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Biomedical subjects

M Ohta

Publications and source records attributed to M Ohta.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Strongyloidiasis associated with nephrotic syndrome.

We report a nephrotic syndrome patient with eosinophilia who developed ileus, epigastralgia and malabsorption due to strongyloidiasis which became symptomatic by steroid therapy. The patient was then treated with thiabendazole and recovered. A percutaneous renal biopsy revealed minimal change nephrotic syndrome. This renal injury may be brought on by severe infection of Strongyloides stercoralis. It is important to rule out strongyloidiasis prior to corticosteroid therapy to patients from eosinophilia endemic areas.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1998

Antibacterial action of vinegar against food-borne pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli O157:H7.

The bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions of vinegar on food-borne pathogenic bacteria including enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7 were examined. The growth of all strains evaluated was inhibited with a 0.1% concentration of acetic acid in the vinegar. This inhibition was generally increased in the presence of sodium chloride or glucose. There was almost no difference in sensitivity to the bacteriostatic action of vinegar among the strains of pathogenic E. coli. Vinegar had a bactericidal effect on food-borne pathogenic bacteria including EHEC O157:H7. This action against EHEC O157:H7 was synergically enhanced by sodium chloride but was attenuated with glucose. For EHEC strains (O157:H7, O26:H11, O111:HNM) the difference in the inactivation rate due to vinegar among strains used was small, although an enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) O111:K58:H- strain was more sensitive, being more quickly killed compared with EHEC strains. The inactivation rate due to vinegar was constant irrespective of inoculum size. However, it differed greatly depending on growth phase of the cells, where logarithmic growth phase cells were more sensitive and easily killed than stationary phase cells. The bactericidal activity of vinegar increased with the temperature. Various conditions for bactericidal effects on EHEC O157:H7 were examined by the multiparametric analysis of five factors: acetic acid concentration in the vinegar, sodium chloride concentration, temperature, incubation time, and viable cell number. The combined use of vinegar and sodium chloride, with use of an appropriate treatment temperature, was found to be markedly effective for the prevention of bacterial food poisoning.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed1998

[A case of atypical Guillain-Barré syndrome exclusively showing multiple cranial nerve palsy with an elevation of anti-GQ1b and anti-GT1a IgG antibodies].

This is a case report of atypical Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). A 42-year-old woman displayed pharyngeal paralysis after a mild upper respiratory infection, subsequently having developed ophthalmoplegia, facial diplegia and accessory nerve palsy within about ten days. She had neither weakness nor abnormal tendon reflexes in the extremities. During the acute phase of the disease we found significant elevation of anti-GQ1b and anti-GT1a IgG antibodies in the serum, and immunoadsorption therapy had a remarkable effect on the symptoms. Although our case was extremely atypical of GBS in terms of exclusively showing multiple cranial nerve palsy and lacking areflexia, the elevation of anti-glycolipid antibodies during the acute phase suggests that this case shares pathogenesis with GBS.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Study on evaluating methods for the quality control of glycoprotein products. (II)--Erythropoietin products. Part 2].

Using recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO) from three different sources, the usefulness of HPAEC-PAD (high-pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection) for evaluation of carbohydrate moieties of rh-EPO products was evaluated. It is well known that in vivo bioactivity and metabolic fate of EPO are dependent on the number of sialic acids and the degree of branching in the carbohydrate moieties. Here we show that HPAEC analysis reveals differences in the number of sialic acids as well as in the structure of desialylated N-glycans among the rh-EPO products. Therefore, HPAEC is useful for evaluation of the quality of rh-EPO products.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Optical monitoring of living brain tissue.

Optical methods can usefully augment classical techniques such as electrical recording for investigating cellular and network physiology. Here, recent developments in optical methods--including confocal and nonlinear fluorescence imaging, semiconductor array imaging, and improved fluorescent indicators of ion concentration and transmembrane electrical potential--are briefly reviewed, and examples are offered that may suggest potential applications to experimental studies in alcoholism research.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1998

[Effect of granisetron in preventing emesis due to anti-cancer drug (CDDP) administration pulmo-mediastinal malignancies--comparison of simultaneous infusion with the conventional method of administration].

For patients with pulmo-mediastinal malignancies, the antimetic effect of granisetron was studied in the following two ways. Firstly in the standard method, 40 micrograms/kg of granisetron was infused for 30 minutes, 30 minutes before CDDP infusion. Secondly, in the simultaneous method, granisetron was mixed with CDDP in a 500 microliters infusion bottle, and then infused over 0.5-3 hours. Over a 24-hour time course, significantly effective rates (nausea less than mild, and vomiting 2 times less) were 72.7% in the simultaneous group (n = 22) and 52.6% in the standard group (n = 19). The non-effective rates were 18.2% and 15.8%, respectively. Although the results were not statistically significant, the simultaneous method is easier to perform and it seems to confer a slightly better clinical outcome than the conventional method.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Effects of YF476, a potent and selective gastrin/cholecystokinin-B receptor antagonist, on gastric acid secretion in beagle dogs with gastric fistula.

The antisecretory effects of the gastrin/cholecystokinin-B (CCK-B) receptor antagonist YF476 ((R)-1-[2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1-pivaloylmethyl-5-(2'-pyridyl) 1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl]-3-(3-methylaminophenyl)-urea, CAS 155488-25-8) on secretagogue- and peptone-induced gastric acid secretion in beagle dogs with chronic gastric fistula were examined. Plasma gastrin concentrations were evaluated following introduction of peptone into the stomach. Intravenous administration of YF476 dose-dependently inhibited pentagastrin (1 microgram/kg/h)-induced gastric acid secretion, with an ED50 value of 0.0023 mumol/kg. In contrast, intravenous administration of YF476 (0.3 mumol/kg) did not affect histamine (15 micrograms/kg/ h)-induced gastric acid secretion. Oral administration of YF476, famotidine and omeprazole dose-dependently inhibited peptone (8%, 200 ml)-induced gastric acid secretion with ED50 values of 0.11, 0.76 and 4.28 mumol/kg, respectively. The antisecretory effect of YF476 was about 7 and 40 times more potent than that of famotidine and omeprazole, respectively. Plasma gastrin concentrations were increased by introduction of peptone. These results suggest that YF476 is an extremely potent and selective antisecretory drug and the endogenous gastrin plays an important role in peptone-induced gastric acid secretion in dogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[A case of lung abscess caused by Eikenella corrodens].

We report a case of lung abscess caused by Eikenella corrodens and reviewed the literature. A 51-year-old man was hospitalized because of an infiltrative shadow in the left upper lung on chest X-ray. The patient was intravenously given CEZ (2 g/day) followed by CEZ (4 g/day) and AMK (200 mg/day). We nevertheless deteriorated and was subsequently treated with CTM (4 g/day) and LCM (6 g/day), and the shadow improved but remained. Only Eikenella corrodens was isolated from aspiration materials obtained from the resected lung. We examined the susceptibility of 60 strains of Eikenella corrodens to various antimicrobial against. The organisms were very susceptible to PCG, ABPC, PIPC, CTM, CTX and LMOX, but were all resistant to LCM, CLDM, GM and AMK.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1998

[Experience in managing refractory status epilepticus caused by viral encephalitis under long-term anesthesia with barbiturate: a case report].

This is a case study in managing refractory status epilepticus under long-term usage of secobarbital (SB). The patient is a 26-year-old woman with viral encephalitis. Fifteen days after the onset of the disease, status epilepticus with complex partial seizures began. The seizures were so refractory to conventional anti-epileptic drugs, such as valproate, carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, clonazepam, lorazepam and lidocaine, that we had to put her on anesthesia with SB for approximately 10 months. Finally, we stopped the administration of SB and support for ventilation; we reduced the dose of SB extremely slowly, using zonisamide at the same time. After trial and error, we found that a reduction of the dosage after long-term anesthesia with high-dose administrations of barbiturate should be made very slowly.

Adjuvants, Anesthesia↗
PubMed1998

[Changes in spatio-temporal patterns after long-term potentiation (LTP) in mouse hippocampal slices and effects of trichloroethylene on LTP].

Spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal activity after the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in mouse hippocampal slices were studied with the use of a real-time high-resolution optical recording system. The slices were stained with voltage-sensitive dye and then high-frequency pulses (tetanus) were delivered to Schaffer collaterals of CA3 at the stratum radiatum of CA1. Optical signals as well as field potential in response to test pulses were potentiated after tetanus. The area of response measured by optical recording was slightly but significantly enlarged after tetanus, suggesting that the propagation of optical responses from CA1 towards the subiculum was enlarged. It was suggested that a great increase in neuronal activity was elicited at CA1 and the subiculum after LTP. These changes of spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal activity may contribute to learning and memory. The effect of trichloroethylene (TCE) on LTP was studied with the use of both electrical and optical and recording. The hippocampus from mice injected with 300 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg TCE was sliced 24 hours after TCE-administration. Test pulses were delivered to Schaffer collaterals every 30 sec and the field potential from the stratum pyramidale of CA1 was recorded. At 40 min after the application of tetanus, population spikes (PS) were potentiated in all groups, but the post/pre ratio of PS was smaller in TCE groups than in the control. Optical recording was also carried out in 1000 mg/kg TCE-injected mice. At 40 min after tetanus, the optical signal response to the test pulse was potentiated in both TCE and control groups, but the post/pre ratio of the optical signals was smaller in TCE than in the control. No significant difference was detected in the increase in the neuronal response area between TCE and the control. It was suggested that TCE depressed the LTP, whereas the increase in the area after tetanus meant that a good amount of neuronal activity was still potentiated.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[A case of Churg-Strauss syndrome overlapping with sarcoidosis].

We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) overlapping with sarcoidosis. She had suffered from bronchial asthma since she was 42, then was diagnosed with sarcoidosis at the age of 50, with typical bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and noncaseating granulomas in the specimen from the scalene lymph node biopsy. Five years later she was admitted to our hospital in a state of mild confusion. Since she had mononeuropathy multiplex and positive serum pANCA, in addition to bronchial asthma and marked eosinophilia, she was diagnosed as having CSS too. To the best of our knowledge, no case reports on CSS overlapping with sarcoidosis have yet been published. Although CSS can occur with sarcoidosis merely by chance, both disorders cause systemic granulomatous vasculitis and share several clinical features. Therefore, we speculate that CSS and sarcoidosis share pathogenesis in part and may present a clinical condition in which CSS overlaps with sarcoidosis. The disturbed state of consciousness in this case may be caused by a diffuse cerebral dysfunction from microangiopathy in the brain.

Churg-Strauss Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

A Humanized Anti-c-erbB-2 Monoclonal Antibody for the Treatment of Breast Cancer.

The c-erbB-2 product is thought to be a unique and useful target for antibody therapy of cancers that overxpress the c-erbB-2 gene. Its overexpression is also speculated to be correlated with chemoresistance to doxorubicin. The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effects of a humanized antibody directed against the extracellular domain of the c-erbB-2 gene product, rhu4D5, were examined. Rhu4D5 had direct antiproliferative activity against the SK-BR-3 cell line which overexpresses c-erbB-2. The in vivo treatment, using rhu4D5, of SCID mice carrying xenografts of 4-1ST human gastric carcinoma, which overexpresses c-erbB-2, revealed that the recombinant protein had potent anti-tumor activity. Furthermore, the cytotoxic action of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells against the SK-BR-3 cell line was significantly augmented with the administration of rhu4D5, but not with mu4D5. These results indicate that rhu4D5 might be a more efficacious treatment than previously predicted by preclinical studies.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Campylobacter jejuni is a major pathogen preceding Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and most C. jejuni isolates from GBS patients belong to Penner serotype 19 (heat-stable; HS-19). We analyzed sixteen independent clinical isolates from GBS patients, twelve of which belonged to HS-19, three to HS-2, and one to HS-4, using PCR-based RFLP analysis of a flagellin-A (flaA) gene. Two isolates from patients with Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), and 27 from patients with uncomplicated enteritis were also examined. All HS-19 isolates, regardless of GBS, showed an identical pattern (Cj-1) by RFLP typing and were distinguishable from those of the other Penner serogroups. In contrast, HS-2 and HS-4 isolates were divided into several different RFLP groups, suggesting HS-19 strains are genetically distinctive among C. jejuni isolates. A DNA fingerprinting method also failed to detect any specific band pattern for GBS-related C. jejuni isolates. We examined relationships among anti-GM1 antibody titres in the sera of GBS patients, clinical forms of GBS, serotype of C. jejuni, and the presence of GM1-like structures in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) components from C. jejuni isolates by immunoblotting. HS-19 related GBS was significantly associated with elevated anti-GM1 antibody titers in the sera of the patients, but not associated with any clinical pattern of GBS. No significant correlations were found between anti-GM1 antibody and the pattern of disease, or between GBS-related C. jejuni strains and the presence of GM1-like structures. HS-19 strains seem to be unique among C. jejuni isolates, and HS-19-related GBS may provide an excellent model for clarification of the pathogenesis of GBS.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed1997

Polyadenylation-mediated translational regulation of maternal P450(11beta) mRNA in frog oocytes.

Northern blot analysis of bullfrog tissues using a cDNA probe of cytochrome P450(11beta) showed that a large amount of message was present in the ovary as well as in the adrenal tissue. Two kinds of mRNA of different sizes were found in the ovary. Sequence determination of the two cDNAs and analysis by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction indicated that the protein encoded by the larger mRNA was identical to the adrenal enzyme, while the protein encoded by the smaller had a truncated sequence lacking an extension peptide necessary for the protein transport to the mitochondria. The mRNAs were present in the oocytes but not in the follicular cells, and their content in an oocyte varied little during its maturation. Immunoblot analyses of the mitochondrial fraction of oocytes failed to demonstrate the presence of P450(11beta) protein. In contrast the eggs were found to contain a large amount of enzymatically active protein. Interestingly the mRNA has a cis-element called cytoplasmic polyadenylation element at its 3' untranslated region. When poly(A) tails of the message prepared from eggs and oocytes were examined by RNase H digestion or reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, those of eggs were about 150 nucleotides longer than those of oocytes. These results suggest that translation of the message is stimulated during the oocyte maturation as a result of enhanced polyadenylation at its 3'-end. Finally a finding is presented that progesterone was converted to 11beta-hydroxyprogesterone by the frog P450(11beta), implying that the enzyme expressed in eggs may control a level of progesterone which is needed to initiate the oocyte maturation.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Evidence for the involvement of Na+-K+ pump and K+ conductance in the post-tetanic hyperpolarization of the tetrodotoxin-resistant C-fibers in the isolated bullfrog sciatic nerve.

The post-tetanic hyperpolarizations (PTHPs) were recorded from the isolated bullfrog sciatic nerves using a modified vaseline gap method. Repetitive stimulation of tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) C-fibers produced frequency- and activity-dependent PTHPs. The ouabain solutions (0.1 mM), the solutions (0.1 mM ouabain + 2 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA)) and 5 mM TEA solutions reduced the PTHP amplitude to 56.2 +/- 10.7% (mean +/- SD, n = 9), to 37.0 +/- 12.3% (n = 8), to 76.0 +/- 10.9% (n = 5) of the control value, respectively. Each pair of the three solutions revealed a significant difference in their effects on the PTHP (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the Li-Ringer solutions and the solutions (Li-Ringer + 2 mM TEA) reduced the PTHP amplitude as well, thus resembling ouabain effects. These results strongly suggest that the repetitive stimulation of TTX-R C-fibers activates the membrane Na+-K+ pump resulting in a major part of the PTHP and induces TEA-sensitive K+ conductance composing a minor part of the PTHP, which might modulate repetitive firing of TTX-R C-fibers.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1997

Regulation of major histocompatibility complex class I gene expression in thyroid cells. Role of the cAMP response element-like sequence.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I gene cAMP response element (CRE)-like site, -107 to -100 base pairs, is a critical component of a previously unrecognized silencer, -127 to -90 bp, important for thyrotropin (TSH)/cAMP-mediated repression in thyrocytes. TSH/cAMP induced-silencer activity is associated with the formation of novel complexes with the 38-base pair silencer, whose appearance requires the CRE and involves ubiquitous and thyroid-specific proteins as follows: the CRE-binding protein, a Y-box protein termed thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) suppressor element protein-1 (TSEP-1); thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1); and Pax-8. TTF-1 is an enhancer of class I promoter activity; Pax-8 and TSEP-1 are suppressors. TSH/cAMP decreases TTF-1 complex formation with the silencer, thereby decreasing maximal class I expression; TSH/cAMP enhance TSEP-1 and Pax-8 complex formation in association with their repressive actions. Oligonucleotides that bind TSEP-1, not Pax-8, prevent formation of the TSH/cAMP-induced complexes associated with TSH-induced class I suppression, i.e. TSEP-1 appears to be the dominant repressor factor associated with TSH/cAMP-decreased class I activity and formation of the novel complexes. TSEP-1, TTF-1, and/or Pax-8 are involved in TSH/cAMP-induced negative regulation of the TSH receptor gene in thyrocytes, suppression of MHC class II, and up-regulation of thyroglobulin. TSH/cAMP coordinate regulation of common transcription factors may, therefore, be the basis for self-tolerance and the absence of autoimmunity in the face of TSHR-mediated increases in gene products that are important for thyroid growth and function but are able to act as autoantigens.

Animals↗