Biomedical subjects

K Fujita

Publications and source records attributed to K Fujita.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Thermochemical stabilities and structures of the cluster ions OCS+, S2+, H+(OCS), and C2H5+ with OCS molecules in the gas phase.

The gas-phase clustering reactions of OCS+, S2+, H+(OCS), and C2H5+ ions with carbonyl sulfide (OCS) molecules were studied using a pulsed electron-beam high-pressure mass spectrometer and applying density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the cluster ions OCS+(OCS)(n) and H+(OCS)(OCS)(n), a moderately strong, here referred to as "semi-covalent", bond was formed with n = 1. However, the nature of bonding changed from semi-covalent to electrostatic with n = 1 --> 2. The bond energy of S2(+)(OCS) was determined experimentally to be 12.9 +/- 1 kcal/mol, which is significantly smaller than that of the isovalent S2(+)(CS2) complex (30.9 +/- 1.5 kcal/mol). DFT based calculations predicted the presence of several isomeric structures for H+(OCS)(OCS)(n) complexes. The bond energies in the C2H5+(OCS)(n) clusters showed an irregular decrease for n = 1 --> 2 and 7 --> 8. The nonclassical bridge structure for the free C2H5+ isomerized to form a semi-covalent bond with one OCS ligand, [H3CCH2...SCO]+, i.e., reverted to classical structure. However, the nonclassical bridge structure of C2H5+ was preserved in the cluster ions C2H5+(OCS)(n) below 140 K attributable to the lack of thermal energy for the isomerization. DFT calculations revealed that stability orders of the geometric isomers of H+(OCS)(OCS)(n) and C2H5+(OCS)(n) changed with increasing n values.

Gases↗

PubMed2005

Effect of disorder outside the CuO2 planes on Tc of copper oxide superconductors.

The effect of disorder on the superconducting transition temperature T(c) of cuprate superconductors is examined. Disorder is introduced into the cation sites in the plane adjacent to the CuO2 planes of two single-layer systems, Bi(2.0)Sr(1.6)Ln(0.4)CuO(6+delta) and La(1.85-y)Nd(y)Sr0.15CuO4. Disorder is controlled by changing rare earth (Ln) ions with a different ionic radius in the former, and by varying the Nd content in the latter with the doped carrier density kept constant. We show that this type of disorder works as weak scatterers in contrast to the in-plane disorder produced by Zn, but remarkably reduces T(c), suggesting novel effects of disorder on high-T(c) superconductivity.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Expression of inhibin alpha, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and stem cell factor in Sertoli cell-only syndrome: relation to successful sperm retrieval by microdissection testicular sperm extraction.

BACKGROUND: Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (TESE) has provided new hope for successful sperm retrieval to patients with Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCO). We determined expression of the inhibin alpha subunit, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and stem cell factor (SCF) in Sertoli cells obtained from patients with SCO immunohistochemically and compared expression rates with rates of microdissection TESE sperm retrieval. METHODS: Testicular biopsy specimens were obtained from 52 men with non-obstructive azoospermia who underwent microdissection TESE and were diagnosed with SCO by histological analysis. RESULTS: All specimens showed intense staining for the inhibin alpha subunit. Moderate or intense staining for GDNF was observed in 65.8% of specimens. All but one showed moderate or intense staining for SCF. Among specimens negative for GDNF, the sperm retrieval rate was significantly higher (100%) for specimens with intense staining for SCF than for specimens with no or moderate staining (30.7%) (P<0.05) for SCF. CONCLUSION: GDNF expression differs among patients with SCO. The sperm retrieval rate was high in cases of no staining for GDNF and intense staining for SCF.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Behavior pattern (innate action) of individuals in fish schools generating efficient collective evasion from predation.

The schooling of fishes is one typical animal social behavior. One primary function of fish school is to protect members when attacked by predators. One main way that the school reduces the predator's chance of making a successful kill is to confuse the predator as it makes its strike. This may be accomplished by collective evasion behaviors organized through integration of motions of individual fish made based on their innate actions (behavior patterns). In order to investigate what kind of behavior pattern of individuals can generate the efficient collective evasion of a school, we present a model of evasion behavior pattern which consists of three component behavior patterns, schooling, cooperative escape, and selfish escape behavior patterns and the rule for choice of one among them with proper timing. Each fish determines its movement direction taking into account simultaneously three kinds of elemental motions, mimicking its neighbors, avoiding collisions with its nearest neighbors, and escaping from an approaching predator. The weights of three elemental motions are changed depending on which component behavior pattern the fish carries out. The values of the weights for three component behavior patterns can be definitively determined under the condition that the collective evasion of the school becomes the most efficient, that is, the probability that any member is eaten by the predator becomes minimum.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Gas-phase ion/molecule reactions in C5F8.

Gas-phase ion-molecule reactions in octafluorocyclopentene (C5F8) were studied with a pulsed electron beam mass spectrometer. When a few Torr of major gas, CH4, Ar, or N2, containing approximately 10 mTorr C5F8 was ionized by 2 keV electrons, C5F8+, C5F7+, C4F6+, C4F5+, and C3F3+ were formed as major fragment ions. The interaction between those ions and C5F8 is found to be a weak electrostatic interaction. The cation...C5F8 bonding energies are around 10 kcal/mol, which were reproduced well by (U)B3LYP/6-311+G(d) calculations. The proton affinity of C5F8 (=148.6 kcal/mol by B3LYP/6-311+G(d)) was found to be smaller than that of C2H4 (=162.8 kcal/mol). In the negative mode of operation, the intense signal of C5F8- was observed during the electron pulse. This indicates that C5F8 has a positive electron affinity (1.27 eV by (U)B3LYP/6-311+G(d)). The C5F8- ion was quickly converted to a complex C10F16-. This complex did not react further with C5F8 down to 170 K. The theoretical calculation revealed that a C5F7-F-...C5F8 interaction mode in (C5F8)2- was converted to a C5F7*...C5F9- one via fluoride-ion transfer. The F- ion was found to form a strong covalent bond with C5F8, but the interaction in F-(C5F8)- - -C5F8 is a weak electrostatic interaction due to the charge dispersal in F-(C5F8). The halide ions except F- interact with C5F8 only weakly. Thermochemical stabilities for the cluster ions I-(CH3I)n (n = 1, 2) were also determined.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Expression and purification of recombinant swine interleukin-4.

The swine interleukin-4 (SwIL-4) cDNA was cloned by RT-PCR. It was expressed using an expression vector pQE30 in E. coli, a baculovirus AcNPV vector pVL1392 in insect cells, and a pCAGGS vector in mammalian cells. The rSwIL-4 proteins expressed from bacteria and insect cells were purified using a chelating affinity column and a mAb-coupled immunoaffinity column. The amount of the products and their bioactivities were compared. All recombinant cytokines were efficiently reacted with the specific antibodies and the molecular weight of rSwIL-4 was approximately 16 kDa in E. coli, 15 and 18 kDa in insect cells, and 15 and 20 kDa in mammalian cells. Variations of molecular weight observed in insect and mammalian cells were probably due to different modification ways of glycosylation. All these recombinant proteins retained their antigenicity and were biologically active in inducing human TF-1 cell proliferation in vitro. The simple purification method will make it possible to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of IL-4 in pigs.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Expression and characterization of the recombinant swine interleukin-6.

The swine interleukin-6 (SwIL-6) cDNA was cloned by RT-PCR and each expression system of recombinant SwIL-6 in Escherichia coli, insect cells, and mammalian cells was developed. Recombinant SwIL-6 produced in bacteria was applied for generation of the polyclonal antibodies. The rSwIL-6 was purified from supernatant of insect cells with a Q-sepharose or anti-SwIL-6 monoclonal antibody based immunoaffinity column. The antibodies showed that the molecular weight of rSwIL-6 was approximately 26kDa in E. coli, 25, 26, 30kDa in insect cells, and 26 and 30kDa in mammalian cells. These variations of molecular weight were probably due to the different modifications of glycosylation. All these recombinant proteins retained the antigenicity and biological activity on 7TD1 mouse cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Expression of a candidate marker for progenitor cells, Musashi-1, in the proliferative regions of human antrum and its decreased expression in intestinal metaplasia.

AIM: Reliable makers for progenitor cells in the human stomach have not been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether Musashi-1 (Msi-1), which has recently been proposed as a stem cell marker in mouse intestine, serves as a marker for progenitor cells in human stomach. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry revealed that Msi-1+ cells were detected especially in the isthmus/neck region (the putative position of stem cells) of the adult antrum, but were limited to the basal regions of fetal pyloric glands during the early stages of development. These results suggest that Msi-1 expression occurs specifically in the stem cell-containing regions. Msi-1+ cells were intermingled with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)+ cells in the isthmus/neck region of the adult antrum, but did not coexpress PCNA or Ki 67. Msi-1 expression overlapped partly with expression of MUC 5 AC and MUC 6, indicating that Msi-1+ cells retain some features of both foveolar and pyloric gland cell differentiation phenotypes. In contrast, Msi-1 expression in gastric glands showing intestinal metaplasia (IM) became weaker than that in the glands without IM. CONCLUSION: The specific expression of Msi-1 within the proliferative regions suggests that Msi-1 is a marker of cells with progenitor characteristics before active proliferation in human antrum.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

A decade-long sour-taste sensation successfully treated with a proton-pump inhibitor.

We report a case study of a 54-year-old Japanese woman who persistently suffered from a sour-taste sensation in her mouth for 10 years, and was treated with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI). She found sour-tasting meals irritable, and after eating such meals the sour-taste sensation worsened. She also complained of eructation and regurgitation. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy showed duodenal erosion, superficial gastritis, and erosive oesophagitis. After 2 weeks of PPI therapy (lansoprazole, 30 mg day(-1)) the sour taste subjectively decreased to 70%, and after 6 weeks the symptoms disappeared. In addition to increased sensitivity of the mouth, gastro-oesophageal reflux might have created her obstinate sour-taste sensations. It is suggested that in such cases PPI therapy should be attempted.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗

PubMed2005

Immunohistochemical localization of senescence marker protein-30 (SMP30) in the submandibular gland and ultrastructural changes of the granular duct cells in SMP30 knockout mice.

Senescence Marker Protein-30 (SMP30) is a calcium-regulating protein that decreases in an androgen-independent manner as aging occurs. An enzyme-labeled antibody technique has demonstrated that SMP30 localized to the ducts (granular, intercalated, and striated ducts) of mouse submandibular glands. Immunoelectronmicroscopy demonstrated that the granular duct cells were strongly positive for SMP30, but that pillar cells in the granular duct were negative for the protein. In SMP30-knockout (KO) mice, the granular ducts were smaller in diameter. Swelling of mitochondria in the granular duct cells was observed; however, this phenomenon was not observed in the pillar cells. After administration of alpha-isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic stimulant, a large numbers of small secretory granules were present in the granular duct cells and an expansion of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in SMP30-wild type (WT) mice; in contrast, little change was observed in SMP30-KO mice. These results suggest that SMP30 may be closely related to a signal transduction pathway in the granular duct cells of submandibular glands.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Powdery mildew pathogens can suppress the chitinase gene expression induced in detached inner epidermis of barley coleoptile.

Two-step PCR (RT-PCR and nested PCR) was used to detect gene expression in powdery mildew pathogen-infected cells of detached inner epidermis of barley coleoptiles. Cellular contents of infected cells were microscopically suctioned with a micropipette and subjected to PCR. Triosephosphate isomerase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes involved in the glycolytic pathway and a stimulus-induced endochitinase gene were targeted, and their expression was determined by detecting cDNAs derived from spliced transcripts. The two gycolysis-related genes were constantly expressed in the tissue irrespective of pathogen inoculation. In contrast, chitinase gene expression was induced in non-infected inner epidermis after detachment. After inoculation, this expression was selectively suppressed in pathogen-invaded cells, in spite of continuous expression in non-invaded cells of the same epidermis. Thus, the present method enabled us to directly analyze transcripts in individual cells at the infection site and assess the capability of the pathogen to regulate host gene expression.

Biological Assay↗

PubMed2004

Development of schematic face preference in macaque monkeys.

This study investigated schematic face preferences in infant macaque monkeys. We also examined the roles of whole and partial features in facial recognition and related developmental change. Sixteen infant monkeys, all less than two months old, were presented with two stimulus pairs. Pair A consisted of "face" and "parts," with the components representing facial parts (i.e. eyes, mouth, and nose). Pair B consisted of "configuration" and "linear," each including three black squares. In each pair, one of two stimuli represented a facial configuration, namely "face" and "configuration." Visual following responses toward each stimulus were analyzed. The results revealed an early preference for schematic faces in these nonhuman primates. Infants less than one month of age showed a preference only for a stimulus that contained only whole facial configuration (i.e. "configuration" in Pair B). One-month-old macaque infants showed a preference only for "face" but not for "configuration." This result means that their preference at that age was affected by both the shape of the components and the overall configuration. As the developmental change and the contribution of both facial features are similar to those in human infants, it may suggest that primates share common cognitive processes in early schematic face recognition.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Evidence for the existence of the [2 0 2]3/2 deformed band in mirror nuclei 25Mg and 25Al.

After 50 years of its prediction, the highest-lying [2 0 2]3/2 orbit among the six Nilsson single-particle orbits originating from the sd shells in prolately deformed nuclei and the rotational band on this orbit were identified. The band members were observed in 25Al at excitation energies of 6-7.5 MeV in a high-resolution 25Mg(3He,t) charge-exchange reaction at 0 degrees having a strong selectivity for Gamow-Teller transitions. In the comparison with the analogous M1 transitions in 25Mg, the J(pi)=3/2(+) bandhead state and the excited 5/2(+) and 7/2(+) members were clearly assigned.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Effects of bilateral resection of facial nerves on suckling in developing rats.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate functional role of the facial nerve on suckling in developing rats. The bilateral resection of facial nerves on postnatal day 1 (P1) resulted in cell loss of facial motoneurons and complete facial paralysis without any whisker movement or nictitating reflex at the end of the postnatal 3 weeks. Although the body weight of the nerve-resected rats increased gradually for the postnatal 3 weeks, they weighed less than the control rats without nerve resection. The nerve-resected rats contained less milk (0.25 +/- 0.02 g) than the control rats (0.35 +/- 0.02 g) in the stomach on P17. On P21, the body weight of the nerve-resected rats (25.33 +/- 0.32 g) was decreased by 28% compared to that of the control rats (35.08 +/- 0.57 g). Although their growth was substantially more retarded than that of the control animals, most (92%) of the nerve-resected pups could survive without facial nerve innervation. The orofacial musculature innervated by the facial nerve plays an important role in breastfeeding, but the present study shows that these muscles are not essential for the survival of neonatal rats.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Usefulness of FDG-PET to diagnose intravascular lymphomatosis presenting as fever of unknown origin.

Intravascular lymphomatosis (IVL) is a rare systemic disease characterized by proliferation of lymphoid cells within the lumina of small arteries, veins, and capillaries. Diagnosis requires skin, liver, lung, bone marrow, renal, meningeal, or brain vessel biopsy but is often made only when the illness has progressed or post mortem because early involvement of organs was not evident. We report a case of IVL presenting as fever of unknown origin (FUO). In this case, gallium scintigraphy and computed tomography (CT) showed no evidence of malignancy, whereas (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed increased FDG uptake in the sternum, left and right vertebra, humerus, femur, and especially ilium. The diagnosis was made on iliac bone marrow biopsy examination. FDG-PET was useful for the detection of spread of disease in a patient with IVL suffering from FUO.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed2004

Characterization of specific antibodies and the establishment of sandwich ELISA and ELISPOT systems for swine IL-4.

We produced four monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and two polyclonal antibodies using the purified cytokine expressed in bacteria and characterized them. Specific binding of each of the mAb and polyclonal antibodies to recombinant swine IL-4 (rSwIL-4) purified from Escherichia coli and baculovirus was demonstrated in an indirect ELISA and/or in western blotting. We established a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring concentration of SwIL-4 in biological samples and established an enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay for detecting IL-4-secreting cells using a mAb and a polyclonal IgG from goat. The detection limit of the sandwich ELISA for SwIL-4 was 78 pg/ml. Using sandwich ELISA, SwIL-4 was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of pigs experimentally infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and could quantitate in supernatants of mitogen-stimulated PBMC culture. The ELISPOT system is useful for the detection of IL-4 producing cells in swine PBMC culture.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Association of the hCLCA1 gene with childhood and adult asthma.

Asthma is caused by bronchial inflammation. This inflammation involves mucus overproduction and hypersecretion. Recently, a mouse model of asthma showed that gob-5 is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The gob-5 gene is involved in mucus secretion and its expression is upregulated upon antigen attack in sensitized mice. The observation suggests that human homologue of gob-5, hCLCA1 (human calcium-dependent chloride channel-1), may be involved in human disease. We screened for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in hCLCA1 in the Japanese population. We identified eight SNPs, and performed association studies using 384 child patients with asthma, 480 adult patients with asthma, and 672 controls. In haplotype analysis, we found a different haplotype distribution pattern between controls and childhood asthma (P<0.0001) and between controls and adult asthma (P=0.0031). We identified a high-risk haplotype (CATCAAGT haplotype; P=0.0014) and a low-risk haplotype (TGCCAAGT haplotype; P=0.00010) in cases of childhood asthma. In diplotype analysis, patients who had the CATCAAGT haplotype showed a higher risk for childhood asthma than those who did not (P=0.0011). Individuals who had the TGCCAAGT haplotype showed a lower risk for childhood asthma than those who did not (P<0.0001). Our data suggested that variation of the hCLCA1 gene affects patients' susceptibility for asthma.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Anti-Salmonella activity of (2E)-alkenals.

AIMS: This study investigated the effect of a series of naturally occurring aliphatic (2E)-alkenals against Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis ATCC 35640 and evaluated their antibacterial action. METHOD AND RESULTS: A homologous series of aliphatic (2E)-alkenals from C5-C13 were tested for their antibacterial activity against Salm. Choleraesuis. The antibacterial action of (2E)-alkenals against Salm. choleraesuis increases with increasing carbon chain length. (2E)-Dodecenal (C12) was the most effective against this food-borne bacterium with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 6.25 microg ml-1 (34 micromol l-1), followed by (2E)-undecenal (C11) with an MBC of 12.5 microg ml-1 (77 micromol l-1). The activity was found to correlate with the hydrophobic alkyl chain length from the hydrophilic aldehyde group. The time-kill curve study showed that (2E)-dodecenal was bactericidal against Salm. choleraesuis at any growth stage. CONCLUSIONS: The antibacterial activity of (2E)-alkenals against Salm. choleraesuis was found to correlate with the hydrophobic alkyl chain length. The conjugated double bond is not essential in eliciting the activity but is associated with increasing it. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Because of their easy availability and wide distribution in many edible plants, (2E)-alkenals can be used as anti-Salmonella agents.

Alkenes↗