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Biomedical subjects

H Mine

Publications and source records attributed to H Mine.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Isolation and amino acid sequence of a cystatin-type cysteine proteinase inhibitor from bovine hoof.

A low molecular mass cysteine proteinase inhibitor was found and isolated from bovine hoof. Purification of the inhibitor to homogeneity was performed by carboxymethyl-papain-sepharose affinity and DE-52 ion exchange chromatographies. From 15 g of bovine hoof, 0.25 mg of cysteine proteinase inhibitor was isolated. It had 100 amino acid residues and molecular mass of 11 406 Da, and its N-terminus was blocked. The amino acid sequence of the inhibitor demonstrated high similarity with that of the family 1 group, especially bovine thymus-derived cystatin. Thus, in summary, bovine hoof contains a cystatin-type cysteine proteinase inhibitor, presumably a family 1 cystatin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Presence of human T-lymphotropic virus type II-related genes in DNA of peripheral leukocytes from patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

No etiologic role of human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) in any disease is yet known. The present study showed a high incidence of HTLV-II proviral DNA fragments in DNA of peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. Using primers for the pol and tax regions of HTLV-II proviral DNA, amplified DNA fragments were demonstrated in 51.5% of the patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and in 11.8% of those with Graves' disease examined, but in only 1.9% of the disease controls and 1.0% of healthy individuals. These amplified DNA fragments hybridized with each of the inner probes. The nucleotide sequences of the DNA fragments of the pol and tax regions showed high homology with those of the prototype of HTLV-II. No antibodies for HTLV-II could, however, be detected in the patients examined. Because of the absence of its antibody, HTLV-II infection was not confirmed in these patients, but the presence of HTLV-II proviral DNA or its related DNA at high frequency suggests a relationship of HTLV-II with the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with autosomal dominant inheritance: a clinical and genetic entity of mitochondrial diseases.

We report a Japanese family with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) with autosomal dominant inheritance, and review 54 reported CPEO patients in seven families (including the present family) with autosomal dominant inheritance and mtDNA deletions in the skeletal muscle. Mean age at onset in the CPEO was 26 years, which is older than that in published solitary cases. In addition to blepharoptosis and external opthalmoplegia, proximal muscle atrophy and weakness were found in 62%, hearing loss in 25%, and ataxia in 17% of the patients. Retinal degeneration was not found, and cardiac involvement was very rare. mtDNA deletions in the muscle were multiple and large scale, and all such deletions were located in the non-D-loop region. Autosomal dominant CPEO has unique clinical features which differ from those of solitary CPEO, and is associated with multiple large-scale mtDNA deletions. Thus, autosomal dominant CPEO can be considered a clinical and genetic entity of mitochondrial diseases.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Graves' disease in HTLV-I carriers.

Three carriers of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) with Graves' disease are reported. All three cases were complicated with uveitis, and one also showed chronic arthropathy. Anti-HLTV-I antibody was found in the serum by the particle agglutination method and western blotting, and HTLV-I proviral DNA was detected in peripheral lymphocytes by the polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting. HTLV-I is a causal agent of adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, and is believed to be related to the pathogenesis of diseases such as chronic arthropathy, uveitis, chronic bronchoalveolitis, and Sjögren's syndrome. On the other hand, retrovirus infection is considered to cause autoimmune diseases. Thus, the pathogenesis of Graves' disease in the present patients might be associated with HTLV-I infection.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Cleavage of human big endothelin-1 by Candida albicans aspartic proteinase.

A Candida albicans aspartic proteinase (CAP), one of the secretory proteinases of Candida albicans, is thought to be a possible virulence factor in Candida albicans infection. Whereas endothelin-1 is found as an endothelium-derived strong vasoconstrictive peptide, it is known to have a role in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis and tissue survival. Endothelin-1 is generated from a precursor form of endothelin-1, the so-called big endothelin-1. It has recently been reported that cathepsin D, E and pepsin, which are aspartic proteinases, convert big endothelin-1 to endothelin-1. In this study, the relationship between CAP and big endothelin-1 was studied. High performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that big endothelin-1 was cleaved into several amino acid sites by CAP, but endothelin-1 was not converted from big endothelin-1. CAP cleaved big endothelin-1 at different sites when compared with that of other known aspartic proteinases, and it suppressed endothelin-1 production through the degradation of big endothelin-1. CAP may break homeostatic mechanism of endothelin-1 in Candida albicans infectious lesions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Significance of modes of adherence in esophageal Candida albicans.

Although esophageal candidiasis is the most common form of Candida infection in the gastro-intestinal tract, little attention has been directed toward determining the mechanism of its infection. We have already clarified the existence of four modes of adherence of Candida albicans to the esophagus; attachment, subepithelial cell insertion, cavitation, and invasion. This study was undertaken to clarify the significance of each of these modes. Scanning electron microscopic observations were made of esophageal specimens from 8-week-old rabbits infected with Candida albicans IFO 1060. In this study, attachment and subepithelial cell insertion were found to be the most frequent modes of adherence. Cavitation occurred following subepithelial cell insertion, while invasion occurred following attachment and subepithelial cell insertion. These results suggest that attachment and subepithelial cell insertion play the most important role in the initial stage of adherence. The ratios of these modes for living yeast cells were similar to those for dead yeast cells and beads. This suggests that Candida albicans can gain a foothold on the esophageal epithelium solely by physical contact, after which colonization occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Candida albicans aspartic proteinase cleaves and inactivates human epidermal cysteine proteinase inhibitor, cystatin A.

It is known that the cysteine proteinase inhibitor, cystatin, has a defence function against exogenous pathogens. Human epidermal cysteine proteinase inhibitor, cystatin A, which is a member of the cystatin family, is localized in the upper epidermal layer. In this study, the relationship between cystatin A and Candida aspartic proteinase (CAP), a putative Candida virulence factor, was studied. CAP activity was not affected by human epidermal cystatin A, while 90% of cystatin A activity was lost after incubation with CAP for 12 h at 37 degrees C. Human epidermal cystatin A was cleaved into small peptides by CAP, and the released peptides had no cystatin activity. These results suggest that CAP may induce an imbalance between cysteine proteinase and its inhibitor in cutaneous Candida infectious lesions through the degradation and inactivation of epidermal cystatin A.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Differential alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in a gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma in a 14 year old girl.

Leiomyosarcoma in childhood is very rare. This report describes the immunohistochemical study of a gastric epithelioid leiomyosarcoma in a 14 year old girl. Microscopically, the tumor showed two distinct histological patterns within the same tumor: small epithelioid cells forming a lobular pattern and spindle-shaped cells forming interlacing fascicles, but no distinct border divided the two types of cells. Immunohistochemically, vimentin was positive in all tumor cells; alpha-smooth muscle actin, however, was negative in small epithelioid cells and positive in spindle-shaped cells. The data revealed that the tumor had components showing two stages of morphological and biochemical differentiation. This case indicates that leiomyosarcomas might lose smooth muscle actin during malignant transformation; or, alternatively, they might arise from a primitive type of smooth muscle cell and some of them could spontaneously differentiate into mature smooth muscle cells, expressing this actin.

Actins↗
PubMed1993

The existence of a dispensable fibrillar layer on the wall surface of mycelial but not yeast cells of Aureobasidium pullulans.

Wall surface ultrastructure of Aureobasidium pullulans was studied by freeze-etching. Yeast cells had a smooth wall surface as in typical yeast species. Mycelial cells and chlamydospores had an extra layer on the wall surface made mostly of fibrils. The fibrils were 20 nm in diameter, and thicker than typical major fungal wall skeletal fibrils of beta-glucan and chitin. This layer was apparently easily detached from the wall proper, presumably as a result of enzymic activity or by physical means, suggesting that it is a physiologically dispensable wall component.

Candida albicans↗
PubMed1993

Congenital sarcoma in the terminal ileum histologically resembling clear cell sarcoma of the kidney: a case report with an immunohistochemical study.

We report a case of a newborn female with a rare tumor, a congenital sarcoma, presenting as an abdominal mass. Laparotomy demonstrated the tumor arising from the wall of the terminal ileum. Histologically, the tumor tissue was indistinguishable from clear cell sarcoma of the kidney and was composed of proliferating cells with poorly stained cytoplasm divided into nests or cords by arborizing vasculature. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the neoplastic cells had a phenotype similar to metanephric blastemal cells of fetal kidney, ie, positive for vimentin and CD24 but negative for cytokeratin and CD9. The results suggest that this congenital tumor may originate from primitive mesenchymal cells phenotypically related to cells present in the fetal kidney.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1992

Purification and characterization of a cystatin-type cysteine proteinase inhibitor in the human hair shaft.

We found a cysteine proteinase inhibitor in human hair shaft extract treated with 0.01 M Tris HCl buffer, pH 8.0. A yield of 0.2 mg of purified cysteine proteinase inhibitor was obtained from 86 g of hair shaft. The cysteine proteinase inhibitor had a molecular mass of 13 kDa as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was more stable to heat and pH than most proteins and had a pI of 4.7. Immunologically, its antigenicity was the same as that of cystatin A, but differed from that of cystatin B and C, and kininogen. The amino-acid sequence of the first 30 residues from the NH terminus of the inhibitor was identical to that of cystatin A from human epidermis. Hair shaft cysteine proteinase inhibitor is thus considered to be identical to epidermal cystatin A.

Cystatins↗
PubMed1992

HLAs and genes in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis: evidence for increased frequencies of HLA-Cw3, HLA-DR2, and HLA-DQB1*0602.

The distribution of HLA-A, B, C, DR and DRB1, DQB1, DPB1 alleles was studied in 60 Japanese patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) using serologic and genomic analysis. We found significant associations with HLA-Cw3 (p = 0.002, pc = 0.012, RR = 3.2), DR2 (p = 0.007, RR = 2.6), and DQB1*0602 (p = 0.04, RR = 4.0) in Japanese patients for the first time. The combined presence of Cw3 and DR2 gave a higher risk than each antigen alone. The reported increase in the frequency of DPw4 in Japanese MS patients [12] could not be confirmed by our genomic study. The frequencies of all of the residues in each variable region of the amino acid sequences of DQ beta and DP beta chains were not different between the MS patients and the controls. These results suggest that MS susceptibility may result from polygenic influences and from the presence of environmental factors.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

Digoxin population pharmacokinetics from routine clinical data: role of patient characteristics for estimating dosing regimens.

Routine clinical pharmacokinetic data collected from patients receiving digoxin have been analysed to evaluate the role of patient characteristics for estimating dosing regimens. The data were analysed using NONMEM, a computer program designed for population pharmacokinetic analysis that allows pooling of data. The pharmacokinetic model of digoxin was described using a one-compartment steady-state model. The effect of a variety of developmental and demographic factors on clearance was investigated. NONMEM estimates indicate that digoxin clearance was influenced by the demographic variables of age, total body weight, serum creatinine and sex. The interindividual variability in digoxin clearance was modelled with additive error with an estimated standard deviation of 46.15 L day-1 and the intraindividual variability, or residual error was 0.209 ng mL-1. The dosing method based on clearance values obtained by NONMEM analysis allowed the prediction of the steady-state concentration as a function of maintenance dose with acceptable error for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Candida albicans produces a cystatin-type cysteine proteinase inhibitor.

A cysteine proteinase inhibitor was found in culture media of Candida albicans. Purification to homogeneity of the inhibitor was performed by carboxymethyl-papain-Sepharose affinity, DE-52 ion-exchange, and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatographies. The purified inhibitor had an M(r) of 15 kDa and a pI of 4.9. It was more stable to heat and pH than most proteins. The N-terminal sequence of the first 30 residues demonstrated high similarity with that of human cystatin A. Thus, C. albicans cysteine proteinase inhibitor seems to belong to the cystatin superfamily. The inhibitor activity of the yeast cellular form was 4.0 times higher than that of the hyphal cellular form in 7-day culture media. It is suggested that the inhibitor has regulatory functions similar to those of its counterpart proteinases in the invasion of host cells.

Candida albicans↗
PubMed1992

[Itch and the heat tolerance scale: effects of thermographic biofeedback].

Effects of heat tolerance (HT) relating with individual emotionality, and of thermal biofeedback on itching were examined. Fourteen high HT subjects and 12 low HT subjects were selected by the Cold and Heat Tolerance Scales (Dienstbier, LaGuardia, & Wilcox, 1987). The experiment was divided into three phases: rating of itch, eight thermal biofeedback (increase or decrease) training sessions, and rating of itch with biofeedback. Itching was produced by a glue made from Japanese yam powder. Yam glue was applied on the subjects' dorsal forearm. The biofeedback information was given by the thermographics on the CRT, where its color was changed according to the changes in temperature of the dorsal forearm skin. Results showed that (a) subjects who were instructed to decrease their skin temperature reported comparatively lower intensities of itching, although their actual temperature controls were unsuccessful, and (b) the biofeedback performance reduced the intensity of itching for the low HT subjects, but raised it for the high HT subjects who were instructed to increase their skin temperature. The results suggested that the biofeedback performance could have different central effects on itching among the HT groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Analysis of surface membrane antigens, cytoskeletal proteins and N-myc oncogene in pediatric solid malignant tumors, their diagnostic usefulness and relevant problems].

Neuroblastoma (NB), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), Ewing's sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) are solid malignant tumors in childhood. Microscopically these tumors are grouped as small-round-cell tumors, and a different diagnosis is sometimes difficult. Cell surface membrane antigen, cytoskeletal protein and N-myc amplification and over-expression were analyzed in these cell lines and tumor tissues for the accurate diagnosis. NB and PNET could be distinguished from Ewing's sarcoma and RMS by the panel of monoclonal antibodies against cell surface membrane antigens. The cytoskeletal protein analysis is useful for the diagnosis of RMS and leiomyosarcoma. Alpha-smooth muscle actin and/or desmin were demonstrated in the S-type (epithelial-like) cells in 3 NB cell lines, suggesting the differentiation pathway of NB into smooth muscle cells. N-myc amplification and over-expression were observed in NB cell lines as well as one RMS cell line. The occurrence of N-myc amplification and over-expression in the RMS cell line cautions us against using N-myc as a distinguishable marker for NB.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Alpha-smooth-muscle actin and desmin expressions in human neuroblastoma cell lines.

The neural crest gives rise to a variety of tissues, including peripheral neurons, Schwann cells, melanocytes and ectomesenchymal cells, which include the smooth-muscle cells of large arteries. Cell lines derived from neuroblastoma (a neural-crest tumor) exhibit at least 2 distinct morphological cell types, a neuroblastic phenotype (N-type) and an epithelial-like phenotype (S-type) with characteristics of substrate-adhesiveness. We have analyzed 17 human neuroblastoma cell lines using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against cytoskeletal proteins. Three neuroblastoma cell lines (KP-N-SI, KP-N-YN and SMS-KCN) bound an alpha-smooth-muscle actin antibody. In addition, one of these lines (KP-N-SI) bound anti-desmin MAbs as determined by indirect immunofluorescence. A total of 8 cloned cell lines were obtained from the above parent cell lines. These were composed of either N- or S-type cells and were confirmed to have the same neuroblastoma origin as each parent cell line by chromosomal analysis. Alpha-smooth-muscle actin and desmin were demonstrated in the S-type cloned cells by indirect immunofluorescence, as well as by 2-dimensional Western blot analysis. These results were confirmed by Northern blot analysis using a specific probe (pSH alpha SMA-3' UT) to human alpha-smooth-muscle actin mRNA. These ascertain the presence of alpha-smooth-muscle actin and desmin in neuroblastoma cell lines. These data show that, in addition to giving rise to cells with neural, Schwann-cell and melanocyte markers, neuroblastoma can also give rise to the cells expressing smooth-muscle cell markers.

Actins↗