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Biomedical subjects

K Fujiwara

Publications and source records attributed to K Fujiwara.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Oxidative stress in hepatocytes and stimulatory state of Kupffer cells after reperfusion differ between warm and cold ischemia in rats.

Rat liver was kept at 4 degrees C or 37 degrees C in MEM, and reperfused through a closed circulation from the hepatic vein to the portal vein at 37 degrees C with the same solution. Although purine nucleoside phosphorylase and ALT activities were increased in the perfusate, depending on the duration of ischemia at both 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C, the ratio of the latter to the former was significantly higher after 37 degrees C-ischemia than after 4 degrees C-ischemia. The stimulation stage of Kupffer cells evaluated in situ by formazan deposition after liver perfusion with nitro blue tetrazolium and phorbol myristate acetate was elevated after 4 degrees C-ischemia longer than 1 h, but not after 37 degrees C-ischemia. In contrast, the degree of oxidative stress in hepatocytes assessed by formazan deposition after liver perfusion with nitro blue tetrazolium alone was greater after 37 degrees C-ischemia than after 4 degrees C-ischemia. These results suggest that oxidative stress in hepatocytes and the stimulatory state of Kupffer cells after ischemia-reperfusion may differ between 4 degrees C-ischemia and 37 degrees C-ischemia, probably leading to different development of liver damage.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1994

Small hepatocellular carcinoma: treatment with US-guided intratumoral injection of acetic acid.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous acetic acid injection (PAI) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Results of a preliminary study in rats showed that the effectiveness of acetic acid in the destruction of hepatocytes plateaued at a concentration of 50%. Thus, PAI with 50% acetic acid was performed in 25 patients with solitary HCCs 3 cm or less in diameter. The viability of tumor cells after PAI was examined by means of contrast material-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and fine-needle biopsy in all patients. Two patients underwent partial hepatic resection. RESULTS: No clinically significant complications occurred in 82 treatment sessions. All lesions became smaller after a mean of 23 months +/- 8 (standard deviation) of follow-up. There was no evidence of viable HCC at follow-up biopsy and CT. Two HCCs obtained by means of resection showed complete necrosis. The 1-year survival rate among 23 patients who did not undergo surgical treatment was 100%; the 2-year survival rate was 92%. CONCLUSION: PAI may prove to be an effective therapy for small HCC.

Acetates↗
PubMed1994

Vascular mineralization in the monkey brain.

Mineralization of various degrees was found in the brains of 79 (59%) of 134 cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). There was no age dependency in the incidence or severity, nor were there any abnormalities in growth, weight gain, or neurologic signs, although a slight sex difference was observed. The lesions, which were basophilic and intensely positive for periodic acid-Schiff or von Kossa stain, occurred in the vascular walls of the globus pallidus in two types: globoid bodies with prominent concentric lamellar structures in and around the arteriolar and venular wall (type A) and fine granules in the media of small or medium-sized arteries (type B). Electron microscopic examination revealed dense deposits in the degenerated media of small or medium-sized arteries or the thickened walls of the arterioles. X-ray microanalysis demonstrated the presence of calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, magnesium, and aluminum.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Development and application of an enzyme immunoassay for karasurin A, an effective protein component of Trichosanthes kirilowii Max. var. japonicum Kitam.

A method was developed for specific estimation of the content of a non-enzymatic protein, karasurin A, in fractions taken during the extraction and purification processes from a natural source. Anti-karokon serum was elicited in rabbits immunized with fragments of karokon, a dried root tuber of Trichosanthes kirilowii Max. var. japonicum Kitam. Rabbit antibody specific for karasurin A was identified in anti-karokon serum by the Western blotting method. After separation by SDS-PAGE, protein bands of purified karasurin A and extracted proteins from a medicinal herb which is a karasurin A source were reacted with anti-karokon serum followed by treatment with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled Fab' of goat anti-rabbit IgG, and then bound HRP-labeled second antibody on protein bands was developed to brown by reaction with a substrate solution of the used enzyme. A novel selected antibody enzyme immunoassay (SAEIA) for karasurin A was developed using selective binding of anti-karasurin A antibody in anti-karokon serum to solid phase karasurin A and HRP-labeled Fab' of the second antibody as the tracer. Specific estimation of the content of karasurin A in several fractions taken during the isolation and purification processes of the protein were possible using the SAEIA method.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Protective action of putrescine against rat liver injury.

The hepatoprotective action of orally dosed putrescine was investigated using rat models of liver injury. When rats received putrescine orally soon after a dose of carbon tetrachloride or D-galactosamine, deranged serum alanine aminotransferase values and prothrombin times were significantly attenuated compared with control levels, with improved histologic extent of liver injury. Putrescine addition to the medium of rat hepatocytes in primary culture reduced cell killing induced by D-galactosamine or the membrane detergents chenodeoxycholic acid and Triton X-100. Similar reduction was seen in cells exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), an agent producing cell death through lipid peroxidation, with attenuation of cellular malondialdehyde content. Putrescine also significantly attenuated the extent of increased plasma membrane microviscosity as assessed with 1-[4-(trimethylammonio)phenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in TBHP-treated cells. These results suggest that orally given putrescine protects against liver injury. Plasma membrane stabilization and reduction of lipid peroxidation may contribute to this hepatoprotection.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

[Clinical trials for gynecological cancers (especially ovarian cancers) in Japan, current situation and problems--focusing on differences in the system of study used by Japanese Study Group and the Gynecologic Oncology Group in the United States].

One of the major problems in treating ovarian cancers at present is how to cure patients with platinum-resistant tumors. Although clinical trials for ovarian cancers in both Japan and the United States have focused on this issue, most Japanese clinical studies in this field have been of poor quality because group studies have not been functioning efficiently. In spite of a tremendous effort, there are several obstacles to overcome before establishing an efficient study group. Keys to perform productive group studies would be as follows: 1) Since most cancer patients in Japan have been treated by physicians whose subspecialty is not oncology, the organization of cancer centers in major local hospitals or the establishment of qualifications for cancer practice is necessary. 2) Because the term "clinical trial" raises the fears of being a "guinea pig" among Japanese, better education of the public, including patients, families, government bodies and even physicians, is necessary to make them understand that only through clinical trials can effective treatment be achieved in the future. 3) Qualification of research nurses and research secretaries is required to save time and make for competent trials. 4) Sufficient government treating is required to keep any commercial bias out of the trials. Finally, 5) strict quality control by the protocol committee of the study groups is mandatory.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1994

[A resected case of pulmonary plasma cell granuloma infiltrating the pericardium].

The patient was a 66-year-old man. An abnormal mass on his chest X-ray was pointed out during a regular check-up in November 1991. He was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaint of productive cough in January 1992. With the diagnosis of lung cancer, right middle and lower lobectomy with lymph node resection and partial resection of the pericardium was carried out. The pathological examination revealed pulmonary plasma cell granuloma infiltrating the pericardium. Postoperative course was uneventful. No recurrence was seen 17 months after operation. As pulmonary plasma cell granuloma is histologically benign, this was a very rare case with extra-pulmonary extension. Up to present, only 8 cases including this case has been reported in the literature. We reviewed these 8 cases.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Putrescine as a comitogen of epidermal growth factor in rat liver growth.

Putrescine can stimulate regeneration of the remnant liver after partial hepatectomy in rats when exogenously administered, but its mitogenic action has not been shown in cultured hepatocytes. To find its action site(s) in the regulation of hepatocyte proliferation, we examined its effect on hepatocyte DNA synthesis in relation to mitogenic action of epidermal growth factor in vitro and in vivo. When putrescine was added to the medium of adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture 36 hr after plating, DNA synthesis at 50 hr induced by addition of epidermal growth factor at 24 hr was significantly enhanced. This enhancement disappeared by removal of epidermal growth factor at the time of putrescine addition. Putrescine added to the medium was taken up in a dose-related manner by hepatocytes, irrespective of the presence of epidermal growth factor, whereas 125I-epidermal growth factor binding to hepatocytes was not affected by addition of putrescine. When rats received epidermal growth factor at 2-hr intervals until 10 hr, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeled and mitotic hepatocytes were increased in number at 48 hr with increased hepatic DNA content. These increases were not affected by concomitant administration of putrescine until 10 hr, but significantly enhanced by additional administration of putrescine and epidermal growth factor from 20 to 30 hr. We conclude that putrescine may stimulate proliferation of hepatocytes that have entered the G1-phase of the cell cycle as a comitogen of epidermal growth factor, probably through action at the molecular levels to enhance its mitogenic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Significant increases in serum CA125 and CA19-9 following torsion from an adenofibroma of the ovary: a case report.

Significant increases in the serum levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were observed over one month prior to the removal of an ovarian adenofibroma. The serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 decreased rapidly after surgery. The surface of the tumor at surgery showed marked inflammation, probably induced by the necrosis produced by torsion. Pathologically, most of the tumor was necrotic, and histoimmunochemical staining of the viable cells was weak for CA125 but intense for CA19-9. Clinicopathological observations of the case suggested that CA125 and CA19-9 might be stimulated in the cells by inflammation or that originally existing CA125 and CA19-9 were released from the tumor cells following the cell necrosis.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1994

[A case of paraventricular anaplastic astrocytoma following radiation therapy for craniopharyngioma].

A 20-year-old man received 60 Gy of radiation therapy after partial removal of craniopharyngioma. The patient had been well and follow-up CT scans did not show any aggravation for 16 years. Since his activity gradually diminished, he underwent an MRI at the age of 36 which revealed an abnormal mass on the corpus callosum. The mass lesion progressively enlarged thereafter, and was diagnosed as anaplastic astrocytoma by a stereotactic biopsy. He was treated with interferon, however, died at the age of 37. Review of literature disclosed 19 other cases of glioma following radiation therapy for sellar/parasellar tumors. Characteristic features of these cases included 1) lowness of age compared to common glioma cases, 2) tendency to be malignant, 3) tendency to occur in areas where significant doses of radiation had been received previously.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Intraarterial infusion of autologous lymphocytes for the treatment of refractory lymphoedema. Preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of the treatment of lymphoedema by intra-arterial infusion of autologous lymphocytes. DESIGN: Open study. SETTING: University Hospital. SUBJECTS: 13 patients with refractory lymphoedema. INTERVENTIONS: Lymphocytes were separated from the patient's own blood using a blood cell separator; about 100 cc of lymphocyte dominant blood separated from this blood was immediately infused into the proximal artery of the affected limb. Infusion was practiced once a week, and repeated 4 to 6 times. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in size of the affected limb (defined as the difference between the affected limb and the normal limb after treatment), and softening of the edema (measured with a tension gauge). RESULTS: In all 13 patients there was softening of the affected hard limb followed by a reduction in the size of the limb (mean 64%), and the ache and sensation of heat in the limb lessened. The reduction in size was maintained in 9 of the 13 patients for three months, despite returning to their normal activities. CONCLUSION: Intra-arterial infusion of autologous lymphocytes is a promising treatment for refractory lymphoedema.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Effect of iodinated contrast media on ionic calcium.

This study was conducted to characterize the alterations in serum ionized calcium induced by contrast media (CM) and to determine the cause of the change. Fresh human blood samples as well as an electrolyte solution (ES) containing 1.2 mM calcium ions were diluted with CM and alterations in ionized calcium were measured using an electrometer. The CM tested were diatrizoate, iopamidol, iohexol, ioxaglate, isotonic saline, Na2-Ca-EDTA and pure meglumine. When CM were mixed with blood, ionic CM produced a greater decrease in ionized calcium than nonionic CM or saline. When mixed with ES, a significant reduction of ionized calcium was induced by ioxaglate and diatrizoate in comparison with saline. Na2-Ca-EDTA and meglumine caused no reduction in ionized calcium. Ioxaglate and diatrizoate caused calcium binding due to anions; binding induced by the latter was more prominent than that by the former. These observations suggest that a nonionic CM is more desirable for coronary arteriography of high-risk patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Effect of omentopexy on wound healing of the extensively detached and anastomosed canine trachea.

BACKGROUND: To examine the beneficial effect of omentopexy for tracheal anastomosis after extensive detachment that may cause impairment of the blood supply, the time course of tracheal wound healing was studied experimentally. METHODS: Circumferential resection of the trachea for three cartilage rings (nos. 11, 12, 13) and end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea were performed in 66 mongrel dogs, which were allocated to three groups (n = 22 in each). In the detached group, the trachea was entirely mobilized and isolated from the surrounding tissue for a length of 25 cartilage rings. In the wrapped group, omentopexy was added for the anastomosed site. In the control group, the same anastomosis was performed without omentopexy or detachment. The tracheal tissue blood flow was measured with a laser Doppler flow meter at the anastomosed site, and the tensile strength was determined with a tensiometer. RESULTS: All groups showed significant decreases in the blood flow on day 3, compared with the preoperative values, and increases stepwise from day 7 to day 21. On days 3, 7, and 14 the tissue blood flow was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in the wrapped group than in the detached group, although on day 21 it did not differ significantly among the three groups. The tensile strengths of the cartilaginous and membranous portions were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the wrapped and control groups than in the detached group. On day 21, no significant intergroup differences were observed for this parameter. In the wrapped group and in the control group, the capillary network at the anastomosed site was well developed on day 7, and the tracheal mucosal epithelium was well regenerated on day 21 without granulation formation. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that omentopexy at the anastomosed site of an extensively detached trachea provided adequate wound healing caused by rapid recovery of the tissue blood flow.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed1994

[Phase I study of CGS16949A--a new aromatase inhibitor. Cooperative Study Group for CGS16949A].

Phase I study of CGS16949A--a new aromatase inhibitor--was performed in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer who received either single oral administration of 4 and 8 mg, or multiple oral daily administration of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 mg for 5.5 days. No side effects were observed after single dose administration of 4 mg and 8 mg of CGS16949A. In the multiple administration, one patient received 1 mg/day for 3 days complained of abdominal pain (Grade 2), but administration of CGS16949 A was continued despite of the pain. In order to assess the causal relationship of the drug with the abdominal pain, the number of patients in 1 mg/day group was doubled from 3 to 6 patients, but no side effects were observed in the remaining five patients. In addition, no side effects, including abdominal pain, were noted in the other 2, 4, 8 and 16 mg/day groups. After multiple administration, plasma concentrations of estradiol at 5 hrs after the final dosage in the respective dose groups were reduced to 47.1 +/- 8.3%, 37.3 +/- 3.0%, 28.0 +/- 7.8%, 26.0 +/- 11.3% and 26.6 +/- 13.8% respectively. Similar tendencies were observed in estrone plasma levels and urinary estrogens levels. In this study, the reduction of plasma estrogen levels was confirmed following administration of CGS 16949A. The clinical usefulness of this new aromatase inhibitor remains to be studied further.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1993

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the gcv operon encoding the Escherichia coli glycine-cleavage system.

P-protein, H-protein and T-protein of the glycine cleavage system have been purified from Escherichia coli. Their N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined, and a set of oligonucleotide probes was designed for gene cloning. The nucleotide sequence of a fragment of DNA around the 62-min region of the E. coli chromosome, containing genes for the components of the glycine-cleavage system has been determined. The sequence includes three structural genes encoding T-protein (363 amino acids, 40013 Da), H-protein (128 amino acids, 13679 Da) and P-protein (956 amino acids, 104240 Da). These genes are named gcvT, gcvH and gcvP, respectively. They are organized in the above-mentioned order on the same strand of DNA with short intercistronic sequences. The presence of a potential promoter preceding gcvT and a typical rho-independent terminator sequence following gcvP indicated that the three genes constitute a single operon. Each component of the E. coli glycine-cleavage system exhibits considerable amino acid sequence similarity with the animal and plant counterparts. When the plasmid containing the gcv operon was transfected in E. coli cells, the gene products of gcvT, gcvH and gcvP were overexpressed under the direction of the promoter of the gcv operon. However, bacteria harboring the plasmid that contained the gcv operon without the promoter region and the 5' terminal portion of gcvT failed to overexpress any of the three components.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗