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Biomedical subjects

M Kawamura

Publications and source records attributed to M Kawamura.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

An autopsy case of Marchiafava-Bignami disease with peculiar chronological CT changes in the corpus callosum: neuroradiopathological correlations.

We conducted a comparative analysis of the autopsy findings in a case of Marchiafava-Bignami disease with the X-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings obtained while the patient was alive. Histologically, massive deposits of hemosiderin were demonstrated in the astrocytes and macrophages located in the walls of the callosal cystic lesion, suggesting that the transient increase in density during the subacute stage observed on X-ray CT is secondary to significant hemorrhage.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The role of proteolytic enzymes in the deposition of amyloid proteins.

Serum albumin from normal individuals and short-term hemodialysis patients was separated by isoelectric focusing into two bands with pIs of 4.7 (Alb-I) and 4.2 (Alb-II). However, serum albumin from long-term hemodialysis patients with CTS migrated as a single band with a pI of 4.2 (Alb-II). The major constituent of the 100,000 x g supernatant proteins from amyloid tissues that were collected from hemodialysis patients with CTS was Alb-II. Incubation of serum albumin by lysosomal enzymes in vitro caused the modification of Alb-I to Alb-II. The ratio of Alb-I/Alb-II was changed in vivo during the hemodialysis and in in-vitro experiments designed to circulate the sera. Lysosomal enzyme levels such as acid phosphatase, glucosidase, glucuronidase and dipeptidyl aminopeptidase in the serum of hemodialysis patients were higher than those of normal individuals. Plasma levels of acid phosphatase and cathepsin L were elevated during hemodialysis. These results suggest that the conformational change of serum albumin by proteolytic modification during hemodialysis may be involved in the hemodialysis-associated amyloidosis.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1996

Role of prostaglandin H synthase-2 in prostaglandin E2 formation in rat carrageenin-induced pleurisy.

Rat carrageenin-induced pleurisy was used to clarify the role of prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS)-2 in acute inflammation. Intrapleural injection of 0.2 ml of 2% lambda-carrageenin induced accumulation of exudate and infiltration of leukocytes into the pleural cavity. When PGHS-1 and -2 proteins in the pleural exudate cells were analyzed by Western blot analysis, PGHS-2 was detectable from 1 hr after carrageenin injection. Its level rose sharply, remained high from 3 to 7 hr after injection, and then fell to near the detection limit. PGHS-1 was also detected, but kept almost the same level throughout the course of the pleurisy. Levels of prostaglandin (PG) E2 and thromboxane (TX) B2 in the exudate increased from hour 3 to hour 7, and then declined. Thus, the changes of the level of PGE2 were closely paralleled those of PGHS-2. The selective PGHS-2 inhibitors NS-398, nimesulide and SC-58125 suppressed the inflammatory reaction and caused a marked decrease in the level of PGE2 but not in those of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF 1 alpha. These results suggest that the PGHS-2 expressed in the pleural exudate cells may be involved in PGE2 formation at the site of inflammation.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1996

Non-peptidic inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase: the design and synthesis of sulfonanilide-containing inhibitors.

A novel series of pivaloyloxy benzene derivatives has been identified as potent and selective human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitors. Convergent syntheses were developed in order to identify the inhibitors which are intravenously effective in an animal model. A compound of particular interest is the sulfonanilide-containing analogues. Structure-activity relationships are discussed. Structural requirements for metabolic stabilization are also discussed.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1996

Soft drugs. 21. Design and evaluation of soft analogs of propantheline.

The soft drug approach was applied to synthesize seven soft analogs of propantheline, which by design display predictable and controllable decomposition to inactive metabolites. Their synthesis involved the quatemization of several different amine groups with the chloromethyl ester of 9-methylxanthene-9-carboxylic acid. The rates of disappearance were measured for all of the compounds and were found to be more rapid than that of propantheline bromide in a variety of chemical and biological media under in vitro conditions. One of the soft analogs was found to be equipotent with propantheline in an in vitro assay. This soft analog was found to be equipotent with propantheline, in vivo, in protecting the rats against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration and in inducing mydriasis in rabbits on intravenous administration. The pupil sizes returned faster to predrug levels with the soft analog than with propantheline, indicating increased metabolic lability of the soft analog. The equipotency of this soft analog coupled with increased metabolic lability proves the rationality of the soft drug approach for the design of safer therapeutic agents with higher therapeutic indices.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The independent association of smoking and drinking with serum beta-carotene levels among males in Miyagi, Japan.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated that serum beta-carotene levels were low among smokers and drinkers. However these findings may result from the strong relationship between smoking and drinking. METHODS: Data were collected from 1902 males randomly selected from participants of a cohort study. The effects of smoking on serum beta-carotene levels were assessed according to drinking status (non-drinker, ex-drinker and current drinker), and those of drinking were assessed according to smoking status (ex-smoker and current smoker) using general linear model including other factors (age, intake of green-yellow vegetables, intake of carrot or pumpkin, body mass index serum cholesterol levels.) RESULTS: An inverse dose-response relationship between daily consumption of alcohol and beta-carotene levels was observed regardless of smoking status, and also between number of cigarettes smoked per day and beta-carotene levels regardless of drinking status. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking reduce beta-carotene levels independently.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Landry-Guillain-Barre-Strohl syndrome in pregnancy.

We report here a case of Landry-Guillain-Barre-Strohl syndrome (LGBSs) in pregnancy. The patient had rubella viral infection, and the patient's inspiratory ability rapidly weakened. In the end, aggressive plasmapheresis prevented the need for respiratory support and the inherent risk it poses in terms of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Factors that affect calorie-sensitive and calorie-insensitive reduction in blood pressure during short-term calorie restriction in overweight hypertensive women.

This study was performed to elucidate the factors that affect the reduction in blood pressure produced by calorie restriction in overweight women with essential hypertension. Fifty-one subjects were admitted to the metabolic ward of the hospital. After being fed a standard diet (6.3 to 8.4 MJ/d) for 2 weeks, the calorie-restricted group (n=34) was fed a low-calorie diet (1.9 MJ/d) for an additional 2 weeks. The calorie-nonrestricted group (n=17) was fed the standard diet for 4 weeks. Sodium and potassium intake was kept constant, as was the level of exercise activity. The calorie-restricted group was subdivided into "calorie-sensitive" and "calorie-insensitive" groups based on an average 5 mm Hg reduction in mean blood pressure during the low-calorie diet. The mean age was 51+/-6 years (mean+/-SD) in the calorie-sensitive group (n=16), which was significantly lower than the mean age of 61+/-6 years in the calorie-insensitive group (n=18). Multiple regression analysis indicated that age and change in body weight exhibited significant correlations with blood pressure reduction produced by calorie restriction among 17 parameters. Findings suggest that age can predict the extent of blood pressure reduction that would be obtained during 2 weeks of calorie restriction in overweight hypertensive women. The reduction in blood pressure may be related in part to the amount of weight loss.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Primary progressive apraxia in Pick's disease: a clinicopathologic study.

A 62-year-old right-handed man gradually experienced increasing difficulty with speech and manual dexterity. He had apraxia of speech, buccofacial apraxia, and complex limb apraxia as well as terminal dementia. At autopsy, focal cortical atrophy, neuronal loss, and neuropil rarefaction in the second and third cortical layers were most prominent in the left opercular, lower precentral, superior parietal, and left temporal pole. Numerous Pick bodies were diffusely present in the temporal and posterior frontal lobes and, to a lesser degree, in the superior parietal lobule. This report demonstrates an association between the distribution of Pick's pathology and several apraxic impairments.

Apraxias↗
PubMed1996

Relationships between reduction in body weight and reduction in blood pressure and improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism induced by short-term calorie restriction in overweight hypertensive women.

We investigated the correlations between the reduction in body weight (BW) induced by calorie restriction and reductions in blood pressure (BP) and improvement in metabolic disorders in overweight women with essential hypertension. After eating a standard diet (diet-I) for 2 weeks, women in the calorie-restricted group (n = 25) received a low calorie diet for 2 weeks, and then standard diet-II for 1 week. Women in the calorie-nonrestricted group (n = 13) ate standard diet-I for 5 weeks. The calorie-restricted group exhibited a significant reduction in BP in association with loss of BW; their levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides levels, and their fasting levels of glucose and insulin were also reduced compared with the calorie-nonrestricted group. However, there were no significant differences in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the areas under the 2-h glucose and insulin curves (AUC(glu) and AUC(ins)), or the ratio of AUC(glu) to AUC(ins) between groups. The change in BW was significantly correlated with a reduction in BP (r= 0.62, p < 0.01), but not with an improvement in metabolic disorders. Findings suggest that the degree of BW loss, induced by short-term, severe calorie restriction is associated with BP reduction, but not with improvements in glucose and lipid metabolism in overweight hypertensive women.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Is it possible to differentiate malignant mediastinal nodes from benign nodes by size? Reevaluation by CT, transesophageal echocardiography, and nodal specimen.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To reevaluate whether it is possible to reliably differentiate malignant mediastinal lymph nodes from benign nodes by size, and to determine the frequency of metastases to normal-sized mediastinal lymph nodes that directly affects the sensitivity for detecting malignant mediastinal lymph nodes (N2 nodes) on CT. DESIGN: Prospective study of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. SETTING: Department of Radiology and First Department of Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine. PATIENTS: We examined 40 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, who underwent thoracotomy because of operable stage (stage I, II, IIIA) in preoperative staging, using CT and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Lymph nodes 10 mm or greater in short-axis diameter on CT and TEE were considered abnormal. Furthermore, lymph node size was measured by TEE and nodal specimens in long- and short-axis diameter in each patient. Two hundred eight mediastinal lymph nodes were dissected and N2 nodes were present in 28% of patients (11/40); in 7 of these 11 patients (64%), mediastinal lymph node metastases were misdiagnosed on CT because of normal-sized N2 nodes. Furthermore, in 73% of N2 nodes, nodal size was normal on TEE. There were no significant difference in both diameters between malignant mediastinal lymph nodes and benign nodes on TEE and nodal specimens. CONCLUSIONS: It is not possible to reliably differentiate malignant mediastinal nodes from benign nodes by size alone, and we should be aware of high frequency of normal-sized N2 nodes in patients with operable stage of lung cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Unexplained increase in serum corticosteroid-binding globulin levels in a patient with chronic thyroiditis, pituitary adenoma and empty sella.

Unexplained high serum corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) concentrations (mean +/- SD, 74.1 +/- 12.1 micrograms/dl; normal women, 32.5 +/- 5.6 micrograms/dl) were found in an unmarried women who was not pregnant or taking exogenous estrogens. She was also found to suffer from subclinical chronic thyroiditis, pituitary adenoma and empty sella. The increased serum CBG concentrations in this patient were not due to any of the factors known to increase CBG. Consistently high basal serum GH levels and unusual GH responses to GH-releasing factor (GRF) and L-dopa were also noted.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1996

Distribution of copper in biopsied canine liver.

Biopsied canine liver tissues were investigated histochemically by electron microscopy to demonstrate copper localization. The samples were fixed and stained with the modified sulfide-silver method with a combination of iron and zinc removal. Using this method, the hepatic copper, even at a low concentration of 30 micrograms/g dry weight, was detectable. Copper was found in the hepatocyte lysosomes or in the cytoplasm as electrondense granules.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Beyond oxidized LDL: the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.

Oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) exhibits various atherogenic properties, such as the formation of foam cells, the recruitment of macrophages into arteries, the promotion of cell growth, the formation of thrombi, and the development of vasoconstriction. Antioxidants inhibit atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed animals by preventing the recruitment of macrophages into the arteries suggesting that oxidation is important for such recruitment of macrophages, and that it is responsible for early development of atherosclerosis. Calcification and an increase in extracellular matrix (ECM) are frequently observed in advanced atherosclerosis. These processes are active and regulated, not passive and degenerative, and do not appear to be controlled by ox-LDL. The control of calcifications and ECM increase will provide new directions in the treatment of atherosclerosis especially in the advanced stages. Future treatment should include strategies to inhibit the calcification and the increase in ECM.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1996

Identification of microsatellite markers near the human genes encoding the beta-cell ATP-sensitive K+ channel and linkage studies with NIDDM in Japanese.

ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels play a key role in stimulus-secretion coupling in pancreatic beta-cells. Recent studies have shown that the beta-cell KATP channel comprises two subunits: a novel member of the inwardly rectifying K+ channel family, designated BIR and expressed at highest levels in pancreatic islets, and the sulfonylurea receptor (SUR). Moreover, the genes encoding these two proteins are adjacent to one another on human chromosome 11. Genetic factors contribute to the development of NIDDM, and it seems likely that mutations in genes encoding proteins involved in insulin secretion or action may contribute to NIDDM susceptibility. The present study examined the contribution of the linked BIR and SUR genes to the development of NIDDM. These genes were localized to the same yeast artificial chromosome as two microsatellite DNA polymorphisms, D11S902 and D11S921. These microsatellite DNA polymorphisms were typed in 140 Japanese NIDDM-affected sib pairs. There was no evidence for linkage between these markers and NIDDM, suggesting that genetic variation in the BIR and SUR genes does not play a major role in susceptibility to NIDDM in Japanese.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1996

An approach for identifying simple sequence repeat DNA polymorphisms near cloned cDNAs and genes. Linkage studies of the islet amyloid polypeptide/amylin and liver glycogen synthase genes and NIDDM.

Genetic factors contribute to the development of NIDDM, and genes involved in regulating pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin's effects on glucose metabolism are good candidates for being NIDDM susceptibility loci. However, testing candidate genes for linkage to NIDDM depends on the identification of highly informative DNA polymorphisms in or near the candidate locus. Here we describe an approach for identifying highly polymorphic markers near candidate genes that utilizes the emerging physical map of the human genome. A sequence-tagged site from the candidate gene is used to screen the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain megabase-insert yeast artificial chromosome library, which contains information on the physical localization of >3,000 genetically mapped simple sequence repeat DNA polymorphisms. Thus, identification of a yeast artificial chromosome containing the candidate locus will in many instances also identify a physically linked simple sequence repeat DNA polymorphism that can be used as a marker for the candidate gene in linkage studies. We have used this approach to identify a marker for the islet amyloid polypeptide gene on chromosome 12. The physical mapping of this gene to a yeast artificial chromosome showed that it was in the same yeast artificial chromosome as the gene encoding liver glycogen synthase, another possible NIDDM susceptibility gene. Affected sib pair studies using a simple sequence repeat DNA polymorphism physically linked to the islet amyloid polypeptide and liver glycogen synthase genes showed no evidence for linkage with NIDDM, indicating that they are not major genes contributing to NIDDM susceptibility.

Amyloid↗