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Biomedical subjects

K Sano

Publications and source records attributed to K Sano.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

[A case of AFP-producing gastric cancer accompanied with testicular tumor].

A case of an AFP-producing gastric cancer accompanied with non-epithelial tumor is reported. A 63-year-old man, complaining of an epigastric hunger pain, was admitted to our hospital. Testing revealed that he had an extremely high level serum AFP (12,400 ng/ml) with no abnormality of liver function. A barium ingestion and a subsequent endoscopic examination determined the existence of a Borrmann III type advanced gastric cancer on the lesser curvature, extending from middle corpus to the antrum. Diagnostic imaging did not reveal any metastatic lesion in liver. After a total gastrectomy, the patient's serum AFP level rapidly decreased, followed by a recurrence he developed of a carcinomatous pleuritis and death. On autopsy, an enlargement of the right testis was noticed for the first time. Histologically, it was found to be a malignant, non-epithelial tumor, which proved negative for anti-AFP staining by the ABC method and positive for anti *L-26. On the other hand, the gastric cancer was a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a hepatoid differentiation which was positive for anti-AFP staining and negative for anti-L-26 so it thus was diagnosed as an AFP-producing gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

I-J as a second T cell receptor for self--molecular polymorphism and the role in suppressive signal transduction.

We have been able to demonstrate an I-J epitope on the cell surface of interleukin 2 (IL-2) dependent T cell clones of both T helper (Th) and suppressor T cells (Ts) lineages by flow microfluorometry with fluoresceinated anti-I-Jk, and to identify the molecule by the specific immunoprecipitation and the gel analysis. The I-J molecule thus detected is a novel 90K dimeric molecule composed of 45K glycopeptide subunits distinct from conventional T cell receptor (TcR) or CD28. The molecule is not comodulated with TcR or T3 on the cell surface. Monoclonal anti-I-J can inhibit various major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted T cell functions including Ca2+ influx, antigen-induced T cell proliferation and IL-2 production, indicating that the ligation of I-J molecules results in a negative signal transduction. Since it has been reported that the I-J phenotype undergoes a systematic adaptive alteration in radiation bone marrow chimeras in association with the acquired class II restriction, it is likely that I-J is a novel receptor for self MHC apart from TcR heterodimer and is required for a negative signal transduction.

Animals↗

[Intravenous hydrocortisone in large doses in the treatment of delayed ischemic neurological deficits following subarachnoid hemorrhage--results of a multi-center controlled double-blind clinical study].

Glucocorticoid in high dose has known to reduce vascular sensitivity to various vasoconstrictive stimuli. It inhibits phospholipase to reduce production of prostaglandins. It stabilizes the cell membrane and prevents cerebral edema. All these pharmacological effects indicate possible usefulness of this drug for the treatment of cerebral ischemia due to vasospasm. Based on these theoretical backgrounds a multi-center controlled double blind clinical study was carried out. The patient who showed manifestations of delayed cerebral ischemia due to vasospasm were selected for this study. As soon as the clinical manifestation appeared, the patient was given either 3 grams of hydrocortisone intravenously in a 60 ml solution or the placebo. The administration was repeated 6 times with interval of 12 hours. The patients were allowed to be treated according to the independent protocol of each institute except for the maximum daily use of glucocorticoid. The effect of the therapy was evaluated at 4th, 7th day and 1 month after the initiation. The study involved 52 institutes and a total of 140 patients, seventy-one patients who received hydrocortisone (group A) and 69 patients who received placebo (group P) was analysed. There were no significant differences in background data between both groups. In patients with grade I, II or III on admission, the favorable effects of hydrocortisone were demonstrated on changes in neurological findings. In group A, there were significantly more cases of improvement at 4th day for orientation about place and person. At 1 month or on discharge group A showed significant improvement almost in every aspect of neurological findings including mental, speech and motor functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[A case of colon cancer with pulmonary metastasis treated effectively by uracil futraful].

A 57-year-old female was admitted for advanced ascending colon cancer with a solitary pulmonary metastasis measuring 1.5 cm in diameter. As laparotomy revealed an absolute noncurable tumor of stage V (H0, p2, s2 n1 (+], palliative right hemicolectomy was performed. A pathological diagnosis of well differentiated adenocarcinoma was made postoperatively. A daily dose of 400 mg of UFT was given orally. After 8 months, plain chest film and tomography revealed a reduction in the size of the pulmonary metastasis to 1.0 cm in diameter. The metastatic lung tumor was controlled for a period of 1 year and 9 months. It was suggested that UFT was rather effective for pulmonary metastasis from colon cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Boron-neutron capture therapy in brain tumors and other cancers--a radiosurgery].

If a certain means enables a selective loading of tumor cells with a stable isotope of boron-10, the tumor tissue can be selectively destroyed when the tumor-containing organ is exposed to slow neutron beams as the result of intracellular heavy particle radiations which arise from boron-10 atoms in the neutron capture reactions. An early clinical trial in the U.S.A. was discontinued after the 1953-1961 series, but the clinical trial resumed in Japan in 1968 has so far treated almost 90 patients with malignant brain tumors. The longest surviving patient has lived 16 years, and two others have lived 10 years. A median survival of 2 years was obtained with 12 patients with grade III - IV gliomas which had been within 6 cm from the cortical surface. This success has caused a reassessment of this therapy throughout the world, and there is an internationally concerted effort is going on in most countries with advanced technology. Application of this therapy to other incurable cancers, such as those of the liver, pancreas, skin and even of the bone-marrow is being sought.

Animals↗

[Changes in capillary permeability in experimental brain tumor].

It is still controversial whether edema fluid around a malignant brain tumor is derived from capillaries inside the tumor itself or not only from tumor vessels but also from peritumoral tissue. The purpose of this study is to clarify the region where the capillary permeability is increased using double autoradiographic method. A suspension of 1 X 10(4) rat glioma cells (RG-12) was stereotactically implanted into the right basal ganglia of C-D Fisher rats. In this model, all animals are dead 20 +/- 1 days after the implantation. Two kinds of tracers, 14C-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and 131I-human serum albumin (HSA), were administered 14 to 17 days after the tumor implantation. In all rats, 14C-AIB was intravenously injected 10 min before decapitation. 131I-HSA was given 10 min before decapitation in five animals (group 1), one hour before in four animals (group 2), and six hours before in three animals (group 3). Autoradiograms for 131I-HSA were exposed for initial one to two days after the decapitation, while the exposure for 14C-AIB was delayed until 4 months later. Autoradiograms of these two tracers were compared with the corresponding sections with H-E stain for neuropathological examination. In group 1, the distribution of HSA as well as AIB was quite similar to tumor itself. In group 2 and group 3, the distributions of AIB were similar to the tumor. However, the distributions of HSA were 1.4 fold larger (group 2) and 3.6 fold larger (group 3) than the tumor and expanded into the peritumoral region.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗

The distribution of total mercury in the brain after the lateral ventricular single injection of methylmercury and glutathione.

We determined the time course of the distribution of total mercury in the brain after the lateral ventricular single injection of methylmercury (Me-Hg) and glutathione (GSH) to confirm our assumption that glutathione have a very important role in methylmercury transport into the brain. The following results were obtained: (1) The transport of methylmercury into the brain was accelerated by glutathione, but was retarded by the surplus glutathione. (2) The increase of glutathione to methylmercury ratio in the dose was tend to uniformize the distribution of total mercury in the brain. These results might suggest that methylmercury is carried with glutathione and transformed into methylmercury-cysteine by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP), and transported into the brain.

Animals↗

Effects of synthetic omega-conotoxin, a new type Ca2+ antagonist, on frog and mouse neuromuscular transmission.

A new type Ca2+ antagonist, synthetic omega-conotoxin (omega-CgTX) decreased the peak height of the endplate potential (EPP) in frog muscle but had no effect on the mouse neuromuscular junction. The reduction of endplate potential in frogs was due to a decrease in transmitter release, since the mean quantal content estimated by variance of EPPs (m) and from the peak heights of EPPs and miniature EPPs (m1) was reduced by omega-CgTX, but the postsynaptic sensitivity to ACh was unaltered. The decrease of mean quantal content caused by omega-CgTX was reversed by 4-aminopyridine, guanidine and Bay K 8644. Also, the effect of omega-CgTX was weakened in the presence of 10 mM Ca2+ or 12 mM Mg2+. Statistical analysis revealed that omega-CgTX decreased the number of quanta available (n) whereas the probability of release (p) remained unaffected.

Animals↗

Tetradecanoylphorbol acetate and terbutaline stimulate surfactant secretion in alveolar type II cells without changing the membrane potential.

Alveolar type II cells were isolated from adult rat lungs after tissue dissociation with elastase. The effect of known secretagogues on transmembrane potential was examined in freshly isolated cells (day 0 cells) and in cells after one day of primary culture (day 1 cells). Freshly isolated type II cells were incubated with 3,3'-dipentyloxacarbocyanine (di-O-C5(3)) or 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine (di-S-C3(5)), dyes whose intracellular fluorescence intensity is a direct function of the cellular transmembrane potential. Fluorescence was continuously recorded by fluorescence spectrophotometry. Type II cells rapidly incorporated the dyes, and the addition of gramicidin (1 microgram/ml) depolarized the cells as indicated by a change in fluorescence. Neither 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) nor terbutaline plus 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), which stimulate surfactant secretion from isolated alveolar type II cells, changed the transmembrane potential. The lipophilic cation triphenylmethylphosphonium (TPMP+) was used to quantitate the transmembrane potential of type II cells cultured for one day. Addition of TPA or terbutaline plus IBMX induced surfactant secretion but did not alter the transmembrane potential. To study further the relationship of secretion to the transmembrane potential, secretion was also determined in the presence of high extracellular potassium which depolarizes the cells and in the presence of choline in place of sodium. High potassium enhanced the basal secretion of phosphatidylcholine from 1.8% to 3.4% (P less than 0.01, n = 7). Substitution of sodium chloride by choline chloride had no effect on basal secretion but enhanced TPA-induced secretion (P less than 0.01). We conclude that high extracellular potassium induces membrane depolarization and stimulates surfactant secretion, but TPA or terbutaline plus IBMX stimulates secretion without detectable membrane depolarization and stimulation of secretion by TPA does not require extracellular sodium.

Animals↗

Gluconate metabolism in germinated spores of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551: primary roles of gluconokinase and the pentose cycle.

The metabolic pathway of gluconate, a major product of glucose metabolism during spore germination, was investigated in Bacillus megaterium QM B1551. Compared to the parent, mutant spores lacking gluconokinase could not metabolize gluconate, whereas the revertant simultaneously restored the enzyme activity and the ability to metabolize it, indicating that gluconokinase was solely responsible for the onset of gluconate metabolism. To identify a further metabolic route for gluconate, we determined 14C yields in acetate and CO2 formed from [14C]gluconate, and found that experimental ratios of 14CO2/[14C]acetate obtained from [2-14C]gluconate and [3,4-14C]gluconate were not compatible with the ratios predicted from the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. In contrast, when CO2 release caused by recycling (approx. 30%) was corrected, the ratios almost agreed with those from the pentose cycle. Comparison of specific radioactivities in acetate also supported the conclusion that gluconate was metabolized via the pentose cycle, subsequently metabolized via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway, and finally degraded to acetate and CO2 without a contribution by the Krebs cycle.

Acetates↗

MHC-restricted minimal regulatory circuit initiated by a class II-autoreactive T cell clone.

The in vivo administration of a self-class II-reactive Th clone MS202 derived from C3H into syngeneic mice resulted in the suppression of both primary and early secondary antibody responses against T cell-dependent antigens. The suppression was due to the generation of antigen-nonspecific Ts cells in the recipient, as the splenic T cells from the mice treated with MS202 were able to strongly suppress the in vitro secondary antibody response of primed syngeneic spleen cells. The dose-response curve of suppression indicated the generation of an effector type Ts that directly suppressed Th. The surface phenotype of Ts was Ly-1+,2-, L3T4+, I-J-. The presence of Ly-1+,2+ T cells was not required to induce the suppression. The suppression was strictly restricted to H-2k, as F1 Ts cells were able to suppress the response of C3H but not of B6 B cells helped by the same F1 Th cells. The experiments with chimeric mice indicated that the direct target of Ts is an MHC-restricted Th but not a B cell or APC. The results indicate the existence of a minimal regulatory circuit where an MHC-restricted Th induces a preprogrammed Ts that in turn directly suppresses Th with the same MHC-restriction specificity. The induction of and suppression by Ts appeared to be due to the direct recognition of MHC restriction sites of Th cells.

Animals↗

Isolation and sequence of a cDNA clone for the rat pulmonary surfactant-associated protein (PSP-A).

Pulmonary surfactant is composed mainly of phospholipid and two groups of apoproteins. One of these apoproteins is a family of glycoproteins (pulmonary surfactant-associated protein A, PSP-A). We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone encoding for rat PSP-A and the full amino acid sequence has been deduced from the nucleotide sequence. The sequence of 56 amino acids at the N-terminus of PSP-A isolated from rats treated with silica was determined independently, and there is complete agreement with the sequence deduced from the cDNA. Isolated rat alveolar type II cells contain two species of mRNA for this protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Neurosurgical treatments of pain--a general survey.

Various ablative procedures for the relief of intractable pain have been briefly described in the previous sections. In Table 5, common types of pain and the procedures which the author thinks indicated for those types are listed. For the relief of cancer pain, if it is unilateral and involving the trunk and extremities, percutaneous cordotomy may be the procedure of choice. If cancer involves the head and neck or the body bilaterally, stereotaxic mesencephalotomy or stereotaxic posteromedial hypothalamotomy may be indicated. For deafferentation pain, dorsal root entry zone lesion, or if it involves the face, trigeminal spinal nucleotomy may be most suitable. Thalamic pain is difficult to treat. Stereotaxic thalamolaminotomy and/or vim-tomy may be worthwhile trying. Other central pain may be treated by thalamolaminotomy. Trigeminal neuralgia is best treated by microvascular decompression. If the patient's condition does not permit this rather major procedure, it can be treated by percutaneous thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion or glycerol injection into the trigeminal cistern. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is also effectively treated by microvascular decompression or by percutaneous thermocoagulation of the petrous ganlion. The neurosurgeon should always bear in mind that effects of ablative procedures may be temporary, and must adopt the best possible procedure for the patient according to his general conditions and his disease.

Central Nervous System↗

The effect of L-cysteine on the portion-selective uptake of cadmium in the renal proximal tubule.

Cadmium (Cd), co-administered with an excess of L-cysteine, accumulates rapidly in the kidneys of the rat. After subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of 3 mumol CdCl2/kg body wt the concentrations of Cd in the blood and kidneys increase with the dose of cysteine over the range 0.06-5.0 mmol/kg body wt. At cysteine doses of less than 1.5 mmol/kg body wt the ratio of the concentrations of Cd in the outer medulla and cortex of the kidney remains the same as that after the injection of Cd alone. This ratio, however, is more than doubled at dose levels of 5-10 mmol cysteine/kg body wt. Hepatic uptake of Cd is unaffected by doses of cysteine below 1.5 mmol/kg body wt but decreases markedly at higher doses. In animals that are dosed simultaneously with 5 mmol cysteine/kg body wt, renal uptake of 109Cd is known to occur in the straight segments of the proximal tubules. At a dose level of less than 1.5 mmol cysteine/kg body wt the present autoradiographical studies show that 109Cd is taken up predominantly by the proximal convoluted tubules of the kidney cortex. At the critical dose level (1.5 mmol/kg body wt), cysteine decreases the retention of Cd at the s.c. injection site, but probably has little effect on the distribution of Cd between protein and other carrier molecules in the blood. This distribution, however, is altered at higher cysteine dose levels. It is suggested that, under the latter conditions, stable Cd-cysteine complexes are formed in the blood and are filtered readily through the glomeruli.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Sequence analysis of the Brevibacterium lactofermentum trp operon.

Brevibacterium lactofermentum, a Gram-positive bacterium, is a commercially important amino acid producer. In this organism, the tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes are encoded within a 7725 bp HapII-BamHI fragment. Seven open reading frames were identified as trp genes by complementation tests with various B. lactofermentum and Escherichia coli tryptophan auxotrophs. Following the nomenclature established for E. coli and Serratia marcescens, the B. lactofermentum trp genes were designated trpL, trpE, trpG, trpD, trpC (including the trpF domain), trpB, and trpA. The organization of these genes is identical to that in S. marcescens. The nucleotide sequences of the putative ribosome-binding sites for the B. lactofermentum trp genes resemble those of E. coli and Bacillus subtilis. Computer analysis revealed that the trp enzymes of B. lactofermentum resemble the enzymes of the Gram-negative E. coli more closely than those of the Gram-positive B. subtilis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure and function of the trp operon control regions of Brevibacterium lactofermentum, a glutamic-acid-producing bacterium.

The trp genes of Brevibacterium lactofermentum lie within a 7.72-kb HapII-BamHI fragment whose sequence has been determined (Matsui et al., 1986). The 5'- and the 3'-flanking regions of this gene cluster were subcloned as a 1.8-kb PstI-PstI and a 0.6-kb XhoI-BamHI fragment, respectively. The 5'-flanking region encodes two open reading frames (ORFs); one corresponds to trpL, while the other corresponds to the N-terminal half of the trpE gene. Within the 17 amino acid residues of the predicted leader peptide encoded by trpL are found three contiguous tryptophan residues. By subcloning parts of the 1.8-kb PstI-PstI fragment into promoter probe vectors, a promoter situated 32 bp upstream from the presumptive trpL gene was identified. The -35 and the -10 region of this promoter, TACACA and AATAAT, respectively, are very similar to the Escherichia coli trp promoter. The trp promoter of B. lactofermentum functions in E. coli. A 14-bp imperfect palindrome that overlaps the -10 region apparently functions in B. lactofermentum but not in E. coli as a trp operator. Upstream of trpE, attenuator-like sequences are found that resemble the corresponding E. coli sequences. The 0.6-kb XhoI-BamHI 3'-flanking fragment contains one ORF that encodes the C-terminal part of trpA. Downstream from trpA lies a Rho-independent terminator that resembles E. coli sequences that are situated downstream from the E. coli trp operon. Thus the trp control regions of the Gram-positive B. lactofermentum are more closely related in structure to the corresponding regions of the Gram-negative E. coli than to those of the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis.

Base Sequence↗