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Biomedical subjects

T Kojima

Publications and source records attributed to T Kojima.

At least 739 records · Page 41Linked to original sources

Modified splenorenal shunt with splenopancreatic disconnection.

Distal splenorenal shunt with splenopancreatic disconnection is a difficult surgical procedure; therefore its use is not widespread. We present a modified technique that facilitates the procedure and also ensures maintenance of portal flow by adding gastric devascularization and gastric disconnection. Our results compare favorably with the standard distal splenorenal shunt.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

[Primary cytoreductive surgery of advanced ovarian cancer with special reference to the significance of bowel resection].

The importance of cf cytoreductive surgery is discussed with special reference to the bowel resection for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. In the 10.5-year period from January 1978 to June 1988, 134 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were seen at Toranomon Hospital. Two (15%) out of 13 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer at stage II underwent bowel resection to achieve cytoreduction, 10 (31%) out of 32 at stage III, and 4 (36%) out of 11 at stage IV, respectively. Modified posterior pelvic exenteration was the most common operative procedure among the bowel resections. In this procedure, resection of both sigmoid colon and rectum and end-to-end anastomosis was carried out. Besides bowel resection, all patients at stage II-IV had abdominal hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with or without omentectomy. Comparison of the treatment was by the method of Kaplan-Meier and the Wilcoxon test. The following results were obtained. 1) Five-year survival rate for patients with bowel resection was 60%, compared to 39% for those undergoing operation without bowel resection (p less than 0.05). 2) Two-year survival for patients having residual cancer even after bowel resection was 61%, compared to 28% for those with residual cancer without bowel resection (p less than 0.05). 3) Two-year survival for patients with residual cancer greater than 2 cm was 8%, compared to 62% for those with residual cancer less than 1.9 cm (p less than 0.05). 4) Four patients who died of cancer 15-26 months after the initial treatment including bowel resection spent 65-85% (mean 76%) of the survival period with normal or subnormal activity, against 0-85% (mean 30%) for 6 patients without bowel resection and with the matched survival period of 15-26 months. Also, the former spent 19-33% (mean 27%) of their survival period in the hospital, against 20-67% (mean 39%) by the latter. These results suggest that bowel resection should be encouraged in order to achieve optimal cytoreduction in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer because of its effectiveness in prolonging survival and the inherent benefits for quality of life.

Fallopian Tubes↗

[Bone drilling simulation by three-dimensional imaging].

The three-dimensional display technique has a wide range of medical applications. Pre-operative planning is one typical application: in orthopedic surgery, three-dimensional image processing has been used very successfully. We have employed this technique in pre-operative planning for orthopedic surgery, and have developed a simulation system for bone-drilling. Positive results were obtained by pre-operative rehearsal; when a region of interest is indicated by means of a mouse on the three-dimensional image displayed on the CRT, the corresponding region appears on the slice image which is displayed simultaneously. Consequently, the status of the bone-drilling is constantly monitored. In developing this system, we have placed emphasis on the quality of the reconstructed three-dimensional images, on fast processing, and on the easy operation of the surgical planning simulation.

Computer Simulation↗

Expression of sodium pump activities in BALB/c 3T3 cells transfected with cDNA encoding alpha 3-subunits of rat brain Na+,K+-ATPase.

The cDNAs encoding alpha 3-subunits of rat brain Na+,K+-ATPase and the neomycin resistance gene were incorporated into BALB/c 3T3 cells by the co-transfection method. Stably transformed cells were selected with 300 micrograms/ml of neomycin (G-418) for 6 weeks. Northern blot analysis using the 3'-non-translated region of the cDNA as a probe revealed that the alpha 3 mRNA appeared in transfected cells. Na+,K+-ATPase activity of the transfected cells was twice that of wild-type cells. Regarding ouabain sensitivity, the Na+,K+-ATPase showed two Ki values for ouabain (8 x 10(-8) and 4.5 x 10(-5) M) in transfected cells while wild-type cells displayed only the higher value. Ouabain sensitivity of Rb+ uptake also demonstrated two Ki values in the transfected cells (8 x 10(-8) and 4 x 10(-5) M) and a Ki in wild-type cells of 4 x 10(-5) M. It is concluded that alpha 3 is a highly ouabain-sensitive catalytic subunit of Na+,K+-ATPase. It is also suggested that ouabain sensitivity is exclusively determined by the properties of the alpha-subunit rather than the beta-subunit. This is the first report on the catalytic characteristics of the alpha 3 isoform of Na+,K+-ATPase.

Animals↗

Endothelin is a potent secretagogue for atrial natriuretic peptide in cultured rat atrial myocytes.

Using cultured neonatal rat atrial cardiocytes, we have studied the effect of synthetic porcine endothelin (pET), a novel potent vasoconstrictor isolated from endothelial cells, on the release of immunoreactive (IR) rat atrial natriuretic peptide (rANP). pET stimulated IR-rANP secretion in a dose-dependent manner (10(-10)-10(-7) M) with an approximate half-maximally stimulatory dose of 2 x 10(-10) M. The pET-induced IR-rANP secretion was attenuated by Ca2+-channel blocker nicardipine, but no further stimulation was induced when combined with a Ca2+-channel agonist BAY-K 8644. pET in combination with tetradecanoyl-phorbol-acetate resulted in a synergistic effect on IR-rANP secretion. These data suggest that ET may play as an endogenous secretagogue for rANP by modulating Ca2+ influx through the voltage-dependent Ca2+-channels in atrial cardiocytes.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

Microassay for GM1 ganglioside beta-galactosidase activity using high-performance liquid chromatography.

A simple and sensitive assay for GM1 ganglioside (GM1) beta-galactosidase activity was devised by direct measurement of released D-galactose using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). GM1 beta-galactosidase activity in crude samples such as brain homogenates could be measured by this method. After incubation of brain homogenate for 1 h with GM1 at 37 degrees C and pH 4.4 in the presence of sodium taurodeoxycholate, the reaction was terminated by heating at 100 degrees C for 2 min and the supernatant from the centrifuged sample was analysed directly by HPLC. D-Galactose isolated by HPLC was converted into a fluorescent compound by a post-column reaction with arginine at 150 degrees C and the fluorescence intensity at 430 nm was measured with excitation at 320 nm. By this method 10 pmol of D-galactose could be measured and the fluorescence intensity was linear up to 1 mmol of D-galactose. Using this method, the optimal conditions for the activity of this enzyme were re-examined. As an application, the enzyme activity in the brain of a patient with GM1 gangliosidosis was examined. This method can be applied to any natural substrates, glycolipids or glycoproteins, the terminal galactose of which is hydrolysed by this enzyme.

Brain↗

Developmental changes in density and distribution of serotoninergic fibers in the chick spinal cord.

Developmental changes of serotoninergic innervation in the chick spinal cord (third lumbosacral segment) were examined with an immunohistochemical technique using an antiserum to serotonin. In the 1-day-old hatched chick, serotoninergic fibers were located in laminae I, II, VII, IX, and X. A large number of serotonin-positive fibers and terminals were found around somal profiles of large neurons and in the neuropil of the medial and lateral parts of the lateral motor column (LMC). In the 1-week-old chick, the density of serotoninergic fibers was greatly increased in the posterior columns, and serotoninergic fibers were most densely aggregated in the dorsolateral part of the LMC. In the 2-week-old chick, a considerable decrease in the density of serotoninergic fibers was observed in the lateral funiculus and the gray matter (laminae I, II, VII, IX, and X). In the LMC, serotonin-positive fibers and terminals were largely absent from the neuropil, but were found preferentially around the somal profiles of large neurons. Between 1 and 2 weeks after hatching the density of varicosities and terminals in the neuropil of the dorsolateral and medial parts of the LMC decreased by 33% and 56%, respectively. In the 3-month-old chick, the density of serotoninergic fibers in laminae I, II, V, VII, and X had increased compared to younger ages. Serotonin-positive fibers were not evenly distributed in the LMC of the adult chicken; rather, they were densely aggregated around the soma and proximal dendrites of motoneurons in the dorsolateral LMC. Many neuronal soma in the medial and intermediate regions of the LMC lacked serotoninergic fibers.

Animals↗

Quinolone-resistant mutations of the gyrA gene of Escherichia coli.

DNA fragments of 8.5 kb containing the gyrA gene were cloned from Escherichia coli KL-16 and from four spontaneous gyrA mutants which showed various levels of resistance to quinolones. The gyrA gene was situated at about 4 kb in front of the nrdA gene and transcribed counterclockwise on the E. coli chromosome. It encoded a polypeptide of 875 amino acids with a molecular weight of about 97,000. The four gyrA mutations were located strikingly close to one another within a small region near the N-terminus of the gyrA polypeptide, i.e., nucleotide changes from C to T, from C to G, from G to T and from G to T at nucleotides 248, 248, 318 and 199, respectively, resulting in amino acid changes from Ser to Leu, from Ser to Trp, from Gln to His and from Ala to Ser at amino acids 83, 83, 106 and 67, respectively. These mutations were situated in the relatively hydrophilic regions of the GyrA polypeptide and close to Tyr at amino acid 122 which has been shown to be the site covalently bound to DNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effects of human interferon on cellular response to UV in UV-sensitive human cell strains.

Cells of a human RSa cell line, with high sensitivity to UV killing and low capacity for DNA repair, when pretreated with 1-100 units/ml of human interferon (HuIFN) preparations for more than 12 h before irradiation, acquired an enhancement of UV-induced DNA-repair replication synthesis in association with recovery from inhibition of total cellular DNA synthesis and UV survival. Prompt and transient induction of plasminogen activator activities was also found within 5 min after UV irradiation in the cells pretreated with HuIFN but not in the cells non-pretreated with HuIFN. The enhancement and induction effects of HuIFN were observed, irrespective of the kind of HuIFN preparation used (alpha, beta or gamma, and natural or recombinant) and in other UV-sensitive fibroblast cells which were derived from Cockayne syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts (XP1KY). However, all of the enhancement of DNA-repair synthesis and the induction of plasminogen activator activities by HuIFN was suppressed by treatment with cycloheximide immediately after UV irradiation.

Cell Line↗

Effect of ice nucleation by droplet of immobilized silver iodide on freezing of rabbit and bovine embryos.

Silver iodide was immobilized by applying the insoluble reaction between sodium alginate and calcium chloride. The immobilized silver iodide was immersed into a freezing solution in order to trigger ice nucleation. Temperature change during cooling and postthaw in vitro development of embryos were examined in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the immobilized silver iodide (AgI alginate-gel droplet) on embryo development. Samples containing the AgI alginate-gel droplets released the latent heat of fusion at a higher subzero temperature than samples without the AgI alginate-gel droplets. When the AgI alginate-gel droplet was added to the freezing solution of rabbit and bovine embryos, they were successfully preserved in liquid nitrogen.

Journal Article↗

Abnormally high alcohol concentration in the heart blood.

A 46-year-old male alcoholic whose whereabouts had been unknown for about a month was found dead at the foot of a cliff 31 m deep. Fractures of the mandible, thorax and left patella were found at autopsy, but fatal injury to the brain or other organs was not observed. The alcohol distribution was 7.44 mg/g in the heart blood, 13.91 mg/g in the left thoracic cavity fluid and 1.88 mg/g in the urine. The high ethanol concentration in the heart blood was assumed to be mainly due to the diffusion of ethanol from the contents of the stomach and postmortem production of ethanol. It was decided that the cause of death was not acute alcohol intoxication but respiratory failure caused by fractures of the thorax.

Body Fluids↗

Cyanide distribution in five fatal cyanide poisonings and the effect of storage conditions on cyanide concentration in tissue.

The cyanide distribution in five fatal cyanide poisonings was analyzed by the pyridine-pyrazolone method using a Conway diffusion cell. In order to study the effect of storage conditions on cyanide concentration in tissue samples, the cyanide concentrations were first measured immediately after collection of the samples at autopsy, then measured again after storage in a refrigerator (4 degrees C) or in a freezer (-20 degrees C) for periods ranging from 1 day to 3 weeks. Concentrations in all but three of the blood samples stored at 4 degrees C or -20 degrees C increased, with concentration ratios based on measurement made before and after storage ranging from 0.71 to 1.46. The concentrations in the liver, kidney, and brain samples either increased or decreased, with ratios of from 0.2 to 8.8. The concentrations in the stomach contents samples decreased rapidly at 4 degrees C, but hardly changed at all at -20 degrees C.

Adult↗

A case of Ebstein's anomaly with double mitral valve.

A 5-month-old male infant with no history of serious illness died suddenly and unexpectedly. He was found dead under a heavy 'futon', a coverlet, which covered the whole of his body. As it was suspected he may have been smothered, a medicolegal autopsy was performed, and it was discovered that the infant had Ebstein's anomaly with double mitral valve. The cause of death appeared to be due to heart failure caused by this congenital heart disease.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Transvenous balloon occlusion of the cavernous sinus: an alternative therapeutic choice for recurrent traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas.

We report a case of traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) that recurred some 9 years after carotid trapping. The recurrent CCF was accompanied by a huge aneurysmal dilatation of the cavernous sinus. Transarterial balloon occlusion of the proximal internal carotid artery failed to occlude the fistula completely because of collateral flow to the fistula. the fistula was completely occluded by a transvenous approach via the jugular vein and inferior petrosal sinus using detachable balloons. The transjugular-inferior petrosal approach to the cavernous sinus can be an alternative for the treatment of traumatic CCF when the transarterial approach has failed to occlude the cavernous sinus.

Adult↗