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Biomedical subjects

K Yoshida

Publications and source records attributed to K Yoshida.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Postnatal depression across countries and cultures: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression seems to be a universal condition with similar rates in different countries. However, anthropologists question the cross-cultural equivalence of depression, particularly at a life stage so influenced by cultural factors. AIMS: To develop a qualitative method to explore whether postnatal depression is universally recognised, attributed and described and to enquire into people's perceptions of remedies and services for morbid states of unhappiness within the context of local services. METHOD: The study took place in 15 centres in 11 countries and drew on three groups of informants: focus groups with new mothers, interviews with fathers and grandmothers, and interviews with health professionals. Textual analysis of these three groups was conducted separately in each centre and emergent themes compared across centres. RESULTS: All centres described morbid unhappiness after childbirth comparable to postnatal depression but not all saw this as an illness remediable by health interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Although the findings of this study support the universality of a morbid state of unhappiness following childbirth, they also support concerns about the cross-cultural equivalence of postnatal depression as an illness requiring the intervention of health professionals; this has implications for future research.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Management for type A acute dissection].

From March 1998 to May 2002, we experienced 46 patients with type A acute dissection (AAD). Fifteen patients managed initially with conservative treatment because of intramular hematoma (IH, n = 10), broad cerebral infarction (n = 3), others (n = 2). One who diagnosed IH at admission progressed to AAD and underwent surgery. However his diagnosis of IH at admission was proved to be misdiagnosis retrospectively. In 8 of the remaining 9 patients, hematoma disappeared during the follow-up of 6 months to 1 year. In patients with broad cerebral infarction, 2 died early after admission and 1 discharged with hemiplegia. Thirty-two patients underwent surgery and 1 with preoperative broad cerebral infarction died 36 days after surgery. In the remaining 31 patients, 30 patients discharged ambulatory.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

[Successful treatment for tachyarrhythmia with ultra short acting beta-blocker during beating coronary artery bypass grafting; report of a case].

A 62-year-old man with supraventricular/ventricular tachycardia associated with myocardial infarction developed tachycardia during beating coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Intravenous administration of an ultra short acting beta-blocker, landiolol hydrochloride, controlled heart rate and improved tachyarrhythmia without significant change of blood pressure. Landiolol hydrochloride is effective and useful for the treatment of tachyarrhythmia during beating CABG.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2004

[Early and late results of combined valvular and coronary artery surgery].

A total of 42 patients with combined valvular and coronary artery surgery were examined to analyze risk factors for cardiac related events and late deaths. There were aortic valve disease in 26 patients and mitral valve disease in 16. Preoperatively, 14 patients (33%) had cardiac dysfunction (ejection fraction < or = 40%) and 10 patients (24%) were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class IV. There was no operative death with 96% of early graft patency. There was 8 late deaths during 5.6 years of mean follow up. Actuarial survival rate was 86% and 64% after 5 and 10 years, respectively. Cardiac dysfunction was a significant independent predictor for late death. Cardiac related events occurred in 9 patients. Freedom from cardiac related events was 78% and 59% after 5 and 10 years, respectively. Cardiac dysfunction and mitral valve surgery were significant independent predictors for cardiac related events. Late result of combined mitral and coronary artery surgery was unfavorable in patients with cardiac dysfunction.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in orthopedic conditions.

As is well known, the origins and development of hyperbaric medicine are closely tied to the history of diving medicine. Our HBO2 studies stemming from diving medicine date back to 1972. We concentrated our early basic research on dysbaric osteonecrosis. There are now good indications that HBO2 is helpful in a variety of orthopedic conditions. However, hyperbaric medicine in orthopedics is still relatively new and some aspects of it remain controversial.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed2003

GNE mutations causing distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles with inflammation.

The authors describe a family in which two individuals have clinical distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles (DMRV). While the clinical and most of the pathologic features in these patients were compatible with a diagnosis of DMRV, the presence of inflammatory changes in the connective tissue between muscle fibers was not. Gene analysis revealed a compound heterozygous mutation in these individuals, characterized by V572L and I472T.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Vesicular transport route of horseradish C1a peroxidase is regulated by N- and C-terminal propeptides in tobacco cells.

Peroxidases (PRX, EC 1.11.1.7) are widely distributed across microorganisms, plants, and animals; and, in plants, they have been implicated in a variety of secondary metabolic reactions. In particular, horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) root represents the main source of commercial PRX production. The prxC1a gene, which encodes horseradish PRX (HRP) C, is expressed mainly in the roots and stems of the horseradish plant. HRP C1a protein is shown to be synthesized as a preprotein with both a N-terminal (NTPP) and a C-terminal propeptide (CTPP). These propeptides, which might be responsible for intracellular localization or secretion, are removed before or concomitant with production of the mature protein. We investigated the functional role of HRP C1a NTPP and CTPP in the determination of the vesicular transport route, using an analytical system of transgenically cultured tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum, BY2). Here, we report that NTPP and CTPP are necessary and sufficient for accurate localization of mature HRP C1a protein to vacuoles of the vesicular transport system. We also demonstrate that HRP C1a derived from a preprotein lacking CTPP is shunted into the secretory pathway.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed2003

[Muscle afferent block in the treatment of oromandibular dystonia. Difference in effect between masticatory and lingual muscles].

Oromandibular dystonia is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by tonic or clonic involuntary spasms of the masticatory and lingual muscles. We treated 50 patients with this movement disorder by injection of lidocaine and alcohol into the masticatory or tongue muscles to block muscle afferents from muscle spindle. The patients were divided according to clinical features into four groups: jaw-closing, jaw-opening, jaw-deviation, and tongue dystonias. Objective evaluation of the symptoms before and after therapy was based on a clinical scaling protocol in terms of four parameters (mastication, speech, pain, and discomfort scales). Symptoms improved in all patients without major side effects. The overall objective improvement (60.2+/-29.5%) was significantly (P<0.005, ANOVA) lower in tongue dystonia (14.1%) than in jaw-closing dystonia (67.6%) and jaw-opening dystonia (68.3%). Although the response of the muscle afferent block to tongue dystonia was hardly satisfactory, this treatment is suggested to be effective for oromandibular dystonia.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Essential Bacillus subtilis genes.

To estimate the minimal gene set required to sustain bacterial life in nutritious conditions, we carried out a systematic inactivation of Bacillus subtilis genes. Among approximately 4,100 genes of the organism, only 192 were shown to be indispensable by this or previous work. Another 79 genes were predicted to be essential. The vast majority of essential genes were categorized in relatively few domains of cell metabolism, with about half involved in information processing, one-fifth involved in the synthesis of cell envelope and the determination of cell shape and division, and one-tenth related to cell energetics. Only 4% of essential genes encode unknown functions. Most essential genes are present throughout a wide range of Bacteria, and almost 70% can also be found in Archaea and Eucarya. However, essential genes related to cell envelope, shape, division, and respiration tend to be lost from bacteria with small genomes. Unexpectedly, most genes involved in the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway are essential. Identification of unknown and unexpected essential genes opens research avenues to better understanding of processes that sustain bacterial life.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2003

Washout studies of 11C in rabbit thigh muscle implanted by secondary beams of HIMAC.

Heavy ion therapy has two definite advantages: good dose localization and higher biological effect. Range calculation of the heavy ions is an important factor in treatment planning. X-ray CT numbers are used to estimate the heavy ion range by looking up values in a conversion table which relates empirically photon attenuation in tissues to particle stopping power; this is one source of uncertainty in the treatment planning. Use of positron emitting radioactive beams along with a positron emission tomograph or a positron camera gives range information and may be used as a means of checking in heavy ion treatment planning. However, the metabolism of the implanted positron emitters in a living object is unpredictable because the chemical forms of these emitters are unknown and the metabolism is dependent on the organ species and may be influenced by many factors such as blood flow rate and fluid components present. In this paper, the washout rate of 11C activity implanted by injecting energetic 11C beams into thigh muscle of a rear leg of a rabbit is presented. The washout was found to consist of two components, the shorter one was about 4.2 +/- 1.1 min and the longer one ranged from 91 to 124 min. About one third of the implanted beta+ activity can be used for imaging and the rest was washed out of the target area.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Photostimulated desorption and ortho-para conversion of H2 on Ag surfaces.

Photostimulated desorption and change of the ortho-para ratio of H2 physisorbed on Ag at 7 K are reported. After pump laser excitation at 193 nm neutral H2 desorbing in a nonthermal process is state selectively detected by resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization. At weak pump laser fluence the natural ortho-para conversion of H2 on Ag was monitored to proceed with a conversion time of approximately 780 s, which is in good agreement with predictions based on an electron-exchange-hyperfine-contact model. With increasing pump laser fluence, the ortho-para ratio decreases faster, suggesting photoassisted ortho-para H2 conversion.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Measurement of positron production efficiency from a tungsten monocrystalline target using 4- and 8-GeV electrons.

Intense positron sources are being widely investigated for the next-generation linear colliders and B factories. A new method utilizing an axially oriented crystal as a positron-production target is one of the bright schemes, since it provides a powerful photon source through channeling and coherent bremsstrahlung processes when high-energy electrons penetrate the target. A series of positron-production experiments with tungsten crystals hit by 4- and 8-GeV single-bunch electron beams were carried out at the KEKB 8-GeV injector linac. Three tungsten crystals with different thicknesses (2.2, 5.3, and 9.0 mm) and those combined with amorphous tungsten plates were tested on a precise goniometer. The positron-production yields were measured with a magnetic spectrometer in the positron momentum (P(e(+))) range from 5 to 20 MeV/c. The angle of the <111> crystal axis with respect to the electron-beam direction was controlled by measuring the relative intensities of the produced positrons as a function of the rotational angle of the goniometer. The results show that the enhancements of the positron yield from crystal targets compared to amorphous targets of the same thickness at P(e(+))=20 MeV/c are from 1.5 to 3.7 and from 1.8 to 5.1, depending upon the target thickness for 4- and 8-GeV electrons, respectively.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Cyclic tensile stretch loaded on bovine chondrocytes causes depolymerization of hyaluronan: involvement of reactive oxygen species.

OBJECTIVE: We have previously demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in cartilage degradation. Decreased size of hyaluronan (HA), the major macromolecule in synovial fluid, to which it imparts viscosity, is reported in patients with arthritis. The purpose of this study was to determine the alteration in the molecular weight range of HA as a result of mechanical deformation loaded on the chondrocytes, as well as the involvement of ROS in this action. METHODS: ROS were generated via the oxidation of hypoxanthine by xanthine oxidase. Cyclic tensile stretch was loaded using a vacuum-operated instrument. Levels of HA were measured using a sandwich enzyme-binding assay. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and ROS were measured using water-soluble tetrazolium and a chemiluminescent probe, respectively. RESULTS: ROS depolymerized HA molecules. Cyclic tensile stretch depolymerized HA and induced ROS. SOD inhibited not only ROS induction but also HA depolymerization caused by the mechanical stress. CONCLUSION: ROS play an important role in mechanical stress-induced HA depolymerization.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Effects of cysteine on the cytotoxicity of arsenic compounds.

Effects of cysteine on the cytotoxicity of arsenic compounds, such as arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), were investigated in cultured human HL-60 cells. Using adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence assay, the rank order of the mixtures of arsenicals with cysteine was: DMA > arsenite > arsenate > MMA. The IC50 of DMA with equimolar cysteine was approximately 7.7 microM, nearly two orders of magnitude lower than that of DMA alone. Apoptotic cells were examined by the TUNEL method, and cysteine was found to enhance the induction of apoptosis by arsenicals. Using LC-ICP-MS, trivalent arsenic was detected in the mixtures of arsenate, DMA, and MMA with cysteine. These results suggested that the trivalent arsenic in the mixtures of arsenicals with cysteine might account for the enhanced cytotoxicity as well as apoptosis, and that cysteine is involved in induction of the adverse effects of arsenicals in humans.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2003

Germinoma in the fourth ventricle.

A 33-year-old male presented with trigeminal, abducens, and facial nerve pareses associated with cerebellar signs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a homogeneously enhanced mass occupying the lower half of the fourth ventricle and attached to the floor of the fourth ventricle. The mass was subtotally removed. The histological diagnosis was pure germinoma. Neuro-imaging cannot distinguish germinoma in the fourth ventricle from ependymoma. Germinoma in the fourth ventricle is extremely rare and requires histological differentiation from ependymoma to determine the indications for adjuvant irradiation and/or chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Involvement of microtubules in rhizoid differentiation of Spirogyra species.

Some species of Spirogyra form rosette-shaped or rod-shaped rhizoids in the terminal cell of the filaments. In the present study, we analyzed an involvement of microtubules (MTs) in rhizoid differentiation. Before rhizoid differentiation, cortical MTs were arranged transversely to the long axis of cylindrical cells, reflecting the diffuse growth. At the beginning of rhizoid differentiation, MTs were absent from the extreme tip of the terminal cell. In the other area of the cell, however, MTs were arranged transversely to the long axis of the cell. In the fully differentiated rosette-shaped rhizoid, MTs were randomly organized. However, at a younger stage of rosette-shaped rhizoids, MTs were sometimes arranged almost transversely in the lobes of the rosette. In the rod-shaped rhizoid, MTs were arranged almost transversely. MT-destabilizing drugs (oryzalin and propyzamide) induced swelling of rhizoids, and neither rosette-shaped nor rod-shaped rhizoids were formed. The role of MTs in rhizoid differentiation was discussed.

Benzamides↗
PubMed2003

Potential role of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptors in Müller glial cells during light-induced retinal degeneration.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurturin (NTN) and their receptors (GFRalpha1, GFRalpha2 and Ret) play an important role in the survival of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system. For example, GDNF as well as other trophic factors promotes photoreceptor survival during retinal degeneration. Recent studies have proposed that part of neurotophic rescue of photoreceptors may be indirect, mediated by interaction of the neurotrophic factors with other cell types, that in turn release secondary factors that act directly on photoreceptors. In the present study, we examined the GDNF receptor expression in control and light-damaged retina, and found that GFRalpha2 protein is upregulated in retina-specific Müller glial cells during photoreceptor degeneration. We also examined the effect of GDNF or NTN on cultured Müller cells. Exogenous GDNF increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor, basic fibroblast growth factor and GDNF, but not NTN mRNA production. On the other hand, NTN increased NTN, but not GDNF mRNA production in cultured Müller cells. These observations suggest that GDNF, NTN and their receptors are involved in the regulation of trophic factor production in retinal glial cells, and that functional glia-neuron network may utilize GDNF family for the protection of neural cells during retinal degeneration.

Animals↗