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Biomedical subjects

T Kato

Publications and source records attributed to T Kato.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Occurrence of BOOP outside radiation field after radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer].

We report a case of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) that occurred outside the radiation field after radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer. A 74-year-old woman received chemotherapy and a total of 60 Gy of radiation therapy to the right hilum and mediastinum for small cell carcinoma of the suprahilar area of the right lung. Radiation pneumonitis developed within the radiation port 3 months after the completion of radiation therapy. She complained of cough and was admitted 7 months after completion of the radiation therapy. Chest radiography and computed tomography demonstrated peripheral alveolar opacities outside the radiation field on the side contralateral to that receiving the radiation therapy. Bronchoalveolar lavage showed that the total cell count was increased, with a markedly increased percentage of lymphocytes. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed a histologic pattern consistent with BOOP. Treatment with corticosteroids resulted in rapid improvement of the symptoms and complete resolution of the radiographic abnormalities of the left lung. Although some cases of BOOP following radiation therapy for breast cancer have been reported, none of BOOP after radiation therapy for lung cancer have appeared in the literature.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Molecular epidemiology and cancer prevention].

Environmental factors act in concert with individual susceptibility to cause most human cancers. The modulation of these environmental factors by host susceptibility has rarely been evaluated. Recently, the molecular epidemiology of human cancer has been extended to a study clarifying individual variation and gene-environmental interactions by integrating molecular biology, in vitro and in vivo laboratory models, biochemistry and epidemiology to infer individual cancer risk. This article briefly reviews genetic polymorphisms frequently used in molecular epidemiological studies and shows, as an example, a possible association between the genetic polymorphisms of CYP17 genes and prostate cancer risk.

Androgens↗
PubMed2001

[Study on the effects of walking on functional fitness in aged patients with the hand-arm vibration syndrome].

PURPOSE: This article reports the effectiveness of mild walking exercise for maintaining functional fitness in aged patients with the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients suffering from vibration syndrome, for which they received annual compulsory examination from December 1998 to March 1999 at the San-in Rosai Hospital, were examined. They all were male, with a mean age (standard deviation) of 69.1 (7.3) years, and were randomly allocated to an intervention group (N = 26) and a control group (N = 26). The goal of the intervention was to achieve and maintain at least 30 minutes of walking a day. Functional fitness was assessed by a sitting and standing test, a zigzag walking test, a hand working test with a pegboard for dexterity, and a self-care working test proposed by the Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meiji Life Foundation of Health and Welfare. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding baseline characteristics. The proportions of subjects with regular exercise habits after the intervention were 84.6% (22/26) and 53.8% (14/26) in the intervention and control groups, respectively, the difference being significant. The total scores for functional fitness were improved in the intervention, while decline was noted in the control group. Sitting and standing and self-care working ability were also improved in the intervention group as against the deterioration with age in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show to some extent that intervention using mild exercise, walking for 30 min, is effective for aged patients with HAVS to maintain and improve functional fitness.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[A case of recurrent aseptic meningitis caused by high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin therapy for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy].

We experienced a patient of CIDP who was twice complicated with aseptic meningitis following high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin therapy. The patient was a 29-year-old woman who first developed gait disturbance in September 1998. Neurological examination revealed muscle weakness and sensory disturbance in the distal parts of four extremities and decrease of deep tendon reflexes. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed an elevated protein content and a normal cell count. Steroid therapy was effective in early stage, however, this effectiveness had been reduced gradually. She received high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin administrations in September 1999. On the fourth day after start of this therapy, she developed severe headache, nausea and nuchal rigidity without fever. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed an increased cell count of mononuclear predominance and an elevated protein content. As bacterial culture remained negative and viral titers were not elevated, aseptic meningitis was diagnosed. The therapy was stopped, and thereafter her headache continued for 7 days. The muscle weakness and sensory disturbance were remarkably improved, but 9 months later, her symptoms became worse again. She received high-dose gammaglobulin administrations for 2 days in June 2000 and developed aseptic meningitis again. Over again, 9 months later, she received the same medication for only 1 day in March 2001 and she developed mild headache but not meningitis. Aseptic meningitis with CIDP following high-dose gammaglobulin therapy was rare, however, we should pay attention to this therapy in patients with CIDP and may prevent the occurrence of aseptic meningitis by reducing the total dose and shortening the administration periods of gammaglobulin.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Complete structure of the chloroplast genome of a legume, Lotus japonicus.

The nucleotide sequence of the entire chloroplast genome (150,519 bp) of a legume, Lotus japonicus, has been determined. The circular double-stranded DNA contains a pair of inverted repeats of 25,156 bp which are separated by a small and a large single copy region of 18,271 bp and 81,936 bp, respectively. A total of 84 predicted protein-coding genes including 7 genes duplicated in the inverted repeat regions, 4 ribosomal RNA genes and 37 tRNA genes (30 gene species) representing 20 amino acids species were assigned on the genome based on similarity to genes previously identified in other chloroplasts. All the predicted genes were conserved among dicot plants except that rpl22, a gene encoding chloroplast ribosomal protein CL22, was missing in L. japonicus. Inversion of a 51-kb segment spanning rbcL to rpsl6 (positions 5161-56,176) in the large single copy region was observed in the chloroplast genome of L. japonicus. The sequence data and gene information are available on our World Wide Web database at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/en/plant/database.html.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2000

Complete genome structure of the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacterium Mesorhizobium loti.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the genome of a symbiotic bacterium Mesorhizobium loti strain MAFF303099 was determined. The genome of M. loti consisted of a single chromosome (7,036,071 bp) and two plasmids, designated as pMLa (351,911 bp) and pMLb (208, 315 bp). The chromosome comprises 6752 potential protein-coding genes, two sets of rRNA genes and 50 tRNA genes representing 47 tRNA species. Fifty-four percent of the potential protein genes showed sequence similarity to genes of known function, 21% to hypothetical genes, and the remaining 25% had no apparent similarity to reported genes. A 611-kb DNA segment, a highly probable candidate of a symbiotic island, was identified, and 30 genes for nitrogen fixation and 24 genes for nodulation were assigned in this region. Codon usage analysis suggested that the symbiotic island as well as the plasmids originated and were transmitted from other genetic systems. The genomes of two plasmids, pMLa and pMLb, contained 320 and 209 potential protein-coding genes, respectively, for a variety of biological functions. These include genes for the ABC-transporter system, phosphate assimilation, two-component system, DNA replication and conjugation, but only one gene for nodulation was identified.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed2000

Triparental origin of Damask roses.

Damask roses are one group of old rose varieties and a key material in old European rose improvement in the 19th century. To clarify the origin of Damask roses, we selected four varieties as the oldest Damask varieties and examined the relationship between the Damask varieties and their putative ancestors at the molecular level. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of the Damask varieties proved that they had an identical profile, indicating they were established from a common ancestor. They have never been allowed to reproduce sexually; their reproduction depends entirely on vegetative propagation. We identified three Rosa species, R. moschata, R. gallica and R. fedschenkoana, as parental species of the original hybridization that contributed to forming the four oldest Damask varieties by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA. We also found that all the four oldest Damask varieties had chloroplasts derived only from R. moschata, as judged from psbA-trnH spacer sequences. This triparental origin of the four oldest Damask varieties can explain some morphological characteristics of the four oldest Damask varieties, like fruit shape, leaf color and the 'Moss' character.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Sequence and analysis of chromosome 5 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

The genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been sequenced by an international collaboration, The Arabidopsis Genome Initiative. Here we report the complete sequence of chromosome 5. This chromosome is 26 megabases long; it is the second largest Arabidopsis chromosome and represents 21% of the sequenced regions of the genome. The sequence of chromosomes 2 and 4 have been reported previously and that of chromosomes 1 and 3, together with an analysis of the complete genome sequence, are reported in this issue. Analysis of the sequence of chromosome 5 yields further insights into centromere structure and the sequence determinants of heterochromatin condensation. The 5,874 genes encoded on chromosome 5 reveal several new functions in plants, and the patterns of gene organization provide insights into the mechanisms and extent of genome evolution in plants.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Redox properties and coordination structure of the heme in the co-sensing transcriptional activator CooA.

The CO-sensing transcriptional activator CooA contains a six-coordinate protoheme as a CO sensor. Cys(75) and His(77) are assigned to the fifth ligand of the ferric and ferrous hemes, respectively. In this study, we carried out alanine-scanning mutagenesis and EXAFS analyses to determine the coordination structure of the heme in CooA. Pro(2) is thought to be the sixth ligand of the ferric and ferrous hemes in CooA, which is consistent with the crystal structure of ferrous CooA (Lanzilotta, W. N., Schuller, D. J., Thorsteinsson, M. V., Kerby, R. L., Roberts, G. P., and Poulos, T. L. (2000) Nat. Struct. Biol. 7, 876-880). CooA exhibited anomalous redox chemistry, i.e. hysteresis was observed in electrochemical redox titrations in which the observed reduction and oxidation midpoint potentials were -320 mV and -260 mV, respectively. The redox-controlled ligand exchange of the heme between Cys(75) and His(77) is thought to cause the difference between the reduction and oxidation midpoint potentials.

Alanine↗
PubMed2000

Mutagenicity of cooked hamburger is controlled delicately by reducing sugar content in ground beef.

Effect of sugars added to ground beef on the generation of mutagenicity of cooked hamburger was investigated. Mutagenicity of hamburger was assayed by the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain with metabolic activation after the mutagens were purified by use of blue rayon. Intrinsic reducing sugar content in ground beef was estimated to be 0.07% (w/w). Mutagenicity of hamburger was sharply or delicately controlled by the amount of a reducing sugar added to ground beef. Mutagenicity was increased more than 2-folds by addition of 0.08% (w/w) glucose, fructose or lactose but decreased to about a half by addition of more than 0.67% (w/w) each of the reducing sugars. Mutagenicity of cooked hamburger was not influenced by addition of sucrose at the ranges between 0.08 and 0.67% (w/w). When red wine with 0.10% (w/w) equivalent amount of reducing sugars or white wine with 0.13% (w/w) equivalent amount of reducing sugars were added to the ground beef, mutagenicity of cooked hamburger was similarly increased 1.6-1.8-fold. Controlling the reducing sugar content in ground beef would be a simple way to regulate the mutagenicity of cooked hamburgers.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Calmodulin kinases II and IV and calcineurin are involved in leukemia inhibitory factor-induced cardiac hypertrophy in rats.

We recently reported that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) enhances Ca(2+)](i) through an increase in L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca,L)) in adult cardiomyocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether LIF activates Ca(2+)-dependent signaling molecules, such as calcineurin and calmodulin kinases II and IV (CaMKII and CaMKIV), and, if so, whether these Ca(2+)-mediated signaling events contribute to LIF-mediated cardiac hypertrophy. We first confirmed that LIF increased I(Ca,L) and [Ca(2+)](i) in primary cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. Calcineurin, CaMKII, and CaMKIV activities increased at 2 minutes and peaked by 1.6-, 2.2-, and 2.2-fold, respectively, at 15 minutes. Nicardipine or verapamil fully inhibited these activities. Autophosphorylation of CaMKII was also observed to parallel the timing of CaMKII activity, and this phosphorylation was blocked by nicardipine, verapamil, or EGTA. LIF treatment led to a 3-fold increase in nuclear factor of activated T cell-luciferase activity. To confirm that inositol triphosphate (IP(3))-induced Ca(2+) release from sarcoplasmic reticulum was not involved in this process, IP(3) content and phosphorylation of phospholipase Cgamma were investigated. LIF did not increase IP(3) content or phosphorylate phospholipase Cgamma. KN62 (an inhibitor of CaMKII and CaMKIV) attenuated c-fos, brain natriuretic peptide, alpha-skeletal actin, and atrial natriuretic peptide expression. KN62 suppressed the LIF-induced increase in [(3)H]phenylalanine uptake and cell size. Cyclosporin A and FK506 slightly attenuated brain natriuretic peptide but did not affect c-fos or atrial natriuretic peptide expression. Cyclosporin A significantly reduced the LIF-induced increase in [(3)H]phenylalanine uptake. These findings indicated that LIF activated CaMKII, CaMKIV, and calcineurin through an increase in I:(Ca,L) and [Ca(2+)](i) and that CaMKII, CaMKIV, and calcineurin are critically involved in LIF-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed2000

Molecular evolutionary analysis of the complete nucleotide sequence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a case of HBV infection acquired through a needlestick accident.

To elucidate needlestick transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), strains isolated from 1 physician who acquired HBV infection through a needlestick accident and 3 patients with chronic hepatitis B (donor patients A, B, and C) were tested using molecular evolutionary analysis based on full-length HBV genomic sequences. Nucleotide sequences of these isolates were aligned with 55 previously reported full-length genomic sequences. Genetic distances were estimated using the 6-parameter method, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the neighbor-joining method. Strains isolated from patient A and the recipient pair were clustered within a closer range of evolutionary distances than were strains recovered from the recipient pair and patients B and C. Furthermore, strains from patient A and the recipient were also clustered on the S gene sequences of HBV. These results demonstrated that patient A alone was the source of direct transmission to the recipient. This approach can be used to investigate the transmission route of HBV.

Adult↗