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Biomedical subjects

G Endo

Publications and source records attributed to G Endo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

CadC, the transcriptional regulatory protein of the cadmium resistance system of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258.

The CadC protein from the cadA cadmium resistance operon of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 regulates transcription of this system in vitro. The CadC protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli cells and partially purified. Gel shift assays of the proposed cadA operator/promoter region DNA showed specific association with the CadC protein. Control arsenic resistance operator/promoter DNA from the same plasmid was not shifted by the CadC protein. Cd2+, Bi3+, and Pb2+ caused the release of CadC from DNA in gel retardation assays. DNase I footprinting measurements showed that the CadC protein specifically associated with and protected a region of operator/promoter DNA from nucleotide positions -7 to +14 relative to the start point of mRNA synthesis. Runoff transcription assays with the operator/promoter region of DNA (plus the first 69 nucleotides of the cadC gene) and purified E. coli RNA polymerase gave an mRNA product of the predicted size. Added CadC protein inhibited transcription in vitro.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

[Respiratory failure after surgery for esophageal cancer and hypercoagulability].

Operation of esophageal cancer accompanies a big surgical stress and postoperative pulmonary complications such as respiratory failure are observed at high frequencies. On the other hand, when a big stress is added to a body, a state of hypercoagulation in which blood coagulation mechanism is abnormally enhanced appears and this state is closely related to organ failures but has many unknown points. So, we examined 39 patients given excision of esophageal cancer with respect to occurrence of postoperative respiratory failures, participation of coagulopathy in aggravation and their degrees before and after the operation to find out the relationship between postoperative respiratory failure and the state of hypercoagulation. We gave a diagnosis of respiratory failure to the patients whose respiratory index exceeded 1.5 on the day after operation but did not show atelectasis or hydrothorax. As a result, respiratory failures were observed in 7 out of 39 cases (17.9%). When a risk score (RS) of postoperative respiratory failure was determined using multivalent analysis (quantification type II) with preoperative factors such as age and function of heart, lung, liver, and kidney as well as preoperative blood coagulation factors, RS = 2.87 (antithrombin-III (AT-III) less than 75%) +1.89 (age over 70 years) +1.78 (respiratory index over 0.15) +1.44 (serum albumin less than 3.0 mg/dl) +1.28 (cardiac index less than 3.0 l/min/m2) was obtained and a drop in preoperative AT-III was considered a risk for occurrence of post operative respiratory failure. In contrast, referring changes in postoperative value of blood coagulation factors, a distinct rise in fibrinogen (FBG) appeared in early stage after operation in the respiratory failure group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Moreover, recovery in AT-III of blood coagulation factors and in plasminogen and antiplasmin of fibrinolytic factors was delayed (p < 0.05) indicating promotion of postoperative hypercoagulation state and delay in recovery of coagulation-fibrinolysis factors. However, participation of platelet factors was absent.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Improvement of urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid determination by HPLC and fluorescence detection using condensing reaction with acetylacetone and formaldehyde.

We improved the method for determining urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) by HPLC-fluorometer after pre-column derivatization with acetylacetone and formaldehyde, and a stable ALA derivative was obtained without any effect from various urinary components as demonstrated by the complete recovery of ALA (100.9 +/- 5.5%, n = 85) from the urine samples. The modified procedure was as follows: Twenty microliters of urine sample, 5 ml of acetylacetone solution (acetylacetone/ethanol/distilled water containing 4 milligrams of NaCl; 15/10/75), and 0.45 ml of 9.3% formaldehyde solution were mixed and boiled for 15 min. The fluorescent derivative of ALA was separated and analyzed by HPLC with the fluorometer at Ex 246 nm and Em 458 nm. Using a gradient program, the retention time of the ALA derivative was 7.3 min and the analysis could be repeated at 13 min intervals. Concentrations of ALA in urine samples measured by this method were significantly correlated with those measured by the Mauzerall-Granick (M-G) method (n = 85, r = 0.993, p < 0.001). The values obtained by our method were, however, lower than those obtained by the M-G method. Urinary ALA concentrations of 40 non-lead workers ranged from 0.1 to 2.3 mg/g creatinine with the mean +/- SD of 1.1 +/- 0.4 mg/g creatinine as measured by the present method.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Fractional clearances of low molecular weight proteins in lead workers.

Urinary alpha 1-microglobulin (alpha 1-m) and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) can be used as early indicators of renal tubular dysfunction. However, low levels of lead exposure cause an increase in urinary alpha 1-m, but not in urinary beta 2-m. In order to clarify the level of tubular dysfunction in early lead nephropathy, fractional clearances of alpha 1-m (FC-alpha 1-m) and beta 2-m (FC-beta 2-m), i.e., the ratios of these clearances to the creatinine clearance, were measured in 99 male lead workers. Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, uric acid, and urinary creatinine and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity were also measured to diagnose the presence of other renal dysfunction. The median of FC-alpha 1-m was 0.13% in the control group. The FC-alpha 1-m increased in lead workers with blood lead (B-Pb) levels above 20 micrograms/dl. The correlation of FC-alpha 1-m with urinary alpha 1-m was highly significant, but there was no correlation with serum alpha 1-m. The median of FC-beta 2-m was 0.065% in the control group. There was a correlation of FC-beta 2-m with FC-alpha 1-m, but there was no correlation with B-Pb, or with serum beta 2-m. These results suggest the following: There was a very low excretion rate of alpha 1-m and beta 2-m in both the control group and the lead exposed groups. The excretion rate of alpha 1-m was higher than that of beta 2-m.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Renal lesions induced in F344/DuCrj rats by 4-weeks oral administration of dimethylarsinic acid.

The nephrotoxicity of dimethylarsinic acid (cacodylic acid, DMA) was examined in male and female F344/DuCrj rats. DMA administered perorally at doses of 113, 85, and 57 mg/kg for 4 weeks produced dose-related decreases in body weight and survival rate in both sexes. Mortality was higher and appeared more quickly in females than in males. Histopathological findings in the kidney were proximal tubular degeneration and necrosis, as well as papillary necrosis, and hyperplasia of the epithelium covering the papillae. Since extensive proximal tubular necrosis was observed only in dead animals of both sexes, and not in survivors or the controls, it was therefore concluded that the main cause of death could be attributed to nephrotoxicity of DMA. The results thus show that DMA is nephrotoxic to both male and female rats.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Mitotic toxicity, sister chromatid exchange, and rec assay of pesticides.

Genotoxicity of 10 pesticides (chlornitrofen, chlomethoxyfen, molinate, thiobencarb, simazine, simetryn, diazinon, iprofenfos, piperofos and oxadiazone) was studied by mitotic toxicity, sister chromatid exchange, and rec assay. The pesticides are detected frequently at high levels in the Yodo River water in Osaka, Japan, which is used for drinking water by thirteen million people. Mitotic toxicity was evaluated by mitotic index (MI) and second mitosis index (SI), using a Chinese hamster cell line V79. SI is the rate of twice divided metaphases in chromosome preparation for sister chromatid exchange. All the pesticides decreased the two indices dose-dependently. MI50 and SI50, the concentrations of pesticides which lowered the indices to 50% of the solvent control, was determined. The MI50 and SI50 of each pesticide were very similar, and the pesticides did not hinder cell division specifically. None of the pesticides induced more sister chromatid exchanges than 1.5 times the solvent control. Chlomethoxyfen and simazine induced sister chromatid exchanges significantly in V79 cells, but the dose dependencies were poor. Simetryn had rec effect and was concluded to have DNA damaging activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of three thermophilic strains of Methanothrix ("Methanosaeta") thermophila sp. nov. and rejection of Methanothrix ("Methanosaeta") thermoacetophila.

Three thermophilic Methanothrix ("Methanosaeta") strains, strains PTT (= DSM 6194T) (T = type strain), CALS-1 (= DSM 3870), and Z-517 (= DSM 4774), were characterized chemotaxonomically and compared with five mesophilic strains, Methanothrix soehngenii ("Methanosaeta concilii") GP6 (= DSM 3671), Opfikon (= DSM 2139), FE (= DSM 3013), UA, and PM. These methanogens were exclusively acetotrophic and had a characteristic sheathed structure. The DNA base compositions of the strains which we studied ranged from 50.3 to 54.3 mol% guanine plus cytosine. The thermophilic strains often had phase-refractive gas vesicles inside their cells. Denaturing electrophoresis of proteins showed that the mesophilic and thermophilic Methanothrix strains formed two distinct groups and that there were differences in protein patterns between the groups. The difference between the thermophiles and mesophiles was also verified by comparing partial 16S rRNA sequences (ca. 30 base differences in ca. 540 bases). On the basis of our results, we propose the name Methanothrix thermophila for the three thermophilic strains. The type strain of M. thermophila is strain PT (= DSM 6194). We also propose that the name Methanothrix thermoacetophila ("Methanosaeta thermoacetophila"), which was given to strain Z-517 (type strain), should be rejected because of its description, which was based on an enrichment culture, was inadequate.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1992

Serum immunoglobulin and complement C3 levels in workers exposed to lead.

Serum immunoglobulin and complement C3 levels were measured in workers exposed to lead at a secondary lead refinery and a solder factory. In the first survey, significant correlations were found between blood lead and IgA with a correlation coefficient of 0.296, and between blood lead and IgE with a correlation coefficient of 0.314. No other significant correlations were found among the indicators of lead exposure and humoral immunity. In the second survey, no significant correlations were found between blood lead and IgG and IgA. A significantly higher number of subjects with IgE of more than 400 IU/ml was found in the group with blood lead of more than 60 micrograms/100 g.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Enhancement of mutagenicity of 1-nitropyrene by water as a diluent.

The mutagenicity of 1-nitropyrene was strongly enhanced in the Salmonella mutagenicity test with the preincubation modification when it was dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide and diluted with water. The enhancement of mutagenicity was not found in the plate incorporation method and seemed to be common to chemicals which have low solubilities in water. The indications were that the effectiveness of preincubation modification was due to the increased absorption of test chemicals by the Salmonella cells, and that the absorption depends primarily on the solubility of test chemicals in the assay mixture.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1991

Genotoxicity of beryllium, gallium and antimony in short-term assays.

The genotoxicity of beryllium, gallium and antimony compounds was studied with the rec, Salmonella mutagenicity and SCE assays. In the rec assay, all the salts of the metals, BeCl2, Be(NO3)2, GaCl3, Ga(NO3)3, SbCl3, SbCl5, and an oxide, Sb2O3, had DNA-damaging activity. None of the compounds was mutagenic to Salmonella. In the SCE assays using V79 cells, 2 antimony(III) compounds, SbCl3 and Sb2O3, and 2 beryllium compounds, BeCl2 and Be(NO3)2, induced SCEs significantly. Sb2O3, slightly soluble in water, was positive in both the rec assay and the SCE assay at very low doses.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Erythrocyte deformability in workers exposed to lead.

Erythrocyte deformability and other hematological indicators were determined in 17 male workers exposed to lead at a secondary lead refinery and 13 controls. Blood lead, urine lead, urine coproporphyrin, delta-aminolevulinic acid and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin were determined to evaluate the degree of lead exposure in the lead workers above. For the measurement of erythrocyte deformability, the microfilter method was used. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The mean values of blood lead, urine lead, urine coproporphyrin, urine delta-aminolevulinic acid and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin levels in lead workers were 53.5 micrograms/100g, 141.4 micrograms/l, 115.9 micrograms/l, 12.0 mg/l and 68.9 micrograms/dl respectively, suggesting a moderate influence of lead exposure. 2. The mean values of erythrocyte count, hematocrit and hemoglobin were significantly lower in lead workers than those in controls. No significant differences were found in the mean values of mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and corpuscular natrium and potassium between lead workers and controls. 3. Erythrocyte deformability was significantly reduced in lead workers compared with controls.

Adult↗