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Biomedical subjects

M Tokunaga

Publications and source records attributed to M Tokunaga.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Epstein-Barr virus-specific antibodies in Epstein-Barr virus-positive and -negative gastric carcinoma cases in Japan.

We examined Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific antibodies in serum samples from 64 and 59 patients with EBV-positive and -negative gastric carcinomas, respectively, and 73 healthy controls using immunofluorescence assays. EBV capsid antigen (VCA) IgG and EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) IgG were detected in all 196 subjects. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of VCA-IgG, but not EBNA-IgG, was higher in EBV-positive carcinoma cases than in EBV-negative carcinoma cases (P < 0.001). The seroprevalence rates of VCA-IgA and EBV early antigen (EA) IgG were higher in EBV-positive carcinoma cases than in EBV-negative carcinoma cases. Odds ratios (ORs) comparing seroprevalence rates between EBV-positive and -negative carcinoma cases were 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-8.8) and 6.6 (95% CI = 2.7-16.3) for VCA-IgA and EA-IgG, respectively. These results suggest that EBV reactivation occurs in vivo, since more than 90% of Japanese are infected with EBV in early childhood. The GMT of VCA-IgG in EBV-negative carcinoma cases was higher than that of healthy controls (P = 0.028). The seroprevalence rates of EA-IgG were greater in EBV-negative carcinoma cases than in healthy controls (OR = 4.9, 95% CI = 1.2-19. 7). VCA-IgA was the only antibody that showed a significantly high seroprevalence and GMT in EBV-positive carcinoma cases, but not in EBV-negative carcinoma cases. Thus, VCA-IgA can be a marker of immune response to EBV in EBV-positive carcinoma cases. Our findings support the hypothesis that if EBV is involved in the development of EBV-positive gastric carcinoma, the EBV reactivation occurs in vivo.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

PET imaging of musculoskeletal tumours with fluorine-18 alpha-methyltyrosine: comparison with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET.

Fluorine-18 labelled alpha-methyltyrosine (FMT) was developed for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and its potential for clinical application in patients with brain tumours has been demonstrated. This is the first trial to compare FMT with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) for the evaluation of musculoskeletal tumours. Seventy-five patients were examined with both FMT- and FDG-PET within a 2-week period. Imaging findings were visually inspected in conjunction with computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging, and standardized uptake values (SUVs) for both FMT and FDG in lesions were also generated and compared with histological findings. A significant correlation between FMT and FDG SUVs was found for all lesions (r=0.769, P<0.0001), and mean values for malignant tumours were significantly higher than those for benign lesions in both FMT- and FDG-PET. The diagnostic sensitivities and specificities for malignancy were 72.7% and 84.9%, respectively, using FMT with a cut-off SUV of 1.2, and 72.7% and 66.0%, respectively, using FDG with a cut-off SUV of 1.9. The resultant accuracy with FMT was 81.3%, higher than that for FDG (68.0%), and the difference with respect to specificity was significant (chi2cal=5.0625, P<0.05). On the other hand, while a significant correlation was found between malignant tumour grade and SUV with both FMT- (rho=0.656) and FDG-PET (rho=0.815), only the latter demonstrated significant differences among grades I, II and III. FMT and FDG for PET appear equally effective at detecting musculoskeletal tumours. In evaluating musculoskeletal tumours, FMT may be superior to FDG in the differentiation between benign and malignant tumours, while FDG may be the better choice for non-invasive malignancy grading.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Neuroaxonal leukodystrophy associated with congenital cutis laxa: report of an autopsy case.

A male patient, who was born with congenital cutis laxa characterized by cutaneous laxity due to the degeneration of elastic fibers, presented with an arrest of mental and motor development at the age of 3 years. The progressive decline of the psychomotor abilities led to the patient's death at the age of 4 years and 9 months. An autopsy revealed extensive white matter degeneration, characterized by the formation of numerous neuroaxonal spheroids and a diffuse loss of axons and myelin sheaths. The centrum semiovale and the cerebellar white matter were the most severely affected. The ultrastructure of the spheroids was consistent with a dystrophic type of axonal swelling. Neurons of the cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex, and some brain stem nuclei were lost in moderate to severe degrees, and there were relatively few neuroaxonal spheroids in the gray matter. The pallidum and substantia nigra were well preserved. Neuroaxonal leukodystrophy, in which the spheroid formation predominantly affects the white matter, is the rarest variant of primary neuroaxonal dystrophies, and there are very few reports of autopsied cases. Among the reported cases, two Japanese siblings had congenital skin lesions similar to those of our case. The unique association of neuroaxonal leukodystrophy and congenital cutis laxa may form a distinct variant in this disease category.

Brain↗
PubMed2000

Role of hypothermia induced by tumor necrosis factor on apoptosis and function of inflammatory neutrophils in mice.

Changes in body temperature and cell infiltration, mediated by cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), occur during inflammation, but a role of body temperature on inflammatory responses remains obscure. Intraperitoneal injection of 10% casein to mice resulted in transient hypothermia followed by neutrophil accumulation in peritoneal cavities. Peritoneal TNF-alpha was rapidly raised, and pretreatment of mice with an anti-TNF-alpha antibody promoted temperature restoration and partially inhibited neutrophil accumulation. To investigate direct effects of body temperature on neutrophils, peritoneal or peripheral blood neutrophils were cultured at 35 degrees C or 37 degrees C with or without recombinant murine TNF-alpha (100 ng/ml) or a protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (1 microg/ml). Significant inhibition of spontaneous and TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis was obtained at 35 degrees C compared with 37 degrees C, an effect that was not altered by the addition of cycloheximide. Moreover, phagocytic ability of peritoneal neutrophils was significantly enhanced by incubating them at the lower temperature. These results indicate that mild hypothermia induced by endogenous TNF-alpha has enhancing roles on neutrophil survival and function during peritoneal inflammation.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Secretion of hen egg white lysozyme from Kluyveromyces lactis.

Hen egg white (HEW) lysozyme was correctly processed and efficiently secreted from an alternative yeast, Kluyveromyces lactis. We constructed secretion vectors using PHO5, PGK, and LAC4 promoters, and found that the highest secretion was obtained under the direction of the PGK promoter in non-selective rich medium. K. lactis secreted HEW lysozyme with two-fold higher efficiency than S. cerevisiae, estimated by using a K. lactis-S. cerevisiae shuttle vector.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Glucose metabolic analysis of musculoskeletal tumours using 18fluorine-FDG PET as an aid to preoperative planning.

We performed positron emission tomography (PET) with 18 fluorine-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) on 55 patients with tumours involving the musculoskeletal system in order to evaluate its role in operative planning. The standardised uptake value (SUV) of FDG was calculated and, to distinguish malignancies from benign lesions, the cases were divided into high (> or =1.9) and low (< 1.9) SUV groups. The sensitivity of PET for correctly diagnosing malignancy was 100% with a specificity of 76.9% and an overall accuracy of 83.0%. The mean SUV for metastatic lesions was twice that for primary sarcomas (p < 0.0015). Our results suggest that the SUV may be useful in differentiating malignant tumours from benign lesions. However, some of the latter, such as schwannomas, had high SUVs so that biopsy or wide resection was selected as the first operation. Thus, some other quantitative analysis may be required for preoperative planning in cases of high-SUV neurogenic benign tumours. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that the RNA message of a key enzyme in glucose metabolism, phosphohexose isomerase (PHI)/autocrine motility factor, was augmented in only high FDG-uptake lesions, suggesting that a high expression of the PHI message may be associated with accumulation of FDG in musculoskeletal tumours.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Effects of exercise experienced in the life stages on climacteric symptoms for females.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of exercise experienced in the life stages on climacteric symptoms for females after menopause. Four-hundred and eight postmenopausal women completed a questionnaire. The results were as follows: (1) Mean age at menopause +/- standard deviation was 50.1 +/- 0.5 and did not show a significant relationship with the degree of exercise in the life stages. (2) The degree of climacteric symptoms had a significant relationship, or a tendency toward a significant relationship, with the degree of exercise in and after the 40's; and the greater the degree of exercise, the lesser the degree of climacteric symptoms. (3) Kupperman's index was found to be, or tended to be, significantly related to the degree of exercise in and after the 30's. Those who exercised heavily in their 30's showed a significantly lower Kupperman's index. Those who answered that they had exercised "moderately" in their "40's to menopause" and "menopause to 60 years old" tended to have the lowest index. (4) Exercise experience in the life stages was negatively correlated, in particular, to psychosomatic symptoms among the 3 climacteric symptom categories. This negative correlation tended to be higher in those who answered that they had done "less exercise" in and after their 30's. (5) A significant relationship was noted between the degree of exercise in the 30's and "weakness" in Kupperman's index, and between exercise in and after the 40's and "nervousness" and "melancholia". Therefore, it is suggested that exercising "moderately" from the subjective viewpoint in the climacteric period may alleviate psychosomatic symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Arg133Cys mutation of Notch3 in two unrelated Japanese families with CADASIL.

OBJECTIVE: More than 80 unrelated, but all Caucasian, patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), originating from various communities around the world, have been molecularly identified. To clarify the occurrence of CADASIL in Orientals, we investigated Japanese families presenting as CADASIL. METHODS: We performed the PCR-SSCP and sequence analyses using genomic DNA, isolated from venous blood of participants under informed consent. PATIENTS: We identified two unrelated Japanese families with CADASIL, including 5 affected members through 2 generations. RESULTS: Each of the affected individuals developed recurrent strokes without risk factors resulting in progressive dementia, pseudobulbar palsy, and gait disturbances which started after the fifth decade of life. Although affected individuals had no vascular risk factors, they showed various degrees of narrowing of retinal arteries. Their MRI/CTs showed characteristics of the disease; bilateral small infarcts in the thalamus, basal ganglia, brain stem, and deep white matter in addition to the findings of leukoaraiosis. On SPECT imaging, there was severe hypoperfusion in the cortex as well as in the white matter. Ultrastructural studies revealed an abnormal deposition of granular osmiophilic materials (GOM) within the basal lamina of pericytes in muscular capillaries. On PCR-SSCP and sequence analyses, a heterozygous Arg133Cys mutation was present, in the affected individuals, in the exon 4 of Notch3 gene which is the hot spot region for CADASIL mutations in Caucasian families. None of the non-affected members nor the 50 Japanese normal controls revealed this mutation. CONCLUSION: Thus, our results confirm that CADASIL is a geographically widespread disorder caused by a Notch3 mutation.

Arginine↗
PubMed2000

[Malignant lymphoma at the cavernous sinus].

A 71-year-old man developed general fatigue, appetite loss, and headache. Two months later, he noticed diplopia. Examination demonstrated reduced visual acuity and complete ophthalmoplegia of the left eye. Brain MRI disclosed a mass that extended from bilateral cavernous sinus to the clivus. There were left cervical lymphadenopathy and a right abdominal mass. A needle biopsy of the abdominal mass revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although malignant lymphoma at the cavernous sinus is not common, it should be an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of mass at the cavernous sinus.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

[Molecular biological and clinical-morphological studies of gastric tumors associated with Epstein-Barr virus].

The paper presents the results of the studies of gastric cancer (GC) associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) among the patients residing in 4 geographical regions. In situ hybridization (ISH) techniques revealed that 49(11.4%) of the 430 examinees were EBV positive (EBV+), the virus-specific marker mRNA-1 of EBV, EBER-1) was found to be present in 80-100) of tumor cells. The proportion of EBV(+)-associated GC cases in different geographic regions ranged from 7.3 to 15%. These tumors were predominant in males (15%) as opposite to females (5.5%). Histological types most common among EBV+ tumors and their location in the stomach are also described. Serological findings indicated that the increased anti-EDV antibody response in 70% of GC cases coincided with the presence of the viral genetic information detected by ISH. In contrast to a humoral response to EBV, a humoral response to Helicobacter pylori was equal both in patients with EBV(+)- and EBV(-)-associated gastric tumors. Further molecular biological analysis of EBV isolates from virus positive and virus negative GC may answer the question whether there are really the so-called tumor and non-tumor variants of EBV.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

[Investigations on the position and safety of Swan-Ganz catheters].

Swan-Ganz catheters (S-G catheter) may cause many complications. We measured floating distance (FD) of catheter tip with balloon inflation or deflation, and distal movement (DM) before and after the operation. FD and DM were significantly altered with 7 Fr. S-G catheters. These results suggest that careful observation is required in order to prevent unpredictable pulmonary artery perforation and infarction during the use of 7 Fr. S-G catheters.

Catheterization, Swan-Ganz↗
PubMed2000

Scanning electron microscopic studies on morphological abnormalities of erythrocytes in alcoholic liver diseases.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that morphological abnormalities and the altered deformability of erythrocytes play important roles in disturbances of hepatic microcirculation associated with alcoholic liver disease. METHODS: The subjects of this study were five patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, two patients with alcoholic fatty liver, and two healthy volunteers. Concentrating on erythrocyte morphology in the presence of alcoholic liver disease, we observed erythrocytes under a scanning electron microscope and examined their morphological changes in relation to the disease. RESULTS: Among the five patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, stomatocytes accounted for about 14% and acanthocytes for about 10% of all erythrocytes. In the fatty liver group (n = 2), acanthocytes were absent, and stomatocytes accounted for 23% in one subject and 56% in the other, of the total. When the two patients with liver cirrhosis were examined over time, one of them was found to have 12% stomatocytes, 21% acanthocytes, and a filtration time of 14.7 sec at admission. Following 1 month of abstinence, this patient had 1% stomatocytes, 6% acanthocytes, and a filtration time of 10.4 sec, which were accompanied by improvements in peripheral blood parameters and liver function. In another patient with liver cirrhosis, there were no acanthocytes, 8% stomatocytes, and a filtration time of 5 sec at admission; this patient had 1% stomatocytes and a filtration time of 7.7 sec after 1 month of abstinence. In one patient with fatty liver who was examined over time, the percentage of stomatocytes was 56%, and the filtration time was 7.7 sec at admission; these parameters were 1% and 5.1 sec, respectively, after 1 month of abstinence. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that stomatocytes and acanthocytes are morphologically abnormal erythrocytes observed in the presence of alcoholic liver disease. These abnormal forms of erythrocytes tended to normalize as peripheral blood parameters and liver function were improved by abstinence, which suggests that erythrocyte morphology is related to the pathophysiology of alcoholic liver disease.

Acanthocytes↗
PubMed2000

[A case of pericarotid syndrome with retention cyst in ethmoid sinus].

A 42-year-old man noted pain on the left side of his forehead and left ptosis. On examination, he showed conjunctival hyperemia, ptosis and miosis in the left side, as well as hyperesthesia in the first branch of left trigeminal nerve. An MRI of his brain showed a retension cyst in the left ethmoid sinus. There was neither abnormalities in the parasellar lesion nor in the neck. We diagnosed him with pericarotid syndrome rather than cluster headache or Raeder syndrome. Five cases who had paranasal sinus lesions as a cause of cluster headache or Raeder syndrome have been reported. More cases are needed to clarify the association of retension cyst in ethmoid sinus and pericarotid syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Anesthetic management of cesarean section for a patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura].

A 39-year-old parturient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) was scheduled for cesarean section at 37 weeks gestation. ITP, diagnosed during the first pregnancy, recurred during the second pregnancy, and she was treated with high dose gamma-globulin and platelets transfusion to increase her platelets count over 5.0 x 10(4) x microliter-1 before cesarean section. During the operation under general anesthesia with propofol and pentazocin, atonic hemorrhage occurred gradually with increasing blood loss after the parturition. Since administration of oxytocin, ergometrine maleate, and prostaglandin E1 could not improve the uterine contraction, the hysterectomy was performed to control massive bleeding (finally 8200 g). Packed red cells (22 units) and platelets (40 units) were transfused and fresh frozen plasma (28 units) was infused during anesthesia. Management of ITP during pregnancy is important to prevent hemorrhagic complications because of a narrow safety margin of parturient and fetus.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[A case of femoral nerve palsy with malignant lymphoma].

A 52-year-old woman developed right inguinal mass in January, 1998. Biopsy of the mass revealed malignant lymphoma. Chemotherapies were done from February to May, and radiation therapies were done from November to December. She began to suffer from right femoral nerve palsy at the end of April, 1999. Pelvic MRI demonstrated small mass at right lower abdomen. Right abdominal mass became palpable in October, and we diagnosed as relapse of malignant lymphoma. Chemotherapy slightly relieved the femoral nerve palsy. Although mononeuropathy from malignant lymphoma is rare, we should take it into account in differential diagnosis of mononeuropathy.

Female↗
PubMed2000

[Combined 5-FU and CDDP in a gastric cancer patient undergoing hemodialysis--pharmacokinetics of 5-FU and CDDP].

The pharmacokinetics of 5-FU and CDDP was examined in a gastric cancer patient receiving regular hemodialysis (HD) for renal failure. The patient received combination chemotherapy of 5-FU and CDDP, then on the day of HD we measured the plasma concentration of 5-FU, total platinum, and non-protein-bound platinum of the patient. In the present case, the 5-FU concentration was kept at an almost even level during HD. Non-protein-bound platinum disappeared after being maintained in blood for a certain time when HD was started 30 minutes after the end of CDDP administration. From these findings, we conclude that combined 5-FU and low-dose CDDP therapy should be done by decreasing the dose of 5-FU, administrating CDDP only on the day the patient undergoes HD, and starting HD 30 minutes after the end of CDDP administration.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Development of domain specific search engines].

As cyber space exploding in a pace that nobody has ever imagined, it becomes very important to search cyber space efficiently and effectively. One solution to this problem is search engines. Already a lot of commercial search engines have been put on the market. However these search engines respond with such cumbersome results that domain specific experts can not tolerate. Using a dedicate hardware and a commercial software called OpenText, we have tried to develop several domain specific search engines. These engines are for our institute's Web contents, drugs, chemical safety, endocrine disruptors, and emergent response for chemical hazard. These engines have been on our Web site for testing.

Computers↗