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Biomedical subjects

J Nomura

Publications and source records attributed to J Nomura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Endocrine study of the maternity blues.

The relationship between several psychological variables and adrenocortical function of the blues is examined in a prospective study of 47 Japanese women. Psychological measures, including the psychiatric interview and assessment of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SASD), the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) and self-rating scales, were administered at the 36th week of pregnancy, on the 3rd or 4th day postnatal and one month after delivery. Twelve subjects (25.5%) were diagnosed as having the blues on the Stein's scale. Women who developed the blues had significantly higher serum bound cortisol than the non-blues group. No significant correlation was obtained between the incidence of the blues and obstetric variables. At one month after delivery, four women (8.5%) were diagnosed as postpartum depression according to the RDC. Our finding that there was no consistent obstetric factor which predisposes women to develop the blues support the hypothesis that hyperadrenocorticalism is important in the genesis of this syndrome.

Adrenal Cortex Function Tests

Comparison of thyroid function between responders and nonresponders to thyroid hormone supplementation in depression.

The serum levels of thyroxine (T4), 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3, rT3) were examined from 8 depressed patients who did not maximally benefit from conventional antidepressant therapy. Four of the 8 depressed patients showed significant clinical improvement after thyroid hormone was added to their ongoing antidepressant drugs. The T4 and rT3 levels prior to thyroid hormone supplementation were significantly lower in responders than in nonresponders, although within the normal range. Furthermore, all of the patients who had both their rT3 levels less than 200 pg/ml and T4 levels less than 7 micrograms/dl responded to the thyroid hormone treatment. These data suggest that the lower T4 and rT3 levels can predict the treatment response to the thyroid hormone supplementation in depressed patients.

Adult

[A case of monoblastic crisis of CML beginning with extramedullary tumor formation in a rib].

A patient with CML showed monoblastic crisis which started with extramedullary tumor formation in a rib before medullary involvement. She was diagnosed as having CML in 1984 at the age of 57. In February 1990, she was admitted to Furukawa City Hospital because of extramedullary blastic crisis beginning at the right 5th rib. At that time, the bone marrow revealed 4.6% blasts. On March 5, after one course of chemotherapy, she was transferred to our hospital for radiotherapy. Hematological findings were WBC 10,100/microliter with 10% blasts, Hb 10.9 g/dl, platelet 3.7 x 10(4)/microliters. Bone marrow aspiration was unsuccessful. The blasts in the peripheral blood were negative for peroxidase and chloroacetate esterase; but positive for naphtylbutyrate esterase. The leukemic cells were positive for CD13, CD33, and had phagocytic activity. Chromosomal analysis revealed 46XX with Ph1 chromosome and some additional anomalies. Southern blot analysis of tumor cells shows BCR rearrangement. These findings suggest that the blasts were immature monocytic cells, and we conclude that this is a rare case of extramedullary monoblastic crisis of CML.

Bone Neoplasms

[Differentiating effect of oral administration of retinol palmitate (Chocola-A) for an aged AML (M3) with severe complications].

A 74 year-old woman, who had been diagnosed as AML (M3) in poor condition, was treated with Retinol Palmitate (Chocola-A, 150,000 unit/m2 per os, after informed consent. An increase of white blood cells (neutrophil) counts was observed after 7 days. After 4 weeks, WBC counts were increased to 20,700/microliters (neutrophil counts 6,400/microliters) Maturation tendency of leukemic cells was also proved in the bone marrow. In vitro studies showed that morphological differentiation was recognizable in cultured leukemic cells treated with 10(-6)M all-trans retinoic acid after 6 days, but not in controls. Responses in the NBT reduction test were slightly less than in the clinical study. The administration of Retinol Palmitate may be a new regimen to treat AML (M3) in aged patients in poor condition.

Administration, Oral

Interaction between alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors in rat cerebral cortical membranes: clonidine-induced reduction in agonist and antagonist affinity for beta-adrenergic receptors.

The interaction between alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors was investigated in rat cerebral cortical membranes. Clonidine inhibition of [3H]dihydroalprenolol ([3H]DHA) binding resulted in biphasic competition curves with a mean Hill coefficient of 0.45. The addition of 1 microM yohimbine caused a rightward shift of the first portion of the clonidine inhibition curve. In the presence of 1 microM clonidine, the maximum concentration which did not inhibit [3H]DHA binding, inhibition curves of [3H]DHA binding by isoproterenol shifted to the right. A mean Hill coefficient increased from a control value of 0.63 to 0.76. Computer modeling analysis revealed that 1 microM clonidine decreased a beta-adrenergic high-affinity state from 28% to 13%. However, the addition of 1 microM yohimbine completely prevented the clonidine-induced reduction in the beta-adrenergic high-affinity state. In the presence of 200 microM GTP, the effect of clonidine was not observed. In addition, Kd and Bmax values for [3H]p-aminoclonidine ([3H]PAC) binding were not significantly changed by the addition of 100 nM isoproterenol, the maximum concentration which did not inhibit [3H]PAC binding. Moreover, isoproterenol inhibition of [3H]PAC binding resulted in steep competition curves with a mean Hill coefficient of 0.97. The addition of 1 microM alprenolol did not affect the isoproterenol inhibition curve. These data demonstrated that clonidine caused a decrease in agonist and antagonist affinity for beta-adrenergic receptors, while isoproterenol did not modulate the binding characteristics of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Furthermore, these results suggest that regulation between alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors is not bidirectional, but is instead unidirectional from alpha 2-adrenergic receptors to beta-adrenergic receptors.

Animals

Signal transmission through the B cell-specific MB-1 molecule at the pre-B cell stage.

Specific binding of antigens to the surface immunoglobulin M (sIgM) triggers B cells with several biochemical events involved in receptor-mediated signal transmission for proliferation and differentiation into antibody-producing cells. Recent studies with the Digitonin lysis method identified the sIgM-associated component, IgM-alpha (B34)/Ig-beta, as the possible candidate for the transducer molecule(s) in the immunoglobulin receptor-mediated signal transmission. The 34 kd protein (B34 or IgM-alpha) of this component is suggested to be encoded by the B cell-specific mb-1 gene. We prepared monoclonal antibodies which recognize the mb-1 gene product (MB-1) and studied the functional role of MB-1 in the signal transmission in B lineage cells. Using murine pre-B lymphoma cells (18-81 and 70Z/3), we demonstrated the early phase increase of the intracellular [Ca2+]i concentration and the subsequent inhibition of the proliferation by the monoclonal anti-MB-1 antibody (11-18-5). These results clearly demonstrate signal transmission through the surface MB-1 molecule on B lineage lymphomas. This MB-1-mediated signal transmission in pre-B cell lines would suggest an alternative function of MB-1 acting at the pre-B cell stage.

Animals

Biochemical and functional analysis of mixed isotype A beta E alpha class II molecules in Ed alpha transgenic mice.

We demonstrated the existence of mixed isotype A beta E alpha class II molecules in Ed alpha gene-introduced C57BL/6 (B6Ed alpha) transgenic mice. Immunoprecipitation and two dimensional (NEPHGE/SDS-PAGE) gel electrophoresis analysis of labeled B6Ed alpha spleen cell lysates using monoclonal anti-Ab beta antibody showed Ed alpha spots in addition to Ab beta and Ab alpha spots. We obtained alloreactive T cell clones from B6 anti-B6Ed alpha long-term cultures that recognized the Ab beta Ed alpha molecule. We also obtained antigen reactive T cell clones that recognized antigen in the context of Ad beta Ed alpha mixed isotype class II molecules. The importance of the mixed isotype class II molecules in relation to the expansion of the T cell specificity repertoire as well as autoimmune induction is discussed.

Animals

Pure word deafness with possible transfer of language dominance.

A 55-year-old, right-handed male patient with a past history of a stroke followed by a difficulty of speech and hearing fell and manifested a left hemiplegia. He could neither comprehend spoken language and melody nor repeat them, though he spoke with paraphasia and understood written language and nonverbal sound. An electroencephalogram, pneumoencephalogram and cerebral angiogram suggested the existence of old infarcts in the left temporal lobe and a probable new one in the right cerebrum. A diagnosis of this case was made as pure word deafness which might be caused by a reimpairment of the language function possibly transferred to the nondominant, right hemisphere following the early stroke.

Aphasia, Wernicke

Tyrosine hydroxylase activity in discrete brain regions of depression model rats.

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity was measured in discrete brain regions of rats during short-term forced running stress (FRS). TH activity was also determined in a depression-like state and in a recovered state after a long-term FRS. Under the short-term FRS, the TH activity showed a significant increase in the locus ceruleus, certain limbic regions and tuberoinfundibular system. In the depression-like state, however, there was a significant decrease in the locus ceruleus and certain limbic regions, but a significant increase was seen in the median eminence. The TH activity in recovered rats showed no difference from the level in the controls. These findings demonstrate an adaptive increase in the TH activity in relation to stress, and may also indicate a failure of adaptation in the depression-like state.

Amygdala

Aggressive infantile fibromatosis of the submandibular region.

Aggressive infantile fibromatosis is an unusual, tumor-like, proliferative lesion which grows infiltratively. The clinical and histological features of aggressive infantile fibromatosis in the submandibular region of a 3-year-old girl are reported.

Child, Preschool

[Acute myeloblastic leukemia associated with chronic thyroiditis].

A 57-year-old woman who suffered from acute myeloblastic leukemia during the course of chronic thyroiditis, is described. The patient was diagnosed as having chronic thyroiditis in 1984 when she was 53 year-old, and was treated with L-T4.Na. She admitted in July 1988 because of general fatigue, fever, cough and sore throat. On admission, hematological examination in the peripheral blood showed marked anemia and increased leukocytes with 20.5% leukemic cells positive for peroxidase staining. Bone marrow aspiration showed 38.8% leukemic cells. She was diagnosed acute myeloblastic leukemia. She reached complete remission after combination chemotherapy. The case of acute myeloblastic leukemia associated with chronic thyroiditis is rarely reported. We reviewed the literature and discussed acute myeloblastic leukemia associated with chronic thyroiditis including this case.

Female