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Biomedical subjects

M Tagami

Publications and source records attributed to M Tagami.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Urine cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) measurement is useful in discriminating the osteoarthritic Thoroughbreds.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the urinary concentration of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and to evaluate the relationship between urinary COMP concentration and the catabolic activity of synovial fluid (SF) in diseased horses. METHODS: COMP in horse urine was detected by immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody (mAb; 14G4) raised against equine COMP from articular cartilage. Urine and serum samples were obtained from 83 Thoroughbred horses with aseptic joint diseases (AJD, 79 horses) or septic joint diseases (SJD, four horses) at the time of anesthesia induction, and samples of SF were obtained during surgery. Control samples of urine (n=111) were collected from normal horses free of any orthopedic diseases after they had been racing. COMP concentration was determined in all samples using inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with mAb 14G4. SF samples were also used for the quantification of gelatinase activity. RESULTS: Positive bands of COMP fragments were determined on the immunoblots with mAb 14G4. The urinary COMP concentrations in AJD and SJD horses (1.02+/-0.75 and 1.55+/-1.17 microg/100mg creatinine, respectively) were significantly higher than normal (0.57+/-0.29 microg/100mg creatinine). In 55 horses with fractures in the AJD group there was a logarithmic relationship (r=-0.45, P<0.001) between the urinary and SF COMP measurements, while the urinary COMP level was positively correlated with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 activities (r=0.30, P<0.05 and r=0.51, P<0.001, respectively) in SF. CONCLUSIONS: The urinary COMP assay with mAb 14G4 is useful for discriminating horses with osteoarthritis. The higher COMP levels in urine from such horses would be indicative of enhanced proteolytic activity, in addition to the increased COMP levels in the diseased joints.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Clinical manifestations of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy with anti-cardiolipin antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an autoimmune syndrome where certain autoantibodies define clinicopathologic subgroups. In the present study, serum anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated aCL in sera from 21 patients diagnosed with CIDP in our hospital between 1991 and 2001. The four CIDP patients with aCL (aCL+) were compared with 17 patients without aCL (aCL-). RESULTS: All aCL+ patients displayed sensory-motor polyneuropathy, with severity and distribution of weakness resembling those in aCL- patients. Anti-nuclear antibody titer of aCL+ patients were significantly higher than those in aCL- patients. None of aCL+ patients presented clinical manifestations of primary anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), such as thromboses or recurrent abortion. Although the aCL+ patients were older and had more complications and more severe pathologic features than aCL- patients, they responded well to steroid pulse or intravenous immunoglobulin. CONCLUSION: The aCL in CIDP apparently differ from 'autoimmune' aCL in APS, instead being among the autoantibodies pathologically involved in CIDP subgroups.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Polyunsaturated fatty acids induce tight junctions to form in brain capillary endothelial cells.

Tight junctions create a rate-limiting barrier to the diffusion of solutes between vertebrate epithelial cells and endothelial cells. They are also controlled within individual cells by a variety of physiologically relevant signals. We investigated the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the formation of tight junctions in brain capillary endothelial cells, monitoring the transepithelial electrical resistance, and analyzed the expression of occludin messenger RNA. Brain-capillary endothelial cells were grown to confluence on filters and exposed to eicosapentaenoic acids, gamma linolenic acid and linoleic acid. Transepithelial electrical resistance was determined with voltage-measuring electrodes. The messenger RNA expression of occludin was quantitated by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The basal resistance across monolayers of porcine brain capillary endothelial cells was 83+/-8.1 Omega cm(2). Cells cultured in eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid, but not linolenic acid, displayed a 2.7-fold increase in transepithelial electrical resistance at 10 microM in brain capillary endothelial cells. The expression level of occludin messenger RNA increased markedly immediately after the exposure to eicosapentaenoic acids or gamma linolenic acid. Following an 8 h exposure to exogenous eicosapentaenoic acids or gamma linolenic acid, occludin messenger RNA levels were significantly increased. In addition, the rise in transepithelial electrical resistance induced by eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid was markedly inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and PP2 and protein kinase C inhibitor, calphostin C. In contrast, the rise in transepithelial electrical resistance induced by eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid was not inhibited by the PI 3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002. We conclude that eicosapentaenoic acids and gamma linolenic acid increased the transepithelial electrical resistance and the expression of occludin messenger RNA in brain capillary endothelial cells. This gamma linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid induced assembly of tight junction is likely to be regulated by protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Invasive ductal carcinoma of the mammary gland in a mare.

A 21-year-old thoroughbred mare had a 35 x 14 x 10 cm mass involving the mammary gland. Metastases were found in the kidneys, lungs, skeletal muscles, and regional lymph nodes. Histopathologic examination of the tumor revealed a ductal solid carcinoma with extensive intraductal and intralobular involvement and focal infiltration of the adjacent stroma. The intralobular neoplasms were divided into irregularly shaped islands and sheets of polygonal and spindle-shaped epithelial cells by thick or thin fibrous connective tissue bundles. The neoplastic cells had a small or moderate amount of cytoplasm that stained faintly with eosin and round or oval hyperchromatic nuclei. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were strongly positive for Lu-5, weakly positive for AE1/AE3, vimentin, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, and negative for cytokeratin 8, cytokeratin 14, alpha-smooth muscle actin, calponin, and S100. The neoplasm was diagnosed as an invasive ductal carcinoma of the mammary gland with multiple metastases.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Characterization of Ca(2+) signaling pathways in human mesenchymal stem cells.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSC) have the potential to differentiate into many cell types. The physiological properties of HMSCs including their Ca(2+) signaling pathways, however, are not well understood. We investigated Ca(2+) influx and release functions in HMSCs. In Ca(2+) imaging experiments, spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations were observed in 36 of 50 HMSCs. The Ca(2+) oscillations were completely blocked by the application of 10 micro M cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) or 1 micro M thapsigargin (TG). A brief application of 1 micro M acetylcholine (ACh) induced a transient increase of [Ca(2+)](i) but the application of caffeine (10 mM) did not induce any Ca(2+) transient. When the stores were depleted with Ca(2+)-ATPase blockers (CPA or TG) or muscarinic agonists (ACh), store-operated Ca(2+) (SOC) entry was observed. Using the patch-clamp technique, store-operated Ca(2+) currents (I(SOC)) could be recorded in cells treated with ACh or CPA, but voltage-operated Ca(2+) currents (VOCCs) were not elicited in most of the cells (17/20), but in 15% of cells examined, small dihydropyridine (DHP)-sensitive Ca(2+) currents were recorded. Using RT-PCR, mRNAs were detected for inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R) type I, II, and III and DHP receptors alpha1A and alpha1H were detected, but mRNA was not detected for ryanodine receptor (RyR) or N-type Ca(2+) channels. These results suggest that in undifferentiated HMSCs, Ca(2+) release is mediated by InsP(3)Rs and Ca(2+) entry through plasma membrane is mainly mediated by the SOCs channels with a little contribution of VOCCs.

Calcium↗
PubMed2002

Serum keratan sulphate as a cartilage metabolic marker in horses: the effect of exercise.

Keratan sulphate (KS) concentration in sera from resting horses and horses training daily on a racetrack was measured by an inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using anti-equine KS antibody 1/14/16H9. For the in-training horses, serum KS concentrations in 2-year-old-horses was significantly higher than 3- or 4-year-old-horses. A higher concentration of serum KS was found in the in-training group than in the long-term resting group in 2-year-old-horses. Serum KS concentration increased remarkably immediately after training in healthy horses, and at 1, 5, 9 and 24 h after training remained at similar levels to the pre-training concentration. The results suggest that serum KS concentration could represent the situation of joint loading, induced by daily racetrack training, affecting the metabolic activities in joint cartilage.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Expression of messenger RNA for gonadotropin receptor in the granulosa layer during the ovulatory cycle of hens.

The present experiments were conducted to evaluate the mRNA levels of luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in granulosa layers during the ovulatory cycle of hens, in relation to the release of LH and steroid hormones. After the release of LH, progesterone (P4) and estradiol-17beta (E2), found 4-5 h before ovulation, LHR and FSHR mRNA levels were observed to decrease in the granulosa layers of the largest (F1) and second largest (F2) preovulatory follicles, with the greatest in the LHR mRNA level of F1. P4 concentrations in the granulosa layers of F1 and F2 increased 4-5 h before ovulation, with greater in F1 than in F2. F2 concentrations in the theca layers were greater in F2 than in F1 throughout the ovulatory cycle. Also, the injection of ovine LH caused decreases in the mRNA levels of LHR and FSHR in the granulosa layers. However, these decreases were abolished by the injection of aminoglutethimide, an inhibitor of steroid synthesis. These results suggest that in hen granulosa cells, the mRNA levels of not only LHR but also FSHR are down-regulated by LH and the down-regulation may be mediated steroid hormones.

Aminoglutethimide↗
PubMed2001

[Efficiency of bispectral index in anesthetic management of a patient with hypothyroidism].

A 72-year-old, female patient with severe hypothyroidism underwent tracheostomy using deltopectral flap. During the anesthetic management, we assessed the hypnotic level using the bispectral index and regulated the dose of general anesthetics to maintain the bispectral index at about 50. The general anesthetics caused a marked cardiovascular depression, but the condition was treatable with the intravenous administration of dopamine. Using these methods, we could anesthetize this patient safely without a prolonged awakening time from general anesthesia. Although the anesthetic requirement for patients with hypothyroidism is generally thought to be decreased, there is no practical index by which we can estimate the optimal dose of anesthetic agents for these patients. This case report shows that the assessment of the hypnotic level by the bispectral index can be utilized as an efficient index to determine the optimal dose of general anesthetics for patients with hypothyroidism.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Anesthetic management of a hyper-obese patient by target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol and fentanyl].

We gave total intravenous anesthesia to an over-100% hyper-obese patient using target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol and fentanyl. To keep him asleep, we maintained his BIS in a range of 40 to 60 by adjusting the target concentration of propofol. For the target concentration of fentanyl, we chose 2 ng.ml-1 at incision and 1.6 ng.ml-1 during the operation. At the patient's emergence from anesthesia, his estimated blood concentration of propofol was 1.51 micrograms.ml-1 and his BIS was 80. The relationship between BIS value and effect-site concentration of propofol was almost the same as that assessed in ordinary adults of a normal weight. We conclude that the estimated concentration of propofol is a good indicator of the effect of propofol and that TCI is a useful technique in obese patients as well as in ordinary adults.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Anesthetic management for gastrojejunostomy in a patient with hemiplegia and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy].

A 70-year-old man who had undergone a low anterior resection for primary rectal cancer 9 years before complained of anorexia, hemiplegia, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. The anorexia was caused by duodenal stenosis due to swollen lymph nodes, the hemiplegia was caused by a metastatic brain tumor, and the recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was caused by metastases of the cancer to the mediastinal space. Metastases were also found in the bilateral lungs, liver, ureter, and cervical vertebra. In choosing the anesthesia for the gastrojejunostomy to improve the malnutrition of this patient, we decided, on the basis of the patient's full stomach, malnutrition, hypovolemia, hemiplegia, cerebral compression, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, renal dysfunction, and respiratory dysfunction, to use thoracic epidural anesthesia rather than spinal anesthesia or general anesthesia. Thoracic epidural anesthesia could provide sufficient analgesia, and the operation was uneventful. In anesthetic management of an end-stage patient undergoing a palliative operation like this, we should consider the purpose of the operation, its complications, and further complications which may be induced by anesthesia in order to plan out an anesthetic regimen unlikely to lead to harmful events in perioperative period.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Increased concentrations of protein gene product 9.5 in the synovial fluid from horses with osteoarthritis.

Our previous study established protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), a ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, as a specific cytochemical marker of synovial lining cells (type B synoviocytes) in the horse joint. The present study aimed to detect PGP 9.5 in the synovial fluid and shows that PGP 9.5 is a valuable marker of osteoarthritis in the horse. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed rich and consistent localization of PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of synovial lining cells in the normal horse joint. Western blot analysis of synovial fluid from normal joints could detect a significant band corresponding to that contained in the brain and synovial membrane extracts. When 60 synovial fluid samples from normal and abnormal joints were assayed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system, the concentration of PGP 9.5 tended to be elevated in osteochondrosis dissecance, inflammatory arthropathy and intra-articular fracture, among which a statistically significant elevation was recognizable between the intra-articular fracture and the control. Thus, this study demonstrated the possibility that PGP 9.5, derived from synovial lining cells, may be a new biochemical marker for arthritic disorders of the horse.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[The effects of the fat component of propofol solution of ketogenesis during propofol anesthesia].

To examine the effects of the fat component in propofol solution on the fat metabolism during propofol anesthesia, we measured the urine ketone body (UKB) and blood concentrations of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHBA) and glucose. The anesthesia was maintained with propofol, fentanyl, and vecuronium. Infusion fluid without glucose was used while we measured the concentration of 3-OHBA. UKB was detected only when the concentration of 3-OHBA was more than 400 mumol.ml-1. The blood concentration of 3-OHBA increased in proportion to the total amount of propofol solution, while UKB did not show any such relationship. Furthermore, the rate of increase of 3-OHBA was larger in the group whose concentration of 3-OHBA was higher than the normal range. The blood concentration of glucose ranged within the normal fasting level. There were no cases who needed special treatment for hyperketonemia in this study. We concluded that 3-OHBA was a more sensitive indicator of ketogenesis than UKB, and that ketogenesis was accelerated both by propofol anesthesia with the lipidemic solution of propofol and by fasting before surgery. The acceleration of ketogenesis was especially marked in the patients with hyperketonemia.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗
PubMed2000

Reduced production of lactate during hypoxia and reoxygenation in astrocytes isolated from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Lactate production and expressions of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) mRNA after hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) were examined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using astrocytes in culture isolated from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). The basal production of lactate in SHRSP was the same as that observed in WKY. In contrast the lactate levels in SHRSP at 1 and 6 h of reoxygenation after hypoxia were significantly lower than those observed in WKY. In addition LDH and MCT1 mRNA expressions in SHRSP were significantly less strong compared with those in WKY during H/R. These findings indicate that decreased production and slow transport of lactate in SHRSP astrocytes are involved in neuronal energy depletion and possibly encourage neuronal damage, although hereditary weakness of cortical neurons is also related to cell death during H/R.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Angle-resolved photoemission study of insulating and metallic Cu-O chains in PrBa2Cu3O7 and PrBa2Cu4O8

We compare the angle-resolved photoemission spectra of the hole-doped Cu-O chains in PrBa2Cu3O7 (Pr123) and in PrBa2Cu4O8 (Pr124). While, in Pr123, a dispersive feature from the chain takes a band maximum at k(b) (momentum along the chain) approximately pi/4 and loses its spectral weight around the Fermi level, it reaches the Fermi level at k(b) approximately pi/4 in Pr124. Although the chains in Pr123 and Pr124 are approximately 1/4 filled, they show contrasting behaviors: While the chains in Pr123 have an instability to charge ordering, those in Pr124 avoid it and show an interesting spectral feature of a metallic coupled-chain system.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Altered gene expressions during hypoxia and reoxygenation in cortical neurons isolated from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The expressions of Bcl-2, thioredoxin (TRX) and cytochrome c oxidase III (CO III) mRNAs after hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using cultured cortical neurons isolated from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). The differences in gene expressions of Bcl-2, TRX and CO III mRNA between SHRSP and WKY were most remarkable at 30 min of oxygen stimulation, and the expressions of these genes were significantly lower in SHRSP compared with those in WKY. These findings pointed out that redox regulatory function and energy metabolism in SHRSP neurons were markedly reduced by oxygen stimulation after hypoxia, and such changes may be involved in neuronal vulnerability.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Assessment of in vivo oxidative stress in hypertensive rats and hypertensive subjects in Tanzania, Africa.

Oxidative stress has been reported to be involved in not only cardiovascular diseases but in hypertension, which is a major risk for cardiovascular diseases. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) has been recognized as a sensitive biomarker of oxidative DNA damage and also of oxidative stress. In the present study, we assessed the oxidative stress in human subjects with hypertension and in hypertensive rats. In stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats at the age of 14 weeks, the excretion of urinary 8-OHdG was significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared with that in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Next, we investigated the relationship between oxidative DNA damage and cardiovascular risk factors among Tanzanians aged 46-58 years in a population study carried out in 1998 in at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, according to the WHO-CARDIAC Study Protocol. Sixty subjects (male/female, 28/32) were selected by SPSS Base 8.0 from those who completed a 24-h urine collection. The 24-h urinary 8-OHdG of the hypertensive subjects (SBP > or =140 mmHg and/or DBP > or =90 mmHg) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the normotensive subjects (SBP <140 mmHg and DBP <90 mmHg) after adjusting for age and gender (Hypertensives: 17.31 +/- 2.0 ng/mg creatinine, n=38; Normotensives: 10.10 +/- 2.64 ng/mg creatinine, n=22). Oxidative stress was thought to be involved in hypertensive subjects and in hypertensive rats.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗
PubMed2000

Consideration of the role of antigenic keratan sulphate reacting to a 1/14/16H9 antibody as a molecular marker to monitor cartilage metabolism in horses.

The role of keratan sulphate (KS) as a marker of cartilage metabolism was evaluated by using an in vitro model of equine articular cartilage. Articular cartilage was harvested from clinically healthy 6-month-old foals (n=3). Chondrocytes were centrifuged and cultured as pellets. Chondrocyte pellets were stimulated by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-Ialpha or interleukin (IL)-1alpha for 2 weeks. The sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and antigenic KS concentrations in the culture media were measured by a 1,9-dimethyl-methylene blue (DMMB) colorimetric assay and an inhibition ELISA using a 1/14/16H9 antibody, respectively. Concentration of GAG was significantly increased in the media of pellets stimulated by both IGF-Ialpha and IL-1alpha. Antigenic KS concentration was significantly increased in those stimulated by IL-1alpha, while no significant change was found in those stimulated by IGF-Ialpha. A high correlation between GAG and antigenic KS concentrations was found in the media of pellets stimulated by IL-1alpha (r=0.87), but not in those stimulated by IGF-Ialpha (r=0.43). The results suggest that the concentration of antigenic KS reacting to 1/14/16H9 mirrors the GAG concentration during the stage of cartilage catabolism, but not during the cartilage anabolic stage. The concentration of antigenic KS reacting to 1/14/16H9 antibody in biological fluids could therefore be a useful marker to further understand principally the catabolic and slightly the anabolic process of articular cartilage metabolism.

Animals↗