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T Matsuda

Publications and source records attributed to T Matsuda.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

The noncoding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1 is required for differentiation of the murine retina.

BACKGROUND: With the advent of genome-wide analyses, it is becoming evident that a large number of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are expressed in vertebrates. However, of the thousands of ncRNAs identified, the functions of relatively few have been established. RESULTS: In a screen for genes upregulated by taurine in developing retinal cells, we identified a gene that appears to be a ncRNA. Taurine Upregulated Gene 1 (TUG1) is a spliced, polyadenylated RNA that does not encode any open reading frame greater than 82 amino acids in its full-length, 6.7 kilobase (kb) RNA sequence. Analyses of Northern blots and in situ hybridization revealed that TUG1 is expressed in the developing retina and brain, as well as in adult tissues. In the newborn retina, knockdown of TUG1 with RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in malformed or nonexistent outer segments of transfected photoreceptors. Immunofluorescent staining and microarray analyses suggested that this loss of proper photoreceptor differentiation is a result of the disregulation of photoreceptor gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: A function for a newly identified ncRNA, TUG1, has been established. TUG1 is necessary for the proper formation of photoreceptors in the developing rodent retina.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Electron spin resonance of particulate soot samples from automobiles to help environmental studies.

The application of electron spin resonance (ESR) was studied for diesel soot samples and suspended particulate matter (SPM) from automobile engines. Soot samples or diesel exhaust particles (DEP) were recovered at various points: in the exhaust pipe of a diesel engine, at the dust sampler of a highway tunnel (standard DEP), on the soundproofing wall alongside a heavy traffic road, and on the filters of a dust sampler for SPM. The diesel soot samples apparently showed two ESR spectra: one was a broad spectrum at g=2.1 with a line width of ca. 80-120 mT and the other was a sharp signal of a carbon radical at g=2.003 with a line width of 0.4 mT. Annealing experiments with a DEP sample at 250 degrees C revealed drastic enhancement of the sharp ESR signal, which suggested a thermal process of carbonization of remnant organics. An oximetric study by ESR showed an enhancement of the broad signal in the diesel soot sample as well as in the sharp ESR signal. Therefore, the main part of the broad ESR signal would be attributed to carbon radicals, which form a different configuration, probably closely interacting aggregates. Enhancement of the sharp ESR signal was not observed in the standard DEP sample under vacuum condition, which suggested less adsorption sites on the surface of DEP samples.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2005

Characterizations of the first flush in storm water runoff from an urban roadway.

Storm water runoff from urban roadways contains anthropogenic pollutants, which are mainly generated from traffic-related activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of pollutants from the roadway runoff as well as first flush effects. Storm water runoff was sampled during five storm events from the experimental site in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. From the hydrographs and pollutographs for the roadway runoff, the concentration of pollutants increased with increasing runoff flow in the low flow rate event, but did not significantly increase in the high flow rate event. Moreover, according to the analysis of cumulative pollutant mass versus runoff volume curves from five storm events, the first 50% of the runoff volume transported 62% of TOC and Mo, 60% of SS, 59% of Fe, Mn and Cu, 58% of Ni, 57% of Cd and Pb, 56% of Al, 55% of Zn, and 54% of Cr, as the mean values. The first 30% and 80% of the runoff volume also transported 34-43% mass of the pollutants and 82-88% mass of the pollutants, respectively. This study for storm water runoff may also provide useful information to correctly design treatment facilities, such as detention tanks and ponds, filtration and adsorption systems.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Involvement of Th1 cells and heat shock protein 60 in the pathogenesis of intestinal Behcet's disease.

Involvement of excessive Th1 cell functions and heat shock protein expression in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease (BD) has been reported. In this study we have characterized immune responses in intestinal lesions of BD. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of BD and healthy controls (HC) and tissue specimens of intestinal Behcet's disease (intestinal BD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were analysed for mRNA and protein expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry, respectively. PBL of BD patients expressed the Th1-related chemokine receptor, CCR5 and CXCR3 preferentially compared with those of healthy controls. Intestinal lesions of BD expressed interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-12 mRNA, indicating Th1 skewed responses in vivo. mRNA of Txk, a Tec family tyrosine kinase specific to Th1 cells, was expressed in the lesions, suggesting its contribution to the Th1-dominant responses. In the intestinal samples, CCR5 was detected in all the cases with BD, whereas Th2-related CCR3 and CCR4 were detected randomly, mainly in the cases with inactive BD and those receiving large amounts of prednisolone, indicating the Th1-dominant immune responses in the intestinal lesions. As the ligands of CCR5, MIP1alpha and MIP1beta were detected, whereas RANTES was not. Heat shock protein (HSP) 60 was expressed in PBL and intestinal tissues of BD. Th1-dominant immune responses and HSP60 expression may induce the inflammatory responses and thus be associated with the pathogenesis of intestinal BD.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Self-evaluation of the quality of life of children aged 6 to 12 years old: construction and first steps in the validation of kidlQol, a generic computer-based tool].

The KidlQol is a self-evaluation computer-based instrument to assess the quality of life of children aged 6 to 12 years old. This self-evaluation comprises three areas of their subjective quality of life: physical, psychological and social. A computer-assisted tool, composed of 62 items, was developed and set up based upon the results from the evaluation of the initial prototype tool which underwent a series validation steps, tested among children with and without psychological problems. This evaluation lead to the production of a final tool called KidlQuol, which is composed of 44 items. This tool, which utilises computer images to represent real-life situations, is adapted for and accessible to children with a French cultural background aged between 6 and 12 years old. As a generic tool, it could be used among a population of children with various types of handicaps, chronic diseases or psycho-social difficulties.

Child↗
PubMed2005

Methotrexate-induced acute lung injury in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methotrexate (MTX)-induced acute lung injury developed in a female patient with rheumatoid arthritis. She was successfully treated with high-dose glucocorticoid therapy. During her hospital stay, the serum concentration of surfactant protein (SP)-D, which was markedly elevated on admission, was finally normalized and the disease resolved. However, the serum concentration of Klebs von den Lungen (KL)-6 remained high. Although the mechanisms of lung injury by MTX have not been well defined, serial measurements of serum SPD might be useful for the clinical evaluation of drug-induced acute lung injury.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Induction of mononuclear cell infiltration into liver by Japanese herbal medicine.

Juzen-Taiho-To (JTT) is a Japanese herbal medicine that has been administered mainly to patients weakened by long illness. Currently, it has also been used for cancer patients and showed antitumor effects that have been reported as phagocytosis enhancement, cytokine induction and antibody production. In this study, we examined the effect of oral administration of JTT in mice on the immunological restoration of the liver, especially focused on natural killer (NK) T-cell induction. Mice were grouped to receive JTT or placebo orally for a period of 1, 3 and 7 days. After sacrifice, the liver tissue was fixed, embedded and stained with hematoxylineosin and some antibodies by common staining methods. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation was also carried out. Although the JTT-treated mice had the same appearance as the non-JTT-treated mice, their livers were infiltrated by massive mononuclear cells, some of which were aggregated in clusters. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that there was abundant cytokine expression of interleukin (IL)-12 and massive infiltration of mononuclear cells with large granules in the liver of JTT-treated mice. Oral administration of JTT may induce the expression of IL-12 and be followed by immunological restoration such as NK T-cell induction in liver

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A new installation for treatment of road runoff: up-flow filtration by porous polypropylene media.

We installed a new device on a paved road to treat runoff from a roadway surface. All the stormwater runoff was transferred into the device and the runoff equivalent to 10 mm/hr or less was treated. The treatment method consists of sedimentation and up-flow filtration with porous polypropylene (PPL) processes. The treated runoff was discharged into the existing storm drainage pipe. The average removal efficiency of the initial runoff at the beginning of rainfall which has high pollution intensity was about 90% for SS, about 70% for COD, about 40% for total phosphorus (T-P), about 80% for Pb and Cd, about 70% for Zn, Cu, Mn and Cr, and about 60% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The overall removal efficiencies of the experiment that ran for four months remained > 60% of SS, > 40% of COD, > 60% of heavy metals, and > 40% of PAHs. The PPL is excellent for removing smaller size particulates of suspended solids, which originate basically from diesel exhaust, as well as larger size particulates from automobile tires, asphalt roads, and other accumulated source(s) of clay and sand, etc.

Cities↗
PubMed2004

[Management of soft tissue sarcomas in first isolated local recurrence: a retrospective study of 83 cases].

PURPOSE: To analyse the management and clinical outcome of patients treated for a first isolated local recurrence of soft tissue sarcoma (trunk or extremities) and to identify prognosis factors. PATIENTS AND MATERIAL: This is a retrospective study of 83 adult patients treated between 1980 and 1999. Mean tumor size was 6 cm. Most sarcomas were located in extremities (N =74), were deep (N =60), and proximal (N =53). Thirty involved nerves or vessels. Histologic subtypes were mainly grade 2 (42%) or 3 (36%) histocytofibrosarcomas (49%) and liposarcomas (20%). Surgical treatment of recurrences consisted in wide excision (32 cases), marginal resection (46 cases), five patients requiring amputation. Final results were R0 (N =33), R1 (N =47) or R2 (N =3) resection. Beside surgery, six patients received neoadjuvant and seven others adjuvant chemotherapy. Twenty-three patients received postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) (mean dose 55 Gy) and 26 interstitial (192)Ir low dose rate brachytherapy (BCT) (mean dose 45 Gy for BCT alone, 22 Gy when associated with EBRT), 19 patients being re-irradiated. RESULTS: Mean follow up was 59 months. Thirty-seven (45%) tumors relapsed, 62% locally as first event. Nineteen patients developed secondary distant metastases. Multivariate analysis showed only tumour depth (P =0.05) and re-resection for primary R1 resection for the recurrence (P =0.018) being independent prognosis factors for tumour control, radiotherapy (EBRT and/or BCT) being significant in univariate analysis (P =0.05). Overall survival rate was 73, 54, and 47% at respectively 3, 5 and 10 years, and was 65, 35 and 32% after a further local recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed trunk (P =0.0001) or inferior extremity locations (P =0.023), symptomatic (P =0.001), high grade (P =0.01), deep (P = 0.01) tumours, and the occurrence of a further local failure (P =0.004) as unfavourable characteristics for overall survival. CONCLUSION: Because of the high relapse rate in this series, a first isolated local recurrence of STS increases mainly the risk of a subsequent local relapse. Quality of local treatment for the first local relapse is decisive. When a conservative treatment is feasible, it should combine surgical resection and radiotherapy, brachytherapy being the best suited in previously irradiated patients. Efforts have to be pursued to increase quality of the treatment of primary tumours, at best performed in centers that have expertise in this field.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Expression of DCC and netrin-1 in normal human endometrium and its implication in endometrial carcinogenesis.

OBJECTIVE: Although DCC has been considered as a candidate tumor suppressor, the roles it plays in the uterine endometrium and in the carcinogenic process remains unclear. To define these roles more clearly, we examined the expression of DCC and its ligand, netrin-1, in the normal endometrium and in endometrial cancer. METHODS: The expression of DCC and netrin-1 in normal endometrial glands and in cancer cell lines was examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The effects of exogenous DCC and netrin-1 expression were observed together with the respective expression vector transfection. RESULTS: Endometrial glands in the proliferative and early secretory phase expressed both DCC and netrin-1, but glands in the late-secretory phase tended to silence DCC expression. In addition, all of the endometrial cancer cell lines lost normal DCC expression. Restored DCC expression in the cancer cell lines in the absence of netrin-1 induced apoptosis. However, no changes were observed in the presence of netrin-1. CONCLUSION: Our observations suggest that DCC/netrin-1 signaling may commit cells to the transition of endometrial gland architecture or function from a proliferating to a secretory phase. In addition, the silencing of DCC expression may contribute to the escape of endometrial cancer cells from a DCC-regulated apoptotic program, thereby promoting malignant phenotypes.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

TEL-Syk fusion constitutively activates PI3-K/Akt, MAPK and JAK2-independent STAT5 signal pathways.

We previously reported the fusion of the TEL gene to the Syk gene in myelodysplastic syndrome with t(9;12)(q22;p12). TEL-Syk fusion transformed interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine hematopoietic cell line BaF3 to growth factor independence. Here, we investigate the intracellular signal transduction of the stable transfectants. TEL-Syk fusion protein was associated with the p85 subunit of phosphatidyl inositol 3 kinase (PI3-K) followed by the activation of Akt in the absence of IL-3. Vav, phospholipase C-gamma2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were also constitutively activated. TEL-Syk also activated the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) in the absence of Janus kinase 2 activation. None of these kinases were phosphorylated in the BaF3 cells transfected with TELDeltaPNT-Syk in which the oligomerization domain of TEL was deleted. Inhibitor analysis showed that the MAPK pathway was important in TEL-Syk-mediated cell proliferation. The immunofluorescence technique revealed that the TEL-Syk fusion protein was located in the cytoplasm. These data suggest that TEL-Syk fusion protein in the cytoplasm leads to the constitutive activation of PI3-K/Akt, MAPK and STAT5 signal pathways, which are closely involved in IL-3-independent cell proliferation of BaF3 cells.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2004

High expression of interleukin-1beta in the corneal epithelium of MRL/lpr mice is under the control of their genetic background.

MRL/Mp mice bearing the Fas deletion mutant gene, lpr (MRL/lpr), spontaneously develop polyarthritis, sialoadenitis and dacryoadenitis, resembling rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and also corneal involvement such as keratopathy and scleritis, which is a major complication in RA patients. In this study, we found that the expression levels of IL-1beta and MMP-1 mRNAs in cornea were high in both MRL/lpr and MRL/Mp-+/+ strains of mice at an age younger than when they develop any inflammatory lesions. This was not true of other inbred strains, even those bearing the lpr gene, and also not of (NZB x NZW) F1 lupus mice. There was no significant difference in the expression of IL-1alpha and TGFbeta in cornea in these strains. Using crosses between MRL/lpr and C3H/HeJ-lpr/lpr (C3H/lpr) mice, at least the expression of IL-1beta was found to be under the control of the MRL genetic background, likely with a recessive mode of inheritance. Considering that IL-1beta in cornea was detected particularly in the epithelial layer, the high expression of IL-1beta in cornea is most likely involved in the genetic predisposition for corneal involvement and possibly also for arthritis in an MRL strain of mice.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Low-density lipoprotein apheresis in a patient with arteriosclerosis obliterans and light chain deposition disease.

A 49-year-old women with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) complicated with light chain deposition disease (LCDD) is described. Renal biopsy showed a diffuse mesangial nodular lesion and tubulointerstitial changes. Congo red and lambda light chain staining were negative; however, the kappa light chain was positive in both glomeruli and tubular basement membranes by immunostaining. Using electron microscopy, electron-dense materials were found within glomerular basement membrane, mesangium and tubular basement membrane. The patient had renal dysfunction and nephrotic syndrome with progressive skin ulcers in the left leg. The patient was diagnosed as ASO with LCDD. She received low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis once weekly for 10 consecutive weeks. Serum total cholesterol and phospholipid levels were decreased, and serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels also tended to decline after treatment. Urinary protein excretion was reduced markedly, and hypoalbuminemia was also improved. Ischemic symptoms including leg pain and leg coldness and numbness improved after apheresis. The walking distance increased on a treadmill. The skin temperature was increased from 33.8 degrees C to 35.5 degrees C after apheresis and the skin ulcers were also improved. Plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels were increased from 66.0 microM/l to 88.0 microM/l and plasma endothelin (ET)-1 levels were decreased from 14.5 pg/ml to 5.8 pg/ml after apheresis. LDL apheresis was effective in ameliorating hyperlipidemia, massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia and high serum creatinine levels in an LCDD patient with nephrotic syndrome. Furthermore, we showed beneficial effects of LDL apheresis on skin ulcers due to ischemia in an ASO patient complicated with LCDD.

Arteriosclerosis Obliterans↗
PubMed2003

Protective effect of taurine on the detachment of cultured cardiac fibroblasts from the substratum induced by calcium depletion.

Removal of Ca2+ from the incubation medium of cultured rat cardiac fibroblasts causes cellular morphological changes, such as the formation of blebs, the ballooning of the cell membrane and the detachment from the culture dish. A 24 hr preincubation with 20 mM taurine blocked the Ca2+ depletion-induced detachment of the cardiac fibroblasts. However, taurine treatment did not prevent other morphological changes induced by Ca2+ depletion. The data suggest that taurine plays an important role in cell adhesion in the heart.

Animals↗