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Y Kawatsu

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kawatsu.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

UAG is a sense codon in several chlorophycean mitochondria.

The mitochondrial genetic code of those land plants and green algae that have been examined does not deviate from the universal one. A red alga, Chondrus crispus, is the sole reported example throughout the algae that uses a deviant (non-universal) mitochondrial genetic code (UGA=Trp). We have analyzed 366-bp DNA sequences of the gene for mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COXI) from ten chlorophyceaen algae, and detected 3-8 in-frame UAG codons in the sequences of five species. Comparisons of these sequences with those of other algae and land plants have shown that most of the UAG sites in Hydrodictyon reticulatum, Pediastrum boryanum and Tetraedron bitridens correspond to alanine, and those of Coelastrum microporum and Scenedesmus quadricauda to leucine. The three species in which UAG probably codes for alanine are characterized by zoospore formation in asexual reproduction and form a clade in the COXI phylogenetic tree. The two species in which UAG codes for leucine are known to form daughter coenobia and pair in the tree. This is the first report on a deviant mitochondrial genetic code in green algae. Mutational change(s) in the release factor corresponding to UAG would be involved in these code changes. No genetic code deviation has been found in five other species examined.

Alanine↗

Bioavailability and diuretic effect of furosemide during long-term treatment of chronic respiratory failure.

The bioavailability and diuretic effect of furosemide 40 mg administered orally for at least 6 months have been compared in patients with chronic respiratory failure and in healthy controls. The mean urinary recovery of unchanged drug was 11.5 mg and 9.41 mg in 24 h after pre- and postprandial administration to 10 patients, whereas the recovery was 14.4 mg in 10 healthy subjects. The diuretic effect, in terms of urine flow and sodium ion excretion in the 6 h after administration, was also less in patients than in healthy subjects. This was ascribed to the lower bioavailability of furosemide in patients, based on the urinary recovery of unchanged drug, and not to a lower level of response to furosemide than in healthy subjects. The mean absolute bioavailability of furosemide in 6 patients was 41.3% and 63.4%, respectively, calculated from unchanged drug and total drug (unchanged plus glucuronide conjugate). Approximately 53.9% of the dose of furosemide was excreted as the glucuronide conjugate after oral administration, and 34.2% after i.v. injection in the 6 patients. In 3 of the 6 patients studied, a distinct first-pass effect for glucuronidation of furosemide was observed after oral administration. In another study, the mean glucuronide fraction recovered in 24-h urine was 20.7% and 7.3% (p less than 0.01) in 38 patients and 12 healthy subjects, respectively. The fraction in urine was not affected by changing the dose of furosemide from 20 to 120 mg. The lower bioavailability in patients as compared to healthy subjects is ascribed to enhanced glucuronidation and incomplete drug absorption.

Administration, Oral↗

Bioavailability of two preparations of furosemide and their pharmacological activity in normal volunteers.

The relative bioavailability and diuretic effect of 2 commercially available tablet preparations of furosemide 40 mg was examined in 10 healthy male volunteers. A close linear relationship between the urinary excretion rate of furosemide and the rate of sodium ion excretion in urine and/or flow rate of urine was demonstrated. There were no significant differences in the urinary excretion of furosemide, sodium and potassium ions or urinary volume following the oral doses. The difference in drug content affected the urinary recovery of furosemide over 24 h but had no effect on the pharmacological response. The analytical power of ANOVA using the various parameters of the responses to furosemide was no lower than when the parameters of urinary excretion of furosemide were used.

Adult↗