PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Imai

Publications and source records attributed to J Imai.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

[Immunologic examination of Juzentaiho-to (TJ-48) in postoperative gastric cancer].

UNLABELLED: We earlier reported the clinical effects of TJ-48 on side-effects of anti-tumor agents. In this report an immunological examination was conducted on administration of TJ-48 for postoperative gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blast formation of mouse lymphocyte to which patient serum was added. TNF activity, LAK activity and 2-5AS activity before and after administration of TJ-48 were measured in 19 cases of gastric cancer. RESULTS: Blast formation of mouse lymphocytes after administration showed a tendency to increase more than before. TNF activities tended to decrease more after administration than before. 2-5AS activities indicated a tendency to decrease more after administration than before. Little difference was manifest between LAK activities before and after administration. CONCLUSION: The action of non-specific immunosuppressive factor was suggested to be lowered after administration of TJ-48 for postoperative gastric cancer.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗
PubMed1989

The first record of a confirmed human case of Gnathostoma doloresi infection.

The first case of Gnathostoma doloresi infection in a human was found in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. A whole length of the parasite was dissected out from biopsied skin and was identified as the third-stage larva of G. doloresi based on the morphological characteristics of the hooklets of the head bulb and also on the number of nuclei in the intestinal epithelial cells of the parasite.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Sporadic carriers of human T-lymphotropic virus type I in northern Egypt.

Sera from 3,158 individuals living in northern Egypt were tested for the presence of antibodies against human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) by the newly developed particle agglutination (PA) test. Ten sera gave a positive reaction in the PA test. Eight of these sera were examined further by Western blotting and all of them gave several bands corresponding to HTLV-I structural proteins. Two of the 8 sera gave positive results in the indirect immunofluorescence test. The results indicate the presence of HTLV-I carriers in this area, although at very low incidence (0.063%).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Impaired natural defence of beige (Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice against tissue-migrating larvae of Strongyloides ratti and its reconstitution by bone marrow cells.

The susceptibility of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ mice, which exhibit a murine counterpart of the Chediak-Higashi syndrome, to infection with Strongyloides ratti was examined. After a primary infection, the peak of the daily larval output in faeces (LPG) of bgJ/bgJ mice was approximately twice as high as that of their littermate bgJ/+mice. The total number of tissue migrating larvae recovered from bgJ/bgJ mice at 36 h after infection was also approximately twice as high as that from bgJ/+mice. However, after a primary infection, bgJ/bgJ mice could completely expel adult worms in the intestine by day 14. When an equal number of tissue migrating larvae obtained from the head of +/+ mice were implanted into bgJ/bgJ and bgJ/+mice, the magnitude and the kinetics of LPG were comparable between them, indicating that in both groups implanted larvae established in the intestine to become adult worms and then they were expelled by day 13. Thus, immune mechanisms involved in worm expulsion of bgJ/bgJ mice were comparable to those of bgJ/+mice. The higher susceptibility of bgJ/bgJ mice could be reduced to the level of bgJ/+mice by bone marrow grafting from bgJ/+mice 6 weeks prior to infection. Furthermore, when lethally irradiated bgJ/bgJ mice or bgJ/+mice were reconstituted with either type of bone marrow cells, the mice given bgJ/bgJ bone marrow cells showed higher susceptibility to infection with S. ratti regardless of the genotype of the recipients. These results indicate that the impaired natural defence of bgJ/bgJ mice is predetermined at the level of haemopoietic stem cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of ELISA for the diagnosis of paragonimiasis westermani.

Possible applicability of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of paragonimiasis westermani was examined using crude extract of adult Paragonimus westermani (Pw) as the test antigen. The mean ELISA values of the sera from Pw egg-positive cases and from clinically suspected cases were more than 22 times higher than that of the healthy control. No, or only marginal, cross-reactivity was observed against Pw antigen using sera from patients with various parasitic diseases other than paragonimiasis, except that from schistosomiasis and clonorchiasis cases. When serum samples from the endemic area were tested by ELISA and double diffusion (DD), sera from skin test (ST)-positive and DD-positive cases were all positive with ELISA, whereas approximately 19% of ST-positive but DD-negative cases were positive for ELISA. Diagnosis by ELISA values correlated well with, and seemed to be more sensitive than, that by DD test. In some definite paragonimiasis cases, the ELISA value was markedly reduced after drug-treatment with bithionol. These results suggest that ELISA is useful not only in mass screening but also in the evaluation of the efficacy of drug treatment in paragonimiasis.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Eosinophil response in mast cell-deficient W/WV mice.

The combination of cyclophosphamide treatment and Toxocara canis infection is known as an effective way of causing a high level of eosinophilia in mice. When this treatment was applied to congenitally anemic, mast cell-deficient W/WV mice, eosinophil response was far less than that of their normal littermate +/+ mice. The degree of the defective eosinophil response in the peripheral blood of W/WV mice was severer than that in the bone marrow. The defective eosinophil response of W/WV mice was completely restored by bone marrow grafting 8 weeks prior to cyclophosphamide treatment and T. canis infection. The kinetics of the recovery of eosinophil response in the bone marrow of W/WV mice after bone marrow grafting was faster than that in the peripheral blood. Chemotactic reactivity of eosinophils obtained from bone marrow or peritoneal cavity of W/WV mice was essentially comparable to that of +/+ mice. These results suggest that, in addition to the production of eosinophils in the bone marrow, mast cell-derived factors play an important role in the mediation of peripheral blood eosinophilia.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Immune suppression in healthy carriers of adult T-cell leukemia retrovirus (HTLV-I): impairment of T-cell control of Epstein-Barr virus-infected B-cells.

We have examined the activities of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific memory T-cells of carriers of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) associated retrovirus (HTLV-I) and non-carriers in an ATL-endemic area, all of whom were EBV-seropositive, by assay of EBV-induced B-cell focus regression. The result showed that immune suppression, as represented by lowering of the regression, was present in 18 (29%) out of 63 healthy HTLV-I carriers, in contrast to none of 63 matched control persons (healthy non-carriers). This finding suggests that a suppression of cell-mediated immunity is induced by a persistent infection with ATL retrovirus.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Activation of 2-5A-dependent RNase by analogs of 2-5A (5'-O-triphosphoryladenylyl(2'----5')adenylyl(2'----5')adenosine ) using 2',5'-tetraadenylate (core)-cellulose.

A variety of 2-5A (px(A2'p)nA; x = 2 or 3, n greater than or equal to 2) analogs were assayed for their abilities to activate murine 2-5A-dependent RNase (subsequently "the nuclease") using a recently developed method. This technique consists of immobilizing and partially purifying the nuclease using core-cellulose [A2'p)3A-cellulose) and then monitoring the breakdown of poly(U)-3'-[32P]Cp into acid-soluble fragments. Several 5'-adenosinecapped analogs of 2-5A (containing a tetra-, tri-, or diphosphate) were analyzed, and it was found that reducing the number of phosphoryl groups between the 5' to 5'-diadenosine linkages resulted in a progressive loss of activity. Because A5' pppp(A2'p)3A was a potent activator of the nuclease yet stable during the assay these results suggested that a free 5'-phosphoryl group may not be required for the activation of the nuclease. A number of 8-bromoadenosine-substituted analogs of 2-5A were also studied. Curiously, the brominations decreased the activities of the 5'-di- and triphosphorylated molecules while substantially increasing the activities of the 5'-monophosphorylated species. The results indicated that a tri- or diphosphate moiety on the 5'-end of 2-5A or the presence of ATP is not absolutely required for the nuclease to be active. Furthermore, the ATP analog, beta, gamma-methylene ATP, did not inhibit the activity of the nuclease. Finally, a 3',5'-phosphodiester linkage isomer of 2-5A and a 3'-deoxy (cordycepin) analog of 2-5A were tested, and both were found to be completely without activity.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1986

Antiviral activity of a chemically stabilized 2-5A analog upon microinjection into HeLa cells.

2-5A[ppp(A2'p)n5'A] has been implicated as a mediator in the antiviral action of interferon. Its direct evaluation as an indicator of virus replication is hampered by two limitations: its inability to penetrate intact cells, and its rapid intracellular degradation by (2'-5')phosphodiesterase. These problems could be overcome by using a microinjection technique whereby a phosphodiesterase-resistant analog of 2-A, in which the 2'-terminals adenosine residue is replaced by 2-(9-adenyl)-6-hydroxy-methyl-4-hexylmorpholine, was injected into individual HeLa cells before infection with mengovirus or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). This comparative assay with two representatives of different virus classes in a single experimental system pointed to the high sensitivity of VSV to inhibition by 2-5A oligonucleotides, in contrast with the low sensitivity of mengovirus. Microinjection of the hexylmorpholine 2-5A analog led to a much greater reduction in mengovirus yield than did microinjection of 2-5A itself.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1986

Primary infection of Japanese infants with adult T-cell leukaemia-associated retrovirus (ATLV): evidence for viral transmission from mothers to children.

Primary infection with adult T-cell leukemia virus (ATLV) was investigated by follow-up studies on 16 ATLV-seropositive mothers and their breastfed infants in an ATLV-endemic area of Japan. Maternal antibody to ATLV decreased in all the infants, and was detectable in only three of 12 infants tested 6 months after birth. Reappearance of the antibody 9-18 months after birth was observed in only four of the 16 infants. The ATLV-bearing cells in peripheral blood were detected in all 16 mothers after delivery. None of the 16 infants showed ATLV-bearing cells in peripheral or cord blood sampled at birth, or 1, 3 or 6 months after birth. However, virus-bearing cells in the blood became detectable 9-18 months after birth in 13 of the 16 infants. Maternal antibody and virus-bearing cells were never detected in a control group of seven infants of ATLV-seronegative mothers. These findings provide evidence for the high incidence of primary ATLV infection during early infancy among infants born to ATLV-seropositive mothers and suggest maternal viral transmission. Furthermore, samples of breast milk from all 12 seropositive mothers examined contained cell-associated ATLV capable of being transmitted to peripheral leucocytes of neonates. This finding suggests that one of the possible maternal transmission routes of ATLV is via breast milk.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Chemotactic reactivity of eosinophils obtained from bone marrow and peritoneal cavity of cyclophosphamide-treated, Toxocara canis-infected mice.

Chemotactic reactivity of eosinophils obtained from the bone marrow (BM-Eo) of cyclophosphamide-treated, Toxocara canis-infected mice was compared to that of eosinophils obtained from the peritoneal cavity (PEC-Eo). BM-Eo responded well to alanyl-tetrapeptide, a synthetic eosinophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis (ECF-A), whereas PEC-Eo did not. Both BM-Eo and PEC-Eo showed almost equally high chemotactic reactivity to parasite-derived ECF, ECF lymphokine and complement-derived ECF. Chemotactic reactivity of BM-Eo to synthetic ECF-A was deactivated by preincubation with ECF-A. Unresponsiveness of PEC-Eo to synthetic ECF-A could be explained by chemotactic deactivation by ECF-A, because an ECF-A-like substance was detected in the ascitic fluid; this substance could deactivate the chemotactic reactivity of BM-Eo to synthetic ECF-A. From these results, BM-Eo are naive and seem to be a good indicator for eosinophilotaxis and its modulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Purification and physicochemical characterization of Schistosoma mansoni egg allergen recognized by mouse sera obtained at an acute stage of infection.

A major allergenic component recognized by mouse sera obtained at an acute stage of infection was purified from soluble egg antigen preparation (SEA) of Schistosoma mansoni by anion-exchange chromatography on DE52 and gel chromatography on Sephadex G-150. The purified allergen showed homogeneity by immunoelectrophoresis and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its apparent molecular weight was 210,000 by gel chromatography on Sephadex G-200. This purified allergen could bind to Con A-Sepharose 4B, indicating its glycoprotein nature. After amino acid analysis, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine and theonine were found as the major amino acids. The allergenic activity was destroyed by heating at 100 degrees C for 60 min and by pronase or periodate treatment. By double diffusion in agar gel, this purified allergen gave a strong single band against acute (8 w) stage serum, which fused to the major band formed by crude SEA. On the other hand, it showed a very faint band against chronic (22 w) stage serum, which is apparently different from the main band formed between crude SEA and the chronic stage serum. When specific IgE or IgG antibody titers in the serum of human schistosomiasis mansoni cases were measured by ELISA using this purified allergen, the results showed good correlation with those obtained by using crude SEA. Thus, this purified allergen is not only a major allergen in the acute stage of murine schistosomiasis but also an allergen in human schistosomiasis mansoni.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1986

Sporadic cases of carriers of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 in Southeast Asia.

Sera obtained from 3,472 persons in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia were tested for the presence of antibody to adult T-cell leukemia-associated antigen by the gelatin particle agglutination test and indirect immunofluorescence. Among these, only two seropositives were identified. One was a 30-year-old male Malaysian of Indian origin. The other was a 42-year-old female Thai who resided in Bangkok. These results suggested that the infection of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 might not be endemic in these countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Seroepidemiology of the human retrovirus (HTLV/ATLV) in Okinawa where adult T-cell leukemia is highly endemic.

A survey of carriers of antibodies to HTLV-specific antigens was made in 11 islands among 60 Okinawan islands to examine the regional variation in the prevalence of HTLV carriers. The overall seropositive rate was 21% among 7,545 adults aged 40 years or more. The incidence of virus carriers was low in only one of the 11 islands (1-6%), while it was 14-31% in the other 10 islands.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Seroepidemiology of adult T-cell leukemia virus infection and analysis of sero-positive cases in Taiwan.

For a seroepidemiologic study of adult T-cell leukemia virus (ATLV) infection in Taiwan, the gelatin particle agglutination technique and the indirect immunofluorescence method were used for anti-ATLV titration. Sporadic sero-positive cases were found all over the Taiwan districts except among the aborigines (0/947). Sero-positive rates ranged from 0 to 5.6% (except ATL family) and a total of 48 cases were found in 3682 Han-Chinese. Among them 9 cases were newly found in family surveys, and 39 cases were observed in random samples. As an average positive rate was 1.0%, by calculation about 80,000 sero-positive cases are supposed to be present in Taiwan. A most remarkable feature of the sero-positive cases was the high rate in couples. Various patterns of sero-positive cases existed in pedigrees. Anti-ATLV positive sera of Chinese living in Taiwan and Japanese were compared by immunoprecipitation and there was no difference between them. The possible infection route from Japan to Taiwan is discussed.

Adult↗