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Biomedical subjects

M Ueda

Publications and source records attributed to M Ueda.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

Purification and some properties of six chitinases from Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24.

Six chitinases were purified from a culture supernatant of Aeromonas sp. no. 10S-24 by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, Butyl-Toyopearl 650M, and chromatofocusing. These enzymes were most active at pH 3.5-4.5 and the optimum temperature were 50 degrees C. The molecular weights of the enzymes were 89,000 to 120,000 from SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. N-Terminal amino acid sequences of the enzymes were similar to that of chitinase I.

Aeromonas↗

Thyroid-stimulating antibodies in sera from patients with Graves' disease are heterogeneous in epitope recognition.

Two synthetic peptides, P354-14 (amino acid nos. 354 to 367) and P338-16 (nos. 338 to 353), corresponding to the partial amino acid sequences of the hTSH receptor structure were studied for their ability to bind specifically serum IgGs from patients with Graves' disease and to inhibit thyroid stimulating TSH receptor antibody (TSH-R SAb) activity. IgG binding was measured by an ELISA using sera from 102 Graves', 20 Hashimoto patients, and 9 normal subjects. Both peptides showed significantly increased IgG binding of Graves' sera compared with those of Hashimoto and normal sera. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.529) between the amount of IgG bound by the two peptides, but neither of these values correlated well with their TSH-R SAb activity nor thyrotropin-binding inhibitor TSH receptor antibody (TSH-R IAb) activity. TSH-R SAb inhibiting effects of these peptides were then analysed by measuring TSH-R SAb activity after incubation with the peptides. Among eight Graves' IgGs tested the TSH-R SAb activity of three was inhibited by both peptides, two were inhibited only by P354-14 and three were not affected by either. These TSH-R SAb inhibiting effects were dose-dependent and reproducible. To confirm these findings, a peptide-sepharose gel affinity absorption study was performed. Eleven Graves' IgGs were applied to both peptide gels and the TSH-R SAb activity of the unabsorbed fraction was measured. The TSH-R SAb activity of five IgGs was strongly absorbed only by P354-14 and five others were absorbed by both peptides to an almost similar extent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorption↗

Idiopathic colonic phlebitis with massive ascites.

We describe a 35-year-old woman with colonic phlebitis of unknown origin accompanied by effusion of serum protein into the peritoneal cavity. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed massive ascites and edematous wall thickness of the colon. Laboratory examination of the peritoneal fluid showed a high concentration of protein, probably due to nonselective efflux of serum protein. The main histopathological finding was extensive edema of the submucosa with vasculitis in the colon. This kind of phlebitis with massive ascites, but without systemic involvement, and with the ascitic fluid almost identical to the serum protein level, has not been reported previously.

Adult↗

Subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown origin associated with Weber-Christian disease--case report.

A 58-year-old female, who had suffered from Weber-Christian disease for 26 years, presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography showed dilatation of the basilar tip. An operation was performed in the chronic stage. The wall of dilated basilar artery was tough, but that of the right superior cerebellar artery was very thin and three small aneurysms were found on the right middle cerebral artery. Blood levels of fibrin degradation products, plasmin-alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor complex, and thrombin-antithrombin III complex were increased. The abnormality of the coagulation-fibrinolysis system and the fragility of the cerebral arteries related to Weber-Christian disease were probably the cause of the subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Basilar Artery↗

[A study on cathepsin B-like substance in cancer of the urinary tract].

Cathepsin B, a cysteine proteinase, has been shown to be increased in tumor tissue and to be responsible for the process of invasion and metastasis. To study the biochemical characteristics of cathepsin B-like substance in the tissue of a non-cancerous kidney and some urologic cancer tissues, we extracted cathepsin B-like substances from a non-cancerous human kidney tissue, human renal tumor, human renal pelvic tumor and human bladder tumor. The cathepsin B-like substance extracted from the non-neoplastic human kidney has a molecular weight of approximately 28,000. On the result of western blotting with anti-human liver cathepsin B antibody, two types of protein were observed in the fraction extracted from urologic cancer tissues. The molecular weights of them were 28,000 and 35,000, respectively. Both types of cathepsin B-like substances had the same activities for benzyloxy-carbonyl-L-arginine-L-arginine-4-methyl-7-coumarylamide, and both activities were inhibited by (L-3-transcarboxyoxiran-2-carbonyl)-L-leucyl-agmatin. These findings suggest that both cancer cells of the renal parenchyma and urothelium secrete cathepsin B-like protease which express not only a normal cathepsin B but also a higher molecular weight of cathepsin B-like protease and that a higher one plays an important role in a process of invasion.

Cathepsin B↗

[A study of tumor location and prognosis in renal pelvic and ureteral cancer].

A total of 245 patients with renal pelvic and ureteral cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) were retrospectively analysed for tumor location and prognosis. In 133 renal pelvic cancer patients, 34 patients (25.6%) had tumor in lower calyx, 33 patients (24.8%) in renal pelvis, 31 patient (23.3%) in upper calyx, 21 patients (15.8%) in whole renal pelvis and 7 patients (5.2%) in middle calyx, respectively. In 128 ureteral cancer patients, 60 patients (46.9%) had tumor in lower ureter, 27 patients (21.1%) in distal end of ureter, 26 patients (20.3%) in middle ureter, 12 patients (9.4%) in upper ureter and 3 patients (2.3%) in whole ureter. In combination of tumor location, 101 patients (41.2%) had tumor in only renal pelvis, 94 patients (38.4%) had in only ureter, 14 patients (5.7%) had in renal pelvis and ureter, 19 patients (7.8%) had in renal pelvis and bladder, 12 patients (4.9%) had in ureter and bladder, and 5 patients (2%) had in renal pelvis, ureter and bladder. Five year survival rate of renal pelvic cancer according to tumor location were 55.9% in upper calyx tumor, 60.8% in middle calyx tumor, 63.8% in lower calyx tumor, 60.2% in renal pelvic tumor and 63.8% in PUJ tumor, respectively. There were no significant difference between those 5 groups. Five years survival rate of ureteral cancer according to tumor location, 90% in upper ureteral tumor, 60.8% in middle ureteral tumor, 66.5% in lower ureteral tumor and 52.6% in tumor of distal end of ureter, respectively. Also in those 4 groups, there were no significant difference.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Clinicopathological features of well-differentiated cervical adenocarcinoma with abundant mucus secretion.

Fourteen patients who had cervical adenocarcinoma with abundant mucus secretion (stages Ib: 4, IIb: 8, IIIb: 2) were reviewed. Their tumors were clearly distinguishable from the majority of cervical adenocarcinomas without abundant mucin on the basis of the clinicopathological features. The portio vaginalis featured large induration and swelling as well as showing rubber ball-like resilience. The surface of tumors showed no ulceration, necrosis, or bleeding, even in advanced cases. Colposcopy revealed large glandular openings filled with mucus. The initial smear test was negative or suspicious in 11 cases due to the abundance of mucus or slight cellular atypia. Even on biopsy findings, five cases were diagnosed as normal cervical glands. The diagnosis of cancer had been overlooked for six months to one year or more because of negative smears in six cases. The final histologic diagnosis was well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (endocervical type), including adenoma malignum and mucinous adenocarcinoma. Patients with this type of adenocarcinoma had a poor prognosis. It is important to keep in mind the distinctive clinical features of adenocarcinoma with abundant mucus secretion in order not to miss the diagnosis.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Successful treatment of recurrent chronic myelogenous leukemia in allogeneic marrow transplant recipient with the donor leukocyte transfusion, without induction of acute graft-versus-host disease].

A 45-year-old female developed cytogenetic relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia 4 years after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. To induce a graft-versus-leukemia effect, peripheral blood buffy-coat cells were collected from the original marrow donor during 5 rounds of leukapheresis over 3 weeks, and 2.47 x 10(8) cells/kg were infused into the patient. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) did not develop even after an interval of 50 days from the last donor leukocyte transfusion (DLT). However, karyotypic analysis of bone marrow cells performed on the same day showed an apparent decrease in the proportion of Ph1 chromosome-positive cells (1/20) among all dividing cells, compared with the proportion (13/20) observed before DLT. At the same time, the proportion of red blood cells (RBCs) of donor origin among the peripheral RBCs of the patient, which was less than 10% before DLT, began to rise and reached 100% at 4 months after DLT. The karyotype of bone marrow cells obtained on day 90 after DLT was completely normal. Although chronic GVHD of the buccal mucosa and liver developed in association with pancytopenia on day 71 after DLT, this improved rapidly with oral administration of cyclosporine. The clinical course of this patient suggests that acute GVHD is not a prerequisite for elimination of Ph1-positive cells by DLT.

Acute Disease↗

[Clinical characteristics of pancreatitis after cardiovascular surgery].

Increases in pancreatic enzyme levels after cardiovascular surgery were studied, and their clinical characteristics evaluated. The subjects were 128 patients who had undergone cardiovascular surgery (65 patients after valve replacement, 32 after coronary bypass surgery and 31 after aortic artificial graft replacement). The pancreatic enzyme (serum amylase and lypase) levels were monitored serially before and after operation, and amylase fractions were measured at their peaks. The relationships of the peak lypase level with underlying cardiac diseases, background factors, factors related to surgery, factors related to the extracorporeal circulation, presence or absence of symptoms, and treatments were examined. The amylase level exhibited biphasic changes consisting of a peak in which salivary glands amylase (S type) was dominant and a peak in which pancreatic amylase (P type) was dominant. The second peak coincided with the peak lypase and occurred mostly 3 to 10 days after operation. The peak lypase level exceeded the normal range in 78% of all the patients. It exceeded 564 U/l, 4 times the normal value in 28% of the patients, many of whom were symptomatic. So, we recommended that these cases should be treated as "postoperative pancreatitis". A high peak lypase level showed a significant correlation with the history of gallbladder and pancreatic diseases and diabetes mellitus among the background factors and emergency operation and the use of IABP among the surgery-related factors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Detection of IgE antibody to Pityrosporum orbiculare in patients with atopic dermatitis].

A lipophilic yeast, Pityrosporum orbiculare, found in normal microflora of the human skin, is considered to be a pathogenic allergen of atopic dermatitis (AD). We measured IgE antibody to P. orbiculare using a CAP RAST FEIA kit in 44 patients with AD (AD alone 17, AD+bronchial asthma (BA) 27). The incidence of positive RAST was 88.2% in the patients with AD alone and 74.1% in the patients with AD+BA. The IgE RAST index was 2.77 +/- 1.34 (mean +/- SD) in severe AD patients (n = 23), which was significantly higher than that in mild AD patients (1.88 +/- 1.41, n = 21). The patients with eczematous skin on the face, neck and scalp (n = 27) showed higher IgE titers (2.79 +/- 1.26) than those without skin lesions (1.64 +/- 1.44, n = 17). These results suggest that P. orbiculare is a pathogenic allergen of severe AD. IgE levels for P. orbiculare showed a statistically significant relation to those for Candida albicans (r = 0.62, p < 0.01). In RAST inhibition tests on five patients' sera, C. albicans extract significantly inhibited IgE RAST to P. orbiculare in only one serum, indicating that P. orbiculare shares some IgE binding epitopes with C. albicans, but that P. orbiculare-specific epitopes also exist.

Adolescent↗

[Two successful cases of total extracardiac right heart bypass].

We reported two successful cases of extracardiac total right heart bypass using 20 mm EPTFE conduit (modified total cavopulmonary connection). They were seven-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl. Both patients had complex heart disease including cyanosis, atrioventricular discordance. We selected this technique instead of modified Fontan or conventional total cavopulmonary connection because of safeness and easiness of surgery and the hemodynamic benefits. They don't have any restriction for their life postoperatively. We propose this technique as an alternative surgical option in candidates for a Fontan procedure or conventional total cavopulmonary connection.

Blood Vessel Prosthesis↗

A novel promoter, derived from the isocitrate lyase gene of Candida tropicalis, inducible with acetate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

When the isocitrate lyase gene, containing 5'-upstream and 3'-flanking regions, of an n-alkane-assimilating yeast Candida tropicalis was introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the enzyme was functionally overexpressed in the cells grown on acetate. The amount of the recombinant isocitrate lyase expressed in S. cerevisiae was as much as 30% of the total soluble proteins in the cells, being comparable to that with GAL7 functional under the control of galactose. The expression was also observed when the cells were grown on glycerol, lactate, ethanol or oleate. These facts indicate that the isocitrate lyase gene upstream region (UPR-ICL) contains a strong promoter functional in S. cerevisiae. UPR-ICL is active as a promoter on cheap carbon sources such as acetate and nonconventional carbon sources such as oleate, whereas many conventional strong promoters demand relatively expensive sugars or sugar derivatives. Therefore, it is promising to construct an economical recombinant protein production system by using UPR-ICL.

Acetates↗

Formation of epithelial sheets by serially cultivated human mucosal cells and their applications as a graft material.

A cultured epithelial sheet can be formed from living mucosal cells in vitro and used as a graft material. In this article, we describe our culturing methods for the preparation of mucosal epithelial sheets as well as the biological characteristics of these sheets compared with those of skin epithelial sheets. A cultured epithelial sheet has 5 to 8 cell layers and sufficient mechanical strength to be used as a graft material. It takes 12 days to form an epithelial sheet from small epithelial segments as compared with 14 days in the case of a skin epithelial sheet. Furthermore, viability of mucosal epithelial sheets was maintained for 30 days in vitro as opposed to 22 days for skin epithelial sheets. Based on the findings from an in vitro study, we applied this cultured mucosal epithelium to humans for reconstruction of skin and mucosal defects and succeeded in repairing the defects. This report also presents an overview of the problems relevant to the use of such methods.

Adult↗

Early recovery of host-derived hematopoiesis in marrow transplant recipients conditioned with high-dose busulfan and cyclophosphamide.

Three marrow transplant recipients with hematologic malignancies (two AML, one myelodysplastic syndrome) experienced prolonged pancytopenia after allogeneic BMT following conditioning with non-TBI regimens containing high-dose busulfan and cyclophosphamide (Bu/CY), despite the use of G-CSF. Early recovery of host-derived hematopoiesis ensued. Although neutrophil counts in these patients exceeded 500 x 10(6)/l by day 30 after transplant, these cells were of host origin. This early recovery of host-derived hematopoiesis has been observed rarely among patients conditioned with TBI-based regimens. When patients conditioned with Bu/CY show delayed hematologic recovery, mixed chimerism should be considered even in the presence of normal neutrophil recovery.

Adolescent↗

[Early changes at anastomotic sites of saphenous vein grafts after coronary artery bypass grafting].

Saphenous vein grafts are known to develop intimal fibrocellular proliferation, however, there is little information regarding early changes of intimal fibrocellular proliferation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study is based on 6 distal anastomotic sites obtained at autopsy from 3 patients who died within 9 days after CABG. The anastomotic sites were sectioned serially and studied with conventional and immunocytochemical techniques. Endothelial cells at all anastomotic sites showed desquamations. In two cases at 2 and 3 days after CABG, the luminal surfaces of anastomotic sites were covered by fibrin-platelet thrombus with infiltration of T-lymphocytes and macrophages. At these sites, moreover, some spindle-shaped cells were also present. Immunocytochemically, these spindle-shaped cells, which were stained with vimentin but negative with both anti-actin markers HHF35 and CGA7, were considered to be de-differentiated smooth muscle cells. In the case at 9 days after CABG, cellular reactions were mainly composed of macrophages and de-differentiated smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, these observations in human saphenous vein grafts at an early stage suggest that 1) endothelial denudation leads to adhesion of fibrin-platelet thrombus and subsequent cellular response. 2) T-lymphocytes and macrophages may play an important role in an early stage of intimal fibrocellular proliferation.

Aged↗

[Analysis of chronic graft-versus-host disease after unrelated-donor bone marrow transplantation. Kanazawa University Bone Marrow Transplant Team].

Six patients with hematologic diseases who received bone marrow from an unrelated donor (URD) from 1992 through 1993 and survived for more than 100 days after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) were assessed for the incidence, time of onset, and extent of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Five patients (83%) developed cGVHD, compared with 41% of a control group consisting of 34 patients who received bone marrow from a related donor during the same period. In 4 (80%) of the 5 patients, cGVHD occurred within 70 days after BMT. This early occurrence of cGVHD was observed in only 7% of the control group (P = 0.006). cGVHD tended to involve more organs in the URD-BMT patients than in the control group. In two patients with cGVHD, an allele mismatch in HLA-DRB1 gene between the patients and donor was disclosed by DNA typing. These findings indicate that it is important to strengthen post-transplant immunosuppression, to initiate screening tests from the early post-transplant period, and to select a suitable donor matched with HLA-DRB1 alleles for the prevention of cGVHD in the URD-BMT patients.

Adolescent↗