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Biomedical subjects

S Sakurai

Publications and source records attributed to S Sakurai.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Hypertrophic neuritis due to chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP): a postmortem pathological study.

A postmortem pathological study of a 65-year-old woman with hypertrophic neuritis associated with hand tremor and limb ataxia is described. There were many onion bulbs and loss of myelinated nerve fibers in the peripheral nerves, including the facial and subserosal visceral nerves. The hypertrophic neuritis was caused by chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP), in which interstitial amorphous substances in the endoneurium and onion bulb formation might contribute to nerve swelling. We speculate that visceral autonomic nerves as well as somatic peripheral nerves are involved in patients with a long clinical CIDP course and that peripheral nerve pathology in this disorder shows more heterogeneous changes than previously recognized.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Variations in ribosomal DNA and mitochondrial DNA among chromosomal species of subterranean mole rats.

Restriction site variations in nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacers and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were examined in several populations of mole rats with variable numbers of chromosomes, which represented the two superspecies Spalax leucodon (2n = 38, 54, or 62) and Spalax ehrenbergi (2n = 52, 54, 58, or 60). Sequence divergence of rDNA spacers between the members of the superspecies was approximately 8%, while the variation within each superspecies was 4% on average. The intrasuperspecies differentiation of rDNA spacers was generally associated with changes in the diploid number of chromosomes. However, substantial divergence (approximately 1.5%) was also detected among populations with the same diploid number of chromosomes. The sequence divergence of mtDNA among haplotypes of S. ehrenbergi was 10% or higher and among haplotypes of S. leucodon it was approximately 12%. By contrast, the range of sequence divergence between superspecies was 7.4%-12%. The large divergence of mtDNAs within each superspecies of mole rats may be explained by the preservation of ancient mtDNA polymorphisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Nitric oxide induction by pertussis toxin in mouse spleen cells via gamma interferon.

We examined the major pathogenic substances of Bordetella pertussis for the ability to induce nitric oxide, and important biological function of macrophages, via gamma interferon in spleen cells. B. pertussis, which produces a variety of pathogenic substances, including pertussis toxin and filamentous hemagglutinin, causes a severe respiratory disease. Nitric oxide was detected in the culture fluid of spleen cells stimulated with pertussis toxin or its B oligomer but not in the culture fluid of spleen cells stimulated with the A protomer of pertussis toxin or with filamentous hemagglutinin. Incubation of the peritoneal exudate macrophages with pertussis toxin, B oligomer, A protomer, or filamentous hemagglutinin induced little nitric oxide, whereas incubation with gamma interferon induced a significant amount of nitric oxide. The induction of nitric oxide in spleen cells stimulated with pertussis toxin was completely inhibited by anti-gamma interferon antibody. The treatment of spleen cells with anti-Thy-1.2 antibody plus complement followed by stimulation with pertussis toxin decreased the secretion of gamma interferon and nitric oxide. These results suggest that gamma interferon from T lymphocytes stimulated with pertussis toxin induces nitric oxide.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Rat 5S rDNA spacer sequences and chromosomal assignment of the genes to the extreme terminal region of chromosome 19.

Fragments of the spacer region of genes for rat 5S ribosomal RNA (rDNA), which are tandemly repeated, were amplified by PCR with primers specific to the two ends of the coding region for 5S rRNA. Two amplified fragments of approximately 1.6 kb were subcloned and sequenced. The spacer sequences showed a high degree of sequence identity to each other (99.2%) but substantial divergence from those of analogous mouse clones. The homologous regions in the mouse clones were interrupted by the duplication or deletion of small segments of DNA. A 12-mer, 5'-GGCTCTTGGGGC-3', thought to be responsible for efficient transcription, was located from position -33 to position -22 in the rat -5S clones. The genes were mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization with cloned fragments of rat 5S rDNA as probe. The genes were localized exclusively in a single telomeric region of chromosome 19.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Gastric adenoma-carcinoma sequence with special reference to p53 and Ki-ras gene alterations.

With the aim of detecting the timing of p53 and Ki-ras gene alterations in the gastric adenoma-carcinoma sequence, 19 early gastric adenocarcinomas arising from adenomas were studied. Immunohistochemically, 5 adenocarcinomas were positive for p53; 3 focally and 2 diffusely. The p53 point mutations were detected in a focal area with p53 immunoreactivity in 2 of the 5 p53-positive adenocarcinomas. This indicated that p53 point mutations may play a less crucial part in malignant conversion of adenoma to adenocarcinoma in the stomach than in the colon. No Ki-ras gene mutations at codons 12 and 13 were detected in any lesion. These results suggest that the adenoma-carcinoma sequence in the stomach has a different mechanism from that in the colon.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Association of a restriction fragment length polymorphism in the alcohol dehydrogenase 2 gene with Japanese alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The association of ADH2 polymorphisms with alcoholic liver cirrhosis has not been clearly demonstrated. METHODS: We investigated the association of two alleles in the ADH2 gene marked by restriction fragment length polymorphisms in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The ADH2 restriction fragment polymorphisms with Mae III were determined using the polymerase chain reaction on lymphocytes from 76 male Japanese alcoholics (non-cirrhotic patients; 34 cases, cirrhotic patients; 42 cases) and 60 healthy male subjects. RESULTS: The frequency of the ADH2(1)/ADH2(1) genotype was significantly higher in the alcoholics than in the healthy subjects p < 0.001). In the alcoholics, the genotype ADH2(2)/ADH2(2) was significantly more prevalent in the cirrhotic group than in the non-cirrhotic group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the Mae III polymorphisms of the ADH2 gene may be associated not only with susceptibility to alcoholic liver cirrhosis, but also with the development of alcoholism in Japanese patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Superantigenic exotoxin production by isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from the Kawasaki syndrome patients and age-matched control children.

Nineteen strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from the throat or the tooth surfaces of 19 cases amongst 127 patients with Kawasaki syndrome (KS) during the acute phases and 11 S. aureus isolates were obtained from five of 17 diseased controls and six healthy controls. The production of exotoxins, particularly superantigenic toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), coagulase serotype, pigment production, haemolytic activity and tryptophan auxotrophy of these isolates were compared. Among 10 KS S. aureus strains isolated in 1990-1991, five (50%) secreted TSST-1, a higher frequency than two (18%) of 11 control isolates. In contrast, none of the nine KS strains collected in 1984 produced TSST-1. Four of five TSST-1-secreting KS strains produced white or white to golden pigmentation, whereas the two control strains capable of TSST-1 production formed golden colonies. There were no noticeable differences between S. aureus strains from KS patients and control children in the production of staphylococcal exotoxins A-E, coagulase serotype, haemolysis of sheep erythrocytes and tryptophan auxotrophy. The pathological or aetiological role of a new TSST-1-secreting S. aureus clone in patients with KS was not confirmed.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1995

Rapid identification by polymerase chain reaction of staphylococcal exfoliative toxin serotype A and B genes.

A new system was designed to detect staphylococcal exfoliative toxin A (ETA) and B (ETB) genes by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The primer pairs for the ETA gene (eta) were 20 and 20-mer, and its PCR product was a 741-bp eta fragment, while the primer pairs for the ETB gene (etb) were also 20 and 20-mer, and its PCR product was a 629-bp etb fragment. When these primers were simultaneously used in the PCR, the two types of ET were clearly detected as two bands in an ETA and ETB double-producer using only one colony within 3 hr. We examined 66 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) and compared the results obtained by ELISA and PCR. The same results were obtained for 56 of the strains, i.e., 30 strains were ETA producers, 20 strains were ETB producers, and 6 strains were double-producers. However, positive results were obtained for 5 of the 10 non-ET-producing strains. Two of these strains were judged by PCR as ETA producers and three as ETB producers. Thus, PCR is very sensitive and rapid in detecting ETA and ETB gene fragments in colonies isolated from patients with SSSS.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Clinicopathological and molecular biological studies of gastric adenomas with special reference to p53 abnormality.

To determine the role and timing of p53 alteration in gastric adenomas, sequentially biopsied gastric adenomas were immunohistochemically studied for p53 overexpression. From a total of 29 cases, 32 adenomas were endoscopically followed up more than 1 year and used in this study. Immunohistochemically, p53 positivity with diffuse or focal staining was observed in 12 of 32 adenomas. During the follow-up period, only four adenomas transformed to adenocarcinoma, of which three showed p53 positivity by immunohistochemistry. The mutation of the p53 gene in exon 5 through 8 was examined in 18 gastric adenomas including four adenomas with malignant transformation. The PCR-SSCP analysis and DNA sequencing revealed four missense mutations and one silent mutation in five adenomas. The missense mutation was present in three adenomas with diffuse p53 staining and in one adenoma with focal p53 staining. The predominant type of mutation was the G:C to A:T transition. In addition to the p53 gene analysis, Ki-ras gene was also investigated, but no mutation in codon 12 and 13 was found in the adenomas investigated. This study indicated that gastric adenomas might be one of the precursor lesions of gastric cancer but somewhat different from colon adenomas in regard to growth potential, p53 staining pattern and the rate of Ki-ras gene mutation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Primary malignant lymphoma of the intestine: clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical studies of 39 cases.

Clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features in 39 cases of primary intestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in Japanese patients were studied. Only resection materials in state IE and IIE-1 were included in this study because of the certainty that the intestine was the primary site of the lymphoma. The updated Kiel classification was used to classify NHL. Histologically, only two cases (5.1%) were follicular lymphomas, and the others were diffuse lymphomas. Twenty-eight patients (71.8%) had high-grade NHL and 11 (28.2%) had low-grade NHL. Twenty (71.4%) of the 28 high-grade NHL were centroblastic lymphomas, and 14 (70.0%) of these 20 cases of centroblastic lymphoma were the polymorphic variant. Ten (90.9%) of the 11 low-grade NHL were low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. Macroscopically, 18 patients had polypoid masses, 17 ulcerative tumors and four had diffusely infiltrating NHL. Seven of the 10 low-grade MALT lymphomas were polypoid masses. Immunohistochemically, 35 lesions (89.7%) were of the B cell phenotype and three (7.7%) were of the T cell phenotype. In the remaining case, the cell lineage could not be determined. No lesions were considered to be of histiocytic origin. The 5 year survival rate for high-grade B cell lymphomas was poorer than for low-grade B cell lymphomas, and the present study indicated that the histological grade of the intestinal B cell lymphomas was a prognostically significant factor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Unsuccessful effort to detect human papillomavirus DNA in urinary bladder cancers by the polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization.

The association of human papillomavirus (HPV) with urinary bladder carcinogenesis is now a controversial issue. In order to certify the presence of HPV DNA in urinary bladder cancers, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using five primer sets for detecting various HPV types was used in this study as well as in situ hybridization (ISH) for HPV 16 and 18 detection. In the PCR study of 93 DNA samples extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded urinary bladder cancers, no HPV DNA was detected in these tumor samples. The ISH study was also performed on the same tumor samples, but failed to demonstrate any HPV 16- or 18-positive signals in all except one of the tumor samples. However, the PCR failed to demonstrate HPV 16 DNA even in the bladder cancer positive for HPV 16 DNA by the ISH. This ISH technique was able to demonstrate HPV 16 and 18 DNA in eight of 13 paraffin-embedded cervical cancers, in which HPV 16 or 18 DNA had already been detected by the PCR. Our HPV study using PCR and ISH revealed that the HPV status of urinary bladder carcinomas was far different from that of cervical cancers.

DNA Probes, HPV↗
PubMed1995

Alcohol-metabolizing enzyme polymorphisms and alcoholism in Japan.

The liver enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which are responsible for the oxidative metabolism of ethanol, are polymorphic in humans. Cytochrome P450IIE1, an ethanol-inducible isozyme of liver microsomal P450, is also important in ethanol metabolism. Genetic polymorphisms in the 5'-flanking region of the human cytochrome P450IIE1 gene have recently been reported. We hypothesized that the polymorphisms of ADH, ALDH, and P450IIE1 modify the susceptibility to development of alcoholism. We determined the genotypes of the ADH2, ALDH2, and P450IIE1 loci of 96 Japanese alcoholics and 60 healthy male subjects, using leukocyte DNA by the restriction fragment-length polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction. The alcoholics had significantly higher frequencies of the ADH2(1) and ALDH2(1) alleles than did the healthy subjects. No significant difference in the frequency of the P450IIE1 genotype was observed between the alcoholics and the healthy subjects. In conclusion, genetic polymorphisms of the ADH and ALDH genes, but not of the P450IIE1 gene, influence the risk of developing alcoholism in Japanese.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Relationship of perfectionism to depression and hopelessness in college students].

The purpose of this study was to construct a Japanese version of Hewitt and Flett's (1991b) Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), and examine the relationship of perfectionism to depression and hopelessness in college students. In Study 1, a translated version of MPS was administered to 414 college students. Sixty-seven of them also completed seven personality scales in order to examine validity of the new scale. The self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially-prescribed perfectionism subscales have high reliability and validity. In Study 2, 163 college students completed a questionnaire of stressor, depression, and hopelessness scales, in addition to the Japanese MPS. Self-oriented perfectionism was negatively correlated with hopelessness, and socially-prescribed perfectionism positively with depression and hopelessness regardless of the degree of stressor. These results were different from those of Hewitt and Flett (1991b), and it was found that part of the self-oriented subscale correlated positively with hopelessness, and other part negatively. In the present study, the negative part appeared to have been dominant.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Squamous cell carcinoma of the ureter as a late complication of ureterocutaneostomy--a case report].

A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the ureter was reported. A 62-year-old woman, who underwent left nephrectomy and right ureterocutaneostomy at the age of thirty-one because of tuberculosis of the urinary tract, visits our hospital periodically for an ureteral catheter change. An urgent nephrostomy was performed because of ureteral stricture on March 8, 1994. Three months later tenderness and induration appeared at the former ureteral stoma. The resected specimen was histologically diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Right palliative ureterectomy did not produce the desired effects due to the invasion of the tumor into the surrounding organs. In this rare case, it is suggested that chronic infection and irritation of the indwelling catheter might be causative of squamous cell carcinoma of the ureter.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1995

[Immunohistochemical analysis of adhesion molecules in directional coronary atherectomy specimens].

Chronic inflammatory cells are key components in the progression of atherosclerotic plaques and restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Adhesion molecules are fundamental in inflammatory processes. Therefore, the distributions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) were investigated in directional coronary atherectomy specimens obtained from 14 patients, in 6 with acute coronary syndromes (myocardial infarction and unstable angina within 1 month), 6 with old myocardial infarction and 2 with stable effort angina. There were eight primary lesions and six restenotic lesions. Atherectomy tissue fragments were snap frozen and cut into 4 microns thick cryostat sections for immunohistochemical staining by avidin-biotin complex immunoperoxidase techniques using adhesion molecule specific monoclonal antibodies BBIG-I1 (ICAM-1) and BBIG-V1 (VCAM). The cells of lesions were characterized in sequential sections by macrophage marker KP1 (CD68), endothelial marker JC/70A (CD31), and smooth muscle cell marker 1A4 (alpha-smooth muscle actin). Four restenotic lesions that had undergone a prior balloon angioplasty within a few months consisted of intimal proliferation and the other lesions were atherosclerotic plaque. Macrophage-rich areas were seen in the lesions from acute coronary syndromes and/or early restenotic lesions. Expression of ICAM-1 or VCAM was strongly associated with macrophage-rich areas, but VCAM staining was weaker than ICAM-1 except in one restenotic lesion. Macrophages that express ICAM-1 and/or VCAM may be important in the unstable plaques and restenotic lesions related to disease activity of ischemic heart disease.

Aged↗