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Biomedical subjects

H Wada

Publications and source records attributed to H Wada.

At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources

Toxicity of the novel anti-peptic ulcer agent polaprezinc in beagle dogs.

A preliminary dose-range finding study, two 13-week studies and a 52-week study were performed in beagle dogs with polaprezinc (catena-(S)-[mu-[Na-(3-aminopropionyl)histidinato (2-)-N1,N2,O:N tau]-zinc], CAS 107667-60-7, Z-103), a novel anti-peptic ulcer agent, as part of a safety evaluation program. In the preliminary single-dose study, treatment-related findings were confined to one animal treated with 200 mg/kg and consisted in emesis and mucosal lesions in the stomach and upper small intestine. Based on these data, dosages were selected for the main 13-week study (0, 50, 120 and 300 mg/kg/day) and additional 13-week study (0, 8 and 20 mg/kg/day). The dosages for the 52-week study were 8, 20 and 50 mg/kg/day. In the 13-week studies, dosages of 50 mg/kg/day and above resulted in emesis, mild diarrhea and salivation; reduced food consumption and associated reduction in body weight gain for high dosed females; increased blood alkaline phosphatase and decreased urinary specific gravity; histopathological changes in the kidney of the high dosed group in males and females. These changes were no longer apparent following the withdrawal period. In the 52-week study, similar but milder and transient results were noted at the high dose of 50 mg/kg/day. From these results, the no-effect dose level was estimated to be 20 mg/kg b.w./day.

Animals↗

Outcome of disseminated intravascular coagulation in relation to the score when treatment was begun. Mie DIC Study Group.

We examined 395 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) divided into two groups: non-leukemic and leukemic. In 58% of the patients as a whole, treatment of DIC resulted in complete or partial remission, while exacerbation and death occurred in 31%. The efficacy of DIC treatment in the non-leukemic group was less than that in the leukemic group, indicating that the outcome of DIC depended, in part, on the underlying disease. We examined hemostatic indicators in relation to DIC score: prothrombin time (PT) ratio, FDP, platelet count, and fibrinogen levels were found to be important indicators for the diagnosis of DIC, but not for Pre-DIC. Plasma levels of fibrin-D-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex (PPIC) were significantly increased in pre-DIC. The efficacy of treatment in relation to the DIC score when the treatment was begun showed that greater efficacy was achieved in pre-DIC than in DIC patients. The outcome was poorer with increasing DIC score, suggesting that early diagnosis and early treatment are important. On examining the relationship between outcome and hemostatic indicators, we found that the PT ratio and the levels of antithrombin, plasminogen, PPIC, the PPIC/TAT ratio, and thrombomodulin were related to outcome, suggesting that very high consumption of blood coagulation factors, liver dysfunction, hypofibrinolysis, or organ failure caused a poor outcome. Although the outcome in DIC patients may not depend substantially on plasma levels of TAT and fibrin-D-dimer, we can use these indicators to treat DIC patients at an early stage.

Antifibrinolytic Agents↗

Surgery for complications of chronic obstructive lung disease.

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) is a clinical entity characterized by chronic airway obstruction that includes pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction. Although most complications are treated medically, there are a few cases in which medical treatment is not effective and surgical treatment is necessary. Most complications of COLD requiring surgical treatment are those associated with bullous emphysema, such as pneumothorax, lung carcinoma associated with bulla, and infection of bulla. In this article, the indications, practical aspects, and problems and risks of surgical treatment for complications of COLD are discussed.

Humans↗

Phorbol ester and insulin stimulate protein kinase C isoforms in rat adipocytes.

We examined effect of insulin or 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) on the subcellular redistribution of protein kinase C isoforms in rat adipocytes. Total Mono Q column-elutable novel PKCs (nPKCs) which are Ca(2+)-independent and phospholipid-dependent protein kinases, decreased in the cytosolic fraction and increased in the membrane fraction during treatment with insulin or phorbol ester for 10 min. Immunoblot analysis of novel PKCs, -epsilon, -delta and -zeta, showed that insulin stimulated the translocation of these PKC isoforms from cytosol to membrane, similar to the translocation of conventional Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent PKCs (cPKCs), -alpha, -beta, and -gamma. Phorbol esters stimulated the translocation of PKC-alpha, -beta, -gamma, -epsilon and -delta, but not PKC-zeta. These results suggest that (a) insulin and phorbol esters similarly stimulate the translocation of each PKC isoform except for PKC-zeta, and (b) the translocation of both nPKCs and cPKCs occurs during insulin and TPA actions in rat adipocytes.

Adipocytes↗

Identification of a unique antigen peptide pRL1 on BALB/c RL male 1 leukemia recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and its relation to the Akt oncogene.

BALB/c radiation leukemia RL male 1 is an immunogenic tumor. We established bulk and cloned cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) lines from regressor (BALB/c x C57BL/6)F1 (CB6F1) spleen cells that recognized RL male 1 specifically. We then obtained antigen peptide recognized by CTL from RL male 1 by acid extraction. Analysis of the acid extract by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a semipreparative C18 column revealed that fractions eluted in 23 min (peak a) and 26 min (peak b) showed sensitization activity on the P815 target for specific CTL. On further purification of these fractions by HPLC and direct sequencing by Edman degradation, we identified the CTL-recognizing RL male 1 peptide pRL1a (IPGLPLSL) in peak a and its possible precursor peptide pRL1b (SIIPGLPLSL) in peak b. Sequence homology indicated that these peptides were derived from the 5' untranslated region of c-akt oncogene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

delta 9 Acyl-lipid desaturases of cyanobacteria. Molecular cloning and substrate specificities in terms of fatty acids, sn-positions, and polar head groups.

In cyanobacteria, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids is initiated by delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturase which introduces the first double bond at the delta 9 position of a saturated fatty acid that has been esterified to a glycerolipid. We have cloned genes, designated desC, for delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturases from two cyanobacteria, namely Anabaena variabilis and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. These desaturases, when expressed in Escherichia coli, desaturated stearic acid to yield oleic acid at the C-1 positions of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol, but did not desaturate palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, and cis-vaccenic acid. These results indicate that the delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturases are specific to stearic acid esterified at the C-1 position of a glycerolipid and are nonspecific with respect to the polar head group of the glycerolipid. The deduced amino acid sequences of the delta 9 acyl-lipid desaturases are similar in part to those of stearoyl-CoA desaturases of the rat, the mouse, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but not to those of acyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) desaturases of higher plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The recovery of photosynthesis from low-temperature photoinhibition is accelerated by the unsaturation of membrane lipids: a mechanism of chilling tolerance.

In a previous study of mutants in fatty-acid desaturation of Synechocystis PCC6803, it was demonstrated that the photoinhibition of photosynthesis at low temperature in vivo is tolerated by cells as a result of the unsaturation of glycerolipids of thylakoid membranes. Since the extent of photoinhibition of photosynthesis in vivo depends on a balance between the photoinduced inactivation and the recovery from the photoinhibited state, an examination was made of the effects of the unsaturation of membrane lipids on these processes. It appears that the unsaturation of the membrane lipids does not affect the inactivation process but accelerates the recovery process and, moreover, that the apparent increase in the photoinhibition in vivo of photosynthesis at low temperature is caused by a depressed rate of recovery at low temperature.

Chloramphenicol↗

Contribution of membrane lipids to the ability of the photosynthetic machinery to tolerate temperature stress.

The contribution of the unsaturation of membrane lipids to the ability of the photosynthetic machinery to tolerate temperature stress was studied in a transgenic cyanobacterium. Anacystis nidulans R2-SPc was transformed with the desA gene, which encodes the Delta12-desaturase that desaturates the fatty acids of membrane lipids in Synechocystis PCC6803. The transformant acquired the ability to introduce a second double bond into palmitoleic and oleic acids. The transformation enhanced the tolerance of the photosynthetic machinery to chilling stress but it had no detectable effect on the ability to tolerate heat stress. The transformation itself did not have any effect on photosynthetic activity. These results imply that an increase in the unsaturation of membrane lipids enhances the tolerance of the photosynthetic machinery toward chilling stress but not toward heat stress and that such an increase does not affect photosynthesis within the range of physiological temperatures.

Journal Article↗

Details of the evolutionary history from invertebrates to vertebrates, as deduced from the sequences of 18S rDNA.

Almost the entire sequences of 18S rDNA were determined for two chaetognaths, five echinoderms, a hemichordate, and two urochordates (a larvacean and a salp). Phylogenetic comparisons of the sequences, together with those of other deuterostomes (an ascidian, a cephalochordate, and vertebrates) and protostomes (an arthropod and a mollusc), suggest the monophyly of the deuterostomes, with the exception of the chaetognaths. Chaetognaths may not be a group of deuterostomes. The deuterostome group closest to vertebrates was the group of cephalochordates. Ascidians, larvaceans, and salps seem to form a discrete group (urochordates), in which the early divergence of larvaceans is evident. These results support the hypothesis that chordates evolved from free-living ancestors.

Animals↗

Elevated plasma tissue factor antigen level in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The plasma tissue factor (TF) antigen level was measured in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The plasma TF antigen was detected in normal volunteers, and it was significantly higher in DIC patients than in non-DIC patients. However, in some patients with DIC, the plasma TF antigen level was within the normal range. The plasma TF antigen level in patients with DIC significantly decreased after therapy, but it was not correlated with organ failure or outcome. The plasma TF antigen level in patients with DIC was not correlated with other hemostatic markers. The plasma TF antigen level tended to be higher in DIC patients with nonlymphoid leukemia than in those with lymphoid tumor. TF might be implicated in the occurrence and progression of DIC.

Antigens↗

Histamine and prostanoid receptors on glial cells.

Glial cells in vitro express at least two types (H1 and H2) of histamine receptors and three types (EP, FP, and TP) of prostanoid receptors. The receptors expressed by glial cells differ according to the cell type and source in the brain. Furthermore primary astrocytes of same type derived from the same brain region are composed of heterogeneous subpopulations expressing different subsets of receptors. Fura-2 based Ca2+ microscopy revealed that astrocyte processes are important sites for histamine-induced Ca2+ signalling. Histamine and prostanoid receptors on glial cells may play important roles in the actions of histamine and prostanoids in the central nervous system.

Animals↗

Separation and characterization of diastereoisomers of antisense oligodeoxyribonucleoside phosphorothioates.

Diastereoisomers of oligodeoxyribonucleoside phosphorothioates (OPT) up to a tetramer were effectively separated with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (reversed-phase HPLC) under optimized conditions. The diastereoisomers of OPT resulted in different retention times on the reversed-phase HPLC. From the results, we found that there were certain rules in the elution order of the diastereoisomers. The configurational sequence of the diastereoisomers was determined by digestion with nuclease P1, snake venom phosphodiesterase, and alkaline phosphatase. The diastereoisomers were studied by CD spectroscopy with respect to their conformation in aqueous media. We found that a large variation in the conformation of diastereoisomers exists. Results suggest that much attention should be paid to the diastereoisomerism in antisense molecules having chiral internucleotide linkages such as OPT.

Base Sequence↗

Identification of conserved domains in the delta 12 desaturases of cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacterial genes for enzymes that desaturate fatty acids at the delta 12 position, designated desA, were isolated from Synechocystis PCC6714, Synechococcus PCC7002 and Anabaena variabilis by cross-hybridization with a DNA probe derived from the desA gene of Synechocystis PCC6803. The genes of Synechocystis PCC6714, Synechococcus PCC7002 and A. variabilis encode proteins of 349, 347 and 350 amino acid residues, respectively. The transformation of Synechococcus PCC7942 with the desA genes from Synechocystis PCC6714, Synechococcus PCC7002 and A. variabilis was associated with the ability to introduce a second double bond at the delta 12 position of fatty acids. The amino acid sequence of the products of the desA genes revealed the presence of four conserved domains. Since one of the conserved domains was also found in the amino acid sequences of omega 3 desaturases of Brassica napus and mung bean, this domain may play an essential role in the introduction of a double bond into fatty acids bound to membrane lipids.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning of omega 3 desaturase from cyanobacteria and its use in altering the degree of membrane-lipid unsaturation.

Cyanobacteria respond to a decrease in temperature by desaturating fatty acids of membrane lipids to compensate for the decrease in membrane fluidity. Among various desaturation reactions in cyanobacteria, the desaturation of the omega 3 position of fatty acids is the most sensitive to the change in temperature. In the present study, we isolated a gene, designated desB, for the omega 3 desaturase from the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The desB gene encodes a protein a 359 amino-acid residues with molecular mass of 41.9 kDa. The desB gene is transcribed as a monocistronic operon that produced a single transcript of 1.4 kb. The level of the desB transcript in cells grown at 22 degrees C was 10 times higher than that in cells grown at 34 degrees C. In order to manipulate the fatty-acid unsaturation of membrane lipids, the desB gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was mutated by insertion of a kanamycin-resistance gene cartridge. The resultant mutant was unable to desaturate fatty acids at the omega 3 position. The desA gene, which encodes the delta 12 desaturase of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and the desB gene were introduced into Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. Whilst the parent cyanobacterium can only desaturate membrane lipids at the delta 9 position of fatty acids, the resultant transformant was able to desaturate fatty acids of membrane lipids at the delta 9, delta 12 and omega 3 positions. These results confirm the function of the desB gene and demonstrate that it is possible to genetically manipulate the fatty-acid unsaturation of membrane lipids in cyanobacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phylogenetic relationships among extant classes of echinoderms, as inferred from sequences of 18S rDNA, coincide with relationships deduced from the fossil record.

In spite of the rich fossil record and multiple descriptions of morphological and embryological characteristics, the origin and subsequent evolution of echinoderms remain highly controversial issues. Using sequence data derived from 18S rDNA, we have investigated the phylogenetic relationships among five extant classes of echinoderms--namely, crinoids, asteroids, ophiuroids, echinoids, and holothurians. Almost complete sequences of 18S rDNA were determined for one species in each class, and phylogenetic trees were constructed both by the neighbor-joining method and by the maximum-likelihood method, with a hemichordate as an outgroup. The trees constructed by these methods support the hypothesis that the phylum Echinodermata can be subdivided into two subphyla, Pelmatozoa and Eleutherozoa. The class Holothuroidea, which has been the subject of debate with respect to whether the members are primitive or advanced echinoderms, did not occupy a primitive position but had an affinity for the class Echinoidea. Since both trees gave different branching topologies for the order of emergence of asteroids and ophiuroids, it seems likely that these two groups emerged within a very short period of time. A rough estimate of the timing of the divergence of the five classes from the present molecular analysis coincided with that deduced from the fossil record.

Animals↗

A short course of FK506 can induce limited donor-specific graft acceptance.

To examine the hypothesis that a short course of FK506 would induce permanent graft acceptance after lung transplantation, left lung allotransplantation was performed in 14 mongrel dogs. In group 1 (control; n = 3), no immunosuppressive agent was given. In group 2 (n = 7), FK506 (1.2 mg/kg intramuscularly) was given on posttransplantation days 0, 1, and 2. In group 3 (n = 4), FK506 was given at the same dose on posttransplantation days 0, 1, and 2 as well as on days 29 and 30. Allograft function was evaluated by temporarily occluding the right pulmonary artery. A mixed lymphocyte reaction study was performed preoperatively and monthly thereafter. Control lungs were all rejected within 8 days. Group 2 dogs showed improved survival, with a median survival of 49.5 days. One dog in group 2 lived more than 400 days after transplantation. The mixed lymphocyte reaction data suggests that some donor-specific unresponsiveness occurs, which lasts for only a limited time. Supplemental doses of FK506 did not significantly improve survival (median, 74 days). The whole blood level of FK506 was 17.7 +/- 3.98 ng/mL on day 15; however, on day 29 the FK506 level was almost undetectable. We conclude that a 3-day course of 1.2 mg/kg of FK506 can induce donor-specific graft acceptance, but this acceptance is not permanent.

Animals↗

Effect of lipoproteins on tissue factor activity and PAI-II antigen in human monocytes and macrophages.

Expression of the tissue factor (TF) and the plasminogen activator inhibitor-II were induced in cultured human monocytes-macrophages by incubation with lipoproteins. Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) augmented the TF and PAI-II expression the most, followed by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and a very weak effect by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). In macrophages pre-cultured for 3 days, oxidized LDL augmented the expression of TF activity in the macrophages to a greater extent than native LDL. These findings indicate that lipoproteins affect both monocytes and macrophages, and that they induce a hypercoagulable-hypofibrinolytic state. Thus hyperlipidemia may be a direct risk factor for thrombotic disease.

Blood Coagulation↗