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Biomedical subjects

S Fukuda

Publications and source records attributed to S Fukuda.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Experience with 24 cases of reconstructive anterior skull base surgery: classification and evaluation of postoperative facial appearance.

This article details our experience with 24 cases of anterior skull base reconstruction after tumor resection. They were classified into four types according to the resected region. In 11 cases of type I resection, the orbital part of frontal bone and/or cribriform plate of ethmoid bone were resected. In two cases of type II resection, the orbital contents and partial orbital bone were resected with the addition of type I. In five cases of type III resection, the maxillary bone was resected with the addition of type II. In six cases of type IV resection, the zygomatic bone and/or facial skin were resected with the addition of type III. The tumor originating from intracranial region was 25% of this series and all of them belonged to type I. The tumor originating from extracranial region tumor was 75% and its resected region was more extensive. In type I and II resections, the cranial flap, radial forearm free flap, or a combination of the two was used for reconstruction. The rectus abdominis myocutaneous/muscle free flap was used for reconstruction of massive defects in type III and IV defects. Total incidence of postoperative complications was 16.7%. Donor site deformity of the cranial flap at the frontal and temporal region in types I and II resections and facial contour deformity in zygomatic region and defect of upper and/or lower palpebra in type IV resection were major problems with postoperative facial appearance. Although use of the rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap combined with costal cartilages improved the midfacial contour, palpebral reconstruction remained an unsolved problem in reconstructive skull base surgery. The reconstructive goals in skull base surgery are not only to obtain safe and reliable skull base reconstruction but also to restore the facial appearance postoperatively.

Journal Article↗

Simple hemostatic procedure for hemorrhagic duodenal ulcer: two cases of arterial hemorrhage quickly controlled by balloon compression.

We utilized balloon compression in two cases of arterial hemorrhage from duodenal ulcers. The bleeding was quickly controlled in both cases. The advantages of this technique are its simplicity and ease of performance, and the fact that it does not require precise identification of the bleeding point in the duodenal bulb. No serious complications, such as perforation or stenosis, are associated with this technique. During the healing of the ulcer, balloon expansion may result in decreased duodenal bulb deformity. The following points, however, should be clarified in future studies: a) the stability of the duodenal bulb after longer-term balloon compression, and b) the optimum amount of cold water to be injected into the balloon and the optimum compression time.

Adult↗

Simple mucosal biopsy criteria differentiating among Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, and other forms of colitis: measurement of validity.

BACKGROUND: Recently established mucosal biopsy criteria reliably differentiate idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from other forms of colitis (non-IBD), and Crohn disease involving the colon (CD) from ulcerative colitis (UC) but were inconvenient in practical use because of the need for relatively complicated calculations. Our objectives were to establish simple criteria in which calculation could be done in the user's head and to measure their validity. METHODS: On the basis of the above original criteria, we constructed two sets of criteria in which coefficients and constants were simplified to integral numbers. The first set of criteria consisted of the diagnostic categories 'definite IBD', 'probable IBD', 'unknown', 'probable non-IBD', and 'definite non-IBD'. Similarly, the second set had five categories from 'definite CD' to 'definite UC'. The validity of the criteria was evaluated in 117 patients with CD, 125 with UC, and 484 with non-IBD. RESULTS: In categories of probable IBD and probable non-IBD both sensitivity and specificity exceeded 96.3%. Probable CD and probable UC showed sensitivities of 95.7% and 92.0% and specificities of 93.6% and 98.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite simplified coefficients and constants, the validity appeared to be high enough to apply the present criteria to routine work.

Adult↗

Evaluation of the clinical relevance of the iceA1 gene in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan.

BACKGROUND: A novel Helicobacter pylori gene, iceA, has two allelic variants, and the iceA1 strain is associated with peptic ulcer disease. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether the possession of iceA1 gene is associated with gastric cancer or the severity of gastritis. METHODS: Ninety-seven subjects (46 patients with early gastric cancer and 51 control subjects) infected with H. pylori were studied. DNA was extracted from isolated H. pylori strains, and the presence of the iceA1 gene was examined by polymerase chain reaction. The features of gastritis were graded in accordance with the updated Sydney System, using gastric biopsy specimens. RESULTS: iceA1 was found in 61% of patients with gastric cancer and 53% of control subjects (NS). The grade of gastritis in iceA1-positive and -negative gastric mucosa was compared. Higher polymorphonuclear cell infiltration was observed in iceA1-positive subjects (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in the grades of mononuclear cell infiltration, glandular atrophy, and H. pylori density. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the iceA1 gene is not associated with the development of gastric cancer in Japan, whereas the iceA1-positive strain may induce more enhanced active gastric inflammation in cagA-positive and vacA s1/m1 strains.

Alleles↗

High prevalence of varicella-zoster virus reactivation in herpes simplex virus-seronegative patients with acute peripheral facial palsy.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) are considered to be the major causes of acute peripheral facial palsy (APFP). One hundred and forty-two patients with APFP were analyzed by serological assays and polymerase chain reaction analysis. Ramsay Hunt syndrome was diagnosed in 21 patients. Of the remaining 121 patients clinically diagnosed with Bell's palsy, VZV reactivation without zoster (zoster sine herpete) was detected in 35 patients (29%). The prevalence of antibodies to HSV among patients with Bell's palsy was significantly higher than the prevalence among those with VZV reactivation (Ramsay Hunt syndrome or zoster sine herpete). In contrast, a high incidence (88%) of VZV reactivation among HSV-seronegative patients with APFP was observed. Our data indicate that VZV is one of the major etiologic agents of clinically diagnosed Bell's palsy and that VZV reactivation causes APFP in most patients who lack antibodies to HSV.

Adolescent↗

The significance of serum homocysteine levels in diabetic patients on haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic diseases are the major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients on haemodialysis (HD). Furthermore, the prognosis of diabetic patients on HD is especially poor due to atherosclerotic complications. Because homocysteine (Hcy), a sulfur-containing amino acid, is emerging as an important risk factor for atherosclerosis in patients with end-stage renal disease, we examined the significance of serum Hcy levels in diabetic patients on HD. METHODS: We measured total serum Hcy levels (tHcy) in 31 patients with diabetes mellitus on HD (DM group) and 37 non-diabetic patients on HD (N group), adjusting for age and HD duration. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the correlation of multiple variables to tHcy. RESULTS: The proportion of atherosclerotic disease in the DM group was significantly higher than in the N group. However, serum tHcy, serum creatinine and per cent creatinine generation rate in the DM group were significantly lower than in the N group. In the DM group, serum tHcy was positively correlated with creatinine, albumin and per cent creatinine generation rate, respectively. This was not the case in the N group. CONCLUSIONS: The demethylation pathway in methionine metabolism in the liver, which is linked directly to the creatinine generation system, may be disturbed in diabetic patients on HD. This may be the reason why serum tHcy and creatinine in diabetic patients on HD are lower than in non-diabetic patients on HD. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the possibility of an altered relation between serum tHcy and vessel disease when evaluating the atherogenic risk in diabetic patients on HD.

Aged↗

Overexpression of salicylate hydroxylase and the crucial role of lys(163) as its NADH binding site.

Expression systems for the sal gene encoding salicylate hydroxylase from Pseudomonas putida S-1 were examined and some constructs were expressed in these systems. By cultivation of Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)/pSAH8 in LB medium at 37 degrees C with isopropyl-b-D-thiogalactopyranoside as the inducer, salicylate hydroxylase was overexpressed mainly in the form of inclusion bodies. Lower temperature cultivation at 20 degrees C after induction resulted in a large amount of the enzyme in the soluble form. The E. coli clone harboring the recombinant plasmid produced a 45 kDa protein that appeared to be electrophoretically and immunochemically identical to the P. putida enzyme and contained the same N-terminal amino acid sequence. This recombinant DNA product also exhibited properties characteristic of a flavoprotein and was fully functional as salicylate hydroxylase. Based on chemical modification of the salicylate hydroxylase from P. putida, Lys163 was previously proposed to be the NADH binding site. In this study, to obtain a better understanding of the predicted role of Lys163, this residue in the active center of salicylate hydroxylase was replaced with Arg, Gly, or Glu by conventional site-directed mutagenesis. Kinetic studies using these mutant enzymes and the recombinant enzyme revealed increases in apparent K(m) values for NADH in the order of wild-type enzyme > K163R > K163G > K163E, with some decreases in V(max). Examination of the recombinant enzyme and K163G indicated that the pH dependency of K(m) on NADH with pK(a) 10.5 is lost by mutation despite the lack of changes in V(max) values, suggesting a requirement for the lysine residue as the NADH binding site. Based on these results, Lys163 is proposed to play a role in the binding of NADH at the active site through an ionic bond rather than playing a role in catalysis.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Adsorption of lidocaine into a plastic infusion balloon.

An infusion balloon is a well established device used to continuously supply drugs for pain management. In this study, we determined the concentration of lidocaine that flowed out of a balloon because the balloon is made from plastics that adsorb local anesthetics.

Adsorption↗

Preemptive analgesia by intravenous low-dose ketamine and epidural morphine in gastrectomy: a randomized double-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Morphine and ketamine may prevent central sensitization during surgery and result in preemptive analgesia. The reliability of preemptive analgesia, however, is controversial. METHODS: Gastrectomy patients were given preemptive analgesia consisting of epidural morphine, intravenous low-dose ketamine, and combinations of these in a randomized, double-blind manner. Postsurgical pain intensity was rated by a visual analog scale, a categoric pain evaluation, and cumulative morphine consumption. RESULTS: Preemptive analgesia by epidural morphine and by intravenous low-dose ketamine were significantly effective but not definitive. With epidural morphine, a significant reduction in visual analog scale scores at rest was observed at 24 and 48 h, and morphine consumption was significantly lower at 6 and 12 h, compared with control values. With intravenous ketamine, visual analog scale scores at rest and morphine consumption were significantly lower at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h than those in control subjects. The combination of epidural morphine and intravenous ketamine provided definitive preemptive analgesia: Visual analog scale scores at rest and morphine consumption were significantly the lowest at 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, and the visual analog scale score during movement and the categoric pain score also were significantly the lowest among the groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that for definitive preemptive analgesia, blockade of opioid and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors is necessary for upper abdominal surgery such as gastrectomy; singly, either treatment provided significant, but not definitive, postsurgical pain relief. Epidural morphine may affect the spinal cord segmentally, whereas intravenous ketamine may block brain stem sensitization via the vagus nerve during upper abdominal surgery.

Aged↗

Serum anti-Lewis X antibody is not elevated in patients with gastric cancer infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori express Lewis X similar to that occurring in gastric mucosa. Patients infected with H. pylori produce anti-Lewis X antibodies. The aim of this study was to examine whether anti-Lewis X antibody was associated with the development of gastric cancer, particularly intestinal type cancer. Serum sample was collected from 98 patients with early gastric cancer and 98 gender- and age-matched control subjects who underwent endoscopy. Histologically, 77 cancers were of the intestinal type. Titers of anti-H. pylori and anti-Lewis X immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean titer of Lewis X antibody was 0.097 in patients with gastric cancer and 0.110 in matched control subjects (not significant). In 72 H. pylori-seropositive patients with intestinal type cancer and their matched H. pylori-seropositive controls, mean titer was 0.115 and 0.107, respectively (not significant). The odds ratio for the risk of gastric cancer if Lewis X antibody was high titer was 0.93 (95% CI 0.43-2.00). The odds ratio for the risk of intestinal type gastric cancer in patients with H. pylori infection if Lewis X antibody was high titer was 1.10 (95(% CI, 0.46-2.62). Anti-Lewis X antibody does not seem to be associated with the development of gastric cancer, even the intestinal type cancer.

Aged↗

Association of gastric epithelial apoptosis with the ability of Helicobacter pylori to induce a neutrophil oxidative burst.

Both polymorphonuclear cell infiltration and increased epithelial apoptosis are seen in gastric mucosa in the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. This study examined the association between bacterial ability to stimulate an oxidative burst in neutrophils and epithelial apoptosis. Biopsy specimens were obtained from 15 patients to detect apoptotic cells by the TUNEL method. H. pylori strains isolated from corresponding stomach biopsy samples were tested for the ability to stimulate an oxidative burst in human neutrophils. Neutrophils were isolated from healthy subjects without H. pylori infection and the oxidative burst was measured by flow cytometry with dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Stimulation with H. pylori increased both the percentage of activated cells and fluorescence intensity. There was a significant positive correlation between the number of epithelial apoptotic cells and fluorescence intensity. Increased neutrophil oxidative burst stimulated by H. pylori may play a role in enhanced gastric mucosal DNA damage and consequent atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer.

Apoptosis↗

Hair-discoloration of Japanese elite swimmers.

To understand hair-discoloration in relation to swimming, we examined sixty-seven elite swimmers of the Japan National Swimming Team and fifty-four, age-matched subjects as controls. The incidence of hair discoloration (61%) in the swimmers' group was significantly higher than that in controls (0%) (p<0.0001). Interestingly, surface damage of the nail plates coexisted in the swimmers with the scalp-hair discoloration. The hairs picked from the eight swimmers and two age-matched individuals as controls were examined by electron microscope (EM) and EM X-ray microanalyzer. The swimmers' discolored, golden hair revealed complete disappearance of hair cuticle both by scanning EM (SEM) and transmission EM (TEM). The quantity of melanosomes in the cortex decreased, and their diameter was smaller than that of controls. In addition, irregularly shaped melanosomes with variable electron density and less electron-dense melanosomes with white haloes were frequently observed in the swimmers' golden hair. The X-ray elemental spectrograph by SEM revealed that the content of sulfur in all the swimmers' discoloured hair was lower than that in the normal controls and that the content of chlorine in the male swimmers' discoloured hair was higher than that in the female swimmers and the normal controls. The X-ray elemental microanalysis by TEM focused on melanosomes in the cortex of the cross section and detected elemental chlorine in all swimmers' golden hairs. It did not detect any element in the control hairs. The 14C-tyrosine uptake test of hairbulbs found no significant difference between the swimmers and the normal controls. These findings suggest that hair discoloration was mainly due to cuticle damage by friction with water. Hypochlorous acid in the swimming pool water can penetrate to the hair cortex through the cuticle. It can oxidize and degenerate melanosomes there.

Adolescent↗

Gastric mucosal inflammation and epithelial cell turnover are associated with gastric cancer in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Infection with a virulent Helicobacter pylori strain is associated with gastric mucosal damage and the increased risk of gastric cancer. AIMS: To examine the characteristics of host gastric mucosal responses in patients with gastric cancer, histological grade of gastritis, gastric epithelial apoptosis, and proliferation were studied. METHODS: Thirty two patients with early gastric cancer and 32 sex and age matched controls were studied. All subjects were infected with a virulent H pylori strain (vacA s1/m1, cagA positive genotype). Biopsy specimens were taken from the antrum and the corpus of the stomach. The grade of gastritis was assessed according to the updated Sydney system. Apoptotic cells were detected using terminal uridine deoxynucleotidyl nick end labelling, and epithelial cell proliferation was determined by means of the Ki-67 labelling index. RESULTS: In patients with gastric cancer, significantly higher grades were observed when glandular atrophy (p < 0.05) and intestinal metaplasia (p < 0.01) were present in the antrum, and when mononuclear cell infiltration was present in the corpus (p < 0.05). The numbers of apoptotic cells were increased in patients with cancer (p < 0.05) and the apoptotic index correlated significantly with the grade of glandular atrophy. Epithelial cell proliferation was more likely to be increased in mucosa where intestinal metaplasia was present. CONCLUSIONS: Infection with H pylori causes increased gastric epithelial apoptosis, resulting in more severe glandular atrophy in patients with gastric cancer. Increased damage of gastric epithelial DNA and the presence of more severe atrophic gastritis might contribute to the development of gastric cancer.

Adult↗

Corticotropin-releasing hormone links pituitary adrenocorticotropin gene expression and release during adrenal insufficiency.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-deficient (KO) mice provide a unique system to define the role of CRH in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Despite several manifestations of chronic glucocorticoid insufficiency, basal pituitary proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) peptide content within the pituitary, and plasma ACTH concentrations are not elevated in CRH KO mice. The normal POMC mRNA content in KO mice is dependent upon residual glucocorticoid secretion, as it increases in both KO and WT mice after adrenalectomy; this increase is reversed by glucocorticoid, but not aldosterone, replacement. However, the normal plasma levels of ACTH in CRH KO mice are not dependent upon residual glucocorticoid secretion, because, after adrenalectomy, these levels do not undergo the normal increase seen in KO mice despite the increase in POMC mRNA content. Administration of CRH restores ACTH secretion to its expected high level in adrenalectomized CRH KO mice. Thus, in adrenal insufficiency, loss of glucocorticoid feedback by itself can increase POMC gene expression in the pituitary; but CRH action is essential for this to result in increased secretion of ACTH. This may explain why, after withdrawal of chronic glucocorticoid treatment, reactivation of CRH secretion is a necessary prerequisite for recovery from suppression of the HPA axis.

Adrenal Insufficiency↗

Sex-determining gene(s) on distal 9p: clinical and molecular studies in six cases.

We report on clinical and molecular findings in five karyotypic males (cases 1-5) and one karyotypic female (case 6) with distal 9p monosomy. Cases 1-3 and 6 had female external genitalia, case 4 showed ambiguous external genitalia, and case 5 exhibited male external genitalia with left cryptorchidism and right intrascrotal testis. Gonadal explorations at gonadectomy in cases 3 and 4 revealed that case 3 had left streak gonad and right agonadism, and case 4 had bilateral hypoplastic testes. Endocrine studies in cases 1-4 and 6 showed that cases 1, 3, and 6 had definite primary hypogonadism, with basal FSH levels of 54, 39, and 41 IU/L, respectively, whereas case 2 with severe malnutrition was unremarkable for the baseline values, and case 4 had fairly good testicular function. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and microsatellite analyses demonstrated that all cases had hemizygosity of the 9p sex-determining region distal to D9S1779, with loss of the candidate sex-determining genes DMRT1 and DMRT2 from the abnormal chromosome 9. Sequence analysis in cases 1-4 and 6 showed that they had normal sequences of each exon of DMRT1 and the DM domain of DMRT2 on the normal chromosome 9, and that cases 1-4 had normal SRY sequence. The results provide further support for the presence of a sex-determining gene(s) on distal 9p and favor the possibility of DMRT1 and/or DMRT2 being the sex-determining gene(s). Furthermore, as hemizygosity of the 9p sex-determining region was associated with a wide spectrum of gonadogenesis from agonadism to testis formation in karyotypic males and with primary hypogonadism regardless of karyotypic sex, it is inferred that haploinsufficiency of the 9p sex-determining gene(s) primarily hinders the formation of indifferent gonad, leading to various degrees of defective testis formation in karyotypic males and impaired ovary formation in karyotypic females.

Adult↗

Retrospective analysis of cerebral complications after coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly patients.

The present study retrospectively investigated cerebral complications of coronary artery bypass grafting in 205 consecutive patients aged 70 years or older, who underwent elective cardiopulmonary bypass from 1990 to 1997. Computed tomography of the brain and chest was done before surgery. Ten patients had so-called 'aortic no-touch surgery' and suffered no cerebral complications; the other 195 patients had conventional surgery. Adverse cerebral events occurred in 8.7%, including cerebral infarction (4.1%), diffuse encephalopathy (1.0%), convulsions (1.0%), transient disturbance of consciousness (1.0%), and severe loss of volition (1.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that only the detection of calcification of the ascending aorta was significantly associated with cerebral complications (p = 0.029). Total clamping tended to be superior to partial clamping for prevention of cerebrovascular accidents. The mortality rate was 7.3%. In-hospital death was related to age (p = 0.0062), cerebral complications (p = 0.0032), and a low left-ventricular function (p = 0.018). Therefore, chest computed tomography to assess the ascending aorta should be performed preoperatively. Modified techniques like aortic no-touch surgery or other therapies combined with coronary intervention may be needed in elderly patients with severe calcification of the ascending aorta.

Aged↗

Regression of prostatic hypertrophy by osaterone acetate in dogs.

The prostatic regression effect of oral administration of a new steroidal anti-androgen, osaterone acetate, was investigated in dogs with prostatic hypertrophy. To dogs with prostatic hypertrophy, 0.1-1.0 mg/kg of osaterone acetate was orally administered for one week, and the regression rate was observed. It was shown that administration of osaterone acetate at 0.2 mg/kg or higher, sharply regressed prostatic hypertrophy during the early stage. Therefore, this agent may be clinically applicable as a therapeutic agent for benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Administration, Oral↗