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Biomedical subjects

T Okamura

Publications and source records attributed to T Okamura.

At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources

Accurate prognostic value of morphovolumetric analysis of advanced carcinoma of the stomach.

Two hundred and seventy-five patients with advanced carcinoma of the stomach invading the serosa were morphovolumetrically classified into three types: funnel, column and mountain. The funnel type, in which cancer cells narrowly invaded the deep wall compared with the extent of spread in the mucosa, was associated with less frequent metastases and a better prognosis (five year survival rate of 49 per cent). The column type, in which cancer cells invaded the deep wall as wide as the mucosa, and the mountain type, in which cancer cells widely invaded the deep wall, were associated with high frequent metastases and a poor prognosis (five year survival rates of 17 and 13 per cent, respectively). Division was also made into expanding and infiltrative types. In patients with the column type, those with infiltrative type had a poorer outcome than did those with the expanding type, while patients with the funnel type had a better prognosis than those with the other two types, regardless of the infiltration and expansion. The expanding type had a propensity for metastases to the liver and infiltrative type for peritoneal seeding. Combination of these classifications provides a prognostic evaluation and assessment of the behavior of advanced carcinoma of the stomach.

Adult↗

[A case of renal cell carcinoma with the complication of a giant cyst difficult to distinguish from xanthoma].

A case of renal cell carcinoma accompanied by a giant cyst in a 69-year-old male patient is reported. The patient consulted a physician in our Hospital for bellyache on the left abdomen. Because giant cyst in the left kidney and intracystic hemorrhage were suspected by computed tomography diagnosis, the patient was transferred to the Department of Urology, As a tumor-like mass was detected in the cyst by ultrasound echo diagnosis, transperitoneal extirpation of the left kidney was conducted on May 8, 1985. At operation, a giant unilocular cyst covered with hypertrophic fibrous capsule including much coagula was observed. The inner wall of the cyst was covered with many deeply yellow torous lesions of sizes ranging from those of a wheat grain to thumb. Histologically, the lesions consisted of a cell group supposedly of histiocyte origin accompanied by cellular infiltration of lymph cells, and xanthoma was deeply suspected. However, as it was difficult to distinguish from the clear cell subtype of renal cell carcinoma, examination by an electron microscope was conducted and the final diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma was made. The post-operative course of the patient was good and no recurrence or cancer metastasis was observed as of January, 1986.

Aged↗

Adenocarcinoma in the upper third part of the stomach.

Two hundred and twenty-three patients who underwent gastrectomy for adenocarcinoma arising from the cardia and upper third part of the stomach were studied with regard to esophageal invasion. One hundred and twenty-seven (57 per cent) had a malignant invasion into the esophagus and 96 (43 per cent) did not. In the curative instances, 52 of 74 patients (70.3 per cent) without esophageal invasion survived for five years, while 14 of 52 patients (26.9 per cent) with esophageal invasion survived: The prognosis of patients with esophageal invasion was poor regardless of the presence or absence of metastases to the lymph nodes. No patient who underwent noncurative resection survived for five years. To elucidate the high risk factors of esophageal invasion, a proportion of patients with esophageal invasion was statistically compared with patients without esophageal invasion, according to clinicopathologic factors. High risk factors included anatomic location, advanced disease and Borrmann IV type in gross appearance, more than 5 centimeters in diameter, positive serosal in filtration and positive metastases to the lymph nodes. Histologic type and mode of invasion did not relate to the esophageal invasion. The patients with high risk factors had a significantly poorer prognosis than did those without high risk factors. The results of the present study clearly show that high risk factors for esophageal invasion have an untoward effect on the rate of curative resection and the prognosis after removal of a lesion from the upper third part of the stomach.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[A case of carcinoma in the lower abdomen treated successfully with oral administration of bestrabucil].

A 72-year-old female was admitted because of a palpable hard tumor, 15 X 7 cm in size, in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen. According to a diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumor, laparotomy was performed, revealing a large tumor extending between the descending colon and the pelvic cavity, which could not be separated from the retroperitoneum, uterus, left ovary, urinary bladder or rectum. A number of metastatic nodules were disseminated to the peritoneum and mesenterium. The pathological diagnosis of the nodules was poorly differentiated carcinoma of transitional cell type, origin unknown. After discharge, oral administration of bestrabucil (100-200 mg/day), the benzoate of an estradiol-chlorambucil conjugate, was given to the patient at an outpatient clinic. The tumor ceased to be palpable when the total amount administered reached at 14 g. Ultrasonography and computed tomography demonstrated significant reduction in tumor size. A decrease in the peripheral leukocyte count was observed after every consecutive administration and it took about 2 months to recover to the normal level. No other side effects were observed in this case. Although administration was stopped at a total amount of 16.1 g, reenlargement of the tumor has not been observed for 9 months.

Aged↗

DNA ploidy in clinical malignant gastric lesions less than 5 mm in diameter.

Nuclear DNA content was microspectrophotometrically measured in 18 patients with a mucosal carcinoma of the stomach less than 5 mm in diameter. The findings were compared with data on 56 patients with a lesion greater than 5 mm. DNA distribution patterns were grouped into low and high ploidies. A mucosal carcinoma, classed as high ploidy, was confirmed in 27.8%, 22.2%, and 28.9% of the lesions with a diameter of less than 5 mm, 5 to 20 mm, and 20 to 40 mm, respectively. In the high-ploidy group with a lesion exceeding 5 mm, there was a preponderance of an elevated lesion, well- and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas, and location in the lower third of the stomach. Such pathologic features showed the same tendency in the high-ploidy group with a lesion less than 5 mm. An aneuploid carcinoma may be present even in a lesion confined to the mucosa, and less than 5 mm in diameter.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Responses of isolated dog blood vessels to glucagon.

The responses to glucagon were compared in helical strips of different arteries or veins isolated from dogs, and the relationship between the glucagon-induced relaxation and the intracellular cyclic AMP content in the arteries was studied. Relaxations induced by glucagon followed the order renal greater than mesenteric greater than femoral greater than cerebral = coronary arteries precontracted with PGF2 alpha. Glucagon-induced relaxations were greater in renal and mesenteric arteries than in the respective veins. Removal of the endothelium from the renal artery did not alter the magnitude of relaxations induced by glucagon nor the apparent ED50 value of glucagon. Glucagon increased the intracellular cyclic AMP content in both renal and coronary arteries, but the nucleotide increments were significantly greater in renal arteries than in coronary arteries. Isoproterenol produced significant increases in the intracellular cyclic AMP content and relaxations in renal and coronary arteries. Relaxations induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP were greater in coronary arteries than in renal arteries. It is concluded that glucagon relaxed differently a variety of dog blood vessels, possibly by different extents of production of cellular cyclic AMP. The quantity and sensitivity of receptors for glucagon in smooth muscle cells may be heterogeneous in the vessels.

Animals↗

Bovine steroid 21-hydroxylase: regulation of biosynthesis.

A recombinant cDNA clone, PBC21-1, specific for bovine steroid 21-hydroxylase cytochrome P-450 (P-450C21) was identified in a bovine adrenocortical cDNA library, and this identity was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing which revealed significant amino acid homology (77%) with human P-450C21 cDNA. The pBC21-1 insert is 1.7 kilobases in length and includes a 1128 base pair region that encodes the C-terminal 376 amino acids of bovine P-450C21 as well as 535 base pairs of 3'-untranslated sequence. A novel feature of this insert is a 20 base pair intervening sequence near the 5' end, apparently the result of an aberrant splicing event. Northern blot analysis reveals that bovine P-450C21 is encoded by two transcripts, 2.3 and 2.0 kilobases in length which are detected in adrenal cortical RNA. Bovine liver, heart, kidney, and corpus luteum do not contain detectable P-450C21 transcripts. Regulation of P-450C21 gene expression by adrenocorticotropin was investigated with pBC21-1 and bovine adrenocortical cells in primary, monolayer culture. Treatment with ACTH or analogues of cAMP increases the steady-state levels of P-450C21 RNA in such cell cultures. In vitro transcription run-on assays suggest that this increase is, at least in part, due to the enhanced transcriptional activity of the P-450C21 gene.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Malignant potentiality of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus predictable by DNA analysis.

Cell nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content was microspectrophotometrically determined in biopsy specimens from 75 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The relationships among DNA distribution patterns, pathohistologic features, and prognosis were investigated. In patients with a high hyperploid DNA content (type IV), there was a high frequency of lymph node metastasis and lymphatic invasion, as compared with those exhibiting the near diploid DNA content (type II). In the type IV group, 22 of 23 patients died within 2 years, whereas patients with type II had a good clinical course and the 5-year survival rate was 60%. The DNA distribution pattern, determined by a multivariate Cox model analysis, was one of independent and significant prognostic variables. As these findings suggest that the DNA distribution pattern reflects the malignant potentiality of the tumor, the preoperative determinations of the DNA pattern in biopsy specimens of the esophageal carcinoma should provide a valuable parameter for predicting the prognosis.

Adult↗

[Evaluation of the dopaminergic neuroendocrine control of prolactin release during labor in humans].

Eight women with normal term pregnancy were i.v. administered 10 mg Metoclopramide (M), dopamine antagonist, before and during labor. Serum prolactin (PRL), TSH, GH and cortisol levels were measured at -30, 0, 30 and 60 minutes after M administration by specific radioimmunoassay. Basal serum PRL levels before labor, 287.5 +/- 28.6 ng/ml (mean +/- S.E.), significantly declined during labor to 237.0 +/- 22.4 and 216.4 +/- 22.9 ng/ml (p less than 0.05 at both) at 0 and 30 minutes before M administration, respectively. The increments in serum PRL at 30 and 60 minutes after M administration during labor (209.5 +/- 33.9 and 120.0 +/- 27.1 ng/ml, respectively) were not significantly different from those before labor (202.1 +/- 48.7 and 89.9 +/- 30.1 ng/ml, respectively), suggesting that the decline in serum PRL levels during labor is not due to the dopaminergic control. Basal serum TSH and GH levels were not significantly changed by labor and M administration either before or during labor. Serum cortisol levels tended to increase during labor, but these changes were not significant. The data suggest that the PRL releases from the pituitary during labor are not controlled by the dopaminergic mechanism.

Adult↗

Bovine adrenocortical cytochrome P-450(17 alpha). Regulation of gene expression by ACTH and elucidation of primary sequence.

In the steroidogenic pathway of the adrenal cortex, 17 alpha-hydroxylase cytochrome P-450 (P-450(17 alpha)) is a major regulatory enzyme. Previous studies have shown that stimulation of 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity occurs upon treatment of bovine adrenocortical cells in culture with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), via cAMP, due to an increase in the enzyme concentration. Alterations in the levels of this enzyme result in pronounced changes in the pattern of steroids produced, with the potent glucocorticoid cortisol, as well as the sex steroids, being products of 17 alpha-hydroxylated steroid precursors. In the present study, the identification and sequencing of two cloned DNA molecules, pB17 alpha-1 and pcD17 alpha-2, which are complementary to mRNA sequences encoding bovine adrenal cortex P-450(17 alpha), are reported. Clone pcD17 alpha-2 contains an open reading frame coding for the complete amino acid sequence of P-450(17 alpha) which consists of 509 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 57,251. By comparison to other forms of cytochrome P-450, we conclude that P-450(17 alpha) is a member of a previously unidentified family within the P-450 multigene superfamily. Single bovine and human mRNA species of approximately equal to 1850 bases in length hybridize to these clones. Regulation of the concentration of this RNA has been studied using bovine adrenocortical cells in culture. Treatment with ACTH or dibutyryl cAMP causes an increase in the content of P-450(17 alpha) RNA in as little as 2 h, and its concentration increases greater than 20-fold by 8 h. In contrast, other steroidogenic enzymes that have been studied respond more slowly to ACTH. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide block induction of P-450(17 alpha) RNA, indicating that regulation of 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity is controlled at the level of transcription and requires ongoing protein synthesis.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Clinicopathological features of mucosal carcinoma of the stomach with lymph node metastasis in eleven patients.

Of 568 patients with mucosal carcinoma of the stomach, only 11 (1.9 per cent) had a lymph node metastasis. The clinicopathological findings in these 11 patients are reviewed. Diameters of the lesions were over 2.0 cm. Seven were located in the body of the stomach and four in the antrum. Nine showed depressed lesions comprised of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and two were classed as elevated lesions consisting of well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas. There were six with accompanying peptic ulcers, all of which revealed depressed lesions with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Metastases to proximal perigastric lymph nodes were found in eight while there were three with involvement of distant lymph nodes. All patients were surgically treated and all are doing well except for one who died of hepatic failure one month after operation. We recommend that the standard operation with lymph node dissection is essential, even in cases of mucosal carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Preoperative detection of a highly malignant type of early gastric carcinoma by cytophotometric DNA analysis.

A cytophotometric DNA analysis was made of gastroendoscopically biopsied materials of 43 patients with early gastric carcinoma and the data were compared with the DNA patterns of the resected specimens of these patients. The DNA patterns could be classified into two types, Low Ploidy and High ploidy, according to the degree of dispersion of the DNA value. The Ploidy to Ploidy coincidence of the DNA patterns between biopsied material and the resected specimen in the same lesion was noted in 93 per cent (39/42). The DNA patterns of the resected specimens were consistent in the majority of cases, regardless of the areas examined, center or periphery, and mucosa or submucosa of the same lesion. This study provides evidence that a highly malignant type of early gastric carcinoma, Pen A type, could be differentiated in gastroendoscopically biopsied materials by a cytophotometric DNA analysis.

Biopsy↗

Vascular angiotensin converting enzyme in the development of renal hypertension.

The possible role of vascular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is examined in vitro and in vivo. In helically cut strips of arteries isolated from dogs, contractions induced by angiotensin (ANG) I are suppressed by ACE inhibitor or ANG II antagonist. This indicates that vascular ACE contributes to the local formation of ANG II. In two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats, plasma-renin activity (PRA) rises rapidly with the elevation of blood pressure, then decreases gradually, despite sustained high blood pressure. Renin activity in the aorta also increases with the development of hypertension and then decreases in parallel with PRA. ACE activity in plasma does not change before or after the unilateral occlusion of the renal artery until after 16 weeks, whereas the enzyme activity in the aorta significantly increases. The conversion rate calculated from the pressor responses, and from the constricting effects of ANG I and ANG II, both in situ and in helically cut strips obtained from chronic hypertensive rats with increased vascular ACE activities, are significantly higher than those obtained from normotensive rats. Vascular ACE, which can effectively produce ANG II from ANG I locally, appears to play an important role in the maintenance of chronic hypertension.

Angiotensin I↗

Subcellular localization of angiotensin-converting enzyme in cultured neuroblastoma cells.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity of Neuro-2A mouse neuroblastoma cells was found predominantly in particulate fractions. Density gradient centrifugation of the particulate fractions showed ACE activity in light fractions of the gradient, a result suggesting a plasma membrane localization. This was confirmed using the aqueous two-phase polymer system of plasma membrane isolation. The rapid and energy-independent hydrolysis of exogenous substrate by ACE of intact cells and the sensitivity of the enzyme of intact cells to proteases indicate further that the active site of ACE is oriented extracellularly.

Animals↗