Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

I Tanaka

Publications and source records attributed to I Tanaka.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Effects of hypo- and hyperglycemia on brain energy metabolites in mice exposed to carbon monoxide.

Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia were induced in mice by fasting and by injecting with glucose, respectively. These and normally fed (normoglycemic) animals were exposed to 0.5% carbon monoxide (CO) for 10 min. This altered concentrations of energy metabolites in the brain, including decreases in phosphocreatine (PCr) and increases in creatine and lactate. The only difference between normoglycemic and hypoglycemic mice was lower lactate in the latter. In hyperglycemic mice, PCr and ATP were better preserved during CO exposure and lactate was lower than in normoglycemic mice. Blood glucose concentrations correlated well with glucose but not with lactate in the brain. Thus, moderate hypo- or hyperglycemia seems not to exacerbate CO-induced alterations of brain energy metabolism.

Animals↗

Primary pulmonary-artery sarcoma. Report of a case with complete resection and graft replacement, and review of 47 surgically treated cases reported in the literature.

A case of pulmonary leiomyosarcoma originating in the left pulmonary artery stem in a 28-year-old Japanese man is reported. The patient complained of recurrent hemoptysis. The diagnosis was made at exploratory thoracotomy. Two days following thoracotomy, under cardio-pulmonary bypass, the upper one-third of the pulmonary trunk and part of the right pulmonary artery stem were resected and left pneumonectomy was performed. A Dacron prosthetic 23 mm composite graft was inserted to replace the pulmonary trunk and a portion of the right pulmonary artery. Postoperative course was uneventful. The patient died about 8 months after surgery because of right lung metastases. In our review of surgically treated forty-eight cases, complete resection was performed in 11, incomplete resection in 23, and embolectomy in 6, whereas 8 were unresectable. A localisation often not allowing adequate resection of the tumor or the advanced stage of the tumor at surgery are considered the main causes of the poor prognosis of the pulmonary sarcoma.

Adult↗

Work environment of plants manufacturing asbestos-containing products in Japan.

In 1985, a comprehensive study of asbestos-containing product plants (A/C, friction, textile) was performed. The data presented were based not on personal but on area sampling. A conversion equation from area sampling data to personal exposure values was developed. Exposure concentrations were 0.07-0.66 f ml-1. In workplaces which belonged to member companies of the Japan Asbestos Association, the percentage of workplaces whose exposure concentrations was less than 0.3 f ml-1 was 70% in 1985 (N = 510), but 98% in 1992 (N = 430). Concentrations in a new, well-controlled A/C plant were less than 0.1 f ml-1.

Asbestos↗

13C-NMR relaxation study on mobility of the DNA-binding arm of HU.

The mobility of the DNA-binding arm of HU protein was studied by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The correlation times tau c of Phe47C alpha in the body and Gly60C alpha in the arm of HU were determined for HU and HU-DNA complex. The value of tau c of Phe47C alpha is 2-4 times larger than that of Gly60C alpha irrespective of the presence or absence of DNA. These results show that Gly60C alpha undergoes more rapid motion than Phe47C alpha. The increase in correlation time on addition of DNA is greater for Gly60C alpha than for Phe47C alpha. This suggests that the addition of DNA influences more significantly the motion of Gly60C alpha than that of Phe47C alpha. These results are in accord with the X-ray result, in which the top part of the arm is not visible. Gly60C alpha in the arm is thus more mobile than Phe47C alpha in the body, and the mobility of Gly60C alpha is reduced by the DNA binding.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Abnormal factor VIII Hiroshima: defect in crucial proteolytic cleavage by thrombin at Arg1689 detected by a novel ELISA.

We have established an ELISA for detecting thrombin cleavage of the FVIII light chain at Arg1689. The method used a coating alloantibody which recognized amino acid residues 2248-2312 in the C2 domain, together with a second monoclonal antibody, NMC-VIII/10, which recognized residues 1675-1684 in the amino-terminal region of the light chain. FVIII antigen (FVIII:Ag) was measured after treatment of plasma with various concentrations of thrombin. The FVIII:Ag of normal plasma was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by the thrombin, falling to 28% in the presence of 100 U/ml enzyme. The concentration of thrombin that achieved 50% reduction (IC50) was approximately 1.0 U/ml. The plasma of four haemophilia A positive (A+) and two haemophilia A reduced (AR) patients were analysed. The IC50 of all patients was more than 1.0 U/ml, indicating that thrombin cleavage of the FVIII light chain was defective. One haemophilia A+ plasma did not respond to thrombin in this ELISA system. The patient (TI) was a haemophiliac with FVIII coagulant activity of 0.04 U/ml and FVIII:Ag of 1.78 U/ml. In addition, immunoblotting of the purified FVIII from TI showed that thrombin cleavage of the 80 kilodalton (kD) light chain was impaired. The patient's DNA was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction with a set of synthetic oligonucleotide primers spanning amino acid residues 1646-1714. Sequence analysis of the amplified DNA fragments revealed a cytosine to thymine transition, converting an arginine 1689 to cysteine. This abnormal FVIII was designated as FVIII Hiroshima. Our ELISA system is a simple and useful method of evaluating the proteolytic cleavage by thrombin at Arg1689.

Arginine↗

Effects of inhaled ceramic fibres on macrophage function of rat lungs.

To evaluate the biological effect of ceramic fibres on the clearance function of alveolar macrophages (AMs) morphological changes and phagocytic activity of AMs were assessed. Rats were exposed to respirable ceramic fibres with a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 4.4 microns and a concentration of 20.1 mg/m3 in an exposure chamber. They were killed after one week (group A) and two weeks (group B) of exposure, and four weeks (group C) and 12 weeks (group D) after exposure for two weeks. The AMs recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from each test group were incubated with yeast and phagocytic activity was determined by counting the number of yeast cells in AMs. Morphological features of AMs were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and quantified according to morphological changes. Total cell counts in BAL fluid from exposed rats in group A were higher than in control rats. Phagocytic activity of exposed AMs in group B and C exceeded that of control AMs. Morphological changes of the exposed AMs in groups A, B, and C were greater than those of control AMs. These findings suggest that ceramic fibres induced the phagocytic activity and morphological changes in AMs, and that the clearance function of AMs was stimulated by the inhaled ceramic fibres.

Animals↗

Retention and clearance of inhaled ceramic fibres in rat lungs and development of a dissolution model.

Male Wistar rats were exposed to aluminium silicate ceramic fibres by inhalation to study pulmonary deposition, clearance, and dissolution of the fibres. Rats were killed at one day, one month, three months, and six months after the termination of exposure. After exposure, fibres greater than 50 microns in length were seen with a scanning electron microscope in the alveolar region of the lung. Fibres were recovered from the lungs with a low temperature ashing technique and their number, diameter, and length were measured by scanning electron microscopy. The number of fibres remaining in the lungs declined exponentially with time after exposure and their silicon content also fell. The geometric median diameter of fibres decreased linearly with time. By six months after exposure, the surface of fibres recovered from the lungs had an eroded appearance. The results suggest that ceramic fibres are physically cleared from the lung and that they show signs of dissolution. Finally, the results were used to develop a theoretical model of fibre dissolution that gives a satisfactory fit to the experimental data.

Aluminum Silicates↗

Biological effects of inhaled magnesium sulphate whiskers in rats.

Male Wistar rats were exposed to two types of magnesium sulphate whiskers by inhalation for six hours a day, five days a week, for four weeks (sub-chronic study), or for one year (chronic study) to clarify the biological effects of the whiskers. There were few whiskers detected in the rat lungs even at one day after the exposure, suggesting that they are dissolved and eliminated rapidly from the lungs. To measure the clearance rate of the whiskers from the lungs, an intratracheal instillation was performed in golden hamsters. The half life of the whiskers in the lung was determined as 17.6 minutes by temporally measuring the magnesium concentration up to 80 minutes after the instillation. A histopathological examination indicated a frequent occurrence of adenoma and carcinoma in the year after chronic exposure, but it was not significantly different between exposed and control rats.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning of human prostacyclin receptor cDNA and its gene expression in the cardiovascular system.

BACKGROUND: Prostacyclin elicits a potent vasodilation and inhibition of platelet aggregation through binding to its membrane receptor. The impairment of prostacyclin receptor activity is implicated in various human cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we succeeded in the isolation and characterization of human prostacyclin receptor cDNA and elucidated its gene expression in human tissues. METHODS AND RESULTS: We isolated a cDNA clone encoding the human prostacyclin receptor from a human lung cDNA library. The isolated cDNA clone encodes a 386-amino acid protein with seven putative transmembrane domains, which belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. [3H]iloprost, a prostacyclin receptor agonist, specifically bound to the receptor transiently expressed in COS-7 cells. The binding was inhibited in the rank order of iloprost = cicaprost, another prostacyclin receptor agonist, > prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) >> PGE2, PGF2 alpha, PGD2, STA2. In addition, iloprost dose-dependently stimulated cAMP generation in these COS-7 cells. These results are consistent with the characteristics of the human prostacyclin receptor. Northern blotting analysis on human tissues revealed that prostacyclin receptor mRNA is abundantly expressed in the aorta, lung, atrium, ventricle, and kidney. CONCLUSIONS: We cloned human prostacyclin receptor cDNA and elucidated its abundant gene expression in the human cardiovascular system. The present study will lead to better understanding of the significance of prostacyclin in humans and further facilitate the clinical application of prostacyclin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Clearance of inhaled ceramic fibers from rat lungs.

Deposition, clearance, retention, and durability of inhaled particles in lung are important factors for induction of pulmonary fibrosis or lung cancer. To study the deposition and clearance of aluminium silicate ceramic fibers from the lung, male Wistar rats were exposed to ceramic fibers, with a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 3.7 microns, for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 2 weeks. The average exposure concentration was 27.2 mg/m3 (SD 9.0). The rats were killed at 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the end of exposure, and the fiber numbers and dimensions were measured with a scanning electron microscope. No significant difference in length of residual ceramic fibers in the lungs was found among the groups. The geometric mean diameter and number of ceramic fibers, however, decreased according to the clearance period. These findings suggest that the fibers were dissolved at their surface.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Pulmonary deposition and clearance of glass fiber in rat lungs after long-term inhalation.

In this study Wistar male rats were exposed to glass fiber obtained by the disintegration of a binderless glass fiber filter, for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 12 months. The mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the fiber, determined with an Andersen sampler, was 2.6 microns. The count median diameter and length of the fibers measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were 0.51 and 5.5 microns, respectively. The daily average exposure fiber concentration was 2.2 +/- 0.6 mg/m3. Some rats were sacrificed 24 hr after removal from the exposure chamber following the 12 months' exposure. Others were sacrificed 12 months after the end of exposure. The wet organ weights were recorded at the time of death and the silicon content of the lungs was determined by absorption spectrophotometry. After 12 months' exposure, the amount of glass fiber retained in the rat lungs was 1.49 mg, and after 12 months' clearance it was 0.61 mg. The biological half-life in a single exponential model was to be 8.7 months, much longer than the predicted value of 1.5 months obtained in a previous experiment in which rats were exposed for 4 weeks to the same glass fiber.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Distinctive functional properties of the neuronal BII (class E) calcium channel.

Functional diversity of voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCC) is primarily due to the existence of six distinct genes of the channel-forming subunit alpha 1, which can be further classified into the L-type and neuronal non-L-type subfamilies. We have examined functional properties of the calcium channel BII expressed from the cloned cDNA, in Xenopus oocytes, and compared the results with the other members of the non-L-type subfamily, the BI and BIII channels. The BII channel is a high voltage-activated calcium channel pharmacologically features by its unique sensitivity to the inorganic blocker Ni2. The decaying component of the BII current shows high sensitivity to Ni2+ similar to that of the low voltage-activated channels and the R-type channel in cerebellar granule cells, whereas the sustained component is relatively resistant to Ni2+ as are the other high voltage-activated calcium channels. Dihydropyridines, omega-CgTx-GVIA, and omega-Aga-IVA, which have been used to discriminate L-, N-, and P-types, do not affect the BII current. The mode of modulation of the BII channel by auxiliary subunits is strikingly different from that observed in the L-type channels. Both activation and inactivation rates of the BII current are decelerated by coexpression of the beta subunit, and this effect is cancelled by further coexpression of the alpha 2 subunit. In situ tissue distribution studies indicate a higher level of BII mRNA expression in the hippocamus compared to other brain regions, revealing important difference in the relative abundance of BI, BII, and BIII channels in brain tissues. Overall, the results suggest that the BII channel forms a novel functional category of VDCC that is different from T-, L-, N-, and P-type.

Animals↗

[Serum pyridoxal concentration in children during theophylline therapy for bronchial asthma].

This study was designed to investigate the effect of sustained-release theophylline therapy on serum pyridoxal concentration in children with bronchial asthma. Forty-two children with bronchial asthma were divided into two groups according to duration of theophylline administration: The 22 children in group A had been treated with theophylline for less than 4 weeks, whereas the 20 children in group B had been treated for more than 5 weeks. The results obtained from this study were as follows: 1) The serum pyridoxal concentration in group B was significantly lower than that those in group A (p < 0.01). 2) The serum pyridoxal concentration was not significantly correlated with the serum theophylline concentration. These findings suggest that long-term theophylline therapy can depress vitamin B6 status in children with bronchial asthma. Theophylline-induced seizure may be caused by the possible decreased in gamma-aminobutyric acid concentration in the brain as a result of decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid concentration in the brain as a result of decrease in vitamin B6 status, even if the serum theophylline concentrations are within the therapeutic range.

Asthma↗

Sensitization to cockroach allergens of asthma patients in Japan.

To evaluate the role of allergens from Periplaneta fuliginosa, which is the most predominant cockroach species in homes in Tokyo areas, for asthma sensitization, we measured specific IgE antibodies to two cockroaches, P. fuliginosa and Blattella germanica, and to a mite, Dermatophagoides farinae, in 171 sera from children with asthma by Pharmacia's CAP system. We found that 16% of the sera had anti-P. fuliginosa IgE, whereas 9.9% had anti-B. germanica and 85% anti-D. farinae IgE. Further, we measured the levels of Per f I (Per a I equivalent) allergen in the house dust from living room, kitchen and bedding. We detected the allergen in eight of ten homes. The Per a I equivalent levels in kitchen were higher than in other sites, but they were much lower than Der I and Der II as Dermatophagoides allergens.

Allergens↗

[Breast sarcoidosis: 2 case reports and a review of 19 literature].

Case 1. A 40-year-old Japanese female with a 11 years history of sarcoidosis. Biopsy of a 0.5 cm-sized right breast nodule showed sarcoid granuloma. About two years later she had had bloody galactorrhoea and biopsy of an apparently normal site of the breast revealed periductal sarcoid granuloma and duct papillomatosis. Case 2. A 63-year-old Japanese female in whom biopsy of a 1 cm-sized right breast nodule revealed sarcoid granuloma. BHL, lung, eyes, muscle, lymph nodes and skin lesions were subsequently detected and the last two were histologically confirmed as sarcoidosis. After nine months all lesions disappeared. Some problems presented in the literature such as periductal sarcoid granuloma formation, latent sarcoidosis in the grossly normal breast and coexistent breast cancer are discussed briefly.

Adult↗

[Condyloma acuminatum in female urethra: a case report].

A case of female intraurethral condyloma acuminata is present in this report. A 52-year-old woman visited our hospital with the chief complaint of miction pain and bloody secretions. Thirty seven years previously, she had had a pudental tumor resected which was diagnosed as condyloma acuminata. Physical examination revealed two child-finger-head sized, polypoid tumors which arose from about 5 mm inside the external urethral orifice. Laboratory findings were negative for rapid plasma reagin card test (RPR), positive for treponema pallidum hemagglutination test (TPHA) and Trichomonas vaginalis in urine and vaginal secretion. Under the clinical diagnosis of condyloma acuminata, the tumors were resected. Histological examination revealed koilocytosis with mild dysplasia. The histochemical analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV) by in situ hybridization revealed positive for HPV type 31/33/51 and negative for HPV type 6/11 and 16/18. Histological examinations confirmed that the tumors were condyloma acuminata. No recurrence was seen at the 7th post-operative month.

Condylomata Acuminata↗

Location and axonal projection of one type of swallowing interneurons in cat medulla.

Extracellular recordings were made from a type of relay neurons of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) afferents in the vicinity of the retrofacial nucleus (RFN) in either pentobarbitone-anesthetized or unanesthetized and decerebrate cats, which were paralyzed and artificially ventilated. A total of 26 neurons that could be activated both orthodromically by electrical stimulation of the SLN and antidromically by stimulation of the brainstem were analyzed. All 26 neurons were activated from the ipsilateral SLN and 13 were activated from the contralateral SLN with mean latencies of 7.7 ms and 11.4 ms, respectively. The majority of these neurons were located in the parvocellular reticular formation dorsomedial to the RFN and to the rostral part of the nucleus ambiguus (AMB). Antidromic stimulation of the medulla showed that 22 of the 26 neurons projected to the hypoglossal nucleus (HYP) and 19 neurons tested projected to the AMB. Of these, 15 neurons projected to both the HYP and AMB and two projected to the lateral reticular nucleus as well. Seventeen neurons were tested for their behavior during fictive swallowing which was elicited by continual electrical stimulation of the SLN and monitored by the activity of the hypoglossal nerve. Twelve neurons showed brief (100-200 ms) burst firing at the onset of swallowing; the firing of the other 5 neurons were suppressed during swallowing. Both the swallowing-active and swallowing-inactive neurons projected to the HYP and AMB. Thus, the SLN relay neurons in the vicinity of the RFN might participate in the early stage of SLN-induced swallowing by integrating inputs from SLN afferents.

Animals↗