Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Kurachi

Publications and source records attributed to K Kurachi.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Congenital malformations of newborn infants after clomiphene-induced ovulation.

The effect of clomiphene citrate (CC) on the incidence of congenital malformations in newborn infants was assessed from the outcome of 1034 pregnancies after CC-induced ovulation recorded at nine university hospitals in a 5-year period. Of these pregnancies, 14.2% ended in abortion, 0.5% in ectopic pregnancy, 0.1% in molar pregnancy, and 1.6% in stillbirth. In all, 935 infants were born, and 21 (2.3%) showed visible malformations. This incidence of malformations was not significantly different from that in 30,033 infants (1.7%) after spontaneous ovulation (spontaneous ovulation group), and the types of malformations after CC treatment were similar to e those in the spontaneous ovulation group. These data indicate that CC has no teratogenic effect.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1983

Sodium induces oxytocin release from superfused rat pituitary.

The effects of various osmotic agents on the release of oxytocin were examined in a superfusion system. Oxytocin was released significantly from the rat pituitary by superfusion with medium of an osmolality of 350 mOsm/kg H2O adjusted with NaCl, regardless of the presence of the rat hypothalamus. Media adjusted to an osmolality of 350 mOsm/kg H2O with sucrose, glucose, urea or mannitol had no effect on oxytocin release from the hypothalamo-pituitary complex. Medium containing excess Na2SO4 induced significant release of oxytocin from the pituitary without the hypothalamus. The administration of tetraethylammonium chloride had no oxytocin secretion. These data suggest that oxytocin release from the pituitary is influenced by the level of sodium ion rather than the osmotic pressure.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Norepinephrine induces releases of both LH-RH from the hypothalamus and LH from the rat pituitary in vitro.

The effects of norepinephrine (NE) on the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) were examined in a sequential double chamber perifusion system by perfusing the medio-basal hypothalamus (MBH) and/or pituitaries excised from normal female rats in diestrus. When the pituitary alone or in sequence with the MBH was perifused with medium containing 200 micrograms/ml of NE, the concentration of LH in the efflux was significantly (p less than 0.05) increased to the level 50-150% over the pre-injection control, whereas medium without NE had no effect. Perifusion of the pituitary in sequence with the MBH produced a higher peak level of LH than that attained by the perifusion of the pituitary alone. Administration of NE induced a significant increase in LH-RH release from the MBH, although the medium alone had no effect. These data suggest that NE induces LH release from the pituitary both by increasing LH-RH release from the MBH and by its direct action on the pituitary.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effect of sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinaemia on catecholamine turnover and LRH concentration in the medial basal hypothalamus of rats.

In order to clarify the mechanism of hyperprolactinaemic anovulation, the medial basal hypothalamic (MBH) catecholamine (CA) turnover and LRH concentration, and the serum levels and pituitary contents of gonadotrophins and prolactin (Prl) in hyperprolactinaemic female rats were examined. Hyperprolactinaemia (HPrl) was produced by oral administration of sulpiride for 10 consecutive days; each measurement made on the sulpiride-treated rats was compared with that of control dioestrus rats. Prl, LH, FSH and LRH were determined by radioimmunoassay; CA turnover, as assessed by the accumulation of CA following monoamine oxidase inhibition, was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Sulpiride treatment induced (1) an increase in the serum Prl and a decrease in the serum LH, (2) an increase in the pituitary FSH and LH contents, (3) an increase in the MBH LRH concentration, and (4) an increase in the MBH dopamine (DA) turnover. These results suggest that HPrl may induce anovulation by impaired LH secretion which was caused by the suppression of LRH release due to an increase in DA turnover in the MBH.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Prostaglandin D2 induces release of luteinizing hormone from the rat pituitary gland without the modulation of hypothalamic luteinizing hormone releasing hormone.

The effect of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) on release of LH and LH releasing hormone (LHRH) was studied in a sequential double-chamber superfusion system using the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) and the pituitary gland from female rats at dioestrus. Infusion of PGD2 (5.7 or 57 mumol/l) caused a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in LH release to values 40-60% above the preinjection values from the pituitary gland superfused either alone or in series with the MBH. No release of LHRH in response to PGD2 was observed from the superfused MBH. These data demonstrate that PGD2 causes LH release from the pituitary gland not by inducing release of hypothalamic LHRH but by a direct action on the gland.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Feto-maternal plasma oxytocin levels in normal and anencephalic pregnancies.

In 4 women with anencephalic fetuses, the oxytocin level was measured in the maternal plasma in the second stage of labor and in the umbilical artery (UA) and umbilical vein (UV) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). In these cases, the mean maternal OT level was 13.4 +/- 8.0 microU/ml (mean +/- S.E.), which was not significantly different from the OT levels in cases of normal spontaneous birth and elective cesarean section. The UA and UV plasma OT levels in these cases were below the detectable level (less than 2 microU/ml), whereas in normal spontaneous births, they were 18.2 +/- 4.9 microU/ml and 12.2 +/- 2.3 microU/ml, respectively. The OT level in the UA was higher than that in the UV. There was no difference between the mean OT levels in patients with, versus those without contractions, but the plasma OT levels in the second stage of labor were higher than those in the first stage. In normal pregnancies the plasma OT concentration increased during parturition. These results suggest that placental transfer of maternal plasma OT to the fetal circulation is limited, and that in cases of anencephalic fetuses, maternal labor does not necessarily require fetal OT as a trigger or for its maintenance.

Anencephaly↗
PubMed1983

Immunoreactive pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor in gynecological diseases.

Serum immunoreactive pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor in 45 patients with various gynecological diseases was measured by a radioimmunoassay. In normal serum of healthy individuals, the concentration was 11.7 +/- 2.3 ng/ml (mean +/- SD). Elevated levels (above control mean plus 3 S.D.) were observed in sera of 5 patients (50%) with ovarian cancer, and serum of one patient (4.7%) with uterine cancer. Only one tumor extract of ovarian cancer contained a significant level of immunoreactive PSTI. PSTI-containing mucin was detected in a mucin-producing ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Amylases↗
PubMed1983

[A study of T gamma cells in the regional lymph nodes of patients with uterine cervical cancer].

T gamma cells in peripheral blood and regional lymph nodes of 9 patients with uterine cervical cancer were studied. The results obtained were as follows: 1) The ratio of T gamma to total T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood was 12.2 +/- 3.2% in patients with uterine cervical cancer, being 11.2 +/- 2.3% at stage I and 14.5 +/- 3.8% at stage II, respectively. This value is not statistically different when compared with that of healthy donors. 2) The ratio of T gamma to total T lymphocytes of regional lymph nodes was 3.2 +/- 1.5%, much less than that of peripheral blood and showing that there were few T gamma cells in regional lymph nodes of patients with uterine cervical cancer. 3) T gamma cells were very few even in the regional lymph nodes with metastasis as well as without metastasis. These results are very interesting in connection with the immunological role of regional lymph nodes, but the significance requires further investigation.

Concanavalin A↗
PubMed1983

[Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) in the peripheral blood of patients with gynecological malignancies].

Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) containing almost all natural killer (NK) and killer (K) cells were studied in the peripheral blood of patients with gynecological malignancies. The results obtained were as follows: The ratio of LGL/peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in normal volunteers was almost the same as that in patients with benign gynecological tumors, showing a tendency to increase, though not significantly, with age. The ratio of patients with precancerous disease or preinvasive cancer, including severe dysplasia, CIS and endometrial atypical hyperplasia, decreased more slightly than that of controls. On the other hand, that of patients with invasive malignant tumors, including uterine cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, uterine sarcoma, ovarian cancer and vulval cancer, increased significantly more than that of controls. The ratio showed no significant variation due to the difference in tumor sites and clinical stages Ia to III of cervical cancer. Out of 8 patients with ovarian cancer, 6 showed an extraordinarily high LGL/PBL ratio. It is concluded from the present study that the increase in the LGL/PBL ratio may be used as a new criterion in diagnosing invasive malignancies, including ovarian cancer, although the significance of the changing ratio still remains to be clarified.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Living cytology in the diagnosis of malignant ovarian tumor].

Atypical mesothelial cells are sometimes hard to differentiate from cancer cells in the cytology of ascitic or peritoneal washing fluid. The morphological characteristics of the cells, with or without the application of special stains, have mainly been used in differential diagnosis. In the present study, the living cytology described by Monif et al. is applied to the ascites of ovarian cancer patients. 13 cases of ovarian cancer with ascitic fluid were investigated. When 20-30ml ascitic fluid is cultured for a short term, the mesothelial cells transform to fibroblastic cells, and cancer cells form the special islets of cells. This phenomenon is judged as "Positive". The morphology of the ascitic smear and tissue culture of the tumor were also studied for comparison. Living cytology gave the same results as ascitic smear, and made it easier to differentiate mesothelial cells from cancer cells. Cancer cells in living cytology were similar to cells in tissue culture microscopically. In conclusion, living cytology seems useful especially when it is felt difficult to make a diagnosis of cancer cells on the basis of the contamination of active mesothelial cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1982

Effect of sulpiride on poor puerperal lactation.

Forty-two primiparous and 54 multiparous women with total yields of milk not exceeding 50 ml for the first 3 postpartum days were treated with 100 mg of oral sulpiride or placebo for 4 days from the third postpartum day. In the primiparous mothers, the mean daily yield of milk in the sulpiride group increased significantly (p less than 0.01) over that in the control group after the fourth postpartum day. Mean (+/- SE) total volumes of milk for the third to fifth postpartum days were 661.5 +/- 64.4 and 441.2 +/- 51.2 ml in the sulpiride and the control groups, respectively. However, in the multiparous mothers, no significant difference between the control and the sulpiride group was noted in total yield of milk, since a good increase in the secretion of milk was obtained without medication in these mothers. Determinations of daily serum levels of prolactin in 20 primiparous women revealed significantly higher concentrations in the sulpiride group. The ratio of primiparous mothers with complete breast-feeding 1 month after delivery was higher in the sulpiride group (55%) than in the control group (30%), whereas there was no difference between the control group and the sulpiride group of multiparous women. These data indicate that poor initiation of puerperal lactation in primiparous mothers can be effectively treated with oral sulpiride.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Sequence homology and structural comparison between the chromosomal human alpha 1-antitrypsin and chicken ovalbumin genes.

The human chromosomal alpha 1-antitrypsin gene has been cloned. This gene is approximately 5 kilobase pairs long and contains three intervening sequences in the peptide-coding region. DNA sequences coding for the amino and carboxyl termini of a alpha 1-antitrypsin have been identified. Human alpha 1-antitrypsin and chicken ovalbumin show significant sequences homology and belong to a common protein super-family. Yet the number, position and size of intervening sequences reveal that the two genes are dissimilar.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Improved method for determination of catecholamines in rat brain by isolation on boric acid gel and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

An improved sensitive, simple and time-saving method for determining catecholamine (CA) in rat brain is described. The method involves isolation on boric acid gel and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Boric acid gel effectively adsorbs CA at weakly alkaline pH and the over-all recoveries of 5 ng and 10 ng samples of authentic norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) added to a homogenate of rat brain were 98.9 +/- 9.2% and 103.4 %/- 9.3% for NE and 96.2 +/- 4.6% and 99.4 +/- 4.8% for DA, respectively. Intra-assay variation was 5.3% (5 ng) and 3.0% (10 ng) for NE and 4.4% (5 ng) and 3.8% (10 ng) for DA. Inter-assay variation was 7.7% (1 ng) for NE and 5.0% (1 ng) for DA. With this analytical system, the lowest amount of NE or DA detectable was 40 pg. Application of this method to determination of the DA and NE contents of rat hypothalamus during estrous cycle revealed significant increases in the turnovers of both in the proestrus stage. This method should be useful for routine determination of plasma NE and DA because it is sensitive and inexpensive.

Animals↗