[A case of successful TIPS placement for gastrointestinal hemorrhage from portal hypertensive gastropathy due to complete portal venous thrombosis].
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Hemorrhage↗
Biomedical subjects
N Koizumi
Publications and source records attributed to N Koizumi.
Changes in plasma arginine vasopressin concentration during lactation in rats.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The objectives of the study reported here were to determine whether a change in the plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentration occurred in lactating, compared with non-lactating rats and to examine the involvement of suckling with plasma AVP concentration. METHODS: Experiments were performed on 86 female Wister Imamichi rats, 12 weeks old at parturition, with fast lactation. On day 13 of lactation, AVP concentration and plasma osmotic pressure were measured in lactating and non-lactating rats. RESULTS: Plasma AVP concentration was always higher in rats of the lactating groups than in non-lactating controls (1.06 +/- 0.28 pg/ml), and a conspicuous increase in AVP concentration was seen during the postsuckling period (1.70-0.61 pg/ml before vs. 2.56 +/- 1.31 pg/ml after suckling, P < 0.05). Plasma osmotic pressure in lactating rats with 12 pups (296.6 +/- 5.2 mOsmol/kg x H2O) was lower than that in rats of the removed control groups (306.7 +/- 5.7 mOsmol/kg x H2O). CONCLUSION: On the basis of these results, it appears that "low plasma osmotic pressure-high AVP status" develops in the lactating period, similar to pregnancy, through resetting of the regulatory mechanism of the AVP system. It was concluded that suckling stimulation could release AVP, which could dilute the blood with water resulting in the increase in circulating blood volume.
Animals↗
Cultivation of corneal epithelial cells on intact and denuded human amniotic membrane.
PURPOSE: Surgery to reconstruct the ocular surface is greatly facilitated by the use of amniotic membrane, either as a biologic drape or, more recently, as a substrate for the transplantation of cultivated corneal epithelial cells. This study was designed to compare the usefulness of intact and denuded human amniotic membranes as a substrate for corneal epithelial cell culture. METHODS: Small (3-mm-diameter) biopsy specimens of superficial cornea including epithelium were excised from the central and limbal regions in rabbits. They were cultured on human amniotic membrane with or without amniotic epithelial cells and examined by light, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Cellular outgrowth from the central explants (n = 10) after 14 days in culture measured 1.82 +/- 2.62 mm2 on intact amniotic membrane and 131.83 +/- 28.31 mm2 on denuded amniotic membrane. In contrast, outgrowths from the limbal explants (n = 10) at the same time measured 4.58 +/- 4.56 and 505.39 +/- 134.20 mm2 on intact and denuded amniotic membranes, respectively. The leading edges of the outgrowths on intact amniotic membrane were much less uniform than those on denuded amniotic membrane, and, in the former, corneal epithelial cells appeared to migrate over the top of amniotic epithelial cells. Limbal cells cultivated on denuded amniotic membrane formed a nicely stratified layer that adhered well to the underlying amniotic membrane. CONCLUSIONS: Denuded amniotic membrane appears to be an excellent substrate for the cultivation of corneal epithelial cells, with a view to transplantation.
3T3 Cells↗
Effect of intestinal helminthiasis on nutritional status of schoolchildren.
This study was conducted in a rural agricultural area in Siniloan, Republic of the Philippines. The subjects were the school children. The nutritional status of 58 children infected with helminthiasis (Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura) was compared with that of 19 uninfected controls. Prevalence of Ascaris and Trichuris was 40.3% and 71.4% respectively, and 36.4% of infected children had both Ascaris and Trichuris infections. Statistically significant evidence of an adverse effect of helminthiasis on serum albumin levels was found, but no child had inadequate levels of other nutrients. Although helminthic infections increase the level of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in children endemically exposed to these parasites, there was no significant difference in the serum IgE among Ascaris or Trichuris infected groups in this study.
Adolescent↗
Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin-binding region of Bombyx mori aminopeptidase N.
The Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin-binding region of Bombyx mori aminopeptidase N (APN) was analyzed, to better understand the molecular mechanism of susceptibility to the toxin and the development of resistance in insects. APN was digested with lysylendopeptidase and the ability of the resulting fragments to bind to Cry1Aa and 1Ac toxins was examined. The binding abilities of the two toxins to these fragments were different. The Cry1Aa toxin bound to the fragment containing 40-Asp to 313-Lys, suggesting that the Cry1Aa toxin-binding site is located in the region between 40-Asp and 313-Lys, while Cry1Ac toxin bound exclusively to mature APN. Next, recombinant APN of various lengths was expressed in Escherichia coli cells and its ability to bind to Cry1Aa toxin was examined. The results localized the Cry1Aa toxin binding to the region between 135-Ile and 198-Pro.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Characterizations of mouse hepatic microsomal monooxygenase catalyzing 11beta-hydroxylation of osaterone acetate.
Osaterone acetate (17alpha-acetoxy-6-chloro-2-oxa-4,6-pregnadiene-3,20-dione, OA) is a new steroidal antiandrogen. There is a marked species difference in the metabolism of OA in that 11beta-hydroxylated metabolites are found in the plasma, feces, and urine of mice after oral administration of OA, but there is very little metabolism in rats and humans. OA reduces the adrenal gland weight in mice, but not in rats, and this effect in mice might be explained by the species difference in 11beta-hydroxylation activity. The objectives of this study were to elucidate the enzyme(s) involved in this particular oxidation and to explain the species difference observed. Mouse hepatic microsomes oxidize OA to 11beta-OH OA, and this oxidation requires NADPH as a cofactor. The use of various competitive and allosteric inhibitors of cytochrome P450 and flavin-containing monooxygenase (i.e. CO, N-octylamine, and methimazole) showed that the oxidation of OA was catalyzed by cytochrome P450. In microsomes from mice pretreated with phenobarbital (a CYP2B-selective inducer), 3-methylcholanthrene (a CYP1A-selective inducer), pregnenolone-16alpha-carbonitrile (a CYP3A-selective inducer), and EtOH (a CYP2E-selective inducer), an increase in the rates of oxidation was seen only in microsomes from EtOH-treated animals. However, metyrapone, a selective inhibitor for enzymes of the cytochrome P45011B and P4502B family, inhibited mouse hepatic microsomal 11beta-hydroxylation by < 30%. The results obtained showed that the production of 11beta-OH OA may be catalyzed by a novel cytochrome P450 in mouse liver.
Androgen Antagonists↗
The lipopolysaccharide-binding protein participating in hemocyte nodule formation in the silkworm Bombyx mori is a novel member of the C-type lectin superfamily with two different tandem carbohydrate-recognition domains.
We recently isolated and characterized the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein, BmLBP, from the larval hemolymph of the silkworm Bombyx mori. BmLBP is a pattern recognition molecule that recognizes the lipid A portion of LPS and participates in a cellular defense reaction. This paper describes the cDNA cloning of BmLBP. The deduced amino acid sequence of BmLBP revealed that BmLBP is a novel member of the C-type lectin superfamily with a unique structural feature that consists of two different carbohydrate-recognition domains in tandem, a short and a long form.
Acute-Phase Proteins↗
cDNA cloning and expression of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin binding 120 kDa aminopeptidase N from Bombyx mori.
Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin binds to a 120 kDa putative receptor protein in the Bombyx mori midgut. Recently, this protein was purified and identified as glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored aminopeptidase N (APN). In this study, a full-length cDNA thought to encode this 120 kDa APN was isolated and sequenced. It has a 2958 bp ORF encoding 986 amino acids. In the deduced amino acid sequence, we identified GPI-anchor and zinc-metallopeptidase signals, which are the same as those of APNs of other insects that are reported to be putative Cry1 toxin receptors. The B. mori APN amino acid sequence also has a high similarity with those of the other APNs. Subsequently, the recombinant APN was expressed by Escherichia coli and its Cry1Aa toxin binding ability was analyzed. Ligand blotting showed that Cry1Aa toxin bound to the recombinant APN.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Acaloleptins A: inducible antibacterial peptides from larvae of the beetle, Acalolepta luxuriosa.
We purified and characterized three structurally related antibacterial peptides with a molecular mass of 8 kDa (acaloleptins A1, A2, and A3) from the hemolymph of immunized larvae of the Udo longicorn beetle, Acalolepta luxuriosa. These peptides have the same 6 N-terminal amino acid residues and show potent antibacterial activity against some Gram-negative bacteria. The three peptides are thought to be isoforms. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the hemolymph of immunized and naive larvae showed that acaloleptins A1, A2, and A3 were inducible and suggested that all three peptides were produced in a single insect. We determined the complete amino acid sequence of acaloleptin A1: Acaloleptin A1 consists of 71 amino acid residues and shares significant sequence similarity with coleoptericin and holotricin 2, which were isolated from other coleopteran insects. Furthermore, the 29 C-terminal residues of acaloleptin A1 had 40% identity with the 30 C-terminal residues of hymenoptaecin found in honeybees. Arch. Insect Biochem.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Binding of phylogenetically distant Bacillus thuringiensis cry toxins to a Bombyx mori aminopeptidase N suggests importance of Cry toxin's conserved structure in receptor binding.
We investigated the binding proteins for three Cry toxins, Cry1Aa, Cry1Ac, and the phylogenetically distant Cry9Da, in the midgut cell membrane of the silkworm. In a ligand blot experiment, Cry1Ac and Cry9Da bound to the same 120-kDa aminopeptidase N (APN) as Cry1Aa. A competition experiment with the ligand blot indicated that the three toxins share the same binding site on several proteins. The values of the dissociation constants of the three Cry toxins and 120-kDa APN are as low as the case of other Cry toxins and receptors. These results suggest that distantly related Cry toxins bind to the same site on the same proteins, especially with APN. We propose that the conserved structure in these three toxins includes the receptor-binding site.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Itai-itai disease is not associated with polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor alpha gene.
Itai-itai (or ouch-ouch) disease is a syndrome accompanied by bone mineral disorders, and which may be related to oral cadmium exposure. Itai-itai predominantly affects postmenopausal women with a history of multiple childbirths. Recently, it has been reported that polymorphisms of the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene are associated with postmenopausal reduction of bone mineral density in Japanese women. However, estrogen receptors have never been studied in itai-itai disease. In this study, we examined the genotypic distributions of PvuII and XbaI restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the ERalpha gene in patients with itai-itai disease and compared them with those of control subjects. The RFLPs are represented here as Pp (PvuII) and Xx (XbaI); the capital and small letters signify the absence and presence of restriction sites, respectively. The genotypic distributions of the patient group were: PP, 14.8%; Pp, 55.6%; pp, 29.6%; XX, 7.4%; Xx, 29.6%; and xx, 63.0%. These distributions were similar to those observed for the control groups, hence no pattern of genotypic distribution was observed that could be related to itai-itai disease. We conclude that RFLPs of the ERalpha gene may not be associated with itai-itai disease.
Adult↗
Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein of Bombyx mori participates in a hemocyte-mediated defense reaction against gram-negative bacteria.
BmLBP is a lipopolysaccharide-binding protein in B. mori and participates in bacterial clearance in vivo. Here, we investigated the function of BmLBP more specifically. More than 90% of injected gram-negative rough strains to which BmLBP binds were removed from the plasma within 30 min post-injection, whereas it required 8h for the clearance of smooth strains to which BmLBP does not bind. Observation of the hemocoel after the injection of Escherichia coli rough strain showed that melanized nodules were formed at 30 min post-injection when the clearance of injected E. coli cells had occurred. Fluorescence microscope observation revealed that E. coli cells were actually trapped in the nodules formed in vivo. Furthermore, plasma pre-treated E. coli rough cells (BmLBP bound) added to hemocytes isolated in vitro caused vigorous hemocyte aggregations with the bacteria, while plasma pre-treated smooth cells did not. The formation of aggregates was inhibited by anti-BmLBP serum pre-treatment, suggesting that BmLBP causes the clearance of bacteria by promoting hemocyte nodule formation.
Journal Article↗
Gibberellin-responsive genes: high level of transcript accumulation in leaf sheath meristematic tissue from Zea mays L.
In order to identify genes that are related to the gibberellin (GA) response in maize (Zea mays L.), mRNA species from wild-type and single-gene dwarf mutants, d5 and D8, were compared by fluorescent differential display. The d5 mutant is unable to produce biologically active GA, but recovers its tall stature on exogenous application of GA. D8 is insensitive to GA, despite the accumulation of a high level of endogenous GA, suggesting it to be a receptor mutant or a mutant in signal transduction pathway(s). After screening 7000 cDNA populations, one clone was isolated, for which transcripts were rare in d5 shoots but accumulated within 1 h after GA3 application. This clone, designated as ZmGR1a, encodes a polypeptide with a relative molecular mass of ca. 13 kDa, which shows significant homology to proline-rich proteins from several plant species. A similar experiment with D8 identified a clone, ZmGR2a, with low transcript levels, but accumulation within 6 h after GA3 treatment of d5 shoots. ZmGR2a encodes a polypeptide with a relative molecular mass of ca. 19 kDa, which shows no significant homology with any known protein. Southern blot analysis indicated that ZmGR1a and ZmGR2a form a small multigene family within the maize genome. In situ hybridization with wild-type seedlings showed transcripts on both to be abundant in leaf sheath meristematic tissue, in which GA enhances cell elongation and cell division.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Overexpression of a gene that encodes the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of asparagine-linked glycans makes plants resistant to tunicamycin and obviates the tunicamycin-induced unfolded protein response.
The cytotoxic drug tunicamycin kills cells because it is a specific inhibitor of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:dolichol phosphate N-acetylglucosamine-1-P transferase (GPT), an enzyme that catalyzes the initial step of the biosynthesis of dolichol-linked oligosaccharides. In the presence of tunicamycin, asparagine-linked glycoproteins made in the endoplasmic reticulum are not glycosylated with N-linked glycans, and therefore may not fold correctly. Such proteins may be targeted for breakdown. Cells that are treated with tunicamycin normally experience an unfolded protein response and induce genes that encode endoplasmic reticulum chaperones such as the binding protein (BiP). We isolated a cDNA clone for Arabidopsis GPT and overexpressed it in Arabidopsis. The transgenic plants have a 10-fold higher level of GPT activity and are resistant to 1 microg/mL tunicamycin, a concentration that kills control plants. Transgenic plants grown in the presence of tunicamycin have N-glycosylated proteins and the drug does not induce BiP mRNA levels as it does in control plants. BiP mRNA levels are highly induced in both control and GPT-expressing plants by azetidine-2-carboxylate. These observations suggest that excess GPT activity obviates the normal unfolded protein response that cells experience when exposed to tunicamycin.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Sucrose and Cytokinin Modulation of WPK4, a Gene Encoding a SNF1-Related Protein Kinase from Wheat.
WPK4, a gene encoding a putative protein kinase, was initially identified in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and shown to be up-regulated by light, nutrient deprivation, and cytokinins. To confirm that WPK4 has protein kinase activity, the protein was produced in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase. The purified protein exhibited autophosphorylation activity and phosphorylated both myelin basic protein and a peptide fragment of rice 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase. Levels of WPK4 transcripts in wheat seedlings were increased and decreased by the removal and addition of sucrose (Suc), respectively, to the culture medium. The introduction of the N-terminal kinase region of WPK4 into the yeast snf1 mutant cells, which cannot utilize Suc as a carbon source, rescued growth in Suc-containing medium. Cytokinins up-regulated the accumulation of WPK4 transcripts, but their effects were cancelled by the addition of Suc. Our results suggest that Suc negatively regulates the signaling pathway in which transcriptional activation of WPK4 is mediated by cytokinins.
Journal Article↗
Detection of herpes simplex virus DNA in atypical epithelial keratitis using polymerase chain reaction.
AIM: To study herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA in tears from patients with atypical epithelial keratitis of unknown aetiology. METHODS: Tear samples were collected from 17 affected eyes of 17 consecutive patients suffering from epithelial keratitis in whom HSV keratitis was suspected but whose diagnosis was difficult on the basis of clinical manifestations alone. Using reduced sensitivity polymerase chain reaction (PCR), tear samples were tested for HSV DNA. Tears from the unaffected eyes of the 17 patients were also examined, along with 38 tear samples from 19 normal volunteers. Southern blot analysis was performed to confirm that amplified DNA bands were specific for HSV. Clinical correlation with photographs of corneal lesions was also investigated. RESULTS: HSV DNA was detected in tears from the affected eyes of eight of the 17 patients with suspected HSV keratitis. Tears from the affected eyes of the other patients were PCR negative, as were tears from the unaffected eyes of all 17 patients, and from the 38 normal eyes. There was no correlation between PCR results and clinical manifestation of keratitis. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the sensitivity of the PCR system, eight of 17 suspected HSV keratitis patients were confirmed as suffering from HSV keratitis. HSV keratitis should therefore be considered as a possible diagnosis in atypical epithelial keratitis.
Adult↗
Differential accumulation of transcripts encoding sulfur assimilation enzymes upon sulfur and/or nitrogen deprivation in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Expression of nine genes encoding enzymes involved in the sulfur assimilation pathway was examined by RNA blot hybridization. Significantly increased levels of transcripts encoding ATP sulfurylase and APS reductase were apparent under sulfur deprivation. However, in the absence of nitrogen, their responsiveness to sulfur deprivation was markedly reduced. Results suggest that the sulfur assimilation pathway is regulated at the transcriptional level by both nitrogen and sulfur sources.
Colombia↗
CT-guided agar marking for localization of nonpalpable peripheral pulmonary lesions.
BACKGROUND: Small pulmonary lesions with ground-glass opacity (GGO) are increasingly detected by CT; however, intraoperative localization of such lesions is difficult because these lesions are often invisible and nonpalpable. STUDY OBJECTIVES: To localize and resect nonpalpable and invisible small pulmonary lesions, a new marking technique that we call "agar marking" was developed. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Powdered agar was dissolved in distilled water at a concentration of 5% and kept at > 50 degrees C to maintain its liquid form. Agar was injected through an 18-gauge needle and placed near the target lesion with CT. After animal experiments, agar marking was applied to the nine patients who had lesions < 20 mm in diameter and lesions with GGO. The mean diameter of these lesions was 11 mm, with a mean depth of 19 mm from the pleural surface on CT. RESULTS: Agar could be detected as a hard nodule by manual palpation, and the lesion was resected during thoracotomy in all cases. There were no complications associated with the agar injection, aside from one case of slight pneumothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Agar marking may represent a feasible alternative technique for localizing nonpalpable occult lesions located away from the pleural surface.
Agar↗