Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Hori.
We describe here a method for determining confidence intervals for a commonly used index of diversity. This approach facilitates the comparison of the genetic population structure of microorganisms isolated from different environments and improves the objective assessment of the discriminatory power of typing techniques.
A newly developed critical pathway has been applied to emergency medical care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the emergency department. The arrival-in-cath-lab interval (ACI) was selected as a clinical indicator of quality assurance, according to American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines. This report describes the first experience of applying the critical pathway to patients with AMI in an emergency department in Japan. The ACI of 35 AMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty during a 24-month period following application of the pathway were compared with those of 50 AMI patients during the 48 months before application of the pathway. The median ACI value was significantly reduced from 65.5 min to 50.0 min. Also, the proportion of patients with acceptably short ACI (<60 min) significantly improved from 42.0% to 68.6%.
Sodium/potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase) activity in the kidney and brain is high, and is regulated by catecholamines. Na+/K+-ATPase activity is also high in the basolateral infoldings of the strial marginal cells, where it aids in maintaining the characteristic electrolyte composition of the endolymph. To clarify the involvement of humoral control in strial function, particularly the role of catecholamines, the K+-dependent p-nitrophenylphosphatase (K+-NPPase) activity of strial marginal cells was investigated in guinea pigs using a cerium-based cytochemical method. The effects of reserpine, serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP), both alone and in combination, were studied. High doses of reserpine cause depletion of sympathetic substances. Strial K+-NPPase activity was decreased after reserpine or dopamine treatment, and was increased after 5-HT, NE, and EP treatment. After reserpinization, repeated treatment with 5-HT, NE, or EP led to detectable strial enzyme activity. Thus, exogenous 5-HT, NE, and EP were able to restore strial K+-NPPase activity in the reserpine-treated animals. These results suggested that biogenic amines regulate strial K+-NPPase activity. Thus, the function of the stria vascularis may be regulated by the opposing actions of these catecholamines, and 5-HT.
Brown adipose tissue plays the dominant role in response to cold acclimatization through its capacity to produce heat. To demonstrate the cellular function for thermogenesis induced by cold acclimation in the brown adipose tissue of obese Zucker rats, we examined the changes for the area as well as the Na, K, Cl, and Ca concentrations in the mitochondria of brown adipocytes after the warm (25 degrees C, WG) and the cold acclimations (10 degrees C, CG). Moreover, the respiratory quotients (RQs) of these rats were measured. After the acclimations, the RQ in the CG was decreased and the oxygen consumption increased. A morphometric analysis of electron micrographs of brown adipocytes from the two groups of rats showed a marked increase in the area of the mitochondria in the CG. An electron probe X-ray microanalysis showed an increase in the Ca concentration and decreases in the Na and K concentrations in the matrix of the mitochondria of the cells in the CG. These results suggest that the reduction in the RQ of obese Zucker rats acclimated to cold is the consequence of the metabolism of a large quantity of lipid in the brown adipocytes. Our data also indicate that the observed change in the mitochondrial area and the increase for Ca in the mitochondria were associated with the cold-induced thermogenesis in brown adipocytes of obese Zucker rats.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare selenium-based digital radiography with high-resolution storage phosphor radiography for the detection of solitary pulmonary nodules without calcification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-four patients underwent selenium-based digital radiography, high-resolution storage phosphor radiography, and chest CT for evaluation of pulmonary nodules. Thirty-one patients with pulmonary nodules smaller than 3 cm in diameter and 40 patients with normal lungs were selected for receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Five board-certified radiologists who were unaware of the CT results independently reviewed each of the hard copies of selenium-based digital radiography and storage phosphor radiography, identified pulmonary nodules, and graded their confidence for the presence of each nodule. For each radiologist, we calculated the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for selenium-based digital radiography and storage phosphor radiography. RESULTS: The average performance of selenium-based digital radiography (AUC = 0.72) was higher than that of high-resolution storage phosphor radiography (AUC = 0.64), which is statistically significant (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that selenium-based digital radiography is superior to high-resolution storage phosphor radiography for detecting solitary pulmonary nodules without calcification.
Water concentration in organic solvents after liquid-liquid partition was determined by the Karl Fischer titration method. n-Hexane and petroleum ether showed quite low levels of water, such as 0.1 mg/mL. The water concentration in wet ethyl acetate was about 20-30 mg/mL and that in diethyl ether was about 8-10 mg/mL. Anhydrous sodium sulfate absorbed about 20-25% of the water after vigorous mixing with wet ethyl acetate or diethyl ether. Wet acetonitrile extract from wet food, which contained about 60 mg/mL water after salting out with sodium chloride, was not dried at all with anhyfrous sodium sulfate treatment. Spiking n-hexane into wet ethyl acetate or wet diethyl ether was effective to exclude water. Spiking toluene into salted acetonitrile drove out water and dissolved sodium chloride. It can be concluded that the drying ability of anhydrous sodium sulfate towards wet organic solvents is poor, but it is effective in removing suspended water in solvents.
The daily dietary intake of aluminum was estimated through a total diet study from 1996 to 1998. In ten institutes, total diet study samples were prepared and their aluminum concentration was determined. The average daily intake of aluminum was 3.5 mg and the range was 1.8-8.4 mg. The validity of the analytical result was supported by analyses of certified reference materials.
A simple and rapid analytical method was established for detection of anabolic agents, zeranol and alpha-trenbolone and beta-trenbolone residues in cattle muscle and liver. This method consisted of aqueous acetonitrile extraction and successive solid-phase extraction with a tandem connected octadecyl (C18)-aminopropyl (NH2) cartridge, followed by on-line clean-up using multidimensional HPLC with EC and UV detection. On-line clean-up was performed by a three-column switching technique, the first column being a Diol size exclusion column (SEC), the second, an internal surface reversed phase trapping column (TC) and the third, a C18 analytical column (AC). Sample solution from solid-phase extraction was injected into the SEC. The anabolic agents eluted from the SEC were introduced into a TC, and the anabolic agents trapped in the TC were rapidly loaded onto an analytical column after changing the eluent. Zeranol in the eluate from the analytical column was detected at 700 mV ECD and alpha- and beta-trenbolone were detected at UVD 350 nm. SEC and TC were washed and conditioned to the initial state just after the loading of the desired fraction on the AC. Recoveries from muscle fortified at a level of 0.002 mg/L (maximal residue limits, MRLs) averaged 86.1% for zeranol and 77.0% for beta-trenbolone, and recoveries from liver at a level of 0.010 mg/kg (MRLs) averaged 74.3% for zeranol and 73.1% for alpha-trenbolone. The quantitation limits for all of them were 0.001 mg/kg in muscle and 0.002 mg/kg in liver.
There have been very few reports of the effect of pesticides on immediate allergy. In the previous report, the effect of pyrethroid pesticides and organophosphorus pesticides on immediate allergic reaction was investigated. Subsequently, 12 organonitrogen pesticides, 14 carbamate pesticides and 4 other pesticides were investigated for their effects on the enzyme activity of beta-hexosaminidase as an index of chemical mediator release from rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3). Two organonitrogen pesticides, bitertanol and pyridaben, and two organotin pesticides, cyhexatin and fenbutatin oxide, were found to promote beta-hexosaminidase release. Bitertanol non-specifically caused the promotion of chemical mediator release, while the release-promotive action of pyridaben was related to IgE antibody and those of cyhexatin and fenbutatin oxide to cell injury. On the other hand, two organonitrogen pesticides, propiconazole and triadimenol, and imazalil showed release-inhibitory action. These data suggested that some pesticides can affect immediate allergy.
A successful case of a hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy with low-pressure pneumoperitoneum for autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura in a patient at 23 weeks' gestation is reported. Preoperative splenic arterial embolization was performed on the same day as the operation using painless contour embolic material and super-absorbent polymer microspheres. The abdominal wall retraction method first was applied to avoid the effects of pneumoperitoneum on systemic hemodynamic alterations. However, a sufficient surgical view could not be obtained, as the intra-abdominal organs were elevated because of the enlarged uterus. A surgical view with 4 to 6-mm Hg pneumoperitoneum was available for the hand-assisted splenectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient vaginally delivered a healthy infant. A hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy with low-pressure pneumoperitoneum after splenic arterial embolization would be feasible for patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura during a relatively advanced pregnancy.
PURPOSE: To investigate the role of cytokines and advanced glycation end products(AGEs) in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, we measured vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-beta 1), and pentosidine(an AGE) levels in aqueous, vitreous, and paired plasma obtained from diabetic patients. RESULTS: The aqueous levels of VEGF and IL-6 were positively correlated with the grade of clinical severity of diabetic retinopathy (both VEGF and IL-6, p < 0.001). Other cytokines and pentosidine levels were not significantly associated. The aqueous levels of VEGF and IL-6 were higher than the plasma levels(VEGF p = 0.02, IL-6 p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Within the intraocular area VEGF and IL-6 are produced and participate in the pathogenesis of hyperpermeability of retinal vessels in preproliferative diabetic retinopathy.
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OBJECTIVE: The study was carried out to collect basic data on exposure of mucous cells of the large intestine to mutagens by investigating the genotoxicity of fecal samples from the urban population. Simultaneously, relations with food intake (food groups and nutritive components), lifestyle factors and fecal metal content was investigated. METHODS: A total of 199 self-collected fecal samples from middle aged healthy volunteer living in urban areas of Osaka city were freeze-dried and ground in a mill. The mutagenicity of aqueous extracts of the ground samples was measured by the umu-test. Metal content of the feces was analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometlly. On the day previous to the feces collection, the contents of meals were recorded and confirmed by interview with a dietitian. Quantification of nutritive components was carried out using the 4th edition of the Japan Food Standard Vomposition Table. RESULTS: Mutagenicity of feces was higher in males than in females, and in those aged 40-49 years than 50-69 years in males but not females. Large differences were found for content of 8 metals in the feces; concentrations were in the decreasing order of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, iron, manganese and copper, the highest being 20.4 mg for calcium and the lowest was 53.5 micrograms for copper. Between the metal contents and mutagenicity, values for zinc and iron showed positive correlations and for sodium a negative correlation under S9(+) conditions. A weak but significant correlation was observed between the numbers of cigarettes smoked per day and S9 (+) mutagenicity. However we could not find any relation with food groups or nutritive components. CONCLUSION: It is well known that human feces contain many mutagens and carcinogens and that these can act directly on the mucous membrane of large intestine. Therefore, it is very important to estimate exposure levels. From the present data we can conclude that relations between mutation-activity of the feces and diet are complex. Their elucidation will require a large number of volunteers who have similar living conditions to obtain appropriate data.
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