Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Sano.
A case of acquired FVIII inhibitor in a nonhemophilic, 80 year-old man who had no underlying disorder, is presented. The level of inhibitor was 13.3 Bethesda unit/ml, and the antibody was IgG, with lambda light chain. The antibody reacted with the 92 kD fragment of non-treated human FVIII, and the 44 kD fragment of thrombin treated FVIII when analysed by the immunoblot analysis.
We experienced a case of benign clear cell tumor of the lung. It is a rare and most unusual pulmonary neoplasm. Only 40 cases have been reported in the foreign literatures and 16 cases in the Japanese literatures. A 30-year-old man, who revealed a coin lesion in the chest roentogenogram at the health screening, underwent resection of the right lower lobe. Microscopically, the tumor cells are similar to clear cell carcinoma of the kidney and have glycogen in the cytoplasm. Ultrastructually, fibrous banded collagen structures were found in the intercellular space. These findings suggest possibility of neural tissue origin of the clear cells.
Following right upper lobectomy for a pulmonary carcinoma, torsion of right middle lobe occurred. There have been few reports in the literature of pulmonary torsion after lobectomy. A 68-year-old man had a right upper lobectomy for pulmonary carcinoma. On the seventh day after right upper lobectomy, he got high fever. At the same time a roentgenogram of the chest showed complete opacification like ground-glass in the upper lung field. Gradually the opacification increased and hemosputum also appeared. Bronchoscopy revealed 90-degree torsion of the middle lobe. In the treatment with respirator (CV 2000), his clinical conditions improved.
Hyperkalaemia with renal tubular dysfunction by oral therapy of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (co-trimoxazole) is described in 2 elderly Japanese patients with lymphoid malignancy, who developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and improved. A high dose of cotrimoxazole induced hyperkalaemia with the elevation of serum creatinine and blood urea, and increased urinary N-acetyl glucosaminase after several days of the drug administration in these patients; one patient became unconscious. Discontinuation of co-trimoxazole normalized serum potassium level and symptoms. A repeated low dose of the drug induced hyperkalaemia. Before the treatment of co-trixomazole, their serum levels of creatinine showed upper limits of normal ranges. In the present study, our cases suggested that patients receiving a high dose of co-trimoxazole should be evaluated for these potential complications during a course of treatment, particularly in elderly patients with preexisting renal dysfunction.
Effects of artemether were examined on Schistosoma japonicum in mice. When the drug was given at a daily dosage of 200 mg/kg for 4 successive days from 46 days post-infection, a significant reduction in worm recovery was observed. A significant reduction in size of worms from the medicated mice was also seen compared with that from non-medicated controls.
The bone and lipid metabolisms in Japanese oophorectomized (OVX) women and effects of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) were investigated. Three hundred and two OVX women (mean age of 41.6) and 164 premenopausal women (mean age of 42.1) were examined. BMD of the lumbar spine, serum Ca, P, Al-p, total cholesterol (T-C), HDL-C and LDL-C were measured every three months. BMD within 2 years after OVX was not significantly decreased. The mean BMD between 2 and 5 years or over 10 years after OVX was 0.83 (p < 0.01) and 0.69 (p < 0.001), respectively. Serum Ca and P were increased for 2 years and Al-p was increased for 10 years after OVX. To investigate the effect of ERT on BMD, OVX women were divided into 3 groups: ERT, VD3 and no treatment groups. After 12 months of treatment, the mean % BMD in each group was 102.9, 100.6 and 97.8, respectively. T-C or LDL-C was gradually increased in 10 years after OVX. After 15 months of ERT, the mean percentages HDL-C and LDL-C in hyperlipidemic women (LDL-C > or = 150) were 110.5 (p < 0.05) and 75.2 (p < 0.001). ERT may be requisite for OVX women and effective in preventing increased bone turnover and hyperlipidemism following OVX.
alpha-L-Fucosidase (alpha-L-fucoside fucohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.51) preparations from Streptomyces sp. 142 were found to contain an enzyme specific for lacto-N-biosidic (Gal beta 1-3GlcNAc beta 1-) linkages (type 1 structure) in oligosaccharides. The enzyme preparation, which was eluted after alpha-fucosidase from a CM-Sepharose column, contained some alpha-fucosidase activity but was free from other glycosidases and proteases. Substrate specificity studies with oligosaccharides labeled with 2-aminopyridine showed that the enzyme specifically hydrolyzed lacto-N-tetraose (Gal beta 1-3GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc) but did not hydrolyze lacto-N-neotetraose (Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc), lacto-N-triose, sialyl lacto-N-tetraose, lacto-N-fucopentaose I, II, or III, asialo-GM1 tetrasaccharide, or poly-N-acetyllactosamine. Structural analysis of the enzyme digest of the N-acetyllactosamine type of triantennary sugar chain with type 1 structure showed that lacto-N-biose (Gal beta 1-3GlcNAc) and the N-acetyllactosamine type of biantennary sugar chain were produced. Thus this enzyme was tentatively named lacto-N-biosidase, because it hydrolyzes oligosaccharides containing a type 1 structure at the nonreducing terminus and produces lacto-N-biose.
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Streptomyces sp. 142, isolated from a soil sample, produced alpha-fucosidase when cultured in the presence of L-fucose. The enzyme was purified 700-fold with an overall recovery of 17% from a cell-free extract by cation exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. The apparent molecular weight of the purified enzyme was 40,000 by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 6.0 and was stable at pH 4.5-7.0. Substrate specificity studies with oligosaccharides labeled with 2-aminopyridine as the substrate showed that the enzyme specifically hydrolyzed terminal alpha 1-3 and alpha 1-4 fucosidic linkages in the oligosaccharides but did not hydrolyze alpha 1-2 or alpha 1-6 fucosidic linkages or a synthetic substrate, p-nitro-phenyl alpha-L-fucoside. The purified enzyme released L-fucose from a fucosylated glycoprotein, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein. Thus, the substrate specificities of the Streptomyces alpha-fucosidase resembled those of alpha-fucosidases I and III isolated from almond emulsin rather than those of other microbial alpha-fucosidases.
A brief diagnostic battery of neuropsychological tests was developed for a large-scale epidemiological study of dementia. We operationally defined dementia as defective memory and defective performance in at least two other areas, including orientation, abstract reasoning, construction, and language. Criterion scores for defining defective performance on each test were developed. In a pilot study that used 51 different subjects with a working diagnosis based on physicians' assessment (ie, 32 demented and 29 nondemented subjects), the test-based diagnosis agreed with the working diagnosis in all but two cases. The test battery was then applied to 430 healthy elderly subjects. Eighteen percent of those with 8 or less years of education met criteria for dementia compared with 5% of those with more than 8 years of education. We computed education-corrected scores for each test with the use of residuals from the regression of each test score on education. Based on corrected scores, 12 subjects were reclassified as nondemented and 11 as demented. Subjects who were reclassified as demented were significantly more impaired in activities of daily living than nondemented subjects who were not reclassified. Activities of daily living in subjects who were reclassified as nondemented did not differ from those in demented subjects who were not reclassified. These findings suggest that the neuropsychological battery may have utility in the diagnosis of dementia. However, neuropsychological performance may be influenced by education, and some form of adjustment, such as correction for activities of daily living, may be required in epidemiological studies.
Acetyl levocarnitine hydrochloride has been reported to retard dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In a double-blind, parallel design, placebo-controlled pilot study of 30 mild to moderately demented patients with probable Alzheimer's disease, tests of memory, attention, language, visuospatial, and constructional abilities were administered, and the level of acetyl levocarnitine was measured in the cerebrospinal fluid. Patients were then randomly assigned to receive acetyl levocarnitine hydrochloride (2.5 g/d for 3 months followed by 3 g/d for 3 months) or placebo. After 6 months, the acetyl levocarnitine group demonstrated significantly less deterioration in timed cancellation tasks and Digit Span (forward) and a trend toward less deterioration in a timed verbal fluency task. No differences were found in any other neuropsychological test results. A subgroup with the lowest baseline scores, receiving acetyl levocarnitine, had significantly less deterioration on the verbal memory test and a significant increase in cerebrospinal fluid acetyl levocarnitine levels compared with those receiving placebo. These results suggest that acetyl levocarnitine may retard the deterioration in some cognitive areas in patients with Alzheimer's disease and stress the need for a larger study of this drug.
Pyridoxal (PL) and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) showed a marked bio-antimutagenic effect on UV-induced mutagenesis in E. coli B/r WP2, but not in the DNA excision repair-deficient strain WP2suvrA under the condition where no cellular toxicity was observed. No delay in the first cell division was seen on post-treatment with PL after UV irradiation. PL reduced not only UV- but 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-induced mutation, while it was ineffective in N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine- or gamma-ray-treated cells. These results suggest that PL promotes DNA excision repair directly or indirectly and the decrease in the amount of unrepaired DNA damage might cause the reduction of UV-induced mutations in E. coli B/r WP2. In addition to the above observation, PLP reduced the frequency of mitomycin C- (2 mg/kg, i.p.) induced micronuclei in mouse peripheral blood cells. Simultaneous or subsequent oral administration of PLP (25 mg/kg) decreased the frequency of micronucleated peripheral reticulocytes.
The stability of neuropsychological performance in a sample of drug abusers was investigated for a wide range of neuropsychological tests, using a test-retest paradigm with 16 parenteral drug users. The battery administered included tests of general intellectual function, abstract reasoning, verbal memory, language, attention, visuospatial ability, set switching, speeded performance, and manipulative dexterity. Stability coefficients were of a moderate to high magnitude for most of the tests and were comparable to coefficients found in other studies of non-drug-users. Two exceptions, however, were the Selective Reminding Test and the Perdue Pegboard. Possible reasons for instability with these two tests are discussed. It is concluded that neuropsychological investigations of drug abusers can yield consistent and reliable data, although further studies should employ alternative and/or supplementary measures of verbal memory and motor function.
1. The present study investigated the presence of 5-HT3 receptor using 2-methylserotonin (2-Me-5-HT) in the smooth muscle of Mytilus ABRM. 2. 2-Me-5-HT relaxed the acetylcholine-induced contraction in a dose-dependent manner ranging from 10(-6) to 3 x 10(-4) M (pD2 = 5.55 +/- 0.32). 3. 2-Me-5-HT-induced relaxation was antagonized by 3 x 10(-5) M ketanserin in a competitive manner (pA2 = 5.14 +/- 0.1), but not by cypropheptadine, mianserin, MDL 72222 or ICS 205-930 at a concentration of 3 x 10(-5) M. 4. 2-Me-5-HT (3 x 10(-4) M) did not alter the content of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in the ABRM. 5. These findings suggested that the 2-Me-5-HT-induced relaxation was mediated through 5-HT2-like receptors and was not linked to cyclic AMP or GMP systems, and, further, that 5-HT3 receptor subtype was not present in the ABRM.
To evaluate the biosynthesis of prostaglandins in the oviducts, phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) activities were first measured in the epithelial cells obtained from rabbit oviducts. At least four kinds of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities with respect to calcium dependency and pH requirement were observed. There were two calcium-dependent, pH optima of 7.5 and 8.5 activities, and two calcium-independent, pH optima of 4.0 and 8.0 activities. One of those activities, a calcium-dependent and alkaline active PLA2 activity of the epithelial cells was then compared between the ampullary portion and the isthmic portion of the oviducts. The activity was significantly higher in the ampullary epithelium than in the isthmic epithelium (223.2 +/- 57.2 or 103.8 +/- 32.3 pmol/min/mg, p < 0.05). These results support the idea that the production of prostaglandins, which is dependent upon the activity of the arachidonate cascades, was higher in the ampullary portion of oviduct than that in the isthmic portion. The PLA2 activity of the ampullary epithelium may thus play an important role in the regulation of smooth muscle contractility and ciliary movement.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of two different doses, 1.88 mg and 3.75 mg, of a monthly depot injection of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) in the treatment of uterine leiomyomata. DESIGN: A prospective randomized study. SETTING: Hospital department of gynecology and obstetrics. PATIENTS: Forty-one premenopausal Japanese women, 25 to 53 years of age, with uterine leiomyomata. INTERVENTIONS: Depot type of GnRH-a, leuprolide acetate (LA) 1.88 mg or 3.75 mg was administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy of treatment was assessed in terms of uterine volume, serum levels of estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and adverse symptoms during treatment. RESULTS: In both groups, a significant reduction in uterine volume, 52% in 1.88 mg group and 47% in 3.75 mg group, was obtained at week 24, with near maximal reduction (41%, 45%) apparent by 12 weeks. No significant difference was observed between the groups in percent uterine volume reduction at each treatment week. Both groups showed significant and equal suppression of serum levels of E2, LH, and FSH. In addition, the incidence of adverse symptoms was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Monthly injection of 1.88 mg or 3.75 mg LA depot has equivalent treatment efficacy in reducing uterine volume. Twelve weeks of treatment is enough to obtain near maximal reduction.
Experimental Hymenolepis diminuta infection was carried out in inbred strains of rats (F344/N, JAR-2, LOU/M, TM, DA and DA-bg/bg) and outbred Wistar rats. All strains became infected with this cestode, but clear strain-dependent variation in the susceptibility to H. diminuta infection was observed. Marked differences in worm persistence and worm weight were found at 6 weeks post-infection in TM and DA rats. These strains would be useful to clarify the interactions between H. diminuta and its rat host.
It has already been reported that anaphylatoxin (AT) is closely related to inner ear lesions. In this study the pathology of inner ear damage caused by AT was investigated in Hartley strain and C4 deficient guinea pigs (C4D-GP). Although the biological activity of C3a and C5a is strong, it is of short duration, and the resulting ear damage is considered to be reversible. Because of the cellular degeneration caused by this slight damage, the damage owing to continuously activated C4a is thought to be irreversible, that is, atrophy in the stria vascularis, degeneration and sloughing of the cochlear neurons, and stretching of Reissner's membrane, and C4a is therefore considered to be requisite for the manifestation of inner ear damage.