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Biomedical subjects

K Nakada

Publications and source records attributed to K Nakada.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Measurement of gestagen concentration in feces using a bovine milk progesterone quantitative test EIA kit and its application to early pregnancy diagnosis in the sow.

We attempted to measure the gestagen concentration in the feces of pigs by using a commercial bovine milk progesterone quantitative test EIA kit, and investigated the possibility of applying of this method of gestagen concentration measurement to early pregnancy diagnosis in the sow. Feces were collected from the rectum of the pig, and 0.5 g of the feces was placed in 20 ml of distilled water, stirred, and centrifuged. The supernatant was used as the fecal solution for measurement of gestagen. The procedure used for measuring gestagen in feces was the same as that for the measurement of progesterone in milk, except that a standard fecal gestagen solution (0.5-30.0 ng/ml) was prepared by the authors in the laboratory. The sensitivity of measurement using this method was 0.80 ng/ml, or 32.0 ng/g of fecal weight. The recovery was 105.2-105.6%. Intra-assay coeffecients of variation (CVs) were 2.8-8.5%. The interassay CVs were 7.4-10.2%. Gestagen concentrations in feces measured by the present method and progesterone concentrations in peripheral plasma, collected at the same time as the feces were highly correlated (r = 0.98, p < 0.001). The criteria for diagnosis of pregnancy based on the fecal gestagen level was positive for a gestagen level of > or = 200 ng/g and negative for a gestagen level of < 200 ng/g. When fecal gestagen measurements were applied to early pregnancy diagnosis in 149 sows, the accuracy of diagnosis from day 21 to day 25 after the last mating was 96.2% for positive cases (102/106) and 95.3% for negative cases (41/43). Thus, the results of this study show the quantitative measurement of the fecal gestagen concentration in the sow using a bovine milk quantitative test EIA kit is a practical method for early pregnancy diagnosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Radioimmunoassay of saliva estrone sulfate in pregnant sows.

The aim of this study was to establish radioimmunoassay (RIA) for saliva estrone sulfate (E1S), and to elucidate changes in saliva E1S during pregnancy in the sow. Saliva E1S was extracted using a commercially available solid phase column, and the E1S fraction obtained was subjected to RIA. The sensitivity of the RIA was 29.7 pg/tube. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 5.5-8.4% and 13.1-19.5%, respectively. Mean recovery for E1S added to saliva samples was as high as 99.9%. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.54, n = 69, p < 0.01) existed between saliva and plasma E1S concentrations. During gestation, the changing patterns of saliva and plasma E1S concentrations were essentially the same, and two peaks of E1S concentrations were observed, one around day 30 and another just before parturition, although E1S concentrations in saliva remained at only 2.4-38.1% (mean 11.4%) of those in plasma E1S. Thus, the present study has made it possible to measure saliva concentrations of E1S and demonstrated a high degree of positive correlation between saliva and plasma E1S concentrations. These results suggest that diagnosis of early pregnancy and of normal or abnormal fetal development could be made by measurements of E1S in saliva.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Postpartum plasma PGF metabolite profile in cows with dystocia and/or retained placenta, and effect of fenprostalene on uterine involution and reproductive performance.

Objectives of this study were to show postpartum plasma PGF2 alpha metabolite (PGFM) profile, to clarify whether endogenous PGF2 alpha plays a certain role in the uterine involution in cows with dystocia and/or retained placenta, and to examine the effects of fenprostalene, a long-acting PGF2 alpha analog, on the uterine involution and reproductive performance of the cows with abnormal puerperium. A group of 27 cows with dystocia and/or retained placenta showed a massive release of PGF2 alpha after parturition as indicated by a rise of plasma concentrations of PGFM, significantly higher than 33 cows with normal puerperium. The duration of the elevated plasma PGFM concentrations in the cows with abnormal puerperium was shorter than that of the normal cows. In cows with normal puerperium, those showing relatively longer duration of elevated plasma PGFM levels needed a shorter period for postpartum uterine involution than the cows showing a shorter duration of the PGFM elevation (P < 0.01), while no such relationship was observed in cows with abnormal puerperium. In field trials, an administration of an exogenous PGF2 alpha, fenprostalene, at 7 to 10 days (78 cows) or 14 to 28 days postpartum (74 cows) was found to be effective in facilitating uterine involution and resumption of ovarian cyclicity, and improved reproductive performance. It may be concluded that a large amount of PGF2 alpha is released for a relatively shorter period in cows after dystocia and/or retained placenta and the elevation of PGFM is not responsible for the uterine involution. The administration of the exogenous PGF2 alpha was shown to be effective at improving the postpartum reproductive performance of cows with abnormal puerperium.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗
PubMed1997

Immunologic reaction and genetic factors in biliary atresia.

The characteristic histopathological features seen in the livers of patients with biliary atresia (BA) are very similar to those of primary biliary cirrhosis, which is an autoimmune disease. To clarify whether BA liver possess an immunological response similar to that in primary biliary cirrhosis, we studied HLA-DR expression in liver tissue of BA patients, using a HLA-DR staining method, and determined the frequency of HLA types in BA patients and their families. HLA-DR was expressed by the bile duct epithelium in 11 of 16 liver specimens obtained from 13 BA patients. By contrast, HLA-DR was not expressed in liver specimens from 6 patients with congenital biliary dilatation. Among the HLA types seen in BA patients and their families, HLA-A33, -B44 and -DR6 were frequently expressed in blood. These results suggest that certain immunological factors and disease-susceptible genes might be involved in the etiology of BA.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Stability of chicken troponin T expression in cultured muscle cells.

Cells prepared from chicken skeletal muscles of early developmental stages were cultured to study their troponin T isoform expression, using antisera specific to fast- and slow-muscle-type isoforms, and compared with the cells from later stages described in the previous study (Mashima at al., 1996). We found that cultured myogenic cells from chickens and chick embryos could be classified, as in the previous study, into two types, fast type and fast/slow type in which fast- and slow-muscle-type isoforms were coexpressed. Ratios of these two types of muscle cells varied depending on their origins and developmental stages, and fast/slow type cells were in the majority at early stages. Since two distinct populations of cells committed to myogenic cell lineages were supposed to give rise to the two types of myotubes, we investigated the intrinsic stability of troponin T expression of the cultured myogenic cells using the serial subcloning method. The results of clonal analysis suggested that the expression pattern of troponin T isoform in cultured muscle cells is stable and that myogenic cell lineages play an important role in giving rise to different muscle types.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Detection of large macrophage colony forming cells in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To test for the presence of colony forming cells, that form large macrophage colonies (> 2.5 mm in diameter, > 10,000 cells), in the peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine its association with the clinical and laboratory features of RA. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 96 patients with RA and 20 healthy controls were assayed for in vitro colony formation. In addition, PBMC from 38 patients with other rheumatic diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), progressive systemic sclerosis (SSc), and polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM); 23 patients with infectious inflammatory diseases were also assayed. RESULTS: Large macrophage colony forming cells were detected in the peripheral blood of 19% of patients with RA (18/96), but not in that of healthy controls. In addition, these cells were detected in the peripheral blood of 11 of the 38 patients with other rheumatic disease (7/13 SSc and 4/11 PM/DM), but not in the 23 patients with infectious diseases. In the patients with RA, interstitial lung disease was significantly more frequently observed among patients in whom colony forming cells were found than among those in whom they were not found (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the size of the colonies they formed, the macrophage colony forming cells detected in patients with RA probably corresponded to primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells, defined as high proliferative potential colony forming cells (HPP-CFC). Our observations provide preliminary evidence of the appearance of HPP-CFC in the circulation during inflammation of RA, and during that in other rheumatic diseases such as SSc and PM/DM, and of the association of HPP-CFC with interstitial lung disease in patients with RA.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Cardiac extension of intravenous leiomyomatosis with successful resection.

A case of intravenous leiomyomatosis spreading to the right ventricle is described. A 28-year-old woman had been previously diagnosed as having a smooth muscle tumor of borderline malignancy after hysterectomy for a large uterine tumor, because of its unusual invasive character. Based on the above diagnosis, the patient had been managed clinically as having a uterine sarcoma. One year after her hysterectomy, a local recurrence in the pelvic cavity was detected. Two years later, the tumor appeared as a cardiac tumor causing syncope. The tumor was totally resected in two surgical stages, and the correct diagnosis of an intravenous leiomyomatosis was made. The diagnostic and operative considerations are reviewed and the preferred surgical procedure is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Intestinal neuromuscular function after preservation and transplantation.

While it is well known that prolonged preservation of the intestinal graft causes severe mucosal damage after transplantation, little is known about the effect on neuromuscular function. The entire small intestine of adult hound dogs was flushed and preserved with cold lactated Ringer's solution and autotransplanted either immediately (n = 6) or after 24 hr (n = 6). Animals undergoing sham operation (n = 4) were used as a control. Fasting motility and the response of the intestinal smooth muscle and enteric nerves to bethanechol (100 microg/kg/0.5 hr, iv) and cisapride (0.5 mg/kg, iv) were determined by a multiple strain gauge method on Postoperative Days 2,4,7,14,21, and 28. Compared to the control, immediately transplanted grafts and those preserved for 24 hr developed delayed reappearance of migrating myoelectric complexes (MMC), hypercontractile activity, and reduced response to bethanechol and cisapride administration. Animals in the preservation group developed more abnormal fasting motility after transplantation, but responses to bethanechol and cisapride stimulation were not markedly different from those of the immediate group. The reappearance of MMC occurred 3 weeks postoperatively in the preservation group compared to 2 days in the immediate group. The results of our study indicate that intestinal dysmotility is augmented in prolonged-preservation grafts compared to those with brief preservation. The dysmotility was transient and normalized 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. Preservation and reperfusion injury to the neuromuscular system of intestinal grafts are reversible and are attenuated by simple hypothermia.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Treatment of radioiodine-negative bone metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma with percutaneous ethanol injection therapy.

A 62-year-old woman with metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma in the sternum was successfully treated with percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PET) when previous radioiodine therapy and external irradiation were ineffective. The patient tolerated the treatment well and the refractory pain in the anterior chest wall that was alleviated with morphine prior to PEIT completely disappeared. No severe complications were observed. PEIT was performed 4 times (2 times with ultrasound guidance and 2 times with CT guidance). The posttreatment CT scan and 201Tl scintigraphy demonstrated significant decrease in the tumor volume. The serum thyroglobulin level fell to less than one-twentieth of the pretreatment value. It is suggested that PEIT has a value in treating bone metastasis from thyroid carcinoma which do not respond to radioiodine.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1996

The role of 201Tl scintigraphy in evaluating proliferative activity in thyroid neoplasms.

To identify the relationship between the uptake of 201Tl and the proliferative activity in thyroid neoplasms, 201Tl scintigraphy was performed in 57 patients with thyroid neoplasms. 201Tl uptake ratio was calculated in both the early and the delayed images and then compared with factors representing cellular or practical proliferative activity of the lesions. The labeling index (LI) for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was determined quantitatively by flow cytometry. There was a significant correlation between the uptake ratio and LI for PCNA. The correlation coefficient for the delayed ratio (DR) vs. LI was better than that for the early ratio (ER) vs. LI. As parameters for practical proliferation, the surgical stage in primary thyroid carcinoma or 131I uptake in recurrent thyroid carcinoma was focused on. DR was strongly related to these parameters, regardless of the histopathological features or size of the lesions. Our results suggest that 201Tl uptake in delayed thyroid scan is useful in assessing proliferative activity in thyroid neoplasms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy for autonomously functioning thyroid nodule.

Four patients with solitary autonomously functioning thyroid nodule (AFTN; 2 toxic and 2 subclinically toxic) received ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT). The pretreatment scintigraphic appearance of the nodule was hot, and radioactivity in the extranodular tissue was completely suppressed throughout. Ninety-nine percent ethanol was slowly injected under US guidance. As a rule, the injection was performed in fractionated sessions and the treatment was repeated until the total amount of ethanol exceeded the baseline nodular volume. The therapy was successful. Complete remission of hyperthyroidism was observed among the patients with toxic nodule. The basal level of TSH and its response to TRH injection was normalized in the patients with subclinically toxic nodule. Posttreatment scintigrams revealed that the extranodular tissue recovered and radioactivity in the hot nodule had noticeably decreased. The rate of reduction in the nodular volume was more than 80% in all. There was no recurrence or development of hypothyroidism during a follow up of 10 to 23 months. The main side effect was mild and transient pain and/or a burning sensation at injection. No severe or permanent complications occurred. Although the number of our cases was small, the results suggest that PEIT is a useful program in treating AFTN.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Selenium administration to a ten-year-old patient receiving long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN)--changes in selenium concentration in the blood and hair.

Muscle pain in the lower limbs occurred in a child with short bowel syndrome who has been receiving longterm total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Biochemical parameters revealed that the plasma and erythrocyte selenium concentrations were below the normal range for children and intravenous injection of selenium prepared from selenious acid was started at a dose of 100 micrograms per day. Muscle pain in the lower limbs disappeared one month afterwards. At this point in time, the elevation of the plasma selenium concentration was noted but the erythrocyte selenium concentration remained low. When administration was suspended due to catheter-induced fever five months later, the whole blood selenium concentration decreased again and the symptoms recurred. Accordingly, the dose of selenium was increased to 200 micrograms/day. Subsequently, the blood selenium concentration recovered to the normal range for children. After the dose increase to 200 micrograms/day, concentrations in hair samples collected at every centimeter distance from the root end were determined. The selenium concentration at the root end was found to be higher than the normal range for children, indicating that this was an excessive dose case. Although the dose was decreased from 200 micrograms/day to 120 micrograms/day, the plasma and erythrocyte selenium levels did not go down. Furthermore, the selenium level in the hair reached a plateau, and no recurrence of symptoms was observed. The above results indicate the usefulness of monitoring the selenium concentration in hair in addition to determining the blood selenium level and GSH-Px activity in administering selenium to children undergoing TPN.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Expression of chicken troponin T isoforms in cultured muscle cells.

Cells prepared from chicken skeletal muscles of different developmental stages were cultured to study their troponin T isoform expression, using antisera specific to the fast- and slow-muscle-type isoforms. We found that the cultured myogenic cells from chickens and chick embryos were classified into two types, fast type and fast/slow type in which fast- and slow-muscle-type isoforms were coexpressed. Cells expressing only slow-muscle-type troponin T isoforms could not be found. Most cells prepared from pectoralis major (fast muscle) and gastrocnemius (mixed muscle) of 11-day old embryos belonged to the latter, with only a small fraction belonging to the former. The percentage of fast type cells in those cells prepared from pectoralis major increased along development to over 90% by the 17th day of incubation, while, in the cells prepared from gastrocnemius, it reached a plateau of 30-40% by the 13th day of incubation. All the cells from anterior latissimus dorsi (slow muscle) belonged to the fast/slow type. Ratios of these two types of muscle cells varied depending on their origins and stages. The in vitro expression of troponin T isoforms was different from the in vivo expression, and each muscle seems to be determined differently in the composition of cell types during the developmental course.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Demonstration of apoptosis in neuroblastoma and its relationship to tumour regression.

The in vivo occurrence of apoptosis in neuroblastomas was investigated. Histologically, a number of tumour cells showed typical apoptotic changes, including cell shrinkage, condensed and fragmented nuclei, eosinophilic cytoplasm, and absence of the inflammatory response. These cells coincided closely with the so-called karyorrhectic cells. An electrophoretic DNA ladder, a functional hallmark of apoptosis, was demonstrated in four of six tumours, and DNA fragmentation was detected in situ by terminal deoxytransferase-mediated nick end-labelling in 26 of 35 tumour specimens (74%). The labelled cell counts ranged from 5 to 62 per 5000 tumour cells (mean +/- SD: 15.0 +/- 14.5). Immunoperoxidase staining revealed that an apoptosis-suppressing protein, bcl-2, was expressed abundantly in advanced-stage tumours, whereas it was absent from karyorrhectic-apoptotic cells. Several tumours with the potential for spontaneous regression were bcl-2-deficient. Immunostaining of the Fas receptor for apoptosis demonstrated that the tumour cells expressed this molecule on their cell surfaces. Our results provide evidence of apoptosis in neuroblastomas and suggest that bcl-2 and the Fas receptor may play a role in its regulatory mechanisms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of hepatic circulation in patients following Kasai's operation for biliary atresia.

The hepatic circulation of eight children who underwent Kasai's operation for biliary atresia was serially evaluated by Doppler ultrasonography (US). A total of 36 examinations were performed to evaluate the maximal velocities (mvs) of the main portal vein (MPV), splenic vein (SV), and hepatic artery (HA), and to analyze the spectral waveform and the directions of flow. The mean mvs-MPV in four patients for whom adequate biliary diversion had been achieved and whose serum bilirubin had fallen to within the normal range (group A), was 19.8 +/- 7.5 cm/s. Their MPV waveforms were constant, with blood flowing toward the liver, while their mean mvs-SV was 12.1 +/- 5.8 cm/s. In two other patients with apparent hypersplenism, but whose serum bilirubin levels had fallen to nearly normal (group B), the mean mvs-MPV was 20.7 +/- 10.4 cm/s and the mvs-SV was 22.4 +/- 10.4 cm/s. In contrast, the mvs-MPV in the two remaining patients, whose serum bilirubin levels had either not fallen to within the normal range, or had fallen initially but increased due to recurrent cholangitis (group C), was 14.2 +/- 9.1 cm/s. In these patients, the waveforms were unstable, the MPV flows were occasionally hepatofugal, and their mean mvs-SV was 18.0 +/- 5.8 cm/s. The mvs-HA were markedly increased in the latter four patients, whose clinical condition had also deteriorated. These observations led to the conclusion that hepatic circulation evaluated by serial Doppler US provides important information about liver status in children who have undergone Kasai's operation for biliary atresia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Unilateral pulmonary agenesis with tracheoesophageal fistula: a case report.

The authors describe a neonate with unilateral pulmonary agenesis and esophageal atresia (Gross type C). Definitive repair for the atresia was completed during the early neonatal period, and the patient is alive and well more than 1 year after surgery. Most patients with pulmonary agenesis associated with esophageal atresia have not survived, mainly because of postoperative cardiorespiratory failure. Early protection and preservation of respiratory units is essential for the management of these patients.

Esophageal Atresia↗