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Biomedical subjects

J Noguchi

Publications and source records attributed to J Noguchi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Complete primary structure and tissue expression of chicken pectoralis M-protein.

M-Protein (165 kDa) is a structural constituent of myofibrillar M-band in striated muscle. We generated a monoclonal antibody which recognized a 165-kDa protein from chicken pectoralis muscle in immunoblot analysis and stained the M-band under immunofluorescence microscopy. By screening a lambda gt11 cDNA library from chicken embryonic pectoralis muscle with this antibody, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding the M-protein. Northern blot analysis showed that M-protein mRNA is expressed in pectoralis and cardiac muscle but not in gizzard smooth muscle or non-muscle tissues. Moreover, the anterior latissimus dorsi muscle, which consists almost exclusively of slow fiber types, contains no detectable levels of the mRNA. The full-length cDNA sequence predicted a 1,450-amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 163 x 10(3). The encoded protein contains several copies of two different repetitive motifs: five copies of fibronectin type III repeats are in the middle part of the predicted molecule, and two and four copies of the immunoglobulin C2-type repeats are located toward the NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal regions, respectively. This indicates that M-protein, along with other thick filament-associated proteins such as C-protein, twichin, and titin, belongs to the superfamily of cytoskeletal proteins with immunoglobulin/fibronectin repeats.

Amino Acid Sequence

An aspermia rat mutant (as/as) with spermatogenic failure at meiosis.

A newly identified aspermia rat mutant was investigated on testicular histology and mode of inheritance of the defect. Average testis weight of mutants was about one-third of that of phenotypically normal males. Spermatogenesis was interrupted at meiosis. Pachytene spermatocytes significantly decreased in number. Secondary spermatocytes and few round spermatids were seen, but no elongated spermatids and sperms were observed. A large basophilic inclusion-like body existed in the cytoplasm of late pachytene spermatocytes. Genetic analysis revealed an autosomal recessive transmission of the defect. Aspermia (As) was designated for the locus.

Animals

[Effect of age on the copulatory behavior of the male rat].

Fifteen male SPF Wistar-Imamichi rats, aged 10, 27 and 44 weeks, that had been raised in the authors' laboratory, were used for the observation of copulatory behavior. Each male was given the opportunity to mate with a proestrous female. During a two hour period, standard measures of copulatory behavior, e.g., mounting, intromission and ejaculation, were documented by a video recording. The following results were obtained; the number of ejaculations in 10-week-old rats, over a two hour period, was 6 to 8. Males showed a subsequent post-ejaculatory interval. The males aged 27 weeks performed 3 to 4 times during the first hour, and then refrained from sexual activity. The copulatory behavior in males aged 44 weeks declined, as compared with that of their 10 and 27 weeks old counterparts.

Aging

Motility studies of the cervical esophagus with intrathoracic gastric conduit after esophagectomy.

Gastric emptying, upper esophageal sphincter pressure and intrathoracic gastric motility were studied in esophagectomized patients, ten with a gastric conduit in the posterior mediastinum and ten with a conduit in the retrosternal space. In addition, the clinical state was reassessed more than 6 months after esophageal reconstruction. Gastric emptying, assessed with Tc-99m Sn colloid in a semisolid test meal, did not differ between the two groups. In manometric studies a high-pressure zone distal to the upper esophageal sphincter was associated with dysphagia. A high-pressure zone at the anastomosis was found in 60% of the retrosternal group and 20% of the posterior mediastinal group. As regards food intake, the posterior mediastinal route seems to be preferable in esophageal replacement, since it permits more physiologic motility of the conduit.

Adult

[Usefulness of a disposable nasogastric tube with a pH sensor--comparison with a class pH electrode].

We evaluated a disposable nasogastric tube with a pH sensor in comparison with an external glass pH electrode with aspiration of gastric contents, continuously. The mean pH value determined by pH sensor was 3.01, and 2.99 by glass pH electrode. There was a good correlation between the two methods (r = 0.91). The agreement between the two methods was especially good when pH less than 5.0. There was a wide scattering in the data when pH greater than 5.1. When the glass pH electrode data were above 5.1, the pH sensor tended to show lower pH values than glass pH electrode.

Electrodes

[Blood gas changes after laparoscopy].

Blood gas changes after laparoscopy under general anesthesia were examined. Thirty-six ASA I or II women were allocated to one of the two groups: carbon dioxide was used for pneumoperitoneum in group C and nitrous oxide in group N. Anesthesia was maintained with enflurane, buprenorphine, and supplemental midazolam. Arterial blood gases were measured in patients breathing room air. A significant fall in PaO2 (from 92.8 mmHg to 71.5 mmHg) was observed 5 minutes after extubation in group N as compared with the preoperative level and with group C, but there is no change in PaO2 in group C. PaCO2 showed no significant changes in both groups. In 6 out of 36 patients, PaO2 decreased below 60 mmHg. Possible causes of the difference between the two groups are diffusion hypoxia produced by nitrous oxide, gas embolism, or postoperative hyperventilation in response to hypercarbia during laparoscopy by carbon dioxide insufflation, and the last one is most probable. This may have prevented hypoxia in group C.

Adult

[Ragged--a new rexoid mutant rat with large sebaceous gland].

A new hair defected mutant rat was established. This mutant was covered with ragged hair since about 10 days of age, then transiently lost most of hair in the back at approximately 5 weeks of age and re-covered with ragged hair thereafter. Thickened eyerids occurred since about 3 weeks of age. Histological examination revealed enlarged sebaceous glands with greater number of sebaceous cells in the back skin. The oil stained skin samples showed normal sebaceous transformation and pilosebaceous canal. Genetical analysis showed that the ragged hair character was a single recessive trait and indicated that this single recessive gene was not linked with the coat color genes, non-agouti (a), albino (c) and hooded (h). From the present data and previous reports, we recommended this single recessive gene is a new rexoid mutation thereby we termed this gene "Ragged (rg)".

Animals

[OK 432-induced production of IFN-gamma in peripheral mononuclear cells from healthy subjects and patients with cancer].

OK 432, a well-established immunopotentiator, has been recently noticed as one of biological response modifiers (BRM). IFN-gamma, also called immune interferon, is regarded as an important immunoregulator secreted by T-lymphocytes. In the present study, we measured the in vitro production of IFN-gamma in human peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC) induced by OK 432. PMC were isolated from the peripheral blood with the Ficoll-Conray centrifugation technique. The number of cells for culture was adjusted to 1 x 10(6) cells/ml in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Incubation was performed over 7 days at 37 degrees C in the presence of OK 432 at 0.17KE/ml in microculture plates. IFN-gamma secreted in the supernatants was measured consecutively during the observation period with radioimmunoassay. IFN-gamma production in PMC from healthy subjects was already detectable at 24 hours of culture and elevated gradually with incubation, reaching as much as 94.3 +/- 44.6 u/ml (mean +/- SD) after 7 days of culture. In contrast, the production of IFN-gamma in patients with cancer was severely suppressed as 21.9 +/- 25.4 u/ml after 7 days of culture (p less than 0.01). Furthermore, both surgical and radiation treatments inhibited the production of IFN-gamma in PMC from patients with cancer.

Biological Products

[Study of in vitro OK432-induced IFN-gamma production in patients with gastric and esophageal cancers: comparison with in vitro skin tests].

In the present study, we measured in vitro production of IFN-gamma induced by OK432 in peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC) and investigated the relationship between the skin reaction to Su-Ps, an extract of Streptococcus Pyogenes, and purified protein derivative (PPD) and the productibility of IFN-gamma in patients with gastric and esophageal cancers. PMC isolated with the Ficoll-conray centrifugation technique were adjusted to 10(6) cells/ml in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and incubated over 7 days at 37 degrees C in the presence of OK432 at 0.17 KE/ml in microculture plates. IFN-gamma secreted in the supernatants was measured consecutively during the observation period with radioimmunoassay. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The production of IFN-gamma in PMC from patients with negative skin reaction to Su-Ps and PPD was significantly decreased as compared with the value obtained from patients who were positive in these skin tests (p less than 0.001). 2. In vitro production of IFN-gamma induced by OK432 was significantly correlated with the degree of skin tests to Su-Ps and PPD as well (r = 0.48, r = 0.41, p less than 0.01, respectively). Thus, it is concluded that the assay of IFN-gamma produced in PMC cultures is useful to evaluate the immunological status of patients with cancer.

Bacterial Proteins

[Ultrastructural study on the developmental process of the dentin bridge following direct capping using hydroxyapatite ceramic].

Hydroxyapatite ceramics (HAP), which have been used in the endodontics or periodontics because of their bioafinitive characteristics, were applied directly as the capping of the wound surface after the experimental exposure of pulp in versional teeth to be extracted on orthodontics ground. In order to investigate the developmental process of dentine bridge induced by HAP capping, the pulp was studied ultrastructurally, 1, 3, 6 months after the treatment. One month after the capping, the multi-nuclear giant cells being rich in mitochondria and lysosomes were in contact with the HAP granules directly by extending their projections into the granules, which appeared to absorb the HAP granules. At the same time, the osteoblast-like cells with remarked rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) were also observed just behind the giant cells. Only a few matrix vesicles and fibers were recognized around these osteoblastic cells. The HAP granules embeded in the pulp for 3 months were surrounded by fine matrix fibers which seemed to be produced by adjacent osteoblastic cells. The surrounding of these cells were filled with abundant matrix vesicles and collagen fibers, which would show the production of osteodentin matrix and the minerilization were active in this region. Six months after the treatment, the osteodentin matrix in upper dentin bridge became compact; matrix fiber surrounding the HAP granules became thick and a part of fibers inserted into the granules, which should mean that the HAP granules had bonded to the osteodentin matrix. In the deeper region of the dentin bridge, tubular dentin was formed newly. Both osteodentin and tubular dentin fused tightly without any organelles in the boader between them. The covering of hard tissue of dentin bridge then bonded to primary and reparative dentin closed the wound surface to protect the inner pulp.

Dental Pulp Capping

[Effects of anesthesia, premedication and age on gastric pH and volume].

To investigate the effect of anesthesia on gastric secretion, we measured pH and volume of gastric juice during anesthesia using the following anesthetic techniques: halothane anesthesia in three age groups, halothane without atropine premedication, halothane with thoracic epidural block, and enflurane anesthesia. Halothane anesthesia increased pH in all age groups and the increase in pH was greater in older age groups. Gastric pH also increased in halothane anesthesia group with thoracic epidural block and in enflurane anesthesia group. However, the increase in gastric pH and the decrease in gastric juice volume were not significant in halothane anesthesia group without atropine premedication. These results suggest that the increase in gastric pH during halothane anesthesia is due to parasympathetic nerve block.

Adolescent

[The effects of halothane and epidural anesthesia on the gastric intramural pH and the pH of gastric juice].

To evaluate the effects of gastric intramural pH on intraluminal fluid of stomach during halothane anesthesia, the pH of gastric content and the gastric intramural pH measured by noninvasive method under halothane anesthesia were compared with those during epidural anesthesia. Nineteen patients without gastrointestinal disorders who received elective surgery were studied; 14 patients were anesthetized with N2O-O2-halothane and 15 patients were anesthetized with N2O-O2, flunitrazepam and lumber epidural anesthesia. The intramural pH was calculated from the Henderson-Hasselbalch's equation: intramural pH = 6.1 + ([HCO3-]/PCO2 X 0.0307), substituting [HCO3-] in arterial blood for [HCO3-] in tissue and PCO2 in gastric content for PCO2 in tissue. The pH of gastric content was elevated gradually under halothane anesthesia, but it was unchanged under epidural anesthesia. On the other hand the intramural pH was unchanged during both anesthetic methods and there were no significant differences between the two groups. These results suggest that the elevation of the pH of gastric content under halothane anesthesia is not the result of intragastric microcirculatory impairment and halothane may have other suppressive actions on gastric acid secretion.

Adult