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Biomedical subjects

H Kono

Publications and source records attributed to H Kono.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Expression of nm23 protein in pulmonary adenocarcinomas: inverse 1orrelation to tumor progression.

Immunohistochemical assessment was made of nm23 protein expression in pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Of the 147 adenocarcinomas 67% (99/147) were weakly and 33% (48/147) strongly positive for nm23 protein. nm23 protein expression in primary tumors was shown to correlate inversely with advancing pathologic stage and the degree of metastasis in regional lymph nodes (P < 0.05). The staining of tumors without nodal metastasis was more intense than with nodal metastasis (P < 0.02). Nodal metastasis was seen in 37% (55/147) cases examined. The immunoreactivity to nm23 protein in tumor cells of nodal metastasis was essentially the same as in those of primary tumors (P < 0.01). Significant correlation between patient prognosis and immunoreactivity for nm23 in primary tumors (P < 0.05) was demonstrated. But none could be found between immunoreactivity and other parameters such as histologic grading, distant metastasis, tumor size or disease-free survival. Neither was there any significant correlation between pathologic parameters examined and the expression of nm23 in any histologic subtype. Multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards regression model with five variables indicated nm23 and lymph node metastasis to contribute to overall patient survival. Based on risk ratio disadvantageous state/advantageous states, the gravity of prognostic factors was assessed for lymph node metastasis as 9.25, nm23 expression as 2.06, distant metastasis as 1.23, pathologic stage as 0.78 and tumor size as 0.77. The results suggested that in pulmonary adenocarcinoma a reduced expression of nm23 protein was associated with lymph node metastasis and poor patient survival.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Immunoreaction at 43 kDa with anti-ubiquitin antibody in breast neoplasms.

Protein ubiquitination has been implicated in ATP-dependent protein turnover and normal cell proliferation. To investigate whether the ubiquitin-mediated system is functionally involved in the cancerous state, we examined changes in protein ubiquitination in 52 surgically resected primary breast tumors. Immunohistochemically, ubiquitin (Ub) was identified in the cytoplasm of cancer cells, which were stained more strongly than adjacent normal ductal epithelium. Corresponding immunoblot analysis of normal and neoplastic regions of human breast showed that the immunoreaction for Ub at about 43 kDa was increased in all of the tumors (100%), regardless of the clinical stage or histologic grade. This protein, which gave a single spot on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, had partial amino acid sequences which were identical to those of actin family members. Our results suggest that ubiquitination of this 43-kDa protein may be involved in the carcinogenesis or biological characteristics of human breast neoplasms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

The relationship between abdominal pain regions and specific diseases: an epidemiologic approach to clinical practice.

In order to evaluate the relationship between the patient-identified regions of abdominal pain and the disease diagnosis, a prospective study was conducted at General Medicine Outpatient Clinic, Saga Medical School Hospital. Four hundred eighty-nine outpatients complaining of abdominal pain at the first visit were classified into 10 groups according to the pain region complained of, i.e., whole abdominal, epigastric, right subcostal, left subcostal, right flank, left flank, periumbilical, right-lower, mid-lower, and left-lower, the clinic physicians and authors in joint-participation assigned the groups through studying the medical records. Comparisons were made in order to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios between the pain regions and disease diagnoses. In general, the sensitivity of history-taking and physical examination is low, but specificity is, high in relation to epigastric pain and gastroduodenal diseases, right subcostal pain and hepatobiliary diseases, and mid lower pain and gynecological diseases (above 0.5). Comparative analysis between the pain regions complained of by the patient in the initial clinic visit and the medical diagnoses yielded clinically useful information as to the efficacy of medical history-taking and physical examination in the identification of abdominal diseases.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1997

Effects of coronary blood flow, myocardial contractility, and heart rate on cardiac lymph circulation in open-chest dogs. Use of a direct cannulation method for subepicardial lymph vessel.

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of increased coronary blood flow (CBF), myocardial contractility, and heart rate on cardiac lymph circulation using a subepicardial lymph channel in anesthetized open-chest dogs. A subepicardial lymph vessel along the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was cannulated directly with a small polyethylene tube, and lymph flow (LF) and protein concentration of lymph (PC) were measured. Coronary blood flow (CBF) was increased with intracoronary infusion of adenosine, and myocardial contractility with isoproterenol (isoprenaline) infusion. Effects of an increase in CBF using a constant flow system were also studied. Heart rate was increased by atrial pacing. The control cardiac LF in 17 adult mongrel dogs varied from 5.3 to 12.6 microliters/min (mean 8.4 +/- 2.8). With an increase in CBF, LF and protein efflux to lymph (PEF) increased both adenosine and isoproterenol infusion, while PC was decreased by adenosine and increased by isoproterenol. The increase in CBF using the constant flow system elicited the essentially similar extent of changes in LF and PC in relation to a change in CBF as those during infusion of adenosine. The increase in LF and PEF was significantly smaller during the infusion of adenosine than isoproterenol infusion in relation to a change in CBF. In contrast, pacing-induced tachycardia which caused a relative shortening of the diastolic phase in the heart cycle reduced LF and PEF despite of a slight increase in CBF. These findings suggest that CBF and relative duration of diastole in the heart cycle play an important role in regulation of lymph circulation, and isoproterenol can change capillary permeability in addition to increasing CBF.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1997

Design of hydrophobic core of E. coli malate dehydrogenase based on the side-chain packing.

We have developed computational programs for the de novo design of hydrophobic cores of proteins. The first program optimizes side-chain conformations using an updated rotamer library for potential hydrophobic residues, based on the backbone structure of the protein of interest. The second program selects candidates to be engineered among the sequences by estimating changes in Gibbs free energy between the folded and unfolded structure of the proteins with new sequence. Using these programs, we constructed several variants of E. coli malate dehydrogenase (eMDH) which could have increased stability at 25 degrees C, compared to the wild type enzyme. To quantitate stability change between variants and the wild type, circular dichroism spectra were measured as a function of guanidine hydrochloride concentration at 25 degrees C, pH 7.0. This analysis showed that three variants constructed in this study were stabilized more than or equal to the wild type. This demonstrated that our programs may be powerful tools to design new proteins with high stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Reduced vasodilator response of the right coronary artery to myocardial ischemia in the hypertrophied right ventricle.

The reduced reactive hyperemic response of the right coronary artery (RCA) to brief coronary occlusion was assessed in dogs with pressure-induced right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Right coronary reactive hyperemia was observed in normal dogs and in dogs with pressure-induced RVH. RVH was induced by chronic pulmonary artery banding in eight 3- to 6-month-old dogs, and reactive hyperemia responses to coronary occlusion lasting for 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 sec were compared to those in normal dogs. In dogs with RVH, the peak reactive flow rate and excess blood flow debt repayment after the release of 5- to 60 sec RCA occlusion were markedly attenuated. The calculated minimum coronary resistance was higher in RVH dogs than in normal dogs (p < 0.02). The occlusion time that produced one-half of the maximum %PRHc, T1/2, was significantly (p < 0.01) shorter in RVH dogs than in normal dogs, where %PRHc = (peak reactive flow rate baseline flow rate)/(baseline flow rate). T1/2 in RVH dogs varied inversely with right ventricular systolic pressure. Therefore, blood flow in the RCA in RVH is characterized by an attenuated flow response to acute myocardial ischemia, suggesting inadequate development of the coronary vasculature supplying the hypertrophied ventricle.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Epicardial lipoma].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1995

Alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase genotypes and drinking behavior of Chinese living in Shanghai.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), the principal enzymes responsible for oxidative metabolism of ethanol, exist in multiple, genetically determined molecular forms. Widely different kinetic properties in some of these isozymes account for the individual differences in alcohol sensitivity. In this study we used the polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism method to determine the genotypes of the ADH2 and ALDH2 loci of alcoholic and nonalcoholic Chinese living in Shanghai. We also investigated the subjects' drinking patterns by means of semistructured interviews. The alcoholics had significantly lower frequencies of the ADH2(2) and ALDH2(2) alleles than did the nonalcoholics, suggesting the inhibitory effects of these alleles for the development of alcoholism. In the nonalcoholic subjects, ADH2(2) had little, if any, effect, despite the significant effect of the ALDH2(2) allele in decreasing the alcohol consumption of the individual. Taken together, these results fit the proposed hypothesis for the development of alcoholism, i.e., drinking behavior is greatly influenced by the individual's genotypes of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, and the risk of becoming alcoholic is proportionate with the ethanol consumption of the individual.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[A case of tsutsugamushi disease which occurred in south western Shikoku].

We report a case of tsutsugamushi disease found in south western Shikoku. A 64-year-old male who lived in Towa Village in Kochi, developed a fever and headache on April 6, 1994, and was admitted to Uwajima City Hospital on April 15, with a ten-day history of illness. He had an eschar on the right anterior side of the breast and an enlargement of the right axillary lymph node, without a rash. Laboratory data showed mild liver injury and atypical lymphocytes with 6% in peripheral blood. After his blood was drawn for rickettsial isolation, the minocycline was administered. His symptoms improved rapidly and was discharged in good condition. We successfully isolated the causative agent, Rickettsia tsutugamushi, and designated it as the Shiba strain. High antibody titer against the Kato, Karp and Gilliam strains was detected in serum on admission and increased during the course of the disease. In Shikoku, tsutsugamushi disease is rare and only 13 cases were reported during last ten years. Especially in south western district of Shikoku, there have been no case reported since 1960. This case is important epidemiologically and suggests that we should pay attention to this disease.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1995

[Clinical effects of FUT-187 in reflux esophagitis after gastrectomy].

FUT-187 was orally administered to 38 patients with postgastrectomy reflux esophagitis for 4 weeks. The drug reduced the chief subjective symptoms of reflux esophagitis, such as heartburn, chest pain, precordial pain, and dysphagia for solids in 78.1% of patients. Redness, edema and erosion were also reduced in 53.3% of patients as determined endoscopically. Overall, FUT-187 exhibited an excellent therapeutic effect on the reflux esophagitis which was refractory to conventional treatments.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Energy minimization method using automata network for sequence and side-chain conformation prediction from given backbone geometry.

Globular proteins have high packing densities as a result of residue side chains in the core achieving a tight, complementary packing. The internal packing is considered the main determinant of native protein structure. From that point of view, we present here a method of energy minimization using an automata network to predict a set of amino acid sequences and their side-chain conformations from a desired backbone geometry for de novo design of proteins. Using discrete side-chain conformations, that is, rotamers, the sequence generation problem from a given backbone geometry becomes one of combinatorial problems. We focused on the residues composing the interior core region and predicted a set of amino acid sequences and their side-chain conformations only from a given backbone geometry. The kinds of residues were restricted to six hydrophobic amino acids (Ala, Ile, Met, Leu, Phe, and Val) because the core regions are almost always composed of hydrophobic residues. The obtained sequences were well packed as was the native sequence. The method can be used for automated sequence generation in the de novo design of proteins.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1994

Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin administration on peripheral blood neutrophil counts of premature infants.

To clarify whether administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) may have toxic effects on neutrophil production in premature infants, 10 low birth weight infants who received rHuEpo, 200 U/kg per week, were studied retrospectively. Treated infants were compared with 10 untreated infants. None of the infants studied had infection antenatally or postnatally. In both groups the neutrophil count remained greater than 5000/mm3 for the first 3 weeks and decreased markedly at approximately 4 weeks. Although reticulocyte counts were significantly elevated in the rHuEpo-treated group, the difference in neutrophil counts between the groups was not significant. In addition, administration of rHuEpo did not exert any significant effect on granulocyte-macrophage colony formation of circulating hematopoietic progenitors in neonates. Thus no evidence was found that administration of rHuEpo has toxic effects on granulopoiesis in premature infants.

Erythropoietin↗
PubMed1994

Monoamine oxidase activity in rat organs during pregnancy.

To elucidate the involvement of MAO activity in rat pregnancy, female rats exhibiting at least 3 consecutive 4-day estrous cycles were used. The day of sperm-positive smears was designated as day 0 of pregnancy. The rats were sacrificed on day 2 of diestrus (diestrus-2) and days 7, 14 and 21 of gestation. The organs were collected and weighted, and mitochondrial fractions were prepared for MAO analysis with kynuramine dihydrobromide as substrate. Specific activity (pmol/mg of protein/min) in the ovary is significantly lower in rats on diestrus-2 (792 +/- 127) (mean +/- S.D.) than on day 14 (1,038 +/- 140) and day 21 (1,580 +/- 61) of pregnancy. However, the levels of MAO activity in the uterus of rats on diestrus-2 (899 +/- 266) is higher than on day 21 (570 +/- 80) of pregnancy. The MAO activity in the placenta on day 21 (644 +/- 82) was higher than day 14 (356 +/- 88) of pregnancy. Total MAO activity per organ (nmol/min) of ovary on day 21 (27.2 +/- 5.2) is higher than on diestrus-2 (8.7 +/- 3.0) and on day 14 (14.2 +/- 3.6). Our results suggest that MAO activity in rat reproductive organs such as uterus, ovary, and placenta might fluctuate significantly near term, in correlation with steroid levels, tissue catecholamine contents and so on, in order to maintain pregnancy.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Early diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism: the Japanese experience.

The current status and problems concerning the early identification, diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism in Japan are outlined in this article. With regard to the early diagnosis of alcoholism, we focus on the following four aspects: (1) the drinking culture in Japan and the difficulties in early diagnosis of drinking problems because of this culture, (2) the social system which serves to the early diagnosis of alcoholism, (3) the education of specialists, and (4) screening tests and biological markers of alcoholism. The number of facilities offering specialized treatment of alcoholics has sharply increased in recent years, but it is clear that such facilities are still not sufficient to meet the demand. It also emphasizes that diversification of alcohol treatment facilities is essential to meet the therapeutic needs of newly emerging subgroups such as women, young people and the elderly. Finally, the characteristics of the two self-help groups in Japan, Danshukai (Japan Sobriety Association) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), are described and compared.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Effect of ethanol and progesterone on monoamine oxidase activity in cultured cells of human term placenta.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ethanol and progesterone on the monoamine oxidase activity in cultured human term placental cells. STUDY DESIGN: Human placental cells were prepared from normal human term placentas by enzymatic dispersion in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium. The viability of placental cells prepared by our method was 90%, and the yield of placental cells was 0.6 x 10(6) cells per gram of wet placental tissue. Five milliliters of Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium containing 3 x 10(5) placental cells was plated in a 25 cm2 flask and cultured for 8 days in an incubator at 37 degrees C under an atmosphere of 5% carbon dioxide and 95% oxygen with a saturated humidity. During the culture period the culture medium was replenished every 2 days. A confluent monolayer condition was achieved after 8 days in culture. The cultured placental cells were treated with different concentrations of ethanol (0, 34.6, and 69.2 mmol/L) and progesterone (0, 16, and 32 mumol/L) on day 8 of culture for 48 hours. At the end of treatment placental cells from control and treated flasks were harvested for the analysis of monoamine oxidase activity by spectrophotometry. The effects of ethanol and progesterone on cultured placental cells were statistically analyzed by one-way analysis of variance followed by Duncan's multiple comparisons procedure. RESULTS: A human placental cell culture system has been established from normal human term placentas. The monoamine oxidase activity in 8-day-cultured human term placental cells was significantly higher than that of freshly prepared placental cells. Ethanol concentrations at 34.6 and 69.2 mmol/L significantly increased and progesterone concentration at 32 mumol/L significantly decreased the monoamine oxidase activity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the cultured human term placental cells can be used to examine the in vitro effects of ethanol and progesterone on monoamine oxidase activity. However, the physiologic significance of progesterone's inhibitory effect and the stimulatory effect of ethanol monoamine oxidase activity in the in vivo system have yet to be further investigated.

Cells, Cultured↗