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Biomedical subjects

M Shinohara

Publications and source records attributed to M Shinohara.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in patients with severe neurologic impairment.

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in institutionalized patients with severe neurologic impairment. Anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody in serum was measured in 196 institutionalized Japanese patients using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, taking an antibody level >50 units/ml as evidence of H. pylori seropositivity. Patient age pattern and duration of institutionalization were examined for the relationships with H. pylori seropositivity. We also examined for seroconversion indicating new H. pylori infection in initially negative patients 1 year later. Positivity for H pylori infection among institutionalized patients was also compared with positivity among patients living at home. H. pylori seropositivity was present in 81.1% of subjects. Prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity increased with both age and duration of institutionalization. The serum level of anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody in patients over 20 years old was consistently high, approximately twice that of subjects less than 10 years of age. Of 38 patients initially negative for H. pylori infection, 18 (47.4%) had become positive at 1 year. H. pylori seropositivity was significantly more prevalent among institutionalized patients than among patients living at home (P < 0.0001). This study confirms that high H. pylori seropositivity rates are found among institutionalized patients with severe neurologic impairment. Our observations suggest person to person transmission, with fecal to oral, salivary secretion and respiratory droplet routes possibly being important pathways.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Clinical features of isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium: long-term clinical course, hemodynamic properties, and genetic background.

OBJECTIVES: A nationwide survey was conducted to clarify the clinical features of isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (INVM) in Japanese children in comparison with features previously described in patients with INVM. BACKGROUND: Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is a rare disorder characterized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork. It is accompanied by depressed ventricular function, systemic embolism and ventricular arrhythmia. METHODS: A questionnaire specifically designed for this study was sent to 150 hospitals in Japan where a pediatric cardiology division exists. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography, their ages ranging from one week to 15 years at presentation, with follow-up lasting as long as 17 years. The gross anatomical appearance and the extension of noncompacted myocardium predominantly at the apex observed on two-dimensional echocardiograms were similar to observations reported previously. Dissimilarities included a greater number of asymptomatic patients at initial presentation, a longer clinical course with gradually depressed left ventricular function, no systemic embolism, and rare ventricular tachycardia in the Japanese children. Cardiac catheterization disclosed normal left ventricular end-diastolic volume and increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in most cases, consistent with restrictive hemodynamics. A higher incidence of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was found in the children, whereas left bundle branch block was rarer than reported in adults. Familial recurrence was high (44%) and included many women. CONCLUSIONS: In Japanese children, INVM can be found by screening examinations at asymptomatic stage, and it might have a longer dinical course with gradually depressed left ventricular function and restrictive hemodynamics. The pattern of familial recurrence we observed implies that INVM is a distinctive clinical entity with a heterogeneous genetic background.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Value of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in differentiation of hemangiomas from lymphangiomas in the oral and maxillofacial region.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to differentiate hemangioma from lymphangioma in the oral and maxillofacial region. STUDY DESIGN: Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 20 patients (21 masses: 17 hemangiomas and 4 lymphangiomas) through use of either a 0.2-T permanent system or a 0. 5-T superconductive system and spin-echo pulse sequences. RESULTS: After intravenous administration of contrast medium, enhancement was observed in all hemangiomas in areas corresponding to those with high signal on T(2)-weighted images. Unequivocally increased signal was observed in 10 masses, and slightly increased signal was observed in 7 masses. On the other hand, none of the lymphangiomas showed an enhancing mass on contrast-enhanced T(1)-weighted images. CONCLUSIONS: Although contrast-enhanced T(1)-weighted imaging may not improve delineation of masses in all cases, it can be used to differentiate between deep hemangiomas and lymphangiomas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Characteristics of a high-concentration-ammonium sulfate-requiring ammonia-oxidizing bacterium isolated from deodorization plants of chicken farms.

A high-concentration-ammonium sulfate-requiring, ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, strain K1, was newly isolated from packed tower biological deodorization plants of chicken farms. The cells of strain K1 are rods (0.1-1.0 x 1.0-2.0 microm), gram negative, obligately aerobic, and nonmotile. Colonies (1-2 mm in diameter) on a plate culture are reddish, circular, and smooth. Intracytoplasmic membranes characteristic of nitrifying bacteria are present. The G+C content of the total DNA is 48.5 mol%. The similarity of 16S rRNA (%) to N. europaea ATCC 25978T (type strain) is 93.77%. This bacterium has a higher optimal growth temperature (35 degrees C) than is usually the case and tolerance up to 40 degrees C. The optimum concentration of ammonium sulfate in the medium is 303 mM, which should make it applicable for use in deodorization plants for enhancing the efficiency of deodorization. Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) and triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) were found to possess high specific activities (5700 and 4 x 10(5) U/mg, respectively) compared to the activities of these enzymes in strain ATCC 25978T (300 and 14 U/mg).

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Gelatinolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinase in tumor tissues correlates with the invasiveness of oral cancer.

We examined whether or not the gelatinolytic activity in tumor tissue was associated with the invasion and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Tissue homogenates were prepared from 57 biopsy specimens of OSCC. The gelatinolytic activities in the homogenates were measured by gelatin zymography and its densitometric analysis. The Immnunoblot findings revealed the major gelatinolytic activities to be due to matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9. The zymography-detected gelatinolytic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the tissue specimens significantly correlated with the degree of immunohistochemical staining detected in frozen sections of the same biopsy specimens. According to a histopathological analysis of the mode of invasion, highly invasive cases showed the increased gelatinolytic activities of MMP-2 as well as MMP-9 in the tissue specimens. Although no significant differences were observed in the gelatinase activities between the metastatic cases and the non-metastatic cases, the levels of tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1 in the tumor tissue specimens were higher in the non-metastatic cases than in the metastatic cases. The cases with the high levels of MMPs and low levels of TIMP-1 thus seemed to have a high potential to metastasize. As a result, the zymographic measurement of the gelatinolytic activity in biopsy tissue specimens may therefore be useful in predicting the behavior and prognosis of OSCC.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1999

Assessment of the dominant abnormal form is useful for predicting the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection in the case of severe teratozoospermia.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to investigate the relation between the dominant sperm anomaly and sperm morphology and the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). METHODS: Two hundred ninety-five patients who underwent a total of 181 cycles of in vitro fertilization (n = 168) and/or 217 cycles of ICSI (n = 177) between July 1995 and May 1997 at Keio University Hospital were investigated. RESULTS: The rates of fertilization and pregnancy were 63.3 and 27.8%, respectively, in ICSI cycles with < or = 4% normal forms. When the percentage of strictly normal morphology was < or = 4, the fertilization rate was lower in the case of severely tapered head (13.0%; n = 4) than in the cases of other deformities in ICSI. The acrosomal defect made no difference in the fertilization rate with ICSI. CONCLUSIONS: The predominant abnormal form affects the ICSI outcome in the case of < or = 4% normal forms.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Detection of bone invasion by gingival carcinoma of the mandible: a comparison of intraoral and panoramic radiography and computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of panoramic radiography (PR), panoramic radiography combined with intraoral radiography (PR+IR), and CT in detecting the supero-inferior extent of tumor invasion of the mandible by gingival carcinoma. METHOD: PR, PR+IR, and CT images of the mandible in 37 patients with gingival carcinoma were evaluated by five oral radiologists for the supero-inferior extent of bone invasion using ROC analysis. The mean ROC curve area (Az) of each observer for the different imaging modalities was analysed by nonparametric two-way ANOVA. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean Az for the detection of bone invasion were 0.88+/-0.03 for PR, 0.77+/-0.12 for PR+IR, and 0.87+/-0.03 for CT (P=0.0907). The mean Az for the detection of bone invasion beyond the alveolus was 0.89+/-0.07 for PR, 0.85+/-0.08 for PR+IR, and 0.83+/-0.06 for CT (P=0.5438). The mean Az for the detection of bone invasion beneath the mandibular canal were 0.94+/-0.04 for PR, 0.94+/-0.02 for PR+IR, and 0.91+/-0. 04 for CT (P=0.2466). No statistically significant differences were observed in Az between PR, PR+IR, and CT. CONCLUSION: We consider that PR+IR should be adopted as the initial imaging modality to determine the extent of supero-inferior invasion of the mandible in gingival carcinoma.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

Purification and characterization of a trypsin-like protease from the culture supernatant of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4.

We purified and characterized a protease from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The protease was isolated from the culture supernatant by sonication in phosphate-buffered 3-[(3 cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS). The protease was purified by acetone precipitation, followed by column chromatography with Arginine Sepharose 4B, DEAE Sepharose CL-6B, Sephacryl S-200HR and HiTrap Q. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified protease showed a clear band at approximately 50 kDa. The protease showed trypsin-like activity with hydrolytic activity for the synthetic substrates N alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide (BApNA) and N alpha benzoyl-DL-lysine p-nitroanilide (BLpNA). The activity of the protease was stable at pH 7.0 to approximately 8.0. The activity of the protease was inhibited by leupeptin, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), and EDTA, but was not affected by dithiothreitol (DTT), cysteine, 2-mercaptoethanol, pepstatin or soybean trypsin inhibitor. These data suggest that this protease is a serine protease or metallo protease. This enzyme extensively degraded collagen type I and fibronectin.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans↗
PubMed1999

High copy number suppression of the meiotic arrest caused by a dmc1 mutation: REC114 imposes an early recombination block and RAD54 promotes a DMC1-independent DSB repair pathway.

BACKGROUND: DMC1, the meiosis-specific eukaryotic homologue of bacterial recA, is required for completion of meiotic recombination and cell cycle progression past prophase. In a dmc1 mutant, double strand break recombination intermediates accumulate and cells arrest in prophase. We isolated genes which, when present at high copy numbers, suppress the meiotic arrest phenotype conferred by dmc1 mutations. RESULTS: Among the genes isolated were two which suppress arrest by altering the recombination process. REC114 suppresses formation of double strand break (DSB) recombination intermediates. The low viability of spores produced by dmc1 mutants carrying high copy numbers of REC114 is rescued when reductional segregation is bypassed by mutation of spo13. High copy numbers of RAD54 suppress dmc1 arrest, promote DSB repair, and allow formation of viable spores following reductional segregation. Analysis of the combined effects of a null mutation in RED1, a gene required for meiotic chromosome structure, with null mutations in RAD54 and DMC1 shows that RAD54, while not normally important for repair of DSBs during meiosis, is required for efficient repair of breaks by the intersister recombination pathway that operates in red1 dmc1 double mutants. CONCLUSIONS: Over-expression of REC114 suppresses meiotic arrest by preventing formation of DSBs. High copy numbers of RAD54 activate a DMC1-independent mechanism that promotes repair of DSBs by homology-mediated recombination. The ability of RAD54 to promote DMC1-independent recombination is proposed to involve suppression of a constraint that normally promotes recombination between homologous chromatids rather than sisters.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗
PubMed1999

Expression of integrins in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Correlations with tumor invasion and metastasis.

Integrins are cell adhesion molecules that mediate the cell to extracellular matrix interactions. We sought to determine whether the integrin expression on tumor cells is associated with invasive and metastatic potential. First, in 8 cell lines of oral squamous cell carcinoma, 4 of which were metastatic in nude mice and 4 of which were not, integrin expression was examined. When these cell lines were cultured in vitro or transplanted into the tongues of nude mice, the metastatic cell lines tended to show a stronger expression of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 5, and alpha 6 integrins than did the nonmetastatic cell lines. Second, integrin expression was immunohistochemically examined in 65 biopsy specimens of primary oral squamous cell carcinoma. In invasive or metastatic cases, a marked expression of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 5, and alpha 6 integrins was frequently observed. The association of integrin expression with the mode of tumor invasion and nodal involvement was found to be statistically significant. These results suggest that integrin expression is closely associated with tumor invasion and nodal involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Two cases of metastatic bladder cancers showing diffuse thickening of the bladder wall.

Metastatic bladder cancer showing diffuse thickening of the bladder wall is very rare. We report two cases of metastatic bladder cancer arising from a stomach cancer and acute lymphocytic leukemia. Hydronephrosis and diffuse thickening of the bladder wall were revealed by ultrasonography and computed tomography. Transurethral biopsy and percutaneous whole wall needle biopsy of the bladder were useful for diagnosis. The possibility of metastasis or recurrence of prior and other malignancies should therefore be considered when the clinical features described here are encountered.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

'Candidatus phytoplasma japonicum', a new phytoplasma taxon associated with Japanese Hydrangea phyllody.

A phytoplasma was discovered in diseased specimens of field-grown hortensia (Hydrangea spp.) exhibiting typical phyllody symptoms. PCR amplification of DNA using phytoplasma specific primers detected phytoplasma DNA in all of the diseased plants examined. No phytoplasma DNA was found in healthy hortensia seedlings. RFLP patterns of amplified 16S rDNA differed from the patterns previously described for other phytoplasmas including six isolates of foreign hortensia phytoplasmas. Based on the RFLP, the Japanese Hydrangea phyllody (JHP) phytoplasma was classified as a representative of a new subgroup in the phytoplasma 16S rRNA group I (aster yellows, onion yellows, all of the previously reported hortensia phytoplasmas, and related phytoplasmas). A phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences from this and other group I phytoplasmas identified the JHP phytoplasma as a member of a distinct sub-group (sub-group Id) in the phytoplasma clade of the class Mollicutes. The phylogenetic tree constructed from 16S rRNA gene sequences was consistent with the hypothesis that the JHP phytoplasma and its closest known relatives, the Australian grapevine yellows (AUSGY), Phormium yellow leaf (PYL), Stolbur of Capsicum annuum (STOL) and Vergilbungskrankheit of grapevine (VK) share a common ancestor. The unique properties of the DNA from the JHP phytoplasma clearly establish that it represents a new taxon, 'Candidatus Phytoplasma japonicum'.

DNA, Bacterial↗
PubMed1999

[A study on identification method of coxsackie virus A16 and enterovirus 71].

The simple and rapid identification method of coxsackie virus A16 (CA16) and enterovirus 71 (Ev71), the main cause of hand foot and mouth disease, was described in this report. This method was consists of three steps, those were virus isolation, amplification by RT-PCR, and digestion by restriction enzyme Taq I and EcoT22 I. In 1990, many virus strains were isolated in Vero cell line. But after 1994 the number of isolated viruses in Caco-2 cell line increased instead of isolated in Vero cell line. Concerning to isolation of CA16, in 1998, MRC-5 cell line was also used and it's sensitivity was same as Caco-2 cell line. Cytopathic effects were first observed in MRC-5 cell line among these three lines. RNAs of CA1-10, poliovirus 1-3, echovirus 1-7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 24, 25, 27, 30, Ev71, and isolated viruses were extracted by using QIAamp viral RNA kit (QIAGEN). Then two series of reverse transcription using two down stream primers (E31 and E33) were performed. In PCR, the same upper stream primer (primer 2) was used. CA6, CA16 and Ev71 were the only viruses those were not amplified by RT-PCR using primer 2/E31 but amplified by RT-PCR using primer 2/E33. After PCR, PCR products of isolated viruses using primer 2/E33 were digested by Taq I and Eco T22 I. All of Ev71 products were not digested but all of CA16 products were digested. The band pattern of PCR products (CA16) digested by Taq I were divided into three groups. And Eco T22 I digestion pattern is only one. These results were in accord with Taq I and EcoT22 I digestion sites on sequences of CA16 and Ev71. This method should be useful for the rapid identification of CA16 and Ev71.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Neurally mediated syncope and arrhythmias: a study of syncopal patients using the head-up tilt test.

Understanding the causes of syncope in patients with arrhythmia is important in determining the therapeutic interventions. Neurally mediated syncope (NMS) was evaluated in 55 patients with various arrhythmias. The head-up tilt test with or without isoproterenol infusion induced NMS in 41 (74%) patients. When these patients was categorized into 3 types, depending on the development of syncope, vasodilatation was significant in a majority of patients. In 46% of patients with tachyarrythmias, NMS was accompanied by an increase in extrasystole. It was concluded that the evaluation of vasodilatation is important for the preventive strategy of NMS in patients with arrhythmias and that NMS may induce arrhythmias.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1999

Effect of cysteine protease of Porphyromonas gingivalis on adhesion molecules in gingival epithelial cells.

We examined the effect of cysteine protease of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) on cell adhesion molecules including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) of human gingival epithelial cells. The cells were incubated for 48 hr with or without P. gingivalis protease. Their cell adhesion molecule expression levels were increased at 12 hr, but decreased at 18-48 hr. This result suggests that protease degrades cell adhesion molecules. After the stimulation with protease for 12 hr, P. gingivalis fimbrial binding to a monolayer of the cells was effectively inhibited by the addition of the cell adhesion molecules, suggesting the fimbrial binding to the cells occurred through cell surface adhesion molecules.

Bacterial Adhesion↗