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Biomedical subjects

Y Horii

Publications and source records attributed to Y Horii.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Directional perturbation factors for jitter and for shimmer.

Directional perturbation factors for jitter and shimmer were calculated from the sustained production of the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/ by 20 adult male and 20 adult female speakers. Directional factors for jitter were less than directional factors for shimmer. Shimmer directional factors for females had greater values than for the male speakers. Speculations on the relationship of directional factors and magnitude factors are made with reference to the laryngeal reflexogenic system. The usefulness of directional factors to early diagnosis of laryngeal disease are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Frequency characteristics of male and female speakers in the pulse register.

Ten subjects (five male, five female) participated in a study of pulse register. Subjects produced the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/ at three levels within their modal register, and at three levels within their pulse register. Significant differences were found between male and female groups in the modal register, but no significant difference was noted in their pulse register productions. Speculations on the mechanisms that account for this fundamental frequency equality in pulse register are given.

Female↗
PubMed1984

Leukocyte accumulation in sparganosis: demonstration of eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic factors from the plerocercoid of Spirometra erinacei in vivo and in vitro.

In order to determine whether the plerocercoid of Spirometra erinacei itself has eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic factors, in vivo and in vitro examinations were carried out. We could observe large numbers of eosinophils and neutrophils which accumulated at the injection site of normal guinea pig skin following intradermal injection of soluble extract of plerocercoids of S. erinacei. At 1 hour after the injection, neutrophils appeared at the site, and the cell number reached its peak at 4 hours. Eosinophils appeared rather later than neutrophils (at 2-4 hours), and the number of cells reached its peak at 8 hours after the injection. Eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic activities were also confirmed in an in vitro system by using a blind-well chemotaxis chamber with a Millipore filter in dose dependent fashion. An eosinophil chemotactic factor (ECF) with molecular weight of approximately 15,000, and two different neutrophil chemotactic factors, one of about same molecular weight as the ECF and the other of low molecular weight, were demonstrated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. Furthermore, it was confirmed that those factors were released from parasite by the detection of intensive eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic activities in the culture supernatants containing plerocercoids.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Potentiation of tumoricidal properties of murine macrophages by Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (N-CWS).

Intraperitoneal injection of squalene-treated cell wall skeleton of Nocardia rubra (N-CWS) caused increase in number of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC). Adherent macrophages obtained from N-CWS-treated PEC suppressed growth of methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma (Meth-A), when injected intradermally with the tumor cells into BALB/c mice. The macrophages showed strong cytotoxicity against Meth-A cells in vitro. When treated with 10 micrograms/ml of N-CWS in vitro, proteose peptone-induced macrophages acquired tumoricidal property but resident macrophages showed no cytotoxicity after the treatment. In the supernatant of spleen cells cultured for 72 hours in the presence of N-CWS (10 micrograms/ml), the presence of (a) factor(s) with macrophage activating effect was observed. This factor, shown to be identical to macrophage activating factor (MAF) in molecular weight, showed synergy with N-CWS in potentiating macrophage cytotoxicity against tumor cells.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1984

Eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic activities of adult worm extracts of Schistosoma japonicum in vivo and in vitro.

Large numbers of eosinophils and neutrophils attracted to the soluble extract of Schistosoma japonicum adult worms (SjAW-ext) were detected at the injection site of normal guinea pig skin. Eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic activities were also confirmed in in vitro assay by using blind-well chambers with Millipore filters in dose-dependent fashion. Two components of SjAW-ext showed eosinophil chemotactic activity; one was in the high molecular weight fraction (JAE-H), estimated to be more than 440,000 daltons, the other in the low molecular weight fraction (JAE-L) obtained by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. High neutrophil chemotactic activity was detected in the JAE-L. These eosinophil and neutrophil chemotactic activities were also detected in culture fluid of S. japonicum adult worms. Eosinophil chemotactic factor (ECF) of JAE-H was stable to heating (100 C, 30 min) and pronase digestion, but completely destroyed by periodate oxidation. It is suggested that the ECF of JAE-H is a glycoprotein. JAE-L was also stable to heating (56 and 100 C, 30 min) and pronase digestion for eosinophil chemotaxis. Possible roles of those activities in schistosome infections are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[Blockade of the obturator nerve in transurethral electroresection of urinary bladder tumors].

Stimulation of obturator nerve during transurethral electroresection causes violent adductor muscle contraction, and is a major cause of inadvertent bladder perforation. General anesthesia with muscle relaxants is often required when the bladder tumor is in the area where the obturator nerve passes in close proximity to the inferolateral bladder wall. Recently obturator nerve block under spinal anesthesia during transurethral surgery have been reported in several papers, but the blockade is not completely reliable. Obturator nerve block using electrostimulator (neutracer) and insulated electroneedle (pole needle) was performed in 25 patients with bladder tumors during transurethral electroresection from October 1980 to December 1981. We herein describe the technique and results of local obturator nerve blockade. Use of neutracer and pole needle makes the obturator nerve block a completely reliable, safe and easy procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Some acoustic characteristics of oral reading by ten- to twelve-year-old children.

In contrast to the amount of information available on acoustic characteristics of adults' effective speech, little data are available on children's vocal effectiveness. A study, therefore, has been initiated to examine the relationship between some acoustic characteristics and listener judgments of children's vocal effectiveness. This paper reports the results of the first part of the study, that is, the acoustic analysis of oral reading by 36 10- to 12-yr-old children. The voice fundamental frequency characteristics, speaking time, pause time, and phonation-time ratio were measured using an automatic analysis method. Effects of the passage, repeated readings, and speaker sex are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1983

Frequency and amplitude perturbation in the voices of female speakers.

Vocal jitter and shimmer during the sustained phonation of /a/, /i/, and /u/ were investigated for twenty adult female speakers using an automatic analysis program. The results showed overall average shimmer of 0.25 dB and overall average jitter of 0.84%. The critical value for shimmer was 0.48 dB. Significant differences between males and females were found.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Automatic analysis of voice fundamental frequency and intensity using a visi-pitch.

This research note describes a method for automatic analysis of voice fundamental frequency and intensity using a Visi-Pitch Model 6087 and an Apple II computer equipped with an analog-to-digital converter (TecMar AD-211). The method provides a simple means of quantizing fundamental frequency and intensity and extracting their distributional characteristics from the Visi-Pitch, an instrument which is gaining wide-spread use by speech pathologists, audiologists, and linguists for clinical and research purposes.

Computers↗
PubMed1983

An accelerometric measure as a physical correlate of perceived hypernasality in speech.

This study investigated the correlation between a physical measure of oral-nasal coupling and perceived hypernasality in speech. A modified accelerometric method was utilized to extract distributional characteristics of a ratio of the nasal accelerometric amplitude to the voice amplitude during simulated hypernasal reading by 11 female talkers. Perceived hypernasality scores for the readings were derived from a panel of 30 listeners in a paired-comparison paradigm. A correlation coefficient of .92 was obtained between the mean nasal-to-voice ratio and the perceived hypernasality scores. The results indicated that the nasal-to-voice amplitude ratio is a promising index of perceived hypernasality in speech.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Eosinophil chemotactic factor in schistosome eggs: a comparative study of eosinophil chemotactic factors in the eggs of Schistosoma japonicum and S. mansoni in vitro.

Significant chemotactic activity for eosinophils was detected in soluble egg antigen (SEA) preparations of both Schistosoma japonicum and S. mansoni in dose-dependent fashion. The activity of S. japonicum SEA was higher than that of S. mansoni SEA. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-150 showed that S. japonicum SEA was composed of two groups of eosinophil chemotactic factors (ECFs), one of high molecular weight (JEE-H) and the other of low molecular weight (JEE-L). S. mansoni SEA showed ECF composition similar to that of S. japonicum SEA. JEE-H was stable on heating (100 degrees C, 60 min) and resistant to pronase digestion, but was sensitive to periodate oxidation. JEE-L was also stable on heating and resistant to pronase and carboxypeptidase A digestions. These properties of the ECFs were also held in common with those of S. mansoni SEA. JEE-L was extractable by toluene, indicating a hydrophobic nature. These results suggest that schistosome eggs themselves contain ECFs, and that the composition of S. mansoni and S. japonicum SEA-derived ECFs is essentially the same. However, they differ from the other ECFs which have already been described in schistosome infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

[Experience with microsurgical two-layer vasovasostomy].

Excellent results of vasectomy reversal have been reported by Silber and Owen in 1977 using microsurgical technique without splints. Herein, we report two cases of male sterility due to previous voluntary vasectomy in which fertility was restored by microsurgical vasovasostomy. The reason for vasectomy reversal in these cases was a subsequent marriage. Case 1: A 36-year-old male who had had vasectomy 3 years earlier, underwent vasovasostomy on September 20th 1976. The sperm granuloma was not found, but sperm was observed in the fluid from the proximal cut-end of the vas deferens at the time of operation. He fathered a baby on October 2, 1977. Case 2: A 43-year-old male who had had vasectomy 10 years ago underwent vasovasostomy on February 5th 1980. Sperm granuloma was observed at the time of operation. He fathered a baby on February 25th 1981. The important factors that determine the success of vasectomy reversal are the method and time of reversal. 1) Microsurgical two-layer vasovasostomy is the most reliable method among the various operations for vasectomy reversal. 2) A shorter duration between vasectomy and it's reversal, and the existence of sperm granuloma after previous vasectomy increase the possibility to restore fertility.

Adult↗