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Biomedical subjects

T Kaneko

Publications and source records attributed to T Kaneko.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Nafamostat mesilate, a kallikrein inhibitor, prevents pain on injection with propofol.

We have examined the preventative effect of nafamostat mesilate, a kallikrein inhibitor, on pain on injection with propofol in a randomized, double-blind study. A control group (n = 110) and a nafamostat (n = 103) group received 5% glucose 0.02 ml kg-1 and nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 diluted with 5% glucose, respectively, followed 1 min later by 1% propofol injected at a rate of 200 mg min-1. Pain scores recorded during injection of propofol were significantly less in the nafamostat than in the control group. In another 10 patients, blood concentrations of nafamostat were measured after administration of nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 i.v. Mean nafamostat concentration 1 min after injection was 0.1 (SD 0.05) mumol litre-1, which is sufficient to inhibit plasma kallikrein activity. We conclude that pretreatment with nafamostat 0.02 mg kg-1 significantly reduced pain on propofol injection and this effect may be caused by a reduction in kallikrein activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Beta-carotene hydroxylase gene from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803.

The ORF sll1468 of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 was identified as a gene for beta-carotene hydroxylase by functional complementation in a beta-carotene-producing Escherichia coli. The gene product of ORF sll1468 added hydroxyl groups to the beta-ionone rings of beta-carotene (beta, beta-carotene) to form zeaxanthin (beta, beta-carotene-3,3'-diol). This newly identified beta-carotene hydroxylase does not show overall amino acid sequence similarity to the known beta-carotene hydroxylases. However, it showed significant sequence similarity to beta-carotene ketolases of marine bacteria and a green alga.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Purification and characterization of a galactose-rich basic glycoprotein in tobacco.

We found a galactose-rich basic glycoprotein (GBGP) in the cell walls of cultured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cells. GBGP and extensin were isolated as the major components of basic, salt-extracted cell wall glycoproteins. GBGP and extensin were separated by gel filtration in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride as 49- and 90-kD peaks, respectively, and further purified with reverse-phase chromatography. The protein moiety of GBGP constitutes about one-half of the molecule (W/W) and contains lysine (16%), proline (12%), hydroxyproline (10%), tyrosine (4%), alanine (7%), leucine (6%), and cystine (1.4%). Galactose accounted for 72% of the sugar moiety, arabinose content was low (17%), and a significant amount of mannose (7%) was found. No immunological cross-reaction was detected between GBGP and extensin. The antibody against native GBGP with sugar chains reacted with other glycoproteins on the gel blots, whereas the antibodies against deglycosylated GBGP and native extensin were highly specific. Immunolocalization analysis in tobacco stems showed that GBGP is specific to parenchyma tissue and that extensin localizes in the epidermis. This tissue-specific and exclusive distribution suggests important functions of these basic glycoproteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Acute in vivo effect of octreotide acetate, a somatostatin analogue on the cellular function of gastric mucosa in the rat.

Somatostatin is known to suppress various cellular functions of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, octreotide acetate, a synthetic long-acting somatostatin analogue was tested for its effects on some cellular functions of gastric mucosa. Octreotide raised the gastric mucosal pH within 1 h after a single subcutaneous injection to rats at doses of 1-100 microg/kg bodyweight. Serum gastrin levels increased transiently at a dose of 10 microg/kg bodyweight but not at 100 microg/kg. Basal levels of serum gastrin were not affected, while famotidine-induced gastrin secretion was suppressed by octreotide at a single dose of 100 microg/kg. The increase in the intragastric acidity and histidine decarboxylase activity following pentagastrin treatment was significantly reduced by octreotide. These results suggested that this somatostatin analogue inhibits the function of not only the parietal cell and G cell but also the enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell, resulting in intraluminal hypoacidity.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Five cases of thrombocytopenia induced by primary human herpesvirus 6 infection.

Five patients suffering from exanthem subitum with thrombocytopenia were confirmed as primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection by serological test. All cases had thrombocytopenia during the acute phase of exanthem subitum. The clinical features of these cases were benign, and all recovered without any specific treatment. Moreover, 4 of the 5 cases showed a mild elevation of hepatic transaminase during the same period, and other viral infections including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human herpesvirus 7 were ruled out in these patients. It was speculated that direct inhibition of platelet production by the virus or cytokine induced by the virus-infected cells was the mechanism of the thrombocytopenia induced by primary HHV-6 infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Neuropeptides mediate the ozone-induced increase in the permeability of the tracheal mucosa in guinea pigs.

We examined the effects of acute exposure to ozone on the permeability of the tracheal mucosa and the contribution of neural pathways to the effects of ozone using horseradish peroxidase (HRP; mol wt 40,000) as a marker of lumen-to-blood transfer of a macromolecule in guinea pigs in vivo. Each guinea pig was anesthetized and exposed for 30 min to either ozone [0.5 or 3 parts/million (ppm)] or air. Immediately after exposure, a tracheal segment was isolated between two polyethylene cannulas in vivo and filled with HRP solution (50 mg/ml). Blood samples were drawn before and 10, 20, 30, and 40 min after the intratracheal instillation of HRP. The plasma levels of HRP in guinea pigs exposed for 30 min to 3 ppm of ozone, but not to 0.5 ppm of ozone, were significantly greater than those in guinea pigs exposed to air. Although the increased plasma HRP levels after exposure to 3 ppm of ozone were unaffected by propranolol or atropine, they were completely inhibited by pretreatment with capsaicin (50 mg/kg sc, injected in two doses). These results suggest that endogenous neuropeptides mediate the ozone-induced increase in the permeability of the tracheal mucosa in guinea pigs in vivo, but neither an adrenergic nor a cholinergic pathway appears to be involved.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Oral tolerance is not influenced by oral application of oil-emulsified proteins.

A 2-week program of feeding protein antigens as an oil-in-water emulsion to naive mice elicited a significant serum IgG antibody response, whereas their aqueous preparations did not at all. The unresponsive immune state that had been developed after feeding aqueous antigen was not disturbed by subsequent oral challenge with the same antigen in the presence of oil. These results suggest that the principle of oral tolerance is a feasible strategy for prophylaxis of hypersensitization to protein antigens, where protein tolerogens, in this case, are to be given without any additives at their first introduction.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Production of a mixture of antimicrobial organic acids from lactose by co-culture of Bifidobacterium longum and Propionibacterium freudenreichii.

The antimicrobial activities of standard solutions of three organic acids (lactic, acetic, and propionic acids) were compared using Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus aureus as test microorganisms. At the same concentrations of the undissociated form, the antimicrobial activities of acetic and propionic acids were higher than that of lactic acid, irrespective of test microorganisms. In a single cultivation of Bifidobacterium longum, a mixture of lactic (17 g/l) and acetic (20 g/l) acids was produced from 50 g/l lactose and its antimicrobial activities against M. luteus, Pseudomonas sp., and S. aureus correspond to that of 32, 19, and 25 g/l of acetic acid, respectively. To increase the total antimicrobial activity, a co-culture of B. longum and Propionibacterium freudenreichii, in which lactic acid produced once from lactose by B. longum was converted to acetic and propionic acids by P. freudenreichii, was done using TPY medium containing commercially available peptones as a nitrogen source. By the sequential conversion of lactose using the two microorganisms, the culture supernatant containing a mixture of acetic (27 g/l) and propionic (13 g/l) acids without lactic acid was produced. The antimicrobial activities of the mixture against M. luteus, Pseudomonas sp., and S. aureus were 35, 30, and 26 g/l as a concentration of acetic acid, respectively, higher than that obtained in the cultivation of B. longum alone. When the medium containing an enzymatic hydrolyzate of whey proteins with a protease was used in the co-culture of B. longum and P. freudenreichii, the culture supernatant containing the mixture of organic acids was also obtained in the same manner as the co-culture using TPY medium and the activities were 43, 29, and 29 g/l as a concentration of acetic acid for M. luteus, Pseudomonas sp. and S. aureus, respectively.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed1998

Effects of lactic acid bacteria on binding and absorption of mutagenic heterocyclic amines.

Effects of binding heterocyclic amines to cells of lactic acid bacteria on theirs absorption were investigated. Cells of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 2038 and Streptococcus thermophilus 1131 bind both 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx). The binding of strain 1131 cells to Trp-P-1 was maximum in the pHs from 4 to 8, but strain 2038 cells bound Trp-P-1 and MeIQx only slightly at pH 7. We investigated the absorption of heterocyclic amines by the small intestine of F344 rats in the presence of these bacterial cells, using an in situ loop technique. The absorption of Trp-P-1 by the small intestine was significantly lower in the presence of strain 1131 cells than in the absence of the cells, but the presence of strain 2038 cells had no effect on Trp-P-1 absorption. Perhaps strain 1131 cells bind to Trp-P-1 at the same pH as that of the small intestine (pH 6-7) and thus decrease its absorption.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Abiotic formation of bioorganic compounds in space--preliminary experiments on ground and future exobiology experiments in space.

Simulation experiments on ground have shown that "amino acid precursors", which give amino acids after acid-hydrolysis, can be formed when an ice mixture simulating ice mantles of interstellar dust particles (lSDs) is irradiated with high energy particles or UV light. It is strongly suggested that such bioorganic compounds were delivered by comets for the first biosphere on the Earth. It is of great interest to confirm this hypothesis in actual space conditions, such as in an exposed facility of JEM. Fundamental designs for such exobiology experiments in earth orbit (EEEO) will be discussed.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1998

Long commuting time, extensive overtime, and sympathodominant state assessed in terms of short-term heart rate variability among male white-collar workers in the Tokyo megalopolis.

To investigate the possible effects of long commuting time and extensive overtime on daytime cardiac autonomic activity, the short-term heart rate variability (HRV) both at supine rest and at standing rest of 223 male white-collar workers in the Tokyo Megalopolis was examined. Workers with a one-way commute of 90 min or more exhibited decreased vagal activity at supine rest and increased sympathetic activity regardless of posture, and those doing overtime of 60 h/month or more exhibited decreased vagal activity and increased sympathetic activity at standing rest. These findings suggest that chronic stress or fatigue resulting from long commuting time or extensive overtime caused these individuals to be in a sympathodominant state. Although these shifts in autonomic activities are not direct indicators of disease, it can be hypothesized that they can induce cardiovascular abnormalities or dysfunctions related to the onset of heart disease. Assessment of the daily and weekly variations in HRV as a function of daily life activities (such as working, commuting, sleeping, and exercising) among workers in Asia-Pacific urban areas might be one way of studying the possible effects of long commuting time, and extensive overtime, on health.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Self-reported sleep quality, job stress, and daytime autonomic activities assessed in terms of short-term heart rate variability among male white-collar workers.

To investigate the relationships among the amount of job stressors, self-reported sleep quality, and daytime autonomic activities, a questionnaire survey was conducted for 223 healthy male white-collar workers, and their short-term heart rate variability (HRV) was also examined. Half of the subjects complained of nightly poor sleep quality. Self-reported poor sleep quality was associated with a qualitative aspect of job stressors characterized by high amounts of "job difficulty", less amounts of "achievement in job", and less amounts of "support by colleagues", and also with high amounts of personal distress and difficulty in changing their mood. Those who complained of poor sleep quality exhibited sympathetic predominance and reduced heartbeat intervals at standing rest, although job stressors was not correlated to HRV. These results suggest that their job stress disrupts nightly sleep, and also that their insufficient sleep at night causes daytime sympathetic predominance. However, the amount of job stressors was not directly associated with HRV. Further studies should focus on the relationships among chronic job stress, the satisfaction of sleep demands, and the daily and long-term variation in cardiac autonomic activities.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Aging and Hashimoto's thyroiditis].

Analysis of patients with persistent hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis suggested that metabolism of thyroxine (T4), including deiodination to triiodothyronine (T3), was reduced in the elderly. The increase in the serum levels of T4 after oral administration of T4 was augmented in the elderly, whereas increase in the serum T3 level was not. Possibly due to the reduction in the pituitary deiodinase, suppression by T4 administration of serum thyrotropin (TSH) level was the same in elderly as in younger subjects despite a larger increase in the serum levels of T4 in the elderly. Consequently, the amount of T4 required to maintain a normal serum TSH level did not differ between elderly and younger subjects. Other characteristics of elderly patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis were that goiter size was smaller, that hypothyroidism was more frequent, and that Graves' disease was less frequent.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Aberrant p16INK4 expression related to clinical stage and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The p16 tumor suppressor gene is thought to play an important role in cell cycle regulation by encoding for protein products that can inhibit the progression from G1 to S phase in the cell cycle. Recently, the p16 gene has been found to be mutated or deleted in a variety of different types of primary human malignant tumors and human-derived malignant tumor cell lines. In this study, primary ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas from 32 human patients were analyzed immunohistochemically for expression of p16 protein, with emphasis on the role of abberant p16 protein expression as a prognostic indicator. In addition, the same tumors were also assessed for p53 protein expression, AgNOR counts, and DNA ploidy. Nineteen out of the 32 cases (59%) showed positive immunoreactivity for p16 protein in their tumors and a significant association was found between lack of p16 protein expression, and both advancing clinical stage classification of disease, and poorer survival (p<0.05). The rate of positive immunoreactivity for p53 protein expression was 59%, however, no clear association was found between p53 protein expression, and either clinical stage of disease, or survival. These findings suggest that alteration of the p53 gene may be a relatively early event in pancreatic tumorigenesis, whereas alteration of the p16 gene is more likely to be correlated with tumor progression in pancreatic malignancies. Further survival analysis revealed that all five of the 32 cases that survived for three years or longer had positive immunostaining for p16 protein, and a relatively low level of AgNOR counts. In four out of five of these patients, the tumors also exhibited negative immunostaining for p53 protein and DNA diploidy. These findings suggest that molecular analysis of patient tumor sections may yield potentially useful prognostic indicators for patients undergoing surgical resection for pancreatic cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Diminished fibrinolysis and thrombosis: clinical implications for accelerated atherosclerosis.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Cytokines and oxygen-centered free radicals implicated in insulin resistance stimulate adipocyte and endothelial production of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), the primary physiologic inhibitor of fibrinolysis, in vitro. In obese hyperinsulinemic animal models simulating insulin resistance, plasma PAI-1 activity is increased. As the cardiovascular risk profile in specific populations may differ, endogenous fibrinolysis in lean and obese subjects was characterized and the mechanisms underlying differences were identified. Obese subjects (body mass index > 26) exhibited increased blood levels of PAI-1 antigen compared with corresponding values in lean controls. Blood t-PA antigen differed as well, yet basal endogenous fibrinolytic activity was decreased because of the high PAI-1 activity. The increased PAI-1 level was associated with increased levels of immunoreactive insulin (IRI). In diabetic subjects, coronary atherectomy specimens exhibited strong positive PAI-1 immunostaining, suggesting that in the diabetic vascular wall, intramural fibrinolytic activity is diminished. Using the oral glucose tolerance test, patients with significant stenosis confirmed by coronary angiography exhibited increased sigmaIRI, sigmaBS, sigmaIRI/sigmaBS, and IRI at 120 min compared to subjects without significant stenosis. IRI at 120 min was closely correlated with the severity of coronary artery disease. These results indicate that adipocyte overproduction of PAI-1 by insulin induces decreased endogenous fibrinolytic activity and contributes to the accelerated coronary macroangiopathy in hyperinsulinemic obese subjects with insulin resistance.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[A case of acute empyema who underwent omentopexy and was found to have gastric cancer during operation].

A 76-year-old man had undergone omentopexy for empyema. He was found to have gastric cancer and revealed Borrmann III by gastroendoscopy intraoperative period. Segmental gastrectomy was performed without dissection of lymph nodes, because his general condition was poor. After operation, the patient showed septic shock, ARDS and hepato-renal failure but his condition was getting improved by conservative therapy. After 5 years later, he was examined gastro-endoscopy, abdominal and chest CT and revealed no recurrence sign.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

[Clinical study on 17 cases of genitourinary tuberculosis].

Between 1987 and 1995, 17 patients with genitourinary tuberculosis were treated at Iwate Prefectural Central Hospital. The incidence of newly diagnosed genitourinary tuberculosis was 17 out of 16,363 outpatients (0.1%) during the 9-year period. Twelve patients had urinary tuberculosis and genital as well as urinary organs were affected in 5. Six (35%) patients presented in their fifties and 5 (29%) each in their forties and sixties. Nine (53%) patients had irritative voiding symptoms as the chief complaint. Only 29% had a known history of extra-genitourinaty tuberculosis. In addition to the standard multidrug chemotherapy, nephrectomy was performed in 5 patients and orchiectomy in 2 with epididymal tuberculosis. The incidence of tuberculosis has recently increased in many parts of our country and more attention should be paid to genitourinary tuberculosis.

Adult↗