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Biomedical subjects

K Osada

Publications and source records attributed to K Osada.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Doppler echocardiographic method to determine early and late diastolic filling volume separately. Validation and relationship between filling velocity and volume.

We devised a pulsed Doppler echocardiographic method of separately calculating early diastolic filling volume (EDFV) and late diastolic filling volume during atrial contraction (LDFV) and observed a relationship between diastolic filling volume and velocity in thirty patients with coronary artery disease. By analysing the transmitral flow velocity curve and mitral valve motion, EDFV and LDFV were measured on the basis of the equality of left ventricular inflow and outflow volumes. The Doppler-determined EDFV and LDFV correlated well with those obtained from the left ventricular filling curve produced by left ventriculography. Angiographic EDFV and LDFV were measured from the time (t)-volume (V) curve, using the t-dV/dt curve to define early and late diastolic phases. A good correlation was found between Doppler and angiographic EDFV (y = -3.0 + 1.0 x, r = 0.98, p = 0.0001, n = 20), Doppler and angiographic LDFV (y = 1.6 + 1.0 x, r = 0.86, p = 0.0001), and also between Doppler and angiographic EDFV/LDFV (y = 0.05 + 0.9 x, r = 0.93, p = 0.0001). EDFV and the peak early diastolic filling velocity were significantly correlated (E velocity; y = 25 + 0.51 x, r = 0.48, p = 0.0068), while LDFV and the peak late diastolic filling velocity during atrial contraction (A velocity) were not. Our results validate the method of calculating EDFV and LDFV separately and suggest that early diastole in the left ventricle has flow volume dependency, but that the late diastole filling velocity during atrial contraction may be regulated by other factors such as increased left atrial contraction.

Adult↗

Effects of dietary biotin on enhanced sucrose intake and enhanced gustatory nerve responses to sucrose seen in diabetic OLETF rat.

We used the sucrose preference test and taste nerve recording to investigate the effect of dietary biotin on the abnormal sucrose taste sensitivity and preferences seen during the course of diabetes mellitus. For this, we used Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty (OLETF) rats. The chorda tympani nerve (CT nerve) response to sucrose (> 1 M) was of greater relative magnitude in OLETF rats than in non-diabetic control (Long-Evans Tokushima Lean, LETO) rats, but the responses to other basic taste stimuli (such as HCl, quinine-HCl and L-glutamic acid) did not differ between the two groups. In behavioral experiments using a two-bottle preference test, solution intake for sucrose (> 50 mM) was higher in OLETF rats than in LETO rats. The neural responses to sucrose (1.5-2 M) in OLETF rats were lower when given a biotin-high diet (BH-OLETF) than when given a biotin-basal diet (BB-OLETF), but this was not true of the other basic tastes. However, there were no significant differences between BH-OLETF and BB-OLETF rats in terms of sucrose solution intake. These findings suggest that the enhanced sugar sensitivity observed in OLETF rats is probably the result of a genetic difference between OLETF and LETO rats, though the discrepancy can be modified by the dietary biotin level.

Animals↗

Effects of long-term treatment with desipramine on microtubule proteins in rat cerebral cortex.

The molecular mechanism of the action of antidepressants beyond the receptor level has not yet been elucidated. We have investigated the effects of long-term treatment with desipramine on the phosphorylation state of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and microtubule assembly in the rat cerebral cortex. Phosphorylation of MAP2 was detected by immunoblotting after immunoprecipitation of MAP2 in the soluble fraction. The degree of phosphorylation of serine residues of MAP2 was significantly increased after chronic administration of desipramine without changes in the total concentration of MAP2. Microtubule assembly in crude brain extracts was monitored in terms of changes in turbidity measured at 350 nm using a spectrophotometer. Chronic but not acute treatment with desipramine inhibited microtubule assembly, assayed in the presence of a phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, whereas the inhibition was completely nullified in the absence of calyculin A. Desipramine had no direct effect on microtubule assembly in vitro. These results raise the possibility that the changes in the degree of phosphorylation of MAP2 and microtubule assembly represent intracellular modifications involved in functional changes elicited by long-term treatment with desipramine.

Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors↗

Transmission of GB virus C by blood transfusions during heart surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis-causing viral agents other than those designated A to E are being reported. Their epidemiology, modes of transmission, and infectivity are not yet clear, although they may be transmitted by transfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty five patients underwent open-heart surgery, receiving an average of 10.2 +/- 10.8 (range 1 to 35) units of blood. The patients were investigated postoperatively for the RNA of the putative non-A-to-E hepatitis virus designated as GB virus C (GBV-C). RESULTS: Four patients (12%) acquired GBV-C RNA in the serum within 2 to 4 weeks after the operation. GBV-C RNA was detected in at least one of the blood units received by three patients, all of whose units were available for testing, with a sequence in the nonstructural 3 region identical to that from the corresponding patient. Three patients developed elevated alanine aminotransferase levels which persisted for two weeks or longer in two of them. CONCLUSIONS: GBV-C is transmissible by transfusion and can induce elevated transaminase levels.

Adolescent↗

Capsaicin modifies responses of rat chorda tympani nerve fibers to NaCl.

Single-fiber preparations of the rat chorda tympani (CT) nerve were used to study the mechanism of action of capsaicin on salt-taste transduction. Capsaicin selectively suppressed the responses to NaCl of the CT nerve fibers (N-fibers) that are sodium-specific (insensitive or poorly sensitive to potassium). Among the more broadly responsive, cation-sensitive fibers (E-fibers) there are two subtypes, both of which responded to capsaicin but in different ways ('enhanced' type and 'suppressed' type). In both N- and E-fibers, 5% ethanol (the vehicle for capsaicin) slightly reduced the response to 100 mM NaCl. The suppressive effect of capsaicin on the response of the N-type fibers to 100 mM NaCl was significantly stronger than the effect of 5% ethanol. The suppression lasted for at least 20 s after the simultaneous application of 100 p.p.m. capsaicin-100 nM NaCl. These results indicate that 100 p.p.m. capsaicin can modify the response of CT fibers to NaCl. The observed effect of capsaicin on gustatory fibers could be the net result of opposite suppressive and enhancing processes in the taste buds cells and excited intra- or extragemmal trigeminal nerve endings.

Animals↗

Pemphigus IgG activates and translocates protein kinase C from the cytosol to the particulate/cytoskeleton fractions in human keratinocytes.

We have demonstrated previously that pemphigus vulgaris (PV)-IgG induces activation of phospholipase C (PLC), production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, and a rapid transient increase in [Ca2+]i in cultured human keratinocytes, leading to secretion of plasminogen activator and cell-cell detachment in cell culture. In the current study, to examine the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in the mechanism of blister formation in PV, we studied the PV-IgG-induced translocation of PKC isozymes from the cytosol to the particulate/cytoskeleton (p/c) fractions and the activation of PKC in human keratinocytes. Cells cultured in Eagle's minimum essential medium were incubated with PV-IgGs for 30 s, 1 min, 5 min, or 30 min. PV-IgG binding to the cell surface antigen (desmoglein III) induced translocation of PKC-alpha from the cytosol to the p/c fractions within 30 s, with a peak at 1 min that lasted at least 30 min. PKC-delta also was translocated within 1 min and reached a peak at 5 min but was reduced to basal levels at 30 min. Alternatively, PKC-eta translocation to the p/c fraction was induced slowly, taking more than 5 min, and was reduced to approximately half-maximum at 30 min, whereas PKC-zeta translocation reached a maximum at 30 s, rapidly returning to baseline by 5 min after PV-IgG stimulation. The total PKC activity in the p/c fraction also was increased after PV-IgG exposure, peaked at 1 min, and was sustained for at least 30 min. These findings suggest that a unique activation profile of PKC isomers may be involved in mediating the intracellular signaling events induced by PV-IgG binding to desmoglein III in cultured human keratinocytes.

Cells, Cultured↗

Pemphigus IgG induces expression of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor on the cell surface of cultured keratinocytes.

We previously found that the binding of pemphigus IgG to desmogleins caused marked activation of phospholipase C, a transient increase in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production, and a concomitant increase in the intracellular calcium concentration in DJM-1 cells, a squamous cell carcinoma line. The binding of pemphigus IgG to cell membranes increased the activity of urokinase plasminogen activator in culture medium and induced subsequent cell-cell detachment in DJM-1 cells. Because urokinase plasminogen activator activates the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by binding to urokinase plasminogen activator receptor evading inhibitors in serum, it is likely that plasmin is generated only in microenvironments adjacent to urokinase plasminogen activator receptor on the cell surface. It is not known whether pemphigus IgG causes acantholysis by inducing urokinase plasminogen activator receptor expression on the cell surface and secreting urokinase plasminogen activator in inhibitor-rich environments. We examined the effects of pemphigus IgG on urokinase plasminogen activator receptor expression in DJM-1 cells and normal keratinocytes by immunoblot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to urokinase plasminogen activator receptor. IgG were obtained from serum samples from eight patients with bullous pemphigoid, five patients with pemphigus vulgaris, seven patients with pemphigus foliaceus, and eight normal subjects. Pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus IgG significantly increased the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor expression on the surface of DJM-1 cells and normal keratinocytes after 3- and 7-d incubation compared with normal IgG. These results suggest that enhanced urokinase plasminogen activator activity and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor expression activates plasmin in the limited cell surface of pemphigus IgG-bound keratinocytes and may contribute to the pathogenesis of differential acantholysis in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus.

Adult↗

Pregnancy increases ET-1-induced contraction and changes receptor subtypes in uterine smooth muscle in humans.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether pregnancy affects endothelin (ET)-1-induced contraction, the density ofET receptors, and the ratio of receptor subtypes (ET(A) and ET(B)) in uterine smooth muscle in humans. We also investigated which ET receptor subtypes mediate ET-1-induced contraction in the human uterus. In uterine membrane preparations, (125)I-labeled ET-1 ((125)I-ET-1) binding sites (Bmax) in pregnant women did not differ from those in age-matched nonpregnant women (596.2 +/- 107.1 vs. 512.1 +/- 167.7 fmol/mg protein). The dissociation constant (Kd) in pregnant women did not differ from that in nonpregnant women. Competitive displacement experiments with (125)I-ET-1 binding to the membranes using BQ-123 (ET(A) receptor antagonist) showed that the percentage of ET(A) receptors in uterine muscle was significantly higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women (P < 0.01). The calculated ratios of ET(A) to ET(B) receptors in pregnant and nonpregnant uteri were 92:8 and 68:32, respectively. Combination treatment with BQ-788 (ET(B) receptor antagonist) completely inhibited the BQ-123-resistant component of (125)I-ET-1 specific binding. ET-1 caused dose-dependent contractions in isolated human uteri from both pregnant and nonpregnant women. The maximum response was markedly greater in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women, whereas pD2 (-log[EC50]) values did not differ between pregnant and nonpregnant uteri. In pregnant human uterus, BQ-123 (10(-6) M) significantly shifted the dose-dependent curve of ET-1 response to the right, whereas BQ-3020 (ET(B) receptor agonist) did not cause contraction. These results suggested that ET-1-induced contraction of the human uterus is mediated through only ET(A) receptors and that ET-1-induced uterine contraction in humans is markedly increased during pregnancy. In addition, the present study suggests that, although (125)I-ET-1 Bmax are not altered during pregnancy, the proportion of ET(A) receptors is increased and that of ET(B) receptors is decreased in the pregnant human uterus.

Adult↗

Biotin administration improves the impaired glucose tolerance of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats.

The effect of biotin administration on the glucose tolerance of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats was investigated. STZ-induced diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg body weight as a single dose). The impaired glucose tolerance in response to an oral glucose load (1.8g per kg body weight) in STZ-induced diabetic rats (STZ-rat) was partially improved by intraperitoneal administration of biotin for 15 days (100 micrograms/rat/day). However, a recovery in the STZ-rat's insulin secretion was not found after biotin administration. To help clarify the mechanism underlying the improvement in glucose tolerance seen with biotin treatment, glucokinase and hexokinase activities were determined in the liver and pancreas. In STZ-rats that had received biotin (STZ-biotin rats), glucokinase activity was higher by 3.4-fold in liver and by 2.4-fold in pancreas than in the STZ-rats. The biotin level of STZ-rats was significantly lower in the liver and pancreas than that of the control rats (no STZ administration); but in STZ-biotin rats, the level in these organs recovered to the control level. These results demonstrate that injected biotin can improve glucose handling without increasing insulin secretion in STZ-rats.

Animals↗

Modified antigen-binding of human antibodies with glycosylation variations of the light chains produced in sugar-limited human hybridoma cultures.

We have characterized the effects of serum and N-acetylglucosamine in a glucose-deprived condition on the glycosylation of antibody light chains, as well as the resulting biological properties of those antibodies. We have chosen for our investigation the human hybridoma lines producing monoclonal antibodies reactive to lung adenocarcinoma. Each antibody possess a N-glycosylated carbohydrate chain in the hypervariable region of the light chains. When the cell lines were grown in the absence of glucose, variant light chains with varying molecular masses were found to be secreted. Analysis of these light chains produced in a glucose-deprived condition revealed that the changed molecular-mass of the variant light chains is due to different glycosylation. Addition of N-acetylglucosamine or fetal calf serum to the glucose-free medium led to the creation of other light chains that exhibit increased antigen binding activity.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Different effects of azole-antifungal agents on the regulation of intracellular calcium concentration of Trichophyton rubrum.

Prior studies have indicated that intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) is involved in fungal cell growth. However, it has not been known whether antifungal drugs affect signal transduction via calcium in fungal cells. In this context, we examined the effects of antifungal drugs, itraconazole, bifonazole and ketoconazole, on [Ca2+]i in Trichophyton rubrum. Itraconazole (1-5 ng/ml) induced a rapid and transient [Ca2+]i increase, peaking at 15-20s in hyphal cells of T. rubrum, but not in spores. The slow descending phase of the [Ca2+]i increase induced by itraconazole was depleted by chelating extracellular calcium with ethylene glycol bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N, N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), suggesting that the increase in [Ca2+]i is biphasic: Ca2+ mobilization from the internal pool and influx from the outside of the cell. At 10 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml, however, itraconazole induced an explosive and sustained calcium increase in both spores and hyphae. At less than 1 ng/ml, no [Ca2+]i increase was caused in both hyphae and spores. On the other hand, although some hyphal cells showed a transient [Ca2+]i increase, most of the cells did not show any changes of [Ca2+]i after the addition of ketoconazole at 10 ng/ml. Both spores and hyphal cells incubated with 100 ng/ml of bifonazole or ketoconazole showed a gradual increase of intracellular calcium concentration until 5 min, when the measurement was ceased. These findings suggest that signal transduction via calcium might be involved in some biological effects of itraconazole on T. rubrum, and that bifonazole and ketoconazole could differently affect [Ca2+]i in T. rubrum from itraconazole. In addition, the determination of [Ca2+]i changes induced by antifungal agents may contribute to clarification of the biological effects on fungal membranes.

Antifungal Agents↗

Effects of gamma-linolenic acid and its positional isomer pinolenic acid on immune parameters of brown-Norway rats.

Male Brown-Norway rats given purified diets containing safflower oil (SFO, linoleic acid, 18:2 n-6), evening primrose oil (EPO, gamma-linolenic acid, 6,9,12- 18:3 n-6) or Korean pine seed oil (PSO, 5,9,12- 18:3) at the 10% level were immunized twice with intraperitoneal ovalbumin, on days 14 and 35 of the feeding diets, and killed one day after the second booster. The relative population of CD4+ T-lymphocytes in the spleen was significantly lower in rats fed SFO than in those fed EPO or PSO, while that of CD8+ subsets remained unchanged. There was a significant increase in the splenic production of IgG and IgE in the PSO group compared to the SFO group, while EPO significantly increased IgE. The periodical response patterns of the serum levels of IgG and IgE varied depending on the source of dietary fats, and the initial rise of total immunoglobulins tended to be higher in the EPO group. The release by peritoneal exudate cells of histamine was comparable among three groups irrespective of saturation by calcium ionophore A23187, while PSO significantly increased leukotriene B4 production. These observations not only indicate specific roles of gamma-linolenic acid but also diverse influences of different octadecatrienoic acids in various immune measurements.

Animals↗

Dietary protein modifies oxidized cholesterol-induced alterations of linoleic acid and cholesterol metabolism in rats.

Effects of dietary protein on oxidized cholesterol-induced alterations in linoleic acid and cholesterol metabolism were studied in 4-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, using casein and soybean protein as dietary protein sources. The rats were fed one of the two proteins in cholesterol-free, 0.3% cholesterol or 0.3% oxidized cholesterol mixture diets using a pair-feeding protocol for 3 wk. In the soybean protein-fed group, rats fed oxidized cholesterol did not have lower activity of liver microsomal delta6 desaturase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the metabolism of linoleic acid to arachidonic acid, compared with rats fed cholesterol-free diet, whereas in the casein-fed group the desaturase activity was significantly greater in rats fed oxidized cholesterol than in those fed cholesterol-free diet. This was in contrast to a significant reduction in liver microsomal delta6 desaturase activity by cholesterol, irrespective of protein source. In general, these changes were reflected in the desaturation indices of liver phospholipids. Furthermore, soybean protein significantly increased the fecal excretion of neutral and acidic steroids and tended to reduce (P = 0.082) the accumulation of oxidized cholesterols in the liver. Thus, soybean protein partly modified some of the undesirable effects of oxidized cholesterol through its hypocholesterolemic effect and possibly through the modulation of hepatic delta6 desaturase activity.

Animals↗

Cytotoxicity and suppression of immunoglobulin production against human Namalwa cells caused by oxidized cholesterol.

The effects of oxidized cholesterols on proliferation and IgM production of human lymphoblastoid Namalwa cells were examined. An oxidized cholesterol mixture, in contrast to cholesterol, was a potent cytotoxin to Namalwa cells. Among oxidized cholesterols examined, 25-hydroxycholesterol was the most cytotoxic. However, no oxidized cholesterol examined suppressed IgM production, although cholestanetriol and 7-ketocholesterol did suppress it. Thus, oxidized cholesterols are cytotoxic to lymphocytes, while the influence on the immunoglobulin production may be marginal.

Burkitt Lymphoma↗

A high biotin diet improves the impaired glucose tolerance of long-term spontaneously hyperglycemic rats with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, serving as a spontaneously diabetic model with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), exhibits impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) at about 16 weeks of age. In this study, we investigated whether or not biotin, a water-soluble vitamin, improved the IGT of OLETF rats. To this end, we administered diets containing one of three levels of biotin, a high-biotin diet (BH), a normal-biotin diet (BN) and a basal-biotin diet (BB), to OLETF rats up to 24 weeks of age. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed four times between 13 and 22 weeks of age. The administration of a BH corrected the IGT of OLETF rats. Upon further investigation, we found that insulin secretion in the OLETF-BH rats was decreased to a significant extent, signaling that the hyperinsulinemia typical to the OLETF-BH rats had clearly improved. Body weights were significantly lower in the OLETF-BH group than in the other OLETF groups, even though the OLETF-BH rats showed a significantly higher average daily food intake. The body weight gain of the OLETF-BH rats followed the same tendency as the control-LETO (Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka) rats (LETO-BB and LETO-BN). These results demonstrate that a high-level biotin diet can improve the glucose handicap in NIDDM rats.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning of the 31 kDa cytosolic phospholipase A2, as an antigen recognized by the lung cancer-specific human monoclonal antibody, AE6F4.

The human monoclonal antibody AE6F4 specifically reacts with human lung cancer tissues but does not with normal tissues. This monoclonal antibody recognizes a cytosolic 31 kDa antigen in the cancer cells. In a previous study, we elucidated that the 31 kDa antigen belonged to a family of proteins collectively designated as 14-3-3 proteins, which were known as protein kinase-dependent activators of tyrosine/trytophan hydroxylases, or protein kinase C inhibitor proteins. Here we report molecular cloning of the 31 kDa antigen from the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, A549. Sequencing analysis indicates that the cloned cDNA is identical to that of previously reported human placental cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), which is also a member of the 14-3-3 protein family. Western analysis demonstrated that a 31 kDa recombinant cPLA2 expressed in monkey COS cells was recognized by the AE6F4 monoclonal antibody. Binding of the monoclonal antibody to the recombinant cPLA2 was abolished when treated with sodium periodate, suggesting that not only are carbohydrate chains associated with the cPLA2, but they also play a crucial role in antigen recognition by the monoclonal antibody.

14-3-3 Proteins↗

Oxidized cholesterol modulates age-related change in lipid metabolism in rats.

For three weeks, male Sprague-Dawley rats at either four weeks (young) or eight months (adult) of age were pair-fed one of the purified diets free of or containing either 0.2% of oxidized cholesterol mixture (cholesterol oxidation products) or 0.2% of cholesterol. Although the food intake was similar, dietary oxidized cholesterol lowered body weight gain in young rats, but did not increase relative liver weight, in contrast to the enlargement seen with dietary cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol, compared to cholesterol, tended to reduce the activity of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, particularly the latter in aged rats, and prevented the rise in the concentration of liver cholesterol at both ages. It also tended to increase the activity of hepatic delta 6 desaturase, particularly in young rats. Moreover, oxidized cholesterol in relation to cholesterol influenced liver and serum lipid concentrations in different ways, and increased lipid peroxidation at both ages. The ratio of splenic CD4+/CD8+ T-lymphocytes increased with age, but the influence of cholesterol and oxidized cholesterol was comparable. Thus, oxidized cholesterol may specifically disturb growth and age-related changes in the lipid metabolism in rats.

Aging↗