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Biomedical subjects

M Wada

Publications and source records attributed to M Wada.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

[Relationship between water pollution and bacterial flora in river water].

To clarify the relationship between water pollution and bacterial flora in rivers, 132 samples of river water were collected at eleven stations of the Chikuma-Sai river system from April 1985 to March 1986, and 29 biological-physicochemical examinations for indices of water pollution were done using these samples. Species and genus of bacteria in 485 isolates from bacterial flora were identified. Although variations of bacterial flora were seen among sampling stations and sampling seasons, most isolated bacteria were Gram-negative (96.7-100%) with Pseudomonas (25.0-90.0%), Acinetobacter (0-43.8%) and Aeromonas (0-12.5%) occurring predominantly. The principal-component analysis of the data from water pollution indices indicated that the water pollution could be divided into two groups: One was categorized as organic pollution because of the strong relationship to the total plate count, the Bacillus number, coliforms, yeast and dissolved oxygen; the other as visible pollution because of strong relationship to transparency, chemical oxygen demand and suspended solids. Cluster analysis was applied to 19 indices of water pollution with strong relationships to the river pollution, indicating that five stages of river water pollution could be shown visually. The studies on the relationship between water pollution and bacterial flora in river showed that Pseudomonas, the coliform group, Pasteurella, Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, Achromobacter and Bacillus were strongly related to the organic pollution, and Flavobacterium, Moraxella and Pseudomonas (non-growth on MacConkey agar) to the visible pollution. It seemed that the more organic substances exceeded the capacity for self-purification of the river, the more the bacterial populations of Aeromonas, Pasteurella, Pseudomonas and the coliform group increased.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1993

Swine interleukin 2 activity produced by mesenteric lymph node cells.

Swine interleukin 2 (IL-2) activity was assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay using murine IL-2 dependent cell line (CTLL-2). The culture supernatant of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells stimulated with phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA) induced a generation of MTT formazan in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting dose-dependent proliferation of CTLL-2. The maximal swine IL-2 activity was observed in the culture of MLN cells at 1 to 2 x 10(7) cells/ml when stimulated with 20 to 40 micrograms/ml PHA for 48 hr. Based on these findings, a large culture of MLN cells to prepare swine IL-2 were performed under the following condition; cell concentration of 1 x 10(7) cells/ml, PHA concentration of 20 micrograms/ml, a culture scale of 200 to 400 ml, and a stirring speed of 30 rpm. Swine IL-2 activity was detected from 4 hr after PHA stimulation, and rapidly increased until 16 hr. Almost maximal IL-2 activity in stirring culture was observed at the incubation of 20 hr. Swine IL-2 was partially purified by Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration and the estimated molecular weight was about 32 kD based on the peak of IL-2 activity. The pI value of swine IL-2 was estimated to be approximately pH 5.3. Swine IL-2 was sensitive to acid (pH 3.2) or alkaline (pH 10.5), 4 or 8 M urea, trypsin, and the heating at 70 degrees C. These physico-chemical properties of swine IL-2 was similar to those of human, murine or feline IL-2.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Lymphomatous polyarthritis in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Direct involvement of the joints is a rare complication of malignant lymphoma and lymphoma cells in synovium or synovial fluid have been characterized in only a very few cases. We report two cases of CD4-positive, HTLV-I-negative peripheral T-cell lymphomas that manifested polyarthritis infiltrated with lymphoma cells which we further characterized. Patient 1, with a prior 7-year history of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) and polyarthralgia, developed pain and swelling in the right knee joint and right femoral region. Patient 2 was initially diagnosed with immunoblastic lymphadenopathy, later rediagnosed as the prodromal stage of T zone lymphoma. Seven years later she developed skin eruptions, cervical lymph node swelling, polyarthritis, and pleural effusion. Synovial fluid analysis in both cases showed predominant CD3+ or cytoplasmic CD3+, CD4+, and CD8- atypical lymphoid cell infiltration. In both cases the T-cell receptor beta and gamma chains were rearranged in the synovial fluid mononuclear cells. Analysis of these two cases and a review of the literature suggest that lymphoma cell infiltration of synovium occurs preferentially in patients with CD4+ peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Studies on the significance of CD4+ T lymphocytes in the development of tuberculosis].

Numerous studies on the natural history of HIV-infection have revealed that the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood was the most important determining factor for the occurrence of various opportunistic infections and the most reliable prognosis indicator for the progression of HIV-infection to AIDS. It is also generally accepted that CD4+ T lymphocytes are the key cells in protective immunity in tuberculosis. Basing on these knowledges, we tried to analyze the significance of the number of CD4+ T lymphocyte in the development of clinical tuberculosis from latent infection with tubercle bacilli. Of 84 tuberculosis patients, younger than 70 years old, who had been analyzed lymphocyte subsets by flow cytometry (FACS), six patients (one female, five males) had remarkably reduced number of CD4+ T lymphocytes (< or = 250 cells/mm3) by their first FACS analysis after diagnosis. Any obvious risk behavior and/or habit was noticed in none of the six patients, three of whom were in the twenties. FACS analyses of these six cases revealed that: 1) The proportion of total lymphocytes to total leukocytes was remarkably lower than that of tuberculosis patients as a whole as well as than that of healthy control group. 2) The numbers of total lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and CD4+ T lymphocytes were all far below the normal range. (mean +/- 2 x SD of the control group). 3) The proportion of CD8+ T lymphocytes to total lymphocytes was higher in five of these six cases, but the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes was lower in all six than the respective mean value of the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Learning processing in an epileptic with amnesia after memory task repetition].

We reported that some learning accomplished by an epileptic patient (YS) with organic amnesia after memory task repetition. YS's learning appeared inflexible; That was depending memory task procedural. The purpose of this paper is to investigate procedural learning processing in YS with memory disorder. We examined procedural learning in picture naming task repetition in YS and normal controls, using semantic priming paradigm. After start key press, a prime picture was displayed on the CRT display, thereafter, a target picture appeared. The subjects' task was to name the target picture aloud as rapidly and accurately as possible. In the examination, we manipulated a time interval between start key press and the prime on. Two interval conditions were used. One was the constant interval, 1010ms and another was varied interval, varied between 400ms and 1010ms. After conditioning session with constant interval, the test session with constant and varied interval was carried out. We analyzed reaction time (RT) in naming the picture targets in the test session in relation to the conditions. YS's RT in the test session with constant was shorter than in the test session with varied interval. No interval effects were found in the controls. The results indicated that previous experiment in conditioning session had larger effect on the YS's performance than the controls'. This suggests hypotheses that the learning in the patient with amnesia is tied to the specific conditions in the learning experience. The results can be explained in terms of procedural learning in YS, which is automatic processing.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Retreatment of pulmonary tuberculosis--duration of chemotherapy].

Although standard chemotherapy for initial treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis has been established, regimens for retreatment of tuberculosis have not yet been established. One hundred fifty nine retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis cases admitted to Fukujuji Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Regardless of the age at the start of retreatment, majority of cases were treated previously between 1955 and 1960. Bacillary negative conversion rate, duration of chemotherapy, follow-up period and bacteriological relapse rate were compared according to resistance against isoniazid and/or rifampicin. Sixty four cases were sensitive to both INH and RFP. For this group the average duration of chemotherapy was 14.6 months, mean follow up period was 47.3 months and relapse rate was 3.1%. This rate was similar to that of initial treatment cases. Sixty one (94%), were treated with more than two sensitive drugs containing INH and RFP. The 22 INH-resistant and RFP-susceptible cases were treated for 18.6 months and followed up for 55.2 months. The relapse rate of this group was 13.6%. Thirteen cases were treated with more than 2 sensitive drugs containing RFP. Eleven cases were resistant to both INH and RFP. Five of them were surgically operated of which 3 cases were converted to negative and among the nonsurgical cases in this group only one remained sputum positive. All of these retreatment regimens did not contain pyrazinamide and ofloxacin. Although bacillary positive rate of INH and RFP susceptible cases was 13.0% at 6 months after treatment and 5.3% at 12 months after treatment, that of INH resistant and RFP susceptible cases were 25.0% and 12.5%, respectively. A certain rule of retreatment could be obtained from the result of this study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[A randomized trial of intrahepatic infusion chemotherapy for unresectable colorectal liver metastases. Sendai Study Group].

A prospective, controlled randomized trial of hepatic arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), adriamycin (ADM) and mitomycin C (MMC) [FAM group] versus 5-FU, epirubicin (EPIR) and MMC [FEM group] in patients with unresectable liver metastasis from colorectal cancer is reported. No objective response was observed in FAM group (n = 6), while two objective responses, 1 complete and 1 partial (22.2%), were achieved in FEM group (n = 9). There was no significant difference in the 50% survival period between the two groups (468 days in FAM group (n = 8) versus 462 days in FEM group (n = 10). Long survival over 2 years was observed in FEM group, but not in FAM group. Toxicities were recorded in 50% (3/6) of FAM group, and 80% (8/10) of FEM group, but they were mild and well tolerated. In conclusion, although there was no significant difference in clinical effects between the two groups, the use of EPIR instead of ADR in combination with 5-FU and MMC might be favorable for intrahepatic infusion chemotherapy because responders and long-term survival were exclusively observed in FEM group.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[The efficacy of intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with non-resectable liver metastasis from colorectal cancer--a randomized study comparing FAM versus FEM].

The efficacy of FAM (5-FU, ADM, MMC) chemotherapy was compared with that of FEM (5-FU, EPIR, MMC) chemotherapy, in which the EPIR dose was about 1.3 times the ADM dose, by hepatic arterial infusion. Twenty-one patients with unresectable hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer were the subjects of this multi-institutional randomized study. The response rate in evaluable 15 patients was 0% (0/6) in FAM group and 22% (2/9) in FEM group, with a 50% survival time of 15.3 months in FAM group and 15.1 months in FEM group. The major toxicities were gastrointestinal, together with hepatic dysfunction, both of which were not serious. Total incidence of > or = grade 2 toxicities was 50% (3/6) in FAM group and 80% (8/10) in FEM group. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in response rate, 50% survival time and toxicities. The clinical results of FAM and FEM were therefore considered equal, and an expected improvement in efficacy by increasing the EPIR dose was not confirmed. However, two patients in FEM group showed an objective response not observed in FAM group; one of them showed CR and survived about 3 years. These findings seem to suggest the efficacy of FEM hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for treatment of unresectable hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Serum concentration and localization in tumor cells of proteasomes in patients with hematologic malignancy and their pathophysiologic significance.

The pathophysiologic significance of proteasomes in hematologic malignancies was examined by comparison of the proteasome levels in normal subjects and patients with benign liver diseases. The serum proteasome level measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was found to be positively correlated with the tumor burden of the patients with hematologic malignancies such as acute leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and myeloma. Immunohistochemical staining showed that proteasomes were strongly expressed in these tumor cells, especially in the nuclei. These data suggest that the elevated levels of serum proteasomes in these patients are derived from tumor cells, reflect the tumor burden, and so provide prognostic information. However, in patients with benign liver diseases, serum proteasome levels correlated with serum alanine aminotransferase activities, suggesting that in hematologic malignancies associated with liver injury some of the serum proteasomes may originate from hepatocytes. The marked production of proteasomes by malignant blood cells may be involved in transformation and proliferation of these cells.

Autoimmune Diseases↗
PubMed1993

[Activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with abdominal true aortic aneurysm associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation].

Two cases of abdominal true aortic aneurysm (AAA) associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) were reported. Case 1 was an 81-year-old male who was admitted because of hematoma on the left leg and in whom was found by MRI an aortic aneurysm of 14 cm in diameter. Coagulation studies indicated DIC by revealing thrombocytopenia, hypofibrinogenemia and increased level of FDP. DIC was well controlled by surgical repair of the aneurysm after the administration of a small dose of heparin. Case 2 was a 60-year-old male who was admitted because of lumbago and hematoemesis and in whom was found by CT and echography an aortic aneurysm of 5.5 cm in diameter. Coagulation studies indicated DIC by revealing thrombocytopenia and an increased level of FDP. On the 2nd hospital day, he suddenly died due to the rupture of the aortic aneurysm. In most of 9 cases with AAA without DIC, plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin III complex, plasmin-alpha 2 plasmin inhibitor complex and FDP-D dimer were also elevated. These findings indicate that the coagulation and fibrinolysis systems were generally activated in patients with AAA, and that DIC tends to occur in patients with a giant aortic aneurysm or an impending ruptured aneurysm.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Elongation factor-1 alpha gene determines susceptibility to transformation.

Elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha), an essential component of the eukaryotic translational apparatus, is a GTP-binding protein that catalyses the binding of aminoacyl-transfer RNAs to the ribosome. Expression of the EF-1 alpha gene decreases towards the end of the lifespans of mouse and human fibroblasts, but forced expression of EF-1 alpha prolongs the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. Eukaryotic initiation factor-4E, another component of the translational machinery, is mitogenic or oncogenic when constitutively expressed in some mammalian cells. Thus, components of the protein synthesis apparatus seem to be involved in the control of cell proliferation. Using expression cloning, we have isolated a complementary DNA clone from a BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblast variant, A31-I-13 (ref. 10), which specifies a factor determining the susceptibility of BALB/c3T3 to chemically and physically induced transformation. Here we report that the factor is EF-1 alpha and that its constitutive expression causes BALB/c 3T3 A31-I-1 (ref. 10), C3H10T1/2 (ref. 11) and Syrian hamster SHOK fibroblasts to become highly susceptible to transformation induced by 3-methylcholanthrene and ultraviolet light. EF-1 alpha messenger RNA is also constitutively expressed in a quiescent culture of the highly susceptible variant A31-I-13. We conclude that the removal of regulation of the expression of these components of the translational machinery may predispose cells to become more susceptible to malignant transformation.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1992

A marine algal Na(+)-activated ATPase possesses an immunologically identical epitope to Na+,K(+)-ATPase.

Immunological homology was investigated between Heterosigma akashiwo (a marine algae) Na(+)-activated ATPase and animal Na+,K(+)-ATPase. The former polypeptide [(1989) Plant Cell Physiol. 30, 923-928] reacted with anti-serum raised against the amino-terminal half of the pig kidney Na+,K(+)-ATPase alpha subunit. It is suggested that the Na+,K(+)-ATPase epitope within the amino-terminal region is conserved in the plant Na(+)-activated ATPase, and the region containing the epitope may be important for Na ion transport.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1992

Annual changes in levels of plasma LH and size of cloacal protrusion in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) housed in outdoor cages under natural conditions.

Japanese quail of the strain used in our laboratory do not show a complete decrease in levels of circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations and show no collapse of the testes following their transfer from long to short days under laboratory conditions. Thus, merely manipulating photoperiods in the laboratory does not simulate an annual breeding cycle. To see whether an annual breeding cycle does exist in "our" quail under natural conditions, mature male birds were housed in individual cages and placed on the roof of a building at 35 degrees 45'N, 139 degrees 53'E; day length and ambient temperature were not controlled at all though food and water were continuously supplied. For 16 months blood was collected every week and the area of the cloacal protrusion measured at the time of each blood collection. The results showed that levels of plasma LH and the area of the cloacal protrusion had a clear annual cycle under the natural conditions. To detect more precisely the changes in circulating LH concentrations during spring and autumn, samples were collected every other day. The first significant increase in levels of plasma LH was found when the day length exceeded 12-12.5 hr, though the increase was sporadic and not synchronized among individuals. The results also showed that circulating levels of LH declined significantly in early September starting when the day length was still about 14 hr; this downward trend continued rather steadily to nonbreeding levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1992

Termination of LH secretion in Japanese quail due to high- and low-temperature cycles and short daily photoperiods.

Mature male Japanese quail were transferred from 16L:8D (19 degrees) to one of the following combinations of daily light-dark and temperature cycles, 8L:16D (12 hr, 19 degrees:12 hr, 9 degrees), 12L:12D (12 hr, 19 degrees:12 hr, 9 degrees) and 12L:12D (16 hr, 19 degrees:8 hr, 9 degrees). The low temperature is for the middle of the dark period in each treatment. In the control groups, birds were transferred to the same photoperiodic conditions as the experimental groups, but without changes in ambient temperature. Blood samples were collected every other day for 30 days and circulating levels of plasma LH were estimated by radioimmunoassay. Both the change in conditions from 16L:8D to 8L:16D with the temperature lowered for 12 hr and that from 16L:8D to 12L:12D with temperatures lowered in one case for 12 hr and in the other for 8 hr caused a lowering in plasma LH levels in all the birds to reproductively quiescent levels. The cloacal protrusion of all these birds regressed completely. In control groups, however, most if not all the birds remained in active breeding states although the levels of circulating LH decreased to basal breeding levels of 1-2 ng/ml. The results indicated that in addition to a change from long to short days an alternation of high and low temperatures was sufficient supplementary information in causing termination of LH secretion and inducing regression of the gonads and the accessory sex organs in this species.

Animals↗