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Biomedical subjects

K Shinohara

Publications and source records attributed to K Shinohara.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[A case of congenital complete heart block in a mother with anti-52 kD SS-A/Ro antibodies].

We report a case of congenital complete heart block (CCHB). A 38-year-old woman was admitted our hospital because of fetal bradycardia at 21 weeks 3 days of gestational age. She had no symptom of collagen disease. On admission, laboratory data showed positive anti-nuclear antibodies, anti-SS-A/Ro antibodies and anti-52 kD SS-A/Ro antibodies. But anti-60 kD SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La antibodies were negative. Consequently anti-52 kD SS-A/Ro antibodies positive woman had an infant with CCHB. The baby was equipped with pacemaker at the age of 2 months. This report suggests that anti-52 kD SS-A/Ro antibodies may play an important role in the development of CCHB.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Neonatal lupus erythematosus: studies on HLA class II genes and autoantibody profiles in Japanese mothers.

Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is a rare disorder of neonates characterized by two major clinical manifestations: congenital heart block and cutaneous lupus lesions. The disease is associated with placentally transferred maternal anti-Ro/SSA and/or La/SSB antibodies. To clarify possible class II HLA associations with maternal autoantibody responses, haplotypic and allelic distributions, along with the polymorphism of the MHC class II HLA alleles, were analyzed based on PCR-RFLP results in 25 Japanese mothers of two groups defined by precipitating autoantibody profiles. Among mothers with both anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies, but not those with anti-Ro/SSA alone, the class II haplotypes DRB1*1101-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0301 and DRB1*08032-DQA1*0103-DQB1*0601 as well as individual class II alleles DRB1*1101, DRB1*08032 and DQB1*0301 showed significantly increased frequencies compared to those in normal controls. All anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB positive mothers carried DRB1 alleles that shared the same amino acid residues at positions 14-31 and 71 of the DRB1 chain. These mothers also carried homozygous or heterozygous DQ6 and DQ3 alleles that shared the same amino acid residues at positions 27-36 and 71-77 of hypervariable regions of the DQB1 chain. Furthermore, all mothers with both anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB were homozygous for DPB1*0501. Nine of 10 anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB-positive mothers, but only 6 of 15 mothers with anti-Ro/SSA alone, had affected infants. Thus, our findings suggest that there may be immunogenetic differences among mothers according to their autoantibody profiles, and that mothers with both anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB are more likely to have infants with NLE than mothers with anti-Ro/SSA alone.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[The detection of minimal residual disease by DEK/CAN chimeric m-RNA in a case of AML M2 with translocation t(6;9) (p23;q34) after chemotherapy and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation].

A 18-year old female with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), M2 had translocation: t(6;9) (p23; q34). The patient entered into hematological complete remission after two courses of BHAC-DMP chemotherapy with disappearance of cytogenetic abnormality. However, minimal residual disease (MRD) detected with DEK/CAN chimeric m-RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was continuously observed, although decreased quantitatively, following several courses of consolidation and intensification chemotherapies. MRD was detected also in the harvested peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). Leukemia relapsed with the reappearance of t(6;9) 2 months after the subsequent peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Leukemia became refractory to chemotherapy, and the patient died 5 months thereafter.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Prospective evaluation of prostate specific antigen and prostate specific antigen density in the detection of carcinoma of the prostate: ethnic variations.

PURPOSE: We evaluated prospectively the ethnic variations in prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate specific antigen density in the detection of carcinoma of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 297 consecutive patients with an elevated serum PSA and/or abnormal digital rectal examination underwent transrectal ultrasound with lesion directed and systematic biopsy (6 if the prostatic volume was 50 cc or less and 12 if it was greater than 50 cc). Receiver operating characteristic curves, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for PSA and PSA density for white and black patients. Ethnic analysis was performed for the entire group, patients with a normal digital rectal examination, and those with a normal digital rectal examination and PSA of 4 to 10 ng./ml. RESULTS: Of the 297 patients 131 (44%) had cancer, including 48 of 97 black (50%) and 83 of 200 white (42%) patients. Median PSA, PSA density and prostate size did not differ between the positive or negative biopsy groups, or between the ethnic groups in any of the analyses. If all digital rectal examinations were considered PSA density was superior to PSA by receiver operating characteristic analysis for cancer detection in both ethnic groups when all values or PSA of 4 to 10 ng./ml. were considered. However, the significance was lost if only patients with a normal digital rectal examination were considered. In general, predictive values were greater in black patients. Likelihood ratios for a negative test result in black patients demonstrated significant changes in the post-test probability if a PSA density cutoff of 0.1 was used to determine the need for biopsy. Many unnecessary biopsies could be avoided and few cancers would be missed. CONCLUSIONS: A PSA density cutoff of 0.1 may be warranted in determining the need for prostate biopsy in black men with a normal digital rectal examination.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Accelerated tumor proliferation rates in locally recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: We compared the growth rates of primary cancer and prostatic fossa recurrence after radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor proliferative rates were studied in 26 patients with biopsy proved prostatic fossa recurrences after radical prostatectomy. Proliferation was calculated in the prostatectomy specimens and in recurrent cancer using Ki-67 antibody to detect dividing cells. RESULTS: Mean and median labeling indexes for radical prostatectomy specimens were 2.96 and 2.51, respectively. Labeling indexes in locally recurrent tumors were significantly higher (mean 6.47, median 5.59, p < 0.001). The increase in labeling index between parent and recurrent tumors was unrelated to pathological staging at prostatectomy or interval from radical prostatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Tumors that recur locally after radical prostatectomy appear to have a higher proliferative rate compared to parent tumors.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1997

[Femoral to radial artery pressure gradient in the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass].

Femoral to radial artery pressure gradient was evaluated in 14 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). CPB was instituted at a flow rate of 2.6 l.min-1.m-2, using non-pulsatile pump and blood temperature of pump arterial line was controlled to maintain bladder temperature between 36 and 37 degrees C. Pressure gradients occurred 30 min after commencement of CPB and the mean gradients of systolic, diastolic and mean artery pressure were maximum all at the end of CPB (38 +/- 7 mmHg, 4 +/- 1 mmHg and 10 +/- 2 mmHg). These pressure gradients remained until the end of the surgery. Throughout the operation, nasopharyngeal and blood temperature remained unchanged, while mean palm temperature increased from 31.8 degrees C (after induction) to 34.6 degrees C (30 min after commencement of CPB) and thereafter remained between 33.3 and 33.9 degrees C. This increase in peripheral temperature might indicate that normothermic CPB was accompanied by peripheral vasodilatation. These results indicate that the magnitude of femoral to radial pressure gradient during normothermic CPB is similar to that during mild hypothermic CPB.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Cryosurgery for locally advanced (T3) prostate cancer.

Cryosurgery of prostate cancer results in epithelial destruction. An undetectable serum prostate-specific antigen and absence of cancer by biopsy is related to cancer stage. The best results are seen in patients with low stage disease. Recurrence is more common in those patients with seminal vesicle invasion or apical involvement by cancer. Morbidity is not insignificant. The risk of urinary retention can be minimized by the use of an effective urethral warming device and more prolonged urethral catheterization after the procedure. Impotence is common in patients who undergo complete cryoablation of the prostate.

Catheterization↗
PubMed1997

[BUN, Bence Jones protein, and chromosomal aberrations predict survival in multiple myeloma].

The prognostic significance of of some clinical features in 41 patients with multiple myeloma (including 2 patients with plasma cell leukemia) from our institution was analyzed. Out of 14 variables isolated from the univariate analysis (P < 0.05), only three (BUN, Bence Jones protein, and chromosomal aberrations) were significant in the multivariate model (P < 0.05). Derived from these three variables, three subpopulations of patients were identified. The first group included 20 patients with a low risk of death and their median survival has not been reached. In particular, no one died during the first 60 months in this group. The second group also included 14 patients with an intermediate risk of death and a median survival of 49.2 months. The third group comprised seven patients with a high risk of death during 24 months after diagnosis and a median survival of 31.6 months (P < 0.0001). Finally, Durie & Salmon's myeloma staging system was demonstrated in the present series, and it showed prognostic validity for each stage (P < 0.0222). Compared with Durie & Salmon's staging system, our prognostic model for multiple myeloma was more useful to predict prognosis when applied to the present series.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Isolation and characterization of the gene encoding an aminopeptidase involved in the selective toxicity of ascamycin toward Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri.

An aminopeptidase gene named XAP has been isolated from Xanthomonas campestris pv. citri, a plant pathogenic bacterium. The bacterium is one of the rare micro-organisms susceptible to ascamycin, an aminoacyl nucleoside antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis. Sequence analysis reveals that the gene encodes a 311 amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 35134 Da and approx. 50% identity for amino acids to the proline iminopeptidase from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The XAP gene product, Xap, expressed in Escherichia coli has proline iminopeptidase activity as well as ascamycin dealanylating activity in vitro.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1996

Apoptosis induction resulting from proteasome inhibition.

Proteases are known to be involved in the apoptotic pathway. We report here that benzyloxycarbonyl (Z)-Leu-Leu-leucinal(ZLLLal), a leupeptin analogue, can induce apoptosis in MOLT-4 and L5178Y cells. ZLLLal is a cell-permeant inhibitor of proteasome. Among the protease inhibitors tested, only calpain inhibitor I (acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal) and ZLLLal caused a marked induction of apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells. In contrast Z-Leu-leucinal, a specific inhibitor of calpain, did not induce apoptosis. When MOLT-4 cells were incubated in the presence of ZLLLal, p53 accumulated in the cells. These results strongly suggest that inhibition of proteasome induces p53-dependent apoptosis and that proteasome can protect cell from apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Substance P receptor regulates the photic induction of Fos-like protein in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of Syrian hamsters.

Substance P (SP) is a candidate neurotransmitter or neuromodulator for conveying light information from the retina to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) where a circadian oscillator(s) is located in mammals. Immediate early gene c-fos has been demonstrated to be induced in the SCN with a brief light exposure at the subjective night, and suggested to play an important role in the photic entrainment of the oscillator. To clarify the possibility of an involvement of the SP receptor in the photic-induction of c-fos in the SCN, we examined effects of a SP receptor antagonist, spantide, on the light-induced Fos-like protein immunoreactivity (Fos-lir) in the SCN of Syrian hamster. The light-induced Fos-lir was inhibited with the pretreatment of spantide in a dose-related manner and in an anatomically distinctive way. The higher dose of spantide (8 nmol) blocked light-induced Fos-lir substantially in the rostral and central areas of the SCN, and in the dorsal portion of the caudal SCN. However, it blocked Fos-lir only slightly in the ventral portion of the caudal SCN. These results suggest that the SP is involved in conveying light information to induce Fos protein in the hamster SCN, and that different neurotransmitter systems are involved in the light-induced Fos-lir in the different portions of hamster SCN.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

X-ray Holographic Microscopy of Biological Specimens with an Electronic Zooming Tube.

X-ray holographic microscopy of biological specimens has been performed using in-line holography with the following improvements: (i) an electronic zooming tube is utilized as a detector, and (ii) the object planes are restricted by a metal frame which is not transparent to X-rays at the wavelengths used in the present experiments. The latter modification is useful in computer reconstruction and serves as a reference area where there are no photons in the reconstructed images. This system can minimize the inclusion of errors when recording and reading out holograms compared with methods using an X-ray resist as a detector, or optical reconstruction methods. Two-dimensional images of human cells have been successfully obtained with the present system. Comparison of these images with optical images revealed a good coincidence in structure outlines but not in internal structure images. Holographic observation of HeLa cells at different wavelengths showed a wavelength dependence of the reconstructed images. Since the electronic zooming tube is applicable to a wide range of X-ray wavelengths and has a promising potential to improve its resolution, these results strongly suggest that the present system is a good candidate for the development and establishment of an X-ray holographic microscopy system.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of transrectal ultrasound prostatic volume estimation with magnetic resonance imaging volume estimation and surgical specimen weight in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

There are relatively few reports in the literature comparing transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in estimating the volume of the prostate in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In this study, we compared volumes determined by TRUS with MRI and TRUS-estimated weights with surgical specimen weights. The main findings of this study were (a) TRUS and MRI measurement of prostate volumes are quite similar; and (b) TRUS underestimates (by 10%) the prostatic weight as determined from the surgical specimens. A better volume estimate can thus be obtained by multiplying the TRUS measurement by a factor of 1.10. We conclude that because TRUS is cheap, user-friendly, noninvasive, and equally as accurate as MRI, it should be the preferred modality in the follow-up of BPH patients.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in human myocardial infarction.

To define mechanisms that may influence collateral circulation and angiogenesis, we investigated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression in human hearts. In non-ischemic human hearts, VEGF mRNA was not detected in vessels, but was found in cardiomyocytes. In hearts with myocardial infarction, the intensity of the VEGF signal was much higher in smooth muscle cells of arterioles adjacent to necrosis and in infiltrating macrophages than in myocytes around the site of the necrosis. This study suggests that levels of VEGF expression are high in smooth muscle cells and macrophages around infarcted areas after myocardial infarction and that VEGF may play a role in promoting collateral circulation and angiogenesis in human ischemic hearts.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Detection of locally recurrent prostate cancer after cryosurgery: evaluation by transrectal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and three-dimensional proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the clinical usefulness of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and three-dimensional proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (3-D MRSI) in detecting local recurrence of carcinoma of the prostate (CaP) in patients with detectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after cryosurgery. METHODS: In a prospective study, 25 patients who had undergone cryosurgery as primary treatment for CaP underwent endorectal MRI and 3-D MRSI, followed by TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. At the time of study, 20 patients had detectable PSA; the remaining 5 patients served as controls. All patients had random sextant and guided prostate biopsy for correlation with imaging and MR spectroscopic findings. RESULTS: In patients with detectable PSA, MRSI identified, location-for-location, all foci of CaP and benign prostatic tissue that were detected by prostate biopsy. MRSI identified more sites with CaP than did prostate biopsy, indicating a larger volume of cancer. In 2 patients with detectable PSA and negative prostate biopsy, MRSI identified 11 voxels with viable prostatic tissue. In patients with undetectable PSA, both MRSI and prostate biopsy showed necrosis. Ultrasound and MRI were very poor tools for identifying recurrent cancer and differentiating between viable and necrotic prostate tissue. CONCLUSIONS: 3-D MRSI is superior to TRUS and MRI in differentiating among CaP, BPH, and necrosis when local recurrence after cryosurgery is suspected. By providing chemical mapping of the prostate in contiguous voxels, the addition of spectroscopy to endorectal MRI increases the sensitivity for detection of local recurrence.

Aged↗