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Biomedical subjects

H Tagami

Publications and source records attributed to H Tagami.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The importance of CD54 and CD86 costimulation in T cells stimulated with Candida albicans and Dermatophagoides farinae antigens in patients with atopic dermatitis.

A number of studies have demonstrated an increased frequency of allergen-specific T cells producing increased amounts of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-5, but little interferon-y in both the peripheral blood and skin lesions of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study, to further clarify the characteristics of T cells obtained from AD patients, we examined the dependency of the antigen-specific proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from AD patients on costimulatory molecules. The antigens used were Candida albicans and Dermatophagoides farinae, for which AD patients show increased levels of IgE antibodies. PBMC from control healthy donors stimulated with these antigens incorporated [3H]-thymidine much more than PBMC from AD patients. The addition of anti-CD54, -CD40, -CD80 and -CD86 monoclonal antibodies to the cultures showed that the PBMC required only CD54 and CD86 for stimulation with C. albicans, but required CD54, CD80 and CD86 for stimulation with D. farinae. Among these monoclonal antibodies, the anti-CD54 antibody suppressed the proliferative responses of most PBMC, most effectively followed by the anti-CD86 antibody. However, there were no significant differences in the requirement for costimulatory molecules of PBMC proliferation stimulated with C. albicans or D. farinae between AD patients and healthy donors. Since many studies have suggested that T-helper type 1 and T-helper type 2 immune responses are different in their dependency on CD80 or CD86 costimulation, our present results suggest that the allergen-specific T cells of AD patients are not completely shifted to a T-helper type 2 subset.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Tufted hair folliculitis developing in a recalcitrant lesion of pemphigus vulgaris.

We describe tufted hair folliculitis that developed in a chronically erosive plaque on the scalp of a Japanese man patient with pemphigus vulgaris. After repeated intralesional corticosteroid injections, the erosive lesion improved, leaving multiple hairs emerging from single follicular openings. The current case suggests that localized exudative inflammatory lesions in the scalp regardless of cause can result in tufted hair formation.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Possible in vivo crosstalk between transcription factors with zinc-finger and leucine-zipper motifs in murine peripheral but not central excitable tissues.

In eukaryotes, de novo synthesis of proteins is mainly under control at the level of gene transcription by nuclear transcription factors with unique protein motifs such as leucine-zipper and zinc-finger. Binding of radiolabeled oligonucleotide probes for the "leucine-zipper" transcription factors, including activator protein-1 (AP1) and cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), was markedly reduced in nuclear extracts of the adrenals from mice sacrificed 2 h after the subcutaneous injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA), an agonist at glucocorticoid (GC) receptors which are also a transcription factor with "zinc-finger" motifs. The reduction was most significant 2 h after the administration, with recovery to the control level within 7 h after the injection. Moreover, the administration of TA invariably doubled immunoreactivities to an antibody against human GC receptors in nuclear fractions of the adrenal, pituitary and hypothalamus, with a concomitant reduction of those in cytosol fractions. Similar inhibition by TA was also seen with AP1 binding in the pituitary, while TA did not affect binding of radioprobes for AP1 and CREB in any discrete brain structures. These results suggest that systemic TA signals may be preferentially transduced into cell nuclei to attenuate DNA binding activities of AP1 through molecular mechanisms associated with crosstalk between transcription factors with different protein motifs in murine peripheral but not central excitable tissues.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1998

Dendritic cell activation induced by various stimuli, e.g. exposure to microorganisms, their products, cytokines, and simple chemicals as well as adhesion to extracellular matrix.

Before the establishment of procedures to cultured dendritic cells (DCs) from peripheral blood or bone marrow progenitor cells using a combination of several cytokines, Langerhans cells (LCs) of the epidermis have been used as the best characterized dendritic cell population. The studies using LCs freshly isolated from the skin or DCs from the blood or spleen and cultured DCs from progenitors have elucidated that although DCs are a unique cell population characterized by their potent antigen presenting function, especially by their induction of primary antigen-specific T cell responses, they are immature and less potent in antigen presenting function immediately after isolated from the skin or from other non-lymphoid tissues. Therefore, DCs must be stimulated to augment their antigen presenting function and to initiate a naive T cell response. Recently, it becomes clear that a variety of signals, such as microorganisms, cytokines, adhesion to extracellular matrix, and simple chemicals like haptens, can induce this activation process in DCs, which is also called as DC maturation. In this paper, we discuss what kinds of stimuli effectively activate DCs.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from psoriatic patients are hyporesponsive to beta-streptococcal superantigens.

The strong association of acute guttate psoriasis and streptococcal throat infection, together with the preferential use of T cells expressing a particular T-cell receptor, has suggested a role for bacterial superantigens in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. We examined the proliferative responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), obtained from patients with psoriasis and from healthy controls, to streptococcal superantigens, cytoplasmic membrane-associated protein (CAP) and secretion-type CAP (SCAP), isolated from group A, beta-haemolytic streptococci. PBLs from patients with psoriasis showed significantly less response to SCAP and CAP than those from healthy controls. Because there was no difference between psoriatic patients and controls in the proliferative response of PBLs to staphylococcal enterotoxin A or E (SEA, SEE) or the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), these findings strongly suggest that the reduced reactivity to the streptococcal superantigens seems to reflect anergy of a population of PBLs to the superantigens. As the CAP used in the present study stimulates V beta 8 T cells selectively, we further examined the proliferation of V beta 8 T cells after such stimulation using flow cytometry. V beta 8 T cells obtained from three of four psoriatic patients failed to proliferate in the presence of CAP, whereas they proliferated vigorously in the presence of SEE, which activates V beta 8 T cells, confirming the specific hyporesponsiveness of PBLs from psoriatic patients to streptococcal superantigens. We then determined the effects of serum factors on the suppressed response of PBLs to the streptococcal superantigens with SCAP or CAP. It was partially restored when PBLs were cultured with sera obtained from healthy subjects, although the responses were still significantly lower than those of the healthy controls. In contrast, psoriatic sera markedly suppressed the proliferative response of PBLs from healthy controls to CAP or SCAP, but showed no suppression of the proliferative response of PBLs to SEA. Because these findings suggest the presence of specific inhibitory factors in psoriatic sera, we examined whether the inhibitory effect was caused by antisuperantigen antibody. However, no significant increase was detected in antibody titre to CAP in psoriatic sera, as has been noted in sera from patients with poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. The present results show for the first time the hyporesponsiveness of PBLs to streptococcal superantigens and the presence of serum inhibitors that specifically inhibit T-cell response to the superantigens in psoriatic patients. These findings suggest a pathological role for streptococcal infections in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Decreased hydration state of the stratum corneum and reduced amino acid content of the skin surface in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Recent studies of the stratum corneum (SC) in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have disclosed various functional impairments even in clinically unaffected skin. However, it has not been clear whether the presence of atopic background itself has any influence on the function of the SC. In this study, we conducted functional studies of the SC in the mid-portion of the flexor surface of the forearm of 49 skin lesion-free patients with allergic rhinitis to Japanese cedar pollen (atopic respiratory disease; ARD) in early spring, their disease-active season, by comparing the findings obtained with those in 28 patients with AD and 57 age-matched healthy control subjects. The results showed that the patients with ARD had significantly lower skin surface hydration levels assessed by high-frequency conductometry than those of the healthy control subjects. These levels were, however, not as low as those noted in moderately or severely affected patients with AD. Moreover, by measuring the amounts of water-soluble amino acids contained in the superficial portions of the SC, we found that these are also decreased at a marginal level (P = 0.051) in patients with ARD compared with levels in healthy control subjects. In contrast, the water barrier function of the SC evaluated by measurements of transepidermal water loss in patients with ARD was not different from that of the healthy control subjects. These results suggest that, although their skin appears normal clinically, the SC of the patients with ARD has functional deficiency in water-holding capacity.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A global repressor (Mlc) is involved in glucose induction of the ptsG gene encoding major glucose transporter in Escherichia coli.

Glucose stimulates the expression of ptsG encoding the major glucose transporter in Escherichia coli. We isolated Tn 10 insertion mutations that confer constitutive expression of ptsG. The mutated gene was identified as mlc, encoding a protein that is known to be a repressor for transcription of several genes involved in carbohydrate utilization. Expression of ptsG was eliminated in a mlc crp double-negative mutant. The Mlc protein was overproduced and purified. In vitro transcription studies demonstrated that transcription of ptsG is stimulated by CRP-cAMP and repressed by Mlc. The action of Mlc is dominant over that of CRP-cAMP. DNase I footprinting experiments revealed that CRP-cAMP binds at two sites centred at -40.5 and -95.5 and that Mlc binds at two regions centred around -8 and -175. The binding of CRP-cAMP stimulated the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter while Mlc inhibited the binding of RNA polymerase but not the binding of CRP-cAMP. Gel-mobility shift assay indicated that glucose does not affect the Mlc binding to the ptsG promoter. Our results suggest that Mlc is responsible for the repression of ptsG transcription and that glucose modulates the Mlc activity by unknown mechanism.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

A twenty-four-hour occlusive exposure to 1% sodium lauryl sulfate induces a unique histopathologic inflammatory response in the xerotic skin of atopic dermatitis patients.

Twenty-four-hour occlusive exposures of 1% aqueous sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) produced unique functional and histological responses in patients with atopic dermatitis. Disruption of the stratum corneum barrier, measured by transepidermal water loss, was much greater and longer lasting than in normal controls. In contrast to controls the histologic pattern induced reproduced the typical features of the disease with spongiosis, exocytosis of mononuclear cells and a perivenular infiltrate containing eosinophils. The perivascular infiltrate consisted of CD1a+, CD4+ and HLA-DR+ cells, which was much greater and more persistent in atopics. Eosinophilic major basic protein was abundant in atopics but absent in controls. SLS provocation of atopic dermatitis is a striking experimental example of Koebnerization, in which disruption of the stratum corneum barrier as well as cytokine activation of keratinocytes reproduces the clinical diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate can transform monocyte-derived dendritic cells to different cell types similar to those found in dermatofibroma. A possible in vitro model of the histogenesis of dermatofibroma.

Dermatofibroma is composed largely of interlacing fascicles of slender spindle cells set within a loose collagenous stroma and of scattered foamy histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells. There is clear evidence indicating that factor XIIIa+ dermal dendritic cells (DDCs) are the cells constituting dermatofibromas. However, it is still unknown what stimulation is responsible for transforming DDCs into different cell types, producing different subtypes of dermatofibromas. Recently, it has become possible to obtain dendritic cells (DCs), that are identical with DDCs in their phenotypic and functional characteristics, from the culture of CD14+ peripheral blood monocytes to which IL-4 and GM-CSF were added. Using these monocyte-derived DCs, we examined the ability of various cytokines, such as IL-1beta , IL-3, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, TNFalpha, TGFbeta, M-CSF, IFNalpha, and IFNgamma, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), to induce different cell types observed in DFs. Among them, only PMA could induce a variety of cell types such as histiocytic cells, fibroblastic spindle-shaped cells, and even multinucleated giant cells of Touton or foreign body type. Phenotypically, all the induced cell types expressed CD1a, CD80, CD86, HLA-DR, and CD68 in a magnitude similar to that of non-treated monocyte-derived DCs. The expression of factor XIIIa was strongest in histiocytic cells, moderate in fibroblastic cells, and weakest or negative in giant cells. These data suggest that dermatofibromas are a kind of neoplastic disease which is induced only by the effect of some tumor promoter on DDCs.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1998

Solitary subcutaneous mucinosis surrounded by bizarre-shaped, factor XIIIa-positive cells with intranuclear vacuoles.

We describe a subcutaneous mucinosis developing in the right cheek of a 38-year-old man. Histologic examination revealed bipolar fibroblast-like cells embedded in a well demarcated mucinous stroma in the subcutis without a manifest reticulin network. In addition, bizarre, sometimes multinucleate, cells with intranuclear vacuoles were found at the periphery of the mucinous stroma. Immunohistologically, both the bipolar fibroblastic cells and bizarre-shaped cells were positive for vimentin, but were negative for smooth muscle A-actin, desmin, CD34, S100, trypsin, or chymotrypsin. However, the latter reacted to anti-factor XIIIa antibody, suggesting that they are derived from dermal dendritic cells. We think that this solitary subcutaneous mucinosis is a unique variant of cutaneous focal mucinosis, because neither a reticulin network nor reactivity to anti-smooth muscle A-actin antibody were demonstrable.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Release of monocyte chemoattractants by polymorphonuclear leukocytes stimulated by their adhesion to stratum corneum opsonized via complement activation, measured with a human acute monocytic leukemic cell line, THP-1.

Stratum corneum (SC) exposed to living tissues, induces inflammation characterized by the formation of mixed cell granulomas consisting of infiltrative polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and monocytes/macrophages. In this study, to clarify the mechanism for the later monocyte accumulation in SC-induced granulomas, we evaluated monocyte chemotactic activity induced by PMNs treated with serum-opsonized SC by using a human acute monocytic leukemic cell line, THP-1. When the supernatant was obtained from a PMN suspension cultured with opsonized plantar SC, higher THP-1 chemotactic activity was detected as compared with that cultured with non-opsonized SC. Although some concentrations of the chemokines, MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta, were detected in supernatants obtained from the PMN suspensions cultured with plantar SC than in the control suspensions of PMN alone, their production by PMN was not influenced by the opsonization procedure. In contrast, MCP-1 was found to be secreted from PMN suspensions constitutively, showing no correlation to this THP-1 chemotactic activity. Moreover, HPLC analysis of PMN suspensions indicated that factors with far higher molecular weight values than these chemokines are involved in the chemotaxis of THP-1 cells.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1998

An increased ratio of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist to interleukin-1alpha in inflammatory skin diseases.

IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) is a cytokine that competitively binds the IL-1 receptor to antagonize IL-1 activity without any agonist function. Previous experiments indicated that the ratio of IL-1ra to IL-1alpha in the normal stratum corneum (SC) was much higher in the sun-exposed face than in the sun-protected area, upper arms. It was also reported by another laboratory that IL-1ra is increased in the lesional skin of psoriatic patients. This study was designed to measure the contents of IL-1alpha and IL-1ra in non-lesional and pathological SC obtained from inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis and non-psoriatic dermatoses such as atopic dermatitis. The SC materials were obtained with a non-invasive tape-stripping method. Their soluble fractions were prepared and assayed for IL-1alpha and IL-1ra by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. As a result we confirmed the previous findings that the ratio of IL-1ra to IL-1alpha in the normal SC was much higher in the face than in the sun-protected sites, the trunk as well as extremities. Next, we found that IL-1alpha contents were significantly reduced in the SC samples obtained from inflammatory skin regardless of whether their IL-1ra contents increased or unchanged. Moreover, we noted that an increased ratio of IL-1ra to IL-1alpha in the SC was not specific to psoriasis, but was also found in other inflammatory skin diseases including atopic dermatitis. This ratio was found to become lower after successful treatment of these skin lesions with topical glucocorticoids. We conclude from these observations that the increased ratio of IL-1ra to IL-1alpha in the SC is a non-specific phenomenon that can occur in any inflammatory skin diseases regardless of the inflammatory pattern, probably reflecting a skin regulation process against various kinds of inflammation.

Dermatitis↗
PubMed1998

Detection of human papillomavirus type 33 DNA in extragenital Bowen's disease with the polymerase chain reaction.

BACKGROUND: Data on the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with extragenital Bowen's disease are very scarce. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection in extragenital Bowen's disease showing histologically a number of koilocytes in the lesional epidermis, we studied formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of 9 such cases. METHODS: HPV DNA was studied in such samples by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Despite negative results with in situ hybridization, the PCR with HPV type 33 primer detected the presence of virus DNA in 2 out of 9 cases. CONCLUSION: As far as we know, this is the first report of the detection of HPV type 33 DNA in the lesional skin of extragenital Bowen's disease. The prevalence of HPV infection in extragenital Bowen's disease may be higher than expected, especially in cases histologically showing many koilocytes in the lesional epidermis.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Nonepisodic angioedema associated with eosinophilia: report of 4 cases and review of 33 young female patients reported in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In 1984, Gleich et al. described 4 patients with episodic angioedema associated with eosinophilia (EAE), which was characterized by recurrent episodes of angioedema and urticaria, eosinophilia, elevated serum IgM, fever, increased body weight and a benign course without involvement of the internal organs demonstrating that it was a clinical entity distinct from the hypereosinophilic syndrome. Thereafter, 37 cases of EAE have been reported in Japan, 33 cases of which, although similar, had a different evolution from classical EAE. OBJECTIVE: To describe 4 cases and review the cases of angioedema associated with eosinophilia reported in Japan. RESULTS: Four Japanese female patients had persistent angioedema mainly involving the hands and lower legs, and eosinophilia which resolved within a few months. The review of the 37 cases of EAE in the Japanese literature demonstrated that in 33 cases, there were common characteristics which differed from EAE. These included: (1) the absence of recurrent attacks; (2) the predominance of young females (20-37 years, with a mean of 26 years); (3) the localization of the angioedema to the extremities; (4) the absence of increase in the serum IgM level, and (5) the effectiveness of low-dose prednisone or even the occurrence of spontaneous remission. CONCLUSION: We propose that persistent angioedema with eosinophilia can be classified into 2 types, i.e. one being an episodic (recurrent) type as reported by Gleich and a nonepisodic type as our 4 cases and others found in the Japanese literature.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effect of methylcarbonylmethyl 2(S)-[4-(4-guanidino-benzoyloxy)phenyl] propionate methanesulfonate (TT-S24) on experimental pancreatitis in rats.

The effect of methylcarbonylmethyl 2(S)-14-(4-guanidino-benzoyloxy) phenyl] propionate methanesulfonate (TT-S24) on experimental pancreatitis in rats was examined in comparison with that of camostat. TT-S24 showed a preventive effect on increases in plasma amylase activity and pancreatic weight induced by cerulein injection. TT-S24 also reduced an increase in plasma amylase activity induced by taurocholate. TT-S24 effectively prevented the mortality induced by an injection of a mixture of trypsin and taurocholate. TT-S24 showed no effect on an increase in amylase activity 6 h after duodenum ligation (closed duodenal loop pancreatitis), indicating that the drug had no effect on the initiation and propagation step of closed duodenal loop pancreatitis. On the other hand, TT-S24 reduced an increase in amylase activity 6 h after release of the duodenum ligation. TT-S24 showed anti-trypsin, anti-kallikrein, anti-thrombin and anti-plasmin activities. The effect of TT-S24 on some experimental pancreatitis models was nearly equal to or somewhat more potent in most instances to that of camostat. Therefore, TT-S24 should be useful in the clinical treatment of pancreatitis.

Amylases↗
PubMed1998

Effect of methylcarbonylmethyl 2(S)-[4-(4-guanidinobenzoyloxy) phenyl] propionate methanesulfonate (TT-S24) on pancreatic secretion in rats.

The effect of methylcarbonylmethyl 2(S)-[4-(4-guanidinobenzoyloxy) phenyl] propionate methanesulfonate (TT-S24), a newly synthesized trypsin inhibitor, on exocrine pancreatic secretion was examined and compared with that of camostat in rats. Intraduodenal (i.d.) administration of TT-S24 and camostat resulted in an increase in volume, amylase concentration and amylase output of pancreatic juice. Although i.v. injection of TT-S24 and camostat (3 mg/kg) had no effect on the pancreatic juice volume, TT-S24 (i.v.) dose-dependently increased pancreatic juice volume under acetylcholine (10 micrograms/kg/min) infusion. In addition, the weight of pancreases from WBN rats was significantly increased by 28 day oral administration of TT-S24 (100 mg/kg) with a potency similar to that observed with camostat.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1998

Annular elastolytic sarcoidosis of the face.

We report a case of facial annular lesions in a non-diabetic, Japanese woman aged 78, the histopathological study of which showed noncaseating, epithelioid cell granuloma with multinucleated giant cells. Together with the aberrant laboratory data, these clinical and histopathological findings were considered to be compatible with those of sarcoidosis, but elastic tissue stain disclosed the existence of elastolytic changes which were clinically and histopathologically similar to those found in actinic granuloma or annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma. Based on a review of the literature, we believe that several annular elastolytic granulomatous diseases of the face form a disease spectrum, some of which are identified with intermediate features of these three diseases.

Aged↗