Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

M Kazama

Publications and source records attributed to M Kazama.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Hemostatic molecular markers before the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation.

We retrospectively measured various hemostatic markers in 240 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) before the onset of DIC and in 110 non-DIC patients, and examined their usefulness for the diagnosis of pre-DIC. Changes in prothrombin time ratio and fibrinogen levels were not significant before the onset of DIC. The plasma levels of fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products before the onset of DIC were increased and the platelet count was gradually reduced in nonleukemic patients; these changes were already significant in the non-DIC state. The plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex (PPIC), D-dimer, and soluble fibrin monomer (sFM) were increased before the onset of DIC. In leukemic patients, the plasma levels of sFM on day 5, those of TAT on day 3, and D-dimer on day 1, were significantly increased before the onset of DIC. The levels of most hemostatic markers 7 days before the onset of DIC were not different from those observed in the non-DIC state. In nonleukemic patients, only D-dimer, sFM, and TAT levels were significantly increased 7 days before the onset of DIC compared with values in the non-DIC state. The positive rate of hemostatic markers for the diagnosis of DIC, TAT, and PPIC were high during the pre-DIC and non-DIC groups. The plasma levels of sFM and D-dimer were low in non-DIC and increased gradually during the pre-DIC state. These findings suggest that hemostatic molecular markers such as sFM, D-dimer, and TAT are useful for the diagnosis of pre-DIC, although their cutoff values were different among various diseases.

Antifibrinolytic Agents

Immunocytochemical localization of thrombomodulin in the aqueous humor passage of the rat eye.

This report describes the distribution and localization of thrombomodulin (TM) in the rat eye by light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. In addition to the endothelium of the entire vasculature, TM was found on the non-vascular structures lining the cavities of the posterior and anterior chambers and the limbus. TM was localized on the basal, lateral, and apical plasma membranes of the inner and outer ciliary epithelium, and the posterior iris epithelium in which there was no polarized expression of TM. In the anterior chamber, TM was localized on the luminal surface of the corneal endothelium, but was negative on the anterior border layer of the iris, which is composed of a discontinuous layer of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. Thus, TM was present at sites of cell-to-cell contact. TM was also present on the endothelia of the trabecular meshwork and the Schlemm's canal in the limbus. TM was localized not only on the luminal plasma membrane, but also on the cytoplasmic giant vacuoles in the endothelial cells of the Schlemm's canal. These findings extend the importance of anticoagulant mechanisms to the systems of secretion, circulation, and drainage of the aqueous humor.

Animals

The potent inhibition of vapiprost, a novel thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist, on the secondary aggregation and ATP release of human platelets.

The inhibitory effects of vapiprost hydrochloride (vapiprost), a novel thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist, on platelet aggregation and ATP release were studied using platelet rich plasma (PRP) of humans, guinea pigs, rabbits and rats. In in vitro experiments with human platelet, vapiprost inhibited the aggregation and ATP release stimulated with U-46619, collagen or arachidonic acid (AA) at an IC50 of less than 2.1 x 10(-8) M. Vapiprost did not inhibit the primary aggregation or ATP release of human platelets stimulated with adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), epinephrine (Epi) or platelet activating factor (PAF), but inhibited the secondary aggregation stimulated with those agonists at an IC50 of less than 1.3 x 10(-7) M. The sensitivity of platelets in various species of animals to vapiprost was in the following order: human > or = guinea pigs > rats > rabbits. In ex vivo experiments with guinea pigs which received a single oral dose of vapiprost, the agent demonstrated strong inhibition of ATP release from platelets stimulated with U-46619, collagen or AA at an ID50 of less than 25.8 micrograms/kg. These inhibitory effects were observed within 30 min and sustained for 24 h at a single dosage of 5 mg/kg of vapiprost. In AA-induced pulmonary infarction models of mice, the sudden death rates decreased significantly with the oral administration of 10 mg/kg or more of vapiprost. These results indicate that vapiprost effectively inhibits the secondary aggregation and ATP release of human platelets stimulated with various agonists, and that guinea pig and human platelets are similar in response to vapiprost. Furthermore, it was demonstrated in ex vivo experiments with guinea pigs that the inhibitory action of vapiprost appears rapidly and lasts for long periods.

Adenosine Triphosphate

[Improvement of inter-assay for the standardization of PT and TT--clinical significance of local standardization method].

We performed a nationwide Inter-assay including 112 laboratories for the standardization of prothrombin time (PT) and thrombotest (TT). The data were expressed as seconds, percentile and INR. INR was expressed by 2 methods; Method I (conventional method): INR was expressed using each ISI assigned for reagent or reagent-instrument at the respective laboratories and Method II (local standardization method): INR was expressed using each reference curve created with INR assigned standard plasmas at the respective laboratories. (1) Sample distribution of PT as well as TT was the smallest with the data expressed by Method II followed by Method I and then by percentile. The data expressed by seconds was widely distributed and not useful for the standardization of PT and TT. (2) Even the sample distribution obtained by Method II was dependent on the different ISI of the reagents, as it was found that the larger the ISI of the reagents, the wider the distribution of data. (3) The difference between PT and TT of each test plasma was analysed by t-test. It was found that the difference was insignificant when both data were expressed by Method II, but significant when expressed by Method I, suggesting that PT and TT were interchangeable with the use of Method II. (4) Sample distribution of percentile expression and INR with the use of method II was compared. It was revealed that the sample distribution of INR was smaller than that of percentile. It was concluded that INR expressed by the local standardization method was most useful for the standardization of PT and TT.

Humans

[Laboratory diagnosis of congenital thrombophilia].

We examined the incidence of thrombophilia in deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Of 38 cases, we found 4 cases of protein C abnormality, 2 cases each of protein S abnormality and lupus anticoagulant, 1 case of antithrombin III abnormality. The total incidence was 23.7%, whereas only 2 cases (6.2%) of plasminogen abnormality were found among 32 healthy individuals. The incidence of thrombophilia was apparently higher among patients with DVT than that of healthy subjects, although the incidence of Japanese DVT was lower than that of Caucasian DVT, as previously reported. By SSCP analysis in one case of protein C abnormality, we demonstrated an abnormality of exon 9-3. To establish laboratory diagnosis of thrombophilia, it is recommended that (1) severe liver diseases, DIC, and oral anticoagulant be ruled out, (2) abnormality be confirmed by repeated examination, (3) family study determine inheritance mode, if possible. It was strongly suggested that laboratory examination of thrombophilia should be routinely applied to cases of venous thrombosis including DVT, not only for diagnostic interest but also for appropriate treatment of these cases.

Adult

Oxidized low density lipoprotein reduces thrombomodulin transcription in cultured human endothelial cells through degradation of the lipoprotein in lysosomes.

Oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL), a potent atherogenic lipoprotein, has been shown to cause the alteration of various endothelial functions. We have examined the effect of oxidized LDL on the cofactor activity for thrombin-dependent protein C activation and expression of thrombomodulin (TM), a cell surface antithrombotic glycoprotein, on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Oxidized LDL prepared by irradiation of LDL with 254-nm ultraviolet light did not directly affect the cofactor activity of isolated TM. Exposure of the cells to oxidized LDL (25-200 microg/ml), but not native LDL and acetylated LDL, reduced TM cofactor activity in parallel with its antigen levels on the cell surface in an oxidation-, concentration- and time-dependent manner. TM mRNA levels were reduced prior to decrease in TM antigen levels and were 50% of the control levels at 3.0 h after treatment of the cells with oxidized LDL. The apparent half-life time (t1/2 = 2.8 h) of TM mRNA in the oxidized LDL-treated cells, however, did not significantly differ from that (t1/2 = 2.6 h) in the control cells when the cells were coincubated with 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, a transcriptional inhibitor. Treatment of the cells with bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor for the proton pump of the lysosomes, inhibited intracellular degradation of the LDL and prevented down-regulations of the mRNA and the cell surface TM antigen levels caused by oxidized LDL. The inhibitor molecule in oxidized LDL was shown to be a lipid; organic solvent extracts (300 mg/ml cholesterol, an equivalent concentration with lipids in 200 microg/ml oxidized LDL) of oxidized LDL inhibited expression of TM antigen to nearly the same extent as the oxidized LDL, although water extracts did not affect TM expression on the cells. These results suggested that down-regulation of TM on endothelial cells exposed to oxidized LDL resulted from inhibition of its transcription mediated by lysosomal degradation of oxidized LDL and that a lipid component in the LDL could be an active species. A decrease in TM expression on the surface of endothelial cells may contribute to promote thrombosis in atherosclerotic lesions.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

The epidermal growth factor-like domain of recombinant human thrombomodulin exhibits mitogenic activity for Swiss 3T3 cells.

Thrombomodulin (TM) is an anticoagulant endothelial cell surface glycoprotein containing six tandem epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like structures. We prepared a recombinant TM peptide (rTME1-6, from R214GHWA to DSGK466 of native TM) composed of these six EGF-like structures and investigated the effect of rTME1-6 peptide on the growth of the Swiss 3T3 fibroblast cell line. It was found that rTME1-6 induced proliferation of Swiss 3T3 cells and accelerated [3H]thymidine uptake into their DNA. [3H]Thymidine uptake increased in a dose-dependent manner, plateauing at 50 ng/mL rTME1-6, which was 1.8 times the control level. rTME1-6 peptide (50 ng/mL) also accelerated the DNA synthesis of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), A549 (a human lung cancer cell line), HepG2 (a human hepatocarcinoma cell line), and U937 cells (a human monocytic cell line) to 1.5, 1.6, 1.4, and 1.2 times the control level, respectively. The magnitude of the acceleration of DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 induced by rTME1-6 was approximately 20% of that of EGF on a molar basis. The uptake of [3H]thymidine was accelerated synergistically by coculture of the cells with rTME1-6 and insulin, similar to the coculture with EGF and insulin. The effects of rTME1-6 were abolished by addition of polyclonal antihuman TM IgG, whereas the actions of insulin and EGF were not influenced. Glucose uptake in Swiss 3T3 cells also increased 1.6 times over control levels by culture with 50 ng/mL rTME1-6 (1.25 nmol/L), compared with 2.7 times by 10 ng/mL EGF (1.66 nmol/L). Binding of [125I]EGF (0.5 ng/mL, 0.083 nmol/L) by the cells was inhibited by about 60% by addition of an eight-fold molar excess of nonlabeled EGF (0.664 nmol/L), whereas no inhibition of [125I]EGF binding was observed, even in the presence of a 1,000-fold molar excess (83 nmol/L) of rTME1-6. Specific binding of [125I]rTME1-6 on the cells showed a saturation curve, and the apparent concentration of rTME1-6 required for half maximum binding of the peptide on the cells was calculated to be 31.5 ng/mL. Thus, the overall results indicated that the rTME1-6 peptide had mitogenic activity for Swiss 3T3 cells, accelerated DNA synthesis and glucose uptake, and that the mitogenic activity might be mediated by binding of the peptide to a specific site different from the EGF receptor.

3T3 Cells

[REN plot for a graphic expression method of clinical laboratory data statistics].

Laboratory data have been processed statistically on an assumption that they formed a normal distribution curve by themselves or after their transformation. The data of clinical medicine, however, frequently form distributions different from the normal one and thus they are not exactly represented by simple statistics such as mean and standard deviation. We used non-parametric percentiles(pct) as parameters for an improved expression of data distributions. The parameters used in this method are as follows: mean, 50 pct as median, 25 and 75pct as a concentration indicator, 5 and 95pct as a 90 percent central range, 2.5 and 97.5pct as a 95 percent central range, and minimum and maximum data as a distribution range. These indicators were presented on a new form of box-and-whisker plot. This expression was named as REN plot. Our method was compared to the other statistical expression methods using the data of control surveys of Factor IX activity of normal plasmas and prothrombin time of abnormal standard plasmas as well as APTT of abnormal plasma measured for intra-laboratory quality control. It was found that any form of data distribution, normal or abnormal, was precisely expressed in detail and the gradient of data densities were visually plotted by our method. Also neither the median, central range nor distribution range was influenced by extreme values. It was concluded that REN plot was useful expression for the statistical analysis of clinical laboratory data.

Adult

[FDP-E fraction].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products

Enhancement of thrombin-thrombomodulin-catalysed protein C activation by phosphatidylethanolamine containing unsaturated fatty acids: possible physiological significance of phosphatidylethanolamine in anticoagulant activity of thrombomodulin.

The effects of phospholipid vesicles and their fatty acid compositions on the acceleration of Protein C activation by thrombin-thrombomodulin was studied in vitro. Four main phospholipid fractions were prepared from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and purified thrombomodulin from human placenta was reconstituted into vesicles consisting of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) alone, PtdCho plus phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn), PtdCho plus phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and PtdCho plus PtdIns (1:1, w/w in each case). Vesicles of PtdCho, PtdIns/PtdCho, PtdSer/PtdCho and PtdEtn/PtdCho increased thrombin-thrombomodulin-catalysed protein C activation by 1.2-, 1.9-, 4.3- and 8.4-fold respectively compared with that in the absence of phospholipid. This Protein C activation was not affected by distearoyl PtdEtn/distearoyl PtdCho, whereas it was markedly increased with increasing content of unsaturated fatty acid in PtdEtn. The thrombin-dependent Protein C activation by thrombomodulin reconstituted into dilinolenoyl PtdEtn/distearoyl PtdCho was 14.6 times that by thrombomodulin reconstituted into distearoyl PtdEtn/distearoyl PtdCho, as a result of a decrease in the dissociation constant (Kd) for thrombin and the Michaelis constant (Km) for Protein C of thrombomodulin. Binding of Protein C to PtdEtn/PtdCho fixed to a microwell plate required the presence of CaCl2 and increased with increasing degree of unsaturation of fatty acid in PtdEtn. As PtdEtn appeared on the outside of the plasma membrane in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells after thrombin stimulation, it was presumed that Protein C activation could be elevated by PtdEtn at the outer surface of the plasma membrane via an increased affinity between thrombomodulin, thrombin and Protein C, resulting from both increased formation of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex via a conformational change in thrombomodulin and increased binding of Protein C to the membrane phospholipid in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner.

Calcium Chloride

Thrombomodulin induction by all-trans retinoic acid is independent of HL-60 cells differentiation to neutrophilic cells.

The expression of thrombomodulin (TM), an antithrombotic factor, was investigated during neutrophilic differentiation of the HL-60 human myeloblastic cell line treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Differentiation of the cells into neutrophilic cells progressed in a time- and dose-dependent fashion with ATRA or DMSO, as confirmed by the characteristic appearance of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction and phagocytic activities, without induction of nonspecific esterase activity. TM antigen and cofactor activity for thrombin-dependent protein C activation were not detected in untreated HL-60 cells and the cells cultured with DMSO, but were expressed in a time-dependent manner in the cells cultured with ATRA. The level of TM expression in the HL-60 cells was not dose-dependent on ATRA concentrations, but maximum TM expression was obtained at 10(-7) M ATRA. TM expression levels decreased in cells cultured with greater than 10(-6) M ATRA, although the extent of cell differentiation into neutrophilic cells progressed at the higher ATRA concentrations. Since the TM antigen levels in the ATRA-treated cells also paralleled the TM mRNA levels, the data suggests that TM induction in the HL-60 cells cultured with ATRA reflected the levels of TM biosynthesis and was independent of HL-60 differentiation into neutrophilic cells. It was postulated that the appearance of TM with cofactor activity in neutrophilic cells differentiated from leukemic cells may contribute to prevention of vascular thrombosis in differentiation therapy of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia by ATRA.

Cell Differentiation

Different thrombomodulin induction in monocytic, macrophagic and neutrophilic cells differentiated from HL-60 cells.

Thrombomodulin (TM) antigen and its cofactor activity for thrombin-dependent protein C activation were not detected in the untreated HL-60 human promyelocytic cell line, but appeared in cells cultured with 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1 alpha,25(OH)2D3: 10-1,000 nM) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA: 0.1-10 nM) accompanied by an increase in TM mRNA levels. The induction of TM increased in parallel with the appearances of both nonspecific esterase activity, a typical marker of monocyte/macrophage lineages, and phagocytic activity. The TM antigen level induced in 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3-treated cells was 8 times higher than that in PMA-treated cells. Trace amounts of TM antigen were induced in neutrophilic cells differentiated from HL-60 by treatment with retinoic acid. These results indicated that different levels of TM were induced in monocytic, macrophagic and neutrophilic cells differentiated from HL-60 cells.

Calcitriol

Nafamostat mesilate: a regional anticoagulant for hemodialysis in patients at high risk for bleeding.

107 hemodialysis patients at high risk for intradialytic bleeding due to previous surgery or active bleeding from other sites were treated with nafamostat mesilate (FUT-175; FUT) as hemodialysis anticoagulant for 2 weeks. In contrast to heparin. FUT prolonged clotting times only in the extracorporeal circuit. Clotting times were not prolonged even at the conclusion of the treatment, and bleeding from the puncture site after removal of the needle was shorter than with heparin. The exacerbation of bleeding by hemodialysis was noted in only 21 out of 573 hemodialysis procedures (3.7%), and 134 of 145 hemodialysis procedures (92.4%) with active bleeding were successfully completed without increasing the bleeding. Adverse effects of FUT were noted in only 6 cases (5.6%) or 1.2% of HD procedures. These results indicate that FUT is a very useful anticoagulant for HD, especially in patients with high risk of bleeding.

Aged

Participation of calpain I activation in the ATP release reaction of platelets stimulated with thrombin.

Proteolytic activation of calpain (calcium-dependent neutral protease) I in thrombin-stimulated platelets was determined by following the production of the 76- and 78-kDa forms from the 80-kDa subunit of calpain I as measured by immunoblotting using monospecific antibody to human calpain I, and the correlation between the extents of calpain I activation and ATP release was investigated. When platelets were stimulated with thrombin in the range from 0.01 to 0.5 U/ml, the maximal 60% activation of calpain I was achieved within 15 s after the stimulation, and ATP release began after the maximal activation had been reached. The extent of ATP release decreased in parallel with the decrease in activation ratio of calpain I on treatment of platelets with EGTA or EST, a membrane-permeable inhibitor of calpain. Although pretreatment of platelets with EST did not affect the thrombin-dependent elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, both the inhibition of calpain I activation and the reduction of ATP release were observed as a function of EST concentration. These results suggest that calpain I participates in one of the processes leading to the ATP release reaction of platelets stimulated with thrombin.

Adenosine Triphosphate