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Biomedical subjects

T Furuta

Publications and source records attributed to T Furuta.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Decision support of clinical laboratory test by object-oriented data base].

We have constructed an object-oriented database system, using prescription, lab test result, and disease registry data, transmitted from the order entry system of Hamamatsu University Medical School Hospital. It serves not only numeric data but also semantics of laboratory results. The database system has a feature to categorize each data into structured hierarchies of attributes. By this, the user can retrieve abstract level descriptions such as "prescriptions of anti-inflammation medicines, suppository only", "any kind of gastric ulcer", etc., which is expected to be useful for researchers and students. In transferring order entry data from HIS, HL7-ASTM E1238 standard data formats using the Japan Association of Clinical Pathology lab test item code are utilized, proving this system's transferability to other hospitals. This is the first real use implementation of an object-oriented data base in a clinical setting, and results are promising in terms of providing an intelligent clinical database. Also discussed are future trends of clinical master files, hospital administrative tools, and multi vendor configurations of HIS.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMed1997

[Clinical study of primary central nervous system lymphoma: the role of chemotherapy].

We conducted a retrospective study of 32 patients with histologically confirmed primary central nervous system lymphoma treated in our institute between 1971 and 1995 with an emphasis on the role of chemotherapy. Thirty of the 32 patients underwent tumor resection, whereas 2 patients had biopsies only. Twenty-eight patients received adjuvant therapy, 9 of whom received radiation therapy alone, 2 received chemotherapy alone, and 17 received both radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Chemotherapies performed were CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone). VEMP or VENP (vincristine, cyclophosphamide, mercaptopurine [or Natulan], and prednisolone), intravenous ACNU (nimustine), and intravenous or intra-arterial MCNU (ranimustine) and CBDCA (carboplatin). Survival data were available for 30 of the 32 patients. The median survival time of this study was 12.5 months. Twenty-seven patients died from one month through 79 months after the initiation of therapy, and 3 patients were alive for 13 to 69 months. Two patients who received the combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy survived longer than 5 years. Although radiation therapy and chemotherapy were individually both effective and prolonged the survival time, their combination was more effective. The median survival time was significantly shorter (7.0 vs 16.5 months, p < 0.05) for the patients who received radiation therapy alone than for the patients who received the combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. We conclude from our results and review of previous studies that it is important for the chemotherapy of primary central nervous system lymphoma 1) to apply a combination of a variety of effective drugs, similar to that for systemic malignant lymphoma, and 2) to make a sufficient amount of anti-cancer drugs penetrate the whole central nervous system, thereby satisfying the adequate dose intensity for each drug.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Eumycotic mycetoma of the lower leg].

Eumycotic mycetomas are extremely rare diseases in Japan. Only four cases have been reported. In the present report, eumycotic mycetoma of right lower leg of a 44-year-old male of Thai origin, resident in Japan for more than five years, was presented. An induration was noticed on the antero-medial side beneath the knee. Computed tomography showed slightly high dense subcutaneous mass-like lesion at the medial side of the right tibia. Though no draining sinus was formed, histologic examination disclosed grains composed of septated hyphae with Splendore-Hoeppli material. Since more people from foreign countries tend to reside in Japan, physicians and pathologists should be aware of various infections which are not commonly found in Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[A case of sporotrichosis with numerous fungal elements].

We report a case of cutaneous sporotrichosis with numerous fungal elements in a 59-year-old Japanese male treated with topical corticosteroid ointment. Histologically, granulomas were found with a few of neutrophils, many lymphocytes and plasmocytes in the upper dermis. Numerous yeasts were found in the granulomas. They were stained with periodic acid Schiff, but not with hematoxylin and eosin. No asteroid body was detected. After treatment of the corticosteroid, histological pattern is different from usual pattern, such as the number of fungal elements is larger, extent of neutrophil infiltration is slighter and very rare appearance of asteroid body. These histological differences are likely to be induced by the local immunosuppression after corticosteroid treatment.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1997

[Stereotactic brachytherapy for clival chordoma].

There has recently been interest in the use of high-dose radiation with methods such as radiosurgery and brachytherapy for skull base tumors. Brachytherapy is believed to be effective for clival chordomas, but technical difficulties exist in stereotactic insertion of catheters into the clivus. We assessed the usefulness following improvement of implantation techniques in three patients with clival chordomas. All tumors were larger than 50 mm in diameter. Removable iridium-192 sources were held in catheters which were implanted through a transnasal approach under general anesthesia using a CT-guided stereotactic system in one patient and a CRW stereotactic system adapted to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in 2 patients. The implantation array was designed based on results of stereotactic 3-D MRI scanning, and coordinates were calculated for stereotactic implantation through twist drill holes. These catheters were introduced through the nares and directed into the clival chordoma under endoscopic visualization and X-ray fluoroscopy. No complications such as CSF liquorrhea, hemorrhage or infection were observed. Brachytherapy with a total dose of 43.2-58.0 Gy at the tumor periphery was administered for 7 to 10 days, and serial follow-up imaging studies demonstrated reduction in tumor size in two patients and no tumor growth in the other. Our results suggested that stereotactic brachytherapy is potentially useful for the control of clival chordomas and that computer-guided transnasal stereotactic insertion enables implantation of catheters less invasively and more accurately than does X-ray fluoroscopic guidance alone.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Acyloxycoumarinylmethyl-caged cAMP, the photolabile and membrane-permeable derivative of cAMP that effectively stimulates pigment-dispersion response of melanophores.

Two acyloxycoumarinylmethyl-caged cAMPs (ACM- and PCM-cAMP) have been synthesized using a silver (I) oxide promoted method. Introduction of the acyloxy group to the 7-position on the coumarin ring not only enhanced the membrane permeability but diminished the photolability of the coumarin-cage. Because intracellular enzymatic hydrolysis of the 7-acyloxy group would produce the 7-hydroxy moiety which is more hydrophilic and photolabile, application of acyloxycoumarinylmethyl-caged cAMPs in biological studies would be expected to be efficient. Thus, the effect of extracellularly applied ACM- and PCM-cAMP had been investigated using the motile response of fish melanophores. After irradiation, a significant enhancement in the motility responses was observed. The observed magnitudes of the dispersions are comparable to that of Bt2cAMP/AM which is known as a membrane permeable cAMP derivative.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1996

Determination of naringin and naringenin in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An HPLC method for determining a flavonoid, naringin, and its metabolite, naringenin, in human plasma is presented for application to the pharmacokinetic study of naringin. Isocratic reversed-phase HPLC was employed for the quantitative analysis by using genistin (for naringin) or diadzein (for naringenin) as an internal standard and solid-phase extraction using s Sep-Pak t C18 cartridge. For the determination, HPLC was carried out using an Inertsil ODS-2 column (250 x 4.6 m I.D., 5 microns particle size). The mobile phases were acetonitrile-0.1 M ammonium acetate solution (20:80, v/v; pH 7.1) for naringin and acetonitrile-0.1 M ammonium acetate solution-acetic acid (30:69:1, v/v; pH 4.9) for naringenin. The flow-rate was 1 ml min-1. The analyses were performed by monitoring the wavelength of maximum UV absorbance at 280 nm for naringin and at 292 nm for naringenin. The detection limits on-column were about 0.2 ng for the two flavonoids.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1996

Alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase associated with the synthesis of CA 19-9 in colorectal tumors.

BACKGROUND: A novel assay method specific for alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase that seems to be responsible for the synthesis of CA 19-9 antigen was developed and the levels of the enzyme in colorectal tumor tissues were measured and compared with the levels of alpha 1-->4fucosyltransferase and the CA 19-9 antigen. METHODS: Lacto-N-biose I (Gal beta 1-->3GlcNAc beta, Lewis(c) [Le(c)]) and 6-O-methyl-Le(c) (Gal beta 1-->3[6OMe]GlcNAc beta) were synthesized and covalently attached to bovine serum albumin (BSA). These two substrates were incubated with extracts from colorectal tissues in the presence of cytidine 5'-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) and their resulting products were detected by a sequential use of anti-BSA monoclonal antibody-coated beads and 125I-labelled anti-sialylated Le(c) antibody. Levels of alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase and alpha 1-->4fucosyltranferase activities and CA 19-9 antigen were measured in the extracts from colorectal tumors and their adjacent normal tissues. RESULTS: 6-O-Methyl-Le(c)-BSA showed a strong acceptor activity compared with Le(c)-BSA and was used as a specific acceptor for alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase. Similar elevation patterns alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase activities and CA 19-9 antigen levels were observed in tumor extracts but no clear correlation was present between the level of alpha 1-->4fucosyltransferase activities and CA 19-9 antigen levels were observed in tumor extracts but no clear correlation was present between the level of alpha 1-->4fucosyltransferase activities and CA 19-9 antigen levels in the same extracts. CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of CA 19-9 antigen in colorectal tumors might be caused mainly by the activation of alpha 2-->3sialyltransferase but not by that of alpha 1-->fucosyltransferase.

Acetylglucosamine↗
PubMed1996

Synthesis, photoreactivity and cytotoxic activity of caged compounds of L-leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester, an apoptosis inducer.

L-Leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester (Leu-Leu-OMe), an apoptosis inducer in natural killer cells and macrophages, was caged with trans-o-hydroxycinnamoyl (3a-d), trans-o-mercaptocinnamoyl (4) and o-nitrobenzyl derivatives (5a, b), and the photochemical reactivity of these derivatives in phosphate-buffered saline containing 1% dimethyl sulfoxide and their immunological properties were studied. All of the derivatives exhibited absorption at wavelengths longer than the UVB region. Although 3a-d and 4 were expected to isomerize to a cis isomer, which then cyclizes intramolecularly to give Leu-Leu-OMe and a coumarin derivative, cyclization efficiency was not satisfactory except for 3a. However, 3a itself caused necrosis (cell swelling) of U937 cells (a myeloid cell line). In contrast, 5a and b released Leu-Le-OMe quickly and efficiently and did not affect U937 cells. Although irradiated 5b induced necrosis, irradiated 3a and 5a induced apoptosis in these cells, as evidenced by a decrease in cell size.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1996

Quantitative study of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucus by competitive PCR using synthetic DNA fragments.

Helicobacter pylori is closely related to upper gastrointestinal diseases, and the precise evaluation of H. pylori infection is necessary for the treatment of these diseases. The aim of the present study was to establish a method for the quantitative detection of H. pylori. We applied a competitive PCR method using various amounts of synthetic DNA fragments containing the same primer-binding and a subset of the same template sequences as the target competing for primer binding and amplification in order to quantify H. pylori in gastric mucus. The results obtained by this method were compared with the results of histological examination, the rapid urease test, bacterial culture, the [13C]urea breath test, and urea and ammonia measurements in gastric juice. As the quantity of H. pylori in gastric mucus increased, the rates of positivity of histological examination, the rapid urease test, and bacterial culture increased. The quantity of H. pylori in gastric mucus was also significantly correlated with the results of the [13C]urea breath test and was negatively correlated with the urea/ammonia ratio in gastric juice. The competitive PCR method provides an objective measure of the quantity of H. pylori and makes it possible to distinguish true negatives from false negatives due to incomplete PCR and true positives from false positives due to contamination. This method is very useful for the precise evaluation of gastric H. pylori infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Hydrolysis kinetics of okara and characterization of its water-soluble polysaccharides.

As a part of a study of reuse of waste okara, the kinetic mechanism of okara hydrolysis and the properties of the water-soluble polysaccharides (WSP) extracted were investigated. Okara was hydrolyzed by being autoclaved at pH 4.5 in two volume of water with or without a chelator such as hexametaphosphate. Okara hydrolysis proceeded by surface degradation mechanism without a chelator. Characterization of WSP suggested that the "egg-box regions" in okara were susceptible to degradation by a chelator and that the "non-egg-box regions" contained WSP linked with hydrophobic proteins. WSP with a molecular weight of more than 10(5) and the amount of protein bound to the polysaccharides seemed to govern their emulsifying characteristics.

Chelating Agents↗
PubMed1996

Threshold changes in auditory brainstem response (ABR) due to the administration of kanamycin in dogs.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a useful method in evaluating auditory function in human. To investigate the ABR threshold is more effective than to pursue the trends in each component of ABR. In this study, tone burst sound stimuli were employed and the ABR threshold shift caused by kanamycin administration was investigated in dogs. In a series of monitoring of ABR against short-period auditory lesions, changes in the ABR waveform after intravenous administration of kanamycin were detected. These changes returned gradually and were reversible. The changes in ABR against long-period auditory function disorder were perceived by an increase in the ABR threshold. The ABR threshold shift occurred earlier in the high frequency sounds than in the lower frequency sounds. This is why amino glycoside antibiotics damage the cochlear hair cells in the basal layer and lead to the loss of hearing selectively for high frequency tones. These findings suggest that tracing of the ABR threshold by tone bursts could provide information that has a specificity for frequency in hearing tests and is a useful method in clinical veterinary medicine or/and toxicological tests.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Possible relationship between hyperinsulinemia and glomerular hypertrophy in nephrosclerosis.

Hyperinsulinemia is potentially associated with the development of vascular sclerosis. On the other hand, the relationship between hyperinsulinemia and nephrosclerosis has not been elucidated. In this investigation clinicopathological studies were performed in 40 patients with nephrosclerosis, with special attention to the relationship between hyperinsulinemia and glomerular hypertrophy. Forty patients with biopsy-proven nephrosclerosis were divided into two groups by the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): group A, 2-hr plasma glucose concentration > 140 mg/dL (n = 25); group B, 140 < or = 2-hr plasma glucose < 200 mg/dL (n = 15). Patients with diabetes mellitus or diabetic nephropathy were not included. Morphometric analysis of the glomeruli revealed a significantly larger mean glomerular volume in subjects with nephrosclerosis in both subgroups. In addition, the mean glomerular volume was significantly correlated with the fasting insulin level, while no significant correlation was observed between the mean glomerular volume and creatinine clearance or degree of global sclerosis. These results indicate that hyperinsulinemia may be intimately related to glomerular hypertrophy in patients with nephrosclerosis.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1996

Short report: development of a new diagnostic method for Plasmodium falciparum infection using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

We describe here a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method for the detection of malaria parasites. Ten in vitro-cultured isolates of Plasmodium falciparum and 16 specimens from patients infected with P. falciparum were used to examine the specificity and sensitivity of the test. The sensitivity of the test was 0.3 parasites per microliter of blood. Specificity was determined by matching the sequences of the specimens' DNA to published sequences of 18S ribosomal RNA genes in the species-specific region. The test proved to be very sensitive and specific for the detection of P. falciparum infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Survey for Pneumocystis carinii infection of wild-born and laboratory-bred monkeys by indirect immunofluorescence and cyst-staining methods.

A serosurvey for Pneumocystis carinii infection of laboratory-bred and wild-born monkeys was made by the indirect immunofluorescence method. The antibody titers of wild cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) and Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata fuscata) to P. carinii (Pc) were higher than those of laboratory-bred cynomolgus monkeys; 54.9% of the wild cynomolgus and 40% of Japanese monkeys had antibody titers higher than 1:40, although only 9.4% of the laboratory-bred cynomolgus monkeys did so. Pc cysts in the lungs were examined in the laboratory-bred cynomolgus monkeys by using toluidine blue O stain, and the number of cysts in the lung was small, when compared with those in the lungs of SIV-infected monkeys showing severe pneumosystosis. The results obtained from the studies suggested the possibility that P. carinii infection was more widely epidemic in the wild-born monkeys than in laboratory-bred monkeys.

Animals↗