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Biomedical subjects

M Fukunaga

Publications and source records attributed to M Fukunaga.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Roles of circulating carcinoembryonic antigen and calcitonin in diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma: a comparative study.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and calcitonin (CT) were simultaneously determined in sera and tumor tissues from 15 patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MCT). Serum CEA was increased in all but one patient, and CT did in all of them. Both levels were significantly related to the weight of excised tumor, but not to the presence of metastasis. Furthermore, a significant correlation was noted between the basal levels of CT and CEA. Both levels fell to normal after a radical operation had been performed. Tissue concentrations of CEA and CT in the MCT were more than 100 times those in hyperthyroidism, and the ratios of tissue over serum levels averaged 770 in CEA and 1000 in CT. In the calcium infusion test, CEA levels were not significantly changed in contrast with a distinct increase in CT levels. The results indicate that CEA and CT represent separate activities of the tumor cells, and that circulating CEA together with CT is a useful indicator in the diagnosis and follow-up of the disease.

Calcitonin↗
PubMed1976

[Calcitonin].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1975

Radioimmunoassay for human calcitonin employing synthetic calcitonin M: its clinical application.

A sensitive and reliable radioimmunoassay for human calcitonin was described and applied to preliminary clinical studies. 125I-labelled synthetic human calcitonin M was purified by gel filtration with Sephadex G-25 and G-100. A nonequilibrium incubation system was applied at the final volume of incubation mixture of 500 mul, in which pooled plasma from normal subjects or hormone free serum was used as carrier protein at 20% incubation mixture. Dextran T 40 coated charcoal, resuspended in 1% bovine serum albumin buffer, was used for the separation of free from bound tracer. This showed the least nonspecific adsorption of tracer to charcoal. The assay was sensitive to 0.1 ng per milliliter of plasma. Recovery of synthetic human calcitonin added to plasma was found to be 101% (S. D., +/- 8). Diluted plasma from a patient with medullary thyroid carcinoma showed a dilution curve parallel to standards. Basal calcitonin levels were less than 0.3 ng/ml in normal subjects. Relatively high values were found in patients with chronic renal failure and in patients with malignant tumors. Extremely elevated values were found in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. Provocative calcium infusion tests were also performed.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1975

Loss of mitochondrial DNA in respiration-deficient mutant of yeast induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide.

The loss of mitochondrial DNA was found in a cytoplasmic respiration-deficient mutant of yeast, strain N-1, induced by treatment of a normal yeast with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. In cesium chloride density gradient centrifugation, mitochondrial DNA from the normal yeast showed a density of 1.684 g/ml, but mitochondrial fraction of respiration-deficient mutant strain N-1 had no detectable DNA at a densty of 1.684 g/ml or near it. Though an incorporation of 3H-adenine into mitochondrial DNA was amplified by the presence of cyclohemimide, the mutant had no detectable radioactivity in its mitochondrial fractions. Accordingly, it was concluded that respiration-deficient mutant strain N-1 has lost its mitochondrial DNA which was indispensable for the respiratory activity of yeast cells.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chronological SPECT studies of a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

We describe here chronological single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) of a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) from the early clinical stages. The case, an 8-year-old Japanese girl, was in clinical stage I of the disease on admission. A SPECT study with 99mTc-hexamethylprophyleamine oxime (99mTc-HM PAO) and 123I-IMP revealed hypoperfusion of cerebral blood flow in the bilateral occipital areas and a part of the cerebellum. Initially, no abnormal findings were observed on CT and MRI. Subsequently, however, MRI indicated abnormal signal intensity dominantly in the area of the occipital white matter where hypoperfusion of cerebral blood flow was found by the initial SPECT studies. This abnormal cerebral hypoperfusion appeared to improve after treatment with oral inosiplex and intrathecal interferon-alpha over 6 months of the clinical course. The abnormal signal intensity on the MRI also decreased, but simultaneous cranial CT demonstrated diffuse cortical atrophy and slight ventricular dilatation.

Amphetamines↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic approaches to cell biology and metabolism of spirochetes.

Genetic analysis and methodology have only comparatively recently been applied to the study of spirochetes. Although genetic transfer procedures for spirochetes are not widely available, there are several examples of progress in genetic analysis of spirochetes by other approaches. Some examples of these approaches are the following. 1) Genes for synthetic pathways in Treponema and Leptospira have been cloned by complementation of Escherichia coli serving as plasmid hosts. 2) The OspA protein of Borrelia burgdorferi has been overexpressed in E. coli without the signal peptide; the recombinant product has been suitable for circular dichroism as well as other biochemical analyses. 3) The heat shock proteins of B. burgdorferi are homologous to heat shock proteins of E. coli. 4) Enzyme activity profiles of B. burgdorferi and other spirochetes show strain heterogeneity and also indicate which biosynthetic and enzymatic activities are conserved within different spirochetes. 5) The gene organization of rRNA genes have revealed differences between spirochetes and other types of bacteria.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low-grade myxofibrosarcoma: progression in recurrence.

A case of low-grade myxofibrosarcoma with histologic progression in recurrence occurring in a 51-year-old male is described. The patient had a well-circumscribed encapsulated myxoid mass, which measured 2.5 cm at its greatest diameter, in the subcutis of the left forearm. Microscopically, the tumor was characterized by a proliferation of sparsely distributed spindle or stellate cells, curvilinear small vessels and myxoid stroma. It demonstrated mild pleomorphism without mitotic figures. The patient had the first recurrence at 3 years, which was histologically identical to the primary tumor. The patient had a second recurrence at 11 years, which was predominantly composed of sheets of anaplastic, rounded or oval cells with focal osteoid formation. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells in the primary and the first recurrent lesions were focally positive for vimentin. In the second recurrence, the tumor cells contained vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin and muscle specific actin (HHF35). The primary lesion had a diploid DNA content with low S-phase fractions. The second recurrence showed a polyploidy. The patient was well with no evidence of disease 18 months after the second recurrence. These findings suggest that this neoplasm showed histological progression with an increasing risk of metastasis. Low-grade myxofibrosarcoma, which commonly is misinterpreted as benign, has a tendency for histological and biological progression in local recurrences, underlining the importance of accurate diagnosis and wide surgical excision of the primary lesion.

Actins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Accumulation of acetaldehyde in alcohol-sensitive Japanese: relation to ethanol and acetaldehyde oxidizing capacity.

The metabolism of ethanol and its oxidation product, acetaldehyde, was studied in Japanese volunteers. Subjects who responded by facial flushing and tachycardia were found to accumulate acetaldehyde during ethanol intoxication, in contrast to the near absence of blood acetaldehyde in nonflushing subjects. There were large individual variations in acetaldehyde accumulation observed in the former group, and this accumulation correlated well with the intensity of the physiological responses, but not with rate of ethanol elimination. Oral pretreatment with the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor, 4-methylpyrazole, reduced ethanol elimination by 15-25% and strongly suppressed acetaldehyde accumulation. However, here too there was no relation between individual ethanol elimination rate and acetaldehyde accumulation. Furthermore, the change in the blood lactate/pyruvate concentration ratio after ethanol intake was apparently unrelated to the degree of acetaldehyde accumulation. These results, combined with our previous observation of a strong negative correlation between increase in heart rate and activity of cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase in erythrocytes, suggest that in flushing Orientals lacking the low-Km aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme, the alternative cytosolic enzyme is responsible for acetaldehyde oxidation, and its activity probably determines the individual variation of acetaldehyde-mediated physiological responses.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antioxidant effect of a new calcium antagonist, azelnidipine, in cultured human arterial endothelial cells.

Azelnidipine is a novel dihydropyridine-type calcium antagonist with long-acting anti-hypertensive action and a low reported incidence of tachycardia. We aimed to evaluate its antioxidant activity in cultured human arterial endothelial cells under oxidative stress. Endothelial cells were exposed to 1 mM H2O2 and treated with 100 microM alpha-tocopherol, 1 nM, 10 nM or 100 nM azelnidipine, 100 nM nifedipine or 100 nM amlodipine. After 3 h, the cell number and level of lipid peroxidation were evaluated by measuring the total protein and 8-iso-PGF2 alpha concentrations, respectively. The total protein concentration was similar with each treatment. Inhibition of 8-iso-PGF2 alpha was greatest with 10 nM azelnidipine (compared with the other drugs); the difference between 10 nM and 100 nM azelnidipine was not significant. We conclude that azelnidipine has a potent antioxidative effect that could be of significant clinical benefit when combined with its long-lasting anti-hypertensive action and low incidence of tachycardia.

Antioxidants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of hypertonic stress on amino acid levels and system A activity in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: Peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMC) are exposed to a hypertonic environment during peritoneal dialysis. When exposed to a hypertonic medium, many types of cells accumulate small osmotically active organic solutes, which are called osmolytes, to match the higher external osmolality. However, no information has been available concerning the osmolytes in PMC. To investigate osmoregulation in rat PMC, the levels of amino acids in the cells and the activity of system A, a major neutral amino acid transport, were measured after switching to a medium made hypertonic by the addition of NaCl. System A was measured by Na+-dependent [14C]-2-methylamino-isobutyric acid (MeAIB) uptake. RESULTS: Total amount of 20 amino acids increased from 306 to 757 nmol/mg protein after 12 hours of hypertonicity. The amount of neutral amino acids accounted for 81% of the increase in total amino acids. Glutamine, alanine, glycine, threonine, and serine were the major neutral amino acids that accumulated in the hypertonic mesothelial cells. The amount of neutral amino acids increased 2.9-fold after 12 hr of hypertonicity, and decreased thereafter. MeAIB uptake increased 36-fold relative to the uptake in isotonic cells after 4-8 hr of hypertonicity. When the culture medium was made hypertonic by adding raffinose or glucose, the activity of system A was also stimulated (raffinose > glucose > NaCl). System A was located on both the apical and basal sides of isotonic PMC, and extracellular hypertonicity stimulated the MeAIB uptake on both sides. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that neutral amino acids and system A transport play an important role in early-phase osmoregulation in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment of hepatic caudate lobe metastases originating from colorectal primaries.

Malignant tumor resection of the hepatic caudate lobe has recently received attention. However, there are few reports about metastatic liver tumor in the caudate lobe from colorectal carcinoma, and its clinical features still remain unknown. In this paper, three patients operated on in our institute and 15 reported cases from the published literature were analyzed in order to reveal clinical features of this disease. Many cases had advanced liver tumors, such as invasion in to major vessels at the time of operation. Isolated complete caudate lobectomy was performed in 8 patients and major hepatectomy was carried out in 6 instances. Seven cases also underwent partial resection of the inferior vena cava. Recurrence of disease was observed in 11 patients: seven cases had relapse only in the residual liver, five of whom underwent another hepatectomy. The median survival time of those patients who died was 25 months, and that of seven cases with IVC resection, 18 months. Two patients out of five who received a second hepatectomy survived for longer than 90 months. It is suggested that aggressive surgical treatment including repeated hepatectomy results in the prolongation of survival. Earlier diagnosis and surgical treatment at a more appropriate stage of the disease may further improve the survival rate.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Confirmation of dialysate leakage by intraperitoneal administration of radioactive colloid.

A 29-year-old man who had been on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was admitted to our hospital because of pleural effusion. Radioactive colloid studies with intraperitoneal administration revealed a pleuroperitoneal communication. After pleurodesis by the administration of fibrin glue and antiplasmin into the thoracic cavity, the pleural effusion did not reaccumulate and there was no evidence of pleuroperitoneal communication by radioactive colloid study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determination of vertebral bone mineral density with new dual energy X-ray absorptiometry using multiple detectors: fundamental studies.

Fundamental studies on the ability of a newly developed 90-detector dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) system with a fan beam, the DCS-3000, to determine bone mineral density (BMD) were performed. This new system not only measured BMD precisely, resulting in a fast scan mode in CV of 0.89% and 1.63% for in vitro and in vivo studies, respectively, but also performed data acquisition in a greatly reduced examination time (24 sec). Furthermore, when a rod phantom was used, the linear regression equation obtained between BMD quantified with the QDR-1000 (x) and that quantified with the DCS-3000 (y) was y = 1.250x-0.242. In both healthy subjects and osteoporotic patients, significant positive correlations were obtained between radial BMD and vertebral BMD measured with the QDR-1000 and with the DCS-3000. The correlation for radial BMD was r = 0.533 (p less than 0.001, N = 76), and that for vertebral BMD was r = 0.985 (p less than 0.001, N = 56). Therefore, in addition to safety of operation, the performance of the DCS-3000 was considered to be equal to that of commercially available DEXA systems, indicating that it should be useful in the detection of vertebral bone loss.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Photon-deficient finding in sternum on bone scintigraphy in patients with malignant disease.

The sternum is known as a common site of bone metastasis in a variety of neoplasms. Sternal metastasis is usually visualized as hot spot on bone scintigraphy. However, photon deficiency in the sternum on bone scintigraphy is reported in few cases with malignancy. We undertook a retrospective analysis to clarify the clinical significance of photon deficiency in the sternum in 12 patients with malignancy. Twelve patients (five breast cancer, two multiple myeloma, one lung cancer, one renal cell cancer, one hepatocellular carcinoma, one malignant lymphoma, and one thyroid cancer) showing cold sternal metastasis on bone scintigraphy were identified among 9,430 patients in whom bone scintigraphy was performed. Except for two cases with pathologically confirmed sternal metastasis, all patients showed lytic change in the sternum on tomography or CT scan. Six cases of solitary sternal metastasis showed partial effect of systemic therapy (chemotherapy, humoral therapy, and radiation therapy) and surgical treatment. It is necessary to keep in mind that this type of lesion may occur as a manifestation of metastatic disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of bone mass by image analysis of metacarpal bone roentgenograms: a quantitative digital image processing (DIP) method.

a digital processing (DIP) method for assessing bone mass was developed on the basis of image analysis of roentgenograms. Linearity between DIP values and the actual calcium carbonate content was scarcely affected even if roentgenograms were made with bone phantoms placed in different depths of water or by altering the voltage of X-ray generation. In clinical studies, coefficients of variation (CV) for various measurements were lower than 2.4%. When the correlations between the DIP values and the bone mineral densities in the distal one-third of the radius, and the 2nd to 4th lumbar vertebrae were investigated in 340 females, there were good positive correlations of r = 0.799, and r = 0.611, respectively (p less than 0.001). The DIP value was significantly lower in patients showing a low Singh index and in those with vertebral fractures than in other subjects. These results suggest that the DIP method provides an index with which to assess the efficacy of treatment and which can be used as a criterion in screening for osteoporosis.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗