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Biomedical subjects

Y Kawauchi

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kawauchi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Indication of fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis in elderly patients and its significance.

STUDY DESIGN: Selection of surgical therapy for lumbar canal stenosis in elderly patients is discussed. Decompression alone and decompression with fusion were evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To determine the indication of decompression with fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis in elderly patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although there is no objection to posterior decompression, which is regarded as the first choice of surgical therapy for lumbar spinal stenosis in the elderly, it is debatable whether or not fusion should be used with decompression. METHODS: The presence or absence of instability was defined by Posner's method from preoperative plain radiographic lateral findings. Thirty-four elderly patients with lumbar canal stenosis were studied. Seventeen of the 34 patients were found to have instability. Ten of the 17 patients with spinal instability underwent decompression and instrumented fusion. The seven remaining patients with spinal instability underwent decompression alone. The 17 patients without spinal instability were treated by decompression alone. Preoperative symptoms, postoperative results, and changes in radiographic findings were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The group treated by decompression and fusion showed the best results. The group treated by decompression in the presence of instability showed the worst results by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association back scores. Good results can be obtained by decompression alone only if the patients do not have instability as defined by Posner. CONCLUSIONS: The definition of instability by Posner's method proved useful for selecting elderly patients with instability for fusion treatment. Fusion with instrumentation should be performed on elderly patients with instability after decompression.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Human type II phospholipase A2-induced Mac-1 expression on human neutrophils.

To investigate the effect of type II phospholipase A2 (PLA2-II) on neutrophil function, we assessed the Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) expression on human neutrophils by flow cytometry after incubation of the cells with human PLA2-II. PLA2-II at a concentration of 10 microg/mL increased the Mac-1 expression by 150% compared with unstimulated cells at 30 min and after. Under these conditions PLA2-II increased the exocytosis from secretory vesicles but not from azurophilic, specific, or gelatinase granules. The results suggest that PLA2-II induces translocation of Mac-1 from the secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane. The Mac-1 induction mediated by PLA2-II was inhibited by an anti-PLA2-II antibody, which was able to inhibit the catalytic activity. However, the Mac-1 induction by PLA2-II was not inhibited by a 5-lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase inhibitor, or a platelet-activating factor antagonist. Thus, we examined the effects of fatty acids and lysophospholipids on Mac-1 expression. Only arachidonic acid induced Mac-1 expression. These results imply that PLA2-II induces Mac-1 expression on neutrophils via production of arachidonic acid.

Acetophenones↗
PubMed1996

Myeloscopic observation of adhesive arachnoiditis in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis.

In this study a myeloscope was used to assess the influence of adhesive arachnoiditis on the surgical outcome of patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSS). The presence or absence and the degree of the complication of adhesive arachnoiditis were preoperatively determined by myeloscopy in 36 patients with LSS, and these findings were compared with the postoperative results. Various degrees of adhesive changes in the cauda equina were observed in all 36 patients. Patients with marked adhesions, which may indicate a blocked cauda equina, had distinctly worse operative results than did patients with slight or moderate adhesions. Adhesive arachnoiditis was considered to be one of the causes for the poor operative results for LSS. Myeloscopy is useful in diagnosing the morbid condition of the cauda equina in LSS, and for predicting the operative results.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Preparation and characterization of human rheumatoid arthritic synovial fluid phospholipase A2 produced by recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells.

We prepared human rheumatoid arthritic synovial fluid phospholipase A2 (PLA2) [EC 3.1.1.4] from insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus. The PLA2 DNA was designed, changing the original codons to those used frequently in the polyhedrin gene. Sixteen oligo-deoxynucleotides ranging from 40 to 70 nucleotides were chemically synthesized and then assembled to form the whole PLA2 gene. The gene thus synthesized was then placed under the control of the polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. The recombinant virus was infected into Spodoptera frugiperda cells. The infected cells secreted protein having PLA2 activity into the culture medium. The enzyme level in the medium reached about 3 mg/liter on day 4 after infection. The secreted protein was purified to a single band of 14,000 Da on SDS-PAGE, by means of cation exchange chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the recombinant protein was recognized and cleaved at the signal sequence in the insect cell. The purified enzyme had almost the same specific enzyme activity, substrate specificity, pH optimum, Ca2+ ion dependency, and kinetic values as those of the natural enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

[An autopsied case of intravascular malignant lymphomatosis with paraparesis, that presented a leukoencephalopathy-like image after spinal cord biopsy].

A 54-year-old woman was hospitalized because of paraparesis, sensory disturbance of the lower extremities, and dysuria. Laboratory data included an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 16 mm/h and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of 459 IU/l. Myelogram showed an enlarged spinal cord at the L1 level, and spinal MRI revealed a high signal area on T2-weighted images. Spinal cord biopsy by thoraco-lumbar laminectomy showed thickening of the pia mater and neovascularization, but no malignant cells. Immediately after the operation, the patient displayed progressive mental deterioration. Cranial MRI showed widespread high signal areas in the cerebral white matter on T2-weighted images which resembled those of leukoencephalopathy. Steroid therapy was tried but was ineffective. Ten months after the onset of symptoms, a brief period of regression of both clinical symptoms and MRI appearances occurred following the administration of Inosiplex, subsequent progressive deterioration led to death 14 months after the onset of symptoms. LDH, C-reactive protein (CRP), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein were all elevated during the deterioration of her general status. Postmortem examination revealed a large tumor mass of the left adrenal gland which extended to the Th12, L1, and L2 vertebrae and remarkable brain edema. Microscopic mononuclear tumor cells were widespread but confined to the lumens of small vessels of the brain, spinal cord, spinal root and right adrenal gland, almost as if they were occluded. Cerebral white matter presented widespread multiple small infarcts and extensive myelin thinning. In addition to the left adrenal gland, interstitial invasions of tumor cells were discovered in the kidneys, iliopsoas muscles, oviducts, myocardium, lymph nodes, and thyroid gland.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biopsy↗
PubMed1991

[IBL-type lymphadenopathy after infection of rubella virus].

A 52-year-old woman presented slight fever, diffuse papular skin rash and painful cervical lymph node swelling. Her lymph node swelling generally up to 3 cm in diameter, with petechiae on the lower legs and hepato-splenomegaly within a few weeks. ESR was 45 mm/h, Hb 10.0 g/dl, RBC 345 x 10(4)/microliter, WBC 22,600/microliter (atypical lymphocyte 47%), PLT 1.0 x 10(4)/microliter, GPT 91 U/L, gamma-globulin 34.3%, EBV-VCA x 2,560, EBNA x 20, and anti-rubella antibody x 512. The biopsied cervical lymph node showed histologic features of effacement of nodal architecture by an exuberant vascular proliferation accompanied with infiltration of the immunoblasts, and was diagnosed as immunoblastic lymphadenopathy (IBL)-type lymphadenopathy. The pulse therapy of methylprednisolone and high dose of gamma-globulin improved lymphadenopathy, thrombocytopenia and anemia. IBL-type lymphadenopathy after infection of rubella virus may be different from true IBL, but is important to discuss the pathogenesis of IBL.

Female↗
PubMed1987

The ribosomal protein gene cluster of Mycoplasma capricolum.

The DNA sequence of the part of the Mycoplasma capricolum genome that contains the genes for 20 ribosomal proteins and two other proteins has been determined. The organization of the gene cluster is essentially the same as that in the S10 and spc operons of Escherichia coli. The deduced amino acid sequence of each protein is also well conserved in the two bacteria. The G + C content of the M. capricolum genes is 29%, which is much lower than that of E. coli (51%). The codon usage pattern of M. capricolum is different from that of E. coli and extremely biased to use of A and U(T): about 91% of codons have A or U in the third position. UGA, which is a stop codon in the "universal" code, is used more abundantly than UGG to dictate tryptophan.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

UGA is read as tryptophan in Mycoplasma capricolum.

UGA is a nonsense or termination (opal) codon throughout prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, mitochondria use not only UGG but also UGA as a tryptophan codon. Here, we show that UGA also codes for tryptophan in Mycoplasma capricolum, a wall-less bacterium having a genome only 20-25% the size of the Escherichia coli genome. This conclusion is based on the following evidence. First, the nucleotide sequence of the S3 and L16 ribosomal protein genes from M. capricolum includes UGA codons in the reading frames; they appear at positions corresponding to tryptophan in E. coli S3 and L16. Second, a tRNATrp gene and its product tRNA found in M. capricolum have the anticodon sequence 5' U-C-A 3', which can form a complementary base-pairing interaction with UGA.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1984

Preferential use of A- and U-rich codons for Mycoplasma capricolum ribosomal proteins S8 and L6.

The nucleotide sequence of the 1.3 kilobase-pair DNA segment, which contains the genes for ribosomal proteins S8 and L6, and a part of L18 of Mycoplasma capricolum, has been determined and compared with the corresponding sequence in Escherichia coli (Cerretti et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 11, 2599, 1983). Identities of the predicted amino acid sequences of S8 and L6 between the two organisms are 54% and 42%, respectively. The A + T content of the M. capricolum genes is 71%, which is much higher than that of E. coli (49%). Comparisons of codon usage between the two organisms have revealed that M. capricolum preferentially uses A- and U-rich codons. More than 90% of the codon third positions and 57% of the first positions in M. capricolum is either A or U, whereas E. coli uses A or U for the third and the first positions at a frequency of 51% and 36%, respectively. The biased choice of the A- and U-rich codons in this organism has been also observed in the codon replacements for conservative amino acid substitutions between M. capricolum and E. coli. These facts suggest that the codon usage of M. capricolum is strongly influenced by the high A + T content of the genome.

Adenine↗
PubMed1984

Molecular cloning of ribosomal protein genes from Mycoplasma capricolum.

A Bg/II-fragment from the Mycoplasma capricolum DNA cloned into pBR322 has been found to contain a cluster of ribosomal protein genes. The recombinant plasmid, pMCB1088, includes a 9 kilobase-pair insert that codes for at least eight ribosomal proteins of M. capricolum. The protein genes are expressed in Escherichia coli cells.

Chromosome Deletion↗
PubMed1982

The protein composition of Mycoplasma capricolum.

The whole cell proteins and the ribosomal proteins of Mycoplasma capricolum ATCC 27343 have been analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The M. capricolum cell is relatively rich in basic proteins. The number of total protein spots detected was approximately 355, which is less than one-third of that of Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilis. In contrast, the number (30 and 20 protein species have been found to be present in the 50S and 30S ribosomal subunits, respectively) and the size of the ribosomal proteins in the M. capricolum do not seem to be significantly different from those of typical eubacteria.

Bacterial Proteins↗