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Biomedical subjects

H Niimi

Publications and source records attributed to H Niimi.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

[A longitudinal study of clinical and electroencephalographic findings in a female infant with early myoclonic encephalopathy].

We reported a female infant with early myoclonic encephalopathy (EME). She was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and laboratory features including electroencephalographic and magnetic resonance image (MRI) findings. Frequent erratic myoclonic seizures appeared since 28 days after birth and EEG showed a typical suppression-burst pattern. We administered a high-dose pyridoxal phosphate, thyrotropin-releasing hormone analogue (TRH), and then ACTH, but could not control the seizures at all. With seizure types, we observed the change from erratic myoclonus to tonic spasms in series, with concomitant EEG change to hypsarhythmia at the age of 6 months. Cranial MRI revealed delayed myelination in the white matter but no brain malformation. We administered ACTH to her again and succeeded partially in the decrease of the seizure frequency, and significantly in the improvement of EEG findings. It is supposed that the responsiveness to ACTH treatment changed with age as the seizure patterns developed from erratic myoclonus to tonic spasm.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1991

[Antigenic determinants on ovalbumin and ovomucoid: comparison of the specificity of IgG and IgE antibodies].

To delineate the antigenic determinants on ovalbumin (OA) and ovomucoid (OVM) recognized by specific IgG and IgE antibodies in sera from patients with allergy to hen's egg, we studied the binding activities of IgG and IgE antibodies to native OA or OVM and seven different OA or OVM preparations, i.e. heated OA or OVM (100 degrees C for 3 min and 80 degrees C for 30 min) or 0.3 M NaOH, dithiothreitol (DTT), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 6 M urea or HCl treated OA or OVM. Eight patients with IgE anti-OA antibodies and 12 patients with IgE anti-OVM antibodies were used in these studies. The binding activities of IgG and IgE antibodies to physically or chemically denatured OA were partially decreased compared with those to native OA, whereas IgG and IgE antibodies in sera from patients bound well to denatured OVM with similar binding activities to native OVM. These results strongly suggest that antibodies to OA recognize partially conformational antigenic determinants on OA, whereas antibodies to OVM mainly recognize sequential antigenic determinants on OVM, and that antigenic determinants of OVM recognized by antibodies in sera from patients are more stable than those of OA under these denaturation conditions. In addition, the binding activities of IgE antibodies to denatured OA or OVM were significantly different from those of IgG antibodies to these OA or OVM, suggesting that the specificities of IgE antibodies to OA or OVM may be different from those of IgG antibodies to OA or OVM.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Sequential MRI in two cases with periventricular leukomalacia].

We investigated two children with cystic periventricular leukomalacia, which we had detected by ultrasonography (US) during the neonatal period, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain at 4, 9, and 15 or 19 corrected months of age. Both inversion-recovery (IR) and T2-weighted spin-echo (SE) sequences were used for this study. We observed cysts involving the periventricular white matter at the region adjacent to bilateral frontal horns in case 1 and adjacent to the posterior horns of the lateral ventricles in case 2. MRI at 4 months showed the irregularity of the ventricular wall and delayed myelination, compared to that of an age-matched control. The T2-weighted SE and IR imaging at 9 months demonstrated abnormally increased signal in the white matter. These findings were more evident at the 3rd MRI examination. The location of end-stage periventricular leukomalacia lesions were consistent with the distribution of cystic lesions seen on US. MRI at sagittal sections was useful for the detection of main periventricular leukomalacia lesions. A possibility exists that MRI might be useful in detecting subtle lesions of periventricular leukomalacia in which we cannot find by US.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

Anti-thyroglobulin autoantibodies in sera from patients with chronic thyroiditis and from healthy subjects: differences in cross-reactivity with thyroid peroxidase.

A significant portion (about 12.7%) of healthy subjects was found to contain anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) antibodies in their sera. We compared the binding activities of these antibodies and of anti-Tg autoantibodies from sera of patients with chronic thyroiditis with human thyroid peroxidase (TPO). The results obtained by ELISA indicated that out of 10 healthy subjects with anti-Tg antibodies, only four had anti-Tg antibodies capable of binding to TPO, whereas anti-Tg autoantibodies from almost all patients with chronic thyroiditis possessed high binding activities to TPO. By use of the immunoprecipitation method, it was also shown that although all anti-Tg autoantibodies from patients precipitated TPO, a majority of anti-Tg antibodies from healthy subjects could not precipitate TPO. Such findings cannot be ascribed to the differences in levels of anti-Tg autoantibodies and anti-TPO autoantibodies in sera and the differences in avidities of anti-Tg antibodies in sera between healthy subjects and patients with chronic thyroiditis. Thus, it can be concluded that anti-Tg antibodies from healthy subjects differ from those of patients with chronic thyroiditis with respect to TPO binding, probably due to difference in fine specificities of these anti-Tg antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[A case of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal meningitis and antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from children].

Recently, isolation of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae has been increasing. The first Japanese case of penicillin-resistant pneumococcal meningitis was reported in 1988. We experienced a case of a one-year-old boy with penicillin-resistant pneumococcal meningitis who dead on arrival on his third day of illness. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of penicillin G or S. pneumoniae isolated from cerebrospinal fluid and blood was 0.6 micrograms/ml. We evaluated the antibiotic susceptibility of 163 strains of S. pneumoniae isolated from children from 1985 to 1988. Penicillin G (PCG), ampicillin (ABPC), cefotaxime (CTX), imipenem (IPM), and vancomycin (VCM) had good susceptibilities to S. pneumoniae. Twelve of the 163 isolates (7.3%) were penicillin-resistant strains whose MIC of PCG were more than 0.1 microgram/ml, and all of them were intermediately resistant. The annual penicillin-resistant rates were 12.5% in 1985, 1.3% in 1986, 0% in 1986, and 19.0% in 1988. We also evaluated the MIC distribution and MIC90 of antibiotics available for meningitis against penicillin-sensitive and -resistant S. pneumoniae. MIC90 of PCG and ABPC against penicillin-resistant strains was 1.56 micrograms/ml, and it might be dangerous to use PCG or ABPC for central nervous system pneumococcal infections. MIC90 of IPM against penicillin-resistant strains was 0.1 microgram/ml, and that of VCM was 0.4 micrograms/ml. There was little fall of susceptibilities of resistant strains in IPM and VCM. We evaluated the MIC distribution and MIC70 of antibiotics for oral usage against penicillin-sensitive and -resistant S. pneumoniae. Although there were falls of susceptibilities of resistant strains in PCG and ABPC, these two antibiotics had the best susceptibilities among the oral antibiotics.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

[Systemic lupus erythematosus accompanied by cutaneous vasculitis. Comparison of molecular size of circulating immune complexes].

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease caused by immune complexes (IC) and is sometimes accompanied by cutaneous vasculitis at the time of onset or in case of relapse. Usually, however, this manifestation does not newly develop after the beginning of steroid treatment. Here we report on a 16-year-old boy with SLE who developed cutaneous vasculitis 10 days after starting systemic prednisolone treatment despite improvements in clinical and laboratory parameters. We examined the molecular sizes of circulating immune complexes (CIC) through the course of the disease. At the time of admission the CIC were 7S to 19S in size. When the patient developed cutaneous vasculitis, the large component of CIC decreased and the 7S CIC became the major component. Although definitive conclusions cannot be drawn, it is suggested that the shift to the smaller size of the CIC is related to the development of cutaneous vasculitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Experimental study on filtrability of polymorphonuclear leukocyte suspensions.

Filtrability of a suspension of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) was examined in a Nuclepore membrane filtration system utilizing a gradually reduced pressure difference with or without an additional negative pressure. The filtration process was continuously recorded using a TV-video system for data analysis. The PMN content in the filtrate was directly measured. The pressure-flow relation was analyzed in terms of the relative resistance of the PMN suspension to that of the suspending medium. The relative resistance of the PMN suspension increased with an increase in the filtered volume until it approached infinity at the level of low pressure difference (2.8 - 0 cmH2O). The remarkable increase in flow resistance was closely associated with the plugging of PMNs in the membrane pores. At high pressure differences (12.8 - 10 cmH2O, 7.8 - 5 cmH2O), the relative resistance increased up to finite values, as the filtered volume increased. The variation in the relative resistance was greatly dependent upon the pressure difference or the flow condition. The amount of filtered cell fraction increased with an increase of additional pressure, indicating that the relative resistance was changed according to the rate of PMN plugging and dislodging in the pores of the membrane.

Filtration↗
PubMed1989

Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody activity in sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Although patients with SLE have autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPO), IgG from sera of SLE patients does not inhibit TPO activities, in contrast with IgG from sera of patients with thyroid disorders. This finding suggests that the specificities of anti-TPO autoantibodies in SLE are different from those in cases of thyroid disorders. These autoantibodies to TPO should be considered when searching for associations between SLE and autoimmune thyroid disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Evidence that calcitonin plays a role in the postnatal increase of serum 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.

To investigate the changes in the 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] level and the role of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) during the early neonatal periods, we measured 1,25(OH)2D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], PTH specific for mid-regions (mPTH) and urinary cAMP (UcAMP) to evaluate the renal tubular responsiveness to intrinsic PTH and CT, as well as serum Ca and P in 28 mothers at term delivery and in their babies at birth and 5 days of age. Cord serum 1,25(OH)2D levels were low (28.8 +/- 9.2 pg/ml, mean +/- SD), while maternal serum 1,25(OH)2D levels were high (62.2 +/- 22.6 pg/ml). The low 1,25(OH)2D value increased 2.5 times (62.2 +/- 22.6 pg/ml) in 5-day-old infants, reaching a high normal adult value, concomitant with the increases in mPTH and urinary cAMP/creatinine ratio (UcAMP/Cr). The correlations between 1,25(OH)2D and UcAMP/Cr, and 1,25(OH)2D and mPTH in all paired samples of babies at birth and at 5 days of age were r = 0.456, n = 50, P less than 0.01 and r = 0.341, n = 50, P less than 0.05, respectively. These data suggest that the parathyroid activation after birth is a major factor in the rapid 1,25(OH)2D increment at that time. CT levels were high in all paired samples and in 5-day-old infants. CT vs 1,25(OH)2D showed a significant correlation (r = 0.473, P less than 0.05, n = 24) as well as the relative increase of 1,25(OH)2D (delta pg/ml) after birth vs CT at age 5 days (r = 0.537, P less than 0.01, n = 24).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Calcifediol↗
PubMed1988

Thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase share common epitopes recognized by autoantibodies in patients with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for human thyroid peroxidase (TPO) were prepared by the hybridoma technique using hyperimmune spleen cells from mice immunized with TPO purified from thyroid glands from patients with Graves' disease. Use of the microenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method revealed that some of the monoclonal antibodies cross-reacted strongly with human thyroglobulin (Tg). Conversely, monoclonal anti-Tg antibodies cross-reacted with TPO, albeit to a lesser degree. Some anti-Tg autoantibodies in serum from patients with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis purified by Tg affinity chromatography bound TPO, and such binding was completely inhibited by Tg. Western blotting experiments revealed that thyroid microsomal 103K proteins recognized by mouse monoclonal and polyclonal anti-TPO antibodies were recognized by some monoclonal anti-Tg antibodies and anti-Tg autoantibodies, and conversely, that 19S Tg was recognized by some monoclonal anti-TPO antibodies. TPO was immunoprecipitated by anti-Tg autoantibodies isolated by Tg affinity chromatography. On the other hand, the specificity for TPO of the anti-Tg autoantibodies was not identical with that of anti-TPO autoantibodies. These cross-reactivities were not due to contamination of TPO with Tg or vice versa, or to contamination of the anti-Tg autoantibody preparations with anti-TPO autoantibodies. Taken together, these data indicate that Tg and TPO share common antigenic determinants and that some of those determinants are recognized by autoantibodies in the serum of patients with chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A patient with Graves' disease who developed hypothyroidism associated with thyroid stimulation blocking immunoglobulin during anti-thyroid drug therapy.

A girl, 12 years of age, developed Graves' disease compounded with rheumatic fever and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Thrombocytopenia improved under short-term treatment with steroids and her mitral valvular insufficiency, due to the rheumatic fever, disappeared 4 years later. Initially, she had been treated with propylthiouracil (PTU) for 28 months. She suffered a relapse 9 months after stopping PTU and so she was given further PTU therapy. However, hypothyroidism developed 11 months after the initiation of therapy and continued, though further PTU treatment was discontinued. She now receives 1-thyroxine and maintains a euthyroid state. At the onset of the patient's hyperthyroidism, the TSH-binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) and the thyroid stimulating antibodies (TSAb) were found to be positive. During the remission period, only the thyroid stimulation blocking immunoglobulin (TSBI) was weakly positive. At relapse, only TBII was mildly positive. When hypothyroidism developed, both TBII and TSBI were positive, and TSAb was negative in all testings of her diluted IgGs. The patient's TBII and thyroid dysfunction were unaffected by high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin therapy or by treatment with prednisolone 0.5 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks. In conclusion, the emergence of TSBI during or after anti-thyroid drug therapy might possibly lead to hypothyroidism in patients with Graves' disease.

Antithyroid Agents↗
PubMed1988

Optimum replacement dose of thyroid hormone assessed by highly sensitive TSH determination in patients with congenital hypothyroidism.

Serum thyroid hormone concentrations were measured in 100 samples from 25 patients with congenital hypothyroidism who were clinically well while receiving L-T4 therapy. Thyroxine concentrations were significantly higher than those of controls (p less than 0.01), while triiodothyronine was not significantly different. These samples were divided into four groups according to serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations as measured by highly sensitive immunoradiometric assay (IRMA-TSH). Serum thyroid hormone concentrations were compared among groups. The replacement dose of L-T4 and serum thyroid hormone in groups with undetectable IRMA-TSH were significantly higher than those in groups with normal or increased IRMA-TSH. These results show that serum thyroxine concentrations increase in most patients with congenital hypothyroidism on L-T4 therapy. Therefore, thyroxine concentrations above normal are not necessarily of clinical significance if IRMA-TSH is detectable. Undetectable IRMA-TSH might indicate the necessity for a reduction in the L-T4 replacement dose in patients with congenital hypothyroidism.

Child↗
PubMed1988

A continuum theory of blood cells filtration at low flow rates.

Blood cells filtration with decreasing pressure under gravity was studied for evaluation of the cell fluidity or deformability at a low shear state. A continuum approach was made to the flow and pressure in the filter at the low flow state to relate macro- and micro-scopic quantities. The mass conservation law of each species provided a set of differential equations with respect to the pore fraction and filter resistance. The numerical calculation was made for various values of hematocrit and leukocrit. It was shown that the filter resistance might be increased with decreasing pressure, resulting from both red and white cells. The leukocrit, more than 0.05% white cells, may influence the filtration, depending upon the cell deformation. Even in the absence of the white cell, a decrease in pressure increased the filter resistance markedly. The present result indicates that single red cell shows a nonlinear behavior of flow in pores at the low pressure level.

Blood Flow Velocity↗