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Biomedical subjects

K Okuda

Publications and source records attributed to K Okuda.

At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Biopsy diagnosis of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma based on new morphologic criteria.

Nodular hepatic lesions detected in 123 patients with chronic liver diseases were subjected to ultrasonically guided needle biopsy. Of these, 94 cases were diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma of a moderately or poorly differentiated type with classical histologic features of hepatocellular carcinoma. In 14 cases in whom hepatocytes had minimal atypical changes and were mostly of normotrabecular arrangement (one to two cells thick), a diagnosis of well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma was made on the basis of the following three histologic criteria: nuclear crowding, increased cytoplasmic basophilia and microacinar formation. The nodules which showed two or more of these findings were diagnosed as well-differentiated HCC. The diagnoses of these 14 cases were subsequently confirmed by clinical course, histology in the resected specimen and/or autopsy findings. The nodules that presented similar but equivocal changes were arbitrarily categorized as borderline lesions (five cases). The nodules showing the findings almost identical with those of pseudolobules were regarded as benign, large regenerative nodules (nine cases). The remaining one case had a hemangioma. Thus, these three histologic criteria proved to be useful in the biopsy diagnosis of nodular hepatic lesions, with certain limitations. Additionally, the majority of large regenerative nodules, borderline lesions and well-differentiated HCCs were found to be smaller than 2 cm.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma and relation to cirrhosis: comparison of two different cities of the world--Trieste, Italy, and Chiba, Japan.

A comparative, descriptive study on the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma either associated or not with cirrhosis was undertaken between the cities of Trieste, Italy, and Chiba, Japan. Data were derived from 12,340 and 2,052 autopsies consecutively performed in Trieste and Chiba during 1980 to 1984 and 1975 to 1985, respectively. During these years, more than 70% of all deaths were studied by autopsy in Trieste. Clinical cases of hepatocellular carcinoma admitted to the Chiba University Hospital were also analyzed to correct for the bias induced by the relatively small number of autopsies in Chiba. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen was more frequent in Chiba, whereas alcohol intake was greater in Trieste. From the comparison of the data, we conclude: (i) hepatocellular carcinoma was associated with cirrhosis in the large majority of the cases both in Trieste (87%) and Chiba (81%); (ii) in both sexes, the average age of hepatocellular carcinoma patients was significantly older (p less than 0.005) in Trieste than in Chiba; (iii) in the autopsy series, cirrhosis was more frequent in Trieste (9.7%) than in Chiba (1.5%); (iv) in Chiba, hepatocellular carcinoma was more frequent than cirrhosis not complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (6.9 vs. 1.5%) at necroscopy, and (v) the age-standardized rate of hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly (p less than 0.01) higher in Trieste than in Chiba. These geographical differences might be related to the different type of cirrhosis observed in Trieste (alcoholic) and Chiba (postnecrotic).

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Drug-induced mononucleosis-like hepatic injury in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with mononucleosis-like hepatic injury was described. An emergent cesarean section was performed in a 25 yr-old house wife at 34 weeks gestation, followed by administration of several antibiotics. After the surgery she complained of high fever, hepatomegaly and dull right hypochondralgia, and mild liver dysfunction was also found. The liver biopsy showed prominent mononuclear cell infiltration in the sinusoids with minimum hepatocellular necrosis and mild triaditis, resembling hepatic lesion in infectious mononucleosis (mononucleosis-like injury). There were no clinical and serological features suggestive of infectious mononucleosis. This hepatic lesion was thought to be a manifestation of allergic reaction to drugs to which the lymphocyte stimulation test was found to be positive. Immunological abnormalities inherent in SLE might be related to occurrence of such allergic drug reaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hepatocellular carcinoma without cirrhosis in Japanese patients.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is closely associated with cirrhosis, but it also develops, although much less frequently, in a noncirrhotic liver. It is suspected, without supporting evidence, that hepatocellular carcinoma has a different etiology when associated and not associated with chronic liver disease. In this study, 66 noncirrhotic cases found among 618 autopsies for hepatocellular carcinoma (10.7%) were analyzed retrospectively. The noncirrhotic liver was histologically unremarkable in 3 cases and in the histologically evaluable 56 cases it had fibrosis of varying degrees or mild cellular infiltrate, or both, in the portal tract. There was one liver that had portal venous changes compatible with those in idiopathic portal hypertension (Banti's syndrome). In these noncirrhotic livers, the parenchymal cells were generally unremarkable except for liver cell dysplasia that was seen in 26.8%. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen was positive in only 7.4% in contrast to 26.6% in cirrhotic cases. Three histologically unremarkable cases had no clinical or histologic evidence of chronic liver disease; two involved painter-plasterers and one a farmer. The liver weight in these cases ranged from 4400 to 6180 g. In contrast, the average liver weight in cirrhotic cases was 1998 g. Noncirrhotic patients when compared with cirrhotic patients had better liver function tests and much less frequent varices. It was concluded that approximately 11% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases in Japan are noncirrhotic, the majority having some histologic changes in the portal tracts suggestive of past or ongoing chronic liver disease, and that there are rare cases that have no histologic changes in the liver.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of rat brain argininosuccinate lyase cDNA with an extremely long 5'-untranslated sequence: evidence for the identity of the brain and liver enzymes.

Argininosuccinate lyase (EC 4.3.2.1) is an enzyme present in the brain of ureotelic animals. Using as a probe rat liver argininosuccinate lyase cDNA, already isolated and sequenced (Amaya, Y., Matsubasa, T., Takiguchi, M., Kobayashi, K., Saheki, T., Kawamoto, S. and Mori, M., J. Biochem., 103 (1988) 177-181), we screened a rat brain cDNA library constructed in the lambda gt11 expression vector and obtained a single cDNA clone. This cDNA clone contained an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 461 amino acid residues (predicted Mr = 51,390), a 5'-untranslated sequence of 967 bp and a 3'-untranslated sequence of 74 bp. The length of the 5'-non-coding region of the cDNA seems to be one of the longest among the cDNAs heretofore isolated. A comparison of the brain cDNA sequence (2424 bp) with the corresponding region of the liver cDNA (1574 bp) revealed differences in 5 nucleotides. The brain clone contained A----G and C----G base differences from the hepatic sequence, resulting in amino acid changes from Tyr and Arg in the liver clone, to Cys and Gly in the brain clone, respectively. The other 3 nucleotide differences are silent with respect to the amino acid sequence of the protein. Therefore, the amino acid sequence of the brain argininosuccinate lyase, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of its cDNA clone, was identical with that of the liver protein, except for two amino acid residues. These minor changes may reflect a microheterogeneity of the argininosuccinate lyase gene. The brain and liver enzymes seem to be encoded by the same structural gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Angiography in the diagnosis of liver disease.

Although necessity for angiography has been reduced somewhat because of the development of newer imaging modalities, such as ultrasound and CT, celiac or hepatic arteriography, portography, and hepatic venography often prove useful in the diagnosis of liver disease. They can be utilized for therapeutic purposes as well in certain vascular abnormalities.

Angiography↗
PubMed1989

[Relationship of serum streptococcal antibodies to carrier state of beta-hemolytic streptococcus in throats of healthy schoolchildren].

The relationship of ASO, ASK and ASP to carrier state of beta-hemolytic streptococcus in throats of healthy schoolchildren was examined from September, 1980 to May, 1987. The responses to ASO significantly increased in children who detected group A, C and G streptococcus, and ASK in group A and G, and ASP in group A. The responses were especially high in children who detected group A, C and G streptococcus one after the other through the term of research, and in children detected another T type of streptococcus one after the other. Relatively high titers of ASO and ASK were obtained in sera of children from whom some groups or T types of streptococci were isolated several detection times. ASP titers were not concerned with these times. The elevation of antibodies in paired samples were found as follows; 7 cases in ASO, ASK and ASP together, 42 cases in ASO and ASK together, 3 cases in ASK and ASP together, 2 cases in ASO and ASP together, 41 cases ASO only, 38 cases in ASK only, 7 cases in ASP only. Among these cases with elevation of antibodies titers, several kinds of the change of streptococcal carrier state were observed between obtaining serum of twice. Especially 15 cases with change of carrier state from group A to group A were noticed. Among these 15 cases, 11 cases isolated another T type strain through the term of research, or found to contain the research-time when no streptococcal strain was detected. Both long term carrier state of the same group or the same type of streptococcal strain and change of carrier state of streptococcal group or T type lead the elevation of ASO and ASK titers.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

Structural analysis of lipopolysaccharides from Eikenella corrodens by use of murine monoclonal antibodies.

The structure of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Eikenella corrodens was analyzed with prepared murine monoclonal antibodies. A common core epitope was found in three of seven LPS preparations from E. corrodens strains and Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586. Four E. corrodens LPSs were found to possess an O-side-chain epitope which cross-reacted with LPSs from Fusobacterium necrophorum ATCC 25286 and Capnocytophaga ochracea M-12. Lipid A of E. corrodens LPS shared an epitope common among LPSs from various gram-negative rods.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Structural gene and complete amino acid sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa IFO 3455 elastase.

The DNA encoding the elastase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa IFO 3455 was cloned, and its complete nucleotide sequence was determined. When the cloned gene was ligated to pUC18, the Escherichia coli expression vector, bacteria carrying the gene exhibited high levels of both elastase activity and elastase antigens. The amino acid sequence, deduced from the nucleotide sequence, revealed that the mature elastase consisted of 301 amino acids with a relative molecular mass of 32,926 daltons. The amino acid composition predicted from the DNA sequence was quite similar to the chemically determined composition of purified elastase reported previously. We also observed nucleotide sequence encoding a signal peptide and "pro" sequence consisting of 197 amino acids upstream from the mature elastase protein gene. The amino acid sequence analysis revealed that both the N-terminal sequence of the purified elastase and the N-terminal side sequences of the C-terminal tryptic peptide as well as the internal lysyl peptide fragment were completely identical to the deduced amino acid sequences. The pattern of identity of amino acid sequences was quite evident in the regions that include structurally and functionally important residues of Bacillus subtilis thermolysin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Cobalamin-dependent replication of L1210 leukemia cells and effects of cobalamin analogues.

L1210 cell line cells were made deficient in Cbl by propagation in a medium devoid of CNCbl in which fetal calf serum had been replaced by bovine serum albumin. These Cbl-deficient cells gradually ceased to multiply when the medium contained 5-CH3THF, although cell growth was resumed following the addition of CNCbl, OHCbl or folic acid. The results of this study provide experimental proof for the 'methyl trap' hypothesis. In contrast to the above effect of CNCbl, cobinamide and Cbl analogues which were produced by a reaction of OHCbl with ascorbic acid did not have any growth-inducing effect on the cells which had been cultured in a 5-CH3THF-supplemented medium and had ceased to multiply. Nor did these analogues have an inhibitory effect on CNCbl-dependent growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Hypergonadotropinemia with estradiol secretion in peri- and postmenopausal period.

Plasma gonadotropins and estradiol levels were evaluated in 155 peri- and postmenopausal women. The average menopausal age was 52.5 years in 56 postmenopausal women. Plasma FSH and LH levels showed hypergonadotropinemia in many premenopausal women 45-49 years old, whose plasma estradiol levels, however, sometimes remained higher than 25 pg/ml. It was observed that 19 of 38 women (50%) had an estradiol level exceeding 25 pg/ml, of those 50-59 years old, whose gonadotropin level showed hypergonadotropinemia in 29 cases (76.3%). Ovarian vein levels of estradiol obtained during laparotomy of 21 patients were significantly higher than peripheral vein concentrations. In 3 of 5 climacteric women with irregular menstrual intervals and whose plasma gonadotropin level was within the postmenopausal range, some degree of estradiol secretion in the ovarian vein was detected. Estradiol was still present in the ovarian vein blood of some postmenopausal women. These data show that the basal gonadotropin level may become high several years before the menopause and that some ovarian function may be preserved after the menopause. Furthermore, it is possible that estrogen secretion may be disturbed by consistent hypersecretion of gonadotropins in the climacteric period.

Adult↗