Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Matsuo.
We report a 64-year-old woman who developed endogenous endophthalmitis in the course of severe periodontitis. Histopathological examination of the vitreous debris obtained during vitrectomy disclosed fungi and its culture identified Aspergillus flavus. Periodontitis should be considered as one of the infectious foci for endogenous fungal endophthalmitis as well as bacterial endophthalmitis.
A new natural mosquito repellent was isolated from fresh leaves of Vitex rotundifolia. Its structure was elucidated by an extensive NMR spectral analysis to be a cyclopentene dialdehyde named rotundial. This compound possessed potent repelling activity against Aedes aegypti.
BACKGROUND: Establishment of effective combination chemotherapy regimen for patients with an adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix has been long-awaited because there has been no documentation concerning chemosensitivity of this tumor against conventional antitumor agents. METHODS: To search for an effective combination regimen, 15 conventional antitumor drugs were tested for growth inhibitory effects on five different cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines. RESULTS: Etoposide, mitomycin C, adriamycin, epirubicin, and vinblastine, were singularly effective. Effects of combination chemotherapy were also tested using the above five antitumor agents plus interferon-gamma. Etoposide, mitomycin C, and interferon-gamma were the most effective when given in combination. CONCLUSIONS: Combined treatment with the above three drugs seems worthy of consideration for clinical application.
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The relationship between personality types and the symptoms of emesis gravidarum in pregnant women was analyzed by means of the Cattel personality test (revised by Nishizono) performed in early and mid pregnancy. Personality types were classified into five from cyclothymia A to schizothymia E. As for emesis, the patients were also classified into three groups, severe (35), mild (41) and none (19), according to the severity and duration of the symptoms. As a result, there was no significant difference between the types and the symptoms, but significant differences were seen in interpersonal attitudes, especially in sociality and dominative propensity, which were constituents of the personality type. The results of the analysis suggested that the patients who revealed disunification tended to express strong emesis as a somatic language. These results therefore indicate the necessity for counseling about personality without simply explaining it as their predisposing constitution, when we encounter strongly emetic pregnant women.
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A rare case of primary orbital lymphoma with macroglobulinemia was reported. The patient was a 74-year-old male with bilateral orbital tumor. Exophthalmos and eye movement disturbance appeared in his left eye. Blood analysis showed a marked increase of serum immunoglobulin M. Immunochemical study showed 7,097 (mg/dl). The left tumor was partially removed and examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically. H.E. staining revealed the proliferation of lymphoplasmacytoid cells. Immunocytochemical staining showed these cells to be immunoglobulin G (-), immunoglobulin A (-), immunoglobulin M (+), immunoglobulin light chi-chain (-), immunoglobulin light lambda-chain (+), LCA (+), L-26(PAN-B)(+), MT-1(-), and UCHL(-). Based on these results, our diagnosis was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the diffuse small, lymphoplasmacytoid type.
Renal ablation by transcatheter renal arterial embolization (TAE) was performed in 10 patients with benign renal disease (hydronephrosis n = 6; renovascular hypertension n = 3; nephrotic syndrome n = 1). Each affected kidney had little or no renal function. Six patients with hydronephrosis were treated with TAE using absolute ethanol alone in three patients and the combination of absolute ethanol and gelatin sponge in the other three. Each patient was followed by sclerotherapy of the pelvocalyceal system via nephrostomy using absolute ethanol. In four of the six patients, the embolized kidney had no urine, and there was very little urine in the remaining two. The size of the embolized kidney was markedly decreased on CT. The three patients with renovascular hypertension were pre-studied by selective and renal vein sampling for PRA, and the kidney excreting higher renin was embolized by TAE with absolute ethanol. Blood pressure has become manageable without antihypertensive drug in two patients and with a reduced amount of drug in one. The patient with nephrotic syndrome had end stage renal failure and showed significant protein excretion. To prevent further protein loss, both kidneys were embolized with stainless steel coils. Urine output was significantly decreased, and consequently, hypoalbuminemia improved. All patients tolerated the procedure well, and there were no significant complications. Renal ablation by TAE may be an alternative to surgical treatment in selected patients with benign renal disease, particularly in patients with contraindications to surgery and in the elderly. Absolute ethanol and gelatin sponge seem safe and effective for TAE in patients with hydronephrosis and renovascular hypertension. For hydronephrosis, we recommend combining TAE with sclerotherapy of the pelvocalyceal system via nephrostomy using absolute ethanol. Though we successfully applied steel coil for the patient with nephrotic syndrome, absolute ethanol may be equally effective.
To investigate the usefulness of MRI oral contrast media in enhancing the entire small intestine using FerriSeltz (Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Tokyo), which contains ferric ammonium citrate, we compared the relaxation times and taste of 7 kinds of contrast media (Milk FerriSeltz A-G) that contain FerriSeltz dissolved in 7 different ratios of distilled water-milk. We also compared the homogeneity of the contrast enhancement of the entire small intestine on T1-weighted images between Milk FerriSeltz-F (a mixture of distilled water and milk at a ratio of 1:5 with FerriSeltz), which was found to be the best contrast medium based on the relaxation times and taste, and Milk FerriSeltz-A (distilled water with FerriSeltz) in 10 healthy volunteers. The T1 and T2 values decreased as the proportion of milk increased. The T1 and T2 values of Milk FerriSeltz-F were 71 msec and 28 msec, markedly shorter than those of Milk FerriSeltz-A (340 msec and 290 msec). T1-weighted images taken with Milk FerriSeltz-F showed more homogeneous enhancement of the entire small intestine than those taken with Milk FerriSeltz-A. There were no adverse effects in these 10 volunteers. Milk FerriSeltz-F seems to be an ideal oral contrast medium for enhancement of the entire small intestine.
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The expression patterns of two distinct types of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) genes, FGFR1 and FGFR2, were compared during early chick eye development. In situ hybridization was performed with riboprobes synthesized from cDNA fragments of FGFRs cloned by the polymerase chain reaction method. FGFR1 was expressed in the prospective lens, neural retina, pigment epithelium and mandibular mesenchyme. In contrast, FGFR2 was expressed predominantly in the periocular mesenchyme of a 2.5 day-old embryo. In the 5.5-day-old embryo, transcripts of FGFR2 were detected in the prospective corneal epithelium. The results suggest that expression patterns of FGFR1 and FGFR2 are complementary and ligands of each FGFR might be involved differentially in early chick eye development. It is concluded that the action of FGFs on pigment epithelium and lens cells reported so far, probably occurs through FGFR1, and both types of FGFR are involved in head mesenchymal development.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 are most prevalent in cervical carcinomas and are also present in metastatic sites. Thirty-six patients with lymph node metastases were examined for the possible presence of HPV 16 and 18 DNA sequences in the primary tumors as well as in metastatic lymph nodes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed the presence of the genome of HPV type 16 (HPV 16) in 17 tumors (47%) and that of HPV type 18 (HPV 18) in 2 tumors (6%), while 17 tumors (47%) were negative for both types. Of the 17 HPV 16-positive patients, 15 metastatic lymph nodes were also positive and 2 were negative. In 2 patients positive for HPV 18, the metastatic sites were negative. All the 17 patients negative for HPV in the primary tumors were also negative for HPV 16 and HPV 18 in the metastatic lymph nodes. These data confirmed the positive correlation of HPV DNA status between primary and metastatic tumors. However, the discrepancy in 11% of cases was attributed to presence of heterogeneous clones in the primary tumor.
We developed segmental Lp-TAE, which is transcatheter hepatic sub-subsegmental, subsegmental, or segmental chemoembolization using Lipiodol introduced into the tumor-bearing hepatic sub-subsegment, subsegment, or segment as the target area. A total of 98 patients with nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing segmental Lp-TAE (Seg-Lp-TAE) were studied, and the relationship between the CT pattern observed after Seg-Lp-TAE (Seg-Lp-CT) and the therapeutic results obtained in those patients was evaluated. Seg-Lp-CT was classified into four types (type I, homogeneous; type II, defective; type III, inhomogeneous; and type IV, only slight accumulation, if any) according to the Lipiodol accumulation pattern observed after Seg-Lp-TAE. The cumulative nonrecurrence rates of type I were higher than those of types II-IV. The cumulative survival rates of type Ia, in which Lp accumulation is also seen around the main tumor, were the highest (93.8% at 1 year, 85.9% at 2 years, 85.9% at 3 years, and 57.3% at 4 years). The cumulative survival rates achieved with Seg-Lp-TAE were 89.2% at 1 year, 69.4% at 2 years, 58.9% at 3 years, 44.0% at 4 years, and 30.2% at 5 years, which were higher than those achieved with conventional Lp-TAE. Seg-Lp-TAE is very useful in the treatment of HCC limited to one sub-subsegment, subsegment, or segment, and it is important to choose sub-subsegmental, subsegmental, or segmental Lp-TAE on the basis of the size and site of the tumor as well as the type and the number of feeding arteries.
We describe two siblings with X-linked hyper-IgM immunodeficiency. One patient developed disseminated cryptococcosis. Co-culture of this patient's T cells with normal B cells suppressed IgG and IgA production. The CD40 ligand gene of one patient was examined and contained a nonsense mutation at nucleotide 475. CD40 ligand is a membrane protein which is expressed on activated T cells and induces B-cell proliferation. These results suggest that there is a defect in T- and B-cell interactions in this immunodeficiency syndrome. It is also possible that patients with this syndrome are predisposed to cryptococcal infections.
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Three kinds of xylo-oligosaccharides having structures of 3(2)-beta-xylosylxylobiose, 3(2)-beta-xylobiosylxylobiose, and 2(2)-beta-xylobiosyl-xylobiose were isolated from an enzymatic hydrolysate of hardwood xylan with Streptomyces beta-xylanase. The structures suggest that the hardwood xylan has both (1-->2)- and (1-->3)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl linkages in the structure, and the specificity of Streptomyces beta-xylanase toward the stubs is similar to that toward glucuronic acid stubs, but is somewhat different from that toward arabinose and xylosylarabinose stubs.
We describe a highly sensitive and specific method for determining L-carnitine in serum by use of carnitine dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.108). The method involves a new enzymatic cycling technique with NADH, thio-NAD+, and carnitine dehydrogenase, and measures the increase of absorbance at 415 nm of thio-NADH produced at 37 degrees C during the reaction: [formula: see text] The calibration curve for L-carnitine in serum was linear between 5 and 250 mumol/L. Analytical recovery was 96.5-106%, and within-run and between-run imprecisions (CV) were 0.66-4.33% and 1.02-2.56%, respectively. This method was free from interference by bilirubin, hemoglobin, various acyl-DL-carnitines, and ascorbate. The procedure is simple, rapid, accurate, and automatable. The amount of free L-carnitine in serum (53.6 +/- 11.7 mumol/L, n = 200) was greater in men than in women (45.1 +/- 14.2 mumol/L, n = 200) (mean +/- SD).