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Biomedical subjects

R Shimizu

Publications and source records attributed to R Shimizu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Characterization of a ligand for receptor protein-tyrosine kinase HTK expressed in immature hematopoietic cells.

HTK is a receptor tyrosine kinase that belongs to the Eph subfamily. An extensive screening using BIAcore system revealed that a colon cancer cell line, C-1, expressed the ligand for HTK. From the conditioned medium of C-1 cells, a soluble form of ligand was purified by receptor affinity chromatography, and the isolation of full-length cDNA revealed that this ligand is identical to the human HTK ligand (HTKL) previously reported. HTK receptor tyrosine phosphorylation was induced by membrane-bound or clustered soluble HTKL but not by unclustered soluble HTKL, indicating that HTKL requires cell-to-cell interaction for receptor activation. Binding analysis demonstrated that HTKL binds to HTK with a much higher affinity (Kd: 1.23 nM) than the other transmembrane-type ligand for Eph family, LERK-2/ELKL (Kd: 135 nM). The expression of HTK in cord blood cells was upregulated after the culture in the presence of stem cell factor. Clustered soluble HTKL stimulated the proliferation of sorted HTK+ cord blood cells and a hematopoietic cell line, UT-7/EPO from which HTK was isolated. These findings suggest the involvement of HTK-HTKL system in the proliferation of HTK+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in the hematopoietic environment.

Amino Acid Sequence

Role of c-jun in the inhibition of erythropoietin receptor-mediated apoptosis.

Human bone marrow cells express both a truncated and full-length form of the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR-T and EpoR-F, respectively). Transfection experiments using the murine interleukin (IL)-3-dependent cell line, Ba/F3, revealed that the cells coexpressing EpoR-F and EpoR-T (Ba/F3-FT) were more likely to undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis) than cells expressing EpoR-F (Ba/F3-FF), even in the presence of erythropoietin (Epo). When Ba/F3-FF cells were stimulated with Epo or IL-3, rapid induction of c-myc, c-fos, c-jun and junB genes was observed. A similar effect was also seen in IL-3 stimulated Ba/F3-Ft cells. However, in Ba/F3-FT cells expression of the c-jun gene was not induced by Epo stimulation. Administration of Epo could prevent apoptosis induced by IL-3 deprivation in Ba/F3-FT cells expressing ectopic c-Jun protein. These results indicate that induction of c-Jun through the Epo signaling pathway has an important role in the inhibition of apoptosis.

Animals

Failed spinal anaesthesia: cause identified by MRI.

PURPOSE: To determine the cause of failed spinal anaesthesia, magnetic resonance images of the lumbar spine were examined. CLINICAL FUTURES: A 28-yr-old woman, scheduled for closure of a rectal fistula under spinal anaesthesia, hyperbaric tetracaine 12.5 mg injected into the subarachnoid space at L3-4 repeatedly resulted in restricted sacral spread. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that the cylindrical dimension of the lumbar spinal canal was wider than in normal subjects, suggesting a larger volume of CSF within the dural sac below the termination of the cord. The summit of the lumbar convexity was located at L3, which was more cephalad than the L3-4 puncture site. CONCLUSION: The uncommon anatomical characteristics of the lumbar spinal canal identified by magnetic resonance imaging were considered to be the reason for the restricted sacral spread observed repeatedly in this patient.

Adult

Anatomical configuration of the spinal column in the supine position. III. Comparison of adolescent and adult volunteers.

To clarify the anatomical configuration of the spinal column in the adolescent in the supine position, we have studied 10 adolescent (13-17 yr) and 10 adult (26-38 yr) volunteers using magnetic resonance imaging. T1-weighted sagittal midline magnetic resonance images of the spinal column were obtained with subjects in the supine position. The maximum angles of decline of the lumbar spinal canal did not differ between the adolescent (mean 13.6 (SD 3.3) degrees) and adult (12.4 (3.8) degrees) groups. The maximum angles of incline of the upper thoracic spinal canal were smaller in the adolescent group (15.9 (4.7) degrees) than in the adult group (26.4 (5.8) degrees). The median highest point of the lumbar spinal canal was located at L4 (range L3-4 to L4-5) in both groups. The lowest points of the thoracic spinal canal in the adolescent and adult groups were located at T8-9 (T7 to T9) and T8 (T6-7 to T9), respectively. This study showed that thoracic kyphotic curvature in adolescents was reduced significantly in the supine position compared with that in adults. This minimized thoracic kyphosis may explain, in part, the enhanced cephalad spread of subarachnoid hyperbaric anaesthetic solutions in adolescents.

Adolescent

Airway management for patients with a tracheal bronchus.

A tracheal bronchus is an aberrant, accessory or ectopic bronchus arising almost invariably from the right lateral wall of the trachea, causing hypoxaemia, atelectasis, or both, during anaesthesia. We describe two patients with a tracheal bronchus found before anaesthesia. One tracheal bronchus was found by tracheobronchoscopy and the other by chest x-ray. Because of recognition of the anomaly before operation, anaesthesia was uneventful in each patient.

Anesthesia, General

Soft tissue anatomy within the vertebral canal in pregnant women.

To clarify pregnancy-induced changes in soft tissue anatomy within the vertebral canal, we have studied magnetic resonance (MR) images of the lumbar spine in three women. In each subject, T2-weighted axial MR images were obtained both before pregnancy and at 32 weeks' gestation, and the paired images were compared. The extradural venous plexus was engorged significantly in supine parturients. In addition, the engorged extradural venous plexus displaced the dura away from the wall of the vertebral canal in a posterior direction, which resulted in a decrease in the volume of the cerebrospinal fluid in the dural sac. These findings confirmed the long-held concept that the engorged extradural venous plexus in supine parturients decreases the effective capacity of the extradural and subarachnoid spaces.

Adult

The effects of sevoflurane and isoflurane anesthesia on renal tubular function in patients with moderately impaired renal function.

Increasing evidence indicates that sevoflurane anesthesia does not impair renal function in healthy patients despite higher concentrations of plasma inorganic fluoride. However, whether sevoflurane further affects renal tubular function in patients with impaired renal function is not known. We compared the effect of sevoflurane anesthesia with that of isoflurane anesthesia on renal tubular function in patients with moderately impaired renal function. Fourteen patients with creatinine clearance between 10 and 55 mL/min were anesthetized with either sevoflurane or isoflurane using a semiclosed circuit system. Plasma inorganic fluoride concentrations and urine N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GTP), and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2MG) excretions were measured up to post-anesthetic day 14. Although both the peak plasma inorganic fluoride concentrations and the areas under the curve of plasma inorganic fluoride concentration versus time were significantly greater in the sevoflurane group than in the isoflurane group, urine NAG, gamma-GTP, and beta 2MG excretions per day did not differ between the two groups. These results indicate that sevoflurane and isoflurane may have similar effects on the renal tubules in patients with moderately impaired renal function.

Acetylglucosaminidase

Sevoflurane is equivalent to isoflurane for attenuating bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats.

The effects of sevoflurane on bupivacaine toxicity have not been defined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sevoflurane and isoflurane on bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats. Thirty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats received bupivacaine intravenously at a constant rate of 2 mg.kg-1.min-1 until both arrhythmias and seizures occurred while electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were made. The cumulative doses of bupivacaine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were determined in the presence of 1 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane (sevoflurane group, n = 14) or isoflurane (isoflurane group, n = 10) and in the absence of anesthetic (control group, n = 13). The cumulative doses of bupivacaine inducing arrhythmias and seizures were larger in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups than in the control group and were similar in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups. These results indicate that sevoflurane and isoflurane attenuate bupivacaine-induced arrhythmias and seizures in rats.

Anesthetics, Inhalation

In vivo production of nitric oxide in the canine heart in IgE-mediated anaphylaxis.

We investigated the production of nitric oxide (NO) in the canine anaphylactic heart in vivo using an NO-selective electrode. Seven dogs with positive sensitivity to Ascaris Suum were studied. Ascaris Suum was administered into the systemic circulation to induce anaphylaxis, and NO, blood pressure, heart rate, end-diastolic left ventricular pressure, cardiac output, and the maximum rate of rise of left ventricular pressure were monitored for 60 min. The electrode was placed on the surface of the left ventricle adjacent to the interventricular branches of the left coronary artery. NO concentration increased significantly during the period from 2 to 3 min, and tended to increase during the period from 4 to 15 min after antigen challenge, and almost returned to baseline after 20 min. In conclusion, increases in NO in the heart are only observed during the early phase of anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of rDNA and variation of essential oil composition in Atractylodes plants.

Total DNA was extracted from the leaves of Atractylodes lancea DE CANDOLLE, A. ovata DE CANDOLLE and A. japonica KOIDZUMI ex KITAMURA of various origins and hybridized with digoxigenin-labeled rice ribosomal DNA after digestion with eight different restriction endonucleases. The resulting restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles allowed us to distinguish the three Atractylodes species when DNA was digested with Sac I. Although atractylon was detected in the rhizomes of some of the cultivated strains of A. lancea, their RFLP profiles clearly indicate that these plants are not hybrids of A. ovata or A. japonica. RFLP analysis also revealed the presence of intraspecific variation in DNA sequence of rRNA locus among A. lancea as well as A. japonica.

DNA Restriction Enzymes

Effect of positive end-expiratory pressure on extravascular lung water and cardiopulmonary function in dogs with experimental severe hydrostatic pulmonary edema.

The effects of ventilation at positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on extravascular lung water (EVLW) and cardiopulmonary function were studied in dogs with experimental severe hydrostatic pulmonary edema, which was generated by inflating a left atrial balloon and simultaneously injecting warm 5% glucose solution into the pulmonary artery. The EVLW was measured by the double indicator dilution method using heat and sodium ions. All the dogs were ventilated at zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP) until the EVLW had increased by 200-300% (maximal edema), when they were divided into two groups, one of which (n = 6) was ventilated at a PEEP of 10 cm H2O throughout the 4 hr study period (PEEP group) and the other (n = 6) was maintained at ZEEP during their survival period (ZEEP group). All the dogs in the PEEP group survived ventilation for 4 hr, whereas all those in the ZEEP group died within 3 hr, (2 within 1 hr, 1 between 1 and 2 hr and 3 between 2 and 3 hr). The EVLW of the PEEP group remained unchanged throughout the 4 hr study period, whereas that of the ZEEP group showed a tendency to increase. The arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) increased significantly throughout the 4 hr period of ventilation in the PEEP group but tended to decrease in the ZEEP group. In conclusion, PEEP improves gaseous exchange, but does not decrease the EVLW in dogs with experimental severe hydrostatic edema.

Analysis of Variance

Radiographical evaluation of bone maturation in Japanese black beef cattle.

Epiphyseal ossification in the radius, ulna, metacarpus, proximal phalanx and tuber calcaneus was examined radiographically in Japanese Black beef cattle. The grade of standard ossification was assessed monthly for each epiphysis. Bone maturations could be divided into 8 grades for the distal radius and distal ulna, 7 grades for the distal metacarpus, 5 grades for the proximal phalanx, and 8 grades for the tuber calcaneus, respectively. The closure of the epiphyseal line completed at the earliest (12-14 months of age) on the proximal phalanx, and at the latest (35-37 months of age) on the distal ulna. Changes in gradings were steep at 0 to 5 months of age but became almost constant after 10 months of age in all the epiphyses. There were no significant differences in bone maturation between the cattle with different sex and breeding conditions.

Aging

Effects of inhaled nitric oxide on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in dogs and a case report of venae cavae syndrome.

We investigated the effect of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) in dogs, by treating a dog suffering from venae cavea syndrome (VCS) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) with NO inhalation. The increasing mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) induced by hypoxia was lessened significantly by NO inhalation. High PAP in VCS also declined as a result of NO inhalation. These results suggested that inhaled NO can reverse HPV in dogs and prevent worsening PH during surgical extraction of heartworm in VCS.

Administration, Inhalation

Evaluation of pulmonary vasodilatory capacity with inhaled nitric oxide in a dog with patent ductus arteriosus.

A female Maltese dog with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) showing left congestive heart failure and moderate pulmonary hypertension was evaluated for pulmonary vasodilatory capacity using low concentrations of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) in comparison with oxygen during preoperative cardiac catheterization. Increasing the inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2) to 1.0 without adding NO did not reduce the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP). However, inhalation of NO at FiO2 1.0 reduced mPAP rapidly without changing other hemodynamic and gas exchange parameters. From these results, inhaled NO caused selective pulmonary vasodilation without producing systemic vasodilation, which may provide a safe and effective mean of evaluating the pulmonary vasodilatory capacity of dogs with PDA.

Administration, Inhalation

[Retrospective analysis on 21 patients with follicular lymphoma].

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of the 21 patients with follicular lymphoma admitted to our institution from 1977 to 1994. The frequency of follicular lymphoma was 9.1% in the 231 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Overall survival rates at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 90.2%, 78.2%, and 52.1%, respectively. The median follow-up of surviving patients and time to treatment failure (TTF) was 43 months and 30 months, respectively. The median time from disease progression to death was 171 days. In univariate analysis, factors associated with poor survival were stage IV (Ann Arbor staging system), anemia (hemoglobin level less than 10g/dl), bone marrow involvement, two or more extranodal sites, and failure in induction of complete remission (CR) in the entire course. Factors associated with short TTF were anemia, bone marrow involvement, and failure in induction of CR. In multivariate analysis, induction of CR affected survival and TTF independently.

Adult