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Biomedical subjects

H Noguchi

Publications and source records attributed to H Noguchi.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Case report. Sporotrichosis successfully treated with itraconazole in Japan.

A case of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis that had developed from the dorsum nasi to the left buccal region of a 65-year-old woman was treated with itraconazole 100 mg day-1. The lesion healed in 10 weeks after starting treatment leaving crusts, mild erythema and pigmentation, and the treatment was completed 16 weeks after the start of treatment. Neither adverse reactions nor abnormal clinical laboratory values were noted. Until the present time, 1 year and 2 months after the completion of treatment, no recurrence has been observed. In Japan, 43 cases of sporotrichosis have been treated with itraconazole, and 38 cases (88%) have been assessed as effective or better. The mean dose of itraconazole and the mean duration of administration are 100 mg day-1 and 11 weeks, respectively, in these reported Japanese cases. The use of itraconazole is expected to be one of the effective therapies for sporotrichosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Effectiveness of treatment of severe tinea pedis with 1% terbinafine cream in members of the Japanese self-defense forces.

A clinical study was conducted to determine the efficacy of terbinafine cream in severe cases of tinea pedis. The subjects were 21 men, members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces who were judged to have severe symptoms of tinea pedis. The description 'severe' was defined as 'considered to require the concurrent internal administration of antifungals for complete cure', or as meeting criterion 5 or 6 for the severity of tinea pedis. A simple surface application of terbinafine cream was given once daily, the subjects' clinical manifestations, mycological cure rates and safety-related changes were observed, and a final assessment was made in the 12th week. In the final assessment, the improvement rate of the cutaneous symptoms was 95.2%, and the fungal eradication and efficacy rates were 81.0%. As for side-effects, one patient complained of local irritation. These results suggested that terbinafine cream is a beneficial topical antifungal cream for severe tinea pedis.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1999

Pilomatricoma associated with several hair follicles.

We report two cases of pilomatricoma in which the neoplasm was connected with several hair follicles. A 17-year-old boy developed an erythematous nodule, 1 cm in diameter, in the right temporal region, histologically showing basophilic cells connected with at least two hair follicles. In the other case, a 20-year-old man had a centrally ulcerated tumor, 2 cm in diameter, in the left lower back. Basophilic cells proliferated in connection with at least six hair follicle-like structures, accompanied by the development of shadow cells underneath. The histopathologic findings in these two cases suggest the existence of a subset of pilomatricomas that involve several pre-existing hair follicles.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Two cases of pilomatrixoma in Turner's syndrome.

Multiple and familial cases of pilomatrixomas have been reported in myotonic dystrophy. We report 2 cases of pilomatrixoma in Turner's syndrome. Between 5 and 19 years of age, 1 patient developed 6 pilomatrixomas including atypical occurrences on the chest and the posterior aspect of the leg. This is the first report of multiple pilomatrixomas in Turner's syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Therapeutic angiogenesis induced by human recombinant hepatocyte growth factor in rabbit hind limb ischemia model as cytokine supplement therapy.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) exclusively stimulates the growth of endothelial cells without replication of vascular smooth muscle cells and acts as a survival factor against endothelial cell death. Therefore we hypothesized that a decrease in local vascular HGF might be related to the pathogenesis of peripheral arterial disease. We initially evaluated vascular HGF concentration in the vessels of patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans. Consistent with in vitro findings that hypoxia downregulated vascular HGF production, vascular HGF concentration in the diseased segments of vessels from patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans was significantly decreased as compared with disease-free segments from the same patients (P<0.05), accompanied by a marked reduction in HGF mRNA. On the other hand, a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic diseases that uses angiogenic growth factors to expedite and/or augment collateral artery development has recently been proposed. Thus in view of the decreased endogenous vascular HGF, rhHGF (500 micrograms/animal) was intra-arterially administered through the internal iliac artery of rabbits in which the femoral artery was excised to induce unilateral hind limb ischemia, to evaluate the angiogenic activity of HGF, which could potentially have a beneficial effect in hypoxia. Administration of rhHGF twice on days 10 and 12 after surgery produced significant augmentation of collateral vessel development on day 30 in the ischemic model as assessed by angiography (P<0.01). Serial angiograms revealed progressive linear extension of collateral arteries from the origin stem artery to the distal point of the reconstituted parent vessel in HGF-treated animals. In addition, we examined the feasibility of intravenous administration of rhHGF in a moderate ischemia model. Importantly, intravenous administration of rhHGF also resulted in a significant increase in angiographic score as compared with vehicle (P<0.01). Overall, a decrease in vascular HGF might be related to the pathogenesis of peripheral arterial disease. In the presence of decreased endogenous HGF, administration of rhHGF induced therapeutic angiogenesis in the rabbit ischemic hind limb model, as potential cytokine supplement therapy for peripheral arterial disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Physiological effects of sudden change in illuminance during dark-adapted state.

To derive an optimal illuminance of nighttime illumination, we conducted an experiment with 7 healthy young individuals and 7 healthy elderly individuals as subjects. After 20 minutes of adaptation to darkness, subjects were exposed to illumination under 5 conditions comprising 0.5 lx, 1 lx, 3 lx, 10 lx, or 30 lx vertical illuminance of the facial region, and heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were measured, and discomfort was evaluated by subjective report. Results of LF/(LF + HF) (LF = low frequency, HF = high frequency) demonstrated a V-shaped trend for the young groups beginning during exposure and ending post exposure, with 3 lx conditions representing the minimum value, a value markedly lower than that for 30 lx conditions. From these results we inferred that approximately 3 lx illuminance could best suppress physiological stress. Evaluation of discomfort by subjective report also demonstrated an increase in discomfort evaluation scores under high illuminance conditions. The alpha-wave proportion of EEG during exposure fell markedly on 3 lx or higher illuminance conditions, and we inferred that visual sensory information and cortical activity level were adequately attained in 3 lx or higher illuminance conditions. These results suggest that the optimal illuminance of nighttime illumination is approximately 3 lx.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Effect of illuminance and color temperature on lowering of physiological activity.

To investigate how illuminance and color temperature in illumination affect the autonomic nervous system and central nervous system in conditions tending to lower physiological activity, and with an ordinary residential setting in mind, we performed an experiment on 8 healthy male subjects. The experimental conditions consisted of 4 conditions provided by a combination of 2 levels of color temperature (3000 K, 5000 K) and 2 levels of illuminance (30 lx, 150 lx). Physiological measurement was carried out during a process of 22 minutes of light exposure followed by 20 minutes of sleep in darkness. Heart rate variability (HRV) was used as an index of the autonomic nervous system, and alpha attenuation coefficient (AAC) and mean frequency of EEG were used as indices of the central nervous system. Subjective evaluation of drowsiness during the experiment was also carried out immediately following the 20 minutes sleep. No effect on HRV from illumination was noted, but significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for AAC were obtained under 3000 K conditions than 5000 K conditions in measurements during the first half of light exposure (Session 1). During alpha attenuation testing, significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for mean frequency in the theta-beta EEG bandwidth were also obtained under 3000 K conditions than 5000 K conditions, but that pattern persisted in measurement during the second half of light exposure (Session 2). Subjective drowsiness was also higher under 3000 K conditions than 5000 K conditions. These results suggest that low color temperature light creates a smooth lowering of central nervous system activity, and that low color temperature illumination can be used effectively in a bedroom or other such environment where it is desirable to facilitate lowered physiological activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Heart rate variability; an index for monitoring and analyzing human autonomic activities.

Heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive index of autonomic controls of the heart, has extensively been employed in various fields of study. The application range of this index persists to expand over the research horizon, and the need continues to demand technical complements for hitherto known deficiencies. Concurrent technical advances in recent years have yielded methodological techniques capable of performing quantitative analysis of HRV. However, as various approaches designed for HRV analysis exist, quantitative comparisons of the investigations have become difficult. Current physiological interpretations of the components of HRV are also inconsistent. Moreover, the issue of respiratory control has been much disputed when determining the HRV. In an attempt to clarify the current controversial state in HRV measurement, the present paper, based on the physiological background of HRV, pursued various procedures of HRV measurement and furnished global explanations for special features characterizing the various analytical approaches adopted thereof.

Autonomic Nervous System↗
PubMed1999

Metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the right colon manifested by gastrointestinal bleeding.

An 82-year-old black woman with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma presented with gastrointestinal bleeding. Barium enema and fibrocolonoscopy revealed a 4-cm polypoid mass at the level of the ascending colon with evidence of active bleeding. Biopsies of the lesion proved it to be metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Exploratory laparotomy revealed no further dissemination of the tumor, and the patient underwent an ileocolectomy. The serosal side of the colonic lesion was free from tumor, and there was no peritoneal implantation, direct extension, or lymph node involvement. This case represents an extremely rare presentation of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[A multicenter study for evaluating a new intubating laryngeal mask airway].

A multicenter study was performed to evaluate the success of endotracheal intubation using an intubating laryngeal mask (ILM, Fastrach) in patients in ASA status I or II, aged 20 years or more, who underwent general anesthesia. A total of 191 patients were studied, and 24 of them were estimated difficult to intubate by the ordinary method with laryngoscope. Endotracheal intubation was successfully performed through ILM in 162 of the 191 (success rate of 84.8%). The mean time required for intubation in these successful cases was 19.1 seconds. The success rate did not depend on the clinical experience of anesthesiologists, and the individual success rate was improved as they became more experienced. Of the 24 patients who had been estimated difficult to intubate with laryngoscope, 23 were successfully intubated with success rate of 95.8%. In summary, endotracheal intubation through ILM was easy regardless of the anesthesiologist's experience, and seemed to be valuable for patients who were difficult to intubate.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

BDNF attenuates retinal cell death caused by chemically induced hypoxia in rats.

PURPOSE: To investigate the neuroprotective effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) against potassium cyanide (KCN)-induced retinal damage. METHODS: Rats were injected intravitreally with iodinated BDNF. Two days later, eyeballs were dissected into various parts, and the level of radioactivity in each part was measured. Retinal damage was induced by incubating rat eyeballs with 5 mM KCN. BDNF was injected intravitreally 2 days before KCN treatment, and subsequent morphometric analysis was carried out to evaluate the retinal cell damage. To elucidate the mechanisms of BDNF's neuroprotective effects, the intravitreal concentrations of amino acids and the expression of calretinin were investigated. RESULTS: Intravitreally injected BDNF was distributed evenly throughout the eyes, and the incorporation of iodinated BDNF into the retina was three times higher than in other ocular tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that exogenous BDNF diffused throughout the retina and was especially concentrated in the inner (INL) and outer nuclear layer. Morphometric analysis showed that the number of INL cells of the posterior area, 880 microm from the optic nerve head, was 190 +/- 4 with KCN treatment and 284 +/- 9 in control animals. Cell death appeared to be necrotic. When eyes injected with either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or BDNF were subjected to treatment with KCN, the number of INL cells was 186 +/- 5 in the PBS-treated controls and 253 +/- 8 in eyes treated with BDNF. Also, BDNF increased the number of calretinin-positive cells in the INL and reduced the KCN-induced elevation of intravitreal glutamate levels. CONCLUSIONS: BDNF injected intravitreally reaches the retina and attenuates the INL cell death caused by KCN-induced metabolic insult. The neuroprotective effects of BDNF are partly ascribed to the upregulation of a calcium-binding protein and the attenuation of glutamate release into the vitreous body.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Contribution of nitric oxide to the presynaptic inhibition by endothelin ETB receptor of the canine stellate ganglionic transmission.

We previously reported that endothelin (ET) 3 inhibited presynaptically the dog stellate ganglionic transmission. Here, we report the investigation of the possible involvement of nitric oxide pathway in the endothelin-induced inhibition of the ganglionic transmission. The amount of acetylcholine released by preganglionic stimulation for 10 min was concentration-dependently inhibited after exposure to ET-3 (10(-9)-10(-6) M) or IRL-1620, endothelin ET(B) receptor agonist (10(-8)-10(-5) M). The inhibition was antagonized by pretreatment with a nonselective endothelin receptors antagonist (bosentan) and an ET(B) receptor antagonist (BQ-788) or a neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 3-bromo-7-nitroindazole, but was not inhibited by a selective ET(A) receptor antagonist, BQ-123. The reduction induced by ET-3 was also antagonized by treatment with a selective inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase, 1H-[1,2, 4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one. In addition, similar reductions were also mimicked by exposure to cGMP analog, 8-bromoguanosine-3, 5-cyclic monophosphate and nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine. Exposure to ET-3 or IRL-1620 for a 30-min period increased the levels of total nitric oxide (NO), nitrite plus nitrate NO(x) concentration in the incubation medium, with the increase in NO(x) also being antagonized by BQ-788 at the same concentration. The ET-3-induced increase in NO(x) was antagonized by treatment with the same concentration of 3-bromo-7-nitroindazole or a selective inhibitor of receptor-mediated Ca(2+) entry, 1-[b-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl) propoxy]-4-methoxyphenethyl]-1H-imidazole (10(-5) M), and with a calmodulin antagonist, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide. These results indicate that ET(B) receptor activation inhibits the sympathetic ganglionic transmission via reducing acetylcholine release from presynaptic nerve terminals, although this inhibition also seems to involve the ET(B) receptor-operated Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent activation of endogenous nitric oxide production.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1998

Growth-blocking peptide expressed in the insect nervous system--cloning and functional characterization.

Growth-blocking peptide (GBP) is an insect biogenic peptide that retards larval growth and, consequently, delays the onset of pupation of lepidopteran larvae. Transcription of the GBP gene has been proven to be regulated in a tissue-dependent manner by an approximately 0.8-kb mRNA transcript in fat body and 2.5-kb transcript in the brain central nervous system (CNS) [Hayakawa, Y., Ohnishi, A., Yamanaka, A., Izumi, S. & Tomino, S. (1995) FEBS Lett. 367, 185-189]. The GBP cDNA in the brain CNS was isolated, sequenced and found to be almost identical with that in the fat body, except that it encodes a long 5'-untranslated region (approximately 1.1 kb), thus indicating that the brain CNS is synthesized as a polyprotein precursor and released through posttranslational processing in the same manner as that predicted in the fat body. Sequence analyses of the genomic GBP gene fragments demonstrated that the 5'-untranslated region contains an intron encoding a sequence element, TGATAA, which has been reported to be important for expression in the insect larval fat body, suggesting that this element contributes to a tissue-specific expression of the shorter GBP mRNA in fat body. Ribonuclease protection assays showed that parasitization by a parasitic wasp elevated the expression of GBP mRNA in brain CNS. The parasitization-induced increase of GBP precursor and GBP concentrations was also demonstrated in brain CNS. Brain CNS dopamine was increased eightfold by incubating the tissue with GBP for 8 h through the elevation of dopa decarboxylase activity by a transcriptional enhancement perhaps due to GBP-induced increase of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration. Dopamine elevation reduced in vitro incorporation of methionine into proteins synthesized in brain CNS.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Synthesis of monomeric and polymeric conjugates carrying a thrombin inhibitor through an ester bond.

Four kinds of monomers carrying a thrombin inhibitor, (2R,4R)-4-methyl-1-[N2-[(3-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8-quinolinyl)sulfon yl]-L-arginyl]-2-piperidinecarboxylic acid (argatroban), were synthesized. These monomers were copolymerized with acrylamide to yield water-soluble polymeric conjugates possessing the argatroban moiety in the side chain. Their antithrombogenic activities were determined from the inhibitory effect on thrombin action and the prolongation effect on blood clotting time. The monomeric conjugates of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate (HBA) linked with argatroban through an ester bond were potent inhibitors of thrombin, prolonging the blood-clotting time, whereas a conjugate of amino methyl styrene (AMS) and argatroban through an amide bond was a less potent inhibitor than argatroban. None of the copolymers could prolong blood clotting when assessed just after preparation of their aqueous solutions, but the antithrombogenic activity of the aqueous solutions increased after incubation for 7 days at 37 degrees C for the polymeric conjugates through an ester bond. Free argatroban was detected in the aqueous solutions of polymeric conjugates after incubation, suggesting that argatroban was released by hydrolysis of the ester bond during incubation.

Antithrombins↗
PubMed1998

Primary cause of mortality in the armyworm larvae simultaneously parasitized by parasitic wasp and infected with bacteria.

Parasitoid wasps never kill their hosts before the wasp larvae emerge from the host. However, almost 100% of the host armyworm larvae Pseudaletia separata die within 2-3 days by parasitization with the wasp Cotesia kariyai or by injection of polydnavirus, the wasp symbiont virus, when they are simultaneously infected by the pathogenic bacterium Serratia marcescens. The present study was conducted to elucidate the crucial factor causing this larval mortality. An insecticidal protein has been shown to exist in the hemolymph of dying host larvae; it has been purified by procedures consisting of reverse-phase column extraction, gel filtration and ion-exchange column chromatography. The purified protein showed a strong insecticidal effect with a median lethal dosage (LD50) of 13 pmol/larva and was estimated to have a molecular mass of 57 kDa. The amino acid sequence of the insecticidal protein was partially characterized and used for isolation and sequencing of the genomic DNA. The deduced amino acid sequence for this protein revealed striking similarity with the metalloprotease of S. marcescens enterobacter.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Spontaneous rupture of the stomach in preschool age children: a report of two cases.

The cases of two preschool-age children who suffered spontaneous gastric ruptures are reported herein. The first was a 2-year-old girl with tetralogy of Fallot, transferred to our hospital due to shock. A laparotomy was performed under the diagnosis of gastrointestinal perforation, and two perforations of the posterior wall of the gastric fundus were found. The second case, a 4-year-old girl who had previously experienced an episode of gastric dilatation, was admitted to our department with abdominal distention and vomiting. An abdominal X-ray film revealed a pneumoperitoneum, and an emergency laparotomy was performed, confirming a round rupture in the posterior wall of the stomach. Both patients had a satisfactory postoperative course.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1998

Intra-abdominal testis with mature teratoma.

Tumors in an undescended testis are rare in children. We report a mature teratoma arising in the intra-abdominal testis (IAT) of a 1-year-old boy. Preoperative laparoscopy revealed a right IAT near the inguinal ring. As the right testis exposed through the inguinal incision seemed to be a neoplastic mass, an orchidectomy was performed. Histologic examination disclosed a mature teratoma. This is a review of seven cases (including the present one) of a prepubertal tumor originating in an IAT. We speculate that the undescended testes did not cause the neoplasia, but were induced by it.

Cryptorchidism↗