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Biomedical subjects

T Tashiro

Publications and source records attributed to T Tashiro.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Morphological changes and recovery process in the tenotomized soleus muscles of the rat.

Tenotomized soleus muscles of adult rats were analyzed morphologically and biochemically with special reference to the recovery process. Light microscopic observations of semi-thin sections showed that the characteristic central core lesion was most extensive at 1 week after tenotomy and began to diminish in extent at 2 weeks until no trace of lesion could be seen by 6th week, as confirmed by thin-section electron microscopy. Three phases of changes in the cross-sectional area of muscle fibers after tenotomy were demonstrated by morphometry: phase I designated as the initial increase up to the 3rd day, phase II as the progressive decrease until the 4th week, and phase III as the recovery to normal or even hypertrophy. In electron microscopy, the earliest alteration of myofibrils was recognized at 3 days after tenotomy. The Z discs showed a wavy or zigzag profile with frequent longitudinal splitting of myofibrils. From the 2nd week on, muscle fibers underwent a process of recovery, replacing the central core lesion with new myofibrils in which a reassembly of thick filaments into bundles of thin filaments took place, with Z discs being aligned adjacent to the peripheral complete myofibrils. In SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molar ratio of myosin to actin diminished markedly as the central core lesion developed and gradually returned to normal with time, correlating well with the loss and subsequent reassembly of thick filaments.

Actins↗
PubMed2001

Functional role of nitric oxide in the nasal mucosa of the guinea pig after instillation with lipopolysaccharide.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been found to have various actions in the body. Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the intimate relationship between the intracellular production of NO and morphological or functional changes in ciliated cells. The aim of this study was to clarify the functional significance of NO in the nasal mucosa. Healthy, adult, pigmented guinea pigs were randomly divided into one control and three experimental groups. The animals were instilled with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) only or LPS plus dexamethasone or NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The effect of NO on the nasal epithelium was analyzed morphologically by scanning electron microscopy and physiologically by ciliary beat frequency (CBF) measurement. The origin of NO was also investigated using a fluorescent indicator for NO, namely 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate. LPS induced damage of cilia 3 days after the first instillation, while dexamethasone or L-NAME seemed to attenuate the effect of LPS. NO production was localized in ciliated cells and the main source of NO in ciliated cells is suggested to be inducible NO synthase. The greater number of ciliated cells of LPS-treated animals produced a larger amount of NO compared with normal animals. LPS also induced a decrease in CBF, which was inhibited by dexamethasone or L-NAME. It is suggested that NO may play an important role in pathological changes in the nasal mucosa.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Two-step tuberculin skin test in nurse students].

The tuberculin skin test (TST) was conducted in 243 nurse students (19.4 +/- 1.3 years old). The second TST were carried out in 240 students who did not show blister or necrosis in the first TST. The size of erythema was 16.5 +/- 9.4 mm in the first TST (T1) and 24.3 +/- 15.6 mm in the second TST (T2). The negative reactors, whose size of erythema was below 10 mm, were decreased from 53 to 25, whereas, the strong reactors, whose size of erythema was more than 30 mm, were increased from 11 to 71. The difference of the size of erythema (T2-T1) was 9.7 +/- 11.9 mm in the group I (190 students) who received the latest TST in junior high school, whereas, that was 0.5 +/- 9.2 mm in the group II (50 students) who received the latest TST 14 months before this study. T2-T1 in the group I was weakly correlated with T1. Twenty-four negative reactors received BCG vaccination, and 23 of them converted to positive. Seventy-one strong reactors were checked by chest X-ray, and none showed the findings of tuberculosis, and required the administration of anti-TB drug. The two-step TST is an essential means to know the baseline reactivity to TST, and to distinguish newly infected tuberculosis from booster phenomenon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Discharge planning for home care].

The department of medical social work and discharge planning was established in the University of Tokyo hospital to ensure that patients would receive proper care at a right place. The discharge planning team consists of a physician, a medical social worker and a home care coordinator. The home care coordinator, who coordinates with the home nursing station and the primary care physician, is effective for advance of home care. The role of the home care coordinator is to relieve patients of their anxiety about home care. As a result, the number of home care patients has gradually increased.

Caregivers↗
PubMed2001

[Clinical evaluation of 8 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in a community hospital without restricted tuberculosis wards].

The clinical features of 8 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis under treatment in the Koebaru Central Hospital, a community hospital without restricted tuberculosis wards, between 1992 and 2000 were evaluated. The major findings in the present study were: i) recently, the number of elderly patients with reactivated pulmonary tuberculosis has increased, ii) none of the patients showed respiratory symptoms, and 3 patients had negative Mantoux skin tests, iii) only one patient showed cavities on chest radiography, and iv) none of the expectorated sputum samples was smear-positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Smears of intrabronchial sputum sampled using a fiberoptic bronchoscope from pulmonary lesions in patients without any symptoms were useful for establishing the diagnoses. Considering all aspects, it is important to perform aggressive evaluations, even for elderly patients, utilizing a fiberoptic bronchoscope for early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and to prevent nosocomial infections.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Body image as a visuomotor transformation device revealed in adaptation to reversed vision.

People adapt with remarkable flexibility to reversal of the visual field caused by prism spectacles. With sufficient time, this adaptation restores visually guided behaviour and perceptual harmony between the visible and tactile worlds. Although it has been suggested that seeing one's own body is crucial for adaptation, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we show that a new representation of visuomotor mapping with respect to the hands emerges in a month during adaptation to reversed vision. The subjects become bi-perceptual, or able to use both new and old representations. In a visual task designed to assess the new hand representation, subjects identified visually presented hands as left or right by matching the picture to the representation of their own hands. Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed brain activity in the left posterior frontal cortex (Broca's area) that was unique to the new hand representations of both hands, together with activation in the intraparietal sulcus and prefrontal cortex. The emergence of the new hand representation coincided with the adaptation of perceived location of visible objects in space. These results suggest that the hand representation operates as a visuomotor transformation device that provides an arm-centred frame of reference for space perception.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2000

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor with skeinoid fibers of the ileum.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is not uncommon among gastrointestinal nonepithelial tumors, but there are few reports describing the cytologic findings. We report a case of GIST with skeinoid fibers in scrape cytology preparation. The patient was a 53-year-old man with a tumor in the small intestine. Scrape preparations from the cut surface of the resected tumor revealed cellular material composed of spindle cells showing loose clusters or single cells. The nuclei were spindled, elongated or cigar-shaped, and relatively uniform. The cytoplasm was fragile and demonstrated a finely fibrillar material. Dense hyaline materials with irregular outline were observed within the loose clusters composed of the tumor cells. The hyaline materials were also observed in the background. Histologic preparation showed spindle cells arranged in a fascicular or storiform pattern. Most eosinophilic globules were distributed between the tumor cells. The globules were positive in periodic acid-Schiff reaction, and were stained blue with Masson's trichrome stain. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were strongly and diffusely positive for c-kit, focally and weakly positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin, and negative for CD34 and S-100 protein. We emphasize that skeinoid fibers are characteristic of GIST arising in the small intestine, and their presence predicts a good prognosis, even in malignant GIST.

Gastrointestinal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

Adhesion formation can be reduced by the suppression of transforming growth factor-beta1 activity.

Surgery or trauma often results in restrictive adhesions around joints or tendons that cause severe functional impairment. The formation of adhesion is essentially a fibrogenetic process; therefore, peptide growth factors, such as transforming growth factor-beta, are assumed to play central roles in its development. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that suppression of transforming growth factor-beta1 activity reduces adhesion formation. Sixty rabbits were prepared and randomly divided into six groups of 10. Intraarticular adhesions were created in the right knee joints by cortical bone shaving and subsequent cast immobilization for 4 weeks. In animals in three of the six groups, transforming growth factor-beta1 activity was suppressed by continuous administration of the neutralizing antibody in three graded doses; animals in the other three groups were used as controls. Four weeks after the surgery, the casts were removed and the adhesions were assessed macroscopically, histologically, biomechanically, and biochemically. Gross observation showed that the neutralizing antibody had suppressed adhesion formation in a dose-dependent manner. This is consistent with biomechanical measurement results demonstrating that the antibody reduced the flexion contractures. Histologically, the adhesion in our model was fibrous tissue and the adhesions in the animals in the antibody groups were thin and loose in comparison with the controls. Biochemical analyses further supported these results, demonstrating that administration of the antibody reduced collagen content in the adhesions with a predominance of type-I collagen. Thus, this study showed that suppression of the actions of transforming growth factor-beta1 reduced adhesion formation. Considering the various possible measures to control the activity of the growth factor, suppression of transforming growth factor-beta may be a novel, potent approach to preventing adhesions.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Antifungal activity of a new triazole, voriconazole (UK-109496), against clinical isolates of Aspergillus spp.

Voriconazole is a new triazole antifungal agent with potent activity against yeast and molds. We investigated the in-vitro activity of voriconazole compared with that of other antifungal agents against 50 clinical isolates of Aspergillus spp., measured by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) reference method described in the M27-A document, and by an alamar blue colorimetric method. Voriconazole was the most potent agent against Aspergillus fumigatus (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]90, 0.5 mg/l) and Aspergillus niger (MIC90, 1.0 mg/l). Voriconazole was less active (MIC90, 1.0 mg/l) against Aspergillus flavus than itraconazole (MIC90, 0.5 mg/l). Voriconazole was more active than itraconazole against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus by the alamar blue indicator method for the measurement of MIC. Based on these results, voriconazole has promising activity against commonly encountered isolates of Aspergillus spp., and its clinical usefulness should be established by further studies.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2000

Rathke's cleft cyst associated with hypophysitis: MRI.

We report a symptomatic Rathke's cleft cyst associated with hypophysitis in a 61-year-old woman. We demonstrate the MRI features and discuss the pathophysiology. To the best of our knowledge this is the first description of a Rathke's cleft cyst shrinking after high-dose steroid therapy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed2000

Human amniotic epithelial cells are promising transgene carriers for allogeneic cell transplantation into liver.

As human amniotic epithelial tissue is formed on about the eighth day after fertilization, human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) may have multipotency to differentiate into various organs, such as brain, heart, or liver. In this study, we showed evidence of the synthesis and excretion of albumin by hAEC, by immunostaining and enzyme-linked immunoassay. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analyses revealed the expression of albumin mRNA and protein, respectively. In addition, hAEC also demonstrated immunoreactivity to genetic markers of liver lineage, such as human serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein. Transplanted hAEC to Scid mouse liver showed positive immunoreactivity to albumin and alpha-fetoprotein. Genetically modified cells containing the beta-galactosidase (LacZ) gene (AxCALacZ) were integrated in liver parenchyma. Human polymorphic gene analysis in Scid mouse liver after the implantation of hAEC showed that these Scid mouse livers obviously contained this human-specific gene until day 7 after the cell transplantation. As hAEC do not cause any acute rejection by allotransplantation, we conclude that hAEC may be useful as a transgene carrier to treat patients with inherited liver diseases.

Albumins↗
PubMed2000

Synergistic effect of ofloxacin and fluconazole against azole-resistant Candida albicans.

We investigated the combination effects of ofloxacin and fluconazole against azole-resistant Candida albicans strains in vitro and in vivo. Ofloxacin alone showed no efficacy against the azole-resistant C. albicans strain, C26. The in-vitro combination effects were evaluated by the checkerboard method, calculated as the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index, but there was no synergistic effect of the combination. The activity of the drug efflux pump in the azole-resistant C. albicans strains was measured by intracellular rhodamine 6G concentration. When the cells were incubated with ofloxacin or grepafloxacin, the intracellular rhodamine 6G concentration was significantly increased in the azole-resistant C. albicans strain. In-vivo combination effects were evaluated in murine disseminated candidiasis. The survival of the mice was not prolonged, but counts of the yeast cells in the kidney and spleen were reduced following treatment with the combination of ofloxacin (20 mg/kg) and fluconazole (20 mg/kg). The combination of ofloxacin and fluconazole may represent an effective strategy to treat infections caused by azole-resistant C. albicans.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed2000

Modulating effects of the feeding route on stress response and endotoxin translocation in severely stressed patients receiving thoracic esophagectomy.

Experimental studies have demonstrated that the route of nutritional supply impacts the systemic metabolic responses after surgical injury. Intestinal mucosal atrophy, as induced by total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or prolonged bowel rest, has been reported to enhance bowel endotoxin translocation. The operative procedure for thoracic esophageal cancer, including thoracotomy, laparotomy, and three-field lymph-node dissection, is a particularly stressful surgery that requires long-term aggressive nutritional support and often results in the postoperative hypermetabolic state, leading to perturbation of postoperative immune function. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays an important role in host inflammatory responses, whereas IL-10 is linked to suppression of cellular immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate how the antecedent nutritional routes influence systemic IL-6 and IL-10 responses and endotoxin translocation after an operation for thoracic esophageal cancer. Twenty-nine patients who underwent esophagectomy with three-field lymphadenectomy were investigated. They were assigned to groups receiving either TPN (n = 18) or enteral nutrition (EN; n = 11) providing 35 kcal x kg(-1) x d(-1) of energy and approximately 1.2-1.5 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) of amino acids. These nutritional supports were conducted from 1 wk before the operation to 14 d after the operation. Serum IL-6, IL-10, and endotoxin concentration were measured before and during the operation and at 2 h and 1, 3, and 7 d after the operation. IL-6 in sera was significantly higher after the operation in both groups. In the EN group, however, significantly less IL-6 production was observed on the third and seventh postoperative days when compared with those patients in the TPN group. Similarly, serum IL-10 concentration in the TPN group showed a significantly higher level than that in the EN group. Serum IL-6 showed a significant positive correlation with IL-10 at 2 h and at 7 d after the operation, suggesting that the reduced inflammatory responses were related to the inhibition of the development of postoperative immunosuppression. Endotoxin concentration in sera was significantly lower in the EN group after the operation than in the TPN group. Perioperative EN provides better regulation of inflammatory cytokine responses and may contribute less to immunosuppression after major surgery than parenteral nutrition. The attenuated production of endotoxin induced by EN may play an important role in these phenomena.

Bacterial Translocation↗