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Biomedical subjects

O Kawamura

Publications and source records attributed to O Kawamura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Aflatoxins and fumonisins in corn from the high-incidence area for human hepatocellular carcinoma in Guangxi, China.

A comparative study on the natural occurrence of aflatoxins and Fusarium toxins was conducted with corn samples from high- and low-incidence areas for human primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) in Guangxi, China. In samples from the high-risk area, aflatoxin B(1) was the predominant toxin detected in terms of quantity and frequency, with its concentration ranging between 9 and 2496 microg/kg and an 85% incidence of contamination. Among the samples, 13 (76%) exceeded the Chinese regulation of 20 microg/kg for aflatoxin B(1) in corn and corn-based products intended for human consumption. Significant differences in aflatoxin B(1), B(2), and G(1) and total aflatoxin concentrations in corn between the areas were found (P < 0.05). The average daily intake of aflatoxin B(1) from corn in the high-risk area was 184.1 microg, and the probable daily intake is estimated to be 3.68 microg/kg of body weight/day, 3.20 times the TD(50) in rats. Corn samples from both areas were simultaneously contaminated with fumonisins B(1), B(2), and B(3). Aflatoxin B(1) may play an important role in the development of PHC in Guangxi.

Aflatoxin B1↗
PubMed2001

A case of inability to belch.

A 22-year-old man was unable to belch. He could sense intraesophageal gas, but had no chest pain. An upper gastrointestinal X-ray series and endoscopic examination showed no abnormalities. Esophageal manometry showed normal relaxation of both the upper and lower esophageal sphincters with primary peristalsis during deglutition. However, bolus injection of air into the middle esophagus failed to initiate the belch reflex.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of fumonisin-aflatoxin co-occurrence in Brazilian corn hybrids by ELISA.

The natural co-occurrence of fumonisins and aflatoxins was investigated in freshly harvested corn kernels (150 samples, 62 hybrids), acquired from the Central-Southern (27 samples, 21 hybrids), Central-Western (86 samples, 51 hybrids) and Northern (37 samples, 18 hybrids) regions of the State of Paraná, Brazil using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fumonisins were detected in 147 (98%) samples at a concentration range of 0.096 to 22.6 microg/g, while aflatoxins were detected in 17 (11.3%). All the aflatoxin-positive samples (range 38.0-460.0 ng/g) came from the Central-Western region and were co-contaminated with fumonisins. Fumonisin contamination was higher in corn from the Northern (9.85 microg/g) and Central-Western regions (5.08 microg/g), when compared with the Central-Southern region (1.14 microg/g). The overall evaluation detected 62% samples with fumonisin levels < or = 5.0 microg/g. Regional differences affected fumonisin levels in the same hybrid, regardless of Fusarium count and moisture content, suggesting interference from climatic conditions, in addition to the local predominance of toxigenic strains of the Fusarium biotype.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMed2001

Low-dose erythromycin reduces delayed gastric emptying and improves gastric motility after Billroth I pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that early and low doses of erythromycin reduce the incidence of early delayed gastric emptying (DGE) and induce phase 3 of the migratory motor complex in the stomach after Billroth I pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PPPD). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Delayed gastric emptying is a leading cause of complications after PPPD, occurring in up to 50% of patients. High doses of erythromycin (200 mg) accelerate gastric emptying after pancreaticoduodenectomy and reduce the incidence of DGE, although they induce strong contractions that do not migrate to the duodenum. METHODS: Thirty-one patients were randomly assigned to either the erythromycin or control groups. The patients received erythromycin lactobionate (1 mg/kg) every 8 hours, or H2-receptor antagonists and gastrokinetic drugs from days 1 to 14 after surgery. On postoperative day 30, gastroduodenal motility was recorded in 14 patients. RESULTS: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were comparable in the erythromycin and control groups. The erythromycin group had a shorter duration of nasogastric drainage, earlier resumption of eating, and a 75% reduction in the incidence of DGE. Erythromycin was an independent influence on nasogastric tube removal, and preservation of the right gastric vessels was a significant covariate. Low doses of erythromycin induced phase 3 of the migratory motor complex and phase 3-like activity, with the same characteristics as spontaneous phase 3, in 86% of patients: two had quiescent stomachs and the others had spontaneous phase 3 or phase 3-like activity. CONCLUSIONS: Low doses of erythromycin reduced the incidence of DGE by 75% and induced phase 3 of the migratory motor complex after Billroth I PPPD. Low doses of erythromycin are preferable to high doses in the unfed period after PPPD.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Measurement and evaluation of gastric emptying using radiopaque barium markers.

To simplify assessment of gastric emptying, we have developed a radiopaque barium marker method. The subjects were 11 healthy volunteers, 30 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis, 16 patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia, 7 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, and 6 patients with diabetes mellitus. We tested three types of radiopaque markers with manometry by a three-channel strain gauge transducer. The 4.5-mm ring-shaped markers with a specific gravity of 1.2 were emptied from the stomach in correlation with the number of high-amplitude (>50 mm Hg) antral contractions. The percentage of residual markers at 2 hr was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients with irritable bowed syndrome than in normal controls, and at 5 hr it was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in patients with systemic sclerosis with esophageal dysmotility, dysmotility-like dyspepsia, or diabetes than in normal controls. This radiopaque barium marker method may be useful as a screening test for determining whether gastric emptying is rapid or delayed.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Motility disorders of the esophagus, excluding achalasia].

Esophageal motor disorders can be primarily focused in the esophagus or secondarily related to a systemic disease. Based on the manometric findings, primary esophageal motor disorders can also be classified into achalasia and spastic disorders, such as diffuse esophageal spasm, nutcracker esophagus, hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter, and nonspecific esophageal motility disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Immunohistochemistry of fumonisin in poultry using avidin-biotin-peroxidase system.

Using monoclonal anti-fumonisin B1 antibody (anti-FB1) and avidin-biotin-peroxidase system, liver and kidneys of broiler chicks were evaluated for the detection and distribution of fumonisins (FBs). One hundred and fifty micrograms of FB1 or culture extract of Fusarium moniliforme str. 113F containing 150 microg of FB1 and 4 microg of FB2 were administered into the vitelline sac of 1-day old, specific pathogen-free chicks. The animals were killed 24 h after injection, and renal and hepatic tissues submitted for immunohistochemical analysis. FBs were detected in the epithelial cells of convoluted distal and proximal tubules of the kidneys, as well as in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. This novel immunohistochemical method developed is expected to be an efficient way for monitoring the target of the FB toxins in tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Helicobacter pylori infection correlates with severity of reflux esophagitis: with manometry findings.

The role of Helicobacter pylori infection in the development and exacerbation of reflux esophagitis was investigated. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection, the severity of atrophic gastritis, and esophageal motility (determined by esophageal manometry by an infusion catheter method) were assessed in patients with mild (n = 46) and severe (n = 27) reflux esophagitis and subjects without reflux (n = 28). Compared with the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the non-reflux group, the prevalence in the mild and severe reflux groups (60.7%, 47.8%, and 14.8%, respectively) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower. Atrophic gastritis was milder in both reflux groups than in the non-reflux group. The degree of gastritis was also milder in the severe reflux group than in the mild reflux group. The esophageal sphincter pressure was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the reflux groups than in the non-reflux group, and the amplitude of primary peristalsis was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the severe reflux group than in the non-reflux group. There were no significant differences between reflux patients with and without Helicobacter pylori infection in the parameters of esophageal manometry. These data imply that a low prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection may result in a milder grade of atrophic gastritis, and consequently, exacerbate reflux esophagitis.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

Interobserver and intraobserver variation in endoscopic assessment of GERD using the "Los Angeles" classification.

BACKGROUND: A new endoscopic classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been proposed, and the term mucosal break has been introduced to describe mucosal damage. This new classification was evaluated by endoscopists with different levels of experience. METHODS: Fifty endoscopic photographs for each of 20 randomly selected patients with GERD were assessed retrospectively by three groups of seven endoscopists classified by experience: group 1 (100 to 500 procedures), group 2 (500 to 3000), and group 3 (more than 3000). The new classification was modified by adding grade 0 to describe healed mucosal breaks, so that there were five grades. All photographs were assessed twice at an interval of more than 1 week, and kappa statistics were used to determine observer variation. RESULTS: Interobserver variation within group 3 (kappa = 0.39, n = 21) and between groups 3 and 2 (kappa = 0.36, n = 49) was significantly different (p < 0.01) from that between groups 3 and 1 (kappa = 0.26, n = 49). Intraobserver variation in group 1 (kappa = 0.39, n = 7) was significantly different (p < 0.01) from that in group 2 (kappa = 0.51, n = 7) and group 3 (kappa = 0.54, n = 7). CONCLUSIONS: Observer variation depends on level of endoscopic experience. Only experienced endoscopists should use the new classification for grading of GERD.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A 4-year study of plasma ochratoxin A in a selected population in Tokyo by immunoassay and immunoaffinity column-linked HPLC.

Employing a competitive ELISA (cELISA) based on monoclonal antibody and a novel immunoaffinity-column (IAC)-linked HPLC-fluorometry, ochratoxin A (OTA) levels in the plasma of 184 healthy volunteers (130 males, 54 females) were surveyed in Tokyo during the 4 years from 1992 to 1996. It was found that 85% of the cases were positive for OTA except 38% in 1994, and an average value in the positives was estimated as 68 pg/ml. This suggests that the population in Tokyo is exposed to OTA at high frequency, although the level in plasma is far less than that reported in Europe and Canada. A partial contribution of fermented dietary foodstuffs, coffee and wine is suspected as the source of the OTA observed in the human plasma.

Chromatography, Affinity↗
PubMed1997

Subclinical Fabry's disease occurring in the context of IgA nephropathy.

A 28-year-old male patient with both IgA nephropathy and an unusual case of Fabry's disease has been followed for 10 years. Diagnosis of both these diseases was made by histological examination of renal biopsy tissues and the enzyme activities of alpha-galactosidase A. Serial biopsies revealed the hithertofore unrecognized process of glomerular glycolipid accumulation peculiar to Fabry's disease at the initial stages of the disease. Physical examinations and routine laboratory analyses failed to show significant signs of Fabry's disease throughout the 10-year period. While alpha-galactosidase A activity is markedly decreased in the plasma of this patient as in classical Fabry hemizygotes, the activity in leukocytes and culture fibroblasts showed a considerable residual activity. Fabry's disease associated with IgA nephropathy apparently is extremely rare, and the present subclinical case is unique in that the early stages of substrate accumulation are demonstrable.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Further classification of dysmotility-like dyspepsia by interdigestive gastroduodenal manometry and plasma motilin level.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate interdigestive gastroduodenal motility with an infused catheter and measure plasma motilin levels in eight normal individuals and 18 patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia. METHODS AND RESULTS: All normal individuals had normal gastroduodenal interdigestive migrating complexes. Patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia were classified into three subgroups on the basis of gastric antral motility: 1) seven patients with normal interdigestive migrating complexes, 2) five patients without interdigestive migrating complexes and with gastric phase II predominant over phase I, and 3) six patients without interdigestive migrating complexes and with phase I predominance. The maximum and mean plasma motilin levels were significantly different in normal individuals from those in subgroup 3 (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dysmotility-like dyspepsia appears to be a heterogeneous condition. Abnormal motilin secretion may cause dysmotility in subgroup 3, but dyspepsia in subgroup 1 and the absence of interdigestive migrating complexes in subgroup 2 could not be explained only on this basis.

Adult↗