Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Seki.
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The BUN, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and the urinary excretion of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), beta 2-microglobulin (beta-m), and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), were measured in 21 gynecological cancer patients treated with CAPF (CPA + ADM + CDDP + 5-FU) to evaluate the sensitivity of these indices to renal tubular damage. After receiving CDDP almost all patients displayed an increase in excretion of beta-m but no urinary enzyme activities. However, NAG index (NAG activity/urinary creatinine) rose markedly in all patients. We concluded that NAG index is a valuable method in providing sensitive indices for detecting renal tubular damage caused by CDDP.
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Palliative treatment of bile duct cancer with Nd: YAG laser irradiation via percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopy (PTCS) was performed in an 86-year-old man. The obstructed lumen of the lower common bile duct, 3 cm in length, was adequately reopened, and a further endoprosthesis insertion was not required. Symptomatic and subjective improvements were achieved with no complications, and there is no sign of recurrence after 9 months at the time of writing. This method of treatment is recommended for bile duct cancers to obtain long-term and adequate bile flow without catheter insertion.
Coronary artery bypass grafting in pediatric patients provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the characteristics of graft material. Twelve pediatric patients with severe coronary artery involvement secondary to Kawasaki disease underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with internal mammary artery and autologous saphenous vein grafts. Eleven patients were boys and one was a girl; their ages ranged from 5 to 13 years (mean age +/- SD, 8.7 +/- 3.0 years). These 12 patients had 17 internal mammary artery and 11 autologous saphenous vein grafts with a mean value of 2.3 +/- 0.7 grafts per patient. Five patients underwent bilateral internal mammary artery grafting with or without concomitant autologous saphenous vein grafting. There was no mortality, and all patients are leading almost normal lives, although strenuous exercise is still prohibited for some. Biplanar cineangiography was performed before and 1 month after (early postoperative period) coronary artery bypass grafting in all patients and was repeated more than 1 year after (late postoperative period) bypass in eight patients. Changes in graft diameter and graft length were assessed by computer-assisted graphic analysis of 10 internal mammary artery grafts and of seven saphenous vein grafts between the early and late postoperative periods. Patency rates of saphenous vein grafts and of internal mammary artery grafts were 91% and 100%, respectively, at the early postoperative period (p = NS), and 50% and 100%, respectively, at the late postoperative period (p less than 0.05). In addition to the excellent patency of internal mammary artery grafts in the late postoperative period, an in situ internal mammary artery graft was found to have grown 125% in length with 112% body growth (112% body surface area) (r = 0.88, p less than 0.001) and to have enlarged 149% in diameter when the native coronary stenosis was tight. In contrast, the lengths of saphenous vein grafts either failed to change or were slightly decreased at the late postoperative period (p = NS). Growth potential of the internal mammary artery graft provides a new demonstration of the viability and adaptability of this graft. We conclude that the internal mammary artery graft is a "live" conduit with potential for growth and adaptation. This growth potential may be the most important reason for its excellent long-term patency, which suggests that in situ internal mammary artery grafts are the graft of choice for pediatric coronary artery bypass grafting.
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Genomic DNA fragments encompassing the human Thy-1 or mouse Thy-1.1 gene have been microinjected into pronuclei of mouse embryos homozygous for the Thy-1.2 allele. In the resulting transgenic mice, the human gene is expressed in a pattern characteristic of normal human tissues, and is not influenced by the pattern of endogenous mouse Thy-1 expression. The mouse Thy-1.1 gene fragment is expressed in a pattern typical of mouse Thy-1, although it is more limited in its distribution. The results indicate the presence of multiple cis-acting regulators of Thy-1 gene expression that have changed in both their character and arrangement over the course of Thy-1 gene evolution.
Thy-1 is a cell surface differentiation marker which shows distinct patterns of tissue-specific expression in different species. In man, the Thy-1 antigen is encoded by chromosome 11. We have examined the regulatory signals determining human Thy-1 expression through serologic analysis of rodent-human somatic cell hybrids retaining human chromosome 11 in which the fusion partners belong to distinct differentiation lineages. Cell surface expression of human Thy-1 was determined by mixed hemadsorption assays with two monoclonal antibodies (mAb), K117 and L127, shown to detect authentic human Thy-1 through analysis of COS-7 monkey kidney cells transfected with a cloned human Thy-1 gene. Three different patterns of human Thy-1 expression were observed when hybrid cells, constructed with different human and rodent cell types, were tested with mAb K117 and L127. Hybrids formed between Thy-1+ human neuroblastoma cells and Thy-1- mouse neuroblastoma cells, or hybrids between Thy-1+ human fibroblasts and the Thy-1- mouse kidney carcinoma, RAG, retain human Thy-1 expression. In contrast, hybrids formed between either Thy-1+ human neuroblastoma cells or Thy-1+ human fibroblasts and Thy-1- mouse L cells lose expression of human Thy-1 even though chromosome 11 is retained. Finally, hybrids formed between Thy-1- human peripheral lymphocytes or a Thy-1- lymphoblastoid B cell line and Thy-1- Chinese hamster fibroblasts begin to express human Thy-1. These studies suggest that both positive and negative trans-acting signals may play a role in the tissue-specific regulation of the human Thy-1 gene.
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High-performance liquid chromatography on two Asahipak GS-320 hydrophilic gel columns (50 X 0.76 cm I.D.), connected in series, with 0.015 M tartrate buffer (pH 3.0), containing 2 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetate and 0.05% beta-thiodiglycol as eluent allowed the separation of glucose, diketogulonic acid + diketogluconic acid, dehydroisoascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, ascorbic acid, and isoascorbic acid within 55 min. Ascorbic acid in a urine sample was stabilized by the addition of an equal volume of 5% metaphosphoric acid solution, containing 0.5% of beta-thiodiglycol. Filtration of the mixture through a column of Dowex 50W-X8 (H+) facilitated the determination of ascorbic acid and isoascorbic acid in human urine. Samples could be analyzed every 20 min.
The structure of a 1.5-kb DNA sequence that is necessary and sufficient for the replication of an 8.2-kb cryptic plasmid, pFTB14, isolated from a strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been characterized. The 1.5-kb DNA sequence contains an open reading frame, rep, stretching for 1017 bp, a promoter region for rep expression, and a possible replication origin for the plasmid upstream of the promoter. The rep product is trans-active and essential for plasmid replication. The predicted rep protein is a basic protein, as are the RepC protein of pT181, RepB of pUB110 and protein A of pC194 (all these found in staphylococci) and the pi protein of the R6K plasmid of Escherichia coli. The predicted rep protein has highly homologous amino acid sequences with protein A of pC194 and RepB of pUB110 throughout the protein molecule, but not with RepC of pT181, pi of R6K or protein RepH encoded by and initiating the replication of pC194.
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