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Biomedical subjects

K Kitazawa

Publications and source records attributed to K Kitazawa.

108 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Diacylglycerol-carrying lipoprotein of hemolymph of the locust and some insects.

The diacylglycerol-carrying lipoprotein (DGLP) was purified from hemolymph of the locust, Locusta migratoria, by a rapid method which included a specific precipitation at low ionic concentration and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The final preparation was highly homogeneous as judged by gel electrophoresis, electron microscopy, and immunodiffusion. The locust DGLP molecule was almost spherical in shape with a diameter of about 130 A. The molecular weight, determined by a sedimentation equilibrium method, was approximately 580,000. The total lipid content amounted to about 40%. The lipids comprised diacylglycerol (33% of total lipid), hydrocarbon (21%), cholesterol (8%), and phospholipids (36%). The hydrocarbon fraction contained a number of n-alkanes and methylalkanes ranging from C25 to C38 in chain length. Mannose (3%) and glucosamine (0.5%) were associated with the apoprotein of DGLP. Apoprotein of locust DGLP consisted of two subunits, heavy chain (mol wt 250,000) and light chain (mol wt 85,000); carbohydrate (mannose) was associated only with the heavy chain. Tests of physiological function of DGLPs from locust, cockroach, and silkworm suggest that the insect DGLP serves multiple roles as a true carrier molecule in transporting diacylglycerol, cholesterol, and hydrocarbon from sites of storage, absorption, and synthesis to sites where these lipids are utilized as metabolic fuel, precursors for triacylglycerol and phospholipid synthesis, or structural components of cell membrane and cuticle. In addition, the insect DGLPs displayed no species-specificity in terms of the functions, whereas they were immunologically distinguishable.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Heterogeneity of immune markers in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: comparative study of 9 familial and 14 familial inheritance-unproved cases.

PURPOSE: Although immune dysfunction is suspected in patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), the difference between immune dysfunction in patients with familial erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FEL) and familial inheritance-unproved lymphohistiocytosis (FIU) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine useful markers to distinguish patients with FEL from those with FIU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical features and laboratory findings, especially natural killer (NK) cell activity and the relative frequencies of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subsets, and serum levels of interferon-gamma and soluble interleukin-2 receptor were compared in 9 patients with FEL and 14 age-matched patients with FIU. Twenty-seven healthy infants served as controls. The treatment and outcome were also compared for patients with FEL and FIU. RESULTS: Comparison between patients with FEL and FIU revealed significantly lower NK activity in those with FEL (p = 0.03) but failed to show any significant differences in PBMC subsets, except that the percentage of CD3+ T cells was higher in patients with FEL (p = 0.02). CD4- and CD8-dominant phenotypes were characteristic findings in both groups of patients, although increased CD19+ B cells were restricted to patients with FIU. NK activity was deficient (< 5%) in four of the seven patients with FEL tested but in only one of eight patients with FIU. By comparison to values for age-matched controls, the percentages of CD3+, CD3+DR+ and CD45RO+ PBMCs in patients with FEL were significantly high (p < 0.05) and those of CD19+ and CD45RA+ subsets were lower than normal. Among patients with FIU, PBMC subsets included significantly reduced CD3+, CD4+, CD45RA+, and CD4+CD45RA+. In this small series, the outcome of patients with FEL and FIU treated with chemotherapy was not significantly different at the time of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate considerable immune heterogeneity among patients with HLH younger than 2 years. Although NK activity was useful but not diagnostic, determination of PBMC subsets and patterns of cytokine expression was not helpful in distinguishing patients with FEL from those with FIU, suggesting that the immune responses characteristic of these diseases may reflect different triggering factors, including viruses. The impact of this immune heterogeneity on patients' outcome remains to be determined.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Retrograde hydrostatic irrigation enema-induced perforation of the sigmoid colon in a chronic renal failure patient before colonoscopy.

We present a rare case of colon perforation caused by hydrostatic irrigation enema in a patient with chronic renal failure. A 76-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of an exacerbation of lumbar pain and increased difficulty in walking. She had a medical history of traumatic neck pain and chronic lower back pain, which had been treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for 8 years. On admission, the C-reactive protein level was 6.8 mg/dl, so we planned to do a colonoscopy to determine the cause of inflammation. The patient developed abdominal pain approximately 3.5 h after a pre-procedural enema was administered. An emergency operation was performed and a small perforation was found in the sigmoid colon. We conclude that the cause of the colon perforation was a combination of the use of a hydrostatic retrograde irrigation enema in a patient with chronic renal failure who had been treated with long-term NSAIDs.

Aged↗