Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Koga.
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To investigate possible involvement of Th1-type immunoreaction in the development of skin lesions of atopic dermatitis (AD), we measured mite-antigen-stimulated production of IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma, using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from 23 patients with AD who developed positive patch test reactions to house dust mite antigens extracted from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp). Incubation of these PBMC with the Dp antigen for 72 h produced marked secretion of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, but not IL-4, indicating that Dp-specific T cells were found in these patients' circulating peripheral blood and were capable of producing IL-2 and IFN-gamma, known as major mediators of the delayed-type allergic reaction. Our study suggests that Th1-type cells may be involved in the development of skin lesions of AD patients with positive patch test reactions to house dust mite antigen.
Interactions between clarithromycin and biofilms formed by Staphylococcus epidermidis were investigated by using a clarithromycin-resistant strain. Treatment of the colonization with a relatively low concentration of clarithromycin resulted in the eradication of slime-like structure and a decrease in the quantity of hexose. Another result was increased penetration of antibiotics through the biofilm of S. epidermidis.
The reactivities of antibodies in human serum and saliva to a cell surface protein antigen (PAc) of Streptococcus mutans and synthetic peptides covering the PAc molecule were examined. Both an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting (immunoblotting) showed that all the serum samples from five adult subjects harboring serotype c S. mutans in their oral cavity reacted with recombinant PAc (rPAc). On the other hand, the serum from a 4-month-old infant did not react with rPAc in ELISA. The immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in saliva samples from the five adult subjects reacted with rPAc. However, in saliva samples from these subjects, the titers of IgA antibody to rPAc did not correlate with the titers of serum antibody to the antigen. To map continuous antigenic epitopes in the PAc molecule, we synthesized 153 decapeptides covering the entire mature PAc molecule, 121 overlapping decapeptides covering the alanine-rich repeating region (A-region) of the PAc molecule, and 21 overlapping decapeptides covering the middle region (residues 824 to 853) according to multiple pin-coupled peptide synthesis technology. Of 153 decapeptides covering the mature PAc, 27 decapeptides showed a strong reaction with the antibodies in serum from the adult subjects. The epitope-scanning patterns in the serum samples from these subjects were also very similar to each other. The antigenic epitope patterns in the saliva resembled those in the serum. However, the ELISA titers of salivary IgA antibodies to these decapeptides differed from the titers of the serum antibody. Of the 121 overlapping decapeptides covering the A-region, 27 decapeptides showed a positive reaction with the antibodies in serum from the adult subjects. All of these 27 decapeptides had either one or two of the five common sequences YQAXL, NADAKA, VQKAN, NNAKNA, and IKKRNA. Six decapeptides of the 21 overlapping decapeptides covering the middle region reacted strongly with the serum antibodies from a high PAc responder, and each of the six decapeptides had one of the two common sequences KVTKEKP and VKPTAPTK. These epitopes might therefore be relevant to the humoral responses against the PAc protein during natural infection with S. mutans in humans.
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Adherence to salivary pellicle-coated tooth surfaces and aggregation by salivary components of Streptococcus mutans involves a major cell surface protein termed antigen (Ag) I/II. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the affinity and specificity of the interactions between AgI/II and human saliva in assays of 125I-AgI/II binding to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (SHA) and of S. mutans aggregation by salivary agglutinin (SAG), monitored turbidimetrically. 125I-AgI/II binding to SHA followed saturation kinetics, and Scatchard plot analysis indicated two binding sites with dissociation constants of the order of 10(-10) mol/L and 10(-9) mol/L. The binding to SHA of the C-terminal one-third of AgI/II which corresponds to AgII was less than one-fifth that of the whole molecule and did not show evidence of saturation. The binding of 125I-AgI/II was inhibited by native or recombinant fragments that mapped in the N-terminal part of the molecule and that contained the alanine-rich repeat region, whereas fragments mapping at the central or C-terminal one-third had no effect. As with binding to SHA, the regions of AgI/II which inhibited aggregation mapped at the N-terminal part of the molecule, but, in addition, a recombinant segment mapping at the central part and containing the proline-rich repeat region was also inhibitory. The S. mutans-aggregating activity of SAG or whole saliva was inhibited by amino compounds, and most strongly by L-lysine and analogues possessing omega-primary amine groups. These data support the role of AgI/II as an adhesin with high-affinity binding for SHA receptors, mediated by the N-terminal part of the molecule. This region is also involved in SAG-induced S. mutans aggregation, which is sensitive to amino compounds.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent bone resorbing factor. We investigated the effect of LPS on osteoclast formation in three types of cultures. LPS inhibited osteoclast formation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], in a dose-dependent manner, in cultures of whole bone marrow cells without dexamethasone. LPS increased the amount of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the culture supernatant, and anti-GM-CSF antiserum almost abolished the inhibition of osteoclast formation by LPS, thereby indicating that GM-CSF generated by treatment with LPS may be responsible for the inhibition of osteoclast formation. In cultures with dexamethasone, the amount of GM-CSF was decreased to one-third of that with 1,25(OH)2D3 alone and was not changed by treatment with LPS. In this culture system, LPS enhanced osteoclast formation. In the coculture system of nonadherent bone marrow cells and a stromal cell line in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3 and dexamethasone, where no detectable GM-CSF was present in the supernatant, LPS markedly enhanced osteoclast formation, whereas exogenously added GM-CSF (100 pg/ml) almost completely inhibited osteoclast formation. LPS stimulated pit formation on dentin slices by the osteoclast-like cells formed by in vitro culture system.
We investigated the effect of glucocorticoid on the generation of osteoclasts. In mouse bone marrow culture systems, dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid analog, enhanced osteoclast-like cell formation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] in a dose-dependent manner. Conversely, dexamethasone inhibited the endogenous production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in bone marrow cultures. GM-CSF, when added exogenously, suppressed not only the osteoclast-like cell formation induced by 1,25-(OH)2D3, but also the stimulatory effect of dexamethasone, and addition of anti-GM-CSF neutralizing antibody to the cultures significantly increased the osteoclast-like cell formation induced by 1,25-(OH)2D3. These observations suggest that dexamethasone directly affects bone marrow cells and enhances osteoclast generation by inhibiting the endogenous production of GM-CSF, which may function as a negative regulator of osteoclast formation.
Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of novel 4-[2-(5-ethyl-2-thienyl)]-2-[2-(1-imidazolyl)ethyl]-1(2H)-phthalazinone s are described. The phenyl moiety of the phthalazinone skeleton was found to play an important role in both thromboxane A2 synthetase-inhibitory and bronchodilatory activities.
Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of several compounds related to 2-[2-(1-imidazolyl)ethyl]-4-(3-pyridyl)-1(2H)-phthalazinones are described. The phenyl moiety of the phthalazinone skeleton was found to play an important role in both thromboxane A2 synthetase-inhibitory and bronchodilatory activities. Further, the 3-pyridyl group at the 4-position was shown to be necessary for in vivo thromboxane A2 synthetase-inhibitory activity.
Anatomical structure and movements of tail muscles were studied in 12 adult cats. Tail muscles mainly consisted of the following 6 muscles on both sides, M. sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis (SDM), M. sacrocaudalis dorsalis lateralis (SDL), M. coccygeus lateralis (CL), M. coccygeus medialis (CM), M. sacrocaudalis ventralis lateralis (SVL) and M. sacrocaudalis ventralis medialis (SVM). Experiments by electrical stimulation of muscles demonstrated that the tail is bent to the dorsal direction by actions of SDM and SDL, curved laterally by those of SDL, CL, CM and SVL, bent to the ventral direction by those of SVL and SVM, and rolled by those of CL and CM on both sides. Contraction of SDL and SVL produced rapid and strong tail movements by actions of their long tendons.
We present an unusual case of a patient with chronic hepatitis C who experienced dyspnea, fever, and cough after 2 1/2 months' treatment with interferon. His radiograph demonstrated diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid showed an increase in lymphocytes, especially CD8-positive cells. The lung biopsy findings were bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). The pulmonary symptoms disappeared and the chest radiograph became normal after interferon therapy was discontinued and corticosteroid therapy was given. Interferon is suspected to be responsible for the BOOP.
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Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has been recently developed as a new diagnostic technique for portal hypertension. However, its conventional water-filled balloon technique is not suitable for the evaluation of esophageal varices, because the vessel lumen is compressed by the inflated balloon. Particularly for small varices, the vessel tends to collapse and is difficult to display. A miniature ultrasonic probe for use via the forceps channel in EUS has been developed and is expected to overcome this difficulty. Here we report the efficacy of this new probe in patients with esophago-gastric varices. Instead of using a water-filled balloon for an acoustic window, we displayed the EUS findings from the new probe in direct contact with gastrointestinal wall by removing air from the lumen under vacuum. Both conventional endoscopy and the new EUS were performed on 3 patients with esophageal varices. The transforceps-channel ultrasonic probe visualized grade 1 varices in addition to the larger varices, confirming this technique to be a useful method for assessing of esophageal varices. Moreover, this method does not require a specially designed endoscope for EUS, rather it can be employed in combination with conventional endoscopy. We conclude that this new technique is a preferred diagnostic technique, and it should become more widely accepted for routine clinical applications.
A correlation was observed between the values of specificity constant (kcat/Km) of carbonyl reductase from rabbit liver for acetohexamide analogs and their partition coefficients. This result indicates that the hydrophobicity in straight-chain alkyl groups of acetohexamide analogs plays an important role in the catalytic activity and substrate-binding capacity of the enzyme. Furthermore, the double logarithmic plots of kcat/Km values of the enzyme for 4-acetylpyridine analogs with a straight-chain alkyl group up to five carbon atoms against their partition coefficients gave a straight line. On the other hand, the plots for 4-acetylpyridine analogs with a straight-chain alkyl group over five carbon atoms and with a branched-chain alkyl group were away from the straight line. It is reasonable to postulate that a hydrophobic pocket is located in the substrate-binding domain of the enzyme.
Synthetic DL-myo-inositol 1,2,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (DL-Ins-(1,2,4,5)P4) functioned as a full agonist, with only 3-fold less potency than D-Ins(1,4,5)P3 in eliciting the release of Ca2+ from nonmitochondrial pools of permeabilized rat basophilic leukemic cells. DL-Ins(1,2,4,5)P4 inhibited the binding of D-[3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 to the purified D-Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor with almost the same potency as seen for the Ca2+ release. This compound inhibited the hydrolysis of D-[3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 to D-[3H]Ins(1,4)P2 catalyzed by erythrocyte ghosts, with a Ki value of as low as 1.4 microM, but it could not serve as a substrate for the same enzyme. D-Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase in rat brain cytosol did not recognize the compound at concentrations up to 30 microM. Thus, it would appear that DL-Ins(1,2,4,5)P4 can serve as a potent and long lasting experimental and pharmacological tool for stimulating D-Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediating processes.