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Biomedical subjects

Takuya Hayashi

Publications and source records attributed to Takuya Hayashi.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Usefulness of photocrosslinkable chitosan for endoscopic cancer treatment in alimentary tract.

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), an established treatment for superficial cancer in the stomach, colon, and esophagus, involves extracting the lesion with the aid of high-frequency current (as in snare polypectomy), following saline injection into the submucosal layer. Of interest in this study was the ability of photocrosslinkable chitosan, which is converted to a hydrogel (like a soft rubber) by 30-s ultraviolet irradiation, to expand the submucosal layer when used as an injection material. Photocrosslinkable-chitosan solution or normal saline (0.3 mL) was injected into the submucosal layer of the rat stomach, and the thickness of this layer was measured at various time points thereafter. In these two groups, the values obtained were 3.8 and 2.0 mm, respectively (means; n = 5 each group; p < 0.005), at 30 min after the injection. The cumulative blood loss measured at 20 min after mucosal incision was 113 mg (photocrosslinkable-chitosan solution), versus 1682 mg (saline) (means, n = 10 each group; p < 0.001). Histologic observation revealed that chitosan, which was retained within the submucosal layer, filled the ulcer base and completely surrounded the bleeding focus. Thus, the photocrosslinkable chitosan developed holds promise for use in EMR as a submucosal injection agent that avoids complications.

Animals↗

Sensory stimulation accelerates dopamine release in the basal ganglia.

We report herein the modulation of dopamine release in the basal ganglia during peripheral electrical stimulation in animals. The endogenous dopamine release during electrical stimulation was measured in anesthetized cats by positron emission tomography (PET) using the D2 receptor agonist [11C]-raclopride. Binding potential (BP) parametric maps were calculated using a simplified reference region model. The regional dopamine release evoked by electrical stimulation was estimated both by region of interest (ROI) analysis and statistical parametric mapping (SPM 99). Both ROI analysis and statistical parametric mapping showed significant release of endogenous dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum contralateral to the stimulated side as compared to the resting condition as well as the ipsilateral side. Accordingly, we suggest that the activity of the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain projecting to the nucleus accumbens and the striatum is modulated by the input from the afferent nerves. This provides an in vivo evidence for the importance of the basal ganglia in the processing of peripheral information required for normal movement. This may also explain the clinically observed sensory system abnormalities in patients with movement disorders.

Animals↗

Circulating CD34-positive cells provide an index of cerebrovascular function.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence points to a role for circulating endothelial progenitor cells, including populations of CD34- and CD133-positive cells present in peripheral blood, in maintenance of the vasculature and neovascularization. Immature populations, including CD34-positive cells, have been shown to contribute to vascular homeostasis, not only as a pool of endothelial progenitor cells but also as a source of growth/angiogenesis factors at ischemic loci. We hypothesized that diminished numbers of circulating immature cells might impair such physiological and reparative processes, potentially contributing to cerebrovascular dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: The level of circulating immature cells, CD34-, CD133-, CD117-, and CD135-positive cells, in patients with a history of atherothrombotic cerebral ischemic events was analyzed to assess possible correlations with the degree of carotid atherosclerosis and number of cerebral infarctions. There was a strong inverse correlation between numbers of circulating CD34- and CD133-positive cells and cerebral infarction. In contrast, there was no correlation between the degree of atherosclerosis and populations of circulating immature cells. Analysis of patients with cerebral artery occlusion revealed a significant positive correlation between circulating CD34- and CD133-positive cells and regional blood flow in areas of chronic hypoperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a possible contribution of circulating CD34- and CD133-positive cells in maintenance of the cerebral circulation in settings of ischemic stress. Our data demonstrate the utility of a simple and precise method to quantify circulating CD34-positive cells, the latter providing a marker of cerebrovascular function.

AC133 Antigen↗

Development of a hyperpolarized 129Xe system on 3T for the rat lungs.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) with 129Xe has gained much attention as a diagnostic methodology because of its affinity for lipids and possible polarization. The quantitative estimation of net detectability and stability of hyperpolarized 129Xe in the dissolved phase in vivo is valuable to the development of clinical applications. The goal of this study was to develop a stable hyperpolarized 129Xe experimental 3T system to statistically analyze the dissolved-phase 129Xe signal in the rat lungs. The polarization of 129Xe with buffer gases at the optical pumping cell was measured under adiabatic fast passage against the temperature of an oven and laser absorption at the cell. The gases were insufflated into the lungs of Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 15, 400-550 g) through an endotracheal tube under spontaneous respiration. Frequency-selective spectroscopy was performed for the gas phase and dissolved phase. We analyzed the 129Xe signal in the dissolved phase to measure the chemical shift, T2*, delay and its ratio in a rat lungs on 3T. The polarizer was able to produce polarized gas (1.1+/-0.47%, 120 cm3) hundreds of times with the laser absorption ratio (25%) kept constant at the cell. The optimal buffer gas ratio of 25-50% rendered the maximum signal in the dissolved phase. Two dominant peaks of 211.8+/-0.9 and 201.1+/-0.6 ppm were observed with a delay of 0.4+/-0.9 and 0.9+/-1.0 s from the gas phase spectra. The ratios of their average signal to that of the gas phase were 5.6+/-5.2% and 4.4+/-4.7%, respectively. The T2* of the air space in the lungs was 2.5+/-0.5 ms, which was 3.8 times shorter than that in a syringe. We developed a hyperpolarized 129Xe experimental system using a 3T MRI scanner that yields sufficient volume and polarization and quantitatively analyzed the dissolved-phase 129Xe signal in the rat lungs.

Administration, Inhalation↗

A new reconstruction strategy for image improvement in pinhole SPECT.

Pinhole single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is able to provide information on the biodistribution of several radioligands in small laboratory animals, but has limitations associated with non-uniform spatial resolution or axial blurring. We have hypothesised that this blurring is due to incompleteness of the projection data acquired by a single circular pinhole orbit, and have evaluated a new strategy for accurate image reconstruction with better spatial resolution uniformity. A pinhole SPECT system using two circular orbits and a dedicated three-dimensional ordered subsets expectation maximisation (3D-OSEM) reconstruction method were developed. In this system, not the camera but the object rotates, and the two orbits are at 90 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the object's axis. This system satisfies Tuy's condition, and is thus able to provide complete data for 3D pinhole SPECT reconstruction within the whole field of view (FOV). To evaluate this system, a series of experiments was carried out using a multiple-disk phantom filled with 99mTc solution. The feasibility of the proposed method for small animal imaging was tested with a mouse bone study using 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate. Feldkamp's filtered back-projection (FBP) method and the 3D-OSEM method were applied to these data sets, and the visual and statistical properties were examined. Axial blurring, which was still visible at the edge of the FOV even after applying the conventional 3D-OSEM instead of FBP for single-orbit data, was not visible after application of 3D-OSEM using two-orbit data. 3D-OSEM using two-orbit data dramatically reduced the resolution non-uniformity and statistical noise, and also demonstrated considerably better image quality in the mouse scan. This system may be of use in quantitative assessment of bio-physiological functions in small animals.

Algorithms↗

Endogenous dopamine release induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex: an [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography study in anesthetized macaque monkeys.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used as a treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the growing interest in therapeutic application of rTMS, precise mechanisms of its action remain unknown. With respect to PD, activation of the mesostriatal dopaminergic pathway is likely to be a candidate mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects; however, modulating effects of rTMS over the primary motor cortex (M1) on the dopaminergic system have not been studied. METHODS: We used [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography to measure changes of extracellular dopamine concentration after 5Hz rTMS over the M1 in eight anesthetized monkeys. RESULTS: rTMS over the right M1 induced a reduction of [11C]raclopride binding potential (BP) in the bilateral ventral striatum, including the nucleus accumbens, and a significant increase of BP in the right putamen; no significant BP reduction was found in the dorsal striatum. These data indicate that rTMS over the motor cortex induces a release of endogenous dopamine in the ventral striatum. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that therapeutic mechanisms of rTMS may be explained in part by an activation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, which plays critical roles in rewards, reinforcement, and incentive motivation.

Animals↗

Expressions of adrenomedullin mRNA and protein in rats with hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Experimental pulmonary hypertension induced in a hypobaric hypoxic environment (HHE) is characterized by structural remodeling of the heart and pulmonary arteries. Adrenomedullin (AM) has diuretic, natriuretic, and hypotensive effects. To study the possible effects of HHE on the AM synthesis system, 150 male Wistar rats were housed in a chamber at the equivalent of a 5,500-m altitude level for 21 days. After 14 days of exposure to HHE, pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was significantly increased (compared with control rats). The plasma AM protein level was significantly increased on day 21 of exposure to HHE. In the right ventricle (RV), right atrium, and left atrium of the heart, the expressions of AM mRNA and protein were increased in the middle to late phase (5-21 days) of HHE, whereas in the brain and lung they were increased much earlier (0.5-5 days). In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed AM mRNA and protein staining to be more intense in the RV in animals in the middle to late phase of HHE exposure than in the controls. During HHE, these changes in AM synthesis, which occurred strongly in the RV, occurred alongside the increase in PAP. Conceivably, AM may play a role in modulating pulmonary hypertension in HHE.

Adrenomedullin↗

Long-term effect of motor cortical repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [correction].

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) recently has been assessed as a noninvasive treatment modality for movement and psychiatric disorders, whereas the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects is not fully understood. Studies in rodents showed lasting functional changes in some selected regions, such as limbic-associated structures, but unfocused brain stimulation did not clarify the regional effects. To address the topographical and temporal profiles of the effects on glucose metabolism in primate brain, we performed rTMS and repeated (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) before, during, and up to 16 days after rTMS in anesthetized cynomologous monkeys. We delivered a total of 2,000 pulses of 5 Hz-rTMS over the right precentral gyrus using a small-sized eight-figured coil that induced a localized electrical field. Voxel-based analysis in a standard space of the macaque brain showed statistically robust changes in FDG uptake: a decrease in the motor/premotor cortices and an increase in the limbic-associated areas involving the anterior/posterior cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices. Interestingly, these uptake changes continued for at least 8 days and the magnitude of the lasting effects in the limbic-related areas was negatively correlated across subjects with those in the motor/premotor cortices. The results demonstrate that motor rTMS has a long-term lasting effect on motor-related regions and distant limbic-related areas via functional connections.

Animals↗

A theoretical model of oxygen delivery and metabolism for physiologic interpretation of quantitative cerebral blood flow and metabolic rate of oxygen.

The coupling of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) during physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions remains the subject of debate. In the present study, we have developed a theoretical model for oxygen delivery and metabolism, which describes the diffusion of oxygen at the capillary-tissue interface and the nonlinear nature of hemoglobin (Hb) affinity to oxygen, allowing a variation in simple-capillary oxygen diffusibility, termed "effective oxygen diffusibility (EOD)." The model was used to simulate the relationship between CBF and CMRO2, as well as oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), when various pathophysiologic conditions were assumed involving functional activation, ischemia, hypoxia, anemia, or hypo- and hyper-capnic CBF variations. The simulations revealed that, to maintain CMRO2 constant, a variation in CBF and Hb required active change in EOD. In contrast, unless the EOD change took place, the brain allowed small but significant nonlinear change in CMRO2 directly dependent upon oxygen delivery. Application of the present model to quantitative neuroimaging of CBF and CMRO2 enables us to evaluate the biologic response at capillary level other than Hb- and flow-dependent properties of oxygen transport and may give us another insight regarding the physiologic control of oxygen delivery in the human brain.

Biological Transport↗

Peptic ulcer data from 4 years of endoscopy in 955 pilots of the Japan Air Self Defense Force.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of peptic ulcer disease has undergone profound changes due to the recognition of Helicobacter pylori as a causative factor. A survey of medical records was made to determine the prevalence of peptic ulcer among pilots of the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) and to decide on a possible change in JASDF medical policy toward an ulcer-treatment regime involving therapy to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. METHODS: The subjects were 955 male pilots, age 40 or older. Between 1996 and 1999, they underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy 2.47 times on average. Annual ulcer rates and recurrence rates were obtained from the endoscopic file data. Smoking habits and use of NSAIDs were also assessed as important risk factors for peptic ulcer. RESULTS: The detection rate of open ulcer for each year was 2.3-3.1% in the stomach and 1.9-4.4% in the duodenum. For ulcers including scarring, the corresponding figures were 7.3-9.5% and 12.7-19.9%. The recurrence rate from S1 scars in the duodenum was 34%, significantly higher than that from S2 scars (7%) (p < 0.0005). There was no significant difference in recurrence rate between S1 scars and S2 scars in the stomach. There was a significant association between gastric ulcer and smoking (p < 0.0005). None of the pilots took long-term NSAID medications. CONCLUSIONS: Peptic ulcer occurs more frequently in the JASDF pilots than in the general population. S1 scarring in the duodenum, as well as open ulcers in either stomach or duodenum, are candidates for Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy if the bacterium is detected. Other types of scars are also candidates for this therapy when pilots have symptoms related to infection with Helicobacter pylori.

Adult↗

Expression of survivin does not predict survival in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

The members of the IAP (inhibitors of apoptosis) family, which includes survivin, have recently emerged as modulators of an evolutionarily conserved step in apoptosis. Survivin is present during embryonic and fetal development, but it is downregulated in normal adult tissues. However, it becomes re-expressed in a variety of cancers. We investigated the prognostic importance of the expression of survivin in transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (TCC-UUT). In 126 cases of TCC-UUT, we examined its expression (using immunohistochemistry), and also its relationship with the expressions of bcl-2 oncoprotein, p53 oncoprotein, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunoreactivity, clinicopathologic parameters, and clinical outcome. A positive expression of survivin was recognized in 12.7% of samples, a granular pattern being apparent within the cytoplasm of tumor cells. Survivin expression did not correlate with clinicopathologic findings, bcl-2 oncoprotein expression, p53 oncoprotein expression, PCNA index, or prognosis. In the normal urothelium, its expression was not detected. In conclusion, the expression of survivin does not predict prognosis in TCC-UUT.

Adult↗

Evaluation of a commercial PET tomograph-based system for the quantitative assessment of rCBF, rOEF and rCMRO2 by using sequential administration of 15O-labeled compounds.

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and practical strategy that generates quantitative CBF and OEF maps accurately from PET data sets obtained with 15O-tracers. Sequential sinogram data sets were acquired after the administration of 15O-tracers, and combined single-frame images were obtained. The delay time between sampled input function and the brain was estimated from the H2(15)O study with the whole brain and the arterial time-activity curves (TACs). The whole-brain TACs were obtained from the reconstructed images (image-base method) and the sinogram data (sinogram-base method). Six methods were also evaluated for the dead-time and decay correction procedures in the process of generating a single-frame image from the dynamic sinogram. The estimated delay values were similar with both the sinogram-based and image-based methods. A lumped correction factor to a previously added single-frame sinogram caused an underestimation of CBF, OEF and CMRO2 by 16% at maximum, as compared with the correction procedure for a short sinogram. This suggested the need for a dynamic acquisition of a sinogram with a short interval. The proposed strategy provided an accurate quantification of CBF and OEF by PET with 15O-tracers.

Adult↗

Gene transfer of human hepatocyte growth factor into rat skin wounds mediated by liposomes coated with the sendai virus (hemagglutinating virus of Japan).

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) regulates cell growth, cell motility, and morphogenesis in various types of cells, including epithelial and endothelial cells, indicating that it probably promotes epithelial repair and neovascularization during wound healing. To better understand the effects of HGF on wound healing, we performed human HGF-gene transfer into skin wounds in rats. The rat HGF mRNA levels, and human and rat HGF protein concentrations in the wounds in HGF gene-transfer rats were significantly elevated at 3 days, 3 to 14 days, and 3 and 14 days after gene transfer, respectively. An expression of human HGF mRNA and protein was revealed in squamous cells in the epidermis, in endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells in blood vessels, and in fibroblasts in granulation tissues at 3, 7, and 14 days after gene transfer in HGF gene-transfer rats. The wound lesion area in HGF gene-transfer rats was significantly less than that in control rats from 3 to 7 days after gene transfer. The re-epithelialization rate, microvessel counts in granulation tissues, proliferating cell nuclear antigen index of fibroblasts in granulation tissues, and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index in the epidermis of HGF gene-transfer rats were significantly increased at 3 and 7 days after gene transfer. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 and Colalpha2(I) mRNAs in the wounds of HGF gene-transfer rats were significantly decreased at 7 and 14 days, respectively. The hydroxyproline concentration in the wound was significantly less in HGF gene-transfer rats than in control rats at 3 days after gene transfer. These results suggest that HGF gene transfer into a skin wound may aid re-epithelialization and neovascularization in the early phase of wound healing, and that HGF may play a role in modulating cutaneous wound healing.

Animals↗

Neuronal nitric oxide has a role as a perfusion regulator and a synaptic modulator in cerebellum but not in neocortex during somatosensory stimulation--an animal PET study.

To clarify a role of neuronal nitric oxide in neurovascular coupling, we performed cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMR(glc)) measurements with positron emission tomography in somatosensory-stimulated cats using a specific neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI). The effect on flow-metabolism coupling were tested by global and regional-specific changes on CBF and CMR(glc), and the regional-specific effect was estimated both by regions of interest (ROI) and voxel-based (VB) analysis using globally-normalized CBF and CMR(glc) changes. The electrical somatosensory stimulation in the unilateral forepaw elicited coupled increase in CBF and CMR(glc) in the contralateral somatosensory cortex (7%) and the ipsilateral cerebellum (8%). 7-NI induced 20% decrease in global CBF both during rest and activation, but not in global CMR(glc) at simulation. Both ROI and VB analysis showed that 7-NI induced an increase in CMR(glc) (13%) in the ipsilateral cerebellum compared to control under vehicle alone, but it was accompanied by only 8% increase in CBF, suggesting uncoupling of flow-metabolism while it induced any perturbations in the contralateral somatosensory cortex. These observations suggest that neuronal nitric oxide has an important role for a mediator of regional neurovascular coupling as well as synaptic modulator in the cerebellum, but less so in the neocortex.

Animals↗

Comparison of striatal dopamine D2 receptors in Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy patients using [123I] iodobenzofuran single-photon emission computed tomography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical applicability and validity of [123I] iodobenzofuran (IBF) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the authors analyzed the changes in striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding among 7 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 6 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (Hoehn and Yahr stage II to IV), and 8 normal controls. METHODS: SPECT data were acquired every 1 minute for 60 minutes postinjection of 167 MBq [123I] IBF. The binding potential (BP) of the striatum was evaluated by 2 methods: region-of-interest (ROI) analysis by the nonlinear least squares method using blood sampling and time-series brain radioactivities in normal controls and a voxel-by-voxel method based on a region model that provided parametric images of BP without blood sampling. RESULTS: Statistical parametric mapping indicated that BP in the striatum of PSP patients was significantly lower than that of PD patients and normal controls (P < .005, uncorrected), and there was no significant difference between PD patients and normal controls, even in patients with PD at an advanced stage. Data derived from the ROI method and a simplified reference region model showed good correlations in normal controls, indicating the validity of the latter model. CONCLUSIONS: The results predict that [123I] IBF SPECT, especially voxel-by-voxel BP parametric imaging, can discriminate among extrapyramidal diseases such as PD and PSP and may be applicable for clinical use.

Adult↗