Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Kawai

Publications and source records attributed to M Kawai.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Reverse transcription - 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends-nested PCR of ACT1 and SAP2 mRNA as a means of detecting viable Candida albicans in an in vitro cutaneous candidiasis model.

The presence of viable cells of Candida albicans, in broth or in a reconstructed living skin equivalent, was determined by the detection of amplicons of partial mRNA sequences of the genes encoding fungal actin (ACT1) and secreted aspartyl proteinase 2 (SAP2). The mRNA of both genes were amplified by reverse transcription-3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends-nested polymerase chain reaction. Single bands of ACT1 (315 bp) and SAP2 (162 bp) mRNA were amplified from total RNA extracts of C. albicans grown in yeast carbon base-albumin broth or in living skin equivalent tissue; only the former was amplified from Sabouraud broth-grown organisms. Primer pairs targeted for ACT1 and SAP2 were Candida genus-specific and C. albicans-specific, respectively. The sensitivity limits of the assay were 100 fg of total RNA or 10 cells of C. albicans, by ethidium bromide staining. When C. albicans-infected living skin equivalent was exposed to amorolfine, amplicons of ACT1 and SAP2 mRNA were not detected in total RNA extracts. Non-amplification of the mRNA correlated with the absence of C. albicans growth in Sabouraud agar cultures of living skin equivalent samples. Reverse transcription-3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends-nested polymerase chain reaction of the mRNA encoding specific proteins of an organism has potential application in determining the viability of the organism in tissue, thus monitoring the efficacy of an antimicrobial therapy, and in detecting mRNA expressed in very little amounts in tissue.

Actins↗
PubMed2000

Esophageal achalasia in pregnancy.

Achalasia is rare motor disorder of esophageal smooth muscle. It has been linked to malnutrition during pregnancy leading to maternal and fetal mortality. We report a case of achalasia with intrauterine fetal death who succeeded in following pregnancy with good fetal and maternal outcome after operative treatment. A 34-year-old pregnant woman had intrauterine fetal death at 27 gestational weeks due to severe and persistent maternal malnutrition during pregnancy. Achalasia was diagnosed postpartum and myotomy-fundoplasty was performed. She succeeded in normal delivery with a healthy baby 21 months after the operation. This case suggests the effect of severe achalasia of early onset on poor fetal outcome, and the efficacy of surgical myotomy for the improvement of following pregnant outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase required for coleoptile elongation in rice.

Although several nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) kinase genes have been cloned in plants, little is known about the functional significance of this enzyme during plant growth and development. We introduced a chimeric gene encoding an antisense RNA of NDP kinase under the control of the Arabidopsis heat shock protein HSP81-1 promoter into rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation system. The expression of antisense RNA down-regulated the accumulation of mRNA, resulting in reduced enzyme activity even under the standard growth temperature (25 degrees C) in transgenic plants. Following heat shock treatment (37 degrees C), NDP kinase activities in some transgenic rice plants were more reduced than those grown under 25 degrees C. The comparison of the coleoptile growth under submersion showed that cell elongation process was inhibited in antisense NDP kinase transgenic plants, suggesting that an altered guanine nucleotide level may be responsible for the processes.

Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase↗
PubMed2000

Morphological change in Pseudomonas aeruginosa following antibiotic treatment of experimental infection in mice and its relation to susceptibility to phagocytosis and to release of endotoxin.

The relationship between morphological changes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa following antibiotic treatment of experimental infection in mice, susceptibility to phagocytosis, and release of endotoxin was studied. The intraperitoneal administration of P. aeruginosa with imipenem or ceftazidime into mice induced morphological changes in the cells 2 h after injection. Round P. aeruginosa cells with imipenem treatment became susceptible to phagocytosis by peritoneal cells, whereas long filamentous cells with ceftazidime treatment were hardly phagocytized by peritoneal cells. The morphological changes also affected the plasma endotoxin level in the circulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cytoskeletal alterations in lipopolysaccharide-induced bovine vascular endothelial cell injury and its prevention by sodium arsenite.

Morphological changes, especially cytoskeletal alterations, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced vascular endothelial cell injury were studied by using LPS-susceptible bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). BAEC in cultures with LPS showed cell rounding, shrinking, and intercellular gap formation. In those cells, LPS caused the disorganization of actin, tubulin, and vimentin. LPS also induced a reduction in the F-actin pool and an elevation in the G-actin pool. Cytoskeletal disorganization affected transendothelial permeability across the endothelial monolayer. Pretreatment of BAEC with sodium arsenite (SA) prevented alterations in LPS-induced BAEC injury. However, posttreatment with SA had no protective effect on them. SA upregulated the expression of heat shock protein in the presence of LPS. The role of SA in prevention of LPS-induced BAEC injury is discussed.

Actins↗
PubMed2000

Fluorometric assessment of In vitro antidermatophytic activities of antimycotics based on their keratin-penetrating power.

Keratin particles impregnated with amorolfine or clotrimazole in serial doubling dilutions (64 to 0.125 microg/ml) were used to evaluate the activities of these agents against 20 isolates each of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum in a yeast carbon broth medium incorporating Alamar Blue dye. The proposed MIC with keratin impregnation (MIC(K)) is defined as the lowest concentration of an agent used to impregnate keratin particles that effects a fluorescence-based fungal growth quotient of 0.05 or less. The conventional colorimetric and visual MICs of amorolfine for the dermatophytes, </=0.03 microg/ml for T. mentagrophytes and </=0.063 microg/ml for T. rubrum, were approximately half of those of clotrimazole for the same isolates. The superiority of the MIC(K)s of amorolfine for isolates of T. mentagrophytes (2.0 microg/ml; range, 0.5 to 8.0 microg/ml) and T. rubrum (4.0 microg/ml; range, 2. 0 to 8.0 microg/ml) over those of clotrimazole (32 microg/ml [range, 8.0 to >64 microg/ml] and 64 microg/ml [range, 16 to >64 microg], respectively) may indicate the strong in vivo antidermatophytic activity of amorolfine as a topical agent. The new antidermatophytic susceptibility testing procedure has potential clinical utility for the in vitro screening of agents for use in the topical treatment of superficial mycoses.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2000

Randomized trial of cisplatin and carboplatin versus cisplatin, vinblastine and bleomycin in ovarian cancer.

Between January 1992 and July 1997, 202 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer were registered and assigned randomly to a combination of cisplatin and carboplatin (PP group), or cisplatin, vinblastine and bleomycin (PVB group). We analyzed 189 patients whose clinical records were available. The PP chemotherapeutic regimen was advantageous in terms of overall survival compared to the PVB regimen until 4 years after the initial operation. However, the 5-year survival rates were almost the same in both groups. However, in stage III patients, the mean survival time in the PP group was 51.4 months and that in the PVB group was 23.3 months, and there was a statistically significant difference in the survival curves between the two groups (p = 0.0158). The 5-year survival rates were 31.1 and 20.4% in the PP and PVB groups, respectively, in stage III patients. The PP regimen was also significantly superior in patients with macroscopic residual tumor after the initial operation, and the 5-year survival rates were 25.7 and 10.1% in the PP and PVB groups, respectively (p = 0.0128). However, there was no significant difference between the two regimens in patients without macroscopic residual tumor. Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis showed that tumor stage, presence of macroscopic residual tumor, and the chemotherapeutic regimen used were significant prognostic factors. In conclusion, the PP chemotherapeutic regimen is superior to the PVB regimen especially in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Allergic granulomatous angiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome) associated with allergic bronchopulmonary candidiasis.

We describe a case of Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) associated with allergic bronchopulmonary candidiasis (ABPC). A 61-year-old man who had been given a diagnosis of ABPC based on serologic and radiographic findings experienced pain and purpuric rash on the left leg accompanied with motor weakness. The diagnosis of CSS was made from skin, nerve and muscle biopsies. Although immunosuppressant and prednisolone were administered and resulted in transient improvement, candidal pneumonia was suspected to have developed 60 days after the administration and the patient finally died of respiratory failure. To our knowledge, this is the first case of CSS associated with ABPC.

Asthma↗
PubMed2000

Dilated phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with mid-ventricular obstruction after 20-year follow-up.

This paper reports a case of dilated phase in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with mid-ventricular obstruction. Following the first cardiac catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy, the patient was diagnosed as having hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with mid-ventricular obstruction. He had been first diagnosed at the age of 38 years and was subsequently followed for 20 years. Echocardiogram revealed gradually progressive dilatation of the left ventricle, associated with disappearance of the mid-ventricular obstruction. The second cardiac catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy performed at the age of 58 disclosed that the patient was in the dilated phase of HCM with a dip-and-plateau pattern diastolic pressure trace.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Theophylline for the treatment of bronchial asthma: present status.

Current Japanese asthma guidelines recommend theophylline as an additional regimen to inhaled beta-agonists (on demand use) and inhaled corticosteroids (beclomethason dipropionate 200-1200 micrograms/day or fluticason propionate 200-800 micrograms/day) for patients whose asthma is not controlled completely. Similar recommendations are made in the International Consensus Report on Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma. Recent advances in the understanding of its actions, especially regarding the antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of low doses of theophylline, encourage its appropriate use in asthma treatment. Furthermore, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considerably common diseases, and the economic benefits associated with the use of a relatively inexpensive, once or twice daily oral drug (intravenous infusion, if necessary) could be of importance. But, because of its narrow therapeutic range, dosage must be individualized in order to optimize the treatment based on the measurement of theophylline concentration in serum. Theophylline is an old medication with new forms. When used effectively and safely, it can have significant clinical benefits for patients. This paper intends to review the effectiveness of theophylline--historically and contemporarily.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Necrotizing myopathy in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a case report and a review of the literature.

We describe a 61-year-old man presenting with necrotizing myopathy associated with chronic active hepatitis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Thirteen patients with HCV-associated myopathy have been reported previously. In most of these cases, varying degrees of inflammatory changes were observed in the muscle tissue. In 2 patients, myopathy developed after initiation of interferon therapy for chronic HCV hepatitis. Our case was unusual due to long-standing elevation of creatine kinase values which improved following interferon therapy and the non-inflammatory features of the muscle tissue where the HCV RNA minus strand, a marker for replicative intermediates of the virus, was undetectable. The association of myopathy with HCV infection might represent a unique clinical entity, although the underlying pathological mechanisms remain unknown.

Biopsy↗
PubMed2000

[Pathogenesis of pulmonary thrombosis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy; a consideration from changes in serum CK and LDH levels].

We assessed the hypercoagulative state in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by measuring peripheral blood creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. In 76 patients with DMD who had no complications during examination, the CK and LDH levels were examined in a total of 173 times. Both enzyme levels were elevated and highly correlated (R = 0.93). We examined the temporal alteration of serum CK and LDH levels during episodes of pulmonary thrombosis experienced in 7 DMD patients who fulfilled the following diagnostic criteria: 1. sudden onset of dyspnea, chest pain, and hypoxia; 2. abnormal coagulation profile or abnormal chest CT findings, such as peripheral wedged shaped shadow and; 3. pneumothorax ruled out from X-ray findings. Throughout the episode of pulmonary thrombosis, CK and LDH levels changed within the range of those from DMD patients who had no complications, however, the CK level was significantly elevated from the basal level (2.12 times, p = 0.0075) on the first day of the episode. The LDH level rose for several days, and subsequently both CK and LDH returned to the basal level. In patients with compartment syndrome, CK levels were reportedly elevated due to muscle fiber necrosis which lead a hypercoagulative state. Therefore, we propose that muscle fiber necrosis is one of causal factors in pulmonary thrombosis. In addition, elevated CK may be helpful in predicting pulmonary thrombosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Congenital nemaline myopathy with mitochondrial abnormalities. An adult case report].

We report a 42-year-old male suffering from congenital nemaline myopathy accompanied with mitochondrial abnormalities in his muscle biopsy. He had a dysmorphic face with a high-arched and narrow palate and slowly progressive generalized muscle weakness. He was still able to walk with a cane. CT showed symmetrical muscle atrophy and low densities in the thigh muscles, especially in the posterior compartment, and in the soleus muscles. Preferential posterior thigh involvement was unusual in congenital nemaline myopathy. The lumbar quadrate and paravertebral muscles were relatively well preserved; these muscles were reported to be severely involved in adult-onset nemaline myopathy patients. Muscle biopsy findings were consistent with nemaline myopathy; nemaline rods in approximately 10% of fibers, type 1 fiber atrophy, and type 2B fiber deficiency. In addition, ragged-red fibers were scattered and focal cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) deficiency was present. Formazan granules were large on succinate dehydrogenase stain. Many fibers with nemaline rods showed focal CCO deficiency. On electron microscopy, large (megaconial) mitochondria were lined regularly between Z lines. PCR and Southern blot analysis of muscle mitochondrial DNA revealed multiple deletions. It remains to be clarified whether mitochondrial abnormalities are primarily related to nemaline myopathy or secondarily induced phenomenon after a long-standing disease process.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Beneficial effect of eyelid make-up (natural rubber latex) to induce a new fold in the treatment of blepharoptosis in myotonic dystrophy].

Blepharoptosis is one of the troublesome ocular complications of myotonic dystrophy. To correct drooping eyelids for two men with myotonic dystrophy, we used Eye Putti, a cosmetic made of natural rubber latex, which induces a new fold in the upper eyelid. The cosmetic rubber latex dramatically improved the sight of a 59-year-old patient who previously had a great difficulty in looking forward and had to bend his head backward to see an object because of severe blepharoptosis. The other patient aged 54 with moderate ptosis also had satisfactory improvement. Appropriate use did not prevent eye blinking and induce corneal erosion or skin rash. The cosmetic rubber latex was effective to patients who had no residual function of the levator palpebrae and frontal muscles. This daily treatment is simple and safe, therefore may have an advantage over surgical correction of blepharoptosis for patients not only with myotonic dystrophy, but with other neuromuscular disorders including oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

Blepharoptosis↗
PubMed2000

Effects of the Ca2+ sensitizer EMD 57033 on intracellular Ca2+ in rat ventricular myocytes: relevance to arrhythmogenesis during positive inotropy.

We have investigated the effects of the calcium-sensitizing inotropic agent EMD 57033 on Ca(2+) handling in intact and skinned rat ventricular myocytes. Intracellular Ca(2+) was monitored using fura 2. Myocytes were saponin-skinned, allowing study of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function. In intact myocytes EMD 57033 (1-10 micromol/l) produced a concentration-dependent decrease in the amplitude of the Ca(2+) transient and prolonged its declining phase, but had no effect on the rise time. In skinned myocytes, the amplitude of spontaneous Ca(2+) release from the SR was decreased by EMD 57033 (5 and 10 micromol/l), although this agent had no significant effect on the frequency of spontaneous Ca(2+) release. In the presence of the cross-bridge inhibitor 2,3-butanedione monoxime (5 mmol/l), or in a low bathing Ca(2+) concentration (1 mmol/l), EMD 57033 (10 micromol/l) had smaller effects on both the amplitude and time course of the Ca(2+) transient in intact cells than in the absence of 2,3-butanedione monoxime or in the presence of 2 and 5 mmol/l Ca(2+) respectively. These data suggest that the effects of EMD 57033 on Ca(2+) are due to changes in Ca(2+) binding to troponin C, secondary to cross-bridge formation. Thus, during positive inotropy, EMD 57033 is unlikely to provoke arrhythmias due to effects on SR Ca(2+) handling. In intact cells, its effects on Ca(2+) handling would be expected to protect against arrhythmias.

Animals↗