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Biomedical subjects

M Moriyama

Publications and source records attributed to M Moriyama.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Clinical value of thymidine kinase in patients with cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the clinical value of thymidine kinase (TK), which is an important pyrimidine pathway enzyme involved in salvage DNA synthesis, in patients with cervical carcinoma. METHODS: We examined TK mRNA expression by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 19 tissue specimens of invasive cervical carcinoma and 9 normal cervices and related it to thymidylate synthase (TS) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) mRNA expressions. Serum TK level was determined by radioenzymatic assay in 79 patients with invasive cervical carcinoma, 7 patients with microinvasive carcinoma, 21 patients with carcinoma in situ and 32 normal women. RESULTS: TK mRNA expression was upregulated in invasive cervical carcinoma compared with the normal cervix (p < 0.05) and significantly correlated with TS mRNA expression (p < 0.0001) but not with TP mRNA expression. The serum TK level was significantly higher in patients with invasive carcinoma than in normal women and patients with carcinoma in situ (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). In patients with invasive cervical carcinoma, the serum TK level significantly correlated with TK mRNA expression (p < 0.05), but not with any conventional clinicopathologic factors. High serum TK levels significantly correlated with a poorer survival (p < 0.05), and multivariate analysis showed serum TK level to be an independent prognostic factor (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TK may play an important role in influencing the malignant behavior of cervical carcinoma, and measurement of the serum TK level may be useful in predicting survival in patients with cervical carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Chemical and nutritional properties of hypoallergenic wheat flour.

The chemical and nutritional properties were investigated of hypoallergenic wheat flour (HWF) prepared by the cellulase-actinase treatment. HWF was composed mainly of oligopeptides and free amino acids, and its average molecular weight was lower than 1,000. Feeding tests on rats showed that, with respect to the PER, GOT and GPT activities and other nutritional indices, the HWF diet was almost equivalent to the control diet which had been prepared from normal wheat flour (NWF). No abnormality was apparent in the main organs after the HWF diet had been fed for 3 weeks. The small intestinal absorption of the HWF diet was found normal by measuring the free amino acid concentration in the intestinal tract and in the portal vein plasma. These data suggest that the absorption of amino acids from the HWF diet was comparable with or more efficient than that from a simulated free amino acid diet.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2001

Participatory assessment of the environment from children's viewpoints: development of a method and its trial.

To understand the actual viewpoints of children about daily life and the environment, the authors, adopting a participatory strategy, visited 21 classes of Japanese school children, improved in a stepwise process their ways of question-asking, and developed "WIFY"(what is important for you); a set of interactive questions composed of a basic question and three accompanying instructions. In applying WIFY, 59 fourth graders, 22 in Nagasaki, Japan and 37 in Beijing, China, reported their viewpoints in each of classroom settings. In both settings, when children were allowed to communicate with each other by the use of WIFY answering sheet, spontaneous exchanges arose and continued. WIFY itself is supposed to bring out and enhance mutual collaboration and spontaneous networking. In this instance, WIFY functioned as a communication tool. When answering sheets were collected and obtained responses were analyzed as cases, a rather materialistic view was suggested among Japanese children and a more disciplined view, which put much value on school and home, was suggested among Chinese children. Further studies are needed to confirm the changing environmental views of children from the collaborative research framework.

Attitude↗
PubMed2001

[Evaluation of MRSA identification with latex agglutination kit for the detection of penicillin-binding protein 2].

MRSA is one of the major nosocomial pathogens, and methicillin-resistance is associated with acquisition of the mecA gene coding for the penicillin-binding protein 2' (PBP2'). MRSA-screen test (Denka Seiken Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) is a slide latex agglutination kit which can detect PBP2' within 15 min. MRSA-screen test was compared with PCR for detection of the mecA gene in order to detect MRSA. S. aureus strains isolated from April to October in 1999 in Gifu Red Cross Hospital were identified as 25 MRSA and 19 MSSA by susceptibility testing to oxacillin by the agar dilution method according to the recommendation of the National Comittee for the Clinical Laboratory Standards. The MRSA screen test and PCR for the mecA gene showed sensitivites of 92.0 and 96.0% and specificities of 89.5 and 94.7%, respectively. It is considered that MRSA-screen is a rapid and reliable test for discrimination of MRSA from MSSA colonies on agar plates.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2001

Improved interactive medical and public health education in Japan and Korea.

We have carried out case based comparative studies in Japan, US and Korea with special reference to the medical education programme using standardized patients (SPs). The schools in US we have visited are still in the process further reforming interactive medical education. In Daegu, Korea, five medical schools have jointly started a working group for the betterment of medical education on a regular basis from the year 1999. The emphasis is on cooperative research on standardized patient training and its application. In Japan, the substantial activities for training and implementing SPs were later followed by several citizens who are active in training and providing SPs to medical schools and hospitals in need. In comparison to the established research oriented framework and flexible application of SPs in US and new & dynamic developmental discussions of SPs in Korea, the Japanese reality is a bit behind with less opportunity for research oriented trials.

Competency-Based Education↗
PubMed2000

Full-length nucleotide sequence of a simian TT virus isolate obtained from a chimpanzee: evidence for a new TT virus-like species.

Recently, we identified TT virus (TTV) isolates from nonhuman primates and named them simian TTV (s-TTV). To characterize the genomic structure of these isolates in more detail, the full-length nucleotide sequence of the s-TTV isolate (designated s-TTV CH65-1), recovered from a chimpanzee born in West Africa, was amplified by nested PCR with inverted primers deduced from the untranslated region of s-TTV DNA. CH65-1 was composed of 3899 nucleotides (nt) and had two open reading frames (ORF) spanning 2295 nt (ORF1) and 402 nt (ORF2). The sequence had only 52.3% similarity to the prototype TA278 human isolate. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that CH65-1 was distinct from the human TTV isolates. These results suggested that s-TTV may represent a new TTV-like viral species or genus.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Histologic improvement of fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C who have sustained response to interferon therapy.

BACKGROUND: Short-term histologic improvement in hepatitis C-related hepatic fibrosis has been noted in studies with more than 2 years of follow-up, but the long-term effects of interferon therapy on hepatic fibrosis remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in hepatic fibrosis after interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: 7 university hospitals and 1 national hospital in Japan. PATIENTS: 593 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent a paired liver biopsy from 1987 to 1997. Of these, 487 patients received interferon therapy and 106 patients were untreated. INTERVENTION: Patients in the treatment group received a 2- to 6-month course of interferon within 6 months after the initial biopsy. MEASUREMENTS: Fibrosis and inflammatory activity in paired biopsy samples obtained a median of 3.7 years apart (range, 1 to 10 years) were graded by using the criteria of Desmet and colleagues (F0 to F4) and those of the French METAVIR Cooperative Study Group (A0 to A3), respectively. Changes in fibrosis staging and activity scores and yearly rates of fibrosis progression and regression were calculated. RESULTS: 183 of the 487 interferon-treated patients showed a sustained virologic response. Activity grade was unchanged in most of the untreated patients and improved in 89% (CI, 83% to 93%) of patients with a sustained virologic response. A sustained response to interferon was associated with a mean (+/-SE) reduction in fibrosis score of -0.60+/-0.07 at less than 3 years of follow-up and -0.88+/-0.08 at 3 years or more of follow-up. The rate of fibrosis progression was -0.28+/-0.03 unit/y (regression) in patients with sustained response, 0.02+/-0.02 unit/y in patients with nonsustained response (P< 0.001), and 0.10+/-0.02 unit/y in untreated patients. CONCLUSION: Although the time between biopsies partly affected the patient's clinical course, the differences observed here suggest that in patients with chronic hepatitis C, regression of fibrosis is associated with sustained virologic response to interferon therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Human interferon-alpha induces immobility in the mouse forced swimming test: involvement of the opioid system.

In a previous study, we indicated that human interferon (IFN)-alpha (IFN-alpha, 6 x 10(4) IU/kg, i.v.), but not human IFN-beta or -gamma, prolonged the immobility time of the forced swimming test in mice. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of the effect of human IFN-alpha. None of the mouse IFNs tested (IFN-alpha/beta, IFN-beta, and IFN-gamma, 3 x 10(5) U/kg, i.v.) changed the immobility time or the spontaneous locomotor activity in mice. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg, s.c.), a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, did not affect the increase in the immobility time induced by human IFN-alpha (6 x 10(4) IU/kg, i.v.). However, naloxone (1 mg/kg, s.c.), an opioid receptor antagonist, blocked the increasing caused by human IFN-alpha in the forced swimming test. These results suggest that the increase in the immobility time caused by human IFN-alpha in the forced swimming test might be mediated through opioid receptors, but not mouse IFN receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

CSF phosphorylated tau protein and mild cognitive impairment: a prospective study.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau protein phosphorylated at both Thr231 and Ser235 sites (CSF/phospho-tau(231-235)) and total tau (CSF/total-tau) were quantified by sandwich ELISA in 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who eventually developed AD on follow-up as well as seven memory complainers with no objective memory loss. 13/20 (65%) of the MCI patients had high CSF/total-tau and detectable levels of CSF/phospho-tau(231-235), whereas these markers were low and under a detectable level in all of the memory complainers. Although either a total-tau, phospho-tau measurement or a combination of these can help in predicting if MCI will develop AD, our results suggest that the pathogenic steps of AD may be at the stage that finally leads to an accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau and neuron death, at least in some brain areas, when MCI patients present with the earliest detectable clinical symptoms of dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

C-ERBB-2 gene amplification as a prognostic marker in human bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate c-erbB-2 gene amplification and its prognostic significance in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. METHODS: Alterations in the gene copy number of c-erbB-2 were detected in 57 bladder tumor samples using a method based on the polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Eighteen tumors (32%) showed gene amplification of c-erbB-2, which correlated with tumor grade and stage. A strong association of c-erbB-2 amplification with patient survival was also found. The amplification resulted in a significantly poorer prognosis among the patients with high-grade and/or invasive tumors. Multivariate analysis revealed that c-erbB-2 amplification and tumor grade were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate a possible role of the c-erbB-2 gene in the development of aggressive behavior in bladder tumors. Moreover, the use of c-erbB-2 gene amplification, together with tumor grade and stage, could provide an accurate basis for determining the prognosis of bladder cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Telomerase activity of needle-biopsied liver samples: its usefulness for diagnosis and judgement of efficacy of treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: High values for telomerase activity in malignant tumors have been reported. The clinical usefulness of measurements of telomerase activity as a diagnostic tool and to evaluate treatment efficacy in small hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated. METHODS: We investigated 22 patients (26 nodules) with intrahepatic abnormal nodules < or =20 mm in size determined by abdominal ultrasound. All underwent needle biopsies of tumorous nodules and extranodular regions of the liver by ultrasound guidance for histopathological diagnosis and measurement of telomerase activity by the fluorescence-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol. Re-biopsy of the same nodule was performed 1 week after percutaneous ethanol injection therapy to measure telomerase activity in 10 patients (10 nodules) found to have hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver-biopsied samples from 30 patients with chronic hepatitis C were used as a control. RESULTS: Telomerase activity increased with statistical significance stepwise: chronic hepatitis (n=30, mean: 0.00 U) extranodular regions (pre-cirrhosis or cirrhosis, n=22, mean: 1.80 U), atypical hyperplasia (borderline or premalignant lesions, n= 15, mean: 7.02 U) and low-grade malignant hepatocellular carcinoma (n=11, mean: 31.96 U) (p<0.0001 by the Kruskal-Wallis test). Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy resulted in loss (0.00 U) of telomerase activity in 9 nodules and persistence in 1 nodule. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of telomerase activity appeared useful for diagnosis of intrahepatic abnormal nodules and assessment of the efficacy of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy and may be used as an alternative diagnostic method, especially when pathohistological discrimination between atypical hyperplasia and well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma is difficult.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid change. A case report.

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a newly established entity of renal neoplasm with histological and molecular biological features different from those of common RCCs. Chromophobe RCC shows characteristically cloudy and reticular cytoplasm and cellular features resembling distal nephron. Its prognosis has been reported to be more favorable than that of common RCCs. Recently, however, several cases have been reported which showed sarcomatoid change to present poor prognosis. Here we present a case of chromophobe RCC with sarcomatoid change which was once resected surgically. The surgically resected tumor was histologically composed of chromophobe epithelial cell sheets and sarcomatoid elements. The former showed positivity for colloid iron staining, and was immunohistochemically positive for E-cadherin and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), whereas the latter was positive for vimentin instead of colloid iron and E-cadherin. EMA was focally positive in the sarcomatoid element. The patient died with systemic metastases 14 months after the operation. Histologically, the metastatic tumors were composed only of sarcomatoid element lacking epithelial element. Based on these findings and previous reports, this case supports the existence of a tumor progression pathway from chromophobe to sarcomatoid RCC. It is necessary to perform careful postoperative investigation of chromophobe RCC due to its possible histological progression to the sarcomatoid subtype.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

A case of giant keratoacanthoma of the auricle.

Although keratoacanthomas are not rare in the head and neck area, patients with this type of tumor rarely consult an otolaryngologists for treatment. Keratoacanthoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. This tumor grows rapidly, usually attaining a size of about 10-20 mm in approximately 6 weeks. This is followed by slow involution over a period of 2-6 months. A keratoacanthoma larger than 20-30 mm is called as 'giant keratoacanthoma' and it is scarce. We encountered a case of giant keratoacanthoma (50 mm in diameter) on the right auricle of 84-year-old Japanese woman with a 3-year history of gradual tumor growth. Several clinical and histopathological factors made the diagnosis difficult. The tumor was completely removed by surgery and diagnosed as a keratoacanthoma by histopathological examination.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

A prospective study of interferon therapy modified by pre-treatment viral load in cirrhotic patients. Tokyo-Chiba Hepatitis Research Group.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The relative role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) load and subtype as predictors of the efficacy of interferon therapy has been clarified in patients with chronic hepatitis C, but the effectiveness of interferon therapy in cirrhotic patients is still unclear. METHODS: To resolve this issue, we undertook a multicenter, randomized, and prospective study of 114 cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C virus infection. The patients were selected to undergo two different periods (6 or 12 months) of IFN therapy according to viral load. Patients with "low" viral load (< or = 10(5.8) copies/ml serum) were randomly divided into three groups, receiving 6 or 9 million units (MU) interferon three times a week for 6 months (total dose: 468 or 702 MU), or of a modified regimen using 6MU of IFN over 6 months (total dose 564 MU), while patients with "high" viral load (< or = 10(6.3) copies/ml serum) were also randomly divided into two groups of 6 or 9 MU of IFN three times a week for 12 months (total dose: 936 or 1,404 MU). RESULTS: HCV-RNA negativity rate at the completion of treatment with 6 or 9 MU IFN was 65% in patients with "low" viral load, in contrast to 14% in patients with "high" viral load. Sustained virological response was found in 40% of patients with "low" viral load irrespective of the three different regimens, in contrast to only 1 out of 35 patients (3%) with "high" viral load. Viral eradication was found in approximately 50% of patients having a low virus load (< or = 10(4.3) copies/ml) and with HCV subtype 2a. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that pretreatment viral load was a significant factor contributing to efficacy of IFN therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained response was scarcely achieved in cirrhotic patients with high viral loads even after a 12-month course of intensive IFN therapy. This result indicates that there is a certain cut-off level of HCV RNA load which can not be eradicated.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Hepatitis G virus coinfection influences the liver histology of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

AIMS/BACKGROUND: The present investigation compared the histological features of the liver of chronic hepatitis C patients who are or are not coinfected with hepatitis G virus (HGV) to determine the histological and clinical characteristics of HGV infection. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 194 patients with chronic hepatitis C who visited our institution between 1993 and 1995. Detection of serum HGV RNA was performed by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Scores were assigned to indicate the severity of each of the following features on the liver biopsy of a patient: inflammatory cell infiltration in the periportal, parenchymal, and portal area; fibrous stage; lymphoid aggregates in the portal area; portal sclerotic change; perivenular fibrosis; pericellular fibrosis; bile duct damage; bridging necrosis; and irregular regeneration of hepatocytes (IR). RESULTS: HGV RNA was detected in the sera of 18 (9.3%) of the 194 patients. The histological features of the HGV RNA-positive patients show significantly more severe bile duct damage, perivenular fibrosis, pericellular fibrosis and IR than the liver of the HGV RNA-negative patients. The biochemical results in the two groups did not significantly differ. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that chronic HGV coinfection worsens the histological features of liver disease.

Bile Ducts↗
PubMed2000

Intronic U50 small-nucleolar-RNA (snoRNA) host gene of no protein-coding potential is mapped at the chromosome breakpoint t(3;6)(q27;q15) of human B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: In eukaryotic cells, nucleolar processing of preribosomal RNAs (prerRNAs) is assisted by a large number of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) that function in the 2'-O-methylation or the pseudouridylation of rRNAs. Most snoRNAs so far characterized are encoded and processed from introns of premRNAs. RESULTS: We found a novel intronic snoRNA gene, named U50HG, located on chromosome 6q15, at the breakpoint of chromosomal translocation t(3;6)(q27;q15). The U50HG gene is composed of six exons, whose spliced transcripts have little potential for coding a protein, and its introns produce both U50 and U50-like (U50') snoRNAs that are localized in nucleoli. It possesses an oligopyrimidine tract that is characteristic of the 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine (5'TOP) class of genes which have been shown to be coordinately regulated in response to cell growth. CONCLUSIONS: U50HG is a member of the nonprotein-coding multiple snoRNA host gene family, as well as of the 5'TOP gene family similar to UHG (U22 host gene), U17HG (U17 host gene), U19HG (U19 host gene) and gas5 (growth arrest-specific transcript 5 gene). It is novel to find that the snoRNA gene is located at the breakpoint of chromosomal translocation t(3;6)(q27;q15) involved in human B-cell lymphoma.

Alternative Splicing↗