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Biomedical subjects

E Masuyama

Publications and source records attributed to E Masuyama.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Application of a new slot comb to electrophoretic analysis.

In the present experiment, a new slot comb was designed in order to form a wide and sloped sample well on the stacking gel of electrophoresis. Using this slot comb, a gradient of the reagent layer of interest can be easily formed transversely on the gel that is perpendicular to the direction of electrophoresis. Thus, the protein sample overlaid on the agent migrates across the gradient layer during electrophoresis to produce a continuous electrophoretic band reflecting the interaction between the protein and reagent. This new slot comb (tentatively called slope comb) was applied to the following two experiments. In the first experiment, in combination with this comb and a reducing agent, 2-mercaptoethanol, the reducing steps of cross-linked axonemal proteins with o-iodosobenzoic acid (OIBA) were analyzed electrophoretically, enabling visualization of the reducing pattern of each axonemal protein in a single experiment. The results obtained indicate that alpha and beta tubulins are cross-linked differently by OIBA. In the second experiment, the formation of the Ca2+ gradient layer using this slope comb could electrophoretically differentiate the Ca2+ sensitivity of three Ca(2+)-binding proteins.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗

[Analysis of tracking behavior in patients with muscular dystrophy].

A compensatory tracking experiment was performed to investigate, on the basis of control theory, the dynamic characteristics of control movement in patients with progressive muscular dystrophy (limb-girdle type) and with myotonic dystrophy. Error scores and operator's transfer functions were estimated from the tracking data. The latter were approximated by a model which was composed of a gain constant, a delayed time constant and a dead time. The results showed that error scores for the muscular dystrophy patients and for the myotonic dystrophy patients were, in this order, greater than those for the normal subjects; the dynamic characteristics described by the transfer functions of the three groups were different from each other in terms of gain, phase lag and linearity of their operation. These results were discussed in terms of the stage of disability of motor function and the deterioration of intelligence with disease.

Adult↗

[Clinical study on dosage schedule of tobramycin: controlled comparison between 180 mg b.i.d. and t.i.d].

The efficacy and safety of tobramycin (TOB) administration at 90 mg twice a day (90 mg group) to patients with respiratory tract infections (RTI) were objectively investigated by means of a well-controlled comparative study. The results in this 90 mg group were compared with the case of administering 3 times a day of 60 mg each (60 mg group) as the control. In both of these patient groups, TOB was administered by intramuscular injection for 10 consecutive days. This study included 85 patients (90 mg group: 43 patients; 60 mg group: 42 patients). The Committee, however, excluded 19 patients consisting of 13 cases of infection other than RTI and 6 cases of out of protocol drug administration. Thus, 66 patients (90 mg group: 32 patients; 60 mg group: 34 patients) were used for the efficacy analysis. All 85 patients were used, however, for the evaluation of the safety of TOB and for the usefulness of TOB as judged by the physicians in charge. A brief summary of the results is presented below. The cases employed by the Committee consisted of 8 and 17 cases in the 90 mg and 60 mg groups, respectively, with bacterial pneumonia and lung abscess, and 24 and 17 cases in the 90 mg and 60 mg groups, respectively, with chronic RTI. There was a tendency for the distribution of disease cases in the 2 drug groups to be significant. Within the chronic RTI disease classification, the number of patients with chronic bronchitis was almost equal in the 2 drug groups; 16 cases in the 90 mg group and 15 cases in the 60 mg group. However, secondary infections were diagnosed in 8 cases in the 90 mg group and 2 cases in the 60 mg group. The clinical efficacy judged for all cases investigated by the Committee showed efficacy ratios of 56.3% for the 90 mg group and 70.6% for the 60 mg group. The difference between the 2 drug groups was not statistically significant. In the treatment of bacterial pneumonia and lung abscess, the efficacy rate in the 90 mg group was 87.5%, while it was 88.2% in the 60 mg group; these high values were practically identical. Against chronic RTI, the efficacy rates were 45.8% in the 90 mg group and 52.9% in the 60 mg group; within that disease classification, the efficacy rates against the chronic bronchitis cases were nearly the same at 43.8% and 46.7%, respectively. These data showed no statistically significant differences between the 2 drug administration groups. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

[The intelligence structure of the mental retardates: an examination by means of the WAIS (author's transl)].

A comparison was conducted, with the purpose of investigating the intelligence structure of the mental retardates, on the results of an administration of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to the groups of both normal and mentally retarded persons. Intercorrelations among the WAIS subtest scores for each group were separately analyzed by the method of principal component analysis. Three common factors were found for the two groups: (1) the factor of general intelligence, (2) the factor separating verbal subtests from all other subtests, and (3) the factor separating numerical subtests from all other subtests. There were no clear difference in intelligence structure between the mental retardates and the normals.

Humans↗

Studies of dynein from Tetrahymena cilia using agarose polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Described in this report is an application of agarose-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which separates protein components of crude dynein fraction (Fraction I by Gibbons) derived from Tetrahymena cilia. By this method, the fraction was separated into three protein components (designated as bands I, II and III) on the gel. When the gel was actively stained for dynein ATPase, a single band appeared, which coincided with the position of band I. A purified dynein prepared by controlled pore glass (CPG-10) column chromatography and followed by Biogel A-15m filtration showed one band on the gel at the same position as band I. These results suggest that among these three protein components, band I represents dynein and bands II and III are derived form non-ATPase protein. 'Burstic phenomenon' was also observed on their ATPase activity when axoneme or crude dynein fractions were used for ATPase assay, while the phenomenon was almost extinguished when partially purified dynein after controlled pore glass column chromatography was used as sample.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Studies on the initial phase of dynein ATPase activity.

Kinetic measurement of the reaction of dynein ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) extracted from the gills of Mytilus edulis shows that in the presence of Mg2+ there is a very rapid initial liberation of Pi from the dynein-ATP system, followed by a slower liberation in the steady state. In view of following results, we have confirmed that this phenomenon is not due to the accumulation of end products, a fall in substrate concentration, nor to the presence of labile impurities in ATP but is due to the catalytic activity of dynein ATPase. 1. The replacement of native dynein by heat denatured dynein or other kinds of Mg2+-ATPase could not produce such a burst phenomenon under the same condition. 2. Both the rate of initial burst and that of steady state were proportional to enzyme content over a wide range under our standard condition. 3. Initial burst was also observed under the constant ATP level by using a ATP generate system. 4. Preincubation of dynein with Pi prior to initiation of the reaction did not eliminate the initial burst. Some properties of the initial rapid liberation of dynein ATPase were also examined. These are shown below. 5. The free ADP liberation did not show any initial burst though the Pi liberation did in the initial phase and the rate of free ADP liberation was almost equal to that of Pi liberation of the steady state. 6. Mg2+ was more effective than Ca2+ for the appearance of the initial burst while the liberation of Pi in the steady state was activated more by Ca2+ than by Mg2+. The addition of K+ in the presence of Mg2+ resulted in a marked increase of Pi liberation in the steady state but not in the initial state. 7. The activation energy of the initial burst was 9.7 kcal, which is slightly smaller than that of myosin ATPase.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Application of stains-all staining to the analysis of axonemal tubulins: identification of beta-tubulin and beta-isotubulins.

The cationic dye, Stains-all, is known to stain brain beta-tubulin blue and alpha-tubulin red (Serrano, L. et al. (1986) J. Biochem. Biophys. Methods 12, 281-287; Serrano, L. et al. (1989) Biochem. Int., 19, 235-246). The present experiments show that this stain can also be applied to detect beta-tubulin in axonemal tubulins from various sources such as cilia of protozoa, sperm flagella of echinoderm, and sperm flagella of mollusc. Furthermore, these experiments showed that it selectively stains isoforms of axonemal beta-tubulin blue following isoelectric focusing, whereas those of alpha-tubulin are stained red. These results indicate that Stains-all staining is a useful tool for electrophoretic analysis of axonemal tubulins.

Animals↗