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T Tsuzuki

Publications and source records attributed to T Tsuzuki.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Intracavitary chemotherapy with 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) in malignant brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: After completing basic research on the anti-tumor effects and neurotoxicity of 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FdUrd) and the balance of thymidine kinase and thymidine phosphorylase activities and confirming the safety of intrathecal FdUrd administration in a previous clinical study of meningeal carcinomatosis, intracavitary administration of FdUrd was performed as a second trial in patients with malignant glioma and metastatic brain tumors. METHODS: The study population consisted of 13 patients, six with glioblastoma, one with anaplastic astrocytoma and six with metastatic brain tumors. This treatment was applied for cystic, small-volume residual or recurrent tumors. FdUrd (1-10 microg) was administered every day at least 25 times through an Ommaya device placed in the cyst or closed postoperative cavity reconstructed with a patch of galea aponeurotica. Intracavitary chemotherapy with FdUrd was preceded by radiation therapy in two patients but no other adjuvant therapy was performed. RESULTS: No side effects such as headache, nuchal pain, convulsive attack, bone marrow suppression or liver dysfunction were observed during the course of chemotherapy. Seven of the 13 patients showed responses: complete response six, minor response one, no change two and progressive disease four after the twenty-fifth intracavitary administration of FdUrd when tumor sizes on CT scans and MRI before and after intracavitary chemotherapy were compared. CONCLUSIONS: Intracavitary FdUrd chemotherapy may be useful for the treatment of small-volume tumors.

Adult↗

New fabrication system for dental implant surgical stents: time-saving laboratory technique using a light-curing resin and transparent artificial teeth.

BACKGROUND: Surgical stents are a prerequisite for dental implant diagnosis. However, the traditional fabrication method including wax-up, investment, and resin polymerization is time consuming. PURPOSE: This article introduces a new fabrication system using a light-curing resin and transparent artificial teeth to reduce time spent in the laboratory. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The process of this system includes placing the light-curing resin and the artificial teeth on the partially edentulous dentition and alveolar ridge, making an appropriate pattern for the stent, light-curing for 5 minutes, briefly polishing, and making holes for titanium guide pins. RESULTS: This system requires only 30 to 40 minutes in the laboratory to complete a stent after mounting the casts on the articulator. Owing to the elasticity of the light-curing resin, this system eliminates the need for a blockout procedure on the undercuts of existing teeth on the casts, protects the casts from breakage, and provides the appropriate retention intraorally without any retainers. As well, titanium guide pins embedded in the stent were clearly identified by panoramic and computed tomographies. CONCLUSIONS: The new fabrication system proposed here can be time saving and, further, serve benefits for radiographic diagnosis.

Dental Implantation, Endosseous↗

Presence of potential nickel-responsive element(s) in the mouse MTH1 promoter.

The murine MTH1 gene codes for MTH1, an 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (8-oxo-dGTPase) which hydrolyzes 8-oxo-dGTP, a promutagenic product of reactive oxygen species' attack on the nucleotide pool. This gene is regulated by oxidative stress. Therefore, we hypothesized that MTH1 expression can be affected by carcinogenic nickel(II), known to induce such stress. Three plasmid constructs, carrying different upstream regions of the mouse MTH1 and the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene, were transiently transfected into NIH 3T3 cells and the CAT protein was measured in nickel(II) acetate-treated and untreated cells. Nickel concentration-dependent increase of CAT protein level was observed for low Ni(II) concentrations, up to 400 microM Ni(II), in cells transfected with pHI103 plasmid (-5969 to +530 of the MTH1 sequence) only. Cells transfected with the pHI104 (-1331 to +530) or pHI108 (-151 to +530) plasmids did not respond to nickel(II) whatsoever. This finding demonstrated that the MTH1 sequence between -5969 and -1331 contained element(s) responsive to nickel(II) treatment. DNA sequencing revealed the presence of AP-1, NF-kappaB, and ATF-1 binding sites in both the -5969 to -1331 and -1331 to +530 regions. In contrast, two (CA)n repeats (-5642 to -5582 and -2078 to -2031), a family of B2 (-5428 to -5247) and B1 (-4559 to -4420) short interspersed repeated elements, and an (AT)n repeat (-5243 to -5230) were identified only in the -5969 to -1331 sequence. The results suggest that up-regulation of murine MTH1 expression by nickel(II) is controlled by the repeat sequences, potential candidates for nickel-responsive elements.

3T3 Cells↗

Judgement on "hit or non-hit" of CHO cells exposed to accelerated heavy-ions (Fe- or Ar-ions) using division delay and CR-39 plastics as an indicator.

The cell killing effect of ionizing radiation depends on the degree of linear energy transfer (LET). The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) reaches a maximum at LET of around 100-200 keV/micron and decreases at higher levels. The ion clusters produced by high-LET radiation are not uniformly distributed. The incidence of non-hit cell events is higher in high LET irradiation than in the cases of low-LET irradiation. This fact could explain the decrease in the cell killing effect at higher levels of LET irradiation. Since the cell killing effect may be related to the nuclear traversal of heavy-ions, it is necessary to establish methods to distinguish the hit cells from the non-hit cells, especially in case with high LET irradiation. Using time-lapse photography, we first examined the hit events by observing the division delay in the cells caused by high-LET irradiation. In addition, we explored the use of CR-39 plastics to detect the exact position of heavy-ion traversal on the surface of a flask where cells were growing. When Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells were exposed to 4 Gy of accelerated Fe-ions (2000 keV/micron) or Ar (1640 keV/micron)-ions, the surviving fraction decreased to about 30% in both cases of irradiation. Eighty percent of the irradiated cells, suffered a division delay in contrast to the remaining 20% of the cells which showed a normal division time (12-13 hrs). The later 20% of the cells is considered to be a population of cells which were not actually traversed by heavy-ions. The difference between the higher values of the surviving fraction (approximately 30%) and the non-hit cell population (20%) indicates that some hit cells can grow even after being hit by heavy-ions. The fraction of recovered cells determined by the time-lapse photography method was 10%, and this value closely correlated with the difference between the surviving fraction and the non-hit cells. We used the Poisson distribution of the hit-events by heavy-ions among the cell population in order to calculate the fraction of cells receiving at least a single-hit in the cell nucleus (130 micron 2 in average size). From this calculation we determined that 80% of the cells had a single hit to their nuclei by a heavy-ion which induced such early cellular responses as division delay. Our finding in the experiments using CR-39 plastics as a detector for hit-sites further supported the idea that the hit lethality of a cell is related to heavy-ion traversal through its nucleus. This study indicates the possible usefulness of both the division delay and CR-39 plastic methods for evaluating the biological effects of heavy-ions, especially when these two methods are combined.

Animals↗

Anti-transforming nature of ascorbic acid and its derivatives examined by two-stage cell transformation using BALB/c 3T3 cells.

The anti-transforming effects of sodium ascorbate and its stable derivatives were examined in the two-stage transformation assay. When BALB/c 3T3 cells were treated with 0.2 microg/ml 20-methylcholanthrene as an initiator, and 100 ng/ml 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate as a promoter, the addition at the promotion stage of L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate ester magnesium (APM) was most marked in the inhibition of transformation. The inhibitory effects of sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid-2-glucoside (AG) were comparable, but weaker than those of APM; L (+)-ascorbic acid-2-sulfate ester disodium 2H(2)O showed little effect. When phorbol 12, 13-didecanoate or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were used as promoters, APM also effectively suppressed transformation.

3T3 Cells↗

Protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors increase cytosolic calcium and inhibit actin organization as resorbing activity in rat osteoclasts.

Although there is evidence that protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors (PTKIs) suppress bone resorption activity, the mechanism of action of these compounds on osteoclastic bone resorption remains obscure. In the present study, we investigated the effect of PTKIs on cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and on the cytoskeleton in rat osteoclasts. The PTKIs, genistein and herbimycin A, reversibly elevated [Ca(2+)](i) measured by fura-2 microfluorimetry. The PTKI-induced increase was abolished by omission of extracellular Ca(2+), but was not attenuated by depletion of Ca(2+) stores. The PTKI-induced increase was inhibited by addition of La(3+) and Ni(2+), but not abolished by dihydropyridine (DHP) Ca(2+) channel blockers. Genistin, an inactive analogue of genistein, had no effect on [Ca(2+)](i). In the cytoskeleton assay, genistein rapidly disrupted the actin ring formation that serves as a marker for the resorbing state of osteoclasts. Disruption of the actin ring formation was also diminished in Ca(2+)-free extracellular solution. These results suggest that PTKIs in rat osteoclasts elevate [Ca(2+)](i) via activation of a DHP-insensitive, nonspecific Ca(2+) entry pathway and disrupt the formation of actin rings, resulting in suppression of bone resorption activity. The regulation of this Ca(2+)-influx by PTKIs is likely to contribute to inhibition of bone resorption by these compounds.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

ES cell neural differentiation reveals a substantial number of novel ESTs.

We have used a method for synchronously differentiating murine embryonic stem (ES) cells into functional neurons and glia in culture. Using subtractive hybridization we isolated approximately 1200 cDNA clones from ES cell cultures at the neural precursor stage of neural differentiation. Pilot studies indicated that this library is a good source of novel neuro-embryonic cDNA clones. We therefore screened the entire library by single-pass sequencing. Characterization of 604 non-redundant cDNA clones by BLAST revealed 96 novel expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and an additional 197 matching uncharacterized ESTs or genomic clones derived from genome sequencing projects. With the exception of a handful of genes, whose functions are still unclear, most of the 311 known genes identified in this screen are expressed in embryonic development and/or the nervous system. At least 80 of these genes are implicated in disorders of differentiation, neural development and/or neural function. This study provides an initial snapshot of gene expression during early neural differentiation of ES cell cultures. Given the recent identification of human ES cells, further characterization of these novel and uncharacterized ESTs has the potential to identify genes that may be important in nervous system development, physiology and disease.

Animals↗

Comparison between in vivo and in vitro chemokine production in Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced gastric mucosal chemokine activity has been demonstrated in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. AIM: To examine whether in vivo chemokine activity is similar to in vitro response of gastric epithelial cells infected by H. pylori. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Antral biopsy specimens were obtained from patients with H. pylori infection for organ culture, isolation of H. pylori and histological examination. RESULTS: In organ cultures of mucosal tissues, the levels of interleukin-8 and growth-related gene product a were elevated in patients with peptic ulcer disease compared with those with erosive gastritis or endoscopically normal mucosa. However, there were no significant differences in in vitro cultures of MKN45 or KATO III cells that were infected with H. pylori isolated from these same patients. These in vivo and in vitro alpha-chemokine levels showed no significant association with the presence of cagA gene and CagA protein, ureB genotype, or binding capacity to MKN45 or KATO III cells in individual H. pylori isolates. In contrast, in vivo mucosal alpha-chemokine activity correlated with H. pylori colonization density. CONCLUSION: Mucosal chemokine profiles and inflammatory responses in H. pylori infection may be associated more closely with host factors, including those determining bacterial adhesiveness, than with differences in H. pylori strains.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

Lymphomatous features of aggressive NK cell leukaemia/lymphoma with massive necrosis, haemophagocytosis and EB virus infection.

AIMS: Aggressive natural killer (NK) cell leukaemia will be categorized as a distinct entity in the new WHO classification of malignant lymphomas. However, its non-leukaemic features remain unclear. We therefore investigated the morphological and immunophenotypic features of this lymphoma. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four cases with aggressive NK cell lymphoma were morphologically and immunohistochemically studied. All cases followed an aggressive course with death occurring within about 3 months of initial presentation. In these cases, the neoplastic cells disseminated throughout systemic lymph nodes and invaded various tissues and organs. The lymphoma cells were large cells showing nuclear irregularity and a pattern of sinusoidal invasion in lymph nodes. Apoptosis and coagulation necrosis were both frequently observed. Haemophagocytosis was observed in all cases. Neoplastic cells in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from these patients had CD3(CD3epsilon)+ CD56(123C3)+ granzyme+ TIA-1+ EBERT+ CD43(MT1)- CD45RO(UCHL-1)- CD57(Leu7)- CD20(L26)- phenotypes. In the two cases where tissue was available for immunohistochemical study in frozen sections, neoplastic cells showed CD56(Leu19)+ perforin+ Fas ligand(FasL)+ CD2(Leu5b)- CD3(Leu4)- CD4(Leu3)- CD5(Leu1)- CD7(Leu9)- CD8(Leu2)- betaF1- TCRdelta1- phenotypes. CD16(Leu11b) was positive in one case. CONCLUSIONS: : Natural killer cell lymphomas appear to represent a non-leukaemic counterpart of aggressive natural killer cell leukaemia, a relationship similar to that in adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma. Awareness and diagnosis of this aggressive lymphoma is important because of its fulminant course.

Adult↗

Successful treatment of large malignant tumor involving the skull base by radiosurgery combined with intraarterial chemotherapy and embolization.

Stereotactic radiosurgery can be used to treat malignant tumors involving the skull base. While it avoids extensive sacrifice of the normal structures surrounding the tumor, radiosurgery does not eradicate the tumor mass immediately. We present a patient with a large hypervascular malignant tumor involving the skull base that resulted in intracranial hypertension. He was successfully treated with stereotactic radiosurgery combined with intra-arterial chemotherapy and embolization of the arteries feeding the tumor. We discuss radiosurgery, chemotherapy, embolization and other therapeutic modalities for treating large malignant tumors involving the skull base.

Aged↗

A defect in a single allele of the Mlh1 gene causes dissociation of the killing and tumorigenic actions of an alkylating carcinogen in methyltransferase-deficient mice.

Mice with mutations in both alleles of the Mgmt and the Mlh1 gene, the former encoding a DNA repair methyltransferase and the latter a protein functioning at an early step of mismatch repair, are as resistant to the killing action of alkylating agents as are wild-type mice. These mice yielded a large number of tumors when exposed to alkylating carcinogens, but this characteristic was subdued since they also showed a relatively high level of spontaneous tumorigenicity, as a consequence of the defect in mismatch repair. This complexity is now resolved by introducing the Mlh1(+/-) mutation, instead of Mlh1(-/-), in these methyltransferase-deficient mice. Mgmt(-/-) Mlh1(+/-) mice, with about half the amount of MLH1 protein as Mgmt(-/-) Mlh1(+/+) mice, were resistant to the killing action of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), up to the level of 30 mg/kg body wt. Eight weeks after exposure to this dose of MNU, 40% of MNU-treated Mgmt(-/-) Mlh1(+/-) mice had thymic lymphomas and there were no tumors in those mice not given the treatment. It seems that the cellular content of MLH1 protein is a critical factor for determining if damaged cells enter into either one of the two pathways leading to mutation induction or to apototic cell death. Loss of Mlh1 expression was frequently observed in tumors of Mgmt(-/-) Mlh1(+/-) mice and this might be related to progression of the tumors.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Analysis of prognostic and survival factors related to treatment of low-grade astrocytomas in adults.

Prognostic factors for low-grade astrocytomas have been proposed, but optimal treatment remains controversial. Eighty-eight consecutive adult patients with supratentorial low-grade astrocytomas were retrospectively reviewed to determine specific factors influencing outcome. All underwent craniotomy (43 radical resections, 45 nonradical resections). Sex, age at diagnosis, preoperative Karnofsky performance status (KPS), tumor location, estimated extent of resection, radiation, chemotherapy, histological type, p53 status, MIB-1 staining and the apoptotic index were assessed as parameters for prognostic significance. KPS (p = 0.03), tumor location (p < 0.001), extent of surgical resection (p < 0.001) and radiotherapy (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with longer survival rates by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis also showed a significant correlation between radiation therapy after surgical removal and survival time (p < 0.001). p53 status was not of importance in determining the necessity for radiotherapy. Radical surgical removal is the most important factor in the management of low-grade astrocytomas. Radiation therapy appears to be effective in improving the prognosis regardless of the extent of surgical resection or the p53 status.

Adult↗

Osmotic membrane stretch increases cytosolic Ca(2+) and inhibits bone resorption activity in rat osteoclasts.

Although the importance of mechanical stress on bone metabolism is well known, the intracellular mechanisms involved are not well understood. To evaluate the role of mechanical stress on osteoclastic function, we investigated the effects of membrane stretch induced by osmotic cell swelling on cytosolic Ca(2+) and bone resorption activity in freshly isolated rat osteoclasts. The intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was measured by fura-2 microspectrofluorimetry. Exposure to hypotonic solution (211-151 mOsm) caused cell swelling and reversibly increased [Ca(2+)](i) in the osteoclasts. This [Ca(2+)](i) increase was abolished by the omission of extracellular Ca(2+), but was not affected by the depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores. Gd(3+) and La(3+) inhibited the swelling-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase, while nifedipine and Bay K 8644 did not. Neither protein kinase A inhibitors (Rp-cAMP, H-89) nor protein kinase C inhibitors (staurosporine, chelerythrine) affected the [Ca(2+)](i) increase. Membrane depolarization was not essential for the [Ca(2+)](i) increase either. To assess the effects of membrane stretch on the bone resorption activity of osteoclasts, we investigated actin ring formation, the intracellular structure responsible for bone resorption in osteoclasts. Hypotonic stimulation acutely disrupted actin ring formation in an extracellular Ca(2+)-dependent manner, and this disruption was prevented by Gd(3+). Moreover, Ca(2+) ionophore (ionomycin) also induced disruption of the actin rings. These results indicate that mechanical stress inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption activity, possibly via the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) through stretch-activated, non-selective cation channels.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

[An autopsy case of bilateral carotid artery occlusion with repetitive epilepsy and brain atrophy in a senile patient].

A 67-year-old man was referred to us for tonic-clonic convulsions. A review of his history revealed that he had been hospitalized for loss of consciousness, hypotension, and suspected apoplexy at age 67. He had experienced prior tonic-clonic convulsions at age 72 and age 74. He had malaria and tuberculosis in his history but had been otherwise generally well. Physical examination was normal, and his blood pressure was 100/80 mmHg. Laboratory findings were normal except alcalinephosphatase (292 U/l) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(60 U/l). Neurological examination showed alert consciousness, mild upper gaze palsy, slight right-side hemiparesis and left Babinski signs was present. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed no abnormality, but cerebral angiography revealed bilateral carotid artery occlusion. There were abundant leptomeningeal anastomoses, and the posterior communicating artery was supplied by the left vertebral artery. Electroencephalography showed a spike wave in the temporal lobe and rebuild-up phenomenon in the right hemisphere. Brain atrophy in the anterior and temporal lobes progressed, and the patient experienced gradual disorientation, delirium and hypobulia. He was eventually bedridden. He also demonstrated repetitive tonic-clonic convulsions. After one convulsion, he remained unconscious and died of pneumonia. Autopsy revealed thickening of the intima and internal elastic lamina in the occluded internal carotid artery. The anterior and middle cerebral arteries showed the same pathological changes. Multiple small infarctions restricted to grey matter were present in the cerebral cortex and may have caused the progressive brain atrophy. There was no myelin pallor in the white matter of the cerebrum. Atherosclerotic changes, senile plaque, and neurofibrillary tangles were seen but were within normal limits. These pathological findings were strongly suggestive of moyamoya disease.

Aged↗

Human CYP2C-mediated stereoselective phenytoin hydroxylation in Japanese: difference in chiral preference of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19.

Regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of phenytoin was determined in liver microsomes of nine extensive (EM) and three poor metabolizers (PM) of mephenytoin. Hydroxyphenytoins (HPPH) were isolated and quantified after separation into four regio- and stereoisomers. The total rates of microsomal phenytoin 4'- hydroxylation were approximately 3-fold higher than those of 3'-hydroxylation, and not significantly different in EM and PM. Formation of 4'-(R)-HPPH was 4.4-fold higher in EM than in PM, whereas no clear differences between EM and PM were detected in the formation of 4'-(S)-, 3'-(R)-, and 3'-(S)-HPPH. Cytochrome P450 (CYP)2C9, expressed in a fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, catalyzed the formation of 4'-(R)- and 4'-(S)-HPPH stereoselectively, as observed with EM, in which predominantly 4'-(S)-HPPH was formed. Recombinant CYP2C19 was more stereoselective for 4'-(R)-HPPH formation. These results, in addition to inhibition experiments with anti-human CYP2C antibody, indicate that phenytoin hydroxylation is mainly catalyzed by CYP2C9. Furthermore, CYP2C19 showed limited contribution to phenytoin 4'-hydroxylation with a different chiral preference from CYP2C9.

Antibodies↗

Enrichment and efficient screening of ES cells containing a targeted mutation: the use of DT-A gene with the polyadenylation signal as a negative selection maker.

Gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells via homologous recombination can occur at very low frequency. In order to enrich homologous recombinants before screening, a negative selection marker, such as thymidine kinase (TK) and diphtheria toxin A fragment (DT-A), has been commonly used. In this study, we developed a negative selection marker using DT-A gene with polyadenylation signal and it was designated DT-ApA. To determine the difference in targeting efficiency of the negative selections, we constructed three different targeting vectors for each negative selection (first, TK at the 3' end, second, TK at both the 5' and 3' ends < 2 X TK >, and third, DT-ApA at the 5' end of the homologous sequences). Gene targeting experiments using these constructs clearly showed that negative selection using DT-ApA was more efficient than that using TK for homologous recombination and that negative selection using DT-ApA was as efficient as that using 2 X TK. Considering the fact that the use of DT-ApA is more convenient for construction of targeting vectors than that of 2 X TK, DT-ApA is an efficient negative selection marker. In addition, we examined long and accurate PCR (LA-PCR) for screening gene targeted clones. The use of LA-PCR with genomic DNAs from ES cell clones facilitated simple detection of homologous recombinants, suggesting that the screening with LA-PCR is compatible with the use of longer homologous sequences of both arms in vector design. Our results indicate that the use of DT-ApA for negative selection together with the application of LA-PCR for screening ensures efficient and time-saving screening for homologous recombinants.

Animals↗

Abnormalities of developmental cell death in Dad1-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Dad1, the defender against apoptotic cell death, comprises the oligosaccharyltransferase complex and is well conserved among eukaryotes. In hamster BHK21-derived tsBN7 cells, loss of Dad1 causes apoptosis which cannot be prevented by Bcl-2. RESULTS: To determine the role of Dad1 function in vivo, we prepared by gene targeting, mice harbouring a disrupted Dad1 gene. Homozygous mutants died shortly after they were implanted with the characteristic features of apoptosis. In an in vitro blastocyst culture system, Dad1-null cells displayed abnormalities which were comparable to those obtained in vivo. However, oligosaccharyltransferase activity was apparently retained even after the Dad1-null cells were destined to die. Some live-born heterozygous mutants displayed soft-tissue syndactyly. Mild thymic hypoplasia was also indicated in heterozygotes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the involvement of the Dad1 gene in the acquisition of a common syndactyly phenotype, as well as in the control of programmed cell death during development.

Animals↗