Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Y Aoyagi.
Tissue-associated fibronectin was extracted with 4 M urea from human normal and cirrhotic livers. The results of rocket immunoelectrophoresis indicated that the amount of fibronectin in cirrhotic liver was twice as much as that in normal liver. The collagen content was much higher in cirrhotic than in normal livers. These data suggested an important role of fibronectin in tissue fibrosis.
The work curve characteristics of preschool children aged five and six, were examined by Uchida-Kraepelin psychodiagnostic test; Scores were the amount of work, the effect of rest, PF profile fluctuation score and the relations among them. Subjects were 476 kindergarteners aged five and six. The results were as follows: The amounts of work increased with age, and girls' amount of work was larger than that of boys. The effect of rest was seen in the children aged six, but not in the children aged five. PF score tended to decrease as the amount of work increased. There was a negative correlation between the effect of rest and PF score.
The reactivity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) with concanavalin A (Con A) and Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA) was studied by crossed immuno-affinoelectrophoresis of the serum samples of 146 patients from three groups (groups I, II and III). Fifty-one patients with benign liver diseases were included in group I, 83 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in group II, and 12 patients with carcinoma metastatic to the liver from digestive organs in group III. In group I, the percentage of Con A-reactive species of AFP was high (97 +/- 5%, mean +/- SD), but that of LCA-reactive species was very low (3 +/- 5%). The percentage of LCA-reactive species of AFP in group II (45 +/- 33%) was higher than that in group I (P less than 0.001), while the Con A binding pattern of AFP in this group, as demonstrated by immuno-affinoelectrophoresis, was similar to that of group I. The percentage of Con A-reactive species of AFP in group III (55 +/- 24%) was much lower than that in group II (97 +/- 5%) (P less than 0.001). The above results indicate that measurement of the reactivity of AFP in serum samples with Con A and LCA is useful for the differentiation of AFP species which are found in association with benign liver diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma and carcinoma metastatic to the liver.
Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) showing Leu 7 and weak E rosettes were separated from two metastatic tumors of lung cancer. Weak cytotoxic activity of these cells was recognized against autochthonous tumors, but never against K-562 cells. After OK-432 therapy, this cytotoxicity was not enhanced, but antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patient was induced against metastatic tumors. These signs may suggest that specific immunotherapy should be available for these cancers.
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Sera and peripheral blood cells of an adult T-cell leukemia patient and several clinically normal members of his family from the northwest coast of Japan were examined for evidence of infection with human T-cell leukemia (lymphoma) virus (HTLV). The sera of the patient and his parents had antibodies to HTLV, whereas these antibodies were absent in the sera of the patient's brother and sister. T-cell lines were established from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of all of the family members, and all except the patient's sister expressed HTLV antigens (p19, p24, and reverse transcriptase) and type-C virus particles. Not only the fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes from the patient but also those from his clinically normal mother showed abnormal morphology of the kind characteristic of some patients with T-cell leukemia. These studies are consistent with previous evidence indicative of a high rate of HTLV infection within families, and they show that people whose sera are negative for antibodies may still be infected by HTLV. In addition, the results indicate that infection of T cells by HTLV can be associated with morphological transformation of the cells without other signs of leukemia.
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Eight patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) were observed at Niigata University Hospital during the last seven years. They had typical hematological findings of ATL. All patients tested possessed both natural antibody against ATL-associated antigens (ATLA) in the serum and ATLA in peripheral mononuclear cells. These findings agree with the results of virological analysis in patients with ATL in other areas of Japan and human T-cell leukemia (HTL) in the U.S.A. Six out of the eight patients were native residents of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. They showed somewhat different clinical features from patients in other endemic areas and a variety of skin lesions. It was noticeable that the skin lesion regressed spontaneously in two patients. In view of the fact that the total population of this island is about 80,000, the incidence of ATL is thought to be high. Immunological studies were performed in our patients and the immunological background of ATL is discussed.
The inhibitory effect of human alpha-fetoprotein on the protein synthesis (incorporation of [3H]leucine into the total protein fraction) weas observed in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate cell-free system. The incorporation was inhibited to 50% of the control level by 14-16 microM alpha-fetoprotein, and decreased to about 15% at a concentration higher than 40 microM. An almost identical dose dependence was obtained between fetal alpha-fetoprotein and hepatoma-derived alpha-fetoprotein. This inhibitory effect on the protein synthesis was due to the interference of alpha-fetoprotein to the 40 S initiation complex formation from the ternary complex (eukaryotic initiation factor 2.GTP.Met-tRNAfMet). In contrast human serum albumin purified from fetal cord sera did not exhibit this inhibition under the same conditions. These results indicate that alpha-fetoprotein may function as a regulator of the protein synthesis in the fetal stage.
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In this study, we treated severe infections (21 cases) accompanied with induction chemotherapy in 20 patients with acute leukemia by the combination of a large dose (600 approximately 1,200 mg/day) of amikacin with other antibiotics. Infections during induction chemotherapy of acute leukemia consisted of sepsis (8 cases), pneumonia (7) and others (6), and most of causative organisms were Gram-negative bacteria, such as Ps. aeruginosa (7 strains), Flavobacterium (5), Serratia (3), Ps. cepacia (2), E. coli (2) and others. The combination chemotherapy of a large dose of amikacin with other antibiotics was found to be effective (71.4%) for such infections. Side effects were negligible except for drug eruption. Therefore, a large dose of amikacin should be given for the treatment of severe infections accompanied with induction chemotherapy of acute leukemia.
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Determination of the average uranium contents in several fossil bones was carried out using an improved fission track method. Four standard samples were prepared from silica-gel powder containing known amounts of natural uranium. The powdered fossil bones was fixed on a muscovite detector as well as the standard samples and followed by the neutron irradiation. After cooling, the muscovites were chemically etched with HF-solution to develop the fission tracks. By using standard samples, it was found that a reliable track counting is impossible through the transmission optical microscope in the region over track density of 5 X 10(5) cm-2 because of overlap of fission tracks in each other. In order to improve this situation bearing most of the present muscovites, the observation using the reflection microscope was applied after coating the muscovite surface with the vacuum-evaporated gold film and verified to be extremely efficient to the counting of high track density up to 5 X 10(7) cm-2, which could be no longer to distinguish intrinsic tracks through ordinary microscope. All of the fossil samples were subjected to the track counting through the reflection microscope and after correcting the estimated difference of track ranges between the standard and fossil bone samples the experimental uranium contents were evaluated. The uranium contents in the fossil bones were in the range of 30-460 ppm.
Fibronectin was isolated from human plasma by affinity chromatography with gelatin-coupled Sepharose 4B. Anti-fibronectin antiserum was prepared using rabbits, and human liver biopsy specimens at various stages of fibrosis were investigated for distribution of fibronectin by the indirect immunofluorescence technique. Fibronectin was absent in liver parenchymal cells, while it was detected markedly in reticulin and the area containing collagen fibers. The existence of fibronectin in the necrotic area and in prematured fibers suggests the earlier deposition of fibronectin than that of collagen at the locus of tissue repairing, and thus the important role of fibronectin at the early stage of fibrosis.
By sequential CT scanning, the dynamics of intravenously injected contrast medium were observed in 21 patients with abdominal malignancies. Within 30 sec, and one breath, four sequential cuts of the same section were obtained. The corticomedullary junction of the kidney was clearly delineated in the early phase, and tumor vascularity was well appreciated within vascularized malignancies. Angiographic CT was found to be superior to conventional CT and is promising in the assessment of the nature of abdominal tumors. In some cases, use of CT angiography may enable deferring catheter angiography.