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Biomedical subjects

S Abe

Publications and source records attributed to S Abe.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Immunolocalization of extracellular matrix proteins and integrins in sarcoid lymph nodes.

To improve our understanding of the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and integrins during the processes of granuloma formation in sarcoidosis, we examined the distribution of ECM proteins and the expression of integrins in sarcoid lymph nodes by immunohistochemical methods. We also examined the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), which is one of major regulators for synthesis of ECM proteins. Most ECM proteins were detected in the periphery of the granulomas in a concentric pattern, and fibronectin was diffusely detected from an early to a regressive stage. Compared with normal lymph nodes, most beta1-integrin subfamilies (alpha1, alpha4, alpha5 and alpha6) were more strongly expressed on lymphocytes around the granulomas. Epithelioid cells exhibited strong expression of the alpha5 molecule. Fibroblasts exhibited the expression of the alpha2 and alpha5 molecules surrounding ECM proteins. The alpha5beta1 molecule had a distribution similar to that of fibronectin. TGF-beta1 was detected in epithelioid cells throughout the various evolutional stages and its expression was especially marked in mature granulomas. Interaction of fibronectin and the alpha5beta1 molecule may have an important role in the process of formation of sarcoid granuloma. The expression of TGF-beta1 may be involved in the regression of sarcoid granuloma by initiating fibrosis and atrophy of epithelioid cells.

Extracellular Matrix Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Oral administration of NO synthase inhibitor failed to promote arteriosclerotic lesions in the aorta and the coronary arteries of rabbits fed cholesterol.

We examined whether or not the oral administration of L-nitroarginine methylester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, promotes cholesterol-induced arteriosclerosis in the aorta and the coronary artery. Thirty-six male Japanese white rabbits were fed 0.5% cholesterol-containing laboratory chow and randomly assigned to the following three groups: (1) water, (2) 80 microg/ml L-NAME and (3) 400 microg/ml L-NAME in drinking water. The rabbits were fed a 0.5% cholesterol-containing diet for 8 months. During the 8-month period, the concentration of total cholesterol and L-nitroarginine in the serum and the mean blood pressure were measured. The concentration of NO3 in the serum was also measured. After sacrifice, the aortic surface involvement (AI%), the ratio of the thickened intima to the media and the contents of the total cholesterol of the aorta, the maximum % stenosis of the subepicardial large coronary artery, the % frequency of the nearly completely occlusive distal small coronary artery and the area of the myocardial fibrosis were all measured. We found no statistical difference among the three groups regarding the degree of arteriosclerotic lesions of the aorta and of the large coronary artery, and the area of myocardial fibrosis, as well as the serum cholesterol exposure index (the area under the curve of the serum total cholesterol concentration) and the mean blood pressure. However, the serum concentration of L-nitroarginine was approximately 50 and 200 microM/l in groups 2 and 3, respectively. The concentration of NO3 in the serum in group 1 was significantly higher than that in groups 2 and 3. We thus conclude, that the oral administration of L-NAME in the rabbits fed a cholesterol-containing diet for 8 months failed to promote arteriosclerotic lesions in the aorta and the coronary artery, even though the serum concentration of L-nitroarginine increased sufficiently to inhibit NO synthase in the arterial endothelium and the NO3 concentration in the serum decreased in the rabbits given L-NAME.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

A paired wedge filter system for compensation in dose differences.

OBJECTIVE: In radiotherapy, it is important to conform the high dose volume to the planned target volume. A variable thickness paired wedge filter system was developed to compensate for dose inhomogeneity arising from field width segment variation in conformal irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study used a 6 MV linear accelerator equipped with multileaf collimator leaves and a paired wedge compensating filter system. The dose variation due to field width was measured in each field segment width. The variation in attenuation of the compensators was measured as a function of filter position. As the field width increases, the relative absorbed dose also increases; this is the point of requiring compensation, so it can be in reverse proportion. RESULTS: As the field width increases, the relative absorbed dose also increases; this is why compensation is required and thus it must be in reverse proportion. Attenuation of the absorbed dose by the paired filters was in proportion to the filter position. The filter position to compensate for the difference of absorbed doses was defined by the square root of the field width. For a field varying in width from 4 to 16 cm, the variation in the absorbed dose across the field was reduced from 12% to 2.7%. CONCLUSION: This paired wedge filter system reduced absorbed dose variations across multileaf collimator shaped fields and can facilitate treatment planning in conformal therapy.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Chromosomal localization and heterochromatin association of ribosomal RNA gene loci and silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions in salmonid fishes.

Ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) loci, including those of nucleolus-forming 18S, 5.8S and 28S (major) and non-nucleolus-forming 5S (minor) rDNA, were assigned using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the embryonic chromosomes of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), masu salmon (O. masou), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Japanese huchen (Hucho perryi). In these species, the minor rDNA loci were located basically on 2-4 chromosome pairs, whereas the major rDNA loci were found essentially on one chromosome pair, except for the brook trout. Its major rDNA loci were dispersed on about half of the chromosome complement, showing a considerable interindividual variation in the number and location. The major and minor rDNA loci were separated onto different chromosomes in the examined species, except for the rainbow trout, in which one chromosome pair had tandemly aligned minor and major rDNA loci. Chromosome regions containing both kinds of rDNA loci in each species were found to be stained with C-banding, showing an association of these loci with heterochromatin. Comparison of the assigned major rDNA loci and sequentially detected silver (Ag)-stained nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in all the species revealed a considerable polymorphism in the number and size of AgNORs among or within those loci, suggesting a possible inter- or intralocus inactivation of the major rDNAs.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Congenital ectopic nail with bone deformity.

This report describes two cases of congenital ectopic nail with bone deformity. Histologically, the squamous epithelium of the nail matrix lacked a definite granular layer. Resected nail tissue was connected with the periosteum of the tip of the ungual phalanx, which suggested that the contact of the ectopic nail matrix with the periosteum could impede intramembranous ossification and deform the bone shape.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Diagnosis of synovial sarcoma with the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction: analyses of 84 soft tissue and bone tumors.

The chimeric transcript SYT-SSX is generated as a result of reciprocal translocation t(X;18), which is the primary cytogenetic abnormality found in, and appears to be specific for, synovial sarcoma. We performed a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SYT-SSX transcripts in a series of 84 tumors (61 soft tissue tumors and 23 bone tumors), including a variety of histologic types, to assess its usefulness in molecular diagnosis. Ten synovial sarcomas, three tumors initially unclassified, and one malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor contained the chimeric transcripts. A review of the original slides and additional examination showed that a diagnosis of synovial sarcoma was appropriate for these cases. Additionally, in situ hybridization with an SSX1 probe indicated that the chimeric transcripts exist not only in the cells of special components but also in cells showing a variety of histologic patterns. Therefore, RT-PCR can be considered a useful molecular biological technique that can provide objective evidence for diagnosis of synovial sarcoma. Northern blot analysis with an SSX1 probe also detected chimeric SYT-SSX transcripts in the synovial sarcoma cases. The additional smaller bands, however, were also detected in six peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs) and one embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. In five of these pPNETs, other bands ranging in size from 2.0 to 2.2 kb were also found, and it seems possible that these bands might represent novel karyotypic aberrations and/or splicing variants of SSX.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Anti-Candida activity of calprotectin in combination with neutrophils or lactoferrin.

The effect of an anti-microbial protein, calprotectin, in combination with neutrophils on the growth of Candida albicans was investigated. The growth inhibition of C. albicans by murine neutrophils was augmented by the addition of a low concentration of calprotectin prepared from rat peritoneal exudate cells. The concentrations of calprotectin causing 50% inhibition of growth of C. albicans in the absence or presence of neutrophils at an effector-to-target (E/T) ratio of 30 and 60 were estimated to be 0.45, 0.34 and 0.28 U/ml, respectively. The anti-Candida activity of calprotectin was completely inhibited by 2 microM of zinc ion, while it only partially lowered the activity of the combination of calprotectin and neutrophils. Lactoferrin, which is an anti-microbial protein released from neutrophils, strongly inhibited the growth of C. albicans in combination with calprotectin. These results suggest that calprotectin and lactoferrin released from neutrophils may cooperate to inhibit the growth of C. albicans at a local lesion of the infection where there is an accumulation of neutrophils.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Hypogammaglobulinemia during antipsychotic therapy.

Hypogammaglobulinemia in a 22-year-old woman with brief psychotic disorder developed during antipsychotic therapy. Severe decreases in immunoglobulin IgM, IgG, and IgA concentration in serum were observed 4 months after the treatment with chlorpromazine (CPZ) and the other types of antipsychotics. Neither physical diseases nor family history for immunological disturbances was seen. No clinical symptoms in relation to immunological disturbances (i.e. infectious disease), were noted. Gammaglobulin levels in serum returned to a normal range after a replacement of chlorpromazine to timiperone. The hypogammaglobulinemia in the present case was considered to be due to the inhibition of gammaglobulin synthesis by CPZ.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Morphological effects of itraconazole on murine macrophage.

Morphological effects of itraconazole (ITCZ) on murine macrophages were examined by light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and compared with the effects of other antifungal agents. Thioglycolate-induced peritoneal macrophages were prepared from C3H/He J mice and cultured for 20 h in the presence of the antifungal azoles econazole, fluconazole, miconazole, ketoconazole, ITCZ, hydroxy-itraconazole (ITCZ-OH), and a polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AMPH). Among these reagents, only ITCZ and its derivative ITCZ-OH were effective in causing morphological changes of murine macrophage as determined by LM and SEM. Macrophages treated with 2 microg/ml ITCZ or ITCZ-OH were stretched out bidirectionally, their surface was smooth and their 'ruffles' decreased. TEM observation showed that the bundles of the filamentous structure existed along the cell shape in the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that ITCZ and ITCZ-OH affect the morphology of macrophages.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Suppression of macrophage activation by peritoneal fluid from patients with endometriosis.

To investigate the effects of peritoneal fluid from patients with endometriosis on mouse peritoneal macrophages (Mphi), peritoneal fluid from endometriosis patients (n = 15) were added to a monolayer of C3H/HeJ mouse peritoneal Mphi. Tumor necrosis factor-producing activity was measured by the L929 assay activated with FK-23 (a preparation of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis). Tumor necrosis factor-producing activity of C3H/HeJ mouse peritoneal Mphi incubated with peritoneal fluid was suppressed in 14 endometriosis patients. Interestingly, in nine endometriosis patients, tumor necrosis factor-producing activity was much lower than seen with mouse peritoneal Mphi incubated with corticosterone. Peritoneal fluid contains suppressive properties for the activation of peritoneal Mphi, which might allow the implantation of free endometrial cells or the metaplastic phenomena stimulated by retrograde menstruation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Presymptomatic brain lesions on MRI in a patient with intravascular malignant lymphomatosis.

A 58-year-old man with a intravascular malignant lymphomatosis initially developed myeloradiculopathy without cerebral symptoms. His MRI, however, demonstrated solid, wedge-shaped, and well-demarcated lesions in the deep white matter and a string-shaped lesion along with nerve fibers in the splenium of corpus callosum. A variety of cerebral symptoms manifested a month afterward. The possibility of this disease should be considered in cases of undiagnosed myeloradiculopathy with such silent brain lesions.

Brain↗
PubMed1998

[Pathological changes by the imbalance of host T helper lymphocyte subsets in Mycoplasma pulmonis pneumonia of mice].

To evaluate the contribution of the subsets of T helper lymphocyte (Th) to the development of pulmonary lesion in mycoplasma pneumonia, we compared the pathological findings between Th1 dominant mice (C57BL/6) and Th2 dominant mice (BALB/c) in experimental Mycoplasma pulmonis (M. pulmonis) pneumonia. Mice (ICR, C57BL/6, and BALB/c) were intranasally inoculated with 0.03 ml of a solution containing M. pulmonis (1 x 10(8)) colony forming units per ml. Another M. pulmonis inoculated ICR mice were treated with interleukin-2 (IL2; 4.8 micrograms/day), days 3-9, intracutaneously). All mice were sacrificed at day 14, and the lung specimens were examined. Peribronchial lymphocyte cuffing was more prominent in C57BL/6 mice than that of ICR mice, and intra-alveolar inflammatory-cell infiltration in BALB/c mice was more prominent than in ICR mice. Pathological patterns of the lung in IL-2 treated ICR mice were mimicking those of C57BL/6 mice. These results suggested that pathological patterns of mycoplasma pneumonia in mice might be altered by the imbalance of host T helper lymphocyte subset.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Inhibition of hyphal growth of azole-resistant strains of Candida albicans by triazole antifungal agents in the presence of lactoferrin-related compounds.

The effects of bovine lactoferrin (LF) or the LF-derived antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B (LFcin B) on the growth of Candida albicans hyphae, including those of three azole-resistant strains, were investigated by a crystal violet staining method. The hyphae of two highly azole-resistant strains were more susceptible to inhibition by LF or LFcin B than the azole-susceptible strains tested. One moderately azole-resistant strain was defective in the formation of hyphae and showed a susceptibility to LF greater than that of the susceptible strains but a susceptibility to LFcin B similar to that of the susceptible strains. The highly azole-resistant strain TIMM3317 showed trailing growth in the presence of fluconazole or itraconazole, while the extent of growth was reduced by the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC. Thus, the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC resulted in a substantial decrease in the MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for two highly azole-resistant strains; e.g., the MIC of fluconazole for TIMM3317 was shifted from > 256 to 0.25 micrograms/ml by LF, but the MICs were not decreased for the susceptible strains. The combination effects observed with triazoles and LF-related compounds in the case of the two highly azole-resistant strains were confirmed to be synergistic by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. These results demonstrate that for some azole-resistant C. albicans strains, LF-related compounds combined with triazoles can inhibit the growth of hyphae, an important form of this organism in pathogenesis.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1998

A new internal ribosomal entry site 5' boundary is required for poliovirus translation initiation in a mouse system.

Four mutants of the virulent Mahoney strain of poliovirus were generated by introducing mutations in nucleotides (nt) 128 to 134 of the genome, a region that contains a part of the stem-loop II (SLII) structure located within the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES; nt 120 to 590) (K. Shiroki, T. Ishii, T. Aoki, Y. Ota, W.-X. Yang, T. Komatsu, Y. Ami, M. Arita, S. Abe, S. Hashizume, and A. Nomoto, J. Virol. 71:1-8, 1997). These mutants (SLII mutants) replicated well in human HeLa cells but not in mouse TgSVA cells that had been established from the kidney of a poliovirus-sensitive transgenic mouse. Their neurovirulence in mice was also greatly attenuated compared to that of the parental virus. The poor replication activity of the SLII mutants in TgSVA cells appeared to be attributable to reduced activity of the IRES. Two and three naturally occurring revertants that replicated well in TgSVA cells were isolated from mutants SLII-1 and SLII-5, respectively. The revertants recovered IRES activity in a cell-free translation system from TgSVA cells and returned to a neurovirulent phenotype like that of the Mahoney strain in mice. Two of the revertant sites that affected the phenotype were identified as being at nt 107 and within a region from nt 120 to 161. A mutation at nt 107, specifically a change from uridine to adenine, was observed in all the revertant genomes and exerted a significant effect on the revertant phenotype. Exhibition of the full revertant phenotype required mutations in both regions. These results suggested that nt 107 of poliovirus RNA is involved in structures required for the IRES activity in mouse cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Parathyroid-hormone-related-protein-producing thymic carcinoma presenting as a giant extrathoracic mass.

A 53-year-old female with a 9-month history of chest pain presented with a giant anterior chest wall mass. Radiologic examination showed an anterior mediastinal tumor invading the chest wall. Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) levels were extremely elevated. Biopsy specimens disclosed a squamous cell carcinoma with Hassall's corpuscle-like keratotic pearls, and an immunohistological study showed a positive staining with PTHrP. The tumor and serum PTHrP concentration markedly decreased following cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radiation. This is the first case of PTHrP producing a thymic carcinoma with the unusual presentation of a large extrathoracic mass.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1998

Acid fog and hospital visits for asthma: an epidemiological study.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the adverse respiratory effects of naturally occurring acid fog. In total, 102 adult asthmatic patients (44 nonatopic and 58 atopic) were studied for a 2 yr period (January 1992 to December 1993) in Kushiro, a city with only a small industrial area, located in the northern-most island in Japan. Fog occurred on 378 out of 731 days, and the acidity of the fog ranged from pH 3.32 to 6.91 (mean pH 4.95). The association between hospital visits for asthma and meteorological factors or air pollutants was investigated. In nonatopic patients, fog, high ozone and water vapour pressure, low day-to-day temperature differences, low concentrations of atmospheric NO and NO2 contributed significantly (p<0.05) to increasing hospital visits. In atopic subjects, fog, high water vapour pressure, low levels of atmospheric NO2 and SO2 contributed significantly to hospital visits (p<0.05). In Poisson regression analysis the remaining factors of significance (p<0.01) for nonatopic asthma were fog and low NO and for atopic asthma were high water vapour pressure and low SO2 (p<0.05). A weak but significant correlation was observed between the number of hospital visits and the mean pH of the foggy day (r=-0.38, p<0.05) in nonatopic asthmatic patients, not in atopic asthma. On foggy days, gaseous air pollutant levels were significantly (p<0.01) lower than on fog-free days. It was concluded that, naturally occurring acid fog may have a weak bronchoconstrictive effect which appears to be more influential in nonatopic asthmatic subjects than in atopic subjects.

Adolescent↗