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Biomedical subjects

T Matsuo

Publications and source records attributed to T Matsuo.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients over 65 years old with malignant lymphoma--possibility of early completion of chemotherapy and improvement of performance status.

OBJECTIVE: After the initial clinical application of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) in the latter half of the 1980s, the frequency of PBSCT for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been gradually increasing. At present, PBSCT is an important procedure for treating young patients with NHL. This procedure is now being increasingly used as a part of the chemotherapy regimen for elderly patients. We evaluated the feasibility of PBSCT in elderly patients with malignant lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed PBSCT on four older patients over 65 years old (median age 71, range 66-78) with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patients were initially treated with the THP-COP [cyclophosphamide, THP-doxorubicin (pirarubicin), vincristine, prednisolone] regimen as first-line chemotherapy. As second-line chemotherapy, in partial response (PR) cases, we performed PBSCT. Conditioning therapy was the MCVC [ranimustine (MCNU), carboplatin, etoposide (VP-16), cyclophosphamide] protocol. RESULTS: PBSC collection and transplantation were possible in all patients. We observed no severe toxicity. Two of the four patients attained complete remission (CR). Tumor size was clearly diminished in two PR patients. Performance status (PS) was improved in three of the four patients after transplantation. CONCLUSION: Despite the small number of cases, this procedure is beneficial for completing chemotherapy earlier and promoting a good quality of life.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

The gene search system: its application to functional genomics in Drosophila melanogaster.

In Drosophila melanogaster, gain-of-function mutagenesis utilizing the GAL4-UAS system has been established, allowing identification of genes that may not be easily detectable by loss-of-function screening approaches. The conditional features of misexpression systems are especially useful for studying late-stage biological processes, such as those involving adult behavior or lifespan. The gene search system, incorporating a bidirectional misexpression vector, was used to screen for genes critical for longevity determination. We have identified several genes whose misexpression in adulthood extends the fly's lifespan. Phenotypic characterization of fly lines carrying a mis-expression vector, in conjunction with obtaining information about the genomic insertion sites, creates valuable resources for the systematic functional genomics in Drosophila.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Endogenous amoebic endophthalmitis.

A 42-year-old man experienced abrupt reduction of vision in the left eye and had vitreous opacity and hypopyon on initial examination. He underwent an emergency vitrectomy and phacoemulsification with posterior capsulectomy, followed by a 2-week course of intravenous fluconazole and antibiotics. The final visual acuity was 20/20 OS. Amoebas, together with polymorphonuclear cells, were observed on examination of specimens of the aqueous humor and vitreous fluid obtained during the surgery. Staphylococcus epidermidis was also cultured from the vitreous fluid. The amoebas had a crescent-shaped periphery of the cytoplasm and ambiguous nuclei. Ultrastructurally, the cytoplasm was surrounded by a thick electron-dense coating. The early vitrectomy and combined use of antibiotics and antifungals might have led to the good visual outcome in this patient.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[A new protocol of dual energy acquisition on stress 201Tl and rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial scintigraphy].

We carried out stress 201Tl (Tl) and rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin (TF) myocardial scintigraphy with dual energy acquisition in 24 patients with suspected ischemic heart disease performed coronary arteriography and elucidated the sensitivity of this method. One hour after light meal eating, TF (555 MBq) was injected intravenously at rest and after 3 minutes from injection of TF exercise or pharmacologic stress was performed. During stress Tl (111 MBq) was injected intravenously before end-point or at adequate point of pharmacologic stress. Dual energy acquisition using triple energy windows (TEW) was started after 5 minutes (early) and 4 hours (delayed) from stress. The sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp) and accuracy (Ac) in diagnosis of non-infarcted branches by using Tl (early)-TF (rest) and Tl (early)-Tl (delayed) were 79% vs. 53% (Sn), 78% vs. 96% (Sp) and 79% vs. 71% (Ac) respectively. Accordance of uptake score of infarcted region between TF (rest) and Tl (delayed) was 70%. In conclusion, this protocol is seemed to be useful as usual protocol for detection of myocardial ischemia and viability during about only 1 hour.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of enumeration methods for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

MPN, antibody, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and dot blot hybridization methods for enumeration of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were applied to various samples from suspended systems. As for FISH, reoptimization of an oligonucleotide probe Nso 190 was attempted. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods were discussed. MPN appeared to have disadvantages of underestimation. Dot blot hybridization had lower detection limit and higher reliability than other methods. It could be applied to mixed liquors and effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTPs), lab-scale reactor and enrichment cultures of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. FISH could be successfully applied to high ammonium loading system such as enrichment cultures, but weak signal, auto-fluorescence and non-specific binding could cause problems when applied to low ammonium loading systems such as effluents of WWTPs and river water. Mixed liquor of municipal WWTP seemed to be a critical case for FISH.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2001

Sludge hydrolysate as a carbon source for denitrification.

External carbon sources such as methanol and acetate are applied in order to improve the denitrification efficiency in biological nitrogen removal processes. Excess sludge wasted from the treatment plants contains organic carbon that could be used as a feasible carbon source for denitrification. However, the excess sludge needs to be hydrolyzed first before being utilized as a carbon source. The objective of this research is to evaluate the biodegradability of the sludge hydrolysate obtained using alkaline, acid, autoclaved and combined solubilization methods. The experimental results suggest that the method of solubilization has an impact on the biodegradability of sludge hydrolysate. Autoclaved alkaline sludge hydrolysate gave the fastest denitrification rate (250 mgN/gMLSSCOD/d) due to fastest protein degradation (247 mgCOD/gLSSCOD/d) and other COD degradation rates (370 mgN/gMLSSCOD/d). Alkaline, autoclaved and acid autoclaved sludge hydrolysates gave nearly the same denitrification rates (185 to 200 mgN/gMLSSCOD/d). Protein degradation rate was the highest for autoclaved alkaline sludge hydrolysate (247 mgCOD/gMLSSCOD/d) whereas carbohydrate degradation rate was the fastest for autoclaved acid sludge hydrolysate (91 mgCOD/gMLSSCOD/d). For the same enzyme activity, different carbohydrate and protein degradation activities have been found suggesting the presence of easily and slowly biodegradable portions in them.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of appropriate system for reclaimed wastewater reuse in each area of Tokyo using GIS-based water balance model.

The appropriate type of reclaimed wastewater reuse system in each area of Tokyo was evaluated from the aspect of economic efficiency, using a GIS-based water balances model. The following four reclaimed wastewater reuse systems and conventional waterworks and sewerage system were evaluated; "Rain water storage and use system", "Onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system", "Sewage treatment and reuse at an intermediate point on the sewer pipe" and "Treated water supply system in sewage treatment plant". In the case that we install them to office and residential buildings, the supplied volume by reclaimed wastewater reuse systems is 693 thousands m3/d, this corresponds to 15% of total water demand in the area. Furthermore, the effects of the following scenarios brought about by technological innovation in water treatment were investigated; the case that flush water in toilet and wastewater from kitchen are also available as source in a "onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system" and the case that reclaimed water is used for laundering in residential buildings. When reclaimed water is used for laundering in residential buildings, the supplied volume by these systems increases to 814 thousand m3/d in the case that these systems are installed to office and residential buildings.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2001

De Vega annuloplasty and Carpentier-Edwards ring annuloplasty for secondary tricuspid regurgitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Residual or recurrent tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been reported after several types of surgical repair. The development of late TR is an important complication of left heart surgery. The results of De Vega annuloplasty were compared with those obtained after Carpentier-Edwards ring (CE ring) annuloplasty in patients with secondary TR. METHODS: The records of 45 patients who underwent surgery for secondary TR between January 1995 and July 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-eight patients underwent De Vega annuloplasty, and 17 had a CE ring annuloplasty. The groups were similar with respect to associated cardiac lesions. No significant preoperative differences were observed in NYHA functional class, TR grade, and pulmonary artery pressure between the two groups. RESULTS: One CE patient died of left ventricular dysfunction after postoperative bleeding. The 28 De Vega patients and remaining 16 CE patients had an uneventful recovery, and were discharged. Tricuspid ring size after repair was similar between groups. Mean (+/- SD) follow up in the entire patient cohort was 39+/-23 months (range: 6 to 75 months). TR recurrence was rated as grade II or III in 13 patients (45%) after De Vega annuloplasty, but was grade II or III in only one patient (6%) patient after CE ring annuloplasty. There was a significant difference in TR recurrence between the groups (p = 0.027), but no significant difference in NYHA class. CONCLUSION: CE ring annuloplasty significantly decreased the recurrence of TR; thus, CE ring annuloplasty is superior to De Vega annuloplasty in patients with secondary TR.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Expression of erythropoietin in human female reproductive organs.

Erythropoietin (Epo) is known to be a lineage specific cytokine which regulates the number of circulating erythrocytes. Most of it is produced in the kidney. Recently, Epo has been reported to be synthesized in the normal brain, placenta, and capillary endothelium. We also have found that uterine endometrium expresses Epo signals in an estrogen-dependent manner, and that Epo contributes to angiogenesis in the endometrium in mice. To clarify the functional activity of Epo in human reproductive organs, we examined Epo signaling in these organs by Southern analysis of RT-PCR products and studied the distribution of substances relevant to Epo signal transduction by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Epo mRNA is expressed in the normal human cervix, endometrium and ovary, but it is not always detected in the specimens. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed Epo-receptor (EpoR) protein in: a) the endothelium of vessels, in glandular and surface epithelial cells, in decidual cells of the endometrium, and b) in follicles at various stages including oocytes, granulosa, theca interna cells and lutein cells of the ovary. Moreover, co-expression of JAK2 and phosphotyrosine, which reflects tyrosine phosphorylation via JAK2, and co-expression of EpoR and STAT5, which is a transcriptional factor relevant to mitogenic activity, were seen at these Epo-responsive sites. Western blotting analysis of these organs confirmed the immunohistochemical results. These findings imply that female reproductive organs can produce Epo, and that signal transduction of Epo contributes to the cyclic changes in the female reproductive organs.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed2001

[Two successful cases of coronary artery bypass grafting followed by transluminal carotid angioplasty with stenting].

In coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), carotid artery disease is an important factor that affects the incidence of perioperative stroke. The incidence of stroke following cardiac surgery is about 5 times higher in patients with carotid lesions than in patients without them. However, therapeutic strategies for those cases have not established in recent years. We report 2 successful cases of CABG following transluminal carotid angioplasty with stenting (TCAS) for concomitant coronary and carotid artery disease. The first case was a 71-year-old male who had left main trunk (LMT) and three-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and a 90% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery (ICA). One month after TCAS, triple CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was performed. The second case was a 75-year-old male who had LMT and single vessel CAD and a 99.9% stenosis of the lt. ICA. Considering his poor general conditions, combined strategy of off-pump CABG and PTCA was performed following TCAS. During and after cardiac surgery, they had no cerebral complications. Postoperative myocardial scintigraphy showed improved imaging in both cases. Preoperative TCAS is a safe and minimally invasive procedure for the patients with carotid artery stenosis who need CABG.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

[Chemotherapy and radiation therapy].

Stem cell transplantation and interferon-based treatment are major strategies in chronic phase CML and chemotherapy is one of limited therapeutic options when they are not available or ineffective. Hydroxyurea is superior to busulfan in better effect and lesser side effects. Homoharringtonine, a plant alkaloid, has shown cytogenetic response in one third of patients who were resistant to interferon therapy, and a better response rate in combination with cytarabine and interferon alfa. There have been no improvement of clinical outcome in treatment of accelerated phase and blastic crisis although many trials including decitabine are going on.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed2000

A novel gene (retinovin) expressed selectively in the early stage of chick retinal development.

To understand molecular mechanisms of retinal development, genes expressed selectively only in the early stage of retinal development were isolated by subtractive hybridization based on suppression polymerase chain reaction. The retina has no layered structure in 7-day chick embryos, in contrast with the fully developed multilayered structure of neurons in 15-day embryos. The subtraction between cDNA derived from retinal tissues at these different stages, followed by repeat rounds of 5'-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and 3'-RACE, led to isolation of a novel gene with an open reading frame encoding a putative protein with 753 amino acids. Its specific expression in the 7-day embryonic retina was confirmed by Northern blot analysis. The gene, named "retinovin," would be used as a marker for identifying retinal stem cells present at the early stage of retinal development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Structure and promoter analysis of the human unc-33-like phosphoprotein gene. E-box required for maximal expression in neuroblastoma and myoblasts.

The human unc-33-like phosphoprotein (hUlip/CRMP-4) is a member of a family of developmentally regulated genes that are highly expressed in the nervous system. Mutations in the C. elegans unc-33 gene lead to worms with abnormal movements. The hUlip gene encodes a 570-amino acid protein with 98% homology to its murine (Ulip) (Byk, T., Dobransky, T., Cifuentes-Diaz, C., and Sobel, A. (1996) J. Neurosci. 16, 688-701) and rat (CRMP-4) (Wang, L. H., and Strittmatter, S. M. (1996) J. Neurosci. 16, 6197-6207) counterparts (Gaetano, C., Matsuo, T., and Thiele, C. J. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 12195-12201). The hUlip gene was isolated from a human genomic library. It contains 15 exons, including an exon defined by an anaplastic oligodendroglioma expressed sequence tag, and spans at least 61.7 kilobases. hUlip lacks sequences corresponding to the first six exons found in unc-33. unc-33 exons correspond to homologous hUlip exons as follows: VII to 1 and 2, VIII to 3-9, IX to 10-12, and X to 13 and 14. Using the hUlip clone 1 phage, fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis indicates that the hybridization signal localizes to human chromosome 5q32. Deletion analysis of 5'-flanking sequences delineated the sequences sufficient to express a reporter gene in both neuroblastoma cells and myoblasts. A consensus MyoD/myogenin binding site is located in a region of the downstream promoter that is nearly identical to its mouse homologue. Mutagenesis shows that this conserved MyoD/myogenin site is necessary for full promoter activity in both myoblasts and neuroblastoma cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Antithrombotic treatment (argatroban vs. heparin) in coronary angioplasty in angina pectoris: effects on inflammatory, hemostatic, and endothelium-derived parameters.

To evaluate the suitability of two anticoagulants (heparin vs. argatroban) as adjunctive drugs during and after elective conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, we compared the changes in inflammatory, hemostatic, and endothelium-derived markers in groups of patients with stable angina treated with the two drugs during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Twenty-seven patients were randomly allocated to either group 1 (15 patients who received an empiric dose of heparin and aspirin as anticoagulant), or group 2 (12 patients who received an alternative regimen of argatroban and aspirin). Both drugs were administered as a bolus followed by continuous infusion for 96 hours during and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. There were no differences in the inflammatory response induced by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in both groups, but the fibrinogen concentration significantly decreased during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in group 2. Decreased platelet counts and increased mean platelet volume were observed during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in both groups. The levels of prothrombin fragment 1+2 and thrombin antithrombin III complex increased markedly during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Group 2 showed a more rapid return to the baseline levels of these two markers than group 1. Secondary fibrinolysis was evidenced by a steep increase of D-dimer after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in both groups. In contrast to the significant decrease in antithrombin activities during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in group 1, no marked change in these markers was found in group 2. Although the levels of von Willebrand factor and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 showed essentially the same changes in both groups during and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, more markedly increased levels of tissue type plasminogen activator and type plasminogen activator-plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were found in group 1 than in group 2. While neither drug had any effect on the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty-induced inflammatory response, argatroban may more effectively inhibit the generated thrombin and prevent antithrombin consumption during and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Aged↗