Biomedical subjects

S Tsuji

Publications and source records attributed to S Tsuji.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Evaluation of the PyloriTek test for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in cases with and without eradication therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The accuracy of the PyloriTek test (a 1-h rapid urease test) used after eradication therapy of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has not been well clarified. This study was done to evaluate the accuracy of the PyloriTek test results for cases with and without eradication therapy, using culture and histology as gold standard methods, and to establish the suitable timing of the PyloriTek test after eradication treatment. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three patients undergoing upper endoscopy were randomly selected; 100 patients had not received eradication therapy and 63 had. Three biopsy specimens each were obtained from the gastric antrum and the body for examination by PyloriTek, culture, and histology. The absence of H. pylori was established with negative results from both culture and histology. RESULTS: In cases without eradication therapy, PyloriTek, correctly identified 66 of 67 H. pylori-positive cases and 30 of 33 H. pylori-negative cases, yielding 98.5% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity. In cases with eradication therapy, PyloriTek gave correct diagnoses in 10 of 17 H. pylori-positive cases and in 45 of 46 H. pylori-negative cases, for 58.8% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity. However, when PyloriTek was used more than 4 months after the end of eradication therapy, both the sensitivity and the specificity increased to 100%. CONCLUSION: Considering time and cost, the use of PyloriTek alone may be satisfactory for detecting H. pylori infection in cases without eradication therapy. When patients are examined more than 4 months after intervention, the use of PyloriTek alone may be sufficient for correctly diagnosing H. pylori infections.

Amoxicillin↗

PubMed1998

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors suppress the growth of gastric cancer xenografts via induction of apoptosis in nude mice.

To clarify the role of mitogen-inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in the development of malignant tumors, we investigated the effects of COX-2 inhibitors on the growth of gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice in vivo. MKN45 gastric cancer cells (5 x 10(6) cells/animal) that overexpress COX-2 were inoculated subcutaneously into athymic mice. NS-398, a specific COX-2 inhibitor, or indomethacin, a nonspecific COX-2 inhibitor, was administered orally to animals every day for 20 days. These drugs reduced the tumor volume significantly. Immunohistochemistry using bromodeoxyuridine, nick end labeling, and electron microscopy showed that NS-398 induced apoptosis in cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited cancer cell replication slightly. Indomethacin also induced apoptosis and suppressed replication of tumor cells. There was a significant negative correlation between tumor volume and apoptotic cell number within the tumor. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that COX-2 inhibitors suppress growth of gastric cancer xenografts mainly by inducing apoptosis and suppressing replication of the neoplastic cells. It follows that COX-2 plays an important role in the development of gastric cancer.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

PubMed1998

Slowly progressive pure word deafness.

Among the reports of primary progressive aphasia, there are few about patients who exhibited progressive pure word deafness with detailed auditory and radiological examination as well as neuropsychological assessment. We describe a 67-year-old right-handed man who exhibited slowly progressive pure word deafness over a period of 9 years without exhibiting any other cognitive or mental deterioration. Magnetic resonance imaging of his brain revealed generalized cortical atrophy, particularly in the left superior temporal region. Auditory examination revealed severe disability in discriminating each syllable or mora of Japanese words despite adequate auditory acuity. He also showed impairment in temporal auditory discrimination assessed by the click fusion test and the click counting test. His ability to discriminate meaningful environmental sounds was mildly impaired. We discuss the pathophysiology of slowly progressive pure word deafness over a period of many years which was not complicated by other language or cognitive dysfunctions.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Sporadic cases of dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy associated with maternal transmission.

We report siblings, a 21-year-old woman (proband) and her 26-year-old brother, with dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). There was no family history of DRPLA and no clinical abnormalities in their parents, who were both above the age of 50. Analysis of the DRPLA gene of leukocytes showed CAG repeat sizes to be 64/17 in the proband, 58/20 in her brother, and 56/8 in their mother. Sporadic cases of DRPLA can occur with maternal as well as paternal transmission.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 in China: molecular analysis and genotype-phenotype correlation in nine families.

Sixteen patients from nine Chinese families with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) were heterozygous for a CAG repeat expansion in the SCA2 gene containing 37 to 56 repeats, whereas the normal alleles carried 14 to 28 repeats. One or two CAA triplets within the CAG tract were seen in normal, but not in the expanded alleles. A strong inverse correlation was established between the number of CAG repeats and the age of disease onset. SCA2 accounted for 12% of the known Chinese families with spinocerebellar ataxia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with widespread vacuolation and hyaline inclusions.

This report presents a familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) patient with widespread vacuoles and hyaline inclusions strongly immunostained with the anti-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) antibody. The overall pathologic similarity between our non-SOD1-linked FALS patient and transgenic mice expressing a mutated human SOD1 gene suggests that common pathogenetic mechanisms other than an SOD1 mutation exist in the development of these diseases.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

An elderly man with Klinefelter syndrome associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, sick sinus syndrome, and coronary arteriovenous fistula.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a rare cardiac complication in patients with Klinefelter syndrome. We report the case of a 67-year-old Japanese man with Klinefelter syndrome, HCM, sick sinus syndrome, and coronary arteriovenous fistula, in whom the 47XXY/46XY mosaic pattern was revealed by chromosomal study. Echocardiography revealed HCM with an interventricular septum thickness of 17 mm and a left ventricular posterior wall thickness of 10 mm. Sick sinus syndrome type III was diagnosed by paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (longest sinus arrest 9.0 sec) on 24-h Holter ECG recording. Coronary arteriovenous fistula was detected from the left anterior descending artery to the right ventricle by coronary arteriography. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of Klinefelter syndrome with HCM. As there have been a few reports of patients with Klinefelter syndrome in association with skeletal muscular diseases such as Becker-type muscular dystrophy or myotonic dystrophy, the gene mutation that causes Klinefelter syndrome may occur in the cardiac muscle. HCM may represent another variable expression of this chromosomal abnormality.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Oncogenes and signal transduction pathways involved in the regulation of Na+ channel expression.

Recent progress in neurobiology has revealed that proteins called 'neurotrophic factors' influence development, maintenance of function, and regeneration of neurons in vertebrate nervous system. These factors include the neurotrophin family, epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), which are expressed in the nervous system. Effects of the neurotrophic factors are mediated through signal transduction pathways in which several cellular protooncogenes play intrinsic roles. Furthermore, studies on mechanisms coupling membrane events to gene activation have demonstrated that transsynaptic input via action potential and neurotransmitters, and membrane depolarization play an important role in the regulation of electrical activities in neurons during and after maturation. Voltage-dependent sodium (Na+) channels mediate an increase in permeability of Na+ during the initial, rapid phase of the action potential in neurons, and are considered to be important determinants of neuronal functions. Their synthesis and expression, therefore, are crucial aspects of neural differentiation and functions. In mammals, an array of functionally distinct Na+ channels arise, at least in part, through transcriptional regulation of the multiple genes that encode distinct Na+ channel alpha subunits (Na alpha). In this review, we discuss the potential roles of the protooncogenes in the nervous system, with particular emphasis on dynamic expression of the Na+ channel gene family.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Efficacy of early plasmapheresis in Bickerstaff's encephalitis.

Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) was performed in a patient with Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis (BBE) in its early phase. He was a 27-year-old male patient suffering from diplopia, facial palsy and drowsiness following upper respiratory tract infection, and had high titers of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against ganglioside NeuAc(alpha)2-8NeuAc(alpha)2-3Gal(beta)1-3GalNAc(beta)1-4(NeuAc(al pha)2-8NeuAc(alpha)2-3)Gal(beta)1-4Glc(beta)1-1'Cer (GQ1b) in the serum. DFPP effected immediate improvement of his drowsiness, supporting the diagnosis of BBE. Our observations suggest that DFPP during the early phase of BBE efficiently prevents the progression of consciousness disturbances.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Effect of mitochondrial DNA variation on carcass traits of Japanese Black cattle.

Japanese Black fattening steers were used to examine relationships between carcass traits and mitochondria displacement loop (D-loop) variations. The D-loop region of Japanese Black cattle was sequenced and revealed 26 mitochondrial haplotypes defined by 25 polymorphic sites. The haplotypes were classified into five mitochondrial types (type 1 to 5) using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means. Carcass weight, longissimus muscle area (LMA), rib thickness, subcutaneous fat thickness, yield estimate, and beef marbling score (BMS) were compared among five mitochondrial types with BLUP procedures. Significant differences between mitochondria types were detected for LMA and BMS. Difference (P < . 05) was observed between mitochondrial types 2 and 4 for LMA. There was a highly significant difference (P < .01) in BMS between types 2 and 4. Difference (P < .05) was also found between types 1 and 4 on BMS. These results suggest that cytoplasmic genetic effects are important sources of variation for carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

[Determination of tocopherols in oils of mixed tocopherol as food additive using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography].

Simultaneous determination of four tocopherols was developed using reverse-phase high-performance chromatography with a mixture of methanol and water (88:12) as a mobile phase. The alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols in oils of mixed tocopherol as food additive were determined. It is clarified that the proposed method is useful for the quality control of food additive.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed1998

[Estimated production by the official inspection of coal-tar dyes (including dye aluminum lakes) in 1997].

The number of official inspection of coal-tar dyes and their lakes from April in 1997 till March in 1998 were 571 in total. The quantity which passed inspection amounted to 160.3 ton in Japan. The production of color in each month was summarised in Table 1, and by each producing company in Table 2. The food coal-tar dye produced in the largest quantity was Food Yellow No.4, occupying 39.8% in this period.

Chemical Industry↗

PubMed1998

[Recent advances in the studies on Alzheimer's diseases].

Recent progress on the molecular mechanisms on Alzheimer's disease has been made through discoveries of genes involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin I (PS 1) and presenilin II (PS 2) genes have been identified as the causative genes for early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. Apolipoprotein E gene, which was originally identified as the gene for late-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, has now been established as a genetic risk factor for not only early-onset but also late-onset sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies suggest that mutations in APP, PS 1 or PS 2 result in increased production of amyloid beta protein (A beta), a major constituent of senile plaques. Apolipoprotein E 4, which is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, has also been reported to be associated with increased density of senile plaques. Although these data suggest that accumulation of A beta is an essential step in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, it still remains to be elucidated whether such process is causative for Alzheimer's disease. Recently another gene on chromosome 12 has been suggested to be involved in the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, and identification of the gene on chromosome 12 may bring a new insight into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed1998

[Prevertebral abscesses with a protracted insidious clinical course and subsequent lethal, acute pyogenic meningitis and septic shock].

This report concerns a 66-year-old man suffering from prevertebral abscesses with a protracted insidious clinical course and subsequent lethal and acute pyogenic meningitis. The patient had a three-month history of mild neck pain, and died as a result of septic shock due to staphylococcus aureus (methicillin susceptible) infection two days after admission to the hospital. At autopsy, abscesses encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue were found on the ventral surfaces of the cervical and thoracic regions of the spine. The prevertebral abscess on the upper cervical region was organized with dense fibrous tissue and contained a small number of inflammatory cells. On the other hand, the prevertebral abscess on the thoracic region was purulent and contained numerous inflammatory cells, macrophages and gram-positive cocci. Pyogenic spondylitis and discitis accompanying the prevertebral abscesses were multiple and widespread. These features suggested that the abscesses developed initially on the cervical region, extended caudally through the prevertebral space, directly involving the corpus vertebrae and discs, and ultimately caused sepsis. It is important to note that prevertebral abscesses can exhibit a protracted clinical course with only mild symptom such as minor neck pain and then manifest abruptly as acute meningitis and sepsis.

Abscess↗

PubMed1998

[A case of chronic enteroviral meningitis and hydrocephalus associated with Bruton type agammaglobulinemia].

We report a 10-year-old boy with chronic enteroviral meningitis associated with agammaglobulinemia (CEMA) and hydrocephalus. He was treated with a low-dose intravenous administration (100 mg/kg/4 weeks) of gammaglobulin (gamma-gl) since he was diagnosed as having Bruton type agammaglobulinemia at 1 year of age. At this admission, neurological examination revealed meningeal signs, Babinski sign, frontal signs, urinary incontinence, and mental retardation (IQ = 48) which was considered to be a sequela of the enteroviral encephalitis which had occurred in his first year of life. T 1-weighted MR imaging of the brain following gadolinium administration revealed a marked dilatation of the lateral ventricles and dense enhancement of the meninges. Enterovirus was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using tissue culture. Histological examination of a biopsied leptomeningeal specimen revealed inflammatory thickening, which was a likely cause of the obstruction to the flow of CSF. The hydrocephalus in this patient was treated with external drainage of CSF from the lateral ventricle. The CEMA was brought into remission by means of the intraventricular administration of gamma-gl, at a dose of 125-250 mg/week (total dose: 1.5 g/8 weeks), in addition to the high dose intravenous administration (400 mg/kg/4 weeks) of gamma-gl. Because of the poor prognosis of patients with CEMA, the intraventricular administration of gamma-gl should be initiated immediately following a diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis.

Agammaglobulinemia↗

PubMed1998

Clinical features of ovarian cancer in Japanese women with germ-line mutations of BRCA1.

We analyzed the clinical features of 25 ovarian cancer patients who were associated with germ-line mutations of BRCA1 from four site-specific ovarian cancer families and seven breast-ovarian cancer families in Japan. The average age at diagnosis was 51.1 years (range, 38-77 years). Histological examination revealed 24 serous cyst adenocarcinomas in 25 patients. In 23 patients with clear clinical records, 3 patients had stage I disease, 17 had stage III disease, and 3 had stage IV disease. Thirteen patients with stage III disease who were treated with cisplatin-containing chemotherapy following tumor reduction surgery showed more favorable outcomes in both the survival rate and disease-free intervals, compared with age- and treatment course-matched controls (5-year survival rate, 0.786 versus 0.303; median disease-free interval, 91.43 versus 40.92 months; P < 0.05 for both, by logarithmic rank test). Our statistical model for the inheritance of susceptibility to ovarian cancer was derived from the analysis of 26 patients and 19 healthy carriers of 12 families. The expected lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is about 80% for women with mutations of BRCA1. These results suggest that the clinical outcome of ovarian cancer with germ-line mutations of BRCA1 appears to be more favorable than that with sporadic cases and that the disease penetrance among pedigrees with germ-line mutations of the BRCA1 gene is substantially high.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[Functional difference between the left supplementary motor area and the left premotor area in a task of confrontation naming and word fluency].

We assessed the faculty of confrontation naming and word fluency of the 11 patients afflicted with frontal lobe infarction or hemorrhage. All the patients were right-handed and manifested transcortical motor aphasia due to cerebrovascular diseases. We carried out the Western Aphasia Battery, and we adopted V-A; the naming task involved confrontation naming of 20 objects, and V-B; the word fluency task involved the naming as many animals as possible in a one minute period. Six patients who have lesions in the left medial frontal lobe performed excellency in the confrontation naming task but exhibited poor word fluency, and 5 patients who have lesions in the left dorso-lateral frontal lobe performed poorly in both tasks. This results suggests that the left dorso-lateral frontal lobe is important in confrontation naming, while the left medial frontal lobe is important in word fluency. Mushiake et al. (1991) showed that the premotor area was involved in visually guided sequential movements, and the supplementary motor area was involved internally determined sequential movements in primates. Regarding language function as analogous to movement, confrontation naming is analogous to visually guided movements and word fluency is analogous to internally determined movements. Thus, our results suggest that the functional difference between the left medial frontal lobe, which includes the supplementary motor area, and the left dorso-lateral frontal lobe, which includes the premotor area, which was demonstrated in primates for movement is also true of language function in humans.

Aphasia, Broca↗

PubMed1998

[The molecular mechanisms of the instability of the CAG repeat].

Expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats coding for polyglutamine stretches has been identified for seven neurodegenerative diseases including Machado-Joseph disease (MJD). There are many common features shared among these disease such as genetic anticipation i.e. accelerated age at onset in successive generations, which is also a result of intergenerational increase in the size of expanded CAG repeats. To identify elements affecting the intergenerational instability of the CAG repeat, we investigated whether the CGG/GGG polymorphism at the 3' end of the CAG repeat in the MJD1 gene affects intergenerational instability. We suggested that an inter-allelic interaction is involved in the intergenerational instability of the CAG repeat and provide a clue to the molecular mechanisms of the instability of the CAG repeat.

Female↗