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Biomedical subjects

K Tamura

Publications and source records attributed to K Tamura.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Changes of immunological response after experimentally ozonated autohemoadministration in calves.

Changes in subsets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lymphocyte blastogenesis reaction were observed after ozonated autohemoadministration (OAHA) in calves. Ten healthy calves were used in this study. After OAHA, CD8+ cells, CD14+ cells and WCl+cells increased (p<0.05). The level of lymphocyte blastogenesis stimulated by PHA decreased after OAHA. A significant increase in serum IL-6 activity was observed in OAHA calves. These results suggested that OAHA induced immunological changes in calves.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Acute phase response in naturally occurring coliform mastitis.

Changes in the activities of serum cytokines and in acute phase response were observed in dairy cows with naturally occurring coliform mastitis. Seven cows with severe mastitis showed systemic and mammary inflammatory response throughout the observation period, and 11 cows with mild mastitis recovered and were able to be milked within 3 days of onset of mastitis. Serum interleukin (IL)-I and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activities were higher in the severe group than in the mild group at the first appearance of symptoms. Elevated IL-1 activity was evident in the severe group throughout the observation period. Serum alpha-1-acidglycoprotein (alpha1AG) concentration began to rise with the beginning of mastitis in the severe group, and peaked at 9 days. Serum haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations peaked at 3 days, and decreased gradually after 3 days in the severe group. These results showed that there are dynamic changes in serum IL-1 activity and in serum alpha1AG and Hp concentrations in cows with severe coliform mastitis.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed2001

Spontaneous eosinophilic granulated round cell tumors in rats.

Morphologic and histochemical characteristics were noted for three spontaneous tumors with eosinophilic cytoplasmic granules that occurred in aged Fischer 344 rats. Macroscopic lesions were widely distributed in the body, mainly involving the intra-abdominal adipose tissue, pancreas, and mesenterium. These lesions were generally hard swellings with nodular and sclerosing areas. Bloody ascites was a concomitant finding. Histologically, the tumor cells were round, from 9 to 30 microm in diameter with one or two round to oval nuclei, and characterized by eosinophilic granules (0.5-2.0 microm) that stained definitely to weakly positive with the periodic acid-Schiff reaction and demonstrated no metachromasia with toluidine blue stain. Furthermore, the granules were characterized by a positive reaction with lectin histochemistry for concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin (PHA-E4), lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA), and recinus communis agglutinin (RCA-I) in all tumors and for ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA-I), peanut agglutinin (PNA), and soybean agglutinin (SBA) in one tumor. Positive reactions for anti-rat mast cell protease II and CD8 were not demonstrated immunohistochemically. Abundant glycogen was noted in the large tumor cells from one rat. With electron microscopy, the cytoplasmic granules were identified as electron-dense homogenous bodies bounded by a single unit membrane. These characteristics are similar to those of granulated metrial gland cells, but further study is needed to clarify the cell of origin for these tumors.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

Immunohistopathologic demonstration of pleuropneumonia associated with Morganella morganii in a piglet.

Serofibrinous pleuropneumonia in a piglet was examined microbiologically and immunohistopathologically. Large numbers of Morganella morganii were isolated from the pneumonic lesion, but no other pathogens were identified. A large amount of M. morganii antigen was demonstrated, and its distribution was closely associated with the histologic lesion. This finding suggests that pleuropneumonia in piglets might be caused by M. morganii.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Interleukin-6 inhibits the expression of luteinizing hormone receptor mRNA during the maturation of cultured rat granulosa cells.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its receptor components have been shown to be present in rat follicular granulosa cells. The present study was designed to examine the effect of this cytokine on changes in expression of the luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) messenger RNA and of the steroidogenic enzyme, CYP11A1 (cytochrome P450 scc) in an in vitro model of granulosa cell maturation. Ovarian granulosa cells harvested from immature rats 2 days after treatment with equine chorionic gonadotropin were cultured for 48 h in media containing 10% fetal bovine serum. They were then transferred to a chemically defined serum-free medium and cultured for an additional 72 h. Within 24 h of transfer, the expressions of LHR and CYP11A1 mRNA increased significantly and remained increased for 72 h. The cells responded to exposure to FSH, but not LH, by an increase in production of cAMP before the additional 72 h of culture. The cAMP response to LH was attained within 24 h and persisted for 72 h, whereas the response to FSH decreased continuously with time. Inclusion of IL-6 in the culture medium caused a dose-dependent decrease in expression of LHR mRNA, in addition to a decrease in the cAMP response to LH. Immunoneutralization of endogenous granulosa cell IL-6 resulted in an increase in expression of LHR mRNA, but not CYP11A1 mRNA. The results are consistent with the view that IL-6 may have a physiological role in the maturation of ovarian follicles by modulating the attainment of the LHR in granulosa cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Splenic lymphoproliferative disorders in human T lymphotropic virus type-I endemic area of japan: clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and genetic analysis of 27 cases.

Primary splenic involvement in lymphoid neoplasms is rare and the clinicopathologic features of splenic lymphoma are not well described compared to nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Here we characterized splenic lymphomas in an human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) endemic area of Japan. To assess the pattern of splenic involvement and evaluate prognosis, we reviewed 27 specimens consisting of 26 splenectomies and one necropsy, which were classified using REAL classification. Cases were divided into primary splenic lymphoma in 11 patients and secondary in 16 patients. The incidence of primary splenic lymphoma was 0.3% (11 of approximately 4,000 malignant lymphomas). Primary splenic lymphomas included 7 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBL), 2 follicular lymphomas (FL), and 1 each of splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Secondary splenic lymphomas included 6 DLBL, 4 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), 2 FL, 2 Hodgkin's disease (HD), 1 each of hairy cell leukemia and ALCL. Gross examination showed two patterns of splenic involvement; solid type (formation of large nodular mass, n=16) and disseminated type (multiple nodules with diffuse infiltration but no large nodular formation, n=10). The type could not be determined in one case. Most solid types were DLBL or FL, while MCL was of the disseminated type. Immunohistochemistry showed all but each 2 cases of ALCL and HD were of B lineage. Follow-up of 26 patients indicated that all but one patient with primary lymphoma were still alive (range, 1-89 months) and 8 of 15 patients with secondary lymphomas died due to the progression of malignant lymphoma; the survival rate at 2 years was 50% in these patients. No elevation of anti-HTLV-I antibody was found. In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) showed no reactivity of lymphoma cells, although a few small lymphocytes were positive for EBV. Hepatitis C virus was observed in 6 of 20 (30%) patients examined and 4 of 11 (36%) cases of primary splenic lymphoma. Our findings indicate that patients with primary splenic lymphoma have a favorable prognosis after splenectomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Changes in pattern of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement and MIB-1 staining before and after eradication of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.

Gastric low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are strongly associated with infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Antibiotic treatment for H. pylori induces a sustained remission in a significant number of patients. We report here the outcome in 13 patients with gastric low-grade MALT lymphomas or suspected gastric lesions, treated for eradication of H. pylori. Patients were followed closely with sequential histological studies, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene and immunohistochemistry for MIB-1. Antibiotic therapy resulted in eradication of H. pylori in all but one case, as assessed histologically. In 12 cases with successful eradication, complete regression was observed histologically in 9 cases (75%) and no regression in 3 (25%). In 7 of 9 (78%) patients who had a complete remission, clonal bands of IgH gene detected on PCR before therapy disappeared after therapy. All 9 patients with complete regression showed a reduced number of MIB-1 positive cells, while 4 cases with no change or disease progression showed no change or increased number of MIB-1 positive cells. There was a strong relationship between density of MIB-1-positive cells and histological score. These results indicate that combination analysis of PCR of IgH and MIB-1 seems to represent a very good current approach for the diagnosis of gastric low-grade MALT lymphoma and to assess the effects of chemotherapy, especially in problematic cases.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Antimitotic actions of a novel analog of the fungal metabolite palmarumycin CP1.

The pentacyclic palmarumycins are structurally unique natural products with both antifungal and antibacterial activities but their antineoplastic effects are not well established. We have examined their antiproliferative actions against tumor cells using a temperature-sensitive tsFT210 mouse mammary carcinoma cell line and found that a novel palmarumycin analog, [8-(furan-3-ylmethoxy)-1-oxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalene-4-spiro-2'-naphtho[1",8"-de][1',3'][dioxin] or SR-7, prominently blocked mammalian cell cycle transition in G2/M but not in G1 phase. We found no evidence for inhibition of the critical mitosis-controlling cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk1, or its regulator, the dual specificity phosphatase Cdc25. Moreover, Cdk1 was hypophosphorylated and not directly inhibited by SR-7. SR-7 also failed in vitro to hypernucleate bovine tubulin, did not compete with colchicine for tubulin binding, and only modestly blocked GTP-induced assembly. In addition, SR-7 caused almost equal inhibition of paclitaxel-sensitive and -resistant cell growth. Moreover, unlike benchmark tubulin-disrupting agents, SR-7 did not cause hyperphosphorylation of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Thus, SR-7 represents a novel chemical structure that can inhibit G2/M transition by a mechanism that appears to be independent of marked tubulin disruption.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Gene therapy for the treatment of hypertension].

Gene therapy for hypertension is very important for the next generation of antihypertensive drugs. Important question regarding vector-related limitations and suboptimal in vivo delivery systems will require expeditious attention for gene therapy to become a more widely applicable option in cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. However, the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of transcriptional activation of several important genes in the cardiovascular physiology enables us to develop clinical application of gene therapy for hypertension at the level of transcription factors. Recent studies showed that in vivo or ex vivo transfection of double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides to block the binding of nuclear factors to specific cis-elements in the promoter regions of several genes resulted in inhibition of gene trans-activation and suppressed pathological changes in the cardiovascular system.

Angiotensinogen↗
PubMed2001

[Epidemiology of H. pylori infection].

Prevalence rates and risk factors for H. pylori infection have been reported in many countries over the past year. Infection patterns in developed and developing countries are very different. Very high infection rates in developing countries with high incidence of gastric cancer were described, however, African enigma is still under controversy. The main risk factors for H. pylori infection are fecal-oral and oral-oral spread because H. pylori has not been detected to any extent in the environment. Recently, in childhood, main risk factors for transmission may be the contact with own father with H. pylori infection in Japan. Re-infection are very rare in adults, but not uncommon in childhood. Prevalence of H. pylori infection is reviewed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Two cases of left main trunk lesion treated with coronary artery bypass grafting the proximal circumflex coronary artery (# 11)].

Two cases are reported of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to the proximal left circumflex artery (LCX) system and left anterior descending artery (LAD) system. Both patients suffered from unstable angina due to left main trunk (LMT) lesions and required semi-emergent coronary revascularization. In both cases, the obtuse marginal branch and postero-lateral branch were too small to be grafted, although there are the usual target branches in the LCX system. CABG to the proximal portion (# 11) of LCX in the atrioventricular groove using saphenous vein grafts was performed and good blood flow rates were seen intra-operatively. Both patients recovered uneventfully and had no recurrence of anginal attacks. Postoperative coronary angiography confirmed good graft patency and an adequate coronary blood supply. CABG to LCX (# 11) is feasible without special techniques or tools. This method seems to be useful in patients with LMT lesions or with proximal lesions of LCX in which the branches are too small to be grafted.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[The history of Helicobacter pylori].

Histological and ultrastructural studies of gastric mucosa with spiral bacteria had been published at the Royal Perth Hospital of Western Australia in 1979. The pathologist Warren correlated them with inflammation. In 1981, Marshall was training in internal medicine. Warren, Marshall and Goodwin started culture of bacteria, but spiral bacteria were not cultured. The 35th culture was left during the Easter holiday, and after 5 days 1-mm transparent colonies were seen on the plate. Since discovery Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) have continued to fascinate and challenge doctors and scientists for 18 years to come. In 2000, triple therapy with PPI, Amoxicillin and clarithromycin was approved for treatment of peptic ulcer disease in Japan.

Helicobacter Infections↗
PubMed2001

[Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder with synchronous esophageal cancer and incidental lung cancer: a case report].

We present a case of triple primary cancers occurring synchronously in the urinary bladder, esophagus, and incidentally in the lung. A 65-year-old man with a chief complaint of gross hematuria was admitted to our hospital. Cystoscopy, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a non-papillary broad-based bladder tumor. Histological diagnosis was transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and he underwent one course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (M-VAC) with the preoperative diagnosis of T3bN0M0. After one course of chemotherapy, chest CT, lymph node biopsy and esophagoscopy revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. He first underwent radiochemotherapy (total 70 Gy, CDDP 5 mg x 41, 5-FU 250 mg x 24) for esophageal cancer and achieved complete remission. Then, he underwent radiotherapy for a total of 60 Gy for bladder cancer. However, his general condition gradually became worse and he died from metastatic cancer. The autopsy proved that he died from multiple metastases of small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and incidentally squamous cell carcinoma of the lung was identified.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[A case of adrenal metastasis of lung cancer treated by carboplatin and docetaxel].

A 42-year-old male was referred to our hospital in October 1998, suffering from severe cough accompanied by repeated hemosputa. Serum NSE slightly increased and cytology of sputum indicated class V. Chest X-P and CT revealed a large tumor in the right upper lobe and hilar lymphadenopathy. Abdominal CT revealed bilateral adrenal tumors. For continuous bloody sputum, a right upper lobectomy and lymphadenectomy were performed and the pathologic diagnosis was large cell carcinoma. After surgery, we chose radiation and chemotherapy. The new chemotherapeutic agent docetaxel (60 mg/m2 in combination with carboplatin (CBDCA: AUC 6,800 mg/m2) was administered, resulting in the remarkable reduction in the size of adrenal metastasis by 50% after 3 courses of chemotherapy. Furthermore, 12 months later, the right adrenal metastasis was remarkably reduced (5 x 3 cm-> 0.5 x 1.0 cm), and the left adrenal metastasis had disappeared on abdominal CT. These findings may suggest the efficacy of newly developed docetaxel in cases of non-small cell lung cancer.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

Treatment of glioblastoma by direct inoculation of concentrated high titer-recombinant retrovirus carrying the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene.

We prepared retroviruses carrying the lacZ gene or herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HTK) gene with titers of 1.4-2.5 x 10(11) colony-forming units (cfu)/ml, and stereotaxically inoculated only 3 microliters of the retroviruses into a mouse glioma model. This resulted in highly efficient transduction in vivo. The transduced glioma cells migrated far from the implantation site, potentiating the induction of the remarkable bystander effect. Following repetitive ganciclovir (GCV) intraperitoneal injection, effective killing of glioma cells in the mouse brain was observed. The transduction efficiency was nearly as high as that observed for the implantation of high-titer retrovirus-producing fibroblasts. Eighty per cent of brain tumor-bearing mice were completely cured by our treatment protocol using concentrated HTK-harboring retroviruses. Our results suggest that repeated inoculations of high-titer retroviruses carrying the HTK gene followed by GCV treatment may be a promising strategy for the clinical treatment of malignant gliomas. To achieve further safety in the gene therapy of glioma, genes abundantly expressed in human glioblastoma were searched by the Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) technique. Among the top-147 most expressed tags in glioblastoma, we found a tag, TTTTGGGTAT, originated from an unidentified gene, which was not detected in human astrocyte cultures. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR showed that MAGE-E1 expression was 2.6-15 fold enriched in glioblastoma relative to human astrocytes. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) containing this tag were homologous to melanoma-associated antigen gene (MAGE) family, and this new cDNA, named MAGE-E1, was cloned by 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. MAGE-E1 expression was enriched in glioblastoma and low in other cancers, and MAGE-E1 expression was detected only in brain and ovary among normal tissues. These results indicate that MAGE-E1 is a novel and glioma-specific member of MAGE family, which can be applied to glioma-specific gene transduction.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Early phase II clinical trial of amrubicin hydrochloride in patients with malignant lymphoma].

An early phase II multi-center collaborative study of amrubicin hydrochloride, a novel synthetic anthracycline derivative anticancer agent, was conducted for malignant lymphoma at 12 institutions nationwide. A total of 41 patients were enrolled in this study between January 1988 and October 1990. Of these, 36 patients, six patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 30 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), were eligible for the study. The starting dose of amrubicin hydrochloride was 100 mg/m2 (body surface area) and it was administered once every three weeks, in principle. The efficacy was assessed for 34 patients, excluding two patients: one who has not been followed up adequately and the other violated the dosing schedule (once per week). The overall response rates (CR + PR) were 50.0% (3/6) for HD and 42.9% (12/28) for NHL. Furthermore, a relatively high response rate was noted in 8 (36.4%) of 22 NHL patients who had been treated with other anthracycline derivatives prior to the trial. The safety of amrubicin hydrochloride was assessed for 36 eligible patients. Leukopenia (grade 3 or higher) and thrombocytopenia were noted in 21 patients (58.3%) and 10 patients (27.8%), respectively. Anorexia, nausea/vomiting, fever, alopecia, decrease in hemoglobin and elevations of GOT and GPT levels were observed with a relatively high frequency. Other than myelosuppression, the following adverse reactions (grade 3 or higher) occurred during the course of the trial: diarrhea (two patients), alopecia (two patients), stomatitis (one patient), anorexia (one patient), nausea/vomiting (one patient) and fever (one patient). In conclusion, these results indicate that amrubicin hydrochloride is effective in the treatment of patients with malignant lymphoma.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

ATRAP, novel AT1 receptor associated protein, enhances internalization of AT1 receptor and inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell growth.

We have identified a novel, membrane-located protein that interacts specifically with the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the AT1a receptor, which we named ATRAP (for AT1 receptor-associated protein). To further investigate the role of ATRAP in AT1 receptor function, we examined the effect of overexpression of ATRAP on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced AT1 receptor desensitization and/or internalization, and cell proliferation in adult vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Transfection of ATRAP potentiated AT1 receptor internalization upon Ang II stimulation in these VSMCs. Moreover, we observed that AT1 receptor-induced DNA synthesis was markedly inhibited in ATRAP transfected VSMCs associated with the inhibition of the phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 3 and Akt. Our results suggest that ATRAP functions as a negative regulator in AT1 receptor-mediated cell proliferation in VSMCs.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗