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Biomedical subjects

H Minami

Publications and source records attributed to H Minami.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Changes in brush-border enzyme activities of intestinal epithelial cells isolated from the villus-crypt axis during the early phase of alloxan diabetes in rats.

The sucrase activity in enterocytes isolated from the villus crypt axis was found to increase in all regions of the villus from day 2 after induction of diabetes, and the increase continued until day 4. In contrast, alkaline phosphatase activity increased mainly in the apical one-third of the villus-crypt column, and the increase occurred abruptly on day 4 with increase in food intake.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1985

East meets west: some ethical considerations.

Japan, one of the most developed and industrialized countries in the world, may appear totally Westernized, but Japan has a culture of traditional customs and beliefs. This paper sheds light on the confusion of value orientations among Japanese nurses whose professional socialization is heavily influenced by Western culture and whose personal life depends on traditional culture. Examples of Japanese culture-bound values clarify the differences between Western and Japanese cultures. The importance of engaging in value clarification and analyzing the ethical principles behind decision-making is noted.

Communication↗
PubMed1985

Induction of intestinal ornithine decarboxylase by single amino acid feeding.

Intestinal and hepatic ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activities increased to a peak 4 h after administration of a diet containing casein or an amino acid mixture simulating that of casein to rats starved for 12 h. All amino acids except cysteine with a two or three carbon skeleton, including those with a D-configuration, and alpha-amino-isobutyric acid (AIB) strongly induced intestinal ODC when given in the diet or administered intragastrically. Amino acids with a four carbon skeleton were far less effective as inducers and other amino acids did not induce intestinal ODC at all. The amino acids that induced hepatic ODC showed no particular structural characteristics: glycine and cysteine were very effective, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, and phenylalanine were less effective, and serine, valine, isoleucine, and histidine were only slightly effective. Elevation of ODC activity after amino acid administration was not due to stabilization of the enzyme protein with the amino acids. Intestinal ODC was induced by intragastric but not intraperitoneal injection of glycine, although these treatments resulted in similar increases in the tissue concentration of glycine. On the contrary, hepatic ODC was induced by glycine regardless of the administration route. Intestinal ODC was also induced only in the segment of the intestine perfused with a solution of an amino acid with which the activity increased in the feeding experiment. These results suggest that the accumulation of an amino acid per se is not a trigger for induction of intestinal ODC and that an amino acid must act on the mucosal surface to induce the enzyme.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1985

Changes in the intraluminal protein digestion of pancreatic duct-ligated rats.

After ligature of the pancreatic duct (PDL), the body weight of rats decreased for several days, but began to increase from day 7, returning to that at the time of the operation on day 14. In these PDL animals, the weight gain was not due to improved digestion resulting from duodenal leakage of pancreatic enzymes or a compensatory increase of proteolytic enzyme activities in the intestinal mucosa. There was no significant difference in pepsin activities in the gastric contents and mucosa of control and PDL rats. However, acidic proteolytic activity, with a pH range between 1 and 4 and an optimum at pH 2.8, was found to be extremely high in the intestinal contents of PDL rats. Furthermore, the intraluminal pH of PDL rats was maintained below 4.0, especially in the upper small intestine, because of the absence of pancreatic bicarbonate secretion, suggesting that compensatory digestion by acidic proteolysis accounted in part for the growth of PDL rats. The transit time of orally administered material through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in PDL rats was longer than that in control rats on days 7 and 14. These results suggest that the weight gain of PDL rats was caused by compensatory digestion by acidic proteolysis in the small intestine and prolongation of the transit time through the GI tract.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Role of the fibula in weight-bearing.

To investigate the weight-bearing function of the fibula, weight-loading experiments were performed on autopsy specimens. With the ankle joint in neutral position, the weight distribution to the fibula amounted to 6.4%. With dorsiflexion of the ankle joint, the weight on the fibula increased. With plantar flexion of the ankle joint, the weight on the fibula decreased. Lateral and posterior loading of the tibia produced increased weight on the fibula. With eversion of the ankle joint, the weight on the fibula increased. The weight-bearing function increased with augmentation of the tibiofibular articular angle. These characteristics of the fibular weight-bearing function should be considered carefully in the treatment of the knee joint or the fibula.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for beta-lactam antibiotics I: Tissue distribution and elimination in rats.

The disposition characteristics of beta-lactam antibiotics in rats were investigated, and a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model capable of predicting the tissue distribution and elimination kinetics of these drugs was developed. Protein-binding parameters in rat serum were determined by equilibrium dialysis. Linear binding was found for penicillin G, methicillin, dicloxacillin, and ampicillin; however, nonlinear binding was observed for penicillin V and cefazolin. After intravenous bolus dosing, cefazolin was recovered almost completely in urine and bile, while for the penicillins, penicilloic acid was found to be the major metabolite. Biliary excretion of cefazolin followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and no significant inhibition of urinary secretion was observed after probenecid administration. The renal clearance of unbound drug was 0.82 ml/min with a reabsorption ratio (R) of 0.22. Tubular secretion was inhibited for the penicillins by probenecid plasma concentrations of 50 micrograms/ml, resulting in an R-value of 0.32. Erythrocyte uptake, serum protein binding, and tissue-to-plasma partition coefficient (Kp) were measured. Theoretical Kp values were calculated and found to be in good agreement with the Kp values for three of the antibiotics. Plasma and tissue concentrations (lung, heart, muscle, skin, gut, bone, liver, and kidney) were measured as a function of time at various doses for inulin and cefazolin in rats after an intravenous bolus dose, and were found to be in reasonable agreement with concentrations predicted by the model. These correlations demonstrate that the proposed model can accurately describe the plasma and tissue contributions of inulin and cefazolin in the rat and suggest that this model could have utility in predicting drug distribution in humans.

Animals↗