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Biomedical subjects

K Sugimoto

Publications and source records attributed to K Sugimoto.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Surgical treatment of a solitary pancreatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: report of a case.

The pancreas is a rare site of metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We present herein the case of a 47-year-old male in whom a solitary pancreatic metastasis was treated by a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PpPD), 3 years after a radical nephrectomy for a RCC. The few reported cases of surgically treated pancreatic metastases from RCC are reviewed following the presentation of this case.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed1998

Urinary biomarkers monitoring for experimental fluoride nephrotoxicity.

An excess of sodium fluoride (135 mg F/kg body weight) was given in a single oral dose to male Wistar rats. Effects were investigated of fluoride-induced acute kidney intoxication on the time-dependent variations of urine volume. Also, of urinary fluoride ion (F-), alpha-glutathione-S-transferase (alpha-GST), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and creatinine (CR) concentrations. Fluoride administration strongly affects these urinary biochemical indices. Of the several biomarkers studied, alpha-GST is particularly useful as marker of S3 proximal tubule damage. We found that alpha-GST shows the strongest and more durable changes as a result of the large dose of F- given to the experimental animals. Our results suggest that the toxic effect of F- on the kidney may be more pronounced in the proximal tubule than the glomeruli region, and that the disorder of the proximal tubule is more serious in the S3 segment than S1 or S2 segment. Alpha-GST proved to be a useful marker for the early detection and long-term observation of proximal renal tubular injury resulting from F- intoxication. The animal model should help to establish guidelines for the treatment of industrial workers suffering from acute renal failure resulting from accidental exposure to fluoride.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of venodilatory effect of nicardipine, diltiazem, and verapamil in human subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Venodilatory effects of calcium antagonists have not been fully investigated, especially in human subjects. The present study was undertaken to compare the direct venodilatory effects of nicardipine, diltiazem and verapamil using the dorsal hand-vein technique. METHODS: In eight healthy male subjects, increasing doses (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 microg x min(-1)) of these drugs and saline alone were infused, on four separate occasions, into the dorsal hand vein preconstricted with noradrenaline, and its diameter was measured by a linear-variable differential transformer. RESULT AND CONCLUSIONS: Diltiazem caused significant venodilation at a dose of 0.01 microg x min(-1) or more, while verapamil and nicardipine only caused this effect at 1 microg x min(-1) or more. The potency of the effect was diltiazem > verapamil > nicardipine. The venodilation at a dose of 1 microg x min(-1) was 41.7%, 16.2% and 8.5%, respectively, for each drug. These findings indicate that the venodilatory effect of diltiazem is larger than that of verapamil and nicardipine in human subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Optimizing distribution and number of test locations in perimetry.

BACKGROUND: Short programs with few test locations have been proposed for glaucoma screening. Program G1x of the Octopus 1-2-3 automated perimeter is divided into four stages and permits the examination to be stopped after 16, 32, 45, or all 59 test locations. We investigated whether such short programs provide information comparable with that supplied by standard programs in glaucoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 99 visual fields of 81 glaucomatous and 18 glaucoma-suspect right eyes, mean defect (MD) and loss variance (LV) of the entire visual field were compared with MD and LV of the 4 stages of Program G1x. RESULTS: MD of the entire visual field averaged 0.40 dB, with averages of -0.17 dB, 0.34 dB, 0.47 dB, and 1.04 dB for stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. LV of the entire visual field averaged 13.0 dB2 and was similar for all four stages. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the 16 test locations of stage 1 of Program G1x underestimate the visual-field damage present in the entire field. We recommend examination of at least 32 test locations, i.e., two stages of Program G1x. However, a prospective study is required to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of short programs for glaucoma screening. The selection of test locations for the stages might be improved.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The influence of iris color on the pupillary light reflex.

BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of iris color on the pupillary light reflex (PLR) in normal healthy volunteers. METHODS: Pupil perimetry was performed on 50 healthy volunteers with the Octopus 1-2-3 automated perimeter. Within the 30-deg visual field, 33 test locations were investigated four times. Stimulus parameters were Goldmann size V (1.72 degrees), intensity 1632 cd/m2, stimulus time 200 ms, background illumination 0 cd/m2, and interstimulus interval 3 s. Pupillometric parameters studied were initial pupil size, amplitude (magnitude of pupillary contraction), latency time, contraction time, pre-PLR movement, contraction velocity, and redilation velocity. Pupillometric parameters were investigated by analysis of variance by the independent variables blue and brown irides. RESULTS: Iris color (blue vs brown) influenced statistically significantly (P < 0.05) amplitude (0.504 mm vs 0.594 mm), contraction time (401 ms vs 407 ms), contraction velocity (13.75 mm2/s vs 16.01 mm2/s), and redilation velocity (4.80 mm2/s vs 5.66 mm2/s). Iris color did not influence initial pupil size (4.78 mm vs 4.83 mm), latency time (520 mm vs 521 ms), and pre-PLR movement (0.328 mm2/s vs 0.325 mm2/s). CONCLUSIONS: Pupillary contraction amplitude and velocity depended on iris color, whereas pupil size and latency time were independent of iris color. Therefore, iris color might be considered when, evaluating pupillary movements in pupil perimetry.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

An enzymatic assay for erythrocyte creatine as an index of the erythrocyte life time.

OBJECTIVES: To establish and estimate an enzymatic measurement of creatine in erythrocytes as an index of the erythrocyte life time. DESIGN AND METHOD: The measurement of creatine in erythrocytes was performed using an enzymatic assay kit that was developed for serum and urine creatine. An erythrocyte sample was subjected to creatine measurement after hemolysis and deproteinization. Performance of the method for creatine measurement in erythrocytes was estimated. Effects of age and gender on the creatine content of erythrocytes were also estimated in 305 normal subjects. RESULTS: The method showed within-run CVs varying from 0.7 to 1.0% (n = 20), and between-day CVs from 1.3 to 1.7% (15 days). Good linearity was observed at least up to 1000 mumol/L as creatine value in hemolyzed sample. The analytical recovery was calculated to be 98.1 +/- 1.3% on average. No considerable interference by various substances, including guanidino compounds and amino acids, with the assay was observed. Excellent correlation was observed between the present method and high performance liquid chromatography. With the unit of mumol/g Hb: slope, 1.034 +/- 0.003 (mean +/- SD); intercept, -0.059 +/- 0.012 (mean +/- SD); correlation coefficient, 0.9996; and Sy.x, 0.069. With the unit of mumol/L RBC: slope, 1.033 +/- 0.003 (mean +/- SD); intercept, -18.23 +/- 3.55 (mean +/- SD); correlation coefficient 0.9996; and Sy.x, 20.40. A significant increase in erythrocyte creatine was observed in females aged 11- to 50 years old as compared with males in the corresponding age bracket, however, a gender difference was not observed in other age bracket. This finding suggests the possibility of a slight decrease in the erythrocyte life time due to menstruation in females. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the present method is favorable for quantifying erythrocyte creatine, and has analytical characteristics suitable for routine work in clinical laboratories.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The diagnostic problem associated with blunt traumatic azygous vein injury: delayed appearance of right haemothorax after blunt chest trauma.

Azygous vein injury (AVI) associated with blunt chest trauma is rare, but it can become a very serious problem if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. However, in 13 reported cases of AVI, including the present case, right hemothorax was not found on the initial chest X-ray film, even though its delayed appearance was confirmed in 3 out of 13 patients (23.1%). Thus, the diagnosis of AVI can be hampered because of delayed right hemothorax (DRH).

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1998

Fusion of influenza virus with the endosomal membrane is inhibited by monoclonal antibodies to defined epitopes on the hemagglutinin.

Epitopes on the hemagglutinin (HA) of A/seal/Massachusetts/1/80 (H7N7) influenza virus were mapped by genetic analysis of variants selected with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Electron microscopic studies demonstrated that the sites and the directions to which hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) MAbs and non-HI MAbs bound were different on the HA molecule. Morphological analysis revealed that HI MAbs blocked attachment of the virus to the cells, while non-HI MAbs did not. Virus particles bound with non-HI MAbs were then found in the intracellular vacuoles. Together with the electron microscopic findings, a fluorescence dequenching assay indicated that non-HI MAbs inhibited the fusion of virus with the intracellular vacuolar membrane. It was thus shown that non-HI neutralizing MAbs did not inhibit attachment of the virus to the host cell receptor, but inhibited the fusion step in intracellular vacuoles. The results support the hypothesis that anti-HA MAbs which lack HI activity neutralize viral infectivity by interfering with the low pH-induced conformational change in the HA molecule, resulting in inhibition of the fusion step in the viral replication process (Kida, H., Yoden, S., Kuwabara, M., Yanagawa, R., 1985. Interference with a conformational change in the HA molecule of influenza virus by antibodies as a possible neutralization mechanism. Vaccine 3, 219-222).

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Oblique alignment of stress fibers in cells reduces the mechanical stress in cyclically deforming fields.

The stress fiber (bundles of actin filaments) is one of the most prominent cytoskeletal components that contributes to the maintenance of cell architecture. It has generally been believed that upon cyclic stretching, both cells and their stress fibers become perpendicularly aligned to the direction of stretching. However, using our newly developed stretching device, we have recently found the contrary evidence that stress fibers in endothelial cells rapidly become rearranged at a specific oblique angle relative to the direction of stretching [Takemasa, T., K. Sugimoto, K. Yamashita: Exp. Cell Res. 230, 407-410 (1997)]. In light of this finding, we attempted to establish the explanation for such a phenomenon. First, we investigated the effects of possible modulators on the angle of the stress fibers; those were, modification of the stretching program, dependency of extracellular matrix types, and their reproducibility in other cell species. However, it seemed that the orientation was solely depending on the stretching amplitude applied. Next, we analyzed alterations in stress fiber length during loading tests using two kinds of deforming experiment systems. It was thus revealed that stress fibers aligned at a particular angle so as to minimize their length alterations in cyclic deforming fields. Rearrangement of the stress fibers at this angle probably occurs as a result of avoiding compressive stress and may be interpreted as a way of reducing the mechanical stress to which they are subjected during the deformation. This hypothesis well explains the reason not only for the survival of the stress fibers at a particular oblique angle, but also for the reduced numbers of stress fibers found at the other angles on cyclic deforming fields.

Actins↗
PubMed1998

Purification and partial amino acid sequences of the binding protein from Bombyx mori for CryIAa delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis.

The binding protein for Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin, CryIAa, from the brush border membrane of the midgut of Bombyx mori was purified by the dot blot method and delta-endotoxin affinity chromatography. The binding protein was purified to 235-fold enrichment from cholic acid extracts of brush border membranes from B. mori midgut by activated CryIAa-affinity chromatography and DEAE ion-exchange chromatography. The purified binding protein showed a single band of 180 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and this band specifically reacted to 125I-labeled CryIAa on Immobilon membrane. The affinity of the binding protein for CryIAa was equivalent to that of the brush border membrane vesicles and solubilized membrane proteins. Partial amino acid sequences of the binding protein showed sequence similarity to the cadherin-like binding protein for CryIAb from Manduca sexta, but not for CryIAc binding protein from M. sexta and Heliothis virescens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Establishment and characterization of bone marrow stroma-dependent leukemia cell line, HB-1.

Radiation-induced M361 leukemia bearing mice (M361 mice) show characteristics of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with granulocytosis. Granulocyte-macrophage colony forming unit (CFU-GM) increased in the bone marrow and spleen and high activity of colony stimulating factor (CSF) was found in the sera of M361 mice. A cell line (HB-1) was established from the spleen cells of M361 mice. Injection of HB-1 cells induced a similar leukemic response as M361 in syngeneic mice. HB-1 cells did not survive in the suspension culture, but proliferated when cultured on hemopoietic supportive stromal cells (MS-10). HB-1 cells appear to be strictly dependent on the hemopoietic supportive bone marrow stroma, which would provide a useful model for the study of cell-cell interactions between hemopoietic cells and marrow stromal cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Transcriptional activation of the tobacco retrotransposon Tto1 by wounding and methyl jasmonate.

The tobacco retrotransposon Tto1, one of a few active retrotransposons of plants, has been shown to be activated by tissue culture. Its transposition is regulated mainly at the transcriptional level. It is shown here that expression of Tto1 can be induced in leaves of tobacco by wounding stress. Exogenous supply of methyl jasmonate, which is known to be a potent inducer of certain wound-responsive genes in plants, also induces Tto1 RNA expression. Tto1 RNA was detected within 2 to 4 h after wounding/cutting treatment, and increased levels of Tto1 RNA were observed during subsequent incubation periods for 48 h. Expression of Tto1 RNA after cutting treatment was induced more significantly in young expanding leaves rather than in older mature leaves, suggesting that developmental or physiological factors may be required for the strong response to Tto1 transcription to wounding stimuli. Experiments with transgenic tobacco plants carrying the Tto1-LTR: beta-glucuronidase fusion gene (LTR:GUS) revealed that Tto1 actually contains cis-regulatory regions in response to wounding and methyl jasmonate. These findings are discussed in relation to the mechanism of transcriptional activation and the evolutionary role played by retrotransposons.

Acetates↗
PubMed1998

Nucleotide specificity at the boundary and size requirement of the target sites recognized by human centromere protein B (CENP-B) in vitro.

Human centromere protein B (CENP-B) has a sequence-specific DNA binding activity. We previously reported several CENP-B binding motifs by analysing synthetic oligonucleotides as well as alphoid DNA isolated from the human genomic library. Here, we examined the size requirement and nucleotide specificity of human CENP-B binding sequences in vitro. We synthesized three sets of mixed oligonucleotides containing diverged authentic binding sites (CTTCGTTGGAAACGGGA) in which certain pairs of nucleotides (underlined) were degenerated. Each oligonucleotide with a defined sequence was separately introduced into a plasmid and mixed with GST-fused recombinant CENP-B. The DNA-protein complex formed was affinity purified with glutathione Sepharose. Any nucleotide substitutions at the positions 1, 2 and 17 did not significantly influence the recovery, while the substitutions at positions 3, 4 and 16 did, suggesting that the internal 14-bp motif (TCGTTGGAAACGGG) constituted the minimum requirement. However, it showed a lower affinity to CENP-B, compared with the authentic motif. The inclusion of T at the 5' end greatly increased the affinity, and the further addition of A or T at the 3' end (TTCGTTGGAAACGGGA/T) offered affinity similar to the authentic motif. The first nucleotide of the 17-bp authentic binding motif may not be essential for CENP-B binding.

Autoantigens↗
PubMed1998

cDNA cloning of a novel autoantigen targeted by a minor subset of anti-centromere antibodies.

Using autoimmune serum from a patient with anti-centromere antibodies, we have identified and partially characterized a novel protein with a mol. wt of approximately 27 kD (hereafter referred to as p27). A cDNA expression library was screened with this serum, and two overlapping inserts were isolated among three positive clones other than clones corresponding to centromere protein (CENP)-B and CENP-C. Analysis of the sequence showed an open reading frame of approximately 0.6 kb encoding 199 amino acids with a predicted mol. wt of 21.5 kD. Immunoblotting analysis with bacterial recombinant p27 showed that approximately 2% of anti-centromere antibody-positive patients had autoantibodies to p27, whereas only one of 215 autoimmune patients without anti-centromere antibodies reacted with the recombinant. All five cases with anti-p27 antibodies, who were diagnosed as having scleroderma and/or Sjögren's syndrome, showed internal organ involvement. Although affinity-purified anti-p27 human or mouse polyclonal antibodies failed to stain any cellular structures in an immunofluorescence study, the potential association of anti-p27 with anti-centromere antibodies suggests that this novel autoantigen might play a role in mitosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Drug-induced Cushing syndrome in a patient with ulcerative colitis after betamethasone enema: evaluation of plasma drug concentration.

The authors report the induction of Cushing syndrome by daily betamethasone enema in a patient with ulcerative colitis, and they determine for the first time the pharmacokinetic profile of betamethasone after rectal dosing. The authors found high plasma concentrations of betamethasone, which could have been enough to cause Cushing syndrome. Suppression of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis disappeared after the dose schedule was changed from every day to three times a week. These findings suggest that a considerable amount of betamethasone is absorbed after rectal dosing.

Administration, Rectal↗
PubMed1998

Time-dependent cyclosporine A-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

1. We investigated the toxicity of cyclosporine A (CsA) with reference to the timing of its administration in rats. 2. To elucidate the time-dependent effects of CsA on renal function and survival rate, CsA (75 mg/kg per day) or vehicle was orally administered once daily at four different times (3, 9, 15 and 21 h after lights on; HALO) over a period of 21 days to male Wistar rats (n = 56) kept in rooms with a 12 h light-dark cycle. 3. On the 7th day after treatment, creatinine clearances (Ccr) of groups dosed at 3 and 9 HALO (inactive period) were not reduced in comparison with clearances of time-matched control rats, whereas Ccr significantly decreased in rats dosed at 15 and 21 HALO (active period). Cyclosporine A markedly increased urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) excretion in all dosed groups at the 7th day after treatment, except for rats dosed at 3 HALO. In rats dosed at 3 HALO, Ccr decreased progressively; however, it did not decrease progressively in rats dosed at 9 HALO. In surviving rats treated during the inactive period, urine NAG subsequently returned to control levels. Survival rates were greater in animals dosed during inactive periods than those in groups dosed during active periods. 4. Significant differences in CsA-induced toxicity were obvious as a result of the timing of its administration. A different time course between Ccr and urine NAG excretion was observed during repeated CsA administration. Degenerative changes in proximal tubules were demonstrated after chronic administration of CsA, suggesting that severe and persistent tubular damage cannot be assessed by urinary NAG excretion.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1998

Power Doppler imaging of hepatic tumours: differential diagnosis between hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma.

We evaluated the usefulness of power Doppler imaging in the differential diagnosis between hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Forty-seven patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 18 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma were evaluated using power Doppler imaging. The colour signals of hepatic tumours were graded as follows: 1, colour signals only in the marginal area; 2, small dot or dotted line colour signals within the tumours; 3, continuous solid line colour signals within the tumours. The grade 3 colour signals were classified in the following three patterns; winding line pattern, stretched line pattern and mixed pattern. The colour signals of hepatocellular carcinoma were grade 1 in seven patients, grade 2 in 11 and grade 3 in 29. The colour signals of metastatic adenocarcinoma were grade 1 in three patients and grade 3 in 15. Of the 29 hepatocellular carcinoma patients with a grade 3 signal, 26 patients had winding line patterns and three had mixed patterns. Of the 15 metastatic adenocarcinoma patients with a grade 3 signal, 12 patients had stretched line patterns and three had mixed patterns. In conclusion, power Doppler imaging is useful in the differential diagnosis between hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma to evaluate the colour signal pattern within the tumour.

Adenocarcinoma↗