Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Fujisawa

Publications and source records attributed to T Fujisawa.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Usefulness of laryngeal mask for difficult intubation in a child with congenital laryngeal webs].

We report a case of difficult intubation with congenital laryngeal web. An 11-year-old boy was scheduled for urinary surgery. After anesthetic induction, the anesthesiologist encountered resistance at the vocal cord preventing satisfactory intubation. A size 3 laryngeal mask was immediately inserted, and an adequate airway was obtained. We found a laryngeal web at the vocal cord by bronchoscope inserted thorough the laryngeal mask. The peroperative course was uneventful. Immediately after removal of the laryngeal mask, the patient developed airway obstruction due to sputum and/or laryngeal spasm. The obstruction was relieved through application of positive pressure ventilation and aspiration of the sputum.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed2000

[Japanese cedar pollinosis in infants in the allergy clinic].

Recently, the number of patients with Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollinosis has increased, especially in children. However, little is known about the incidence in infants. We studied on the rate of sensitization and the onset of pollinosis in children under 6 years old. The percentage of positive CAP-RAST to Japanese cedar pollen was 27.6%, in 76 infants (51 male and 25 female, 2 months-5 years old) who visited National Mie Hospital pediatric allergy clinic due to bronchial asthma and/or atopic dermatitis. The youngest child who has been sensitized to pollen was 1 year 8 month old boy. The percentage of positive rate of CAP-RAST to house dust mite was 61.8%. Twenty-seven infants (20 male and 7 female, 2-5 years of age) were diagnosed as Japanese cedar pollinosis in National Mie Hospital Otorhinolaryngology clinic in 1999 and 2000. The youngest child with pollinosis was 2 year 5 month old boy. Most of the 27 infants complained of rhinorrhea and/or eye symptoms and some of them complained cough, snoring, or epistaxis. About 40% were sensitized to Japanese cedar and/or cupressaceae pollen alone, 60% were also sensitized to house dust mite. In conclusion, it is possible that the sensitization to Japanese cedar pollen occurs after 2 season of pollen exposure and pollinosis occurs in 2 years old. Japanese cedar pollen has been an important allergen not only in school children, but also in infants.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2000

Matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in synovial fluids of patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.

AIMS: Imbalance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPs) may be involved in the breakdown of articular cartilage matrix of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). In this study, MMPs, TIMPs, and MMP-1/TIMP-1 complex levels were examined in TMJ synovial fluid samples aspirated from TMJ osteoarthritis (OA) patients (2 males, 8 females; mean age, 29.7 years) and asymptomatic control subjects (2 males, 8 females; mean age, 23.6 years) to determine the likelihood of increased proteolytic activity in the OA joints. METHODS: The various types of MMPs and TIMPs were detected by Western blotting with monoclonal antibodies and gelatin zymography. The MMP-1/TIMP-1 complex level was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. All aspirates were first analyzed for total protein content and then individually diluted to make the total protein levels equivalent. RESULTS: The mean MMP-1/TIMP-1 complex concentration in the synovial fluids of the OA patients was 3.92 +/- 1.39 ng/mL; this value was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the value from control subjects (5.46 +/- 1.32 ng/mL). Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (52 kDa), MMP-3 (57 kDa), TIMP-1 (28 kDa), and TIMP-2 (26 kDa) were detected in all of the normal and the OA samples. However, MMP-1 (28 kDa), MMP-2 (72 kDa), MMP-3 (45 kDa), and MMP-9 (83 kDa) were detected in higher concentration in the OA samples. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a strong association between the OA-active joints and the presence of biologically active forms of known tissue degradation enzymes (MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Furin-independent pathway of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase activation in rabbit dermal fibroblasts.

We investigated the gene expression and intracellular activity of processing protease furin and its involvement in the process of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) activation in rabbit dermal fibroblasts. When the rabbit fibroblasts were treated with concanavalin A (ConA), pro-MMP-2 was converted to an active 62-kDa MMP-2 through the appearance of a 64-kDa intermediate MMP-2. The ConA-induced pro-MMP-2 activation resulted from increasing the gene expression and production of MT1-MMP in the rabbit fibroblasts. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that in rabbit dermal fibroblasts furin mRNA was detected and, unlike MT1-MMP, was not increased by ConA. These findings are further supported by the fact that the intracellular furin activity also was constitutively detected and was unchanged by the ConA treatment. Very similar phenomena were also observed in human uterine cervical fibroblasts, which are known to produce MT1-MMP by ConA stimulation. These results suggest that the expression of the furin gene and the intracellular activity are not regulated by ConA. On the other hand, neither a synthetic furin inhibitor, decanoyl-RVKR-CH(2)Cl (25-100 microM) nor a furin antisense oligonucleotide (40 microM) inhibited the MT1-MMP-mediated pro-MMP-2 activation in ConA-treated rabbit dermal fibroblasts, whereas these compounds interfered with pro-MMP-2 activation in ConA-treated human uterine cervical fibroblasts. Nonetheless, the furin antisense oligonucleotide completely suppressed furin gene expression in both rabbit and human fibroblasts. These results suggest that furin does not participate in the process of MT1-MMP activation induced by ConA in rabbit dermal fibroblasts.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Antitumor cytotoxicity mediated by ligand-activated human V alpha24 NKT cells.

Human V alpha24 NKT cells bearing an invariant V alpha24J alphaQ antigen receptor, the counterpart of the murine V alpha14 NKT cells, are activated by the specific ligand, alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) in a CD1d-dependent manner. Here, we demonstrate that the alpha-GalCer-activated V alpha24 NKT cells exert a potent perforin-dependent cytotoxic activity against a wide variety of human tumor cell lines. In addition, we demonstrate that V alpha24 NKT cells and dendritic cells (DCs) from melanoma patients are functionally normal, even in the tumor-bearing status. The potential use of alpha-GalCer-activated V alpha24 NKT cells and/or DCs from patients for cancer immunotherapy is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Cutting edge: homologous recombination of the MHC class I K region defines new MHC-linked diabetogenic susceptibility gene(s) in nonobese diabetic mice.

To localize the MHC-linked diabetogenic genes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, a recombinational hotspot from the B10.A(R209) mouse was introduced to the region between the MHC class I K and class II A of the NOD mouse with the recombinational site centromeric to the Lmp2/Tap1 complex by breeding the two strains. Replacement of the NOD region centromeric to the recombinational site with the same region in R209 mice prevented the development of diabetes (from 71 to 3%) and insulitis (from 61 to 15%) in the N7 intra-MHC recombinant NOD mice. Similarly, the replacement of the NOD class II A, E and class I D region with the same region in R209 mice prevented the diseases (diabetes, from 71 to 0%; insulitis, from 61 to 3%). In addition to the MHC class II genes, there are at least two MHC-linked diabetogenic genes in the region centromeric to Lmp2.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Design and synthesis of a globin fold.

We propose a simple method to find an amino acid sequence that is foldable into a globular protein with a desired structure based on a knowledge-based 3D-1D compatibility function. An asymmetric alpha-helical single-domain structure of sperm whale myoglobin consisting of 153 amino acid residues was chosen for the design target. The optimal sequence to fit the main-chain framework has been searched by recursive generation of the protein 3D profile. The heme-binding site was designed by fixing His64 and His93 at the distal and proximal positions, respectively, and by penalizing residues that protrude into the space with a repulsive function. The apparent bumps among side chains in the computer model of the converged, self-consistent sequence were removed by replacing some of the bumping residues with smaller ones according to the final 3D profile. The finally obtained sequence shares 26% of sequence with the natural myoglobin. The designed globin-1 (DG1) with the artificial sequence was obtained by expression of the synthetic gene in Escherichia coli. Analyses using size-exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and solution X-ray scattering showed that DG1 folds into a monomeric, compact, highly helical, and globular form with an overall molecular shape similar to the target structure in an aqueous solution. Furthermore, it binds a single heme per protein molecule, which exhibited well-defined spectroscopic properties. The radius of gyration of DG1 was determined to be 20.6 A, slightly larger than that of natural apoMb, and decreased to 19.5 A upon heme binding based on X-ray scattering analysis. However, the heme-bound DG1 did not stably bind molecular oxygen as natural globins do, possibly due to high conformational diversity of side-chain structures observed in the NMR and denaturation experiments. These results give insight into the relationship between the sequence selection and the structural uniqueness of natural proteins to achieve biological functions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Structural characterization of lactate dehydrogenase dissociation under high pressure studied by synchrotron high-pressure small-angle X-ray scattering.

The effect of high pressure on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was studied using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS results are interpreted in terms of the dissociation and association of LDH within a compression and decompression cycle and its temperature dependence. LDH consists of four identical subunits. At 120 MPa and 25 degrees C, 50% of the LDH dissociates into subunits, while at 10 degrees C, this occurs at 78 MPa. The hysteresis in the dissociation and association under pressure was confirmed in terms of the radius of gyration and was seen to be more conspicuous at low temperature. Forward scattering, I(0)/C, which is proportional to molecular weight, showed that LDH dissociated into dimer (not monomer) subunits under pressure. The application of high pressure to dissociated dimers induced irreversible aggregation. This result is in sharp contrast with the result of fluorescence spectroscopy suggesting a dissociated monomer [King, L., and Weber, G. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 3637-3640]. As for structural change after reassociation, there was little structural difference between native and drifted LDH. The difference was smaller than the structure change by ligand binding. At 200 MPa, the presence of five scattering peaks in the medium-angle region indicates that the dissociated dimer does not have a molten globule-like structure but a core structure. We propose a model of the dissociated dimer, based on the SAXS profile, in which the volume is reduced without disrupting the core structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

p53 mutation and allelic loss of chromosome 3p, 9p of preneoplastic lesions in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: An accumulation of mutations can result in carcinogenesis. Comparing genetic alterations in preneoplastic lesions with those seen in cancer in the same patient may be helpful in the early diagnosis of lung carcinoma or preneoplastic lesions. METHODS: To identify genetic alterations that may play a role in the development of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), the authors examined the p53 gene and microsatellite markers on chromosome 3p (D3S643, D3S1317), 9p (D9S171, IFNA) in 35 bronchial metaplastic lesions and 28 alveolar hyperplastic lesions from 61 patients. RESULTS: A total of 8 metaplastic lesions (1 squamous metaplasia and 7 dysplasias) and 3 alveolar hyperplastic lesions (with atypia) showed genetic alterations, including loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 3p, 9p and mutations of the p53 gene. In an analysis of microsatellite markers, 5 of 35 cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 3 of 26 cases of adenocarcinoma (Ad) showed LOH in both preneoplastic lesions and synchronous cancers. Nine patients (25.7%) with SCC and 6 patients (23.1%) with Ad were shown to have mutations of the p53 gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism. In 2 of these 9 patients with SCC, the same mutation was observed in both dysplasia and SCC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that several genetic alterations may occur in preneoplastic lesions or the early stage of SCC of the lung, whereas the genetic alterations examined appeared to occur relatively late in the pathogenesis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

GBV-C/HGV infection in children with chronic hepatitis C.

The role of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), a recently identified member of the Flaviviridae family, in children with liver disease is not well understood. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV and to clarify its pathogenic role in young patients with chronic hepatitis C. Sixty-four Japanese children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with a mean age of 9.8 years, were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-one (32.8%) of the 64 patients were positive for serum GBV-C/HGV RNA. Only 1 (1.6%) of the 64 patients was positive for antibody against the envelope protein E2 of GBV-C/HGV (anti-E2) and GBV-C/HGV. None of them was positive for anti-E2 alone. There was no significant difference in clinical, virological, or histological characteristics between GBV-C/HGV-positive and GBV-C/HGV-negative patients, except for underlying malignant disease. There was no evidence that GBV-C/HGV might affect the response of HCV to interferon therapy in young patients with chronic hepatitis C. The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection in young patients with chronic hepatitis C is similar to that in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C, but E2-seroconversion is observed infrequently. Underlying malignant disease is a risk factor for GBV-C/HGV viremia. GBV-C/HGV does not seem to affect the clinical course of young patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis: report of a case.

A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for treatment of an odontogenic infection. He presented with a fever, signs of sepsis, and neck swelling, and was initially diagnosed as having a neck abscess. After cervical drainage, he showed no improvement, and mediastinitis was detected by chest X-ray and computed tomography. A thoracotomy and mediastinal drainage was subsequently performed for descending necrotizing mediastinitis, which resulted in marked improvement. To date, only 83 cases of descending necrotizing mediastinitis have been reported in Japan. We present herein an additional case, followed by a review of the Japanese literature.

Drainage↗
PubMed1999

Pulmonary blastoma: report of a case.

A 30-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for investigation of an abnormal shadow in the right pulmonary hilus on a chest X-ray film. A percutaneous needle biopsy was performed, which revealed pulmonary blastoma. A right upper lobectomy was performed and the pathological stage was confirmed to be IIIa (T3N0M0). An analysis of preoperative cytological specimens showed that epithelial tumor cells with thin cytoplasm were either tubular or papillary, while some mesenchymal tumor cells with elliptic and spindle-shaped nuclei were also found in the necrotic background. Thus, pulmonary blastoma should be considered when a two-cell pattern consisting of both epithelial and mesenchymal components is observed. DNA analysis was performed on previously identified areas of the epithelial or sarcomatous components, using a microdissection method. An analysis of the p53 gene by the single-strand conformation polymorphysm method showed an abnormal band with shifted mobility of exon 8 in only the sarcomatous component.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Identification of an astacin matrix metalloprotease as target gene for Hydra foot activator peptides.

Peptides serve as important signaling molecules in development and differentiation in Hydra. Two peptides, Hym-346 and pedibin, have recently been identified to act as morphogenetic signals for foot differentiation. In screening for target genes for Hym-346 we have isolated an astacin matrix metalloprotease, termed foot activator responsive matrix metalloprotease (Farm1). Farm1 is normally expressed in epithelial cells of the gastric region and absent in apical and basal tissue. Incubation of polyps in peptides Hym-346/pedibin causes immediate downregulation of Farm1 expression. A structurally unrelated peptide, Hym-323, which also enhances foot formation in Hydra, also downregulates Farm1 expression. Treatment of polyps with the ectopic feet-inducing agent LiCl also resulted in decreased level of Farm1 transcripts. Thus metalloproteinase Farm1 is a transcriptional target of positional signals specifying foot differentiation and appears to play a potent role in basal patterning processes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Detection of specific antibodies against human cultured chondrosarcoma (HCS-2/8) and osteosarcoma (Saos-2) cells in the serum of patients with osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint.

To find specific humoral antibodies in sera from patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA), an immortal human chondrocyte (HCS-2/8) and osteoblast (Saos-2) cell line derived from a chondrosarcoma and an osteosarcoma, respectively, were used as source proteins of human antigens. Patients with chronically painful TMJ OA (n = 18) but no other joints symptoms were selected from a consecutive series of patients with temperomandibular disorders and sex-matched asymptomatic controls (n = 8) were also recruited. Cellular proteins of the HCS-2/8 and Saos-2 cells were subjected to Western blotting with the OA and control sera as probes. Band-recognition frequency and the peak optical density of the band were compared between groups by chi2 and t-tests. OA sera recognized various bands for the chondrocytes, and one of these (47-kDa) was specific for the OA sera. In two OA patients whose treatment outcome was less favorable, the reactivity against the 47-kDa protein was relatively high. In addition, the OA sera clearly cross-reacted with recombinant HSP47. Based on these findings, an autoimmune reaction against chondrocytes could be one of the exaggerating and/or perpetuating mechanisms in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritic TMJs, and the humoral antibody titre against the HSP47-like protein derived from the chondrocytes could be one of the possible markers for the prognosis of the joint pathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Direct adenovirus-mediated gene delivery to the temporomandibular joint in guinea-pigs.

Adenovirus vector system is expected to be useful for direct gene therapy for joint disease. This study first sought to confirm that foreign genes can be transferred to articular chondrocytes in primary culture. Next, recombinant adenovirus vectors harbouring beta-galactosidase gene (LacZ) was injected directly into the temporomandibular joints of Hartley guinea-pigs to clarify the in vivo transfer availability of the adenovirus vectors. Specifically, recombinant adenovirus harbouring LacZ gene (AxlCALacZ) was injected into the upper joint cavities of both mandibular joints of four male 6-week-old Hartley guinea-pigs. Either the same amount of recombinant adenovirus without LacZ gene (Axlw) suspension (placebo) or the same amount of phosphate-buffered saline solution (control) were injected into the upper joint cavities of both joints of another four male guinea-pigs. At 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after injection, the joints were dissected and the expression of delivered LacZ was examined by 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (X-gal) staining and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To investigate the expression of transferred gene in other organs, total RNA was extracted from liver, kidney, heart and brain and the expression of LacZ mRNA and 18 S ribosomal RNA were analysed by RT-PCR. Clear expression of LacZ was observed in the articular surfaces of the temporal tubercle, articular disc and synovium of the temporomandibular joints even 4 weeks after injection in the AxlCALacZ-injected group, while no expression was detected in placebo and control groups. Histological examination confirmed that LacZ activity was clearly detected in a few cell layers of the articular surface tissues, which is much more efficient than in a previously study of the knee joint. In the other organs, expression of the delivered transgene was not observed. Based on these findings, direct gene delivery into the articular surface of the temporomandibular joint using the adenovirus vector is feasible as an effective in vivo method.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1999

Prognostic factors in surgical treatment of solitary brain metastasis after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Patients with brain metastasis after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer usually have poor prognosis. A few such patients, however, survive for long periods after surgical resection of brain metastases. To evaluate the prognostic factors in resection of solitary brain metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer, we reviewed 24 cases undergoing resection of solitary brain metastasis after resection of the primary site from 1977 to 1993. The patient population consisted of 20 men and four women ranging in age from 40 to 75 years old (average, 57.8 years old). None of the patients had systemic metastasis except in the brain at the time of brain surgery. The overall survival rates were 12.5% at 3 years and 8.3% at 5 years after brain surgery. The longest survival periods were 11.5 years after brain surgery and 15.4 years after lung surgery. The interval between lung and brain surgery (< or =360 days vs. >360 days), differentiation of primary cancer (poor vs. moderate), size of primary site (< or =5.0 cm vs. >5.0 cm), and operation of primary site (lobectomy vs. pneumonectomy) significantly affected survival as shown by univariate analysis (P<0.05). Other clinical factors (age, gender, histology, T- and N-status, 'resectability with curative intent' of the primary site, location of the brain metastasis and postoperative radiation therapy) did not affect survival. Multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model indicated that an interval of more than 360 days between the two surgical procedures (hazard ratio = 0.2351, P = 0.0136) and lobectomy (hazard ratio = 0.5274, P = 0.0416) were independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, patients with solitary brain metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer without other organ metastasis, in whom relapse in the brain occurred more than 1 year after resection of the primary site and in whom lobectomy was performed, should be treated surgically to maximize the chance of prolonged survival.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in patients with severe neurologic impairment.

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in institutionalized patients with severe neurologic impairment. Anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody in serum was measured in 196 institutionalized Japanese patients using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, taking an antibody level >50 units/ml as evidence of H. pylori seropositivity. Patient age pattern and duration of institutionalization were examined for the relationships with H. pylori seropositivity. We also examined for seroconversion indicating new H. pylori infection in initially negative patients 1 year later. Positivity for H pylori infection among institutionalized patients was also compared with positivity among patients living at home. H. pylori seropositivity was present in 81.1% of subjects. Prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity increased with both age and duration of institutionalization. The serum level of anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibody in patients over 20 years old was consistently high, approximately twice that of subjects less than 10 years of age. Of 38 patients initially negative for H. pylori infection, 18 (47.4%) had become positive at 1 year. H. pylori seropositivity was significantly more prevalent among institutionalized patients than among patients living at home (P < 0.0001). This study confirms that high H. pylori seropositivity rates are found among institutionalized patients with severe neurologic impairment. Our observations suggest person to person transmission, with fecal to oral, salivary secretion and respiratory droplet routes possibly being important pathways.

Adolescent↗