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Biomedical subjects

K Kogawa

Publications and source records attributed to K Kogawa.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[A case of temporary severe disequilibrium hypercalcemia].

The patient, a 69-year-old woman, was admitted to Osaka City University Hospital on July 25, 1992, for severe hypercalcemia. Laboratory data on admission revealed severe hypercalcemia of 14.9 mg/dl and renal dysfunction with serum creatinine of 2.9 mg/dl. As reflected by increased urinary excretions of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline and suppressed serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, increased bone resorption seemed to be a main factor for the development of hypercalcemia. The development of hypercalcemia seemed to be acute because of (i) her severe symptoms caused by hypercalcemia and (ii) impaired renal function which improved after normalization of serum calcium. Following combination therapy of saline infusion and furosemide, there was a gradual decrease and later normalization of serum calcium together with serum creatinine. Even 8 months after discontinuation of the therapy for hypercalcemia, the serum calcium level has remained within the normal range. Measurement of serum factors which have hypercalcemia effects such as PTH, parathyroid hormone-related peptide and cytokines (interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-2, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) were all within the normal range. In summary, hypercalcemia in this patient was regarded as a kind of disequilibrium hypercalcemia due to a combination of increased bone resorption and decreased renal capacity to excrete calcium. Furthermore, since it was temporary and has not recurred despite no treatment, her hypercalcemia developed due to imbalance in calcium regulation but not due to any organic disease.

Acute Disease↗

A case of temporary severe disequilibrium hypercalcemia.

We report a rare case of temporary and severe hypercalcemia: the patient, a 69-year-old woman, was admitted to Osaka City University Hospital on July 25, 1992, for severe hypercalcemia. The laboratory data on admission revealed severe hypercalcemia (14.9 mg/dl) and renal dysfunction with increased serum creatinine level (2.9 mg/dl). The urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline was increased, and serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were decreased. The data suggested that increased bone resorption was a probable main factor in the development of the hypercalcemia. The development of hypercalcemia seemed to be of acute onset because of (1) her severe symptoms caused by hypercalcemia and (2) impaired renal function which was improved after normalization of serum calcium level. Combination therapy with saline infusion and furosemide was administered, and there was a gradual decrease and subsequent normalization of serum calcium level along with serum creatinine. Even 8 months after discontinuation of the therapy for hypercalcemia, the serum calcium level remained within the normal range. The measured values of serum factors which are suspected to have a hypercalcemic effect, such as PTH, parathyroid hormone-related peptide and the cytokines (interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-2, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) were all within the normal range. In summary, the hypercalcemia in this patient was regarded to be a type of disequilibrium hypercalcemia due to a combination of increased bone resorption and decreased renal capacity to excrete calcium. Furthermore, since it was temporary and did not recur even in the absence of treatment, the hypercalcemia was concluded to have developed due to an imbalance in calcium regulation rather than as a result of organic disease.

Aged↗

[TGF-beta and platelet].

In the present paper, we investigated the pathophysiological implication of TGF-beta from megakaryocytes or megakaryoblasts in the development of myelofibrosis. In the bone marrow of myelofibrosis, proliferation of megakaryocytes is often noticed. We therefore investigated the TGF-beta expression in the bone marrow megakaryocytes from 12 chronic myeloproliferative disorder patients with myelofibrosis by immunohistochemical analysis. About all the specimen showed strong positivity for TGF-beta. In order to examine whether megakaryoblasts produce TGF-beta, we then measured TGF-beta activity in the conditioned medium (CM) of megakaryoblasts from a patient with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia who had profound myelofibrosis. The CM showed strong collagen synthesis stimulating activity which was nullified by addition of anti TGF-beta antibody. Since TGF-beta exists as latent form in platelets, TGF-beta was considered to be altered from active to latent form during megakaryocytes differentiation. In this context, MEG-01, a megakaryoblastic cell line which produces active TGF-beta was underwent differentiation to produce platelet-like bleb with TPA treatment. During the differentiation, MEG-01 showed the decrease of active TGF-beta production and increase of latent TGF-beta together with the production of LTBP. These results suggest that megakaryoblasts produce active TGF-beta and may may cause myelofibrosis, while more differentiated megakaryocytes produce latent TGF-beta. Mechanism by which megakaryoblast escape from negative autocrine of active TGF-beta was also investigated. MEG-01 was found to express mutated p53 which is considered to be responsible for impaired signal transduction of TGF-beta.

Blood Platelets↗

A role for the fyn oncogene in metastasis of methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma A cells.

Expression of various oncogenes (ras, myc, erbB2, src, fyn, yes and sis) in a high-metastatic clone (MH-02) derived from a murine methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma A (Meth A) was compared with those of its parent clone (ML-01) by Northern blot analysis. Two oncogenes, fyn, belonging to the tyrosine-kinase family, and sis, belonging to the cellular-growth-factor family, were found to have higher signals (3.6-fold and 1.8-fold respectively) in MH-02 than in ML-01 cells. To explore the possibility that higher expression of these oncogenes is involved in enhanced metastasis of the MH-02 clone, ML-01 was transfected by a fyn vector and the metastatic potential of the transfectant was examined. Mice administered fyn-transfected ML-01 cells had significantly increased metastatic nodules in the lung, as compared with those whose ML-01 cells were transfected with control vector without the fyn gene. The result indicates that the fyn gene is one of the factors governing the metastatic potential of Meth A cells.

Animals↗

Augmented expression of a type IV collagen-binding protein in a highly metastatic murine fibrosarcoma clone.

The adhesive properties of highly and weakly metastatic murine sarcoma (Meth A) clones were investigated. A highly metastatic clone, MH-02, preferentially adhered to type IV collagen-coated plastic dishes and to bovine pulmonary arterial endothelial cell-coated plastic dishes as compared to a weakly metastatic clone, ML-01. Pretreatment of MH-02 and ML-01 cells with antisera against MH-02 cells resulted in almost equivalent adhesiveness to type IV collagen. Preincubation of 125I-radiolabeled tumor cells with the antisera against MH-02 significantly reduced the arrest of MH-02 cells in the lung, but ML-01 cells were not affected. The number of pulmonary metastatic nodules of MH-02 cells was reduced to the same level as that of ML-01 cells by preincubation of the tumor cells with the antisera in an experimental metastasis experiment. These results indicated that the high metastatic ability of MH-02 can be attributed to its preferential adhesiveness to type IV collagen. The type IV collagen-binding proteins of MH-02 and ML-01 were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and autoradiography. Among several proteins which bound to type IV collagen, expression of a protein with a molecular weight of 29 kD was significantly greater in MH-02 than in ML-01. These results suggest that the greater adhesion of highly metastatic MH-02 cells to type IV collagen is due to enhanced expression of the type IV collagen-binding 29 kD protein.

Animals↗

Increased serum level of interleukin-5 in a patient with episodic angioedema and eosinophilia syndrome.

A case of episodic angioedema and eosinophilia syndrome is reported. An 18-year-old male suffered from monthly episodes of angioedema, pruritic papules, weight gain, and fever for twelve years. During the episodes, peripheral eosinophils and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-5, an eosinophil proliferating cytokine were elevated. Extensive evaluations disclosed neither visceral involvement nor evidence of parasitic infections, collagen diseases, or neoplastic disorders. Corticosteroid treatment brought about a dramatic clinical improvement concomitant with decrement of eosinophils and serum IL-5 was observed. These observations suggest that IL-5 may be a causative factor for this pathological state.

Adolescent↗

[The significance of repeated users of geriatric health care facility].

Our geriatric health care facility was established 3 years ago. The real number of users since April 1989 to March 1991 amounts to 519, of which 62 have been admitted 3 times or more (defined as repeated here). At the same time, this facility has a day care activity 6 times a week. The utilization rate of day care activity was 14.8% for total users, while it was 59.7% for repeaters. These results indicate that repeaters actively utilize day care activity as well as geriatric health care facility. In other words, repeaters usually reside at home and their home cares are greatly supported by both repeated admissions to the facility and daily utilization of day care activity which are effective in improving ADL of the disabled elderly. It is concluded that geriatric health care facility plays an important part in supporting home care of the disabled elderly as well as transitional step from hospital to their own home.

Aged↗

Follistatin inhibits activin-induced differentiation of rat follicular granulosa cells in vitro.

The effect of follistatin on activin-induced granulosa cell differentiation was investigated in freshly harvested granulosa cells from diethylstilbestrol (DES)-treated rats. Activin induced a remarkable change in granulosa cellular morphology from elongated fibroblast-like to round cells, which follistatin prevented. Follistatin itself had no influence on the cellular morphology. We studied the action of follistatin on activin-induced differentiation of granulosa cells cultured in a chemically defined medium. Addition of activin (30 ng/ml) to the culture increased the FSH binding site approximately 2-fold compared with the control (spontaneous expression) level, whereas follistatin reduced the activin-induced expression level to the control level in a concentration-dependent manner. Activin (30 ng/ml) markedly augmented FSH-induced hCG binding and progesterone production by approximately 20-fold, and these effects were suppressed by follistatin in a concentration-dependent manner. Similarly, addition of follistatin to the culture induced a concentration-dependent decrease of activin-enhanced inhibin-producing activity, but had no effect on FSH-induced inhibin production. These results suggest that follistatin/activin-binding protein binds to activin stoichiometrically to suppress the activin-induced differentiation of rat granulosa cell in vitro, but follistatin itself has no direct effect on activin-independent reactions.

Activins↗

HSV-1-inducible proteins bind to NF-kappa B-like sites in the HSV-1 genome.

Several putative NF-kappa B-binding sites in the ICP0 and Vmw65 herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) genes have been identified. Oligonucleotides encoding some of these sites bind specifically to purified NF-kappa B protein and an NF-kappa B-like protein in nuclear extracts of phorbol ester- or cycloheximide-induced human embryonic lung (HEL) cells. HSV-1 infection of HEL cells induced a nuclear factor that binds specifically to kappa B sites in the ICP0 and Vmw65 gene regions and comigrates with complexes formed by purified NF-kappa B. The HSV-1-inducible nuclear factor bound to the authentic immunoglobulin (Ig) kappa B site. Transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) plasmids containing two copies of the Ig kappa B site upstream of the c-fos promoter (kappa B2-CAT) showed activity in HEL cells. HSV-1 infection of kappa B2-CAT-transfected HEL cells, however, induced a dramatic increase in CAT activity; mutation in the NF-kappa B-binding site of kappa B2-CAT abolished the inducibility of CAT gene expression. Our results demonstrate that the HSV-1 ICP0 and Vmw65 gene regions contain binding sites for NF-kappa B, and that HSV-1-inducible proteins bind to NF-kappa B-like sites in the HSV-1 genome.

Base Sequence↗

Platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate released from cloned murine fibrosarcoma cells is positively correlated with the experimental metastatic potential of the cells.

We established five clones (ML-01, ML-02, MH-01, MH-02, MH-03) from murine 3-methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma A (Meth A), and investigated their experimental metastatic potentials in relation to their platelet-aggregating activities. A clone with a high metastatic potential (MH-02) showed a characteristic biphasic pattern of platelet aggregation, of which the first peak was not present in the aggregation patterns of the clone with low metastatic potential (ML-01). The first peak was eliminated by treatment of the cells with apyrase, indicating that adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was the causative substance of this particular peak. The metastatic potential of clones correlated well with the ADP concentration of the culture media. These results suggest that the increased ADP production and consequential enhancement of platelet-aggregating activity are closely related to the increment of pulmonary metastatic potential of MH-02 clone.

Animals↗

Activin-binding protein is present in pituitary.

A binding protein for activin was purified from bovine pituitary by affinity chromatography on dextran sulfate-Sepharose CL-4B and activin-Affi-Gel 10. A 52,700-fold purification over the starting crude homogenate was achieved. The purified preparation showed two bands of 36 and 33 kilodalton in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions. The ability of each form of the protein to specifically bind activin was determined by ligand blot analysis and binding competition study. Each protein was found to have the same NH2-terminus and its sequence was identical to that of follistatin, which is a specific inhibitor of identical to that of follistatin, which is a specific inhibitor of FSH release. Moreover, the binding protein was shown to inhibit the spontaneous FSH release from cultured pituitary cells as does follistatin. These properties are the same as activin-binding protein that we have obtained from rat ovary. These results support a conclusion that activin-binding protein/follistatin exists also in the pituitary. Activin-binding protein has an ability to inhibit the activin-induced augmentation of FSH release from cultured pituitary cells as does inhibin. However, the inhibitory pattern by the binding protein was quite distinct from that of inhibin, suggesting that there may be different mechanism(s) for their antagonistic actions. Stoichiometric inhibition as shown by gel filtration analysis indicates that activin-binding protein binds activin to form an inactive equimolar complex having neither stimulatory nor inhibitory activity for FSH secretion by the pituitary. These findings suggest that activin is actually involved in FSH secretion in the pituitary and that the activin action in the pituitary is regulated by activin-binding protein/follistatin.

Activins↗

Characterization of antisera directed against follistatin/activin-binding protein peptides.

An attempt was made to develop immunologic probes directed against follistatin/activin-binding protein (ABP), for use in investigating the distribution of ABP in various tissues. Five oligopeptides corresponding to different regions of the predicted ABP amino acid sequence (peptides 1-12, 28-43, 123-134, 270-281 and 300-315) were synthesized chemically, and coupled to Limulus polyphemus hemolymph hemocyanin. The peptide-hemocyanin conjugates were then used to immunize rabbits, and the immunoresponses were monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Reactivity of the antipeptide antisera with ABP was determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting analysis. All of the peptides produced immune responses. The antiserum to peptide 123-134 recognized all forms of ABP, whereas the antiserum to peptide 300-315 reacted specifically and sensitively with the long forms of ABP. These two antisera exhibited only a limited cross-reaction with other proteins or none at all. Therefore, they will be useful for studying the distribution of ABP in various tissues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Immunohistochemical localization of follistatin in rat tissues.

We have used immunohistochemistry to localize follistatin/activin-binding protein in adult male and female rats. A polyclonal antibody directed against a follistatin peptide (residues 123-134) was used as a specific immunologic probe. Intense and specific follistatin immunoreactivity was evident in spermatogenic cells of seminiferous tubules in the testis. The predominant staining was in nuclei of spermatocytes and spermatids, but no immune reaction was observed in spermatogonia or spermatozoa. Moderate immunoreactivity was detected in Leydig cells. Sertoli cells were follistatin-negative. Significant immunoreactivity was evident in ovarian granulosa cells. The intensity of the staining changed with follicle development: no immunoreactivity was observed in granulosa cells of primordial to primary follicles, but the cells of secondary to Graafian follicles displayed moderate to strong staining and finally luteal cells of the corpus luteum became negative. The epithelial lining of the oviduct and the smooth muscle of the myometrium of the uterus were intensely immunoreactive. Immunoreactive follistatin staining was present in the pituitary: a group of round-shaped cells were specifically stained. Immunostainable follistatin was visible in the epithelial layers of renal tubules with moderate to strong staining reactivity. Hepatic cells in the liver demonstrated homogeneous immunoreactivity from moderate to strong. The cortex of the adrenal gland, white pulp of the spleen and the brain cortex were also stained weakly but distinctly with the antiserum. In conclusion, immunoreactive follistatin is widespread in rat tissues, suggesting that follistatin/activin-binding protein is a ubiquitous protein, regulating a wide variety of activin actions.

Adrenal Glands↗

Specific expression of nuclear proto-oncogenes before entry into meiotic prophase of spermatogenesis.

The expression of proto-oncogenes representative of several functional categories has been investigated during development of mouse male germ cells. The c-raf proto-oncogene and three members of the c-ras gene family were expressed in mitotically active stem cells, throughout the prophase of meiosis and to varying extents in post-meiotic cell types. In contrast, the nuclear proto-oncogenes c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc were specifically expressed at high levels in type B spermatogonia. High levels of c-myc and c-jun RNAs were also detected in spermatocytes early in the prophase of meiosis. The type B spermatogonia represent the last mitotic cell division before entry into meiotic prophase; therefore, these nuclear proto-oncogenes may be involved in altering programs of gene expression at this developmental transition.

Animals↗

[Blood coagulation and metastasis].

To elucidate the correlation of platelet aggregating activity of tumor cells and their metastatic potentials, we established a highly and a low metastatic clone with a different platelet aggregating activity from murine fibrosarcoma (Meth A). The parental Meth A cell and its low metastatic clone (ML-01) showed a typical platelet aggregation pattern with a certain lag time, while a highly metastatic clone (MH-02) showed a biphasic aggregation with no lag time in which the first reversible aggregation was caused by ADP released from MH-02, since it was eliminated by apyrase treatment. The highly metastatic potential, however, was not solely due to the platelet aggregating activity because the administration of PGI2-analogue TEI-8153A did not completely inhibit their pulmonary metastasis. In fact, MH-02 attached more preferentially to type IV collagen or endothelial cell than ML-01 in vitro. These results suggest that MH-02 exerts its high metastatic property through the mechanisms involving multiple factors such as the increased platelet aggregating potential or enhanced adhesiveness.

Animals↗

Growth promoting activity of PDGF, EGF and TGF-beta on highly metastatic subline of Meth A cells.

The response of a highly metastatic cell line of methylcholanthrene induced A fibrosarcoma (Meth A) to growth factors from platelets was examined. The highly metastatic cell subline (MH) proliferated more rapidly than its parental counterpart cell subline (ML) in a medium containing platelet lysate. However, when the three major growth factors from platelets, ie, platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta (PDGF, EGF, TGF-beta), were independently examined for their growth promoting activity, the former 2 growth factors preferentially stimulated the proliferation of ML and the latter growth factor rather suppressed the growth of both cells. On the other hand, the combined effects of these factors were more marked on MH. This combination effect was supported by the evidence that the number of receptors for EGF (which is probably an essential growth factor for the Meth A cell) was increased by pretreatment with PDGF or TGF-beta. Thus, the highly metastatic cells of MH were considered to be the most susceptible to growth factors released from platelets. This conclusion is consistent with the concept that platelets may play an important role in the formation of blood-borne metastasis by releasing growth factors to promote the proliferation of tumor cells, following aggregation with tumor cells.

Animals↗