Biomedical subjects

E Mori

Publications and source records attributed to E Mori.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

[Occlusive lesions of carotid and intracranial arteries in patients with symptomatic lacunar infarction--evaluation by MR angiography].

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the prevalence and degree of occlusive lesions of carotid and intracranial arteries in patients with symptomatic lacunar infarction. We performed carotid and intracranial MR angiography, and T2-weighted MRI on 65 patients with symptomatic lacunar infarction. Stenosis of more than 25% narrowing of the diameter was found in 12 patients (18.5%) in the extracranial carotid arteries and in 14 patients (21.5%) in the intracranial arteries. Most of the stenotic lesions were mild. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age was significant and independent predictor for carotid artery stenosis, and that diabetes mellitus was predictor for intracranial artery stenosis. The incidence of intracranial artery stenosis was statistically higher in patients with asymptomatic lacunar infarctions in subcortical white matter area on T2-weighted MRI than in patients without such lesions. Coexistence of carotid artery stenosis should be suspected in aged patients with symptomatic lacunar infarction, and the possibility of intracranial artery stenosis should be considered in patients with diabetes mellitus or asymptomatic lacunar infarctions in subcortical white matter area.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Modulatory effects of morphine, U-50488H and 1,3-di-(2-tolyl)guanidine on cocaine-like discriminative stimulus in the rat using two-choice discrete-trial avoidance paradigm.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of the mu-opioid morphine, trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)- cyclohexyl]-benzene acetamide, methane sulfonate hydrate (U-50488H), a kappa-selective opioid receptor agonist, and 1,3-di-(2-tolyl)guanidine (DTG), sigma-receptor agonist, on the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine in the rat trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg of cocaine from its vehicle in a shock avoidance paradigm. Morphine (1-5.6 mg/kg), U-50488H (1-10 mg/kg) or 1,3-di-(2-tolyl) guanidine (1 and 10 mg/kg) alone did not produce any stimulus effects in common with cocaine. In contrast, morphine (5.6 mg/kg) and DTG (10 mg/kg), unlike U-50488H (10 mg/kg), significantly shifted the stimulus-generalization curve for cocaine to the left. These results suggest that agonists for mu-opioid- and sigma-receptors augment the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine.

3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cycloh↗

PubMed1997

[Movement and behavioral disorders in anterior cerebral artery territory infarction].

Anterior cerebral artery territory infarction, which affects the medial frontal lobe and anterior part of the corpus callosum, may cause disinhibitory movement and behavioral disorders. The pathophysiology of disinhibitory movement and behavioral disorders was discussed in relation to the role of the frontal lobe in motor control and hemispheric asymmetry of motor functions. Instinctive grasp reaction is the prototype of disjunctive motor disinhibition syndromes, and diagnostic dyspraxia and compulsive manipulation of tools are the most illustrative forms. Diagnostic dyspraxia can be defined as uncontrolled cross-purposeful actions of the left hand triggered by voluntary activities of the left hand. In compulsive manipulation of tools, a patient, with the right hand, grasp and use tolls placed in front of them against the patient's will. The left hand often restrains the unintentional movement of the right hand in accordance with the patient's will. Utilization and imitation behaviors described by Lhermitte et al belong to disinhibitory behavioral disorders, in which volition of the patient or an individual as a whole is involved. External stimuli reflexively provoke the patient's will to act. The behaviors accordant with the will, even if inappropriate, are not compulsive, but the easily-raised volition in response to the stimuli is pathological. These disinhibitory disorders differ from disjunctive motor disinhibition syndromes because of lack of inconsistency between will and manifested behavior. Lesions in the frontal lobes has been suggested to be responsible for utilization and imitation behaviors.

Cerebral Infarction↗

PubMed1996

Purification and identification of a major activator for p38 from osmotically shocked cells. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 6 by osmotic shock, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and H2O2.

A stress-activated, serine/threonine kinase, p38 (also known as HOG1 or MPK2) belongs to a subgroup of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily molecules. An activity to activate p38 (p38 activator activity) as well as p38 activity itself were greatly stimulated by hyperosmolar media in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells. The activator activity has been purified by sequential chromatography. A 36-kDa polypeptide that was coeluted with the activity in the final chromatography step was identified as MAPK kinase 6 (MAPKK6) by protein microsequencing analysis. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies raised against recombinant MAPKK6 recognized specifically the 36-kDa MAPKK6 protein but did not cross-react with MKK3 proteins. The use of these anti-MAPKK6 antibodies revealed that two major peaks of the p38 activator activity in the first chromatography step reside in the activated MAPKK6. Using a genetic screen in yeast, we isolated MKK3b, an alternatively spliced form of MKK3. Like MKK3 and MAPKK6, MKK3b was shown to be a specific activator for p38 and was activated by osmotic shock when expressed in COS7 cells. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that MAPKK6 is expressed highly in HeLa and KB cells and scarcely in PC12 cells, whereas MKK3 and MKK3b are expressed in all cells examined. Immunodepletion of MAPKK6 from the extracts obtained from L5178Y cells and KB cells exposed to hyperosmolar media depleted them of almost all of the p38 activator activity, indicating that MAPKK6 is a major activator for p38 in an osmosensing pathway in these cells. In addition, MAPKK6 was activated strongly by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, H2O2, and okadaic acid and moderately by cycloheximide in KB cells. Thus, there are at least three members of p38 activator, MKK3, MKK3b, and MAPKK6, and MAPKK6 may function as a major activator for p38 when expressed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Neurological basis of skill learning.

Skill-learning, i.e., anterograde memory of 'procedures' has been separated from conventional declarative memory, or event- or data-related memory. This type of memory requires a concerted activity of various neural structures which are not assigned to the acquisition of declarative memory. We employed mirror reading task as a paradigm of skill acquisition memory and tried to elucidate possible neurological mechanisms involved in the procedural memory process. Ten normal control subjects, 10 early, non-treated Parkinson's, and 9 relatively early spinocerebellar degeneration patients participated in our study. The results showed a clear dissociation between declarative memory and mirror reading skill acquisition capacity. Thus, the Parkinson's patients as well as the spinocerebellar patients showed retardation in acquiring mirror reading skills, while both groups showed normal performance in auditory verbal learning tests and word recognition tests. The facts suggest a possible role of the nigro-striatal system and fronto-ponto-cerebellar system in forming these skill-related memory.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

The clinical utility of visual evaluation of scintigraphic perfusion patterns for Alzheimer's disease using I-123 IMP SPECT.

The authors examined the role of SPECT perfusion pattern in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using I-123 IMP. They studied 93 patients who had memory and cognitive disorders, including 42 patients with a diagnosis of probable AD, classifying SPECT images into determined perfusion patterns. The probability of AD was 54% with bilateral temporal and/or parietal defects, 69% with bilateral temporoparietal defects with additional defects, 17% with no defects, and 11% with frontal defects only. The sensitivity of bilateral temporoparietal perfusion defects for AD was 95.2%, whereas the specificity was 56.9%. In the absence of bilateral temporal and/or parietal defects on visual evaluation of SPECT, the diagnosis of AD was unlikely, although it is not pathognomonic for AD, because this sign would be seen in various neuropsychiatric diseases causing memory and cognitive impairments. Visual evaluation of SPECT is of value in the diagnosis of AD among patients with dementia.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

Cloning, nucleotide sequencing, and expression of the Azospirillum brasilense lon gene: involvement in iron uptake.

The lon gene of Escherichia coli encodes the lon (La) protease, which is associated with cellular protein degradation. A lon gene homolog from Azospirillum brasilense, a nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium which lives in association with the roots of cereal grasses, was cloned and characterized. The nucleotide sequence of the A. brasilense lon gene was determined. It contains an open reading frame that encodes a protein of 810 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of about 90 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence showed a high level of homology with the sequences of all the known lon gene products. An open reading frame homologous to the E. coli clpX gene was found in front of the lon gene. Transcriptional analysis showed that the lon gene of A. brasilense is induced by heat shock and that the mRNA is monocistronic. An A. brasilense mutant, with Tn5 inserted in the lon gene, was shown to be defective in iron uptake and failed to express two membrane proteins that are induced by iron starvation in the parental strain.

ATP-Dependent Proteases↗

PubMed1996

Idebenone improves cerebral mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in a patient with MELAS.

We report a 36-year-old man with MELAS in whom a 5-month course of high-dose oral idebenone, a derivative of coenzyme Q10, increased markedly cerebral metabolic ratio of oxygen and oxygen extraction fraction without increased cerebral blood flow with PET. The results indicate that idebenone improves mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in the brain and suggest a therapeutic potential of idebenone for MELAS.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Decreased medial temporal oxygen metabolism in Alzheimer's disease shown by PET.

UNLABELLED: In mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, previous PET studies failed to reveal significant involvement in the medial temporal lobe having pathologically neurodegenerative changes. The purpose of this study was to clarify the medial temporal perfusion and functional changes in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease using PET. METHODS: Sixteen patients with probable mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (age 62.9 +/- 6.0 yr, MMSE 17.7 +/- 3.7) and 14 normal volunteers (age (60.9 +/- 5.9 yr) were studied. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen metabolism (CMRO2) and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) were measured using 15O steady-state method and PET. By rendering magnetic resonance volumetry of the medial temporal structures, the significance of partial volume effects on PET study measurements was examined. RESULTS: The mean CMRO2 in the medial temporal, as well as in the parietal and lateral temporal cortices were significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group. The mean CBF in the parietal and lateral temporal cortices also significantly decreased in the patient group. The OEF in the medial temporal was also decreased in the Alzheimer's disease group, while the OEF in the other cortical regions in Alzheimer's disease group were similar to that of control group. Decline of medial temporal oxygen consumption was the most distinctive feature of Alzheimer's disease. Those measurements were independent from volume of medial temporal structures. In Alzheimer's disease, medial temporal CMRO2 and CBF correlated with some of the nonverbal memory test scores and cognitive impairment scales, when normalized for individual difference. CONCLUSION: Medial temporal oxygen metabolism was markedly affected in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. This measure substantiated the functional impairment of the medial temporal region in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed1996

[The efficacy of short-term hospitalizations in family care for patients with Pick's disease].

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of short-term hospitalization on family care for patients with Pick's disease (PD). Subjects were 12 patients with clinical diagnosis of PD based on clinical and neuroimaging criteria. They were selected from 483 patients with cognitive disorders who had been admitted to our hospital from January, 1994 to September, 1995. During 1.5-month hospital stay, we gave therapeutic intervention to the patients and their care-givers. Ten patients completed the planned term (1.5 months) of hospitalization. After the discharge, 9 patients continued to visit regularly the outpatient clinic. One patient discontinued to visit us and 2 patients were admitted to psychiatric hospitals because of stereotypic thefts or disinhibitional behavior. The benefits of short-term hospitalization in family care for PD patients were; i) close observation and analysis of patients' behavior under hospitalization offering strategies of behavioral therapy; ii) adequate instruction to the care-givers for their preparation for patients' malbehavior decreasing their burden; and iii) patients' familiarization to the hospital helping for patients to maintain regular visit to the hospital and to utilize other medical and social resources.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Amino acid sequences of porcine Sp38 and proacrosin required for binding to the zona pellucida.

We previously purified a boar sperm protein, sp38, and demonstrated that this protein bound to the 90-kDa family of zona pellucida (ZP) glycoprotein in a calcium-dependent manner. Sp38 competed with proacrosin for the binding to the zona pellucida. Herein we have isolated cDNA clones encoding sp38 from a boar testis cDNA library in lambda gt11. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA sequence indicated that sp38 is initially synthesized as a 350-residue precursor protein. The N-terminal 51-residue sequence preceded the N-terminus of the mature sp38. Thus, the sp38 precursor is post-translationally modified to produce the mature protein of 299 residues. Immunostaining of sperm cells using an antibody prepared against a fusion protein of sp38 with T7 gene 10 protein suggested that sp38 is localized at the intraacrosomal region and is released after the acrosome reaction. The 11-residue sequence, KRLSKAKNLIE, in sp38 shared a significant degree of similarity with the 8-residue sequence, KRLQQLIE, in the C-terminal region of porcine proacrosin. Both synthetic oligopeptides corresponding to these two sequences inhibited the binding of 125I-labeled sp38 to zona pellucida glycoprotein.

Acrosin↗

PubMed1995

Effects of centrally administered neuropeptides on discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine in the rat.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of centrally administered neuropeptides on the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine in the rat. Rats were trained to discriminate 10.0 mg/kg of cocaine from vehicle in a shock avoidance paradigm. The mu-selective opioid agonist [D-Ala2,NMePhe4,Gly-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) (0.03-0.3 microgram, ICV) or the kappa-selective opioid agonist dynorphin A-(1-13) (1.0-10.0 micrograms, ICV) did not generalize to cocaine cue, although the delta-selective opioid agonist [D-Pen2,L-Pen5]enkephalin (DPLPE) (10.0 micrograms, ICV) reportedly generalizes to it through the mediation of delta-opioid receptors. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (10.0-56.0 micrograms, ICV), somatostatin (0.3-3.0 micrograms, ICV), substance P (3.0-17.5 micrograms, ICV), or neurotensin (3.0-17.5 micrograms, ICV) did not produce any stimulus effects in common with cocaine. It appears that neuropeptides other than the delta-selective opioid do not play a major role in the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

DNA fingerprinting by random amplified polymorphic DNA and restriction fragment length polymorphism is useful for yeast typing.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied to genomic DNA from nineteen yeast strains belonging to the genera Saccharomyces and Zygosaccharomyces. Results obtained with five primers indicated that this technique is a powerful tool for yeast differentiation and identification. The data were consistent with those derived from restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using two S. cerevisiae DNA probes. We conclude that RAPD fingerprinting, combined with the analysis of RFLP, can provide unambiguous type assignment in yeasts.

DNA, Bacterial↗

PubMed1995

Molecular structure and function of CD4 on murine egg plasma membrane.

In the present study, the expression of the CD4 molecule on murine egg plasma membrane was confirmed by the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) method. The full-length CD4 cDNA from murine eggs was synthesised by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method and its authenticity verified by Southern blot hybridisation using an end-labelled internal oligonucleotide. The results of DNA sequencing showed that the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA of CD4 from murine egg mRNA was identical to that of immune T cells. To demonstrate the direct interaction of CD4 from murine egg with murine sperm cells bearing MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class II molecule, we employed a baculovirus expression system to generate CD4 on the surface of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. Expression of CD4 on Sf9 cells infected with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV)-CD4 was demonstrated by IIF and immunoblotting. The CD4-expressing Sf9 cells adhered to MHC class II-bearing sperm cells since the adhesion was specifically blocked by anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) or anti-monomorphic region of MHC class II mAb. Taking our previous and present experimental results together, they strongly suggest that intercellular membrane adhesion between two gametes at the fusion step in fertilisation is mediated by the MHC class II molecule located on the posterior region of the sperm head and the CD4 molecule on egg plasma membrane.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Identification of Fas antigen associated with apoptotic cell death in murine ovary.

The majority of ovarian follicles including oocytes undergo atresia through a mechanism involving apoptotic cell death. The mechanisms underlying atresia remain to be clarified. In the present study, we detected the expression of the Fas antigen (Fas), which is a cell-surface protein to modulate apoptosis, in murine ovarian oocytes and hyperovulated eggs as well as in several control tissues. Substantial decline in Fas mRNA was found in atretic follicles which were injected with pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) on day 3. The observed decreases in mRNA of Fas could not be attributed to a generalized degradation of cellular RNA during atresia, as evidenced by the presence of intact 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA as well as constitutive expression of EF-1 alpha mRNA in atretic follicles. The data obtained indicate that apoptotic cell death of oocytes seemed to be associated with internucleosomal DNA fragmentation regulated by Fas molecule expressed in atretic ovarian follicles.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Transpedicular fixation with Zielke instrumentation in the treatment of thoracolumbar and lumbar injuries.

STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-five patients who underwent transpedicular fixation for thoracolumbar and lumbar injuries were studied for type of injury, the severity of paralysis, the degree of postoperative correction, and instrumentation failures. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the surgical approaches and the selection of instrumentation to determine indications for using the transpedicular fixation procedure. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Various transpedicular fixation devices have been used for different type of injuries, and satisfactory postoperative results were not obtained in some studies. METHODS: Forty patients had burst fractures, 19 had fracture dislocations, and six had chance-type fractures. An anterior decompression procedure was used for most cases of burst fracture and some cases of fracture dislocation where anterior compression factors were present. The Zielke or modified Zielke system was used as an internal fixator for posterior segmental fixation. RESULTS: No patient had neurologic deterioration after surgery. Twenty of 28 patients with incomplete lesions improved postoperatively according to Frankel grades. The instrumentation failed in only one patient, in whom a nonunion developed. CONCLUSION: With transpedicular fixation, it is possible to provide solid internal fixation that is circumscribed to the injured vertebral segments. The elasticity of the Zielke rod makes it an excellent transpedicular fixation device because it is easily attached and reduction is easily performed. Anterior decompression with fusion needs to be used with transpedicular fixation in the treatment of injuries (especially burst fractures).

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Alteration of fibrin network by activated protein C.

The antithrombotic plasma enzyme, activated protein C (APC), may play a role in thrombolysis. In vitro, acceleration of clot lysis by APC depends on its ability to inhibit the activation of prothrombin. The effect of APC on the assembly and dispersion of fibrin network was studied using turbidimetry, plasmin digestion of fibrin, and electron microscopy of plasma clots. The addition of APC before clotting but not after clotting accelerated clot lysis. The rate of increase in the turbidity of clotting plasma was reduced by APC. The turbidity of plasma clots containing APC was directly related to the clot lysis time. Fibrin from plasma clots that were formed in the presence of APC yielded less fibrin degradation products than fibrin from clots without added APC. Furthermore, APC reduced the diameter and relative number of fibrin fibers in plasma clots during gel assembly. We propose that APC may enhance the efficacy of thrombolysis by reducing the relative mass of fibrin within maturing thrombi.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

PubMed1994

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte behavior in a nonhuman primate focal ischemia model.

There is increasing interest in the role of polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes in the evolution of focal cerebral infarction. Surgical preparation of focal cerebral ischemia models may alter leukocyte reactivity and thereby make interpretation of leukocyte function following ischemia/reperfusion difficult. The effects of surgical preparation and of experimental ischemia/reperfusion on granulocyte function have been examined prospectively in a baboon model. Twenty-six adolescent male baboons underwent surgical preparation, of which 21 underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion. Four additional animals served as nonsurgical controls. Peripheral venous blood specimens were taken for performing assays of leukocyte function at defined intervals before and after both the surgical preparation (i.e., the overall procedure for implantation of the middle cerebral artery occlusion device) and occlusion/reperfusion. A stress-related elevation in total leukocyte number was attributed mainly to an increase in the number of circulating PMN leukocytes. Values rose from 13.9 +/- 4.9 x 10(3) to 27.8 +/- 5.8 x 10(3)/microliters, (+/- SD; n = 21) for total leukocyte number, with p < 0.001, and from 4.3 +/- 2.1 x 10(3) to 15.9 +/- 4.7 x 10(3)/microliters (n = 21) for PMN leukocytes, with p < 0.001. Surgical preparation had no effect (p > or = 0.4) on the ability of PMN leukocytes, isolated 24 h after the implantation procedure, to display polarization, O2.- production, or beta-glucuronidase release when stimulated with human C5a. A moderate decrease in the chemotactic response to C5a resolved within the 7-day postsurgery (preocclusion) period. Three-hour middle cerebral artery occlusion and 1-h reperfusion resulted in a significant reduction in C5a-induced polarization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗