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Biomedical subjects

R Higuchi

Publications and source records attributed to R Higuchi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

A mediastinal hemangioma, associated with perirenal hemangioma and congenital anomaly of the inferior vena cava.

In a 40-year-old man, a mediastinal hemangioma was discovered intially as a compression of the esophagus by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Furthermore, perirenal hemangioma and inferior vena cava (IVC) malformation were stimultaneously found. Hemangiomas, which occur in the mediastinal and perirenal area, are extremely uncommon and congenital IVC malformation, like the present case, has not been reported. We review the literature of these vascular abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Scopoletin: an inducible nitric oxide synthesis inhibitory active constituent from Artemisia feddei.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an H2O extract of Artemisia feddei has furnished an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitory coumarin, scopoletin (1) and one of the inactive sesquiterpenes, achillin (2). Compound 1 showed inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in a dose-dependent manner in murine macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The inhibition of NO synthesis of 1 was due to suppression of iNOS mRNA and iNOS protein, as determined by Northern and Western blotting, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

In vitro inducible nitric oxide synthesis inhibitory active constituents from Fraxinus rhynchophylla.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an H2O extract of the barks of Fraxinus rhynchophylla has furnished two inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitory compounds, ferulaldehyde (1) and scopoletin (3) together with a coumarin, fraxidin (2). Compounds 1 and 3 showed inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in a dose-dependent manner by murine macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The inhibition of NO synthesis of 1 was reflected in the decreased amount of iNOS protein, as determined by Western blotting.

Acrolein↗
PubMed1999

Structural elucidation of the ceramide moiety of starfish gangliosides by collision-induced dissociation of the sodium ion complex.

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra of sodium ion complexes ([M+Na]+ ions), produced by FAB-MS of methyl ester derivatives of ganglioside, indicate the length of the fatty acyl chain of the ceramide moieties without chemical degradation. In the case of a genuine ganglioside, only the fission of the glycosyl linkage of sialic acid was prominently observed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Single-tube genotyping without oligonucleotide probes.

We report the development of a self-contained (homogeneous), single-tube assay for the genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which does not rely on fluorescent oligonucleotide probes. The method, which we call Tm-shift genotyping, combines allele-specific PCR with the discrimination between amplification products by their melting temperatures (Tm). Two distinct forward primers, each of which contains a 3'-terminal base that corresponds to one of the two SNP allelic variants, are combined with a common reverse primer in a single-tube reaction. A GC-tail is attached to one of the forward allele-specific primers to increase the Tm of the amplification product from the corresponding allele. PCR amplification, Tm analysis, and allele determination of genomic template DNA are carried out on a fluorescence-detecting thermocycler with a dye that fluoresces when bound to dsDNA. We demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of Tm-shift genotyping on 100 samples typed for two SNPs, and recommend it both as a simple and inexpensive diagnostic tool for genotyping medically relevant SNPs and as a high-throughput SNP genotyping method for gene mapping.

Genotype↗
PubMed1998

Human parvovirus B19 capsid antigen in granulocytes in parvovirus-B19-induced pancytopenia after bone marrow transplantation.

A patient with refractory anemia with an excess of blasts in transformation developed pancytopenia and a concurrent interstitial pneumonia 110 days after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Bone marrow examination showed 0.4% giant proerythroblasts and 86.2% granulocytes, some of them large with a bizarre configuration and the others of normal size. Serum folate level was found low, 0.6 ng/ml. Immunocytochemistry with a B19-specific monoclonal antibody MAB8292 revealed B19 capsid antigen only in erythroblasts and large, bizarre granulocytes, but not in granulocytes of normal size. In situ hybridization of bone marrow cells using digoxigenin-labeled DNA probes detecting parvovirus B19 also demonstrated positive signals in 8.5% of marrow cells. Parvovirus B19 DNA was isolated from the serum and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of this patient by the polymerase chain reaction. These findings suggest that neutropenia may be caused by an involvement with parvovirus B19 though a deficiency of folic acid may have in part contributed to the genesis of neutropenia in the patient. The relevance of parvovirus B19 to the interstitial pneumonia remains unclear.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A case of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV diagnosed following the development of acute encephalopathy due to heat stroke].

A fourteen-month-old girl, who had shown remittent fever frequently from the neonatal period, hypohidrosis, frequent change of face color and self-mutilation of the 1st and 2nd fingers of both hands and tongue in the first months of her life, developed an acute encephalopathy with generalized tonic convulsion outdoors on a sunny hot day. Generalized tonic convulsion subsided within two days, but doll's eye phenomenon, loss of pupillary reaction to light, palpebral myoclonus, and ballismus of arms and legs followed L-dopa showed some effect on the ballismus 1 month after the attack. During the hospital stay, biopsy of sural nerve was performed. Morphometric and ultrastructural studies of the sural nerve demonstrated decreased numbers of unmyelinated and small myelinated fibers. Skin biopsy of the leg revealed sweat glands with no nerve terminals, axons and Schwann cells around them. She was diagnosed as having hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV based on the histological and clinical findings. After discharge, bone fracture was found three times without any evidence of trauma. Acute encephalopathy, probably produced in relation to the underlying neuropathy, was considered to be due to heat stroke.

Acute Disease↗