Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Kondo.
Two children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) were given photosensitive dye Platonin in combination with prednisolone. Analysis of clinical and laboratory data showed that Platonin was efficacious in the improvement of the clinical symptoms and the severity of inflammation, or in the maintenance of the remission state. There were no adverse side effects during long-term administration of medication.
Polyarteritis nodosa (PN), characterized by vasculitis of medium and small sized arteries, is uncommon in children. This disease is thought to be concerned with some abnormal immune responses. Platonin (4,4'-dimethyl-3,3'-di-n-heptyl-8-[2-(4-methyl-3-n-heptylthiazole) ]-2,2'- dicarbocyanine diiodine) is one of the photosensitive dyes of trithiazole pentamethine cyanine. It has been reported that platonin stimulated suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, but suppressed B cells. In clinical observations, platonin is shown to be efficacious for rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, a Japanese boy (9-year-old) with PN was given platonin in combination with prednisolone. Prednisolone was gradually tapered under a cover of platonin. As a result, the relapse has not been exhibited for a long time (72 months). There were no adverse side effects during long term administration of medication.
We present a theoretical study of the probability of isolating a particular clone from a DNA library. There are differences in this probability between primary and amplified libraries even if the desired clone represents the same fraction of both libraries. As the result, we must screen severalfold more phage or bacteria in an amplified library than in a primary library.
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Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder or renal pelvis is rare in children. We report 2 children with TCC of the bladder and 1 with TCC of the renal pelvis. One of the two children with bladder carcinoma experienced frequent intravesical recurrences, which is in contrast to the usual clinical course of bladder carcinoma in children. In the 3rd child, renal pelvic carcinoma was found incidentally in a renal pelvis specimen removed during pyeloplasty.
The antitumor effects of droloxifene (DROL, (E)-alpha-[p-[2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy]-phenyl]-alpha-ethyl-3-stilbeno l), a new antiestrogen drug, on 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced estrogen-dependent mammary tumors in rats were studied and compared with those of tamoxifen (TAM). Mammary tumors appeared from about 2 months after p.o. administration of DMBA to female rats, and all of them were estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor positive. DROL and TAM (p.o.) inhibited the growth of the tumors. Both drugs inhibited the binding of 125I-estradiol-17 beta to ER in the cytosol of the tumor in vitro, and the effect of DROL was much stronger than that of TAM. When 3H-estradiol-17 beta (3H-E2) was given s.c. to rats with the mammary tumors, 3H-E2 accumulated in the tumors, uteri and vaginae in which the ER levels are known to be high, but was low in the heart, in which the ER levels are normally low. DROL and TAM decreased the levels of 3H-E2 in the tumors, uteri and vaginae, but had no effect in the hearts. When DROL or TAM was given p.o. to rats daily for 7 consecutive days after administration of DMBA, they inhibited the induction of mammary tumors by DMBA. From these results, DROL inhibits the growth and the initiation of DMBA-induced mammary tumors by inhibiting the binding of estrogen to its receptor.
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It has been reported that respiratory frequency (F) serves to determine anaerobic threshold (AT). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the method detecting AT by using F is influenced by the subject's condition such as the existence of sport experiences. Ten healthy adults volunteered to perform progressive cycle ergometer exercise with workloads increased by 30-W (female:20-W) every 2 min at 60 rpm. VO2 at AT were determined by four different methods, which detect the point of 1)nonlinear increase in VE, VCO2, and increase in VE/VO2 without increasing in VE/VCO2 (AT-v), 2) nonlinear increase in F (visual estimation: AT-VF), 3) inflection in F by multisegment linear regression (AT-CF), 4) inflection with omitting above RC point as with 3) (AT-CF2). The mean VO2 at AT-VF (40.8 +/- 9.2 ml/kg/min) and AT-CF (42.7 +/- 9.9 ml/kg/min) was significantly higher compared with AT-V (28.2 +/- 10.4 ml/kg/min) and not RC (42.3 +/- 10.0 ml/kg/min). It would be possible that AT-VF and AT-CF indicated RC, but not AT. There were no significant differences between AT-CF2 (28.2 +/- 10.9 ml/kg/min) and AT-V, and a highly positive correlation (r = 0.79, p less than 0.05) was observed between them. It was recognized that F reached a plateau at AT in four of the subjects. The error between AT-V and AT-CF2 was observed individual variations and the error between them within 5% was observed in only one subject. These results suggest that F is inadequate as an indicator of the AT, because F may be influenced by entrainment of breathing and pedalling frequency.
Recently, we encountered 9 cases of urachal tumor and conducted clinical studies on its diagnosis and treatment. The chief complaint was gross hematuria in all cases. Computed tomographic scan was performed in 7 cases, and in all cases it revealed a tumor between the dome of the bladder and the Retzius' cavity. This finding strongly suggested a urachal tumor before pathological study. Magnetic imaging resonance (MIR) was performed in one of the 9 cases, and it indicated the extent of the tumor more clearly than computed tomography. Partial cystectomy + en bloc removal of the umbilicus and urachus was performed in 5 cases, radical cystectomy + en bloc removal of the umbilicus and urachus was performed in 2 cases, and radical cystectomy was performed in 2 cases. As postoperative therapy, radiotherapy was administered to 4 cases, and chemotherapy was administered to 4 cases. One case died from cancer after 4 years and 10 months, while the other 8 cases are being treated on an outpatient basis without any local recurrence. All 5 patients who underwent partial cystectomy are alive (mean survival time: 97 months). Thus we believe that cure can be achieved by partial cystectomy and adjuvant therapy. In addition, serum carcinoembryonic antigen is thought to be useful as an indicator of residual tumor or local recurrence.
Hemorrhage into a pancreatic pseudocyst is a rare event, but is the most rapidly lethal complication of chronic pancreatitis. Visceral-vessel aneurysms are an unexpectedly common finding in arteriography of patients with chronic pancreatitis. This case report describes bleeding from an anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysm, caused by chronic pancreatitis. The aneurysm was successfully treated by embolization with a steel coil.
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Asparagine-linked sugar chains obtained from the plasma membranes of human acute lymphocytic leukemic cells, human B cells, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B cell lines, and T cells were quantitatively liberated from the polypeptide portions by hydrazinolysis followed by N-acetylation and NaB3H4 reduction. The radioactive oligosaccharides were fractionated by high-voltage paper electrophoresis. Their structures were studied by column chromatography and sequential exoglycosidase digestion. The neutral oligosaccharides were of a high mannose type. The acidic oligosaccharides were bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary complex-type sugar chains with Man alpha----(Man alpha----) Man beta----GlcNAc beta----(+/- Fuc alpha----)GlcNAc as their cores. A comparative study of the oligosaccharides of these cells revealed that the biantennary complex-type sugar chain with bisecting N-acetylglucosamine residues was found only in B cells, B lymphoblasts, and B cell lines. High molecular weight oligosaccharides decreased during the differentiation stage of lymphocytes.
The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) who are sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk were significantly higher than responses of PBMCs of healthy children and hen's egg- or cow's milk-sensitive children with immediate symptoms. However, the percentages of positive RAST for hen's egg or cow's milk in the patients with AD were lower than percentages in the patients with immediate symptoms. In the patients with AD, there were no significant correlations between the proliferative responses of PBMCs and the RAST values. There were no significant differences of RAST scores among groups of patients having different degrees of severity of AD. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin in patients with severe AD or moderate AD who were sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk tended to be higher than responses of patients with mild AD, respectively, but there were no significant differences in those results. Taken together, the combination of RAST and the detection of proliferative responses of PBMCs to each food antigen is very useful in the diagnosis of hypersensitivity in children with AD who are sensitive to food allergens.
The rate of O(2) uptake and the activity of NAD-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD-ICDH) of mitochondria isolated from castor bean cotyledons were increased by added cis, trans-abscisic acid (ABA) in an in vitro system, while the NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH) was not affected by cis, trans-ABA. Trans, trans-ABA showed only a slightly inhibitory effect on O(2) uptake. The V(max) value for the isotherm of isocitrate by the enzyme was also increased by cis, trans-ABA. The isocitrate K(m) value for the enzyme with cis, trans-ABA was calculated to be approximately 249.8 micromolar, while the S(0.5) for the enzyme without the ABA was 151.6 micromolar. The n value calculated from the slopes of Hill plots of the reaction velocity of NAD-ICDH against isocitrate concentration was 1.5 in the mitochondrial fraction in the absence of ABA, and cis, trans-ABA treatment decreased the value to 1.0. Cis, trans-ABA also partly overcame the inhibition of NAD-ICDH activity by ATP.
Molecular species and fatty acid distribution of triacylglycerol (TG) accumulated in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves fumigated with ozone (0.5 microliter per liter) were compared with those of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG). Analysis of positional distribution of the fatty acids in MGDG and the accumulated TG by the enzymatic digestion method showed that hexadecatrienoate (16:3) was restricted to sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone in both MGDG and TG, whereas alpha-linolenate (18:3) was preferentially located at sn-1 position in MGDG, and sn-1 and/or sn-3 positions in TG, suggesting that 1,2-diacylglycerol moieties of MGDG are the direct precursor of TG in ozonefumigated leaves. Further analysis of TG molecular species by argentation chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that TG increased with ozone fumigation consisted of approximately an equal molar ratio of sn-1,3-18:3-2-16:3 and sn-1,2,3-18:3. Because the molecular species of MGDG in spinach leaves is composed of a similar molar ratio of sn-1-18:3-2-16:3 and sn-1,2-18:3, we concluded that MGDG was converted to 1,2-diacylglycerol and acylated with 18:3 to TG in ozone-fumigated spinach leaves.
When the upper leaf surface of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants was treated with [1-(14)C]acetate and grown for 2 days, (14)C was effectively incorporated into acyl moieties of leaf lipids in ratios approximately their composition by mass. Fumigation of the plants with ozone (0.5 microliter per liter) caused a redistribution of (14)C among lipid classes, i.e. a marked increase of (14)C content in triacylglycerol (TG) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (1,2-DG) and a decrease of label in monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) without affecting (14)C distribution in leaf fatty acids. Label in both TG and 1,2-DG was found predominantly in their polyene molecular species. Since MGDG consists of similar polyene molecular species, the results indicate the synthesis of TG from MGDG via 1,2-DG. Label was also accumulated in tri- and tetragalactosyldiacylglycerol, products of galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase (GGGT). Moreover, there was a close relation between increases in the amounts of TG and the oligogalactolipids in ozonetreated leaves. These results indicate that MGDG was converted to 1,2-DG by GGGT and then to TG. In intact chloroplasts isolated from ozone-treated leaves, there was an enhanced production of free fatty acid (FFA), which was diminished by the addition of coenzyme A (CoA) and ATP, indicating that ozone stimulated the hydrolysis of MGDG to liberate FFA, which was in turn converted to acyl-CoA. The final step of TG synthesis, acylation of 1,2-DG with acyl-CoA, was confirmed by feeding with [1-(14)C]linolenic acid in leaf discs excised from ozone-fumigated leaves; (14)C was effectively incorporated into TG but not into 1,2-DG. These results demonstrate the synthesis of TG from 1,2-DG and FFA which were liberated from MGDG in ozone-fumigated spinach leaves.