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Biomedical subjects

M Sugiyama

Publications and source records attributed to M Sugiyama.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Prognostic significance of carcinoembryonic antigen levels in peritoneal washes in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal metastasis is the most frequent cause of death in patients with gastric cancer. Detection of free cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity at the time of surgery, therefore, is considered to be of great value in predicting the peritoneal recurrence and accordingly in the prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. This study examined the clinical significance of intraoperative determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in peritoneal washes (pCEA) in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: CEA levels in peritoneal washes were correlated retrospectively with several clinicopathologic factors including clinical outcome in 56 patients with resectable gastric cancer. RESULTS: Among several clinicopathologic factors, the depth of tumor invasion significantly and independently correlated with pCEA levels as revealed by multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. A significant difference in overall survival rates was observed between pCEA-positive and pCEA-negative groups: 5-year survival rates were 95.7% in pCEA-negative and 20% in pCEA-positive patients (P <0.0001). Multivariate analysis indicated that pCEA level is a statistically significant independent prognostic factor for the survival of patients with gastric cancer, and is an important factor for predicting peritoneal recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: pCEA could be a potential predictor of a poor prognosis as well as peritoneal recurrence in patients with gastric cancer. We believe that this information could contribute to determining the optimal intraoperative and postoperative therapeutic plan including adjuvant chemotherapy of gastric cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Pancreatic transection using ultrasonic dissector in pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatoenterostomic leakage after pancreatoduodenectomy may be caused partly by pancreatic juice leakage from transected branch pancreatic ducts on the pancreatic cut surface that do not drain into the main pancreatic duct after pancreatectomy. METHODS: We devised a new technique of pancreatic transection using an ultrasonic dissector followed by duct-to-mucosa pancreatojejunostomy, in order to prevent pancreatoenterostomic leakage after pancreatoduodenectomy in patients with a soft pancreas and a small main pancreatic duct. During pancreatic transection, branch pancreatic ducts and blood vessels are adequately skeletonized and securely ligated. The pancreatic duct is anastomosed to the full thickness of the jejunum with four to six interrupted sutures. RESULTS: Ten patients with a nondilated pancreatic duct (2 to 3 mm) underwent pancreatoduodenectomy by the present method. During pancreatic transection, 24 to 35 ducts including the pancreatic ducts and blood vessels were skeletonized and ligated. Postoperatively, no patients developed pancreatojejunostomic leakage. The present method may prevent pancreatoenterostomic leakage after pancreatoduodenectomy.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2001

Biomechanical behaviour of bovine temporomandibular articular discs with age.

The purpose was to evaluate age-associated changes in the creep and restoration properties of bovine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) discs under and after sustained tensile stress. Forty discs were obtained from 7- and 10-year-old cattle, referred to as the adult and mature adult groups, respectively. Tension of 1.0 MPa was applied and sustained for 20 min to specimens from ten right discs and of 1.5 MPa to specimens from ten left discs. After the period of tension for the study of creep, the specimens were removed from the tension devices and their restoration observed for 20 min. For comparative purposes the relevant results for a young adult group were recruited from data on 3-year-old bovine TMJ discs reported in a previous study on viscoelastic properties. In all the specimens the time-dependent creep curves showed a marked change in strain during the initial 5 s, but the elastic moduli at the onset of stress were significantly larger in the mature adult group than in the other groups. After 20-min creep, the strains were decreased in relation to the age of the specimen and were significantly smaller in the mature adult than in the young adult. With regard to regional differences, the medial specimens exhibited significantly smaller strains than the central ones in all three age groups. Furthermore, the residual strains after 20-min restoration also decreased slightly with age. It is concluded that the bovine TMJ disc becomes stiff and acquires the capacity to recover from continuous deformation during growth and maturation. These findings suggest that the TMJ disc can modify its viscoelasticity in order to withstand extrinsic functional stresses.

Aging↗
PubMed2001

Single vaginal ectopic ureter and renal hypoplasia associated with urogenital sinus and abdominal muscular hypoplasia-a novel subtype of prune-belly syndrome in a female child?

We report a rare case that can be classified as prune-belly syndrome in a female. This patient came to our attention during the 19th week of gestation when massive ascites was found by ultrasound and the mother was transferred to our hospital. After birth, it was demonstrated that the infant had complicated anomalies, including abdominal muscular hypoplasia, urogenital sinus, a single, right-sided vaginal ectopic ureter, and hypoplasia of the right kidney. A sibling had a right hypoplastic kidney and right vesicoureteral reflux. Considering the combination of anomalies and the family history of urinary tract disease, her anomalies could be attributed to a genetic mutation.

Choristoma↗
PubMed2001

Complete nucleotide sequence of a group A avian rotavirus genome and a comparison with its counterparts of mammalian rotaviruses.

The nucleotide sequences encoding four structural proteins (VP1-4) and six nonstructural proteins (NSP1-6) of avian rotavirus PO-13 were determined. Based on the results of earlier sequencing studies [Ito et al., 1995, Sequence analysis of cDNA for the VP6 protein of group A avian rota viruses. Arch. Vriol. 140, 605-612; Rohwedder et al., 1997, Chicken rotavirus Ch-1 shows a second type of avian VP6 gene, Virus Genes 15, 65-71; Rohwedder et al., 1997, Bovine rotavirus 993/83 shows a third subtype of avian VP7 protein, Virus Genes 14, 147-151], determination of PO-13 genome sequence has been completed. The PO-13 genome is 18845 nucleotides in length. It is 290 nucleotides longer than the genome of SA11. The amino acid sequence homology between PO-13 and mammalian rotaviruses ranged from 76-77% (VP1) to 16-18% (NSP1). The features of gene and amino acid sequence were compared with those of the corresponding protein of mammalian rotaviruses. Based on results of the phylogenetic analyses of NSP1, we speculate that an ancestral rotavirus could have separated into groups A, B and C rotaviruses at an early evolutionary stage and that group A rotavirus separated into mammalian and avian rotaviruses with host evolution.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Properties of incremental projection learning.

We proposed a method of incremental projection learning which provides exactly the same generalization capability as that obtained by batch projection learning in the previous paper. However, properties of the method have not yet been investigated. In this paper, we analyze its properties from the following aspects: First, it is shown that some of the training data which is regarded as redundant in most incremental learning methods have potential effectiveness, i.e. they will contribute to better generalization capability in the future learning process. Based on this fact, an improved criterion for redundancy of additional training data is derived. Second, the relationship between prior and posterior learning results is investigated where effective training data is classified into two categories from the viewpoint of improving generalization capability. Finally, a simpler representation of incremental projection learning under certain conditions is given. The size of memory required for storing prior results in the representation is fixed and independent of the total number of training data.

Learning↗
PubMed2001

Incremental projection learning for optimal generalization.

In many practical situations in neural network learning, it is often expected to further improve the generalization capability after the learning process has been completed. One of the common approaches is to add training data to the neural network. In view of the learning methods of human beings, it seems natural to build posterior learning results upon prior results, which is generally referred to as incremental learning. Many incremental learning methods have been devised so far. However, they provide poor generalization capability compared with batch learning methods. In this paper, a method of incremental projection learning in the presence of noise is presented, which provides exactly the same learning result as that obtained by batch projection learning. The effectiveness of the presented method is demonstrated through computer simulations.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Effect of salt and heating on a mesoscopic structure composed of ovalbumin globules in aqueous solution.

Mesoscopic structural changes of an ovalbumin solution by heating and adding NaCl have been investigated with a small-angle neutron scattering method. In the natural solution, a broad peak at q = 0.057 A(-1), which disappeared by adding NaCl, indicates the existence of an electrostatic long-range interaction between the ovalbumin globules. Along with the broad peak, a prominent intensity increase in a very small q region was observed on heating except for the initial and final stages, indicating the coexistence of a disordered structure of the denatured ovalbumin and a regular-interspacing structure of the natural ovalbumin globules. Though the macroscopic feature in the final stage, whether the solution forms a gel (10 wt %) or not (5 wt %), strongly depended on the concentration of the ovalbumin, the scattering profiles showed a common characteristic feature: the appearance of a new peak around q = 0.023 A(-1), which indicates the emergence of another regular structure.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Magnetic resonance imaging in hemifacial hyperplasia.

We describe a case of hemifacial hyperplasia due to a combination of lipoma and lipomatosis. The contribution of MRI to the diagnosis of hemifacial hyperplasia and to monitoring growth and development in this condition is demonstrated.

Anatomy, Cross-Sectional↗
PubMed2001

Zymosan enhances the immune response to DNA vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus type-1 through the activation of complement system.

In the present study, the adjuvant effect of zymosan on human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1)-specific DNA vaccine and the mechanism of this enhancement were studied in a murine model. We coinoculated zymosan with our candidate HIV-1 specific DNA vaccine (pCMV160IIIB) into skeletal muscles of BALB/c mice. Higher levels of both humoral immune response and HIV-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response were observed when zymosan was coinoculated with pCMV160IIIB compared with that obtained using pCMV160IIIB alone. HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity was also enhanced. This enhancing activity was suppressed when coinoculated to the fifth complement (C5)-deficient DDD and AKR mice. The enhanced activity was also suppressed when anti-C3 antibody was inoculated to mice intramuscularly. There was significant induction of immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in pCMV160IIIB vaccine with zymosan. These results suggest that zymosan-mediated DNA vaccination enhances helper T cell (Th) 1-mediated immunity. The effect is suggested to be based on the consequences of its recruitment and activation of macrophages, dendritic cells or antigen-presenting cells (APC) through complement activation, especially through the alternative pathway. Taken together, these results suggest that zymosan can be an effective immunological adjuvant in DNA vaccination against HIV-1.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMed2001

Elimination of POR expression correlates with red leaf formation in Amaranthus tricolor.

Amaranthus tricolor L. tricolor cv. Earlysplendor, an ornamental amaranth, generates red leaves instead of green leaves in late summer to early autumn. Red leaf formation was promoted under short-day conditions and delayed by night-break treatments. Red leaves were characterized by lower levels of chlorophyll accumulation rather than higher levels of red pigment (betacyanin) accumulation. However, the metabolic activity toward the production of Mg-protoporphyrin, an intermediate in the biosynthesis pathway for chlorophyll, was detected in red leaves as well as in green leaves. RNA gel blot analysis was performed to assess the expression of nine genes encoding eight enzymes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Among these enzymes, red-leaf-specific reduction of gene expression was observed only for NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR), a key enzyme catalyzing a later step of chlorophyll biosynthesis. In addition, immunoblot analysis showed no accumulation of POR protein(s) in red leaves. These data indicate that the repression of POR gene expression and resultant loss of chlorophyll synthesis activity plays a role in red leaf formation of A. tricolor.

Anthocyanins↗
PubMed2001

Photocontact dermatitis to ketoprofen.

A case of photocontact dermatitis from ketoprofen is described in a 19-year-old woman with a 3-day history of pruritic lesions on the right forearm. Physical examination revealed a 105 x 46 mm, dark reddish lesion consisting of edematous erythema and papules on the extensor aspect of the right forearm. In photopatch testing, positive reactions to as-is (Mohrus compress [Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co, Inc, Tosu, Japan]), ketorofen 1% in petrolatum (pet.), suprofen 1% pet., and tiaprofenic acid 1% pet. were seen. We must consider the anatomic sites on which nonsteroidal anti-inflammation medicaments are applied, as well as their effects.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Medium-term effects of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation on gallbladder motility.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) for removal of bile duct stones tends to preserve papillary function. However, EPBD may exert beneficial or deleterious effects on gallbladder motility. This was a prospective, medium-term investigation (2 years) of the effects of EPBD on gallbladder motility. METHODS: Twelve patients with intact gallbladders (6 with and 6 without gallbladder stones) who underwent EPBD for choledocholithiasis were enrolled in this study. Gallbladder motility was examined before EPBD and at 7 days, 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years after EPBD. Gallbladder volumes, measured after fasting and after ingestion of dried egg yolk, were determined by US. RESULTS: All patients were asymptomatic during the 2-year follow-up period. Before EPBD, particularly in patients with cholelithiasis, the gallbladder had a larger fasting volume and lower yolk-stimulated maximum contraction compared with normal control subjects. Seven days after EPBD, fasting volume was decreased and maximum contraction was increased, both significantly compared with pre-EPBD values and regardless of the presence or absence of gallbladder stones. At 1 month, 1 year, and 2 years after EPBD, these changes were far less evident and gallbladder function did not differ significantly from baseline. CONCLUSION: EPBD does not adversely affect gallbladder motility in the medium-term (2 years). In terms of gallbladder motility, EPBD does not appear to increase the future risk of acute cholecystitis or gallbladder stone formation.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Periampullary diverticula cause pancreatobiliary reflux.

BACKGROUND: Periampullary diverticula are associated with dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi. Papillary dysfunction may allow reflux of pancreatic juice as well as intestinal contents into the common bile duct. We prospectively investigated pancreatobiliary reflux in patients with and without periampullary diverticula. METHODS: The ductal bile was sampled for amylase concentration during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in 47 patients with choledocholithiasis (n = 29; with (n = 14) or without (n = 15) periampullary diverticula) or gallbladder cholesterol polyps (n = 18; with (n = 6) or without (n = 12) diverticula). RESULTS: The amylase concentration within the ductal bile was significantly higher in choledocholithiasis patients with periampullary diverticula (1621 +/- 587 IU/l) than in those without diverticula (1155 +/- 418 IU/l). The amylase concentration tended to be higher in gallbladder polyp patients with diverticula (1087 +/- 275 IU/l) than in those without diverticula (833 +/- 272 IU/l). Irrespective of the presence or absence of diverticula, patients with bile duct stones had significantly higher amylase concentrations than those with gallbladder polyps. CONCLUSIONS: Periampullary diverticula cause pancreatobiliary reflux. Further investigation is required to determine the clinical implication of pancreatobiliary reflux.

Ampulla of Vater↗