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Biomedical subjects

J Kawai

Publications and source records attributed to J Kawai.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Clinical study on the time courses of serum myosin light chain I levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction: effect of intracoronary thrombolysis on serum myosin light chain I levels].

Changes of serum myosin light chain I (Myosin LCI) concentrations and CK activities were serially measured in 23 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Intracoronary thrombolysis was performed in 14 patients (ICT group) while the remaining 9 patients were treated in the conventional manner (non ICT group). The relationships between the maximum levels of serum Myosin LCI or CK and a myocardial infarct size index or left ventricular function were evaluated in 18 patients. The myocardial infarct size index was determined by 201Tl myocardial scintigrams performed in the chronic phase. Multiple peaks of Myosin LCI were observed in 64% (9/14) of the ICT group and the first peak in 6 of these patients appeared Much earlier in the same time as CK peak than in the non-ICT group, while multiple peaks were seen only in one case in the non-ICT group. The infarct size index by 201Tl myocardial SPECT correlated with maximum Myosin LCI levels (r = 0.88, p < 0.001, n = 10) and CK activities (r = 0.67, p < 0.05, n = 10). These results indicate that the measurement of serum Myosin LCI is very useful for estimating the extent of myocardial damage and suggest that myocardial degeneration occurs at a very early phase of myocardial infarction.

Female↗
PubMed1991

Orientation of HLA-DNA gene and identification of a CpG island-associated gene adjacent to DNA in human major histocompatibility complex class II region.

We have constructed the detailed physical map of the HLA class II gene region by the pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and cosmid walking technique. In this process, the DNA gene was found to be located telomeric to DPA1 with the 5'----3' orientation which is the same as the DPA1 and DPA2 genes, but opposite to the DQA1, DQA2 and DRA genes. This orientation is reverse to that of the counterpart gene in the rabbit major histocompatibility complex region. About 30 kb downstream from the DNA gene towards DOB, a CpG island characterized by clustered sites for rare cutting restriction enzymes and frequently associated with the 5' end of housekeeping genes was identified by PFGE and cosmid walking. From a complementary DNA (cDNA) library constructed from a Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-cell line, a cDNA clone was isolated using the genetic probe from this CpG island. Its nucleotide sequences suggested that it represented a new non-HLA gene with a single copy which was of little genetic polymorphism and named NAT (DNA-associated transcript). Northern blot analysis showed that the NAT gene was expressed with a 4-kb transcript in all of tissues examined so far.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

[Clinical study of intramuscular imipenem/cilastatin sodium in the field of obstetrics and gynecology].

The efficacy and the safety of intramuscular imipenem/cilastatin sodium (IPM/CS) were evaluated in 22 patients with obstetric and gynecologic infections. 0.5 g/0.5 g of IPM/CS was suspended in a lidocaine solution and administered in the gluteal muscle twice a day for 3-7 days. Nineteen patients with intrauterine infections were evaluable for the clinical efficacy and 22 for the safety. 1. Clinical efficacies were excellent in 6 patients, good in 11 and poor in 2, and the efficacy rate was 89.5%. Thirteen out of 14 patients who had not responded to treatments with other previously administered antibiotics showed excellent or good responses to IPM/CS. 2. Causative bacteria were eradicated in 5 patients, decreased in 2, unchanged in 3 and replaced in 3, with an eradication rate of 61.5%. 3. Among 22 patients treated with IPM/CS, an eruption and general itching were observed in 1 patient, but no abnormal laboratory test values were observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[The early detection of metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer using 131I total body scan and treatment with 131I].

With the purpose of achieving early detection and performing 131I therapy for metastatic lesions of differentiated thyroid cancer, we studied the clinical findings in 132 patients who underwent 131I total body scanning (131I TBS) between 1981 and 1990. Metastatic lesions were detected only by 131I TBS in 24 (18%) of the 132 patients. Of the 49 patients treated with 131I for metastases, 27 (55%) underwent total thyroidectomy and then had their metastatic lesions treated by 131I less than one year later. In the remaining 22 patients (45%), the metastatic lesions were treated with 131I from 1 to 31 years (mean: 8.4 years) after the initial thyroidectomy. We determined the optimal timing of 131I TBS following radical thyroidectomy to be 3-4 weeks by sequential measurement of the serum thyroid hormones, TSH, and Tg, and determination of the 123I uptake in residual or metastatic cancer of the neck after thyroidectomy. 131I TBS with simultaneous serum Tg determination were performed in 52 patients with metastases. Scans were positive in 43 of the 52 (83%) and the serum Tg level was greater than 10 ng/ml in 46 of the 52 (88%). Serum Tg was elevated in 9 patients with negative scans, while low Tg levels were found in 6 patients with positive scans. 131I therapy was effective in 49 of the 65 treated patients (75%), including 5 cures. Two patients worsened and 6 died. These 8 patients were all older than 56 years of age. Post-therapeutic 131I TBS demonstrated unsuspected metastatic lesions in 7 patients and had a higher detection rate for metastatic lesions than diagnostic 131I TBS. We conclude that 131I TBS with simultaneous Tg determination should be performed to detect metastatic lesions in all patients following positively total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer, and that 131I treatment should be given when positive 131I uptake is detected in metastatic or residual cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Increased 5'-nucleotidase activity induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP treatment of cultured glial cells.

In an attempt to clarify the relationship between ecto-5'-nucleotidase (5'-N) activity and cell differentiation of glial cells, dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dBcAMP), which induces cell differentiation, was administrated to cultured rat glioma cells in logarithmic and confluent phases of cultivation. To evaluate the cellular differentiation, cell morphology and the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positive cells were examined. Treatment with 1 mM dBcAMP decreased cell proliferation and induced cell differentiation in both the logarithmic and the confluent phases. The number of GFAP-positive cells increased with cellular aging and this tendency was enhanced by dBcAMP administration. Ecto-5'-N activity was higher in dBcAMP treated cells than in non-treated cells in both the logarithmic and the confluent phases. These findings suggest that ecto-5'-N activity of C6 glioma cells is increased by dBcAMP actions and is accompanied by cell differentiation.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1989

Analysis of gene structure and antigen determinants of DR2 antigens using DR gene transfer into mouse L cells.

Three HLA class II DR beta genes and one DR alpha gene from the DR2 haplotype were cloned in cosmid vectors. The DR beta II gene might be a pseudogene lacking the first exon that encodes the leader peptide. The DR beta I and DR beta III genes were expressed, together with the DR alpha-chain, after transfection into mouse L cells. Restriction enzyme mapping of the DR beta genomic clones and reactivity of their products expressed on the L cell transfectant against mAb showed that the DR beta I and DR beta III genes encoded the nonpolymorphic and polymorphic DR beta chain, respectively. This arrangement is the reverse of that observed in other haplotypes, such as DR3, 4 and 6. The alignment of the HLA class II genes including the DR beta genes on the chromosome 6, however, was consistent with other haplotypes, e.g., centromere-DX beta-DX alpha-DV beta-DQ beta-DQ alpha-DR beta I-DR beta II- DR beta III-DR alpha-telomere. These results suggest that the susceptibility to mutations or gene conversions responsible for genetic polymorphisms depends on the gene itself and not on its location. Furthermore, absorption experiments of anti-DR2 allosera by the DR alpha/DR beta transfectants revealed that the so-called DR2 specificities were determined by multiple epitopes although both the DR beta I and DR beta III genes behaved similarly with DR2-specific antibodies.

Absorption↗
PubMed1989

Mapping and nucleotide sequence of a new HLA class II light chain gene, DQB3.

A genomic clone specifying a new HLA class II antigen beta chain, DQB3, was isolated from a human genomic phage library using a DQB1 cDNA probe under low stringency conditions. Southern hybridization and nucleotide sequence analyses identified the beta 2 domain exon (exon 3) with several deleterious mutations and the CP-TM-CY exon [connecting peptide, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions, (exon 4)], but the first, second, and fifth exons encoding the 5' UT-leader, the beta 1 domain, and the 3' UT domain of normal beta chains, respectively, were entirely missing. The nucleotide sequences of these two exons were distinct from those of other class II beta chain genes, but slightly more related to the DQB1 and DQB2 genes than to other class II genes. The DQB3 sequence mapped between DQA2 and DQB1, 15 kb upstream from DQA2, by analysis of overlapping cosmid clones. This mapping was supported by the fact that Taq I, Msp I, and Bam HI DQB3 polymorphisms were perfectly correlated with the DQA2 polymorphism and not with any polymorphisms in the DR or DQ subregion, suggesting the presence of a hot spot for recombination between DQB3 and DQB1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

No difference in the nucleotide sequence of the DQ beta beta 1 domain between narcoleptic and healthy individuals with DR2,Dw2.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder completely associated with HLA-DR2,Dw2. We demonstrated the 100% presence of three DQ beta fragments (EcoRI 2.4-kb, BamHI 2.9-kb, and PstI 12-kb) in narcoleptic patients that were detected in healthy DR2 controls only at decreased frequencies. In this paper, we have cloned the DQ beta gene from three Japanese narcoleptic patients and sequenced their beta 1 domain in order to study the sequence polymorphisms that might exist in the DQ beta genes of patients, but no difference in sequence could be found between narcoleptic and healthy individuals, suggesting that narcolepsy is not due to mutation in the DQ beta gene. In this context, a possible role of the HLA class II antigens in narcolepsy is discussed.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Organ distribution, purification and characterization of kynureninase in Suncus murinus (Insectivora) and anthranilic acid level in the serum.

1. The highest kynureninase activity was measured in Suncus liver compared with other organs tested. The holo-enzyme activity detected in liver was 25%. 2. The enzyme mainly localized in liver cytosol was purified to a single protein band by heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-sepharose, hydroxyapatite and phenyl-sepharose column chromatography. 3. The purified enzyme was effective for both kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine, and showed the optimum pH at 8.5 against both substrates. 4. Km values were 250 microM, 18 microM and 70 microM for kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, respectively. Various compounds such as histidine, aspartate and nicotinamide enhanced the enzyme activities. 5. Anthranilate, the product of kynureninase, was present at a concentration in Suncus serum of 1.96 microM. This value was higher than those of rat and human.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Tumor-specific T cells which form clusters with dendritic cells and tumor cells and deliver macrophage-activating factors.

T cells prepared from tumor (Meth A)-bearing mice were cocultured with homologous tumor cells and splenic dendritic cells to enrich tumor-specific T cells by the separation of clusters. T blasts generated from clusters were capable of inhibiting the in vivo tumor cell growth. The culture supernatant of clustering cells (CLSN) was effective in activating macrophages (M phi) to be cytostatic and cytocidal against tumor cells. Moreover, it was found that CLSN contains at least 3 distinct factors; one was identified as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and the others are so far unidentified, but one acts synergistically with IFN-gamma, possibly as the second signal, and the other cooperates with lipopolysaccharide but not with IFN-gamma. We propose that the tumor-specific T cells secrete soluble mediators which cooperate with each other in M phi activation against tumor cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Lysosomal enzyme activities in the cerebral microvessels in spontaneously and renal hypertensive rats.

In an attempt to clarify the role of lysosomal enzymes in the developmental mechanisms of the changes of cerebral microvessels under hypertensive conditions, the activities of acid phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, and beta-glucuronidase in the isolated microvessels from the cerebral cortex of spontaneously and renal hypertensive rats were biochemically studied. The activities of all the enzymes were higher than those in normotensive control animals, although there was a variation in intensity according to the age and kind of enzymes. The enzyme activities in spontaneously hypertensive rats showed a tendency to increase with advancing age. Hypertension seems to increase activities of lysosomal enzymes in cerebral microvessels, and this activation may in turn play a role in the development of further hypertensive cerebrovascular and cerebral changes.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1988

Effect of hypertension on lysosomal enzyme activities in aortic endothelial cells.

In order to obtain information about the changes in lysosomal enzyme activities in arterial endothelial cells under hypertensive conditions, a biochemical study was performed on 5 lysosomal enzymes, acid phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAGase), cathepsin B, cathepsin D and beta-glucuronidase, in endothelial cells isolated by an enzymatic technique from the aorta of spontaneously and renal hypertensive rats, and normotensive control rats. The aortic endothelial cells in the old spontaneously and the renal hypertensive rats showed increased activities of enzymes examined in comparison with those in the age-matched control rats. Endothelial cells in young spontaneously hypertensive rats did not show any elevated enzyme activities compared with those in the controls, and the enzyme activities tended to increase with aging. From this, it is deduced that hypertension activates lysosomal enzyme activities in aortic endothelial cells. The differences in the activities of NAGase, cathepsin B and cathepsin D between hypertensive and control animals increased markedly with advancing age. These activated lysosomal enzymes seem to be involved in the developmental mechanism of arterial endothelial cell injury in hypertension and in further development of hypertensive vascular changes.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗