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Biomedical subjects

R Yoshida

Publications and source records attributed to R Yoshida.

275 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Trends of genetic relationship of serotype 23F penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Japan.

No data on the genetic analysis of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRP) in Japan has been reported. The SmaI restriction endonuclease digested patterns of chromosomal DNAs from 15 PRP serotyped 23F isolated in Japan were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The isolates were genetically heterogeneous and seven different PFGE patterns were identified. Nine strains were also resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline. Four strains revealed resistance to ceftriaxone. The PFGE patterns of some strains isolated in Nagasaki University Hospital were identical to each other and closely resembled those of isolates from three different areas of Japan. These results indicate a need for additional studies by PFGE to determine the possibility of clonal spread in Japan.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Prognostic significance of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL/S, Bax and Bak expressions in colorectal carcinomas.

The immunohistochemical expressions of the apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL/S, Bax and Bak were investigated in tumor specimens selected from 58 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for advanced colorectal carcinoma. The expression patterns in 50 specimens of adjacent normal colonic mucosa were also examined. In the normal colonic mucosa, Bcl-2-positive epithelial cells tended to be located at the base of the crypts, while the Bcl-xL/S-, Bax- and Bak-positive epithelial cells tended to be located at the luminal surface. The intracellular expression patterns of Bcl-2 and Bax were diffuse cytoplasmic, whereas those of Bcl-xL/S and Bak were granular cytoplasmic. In the adenocarcinomas, the intracellular expression patterns of all antibodies were diffuse cytoplasmic, and the percentages of Bcl-2-, Bcl-xL/S-, Bax- and Bak-positive cases (>20% of cancer cells labeled) were 29%, 43%, 45% and 69%, respectively. Bax expression was significantly correlated with less lymph vessel invasion (p=0.02) and less depth of invasion (p=0.04). In relation to prognosis (5-year-survival), the patients with Bax-positive tumors had significantly better prognoses than the patients who had Bax-negative tumors (p<0.05). However, the Bcl-2, Bcl-xL/S and Bak expressions were not related to any clinicopathological factors examined. Thus, Bax expression may be an additional prognostic marker in colorectal carcinomas.

Adult↗

Immunohistochemical study of Muc1, Muc2 and human gastric mucin in breast carcinoma: relationship with prognostic factors.

We investigated the expression of mucin core proteins, Muc1, Muc2, and human gastric mucin (HGM) immunohistochemically in 5 non-invasive, 62 invasive ductal carcinomas and 3 mucinous carcinomas of the breast and statistically examined the relationship with prognostic factors. Muc1 was expressed in almost all breast carcinomas and there was a reverse correlation with tumor size (r = -0.25). However, Muc1 was not significantly correlated with the other tumor characteristics such as lymphocytic infiltration, axillary lymph node metastasis, TNM and plasma levels of CA153. Muc2 and HGM were expressed in 5 cases each in invasive ductal carcinomas, 0 and 3 in non-invasive ductal carcinomas, and 2 and 1 in mucinous carcinomas, respectively. Muc 2 expression correlated with lymph node metastasis. HGM was found in the tumors without lymph node metastasis and lower levels of serum CA153.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗

Change in telomerase activity during human colorectal carcinogenesis.

Telomerase activities in endoscopically resected colorectal adenomas, surgically resected colorectal cancers and adjacent normal colonic mucosa were examined semiquantitatively by a polymerase chain reaction-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. All normal mucosa (n = 15) presented weak telomerase activity (mean +/- SE: 0.99 +/- 0.00). When the value of 1.00 was arbitrary given to the mean activity of normal mucosa, the telomerase activity in the adenomas (n = 14) was up-regulated (2.01 +/- 0.22) relative to the normal mucosa. The telomerase activity in the high-grade atypia (severe atypia and carcinoma in situ) (2.58 +/- 0.34) was significantly higher than that in the low-grade (mild and moderate) atypia (1.59 +/- 0.18) (P < 0.05), and the adenomas 10 mm or more in diameter presented significantly higher telomerase activity (2.56 +/- 0.09) than compared to the smaller ones (1.44 +/- 0.17) (p < 0.05). Carcinomas (n = 20), showed a telomerase activity that varied from 0.97 to 16.93, which was than the greater mean telomerase activity (6.96 +/- 1.25) noted in the adenomas. The telomerase activity in the carcinomas tended to be higher in the larger (> or = 4 cm), histologically less-differentiated (moderately differentiated), late-stage (Dukes C + D), and nodal metastatic tumors, suggestive of unfavorable prognosis. These results suggests that the weak telomerase activity in normal colonic mucosa is gradually activated during the course of colorectal carcinogenesis.

Adenoma↗

Telomere length, telomerase activity and telomerase RNA expression in human esophageal cancer cells: correlation with cell proliferation, differentiation and chemosensitivity to anticancer drugs.

The telomere and the enzyme telomerase in esophageal cancer have been poorly investigated. We present here aspects of the telomere and telomerase in esophageal cancer in relation to cell proliferation, differentiation and chemosensitivity to anticancer drugs. The telomere length (mean length of telomere restriction fragments; TRF), telomerase activity (TA), and human telomerase RNA (hTR) expression in a panel of 13 human esophageal cancer cell lines, squamous in origin, was examined by Southern blotting, the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Cell proliferation expressed by the doubling time, cell differentiation determined by the keratin 13 and/or 14 expression, and chemosensitivity to cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were compared with telomere-related factors. TRF shortening, the up-regulation of TA, and hTR expression was seen in all 13 cell lines. The TA correlated positively with the telomere length and negatively with the hTR expression. The doubling times of the cell lines and the telomere-related factors did not show any significant relation. The TA in the keratin 13/14-negative cell lines was significantly higher than that of the keratin 13-positive cell lines. The cells with short telomere tended to be resistant to CDDP whereas the cells with higher TA tended to be more sensitive to CDDP; 5-FU showed no relation to any telomere-related factors. Therefore, the activation of TA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is regulated by cell differentiation but not by cell proliferation, cells with high TA are more sensitive to CDDP, and cells with short telomere require a CDDP dose escalation.

Antineoplastic Agents↗