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Biomedical subjects

S Imamura

Publications and source records attributed to S Imamura.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources

Immunological studies on Pityrosporum genus and Malassezia furfur.

The antigenicity of Malassezia furfur from patients with tinea versicolor and 3 species of Pityrosporum was investigated using the antiserum against P. orbiculare. The Ouchterlony gel diffusion test revealed a considerable similarity between the antigenicities of P. orbiculare and P. ovale, and little similarity between P. orbiculare andP. canis. Similar results were obtained by immunofluorescence staining with the FITC-labeled P. orbiculare antiserum. Hyphae and round spores of M. furfur in the scales and biopsy specimens from the lesions in patients with tinea versicolor revealed specific fluorescence much the same as seen in cases of P. orbiculare or P. ovale. The FITC-labeled antiserum absorbed with P. orbiculare or P. ovale failed to give a positive reaction with hyphae and round spores of M. furfur. These findings suggest a similar antigenicity among P. orbiculare, P. ovale and M. furfur.

Antigens↗

Morphaea-like cutaneous changes in a patient with systemic scleroderma.

A case of systemic scleroderma with peculiar morphaea-like lesions is reported. The patient at first started with typical acrosclerosis, some parts of which later became softened and apparently resumed the appearance of normal skin, so that morphaea-like cutaneous plaques which remained hard, were soft. These changes were surrounded by erythema resembling the 'lilac ring' as noted in characteristic active lesions of morphaea.

Female↗

Purification of phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus by hydrophobic chromatography on palmitoyl cellulose.

Phospholipase C (phosphatidylcholine choline-phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.E) from Bacillus cereus (IAM-1208) was adsorbed to palmitoyl cellulose from a crude enzyme solution at pH 5--9. The adsorption was not influenced by ionic strength up to 2 M NaCl. The adsorbed enzyme was eluted almost completely by washing the cellulose with a suitable detergent, such as Triton X-100, Adekatol SO-120, Cation DT-205, or sodium deoxycholate. The enzyme was then purified by column chromatography on a palmitoylated textile (palmitoylated gauze) with an overall recovery of 91% and a 467-fold increase in specific activity over that of enzyme in the crude culture supernatant. Subsequent fractionation with acetone and chromatography on a Sephadex G-75 column separated two nearly homogeneous phospholipase C's. The enzyme adsorbed on palmitoyl cellulose was active, although its activity was about one-fourth that of free phospholipase C. Therefore, the enzyme appeared to be adsorbed to the cellulose through a hydrophobic site that was distinct from the catalytic site on the enzyme molecule.

Bacillus cereus↗

[Infantile centrifugal abdominal lipodystrophy].

Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis is an atrophic skin disease characterized by a localized depression of the abdominal and/or chest wall of infants. The depression starts either from the groins and their surroundings or from the axillae and their surroundings, and later gradually enlarges centrifugally to involve the larger part of abdominal and/or chest wall. The depressed areas are usually surrounded by slight erythema and scaling. Regional lymphnodes are usually swollen. Histologically, the loss or decrease of the subcutaneous fat is noted in the well-depressed areas. On the other hand, in the surrounding erythematous areas marked to moderate amount of inflammatory infiltrate is present in the subcutaneous fat.

Abdomen↗

Binding specificity of rabbit anti-guinea pig epidermal cell sera: comparison of their receptors with those of concanavalin A and pemphigus sera.

Rabbit anti-guinea pig epidermal cell sera (AES) which were prepared by immunizing rabbits with enzymatically dispersed viable guinea pig epidermal cells were shown to react to the intercellular substances of stratified squamous epithelia of guinea pigs and monkeys in a pattern similar to that seen with concanavalin A (ConA) or pemphigus sera (PS) by immunofluorescence. Reciprocal blocking tests were performed on guinea pig lip mucosa after removal of the non-specific binding substances between preincubated substances and subsequently incubated ones. No definite inhibition was noted in the subsequent reactions upon preincubation with AES or PS. However, preincubation with ConA weakened the subsequent reaction with PS, but did not block the reaction with AES. Effects of solvents on the receptors for AES, ConA and PS were also examined. ConA receptor was resistant to both saline solution and ethanol (95% and 99%). PS receptor was labile to both saline solution and ethanol, while AES receptor was labile to ethanol, but resistant to saline solution. These observations suggest that the receptor for AES differs from that for ConA or PS.

Aged↗

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of hippuric acid in human urine.

A method is described for the determination of urinary hippuric acid by high-performance liquid chromatography. The method used ethyl acetate extraction for partial clean up of the urine. The separation was carried out on a reversed-phase column using 20% methanol in 0.01 M aqueous potassium phosphate containing 0.5% acetic acid as a mobile phase. The column effluent was monitored with a UV detector at 254 nm. Hippuric acid was separated from other normal urine constituents in less than 10 min. Metabolites of xylene and styrene did not interfere with the assay. Analytical recoveries from urine were excellent and peak height and concentration were linearly related.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Enzymatic determination of phospholipase D activity with choline oxidase.

A new enzymatic method was developed for the assay of phospholipase D [phosphatidylcholine phosphatidohydrolase EC 3.1.4.4] from cabbage leaves using choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis cells. The method was based on the estimation of choline by the following series of enzymatic reactions after ending the phospholipase D reaction: Choline + 202 + h2o Choline oxidase Betaine + 2H2O2 2H2O2 + Phenol + 4-Aminoantipyrine Peroxidase Quinoneimine dye + 4H2O The amount of choline was proportional to the amount of resulting quinoneimine dye with an absorbance maximum at 500 nm. The phospholipase D reaction (choline liberation) was carried out at pH 5.5 in the presence of Ca2+ ions and ended by adding EDTA in conc. Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8, to give a final pH of around 8. The initial rate of the phospholipase D reaction was proportional to the enzyme concentration over the absorbance change range of 0 to 0.25 (equivalent to 0-21 micron of choline) under the optimal reaction conditions.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

Stimulation of Chromobacterium lipase activity and prevention of its adsorption to palmitoyl cellulose by hydrophobic binding of fatty acids.

Fatty acids prevented adsorption of purified Chromobacterium lipase [triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3] onto palmitoyl cellulose (Pal-C) and also increased the activity of the purified lipase. These effects increased with increase in the concentration and chainlength (up to 16 carbon atoms) of the fatty acids, and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, linoleic acid and erucic acid, were most effective. When the lipase was adsorbed (immobilized) on Pal-C, its activity was elevated to 20 times that of the free lipase in detergent-free reaction mixture (olive oil-buffer system). Thus lipase was adsorbed to Pal-C through a hydrophobic site distinct from its catalytic site and the binding of fatty acids to the hydrophobic site seems to result in stimulation of the lipase activity.

Adsorption↗