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Biomedical subjects

S Murata

Publications and source records attributed to S Murata.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Protective effect of T-686, an inhibitor of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 production, against the lethal effect of lipopolysaccharide in mice.

We have examined the effects of an inhibitor of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) production, (3E,4E)-3-benzylidene-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxy-benzylidene)pyrrol idine-2,5-dione (T-686), on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced death in mice. Oral administration of T-686 (10 and 100 mg/kg/day) for 8 days prior to the LPS injection (35 mg/kg, i.v.) protected mice from the lethal effect of LPS in a dose-dependent fashion. Moreover, treatment with 100 mg/kg T-686 attenuated the increase in plasma PAI-1 activity and the decrease in AT-III activity induced by LPS. We conclude that T-686 can reduce the mortality of mice induced by LPS, which seems to be partially correlated with both hypercoagulation and hypofibrinolysis.

Angiotensin III↗

A diagnostic index of vertical problems for Class III malocclusions.

A cephalometric investigation was undertaken to derive a vertical indicator--a single value derived from a series of cephalometric variables that can be used in the differential diagnosis of Class III patients. The subjects consisted of 76 Japanese female patients whose chief complaint was anterior crossbite and who presented with either open bite or anterior deep overbite. All the data were derived from the initial lateral cephalometric radiographs. The main skeletal measurements that characterize vertical problems were selected using cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and discriminant analysis. As a result, a Class III vertical indicator was derived. The vertical indicator score for deep overbite was -2.5 +/- 2.2, whereas the vertical indicator score for open bite was +2.5 +/- 2.3. This vertical indicator may be used in diagnosing the nature of vertical problems and determining the appropriate treatment and prognosis for the individual Class III female patient.

Adult↗

Protective effect of l-cis-diltiazem on hypercontracture of rat myocytes induced by veratridine.

The protective effect of l-cis-diltiazem, the stereoisomer of d-cis-diltiazem, was studied against the veratridine-induced hypercontracture of rat myocytes. Veratridine increased both [Na+]i and [Ca2+]i, but did not cause hypercontracture in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Both l-cis-diltiazem (0.1-10 microM) and d-cis-diltiazem (10-30 microM) inhibited the hypercontracture and the increase in [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner. However, l-cis-diltiazem did not exert a negative inotropic effect in K+ (20 mM)-depolarized rat papillary muscles even at a dose of 10 microM. As seen in the case of tetrodotoxin, l-cis-diltiazem and d-cis-diltiazem also suppressed the increase in [Na+]i. The results show that l-cis-diltiazem prevents the veratridine-induced hypercontracture of myocytes by suppression of the [Ca2+]i increase. The attenuation of the [Ca2+]i increase by l-cis-diltiazem was not dependent on inhibition of Ca2+ channels, but was partly due to inhibition of excessive Na+ entry via veratridine-modified Na+ channels.

Animals↗

Effect of KMD-3213, an alpha 1a-adrenoceptor-selective antagonist, on the contractions of rabbit prostate and rabbit and rat aorta.

KMD-3213, (-)-(R)-1-(3-hydroxypropyl)-5-[2-[[2-[2-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy) phenoxy]ethyl]amino]propyl]indoline-7-carboxamide, a newly synthesized alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, has been shown to have potent action toward, and to be selective for human cloned and native alpha 1-adrenoceptors. In the present study, we characterized the inhibitory effect of KMD-3213 on the phenylephrine (alpha 1-adrenoceptor-selective agonist)-induced contraction of rabbit prostate, rabbit thoracic aorta and rat thoracic aorta to functionally confirm the tissue selectivity of KMD-3213. The mean pA2 value for KMD-3213 for the inhibition of the rabbit prostatic contraction was 10.05, whereas the values for the rabbit and rat aortic contractions were 9.36 and 8.13, respectively. The order of mean pA2 values for the inhibition of the rabbit prostatic contraction was KMD-3213 > or = tamsulosin >> prazosin, whereas that for the rabbit and rat aortic contractions was tamsulosin > KMD-3213 > prazosin and tamsulosin > or = prazosin >> KMD-3213, respectively. KMD-3213 produced a sigmoidal inhibition curve for single-dose phenylephrine-induced contractions of rabbit prostate, whereas it produced a non-sigmoidal curve for that of rabbit aorta. KMD-3213 had no effect on isoproterenol-induced chronotropic action in guinea-pig atria, and 5-hydroxytryptamine-, histamine- and acetylcholine-mediated contractions of rabbit aorta. These results indicate that the potency of the inhibitory activity of KMD-3213 depends on the tissue subtype expression and that KMD-3213 preferentially antagonizes prostatic contraction.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗

Antisense evidence for two functionally active forms of nitric oxide synthase in brain microvascular endothelium.

Other workers have identified two constitutive forms of NOS in endothelial cells: endothelial or eNOS and neuronal or nNOS. The present study tests the functional significance of these NOS in brain surface arterioles of mice. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) were injected into the cerebral ventricles. Anti eNOS and anti nNOS were tested separately and in combination. Each antisense reduced the dilation produced by topical acetylcholine (ACh) or by tetrahydrobiopterin (THBP). These are endothelium dependent, NOS dependent dilators, with the THBP being a cofactor for NOS. The endothelium derived mediator actually causing the dilation is EDRF(ACh). When both antisenses were given together there was an additive effect which approached 100% inhibition. Neither sense nor mismatched (scrambled) ODN inhibited either ACh or THBP. Moreover, anti eNOS did not inhibit dilation by bradykinin (endothelium dependent but not NOS dependent) or by sodium nitroprusside (endothelium independent). The data strongly support the conclusion that both eNOS and nNOS are functionally important in the endothelium of mouse pial arterioles. Each isoform of NOS appears to contribute significantly to the synthesis of basally released (THBP triggered) and agonist (ACh) released EDRFACh.

Analysis of Variance↗

Synthesis and structure--activity relationships of fused imidazopyridines: a new series of benzodiazepine receptor ligands.

2-Arylimidazo[4,5-c]quinolines and analogous fused imidazopyridines were synthesized and evaluated as benzodiazepine receptor ligands. Affinity to the receptors was greatly affected by the bulkiness of the aryl group at the 2-position, compared to the pyrazoloquinolines such as CGS-9896. Derivatives with an isoxazole moiety at the 2-position showed high binding affinity and in vivo activity. In the imidazo[4,5-c]quinoline series, substitution at the 6-position decreased or abolished activity. Most derivatives with an unsubstituted isoxazolyl group showed antagonist or inverse agonist activity except for the 7-halo analogues, which exhibited agonist activity. On the other hand, 5-methylisoxazol-3-yl or 3-methylisoxazol-5-yl derivatives generally exhibited agonist activity. A similar substitution effect on the isoxazole moiety was observed in the imidazopyridines fused with a nonaromatic ring. From the detailed pharmacological evaluation, S-8510, 2-(3-isoxazolyl)-3,6,7,9-tetrahydroimidazo[4,5-d]pyrano++ +[4,3-b]pyridine monophosphate, possessing weak inverse agonist activity was selected as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of some symptoms of senile dementia.

Animals↗

Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of an antithrombin agent "Argatroban" combined with exercise therapy on increase of the skeletal muscle blood flow.

Argatroban has selective antithrombin activity and widely used for treatment of ASO. In this study we investigated vasodilating activity of Argatroban besides antithrombin activity in ASO patients. Three patients who have undergone F-P bypasses previously which were all occluded received 10 mg or 20 mg of Argatroban per day intravenously for 4 weeks. Skin temperature were measured before and after administration of Argatroban at the point of 1, 2, 4 weeks which increased 2.3-6.0 degrees C after administration of Argatroban. Subjective symptoms were also improved and these patients became to be able to walk 1.5-3.3 km. These patients were also given PGE, intravenously, however, temperature increase was less than 1.1 degrees C. These results showed that Argatroban has not only antithrombin activity but also significant vasodilating activity resulting in increase of skeletal muscle blood flow.

Aged↗

Protein phylogeny of translation elongation factor EF-1 alpha suggests microsporidians are extremely ancient eukaryotes.

Partial regions of the mRNA encoding a major part of translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) from a mitochondrion-lacking protozoan, Glugea plecoglossi, that belongs to microsporidians, were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and their primary structures were analyzed. The deduced amino acid sequence was highly divergent from typical EF-1 alpha's of eukaryotes, although it clearly showed a eukaryotic feature when aligned with homologs of the three primary kingdoms. Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses on the basis of six different stochastic models of amino acid substitutions and a maximum parsimony (MP) analysis consistently suggest that among eukaryotic species being analyzed, G. plecoglossi is likely to represent the earliest offshoot of eukaryotes. Microsporidians might be the extremely ancient eukaryotes which have diverged before an occurrence of mitochondrial symbiosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A novel benzodiazepine inverse agonist, S-8510, as a cognitive enhancer.

1. Pharmacological actions of a novel benzodiazepine receptor ligand, S-8510 (2-(3-isoxazolyl)-3,6,7,9-tetrahydroimidazo[4,5-d]pyrano+ ++[4,3-b] pyridine monophosphate monohydrate), were examined in in vitro and in vivo studies. 2. S-8510 was characterized as a partial inverse agonist with a modest GABA ratio and low efficacy. 3. S-8510 ameliorated memory impairment induced by cholinergic deficit in the water maze paradigm of Wistar rats. 4. S-8510 augmented LTP of the Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber-CA1 synapses in the hippocampal slice preparations of SD rat. 5. S-8510 increased the extracellular levels of acetylcholine and noradrenaline in the hippocampus of Wistar rat. 6. S-8510 selectively potentiated pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsion without affecting minimal electroconvulsive shock- or strychnine-induced convulsion in ddY mice. 7. S-8510 failed to induce any sign of anxiety in the Wistar rat pro-conflict test. 8. S-8510 showed antidepressant-like pharmacological actions in ddY mice. 9. These results suggest that S-8510 can be used as a therapeutic drug for senile dementia, including Alzheimer's disease with little risk for inducing anxiety or convulsion.

Animals↗

Craniofacial structure of Japanese and European-American adults with normal occlusions and well-balanced faces.

The purpose of this study is to compare two groups of adults from different races who were selected on the basis of having normal ("ideal") occlusions and well-balanced faces. The lateral cephalometric radiographs of 54 Japanese adults (26 men and 28 women) were compared with a sample of 125 adults (44 men and 81 women) of European-American ancestry. The samples were chosen by orthodontists of the same racial background as the sample selected. Each lateral cephalogram was traced and digitized, and differences between cephalometric measurements between groups were analyzed with completely randomized t tests. In comparison to the European-American sample, the Japanese sample, in general, was smaller in anteroposterior facial dimensions and proportionately larger in vertical facial dimensions. The facial axis angle was more vertical in Japanese subjects, indicating a more downward direction of facial development. On average, the subjects in the Japanese sample were more protrusive dentally, with a more acute nasolabial angle and a greater tendency toward bilabial protrusion. These differences, evident even in groups with so-called "well-balanced faces", indicate that fundamental variation exists in the craniofacial structure of Japanese and European-Americans. The results of this study support the premise that a single standard of facial esthetics is not appropriate for application to diverse racial and ethnic groups.

Adult↗

Details of retropositional genome dynamics that provide a rationale for a generic division: the distinct branching of all the pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus) from the Atlantic salmon and trout (Salmo).

Salmonid species contain numerous short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs), known collectively as the HpaI family, in their genomes. Amplification and successive integration of individual SINEs into the genomes have occurred during the evolution of salmonids. We reported previously a strategy for determining the phylogenetic relationships among the Pacific salmonids in which these SINEs were used as temporal landmarks of evolution. Here, we provide evidence for extensive genomic rearrangements that involved retropositions and deletions in a common ancestor of all the Pacific salmon and trout. Our results provide genetic support for the recent phylogenetic reassignment of steelhead and related species from the genus Salmo to the genus Oncorhynchus. Several other informative loci identified by insertions of HpaI SINEs have been isolated, and previously proposed branching orders of the Oncorhynchus species have been confirmed. The authenticity of our phylogenetic tree is supported both by the isolation of more than two informative loci per branching point and by the congruence of all our data, which suggest that the period between successive speciations was sufficiently long for each SINE that had been amplified in the original species to become fixed in all individuals of that species.

Animals↗

Homozygous deletion mutations in the plectin gene (PLEC1) in patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex associated with late-onset muscular dystrophy.

In a distinct autosomal recessive variant of epidermolysis bullosa, EB-MD, life-long skin blistering is associated with late-onset muscular dystrophy of unknown etiology. Electron microscopy of these patients' skin suggests that tissue separation occurs intracellularly at the level of the hemidesmosomal inner plaque, which contains plectin, a high molecular weight cytoskeletal associated protein, also expressed in the sarcolemma of the muscle. In this study, we report two patients with EB-MD, each with a homozygous deletion mutation in the plectin gene, PLEC1. In the first case, the proband and her similarly affected sister had a homozygous 9 bp deletion mutation, designated as 2719de19, which resulted in elimination of three amino acids, QEA, in a sequence of 23 amino acids entirely conserved between the mouse and human sequences. The proband in the second family demonstrated a single nucleotide deletion at position 5866, designated as 5866delC, which resulted in frameshift and a premature termination codon for translation 16 bp downstream from the site of deletion. The absence of plectin in the hemidesmosomes, as reflected by negative immunofluorescence with an anti-plectin antibody (HD-1), associated with fragility of basal keratinocytes, implicates plectin as critical for binding of intermediate keratin filament network to hemidesmosomal complexes. The function of plectin as a putative attachment protein also in the muscle would explain the clinical phenotype consisting of cutaneous fragility and muscular dystrophy in EB-MD.

Animals↗

Leukemoid reaction in epidermal squamous cell carcinoma.

There have been no previous concrete reports of leukemoid reactions associated with squamous cell carcinoma originating in cutaneous tissue. Here we report a case of epidermal squamous cell carcinoma of the sacral region and an associated leukemoid reaction. The tumor invaded deeply and destroyed both the sacrum and coccyx. The white blood cell count was greater than 20,000/mm3. After resection of the tumor, white blood cells transiently decreased, but did not fall under 10,000/mm3. Post-operative infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Bacteroides caccae caused sepsis and further elevation of the leukocytes to greater than 50,000/mm3. The leukemoid reaction in the case appeared to have been caused initially by direct invasion of bone by epidermal squamous cell carcinoma and later by severe infection.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Physicochemical characterization of bisphosphonic carboxyfluorescein for osteotropic drug delivery.

Disodium (fluorescein-6-carbonyloxy)acetoaminomethylene bisphosphonate (CF-BP), a prodrug of 6-carboxy-fluorescein, is efficiently absorbed by the skeleton where it hydrolyses to carboxyfluorescein. An osteotropic drug-delivery system based on this bisphosphonic prodrug has been developed as a novel method for site-specific and controlled delivery of drugs to the bone. In this study the physicochemical properties of the prodrug have been characterized by investigating the affinity of CF-BP for hydroxyapatite and the hydrolysis of the compound to carboxyfluorescein. In the binding study, CF-BP bound very rapidly to hydroxyapatite without degradation and carboxyfluorescein was subsequently gradually released by hydrolysis of bound CF-BP. Hydrolysis of CF-BP in buffer solutions followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and quantitative regeneration of carboxyfluorescein was observed. In addition, regeneration of carboxyfluorescein from CF-BP was accelerated in the presence of fresh rat plasma. These results suggest that CF-BP has the physicochemical properties required for site-specific and controlled delivery of carboxyfluorescein to bones.

Animals↗

Expression of two different cholecystokinin receptors in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA from rabbit pancreas and rat hippocampus.

Electrophysiological responses to cholecystokinin (CCK) were studied in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA from rabbit pancreas or rat hippocampus. CCK-octapeptide(26-33) (sulfated form) (CCK-8) elicited inward currents in both groups. In oocytes injected with pancreatic mRNA, CCK-8-induced currents were composed of two components, fast and slow. However, in oocytes injected with hippocampal mRNA, fast currents disappeared. The potency ranking of the agonists and the antagonist indicated that the receptors expressed by pancreatic and hippocampal mRNA were CCKA- and CCKB-subtypes, respectively. Extracellular application of EGTA had little effect on the CCKB-mediated response, but attenuated the CCKA-mediated one. Intracellular injection of EGTA abolished the CCKB-mediated response, whereas small smooth currents remained in oocytes expressing the CCKA-receptor. The reversal potentials of the CCKA- and CCKB-receptor-mediated responses were consistent with that for CI- currents. However, the reversal potential of the small smooth currents in EGTA-loaded oocytes expressing the CCKA-receptors was close to that for a non-selective cation channel. These results suggest that CCK-8 activates at least two different channels, a Ca(2+)-dependent Cl- channel and a non-selective cation channel in oocytes expressing the CCKA-receptor, while the CCKB-receptor elicits only a Ca(2+)-dependent Cl- channel.

Animals↗