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Biomedical subjects

S Suzuki

Publications and source records attributed to S Suzuki.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Endoscopic induction of mucosal fibrosis by argon plasma coagulation (APC) for esophageal varices: A prospective randomized trial of ligation plus APC vs. ligation alone.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Esophageal varices are treated by endoscopic ligation with or without sclerotherapy. Here we used argon plasma coagulation (APC) to promote mucosal fibrosis and compared the efficacy of ligation plus APC with ligation alone in the treatment of esophageal varices. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our prospective study included 30 patients with esophageal varices randomly assigned to receive APC after ligation (combined group) and 30 patients assigned to receive ligation only (ligation group). Endoscopic ligation was performed until the varix shrank to F1 without red color sign or smaller. This was followed by induction of fibrosis of the distal esophageal mucosa using APC in the combined group. APC was performed using an argon gas at a flow rate of 1.5-2 l/min and a high frequency arc output of 50-60 W. Treatment outcome and complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 18.5+/-6.8 and 15.8+/-7.7 months (+/- SD) for the combined and ligation groups, respectively. The number of treatment sessions was slightly lower in the ligation group (2.9+/-0.6 vs. 2.5+/-0.6, P<0.05). The number of ligation bands used was not different between the two groups (13.4+/-3.1 vs. 14.9+/-2.4). The cumulative recurrence-free rate at 24 months after treatment in the combined group was significantly higher than in the ligation group (74.2% vs. 49.6%, P < 0.05). A significantly higher incidence of pyrexia was encountered in the combined group (P <0.05), but the incidences of other complications were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices combined with APC is superior to ligation alone. Since APC is theoretically well suited for mucosal fibrosis therapy, it can be used for the complete elimination of esophageal varices and for fibrosis of the distal esophageal mucosa.

Argon↗
PubMed2001

Vitamin K deficiency during the perinatal and infantile period.

Coagulation-related plasma proteins develop slowly during the gestational period and are still markedly lower than normal at birth. Great interest exists in the status of the vitamin K-dependent procoagulant factors (factors II, VII, IX and X) because a number of healthy newborns develop postpartum a bleeding tendency that is due to vitamin K deficiency. The most serious cases involve intracranial bleeding with convulsions, coma and potential death. Typically, these infants have markedly prolonged prothrombin times that shorten following the administration of vitamin K. A common feature of these infants is that they are breast-fed, although other factors, especially hepatobiliary diseases, contribute to this disorder. Vitamin K deficiency bleeding can develop as early as in the first 24 hours after birth, but most infants are diagnosed between days 2 and 7 postpartum. Late forms (> 1 week and up to 6 months) are also noted. This deficiency can be compensated for by prophylactically administering vitamin K to the newborns or by bottle-feeding. Although vitamin K2 may pass in small quantities through the placenta, it is insufficient to make up for the deficit. The first dose of vitamin K can also be given orally to the newborn after one or two regular feedings, and the second dose can be administered upon discharge from the hospital. A problem that remains to be solved is the late development of vitamin K deficiency in spite of prophylaxis at birth.

Female↗
PubMed2001

Repair of denture base resin using woven metal and glass fiber: effect of methylene chloride pretreatment.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: A durable repairing system for denture base fracture is desired to avoid recurrent fracture. Purpose. This study evaluated the strength and modulus of elasticity of repaired acrylic specimens reinforced with various processes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Transverse strength and modulus of elasticity of repaired acrylic denture base specimens were evaluated with a 3-point bending test and compared with a heat-polymerized control. Autopolymerizing acrylic resin was used with woven metal fiber and glass fiber with and without methylene chloride surface treatment (n = 6 per group). The specimens were cut in half and fixed in a metal mold to obtain a space for placing the repairing resin. A cavity was prepared when metal or glass fiber was used. All specimens were stored in 37 degrees C distilled water for 48 hours before the test. All data were statistically analyzed with 1-way ANOVA, and differences among groups were analyzed with Fisher test (P< or =.05). RESULTS: The mean value of the transverse strength for the control was 87.2 MPa. The specimens repaired by glass fiber with methylene chloride surface treatment exhibited the highest transverse strength (96.8 MPa), which was significantly higher than that of the control (P< or =.05). The elastic modulus of the specimens repaired by glass fiber with methylene chloride surface treatment (4189.3 MPa) was significantly greater than that of the control (2683.7 MPa) at a 95% level of confidence. The values of transverse strength and elastic modulus were highest when the surface treatment was combined with a reinforcing glass fiber. CONCLUSION: Reinforcement with glass fiber and methylene chloride pretreatment produced transverse strength and a modulus of elasticity higher than the control.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2001

Impact of repeat hepatectomy on recurrent colorectal liver metastases.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic recurrence is seen in approximately 40% of patients undergoing hepatectomy for colorectal metastases. This study was designed to assess the risks and clinical benefits of repeat hepatectomy for those patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients underwent repeat hepatectomy for hepatic recurrence, and their clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for operative morbidity and mortality, performance level, and survival. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality after repeat hepatectomy. Operative bleeding was significantly increased in the second hepatectomy; but operating time, duration of hospital stay, and performance status after the second hepatectomy were comparable with those of the initial hepatectomy. The median survival time from the second hepatectomy was 31 months, and the 3- and 5-year survival rates were 62% and 32%, respectively. A short disease-free interval (6 months or less) between the initial hepatectomy and diagnosis of hepatic recurrence in the remnant liver was significantly associated with poor survival after the second hepatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Repeat resection contributed to clinical benefits for selected patients with hepatic recurrence after the initial hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases. However, appearance of hepatic recurrence within 6 months or less after the initial hepatectomy is a poor prognostic factor for repeat hepatectomy.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Formation of viable but non-culturable state (VBNC) of Aeromonas hydrophila and its virulence in goldfish, Carassius auratus.

In this study we investigated the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of Aeromonas hydrophila and its virulence in goldfish. Aeromonas hydrophila cultured in a 0.35% NaCl solution at pH 7.5 and at 25 degrees C for 50 days showed the VBNC state. In the VBNC state we were unable to detect viable bacteria by the plate count method but we did find 10(4) cells/ml by the direct viable count microscopical method after staining with fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide. The virulence comparison in goldfish showed that bacteria cultured at 25 degrees C for 1 day in a 0.35% NaCl solution were more virulent than bacteria cultured for 28 days. VBNC bacteria showed lower virulence in goldfish compared to 28-day-cultured bacteria by intraperitoneal injection. The results from the study suggest that A. hydrophila can remain in the aquatic environment for prolonged periods in the VBNC state but those cells are not pathogenic to goldfish.

Aeromonas hydrophila↗
PubMed2001

Cooperativity of alpha-naphthoflavone in cytochrome P450 3A-dependent drug oxidation activities in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human.

1. The effects of several CYP3A substrates (alpha-naphthoflavone (alphaNF), terfenadine, midazolam, erythromycin) on nifedipine oxidation and testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation activities were investigated in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. 2. alphaNF (10 microM) and terfenadine (100 microM) inhibited nifedipine oxidation activities (at substrate concentration of 100 microM) in mouse hepatic microsomes to approximately 50%, but not in mouse intestinal microsomes. alphaNF (30 microM) stimulated nifedipine oxidation activities in mouse and human intestinal microsomes and in human hepatic microsomes to approximately 1.3-1.8-fold. Inhibitory potencies (50% inhibition concentration, IC50) of midazolam and erythromycin for nifedipine oxidations were calculated to be approximately 90 microM in human intestinal microsomes. In contrast, testosterone (100 microM) stimulated the nifedipine oxidation activities approximately 1.5-fold in hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. 3. alphaNF showed different effects on the kinetic parameters including the Hill coefficients of nifedipine oxidation and testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation catalysed by hepatic and intestinal microsomes from mouse and human. Cooperativity in nifedipine oxidation was increased by the addition of alphaNF to pooled human hepatic microsomes, but little effects of alphaNF could be observed in individual human intestinal microsomes. 4. These results suggest that CYP3A enzymes in liver and intestine might have different characteristics and that observations from hepatic microsomes should not be directly applicable to intestine metabolism in some cases. Studies of drug-drug interactions of CYP3A substrates are recommended to be performed using intestinal samples.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Modulation of transalveolar fluid absorption by endogenous aldosterone in adult rats.

We examined whether transalveolar fluid transport is modulated by aldosterone in adult rats. Because colocalization of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) with 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11betaHSD2) is important for aldosterone specific action, we first determined the immunohistochemical distribution of MR and 11betaHSD2 in the lung. We found that alveolar epithelial cells express both MR and 11betaHSD2. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) demonstrated that rat alveolar type II epithelial cells express both MR and 11betaHSD2. We then measured alveolar fluid clearance in rats treated with chronic low-sodium diet. A low-sodium diet (0.1% NaCl for 12 to 14 days) caused hyperaldosteronism accompanied by hypokalemia, whereas serum corticosterone and adrenaline levels remained normal. We found that hyperaldosteronism was associated with significantly higher alveolar fluid clearance and that this increase was related to the amiloride-sensitive component. In addition, the increase in alveolar fluid clearance was inhibited by spironolactone. Our results show that aldosterone is able to stimulate Na+ channels of alveolar epithelial cells. We conclude that alveolar epithelium is a physiological target tissue for aldosterone and transalveolar fluid absorption could in part be modulated by endogenous aldosterone acting via MR.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗
PubMed2001

Successfully treated composite graft infection after Bentall's procedure.

A 47-year-old male patient underwent Bentall's modification with total arch replacement owing to type A acute dissection. Mediastinitis and composite graft infection occurred 3 weeks after the operation. Extensive debridement and irrigation followed by omental wrapping without graft removal were performed and the patient was successfully cured.

Aneurysm, Infected↗
PubMed2001

Application of Cre-loxP system to the urinary tract and cancer gene therapy.

The bacteriophage P1-derived Cre-loxP system is a powerful and versatile tool for in vivo DNA recombination. It is widely used in gene targeting research. The combination of the Cre-loxP system and a specific promoter enables conditional "knockout" of a target gene in a particular tissue or cell type. It has also made it possible to delete genes in adult animals that are essential for embryogenesis. This system is also used to enhance tissue- or tumor-specific promoter activities that are useful for gene therapy of certain types of cancer. It is expected that this simple and effective system will be further utilized in various research applications.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A novel germline mutation of the MEN1 gene, L259del, in a patient with sporadic multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1).

A Japanese woman was treated for insulinoma when she was 29 years old. Ten years later, heperparathyroidism and non-functioning adrenal tumor were found and she was diagnosed as having multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). No other family members have developed MEN-related lesion(s). Genomic DNA of the patient was analyzed by sequencing for the MEN1 gene and a novel, three-base in-frame deletion resulting in deletion of an amino acid Leu259 was identified. Her two children showed a wild-type sequence at this codon.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Chemotherapy of thymic carcinoma: analysis of seven cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Thymic carcinoma has a dismal prognosis compared with thymoma, because most of such tumors have locoregional invasion when diagnosed. Thus the important step in the management of thymic carcinoma is the introduction of systemic chemotherapy. However, as thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm, treatment with chemotherapy has not been studied systematically. METHODS: We analyzed seven cases of primary thymic carcinoma, treated with various chemotherapy regimens in our hospital from 1990 to 1999, and carried out a literature review of case reports of thymic carcinoma successfully treated with chemotherapy. RESULTS: All four cases who received modified ADOC therapy obtained partial responses. Other chemotherapeutic regimens (CHOP-E, PVB) were not effective. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study and the literature review, we feel that a positive response is obtainable with chemotherapy for thymic carcinoma. Modified ADOC therapy showed consistent efficacy in thymic carcinoma in this study.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Oral administration of soybean lecithin transphosphatidylated phosphatidylserine improves memory impairment in aged rats.

Soybean lecithin transphosphatidylated phosphatidylserine (SB-tPS) was prepared from soybean lecithin and L-serine by a transphosphatidylation reaction, and its effect on age-related memory impairment was evaluated in rats by the Morris water maze test. Continuous oral administration of SB-tPS (60 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) for 60 d) to male aged rats (24-25 mo) significantly improved performance in the water maze escape test (P < 0.01 vs. control aged rats) similar to bovine brain cortex-derived phosphatidylserine, which restores cognitive function in patients with senile dementia. SB-tPS also increased acetylcholine release and the Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity of the synaptosomes prepared from these aged rats to the level in young rats. The nootropic actions of SB-tPS in the present study can be partly explained by the changes in these biochemical activities.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2001

Progress of lignification mediated by intercellular transportation of monolignols during tracheary element differentiation of isolated Zinnia mesophyll cells.

Tracheary element (TE) differentiation is a typical example of programmed cell death (PCD) in higher plants, and maturation of TEs is completed by degradation of all cell contents. However, lignification of TEs progresses even after PCD. We investigated how and whence monolignols are supplied to TEs which have undergone PCD during differentiation of isolated Zinnia mesophyll cells into TEs. Higher densities of cell culture induced greater lignification of TEs. Whereas the continuous exchanging of culture medium suppressed lignification of TEs, further addition of coniferyl alcohol into the exchanging medium reduced the suppression of lignification. Analysis of the culture medium by HPLC and GC-MS showed that coniferyl alcohol, coniferaldehyde, and sinapyl alcohol accumulated in TE inductive culture. The concentration of coniferyl alcohol peaked at the beginning of secondary wall thickening, decreased rapidly during secondary wall thickening, then increased again. These results indicated that lignification on TEs progresses by supply of monolignols from not only TEs themselves but also surrounding xylem parenchyma-like cells through medium in vitro.

Asteraceae↗
PubMed2001

In vivo cultured skin composed of two-layer collagen sponges with preconfluent cells.

Although various kinds of cultured skin substitutes have been developed, it takes several weeks to produce them before grafting. In their previous study, the authors succeeded in producing cultured skin easily in a short period of time by layering two collagen sponges. In the current study, to shorten this period even further, they grafted the cell-preconfluent artificial skin immediately after seeding the cells. They used two collagen sponges with different pore sizes and crosslink densities. They seeded 1,000,000 cells per square centimeter of fibroblasts and 1,000,000 cells per square centimeter of keratinocytes on the respective collagen sponges and grafted them on a full-thickness, excised wound on the back of severe combined immunodeficient mice. Two weeks after grafting, epithelium and dermislike tissue were formed. They then decreased the number of keratinocytes and grafted them. Four weeks after grafting, at seeding densities of 50,000 to 1,000,000 cells per square centimeter of keratinocytes, the preconfluent artificial skin took histologically, and human type IV and type VII collagen were stained immunohistochemically. This cell-preconfluent artificial skin composed of two-layer collagen sponges seems promising for widespread clinical use.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Bilateral humeral lengthening in achondroplasia.

Twenty humeral lengthenings were done on 10 achondroplastic dwarfs using the Ilizarov circular fixator. There were five female and five male patients from 6 years 11 months to 17 years 8 months of age (mean, 12 years 10 months) at the time of the operation. Mean length obtained was 7.8 cm (range, 3.5 cm-10 cm). External fixation time ranged from 105 days to 368 days (mean, 221 days). Healing index averaged 30 days/cm (27 days/cm when two patients with radial nerve palsy were excluded). Two half pins in one patient required replacement. Two humeral fractures occurred, one while in the fixator and the other after removal of the apparatus. Transient radial nerve palsy developed during lengthening in two patients, and lengthening was discontinued. Symptoms of radial nerve palsy resolved completely in both patients, but one patient required an additional surgery to explore the radial nerve for persistent paresthesia of the forearm. Although preexisting loose shoulders deteriorate during lengthening and sometimes cause pain and discomfort, they always resolve spontaneously as lengthening proceeds. Bilateral humeral lengthening was very effective for improving function and overall proportion in patients with achondroplasia.

Achondroplasia↗
PubMed2001

Multiethnic comparison of adolescent major depression based on the DSM-IV criteria in a U.S.-Japan study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence rates of major depression based on the DSM-IVcriteria with data from a multiethnic sample of adolescents drawn from the same U.S.-Japan study and to investigate the relation of adolescent major depression to ethnicity. METHOD: Adolescents aged 12-15 years (N= 2,046; 539 Anglo-American, 636 African-American, 409 Mexican-American, and 462 Japanese adolescents) were studied in 1994 (response rates: 85.3% for U.S. students and 95.5% for Japanese students). The DSM Scale for Depression, a self-administered checklist developed from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children questions on major depression, was used to estimate the prevalence of DSM-IV major depression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rates of major depression without/with impairment were 9.6% and 4.3% for Anglo-American, 13.4% and 6.1 % for African-American, 16.9% and 9.0% for Mexican-American, and 5.6% and 1.3% for Japanese adolescents. The significant association between adolescent major depression and ethnicity disappeared after sociodemographic adjustments. Only fathers' educational attainment and family financial status remained significant (odds ratios: 3.28-5.30 for grade school for fathers and 2.62-2.78 for being worse off economically). CONCLUSION: These findings imply ethnicity does not have a significant impact on the risk of adolescent major depression after sociodemographic adjustments.

Adolescent↗