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Biomedical subjects

H Sawada

Publications and source records attributed to H Sawada.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

[Echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation and aortic root dilatation in bicuspid aortic valve].

Aortic regurgitation (AR) and aortic root dilatation in 29 consecutive patients with bicuspid aortic valves but without aortic root disease (20 males, and 9 females: aged 27-85 years) were studied using two-dimensional echocardiography. The normal ranges of aortic root dimensions were calculated from values of 185 normal subjects, as 95% confidence intervals. AR was observed in 17 patients by color flow mapping. In 12 of the 17 AR patients, no significant lesion of the aortic cusp was detected by two-dimensional echocardiography. These 12 AR patients were compared with 12 patients without AR. Increase in dimension of the aortic root was relatively frequent in the 12 AR patients at the aortic annulus (AA) (67 vs 17%, p < 0.05), and at the sinus of Valsalva (A1) (67 vs 17%, p < 0.05). At the ascending aorta 5 mm distal to the sinus of Valsalva (A2), the difference was not significant (58 vs 17%, p < 0.09). The 12 bicuspid AR patients without significant lesions of the aortic cusp were compared with 41 AR patients with normal tricuspid aortic valves. The frequencies of cases with increased aortic root dimension were 67 vs 46% (ns) at the AA, 67 vs 22% (p < 0.05) at A1 and 58 vs 5% at A2 (p < 0.01). Thus, aortic annular dilatation was thought to be the cause of AR in bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valves without significant lesions of the aortic cusps, and generalized dilatation of the aortic root was more frequent in bicuspid AR patients than in tricuspid AR patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Autonomic dysfunction of central nervous system disorders].

Central nervous system disorders, such as cerebrovascular or spinal cord lesions often cause dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system. In most cases of acute cerebrovascular accidents, blood pressure is transiently elevated. Some patients, especially with pontine or thalamic hemorrhage, suffer from extremely high fever. In patients with large lesions in the cerebral hemisphere or lesions in the brainstem, cardiopulmonary state may be affected. In spite of absence of acute myocardial infarction, electrocardiogram may show ST-T changes resembling acute myocardial infarction. Cheyne-Stokes respiration or sleep apnea can occur. Lesions in the medulla oblongata cause dysfunctions of automatic respiration. Patients with large cerebrovascular lesions in the unilateral hemisphere often show transient hyperhidrosis on the contralateral side. Prognosis of patients with these autonomic failures is poor. In patients with spinal shock, blood pressure and heart rate are reduced. In chronic stage, autonomic hyperreflexia, such as attacks of episodic hypertension can occur. Lesions in the high cervical cord often bring nonsymptomatic perforating gastric ulcer.

Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗

Aldehyde reductase is a major protein associated with 3-deoxyglucosone reductase activity in rat, pig and human livers.

3-Deoxyglucosone reductase activity in the extracts of rat, pig and human livers was potently inhibited by aldehyde reductase inhibitors. The major species of 3-deoxyglucosone reductase purified from human and pig livers were biochemically and immunochemically identical with aldehyde reductase. The two enzymes and rat liver aldehyde reductase exhibited higher catalytic efficiency for 3-deoxyglucosone than for D-glucuronate, a representative substrate of aldehyde reductase.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Aldehyde dismutation catalyzed by pulmonary carbonyl reductase: kinetic studies of chloral hydrate metabolism to trichloroacetic acid and trichloroethanol.

The kinetics of the NAD(P)(+)-linked aldehyde dismutation by pulmonary carbonyl reductase of guinea pig were studied using a highly hydrated substrate, chloral hydrate (CH). The enzyme irreversibly converted the substrate into trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and trichloroethanol (TCE) in the presence of the reduced or oxidized cofactors, of which NAD(P)+ gave a higher reaction rate than did NAD(P)H, and the concentration ratios of the two products (TCA plus TCE) to CH utilized were 1:1. In the NAD(P)(+)-linked reaction TCA was the predominant product and its amount was compatible with that of TCE plus NAD(P)H produced, whereas in the NAD(P)H-linked reaction equal amounts of TCA and TCE were formed and the cofactor was little oxidized. These results suggest that the enzyme oxidized the hydrated aldehydes to TCA with NAD(P)+ as the cofactor and reduced the unhydrated aldehyde to TCE with NAD(P)H. The steady-state kinetic measurements in the NADP(+)-linked CH oxidation were consistent with an ordered Bi Bi mechanism which is the same as that for the secondary alcohol oxidation by the enzyme. The dehydrogenase activity was inhibited competitively with respect to CH by a secondary alcohol substrate, propan-2-ol. The CH and propan-2-ol dehydrogenase activities were similarly inactivated by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene-sulfonate, and NADP(H), several cofactor analogs and a cofactor-competitive inhibitor, Cibacron blue dye, protected against the inactivation, which suggest that lysine residues are essential for catalysis.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Crossed polydactyly type I in a mother and son: an autosomal dominant trait?

In a Japanese family, a propositus and his mother had crossed polydactyly type I. A maternal grandaunt also had preaxial polydactyly of the feet. The findings that both of the mother and son had the identical type of polydactyly are consistent with an autosomal dominant inheritance with variable expressivity. Other explanations include X-linked recessive inheritance, polygenic inheritance, and a chance occurrence of the 2 different kinds of polydactyly.

Adult↗

Distribution and characterization of dihydrodiol dehydrogenases in mammalian ocular tissues.

The immunological relationship of two forms of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase (DD) in pig lens to pig muscle aldose reductase and kidney aldehyde reductase has been studied. Although the minor enzyme form, a monomer of Mr 35,000, was identical with aldose reductase, the major enzyme form, a dimer of Mr 65,000, was distinct from the two reductases. The two enzyme species, although their amounts were low, were distributed in the cornea, iris-ciliary body, retina and choroid of the pig eye. In other mammals, rabbit lens exhibited much higher DD activity than did lens of mice, rats, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs and monkeys, and contained large amounts of the Mr-65,000 enzyme form as well as the minor enzyme form of Mr 35,000. In contrast, only the Mr-35,000 form of the enzyme was found in the lens of other species, except that a small amount of the high-Mr enzyme was detected in mouse lens. The high-Mr enzyme, purified from rabbit lens, was functionally and immunologically similar to dimeric DD of pig lens. The low-Mr enzyme forms, isolated or partially purified from these animal lenses, showed several features in common with aldose reductases from mammalian tissues. The dimeric enzymes of pig and rabbit lenses were NADP(+)-specific, whereas the low-Mr enzymes exhibited dual cofactor specificity and their activities with NAD+ were more than 3-fold higher than those with NADP+.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Inhibition of dimeric dihydrodiol dehydrogenases of rabbit and pig lens by ascorbic acid.

The dehydrogenase activity of dimeric dihydrodiol dehydrogenases (DD) purified from pig and rabbit lenses was inhibited by either L-ascorbic acid or its epimer, isoascorbic acid, at pH 7.5. Isoascorbate [IC50 (concn. giving 50% inhibition) = 0.043 mM for the pig enzyme; IC50 = 0.13 mM for the rabbit enzyme] was a more potent inhibitor than ascorbate (IC50 values 0.45 and 0.90 mM respectively), but 1 mM-dehydroascorbate gave less than 30% inhibition. Glucose, glucuronate, gulono-gamma-lactone, glutathione and dithiothreitol did not inhibit the enzyme activity. The inhibition by isoascorbate and ascorbate was instantaneous and reversible, and their inhibitory potency was decreased by addition of ascorbate oxidase. In the reverse reaction, isoascorbate and ascorbate gave low IC50 values of 0.013 and 0.10 mM respectively for the pig enzyme and 0.025 and 0.25 mM for the rabbit enzyme. The inhibition patterns by the two compounds were competitive with respect to dihydrodiols of naphthalene and benzene and uncompetitive with respect to NADP+, but those in the reverse reaction were uncompetitive with respect to both carbonyl substrate and NADPH. The steady-state kinetic measurements in the forward and reverse reactions by the pig enzyme were consistent with an ordered Bi Bi mechanism, in which NADP+ binds to the enzyme first and NADPH leaves last. The results indicate that ascorbate and its epimer directly bind to an enzyme: NADP+ binary complex as dead-end inhibitors. Thus ascorbate may be an important modulator of DD in the lens.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Improvement in the proliferative activity of human-human hybridomas at low cell density by transfection with bFGF gene.

Highly purified recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor (rbFGF) and acidic FGF (aFGF) stimulated the proliferation of human-human (h-h) hybridomas to the extent of over four-fold from a low cell density such as 1 x 10(3) cells per ml in a serum-free medium in 24-well plates. The stimulatory effect of rbFGF was also observed in various lymphoid cell lines. Expecting that FGF could be an autocrine growth factor, we introduced bFGF gene into a h-h hybridoma using an expression plasmid induced by dexamethasone. The transformed cells thus obtained, HPO-75.11 bFGF-7, were able to grow well from a low inoculum density in a serum-free medium and antibody production was also increased when bFGF gene expression was induced. The transformed cells could grow at clonal density in a serum-free medium in 96-well plates, though the original cells could not. We also obtained a more practical transfectant, HPO-75.29-H74, using a high-shear stress adapted clone as the recipient and an expression plasmid having bFGF gene under the control of metallothionein-I promoter. The HPO-75.29-H74 cells were capable of growing and producing human monoclonal antibody against hepatitis B virus surface antigen from an inoculum density of 1 x 10(3) cells per ml in an agitation vessel without addition of an inducer.

Animals↗

Comparison of culture methods for human-human hybridomas secreting anti-HBsAg human monoclonal antibodies.

Human-human hybridomas which secrete a human monoclonal antibody (h-MoAb) against hepatitis B virus surface antigen showed growth associated production kinetics. The rate of h-MoAb production rapidly decreased after cell growth was arrested in a perfusion culture, even if the perfusion rate was increased. A continuous suspended-perfusion culture, in which both culture broth and culture supernatant are continuously harvested and the same volume of fresh medium is continuously fed into the reactor, was developed to maintain continuous growing conditions during cultivation. In this culture system, the production of h-MoAb continued for more than 50 days with an average productivity of 5.0 mg/l of working volume/day. A semicontinuous immobilized-perfusion culture in which parts of the cells are repeatedly removed from the immobilized reactor was another useful technique for the long term cultivation of these h-h hybridomas. As an average h-MoAb production rate, 62 mg/l of immobilized-bed volume/day was achieved for 65 days of cultivation using a ceramic matrix reactor, and 327 mg/l/day was achieved over 47 days of cultivation using a hollow fiber reactor equipped with Cultureflo M. Thus, the antibody productivity per reactor volume per day by the semicontinuous immobilized-perfusion culture was much higher than that of the continuous perfusion culture in an agitation reactor.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Identification of a brain-specific 27/26-kDa extracellular protein with the monoclonal antibody to differentiated PC12h pheochromocytoma cells.

We have searched for brain-specific extracellular molecules using a library of monoclonal antibodies against surface antigens of differentiated PC12h cells. One of the monoclonal antibodies, PCH42-14, recognized a 27/26-kDa protein of 10-week-old rat brain on immunoblotting. PCH42-14 antigen was detected only in brain, especially in cerebrum, olfactory bulb, mesencephalon, hippocampus, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord. On hippocampal neuron culture, PCH42-14 antigen existed extracellularly along with the neuronal extensions.

Animals↗

Deep-etch visualization of the Sertoli cell (blood-testis) barrier in the boar.

The Sertoli cell (blood-testis) barrier in the boar was visualized by the freeze-fracture, deep-etch, rotary-replication technique. Three kinds of cross-bridging structures were clearly recognized in the following three ectoplasmic specialization (ES) regions; (1) cross-bridges in the intercellular space between adjacent Sertoli cell membranes; (2) cross-bridges in the space between the Sertoli cell membrane and microfilament bundles; and (3) cross-bridges in the space between microfilament bundles and subsurface cisternae. Results from immunolocalization, vinculin and alpha-actinin were recognized in the Sertoli cell barrier. Our findings show that these structural elements of the Sertoli cell barrier are held together by these cross-bridging structures, and provide important morphological evidence that implicates the ES in the dynamic function of the microfilament bundles of the Sertoli cell barrier.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

Dephosphorylation of specific proteins in HL-60 cells by 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: possible involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Changes of phosphoprotein patterns in HL-60 cells were studied during short exposures to 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3]. One hundred nanometers 1,25(OH)2D3 dephosphorylated at least three proteins in 6 h: phosphoproteins with molecular weights of 82 kD (pp82), 33 kD (pp33), and 31 kD (pp31). Phosphorylation of pp33 and pp31 was also suppressed by 1 mM dbcAMP, and dephosphorylation of the two protein by 1,25(OH)2D3 was inhibited by 8 microM H-8, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Furthermore, 8 microM H-8 inhibited dephosphorylation of the two proteins when it was added with 1,25(OH)2D3. On the other hand, 10 nM TPA gave no significant change to these two phosphoproteins. These results suggest the possibility that PKA is involved in the early stages of 1,25(OH)2D3-induced HL-60 cell differentiation through specific protein dephosphorylation.

Bucladesine↗

Kinetic and stereochemical characterization of hamster liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 3 alpha(17 beta)-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

The kinetic mechanism of NADP(+)-dependent 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and NAD(+)-dependent 3 alpha(17 beta)-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, purified from hamster liver cytosol, was studied in both directions. For 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, the initial velocity and product inhibition studies indicated that the enzyme reaction sequence is ordered with NADP+ binding to the free enzyme and NADPH being the last product to be released. Inhibition patterns by Cibacron blue and hexestrol, and binding studies of coenzyme and substrate are also consistent with an ordered bi bi mechanism. For 3 alpha(17 beta)-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, the steady-state kinetic measurements and substrate binding studies suggest a random binding pattern of the substrates and an ordered release of product; NADH is released last. However, the two enzymes transferred the pro-R-hydrogen atom of NAD(P)H to the carbonyl substrate.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Cerebellar ataxia with glutamic aciduria.

We report a case of cystinuria and glutamic aciduria, presenting with progressive cerebellar manifestations. She had cerebellar type dysarthria and limb ataxia. Head MRI revealed cerebellar atrophy. Urinary amino acid analysis showed excessive excretion of glutamate and the dibasic amino acids (cystine, arginine, lysine, and ornithine). Cystine and glutamic acid are thought to be transported in a common membrane transport system. Reduction of glutamic acid and cystine in the cerebrospinal fluid was revealed. A relationship between cystinuria and cerebellar manifestation was discussed.

Adult↗