Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

H Uchino

Publications and source records attributed to H Uchino.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Report of a patient with POEMS/Takatsuki/Crow-Fukase syndrome associated with focal spinal pachymeningeal amyloidosis.

The authors present the results of an autopsy of a 67-year-old Japanese man with POEMS/Takatsuki/Crow-Fukase syndrome (P/T/CFS) diagnosed in 1972. Each component of the syndrome was gradually recognized after the resection of lumbar vertebral solitary plasmacytoma in 1967. The patient died in 1989 of generalized infection and renal failure. Autopsy revealed in the vertebral canal between the fifth and seventh thoracic vertebrae dorsal pachymeningeal fibrosis, with prominent amyloid deposition that oppressed the spinal cord. This condition was consistent with the final neurologic manifestation of the patient, bilateral motor and sensory disturbance below the sixth thoracic level. Myelopathy remained clinically unnoticed because neurologic disturbance had begun as peripheral polyneuropathy. Normocellular marrow with heterogeneously scattered lambda light chain-positive plasma cells and degeneration of the myelinated fibers of sciatic nerve also were observed. This is the first report of focal spinal amyloidosis associated with P/T/CFS.

Adult

Clinical features of long-term survivors of refractory myelodysplastic anemias. A Japanese cooperative study.

Eighty-one of 473 patients with refractory myelodysplastic anemias registered by the Japanese Cooperative Study Group prior to January 1987 survived more than 5 years. At presentation, most patients had mild cytopenia, a less aggressive form of the disease (48 with refractory anemia, 23 with refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts, 10 with refractory anemia with excess of blasts), less blast cells in the marrow and blood, and onset at younger ages. Their clinical profiles 5 years after presentation showed no significant improvement. The results suggest that the long-term survivors were found in a subpopulation of patients with a favorable prognosis and that it is a part of the natural course rather than the results of treatment.

Adolescent

[A case of small adenocarcinoma of the lung with giant bullae].

A 52-year-old male underwent right upper lobectomy for giant bullae which involved almost half of thoracic cavity and covered over the right upper lobe. Postoperative histopathological examination revealed emphysematous bullae of right upper lobe and adenocarcinoma (6 mm in diameter) was found in the bullae wall under the pleura. Since there was no metastasis in bronchial lymph nodes of upper lobe, additional procedure for lymph node dissection was not performed. Patient has been healthy for eight years after operation and there is no evidence of recurrent tumor. It is difficult to define the small lesion of neoplasma with giant bullae of lung. Therefore, the patient involved with bullae may require preoperative and intraoperative attentive investigation for possible malignant lesions.

Adenocarcinoma

[A successful treatment of coronary arteriovenous fistula with Symbas procedure].

A successful treatment of coronary arteriovenous fistula with intraoperative echocardiogram and Symbas procedure is presented. The patient, a 2-year-old male, had been suffering from concealed congestive heart failure from his birth. The cardiac catheterization and angiogram revealed coronary arteriovenous fistula from LAD to right ventricle with large coronary aneurysm. In the operation, no fistula vessels were noted on the cardiac surface. Then, the intraoperative echocardiography was performed, and the fistula pour into right ventricle with aneurysm was found in the myocardium. The fistula was closed with Symbas procedure, and excellent closure could be checked with the intraoperative echocardiogram, too. After this operation, he got well under anticoagulant treatment with "ticlopidine".

Arteriovenous Malformations

Lower lumbar branching of caudal medullary expiratory neurons of the cat.

Extracellular spike activities of medullary expiratory (E) neurons in the caudal ventral respiratory group were recorded in cats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. The majority of E neurons extended their axons in the lower lumbar or the sacral segments and distributed collaterals in L5-L7. These results suggest that E neurons are involved not only in respiratory activities but also in the respiratory modulated motor activities of the lower lumbar segments.

Animals

The neuronal organization of horizontal semicircular canalactivated inhibitory vestibulocollic neurons in the cat.

1. The somatic location and axonal projections of inhibitory vestibular nucleus neurons activated by the horizontal semicircular canal nerve (HCN) were studied in anesthetized cats. Cats were anesthetized with ketamine hydrochloride and pentobarbital sodium. 2. Intracellular recordings were obtained from 11 neck extensor motoneurons which were identified by antidromic activation from the dosal rami (DR) in the C1 segment. Stimulation of the ipsilateral (i-) HCN and the ipsilateral abducens (AB) nucleus evoked IPSPs in the motoneurons. These IPSPs were fully or partially occluded when they were evoked simultaneously. 3. Intracellular recordings were obtained from 8 AB motoneurons. Stimulation of the i-HCN and the i-C1DR motoneuron pool evoked IPSPs in the AB motoneurons. These IPSPs were also partially occluded when they were evoked simultaneously, which implied that some HCN-activated neurons inhibit both i-AB motoneurons and ipsilateral neck motoneurons. 4. Unit activity was extracellularly recorded from 30 vestibular neurons that were activated monosynaptically by i-HCN stimulation. Their axonal projections were determined by stimulating the i-AB nucleus and the i-C1DR motoneuron pool. Eight neurons were activated by both stimuli, and were termed vestibulooculo-collic (VOC) neurons. Their axonal branching was examined by means of local stimulation in and around the i-AB nucleus and the i-C1DR motoneuron pool. Eighteen neurons were antidromically activated from the i-C1DR motoneuron pool but not from the i-AB nucleus. These were termed vestibulo-collic (VC) neurons. Four neurons were activated from the i-AB nucleus but not from the ventral funiculus in the C1 segment, and were termed vestibulo-ocular (VO) neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abducens Nerve

Antibody removal therapy used successfully at delivery of a pregnant patient with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and multiple anti-platelet antibodies.

A 31-year-old Japanese woman with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia became pregnant voluntarily. She had had transfusions with more than 60 units for severe bleeding. She had multiple antibodies against HLA antigens and platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa. No compatible platelets were available. To prevent serious hemorrhage during her delivery, antibody removal therapy was carried out three times. Large molecules including immunoglobulins were removed from more than 3 liters of plasma each time. After the titer of antiplatelet antibodies had decreased in the patient's blood, antihuman globulin-lymphocyte cytotoxicity test compatible platelets were transfused. Her bleeding time improved and delivery was induced successfully despite atonic hemorrhage of about 2,000 g of blood. Her infant had no bleeding problems. This patient is the first with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia to receive antibody removal therapy at delivery.

Adult

[The effect of long-term group education for obese women in a public health center].

In order to improve maintenance of weight reduction, a long-term (5 month) weight reduction class for obese women consisting of repeated group learning three times a month in areas of dietary regimen and practice of physical exercise, and self-help group activities was conducted at a health center. Maintenance of achieved weight reduction was studied six months and one year after completion of the class. The results are as follows. 1) Among 30 alumni, percentages of rebound, regaining weight of more than half of reduction during the class, were 18% at six months and 48% at one year after the class. These results appear to indicate the difficulty in maintaining weight loss. 2) However, when changes were studied in terms of fat mass and lean body mass, rebound of fat mass, regaining fat mass of more than half of reduction, was very small--only 5%, through the follow-up periods--while lean body mass increased gradually. These results indicate very good maintenance of fat mass reduction, and from the view point of the objective of weight reduction which is principally fat mass reduction, this objective was supported. 3) The attendees were divided into two groups, diet group and exercise group. There were almost no differences in the follow-up results for weight maintenance between the two groups. This can be attributed to the fact that since the combination of dieting and exercise was emphasized in both groups, with moderate energy restriction and balanced food intake in the dietary regimen and aerobic walking for exercise in addition to the classroom learning, instructions for lifestyle changes were rather similar for both groups.

Adult

[Clinical effect of miconazole gel against upper digestive tract mycosis].

A total of 43 patients, comprising 41 patients with oral candidiasis and 2 with esophageal candidiasis, were treated with miconazole (MCZ) gel to assess its efficacy and safety in treating upper digestive tract mycosis. The efficacy of the drug was evaluable in 33 of them, consisting of 32 patients with oral candidiasis and 1 with esophageal candidiasis. The clinical efficacy rate of the drug against oral candidiasis was 87.5% (28/32 patients), and the clinical response was good in the 1 evaluable patient with esophageal candidiasis. The safety of the drug was assessed in 40 patients. In 3 (7.5%) of them, nausea occurred as an adverse event, but was not particularly serious in any of them. No abnormal laboratory test values caused by the drug were observed. The results suggested that MCZ gel would be a very useful drug in treating oral and esophageal candidiasis.

Adolescent

[Evaluation of photodynamic therapy using pheophorbide-a as a photosensitizer].

Intra-tumoral concentrations of pheophorbide-a, a new photosensitizer, were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography after administration of pheophorbide-a to nude mice (BALB/c-nu) that had been implanted with human hepatocellular carcinoma. The results were as follows: 1) 0.009 +/- 0.007 microgram/g tissue in 1 mg/kg body p.o. administration group, 2) 0.22 +/- 0.06 microgram/g tissue in 250 mg/kg body p.o. administration group, 3) 0.85 +/- 0.14 microgram/g tissue in 5 mg/kg body intra-peritoneal administration group, 4) 3.42 +/- 2.84 microgram/g tissue in not-injected side, and 116 +/- 24 microgram/g tissue in injected side of 200 micrograms intra-tumoral administration group. Tumors in each group were irradiated using an Nd:YAG laser (Q-switch; mean power 0.5 W, duration 10 min.). Areas of tumor necrosis were larger than in the control group only in the intra-tumoral administration group. These results suggest that no photodynamic reaction occurs if the intra-tumoral pheophorbide-a concentration is less than 0.85 microgram/g tissue.

Animals

Induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and its receptors during differentiation in myeloid leukemic cells along the monocytic pathway. A possible regulatory mechanism for TNF-alpha production.

We examined the characteristics of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors expressed on immature mouse myeloid leukemic cells (M1), M1 cells induced to differentiate into macrophages, and macrophage cells (Mm1 cells) by binding studies with radioiodinated TNF. Scatchard analysis of TNF binding revealed that a single class of high affinity receptor was present and that 750-1,100 receptors were expressed on each immature M1 cell. The number of TNF receptors was increased 1.5-2-fold on differentiated M1 cells and 4-5-fold on Mm1 cells with no change in affinity. The addition of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) up-regulated the expression of TNF receptors in differentiated M1 cells and Mm1 cells, while immature M1 cells were insensitive to IFN-gamma. The number of TNF receptors on the differentiated cells was increased 4-5-fold by the treatment with IFN-gamma with no change in the binding constant. The affinity of TNF receptors to human TNF-alpha (Kd = 1.7-2.8 nM) was lower than that to murine TNF-alpha (Kd = 0.2-0.7 nM). The assays for cell growth and [3H]thymidine incorporation suggested that no relation exists between the sensitivity of the cells to TNF-alpha and the number of TNF receptors. Enhancement of TNF-mediated cytotoxicity by the treatment with IFN-gamma did not correlate with increases in the number of TNF receptors. Cytolytic assays using L929 cells demonstrated that the amount of constitutive and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced secretion of TNF-alpha was markedly increased during differentiation. Both the constitutive expression and IFN-gamma-mediated superinduction of TNF receptors, and the constitutive and LPS-induced secretion of TNF-alpha were closely related to the extent of cellular differentiation along the monocytic pathway. The time course of LPS-induced TNF-alpha activity showed a rise-and-decline profile with a peak at 2 h. On the other hand, the time course of the number of cell surface TNF receptors showed a decline-and-rise profile, a mirror image of the TNF-alpha activity time course profile in the supernatant. Anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment blocked the LPS-induced down-regulation of TNF receptors and increased TNF-alpha mRNA accumulation. We discussed "an autoinhibitory system" in which an internalization of secreted TNF-alpha mediated by its own receptors is involved not only in decreasing TNF-alpha activity in the supernatant but also in reducing TNF-alpha mRNA expression.

Animals

[Evaluation of the efficacy of photodynamic therapy on experimental hepatocellular carcinoma--using local injection of photosensitizer].

The effect on photodynamic therapy (PDT) of using pheophorbide-a as a photosensitizer and Nd: YAG laser (Q-switch) was evaluated. Two hundred micrograms (0.1 ml) of pheophorbide-a was injected into tumors that had been subcutaneously implanted into the backs of nude mice (BALB/c-nu). Interstitial Nd: YAG laser irradiation (Q-switch; mean power 0.5 W, duration 10 min.) was performed 72 hours after pheophorbide-a injection. Forty-eight hours after laser irradiation, the areas of tumor necrosis were measured; these were larger in the group with the injection of pheophorbide-a than in those without. The areas of tumor necrosis after Nd: YAG laser irradiation at a higher mean power (Q-switch; mean power 2 W, control temperature 43-43.5 degrees C, duration 10 min.) were also measured. Again, the areas were larger in the group injected with pheophorbide-a. These results show that the injection of pheophorbide-a and interstitial irradiation using Nd: YAG laser induce a photodynamic reaction, and that this combination is useful in the treatment of deep-seated tumors.

Animals

Selective expression of the p70 subunit of the interleukin-2 receptor on lymphocytes from patients with infectious mononucleosis.

The lymphocytosis manifested in infectious mononucleosis (IM) during acute phase is ascribed to a reactive expansion of CD8+ T lymphocytes caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B lymphocytes. Expression of HLA-DR antigen on IM lymphocytes suggests that these T lymphocytes are somehow activated in vivo. In the present study, we analyzed the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor expression on lymphocytes from six patients with acute IM. Radiolabeled IL-2 binding assay revealed that IM lymphocytes from all patients examined had a considerable number of IL-2 binding sites with an intermediate affinity, although they did not express the IL-2 receptor recognized by anti-Tac antibody (p55). The number of binding sites (1,070 to 4,600 sites per cell) was larger than that of a normal, resting T lymphocyte-enriched population (650 sites per cell). Furthermore, IM lymphocytes showed marked proliferative responses to higher concentrations of IL-2, which were almost completely blocked by an anti-p70 IL-2 receptor antibody, indicating that their IL-2 receptor is a functional receptor. The results of an affinity cross-linking study seem to indicate that the IL-2 receptor expressed on IM lymphocytes is p70, the second chain of the IL-2 receptor distinct from p55. Flow cytometric analysis following immunofluorescent staining with anti-p70 IL-2 receptor antibody confirmed p70 expression on CD8+ HLA-DR+ lymphocytes. These data suggest that p70 IL-2 receptor expression is involved in the immune response triggered by EBV infection.

Acute Disease

Deficient elevation of the cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration by epinephrine in epinephrine-insensitive platelets of patients with myeloproliferative disorders.

Elevation of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) by epinephrine and epinephrine-induced inhibition of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-stimulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation were assessed in platelets from three groups of subjects; normal controls (NS, n = 11) and patients with myeloproliferative disorders whose platelets were either sensitive (ES, n = 9) or specifically insensitive (El, n = 7) to the aggregatory effect of epinephrine. The inhibition by epinephrine of cAMP accumulation in the platelets exposed to 500 nM PGE1 was not significantly different between the three groups. Therefore, despite the defective aggregation response to epinephrine, platelets from the El group seemed to retain normal response, which was attained through alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, guanine nucleotide binding regulatory protein, and the adenylate cyclase system. However, in aequorin-loaded, washed platelets, the epinephrine-stimulated rise in [Ca2+]i showed significant decrease in the El group compared with the other groups (P less than 0.01). Thus the mechanism for the impaired aggregation response to epinephrine in platelets from the El group could include the defect that exists in the pathway from receptor binding of epinephrine to the aggregation response through [Ca2+]i elevation.

Blood Platelets