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T Kubota

Publications and source records attributed to T Kubota.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Differential regulation of cardiac expression of IL-6 and TNF-alpha by A2- and A3-adenosine receptors.

The proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 have been implicated in the development of congestive heart failure. Adenosine inhibits the expression of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in macrophages. We determined the effect of adenosine on cytokine expression in rat cardiomyocytes and trabecular muscles obtained from patients with cardiomyopathy. In myocytes, adenosine suppressed TNF-alpha mRNA by 40% (P < 0.05) and induced a 4.7-fold increase in IL-6 mRNA (P < 0.05) with a twofold increase in IL-6 protein release (P < 0.001). The effect on TNF-alpha could be replicated by A2 agonist. The effect on IL-6 could be replicated by A3 agonist, but not by A1 and A2 agonists, and was completely suppressed by A3 antagonist. In human trabecular muscles, A2 agonist suppressed TNF-alpha mRNA by 60% (P < 0.05), but adenosine had no effect on IL-6. In the failing heart, IL-6 was immunolocalized to inflammatory cells. Thus A2 and A3 receptors differentially regulate cardiac expression of TNF-alpha and IL-6. Rat cardiomyocytes and the failing human heart respond differently to adenosine.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[A case of Takayasu's arteritis with ulcerative colitis diagnosed by carotodynia and MRI findings].

We experienced a case of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) with ulceritive colitis (UC) having the onset of carotodynia, not accompanied by ischemic symptoms. MRI findings of the neck demonstrated a thickening of the bilateral carotid artery walls. The patient was treated by prednisolone with a marked improvement in both clinical symptoms and MRI findings. The patient had a unique HLA haplotype reported to correlate with both TA and UC. Carotodynia is an early but pathognomonic symptom of TA and MRI is helpful for the early diagnosis of TA.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Growth inhibition of myeloid leukemia cells by troglitazone, a ligand for peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma, and retinoids.

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) plays a central role in the process of adipocyte differentiation. This receptor and its heterodimeric partner, retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha), form a DNA-binding complex that regulates transcription of adipocyte-specific genes. Troglitazone, an antidiabetic drug, has recently been identified as a synthetic ligand for PPARgamma. We studied the effects of troglitazone on proliferation and differentiation of normal and malignant hematopoietic cells. Expression of PPARgamma was easily detectable by Western blot analyses in all five myeloid leukemia cell lines. Troglitazone alone (10-5 M) did not induce differentiation in any of the cell lines; however, this compound suppressed the clonal growth (10-75% of inhibition) of all five myeloid leukemia cell lines. Myelomonocytic U937 cells, which were the most responsive to the growth suppressing effects of troglitazone, were arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle when cultured with this compound. Simultaneous treatment of myeloid leukemia cell lines with both troglitazone and a ligand that specifically binds either RXR (LG100268), or retinoic acid receptors (RAR, ATRA, ALART1550), or both (9-cis RA) resulted in additive suppression of clonal growth. In summary, our studies showed that troglitazone when combined with a retinoid was a moderately potent inhibitor of clonogenic growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Alitretinoin↗
PubMed1999

[Advances in systemic lupus erythematosus].

To help to understand recent progresses in studies on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the essence of the Fifth International Conference on SLE that was successfully held at Cancun, Mexico on April, 1998 is reviewed. Among more than 400 papers, most highlighted topics were (1) relationship between hyperprolactinemia and SLE, (2) molecular mechanisms of antiphospholipid syndrome, (3) roles of anti-endothelial cell antibodies, (4) apoptosis in pathogenesis, (5) autoimmunity against nucleosomes, (6) penetration of autoantibodies into living cells, and so on. Clinical studies on adverse effects of current therapies, pioneer cases of autologous stem cell transplantation for refractory SLE, and other numerous cases that were full of suggestiveness were also reported by physicians from many countries.

Antibodies, Antiphospholipid↗
PubMed1999

[Total intravenous anesthesia for two patients complicated with myotonic dystrophy].

Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol, fentanyl and ketamine (PFK) was given to two patients complicated with myotonic dystrophy. Case-1: A 42-year-old female underwent a hemithyroidectomy. Anesthesia was induced slowly with intravenous ketamine 20 mg and propofol 60 mg. Her tracheal intubation was performed smoothly without any muscle relaxants. Anesthesia was maintained with propofol infusion of 5 mg.kg-1.h-1, ketamine infusion of 0.3 mg.kg-1.h-1 and fentanyl 200 micrograms in total. She regained consciousness 20 minutes after the end of propofol infusion, and 15 minutes later, her trachea was extubated without any troubles. Case-2: A 41-year-old female underwent a removal of left parotid tumor. Anesthesia was induced slowly with ketamine 40 mg and propofol 100 mg intravenously. Anesthesia was maintained with propofol infusion of 5-10 mg.kg-1.h-1, ketamine infusion of 0.5 mg.kg-1.h-1 and fentanyl 350 micrograms in total. No muscle relaxant was used through the surgical procedure. Emergence from anesthesia was observed 10 minutes after the end of propofol infusion and her trachea was extubated. When a nasogastric tube was pulled out, her respiration stopped suddenly and she was intubated again only for two hours without any troubles. In both cases their serum CPK levels and rectal temperatures were very stable. PFK method would be a choice for patients with myotonic dystrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity and messenger RNA level may be related to the antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil on human tumor xenografts in nude mice.

We investigated the correlation between tumor sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the enzymatic activity and mRNA levels of thymidylate synthetase (TS) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) using human tumor xenografts in nude mice. Three gastric carcinoma xenografts (SC-1-NU, St-4, and H-111), two colon carcinoma xenografts (Co-4 and Col-3-JCK), one pancreatic carcinoma xenograft (PAN-3-JCK), and one breast carcinoma xenograft (MX-1) were inoculated into nude mice. When the resultant tumors reached 100-300 mg, 5-FU was administered i.p. at a dose of 60 mg/kg in a schedule of three times every 4 days, and the antitumor activity of 5-FU was evaluated as the relative mean tumor weight in treated mice compared to control mice. Xenografts were also inoculated into untreated nude mice. When tumors weighed 200-300 mg, tumor tissues were resected for measurement of tumoral TS and DPD. TS and DPD activities were detected by the TS-binding assay and a radioenzymatic assay, respectively. mRNA levels were measured by semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR, with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase coamplified as an internal standard. TS and DPD activities ranged from 84.7 to 775.5 fmol/mg protein and from not detectable to 79.7 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. TS and DPD mRNA levels ranged from 0.51 to 9.90 and from not detectable to 0.93, respectively. The enzymatic activities of TS and DPD were correlated with observed mRNA levels. DPD levels were significantly correlated with 5-FU sensitivity, with high DPD activity and high DPD mRNA level resulting in low sensitivity to 5-FU. In contrast, no correlation between TS level and 5-FU sensitivity was observed. Tumoral DPD activity and DPD mRNA level may be useful indicators in predicting the antitumor activity of 5-FU.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Iris vessel involvement in iris-nevus syndrome].

PURPOSE: To report a case of iris-nevus syndrome accompanied by disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier in the iris which was confirmed angiographically and histopathologically. CASE: The patient was a 39-year-old woman. She noticed blurred vision in the left eye which was diagnosed as left glaucoma. Specular microscopy revealed low endothelial cell density in the left cornea. The left iris showed atrophy with clusters of nodular iris nevus and distorted pupil. The left iridocorneal angle was closed with peripheral anterior synechia. FINDINGS: Indocyanine green iris angiography revealed more vessels on the surface of the left iris than on the right. In fluorescein iris angiography, the dye leaked from the iris vessels in areas where the iris showed advanced atrophy. The trabecular tissue obtained by trabeculectomy from the patient's left eye showed histopathologically a lining of corneal endothelial cells on the surface of the iris. The density of the vessels was high in the iris stroma. Some cells covering the vessel wall showed degeneration with opening of the zonula occludens. Schlemm's canal had narrowed lumina, and the intertrabecular spaces were closed. CONCLUSION: Disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier may occur in iris-nevus syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Long-term results of mitral valve regurgitation after surgical repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal defect].

Although the postoperative outcome in patients with incomplete atrioventricular septal defect (iAVSD) is excellent, deterioration of mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is still remained to be resolved. Therefore, this study was undertaken to compare surgical procedures for mitral cleft repair with their long-term results of MR. From 1991 to 1996, 52 patients underwent surgical repair of iAVSD. Age at operation ranged from 2 months to 62 years old with mean age of 14.2 years. Mean follow-up period was 8.6 +/- 4.4 years. All patients underwent patch closure of ostium primum defect. Two patients did not have cleft (Group A). Seven patients did not close the cleft at all (Group B), while 40 patients had the repair of valve by closing cleft near septal attachment only (Group C). The latest 3 patients had the complete closure of cleft from annulus to margin of leaflet where chorda is attached. MR was evaluated by echocardiography grading 0 to IV and regurgitation more than grade II was considered to be significant. In Group A, MR remained grade I. In Group B, MR was deteriorated in 5 patients (71%). Consequently, 6 patients (86%) had grade II or more regurgitation and 4 patients (57%) revealed grade III/IV regurgitation including one (14%) reoperation. In Group C, MR was deteriorated in 10 patients (55%). Consequently, 22 patients (86%) had grade II or more regurgitation and 5 patients (13%) had grade III/IV regurgitation including 3 (7.5%) reoperations. In Group D, no deterioration of MR was noted and all had grade I or less regurgitation. These results suggest that the closure of cleft near septal attachment is not sufficient to prevent MR in late phase and the complete closure of cleft from annulus to margin of leaflet, where chorda is attached, would be useful to prevent the deterioration of MR in late phase.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Gonorrhea].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Gonorrhea↗
PubMed1999

[Surgical indication and problems of patients aged over 70 years with unruptured aneurysms].

Surgical indication and problems of patients aged over 70 years with unruptured aneurysms were investigated. Clinical features of eighteen cases of unruptured cerebral aneurysms were analyzed. The location of the cerebral aneurysms were in the internal carotid artery in five cases, in the middle cerebral artery in ten cases, in the anterior cerebral artery in 2 cases and in the basilar artery in 1 case. The size of the aneurysms was less than 10 mm in diameter in 17 cases and giant in one case. Treatment of these aneurysms was classified into two groups as follows; the conservative treatment group (four cases) and the surgical treatment group (14 cases). The therapeutic results of the conservative group were good recovery in 2 cases, and death in 2 cases. On the other hand, the results of surgical group were good recovery in 12 cases and fair in 2 cases. Operative complications were recognized in two cases. Consciousness disturbance and left hemiparesis was recognized in one case. Right hemiparesis was recognized in the another case. Postoperative MR imagings or CT scan presented small cerebral infarctions in the corona radiata in both cases. The cause of infarction was thought to be the occlusion of lenticulostriate arteries. From these data, in patients aged over 70 years with unruptured cerebral aneurysms, surgery should be considered not only from the aspect of aneurysmal size and its site, but also from the aspect of cerebral blood flow of the patient.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

Hyperacute changes in glucose metabolism of brain tumors after stereotactic radiosurgery: a PET study.

UNLABELLED: Cultured tumor cells show a marked increase in deoxyglucose uptake as early as 3 h after single high-dose irradiation, reflecting hyperacute response of the cells to noxious intervention. To evaluate the hyperacute effect of high-dose irradiation on tumor glucose metabolism in vivo, we measured 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) tumor uptake before and immediately after stereotactic radiosurgery. METHODS: A total of 19 brain tumors (17 metastatic and 2 primary, a meningioma and a central neurocytoma) in eight patients were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. The received dose was between 24 and 32 Gy delivered to the central target point in the tumor. FDG PET was performed within 1 wk before radiosurgery and again 4 h after treatment. The net influx constant (Ki) was calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis using graphical analysis, and the Ki ratio of tumor to ipsilateral cerebellum was used as an index of FDG uptake of the tumor. RESULTS: Eighteen of 19 irradiated tumors, all metastatic tumors and the meningioma, showed a 29.7% +/- 14.0% increase in the Ki ratio, which was significantly higher than that of nonirradiated tumors (4.1% +/- 3.6%, n = 8, P < 0.0001, analysis of variance). In metastatic tumors, an increase in the Ki ratio was significantly correlated with a decrease in the size of the irradiated tumors, as revealed by follow-up with CT or MRI (r = 0.61, P = 0.012, simple regression). The meningioma did not show a significant decrease in size, probably due to the short follow-up period. The central neurocytoma did not show any change in the Ki ratio or in tumor size. CONCLUSION: Serial FDG PET could be a potential tool for predicting the outcome of radiosurgery for brain tumors by detecting hyperacute changes in tumor glucose metabolism.

Brain↗
PubMed1999

[Prevention of MRSA spread in the neurological field: intranasal application of mupirocin calcium ointment].

From September 1997 to March 1998, forty patients with cerebral disorders were investigated. They were divided into two groups: one treated and the other untreated. Mupirocin calcium ointment (MCO) was applied three times a day for three days into the nasal cavities of the patients in the treated group. In order to check the growth of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), bacterial isolation culture from the nasal cavity was carried out on admission, one week after admission and one month after admission. MRSA was nor detected in isolation culture of any of the cases on admission. One week later MRSA was detected in isolation culture of one case of the 20 MCO treated patients and in three of the 20 untreated patients. There was no significant difference between treated and untreated groups. In isolation culture after one month, MRSA was recognized in four cases of 16 in the MCO treated group (three patients were discharged and one expired). On the other hand, it was recognized in eight cases of thirteen in the untreated group (seven cases were discharged). MRSA infection of the nasal cavity decreased significantly due to MCO treatment (p < 0.05). It is suggested that the nasal carriage of MRSA was prevented by intranasal application of MCO on admission.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1999

[Theoretical basis for low-dose CDDP/5-FU therapy].

The theoretical basis for low-dose cisplatin (CDDP)/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy is rather clear. CDDP can inhibit methionine-uptake into tumor cells and cause depletion of folate cofactors including 5-CH3FH4 and FH4, which are essential for the formation of a ternary complex with thymidylate synthetase and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, an active metabolite of 5-FU. The literature on this mechanism are reviewed herein, and the methionine-dependency of human cancer xenografts and the modulation of 5-FU-cytotoxicity through methionine-depletion are reported.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Analysis of thermostable direct hemolysin-producing Vibrio parahaemolyticus by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis].

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the source of thermostable direct hemolysin-producing Vibrio parahaemolticus infection (positive strains) that causes Vibrio parahaemolticus food poisoning. METHODS: We investigated the coincidence rate of serotypes isolated from samples of sea water used to store clams in 1998 in Shizuoka Prefecture, and those isolated from patients who developed symptoms of food poisoning in the same year. Furthermore, using isolated types 03:K6 and 04:K68, We treated the chromosomal DNA with a restriction endonuclease Sfi I and compared the digestion patterns by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS: (1) Of 225 samples of sea water used to store clams, the thermostable direct hemolysin gene was detected in 23 samples by the PCR method. Among these 23 samples, 10 positive strains were detected in five samples. The serotypes of these productive strains were 03:K6 (four isolates), 03:K37 (two isolates), 04:K8 (one isolate), 04:K9 (two isolates) and 04:K68 (one isolate). (2) The five serotypes isolated from the sea water samples were consistent with those of 17 of 17 cases (100%) of which serotypes could be confirmed by this institute and 94 of 100 strains (94%) isolated in a large scale outbreak of food poisoning that occurred in the same year. (3) Using types 03:K6 and 04:K68 isolated from sea water samples and patients, chromosomal DNA were compared among the isolates by PFGE. As a result, of 28 isolates examined, 26 isolates showed a similar electrophoretic migration pattern between the sources and serotypes. CONCLUSION: The etiologic strains for Vibrio parahaemolyticus food poisoning appear to have been derived from the environment. Regarding the findings that types 03:K6 and 04:K68 showed a similar electrophoretic migration pattern, these types can be considered to belong to the same PFGE type.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field↗