Dermatomyositis associated with intratubular germ cell tumor and metastatic germ cell cancer.
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Adenocarcinoma↗
Biomedical subjects
T Motoyama
Publications and source records attributed to T Motoyama.
Separation and characterization of carboxyl-linked glucuronides of bile acids in incubation mixture of rat liver microsomes.
The carboxyl-linked 24-glucuronides of common bile acids have been identified by means of liquid chromatography (LC)/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-mass spectrometry (MS) in an incubation mixture with a male Wistar rat liver microsomal fraction. The authentic specimens of bile acid 24-glucuronide acetate-methyl esters were synthesized unequivocally using the Mitsunobu reaction, and the APCI-mass spectrometric properties of these glucuronide derivatives were also characterized. After incubation of common unconjugated bile acids with hepatic microsomes, glucuronides were extracted and purified with a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and lipophilic ion exchange gel, piperidino-hydroxypropyl Sephadex LH-20, and then derivatized into the acetate-methyl esters. Subsequent resolution into alpha- and beta-isomers at the glucuronosyl linkage was attained by LC on Cosmosil 5C8 and Sumichiral OA-2500 columns using 200 mM ammonium acetate (pH 7.0)-methanol (1:4, v/v), where 24-glucuronides were monitored with characteristic positive ions [M + NH4]+. The 24-glucuronides of lithocholic, chenodeoxycholic, deoxycholic, ursodeoxycholic and cholic acid were definitely characterized, in contrast to no formation of corresponding 3-glucuronides.
Animals↗
Vitamin C attenuates abnormal vasomotor reactivity in spasm coronary arteries in patients with coronary spastic angina.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine effect of vitamin C, an antioxidant, on the abnormal vasomotor reactivity in spasm coronary arteries. BACKGROUND: Oxygen free radicals generated in the arterial walls have been shown to cause endothelial vasomotor dysfunction. METHODS: Responses of the epicardial arterial diameters of the left coronary arteries to the intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine (ACh) (10 and 50 microg/min) were measured by quantitative coronary angiography before and during combined intracoronary infusion of vitamin C (10 mg/min) or saline as a placebo in 32 patients with coronary spastic angina and in 34 control subjects. RESULTS: Vitamin C infusion suppressed the constrictor response of the epicardial diameter to ACh in spasm coronary arteries but had no significant effect in the control coronary arteries (percent change in distal diameter in response to 10 microg/min of ACh [constriction (-), dilation (+), mean +/- SEM] before vitamin C: -8.2 +/- 2.9% in spasm arteries, +8.4 +/- 2.9%* in control arteries; during vitamin C: +0.2 +/- 3.8%* in spasm arteries, +7.2 +/- 1.3%* in control arteries [*p < 0.01 vs. spasm arteries before vitamin CI). The coronary sinus-arterial difference in plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances during ACh infusion, an indicator of lipid peroxidation in coronary circulation, was higher in patients with coronary spastic angina than in control subjects (p < 0.01) but was suppressed in patients with coronary spastic angina to comparable levels in control subjects by combined infusion of vitamin C. Saline infusion had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that vitamin C attenuates vasomotor dysfunction in epicardial coronary arteries in patients with coronary spastic angina. Oxygen free radicals may at least in part play a role in the abnormal coronary vasomotor reactivity in response to ACh in spasm coronary arteries.
Acetylcholine↗
Angiomyoma of the retropharyngeal space.
We encountered a 59-year-old man with angiomyoma of the retropharyngeal space. He had been referred to our hospital because of a six-month history of a sensation of a narrowed pharynx. A smooth-surfaced tumour arising from the posterior wall in the hypopharynx was observed by indirect laryngoscopy. Radiographical imaging revealed a solitary tumour with homogenous contents in the retropharyngeal space. The tumour was successfully removed via a lateral pharyngotomy approach under general anaesthesia. Histopathologically, the tumour was composed of numerous veins with thick muscular walls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an angiomyoma arising in the retropharyngeal space.
Angiomyoma↗
Comparison of coronary hemodynamics during infusions of dobutamine and adenosine in patients with angina pectoris.
Pharmacologic stress tests are used to evaluate the significance of coronary arterial stenosis, and adenosine and dobutamine are often used for this purpose. The aim of this study was to examine coronary hemodynamics in 16 patients with stable exertional angina who had organic stenosis (> 90%) in the left anterior descending coronary arteries and in 13 control subjects at baseline and during separate intravenous infusions of dobutamine (20 micrograms/kg per min [corrected]) and adenosine (140 micrograms/kg per min [corrected]). Measurements of great cardiac vein blood flow and lactate and oxygen contents in the blood from the aortic root and great cardiac vein were analyzed in patients with ischemic signs of myocardial ischemia (ST-segment depression in the precordial ECG leads and/or myocardial lactate production) during the infusions (in 11 patients during adenosine infusion and in 12 patients during dobutamine infusion) and in control subjects. Myocardial oxygen consumption during adenosine infusion did not change compared with the baseline in both groups, whereas it increased during dobutamine infusion in both groups (p < 0.01 compared with the baseline in each case). However, great cardiac vein blood flow was significantly increased compared with the baseline during both infusions in both groups (p < 0.01 compared with baseline in each case), and the oxygen contents of great cardiac vein blood, which contains effluent from the ischemic region, showed no decrease but increased significantly during both infusions in the patients in comparison with control subjects. Although the global oxygen supply was excessive, myocardial ischemia occurred during dobutamine and adenosine infusions in the patients. As myocardial oxygen consumption remained unchanged during adenosine infusion, regional myocardial flow reduction, possibly as a result of flow maldistribution, may contribute, at least partly, to adenosine-induced myocardial ischemia. An increase in myocardial oxygen consumption may be the principal cause of myocardial ischemia during dobutamine infusion, but an inappropriate flow increase in normal myocardium may occur during dobutamine-induced ischemia.
Adenosine↗
cDNA cloning, expression, and mutagenesis of scytalone dehydratase needed for pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus, Pyricularia oryzae.
We purified scytalone dehydratase from the rice blast fungus, Pyricularia oryzae, and cloned its cDNA on the basis of its amino acid sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence was 62% identical to the scytalone dehydratase from Colletotrichum lagenarium. The expression of this gene was induced transcriptionally in the stationary phase when melanin synthesis occurs. We constructed a heterologous expression system for the enzyme in Escherichia coli, did deletion analysis with this system, and found that a C-terminal region is essential for the enzyme function.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Supersensitive dilator response to nitroglycerin but not to atrial natriuretic peptide in spastic coronary arteries in coronary spastic angina.
It has been shown that there is the supersensitivity of the dilator effect of nitrovasodilators in the coronary arteries of patients with coronary spastic angina. This study was aimed to elucidate its mechanism(s) by examination of dilator response of spastic coronary arteries to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is known to dilate arteries by the same final common pathway through cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) as nitrovasodilators. Effects of infusion of nitroglycerin and ANP on epicardial coronary diameter of left coronary arteries were thus examined by quantitative coronary angiography in 20 patients with coronary spastic angina, who had spasm in left coronary arteries, and in 27 control subjects. Dilator response of coronary diameter to intracoronary infusion of ANP (0.5 microgram/kg) was found to be comparable between spastic coronary arteries and control arteries, whereas dilator response to nitroglycerin (250 micrograms) was enhanced in the spastic arteries compared with control arteries. The results indicate that spastic coronary arteries exhibit supersensitive dilator response to nitroglycerin but not to ANP. There is a possibility that dilator response to cGMP may be comparable between spastic and control coronary arteries and that soluble guanylate cyclase activity and/or conversion of nitric oxide bio-activity from nitroglycerin may be enhanced in spastic coronary arteries.
Adult↗
The Aspergillus nidulans genes chsA and chsD encode chitin synthases which have redundant functions in conidia formation [corrected and republished article originally appeared in Mol Gen Genet 1996 Jun; 251(4):442-50].
We previously isolated three chitin synthase genes (chsA, chsB, and chsC) from Aspergillus nidulans. In the present work, we describe the isolation and characterization of another chitin synthase gene, named chsD, from A. nidulans. Its deduced amino acid sequence shows 56.7% and 55.9% amino acid identity, respectively, with Cal1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Chs3 of Candida albicans. Disruption of chsD caused no defect in cell growth or morphology during the asexual cycle and caused no decrease in chitin content in hyphae. However, double disruption of chsA and chsD caused a remarkable decrease in the efficiency of conidia formation, while double disruption of chsC and chsD caused no defect. Thus it appears that chsA and chsD serve redundant functions in conidia formation.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Increased plasma tissue factor levels in acute myocardial infarction.
BACKGROUND: Tissue factor (TF) is a low molecular weight glycoprotein that initiates the clotting cascade and is considered to be a major regulator of coagulation, hemostasis, and thrombosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined plasma TF levels in 31 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (within 6 hours after the onset of symptoms), 27 patients with stable exertional angina, and 27 control subjects. Ten patients with AMI had a history of unstable angina before infarction, and 21 had a sudden onset of infarction. The plasma TF level was higher in the AMI group than in the stable exertional angina and control groups (240 +/- 112 vs 184 +/- 46 pg/ml [p < 0.05] vs 177 +/- 37 pg/ml, p < 0.01, respectively). TF levels were decreased in the chronic phase (2 weeks after admission) compared with the acute phase of infarction (from 240 +/- 112 pg/ml to 222 +/- 97 pg/ml, p < 0.05). In addition, plasma TF levels were higher in patients with AMI with prodromal unstable angina than in patients with a sudden onset of infarction (300 +/- 169 pg/ml vs 212 +/- 57 pg/ml, p < 0.05). TF levels were similar in the acute and chronic phases in the patients with AMI with prodromal unstable angina (300 +/- 169 pg/ml vs 290 +/- 136 pg/ml, p = not significant) but were decreased in the chronic phase in the patients with AMI with sudden onset (from 212 +/- 57 pg/ml to 190 +/- 49 pg/ml, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased plasma TF levels in patients with AMI may reflect enhanced intravascular procoagulant activity. The higher TF levels in patients with AMI with prodramol unstable angina may be associated with repeated episodes of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.
Aged↗
Flow-mediated, endothelium-dependent dilatation of the brachial arteries is impaired in patients with coronary spastic angina.
Coronary spasm is induced by acetylcholine, serotonin, ergonovine, or histamine, all of which cause vasodilation when the endothelium is intact, and is promptly relieved by nitroglycerin, which vasodilates through the direct action on smooth muscle. Endothelial dysfunction is therefore possibly involved in the pathogenesis of coronary artery spasm. The aim of this study was to determine whether endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in the peripheral arteries of patients with coronary spastic angina. Flow-dependent vasodilation of the brachial arteries during reactive hyperemia after the transient arterial occlusion was examined by using the high-resolution ultrasound technique in 35 patients with coronary spastic angina and 35 controls. Flow-dependent vasodilation of the brachial arteries was impaired in patients with coronary spastic angina compared with controls (5.9% +/- 4.2% vs 9.6% +/- 3.4%, p < 0.001) although the percent increase in blood flow during reactive hyperemia was not different between the two groups. The dilator response to nitroglycerin was preserved in patients with coronary spastic angina compared with controls (18.6% +/- 5.1% vs 16.2% +/- 3.9%, p < 0.04). The results indicate that endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the brachial arteries is impaired in patients with coronary spastic angina. Thus endothelial vasomotor dysregulation may also be present in the systemic arteries as well as coronary arteries in patients with coronary spastic angina.
Adult↗
Gender difference in improvement of endothelium-dependent vasodilation after estrogen supplementation.
OBJECTIVES: We examined whether there is a gender difference in the improvement of endothelium-dependent vasodilation after estrogen supplementation. BACKGROUND: Estrogen therapy reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in postmenopausal women, and the augmented release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) by estrogens has been suggested to be one of the mechanisms for the cardioprotective effects of estrogen. METHODS: With ultrasound technique, we measured the diameter and blood flow of the brachial artery at rest, during reactive hyperemia after transient occlusion and after nitroglycerin administration before and after estradiol supplementation in 15 postmenopausal women (mean 63 years) and in 15 men matched for age and risk factors for atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Estradiol supplementation augmented the flow-mediated vasodilation and serum level of nitrite/nitrate (metabolites of NO) in women (respectively, from mean +/- SEM of 8.0 +/- 0.6% to 12.9 +/- 0.6% [p < 0.01 by analysis of variance (ANOVA)] and from 64.9 +/- 8.7 to 93.7 +/- 9.4 mumol/liter [p < 0.05 by ANOVA]) but not in men (respectively, from 8.1 +/- 0.6% to 8.3 +/- 0.7% and from 57.8 +/- 6.7 to 60.8 +/- 5.4 mumol/liter). The increases in blood flow during reactive hyperemia and in diameter after nitroglycerin administration were not affected by estradiol supplementation in either men or women. CONCLUSIONS: Estradiol supplementation improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in women, probably because of augmented NO production/release, but not in men. Thus, there may be gender differences in the effects of estrogen therapy on endothelial functions and NO production/release.
Analysis of Variance↗
Nitric oxide-mediated flow-dependent dilation is impaired in coronary arteries in patients with coronary spastic angina.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine whether flow-dependent dilation is impaired at the site of coronary artery spasm in patients with coronary spastic angina. BACKGROUND: Physiologic stimuli such as exercise and exposure to cold have been shown to cause an increase in coronary blood flow, leading to flow-dependent dilation of coronary arteries in normal subjects, but cause coronary constriction in patients with coronary spastic angina. METHODS: A maximal increase in blood flow was induced selectively in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) by infusion of adenosine through a Doppler flow catheter tip in the midportion of the LAD in 10 patients with coronary spastic angina, all with angiographically demonstrated spasm of the LAD, and in 11 control patients. Coronary artery diameter at the proximal site of the LAD (exposed to increased flow but not to adenosine) was measured by quantitative angiography. RESULTS: Flow-dependent dilation of the proximal LAD was found to be less in spasm arteries than in control arteries. Infusion of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) in the proximal LAD suppressed flow-dependent dilation in control arteries but had no significant effect on spasm arteries. The dilator response to nitroglycerin was not impaired in spasm coronary arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that flow-dependent coronary dilation is impaired in spasm arteries, partly due to a deficiency in endothelial nitric oxide bioactivity, which in turn may contribute to the increase in coronary tone during physiologic stimuli in patients with coronary spastic angina.
Adenosine↗
Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor on plasma B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
BACKGROUND: Plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are markedly increased in patients with heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. The changes in plasma BNP levels in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have not been examined well. This study was designed to examine the effects of early angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy on plasma BNP levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured the plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptide over the time course for 2 weeks in 30 patients with acute myocardial infarction in whom either imidapril (n = 15) or placebo (n = 15) was given at random immediately after admission. Plasma BNP levels increased and reached a peak of 192 +/- 28 pg/ML 16 hours after administration; thereafter, the levels decreased and then again increased, forming the second peak of 217 +/- 38 pg/ML on the fifth day (biphasic pattern). On the other hand, plasma BNP levels increased and reached a peak level of 190 +/- 22 pg/ML 16 hours after admission and then decreased from 2 days after admission until the second week in the imidapril group (monophasic pattern). Left ventricular ejection fraction measured in the second week was significantly higher in the imidapril group than in the control group (62.2 +/- 1.1% vs 51.2 +/- 3.6%, P < .01). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that plasma BNP levels followed a monophasic pattern after imidapril treatment, whereas a biphasic pattern was followed after placebo, and that plasma BNP levels constitute a marker of ventricular dysfunction in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Adult↗
Coexistence of superficial esophageal carcinoma and leiomyoma: case report of an endoscopic resection.
A case of a 61 year old man who developed early esophageal cancer on top of a leiomyoma located in the upper third of the esophagus is described. Both lesions were successfully treated by endoscopic resection, without recurrence on short-term-follow-up.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
Juxtaglomerular cell tumor of the kidney: report of a non-functioning variant.
A case of a juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JCT) in a 46-year-old man is reported. The tumor, 2.4 cm at its greatest dimension, was incidentally detected by ultrasonography. Although histological, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic examinations revealed typical features of a JCT, the patient had no history of hypertension or hypokalemia. This is the first report of a non-functioning JCT in the literature.
Biomarkers↗
Evidence that part of a centromeric DNA region induces pseudohyphal growth in a dimorphic yeast, Candida maltosa.
We observed that a YCp-type vector having the centromeric DNA (CEN) sequence previously isolated from the genome, but not a YRp-type vector lacking the CEN sequence, induced pseudohyphal growth in a dimorphic fungi, Candida maltosa, which had been shown to be closely related to Candida albicans by phylogenetic analysis. Deletion analysis of the CEN sequence revealed that the intact CEN sequence was not required for the induction, but part of it, having partial centromeric activity, was enough for the induction. By screening the gene library of this yeast for the sequences which induced pseudohyphal growth, we isolated three different DNA fragments which also had part of the centromere-like sequence. Partial centromeric activity of these fragments was confirmed by three criteria: low copy number and high stability of the plasmids carrying these fragments and rearrangement at high frequency of the plasmid DNA with one of these fragments plus the CEN sequence. Furthermore, when the GGTAGCG sequence commonly found in one copy in each of these four sequences was mutated in the CEN sequence by site-directed mutagenesis, both partial centromeric activity and pseudohyphal growth-inducing activity of the CEN sequence were lost. These results indicated that part of CEN region with partial centromeric activity induces pseudohyphal growth in C. maltosa. It is suggested that some cellular components which interact with the sequence containing GGTAGCG required for centromeric activity are involved in the regulation of the transition between yeast forms and pseudohyphal forms of the cells.
Base Sequence↗
Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the brachial artery is impaired in smokers: effect of vitamin C.
Cigarette smoking has been shown to cause endothelial dysfunction. To examine the effects of vitamin C and cigarette smoking on endothelium-dependent vasodilation, we measured the lumen diameter and flow velocity of the brachial arteries at rest, during reactive hyperemia following transient arterial occlusion, and after sublingual nitroglycerin (0.3 mg) in smokers (n = 20) and nonsmokers (n = 20) with high-resolution ultrasound after infusion of saline or saline plus vitamin C (10 mg/min for 20 min). We also performed the same study in smokers (n = 15) before and 10 min after cigarette smoking. In addition, we measured the serum levels of vitamin C and the plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) as an index of lipid peroxidation. The smokers had lower vitamin C levels, higher TBARS levels, and showed impairment of flow-dependent vasodilation (5.3 +/- 1.9 vs. 9.2 +/- 1.5%, P < 0.0001) compared with nonsmokers. Vitamin C administration improved the impairment of flow-dependent vasodilation (5.3 +/- 1.9 to 9.0 +/- 3.2%, P < 0.001) and decreased TBARS in smokers but not in nonsmokers. Furthermore, cigarette smoking acutely worsened the impairment of flow-dependent vasodilation (5.4 +/- 1.8 to 1.5 +/- 1.3%, P < 0.01) and increased TBARS. We conclude that 1) endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the brachial arteries is impaired in smokers and this impairment is improved by vitamin C administration in association with a decrease in TBARS and 2) cigarette smoking produces acute impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in smokers in association with an increase in TBARS.
Adult↗
[Reliability of Amplicor Mycobacteria test for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. M. avium and M. intracellulare: a cooperative study among 9 laboratories].
The Amplicor Mycobacteria, a PCR-based assay, is a rapid test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare in clinical samples. To estimate the reliability and reproducibility of the method, a cooperative blind study was conducted among 9 laboratories. Materials used for testing consisted of 105 sputum and 30 water samples containing known numbers of M. bovis BCG, M. avium, M. intracellulare, and samples without bacteria. Only 2 out of the 9 laboratories correctly identified the presence or absence of mycobacterial DNA in all 135 samples. In sputum samples, 6 out of the 9 laboratories detected mycobacterial DNA in all positive samples, and 4 out of the 9 laboratories correctly reported the absence of DNA in the negative samples, indicating the need for good laboratory practice and development of reference reagents to monitor the performance of the whole study, including pretreatment of clinical samples. The main problem was lack of specificity rather than lack of sensitivity. From about half of the laboratories, false-positive results were reported, however, the ratio was below 6%; 1% (1/106 sputum samples) in 3 laboratories, 1.9% (2/105) in 2 laboratories, and 5.7% (6/105) in one laboratory, respectively. These results indicate that the Amplicor Mycobacteria is quite useful for a rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.
DNA, Bacterial↗