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Biomedical subjects

K Araki

Publications and source records attributed to K Araki.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Long-term follow-up results of adult patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma treated with short-term, alternating non-cross-resistant chemotherapy: Japan Clinical Oncology Group Study 8702. Lymphoma Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and those with lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) have overlapping clinical and immunophenotypic features and they have been treated with the same or very similar chemotherapy regimens. The goal of this multi-institutional phase II trial was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a short-term, six-drug chemotherapy regimen for adult patients with untreated ALL or LBL. METHODS: Forty-six eligible patients, 41 with ALL and five with LBL, were treated with a short-term (planned total therapy duration; 36-38 weeks), simplified chemotherapy program; two courses of VEPA-L (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, prednisolone, doxorubicin, I-asparaginase plus intrathecal methotrexate and prednisolone) followed by four courses of M-VEPA (methotrexate plus VEPA), without the traditional maintenance therapy using daily 6-mercaptopurine and weekly methotrexate. RESULTS: Thirty-six (78%; 95% confidence interval 64-89%) of the 46 eligible patients achieved complete remission (CR). Among the 36 patients who achieved CR, four (11%) died of treatment complications, 26 (72%) relapsed and six (17%) remain alive in continuous CR. The median survival for all 46 eligible patients is 14 months and the median disease-free survival (DFS) for the 36 patients who achieved CR is 11 months. The estimate of the proportion of survival at 7 years of all 46 eligible patients is 15% at a median follow-up time of 96 months and that of DFS of the 36 patients achieving CR is 17% at a median follow-up time of 93 months. Subgroup analysis showed that an elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level, age of 30 years or older, the presence of B-symptom and T-cell phenotype were likely to be associated with shortened survival. Although the observed CR rate (78%) is within the range of satisfaction, the long-term survival rate (15%) is inferior to those of published programs incorporating maintenance therapy. CONCLUSIONS: A fraction of adult patients with ALL or LBL are curable with a short-term, six-drug chemotherapy regimen. However, this simplified therapy of shorter duration cannot be recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

High-dose growth hormone (GH) treatment in prepubertal GH-deficient children.

Two clinical studies were conducted to determine the effect of different doses of growth hormone (GH) on prepubertal growth in GH-deficient boys. In one study, GH doses of 1.0 and 1.5 IU/kg/week (0.33 and 0.5 mg/kg/week) were given to groups of five children and compared with a conventional Japanese dose of 0.5 IU/kg/week (0.17 mg/kg/week) in 15 children. A significant dose-dependent increase in height velocity occurred in the first year of treatment, but differences between doses were not significant thereafter. In a second study, GH was administered to ten boys at a dose of 0.5 IU/kg/week for the first year, 0.75 IU/kg/week for the second year, 1.0 IU/kg/week for the third year and 0.5 IU/kg/week for the fourth and subsequent years (0.17, 0.25, 0.33 and 0.17 mg/kg/week, respectively). During the second and third years of GH treatment, these boys had significantly higher growth rates than controls, who were given GH at 0.5 IU/kg/week (0.17 mg/kg/week) throughout, indicating successful reduction in 'waning' of the treatment effect. At the end of the fourth year, the different protocols from the two studies had both resulted in a greater height SDS than the controls, and did not advance bone maturation. In conclusion, these protocols may be effective in increasing prepubertal height gain in children with GH deficiency.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

[Trial of oral administration of Bifidobacterium breve for the prevention of rotavirus infections].

It was investigated that Bifidobacterium breve YIT4064 (B. breve YIT4064), Which had augmented IgA production and prevented rotavirus-induced diarrhea in mice, prevented rotavirus infection in infants. The effect of B. breve YIT4064 was evaluated in ten infants from an infants home who received 50 mg of the bacterium every day for 28 days (the B. breve group). Nine infants did not receive this (the control group). Though rotavirus shedding in the control group was detected from 2 (a total of 5 stool samples) of 9 infants (a total of 112 stool samples), it was not detected in any infants (a total of 133 stool samples) in the B. breve group during the administration period. From day 8 to day 14 of the test, rotavirus shedding was detected from 4 of 32 stool samples in the control group, but was not detected at all from 38 stool samples in the B. breve group. The frequency of rotavirus shedding in the B. breve group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Further, the frequency in appearances of anti-IgA in stool samples in the B. breve group showed a tendency to increase in comparison with the control group from day 8 to 14 of the test. The oral administration of B. breve YIT4064 significantly decreased rotavirus shedding in stool samples and prevented rotavirus infection.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

[Antibody prevalence against astrovirus according to age groups].

A study on the prevalence of antibodies against human astrovirus serotype 1 (HAstV-1) and 2 (HAstV-2) was carried out in 170 serum samples obtained from different age groups in Tokyo and Saitama, Japan. Prevalence of specific IgG antibodies to both HAstVs showed decreasing tendency after birth and reached a minimum at the 3-5 months age group. Then, prevalence of antibodies to both serotypes increased after 6 months old, and nearly reach to 100% by the third year of life. The antibody titer to both HAstVs in sera revealed same pattern of antibody prevalence. The sera collected during epidemic season between January and June, had more higher titer of antibody to HAstVs than sera of non-epidemic season between July and December. Our results indicate that the infection of astrovirus in community may be more frequently than previous reports, and infection mainly occur in the 6-11 months age group.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Molecular epidemiological investigation using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA assay of Burkholderia cepacia isolates from nosocomial outbreaks.

We experienced two Burkholderia cepacia outbreaks over a 1-year period. During this period, 28 B. cepacia isolates were obtained from clinical specimens, and 2 were obtained from environmental specimens (i.e., from a nebulizer solution and a nebulizer tube). These 30 isolates were subjected to the PCR-based randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay as well as to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In the first outbreak, in which eight patients hospitalized in the Trauma and Critical Care Center were involved, the RAPD assay revealed that all 20 isolates obtained from clinical specimens and the 2 isolates from environmental specimens had identical DNA profiles. These RAPD data enabled us to pinpoint a possible source and to take countermeasures to prevent further spread of the epidemic-causing strain. In the second outbreak, two consecutive B. cepacia infection/colonization cases were seen in the surgery ward. The RAPD profiles of four isolates obtained were again identical, but they were distinct from those seen in the first outbreak, clearly indicating that the second outbreak was not related to the first. Thus, our experience demonstrated that the RAPD assay is a useful and reliable tool for epidemiological studies of B. cepacia isolates from nosocomial outbreaks. Since the RAPD assay could provide discriminatory potential and reproducibility comparable to those of the widely used PFGE assay with less complexity and in a shorter time, the introduction of the RAPD assay into hospital microbiology laboratories as a routine technique may help prevent nosocomial outbreaks.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗
PubMed1999

Neurocysticercosis without detectable specific antibody.

A 19-year-old girl who had lived in India for five years until 1992 was admitted to Hokuto Hospital after general seizures which lasted for fifteen minutes. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a ring-enhanced lesion of 6 mm in diameter in the right parietal lobe. She underwent surgical resection after diagnosis of the brain tumor. Histopathological examinations revealed that the resected tumor was a cysticercus of Taenia solium (T. solium), and we concluded that her seizures were caused by neurocysticercosis. Serological examinations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblots to detect specific antibody against the glycoproteins of T. solium showed no detectable antibody response. The patient is under careful observation in our out-patient clinic with no medication.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Incidence of skin cancers and precancerous lesions in Japanese--risk factors and prevention.

An examination of the occurrence of skin cancers and precancerous lesions among residents of Kasai City (34 degrees 56' N) since 1992, and of le-island (25 degrees 10' N) since 1993, has been conducted to characterize the prevalence and incidence of skin cancers in Japanese people and to evaluate risk and preventive factors. The mean prevalence of actinic keratosis (AK) in residents of Kasai City and le-island was 203.33 and 756.26, respectively, indicating that twice the dose of UVB radiation causes a 3-4 fold higher incidence of AK, although life styles, including types of occupations, differ in these two locations. Working outdoors, having skin type I and/or a history of severe sunburns during childhood were found to be important risk factors, while the use of cosmetics after 20 years of age was a protective factor, for AK and possibly for skin cancers. Further, sunscreen use among males over 60 years of age in Kasai City from 1994 through 1998 suggested that sunscreen use may reduce AK development in older people. Four and 12 cases of skin cancers were found in residents of Kasai City (from 1992 to 1997) and on le-island (from 1993 to 1998), respectively. These numbers are too small to establish the prevalence of skin cancer in Japanese, but indicate that people living in areas of higher ambient solar radiation have a higher incidence of skin cancer. This epidemiological study strongly indicates that sun protection is the major modality to reduce sun-induced cutaneous tumors in Japanese.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Study on oral health status and health behavior of workers at government office].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health status and health behavior of the adult population in the workplace. In 1998, oral health examination of 388 workers (male: 287, female: 101) at a government office was performed. A questionnaire was administered to obtain data regarding oral symptoms and health behavior. The results were as follows: Overall, 48% needed treatment for dental caries, 44% needed calculus removal, and 23% needed treatment for periodontal disease. Although there were no oral health complaints, 20% had early caries, 40% had dental calculus, and 19% had periodontitis. Compared to males, more females brushed their teeth, had home dentists (44%) and received more regular dental health check-ups at least once a year (48%). For males, those with home dentists had higher FT and DMFT in the twenties and thirties. There was no relationship between oral health status and regular check-ups in both males and females. The results revealed that receiving regular dental check-ups from home dentists was not popular in Japan. Further, the role of home dentists is not preventive oriented. It was concluded that it is necessary to provide regular oral health examination and health promotion programs for adult population at the workplace in Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Treatment strategy for and clinical results in patients with recurrent esophageal cancer].

In the current study, we evaluate the frequency and pattern of recurrence in patients with esophageal cancer. Among 116 patients who had undergone curative resection for esophageal cancer, recurrence was found in 33 (28.4%). The most frequent pattern of recurrence was lymphatic (54.5%), followed by the mixed type (18.2%), hematogenic (12.1%), locoregional (12.1%), and anastomotic (3.0%) patterns. Recurrence was found within 1 year after surgery in 18 (54.5%), within 2 years in 12 (36.4%), and within 3 years in 3 (9.1%). In patients with recurrence, lymph node metastasis and advanced stage were seen more frequently than in those without recurrence. The prognosis for patients with recurrent disease is poor. However, in some cases surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, and local radiation therapy have proven to be effective. The most appropriate therapy should be selected based on the region of extension and patient performance status to provide optimum treatment of recurrent disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[A case of neurocysticercosis with multiple intraparenchymal and intraventricular cysts].

Neurocysticercosis is a rare disease, and no association with intraventricular cysts has been reported in Japan. We report a case of neurocysticercosis that presented the unique symptom of a fourth ventricular cyst. A 55-year-old man with a 7 year history of neurocysticercosis and hydrocephalus developed a positional headache and vomiting 3 months after an L-P shunt, and was admitted to our hospital. MRI showed multiple intraparenchymal cysts, ventricular enlargement and an intraventricular cyst in the fourth ventricle. The cyst and the cysticercus in the fourth ventricle were totally removed via the suboccipital approach. Histological examination showed characteristics of cysticercus. Two weeks after this surgery, V-P shunt with neuroendoscopical observation of the ventricle was performed. A small cyst was detected in the right lateral ventricle. The symptoms disappeared after surgery. Following surgery, a therapeutic course of albendazole was administered at a daily dose of 600 mg for 30 days. MRI after administration of the anticysticercal drug revealed reduction in the size of the cysts.

Cerebral Ventricles↗
PubMed1999

Exchangeable gene trap using the Cre/mutated lox system.

The gene trap technique is a powerful approach for characterizing and mutating genes involved in mouse development. However, one shortcoming of gene trapping is the relative inability to induce subtle mutations. This problem can be overcome by introducing a knock-in system into the gene trap strategy. Here, we have constructed a new gene trap vector, pU-Hachi, employing the Cre-mutated lox system (Araki et al., 1997), in which a pair of mutant lox, lox71 and lox66, was used to promote targeted integrative reaction by Cre recombinase. The pU-Hachi carries splicing acceptor (SA)-lox71-internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-beta-geo-pA-loxP-pA-pUC. By using this vector, we can carry out random insertional mutagenesis as the first step, and then we can replace the beta-geo gene with any gene of interest through Cre-mediated integration. We have isolated 109 trap clones electroporated with pU-Hachi, and analyzed their integration patterns by Southern blotting to select those carrying a single copy of the trap vector. By use of some of these clones, we have succeeded in exchanging the reporter gene at high efficiency, ranging between 20-80%. This integration system is also quite useful for plasmid rescue to recover flanking genomic sequences, because a plasmid vector sequence can be introduced even when the pUC sequence of the trap vector is lost through integration into the genome. Thus, this method, termed exchangeable gene trapping, has many advantages as the trapped clones can be utilized to express genes with any type of mutation.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Experimental study on direct toxicity of combined cisplatin and methotrexate for normal and neoplastic cell lines].

The combination effect of cisplatin (CDDP) and methotrexate (MTX) on the cytotoxicity against normal fibroblast and malignant cell line were investigated utilizing MTT assay. In case of normal fibroblast, the optical density (OD) value in CDDP + MTX was significantly higher and remained at a consistently higher value in various mixture rates than that in CDDP alone. Such low cytotoxicity may be due to MTX because the addition of Leucovorin resulted in an apparent decrease in the OD value. The combination of the two drugs was thought to alleviate the toxicity of CDDP on fibroblast, in contrast to its increase on cancer cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Multifocal occurrence of gastric carcinoma in patients with a family history of gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Smoking and alcoholic beverage drinking habits as well as a family history of cancer are well known risk factors for the multifocal occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus and the head and neck region. However, the role of these risk factors in multiple gastric carcinoma remains to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors for multiple gastric carcinoma. METHODS: The smoking and drinking habits as well as the family history of 157 patients with synchronous multiple gastric carcinoma and 157 patients with solitary gastric carcinoma who were similar with regard to gender, age, stage of the tumor, and year of admission were investigated. The risk of a multiple occurrence of gastric carcinoma also was elevated using the odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: The ORs of a multifocal occurrence of gastric carcinoma in patients who currently smoked and drank alcoholic beverages were 1.1 and 0.8, respectively, although the ORs were not related to the quantity of smoking or drinking. In patients with a close relative with gastric carcinoma the OR was 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.7). In those patients with > or =2 close relatives with gastric carcinoma, the OR increased to 5.1 (95% CI, 1.2-21.1). Conversely, no significant elevation in the ORs was recognized regarding a family history of other cancers. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a family history of gastric carcinoma was found to be clearly associated with the multifocal occurrence of gastric carcinoma; however, no significant correlation between the multifocal occurrence of gastric carcinoma in these patients and their smoking and drinking habits was recognized.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1998

Papid Growing Fibroadenoma in an Adlescent.

INTRODUCTION: We report a case of rapidly growing fibroadenoma. PATIENT: A 13-year-old girl consulted the outpatient clinic regarding a left breast mass. The mass was diagnosed as fibroadenoma by clinical examinations, and the patient was carefully monitored. The mass enlarged rapidly with each menses and showed a 50% increase in volume four months later. Lumpectomy was performed. The tumor was histologically diagnosed as fibroadenoma organized type and many glandular epithelial cells had positive immunohistochemical staining for anti-estrogen receptor antibody in the nuclei. CONCLUSION: The estrogen sensitivity of the tumor could account for the rapidgrowth.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Analysis of the murine Hoxa-9 cDNA: an alternatively spliced transcript encodes a truncated protein lacking the homeodomain.

Hoxa-9 is one of the homeo box (Hox) genes exhibiting similarity to the Drosophila Abdominal B gene. So far, only partial nucleotide sequences have been reported for mouse Hoxa-9 cDNA (Rubin et al., (1987) Mol. Cell. Biol. 7, 3836-3841). Here, we have determined the nucleotide sequence of the 5'-region of mouse Hoxa-9 cDNA and its genomic structure. Mouse Hoxa-9 cDNA contains a complete ORF encoding a protein of 271aa exhibiting 96.7% identity to its human counterpart. Interestingly, an alternatively spliced transcript (Hoxa-9T) was identified by RT-PCR. Sequence analysis revealed that 173bp within the Hoxa-9 ORF was missing from the Hoxa-9T cDNA. This additional splicing would potentially result in a frameshift, leading to the production of a truncated protein lacking the homeobox. Northern blot analysis revealed that the probe containing the homeodomain hybridized to two major transcripts (2.5 and 1.9kb) in the trunk region of 12.5 dpc embryos, and adult kidney and large intestine. On the other hand, the probe containing the additional intron detected only 2.5kb transcript in the same tissues, indicating that 1.9kb transcript corresponds to Hoxa-9T mRNA. We have also determined the transcriptional start site of Hoxa-9T.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1998

Effect of calcium hydroxide on the dissolution of soft tissue on the root canal wall.

Calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] paste can aid in the cleaning of a root canal because of its soft tissue-dissolving potential. In this study, we examined with a scanning electron microscope the dissolution by Ca(OH)2 paste of pulpal tissue attached to uninstrumented bovine root canal walls. Extracted bovine anterior teeth were divided into small specimens at the middle portion of the roots. The experimental groups were treated with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), Ca(OH)2, or a combination of Ca(OH)2 + NaOCl. The control group was given no treatment. The root canal walls were observed with a scanning electron microscope, and the amount of remaining pulp tissue was compared. The amount of debris was reduced remarkably in the groups treated with NaOCl for > 30 s, or Ca(OH)2 for 7 days. The combination of Ca(OH)2 + NaOCl was more effective than the separate treatments. The results suggest that Ca(OH)2 as a root canal medicine serves as an effective agent in removing tissue debris remaining on the root canal walls.

Animals↗