Biomedical subjects

Yoko Yoshikawa

Publications and source records attributed to Yoko Yoshikawa.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Pathophysiology and subjective symptoms in women with impaired bladder emptying.

AIM: To assess the pathophysiology and subjective symptoms in female patients with impaired bladder emptying. METHODS: Eighty-three consecutive female patients attending a urology clinic with postvoid residual urine of more than 100 mL were recruited. Free uroflowmetry, measurement of postvoid residual urine and pressure-flow study were performed in all patients. The detailed assessment of subjective symptoms and their bothersomeness to the patients were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire comprising 12 items: five associated with voiding symptoms, five with storage symptoms, and two with discomfort and pain on voiding. The questionnaire was applied to 83 patients with impaired bladder emptying, 41 patients with urinary incontinence, and 21 normal controls. RESULTS: Although 77% of the patients with impaired bladder emptying consulted a urology clinic because of voiding symptoms, the remaining 23% complained of storage symptoms or symptoms other than lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The pressure-flow study revealed the pathophysiology of impaired bladder emptying as impaired detrusor contraction in 68 patients (81.9%), and bladder outlet obstruction in 12 patients (14.8%). The assessment of subjective symptoms using the questionnaire revealed that the patients with urinary incontinence showed a high frequency only in storage symptoms; however, those with impaired bladder emptying revealed a high frequency not only in voiding but also in storage symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Female patients with impaired bladder emptying present with a wide range of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with both voiding and storage symptoms. To determine an appropriate treatment modality, the correct diagnosis of the underlying pathophysiology of impaired bladder emptying by pressure-flow study is of primary importance.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Whole genome association study of rheumatoid arthritis using 27 039 microsatellites.

A major goal of current human genome-wide studies is to identify the genetic basis of complex disorders. However, the availability of an unbiased, reliable, cost efficient and comprehensive methodology to analyze the entire genome for complex disease association is still largely lacking or problematic. Therefore, we have developed a practical and efficient strategy for whole genome association studies of complex diseases by charting the human genome at 100 kb intervals using a collection of 27,039 microsatellites and the DNA pooling method in three successive genomic screens of independent case-control populations. The final step in our methodology consists of fine mapping of the candidate susceptible DNA regions by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis. This approach was validated upon application to rheumatoid arthritis, a destructive joint disease affecting up to 1% of the population. A total of 47 candidate regions were identified. The top seven loci, withstanding the most stringent statistical tests, were dissected down to individual genes and/or SNPs on four chromosomes, including the previously known 6p21.3-encoded Major Histocompatibility Complex gene, HLA-DRB1. Hence, microsatellite-based genome-wide association analysis complemented by end stage SNP typing provides a new tool for genetic dissection of multifactorial pathologies including common diseases.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMed2005

Signal sequence and keyword trap in silico for selection of full-length human cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries.

We have developed an in silico method of selection of human full-length cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries. Fullness rates were increased to about 80% by combination of the oligo-capping method and ATGpr, software for prediction of translation start point and the coding potential. Then, using 5'-end single-pass sequences, cDNAs having the signal sequence were selected by PSORT ('signal sequence trap'). We also applied 'secretion or membrane protein-related keyword trap' based on the result of BLAST search against the SWISS-PROT database for the cDNAs which could not be selected by PSORT. Using the above procedures, 789 cDNAs were primarily selected and subjected to full-length sequencing, and 334 of these cDNAs were finally selected as novel. Most of the cDNAs (295 cDNAs: 88.3%) were predicted to encode secretion or membrane proteins. In particular, 165(80.5%) of the 205 cDNAs selected by PSORT were predicted to have signal sequences, while 70 (54.2%) of the 129 cDNAs selected by 'keyword trap' preserved the secretion or membrane protein-related keywords. Many important cDNAs were obtained, including transporters, receptors, and ligands, involved in significant cellular functions. Thus, an efficient method of selecting secretion or membrane protein-encoding cDNAs was developed by combining the above four procedures.

5' Flanking Region↗

PubMed2005

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma: the standard of care already?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has been developed and applied for patients with renal cell carcinoma since 1992. The number of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has increased explosively worldwide in recent years, and laparoscopy is now extended to patients with advanced disease. It is very important to clarify the present status of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy among the treatment modalities for patients with renal cell carcinoma. RECENT FINDINGS: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has a minimally invasive nature as well as comparable long-term cancer control in patients with pT1-3a renal cell carcinoma to open surgery. It is technically applicable for N1-2 disease and T3b disease if the tumor thrombus is within the renal vein. Also, it is feasible as a cytoreductive surgery for patients with M1 disease. SUMMARY: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a standard treatment modality for T1-3a renal cell carcinoma patients. It is also available for treating patients with N1-2 disease, and for patients with M1 disease as a cytoreductive surgery.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗

PubMed2005

[Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy].

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical results of 24 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy by a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) between 1999 and 2004, including 16 elective cases and 8 imperative cases. Twenty-two were successfully treated laparoscopically; two cases in the imperative group required conversion to open surgery because of uncontrollable bleeding. A vascular clamp was used in 12 cases for an average of 26 minutes. The creatinine clearance changed from 98 to 93 ml/min in the elective cases and from 49 to 44 ml/min in the imperative cases. Pathological evaluation revealed RCC in 10 elective cases and 6 imperative cases. Local recurrence (renal hilum lymph node and ipsilateral kidney) was found in 2 patients in the imperative group. Although laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is useful, long-term follow-up is necessary for evaluating the tumor control.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

hRDH-E2 gene polymorphisms, variable transcriptional start sites, and psoriasis.

hRDH-E2 is a member of the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family that converts retinol to retinaldehyde as the first and rate-limiting step in the retinoic acid synthetic pathway. This pathway is critical for the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis in vivo. Previously, we reported that the mRNA levels of hRDH-E2 in psoriatic skin were elevated significantly compared with that in healthy individual skin and psoriatic unaffected skin. The gene encoding hRDH-E2 is located on Chromosome 8 close to a candidate region for psoriasis and therefore is a functional and positional candidate for this disorder. In the present study, the transcription start sites for hRDH-E2 gene transcription in the lung were found to be more upstream of those that were identified previously in keratinocytes. Consequently, differences in the nucleotide sequence were determined for all of the coding exons, untranslated regions, and at least 2850 bp of 5'-noncoding sequence of hRDH-E2 by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified DNA samples obtained from 8 psoriatic patients and 8 healthy controls. One polymorphic microsatellite marker at the noncoding 3' end of the gene and six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (three in the 5' flanking sequence, two in the coding sequence, and one in the intronic sequence) were identified. One of the SNPs was nonsynonymous in the second exon with an allelic variation between the amino acid sequences Arg and Trp. The microsatellite marker and the six SNPs were all genotyped in 100 Japanese psoriatic patients and 120 controls. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the genotype or allele frequency distributions between the cases and controls. On this basis, we conclude that the polymorphisms that we detected for the hRDH-E2 gene do not contribute to the etiology of psoriasis but may be important in diseases of other tissues.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed2004

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumor: Nagoya experience.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the indication for a vascular clamp during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, the clinical results of 17 patients who underwent the procedure for small renal tumors were reviewed. METHODS: Seventeen patients with renal tumors were enrolled in our laparoscopic partial nephrectomy program between October 1999 and November 2003. During laparoscopy, a vascular clamp was used to remove the tumor mass and suture the incised renal parenchyma and urinary collecting system in 8 patients who had less-than-1-cm-thick renal parenchyma between the mass and the renal sinus or calices. In the remaining 9 patients, who had 1-cm-or-more-thick renal parenchyma between the mass and sinus or calices, renal bleeding was controlled using ultrasonic scissors, gauze tampon, argon beam coagulator, and fibrin glue. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were successfully treated with laparoscopy; one required conversion to open surgery because of uncontrollable bleeding. The average operative time was 4.5 hours, and average estimated bleeding volume was 301 mL. In the 8 patients requiring vascular clamping by forceps, the average ischemic time was 25 minutes. In all patients, the tumor mass was completely removed with negative surgical margins, and renal function was preserved. Three patients had prolonged urinary leakage for a mean of 21 days. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy offers many advantages, including surgery that is both nephron sparing and minimally invasive. A vascular clamp was indicated for patients with less-than-1-cm-thick renal parenchyma between the tumor mass and renal sinus or calices.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Early experience of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for T3b renal cell carcinoma.

We report our experience with laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for a 79-year-old man who had renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a renal vein thrombus. For the transaction of the renal vein with the thrombus, we used an endoscopic gastrointestinal anastomosis stapler. The operating time was 4 h and blood loss was 400 mL. The patient could walk and drink on the first postoperative day. He recovered normal activity 30 days postoperatively. There were no intraoperative and postoperative complications. The present report demonstrates the feasibility of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in patients with T3b RCC who suffer from tumor thrombus in the renal vein.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Identification of NAD+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 gamma-like (IDH3GL) gene and its genetic polymorphisms.

We have identified a novel human gene designated as IDH3GL (isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 gamma-like) that is expressed specifically in human testis. The gene corresponds in sequence to an EST (expressed sequence tag) A1476435 that was first detected by differential expression analysis using a microarray assay. The full-length cDNA sequence (1037 bp) was isolated from the human testis 5'-3'-RACE cDNA libraries and found to have 83% nucleotide sequence identity with part of the IDH3G (isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 gamma). The IDH3GL gene consists of 3 exons spanning approximately 220 kb within the region of the NELL1 gene on chromosome 11p15.1. Sequence analysis of the IDH3GL cDNA revealed the presence of a premature stop codon at nucleotide positions 337-339 that results in a truncated peptide with 112 amino acids. This stop codon is conserved in various human ethnic populations and in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). In order to assess the functional status of IDH3GL, especially in relation to the presence of the putative premature stop codon, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were screened in the upstream, coding and non-coding regions of the IDH3GL gene in a Japanese population. As a result, a total of 10 SNPs were identified, seven were novel and one of them was a non-synonymous amino acid substitution from Leu to Val. We conclude that the IDH3GL gene sequence is a splice variant of the NELL1 gene and that it probably evolved from a transposed pseudogene of the IDH3 gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Complete sequencing and characterization of 21,243 full-length human cDNAs.

As a base for human transcriptome and functional genomics, we created the "full-length long Japan" (FLJ) collection of sequenced human cDNAs. We determined the entire sequence of 21,243 selected clones and found that 14,490 cDNAs (10,897 clusters) were unique to the FLJ collection. About half of them (5,416) seemed to be protein-coding. Of those, 1,999 clusters had not been predicted by computational methods. The distribution of GC content of nonpredicted cDNAs had a peak at approximately 58% compared with a peak at approximately 42%for predicted cDNAs. Thus, there seems to be a slight bias against GC-rich transcripts in current gene prediction procedures. The rest of the cDNAs unique to the FLJ collection (5,481) contained no obvious open reading frames (ORFs) and thus are candidate noncoding RNAs. About one-fourth of them (1,378) showed a clear pattern of splicing. The distribution of GC content of noncoding cDNAs was narrow and had a peak at approximately 42%, relatively low compared with that of protein-coding cDNAs.

Chromosomes, Human, 21-22 and Y↗

PubMed2003

Long-term outcome of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for pathologic T1 renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the oncologic adequacy of laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in patients with pathologic Stage T1 renal cell carcinoma, we analyzed the long-term results in those treated with laparoscopy and those undergoing open surgery. METHODS: The renal tumor of 263 patients was confirmed to be Stage T1 by pathologic examination of the radical nephrectomy specimen between January 1992 and June 2002. Of the 263 patients, 195 were treated laparoscopically and the remaining 68 by open surgery. The patient follow-up lasted until July 31, 2002. RESULTS: The follow-up period of the laparoscopy group was 2 to 121 months (median 40). A total of 183 patients survived, 5 died of renal cancer, 7 died without any recurrent disease, and 7 were lost to follow-up. Seeding of the port sites did not develop in any of the patients. Ten patients had metastatic or recurrent disease within 3 to 110 months, and 5 of these patients died of cancer within 12 to 86 months. The 5-year disease-free and patient survival rate was 91%, and 94%, respectively. The 68 patients who underwent open surgery were followed up for 11 to 126 months (median 65). Of the 68 patients, 56 survived without any recurrent disease, 4 survived with metastasis, 6 died of metastatic disease within 8 to 49 months, and 6 were lost to follow-up. The 5-year disease-free and patient survival rate was 87% and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is an alternative technique with comparable oncologic results to open nephrectomy in patients with localized pathologic Stage T1 renal cell carcinoma.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

[Detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates using DNA microarray].

Rapid identification of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an important problem to adequate patient treatment. However, current clinical assays for determining antibiotic susceptibility in M. tuberculosis require many weeks to complete due to the slow growth of the bacilli. We have developed simple and rapid drug susceptibility test using DNA microarray "Oligoarray TB," that allows the detection of rifampicin (RFP), isoniazide (INH), kanamycin (KM), streptomycin (SM), and ethambutol (EM)-resistant strains within 6 h with DNA extracted directly from sputum or cultured cells. The genes related to drug-resistance, results of detection using Oligoarray TB, comparative evaluation with media, and sequencing analysis of strains generating discrepant results in testing for INH-resistant will be discussed in this presentation.

Antitubercular Agents↗

PubMed2002

Identification of I kappa BL as the second major histocompatibility complex-linked susceptibility locus for rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disease with a complex etiology in which environmental factors within a genetically susceptible host maneuver the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system toward recognition of autoantigens. This ultimately leads to joint destruction and clinical symptomatology. Despite the identification of a number of disease-susceptibility regions across the genome, RA's major genetic linkage remains with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which contains not only the key immune-response class I and class II genes but also a host of other loci, some with potential immunological relevance. Inside the MHC itself, the sole consistent RA association is that with HLA-DRB1, although this does not encode all MHC-related susceptibility. Indeed, in a set of Japanese patients with RA and a control group, we previously reported the presence of a second RA-susceptibility gene within the telomeric human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III region. Using microsatellites, we narrowed the susceptibility region to 70 kb telomeric of the TNF cluster, known to harbor four expressed genes (I kappa BL, ATP6G, BAT1, and MICB). Here, using numerous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion/deletion polymorphisms, we identify the second RA-susceptibility locus within the HLA region, as the T allele of SNP 96452 (T/A), in the promoter region (position -62) of the I kappa BL gene (P=.0062). This -62T/A SNP disrupts the putative binding motif for the transcriptional repressor, delta EF1, and hence may influence the transcription of I kappa BL, homologous to I kappa B alpha, the latter being a known inhibitor of NF kappa B, which is central to innate immunity. Therefore, the MHC may harbor RA genetic determinants affecting the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system.

Alleles↗

PubMed2002

[A fact-finding inquiry on urinary management of the elderly in home care].

A fact-finding inquiry was made on elderly people in home care, in order to investigate urinary management. A questionnaire survey was performed on 2,322 elderly people (1,023 male and 1,299 female) cared at home by 40 home nursing stations in Aichi prefecture. The survey focused on the urinary management and the practical problems at home. The number of the elderly managed by an indwelling catheter was 225 (9.7%) and 1,301 (56.0%) of the elderly wore diapers. The rates of the people managed by an indwelling catheter or diapers widely varied among the home nursing stations. In 25.3% of the people managed by an indwelling catheter, the catheter was used because of urinary incontinence, which should not normally be indicated. Diapers were unnecessarily used in 23.9% of people mainly for a protective purpose. The majority of the people whose voiding dysfunction was managed either by an indwelling Foley catheter or diapers had had this treatment started before discharge from hospital. Only 5.8% of the elderly wearing diapers received consultation from medical specialists. Intermittent catheterization was performed in 36 people (1.6%), and in 23 (63.9%) the catheterization was carried out by the care givers. We conclude that the urinary management in the elderly cared at home is insufficient and that standardization of the urinary management and creation of a network of care givers, nurses, general physicians, medical specialists and government representatives should be urgently needed to improve the quality in urinary management in the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2001

Dark-inducible genes from Arabidopsis thaliana are associated with leaf senescence and repressed by sugars.

We have isolated 5 cDNA clones (din2, din6, din9, din10 and din11) corresponding to genes, the transcripts of which accumulated in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana kept in the dark. These cDNA clones encode proteins similar to beta-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21, din2), asparagine synthetase (EC 6.3.5.4, din6), phosphomannose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.8, din9), seed imbibition protein (din10) and 2-oxoacid-dependent dioxygenases (din11). Accumulation of the transcripts from din6 and din10 occurred within 3 h after plants were transferred to darkness. The transcripts from din2, din9 and din11 were only detected after 24 h of dark treatment. We also observed the accumulation of the din transcripts in senescing leaves. Application of a photosynthesis inhibitor, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-1-dimethyl-urea, induced the expression of the din genes under illumination. Application of sucrose to detached leaves suppressed the accumulation of the din transcripts in the dark. These results indicate that expression of these genes partly depends on cellular sugar level. The sugar-modulated expression of the din genes suggests that dark-induced expression of these genes might be related to sugar starvation occurring in leaf cells in the dark, when the photosynthesis is hindered.

Journal Article↗