Biomedical subjects

M Kobayashi

Publications and source records attributed to M Kobayashi.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Angiomyofibroblastoma of the vulva: report of a case.

A 45-year-old woman was first seen by us 2 years after becoming aware of a slightly painful subcutaneous mass in her left vulva. The mass was 7.5 x 3.0 cm in size, well circumscribed, mobile, and rubbery. It was at first clinically considered to be a benign tumor. Microscopically, the resected mass was composed of spindle or polygonal tumor cells which were cellularly or hypocellularly arranged with perivascular accentuation in a mucoid or fibrocollagenous background. Immunohistochemically, myxoid tumor cells were positive for vimentin but not for alpha-smooth muscle actin, CD34, CD31, desmin, or S-100 protein. The tumor was diagnosed as an angiomyofibroblastoma (AMBF), based on the typical findings of histology and immunohistochemistry. There are many histological types of vulvar tumors, and establishing a preoperative diagnosis is difficult in many patients. Rapid intraoperative pathological diagnosis should be performed if possible, considering the possibility of diseases such as AMFB and aggressive angiomyxoma (AAM). When AAM is suspected, the peripheral tissues should also be resected to prevent recurrence.

Angiofibroma↗

PubMed2001

Sequence diversity and interrelationships among isolates of satsuma dwarf-related viruses.

The 3'-region of RNA2 of three viruses (Natsudaidai dwarf virus (isolate ND-1), and two unidentified isolates (LB-1, Az-1)), which were related to Satsuma dwarf virus (SDV), were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis including the previously reported SDV-related viruses (Citrus mosaic virus (CiMV, Ci-968), Navel orange infectious mottling virus (NIMV, NI-1)) showed that they were classified into three groups, SDV (S-58), CiMV (Ci-968, LB-1, Az-1, ND-1), and NIMV (NI-1). The results suggested these groups might correspond to the three distinct virus species. ND-1, LB-1, and Az-1 were considered strains of CiMV, although they do not induce citrus mosaic on the fruit rind.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2001

Inter-laboratory comparison of DNA preservation in archival paraffin-embedded human brain tissue from participating centres on four continents.

DNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded brain tissue is known to contain as yet ill-characterized inhibitors of the PCR process. As part of a project that aims to clarify the role of mitochondrial DNA sequence variation in human neurodegenerative diseases using DNA from various ethnic backgrounds, we have investigated factors that influence the preservation of archival DNA and its suitability for PCR. In this study, neuropathological tissue samples were analysed that had been routinely processed in 18 international centres on four continents. Following DNA extraction, PCR amplification of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences was performed with and without additional purification of the template DNA. In addition, the DNA used for PCR was analysed by HPLC. Phosphate-buffered formalin proved to be a superior fixative compared with unbuffered aldehyde: DNA extraction resulted in greater yields, the molecular weight of the isolated DNA was higher and PCR was more successful. PCR inhibitors were identified as (1) high concentrations of small (<300 bp) DNA fragments that competitively compete with template DNA and (2) contaminants of the DNA template solution including denatured protein that cannot be completely removed by phenolic extraction. HPLC analysis did not reveal significant qualitative differences between DNA isolated from fresh-frozen tissue samples and DNA recovered from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain tissue. The fact that DNA could be amplified from the majority of tissue specimens in this study suggests that rare diseases and diseases where ethnic background plays an important role can be sampled for genetic polymorphism analysis on a global scale using archival neuropathological collections.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2001

Glucosamine enhances platelet-derived growth factor-induced DNA synthesis via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway in rat aortic smooth muscle cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cells play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. Culture of vascular smooth muscle A10 cells with high glucose for 4 weeks enhanced platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced BrdU incorporation. Since a long period of high glucose incubation was required for the effect, and it was inhibited by co-incubation with azaserine, the role of hexosamine biosynthesis in the development of atherosclerosis in diabetes was studied in A10 cells. Addition of glucosamine to the culture media enhanced PDGF-stimulated BrdU incorporation, and PDGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the PDGF beta-receptor was increased by glucosamine treatment. Of the subsequent intracellular signaling pathways, PDGF-induced PDGF beta-receptor association with PLC gamma was not affected, whereas tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc, subsequent association of Shc with Grb2, and MAP kinase activation were relatively decreased. In contrast, PDGF-induced PDGF beta-receptor association with the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3-kinase and PI3-kinase activation were increased by 20% (P<0.01) and 36% (P<0.01), respectively. The intracellular signaling molecules responsible for the glucosamine effect were further examined using pharmacological inhibitors. Pretreatment with PLC inhibitor (U73122) had negligible effects, and MEK1 inhibitor (PD98059) showed only a slight inhibitory effect on the PDGF-induced BrdU incorporation. In contrast, pretreatment with PI3-kinase inhibitor (LY294002) significantly inhibited glucosamine enhancement of PDGF-induced BrdU incorporation. These findings suggest that glucosamine is involved in the development of atherosclerosis by enhancing PDGF-induced mitogenesis specifically via the PI3-kinase pathway.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMed2001

Cerebral blood flow imaging in arteriovenous malformation complicated by normal perfusion pressure breakthrough.

BACKGROUND: A patient with normal perfusion pressure breakthrough (NPPB) after surgical removal of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was evaluated using single photon emission computed tomography cerebral blood flow (CBF) imaging. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 48-year-old man suffered consciousness disturbance because of an intraventricular hemorrhage and underwent ventricular drainage. Cerebral angiography showed a medium-sized AVM in the left parietal lobe. Three months after the ictus, a left parietal craniotomy was performed and total removal of the AVM was achieved. A brain region adjacent to the AVM with preoperative decreased vasoreactivity to acetazolamide showed marked hyperperfusion after AVM excision. Hemorrhage subsequently occurred in this area. CONCLUSION: CBF mapping seems to offer a noninvasive method for the preoperative identification of AVM patients at risk for NPPB, and to allow for early postoperative diagnosis of NPPB.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

PubMed2001

Evaluation of quantitative measurements of hepatitis C virus RNA to predict sustained response to interferon by genotype.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) virus load is one of the most important predictive factors for the outcome of interferon (IFN) therapy. Recent technological advances have allowed a more precise measurement of HCV load. However, the exact cutoff values that could be used to predict the outcome of IFN have not been established for each assay. Five recent quantitative assays were evaluated for the measurement of HCV (Amplicor monitor ver 1.0, Amplicor monitor ver 2.0 (GT), Amplicor monitor ver 2.0 (Cobas), Quantiplex branched DNA amplification (bDNA) ver 2.0 and HCV core protein level by enzyme immunosorbent assay) in 209 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C, who received IFN therapy. The results of the two second generation Amplicor monitor tests (GT and Cobas) showed the best correlation (r = 0.930), but the other tests also showed relatively good correlations (r = 0.646-0.925). Each method predicted the effect of IFN with comparable predictive efficacy, ranging from 77.0 to 80.8%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that Amplicor monitor ver 2.0 and bDNA ver 2.0 are superior in predicting the response in genotype 2a. The best cutoff value for predicting the response to IFN was different by genotype, which should be considered in selecting candidates for IFN treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Influence of food thickness and hardness on possible feed-forward control of the masseteric muscle activity in the anesthetized rabbit.

The facilitatory masseteric muscle response (FMR) elicited by polyurethane foam strip application between the opposing molars during cortically-induced rhythmic jaw movements (CRJMs) was induced earlier than masticatory force onset. The occurrence of this early response of the FMR (e-FMR) could not be explained by a simple reflex mechanism. One possible mechanism of the e-FMR is the involvement of a feed-forward control mechanism of the masticatory jaw movement. In the present study, experimentally designed polyurethane foam strips with various thickness and hardness were applied during CRJMs and analyzed in terms of how the e-FMR was modulated by the food hardness and thickness. The FMR onset was not related to the strip thickness or the strip hardness. However, the magnitude of the e-FMR increased in a thickness and a hardness-dependent manner. The sensory information of the food properties in the masticatory cycle may make the FMR adequate to chewing of the food in the following cycle, and such modulation may help chewing rhythms remain stable.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2001

Immunochemical assessment of neural visinin-like calcium-binding protein 3 expression in rat brain.

Expression of neural visinin-like calcium-binding protein 3 (NVP3) was assessed by immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses in rat brain. NVP3 was markedly expressed in the cerebellum, at a concentration of 9.5microM. On SDS-PAGE, native NVP3 migrated at 23kDa, identical to the recombinant myristoyl-form, but somewhat faster than the non-myristoyl-form. Both forms bound 3 moles of calcium. The myristoyl-form exhibited a cooperativity in binding calcium and calcium-dependent membrane-binding, but the non-myristoyl-form did not. At 3 months, NVP3 was primarily localized in the Purkinje cells, with intense staining in the cell bodies, dendrites and axons. The cerebellar granule cells and basal nuclear neurons were faintly stained. During development of the cerebellum, NVP3-positive Purkinje cells first appeared on post-natal day 14 (P14). The staining intensity then increased and plateaued on P28. Labeling showed a tendency to accumulate in the dendrites and nerve terminals in a fine granular pattern. During aging process, NVP3 levels decreased by 43% at 12 months and 68% at 24 months, while the levels of NVP1, synaptophysin and drebrin were preferentially preserved. These results suggest that NVP3 is involved in dendritic arborization and postsynaptic function in cerebellar Purkinje cells and that presynaptic nerve terminals are another functional site of the protein.

Aging↗

PubMed2001

Reinforcement effect of short glass fibers with CaO- P(2)O(5) -SiO(2) -Al(2)O(3) glass on strength of glass-ionomer cement.

OBJECTIVES: A high strength glass-ionomer (not resin-modified) cement was developed using short fibers of CaO--P(2)O(5)--SiO(2)--Al(2)O(3) (CPSA) glass. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the CPSA short fibers contained in the flexural strength of the glass-ionomer cement. METHOD: The 40 mass% short fibers of CPSA glass were added to the powder of commercial glass-ionomer cement. Beam specimens of set cement (25 x 2 x 2 mm) were prepared for measuring the flexural strength (FS). The specimens of set commercial glass-ionomer cement (GI) were used for comparison with glass ionomer cement with CPSA (FRGI). Half of all specimens were thermocycled in water for 60s of dwell time at 4 and 60 degrees C for 2500, 5000, and 10,000 cycles. The other specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C as a control. The measurements were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: The initial FS of FRGI was 18.1 and that of GI was 7.7 MPa. After thermocycling, the mean FS ranged from 19.3 to 26.3 MPa and 9.8 to 11.1 MPa for FRGI and GI, respectively. After storage in water, the mean FS of FRGI and GI ranged from 20.4 to 25.9 MPa and 9.4 to 10.1 MPa, respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that glass-ionomer cement reinforced with CPSA short fibers maintains a higher strength than the conventional cement after aging.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2001

Susceptibility of thermally injured mice to cytomegalovirus infection.

Thermally injured patients are very susceptible to infection with cytomegaloviruses. In this study a role of burn-associated type 2 T cell responses on the cytomegalovirus infection was examined in a mouse model of thermal injury. A predominance of type 2 T cell responses in splenic lymphocytes of thermally injured mice has been previously demonstrated. SCID mice inoculated with splenic T cells from thermally injured mice were susceptible to infection with a small amount (5 PFU/mouse) of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Conversely, SCID mice inoculated with splenic T cells from normal mice were resistant to the same infection. High levels of IL-4 and IL-10, but not IFN-gamma and IL-2, were detected in sera of thermally injured mice (TI-mice) infected with MCMV when those were compared with sera of normal mice infected with MCMV. IL-4 and IL-10 (type 2 cytokines) were produced by splenic T cells from MCMV-infected TI-mice, when they were stimulated in vitro with anti-CD3 mAb. Type 1 cytokines (IFN-gamma and IL-2), however, were not produced by these T cells after the same stimulation. In contrast, splenic T cells from MCMV-infected normal mice produced type 1 cytokines by the stimulation with anti-CD3 mAb. These results suggest that the susceptibility of mice to MCMV infection is markedly influenced by burn-associated type 2 T cell responses.

Adoptive Transfer↗

PubMed2001

Sex differences in the brain of goldfish: gonadotropin-releasing hormone and vasotocinergic neurons.

The differences between male and female behaviors are reflected in sexual dimorphism of brain structures and are found throughout the nervous system in a variety of vertebrates. The present study examined neurons immunolabeled for gonadotropin-releasing hormone and arginine vasotocin in the brain of the goldfish Carassius auratus to determine if these neurons are sexually dimorphic. There was no sex difference or influence of sex steroids on the neuronal volume and optical density of staining of arginine vasotocin neurons. Similarly, gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons of the terminal nerve and midbrain tegmentum did not differ between sexually mature males, females and maturing females replaced with sex steroids with respect to distribution, numbers, optical density of staining, or gross morphology. In maturing females, testosterone specifically recruited additional preoptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons to equal those in sexually mature individuals. Since estrogen had no effect, the influence of testosterone on gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal numbers appears to be independent of aromatization. Specifically, the preoptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal size was significantly larger in sexually mature males than females. 11-Ketotestosterone-replacement to ovariectomized maturing females induced male-typical secondary characters and male-type courtship behavior but did not masculinize the preoptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal size. Our results show that the sexually dimorphic preoptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal size is determined by factors (genetic) other than gonadal steroids. Further, we propose the hypothesis that phenotypic and behavioral sex differences need not be accompanied by structural differences in gonadotropin-releasing hormone and arginine vasotocin in the brain.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

N-(2-Chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine reduces intracellular calcium response to noradrenaline in rat visual cortex.

Using the fluorescent indicator Fura-2, we investigated the effects of N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4), a noradrenergic neurotoxin, on intracellular calcium responses to noradrenaline, N-methyl-D-aspartate, and carbamylcholine chloride in brain slices of the rat visual cortex. Noradrenergic depletion in the visual cortex of young rats was induced by DSP-4, and its selectivity was confirmed by two different methods, i.e., immunostaining with anti-dopamine-beta-hydroxylase antibody and biochemical analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. The treatment with DSP-4 (25 mg/kg i.p., x2) caused disruption of noradrenergic fibers throughout all cortical layers, and reduced the content of noradrenaline to 6.4% of that in the normal control. In the normal cortex, bath-applied noradrenaline (100 microM) increased the intracellular calcium to 123% of the control in terms of the F(340)/F(380) ratio of Fura-2 fluorescence. Quantitative analysis of the F(340)/F(380) ratio was performed in layers II to IV, since the increase was mainly observed in these layers. The intracellular calcium response to noradrenaline was significantly (P<0.0001) reduced in the DSP-4-treated animals to 63.2% of that in the normal control. The response to N-methyl-D-aspartate (100 microM) was also reduced, whereas the response to carbamylcholine chloride, a muscarinic cholinergic agonist (100 microM), was not affected by the DSP-4 treatment. From these findings we suggest that noradrenergic denervation by DSP-4 reduces the intracellular calcium response to noradrenaline through changes in the intracellular signal transduction.

Adrenergic Agents↗

PubMed2001

Late phase responses after nasal challenges with allergen and histamine in asthmatic children with perennial nasal allergy.

OBJECTIVE: Late phase response (LPR) is difficult to investigate in patients with perennial nasal allergy because of their continuous presentation with nasal symptoms. Contribution of histamine to the LPR is also controversial. In this study, we investigated whether exogenous histamine can induce LPR in asthmatic patients with perennial nasal allergy to house dust. METHODS: A total of 40 asthmatic children were divided into clinical, subclinical and non-rhinitis groups based on their daily nasal symptoms. Changes in nasal patency and in inflammatory cells in nasal secretion were quantitatively measured for 6 h by acoustic rhinometry and light microscopy respectively before and after nasal challenge with allergen or histamine. RESULTS: The allergen challenge produced a significant biphasic decrease in nasal patency in the subclinical group and a marginal decrease in the clinical group, with increases in eosinophils 6 h after the challenge. By contrast, histamine challenge induced significant responses in the clinical group and only a slight response in the subclinical group. Eosinophils also accumulated in nasal secretion of the clinical group to significant levels 6 h after histamine challenge. Eosinophil accumulation following histamine challenge was earlier than that after exposure to allergen. CONCLUSION: We conclude that LPR can be demonstrated in asthmatic children with perennial nasal allergy. Exposure to exogenous histamine also induced LPR, mediated mainly by eosinophil-related mediators.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Clinicopathological study on eyes from cases of Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy.

Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive muscular dystrophy and dysgenesis of the central nervous system and eyes. To clarify the pathomechanism of the ocular involvement in FCMD, we performed postmortem pathological analyses of eyes from three postnatal FCMD cases, two fetal FCMD cases, and three control cases by macroscopic, histopathological, immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization approaches. The macroscopic and histopathological examinations revealed a variety of ocular abnormalities such as folding, fusion or dysplasia of the retinas in the FCMD cases both with and without ophthalmological alterations. Immunoreactivities for collagen IV and laminin, produced by Müller cells, as the basement membrane components, were less intense in the inner limiting membrane of the FCMD retinas than in that of the control retinas. A number of the perivascular glial cells containing S-100 protein and glial fibrillary acidic protein were increased in the postnatal FCMD cases. Immunoreactivities for vimentin, glutamate transporter-1, glutamine synthase and ornithine aminotransferase, expressed in the Müller cells, were undetectable in the fetal FCMD retinas, and reduced in the postnatal FCMD retinas compared with the control retinas. Fukutin mRNA signals were distributed diffusely in the retinoblast layer of the control retinas, focally in the retinoblast layer of the fetal FCMD retinas, and only in the dysplastic areas with rosette formation of the postnatal FCMD retinas, composed of retinoblasts and other retinal cells including the Müller cells. The present findings suggest that the Müller cells are implicated in the retinal pathology of FCMD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Alternating light-darkness-influenced human electrocardiographic magnetoreception in association with geomagnetic pulsations.

Geomagnetic variations of partly interplanetary origin, with cyclic signatures in human affairs and pathology include the incidence of various diseases, regarding which this study of healthy subjects attempted to determine an underlying mechanism by worldwide archival and physiological monitoring, notably of heart rate variability (HRV). In the past half-century, the possible health and other hazards of natural, solar variability-driven temporal variations in the earth's magnetic field have become a controversial subject in view of the inconsistent results. Some well-documented claims of associations between geomagnetic storms and myocardial infarction or stroke have been rejected by a study based on more comprehensive data analyzed by rigorous methods - covering, however, only part of a solar cycle in only part of a hemisphere. It seems possible that inter-solar cycle and geographic variability, if not geographic differences, may account for discrepancies. Herein, we examine the start of a planetary study on any influence of geomagnetic disturbances that are most pronounced in the auroral oval, on human HRV. The magnetic field variations exhibit complex spectra and include the frequency band between 0.001-10 Hz, which is regarded as ultra-low frequency by physicists. Since the 'ultra-low-frequency' range, like other endpoints used in cardiology, refers to much higher frequencies than the about-yearly changes that are here shown to play a role in environmental-organismic interactions revealed by HRV, the current designations used in cardiology are all placed in quotation marks to indicate the need for possible revision. Whether or not this suggestion has an immediate response, we have pointed to a need for the development of instrumentation and software that renders the assessment of circadian, infradian and even infra-annual (truly low frequency) modulations routinely feasible. HRV was examined on the basis of nearly continuous 7-day records by ECG between December 10, 1998, and November 2, 2000, on 19 clinically healthy subjects, 21 to 54 years of age, in Alta, Norway. A geomagnetic record was obtained from the Auroral Observatory of the University of Tromsø. First, frequency-domain measures of HRV were compared for each person in 24-hour spans of high geomagnetic disturbance versus quiet conditions. Second, cross-spectra between geomagnetic activity and HRV measures were quantified via the squared coherence spectrum using 7-day time series. A 7.5% increase in the 24-hour average of heart rate, HR (P = 0.00020) and a decrease in HRV were documented on days of high geomagnetic disturbance. The decrease in HRV was validated statistically for the 'total frequency', 'TF' endpoint (18.6% decrease, P= 0.00009). The decrease in spectral power was found primarily in the 'circaminutan frequency', 'VLF' (21.9% decrease, P< 0.000001) in conjunction with the 'minutes-to-hours' component, ultra-low-frequency, 'ULF' (15.5% decrease, P= 0.00865) and circadecasecundan 'low frequency', 'LF' (14.2% decrease, P = 0.00187) regions of the spectrum. Power-law scaling of the power spectra did not show any statistically significant difference. It is noteworthy that most of the decrease in HRV, except for the circaminutan (VLF) component, was observed only in the season in which sunshine alternated with darkness (D/L), a finding suggesting a mechanism influenced by the alternation of light and darkness. The hypothesis of a light-dark-influenced magnetoreception was also supported by cross-spectral analysis. Group-averaged coherence at frequencies coincident with the geomagnetic Pc 6 pulsations (with periods ranging from 10 minutes to 5 hours) differed with a statistical significance (P < 0.000001) among the three natural lighting conditions, the association being weaker during UL or D/D than during D/L. By contrast, no statistically significant differences were found in terms of the circadian and circasemidian frequencies in relation to the alternation of sunshine with darkness or rather circannual rhythm stage. In conclusion, evidence is provided herein that an alteration of HRV is most apparent in the circaminutan ('VLF') region, which is clinically important, because a reduction in its power is a predictor of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The circadecasecundan ('LF') component of HRV also decreased in association with geomagnetic disturbance, which may reflect an episodic alteration of arterial pressure related to changes in geomagnetic activity. Lastly, our study suggests the existence of a light-dark-influenced magnetoreception mechanism in humans involving mainly the Pc 6 band of the magnetic field.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Glycine reduces novelty- and methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity in neonatal ventral hippocampal damaged rats.

The use of neonatal ventral hippocampal nVH lesioned rats is well established in animal models of schizophrenia. Moreover, the dysfunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) neurotransmission may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. To examine the effect of glycine (GLY) in this animal model, we compared the effects of GLY (0.8 and 1.6 g/kg, IP) on locomotor activity induced by a novel environment (NOVEL) and methamphetamine (MAP, 1.5 mg/kg, IP) in lesioned and sham-operated rats. Compared with sham rats, GLY significantly reduced NOVEL- and MAP-induced locomotor activity in lesioned rats (p <.001 and p <.05, respectively). It is suggested that GLY attenuated nVH-induced hyperactivity, and that this effect was evident both in the presence and absence of MAP. The nVH lesions may result in a form of hyperactivity that differs from normal locomotion in the degree to which it is highly sensitive to regulation by GLY.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Isolation of an androgen-inducible novel lipocalin gene, Arg1, from androgen-dependent mouse mammary Shionogi carcinoma cells.

Here we report isolation of an androgen-regulated novel gene from an androgen-dependent mouse mammary Shionogi carcinoma SC-3 cell line. Using a polymerase chain reaction-based subtraction method and Northern blotting analysis, we isolated four androgen-inducible genes from SC-3 cells. Nucleotide sequencings identified three of the genes as cyclin D1, beta-catenin, and fatty acid synthase, respectively, but the fourth, a gene tentatively named as Arg1 (androgen-regulated gene 1), remained undefined. The cloned 2.0-kb sized Arg1 cDNA encoded 414 amino acid sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences, sharing about 30% homology with cathepsin family members at a protein level, had relatively conserved residues around the three proteinase active sites reported earlier. In Northern blotting, Arg1 mRNA was found in kidney, heart, lung, and to a lesser degree, in spleen and liver. Its transcripts were also detected in male reproductive organs on RT-PCR. In addition, its expression levels in prostate were markedly reduced after castration. Unexpectedly, Arg1-expressing COS1 cells showed no significant proteinase activity to various synthesized substrates under neutral or acidic conditions in this study. This might have been due to the replacement of the cysteinyl active site for proteinase to serine residue in the Arg1 amino acid sequences. Given that Arg1 also contains a lipocaline signature known as a binding motif for small hydrophobic molecules at the center of its amino acid sequences, Arg1 is a lipocalin family gene regulated by androgens in prostate and Shionogi carcinoma cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Inflammatory solitary iliac artery aneurysms: a report of two cases.

Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms are associated with atherosclerosis, which are characterized by specific clinical manifestation. We treated two patients with unilateral solitary iliac artery aneurysms with perianeurysmal fibrosis which compressed the ureter resulting in ipsilateral hydronephrosis. After the iliac artery aneurysm was repaired with a prosthetic graft, the hydronephrosis resolved. Microscopically, there was clear evidence of atherosclerosis in one case. There was a characteristic inflammatory reaction around the adventitia in both aneurysms. Localized iliac perianeurysmal fibrosis has not been particularly described. The clinicopathologic similarities between these cases and inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms suggest the same pathogenesis.

Aged↗