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Biomedical subjects

T Higuchi

Publications and source records attributed to T Higuchi.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

[Chromosomes, morphologic subtypes and their prognostic evaluation in acute non-lymphocytic leukemia].

Cytogenetic and morphological analyses were performed on 55 adult patients (34 males, 21 females) with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) diagnosed between 1986 and 1992, and the results were studied with regard to therapeutic response and prognosis. Eleven patients had M1 (20%), 14 had M2 (25.5%), 14 had M3 (25.5%), 7 had M4 (12.7%), 3 had M5 (5.5%), 5 had M6 (9.1%) and one had M7 (1.8%). The overall incidence of chromosomal abnormalities were 65.5% including 10 cases (18.2%) with t (8;21), 12 (21.8%) with t (15;17), 5 (9.1%) with pseudodiploid, 3 (5.5%) with hyperdiploid, 2 (3.6%) with hypodiploid and 4 (7.3%) with abnormalities of 5 or 7 chromosomes. Outcomes were analyzed in 45 patients. 36 patients (80%) achieved complete remission (CR). All 12 patients with M2 entered CR, and they showed a significantly longer median survival than M1. The median survival of 10 patients with t (8;21) was significantly longer than that of patients with t (15;17). However, therapeutic response and prognosis did not correlate with either chromosomal status (NN, AN, or AA) or with age-groups (> or = 60, < 60). These results confirmed that morphological subtypes and certain types of chromosomal abnormality are important variables in determining the prognosis of adult patients with ANLL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Association of chronic neutrophilic leukemia and myeloma with fibrillar inclusions in granulocytes].

A 57 year-old-female was incidentally found to have leukocytosis in September 1988. Physical examination revealed anemia and marked hepatosplenomegaly. Her WBC count was 33,400/microliters with 95% mature neutrophils showing toxic granules. Her neutrophil alkaline phosphatase score was 482, and serum VB12 14,600 pg/ml. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations were 582 mg/dl for IgG, 3,628 mg/dl for IgA and 48 mg/dl for IgM. IgA was determined as monoclonal origin of lambda type. Bone marrow aspiration revealed a hypercellular marrow with active granulocytopoiesis and increased plasma cells. Cytogenetic study revealed normal karyotype. The bcr rearrangement was negative for bone marrow cells. An electronmicroscopy demonstrated fibrillar inclusions in granulocytes. We diagnosed this case as a chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) associated with multiple myeloma. She was treated with a course of low dose busulfan without beneficial response. She was admitted for development of huge subcutaneous hematoma of left waist in October 1990. Laboratory findings were: Hb 7.0 g/dl, WBC 55, 300/microliters, Platelets 3.3 x 10(4)/microliters, and IgA 6,607 mg/dl. She required frequent transfusions. She died of pneumonia in July 1991. The peculiar fibrillar inclusions with CNL has not been reported so far. The origin and significance of such structure remains uncertain.

Female↗
PubMed1995

[A fundamental study of 99mTc-HMPAO double injection method and clinical application to stress scintigraphy in orthostatic hypotension].

Double injection method using brain perfusion 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT is popular one for evaluating stress scintigraphy. For appropriate evaluation of this method 555 MBq (15 mCi) of 99mTc-HMPAO was injected twice in sequence at the resting state. The first and second SPECT images were obtained 5 min after each injection. Twenty-five ROIs of 8 x 8 pixels were placed on in various regions of the first images, and calculate each counts (C1). Then the counts of the same region of the second scan were calculated (C2). One hundred and fifty ROIs/6 patients were examined. We derived the linear relationship as C2 = 1.66 x C1 + 106 (r = 0.97), where C1 and C2 represents counts of the first scan, and second scan, respectively. This results suggests that the counts of the second scan is derived from the counts of the first scan without second scanning if they are obtained in the same condition. When we applied this method to stress scintigraphy, it may be useful for evaluating the regional brain perfusion changes before and after loading instead of using subtraction technique.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Effect of lactic acid on water content and osmotic fragility of erythrocytes in vitro.

Effects of lactic acid in red blood cells on osmotic fragility and water content of erythrocytes after hyperthermia were investigated. The osmotic fragility of erythrocytes increased following one-hour incubation with the addition of lactic acid at both 37 degrees C and 42 degrees C and that also increased after heating in vitro at 42 degrees C compared with those incubated at 37 degrees C, whether the lactic acid was added or not. The water content increased with the addition of lactic acid after heating in vitro at 42 degrees C. A high concentration of lactic acid and hyperthermia seem to cause the increase of intracellular water and the decrease of osmotic resistance of the red blood cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Induction of an olfactory memory by the activation of a metabotropic glutamate receptor.

Female mice form an olfactory memory of male pheromones at mating; exposure to the pheromones of a strange male after that mating will block pregnancy. The formation of this memory is mediated by the accessory olfactory system, in which an increase in norepinephrine after mating reduces inhibitory transmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid from the granule cells to the mitral cells. This study shows that the activation of mGluR2, a metabotropic glutamate receptor that suppresses the gamma-aminobutyric acid inhibition of the mitral cells, permits the formation of a specific olfactory memory without the occurrence of mating by infusion of mGluR2 agonists into the female's accessory olfactory bulb. This memory faithfully reflects the memory formed at mating.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Hyaluronate depolymerization activity induced by progesterone in cultured fibroblasts derived from human uterine cervix.

High-molecular-weight [14C]hyaluronate was incubated with cultured fibroblasts from human uterine cervix and skin, and then the depolymerization of the hyaluronate was investigated. [14C]Hyaluronate in the medium of skin fibroblasts was depolymerized into a constant molecular weight (M(r) about 40,000), whereas that of cervix fibroblasts was not depolymerized, irrespective of incubation period. However, when progesterone was added to the medium of cervix fibroblasts, hyaluronate was depolymerized to the same extent as that in skin fibroblasts. The reducing terminal sugar of the depolymerized hyaluronate was N-acetylglucosamine. These results suggest that a hyaluronate-depolymerizing enzyme, endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, was induced by progesterone in cultured fibroblasts derived from human uterine cervix.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1994

Hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization. A histopathologic study of 84 resected cases.

BACKGROUND: Recently, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) has been used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet much is still unknown regarding its optimal use. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with HCC after TAE underwent surgical resection. Fifty of the tumors were less than 3 cm (small HCC [S-HCC]), and 34 were 3 cm or larger (large HCC [L-HCC]). Necrosis rate, distribution of residual HCC, histopathology of the main tumor, and proliferating activity of residual HCC by means of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were examined. Twenty-two randomly selected patients with HCC treated with standard chemotherapy were used as non-TAE control subjects. RESULTS: A necrosis rate of greater than 95% was seen in 35 cases of S-HCC and in 15 of L-HCC. All five nonencapsulated tumors were L-HCC and had a much lower necrosis rate. No tumors in the control group showed a necrosis rate of greater than 95%. Encapsulated tumors were categorized according to their tumor interiors, capsules, and extracapsular zones. Complete necrosis of the tumor interior was 80.0% and 35.3% in S-HCC and L-HCC, respectively. Viable residual tumors were found mainly in the extracapsular zone in S-HCC, whereas in L-HCC they were located primarily in the tumor interior. Most capsules were affected by tumor necrosis and the subsequent healing process, resulting in a thick secondary capsule. Tumor interior necrosis was uniform and coagulative in S-HCC, in contrast to L-HCC, in which necrotic regions comprised several necrosis units of differing texture and were divided by fibrous septa. In contrast, the control group revealed spotty, sparse necrosis. Non-TAE tumor capsules were thin and pathologically characteristic of those naturally occurring in tumors, as opposed to the thick fibrous capsules, which are inducible by TAE therapy. In the TAE group, the PCNA positivity rates were 37.5%, 52.5%, and 100% in Grades 1, 2, and 3/4 combined, respectively. At the tumor-nontumor boundary of the extracapsular region, PCNA-positive cells were detected in 55.0% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The thickened tumor capsule serves as a good postoperative indicator of TAE response. Small tumors seem to be affected in the tumor interior, whereas extracapsular invasion undermines the TAE effect. PCNA was helpful in detecting the tumor-nontumor boundary and useful as a parameter of viability of HCC after TAE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Identification of a novel sugar, 4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-2-O-methylmannose in the lipopolysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa.

A novel sugar in the lipopolysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa has been identified. The sugar was liberated from the lipopolysaccharide when hydrolyzed in 10 M HCl at 90 degrees C for 15 min. The sugar was purified and identified as 4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-2-O-methylmannose (2-O-methylperosamine). Since it was found only in the lipopolysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa, it seems that the sugar is one of the specific constituents determining Ogawa serotype specificity.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed1994

Structure of the L-histidine decarboxylase gene.

Two species of L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) mRNA were found in the KU-812-F basophilic cell line, but only the 2.4-kilobase (kb) one encodes the functional HDC (Mamune-Sato, R., Yamauchi, K., Tanno, Y., Ohkawara, Y., Ohtsu, H., Katayose, D., Maeyama, K., Watanabe, T., Shibahara, S., and Takishima, T. (1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 209, 533-539). The 3.4-kb one encodes a truncated HDC protein and is also found in human leukemia-derived cell lines HEL and KCL-22. To clarify the mechanisms that regulate transcription of the HDC gene and generate the two species of mRNA, we have isolated genomic DNA clones coding for the HDC from human genomic libraries. Structural analysis of the isolated clones revealed that the human HDC gene is composed of 12 exons spanning approximately 24 kb. Genomic DNA blot analysis suggested that HDC is encoded by a single copy gene. The structural analysis also demonstrated that the heterogeneity of the HDC mRNA is caused by an insertion of the seventh intron sequence and alternative use of the splicing acceptor site at the 12th exon. The transcription start site of the HDC gene and the nucleotide sequences of the promoter and first exon regions were determined. We found a TATA-like sequence, a GC box, four CACC boxes, four GATA consensus sequences, and six leader-binding protein-1 binding motifs in the promoter region of the HDC gene.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Chemical modification of arginine and lysine residues in coenzyme-binding domain of carbonyl reductase from rabbit kidney: indomethacin affords a significant protection against inactivation of the enzyme by phenylglyoxal.

Carbonyl reductase from rabbit kidney was inactivated by phenylglyoxal (PGO) and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonate sodium (TNBS). NADP+ protected the enzyme from the inactivations by PGO and TNBS, suggesting that essential arginine and lysine residues are located in coenzyme-binding domain of the enzyme. Judging from the effects of PGO-treated enzymes in the presence and in the absence of NADP+ on the fluorescence intensity of NADPH, one essential arginine residue in coenzyme-binding domain was found to have a role in the binding of NADPH to the enzyme. Indomethacin afforded a significant protection against inactivation of the enzyme by PGO, whereas it could not protect the enzyme from the inactivation by TNBS. It is reasonable to postulate that indomethacin interacts at least in part with or near one essential arginine residue in coenzyme-binding domain of carbonyl reductase from rabbit kidney.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

A method for determination of galactosyltransferase I activity synthesizing the proteoglycan linkage region.

An assay method was devised for measuring the activity of galactosyltransferase I (UDP-D-galactose:D-xylose galactosyltransferase), which is one of the enzymes synthesizing the linkage region between the core protein and glycosaminoglycan chains of proteoglycan. For this method, the reaction mixture contained a fluorescent substrate, 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-xyloside as an acceptor, UDP-galactose as a donor and D-galactal as a competitive inhibitor of endogenous beta-galactosidase in the enzyme solution. The reaction mixture was incubated at 37 degrees C with enzyme solution prepared from an extract of cultured cells, and galactosyl-xylosyl-4-methylumbelliferone was produced as a reaction product. Measurement of galactosyltransferase I activity was performed by separation and quantitative analysis of this reaction product using high-performance liquid chromatography. Utilizing this method, easier and more sensitive detection of galactosyltransferase I activity in a cell-free system became possible. Application of the method revealed that cultured human skin fibroblasts contained galactosyltransferase I activity.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of serum lactate dehydrogenase activity for estimation of energy expenditure in human subjects.

We investigated the relationship between serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and energy expenditure in young adults, evaluating their serum LDH activities in order to develop an index of energy expenditure. The results obtained were as follows. (1) There were significant correlations between the serum LDH activity and energy expenditure/day, energy expenditure/body weight/day and daily activity index in men. (2) There were significant correlations between the serum LDH activity and energy expenditure/day and daily activity index in women. (3) A group of men who 'rarely' exercised had lower levels of serum LDH activity than those who exercised 'sometimes' or 'usually', but little difference was noted between similar groups of women.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibits in-vitro decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been reported previously to inhibit the in-vitro decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells as assessed by progesterone-induced prolactin production and morphological transformation. In this study we examined whether other cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), interferon-beta (IFN beta), IFN gamma or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), could affect the decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells in vitro. Of these cytokines, TNF alpha significantly suppressed prolactin production in a dose-dependent manner, with no apparent effect on cell number. The morphological transformation of endometrial stromal cells was also inhibited by TNF alpha. TNF alpha and IL-1 significantly suppressed cAMP-stimulated prolactin production by endometrial stromal cells. Neither the progesterone concentration in the supernatant of the endometrial stromal cell culture system nor intracellular calcium concentration of the endometrial stromal cells were affected by the addition of TNF alpha or IL-1. These results indicated that TNF alpha and IL-1 suppress both progesterone-induced and cAMP-mediated prolactin production in endometrial stromal cells, and that this inhibition was not attributable to direct effects on progesterone metabolism or related to Ca(2+)-mediated signal transduction. These experiments suggested that a local increase of TNF alpha and IL-1 under certain pathological conditions in vivo may disturb blastocyst implantation and/or the maintenance of pregnancy by inhibiting the decidualization of endometrial stromal cells.

Cells, Cultured↗