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Biomedical subjects

H Noda

Publications and source records attributed to H Noda.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Comparison of heavy metal concentrations in human umbilical cord in 1980 and 1990.

The well-known Minamata disease was caused by mercury; the Itai-Itai disease by cadmium; and lead poisoning by gasoline additives. Following our previous investigation on heavy metal concentrations in the umbilical cords in 1980, total mercury, cadmium and lead concentrations in the umbilical cords (from 20 males and 20 females) have been measured in 1990 for comparison in the present study. The changes in metal concentrations in 1980 and 1990 were: from 0.007 +/- 0.005 microgram/g to 0.011 +/- 0.008 microgram/g for total mercury; from 0.019 +/- 0.016 microgram/g to 0.006 +/- 0.005 microgram/g, from 0.151 +/- 0.123 microgram/g to 0.046 +/- 0.038 microgram/g for lead. Total mercury accumulated in the umbilical cords increased to approximately 1.6-fold, while cadmium and lead decreased to approximately 1/3-fold during these 10 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Free radical imaging by electron spin resonance computed tomography in rat brain.

Images of nitroxide radicals were obtained from the brains of living rats following intracarotid injection of imaging agent, [2-(14-carboxytetradecyl)-2-ethyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinylox y] (16 DS) using L-band electron spin resonance computed tomography (ESR-CT). The image patterns obtained from the 3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolinyloxy injected rats showed the agent in tissues of the cranium but not within the brain. The uptake of 16 DS was found in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, midbrain, pons medulla oblongata and cerebellum, and nuclei, mitochondria, synaptosomes of the cerebrum after intracarotid injection of 16 DS using an x-band ESR spectrometer. These results suggest that 16 DS penetrates the blood brain barrier.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Nonpathogenic Nilaparvata lugens reovirus is transmitted to the brown planthopper through rice plant.

Nilaparvata lugens reovirus (NLRV) was found in a colony of the brown planthopper, N. lugens, an important plant virus vector. Unlike with usual phytopathogenic reoviruses, there are no visible symptoms on a rice plant which has been attacked by NLRV-infected planthoppers. Manner of transmission, host range, and multiplication of NLRV in rice plant were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or polymerase chain reaction using reverse transcriptase. NLRV was transovumly transmitted to about 15% of nymphs. NLRV could further spread to planthoppers via rice plants through sucking by viruliferous insects. This horizontal transmission was apparently of primary importance for continuous NLRV infection to a colony of N. lugens. By corearing with viruliferous N. lugens on rice seedlings, Laodelphax striatellus acquired NLRV but Sogatella furcifera, Nephotettix cincticeps, and N. malayanus did not during the period studied. NLRV inoculated onto rice plant by viruliferous N. lugens failed to multiply, which accounts for the lack of symptoms on the plant even after an attack by viruliferous planthoppers. These biological properties and our previous data, which revealed a molecular similarity between NLRV and fijiviruses, suggest that NLRV is an ancestral virus of fijiviruses.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Electrophoretic karyotype of intracellular yeast-like symbiotes in rice planthoppers and anobiid beetles.

Chromosomal DNA molecules of intracellular yeast-like symbiotes (YLS) of three species of rice planthoppers and two species of anobiid beetles have been separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Probable chromosome numbers of Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, and Laodelphax striatellus, were 4, 4, and 5, respectively, and tentative genome sizes were 17.3, 17.6, and 20.1 Mbp, respectively, based upon migration of individual chromosome-sized DNA relative to the size standards of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Hansenula wingei, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomes. Chromosome numbers of Lasioderma serricorne and Stegobium paniceum were 11 and 15, respectively, and total genome sizes were 20.9 and 15.1 Mbp, respectively. The chromosomes carrying ribosomal RNA genes were identified by Southern blot analysis. Chromosomal organization and the genome size of YLS were similar to those of nonsymbiotic yeasts and fungi.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Phylogenetic position of yeast-like symbiotes of rice planthoppers based on partial 18S rDNA sequences.

The rice planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, and Laodelphax striatellus, harbor intracellular yeast-like symbiotes (YLS) in the fat body. The YLS are obligated endosymbiotes and are transovarially inherited. Nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA genes from the YLS were analyzed by direct sequencing. The YLS of the three species of planthoppers were monophyletic and their taxonomic positions were in the class Pyrenomycetes in the subphylum Ascomycotina.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The effects of an algal polysaccharide from Gloiopeltis tenax on transplantable tumors and immune activities in mice.

Funoran (an algal polysaccharide from Gloiopeltis tenax) significantly inhibited the growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and solid Ehrlich, Meth-A fibrosarcoma, and Sarcoma-180 tumors. In tumor-bearing mice, funoran significantly induced the enhancement of delayed-type hypersensitivity response to sheep red blood cells. When given intraperitoneally, funoran increased the spleen weight of mice. Morphological observations indicated that funoran augmented the transformation from lymphocytes to plasma cells in the spleen. In addition, changes in the T-cell subsets in the spleen, thymus, and peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that the percentages of L3T4+ and Lyt 2+ T-cells were markedly increased in the peripheral blood. The percentages of asialo CM1+ cells in the thymus and peripheral blood were also significantly increased. Our results suggest that the antitumor effect of funoran is related to the augmentation of T-helper, T-cytotoxic, and NK cells.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1995

Enhanced expression of Fc receptors on neutrophils from calves with leukocyte adhesion deficiency.

The expression of Fc receptors for immunoglobulin G(IgG) and concanavalin A (con A)-binding receptors, luminol-dependent chemiluminescent (LDCL) responses, and the effect of anti-bovine IgG on LDCL responses were evaluated in neutrophils from Holstein calves with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD). Neutrophils from affected calves showed a 2.1- to 2.5-fold increase in Fc receptor expression compared with those of control calves by flow cytometric analysis. Con A-binding activities of neutrophils from affected calves were similar to those of control calves. Neutrophils from a calf with BLAD, when stimulated with zymosan opsonized with bovine serum (OPZ), heat-aggregated bovine IgG (Agg-bovine IgG), sheep red blood cells (SRBC) sensitized with anti-SRBC antibody (SRBC-anti-SRBC Ab), or con A had LDCL responses of 36 (P < 0.05), 77, 126 and 119% of peak LDCL values of controls, respectively. The NBT-reducing value of neutrophils from a calf with BLAD when stimulated with Agg-bovine IgG after pretreatment with anti-bovine IgG was 116.5% of the values of neutrophils from control calves, but the difference was not significant. The LDCL responses of neutrophils from a control calf and a calf with BLAD stimulated with OPZ were inhibited markedly by pre-incubation with anti-bovine IgG antiserum at concentrations ranging from 1.25 to 20 or 40 micrograms/ml. Although an increase in Fc receptor expression on neutrophils from calves with BLAD was observed, the LDCL responses stimulated with SRBC-anti-SRBC Ab and NBT-reducing activity stimulated with Agg-bovine IgG after pretreatment with anti-bovine IgG did not correlate significantly with the increased Fc receptor expression. These results support that neutrophil functions mediated by the Fc receptors are associated synergistically with the presence of the complement receptor type 3 (CR3)(CD11b/CD18).

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Discharge properties of Purkinje cells in the oculomotor vermis during visually guided saccades in the macaque monkey.

1. We previously described discharge properties of cerebellar output cells in the fastigial nucleus during ipsilateral and contralateral saccades. Fastigial cells exhibited unique responses depending on the direction of saccades and were involved in execution of accurate targeting saccades. Purkinje cells in the oculomotor vermis (lobules VIc and VII) are thought to modulate these discharges of fastigial cells. In this study we reexamine discharge properties of Purkinje cells on the basis of this hypothesis. 2. Initially we physiologically identified the right and left sides of the oculomotor vermis. Saccade-related discharges of 79 Purkinje cells were recorded from both sides of the vermis during visually guided saccades toward the sides ipsilateral and contralateral to the recording side in two trained macaque monkeys. To clarify the correlation of Purkinje cell discharge with burst activities in the fastigial nucleus during saccadic eye movements, we analyzed our data by employing methods used in the study of fastigial neurons. 3. Among the 79 cells, 56 (71%) showed burst discharges during saccades (saccadic burst cells). Of the 56 cells, 29 exhibited a peak of burst discharges in both the contralateral and ipsilateral directions (bidirectional cells). The remaining 27 saccadic burst cells showed a peak of burst discharges during either contralateral or ipsilateral saccades (unidirectional cells). Among the 79 cells, 14 (18%) exhibited a pause of discharges during contralateral saccades (pause cells). Among the 79 cells, 9 (11%) showed burst discharge during contralateral saccades followed by tonic discharge that was correlated with eye position (burst tonic cells). 4. The timing of bursts in bidirectional cells with respect to saccade onset was dependent on the direction of saccade. During ipsilateral saccades, Purkinje cells exhibited a long lead burst that built up gradually, peaked near the onset of the saccade, and terminated sharply near midsaccade. The mean lead time relative to saccade onset was 29.3 +/- 24.5 (SD) ms. During contralateral saccades, Purkinje cells exhibited a short lead/late burst that built up sharply, peaked near midsaccade, and terminated gradually after the end of the saccade. The mean lead time relative to saccade onset was 10.7 +/- 20.8 ms. The burst onset time during contralateral saccades and the burst offset time during ipsilateral saccades preceded the saccade offset time by about the same interval regardless of the saccade amplitude. 5. In pause cells the pause preceded saccade onset by 17.5 +/- 10.6 ms. The duration of the pause was not correlated with the duration of saccades. There was little trial-to-trial variability in the onset time of the pause with respect to the onset of saccades, whereas there was large trial-to-trial variability in the offset time of the pause with respect to the offset of saccades. In addition, the mean onset time of the pause for each cell had a relatively narrow distribution. 6. The burst lead time of burst tonic cells relative to saccade onset was 9.5 +/- 3.9 ms. The tonic discharge rate of burst tonic cells was a nonlinear function of eye position. The regression of each cell was fit to two lines. The regression coefficient ranged from 0.95 to 0.99 (mean = 0.97). 7. Axons of Purkinje cells in the oculomotor vermis are thought to project exclusively to saccadic burst cells in the fastigial oculomotor region (FOR), which is located in the caudal portion of the fastigial nucleus. Our previous studies indicated that FOR cells provide temporal signals for controlling targeting saccades. The present results suggest that Purkinje cells in the oculomotor vermis modify the temporal signals of FOR cells for saccades in different directions and amplitudes. The modification of FOR cell activity by Purkinje cells is thought to be essential for the function of the cerebellum in the control of saccadic eye movements.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1995

Determination and properties of acetyl conjugate of N-desisopropylpropranolol, AcNDP.

1-Acetamino-3-(1-naphthyloxy)-2-propanol (AcNDP) detected in human urine was formed as a metabolite of propranolol (PL) via 1-amino-3-(L-naphthyloxy)-2-propanol (N-desisopropylpropranolol, NDP). The excreted amount of AcNDP was determined by GC-MS using an isotope dilution method. More than 40% of total AcNDP in 24 h urine was detected 10 h after the oral administration of PL to two volunteers, and the total amounts during 24 h urine were at least 1.9-3.9% of the PL dose. As AcNDP is an intermediate metabolite of PL, its urinary amount cannot be determined exactly. Incidentally, AcNDP was chemically stable and was not formed from NDP when acetyl CoA was added to the inactivated hepatocyte system. Thus, the acetylation of NDP, an aliphatic primary amine, was confirmed to be catalyzed by N-acetyltransferase, and interestingly, the acetyl conjugation was inhibited not by sulfamethazine but by p-amino benzoic acid.

Acetamides↗
PubMed1995

9-Hydroxymethyl-10-carbamoylacridan in human serum is one of the major metabolites of carbamazepine.

In sera of 29 patients under the chronic administration of carbamazepine (CBZ, dose: 10.9 +/- 4.3 mg/kg/day), a ring-contracted metabolite of CBZ was detected at a relatively higher concentration of 0.57 +/- 0.30 mu g/ml (mean +/- S.D.) by high-performance liquid chromatogaphic assay. The structure of the metabolite was identified as 9-hydroxymethyl-10-carbamoylacridan (HMCA) by the liquid chromatography-mass spectral examination, and also by comparison with the authentic sample. Although HMCA was already reported in a few papers as a minor metabolite of CBZ in human urine, any reliable report for the determination of HMCA in human blood has never been published. Our results show that HMCA is one of the major metabolites of CBZ.

Acridines↗
PubMed1995

Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression of the gene encoding formaldehyde dismutase from Pseudomonas putida F61.

The gene (fdm) coding for formaldehyde dismutase (EC 1.2.99.4) from a genomic library of formaldehyde-tolerant Pseudomonas putida F61 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotides of the cloned DNA were sequenced; they included a single open reading frame of 1200 base pairs, coding for a putative protein with a molecular weight of 42,848. Sequencing of the first 20 N-terminal amino acid residues and of an internal part of the enzyme purified from P. putida F61 established the identity and the start codon of fdm. Comparison of the amino acid sequence predicted from fdm with that of alcohol dehydrogenase from horse liver suggested a putative pyridine-dinucleotide-binding domain in fdm, and also potential ligands for the catalytic domain and the second zinc atom-folding domain. fdm seemed to be expressed in E. coli under control of the promoter of fdm; there was an E. coli promoter-like sequence upstream from the gene. The enzyme expressed in E. coli was purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight and the sequence of the first 20 N-terminal amino acid residues were identical with those of P. putida formaldehyde dismutase. Each subunit contained 1 mol of NAD(H) and 2 mol of zinc per mol of protein. The enzyme produced in E. coli catalyzed the dismutation of formaldehyde to form methanol and formic acid at the ratio of 1:1 in the absence of the exogenous electron acceptor, NAD(H).

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1995

Synthesis and evaluation of DMPO-type spin traps.

The spin traps substituted with some groups at the 4-position of dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide(DMPO) were compared with DMPO itself regarding their abilities as spin traps and their physical properties. 4,5,5-Trimethyl-1-pyrolline N-oxide (4MDMPO) and 5,5-dimethyl-4-phenyl-1-pyrolline N-oxide (4PDMPO) were synthesized by the Bonnett method, and 5,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1-pyrolline N-oxide (4HMDMPO) was made by a unique method from 2(5H)-furanone. The melting points of 4MDMPO, 4PDMPO and 4HMDMPO were higher than that of DMPO. The magnitude of hydrophilicity was in the order of 4HMDMPO, DMPO, 4MDMPO, and 4PDMPO based on the partition coefficient experiments in a 1-octanol--water system. Several radicals, O2-., HO., .CH3, .CH2OH, .CH(CH3)OH, (CH3)3CO. and H. radicals, were trapped with these DMPO derivatives for comparison with the trapping by DMPO itself. Spin adducts of O2-. with the three DMPO derivatives showed ESR spectra similar to that of DMPO. In spite of the formation of diastereomers arising from spin trapping, the line-width enlargement was very small. The intensities and the decay rates of the spectra of 4MDMPO-O2-, 4PDMPO-O2-, 4HMDMPO-O2- and DMPO-O2- were almost equal. In the trapping of the .OH radical by 4MDMPO, 4PDMPO and 4HMDMPO, the eight-line ESR spectra observed were different from the well-known four-line spectrum of DMPO-OH.

Cyclic N-Oxides↗
PubMed1995

Estimation of age from image processing of soft X-ray findings in Japanese male thyroid cartilages.

A method was developed for estimating the age at death based on image processing of soft X-ray pictures of thyroid cartilage from Japanese males. Data for 501 individuals were used to derive equations for this determination. Prior to image processing, gross morphological findings were used for estimation. Soft X-ray pictures indicated ossification with age and one index for image processing was introduced. The exponential function was applied to age estimation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Estimation of age from soft X-ray findings of Japanese females thyroid cartilages.

A method for estimating the age at death using the image processing of soft X-ray pictures of the thyroid cartilages of Japanese females was examined. The soft X-ray pictures showed increasing ossification with age. One index for image processing was introduced. It is ossification rate (OSFR). Corresponding to this index, one age estimation equation was obtained. This age estimation equation showed accuracies of 60% or more for the age range of +/- 5 years and about 80% for the age range of +/- 8 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Autopsy cases of giant heart during the past ten years in Osaka (1985-1994).

We collected data from 30 autopsied cases, in which the heart weight were 800 g or more (maximum 1,300 g), at the Osaka Medical Examiner's office, for past 10 years. Among these cases, the cause of death was cardiac failure in 17 cases (56.7%), followed by pulmonary diseases (3 cases, 10.0%), cerebral infarction (3 cases, 10.0%), and aortic rupture (2 cases, 6.6%). The mean weight of the giant hearts was 880 g (about 77% of the cases) and 4 cases (13%) had 1,000 g or more. The mean height of the giant heart victims was close to the standard level, and thus the mean level of the ratio of heart weight to height were about 2.5 times higher than the standard levels. The liver weights were also greater by 500-1,000 g than the standard levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[RANTES expression on human bronchial epithelial cells].

Viral infection induces airway inflammation. It is possible that bronchial epithelium derived chemokine contributes to the migration and accumulation of inflammatory cells in the airway viral infection. We infected bronchial epithelial cells with influenza virus and analysed mRNA expression and production of RANTES. The expression of mRNA and the production of RANTES were detected in infected cells using RT-PCR method and ELISA.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1995

[Vein patch angioplasty for coronary revascularization to ischemic heart disease: report of two cases].

Two cases of vein patch angioplasty for ischemic heart disease were presented. The first case (59-year-old female) admitted to our hospital because of posterolateral infarction. Preoperative coronary angiogram (CAG) showed stenosis of 4-PD of RCA, proximal LAD and distal LCX. The second case (62-year-old male) admitted for operation of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Preoperative CAG showed stenosis of proximal RCA and mid LAD. Stenosis of 4-PD and proximal RCA was relieved by patch angioplasty using saphenous vein graft and coronary artery bypass to LAD was performed by left internal thoracic artery graft. Both cases showed successful enlargement of RCA stenosis and good graft patency at the postoperative CAG. Vein patch angioplasty is thought to be an alternative method for coronary revascularization to ischemic heart disease.

Female↗