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Biomedical subjects

K Sakurai

Publications and source records attributed to K Sakurai.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

[MR imaging of osteoradionecrosis of the mandibula following radiotherapy for head and neck cancers].

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of 13 patients with osteoradionecrosis of the mandibula were analyzed. Abnormalities were noted in all patients and could be classified into three groups. In nine patients, MR signals were homogeneously low in intensity on both T1 weighted images (T1WI) and T2 weighted images (T2WI), suggesting fibrosis of bone marrow. These nine patients had suffered radiologically and/or clinically overt osteoradionecrosis more than ten months previously, and inflammatory symptoms had settled down by the time of MR study. Two patients showed low signal intensity on T1WI and an area of inhomogeneous high intensity in a diffuse area of low signal intensity on T2WI, suggesting acute inflammation in the irradiated fibrous bone marrow. Both patients suffered pathologic fracture due to osteoradionecrosis and showed severe inflammatory symptoms at the time MR study. In one of the two patients, these pathologic changes were confirmed in surgically excised mandibulectomy specimens. The other two patients showed homogeneous low signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI, a finding that may be due to slight inflammation. However, in one of the two patients, this signal feature possibly indicated loose fibrosis with marked cellularity.

Adult↗

[MRI evaluation of the patellar articular cartilage in patients with subluxation of the patella].

In patients with subluxation of the patella, injury of the patellar articular cartilage is frequently observed and correct evaluation is important to manage these patients. We examined 11 patients with subluxation of the patella and five normal volunteers. In 12 patellofemoral joints of seven patients with subluxation of the patella, the abnormalities observed on MRI were compared with those on arthroscopy and/or at operation. MRI was performed with a Magnetom 1.5 T (Siemens) using the round surface coil. Pulse sequences were SE (TR 400 ms/TE 19 ms), FLASH (TR 320 ms/TE 15 ms FA 90 degrees and 40 degrees), and SE (TR 2000 ms/TE 26, 70 ms). We analysed MR findings of the 12 abnormal joints and 10 normal joints according to the following classification of abnormalities observed on arthroscopy. (1) normal appearance (n = 3 joints), (2) softening and fibrillation (n = 6), (3) fragmentation (n = 3), and (4) erosion to bone (n = 0). In only one of the six cases with softening and fibrillation observed on arthroscopy, MRI could visualize the thickening of patellar articular cartilage, but in all three cases with fragmentation observed on arthroscopy, MRI could visualize the thin inhomogenous cartilage with irregular surface. The combination of SE (TR 400 ms/TE 19 ms) and FLASH (TR 320 ms/TE 15 ms FA 90 degrees) are extremely effective pulse sequence to detect the abnormalities of patellar articular cartilage. We conclude that MRI is a useful noninvasive method of detecting advanced changes in patellar articular cartilage.

Adolescent↗

Modified epiphyseal index for MRI in Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD).

On radiographs flattening of the femoral head is evaluated by the Epiphyseal Index (EI). Using the ability of MRI to show articular cartilage and the physis clearly, we wish to propose the use of an Epiphyseal Index for MRI (EIM) and demonstrate the value in LCPD. Fifteen patients were examined using 1.5T MR scanner and T1-weighted coronal images were obtained. EIM was calculated as a ratio of height and width of cartilaginous contour surrounding epiphysis, and was compared between normal and the three radiographic stages. EIM of normal hips were ranged from 0.39 to 0.60 and had a tendency to decrease with increasing age. All cases of Stage 1 (avascular necrosis) were within the normal range (n = 4, mean = 0.51, SD = 0.045). EIM of Stage 2 (fragmentation, n = 15, mean = 0.31, SD = 0.055) were smaller than that of Stage 1. Stag 2 and 3 (residual, n = 12, mean = 0.31, SD = 0.077) could not be distinguished by EIM. EIM was useful to show the flattening of epiphysis with growth and very important for differentiation between Stage 1 and 2 LCPD.

Adolescent↗

Selective synthesis of 2,4-bis(O-methoxypolyethylene glycol)-6-chloro-s-triazine as a protein modifier.

2,4-Bis(O-methoxypolyethylene glycol)-6-chloro-s-triazine, a protein modifier with two polyethylene glycol chains (activated PEG2) was synthesized from monomethoxypolyethylene glycol and cyanuric chloride using zinc oxide as a catalyst by the improved method of a previous study (Matsushima et al., Chem. Lett. 7, 773, 1980). The product was identified as activated PEG2 without contamination of by-products with chromatographic and structural analysis.

Catalysis↗

[Anterior ST-segment deviation during inferior myocardial infarction: arteriographic correlations during the acute phase].

Electrocardiographic changes in the anterior wall lead in inferior myocardial infarction were studied in coronary angiographic findings in the acute stage. The subjects were 40 patients with initial inferior myocardial infarction due to right coronary lesions. ST segments were elevated in 7 patients, remained unchanged in 11 and were depressed in 22. Two patients predominantly perfused in the left coronary artery showed ST elevation. All seven patients who showed elevation of the ST segments had occlusion of the ventricular branch proximal to right. However, another 15 (68%) of the patients with occlusion of the same lesion did not show elevation of any ST segment. There was no difference in left ventricular ejection fraction between the groups. The regional ejection fraction at the left ventricular inferior wall was significantly (p less than 0.01) higher in the ST elevated group than in the ST depressed group. Elevation of the ST segments in the anterior wall lead was observed only when the right ventricular free wall sustained injury, and no elevation of any ST segment was observed when the range of injury in the inferoposterior wall was wide, even in the presence of injury to the right ventricular free wall.

Adult↗

[Effects of sampling bandwidth in MR imaging].

Phantom and volunteer study was performed with spin-echo sequences of different sampling bandwidths to evaluate the narrow bandwidth signal acquisition technique. Our results demonstrated the characteristics of the narrow bandwidth sequence as follows: SNR improvement, sensitive to the field inhomogeneity and motion, loss of edge definition for short T2 tissues, and prominent chemical shift artifacts. Narrow bandwidth sequence with flow compensation was suitable for brain T2 weighted images because of its high SNR and less artifacts. In spite of the improvement of SNR, the narrow bandwidth technique may be inappropriate for short T2 tissues such as muscle, because of prominent chemical shift artifacts and loss of edge definition. Consequently, sampling bandwidth is one of the parameters which can be manipulated to improve MR image quality.

Brain↗

[A short TE gradient-echo sequence using asymmetric sampling].

We have developed a gradient-echo pulse sequence with a short TE less than 4 msec using a data set of asymmetric off-center sampling with a broad bandwidth. The use of such a short TE significantly reduces T2* de-phasing effect even in a two-dimensional mode, and by collecting an off-center echo, motion-induced phase dispersion is also considerably decreased. High immunity of this sequence to these dephasing effects permits clear visualization of anatomical details near the skull base where large local field inhomogeneities and rapid blood flow such as in the internal carotid artery are present.

Brain↗

[Diffusion imaging using three orthogonal diffusion encoding gradients].

A new pulse sequence for in vivo diffusion measurements by magnetic resonance imaging is introduced. The proposed sequence employed gradient sensitization in three orthogonal directions to accentuate the effects of diffusion. The amplitudes and durations of the diffusion encoding gradients were carefully selected to achieve optimal signal-to-noise ratio in diffusion imaging. The pulse sequence was implemented on a superconducting whole body imager operating at 1.5 T. The self-diffusion coefficient of water in a bottle was measured to be 2.17 +/- 0.089 X 10(-9) m2/sec at 23 degrees C consistent with other previous measurements. A preclinical study with a human volunteer was also performed and results were presented.

Brain↗

The effect of beta-D-xylosides on the proliferation and proteoglycan biosynthesis of monoblastic U-937 cells.

The monoblastic cell line U-937 was cultured in the presence of C-ethyl beta-D-xyloside (E-xyl), hexyl beta-D-thioxyloside (HX-xyl), p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xyloside, phenyl beta-D-xyloside or phenyl alpha-D-xyloside. All of the beta-D-xylosides inhibited proliferation, but HX-xyl was by far the most efficient, and had a maximum effect at 1 mM concentration. The inhibitory effect of HX-xyl could be reversed; after washing, the HX-xyl-treated cells proliferated with a pattern similar to that of control cells. For more detailed analysis of the effects of beta-D-xylosides on cell proliferation and chondroitin sulphate (CS)/chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG) structure, a comparison between the effects of E-xyl and HX-xyl was made. Treating the cells with 1 mM-HX-xyl resulted in a large increase in CS synthesis, whereas 1 mM-E-xyl had only minor effects on the rate of PG/glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Sepharose CL-6B gel chromatography of medium and cell fractions from 35S-labelled cells revealed that HX-xyl treatment resulted in the expression of only free CS chains, whereas E-xyl exposure leads to the synthesis of both large and small CSPGs, as well as some free CS chains. The expression of elevated levels of free CS chains was clearly correlated to the inhibition of proliferation. The proliferation of U-937-4, a clone of U-937 synthesizing ten times more CSPG/CS than the parent line, was equally inhibited by HX-xyl treatment. With this clone, however, there was no stimulation of CS synthesis after xyloside exposure, indicating that the elevated level of CS evident after xyloside treatment of the parent cell line is not causing the inhibition of proliferation. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of hyaluronate was shown not to be implicated in the xyloside-induced decrease in proliferation. The inhibition of proliferation observed in the presence of 1 mM-HX-xyl did not lead to differentiation of the cells into macrophage-like cells, as is observed when the cells are cultured in the presence of phorbol esters, agents also known to inhibit proliferation of U-937 cells.

Antigens, Surface↗

[Usefulness of assessing bone mineral content of cortical bone in patients with lingering imbalance of bone metabolism].

The CT numbers of cortex at the level of 20 cm (CT20) and of spongiosa in the lateral condyle at 2 cm (CT02) proximally from the distal end of the femur, and the bone mineral density of spongiosa in L3 body (BMD), were obtained by QCT. The study included 48 patients with rheumatoid arthritis or chronic renal failure as well as 10 healthy volunteers. The relationships of CT20 vs BMD in the regions above and below a critical value of BMD were quite different from each other. Similar relationships were observed in the plot of CT20 vs CT02. The results indicated that the demineralization of cortex was much less than that of spongiosa while the mineral content of spongiosa kept higher than a critical value, but the demineralization of cortex surpassed that of spongiosa once the mineral content of spongiosa had become lower than the critical value. It is necessary to assess bone mineral content of cortex especially in patients with lingering imbalance of bone metabolism.

Adult↗

Antiviral effects of 2',5'oligoadenylates (2-5As), and related compounds.

Dephosphorylated "core" of 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) dimer (A2'p5'A), exogenously added to nonpermeabilized FL cells, inhibited the multiplication of Sindbis virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The compound was shown to inhibit viral protein synthesis. The addition of A2'p5'A at the early stage of viral replication was more effective than that at the late stage. In contrast with the core, phosphorylated 2-5A (p5'A2'p5'A and ppp5'A2'p5'A) and 2-5A analogs containing cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) did not show such antiviral effects. The rate of uptake of [3H]ppp5'A 2'p5'A into acid-soluble and acid-insoluble fractions, especially into the acid-insoluble fraction, was faster than that of [3H]A2'p5'A. These results suggest that the difference of antiviral activity between A2'p5'A and ppp5'A2'p5'A does not result from the different rate of uptake by cells, but from the different rate of from acid-soluble to acid-insoluble fractions.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

A case of undifferentiated carcinoma arising in the mandible.

A case of undifferentiated carcinoma arising in the minor salivary gland is reported. Preoperative chemotherapy, surgery and postoperative immunotherapy were performed and good results were obtained for 15 months after surgery. However, metastasis to the lung occurred 18 months after surgery. The histologic diagnosis, clinical findings and origin of this tumor are discussed.

Carcinoma↗

[Evaluation of antiemetic effect of clonazepam, metoclopramide, dexamethasone and diphenhydramine for prevention of cisplatin-induced vomiting].

In prospective alternative crossover test, we confirmed significant superiority of a three-drug combination of clonazepam (C) lorazepam (L) and dexamethasone (D) to (L) and (D) to control vomiting induced by 50 mg/m CDDP containing chemotherapy for gynecological malignancies (p less than 0.001). Vomiting frequency in initial 24 hours was 2.28 +/- 2.21 and 6.00 +/- 3.80 times a day respectively. According to this result, clonazepam, dexamethasone, metoclopramide and diphenhydramine (B) were used as a second regimen to control the vomiting in 80 mg/m CDDP containing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer patients. Clonazepam (2 mg 2 times p.o. -4 and 0 hrs before CDDP drip), dexamethasone (8 mg 5 times iv from -3 hrs each 3 hrs), metoclopramide (2.5 mg/kg iv loading from -2 hrs with 0.4 mg/kg/hr continuous infusion for 9 hrs) and diphenhydramine (30 mg/body 2 times im -2.6 hrs) were chosen to control CDDP-induced nausea and vomiting. These four drugs (C+L+D+B) prominently inhibited the chemo-induced vomiting up to 0.44 +/- 1.50 times a day, and 87.5% of courses was completely satisfactory.

Adult↗

Electrophysiological effects of acute ischaemia on electrically stable myocardial infarction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute ischaemia superimposed on an electrophysiologically stable, small myocardial infarction, and to determine the mechanisms of induced ventricular arrhythmias, using a canine infarction model. Ten dogs without inducible ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation on the 7th day post-myocardial infarction (Group 1) and 14 control dogs (Group 2) were subjected to 30 min acute ischaemia by occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery. The areas of infarcted myocardium ranged from 1.0 to 20.4% (mean 8.9, SD 7.7) of total left ventricular weight. Ventricular arrhythmias were inducible by programmed electrical stimulation in eight of 10 dogs (80%) after acute ischaemia, but in only one of 14 control dogs (7%) (p less than 0.005). In seven of eight Group 1 dogs, epicardial mapping showed that ventricular arrhythmias did not originate from the epicardial region. In one dog, in which there was simultaneous epicardial and endocardial mapping, an endocardial electrogram from the boundary area between infarcted and acutely ischaemic zones recorded continuous fragmented activity. It was thus suggested that re-entry in a relatively isolated endocardial site could be attributed to the induction of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and that the electrical instability could be significantly enhanced during acute ischaemia when underlying myocardial infarction was present.

Acute Disease↗

Electrophysiological effects of flecainide in a canine 7 day old myocardial infarction model.

Flecainide has been reported to be effective in suppressing chronic ventricular arrhythmias in clinical studies, but the electrophysiological mechanisms of its action are not understood. We therefore studied its effects on re-entrant ventricular arrhythmias in eight dogs with 7 day old infarction. Epicardial mapping and local refractory periods were obtained using 48 channel bipolar electrodes attached to the epicardium. Epicardial conduction velocity was significantly depressed by flecainide (2 mg.kg-1 intravenously), from 49.3 (SD 11.9) cms-1 to 35.3(11.2) cm s-1 (p less than 0.01). Flecainide prolonged effective refractory periods (ERP) in the normal, border and infarct zones: normal (n = 93), from 189.5 (15.9) to 219.3 (17.7) ms, p less than 0.01; border (n = 54) from 187.4(24.0) to 225.2 +/- 32.5 ms, p less than 0.01; and infarct (n = 93), from 197.7 (30.6) to 247.1 (34.2) ms, p less than 0.01. However, the percent change in refractoriness was greater in the infarct zone than in the normal zone, at 25.7(17.1)% v 16.2 (10.3)%, p less than 0.01. Furthermore, an area of functional unidirectional conduction block developed within the infarct zone where the maximal dispersion of ERP was observed. Inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia (SVT) was prevented in one dog and slowed (300 to 150 beats.min-1) in another by flecainide, while ventricular fibrillation remained inducible in one dog. Pro-arrhythmic effects were observed in two of five dogs without inducible SVT. In conclusion, flecainide significantly depressed conduction velocity and prolonged local refractoriness in the epicardial myocardium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗