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Biomedical subjects

A Kinugasa

Publications and source records attributed to A Kinugasa.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Therapeutic effects of human leukocyte interferon on chronic active hepatitis B in children.

Seven children with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and one child with persistently abnormal results of liver function test due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were treated with human leukocyte interferon (Hu-alpha-IFN). Five of them were positive for eAg and two of the three who were measured for DNA polymerase (DNAP) activity in sera showed moderate elevations of its levels. Hu-alpha-IFN was injected intramuscularly daily or once weekly at doses of 0.05-1 X 10(6) IU. The total dose per patient varied from 10.5-54 X 10(6) IU. After administration of Hu-alpha-IFN, rapid loss of eAg was observed in two of the five eAg patients, and DNAP activity reverted to normal ranges in the two patients with moderate elevations of its levels. One of the patients who lost eAg has retained normal serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase levels for more than 2 years after therapy with Hu-alpha-IFN. Serial hepatic biopsies were performed in only one patient. In the second biopsy, 3 months after therapy with Hu-alpha-IFN, infiltration of inflammatory cells in the portal region was improved compared with earlier findings. Immediate and/or prolonged adverse side effects were not observed during or after administration of Hu-alpha-IFN. For the present, we propose these six conditions for use of Hu-alpha-IFN in children with HBV infection. Children should: (a) be more than 1 year old; (b) have abnormal liver function for more than 6 months; (c) have a liver biopsy demonstrating CAH; (d) have moderate elevation of DNAP activity; (e) be eAg positive; and (f) be unresponsive to other treatments.

Child↗

Fatty liver and its fibrous changes found in simple obesity of children.

Of 299 obese children who visited our obesity clinics, 36 were found to have elevated levels of serum transaminases by routine laboratory examination. Liver biopsy was carried out in 11 children. Based on the criteria of Adler and Schaffner (1979), the biopsy specimens were studied histologically. As a result, fatty liver (Group I) was observed in three patients, fatty hepatitis (Group II) in two, fatty fibrosis (Group III) in five, and fatty cirrhosis (Group IV) in one. The duration of obesity, but not its degree, was considered to be related to the extent of fibrosis. Accordingly, we concluded that the fatty liver of simple obesity in children may progress to liver cirrhosis and that childhood obesity should be treated as early as possible.

Adolescent↗

Enzyme defect in a case of tyrosinemia type I, acute form.

We determined the activities of tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT, EC 2.6.1.5), p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase (p- HPPA oxidase, EC 1.14.2.2) and fumarylacetoacetate fumarylhydrolase ( FAH , EC 3.7.12) in cytosol of the liver and kidney tissues obtained at autopsy from a case of hereditary tyrosinemia type I. Values were compared with those from a control group of autopsied tissues from three adults and six children, who had died of other causes. In tyrosinemia, these three hepatic enzyme activities were all decreased: TAT showed approximately 35%, p- HPPA oxidase 11%, and FAH 60% of the corresponding control values. On the other hand, kidney enzymes in tyrosinemia revealed that FAH was most significantly decreased to approximately 14% of the control activity. Km values for substrate--determined for p- HPPA oxidase and FAH --were not different between the patient and controls, suggesting no altered properties of these enzymes. We conclude that in the present case of hereditary tyrosinemia type I, the activities of p- HPPA oxidase in liver and FAH in kidney were most strikingly affected. This fact may in part explain the deteriorated metabolism of tyrosine observed in this patient.

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase↗

Radiometric assay for thiamine pyrophosphokinase activity in human leukocytes.

The activity of thiamine pyrophosphokinase (EC 2.7.6.2) has been demonstrated in the extract from human leukocytes using radiometric assay method. It was estimated to be 17.2 +/- 6.6 p moles of thiamine pyrophosphate formed per mg protein per hour at 37 degrees C. No thiamine pyrophosphokinase activity was detected in hemolysate of human erythrocytes under the assay condition employed.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase found in a case of hepatic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency.

The first case of fructose-1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase) deficiency in Japan showed a decreased activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in the liver, white, and red blood cells. In the enzymatic study of G6PD which was partially purified from red cells, the following characteristics were observed in the enzyme of the patient. 1) The G6PD activity of the patient was reduced to 17% of normal, but no evidence of a hemolytic episode was found in his past and family history. 2) In the investigation of G6PD of the patient, no abnormalities were observed in its enzymatic parameters such as electrophoretic mobility, Km for G6P and NADP, Ki for NADPH, the utilization of 2-deoxy G6P and deamino NADP, heat-stability, and pH curves. 3) The dissociation constants of red blood cell G6PD for NADP and NADPH, which were obtained from the investigations on the reactivation of cold-inactivated G6PD at 37 degrees C, were about 3 times higher in the patient as compared to the values of the normal controls. Based on these findings, it might be concluded that the G6PD deficiency found in the red blood cells of this case of a FDPase deficiency is a unique variant, which could not be characterized by using only the method recommended by a World Health Organization (WHO) scientific group. Considering that the abnormality observed in the G6PD of this patient was a decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for its coenzymes, the dissociation constants for the coenzymes in reactivation process might be another important kinetic parameter in characterizing the G6PD deficiency.

Biopsy↗