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Biomedical subjects

T Kajiwara

Publications and source records attributed to T Kajiwara.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Bell pepper fruit fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase is a cytochrome P450 (CYP74B).

Fatty acid hydroperoxide lyases cleave a C-C bond adjacent to a hydroperoxide group in lipoxygenase derived lipid hydroperoxides to form short-chain aldehydes and oxo-acids. Previously, we showed that fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase from bell pepper fruits is a heme protein whose spectrophotometric properties greatly resemble a cytochrome P450. In order to ascertain the relationship of it to the P450 gene family, we have cloned cDNA encoding fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase from immature bell pepper fruits. The cDNA encodes 480 amino acids, and shares homology with P450s mostly at the C terminus. The heme binding cysteine is recognizable at position 441. The most closely related P450 is allene oxide synthase (CYP74A), with which it has 40% identity. It qualifies the lyase as a member of a new P450 subfamily, CYP74B. From this finding, the enzyme is thought to be a novel member of P450 specialized for the metabolism of lipid peroxides.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗
PubMed1996

Relation between Locoregional Hyperthermic Area Detected by Contact Thermography and the Maximum Density of Tumor Stain Obtained by IV-DSA in Breast Cancer Patients.

We studied the significance of the locoregional hyperthermic area observed by contact thermography in relation to the maximum density of tumor enhancement obtained by IV-DSA. The subjects were 34 patients with primary breast cancer. The thermal difference between the locoregional hyperthermic area and the surrounding mammary tissues was obtained, and the maximum density of tumor stain on IV-DSA was calculated from the time-density curve. Twenty-three (67.6%) patients had a locoregional hyperthermic area corresponding to the tumor. The higher the degree of thermal difference between the hyperthermic area and the surrounding tissues, the higher the maximum density of tumor enhancement. As the maximum density of tumor stain is considered to reflect the vascularity of the tumor, the degee of the locoregional hyperthermic area obtained by thermography may also reflect tumor vascularity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

[Prospective randomized trial comparing 1/2 FAM (5-fluorouracil (5-FU) + adriamycin + mitomycin C) versus palliative therapy for the treatment of unresectable pancreatic and biliary tract carcinomas (the 2nd trial in non-resectable patients). Japanese Study Group of Surgical Adjuvant Therapy for Carcinomas of the Pancreas and Biliary Tract].

The efficacy of 1/2 FAM, which consists of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), adriamycin (ADM) and mitomycin C (MMC), was compared with that of palliative treatment in patients with unresectable pancreatic and biliary tract carcinomas in a multicenter randomized trial. The patients assigned to 1/2 FAM group were treated with 5-FU 200 mg/m2/day IV, ADM 15 mg/m2/day IV and MMC 5 mg/m2/day IV. These 3 drugs were given concurrently as the initial dose within a week after palliative operation, and this regimen was repeated for at least 2 whole courses, at 4-week intervals before the next course of therapy. Those randomized to the control group were subjected to palliative treatment alone. Completely eligible for analysis were 42 cases of the 1/2 FAM group and 41 of the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the overall and differentiated survival times according to the tumor sites and the clinical efficacy. As for the duration of 50% inhibition of tumor progression, a significantly better outcome was obtained in 1/2 FAM group. Tumor progression was most significantly inhibited in patients with gallbladder carcinoma. In 1/2 FAM group, tumor reduction was achieved in 1 CR and 2 PR patients. The most frequent adverse reaction was gastrointestinal manifestations, along with diarrhea and alopecia. 1/2 FAM did not contribute to the life prolongation, but inhibited the tumor progression for a significantly longer duration and, to a lesser extent, reduced the tumor size in unresectable pancreatic and biliary tract carcinomas. This regimen is suggested to be useful particularly in the treatment of the latter carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Variant of intraductal carcinoma (with scant mucin production) is of main pancreatic duct origin: a clinicopathological study of four patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the histopathological and immunohistochemical features of intraductal "nodular" tumor located in the main pancreatic duct. METHODS: Four cases were studied, and the results were compared with those in 10 cases of common ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. RESULTS: The intraductal nodular carcinoma were large, more than 3 cm in diameter (range, 3-7 cm), lacked macroscopic mucin production, and presented a papillotubular adenocarcinoma. These tumors showed minimal invasion into the periductal tissue, duodenum, and choledochus. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were negative for anti-CEA and faintly positive for anti-CA19-9, in all except one tumor, whereas the common ductal adenocarcinomas were clearly positive for both. The postoperative course was favorable, and all three living patients remained healthy for more than 4 yr. CONCLUSION: These tumors may be variants of intraductal tumors with a more favorable prognosis.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

[Development of quality of life questionnaire for patients with colorectal cancer in surgical area--a study of reliability and validity of Tokyo Yamabuki Forum Version].

We developed a new questionnaire in the surgical area based on a core quality of life (QOL) questionnaire for patients with gastrointestinal cancer. In this study, we investigated the validity and reliability of a QOL questionnaire (Tokyo Yamabuki Forum Version) for patients with colorectal cancer. The questionnaire was composed of 17 items including 5 scales (basic sensory scale, psychological scale, physiological scale, defection-related scale and active scale) and a face scale as an global scale. The time needed to answer questionnaires was expected to be around 7 minutes and the questionnaires should basically be answered by the patients themselves everyday in the hospital. The study was performed in 10 hospitals in the Tokyo area, and 394 samples collected from 21 patients with rectal and colonic cancers were analyzed. A number of respondents failed to answer the question "Do you feel your foods tasty?", so we judged this item inappropriate and deleted it from the analysis. Fifteen items, including 5 scales showed satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity in correlation and factor analyses. Performance status showed a low correlation between each item, each scale and the global scale, while SDS and STAI showed an inordinately negative correlation with the fundamental and physical scales. Especially, SDS revealed an extremely close correlation with the active scale, and STAI showed an excessive correlation with the psychological scale. In the time course of QOL under chemotherapy, reductions (aggravations) were observed in both the total score of 15 items and global scale within one week postoperatively, but after that recovered to preoperative levels at 2 weeks postoperatively. A tendency to QOL improvement was observed 2 weeks after starting chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. QOL of 13 patients was measured over 3 months, and the longest term was 8 months. The results suggested that this QOL questionnaire has sufficient reliability and validity to be usable for patients with colorectal cancer in the surgical area and that this model is applicable for long-term QOL surveys and frequent measurement.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase is a heme protein.

Fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase (HPO lyase) is an enzyme that cleaves hydroperoxides of polyunsaturated fatty acids to form short chain aldehydes and omega-oxoacids. Spectrophotometric analyses of HPO lyase highly purified from green bell pepper fruits indicate that it is a heme protein. The heme species was revealed to be heme b (protoheme IX) from the absorption spectrum of the pyridine hemochromogen. Although the spectrum highly resembles that of a plant cytochrome P450, allene oxide synthase from flaxseed, CO treatment of the enzyme caused no appearance of a peak at 450 nm, which is an essential diagnostic feature of a cytochrome P450. Internal amino acid sequences determined with peptide fragments obtained from the lyase showed no homology with any reported sequences.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗
PubMed1995

Histopathological study of local residual carcinoma after simulated lumpectomy.

From 1989 to 1991, 24 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma underwent simulated lumpectomy at Tokyo Women's Medical College Daini Hospital. The mastectomy specimens were then examined histopathologically in serial sections for the presence of residual tumors or multicentricity. Lumpectomy specimens from cancer foci at resected margins were also examined. In this study, 23 of 24 patients demonstrated positive resection margins (95.8%). Residual tumors were found in mastectomy specimens from 16 patients (66.7%); unilateral multifocal carcinomas were found in 2 of these patients (8.3%). The incidence and severity of residual tumors did not correlate with primary tumor size or the distance between the nipple and the primary tumor but directly correlated with the severity of intraductal spread of the primary tumor. Tumors with central necrosis were associated with a higher incidence of residual tumors. Our study thus indicates that there is a high risk that some residual tumor will be left in the conserved breast when lumpectomy is performed. Multifocal carcinoma and tumors showing severe intraductal spread and central necrosis are thus associated with extensive residual tumors and are likely to cause local recurrence.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1995

Relationship between staining by digital subtraction angiography and vascularity in breast cancer: analysis of the time-density curve and the results of staining for factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor.

We performed intravenous digital subtraction angiography (IV-DSA) in 31 patients with primary invasive breast cancer, and calculated the maximum density of tumor staining from the time-density curve obtained. Specimens resected from the same patients were stained for factor VIII-related antigen/von Willebrand factor (vWF), and the amount of microvessels was calculated by image processing. A significant correlation (correlation coefficient: 0.85) was found between the maximum density of tumor staining and the vascularity determined by staining for vWF, indicating that the maximum density indirectly reflects the vascularity in the tumor.

Angiography, Digital Subtraction↗
PubMed1995

Cucumber cotyledon lipoxygenase oxygenizes trilinolein at the lipid/water interface.

The reactivity of cucumber cotyledon lipoxygenase with trilinolein was examined. The activity of the enzyme against linoleic acid rapidly decreased with increasing pH of the assay solution, and essentially no activity could be detected above pH 8.5. The rapid decrease in activity was not the result of an inactiveness of the enzyme at alkaline pH, because with trilinolein, the enzyme showed a broad pH-activity profile, and substantial activity could be detected even at pH 9.0. Rather, the decrease in activity was due to the dissociation of the linoleic acid emulsion into acid-soap aggregates and/or the monomeric form, depending on the ionization of the terminal carboxylic group. This suggests that cucumber cotyledon lipoxygenase acts only on an insoluble substrate at the lipid/water interface but not on a soluble one. High-performance liquid chromatography analyses of the products formed from trilinolein revealed that the enzyme inserted oxygen into the acyl moiety of trilinolein without hydrolysis of the ester bonds. Preincubation of the enzyme with triolein emulsions effectively abolished its activity against trilinolein added afterward. Furthermore, the enzyme was adsorbed on the trilinolein or triolein emulsion droplets in an essentially irreversible manner. A reaction velocity curve of the enzyme with trilinolein showed saturation kinetics. This is thought to be due to a regional substrate deficiency as the reaction proceeds. These lines of evidence indicate that the enzyme, once bound to the lipid/water interface, is unable to break free and bind to other emulsions.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1995

Influence of chronic liver damage on regeneration of the organ in rats.

To investigate the influence of chronic hepatic damage on liver regeneration, a 70% hepatectomy was carried out in male BDE rats in which chronic hepatic damage had been induced by i.m. injection of 0.1 ml CCl4/100 g b. w. twice a week for 4 weeks. After resection, we examined adenine nucleotide concentration in the remaining liver tissues, also body weight and wet and dry weight of the liver. The total adenine nucleotide concentration fell 6 h after resection from 2.89 +/- 0.22 mumol/g to 2.03 +/- 0.15 mumol/g and then recovered on the 3rd postoperative day. However, control animals showed lowest values 3 h after resection, and had already begun to recover at 6 h. Energy charges fell 3 h after liver both groups to the lowest values, but recovery was slower in the animals with chronic liver damage. These observations suggest that in animals with hepatic damage regeneration is delayed in the initial post-resection period. However, 5 days after resection the wet and dry weights of the liver were completely normalized and there was no difference between the two groups, i.e., 5 days after 70% liver resection we could not find any delayed regeneration tendency in animals with chronic liver damage.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1995

Identification of DNA-binding proteins changed after induction of sporulation in Bacillus cereus.

DNA-binding proteins were extracted from both exponentially growing cells of Bacillus cereus ts-4 and cells that were induced to sporulate at different stages of chromosome replication, by using a double-stranded B. cereus ts-4 DNA-cellulose column. Two-dimensional electrophoresis of the proteins found that the amounts of 17 proteins changed drastically after induction of sporulation at all the stages. For 8 of those proteins, the largest or the smallest amount was found in the cells which were induced to sporulate 40 min after the initiation of chromosome replication, the sensitive stage for sporulation. The N-terminal amino acids of 6 proteins among the selected proteins were sequenced. The sequence obtained from a 59-kDa protein had sequence similarity (> 45%) to GroEL from several bacterial species. In addition, the sequences from 76- and 52-kDa proteins matched deduced amino acid sequences of a Mycobacterium leprae gene showing homology to the bacteria atp operon and the B. subtilis guaB for IMP dehydrogenase, respectively.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

[Portal hemodynamic changes from TIPS--evaluation with pulse Doppler method].

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was applied in three patients with Child C liver cirrhosis. Portal venous pressure was reduced by an average of 10.7 mmHg, and results such as the disappearance of esophageal varices and reduction in ascites were obtained. The portal hemodynamics of these three patients was observed before and after TIPS using the pulse Doppler method. When portal hemodynamics in the main portal vein was examined before TIPS, it was found that the mean blood flow velocity had decreased, the blood flow volume was reduced and the cross-sectional area of the vein had increased. The congestion index was high and there was definite congestion of the portal venous system. After TIPS, the blood flow velocity and volume increased, the cross-sectional area of the vein was reduced and the congestion index was lower. Congestion of the portal venous system was improved in these three patients and the clinical efficacy of TIPS was proven by these results. If the stent can be detected sonographically, stent patency is easily confirmed with the pulse Doppler method which is usefull examination technique for follow-up of patients undergoing TIPS.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Isolation and characterization of hardening-induced proteins in Chlorella vulgaris C-27: identification of late embryogenesis abundant proteins.

Hardening-induced soluble proteins of Chlorella vulgaris Beijerink IAM C-27 (formerly Chlorella ellipsoidea Gerneck IAM C-27) were isolated and purified by two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (2D-HPLC) on an anion-exchange column, with subsequent reversed-phase chromatography. Some of the proteins were resolved by SDS-PAGE, characterized by amino-terminal sequencing and identified by searching for homologies in databases. Separation of the soluble proteins during the hardening of Chlorella by a combination of 2D-HPLC and SDS-PAGE revealed that at least 31 proteins were induced or increased in abundance. Of particular interest was the induction after 12 h of a 10-kDa protein with the amino-terminal amino acid sequence AGNKPITEQISDAVGAAGQKVG and the induction after 6 h of a 14-kDa protein with the amino-terminal sequence ALGEESLGDKAKNAFEDAKDAVKDAAGNVKEAV. The amino-terminal sequences of these proteins indicated that they were homologous to late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins. Furthermore, the level of a 22-kDa protein also increased after 12 h. The amino-terminal sequence of this protein, AAPLVGGPAPDFTAAAVFD, indicated that it was homologous to thioredoxin peroxidase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Clinical studies of type-I procollagen carboxyterminal peptide in serum of patients with gastric cancer: comparison with CEA and CA19-9.

The serum level of a newly developed monoclonal antibody against type-I procollagen carboxyterminal peptide (P-1-P) was determined in patients with gastric cancer. The location of P-1-P in gastric cancer tissue was also investigated. We found that: (1) The serum P-1-P level and the positivity rate in patients with gastric cancer were similar to those in patients with other malignant or benign GI diseases and healthy individuals. (2) In patients with gastric cancer, the P-1-P positivity rate was significantly lower than that of CEA or CA19-9. (3) In patients with gastric cancer, the P-1-P positivity rate increased as the disease stage advanced. (4) Among patients with gastric cancer, the P-1-P positivity rate was significantly higher in those with scirrhous type than in those with medullary or intermediate type. (5) P-1-P was detected in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. P-1-P staining was stronger in scirrhous type and histologically undifferentiated gastric cancer. These results show that P-1-P can serve as a good marker for scirrhous type gastric cancer. The production of collagen by cancer cells themselves seems to be involved in collagen production in scirrhous type gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous↗
PubMed1994

Lymphangioma of the duodenum: report of a case.

A case of lymphangioma of the duodenum with a successful preoperative diagnosis is reported herein. A 76-year-old man who complained of tarry stool was found to have a hemorrhagic polypoid tumor in the third portion of the duodenum. The tumor was diagnosed histologically as cavernous lymphangioma by endoscopic biopsy. Since such a tumor is essentially benign, a partial resection of the duodenum including the tumor was performed. Therefore, an endoscopic biopsy seems to be valuable in the diagnosis of duodenal lymphangioma.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

End-to-end duodenojejunal bypass for unresectable periampullary carcinoma.

Palliative operation plays an important part in the treatment of periampullary carcinoma. However, gastric bypass such as the widely practiced side-to-side gastrojejunostomy frequently fails to provide adequate drainage. Here we attempted to fashion an end-to-end duodenojejunostomy in the hope of establishing physiological continuity of the stomach and duodenum. Biliary bypass with side-to-side choledochojejunostomy is performed simultaneously. Eight patients underwent this surgery. In seven of these, radical resection proved to be impossible, and in one the duodeno-biliary decompression was attempted before the radical operation. Early results were satisfactory in all patients. They began to eat liquid meals within a week, and were discharged uneventfully within the third postoperative week, when they were able to eat a regular diet. No ulcer developed in any of the patients. Plasma gastrin levels following a test meal was significantly lower after the operation, but plasma CCK-N and GIP levels showed no statistical difference prior to and after surgery. This duodenojejunal bypass is recommended as a means of improving the quality of the remaining life of the patients.

Aged↗