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Biomedical subjects

N Uchimura

Publications and source records attributed to N Uchimura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

A polymorphism of DRD2 gene and brain atrophy in methamphetamine psychosis.

Our group, Ujike et al., recently reported that the A1 allele of TaqI A polymorphism of the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) gene, associated with transient psychosis, significantly differs from that of patients with prolonged psychosis in methamphetamine psychosis. Therefore, we examined the association between the TaqI A polymorphism of the DRD2 gene and the brain MRI view for patients with methamphetamine psychosis. The subjects underwent brain MRI scans using the FLAIR method. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP methods using genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood by the phenol method. Ten subjects had the A1/A2 genotype, eleven subjects had the A2/A2 genotype, and no subject had the A1/A1 genotype. The domain size, including the thalamus and basal ganglia that were inside each side of the putamens, did not differ between the three groups (the A1/A2-group, the A2/A2-group, and the young healthy person group). In the comparison based on this domain, the temporal lobe tended to narrow in the A2/A2-group compared to the A1/A2-group (P = .06). The other domain (cerebrum, corpus callosum, etc.) showed no difference between the A1/A2-group and the A2/A2-group. It is suggested that in methamphetamine psychosis the TaqI A polymorphism not only regulates prolongation of psychosis symptoms but also influences the form of the temporal lobe.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Hypoplasia of primary and permanent teeth following osteitis and the implications of delayed diagnosis of a neonatal maxillary primary molar.

A 2-year-and-6-month-old Japanese girl with delayed eruption of a maxillary right primary canine and disturbance in the development of maxillary right primary molars was examined. The crown of the maxillary right first primary molar was severely decayed and hypoplastic. The periodontal tissues on the maxillary right posterior region were swollen and slight erythrogenic change was observed. Radiographic examination revealed a disturbance in the development of the permanent successor and the primary teeth in the maxillary right quadrant. According to the history, the maxillary right first primary molar had erupted on day seven after birth. It is suggested that the disturbance in development of the permanent successor and the primary teeth was secondary to osteitis caused by infection of the neonatal tooth. Appropriate dental treatment had not been administered for more than two years because the neonatal molar had not been diagnosed.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2001

Endovascular photodynamic therapy using mono-L-aspartyl-chlorin e6 to inhibit Intimal hyperplasia in balloon-injured rabbit arteries.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Intimal hyperplasia (IH) leading to restenosis is a major complication of arterial revascularization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) as a photosensitizer and intraluminal radial irradiation for inhibition of IH experimentally. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study of laser transmission through the blood indicated that exclusion of blood is a prerequisite for intraluminal PDT. For homogeneous radial laser irradiation to the vessel wall, we used a newly developed cylindrical diffusing balloon laser fiber. Injuries were induced by pulling a balloon catheter through the right iliac artery of rabbits. One and 6 hours after the NPe6 injection (5mg/kg i.v.), drug distribution was examined by fluorescence microscopy. Nineteen rabbits received NPe6 at the time of injuries and PDT was performed with 664-nm laser at 30 and 10 J/cm(2) (20, 30, 40 mW/cm(2)) 1 hour after the injuries. The arteries were harvested at 2 days. In a second group of rabbits, PDT was given at 30 mW/cm(2) (30 J/cm(2)). Two weeks after treatment, the arteries were removed and examined histologically. RESULTS: NPe6 was found to be distributed selectively in the injured media. Endovascular NPe6-PDT showed complete depletion of smooth muscle cells even with 10 J/cm(2) at 2 days. IH was significantly inhibited at 14 days after PDT. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular PDT of injured artery using NPe6 can prevent IH in this model of arterial wall injury and may become clinically useful for the prophylaxis of IH.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed2001

Examination of accuracy of sleep stages by means of an automatic sleep analysis system 'Sleep Ukiha'.

We examined the differences between the results of an automatic sleep analysis system and inspection decision. Subjects were 10 males (average age 21.6 years). One section consists of 20 s records. The sections that deviated from the algorithm could not be decided. Each sleep stage decided by automatic analysis was compared with the inspection decision. The agreement ratio of stage 3 was 91.6% in the highest, and followed by stage 2, stage 4, stage W and stage 1. The lowest was 62.5% for movement time. The total agreement ratio was 85.8%. The agreement ratios of the apnea index (AI) and the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) were relatively high, but for types of sleep apnea, agreement ratios require improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Study on withdrawal of hypnotics: questionnaire on hypnotic use and its withdrawal.

To investigate the situation and problems contingent to hypnotic use and withdrawal, we conducted a questionnaire of outpatients. Only 41% of the patients were satisfied with their sleep and 53% of the patients took hypnotics. As regards the period, 83% of users had used them for more than 1 year and 19% had used them for more than 10 years. Although 90% of patients perceived efficacy of hypnotics, 67% felt more or less anxious about hypnotic use. Sixty-seven per cent of patients had actually withdrawn from the drugs or decreased dosage before. More than half the patients' conditions worsened after the withdrawal or reducing dosage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Questionnaire relating to sleep paralysis.

A sleep survey was conducted on 8162 citizens. The cumulative experience rate of sleep paralysis was 39.6%. The initial occurrence of sleep paralysis peaked at age 16 years. In addition to being higher in young people than in older subjects, the incidence of sleep paralysis was also higher among women than among men, and was significantly higher among shift worker than non-shift worker, and among persons engaged in the nursing profession than those not engaged in the nursing profession. The experience rate of sleep paralysis demonstrated a strong correlation with the frequency of dreaming, the experience rate of nightmares, times and regularity of going to bed and waking up, and particularly with the degree of insomnia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Melatonin therapy for REM sleep behavior disorder.

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia with clinical symptoms that include punching, kicking, yelling and leaping out of bed in sleep. Polysomnographic (PSG) finding showed REM sleep without muscle atonia. Clonazepam is generally used for treating RBD symptoms but melatonin was reported to be effective so we reconfirmed the effect of melatonin on RBD patients in the present study. We used melatonin (3-9 mg/day) which could ameliorate problem sleep behaviors remarkably, as well as %tonic activity in PSG variables. In the present study, melatonin was reconfirmed to be effective in RBD symptoms, especially for patients with low melatonin secretion, while its mechanism was not clearly known in the present study.

Electromyography↗
PubMed2001

Effect of melatonin on sleep and rectal temperature of young healthy evening types.

The present study assessed in healthy nocturnal juveniles the presence or absence of the hypnotic action of exogenous melatonin and its effect on core temperature by oral administration of exogenous melatonin at a pharmacologically low dose 15 min before going to bed at the normal time. Both sleep latency and the number of instances of waking up after falling asleep tended to decrease, while the amount of Stage 2 sleep increased significantly. However, no hypothermic action regarding the rectal temperature for changes in the circadian phase were observed. According to those results, it is possible that exogenous melatonin has some direct hypnotic action on habitual night sleep, although the extent of this action is considered to be relatively weak.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

Hypnotic action of melatonin during daytime administration and its comparison with triazolam.

The present study was conducted to assess hypnotic action, effects on rectal temperature and dose dependency by daytime administration of exogenous melatonin (MLT) at 1 mg, 3 mg or 6 mg to subjects consisting of seven healthy juvenile adults. As a result, exogenous MLT significantly increased total sleep time and sleep efficiency, and MLT 6 mg was observed to demonstrate hypnotic effects that were nearly equal to those of triazolam at 0.125 mg. Rectal temperature was significantly decreased at MLT 1mg and 3 mg, there were no significant differences observed in the hypothermic effects at MLT 6 mg. These results indicate that exogenous MLT had dose-dependent hypnotic action on daytime sleep, and it is possible to consider that this hypnotic action was based on a direct-acting mechanism.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Development and application of the 'Sleep Ukiha' automated sleep analysis system.

We attempted to develop an automated sleep analysis system that uses a personal computer as an aid to the entire sleep research process. Analysis is based on electroencephalogram, chin muscle electromyogram and electrooculography, while other physiological phenomena can be handled arbitrarily. Major characteristics of the system include: (i) simultaneous gathering of physiological phenomena from up to three patients; (ii) high-speed waveform analysis; (iii) user-friendly operating environment through the use of a graphical user interface; and (iv) versatile utilization of analytical data in research.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

The Koga Hospital Center for studies on sleep: status report.

Between September 1996 and January 1999 we used polysomnography (PSG) to examine 473 patients (involving a total of 662 records). The diagnosis was a sleep-related breathing disorder in 256 patients, including sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in 194 patients, sleep hypoxicemia in 18 and insomnia in the other four. The SAS consisted of three subtypes: central apnea (CA) in 56 patients, obstructive apnea (OA) in 124 and mixed apnea (MA) in eight. The ratio of central apnea was relatively higher than the national average. Among the 473 patients, the most common complication was heart disease (133 patients) while other complications included hypertension, and respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases. Concerning the therapy for these patients, continuous positive airway pressure therapy was the most commonly applied and was effective in each type of SAS (CA, OA, MA). Other therapies included prosthetic mandibular advancement, bilevel positive airway pressure, medication and ENT operations. In Koga Hospital, there are many patients with heart disease and/or respiratory disease. We examined those patients who presented with snoring and/or apnea using PSG. Among these patients, SAS was the most common sleep disorder. The relative ratio of CA was high and the average age was higher than those with OA.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A narcoleptic patient exhibiting hallucinations and delusion.

A female narcoleptic patient with persistent auditory hallucinations and delusion is reported. These psychotic symptoms appeared before the diagnosis of narcolepsy and before the use of pemoline and clomipramine. On admission to the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Kurume University school of Medicine, the patient's auditory hallucinations were almost the same as the previous hallucinations. The patient's delusional state improved smoothly after haloperidol administration. After that, the patient related well socially. The persistent auditory hallucinations were correlated with rapid eye movement sleep symptoms during her disease process so that we concluded that her persistent auditory hallucinations and delusion of observation were due to narcoleptic symptoms.

Delusions↗
PubMed2000

Therapeutic progress of two sibling cases exhibiting sleep-wake rhythm disorder.

In this study, two females, siblings who exhibited a non-24 h sleep-wake rhythm (non-24 h) at home were observed. However, they showed a delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) immediately after admission to Kurume University Hospital. Melatonin (3 mg) was commenced following chronotherapy and this improved their sleep-wake rhythm. Polysomnography (PSG) showed decreased sleep latency and increased sleep stage. In these cases, the involvement of environmental factors was strongly suggested for the sleep-wake rhythm abnormalities as well as familial factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Asymmetry of masticatory muscle activity during the closing phase of mastication.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the asymmetry of masticatory muscle activity between working and nonworking sides in the closing phase during mastication. Fifty adult subjects displaying normal oral function and occlusion participated in this study. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the anterior temporalis and the superficial masseter muscle were recorded during mastication, simultaneously with motion data of the mandible. EMG activities of elevator muscles and their Asymmetry Index (AI) were analyzed depending on the vertical deviation of the lower incisal point with a two mm gap from the intercuspal position (ICP). EMG activities of both the anterior temporalis and the masseter on the working side were significantly greater than those on the nonworking side. Masseter muscles tended to show greater AI than the anterior temporalis muscles. Thus, asymmetry of the elevator muscles during mastication was a common finding in normal subjects. The normal range of variability of EMG activity and AI was confirmed in each section.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Double-blind test on the efficacy of methylcobalamin on sleep-wake rhythm disorders.

The therapeutic effect of methylcobalamin (Met-12) on sleep-wake rhythm disorders was examined in a double-blind test. In the test group which was given a large dosage, a higher percentage of improvement was found compared to the control group with a small dosage, although the difference was not significant. The test group inconsistently showed significant improvement in both the sleep-wake cycle parameters and in clinical symptoms. The tendency was for the results to show a beneficial effect of Met-12 on rhythm disorders. However, because the percentage of improvement was low and significant improvement was inconsistent, Met-12 might be considered to have a low therapeutic potency and possible use as a booster for other treatment methods of the disorders.

Affect↗
PubMed1999

Cytokine secretion of periodontal ligament fibroblasts derived from human deciduous teeth: effect of mechanical stress on the secretion of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and macrophage colony stimulating factor.

The periodontal ligament may play an important role in tooth eruption, root development and resorption. The tissue physiologically receives mechanical force during mastication. We focused on the effects of intermittent mechanical strain on the cytokine synthesis of periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts in vitro. The cells were derived from human periodontal ligament of deciduous teeth (HPLF-Y) and permanent teeth (HPLF). The two kinds of PDL cells and human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were cultured in flexible bottomed culture plates. The cells were mechanically stretched at 5% elongation, 3-cycles/min for 24 h on d 7 in culture using a Flexercell strain unit. After the stretching, we measured DNA content and alkaline phosphatase activity in the cell layer, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) contents in the conditioned medium. The TGF-beta 1 level in the conditioned medium of HPLF was significantly higher than that of HPLF-Y and HGF. It was stimulated by mechanical stretching only on HPLF, whereas no significant effect was observed on HPLF-Y and HGF. M-CSF secretion was inhibited by the stretching on all of HPLF, HPLF-Y and HGF. 1 alpha, 25 dihydroxy vitamin D3 (D3) stimulated M-CSF secretion into the culture medium of both HPLF and HPLF-Y, but the stretching inhibited M-CSF secretion and completely blocked the enhancement by D3. These data suggest that periodontal ligament cells synthesize and secrete the molecules as autocrine or paracrine factors that affect bone remodelling and root resorption and the level of those factors change in response to mechanical stress.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1998

Efficacy of L-846 in patients with insomnia: evaluation by polysomnography.

The effects of L-846, an ultra-short-acting pyrazolopyrimidine hypnotic, on sleep were studied in nine insomniacs and two neurotic patients with insomnia. The patients were randomly assigned to receive 5 mg (n=6) or 10 mg (n=5) L-846. The study schedule comprised of one adaptation night, two baseline nights, three drug nights, and two withdrawal nights. Sleep latency and slow wave sleep (SWS) latency was largely shortened and %SWS increased in the early phase of sleep. No clear evidence of rebound insomnia was noted.

Acetamides↗