Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Horii.
To address the function of RNA interference (RNAi) in transcriptional silencing in mammals, we analyzed genomic imprinting in Dicer1-hypomorphic mice, in which Dicer1 expression was significantly reduced. We did not observe any abnormality in the allelic expression of imprinted genes in these mice or their offspring, suggesting that reduced expression of Dicer1 did not significantly affect the maintenance and reprogramming of imprinting.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells express a considerable level of CD33, which is a target of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), and a significantly lower level of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). In this study, we examined whether GO was effective on all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)- or arsenic trioxide (ATO)-resistant APL cells. Cells used were an APL cell line in which P-gp was undetectable (NB4), ATRA-resistant NB4 (NB4/RA), NB4 and NB4/RA that had been transfected with MDR-1 cDNA (NB4/MDR and NB4/RA/MDR, respectively), ATO-resistant NB4 (NB4/As) and blast cells from eight patients with clinically ATRA-resistant APL including two patients with ATRA- and ATO-resistant APL. The efficacy of GO was analyzed by (3)H-thymidine incorporation, the dye exclusion test and cell cycle distribution. GO suppressed the growth of NB4, NB4/RA and NB4/As cells in a dose-dependent manner. GO increased the percentage of hypodiploid cells significantly in NB4, NB4/RA and NB4/As cells, and by a limited degree in NB4/MDR and NB4/RA/MDR cells. Similar results were obtained using blast cells from the patients with APL. GO is effective against ATRA- or ATO-resistant APL cells that do not express P-gp, and the mechanism of resistance to GO is not related to the mechanism of resistance to ATRA or ATO in APL cells. Leukemia (2005) 19, 1306-1311. doi:10.1038/sj.leu.2403807; published online 26 May 2005.
We present a case of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) after cesarean section. A cesarean section was performed on a 27-year old woman with normal course. However, one day after operation, she suddenly developed syncope and dyspnea. Soon after the symptom, she developed hypotension 60 mmHg. As a result of various examinations, her illness was diagnosed as APE with right ventricular dysfunction after cesarean section. She was consulted to our hospital for treatment. Soon after her arrival, we treated her for both APE and cardiogenic shock. The combined with antithrombotic therapy using heparin sodium, was successfully treated the patient from cardiogenic shock due to APE with right ventricular dysfunction after cesarean section.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We examined the effect of steroid treatment on the intraosseous femoral vasculature in rabbits, with particular emphasis on the morphologic changes in bone marrow sinusoids and central veins. Adult rabbits were divided into three treatment groups: group A, untreated control; group B, animals were treated with intramuscular injections of methylprednisolone acetate (4 mg/kg/week) for 4 weeks; and group C, rabbits which received injections for 8 weeks. Examination of the intraosseous femoral vasculature was performed using microangiography, scanning electron micrography using a corrosion cast method, and retrograde venography. Bone marrow sinusoids of group C were dilated and the network of anastomosed vessels was irregular compared with those of group A. Changes in group B were intermediate between the control rabbits and group C. Retrograde venography of the central vein showed an irregular course and frequent narrowing of the signal. There were no arterial changes in the steroid-treated groups. These findings indicate that steroid therapy does not induce arterial ischemia but rather intraosseous venous stasis extending from bone marrow sinusoids to the central veins. These changes are attributable to bulging or dilatation of sinusoids, a rise in intraosseous pressure, and reduced blood flow.
Nosocomial transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtype 1b involving 11 haemodialysis patients occurred in a haemodialysis unit in Japan in March 2000. Sequencing of the HCV-E1 region (411-bp) and phylogenetic-tree analysis showed near identity between HCV isolates derived from these patients and a haemodialysis patient who was known to be HCV-positive. The mode of transmission could not be conclusively established, but retrospective analysis suggested that the sharing of contaminated multidose vials of heparin-saline solutions, which were prepared in the Haemodialysis Center using accidentally contaminated instruments such as needles, may have been responsible for the outbreak. To prevent transmission of HCV in a haemodialysis unit, it may be important to observe strictly standard precautions and to prepare all medications in the Pharmacy. After these measures were taken, no new seroconversions and no new nosocomial transmissions of HCV have been observed in our haemodialysis unit.
AIMS: Compactdry SCD, a new quantitative, ready-to-use and self-diffusible dry medium sheet urine culture system, was compared with conventional methods to evaluate the results of quantitative urine cultures. METHODS & RESULTS: Compactdry SCD was tested on 25 urine specimens, and results compared with those of traditional culture methods. The results from Compactdry SCD analysis correlated well with those from the standard plate count (SPC) method. In fact, the correlation was stronger than that dipslide systems and SPC. Even low-count bacteriuria (< 103 cfu ml(-1) and mixed bacteriuria were detected by Compactdry SCD. CONCLUSIONS: The Compactdry SCD system provides results comparable to those obtained by SPC: simple interpretation, ease of use, long-term storage and good sensitivity. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report suggesting that the Compactdry SCD system has many advantages over traditional quantitative urine culture methods and that it is both appropriate and practical for clinical use.
BACKGROUND: Small intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) show apoptosis in physiological turnover of cells and in certain inflammatory diseases. AIMS: To investigate the role of caspases in the progression of IEC apoptosis in vivo. METHODS: IEC were separated along the villus-crypt axis from the jejunum of normal and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infected rats at 4 degrees C. Caspases were examined by a fluorometric assay method, histochemistry, and immunoblotting. RESULTS: Villus cell rich IEC from normal rats exhibited a high level of caspase-3-like activity whereas activities of caspase-1, -8, and -9 were negligible. Immunoblotting analysis of villus cell rich IEC revealed partial cleavage of procaspase-3 into a 17 kDa molecule as well as cleavage of a caspase-3 substrate, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), whereas in crypt cell rich IEC, caspase-3 cleavage was less significant. Caspase-3 activity was also observed histochemically in villus epithelium on frozen sections of the normal small intestine. IEC prepared at 4 degrees C did not reveal nuclear degradation whereas subsequent incubation in a suspension at 37 degrees C induced intense nuclear degradation within one hour in accordance with increases in active caspase-3. This apoptosis was partially suppressed by the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk. Nematode infected animals showed villus atrophy together with significant increases in levels of caspase-3 in IEC but not of caspase-1, -8, or -9. CONCLUSION: Caspase-3 may have an important role in the physiological replacement of IEC as well as in progression of IEC apoptosis induced by nematode infection.
Allele and haplotype frequencies of seven Y-chromosome STR loci from samples of 108 unrelated Japanese males living in Aichi Prefecture.
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of Hydrangeae Dulcis Folium resulted in isolation of a new flavonol glycoside and two known congeners as anti-malarial principles. These flavonol glycosides showed characteristic proliferation inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum at significantly low concentration without showing any cytotoxicity. In addition, several naturally occurring flavonol glycosides were also shown to exert similar anti-malarial behavior.
We investigated the structure of the active RecA-DNA complex by analyzing the environment of tyrosine residue 65, which is on the DNA-binding surface of the protein. We prepared a modified RecA protein in which the tyrosine residue was replaced by tryptophan, a natural fluorescent reporter, and measured the change in its fluorescence upon binding of DNA and cofactor. The fluorescence of the inserted tryptophan 65 (Trp65) was centered at 345 nm, indicating a partly exposed residue. Binding cofactor, adenosine 5'-O-3-thiotriphosphate (ATPgammaS), alone at a low salt concentration did not change the fluorescence of Trp65, confirming that the residue is not close to the nucleotide. In contrast, the binding of single-stranded DNA quenched the fluorescence of Trp65 in both the presence and absence of ATPgammaS. Trp65 fluorescence was also quenched upon binding a second DNA strand. The fluorescence change depended upon the presence and absence of ATPgammaS, reflecting the difference in the DNA binding. These results indicate that residue 65 is close to both the first and second DNA strands. The degree of quenching depended upon the base composition of DNA, suggesting that the residue 65 interacts with the DNA bases. Binding of DNA with ATPgammaS as well as binding of ATPgammaS alone at high salt concentration shifted the fluorescence emission peak from 345 to 330 nm, indicating a change from a polar to a non-polar environment. Therefore, the environment change around residue 65 would also be linked to a change in conformation and thus the activation of the protein.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A 17-year-old woman presented with pain over the sacral region. Plain radiographs of the sacrum demonstrated a bony deformity of the sacrococcygeal region in the shape of a scimitar. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic mass of the presacral region which appeared to be continuous with the dural sac. An anteroposterior view myelogram revealed caudal elongation of the dural sac, and on the lateral view it was recognized as an anterior meningocele. At surgery, we confirmed a connection between the presacral mass and the rectum. In light of the combination of a sacral bony deformity, presacral mass including meningocele, and mass-rectum connection, we made the diagnosis of the Currarino triad, which is a rare complex of congenital caudal anomalies. The patient underwent excision of the presacral mass. Histologic examination of the resected specimen revealed features of an epidermoid cyst.
OBJECTIVE: The partial left ventriculectomy (PLV) for end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which worked in some patients has been reported, although the hospital mortality is high. To reduce hospital mortality, we selected operative procedures of left ventricular (LV) restoration to improve the operative results. We analyzed the risk factors and predictors of outcome, and the mid-term changes of the LV function were determined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between December 1996 and September 2000, 74 patients with non-ischemic DCM received LV restoration. The age ranged from 14 to 76 years (mean, 49.0+/-14.0 years), and there were 63 men and 11 women. The etiology of the DCM was idiopathic DCM in 49 patients, and dilated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in seven patients and others in 18. The preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was 29 in class III and 45 in class IV, in which 32 patients depended on inotropic support. PLV or septal anterior ventricular exclusion (SAVE) was selected depending on the akinetic lesion of the LV based on the intraoperative echo-test. Fifty-six patients received elective operations, and emergency operations were performed in 18 patients. The risk factors and predictors of outcome were analyzed in 74 patients, and in 35 patients who survived more than 1 year after receiving LV restoration, the mid-term cardiac function was examined by cardiac echogram and catheterization. RESULTS: PLV was performed in 62 patients and SAVE in 12 patients. Concomitant mitral surgery was performed in 66 patients (89%) and tricuspid annuloplasty in 42 patients (57%). There were 15 hospital deaths and 13 patients died after discharge from the hospital (cardiac deaths in nine and non-cardiac deaths in four). In the 46 late survivors, the NYHA class was I or II in 42 patients and III in four patients. Selection of the procedure of LV restoration (P<0.01), elective operation (P<0.05), and the preoperative volume of LV (endodiastolic volume index of <180 ml/m(2); P<0.05) were risk factors and predictors influencing hospital and late death. After the operation, the LV function improved significantly and the improvement was maintained at the mid-term period; the LV ejection fraction was 31.8+/-7.9% (P<0.01) at 1 year from 23.0+/-7.3% preoperatively, left ventricular diastolic diameter was 62.8+/-10.9 (P<0.01) from 81.7+/-8.2 mm and the LV endosystolic volume index was 88.5+/-45.8 (P<0.05) from 162.6+/-41.6 ml/m(2). CONCLUSIONS: The operative results improved with the selection of the procedures, with elective operation, and mitral plasty for less cardiac dilatation. The mid-term results of clinical status and LV function showed the effectiveness of the operation.
OBJECTIVE: In order to treat ischemic cardiomyopathy, which is defined as non-aneurysmal diffuse akinetic left ventricle with chronic heart failure following myocardial infarction, the mid-term effect of the endoventricular circular patch plasty (EVCPP) was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EVCPP has been performed on 54 patients (46 men and eight women with a mean age of 61 years) during 4 years from March 1997 to December 2000. Thirty-two patients (59%) were NYHA class III and 22 patients (41%) were class IV. Nine patients (17%) had mild angina pectoris before the operation but others had no chest pain. Single, double, triple, and left main disease were noted in six, 13, 32, and three patients, respectively. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 23.3 +/- 6.3% (6--30%). Coronary artery bypass grafting was concomitantly undergone by 51 patients (94%) and mitral valve reconstruction was done on 19 patients (35%). RESULTS: Two patients (3.7%) needed an intra-aortic balloon pump to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass. Seven patients (12.9%) died in the hospital. Among them, two patients (4.4%) out of 45 patients who underwent elective operation died of stroke and heart failure. Five patients (55.5%) out of nine patients who required emergency operation died of heart failure and multiorgan failure. Late death occurred in six patients (11.1%) due to arrhythmia and heart failure in each of three patients. Out of 41 survivors, 38 patients returned to NYHA class I or II and three patients to class III. Out of 50 patients who underwent left ventricular study before and after operation, ejection fraction increased from 22.8 +/- 6.6 to 36.2 +/- 8.0% and mean left ventricular end-diastolic volume and left ventricular end-systolic volume indices reduced from 152.8 +/- 24.6 to 105.0 +/- 36.5 and from 113.6 +/- 45.7 to 66.4 +/- 28.4 ml/m(2), respectively. Mean pulmonary wedge pressure decreased from 19.1 +/- 8.8 to 14.9 +/- 6.8 mmHg. One-, 2-, and 3-year actuarial survival rates were 87.9, 82.7 and 77.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Left ventriculoplasty using EVCPP is effective to exclude the akinetic LV segment, and left ventricular function and clinical status improve in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Seven species (eight populations) of sentinel crabs (genus Macrophthalmus) from the Japan coast and Uca vocans and Ocypode ceratophthalma, were examined electrophoretically for genetic variations in 13 enzymatic and one non-enzymatic protein comprising 17 loci. Most species were highly differentiated from each other (Nei's genetic distance, 0.29-1.63). The least genetic distance was found between M. japonicus and M. banzai, the genetic distinctiveness of the two taxa being supported by three divergent loci with no common allele. The genetic relationships among Macrophthalmus species differed greatly from those inferred from morphological features, with a UPGMA tree suggesting that the sub-genus Macrophthalmus is polyphyletic.
Biosynthesis of gelatinase, a virulence factor of Enterococcus faecalis, was found to be regulated in a cell density-dependent fashion in which its production is active in late log to early stationary phase. Addition of early stationary phase culture filtrate to medium shifted the onset of gelatinase production to that of mid-log phase, suggesting that E. faecalis secretes a gelatinase biosynthesis-activating pheromone (GBAP). GBAP was isolated from culture supernatant of E. faecalis OG1S-P. Structural analysis suggested GBAP to be an 11-residue cyclic peptide containing a lactone structure, in which the alpha-carboxyl group of the C-terminal amino acid is linked to a hydroxyl group of the serine of the third residue. A synthetic peptide possessing the deduced structure showed GBAP activity at nanomolar concentrations as did natural GBAP. Database searches revealed that GBAP corresponds to a C-terminal part of a 242-residue FsrB protein. Northern analysis showed that GBAP slowly induces the transcription of two operons, fsrB-fsrC encoding FsrB and a putative histidine kinase FsrC and gelE-sprE encoding gelatinase GelE and serine protease SprE. Strains with an insertion mutation in either fsrC or a putative response regulator gene fsrA failed to respond to GBAP, suggesting that the GBAP signal is transduced by a two-component regulatory system.