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Biomedical subjects

H Endo

Publications and source records attributed to H Endo.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Thiamine responsive pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency.

We studied a PDH deficient patient who is clinically responsive to thiamine. High Km and low Vmax values for the TPP were identified in the patient's cultured cells. Immunoblot analysis detected trace amount of mutant E1 alpha polypeptide which was 3.5 KD larger than normal in size. Four-nucleotide deletion in the E1 alpha gene causes a reading frame shift, producing an abnormal polypeptide with additional 31 amino acids at C-terminus of the E1 alpha subunit. The tryptophan (codon 383) and lysine (385) residues near the C-terminus might play a crucial role in the binding of TPP to the E1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

[Urinary leukotrienes levels in asthmatic children].

In order to investigate the possible contribution of leukotrienes to the airway hypersensitiveness and inducibility of asthmatic spells, the probable temporal correlation of the urinary leukotriene levels (U-LTB4 and U-LTC4) were estimated along with the peripheral neutrophil counts in two groups of asthmatic children with or without an inflammatory sign of the elevated CRP. The first group consisted of 6 asthmatic children possessing inflammatory signs and symptoms of fever and peripheral leukocytosis. They all were hospitalized. The second group of 6 patients of light asthmatic attack without any signs and symptoms of acute inflammation were studied in the Outpatient Department. In the first group, U-LTB4 was as high as 258.6 +/- 88.9 ng/mmol Cr. during the attacks while U-LTB4 levels of the second group was as low as 62.2 +/- 32.20 ng/mmol Cr. The difference was statistically significant at p less than 0.01. Further mathematical analysis revealed a positive correlation of U-LTB4 to the peripheral neutrophils counts at r = 0.71. Thus, it was concluded that the elevation of U-LTB4 levels in the first group was strongly related to infections, and their asthmatic spells were thought to represent an infection-induced type. On the contrary, U-LTC4 levels in the samples during the asthmatic attacks were increased in 2 of the 6 of the first group. They both represented grave asthmatic spells. In the remainder, U-LTC4 levels did not rise enough to induce spasmodic contractions of the bronchial smooth muscles. Thus, it was also discussed that the most appropriate timing for urine collection for the study of U-LTs is some time following an asthmatic attack.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Biosynthesis of cholesterol linoleate by polyethylene glycol-modified cholesterol esterase in organic solvents.

Cholesterol esterase modified with polyethylene glycol was able to dissolve in some highly hydrophobic solvents such as benzene and toluene, and catalyze the synthesis of cholesterol linoleate with time dependency in the reverse of the usual reaction in aqueous solvents. Enzymatic cholesterol linoleate synthesis followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics which depended on the concentration of cholesterol and linoleic acid. When more than 20 mM of both substrates was used, the specific activity in this esterification was 200-250 nmol/min/mg protein. The apparent Km value for cholesterol and linoleic acid was 3.7 and 7.6 mM, respectively. The possibility of using such a modified enzyme for the synthesis of less stable cholesterol esters is discussed.

Cholesterol Esters↗
PubMed1992

[Upper and lower airway diseases in children with persistent cough].

Persistent cough is a frequent and frustrating problem in the pediatric field. One hundred and seventy two children presenting with persistent cough for longer than 2 weeks were evaluated by both otolaryngologists and pediatricians. One hundred and twenty nine cases (75%) were found to have lower airway diseases, of which bronchial asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia, in that order, were the most common. One hundred and forty two cases (82%) had sinusitis, in 34 cases of which no causative diseases except sinusitis were found to be responsible for the persistent cough. Sinusitis was found in 90% of patients with pneumonia, 81% of those with bronchitis and 65% of those with poorly controlled asthma cases. These results revealed that sinusitis is an important causative factor for persistent cough in children. All the patients with pneumonia and bronchitis were cured by antibiotic administration for 2 weeks, whereas conservative treatment of sinusitis for as long as 6 months was less satisfactory resulting in only 60% cure, 18% improvement and 22% without improvement. In cases with sinusitis and lower airway diseases, continuous treatment for sinusitis is necessary even after treatment of the lower airway diseases has been completed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Enzymatic properties of polyethylene glycol-modified cholesterol esterase in organic solvents.

The solvent dependency and substrate specificity of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified cholesterol esterase (CEH) catalyzing cholesterol ester synthesis in organic solvents were studied. When cholesterol and linoleic acid were used as the substrates, PEG-modified CEH synthesized cholesterol linoleate only in water-immiscible organic solvents. Among some solvents capable of solubilizing all of the reaction components (PEG-modified CEH, cholesterol, and linoleic acid), chloroform was most suitable for enzymatic cholesterol linoleate synthesis, and the synthetic activity for cholesterol linoleate decreased in the order chloroform, benzene, toluene, and cyclohexane. PEG-modified CEH synthesized various cholesterol esters with significant substrate specificity. The substrate specificity for cholesterol ester synthesis in benzene was analogous to that for cholesterol ester hydrolysis in aqueous solution.

Cholesterol↗
PubMed1991

The presence and active transcription of three independent leader exons in the mouse insulin-like growth factor II gene.

The presence of multiple leader exons is one of the common features in the insulin-like growth factor II (IGFII) genes. Among them the 5' most exon sequence, rE1, was so far reported to be present only in the rat genome. We have found a rE1-homologous sequence in the mouse genome (mE1) and have isolated it by genomic cloning. The mE1 sequence was located in the 5' region of the IGFII gene and was considered to take an integral part in the mouse IGFII gene construction, just like in the rat gene. Overall homology between mE1 and rE1 regions was approx. 95%. The mE1 was actively transcribed in the newborn tissues and generated approx. 3.8 kb RNA species. Since the other two leader exon sequences were also active, producing 4.6 kb and 3.6 kb RNA species, respectively, transcription units of the mouse IGFII gene were, thus, composed of three leader exon systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Reconstruction of basement membrane in recombinants of epidermis and dermis of chick embryonic skin in vitro: an electron microscopic study.

The tarsometatarsal skin from 13-day-old chick embryos was treated with EDTA and/or Dispase to separate it into epidermis and dermis, and the basal lamina was removed. The isolated epidermis and dermis were then recombined and cultured on Millipore filters in a chemically defined medium (BGJb). Beginning at 3-4 days after recombination, short fragments of new basal lamina and subbasal dense plaque were formed along the epidermal basal cell outer surface immediately subjacent to hemidesmosomes. After 6-8 days of culture, fragments of the basal lamina started to fuse together and the lamina became progressively continuous. At the same time, anchoring fibrils were formed to attach to the basal lamina. The hemidesmosome formation preceded the basement membrane formation. When normal embryonic epidermis was recombined with retinol-pretreated dermis and cultured for 7 days in BGJb, short fragments of the basal lamina, the subbasal dense plaque, and anchoring fibrils were formed, but the basement membrane remained discontinuous with many interruptions in the interspace between hemidesmosomes. These results demonstrate that pretreatment of dermis with retinol causes the changes noted in the basement membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Stimulation by Bt2cAMP of epidermal mucous metaplasia in retinol-pretreated chick embryonic cultured skin, and its inhibition by herbimycin A, an inhibitor for protein-tyrosine kinase.

Epidermal mucous metaplasia of cultured 13-day-old chick embryonic tarsometatarsal skin can be induced by culture in medium containing retinol (20 microM) for only 8-24 h and then in a chemically defined medium without vitamins or serum for 6 days. In the induction of mucous metaplasia, retinol primarily affects the dermal cells and a signal(s) induced in the dermis by excess retinol alters epidermal differentiation toward secretory epithelium. In this work we found that Bt2cAMP (2 mM) stimulated mucous metaplasia severalfold when added to retinol-pretreated skin but inhibited epidermal mucous metaplasia when added together with retinol. Forskolin (100 microM), an activator of adenylate cyclase, also stimulated mucous metaplasia when added to retinol-pretreated skin. On the other hand, transduction in the epidermal cells of a signal(s) induced in dermal cells by excess retinol was inhibited by herbimycin A (500 ng/ml), an inhibitor of protein-tyrosine kinases, and TPA (0.1 microM), an activator of protein kinase C. Hence these findings indicated that cAMP stimulated signal-induced mucous metaplasia, and that transduction of the signal(s) in the epidermal cells required protein-tyrosine kinase and was inhibited by protein kinase C.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1991

An immunohistochemical study of bronchial cells producing surfactant protein A in the developing human fetal lung.

A study on immunohistochemical localization of pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) in the developing human fetal lung was performed using a monoclonal antibody, PE10, against human SP-A. At 21 weeks of gestation, a few bronchial cells positive to PE10 were observed to be scattered in the main and segmental bronchi. The number of these cells appears to increase until the 32nd week of gestation, and then decrease thereafter, almost disappearing by 39 weeks. On the other hand, alveolar type II cells and Clara cells positive to PE10 began to appear at 29 weeks, increase in number until around 39 weeks, and remain constant throughout adulthood. A few bronchial glandular cells positive to PE10 were still noticed in the fetal lung. This is the first report of the presence of SP-A-containing cells in the fetal lung. This is the first report of the presence of SP-A-containing cells in the human fetal bronchial epithelium (not Clara cells in the terminal bronchiolus), proving the regularity of the sequential distribution of SP-A-containing cells in the bronchoalveolar system during pulmonary development.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Differences in ventricle dilation and clinical findings between the early- and late-onset subtypes of Alzheimer's dementia].

The authors compared the characteristics of the early-onset subtype of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) with those of the late-onset subtype (SDAT) to determine whether Alzheimer's dementia (AD/SDAT) can be divided into two different diagnostic categories. In this study, AD refers to Alzheimer's in which the onset of disease occurred before 65 years of age; and SDAT refers to cases in which onset of illness occurred at age 65 or more. The studied parameters were distribution of age at disease onset, progression of speed of ventricular dilation, speed of deterioration of Hasegawa's rating scale for dementia (HRSD) score, and lesional pattern on the Japanese revised version of the GBS scale (GBSS-JR). The distribution of age at onset in 258 patients with AD/SDAT showed one peak. These patients included both outpatients and inpatients. A 30-month follow-up study to determine the degree of ventricular dilation was performed in 20 AD and 24 SDAT patients. For CT measurement, the width of the third and lateral ventricle (cella media index) was measured every 6 months after admission. Average ventricle width at admission was matched between the two groups. Twelve and 24 months after admission, the mean cella media index of patients with AD was significantly wider than that of patients with SDAT. In addition a deterioration speed of HRSD scores of 16 AD and 14 SDAT patients was compared every month for 5 months after admission. The average duration of illness and HRSD score at admission were matched in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Involvements of fibronectin and lysophosphatidylcholine for selective binding of C-reactive protein.

C-reactive protein (CRP) has been reported to deposit only to inflammatory sites, but not to normal sites. In present paper, we investigated involvements of fibronectin and lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC) as responsible for this selectivity. In ELISA assay, CRP was found to bind to immobilized fibronectin with dose dependency, only in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Addition of 5 mM EDTA allowed CRP to abolish this binding. However, it could not be inhibited neither by phosphorylcholine nor by heparin. On the other hand, CRP could aggregate liposome consisted of lyso-PC and phosphatidylcholine (PC), but not that consisted of PC alone. Aggregation was found to be maximum when liposome with lyso-PC/PC molar ratio of 0.3 was used. Similar result was also observed in binding study with peroxidase-labelled CRP. In addition, phospholipase A2 treatment of liposome consisted of PC alone induced 3-fold higher binding than that found with untreated one. Ca2+ ions were required for binding to liposome.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Loose shoulder].

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Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Aortic input impedance in ventricular septal defect].

Aortic input impedance and hydraulic power were measured in patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD). Aortic input impedance consists of the characteristic impedance (index of aortic distensibility) and the terminal impedance (index of peripheral resistance) which represent the left ventricular hydraulic load. The external left ventricular hydraulic power consists of steady power which transmits blood to the peripheral vasculature and pulsatile power which is converted into heat energy. The ratio of pulsatile to total power indicates the efficiency of the arterial system. The present study was carried out on 6 patients with VSD whose Qp/Qs was greater than 2.0 (VSD group) and 10 age-matched controls who had a history of Kawasaki disease without coronary complications at the time of cardiac catheterization (control group). Descending aortic pressure and flow velocity were measured simultaneously at the level of the 10th thoracic vertebra using a multisensor-catheter. Impedance data were calculated from Fourier analysis of these findings. Characteristic impedance did not differ between the 2 groups. Terminal impedance was higher in the VSD group with the increasing peripheral resistance and vascular afterload. The pulsatile component of external hydraulic power was similar in both groups, however, the steady component was lower in the VSD group indicating a higher ratio of pulsatile to total power in the VSD group. In conclusion, vascular afterload was increased and the efficiency of the arterial system was reduced in patients with VSD having large shunts.

Aorta↗
PubMed1991

Elevation of interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in joint fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and the induction by IL-8 of leukocyte infiltration and synovitis in rabbit joints.

Increased amounts of interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected in synovial fluids of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The concentration of IL-8 correlated directly with the number of infiltrating neutrophils in synovial fluids. To elucidate the role of IL-8 in neutrophil accumulation at the site of synovitis, the in vivo effects of intraarticular injection of recombinant IL-8 (rIL-8) on leukocytes infiltration into the joint space and synovium were examined. Following a single injection of rIL-8 into the knee joint space of rabbits, redness of the joint and limp became apparent after 4 h and were associated with the rapid infiltration of neutrophilic leukocytes into the joint space and synovial tissues. These effects were time dependent, first becoming evident at 1 h and reaching a plateau in 4 h, and also dose dependent, with a minimal effect being elicited by 100 ng per joint. Although neutrophils were present in the greatest number at 4 h, subsequently mononuclear cells accumulated and became apparent in considerable number after 8 h. Synovial lining cells became ovoid, pleomorphic, and multilayered at 24 h. IL-8 had no effect on the breakdown of proteoglycan of articular cartilage. Based on these findings, IL-8 released from monocytes and synovial cells may be an important contributor to leukocyte accumulation and inflammatory events in the joints of RA.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Biophysical profile and its relation to fetal blood gas level obtained by cordocentesis.

Biophysical profile (BPP) score was assessed immediately before fetal blood sampling by cordocentesis in 150 fetuses referred to our hospital, 95 after and 55 before 30 weeks of gestation. In 95 fetuses after 30 weeks of gestation, 39 fetuses were evaluated with BPP scores of 12, 35 were from 8 to 11 and 21 were less than 7. In 55 fetuses before 30 weeks of gestation, 8 fetuses were evaluated with BPP scores of 12, 27 were from 8 to 11 and 20 were less than 7. pO2, pH and pCO2 in fetuses with a score less than 7, either before or after 30 weeks of gestation, (with a score less than 7) did not significantly differ, in comparison to the other two groups. No variables in the biophysical profile precisely reflect fetal hypoxemia, acidemia or hypercarbia. Since even the fetus with a BPP score of greater than 8 may not always be assured of well-being and not all fetuses with a score of less than 7 are necessarily in a deteriorated condition, it is necessary to evaluate fetal condition on the basis of fetal blood gas data obtained by cordocentesis, especially when the fetus is additionally handicapped by prematurity or morbidities such as growth-retardation.

Blood Specimen Collection↗