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Biomedical subjects

Y Hiraga

Publications and source records attributed to Y Hiraga.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Effect of liver hydrolysate on ethanol- and acetaldehyde-induced deficiencies].

Since it has been reported that amino acids have alleviating effects on ethanol- and acetaldehyde-induced toxicity, we investigated the effect of liver hydrolysate derived from bovine liver on ethanol- or acetaldehyde-induced toxicity and deficiency models of mice and rats in the present study. Liver hydrolysate improved the deficiencies of beam walking and food intake of mice in a dose-dependent fashion when challenged with ethanol at the dose of 5 ml/kg, p.o. According to the analysis using selective inhibitors for alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, it has been suggested that this improvement effect of liver hydrolysate is mainly due to the reduction of acetaldehyde toxicity. No effect of liver hydrolysate was found in coma and death produced by orally treated ethanol at 10 ml/kg. In contrast, liver hydrolysate dose-dependently decreased the coma and death of mice administered acetaldehyde at 1.8 ml/kg, p.o. Furthermore, an increase in serum GPT activity, which was caused by twice oral administration of acetaldehyde at 1.2 ml/kg at interval of 1 hr, was inhibited by liver hydrolysate. These results suggest that liver hydrolysate has a protective effect against ethanol- and acetaldehyde-induced toxicity.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1998

[Fulminant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia resulting in respiratory failure and a prolonged pulmonary lesion].

A previously healthy 26-year-old woman presented with a fever and coughing on October 1, 1995. Despite treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics at another hospital, she had a high fever, coughing, and dyspnea. A chest roentgenogram showed diffuse infiltrates in both lung fields. On October 9, she was transferred to our hospital. On admission, a chest X-ray film showed marked diffusely infiltrates in both lung fields and a effusion in the left lung. Arterial blood gas analysis after inhalation of 4 liters per minute of oxygen via a nasal cannula revealed a PaO2 of 39.0 torr. Despite treatment with various antibiotics, including minocyclin and gamma-globulin, her respiratory condition rapidly deteriorated. She was mechanically ventilated by with intermittent mandatory ventilation and positive end-experiatory pressure, and received antibiotics and methylprednisolone pulse therapy. He chest X-ray and arterial blood gase findings, gradually improved. The passive hemagglutination titer for Mycoplasma rose from 1:4 on October 9, to 1:2,560 on the 14th hospital day. Acute respiratory failure due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia was diagnosed. A chest X-ray film obtained 2 months after admission showed linear-reticular shadows in both lung fields and pulmonary-function tests revealed abnormally low vital capacity and diffusing capacity. Examination of a specimen obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy revealed focal intraalveolar exudate with fibrin and macrophages. Very mild interstitial thickening was also noted. The lymphocyte stimulation responses to PPD, PHA, and Con A were low early in the illness and became normal after recovery. Several reports have said that an enhanced pulmonary cellular immune response may be responsible for the development of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae, resulting in a temporary decrease in the cell-mediated immune response. This case supports that hypothesis. We believe that in severe cases, steroid therapy including pulse therapy should be started as soon as possible.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Measurement of serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and its clinical application for estimating the activity of granuloma formation in sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: The role of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from sarcoidosis patients was previously reported. To study the role of MCP-1, we evaluated the serum MCP-1 and its clinical significance in sarcoidosis. METHODS: The serum MCP-1 level was measured in 47 patients with sarcoidosis and 10 normal healthy controls with the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The localization and mRNA expression of MCP-1 in sarcoid lymph nodes were evaluated by an immunohistochemical method using an anti-MCP-1 monoclonal antibody and an in situ hybridization technique to determine the cellular source(s) of MCP-1. RESULTS: Serum MCP-1 levels were significantly elevated in the sarcoidosis patients compared with the healthy controls (698.3 +/- 101.9 vs. less than 39 pg/ml, p < 0.001). A comparison of the patients' serum MCP-1 levels among standard radiographic stages revealed that the serum MCP-1 was significantly higher in early stages: stage 0 vs. III, and stage I vs. II. In addition, the serum MCP-1 levels were significantly correlated with the serum angiotensin converting enzyme levels (r = 0.539, p = 0.0006). MCP-1 expression was detected in macrophages peripheral to the epithelioid granuloma in sarcoid lymph nodes, by both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that MCP-1 may be expressed by the macrophages in the granuloma throughout the body, and that the measurement of serum MCP-1 levels may have clinical value as an indicator in estimating the activity of granuloma formation throughout the body in sarcoidosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Biologically active clerodane-type diterpene glycosides from the root-stalks of Dicranopteris pedata.

The molecular structure of the biologically active diterpene alcohol isolated previously from the root-stalks of Dicranopteris pedata and Gleichenia japonica was confirmed to be (6S,13S)-cleroda-3,14-diene-6,13-diol by an X-ray crystallographic analysis, together with application of the octant rule to the Cotton effect observed in the CD spectrum of its 6-keto derivative. Further investigation of the root-stalks of D. pedata has resulted in the isolated two new glycosides, which were characterised as (6S,13S)-6-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl] 13-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-fucopyranosyl] cleroda-3,14-diene and (6S,13S)-6-O-[beta-glucopyranosyl]-13-O-[beta-fucopyranosyl-(1-->2) -alpha-rhamnopyranosyl]-cleroda-3,14-diene. Of these two glycosides, the former glycoside accelerated the growth of the stems of lettuce and inhibited the growth of the roots.

Disaccharides↗
PubMed1997

Global epidemiology of sarcoidosis. What story do prevalence and incidence tell us?

Textbooks of clinical medicine often begin with "epidemiology" of the disease by describing the distribution of patients' characteristics in terms of age, gender, race, and so on. As a result, many clinicians erroneously think the description of such distribution is a role only for epidemiology. The real role of epidemiology, however, is to search for the determinants of and ways to prevent the disease. In this article, the recent informative papers on the epidemiology of sarcoidosis are reviewed in the light of modern sarcoidology.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Thymic carcinoma associated with pulmonary sarcoidosis].

A 54-year-old man who worked as a farmer was admitted to the hospital in August 1989 because of bilateral hilar adenopathy that was detected during a mass screening. Laboratory examination showed a high serum lysozyme level and the PPD skin test was negative. Examination of a specimen obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy revealed non-caseous epithelioid cell granuloma. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed. The patient was not treated, and the bilateral hilar adenopathy had lessened by 1992. The patient was readmitted to our hospital because of right hilar and upper mediastinal enlargement seen on a chest radiograph in April 1994. Computed tomography and magnet resonance imaging disclosed an anterior mediastinal tumor in contact with the right upper lobe, the left inominate vein, and the pericardium. Bronchoscopy showed no abnormality in the right upper-lobe bronchus. Examination of a specimen obtained from the B3b bronchus showed no evidence of malignant cells. Examination of a tumor specimen obtained by transdermal biopsy showed squamous cell carcinoma. After the patient underwent combination chemotherapy, the tumor ws resected, along with the right upper lobe, the left inominate vein, and the pericardium, which were difficult to separate from the tumor. Postoperative pathological examination showed that squamous cell carcinoma was intermingled with normal thymus tissue. We believe that squamous cell carcinoma originated in the thymus. Non-caseous epithelioid cell granulomas were also found in the resected right upper lobe and in a mediastinal lymph node. The patient was discharged after post-operative irradiation of the mediastinum. Thymic carcinoma is rare, and sarcoidosis in a patient with thymic carcinoma is very rare. T lymphocytes are very important in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, and the thymus is involved in the growth and differentiation of T lymphocytes. The occurrence of these two diseases in one patient is interesting, but the relationship is not clear.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1997

[Relationship between cholinergic symptoms caused by distigmine and the activities of serum AChE and BChE].

Distigmine is widely used for the treatment of dysuria, which is caused by various types of psychotropic medications. Distigmine, however, is also known to induce adverse cholinergic effects, such as diarrhea and salivation, with a decreased level of serum cholinesterase. We evaluated the possibility of using serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) as specific clinical markers for the adverse cholinergic effects of distigmine. Of the twelve patients treated with distigmine for dysuria caused by psychotropic drugs six patients presented both adverse cholinergic effects and decreased levels of serum AChE and BChE. The other six presented neither of these changes. This study suggests that the values of serum AChE and BChE may be useful markers for the manifestation of adverse cholinergic effects caused by distigmine.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed1996

The mode of presentation of sarcoidosis in Finland and Hokkaido, Japan. A comparative analysis of 571 Finnish and 686 Japanese patients.

We compared the clinical picture of sarcoidosis in patients diagnosed at Mjölbolsta hospital in Finland in 1955-1987 with those diagnosed in Sapporo in 1964-1988. The female:male ratios showed a slight female predominance. The mean age (SD) at diagnosis was 41.5 (13.0) years at Mjölbolsta and 30.0 (15.4) years in Sapporo. In both series, half of the patients had been detected at mass x-ray surveys. The presenting symptoms varied considerably among the symptomatic patients. At Mjölbolsta hospital, 189 patients (33%) had cough, 21% fever, 21% general malaise, 18% dyspnoea, 18% erythema nodosum, 16% joint pain and only 27 patients (5%) had eye symptoms. In Sapporo, 245 patients (41%) had eye symptoms, 18 (4%) had enlarged peripheral lymph nodes, 14 (3%) had cough, 10 (2%) had fever. Erythema nodosum did not occur as a presenting symptom in Sapporo. The chest radiographs showed bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (BHL, stage I) in 48% of the Mjölbolsta patients and in 57% of the Sapporo patients. Stage II lesions were seen in 39% and 20%, and stage III lesions in 12% and 5% respectively. Only 1% had a normal chest radiograph at Mjölbolsta hospital as compared with 18% in Sapporo. The Sapporo patients were more obstructive but the proportion of smokers was also higher. No difference in diffusion capacity was seen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Immunogenicity of the whole antigen and glycoprotein I of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and the VZV skin test antigen.

Specific cellular immunity against the whole antigen and glycoprotein I (gp I) of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and the skin test antigen were determined for 13 healthy immune adults to compare the immunogenicity of these antigens using a lymphoproliferative assay. The stimulation index values (mean +/- s.d.) were 16.4 +/- 11.2 against the whole VZV antigen, 4.2 +/- 2.9 against the VZV skin test antigen and 1.1 +/- 0.5 against gp I. The immunogenicity of the skin test antigen, which mainly contains gp III and gp IV, appears to be more favorable than that of gp I alone, but to be weaker than that of the whole VZV antigen.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Double infection of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children].

There have been fewer reports on Chlamydia pneumoniae infection during childhood than those in adults, although many of the C. pneumoniae infections occurred during childhood based on prevalence of the antibody. And there have been no reports concerning the double infection of C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae. We reported three cases of children with the double infection. We diagnosed this from significant alteration of these antibodies from the acute to convalescent phases. We omitted the cases without significant alteration of the antibodies, even diagnosed from isolation or detection of the antigens in the samples by direct fluorescent antibody. Case 1 was an 8-year-old-boy who was admitted to our hospital because of fever, cough with vomiting and erythema multiforme. The symptoms did not subside after administration of clindamycin but subsided after minocycline. Case 2 was an 1-year-old-boy who was admitted because of fever, cough, rhinorrhea and vomiting. C. pneumoniae organisms were isolated from the pharyngeal swab specimen, the symptoms subsided after administration of clindamycin. Case 3 was a 9-year-old boy who was admitted because of fever and a cough followed by erythema multiforme. The symptoms did not decrease after administration of clindamycin but after minocycline. The characteristic of these cases are a strong cough with vomiting, weak response of acute reactants on the laboratory data, and skin eruption similar with that due to M. mycoplasmae in two of the three cases. We suspect that these double infections may induce the eruption, about which there have been no previous reports.

Child↗
PubMed1996

[A case with petechiae due to human parvovirus B19].

We reported a case of 10-year-old girl with petechiae mainly on the truncus, although who had more than 10 x 10(4)/microliter of platelets. Smears of her bone marrow demonstrated extreme reduction of erythroblasts with giant proerythroblast like cells, which does not consist with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Human parvovirus B19 (B19) DNA was detected in her serum and throat swab using PCR and significant alterations of B19 specific IgM and IgG antibody titers were demonstrated. The petechiae subsided on the 8th day after her admission. She had not shown anemia less than Hb 10 g/dl, but her reticulocytes counts had increased up to 3.5% on the 11th day after her admission. Smears of her bone marrow on the 17th day became normal with moderate erythroblasts. It is demonstrated that the cellular receptor of this virus is an antigen of the blood group P recently. P antigen is presented not only on erythrocytes and on erythroblasts but also on megakaryocytes and endotherial cells. Therefore, it is suggested that direct injury by B19 to endothelial cells could cause petechiae in this case.

Child↗
PubMed1996

[A comparative study on the efficacies of ritipenem acoxil and cefotiam hexetil in bacterial pneumonia by the double-blind method].

To objectively evaluate the efficacy, safety and usefulness of the newly developed penem oral antibiotic, ritipenem acoxil (RIPM-AC), against bacterial pneumonia, we conducted a multi-center double-blind comparative study using cefotiam hexetil (CTM-HE) as the control drug. Both RIPM-AC and CTM-HE were orally administered at 200 mg t.i.d. for 14 days, in principle. The results were as follows: The total number of patients enrolled in this trial was 208, of which 152 cases (RIPM-AC group: 73, CTM-HE group: 79) were evaluable for clinical efficacy. 1. The clinical efficacy rates (excellent + good) were 91.8% (67/73) in the RIPM-AC group and 94.9% (75/79) in the CMT-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups, and the clinical equivalency of RIPM-AC to CTM-HE was demonstrated. 2. In the patients enrolled in the evaluation of clinical efficacy, the eradication rates of the causative organisms were 84.6% (22/26) in the RIPM-AC group and 91.7% (22/24) in the CTM-HE group, with no significant difference between the two groups. 3. Side effects were noted in 9 cases (9.6%) of the RIPM-AC group and 5 cases (4.9%) of the CTM-HE group. Abnormal laboratory test findings were observed in 23 cases (26.7%) of the RIPM-AC group and 15 cases (15.6%) of the CTM-HE group. There was no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of side effects nor of abnormal laboratory test findings. In the safety evaluation, RIPM-AC was judged to be safe in 64 cases (68.1%) and CTM-HE in 82 cases (80.4%), with no significant difference. 4. The usefulness rates (markedly useful+useful) were 86.5% (64/74) in the RIPM-AC group and 92.5% (74/80) in the CTM-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Since RIPM-AC showed clinical efficacy similar to those of CTM-HE and posed no particular safety problems, it is expected to be a useful antibiotic for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Clinical analysis on the course and prognosis of patients with Crohn's disease].

We analyzed 66 cases (47 males and 19 females) of Crohn's disease at Hiroshima University hospital from September 1975 to October 1994 to clarify the course and prognosis of Crohn's disease. The age at onset was 21.1 +/- 7.3 years old (mean +/- SD), terms between onset and diagnosis were 21.5 +/- 33.0 months (mean +/- SD) and observation period was 65.5 +/- 44.6 months (mean +/- SD). Sites of lesion were 18 ileum, 41 ileocolon and 7 colon. Thirty-one cases, 20 cases of which had intestinal obstruction, underwent surgical operation (12 ileum types, 18 ileocolic types, 1 colon type). The cumulative probability of surgery at one, five and ten years after onset of symptoms were 12.1%, 28.8% and 56.9%, respectively. As for cumulative probability of surgical operation at one, five and ten years after diagnosis were 25.8%, 36.7% and 74.4%, respectively. Results of the cumulative probability of surgery by anatomical involvement indicated that the ileum type had a statistically significantly higher risk than other types. In each analysis compliance to nutritional therapy was also an important prognostic factor. Overall, our results indicated that the site of lesion and the compliance to nutritional therapy were important factors which have an effect on the course and prognosis of Crohn's disease patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Clinicopathologic evaluation on colorectal laterally spreading tumor (LST)].

Clinicopathologic characteristics of 92 colorectal laterally spreading tumors (LST) endoscopically or surgically resected were examined. Lesions were macroscopically classified into two categories according to their surface structure :(1) granular type (G type, 47 lesions), (2) flat type (F type, 45 lesions). The size (maximum diameter) of G type lesions was 24.7 +/- 11.3 mm (Mean +/- SD) and that of F type lesions was 14.2 +/- 7.4 mm. The size of G type lesions was significantly larger than that of F type lesions (p < 0.01). Among G type lesions, cancerous lesion was present in 2 (25.0%) of 8 lesions 10-14 mm in diameter, 2 (22.2%) of 9 lesions 15-19 mm in diameter and 19 (63.3%) of 30 lesions more than 20mm in diameter. Regarding F type lesions, cancerous lesion was present in 15 (46.9%) of 32 lesions 10-14 mm in diameter, 4 (80.0%) of 5 lesions 15-19 mm in diameter and 8 (100%) of 8 lesions more than 20mm in diameter. The incidence of carcinoma in F type lesions was higher than that in G type lesions irrespective of size. F type lesions with carcinoma showed a trend toward a higher frequency of submucosal invasion and F type lesions with adenoma revealed tendency of showing severe atypia in comparison with G type lesions. The adenomatous component of LST showed a tubulo-villous architecture in 13 (28.3%) of 46 G type lesions, however none of F type lesions had a tubulo-villous component. These results indicated that clinicopathologic characteristics of F type are obviously different from G type. Furthermore, F type had a higher malignant potential than G type and is thought to have a more important role as a precursor of colorectal carcinoma than G type.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

[Comparative study on the efficacy of ritipenem acoxil and cefotiam hexetil in chronic lower respiratory tract infections by the double-blind method].

To objectively evaluate the efficacy, safety and usefulness of the newly developed penem oral antibiotic, ritipenem acoxil (RIPM-AC), against chronic lower respiratory tract infections, we conducted a multi-center double-blind comparative study using cefotiam hexetil (CTM-HE) as a control drug. RIPM-AC was orally administered at 200 mg, and CTM-HE at 400 mg, t.i.d. for 14 days, in principle. The results were as follows: The total number of patients enrolled in this trial was 202, of which 151 cases (RIPM-AC group: 75, CTM-HE group: 76) were evaluable for clinical efficacy. 1. The clinical efficacy rates (excellent+good) were 85.3% (64/75) in the RIPM-AC group and 80.3% (61/76) in the CTM-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups, hence the clinical equivalency of RIPM-AC to CTM-HE was demonstrated. 2. In the patients enrolled in the evaluation of clinical efficacy, the eradication rates of the causative organisms were 50.0% (13/26) in the RIPM-AC group and 75.0% (18/24) in the CTM-HE group, with no significant difference between the two groups. 3. Side effects were noted in 10 cases (11.0%) of the RIPM-AC group and 10 cases (10.9%) of the CTM-HE group. Abnormal laboratory test findings were observed in 8 cases(9.5%) of the RIPM-AC group and in 14 cases (16.7%) of the CTM-HE group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of side effects and abnormal laboratory test findings. In the safety evaluation, RIPM-AC was judged to be safe in 73 cases (80.2%) and CTM-HE in 71 cases (77.2%), with no significant difference. 4. The usefulness rates (markedly useful+useful) were 79.5% (62/78) in the RIPM-AC group and 76.9% (60/78) in the CTM-HE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Since RIPM-AC showed clinical efficacy similar to those of CTM-HE and posed no particular safety problems, it is expected to be a useful antibiotic for the treatment of chronic lower respiratory tract infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Serum concentrations of the pyridoxal and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate in children during sustained-release theophylline therapy].

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of sustained-release theophylline preparations on circulating vitamin B6 concentrations in children with asthma. Twenty-six children with asthma were treated with sustained-release theophylline preparations. Serum concentrations of theophylline and vitamin B6 [pyridoxal (PL) and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)] were evaluated. The results obtained from this study were as follows: 1) The serum PL was significantly correlated with the duration of theophylline administration (r = -0.42). 2) The serum PL and PLP concentrations were significantly correlated with serum theophylline concentrations (r = -0.47, r = -0.59, respectively). 3) Serum PL and PLP concentrations in children treated for more than 5 weeks were significantly lower than those treated for less than 4 weeks (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). 4) Serum PL and PLP concentrations in children within theophylline therapeutic ranges (5-15 micrograms/ ml) were significantly lower than those with less than 5 micrograms/ml (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, respectively). These findings suggest that long-term theophylline therapy or serum theophylline concentration within the therapeutic ranges (5-15 micrograms/ml) can depress serum vitamin B6 concentration in children with asthma. Theophylline-induced seizure may be caused by decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid concentration in the brain result from decrease in vitamin B6 concentration, even if the serum theophylline concentration is within the therapeutic ranges.

Asthma↗