[Effect of 2,5-hexanedione on myosin heavy chain isoform content in perineal muscles of the rats].
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
N Iijima
Publications and source records attributed to N Iijima.
Changes in iron and ferritin in anemic calves infected with Theileria sergenti.
Changes in iron and ferritin in calves infected with Theileria sergenti were investigated to elucidate iron metabolism in animals with extravascular hemolytic anemia. During severe anemia, serum iron was remarkably elevated while the total iron-binding capacity remained relatively unchanged or decreased slightly in the infected calves, resulting in elevated transferrin saturation. The serum ferritin concentration gradually increased with the progress of anemia. The erythrocyte ferritin content drastically increased when mean corpuscular volume was elevated. The concentration of non-heme iron and ferritin in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow of the infected calves was markedly higher than that in the respective tissues of the control animals. In particular, the liver of the anemic calves was found to contain 23 and 35 times as much non-heme iron and ferritin, respectively, as that of the non-anemic healthy cattle. The liver type (L) to heart type (H) subunit ratio of liver ferritin was significantly higher in the protozoa-infected than in the non-infected cattle. On the other hand, the L/H ratio of marrow ferritin was significantly reduced by the anemia. These results indicate that the anemic calves infected with T. sergenti apparently present symptoms of iron overload.
Anemia, Hemolytic↗
Functional expression of Fas (CD95) in acute myeloid leukemia cells in the context of CD34 and CD38 expression: possible correlation with sensitivity to chemotherapy.
Clinical studies of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) suggest that the immune system contributes to the eradication of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A recent study also showed that the Fas (CD95/APO1) mediates apoptotic signal from cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Sixty-four patients with AML were studied for the expression of Fas in the context of CD34 and CD38 coexpression. The clinical relevance of Fas expression and function on AML was also investigated. Fas was expressed on 2% to 98% of AML cells (2% to 20% in 11 patients, 20% to 50% in 20 patients, 50% to 80% in 24 patients, and 80% to 98% in nine patients). Only 44.4% of patients with AML M1 (French-American-British [FAB] classification) were Fas+ (>/=20% of leukemia cells expressed Fas), whereas 89.1% of patients with AML M2, M3, M4, M5 were Fas+ (P < .01). Among 43 CD34+ patients (>/=20% leukemia cells were CD34+), 34 were Fas+, and 19 of 21 CD34- patients were Fas+ (P = NS). Thirteen cases were studied for their expression of Fas in the context of CD34 and CD38 using three-color analysis. Fas is expressed at a high level in the gated CD34+CD38+/- and CD34+CD38+ population. In 10 AML samples, Fas was expressed at a higher level in CD34+/CD38+ population than in CD34+/CD38+/- or CD34- cell populations. Fas-induced apoptosis by anti-Fas monoclonal antibody (MoAb) was determined by morphologic features and colorimetric DNA fragmentation assay. Induction of apoptosis was found in 14 of 24 cases. However, no statistically significant correlation was observed between Fas expression and induction of apoptosis. Leukemia colony-forming unit assays suggested that in some cases, Fas-induced apoptosis occurred in the clonogenic cell populations. Parameters such as laboratory and clinical data at initial diagnosis were correlated with Fas expression and only response to initial induction chemotherapy showed significant correlation with Fas expression (P < .05). We conclude that the majority of AML cells exhibit variable expression of Fas, and apoptosis could be induced by anti-Fas MoAb in some cases. Our results suggest the Fas-mediated apoptosis may be clinically relevant, whereas the issue of clonogenic leukemia cells and Fas expression needs further studies.
ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗
Nitrergic neurons in the medial amygdala project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of the rat.
We investigated nitric oxide (NO)-producing neurons in the amygdala which project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the rat using retrograde tracing and NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry. Numerous NADPH-diaphorase positive neurons with moderate staining were observed mainly in the medial amygdaloid nucleus. We confirmed that these NADPH-diaphorase positive neurons are identical to NO synthase (NOS)-immunoreactive neurons by double staining with NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and NOS immunocytochemistry. Most neurons containing cholera toxin B subunit (CTb) - which was retrogradely transported from the PVN - were observed in the medial amygdaloid nucleus. In other amygdaloid nuclei, they were observed much less in the central nucleus, basomedial and anterior cortical nucleus. Double labeled neurons by NADPH-diaphorase and CTb were also identified mostly in the medial nucleus. Approximately 40% of the neurons projecting to the PVN were nitrergic neurons and 16% of NADPH-diaphorase positive neurons in the medial nucleus were revealed to project to the PVN. These results suggest that NO-producing neurons in the medial amygdala directly innervate PVN neurons and regulate neuroendocrine systems such as vasopressin and corticotropin releasing factor release.
Amygdala↗
Purification and characterization of Ca(2+)-dependent phospholipases A2 from rat kidney.
Three phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities were identified in rat kidney. In the particulate fraction a PLA2 activity was present which was cross-reactive with polyclonal antibodies against the 14-kDa group II PLA2. This PLA2 was partially solubilized and purified to near homogeneity. The amino acid sequence at the N-terminus of the purified enzyme was identical to that of the 14-kDa rat group II PLA2 from rat liver mitochondria, platelet, and spleen. The cytosolic fraction of rat kidney contained at least two PLA2 activities which could be separated on a Mono Q column. Upon gel filtration the activity that eluted from the anion-exchange column in the salt gradient behaved as a high molecular mass PLA2, exhibited a preference for arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position of glycerophospholipids, and was already optimally active at submillimolar Ca2+ concentrations. The cytosolic PLA2 activity that did not bind to the anion-exchange column was purified by gel filtration, immunoaffinity chromatography using immobilized polyclonal antibodies to group I PLA2, and C18 reversed-phase chromatography. Immunological properties and N-terminal sequence analysis identified this enzyme as rat group I PLA2. Rat glomerular mesangial cells contained only group II and high molecular mass PLA2 enzymes.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
A proteinous factor mediating intercellular communication during the transition of Dictyostelium cells from growth to differentiation.
In general, cell differentiation and proliferation are mutually exclusive. Transition of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum from growth to differentiation is triggered mainly by a secreted factor(s) in addition to nutritional deprivation. To purify and identify the factor required for the growth/differentiation transition, a new assay system was designed. Under low-nutrient conditions, cells could grow to multiply, but never developed. The cellular development including aggregation, however, was induced by the addition of conditioned medium (CM) in which growing or starving Dictyostelium cells had been cultured. The CM inhibited the synthesis of nuclear DNA and induced the cells to acquire chemotactic competence to cAMP, thus suggesting the presence of a secreted factor(s) required for growth/differentiation transition in the CM. The active factor(s) in CM (referred to as CMF450; conditioned medium factor) was found to be sensitive to heat and have a large molecular size. The CMF450 was purified using FPLC through a gel filtration column, and was identified to be a proteinous macromolecule of Mr 450 kDa, which was mainly composed of 94 kDa, 79 kDa, and 49 kDa subunits under a native condition.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
External radiotherapy for biliary decompression of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
Obstructive jaundice due to hilar cholangiocarcinoma is difficult to decompress because of the location of the tumor. We used external radiation alone for biliary decompression and reviewed its efficacy in this study. Subjects comprised 14 patients diagnosed as having inoperable hilar cholangiocarcinoma by ultrasonography, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, and CT scanning. The total bilirubin level on admission ranged from 0.4 to 34.6 mg/dl (mean: 11.0 mg/dl). These patients were irradiated with a 4MeV linear accelerator using parallel opposing fields measuring from 7 x 7 cm to 8 x 10 cm. The total radiation dose ranged from 50 Gy to 60 Gy and in fractions of 1.8-2.0 Gy per day. No patient underwent further biliary decompression after percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, and irradiation was performed immediately after diagnosis. Eleven of the 14 patients received the full dose of external radiation. Three patients discontinued radiotherapy because of severe vomiting and nausea, pneumonia, and a hemorrhagic gastric ulcer. In 10 of the 11 patients, the serum total bilirubin level returned to normal (p < 0.005) and no cholangitis occurred. Obstructive jaundice recurred in one patient, and serum total bilirubin returned to normal again after further irradiation. Eight of the 11 patients could be discharged from hospital and returned to society. The survival time of the 11 patients ranged from 3 to 25 months and the 12-month survival rate was 50% (Kaplan-Meier method). This study suggests that external radiation therapy is an effective treatment for biliary decompression in patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
Aged↗
[A case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia with acute onset of dyspnea].
A 16-year-Old boy was admitted with acute onset of fever, cough, and dyspnea. Chest radiography showed diffuse infiltrated shadow and right pleural effusion. BALF revealed a high level of eosinophils (56.8%), and TBLB specimen showed infiltration of inflammatory cells, chiefly eosinophils. Symptoms and radiographic findings resolved spontaneously within a few days after admission. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia was diagnosed as in the case reported by Allen et al. However, the present patient had a high IgE level and history of atopic allergic rhinitis. In more than one third of previously reported cases in Japan, there was a history of atopy, unlike in Allen's report.
Acute Disease↗
[Severe cases of pulmonary tuberculosis required mechanical ventilation].
We report severe cases of pulmonary tuberculosis with respiratory failure who required mechanical ventilation. Of 99 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis admitted to Daido Hospital from November 1991 to November 1993, 6 patients had been mechanically ventilated. Four of these 6 patients were vagrants and had long delay from onset of the symptom to the admission. Chest X-rays of ventilated patients showed bilateral, extensive shadows consistent with those of typical pulmonary tuberculosis, and a large number of acid-fast bacilli were detected in their sputa. Though all ventilated patients except one HCV carrier had no underlying disease, they showed remarkable emaciation and malnutrition. They also showed weak PPD-skin reactions and reduced number of lymphocytes that suggested immunological disorders. Four cases have recovered, so we conclude that mechanical ventilation is necessary and useful for the treatment of severe cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Adult↗
Poisoning by the red alga 'ogonori' (Gracilaria verrucosa) on the Nojima Coast, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
A food poisoning case due to the ingestion of 'ogonori', an edible red alga, occurred at Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, in late October 1993, resulting in two victims, including one death (female). No causative agent present in the ogonori was found from a routine bioassay for marine toxins. From the production of increased amounts of prostaglandins (PGs), mainly PGE2, by the alga on stimulation by cutting or soaking in fresh water, and further increase of PGE2 by addition of arachidonic acid, it appeared that an enzyme, probably fatty acid cyclooxygenase, in the ogonori and the body of the victim, was acting on the highly unsaturated fatty acids in the oil of the ingested seafood and in the blood hemorrhaged from the stomach of the victim. This resulted in the production of over 30 mg of PGE2 and small amounts of other PGs in a comparatively short time. With this dosage the victim suffered from nausea, vomiting, and hypotension, and died of hypotensive shock. PGE2 seems to work more selectively on females. This type of poisoning is very unusual, and differs from the more familiar forms of poisoning occurring after ingestion of marine organisms.
Animals↗
Development of glycoside-bound radiopharmaceuticals: novel radioiodination method for digoxin.
We combined 2-hydroxy-3-methylbenzoylhydrazide (HMBH) with glycosides as a novel method for the radioiodination of physiologically active glycosides. This method was tested using digoxin, which is one of the cardiac glycosides. A digoxin-HMBH conjugate was synthesized by periodate cleavage of the third sugar ring, and was readily radiolabeled with Na[125I] by the chloramine-T method. 125I labelled digoxin-HMBH conjugate retained Na+, K(+)-ATPase binding in vivo and in vitro, and also retained immunoreactivity to an anti-digoxin antibody. Thus, this 125I labelled digoxin-HMBH conjugate represents a potential radiopharmaceutical for Na+, K(+)-ATPase imaging, as well as for the radioimmunoassay of digoxin.
Animals↗
Effects of clonidine on desipramine- and desmethylclomipramine-induced 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol levels in rat brain.
Rats received repeated i.p. administrations of desipramine (20 mg/kg) or desmethylclomipramine (10 mg/kg). The steady state concentration of each drug in the brain was attained a few days after the start of the treatment. The treatments with desipramine and desmethylclomipramine for more than 10 and 2 days, respectively, induced significant elevation of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) level in the brain. After repeated administration of each drug, rats were given a single i.p. injection of clonidine (50 micrograms/kg). This treatment decreased the elevated MHPG level in the brain of desmethylclomipramine-treated rats, whereas it had no effect on the increased MHPG level in desipramine-treated rats.
Animals↗
Basic evaluation of 67Ga labeled digoxin derivative as a metal-labeled bifunctional radiopharmaceutical.
To develop metal-labeled digoxin radiopharmaceuticals with affinity with anti-digoxin antibody as well as Na+,K(+)-ATPase, a digoxin derivative conjugated with deferoxamine was synthesized. The derivative had a high binding affinity with 67Ga at deferoxamine introduced to the terminal sugar ring of digoxin. The 67Ga labeled digoxin derivative showed enough in vitro binding affinity and selectivity to anti-digoxin antibody as well as Na+,K(+)-ATPase. The 67Ga labeled digoxin derivative is considered to be a potential metal-labeled bifunctional radiopharmaceutical for digoxin RIA as well as myocardial Na+,K(+)-ATPase imaging.
Cross-Linking Reagents↗
[A clinical study of respiratory infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)].
We investigated patients with positive sputum for MRSA at Daido Hospital. The study was conducted from 1990 to 1991. The number of cases with positive sputum for MRSA is moderately increased. We classified 116 MRSA isolated cases into three groups, 67 cases of colonization with MRSA, 26 cases of suspected bronchopulmonary infection, and 23 cases of bronchopulmonary infection with MRSA. The coagulase types of MRSA were type II or type II + III. Examination of the susceptibility to antibiotics of MRSA showed that all MRSA strains were susceptible to sulfamethoxazole trimethoprim, arbekacin, and vancomycin. A few strains were resistant to rifampicin. There were no differences in coagulase types and susceptibility to antibiotics between the three groups. Bronchopulmonary infection with MRSA was frequently associated with underlying bronchopulmonary disease, whether malignant or not. Risk factors for MRSA bronchopulmonary infection could not be identified, but the prognosis of MRSA bronchopulmonary infection was poor in cases with higher grade of performance status. MRSA eradication rate in sputum after therapy was low, and was not improved by adding inhalation of antibiotics including vancomycin to systemic chemotherapy. This investigation demonstrates the importance of environmental prevention of MRSA infection in hospitals.
Adolescent↗
Randomized, controlled study on adjuvant immunochemotherapy with PSK in curatively resected colorectal cancer. The Cooperative Study Group of Surgical Adjuvant Immunochemotherapy for Cancer of Colon and Rectum (Kanagawa).
A randomized, controlled trial of adjuvant immunochemotherapy with PSK (Kureha Chemical Industry Co., Tokyo, Japan) in curatively resected colorectal cancer was studied in 35 institutions in the Kanagawa prefecture. From March 1985 to February 1987, 462 patients were registered. Four hundred forty-eight of those patients (97.0 percent) satisfied the eligibility criteria. The control group received mitomycin C intravenously on the day of and the day after surgery, followed by oral 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administration for over six months. The PSK group received PSK orally for over three years, in addition to mitomycin C and 5-FU as in the control group. At the end of February 1990, the median follow-up time for this study was four years (range, three to five years). The disease-free survival curve and the survival curve of the PSK group were better than those of the control group, and differences between the two groups were statistically significant (disease-free survival, P = 0.013; survival, P = 0.013). These results indicate that adjuvant immunochemotherapy with PSK was beneficial for curatively resected colorectal cancer.
Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
Expression of a human multidrug resistance gene in human ovarian carcinoma cell lines.
To investigate the possible role of the multidrug resistance phenotype to chemoresistance in human ovarian carcinoma, we have analyzed human multidrug resistance gene (mdr 1) expression in 8 human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines. An increase in P-glycoprotein level specific to multidrug-resistant tumor cells was not apparently associated with the increase in resistance to vincristine (VCR) or doxorubicin (Adriamycin). Mdr 1 transcripts (4.5 kilobases) were observed in the RNA preparation obtained from only one cell line (SHIN-3) that showed the highest resistance to both drugs in vitro and in vivo. No cell lines showed mdr 1 DNA amplification. These results suggest that the insensitivity of human ovarian carcinoma to chemotherapy could be partly explained by the expression of mdr 1.
ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
De novo production of alpha 2-macroglobulin in cultured astroglia from rat brain.
Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is one of the neurite-promoting factors in the conditioned medium of astroglia. In the present study, we further examined the de novo production of alpha 2M in cultured astroglia by determining the expression of alpha 2M mRNA, and the biosynthesis of [35S]methionine-labeled alpha 2M protein. We analyzed the mRNA of cultured astroglia by differential hybridization using specific probes to alpha 2M and its homologous protein, alpha 1-inhibitor 3 (alpha 1I3), after amplification of reverse-transcribed cDNA with the polymerase chain reaction. The result clearly showed that only alpha 2M mRNA is expressed in cultured astroglia. Northern blotting analysis revealed that alpha 2M mRNA is expressed mainly in the astroglia and is not detected in neurons, microglia and meningeal fibroblasts. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of alpha 2M protein in the astroglia was confirmed by an immunoprecipitation experiment after labeling of each type of cell with [35S]methionine. It was concluded that alpha 2M is produced in the cultured astroglia which is the major source of alpha 2M production among various types of cells in rat brain.
Animals↗
[Occupational skin hazards in hairdressers and their etiologic factors--results of mass health examination at health centers].
From 1986 to '88, mass health examinations for skin disorders among hairdressers were performed in 4 Health Centers in Osaka Prefecture. Among 306 female hairdressers examined, the prevalence of skin lesions was 49.0%, consisting of skin lesions of hands and arms alone 22.9%, nail lesion alone 13.7%, and both 12.4%. Characteristic features of the skin lesions were dryness, roughness, thickening of epidermis, redness, hyperkeratinization, scales, desquamation, etc. In the case of nails, thinning, onycholysis, onychoschisis, pitting, transverse grooves and onychorexis were characteristic. The relationship between prevalence of skin disorders and site of lesions to history or category of work was studied. For the prevention of these skin hazards, improved chemicals, equipment, and hygienic education are necessary. Periodical health-checks including participation by a dermatologist, and health supervision should be continued with cooperation between Health Centers and beauty salons, because these businesses are principally small-size enterprises.
Adolescent↗