Biomedical subjects

H Fukuoka

Publications and source records attributed to H Fukuoka.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Folate intakes and folate biomarker profiles of pregnant Japanese women in the first trimester.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the status of dietary folate intake, serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate, and related nutritional biomarkers in healthy Japanese women in early pregnancy. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, observational study. SUBJECTS: Pregnant women in the first trimester, at 7-15 weeks gestation (n=70), who were not consuming any folate supplements or folate fortified foods. METHODS: Three-day dietary records were obtained from each subject to assess dietary folate intake. Blood samples were collected for measurement of biomarkers. Biomarkers and nutrient intake were analyzed in two groups defined by their serum folate concentrations: the low folate group (serum folate < 9 ng/ml) and the high folate group (serum folate > or = 9 ng/ml). RESULT: Mean serum and RBC folate concentrations in all subjects were 10.3 and 519 ng/ml, respectively. These levels were remarkably higher than the reported values from many other countries despite our subjects receiving no folic acids supplements. However, mean folate intake by our subjects from natural foods was 289 microg/day, which is thought to be low according to the Japanese dietary recommendation specified for pregnant women. The intake of spinach and fruits was significantly greater in the high folate group than in the low folate group. CONCLUSION: Folate intake was thought to be adequate to maintain a desirable level of serum folate concentration in Japanese pregnant women in the first trimester, although the intake of folate from natural food was not high enough to meet the recommended daily intake.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Maternal weight gain ranges for optimal fetal growth in Japanese women.

OBJECTIVE: To identify adequate weight gain ranges during pregnancy in Japanese women. METHOD: Obstetric records from 2001 to 2002 for 46,659 term, singleton, vaginally delivered live births was used to estimate IUGR and macrosomia risk. Total maternal weight gain was grouped according to gestational age-specific percentile values of weight gain as follows: "very low" (under the 25th), "low" (25th to 49th), "moderate" (50th to 74th), "high" (75th to 89th), and "very high" (90th and over). RESULTS: About 6% of infants were identified as having IUGR and 0.9% as macrosomia. IUGR risk was elevated with low weight gains. Macrosomia risk was related to high weight gains and previous spontaneous abortions. CONCLUSION: Achieving weight gains between the 50th and 75th percentiles for gestational age was considered adequate for optimal fetal growth in Japanese pregnant women.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Human standing posture control system depending on adopted strategies.

Control of the standing posture of humans involves at least two distinct modes of operation to restore the body balance in the sagittal plane: the ankle strategy and the hip strategy. The objective of the study was to estimate the contribution of vestibular, visual and somatosensory feedbacks to these distinct strategies. The body dynamics was described as the motion of two linked rigid segments that represented the legs and the rest of the body. The posture controller received the inclination angles of the two body segments as inputs and regulated the moments around the ankle and hip joints. The controller had four feedback paths that were characterised by transfer functions connecting the two inputs and the two outputs. To evoke the distinct strategies, the floor conditions were varied by narrowing the support surface under the feet. A continuous pseudo-random external disturbing force was applied to the waist and the thigh independently. The inclination angles of the body segments and the ground reaction force were measured, and the transfer functions of the controller were estimated with the maximum-likelihood system identification procedure. Six healthy male adult subjects participated in the experiment. When the hip strategy became evident under the narrow support surface conditions, the transfer function relating the leg inclination angle and the ankle joint moment decreased its DC gain (16%), whereas the other three transfer functions increased the gains (20-140%) (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Based on a criterion for simplicity in the modification of the posture controller, these changes suggest a new hypothesis that, when posture control becomes difficult, the central nervous system selectively activates the somatosensory feedback paths from the hip joint angle to the moments around the ankle and hip joints.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Runx2-deficient mice lack mandibular condylar cartilage and have deformed Meckel's cartilage.

Runx2 (runt-related transcription factor 2) deficient mice lacked the mandibular condylar cartilage and the mandibular bone. The anlage of the condylar process consisted of mesenchymal condensation, which expressed Type I collagen mRNA and alkaline phosphatase activity, but not Type II collagen and aggrecan mRNAs. Therefore, the differentiation of the mandibular condylar cartilage stopped at the preosteoblast (skeletoblast) stage. The lateral pterygoid muscle was attached to this anlage, and relatively abundant mesenchymal condensations were also formed at the muscle-attaching sites, e.g. the anlage of the mandibular body, the angular and coronoid processes. Three-dimensional reconstruction models showed that each mesenchymal condensation was connected to one another, and roughly outlined the shape of the mandible. Meckel's cartilage in the Runx2-deficient mice had two ectopic cartilaginous processes to which the digastric and myohyoid muscles were attached. These findings indicate that Runx2 is essential for the formation of the mandibular condylar cartilage, as well as for normal development of Meckel's cartilage and that muscle tissues influence mandible morphology.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed2004

Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor expression is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer patients after curative surgery.

AIMS: Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) is an angiogenic factor that undergoes increased expression in colorectal carcinomas, but its prognostic value is a topic of debate. The aim of this study is to clarify the prognostic value of PD-ECGF expression in colorectal carcinomas. METHODS: PD-ECGF expression was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in frozen materials from 134 colorectal cancer patients who had received curative resections. Patients were divided into high expression and low expression groups based upon selected cut-off value. Correlations among PD-ECGF expression, clinicopathologic features, and disease-free interval were studied by univariate and multivariate analysis. To evaluate the origin of PD-ECGF, serial sections of the 134 tumours were stained for PD-ECGF and CD68. RESULTS: PD-ECGF expression in the normal mucosa was 34.4+/-15.5 (Units/mg protein) and the cut-off value was 65.4 (mean+2SD). There were no significant correlations between clinicopathological features and PD-ECGF expression. The disease-free interval for the high PD-ECGF expression group was significantly longer than that of the low expression group (P=0.05). A multivariate Cox's regression analysis revealed that high PD-ECGF expression is an independent factor for better outcome. In immunohistochemical study, almost all tumour cells were negative for PD-ECGF, but stromal macrophages were predominantly positive for PD-ECGF. CONCLUSIONS: The PD-ECGF expression originated from stromal macrophages was a predictor for favorable outcome after curative resections for colorectal cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Effects of 20 days of bed rest on the viscoelastic properties of tendon structures in lower limb muscles.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 20 days' bed rest on the viscoelastic properties of human tendon structures in knee extensor and plantar flexor muscles in vivo. METHODS: Eight healthy men (age: 24+/-4 years, height: 172+/-9 m, body mass: 69+/-13 kg) carried out a 6 degrees head-down bed rest for 20 days. Before and after bed rest, elongation (L) of the tendon and aponeurosis of vastus lateralis (VL) and medial gastrocnemius muscles (MG) during isometric knee extension and plantar flexion, respectively, were determined using real-time ultrasonic apparatus, while the subjects performed ramp isometric contraction up to the voluntary maximum, followed by ramp relaxation. The relationship between estimated muscle force (Fm) and tendon elongation (L) was fitted to a linear regression, the slope of which was defined as stiffness. The hysteresis was calculated as the ratio of the area within the Fm-L loop to the area beneath the load portion of the curve. RESULTS: L values above 100 N were significantly greater after bed rest for VL, while there were no significant differences in L values between before and after for MG. The stiffness decreased after bed rest for VL (70.3+/-27.4 v 50.1+/-24.8 N/mm, before and after bed rest, respectively; p = 0.003) and MG (29.4+/-7.5 v 25.6+/-7.8 N/mm, before and after bed rest, respectively; p = 0.054). In addition, hysteresis increased after bed rest for VL (16.5+/-7.1% v 28.2+/-12.9%, before and after bed rest, respectively; p = 0.017), but not for MG (17.4+/-4.4% v 17.7+/-6.1%, before and after bed rest, respectively; p = 0.925). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that bed rest decreased the stiffness of human tendon structures and increased their hysteresis, and that these changes were found in knee extensors, but not the plantar flexors.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Identification of two loci for resistance to clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin) in Brassica rapa L.

In an analysis of 114 F(2) individuals from a cross between clubroot-resistant and susceptible lines of Brassica rapa L., 'G004' and 'Hakusai Chukanbohon Nou 7' (A9709), respectively, we identified two loci, Crr1 and Crr2, for clubroot (caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin) resistance. Each locus segregated independently among the F(2) population, indicating that the loci reside on a different region of chromosomes or on different chromosomes. Genetic analysis showed that each locus had little effect on clubroot resistance by itself, indicating that these two loci are complementary for clubroot resistance. The resistance to clubroot was much stronger when both loci were homozygous for resistant alleles than when they were heterozygous. These results indicate that clubroot resistance in B. rapa is under oligogenic control and at least two loci are necessary for resistance.

Brassica rapa↗

PubMed2003

The changes of hepatic metallothionein synthesis and the hepatic damage induced by starvation in mice.

Metallothionein (MT) is induced in the liver not only by heavy metals, but also by stress such as starvation. However, the meaning of the induced MT during starvation has never been clear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between changes in hepatic MT synthesis and the hepatic damage that occurs during starvation. MT synthesis was assessed by measuring MT contents and the expression of the MT gene in the liver. The hepatic damage was assessed by measuring glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activities in the serum. MT synthesis in the liver increased over the normal level by starvation, but decreased under the normal level by refeeding after starvation. Both GPT and GOT activities of the refeeding group were higher than those of the control group. However, MT synthesis increased by a subcutaneous injection with CdCl(2) (1 mg Cd /kg) at the same time as refeeding after starvation. At this point, GOT activity decreased until it reached the normal level. MT synthesis decreased by refeeding after starvation, and from the results found in this study, we proposed the hypothesis that the liver damage caused by refeeding after starvation might be due to the decrease in the synthesis of a sufficient amount of MT induced by metals.

Alanine Transaminase↗

PubMed2002

Differential expression of secreted frizzled-related protein 4 in decidual cells during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the uterus shows marked morphological and physiological changes under the regulation of ovarian steroid. To elucidate the molecular cues of these changes, we tried to identify the transcripts differentially expressed in the pregnant rat uterus by using the suppression subtractive hybridization method. Seven independent clones were isolated and one of the up-regulated genes was secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4). sFRP4 contains a Wnt-binding domain and belongs to the secreted frizzled protein family whose members are assumed to function as modulators of the Wnt signal. The expression level of sFRP4 mRNA reached a peak in the pregnant uterus on day 12, when uterine decidualization was almost complete in the rat. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that sFRP4 transcripts were observed in the decidual cells. In addition, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells were shown to be overlapped in decidua, suggesting that sFRP4 mRNA expression was accompanied by the late phase of decidual cell proliferation. Moreover, sFRP4 and estrogen receptor-alpha transcripts were co-localized. Furthermore, we analyzed the regulation of sFRP4 by estrogen using 17 beta-estradiol-treated ovariectomized rats. sFRP4 mRNA was detected in the uterus at 48 h after estrogen treatment, especially in endometrial stroma where PCNA-positive cells were also observed. The results in this study led us to the notion that sFRP4 mRNA may be up-regulated after estrogen treatment in the late phase of uterine cell proliferation.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Inhibition of PSA flare in prostate cancer patients by administration of flutamide for 2 weeks before initiation of treatment with slow-releasing LH-RH agonist.

BACKGROUND: A prospective randomized study was designed to determine whether flutamide (FLU) administered before treatment with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist (LH-RHa) prevented prostate-specific antigen (PSA) flare in prostate cancer patients. METHODS: Prostate cancer patients were randomized into two groups and received either FLU (n = 11) or no pretreatment (n = 13) for 2 weeks before the initial injection of LH-RHa. LH-RHa (every 4 weeks) and FLU (every day) were administered throughout the period of this study. Blood samples, for the determination of PSA, testosterone (T), and luteinizing hormone levels, were collected before FLU administration, and before and 2, 7, 14, 28, 56, and 84 days after the first administration of LH-RHa. RESULTS: Treatment with FLU prior to LH-RHa induced an early decline in PSA level. The mean PSA level showed no significant secondary rise after LH-RHa administration in those patients with FLU pretreatment. Patients in both groups showed T flare after the first LH-RHa administration. However, the number of patients with PSA flare was significantly lower in patients with prior FLU administration than in those with LH-RHa alone. CONCLUSION: These results clearly demonstrate that, in patients with prostatic cancer, the administration of FLU for 2 weeks prior to the first LH-RHa administration is effective in preventing PSA flare, as well as in inducing an early decline in PSA levels.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2001

Calcium requirement estimated by balance study in elderly Japanese people.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium (Ca) of Japanese adults is proposed to be 600 mg/day, which is lower than those of other countries. In this report we estimated the Ca requirement and the RDA for Ca in elderly Japanese utilizing a Ca balance method. Subjects were 10 men aged 65-72 years and 10 women aged 62-77 years. Following a 14 day adaptation period, each participant was subjected to a low Ca diet (Ca 250 mg as a meal) for 6 days. After an interval of 2 weeks or more, another 14 day adaptation period was set and then a high Ca diet (Ca 250 mg as a meal and 600 mg as CaCO3) was served to the subjects for 6 days. Ca balance was calculated at each dose of Ca intake. Ca requirement was estimated by the intersection of the average Ca intake-retention diagram. Daily Ca requirement was 702 mg in the men and 788 mg in the women. The Ca requirement values were multiplied by 1.2 to obtain the RDA for Ca. As a result, RDA for Ca was 842 mg/day for men and 946 mg/day for women. When these values were normalized with the body weight, the RDA for Ca of Japanese and Caucasian women was similar (18.1 and 18.5 mg/kg body weight per day, respectively). Our results suggest the difference in Ca balance between the genders and among populations may be ascribed at least partly to differences in body size. In addition, body weight should be considered when comparing the RDAs among different populations.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Interleukin-4 reversed the Interleukin-1-inhibited proteoglycan synthesis through the inhibition of NO release: a possible involvement of intracellular calcium ion.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) causes cartilage degradation through nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. Although Interleukin-4 (IL-4) antagonizes the IL-1-mediated cartilage degradation, the precise mechanisms are not clear. We examined the effect of IL-4 on NO synthesis in parallel with intracellular Ca levels ([Ca(2+)]i) and proteoglycan (PG) synthesis. IL-4-inhibited IL-1-enhanced NO release in a dose-dependent manner. IL-1-enhanced [Ca(2+)]i in the chondrocytes, and IL-4 attenuated this increase. IL-4 reversed IL-1-inhibited PG synthesis. Accordingly, IL-4 reversed the IL-1-inhibited PG synthesis through the inhibition of NO release. An increase in [Ca(2+)]i with IL-1 is possibly involved in this action.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Sonographically detected malignant transformation of a simple renal cyst.

The clinical course is reported of a simple renal cyst which developed into a septated renal cyst, and finally to a cystic renal cell carcinoma. A 49-year-old man, who had been diagnosed as having a renal cyst, was found by repeated ultrasonography over 6 years to have solid components developing within the cyst. Radical nephrectomy was performed, and pathological examination confirmed cystic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This case clearly shows a natural history of malignant transformation from a simple renal cyst, and emphasizes that careful follow-up of renal cysts, especially of complicated renal cysts, is mandatory for successful treatment of RCC.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Bisphenol A enhances cadmium toxicity through estrogen receptor.

To clarify the action of estrogenic endocrine disruptors on cadmium (Cd)-induced metallothionein (MT) synthesis in the liver, we investigated the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on hepatic MT-I mRNA expression and MT contents after Cd injection. Liver damage after Cd injection was assessed by measuring glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activities in the serum. It was found that BPA reduced the Cd-induced expression of MT-I mRNA and MT protein in the liver. The administration of tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor antagonist, prevented the reduction of hepatic MT content by PA. Moreover both the GPT and GOT activities of the BPA-treated groups were higher than those of the control groups. These findings suggest that BPA reduced hepatic MT synthesis after Cd injection via the estrogen receptor which resulted in increased damage to the liver.

Alanine Transaminase↗

PubMed2001

[A case of bladder tumor producing granulocyte-colony stimulation factor and parathyroid hormone-related protein].

A 68-year-old woman presented with urinary pain and frequency. Cystoscopy, intravenous pyelography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a huge bladder mass and hydronephrosis of the left kidney. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-Bt) was done. Histopathological findings of TUR-biopsy was high grade transitional cell carcinoma. Post operatively, the laboratory examination showed marked leukocytosis with a maximum of 99,600/mm3 in the peripheral blood and a high level of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), 70 pg/ml in the serum (normal: less than 9.8 pg/ml). Serum calcium level increased gradually and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) revealed high, 8.4 pMol/l (normal: less than 0.6 pMol/l). The tumor cells were positive for G-CSF and PTH-rP immunohistochemical staining. She died of the disease 46 days after the operation. This is the third case of G-CSF and PTH-rP producing bladder tumor in the literature.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

A biphasic regulation of receptor mRNA expressions for growth hormone, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid in the rat dentate gyrus during acute stress.

Acute stress increases circulating ACTH and glucocorticoid levels. The hippocampus (HIP) is a target of such stress hormones as glucocorticoid and it also expresses receptors for growth hormone (GH), particularly in the dentate gyms (DG). In order to understand the interactions between glucocorticoids and functions of GH in HIP during acute stress, the mRNA levels for GH receptor (GHR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) were investigated in DG in rats exposed to restraint stress in the water (RSW). Using in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH), high level expressions of GHR mRNA were detected in DG. These were down-regulated by 14% after 0.5 h of RSW and then up-regulated by 38% over the initial level after 4 h of RSW. This biphasic enhancement of GHR mRNA expression in DG followed the elevation of plasma glucocorticoid levels and paralleled with biphasic expressions of mRNAs for GR and MR in DG. Although circulating GH levels did not show any correlation with the hippocampal GHR mRNA expression, adrenalectomy (ADX) decreased GHR mRNA expression in DG, and the dexamethasone treatment (DEX; 20 microg/100 microl, i.p.) of ADX rats rapidly increased the GHR mRNA expression in DG. These results have suggested that the GHR mRNA expression in the DG is regulated, at least in part, by glucocorticoids and that GH may be involved in responses of the DG to acute stress.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2000

Frequent occurrence of pre-existing alpha 2-->8-linked disialic and oligosialic acids with chain lengths up to 7 Sia residues in mammalian brain glycoproteins. Prevalence revealed by highly sensitive chemical methods and anti-di-, oligo-, and poly-Sia antibodies specific for defined chain lengths.

The pre-existence of alpha2-->8-linked disialic acid (di-Sia) and oligosialic acid (oligo-Sia) structures with up to 7 Sia residues was shown to occur on a large number of brain glycoproteins, including neural cell adhesion molecules (N-CAMs), by two highly sensitive chemical methods (Sato, C., Inoue, S., Matsuda, T., and Kitajima, K. (1998) Anal. Biochem. 261, 191-197; Sato, C., Inoue, S., Matsuda, T., and Kitajima, K. (1999) Anal. Biochem. 266, 102-109). This unexpected finding was also confirmed using a newly developed antibody prepared using a copolymer of alpha2-->8-linked N-acetylneuraminyl p-vinylbenzylamide and acrylamide as an immunogen and known antibodies whose immunospecificities were determined to be di- and oligo-Sia residues with defined chain lengths. The major significance of the new finding that di- and oligo-Sia chains exist on a large number of brain glycoproteins is 2-fold. First, it reveals a surprising diversity in the number and M(r) of proteins distinct from N-CAM that are covalently modified by these short sialyl glycotopes. Second, it suggests that synthesis of di- and/or oligo-Sia units may be catalyzed by alpha2-->8-sialyltransferase(s) that are distinct from the known polysialyltransferases, STX and PST, which are partially responsible for polysialylation of N-CAM.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

High-pressure synthesis of the polymorph of layer structured compounds MNX (M = Zr, Hf; X = Cl, Br, I).

Transition metal nitride halides MNX (M = Zr, Hf; X = Cl, Br, I) have two types of layer structured polymorphs, the alpha-form with the FeOCl type and the beta-form with the SmSI type. Both polymorphs consist of corrugated double M-N layers sandwiched between halogen layers, but with different atomic arrangements within the layers. The beta-form had been considered to be a high-temperature polymorph, because some beta-forms were obtained by thermal treatment of the corresponding alpha-forms. Here, the alpha-form was successfully transformed into the beta-form under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions; the new members of the beta-form were prepared for the first time from alpha-HfNBr, alpha-ZrNI, and alpha-HfNI using a high pressure of 3-5 GPa at 900 degrees C. The beta-form should be characterized as the high-pressure form rather than the corresponding high-temperature polymorph. This is the first high-pressure study on the polymorphs of metal nitride systems.

Journal Article↗