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Biomedical subjects

Fumio Kubota

Publications and source records attributed to Fumio Kubota.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The origin of the focal spike in musicogenic epilepsy.

To clarify the pathogenesis of a typical case of musicogenic epilepsy, we examined interictal spikes using the dipole tracing method (DTM). The patient was a 49-year-old, right-handed Japanese man. He first experienced seizures at the age of 32 years; listening to his favorite piece of music frequently triggered them. His seizure type is partial (often complex, but sometimes simple). An interictal EEG examination revealed many focal spikes in F8 and T4. We estimated equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) using DTM. We performed one-dipole analyses on the peaks of the spikes using an EEG analyzer with a three-layer head model called the scalp-skull-brain (SSB) model. We analyzed the interictal EEG because there were no spikes during the seizure. The ECDs were located in the posterior transverse temporal gyrus. The characteristics in this patient not only bolstered arguments in favor of the role of the right temporal lobe in musicogenic epilepsy, but also showed that transverse temporal gyri, which are included in the auditory area, could play an important role in musicogenic epilepsy.

Electroencephalography↗
PubMed2005

Cerebral activation focusing on strong tasting food: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Very little research has been conducted on taste imagery because of the difficulty of doing so. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study to observe cerebral activation patterns produced in volunteers concentrating on pickled plums (umeboshi), a traditional Japanese food with a strong and sour taste. Activation was observed in the right insula, the bilateral opercula, the bilateral orbitofrontal cortices and the left Broca's area. Activation in the insula (primary gustatory area) was very weak and limited to one side. The activation pattern was similar to that of taste perception. Our results showed that it is possible for humans to imagine tastes.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Electroencephalogram-triggered functional magnetic resonance imaging in focal epilepsy.

The high spatial resolution and cost performance of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is useful for estimating focus localization in epilepsy, but this is difficult in the case of ictal fMRI because this is susceptible to motion artifacts. Electroencephalogram (EEG)-triggered fMRI, which is interictal, can be performed without marked movement and is thought to be useful, but requires further investigation in order to establish a methodology. The authors studied EEG-triggered fMRI in partial epileptic patients. Six patients were examined using a Nihon Kohden digital EEG recorder and Signa Horizon High Speed LX 1.5 T MRI scanner. Six electrodes were attached in the vicinity of the focus detected by scalp EEG. The fMRI scans were recorded after the discharges (activation) and scans without spikes (baseline). Equal numbers of activation and baseline scans were collected and analyzed using SPM99. In three of the six patients, an activated area was observed near the focus, but no activated areas were found in the other three subjects who tended to have a low number of spikes and low spike amplitude. Although various approaches focusing on improvement of the activation/non-activation ratio are required, EEG-triggered fMRI is a promising technique for detecting focal epileptic brain activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Spikes immediately after electroconvulsive therapy in psychotic patients.

The goal of this study was to assess the spikes systematically and to clarify an epileptc abnormality induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Our subjects were 20 psychotic patients with no spikes on prior EEGs. ECT was performed by applying electrical current to both sides of the patient's temple every 2 or 3 days for a period of between 1-4 weeks. The first EEG examination was performed either on the day that the ECT course was completed or on the following day. Subsequent EEG examinations were performed at intervals of 2 or 3 days. Thirteen of the 20 patients showed spikes. There were no significant differences in age, gender, diagnosis, or type of ECT. Patients with spikes had significantly more ECT sessions than those without spikes. The spikes were present in the frontal, temporal and central areas, predominantly frontal, anterior temporal and mid-temporal region, and almost disappeared in 1-3 weeks. The occurrence of spikes immediately after ECT was demonstrated. Although this abnormality was transient, it could indicate that in humans ECT causes the early stage of kindling phenomenon as a result of repeated application, and that the temporal lobe seems to play a major role in order to induce the phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Studies on electroencephalographic changes after liver transplantation].

EEG was performed before and after surgery in the patients who received living donor livers at our hospital between 1999 and 2001. There were ten patients (6 men and 4 women) and mean ages were 37.0 years. Their disorders were citrullinemia, biliary atresia, liver cirrhosis, and liver cell cancer. EEG was performed at 17 sites according to 10-20 international methods. Power spectra analysis using FFT was also performed. We classified the ten patients into Group A, one patient; Group B, three patients; and Group C; five patients based on EEG basal activity before the operation. Eight of ten patients showed improvement in EEG findings, and two patients showed no change after the operation. One patient of these two patients did not show improvement in liver function after the operation. The other developed cerebral infarction after the operation. EEG is useful for the evaluation of brain function after the liver transplantation.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A novel apoptosis research method with imaging-combined flow cytometer and HITC or IR-125 staining.

The most commonly used methods for apoptotic research include terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling, annexin V testing of phosphatidylserine translocation from the inner leaflet to the outer plasma membrane by flow cytometry, DNA electrophoresis, and cell morphology. These methods provide apoptotic information from different aspects. To find a new way in apoptosis research and potential clinical application, we recently developed a novel method with an imaging-combined flow cytometer (IFC) and an innovative cell staining process by using 2-[7-(1,3-dihydro-1,3,3-trimethyl-2H-indol-2-ylidene)-1,3,5-heptatrienyl]-1,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium iodide (HITC) and 2-[7-[1,3-dihydro-1,1-dimethyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl)-2H-benz[e]indol-2-ylidene]-1,3,5-heptatrienyl]-1,1-dimethyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl)-1H-benz[e]indolium hydroxide, inner salt, sodium salt (IR-125). The IFC used in the research is a new generation of cytometry designed for simultaneous observations of cell populations and images. This is possible because the IFC is equipped with dual laser beams, one argon and one infrared. A promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60, was used in the research. The cells were stained with our newly developed HITC or IR-125 staining method and a traditional nucleic acid dye, propidium iodide. The cells stained with HITC or IR-125 appeared completely dark in the IFC image window before washing. Phosphate buffered saline wash did not change the cell appearance. A wash with 50% methanol caused the cells to have a clear cell image with bright nuclei on the IFC. To obtain apoptotic cells, we treated the HL-60 cells with 0.15 microM of camptothecin (CAM), a topoisomerase I inhibitor and experimental apoptosis inducer, for 4 h. The control showed larger round cells with bright nuclei and one to three dark nucleoli. The CAM-induced apoptotic cells were smaller, with fragmented and condensed nuclei on the IFC. These appearances were identical to the cell morphology of with light and electron microscopy. We used other methods including FACScan and DNA electrophoresis to confirm the apoptotic changes after CAM treatment and compared them with the IFC method. In addition, we found that the novel method with the IFC and HITC or IR-125 staining can show not only cell apoptotic changes but also peripheral blood cell populations and images simultaneously. This study suggests many potential applications of the IFC and this novel staining method in other cellular biological researches and clinical assays.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2002

Small aggregates of platelets can be detected sensitively by a flow cytometer equipped with an imaging device: mechanisms of epinephrine-induced aggregation and antiplatelet effects of beraprost.

BACKGROUND: Although cross-talks between platelets and other blood cells are important in vivo, laboratory platelet aggregation tests have been performed mainly with the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as samples. Methods that enable an efficient and sensitive detection of platelet aggregates in whole blood are being developed. METHODS: A flow cytometer equipped with an imaging device, the flow imaging cytometer 2 (FIC2), was used to detect platelet aggregates in whole blood. RESULTS: The FIC2 provides a resolution that is high enough to differentiate platelet aggregates from single platelets or other blood cells. Epinephrine elicited platelet aggregate formation in hirudin plus argatroban-treated whole blood, but not in PRP. The reconstitution study revealed that a small amount of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) from erythrocytes may play an important role in epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation (in whole blood), through mediation of P2Y1 receptors. When the inhibitory effect of beraprost, an antiplatelet agent, on platelet aggregation was assessed, analysis of whole blood samples with FIC2 proved to be the most sensitive among the methods available. CONCLUSIONS: FIC2 is a promising device for detection of platelet aggregates in whole blood, with wide basic and clinical applications.

Epinephrine↗