Expression of PDGF and C-myc in atherosclerotic lesions in cholesterol-fed chicken. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization study.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
T Toda
Publications and source records attributed to T Toda.
Genetic identity of Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy and Walker-Warburg syndrome.
Both Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) and Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) are unusual genetic syndromes consisting of congenital muscular dystrophy and complex malformations of the brain and eye. It has been intensively discussed whether FCMD and WWS belong to the same disease entity or not. We analyzed a family in which 3 siblings were affected with either FCMD or WWS by using polymorphic microsatellites flanking the FCMD locus on chromosome 9q31-33. The results suggested that both FCMD and WWS siblings shared the identical combination of mutations on either allele of the FCMD locus. FCMD and WWS could be "genetically" identical.
Abnormalities, Multiple↗
Three-dimensional MR imaging of brain surface anomalies in Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy.
Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD), the second most common childhood muscular dystrophy in Japan, is characterized by the association with severe brain anomalies such as pachygyria and focal interhemispheric fusion. Conventional imaging techniques such as X-ray CT scan and MRI are ineffective for visualization of these brain surface anomalies. Here we investigated the efficacy of three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of brain surface MR images for the detection of brain anomalies in FCMD patients. 3-D brain surface MR images clearly visualized anomalies of cerebral gyrus such as pachygyria, as well as focal interhemispheric fusion. In addition, reconstructed horizontal images visualized structural derangement such as abnormal protrusion of white matter into gray matter. MR image abnormalities were confirmed by autopsy in 1 patient. These abnormalities were never observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Our results indicate the efficacy of the present method for the differential diagnosis between FCMD and DMD with severe mental retardation, which is essential for the genetic study to identify the causative gene of FCMD.
Adolescent↗
Dinucleotide repeat polymorphism on chromosome 9q32.
A new microsatellite was developed from a cosmid clone (cCI9-246) assigned to human chromosome 9q32.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9↗
Sealing ability of thermoplasticized gutta-percha fill techniques as assessed by a new method of determining apical leakage.
One hundred fifty-nine extracted single-rooted maxillary human teeth were instrumented and randomly divided into nine groups of 17 teeth each and 6 control teeth. Experimental groups were obturated with Thermafil, Obtura II, Ultrafil Regular Set gutta-percha, and Ultrafil Firm Set gutta-percha, each with or without root canal sealer. A control group was obturated using the lateral condensation technique and sealer. Teeth were immersed in a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin for 5 days at 4 degrees C, and the resin was allowed to polymerize completely for 4 days at room temperature. Teeth were then sectioned horizontally at 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 mm from the anatomical apex, and examined under a stereomicroscope at x25 magnification. The resin filled the spaces in the gap between the canal wall and the gutta-percha and this was measured at each of the three levels. The ratio of the area of the resin to the total area of the canal was obtained as the mean leakage area. The results showed no significant difference in the mean leakage area at the same level for the different obturation materials. However, the leakage was significantly less for all materials when root canal sealer was used.
Chi-Square Distribution↗
Reduced implantation rate associated with a subtle rise in serum progesterone concentration during the follicular phase of cycles stimulated with a combination of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist and gonadotrophin.
Our objective was to assess the effects of subtle increases in serum progesterone concentration (1.0-2.0 ng/ml) on the outcome of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), particularly on the quality of embryos, during the follicular phase of cycles stimulated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG). A total of 97 patients underwent 116 cycles of IVF and were stimulated with a combination of HMG and GnRHa. They were divided into two groups: those with a subtle progesterone rise and those with no progesterone rise. The two groups were compared with respect to serum oestradiol, progesterone, immunoreactive luteinizing hormone (I-LH), bioactive LH (B-LH), and results of IVF. The groups did not differ significantly in mean age or in total dose of HMG received. On the day that human chorionic gonadotrophin was administered, concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone were significantly higher in the subtle progesterone rise cycles than in the no progesterone rise cycles. In the no progesterone rise cycles, the percentages for embryos beyond the 4-cell stage, grade 1 embryos, and implantation rates were significantly higher than those in subtle progesterone rise cycles. The combination of GnRHa and HMG eliminated any significant rise in serum I-LH or B-LH concentration during the follicular phase, but did not suppress the subtle rise in progesterone. These results confirm our previous finding that a subtle progesterone rise adversely affects the outcome of IVF. It is also suggested that a reduction in embryo quality may influence the lower rate of implantation in subtle progesterone rise cycles.
Adult↗
An autopsy case of malignant lymphoma with Lyell's syndrome.
We present a case of fatal Lyell's syndrome which developed following a CT examination using omnipaque 3000 contrast medium. A 59-year-old man was suffering from malignant lymphoma. He was readmitted to this hospital due to relapse of fever and lymph node swelling. On the day of readmission, generalized erythema, purpura, and mucosal erosions developed after a CT examination. Steroids and chemotherapy were ineffective, and he expired approximately two weeks after admission. Drug-induced dermatopathy or leukemic cell infiltration in the skin was clinically suspected. Histological findings disclosed toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Autopsy↗
A novel essential fission yeast gene pad1+ positively regulates pap1(+)-dependent transcription and is implicated in the maintenance of chromosome structure.
Fission yeast pap1+ gene encodes an AP-1-like transcription factor, whose overexpression can confer resistance to staurosporine, a protein kinase inhibitor. We have previously identified a target gene (p25) for pap1+, and shown that, crm1+, which is required for maintenance of higher order chromosome structure, negatively regulates pap1-dependent transcription. In this study, we have characterized a novel gene, pad1+, which was isolated as a multicopy plasmid capable of conferring staurosporine-resistance. We showed that high copy pad1+ induces transcriptional activation of the p25 gene and that the induction by pad1+ is dependent on the pap1+ gene. Furthermore, a cis-element analysis of the 5'-region of the p25 gene showed that two elements (an AP-1 site and a 14 bp palindrome sequence) where pap1 binds in vitro is essential for the induction by pad1+. These results indicate that pad1 can positively regulate pap1-dependent transcription. Through an electromobility shift assay we showed that overexpression of pad1+ is not capable of enhancing the DNA-binding activity of pap1 directly. The pad1+ gene encodes a 35 kDa protein that has significant identity (68%) to Caenorhabditis elegans F37A4.5, and is also similar to mouse Mov34 and human C6.1A. Gene disruption experiments have demonstrated that pad1+ is essential for viability. A disruption mutant of pad1+ obtained after spore germination exhibited an elongated cell body with abberantly folded chromosomes. A mitotic plasmid loss experiment also produced similar cells having an abnormal chromosome structure. These suggest that pad1+ may play an important role in higher order chromosome structure. Taken concurrently with our previous results, two essential genes pad1+ and crm1+ regulate pap1-dependent transcription; pad1+ and crm1+ are positive and negative regulators, respectively.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Fission yeast TPR-family protein nuc2 is required for G1-arrest upon nitrogen starvation and is an inhibitor of septum formation.
Fission yeast nuc2+ gene encodes a protein of a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) family which is conserved throughout evolution. We previously showed that nuc2 is required for exit from the mitotic metaphase. In this study, we present evidence which shows that nuc2 has two additional roles in the cell cycle. We showed that the nuc2 mutant is sterile even at the permissive temperature and septation occurs in the absence of chromosome separation at the restrictive temperature. The nuc2 mutant fails to arrest at the G1 phase upon nitrogen starvation at the permissive temperature which is a prerequisite for conjugation. Upon starvation, however, the nuc2 mutant ceased division normally and induced starvation-dependent gene expression. Therefore, the nuc2 mutant is deficient only for failure to block DNA replication upon starvation. At the lower restrictive temperature, the nuc2 mutant showed a 'cut' phenotype where septation and cytokinesis takes place without the completion of mitosis. Ectopic overexpression of the nuc2+ gene caused multiple rounds of S and M phases in the complete absence of septum formation. We propose that nuc2 is a novel cell cycle regulator essential for three events; firstly for exit from mitosis, secondly for DNA replication restraint under nutrient starvation and thirdly for inhibition of septation and cytokinesis until the completion of mitosis.
Apc3 Subunit, Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome↗
The response of serum and hepatic lipids and the aortic wall to different levels of dietary cholesterol: a comparative study between hyperlipidemia-and- atherosclerosis-prone quail and commercially available quail.
A hyperlipidemia-and-atherosclerosis-prone (LAP) quail model was developed by dietary cholesterol feeding through genetic selection of commercially available (CA) Japanese quail. The response of serum lipids and the aortic wall to dietary cholesterol feeding was compared in CA and LAP quails. Ten groups were fed a combination diet with different levels of cholesterol and corn oil for 12 weeks. In CA quail, dietary feeding of cholesterol only failed to induce significant hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic lesion. The respective optimal dietary levels of cholesterol and corn oil to induce hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic lesion, were 2% and 15%, respectively. Ad-libitum feeding of only 0.5% cholesterol without corn oil induced significant hypercholesterolemia and aortic atherosclerosis in LAP quail. The main proliferating cellular component of the aortic atherosclerotic lesion was phenotypically transformed fibroblasts from medial fibroblasts. These results suggest that the LAP quail is a useful animal model for the study of atherosclerosis.
Animals↗
[A rare case of cranial metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma].
This is the first reported case of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of cranial metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma. A 53-year-old male was admitted to our hospital on August 23, 1994, complaining of severe headache and a subcutaneous mass on the forehead. He was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma in February, 1994, at another hospital. Because of multiple intrahepatic metastasis, he was inoperable and received transarterial embolization (TAE) on February 15, 1994. He had noticed the subcutaneous mass two months prior to admission, and its recent rapid growth, and morning headache. On admission, there was no abnormality observed by neurological and physical examination except the subcutaneous mass on his forehead, 5 x 7 cm in size. It was elastic soft and unmovable, and he felt tenderness. Laboratory examination showed only mild liver dysfunction. HBsAg was negative, and alpha-fetoprotein and PIVKA-II (Protein Induced by Vitamin K Antagonists) were within normal limit. Skull X-ray showed a round bone defect in the frontal bone. Computerized tomographic (CT) scan showed bone destruction and a well-circumscribed high density mass extending from the frontal subcutaneous region into the cranial cavity. MRI showed the tumor compressing the left frontal lobe on T1 weighted image as isointense and T2 weighted image showed a slight low intense mass. The tumor was clearly enhanced on both CT scan and MRI. Left external carotid angiogram demonstrated that the hypervascular tumor mainly fed by a frontal branch of the left superficial temporal artery in the frontal region. Tumor and bone scintigram revealed multiple bone metastasis. Lung CT scan showed no metastasis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
[Recent progress, genetic diagnosis and its problem on congenital muscular dystrophies (Fukuyama and non-Fukuyama types)].
Fukuyama type congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is an autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy associated with an anomaly of the brain. We performed genetic linkage analyses using consanguineous FCMD families and localized the FCMD locus to chromosomes 9q31-33. We further defined the locus within a region of 5 cM and also found strong linkage disequilibrium between FCMD and mfd220. We suspect that the FCMD gene could lie within one megabases of the mfd220 locus located on 9q31. This achievement made prenatal and carrier diagnosis in families carrying FCMD feasible. However, in principle, it is impossible to diagnose whether a patient has FCMD or not, since this is an indirect genetic diagnosis by polymorphisms analysis. It has been discussed whether FCMD and Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) belong to the same disease entity or not. We analyzed a family in which 3 siblings were affected with either FCMD or WWS. The results suggested that both FCMD and WWS siblings shared the identical combination of mutations on either allele of the FCMD locus. Some WWS cases could be caused by mutations in the FCMD gene. A novel clinical entity of merosin-negative CMD was proposed out of classical, non-Fukuyama CMD cases. This condition mapped to 6q2, the merosin gene region. CMD researches are in rapid progress.
Alleles↗
How to alter the bacterial genome structure.
Bacterial chromosomes, mostly of circular form, have an unique primary structure that are stably maintained. We initiated a systematic study to induce changes of the structure of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. There are two main goals: (i) to obtain general concepts for possible plasticity of the bacterial genome and (ii) to apply the proposed genome technology to bacteria.
Bacillus subtilis↗
Characteristics of Roman character input in Japanese word processing on keystroke interval time.
This study clarifies the characteristics of the time keys that are taken to enter Roman letters for Japanese sentences. First, test the appearance frequency of two consecutive characters of the alphabet in the input of English sentences and in the input of the Roman characters of Japanese sentences. Based on these results, we analyzed the features of stroke frequency of the keys in the Roman character input. Based on the result of the analysis, we clarified the features of the keystroke interval time for two consecutive characters in the Roman character input. Then, keys were struck to enter Japanese sentences for a fixed period of time and a test was made for the characteristics. As a result, the following points were clarified: 1) The time keys struck were divided into two large groups. One for two consecutive alphabet letters that corresponded to Kana, or the Japanese syllabary, and the other with no correspondence. The former had smaller values for the mean time and deviations, and the latter had larger values for them. 2) The subjects who struck a larger number of keys per unit time took less time in typing two consecutive letters which did not correspond to Kana.
Adult↗
Changes in the permeation rate of organic anions through the intestinal brush-border membrane with membrane surface potential.
The effects of membrane surface potential on the uptake of anionic compounds by rat intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles were investigated. The uptake amount of all tested anionic compounds (ceftibuten, cefixime, benzylpenicillin, s-1006 and rentiapril) in the neutral medium (pH 7.5) was lower than that in the acidic medium (pH 5.5). Changes in surface potential of brush-border membrane vesicles were monitored using a fluorescence dye, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS), and the results suggested an increase of a negative charge on the membrane surface proportional to the increase of the pH of medium. A good correlation was observed between the initial uptake rate of all tested anionic compounds and relative membrane surface potential monitored by ANS. Moreover, the uptake of cefixime by artificial liposome made from PC containing various amount of DPPS was measured. The uptake value of cefixime was decreased in proportion to an increase of DPPS content. These results suggest that the permeation of anionic compounds across intestinal brush-border membrane is dependent on surface potential originate in the surface negative charge.
Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗
Detection of thymopoietin-responsive proteins in nude mouse spleen cells by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and image processing.
Lymphoid cells isolated from the spleen of BALB/c nu/nu nude mice were treated with synthetic human thymopoietin, and newly synthesized proteins were labeled by [35S]methionine incorporation. In the control experiment, the same lot of spleen cells were incubated in the labeling medium without the addition of thymopoietin. Urea/detergent-soluble proteins were extracted from the cells after 3 h incubation to be separated by two-dimensional poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Spots of [35S]methionine-labeled proteins were visualized by autoradiography and analyzed by image processing. The computer-aided spot matching screened out three major thymopoietin-responsive proteins, TRP-1, -2 and -3. [35S]Methionine incorporation into TRP-3, of which the isoelectric point and molecular mass were approximately pI 5 and 10 kDa, respectively, was decreased by the thymopoietin treatment. In contrast with the down regulation, TRP-1, which was slightly higher in pI and slightly larger in molecular mass, and TRP-2, which was slightly higher in pI and almost the same in molecular mass as TRP-3, were evidently induced by the treatment. However, TRPs could not be assigned to Thy-1 antigen on the difference in molecular mass. The specific induction by the thymopoietin treatment suggested that TRP-1 and -2 might be novel proteins related to the intracellular signal transduction.
Animals↗
Expression of platelet-derived growth factor and c-myc in atherosclerotic lesions in cholesterol-fed chickens: immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization study.
Immunohistochemical examination showed no significant expression of platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A), PDGF-B, PDGF receptors, or of c-myc in the thoracic and abdominal aortas of normal roosters. In cholesterol-fed roosters, intense immunohistochemical reaction for PDGF-B, PDGF receptor, and c-myc was seen in the lipid-rich thickened intimal lesions of the thoracic and abdominal aortas while no significant immunoreaction for PDGF-A was demonstrated in the same lesions. In accordance with immunohistochemical findings, in situ hybridization demonstrated a significant level of expression of PDGF-B, PDGF-A receptor, PDGF-B receptor, and c-myc genes in proliferating intimal cells of the thoracic and abdominal aortas. These results suggest that coordinate actions of PDGF-B and c-myc play an important role in proliferation of intimal cells in the developing atherosclerotic lesions in chickens.
Animals↗
Reproductive capacity of the nucleus of the male gamete after completion of meiosis.
PURPOSE: Our purpose was to investigate the possibility of achieving fertilization and subsequent normal embryonic development by injecting round spermatid nuclei into rabbit oocytes. RESULTS: Two-to four-cell-stage embryos developed after round spermatid nuclear injections into rabbit ooplasma could further develop in vitro up to the expanding blastocyst stage or in vivo up to complete gestation. CONCLUSION: The current findings show that the haploid set of chromosomes of round spermatid can pair with the chromosomes of the ootid to participate in complete fertilization and subsequent embryonic and fetal development. In addition, we suggest that postmeiotic modifications of the round spermatid are not required for the pairing of male gamete chromosomes with those of the ootid.
Animals↗