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T Kudo

Publications and source records attributed to T Kudo.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Evaluation for factors associated to early tracheal extubation after coronary artery bypass grafting].

Recent studies suggest that early tracheal extubation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may reduce intensive care unit use and cost. During recent two years, 96 patients were underwent CABG under cardiopulmonary bypass by low-dose fentanyl and isoflurane anesthesia. We compared two groups of patients for evaluation of factors associated to early tracheal extubation. 47 cases (Group A) were extubated within six hours (average 4.4 hrs) following operation, and 26 cases (Group B) were extubated later than twelve hours (average 57.5 hrs). It is suggested that emergency cases, female, elderly patients, dysfunction of kidney and long operation time associated to late extubation. But early extubation after CABG does not increase perioperative morbidity except for the cases that fell in low cardiac output syndrome or postoperative respiratory complications.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Thrombospondin-1 and -2 messenger RNA expression in invasive cervical cancer: correlation with angiogenesis and prognosis.

PURPOSE: TSP association with clinicopathological features, including microvessel count, regarding prognostic significance was examined in patients presenting with invasive cervical cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Gene expression of TSP-1 and TSP-2 was assessed by reverse transcription-PCR in 10 normal cervix and 78 invasive cervical cancer samples. RESULTS: TSP-1 and TSP-2 mRNA expression was detected in seven (70.0%) of the normal cervical specimens. TSP-2 mRNA expression in normal cervix was significantly higher than that in cases involving cervical cancer (P = 0.032). TSP-1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in tumors characterized by advanced stage (P = 0.047). Fifty-three patients displaying stage Ib-IIb cervical cancer underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Expression of TSP-1 and TSP-2 mRNA was significantly lower in tumors exhibiting parametrial invasion (P = 0.016 and P = 0.049, respectively). Microvessel counts were significantly higher when decreased TSP-1 expression was evident (P = 0.029). The microvessel count in patients lacking TSP-2 mRNA expression was higher than that observed in patients displaying TSP-2 mRNA expression, although it was not statistically significant (P = 0.062). Subjects demonstrating TSP-1 mRNA expression exhibited significantly better prognosis than those lacking TSP-1 mRNA expression (P = 0.0038). Furthermore, TSP-1 mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence that TSP-1 expression is of value as a prognostic factor in cervical cancer. The inverse correlation between TSP expression and microvessel count also indicates that decreased TSP expression may be associated with an angiogenic phenotype in this class of neoplasm.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Surgical treatment of coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula with coronary aneurysm].

We experienced 4 cases of coronary artery-pulmonary artery fistula with coronary aneurysm, three patients had symptoms of chest pain, and 1 patient had cardiac murmur. Coronary arteriography showed that three patients had fistulas from the left coronary artery to the pulmonary artery; and that 1 patient had a fistula from both the right and left coronary arteries to the pulmonary artery. Moreover, 1 patient had 90% diameter stenosis of segment 7. The maximum diameter of the coronary aneurysm ranged from 12 to 20 mm (average: 15.3 mm). One patient underwent closure of the opening of the fistula, 2 patients underwent multiple ligatures of fistulas, and 1 patient underwent multiple ligatures of fistulas with coronary artery bypass grafting. The postoperative course of every patient was uneventful. There have been 42 reports on this abnormality in Japan. We should treat the fistula as early as possible to prevent cardiac complications such as myocardial ischemia and rupture of coronary aneurysm.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Uterine cancer].

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Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

[Antiepileptic drug therapy for adult patients with intractable seizures].

Epileptic syndrome, antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy and mental disorder were studied in 223 patients with intractable epilepsy, who were admitted to our epilepsy center between 1992 and 2000. Symptomatic localization-related epilepsy was diagnosed in 86.1% of patients, symptomatic or cryptogenic generalized epilepsy in 7.6%, idiopathic generalized epilepsy in 1.8%, unclassifiable epilepsy in 3.1% and non-epilepsy in 1.3% on discharge. Only 6.3% had diagnoses on discharge that were incongruent with their diagnoses on admission. AED therapy during admission improved markedly in 50% of patients and moderately in 20%, however, 60% had seizures more frequently than 4 a month on discharge. Generalized tonic and clonic seizures were suppressed completely in 82.5% of patients. The number of AEDs used were 2 AEDs in 28.6%, 3 in 39.1% and 4 in 22.3%. Only 6.4% of patients were on monotherapy on discharge. Mental retardation was in 58.7%, schizophrenia-like psychosis in 8.5%, delusional disorder in 1.8%, mood disorder in 3.6%, AED-related disorder in 14.3% and psychogenic disorders in 21.5%. AED therapy is effective for intractable seizures, but it is limited in its effect. Mental disorders also coexisted in most of patients. Therefore comprehensive therapy of epilepsy is necessary for patients with intractable seizures.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A positively charged cluster formed in the heme-distal pocket of cytochrome P450nor is essential for interaction with NADH.

Arg and Lys residues are concentrated on the distal side of cytochrome P450nor (P450nor) to form a positively charged cluster facing from the outside to the inside of the distal heme pocket. We constructed mutant proteins in which the Arg and Lys residues were replaced with Glu, Gln, or Ala. The results showed that this cluster plays crucial roles in NADH interaction. We also showed that some anions such as bromide (Br(-)) perturbed the heme environment along with the reduction step in P450nor-catalyzed reactions, which was similar to the effects caused by the mutations. We determined by x-ray crystallography that a Br(-), termed an anion hole, occupies a key region neighboring heme, which is the terminus of the positively charged cluster and the terminus of the hydrogen bond network that acts as a proton delivery system. A comparison of the predicted mechanisms between the perturbations caused by Br(-) and the mutations suggested that Arg(174) and Arg(64) play a crucial role in binding NADH to the protein. These results indicated that the positively charged cluster is the unique structure of P450nor that responds to direct interaction with NADH.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Increased production of beta-amyloid and vulnerability to endoplasmic reticulum stress by an aberrant spliced form of presenilin 2.

An alternative spliced form of the presinilin 2 (PS2) gene (PS2V) lacking exon 5 has previously been reported to be expressed in human brains in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). PS2V encodes the amino-terminal portion of PS2, which contains residues Met1-Leu119 and 5 additional amino acid residues (SSMAG) at its carboxyl terminus. Here we report that PS2V protein impaired the signaling pathway of the unfolded protein response, similarly to familial AD-linked PS1 mutants and caused significant increases in the production of both amyloid beta40 and beta42. Interestingly, PS2V-encoding protein was expressed in neuropathologically affected neurons of the hippocampal CA1 region and temporal cortex in AD patients. These findings suggest that the aberrant splicing of the PS2 gene may be implicated in the neuropathology of sporadic AD.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2000

Symbiotic spirochetes in the termite hindgut: phylogenetic identification of ectosymbiotic spirochetes of oxymonad protists.

Some species of protists inhabiting the hindgut of lower-termites have a large number of ectosymbiotic spirochetes on the cell surface. The phylogenetic positions of the ectosymbiotic spirochetes of three oxymonad protists, Dinenympha porteri in the gut of Reticulitermes speratus, and Pyrsonympha sp. and Dinenympha sp. in Hodotermopsis sjoestedti, were investigated without cultivation of these organisms. Protist fractions carefully collected with a micromanipulator were used as templates for the amplification of small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (SSU rDNA). The phylogenetic tree inferred from the nucleotide sequences of the SSU rDNA showed that they were affiliated with the Treponema cluster of spirochetes and they were divided into two clusters. One was grouped together with the spirochetal sequences reported previously from the gut of termites and the other was related to the Treponema bryantii subgroup of treponemes (denoted as termite Treponema clusters I and II, respectively). Whole-cell in situ hybridization using a fluorescent-labeled oligonucleotide probe specific for the group of sequences in cluster II identified most of the ectosymbiotic spirochetes of the oxymonad protists in the gut of R. speratus and H. sjoestedti. However, not all of the ectosymbiotic spirochetes could be detected by means of this cluster II group-specific probe and the population of ectosymbiotic spirochetes of cluster II was different among the oxymonad species. In the case of D. porteri, an oligonucleotide probe specific for one member of cluster II recognized a portion of the ectosymbiotic spirochetes of cluster II, and their population was also different depending on the cell-type of D. porteri in terms of the attachment of ectosymbiotic spirochetes. The results indicate that the spirochetes of cluster II and probably those of a part of cluster I can be assigned to ectosymbiotic species of oxymonad protists and that the population of ectosymbiotic spirochetes associated with a single protist consists of at least three species of phylogenetically distinct spirochetes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Barbiturates inhibit K(+)-evoked noradrenaline and dopamine release from rat striatal slices--involvement of voltage sensitive Ca(2+) channels.

The cellular target site(s) for anaesthetic action remain unclear. In rat striatal slices we have previously demonstrated that K(+)-evoked noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) release is mediated predominantly via P/Q-type voltage sensitive Ca(2+) channels (VSCC). Using this model of Ca(2+) dependent transmitter release we have evaluated the effects of anaesthetic and non-anaesthetic barbiturates. Rat brain striatal slices were incubated in the absence and presence of barbiturate for 10 min at 37 degrees C. The slices were then incubated for 6 min with 40 mM KCl. All anaesthetic barbiturates produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of K(+)-evoked NA and DA release. Non-anaesthetic barbiturate, barbituric acid was ineffective. The pIC(50) for NA and DA release (thiopental: 4.90+/-0.13 and 5.00+/-0.10, pentobarbital: 4.39+/-0.07 and 4.43+/-0.14, phenobarbital: 3.85+/-0.08 and 3.59+/-0.10, respectively) correlated with lipid solubility (NA: r(2)=0.999, DA: r(2)=0.987). We therefore suggest that barbiturates inhibit catecholamine release via an interaction with P/Q VSCC further implicating this channel in anaesthetic action.

Anesthetics↗
PubMed2000

Molecular phylogeny of methanogens associated with flagellated protists in the gut and with the gut epithelium of termites.

The molecular phylogeny of methanogenic archaea associated with the flagellated protist species Dinenympha and Microjoenia in the gut of termites, Reticulitermes speratus and Hodotermopsis sjoestedti, and those attached to the gut epithelium was examined based on PCR-amplified small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes. The sequences identified were classified into six groups within the genus Methanobrevibacter, including groups of yet uncharacterized novel species. Closely related methanogens were shared between Microjoenia and some Dinenympha cells in each termite. The methanogens harbored by the flagellates were phylogenetically different from the methanogens associated with the gut epithelium, suggesting that distinct methanogen species showed distinct spatial distributions in the termite gut.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Functional Fv fragment of an antibody specific for CD28: Fv-mediated co-stimulation of T cells.

The most predominant co-stimulation pathway, which is critical for T cell activation and proliferation, is the CD28-B7 pathway. The anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody (mAb) also provides a co-stimulatory signal to T cells. In order to construct a functional Fv fragment (complex of VH and VL domains) of anti-CD28 antibody using a bacterial expression system, cDNA encoding the variable regions of immunoglobulin from 15E8 hybridoma cells was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The Fv fragment was obtained as a soluble protein from the periplasmic fraction and showed a binding pattern similar to parental IgG. The Fv fragment induced proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the presence of anti-CD3 or anti-CD2 mAb and enhanced anti-tumor activity of anti-MUC1x(anti)-CD3 bispecific antibody when tested with lymphokine-activated killer cells with T cell phenotype. Thus, the anti-CD28 Fv fragment will be promising not only for the study of co-stimulation, but also for cancer immunotherapy.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 by protein kinase C delta: implications for regulation of tau phosphorylation.

The role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway in the hyperphosphorylation of tau was investigated in SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI3K, induced transient (after 1 h) activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), hyperphosphorylation of tau and dose-dependent cytotoxicity. However, continuous inactivation of protein kinase (PK) B was observed from 1 to 24 h, suggesting the involvement of protein kinase(s) other than PKB in the phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK-3 after 3 h. In cells treated with wortmannin, PKC delta fragments were observed, and the PKC activity increased after 3 h, whereas treatment of cells with z-DEVD-fmk, an inhibitor of caspase 3, also inhibited fragmentation of PKC delta and induced continuous activation of GSK-3. It is suggested that fragmentation of PKC delta during the process of apoptosis results in the phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK-3 and consequently inhibition of the phosphorylation of tau.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2000

Down-regulation of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor by antisense RNA can reverse the transformed phenotype of human cervical cancer cell lines.

The insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) plays an essential role in the establishment and maintenance of transformed phenotype, and interference with the IGF-IR pathway by antisense or dominant-negative mutants causes reversal of the transformed phenotype in many rodent and human tumor cell lines. We stably transfected an IGF-IR antisense mRNA expression plasmid into human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative C33a cell line, HPV-16-positive SiHa cell line, and HPV-18-positive HeLa S3 cell line to determine whether the IGF-IR could be a target for cervical cancer cells, especially in the presence of HPV. Approximately 30-80% down-regulation of IGF-IR expression was observed by Western blot in antisense transfected clones. There was a little inhibition in monolayer growth in all cell lines. In C33a cells, wild-type and sense clones formed 92-146 colonies in soft agar after 3 weeks; antisense clones formed <12 colonies. In SiHa cells, wild-type and sense clones formed approximately 60 colonies after 5 weeks; antisense clones formed 0-3 colonies. In HeLa S3 cells, wild-type and sense clones formed 218-291 colonies in soft agar after 2 weeks; antisense clones formed 14-160 colonies. There was a good correlation between IGF-IR down-regulation level and inhibition of transformation in soft agar. Tumorigenesis in nude mice was strongly inhibited in HeLa S3 and SiHa clones transfected with the antisense. These results indicate that down-regulation of IGF-IR by antisense RNA can reverse the transformed phenotype of human cervical cancer cells, even when harboring malignant type HPVs.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Novel mutations in the connexin 26 gene (GJB2) responsible for childhood deafness in the Japanese population.

Mutations in the connexin 26 gene (GJB2), which encodes a gap-junction protein and is expressed in the inner ear, have been shown to be responsible for a major part of nonsyndromic hereditary prelingual (early-childhood) deafness in Caucasians. We have sequenced the GJB2 gene in 39 Japanese patients with prelingual deafness (group 1), 39 Japanese patients with postlingual progressive sensorineural hearing loss (group 2), and 63 Japanese individuals with normal hearing (group 3). Three novel mutations were identified in group 1: a single nucleotide deletion (235delC), a 16-bp deletion (176-191 del (16)), and a nonsense mutation (Y136X) in five unrelated patients. The 235delC mutation was most frequently observed, accounting for seven alleles in 10 mutant alleles. Screening of 203 unrelated normal individuals for the three mutations indicated that the carrier frequency of the 235delC mutation was 2/203 in the Japanese population. No mutation was found in group-2 patients. We also identified two novel polymorphisms (E114G and I203T) as well as two previously reported polymorphisms (V27I andV37I). Genotyping with these four polymorphisms allowed normal Japanese alleles to be classified into seven haplotypes. All 235delC mutant alleles identified in four patients resided only on haplotype type 1. These findings indicate that GJB2 mutations are also responsible for prelingual deafness in Japan.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Histomorphometric evaluation of the recovering effect of human parathyroid hormone (1-34) on bone structure and turnover in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether human parathyroid hormone (h-PTH) enhances trabecular bone mass and connectivities that were reduced by streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. Seven-month-old female Wistar rats were injected with STZ or its vehicle intraperitoneally. All vehicle-injected normal controls were sacrificed 0, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, and 16 weeks after injection, and one-third of the STZ-injected rats were sacrificed as the baseline controls 4, 6, and 8 weeks after the injection. Eight-week h-PTH (6. 0 microg/kg, 6 times a week) or its vehicle treatment by subcutaneous injection for residual diabetic rats was started 4, 6, or 8 weeks after the STZ injection. The rats' proximal right tibiae were processed for undecalcified Villanueva bone staining sections for bone histomorphometry. Furthermore, changes in trabecular connectivities were determined by node-strut analysis. The decreased cancellous bone volume (BV/TV) and turnover in diabetic rats were recovered in all PTH-treated groups. In node-strut analysis, the node-related parameters (N.Nd/TV, NdNd/TV) were significantly increased by PTH when it was administered 4 weeks after STZ injection but were not increased when administration was started after 6 weeks. The results indicated that PTH enhanced bone turnover and bone mass but not trabecular connectivity in the late stage of diabetes in rats. Early treatment of osteoporosis is important in preventing fractures caused by decreased bone strength resulting from decreased trabecular connectivity.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

Diverse genes of cellulase homologues of glycosyl hydrolase family 45 from the symbiotic protists in the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus.

Diverse genes encoding cellulase homologues belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 45 were identified from the symbiotic protists in the hindgut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus through the use of consensus PCR and the screening of a cDNA library. Fifteen full-length cDNA clones were isolated and sequenced, which encoded polypeptides consisting of 218-221 amino acid residues showing up to 63% identity to known family 45 cellulases. The cellulase sequences of the termite symbiotic protists were phylogenetically monophyletic, showing more than 75% amino acid identity with each other. These enzymes consist of a single catalytic domain, lacking the ancillary domains found in most microbial cellulases. By whole-cell in situ hybridization using oligonucleotide probes specific for regions conserved in some of the sequences, the origin of the genes was identified as symbiotic hypermastigote protists. The presence of diverse cellulase homologues suggests that symbiotic protists of termites may be rich reservoirs of novel cellulase sequences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗