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Biomedical subjects

M Nakano

Publications and source records attributed to M Nakano.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[MR imaging of cerebral palsy].

We evaluated 35 patients with cerebral palsy on the basis of MR imaging findings in the brain. The types of palsy were spastic quadriplegia (n = 11), spastic diplegia (n = 9), spastic hemiplegia (n = 2), double hemiplegia (n = 1), athetosis (n = 10) and mixed (n = 2). Of all patients, 28 (80%) generated abnormal findings. In spastic quadriplegia, although eight cases revealed severe brain damage, two cases showed no abnormal findings in the brain. One of the three had cervical cord compression caused by atlanto-axial subluxation. In spastic diplegia, the findings were divided according to whether the patient was born at term or preterm. If the patient had been born prematurely, the findings showed periventricular leukomalacia and abnormally high intensity in the posterior limbs of the internal capsule on T2-weighted images. MR imaging in spastic hemiplegia revealed cerebral infarction. In the athetoid type, half of all cases showed either no abnormal findings or slight widening of the lateral ventricle. Three cases showed abnormal signals of the basal ganglia. The reason why athetoid-type palsy did not show severe abnormality is unknown. We believe that MR imaging is a useful diagnostic modality to detect damage in the brain in cerebral palsy and plays an important role in the differentiation of cerebral palsy from the spastic palsy disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Intravascular invasion of a thymoma from the thymic vein to the right atrium--a case report].

A 43-year-old woman with a complaint of facial swelling was admitted to our hospital. A chest roentgenogram revealed a mass in the mediastinum. Chest CT and MRI demonstrated a mass in the anterior mediastinum protruding into the superior vena cava (SVC) and right atrium. A diagnosis of thymoma was made by needle biopsy. The patient underwent surgery without preoperative treatment. The tumor extended across the capsule of hte thymic gland and a polypoid growth of tumor reached the right atrium through the lumen of the thymic and left brachiocephalic veins and the SVC. No direct infiltration into the SVC or pericardial cavity was observed. Under cardiopulmonary bypass, the tumor was resected with the left brachiocephalic vein, SVC, and the upper third of the right atrium. The SVC was reconstructed using an EPTFE graft. Histopathologic examination demonstrated a predominantly epithelial cell thymoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy was performed, and no recurrence has been recognized for 3 years postoperatively.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Unilateral multicystic dysplastic kidney in an adult: report of a case].

A case of unilateral multicystic dysplastic kidney in a 52-year-old woman is reported. Two abnormal round-like calcifications in left upper quadrant abdomen were found on upper gastrointestinal roentgengraphy for health screening. The computerized tomographic (CT) scan revealed a very small left kidney which was not enhanced and the ring and diffuse calcifications in it. It was not visualized by drip infusion pyelography. Left nephrectomy was performed. The kidney, which was very small, had two cysts the walls of which were calcified. The left ureter and renal vessels were absent. Histological appearance shows typical multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK). Literature is reviewed. However, the therapy for MCDK is still controversial.

Calcinosis↗
PubMed1996

[Subsets of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar-lavage fluid from patients with idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia].

Lymphocyte activation may be involved in interstitial inflammatory processes in the lungs. We analyzed lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from 5 patients with idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia and from 7 control subjects. Lymphocytes were analyzed by two-flow cytometry. Differential cell counts showed that the percentage and the number of lymphocytes was higher in the patients (32.9 +/- 21.9%, 12.8 +/- 8.32 x 10(4) cells/ml) than in the controls (8.31 +/- 3.66%, 0.69 +/- 0.39 x 10(4) cells/ml, p < 0.05). In particular, the patients had many more CD8+ S6F1+ lymphocytes (which are considered to be activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes; 32.2 +/- 11.8%, 42.0 +/- 26.5 x 10(3) cells/ml) than did the controls (6.31 +/- 1.69%, 0.42 +/- 0.25 x 10(3) cells/ml, p < 0.01). These data indicate that activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes may be important in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing preumonia.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Beneficial effect of amiloride, A Na(+)-H+ exchange blocker, in a murine model of dilated cardiomyopathy.

We investigated the effect of amiloride, a Na(+)-H+ exchange blocker, on ventricular hypertrophy in a murine model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Mice with DCM were given orally amiloride for 60 days. The ratio of heart weight to body weight and left ventricular cavity dimension were significantly smaller in both amiloride groups than those in furosemide and control (untreated DCM) groups (p < 0.05). The fiber diameter was significantly smaller in amiloride groups than that in furosemide group (p < 0.01). Plasma and cardiac angiotensin II (AII) levels were decreased in amiloride-treated groups compared with those in furosemide or control group (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that amiloride prevents the development of myocardial hypertrophy and left ventricular dilatation in DCM in association with a reduction of AII.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1996

[Portal hypertension after successful hepatic portoenterostomy in biliary atresia].

Sixty percent of 139 patients with biliary atresia who underwent hepatic portoenterostomy (Kasai operation) from 1965 to 1994 became jaundice-free after the operation. Portal hypertension, which was confirmed by endoscopic observation of esophageal varices and/or thrombocytopenia (less than 100 x 10(3)/mm3), developed in 50% of unicteric long-term survivors. Esophageal varix was found initially between 11 months and 5 years of age in more than 70% of these portal hypertensive patients. On the contrary, thrombocytopenia developed at 6 years or older age in 63% of the patients. The incidence of portal hypertension was significantly lower in the patients whose serum bilirubin decreased less than 2mg/dl at 3 months after surgery than in the patients whose bilirubin stayed over 2mg/dl at the same postoperative time. Furthermore, re-do operation related significantly to the incidence of portal hypertension in jaundice-disappeared patients. Prophylactic endoscopic injection sclerotherapy and/or variceal ligation were sufficiently effective in the management of esophageal varices. Partial splenic embolization as well as splenectomy seems to be a treatment of choice for hypersplenism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Structure and function of the N-linked carbohydrate chains of pig zona pellucida glycoproteins.

The N-linked carbohydrate chain of the PZP3 glycoprotein family of pig zona pellucida is shown by competition assay to possess sperm receptor activity. Structural analysis reveals that the N-linked chains comprise neutral and acidic complex-type chains. The tri- or tetra-antennary fraction in the neutral chains possesses the sperm receptor activity, but the activity is markedly reduced compared with that of PZP3, suggesting that the protein moiety participates in the maintenance of proper orientation of the active chain. Two components in the PZP3 family can be separated by reverse-phase HPLC after endo-beta-galactosidase (E beta G) digestion and one of the digests, E beta G-PZP3 alpha, possesses the sperm receptor activity. E beta G-PZP3 alpha deprived of O-linked chains by treatment with alkali retains the activity comparable with E beta G-PZP3 alpha, while E beta G-PZP3 alpha deprived of N-linked chains by N-glycanase digestion loses the activity. Furthermore, competition assay of the digests of E beta G-PZP3 alpha with lysyl-endopeptidase indicates that the active chain is linked to Asn67 or Asn84 of PZP3 alpha or to both residues. We conclude that sperm-egg binding in pigs is mainly mediated by tri- or tetra-antennary, neutral, complex-type N-linked carbohydrate chain(s) localized in the N-terminal region of PZP3 alpha protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Genotypes of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and the risk for alcoholic chronic pancreatitis in Japanese alcoholics.

Genetic predisposition to alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease has been reported. However, genetic susceptibility to alcoholic pancreatitis is still a matter of debate. To determine it, we examined genotype patterns of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2 and ADH3), and cytochrome P-4502E1 (CYP2E1) in alcoholic pancreatitis patients. In 296 alcoholic patients, 52 cases showed findings of chronic pancreatitis by ultrasonography and x-ray computed tomography and/or had a history of pancreatitis (P+). The remaining 244 patients had neither abnormal findings of the image examinations nor a history of pancreatitis (P-). As for the ADH2 genotype, distribution of 2(1)/2(1), 2(1)/2(2), and 2(2)/2(2) was 22, 37, and 42% in P+ patients, whereas 34, 35, and 30% in P- patients, respectively. The frequency of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype was significantly higher in P+ patients, compared with that in P- patients. There were no significant differences in the distribution of ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1 genotypes between P+ and P- patients. In 14 alcoholic patients who showed low contents of fecal chymotrypsin, which suggests dysfunction of pancreatic exocrine, the rate of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype also tended to be higher (50%) than in 74 controls who showed normal contents of the fecal chymotrypsin (28%). No differences were observed in genotypes of ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1. Moreover, the frequency of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype was significantly higher in autopsy cases with interlobular fibrosis in the pancreas, which suggests alcoholic pancreatic damage, than in cases with only intralobular pancreatic fibrosis. These data suggest that the risk of alcoholic pancreatitis seems to be associated with the presence of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prognostic value of cervical size and pelvic lymph node status assessed by computed tomography for patients with uterine cervical cancer treated by radical radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To determine the prognostic impact of cervical size and pelvic lymph node status assessed by computed tomography (CT) in uterine cervical carcinoma treated with irradiation alone. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seventy patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stage IIB and IIIB uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with a combination of external and high dose-rate intracavitary irradiation were entered into analyses. Univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox regression model were performed to determine statistical significance of some tumor-related factors. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in pelvic control rate (PC), distant metastases-free rate (DMF), cause-specific disease-free survival rate (CSDFS) among subgroups with cervix < 60 mm in diameter. However, PC (p = 0.023), DMF (p = 0.000025), and CSDFS (p = 0.0023) were significantly lower for patients with cervix > or = 60 mm than < 60 mm. The 5-year CSDFS was 77.5% for < 60 mm, and 28.6% for > or = 60 mm. Pelvic node status assessed by CT scans had significant prognostic impact on outcome. the 5-year CSDFS rate was 84.9% for patients with no enlarged nodes, and 58.9% for those with enlarged nodes greater than 1 cm in minimum diameter (p = 0.023). Whereas PC was not significantly affected, the DMF was strongly correlated with nodal status (p = 0.00027). Pelvic node status was taken as an independent predictor for DMF (p = 0.019) on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Although cervical size assessed by CT had limited prognostic value, pelvic node status assessed by CT is the significant prognostic factor for patients with uterine cervical carcinoma treated with radical irradiation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Involvement of N-linked carbohydrate chains of pig zona pellucida in sperm-egg binding.

The sperm receptor activity of pig zona pellucida has been previously shown to exist in one of the components, pig zona protein 3 alpha (PZP3 alpha), that can be purified after the removal of sialylated and/or sulfated N-acetylpoly(lactosamine) by digestion with endo-beta-galactosidase. In this study, we examined whether N-linked or O-linked carbohydrate chains are involved in the sperm receptor activity of pig zona pellucida. The elimination of N-linked carbohydrate chains from endo-beta-galactosidase-digested PZP3 alpha by digestion with N-glycanase markedly reduced its inhibitory effect on sperm-egg binding in an in vitro competition assay, whereas the elimination of O-linked carbohydrate chains by alkali treatment hardly reduced the inhibitory effect. These results indicate that N-linked carbohydrate chains of PZP3 alpha play a major role in mediating the sperm binding of zona pellucida in pig.

Amidohydrolases↗
PubMed1995

The amino acid sequence and interaction with the nucleosome core DNA of transition protein 4 from boar late spermatid nuclei.

The primary structure of transition protein 4 (TP4) from boar late spermatid nuclei was determined by automated Edman degradation of S-pyridylethylated protein and of peptides generated by cleavage with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, lysyl endopeptidase and CNBr. Boar TP4 is a basic protein consisting of a highly basic amino-terminal half (residues 1-73) and a less basic carboxy-terminal half (residues 74-138). The latter half includes a highly hydrophobic segment, a four-times tandemly repeated sequence, N(G)QNKR(K)X, and a carboxy-terminal segment containing Trp126. Ultraviolet absorption and CD spectra of TP4-rat-liver-nucleosome-core-DNA (double-stranded DNA) complexes suggest a TP4-induced local melting of DNA. Although at 1 mM NaCl TP4 brought about a slight stabilization of the DNA against thermal melting, a destabilization of the DNA was observed at 50 mM NaCl. From the results of quenching of tryptophan (Trp126) fluorescence of TP4 upon its binding to double-stranded and single-stranded boar liver nucleosome-core DNA at 50 mM NaCl, the apparent association constants for the binding of TP4 to double-stranded and single-stranded DNA were calculated to be 7.3 x 10(3) M-1 and 4.1 x 10(3) M-1, respectively. These results suggest that TP4, having different domain structures from TP1-3 and a higher affinity for double-stranded DNA, induces a local destabilization of DNA probably through the stacking of Trp126 with nucleic acid bases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

The first observation of O2- generation at real time in vivo from non-Kupffer sinusoidal cells in perfused rat liver during acute ethanol intoxication.

Infusion of ethanol or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) into the perfused rat liver immediately produces O2- which was detected directly by infusion of a Cypridina luciferin analogue, MCLA as a chemiluminescence reagent. The MCLA photon emission was inhibitable by SOD. Generation of O2- in the liver was further verified by nitroblue tetrazolium, formazan precipitate formation. Ethanol-induced O2- generation was unaffected by gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), an inhibitor of kupffer cells, while PMA induced O2- generation was completely abolished by GdCl3. Since PMA is a known stimulator of phagocytic cells including Kupffer cells, the results indicate, for the first time that ethanol stimulates a non-Kupffer cell population, probably liver sinusoid endothelial cell to produce O2-.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The suppression of age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in rat brain by administration of Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis).

The protective effects of Rooibos tea (RT), Aspalathus linearis, against damage to the central nervous system (CNS) accompanying aging were examined by both the thiobarbituric acid reaction (TBA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods in brains of chronically RT-treated rats. Ad libitum administration of RT was begun with 3-month-old Wistar female rats and continued for 21 months. The contents of TBA reactive substances (TBARS) in the frontal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum in 24-month-old rats after administration with water were significantly higher than those in young rats (5 weeks old). However, no significant increase of TBARS was observed in RT-administered aged rats. When MR images of the brains of 24-month-old rats with and without RT as well as 5-week-old rats were taken, a decrease of the signal intensity was observed in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum in MR images of aged rats without RT, whereas little change of the signal intensity was observed in MR images of the same regions of 24-month-old rats treated with RT, whose images were similar to those of young rats. These observations suggested that (1) the age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in the brain was closely related to the morphological changes observed by MRI, and (2) chronic RT-administration prevented age-related accumulation of lipid peroxides in several regions of rat brain.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Superoxide generation by alveolar macrophages from aged rats: improvement by in vitro treatment with IFN-gamma.

Alveolar macrophages (AM) from aged rats show an impaired oxidative response, but it is unclear whether or not this is due to the inability of these cells to be activated. To elucidate this, we investigated the capacity of AM from young (16-week-old) and aged (100-week-old) rats to become primed with recombinant rat interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) for increased phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-elicited O2- production, utilizing an MCLA-dependent chemiluminescent assay. We also compared concanavalin A- or Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG)-induced IFN-gamma production by the spleen cells of young and aged animals. The data indicated that AM freshly harvested from non-sensitized aged rats produced less O2- than those from young animals. A similar result was obtained in BCG-sensitized rats. However, AM from aged rats were primed with in vitro treatment with IFN-gamma for increased rate of O2- production to an equivalent level of that by AM from young animals. In addition, the ability of spleen cells to produce IFN-gamma was well maintained in aged rats. These results suggest that AM function is suppressed in the lungs of aged animals. Our observation that the decreased AM function in aged rats can be reversed is important because it suggests that appropriate treatment may reduce the incidence and mortality of respiratory infections in the elderly.

Aging↗
PubMed1995

Macrophage activation in response to S-form lipopolysaccharides (LPS) separated by centrifugal partition chromatography from wild-type LPS: effects of the O-polysaccharide portion of LPS.

The S-form lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was effectively separated from a native preparation of smooth-type Salmonella abortus equi LPS by means of the centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC). To clarify the mechanisms by which LPS activates macrophages, CPC-separated S-form LPS was assessed for its ability to induce the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) by murine macrophage-like J774.1 cells in comparison with other fractions of LPS which lacks most of O-polysaccharides. LPS dose-response and time-kinetics studies showed that serum factor(s) regulated especially the onset of TNF-alpha secretion in stimulation with S-form LPS. These results strongly suggest that the native (unfractionated) LPS activates macrophages in both O-polysaccharide/serum-dependent and -independent pathways.

Animals↗