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Biomedical subjects

M Honda

Publications and source records attributed to M Honda.

At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources

Both primary motor cortex and supplementary motor area play an important role in complex finger movement.

In order to clarify the roles played by the primary motor cortex and the supplementary motor area in the execution of complex sequential and simple repetitive finger movements, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with PET using 15O-labelled water in five normal subjects. The PET data of each individual subject co-registered to his own MRI, was analysed. Compared with the resting condition, the mean rCBF was markedly increased in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex (M1-S1) and moderately increased in the contralateral cingulate gyrus and putamen in both the simple and complex motor tasks. During the complex motor task, in addition to the above, the mean rCBF was markedly increased in the supplementary motor area and the contralateral premotor area, and moderately increased in the ipsilateral M1-S1 and cerebellum. In the supplementary motor area, there was a moderate rCBF increase also during the simple task. However, comparison of the mean rCBF increase against the resting condition between the two tasks revealed a greater increase during the complex task than in the other only in the supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral M1-S1. Thus, in agreement with our previous electrophysiological findings, not only the supplementary motor area but also the M1-S1 seems to play an important role in the execution of complex sequential finger movements.

Adult↗

Effects of uvsX, uvsY and DNA topoisomerase on the formation of tandem duplications of the rII gene in bacteriophage T4.

We have characterized tandem duplications in the rII regions of phage T4. The rII deletion r1589 blocks only the function of the rIIA cistron, although it extends into the B cistron. Another rII deletion, r1236, blocks the function of the rIIB cistron and overlaps r1589. When a cross is made between r1589 and r1236, true rII+ progeny cannot form. Instead, anomalous phenotypically rII+ phages are detected carrying an rII region from each parent. Analyses of nucleotide sequences of the recombination junctions indicate that recombination takes place between short regions of homology (from 2 to 10 bp). Open reading frames of the recombinants deduced from the nucleotide sequences reveal that they contain a normal rIIA cistron and one of a variety of fused, duplicated rIIB cistrons. The T4 uvsX and uvsY genes, which participate in homologous recombination, are involved in this duplication formation. T4 DNA topoisomerase is encoded by genes 39, 52 and 60. Mutations in 52 and 60 reduced the frequency of such duplications, but mutations in gene 39 and some in gene 52 did not. Hence, the effects of topoisomerase mutations are allele-specific. Models are proposed in which these proteins are involved in tandem duplication.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Serum levels of interleukin 6 in patients with pustulosis palmaris et plantaris.

Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) was measured in patients with pustulosis palmaris et plantaris by a fluorescent sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Increased production of IL-6 was observed in 8 cases out of 10 showing numerous pustules in their active stage. Six cases were measured before and after tonsillectomy, and statistically significant reduction in the levels of IL-6 paralleled an improvement in the disease activity. It is suggested that IL-6 may be one of the mediators which link tonsillectomy to the activity of pustulosis palmaris et plantaris.

Adult↗

Introduction of a fluorescence-microscopic technique for the detection of eggs, egg shells, and mites in scabies.

A technique using the fluorescence microscope can prove helpful in the laboratory diagnosis of scabies. Specimens from fifteen patients with scabies were used in this study. All of the specimens were embedded with glycerine instead of potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. The specimens were examined at 0 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 6 hrs, 24 hrs, and one week after mounting under light and fluorescence microscopes. Specimens embedded with non-fluorescent glycerine were not clear immediately after mounting but became so after about 1 hr. Eggs and egg shells were easily counted in the specimens under the fluorescence microscope but were very hard to identify under the light microscope. Mites were absent in half of the specimens; only eggs and egg shells were present in those specimens found by the fluorescence microscope. The above findings suggest that the detection of egg shells by the use of fluorescence microscope may be helpful for the diagnosis of scabies, in particular with mite negative specimens. Slides prepared with non-fluorescent glycerine were more stable and could be preserved for a long time. However, this method is time-consuming and requires expensive equipment.

Animals↗

Japanese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome are negative for known retrovirus infections.

Although chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is known to be the syndrome that begins with an acute flu-like illness that may be due to the exposure to an infectious agent, there has been no convincing evidence on the causative agents. Recently, human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II)-like virus has been reported to be associated with the CFS by using HTLV Western blot analysis and polymerase chain reaction. However, some investigators could not detect HTLV-II by indirect immunofluorescence analysis. Lately, CFS patients have been reported in Japan. We detected all 30 tested patients with CFS were seronegative for HTLV-II, HTLV-I and HIV by specific peptide ELISA and Western blot. Further, PCR analysis was negative for HTLV-II and retrovirus was not detected by coculture method with patients' PBMC. Thus, known human retrovirus infections do not cause a CFS in Japan.

Blotting, Western↗

Follow-up study of patients treated with monoclonal antibody-drug conjugate: report of 77 cases with colorectal cancer.

A total of 77 patients with advanced colorectal cancer, including postoperative patients with liver, lung and peritoneal metastases, were treated with single or multiple injections of monoclonal antibody A7-neocarzinostatin (A7-NCS). A follow-up study of the patients treated with A7-NCS was done and the clinical outcome was compared with that of patients given other chemotherapies. In the postoperative patients with liver metastasis, the A7-NCS treatment prolonged survival time when compared with systemic administration of anticancer drugs, while it showed a similar survival time to chemoembolization using multiple anticancer agents suspended in a lipid contrast medium. Among the patients who underwent surgical resection of primary cancer, with or without liver metastasis, there was no difference in overall 5-year survival rate between the group treated with A7-NCS and the group treated with the other chemotherapies. However, the survival time of the patients treated with A7-NCS was longer than that of the patients treated with the other chemotherapies. In addition, the patients given a higher dose of A7-NCS had a longer survival time than the patients given a lower dose of A7-NCS. Human anti-mouse antibody was detected in all the A7-NCS-treated patients examined. There were no serious side effects in any of the patients given A7-NCS. Thus, this study indicates that the A7-NCS treatment is safe and useful for colorectal cancer patients, though some problems remain, such as optimization of injection dose, route, interval, etc., and overcoming human anti-mouse antibody development.

Adult↗

Characteristics of IgA antibodies against HIV-1 in sera and saliva from HIV-seropositive individuals in different clinical stages.

IgA antibodies were analysed in sera and saliva from 40 HIV-1 seropositive individuals. The level of total IgA in serum was elevated according to the progress of the disease. IgA antibodies against p24 and gp160 were detected in the asymptomatic phase of infection. However, they declined in the symptomatic phases in contrast with IgG antibodies. Interestingly, three patients in the symptomatic phase who showed high levels of IgA antibodies were all in relatively good clinical condition. The IgG and IgA antibodies in saliva declined in the symptomatic phase. The level of IgG anti-p24 antibodies in saliva correlated with that in serum, suggesting that IgG anti-p24 antibodies in saliva originated from those in the serum. These results indicate that IgA antibodies are regulated independently from IgG antibodies and that the mucosal immune system is impaired early in the symptomatic phase of HIV infection, which starts with mucosal impairment. Detection of IgA antibodies may be useful for prognosis of the disease in HIV-infected individuals. The results indicate also that treatment for the impaired IgA mucosal immune system should be taken into consideration.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, inhibits cardiac hypertrophy without changing collagen types and concentration in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. The effects of the ACE inhibitor, captopril, on collagen metabolism in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with cardiac hypertrophy was examined. Captopril (100 mg/kg per day) was administered in drinking water to 20 week old male SHR for 12 weeks. Collagen concentration was calculated from hydroxyproline content, and relative proportions of types I, III and V collagen were determined by non-interrupted SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). These parameters were examined in age and sex matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, as well as in non-treated SHR, and compared with those of captopril-treated SHR. 2. Captopril significantly reduced both blood pressure (191 +/- 12.1 vs 146 +/- 11.2 mmHg, P < 0.01), and the ratio of left ventricular (LV) weight to bodyweight (BW; 2.38 +/- 0.17 vs 2.05 +/- 0.12 mg/g, P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in collagen concentration among WKY rats, captopril-treated SHR and non-treated 32 week old SHR. However, total collagen content in captopril-treated SHR reduced significantly compared with non-treated 32 week old SHR (16.8 +/- 2.0 vs 21.3 +/- 0.8 mg, P < 0.01). The relative proportion of type V collagen was significantly higher in both captopril-treated (58.6 +/- 3.4 vs 46.8 +/- 1.3%, P < 0.01) and non-treated 32 week old SHR (59.9 +/- 3.1 vs 46.8 +/- 1.3%, P < 0.01) compared with WKY rats. However, there were no significant differences between captopril-treated SHR and non-treated 32 week old SHR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Effects of dietary tea catechins on alpha-tocopherol levels, lipid peroxidation, and erythrocyte deformability in rats fed on high palm oil and perilla oil diets.

The effects of dietary tea catechins on the levels of alpha-tocopherol and lipid peroxidation in both plasma and erythrocytes, as well as their effects on erythrocyte deformability, were examined in rats fed on high palm and perilla oil diets. The decrease in alpha-tocopherol concentration and the increase in lipid peroxidation level were much more pronounced in the perilla oil group than in the palm oil group. The addition of tea catechins to these diets significantly prevented the alpha-tocopherol concentration from decreasing. These results suggest that tea catechins may counteract a decrease in alpha-tocopherol by acting as an antioxidant in vivo. Furthermore, the lipid peroxidation in the plasma of rats fed perilla oil was slightly but significantly reduced by the supplemented tea catechins. However, no measurable differences were observed in the deformability of the erythrocytes in any of the groups. It is therefore likely that the erythrocytes are not severely enough affected by the lipid peroxidation to influence their deformability.

Animals↗

Biochemical remodeling of collagen in the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats--prominent increase in type V collagen.

To determine how collagen is remodeled in the heart during the development of cardiac hypertrophy, the collagen concentration and the proportions of types I, III, and V collagen were analyzed in the hearts of 10-, 20-, 32-, and 40-week-old spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The collagen concentration was calculated after the hydroxyproline content was measured and the proportions of types I, III, and V collagen were determined by non-interrupted SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). There was no significant difference between the collagen concentrations in 10-week-old SHR and WKY. At 20 weeks, the collagen concentration in the hearts of the SHR had decreased significantly (p < 0.01) when compared to that in the WKY, at 40 weeks, this concentration in SHR had increased significantly (p < 0.05) when compared to that in the WKY. Type V collagen in WKY increased with age and type I collagen in the 20- and 40-week-old WKY decreased significantly (p < 0.05) when compared to that in the 10-week-old WKY. However, the proportion of type I collagen in the 20-week-old WKY did not differ from that of the 40-week-old WKY. There was no significant difference between the proportions of the various types of collagen in 10-week-old SHR and those in age- and sex-matched WKY. However, the proportion of type V collagen in the 20- and 40-week-old SHR was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that in age- and sex-matched WKY.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Reversal of glucose insensitivity of pancreatic B-cells due to prolonged exposure to high glucose in culture: effect of nicotinamide on pancreatic B-cells.

Prolonged in vitro exposure to high glucose has been shown to induce a decrease in pancreatic B-cell sensitivity to glucose stimulation. This experiment was designed to study whether nicotinamide affects the B-cells' response to regulatory stimuli of glucose after prolonged culture with high glucose. Neonatal pig pancreatic islet-like cell clusters (ICCs) formed from single cells were embedded in agarose-gel. Some of them were maintained in RPMI 1640 containing a high glucose concentration (16.7 mM) and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) with or without nicotinamide. Then, the embedded-ICCs were stimulated by glucose at concentrations of 5.5 mM and 16.7 mM. After the prolonged culture with high glucose, the ICCs showed no response to acute glucose stimulation. There was a significant increase in glucose-mediated insulin secretion when the ICCs were maintained with the medium containing nicotinamide. We conclude that nicotinamide could protect B-cell desensitization to glucose after prolonged exposure to high glucose.

Animals↗

Diffuse cerebrospinal gliomatosis mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

We present a case in which the clinical manifestations mimicked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the pathological findings showed diffuse cerebrospinal gliomatosis. Diffuse cerebrospinal gliomatosis may be disguised as ALS when it predominantly involves the spinal cord and brain stem, and may not be easily differentiated from ALS. Therefore, diffuse cerebrospinal gliomatosis should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗

Superficial and protruding type of esophageal adenocarcinoma mucocellulare and muconodulare confined mostly to the lamina propria mucosa and partly in the submucosal layer.

We report a case with an adenocarcinoma mucocellulare and muconodulare of the esophagus which is limited to the lamina propria mucosa and the submucosal layer. The patient, a 74-year-old man had the chief complaints of hematemesis and melena. A superficial and protruding (0-I) type of lesion was found at the lower thoracic portion of the esophagus by X-ray and endoscopic examination. The surgically resected esophageal specimen showed 0-I and predominantly subepithelial (Sep) type. The tumor is presumed to have arisen from the cardiac glands in the lamina propria mucosa of the lowermost region of the esophagus.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Characteristics of bladder tumors showing positive urinary cytology--respective analysis in differentiated and undifferentiated type].

To study the characters of bladder tumors which showed positive urinary cytologies, the results of urinary cytology of untreated bladder tumor patients in our hospital during 10 years between July 1980 and June 1990 were evaluated according to the degree of tumor differentiation, namely differentiated type which did not contain grade 3, and undifferentiated type which contained grade 3. Concerning the differentiated tumors, positive rate of cytology was 37.3% on the whole. Positive rates of multiple tumors or tumors around internal urethral orifice were significantly high, and those of tumors larger than 3 cm, tumors located on posterior wall, left wall or throughout the entire surface, were higher than the overall positive rates. Repeated examinations of yielded increased rates of positive cytology results. Concerning the undifferentiated tumors, the positive rate of cytology was 90.0% on the whole, was not influenced by tumor sizes or locations, and was consistently observed irrespective of the number of times of cytologic examination.

Aged↗

[A case of IgM paraproteinemic polyneuropathy complicated with serum anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein and anti-GM1 antibodies].

A 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of slowly progressive numbness over the hands and legs. Neurological examinations revealed marked loss of superficial sensation of glove-stocking type, mild distal weakness over the extremities and diffuse hyporeflexia. Laboratory examinations disclosed marked increase of serum IgM level and significantly increased kappa-light chain of IgM immunoelectrophoresis. Bone marrow aspiration showed no evidence of malignancy. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities were decreased. Sural nerve biopsy was characterized by marked loss of large myelinated fibers, onion bulb formation and widely spaced major dense lines of myelin. The immunological examinations revealed two different antibody activities of IgM against myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and GM1 in serum. Treatment with prednisolone (PSL) 60 mg daily did not improve his neurologic signs and symptoms. Then double-filtration plasmapheresis was performed, which improved the neurologic symptoms and decreased both anti-MAG and anti-GM1 antibody titers. This is the first Japanese case presenting IgM paraproteinemic polyneuropathy with simultaneous occurrence of anti-MAG and anti-GM1 antibodies.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic↗

[Free amino acid contents in the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis].

We analysed free amino acid contents in anterior horn, posterior horn, lateral column and posterior column of the spinal cord transections from autopsied cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and compared the results with those from non-ALS cases. Content of free glutamate (Glu), and aspartate (Asp) was reduced significantly not only in the lateral portion where pyramidal tracts run through but also in other portions of cervical cords of ALS cases. Contents of glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid and taurine were not different between ALS and non-ALS cervical cords. The results suggest that some metabolic disorders of these excitatory amino acid transmitter candidates may exist in ALS spinal cord.

Aged↗

[Isolation of HIV-1 and its correlation with various HIV-markers in Japan].

In Japan, the isolation rate of HIV-1 has increased in recent years, and has become as high as 36.7% in 1991. In order to evaluate the onset of AIDS, we have collected various HIV markers, which were obtained from surveillance committee of Natural History. These data include a total of 1991 specimens (actual number 556 individuals) from Japanese hemophiliacs and non-hemophiliacs since 1985. The data analysed CDC stage, leucocyte counts, lymphocyte counts, CD4+ cell counts, CD8+ cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratio and immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM). The results indicate that in HIV-isolation positive patients, leucocyte counts, lymphocyte counts, CD4+ cell counts, CD8+ cell counts and CD4/CD8 ratio were significantly lower than those of HIV-isolation negative patients in both hemophiliacs and non-hemophiliacs. IgA value of the positive patients was significantly higher than that of the negative patients, while the IgM value showed converse results to the IgA, in hemophiliacs only. In general, the difference of each HIV marker in non-hemophiliacs was more conspicuous than those in hemophiliacs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗