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Biomedical subjects

Y Nakazawa

Publications and source records attributed to Y Nakazawa.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Does plasma free-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl(ethylene)glycol increase in the delirious state? A comparison of the effects of mianserin and haloperidol on delirium.

Sixty-six patients (47 men, 19 women, mean age 65 years) with delirium were treated with mianserin (10-60 mg/day) or haloperidol (2-6 mg/day) at Kurume University Hospital. The clinical effects of these drugs were compared before and after treatment using the Delirium Rating Scale. At the same time, blood was sampled to analyse plasma mianserin, free-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl(ethylene)glycol (MHPG) and homovanillic acid concentrations. Marked improvement after 1 week was observed in 69.4% of patients undergoing mianserin treatment, and in 70.6% of those receiving haloperidol. A statistically significant difference in the clinical effects of these drugs was not observed. Although improvement in the delirious state and a decrease in the plasma free-MHPG concentration were observed after drug administration, the plasma free-homovanillic acid concentration showed no significant change. The higher plasma free-MHPG concentration in the delirious state suggests the existence of a preparatory state whereby noradrenaline metabolism is involved in the appearance of the abnormal behaviour associated with delirium. These data suggest that free-MHPG concentrations could potentially be used as a predictor of delirium.

Aged↗

Antimutagenicity of Tochu tea (an aqueous extract of Eucommia ulmoides leaves): 2. Suppressing effect of Tochu tea on the urine mutagenicity after ingestion of raw fish and cooked beef.

The effect of Tochu tea, which is an aqueous extract of Eucommia ulmoides leaves and a popular-beverage in Japan, on the urine mutagenicity before and after ingestion of raw fish and cooked beef was studied using Salmonella typhimurium YG1024. Urines were collected from seven healthy, non-smoking Japanese women before and after ingestion of raw fish and cooked beef. In experiment 1,3 were in a control group and 4 were in a Tochu tea-drinking group (2000 ml per day). The mutagenicity of urine from the Tochu tea-drinking group was much lower. In experiment 2 the 7 women switched groups; the tea-drinking group became the control group, and the control group became the Tochu tea-drinking group. Again, the mutagenicity of urine collected from the Tochu tea-drinking group was much lower. These results suggest that the decrease in the mutagenicity of the urine from the Tochu tea-drinking group was due to the intake of Tochu tea, but not to individual differences. Thus, the ingestion of Tochu tea may reduce human exposure to dietary mutagens.

Adult↗

Formation of crossline as a fluorescent advanced glycation end product in vitro and in vivo.

Crossline is one of the major advanced glycation end products resulting the reaction mixture of free amino group(s) such as epsilon-one in lysine with D-glucose in vitro. To study crossline formation on proteins in vitro and in vivo, polyclonal antiserum to the crossline hapten was prepared. This antiserum reacted with bovine and human serum albumin that had been modified by prolonged incubation with glucose as well as with crossline itself. Antisera did not react with unmodified serum albumin or the other Maillard-related compounds. Crossline was formed in a time-dependent manner when a mixture of six different proteins was incubated with glucose at pH 7.2 or 9.0. Crossline levels could be measured in rat lens proteins and the levels increased with age. The crossline content of lens proteins in diabetic rats was more than two-fold higher than that of age-matched controls. Results of this study suggest that most proteins containing advanced glycation end products have crossline-like structures. Measurement of crossline-like structures in biological specimens may provide an index of aging and of the development of diabetic complications.

Animals↗

Should all hepatic arterial branches be reconstructed in living-related liver transplantation?

BACKGROUND: Because graft arteries are smaller and shorter in living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) than in whole or reduced-size liver transplantation from cadavers, arterial reconstruction is thought to be one of the critical points for success. METHODS: Thirty LRLT patients were classified into two groups: those in whom all graft hepatic arteries were reconstructed (group A), and those whom only had some were reconstructed (group B). In group A 17 patients had a single hepatic artery and three had two hepatic arteries. In group B the thickest one of several arteries was reconstructed, but the others were ligated after pulsatile back-bleeding from their cut stumps had been confirmed. The clinical results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Neither arterial thrombosis nor liver dysfunction related to the arterial blood supply was observed during the postoperative course. One case of bile leakage and two cases of bile duct stenosis occurred in group A. No significant difference was noted in the postoperative values of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase between the two groups. Overall patient and graft survival was 90%. CONCLUSIONS: Although several hepatic arteries may supply the potential allograft in LRLT, it is not always necessary to reconstruct all of them.

Adolescent↗

An immunoradiometric assay for thymosin alpha 1.

An Immunoradiometric assay for thymosin alpha 1(1-28) was developed using a monoclonal and a polyclonal antiserum which were raised against synthetic thymosin alpha 1(1-28) and thymosin alpha 1(16-28), respectively. A monoclonal antibody, specific for the (acetylated ser1) 1-5 sequence of thymosin alpha 1, was immobilized on polystyrene beads for the solid phase, and a polyclonal antiserum specific for the 16-28 sequence was employed. This method relies on the formation of an immune complex consisting of a 125I-labelled anti-rabbit IgG goat antibody, polyclonal antiserum, thymosin alpha 1, and the solid phase monoclonal antibody. Radioactivity on the solid phase is directly proportional to the amount of thymosin alpha 1 present in the specimen. The minimal detection limit of this assay system was approximately 1.9 pg/ml. The mean values of thymosin alpha 1 in plasma of healthy subject, ranging in age from 0 to 3 years was approximately five fold higher than that of higher ages. HPLC analysis of plasma of a healthy subjects revealed a single immunoreactive form which eluted with the same retention time as that of synthetic thymosin alpha 1. This assay will be extremely useful for the measurement of thymosin alpha 1 in biologic fluids and tissues.

Animals↗

Effects of caffeine on event-related potentials: comparison of oddball with single-tone paradigms.

We investigated the acute effects of caffeine (500 mg) on event-related potentials (ERP) in 10 healthy subjects using standard oddball and single-tone paradigms. Event-related potentials were recorded before oral ingestion of caffeine or placebo and 30 min and 210 min after. The oddball paradigm, but not the single-tone paradigm, showed that the P300 amplitude and the area were significantly increased 30 min after ingestion of caffeine and significantly decreased 30 min after ingestion of placebo. The effects of caffeine disappeared at 210 min. Neither the P300 latency nor the reaction time changed significantly with the oddball paradigm. However, the reaction time was shortened 30 min after ingestion of caffeine with the single-tone paradigm. These findings suggest that the caffeine-induced increase in the P300 amplitude may have resulted from the increased allocation of attentional resources to the discriminating process which was not, however, accompanied by facilitation of the process and that caffeine may specifically stimulate the discriminating process involved in the oddball paradigm. In addition, the simple psychomotor performance of buttonpressing in response to a tone signal was accelerated by caffeine.

Caffeine↗

Sepsis associated with hematological malignancies: prophylaxis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis.

Underlying diseases, pathogenic bacteria, clinical background and outcome were studied during 91 febrile episodes complicated by sepsis in 55 patients with hematological malignancies, who had been admitted to our hospital (Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital) between January 1990 and December 1994. Particularly in patients with P. aeruginosa sepsis, we compared the prophylactic effect of ciprofloxacin (CPFX) alone with that of the combination of polymyxin B (PL-B) plus kanamycin (KM). The major underlying diseases were acute myelocytic leukemia and malignant lymphoma, followed by myelodysplastic syndrome, acute lymphocytic leukemia and chronic myelocytic leukemia. Nearly two-thirds of the pathogenic microorganisms isolated were gram-positive bacteria (including coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus); approximately one-quarter were gram-negative bacteria (such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and the remainder were fungi. These microorganisms usually induced sepsis when granulocyte counts were decreased. Sepsis was a direct cause of death in about 60% of the patients and P. aeruginosa sepsis had the worst outcome. Oral administration of CPFX was more effective than PL-B plus KM in preventing P. aeruginosa sepsis. The difference in effectiveness might depend on the absorption profile of the drugs.

Adolescent↗

[Pillin structural gene and bacterial adhesion to cultured cell of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from clinical materials].

Thirty-three stocks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is an important etiologic agent of opportunistic infections were clinically isolated. The pillin structural gene pilA of the stocks were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and classified into 3 groups; 2000 bp (16 stocks; 48.5%), 1300 bp (11 stocks; 33.3%), 550 bp (6 stocks; 18.2%). The adhesiveness of the stocks to cultured human lung cancer origin calu-1 was also determined, their adhesion rate per cell were 39.2%, 24.8%, 22.1% in average respectively. Thus clinically most common 2000 pb group is remarkably easier to adhere to calu-1. Serotypes of the strains were examined to reveal the difference of the distribution that F. G. I types were dominant in 2000 pb group, but E types were major in 1300 bp and 550 bp groups. These data suggest that the gene arrangement of pilA influences adhesiveness to cultured cell and antigenicity of bacteria.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

[Two cases of gram-positive sepsis successfully treated with vancomycin in combination with imipenem or cilastatin].

Against gram-positive sepsis, vancomycin (VCM) was administered in combination with imipenem or cilastatin (IPM/CS). Its excellent efficacy was confirmed in 2 cases, one affected with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and another with Gemella morbillorum. By calculating the FIC index according to a checkerboard technique, the in vitro synergistic effect was also demonstrated. At the present state multi-drug resistant gram-positive infections prevailed, the combination of VCM with IPM/CS can be expected as an effective measure for treating these diseases.

Adolescent↗

A patient with chronic hepatitis C and a history of abuse of analeptic drugs, who showed hallucination and delusion with interferon administration.

We experienced a case of chronic hepatitis type C accompanied with hallucination and delusion induced by interferon (IFN) therapy positive. The case was a 47-year-old male, whose laboratory data showed positive for anti-Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and elevated transaminase level. He was treated with 6 MU/day of natural-type IFN-alpha (HLBI). Sleeplessness and delusions of persecution developed about 2 months after the start of IFN therapy. The interview of the psychiatrist disclosed that the patient had a history of addiction to drugs, and these psychiatric symptoms were diagnosed as being of "the flashback phenomenon." These side effects were improved after the administration of psychotropics and it was suggested that we had to take care of the development of flashback phenomenon during the treatment of IFN in cases of chronic hepatitis with a history of addiction to drugs.

Delusions↗

[Evaluation of area at risk by 123I-BMIPP in patients with acute myocardial infarction].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the detection of area at risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by 123I-BMIPP (BMIPP). 99mTc-tetrofosmin (TF) scintigraphy was performed on 13 patients with AMI with total coronary occlusion. BMIPP scintigraphy was done on the same patients within 1 week after successful reperfusion by direct PTCA. Activity of both tracers was scored in 8 basal, 8 midventricular and 2 apical segments, using a four-point grading system as defect score: 3 = defect, 2 = severely low uptake, 1 = slightly low uptake, 0 = normal. Extent score (ES) was defined as a total number of segment which deteriorated of uptake, and severity score (SS) was defined as a total score of defect score. ES of BMIPP was 6.5 +/- 2.4 and that of TF was 7.5 +/- 2.4. ES of BMIPP was smaller than that of TF. A ratio of BMIPP/TF was 0.86 +/- 0.18. SS of BMIPP was 16.2 +/- 6.0 and that of TF was 19.2 +/- 5.6. SS of TF was larger than that of BMIPP. A ratio of BMIPP/TF was 0.83 +/- 0.18. A correlation of ES and SS between TF and BMIPP was excellent. BMIPP showed ischemic area by culprit lesion and infarct area clearly. We concluded that BMIPP could indicate area at risk.

Aged↗