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Biomedical subjects

H Sakata

Publications and source records attributed to H Sakata.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Interaction between desialylated hepatitis B virus and asialoglycoprotein receptor on hepatocytes may be indispensable for viral binding and entry.

The cellular receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has not yet been identified. The purpose of this study was to address the possibility of participation by desialylated HBV and the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) exclusively expressed on liver parenchymal cells, in infection. Assays for viral binding and entry were performed by culturing a hepatoblastoma cell line, HepG2, and HBV particles derived from the HBV carrier in the presence or absence of neuraminidase (NA). Viral binding and entry were clearly enhanced in the presence of NA, and the enhancement of the binding could be blocked by asialo-fetuin and ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA). In addition, covalently closed circular (CCC)-DNA, as a marker of infectivity, was detected in the presence of NA, but not in its absence. The optimal concentration of NA raised infectivity more than 1000 times. We concluded that this method makes it feasible to evaluate the infectivity of HBV in vitro and that ASGP-R may be a specific HBV receptor once viral particles are desialylated.

Antiviral Agents↗

Prevention of the rehaemorrhage of bleeding peptic ulcers: effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication and acid suppression.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the consequences of Helicobacter pylori eradication and acid suppression on rehaemorrhage caused by bleeding peptic ulcers. METHODS: A total of 320 patients who had been diagnosed with bleeding peptic ulcers between January 1994 and December 2001 were included in the study. Cases between 1994 and 1997, prior to the introduction of eradication therapy, were assigned to group A, whereas those between 1998 and 2001, after the eradication therapy, were assigned to group B. RESULTS: Of the 320 cases, 162 were designated as group A (113 gastric ulcers and 49 duodenal ulcers) and 158 as group B (116 and 42, respectively). Rehaemorrhage occurred in 24 cases (15%) and five cases (3%) in groups A and B, respectively, presenting a significantly decreased rate of rehaemorrhage in group B. Among those without eradication, rehaemorrhage was observed in 15 of 128 cases (12%) that received treatment with histamine(2)-receptor antagonist (famotidine), and 14 of 142 cases (10%) treated with proton-pump inhibitors, with no significant difference between the two. CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori eradication lowered the rates of rehaemorrhage. Treatment with histamine(2)-receptor antagonist or proton-pump inhibitors did not produce a difference in the rate of rehaemorrhage.

Adult↗

Effects of antioxidative agents on apoptosis induced by ischaemia-reperfusion in rat intestinal mucosa.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We have previously demonstrated that ischaemia-reperfusion induces apoptosis in the intestinal mucosa. To evaluate that reactive oxygen species enhanced intestinal apoptosis after ischaemia-reperfusion, we examined whether antioxidants reduced apoptosis. METHODS: Rats were infused through a duodenal tube with antioxidative agents, glutathione, rebamipide and dymethylsulfoxide during 2 h before an ischaemic insult. The superior mesenteric artery was occluded for 60 min, followed by 60 min reperfusion. Apoptosis was evaluated by percentage fragmented DNA (fragmented DNA/total DNA) and immunochemical staining. RESULTS: Increase in apoptosis in the intestinal mucosa after ischaemia-reperfusion was attenuated by intraduodenal infusion of antioxidative agents, but was not completely abolished. CONCLUSION: Scavenging effects of the antioxidative agents attenuated increases in intestinal apoptosis, indicating that oxidative stress after ischaemia-reperfusion plays an important role in induction of apoptosis in the intestinal mucosa.

Alanine↗

Laparoscope-assisted distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer in a 76-year-old man with situs inversus totalis.

We report a case of a 76-year-old man with situs inversus totalis (SIT) who developed early gastric cancer. He was successfully treated by laparoscope-assisted distal gastrectomy for the gastric cancer. This case suggests that patients with SIT with malignancy could also undergo laparoscopic surgery. To the best of our knowledge, no case of laparoscopic surgery for malignant neoplasms associated with SIT has been reported in the English literature. We therefore believe this is the first case report.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Craniofacial morphology in preschool children with sleep-related breathing disorder and hypertrophy of tonsils.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to examine craniofacial morphology, pharyngeal airway space and hyoid bone position in preschool children with sleep-related breathing disorder associated with hypertrophy of tonsils (SBDT). Thirty-eight preschool children, mean age 4.7 y, with SBDT and with an apnoea index (AI) of 0 < AI < 5, were divided into two groups. One consisted of 15 children with sleep-related breathing disorder (SBD) and more than 75% of the tonsils visible (GIII) and the other of 23 children with SBD and 25-75% of the tonsils visible (GII). The control group consisted of 31 children without ear, nose and throat disease and with GI (barely visible) tonsils. Compared with the controls, GIII children had a retrognathic mandible, a large posterior facial height, a large interincisal angle with retroclined lower incisors, a narrow pharyngeal airway space, an anterior tongue base position and a long soft palate. Compared with the controls, GII children had a large anterior lower facial height and a short nasal floor. However, like the controls, GII children did not have a retrognathic mandible. CONCLUSION: The findings show that children with SBDT display a characteristic facial appearance at an early age. Since the condition has an effect on growth, it needs to be prevented by controlling morphology and function at the preschool age.

Case-Control Studies↗

From three-dimensional space vision to prehensile hand movements: the lateral intraparietal area links the area V3A and the anterior intraparietal area in macaques.

The posterior parietal cortex is included in the dorsal cortical visual pathway underlying the three-dimensional (3-D) visual recognition of space and objects. The neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) respond visually to the three-dimensional objects, whereas those in the anterior intraparietal area (AIP) respond to hand movements to grasp them. LIP receives visual inputs from V3A, whereas AIP projects to the premotor areas; however, it is not known whether the neurons in LIP project to AIP. We herein investigated the connectional substrates that underlie the transformation of three-dimensional vision to prehensile hand movements in the Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata). After identifying the three-dimensional visually responsive region in the posterior part of LIP by the unit recordings, we injected a bidirectional tracer, wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, into one of the recording sites. We found that LIP receives neuronal projections from V3A and sends axons to AIP. To confirm our findings, we injected several orthograde tracers into V3A and retrograde tracers into AIP in the same hemispheres. We found that the V3A neurons projecting to LIP terminate in the vicinity of the LIP neurons projecting to AIP. The results suggest that the cortical connections of V3A-LIP-AIP in the lateral bank of the intraparietal sulcus play an important role in the visuomotor transformation for prehensile hand movements.

Animals↗

Auditory brainstem response and temporal bone pathology findings in a brain-dead infant.

The criteria for assessing adult brain death have been already established, but those for infant brain death have not been yet established in Japan. We report auditory brainstem response (ABR) and postmortem pathology of the temporal bone and brain of a brain-dead 9-month-old female. During the comatose state, her ABR showed only waves I and II bilaterally. Autopsy revealed the presence of a left cerebellar astrocytoma, herniation and anoxic encephalopathy. The pathological examination of the temporal bone revealed the destruction of the inner ear particularly on the left side. In the auditory pathway of brain-dead patients, degeneration occurs first in the cerebrum, followed by the cochlear nerve. Thus, ABR is one of the useful means to assess brain death even in infants.

Astrocytoma↗

Angiosarcoma of the breast: report of a case and its findings of MRI.

A 67-year-old woman with angiosarcoma of the left breast is presented. Physical findings showed a hard mass in the left breast with skin discoloration and erythema. Mammography showed a high density shadow in the mass without microcalcification and spicula. On ultrasonography, a hypoechoic mass with an ill-defined boundary was detected. On MRI, the tumor had low signal intensity on T1-weighted images, and higher signal intensity on T2-weighted images. MRI with Gd-DTPA images showed higher signal intensity on T1-weighted images with relatively lower intensity in the central area of the tumor. The artery supplying the tumor derived from the left inner thoracic artery and was visualized on three-dimensional dynamic MRI angiography. Initially misdiagnosed as inflammatory breast cancer, an arterial injection of CPA (100 mg) and 5-FU (500 mg) had been performed preoperatively. The definitive diagnosis of angiosarcoma was established by intraoperative frozen section examination. She underwent modified radical mastectomy and is now free of recurrence. This case emphasizes the difficulties in the clinical diagnosis of angiosarcoma of the breast.

Aged↗

Cut-off values determined for vertebral fracture by peripheral quantitative computed tomography in Japanese women.

In spite of the benefits of bone mass measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the use of DXA has limitations. It is unable to assess a true bone density, and cannot discriminate between the trabecular and cortical bone compartments. Ultradistal radius bone density was measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to determine reference values for total bone density (BD), trabecular bone density (TBD), polar strength strain index (pSSI), total bone mineral content (BC), trabecular bone mineral content (TBC), cortical bone density (CBD), cortical bone mineral content (CBC) and polar cross-sectional moment of inertia (pCSMI) in the Japanese female population, and to ascertain the cut-off values of the measured indicators that could most efficiently discriminate osteoporotic subjects with vertebral fractures. A total of 5266 healthy Japanese women aged 20-89 years were included in this study to determine Japanese reference values. Additionally, 621 who had undergone radiographic examination of the thoracic and lumbar spine at the time of pQCT measurement were selected to determine the cut-off values of BD, TBD, pSSI and other indicators for vertebral fractures. All the healthy subjects were divided into 5 year age groups. The BD showed nonsignificant changes from the 20-24 year age group to the 45-49 year age group, and fell significantly thereafter. The TBD maintained a plateau until the 40-44 year group, which corresponds to the young adult mean (YAM) values of the lumbar spine, femoral neck and radius BMDs measured using DXA. The TBD decreased significantly thereafter. The pSSI did not change significantly from the 20-24 year age group to the 45-49 year age group, and decreased slightly in the 50-54 year age group and markedly after 55-59 years. The cut-off values for the discrimination of vertebral fractures were obtained by the calculation of sensitivities, specificities and the area under the curves obtained using age-adjusted receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Odds ratios and 95% confidence limits (CL) were calculated using age-adjusted logistic analysis. The cut-off values for vertebral fractures, the area under the ROC curves (AUC) and odds ratios were 270.1 mg/cm3 (-2.2 SD, 66.6% of YAM), 0.689+/-0.025, 2.10 (1.63, 2.70) for BD, 104.8 mg/cm3 (-2.2 SD, 53.5% of YAM), 0.699+/-0.023, 2.17 (1.69, 2.77) for TBD and 192.8 mm3 (-1.9 SD, 59.8% of YAM), 0.631+/-0.028, 1.72 (1.34, 2.21) for pSSI, respectively. These findings suggest that ultradistal radius BMD measured using pQCT can be used to discriminate women with vertebral fractures.

Adult↗

Intrahepatic pseudoaneurysm after surgical hemostasis for a delayed hemorrhage due to blunt liver injury: report of a case.

We report herein a case of delayed hemorrhage occurring after blunt hepatic trauma which was further complicated by an intrahepatic pseudoaneurysm. The delayed hemorrhage with free rupture occurred 2 weeks after the injury and the pseudoaneurysm developed 8 weeks after surgical hemostatic intervention for the delayed hemorrhage. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated by transcatheter arterial embolization. This rare case is reported to demonstrate the possibility of delayed catastrophic complications occurring after blunt liver injury and to point out the necessity of continued surveillance until the liver has completely healed.

Adult↗

Apoptosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion and fasting in gastric mucosa compared to small intestinal mucosa in rats.

The effect of ischemia-reperfusion and 48-hr fasting on apoptosis was characterized in rat gastric mucosa and compared to small intestinal mucosa. Under halothane anesthesia, the celiac artery or superior mesenteric artery in the rat was occluded for 60 min followed by reperfusion. Occlusion of the celiac artery reduced blood flow in the stomach and occlusion of the mesenteric artery reduced blood flow in the small intestine. Additional rats were fasted for 48 hr to evaluate the effect of fasting on mucosal apoptosis. The ratios of fragmented DNA to total DNA, electrophoresis, and immunohistochemical staining were examined after ischemia-reperfusion or fasting. Apoptosis was not induced significantly in the gastric mucosa after ischemia-reperfusion, although it increased dramatically in the intestinal mucosa after ischemia-reperfusion. Further, after 48 fasting, apoptosis was induced in the small intestine, but not in the stomach. These results indicate that rat gastric mucosa is not as sensitive as small intestinal mucosa to ischemia-reperfusion or fasting-induced apoptosis.

Animals↗

Inactivation of parvovirus B19 in coagulation factor concentrates by UVC radiation: assessment by an in vitro infectivity assay using CFU-E derived from peripheral blood CD34+ cells.

BACKGROUND: Nonenveloped and thermostable viruses such as parvovirus B19 (B19) can be transmitted to patients who are receiving plasma-derived coagulation factor concentrates treated by the S/D method for inactivating enveloped viruses. Therefore, it is important to develop and validate new methods for the inactivation of nonenveloped viruses. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Suspensions of B19 in coagulation factor concentrates (FVIII) were irradiated with UVC light. B19 infectivity was determined by an indirect immunofluorescence assay using CFU-E, as a host cell, derived from peripheral blood CD34+ cells. The effects of catechins on B19 infectivity and on FVIII activity after UVC illumination were also examined. RESULTS: The indirect immunofluorescence assay estimated the B19 infectivity of samples containing virus copies of 10(5) to 10(11) per 10 microL to be a median tissue culture-infectious dose of 10(0.3) to 10(5.4) per 10 microL. B19 was inactivated by 3 log at 750 J per m(2) of UVC radiation and was undetectable after 1000 or 2000 J per m(2) of irradiation. However, FVIII activity decreased to 55 to 60 percent of pretreatment activity after 2000 J per m(2) of UVC radiation. This was inhibited in the presence of rutin or catechins. Epigallocatechin gallate could maintain FVIII activity at almost 100 percent of pretreatment activity after 2000 J per m(2) of UVC radiation, while B19 infectivity was decreased to undetectable levels, which resulted in >3.9 log inactivation. CONCLUSION: UVC radiation in the presence of catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate, appears to be an effective method of increasing the viral safety of FVIII concentrates without the loss of coagulation activity.

Antigens, CD34↗

Suppression of apoptosis is responsible for increased thickness of intestinal mucosa in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Intestinal mucosal growth is a common, but uncharacterized, observation associated with diabetes mellitus. Epithelial homeostasis is balanced by regulation of cell proliferation and cell death. To determine the contribution of apoptosis to the overall maintenance of intestinal growth, we examined intestinal apoptosis in the well-characterized streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rat model. Rats were injected with STZ (75 mg/kg body weight), thereafter they were allowed free feeding or restricted feeding for 3 weeks. Food intake and intestinal mucosal height were evaluated. In a second experiment, additional groups of animals were injected with STZ and were fed ad libitum for 1 or 3 weeks. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, ratio of fragmented DNA to total DNA, electrophoresis of fragmented DNA, and Western blot analysis of caspase-3 were examined. Food intake gradually increased in free-feeding rats after induction of diabetes. Intestinal mucosal height in free-feeding diabetic rats was approximately 25% longer than controls, but this increase in mucosal height was not observed in restricted-fed diabetic rats (25 g/d). ODC activity in intestinal mucosa in diabetic rats did not differ from that of control rats. Percent fragmented DNA of diabetic rats 1 week after STZ injection was significantly lower than that of control rats, and this decrease returned to the control level 3 weeks after STZ treatment. Active form of caspase-3 was attenuated 1 week after drug treatment. Attenuated effect of diabetic rats on intestinal apoptosis did not affect increased apoptosis after ischemia-reperfusion. Suppression of apoptosis in the early days of STZ-induced diabetes was responsible for the increased mucosal height in the small intestine in STZ-induced diabetic animals.

Animals↗

[Isolation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from nasopharyngeal swabs on admission to a ward for pediatric patients: comparison between 1992-1993 and 1997-1998].

We studied 2,176 nasopharyngeal swabs obtained from 1,891 children on admission to the pediatric ward at Asahikawa Kosei Hospital from January 1997 to December 1998, and compared the results with the same study from January 1992 to December 1993. Fifty strains of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated from 46 patients. The ages of these patients ranged from 7 days to 17 years and 24 patients were younger than 1 year. Six patients were diagnosed as MRSA infection; acute otitis media in 3, osteomyelitis and bacteremia in 1, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in 1, and inflammation in umbilical region in 1. The ratio of MRSA positive to the total specimens significantly increased from 1.25% in 1992-1993 to 2.30% in 1997-1998 (p = 0.011). The ratio of MRSA positive to the total S. aureus positive specimens significantly increased from 10.7% in 1992-1993 to 20.3% in 1997-1998 (p = 0.003). These findings demonstrated that prevalence of MRSA carriers among children is increasing.

Child↗

Integration of perspective and disparity cues in surface-orientation-selective neurons of area CIP.

We investigated the effects of linear perspective and binocular disparity, as monocular and binocular depth cues, respectively, on the response of surface-orientation-selective (SOS) neurons in the caudal part of the lateral bank of the intraparietal sulcus (area CIP). During the single-unit recording, monkeys were required to perform the delayed-matching-to-sample (successive same/different discrimination) of discriminating surface orientation in stereoscopic computer graphics. Of 211 visually responsive neurons, 66 were intensively tested using the solid-figure stereogram (SFS) of a square plate with both disparity and perspective cues (D+P condition), and 62 of these were identified as SOS neurons for responding selectively to the orientation of stimuli. All these neurons were further tested using a solid figure with perspective cues alone (P-only condition), and 58% (36/62) of these showed selective response to the orientation of the stimuli. Of the 62 SOS neurons, 35 neurons were also tested using SFS with disparity cues alone (D-only condition) in addition to the D+P and P-only conditions. We classified these 35 neurons into four groups by comparing the response selectivity under the P-only and D-only conditions. More than one-half of these (19/35) were sensitive to both perspective and disparity cues (DP neurons), and nearly one-third (11/35) of these were sensitive to disparity cues alone (D neurons), but a few (2/35) were sensitive to perspective cues alone (P neurons). The remaining (3/35) neurons exhibited orientation selectivity only when both cues were present. In DP neurons, the preferred orientation under the D+P condition was correlated to those under the D-only and P-only conditions, and the response magnitude under the D+P condition was greater than those under the D-only and P-only conditions, suggesting the integration of both cues for the perception of surface orientation. However, in these neurons, the orientation tuning sharpness under the D+P and D-only conditions was higher than that under the P-only condition, suggesting the dominance of disparity cues. After the single-unit recording experiments, muscimol was microinjected into the recording site to temporarily inactivate its function. In all three effective cases out of six microinjection experiments, discrimination of a three-dimensional (3D) surface orientation was impaired when disparity cues alone were present. In only one effective case, when a relatively large amount of muscimol was microinjected, discrimination of a 3D surface orientation was impaired even when both disparity and perspective cues were present. These results suggest that linear perspective is an important cue for representations of a 3D surface of SOS neurons in area CIP, although it is less effective than binocular disparity, and that both of these depth cues may be integrated in area CIP for the perception of surface orientation in depth.

Algorithms↗

Effect of the central nervous system on mucosal growth and apoptosis in the small intestine.

Recently our studies have demonstrated that the central nervous system regulates in part mucosal cell growth and apoptosis in the rat small intestine. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity is a key enzyme for polyamine synthesis which plays an important role for the intestinal mucosal growth. We have demonstrated that the increase of ODC activity in the duodenum just before the dark period is abolished by truncal vagotomy and that the infusion of 2-deoxy-D-glucose into the third cerebroventricle activates ODC activity in the small intestine. Epithelial homeostasis is balanced by regulation of cell proliferation and cell death. Our preliminary data showed that intestinal mucosal apoptosis decreased in the ventromedial-hypothalamus-lesioned rat. These results indicate that the central nervous system, in addition to local factors, is related to regulation of mucosal homeostasis in the intestinal mucosa.

Animals↗