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Biomedical subjects

T Fujimoto

Publications and source records attributed to T Fujimoto.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

[A case of Bochdalek hernia in an adult with volvulus of the stomach and hypopotassemia].

Gastric volvulus is a rare disease. We recently encountered a gastric volvulus associated with Bochdalek hernia and severe hypopotassemia. A 32-year-old woman experienced epigastric pain and recurrent vomiting. The changes of the electrocardiogram in this patient (K1.8mEq/l) were inverted T wave and ST depression. She was diagnosed as having gastric volvulus associated with Bochdalek hernia by chest X-ray films, contrast radiography of the upper digestive tract and thoraco-abdominal CT scans. Symptoms did not disappear with the administration of conservative therapy. At laparotomy, the stomach was rotated around its mesenteric axis in the sagittal plane. After operative repair, symptoms disappeared, and serum potassium level returned to normal. Gastric volvulus is rather easily diagnosed if its existence is kept in mind.

Adult↗

The early phenomena of restenosis following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

In man the early onset of fibrocellular tissue reaction, which leads to restenosis following an initial successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, has been poorly documented because of limited opportunities to study this phenomenon. The present study focused on early changes in seven patients who died within 20 days of a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty procedure. Differences in the mode of laceration were noted between concentric and eccentric plaques. In the former, tears occur at the thinnest site of the plaque or within an already attenuated fibrous cap. The injury usually remains limited to the plaque. In eccentric lesions lacerations tend to occur in the non-atherosclerotic wall segment, affecting the musculoelastic layers and the media. A further site of predilection is the border zone between the non-affected wall and the plaque. Early tissue response is characterized by fibrin-platelet depositions, and a proliferation of macrophages and spindle-shaped cells. The latter express the immunocytochemical characteristics of smooth muscle cells. However, differences occur according to the type of tissue injured. Laceration of the musculoelastic layers or media causes a rapid and extensive cellular response. Injury to an atheroma, on the other hand, mainly causes plaque fissures with either mural thrombosis and total luminal obstruction, extensive plaque haemorrhage or a 'wash-out' of the atheromatous debris. In the latter case the lining of the 'crater' shows an accumulation of macrophages and, once more, a proliferation of spindle-shaped cells. The present observations support the concept that the early response is due to an interaction of platelet-fibrin thrombus and smooth muscle cells, with a possible role for macrophages.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Prediction of postoperative clinical course by autologous tumor-killing activity in lung cancer patients.

Fifty patients with primary localized lung cancer were tested at the time of surgery for the ability of their lymphocytes to kill autologous, freshly isolated tumor cells, and the assay was evaluated for prognostic significance. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of 27 patients (54%) demonstrated significant autologous tumor-killing activity in 6-hour 51Cr-release assays. Twenty-three of the 27 patients with autologous tumor-killing activity remained tumor free and survived more than 5 years after curative surgery, while all 23 who were negative for autologous tumor-killing activity relapsed by 18 months after surgery and died within 42 months after surgery. The differences in survival curves for the two groups were highly significant (P less than .00003). Autologous tumor-killing activity was not correlated with natural killer (NK) cell activity against K562 human myeloid leukemia cells or proliferation of lymphocytes stimulated with autologous, freshly isolated tumor cells in mixed culture. There were no differences in total survival between patients with positive results and those with negative results in tests of NK cell activity and autologous mixed lymphocyte-tumor culture reaction. These results indicate that autologous tumor-killing activity is a meaningful prognostic indicator and provide evidence for immunological control of tumor growth and metastasis. According to our preliminary data, it is unlikely that lung cancer patients who remain tumor free after 60 months of follow-up will develop recurrence or die from the disease. We are conducting a study to determine whether induction of autologous tumor-killing activity before surgery, by treatment with biological response modifiers,can improve the clinical outcome in patients who do not naturally have this potential.

Adult↗

[The effect of a protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) on lymphocyte subsets of peripheral venous blood and thoracic duct lymph].

To study the effects of a protein bound polysaccharide (PSK) on the immune system in normal animal, lymphocytes subsets of both peripheral (PBL) and thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL) were analyzed in 6 week old male SPF Wistar-Imamichi rats before and after free feeding of forage which contained 2% of PSK. PBL and TDL were obtained at the time before, 4 weeks after and 8 weeks after administration of PSK. Age matched rats without administration of PSK were used as a control. Following the peripheral blood cell counts were carried out, lymphocytes subsets such as ratio of total T cells helper/inducer T (Th) cell, suppressor/cytotoxic T (Ts) cell and B cell were assayed using W3/13, W3/25, 0 X 8 and 0 X 4 monoclonal antibodies with laser flow cytometric technique (Orthospectrum III Orthodiagnostics). In terms of the PBL, number of total T cells and Th cells in PSK treated group were significantly lower than that of controls. However no statistical different could be obtained between these two groups in relation to the number of Ts cells and B cells. On the other hand, the number of T cells and Th cells in TDL of PSK treated groups were significantly higher than that of controls while Ts cell and B cell number did not show no apparent differences between these two groups. These findings indicate that oral administration of PSK have a potency to accelerate the transport of T cells from blood stream to lymphatic channel and also regulate their distribution in a normal healthy animals.

Animals↗

Rapid purification and characterization of human platelet glycoprotein V: the amino acid sequence contains leucine-rich repetitive modules as in glycoprotein Ib.

Glycoprotein V (GPV) is a membrane-associated, 82 Kd platelet glycoprotein that is hydrolyzed during thrombin activation to yield 69 Kd fragment. We have developed a rapid and simple method for isolation of the protein from platelet extracts using a combination of gel permeation, anion-exchange, and lectin affinity chromatography. The partial amino acid sequence was determined by analysis of peptides generated by digestion of the S-carboxyamido-methylated protein with Achromobacter protease I or cyanogen bromide. The sequence shows a remarkable periodicity of leucine residues, which is homologous to the consensus sequence of a highly diversified protein super-family with a common repetitive module. Thrombin cleavage site was determined to be located at the C-terminal region of GPV by analysis of the products separated by sizing and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. By lectin blot analysis, the existence of mucin-type carbohydrate chains was indicated, as well as the existence of asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains shown by the amino acid sequence analysis. From these data, we report a structural model of GPV that is analogous to glycoprotein Ib.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Blastic transformation in essential thrombocythemia. In vitro differentiation of blast cells into granulocytic, erythroid, and megakaryocytic lineages.

A 57-year-old man with essential thrombocythemia (ET) developed myelofibrosis, that progressed to a blastic transformation state. The characteristics of the blastic cells were serially studied both morphologically and phenotypically as well as in cell culture. The blastic cells that were first detected in peripheral blood had features of myeloid stem cells with slight differentiation toward megakaryocytic lineage. However, later in the course, most of the blastic cells were immature. During culture in the presence of human plasma-derived serum (PDS), some blastic cells obtained at the initial stage differentiated, mainly to both granulocytes and macrophages morphologically, but later tended to differentiate into both megakaryocytes and macrophages. Finally the blasts appeared to have lost their ability to differentiate morphologically. However, the blasts formed mixed colonies consisting of erythroblasts, granulocytes, macrophages, and immature blasts when cultured in methylcellulose with PHA-leukocyte conditioned medium. In addition, the blastic cells in suspension culture strongly expressed phenotypic features which are characteristic of erythroblasts, in the presence of both PDS and 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), whereas they expressed features of megakaryoblasts in the presence of PDS alone. These results suggest that essential thrombocythemia is of myeloid stem cell origin. This is the first case in the literature in which a clonal evolution in ET has been followed closely, essential events were identified serially, and the blastic cells, which appeared as a result of the progression of ET, were found to have the capability to differentiate toward the three myeloid lineages.

Blast Crisis↗

Analysis of platelet cytoskeleton assembly during platelet activation in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and thrombasthenia.

Time course change of the platelet cytoskeletal protein component in the Triton X-100 insoluble fraction after stimulation was analyzed in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and thrombasthenia. In Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS), a 31 kDa protein, myosin, actin, and a 100 kDa protein assembled as in the normal platelets at the shape change and release reaction phases after ADP or collagen stimulation, suggesting that, the deficient dense granule content do not lead to an abnormal platelet cytoskeletal protein assembly. In thrombasthenia (Type I), myosin increased at the shape change and release reaction phases as it does in normal platelets, but actin and the 100 kDa protein increased only at the initial activation phase, and then subsequently decreased to the level of the resting phase. The actin-binding protein (ABP) and the 31 kDa protein increased a little following stimulation. Similar cytoskeletal protein change after stimulation were found in normal platelets which were prevented from the aggregation process by chelating the external Ca2+ or by using synthetic decapeptide of fibrinogen gamma-chain of carboxyl terminus. The decreased platelet cytoskeletal protein assembly in thrombasthenia or in platelets stimulated without aggregation, was derived from a loss of the platelet aggregation process due to the defect of GP IIb-IIIa complex or an interaction failure between GP IIb-IIIa complex and fibrinogen. The interaction between platelets and either fibrinogen or fibrin can induce a more stable platelet cytoskeletal protein assembly, however, agonistic stimulation without these interactions cannot do it directly.

Actins↗

Magnetic resonance study of brain oedema induced by cold injury--changes in relaxation times before and after the administration of glycerol.

Experiments were carried out to determine the ability of magnetic resonance systems to assess change in relaxation times following the induction of experimental brain oedema and subsequent administration of hypertonic glycerol. Nine small mongrel dogs were used for these experiments. Twenty-four hours after producing a cold lesion, magnetic resonance (MR) studies were performed and physiological data were measured. Thirty min after beginning the administration of glycerol, serum osmotic pressure was raised 88 mOsm/l. After administering glycerol a small reduction in long spin echo images was observed in the periventricular high intensity area. The T1 and T2 values appeared to be decreased from 30 min after glycerol administration. This decrease continued until the period of observation ended. Statistically significant changes in the T2 values, especially in the white matter of the opposite side, were seen. The changes in T1 were generally not statistically significant. We conclude that the changes in water content of the oedematous brain following the administration of glycerol can be detected by magnetic resonance systems, that these changes become appreciable 30 min after administration of glycerol and continue at least two more hours, and that the changes in T2 were larger than those in T1.

Animals↗

Magnetic resonance studies in human brain oedema following administration of hyperosmotic agents. Special references to relaxation times and proton MRS.

Changes of proton relaxation times (T1 and T2) and proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) were studied in patients with brain oedema following administration of hyperosmotic agents. Relaxation times of oedema tended to decrease following infusion of hyperosmotic agents. In most patients examined, changes of relaxation times tended to achieve their lowest value at 30-60 minutes after infusion. However, the changes of relaxation times were not uniform. In some patients, relaxation times continued to decrease for more than 2 hours, while in other patients relaxation times which had earlier decreased subsequently had increased at 2 hours. The peak of water components, obtained by SIDAC (Spectroscopic Imaging by Dephasing Amplitude Changing) method was observed to change as did relaxation times. Changes of relaxation times and the peak of water components, obtained by SIDAC (Spectroscopic Imaging by Dephasing Amplitude Changing) method was observed to change as did relaxation times. Changes of relaxation times and the peak of water component may vary depending upon factors including the kinds of lesions causing oedema, phase of oedema (acute or chronic), etc. Proton relaxation times and the peak of water component obtained by proton MRS were useful in evaluating the changes of oedematous area.

Body Water↗

Early detection of cerebral infarction by 31P spectroscopic imaging.

Recent advances in magnetic resonance spectroscopy permit noninvasive study of brain metabolism in vivo, 31P spectroscopic imaging being the method for evaluation of localized phosphorous metabolism. Experimentally, an ischemic-hypoxic brain insult is characterized by depletion of high energy metabolites. These changes are seen immediately after an ischemic insult. We had the opportunity of carrying out 31P spectroscopic imaging of hyperacute cerebral infarction, while MRI and CT were negative. Cerebral infarction of the middle cerebral artery territory was suggested by 31P spectroscopic imaging, which was closely consistent with a later-developing region of low density on CT. In cerebral infarction, early detection of the lesion is a useful pointer to the patient's prognosis, making 31P spectroscopic imaging a potential tool.

Aged↗

Lysing of fresh human tumor by a cytotoxic factor derived from autologous large granular lymphocytes independently of other known cytokines.

During interaction with autologous tumor cells large granular lymphocytes (LGL) of cancer patients released a soluble cytotoxic factor, termed LGL-derived cytotoxic factor, which mediated lysing of autologous fresh tumor cells. The cytotoxic factor was compared with purified human recombinant cytotoxic cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin (LT), interferon (IFN) alpha, IFN gamma, interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and IL-2. The LGL cytotoxic factor exhibited cytotoxicity against autologous and allogeneic fresh human tumor cells in an 18-h 51Cr-release assay, while these target cells were resistant to lysing by any of the recombinant cytokines. Mixtures of recombinant(r) TNF, rLT, rIFN alpha, rIFN gamma, rIL-1 alpha and rIL-2 were still unable to produce cytotoxic effects on fresh human tumor cells. Treatment with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed against rTNF, rLT, rIFN alpha, rIFN gamma, or rIL-1 alpha did not inhibit the cytotoxic activity of LGL-derived cytotoxic factor against fresh human tumor cells. Even a mixture of all the antibodies was incapable of blocking the cytolytic activity of the factor to fresh human tumor cells. Furthermore, intact LGL-mediated lysing of autologous tumor cells was not inhibited by any of the antibodies. These results may indicate that a cytotoxic factor produced by LGL in response to autologous tumor cells mediates lysing of fresh human tumor cells independently of TNF, LT, IFN, IL-1 and IL-2.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Muscle fiber conduction velocity and contractile properties estimated from surface electrode arrays.

Using an array of surface electrodes set 5 mm apart, we estimated the conduction velocities of muscle fibers during submaximal voluntary isometric contraction of human first dorsal interosseous muscle. The conduction velocity obtained by the averaging method ranged from 3.2 to 5.0 m/sec with a mean of 4.2 m/sec. Twitch tensions in the muscle detected during voluntary isometric contractions ranged from 0.31 to 5.97 g with a mean of 2.75 g based on an averaging method triggered by surface myoelectric signals. Threshold forces of the motor units varied from 120 to 930 g. The rise time of the force developed by isometric adduction ranged from 36.0 to 75.4 msec, with a mean of 55.4 msec. The conduction velocity of the muscle fiber showed a high correlation with the twitch (r = 0.71, n = 50; P less than 0.001) and threshold (r = 0.52, n = 50; P less than 0.001) forces, but a low one with rise time (r = -0.32, n = 50; P less than 0.05). The use of the averaging method with surface electrode arrays, especially for voluntary isometric contractions, shows that motor unit conduction velocity and contractile properties are functionally correlated.

Adult↗

Vector U loop in patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy.

The U loops of vectorcardiograms were recorded in 50 normal subjects, 10 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM group), and 83 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM group). The HCM group was divided into three subgroups: those with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM), nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HNCM), and apical hypertrophy (APH). The spatial characteristics of the U loop were examined qualitatively and quantitatively and were correlated with echocardiographic findings. The magnitude of the U loop was significantly larger in the HCM group, especially in the APH subgroup, than in the normal subjects, but it was not larger in the DCM group. The maximum U vector was significantly displaced anteriorly and to the right in the DCM and HCM groups, especially the APH and HNCM subgroups. In the HNCM and APH subgroups, the magnitude of the U loop correlated significantly with the thickness of the posterior wall of the left ventricle, but not with that of the interventricular septum. These findings suggest that the U loop is related to hypertrophy of the apex and the posterior wall of the left ventricle.

Adult↗