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Biomedical subjects

C Mori

Publications and source records attributed to C Mori.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Estimation of left internal thoracic artery flow reserve after coronary artery bypass grafting using Doppler flow wire].

The usefulness of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) for aortocoronary bypass grafting is now established. Reports of variation in LITA graft function are rare. Graft flow was measured using a Doppler flow wire to estimate graft function in 27 patients (24 males, 3 females) who underwent LITA grafting to the left anterior descending artery. Patients were classified into the following 3 groups: Group A consisted of 9 patients with normal left ventricular function and no native flow; Group B consisted of 11 patients with normal ventricular function and good native flow; Group C consisted of 7 patients with abnormal left ventricular function and no native flow. LITA graft function was also estimated 1 year after operation in 12 of these 27 patients (4 in each group). Diastolic/systolic velocity ratio (DSVR) and flow reserve were determined in the proximal, middle, and distal portions of the LITA graft and native left anterior descending artery before and after papaverine administration (8-10 mg). DSVR was significantly higher in the distal portion than in the proximal portion (p < 0.01), but this value did not change after papaverine administration. After 1 year, DSVR in the proximal portion was significantly higher in Group C than in Groups A or B (p < 0.05 for both). Four weeks after operation, the flow reserve of the distal portion was significantly higher in Group A than in Group C (p < 0.001). After 1 year, this value was significantly higher in Group A than in either Groups B or C (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, respectively). The rate of increase in flow reserve in the distal portion was significantly greater in Group A (23.4%) than in groups B (2.53%) or C (1.94%; p < 0.05 for both). The distal portion of the LITA was the best measurement site, since the flow pattern in the LITA graft varied throughout all portions. Diastolic flow velocity in the LITA graft was dominant in patients with myocardial damage. The results indicate that flow reserve of the LITA graft depends on antegrade native coronary flow and distal myocardial damage.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMed1998

Synthesis and evaluation of antimycobacterial activity of 4-phenyl-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives.

Some 4-phenyl-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives with a piperazino group in the 2- and/or 7-position have been synthesized and evaluated for their tuberculostatic activity. The compounds 1, 6, 10, 17b,c and 19i showed a marked activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. For this series of compounds, submitted to biological screening, no structure-activity relationship can be deduced.

Antitubercular Agents↗
PubMed1998

Mouse spermatogenic cell-specific type 1 hexokinase (mHk1-s) transcripts are expressed by alternative splicing from the mHk1 gene and the HK1-S protein is localized mainly in the sperm tail.

Unique type 1 hexokinase (HK1) mRNAs are present in mouse spermatogenic cells (mHk1-s). They encode a spermatogenic cell-specific sequence region (SSR) but not the porin-binding domain (PBD) necessary for HK1 binding to porin on the outer mitochondrial membrane. This study determined the origin of the multiple Hk1-s transcripts in mouse spermatogenic cells and verified that they are translated in mouse spermatogenic cells. It also showed that a single mHk1 gene encodes the mHk1 transcripts of somatic cells and the mHk1-sa and mHk1-sb transcripts of spermatogenic cells, that alternative exons are used during mHk1 gene expression in mouse spermatogenic cells, and that mHK1-S is translated in mouse spermatogenic cells and is localized mainly with the fibrous sheath in the tail region, not with the mitochondria in the midpiece of mouse sperm.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1998

Identification of the Oka strain of the live attenuated varicella vaccine from other clinical isolates by molecular epidemiologic analysis.

A method was developed to distinguish the Oka vaccine strain of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) from other clinical isolates. The molecular characteristics of 52 clinical isolates from varicella or zoster patients with no history of VZV vaccination and the Oka strain, including vaccine and parental viruses, were analyzed by PstI cleavage of the PstI site-less (PSL) region. This was followed by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) after polymerase chain reaction amplification of repeating region 2 (R2). Most of the clinical isolates tested, especially recent isolates, had a PstI site in the PSL region, but the Oka strain did not. The SSCP patterns of R2 in Oka strain virus differed from those of other viruses. These results suggest that analysis of the PstI site followed by SSCP of R2 will be useful for identifying the Oka vaccine virus in isolates.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1998

Coronary risk factors in acute Kawasaki disease: correlation of serum immunoglobulin levels with coronary complications.

BACKGROUND: To determine the usefulness of the IgG z-score (age and sex-standardized serum IgG level) before intravenous gamma globulin therapy (IVGG) in predicting the occurrence or severity of coronary complications in Kawasaki disease (KD). METHODS: A case-control study of clinical and laboratory findings with 88 children in the early stage of acute KD who received IVGG (100 or 200 mg/kg for 2-5 days) therapy. Of these, 20 cases had persistent coronary arterial lesions (small aneurysm, moderate aneurysm or large aneurysm persisting more than 1 month). The controls comprised 68 children with no coronary aneurysms or transient small aneurysm only observed within 1 month after the onset of KD. The association between serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG). IgM, IgA as well as other coronary risk factors previously reported and the occurrence of the coronary arterial lesions was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, gender, total IVGG dose before the 9th illness day and other traditional coronary risk factors, the odds ratio for the persistent coronary aneurysm associated with lower serum IgG z-score (< -0.7485 vs > or = -0.7485), was 30.3 (95% confidence interval, 3.8-243.2). Furthermore, the serum IgG z-score was inversely correlated with the severity of the coronary arterial lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The IgG z-score before IVGG therapy in the early stage of KD provides useful information on the risk factors for persistent coronary aneurysm and is a novel, additional indicator for therapy to prevent the coronary complications in acute KD.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1998

A poison information service via an automated facsimile (fax) system: an adjunct to the operator-based service.

BACKGROUND: Poison centers are faced with the escalating costs of specialist staffing and increased investments in hardware and databases despite deficit funding. We developed an automated fax information system to access poison information from any fax machine without special training or equipment. METHODS: We provided a 3-month trial service of the fax system in conjunction with the regular operator-based service and analyzed the fax access log, followed by a questionnaire to the 2204 affiliate members regarding the use of the fax. RESULTS: A total 657 accesses to the fax system were made, of which 105 (16%) were unsuccessful; 342 (52%) were made to retrieve the user's manual, 85 (13%) to retrieve the index pages, and 230 (35%) to retrieve documentation on specific substances. The most frequently accessed items concerned disc battery ingestion (13.5%), salicylates (10.3%), mamushi viper (7.1%), acetaminophen (5.8%), and sodium hypochlorite (3.8%). The questionnaires were returned by 666 (30.2%) members; 93 (14%) had actually used the fax system with the average frequency of 1.8 times/user, 63% (59/93) of the respondents considered the service satisfactory, and 33% (31/93) said it was somewhat unsatisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The automated fax information system was accepted and handled by users with only minor difficulty. A facsimile information service may have a valuable role in providing poisoning information and has potential benefits in cases of environmental disasters.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1997

Morphological analysis of germ cell apoptosis during postnatal testis development in normal and Hsp 70-2 knockout mice.

The present study examined the occurrence of apoptotic cell death in the testis of wild-type mice from postnatal days 3 to 26 and in juvenile Hsp 70-2 knockout mice. Adult Hsp 70-2 knockout males are infertile and lack spermatids and spermatozoa (Dix et al. [1996a] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:3264-3268). To identify the cell types undergoing apoptosis, we also examined the relationship between the occurrence of apoptotic cell death and the expression pattern of the Hsp 70-2 gene product (heat-shock protein 70-2 [HSP70-2]; marker for spermatocytes and spermatids), germ cell nuclear antigen 1 (GCNA1;marker for spermatogonia and spermatocytes), and vimentin (marker for Sertoli cells). This study shows that during postnatal development of the wildtype mouse testis (1) the percentage of apoptotic cell death detected by the TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method is higher in mice from days 8 to 22 than in younger or older mice, (2) the majority of apoptotic cells are spermatogonia and less frequently are spermatocytes, and (3) the degenerative cell death of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes involves apoptosis with fragmentation of DNA. The analysis of apoptotic cell death in the testes of juvenile Hsp 70-2 knockout mice showed an additional increased level of apoptosis at day 17, during the first wave of spermatogenesis, in pachytene spermatocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Spermatogenic cell apoptosis induced by mitomycin C in the mouse testis.

Spermatogenic cell degeneration in the mature mammalian testis occurs both spontaneously during normal spermatogenesis and in response to cytotoxic agents. Mitomycin C (MC) is an antibiotic that affects DNA synthesis. In the present study, we examined the induction of mouse spermatogenic cell apoptosis by MC, using TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) to detect high levels of DNA fragmentation in situ, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe nuclear chromatin condensation, and molecular methods to detect DNA ladders. This study shows that in the testis of MC-treated mice: (i) apoptotic cell death with fragmentation of nuclear DNA is induced by MC dose-dependently, (ii) apoptotic cell death is most commonly found in the spermatogonia and less frequently in spermatocytes, and (iii) apoptotic cell death induced by MC is not specific for the seminiferous stage of the tubules. The present study suggests that the spermatogenic cell apoptosis induced by MC might be involved in its testicular toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Characteristics of long-term psychiatric patients hospitalized in Tokyo, Japan.

This study examined the records of all psychiatric patients hospitalized over 1 year who were committed as a result of a penal code violation at a public sector hospital located in Tokyo, Japan. The 30 patients were all men, Japanese, and primarily unmarried. Affective and organic disorders were totally absent. None of the new antipsychotic medications were used. There was no relationship between nursing diagnosis and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) diagnosis. The demands for health care reform are beginning in Japan. Managing the integration of the long-term psychiatric patient into the community is one of the main challenges identified in this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Role of apoptosis in duct obstruction-induced pancreatic involution in rats.

It has been recognized in mammals that after pancreatic duct obstruction, acinar cells progressively disappear and pancreatic islets are preserved. Previous studies by electron microscopy have suggested the involvement of apoptosis in acinar cell deletion. In the present study, we employed molecular biological methods and investigated whether acinar cell deletion is due to apoptosis. In male Sprague-Dawley rats, pancreatic duct ligation was performed through a left paramedian incision. Pancreatic tissue was studied at each of the following intervals after ligation: 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h and 2, 3, 5, and 7 days. DNA fragmentation was determined by in situ labeling of DNA strand breaks on tissue sections [fluorescein-labeled terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling method (TUNEL)] and by electrophoretic detection of the fragments of extracted DNA. Tissue sections were also examined by hematoxylin/eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining of insulin. Pancreatic duct ligation induced acinar cell deletion by day 5. Pancreatic tissue from control rats demonstrated no TUNEL-positive nuclei. In contrast, acinar cells from rats 12 h to 5 days after duct ligation showed TUNEL-positive nuclei. The number of TUNEL-positive nuclei was maximum 2 days after duct ligation. Electrophoresis showed DNA fragmentation after duct ligation. Control rats showed a genomic DNA pattern. Islets were preserved throughout the experimental period in duct-ligated rats and control rats. The results suggest that apoptosis may be the dominant form of acinar cell death in the rat pancreatic duct ligation model.

Amylases↗
PubMed1997

Overexpression of integrin-associated protein (CD47) in rat kidney treated with a renal carcinogen, ferric nitrilotriacetate.

An iron chelate, ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA), induces renal proximal tubular necrosis, a consequence of free radical-associated damage, that ultimately leads to a polycystic change of the renal cortex and a high incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in rodents. The differential display technique was used to search for inducible genes in the kidney of male Wistar rats treated with Fe-NTA and in the induced RCCs. Six fragments were selected that showed specific quantitative changes in mRNA. Two of them exhibited similar patterns in northern blots as well. One fragment showed a high homology (89%) to murine integrin-associated protein (IAP; CD47). We thus cloned rat IAP cDNA including the entire coding region for use in further analysis. Rat IAP cDNA showed a 21-amino-acid deletion that was also observed in human, but not in mouse. Northern blots revealed that IAP was consistently overexpressed in non-tumorous parts of the kidney (2.4-fold increase, n = 9, P < 0.0001) as compared with matched controls 1 to 2 years after Fe-NTA treatment. IAP overexpression of more than 2.9-fold was found in 25% (2/8) of RCCs studied, and was limited to cases of a high histological grade and lung metastasis. Unexpectedly, IAP expression was higher in the non-tumorous part of the kidney after Fe-NTA treatment (2.8-fold) than in RCC (1.5-fold) in each case (n = 4, P < 0.05). Abundant expression of IAP mRNA in the renal tubular epithelium after Fe-NTA treatment and RCC cells was observed by in situ hybridization. The results suggest that IAP overexpression may be associated with Fe-NTA-induced renal cortical tubular damage and regeneration that lead to a polycystic state, and with tumor progression and metastasis of the induced RCCs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

HSP70-2 is required for desynapsis of synaptonemal complexes during meiotic prophase in juvenile and adult mouse spermatocytes.

Spermatogenic cells synthesize a unique 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70-2) during prophase of meiosis I, and targeted disruption of the Hsp70-2 gene has shown that this protein is required for spermatogenic cell differentiation in adult mice. HSP70-2 is associated with synaptonemal complexes formed between paired homologous chromosomes during meiotic prophase. The present study focuses on the nearly synchronous first wave of spermatogenesis in 12- to 28-day old juvenile mice to determine more precisely when HSP70-2 is required and what meiotic processes are affected by its absence. Spermatogenesis in homozygous mutant mice (Hsp70-2[-/-]) proceeded normally until day 15 when increasing numbers of pachytene spermatocytes became apoptotic and differentiation of cells beyond the pachytene stage began to falter. Synaptonemal complexes assembled in Hsp70-2(-/-) mice and spermatocytes developed through the final pachytene substage. However, synaptonemal complexes failed to desynapse and normal diplotene spermatocytes were not observed. Metaphase spermatocytes were not seen in tissue sections from testes of Hsp70-2(-/-) mice, and expression of mRNAs and antigens characteristic of late pachytene spermatocytes (e.g., cyclin A1) and development of spermatids did not occur. Thus, HSP70-2 is required for synaptonemal complex desynapsis, and its absence severely impairs the transition of spermatogenic cells through the late meiotic stages and results in apoptosis beginning with the first wave of germ cell development in juvenile mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Retinoic acid induces cell proliferation and modulates gelatinases activity in human osteoclast-like cell lines.

The effect of Retinoic Acid (RA) on human osteoclast-like cell lines, obtained from Giant Cell tumors (GCT) of bone, has been investigated evaluating its action on bone resorption, cell proliferation, microtubular organization and gelatinases expression and activity. Increasing concentrations of RA significantly dose-dependently decreased GCTs bone resorption, while 10(-7) M RA promoted an increase of cell proliferation. By immunofluorescence we demonstrated that GCTs express A and B gelatinases and, by zymography, that their activity was enhanced in medium collected from GCTs cultured in the presence of 10(-7) M RA. These data indicate that RA increases cell proliferation and modulates metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity, crucial events during the migration of osteoclast precursors toward bone surfaces.

Bone Resorption↗
PubMed1996

Different clinical behaviors of acute hepatitis C virus infection are associated with different vigor of the anti-viral cell-mediated immune response.

The anti-viral T cell response is believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus infection. Since chronic evolution occurs in > 50% of HCV infections, the sequential analysis of the T cell response from the early clinical stages of disease may contribute to define the features of the T cell response associated with recovery or chronic viral persistence. For this purpose, 21 subjects with acute hepatitis C virus infection were sequentially followed for an average time of 44 wk. Twelve patients normalized transaminase values that remained normal throughout the follow-up period; all but two cleared hepatitis C virus-RNA from serum. The remaining nine patients showed persistent viremia and elevated transaminases. Analysis of the peripheral blood T cell proliferative response to core, E1, E2, NS3, NS4, and NS5 recombinant antigens and synthetic peptides showed that responses to all hepatitis C virus antigens, except E1, were significantly more vigorous and more frequently detectable in patients who normalized transaminase levels than in those who did not. By sequential evaluation of the T cell response, a difference between the two groups of patients was already detectable at the very early stages of acute infection and then maintained throughout the follow-up period. The results suggest that the vigor of the T cell response during the early stages of infection may be a critical determinant of disease resolution and control of infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Targeted gene disruption of Hsp70-2 results in failed meiosis, germ cell apoptosis, and male infertility.

In addition to the five 70-kDa heat shock proteins (HSP70) common to germ cells and somatic tissues of mammals, spermatogenic cells synthesize HSP70-2 during meiosis. To determine if this unique stress protein has a critical role in meiosis, we used gene-targeting techniques to disrupt Hsp70-2 in mice. Male mice homozygous for the mutant allele (Hsp70-2 -/-) did not synthesize HSP70-2, lacked postmeiotic spermatids and mature sperm, and were infertile. However, neither meiosis nor fertility was affected in female Hsp70-2 -/- mice. We previously found that HSP70-2 is associated with synaptonemal complexes in the nucleus of meiotic spermatocytes from mice and hamsters. While synaptonemal complexes assembled in Hsp70-2 -/- spermatocytes, structural abnormalities became apparent in these cells by late prophase, and development rarely progressed to the meiotic divisions. Furthermore, analysis of nuclei and genomic DNA indicated that the failure of meiosis in Hsp70-2 -/- mice was coincident with a dramatic increase in spermatocyte apoptosis. These results suggest that HSP70-2 participates in synaptonemal complex function during meiosis in male germ cells and is linked to mechanisms that inhibit apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Developmentally regulated expression of Hsp70-2 and a Hsp70-2/lacZ transgene during spermatogenesis.

Germ cells synthesize large amounts of HSP70-2 protein during the meiotic phase of spermatogenesis. This developmentally regulated expression of HSP70-2 contrasts with the constitutive or inducible expression of other 70-kDa heat shock proteins (HSP70s). To better understand the genetic regulation of Hsp70-2, we used mRNA primer- extension, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), and cDNA sequencing to determine that transcription began as far as 353 bp upstream of the start codon. We also identified a previously unrecognized 239-bp intron which is spliced out of the pre-mRNA transcript to leave a 114 nt 5'-untranslated region. Transgenic mice were then produced to delimit the upstream regulatory region required for developmental expression of Hsp70-2 during spermatogenesis. Results with multiple lines of transgenic mice containing promoter-reporter transgenes with varying lengths of Hsp7-2 sequence indicate that promoter sequences up to 640 bp upstream of the start codon and 287 bp upstream of the transcription start site are required for Hsp70-2/lacZ expression in spermatocytes. Histochemical detection of transgene beta- galactosidase activity was coincident with immunohistochemical detection of HSP70-2 protein, both in the first wave of spermatogenesis in juvenile mice and in ongoing spermatogenesis of adult mice. The distribution of Hsp7O-2 and Hsp7O-2/lacZ mRNAs was determined by Northern blot, in situ hybridization, and RT-PCR, and it was found that upregulation of expression of both Hsp7O-2 and Hsp7O-2/lacZ was specific to the meiotic phase of spermatogenesis.

Animals↗