Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Yoshimura.
A fatal neonatal nemaline myopathy in a Japanese girl was described. The patient was hypotonic at birth and failed to establish effective respiration. Rod-like structures were observed within a variety of skeletal muscles, particularly in the diaphragm. This is the first case of fatal neonatal nemaline myopathy in which many satellite cells were observed.
In complement-depleted condition induced by cobra venom factor (CoF), tissue macrophage reaction and macrophage chemotactic activity (MCA) in skin extract from skin lesions induced by DNP-Ascaris extract (DNP-As) were decreased, respectively. MCA in the fraction containing macrophage chemotactic factor b (B fraction) was decreased completely. While MCA in the fraction containing macrophage chemotactic factor a and c (A fraction) was affected only slightly. These results suggested that the decrease of MCA of B-fraction might be associated with depletion of complement system by CoF. Using anti-C5 antibody, it was confirmed that macrophage chemotactic factor-b (MCF-b) (MW 14,000: thermostable) might be derived from C5 fragment in vivo.
We studied a woman who had evidence of myasthenia gravis at age 17. At age 19, she gradually developed alopecia and painful muscle spasms (Satoyoshi disease). Deposition of immune complexes (IgG, C3, and C9) was demonstrated at the motor endplates of limb muscle (biceps brachii); primary synaptic clefts were widened, and postsynaptic folds were simplified. This is the first case of myasthenia and Satoyoshi disease in the same patient.
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The chemotactic specificity of ia-positive and -negative macrophages was studied by using three macrophage chemotactic factors (MCF), -a, -b, and -c, isolated from delayed hypersensitivity reaction (DHR) skin sites in guinea pigs. Listeria-elicited macrophages migrated toward MCF-a, -b, and -c. The chemotactic responses suggested responsive subpopulations to MCF. The electronic programmable individual cell sorter (EPICS) was used to separate macrophages with anti-la monoclonal antibodies. Ia-positive subpopulations responded to MCF-c, although they did not migrate toward MCF-a and -b. In contrast, Ia-negative subpopulations migrated toward MCF-a and -b, but not toward MCF-c. Furthermore, MCF-c attracted Ia-positive macrophages, whereas MCF-a and -b were Ia-negative in vitro; MCF did not induce Ia-negative macrophages to express surface Ia-antigens in vitro. MCF-c was able to produce massive Ia-positive macrophage accumulations when injected i.p., whereas MCF-a accumulated Ia-negative macrophages. The data suggest that MCF-a and -b, which mediate initial macrophage reactions, attract Ia-negative macrophages, and that MCF-c, which mediates predominant macrophage reactions, attract Ia-positive macrophages in the DHR.
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Serial non-invasive studies including echocardiography were performed for the evaluation and follow-up of the cardiac lesions in six cases with genetic mucopolysaccharidoses. These cases were classified by the enzyme assay into one case of Scheie syndrome, three of Hunter syndrome, one of Sanfilippo syndrome and one of Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome. The echocardiographic examination revealed the most striking change in the mitral valve, which was progressive with increase of the age in most cases. The mitral valve echo was dense and multilayered with a decreased diastolic descent rate (DDR) in the M-mode echocardiogram, and its thick leaflets showed diminished opening on the two-dimensional echocardiogram. The aortic valve echo was also dense in three cases inducing one case with the prolapse of the non-coronary cusp into the left ventricular (LV) cavity. The pulmonary and tricuspid valves showed an unremarkable change, although the echocardiographic signs of pulmonary hypertension was observed in two cases. Diffuse hypertrophy of the interventricular septum and LV posterior wall was observed in five cases and apical hypertrophy was found in a case of Hunter syndrome (Case 2). Parameters of the LV contractility showed almost normal values but the distensibility of the LV posterior wall was impaired in two cases, suggesting stiffness of the cardiac muscle. Although no ischemic change was observed on the electrocardiogram, the echo density of coronary artery wall was not uniform on the two-dimensional echocardiogram and dilated coronary artery was found in two cases. Phonocardiograms disclosed an aortic regurgitant murmur in one case and an apical mitral regurgitant murmur in two cases. In one case of Scheie syndrome, a pansystolic murmur (Levine 3/6) and a mid-diastolic rumble (Levine 2/6) were present at the age of 15 and 16, but after the transient increase in the loudness these disappeared at the age of 18 and only an ejection systolic murmur is audible at the present time, while the mitral valve showed a progressive limitation of the movement on the two-dimensional echocardiogram. Contrary to the reduced DDR and diminished opening of the mitral valve in 3 cases, neither diastolic rumble nor opening snap was recognized in the phonocardiogram. The echocardiographic findings seemed to reflect the patho-anatomical manifestation of this disease, and thus, the periodical echocardiographic evaluation is rewarding to assess the cardiac lesions and their progression in mucopolysaccharidoses.
A retrospective cohort study was done of the mortality between 1953 and 1977 among 7,736 Japanese female beauticians who were registered from 1948 to 1960 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Mortalities from tuberculosis, heart disease, accidents, and all causes were significantly decreased as compared with the mortalities of general population in the prefecture. Observed deaths from all cancers combined were almost equal to those expected (148 observed vs. 139.26 expected). Among site-specific cancers studied, only slightly increased mortality from stomach cancer was statistically significant (61 observed vs. 45.59 expected). No measurable excess mortality was observed for the other sites of cancer.
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To examine the possible carcinogenic effects of frequent intake of mutagenic pyrolysates of proteins and amino acids, 7,553 adult subjects whose personal characteristics had been examined were followed-up for about 11 years. The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that frequent consumption of broiled fish was significantly positively associated with mortality from cancer at all sites, as well as from cancer of the stomach. Among the 11 independent variables tested, consumption of broiled fish ranked high as a variable associated with cancer mortality (all sites, and stomach). Similar analyses done by sex and city (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) showed a consistently positive association of this variable with mortality from cancer at all sites, in both sexes and cities, but, with a few exceptions, the association was not statistically significant. Broiled fish consumption also showed a consistently positive but not statistically significant association with mortality from gastric cancer classified by sex and city. The relative risks of cancer mortality associated with frequent (twice or more weekly) consumption of broiled fish, as compared to less frequent consumption, were 1.3 (P less than 0.05) for cancer at all sites and 1.7 (P less than 0.05) for gastric cancer. The frequency of consumption of dried fish was hardly associated with deaths from cancer at all sites and from gastric cancer, but was significantly positively associated with deaths from cancer of the liver.
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The reactivity and specificity of a series of substituted benzenesulfonyl fluorides with human leukocyte (HL) elastase, cathepsin G, porcine pancreatic (PP) elastase, and bovine chymotrypsin A alpha are reported. Benzenesulfonyl fluorides with 2-fluoroacyl substituents were found to be potent and specific inhibitors of elastase. HL elastase was inhibited most rapidly by 2--(CF3CF2CONH)--C6H4SO4F (kobs/[I] = 1700 M-1 s-1) which is slightly better than our best peptide chloromethyl ketone inhibitor of this enzyme. PP elastase was most rapidly inhibited by 2--(CF3CONH)--C6H4-SO2F (kobs/[I] = 2300 M-1S-1). The 2--(CF3CF2CF2CONH) and 2--(CF3SNH) derivatives were quite selective for HL elastase and inhibited PP elastase, cathepsin G, and chymotrypsin A alpha quite slowly. A specific and potent chymotrypsin inhibitor (2--(Z--Gly--NH)--C6H4SO2F) was also discovered. A model for the elastase inhibition reaction is proposed which involves interaction of the fluroacyl group of the inhibitor with the primary substrate recognition site S1 of the enzyme. Hydrogen bonding also occurs between the inhibitor NH and a backbone peptide carbonyl group, probably from residue 214. The 2-fluoroacyl group plays the dual role of binding in the hydrophobic S1 pocket and through electronic effects, increasing the strength f the hydrogen bond. The results of this study demonstrate that it is possible to construct simple organic molecules which are specific inhibitors of HL elastase, PP elastase, or chymotrypsin.