Biomedical subjects

H Matsunaga

Publications and source records attributed to H Matsunaga.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Lymphocyte subset, lymphocyte proliferative response, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor in anorexic patients.

BACKGROUND: Despite a prominent malnourished state, anorexics are unexpectedly free from infection. Several studies have shown that the cell-mediated immunity of anorexics might be well preserved, but results are conflicting. METHODS: Lymphocyte subsets, lymphoproliferative response to phytohemagglutinin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were measured in 7 patients with anorexia nervosa restricting type (RAN), 6 with anorexia nervosa binge-eating/purging type (ANBP), and 8 controls (C). RESULTS: Compared with controls, significantly elevated percentage of CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio in ANBP was found. Although there was no significant difference in lymphoproliferative response among the three groups, sIL-2R in RAN was significantly lower than that in the C group, but not in ANBP. CONCLUSIONS: Although detail mechanism still remains to be unknown, some kinds of compensatory mechanism for cell-mediated immunity is working, especially in chronic underweight anorexic patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Separation of enantiomers on a chiral stationary phase based on ovoglycoprotein. III. Effect of aggregation of ovoglycoprotein on chiral resolution.

Ovoglycoprotein from chicken egg whites (OGCHI) subjected to 80 degrees C has produced the associated OGCHI, which is a heat-induced aggregate of OGCHI. The molecular weight of the aggregate was estimated to be ca. 5.7 million daltons by a low-angle laser light-scattering detection. The heat-induced aggregate of OGCHI was found to dissociate reversibly to the OGCHI monomer. The OGCHI aggregate has little chiral recognition ability, or has much lower chiral recognition ability than the native OGCHI. Further, the OGCHI monomer from the reversibly dissociated OGCHI aggregate has chiral recognition ability comparable to that of the native OGCHI.

Chromatography, Gel↗

PubMed1999

Idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in Japanese patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the vascular nature and clinical features of idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in Japanese patients. METHODS: Patients thought to have idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy were examined with binocular ophthalmoscopy, slitlamp biomicroscopy with a contact lens, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography. RESULTS: From January 1993 to December 1997, 35 eyes in 32 patients were diagnosed as having idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Men were predominantly affected (22 patients [69%]). Most patients were unilaterally involved (29 patients [91%]) and elderly, with a mean age of 65.7 years (range, 44-82 years). Ocular manifestations were relatively mild, with serous or hemorrhagic detachments of the retinal pigment epithelium and neurosensory retina in the posterior pole. Most patients had a favorable course, although some experienced recurrence, and a few eyes developed disciform scarring. In all patients, indocyanine green angiograms demonstrated branching vascular networks with polypoidal dilations at terminals of the network beneath the retinal pigment epithelium. These lesions were mostly in the macula (33 eyes [94%]), with a few in the peripapillary area. CONCLUSIONS: Idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in Japanese patients differs from that in American patients. It seems that this disorder occurs in elderly Japanese patients and should be treated as a distinct clinical entity. It is probably a peculiar form of choroidal neovascularization beneath the retinal pigment epithelium. We propose the term "polypoidal choroidal neovascularization" for this disorder.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Changes of plasma L-arginine levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats under induced hypotension.

Nicardipine, a dihydropyridine type calcium channel blocker, was infused at two flow-rates into spontaneously hypertensive (SH) and control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats (young, 6-week-old and adult, 23-week-old, n = 5) under pentobarbital anesthesia, to cause hypotension. Mean arterial blood pressure and the concentrations of plasma amino acids and norepinephrine (NE) were measured before infusion and at each step of the infusion. The reduction in blood pressure caused by nicardipine induced a decrease in plasma L-arginine concentration in both young and adult SH rats, this effect being larger in adult rats. There was no significant change in plasma levels of L-arginine in age-matched WKY rats. The concentration of other amino acids did not change in both rat strains. On the contrary, there was an increase in plasma NE concentration in both SH and WKY rats after infusion with nicardipine. Plasma L-arginine concentration showed a good inverse correlation with the logarithm of plasma NE concentration in SH and WKY rats and the correlation was expressed as Y = -alpha log(X) + m (Y, plasma L-arginine concentration (nmol/mL); X, plasma NE concentration (pmol/mL); alpha, a slope; and m, an intercept). alpha, 43.0 and 4.35 for 23-week-old SH and WKY rats, respectively, and 17.0 and 4.0 for 6-week-old SH and WKY rats, respectively. The present data together with previous data suggest a direct noradrenergic stimulation of the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine. The findings also indicate an impairment of the L-arginine metabolism or pools in SH rats compared with WKY rats. The deficiency of L-arginine increases with the age of SH rats and could be related to the development and maintenance of hypertension due to inefficient production of NO.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Possible cause of unnatural mass death of wild birds in a pond in Nishinomiya, Japan: sudden appearance of toxic cyanobacteria.

During the summer of 1995, about 20 spot-billed ducks died unnaturally in a pond (Shin-ike) in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The suspected cause was the sudden appearance of toxic freshwater bloom of cyanobacteria. However, no birds died in a nearby pond (Oo-ike) in which the cyanobacteria was also present. Morphological observation of these cyanobacteria by microscope revealed that they were almost unialgal and were both Microcystis aeruginosa. The lyophilized algal cell powder from Shin-ike contained large amounts of microcystins which showed acute toxicity for mouse, while that from Oo-ike had only a very small amount of microcystin-RR which did not show acute toxicity. Autopsy of one of the birds revealed that the liver was necrotic and severely jaundiced with a dark green color, suggesting the toxicity of the microcystins. These results point to the cause of the unnatural death of spot-billed ducks in Shin-ike as being the sudden appearance of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa. This was due to eutrophication of the pond, following the influx of untreated sewage related to damage from the Great Hanshinn Earthquake of January 1995. This is the first experimental report of toxic cyanobacteria being implicated in the mass death of wild birds in Japan.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Clinical characteristics in patients with anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess clinical characteristics, including co-morbid personality disorders in patients with both anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in comparison with age- and sex-matched patients with OCD. METHODS: Fifty-three female patients with AN were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of a current diagnosis of OCD, as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Patient version (SCID-P). Twenty-one women (40 %) who met the DSM-III-R criteria for both AN and OCD were compared with 23 female patients with OCD, using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the SCID Axis II disorders. RESULTS: There were no significant differences on the mean Y-BOCS severity scores between these groups. However, AN patients with OCD were significantly more likely than OCD patients to have obsessions with need for symmetry or exactness and ordering/arranging compulsions, whereas both aggressive obsessions and checking compulsions tended to be more frequently identified in OCD patients compared with AN patients with OCD. AN patients with OCD were significantly more likely than OCD patients to meet the criteria for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there are some differential characteristics of the OCD symptomatology between these disorders, although many patients with AN manifest significant impairment from primary OCD symptoms with similar magnitude in severity to that found in OCD patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Metabolism of 7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4- (2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (S-53482) in rat. 1. Identification of a sulfonic acid type conjugate.

To examine the metabolic fate of 7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5, 6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4-(2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3( 4H)-one (S-53482), rats were given a single oral dose of [phenyl-(14)C]-S-53482 at 1 (low) or 100 (high) mg/kg. The radiocarbon was almost completely eliminated within 7 days after administration in both groups. (14)C recoveries (expressed as percentages relative to the dosed (14)C) in feces and urine were 56-72 and 31-43%, respectively, for the low dose and 78-85 and 13-23%, respectively, for the high dose. S-53482 and seven metabolites were identified in urine and feces. Six of them were purified by several chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroanalyses (NMR and MS). Alcohol derivatives and an acetoanilide derivative were isolated from urine. Three sulfonic acid conjugates having a sulfonic acid group incorporated into the double bond of the 3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimide moiety were isolated from feces. On the basis of the metabolites identified in this study, the metabolic pathways of S-53482 in rats are proposed.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Interaction between two dicarboxylate endogenous substances, bilirubin and an uremic toxin, 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid, on human serum albumin.

PURPOSE: Two dicarboxylate endogenous substances, bilirubin (BR) and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF), have a very high affinity to human serum albumin (HSA). This study was undertaken to clarify the existence of a dicarboxylate binding site on HSA. METHODS: Chemical modification, pH dependent binding and X-ray crystallographic analysis were performed to characterize these dicarboxylate binding sites. RESULTS: It was found the binding behavior for dicarboxylates was different from typical site I ligands such as warfarin (WF) and phenylbutazone (PB) and that electrostatic interaction was an important factor for their binding to HSA. Moreover, His residues were considered to play an important role in pH dependent binding of dicarboxylic acids but in a different manner from the site I ligands. X-ray crystallography of CMPF and BR revealed the distances between the two carboxyl groups in their chemical structures were 5.854 A and 9.979 A, respectively. This difference may be reflected in pH dependent binding. Using fluorescent probe displacement, we attempted to identify the binding site for monocarboxylate derivatives of CMPF and investigated the role of individual carboxyl group in the recognition of the binding site. The results suggested two carboxyl groups were important for the specific binding of CMPF to site I. CONCLUSIONS: The binding site for dicarboxylic acids is located in subdomain IIA, which includes site I, on the HSA molecule. Electrostatic interaction is an important driving force for binding to HSA.

Bilirubin↗

PubMed1999

Prevalence and symptomatology of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder among bulimic patients.

This study sought to assess the prevalence and symptomatology of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among Japanese subjects who met the DSM-III-R criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Patient Version was used to distinguish 26 BN patients with concurrent OCD from 52 BN patients without OCD. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in BN subjects with concurrent OCD were evaluated using the Japanese version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. There were no differences in the prevalence of concurrent OCD between BN subjects with and without a lifetime history of anorexia nervosa. Among BN subjects with concurrent OCD, symptoms related to symmetry and order were most frequently identified, followed by contamination and aggressive obsessions, and checking and cleaning/washing compulsions. Bulimia nervosa subjects with concurrent OCD were more likely than subjects without OCD to have more severe mood and core eating disorder psychopathology. Comorbid OCD is a common phenomenon in Japanese bulimics (33%) similar to that suggested in BN subjects in the Western countries. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to symmetry and order were most frequently observed in BN subjects with concurrent OCD, which was a similar finding to that reported among restricting anorexic subjects.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Delayed gastric emptying after Billroth I pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy: effect of postoperative time and cisapride.

OBJECTIVE: To study the recovery course of gastric emptying after Billroth I pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) and therapeutic effects of cisapride. METHODS: To examine gastric emptying, acetaminophen was given, admixed in a pasty liquid meal, to 16 patients undergoing PPPD before surgery and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after surgery. Cisapride was given orally to 10 patients before they received the acetaminophen regimen. Electrogastrography was performed at 2 weeks to 1 month after surgery in eight patients and at 6 to 12 months after surgery in seven patients. RESULTS: Gastric emptying was delayed but returned to the preoperative level by 6 months after surgery. Pretreatment with cisapride accelerated gastric emptying during months 1 to 6 but not during months 6 to 12 after surgery. Electrogastrography frequently showed tachygastria 2 weeks to 1 month after surgery, but seldom 6 to 12 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: After Billroth I PPPD, gastric emptying is delayed but recovers by 6 months after surgery. Tachygastria may play a part in the pathogenesis of delayed gastric emptying, but it can be treated with cisapride.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Psychopathological characteristics of recovered bulimics who have a history of physical or sexual abuse.

We sought to clarify the influence of a history of sexual or physical abuse on a variety of psychopathologies in subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN). To avoid confounding effects, the presence of a history of sexual or physical abuse, lifetime axis I disorders, and personality disorders were assessed through direct structured interviews in 44 subjects recovered from BN for at least 1 year. Twenty abused subjects (45%) were significantly more likely than 24 subjects without abuse to have severe general psychopathology and eating disturbance. Compared with nonabused subjects, abused subjects showed a trend toward more frequent lifetime diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder and substance dependence. These results suggest that abusive experiences may be associated with some psychopathology of BN, particularly related to anxiety, substance abuse, and more severe core eating disorder pathology.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Indocyanine green angiography and pathophysiology of multifocal posterior pigment epitheliopathy.

PURPOSE: To clarify the pathophysiology of multifocal posterior pigment epitheliopathy (MPPE), or bullous retinal detachment (RD)-an unusual manifestation of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC)-we evaluated indocyanine green (ICG) angiographic findings of patients with MPPE. METHODS: Indocyanine green angiography was performed on 45 eyes of 26 patients with MPPE in our clinic during a 4-year period and compared with clinical and fluorescein angiographic (FA) findings. RESULTS: Ophthalmoscopically, in the posterior pole there were multiple yellowish-white retinal exudations, associated with flat, serous RD and bullous RD in the lower periphery. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated multiple massive leakages from the choroid into the subretinal space. These leakage sites corresponded to the retinal exudations. Indocyanine green angiography showed hyperfluorescence in the posterior pole of the choroid. The hyperfluorescence was first seen in the middle phase and became prominent in the late phase. This finding seems to be due to extravasation from the choriocapillaris. After laser photocoagulation of the leakage sites seen on FA, the leakages stopped and the retinal exudations and RD were resolved. Indocyanine green angiography, however, revealed hyperfluorescence in the posterior pole that was seen in active stage. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These ICG angiographic findings for MPPE show that hyperpermeability of the choroidal vessels may be the primary causative lesion. This is followed by an intrastromal accumulation of the extravasated choroidal fluid, which may be subclinical. Involvement of the retinal pigment epithelium may be secondary, and then the disease becomes manifest with RD. In MPPE, a severe form of CSC, the retinal pigment epithelium is involved extensively and widely, and prognosis is unfavorable. We conclude that MPPE and CSC represent opposite ends of a common morbid spectrum.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms before and after recovery from bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms are common in people who are ill with bulimia nervosa. However, little is known about whether OCD symptoms persist after long-term recovery from bulimia. METHOD: Thirty-one female patients with bulimia nervosa, 29 women who had been recovered from bulimia for more than 1 year, and 19 healthy female comparison subjects completed the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, which measures OCD-like symptoms. Items related to symptoms of core eating disorders were omitted from the Yale-Brown scale. RESULTS: The Yale-Brown scale scores of the women with bulimia (mean = 13.1, SD = 10.6) and those who had recovered from bulimia (mean = 7.9, SD = 7.0) were significantly higher than the scores of the normal comparison subjects (mean = 1.9, SD = 2.6). Women with bulimia and those who had recovered from bulimia had similar Yale-Brown scale scores and endorsed similar Yale-Brown scale target symptoms, such as obsessions related to symmetry and exactness. CONCLUSIONS: OCD symptoms persist after recovery from bulimia. Moreover, the types of OCD symptoms experienced by bulimia patients do not vary dramatically with improvement in bulimic symptoms. Persistent OCD symptoms after recovery from bulimia raise the possibility that these behaviors are trait-related and contribute to the pathogenesis of bulimia.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

A highly sensitive ELISA for the quantification of polymyxin B sulfate in human serum.

A highly sensitive ELISA for the determination of polymyxin B sulfate (PMB) was developed which is capable of measuring as low as 32 pg/ml. Anti-PMB antibody was obtained by immunizing rabbits with PMB conjugated with mercaptosuccinyl bovine serum albumin (MS. BSA) using N-(gamma-maleimidobutyryloxy) succinimide (GMBS) as a heterobifunctional coupling agent. An enzyme marker was similarly prepared by coupling PMB with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) employing GMBS. This ELISA showed very low reactivity with the PMB analogue, polymyxin E (0.05%). The values for PMB concentration detected by this assay were comparable with those detected by the bioassay. Moreover, the ELISA was about 10,000 times more sensitive in detecting PMB at lower concentrations. Serum PMB concentration after the oral administration of a PMB tablet to human subjects was determined by the ELISA. PMB was rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract after the administration, then slowly decreased. These results indicate that the ELISA may be a valuable tool for studies of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the anti-endotoxin drug, PMB.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1999

Antiproliferative constituents from umbelliferae plants. V. A new furanocoumarin and falcarindiol furanocoumarin ethers from the root of Angelica japonica.

The CHCl3 extract of the root of Angelica japonica showed high inhibitory activity against human gastric adenocarcinoma (MK-1) cell growth. From this extract, a new furanocoumarin named japoangelone and four furanocoumarin ethers of falcarindiol, named japoangelols A-D, were isolated together with caffeic acid methyl ester, four polyacetylenic compounds (panaxynol, falcarindiol, 8-O-acetylfalcarindiol, and (9Z)-1,9-heptadecadiene-4,6-diyne-3,8,11-triol), eight coumarins (osthol, isoimperatorin, scopoletin, byakangelicin, xanthotoxin, bergapten, oxypeucedanin methanolate, and oxypeucedanin hydrate), and two chromones (3'-O-acetylhamaudol, and hamaudol). The structures of the new isolates were determined based on spectral evidence. The ED50 of isolates against MK-1, HeLa, and B16F10 cell lines are reported.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Increase in the advanced glycation end product pentosidine in Bruch's membrane with age.

PURPOSE: To determine whether there is an age-related increase of pentosidine in human Bruch's membranes and to localize pentosidine and carboxymethyllysine (CML), two well-characterized, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in aged human Bruch's membranes and choroid in vivo. METHODS: Human Bruch's membrane samples were isolated from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid and subjected to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography to determine pentosidine content. A polyclonal anti-pentosidine antibody and a monoclonal antibody specific for carboxymethyllysine were used to localize AGEs in 20-month-old nondiabetic, 82-year-old nondiabetic, and 82-year-old diabetic globes. RESULTS: Human Bruch's membranes (n = 20) showed a linear age-dependent increase in pentosidine that reached approximately 0.17 millimoles pentosidine per mole hydroxyproline in late life (r = 0.896; P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical evaluation showed evidence of pentosidine in Bruch's membrane, choroidal extracellular matrix, and vessel walls in the 82-year-old nondiabetic and diabetic globes. A similar staining pattern was found with the anti-CML antibody. Basal laminar deposits and drusen stained with both antibodies in the elderly nondiabetic eye. In contrast, neither antibody stained the 20-month-old tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We provide biochemical and immunohistochemical evidence for the formation of pentosidine and CML structures in human Bruch's membrane and choroid with age. These changes could promote aging of the RPE-Bruch's membrane-choroid complex.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

[Histological proof of indocyanine green angiography--healthy eyes].

PURPOSE: To determine the histological localization of indocyanine green (ICG) in the healthy rat eye and to correlate this with ICG angiographic findings. METHODS: After intravenous ICG dye injection, the rat eyes were enucleated and processed by freeze-substitution fixation with acetone. The tissue sections were stimulated with an 805-nm diode laser and observed with an infrared microscope with an intensified charge coupled device camera. The histological examinations of ICG localization were correlated with the ICG angiographic images. RESULTS: ICG dye did not leak from the retinal and iris vessels. However, in the choroid, extravasation of ICG from the choriocapillaris was observed. The extravascular ICG from the choriocapillaris slowly diffused to the choroidal stroma but did not diffuse to the neurosensory retina through the retinal pigment epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: Change in the localization of ICG in ocular tissue was demonstrated in the ICG angiographic findings. These results help to interpret clinical ICG angiographic findings.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Synthesis and pharmacological activity of pyrazolopyrrolopyrimidine derivatives having vasorelaxing activity.

A new series of 5-substituted and 5-nonsubstituted pyrazolopyrrolopyrimidine derivatives were synthesized, and their vasorelaxing and hypotensive activities were evaluated. The syntheses were efficiently accomplished through the use of three key intermediates (7, 16, and 24), as shown in Schemes I-III. The desired pharmacological activities were confirmed on the basis of vasorelaxing activity in rat aorta (in vitro) and hypotensive activity in rats (in vivo). Specifically, compound 25 exhibited the strongest activity and appears to be a promising clinical lead for the development of a new antihypertensive agent.

Animals↗