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Biomedical subjects

A Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to A Watanabe.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Effects of zinc deficiency/zinc supplementation on ammonia metabolism in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Hepatic encephalopathy is one of the major complications in decompensated liver cirrhosis. The current study was conducted to clarify the mechanisms of zinc deficiency in liver cirrhosis and its involvement in hepatic encephalopathy via ammonia metabolism. Ten patients each with compensated or decompensated liver cirrhosis and 11 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Serum zinc levels and its daily urinary excretion were measured, an oral zinc-tolerance test was performed to examine zinc malabsorption, and the effects of diuretics on zinc excretion and of zinc supplementation on ammonia metabolism in the skeletal muscle were studied. The mean serum zinc levels in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis were found to be significantly lower than the levels in controls and patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. The serum zinc levels were inversely correlated with blood ammonia in the fasting state. In the oral zinc-tolerance test, the percent increase in serum zinc levels 120 and 180 min after ingestion was less in cirrhotic patients than in controls. A diuretic administration resulted in a significant reduction in serum zinc levels. An increased uptake of ammonia by and an increased release of glutamine from leg skeletal muscle after oral supplementation of zinc sulfate were evident. Taken together, zinc deficiency in decompensated cirrhotic patients appears to be due to low absorption and to high urinary excretion, for which excessive diuretic administration is, in part, responsible, and zinc supplementation might play an important role in the prevention of hepatic encephalopathy by activating glutamine synthetase.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2001

An operated case of lung cancer with pleural plaques: its asbestos bodies, fiber analysis and asbestos exposure.

This case was a 79-year-old man with pleural plaques, which had been pointed out in the left lung field on chest X-ray six years ago. A new shadow in the right chest appeared in 1999 and was closely examined. Cytological class IV carcinoma was detected in his lung tissue obtained by broncho-fiberscope. Lobectomy of the right upper lobe was performed, and calcified pleural plaques were found on the chest wall. The clinical diagnosis was poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, T1N0M0. In World War II when he was 26 years old, he had worked as a boiler man on a battle cruiser for one year. The amount of asbestos bodies (AB) was 3,348 per gram dry lung tissue. The cores of AB and asbestos fibers were examined and showed that amosite was the most prevalent and crocidolite, tremolite and chrysotile were present in that order. After leaving the navy, he had worked as a farmer throughout his life, suggesting that he had never contacted asbestos occupationally after being a boiler man. It is strongly suggested that he had been exposed to asbestos during his work as a boiler man and that produced pleural plaques and lung cancer 50 years' later.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Prognostic impact of CD45 antigen expression in high-risk, childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

To evaluate the clinical implications of CD45 expression in acute childhood lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we measured the CD45 expression of blast cells from 133 untreated patients with childhood B-precursor ALL (n = 118) or T-ALL (n = 15). CD45 expression (> or = 20%) was detected in all 15 cases (100%) of T-ALL, and 101 cases (86%) of B-precursor ALL. In 122 cases, the fluorescence intensity of the CD45 expression was measured as a relative value; the ratio of average linear values (RALV) of CD45 on the blasts to that on CD3-positive T-lymphocytes from the same specimen. The expression was more intense in the T-ALL cases than in the B-precursor ALL cases (RALV, mean +/- SE: T-ALL 0.230 +/- 0.04 vs. pro-B ALL 0.150 +/- 0.012/pre-B ALL 0.153 +/- 0.019, p < 0.05). However, the intensity of the CD10, CD19, CD20 and CD34 antigen immunoreactivity did not correlate with the CD45 expression. Patients with hyperdiploidy (chromosome number > 50) showed significantly lower levels of CD45 expression than patients with t(1;19) or normal karyotypes (RALV, mean +/- SE: 0.081 +/- 0.022 vs. 0.133 +/- 0.03/0.143 +/- 0.019, p < 0.05). Other clinical features such as age, gender and WBC count did not correlate with CD45 expression. The prognostic implications of CD45 expression were studied in non-high-risk (low-risk + intermediate-risk) (n = 60) and high-risk patients (n = 52) with B-precursor ALL who had been treated with the risk-directed protocol of ALL-941 trial. Although CD45 expression did not correlate with the event-free survival (EFS) of the non-high-risk patients, there was a significant correlation between the expression levels and the EFS of the high-risk patients: the 3-year EFS rate of the CD45low group (n = 26, RALV = 0.017-0.132) was 88 +/- 7% versus the CD45high group (n = 26, RALV = 0.133-0.450) at 34 +/- 24% (p < 0.05). These results show that the levels of expression of the CD45 antigen on leukemic lymphoblasts are significantly correlated with the clinical features and prognosis of childhood ALL.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed2001

[Complex translocation (8;15;21) (q22;p12;q22) in a child with AML-M2 showing de novo appearance of the short form of AML1-MTG8 chimeric mRNA during the course].

A 4-year-old boy admitted with exophthalmos was diagnosed as having acute myeloblastic leukemia with maturation (AML-M2). Chromosomal analysis (G-banding) showed t(8;15;21). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), spectral karyotyping (SKY), and nucleolar organizer region (NOR) staining suggested that this complex translocation might have resulted from stepwise translocation, namely an initial translocation between chromosomes 8 and 21, followed by a second translocation between der(21) and chromosome 15, rather than the other possibility of clockwise translocation. During chemotherapy, RT-PCR demonstrated the short form of AML1-MTG8 mRNA, in addition to chimeric mRNA of the usual length. Sequence analysis revealed that this shorter chimeric mRNA had resulted from deletion of a 250-bp sequence at the 5' end of MTG8. A literature search failed to reveal any similar cases of t(8;21) AML-M2 associated with this deletion of chimeric mRNA.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2001

[Combination chemotherapy].

Although most cases of infections in humans with normal host defenses can be treated with a single antimicrobial agent today, there are several cases to whom combination chemotherapy should be adopted. Five reasons have been advanced to justify the use of antimicrobial combinations: prevention of the emergence of resistant organisms, control of polymicrobial infections, initial therapy when causative organism is unclear, appearance of synergism, and management of infections in immunocompromised host. But, a clear advantage has been difficult to demonstrate in vivo. Furthermore, inappropriate use of antimicrobial combinations may lead patients to antagonism, cost, and even adverse effects. Therefore, antimicrobial combination therapy requires careful evaluation prior to clinical use.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

[A case of infected subdural hematoma due to Campyrobacter fetus].

A 20-year-old male presented fever, nausea and headache 1 week after eating uncooked liver. On admission, it was revealed he had suffered a closed head injury 3 months before without unconsciousness. On admission, computed tomography scan showed a left chronic subdural hematoma. Gd-DTPA magnetic resonance images revealed unusual enhancement of the capsule and linear enhancement of the subarachnoid space. The patient underwent burr hole irrigation and drainage. The culture of the hematoma content showed Campylobacter fetus. Therefore, the diagnose was infected subdural hematoma. A drainage operation and administration of antibiotics were effective. Our case suggests that enhanced magnetic resonance images are useful for diagnosis and follow-up of infected subdural hematoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in an elderly patient--a case of squamous cell carcinoma successfully treated with chemotherapy using vinorelbine].

We report an elderly patient with squamous cell carcinoma who was successfully treated with chemotherapy using vinorelbine. A 76-year-old man was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a nodular shadow in the left lung. Chest CT scam showed a 3-cm tumor shadow in left S9 and a 1-cm small nodule in right S2. Transbronchial lung biopsy yielded a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. The clinical stage was IV (cT2N2M1). The patient first underwent chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin (CDDP) 80 mg/m2 on day 1 and vinorelbine (VNB) 20 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15, which generated tumor shrinkage of 48% as well as transient elevation of grade 1 in serum creatinine. The 2 cycles of chemotherapy using vinorelbine only (VNB 20 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15) produced a tumor reduction of 70% with grade-1 decrease of granulocytes. The low grade of toxicity enabled us to treat the patient in our outpatient office for the second cycle of the regimen. This case suggests that chemotherapy using low-dose vinorelbine might be suitable to treat elderly patients with NSCLC in outpatient settings.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Immunological properties of S-1090, cefmatilen hydrochloride hydrate].

S-1090, a cefmatilen hydrochloride hydrate, is being developed as a cephalosporin antibiotic for oral use. Immunogenicity, hypersensitivity-eliciting antigenicity and immunological cross-reactivity with other antibiotics were evaluated by active systemic anaphylaxis (ASA) test, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using guinea pigs and mice/rats. In addition, in vitro direct Coombs' test was also performed to examine the possibility of hemolytic anemia in clinical use. Immunogenicity of S-1090 was not observed in guinea pigs after repeated immunization with S-1090 by ASA or PCA tests. Even in ELISA, only weak antibody production against S-1090 was found in some guinea pigs from the intraperitoneal groups showing the antibody titers only 10(1) to 10(2). When the sera collected from C3H/He mice and C57BL/6J mice immunized with S-1090 were tested for immunogenicity, rat PCA was elicited in a C3H/He mouse serum by S-1090 and antibodies against S-1090 were detected in a C57BL/6J mouse serum by ELISA. When adjuvant was used in mice and guinea pigs, the production of antibody against S-1090 was less frequent in comparison with other antibiotics such as cefmetazole (CMZ) and cefotiam (CTM). When hypersensitivity-eliciting antigenicity of S-1090 was examined using S-1090 as an eliciting antigen in ASA and PCA tests, positive ASA and PCA were observed in guinea pigs and positive PCA in a C3H/He mouse. Hypersensitivity-eliciting antigenicity was also observed in other reference antibiotics, i.e. cephalothin (CET), CMZ and CTM. Immunological cross-reactivity among S-1090, penicillin G (PCG), CET, CMZ and CTM was tested by ASA and PCA tests. S-1090 was found to immunologically cross-react only with CET in guinea pigs. In the present study, immunological cross-reactivities were also noted between PCG and CET, PCG and CMZ, PCG and CTM, and between CET and CMZ. In in vitro direct Coombs' test using human red blood cells, S-1090.Na, PCG and CET gave positive reactions at the final concentrations of 40 mg/mL, 20 to 40 mg/mL and 2.5 to 10 mg/mL, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[The feasibility of a limited operation for primary lung cancer].

We reviewed 33 patients who underwent a limited operation for primary lung cancer between 1980 and 1998. These cases were divided into three groups; a poor risk group consisting of 18 patients who had a high risk such as pulmonary or cardiac dysfunction and who underwent partial resection of a lung, a reduction group consisting of 9 patients who had advanced lung cancer or uncontrolled cancer of an organ other than the lung and who underwent partial resection, and an active limited operation group consisting of 6 patients who underwent segmentectomy with lymphoadenectomy for the treatment of early lung cancer. The 1 and 3-year survival rates in the poor risk group, reduction group and active limited operation group were 73.9, 60.0, 100%, and 63.4, 0.0, 100%, respectively. The results of limited operations performed for poor risk cases were satisfactory in terms of both functional state and prognosis. Limited operations performed to reduce tumor in advanced lung cancer cases did not improve the prognosis. Although an active limited operation for a case of early lung cancer remains controversial with respect to indication, it is thought that this operation is not inferior to a standard radical operation (lobotomy with mediastinal lymphoadenectomy) in selective cases in which the maximum tumor diameter is 2 cm or less. The indication for a limited operation must be further examined from aspects of tumor size, tumor histology and the other factors of the tumor.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

[A case of bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma with bilateral diffuse interstitial infiltrative shadow during the treatment of Takatsuki's disease].

A 54-year old man treated with Takatsuki's disease was referred to us complaining of cough and excessive sputum. A chest roentgenogram showed bilateral diffuse interstitial infiltrative shadow. Chest CT showed banding shadows around the bronchioles and lobule-septum thickening in the right middle and both lower lung fields, and many small nodules in both lower lung fields. The histological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma replaced with one layer of bronchiolar epithelium, and partly bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma. The patient received 3 courses of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel and cisplatin. After chemotherapy, the chest CT showed no change. The clinicopathological characteristics of this rare case included adenocarcinoma mixed with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, in which radiography showed bilateral diffuse interstitial infiltrative shadow.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

[Relationship between Noguchi's classification for small adenocarcinomas of the lung and tumor markers in serum].

We evaluated the relationship between Noguchi's classification for small adenocarcinomas of the lung and tumor markers in serum (CEA, Cyfra, SLX, CA 19-9, CA 125). Fifty surgically resected small peripheral adenocarcinomas measuring 2 cm or less in greatest diameter were examined. The tumors were divided into three groups on the basis of Noguchi's classification: group AB of tumors belonging to Noguchi's classification A or B, group C of tumors belonging to Noguchi's classification C, and group DEF of tumors belonging to Noguchi's classification D, E, or F. The level of serum CEA was higher in group DEF (5.9 +/- 7.6 ng/ml) than in group AB (2.3 +/- 2.4 ng/ml) and group C (2.0 +/- 1.3 ng/ml). There were no differences in the levels of the other serum tumor markers among the three groups. The incidences of anormality in serum CEA and Cyfra were higher in group DEF (6/18 and 6/18, respectively) than in group AB (1/7 and 0/7) and group C (1/25 and 1/25). Although a high level of serum CEA or Cyfra is a strong indication that the tumor is Noguchi's classification D, E, or F of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, it is difficult to classify small adenocarcinomas by Noguchi's classification using a serum tumor marker level.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

[A complete response persisting for twelve months with the use of TS-1 in a patient with paraaortic lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer].

A 74-year-old female patient underwent total gastrectomy, splenectomy and D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer with non-dissectible paraaortic lymph node metastasis. Pathological examination revealed a high level of metastasis of dissected lymph nodes. The patient received daily oral administration of 100 mg TS-1, a novel oral anticancer agent. Each treatment course consisted of a four-week administration followed by two drug-free weeks. A partial response was obtained after the second course and a complete response was observed in the middle of the fourth and after the sixth course. The treatment was stopped because of grade 2 anemia in the middle of the seventh course, but no other adverse effect was observed. Complete response of the treatment persisted for twelve months and the patient has now been in good health without a recurrence for twenty months after surgery. Although the prognosis of gastric cancer with a high level of lymph node metastasis is poor, TS-1 therapy may have a potent efficacy in gastric cancer patients with a high level of lymph node metastasis such as the current case.

Aged↗