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Biomedical subjects

T Taguchi

Publications and source records attributed to T Taguchi.

At least 829 records · Page 46Linked to original sources

Intimal thickening and the distribution of vasomotor nerves in the mechanically injured dog coronary artery.

Intimal injury and atherosclerotic change seem to be causative factors linked to spasm of the coronary artery. Intimal thickening was produced by mechanical injury to the endothelium of the canine coronary artery and we investigated the distribution of adrenergic, cholinergic, and peptidergic nerves in the coronary arteries. Although adrenergic and cholinergic nerves were not altered in density, neuron specific enolase positive nerve fibers were increased in number in dogs killed 1 and 3 months after injury. Substance P-containing fibers were also increased at 3 months after the induced injury.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Glomerulonephritis in diabetic patients and its effect on the prognosis.

Renal biopsies were obtained from 164 patients with diabetes mellitus. Their histological changes were evaluated together with clinical findings and prognosis. In 36 patients, various types of glomerulonephritis were complicated: mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (17 patients), membranous glomerulonephritis (8), endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis (5), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (4) and minimal change nephrotic syndrome (2). Superimposed glomerulonephritis was suspected in diabetic patients with a short history of less than 5 years, persistent proteinuria, occasional hematuria and no retinopathy. They may, however, produce little effects on the long-term prognosis of diabetic patients except membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation and correlation of clinical and histological features of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Clinico-histological features in 32 patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) were examined. Thirteen (group A1) were diagnosed as cases of FSGS within 2 years of the onset of NS, and 8 (61%) showed progressive renal dysfunction. Ten (group A2) developed FSGS more than 2 years after the onset of NS and had a favorable prognosis. Nine (group B) differed from groups A1 and A2 in that the remaining nonsclerosed glomeruli showed slight mesangial proliferation. All but 1 patient of group B developed FSGS within 2 years of the onset of NS, and the prognosis was poor. No patient studied showed a transition between groups A and B. In some patients, lipoid nephrosis preceded FSGS, in group A2. Thus, for an accurate prediction of the prognosis, FSGS should be divided into three subclasses, based on clinico-histological features.

Adolescent↗

Immunoblot analysis of circulating antibodies against muscle proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.

Serum from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was tested by immunoblotting for reactivity against three muscle-derived preparations: denervated chick leg muscle extracts, media conditioned by denervated rat hemidiaphragms, and a human muscle extract. For each preparation, multiple bands were present using serum from all patients and controls, and no band was unique to ALS. Against rat muscle-conditioned medium, bands in the 56,000 (56K) molecular weight range were present to an equal degree in ALS and in controls; in addition, different bands near 56K were recognized by serum from different ALS patients. These results fail to confirm a recent report suggesting that anti-56K reactivity is characteristic of ALS.

Adult↗

A modified method of fine-granular cationic iron colloid preparation: its use in light and electron microscopic detection of anionic sites in the rat kidney glomerulus and certain other tissues.

Ferric chloride, when boiled with hydrazine hydrate and cacodylic acid, is converted into a fine cationic iron (ferric hydroxide) colloid which consists of 0.5-1.5 nm electron-dense granules, and gives a distinct Prussian blue reaction. This colloid allows light and electron microscopic detection of ionized anionic sites in tissues at a wide pH range of 0.8-7.6. It is smaller in size and more stable, and assures longer and greater staining of tissues, especially at low pH levels, than the iron colloid prepared with sodium or ammonium cacodylate by Seno and his associates (1983, 1984, 1985). Some light and electron micrographs of the rat kidney, spleen and other organs stained with our colloid are presented as examples. These micrographs confirm that the glomerular podocyte end-foot surface facing the Bowman's capsular space is strongly negative-charged. They also show that almost all lymphoid cells around the arteries in the splenic white pulp and thymic cortex contain strongly negative-charged nuclei and that the distal convoluted and collecting urinary tubules are more negative-charged than the proximal convoluted tubules.

Animals↗

Blood vascular organization of the rat carotid body: a scanning electron microscopic study of corrosion casts.

The blood vascular bed of the rat carotid body was reproduced with methacrylate and observed under the scanning electron microscope. The carotid body received the proper carotid body artery from the common carotid body artery, which arose from the external carotid or occipital artery and gave off subsidiary branches to the tissues near the carotid body. The proper carotid body artery divided in the carotid body, ultimately breaking up into thick (main) or thin (subsidiary) arterial terminals to form the vascular plexus of the carotid body. This plexus contained both thick and thin capillaries. The thick capillaries arose from the thick and thin arterial terminals and formed the basic capillary network of the carotid body. The thin capillaries were only subsidiary, intercalated among the thick capillaries. A few accessory twigs of the proper carotid body artery passed through the carotid body and supplied the adipose and other tissues around the carotid body. Many venules arose from the thick capillaries of the carotid body and were collected into rostral and caudal efferent veins. These efferent veins received the veins from the tissues adjacent to the carotid body, and drained into the internal jugular vein. No arterio-venous anastomosis was found in, on or around the carotid body. The common carotid body artery and its subsidiary branches showed, at their origins, marked constrictions indicative of the arterial cushions, though the proper carotid body artery and its accessory twigs were not provided with such clear constrictions. These findings suggest that the inflow of blood into the common carotid body artery may be regulated by its constriction, especially of its arterial cushion, and that the subsidiary branches of the common carotid body artery and the accessory twigs of the proper carotid body artery may act as bypass-routes to eliminate the excessive inflow of blood into the carotid body. It is considered that the thin arterial terminals and thin capillaries may act as buffer channels to homogenize the blood flow within the carotid body.

Animals↗

[A phase I study of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rHu-TNF: PT-050). The PT-050 Study Group].

A Phase I study of rHu-TNF (PT-050) was conducted in patients with various malignant tumors refractory to conventional therapy. rHu-TNF was administered by 30-min intravenous (i.v.) infusion or intratumor (i.t.) injection. The starting dose of 1 X 10(5) U/body was increased to 5 X 10(6) U/body in the i.v. group and to 2 X 10(6) U/body in the i.t. group. rHu-TNF was evaluated in 41 patients among the enrolled 43 patients of the i.v. group, and in 9 out of 10 in the i.t. group. In the i.v. group, fever (68.3%), chills (75.6%), hypotension (46.3%), general fatigue (34.1%), nausea/vomiting (22.0%/22.0%), pain in the extremities (17.1%), etc. were observed as adverse reactions (ADRs), and elevation of GOT/GPT (46.3%/43.9%), elevation of ALP(26.8%)and decrease in platelets (12.2%), etc. were observed as abnormal laboratory findings. Among these, hypotension was recognized as the dose-limiting factor and the maximum tolerated dose was considered to be 1 X 10(6) U/body. Plasma levels of rHu-TNF after 30-min i.v. administration were dose-related, and decreased with half-lives of 0.5-2.4 hours. In the i.t. group, ADRs occurred with a lower incidence than in the i.v. group except for fever, chills and general fatigue. Plasma levels after i.t. administration were all within the assay limit. Evident tissue necrosis was observed in the region where rHu-TNF was administered in the i.t. group.

Adolescent↗

[Combined effect of PT-050 (recombinant human TNF) and antitumor drugs on syngeneic murine tumors].

The combined effect of PT-050 (recombinant human TNF) and various antitumor drugs was investigated using murine colon 26 adenocarcinoma, Meth A sarcoma and B16 melanoma transplanted into syngeneic mice. When colon 26- or Meth A- bearing mice were intravenously given PT-050 in combination with mitomycin C (MMC), doxorubicin (DXR), cis-platinum (CDDP), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or cyclophosphamide (CPA), a significant synergistic effect was observed, that is, both the inhibition rate of tumor growth and the cured ratio were increased significantly when compared with those given each drug alone. Similarly, an augmentation of the antitumor effect was also observed in B16-bearing mice by a combined treatment with PT-050 and these antitumor drugs. These results suggest that the combination chemotherapy of PT-050 with various antitumor drugs may be useful for cancer therapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Phase II study of epirubicin on breast cancer: a cooperative group study].

A phase II multicenter clinical study of epirubicin, a new anthracycline anticancer agent, was carried out in 46 patients with advanced breast cancer. The treatment schedule consisted of either 60 mg/m2 every three weeks or 40 to 50 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 8 every four weeks. Objective responses were observed in 23.7% of 38 evaluable patients (1 CR and 8 PR). Response rates according to previous chemotherapy were 50.0% (4/8) in previously non-treated patients and 36.4% (4/11) in patients previously treated with non-anthracyclines. The major adverse effect was bone-marrow suppression; leukopenia was observed in 82.1% of patients, anemia in 53.8% and thrombocytopenia in 20.0%. Other toxicities frequently observed were anorexia (55.0%), nausea-vomiting (55.0%) and alopecia (66.7%), but these seemed to be milder than those produced by doxorubicin.

Adult↗

[A prospective randomized trial comparing epirubicin and doxorubicin in advanced or recurrent breast cancer].

A randomized clinical trial comparing epirubicin (EPI) and doxorubicin (DX) was conducted in patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer. The dosage employed was 60 mg/m2 for EPI and 40 mg/m2 for DX at intervals of three weeks. There were 40 patients entered into the EPI group and 39 into the DX group. Background factors analysed were well balanced in both groups. The response rate was 56.3% in the EPI group (5 CR and 13 PR among 32 evaluable patients), and 35.5% in the DX group (1 CR and 10 PR among 31 evaluable patients), and the difference between both groups was statistically significant (P less than 0.05) by U-test. The response duration and time to response showed no significant difference between both groups. The incidences and grades of hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities were nearly identical. We conclude that EPI is a useful drug for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Adult↗

[Interleukin-2 and cancer treatment].

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a type of the lymphokine which Morgan et al. found in 1976 to be a specific growth factor of T lymphocytes. Initially, it was called the T cell growth factor (TCGF), but it was renamed interleukin-2 (IL-2) in 1979. IL-2 is an essential factor for the differentiation and growth of T cell and NK cell, and it is involved in the adaptive immune reaction through such cells. Thus, IL-2 can be expected to play an important role in the improvement of the immunologic adaptive function in various immune system failure type disease and in malignant tumors among others. With the recent production of recombinant IL-2, the latter's biological and immunological functions are gradually coming to light, and its clinical applicability is also being seen in terms of effectiveness. Thus, administration of IL-2 alone, the induction of IL-2-dependent, tumor-specific CTL (cytotoxic T lymphocyte), or the induction and growth by IL-2 of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell, have paved the way for adoptive immunotherapy. The clinical phase I study of IL-2 (TGP-3) has been completed, and the second phase study is now in progress. A pilot study is also under way using LAK cells.

Animals↗