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Biomedical subjects

S Goto

Publications and source records attributed to S Goto.

At least 901 records · Page 50Linked to original sources

Induction of taurine responsiveness in Xenopus oocytes by messenger RNA from mouse brain.

A taurine response was induced in the surface membrane of the oocytes of Xenopus laevis by injection of the mRNA from the neonatal mouse brain, and the response was studied electrophysiologically. The permeability of mRNA-injected oocytes to chloride ions was increased by the application of taurine in a dose-dependent manner. The same oocyte also responded to GABA, but bicuculline suppressed only the GABA response. These results suggest a possibility that taurine could be a neurotransmitter of certain neurons as yet unknown in the central nervous system.

Animals↗

Clinical evaluation of schizophyllan combined with irradiation in patients with cervical cancer. A randomized controlled study.

To evaluate the clinical effects of the anti-tumor polysaccharide Schizophyllan (SPG), a randomized study was done on 220 patients with Stage II or Stage III cervical cancer who had been given irradiation, concomitantly. The tumor-reducing effect of SPG was significant in patients in either stage. The time to recurrence was longer in SPG-dosed patients with Stage II cancer, compared with findings in the control group. There was no significant difference in the time to recurrence in patients with Stage III cancer between the SPG and control groups. When comparing the 48-month survival curve, the survival time of patients with Stage II cancer in the SPG group was significantly longer than in the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the survival rate of patients with Stage III cancer between the SPG-dosed and control groups.

Actuarial Analysis↗

The role of binding subsite A in reactions catalyzed by hen egg-white lysozyme.

The role of binding subsite A, located at the terminal of the six binding subsites of hen egg-white lysozyme, in substrate binding and catalytic reactions was investigated by kinetic studies using a chemical modification method. Computer simulation showed that, although subsite A participates in the binding of the substrate, a decrease in the affinity of subsite A to the sugar residue does not cause a lowering of the rate of substrate consumption but changes the mode of the reaction by changing the distribution of the products formed. The binding free energies of subsites for Asp-101-modified lysozymes were estimated by data-fitting from the experimental time-courses. The contribution of Asp-101 in hen egg-white lysozyme to the substrate binding at subsite A was estimated to correspond to a binding free energy of about -3 kJ/mol, 30% of the total binding free energy of subsite A. Modification of Asp-101 affected not only the binding free energy of subsite A but also that of subsite C.

Animals↗

Calcineurin as a neuronal marker of human brain tumors.

Calcineurin is one of the calmodulin binding proteins and a Ca2+-dependent and calmodulin-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphatase. We used antisera to the calcineurin as a cell-type-specific marker in order to identify neuronal cells in the rat brain and human neoplasms. In normal rat brain slices, basal ganglia were stained macroscopically, and other areas such as cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, cerebellar cortex, granular layer and pyramidal tract of the spinal cord were lightly identified as well. Under the light microscope, it was found that only the neuronal cells were stained, and astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells and vessels were not. Intracellular distribution of the staining showed various patterns and staining intensity of varying degree. Using the PAP method, localization of the calcineurin in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were studied in 65 human intracranial neoplasms, and in 11 human extracranial neoplasms. The neuronal elements of neuroblastoma, ganglioglioma, ganglioneuroma and retinoblastoma were clearly stained. In contrast, glioblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, meningioma, neurinoma, pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, hemangioblastoma, hamartoma, lymphoma and mesenchymal tumor were all negative. Two cases out of 5 medulloblastomas were stained, but others were not. Although positive tumors disclosed various staining patterns and intensities, these results indicated that calcineurin could be a new neuronal marker in human brain tumors.

Animals↗

Calcineurin in human brain and its relation to extrapyramidal system. Immunohistochemical study on postmortem human brains.

Calcineurin immunoreactivity has been successfully detected in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded postmortem human brain tissue using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. We have examined two autopsy cases with Huntington's disease (HD), three cases with Parkinson's disease, and two senile patients as controls. In the controls, calcineurin immunoreactivity was present in neuronal cells only and highly concentrated in the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus (striato-pallidal pathway), substantia nigra (striato-nigral pathway) and hippocampal formation. These localizations were similar to those identified in rat brain. There was a marked depletion of neurons containing calcineurin in the caudate nucleus and putamen, and a marked reduction of calcineurin-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra were found in the cases with HD, but not in those with Parkinson's disease. These findings suggest that calcineurin can be a useful and specific index of neuronal degeneration in the caudato-putamen resulting from extrapyramidal disease, and that the calcineurin-immunostaining method can be a valuable tool for clarifying the anatomy of the human extrapyramidal system.

Aged↗

Total colonic aganglionosis with or without small bowel involvement: an analysis of 137 patients.

A total of 137 patients with total colonic aganglionosis involving or not involving the small intestine (TCSA) were analyzed to clarify the recent trends of TCSA in Japan. The percent of TCSA out of all types of Hirschsprung's disease was 8.4%. Male to female ratio in TCSA was 1.5:1. Open biopsy was relatively frequent for diagnosis, the rate being 40.9%. A total of 67.4% of the TCSA patients were diagnosed in the first month of life. Seventy-two percent of the patients underwent enterostomy in the neonatal period. Definitive operations were performed in 67 patients. Sixty underwent retrorectal transanal pull-through, most of which were Martin's procedure (56 cases). Mortality rate after Martin's procedure was 12.5%. Sixty-four percent of the patients with enterostomy alone did not survive. This study shows the recent trends of TCSA and indicates there is still much room for improvement in the clinical management of TCSA.

Female↗

Surgical treatment of total colonic aganglionosis: efficacy of aganglionic patch enteroplasty in the rat.

This study evaluates ileo endorectal pull-through (IEP) with and without an aganglionic colon patch in an experimental rat model for the surgical treatment of total colonic aganglionosis (TCA). Animals were randomly assigned to Group 1 (no patch, No. = 6), Group 2 (right colon patch, No. = 8), Group 3 (transverse colon patch, No. = 7), Group 4 (left colon patch; No. = 6), sham operation (SH, No. = 6), and unoperated controls (UC, No. = 10). Change in percent body weight at 4 weeks after operation was -30.9 +/- 3.68% in Group 1, +5.1 +/- 1.67% in Group 2, -3.4 +/- 3.96% in Group 3, -1.8 +/- 4.17% in Group 4, and +12.7 +/- 1.54% in SH (Group 1 v other groups: P less than .001). Restoration of initial body weight occurred in 100% in Group 2 and SH (8/8 and 6/6, respectively), 50% in Group 4 (3/6), 42.9% in Group 3 (3/7), and 0% in Group 1 (0/6). Transit time (stomach to anus) was significantly shorter in Group 1. All rats in patched groups had a prolonged transit time compared with Group 1. Manometric studies in IEP rats showed favorable anal canal pressures, which were slightly lower than SH and UC. Water and Na+ absorption were significantly greater in patched groups. Rats with a right colon patch (Group 2) showed slightly greater absorption at 4 weeks. These data suggest that an aganglionic colon patch may be an important adjunct in the surgical treatment of TCA.

Animals↗

Renal cell carcinoma in Japanese children.

Renal cell carcinoma in children is extremely rare compared to Wilms tumor. We report on a 7-year-old Japanese boy with left renal cell carcinoma. Since the disease was clinical stage I, nephrectomy with tumor extirpation was performed after a short course of initial chemotherapy had been administered. The patient is free of disease 3 years postoperatively. In a review of the Japanese literature we found 71 reports of renal cell carcinoma in children less than 15 years old. Mean patient age at occurrence was 8.1 years, there were no differences in regard to the sex or the affected side, and the most frequent symptom was the presence of a mass. We stress the early establishment of diagnosis in children with a persistent abdominal mass, hematuria and flank pain, since surgical treatment leads to a favorable prognosis only in the early stage of renal cell carcinoma.

Adolescent↗

Additional anomalies in Hirschsprung's disease: an analysis based on the nationwide survey in Japan.

A total number of 1628 cases with Hirschsprung's disease were collected in a nationwide survey; 181 of the cases had additional anomalies. The overall incidence of additional anomalies was 11.1% (181/1628). Down's syndrome and cardiac anomalies occurred in 2.9% and 2.5%, respectively: A greater incidence than seen in the general population. The longer the aganglionic segment, the higher the incidence of additional anomalies. Megacystis and megaureter were less common. Intestinal atresia and stenosis were seen in 15 patients, the rate being 0.9%. The overall mortality in patients with additional anomalies was higher at 17.7% (32/181) than in those without.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Transformation by extracellular DNA produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Most Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains are capable of producing extracellular DNA. Very closely linked chromosomal markers (leu+ and trp+) were co-transferred to P. aeruginosa PAO1819 (leu9001, trp9008) by the extracellular DNA produced by P. aeruginosa strains IFO3445 and PAO1 at a frequency of 10(-7) to 10(-8). Treatment of the extracellular DNA with DNase, heating at 95 C or sonication completely destroyed its transforming ability. The R plasmid in the extracellular DNA produced by P. aeruginosa IFO3445 (RP4) or PAO2142 (RLb679) could be transferred to Escherichia coli ML4901 or P. aeruginosa PAO1819. The resultant transformants showed identical resistance patterns in the respective donors, and the sizes of the DNAs of RLb679 and RP4 isolated from the transformants were the same as those in the respective donors. These results demonstrate that the extracellular DNA contains both chromosomal DNA and plasmid DNA, and that it exhibits transforming ability. This implies that transformation by the extracellular DNA produced by P. aeruginosa may occur in nature and this seems to be of clinical importance in view of the spread of R plasmids among pathogens.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Conjugal transfer of beta-lactamase-producing plasmids of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to Neisseria meningitidis.

Twenty clinical isolates of beta-lactamase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Japanese sources were studied to define their ability to serve as donors for their plasmids in conjugation with Neisseria meningitidis. These twenty strains of N. gonorrhoeae harbored the 4.5-megadalton (Mdal) beta-lactamase-producing plasmids and the 24.5-Mdal conjugative plasmids. We found that only three of twenty N. gonorrhoeae strains showed a detectable conjugation frequency (greater than 10(-5)) with N. meningitidis as the recipient although all strains were capable of mobilizing beta-lactamase-producing plasmids to N. gonorrhoeae and to Escherichia coli. The 4.5-Mdal beta-lactamase-producing plasmid was maintained in N. meningitidis, but the large 24.5-Mdal conjugative plasmid has not been found in N. meningitidis transconjugants.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Method for processing leukocyte- and platelet-poor red cells in closed bags.

If leukocyte- and platelet-poor red cells have been processed and stored in closed bags, their delivery, especially on holidays, will be easy. The modified warm-centrifuge method was applied to a quadruple bag prepared for such purpose. Red cells were processed in the first bag by the centrifugation of whole blood. The supernatant plasma was transferred to the second bag. A phosphate buffer in the third bag was introduced into red cells and diluted red cells were then incubated at 37 degrees C for 1 h in an inverted position. After centrifugation, the red cell phase below the buffy coat layer was isolated using a Biotest separation apparatus and stored in the fourth bag (containing a preservative with adenine, phosphate, glucose and 0.9% NaCl solution) for 28 days at 4 degrees C. Ninety-eight percent of the leukocyte and 97% of platelets in whole blood unit were removed with a red cell recovery of 86%. Biochemical changes in stored red cells were similar to those of conventional buffy coat-removed red cells suspended in the same preservative, except for rapid decreases in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels. Since processing buffy coat-removed red cells containing few leukocytes and platelets with the present method was simple and these units might be stored for over 14 days with minimum cell damage, we suggest that the present method is useful way of processing leukocyte- and platelet-poor red cells in blood centers.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Isolation and sequencing of a genomic clone for mouse brain specific small RNA.

We isolated a mouse genomic clone that hybridized with small RNA present in the cytoplasm of the brain. The RNA was about 150 nucleotides long. This RNA seemed to be specific to the brain, since it was not found in the liver or kidney. The clone DNA contained a sequence homologous to 82-nucleotide "identifier" core sequence of cDNA clones of rat. The sequence contained a split promoter for RNA polymerase III and was flanked by a 12-nucleotide direct repeat (ATAAATAATTTA).

Animals↗