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C Asagami

Publications and source records attributed to C Asagami.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Disseminated subcutaneous Nocardia farcinica abscesses in a nephrotic syndrome patient.

We describe an unusual case of disseminated subcutaneous abscesses caused by Nocardia farcinica in a 49-year-old man with nephrotic syndrome. He had received systemic corticosteroid therapy for 5 months. He developed a submandibular abscess associated with sialoadenitis on the right submaxillary gland. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed connection between the submandibular abscess and the right submaxillary gland. The subcutaneous abscess spread from the submandibular triangle to the left axillary region, the left upper arm, the left hypochondriac region, the left scapular region, the right epigastric region, and the bilateral legs. A chest radiograph and computed tomograms of the chest and the brain did not reveal any pathologic changes. The patient was successfully treated by surgical drainage of the abscesses and by oral administration of minocycline.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1998

Apolipoprotein E is present in primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is one of the amyloid associated proteins that is found in the amyloid plaque of Alzheimer's disease and systemic amyloidosis. ApoE might play an important part in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease by functioning as a "pathologic chaperone" to promote the formation of amyloid filaments. In this study, we investigated whether apoE is associated with amyloid deposits of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis using immunohistochemistry, immunogold electron microscopy, and immunoblotting. The subjects consisted of 12 patients with lichen amyloidosus and one patient with macular amyloidosis. Light microscopically, amyloid deposits in the dermal papillae were round in shape and stained with Congo red. Immunohistochemically, apoE was detected in amyloid deposits in all the cases examined. Immunogold electron microscopy showed apoE immunoreactivity on the amyloid deposition. Immunoblots of amyloid-positive skin showed 35K and 14K proteins, which were taken to be apoE and its fragment, respectively. In normal skin extract, only the 35K protein was detected by the anti-human apoE. Moreover, the intensity of the amyloid-positive skin sample was stronger than that of the normal skin sample. Monoclonal anti-cytokeratin antibody reacted with the 45K protein of the amyloid-positive skin extract. These results indicate that apoE is a component of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis, and that it might play an important role in primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A Japanese case of Neu-Laxova syndrome.

A 5-day-old Japanese female with Neu-Laxova syndrome was presented. The patient had severe edema throughout the body, desquamation, and erosion of the skin. She also exhibited microcephaly, exophthalmos, and rocker-bottom feet. Histologic examinations of a cutaneous specimen showed atrophy of the dermis and absence of the sebaceous glands. These represent embryonic abnormalities. Even though there was no hypoplasia of the cerebellum and lungs or hydramnios, we evaluated this patient as the first Japanese case of this sporadic disease. With intensive care, including dermatological treatment, the patient survived for 134 days.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

Association of apolipoprotein allele epsilon 2 with psoriasis vulgaris in Japanese population.

We studied phenotypic variations of apolipoprotein E (apoE) and the corresponding allele frequencies in 100 Japanese patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV). The phenotypes of apoE were examined using analytical isoelectric focusing followed by immunoblotting with goat anti-apoE antibody and alkaline phosphatase-conjugated rabbit antigoat IgG. The phenotypic frequency of apoE3/2 in PV was significantly higher than in healthy controls, and this elevation was associated with an increased frequency of the epsilon 2 allele. Therefore, it is suggested that the apoE molecule plays an important role in the development of PV.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Establishment and characterization of a novel human cell line exhibiting both immunophenotypic markers of monocyte/macrophage and natural killer cell lineages from peripheral blood of a patient with atopic dermatitis.

Large amounts of homogeneous cells are not always available for in vitro studies of inflammatory skin disorders. Here we demonstrate that a novel cell line, termed YAA, has been established from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which were separated by the Ficoll method, of a patient with atopic dermatitis. YAA cells were grown in suspension culture. The cytochemical staining showed a positive reaction for alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase, which was completely inhibited by sodium fluoride, but a negative result for periodic acid-Schiff, peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase. A large population of YAA cells exhibited phenotype of CD33 and CD56 but neither of CD2 nor CD3. The phorbol ester-stimulated YAA cells produced a considerable amount of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. These findings suggest that YAA might be a monocytoid line with an additional phenotype specific for natural killer cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Ganglioside expression in melanomas from Japanese individuals: unusual pattern in two patients with metastatic lesions of acral lentiginous melanomas.

Melanoma among Japanese is rare, and differs in its clinical and histological characteristics from that found in Caucasians. In this study, the ganglioside expression of melanoma specimens obtained from Japanese was determined and compared with previously published data on Caucasians. The ganglioside composition of 25 biopsy melanoma specimens, including 13 primary and 12 metastatic lesions, was studied using thin layer chromatography. Four gangliosides (GM3, GD3, GM2, GD2) were most commonly expressed in melanomas in Japanese. The expression of gangliosides was quite variable in both primary and metastatic melanomas as seen in previous reports. No significant differences were observed between gangliosides from primary and metastatic sites. A new type of ganglioside expression, in which GM3 was nearly the only ganglioside (> 95%), was found in metastatic tumors from two Japanese patients with acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), which is the most common clinical and histopathological type of melanoma among Japanese but is very unusual among Caucasians. The patterns of expression were similar to those in Caucasians except for the detection of a "new" pattern.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Overexpression of p53 protein associated with proliferative activity as evaluated by Ki-67 immunostaining in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

BACKGROUND: Overexpression of p53 protein has been demonstrated in a variety of human malignant tumors, and its role in oncogenesis and tumor progression is thought to be important. Recently, some reports have suggested that p53 overexpression might be an indicator of immaturity or proliferative activity of cells in cutaneous lesions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between overexpression of p53 protein and the proliferative activity evaluated by Ki-67 immunostaining in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin. METHODS: Sixteen cases of well-differentiated SCC were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of p53 protein and Ki-67 antigen. RESULTS: p53 protein was detected in 12 out of the 16 cases (75%). The percentage of p53-protein-positive tumor cells (DO-7 index) ranged from 0 to 80.4 (mean +/- SD = 33.8 +/- 29.7) and the percentage of Ki-67-antigen-positive tumor cells (MIB-1 index) from 23.4 to 65.1 (mean +/- SD = 42.3 +/- 15.8). Cases with higher DO-7 indices tended to show higher MIB-1 indices and the correlation was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of the p53 protein seems to be a useful indicator of proliferative activity in cutaneous SCC.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1997

Congenitally acquired herpes zoster infection in a newborn.

We report a case of congenitally acquired herpes zoster infection in a newborn whose mother suffered from varicella in her eighth month of pregnancy. The newborn had vesicles with limited distribution on the left C7 region. Herpes zoster infection was clinically suspected and confirmed by the Tzanck test and a high titer of anti-varicella-zoster-virus immunoglobulin M (x1,280).

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1996

Establishment and characterization of a novel human promonocytic cell line from peripheral blood of a patient with psoriasis.

Human monocyte/macrophage lineages have unique phagocytic and immune-regulatory functions. We established a promonocytic cell line from the peripheral blood of a patient with psoriasis vulgaris. The newly established cells, termed YAP cells, grew in a suspension culture. In Wright-Giemsa-stained preparations, YAP cells were round or polygonal in shape. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the cells had clear nuclei with well-defined nucleoli. There were frequent mitochondria, a relatively abundant endoplasmic reticulum profile, free ribosomes and an occasional Golgi apparatus. Cytochemical studies showed a positive reaction for alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase, which was completely inhibited by sodium fluoride, a diffuse positive reaction for periodic acid-Schiff, and a negative result for alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase. A large population of YAP cells reacted with the CD4, CD11b, CD25 and CD33 surface markers, but not with CD2, CD3, CD8 or CD19. We also found that YAP cells produced considerable amounts of TNF alpha, which was detected in the culture supernatant when the cells were treated with 1 ng/ml 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Chromosome analyses showed that YAP cells contained a variety of marker chromosomes. It should be stressed that YAP cells were derived from a patient with a non-neoplastic disorder, whereas most monocytic cell lines previously reported are of malignant origin. This newly established cell line might be valuable for studying the pathogenesis of psoriasis, especially the role of monocytes/macrophages in the aetiology of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Human melanoma cell lines deficient in GD3 ganglioside expression exhibit altered growth and tumorigenic characteristics.

We have selected GD3-deficient human melanoma cell lines, in order to investigate the function of GD3 ganglioside. This was done by treating SK-MEL-28 cells with anti-GD3 antibody (R24) and rabbit complement and subsequent subcloning of the surviving cells, resulting in the derivation of two cell lines deficient in the cell surface expression of GD3. Neither cell line (designated SK-MEL-28-N1 and SK-MEL-28-N2) had detectable cell surface expression of GD3 as analyzed with monoclonal antibody R24, and no GD3 was detectable in either cell line by glycolipid isolation, thin-layer chromatography, or resorcinol-HC1 spray, but thin-layer chromatography immunostaining with monoclonal antibody R24 showed the presence of low amounts of GD3 in both N1 and N2 (1/40 of the amount in the parent cell line in N1 and 1/500 in N2). In SK-MEL-28-N1, the residual GD3 was shown by immunofluorescence assays on permeabilized cells to be present in discrete intracellular organelles, suggesting that these cells have a defect in the transport of GD3 as well as in its synthesis. Both SK-MEL-28-N1 and -N2 had an increase in detectable GM3 expression. The mutant cell lines had altered cell morphology in comparison to the parent cell line and both had slower growth rates in vitro and lower tumorgenicity in nu/nu mice. These results indicate that GD3 ganglioside plays an important role in proliferation and growth of melanoma cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A case of herpes zoster associated with colitis.

A 58-year-old Japanese woman who had herpes zoster in association with colitis was successfully treated with intravenously administrated acyclovir. Vesicular lesions with red haloes ranged from the left side of her buttock to the left extremity, corresponding to the L4 to S2 dermatomes. Her colitis was considered to have been induced by varicella-zoster virus, based on the facts that the clinical courses were correlated and that the innervation of the affected site of the colon corresponded to an infected dermatome (S2).

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1996

Significance of antibodies to streptococcal M protein in psoriatic arthritis and their association with HLA-A*0207.

Psoriatic arthritis (PA) is an immune disease associated with HLA-A2 in the Japanese population. To investigate mechanisms the association between HLA-A2 and PA, we examined in vivo immune responsiveness to Streptococcus pyogenes. Recombinant M proteins for the subtype specific N-terminal half (AB region) and conserved C-terminal half (C region) were produced separately. IgG antibody level against each region was measured by ELISA in 31 PA patients, 88 patients with psoriasis vulgaris, 6 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 77 healthy controls. We found that IgG antibody levels against the C region were markedly higher in the PA patient group than in the other disease groups or controls. Further, IgG antibody levels were higher in PA patients with spondylitis and polyarticular arthritis than in PA patients with rheumatoid-like arthritis and arthritis mutilans. In contrast, no significant difference in the IgG antibody levels against the AB region was observed among the tested groups. HLA-A2 DNA typing showed that HLA-A*0207 was associated with PA (RR = 17.6; pcorr < 0.01) and the IgG antibody responses to the C region correlated well with the presence of HLA-A*0207. These results suggest that streptococcal infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of PA by participating in the HLA-linked immune responsiveness.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1996

Putative linkage between HLA class I polymorphism and the susceptibility to malignant melanoma.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) frequencies in 67 melanoma patients were compared to 120 controls in Japan. The frequency of HLA-B13 was increased in melanoma patients compared to controls and was particularly common in nodular melanoma HLA-B61 was decreased in melanoma patients. Almost 50% of acral lentiginous melanoma patients expressed HLA-B51 compared to 0% of nodular melanomas.

Asian People↗
PubMed1996

Immune response to Streptococcus pyogenes and the susceptibility to psoriasis.

Monoclonal antibodies directed against type 12 Group A streptococcal cell wall antigens cross-react with nuclei and cytoplasm of cells from skin and synovium from controls, uninvolved skin of psoriatics and psoriatic plaques. Patients with psoriasis had high serum titres of antibody against the M12 (C-region) streptococcal antigen compared to controls. An abnormal immune response directed against a "self' antigen after initiation by Group A streptococcal infection may play an important role in the exacerbation or development of psoriasis.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1996

Anti-tumor effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in seborrheic keratosis.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is a drug with potent antiproliferative action on keratinocytes that have nuclear receptors for 1,25(OH)2D3. We investigated the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on widespread seborrheic keratoses in 51 patients with these tumors. The data indicated that resolution of these tumors was dependent on both tumor size and dose of 1,25(OH)2D3. Among 15 patients treated with a high dose (0.5 microgram/d) of oral 1,25(OH)2D3, the lesions of widespread seborrheic keratoses changed from brown-black papules to brownish papules with erythema and/or crust as early as 2 wk after the start of treatment. The tumors finally developed into an atrophic scar or brownish pigmented macule. Histologically, vacuolation of the spinous cells, vesicle formation, and liquefaction degeneration of the basaloid cells were observed. Numerous lymphocytes had infiltrated in the papillary dermis. Among 36 patients treated with a low dose (0.25 microgram/d) of 1,25(OH)2D3, brownish papules became pale to normal in color and reduced in size, without erythematous change. Histologically, acanthosis of the epidermis was reduced, but degenerative change of the tumor cells was not observed. These data suggest that oral therapy of 1,25(OH)2D3 is an acceptable method well suited to the removal of seborrheic keratoses, especially those that are predominantly small tumors.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Polysialogangliosides expressed by amelanotic melanoma: a possible explanation for the poor response to anti-monosialoganglioside antibody 202 in a patient with melanoma.

A 52-year-old Japanese woman developed numerous amelanotic metastatic melanomas on the skin and in various organs three years after a surgical operation for primary melanoma on the right axilla. The patient was treated with monosialoganglioside specific monoclonal antibody 202; however, no apparent clinical effects were observed. Ganglioside analysis of a metastatic tumor demonstrated that it expressed GM3, GM2, GD3, GD2, and polysialogangliosides. Since polysialogangliosides rarely appear in melanomas, their expression may explain the patient's poor response to MAb 202. The relationship between ganglioside composition and the effect of anti-ganglioside monoclonal antibody is discussed.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗