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Biomedical subjects

K Nishi

Publications and source records attributed to K Nishi.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

[A case of diffuse lung disease with bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia and chronic eosinophilic pneumonia pattern].

A 63-year-old male with a history of cement exposure visited our hospital in August of 1992 with chief complaints of yellow sputum and cough. Chest CT on admission revealed segmental fine nodular shadows in the right lower lobe and a band-like shadow in the left lower lobe. The transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) specimen showed alveolitis with a minimal degree of eosinophilic infiltration and organizing exudates in the dilated peripheral air spaces. The open lung biopsy specimens showed, in addition to the TBLB observations, lymphoid hyperplasia, dust deposition, and cystic dilatation of alveolar ducts. After treatment with corticosteroids, but not antibiotics, the abnormal opacities disappeared. This case appears to be characteristic of both bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia and a chronic eosinophilic pneumonia pattern.

Bronchiolitis Obliterans↗

[A 64-year-old man with recurrent blurred vision and an abdominal mass].

We report a 64-year-old man with recurrent bouts of blurred vision who died after developing an abdominal mass. He was well until June of 1985 when he was 59-years-old when he had an acute onset of loss of vision in his right eye. He was treated by prednisolone with a complete remission. In August of 1986, he had another bout of blurring of vision in his left eye. Once he lost his left vision completely, from which he showed slow recovery. In January of 1987, he developed blurring of his right eye and loss of pain and touch sensation in his right leg. Since then he repeated loss of vision in his right or left eye five times, and he was admitted to our hospital in May of 1990. On admission, he was alert and oriented. General physical examination was unremarkable. Neurologic examination revealed bilateral optic nerve atrophy. He could not discriminate light or dark by either eye. Other cranial nerves were unremarkable. He could walk in a wide-base only with support; spasticity was noted in his left leg. Muscle strength was preserved. Deep reflexes were exaggerated in both legs with extensor plantar reflex bilaterally. Pain and touch sensation was decreased in the left leg by 30%, and vibration was diminished in both feet. Position sense was preserved. Routine blood counts and chemistries were unremarkable. Cranial MRI scans revealed multiple high-signal intensity lesions in both pontine bases, basal ganglia, thalami, and in the deep cerebral white matters. He was treated with oral prednisolone, plasmapheresis, lymphocytapheresis, and then immuran. His vision showed only slight recovery to discriminate light and dark. In October of 1990, slight weakness appeared in his both legs. In December of that year, he developed nausea, and a fiber colonoscopic study revealed a stenosis in the transverse colon. In March of 1991, he developed anemia and liver dysfunction. In July of that year, jaundice appeared, and his serum bilirubin was increased. In October, his leg weakness became more prominent, and his cranial CT scans at that time revealed a low density change in the right cerebellum in the right superior cerebellar artery territory; in addition, multiple low density spots were scattered to be seen in both cerebral hemispheres including the basal ganglia and thalamic areas with ventricular dilatation and cortical atrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗

Vascular response to vasoactive agents in dialysed patients with chronic renal failure with and without diabetes mellitus.

Using a muscle bath technique the vascular response to KCl, noradrenaline, angiotensin II, acetylcholine, and sodium nitroprusside were evaluated in 13 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM group) and 15 nondiabetic (non-DM group) chronic renal failure patients treated with haemodialysis. There were no differences in age, duration of haemodialysis, blood pressure and the levels of plasma renin activity, noradrenaline, and parathyroid hormone between groups. After informed consent was obtained, a small piece of forearm vein was resected during the blood access surgery. The ring preparation of the blood vessel was sustained in the muscle bath filled with Krebs-Henseleit solution and the isometric tension development was recorded. All drugs produced concentration dependent responses in the ring preparations of both groups. Although there were no significant differences in Emax values for KCl- and angiotensin-II-induced contractions between groups, the value for noradrenaline in the DM group was significantly less than that in the non-DM group. Sodium nitroprusside completely relaxed the ring preparation precontracted by 10(-5) M noradrenaline. However, the response to acetylcholine in the DM group was significantly weaker than that in the non-DM group. These results suggest a reduced vascular response to noradrenaline and acetylcholine in dialysed diabetic renal failure patients, which may relate to the autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Adult↗

[Two cases of pulmonary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy associated with primary lung cancer, in which symptoms were rapidly improved by resection of the primary lesions].

Pulmonary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (PHO) is a syndrome of unknown etiology, presenting with osteitis of the long bones, arthritis, and clubbing of digits, associated with lung cancer or other chronic pulmonary or pleural diseases. Although about 3-10 percent of cases of lung cancer were reported to be associated with PHO in USA or Europe, reports of these cases are relatively rare in Japan. We report two cases of PHO associated with primary lung cancer, in which symptoms were rapidly improved by resection of the primary lesions. Both cases were poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung (pT2N0M0, Stage I). The bone and joint pain rapidly improved soon after the resection of the primary lesions. The abnormal findings of bone scan and bone X-ray film subsequently improved. In the 2nd case, radionuclide imaging more clearly revealed the presence and extent of subperiosteal activity than radiography. Radionuclide disclosure of PHO was considerably more sensitive than radiography.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Pretectal syndrome caused by a plaque of multiple sclerosis].

We report a 20-year-old woman who presented with pretectal syndrome. She was well until September 12, 1991 when she noted an onset of difficulty in focusing her eyes. On neurologic examination, she showed convergence-retraction nystagmus and restriction of vertical eye movements more in the upward direction. A cranial CT scan revealed no abnormality. An oligoclonal band was detected in CSF. An MRI using Hitachi MRH-500 (0.5 T) revealed an abnormal high signal intensity lesion at the ventral area of the midbrain aqueduct, and another small lesion in the temporal white matter on the left. In addition, periventricular scattered small lesions were also visualized. Hydrocephalus, tumors and cerebrovascular disorders are common causes of pretectal syndrome, but multiple sclerosis is a rare one. Problems associated with the similar terminologies including Parinaud's syndrome, sylvian aqueduct syndrome or dorsal midbrain syndrome were discussed. According to Ranalli (1988), fibers mediating the upward gaze originate in the rostral interstitial MLF (riMLF), cross through the posterior commissure, and terminate in the contralateral oculomotor complex. On the other hand, downward gaze fibers take another route to the oculomotor complex. This may be a reason for the dissociation of the upward and downward gaze palsy, and the riMLF seems to be one of the most important structures responsible for the upward gaze.

Adult↗

Functional expression of human P-glycoprotein in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Human MDR1 cDNA was introduced into the human cultured cells KB-3-1 and Schizosaccharomyces pombe pmd1 null mutant KN3. The drug sensitivity of KB-G2 and KN3/pgp, expressing human P-glycoprotein, was examined. KB-G2 was resistant to the peptide antibiotics valinomycin and gramicidin D as well as having a typical multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. KN3/pgp was resistant to valinomycin and actinomycin D, but not to adriamycin. The ATP-hydrolysis-deficient mutant did not confer KN3 resistance to these antibiotics. Human P-glycoprotein expressed in S. pombe seemed to lack N-glycosylation. The N-glycosylation-deficient mutant, however, conferred a typical MDR phenotype on KB-3-1. These results suggest that human P-glycoprotein functions as an efflux pump of valinomycin and actinomycin D in the membrane of S. pombe.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Detection of a point mutation in cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene by polymerase chain reaction-mediated site-directed mutagenesis.

We describe a method for the rapid and non-radioactive examination of DNA samples for a mutation of cholesteryl ester transfer protein using a polymerase chain reaction-mediated site-directed mutagenesis. CETP deficiencies were studied in 554 Japanese subjects (370 men, 184 women) aged between 18 and 91 (mean 48.3 years). By this method, we detected one homozygote and 3 heterozygotes of the CETP deficiency.

Adult↗

Mating of the fission yeast occurs independently of pmd1+ gene product, a structural homologue of budding yeast STE6 and mammalian P-glycoproteins.

The pmd1+, a multidrug resistance gene of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, encodes a protein similar to the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae STE6 gene product and mammalian P-glycoproteins. The STE6 protein is a membrane transporter of a-factor, a mating pheromone of a-type S. cerevisiae, which is structurally related to M-factor of the fission yeast. However, heterothallic or homothallic pmd1 null mutant cells of S. pombe, which were constructed by means of gene disruption, showed no significant decrease in the mating abilities. On the other hand, the multidrug resistance conferred by the pmd1+ was overcome by the treatment with verapamil, a typical inhibitor of mammalian P-glycoproteins. These results indicate that the pmd1+ gene product is functionally similar to mammalian P-glycoproteins, rather than to the budding yeast STE6.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Comparison of the bronchodilator activities of oxitropium bromide, fenoterol, and their combination in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma.

The effects of an antimuscarinic agent, oxitropium bromide (200 micrograms), a beta-2 adrenoceptor agonist, fenoterol (200 micrograms), and their combination, were compared in ten patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ten patients with bronchial asthma, in a placebo-controlled, single blind crossover trial. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, oxitropium and fenoterol produced a significant and similar degree of bronchodilatation. The duration of the bronchodilator effect was 3 h after oxitropium and 4 h after fenoterol, respectively. The combination of oxitropium and fenoterol produced a significantly greater degree of bronchodilatation than either drug alone. The duration of bronchodilatation in combination was 7 h and was considerably longer than that of each drug alone. In patients with bronchial asthma, oxitropium and fenoterol also caused bronchodilatation. Their combination produced a significantly greater degree of bronchodilatation than when either drug was used. The duration of the bronchodilator effects were 5 h after oxitropium, 4 h after fenoterol and 5 h after the combination. We conclude that the combination of oxitropium and fenoterol causes greater bronchodilatation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma than when compared to each drug alone. In the former, the duration of bronchodilatation is additionally prolonged. These combination effects may be of value in the clinical management of these common respiratory disorders.

Aged↗

Removal of lens epithelial cells following loosening of the junctional complex.

We previously reported a new method to remove residual lens epithelial cells--dispersion aspiration. The cells were loosened from their junctional complexes with Dispase, a proteolytic enzyme. To avoid intraocular tissue damage, the enzyme preparation was dissolved in sodium hyaluronate and injected into the capsular bag, which was carefully preserved during endocapsular cataract surgery. The cells were then removed by minimum irrigation/aspiration. In this study we incorporated ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a calcium chelating agent for separating epithelial cells in tissue culture, into the procedure. The results of experiments in vitro and in rabbits suggest that this procedure also removed cells effectively with negligible damage to the zonules and corneal endothelium.

Animals↗

Intraocular lens encapsulation by shrinkage of the capsulorhexis opening.

A 57-year-old man with retinitis pigmentosa and subcapsular cataract had phacoemulsification with a continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis and implantation of a poly(methyl methacrylate) intraocular lens. Six months later, the patient presented with blurred vision and severe anterior capsule fibrosis which led to complete posterior chamber lens encapsulation.

Cataract↗

Effect of Desmodium styracifolium-triterpenoid on calcium oxalate renal stones.

We have studied the inhibitory effects of Desmodium styracifolium-triterpenoid (Ds-t) (extracted from Desmodium styracifolium (Osbeck) Merr, a herbal medicine) on the formation of calcium oxalate renal stones induced experimentally by ethylene glycol (EG) and 1 alpha(OH)D3 (1 alpha D3) in rats. The incidence of urinary stone formation was 81% in the control group, which received EG and 1 alpha D3, and 29% in the Ds-t group, which received EG and 1 alpha D3 supplemented by Ds-t. The serum calcium (Ca) concentration in the Ds-t group was significantly elevated and urinary Ca excretion was markedly reduced. Urinary excretion of citrate (Cit), a factor that prevents stone formation, was significantly increased in the Ds-t group. Excretion of urinary phosphorus (P), which was elevated to a significantly greater extent in the controls than in the Ds-t group, was increased in both groups. The increase in urine volume in the Ds-t group was significantly greater than in the control group. The 24-h creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) was significantly lower in the controls. These findings suggest that Ds-t inhibits the formation of Ca oxalate stones in rat kidneys by increasing the output of urine, decreasing the excretion of calcium and increasing the urinary excretion of citrate. Ds-t may be useful in preventing the recurrence of urinary Ca oxalate stones in the clinical setting.

Animals↗

Effects of external high K+ on Na+ and H+ activities at the posterior cortical layers of rat lens in vitro.

Intralenticular Na+ and rat lens H+ activities (aNa and pHi, respectively) were measured in vitro at the posterior cortical layers of lens fibers using ion-selective microelectrodes. In control HCO(3-)-free solution (K+: 5 mM; external pH (pHo): 7.3), intralenticular potential (Vm) was -61.5 +/- 2.4 mV, aNa was 19.4 +/- 4.6 mM and pHi was 6.90 +/- 0.06 (mean +/- SD). In O-mM K+ solution, Vm slightly depolarized, but aNa and pHi did not change. Increasing K+ concentration to 35 mM induced a large depolarization of Vm, associated with a reduction in aNa and an increase in pHi. pHi was decreased by lowering pHo, but internal acidification thus induced did not show a complete recovery upon reintroduction of a normal solution. The pHi was immediately increased by superfusion with a solution containing 20 mM NH4Cl, and subsequent removal of NH4Cl led to a sustained decrease in pHi. Ouabain and amiloride (a blocker of Na(+)-H+ exchanger) did not exert any effects on aNa or on pHi in normal solution at pHo 7.3. Amiloride applied after the removal of NH4Cl did not alter pHi. These results provide evidence that aNa and pHi at the posterior cortical fiber layers of the rat lens are influenced by Vm, and that, depending on the value of Vm, passive movements of Na+ and H+ can exert direct local effects on pHi and aNa.

Amiloride↗

Aerosolized acetaldehyde induces histamine-mediated bronchoconstriction in asthmatics.

It has been reported that acetaldehyde may be a main factor of alcohol-induced bronchoconstriction in Japanese patients with asthma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct action of acetaldehyde on the airway in asthmatic and healthy nonasthmatic subjects. We investigated the bronchial response to inhalation of ascending doses (5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/ml) of acetaldehyde in nine asthmatic subjects, who were treated with placebo or terfenadine for 4 days in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover fashion, and in nine age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. The bronchial responsiveness to inhaled methacholine was also measured in the same asthmatics on a separate day. Inhaled acetaldehyde caused marked (more than 20%) significant decrease in FEV1 in asthmatics after placebo, which was larger than that in asthmatics after terfenadine and in healthy subjects. There was no significant difference in the decrease in FEV1 between asthmatics treated with terfenadine and healthy subjects. There was a significant correlation between the methacholine and acetaldehyde concentrations producing a 20% fall in FEV1 in asthmatics. We conclude that acetaldehyde causes bronchoconstriction indirectly via histamine release in asthmatics, and that nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness is a necessary precondition for the expression of acetaldehyde-produced bronchoconstriction.

Acetaldehyde↗

[Ion-selective microelectrodes for intracellular measurements].

Ion-selective electrodes have been used for many years to analyze ion activities in electrolyte solutions. In recent years, these electrodes have been miniaturized and applied for measurements in the cell interior. This article describes basic principles for both the fabrication and the intracellular application of ion-selective microelectrodes, particularly focusing on double barreled liquid ion-exchanger microelectrodes. The use of ion-selective microelectrodes allows continuous and real-time measurements of intracellular ion activities of a single cell in both multicellular and isolated cell preparations under various conditions, such as changes in ion composition of the extracellular bathing fluid and exposure to certain drugs. With double-barreled ion-selective microelectrodes, the transmembrane potential and intracellular ion activities can be measured simultaneously in the same cell. Although there are still some problems or limitations to the intracellular application of ion-selective electrodes, this technique is useful for determining the actual movement of intracellular ions, and thereby to elucidate cellular mechanisms of membrane transport and other physiological functions.

Action Potentials↗

[A 47-year-old woman with meningeal signs and consciousness disturbance].

We report a 47-year-old woman with SLE, who developed meningeal signs and consciousness disturbance. She noted an onset of fever, and swelling and pain in her face, hands and feet in 1990. She was seen in another hospital and the diagnosis of SLE was made. She was treated with prednisolone with marked improvement in her symptoms. She was well with 5 mg of oral prednisolone daily until January of 1991, when she developed fever, myalgia and weakness in her legs. She was admitted to the medical service of our hospital on August 5. She was receiving 15 mg of prednisolone daily. Gram positive rods were cultured from her blood on August 5. She became incoherent 2 days later, and had a convulsive episode on August 8. After the convulsion, she lost consciousness from which she did not recover. Her CSF contained 304/3 microliters cells, 29 of which were neutrophils, 6 lymphocytes, 90 others, and 179 destructed cells. The CSF protein content was 345 mg/dl, and glucose 23 mg/dl. A neurological consultation was asked on August 9. Physical examination at that time revealed a semicomatous woman. Respiration was 30/min and regular. BP 132/82 mmHg, heart rate 122/min and regular, and BT 39.6 degrees C. General physical examination was unremarkable. Pertinent neurologic findings were positive Kernig sign and spasticity in all four limbs. Brain stem reflexes were retained. Upon painful stimulation, withdrawal response was elicited both lower extremities. She was treated with pipiracillin, latamoxef and phenobarbital, however, she had frequent seizures. She was deeply comatose on December 10. She became flaccid and no more meningeal signs were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Encephalitis↗

[Metastatic lung cancer presenting with multiple thin-walled cavity-like shadows in a young adult with gallbladder cancer].

A rare case of metastatic lung cancer presenting with multiple thin-walled cavity-like shadows in a young adult with gallbladder cancer is reported. A 30-year-old man consulted our hospital with fever, cough, and general malaise. His chest X-ray film and computed tomogram showed multiple nodular shadows and thin-walled cavity-like shadows. Cytology of sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed class V (adenocarcinoma). Although two cycles of systemic combination chemotherapy (CDDP+VDS+MMC) were performed, his lung cancer progressed. Finally, he died of obstructive jaundice from lymph node metastasis at the pancreatic head. At autopsy, the primary site of adenocarcinoma was found to be the gallbladder. Metastatic lung tumor from gallbladder cancer is common, and thin-walled cavity-like metastasis to the lung in a young adult is a rare occurrence.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Toxicological findings in a death involving hydrogen sulfide].

A case of fatal hydrogen sulfide poisoning in a sewage disposal plant is described. Hydrogen sulfide levels were determined in several postmortem body tissues and fluids using gas chromatography with a flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the blood, muscle, liver, lung, kidney, heart and brain were 0.305, 0.690, 1.089, 1.338, 1.170, 1.366 and 0.875 (micrograms/g or ml), respectively. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature on the toxicological significance of hydrogen sulfide concentrations.

Adult↗