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C Inoue

Publications and source records attributed to C Inoue.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[A case of livedo vasculitis associated with mononeuritis multiplex].

Livedo vasculitis is characterized by recurrent livedo reticularis of lower extremities and the histopathological findings of segmental hyalinizing vasculitis in the skin. We report a case of a 26-year-old female who manifested mononeuritis multiplex 7 years after the onset of livedo vasculitis. She showed sensori-motor disturbances in the right median and ulnar nerves and sensory deficits of the bilateral peroneal nerves. Sural nerve biopsy revealed a remarkable loss of large and small myelinated fibers and a few vasculitic changes. Steroids therapy was effective for these neurological symptoms. But paroxysmal numbness appeared later recurrently in the regions of affected nerves with painful ulcerations in the right leg. Laboratory tests indicated increased levels of serum thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and antithrombotic drugs (argatroban) remarkably ameliorated the recurrent symptoms and skin lesions. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of livedo vasculitis might be related to alterations of the blood coagulation system.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Arthroscopic studies of variants of the anterior horn of the medical meniscus.

The objective of this study was to arthroscopically analyse the morphology and dynamics of variants of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus of the knee (VAMM) and to then consider the pathological significance of these variants. VAMM was defined as knees in which the anterior horn of the medial meniscus is not attached to the tibia. Between April 1992 and March 1995, arthroscopy was performed on 953 knees of 903 patients. At the time of this examination, observation and probing were performed to determine the condition of the synovium, the synovial plica, the cartilage in all compartments, the meniscus, the cruciate ligaments, and the popliteal tendon. In particular, detailed examination was made of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus with regard to the point of insertion to the tibia and the degree of movement in knee flexion/ extension. Cases of VAMM diagnosed on the basis of the arthroscopic findings were classified into the following four categories: the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) type, where the anterior horn of the medial meniscus was attached to the ACL; the transverse ligament type, where the anterior horn of the medial meniscus was attached to the transverse ligament; the coronary ligament type, where the anterior horn of the medial meniscus was attached to the coronary ligament; and the infrapatellar fold type, where the anterior horn of the medial meniscus was attached to the infrapatellar synovial fold. These patients were then analyzed with regard to the arthroscopic findings and the intra-articular lesions other than VAMM. In 98 (10.9%) of the total patients, 103 knees were classified as VAMM. Classification of those 103 knees using the above criteria showed 39 ACL type knees, 51 transverse ligament type knees, 11 coronary ligament type knees, and 2 infrapatellar fold type knees. The arthroscopic findings indicated that the anterior horn of the medial meniscus was not attached directly to the tibia in any of these knees. Probing and flexion/extension of the knee revealed hypermobility at the anterior horn of the medial meniscus. In this study, anterior knee pain syndrome was diagnosed in 12 (11.7%) of the 103 VAMM knees. In addition, there was no clear history of trauma in 20 of 23 knees found to have an isolated medial meniscus tear. In these cases, even detailed arthroscopic observation proved the causes of the symptoms or injury. On the basis of these findings, we surmised that the anterior portion shows hypermobility at the time of flexion/extension of the knee, regardless of the type of VAMM. In this study, we discussed the possibility that the existence of VAMM may become the cause of pain or injury to the meniscus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

In vitro method for assessing hepatic drug metabolism.

We investigated an in vitro metabolic test using rat liver biopsy samples by TLC-autoradioluminography (ARLG), with a view to developing a method to rapidly assess the drug metabolizing activities of individual patients. Drug metabolizing activity was measured in liver biopsy samples collected from rats in four groups: a female control group, male control group, phenobarbital (PB)-administered male group and cimetidine (CM)-administered male group. The productivity of metabolites of 7-ethoxycoumarin (7-EC), debrisoquine (DB) and diazepam (DZ), respectively, was lower in the female control group than in the male control group, but there were no differences in the productivity of metabolites of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and tolbutamide (TB), respectively, between the male and female control groups. Those of 7-EC, TB and DZ were higher in the PB-administered group than in the male control group, but those of DB did not differ between these two groups. Those of 5-FU, 7-EC, TB, DB and DZ were lower in the CM-administered group than in the male control group. Using TLC-ARLG, we could detect drug metabolites in rat liver biopsy samples in a relatively short time span at low concentrations similar to those in vivo. We could also measure drug metabolizing activity in cases with and without the involvement of cytochrome P450. When applied in clinical metabolic tests, TLC-ARLG is expected to be useful for assessing the drug metabolizing activities of patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Functional neuroanatomy of visual object naming: a PET study.

BACKGROUND: The ability to name objects depends partly on visual perception. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure activity-related changes in regional cerebral blood flow (r-CBF) in order to identify regions of the brain activated during visual object naming. METHODS: Four right-handed volunteers were recruited. Following an intravenous injection of 15O-labeled water, r-CBF was measured during visual object naming, counting numbers, and resting. PET and MRI images were coregistered, the size of the brain was proportionally adjusted in each axis to Talairach's and Tournoux's atlas, and the comparison of stimulated versus resting blood flow images revealed activated brain regions. RESULTS: In the subtraction of resting from naming, activation was observed in the bilateral primary visual cortex, bilateral fusiform gyrus, left lingual gyrus, bilateral inferotemporal cortex, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral precentral gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, left parietal operculum, and left putamen. In the subtraction of counting from naming, most of the those areas were activated, but no significant activity was observed in the left lingual gyrus, left parietal operculum, or bilateral precentral gyrus (motor cortex). The areas activated with the paradigm included those dedicated to visual perception (primary and associate visual cortex), visual recognition (inferior temporal cortex), and phonological output (Broca's area). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the major neural network from occipital lobe to frontal cortex, which is mainly involved in the ventral visual pathway, demonstrated activation in these tasks. Result of this study will serve as base line data for analyzing the findings in patients with impaired visual perception.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Positron emission tomography in diagnosing brainstem vascular lesions that cause abnormal eye movements.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of positron emission tomography (PET) in aiding in the diagnosis of brainstem infarctions that cause abnormal eye movements. METHOD: Cerebral glucose metabolism was examined by PET with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose as a tracer in five normal control subjects and six patients with abnormal eye movements. The PET images were registered to and superimposed on magnetic resonance images (MRIs). RESULTS: All control subjects showed little asymmetry of glucose metabolism in the brainstem, whereas all six patients demonstrated areas of low glucose metabolism in the brainstem. Areas of low metabolism seen by PET were wider than they appeared to be by MRI; MRIs even appeared normal in some patients. Asymmetry index measurements at the level of the ischemic lesion ranged between 19% and 45%. CONCLUSIONS: Positron emission tomography detected metabolic abnormality in patients with brainstem lesions that caused abnormal eye movements. Superimposing PET images on MRIs accurately localized abnormally low metabolism in the brainstem. Combined imaging with PET and MRI can be used to diagnose ischemic lesions in the brainstem from functional (PET) and morphologic (MRI) viewpoints.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A case of renovascular hypertension associated with neurofibromatosis.

We report a case of renovascular hypertension associated with neurofibromatosis complicated by moderate proteinuria. A 16-year-old female was admitted to Kensei General Hospital with a complaint of headache and a blood pressure of 230/120 mm Hg. She was referred to us for further evaluation of the hypertension. On examination, cafe-au-lait spots were seen over her extremities and flank, and a bruit was heard in the right upper abdomen. The urinary protein excretion was 2.1 g/day. The plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone concentration were high, but the levels of catecholamines were normal. The renogram was asymmetric and on venous sampling, the PRA in the right renal vein was 58.3 ng/ml/h and that in the left was 22.1 ng/ml/h. CT scan detected an approximately 10-mm mass in the proximal right renal artery. Arteriography disclosed severe stenosis in the right renal artery and the superior mesenteric artery. Therefore, we concluded that her hypertension resulted from stenosis of the right renal artery due to neurofibromatosis. Accordingly, she underwent an operation to reconstruct that artery. After the operation, her blood pressure and PRA normalized without administration of any anti-hypertensive drug and urinary protein disappeared.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Mercuric ion uptake by Escherichia coli cells producing Thiobacillus ferrooxidans merC.

The merC gene of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was overexpressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the tac promoter. MerC protein synthesized in E. coli has a N-terminal amino acid sequence of S-A-I-X-R-I-I-D-K-I-G-I-V-G-, which agrees with the amino acid sequence deduced from its nucleotide sequence except that an initiating methionine residue was removed. The MerC protein was localized in the particulate (membrane) cell fraction, and not in the soluble cytoplasmic fraction. E. coli cells carrying a plasmid containing the tac promoter-directed merC showed 203Hg2+ uptake in an isopropyl-1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranoside (IPTG)-dependent manner.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

[Thymic carcinoid associated with ectopic ACTH syndrome].

A 63-year-old man was admitted to Sendai Red Cross Hospital complaining of chest and back pain associated with Cushing's syndrome. Based on the abnormally high levels of ACTH, cortisol, and CRH in plasma the patient was suspected of having ectopic ACTH syndrome. Histological examination of an extirpated rib and pleural tumor led to the diagnosis of atypical carcinoid tumor, with ribbon and festoon formation, immunoreactivity to ACTH, NSE, Chg-A, and argyrophilia in the tumor cells. Anti-cancer chemotherapy was not effective, and the patient died within a year after the onset of Cushing's syndrome. An autopsy revealed that the patient had an ACTH- and CRH-producing thymic carcinoid with metastases to many organs. The pituitary was atrophic with Crooke's hyaline change. There were many CRH-positive cells in the paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, where no remarkable pathologic changes were seen.

ACTH Syndrome, Ectopic↗
PubMed1995

Characteristics of participants and non-participants in annual mass screening for oral cancer in 60-year-old residents of Tokoname city, Japan.

Three thousand one hundred and twenty three 60-year-old residents of Tokoname city, Japan, were eligible to take part in an ongoing annual mass screening programme for oral cancer and precancer during the years 1986-1990. All received a mailed questionnaire to ascertain details of their personal circumstances, lifestyle factors and medical history. One thousand six hundred and sixty eight (53 per cent) responded and of these, 347 plus an additional 89 non responders, totalling 14 per cent of the sample, subsequently attended for screening. Those screened were significantly more likely than non participants to have taken part in other general health or cancer screening, to report past histories of diseases or conditions with severe subjective symptoms and to have access to the screening facility on foot, by bicycle or by car. There were no significant differences between the groups in their smoking habits or alcohol consumption. Ways of improving compliance in screening are considered and in particular, the need for further strengthening the complementary public education programme to increase its effectiveness is highlighted.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1994

Pathogenesis of mucocutaneous lesions in Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease (BD) is characterized by recurrent oral aphthae, skin lesions, eye lesions, and genital ulceration. To determine the pathogenesis of BD, we performed histological and immunohistochemical studies of these mucocutaneous lesions, an assay of neutrophil activity, and HLA typing. Dense dermal or subcutaneous infiltrations of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) without leukocytoclastic vasculitis were found in 28 of 57 lesions. Immunohistochemically, deposits of C3 on the vessels were found in 12 of 31 lesions. Deposits of immunoglobulin were not found except for one of IgM. C3 deposits and PMN infiltrations were significantly related (p < 0.05). PMN activity by polarization was enhanced; however, the results did not show a significant relationship with the PMN infiltrations or the C3 deposits. The incidence of HLA-B51 was significantly high in BD, but no significant relationship was found between HLA-B51 and the results of other examinations. These results suggest that the pathogenesis of BD lesions differs from that of collagen diseases and that C3 deposits on the vessels may play an important role in the development of mucocutaneous lesions where PMN have mainly infiltrated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Effects of stem cell factor (SCF) on human marrow neutrophil, neutrophil/macrophage mixed, macrophage and eosinophil progenitor cell growth.

The effects of stem cell factor (SCF) on the subpopulations of granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) were examined. Hematopoietic progenitor cells were enriched from normal adult bone marrow specimens by immunomagnetic beads using an anti-CD34 antibody and lineage marker antibodies for positive selection and negative selection, respectively. SCF enabled neutrophil and neutrophil/macrophage mixed progenitors to respond to granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or interleukin 3 (IL-3) and to develop the colony and further cluster formation. The neutrophil colonies stimulated by GM-CSF or IL-3 consisted mainly of immature cells, while the colonies stimulated by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) consisted of mature neutrophils irrespective of the addition of SCF. In macrophage and eosinophil lineages, SCF augmented the colony formation in the presence of GM-CSF or IL-3, whereas the enhancement of total progenitor cell growth (colonies plus clusters) was not so marked as compared with the neutrophil lineage. Time-course observation revealed that SCF could stimulate macrophage and eosinophil progenitors to form colonies rapidly. These findings indicate that SCF acts on late myeloid progenitor cells in manners different from the lineages of commitment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Chromosome alterations in peripheral lymphocytes as indices of lifestyle and genotoxicity.

Short-term cultures of human lymphocytes were used to investigate the in vitro metabolism of benzene and its genotoxicity, and to monitor genetic health effects of lifestyles. Metabolic (S9) activation of benzene and its metabolites, catechol, hydroquinone, and phenol, caused an increase in sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) with different optimal concentrations of S9 mix for converting each compound into further reactive forms. The data indicate that catechol and hydroquinone can be optimally metabolized to produce reactive species, presumably benzo(semi)quinones, under conditions of lower metabolic activity than those necessary for phenol and benzene. We have further investigated the correlations between chromosome alterations (SCEs, structural aberrations and micronuclei) in peripheral lymphocytes and individual lifestyles. Healthy lifestyles, or "good health practices" examined were 1) not smoking, 2) not drinking too much alcohol, 3) doing physical exercise regularly, 4) sleeping more than 6 h per night, 5) keeping nutritional balance in meals, 6) not snacking, 7) having breakfast everyday, and 8) not having too much perceived stress. The persons were categorized into 3 groups having good, moderate and poor lifestyles by the number of good health practices they do. Mean frequencies of chromosome alterations in lymphocytes from men with poor lifestyles have been shown to be significantly higher than those in cells from men having good lifestyles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Benzene↗
PubMed1993

Identification of the purA gene encoding adenylosuccinate synthetase in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

The purA gene of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans encoding adenylosuccinate synthetase [EC 6.3.4.4] was identified in the upstream region of the iro gene encoding Fe(II)-oxidase (J. Biol. Chem 267:11242-11247, 1992). The purA gene consisted of 1290 base-pairs, which translated into a 29-amino-acid protein. The gene is functionally active, because it is able to complement an Escherichia coli purA-deficient strain. The deduced gene product has a high degree (60.9%) of sequence identity with that (432 aa) of E. coli purA gene, and both the products share GDEGKGK-DETG-TKLD sequences which are supposed to be GTP-binding domain. The downstream region of the iro gene contained another open-reading frame (ORF) of 1218 bp, and this showed high homology (56.6% over 249 bp) with E. coli ORF-II, which is found as a second ORF and truncated form in the downstream region of the purA gene. Comparison of the gene organization in the flanking region of purA gene between T. ferrooxidans and E. coli is also described.

Adenylosuccinate Synthase↗
PubMed1993

Hippocampal damage does not impair instrumental appetitive conditioning with delayed reinforcement.

The present study evaluated the effects of bilateral hippocampal lesions on appetitive instrumental conditioning with delayed (5-s interval) reinforcement in rats. Acquisition of a bar press response was considerably slower than rates observed with immediate reinforcement; however, no significant differences between hippocampally lesioned and control groups were noted regarding training to criteria or ratio of responses to reinforcements. These results suggest that the hippocampus is not essential for the association of temporally discontinuous stimuli, and that deficits in other forms of associative learning, such as spatial cognition, must be mediated by the loss of other functions. Putative functions and underlying substrates are discussed for response modulation and sensory (cue relations) associations.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Molecular cloning of the gene encoding Thiobacillus ferrooxidans Fe(II) oxidase. High homology of the gene product with HiPIP.

The amino-terminal sequence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans Fe(II) oxidase (linked to cytochrome c552) was determined, and the iro gene that encodes this enzyme was cloned using degenerate oligonucleotides as a probe. The DNA sequence of a region (856 base pairs) which encompasses the iro gene revealed that the enzyme was encoded by a 273-base pair open reading frame and consists of 90 amino acids, including a possible 37-residue signal sequence. The iro gene seems to be transcribed independently of any other gene because the transcriptional products are 0.45 and 0.6 kilobases in size. Current protein databases revealed that the iro gene product is a new member of the high redox potential iron sulfur proteins, which generally function in electron transport but do not show enzymatic activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Electrotransformation of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans with plasmids containing a mer determinant.

The mer operon from a strain of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans (C. Inoue, K. Sugawara, and T. Kusano, Mol. Microbiol. 5:2707-2718, 1991) consists of the regulatory gene merR and an operator-promoter region followed by merC and merA structural genes and differs from other known gram-negative mer operons. We have constructed four potential shuttle plasmids composed of a T. ferrooxidans-borne cryptic plasmid, a pUC18 plasmid, and the above-mentioned mer determinant as a selectable marker. Mercury ion-sensitive T. ferrooxidans strains were electroporated with constructed plasmids, and one strain, Y4-3 (of 30 independent strains tested), was found to have a transformation efficiency of 120 to 200 mercury-resistant colonies per microgram of plasmid DNA. This recipient strain was confirmed to be T. ferrooxidans by physiological, morphological, and chemotaxonomical data. The transformants carried a plasmid with no physical rearrangements through 25 passages under no selective pressure. Cell extracts showed mercury ion-dependent NADPH oxidation activity.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1991

The merR regulatory gene in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is spaced apart from the mer structural genes.

Two distinct merR genes, which regulate expression of the mercuric ion resistance gene (mer), of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans strain E-15 have been cloned, sequenced and termed merR1 and merR2. As a result of gene walking around two merR genes, it was found that these two genes were quite close in distance. The nucleotide sequence of the region (5,001 base pairs; PstI-EcoRI fragment) containing the merR genes was determined. Between the two merR genes, there were five potential open reading frames (ORFs). Two of these were identified as merC genes, and the other three as ORFs 1 to 3. ORFs 1 to 3 show significant homology to merA, tnsA from transposon Tn7, and merA, respectively. Both merR genes consist of a 408 bp ORF coding for 135 amino acids. Their gene products, MerR1 and MerR2, differed at three amino acid positions, and shared 56-57% and 32-38% identity with the MerRs from other Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Competitive primer extension analysis revealed that both regulatory genes were expressed in the host cells. These merR genes were located more than 6 kb from either end of the mer structural genes (merC-merA). This is the first example of merR being separated from the mer structural genes. The two merC genes, each of which coded for a 140-amino-acid protein, appeared to be functionally active because Escherichia coli cells carrying these merC genes on plasmid vectors showed hypersensitivity to HgCl2. However, ORFs 1 and 3, which were homologous to merA, seemed to be inactive both structurally and enzymatically. The gene arrangement in this region took on a mirror image, with the truncated tnsA as the symmetrical centre. It is suggested that the Tn7-like factor may have participated in gene duplication events of the mer region, and in its chromosomal integration.

Amino Acid Sequence↗