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Biomedical subjects

H Harada

Publications and source records attributed to H Harada.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources

Inflammatory endotracheal polyp resolved after antibiotic treatment.

We describe a rare case of asymptomatic inflammatory endotracheal polyp resolved by antibiotic treatment. Histological examination of biopsy specimens showed an inflammatory polyp consisting of fibrovascular stroma and sparse lymphocyte infiltration. The size of the polyp was unchanged during 3 months without any treatment and its etiology was unclear. Although a bacterial organism was never proven, the polyp decreased remarkably under treatment with an oral antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) and did not recur for 6 months. Antibiotic treatment may be of value for inflammatory tracheobronchial polyps in cases of unclear etiology.

Ciprofloxacin↗

A comparative study of urinary xanthopterin and neopterin in liver diseases.

By adsorption to activated charcoal, various pteridine derivatives in human urine are oxidized to xanthopterin. Following this oxidation, xanthopterin in urine from healthy subjects and from patients with liver diseases was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean values for xanthopterin in healthy subjects were 532 +/- 116 mumol/mol creatinine (mean +/- SD) in males and 585 +/- 153 mumol/mol creatinine in females; the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Xanthopterin concentrations in patients with liver disease were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. When compared with urinary neopterin, which is a marker of activated cell immunity, xanthopterin was significantly increased even in fatty liver disease. These findings suggest that increased concentrations of urinary xanthopterin in liver diseases reflect not only the status of activated cell-mediated immunity, but also injury to liver cells.

Adult↗

Application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to legal medicine--ATP quantitation in tissue with 31P-NMR.

NMR spectroscopy can be used to identify and determine various molecular species in organs and tissues, and can provide information on the condition of their presence. We used NMR spectroscopy to examine postmortem changes in rabbits. ATP levels could be determined with ATP beta-position phosphorus atom signals in 31P-NMR spectra of tissue samples used as parameters. Changes over time in myocardial and limb muscular ATP levels were examined from just after death due to various causes to 7 hours after death, and the following results were obtained: 1. Myocardial ATP levels were low in groups with pronounced anoxia just before death. 2. Among groups with identical causes of death, decreases in myocardial ATP levels were larger the more pronounced was anoxia. Findings 1 and 2 are applicable to determination of acute cause of death considered otherwise difficult to detect in legal medical practice. 3. The decrease in ATP level just after death was smaller in limb muscles than in myocardium, and changes over time in the decrease in ATP after death could be observed. This finding may be applicable to the estimation of passage of time after death, a problem of great import in legal medicine.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

[RAEB transformed into AML (M0) showing Ph1 chromosome and rearrangement of major cluster region].

A 78 year old female was found to have pancytopenia in February 1991. Bone marrow was normocellular with 11.7% blasts and showed dysmegakaryopoietic changes. A diagnosis of MDS (RAEB) was made and she was treated with transfusions and ubenimex. Leukemic transformation was noted in July. On Admission in October 1991, her laboratory examinations revealed the following: WBC 38,900/microliters with 93% blast, Hb 8.0 g/dl, Plt 2.1 x 10(4)/microliters, a hypercellular bone marrow with 74% blasts which were negative for myeloperoxidase (MPO) by light microscopy, but were positive by electron microscopy. Surface marker for CD13 was positive. These findings corresponded to M0 of the FAB subtype. Chromosome analysis revealed Ph1 chromosome with 46XX, t (9;22) (q34;q11) in 3 of 3 cells examined, Southern analysis showed the rearrangement of the break point cluster region (bcr). Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction technique demonstrated the presence of major bcr/abl mRNA. She was treated with transfusions and methyl-prednisolone. Her blast counts declined and Ph1 chromosome was only positive in 1 of 12 metaphases examined. She died of pneumonia in December 1991. Eleven cases with MDS showing Ph1 chromosome have previously been reported. The observations indicate that Ph1 chromosome positive acute leukemias were heterogenous in nature.

Aged↗

[Clinical experience in 3 cases, 5 events of thrombosed Björk-Shiley mitral prostheses].

We have successfully treated 3 cases, 5 events of thrombosed Björk-Shiley mitral prostheses. Case 1: Treatment with urokinase thrombolytic therapy failed to improve the valve opening, and then submergent surgical thrombectomy was performed successfully. Case 2: This case was recurrent thrombosed valve. First time thrombosis was successfully managed by urokinase thrombolytic therapy. Second time thrombosis was treated with emergent surgical thrombectomy. Third time thrombosis was treated with urokinase thrombolysis and elective replacement of the Björk-Shiley valve with a 25 mm SJM valve. Case 3: Urokinase thrombolytic therapy failed to improve the valve function, and then emergent replacement of the Björk-Shiley valve with a 25 mm SJM valve was performed successfully. These cases suggested that the surgical treatment for the thrombosed Björk-Shiley mitral valve should be performed without delay in the patient whose condition is rapidly deteriorating.

Adult↗

[Structural analysis of cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease of unknown etiology characterized by cardiac hypertrophy and disarrays of myocardial fiber and fibrils. More than half of patients with HCM show an apparent family history consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance. Mutations in the cardiac beta myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene have recently been identified in several Caucasian HCM families and suspected to be causative. To date, 8 missense mutations had been reported in Caucasian HCM families. We have also analyzed the structure of cardiac beta MHC gene in Japanese patients with HCM, and found 3 missense mutations. The application of the techniques of molecular biology provides a new understanding of HCM, for example, preclinical diagnosis and prediction of prognosis.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic↗

Reduced gastric mucosal blood flow in patients with portal-hypertensive gastropathy.

Although congestive gastric mucosal circulation has been suggested in patients with portal-hypertensive gastropathy, whether it is due to "active" (overflow) or "passive" (stasis) congestion is not known. To answer this question, we assessed regional gastric mucosal blood flow with laser Doppler flowmetry in 57 patients with portal hypertension and 30 controls. Twelve patients had portal-hypertensive gastropathy of the antrum: in eight it was mild and in four it was severe. Portal-hypertensive gastropathy of the corpus was seen in 32 patients: it was mild in 24 and severe in 8. Thus prevalence of portal-hypertensive gastropathy was higher in the corpus than in the antrum (p < 0.01). In the antrum, gastric mucosal blood flow was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in patients with severe portal-hypertensive gastropathy (0.54 +/- 0.27 V) than in controls (1.12 +/- 0.44 V), whereas the values in patients without portal-hypertensive gastropathy (0.90 +/- 0.35 V) and with mild portal-hypertensive gastropathy (0.91 +/- 0.31 V) were not significantly different from the values in controls (p < 0.05 on one-way analysis of variance). In the corpus, gastric mucosal blood flow was significantly lower in patients with mild (0.75 +/- 0.25 V) or severe portal-hypertensive gastropathy (0.42 +/- 0.22 V) than in controls (1.16 +/- 0.37 V) (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively) whereas the value in patients without portal-hypertensive gastropathy (0.99 +/- 0.37 V) was not significantly different from values in controls (p < 0.01 on one-way analysis of variance).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

[Clinical relevance of abdominal imaging examinations in malignant lymphoma].

We prospectively evaluated the clinical importance of abdominal imaging examinations (US, CT, upper gastrointestinal barium X-ray) in 233 consecutive patients who gave informed consent for the examinations. The examinations revealed intra-abdominal lesions in 99 of 233 patients. Intra-abdominal lymph nodes were most frequently affected, followed by stomach, spleen, liver, small intestine and large intestine. In Hodgkin's lymphoma, no gastrointestinal involvement was noted but one in the small intestine. Prognosis was poorer with advancing stage according to Ann Arbor classification. However, the presence or absence of intra-abdominal lesions did not influence the prognosis when patients were matched for the stage. Abdominal imaging examinations altered the bed-side staging to more advanced stages in 22 of 163 patients with stage I through stage III lymphoma, influencing prognosis as well as the decision of therapeutic modalities. These three diagnostic modalities were complementary to one another. In conclusion, every one of these abdominal imaging examinations is important for planning the management of patients with malignant lymphoma.

Abdomen↗

Donor hepatectomy for living related partial liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: An essential prerequisite for living related partial liver transplantation is to perform donor hepatectomy with minimal risk while preserving graft viability. This article describes a safe method of donor hepatectomy that was used for five patients who underwent living related liver transplantation. METHODS: Liver parenchymal transection was performed by the selective vascular occlusion technique in four patients, and interruption of the blood supply to the left medial segment was carried out along the right side of the umbilical portion before parenchymal division in the other patient. RESULTS: These procedures resulted in insignificant intraoperative blood loss, for which no banked blood or blood derivatives were transfused. The postoperative course for each of the five donors was uneventful, and excellent graft viability was verified by the fact that the five recipients showed a good immediate postoperative course without marked increases in the serum activities of liver enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the operative risk of living related donor hepatectomy is minimal if it is performed by experienced liver surgeons with the present procedures.

Adult↗

[Postoperative recurrence form of Crohn's disease: comparison between perforating and non perforating types].

Postoperative recurrence rate and recurrence form were analyzed in two clinical forms of Crohn's disease at primary resection, one of which was perforating and the other was non perforating. Forty four patients with Crohn's disease were included in this study, 18 of them were perforating type and 26 were non perforating type. Crude recurrence rates were 39% (7/18 cases) in perforating type group and 54% (14/26 cases) in non perforating type group, which were not significantly different. Cumulative recurrence rates 5 years after initial operation were 58% in perforating type group and 47% in non perforating group without statistically significance. The recurrence form was perforating type more frequently in perforating type group (86%) than non perforating group at primary resection (29%) with statistically significance (p = 0.013). Postoperative recurrence form had a tendency to be similar to the form at primary resection. It was suggested from this study that Crohn's disease had two different disease entities; perforating and non perforating types and that postoperative recurrence should be examined carefully from the view of primary resection.

Adolescent↗

The use of mucin-specific monoclonal antibodies and lectins in the detection of tumor-associated serum markers in gynecological cancer.

The use of the mucin-specific lectin from Sambucus sieboldiana (SSAM) in the detection of tumor-associated serum antigens produced by patients with ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancer was investigated. Two-site assays were developed which used either SSAM or the MUC1 core protein-specific monoclonal antibody (mab) BC2 as capture, and biotinylated SSAM to detect bound mucin (SSAM and BC2SSAM assays respectively). These new assays were compared to the CA125 assay, and another assay for MUC1 (CASA), which utilizes the core protein reactive mabs BC2 and BC3. some asymptomatic women and patients with benign disease showed very high levels in the SSAM assay, while this was not the case in the other assays. When cutoff levels were set to exclude healthy women and patients with benign disease, the levels of detection in patients with ovarian cancer were 51% with CASA (> 6.7 units/ml), 71% with CA125 (> 250 units/ml), and 38% with BC2SSAM (> 8.6 units/ml). The levels of detection in cervical and uterine cancer patients were 28% and 25% with CASA, 0% and 8% with CA125, and 28% and 25% with BC2SSAM respectively. Of particular interest was the very different spectrum of reactivity observed with the CASA and BC2SSAM assays which use the same capture mab, indicating that each assay detects different glycoforms of the MUC1 mucin. Indeed, when used in combination, the CASA and BC2SSAM assays gave 62% of ovarian cancer patients, and 50% of cervical or uterine cancer patients with elevated marker levels. The additional use of BC2SSAM gave no advantage over the combined use of the CASA and CA125 assays in ovarian cancer, with 80% of patients detected, but the CASA/BC2SSAM combination was particularly useful in the cervical and uterine cancers due to the low level of detection with CA125. In fact, the additional use of CA125 gave no advantage over the CASA/BC2SSAM combination in these patients. Furthermore, the BC2SSAM assay may also be useful in monitoring patients with high preoperative BC2SSAM levels (> 10 units/ml), since this assay predicted recurrence in 5/5 cases, and was negative in all cases with no evidence of disease. Furthermore, the performance of this assay in monitoring these patients was equal or superior to CA125 and CASA.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Novel missense mutation in cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene found in a Japanese patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

We have analyzed the exon 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16 of cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene in 96 Japanese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using PCR-DNA conformation polymorphism analysis. The analysis revealed a sequence variation of the exon 16 in one patient. The sequence variation of a G to C transversion with replacement of Asn by Lys at the codon 615 was confirmed by sequencing and by dot-blot hybridization with an allele-specific oligonucleotide probe. Because the missense mutation was found at the residue conserved through birds to humans, this mutation was suggested to be a cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the patient. This is the first report of a mutant cardiac beta myosin heavy chain gene in the Japanese population.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Novel variant transthyretin gene (Ser50 to Ile) in familial cardiac amyloidosis.

We detected a point mutation in the transthyretin (TTR) gene in a patient with familial cardiac amyloidosis by using PCR-DCP (DNA conformation polymorphism) analysis that is based on the diversity in electrophoretic mobility of single-stranded DNAs and/or heteroduplex DNAs in PCR products. The PCR products of the transthyretin gene were denatured in the presence of formamide and electrophoresed in a non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel to detect an electrophoretic change due to a sequence variation. An unusual DNA fragment was visualized by silver staining in the PCR products of the exon 3 from the patient. Subsequent sequencing analysis revealed a T to A transversion and led to a replacement of Ser by Ile at codon 50 of the TTR gene.

Amyloidosis↗

Critical role of a common transcription factor, IRF-1, in the regulation of IFN-beta and IFN-inducible genes.

Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) is a protein that binds to cis-elements within the promoter of interferon (IFN)-beta and some IFN-inducible genes. We used a human fibroblast line, GM-637, to generate stable transfectants constitutively expressing IRF-1 mRNA in either the sense or antisense orientation. Upon induction with poly-(I).poly(C) or Newcastle disease virus, cells expressing sense IRF-1 mRNA produced significantly higher levels of IFN-beta mRNA and protein than control cells, whereas cells expressing antisense IRF-1 mRNA produced little or no IFN-beta mRNA and protein. Furthermore, clear differences were seen among the transfectants in the level of expression of two IFN-induced genes (2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and class I HLA). Our data show that IRF-1 is essential for the induced expression of the IFN-beta gene. The results also indicate an important role of IRF-1 in the expression of IFN-inducible genes and suggest a role for IRF-1 in many other cytokine actions.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗

Enzyme immunoassay for specific analysis of pancreatic stone proteins in human pancreatic juice.

In order to study the concentration of pancreatic stone protein (PSP) in human pancreatic juice, we investigated the influence of the insoluble form of PSP-S1 converted from PSP-S2-5 on PSP determination and the assay method for PSP-S1 precipitate after solubilizing PSP-S1. When bovine trypsin was added to pancreatic juice, PSP-S1 was converted from PSP-S2-5 and precipitated about 45-85% after 1 h. The precipitated PSP-S1 was dissolved in 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.0, and the concentration was measured by the enzyme immunoassay, with similar reactivity to PSP-S1 and PSP-S2-5. The proposed method can offer accurate and specific analysis of the PSP level in pancreatic juice. The results of the fractionation of pancreatic juice and duodenal juice on Mono S cation-exchange chromatography suggested that the major component of PSP was PSP-S2-5 in pancreatic juice and PSP-S1 in duodenal juice.

Calcium-Binding Proteins↗