Biomedical subjects

M Nishimura

Publications and source records attributed to M Nishimura.

At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Anti-Ro/SS-A antibody-positive interstitial pneumonitis in a non-lupus patient.

We describe a 42-year-old anti-Ro/SS-A antibody positive non-lupus patient who developed interstitial pneumonitis in combination with several common clinical features with previously reported lupus pneumonitis patients whose anti-Ro/SS-A antibodies were positive, while whose antinuclear antibodies were negative. We consider that these patients may belong to a same new clinical entity. A variety of characteristic manifestations related to anti-Ro/SS-A antibodies has been reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other connective tissue diseases [1] [2], and an association between these antibodies with pulmonary parenchymal involvement has been reported by Hedgpeth and Boulware in patients with SLE [3] [4]. We report here a 42-year-old non-lupus male patient with pulmonary fibrosis who presented with anti-Ro/SS-A antibodies.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Modulation of protein kinase C in aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats with enalapril treatment.

We measured protein kinase C (PKC) activity, levels of PKC alpha enzyme and PKC alpha mRNA in aortic media of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and enalapril treated SHR (enal-SHR) to examine whether hypotensive treatment of enalapril modulates PKC in aortic media of SHR. The cytosolic PKC activity in crude samples of aortic media of SHR was higher than in those of WKY or enal-SHR (p < 0.01) and was closely associated with blood pressure (r = 0.84, p < 0.001). The membrane PKC activity was detected in samples of SHR, but virtually no activity was detected in samples of WKY or enal-SHR. The cytosolic PKC activity in DEAE column purified samples of SHR was also higher than in those of WKY or enal-SHR (p < 0.01). The PKC alpha enzyme levels (74-kDa and 77-kDa protein) detected by immunoblot were higher in SHR than in WKY or enal-SHR (p < 0.01). The mRNA levels of PKC alpha were higher in SHR than in WKY (p < 0.01) and were much decreased in enal-SHR (p < 0.01). Thus, PKC activity, PKC alpha and its mRNA levels were higher in aortic media of SHR than those in WKY and these increased levels were reversed with enalapril treatment. Considering the pivotal roles of PKC in the mechanism of cellular proliferation and the pathogenesis of hypertension, these results provide clues in understanding the pathogenesis of hypertension, mechanisms of vascular hypertrophy in hypertension and the beneficial effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor in the treatment of hypertension.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Attenuation of hypoxic ventilatory response after recovery from chronic hypoxaemia in a case of pulmonary A-V fistula.

We studied respiratory chemosensitivity in a patient with pulmonary arterio-venous (AV) fistulae before and after surgical removal of the lesions. The patient had had moderate hypoxaemia with hyperventilation before the operation. When first studied, 21 days following surgery, both hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses were found to be lower than they were preoperatively. During the next 1-2 months, hypoxic ventilatory response continued to fall significantly to a steady value, whereas hypercapnic response showed no further fall. There has been no previous report of such a phenomenon in humans after recovery from chronic hypoxaemia.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Enhancement of hypertension and renal injury by salt-loading during chronic nitric oxide inhibition. Effects of TCV-116, a novel angiotensin II receptor antagonist.

Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (EDNO) and angiotensin II play a role in the regulation of vascular tone and sodium handling. The objective of this study was to determine the role played by angiotensin II in mediating the arterial pressure and renal response to increments in sodium intake during chronic EDNO inhibition. Six groups of Wistar rats were studied; they were fed either a normal sodium diet (groups I, II, and III) or a high sodium diet (groups IV, V and VI). Rats in groups II, III, V and VI were placed on oral L-N-nitroarginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) for 4 weeks. In groups III and VI, the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, TCV-116, was administered. A significant increase in blood pressure was observed in group V compared with group II at the end of the experimental period. TCV-116 attenuated the L-NAME-induced hypertension in both group III and group VI. Urinary protein excretion and the glomerular sclerotic injury score in group V were greater than in group II. TCV-116 attenuated the proteinuria and glomerular injury induced by chronic EDNO inhibition in the groups with normal (group III) and high sodium intake (group IV). Systemic hypertension and glomerular injury were enhanced by salt loading during EDNO inhibition, and the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, TCV-116, attenuated this salt-induced increase in blood pressure and renal injury, suggesting that EDNO may counteract the renal effects of angiotensin II.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists↗

PubMed1994

[Nuclear DNA ploidy pattern and proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index in gastric cancer with mucosal involvement].

The DNA ploidy pattern and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were investigated in 72 gastric carcinoma patients to determine the possible correlation between proliferation kinetics and biological behavior. The diploid pattern was more often observed in cases with mucosal invasion (m cancer) than other cases (sm or advanced cancer). The PCNA labelling index in cases with mucosal invasion was significantly lower than in other cases. The sm cancer was more often observed in patients with high PCNA labelling index (> or = 30%) and aneuploid pattern, while m cancer was more common in patients with low PCNA labelling (< 20%) index and diploid pattern. As a result of this study, we conclude that proliferating kinetics of m cancer may differ from that for sm or advanced cancer. Furthermore, DNA ploidy pattern and PCNA labelling index may be useful as a parameter of depth of invasion.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[A trial use of prostaglandin E1 for prevention of hepatic veno-occlusive disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation].

We performed retrospective analysis of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in 57 cases with leukemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was used to prevent VOD in 8 cases at a dose of 0.3 micrograms/kg/hr from day -8 to day 30. No VOD was noted in the PGE1 group, while the incidence of VOD was 8/49 (16.3%) in the non PGE1 group. In twelve patients with pretransplant liver dysfunction, VOD was noted in 0/3 in the PGE1 group and 4/9 (44.4%) in the non PGE1 group, respectively. However, prophylactic effects of PGE1 on VOD is not significant in this study, so further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of PGE1. One of 8 patients with PGE1 prophylaxis had edema and erythema on extremities, however, severe toxicity was not experienced.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

A rare case of typical carcinoid of the lung coincident with thymoma.

The present report describes a 42-year-old woman with a coin lesion of the upper lobe of the right lung, preoperatively diagnosed as a small cell lung carcinoma of unusually slow growth. The preoperative workup revealed a mass in the mediastinum, diagnosed as a thymoma. Accordingly, a right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection, followed by a radical thymectomy, were performed. The resected pulmonary specimen was histologically diagnosed as a typical carcinoid and the mediastinal mass as a mixed type thymoma with microscopic invasion. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient is doing well with no sign of recurrence one year after her operation. To our knowledge, the coincidence of a bronchopulmonary carcinoid and thymoma is believed to be the first such case reported in the literature.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Evaluation of leukocyte-depleted terminal blood cardioplegic solution in patients undergoing elective and emergency coronary artery bypass grafting.

Leukocyte depletion at reperfusion may have a role in myocardial protection when combined with terminal cardioplegia. We applied this method in a selected group of 68 patients with coronary artery bypass grafting either for elective surgical procedures (n = 38) or emergency surgical procedures with the use of a preoperative intraaortic balloon pump (n = 30) because of developing acute myocardial infarction. Basic cold potassium crystalloid cardioplegic solution was used. During delivery of leukocyte-depleted terminal cardioplegic solution, warm arterial blood delivered from cardiopulmonary bypass was passed through a leukocyte removal filter, mixed with potassium crystalloid cardioplegic solution, and administered to the aortic root for the first 10 minutes of reperfusion. Patients were randomized into three groups for reperfusion: whole blood, terminal cardioplegic solution, and leukocyte-depleted terminal cardioplegic solution reperfusion groups. In elective coronary artery bypass grafting, no significant difference was found in the clinical data. However, in emergency coronary artery bypass grafting, the leukocyte-depleted terminal cardioplegic solution group (n = 10) showed significantly lower peak creatine kinase MB levels (leukocyte-depleted terminal cardioplegic solution versus terminal cardioplegic solution versus whole blood: 27 +/- 11, 56 +/- 13, 74 +/- 18, respectively; p < 0.05) and maximum dopamine doses required at the weaning of cardiopulmonary bypass (6.3 +/- 1.1 versus 11.2 +/- 3.3 versus 9.2 +/- 2.2; p < 0.05) than did the terminal cardioplegic solution (n = 10) and whole blood groups (n = 10). Moreover, the leukocyte-depleted terminal cardioplegic solution group showed significantly lower difference of malondialdehyde between arterial and coronary sinus blood (0.15 +/- 0.09 versus 0.36 +/- 0.06 versus 0.06 +/- 0.12 nmol/ml, p < 0.05) than did the terminal cardioplegic solution or whole blood groups. These results showed that leukocyte-depleted terminal blood cardioplegic solution may have a role in attenuating reperfusion injury in patients with critical conditions such as preoperative myocardial ischemic injury.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Methods in pathology. An improved method for DNA diagnosis of leprosy using formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin biopsies.

To improve the sensitivity of the previously reported polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Mycobacterium (M.) leprae in the formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, we adapted the PCR designed to amplify an internal 372 bp fragment of a M. leprae-specific repetitive sequence to 39 skin biopsies taken from patients with leprosy of the lepromatous type and tuberculoid type. Crude DNA samples were prepared from tissue sections that were deparaffinized and subjected to proteinase-K digestion without any further treatment for DNA purification. Overcoming a false-negative reaction by an elongation of the period for enzymatic digestion and an appropriate dilution of the samples, an amplification of the target sequence was obtained as a single band with all 39 skin biopsies tested. The fragments specifically amplified by the PCR were subjected to direct sequencing and were confirmed to be identical with an internal 372 bp of M. leprae-specific repetitive sequence. Although in nine of 24 nonleprosy control samples, a false-positive amplification was observed as from one to several bands, they were distinguishable from the specific one by the electrophoretic pattern. This PCR makes up for the classic histological methods used in the diagnosis of leprosy.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Characteristics of the two newly established cell lines of human pulmonary adenocarcinoma and their sensitivity to anticancer agents.

Two adenocarcinoma cell lines were established from metastatic lymph node of lung cancer patients. The cell lines were named NUTLC-1 and NUTLC-3. They were found to have the following biological characterization and sensitivity to anticancer agents by comparison with clinical effect of the drugs on each donor patient: 1) By chromosomal analysis, the tumor cells of two cell lines were human-origin cells. Number of chromosomes of these cell lines ranged from 67 to 77 in NUTLC-1 cells and from 61 to 66 in NUTLC-3 cells, with the modal numbers of 73 and 64, respectively. 2) The tumor cells of the two cell lines were heterotransplanted subcutaneously into nude mice, but, no natural distant metastasis was observed 2 months after transplantation. 3) Sensitivity to anticancer agents on NUTLC-1 and NUTLC-3 cells differed individually according to methylthiazol tetrazorium (bromide) (MTT) colorimetric assay. NUTLC-1 cells were sensitive to Mitomycin C (MMC) and Adriamycin (ADM), and insensitive to Cisplatinum (CDDP), 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and Etoposide (VP-16). Antitumor effect of CDDP and 5-FU on recurrent tumor of donor patient was not observed clinically. NUTLC-3 cells were sensitive to CDDP, MMC and ADM, and insensitive to 5-FU and VP-16. Sensitivity to CDDP and MMC on NUTLC-3 cells also correlated to clinical effect of the drugs on the donor patient. From these results, it appears that these new cell lines are useful materials for studies on lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1994

Heat shock induces synthesis of plastid-associated hsp70 in etiolated and greening pumpkin seedlings.

Heat shock proteins of hsp70 family with molecular weight of 76 and 73 kDa were detected both in etiolated as well as in greening pumpkin seedlings using immunoblotting technique. Both proteins exhibited heat shock inducibility and their apparent amount depended on the plant organ examined as well as on the greening time. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed that the 76 kDa band should be attributed to chloroplasts and the 73 kDa band to mitochondrial fraction. The 76 kDa band dominated in cotyledons and was hardly detectable in root preparation whereas the 73 kDa band was prevailing in hook samples but was also clearly detectable both in cotyledons and in roots.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

PubMed1994

Production of interleukin-6 at operative wound sites in surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a central role in the acute phase of inflammation after surgical injury. The serum concentration of IL-6 increases during an operation. The mechanisms of this increase in the serum IL-6 level, however, has not yet been fully clarified. STUDY DESIGN: To determine the possibility of production of IL-6 at the operative wound site and its regulation by humoral factors in surgical patients, the IL-6 secretion of biopsied skin obtained from an operative wound both before and after the operation were quantitated by using organ culture techniques. RESULTS: When skin explants obtained from the uninjured skin were cultivated and the amounts of IL-6 secreted into the culture medium were measured, IL-6 secretion increased exponentially during culture, which indicated that the stress of the skin incision induced IL-6 production. The skin specimens obtained from the operative wounds postoperatively secreted a significantly larger amount of IL-6 than those obtained from uninjured skin either preoperatively or postoperatively, implying that skin at the site of the operative wound had been more sensitized to produce IL-6 because of the surgical injury. The IL-6 secretion by skin explants was significantly enhanced either by tumor necrosis factor or interleukin-1, while it was inhibited by corticosteroids. CONCLUSIONS: Interleukin-6 production at the site of the operative wound is partly responsible for the elevation of the serum IL-6 level during the operation. Organ cultures of the skin explants may provide a feasible system for research on the cytokine networks in surgical patients.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

PubMed1994

Tacalcitol ointment for psoriasis.

Transdermal absorption of tacalcitol from the ointment containing 2 micrograms/g was studied using hairless rat and human skin. In the animal experiments, a non-negligible amount of tacalcitol was absorbed transdermally, whereas in the case of human skin, this compound was hardly absorbed at all. A placebo-controlled double-blind right/left comparison confirmed that this ointment is effective and safe for the treatment of psoriasis.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

[Dyspnea grade as a prognostic factor in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

It is known that the prognosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is related to some indices of pulmonary function tests representing airway obstruction and/or the level of arterial oxygenation. Although the grade of exertional dyspnea, which is a common complaint of such patients, has also been claimed by some to be an important prognostic factor, it is not certain whether dyspnea grade is independent of other objective indices. In this study, we examined the prognosis of 97 patients with COPD in a retrospective fashion by Kaplan-Meyer's method and compared the survival time according to the dyspnea grade. As a whole, the survival time in those patients (n = 22) whose dyspnea grade initially was 4 or 5 was shorter than in patients with dyspnea grade 1 or 2 (n = 40) and dyspnea grade 3 (n = 30) (dyspnea grade 4-5 vs. dyspnea grade 1-2 and 3, p < 0.001). Since patients with higher dyspnea grades are associated with lower pulmonary function, we selected the patients whose PaO2 and forced expiratory volume in 1 second were in the same range. Dyspnea grade varied even among these subjects, and again was significantly related to the survival time. We therefore conclude that dyspnea grade, even though a subjective complaint, is an independent prognostic factor in patients with COPD.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Renal kallikrein-kinin, prostaglandin E2, and dopamine systems in young normotensive subjects with a family history of essential hypertension.

Before dopamine infusion, there were no differences in urinary excretion of sodium (UNaV), fractional excretion of sodium (FENa), kinin and kallikrein quantity (KALQ), activity (A) or specific activity (Sp) between the young normotensive subjects with (FH[+]) and without a family history of essential hypertension (FH[-]), whereas urinary dopamine excretion was significantly lower and urine volume (UV) and urinary prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were significantly higher in FH(+) subjects than in FH(-) subjects. After infusion of dopamine (3 micrograms/kg/min for 60 min), the increases in UV, UNaV, FENa, kinin, KALA, KALSp, and PGE2 were higher in FH(+) than in FH(-) subjects. From these results, it was concluded that (1) the augmented response of urinary kallikrein-kinin and PGE2 to infused dopamine in FH(+) subjects could be explained by the hereditary suppression of dopamine in the kidneys, and (2) the maintenance of a normal level of the basal kallikrein-kinin system and an increase of PGE2 in FH(+) subjects may be caused by compensatory mechanisms other than that of renal dopamine.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[A combination chemotherapy of mitoxantrone, etoposide, carboplatin, and prednisolone (MECP) in recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphomas].

Twenty-two patients with recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated with a combination chemotherapy of mitoxantrone, etoposide, carboplatin, and prednisolone (MECP). Of 22 evaluable patients, 11 (50%) responded to MECP and 7 (32%) achieved complete remission. Particularly in relapsed cases, 9 (75%) responded and 6 (50%) achieved complete remission. Myelosuppression was the major toxicity. Thirteen patients (59%) experienced WBC counts under 1,000/microliters, and thrombocytopenia under 50,000/microliters was seen in 12 patients (55%). During myelosuppression, 2 patients developed sepsis and 1 showed intestinal bleeding. Other gastrointestinal toxicities were well tolerated. There was no death due to chemotherapy. These results show that MECP is a well-tolerated treatment regimen, and effective for recurrent or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1993

Amino acid sequence surrounding the retinal-binding site in retinochrome of the squid, Todarodes pacificus.

Squid (Todarodes pacificus) retinochrome was reduced to N-retinyl protein with borane dimethylamine and cleaved by CNBr. The retinyl peptide was then isolated by chromatography while being monitored for absorbances at 215 and 330 nm, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined to be Ser-Lys-Thr-Gly-X-Ala-Leu-Phe-Pro. This sequence was the same that we had observed at the 7th transmembrane domain of retinochrome whose structure was reported previously. During Edman degradation of the retinyl peptide, the yield of the PTH-lysine at the second cycle was lower than those of the other PTH-amino acids, proving that the lysine residue forms a Schiff's base with retinal (Lys-275 in retinochrome). The amino acid sequence surrounding the retinal-binding lysine in retinochrome greatly differed from those in a variety of known visual pigments. This fact would be associated with the difference in the photoisomerization of chromophore between retinochrome and rhodopsin. The protein structure of retinochrome is also compared with that of rhodopsin in Todarodes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

A gene encoding a chloroplast omega-3 fatty acid desaturase complements alterations in fatty acid desaturation and chloroplast copy number of the fad7 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Mutations at the fad7 locus of Arabidopsis thaliana (previously called fadD) cause decreased desaturation of dienoic fatty acids in chloroplast lipids in plants grown at elevated temperatures. This suggested that the fad7 locus encodes a chloroplast omega-3 desaturase that catalyzes the desaturation of lipid-linked 18:2 and 16:2 fatty acids. In order to clone the fad7 gene, it was first genetically mapped relative to the flanking restriction fragment length polymorphism markers 4547 and 2488A on chromosome 3, and yeast artificial chromosomes covering the locus were identified. A putative desaturase cDNA clone that was isolated by low stringency heterologous probing with a cDNA for an endoplasmic reticulum-localized omega-3 desaturase (fad3) hybridized to the yeast artificial chromosomes and could not be resolved from the locus by restriction fragment length polymorphism mapping. Expression of the cDNA in transgenic fad7 mutant plants resulted in restoration of wild type fatty acid composition and suppression of a previously observed effect of the fad7 mutation on chloroplast number, indicating genetic complementation. The structural gene contained seven introns within a coding sequence of 1338 base pairs, which encodes a 446-amino acid polypeptide of 51,172 daltons. The amino-terminal region of the fad7 gene product contained a consensus chloroplast transit peptide. Except for the amino-terminal domain, the deduced amino acid sequence of the fad7 gene product had high homology to the fad3 gene product, indicating that fad7 encodes an omega-3 desaturase and that the two genes arose from a common ancestral gene. There was no apparent effect of growth temperature on the steady-state levels of fad7 mRNA in wild type plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗