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Biomedical subjects

H Ochi

Publications and source records attributed to H Ochi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Myelitis associated with atopic disorders in Japan: a retrospective clinical study of the past 20 years.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the clinical features of myelitis associated with atopic disorders in Japanese patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied the clinical, immunological and electrophysiological features of 68 consecutive patients with myelitis of acute or subacute onset diagnosed at Kyushu University Hospital during the past 20 years. RESULTS: While only 2 of 28 (7%) patients with myelitis diagnosed between 1979 and 1993 had either atopic dermatitis (AD) or bronchial asthma (BA), 19 of 40 (48%) patients with myelitis diagnosed between 1994 and 1998 did. Among the 40 patients with myelitis diagnosed between 1994 and 1998, 19 patients with either AD or BA as well as 21 patients without either disease showed a significantly higher level of serum total IgE, higher frequency of hyperIgEaemia and higher frequency of mite antigen-specific IgE than 82 healthy controls. Myelitis patients with AD presenting as persistent paresthesia/dysesthesia in all four limbs showed cervical cord lesions on MRI and abnormalities in upper limb motor evoked potentials but no abnormalities in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), while myelitis patients with BA showed preferential involvement of the lower motor neurons clinically and electromyographically. In addition, 12 patients with myelitis who had hyperIgEaemia and mite antigen-specific IgE but neither AD nor BA showed incomplete transverse myelitis with mild motor disability and few CSF abnormalities. CONCLUSION: The clinical features of myelitis associated with atopic disorders were in part distinguished by the type of preceding atopic disorder, and also were different from those of hyperIgEaemic myelitis with no preceding atopic disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Tracer accumulation in radiation necrosis of the brain after thallium-201 SPECT and [11C]methionine PET--case report.

A 69-year-old woman was treated by local irradiation for a malignant lymphoma of the left parotid gland. Three years after the radiation therapy, magnetic resonance imaging revealed heterogeneously enhanced masses in the left temporal lobe and left cerebellum. Thallium-201 chloride single photon emission computed tomography (Tl-SPECT) revealed high uptake and [11C]methionine positron emission tomography (Met-PET) revealed moderate uptake in both masses. Stereotactic biopsy was performed. The histological diagnosis was radiation necrosis. She was treated with steroids. Neurosurgeons should be aware of the difficulty in differentiating tumor recurrence from radiation necrosis even with Tl-SPECT and Met-PET, and the importance of obtaining a histological diagnosis for radiation necrosis.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Prognostic predictive value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for patients with pancreatic cancer.

18Fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) is a unique imaging diagnostic tool to evaluate glucose metabolism and hexokinase activity which may reflect the aggressiveness of a tumor. Thirty-seven patients with primary pancreatic cancer were evaluated with 18F-FDG-PET. Thirteen patients underwent resection for the pancreatic cancer and 24 patients had unresectable tumors. The standardized uptake values (SUV) of 18F-FDG in the primary tumors were calculated. No correlations were found between the SUV in the tumors and the metastatic status to the peritoneal/liver, TNM factors/stage, or resectability. The patients were divided into 2 groups with high and low SUV, with the cut-off value being 3.0 (median SUV value of 37 cases). No differences in the probability of survival were observed between the 2 groups in the patients with resectable tumors. However, in the patients with unresectable tumors, those in the high SUV group had a significantly shorter prognosis than those in the low SUV group. Moreover, a multivariate analysis of survival indicated that SUV is an independent prognostic factor for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

Usefulness of positron emission tomography for diagnosis of malignancy in a calcified lesion: a case report.

When calcified lesions in the liver or spleen are found during follow-up of patients who have undergone debulking surgery and chemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma, it is very difficult to differentiate recurrent cancer from secondary change after chemotherapy. We present here a patient in whom calcified lesions in the liver and spleen were diagnosed as malignancy on the basis of a preoperative PET study. Malignancy was confirmed by histologic examination after surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[A case of myelitis caused by visceral larva migrans due to Ascaris suum presenting only with Lhermitte's sign].

A 27-year-old woman was admitted because of pain radiating through her back on neck flexion that had begun a month ago. She frequently ate raw beef liver. General physical examination revealed no abnormal findings, but she showed Lhermitte's sign neurologically. Fecal examination revealed no worm eggs. Blood cell counts showed mild eosinophilia (8.2%). The IgE level was mildly increased to 397 IU/ml (normal < 250). Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed 7 cells/microliter with 50% eosinophils. A test for anti-Ascaris suum IgG antibody was strongly positive in serum as well as in cerebrospinal fluid. Cervical MRI showed high-intensity areas in the spinal cord extending from the lower medulla to the C4 spine level on the T2-weighted images, and part of the lesion at the C3 spine level was enhanced by gadolinium. Treatment with albendazole 500 mg/day for six weeks ameliorated the Lhermitte's sign and MRI lesions, and reduced the anti-Ascaris suum antibody titers in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Larva migrans of Ascaris suum involving the central nervous system is considered to be extremely rare, but such cases showing mild neurologic impairment without systemic symptoms may have been overlooked.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

IL-4 and -5 prime human mast cells for different profiles of IgE-dependent cytokine production.

Mast cells (MC) are stem cell factor-dependent tissue-based hematopoietic cells with substantial functional heterogeneity. Cord blood-derived human MC (hMC) express functional receptors for IL-5, and IL-5 mediates stem cell factor-dependent comitogenesis of hMC in vitro. Although IL-5 is not required for normal hMC development, we considered that it might prime hMC for their high-affinity Fc receptor for IgE (FcvarepsilonRI)-dependent generation of cytokines, as previously demonstrated for IL-4. Compared with hMC maintained in stem cell factor alone, hMC primed with IL-5 expressed 2- to 4-fold higher steady-state levels of TNF-alpha, IL-5, IL-13, macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor transcripts 2 h after FcvarepsilonRI crosslinking and secreted 2- to 5-fold greater quantities of the corresponding cytokines, except IL-13, at 6 h. Unlike IL-4, IL-5 priming did not enhance FcvarepsilonRI-dependent histamine release. Thus, IL-5 augments cytokine production by hMC by a mechanism distinct from that of IL-4 and with a different resultant profile of cytokine production. These observations suggest a potentially autocrine effect of IL-5 on hMC for amplification of allergic immune responses, in addition to its recognized paracrine effects on eosinophils, and implicate both IL-4 and IL-5 in the modulation of the hMC phenotype.

Cytokines↗
PubMed2000

Preparation of a monoclonal antibody to N(epsilon)-(Hexanonyl)lysine: application to the evaluation of protective effects of flavonoid supplementation against exercise-induced oxidative stress in rat skeletal muscle.

The monoclonal antibody to N(epsilon)-(hexanonyl)lysine (HEL), a novel adduct formed by the reaction of linoleic acid hydroperoxide and lysine, has been prepared and characterized. The obtained antibody specifically recognized the HEL moiety. Using the monoclonal antibody, we evaluated the protective effects of feeding eriocitrin, which is one of flavonoids in lemon fruit, on oxidative modification induced by exercise in rats. The supplementation of eriocitrin significantly suppressed the increase in HEL in the skeletal muscle by exercise. The result suggests that the determination of HEL may be a good method for evaluation of the protective effect of beneficial food factors against oxidative stress.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2000

Flow cytometric differentiation of Asian and Western types of multiple sclerosis, HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and hyperIgEaemic myelitis by analyses of memory CD4 positive T cell subsets and NK cell subsets.

We examined the alterations of memory CD4(+) T cell subsets bearing surface receptors linked to either Th1 or Th2 cytokine production as well as natural killer (NK) cell subsets by three color flow cytometry in the peripheral blood from 36 patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS), 27 patients with HAM/TSP, 13 patients with hyperIgEaemic myelitis who had mite antigen-specific IgE and 25 healthy controls (HC). The patients with MS were clinically classified into an optico-spinal form of MS (Asian type, MS-A) and the conventional form of MS (Western type, MS-W). MS-A showed a significant increase of CD4(+)CD45RA(-)CCR5(+) cells (Th1 cells) through the relapse and remission phases in comparison to HC, while MS-W showed a significant increase of CD4(+)CD45RO(+)CD62L(-) cells (Th1 cells) only at the relapse phase. HAM/TSP showed a significant increase of CCR5(+) and CD62L(-) memory CD4(+) T cells as well as CD30(+) memory CD4(+) T cells (Th2 cells) in comparison to HC. On the other hand, a selective increase of CD4(+)CD45RO(+)CD30(+) cells was found in hyperIgEaemic myelitis. The percentage of mature NK cells (CD3(-)CD16(+)CD56(+) cells) as well as double negative T cells (CD3(+)CD4(-)CD8(-) cells) decreased significantly in HAM/TSP in comparison to HC. Our findings therefore suggest a flow cytometric analysis of Th1/Th2-associated markers on memory CD4(+) T cells as well as NK cell subsets to be useful for differentiating various inflammatory neurologic conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The JaICA-genox oxidative stress profile--an overview on the profiling technique in the oxidative stress assessment and management.

It is widely accepted that oxidative stress (OS) is a major causative factor for many of the age-related dysfunctions and specific diseases. Since the oxidative stress state (OSS) of an individual depends on hereditary, dietary, and environmental factors, there is a large heterogeneity in the population that may be related to disease incidence and longevity. Hence there is a need to assess how well an individual is coping against OS. The Japan Institute for the Control of Aging (JaICA) and Genox have jointly developed a profiling technique to measure the "Oxidative Stress Profiles (JaICA-Genox OSP)" of individuals and laboratory test animals. The JaICA-Genox OSP consists of about 45 different assays measuring the levels of oxidative damage in lipids and nucleic acids, and the antioxidant defenses in the serum. In addition, several bio-markers for cardiovascular disease risk are also measured, and assays to measure specific age- and sex-related hormones in the serum and urine, and race elements in serum, urine, and drinking water are also undertaken. This overview discusses the designing of the JaICA-Genox OSP and its application in the testing of human subjects.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

Course before and after percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization of a patient with cholangiocarcinoma monitored by scintigraphy with Tc-99m galactosyl human serum albumin.

Percutaneous transhepatic portal vein embolization (PTPE) causes atrophy of the embolized lobe and compensatory hypertrophy of the nonembolized lobe, and improves the safety of hepatectomy. We report a patient with cholangiocarcinoma who underwent embolization of both anterior and posterior branches of the right portal vein before hepatectomy. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m galactosyl human serum albumin was performed before and 4 weeks after PTPE. After PTPE, the right lobe of the liver was atrophied and the left lobe of the liver was enlarged, compared with before PTPE. The receptor index of the entire liver was almost unchanged before and after PTPE, but the right lobe receptor index after PTPE was 23% less than the pre-PTPE value, whereas the left lobe receptor index had increased 37%. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m galactosyl human serum albumin is useful for evaluating segmental functional reserve before and after PTPE.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Clinical usefulness of positron emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose in the diagnosis of liver tumors.

We studied various liver tumors by positron emission tomography with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) to examine the diagnostic usefulness of this technique. We also examined the relation between findings on FDG-PET and the characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma. FDG-PET was performed in 78 patients with liver tumors, including 53 with primary liver cancer [48 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and 5 cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCC)], 20 with metastatic liver cancer, 2 with liver hemangioma, and 3 with focal nodular hyperplasia. For quantitative evaluation, a region of interest (ROI) was placed over the entire tumor region, at the level of the maximum diameter of the tumor. A background ROI was then placed over the non-tumor region of the liver. The average activity within each ROI was subsequently corrected for radioactive decay, and the standardized uptake value (SUV) was calculated by dividing the tissue activity by the injected dose of radioactivity per unit body weight. SUV ratio was expressed as the tumor-to-non-tumor ratio of the SUV. The median SUV was significantly lower in HCC than in metastatic live cancer or CCC, and the median SUV ratio was significantly lower in HCC than in metastatic liver cancer or CCC. The median SUV was not higher in multiple HCC than in single HCC, but the median SUV ratio was significantly higher in multiple HCC than in single HCC. The median SUV and the median SUV ratio were significantly higher in the presence of portal vein thrombosis than in the absence of such thrombosis. The Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score and the alpha-fetoprotein value correlated significantly with both the SUV and SUV ratio. These results suggest that FDG-PET is clinically useful not only for the differential diagnosis of liver tumors but also for evaluation of the clinical characteristics of HCC.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A case of cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine diagnosed by scintigraphy with Tc-99m-labeled red blood cells.

Hemangioma of the small intestine is rare, and the preoperative diagnosis of it is difficult. We report a patient with gastrointestinal bleeding for whom Tc-99m-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy was useful in diagnosing cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine. A 25-year-old man was referred to our hospital for recurrent iron deficiency anemia. Because of the patient's severe anemia, imaging was performed to locate the bleeding lesion in the gastrointestinal tract. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m-labeled red blood cells revealed pooling indicating a tumor and extravasation of blood from the tumor. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate revealed no abnormal accumulation. Partial resection of the small intestine was done, and cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine was diagnosed by using the specimen of resected tissue.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A case of recurrent cholangitis after bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: value of scintigraphy with Tc-99m GSA and hepatobiliary scintigraphy for indication of lobectomy.

A 39-year-old woman with acute cholecystitis and gallstones underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. She suffered from recurrent episodes of cholangitis due to injury of the major bile ducts during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with Tc-99m Sn-N-pyridoxyl-5-methyltryptophan was performed. Although normal bile excretion was found from the left hepatic duct to the percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) tube, excretion from the right hepatic lobe was prolonged. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin demonstrated atrophy of the right hepatic lobe and enlargement of the left hepatic lobe. Cholangiography via the PTBD tube revealed complete obstruction of the left hepatico-jejunal anastomosis and could not enhance the right intrahepatic bile duct. A right hepatic lobectomy was performed because of the atrophy, glissonitis and the absence of an appropriate bile duct for reconstruction. Postoperatively she was active and exhibited no evidence of recurrent cholangitis.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Effect of ethanol on bone mineral density of rats evaluated by dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry.

Abuse of alcohol may derange bone metabolism and cause osteoporosis. Due to confounding factors associated with alcohol abuse, e.g., dietary deficiencies and liver damage, a study using an animal model is preferable to examine whether alcohol itself actually reduces bone density. We evaluated the effect of alcohol intake on bone in rats by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Six-week-old male (n = 16) and female (n = 16) Wister rats were divided into two groups. Sixteen alcohol-exposed rats (8 male and 8 female) were fed Lieber's liquid diet and 16 control rats (8 male and 8 female) were fed a control liquid diet. The bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the right femur were measured before and after experimental feeding under anesthesia. The BMD of lumbar spine (L2-L4) of sacrificed rats was measured. For male rats, BMD and BMC decreased significantly in the alcohol group (P = 0.0132 and 0.0133, respectively) but did not decrease in control group. For female rats, BMD and BMC decreased significantly in the alcohol group (P = 0.0012 and <0.0001, respectively) but did not decrease in the control group. For male rats, the mean ratio of BMD after experimental feeding divided by BMD before experimental feeding was significantly lower in the alcohol group than in the control group (P = 0.0031). For female rats, the mean ratio of BMD after experimental feeding divided by BMD before experimental feeding was also lower in the alcohol group than in the control group (P = 0.0002). For male rats, the mean BMD of L2-L4 after experimental feeding was significantly lower in the alcohol group than in the control group (P = 0.0210). For female rats, the mean BMD of L2-L4 after experimental feeding was also significantly lower in the alcohol group than in the control group (P = 0.0006). These results indicate that alcohol intake decreased the BMD of rats in both spongy and cortical bone, and that the reduction of BMD was greater in female rats than in male rats.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2000

Characteristic biological effects of itraconazole on L929 fibroblasts and their cell membrane.

Itraconazole (ITCZ), a triazole antifungal agent, was studied for its effects on the morphology and function of L929 fibroblasts. L929 fibroblasts were cultured for 20 h with ITCZ or one of several other triazoles (fluconazole, ketoconazole, and hydroxy-itraconazole [ITCZ-OH]) at the concentration of 0.5 microg/ml. Among these agents, only ITCZ and its metabolite ITCZ-OH markedly elongated the cells bidirectionally. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that the surface of the elongated cells was smoother than that of the untreated cells. The viability of L929 cells cultured with 0.5 microg/ml of ITCZ for 20 h was not lowered. However, after treatment with 0.0375% sodium deoxycholate (DOC) solution, the viability of the cells treated with ITCZ, as evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2thiazoyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) proliferation assay or the release of lactic dehydrogenase from cytoplasm, was decreased. When L929 cells were cultured in the presence of a combination of ITCZ and vincristine, their growth was synergistically inhibited. This synergism was also observed when ITCZ was replaced by ITCZ-OH, but not by the other azoles. These findings suggest that the exposure of L929 fibroblasts to low ITCZ concentrations affects the physiological nature of their cell membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Isolation and characterization of free radical scavenging activities peptides derived from casein.

A peptide having the strong free radical scavenging activities was separated from casein protein hydrolysate by chromatographic analyses such as ion-exchange and gel filtration. SP-II fraction obtained by SP-Sephadex C-25 chromatography showed the most potent superoxide anion scavenging activity (SOSA), and it was further separated into a peptide using an octadecylsilano-high performance liquid chromatography. The amino acid sequence of the peptide was Tyr-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Glu-Leu (YFYPEL). The concentration of the test compound required to reduce the produced superoxide anion to one-half (IC(50)) value for SOSA was 79.2 microM using tetrazolium salt 3'-{1-[(phenylamino)-carbonyl]-3,4-tetrazolium}-bis(4-methoxy-6-nitro)benzenesulfonic acid hydrate method. The IC50 value for the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were 98 and 251 microM, respectively, based on the electron spin resonance method. We characterized SOSA of the C-terminal sequence using EL, PEL, YPEL, and FYPEL. The activities preferred sequences were EL>YFYPEL>FYPEL>YPEL>PEL, suggesting that the Glu-Leu sequence is important for the activity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Antioxidative activities of heterocyclic compounds formed in brewed coffee.

Typical volatile heterocyclic compounds found in brewed coffee extracts-pyrroles, furans, thiophenes, and thiazoles-were examined for antioxidative activity, which was determined by measuring the oxidative conversion of hexanal to hexanoic acid using gas chromatography. 2-Acetylpyrrole, 1-methylpyrrole, and pyrrole inhibited hexanal oxidation by 98, 87, and 78%, respectively, at a concentration of 500 microgram/mL over a period of 30 days. 2-Methylfuran, which inhibited hexanal oxidation by 90% at all concentrations tested (500, 200, and 100 microgram/mL) for a 30-day period, exhibited the greatest activity among furans tested. Similarly, 2-methylthiophene, which inhibited hexanal oxidation by almost 100% at a concentration of 500 microgram/mL over 30 days, exhibited the greatest activity among the thiophenes tested. In general, thiazoles were ineffective antioxidants at all concentrations tested. However, 4,5-dimethylthiazole was able to inhibit hexanal oxidation by 50% at the highest level tested (500 microgram/mL). 2-Acetylpyrrole, 2-methylfuran, and 2-methylthiophene at concentrations of 500, 200, and 100 microgram/mL and furan at a concentration of 500 microgram/mL exhibited antioxidative activities comparable to that of the synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene at a concentration of 50 microgram/mL.

Aldehydes↗