PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Nishihara

Publications and source records attributed to H Nishihara.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[A case of advanced breast cancer receiving combination therapy with 5'-DFUR and MPA with remarkable results].

A 75-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with advanced breast cancer (T4bN3M0, Stage IIIb). She received chemoendocrine therapy of 5'-DFUR 800 mg/day and MPA 800 mg/ day for 2 months. The main tumor and metastatic lymph nodes were remarkably reduced and became resectable. Histological examination revealed necrotic change of the tumor tissues. This combination therapy proved very useful for advanced breast cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: association with KS and persistence in patients receiving anti-herpesvirus drugs.

Herpesvirus-like DNA sequences (KSHV/HHV-8) have recently been described in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) lesions. Many questions remain regarding the role of this virus in KS and the therapeutic implications of this finding. In the current study, KSHV/HHV-8 DNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with KS (34/98) more often than in HIV-infected individuals without KS (12/64, P = .03). The detection of KSHV/HHV-8 DNA did not correlate with the CD4 lymphocyte count. Five patients demonstrated KSHV/HHV-8 DNA in their PBMCs during administration of intravenous foscarnet and/or ganciclovir. The continued detection of KSHV/HHV-8 DNA in the PBMCs of patients receiving these anti-herpesvirus drugs has potential implications regarding the virus-cell relationship of KSHV/HHV-8, as well as for the value of these drugs in treating or preventing KS, but additional studies are needed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

Possible involvement of RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp)-containing extracellular matrix proteins in rat growth plate chondrocyte differentiation in culture.

RGD (arg-gly-asp)-containing proteins have been shown to be components of cartilage matrix. In the present study, the role of interactions of cells with RGD-containing cartilage matrix proteins in rat costal epiphyseal chondrocyte differentiation was examined using a pelleted culture system as an in vitro model of endochondral ossification. Cell attachment assays showed the presence of integrins which mediated the binding of chondrocytes to fibronectin, a member of RGD-containing cartilage matrix proteins, in an RGD-dependent manner. In the early culture period, when chondrocytes had nonhypertrophic morphology with low levels of alkaline phosphatase, the exogenous addition of synthetic peptide GRGDSP (gly-arg-gly-asp-ser-pro) caused an increase in alkaline phosphatase levels and enlargement of chondrocytes in pelleted cultures. Treatment with GRGDSP from the early to late culture periods in association with the transition of chondrocytes from prehypertrophic to hypertrophic phenotypes followed by matrix mineralization resulted in suppression of mineral growth without significant effects on alkaline phosphatase levels or cellular morphology in the cultures. Similarly, addition of the synthetic peptide during the late culture period with the advance of cartilage mineralization suppressed mineral growth in pelleted cultures. These data indicate an important role of interactions of chondrocytes with RGD-containing cartilage matrix proteins through integrins in the regulation of epiphyseal chondrocyte differentiation in pelleted cultures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Clinical features of measles in immunocompromised children.

Measles is often fatal for immunocompromised hosts. Protective immunity against measles has been studied but is still not completely understood. Recently, five cases of measles were encountered in immunocompromised children. Two of these were allogeneic bone marrow transplanted cases (one common variable immunodeficiency and one severe aplastic anemia) in remission, one Wilms' tumor case in remission, one hepatoblastoma case after cytotoxic therapy at disease onset and one exaggerating hemophagocytic syndrome case with suppressed natural killer cell activity. Clinical symptoms, laboratory findings and the immunologic backgrounds of these five patients were investigated. One of the patients, an 8 year old boy with hemophagocytic syndrome, died of giant cell pneumonia which was confirmed in the section of necropsy lung specimen. Two other patients who received allogeneic bone marrow transplants were not immune to measles, despite their own and their donors' immunizations. Their clinical symptoms were rather severe but both patients recovered and have remained seropositive for as long as 13 months. This fatality from measles is the first reported in a patient with hemophagocytic syndrome. Suppressed natural killer cell activity may be a poor prognostic factor. Also, secondary immunization failure for measles can occur in bone marrow transplanted patients with rather severe clinical symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Recurrent cold hemagglutinin disease following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation successfully treated with plasmapheresis, corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide.

A 10-year-old male with severe aplastic anemia following allogeneic BMT developed a hemolytic crisis on post-BMT day 67. The diagnosis of cold hemagglutinin disease was made based on the findings of anemia, reticulocytosis, positive direct Coombs test, and markedly elevated cold agglutinins. Anti-nuclear antibody and anti-DNA antibody were also increased. Plasmapheresis was effective as an emergency measure. Corticosteroid after plasmapheresis had a transient effect. At the second episode of hemolysis 6 months after BMT, immunosuppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide plus corticosteroid was successfully administered without negative effect on engraftment.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1995

Successful treatment of an infant with veno-occlusive disease developed after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation by tissue plasminogen activator, heparin and prostaglandin E1.

A 15-month-old boy with severe aplastic anemia developed veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), in which the preparative regimen included 50 mg/kg/day cyclophosphamide and anti-lymphocyte globulin for 4 consecutive days. The diagnosis was made based on clinical symptoms and data including, hepatomegaly, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, jaundice, ascites, coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia which was refractory to transfusions of platelet concentrate. We gave 2, 3, 5 and 5 mg/day/body of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) followed by heparin and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) effectively and without significant side effect on days 9, 10, 13 and 14, respectively. Clinical and biochemical improvement was steady and dramatic. We suggest that tPA following continuous heparin and PGE1 infusion may be useful in the treatment of VOD even in infantile cases.

Alprostadil↗
PubMed1995

Detection of human cytomegalovirus DNA in immunocompromised children by polymerase chain reaction.

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major complication in immunocompromised patients, such as those with leukemia, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and allograft recipients. A sensitive and specific diagnostic procedure of CMV infection is required. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure has been demonstrated to be more sensitive than conventional virus isolation. However, CMV DNA can be detected in patients with latent or asymptomatic infections by PCR because of its extreme sensitivity. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we used PCR and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to detect CMV DNA and mRNA in immunocompromised patients and evaluated the value of PCR and RT-PCR for diagnosis of active CMV infection. STUDY DESIGN: We examined thirty immunocompromised children for CMV DNA using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). urine and throat swabs from October 1991 to March 1992. Eighteen of the patients had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, four had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, two had Wilms' tumor and six were recipients of an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Four patients developed CMV-related clinical symptoms during the observation period: two patients with pneumonia and two patients with hepatitis. RESULTS: CMV DNA was detected in four patients with clinical symptoms and in five patients without evidence of CMV infection. The incidence of CMV DNA was significantly higher in symptomatic patients than asymptomatic patients. CMV mRNA encoding the late antigen was detected by RT-PCR only in patients with clinical symptoms of CMV infection. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that detection of CMV DNA by PCR is of little clinical significance for distinguishing latent form active CMV infection. It is suggested that detection of CMV mRNA by RT-PCR is useful for diagnosis of active CMV infection.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Detection of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA in throat swabs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of immunocompromised patients with herpes zoster by polymerase chain reaction.

BACKGROUND: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is rarely isolated from throat swabs and peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with herpes zoster by conventional virus isolation methods. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a highly sensitive method to detect VZV genomes. It has been reported that VZV DNA was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (Puchhammerstockl et al., 1991) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with VZV-associated neurological symptoms (Gilden et al., 1992) by PCR. OBJECTIVES: We used the nested double PCR to detect VZV DNA in patients with herpes zoster. STUDY DESIGN: Sixteen patients with herpes zoster, ten immunocompromised and six immunocompetent patients, were studied. Throat swabs and PBMC were collected weekly and examined for VZV DNA by the nested double PCR. RESULTS: VZV DNA was detected in 60% (6/10) of throat swabs and in 60% (6/10) of PBMC of immunocompromised patients, and in 16.7% (1/6) of throat swabs and in 33% (2/6) of PBMC of immunocompetent patients within two weeks after the onset of skin rash. VZV DNA was detected in throat swabs or PBMC of two patients 5 and 7 days after cessation of acyclovir. CONCLUSION: VZV DNA was detected in throat swabs and PBMC-associated viremia exist in patients with herpes zoster. It is suggested that VZV spread from sensory ganglia to the skin or pharyngeal area along the nerve fiber or hematogenously and local cutaneous replication of VZV can lead to viremia with subsequent hematogenous dissemination in patients with herpes zoster.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

[Intraocular lens power calculation for short eye].

The accuracy of intraocular lens power calculation formulas for short eyes was examined. We examined 217 eyes with an axial length of shorter than 22.5 mm, with postoperative visual acuity of 0. 5 or more, and postoperative astigmatism of less than +/- 2D. Five formulas were tested for accuracy in prediction for postoperative refraction, the S-SRK, the SRK, the SRK II, the SRK/T, and the Binkhorst formulas. The best results were produced by the S-SRK formula which predicted 74% of the cases within +/- 1D error, if the axial length was shorter than 22 mm. The A-constant was also examined to study the effect of postoperative refraction. The A-constant takes into consideration the depth of the anterior chamber lens, so that the differences in depth would be influenced for short eyes rather than regular eyes in prediction. However, there was no significant difference among the different A-constant groups.

Cataract Extraction↗
PubMed1994

A case of a primary hepatic tumor causing segmental changes on imaging and its relation to Zahn's infarct.

A 69-year-old female was admitted to our hospital for further examination of an intrahepatic mass which had been found while undergoing a complete physical examination. The mass measured 4 cm in size and was located in the medial segment (S4) of the liver. On computed tomography (CT), S4 was observed to be 'atrophied' and was well enhanced segmentally. A celiac angiogram showed segmental staining, and a transarterial portogram demonstrated portal stoppage of S4 from the left branch. However, no segmental intensity difference was seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An aspiration biopsy showed adenocarcinoma and thus an operation was performed under a tentative diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The postoperative diagnosis of the tumor was combined hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma. However, no histological abnormality was seen in S4, contrary to the expectation of Zahn's infarct. In this study, we discuss the mechanism and imaging findings of Zahn's infarct, the possible reasons as to why no pathological change was seen in S4, as well as stress the rarity of reports on Zahn's infarct in cases of portal thrombus due to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Purification of form L2 RubisCO from a marine obligately autotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenovibrio marinus strain MH-110.

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) was purified from an obligately autotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenovibrio marinus MH-110. The protein has a M(r) value of approximately 110,000, and is composed of two identical subunits of 55,000. To our knowledge, the existence of L2-form RubisCO in a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium is first reported in this paper. The N-terminal amino acid sequence determination of the purified enzyme showed high homology with those of the L2-form RubisCO of Rhodospirillum rubrum and the Lx-form RubisCO from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Thallium-201 myocardial SPECT in Bland-White-Garland syndrome: two adult patients with inferoposterior perfusion defect.

A myocardial 201TI SPECT examination was conducted both prior to and following surgery of two adult patients with an anomalous left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery (Bland-White-Garland syndrome). In this syndrome, the anterior wall is usually affected first. Preoperative examination demonstrated an inferoposterior perfusion defect. In both patients, the right coronary artery was markedly dilated, and a significant left-to-right shunt formation was observed. Both patients were diagnosed as possibly having coronary steal syndrome. A prolonged inadequate blood supply to the right coronary region may cause inferoposterior cardiomyopathy. In the postoperative examination, myocardial perfusion markedly improved in one patient whose preoperative SPECT showed redistribution in a delayed scan. Thallium-201 SPECT was therefore found to be useful in assessing both the preoperative and postoperative myocardial perfusion.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

An evaluation of efficacy of cigarette smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

Correlation of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption habit was investigated in 562 male office workers aged 31 to 60 yr. HDL-C concentrations were found to be positively associated with alcohol consumption in subjects with relative weight below 10%, but a positive association was not observed in obese subjects having relative weight of 10% or above. In contrast, HDL-C levels were significantly lower in smokers than in non-smokers regardless of obesity. The effectiveness of smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum HDL-C was estimated by comparing prevalence rates of HDL-C levels lower than an arbitrarily determined HDL-C cutoff value in smokers with those in non-smokers. The estimation was made with unadjusted subjects and also with subjects adjusted for age, relative weight and alcohol consumption. The effectiveness was found to be considerably high in heavy smokers having lower HDL-C levels (less than or equal to 35 mg/dl) with or without hypercholesterolemia (greater than or equal to 220 mg/dl) and further remarkably high in all smokers having hypertriglyceridemia (greater than or equal to 300 mg/dl) besides lower HDL-C levels. It is therefore expected that health education focused on stopping smoking can produce favorable alterations in HDL-C for preventing coronary heart disease, especially in heavy smokers having low serum HDL-C levels concomitant with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Studies on the ultrastructure of the inner limiting membrane of the retina--distribution of anionic sites in the inner limiting membrane of the retina].

For demonstrating ultrastructurally the distribution of anionic sites (AS) in the inner limiting membrane (ILM) of the rabbit's retina, the immersion method with cationic tracer, polyethyleneimine (PEI) was applied. This method was found to be simple and useful for the observation of AS in the ILM. In the posterior pole of the eyeball (visual streak and medullary ray), PEI particles were arranged evenly in the lamina rara (LR) of the ILM. The mean diameter of PEI particles was 20 nm, and intervals between them (40-50 nm) were the same as those of fine strands in the LR. However, the peripheral retina, the distribution of PEI particles were sparse and random, while in the lamina densa (LD) of each ILM, PEI particles were absent. AS stained with PEI were present in the residual vitreous fibers. These results may provide the morphological basis for the theory that AS of the ILM act as a charge barrier between the retina and the vitreous cavity.

Animals↗