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Biomedical subjects

K Iida

Publications and source records attributed to K Iida.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Gamma-delta T cells in BAL fluid of chronic lower respiratory tract infection.

Gamma-delta (gamma/delta) T cells are thought to represent the first line of defense against various pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether gamma/delta T cells were increased in BAL fluid (BALF) of patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), a model of chronic lower respiratory tract infection. The study population consisted of four groups, including patients with DPB, sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and normal subjects. Two-color direct immunofluorescence and flow cytometry were used for analysis of peripheral blood or BALF from these patients. The percentage of peripheral blood or BALF gamma/delta T cells relative to the total number of lymphocytes was similar in the four groups. Although the absolute number of gamma/delta T cells in BALF was significantly higher in DPB patients compared with the other three groups, the total lymphocyte number in BALF in DPB patients was increased and the number of BALF gamma/delta T cells correlated with the total lymphocyte number in BALF. Furthermore, the percentage and number of BALF gamma/delta T cells were not related to a certain group of pathogenic organisms or the number of colony-forming units. Our results suggest that gamma/delta T cells are unlikely to play a part in chronic lower respiratory tract infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A novel epilepsy animal model (NER)].

A mutant showing convulsive seizures spontaneously in a CJ: Wistar colony was named the Noda epileptic rat (NER). The NER exhibits tonic-clonic convulsion without any external stimuli once every 30 h. However, we succeeded in inducing similar convulsive seizures by applying priming sound stimuli (95 dB, 8 kHz, 30 sec) from 3 weeks of age in all 24 NER examined. When the effects of clinically available antiepileptics were tested on the seizures of such primed NER, the most potent agents were carbamazepine, diazepam, valproate, phenobarbital and trimethadione, while phenytoin and zonisamide showed lower potency. Furthermore, ethosuximide was not effective in inhibiting the seizures. In hippocampal slices of NER with convulsive seizures, repetitive firing accompanied by long-lasting depolarization was observed when a single stimulation was delivered to the mossy fibers in the CA3 pyramidal cell. This depolarization shift was completely blocked with a Ca2+ antagonist (nicardipine 10 nM). The long-lasting hyperpolarization that followed the repetitive firing was also observed with mossy fiber stimulation in the hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells of the NER. These findings suggest that Ca2+ channel abnormality of the hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells may be involved in the convulsive seizures.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Preventive effects of polysaccharides extracted from human tubercle bacilli (specific substance of Maruyama) on colonic carcinogenesis in rats.

Polysaccharides extracted from human tubercle bacilli (specific substance of Maruyama [SSM]) have been clinically applied with satisfactory results. Thymidylate synthetase (TS) and thymidine kinase (TK) are key enzymes in de novo and salvage pathways for pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. Well- and moderately well differentiated adenocarcinomas induced with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) are widely distributed throughout the colorectal tract with high TK activity, and the poorly differentiated type is mainly restricted in the proximal colon and the cecum with high TS activity in rats. Subcutaneously injecting the rats with SSM reduced TS activity in colonic nontumorous regions, but in the tumorous regions it reduced TK activity compared with that of the DMH-treated rats without SSM treatment. SSM is suggested to reduce the colorectal carcinogenesis induced with DMH by inhibiting DNA synthesis in a de novo pathway, and to suppress the development of the tumors by decreasing DNA synthesis in the salvage pathway in rats.

1,2-Dimethylhydrazine↗
PubMed1997

Decision support for psychiatric diagnosis based on a simple questionnaire.

This paper compares two classifiers: Pseudo Bayesian and Neural Network for assisting in making diagnoses of psychiatric patients based on a simple yes/no questionnaire which is provided at the outpatient's first visit to the hospital. The classifiers categorize patients into three most commonly seen ICD classes, i.e. schizophrenic, emotional and neurotic disorders. One hundred completed questionnaires were utilized for constructing and evaluating the classifiers. Average correct decision rates were 73.3% for the Pseudo Bayesian Classifier and 77.3% for the Neural Network classifier. These rates were higher than the rate which an experienced psychiatrist achieved based on the same restricted data as the classifiers utilized. These classifiers may be effectively utilized for assisting psychiatrists in making their final diagnoses.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1997

[Serum soluble adhesion molecules in patients with sarcoidosis].

We measured serum soluble adhesion molecules levels in patients with sarcoidosis. The serum levels of soluble ICAM-land L-, E-, and P-selectin were significantly elevated in patients with sarcoidosis compared with healthy volunteers. However, there was no significant difference in serum soluble VCAM-1 levels between the patients and healthy volunteers. A significant correlation was observed between serum soluble L-selectin levels and the number of lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with sarcoidosis. Although higher levels of serum soluble adhesion molecules were present in accordance with the clinical stage of sarcoidosis, the differences were not statistically significant. There was a significant correlation between serum ACE and soluble ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 levels. These findings suggest that soluble adhesion molecules may play an important role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A case of non-specific interstitial pneumonia associated with psoriasis vulgaris and polymyalgia rheumatica].

We describe the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of non-specific interstitial pneumonia associated with psoriasis vulgaris and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). A 50-year-old woman was admitted with a dry cough and a bilateral basilar reticulonodular shadows on chest X-ray. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis revealed lymphocytosis and a decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. A thoracoscopic lung biopsy specimen showed evidence of non-specific interstitial pneumonia. During her clinical course, she began suffering from psoriasis vulgaris and polymyalgia rheumatica. Corticosteroid therapy had no effect, but maintained a stable condition during a follow-up period of 4 years.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Rapid purification of human complement receptor type 1 (CD35, CR1).

We established a rapid purification procedure for complement receptor type 1 (CR1, CD35). Human erythrocyte stromata were solubilized, and the extract was directly applied to a Red-Sepharose column. The eluate was diluted 2-fold, then subjected to an immunoaffinity column, anti-CR1 (named 31R)-conjugated to Sepharose. More than 50% of CR1 was recovered with purity of > 90%. The CR1 preparation showed sufficient cofactor activity for factor I as compared to that prepared by the conventional method. Since 31R recognizes a single epitope in CR1 including its rare variants and soluble forms, this method will allow us to recover with high efficiency these forms of CR1 which have been detected especially in some disease states.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1996

Pathophysiologic significance of left ventricular hypertrophy in dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) have been found to have a better prognosis than patients without LVH. However, the pathophysiologic mechanism for that has not been investigated. We sought to clarify the pathophysiologic significance of LVH in DCM. METHODS: We performed isoproterenol infusion echocardiography (0.02 micrograms/kg/min) in 17 patients with DCM, and measured plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels at rest and at the end of ergometer exercise in 14 of the 17 patients. Patients were classified into groups according to the presence (9 patients) (LVH+) or absence (8 patients) (LVH-) of LVH. Left ventricular hypertrophy was defined as an inter-ventricular thickness or posterior wall thickness > or = 13 mm. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference between groups in fractional shortening at rest during isoproterenol infusion, fractional shortening was significantly higher in the LVH(+) group than in the LVH(-) group (29 +/- 9 vs. 17 +/- 8%; p < 0.025). Although there was no significant difference in plasma norepinephrine level, it was significantly lower in the LVH(+) group than in the LVH(-) group (233 +/- 169 vs. 519 +/- 258 pg/ml; p < 0.05) at the end point of the exercise. CONCLUSION: Systolic reserve, represented by the response to isoproterenol, is greater in patients with DCM with LVH than in those without LVH, and a lower plasma level of norepinephrine is needed to activate the myocardium during exercise in patients with DCM with LVH. This pathophysiologic characteristic could be one of the mechanisms which explain a better prognosis in patients with DCM with LVH.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Expression of ICAM-1 on glomeruli is associated with progression of diabetic nephropathy in a genetically obese diabetic rat, Wistar fatty.

We developed an animal model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, a genetically obese rat strain, Wistar fatty. These rats show obesity-related features such as hyperinsulinemia and hyperlipemia, and only males develop diabetic features including hyperglycemia, glucoseuria and polyuria as they age. Histopathological study demonstrated a deposition of PAS-positive granules in the epithelial cells and a diffuse thickening of the mesangial area and moderate changes of the renal tubules. We found that ICAM-1 is expressed on the glomeruli of male Wistar fatty rats and the expression is associated with the development of nephropathy; it is weak at 5 weeks, becomes markedly strong at 15 weeks and progresses further at 29 weeks of age. We tried in vivo administration of monoclonal antibody, anti-ICAM-1 alone or together with anti-LFA-1 into male Wistar fatty rats during the period from 5 weeks to 17 weeks of age. The treatment, however, could not prevent the development of nephropathy. ICAM-1 expressed on the glomeruli of Wistar fatty rats seems not to play a key role in development of the nephropathy by mediating leukocyte infiltration. It will be a useful marker of the development of the disease.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (31-98) as a tumour marker of small-cell lung cancer: comparative evaluation with neuron-specific enolase.

We attempted to clarify whether serum levels of a carboxy-terminal fragment of ProGRP, ProGRP(31-98), could serve as a more accurate tumour marker in patients with SCLC than neuron-specific enolase (NSE). ProGRP(31-98) and NSE were measured retrospectively in 101 newly diagnosed untreated patients with SCLC, 111 with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 114 patients with non-malignant lung diseases. ProGRP(31-98) and NSE levels were determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sensitivity in SCLC patients was 72.3% for ProGRP(31-98) and 62.4% for NSE. Comparing the area under curve (AUC) of 'receiver operator characteristics' of ProGRP(31-98) with that of NSE, ProGRP(31-98) was the more powerful marker in the diagnosis of SCLC (P = 0.0001). Serum levels of ProGRP(31-98) were higher in the 40 patients with extensive disease than in the 61 patients with limited disease (P = 0.0082). ProGRP(31-98) was significantly higher in patients with pure small-cell carcinoma than in patients with mixed small-cell/large-cell carcinoma (P = 0.02). In serial measurement in 16 patients responding to treatment, a high degree of correlation was noted between the decrease in serum ProGRP(31-98) levels and clinical response during the second week after treatment (P = 0.0045). These results indicate that the determination of serum ProGRP(31-98) levels plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of SCLC patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1996

Randomised trial for the prevention of delayed emesis in patients receiving high-dose cisplatin.

Despite recent advances in control of acute emesis following cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens, delayed emesis remains a significant cause of treatment-related morbidity and factors associated with delayed emesis have not yet been evaluated. A prospective randomised trial was conducted to compare the efficacy and toxicity of granisetron, dexamethasone plus prochlorperazine with granisetron alone in controlling cisplatin-induced delayed emesis and to identify the important factors that influence its occurrence and severity. Seventy cisplatin-naive patients with inoperable solid tumors participated in the trial. Patients who received 80 mg m-2 or 100 mg m-2 of cisplatin were randomly assigned to receive either granisetron 40 micrograms kg-1 intravenously (i.v.) on day 1, dexamethasone 20 mg i.v. on days 2 and 3 and prochlorperazine 5 mg orally thrice daily on days 1-5 or granisetron 40 micrograms kg-1 i.v. on day 1 alone. There was no difference in their acute antiemetic efficacy. A combination regimen was more effective than granisetron alone in preventing delayed symptoms, with superior rates of complete plus major responses of 77% vs 51% (P = 0.0460). Treatment arm was the only determinant factor for the occurrence of delayed emesis (P = 0.0101).

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1996

Phosphorylation of Ser-3 of cofilin regulates its essential function on actin.

BACKGROUND: Cofilin is a low-molecular weight actin-modulating protein, and is structurally and functionally conserved in eucaryotes from yeast to mammals. The functions of cofilin appear to be regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. RESULTS: A proteolytic study of phosphorylated porcine cofilin and expression of a mutated cofilin in cultured cells revealed that Ser-3 is the unique phosphorylation site. Phosphorylated cofilin was found not to bind to either F- or G-actin while unphosphorylated cofilin binds to both. S3D-cofilin, in which Ser-3 was replaced with Asp, did not bind in vitro to actin while S3A-cofilin did. The transient over-expression of wild-type or S3A-cofilin in cultured cells caused disruption of preexisting actin structures and induced cytoplasmic actin bundles. Heat shock-induced nuclear or NaCl buffer-induced cytoplasmic actin/cofilin rods contained the expressed cofilin. In contrast, the over-expression of S3D-cofilin did not alter the actin structures. Induced actin rods did not contain S3D-cofilin. S3D-porcine cofilin did not complement the lethality associated with delta cof1 mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae while wild-type and S3A-cofilin did. Furthermore, we found that S2A/S4D- and S2D/S4D-yeast cofilin mutants were not viable. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the function of cofilin is negatively regulated in vivo by phosphorylation of Ser-3 and that cells require the function of unphosphorylated cofilin for viability.

Actin Depolymerizing Factors↗
PubMed1996

Genomic imprinting of human p57KIP2 and its reduced expression in Wilms' tumors.

p57KIP2 is a potent tight-binding inhibitor of several G1 cyclin complexes, and is a negative regulator of cell proliferation. The gene encoding human p57KIP2 is located on chromosome 11p15.5, a region implicated in both sporadic cancers and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), a cancer syndrome, making it a tumor suppressor candidate. Several types of childhood tumors including Wilms' tumor, adrenocortical carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma display a specific loss of maternal 11p15 alleles, suggesting that genomic imprinting plays an important part. Genetic analysis of the familial BWS has indicated maternal carriers and suggested a role in genomic imprinting. Previously, we demonstrated that p57KIP2 is imprinted in the mouse. Here we describe the genomic imprinting of human p57KIP2 and the reduction of its expression in Wilms' tumors. High resolution mapping locates p57KIP2 in the region responsible for both tumor suppressivity and BWS.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Establishment and characterization of high- and low-lung-metastatic cell lines derived from murine colon adenocarcinoma 26 tumor line.

We established and characterized high- (LuM1) and low-lung-metastatic (NM11) cell lines derived from murine colon adenocarcinoma 26 tumor line. LuM1 cell line was established as a clonal cell line from a cultured cell mixture derived from a lung-metastatic nodule after 7 sequential subcutaneous transplantations of lung-metastatic tumors in the abdominal wall of BALB/c mice. NM11 cell line was established from a cultured cell mixture derived from a subcutaneous transplant of murine colon adenocarcinoma 26 tumor cells. LuM1 cells showed marked spontaneous lung metastases, but NM11 cells rarely did. High invasive potential of LuM1 cells was revealed by in vitro invasion assay using Matrigel reconstituted membranes. Rapid retraction was observed in monolayers of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and bovine aortic endothelial cells when LuM1 cells were added on the monolayers. Gelatin zymography and immunochemical examinations with monoclonal antibodies against gelatinase B (Mr 95,000 type IV collagenase) showed secretion of large amounts of the gelatinase by LuM1 cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Significance of IL-1beta and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB).

We evaluated the effect of erythromycin therapy on pulmonary function tests and the airway inflammatory response of patients with DPB. The number of neutrophils in BALF obtained from DPB patients was significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers. Treatment with erythromycin (600 mg/day for 12.9+/-9.5 months (mean +/- s.d.)) significantly reduced the total number of cells and neutrophils in the airway, and significantly improved pulmonary function tests. The levels of IL-1beta and IL-8 were significantly higher in DPB compared with healthy volunteers (P<0.05, P<0.05, respectively). IL-1Ra in patients is considered to have a weak inhibitory activity for IL-1beta, with approximately five-fold concentration of IL-1beta compared with that in healthy volunteers (approx. nine-fold concentration of IL-1beta). Erythromycin therapy significantly reduced these cytokines to levels comparable to those of healthy volunteers, and produced a trend toward reduction in the level of IL-1Ra in BALF. The level of IL-1beta correlated significantly with the concentration of neutrophils in BALF (r=0.72, P<0.01), as well as with the level of IL-1Ra (r=0.688, P<0.05) and IL-8 (r=0.653, P<0.05). A nearly significant or significant correlation was observed between the concentration of neutrophils and levels of IL-1Ra or IL-8 in BALF (r=0.526, P=0.053 or r=0.776, P<0.01, respectively). There was also a significant relationship between FEV(1) and the concentration of neutrophils in BALF (r=0.524, P<0.05). Our results suggest that the relative amounts of IL-1beta and IL-1Ra or IL-8 may contribute, at least in part, to the neutrophil-mediated chronic airway inflammation in patients with chronic airway disease, and long-term erythromycin therapy may down-regulate the vigorous cycle between the cytokine network and neutrophil accumulation, with resultant reduction of neutrophil-mediated inflammatory response.

Adult↗