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H Fukushima

Publications and source records attributed to H Fukushima.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Prevotella intermedia fimbriae mediate hemagglutination.

Our earlier studies demonstrated that clinical strains of Prevotella intermedia, isolated from human periodontal pockets, possess various types of fimbria (surface appendages) as determined ultrastructurally. These bacteria have the ability to agglutinate selected mammalian erythrocytes. Hemagglutinating activity exhibited by these cells may be attributable to these surface structures. Strain 17, which possess fimbriae of 8 nm in diameter and readily agglutinates human, monkey, sheep, rabbit, and mouse erythrocytes was selected to determine whether these fimbriae possessed the hemagglutinating activity. Fimbriae were mechanically sheared, concentrated by ammonium sulfate precipitation, solubilized in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.5% deoxycholate and partly purified by ultracentrifugation in a 10-50% linear sucrose gradient. Isolated fimbriae banded at a density of 1.20-1.15 g/ml, appeared fairly uniform ultrastructurally, and possessed hemagglutinating activity. The hemagglutinating activity of P. intermedia whole cells and isolated fimbriae was reduced by treatment with proteases and eliminated by treatment with heat at 80 degrees C for 10 min. The optimal pH for the hemagglutination was 7.0. In the process of hemagglutination, P. intermedia whole cells and isolated fimbriae bound to rabbit erythrocytes as observed by: (a) decrease in the hemagglutinating activity of bacterial whole cells and isolated fimbriae after incubation with rabbit erythrocytes, (b) increase in hemagglutinating activity of the red cells used for absorption, and (c) the presence of P. intermedia whole cells and fimbriae on red cells after absorption as revealed by immunoelectron microscopy. Both the immune immunoglobulin G of the rabbit polyclonal anti-fimbriae antibody and the immune immunoglobulin G and its Fab fragments of the murine monoclonal anti-fimbriae antibody were effective inhibitors of hemagglutination mediated by isolated fimbriae. Immunogold labeling showed that the monoclonal antibody bound specifically to P. intermedia fimbriae. These results collectively suggest that the hemagglutination exhibited by P. intermedia may be attributable to the fimbriae or the fimbrial-associated components.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Diffusivity of oxygen in microvascular beds as determined from PO2 distribution maps.

Dynamic changes in the distribution of PO2 in the rat mesentery were measured to determine the O2 diffusion coefficient (DO2) and consumption rate (VO2). The distribution of PO2 was obtained in two-dimensional maps by microscopic fluorometry on the basis of oxygen quenching. The corresponding vasculature was also recorded on a video recorder to analyze the PO2 distribution consistent with the arrangement of the microvessels. Anesthetized rats breathing room air were subjected to 100% O2 ventilation to induce dynamic changes in PO2 distribution. We assumed a homogenous and constant VO2 in the tissue, and a one-dimensional diffusion equation was applied to simulate oxygen transport. The PO2 data corresponded very well to the theoretical curves, and calculated DO2 was 1.04 +/- 0.78 X 10(-5) cm2/s (mean +/- SD, n = 38) and VO2 was 8.2 +/- 3.9 x 10(-6) cm3 O2.cm-3 tissue.s-1 (n = 27) at 37 degrees C. However, PO2 values at points remote from the arterioles remained higher than the theoretical prediction.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Use of serial semithin frozen sections to evaluate the co-localization of estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors in cells of breast cancer tissues.

The extent of co-expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) in breast cancer cells was examined immunocytochemically. Eight surgical cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma designated as ER-positive and PgR-positive (ER+/PgR+) by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) were used. They were fixed with 4% formaldehyde and cut into serial frozen semithin sections. Using sections stained with either anti-ER or anti-PgR antibody, we ascertained the co-localization of ER and PgR in a single cell and estimated the ratio of the number of cells co-expressing ER and PgR. Twenty-six to 95% of the cells were immunopositive for both ER and PgR, 2-25% of them, varying in cases, were positive for ER but not for PgR, and <3% of the cells were positive for PgR but not for ER. The remaining 5-60% cells were positive for neither ER nor PgR. A significant percentage of breast cancer cells in tissues designated as ER+/PgR+ by EIA showed the phenotype of ER-positive but PgR-negative. The co-expression ratio of ER and PgR in biochemically detected ER+/PgR+ breast cancer may reflect a particular clinical parameter, such as the heterogeneous responsiveness of ER+/PgR+ breast cancers to hormonal treatment. Immunostaining of serial semithin frozen sections for two or more different antigens is a useful method to assess the correlation of localization of antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Enhancing effects of agelasphin-11 on natural killer cell activities of normal and tumor-bearing mice.

Agelasphin-11 (AGL-11), a novel alpha-galactosylceramide isolated from an extract of a marine sponge, Agelas mauritianus, markedly prolonged the life span of mice intraperitoneally inoculated with B16 cells. Since AGL-11 did not show any direct cytotoxic activity against B16 cells, this compound is considered to be a biological response modifier (BRM). We focused on the enhancing effect of this compound on in vivo natural killer (NK) cell activity because several BRMs have already been determined to enhance the in vivo natural killer (NK) cell activity. When we evaluated the enhancing activity of AGL-11 using normal mice, AGL-11 enhanced in vivo NK cell activity more potently than Poly I:C, which is a positive control. In addition, we examined the effect of this compound on the NK cell activity of tumor-bearing mice, and found that AGL-11 recovers the reduced NK cell activity in a tumor-bearing condition to a higher level than that of normal mice. These results suggest that AGL-11 shows antitumor activity by the activation of antitumor effector cells such as NK cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Effects of alpha-galactosylceramides on bone marrow cells in vitro and hematopoiesis in vivo.

We found that AGL-517, an alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), possesses potent radioprotective activities against mice irradiated with 9 Gy of X-ray in contrast to its having no effect on mice irradiated with 10 Gy of X-ray. The result suggested the possibility that alpha-GalCers protect mice from bone marrow death. To examine this possibility, we examined the effects of two kinds of alpha- and beta-GalCers on counts of platelets (PLT) and white blood cells (WBC) in the peripheral blood of normal mice and mice irradiated in a whole body with 5 Gy of X-ray. alpha-GalCers significantly increased the PLT and WBC counts of both mice in comparison with the vehicle-treated group, and their potencies were stronger than those of their beta-types. Furthermore, we evaluated the in vitro bone marrow cell-proliferation stimulatory activities of four kinds of GalCers, and found that alpha-GalCers show stronger stimulatory effects than beta-types. These results demonstrate that the alpha-configuration of GalCers plays an important role in the manifestation of the above-mentioned activities of GalCers. The results also suggest that alpha-GalCers may be useful as hematopoietic stimulators as well as radioprotective agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[MR imaging for breast cancer].

The potential role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of breast disease has been investigated since the late 1970s. Conventional MR imaging has not been reliable for diagnosis of breast masses, and so contrast MRI using Gd-DTPA has been performed. In particular the gradient echo (GRE) technique combined with administration Gd-DTPA (i.e., dynamic MRI) improves detection and tissue characterization of breast masses. In recent studies, breast MR imaging has shown up to 100% sensitivity in the detection of breast cancer. On the other hand, its specificity varies between 37% and 98% because of the fact that may benign lesions are also enhanced with many contrast media, similar to breast cancer. To improve the specificity of MR imaging, MR-guiding localization and fine needle aspiration biopsy for breast masses will be necessary. Recently breast conserving therapy has been widely accepted in our country, so we deduce that MRI is useful method for detecting multifocal or multicentric breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The allele frequency distribution at VNTR locus D17S5 (YNZ22) in a Japanese population sample.

The allele frequencies for the YNZ22 locus were determined in a Japanese population sample (n = 164) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We observed 10 alleles and 39 genotypes. Allele distributions in our data showed a different pattern from those reported in the literature for European Caucasians. No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found. The observed heterozygosity was 83.5%. In Japan the YNZ22 is one of useful genetic markers for paternity testing and identify testing, with a chance of exclusion (CE) value of 68% and a power of discrimination (PD) value of 89%.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Allele distribution of a VNTR polymorphism at D4S43 locus in the Japanese population.

Allele frequencies for the VNTR locus D4S43 were determined in a Japanese population sample by the polymerase chain reaction. Nine different alleles containing 1-15 repeats of the basic 14 bp unit were observed in 156 unrelated Japanese. The most common allele was one repeat unit (62.82%), and the next common alleles were those with 11 (14.42%) and 7 repeat units (12.50%). We estimated that D4S43 locus has a heterozygosity index of 0.56, a mean exclusion chance of 0.32, a discrimination rate of 0.76, and a polymorphic information content of 0.52. No evidence of significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equillibrium was found in the Japanese population data.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Chinese Han population study of the D1S80 (pMCT118) locus polymorphisms.

The Chinese Han population was studied for the D1S80 (pMCT118) locus. Bloodstain samples of 216 unrelated individuals were tested through Chelex extraction and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After amplification, the genotypes were separated by polyacrylamide gel (PAG) electrophoresis and stained with ethidium bromide. A total of 70 genotypes and 25 alleles were distinguished. Alleles 18, 24 and 30 were the most common alleles in Chinese population. The distribution of the observed genotypes conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the D1S80 (pMCT118) system. The chance of exclusion, the discriminating power (DP), and the heterozygosity for this system were 0.71, 0.90, and 0.85, respectively, in Chinese population.

China↗
PubMed1996

Automated DNA typing of ACTBP2: a comparison of allelic ladder with GS 2500 as internal marker.

A comparison was made between the size values of the alleles measured by the internal size marker of Genescan (GS 2500) and the size values measured by an allelic ladder constructed by our laboratory in the application of Genescan software for the typing of the ACTBP2 system. The measurement by GS 2500 showed a greater than 2 bp divergence (SD = 0.893) while the measurement by the allelic ladder showed only 0.1 bp divergence (SD = 0.008). Thus in genotyping of ACTBP2 by Genescan software, the method presented here of using the allelic ladder as the size marker instead of GS 2500 is easier and more reliable.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Antitumor activities of combined treatment with a novel immunomodulator, (2S,3S,4R)-1-O-(alpha-D-Galactopyranosyl)-2-(N-Hexacosanoylamino)-1,3,4 - octadecanetriol (KRN7000), and radiotherapy in tumor-bearing mice.

The novel immunomodulator (2S,3S,4R)-I-O-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-2- (N-hexacosanoylamino)-1,3,4-octadecanetriol (KRN7000) in combination with high-dose (20 and 30 Gy) local x-ray irradiation or low-dose (3 Gy) fractionated whole-body irradiation showed significantly stronger antitumor activities against Meth A-and Colon26-bearing mice than treatments by radiation or KRN7000 alone, and 60% of mice in combination treatment groups were cured. Furthermore, the results of tests rechallenging the cured mice with Meth A and Colon26 cells strongly suggested that tumor-specific immunity was induced by the combination treatment. The suggestion was supported by the result that the systemic administration of KRN7000 could produce large amounts of interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma, which contribute to induction of tumor-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes not only in normal mice but also in whole-body irradiated mice. Furthermore, it was also suggested that KRN7000 contributes to protecting antitumor effector cells, such as natural killer cells, from impairments caused by radiation. Taking together the results and the knowledge that tumor-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes play a critical role in prevention of tumor recurrence and distant metastasis, it is strongly suggested that combined therapy with KRN7000 and radiation could be quite useful for cancer treatment.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1996

Enhancing effects of (2S,3S,4R)-1-O-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-2-(N-hexacosanoylamino) -1,3,4-octadecanetriol (KRN7000) on antigen-presenting function of antigen-presenting cells and antimetastatic activity of KRN7000-pretreated antigen-presenting cells.

(2S,3S,4R)-1-O-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-2-(N-hexacosanoylamino)- 1,3, 4-octadecanetriol (KRN7000), with an alpha-galactosylceramide structure, is an immunomodulator showing potent antimetastatic activities. In an in vitro study, KRN7000 potently stimulated proliferation and enhanced natural killer activity in spleen cells from BALB/c euthymic mice, but not BALB/c athymic (nu/nu) mice, suggesting that T cells play an important role in these activities. To study the detailed immunostimulatory mechanisms of KRN7000, syngeneic mixed leukocyte reactions were then performed using dendritic cell-enriched fractions (DCEFs) from spleens of BALB/c euthymic and athymic mice. In these studies, KRN7000 enhanced the antigen-presenting cell activities of the DCEFs. In addition, marked production of interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma in BALB/c euthymic mice was observed following treatment with KRN7000 in vitro and in vivo. Because of these strong immunostimulating effects of KRN7000, its antimetastatic effects were also evaluated. Adoptively transferred KRN7000-treated DCEF markedly prolonged the survival time of mice bearing B16 pulmonary metastases. These results demonstrate that KRN7000 may be useful for cancer therapy not only as an antitumor agent but also as an activator of antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells, which can be used for adoptive cellular therapy.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1995

Structure-activity relationship of alpha-galactosylceramides against B16-bearing mice.

Agelasphin-9b, (2S,3S,4R)-1-O-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-16-methyl-2- [N-((R)-2- hydroxytetracosanoyl)-amino]- 1,3,4-heptadecanetriol, is a potent antitumor agent isolated from the marine sponge Agelas mauritianus. Various analogues of agelasphin-9b (a lead compound) were synthesized, and the relationship between their structures and biological activities was examined using several assay systems. From the results, KRN7000, (2S,3S,4R)-1-O-(alpha-D- galactopyranosyl)-2-(N-hexacosanoylamino)-1,3,4-octadecanetriol , was selected as a candidate for clinical application.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Functional liver imaging with asialoglycoprotein receptors and serum hyaluronate in a patient with amyloidosis.

A 47-year-old man with primary amyloidosis was admitted with abdominal pain. A new radionuclide liver imaging technique using Technetium-99m diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin, was performed and the serum hyaluronate concentration was measured. Although ordinary laboratory tests revealed only slight abnormalities, the uptake of the radiolabelled ligand for hepatocyte asialo-glycoprotein receptors was decreased, and marked hepatomegaly was revealed. Furthermore, the serum hyaluronate level was elevated. Histological examination of a hepatic needle biopsy specimen revealed a marked deposition of amyloid in the hepatic perisinusoidal spaces. These results indicate that this new radionuclide liver imaging technique (using Technetium-99m diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin) and the measurement of serum hyaluronate may be useful supplementary tools for identifying amyloid deposition in the hepatic perisinusoidal spaces in patients with amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1995

Restriction endonuclease analysis of plasmid DNA of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections in Shimane Prefecture, Japan.

The epidemiology of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections in a limited area of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, was examined by serotyping and restriction endonuclease analysis of virulence plasmid DNA of Y. pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from humans, wildlife animals and river water. Almost all isolates from three sources belonged to serotype 1b REAP pattern D and serotype 4b REAP patterns B, G and L. The identity of the distribution of serotype and REAP patterns among isolates from humans, wildlife animals and river water shows that Y. pseudotuberculosis is transmitted to humans through environmental substances contaminated by wildlife animals infected with this species.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Isolation of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis from river waters in Japan and Germany using direct KOH and HeLa cell treatments.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was recovered from precipitates directly treated with KOH and/or HeLa cell in 25.7% of 680 river water samples collected in Japan. Recovery was nil in similar samples from Germany. Treatment of precipitates by KOH and infection of HeLa cells, respectively, is an expedient and selective means for isolation of Y. pseudotuberculosis from such samples.

Animals↗