Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Okubo

Publications and source records attributed to K Okubo.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Cellular fibronectin on intraocular lenses explanted from patients.

We investigated the origin of fibronectin (FN) on five posterior and four anterior chamber explanted intraocular lenses (IOLs) using immunohistochemical methods. Cellular deposits (assumed to be macrophages) and fibrous or membrane-like proteinaceous deposits on the IOLs showed immunoreactivity to an antibody against cellular FN. These proteinaceous deposits were believed to be products of the cells that adhered to the IOLs.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Chronic destructive monoarthritis of the wrist in patients with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies: report of two cases.

Among 340 patients with rheumatic diseases, two cases of chronic destructive monoarthritis of the wrist with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies and rheumatoid factor, were observed for over three years. It is not clear whether these cases represent a specific subset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or whether they may progress to diffuse symmetrical destructive polyarthritis typical of RA. Long-term follow-up studies including analysis of autoantibodies will be needed to clarify the characteristics and course of chronic monoarthritis.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1993

Marked thrombocytosis with chromosomal abnormalities in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

An 80 year-old Japanese woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), complicated with thrombocytosis is described. Mild to moderate thrombocytosis is commonly observed in patients with RA, but she had marked thrombocytosis of over 1000 x 10(3)/mm3 and monosomy 22 with marker chromosome. This case suggests that thrombocytosis unusual with disease activity of RA might occur, and that careful evaluation of the thrombocytosis is required.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Genetic and chemical polymorphisms of saponins in soybean seed.

The variation in saponin composition in soybean seeds is explained by different combinations of five genes controlling the utilization of soyasapogenol glycosides as substrates. The function of these genes is variety-specific and organ-specific. Phenotypes of over 1000 soybeans were classified into eight saponin types, and the frequency of phenotypes was different between the cultivated [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and the wild soybean (G. soja Sieb. & Zucc.). The AaBc saponin type predominated in G. soja (58.4% of test collections), but was only found in 0.3% of G. max. Four unidentified arabinoside saponins were detected in the seeds of the AaBc type soybeans. The mode of inheritance of saponin types is explained by a combination of co-dominant, dominant and recessive acting genes. The combined chemical and genetic data show that the directed manipulation of soybean saponin composition is a possibility for the future.

Arabinose↗
PubMed1993

Identification of new genes by systematic analysis of cDNAs and database construction.

The large-scale collection of partial cDNA sequences is becoming a powerful tool in biology. Similarity or motif searches in DNA databases using these partial cDNA sequences have facilitated the discovery of new genes of interest. By collecting and registering large numbers of partial sequences with a well designed non-biased cDNA library, an expression profile of active genes in a particular tissue can be obtained. Tissue-specific or stage-specific genes can be discovered by comparing the profiles from different tissues or from a tissue at different stages of development, respectively. The compilation of such expression profiles enables genes to be mapped to the tissue(s) where they are actively transcribed. The large-scale collation of gene sequences actively expressed in the body into databases complements efforts directed towards the structural analysis of the genome, with the ultimate aim of decoding all the genetic information carried in the human genome. This cDNA strategy is also being widely applied to organisms other than man.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[A case of pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis treated with bilateral oophorectomy and methyl-progesterone-acetate].

A case of pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis is reported. A 37-year-old woman was admitted with hemosputum and dyspnea on exertion. Chest roentgenogram revealed diffuse reticulonodular shadows and arterial hypoxemia was present. Pulmonary function tests showed severe restrictive & obstructive impairment, and pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy with 99mTc-MAA showed non-segmental disproportion. The histological diagnosis of pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis was made by transbronchial lung biopsy. She underwent bilateral oophorectomy under general anesthesia. However, the arterial hypoxemia advanced gradually, and medroxyprogesterone-acetate (MPA) was commenced (200 mg/day). Her condition remained stable after the description of MPA.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Local resection of pulmonary lesions by Nd-YAG laser without suturing].

Local excision of 67 pulmonary lesions in 5 patients was performed with the Nd-YAG laser. There were 2 women and 3 men with an average age of 68 years. The patients consisted of three cases of metastatic lung cancer (65 lesions), one hamartoma (One lesion) and one organized pneumonitis (one lesion). The lesion was first enucleated by a contact method using an Nd-YAG laser scalpel, then the crater of the resected lesion in the normal lung tissue was coagulated with a defocused laser beam. The craters of 52 of the 67 resected lesions which were shallow seated in the lung were left open, but the other 15 resected lesions were closed with sutures. Total blood loss was less than 100 ml. There was no bleeding or air leakage (30 cm water pressure) during the post operative days in 4 of the 5 patients, but one patients (one lesion) had to be treated by bronchoscopic endobronchial embolization against a persistent air leak. This lesion was 2.5 cm in diameter and 4 cm deep in the lung on CT. The other lesions were also measured by CT. The tumor size was 1.4 +/- 0.7 cm and the depth was 2.4 +/- 1.0 cm. The Nd-YAG laser is very suitable for local resection of peripheral lung lesions without suturing.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

[The effect of fluticasone propionate topically dosed prior to the pollen scattering season on cellular infiltration into the surface of nasal mucous membrane in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis].

In order to examine fluticasone propionate's mechanism of inhibiting nasal allergic symptoms, topical dosing of FP to patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis was started before the pollen scattering season, and the kinetics of basophilic cells and eosinophils which infiltrated into the surface of nasal mucous membrane were observed. Patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis were divided into two groups. Before and in the early period of the pollen scattering season, one group received FP and the other group a placebo, topically into the nostrils. In the mid and late season, both groups were treated with FP topical dosing. The study was carried out in the double blind manner. In the pre-, early and late season, specimens were scraped from the nasal mucosal surface, basophilic cell and eosinophil counts in the specimens were measured, and histamine and ECP contents in the specimens were also determined. Topical use of FP starting pre-season significantly inhibited symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis, as well as accumulation of basophilic cells and eosinophils in the nasal mucosal surface. Histamine and ECP contents in the nasal specimens tended to decrease with the topical use of FP.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1993

[Basophilic cells/eosinophil differentiation activity in conditioned medium of nasal inverted papilloma].

An increased number of histochemically distinct mast cells and eosinophils can be observed in the tumor mass of nasal inverted papilloma. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this accumulation of mast cells and eosinophils in a local site, we examined the activity of conditioned medium (CM) in inducing differentiation and proliferation of basophilic cells and eosinophils from hematopoietic progenitors of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patients with allergic diseases. CM was obtained by the culture of nasal inverted papilloma cells (NIPC) and its activity was measured by determining colony proliferation in methylcellulose assay for 14 days. In the 14 day methylcellulose assay, the number of Eo-type colonies in the presence of 1, 5, 10 and 20% CM was significantly higher than the baseline number of Eo-type colonies (0%). Cytochemical analysis confirmed that the number of colonies of cells with metachromatic granules and histamine positive colonies in Eo-type colonies in the presence of 5, 10 and 20% NIPC-CM was significantly higher than that in the control. The number of ECP positive colonies in Eo-type colonies in the presence of 5% and 10% CM was also significantly higher than in the presence of 0.5% CM. Furthermore both histamine and ECP positive colonies were observed in Eo-type colonies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that basophilic cells and eosinophils accumulate at nasal inverted papilloma sites at least in part by the recruitment of progenitors from the circulation and subsequent differentiation in situ in response to cytokines. Eosinophils and basophilic cells also commonly originate from committed granulocyte progenitors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A structural study of the membrane domain of band 3 by tryptic digestion. Conformational change of band 3 in situ induced by alkali treatment.

Nine peptides derived from the transmembrane domain of band 3 were purified and sequenced. All of the sequences agreed completely with deduced sequences from cDNA of human erythroid band 3. Five peptides, KS-1 to KS-5, were released from the band 3 molecule when alkali-stripped membranes were digested with trypsin, while four other peptides, KM-6 to KM-9, were obtained following subsequent urea treatment. This indicates that at least 13 new in situ cleavage sites were demonstrable by these procedures, that the released peptides are parts of hydrophilic connector loops, and that the other peptide portions constitute membrane-spanning helices. The topological designations are consistent with the hydropathy prediction of murine band 3 according to Passow ((1986) Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 103, 61-203). One mol of histidine residue was found/mole of KS-1, KS-2, KS-4, and KM-6. The conformation of band 3 in situ was apparently changed by alkali treatment of erythrocyte membranes, i.e. the amount of KS-1, KS-2, and KS-4 peptides released by trypsin treatment increased as NaOH concentration was raised from 10 to 100 mM. Similarly, [3H]dihydro-4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid was found to bind to band 3 in membranes treated with 10 mM NaOH as well as to band 3 in white ghosts, but not to membranes treated with 100 mM NaOH. In addition, alkali treatment of membranes tended to increase the amount of band 3 cross-linked by 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). The conformational change in band 3 by alkali treatment was also supported by the interaction of antibodies against peptides released by trypsin. The release of KS-1, KS-2, and KS-4 from the membrane was strongly inhibited by pretreating the erythrocyte membrane with DIDS, suggesting that the DIDS-band 3 complex which is in the outward facing form, is more compact and becomes resistant to trypsin compared to band 3 without DIDS.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of proteins released from legume seeds in hot water.

When immersed in water at 50-60 degrees, mature soybean seeds release a large amount of protein. The major protein released was basic 7S globulin (Bg), which is present in the cotyledons of soybean seeds. The released Bg consisted of the 27,000 and 16,000 subunits which were linked by disulphide bonding and glycosylated. The released Bg exhibited an identical structure with the mature Bg which was synthesized in the normal developing seeds. Proteins like Bg were also found to be released into hot water from the seeds of legume species such as azuki-bean, cowpea, mung-bean and winged-bean. Besides Bg and Bg-like proteins, a few proteins including the 9,000 hydrophobic protein in soybean, ubiquitin in cowpea and mung-bean, and Kunitz trypsin inhibitor in winged-bean, were released from the seeds in hot water.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Large scale cDNA sequencing for analysis of quantitative and qualitative aspects of gene expression.

Large scale sequencing of cDNAs provides a complementary approach to structural analysis of the human genome by generating expressed sequence tags (ESTs). We have initiated the large-scale sequencing of a 3'-directed cDNA library from the human liver cell line HepG2, that is a non-biased representation of the mRNA population. 982 random cDNA clones were sequenced yielding more than 270 kilobases. A significant portion of the identified genes encoded secretable proteins and components for protein-synthesis. The abundance of cDNA species varied from 2.2% to less than 0.004%. Fifty two percent of the mRNA were abundant species consisting of 173 genes and the rest were non-abundant, consisting of about 6,600 genes.

Base Sequence↗