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Biomedical subjects

H Kawaguchi

Publications and source records attributed to H Kawaguchi.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Abdominal incisional hernia occurring after an esophagectomy reconstructed with a gastric tube through an antesternal route: report of a case.

A Japanese man, who had undergone a subtotal esophagectomy reconstructed with a gastric tube through an antesternal route for esophageal carcinoma 16 years previously, was admitted to our hospital because of an abdominal incisional hernia. The abdominal incisional hernia was in his upper abdomen and was difficult to push back into the intraabdominal cavity by hand. The hernia was successfully repaired by operation. We thus conclude that an abdominal incisional hernia is a rare but important late-phase complication occurring after an esophagectomy reconstructed with either an antesternal or retrosternal route, and an operation should be the treatment of choice.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[One stage operation for aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus and coronary artery bypass grafting].

Aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus in the adult is rare. One stage operation for aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosis and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is reported. A 61-year-old man was admitted for diagnosis of thoracic aneurysm on chest X-ray and CT. Chest CT scan showed an aneurysm above the left main pulmonary artery. An aortography showed the left vertebral artery originated directly from the aortic arch and a saccular aneurysm arising from the aortic isthmus and lesser curvature of the aortic arch. Coronary arteriography showed 75% stenosis at the right coronary artery (seg. #1) and 75% stenosis at the left anterior descending artery. Operation was performed through a median sternotomy. The aneurysm of 6 to 3 cm was located between the aortic isthmus and left pulmonary artery. Ascending aorta and right atrium were used to institute cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). CABG (LITA to #7, SVG to #4 PD) was performed. Arterial cannulation was then switched to the left femoral artery. The proximal aorta was cross-clamped between the left vertebral artery and the left subclavian artery under the partial CPB, and the distal aorta was occluded with a occulusive balloon catheter via the right femoral artery. The selective left axillar artery cannulation was performed to perfuse LITA. The aneurysm was resected and closed with a patch. His post-operative course was uneventful.

Aortic Aneurysm↗
PubMed1998

Dendrite classification in rat hippocampal neurons according to signal propagation properties. Observation by multichannel optical recording in cultured neuronal networks.

Two-dimensional neuronal networks were formed using a dissociated culture of rat hippocampal neurons on glass plates. Neural activity in response to pulse stimuli applied to the neurons by whole-cell clamp electrodes was observed with a 128-channel optical recording apparatus using a voltage-sensitive dye, RH482. Dendrites emerging from the somata of single neurons were classified according to two signal-transmission properties, those with lower conduction velocities (0.12+/-0.034 m/s, n=24) and those with very fast conduction velocity (faster than 1.0 m/s), by evaluating the conduction velocities of pulse responses. The distinction between these two properties seemed to be related to the morphological differences in input connectivity with the axons of neighboring neurons.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1998

Stimulation of bone formation by intraosseous injection of basic fibroblast growth factor in ovariectomised rats.

The effect on intraosseous bone formation of a single local injection of recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor into trabecular bones was examined in ovariectomised osteoporotic rats. Fibroblast growth factor (400 micrograms), or the vehicle alone, was injected into the ilium at 16 weeks after ovariectomy or a simulated operation. Bone mineral density in the ovariectomised rats increased to a level similar to the latter at 2 weeks and reached a maximum at 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, BMD decreased slowly and the value at 24 weeks was still higher than that in the ovariectomised rats. Fibroblast growth factor stimulated osteoid formation in the first 2 weeks, bone volume reaching a peak at 8 weeks. From 8 to 12 weeks, bone resorption increased, resulting in decreases in bone volume to the levels of the group with simulated operations at 24 weeks. Structural analysis at 8 and 24 weeks showed that ovariectomy decreased the continuity of trabeculae and the injection of fibroblast growth factor restored it to levels higher than, or equal to, those who had the simulated operation. The present study demonstrated that intraosseous fibroblast growth factor given to ovariectomised rats restored bone volume and quality to the levels of the rats who had a simulated operation only.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Tethered cord syndrome: ventral displacement of the spinal cord at the thoracolumbar junction in magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: To determine the route of the spinal cord at the thoracolumbar junction in a sagittal MRI taken in the supine position in tethered cord syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied the MRIs of 11 cases with tethered cord syndrome and the MRIs of 33 individuals without spina bifida were used as a control. When the anteroposterior diameter of the low intensity area behind the spinal cord on the sagittal T1 weighted images taken in the supine position was more than one third the anteroposterior diameter of the cord at T12/L1, the spinal cord was defined as being displaced ventrally. RESULTS: Ventral displacement was found in 6 cases (VD group), but not in the rest (non-VD group). None of the control group showed ventral displacement. There was a tendency for motor weakness to be more severe in the VD group. CONCLUSION: In some cases with tethered cord syndrome, the spinal cord takes a ventral route at the thoracolumbar junction even on MRI taken in the supine position. This finding may be useful in predicting the severity of the motor weakness in the lower extremity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Increased mRNA expression of cardiac renin-angiotensin system and collagen synthesis in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy is associated with the accumulation of collagen in the myocardial interstitium. Previous studies have demonstrated that this myocardial fibrosis accounts for impaired myocardial stiffness and ventricular dysfunction. Although cardiac fibroblasts are responsible for the synthesis of fibrillar collagen, the factors that regulate collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts are not fully understood. We investigated the effects of angiotensin II on cardiac collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts. Cardiac fibroblasts of 10 week old spontaneously hypertensive rats and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats were prepared and maintained in culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. The expression of mRNA of the renin-angiotensin system (renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin converting enzyme) was determined by using a ribonuclease protection assay. Basal collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats was 1.6 fold greater than that in the cell of Wistar-Kyoto rats. Angiotensin II stimulated collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. The responsiveness of collagen production to angiotensin II was significantly enhanced in cardiac fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats (100 nM angiotensin II resulted in 185 +/- 18% increase above basal levels, 185 +/- 18 versus 128 +/- 19% in Wistar-Kyoto rats p < 0.01). This effect was receptor-specific, because it was blocked by the competitive inhibitor saralasin and MK 954. These results indicate that collagen production was enhanced in cardiac fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats, that angiotensin II had a stimulatory effect on collagen synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts, and that cardiac fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats were hyper-responsive to stimulation by angiotensin II. Level of angiotensin and renin mRNA expressed in ventricles, and angiotensinogen mRNA expressed in fibroblasts from SHR were higher than those from WKY. These findings suggest that the cardiac renin-angiotensin system may play an important role in collagen accumulation in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1998

Chronic effects of enalapril and amlodipine on cardiac remodeling in cardiomyopathic hamster hearts.

This study examined the effects of long-term treatments with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, and the calcium antagonist, amlodipine, on the morphologic changes, progressive left ventricular dysfunction, and gene expression of the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and phospholamban (PLN) in dilated cardiomyopathy. From the ages of 5 through 20 weeks, dilated cardiomyopathic hamsters, BIO53.58 (BIO), and control hamsters, F1b, orally received either enalapril or amlodipine. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. At the age of 20 weeks, the collagen volume fractions were analyzed by the stereologic method. RyR and PLN messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were examined by Northern blot in the amlodipine group. In BIO, the reduction of left ventricular percentage of fractional shortening was attenuated in the enalapril group (p < 0.05) and amlodipine group (p < 0.001), and the increase in the collagen volume fraction and the loss of myocytes were suppressed in the amlodipine group compared with the untreated group. RyR mRNA level decreased in BIO (p < 0.01) compared with F1b, but PLN mRNA level was unchanged. RyR and PLN mRNA levels were unaffected by the treatment with amlodipine. Enalapril and amlodipine prevent progressive remodeling and reduce cardiac dysfunction in BIO. Amlodipine prevents fibrosis and cell death without modifying RyR and PLN mRNA levels in BIO.

Amlodipine↗
PubMed1998

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive crescentic glomerulonephritis associated with propylthiouracil therapy.

A teenage girl with crescentic glomerulonephritis had antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) detected after she had received propylthiouracil (PTU) for hyperthyroidism without cutaneous vasculitis. ANCA was detected on admission; renal biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with focal necrotizing glomerulonephritis but no immune deposits. Administration of steroid and decreasing the dose of PTU produced a good clinical response and the ANCA disappeared. It was concluded that ANCA is closely related to the pathogenesis of crescentic glomerulonephritis and that treatment with PTU appeared to induce ANCA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The association between antral G and D cells and mucosal inflammation, atrophy, and Helicobacter pylori infection in subjects with normal mucosa, chronic gastritis, and duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism of inappropriate hypergastrinemia in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-infected subjects. METHODS: We measured fasting serum gastrin (SG) concentrations, and investigated immunohistochemically G and D cell numbers in 47 subjects with normal mucosa, 24 subjects with chronic gastritis, and 24 subjects with duodenal ulcer (DU). The degree of inflammation and atrophy were classified into four categories based on criteria established in the Sydney System: none, mild, moderate, and severe. Avidin-biotin complex methods were used to identify G and D cells, which were counted per unit square (0.25 mm2) in five random fields from each of two well-oriented antral and fundic biopsies. SG concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: The G cell number was not significantly different between 24 subjects with H. pylori-associated gastritis and those with DU. However, the number of antral D cells was significantly lower and the G/D cell ratio was significantly higher in subjects with DU than in those with H. pylori-associated gastritis (p < 0.01), although the degree of inflammation and atrophy in the antrum and H. pylori status were similar between the two groups. The mean fasting SG concentration was higher in subjects with DU than in those with H. pylori-associated gastritis, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that a marked decrease in antral D cell number with a high G/D cell ratio may contribute to hypergastrinemia and the pathogenesis of DU.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Cryosupernatant plasma exchange in the treatment of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome with lupus nephritis.

We report a case of a 22-year-old female with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in whom cryosupernatant plasma exchange was effective and improved both the refractory venous thrombosis in her legs and relapsing thrombocytopenia. A renal biopsy specimen showed not only features of active lupus nephritis but also renal arteriolar thrombosis which is considered to be a type of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Because a pathological role of unusually large von Willebrand factor (vWF) multimers has been reported in patients with TMA including thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, plasma exchange using replacement with cryosupernatant, which is free of unusually large vWF multimers, is likely to be an option of treatment modality for patients with refractory and chronic relapsing APS manifesting TMA.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Overproduction and substrate specificity of 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

We constructed an overexpression system in Escherichia coli of the leuB gene coding for 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. E. coli harboring the plasmid we constructed, pKK leuB1, produced 17-fold the enzyme protein of the expression system previously used for purification. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was analyzed with synthetic (2R, 3S)-3-alkylmalates. The 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans had broad specificity toward the alkylmalates.

3-Isopropylmalate Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1998

Bronchial responsiveness and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism in sarcoidosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inactivates bradykinin and tachykinins, which are potent bronchoconstrictors and mediators of inflammatory reactions. It has recently been shown that an insertion (I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in the ACE gene accounts for variation in serum ACE level. We investigated bronchial responsiveness in patients with sarcoidosis to determine whether it might be associated with ACE gene polymorphism. SUBJECTS: Bronchial responsiveness was assessed in 21 patients with sarcoidosis, 21 patients with asthma, and 18 healthy control subjects. ACE polymorphism was also examined in the 21 patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: Bronchial responsiveness was measured by recording respiratory resistance with continuous inhalation of methacholine from 49 to 25,000 microg/mL in concentration. The ACE genotype was determined using the polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in bronchial responsiveness in sarcoidosis patients as compared with healthy control subjects (p<0.01). In the sarcoidosis group, patients with the II genotype demonstrated significantly more coughing (p<0.05) and a greater bronchial responsiveness (p<0.05) than did those with DI or DD genotypes. CONCLUSION: Patients with sarcoidosis have increased bronchial responsiveness to some extent, the degree apparently depending on the ACE genotype.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene polymorphisms in patients with cardiac hypertrophy.

Chronic mechanical stress of the heart secondary to arterial hypertension is a primary cause of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the cardiovascular system, regulating the expression of cardiac hypertrophy, in part, independent of the effects of systemic hypertension. A major component of RAS is angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), which is upregulated in pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy as well as heart failure. In a recent study, we found that the T allele of the M235T polymorphism of the angiotensinogen gene in sporadic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients is associated with LVH. The present study was designed to assess the contribution of the polymorphisms of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGT1R A1166C) genes on development of left ventricular hypertrophy. Patients with hypertensive LVH and relatives of HCM without manifesting the disease, showed higher C allele frequency compared to patients with HCM (11.3% vs 4.2%, chi 2 = 5.3, p < 0.05 and 10.5% vs 4.2%, chi 2 = 5.3, p < 0.05, respectively), but healthy controls did not (11.3% vs 7.5%, chi 2 = 1.42, NS and 10.5% vs 7.5%, chi 2 = 1.2, NS). The strong interaction between ACE I/D and AGT1R A1166C gene polymorphisms has been found in groups of relatives of HCM patients; odds ratio associated with ACE D allele was significant in subjects carrying the AGT1R C allele (OR = 7.3, 95% CI 1.6-33.1; chi 2 = 7.9, p < 0.02) compared with healthy subjects. We conclude that the molecular variant of the AGT1R A1166C gene is not contributing to the development of cardiac hypertrophy in hypertensive LVH and HCM patients, whereas carriers of both C and D alleles had a four-fold increase in the odds ratio for family history of HCM without manifesting the disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Resection of cervical spinal neurinoma including affected nerve root: recovery of neurological deficit in 15 cases.

In surgery for spinal neurinoma derived from a root, which is assumed to be important for function of the extremities, it is controversial whether the nerve root involved should be totally resected. We retrospectively reviewed the postoperative neurological deficits in 15 patients with solitary neurinoma or neurofibroma in a segment of the cervical spine (C5-C8); in all of them, both anterior and posterior roots were resected. Mean patient age was 47 (18-71) years and the mean follow-up period was 49 (9-137) months. 10 patients showed loss of motor function and 8 patients developed sensory impairment postoperatively. Most postoperative loss of motor function was recovered.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Identification of a new fluke allergen identified by monoclonal IgE antibodies for Paragonimus miyazakii.

IgE-producing hybridomas were acquired from fusing splenic cells to myeloma cells of BALB/c mice infected with Paragonimus miyazakii. With the use of the monoclonal antibody (mAb)xIgE obtained, the localization of the allergen in P. miyazakii, as well as its molecular weight, was evaluated. The allergen was present in the gut epithelium and luminal contents of adult flukes. Because this allergen was absent in the related species Paragonimus westermani and Paragonimus ohirai, we believe that it is specific to P. miyazakii. The allergen was estimated to be less than 14,400 daltons and was 1 of the smallest components that appeared after electrophoresis.

Allergens↗
PubMed1998

Conservative treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy: achievement and sustainability of a level of "no disability".

We retrospectively reviewed 64 patients treated by the following methods: continuous head halter traction in bed (2 patients), cervical brace (19 patients), plaster bed holding head and trunk (15 patients), and Crutchfield's skull traction (28 patients), using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association grading system of motor function. A rate of "no disability" was achieved in 27% in the upper and 26% in the lower extremities. The achieved function was maintained in most patients, and some improved further during the follow-up period (3-10 years). The overall achievement rate was 34% in the upper and 28% in the lower extremities. Because the rate was significantly influenced by the degree of disability before treatment, the candidates are patients with mild disability for whom "no disability" is the goal.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Evaluation of cardiac function by biochemical and molecular biological techniques].

We investigated ACE gene polymorphism in 80 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and in 88 of their unaffected siblings and children. Genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide in intron 16 of the ACE gene. The D allele frequency was higher among patients with solitary HCM than among those with familial HCM. We also determined the expression of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (beta ARK) mRNA in the heart in patients with congestive heart failure. beta ARK mRNA expression in failing heart was significantly increased compared with that in normal heart. These molecular biological methods such as investigation of ACE gene polymorphism and beta ARK mRNA expression are sufficient for detecting cardiac disease.

Biomarkers↗