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Biomedical subjects

K Hashiguchi

Publications and source records attributed to K Hashiguchi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of an Escherichia coli ilvA mutant gene encoding feedback-resistant threonine deaminase on L-isoleucine production by Brevibacterium flavum.

A mutated ilvA gene of Escherichia coli encoding a threonine deaminase that is resistant to feedback inhibition by L-isoleucine was obtained. It was functional in Brevibacterium flavum, and a wild strain of B. flavum into which it was introduced became able to convert exogeneous L-homoserine and L-threonine to L-isoleucine. When it was introduced into a L-threonine-producing B. flavum strain, the transformant accumulated 20 g/liter L-isoleucine from 100 g/liter glucose.

Brevibacterium

[A case of Legionella micdadei pneumonia].

A 60-year-old male with type C chronic hepatitis was admitted to Kibikogen Rehabilitation Center with high fever, cough and general fatigue. Chest X-ray film on admission showed consolidation in the left middle and lower lung lung field. Initial treatment with intravenous ceftazidime, imipenem/cilastatin and clindamycin were ineffective due to continuous high fever and cough and spread of the pneumonia shadow. Administration of minocycline was started for suspected non-bacterial pneumonia whereupon his symptoms improved and the pneumonia shadow began to decrease in size. However, his symptoms and pneumonia shadow worsened after taking him off of minocycline due to progressive pancytopenia and liver dysfunction. He was transferred to our hospital and intravenous erythromycin treatment was initiated for suspected Legionell pneumonia because of the elevation of Legionella micdadei serum antibody titer. Immediately after starting treatment, his symptoms improved and the pneumonia shadow decreased in size. Erythromycin was stopped after the 14th day of administration. In this case, diagnosis of L. micdadei pneumonia was made because of the positive results of the polymerase chain reaction test and elevation of the L. micdadei serum antibody titer (from 0 to 1,024). This is the second report of a L. micdadei pneumonia case here in Japan.

Antibodies, Bacterial

[Two cases of primary mediastinal germ cell tumor].

We have experienced two patients with primary mediastinal germ cell tumor. The 1st case was a 26-year-old male with high AFP levels. The tumor was completely removed with en-bloc resection of the left upper lobe and postoperative combination chemotherapy was effective. He is free of disease for ten years after the surgery. The 2nd case was a 25-year-old male with normal AFP and HCG level. After 2 courses of combined chemotherapy, the residual tumor was resected. Viable tumor cells were not presented in the resected tumor. He is free of disease for 3 months after surgery.

Adult

[A case report of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis which could not be saved in spite of making an early diagnosis].

A seventy-one year old male with pemphigus vulgaris and treated with steroid therapy for long periods of 7 months was suffered from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. He complained of a productive cough and the chest X-p indicated a mild infiltration shadow in his both lungfields. He was treated by intravenous antibiotics and no clinical improvement was observed. Two days after the onset of the clinical respiratory symptoms, he was transferred to the division of respiratory diseases and the diagnosis of aspergillosis was confirmed by serological and histopathological studies on the same day. Intravenous amphotericin B and oral itraconazole administrations were started immediately after the diagnosis was made. However, the progression of the disease was so rapid and his immune condition was too weak to respond to the treatment. The overall clinical course of the case was extremely short only 5 days.

Aged

The mineralization of crystalline inorganic components in Japanese serow horn.

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) is protected as a special natural monument in Japan. The ring count of the soft X-ray photographs of Japanese serow horn was found to be a useful criteria to determine the ages exactly. The mineralization process in Japanese serow horn was examined microscopic, ICP and X-ray diffraction methods. The incremental lines appeared as light and dark layers in the section stained for fuchsin and methylen blue. Mineral depositions were observed among the keratin fibers, no matrix vesicle in the electron dense regions. X-ray diffraction pattern of crystalline inorganic components in Japanese serow horn was determined as beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), hydroxyapatite (HA) and unknown phase. ICP measurement was also carried out. The horn contained trace elements of K besides Na, Ca, Fe and P. The Ca/P molar was found to be 2.9. The ratio was much higher than the theoretical value of HA. Presumably, keratin was the seed which might be related to mineralization and higher Ca activity was detected in the initial phase of epitaxial growth. Analytical results of the measurement of trace elements in Japanese serow horn by using ICP method seemed to be correlated with the evaluation of environmental conditions. The present study indicated that the mineralization of Japanese serow horn directly related with deposition Ca-deficient HA among the keratin fibers.

Animals

Remarkable reduction in acetylcholine concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer type dementia.

We determined the concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh) and choline (Ch) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Alzheimer type dementia (ATD) in comparison with controls. The ACh concentration was reduced significantly and remarkably (73%, P < 0.0002) in ATD patients and had a significant positive correlation with dementia scale scores (r = 0.82, P < 0.05). The Ch concentration was unaltered in ATD patients. These results suggest that the progressive reduction in ACh in the ATD brain may be reflected in its concentrations in the CSF.

Acetylcholine

[A case of Aspergillus niger pneumonia cured with an early diagnosis].

We have experienced a case with A. niger aspergilloma who developed Aspergillus pneumonia after bacterial pulmonary infection. Examinations of sputum cytology and detection of serum Aspergillus antigen were useful for an early diagnosis of his condition. Early and intensive antifungal chemotherapy mainly with intravenous amphotericin B brought about his complete remission.

Amphotericin B

[Histopathological study of experimental recurrent pulmonary aspergillosis--the comparative study of steroid and cyclophosphamide induced models].

A new animal model of recurrent pulmonary aspergillosis was established using cyclophosphamide (CPM) instead of cortisone acetate for reconstitution of immunosuppression, and histopathological findings were compared with those of the previous model. A recurrence of pulmonary aspergillosis, according to granulocytopenic conditions was much more rapid and uniform in this model than that of steroid induced model shown. In histopathologically, invasive and massive proliferation of Aspergillus hyphae was observed in lungs of rats 5-7 days after the CPM treatment and hyphal invasion into pulmonary vessels which suggested rapid systemic spreading of the infection was also found. This model considered to be good for the simulation of recurrent aspergillosis in patients with severe immunosuppression and also useful for studies of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods of recurrent pulmonary aspergillosis.

Animals

Factors improving L-threonine production by a three L-threonine biosynthetic genes-amplified recombinant strain of Brevibacterium lactofermentum.

When a Brevibacterium lactofermentum L-threonine producer that accumulated L-lysine as well, was transformed with a recombinant plasmid carrying the indigenous hom, thrB, and thrC genes, delayed growth and plasmid instability were observed. Addition of organic nutrients, vitamins (thiamine.HCl and d-biotin), and NaCl under the optimal culture conditions solved these problems and further increased threonine production in a small jar fermentor.

Brevibacterium

[Two cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in non-immunocompromised hosts].

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis generally occurs in immunocompromised hosts such as patients with leukemia, and other malignancies, who are receiving anti-cancer chemotherapy. In this report, two non-immunocompromised patients who developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis are presented. Case 1: A 63-year-old man complained of productive cough and fever. He received antibiotic therapy from his personal physician. This symptoms did not respond, however, and dyspnea developed. He was then transferred to our hospital, about one month after the onset. The chest X-ray showed a meniscus shadow suggesting an aspergilloma in the right upper lung field and an infiltrative shadow in the remaining right lung field. Case 2: A 78-year-old man was admitted because of dyspnea, productive cough and appetite loss over the previous three months. The chest X-ray showed a meniscus shadow in the left upper field, an infiltrative shadow in the left lower field and a right pleural effusion sign was also observed. Both cases were diagnosed as having aspergillosis, early in their illness, by the detection of aspergillus antigen in their sera and histopathological and cultural studies of specimens obtained by TBLB. Both improved with intravenous amphotericin B (30 mg/day) and intravenous ulinastatin (200000 IU/day) administration. On the examinations conducted during hospitalization, there was no evidence of any immunosuppressive diseases or immunoincompetent conditions such as leukemia, and other malignancies human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes or alcoholism.

Aged

Prolonged and recurrent tonsillitis associated with sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis.

Chlamydia trachomatis is a common sexually transmitted pathogen. We describe six cases of tonsillitis associated with sexually transmitted C. trachomatis infection. The organism was isolated from tonsillar crypts in all patients, and from uro-genital swabs in five of the six patients. In three partners of the patients, C. trachomatis infection of the uro-genital organ was assessed. They all had a history of orogenital sexual intercourse prior to the illness.

Adult

High fermentative production of L-threonine from acetate by a Brevibacterium flavum stabilized strain transformed with a recombinant plasmid carrying the Escherichia coli thr operon.

Decrease in L-threonine productivity caused not only by plasmid-free segregation but also by plasmid deletion was observed in a Brevibacterium flavum L-threonine producer when transformed with a recombinant plasmid carrying Escherichia coli thr operon. However, a recombinant strain, HT-16, was stabilized by the addition of trimethoprim (a selective marker on the vector) at concentration of 1000 micrograms/ml, which was rather higher than the minimum inhibitory one, into the stock culture medium. Strain HT-16 produced 64.4 g/liter of L-threonine, 30% higher than that of the host strain, after 92 h of cultivation in a small jar fermentor using acetic acid as a carbon source without trimethoprim.

Acetates

Seroprevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae infections in otolaryngeal diseases.

We studied the seroprevalence of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae, the third species of chlamydia, in patients with acute infections in otolaryngeal sites. The patients were divided into five diagnostic groups, i.e. sinusitis, otitis media, tonsillitis, laryngitis and bronchitis group. Antibodies were measured by the microimmunofluorescent method. Antibodies confirming past infection with C. pneumoniae were found 46.2 per cent of the patients in the diagnostic groups and 44.7 per cent of the subjects in the control group. The difference between these two groups was not statistically significant. Acute or recent antibodies were detected in 10.5 per cent (2/19) of these patients with sinusitis, 19.2 per cent (10/52) of those with tonsillitis, 23.5 per cent (8/34) of those with otitis media, 18.2 per cent (6/33) of those with laryngitis and 22.8 per cent (13/57) of those with bronchitis, whereas only one member of the control group had acute antibodies. These data suggested that C. pneumoniae is an important and common pathogen of otolaryngeal disease.

Acute Disease

Recovery of Chlamydia pneumoniae, in six patients with otitis media with effusion.

Six cases of otitis media with effusion associated with Chlamydia pneumoniae, a currently recognized respiratory tract pathogen, are presented. The organism was isolated from the middle ear fluids and serological evidence confirmed it as the infectious agent. The study population is small; however, these reports suggest C. pneumoniae as a causative agent of middle ear diseases.

Adult