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Biomedical subjects

C Hirayama

Publications and source records attributed to C Hirayama.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Cianidanol therapy for HBe-antigen-positive chronic hepatitis: a multicentre, double-blind study.

The effect of cianidanol on the HBeAg/anti-HBe system in 338 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis was studied in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre clinical trial. 174 patients received cianidanol in a daily dose of 1.5 g for 2 weeks, followed by 2.25 g for a further 14 weeks. 164 patients received a placebo for the same period: patients were followed up for a further 8 weeks. HBeAg and anti-HBe antibody titers were measured by R.I.A. at 4-week intervals and the results were expressed as a "cut-off index" and "inhibition percent", respectively. Liver function tests were also monitored at the same intervals. The HBeAg titer decreased by at least 50% in 44 of 144 cases treated with cianidanol (21 of 140 cases treated with placebo). The difference was significant (p less than 0.01). The HBeAg disappeared in 16 of the cianidanol cases and four of the placebo (p less than 0.05) and a seroconversion was observed in six cianidanol patients and three placebo patients. The mean HBeAg titer in the cianidanol group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group at the end of the 16 weeks of therapy (p less than 0.05). The patients whose HBeAg titer was lowered were largely those with chronic active hepatitis and had higher initial values of SGPT, SGOT and gamma-globulin than the patients whose HBeAg titers remained unchanged. The mean values for these liver function tests also fell significantly in the former sub-group. The drug was well tolerated, the only notable side effect being a transient febrile reaction in 13 patients. It is concluded that cianidanol is a useful and well-tolerated drug for improving the HBeAg/anti-HBe system in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic active hepatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Effects of chronic ethanol administration on hepatic cholesterol and bile acid synthesis in relation to serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol in rats.

In ethanol-fed rats for 4 or 7 weeks, hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly increased, and correlated positively with hepatic microsomal gamma-GTP activity. By contrast, hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was decreased in these rats. The content of hepatic cholesterol and levels of serum cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were significantly increased in these rats, correlating significantly with hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity, but not with hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity. These results suggest that the increase in serum levels of cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol by ethanol feeding is mainly regulated by the enhanced cholesterol synthesis in the liver.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1986

Urinary kallikrein excretion in chronic liver disease and effect of indomethacin.

Urinary kallikrein excretion was found as compared with 22 normal subjects (0.88 +/- 0.05 mumol/min/day) to be significantly reduced in 15 cirrhotics without ascites (0.42 +/- 0.04; p less than 0.01) and in 23 cirrhotics with ascites (0.15 +/- 0.02; p less than 0.01), and further, showed a significant difference between the two groups (p less than 0.01), but did not significantly change in 14 patients with chronic active hepatitis. Urinary kallikrein excretion in cirrhotics showed a positive correlation with serum albumin, indocyanine green disappearance rate, cholinesterase, and prothrombin, and an inverse correlation with bilirubin. After indomethacin administration to 13 cirrhotics with ascites, not only plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone decreased significantly (p less than 0.01), but urinary kallikrein excretion also showed a small but statistically significant decrease (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that urinary kallikrein excretion decreases almost parallel to the severity of liver damage and is mediated via prostaglandins or the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which may be involved in the reduction of renal blood flow in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed1986

Acute and chronic effect of ethanol on hepatic albumin synthesis in rat liver in vitro.

To study the effects of ethanol and its metabolite on albumin metabolism, we examined the hepatic albumin synthesis and secretion in male Wistar rats in vitro, following acute and chronic ethanol administration. After acute ethanol administration, proalbumin synthesis in rat liver in vitro, declined to 47% of the control level at 4 hrs, the lowest level, and increased thereafter to slightly higher than the control level at 16 hrs. On the other hand, chronic ethanol administration for 4 weeks, increased proalbumin synthesis to 1.5 times that of the control level. In the acute ethanol group, a significant negative correlation was observed between proalbumin radioactivity and the concentration of hepatic ethanol and acetaldehyde. The variation between proalbumin radioactivity and hepatic ethanol concentration was wider than the variation between proalbumin and hepatic acetaldehyde. In the chronic ethanol group, ethanol was not detected in the liver. No significant differences from the proalbumin/albumin ratio were seen at any time point after acute or chronic ethanol administration. These findings suggest that the effects of ethanol on hepatic albumin synthesis differ with the method of ethanol administration, and acetaldehyde and/or ethanol is involved in the reduction in albumin synthesis, however, proalbumin-albumin conversion is not disturbed.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1986

A case of primary biliary cirrhosis associated with generalized morphea.

A 50-year-old female with primary biliary cirrhosis associated with generalized morphea is reported. She had suffered from multiple painful indurated plaques on the trunk which was diagnosed as generalized morphea; subsequently, primary biliary cirrhosis was diagnosed on the basis of her hepatic dysfunction. Although progressive systemic sclerosis has been reported to occur in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, this localized form of cutaneous sclerosis has not previously been reported. Since generalized morphea is one of the most common manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease, and primary biliary cirrhosis is known to have a hepatic histology resembling chronic graft-versus-host disease, this case report may represent evidence in support of a common pathogenesis for the two entities.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Studies on lymphocyte subpopulations in human colonic biopsy specimens by colonoscopy.

Lymphocytes, isolated by the enzymatic technique, from colonic mucosal specimens obtained from eight patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), two with ischemic colitis, two with antibiotic-associated colitis, and 15 controls by colonoscopic biopsy were used to examine T and B cells. In control biopsy specimens, the mononuclear cell yield averaged 3.6 +/- 0.3 (SEM) X 10(6)/g with a viability of 93 +/- 1%, while T and B cells expressed as a percentage of total lymphocyte counts were 65 +/- 1% and 15 +/- 1%, respectively. T and B cells in the ascending, transverse, and sigmoid colon and rectum did not present any differences. In involved tissue at the active stage of UC, the mononuclear cell yield averaged 11.4 +/- 2.1 X 10(6)/g, and T and B cells constituted 49 +/- 3% and 43 +/- 4%, respectively. After treatment for two months with salazosulfapyridine, mononuclear cell yields in five cases of UC were significantly reduced to an average of 3.9 +/- 0.8 X 10(6)/g as compared to the pretreatment level (P less than 0.01). The percentage of T cells was significantly increased from 48 +/- 2% to 62 +/- 2% (P less than 0.01), and that of B cells was significantly reduced from 39 +/- 2% to 27 +/- 3% (P less than 0.01). These results revealed a significant difference in the subpopulations of mucosal lymphocytes in the involved sites in the active stage of UC as compared to normal controls, suggesting that immunological abnormalities may be implicated in the etiology of this disease and that disease remission on salazosulfapyridine treatment is associated with a correction of the colonic lymphocyte abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Sterol and bile acid metabolism after short-term prednisolone treatment in patients with chronic active hepatitis.

Serum levels of squalene, cholesterol and bile acid were measured before and after short-term prednisolone administration in patients with chronic active hepatitis. Comparison with normal controls indicated that serum bile acid levels were increased significantly (p less than 0.01) in patients with chronic active hepatitis, but serum levels of squalene and cholesterol did not differ significantly between the two groups. After short-term prednisolone treatment, serum levels of squalene and cholesterol were increased significantly (p less than 0.01) as compared with the pretreatment level. On the other hand, while serum fasting bile acid levels were found to be increased significantly (p less than 0.01), serum clearance after oral administration of ursodeoxycholic acid improved significantly (p less than 0.05) after treatment. These results indicated that short-term prednisolone treatment increases sterol metabolism in the liver in patients with chronic active hepatitis, resulting from an increase in hepatic clearance of bile acids.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Biliary squalene levels in hepatobiliary disease.

Following overnight fasting, biliary levels of squalene, bile salts, cholesterol and phospholipid were estimated using human bile obtained with a duodenal double lumen catheter after administration of caerulein. While the squalene level in B-bile was 6.86 microM in the control group, it fell significantly in patients with parenchymal liver diseases, especially liver cirrhosis. There was no significant change in the level in patients with cholelithiasis. Biliary squalene concentration showed a significant correlation with concentrations of bile salts, cholesterol and phospholipid. These results substantiate the possibility that the biliary squalene level reflects sterol metabolism in the liver.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the oral cavity including the maxilla and the mandible: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two cases of hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the oral cavity are presented. One patient had metastases to the maxilla and finally, to the mandible, and the other patient, to the mandible. Both cases histologically showed highly-differentiated trabecular hepatocellular carcinoma which had vascularized stroma, explaining the frequently observed oral hemorrhage. The clinical signs and symptoms described here suggested the existence of a tumor metastatic to the oral cavity, and might indicate an unusual manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Reports of metastatic lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma to the oral cavity, including the mandible, maxilla and gingiva proper, are reviewed.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Comparative studies of nicotinohydroxamic acid and neomycin on ammonia and urea metabolism in rats.

The effect of oral administrations of nicotinohydroxamic acid (NHA) and neomycin (NM) in ammonia and urea metabolism were investigated in the rat. NHA and NM lowered the blood ammonia level, and NHA increased urinary excretion of urea and depressed urease activity in the stomach and the colon, while NM had a smaller effect on urinary excretion of urea but depressed urease activity in the colon.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1985

Cellular sensitivity to collagen in liver disease.

Peripheral mononuclear cells from 29 patients with liver disease and from 15 normal subjects were examined for cellular sensitivity to purified bovine type I and type II collagens by the in vitro production of leucocyte migration inhibitory factor. Mononuclear cells from 21 (69%) of the patients responded to type I collagen, but cells from only one (3%) did to type II collagen. In normal subjects, there were no response to both collagens. As compared with the corresponding humoral antibody response, the cellular sensitivity was more specific for type I collagen in patients with liver disease. These data demonstrate that cellular sensitivity to type I collagen exists in liver disease, presumably in relation to hepatic fibrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Effects of ethanol feeding on hepatic collagen synthesis and degradation in rats.

After 4 weeks of ethanol feeding, collagen synthesis and its degradation system in the liver were investigated in male rats. The ethanol-fed rats had an increased hepatic protein content and a depleted hepatic reduced glutathione content. The content of hepatic hydroxyproline was not changed, however, the synthesis of protein-bound hydroxyproline was significantly increased, the latter was significantly correlated with hepatic protein content and inversely with hepatic reduced glutathione content. The synthesis of protein-bound proline was also increased and significantly correlated with hepatic protein content. Although hepatic collagenase activity was not change, hepatic collagenolytic cathepsin activity was significantly increased, and the latter had a significant relationship to the synthesis of protein-bound hydroxyproline. These results suggest that in the early stage of ethanol feeding, hepatic collagen synthesis is augmented in parallel with general protein synthesis and the newly-synthesized collagen is efficiently removed by collagen degrading system, at least, partly by collagenolytic cathepsins.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

A simple and rapid microdiffusion method for blood ammonia using a reflectance meter and a reagent plate, and its clinical evaluation for liver diseases.

A simple and rapid procedure using 20 microliters of whole blood is described for estimating blood ammonia by means of a reflectance meter using a reagent plate, which operates by the principle of microdiffusion. The most suitable condition for microdiffusion was at 37 degrees C for 15 min, in which the standard curve was linear, and reproducibility and recovery were sastisfactory. Blood ammonia levels by this method correlate significantly with the values by an ion exchange method in 72 patients with liver disease (r = + 0.970, y = 1.13x - 11). The method has a distinct advantage in sensitivity, simplicity, and rapidity for blood ammonia determination.

Ammonia↗