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Biomedical subjects

M Kondo

Publications and source records attributed to M Kondo.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Secretion of inhibin A and inhibin B throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period in chimpanzees.

Plasma concentrations of inhibin A and inhibin B during pregnancy and early lactation in chimpanzees were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Plasma samples were taken from five pregnant chimpanzees at 6-9, 10, 20 and 25 weeks of pregnancy, and following parturition. Throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, circulating inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations remained low, at similar levels to those during the normal menstrual cycle in chimpanzees. Concentrations of inhibin A in the placental homogenate were high enough to be measured by the ELISA and by bioassay, whereas circulating inhibin bioactivities in late pregnancy were too low to be measured. Plasma concentrations of FSH remained low with no significant changes throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17beta and progesterone at 25 weeks of pregnancy were much higher than normal menstrual cycle levels. It was concluded that in chimpanzees the levels of circulating inhibin A and inhibin B remained low throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and that the concentrations of bioactive dimeric inhibin did not increase towards the end of pregnancy. The suppression of circulating FSH levels during pregnancy is suggested to be controlled by steroid hormones that increased significantly in late pregnancy, and the present findings further suggest that the secretory pattern and role of inhibin during pregnancy in chimpanzees may be different from that in human and other primates.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Primary appendiceal adenocarcinoma of colonic type with perforating peritonitis.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix is rare, especially the colonic type. We report a case of appendiceal adenocarcinoma of colonic type associated with perforating peritonitis after aorto-femoral artery bypass surgery. A 79-year-old woman presented with fever and pain in the right lower abdomen. She had undergone aorto-femoral artery bypass surgery due to arteriosclerosis obliterans 6 months earlier. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a suspected pool of fluid surrounding the artificial vessel and a mass lesion in the upper end of the fluid collection. These findings suggested localized peritonitis due to appendiceal perforation. Emergency laparotomy showed a pool of pus around the artificial vessel and inflamed appendix, which adhered to the surrounding tissue. The mass was excised in combination with an ileocaecal resection, followed by an ileocolic anastomosis. The histological diagnosis was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the appendix, colonic type. The tumour had infiltrated and obstructed the lumen of the orifice of the appendix, which may have caused perforation of the appendix. She was examined at regular periodic follow-ups and no evidence of recurrence or metastasis was noted in the 12-month postoperative period. These findings indicate that, in cases of acute appendicitis, especially with perforation, the possibility of appendiceal adenocarcinoma should be considered.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

Leukemia cutis in an elderly patient treated with low dose cytosine arabinoside and etoposide.

A 78-year-old man presented with a generalized erythematous papular rash. Such skin lesions were not painful, tender or pruritic, and spread over the truncus. He was admitted to our hospital for examination of the skin lesions. Laboratory tests indicated microcytic hypochromatic anemia and thrombocytopenia, although gave a normal leukocyte count with normal differentiation. His bone marrow showed hypercellularity, with 43% peroxidase positive blasts that displayed positive immunophenotypes for CD4, CD13, CD33, CD41a, KP-1 (CD68), and HLA-DR. His skin specimen revealed infiltration in the dermis and subcutaneous fat tissue by leukemic cells that were positive for the leukocyte common antigen (LCA, CD45), CD15, CD33, CD68, and HLA-DR. He was diagnosed as having M4 subtype of acute myelogeneous leukemia (AML) with leukemia cutis. After three courses of low dose cytosine arabinoside (LDAC), combined with low dose etoposide, he achieved complete remission (CR). He remained well, with no evidence of relapse nine months later. LDAC should be considered as initial treatment for such cases of leukemia cutis with poor general condition.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Trisomy 8 involved in myelodysplastic syndromes as a risk factor for intestinal ulcers and thrombosis--Behçet's syndrome.

Only 12 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cases with Behçet's syndrome have been previously reported and trisomy 8 was found to have accumulated in all these patients. Five of the cases had complications in the form of multiple intestinal ulcers, which is one of the symptoms of Behçet's syndrome. To investigate the relationship between trisomy 8 and multiple intestinal ulcers in MDS patients, we analyzed 46 MDS cases treated in our hospital over the last decade, and trisomy 8 was observed in eight of them. Three of these cases had complications of both multiple intestinal ulcers and thrombosis, and two cases showed episodes of thrombosis without intestinal ulcers. All these five cases featured trisomy 8, while the other 38 MDS patients without trisomy 8 had no episode of either intestinal ulcer or thrombosis. Two of the three cases suffering from multiple intestinal ulcers were treated with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which resulted in aggravation of the symptoms. Although the influence of G-CSF on such symptoms in MDS patients with trisomy 8 remains unclear, it seems advisable to exercise caution in the use of G-CSF when an MDS patient with trisomy 8 has intestinal ulcers or thrombosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Clinical application of quantitative analysis for detection of hematogenous spread of hepatocellular carcinoma by real-time PCR.

In order to detect a hematogenous spread of tumor cells in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay has been used. In this study, we quantified alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) messenger RNA by real-time PCR approach using LightCyclertrade mark technique. AFP messenger RNA in the blood from 23 hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing hepatic resection, 31 healthy volunteers, 10 patients with liver cirrhosis and 5 patients underwent hepatectomy except for hepatocellular carcinoma was quantitated. In the real-time PCR, fluorescence was undetectable in any of the controls. On the contrary, fluorescent signals were detected in 10 out of 39 blood specimens collected from 23 HCC patients. AFP-positive status was significantly associated with the existence of multiple intrahepatic nodules. Out of 8 cases with AFP-positive status, intra- and/or extra-hepatic recurrence has been observed in 3 cases. The quantities of AFP messenger RNA in these 3 cases were relatively high among 8 cases with AFP-positive status. AFP messenger RNA was detectable by newly developed real-time PCR approach with LightCycler and it is suggested that this approach could be applicable in detection of small amounts of tumor cells in the blood of HCC patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2001

Recombinant human erythropoietin therapy for autologous blood donation in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty.

The effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on autologous blood donation was investigated in 73 rheumatoid arthritis patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty. Autologous blood donation of 400 mL was successful with recombinant human erythropoietin (12,000 U per week), and no homologous blood was required. The mean period of blood collection was 33.8 days. Mean hemoglobin levels were 9.7 g/dL before treatment, 10.7 g/dL before surgery, and 10.2 g/dL after surgery. This study confirmed recombinant human erythropoietin is effective for enabling preoperative blood donation in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Focal macular ERGs in eyes after removal of macular ILM during macular hole surgery.

PURPOSE: The removal of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) for traction maculopathy has recently been advocated. However, it is generally believed that the ILM plays an important role in retinal function, because it is the basal lamina of the Müller cells that are involved in the generation of the electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave. To date, there has been no objective assessment of retinal function on removing the ILM. In this study, the changes of each component of the focal macular electroretinograms (FMERGs) were investigated in eyes before and after the ILM was removed in the macular area during surgery for idiopathic macular holes (IMHs). METHODS: FMERGs were elicited by a 15 degrees stimulus centered on the fovea and monitored by an infrared fundus camera. FMERGs were recorded from 49 eyes of 48 patients with IMHs before and 6 weeks after anatomically successful macular hole surgery. Whether an eye had or did not have the ILM removed was randomly determined. The ILM was removed in 30 eyes (ILM-off group) and was not removed in 19 eyes (ILM-on group). Six months after surgery, the same examination was performed in 27 eyes of the ILM-off group and in 15 eyes of the ILM-on group. The amplitudes and implicit times of the a- and b-waves and the mean amplitudes and implicit times of the first three oscillatory potentials (OP1 to OP3) were compared before and after surgery within and between the groups. RESULTS: Visual acuity increased significantly after surgery in both groups. In the ILM-on group, the amplitude of the a- and b-waves and the OPs increased significantly 6 months after surgery (P: = 0.0093, P: = 0.0019, P: = 0.0024, respectively, paired t-test). In the ILM-off group, the a-wave amplitude and mean OP amplitudes were significantly larger 6 months after surgery (P: = 0.0077, P: = 0.0030, respectively, paired t-test). The b-wave amplitude, however, did not change significantly. The percentage increase in the b-wave amplitude 6 months after surgery was significantly higher in the ILM-on group (44.0%) than in the ILM-off group (15.0%; P: = 0.037, t-test). CONCLUSIONS: The removal of the ILM had no adverse effect on visual acuity. However, the selective delay of recovery of the FMERG b-wave 6 months after surgery suggests an alteration of retinal physiology in the macular region.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Primate photopic sine-wave flicker ERG: vector modeling analysis of component origins using glutamate analogs.

PURPOSE: To study how the photoreceptoral and postreceptoral ON- and OFF-components contribute to the photopic sine-wave flicker ERG in the monkey by isolating the components with glutamate analogs. METHODS: Monkey photopic flicker ERGs were elicited with sine wave stimuli (mean luminance, 2.66 log cd/m(2); 80% modulation depth, on a 40 cd/m(2) white background) and were recorded for stimulus frequencies of 4 Hz to 64 Hz, before and after intravitreal injection of DL-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB) and cis-2, 3-piperidinedicarboxylic acid (PDA) that block ON- and OFF-bipolar activity, respectively. The amplitude and phase of the fundamental component were analyzed. RESULTS: The flicker response amplitudes increased after APB, for frequencies of 6 Hz to 32 Hz. The further addition of PDA to isolate the photoreceptor component resulted in a relatively small residual response that decreased monotonically from 4 Hz to 32 Hz. The postsynaptic APB (ON-) and PDA (OFF-) sensitive components were isolated by subtraction and were characterized by amplitude and phase vectors. The ON- and OFF-components were larger than the initial control responses for stimuli of 8 Hz to 40 Hz. These two components had a frequency-dependent phase difference of 160 degrees to 230 degrees; normally, they interfere with each other and reduce their net contribution. The phase difference between ON- and OFF-components was nearly 180 degrees for a 10-Hz stimulus, and the phase cancellation caused a prominent dip in amplitude at this frequency. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that postreceptoral ON- and OFF-components contribute substantially to the sine-wave flicker ERG, especially at higher stimulus frequencies. Because of phase cancellation, they mask each other in the net response in a frequency dependent fashion. The photoreceptor contribution is greater than the net postsynaptic component only for frequencies of approximately less than or equal to 10 Hz. These results can be summarized by a vector model that may be useful for interpreting changes resulting from retinal disease.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMed2001

Multifocal ERG findings in complete type congenital stationary night blindness.

PURPOSE: To study the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) in patients with the complete type of congenital stationary night blindness (cCSNB), which is thought to be due to a defect in neurotransmission from the photoreceptors to the ON-bipolar cells. METHODS: mfERGs were recorded with the VERIS recording system from four patients with cCSNB, none of whom had nystagmus. The stimulus array consisted of 61 hexagons, and the total recording time was approximately 4 minutes. The amplitudes and implicit times of the first- and second-order kernels of the local responses were compared with those from 20 myopic controls. Waveforms of the summed response from all locations were also compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The first-order kernels of the mfERGs of cCSNB patients had normal amplitudes but delayed implicit times for nearly the whole field tested. The second-order kernel was severely attenuated in amplitude in cCSNB patients. The ratios of the second- to first-order kernel amplitudes were significantly reduced in cCSNB and clearly separated the cCSNB group from the control group without any overlap of the values. CONCLUSIONS: The second-order kernel, which is involved in adaptative mechanism of the retina to repeated flashes, is selectively reduced in cCSNB. The delay of the implicit times of the first-order kernel in patients with cCSNB may be related to the severe amplitude reduction of the second-order kernel.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Usefulness of 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy for estimation of residual hepatic functions and postoperative changes of HH15 and LHL15].

We investigated the usefulness of 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy for estimation of residual hepatic functions and postoperative changes of HH15 and LHL15. 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy was performed on 61 patients and following points were studied: 1) correlation between HH15-LHL15 and conventional liver function tests, 2) correlation between HH15-LHL15 and the Child classification, 3) relations of preoperative HH15 and LHL15 to postoperative complications after hepatectomy, 4) early changes of HH15 and LHL15 after hepatectomy, 5) changes of HH15 and LHL15 1 year after hepatectomy, and 6) changes of HH15 and LHL15 1 year after Hassab's operation. Results were as follows. 1) There were significant relations between preoperative HH15 and ICGR15 and Alb. There were significant relations between preoperative LHL15 and ICGR15, T-Bil, Alb, HPT and ChE. 2) There were significant relations between preoperative HH15-LHL15 and the Child classification. 3) In Hr2 group, preoperative LHL15 of patients who contracted postoperative complications had been significantly lower than that of those who did not. 4) There were no early changes of HH15 and LHL15 after hepatectomy. 5) HH15 and LHL15 were significantly improved 1 year after hepatectomy. 6) HH15 were significantly improved 1 year after Hassab's operation. We concluded that 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy is useful for estimation of residual liver function tests and for investigation of changes after surgery from viewpoints different from conventional hepatic function tests.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A contact lens electrode with built-in high intensity white light-emitting diodes. A contact lens electrode with built-in white LEDs.

We determined the clinical usefulness of a new contact lens electrode with built-in, white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for full-field electroretinograms (ERGs). Three, high-brightness white LEDs were incorporated into a contact lens electrode and served as the source for the stimulus and the background. The stimulus intensity, stimulus duration and background illumination were regulated by a small LED control device. Maximum stimulus and background intensities were 3.9 and 3.6 log cd/m2, respectively. We successfully recorded intensity-response series for scotopic and photopic ERGs. We also recorded a duration-series for photopic ERGs, and ERGs that were comparable to the ISCEV standardized ERGs. The compactness and ease of using this system suggest that it will be clinically useful under different conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[A patient with hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein thrombosis in 1st branch who was treated by transcatheter arterial embolization].

We report a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein thrombosis in the 1st branch who was treated by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and survived more than 3 years. A 58-year old male was diagnosed as having unresectable massive type HCC in the area of S8 with portal vein thrombosis from the P8 branch to the right portal branch. He was treated by TAE via the anterior branch of right hepatic artery. One week later, localized hepatic infarction in the anterior segment was recognized. Five months later, the portal vein thrombosis had disappeared and become necrotic. After 3 years and 4 months, he died of a relapse of a gastric varix, but with no portal thrombosis and a well controlled intra-hepatic recurrence that was treated by repeated TAE. This case suggests that TAE might be effective for cases of HCC with portal vein thrombosis in the 1st branch, if the liver function and portal flow are suitable.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed2001

Inhibitory effect of T-614 on tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced cytokine production and nuclear factor-kappaB activation in cultured human synovial cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of the immunosuppressive effect of T-614 [N-(3-formylamino-4-oxo-6-phenoxy-4H-chromen-7-yl)methanesulfonamide], a new antirheumatic drug whose clinical efficacy has been determined for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: RA synovial fibroblast-like cells were cultured with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha, 10 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of T-614. After incubation, cytokine production was measured by ELISA. Expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-8 mRNA was examined by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis and TNF-alpha induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation was observed using immunostaining with an antibody against NF-kappaB p65. RESULTS: T-614 suppressed TNF-alpha induced production of IL-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and also reduced the accumulation of IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA in a concentration dependent manner. T-614 interfered with the TNF-alpha induced translocation of NF-kappaB to the nucleus from the cytoplasm. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and transcription of proinflammatory cytokines by T-614 contributes to its clinical antirheumatic effect.

Antirheumatic Agents↗
PubMed2001

[Porphyria].

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Female↗
PubMed2000

Expression of AMPA receptors in rat superior colliculus and effect of orbital enucleation.

We analyzed the distribution and the morphological characteristics of neurons expressing AMPA-type glutamate receptor subunits (GluR1 and GluR2) in the superficial partition (stratum zonale (SZ), stratum griseum superficiale (SGS) and stratum opticum (SO)) of the rat superior colliculus. GluR1-expressing neurons had round or ovoid somata in SGS and round or fusiform somata and primary dendrites extending tangential or horizontal side in SO. On the other hand, GluR2-expressing neurons mainly corresponded to vertical fusiform cells with vertically oriented dendrites in SGS and medium-sized stellate or ovoid cells with many primary dendrites in SO. The results suggest that the expressions of GluR1 and GluR2 are differentially regulated in individual neurons of the superficial partition. To analyze the effect of retinal deafferentation on the expression of the GluRs, we performed unilateral orbital enucleations in rats within a week after birth. Thirty days after retinal lesioning, lower expression of GluR2 mRNA was observed in the neurons of the contralateral side as compared with that of the ipsilateral side in SO, but not in SGS. These results indicate that GluR2 expression in the SO neurons is regulated by the correct afferentation from the retina.

Animals↗