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Biomedical subjects

T Maruo

Publications and source records attributed to T Maruo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Expression of adrenomedullin by human granulosa lutein cells and its effect on progesterone production.

OBJECTIVE: Adrenomedullin (AM) has diverse functions and is expressed in a variety of tissues. This study was conducted to investigate the expression of AM in the human ovary and its effect on progesterone production by human granulosa lutein cells. DESIGN AND METHODS: Follicular fluid and blood samples were obtained at the time of oocyte retrieval from patients undergoing in vitro-fertilization cycles. Concentrations of AM in follicular fluid and plasma were measured by RIA. Granulosa cells were isolated from follicular fluid and expression of AM mRNA was examined by RT-PCR. Granulosa lutein cells were cultured in vitro and secretion of AM by those cells was determined by immunoprecipitation followed by PAGE. Immunohistochemical staining with human ovaries was carried out, using a specific antibody to AM. Furthermore, the effect of AM on progesterone production by cultured granulosa lutein cells was studied. RESULTS: Concentrations of AM in follicular fluid collected just before ovulation were significantly higher than those in the plasma (P<0.01). AM mRNA was expressed in granulosa cells at the preovulatory stage. Cultured granulosa lutein cells secreted immunoreactive AM. With immunohistochemical staining, it was revealed that AM was most abundantly expressed in granulosa lutein cells at the midluteal phase. No appreciable staining for AM was observed in granulosa cells in primordial and preantral follicles, whereas immunolocalization of AM was noted in granulosa cells of dominant follicles although it was not as prominent as in granulosa lutein cells at the midluteal phase. Furthermore, addition of AM to cultured granulosa lutein cells augmented progesterone secretion in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that AM is transcribed and secreted in human granulosa lutein cells as a local factor to enhance progesterone production by those cells.

Adrenomedullin↗
PubMed2000

Esotropia surgery in children: long term outcome regarding changes in binocular alignment; a study of 956 cases.

PURPOSE: To study the correlation between the outcome at 1 month (when the postoperative eye position is at the earliest stabilized), and 4 years after surgery. METHOD: Retrospective review of medical records. CASES: The authors reviewed 956 patients under 15 years of age who underwent unilateral or bilateral recession of the medial rectus muscle during a 22 year period representing the entire practice period of the senior author since the department was founded in 1977. The series comprised 521 cases of congenital/infantile esotropia (manifest before 6 months of age with no accommodative component) and 435 cases of acquired esotropia (manifest after 6 months of age with no accommodative component or with an accommodative component but excluding those with a high AC/A ratio). A consistent surgical plan was employed throughout this period for each condition. RESULTS: Both types of esotropia showed a slight tendency to become exotropic during the 4 years after surgery. There was no difference in general success with regard to the reconstructive restoration of normal appearance or improvement of appearance between 1 month and 4 years after surgery. Patients with normal retinal correspondence or simultaneous perception achieved better binocular alignments at the 4 year followup than those who did not have such sensory binocular cooperation. CONCLUSIONS: In infantile and acquired esotropia, it is essential that orthotropia or minimal esotropia be present at 1 month of surgery in order to obtain a binocular alignment within +/- 4 PD of orthotropia 4 years after surgery. It is strongly recommended to avoid overcorrection (consecutive exotropia) at 1 month after surgery for both congenital/infantile and acquired esotropia.

Accommodation, Ocular↗
PubMed2000

[Binocular function of intermittent exotropia before and after surgery].

PURPOSE: We examined the binocular function of intermittent exotropia before and after surgery, and studied the effect of the surgery and the factor that might be involved in its result. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 402 intermittent exotropic patients, who underwent their first surgical correction for the strabismus at Teikyo University Hospital, were examined for retinal correspondence and stereo acuity before and after surgery. RESULTS: 367 patients (91.3%) had already had good stereo acuity before surgery when their eyes were straight. Regarding retinal correspondence, though 192 patients (47.8%) were abnormal (dual) before surgery, 301 patients (74.9%) were normal after surgery. The eye deviation of 101 patients who could not get normal retinal correspondence after surgery was significantly larger than normal (p < 0.001), and 77.2% of them had also vertical strabismus which was mainly composed of dissociated vertical deviation. CONCLUSION: Normal binocular function could be recovered by surgical treatment in most intermittent exotropic patients. When patients could not get normal retinal correspondence after surgery, we supposed that dissociated vertical deviation might exert an important effect upon their binocular function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Estradiol-delivering vaginal rings for hormone replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to determine the relief of climacteric symptoms by vaginal rings delivering estradiol and to monitor estrogen levels. STUDY DESIGN: Rings releasing in vitro either 60 or 140 microg/d estradiol were used by 35 women who had undergone hysterectomy for each dose level. Hot flash and night sweat incidences, vaginal conditions, and complaints were recorded at clinic visits pretreatment and at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and monthly thereafter through 6 months. Serum samples were assayed for estradiol, estrone, and estrone sulfate. RESULTS: Hot flash incidence was reduced by about 80% with either ring. Vaginal conditions and mood were improved. Fourteen of 70 women discontinued ring use during the trial, 5 because of ring expulsions. Mean (+/-SD) estradiol levels were 123 +/- 48 and 307 +/- 93 pmol/L for the low and high dosage levels, respectively. Mean estrone levels exceeded estradiol levels by 1.7-fold for the higher dosage ring and 2.6-fold for the lower dosage ring. Increases in estrone sulfate concentrations were many times greater than those of estradiol or estrone. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal rings are an acceptable method of delivery for periods of >/=6 months of doses of estradiol that reduce vasomotor symptoms and improve vaginal conditions. There was little difference in these responses between the 2 dosage levels.

Administration, Intravaginal↗
PubMed1999

Clinical features and surgery for acquired progressive esotropia associated with severe myopia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and physiological findings and to determine the most appropriate surgical procedure for acquired progressive esotropia with severe myopia. METHODS: Thirty-eight cases of acquired progressive esotropia with severe myopia were examined to evaluate their clinical and physiological findings. All cases were divided into four groups according to the limitation of their abduction. The eyeball in group IV is fixed in an extremely adducting position. Thirty-one cases underwent strabismus surgery; medial rectus muscle recession and lateral rectus muscle resection in 23 cases, transposition of superior and inferior rectus muscles (modified Jensen procedure included) in eight cases. RESULTS: The medial rectus muscle recession with the lateral rectus muscle resection procedure was effective in the early stage of acquired progressive esotropia patients. Transposition procedure was effective in the severe abducting limited patients. CONCLUSIONS: As the recession & resection procedure is easier than the transposition procedure, we recommend performing surgery in the earlier stage of the abducting disorder before the eyeball is fixed in an extremely adducting position.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Stromal Leydig cell tumor of the ovary. Case report and literature review.

The stromal Leydig cell tumor is a very rare benign tumor originating from the ovarian stroma. Only seven cases have been reported, all in postmenopausal women, except for one in a 15-year-old girl. In the present case, masculinization developed over a few months in a 24-year-old woman. The serum concentration of testosterone was 4.7 ng/ml before operation. Left salpingo-oophorectomy and wedge resection of the right ovary were performed. The encapsulated left ovarian tumor was an ovarian stromal Leydig cell tumor on microscopic examination.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Molecular bases for the actions of ovarian sex steroids in the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis of human uterine leiomyoma.

Uterine leiomyomas appear during the reproductive years and regress after menopause, indicating the ovarian steroid-dependent growth potential. In order to characterize the molecular mechanism of sex steroidal regulation of leiomyoma growth, we examined whether sex steroids could influence the proliferation of leiomyoma cells. As epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to mediate estrogen action and play a crucial role in regulating leiomyoma growth, we also investigated the effects of sex steroids on EGF and EGF receptor (EGF-R) expression in leiomyoma cells. In cultures of leiomyoma cells, the addition of either estradiol (E(2); 10 ng/ml) or progesterone (P(4); 100 ng/ml) resulted in an increase in proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in the cells, whereas in cultures of normal myometrial cells, the addition of E(2) augmented PCNA expression in the cells, but P(4) did not. Immunoblot analysis revealed that leiomyoma cells contained immunoreactive EGF and that P(4) treatment resulted in an increase in EGF expression in the cells, whereas E(2) treatment resulted in a lower EGF expression in the cells. By contrast, E(2) treatment augmented EGF-R expression in cultured leiomyoma cells, but P(4) did not. These results indicate that P(4) upregulates the expression of PCNA and EGF in leiomyoma cells, whereas E(2) upregulates the expression of PCNA and EGF-R in those cells. It is, therefore, conceivable that P(4) and E(2) act in combination to stimulate the proliferative potential of leiomyoma cells through the induction of EGF and EGF-R expression. We also found that Bcl-2 protein, an apoptosis-inhibiting gene product, was abundantly expressed in leiomyoma relative to that in normal myometrium and that Bcl-2 protein expression in leiomyoma cells was upregulated by P(4), but downregulated by E(2). It seems, therefore, likely that P(4) may also participate in leiomyoma growth through the induction of Bcl-2 protein in leiomyoma cells. The abundant expression of Bcl-2 protein in leiomyoma cells may be one of the molecular bases for the enhanced growth of a leiomyoma relative to that of normal myometrium in the uterus.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Regulation of circulating levels of IGF-I in pregnant rats: changes in nitrogen balance correspond with changes in serum IGF-I concentrations.

Serum IGF-I concentrations in rats decrease significantly in late pregnancy. To determine if the reduction in serum IGF-I concentrations is attributable to circulating GH or maternal nutritional status, we investigated the effect of treatment with recombinant human GH (rhGH: 100 microgram/rat per day) on IGF-I concentrations during late pregnancy, and evaluated the relationship between maternal nitrogen balance and IGF-I concentrations. Serum IGF-I concentrations and maternal nitrogen balance ((nitrogen intake)-(nitrogen content in faeces and urine)-(nitrogen content in fetus and placenta)) were measured by RIA and the Dumas method. In non-pregnant rats treated with rhGH for 3 days, serum IGF-I concentrations (835.4+/-59.5 ng/ml; P<0.01) were significantly greater than in those animals treated with saline (319.6+/- 95.6 ng/ml). In the pregnant rats, however, there was no significant difference in serum IGF-I between those treated with rhGH (151. 1+/-43.0 ng/ml) and those treated with saline (142.0+/- 39.9 ng/ml) from day 17 to 19 of pregnancy. Maternal nitrogen balance in the pregnant rats increased significantly from day 4 to day 10 of pregnancy (169.5+/-57.4 and 196.1+/- 33.4 mg/day, respectively; P<0. 05) compared with non-pregnant controls (31.9+/-19.9 mg/day) and decreased markedly from day 12 of pregnancy (79.8+/-60.1 mg/day; P<0. 05) onwards, to 14.9+/-47.8 mg/day on day 20 of pregnancy (P<0.01), significantly different from the value on day 10 of pregnancy. The mean difference in maternal nitrogen balance between pregnant and non-pregnant rats was positively correlated (r=0.87, P<0.01) with the mean difference in maternal IGF-I concentrations, using linear regression analysis. These results support the conclusion that the circulating concentration of IGF-I in pregnant rats is associated with the change in nitrogen balance, but not with circulating GH.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography in the early diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the usefulness of ultrasonography (USG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the early diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: Four cases of interstitial pregnancy that showed characteristic ultrasonographic and MRI findings were studied. All cases received cornual resection, and the presence of interstitial pregnancy was confirmed by pathologic examination. RESULTS: Three of four cases had a gestational sac in the uterine cornu or a protruding cornual mass and myometrium between the sac and uterine cavity on both USG and MRI. In the remaining case, preoperative diagnosis was inconclusive because no gestational sac was demonstrated by USG or MRI. Color flow mapping was conducted in three cases and revealed prominent peritrophoblastic blood flow. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that USG combined with color flow mapping is the first choice in the early diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy. MRI, which is an extremely expensive imaging technology, should be used only if transvaginal USG with color flow mapping is inconclusive in ruling out the diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Acquired progressive esotropia and acquired strabismus fixus].

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We previously reported on acquired convergent strabismus fixus and its incomplete type of esodeviation, which we named acquired progressive esotropia. In this study, we tried to confirm that the esotropia was acquired and progressive and to determine the most appropriate surgical procedure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-three cases, 32 of acquired progressive esotropia and 11 of acquired convergent strabismus fixus with severe myopia, were rechecked to evaluate their clinical and physiological features. Thirty-seven cases underwent strabismus surgery and the surgical results were also evaluated. RESULTS: We obtained positive proof that the esodeviation was an acquired situation and progressed into convergent strabismus fixus from some pictures at a young age. The condition of some of these patients developed into convergent strabismus fixus in a short time. Combined recession-resection operation and transposition of superior and inferior rectus muscles were effective for the patients without severe abducting disorders. CONCLUSION: We must make a certain diagnosis of progressive esotropia in the early stages, because the condition of some of these patients will develop into strabismus in a short time if we miss the appropriate time for surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Potential use of bioelectrical impedance analysis in the assessment of edema in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) in the assessment of edema in pregnancy. METHODS: A prospective study of healthy women identified during the first trimester of pregnancy. From a pool of 200 eligible volunteers, BIA was conducted on 90 women during the rest of pregnancy and postpartum period. RESULTS: The values for bioelectrical impedance in normal pregnant women decreased gradually in the course of pregnancy, whereas a more remarkable decrease in the values was noted in eight patients who developed edema. The bioelectrical impedance (BI) changes correlated closely with body weight changes. There was a strong relation between bioelectrical impedance values and the degree of edema. The precedent decrease of the values before the onset of edema was noted in seven of the eight patients with edema. CONCLUSION: BIA can be a useful and practical method for the early detection and quantitative assessment of edema in pregnant women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Prenatal diagnosis of a Japanese family at risk for Tay-Sachs disease. Application of a fluorescent competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is caused by mutation of the HEXA gene, which results in a deficiency of the alpha-subunit of hexosaminidase A. The major mutation in Japanese TSD is a G-to-T transversion at the 3'-splice site of intron 5. We established a fluorescent competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (FCAS-PCR) method for detection of the mutation and applied it to prenatal diagnosis of a Japanese TSD family. FCAS-PCR distinguished the wild and mutant alleles clearly, with broad ranges in the amount of template DNA, the dNTP concentration, the MgCl2 concentration and the number of PCR cycles. After obtaining ethics committee approval and informed consent from the parents in the index family, chorionic villus sampling was performed. FCAS-PCR analysis using chorionic villus DNA disclosed that the fetus was homozygous for the mutation. To confirm the diagnosis, direct sequencing analysis of the genomic PCR fragment was performed, and showed the same results as those of the FCAS-PCR analysis. FCAS-PCR proved to be helpful for carrier screening and prenatal diagnosis in TSD families in the Japanese population. It would also be a useful DNA-diagnostic method for many other inherited disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Ineffective use of a detachable snare for colonoscopic polypectomy of large polyps.

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopic polypectomy of large polyps may be associated with complications such as bleeding. Use of a detachable snare may reduce the risk of bleeding. We describe several instances in which the use of such a device proved to be ineffective. METHODS: A detachable snare was used for colonoscopic polypectomy of large polyps in 18 patients (20 polyps), also applied at the residual stalk after conventional polypectomy in 5 patients (5 polyps), and evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 20 polyps were pedunculated, and 4 were semi-pedunculated. In 3 of the 4 semi-pedunculated lesions, the loop slipped off after polypectomy because the lesions were cut close to the site of encirclement. Bleeding occurred in 4 cases because of transection by the loop of a thin stalk (4 mm) before polypectomy (1), slipping of the loop in a semi-pedunculated lesion (1), or insufficient tightening of the loop (2). After conventional polypectomy, we could not effectively snare the residual stalk because of flattening in 3 of the 5 lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the detachable snare for polypectomy of thin stalked or semi-pedunculated lesions may result in technical failure of this technique. The stalk should be fully encircled with the snare before polypectomy. The detachable snare is difficult to apply at the residual stalk after conventional polypectomy.

Aged↗