting papillary carcinoma. The CNSD were histologically associated with undifferentiated carcinoma in 5 cases, and with papillary carcinoma in one case; the CNSD were occasionally intermingled with these types of carcinoma, and there were findings suggesting a histological transition between the CNSD and undifferentiated carcinoma or papillary carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry revealed that all the CNSD were reactive with antibodies for keratin and vimentin, whereas thyroglobulin and desmin were not expressed. It was concluded that the CNSD examined here were most probably due to extensive squamous differentiation (squamous metaplasia) in undifferentiated carcinoma and papillary carcinoma. In addition, the present results may explain the fact that cases diagnosed solely as squamous cell carcinoma sometimes show a prognosis similar to that of undifferentiated carcinoma, and may well represent extensive squamous differentiation in such tumors rather than true squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid.

Adult↗

[The effect of time for rating on a cognitive complexity scores of the Rep test].

This study was designed to demonstrate the need for caution in using the Rep test as an instrument for measuring the personality trait known as "cognitive complexity", given that situational factors prevailing at the time of testing can easily influence cognitive complexity scores. Forty-nine female undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either a short rating time or long rating time group. Subjects in the short time group were instructed to complete the Rep test as quickly as possible while those in the long time group were allowed to take as much time as necessary to complete their ratings. The results indicated that cognitive complexity scores of the short rating time group were lower than those of the long rating time group, thus confirming the susceptibility of these scores to situational factors at the time of testing. However, the results also suggested that subjects emphasized the evaluative dimension during the first stage and the remaining dimensions during the second stage of social judgment processing. This suggested that the Rep test could play an important role in the development of stage models of person perception and that "cognitive complexity" could be approached from the perspective of "social cognition" research.

Adult↗

Similarities between the relaxations induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide and by stimulation of the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic neurons in the rat stomach.

The characteristics of the non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic inhibitory response of the rat stomach fundus to transmural nerve stimulation were compared with the relaxation induced by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Treatment with alpha-chymotrypsin (5 U/ml) or VIP antiserum (1:200) significantly reduced the relaxation induced by transmural nerve stimulation at 30 Hz, indicating that the possible transmitter in the non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerves is a peptide and may be VIP or a closely related peptide. VIP was able to relax, fully and dose-dependently, the stomach fundus that had previously been constricted by treatment with 10(-6) M serotonin, and the IC50 value for VIP was 2.4 X 10(-9) M. VIP elevated levels of cyclic AMP in a dose-dependent manner and the EC50 value was 2.8 X 10(-9) M in the presence of 10(-6) M atropine and 10(-6) M guanethidine. The stomach fundus was relaxed by transmural nerve stimulation (30 Hz, 50 mA) and transmural nerve stimulation also caused production of cyclic AMP in the rat stomach in the presence of atropine and guanethidine. The basal level of cyclic AMP in the stomach was 8.7 +/- 0.26 pmole/mg protein. When transmural nerve stimulation was applied for 5 min, the contraction of the stomach, induced by 10(-6) M serotonin, was inhibited by 54% in the presence of atropine and guanethidine and the level of cyclic AMP was increased to 13.0 +/- 0.73 pmol/mg protein. Apamin inhibited the transmural nerve stimulation-induced relaxation and shifted the dose-response curve for VIP to the right.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Plasma GRP-like immunoreactivity in healthy and diseased subjects.

Gastrin releasing peptide(GRP)-like immunoreactivity in human plasma was measured using radioimmunoassay of neuromedin C (NMC) in 83 healthy and 58 diseased subjects. In the healthy group, the mean value of fasting GRP-like immunoreactivity was 2.1 +/- 1.4 (mean +/- SD) pmol/L. There was a slight positive correlation between the GRP-like immunoreactivity values and aging. Postprandial serial measurements demonstrated that GRP-like immunoreactivity showed no response to a significant elevation of serum gastrin concentration. The group with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis gave the highest value, 7.1 +/- 2.1 pmol/L (p less than 0.01). There were no statistical differences between the healthy controls and groups with peptic ulcer, liver cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus or carcinomas, although some cancer patients had a marked increase in GRP-like immunoreactivity value.

Adult↗

Changes in sensitivity of the rat stomach fundus to various drugs in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The changes in sensitivity of the rat stomach fundus to acetylcholine (ACh), norepinephrine (NE), isoproterenol (ISO) and to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were examined in control rats and in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The dose-response curves for drugs were constructed 8 weeks after treatment with STZ. The dose-response curve for ACh in diabetic rats was shifted to the left as compared to the control curve, whereas the dose-response curves for NE, ISO and VIP were shifted to the right. These results suggest that functional changes in the autonomic nervous systems of the rat stomach fundus may occur in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Acetylcholine↗

American Indian household structure and income.

We use the 1980 Public-Use Microdata Sample to consider the relationship between household structure and economic well-being among American Indians. We focus on the total U.S. Indian population and on the residents of 19 "Indian states" where there has been relatively little growth in the Indian population by means of changes in racial self-identification. Using Sweet's (1984) scheme of household types, we find that the prevalence among Indians of female-headed households with children is intermediate between that among blacks and whites, but the prevalence of couple-headed households with children is highest among Indians. Racial differences in the distribution of household types and differences in average household size are important determinants of black-white and Indian-white differences in average household income.

Adult↗

[Pathology of early cancer of the uterus].

Early cancer of the uterine cervix is comprised of in situ (intraepithelial) and microinvasive malignancies both in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The general concept of these conditions as well as histologic criteria was mentioned. The differential diagnosis on histology between early cancer and their related lesions was also described. As to endometrial adenocarcinoma, it is impossible to separate in situ adenocarcinoma from atypical endometrial hyperplasia. Therefore, in situ adenocarcinoma of the endometrium is theoretically accepted, but practically should be avoided.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Evaluation of the nutritional management of patients with liver cancer and cirrhosis].

Ninety-five patients with liver cancer and cirrhosis who had undergone hepatic lobectomy or partial hepatectomy were studied. According to nutritional protocol based on experimental results, a large quantity of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and BCAA-enriched amino acids at 30 kcal/kg/d as an energy source were administered postoperatively for 7-10 days with strict restriction of sodium and total fluid volume. An elemental diet for liver dysfunction (ED-H) was given to 13 patients at more than 1,500 kcal/d via a naso-duodenal feeding tube for 7-14 days. Six patients were given 15 g/d of BCAA granules after discharge for as long as possible. Serum levels of TP, Alb, T.Bil and PT were kept moderately high in the IVH and ED-H group. Although BCAA/AAA molar ratio was kept high when IVH or ED-H was provided, it gradually fell if nutritional management was discontinued. This ratio was maintained within normal limits by oral administration of BCAA granules. According to the Child classification, 1,2,3 and 5-year cumulative survival rates were 80.9, 62.9, 44.1 and 25.5% for Child A, 70.0, 43.1, 43.1 and 0% for Child B, and 50.0, 25.0, 0 and 0% for Child C, respectively. These data indicate the importance of nutritional support for improvement of nutritional status and for obtaining a better prognosis. Oral BCAA supplementation should be useful for the performance of long-term nutritional management for cancer patients with liver cirrhosis.

Amino Acids, Branched-Chain↗

New subgrouping of small thyroid carcinomas.

Clinicopathologic findings on small thyroid carcinomas measuring 10 mm or less in diameter were analyzed in 78 thyroidectomied cases. The authors divided small thyroid tumors into two subgroups according to diameter: 0 less than or equal to 5 mm (classified as minute carcinoma) and 5 less than 0 less than or equal to 10 mm (classified as tiny carcinomas). Characteristics including sex, age, histologic type, extrathyroid invasion, and lymph node metastasis were examined in each subgroup. In patients with minute carcinoma, very few incidences of extrathyroid invasion and lymph node metastasis were found. However, these involvements, especially lymph node metastasis, were found more frequently in patients with tiny carcinoma. The incidence of cervical lymph node metastasis was 13% in minute carcinoma and 59% in tiny carcinoma. (P less than 0.01). These findings suggest the need for more careful observation and treatment of tiny carcinomas, especially with respect to lymph node metastasis. In accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) classification, the histologic types of thyroid carcinoma were classified into papillary and follicular carcinomas. The papillary carcinoma and follicular carcinoma ratios were compared between the two subgroups. The discovery rate of follicular carcinoma was significantly higher in minute carcinoma than in tiny carcinoma (P less than 0.005). This suggests that the papillary carcinoma/follicular carcinoma ratio (p/f) increases as the size of the carcinoma increases, and that follicular carcinoma is the "seed," or initial form, of thyroid cancer. The female-male ratio in small thyroid cancer suggests that there is no sex difference in carcinogenesis but that there is more probability for cancer development in the thyroid in women.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Fetal ascites. A report of 3 autopsy cases.

Three rare autopsy cases of fetal ascites were presented and the etiology of each case was described. Case 1 was a male neonate, delivered by cesarean section at 32 weeks' gestation, and died of respiratory failure. The abdomen was remarkably distended with 1020 ml of ascites. The etiology of Case 1 remained unknown even after macroscopic and microscopic examinations. We considered this as "idiopathic" fetal ascites. Case 2 was a female neonate, delivered at 31 weeks' gestation, with marked abdominal distension and cyanosis. Autopsy revealed 435 ml of ascites, and she was considered to have had "polysplenia syndrome" with cardiovascular malformations. Intrauterine heart failure due to cardiac anomalies was thought to be the cause of this ascites. In case 3 embryotomy was carried out under the diagnosis of fetal ascites by ultrasound examination at 22 weeks' gestation. An urachal cyst connected to the dilated urinary bladder and deficiency of musculature of the abdominal wall composed of loose connective tissue with calcification were observed. The abdominal wall was ruptured and 1,960 ml of ascites was measured. Polycystic kidney with renal dysplasia was also found. Case 3 showed "Prune-Berry syndrome" and fetal ascites may have arisen from these anomalies.

Abortion, Induced↗