[Effect of dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid on EPH gestosis].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Amano.
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The expression of specific T-cell receptor gene segments by T lymphocytes appears to be critically important for the induction of several experimental autoimmune diseases mediated by these cells. We examined whether this situation also applied to non-obese diabetic mice by using various T-cell receptor V beta-specific monoclonal antibodies. No significant age- or sex-related differences were observed in V beta usage by peripheral and splenic T lymphocytes. CD8+ T lymphocytes among the islet-derived mononuclear cells isolated from 20-week-old female non-obese diabetic mice showed heterogeneity of their V beta gene usage. In order to examine the role of T lymphocyte subsets expressing specific T-cell receptor V beta segments in the development of diabetes mellitus, T-cell receptor V beta-specific monoclonal antibodies were administered to 10-week-old male non-obese diabetic mice treated with cyclophosphamide. None of the antibodies used could significantly diminish the incidence of cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes and the severity of insulitis [anti-V beta 3 (11 of 22 mice became diabetic, 50%), anti-V beta 5 (9 of 14, 64%), anti-V beta 8 (9 of 21, 43%), anti-V beta 11 (12 of 23, 52%), anti-V beta 14 (7 of 12, 58%), and anti-V beta 5 + anti-V beta 11 (6 of 12, 50%)] when compared with control mice (12 of 21, 57%). In addition, there were no significant differences in T-cell receptor V beta usage between diabetic and non-diabetic cyclophosphamide-treated mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A 28-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our institute because of sharp anal pain and a mass that prolapsed from the anus after defecation. After spinal anesthesia for emergency operation, the mass spontaneously withdrew into the anus and the pain disappeared. Surgery was postponed. Barium enema and colonoscopy revealed a pedunculated polyp in the sigmoid colon, which was removed by snare polypectomy with electrocautery. The resected polyp was granular and reddish, and measured 33 x 22 x 14 mm. Histological examination of the polyp revealed a cavernous hemangioma. Hemangioma of the colon is rare; only 52 cases have been reported in Japan. Of these patients, eight underwent endoscopic polypectomy. The present lesion is the largest thus treated that has been documented. Endoscopic polypectomy seems to be a safe and preferable procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of small, solitary polypoid hemangiomas of the colon.
By means of the recent sophisticated technology regarding prenatal diagnosis, congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) has become detectable before birth, or at a younger age than previously. Recently we treated an infant with a huge CMN in whom fetal asphyxia and tumor rupture occurred during the perinatal observation period after prenatal detection. Emergency surgery was required, and the postoperative course was complicated. The treatment strategy of the perinatal care team should focus on (1) reliable maternal transportation (2) continuous monitoring of fetal condition including cardiovascular status, (3) control of polyhydramnios to avoid premature labor, and (4) elective surgery at a stable or stabilized condition. Emergency surgery should be performed when circulatory disturbance, respiratory distress, and/or impending rupture are suspected.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical importance of a new subtype of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that could not be diagnosed with the classical diagnostic criteria. BACKGROUND: Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is recognized by a characteristic spade-shaped intraventricular cavity on the end-diastolic left ventriculogram in the right anterior oblique projection, often associated with giant negative T waves [negativity > or = 1.0 mV (10 mm)]. As an underlying cause of giant negative T waves, an additional new subtype of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been identified. METHODS: In 40 patients with inverted T waves (negativity > or = 0.5 mV), including 26 patients with giant negative T waves, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) long-axis images corresponding to the left ventriculogram in the right anterior oblique projection and short-axis images at various levels, including the apical level, were obtained to define the site of hypertrophied myocardium. RESULTS: Long-axis images indicated a spadelike configuration in 17 patients, whereas this diagnostic configuration was not present in the other 23 patients. Nine of these 23 patients had significantly hypertrophied myocardium at the basal level. In the 14 remaining patients, short-axis images indicated no hypertrophy at the basal level and proved that the area of hypertrophied myocardium was confined to a narrow region of the septum or the anterior or lateral wall at the apical level (nonspade apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). The hypertrophied myocardium of the nonspade type was so narrowly confined that the mass did not form a spadelike configuration or could not be detected on the long-axis image. CONCLUSIONS: Nonspade apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was newly identified on NMR short-axis images, and this could be an additional, important underlying cause of moderately to severely inverted T waves.
Sera from 17 patients of scrub typhus in the acute and convalescent phases were tested by indirect immunoperoxidase test, Weil-Felix (WF) test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunoblotting. In the comparison of antibody titers between acute- and convalescent-phase sera, we recognized a parallelism of increment between the titers in WF test and titers of immunoglobulin M (IgM) in ELISA against Proteus mirabilis strain OXK-whole cells and OXK-lipopolysaccharides (Proteus OXK-LPS). Furthermore, IgM antibodies from almost all of WF test-positive sera recognized LPS from Proteus OXK in immunoblotting. Based on these results, it was concluded that IgM antibody rather than IgG may participate in WF test, and that Proteus OXK-LPS may have one of antigenic epitopes common to the components of R. tsutsugamushi.
The lipopolysaccharides (LPS) isolated from spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia strains Thai tick typhus TT-118 and Katayama were characterized by chemical analyses, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunoblotting. These LPS did not contain heptose, but they contained 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (KDO), glucosamine, quinovosamine, phosphate, ribose, an unknown neutral sugar, and palmitic acid. Resolution of the apparent molecular masses of these LPS by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and staining with silver showed ladder-like bands. In an ELISA, convalescent-phase sera from 10 patients with Japanese spotted fever reacted with LPS from the Katayama strain, and 90% (9 of 10) of these sera also reacted with LPS isolated from Proteus vulgaris OX2. Immunoblotting revealed that the sera reacted with the high-molecular-mass bands of LPS from SFG rickettsiae, in addition to those of OX2 LPS. In an ELISA, immunoglobulin M antibodies from these sera reacted with the O-polysaccharide and lipid A portions of LPS from P. vulgaris OX2. The epitopes common to LPS of SFG rickettsiae and P. vulgaris OX2 may be in the O-polysaccharide and lipid A portions.
We evaluated the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii antibodies in 626 human serum samples (275 from veterinarians, 107 from meat-processing workers, 184 from respiratory-disorder patients, and 60 from healthy humans) by the indirect immunofluorescence test. Of the serum samples examined, 54 (8.6%) and 103 (16.5%) reacted positively to phase I and II antigens, respectively, of C. burnetii. The rates differed for healthy humans and respiratory-disorder patients. Antibody prevalence was high for healthy humans living in close contact with animals (e.g., veterinarians and meat-processing workers).
Upregulation of integrin adhesive receptors has been implicated in various pathological conditions. We examined expression and function of integrin adhesive receptors on peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), particularly those with the complication of vasculitis, and found that VLA-4 and LFA-1 expression was increased in SLE patients with vasculitis, while LFA-1 but not VLA-4 expression was increased in those without vasculitis. These results suggested a role of VLA-4 in the pathogenesis of vasculitis in SLE. Functional studies further demonstrated that adhesion to cytokine-activated human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells and to the CS-1 alternatively spliced domain of fibronectin was significantly increased in SLE patients with vasculitis. Analysis of the functional epitopes on the alpha 4 chain demonstrated that antigen densities of all the functional epitopes were increased in those with vasculitis, indicating that the increased expression of VLA-4 resulted from the increased number of VLA-4 molecules, and was not secondary to an increase in one particular functional epitope. Immunoprecipitation studies further support these results. Interestingly, high molecular weight bands associated with VLA-4 were observed in about half of the SLE patients with vasculitis. These results introduce a possibility that upregulation of integrin adhesive receptors has a potential role in the pathogenesis of vasculitis in SLE.
The in vivo efficacy of nonglycosylated recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rh GM-CSF) expressed in Escherichia coli was studied in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). A single intravenous (IV) administration of rh GM-CSF (100 micrograms/kg) resulted in a two-fold increase in peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count with a predominance of neutrophils after 12 hr. The increased WBC count returned to the initial level within 48 hr after administration. In a study with consecutive IV administrations for 10 days, animals treated with 20 micrograms/kg/day rh GM-CSF underwent marked leukocytosis (four fold) and thrombocytosis (two fold). The increase in WBC count was due to increased number of neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and basophils. Red blood cell count was unaffected. The leukocytosis resolved within one week after the termination of administration. A lower mean platelet volume compared to the pre-treatment level was observed in rh GM-CSF treated animals receiving 20 micrograms/kg/day for 20 days. This coincided with the elevation in platelet count.
Two female siblings with ulcerative colitis are reported. Both the 30-year-old elder sister and the 28-year-old younger sister developed bloody stools and diarrhea; ulcerative colitis was diagnosed by endoscopic and histologic examination of the colon. Their maternal aunt also suffered from the disease. Human leukocyte antigen analysis revealed an identical haplotype for the sisters (A24, Bw52, DR2 and DQw1), while the aunt had A24, Bw52 and DR2. The haplotypes of Japanese patients with familial ulcerative colitis are reviewed, and the role of human leukocyte antigens in this disease is discussed.
We present a case of primary plasma cell leukemia with Bence Jones proteinuria. After combination chemotherapy, leukemic cells and the urinary levels Bence Jones protein were decreased. Small lytic bone lesions were detected only in the skull. Typical plasma cells were rarely seen in peripheral blood on the hyperleukocytic phase, however they were increased in the advanced stages. The most important diagnostic sign was persistent expression of CD38 antigen on leukemic cells throughout the entire course of the illness and these leukemic cells expressed very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) but not VLA-5.
Prothrombin fragment F1.2 (F1.2) is a new molecular marker indicating acceleration of blood coagulation. We evaluated a new assay of F1.2 measurement using a micro-titer plate (Dade Prothrombin Fragment F1.2 ELISA: Baxter Diagnostics Inc., U.S.A.). The assay obtained satisfactory results in intra-assay reproducibility test, inter-assay reproducibility test, dilution linearity test and in vitro recovery test. Normal values of plasma F1.2 were 0.16 +/- 0.09 nmol/l (mean +/- SD) in 108 healthy individuals. Differences in the levels between the sexes were not significant. In patients with DIC (n = 22), plasma F1.2 levels were significantly higher than in normal healthy individuals and were correlated with the levels of thrombin-antithrombin III complex. These findings suggest that this F1.2 assay using a micro-titer plate is clinically useful for the evaluation of the therapeutic effect and diagnosis of hypercoagulable states like DIC.
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Plasma thrombomodulin (TM) has attracted considerable attention as a marker of endothelial cell membrane injury. We examined fluctuations in plasma TM levels in patients receiving therapy for the disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome (DIC) using an enzyme immunoassay. Sixty healthy controls and 18 patients with DIC were studied. The mean +/- SD of the TM values initially measured immediately after the onset of DIC was 42.00 +/- 20.85 ng/ml, which was markedly increased as compared with the control value of 15.36 +/- 4.85 ng/ml (p < 0.001). Fluctuations in the TM levels over time were studied after dividing the patients according to the presence or absence of improvement in the underlying disease and improvement or lack thereof in the coagulation findings. Group I showed improvement in both categories, Group II showed improvement only in the latter, and Group III showed no improvement in either category. In Group I, the mean +/- SD of initial measured TM levels was 37.02 +/- 10.12 ng/ml and the mean of final values decreased to 58.9% of the initial value. This decrease was significant by paired Student's t-test (p < 0.01). The initial value in Group II was 45.86 +/- 18.86 ng/ml and the final values increased to 117.0% of the initial values, this difference was not significant. The initial value in Group III was 44.48 +/- 21.53 ng/ml and the final values increased to 143.4% of the former. This increase was significant by paired Student's t-test (p < 0.05). The difference in % fluctuations between Group I and Group III was significant by Wilcoxon's test (p < 0.01). These results suggest that the measurement of plasma TM can be useful in the management of DIC.
Hyperkinetic movement disorders may develop as a complication of stereotactic thalamotomy or pallidotomy. However, such movement disorders are uncommon after nonsterotactic intracranial operations. The authors report three cases of involuntary movement disorders unexpectedly developing after intracranial operations. The patients had undergone clipping of an internal carotid aneurysm, removal of an intracerebral hematoma, and resection of a tentorial meningioma. Two patients developed choreic movements and a dystonic posture of the unilateral upper extremity. One patient showed a tremor that had features of both parkinsonism and essential tremor. The symptoms of these patients were medically uncontrollable, and they were successfully treated with stereotactic ventrolateral thalamotomy.
The genetic and environmental contributions to physical aging (hair graying, balding, presbyopia) and longevity (age at death) were examined by within-pair comparison in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins in later adulthood. Physical aging was investigated on 135 pairs of adult twins aged over 50. Hair graying and hair loss (baldness) showed significantly higher rates of concordance in the MZ twins than in the DZ twins. The intrapair difference of the degree of hair graying was negligible in 79%, slight in 15% and striking in 5% among the MZ pairs; while negligible in 40%, slight in 50% and striking in 10% among the DZ pairs. The intrapair difference of the degree of hair loss was negligible in 92%, slight in 8% (and striking in none) among the MZ pairs; while negligible in 69%, slight in 25% and striking in 6% among the DZ pairs. The age at onset of presbyopia showed a slightly higher rate of concordance in the MZ than in the DZ pairs. Longevity (age at death) was surveyed on 184 pairs of twins who died at over 40 years of age. The intrapair difference of longevity was 6.65 +/- 5.6 years (maximum 18.0; minimum 0.04) in the MZ pairs, and 8.66 +/- 7.2 years (maximum 18.6; minimum 2.9) in the DZ pairs. The MZ pairs showed a slightly smaller within-pair difference of longevity than the DZ pairs.