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Biomedical subjects

Y Kamei

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kamei.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Endoscopic omental harvest.

An omental flap is useful in reconstructive surgery, but harvesting such a flap generally requires laparotomy. However, endoscopic surgery facilitates harvesting an omental flap without open laparotomy. We performed endoscopic omental harvest in two patients. We described the procedure of endoscopic omental harvest, which is different from that reported previously. Four access ports were required: two placed lateral to the right rectus margin, one placed lateral to the left rectus margin, and one placed in the infraumbilical area. The stomach was suspended from the peritoneum for the dissection of the gastric rami. The vessels from the gastroepiploic arcade to the greater curvature of the stomach were individually clipped and divided. The omentum then was dissected to the transverse colon and the lower portion of the omentum was dissected along the transverse colon. Finally, the right side of the omentum was dissected. The omentum was transferred using the right gastroepiploic vessels for anastomosis. The advantages of endoscopic harvest are an inconspicuous scar, minimal operative pain, and early recovery. The disadvantages include a long procedure time. At the present time, endoscopic harvest of the left side of the omentum is problematic because of difficulty in identifying the left omental artery and the risk of injury to the spleen. However, these limitations will likely be resolved in the future.

Endoscopy↗
PubMed1998

Clinical characteristics of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

From our practice at the sleep disorders clinic in Kohnodai Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), we report the clinical characteristics of circadian sleep-wake rhythm disorders. Nearly 90% of circadian rhythm sleep disorders were diagnosed as delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) or as non-24 sleep-wake syndrome (non-24). While DSPS was equally common in males and females, non-24 was more frequently seen in men. It was of psychiatric interest that a considerable number of patients had depressive states in the course of their circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Difficulty in adapting to social life was more severe in patients with non-24 than in those with DSPS.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Continuous measurement of temperature in non-24 hour sleep-wake syndrome.

The onset of the low temperature (LT) zone which was defined as a period when the rectal temperature was below its daily mean is a convenient circadian phase marker. In this study, we document three cases of non-24 h sleep-wake syndrome in which identification of the LT zone as an evening circadian phase marker contributed to clinical judgments. We found that the LT zone was correlated well with dim light melatonin onset. Moreover, calculating the LT zone was useful in determining phase position in irregular sleep pattern and in determining the timing of bright light therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effects of the gradually increasing dawn light stimulation on sleep feeling.

Effects of a new lighting stimulation system upon subjective sleep and waking feeling were psychophysiologically examined in 24 healthy students in order to develop a way of obtaining comfortable awakening. The subjects underwent three different experimental conditions: the light stimulation condition, non-light stimulation condition and the control condition. The satisfaction of sleep was higher and day sleepiness lower in the light condition compared with the other two conditions. Subjective fatigue related to mental functions at waking was also smaller in the light condition compared with the other two conditions. These results suggest that the improvement of sleep feeling and waking seems to be achieved by gradual increased dawn light stimulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Melatonin treatment for circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

We administered 1-3 mg melatonin to 11 patients (eight men, three women, aged 16-46 years) with circadian rhythm sleep disorders; nine with delayed sleep phase syndrome and two with non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome. Sleep logs were recorded throughout the study periods and actigraph and rectal temperature were monitored during treatment periods. Melatonin was administered 1-2 h before the desirable bedtime for expected phase-shifting, or 0.5-1 h before habitual bedtime for gradual advance expecting an hypnotic effect of the melatonin. Melatonin treatments were successful in 6/11 patients. Timing and dose of melatonin administration, together with its pharmacological properties for circadian rhythm sleep disorders, should be further studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Trials of bright light exposure and melatonin administration in a patient with non-24 hour sleep-wake syndrome.

We report a patient with non-24 h sleep-wake syndrome (non-24) whose free-running sleep-wake cycle was successfully treated with both scheduled bright light exposure and melatonin treatment. In the present study, morning bright light as well as evening melatonin phase-advanced sleep-wake cycles and melatonin rhythm. Both these procedures achieved appropriate entrainment to a 24 h day. However, the patient did not continue morning bright light therapy after the discharge. Rising at appropriate times in the morning for bright light therapy was difficult for him to continue. Melatonin treatment was better tolerated because of its ease of application.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Dose-dependent selective cytotoxicity of extracts from marine green alga, Cladophoropsis vaucheriaeformis, against mouse leukemia L1210 cells.

The selective cytotoxic activity of extracts from two marine green algae, Cladophoropsis vaucheriaeformis and Halimeda discoidea, was examined via a dose response assay against mouse leukemia L1210 cells and normal NIH-3T3 cells. The MeOH-extract from C. vaucheriaeformis showed selective cytotoxicity to L1210 cells at concentrations ranging from 50 to 100 microg/ml. In particular, the greatest selectivity for cytotoxic activity was found at the concentration of 50 microg/ml, at which the growth of L1210 cells was inhibited completely and that of NIH-3T3 was not affected at all. However, MeOH extracts from the red alga Laurencia okamurae and the brown alga Dictyopteris undulata, which displayed non-selective cytotoxicity in our previous screening program, did not show similar selective cytotoxicity at any concentrations tested. These results indicate that the marine green alga C. vaucheriaeformis may contain a unique antitumor substance with selective cytotoxic activity against L1210 cells. Our results also suggest that this active substance might be of low molecular weight and therefore MeOH-soluble.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The transcriptional co-activator p/CIP binds CBP and mediates nuclear-receptor function.

The functionally conserved proteins CBP and p300 act in conjunction with other factors to activate transcription of DNA. A new factor, p/CIP, has been discovered that is present in the cell as a complex with CBP and is required for transcriptional activity of nuclear receptors and other CBP/p300-dependent transcription factors. The highly related nuclear-receptor co-activator protein NCoA-1 is also specifically required for ligand-dependent activation of genes by nuclear receptors. p/CIP, NCoA-1 and CBP all contain related leucine-rich charged helical interaction motifs that are required for receptor-specific mechanisms of gene activation, and allow the selective inhibition of distinct signal-transduction pathways.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Selective antitumor activity in vitro from marine algae from Japan coasts.

In vitro selective antitumor activity was tested as a general screening parameter for biologically active substances from a wide range of species of seaweed, 1446 samples of 306 species of marine algae from Japan's coasts. The algae extracts were prepared successively first by phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and then by methanol, and then tested for in vitro selective antitumor activity against murine lymphoid leukemia L1210 cells and for low cytotoxic activity against NIH-3T3 normal cells. Strong cytotoxic activity against L1210 cells was found in 47 species of algae, also showing similar cytotoxicity to mouse NIH-3T3 normal cells. However, four species of green algae showed strong activity specifically against L1210 cells, with low cytotoxicity to normal cells. Such selective activity was conspicuous in two brown and two green algae extracts. In particular, methanol extracts from the green alga, Cladophoropsis vaucheriaeformis, exhibited high viability (86%) to normal cells, showing selective cytotoxicity to tumor cells. This alga extract was no cytocidalic, but cytostatic against L1210 cells. Furthermore, the results of a cytotoxic spectrum test with 9 cell lines including those of L1210 and NIH-3T3 demonstrated that this extract acted strongly only against leukemic cell lines L1210 and P388.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Microscopic foci of urachal carcinoma in an incidentally detected urachal cyst: a case report].

A 33-year-old man who had been treated for chronic prostatitis was diagnosed to have urachal cysts by transabdominal ultrasonography. Cystoscopy revealed protuberance at the dome of the bladder. Computerized tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed the mass to be mostly cystic but partly solid. Resection of the urachal cysts and partial cystectomy were performed. Histopathologically, most cysts had a normal cylindrical epithelium with retention of mucinous substance. However, several small cysts contained epithelial cells resembling tubulo-villous adenoma and showing mitotic figures. This case was concluded as urachal carcinoma detected in its very early stage.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

A CBP integrator complex mediates transcriptional activation and AP-1 inhibition by nuclear receptors.

Nuclear receptors regulate gene expression by direct activation of target genes and inhibition of AP-1. Here we report that, unexpectedly, activation by nuclear receptors requires the actions of CREB-binding protein (CBP) and that inhibition of AP-1 activity is the apparent result of competition for limiting amounts of CBP/p300 in cells. Utilizing distinct domains, CBP directly interacts with the ligand-binding domain of multiple nuclear receptors and with the p160 nuclear receptor coactivators, which upon cloning have proven to be variants of the SRC-1 protein. Because CBP represents a common factor, required in addition to distinct coactivators for function of nuclear receptors, CREB, and AP-1, we suggest that CBP/p300 serves as an integrator of multiple signal transduction pathways within the nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Visualization of protein kinase activities in single cells by antibodies against phosphorylated vimentin and GFAP.

Vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are intermediate filament proteins expressed in the cytoplasm of various types of cells. The head domains of these proteins are phosphorylated by various protein kinases. Site- and phosphorylation-specific antibodies which recognize a phosphorylated serine/threonine residue in the head domains and its flanking sequence provide a useful tool to monitor and visualize protein kinase activities in single cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Immunosuppression by anti-ICAM-1 and anti-LFA-1 monoclonal antibodies of free and vascularized skin allograft rejection.

Immunosuppression by anti-adhesion molecule antibody of free or vascularized skin allograft rejection was investigated in rats. Lewis (LEW, RT11) rats were used as donors and Fisher (F344, RT11v1) rats as the recipients. When F344 rats were treated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) mAb (1A29) (3 mg/kg/day) and anti-leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) mAb (WT.1) (3 mg/kg/day) one day prior to grafting and daily after grafting for nine days, free skin graft survival was prolonged only slightly compared with that in control rats which were injected i.p. with a daily dose of 6 mg/kg of anti-TNP mAbs (H1-6-2) one day prior to grafting and daily after grafting for nine days. (Mean survival time [MST] of the free skin graft was 11.2 +/- 0.6 days in the control group and 13.4 +/- 0.3 days in the 1A29 + WT-1 treated group [p < 0.01], respectively.) On the other hand, the vascularized graft survival was prolonged significantly in anti-ICAM-1/LFA-1 mAbs-treated F344 rats as compared with that in control rats. (The mean vascularized graft survival time was 14.2 +/- 0.7 days in the control group and 21.5 +/- 1.9 days in 1A29 + WT-1 treated group [p < 0.002]). Our results suggest that interaction with ICAM-1 and LFA-1 is more important in the rejection of vascularized skin allografts than that of free skin allografts.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The possibility of active form of vitamins A and D as suppressors on adipocyte development via ligand-dependent transcriptional regulators.

The study aimed to systematically examine the effects of fat soluble vitamins and their analogs on terminal differentiation of adipocytes on the cellular and molecular aspects. It is well known that fat soluble vitamins especially vitamins A and D inhibit the differentiation of adipocytes in cultured cells. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the low level of dietary fat soluble vitamins, especially vitamin A and carotenoid actively stimulate the development of adipose tissue, namely bovine marbling in vivo. We have shown that the expression of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha and gamma, retinoid X receptor (RXR) alpha and beta, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) mRNA were abundant in rat adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 cells. The autoregulated amplification and reduction of RAR, RXR and VDR mRNA by their own ligands, were observed in 3T3-L1 cells. Finally, we proposed the model of vitamins A and D as suppressors on adipocyte development through retinoid/thyroid/vitamin D/fatty acid-activated/peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor's subfamily.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

[Gynecological management of climacteric syndrome with psychiatric disorders].

PURPOSE: To discriminate patients with severe mental disorders from those complaining of menopausal symptoms, psychological tests were performed on patients who visited the menopausal clinic. The effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in patients with slight mental disorders was also evaluated. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with menopausal symptoms (n = 150, 41-59 yr. old) were interviewed by a psychiatrist (according to DSM-III-R) and classified as the climacteric syndrome group (C) and the mental disorder group (P). The patients were also evaluated by the Menopausal index (MI), Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) and Self-rating depression Scale (SDS). The patients with severe mental disorders were eliminated and the remaining patients with menopausal symptoms were treated with conjugated equine estrogen (0.625 mg/day) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (2.5mg/day) for 24 weeks. RESULTS: 1) Thirty six patients were diagnosed as P (24%) and seven of them were diagnosed as having major depression (4.7% of the all patients). 2) MPI-N (neurosis scale) in C was 16.2 +/- 10, and in P was 30.5 +/- 9.0, and SDS in C and P were 39.0 +/- 8.0, and 51.4 +/- 8.9, respectively. In both psychological test, P shows a significantly higher value than C (p < 0.01). 3) Ninety point six % of the patients responded. HRT was not effective in 63.2% of P, but when psychotropic drugs were combined, significant improvement (p < 0.05) was observed. CONCLUSION: One fourth of the patients were suspected of having mental disorders in the menopausal clinic, and 5% of the patients needed the care of the psychiatrist. And the application of MPI and SDS was useful in helping the gynecologist to differentiate and classify the mental disorders to some extent. The applicability and effectiveness of HRT for patients with mild mental disorders were suggested.

Adult↗