An approach to evaluating patch test results.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H Oshima.
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Prostaglandin (PG) E1, E2 and F2 alpha contracted smooth muscle strips from male adult rabbit urinary bladder. Contractile responses to each PG were significantly greater in urinary bladder body than in urinary bladder base. The magnitude of contractile response to each PG was F2 alpha > E2 > E1 in both of the bladder body and the bladder base. These contractions were almost completely eliminated by a calcium entry blocker, verapamil but not by atropine, phentolamine, propranolol or tetrodotoxin. PG E1 and E2 significantly relaxed the male rabbit urethral smooth muscle strips, whereas PG F2 alpha contracted the urethral smooth muscle strips. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) but not cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) increased significantly after administration of PG E1 or E2 in the urethral muscle strip. These results suggest that the regional differences in the magnitude of contractile responses to PG E1, E2 and F2 alpha between the bladder dome and the base and also suggest the contractile differences of PG E1 and E2 for the urinary bladder and the urethra; contractions for bladder and relaxations for urethra. These results also demonstrate that contractions induced by PG E1, E2 and F2 alpha in urinary bladder smooth muscles and by PG F2 alpha in urethral smooth muscles are mainly mediated by calcium influx and that relaxations induced by PG E1 and E2 in urethral smooth muscles are mediated by cAMP but not by cGMP.
The electronic endoscopic image of gastric mucosa was converted by image processing unit SP-1000 (A/D changed) into the one, which was treated with the color conversion method to measure the gastric mucosal hemoglobin index (Hb-index: HI). At the same time, biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa were removed from such 4 different sites as antrum lesser curvature, lower body lesser curvature, lower body anterior wall and upper body posterior wall. On pathohistological examination, the author observed the inflammatory cell infiltration, mucin production, the number and diameter of blood vessels, the degree of atrophic changes in gastric mucosa. HI values were compared with histological findings and with the degree of endoscopic appearance of blood vessel in the lower body lesser curvature. The following results were obtained. HI values were lower in the group with higher inflammatory cell infiltration and less mucin production, while the values were higher in the group with more numerous vessels and larger size ones in diameter. In the group with higher degrees of the pathohistological atrophic change and the endoscopic appearance of blood vessel, HI showed lower values.
We evaluated vesico-urethral function after radical retropubic prostatectomy in 18 male patients by consecutive urodynamic studies. At the time of the operation average age was 68 years with a range between 56 to 78 years old. The follow-up period after the operation was over 12 months in all patients. Pathological stage was T1 in 2, T2 in 6, T3 in 8 and T4 in 2 patients. Urodynamic evaluation including uroflowmetry, cystometry, urethral pressure profilometry (UPP) and external anal or urethral sphincter electromyography was performed before and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation. The status of postoperative urinary incontinence was reported by the patients. Sixty-five per cent of the patients revealed the low compliance bladder less than 10 ml/cm water at one month after the operation, however, most patients had normal vesical compliance and normal cystometrogram at 12 months. Both functional profile length (FPL) and maximum urethral closure pressure (UCPmax) in UPP were markedly lowered immediately after the operation and both indexes were significantly lower even at one year after the operation than preoperative ones. Both the incidence and the degree of incontinence improved during postoperative 12 months; complete urinary control was achieved in 11 patients (61%), stress urinary incontinence was present in 6 patients (33%) and one patient (6%) was still totally incontinent. Shortening FPL was considered to be the risk factor on postoperative urinary incontinence. Resection of bilateral neurovascular bundles and lower UCPmax seemed to have the possibility of the influence on it. Low compliance bladder is also likely to be one of the factors to cause early postoperative incontinence.
We performed radical nephrectomy for 166 patients with renal cell carcinoma over 25 years period between 1967 and 1991. Among them, 49 patients had stage T1-3 NOMOVO tumors less than 6 cm in maximum diameter. Twenty-seven of them received radical nephrectomy by a modified translumbar approach whereas the conventional transabdominal approach was applied to the remaining 22 patients. We retrospectively studied treatment results of the 49 patients to evaluate the current translumbar approach. There was no significant difference in the age and sex distribution of the patients, and the size, stage, grade and histological subtype of the tumor between translumbar and transabdominal groups, although the incidence of venous invasion (pVla) was significantly greater in translumbar group. Statistical analysis revealed shortened operating time, decreased blood loss and quickened postoperative recovery (resuming oral intake or walking) in translumbar group as compared to those in transabdominal group. No major complication was observed in both groups. There was no significant difference in actuarial survival rate or disease-free survival period between the two groups. Actuarial three-year survival rate was 96% for translumbar and 89% for transabdominal group, respectively. Sites of metastasis were lung (2 patients) or bone (1 patient) in translumbar group and bone (1 patient) or unknown (1 patient) in transabdominal group. With the favorable prognosis comparable to that of transabdominal radical nephrectomy and the relatively small invasiveness, the current translumbar radical nephrectomy appears to be the choice for the patients with relatively confined small renal cell carcinoma.
The objective of the present study was to find a standard substance for use as a reference in the cytotoxicity assay of biomaterials, as an alternative to animal experiments in recent years. Eight kinds of rubber were made in a plate shape to keep their surface area at 1 cm2 against 10 ml of extract volume. They were extracted by the following three extraction methods (a) dynamic extraction at 200 rpm gyration on alumina balls at 37 degrees C for 24 h; (b) static extraction at 37 degrees C for 24 h and (c) extraction by heating in an autoclave at 121 degrees C for 60 min. At the end of each period each extract was examined for cell viability based on an evaluation by neutral red uptake. These methods were repeated up to seven times. Two kinds of chemicals were also tested. The extracts obtained were used to treat human gingival fibroblasts that have been cultured with DMEM supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum into a 96 well tissue culture plate by 1 x 10(5) cells/ml, in an incubator aerated with 5% CO2, and 95% humidified air at 37 degrees C for 48 h. The extracts of ethylene-propylene, butyl, nitrile rubbers, and two kinds of chemicals yielded strong cytotoxicity in all three kinds of extraction methods, while chloroprene, fluorine-contained, isoprene, India, and silicone rubbers showed little cytotoxicity. The results obtained by the three kinds of extraction methods revealed no differences in the order of cytotoxicity of the materials tested.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A 49-year-old man visited the outpatient clinic suffering from painless swelling of the left testicular content which he had recognized 1 week earlier. The lower portion of the testis or the epididymis gave rise to a thumb-head sized irregular tumor. At the exploring operation, the tumor was revealed to be the swollen epididymal tail. Epididymectomy was performed. Microscopically, the tumor was diagnosed as an epididymal granuloma invaded by many sperm, histiocytes, macrophages, neutrophil leukocytes and lymphocytes around the epididymal tubules. Eight cases of epididymal sperm invasion reported in Japan during the recent 20 years are reviewed and briefly discussed.
Synergism in transcription is said to occur when the combined response from two DNA elements for the binding of trans-acting factors is greater than the sum of the responses from each element in isolation. The synergism of steroid receptors with themselves or with other trans-acting factors at saturating concentrations of steroid has proved to be an important component of steroid-regulated gene transcription. We have recently described a glucocorticoid modulatory element (GME) of the rat tyrosine aminotransferase gene that, in conjunction with a trans-acting factor, modulates the transcriptional activity of receptor-glucocorticoid and -antiglucocorticoid complexes with homologous and heterologous genes and promoters (Oshima, H., and Simons, S. S., Jr. (1992) Mol. Endocrinol. 6, 416-428). We now report that, under certain circumstances, the GME displays synergistic activity with a glucocorticoid-responsive element (GRE). However, several properties of GME action are different from those previously observed for synergism. The effects of the GME were marked at subsaturating or physiological concentrations of glucocorticoids but insignificant at saturating concentrations, which are the established conditions for synergism. The GME was found to increase the agonist activity of partial antiglucocorticoids, while synergism involving antisteroids has yet to be reported. Furthermore, the GRE was active in conjunction with two tandem repeats of a GRE, which was a combination that did not support conventional synergism. Most importantly, the effects of the GME were greater than with any other trans-acting factor binding element tested, indicative of a sequence-selective activity. The efficacy of the GME was also insensitive to the spacing between elements. Thus, the GME provides a mechanism for selective transcriptional modulation by physiological concentrations of steroid, and by antisteroids, of a common class of genes that are under the control of two or more GREs.
There have been very few studies on the metabolism of the intervertebral disc. One possible reason is that lumbar discs suitable for in vitro synthesis studies are difficult to obtain. We have examined some properties of coccygeal discs to see if those discs are a suitable alternative. The properties measured appear similar to those of lumbar discs, with collagen content lowest in the nucleus and highest in the outer annulus, while hydration and glycosaminoglycan content were highest in the nucleus and of a similar level to those of canine lumbar discs (approximately 83% water). The discs were under mechanical load in vivo, resulting in an equilibrium swelling pressure of 0.25-0.3 MPa. The 35S-sulphate incorporation rate was 2-5 x 10(-5) mmol/g dry weight per hour in the inner annulus and nucleus, in comparison with 2-3 x 10(-5) mmol/g dry weight per hour in rabbit and canine lumbar discs. Coccygeal discs are a readily obtainable and cheap source of disc material, and they are easy to dissect out. Since the general properties of these discs are similar to those of lumbar discs, we suggest that they are a suitable model for the study of the metabolic and other properties of lumbar discs.
To clarify the role of canine thoracolumbar splanchnic nerves for bladder neck closure during ejaculation, these nerves of adult male mongrel dogs were exposed under anesthesia using ketamine hydrochloride and pentobarbital, and electrical stimulation and anatomical dissection studies were performed. Bladder neck closure by the stimulation of each sympathetic nerve was monitored with a 10 Fr silicon catheter equipped with pressure-sensitive rubber balloon placed at the bladder neck. The dissection study revealed that canine thoracolumbar splanchnic nerves consisted of two nerve groups: one branching from the sympathetic trunks at thoracic and L1 ganglia, reaching caudal mesenteric plexus (CMP) through the anterior wall of the aorta, the other branching from the sympathetic trunks at level L2-L5 ganglia, reaching CMP through the posterior side of the bilateral spermatic arteries. The former were designated intermesenteric splanchnic nerves, the latter lumbar splanchnic nerves. No bladder neck closure was observed by electrical stimulation of the distal end of severed intermesenteric splanchnic nerves or of the sympathetic trunks at the lumbopelvic level among 10 dogs examined. At least one lumbar splanchnic nerve generated the closure in all 10 dogs and generally, a few lumbar splanchnic nerves, generated the closure. The results indicate that bladder neck closure during ejaculation is generated by lumbar splanchnic nerves regardless of their branching levels from lumbar sympathetic ganglia, but not by either intermesenteric splanchnic nerves or pelvic sympathetic trunks.
The contractile activity of urinary bladder smooth muscle has been shown to be inhibited by beta-adrenoceptor agonists. beta-Adrenoceptor subtypes in the rabbit, canine, and human urinary bladder smooth muscles were studied by measuring changes in contractile forces and in intracellular cAMP concentrations on administration of beta-adrenoceptor agonists. In the rabbit bladder, only beta 2-receptors may have functional roles in the detrusor muscle, while both beta 1- and beta 2-receptors may have functional roles in the detrusor muscles of the canine bladder. Only beta 2-receptors may have functional roles in the human detrusor muscles, similar to the rabbit detrusor muscles. Thus, species differences may exist in beta-adrenoceptor subtypes in smooth muscles of urinary bladder.
To analyze whether nitric oxide may be involved in the pathogenesis of the mouse cerebral malaria (CM), nitrate and nitrite were first measured in urines of Plasmodium species infected mice. The CM-susceptible CBA/J mice were infected with either Plasmodium berghei or Plasmodium chabaudi, and the CM-resistant BALB/c mice were infected with P. berghei. No increased levels of nitrate and nitrite were detected in urine of mice infected with Plasmodium whatever the time of monitoring. In contrast, the nitrite level was found to be increased in the urine of C3H/HeJ mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, used as a positive control for nitrate excretion in urine. Two analogs of L-arginine, the L-NG-monomethyl-arginine acetate hydrate (L-NMMA) and N omega-nitro-L-arginine, which inhibit the nitric oxide synthase were used. CBA/J mice infected with P. berghei and treated ip with the analogs developed full neurological symptoms. Even administered intracranially, L-NMMA did not reverse CM. The role of nitric oxide in the CM pathogenesis of the mouse model is discussed.
The alternative complement pathway (ACP) in vertebrates is known to be important in inflammatory reactions, and to be activated by foreign substances such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and zymosan, although to date no intrinsic activators have been identified except complement receptor type 2. From the point of the structural similarity of LPS to ganglioside, we have investigated gangliosides which are abundantly present in animal cells for their activity on the human ACP. All of seven gangliosides tested were found to activate this pathway in a manner depending on the number of sialic acids and neutral sugars contained in the molecules. A dose-response study suggested a correlation of the threshold in ganglioside concentration with its critical micelle concentration. Gangliosides may thus serve as an intrinsic activator for ACP in animals, thereby leading to inflammation. The possibility of the participation of sialidase in complement activation is also discussed.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mode of progression to renal failure in patients with lupus nephritis in relation to disease activity and responsiveness to corticosteroid therapy. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight patients with progressive lupus nephritis (Cr > or = 1.4 mg dl-1). INTERVENTIONS: Rapidity of progression was defined as the slope of the reciprocal of serum creatinine values. Lupus activity was scored using the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index system. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Improvement of serum creatinine values after 6 months of therapy. RESULTS: Rapidity of progression, which was calculated during the deterioration in kidney function, reflected systemic and serological disease activity, and moreover closely correlated with response to corticosteroid therapy.
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To investigate the route of efferent signals for seminal emissions from ejaculatory ducts (SEEDs), canine lumbar splanchnic nerves (LSNs) were electrically stimulated. SEED was confirmed by visual verification of seminal flow into the exposed posterior urethra. In intact dogs, electrical stimulation of an LSN caused bilateral SEEDs in 13 of 16 dogs examined, with a greater volume at the stimulated side. After transection of a unilateral hypogastric nerve, bilateral SEEDs occurred by electrical stimulation of the contralateral LSN in 11 of 14 dogs with a greater volume at the stimulated side and by the stimulation of the ipsilateral LSN in 13 of 15 dogs with a greater volume at the contralateral side. Contraction pressure of the epididymal tail under the same conditions harmonized with the above results. We conclude that each LSN generates bilateral SEEDs by sending signals to bilateral epididymal tails and that some of the signals through each LSN cross to the other side at the caudal mesenteric plexus and/or the prostatic plexus.
Tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), a prototypical steroid hormone-inducible gene, has been used extensively in studies of tissue-specific control of gene transcription. Over the last several years, a total of five cis-acting elements have been implicated in the tissue-specific expression and induction of the TAT gene in rat liver. These elements are all located upstream of the start of transcription, at -11, -5.5, -3.6, -2.5, and approximately -0.1 kilobases (kb). We now have used both stable and transient transfection assays to define a new element between -2.56 and -2.3 kb that regulates the fold induction by glucocorticoids in a tissue-selective manner. Compared to simple glucocorticoid-regulated constructs, which were used as controls, the major effect of this element was repression of glucocorticoid inducibility in nonliver cells. This activity was both orientation and position independent and was seen with homologous and heterologous promoters and genes. Although this element, therefore, possessed silencer-like activity, it was unable to extinguish gene expression in nonliver cells. In fact, the observance of some glucocorticoid-induced gene expression was additional evidence that the repression derived from an element that is distinct from the glucocorticoid-responsive element at -2.5 kb. A second element was found between -2.95 and -2.56 kb that acts in a tissue nonspecific manner to reduce the absolute level of gene expression in both hepatic and nonhepatic cells. The combined effects of this tissue-nonselective element and the above-mentioned tissue-selective element were to almost completely eliminate glucocorticoid inducibility in nonhepatic cells.
A total of 538 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder with a mean follow up period of 5.8 years (range 1-25) were retrospectively analysed to see if there were any associations between blood group and grade, stage, or prognosis of the tumour. In contrast to previous findings among European and Americans, there were no significant differences among blood groups for stage, histological grade, or survival rate.