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Biomedical subjects

Y Kondoh

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kondoh.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

[A case of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who responded to corticosteroid and immunosupressant therapy].

A 56-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea on exertion, fever and right chest pain. Chest X-ray showed bilateral, predominantly lower interstitial shadows and right pleural effusion. Open lung biopsy specimen showed bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) with prominent alveolitis, and corticosteroid therapy was introduced. Because the patient showed little response to corticosteroids, an immunosupressant (cyclophosphamide) was added. There was marked clinical, physiological and roentgenographic improvement in response to combined therapy. The therapeutic response of some BOOP patients seems to vary according to its pathogenesis and pathological findings, and these should be taken into consideration in the selection of therapeutic strategies.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Fluorimetric and high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of D-lactate in biological samples.

D-Lactate in biological samples was converted into a strongly fluorescent substance in a one-vial reaction. It was first converted into the pyruvate hydrazone in the presence of D-lactate dehydrogenase, an NADH-reoxidation system using diaphorase, D,L-6,8-thioctamide and hydrazine. This hydrazone was then converted into 2-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-3-methylquinoxaline by 1,2-diamino-4,5-dimethoxybenzene in 1 M hydrochloric acid, and the quinoxaline was extracted and measured fluorimetrically at 432 nm (excitation at 365 nm). The calibration curve for D-lactate was linear up to at least 100 nmol/ml of the assay mixture, with a determination limit of 2 nmol/ml. The quinoxaline was also analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. The calibration curve for D-lactate was linear from 500 fmol to 75 nmol in the reaction mixture. This method was 4000 times more sensitive than the fluorimetric method, and could determine D-lactate in blood plasma volumes of less than 1 microliter.

Animals↗

Filter characteristics of cercal afferents in the cockroach.

The response dynamics of cercal afferents in the cockroach. Periplaneta americana, were determined by means of a cross-correlation technique using a Gaussian white noise modulation of wind as a stimulus. The white noise stimulus could evoke sustained firing activity in most of the afferents examined (Fig. 1). The spike discharges were unitized and then cross-correlated with the stimulus to compute 1st- and 2nd-order Weiner kernels. The 1st-order kernels from a total of 28 afferents were biphasic and closely matched the time differential of a pulse (Figs. 1, 3 and 4). The amplitude and waveform of the kernels depended on the stimulus angle in such a way that the kernels were the mirror image of those on the polar opposite side (Figs. 2 and 3). The 2nd-order kernels were also differential. They had 2 diagonal peaks and 2 off-diagonal valleys in a 2-dimensional plot with 2 time axes (Figs. 1, 5 and 6). This 4-eye configuration was basically invariant irrespective of the stimulus angle, although the kernels varied in amplitude when the stimulus angle was changed. The time between the peak and a following trough of the 1st-order kernel was constant and had a mean of 4.6 +/- 0.1 ms, whereas the time between 2 diagonal peaks of the 2nd-order kernels was 4.7 +/- 0.1 ms (Figs. 4 and 6), suggesting that wind receptors (filiform sensilla) on cerci act as a band-pass filter with a peak frequency of about 106 Hz. The peak time, however, varies from 2.3 to 6.9 ms in both kernels, which may reflect the spatial distribution of the corresponding hairs on the cercus. The summation of the 1st- (linear) and 2nd-order (nonlinear) models precisely predicted the timing of the spike firing (Fig. 8). Thus, these 2 lower-order kernels can totally characterize the response dynamics of the wind receptors. The nonlinear response explains the directional sensitivity of the sensory neurons, while the differentiating 1st-order kernel explains the velocity sensitivity of the neurons. The nonlinearity is a signal compression in which one of the diagonal peaks of the 2nd-order kernel always offsets the downward phase of the 1st-order kernel (Fig. 7) and obviously represents a half-wave rectification property of the wind receptors that are excited by hair movement in only one direction and inhibited by hair movement in the polar opposite direction.

Animals↗

White noise analysis of graded response in a wind-sensitive, nonspiking interneuron of the cockroach.

1. A novel approach using a Gaussian white noise as stimulus is described which allowed quantitative analysis of neuronal responses in the cercal system of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana. Cerci were stimulated by air displacement which was modulated by a sinusoidal and a white noise signal. During the stimulation, intracellular recordings were made from a uniquely identifiable, nonspiking, local interneuron which locates within the terminal abdominal ganglion. The white noise stimulation was cross-correlated with the evoked response to compute first- and second-order kernels that could define the cell's response dynamics. 2. The interneuron, cell 101, has an exceptionally large transverse neurite that connects two asymmetrical dendritic arborizations located on both sides of the ganglion. 3. The first-order Wiener kernels in cell 101 were biphasic (differentiating). The waveforms of the kernels produced by the ipsilateral and contralateral stimulations were roughly mirror images of each other: the kernels produced by wind stimuli on the side ipsilateral to the cell body of the interneuron are initially depolarized and then hyperpolarized, whereas those on the other side are initially hyperpolarized. The polarity reversal occurred along the midline of the animal's body, and no well-defined kernel was produced by a stimulus directed head on or from the tail. 4. Mean square error (MSE) between the actual response and the model prediction suggests that the linear component in cell 101 comprises half of the cell's total response (MSEs for the linear models were about 50% at preferred directions), whereas the second-order, non-linear component is insignificant. The linear component of the wind-evoked response was bandpass with the preferred frequency of 70-90 Hz. 5. Accounting for a noise, we reasonably assumed that at high frequencies the graded response in cell 101 is linearly related to a modulation of the air displacement and sensitive to the rate of change of the signal (i.e., wind velocity) and the direction of its source. It is suggested that the dynamics of the first-order kernel simply reflect the dynamics of sensory receptors that respond linearly to wind stimulation.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Effects of HA1077, an intracellular calcium antagonist, on neurotransmitter metabolism in rat brain in vivo.

The effect of HA1077, an intracellular calcium antagonist, on neurotransmitter metabolism in rat brain was investigated in vivo. After administration of HA1077, at doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 3 mg/kg, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels increased in most regions except midbrain. In the striatum, parallel increases of both serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HIAA levels were observed at 0.3 mg/kg, but only the 5-HT level increased at 0.1 mg/kg. These results suggest that HA1077 may activate the turnover or synthesis of 5-HT. After administration of HA1077 at 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg, the dopamine (DA) level was increased in the striatum, but 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid levels were unchanged. After HA1077 administration at 1 mg/kg, both DA and DOPAC levels increased in the hypothalamus and only DA level increased in the cerebral cortex. By contrast, DOPAC level decreased in the midbrain after HA1077 treatment at 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg, and in the brainstem at 0.1 and 10 mg/kg. The ratio of [3H]-N-methylspiperone accumulation relative to that in the cerebellum did not change after HA1077 treatment at any of the doses employed. Thus, the effects of HA1077 on neurotransmitter metabolism are complex and vary depending on the dosage and sites of the brain. Although the dose-dependent effects of HA1077 on neurotransmitter metabolism are similar to those of calcium entry blockers, HA1077 can facilitate DA synthesis in the hypothalamus and striatum, unlike the calcium entry blockers.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗

[Tumor necrosis factor in sputa of patients with bronchial asthma on exacerbation].

TNF is a cytokine recently implicated as an important inflammatory mediator. TNF concentrations in sputa from 13 patients with bronchial asthma on exacerbation and 12 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were measured. After sonication, the sputa were centrifuged. The supernatants were assayed for the presence of TNF by use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. TNF was detected in all patients with bronchial asthma (1783 +/- 420 pg/ml), while low values of TNF were detected in only 5 of the 12 COPD patients. It is suggested that TNF is involved in airway inflammation in bronchial asthma.

Acute Disease↗

[Surgical treatment of renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus in inferior vena cava].

Removal of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) extended into the inferior vena cava (IVC) can be a difficult operation. Between 1941 and 1989, 110 RCC patients were treated with radical operation and examined for tumor thrombus histopathologically. Twenty nine (26.3%) patients had invasion into the returning vein of tumor (Stage Vla), 12 (10.9%) in renal vein (stage Vlb) and the remaining 4 (3.6%) into IVC (stage V2). In one patient who had surgery under extracorporeal circulation, a thrombus was extended into the right atrium. In the remaining three patients, the RCC was confined to a small portion of the IVC and operated by caval sleeve resection. Radical operation in such patients free of any distant metastasis, may raise the survival rate.

Aged↗

Emphysematous change in chronic asthma in relation to cigarette smoking. Assessment by computed tomography.

To evaluate the occurrence and the degree of emphysema in chronic asthma in relation to the effect of cigarette smoking, we examined 35 subjects with irreversible airway obstruction (17 nonsmokers and 18 smokers). We performed pulmonary function testing and CT scans on all subjects. The ES was assessed by a visual scoring system on CT scans. Between nonsmokers and smokers, there was a significant difference in the ES (p less than 0.05), but not in the FEV1, TLC, and Dsb/VA (expressed as percent predicted values). The ES was 2.3 +/- 4.7 percent (mean +/- SD) in nonsmoking subjects and 13.7 +/- 16.7 percent in smoking subjects. In all subjects the ES showed significant correlations with Dsb/VA (p less than 0.001) and pack-years of cigarette consumption (p less than 0.001) but did not show correlations with FEV1 and with TLC. We concluded that emphysema can occur in smoking asthmatic subjects because of the effect of cigarette smoking, and CT scans are useful for detecting this emphysematous change.

Asthma↗

[A study on the dental traits and crown sizes of Japanese children].

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between crown size and crown form of deciduous teeth. The materials used in this study were 1063 shed or extracted deciduous teeth of Japanese children that were identified according to the individual's name, sex and age. These deciduous teeth were classified as to each developmental stage of the dental traits appearing on the crown, and were measured for the mesiodistal crown diameter and labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter. The results obtained were summarized as follows. 1. Tooth size i. For the upper deciduous teeth, the mean values of the tooth sizes (mesiodistal crown diameter and labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter) decreased in the order of V, IV, III, I and II with the exception of mesiodistal crown diameter in girls which decreased in the order of V, IV, III (which was equal to I in size) and II. For the lower deciduous teeth, the mean values of the tooth sizes (mesiodistal crown diameter and labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter) decreased in the order of V, IV, III, II and I. ii. The coefficients of covariation had a tendency to be larger in deciduous anterior teeth than in deciduous molars and were especially large in upper and lower deciduous lateral incisors in the mesiodistal crown diameter and in lower first deciduous molars, lower deciduous lateral incisors and lower deciduous canines in the labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter. iii. The mean values of tooth size (mesiodistal crown diameter and labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter) had a tendency to be larger in boys than in girls. Sexual size differences were significant in upper deciduous canines (mesiodistal crown diameter and labio (bucco) lingual crown diameter) and lower deciduous second molars (bucco lingual crown diameter). 2. Frequency of dental traits i. Shovel shaped teeth were found in 83.5% of the upper deciduous central incisors, 91.8% of the deciduous lateral incisors, 29.6% of the deciduous canines and 46.1% of the lower deciduous central incisors, 45.5% of the deciduous lateral incisors, 40.7% of the deciduous canines. ii. Crown surface patterns of the upper deciduous molars: Type 3 in the first deciduous molars and type 4 in the second deciduous molars were found much more frequency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Asian People↗

[Desquamative interstitial pneumonia-like changes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis].

A 61-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with fever, cough and dyspnea on exertion. The chest X-ray showed diffuse reticulo-granular infiltrates. Deterioration of clinical features and remarkable elevation of BALF lymphocytes (64.3%) suggested active interstitial pneumonia. The open lung biopsy specimen showed chronic interstitial pneumonia with DIP-like pathologic change. There was a remarkable clinical, physiological and roentgenographic improvement associated with decrease of BALF lymphocytes in response to steroid therapy. BAL is useful for monitoring disease activity and tapering steroids in patients with interstitial pneumonia who respond to steroid therapy.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗

[Preoperative gastric acid secretion of gastric cancer patients and their prognosis].

This study was performed to evaluate how preoperative gastric acid secretion in gastric cancer patients correlated their prognosis. The results are as follows. 1) The 5-year survival rates of patients with MAO = 0mEq/h, 0mEq/h less than MAO less than or equal to 7.0mEq/h and 7.0mEq/h less than MAO were 29.2%, 73.6% and 88.4%, respectively. There were significant differences among them. 2) The patients with 7.0mEq/h less than MAO had normal cellular immunity and low immunosuppressive glycoproteins in sera. These results suggest that gastric cancer patients who have a potency of normal gastric acid secretion with normal cellular immunity, or who have a potency of normal immunity with normal gastric acid secretion, have a good prognosis.

Gastric Acid↗

Effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on cerebral blood flow in conscious rat.

The effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) was studied on local CBF (LCBF) in normal conscious rats. LCBF was measured by the autoradiographic [14C]iodoantipyrine method 5 min after TRH (5 mg/kg, i.v.) administration. TRH significantly increased LCBF in 22 of 33 brain regions. This increase of LCBF exceeded 100% of the control values in the cerebral cortices, whereas there was no significant increase in white matter or in some gray matter structures. The increase of CBF following TRH administration was abolished by pretreatment with indomethacin (5 mg/kg, i.v.). The mechanisms underlying the increase of CBF following TRH administration are discussed in relation to prostaglandin metabolism.

Animals↗

A role of secreted proteinase of Candida albicans for the invasion of chick chorio-allantoic membrane.

The invasion of Candida albicans strains into the chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) of a developing chick was studied by light and electron microscopy. A proteinase-producing strain, NUM961, invaded into intact CAM, but proteinase-deficient strain NUM678 cells remained on the surface of the CAM with no evidence of damage to the host cells. However, NUM678 cells invaded into the ectoderm-damaged CAM, or proteinase-treated one. Electron microscopy revealed that treatment with purified Candida proteinase disorganized the ectoderm tissue by disrupting the intercellular junctions. These results suggest that Candida proteinase damages the CAM surface, which enables the invasion of the growing hyphae.

Animals↗

A follow-up study of an uncemented knee replacement. The results of 312 knees using the Kodama-Yamamoto prosthesis.

The Kodama-Yamamoto knee is an uncemented surface replacement which has been used since 1970. The design has been improved twice and this present report concerns the results of the Mark II model. Between 1980 and 1984, 350 knees were replaced in 225 patients. In 1987, a survey of 335 of these knees was conducted at two to seven years after operation. The results were excellent or good in 83% of patients. Many of the failures were because of general disorders unrelated to the operation, but in 5.4% of the knees there were local complications which continue to present problems.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

[Gastric acid secretions and serum gastrin levels in patients with mucosal and submucosal gastric cancers].

Gastric acid secretions and serum gastrin levels have been examined in 128 patients with early gastric cancer and in 98 gastric ulcer patients. Gastric cancer patients were found to have lower acid secretions than did gastric ulcer patients, and those with elevated types of a differentiated adenocarcinoma had lower acid secretions than did those with depressed types of an undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. Gastric acid secretions in patients with both a gastric ulcer and cancer were found to decrease with aging. However, the serum gastrin levels were found to be decreased in patients with a gastric ulcer and to be increased in patients with a gastric cancer. Incidences of a differentiated adenocarcinoma increased with aging. From these observations, it has been speculated that the carcinogenesis of a differentiated adenocarcinoma may be related to increasing endogenous gastrin levels and decreasing gastric acid secretions. These results suggest that a continuous check of the serum gastrin levels might be a good marker for cancer detection and that gastrin antibodies might be useful for treatment.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Clinical evaluation of CA-50 in cases with colorectal cancer].

Serum CA-50 has been evaluated in 67 healthy donors and in 46 patients with a colorectal cancer by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA Kit, Mitsui pharmaceuticals, Inc.). The mean value of the healthy donors (n = 67) was 10.6 +/- 6.1 U/ml and for patients with a colorectal cancer 31.7 +/- 55.2 U/ml. Both in healthy donors and in patients, the mean value was found to be higher in females than males. The overall sensitivity in the colorectal cancer patients was 26.1 percent, the percentages for those in stage I, 20, II, 9.1, III, 40, IV, 20, and V, 50% respectively. In a correlation between serum CA-50 and CA 19-9, the correlation coefficient was 0.82 (p less than 0.01), and in between CA-50 and CEA, 0.51 (p less than 0.01). Thus a combination assay among CA-50, CA 19-9, and CEA has proved to be of significant value in cases of a colorectal cancer.

Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate↗

[A case of pulmonary mucormycosis accompanied by lymphocytic leukemia successfully treated by pulmonary lobectomy].

A 51 years old man with acute lymphocytic leukemia who was treated with antileukemic chemotherapy, developed sepsis and pneumonia. Secondary infection with Mucor intervened with abscess formation cured by lobectomy. The patient is doing well without evidence of recurrence, and treated successfully with anti-leukemic chemotherapy. Surgical treatment offers the last chance of survival in similar cases.

Humans↗