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Biomedical subjects

T Homma

Publications and source records attributed to T Homma.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Spina bifida occulta associated with a low-placed conus medullaris.

From 1977 to the present, we have managed 30 patients with spina bifida occulta associated with a low-placed conus medullaris. Twenty-six patients had surgery performed. Nineteen patients demonstrated urological and neurological improvement. The characteristics of this condition include a cleft spine revealed by plain x-ray, vesicorectal disturbances, local findings (such as a tumor, dimpling, and angioma in the lumbosacral region), and deformities of the feet. Surgery is indicated after confirmation of neurological symptoms, such as a vesicorectal disturbance, after about 1 year of age or older. Operation is not needed immediately after birth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A morphometric study of the distribution of early coronary atherosclerosis using arteriography.

In order to document the localized prevalence of early atherosclerosis in the major coronary arteries, a study using 50 coronary arteriographies was made from Feb. 1984 to Sep. 1985 in Shinshu University Hospital. Early atherosclerotic stenosis had a spatial distribution with strong incidence on the LAD bifurcations which contained the first diagonal branch, RCA which contained RV branches and LCX which contained the OM branch. Upstream of the bifurcations, the stenotic changes were observed to be concentric with the vessel axes. Downstream of the flowdivider, the lesions were gathered proximally and quickly disappeared distally. Lesions tended to occur eccentrically at the lateral walls of the entrance of the smaller branch. The proximal portions of both the RCA and LCA were almost free of disease. We also tried to investigate the relationship between the bifurcation angle branching off the parent vessels and early sclerotic lesions. We found that the angle between the branches and the plane in contact with the surface of the heart is especially important.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Characteristics of secondary flow in steady and pulsatile flows through a symmetrical bifurcation.

Steady and pulsatile flow in a glass model simulating an arterial bifurcation was investigated by flow visualization techniques. Secondary flow generated at the bifurcation has a similar pattern to a vortex, called the horseshoe vortex, produced around a wall-based protuberance in a circular tube. The same flow disturbance was clearly observed during the decelerating phase of pulsatile flow. The vortex produces a stagnation point on the top and bottom wall just upstream from the bifurcation apex. When aluminium dust was suspended in the test fluid perfusing the blood vessel model, particles deposited over an area spreading from the stagnation point to the lateral corners of the bifurcation. Comparison between the present results and topographical patterns of atherosclerosis reported in the literature suggests that it is in such low shear regions that lipid deposition tends to occur most.

Arteries↗
PubMed1987

Loss of Lewis antigen expression on erythrocytes in some cancer patients with high serum CA19-9 levels.

The Lewis (Le) phenotype of both erythrocytes and sera and serum CA19-9 levels were studied in 49 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, in 37 with gastric cancer, in 22 with colorectal cancer, in 21 with bile duct carcinoma, and in 19 with hepatocellular carcinoma. The Le phenotype was determined in sera with the use of the dot-immunobinding assay and on erythrocytes. The localizations of the Le antigen and CA19-9 were studied in pancreatic tissues from 22 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. The prevalence of Le(a-,b-) on erythrocytes was significantly higher in patients with pancreatic carcinoma than in normal controls. Nineteen of 21 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, whose Le phenotype on erythrocytes was Le(a-,b-), had Le antigen in tissues and sera, and they had a raised serum CA19-9 level. The remaining 2 patients were of the Le(a-,b-) phenotype for both erythrocytes and sera, and their serum CA19-9 levels were below 6 U/ml. Neither Le antigen nor CA19-9 could be localized in tissues of these 2 patients. Two patients with gastric cancer, 6 with colorectal cancer, and 6 with bile duct carcinoma had Le antigen in sera in spite of having Le(a-,b-) on erythrocytes. These results indicate that the Le phenotype on erythrocytes can undergo a change not infrequently in patients with pancreatic carcinoma as well as in patients with other gastrointestinal cancers, but patients with the Le(a-,b-) phenotype in sera cannot synthesize CA19-19.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1986

Isolation and determination of the amino acid sequence of chicken calcitonin I from chicken ultimobranchial glands.

A radioimmunoassay for chicken calcitonin in chicken ultimobranchial glands was established utilizing a rabbit antiserum against eel calcitonin. This assay method, which is about 100 times as sensitive as the usual bioassay for hypocalcemic activity, was used for monitoring chicken calcitonin during its purification. The immunoreactivity in chicken ultimobranchial extract was separated by SP-Sephadex C-25 chromatography into two fractions. Chicken calcitonin I, which was occurred in the major immunoreactive fraction, was further purified to homogeneity as shown by reverse phase HPLC. In the end, 39 nmol of chicken calcitonin I was obtained from 3,384 chickens following a 12,000-fold purification. The complete amino acid sequence of purified chicken calcitonin I was determined to be H-Cys-Ala-Ser-Leu-Ser-Thr-Cys-Val-Leu-Gly-Lys-Leu-Ser-Gln-Glu-Leu-His-Ly s-Leu-Gln-Thr-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Thr-Asp-Val-Gly-Ala-Gly-Thr-Pro-NH2 and confirmed by synthesis. The specific biological activity of chicken calcitonin I (4,500 MRCU/mg) was identical to that of eel calcitonin, which has the highest specific biological activity among the calcitonins so far isolated. Chicken calcitonin I resembled the calcitonins from the ultimobranchial glands both of salmon and eel in sequence, biological activity, and immunological property.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Study of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis by means of serial pancreozymin-secretin tests.

Fourteen patients with suspected chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (CAP) and 21 patients who had been shown to have the disease were followed up by the pancreozymin-secretin test in order to clarify the serial changes in exocrine pancreatic function in alcoholic pancreatitis. The initial and final test data for secretory volume, maximal bicarbonate concentration, bicarbonate output (BO), and amylase output (AmO) of exocrine secretion were compared in these two groups. Patients with suspected CAP showed a significant serial decrease only in AmO; definite CAP developed in 3 of them during the follow-up period. In definite CAP, a significantly progressive decrease in BO as well as AMO was observed. It is suggested that in the earlier stage of CAP, AMO is initially affected, whereas decreased secretion of both bicarbonate and enzyme becomes apparent in the later stage.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy in small cell carcinoma of the lung].

Thirty-nine patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were treated sequentially with induction chemotherapy, radiotherapy and then maintenance chemotherapy. Induction chemotherapy consisted of two regimens, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate (COM) and adriamycin, ACNU, vindecine (ANV) given by randomization. Radiotherapy was given for patients with limited disease (LD) as a rule. After radiotherapy the drugs used for maintenance chemotherapy were alternated and reduced in dose. Eighteen patients were treated with a COM-ANV sequential combination and sixteen patients were treated with an ANV-COM combination. Thirteen patients had limited disease (LD) and eleven patients had extensive disease (ED). Of 12 patients with LD treated with COM-ANV therapy, 9 patients (75%) responded with 3 (25%) complete responses. Of 11 patients with LD treated with ANV-COM therapy, 9 patients (81.8%) responded to the therapy. According to disease extent, response rate was 82.6% for LD and 54.5% for ED. The median survival times were 9 months for patients with COM-ANV therapy and 12 months for those with ANV-COM therapy. Also, the median survival time was 15 months for LD patients and 5 months for ED patients. Major toxicities in ANV therapy were anorexia, nausea, and myelosuppression, and were more frequent than with COM therapy. These results showed no clear evidence of superiority in either the COM-AMV or ANV-COM regimen.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Combination chemotherapy with etoposide, mitomycin C, and cyclophosphamide in advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

Forty-three patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were treated with a combination chemotherapy regimen comprising etoposide 100 mg/m2 p.o. days 1-5, mitomycin C 10 mg/m2 i.v. day 1 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 i.v. day 1, every 4 weeks. The median age was 61, and the median initial PS-2. Fourteen patients had received prior therapy. The response rates in previously untreated patients were 25% (5/20) for adenocarcinoma, 0% (0/4) for squamous cell carcinoma, 0% (0/3) for large cell carcinoma, and 18.5% (5/27) for all patients. There were no responders among the pretreated patients. The median survival time was 7 months for previously untreated patients, 4 months for pretreated patients and 6 months for all patients. Patients with adenocarcinoma survived significantly longer (8 months) than those with squamous cell carcinoma (4 months) and large cell carcinoma (3 months). Toxicity consisted of leukopenia (74%), anemia (74%), nausea or vomiting (55%) and alopecia (94%).

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Serum antibodies to human T-cell leukaemia virus type I in different ethnic groups and in non-human primates in South Africa.

The prevalence of humoral antibodies to human T-cell leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I) was investigated in different ethnic groups and in non-human primates in South Africa. Serum antibody levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using either disrupted whole HTLV-I or purified p24 core protein (p24 HTLV-I) as antigens. ELISA was complemented by direct radio-immunoprecipitation assays using either purified iodinated p24 HTLV-I or radiolabelled lysates of an HTLV-producing cell line as antigen followed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the immunoprecipitates, and by immunofluorescence using the HTLV-I-producing cell line HUT-102 as antigen. Antibodies were demonstrated in 3,5% of Asians, 3,5% of blacks and 4,1% of coloureds, but not in whites, and also in 29% of vervet monkeys and 33% of baboons. We conclude that HTLV-I or closely related viruses cause widespread infection in non-human primates in South Africa and in a lower percentage of humans, including apparently healthy blood donors. We are currently isolating retroviruses from seropositive reactors and investigating the possible relevance to disease in South Africa.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Exocrine pancreatic function in asymptomatic chronic alcoholics without structural pancreatic disease.

In order to elucidate the functional states of the pancreas in the asymptomatic latent stage of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis, 45 chronic alcoholics with no obvious pancreatic structural abnormalities judged by endoscopic pancreatography were studied by pancreozymin-secretin test. We found three patterns of exocrine pancreatic function in alcoholics with or without cirrhosis: normal secretion (40%), hyposecretion (29%) and hypersecretion (31%). In the hyposecretory group, the amylase output proved to be impaired more frequently. In the hypersecretory group increases were observed in one or more of the following parameters, volume, bicarbonate output and amylase output. However, increase in volume was a fundamental condition in this hypersecretion. This study confirmed that exocrine pancreatic hyposecretion and hypersecretion were almost equally frequent in asymptomatic chronic alcoholics with no obvious pancreatographic abnormalities. These results suggest that ongoing exocrine pancreatic dysfunctions exist in the subclinical stage of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis.

Adult↗