Positive skin reaction test in haemodialysis patients allergic to nafamostat mesilate.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
H Nakamoto
Publications and source records attributed to H Nakamoto.
Comparative study of efficacy of plasma exchange versus intravenous gammaglobulin treatment on acute postinfectious polyradiculoneuropathy: a preliminary report.
We tried to compare the efficacy of plasma exchange (PE) with that of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in patients with postinfectious polyneuritis (Guillain-Barré syndrome [GBS] and cranial neuritis). Fifteen patients with postinfectious polyneuritis were divided into 2 groups. The IVIG group included 5 cases of GBS and 2 cases of postinfectious cranial neuritis (ophthalmoplegic type). The PE group included 5 cases of GBS and 3 cases of postinfectious cranial neuritis (ophthalmoplegic type). The changes and incidences of improvement of muscle strength scores (MSSs) and ocular movement scores (OMSs) were evaluated before treatment and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after treatment. No significant differences between the IVIG and PE groups were found in the MSSs or OMSs at any time after treatment. These data suggested that PE and IVIG had equivalent efficacy. In the IVIG group, the proportion of suppressor-inducer T cells significantly increased (p < 0.01) (before versus after treatment), and the proportion of suppressor-effector cells also increased but not significantly (before versus after treatment). In the PE group, the percentage of suppressor-inducer T cells significantly decreased (p < 0.05) (before versus after treatment) while the proportion of suppressor/cytotoxic T cells significantly increased (p < 0.05) (before versus after treatment). The percentage of suppressor-effector T cells also increased (before versus after treatment) but not significantly.
Acute Disease↗
Cloning, characterization, and transcriptional analysis of a gene encoding an alpha-crystallin-related, small heat shock protein from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus vulcanus.
hspA, a gene encoding a 16-kDa heat-induced protein from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus vulcanus, has been cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of the gene product showed significant homology to sequences of the family of alpha-crystallin-related, small heat shock proteins. A monocistronic mRNA of hspA increased transiently in response to heat shock. The heat shock induction occurred at a vegetative promoter but without the CIRCE (controlling inverted repeat of chaperone expression) element.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Protein carbonyl content roughly reflects the unsaturation of lipids in muscle but not in other tissues of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive strain (SHRSP) rats fed different fats and oils.
We examined in vivo the effect of dietary fats and oils with different peroxidizability on protein carbonyl content, the presumed index of free radical-mediated protein oxidation. For 15.6 months, SHRSP (stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive strain) rats were fed a diet supplemented with lard, safflower oil, perilla oil or fish oil/soybean oil, the peroxidizability of which increases in this order. The peroxidizability of tissue lipids was positively correlated with the protein carbonyl content in skeletal muscle, but not in the brain, heart or liver. The protein carbonyl content in the lard group was higher in the brain and liver compared to the other dietary groups. These results contradict the concept that long-term feeding of easily autoxidizable fatty acids allows the accumulation of lipid peroxides to accelerate the development of the free radical diseases, and suggest that tissue protein carbonyl content is not a simple reflection of autoxidizability-related lipid peroxidation but is also influenced by other biochemical processes.
Aging↗
Role of nitric oxide in the evolution of renal ischemia in two-kidney, one-clip renovascular hypertension.
To clarify the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension, we examined the effects of long-term oral administration of either the precursor substrate L-arginine or the NO synthesis inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA) on systemic and renal hemodynamics in dogs with chronic two-kidney, one-clip (2K-1C) renovascular hypertension. Furthermore, the importance of NO in maintaining kidney function in chronic renal ischemia was evaluated. Chronic inhibition of NO production aggravated the rise in blood pressure (L-NA 117.7+/-6.8 vs. control 107.2 3.3 mmHg, p < 0.05 on day 1) and stimulated marked bradycardia (L-NA 84.9+/-3.2 vs. control 94.6+/-2.6 beats/min, p < 0.05 on day 1). These changes were associated with significant reductions in renal plasma flow (RPF, L-NA 0.03+/-0.02 vs. control 0.85+/-0.20 ml/min/kg, p < 0.01) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR, L-NA 0.02+/-0.01 vs. 0.22+/-0.05 ml/min/kg, p < 0.01) in the ischemic kidney. In contrast, in the contralateral non-clipped kidney, chronic inhibition of NO production induced a significant reduction in RPF with no significant change in GFR. Oral administration of L-arginine had no effect on the magnitude of hypertension. L-arginine significantly improved RPF (2.76+/-0.49 ml/min/kg) and GFR (0.61+/-0.08 ml/min/kg) in the ischemic kidney, whereas the elevation of RPF and GFR in the non-clipped kidney was not significant. Unilateral renal artery occlusion in these hypertensive dogs resulted in diffuse atrophic tubulointerstitial changes in the ischemic kidney. These changes were markedly aggravated by NO synthesis inhibition. On the other hand, L-arginine treatment significantly protected against the morphological changes of renal ischemia. These data show that NO plays a key role in the maintenance of renal function during the evolution of hypertension induced by chronic renal ischemia. In addition, these data demonstrate that renovascular hypertension is associated with a compensatory increase in the vasodilator function of the vascular endothelium.
Animals↗
[Renal microscopic polyarteritis replaced by pericarditis with episodic increases in MPO-ANCA in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus].
A 41-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with acute renal failure. The renal biopsy showed focal necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis, and her serology revealed a high titer of MPO-ANCA. The diagnosis of MPO-ANCA-associated microscopic polyarteritis was made, and her basic illness proved to be systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) because of renal injury, polyarteritis, pancytopenia, anti-double-strand DNA antibody, and anti-nuclear antibodies. After treatment with prednisolone (PSL) and cyclophosphamide, her renal function improved and her MOP ANCA titer was lowered. After 2 years, she was readmitted due to dyspnea. Chest X-ray and echocardiography revealed pericarditis and bilateral pleural effusion. Renal biopsy was carried out again because of an increase in MPO-ANCA, which showed minor abnormalities. PSL therapy led to remission of pericarditis, resulting in a decrease in MPO-ANCA. In this case, MPO-ANCA is likely to be associated not with the activity of polyarteritis, but with that of SLE, and care should be taken in evaluating the clinical usefulness of MPO-ANCA in cases with SLE.
Adult↗
Cloning, characterization and functional analysis of groESL operon from thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus vulcanus.
Genes encoding 10914 Da and 58267 Da polypeptides homologous to groES and groEL of Escherichia coli were cloned and sequenced from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus vulcanus. The deduced amino acid sequence of the GroEL protein was much more homologous to GroELs of other cyanobacteria which accompany GroES than another GroEL homolog of S. vulcanus (GroEL2) reported previously (M. Furuki, N. Tanaka, T. Hiyama, and H. Nakamoto, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1294 (1996) 106-110). We designate the gene as groEL1 to distinguish it from the non-operon forming groEL2 gene. A 9-base pair inverted repeat sequence (TTAGCACTC-N9-GAGTGCTAA) was located upstream of the promoter region of groEL1, which was absent in groEL2. Southern blot analysis indicated that only one groESL1 operon was present in the genomic DNA of S. vulcanus. The amount of the bicistronic, 2.3 kb transcript of groESL1 operon increased 30-fold within 30 min upon heat shock. The increase was completely inhibited by chloramphenicol, suggesting the involvement of heat-induced production of a polypeptide. Introduction of the cloned groEL1 gene into a groEL defective mutant of E. coli resulted in the complementation of heat sensitivity, which contrasted with the previous result with groEL2.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
High altitude training increases reactive carbonyl derivatives but not lipid peroxidation in skeletal muscle of rats.
The oxidative stress related consequences of physical training at high altitude are not known. The hypothesis was tested that physical training and exposure to high altitude have adverse effects on free radical generation and activities of antioxidant enzymes. The present results showed that 4 weeks of exercise at an altitude of 4000 m increased the activity of Mn-SOD in both white and red types of skeletal muscle. The activities of Cu,Zn-SOD, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, as well as the level of lipid peroxidation measured by TBARS and lipid hydroperoxides, did not change significantly. In contrast, the level of reactive carbonyl derivatives measured by anti-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone antibodies and spectrophotometry showed an increase in both types of muscle of altitude trained rats compared with sea level trained and control groups. It was suggested that the oxidative modification of certain amino acids is due to the increasing gap between activity of SOD and peroxide scavenging enzymes, which results in increases in the number of hydrogen peroxide molecules. Thus, since the mechanism of generation and/or the mode of action of radicals resulting in lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation appears to be different in vivo, both processes should be studied during oxidative stress.
Altitude↗
An experience of the therapeutic use of an endotoxin adsorption column for microangiopathic haemolytic uraemic syndrome.
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Adsorption↗
An association study between the Cys311 variant of dopamine D2 receptor gene and schizophrenia in the Okinawan population.
Neuroleptic drugs have a high affinity for the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2); therefore DRD2 is thought to be a candidate gene for schizophrenia. Arinami et al. have reported a positive association between schizophrenia and the Cys311 variant of the DRD2 gene. We determined the allele frequency of this polymorphism in 78 Okinawan schizophrenic patients and 112 control subjects. The patients and controls did not differ significantly in allele frequencies of Cys311.
Adolescent↗
Comparative study of clinical effects between plasma adsorption and double filtration plasmapheresis in patients with myasthenia gravis.
Plasma exchange (PE) has been one of the most powerful treatments for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) since Pinching et al. reported its clinical usefulness in 1976, despite the need for supplemental human plasma. However, new apheresis techniques, e.g., plasma adsorption (PA) and double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP), which do not need human plasma, were developed and have been introduced for clinical use in MG. We compared the effects of these plasma purification therapies in patients with MG and found that DFPP improved such subjective symptoms as chest compression and general fatigue better than PA while both of them could decrease the serum level of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies and relieve objective muscle weakness to a similar degree. It may be that DFPP can remove some circulating pathogenic factors other than AChR antibodies more efficiently than PA.
Adult↗
Role of kinin and renal ANG II blockade in acute effects of ACE inhibitors in low-renin hypertension.
In conscious deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) salt-hypertensive dogs, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors captopril and imidaprilat significantly decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and significantly increased urine flow rate, effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), glomerular filtration rate, and urinary sodium excretion. However, the angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist losartan caused a significant increase only in urinary sodium excretion without significant changes in MAP, urine flow rate, ERPF, and glomerular filtration rate. Simultaneous infusion of a bradykinin receptor antagonist inhibited the ACE inhibitor-induced reduction in MAP and increase in ERPF. DOCA salt treatment markedly suppressed plasma angiotensin II (ANG II) concentration (P < 0.001), although it decreased renal ANG II content only slightly (P < 0.05). Comparison of the expression of renal AT1 receptor mRNA in control kidneys with that in DOCA salt-hypertensive kidneys revealed no significant change. These results suggest that, in low-renin hypertension, inhibition of the relatively maintained ANG II production in the kidney participates in the natriuretic action of ACE inhibitors. However, hypotensive and other renal effects are mainly due to the action of bradykinin.
Angiotensin II↗
Cloning, characterization and functional analysis of groEL-like gene from thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus vulcanus, which does not form an operon with groES.
A gene encoding 57 102 Da polypeptide homologous to groEL of Escherichia coli but accompanying no groES, has been cloned and sequenced from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus vulcanus. The amount of the gene transcript increased several folds by heat shock. The gene was expressed as a minor component of two types of HSP60, and designated as groEL2. Although expressed and induced well upon heat shock treatment in the E. coli, introduction of the cloned groEL2 gene of S. vulcanus into an E. coli groEL-less mutant did not result in the complementation of heat sensitivity.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Simple and more sensitive immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassay for antibody IgG to reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 using microplates, modified polystyrene solid phase and fluororeader.
In a previously reported ultrasensitive enzyme immunoassay (immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassay) for antibody IgG to HIV-1, polystyrene beads in test tubes were handled with tweezers, and bound beta-D-galactosidase activity was measured with a fluorometer. The use of tweezers was causative of false-positivity by carryover, and testing many samples was difficult. Recently, these drawbacks have been minimized using microplates, a fluororeader, and modified polystyrene beads with sticks for easy handling. The modified polystyrene beads were transferred from wells to wells more quickly and easily without tweezers, eliminating false-positivity due to carryover. The fluorescence intensity for bound beta-D-galactosidase activity was quickly measured with a fluororeader. As a result, it became easy to test many samples with high reliability. However, modified polystyrene beads used were handmade, and the sensitivity was lower than the previous assay with test tubes. In the present study, the condition of the immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassay for antibody IgG to reverse transcriptase of HIV-1 was optimized using microplates, a fluororeader, and polystyrene solid phase with stick, which is commercially available. Testing many samples became easy with higher sensitivity.
Adult↗
Microstructure of etched "IPS Empress" heat-pressed ceramics observed by SEM.
A valuable characteristic of the "IPS Empress" used for producing all ceramic dental restorations is that it is a prefired ceramic ingot. The ingot is heated, softened and press-injected into the cavity, and ceramic restorations are fabricated by the lost wax casting method. The leucite crystal present in the ingot are scattered and distributed into the glassy phase in a more homogeneous manner through this pressing procedure, and the resulting ceramics are of higher flexural strength than conventional ones. The present study was carried out to clarify the microstructure of Empress ceramics by etching, and to observe the etched surface by scanning electron microscopy, in comparison with several other conventional ceramics. It was shown that the form and distribution of the leucite crystals in Empress ceramics are quite different before and after pressing, and that the staining and layering ceramics are also different from conventional ceramics. The method of surface treatment of ceramics prior to etching, such as fracturing or grinding, the kind of etching material used, the concentration and the etching time are important factors for revealing, observing and evaluating the microstructure of ceramics containing leucite crystals.
Aluminum Oxide↗
[Evaluation of differential media in Helicobacter pylori culture].
Culture is one of the important methods for detecting Helicobacter pylori(Hp). Culture method is generally lower sensitive in comparison with other Hp detection methods. However, culture is necessary for determination of MIC and analysis of bacteriological characteristics. Several culture media are now commercially available for Hp. In this study, we compared commercial media with our original medium. Original medium for Hp culture was most sensitive and showed no false-positive results compared with other commercial media.
Culture Media↗
Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood: H. pylori isolation rate in gastric juice in relation to positive serum antibody rates.
We investigated the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection by isolation of H. pylori and by antibody detection in the serum of Japanese children. The children were distributed into four groups by age: group I, under 1 year; group II, 1-5 years; group III, 6-11 years; and group IV, 12-15 years. For the isolation of H. pylori, gastric juice was obtained from 115 children from middle class families. In the 103 samples obtained from asymptomatic children, H. pylori was not isolated in any from group I. The isolation rate in groups II, III, and IV was 3% (1/32), 20% (5/25), and 75% (3/4), respectively. In symptomatic children, H. pylori was isolated only in group IV (66.7%). The antibody positive rate in group I, II, III, and IV was 13% (6/47), 10% (11/112), 18% (16/89), and 26% (11/43), respectively, in asymptomatic children. In group I, however, 4 of 25 samples (18%) were obtained from babies under 3 months of age; this result was regarded as reflecting maternal antibodies. Nineteen samples were obtained from children with hepatitis A who lived in Nanki hospital for handicapped children, where hygiere was poor. The antibody positive rate in this population was 60% (3/5) in group III and 90% (9/10) in group IV. These results suggest that H. pylori infection in Japanese children is related to age and hygiene conditions. The antibody positive rate was similar to that reported in other countries.
Adolescent↗
Flow cytometer and imaging device used in combination.
This report presents a flow cytometer devised by the authors and equipped with a CCD camera to obtain images of selected particles. Each image is linked to a point in the scattergram from which it can be retrieved from memory. The system uses an argon ion laser for flow-cytometric analysis and a diode-pumped pulse laser (532nm) to generate CCD images. Aggregated platelets in a blood sample and casts in a urine sample can be detected by this system. A fast flow rate is suitable for efficient flow-cytometric detection, and image resolution is sufficiently adequate for recognizing aggregated platelets and casts. Flow-cytometric and morphological data are used together to distinguish different types of cells in the same region on the scattergram and identify cells present in extremely small numbers among the majority.
Blood Platelets↗