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Biomedical subjects

A Suzuki

Publications and source records attributed to A Suzuki.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Report of a patient with aortic dissection evolving into binocular ischemic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Carotid artery disease is known to cause a variety of ischemic ocular syndromes. We report a patient with an aortic dissection that evolved into binocular ischemic retinopathy. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 49-year-old male patient presented with stomach pains and with no ophthalmologic symptoms. After extensive examination, a diagnosis of aortic dissection was made to account for the acute abdominal pain. Sixteen days later, he noted binocular photopsia and ophthalmoscopy revealed ischemic retinopathy. Arterial stent implantation and right coronary reconstitution surgery were performed. Subsequently, the ischemic lesions in the retina disappeared and no abnormality was observed by retinal angiography 1 year later. CONCLUSION: Binocular ischemic retinopathy can be a sign of aortic or carotid dissection, and these observations suggest that aortic dissection should be included in the differential diagnosis whenever ischemic changes are detected in the retina.

Aortic Dissection↗
PubMed2000

Clinicopathologic evaluation of the trend toward histologically poor differentiation with submucosal invasion in superficial early colorectal adenocarcinomas.

We examined differences in the degree of differentiation in intramucosal and submucosal areas of involvement in early colorectal adenocarcinomas of 131 patients and compared these findings with tumor morphology. In addition, K-ras and p53 protein expression was determined in cases where poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was detected in the submucosa. We identified 6 patients with both intramucosal differentiated (well-to-moderately differentiated) adenocarcinoma and submucosal poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (MwSp). The morphological tumor type was superficial in all MwSp cases. The observed MwSp adenocarcinomas had a significantly higher frequency of lymphatic invasion than the more common superficial type of adenocarcinoma. Genetic analysis of these MwSp lesions was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to detect the presence of K-ras codon 12 point mutations, and an immunologic staining technique was used to identify the presence of p53 protein overexpression. The K-ras mutation rate was 33.3%, and the p53 overexpression rate was 66.7% for the MwSp adenocarcinomas. Our findings suggest that the rapidly reduced histologic differentiation observed in some of these superficial colorectal adenocarcinomas may play a role in their higher degree of invasiveness.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Protein-losing enteropathy associated with hypocomplementemia and anti-nuclear antibodies.

We report a case of protein-losing enteropathy associated with an autoimmune disorder, presumably systemic lupus erythematosus. Although typical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus were lacking, a high serum cholesterol level, a low serum complement level, positivity for anti-nuclear antibody, and positivity for anti-single-strand DNA antibody suggested an autoimmune mechanism as the cause of the condition. Although immunohistological examination of duodenal and ileal biopsy specimens failed to reveal deposits of immune complex or complement in the vessels, capillary hyperpermeability was suspected as the mechanism of the condition.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Tacrolimus in corticosteroid-resistant ulcerative colitis.

We report a case of refractory ulcerative colitis treated with tacrolimus. The patient was a 73-year-old woman with a 45-year history of ulcerative colitis. An attack unresponsive to intravenous corticosteroid therapy occurred when she was age 73. Leukocytapheresis therapy was attempted, but was discontinued because of the patient's poor general condition. Cyclosporine A therapy brought about fair control of the disease. A liver injury that was suspected to be associated with this agent, however, occurred within 5 weeks of its initiation. At that time, the cyclosporine A was discontinued and azathioprine treatment was started. Within 6 weeks, signs of exacerbation of the ulcerative colitis became apparent. Tacrolimus administered at that time brought about remission of the disease, and the corticosteroid dose was then reduced. Tacrolimus, like cyclosporine A, appears to be effective for the treatment of attacks of ulcerative colitis.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism during mild hypothermia in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Cerebral blood flow and O2 metabolism during hypothermia (33-34 degrees C) was evaluated in 5 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage by positron emission tomography (PET). Their preoperative clinical condition was WFNS scale IV or V. The patients received surface cooling postoperatively, and were maintained in a hypothermic state during transfer for radiological examination. Positron emission tomography revealed a decrease in cerebral blood flow and O2 metabolic rate. Cerebral blood flow was 34.8+/-15.1 ml/100 ml/min and the O2 metabolic rate was 1.85+/-0.61 ml/100 ml/min in areas of the middle cerebral artery ipsilateral to the ruptured aneurysms, whereas these values were 30.8+/-7.1 and 2.21+/-0.45 ml/100 ml/min, respectively, on the contralateral side. This represents a decrease of 37+/-27% compared to normal cerebral blood flow and 52+/-16% compared to normal O2 metabolic rate (p < 0.02) in the ipsilateral areas, and decreases of 44+/-13% and 43+/-12%, respectively, on the contralateral side. The present results reflected the luxury perfusion state in almost all cases and provide the first PET evidence of decreased cerebral blood flow and metabolic rate of O2 during hypothermia in humans.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

19F NMR study of protein-induced rhombic perturbations on the electronic structure of the active site of myoglobin.

A novel C2-symmetric ring-fluorinated hemin, 13,17-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-2,8,12,18-tetramethyl-3,7-difluoroporphyrin atoiron(III), has been synthesized and was incorporated into sperm whale apomyoglobin to investigate protein-induced rhombic perturbations on the electronic structure of the active site of myoglobin (Mb) using 19F NMR spectroscopy. NMR signals for 19F atoms introduced as substituents on the present heme in ferrous low-spin and high-spin and ferric low-spin complexes have been observed and their shifts sharply reflect not only the electronic nature of the heme iron, but also in-plane asymmetry of the heme electronic structure. The two-fold symmetric electronic structure of the ring-fluorinated hemin is clearly manifested in the 19F and 1H NMR spectra of its dicyano complex. The chemical equivalence of the two fluorine atoms of the heme is removed in the active site of myoglobin and the splitting of the two 19F NMR signals provides a quantitative probe for characterizing the rhombic perturbation of the heme electronic structure induced by the heme-protein interaction. The in-plane asymmetry of heme electronic structures in carbon-monoxy and deoxy Mbs have been analyzed for the first time on the basis of the shift difference between the two 19F NMR signals of the heme and is interpreted in terms of iron-ligand binding and/or the orbital ground state of the heme. A potential utility of 19F NMR, combined with the use of a symmetric fluorinated hemin, in characterizing the heme electronic structure of myoglobin in a variety of iron oxidation, spin, and ligation states, is presented.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Early treatment with corticosteroids ameliorates proteinuria, proliferative lesions, and mesangial phenotypic modulation in adult diffuse proliferative IgA nephropathy.

Diffuse proliferative immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy has the potential risk for end-stage renal disease. However, treatment of IgA nephropathy has not been well established. To determine whether early treatment with corticosteroids ameliorates the proliferative lesions of diffuse proliferative IgA nephropathy, we conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Inclusion criteria were as follows: duration of abnormal urinalysis results less than 36 months, proteinuria less than 1.5 g/d of protein, serum creatinine level less than 1.5 mg/dL, and mesangial cell proliferation or matrix accumulation involving more than 50% of glomeruli. Twenty-one patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the corticosteroid group and the antiplatelet group. After 1 year of treatment, repeated renal biopsy was performed in 19 patients. We evaluated glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure, proteinuria, and histological parameters, including light microscopic findings and staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA), as a marker of myofibroblast-like cells and fibronectin EDA (EDA-FN) as an indicator of renal fibrosis. After 1 year of treatment, proteinuria significantly decreased in the corticosteroid group. Histological findings, such as mesangial cell proliferation, mesangial matrix accumulation, and cellular crescents, showed significant improvement in the corticosteroid group but not in the antiplatelet group. Expression of alphaSMA in glomeruli significantly decreased in the corticosteroid group but not in the antiplatelet group. EDA-FN did not change in either group. We conclude that early treatment with corticosteroids for adult diffuse proliferative IgA nephropathy is effective in reducing renal injury.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Cardiovascular effect of normalizing the hematocrit level during erythropoietin therapy in predialysis patients with chronic renal failure.

The optimal target hematocrit (Ht) level in recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy remains controversial and has hardly been investigated in predialysis patients. We prospectively studied the regression of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on echocardiography in nine predialysis patients with chronic renal failure after a partial correction (target Ht, 30%) and normalization (target Ht, 40%) of the Ht with rHuEPO treatment. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was also performed. The administration of rHuEPO significantly increased Ht to the target values. The rate of renal failure progression did not change during rHuEPO treatment for 12 months (Cr, from 6.2 +/- 2.0 to 5.5 +/- 2.1 mg/dL). The left ventricular mass index (LVMI) tended to decrease after a partial correction of anemia (Ht, 32.1% +/- 1.8%) at 4 months, whereas it tended to significantly decrease after normalization of Ht (Ht, 39.1% +/- 2.4%) at 12 months (baseline, 140.6 +/- 12.1 g/m2; partial correction, 126.9 +/- 10.0 g/m2; normalization, 111.2 +/- 8.3 g/m2). All patients had received antihypertensive medication before rHuEPO administration, and additional drugs were also required in four cases during the study. As a result, a good overall blood pressure control was obtained without any adverse effects on the circadian blood pressure rhythm. In conclusion, from the perspective of LVH regression, the normalization of Ht was found to be more effective than that associated with a partial correction of anemia during rHuEPO therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Association between Taq1 a dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism and psychopathology of schizophrenia in Japanese patients.

1. Previous reports showed that the A1 allele of Taq1 A dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism was associated with lowered density and diminished function of dopamine D2 receptor. In this study, association between Taq1 A dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism and psychopathology of schizophrenia was investigated. 2. The subjects were 61 acutely exacerbated schizophrenic patients who were all Japanese descent and had received no medication for at least one month before this study. Pretreatment psychotic symptoms were assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). The Taq1 A genotypes, the A1 and A2 alleles, were determined by polymerase chain reaction method. 3. The patients were divided into three genotype groups; i.e., the patients with A1/A1 allele (n=6), those with A1/A2 allele (n=32) and those with A2/A2 allele (n=23). 4. There was no significant difference in total BPRS, subgrouped symptoms (positive, negative, anxiety-depression, excitement and cognitive symptoms) or any scores of BPRS items among the three Taq1 A genotype groups. 5. The present study suggests that Taq1 A dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism does not play an important role in psychopathological symptoms of schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Inductions of fibroblast-like morphology and high growth activity by low-dose CPT-11 in PC12 cells: role of tenascin.

The chemotherapeutic agent CPT-11 induces apoptotic cell death in various cells. In the present study we examined the effect of CPT-11 in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. When PC12 cells were treated with CPT-11, two distinct reactions were encountered. A high dose of CPT-11 induced apoptotic cell death mediated by caspase cascade, whereas a low dose of CPT-11 induced irreversible cell morphological changes. The cell shape of the transformed PC12 cells was similar to fibroblasts, and these were termed FLTP12 (fibroblast-like transformed PC12). FLTP12 cells showed some differences from the original PC12 cells. In addition, cultured media of passed FLTP12 cells induced same cell transformation in PC12 cells. To examine how this transformation may be triggered, the possible involvement of a growth factor(s) was investigated. Among those tested, the possible involvement of basic fibroblast growth factor (basic-FGF) was observed, whereas basic FGF antibody did not affect the induction of cell transformation. Molecular sieve analysis revealed that transformation-inducing factor is large molecule protein like cell attachment factors (>100K), and we demonstrated the direct involvement of tenascin in the transformation of PC12 cell.

Animals↗