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Biomedical subjects

Masanobu Takahashi

Publications and source records attributed to Masanobu Takahashi.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Feasibility study of a pilot-scale sewage treatment system combining an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and an aerated fixed bed (AFB) reactor at ambient temperature.

A feasibility test of a 17 m3-pilot-scale sewage treatment system was carried out by continuous feeding of raw municipal sewage under ambient temperature conditions. The system consisted of a UASB and an aerated fixed bed reactor. Some of the effluent from the fixed bed reactor was returned to the UASB influent in order to provide a sulfate source. The total BOD of 148-162 mg l(-1) in the influent was reduced to a more desirable 11-25 mg l(-1) in the final effluent. The levels of methane-producing activity from acetate and H2/CO2 gas at 10 degrees C were only 2% and 0% of those at 35 degrees C, respectively. On the other hand, the sulfate-reducing activity levels of the UASB sludge were relatively high at 10 degrees C, for example, 18% for acetate and 9% for H2/CO2 gas, compared to the activity levels at 35 degrees C. Therefore, BOD oxidization by sulfate reduction in the UASB was greater than that by methane production under low temperature conditions. This sulfate-reducing activity tended to be proportional to the copy number of adenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (APS) reductase genes in DNA extracted from the sludge.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed2006

One percent ability and ninety-nine percent perspiration: a study of a Japanese memorist.

In 1987, Hideaki Tomoyori, a Japanese memorist, set a world record for reciting the first 40,000 digits of pi. The authors report results from a series of tests that give a view of Tomoyori's memory performance compared with that of a control group, matched for age and educational level. He showed very good scores on tasks with digits, such as digit memory span tasks and 5 x 5 number matrix learning, although some of the control participants were nearly as good. In contrast, his performance was not particularly good for learning word lists and story recall. Overall, his performance on the tasks does not suggest that he has superior cognitive abilities. We believe that his extraordinary memory performance in reciting the digits of pi results from his effective use of a combination of digit-syllable transformations and imagery mnemonics developed from extensive practice. These results are consistent with the skilled memory framework.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

[A case of malignant melanoma from the esophagus responding to weekly paclitaxel therapy].

A 44-year-old man had a tumor in the lower thoracic esophagus at a health check, and was initially diagnosed as an undifferentiated carcinoma of the esophagus by the esophago-gastric endoscope. Although curative chemoradiotherapy was scheduled after the diagnosis, the interim evaluation revealed that the tumor was malignant melanoma of the esophagus with right renal metastasis. Since then, CVD (cisplatin, vindesine and dacarbazine) therapy, palliative radiotherapy and DAC-Tam (dacarbazine, nimustine, cisplatin and tamoxifen) therapy were carried out, but all of them proved ineffective, and multiple newly metastatic lesions appeared in liver and lymph nodes. Oral intake was impossible because of progressing stricture of the esophagus. As a fourth-line therapy, weekly paclitaxel therapy was started, and his oral intake was improved after the second course. He received the therapy as an outpatient for four months. After the third course, tumor lesions were evaluated as a partial response by CT. Consequently, five courses of the therapy were performed with modest adverse effects. Weekly paclitaxel therapy was reasonably safe as reported in other reports and considered to be a promising regimen for malignant melanoma of the esophagus.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Retrospective analysis on efficacy and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and l-leucovorin (l-LV) in advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and l-leucovorin (I-LV) in 50 patients with advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer in our institute. The dose of 5-FU was 600 mg/m2 and the dose of l-LV was 250 mg/m2. Objective response were 36.8% of patients who had administration of full-dose and 14.8% of patients who had the administration of reduced dose or prolonged interval. No significant difference was observed in clinical benefit rates between patients administrated in full-dose and patients in reduced dose or prolonged interval. Median survival time (MST) of patients in reduced dose or prolonged interval is longer than patients in full-dose. These data suggest that 5-FU/l-LV can be given in the outpatient and yields improved prognosis and minimal adverse reactions even in patients in reduced dose or prolonged interval.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A novel germline mutation of the LKB1 gene in a patient with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome with early-onset gastric cancer.

The gene responsible for Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), LKB1 (also called STK11) was mapped to chromosome 19p13.3 and was found to encode a putative serine/threonine protein kinase, LKB1. As only a limited number (approximately 100) of germline mutations of the gene have been reported, and because the protein function is still unclear, information about LKB1 mutations and their expression should be accumulated to understand the phenotype-genotype correlation of this disease. Here we report a patient with sporadic PJS with early-onset gastric cancer. We found a novel germline frameshift mutation (757-758insT) in the LKB1 gene and a marked reduction in LKB1 protein expression in the carcinoma cells, suggesting that the loss of LKB1 function may have led to the carcinogenesis of the gastric cancer.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases↗
PubMed2004

Effect of an antiallergic drug (Olopatadine hydrochloride) on TARC/CCL17 and MDC/CCL22 production by PBMCs from patients with atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by the predominant infiltration of Th2-type cells in lesional skin. Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) and monocyte-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22) are Th2-type cytokines, and it has been reported that serum CCL17 and CCL22 levels are associated with AD disease activity. Olopatadine hydrochloride (Olopatadine) is an antiallergic drug with selective histamine H(1) receptor antagonist activity. The effect of Olopatadine on chemokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in AD patients has not been completely elucidated. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to clarify the effects of Olopatadine on CCL17 and CCL22 production by PBMCs from patients with AD during the treatment. METHODS: We measured plasma levels of CCL17, CCL22, IFNgamma, IL-12 and IL-18 in 15 patients with AD before and after treatment with oral Olopatadine (10 mg/day) for 4 weeks. We also examined disease activity using SCORAD index, eosinophil numbers in peripheral blood and serum levels of LDH. PBMCs from the patients were taken before and after the treatment and cultured with or without dust mite allergen extract (DME) for 3 or 5 days. CCL17, CCL22, IFNgamma, IL-12 and IL-18 levels in the supernatants of cultured PBMCs were measured. RESULTS: SCORAD index and eosinophil numbers in peripheral blood significantly decreased during treatment of AD patients with oral Olopatadine and topical corticosteroids for 4 weeks. The plasma levels of CCL17 and CCL22 significantly decreased after the treatment compared with before the treatment (p<0.05) and were significantly correlated with SCORAD index. PBMCs from AD patients taken after the treatment and cultured with DME for 5 days, showed significantly lower levels of CCL17 production than those taken before the treatment (p=0.018). PBMCs from AD patients taken after the treatment and cultured with DME for 5 days, also showed significantly lower levels of IFNgamma production than those taken before the treatment (p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that Olopatadine inhibits CCL17 and CCL22 production by PBMCs from AD patients, which are important regulators of Th2 recruitment in the skin.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Does test delay eliminate collaborative inhibition?

Earlier research has demonstrated that collaborative groups recall more than individuals, but less than nominal groups (pooled performance of individuals), thus exhibiting collaborative inhibition. In two experiments, all participants were first asked to recall story material on their own. Some participants were then assigned to pairs and recalled the material collaboratively. On the other hand, the participants in the individual recall condition were asked to recall the material once again on their own. In Experiment 1, the collaborative pairs recalled less than the nominal pairs in accordance with previous studies. In Experiment 2, the timing of the initial individual recall was manipulated by inserting one week between the learning and the recall. The collaborative inhibition was eliminated in this situation. Sources of the collaborative inhibition in immediate recall and its disappearance in delayed recall are discussed in terms of the effect of cross cueing in collaborative remembering.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

ERK/MAPK-dependent PI3K/Akt phosphorylation through VEGFR-1 after VEGF stimulation in activated hepatic stellate cells.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can induce proliferation of endothelial cells through VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 as its receptors, but the intracellular signaling pathway via VEGFR-1 is still unclear. Previously we reported that stellate cells expressed VEGFR-1 exclusively during activation in the liver. In the present paper, the signaling pathway via VEGFR-1 was studied using rat stellate cells activated in vitro. Western blot analysis revealed that both ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K/Akt were phosphorylated in the cells activated by culture in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium containing 10% fetal calf serum on plastic dishes for 9 days. When VEGF was added to the culture medium, the extent of such PI3K/Akt phosphorylation was increased despite that DNA synthesis and ERK/MAPK phosphorylation were unchanged in the cells. However, this up-regulation of PI3K/Akt phosphorylation was markedly diminished following addition of GFX and PD-98059, inhibitors for protein kinase C (PKC) and ERK/MAPK, respectively. Also, addition of GFX reduced phosphorylation of ERK/MAPK in the cells. It is suggested that VEGF may stimulate signal transduction of PI3K/Akt through VEGFR-1 dependently on activation of the PKC and ERK/MAPK pathway in activated hepatic stellate cells.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Recognition of odors and identification of sources.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of the memory for odors and for the location of odors. In Experiment 1, 5 unfamiliar odors were presented in each of 2 rooms. Twenty participants were instructed to remember only the odors (odor-only control group) and 20 were instructed to remember both the odors and the room where the odors were presented (odor place group). In Experiment 2, both the odor presentation room and the sex of the experimenters were manipulated to increase the uniqueness of the odor location. The results demonstrated that the memory for an odor is superior to the memory for the location of an odor. The results also indicated that the intention to learn the sources of an odor improves the memory for the source. These results are discussed in the context of the source monitoring framework.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[A case of advanced gastric cancer showing complete response to chemotherapy of peroral carcinostatic only].

The patient was a 68-year-old woman. She was referred to our hospital because of advanced gastric cancer. Endoscopic examination showed that the tumor was located in the Subcardia, with its oral margin invading the esophagus. Histologic examination of biopsy specimen led to a diagnosis of moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Apparent lymph node swellings (No. 7, No. 11) on enhanced CT examination indicated the metastasis of the gastric cancer. Consulting with her family, we decided to treat the cancer with chemotherapy using the peroral carcinostatic "UFT", and started it on November 18, 1997. Follow-up endoscopic examination confirmed that the tumor was reduced in size immediately after starting chemotherapy, and then finally disappeared on December 10, 1999. Since then, there has been no recurrence of the tumor. This is a rare case of gastric cancer showing complete response to chemotherapy using a peroral carcinosatatic alone.

Adenocarcinoma↗