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Biomedical subjects

F Mitsunobu

Publications and source records attributed to F Mitsunobu.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Asthma classification by a score calculated from clinical findings and examinations in subjects sensitive to inhalant allergens.

Twenty-one patients with atopic asthma were classified into three types according to their symptoms (clinical diagnosis): Ia, simple bronchoconstriction; Ib, bronchoconstriction + hypersecretion; and II, bronchiolar obstruction, and this classification was compared with a classification made according to clinical findings and examinations (score diagnosis). Type Ib asthma was characterized by the increased incidence of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while type II was characterized by ventilatory dysfunction in small airways and the increased incidence of neutrophils in BALF. Four patients, whose expectoration was between 50 and 99ml/day, of the 12 with type Ia assessed by clinical diagnosis were evaluated as type Ib by score diagnosis. One patient with type II by clinical diagnosis was assessed as questionable type II by score diagnosis. In the other 16 patients, the clinical and score diagnoses were the same.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Asthma classification by pathophysiology and IgE-mediated allergic reaction: new concepts for classification of asthma.

Bronchial asthma was classified by the pathophysiology and by the mechanism of onset of the disease. Forty asthmatics who had serum IgE levels lower than 200 IU/ml were evaluated by two classification methods. 1. In asthma classified by a score based on clinical findings and examinations, the characteristics of the findings and examination results were compared among three asthma types, i.e., Ia. simple broncho-constriction type, Ib. bronchoconstriction+hypersecretion type, and II. bronchiolar obstruction type. Type Ib patients, in addition to manifesting hypersecretion, had a significantly higher proportion of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid compared to other asthma types. Significantly decreased values for ventilatory parameters and an increased proportion of BAL neutrophils were found in type II compared with other asthma types. 2. In a new classification by mechanism of onset, asthma was classified into three types according to the degree of participation of IgE-mediated reactions associated with specific IgE antibodies and serum levels of total IgE: asthma induced by definite IgE-mediated reaction (atopic asthma), possible IgE-mediated reactions (asthma), and asthma induced by non-IgE-mediated reaction (asthma syndrome).

Adolescent↗

Spa therapy improves ventilatory function in the small airways of patients with steroid-dependent intractable asthma (SDIA).

The improvement of ventilatory function by spa therapy was examined in 37 patients with steroid-dependent intractable asthma (SDIA) in relation to clinical asthma types. All subjects had been on long-term corticosteroid therapy before spa therapy. Spa therapy was found to improve the values of ventilatory parameters. The percent improvement in all subjects was +4.1% in %FVC, +8.9% in FEV1.0%, +9.8% in %PEFR, +22.0% in %MMF, +19.7% in %V50 and +28.2% in %V25, respectively. Relating to clinical asthma types, moderate improvement in %MMF and %V25 from 16.7% to 16.9% was observed in type Ia cases, and marked increase in %MMF, %V50 and %V25 was observed from 42.2% to 43.2% in type Ib cases. However, no significant increase was found in these parameters of types Ia or Ib after spa therapy. In patients with type II, a significant increase was shown in %V50 (p less than 0.05) and %V25 (p less than 0.01) after spa therapy. The results show that spa therapy improves the condition of small airways disorder in patients with SDIA.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

A 58-year-old farmer was admitted to our hospital because of repeated episodes of anaphylaxis. He had experienced 12 episodes of anaphylactic shock over the previous 17 years. These attacks included three episodes of bee sting. In general, the episodes occurred during farm work (exercise) and within two hours of eating cake in the afternoon. Because an immediate skin reaction to wheat flour was highly positive, a diagnosis of wheat allergy was considered. These findings suggested that his illness was consistent with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis↗

Cellular composition of fluid in the airways of patients with house dust sensitive asthma, classified by clinical symptoms.

The cellular composition of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was observed in 28 patients with house dust mite-sensitive asthma. The proportion of neutrophils in the BAL fluid was significantly higher in the patients between the ages of 50 and 59 and those over 60 than in the patients younger than age 39. There was a significant difference in the number of neutrophils in patients aged 30-39 years and in those over 40 at the onset of disease. The cellular composition varied among the three types of asthma; the mean percentage of cells in the BAL fluid was 1.1% neutrophils and 21.3% eosinophils in type Ia (simple bronchoconstriction), 9.1% neutrophils and 23.0% eosinophils in type Ib (bronchoconstriction + hypersecretion), and 34.4% neutrophils and 12.0% eosinophils in type II (bronchiolar obstruction). The results suggested that an increased frequency of both neutrophils and eosinophils correlates with the mechanism of hypersecretion, and that a marked increase in the proportion of neutrophils is involved in bronchiolar obstruction.

Adult↗

Humoral and cellular immunity to Candida albicans in patients with bronchial asthma.

Delayed cutaneous reactivity to Candida albicans (C. albicans) and PPD (purified protein derivative) was examined in 52 patients with bronchial asthma in relation to the production of specific IgG4 antibodies against the antigen. 1. The frequency of a positive, immediate skin reaction to C. albicans was similar among the five age groups, ranging from 60.0% to 66.7%. 2. The incidence of a positive delayed skin reaction to C. albicans was lower in patients between the ages of 10 and 30 and tended to decrease with aging in the patients over the age of 51. 3. A delayed skin reaction to PPD was positive in patients between 31 and 50 with a higher incidence; this incidence decreased in patients over age 51. 4. The level of C. albicans-specific IgG4 antibodies was significantly higher (26.7 u/ml) in patients with a negative delayed skin reaction to the antigen than in those with a positive reaction (5.9 u/ml) (p less than 0.001). There was no correlation between delayed skin reaction to PPD and production of specific IgG4 antibodies.

Adolescent↗

An increased level of specific IgG4 antibodies against Candida albicans in patients with bronchial asthma.

Specific IgG4 antibodies against Candida albicans in sera were measured in 76 asthmatics. The increased level of specific IgG4 was found in cases 10-40 years old sensitive to house dust mite and/or Candida albicans, in cases with steroid-dependent intractable asthma (SDIA) and in elderly cases. The frequency of SDIA was the highest in cases 41 to 60 years old with higher frequency of increased IgG4 antibodies. The results show that specific IgG4 increases in relation to IgE-mediated immune response, long-term steroid therapy, and aging. All of these conditions may induce depressed cell-mediated immunity.

Age Factors↗

Pathophysiological changes in the airways of asthma patients with aging.

Pathophysiological changes in the airways with aging were examined in 78 patients with bronchial asthma. The FEV1.0% values in patients over the age of 71, and the %MMF, %V50 and %V25 values in those over 51 were significantly lower than those of patients between the ages of 10 and 30. The frequency of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was significantly higher in patients aged between 61 and 70 than in those aged between 41 and 50 (p < 0.05). The frequency of each clinical asthma type changed with aging; the number of patients with simple bronchoconstriction type (type Ia) decreased with increasing age in patients under the age of 60, and the number of those with bronchiolar obstruction type (type II) increased with aging. The frequency of patients with bronchoconstriction+hypersecretion type (type Ib) showed a peak between the ages of 51 and 60. Bronchial reactivity to methacholine showed a tendency to decrease with aging. The release of histamine from leucocytes induced by Ca ionophore A23187 was significantly higher in patients between the ages of 10 and 30 than in those between the ages of 51 and 60 (p < 0.05) and between 61 and 70 (p < 0.01).

Adolescent↗

[Asthma classification by score calculated from clinical findings and examinations. Comparison between clinical diagnosis and score diagnosis].

Asthma classification by clinical symptoms and signs (clinical diagnosis) was compared with the classification by score calculated from clinical findings and examinations (score diagnosis) in 25 patients with bronchial asthma. 1. Ten subjects classified as Ia (simple bronchoconstriction type) by clinical diagnosis were divided into 6 cases with expectoration of less than 49 ml a day and 4 cases with expectoration of between 50 and 99 ml. The level of serum IgE and number of eosinophils in BALF were significantly higher in the latter cases than in the former cases. The cases whose expectoration was from 50 to 99 ml a day were classified as Ib (bronchoconstriction with hypersecretion type) by score diagnosis. 2. The six subjects who were classified as type Ib by clinical diagnosis were also evaluated as type Ib by score diagnosis. 3. Nine of the 10 subjects classified as type II by clinical diagnosis were evaluated as type II by score diagnosis. One case, whose score was under 12 points, was evaluated as questionable type II by score diagnosis.

Adult↗

Specific IgE, IgG and IgG4 antibodies against house dust mite in patients with bronchial asthma.

Serum levels of total IgE, specific IgE, IgG and IgG4 against house dust mite were measured in mite-sensitive asthma patients receiving immunotherapy with house dust. Serum levels of total IgE, mite specific IgE and IgG did not significantly change during the course of hyposensitization. Increased levels of mite specific IgG4 were observed in patients during immunotherapy. The increase in specific IgG4 was dependent on the total dose of house dust administered in both children (r = 0.636, p less than 0.001) and adults (r = 0.629, p less than 0.01). However, the increase of specific IgG4 in adults was not as apparent as in children. These results might suggest that mite specific IgG4 is a useful immunological marker in the immunotherapy for allergic asthma, and that IgG4 antibody acts as a blocking antibody in atopic bronchial asthma.

Adolescent↗

Efficient transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts by c-Jun requires structural modification in coding and noncoding sequences.

To assess the transforming capability of the c-Jun protein, we introduced the chicken c-jun proto-oncogene into a replication competent avian retroviral expression vector (RCAS). Viral Jun efficiently transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) when expressed from this vector. Overexpression of c-Jun leads to transformation of CEFs with an efficiency that is 15- to 25-fold less than that seen for v-Jun, suggesting that v-Jun contains structural features that increase its oncogenic potential relative to c-Jun. There are four structural differences between v-Jun and c-Jun. To determine the relative contribution that each of these structural differences between v-Jun and c-Jun has on oncogenic activity, several deletion and substitution mutants were constructed. Each of these mutants was expressed in CEF and assayed for transformation by focus formation. Analysis of the results reveals that deletion of a region of 27 amino acids near the amino terminus of c-Jun and deletion of 3'-untranslated sequences are critical in activating the full oncogenic potential of Jun.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A mechanism of c-raf-1 activation: fusion of the lipocortin II amino-terminal sequence with the c-raf-1 kinase domain.

In order to understand the mechanism of oncogenic activation, we have analyzed the c-raf-1 gene from the GL-5-JCK human glioblastoma, which underwent rearrangement during transfection experiments. Nucleotide sequencing of cDNA clones derived from the 2.5 kb raf-mRNA, which is a major transcript of raf in NIH3T3 cells transformed with GL-5-JCK DNA, revealed that this mRNA contains sequences derived from the human c-raf-1 gene and the human lipocortin II gene. Translation of the 2.5 kb raf-mRNA predicted a fusion protein consisting of 16 amino-terminal amino acid residues of the lipocortin II and 370 carboxy-terminal amino acid residues of the c-raf-1 protein which contains the kinase domain. Expression of the lipocortin II-raf cDNA using the murine sarcoma virus long terminal repeat as promoter resulted in the transformation of NIH3T3 cells.

Annexins↗

The oncogenicity of jun.

The oncogenic transforming potential of the jun oncogene was investigated with viral constructs that contain various terminal deletions of v-jun, c-jun and recombinants between the viral and cellular genes. Cellular jun can induce transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts with a low efficiency. High efficiency transformation is dependent on alterations in the major transactivator domain. A jun deletion that lacks the transactivator domain is non-transforming. These observations are compatible with the conclusion that transcriptional regulation plays an important part in jun oncogenesis. In cells transformed by viral jun and expressing high levels of viral jun expression of the cellular jun is not constitutively upregulated. Cellular jun may therefore not contribute to transformation in these cells.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning, complete nucleotide sequence, and gene structure of the provirus genome of a retrovirus produced in a human lymphoblastoid cell line.

We found and characterized a type D retrovirus produced in a human lymphoblastoid cell line of B-cell lineage. The amino acid sequence of the N-terminal region of the purified major structural protein (PVTRSQGQVSSNTTGRASPHPDTHTIPE) revealed no high homology with any of the known retroviral amino acid sequences. We have cloned cDNA and the proviral genome integrated in the retrovirus-producing cells, and determined the complete nucleotide sequence and gene structures of the genome. The provirus genome is 8785 bp long and has the structure of LTR-gag-prt-pol-eny-LTR. The nucleotide sequences of the long terminal repeat (LTR) region and a part of the pol gene were closely related to the available sequences of squirrel monkey retrovirus (SMRV), and we designated this virus SMRVHLB' abbreviated as SMRV-H. The primer (tRNA(Lys)1,2)-binding sequence of SMRV-H (TGGCGCCCAGGACGTGGGGCTCGA) has a GG insertion, which is different from that of SMRV. The transmembrane protein of the 3' terminal region of env gene contains an amino acid sequence of an immunosuppressive peptide (EVVLQNRRGLDLLTAEQGGICLALQERCCFYANKS), in which R is unique in SMRV-H. The core sequence of the glucocorticoid regulatory element is found upstream of the two 42-bp imperfect repeats in the LTR. Sequences partially homologous to those of the rat IgE-binding protein gene are in gag and pol genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of an activated human c-raf-1 gene.

Results of previous studies have shown that a raf-related transforming DNA sequence is present in NIH 3T3 transformants that are derived from GL-5-JCK human glioblastoma DNA transfection. The transforming DNA was molecularly cloned by using cosmid vector pJB8 to determine its structure and origin. Analyses of selected clones revealed that the transforming DNA consisted of three portions of human DNA sequences, with the 3' half of the c-raf-1 gene as its middle portion. This raf region was about 20 kilobases long and contained exons 8 to 17 and the poly(A) addition site. RNA blot analysis showed that the raf-related transforming DNA was transcribed into 5.3-, 4.8-, and 2.5-kilobase mRNAs; the 2.5-kilobase transcript was thought to be the major transcript. Immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that a 44-kilodalton raf-related protein was specifically expressed in the NIH 3T3 transformants. The raf-related transforming DNA was considered to be activated when its amino-terminal sequence was truncated and the DNA was coupled with a foreign promoter sequence. On hybridization analysis of the original GL-5-JCK glioblastoma DNA, no rearrangement of c-raf-1 was detectable in the tumor DNA. The rearrangement of c-raf-1 may have occurred during transfection or may have been present in a small population of the original tumor cells as a result of tumor progression.

Cell Line↗

Expression of simian virus 40 small t antigen in Escherichia coli and purification of the antigen.

A simian virus 40 (SV 40) DNA fragment encoding small t antigen was cloned in expression vector pUC8 for the purification of the antigen. The SV40 Hind III B fragment was inserted into the Hind III site of pUC8. A plasmid having the lacZ' and small t antigen genes in the same orientation was designated as pSVt. pSVt encodes the entire small t antigen and an extra 18 amino acids at the amino terminus of the antigen. E. coli transformed with pSVt produced hybrid small t antigen (22 kDa) which comprised about 6% of the total protein. The hybrid small t antigen reacted in immunoblot analysis with SV40-induced tumor-bearing hamster serum. Hybrid small t antigen was extracted from E. coli, and purified by preparative SDS-PAGE. The antigen was extracted from the gel using formic acid solution with high-yield. The gel-purified antigen showed the same antigenic reactivity as crude antigen.

Amino Acid Sequence↗