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Biomedical subjects

H Noda

Publications and source records attributed to H Noda.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Right axillary arterial perfusion for a ruptured type B aortic dissection: report of a case.

The results of surgical treatment for a ruptured type B aortic dissection remain far from satisfactory. It is believed that additional perfusion from the right axillary artery might be more beneficial than perfusion from only the femoral artery during surgery for a ruptured thoracic aneurysm. The right axillary perfusion is more likely to perfuse the vital organs proximal to the ruptured area, and thus avoid retrograde emboli. In addition, if the open proximal method is performed, then the right axillary perfusion is able to facilitate the evacuation of air from the aortic lumen. We present herein the case of a patient in whom a ruptured type B acute aortic dissection was successfully treated by applying right axillary perfusion through a left thoracotomy.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Coronary bypass surgery after renal transplantation.

We report, herein, cases of two renal transplantation patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and discuss the perioperative management of this clinical situation. The first case was a 43-year-old male who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting 50 days after renal transplantation, and the second was a chronic case of a 49-year-old male who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting 17 years after renal transplantation. Prior to the operation, the first patient was continuously administered 2 mg/kg/day of cyclosporin A with the dosage regulated according to the plasma level. The second patient was administered 50 mg/day of cyclophosphamide intravenously instead of an oral dosage of 50 mg/day of azathioprine just prior to the operation. In both patients, perfusion pressure during cardiopulmonary bypass was maintained at approximately 80 mmHg in order to obtain optimal urine output. The CD4/CD8 ratio was monitored for indication of graft rejection, but no remarkable changes were observed perioperatively in either patient. Both patients followed a good clinical course and their postoperative renal function was well maintained. The urine output during cardiopulmonary bypass was 300 ml and 650 ml, respectively. The patients were discharged 15 and 27 days after their operation, respectively. In conclusion, coronary artery bypass grafting can be safely performed in patients who have undergone renal transplantation, if there is appropriate perioperative usage of immunosuppressive agents and maintenance of perfusion pressure during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Nitric oxide release from coronary vasculature before, during, and following cardioplegic arrest.

Nitric oxide (NO) is known as a vasodilatory molecule synthesized by vascular endothelium. The NO-dependent vasodilatory response of coronary artery is impaired after ischemia and reperfusion. In the present study, the release of NO from coronary vasculature was evaluated before and during cardioplegic arrest and after reperfusion. Nine patients undergoing heart surgery were studied. Multidose crystalloid cardioplegics were used for myocardial protection. The coronary affluent and effluent were obtained simultaneously before cardioplegic arrest, at each cardioplegic administration, and after reperfusion; and the levels of nitrite and nitrate, the stable end-products of NO, were measured. The NO release from the coronary vasculature was determined as the difference in the levels of nitrite and nitrate between the coronary effluent and affluent. The level of nitrite/nitrate release from coronary vasculature was 6.8 +/- 3.7 microM before cardioplegic arrest. During cardioplegic arrest the nitrite/nitrate release decreased, reaching 1.3 +/- 1.3 microM (p < 0.05, vs. before cardioplegic arrest) at the fourth administration of the cardioplegic. At 3 to 5 minutes after reperfusion, nitrite/nitrate release further decreased to 0.36 +/- 0.34 microM (p < 0.05, vs. before cardioplegic arrest). During cardioplegic arrest the NO release decreased and reached significance at approximately 70 minutes of cardioplegic arrest compared to that before cardioplegic arrest. After reperfusion, NO release was further reduced, with statistical significance compared to that before cardioplegic arrest. Our data may indicate that cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion cause endothelial dysfunction.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Estimation of age by epidermal image processing.

Small pieces of human precordial skin were obtained from 266 individuals during autopsy performed in Osaka Prefecture. The area from the stratum corneum to the stratum basale in a unit area of the epidermal cross-section was extracted as a segmented area of white image by image processing. The number of pixels surrounding this area was measured in individuals of various ages, and the age-associated changes were evaluated. The number of pixels around this binary image in the epidermal cross-section showed a strong correlation with age. The number tended to decrease with an increase in age in individuals aged 20 years and above, which could be closely approximated by an exponential function. A formula for estimating age was obtained as an inverse function of the number of pixels and age, and the accuracy of estimation using this formula was examined by comparing the estimated age with the actual age. Such age-associated changes in the epidermis were considered to be closely related with increased roughening of the stratum basale, flattening of dermal papillae, and a decreased percentage of the stratum granulosum per unit area of epidermis observed by light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Biodiesel fuel production from plant oil catalyzed by Rhizopus oryzae lipase in a water-containing system without an organic solvent.

A new enzymatic method of synthesizing methyl esters from plant oil and methanol in a solvent-free reaction system was developed. It is anticipated that such plant oil methyl esters can be used as a biodiesel fuel in the future. Lipase from Rhizopus oryzae efficiently catalyzed the methanolysis of soybean oil in the presence of 4-30 wt% water in the starting materials; however the lipase was nearly inactive in the absence of water. The methyl ester (ME) content in the reaction mixture reached 80-90 wt% by stepwise additions of methanol to the reaction mixture. The kinetics of the reaction appears to be in accordance with the successive reaction mechanism. That is, the oil is first hydrolyzed to free fatty acids and partial glycerides, and the fatty acids produced are then esterified with methanol. Although R. oryzae lipase is considered to exhibit 1(3)-regiospecificity, a certain amount of 1,3-diglyceride was obtained during the methanolysis and hydrolysis of soybean oil by R. oryzae lipase solution. Therefore, the high ME content in the reaction mixture is probably attributable to the acyl migration from the sn-2 position to the sn-1 or sn-3 position in partial glycerides.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Submerged culture of Tricholoma matsutake mycelium in bubble column fermentors.

Submerged culture of Tricholoma matsutake mycelium was carried out using two bubble column fermentors, a standard bubble column and an external-loop airlift column. The effects of the aeration rate and column type on culture performance in terms of the mycelia morphology, glucose consumption, cell yield, and growth rate were investigated. Morphologically, three types of pellets-large spherical, small spherical and filamentous-were observed depending on the aeration rate. On the whole, the standard bubble column gave a higher cell yield and a better growth rate than the airlift type. The maximum cell yield and growth rate attained at a superficial air velocity of 0.38 cm/s were superior to those obtained in a flask culture, suggesting that the bubble column fermentor has the potential to be used for submerged culture of T. matsutake.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

A newly designed adapter for testing an ex vivo mitral valve apparatus.

Few instruments are currently available to test mitral valve function in an ex vivo state due to the technical difficulties involved. To investigate the native ex vivo mitral valve or prosthetic mitral valve with chordae, we developed a mitral valve adapter with an annulus suturing portion and 2 papillary muscle suturing sites that can be changed in angle, direction, and length of chordae. We used this adapter to test an ex vivo mitral apparatus in beagle dogs and evaluated the morphology and function of the mitral apparatus by endoscopy. Our newly designed mitral valve adapter proved extremely useful for examining the ex vivo mitral valve anatomy and function and for testing stentless mitral prostheses with annular-papillary muscle continuity.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Coronary artery bypass grafting for a patient with angina pectoris and ulcerative colitis].

The implementation of coronary artery bypass grafting for angina pectoris with ulcerative colitis has been rarely reported. A 63-year-old man has a past history of acute myocardial infarction in 1984 and ulcerative colitis since 1988. Coronary angiography and cardiac catheterization showed total obstruction of segment 2, 95% stenosis of segment 6, 75% stenosis of segment 7 and total obstruction of segment 12 with LVEF 23%. Coronary artery bypass grafting was performed under IABP support and cardiopulmonary bypass with aprotinin infusion after an inflammatory reaction of ulcerative colitis was adequately suppressed. Ulcerative colitis was controlled by administering 40 mg of predonisolone during perioperative period.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1998

Reconstitution of peptide bond formation with Escherichia coli 23S ribosomal RNA domains.

It was recently demonstrated that peptide bond formation can occur using an Escherichia coli naked 23S ribosomal RNA without any of the ribosomal proteins. Here, the six domains of the 23S ribosomal RNA were individually synthesized and shown to be capable, when complexed together, of stimulating the reaction. Omission and addition experiments indicated that the activity could be reconstituted solely by domain V at a concentration 10 times higher than that of the intact 23S ribosomal RNA, whereas domain VI could enhance the activity in trans. These findings suggest that fragments of an RNA molecule have the ability to associate into a functional whole.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1998

Spatiotemporal measurement of free radical elimination in the abdomen using an in vivo ESR-CT imaging system.

Electron spin resonance (ESR) imaging can visualize the distribution of free radicals in living systems according to their concentrations. However, the application of ESR imaging to living animals has not been well established. Using a rapid field scan L-band ESR imaging system, we have successfully obtained two-dimensional ESR projection (xz-plane projection) and three-dimensional ESR-CT (trans-axial section along the y-axis) images of the abdomen of living mice after an injection of 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl (carbamoyl-PROXYL) into the tail vein. The in vivo two-dimensional ESR projection imaging clearly visualized the carbamoyl-PROXYL distribution and the rapid decay process in the abdomen. Because among the viscera, the liver is most abundantly associated with a blood volume, the outline of the image can be composed mainly of this organ. We therefore attempted to find whether there will be a difference in spatiotemporal dynamics of carbamoyl-PROXYL in the abdomens between the control and the mice with liver damage by two-dimensional ESR projection. In the control mice, carbamoyl-PROXYL was almost completely eliminated from the abdomen within 5 minutes after administration. On the other hand, in mice with carbon tetrachloride-damaged livers, the decay of carbamoyl-PROXYL was markedly prolonged. Even at 5 min after administration, carbamoyl-PROXYL remained clearly visible in the abdomen. In vivo three-dimensional ESR-CT imaging showed an even distribution of carbamoyl-PROXYL throughout the whole liver, which corresponded well with the images of trans-axial sections of the murine abdomen. We have succeeded in displaying two-dimensional ESR projection and three-dimensional ESR-CT images of carbamoyl-PROXYL distribution and clearance in the abdomen of a living animal. The ESR-CT imaging technique is considered to be a powerful new tool for noninvasive investigations of the in vivo spatiotemporal dynamics of free radical distribution and elimination in the organs.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1998

An insect picorna-like virus, Plautia stali intestine virus, has genes of capsid proteins in the 3' part of the genome.

The complete genome of an insect picorna-like virus, Plautia stali intestine virus (PSIV), was cloned and sequenced. The genome had 8797 nucleotides including two consecutive long open reading frames. The deduced amino acid sequence of the first open reading frame (nucleotides 571 to 6003) contained conserved sequence motifs for picornavirus RNA helicase, cysteine protease, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The order of the three motifs in the genome was the same as those of mammalian picornaviruses. The coding regions of four capsid proteins (33, 30, 26, and 4.5 kDa) were mapped by determining their N-terminal sequences. Unlike mammalian picornaviruses, the genes for these proteins were in the 3' region of the PSIV genome. In vitro translation assay suggested that the capsid protein precursor of PSIV would be translated by internal initiation. The deduced amino acid sequence of the capsid proteins showed homology to those of the proteins encoded in the 3' part of the genomes of widely distributed insect picorna-like viruses, cricket paralysis virus, and Drosophila C virus. Some insect picorna-like viruses would have the same unique coding strategy as PSIV.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Properties of a new picorna-like virus of the brown-winged green bug, plautia stali

A picorna-like virus was isolated from the brown-winged green bug, Plautia stali. The virus was named Plautia stali intestine virus (PSIV) based on the multiplication site of the virus in the infected insects. PSIV is a spherical particle with a diameter of 30 nm. Particles of PSIV were found to contain a 9.1-kb single-stranded RNA. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified PSIV particles revealed three major (33, 30, 26 kDa), one medium (35 kDa), and one minor (4.5 kDa) structural proteins. The molar ratios of the proteins suggested that the 35-, 33-, 30-, 26-, and 4.5-kDa proteins corresponded to VP0, VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4 of vertebrate picornaviruses. Immunological assays indicated that PSIV and Nezara viridula virus-1, which is a picorna-like virus of the green stinkbug in South Africa, were serologically distinct. PSIV was detected in the intestine with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay but not in the salivary glands, fat bodies, Malpighian tubules, and reproductive organs of viruliferous P. stali. The virus was also detected on the surface of the eggs and in the feces of infected insects. These results suggest that excrement of infected insects are the primary inoculum of the virus in a colony of P. stali. The nonviruliferous adults of P. stali usually survive a few months in laboratory, while the average of adulthood lifetime in viruliferous P. stali was about 13 days. PSIV also infected two other stinkbugs, Nezara viridula and Halyomorpha halys. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

[Experimental study of coronary artery anastomosis using VCS clips].

The experiment was intended to test the feasibility of VCS clips for coronary anastomosis during minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB). Six dogs were anesthetized under endotracheal intubation and were placed on right lateral position. Three 10.5-mm ports were placed on the left lateral chest wall (3rd, 5th and 7th intercostal space) and the left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was dissected completely from its root to bifurcation under thoracoscope. Chest was opened through the left 6th intercostal space. The anastomotic site of LAD was dissected and was then occluded temporally for 5 minutes to obtain ischemic preconditioning. The anastomosis was performed by the following procedure; horizontal mattress sutures of 8-0 polypropylene were placed on heel, toe and the center of both lateral sides. Two VCS clips (8 in total), 0.9-mm in size, were applied between every two sutures. After the measurement of graft flow, the pedicle was transected and an angiography was done. Graft flow was 12-17 ml/min (mean 14.7 +/- 2.1 ml/min) and cineangiogram showed good patency of LITA and no anastomotic stenosis. VCS clips were supposed to have a potential for facilitating port access coronary artery bypass grafting.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed1998

Increased serum interleukin-8: correlation with poor prognosis in patients with postoperative multiple organ failure.

This study investigated whether cytokines and colony-stimulating factors can predict prognosis in patients with postoperative multiple organ failure (MOF). We evaluated 14 patients with postoperative MOF who underwent operation for cardiovascular disease. Seven patients recovered from MOF (survivors) and seven did not recover and died (nonsurvivors). The white blood cell (WBC) count, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, monocytic colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8 were measured on the day the patients were judged to be in MOF and each week thereafter until the patients recovered or died. Survivors and nonsurvivors were equivalent in terms of age, gender, proportion of use of extracorporeal circulation, operation time, volume of blood transfusion, time from operation to the onset of MOF, the MOF score, proportion of bacteremia, duration of MOF, and number of failed organs. The mean duration of MOF was less than 2 weeks in both groups; therefore the measurements were compared on the first day of MOF and 1 week later. No significant differences between the two groups in terms of WBC counts, colony-stimulating factors, and IL-6 levels were noted. However, the serum level of IL-8 was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. Patients with a high serum levels of IL-8 at the time of MOF had a poor prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Complete nucleotide sequence of spheroidin gene of Anomala cuprea entomopoxvirus.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the spheroidin gene of Anomala cuprea entomopoxvirus (AcEPV) was determined. The sequence was compared with those of spheroidin genes of EPVs such as Melolontha melolontha EPV (MmEPV, Genus A), Choristoneura fumiferana EPV (CfEPV, Genus B) and Amsacta moorei EPV (AmEPV, Genus B). The gene harbored an open reading frame (ORF) of 2826 nt, with the same size as that of MmEPV belonging to the same genus, capable of coding for a polypeptide of 109.0 kDa. The predicted amino acid (aa) sequence showed a greater or moderate similarity to the corresponding sequence of the other EPVs, showing a 94, 40 and 41% aa identity with MmEPV, CfEPV and AmEPV, respectively; the identity was 89, 53 and 54% at the nucleotide level. The hydropathy plots also showed a greater similarity in organization to MmEPV and moderate similarity to the viruses of Genus B. In the polypeptide, 44 cysteine residues, which are likely to be involved in paracrystal formation and seven potential N-glycosylation sites were detected. The number of cysteine residues and N-glycosylation sites also depended on the difference in genera (A or B). Thus, the spheroidin gene of EPVs was well conserved within the same genus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Phylogenetic placement of rickettsiae from the ticks Amblyomma americanum and Ixodes scapularis.

A rickettsial isolate (isolate MOAa) belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG) was obtained from the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum. We used PCR to characterize the genes for the rickettsial outer membrane proteins rOmpA and rOmpB. We sequenced the PCR products (domains I of both the rompA gene and the rompB gene) of MOAa and WB-8-2, another rickettsial isolate from A. americanum. To place MOAa and WB-8-2 and two other nonpathogenic isolates (Rickettsia rickettsii Hip2 and Rickettsia montana M5/6) with respect to their putative sister species, we included them in a phylogenetic analysis of 9 Rickettsia species and 10 Rickettsia strains. Our phylogenetic results implied three evolutionary lineages of SFG rickettsiae and that WB-8-2 and MOAa were most closely related to R. montana. New World isolates were not the most closely related to each other (they did not form a clade). Rather, our results supported four independent origins (introductions) of rickettsiae into North America from different Old World regions. The results of our phylogenetic analysis did not support the hypothesis of a stable coevolution of rickettsiae and their tick hosts. Finally, we examined the rompA gene of a nonpathogenic rickettsial symbiont isolated from the tick Ixodes scapularis. In a phylogenetic analysis, the symbiont was placed as the sister to R. montana and its isolates. The relationship of this symbiont to R. montana raised questions as to the potential origin of pathogenic SFG rickettsiae from nonpathogenic tick symbionts, or vice versa.

Amino Acid Sequence↗