Optical dark resonance in multilevel systems with a treelike configuration.
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
K Sakurai
Publications and source records attributed to K Sakurai.
Coffin-Siris syndrome: a case of an extremely low birthweight infant with severe kyphoscoliosis.
A case of Coffin-Siris syndrome in a male of extremely low birthweight with severe kyphoscoliosis is reported. His birthweight was 965 g, the lowest reported in the world for an infant with this syndrome. Coffin-Siris syndrome is characterized by nail hypoplasia of the fingers and toes, eyebrow hypertrichosis, prominent lips and prenatal or postnatal growth retardation. He was the only case who was mechanically ventilated from birth because of birth asphyxia. He died at 12 days of age because of sepsis, a poor immune system as in other extremely low birthweight infants, and because he easily suffered from upper respiratory infection as a result of Coffin-Siris syndrome. Kyphoscoliosis is suggested as one of the important features in low birthweight cases of Coffin-Siris syndrome in previous reports and in the present case.
Abnormalities, Multiple↗
Chronic respiratory failure after acquired cytomegalovirus infection in a very low birthweight infant.
The case of a female infant who developed chronic respiratory failure after an acquired cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is presented here. She was a very low birthweight (VLBW) infant and was free from oxygen supplement until 2 months after birth. Interstitial pneumonia occurred at 2 months of age, and her respiratory condition gradually deteriorated. A chest roentgenogram at 4 months revealed hyperinflation and reticular shadow, similar to that of severe chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm infants. She was mechanically ventilated because of progressive respiratory deterioration, and oxygen dependency continued for 5 months after extubation. There are several previous reports of CMV pneumonia in term neonates or infants. However, there appears to be no published report on the pulmonary sequelae of CMV pneumonia in VLBW infants. The present case seems to indicate that acquired CMV pneumonia in VLBW infants causes chronic respiratory failure even when mechanical ventilation is not administered, and this respiratory failure is very similar to CLD in clinical symptoms and chest roentgenogram.
Chronic Disease↗
Polyethylene glycol-modified pokeweed mitogen (PWM) as a potential non-immunogenic stimulator of lymphokine-activated killer cells.
Among the various plant lectins, pokeweed mitoge (PWM) is most effective in enhancing the cytotoxicity of human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. However, the use of PWM in adoptive immunotherapy has been limited due to the strong immune response against the protein of plant origin. Amino groups in PWM was modified with 2,4-bis[O-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)]-6-chioro-s-triazine, activated PEG2, to form PEG-PWM conjugates. Its immunoreactivity towards anti-PWM antibodies was reduced by increasing the degree of modification of amino groups in PWM. PEG-PWM, in which 54% of amino groups in PWM was modified with activated PEG2, had a nearly complete reduction of immunoreactivity. Intraperitoneal administration of PEG-PWM to mice did not produce substantial levels of anti-PWM antibodies. Nevertheless, PEG-PWM retained the ability to induce the maximum levels of cytotoxicity of human LAK cells in vitro.
Animals↗
[Endobronchial treatments made possible by extracorporeal lung assist in a patient in status asthmaticus refractory to mechanical ventilation].
A 19-year-old endotracheally intubated women was admitted to our hospital in severe status asthmaticus that was not relieved by inhalation of beta 2-agonists or by epinephrine, aminophylline, or corticosteroids. A chest radiography revealed pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. Pressure-limited mechanical ventilation at a peak airway pressure of 20--30 cmH2O failed to ventilate the lungs, and caused a left pneumothorax and atelectasis. Extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) was begun and enabled repeated suctioning through a fiberoptic bronchoscope for more than a minute with no serious complications. During ECLA aerosol therapy with a large dose of a beta 2-agonist (procatherol 0.15 mg) increased the tidal volume with no adverse effects. Atelectatic areas of the lungs re-expanded, pulmonary function improved, and ECLA was stopped 86 hours after it had been started. We suggest that, although it is highly invasive, ECLA can be useful in patients with status asthmaticus refractory to mechanical ventilation, and can allow endobronchial suctioning to be done safely.
Adolescent↗
[Development of quality of life questionnaire for patients with colorectal cancer in surgical area--a study of reliability and validity of Tokyo Yamabuki Forum Version].
We developed a new questionnaire in the surgical area based on a core quality of life (QOL) questionnaire for patients with gastrointestinal cancer. In this study, we investigated the validity and reliability of a QOL questionnaire (Tokyo Yamabuki Forum Version) for patients with colorectal cancer. The questionnaire was composed of 17 items including 5 scales (basic sensory scale, psychological scale, physiological scale, defection-related scale and active scale) and a face scale as an global scale. The time needed to answer questionnaires was expected to be around 7 minutes and the questionnaires should basically be answered by the patients themselves everyday in the hospital. The study was performed in 10 hospitals in the Tokyo area, and 394 samples collected from 21 patients with rectal and colonic cancers were analyzed. A number of respondents failed to answer the question "Do you feel your foods tasty?", so we judged this item inappropriate and deleted it from the analysis. Fifteen items, including 5 scales showed satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity in correlation and factor analyses. Performance status showed a low correlation between each item, each scale and the global scale, while SDS and STAI showed an inordinately negative correlation with the fundamental and physical scales. Especially, SDS revealed an extremely close correlation with the active scale, and STAI showed an excessive correlation with the psychological scale. In the time course of QOL under chemotherapy, reductions (aggravations) were observed in both the total score of 15 items and global scale within one week postoperatively, but after that recovered to preoperative levels at 2 weeks postoperatively. A tendency to QOL improvement was observed 2 weeks after starting chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. QOL of 13 patients was measured over 3 months, and the longest term was 8 months. The results suggested that this QOL questionnaire has sufficient reliability and validity to be usable for patients with colorectal cancer in the surgical area and that this model is applicable for long-term QOL surveys and frequent measurement.
Adult↗
[Efficacy of implantable injection port for advanced breast cancer patients].
After breast cancer surgery, it is important to avoid drawing blood sample or injecting chemotherapeutic agents from the involved arm, because severe lymphedema and infection sometimes occurs. Adriamycin, one of the most effective drugs for breast cancer, frequently causes peripheral thrombophlebitis. Therefore, it is often difficult for advanced breast cancer patients to secure IV line and to finish the entire course of chemotherapy. For these reasons, an implantable injection port was applied in 26 breast cancer patients. The status of these patients was metastatic (9 patients), locally advanced (7 patients) and bilateral (10 patients). The average dwell time was 535.8 days with a range of 35 to 1,524 days. The complication events occurred at 0.047/100 catheter days. The results of this study indicate that the implantable injection port provides safe and reliable central venous access and improves the QOL of advanced breast cancer patients.
Adult↗
A quantitative CT system applied to the femoral shaft and lateral condyle for evaluating bone loss in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.
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Adult↗
[An immunohistochemical study of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and MIB-1 in epithelial hyperplasia and dysplasia of the vocal cords].
We investigated the proliferative activities in epithelial hyperplasia and dysplasia of the human vocal cords as precancerous lesions, using immunohistochemical staining with anti-PCNA and MIB-1 (anti-Ki-67) monoclonal antibody. The series for this study consisted of nine patients with hyperplasia, 12 with mild dysplasia, ten with moderate dysplasia, eight with severe dysplasia, eight with vocal cord polyps, and 14 with invasive squamous cell carcinoma. The following results were obtained: 1) The mean PCNA labeling index was 1.12 +/- 1.05 (MEAN +/- STD%) in polyp, 4.88 +/- 2.02 in hyperplasia, 2.76 +/- 1.76 in mild dysplasia, 3.80 +/- 2.03 in moderate dysplasia, 6.12 +/- 3.01 in severe dysplasia, and 19.07 +/- 10.37 in invasive cancer. 2) The mean MIB-1 positive rates were 5.50 +/- 2.47 (MEAN +/- STD%) in polyp, 13.08 +/- 6.86 in hyperplasia, 16.55 +/- 7.34 in mild dysplasia, 15.94 +/- 6.73 in moderate dysplasia, 21.43 +/- 8.16 in severe dysplasia, and 41.48 +/- 14.05 in invasive cancer. In cases of hyperplasia, dysplasia and invasive cancer, PCNA labeling index values and MIB-1 positive rates increased in proportion to the histological atypical grade increasing. Some lesions which recurred or progressed to cancer were found show high expression of PCNA and MIB-1. In cancer cases, there was no significant correlation between the PCNA labeling index, MIB-1 positive rates and either the degree of tumor cell differentiation or the T-classification. There was a positive correlation between the PCNA labeling index and MIB-1 positive rates among all cases. In this study, those cases showing a high PCNA labeling index and/or MIB-1 positive rates may indicate the possibility of recurrence or progression to malignancy in precancerous lesions of the vocal cords.
Aged↗
[Blood flow measurement of portal vein with fast cine phase contrast MR imaging under breath-holding].
Flow measurements of the right portal vein were performed in seven healthy volunteers with the segmented k-space fast gradient-echo phase-contrast (fcard-PC) sequence under breath-holding. The mean velocity and the flow rate of the right portal vein at maximal expiration, 14.3 +/- 4.4cm/sec and 457 +/- 218 ml/min, were significantly greater (p < 0.01) than those at maximal inspiration: 11.8 +/- 3.8cm/sec (mean +/- SD) and 364 +/- 191ml/min, respectively. Fcard-PC enabled flow measurements to be obtained under breath-holding. Using this technique, we demonstrated portal venous flow changes according to respiratory phase.
Adult↗
The first observation of O2- generation at real time in vivo from non-Kupffer sinusoidal cells in perfused rat liver during acute ethanol intoxication.
Infusion of ethanol or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) into the perfused rat liver immediately produces O2- which was detected directly by infusion of a Cypridina luciferin analogue, MCLA as a chemiluminescence reagent. The MCLA photon emission was inhibitable by SOD. Generation of O2- in the liver was further verified by nitroblue tetrazolium, formazan precipitate formation. Ethanol-induced O2- generation was unaffected by gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), an inhibitor of kupffer cells, while PMA induced O2- generation was completely abolished by GdCl3. Since PMA is a known stimulator of phagocytic cells including Kupffer cells, the results indicate, for the first time that ethanol stimulates a non-Kupffer cell population, probably liver sinusoid endothelial cell to produce O2-.
Animals↗
Differentiation between dysmyelination and demyelination using magnetic resonance diffusional anisotropy.
Using magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted method, we examined the optic and the trigeminal nerves of jimpy and twitcher mice, considered to be animal models of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, hypomyelination disorder, and Krabbe disease, demyelination disorder, respectively. In jimpy mice, diffusional anisotropy of optic nerve did not show a significant difference compared to age-matched control mice, suggesting that diffusional anisotropy does exist in absence of multiple layers of myelin sheath. In twitcher mice, diffusional anisotropy was attenuated remarkably in the optic and trigeminal nerves. Loss of axonal straightness on longitudinal section confirmed by electron microscopy appeared to be the principal explanation for it. It is further suggested that this MR diffusion-weighted imaging method enables us to differentiate hypomyelination from demyelination in vivo.
Animals↗
Efficacy of glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition in an experimental model of mucosal ulcerative colitis.
Intact intestinal epithelium and associated lymphatic tissue act as body defences against luminal toxins. This barrier may become threatened or compromised in inflammatory bowel disease, leading to an increase in mucosal permeability and subsequent translocation of endotoxins. The effect of oral glutamine on gut mucosal ornithine decarboxylase activity and on endotoxin levels in portal vein blood was studied in a guinea-pig model of carrageenan-induced colitis. Despite failure to show induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity by glutamine administration, the mean endotoxin level of portal vein blood in guinea-pigs fed a glutamine-enriched elemental diet was 25.3 pg/ml compared with 71.2 pg/ml in animals given a standard elemental diet (P < 0.01). A glutamine-enriched elemental diet may be therapeutically beneficial in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Animals↗
Experimental infection with Yersinia enterocolitica serovar 0:8 in beagle dogs.
Dogs were challenged orally with Yersinia enterocolitica serovar 0:8 biovar 1 for assessment of the infectivity of 0:8 bacteria. The bacteria were shed in the feces for 7-21 days following oral challenge. They were also recovered from intestinal contents and small intestinal Peyer's patches, but not from deeper organs of dogs euthanized 3 and 7 days after oral challenge. Dogs challenged subsequently with 10(10) bacteria showed protection from establishment of the bacteria in the intestinal tract. High titers of serum O-agglutinins developed in the dogs challenged with the bacteria. No clinical or hematological abnormalities were observed. The possibility that dogs may be a source of infection of 0:8 bacteria to human is discussed.
Agglutinins↗
Hydroxyl radical scavenging by rebamipide and related compounds: electron paramagnetic resonance study.
We studied the scavenging activity of rebamipide, a novel antipeptic ulcer agent, and seven related compounds against hydroxyl radicals using the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping technique. 5,5-Dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) was used as a spin trapping agent. We estimated the second order rate constant for the reaction between the agents tested and hydroxyl radical at pH 7.8 by kinetic competition studies. All compounds tested scavenged the hydroxyl radicals with a certain relationship between concentration and scavenging efficacy. A structure-scavenging activity relationship was derived from the kinetic evidence available on the formation and inhibition of the DMPO spin adduct EPR signal of hydroxyl radicals (DMPO-OH). Important determinants for scavenging hydroxyl radicals were the 3,4-double bond of the quinolinone ring in conjunction with a 2-oxo function and the carbonyl portion of the amido group in conjunction with a para-chlorobenzoyl function.
Alanine↗
Multivariate analysis of risk factors for postoperative pneumonia.
PURPOSE: Many risk factors for postoperative pneumonia have been identified, but those for the progression from atelectasis to pneumonia have been poorly examined. We undertook the present study to find risk factors for the progression from atelectasis to pneumonia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We completed a retrospective analysis of 2,969 patients who underwent major abdominal surgery during the past 13 years. RESULTS: Pneumonia developed in 45 patients (1.5%), and postoperative atelectasis with a high risk for the subsequent infection occurred in 44 patients in whom pneumonia did not develop. A series of 13 variables was compared in the two patient categories. By multivariate discriminant analysis, we identified three independent significant correlates of the development of postoperative pneumonia: blood loss of more than 1,200 mL during surgery, age over 65 years, and preoperative utilization of inhalation therapy devices. CONCLUSION: This study shows that a substantial number of cases of postoperative pneumonia can be prevented.
Aged↗
ICAM-1-expressing pocket epithelium, LFA-1-expressing T cells in gingival tissue and gingival crevicular fluid as features characterizing inflammatory cell invasion and exudation in adult periodontitis.
Activated T lymphocytes constitute a major component of inflammatory cells in the early periodontal lesion, and also appear in the gingival crevicular fluid. In an attempt to clarify the relationship between the ICAM-1 (CD54) expression of pocket epithelium in gingiva and the infiltrating lymphocyte population, we carried out an analysis of CD11a+(LFA-1 alpha), CD25+(IL-2R alpha) and CD4+(Th) cells subjacent to ICAM-1-expressing pocket epithelia and CD11a+CD25+CD4+ cells in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). GCF was collected by crevicular washing from 16 patients with periodontitis (P group) and 3 subjects with healthy gingiva (H group). Peripheral blood (PB) was collected at the same time. Mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll-paque gradient centrifugation from GCF and PB. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to CD11a, CD25, and CD4 were used for three-color flow cytometry. Gingival biopsies were obtained from 7 patients in P group and 3 subjects in H group. Serial cryostat sections (6 microns in thickness) were prepared from each biopsy, on which a double staining was performed. The number of CD11a+CD25+CD4+ cells and the fluorescence intensity of FITC conjugated anti-CD11a were significantly higher in GCF than in PB (p < 0.001 to p < 0.01). CD11a+CD25+CD4+ cells were not detected in GCF in H group. The pocket epithelia expressed CD54 in P group, but not in H group. The number of CD11a+, CD25+ and CD4+ cells infiltrating the connective tissue subjacent to the upper, middle and lower parts of the CD54 positive pocket epithelium (n = 16) was 141 +/- 26, 38 +/- 13, 144 +/- 29 (cells/0.04 mm2), respectively, whereas in the CD54 negative pocket epithelium, it was (n = 5) 9 +/- 2, 3 +/- 1, 8 +/- 3. In P group, the CD11a+CD25+CD4+ cell number in GCF correlated with CD25+, CD11a+ cells in the connective tissue subjacent to the CD54+ pocket epithelium. These results indicate that expression of ICAM-1 in pocket epithelium is relevant to the migration of CD11a, CD25, CD4 positive cells in connective tissue subjacent to the pocket epithelium into the periodontal pocket. Assessing the relationship of our findings and other adhesion molecules would offer important clues to the understanding of T cell migration in affected gingiva.
Adult↗
Effect of ferritin on lambda DNA strand breaks in the reaction system of alloxan plus NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase: ferritin's role in diabetogenic action of alloxan.
The incubation of lambda DNA in the reaction system of alloxan plus NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (fp2) in the presence of ferritin caused strand breaks after a lag time of about 5 min. Addition of ferritin to the reaction system at concentrations below 50 micrograms/ml caused the strand breaks of DNA in a concentration-dependent fashion. Catalase, scavengers of hydroxyl radicals (HO.) and iron-chelators almost completely inhibited the DNA strand breaks, but superoxide dismutase (SOD) did not, suggesting that the strand breaks are induced by the generation of HO. via the reaction of H2O2 and Fe(II), namely, the Fenton reaction. When the ferritin was incubated in the reaction system of alloxan plus fp2, the iron release from ferritin increased with incubation time depending on the amount of fp2. The addition of increasing concentrations of ferritin to the reaction system resulted in progressive increase in the iron release and a decrease in the electron spin resonance signal intensity of alloxan radical (HA.), the one electron reduced form of alloxan, suggesting that HA. generated in the reaction system is capable of releasing iron from ferritin. These results support the possibility that the iron released from ferritin may be involved in the diabetogenic action of alloxan.
Alloxan↗