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T Horiuchi

Publications and source records attributed to T Horiuchi.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

[A case of head metastases of breast cancer successfully treated with radiation therapy and docetaxel].

A 68-year-old female underwent radical mastectomy for left breast cancer in April, 1995. She was treated with conventional combination chemotherapy (CEF) before and after surgery as an adjuvant therapy. She was treated with oral tamoxifen (TAM) and/or medroxyprogesterone (MPA) and doxifluridine daily after surgery. In May, 1998, she was found to have developed a subcutaneous tumor of the head and skull-bone, and a meningeal metastasis. We treated her with 80 mg docetaxel (TXT) one time with radiation (total dose 50 Gy), and with 70 mg two times. After the combination therapy, she achieved partial remissions of the metastases and a decrease in serum CEA. Adverse reactions to TXT were grade 3 alopecia, grade 3 to 4 neutropenia, grade 2 to 3 stomatitis, and grade 2 diarrhea. All were tolerable and reversible. The combination therapy of radiation and TXT may be a good strategy for recurrent breast cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Defective apoptotic signal transduction pathway downstream of caspase-3 in human B-lymphoma cells: A novel mechanism of nuclear apoptosis resistance.

Mitochondria play a central role in controlling apoptosis, and activation of the caspase cascade appears to be crucial event during the apoptotic process. Human B lymphoma Raji cells are resistant to nuclear apoptosis induced by various stimuli. Using this cell line, we have asked whether reduction of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and activation of caspase-3 are sufficient to induce DNA fragmentation during the apoptotic process. After stimulation with cell-permeable C2-ceramide or mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) inducers, not only apoptosis-sensitive cell lines (HL-60, Jurkat, and Daudi cells), but also Raji cells showed reduction of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (triangle uppsim), activation of caspase-3, and loss of clonogenic potential. However, Raji cells did not show detectable levels of nuclear apoptosis (DNA degradation). In a cell-free system, cell lysates from tetra-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP)-treated HL-60 cells induced DNA degradation of Raji nuclei, whereas cell lysates from t-BHP-treated Raji cells failed to induce DNA degradation in either apoptosis-sensitive cell lines or apoptosis-resistant Raji cells. Cleavage of DFF-45, which is a downstream target molecule for caspase-3, was observed in Raji cells as well as in apoptosis-sensitive Daudi cells. These results indicate that there is a defective apoptotic pathway in the cytoplasm downstream of caspase-3 in Raji cells.

Alkylating Agents↗
PubMed1999

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase from a thermophilic actinomyces Microbispora rosea subsp. aerata: purification, characterization and molecular cloning of the gene.

Various thermophilic bacteria were analyzed by Southern hybridization analysis using oligonucleotide probes coding for the pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) gene from Clostridium symbiosum, and positive hybridization signals were observed in the chromosomal DNAs from Microbispora rosea subsp. aerata (IFO 14047). PPDK activity was detected in lactose induced cells and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The molecular mass of PPDK was estimated to be 230000 by gel filtration chromatography and 91000 by SDS-PAGE, suggesting that PPDK is a dimeric enzyme. This enzyme was specific for adenine nucleotide and the apparent Km values for AMP, PPi, and phosphoenolpyruvate were 5, 38, and 280 microM, respectively. It was stable in the pH range 6 to 11, and retained 80% activity after 60 min heat treatment at 60 degrees C. We cloned the PPDK gene from M. rosea. It consists of 878 amino acids with a molecular mass of 95514. Sequence comparison indicates around 50% similarity with other PPDKs and it has all the highly conserved regions of the related enzymes. We expressed the PPDK gene in Escherichia coli and obtained enzymatically active protein.

Actinomyces↗
PubMed1999

Purification and characterization of a new enzyme, N-alkylglycine oxidase from Cladosporium sp. G-10.

A new enzyme, N-alkylglycine oxidase, was isolated from a soil mold, Cladosporium sp. G-10. This protein, which was purified to near homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by successive column chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose, DEAE-Sepharose and Sephadex G-200, was a single polypeptide with a molecular mass of 52,000. In the presence of O2 and H2O, this enzyme acted on some N-alkylglycine derivatives, such as N epsilon-carboxymethyllysine, N-carboxymethyl-6-aminocaproic acid, sarcosine and N-ethylglycine, and produced corresponding N-alkylamine, glyoxylic acid and H2O2. This enzyme had optimum activity at 30 degrees C, pH 8-10, and was most inhibited by ZnSO4, pCMB, iodoacetic acid, and SDS.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1999

The wear of a polyethylene socket articulating with a zirconia ceramic femoral head in canine total hip arthroplasty.

Wear of yttria-zirconia (zirconia) in the femoral head was investigated in mature mongrel dogs weighing 10 to 13 kg. Two dogs, which were used as a control group, were sacrificed 18 months after implantation of the uncemented modular hip system with an alumina ceramic (alumina) femoral head. A zirconia femoral head was implanted in five dogs: one was sacrificed 12 months after implantation, two at 18 months, and two at 24 months. In each femoral head and polyethylene (PE) socket, the surface was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the mean articulation surface roughness on the femoral head and PE socket and the thickness of the PE socket were measured. Wear was not seen on the surface of either the zirconia or the alumina heads. In both groups, minute white spots on the smooth surface of the PE socket were visible by SEM. In the alumina and zirconia groups the mean roughness was 0.1 microm. The mean thickness of the PE socket was reduced by 0.2 mm in the alumina group. In the zirconia group it was reduced by 0.2 to 0.3 mm. However, the mechanical strength of zirconia is known to be greater than that of alumina and it may be possible to reduce the diameter of the femoral head. The smaller zirconia head may contribute to the reduction of the wear of the PE socket in an uncemented modular total hip system.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Th1/Th2 balance of peripheral T helper cells in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the Th1/Th2 balance of peripheral Th cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: The Th1:Th2 ratio was analyzed in 3 groups: SLE without proteinuria (group I; n = 23), SLE with proteinuria (group II; n = 31), and normal controls (group III; n = 24). Group II patients who had undergone renal biopsy were classified into 3 subgroups based on their renal histopathologic findings. The intracellular cytokine detection method with flow cytometry was used to quantitate Th1 and Th2 cells. RESULTS: There was no difference in the mean Th1:Th2 ratio between SLE patients (groups I and II) and healthy controls (group III). However, the mean value in group II was significantly higher than those in groups I and III. Moreover, within group II, the mean value in SLE patients who had diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis (World Health Organization class IV) was especially high. CONCLUSION: Although SLE has been considered to be a disease in which Th2 cells predominate, the Th1/Th2 balance of peripheral Th cells in SLE patients in the present study did not show a predominance of these cells. In contrast, among SLE patients with WHO class IV lupus nephritis, there was a strong predominance of Th1.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Clonal expansion of gammadelta-T lymphocytes in an HTLV-I carrier, associated with chronic neutropenia and rheumatoid arthritis.

We report on an HTLV-I carrier showing clonal proliferation of gammadelta-T lymphocytes associated with chronic neutropenia and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A 75-year-old Japanese woman had a 20-year history of RA and was found to have neutropenia and lymphocytosis by routine examinations. Her white cell count was 5,800/microl with 89% lymphocytes. The proliferating gammadelta-lymphocytes did not show the typical morphology of large granular lymphocytes (LGL) and were positive for CD3, TCRdelta1, and HLA-DR but negative for CD4, CD8, and deltaTCS1. Clonally rearranged TCRgamma-chain (Jgamma) and TCRbeta-chain (Cbeta1) genes were detected by Southern blot analysis. Clonality of these proliferating gammadelta-T cells was confirmed by CDR3 size analysis for the TCRdelta-chain. Anti-HTLV-I antibody was positive and the pX region of HTLV-I proviral DNA was detected by PCR analysis, but clonal integration of HTLV-I proviral DNA was not detected by Southern blotting analysis. The patient's clinical course has been stable, except for infrequent infectious episodes. The association of HTLV-I/II infection with T-LGL leukemia has been reported by several groups, although most cases exhibit TCRalphabeta+ type T cells. Analysis of the junctional sequence of TCR on T-LGL leukemia cells may clarify the role of HTLV-I/II infection in clonal T-cell proliferation.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Identification and characterization of novel retrotransposons of the gypsy type in rice.

We found that two DNA fragments, which were obtained from Oryza sativa L cv. IR36 by PCR using degenerate primers designed for amplification of a rice gene, showed homology with the rt gene encoding reverse transcriptase of the Drosophila retrotransposon gypsy. We named the element from which they originated RIRE3 (for rice retrotransposon No. 3) and analyzed it further by isolating various clones containing segments of RIRE3. Nucleotide sequencing of the clones revealed that RIRE3 has LTRs (2316 bp) and that the internal sequence (5775 bp) includes a large ORF with gag and pol regions; the pol region includes the rt gene as well as the int gene encoding integrase in this order, as in gypsy. Interestingly, the region upstream of gag in RIRE3 contained another open reading frame, here called orf0, which does not exist in gypsy or in other retrotransposons related to it. In the course of characterizing RIRE3, we obtained a further clone, which showed less homology with the pol region of RIRE3. This clone was found to be derived from another gypsy-type retrotransposon (named RIRE8) containing the LTR sequence and orf0 both of which were only weakly homologous to that in RIRE3. Further characterization of RIRE8 revealed that there were actually two subtypes of RIRE8 (named RIRE8A and RIRE8B), which show little homology to each other in the orf0 region. Although the LTRs of RIRE3 and RIRE8 elements show very weak homology with each other, there exists a conserved sequence at their termini. We therefore carried out PCR using primers which hybridize to the rt gene of RIRE3, and total genomic DNA from various monocot and dicot plants as templates, and found that a family of RIRE3 elements was present in all plants tested.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

The SOS response is induced by replication fork blockage at a Ter site located on a pUC-derived plasmid: dependence on the distance between ori and Ter sites.

A new model system for the study of the SOS response has been developed. In this system the response is induced by blocking the replication fork at a Ter site located in pUC-derived plasmids. Blockage of the fork is dependent on the expression of the Ter binding protein, Tus, encoded on another plasmid, in which the tus gene is under the control of the ara promoter. SOS induction can, therefore, be controlled by arabinose. The extent of the SOS response was monitored by measuring the activity of beta-galactosidase, expressed from a lacZ gene fused to the 5' region of the sfiA gene, a typical SOS-responsive gene. Expression of the fusion gene is completely dependent on recA+ and lexA+ genes. Using this system, we found that the distance between the ori and Ter sites is directly correlated with the strength of SOS induction. The properties of this system are discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1999

Laparoscopic splenectomy for treatment of patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Comparison with open splenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) is one of the advanced laparoscopic procedures that benefit most from minimally invasive surgery. This study was undertaken to compare the operating time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and platelet count response for patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) undergoing open splenectomy (OS) versus LS. METHODS: We performed OS in 20 cases before 1992 and LS in 14 cases after 1993 for the treatment of ITP. RESULTS: The operating time was significantly shorter for OS than for LS (126 +/- 52 min versus 203 +/- 83 min, p < 0.01). Blood loss was less for OS than for LS (321 +/- 264 ml versus 524 +/- 648 ml, p = 0.287). None of the patients who underwent LS were converted to open surgery. Accessory spleens were found in four OS patients (20.0%) and four LS patients (28.6%). The postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer for OS patients than for LS patients (15.2 +/- 5.8 days versus 8.9 +/- 2.9 days, p < 0.0005). No significant difference was noted in the long-term results of splenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with OS, LS required more operating time, had the potential to cause greater blood loss, had a comparable incidence of accessory spleen and response rate, and appeared to shorten the postoperative stay.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A novel nonsense mutation at Glu-631 in a Spanish family with complement component 7 deficiency.

Deficiency of the seventh component of complement (C7D) is frequently associated with recurrent neisserial infections. We report in the present study the genetic basis for C7D in a Spanish family. We used exon-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis as a screening step for mutations, followed by direct sequencing of the target exon. The mutation in the proband was a homozygous G-to-T transversion at nucleotide 1957, the first nucleotide of the codon GAG for Glu-631, leading to a stop codon TAG (E631X). Our result provides further evidence that the molecular pathogenesis of C7D is heterogeneous.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

An NcoI polymorphism in the human complement component 7 (C7) gene.

A novel polymorphic site has been found in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the human complement component 7 (C7) gene. The polymorphic site at 14-bp down-stream from the TAG stop codon was either C or A (Nco I-digested), with allele frequencies of 0.660 and 0.340. This NcoI polymorphism would be useful to perform a DNA marker haplotype study in patients with deficiencies of the complement genes, such as C6, C7, C9, which are located closely on chromosome 5p13.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Diesel exhaust particulate induces airway hyperresponsiveness in a murine model: essential role of GM-CSF.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled pollutants were recently shown to be responsible for an increased incidence of airway allergic diseases, including asthma. A common feature of all forms of asthma is airway hyperresponsiveness. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to elucidate the effects of diesel exhaust particulate (DEP), one of the most prevalent inhaled pollutants, on airway responsiveness. METHODS: A/J and C57Bl/6 mice were used; the former are genetically predisposed to be hyperresponsive to acetylcholine, whereas the latter are not. DEP was administered intranasally for 2 weeks, after which pulmonary function was analyzed by whole-body plethysmography. RESULTS: Intranasal administration of DEP increased airway responsiveness to acetylcholine in both A/J and C57Bl/6 mice and induced displacement of ciliated epithelial cells by mucus-secreting Clara cells. The effect was mediated by M(3) muscarinic receptors. Acetylcholine-evoked bronchial constriction was reversed by administration of terbutaline, a beta(2)-adrenergic antagonist, which is also characteristic of human asthma. Intranasal administration of antibody raised against GM-CSF abolished DEP-evoked increases in airway responsiveness and Clara cell hyperplasia. The antibody raised against IL-4 also inhibited DEP-evoked increases in airway responsiveness. However, it was to a lesser extent compared with antibody against GM-CSF. In addition, DEP stimulated GM-CSF messenger RNA expression in the lung. CONCLUSION: DEP induces airway hyperresponsiveness by stimulating GM-CSF synthesis.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1999

Efficient injection of bull spermatozoa into oocytes using a Piezo-driven pipette.

Recently, mouse and human offspring have been successfully obtained from embryos developed after intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI), using a Piezo micromanipulator. In this study, the Piezo-ICSI procedure was used with in vitro matured bovine oocytes known to be difficult to fertilize microsurgically. The efficacy of Piezo-ICSI versus conventional ICSI was examined after oocytes were activated and fertilized with or without calcium ionophore (A23187) exposure. In conventional ICSI, the rate of fertilization was 19% (11/59) with A23187 and 5% (2/38) without it. However, when the Piezo-ICSI procedure was performed, the fertilization rate was 72% (47/65) with A23187 and 72% (28/39) without it. The rate of oocyte survival after microinjection was nearly similar for both methods. We suggest that the bovine oocyte is successfully activated and fertilized when an immobilized spermatozoon is injected exactly into the ooplasm through the oolemma, perforated easily by the pulsation of the Piezo. Moreover, an activating procedure such as exposure of oocytes to A23187 is not necessary, because the so-called sperm factor (oocyte activating substances) is incorporated into the ooplasm along with a spermatozoon. In this respect, the Piezo-ICSI was more efficient than the conventional ICSI method for fertilizing and thus obtaining more bovine embryos.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Chromosome 11q13 and atopic asthma.

Asthma is a complex syndrome in which bronchial inflammation and smooth muscle hyperactivity lead to labile airflow obstruction. The commonest form of asthma is that due to atopy, which is an immune disorder where production of IgE to inhaled antigens leads to bronchial mucosal inflammation. The ultimate origins of asthma are interactive environmental and genetic factors. The genetics is acknowledged to be heterogeneous, and one chromosomal region of interest and controversy has been 11q13. To clarify the nature of the chromosome 11q13 effect in atopy and asthma, we conducted a genetic association study in subjects with marked atopic asthma and matched controls, which incorporated the study of 13 genetic variants over a distance of 10-12 cM and which took account of detailed immune and clinical phenotyping. Association with high IgE levels was limited to the interval flanked by D11S1335 and CD20 in a 0.8-Mb interval and was greatest for variants of Fc epsilonRIbeta and HTm4; these variants also associated with asthma (recurrent wheeze with labile airflow obstruction and need for regular inhaler treatment). At the more telomeric marker, D11S480, variants associated with asthma, but not with high IgE levels. The data might support the possibility of multiple loci relevant to atopic asthma on chromosome 11q13.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Advantage of the uncemented total hip system with three spiked socket.

Atotal hip arthroplasty was performed on 112 joints of 110 patients from November 1983 to January 1998 using three different types of uncemented total hip systems with a three spiked socket. The clinical results of 87 joints of 85 patients, followed up 5 years or more after operation, were evaluated with the comparison among the three different types (original type [JIAT] in 6, type Y in 24, and type Y2 in 57). In 73 of the 87 patients, the age at the time of the operation was more than 60. The preoperative diagnosis was osteoarthritis with acetabular hypoplasia in 61, rapidly destructive coxarthrosis in 17, and so on. We have been receiving excellent clinical results of patients who were implanted with type Y2 compared with the other types. There was no different clinical results between patients who were less than 60 and patients who were over 60. Injuries of neurovascular bundle relating to the penetration of the tip of the spike, which was a concern in this type of socket, were not encountered. The type Y2 uncemented total hip system shows an indication of being successful even if the patients have poor bone stock in acetabulum or are elderly.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed1999

Internal carotid-posterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with unusually short posterior communicating artery.

We report two cases of a ruptured internal carotid-posterior communicating artery aneurysm in which the ipsilateral posterior communicating artery is short and the P1 and P2 segments of the posterior cerebral artery are long. Unique angiographic and operative findings are described. Vertebral angiography with carotid compression is recommended to diagnose this rare variation. Recognition of this variation is important to avoid an inadvertent occlusion of arteries behind the aneurysm at the time of clipping. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Journal Article↗