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Biomedical subjects

N Kitamura

Publications and source records attributed to N Kitamura.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Mouse hepatocyte growth factor activator gene: its expression not only in the liver but also in the gastrointestinal tract.

A cDNA encoding mouse hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFA) has been cloned by RT-PCR, based on the screening result from the database of expressed sequence tags. Subsequently, its gene was cloned from a mouse genomic bacterial artificial chromosome library using the cDNA as a probe. Sequencing analysis revealed that mouse HGFA protein deduced from the cDNA, similar to its human and rat counterparts, has two epidermal growth factor-like domains, type 1 and 2 fibronectin homology domains, a single kringle domain and a catalytic domain of serine proteinase, and the gene consists of 14 exon spanning approximately 7.5 kb. Interestingly, mouse HGFA mRNA was detected not only in the liver but also in the gastrointestinal tract by RNA blot analysis. Since hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is up-regulated in the damaged gastrointestinal mucosa, our present data suggest that HGFA might activate proHGF directly in the gastrointestinal mucosa and play an important role in wound repair throughout the gastrointestinal tract.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Conserved expression of hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type-2/placental bikunin in human colorectal carcinomas.

Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 2 (HAI-2) was recently identified as a potent inhibitor of hepatocyte growth factor activator. It was also independently reported as placental bikunin (PB) and as a protein over-expressed in pancreatic cancer. The expression of HAI-2/PB was analyzed in human normal colon mucosa, adenomas, and carcinomas. HAI-2/PB mRNA was consistently expressed in the colorectal mucosa. The expression was conserved in the neoplastic colorectal mucosa, and no relationship was found between HAI-2/PB mRNA levels and tumor stages. Moreover, 13 out of 14 colorectal carcinoma cell lines expressed HAI-2/PB mRNA. Immunohistochemically, HAI-2/PB proteins were predominantly stained beneath the apical surface of normal enterocytes. In tumor tissues, rather disarranged intracytoplasmic granular staining was observed. The HAI-2/PB immunoreactivity was well conserved in the colonic adenoma-carcinoma sequence, and this protein may have important unknown function in the intestinal mucosa.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A study on liquid-liquid distribution based on single picoliter droplets and in situ electrochemical measurements.

A microelectrode technique combined with the microcapillary injection/manipulation of a single organic droplet in water was developed. The technique was applied to the study of the distribution of a ferrocene derivative across a single-picoliter-nitrobenzene-droplet/water interface and to the simultaneous in situ electrochemical determination of the distributed solute in the picomole-femtomole range. The liquid-liquid distribution processes were discussed in terms of droplet size and solute concentration (in water) dependencies of the interfacial mass transfer rate.

Electrochemistry↗
PubMed2000

Mediastinal growing teratoma syndrome.

A 27-year-old man had undergone orchiectomy and chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Despite normalization of raised tumor marker levels after postoperative chemotherapy, computed tomographic scanning demonstrated multiple swellings of the para-aortic lymph nodes with extension from beneath the aortic arch to the bifurcation of the descending aorta. Open biopsies of the para-aortic lymph nodes disclosed mature teraroma without malignant cells. The patient presented the typical features of mediastinal and retroperitoneal growing teratoma syndrome. A two stage resection of the tumors was performed via laparotomy and left thoracotomy. Histological examination of the resected specimens revealed a mature teratoma component without malignant cells. Upon follow-up sixteen months later, the patient was well and without recurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Oblique plication for repair of the atrialized ventricle and tricuspid incompetence of Ebstein's anomaly.

An 8-year-old girl who weighed 42 kg presented Ebstein's anomaly with severe tricuspid incompetence, and mild systemic cyanosis during exercise. A new reconstructive procedure for this complex anomaly was used. Oblique transference of the displaced posterior leaflet was performed, which resulted in plication of the atrialized ventricle and reduction in the tricuspid annular diameter. This procedure requires neither detachment nor closure of the tricuspid valve.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection with a minimal atriotomy.

We present an alternative surgical technique for the repair of a partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the higher segment of the superior vena cava. Although the atriotomy is limited in this technique, a sufficiently large systemic venous chamber overlapping to the outside of the superior vena cava can be created.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and CIS (cellular injury score) for scoring of severity for patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of cellular injury score (CIS) and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for determination of the severity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: A medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-seven consecutive MODS patients. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: SOFA score and CIS were measured every day for 12 months for 47 MODS patients. Comparison was made of the SOFA score and CIS for usefulness in the scoring of severity of MODS in 26 survivors and 21 non-survivors. In addition, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to determine the usefulness of these two indexes as predictors of prognosis. No significant differences were found on admission between the survivors and non-survivors, but significant differences between the two subgroups (p < 0.001) were found in maximum value within 1 week after admission and maximum value during the course of treatment for both indexes. Analysis of changes after admission indicated that significant differences between survivors and non-survivors began to appear on day 3 of admission for both indexes; at that time SOFA score began to deteriorate in the non-survivors while CIS began to improve in the survivors. ROC analysis demonstrated that the area under the ROC curve was 0.769 for SOFA scores and 0.760 for CIS. CONCLUSIONS: Both SOFA score and CIS sequentially reflected the severity of MODS. Furthermore, they were comparable in diagnostic value as predictors of prognosis. These findings may indicate the possibility that MODS is a summation of effects of cellular injury. In addition, sequential evaluation of both SOFA score and CIS would provide a more accurate prediction of prognosis than conventional methods.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Altered plasma antigen levels of tissue factor pathway inhibitor during open-heart surgery.

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a potent inhibitor of the extrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade that is activated by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during open-heart surgery. In the present study, we investigated whether the plasma TFPI antigen increases during CPB in 12 patients who underwent bypass procedures. The plasma levels of free and total TFPI antigens were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and heparin concentrations were measured using a chromogenic substrate assay. We found that changes in the total plasma TFPI antigen level were significantly dependent on the level of free TFPI antigen (r = 0.96, P < 0.0001) which increased significantly after heparin injection (P < 0.0001), and increased further during the bypass period (P < 0.005). The increased free TFPI antigen level during CPB correlated with the duration of bypass (r = 0.65, P = 0.02). When heparin was neutralized by protamine, the free TFPI antigen level decreased immediately, but remained higher than the preoperative level (P < 0.005). These results suggest that plasma TFPI antigen levels increase during CPB.

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed2000

A new technique for debridement in rheumatic valvular disease: the rasping procedure.

BACKGROUND: Valve repair is superior to valve replacement in terms of postoperative risk. However, the conventional techniques used for valve repair in patients with rheumatic valvular disease have not resulted in a good long-term outcome. METHODS: We developed a novel "rasping procedure" using an electric rasper for debridement in rheumatic valvular diseases. Between April 1986 and December 1996, the rasping procedure was performed on the aortic valve (A-rasping) of 24 patients who exhibited moderate stenosis with mild regurgitation. Between June 1992 and December 1996, this procedure was performed on the mitral valve (M-rasping) of 12 patients who exhibited mitral stenosis with mild regurgitation. RESULTS: Among the 24 patients on whom A-rasping was performed, 4 patients did not show any improvement after the A-rasping procedure, and required valve replacement. In each of the remaining 20 cases, the transvalvular pressure gradient decreased, and regurgitation disappeared, or was reduced to a trivial level. In all 12 patients on whom M-rasping was performed, the transvalvular pressure gradient significantly decreased, orifice area significantly increased, and the regurgitation disappeared. Postoperative echocardiographic examinations were performed during a mean follow-up period of 110 months in the patients who received A-rasping, and that of 50 months in the patients who received M-rasping. A significant change in the valve requiring subsequent surgery was not seen in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The rasping procedure is an effective technique for excising rheumatic valvular hypertrophic lesions. It resulted in good intermediate to long-term outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm combined with aortic occlusion.

The case of a 73-year-old woman with aneurysms of the thoracoabdominal aorta and distal arch, combined with aortic occlusion, is reported. Cannulation from the femoral artery was not possible because of the aortic occlusion. Blood supply to the abdominal viscera and lower extremities was achieved only by selective perfusion from the celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery, and bilateral renal arteries. A unique choice of selective perfusion for distal circulatory support is described.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Successful control with bromide of two patients with malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy.

A 3-month-old male and a 4-month-old female infant with intractable seizures were diagnosed as having malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy (MMPSI) with developmental arrest on the basis of characteristics of symptoms, clinical courses and EEGs. We treated these two patients with potassium bromide (80 mg/kg) after conventional antiepileptic drugs failed to adequately control the seizures. The potassium bromide therapy resulted in complete control of seizures in one patient, and more than 95% reduction in seizure frequency in the other.

Bromides↗
PubMed2000

Distribution of capsaicin-sensitive substance P- and calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive nerves in bovine respiratory tract.

The distribution of nerve fibers immunoreactive for substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was examined by means of immunohistochemical methods in the respiratory tract from nose to lung of normal and capsaicin-treated cattle. SP- and CGRP-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibers with varicosities were detected in all portions. They were more numerous in calves than in cows. They were abundant in the nasal and laryngeal mucosae and tracheal bronchus, and few in number in the lung. SP- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers were mainly seen in the epithelium, in connective tissue beneath the epithelium and around blood vessels, and in the glands throughout the respiratory tract. In contrast, SP- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers were sparse in the smooth muscle layer. Capsaicin treatment of neonates caused a remarkable reduction in the number of SP- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers in the respiratory tract of calves. Double immunofluorescence experiments showed the colocalization of SP and CGRP in most of the nerve fibers. The present findings suggest that SP- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers are involved in the regulation of the bovine respiratory tract, and that capsaicin-sensitive SP- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers are sensory neurons of the bovine respiratory tract.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

Recurrent nerve nodal involvement is associated with cervical nodal metastasis in thoracic esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Because three-field dissection for esophageal carcinoma is one of the most invasive operations, this procedure should be selected only when strictly indicated; but there are no useful criteria for it. The goal of this study was to identify the useful clinicopathologic factors for indicating three-field dissection. STUDY DESIGN: In this study, we reviewed the survival of patients after three-field dissection and identified factors associated with metastases in cervical nodes (CN), especially internal jugular nodes and supraclavicular nodes. Eighty-six patients who underwent curative esophagectomy with three-field dissection for squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus were enrolled in this study. Survival rates were compared with respect to the presence of nodal metastasis. The relationship between recurrent nerve nodal (RNN) involvement and CN metastasis (bilateral internal jugular nodes, supraclavicular nodes, or both) was examined. Clinicopathologic factors possibly influencing CN metastasis were studied by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate was 45.1%. The 5-year survival rate for patients without metastatic nodes was 67.5%, for patients with one to four metastatic nodes it was 53.1%, and for patients with five or more it was 9.1 %. The prognosis of those with five or more metastatic nodes was significantly poorer than those of the other two groups. In the positive-node group, the 5-year survival rate for patients with RNN metastasis was 21.7%, and for patients with negative RNN it was 47.0% (p = 0.2). In the positive-node group, the 5-year survival rate for patients with positive CN was 13.7% and for patients with negative CN it was 45.8% (p = 0.01). Fifty-six (88.9%) of 63 patients without RNN metastasis had no CN metastasis in contrast to 13 of 23 patients (56.5%) with RNN metastasis who had no CN metastasis (p = 0.001). The positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity were 43.5%, 88.8%, 58.8%, and 81.2%, respectively. The number of metastatic nodes (5 or more versus 0-4) (odds ratio: 2.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.6-5.5, p = 0.0008) and RNN involvement (odds ratio: 4.5, 95% CI = 1.3-15.9, p = 0.02) were the significant factors associated with CN metastasis in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: RNN involvement is associated with CN metastasis as is the number of metastatic nodes and may be an indicator for the selection of three-field dissection in thoracic esophageal carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

High collagenolytic activity in spontaneously highly metastatic variants derived from a human pancreatic cancer cell line (SUIT-2) in nude mice.

Cell lines with high metastatic capacity to the lung were established by sequential passage of a human pancreatic cancer cell line (SUIT-2) through the lung of a nude mouse, via the lateral tail vein and from a subcutaneous inoculum. Cells of the parental SUIT-2 and sublines S2-VPx (x-cycle selection from SUIT-2 cells, by Vein-Pulmonary metastasis-culture) and S2-CPx (x-cycle selection, by Cutis-Pulmonary metastasis-culture) were injected intravenously or subcutaneously into nude mice to produce experimental or spontaneous lung metastasis. The S2-VP10 cell line produced pulmonary metastases in 100% of the nude mice, when injected intravenously. It failed, however, to produce more lung colonies than its parent cell line, when injected subcutaneously. The S2-CP8 cell line produced extensive pulmonary metastases in 100% of the nude mice, when injected either intravenously or subcutaneously. This study indicates that the nude mouse provided a good model for in vivo selection of metastatic cells from SUIT-2 cells both experimentally and spontaneously, and that the SUIT-2, S2-VPx, and S2-CPx cell lines will be valuable in the study of human cancer metastasis. We previously reported high levels of ezrin expression in the S2-VP10 and S2-CP8 cell lines. Here we show that these cell lines exhibit a greater capacity to invade or attach to various extracellular matrix components than the parent SUIT-2 cells. The S2-CP8 cell lines also exhibit greater level of type-I and type-IV collagen-degrading activity than the parent SUIT-2 cell line and the S2-VP10 cell line, which shows similar collagen-degrading activity to the parent SUIT-2 cells. In RT-PCR studies, SUIT-2, S2-CP8 and S2-VP10 cell lines constitutively expressed many matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP7, MMP-9, MMP-10 and MMP-14). These results suggest that some parameters that enhance adhesion and invasion are important to both experimental and spontaneous metastasis and the collagen degrading enzymes are predicted to play a key-role during spontaneous metastasis.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Abnormal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor in the corticolimbic system of schizophrenic patients.

Previous neuropathological studies have revealed that the corticolimbic system of schizophrenic patients expresses abnormal levels of various synaptic molecules, which are known to be influenced by the neuronal differentiation factors, neurotrophins. Therefore, we determined levels of neurotrophins and their receptors in the postmortem brains of schizophrenic patients and control subjects in relation to molecular impairments in schizophrenia. Among the neurotrophins examined, levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were elevated specifically in the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus of schizophrenic patients, but levels of nerve growth factors and neurotrophin-3 showed no change in any of the regions examined. In parallel, the expressions of TrkB receptor and calbindin-D, which are both influenced by BDNF, were reduced significantly in the hippocampus or the prefrontal cortex. However, neuroleptic treatment did not appear to mimic the neurotrophic change. Neither withdrawal of drug treatment in patients nor chronic administration of haloperidol to rats altered levels of BDNF. These findings suggest that neurotrophic abnormality is associated with the corticolimbic structures of schizophrenic patients and might provide the molecular substrate for pathological manifestations of the illness.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Cultured human monocytes secrete fibronectin in response to activation by proinflammatory cytokines.

We studied the effects of the cytokines IL-1alpha, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-4, IL-10, IL-13 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on fibronectin (FN) production by cultured-human monocytes. IL-1alpha, IL-6 and TNF-alpha all increased FN production, an indicator of monocyte activation. These cytokines increased FN production in a dose-dependent fashion, with a 4-h treatment being sufficient to measure FN production by radioimmunoassay. Conversely, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13 strongly inhibited cytokine-induced FN production, while TGF-beta only partially inhibited FN production. The combination of suboptimal doses of cytokines (IL-1alpha + IL-6, IL-1alpha + TNF-alpha, IL-6 + TNF-alpha), which could not singly induce substantial amounts of FN, were able to induce FN production by cultured monocytes. Northern blot analysis with a cDNA specific for FN confirmed the expression of FN mRNA in cultured monocytes stimulated with a single cytokine or a combination of cytokines. Our data demonstrate that monocytes may not always require high concentrations of cytokines for activation in vitro, and that the synergistic or additive action of low levels of cytokines on monocyte activation may be sufficient to promote immune or inflammatory reactions. Our data also suggest that certain T cell cytokines may regulate monocyte activation.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed2000

A hrs binding protein having a Src homology 3 domain is involved in intracellular degradation of growth factors and their receptors.

BACKGROUND: Hrs (hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate) is an early endosomal protein that is rapidly tyrosine-phosphorylated in cells stimulated with growth factors. Hrs is thought to play a regulatory role in the endocytosis of growth factor/receptor complexes through early endosomes. In this study, we searched for Hrs-interacting molecules which may regulate the function of Hrs, using a yeast two-hybrid system. RESULTS: We isolated a cDNA clone encoding a novel Src homology 3 (SH3)-containing protein, and named it 'Hrs binding protein' (Hbp). Hbp was co-immunoprecipitated with Hrs, and its intracellular localization was similar to that of Hrs. The association between Hbp and Hrs was mediated through the coiled coil motifs in Hbp and Hrs. Deletion mutants of Hbp lacking either the SH3 domain or the Hrs binding domain showed dominantly negative effects on the intracellular degradation of a growth factor and its receptor, but not on the internalization of growth factor/receptor complexes. CONCLUSIONS: Hbp is thought to be closely associated with Hrs on early endosomes. Hbp, together with Hrs may play a regulatory role in the vesicular transport of growth factor/receptor complexes through early endosomes, for their degradation.

3T3 Cells↗