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Biomedical subjects

Hideki Yoshida

Publications and source records attributed to Hideki Yoshida.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Antithrombotic effects of odorless garlic powder both in vitro and in vivo.

Antithrombotic activities of odorless garlic powder were demonstrated in blood fibrinolytic and coagulation systems. Though the odorless garlic preparation did not influence tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) or its inhibitor secretions from human umbilical vein endothelial cells, it enhanced plasmin generation by t-PA on fibrin film and in chromogenic assays by 1.8-fold and 8.7-fold respectively. The coagulation system was considerably reduced after the administration of the garlic in a rat in situ loop model, indicating that increased levels of thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complex in the control group were significantly reduced to normal (sham) in the garlic group (p<0.05), which was associated with decreasing tendencies towards prolonged or increased values of coagulation parameters in the control group. These findings suggest that odorless garlic not only activates fibrinolytic activity by accelerating t-PA-mediated plasminogen activation, but also suppresses the coagulation system by downregulating thrombin formation, suggesting a beneficial role in preventing pathological thrombus formation in such cardiovascular disorders.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2006

Testicular microlithiasis identified ultrasonographically in Japanese adult patients: prevalence and associated conditions.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of testicular microlithiasis (TM) seen by testicular ultrasonography (US) in Japanese adult men referred for andrologic symptoms and evaluate associations of TM with pathologic conditions. METHODS: For 7 years, US was performed in 969 patients (mean age 40.9 years) at one institution. The patients were divided into groups with infertility (n = 550), unilateral testicular tumor (n = 46), or other andrologic conditions (n = 373). TM was identified as multiple small hyperechogenic foci. In the tumor group, only images of the tumor-free testis were reviewed. Patients with TM accompanying tumor or infertility completed follow-up questionnaires and US examinations. RESULTS: TM was diagnosed in 46 patients (mean age 38.5 years, range 23 to 75). The prevalence of TM was 17.4% in the tumor group, 5.6% in the infertility group, and 1.9% in the other-conditions group. TM was associated with testicular tumor and infertility, but not with other conditions. In patients with unilateral testicular germ cell tumor, the prevalence of carcinoma in situ in the contralateral testis was greater when TM was present in that testis (2 of 8 patients) than when TM was absent (0 of 32, P = 0.0037). No new testicular tumor developed subsequently. In the infertility group, the 31 patients with TM showed no subsequent testicular tumor development, and neither patient undergoing testicular biopsy had carcinoma in situ. CONCLUSIONS: TM, as demonstrated by US, was associated with infertility, as well as testicular tumor. TM in a testis contralateral to a unilateral testicular germ cell tumor may increase the risk of carcinoma in situ.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Identification of the Drosophila skpA gene as a novel target of the transcription factor DREF.

SKPa is component of a Drosophila SCF complex that functions in combination with the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UbcD1. skpA null mutation results in centrosome overduplication, unusual chromatin condensation, defective endoreduplication and cell-cycle progression. While the molecular mechanisms that regulate expression of the skpA gene are poorly understood, the DNA replication-related element (DRE) and the DRE-binding factor (DREF) play important roles in regulating proliferation-related genes in Drosophila and DRE (5'-TATCGATA) and DRE-like (5'-CATCGATT) sequences were here found to be involved in skpA promoter activity. Thus both luciferase transient expression assays in cultured Drosophila S2 cells using skpA promoter-luciferase fusion plasmids and anti-lacZ immunostaining of various tissues from transgenic third instar larvae carrying the skpA promoter-lacZ fusion genes provided supportive evidence. Furthermore, anti-SKPa immunostaining of eye imaginal discs from flies overexpressing DREF showed ectopic expression of protein in the region posterior to the morphogenetic furrow where DREF is overexpressed. Knockdown of DREF in some tissues where SKPa distribution is well known almost completely abrogated the skpA gene expression. These findings, taken together, indicate that the Drosophila skpA gene is a novel target of the transcription factor DREF.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Identification and characterization of a novel Drosophila 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate transporter.

Sulfation of macromolecules requires the translocation of a high energy form of nucleotide sulfate, i.e. 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS), from the cytosol into the Golgi apparatus. In this study, we identified a novel Drosophila PAPS transporter gene dPAPST2 by conducting data base searches and screening the PAPS transport activity among the putative nucleotide sugar transporter genes in Drosophila. The amino acid sequence of dPAPST2 showed 50.5 and 21.5% homology to the human PAPST2 and SLALOM, respectively. The heterologous expression of dPAPST2 in yeast revealed that the dPAPST2 protein is a PAPS transporter with an apparent K(m) value of 2.3 microm. The RNA interference of dPAPST2 in cell line and flies showed that the dPAPST2 gene is essential for the sulfation of cellular proteins and the viability of the fly. In RNA interference flies, an analysis of the genetic interaction between dPAPST2 and genes that contribute to glycosaminoglycan synthesis suggested that dPAPST2 is involved in the glycosaminoglycan synthesis and the subsequent signaling. The dPAPST2 and sll genes showed a similar ubiquitous distribution. These results indicate that dPAPST2 may be involved in Hedgehog and Decapentaplegic signaling by controlling the sulfation of heparan sulfate.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Color Doppler ultrasonography as a routine clinical examination in male infertility.

AIM: We assessed the value of scrotal color Doppler ultrasonography as a routine examination in infertile men. METHODS: Color Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 545 infertile men with a mean age of 35.8 years to detect intrascrotal abnormalities. Findings were compared with those of physical examination. RESULTS: Intrascrotal abnormalities were detected by ultrasonography in 65.3% of patients. Of 374 abnormalities, 58.3% were undetected by physical examination. Left varicocele was found in 313 patients (57.4%); testicular microlithiasis in 30 (5.5%); epididymal cyst in 21 (3.9%); right varicocele in 4 (0.8%); and testicular cysts in 3 (0.6%). One occurrence each (0.2%) was found for testicular tumor, intrascrotal hemangioma, and hydrocele of the spermatic cord. Compared to ultrasonography, sensitivity in detecting left varicocele by physical examination was 58.4%; specificity, 79.3%; accuracy, 67.3%; and positive predictive value, 79.3%. Venous diameters in the pampiniform plexus were 3 mm or more in 61.5% of 130 subclinical left varicoceles. Of 30 patients with testicular microlithiasis, 14 had varicocele, 2 had epididymal cyst,s 3 had a history of mumps orchitis, 1 had retractile testis, and 1 had a history of orchiectomy for contralateral testicular tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The routine Color Doppler ultrasonography is valuable for diagnosing scrotal abnormalities in infertile men, frequently detecting non-palpable lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of the clinical outcome after hormonal therapy for prostate cancer between Japanese and Caucasian men.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of race on the effectiveness of hormonal therapy in patients with prostate cancer, by comparing the outcomes of Caucasian men (CM) and Japanese-American men (JAM) treated with hormonal therapy at one institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine CM and 105 JAM with prostate cancer were treated with hormonal therapy at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. Age, stage, Gleason score, race, and pretreatment PSA levels were abstracted. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to construct overall and cause-specific survival curves, which were compared using log-rank statistics. These factors were assessed as to their interdependence and correlation with the clinical course using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Although there were no statistical differences in patient background, JAM who had received hormonal treatment had a better outcome than CM for overall and cause-specific survival rate (P = 0.001 and 0.036, respectively). Race was one of the significant prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis (P = 0.03). The findings suggest a difference in the effectiveness of hormonal therapy for prostate cancer in JAM living in Hawaii compared to CM. CONCLUSIONS: There were marked racial differences in clinical outcome after hormonal therapy between JAM and CM. A prospective study with more patients might be necessary to elucidate the differential effectiveness of hormonal therapy for prostate cancer in different races, especially between Japanese and Caucasians.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

[A case of proliferative cystits forming a tumorous lesion associated with male infertility].

A 41-year-old man was referred for infertility to our hospital. Retrograde ejaculation was suspected on several semen analyses. Retrograde cystourethrography showed irregular filling-defect at the base of bladder. Cystoscopic examination revealed a broad-based non-papillary bladder tumor, which was located mainly on the trigone of bladder. Transurethral resection was performed, and histological examination showed proliferative cystitis. Proliferative cystitis is not so rare, but there was no case report of proliferative cystitis associated with male infertility.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Transcriptional regulation of the Drosophila orc2 gene by the DREF pathway.

DNA replication-related element (DRE) and the DRE-binding factor (DREF) play an important role in regulating DNA replication-related genes such as PCNA and DNA polymerase alpha in Drosophila. We have previously reported that overexpression of DREF in developing eye imaginal discs induced ectopic DNA synthesis and apoptosis, which results in rough eyes. To identify genetic interactants with the DREF gene, we have carried out a screen for modifiers of the rough eye phenotype. One of the suppressor genes identified was the Drosophila orc2 gene. A search for known transcription factor recognition sites revealed that the orc2 gene contains three DREs, named DRE1 (+14 to +21), DRE2 (-205 to -198), and DRE3 (-709 to -702). Band mobility shift analysis using Kc cell nuclear extracts detected the specific complex formed between DREF and the DRE1 or DRE2. Specific binding of DREF to genomic region containing the DRE1 or DRE2 was further demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, suggesting that these are the genuine complexes formed in vivo. The luciferase assay in Kc cells indicated that the DRE sites in the orc2 promoter are involved in a transcriptional regulation of the orc2 gene. The results, taken together, demonstrate that the orc2 gene is under the control of DREF pathway.

5' Flanking Region↗
PubMed2005

Medical treatment of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis: should we always slice the "olive"?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy has recently gained wide acceptance as the optimum treatment of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS). However, medical treatment may be superior to laparoscopic surgery in invasiveness. The efficacy of our regimen of intravenous atropine therapy for IHPS was assessed in comparison with surgical treatment. METHODS: Medical treatment was initially chosen for 52 (61%) of 85 infants with IHPS at our institute between 1996 and 2004. Atropine was given intravenously at 0.01 mg/kg 6 times a day before feeding. When vomiting ceased and the infants were able to ingest 150 mL/kg per day of formula after stepwise increases in the feeding volume, they were given 0.02 mg/kg atropine 6 times a day orally, and the dose was decreased stepwise. RESULTS: Of the 52 patients, 45 (87%) ceased projectile vomiting with treatment using intravenous (median, 7 days) and subsequent oral (median, 44 days) atropine administration. The median hospital stay was 13 days (6-36), and no significant complications were encountered during atropine therapy. The remaining 7 patients required surgery. Of 40 who underwent surgery, 4 had wound infections and 1 with hemophilia had postoperative hemorrhagic shock. The patients who underwent successful atropine therapy had body weights comparable with those who underwent surgery at the age of 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The high success rate of intravenous atropine therapy for IHPS suggests that this therapy is an effective alternative to pyloromyotomy if the length of the hospital stay and the necessity of continuing oral atropine medication are accepted.

Atropine↗
PubMed2005

Bilateral testicular tumors in an infertile man previously treated with follicle-stimulating hormones.

A 43-year-old infertile man with oligozoospermia and normal serum gonadotropin and cytogenetic findings was treated with follicle-stimulating hormone for 1 year at our institution. Two years later, the patient presented with bilateral palpable testicular tumors. His beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and lactate dehydrogenase levels were elevated. Pathologic examination disclosed a pure seminoma in each testis (pT1N0M0). Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered. The tumors might have been induced by follicle-stimulating hormone treatment. Careful follow-up examination of the testis is necessary in men who have received hormonal treatment for infertility.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Giant retroperitoneal liposarcoma.

Liposarcomas are one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas of adulthood. Liposarcomas are remarkable because of their frequently large size. We report a case with an extremely large dedifferentiated liposarcoma that weighed 18 kg. Although it was capsulated and could be excised en bloc, the patient suffered a relapse 9 months later and died 1 year after the operation.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2005

Impact of aging on penile hemodynamics in men responding normally to prostaglandin injection: a power Doppler study.

AIM: Hemodynamic changes with aging in the penile arterial circulation, including the helicine arteries, were evaluated with power Doppler imaging in erectile dysfunction patients with a normal response to prostaglandin injection. METHODS: In 36 patients with erectile dysfunction and no definite vascular risk factors, 72 corpora were examined using power Doppler imaging. Patients were classified by age: younger than 40 years, from 40 to 49, or 50 and older. Hemodynamic variables in the cavernous arteries, helicine arteries and dorsal arteries were measured after intracavernous injection of prostaglandin E1 (20 microg). RESULTS: All cavernous arteries had a maximum peak systolic velocity of greater than 35 cm/s and a minimum end-diastolic velocity of less than 0 cm/s. Mean peak systolic velocity in the cavernous artery differed between groups (P = 0.016), especially between the younger than 40 age group and the 40-49 age group. Peak systolic velocity correlated negatively with age (P = 0.0048). In the helicine arteries and dorsal arteries, peak systolic velocity did not differ between groups and showed no correlation with age. End-diastolic velocity, resistance index and acceleration time did not differ between groups, or correlate with age for any artery. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic change with aging occurs predominantly in the cavernous arteries, where peak systolic velocity decreases. The arterial circulation beyond the cavernous arteries, including the helicine arteries, as well as veno-occlusive mechanisms, may have an important role in maintaining erectile function in aging.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Characterization of dRFX2, a novel RFX family protein in Drosophila.

A transcriptional regulatory element was identified in the region between URE (upstream regulatory element) and DRE (DNA replication-related element) in the Drosophila PCNA gene promoter. This element plays an important role in promoter activity in living flies. A yeast one-hybrid screening using this element as a bait allowed isolation of a cDNA encoding a protein which binds to the element in vitro. Nucleotide sequence analyses revealed that the cDNA encodes a novel protein containing a characteristic DNA-binding domain conserved among the regulatory factor X (RFX) family proteins. We termed this protein Drosophila RFX2 (dRFX2) and this element dRFX2 site. To investigate the function of dRFX2 in vivo, we took the strategy of analyzing the dominant negative effects against the endogenous dRFX2. Transgenic flies were established in which expression of HA-dRFX(202-480) carrying the amino acid sequences from 202 to 480 containing the RFX domain (DNA-binding domain) of dRFX2 was targeted to the cells in the eye imaginal discs. In the eye imaginal disc expressing the HA-dRFX(202-480), the G1-S transition and/or the progression of S phase were/was interrupted, and the ectopic apoptosis was induced, though photoreceptor cells differentiated normally. These results indicate that dRFX2 plays a role in G1-S transition and/or in progression of S phase.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The twisted abdomen phenotype of Drosophila POMT1 and POMT2 mutants coincides with their heterophilic protein O-mannosyltransferase activity.

Walker-Warburg syndrome, caused by mutations in protein O-mannosyltransferase-1 (POMT1), is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe brain malformation, muscular dystrophy, and structural eye abnormalities. As humans have a second POMT, POMT2, we cloned each Drosophila ortholog of the human POMT genes and carried out RNA interference (RNAi) knock-down to investigate the function of these proteins in vivo. Drosophila POMT2 (dPOMT2) RNAi mutant flies showed a "twisted abdomen phenotype," in which the abdomen is twisted 30-60 degrees , similar to the dPOMT1 mutant. Moreover, dPOMT2 interacted genetically with dPOMT1, suggesting that the dPOMTs function in collaboration with each other in vivo. We expressed dPOMTs in Sf21 cells and measured POMT activity. dPOMT2 transferred a mannose to the dystroglycan protein only when it was coexpressed with dPOMT1. Likewise, dPOMT1 showed POMT activity only when coexpressed with dPOMT2, and neither dPOMT showed any activity by itself. Each dPOMT RNAi fly totally reduced POMT activity, despite the specific reduction in the level of each dPOMT mRNA. The expression pattern of dPOMT2 mRNA was found to be similar to that of dPOMT1 mRNA using whole mount in situ hybridization. These results demonstrate that the two dPOMTs function as a protein O-mannosyltransferase in association with each other, in vitro and in vivo, to generate and maintain normal muscle development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Anatomic variations of cavernous arteries and their effect on measurement of hemodynamic parameters: a power Doppler study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the cavernous arterial (CA) anatomy with power Doppler imaging and evaluate the effects of any anatomic variations on the measurement of hemodynamic parameters. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with and 26 without a vascular component to their erectile dysfunction were examined. The CA anatomy was evaluated, and hemodynamic variables were measured at multiple sites, including sites in each artery, if multiple CAs were present. RESULTS: The frequency of anatomic variation was similar between the two groups. A single CA, considered normal, was observed in 57.7% of 52 corpora in the nonvasculogenic group and in 63.6% of 66 corpora in the vasculogenic group. Seven patients (26.9%) in the nonvasculogenic group and 11 (33.3%) in the vasculogenic group had CA anatomy that was different between the right and left corpora. In both groups, a single CA ordinarily showed at least a 35.0% decrement in the mean peak systolic velocity (PSV) between the crura and the proximal shaft; double, triple, and bifurcated CAs also had distally decreased PSV. However, two corpora with a single CA showed an increased PSV distally; in 1 patient, arterial communication between the corpora was responsible. In 86.7% of corpora with double CAs in the vasculogenic group and in 52.6% in the nonvasculogenic group, the CA distant from the crura showed a greater PSV than that near the crura. CONCLUSIONS: CA anatomy is variable, and the PSV differs between sites, irrespective of the presence of a vascular component to erectile dysfunction. Thus, anatomic variations should be considered when interpreting Doppler sonography.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Genetic link between p53 and genes required for formation of the zonula adherens junction.

Ectopic expression of human p53 in Drosophila eye imaginal disc cells induces apoptosis and results in a rough eye phenotype in the adult flies. We have screened Drosophila stocks to identify mutations that enhance or suppress the p53-induced rough eye phenotype. One of the dominant enhancers of the p53-induced rough eye phenotype corresponds to a loss-of-function mutation of the crumbs gene, which is essential for the biogenesis of the zonula adherens junction and the establishment of apical polarity in epithelial cells. Enhancement of p53-induced apoptosis in the eye imaginal discs by a half-reduction of the crumbs gene dose was confirmed by a TUNEL method. Furthermore, mutations of genes for Shotgun (Drosophila E-cadherin) and Armadillo (Drosophila beta-catenin), the two main components of the adherens junction, also strongly enhanced the p53-induced rough eye phenotype. These results suggest that human p53 senses subtle abnormality at the adherens junction or in signals derived from the junction, and consequently induces apoptosis to remove abnormal cells from tissue. Thus p53 likely plays a role as a guardian of the tissue not only by sensing the damaged DNA, but also by sensing signals from the adherens junction.

Adherens Junctions↗