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Biomedical subjects

H Iwase

Publications and source records attributed to H Iwase.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Lattice parameter changes of leucite by incorporation of various cations substituted for potassium.

Leucite crystals having modified compositions from stoichiometry were prepared by the incorporation of Na+, Rb+, Cs+, Ca2+, Ba2+, and Sb3+ substituted for 5-50 at% of K+ in the leucite. The lattice parameters of the a- and c-axes of these tetragonal leucite were derived from the diffraction angles of (400) and (004) peaks due to tetragonal leucite, respectively. Both lattice parameters of the a- and c-axes of the leucites except Rb and Cs were slightly smaller than those of stoichiometric leucite. The lattice parameters of the a-axis of the leucites containing Rb and Cs were larger than those of stoichiometric leucite (p < 0.01) and increased with the content of Rb and Cs. It was concluded that the crystal lattice of leucite was deformed by the incorporation of cations substituted for K and their variations mainly depend upon the kind of cation, namely ionic size and substitution site in the lattice.

Aluminum Silicates↗

Calcium is required for quasi-lipoxygenase activity of hemoproteins.

Bovine and guinea pig heart homogenates, porcine leukocyte homogenate, and human hemolysate were found to vigorously oxidize linoleic acid, with lipoxygenase-like activity, to its hydroperoxy, epoxy, hydroxy-epoxy, and keto compounds in the presence of calcium chloride. In the absence of calcium, the reaction was significantly reduced. Attempts to characterize this quasi-lipoxygenase activity revealed that calcium potentiated the quasi-lipoxygenase activities of hemoproteins (hemoglobin, myoglobin, myeloperoxidase, catalase, cytochrome c) and hemin at the physiological pH of 7.5. Lipid peroxidation by hemoproteins was inhibited by albumin and erythrocyte membranes in blood, as well as by a low concentration of calcium in cells. However, it seems possible that in extracellular fluid, which contains a high concentration of calcium and a low concentration of albumin, hemoprotein released from damaged cells could oxidize unsaturated fatty acids derived by phospholipase-A2 from phospholipids of damaged cellular membranes. In a model of quasi-lipoxygenase activation under such conditions, lipids of erythrocyte membranes were oxidized by hemoglobin in the presence of phospholipase-A2 and calcium. The effect of nitrogen oxide, paraquat, and bleomycin on oxidation by hemoproteins and hemin was also discussed.

Animals↗

Detection of DNA Fragmentation in Human Breast Cancer Tissue by an Antibody Specific to Single-stranded DNA.

While there have been many reports concerning the clinical significance of bcl-2 expression in human breast cancer, little is known about apoptosis in primary breast cancers. We immunohistochemically examined DNA fragmentation in 107 primary human breast cancers from Japanese women using an antibody specific to single-stranded DNA. The apoptosis index calculated as the product of the positive cell number and the cellularity coefficient, ranged from 0 to 48. The average incidence of apoptosis was calculated as 0.1% of tumor cells. No relationships were observed among the apoptosis index, expression of bcl-2, and the histological grade of the tumors. Almost all apoptotic cells were phagocytosed by surrounding tumor cells immediately after DNA fragmentation. Apoptotic body formation was rare. The apoptotic cells seemed to be degraded within phagocytes, leaving no trace of apoptosis except the tiny shells of nuclei. The intensive phagocytic reaction might be one of the main reasons for the low incidence of apoptosis in human breast cancers.

Journal Article↗

Evidence for an antemortem injury of a burned head dissected from a burned body.

A 41-year-old woman was killed following blows to the head with a bat. Her body was burned and her head was dissected with a saw and hidden in the soil. Although the body was discovered within a few days of her death, the putrescent head was not located until four months later. A fracture of the left temporal bone was found in the head, which was partially charred. The confession of the murder suspect was unreliable, and the police suggested that the cause of death may not have been a head injury but asphyxia, and that the bone fracture to the head may have been caused after its dissection. It was therefore necessary to determine when the fracture was formed. The fracture line continued to the base of the skull, indicating that it was not due to heat. Magnetic resonance computed tomography (MR-CT) indicated the existence of a blood clot in the left mastoid cells, across which the fracture line passed. Upon sectioning of the skull with a saw, a dark red clot was located in the left mastoid cells, indicating that bleeding had occurred before the body was set alight. It seemed most logical to assume that the bone fracture was formed when the victim was alive, or before her body was burned.

Adult↗

Determination of ascorbic acid in food by column liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection using eluent for pre-run sample stabilization.

Determination of ascorbic acid (AA) in food was performed by column liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection using an eluent (100 mM KH2PO4 (pH 3) with 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium dihydrate) for pre-run sample stabilization. The applied potential was set at 400 mV vs. an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The proposed method was simple, rapid (analysis time: ca. 8 min), sensitive (detection limit: ca. 0.5 ng per injection (20 microliters) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3), highly selective and reproducible [relative standard deviation: ca. 1.8% (n = 5)]. The calibration graph for AA was linear in the range 0.1-16 ng per injection (20 microliters). Recovery of AA was over 90% by the standard addition method.

Ascorbic Acid↗

Application of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to the analysis of glycopeptide-containing multiple O-linked oligosaccharides.

In our previous report [Iwase et al., J. Biochem., 120 (1996) 393], the number of O-linked oligosaccharide chains on the hinge region of IgA1 was estimated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). In this experiment, the number of non-substituted N-acetylgalactosamines and Galbeta1,3GalNAc residues, as the core O-linked oligosaccharide structure per heavy chain of normal human serum IgA1, was estimated by digestion of the asialo-hinge glycopeptide with alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (GalNAc-ase) or endo-alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (endo-GalNAc-ase). GalNAc-ase treatment of the asialoglycopeptide produced two major peaks, one being a glycopeptide containing four GalNAc and four Gal residues, and the other contained three GalNAc and three Gal residues. Treatment with endo-GalNAc-ase also produced a nearly equal amount of the two peaks, with the naked hinge peptide and the peptide having one GalNAc residue. From those results, we concluded that the asialo-hinge glycopeptide was composed of three components bearing four Galbeta1,3GalNAc and one GalNAc, only four Galbeta1,3GalNAc, and three Galbeta1,3GalNAc and one GalNAc, respectively. This method was useful for determining the glycoforms on the IgA1 molecule with respect to the core O-linked oligosaccharide structure.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗

Calcium ions potentiate lipoxygenase activity of cytochrome c at the physiological pH.

Cytochrome c oxidized linoleic acid, with lipoxygenase-like activity, to 9-hydroperoxy-10,12-octadecadienoic acid (9-HpODE), 13-hydroperoxy-9,11-octadecadienoic acid (13-HpODE), 13-keto-9,11-octadecadienoic acid (13-KODE), and hydroxy-epoxy-octadecenoic acids (HEPOs) in the presence of calcium chloride at the physiological pH of 7.5. In the absence of calcium, the reaction was remarkably reduced. Statistically significant increase of 13-KODE was observed 1 min after the reaction was started by adding calcium. Calcium chloride at concentrations as low as 30 microM caused statistically significant increase of 13-KODE production in the presence of 1 microM cytochrome c, and cytochrome c at concentrations as low as 10 nM caused statistically significant increase of 13-KODE production in the presence of 2 mM calcium. The addition of bleomycin enhanced the reaction, and the addition of adriamycin attenuated the reaction. The same oxidized linoleic acid products were found in the submitochondrial particles which were hydrolyzed by phospholipase-A2 in the presence of calcium. Lipoxygenase activity potentiated by calcium may be involved in the lipid peroxidation in the submitochondrial particles hydrolyzed by phospholipase-A2.

Animals↗

Detection of the sarin hydrolysis product in formalin-fixed brain tissues of victims of the Tokyo subway terrorist attack.

One of the hydrolysis products of sarin (isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) was detected in formalin-fixed brain tissues of victims poisoned in the Tokyo subway terrorist attack. Part of this procedure, used for the detection of sarin hydrolysis products in erythrocytes of sarin victims, has been described previously. The test materials were four individual cerebellums, which had been stored in formalin fixative for about 2 years. Sarin-bound acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was solubilized from these cerebellums, purified by immunoaffinity chromatography, and digested with trypsin. Then the sarin hydrolysis products bound to AChE were released by alkaline phosphatase digestion, subjected to trimethylsilyl derivatization (TMS), and detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Peaks at m/z 225 and m/z 240, which are indicative of TMS-methylphosphonic acid, were observed within the retention time range of authentic methylphosphonic acid. However, no isopropyl methylphosphonic acid was detected in the formalin-fixed cerebellums of these 4 sarin victims, probably because the isopropoxy group of isopropyl methylphosphonic acid underwent chemical hydrolysis during storage. This procedure will be useful for the forensic diagnosis of poisoning by protein-bound, highly toxic agents, such as sarin, which are easily hydrolysed. This appears to be the first time that intoxication by a nerve agent has been demonstrated by analyzing formalin-fixed brains obtained at autopsy.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Effects of mild and moderate hypothermia on cerebral metabolism and glutamate in an experimental head injury.

In this study we sought to determine the optimal brain temperature for treating compression-induced cerebral ischemia. Six cats each were treated with a deep-brain temperature of 37 degrees C (control), 33 degrees C (mild hypothermia), or 29 degrees C (moderate hypothermia). Intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were monitored, as were arteriovenous oxygen difference (AVDO2) and cerebral venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2). The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) was calculated. Extracellular glutamate concentration was measured by microdialysis. ICP was increased by inflation of an epidural balloon until CBF became zero. This ischemia was maintained for 5 min, after which the balloon was deflated. Mild hypothermia showed coupled CBF-metabolic suppression, but moderate hypothermia resulted in disproportionately increased AVDO2, decreased ScvO2, and low CBF/CMRO2 (relative ischemia). Reactive hyperemia after balloon deflation was decreased after both mild and moderate hypothermia, as was the tissue volume showing Evans blue dye extravasation. Extracellular glutamate increased in control animals, an effect most effectively suppressed in the mild hypothermia group. These data favor 33 degrees C as the optimal temperature for treating compression-related cerebral ischemia.

Animals↗

Interaction of gangliosides with proteins depending on oligosaccharide chain and protein surface modification.

By using neutron and synchrotron x-ray small-angle scattering techniques, we investigated the process of the complexation of gangliosides with proteins. We treated monosialoganglioside (G(M1)), disialoganglioside (G(D1a)), and a mixture of G(M1)/G(D1a). Proteins used were bovine serum albumins whose surfaces were modified with different sugars (deoxy-D-galactose, deoxy-L-fucose, deoxymaltitol, and deoxycellobiitol), which were used as model glycoproteins in a membrane. We found that the complexation of gangliosides with albumins greatly depends on the combination of ganglioside species and protein surface modification. With a varying protein/ganglioside ratio in a buffer solution at pH 7, the complexation of G(M1) or G(D1a) with albumins modified by monosaccharides appears to be less destructive for ganglioside aggregate structures in forming large complexes; the complexation of G(D1a) with the albumins modified by disaccharides induces the formation of complexes with a dimeric structure; and the complexation of G(M1) with albumins modified by disaccharides, to form small complexes, is very destructive. The present results show a strong dependence of the interaction between ganglioside and protein on the characteristics of the ganglioside and protein surface, which would relate to a physiological function of gangliosides, such as a function regulating the receptor activity of glycoproteins in a cell membrane.

Animals↗

Formation of keto and hydroxy compounds of linoleic acid in submitochondrial particles of bovine heart.

To observe lipid peroxidation of additive-free submitochondrial particles, we incubated submitochondrial particles in the absence of exogenous irons and t-butyl hydroperoxide. After the incubation, the phospholipids were hydrolyzed by phopholipase A2, and the fatty acid constituents were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Contrary to a commonly accepted theory, lipid peroxidation in the submitochondrial particles did not need the addition of NADH. In the phospholipid constituent fatty acids of the oxidized submitochondrial particles, derivatives of hydroperoxides of linoleic acid such as keto, hydroxy, trihydroxy, and hydroxyepoxy compounds were generated. Lipid peroxidation in the submitochondrial particles was not inhibited by the addition of catalase, superoxide dismutase, hydroxyl radical scavengers, or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, but was inhibited by the addition of KCN, antimycin-A, NADH, ubiquinol, deferoxamine mesylate, ascorbic acid, and alpha-tocopherol. The cardiolipin-cytochrome c lipid peroxidation system could mimic the lipid peroxidation of the submitochondrial particles, in terms of linoleic acid products and the inhibitory patterns of radical scavengers and electron transfer chain inhibitors. Thus, lipid peroxidation in the submitochondrial particles seems to be due to phospholipid-hemoprotein lipid peroxidation systems such as the cardiolipin-cytochrome c system.

Animals↗

Transdermal absorption of L-dopa from hydrogel in rats.

To improve compliance in administration of l-dopa, transdermal absorption of the agent was investigated in rats in vitro employing two-chamber diffusion cells in which the excised rat abdominal skin was mounted, and in vivo using an alcoholic hydrogel containing l-menthol. The in vitro study revealed that in presence of l-menthol (2%, W/W), ethanol (20 and 40%, V/V) accelerated transdermal penetration of l-dopa with an increase of its percentages. The in vivo study showed that when the l-dopa-hydrogel containing 2% l-menthol and 40% ethanol was attached on the skin, plasma levels of l-dopa and norepinephrine increased with the time elapsed; the level of dopamine increased and reached a plateau thereafter; and the level of epinephrine was unchanged. These in vitro and in vivo findings indicated that the hydrogel formulation of l-dopa provides new direction in treating Parkinson's disease.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Evidence for a site-specific fucosylation of N-linked oligosaccharide of immunoglobulin A1 from normal human serum.

Glycopeptides containing the N-linked oligosaccharide from human serum IgA1 were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). Two glycopeptides, GP1 and GP2, prepared from the endoproteinase Asp-N digest of the IgA1 heavy chain, were derived from the CH2 domain (N-glycan site at Asn263) and the tailpiece portion (N-glycan site at Asn459), respectively. The structure of the attached sugar chain was deduced from the mass number of the glycopeptide and confirmed by a two-dimensional mapping technique for a pyridylaminated oligosaccharide. GP1 was composed of two major components having a fully galactosylated bianntena sugar chain with or without a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residue. On the other hand, the GP2 fraction corresponded to the glycopeptides having a fully galactosylated and fucosylated bianntena sugar chain partly bearing a bisecting GlcNAc residue. Thus, the site-specific fucosylation of the N-linked oligosaccharide on the tailpiece of the alpha1 chain became evident for normal human serum IgA1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effects of mild (33 degrees C) and moderate (29 degrees C) hypothermia on cerebral blood flow and metabolism, lactate, and extracellular glutamate in experimental head injury.

The effects of mild (33 degrees C) and moderate (29 degrees C) hypothermia were investigated to determine which temperature was more effective against compression-induced cerebral ischemia. Eighteen cats were anesthetized. The animals were divided into three groups according to deep-brain temperature (control, 37 degrees C; mild hypothermia, 33 degrees C; and moderate hypothermia, 29 degrees C). Intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were monitored, the latter by hydrogen clearance. Arteriovenous oxygen difference (AVDO2) and cerebral venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) were measured in blood samples from the superior sagittal sinus. The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and the cerebral metabolic rate of lactate (CMR lactate) were calculated. Extracellular glutamate was measured by microdialysis. ICP was increased by inflation of an epidural balloon until CBF became zero, and this ischemia was maintained for 5 min, after which the balloon was quickly deflated. All parameters were recorded over 6 h. Evans blue was injected to examine vascular permeability changes. CBF was decreased by 56% by mild hypothermia and by 77% by moderate hypothermia. Mild hypothermia had a coupled metabolic suppression whereas moderate hypothermia significantly increased AVDO2 and decreased ScvO2, producing a low CBF/CMRO2 (relative ischemia). After balloon deflation, all three groups showed reactive hyperemia, which was significantly reduced by mild and moderate hypothermia. CBF then decreased to 50% of pre-inflation values and ScvO2 decreased (post-ischemic hypoperfusion). CBF/CMRO2, ScvO2, and AVDO2 did not differ significantly between the three groups. After balloon deflation, all three groups showed increased CMR lactate, which was significantly reduced by mild and moderate hypothermia. Extracellular glutamate increased in control animals (3.8 +/- 1.72 microM), an effect most effectively suppressed in the mild hypothermia group (1.0 +/- 0.46 microM). Damaged tissue volumes as indicated by Evans blue dye extravasation were 729 +/- 89 mm3 in control, 247 +/- 56 mm3 in mild hypothermia, and 267 +/- 35 mm3 in moderate hypothermia animals. These data suggest that mild hypothermia (33 degrees C) might be the optimal brain temperature to treat compression-related cerebral ischemia.

Animals↗

Genetic and epigenetic alterations of the estrogen receptor gene and hormone independence in human breast cancer.

The existence of hormone-independent tumors is a substantial problem for the present endocrine treatment of breast cancers. Estrogen receptor (ER) gene mutation can change the biochemical activity of the protein and can affect hormone responsiveness. However, quite a few mutations of significance have been described in breast cancer. Recently, numerous variant ERs have been detected at the mRNA level with alternative splicing, yielding deletion of exon 3, 5, or 7. The truncated ER protein induced from variant mRNA could mainly be exhibited as a repressor through dominant negative effects on normal ER protein. The mechanism of the loss of hormone dependency is, however, still very complex. Further work to assess the correlation between clinical behavior and ER variants is required to determine whether these variants play a role in hormone-resistant disease. Additionally, the DNA methylation of the ER gene itself may control ER expression. These epigenetic changes can play an important role in the loss of hormone dependence in breast cancer.

Alternative Splicing↗

Distal sensory axonopathy after sarin intoxication.

A 51-year-old man inhaled sarin during a terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway system and died 15 months later. Neuropathologic examination revealed marked nerve fiber decrease in the sural nerve, moderate nerve fiber loss in the sciatic nerve, and unremarkable dorsal root ganglia, dorsal roots, and posterior column of the spinal cord. This pathology is consistent with dying-back degeneration of the peripheral nervous system and could represent a late sequela of sarin intoxication.

Fatal Outcome↗

Protective role of IgA1 glycans against IgA1 self-aggregation and adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of carbohydrate moieties attached to IgA1 hinge region in IgA1 self-aggregation and adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins previously reported in IgA nephropathy. Serum IgA1 samples isolated from healthy individuals were digested with neuraminidase (NA), NA + beta-galactosidase, and NA + beta-galactosidase + alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase to remove the carbohydrates from the hinge region and were named asialo, agalacto, and naked IgA1, respectively. First, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed under the native condition, and consequently, a broad band indicating IgA1 self-aggregation was clearly observed in asialo, agalacto, and naked IgA1, but not in native IgA1. However, the broad band disappeared in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under the nonreducing condition. Second, it was shown that IgA1 adhesion activities to type IV collagen, fibronectin, and laminin were significantly higher in asialo, agalacto, and naked IgA1 than in native IgA1, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (asialo, agalacto, and naked versus native: P < 0.01). In addition, agalacto IgA1 had the highest affinity for all of the ECM proteins among the deglycosylated IgA1 (agalacto versus asialo and naked, P < 0.05). These results indicated that the removal of carbohydrates from the IgA1 molecule resulted in noncovalent self-aggregation and a significant increase in adhesion to the ECM proteins. It was therefore suggested that the IgA1 glycans played a protective role against aggregation and adhesion and that the underglycosylation of the IgA1 molecule found in IgA nephropathy could be involved in the nonimmunologic glomerular accumulation of IgA1.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

Analyses of IgA1 hinge glycopeptides in IgA nephropathy by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

This study was performed to analyze the structural variety of O-glycans on the IgA1 hinge in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The IgA1 fragments containing the hinge glycopeptide (33-mer hinge peptide core (HP) + O-glycans) were separated from 13 IgAN patients, eight healthy control subjects, and 11 patients with other primary glomerulonephritides by pyridylethylation, trypsin treatment, and Jacalin affinity chromatography. Because of the use of Jacalin, only the Gal beta 1-3GalNAc residue containing IgA was analyzed. The molecular weights (MW) of the IgA1 fragments treated by the following sequential treatment by exoglycosidases were estimated using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry: (1) Sialidase treatment: the MW of the two observed peaks A and B were compatible with (A) HP + 4GalNAc + 4Gal and (B) HP + 5GalNAc + 4Gal. (2) Sialidase and galactosidase: the MW of the two identified peaks a and b were consistent with (a) HP + 4GalNAc and (b) HP + 5GalNAc. (3) Sialidase, galactosidase, and alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase. All subjects revealed one peak, indicating the 33-mer IgA1 hinge peptide core. The intensity rate of peak B/A was significantly decreased in the IgAN group (mean +/- SD, 1.01 +/- 0.08) compared with the negative control subjects (healthy group, 1.15 +/- 0.06, P = 0.0048; other glomerulonephritis group, 1.13 +/- 0.10, P = 0.0049; Scheffe's F test). These results suggested the presence of a defect in the Gal and/or GalNAc residues in the IgA1 hinge glycopeptides in IgAN.

Amino Acid Sequence↗