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Biomedical subjects

K Inokuchi

Publications and source records attributed to K Inokuchi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The relationship between the site of breakpoints within the bcr gene and thrombopoiesis of Philadelphia-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia.

We determined the position of the breakpoint within the bcr gene in 22 patients with Philadelphia-positive chronic myelocytic leukemia using conventional Southern-blots and analyzed its relationship to thrombopoiesis. After DNA digestion with restriction endonucleases (Hind III, Bam HI and Bgl II), we localized the breakpoint in bcr using two genomic probes. The location of the breakpoint within the bcr was assigned to one of five zones. Breakpoints in zones 1 and 2 were grouped as "5"', and those in zones 3, 4 and 5 as "3'". Thus we subdivided patients with bcr rearrangements into those with genomic breaks at either 5' or 3' of the Bam HI site, just upstream of exon 3. Nine patients had 5' breakpoints and 13 patients had 3' breakpoints. The platelet counts of 3' patients were significantly higher than those of 5' patients (1395 vs 274 x 10(9)/l; p less than 0.03). The megakaryocyte counts from bone marrow histological sections in 3' patients (n = 12) and 5' patients (n = 7) were 63.4/mm2 and 19.5/mm2, respectively, with a significant difference of p less than 0.006. The mean number of megakaryocyte progenitor cells assayed by in vitro cloning was 128.3/2 x 10(5) bone marrow cells for 3' patients (n = 7) compared with 46.3 for 5' patients (n = 4). These results suggest that Philadelphia-positive CML patients with 3' breakpoints have higher thrombopoietic activity than patients with 5' breakpoints.

Adult

Cell-mediated cyclic thrombocytopenia treated with azathioprine.

We studied a male patient with cyclic thrombocytopenia whose bone marrow megakaryocyte count showed cyclic fluctuations in synchrony with cyclic changes of platelet count. He failed to respond to either prednisolone or bolus methylprednisolone therapy, but subsequently he was successfully treated with azathioprine. To investigate the underlying pathogenesis of the cyclic fluctuations in the platelet count, we studied the kinetics of megakaryocyte progenitor cells (CFU-Meg) and the effects of the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells on CFU-Meg. In one cycle of the platelet fluctuation, the increase in the CFU-Meg number preceded an increase in the bone marrow megakaryocyte count and then the platelet count. In the latter half of the cycle, CFU-Meg, bone marrow megakaryocytes and platelets began to decrease in that order. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from the patient in the thrombocytopenic phase suppressed megakaryocyte colony formation from normal bone marrow cells in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, these cells obtained in the phase of a normal platelet count did not suppress megakaryocyte colony formation at all. These findings indicate that the cause of platelet fluctuation is periodic failure of megakaryocytopoiesis at the stage of CFU-Meg and that the patient's peripheral mononuclear cells are responsible for periodically suppressing the CFU-Meg.

Azathioprine

[Cooperative study of surgical adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (third report): five-year results. Cooperative Study Group of Surgical Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer in Japan].

A randomized controlled study was carried out by the envelope method with 491 institutions in participation across the country in order to find an optimal surgical adjuvant chemotherapy for curatively resected colorectal cancer. The schedules for drug administration were different in four districts: ACNU + Futraful (FT) group and FT alone group in the Hokkaido-Shikoku district; the same schedule groups plus untreated group in the Chubu-Kinki district; MMC+FT group, FT alone group in the Tohoku-Kanto district; and ADM+FT group and FT alone group in the Chugoku-Kyushu district. The numbers of patients admitted to this study were 2,450 cases with colon cancer and 2,456 cases met the evaluation criteria of this study. The 5-year survival rate on the whole did not differ from combination therapy to single drug therapy in either colon cancer or rectal cancer, but in Dukes C rectal cancer the five-year survival rate tended to be higher with the combination therapies. In n2 (+) or a2(s) rectal cancer in particular, combination therapies with MMC and FT and with ADM and FT achieved significantly higher five-year survival rate, and the rate of local recurrence was significantly lower with ADM+FT.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[The preoperative and postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen test in the diagnosis, staging, and prognosis of gastric cancer. Tumor Marker Committee, Japanese Foundation for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Cancer].

Preoperative and postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were studied in 3,532 patients with Surgically treated gastric cancer in 52 institutions from 1980 to 1981. These patients had disease resectable with curative intent and were followed for a minimum of 5 years or until death. Among 2,749 Stage I cases, 33 had recurrence and proved to be histologically stage I. A pair matching case control study between these 33 cases and matched 33 stage I controls without recurrence proved that the preoperative CEA level was relatively higher in cases with recurrence (p = 0.079). In Stage II and III cases, an analysis of variance using a cut off level as a block factor was performed. Among 315 Stage II cases, preoperative CEA levels were significantly higher in cases with recurrence than in cases without recurrence. In 468 Stage III cases, no correlations between preoperative CEA levels and high risks of cancer recurrence were detected. In Stage I and Stage II cases, CEA levels significantly increased at the time of recurrence. In conclusion, preoperative high serum CEA levels might be considered one of the risk factors for recurrence of Stage I and II gastric cancers, and monitoring the postoperative CEA levels might be useful in early detection of recurrence.

Analysis of Variance

Improved survival after prophylactic portal nondecompression surgery for esophageal varices: a randomized clinical trial. Cooperative Study Group of Portal Hypertension of Japan.

To evaluate prophylactic surgery for esophageal varices, a prospective randomized controlled trial was begun in 1980 by the Japanese Research Society for Portal Hypertension. Methods of operation included selective shunts and nonshunting interruption procedures. One hundred and twelve Japanese patients, in whom endoscopic findings suggested risk of bleeding but who had no bleeding episode, were randomly allocated to the operated group of 60 patients or nonoperated group of 52 patients. Nine patients with idiopathic portal hypertension, histologically proven noncirrhotic disease, which all fell in the operated group, were excluded from the study and the remaining 103 patients (51 operated and 52 nonoperated) were analyzed. Long-term follow-up of patients for a median of 49 mo with a maximum of 73 mo showed a total of 11 (22%) deaths, including 2 operative deaths, in the operated group compared with 23 (49%) deaths in the nonoperated group. The cumulative survival rate at 5 yr in the operated group was 72%, which was significantly higher than the 45% of the nonoperated group (p less than 0.05). The cumulative variceal bleeding rate at 5 yr was 7% in the operated group, which was significantly lower than that of the nonoperated group of 46% (p less than 0.001). It was concluded that portal nondecompression surgery was effective in preventing the variceal bleeding and in improving survival.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices

The selective shunt for variceal bleeding: a personal perspective.

It has been proved that selective decompression of esophageal varices can occur by way of the left gastric venous route or the transsplenic route. The left gastric venacaval shunt functions well over a long postoperative period, if the shunt is technically satisfactory; however, the distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) can be problematic. Unless the proximal and distal portions of the splenic vein are both entirely isolated from the pancreas, blood flow will be diverted from the portal vein to the distal splenic vein, where the pressure has been lowered by the shunt. This portal malcirculation may lead to portal thrombosis or stenosis on occasion. To prevent this adverse effect, complete isolation of the splenic vein (splenopancreatic disconnection) is necessary. Extensive gastric disconnection is irrelevant in this regard. Although the conventional DSRS has been viewed with disfavor, we must realize that splenopancreatic disconnection makes the DSRS a satisfactory technique. The clinical evidence and theoretic basis of the selective shunt for esophageal varices are described herein.

Esophageal and Gastric Varices

[Intraoperative intraperitoneal administration of CDDP against gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination].

This study was undertaken in order to evaluate the effect of intraoperative intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of CDDP on patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination, compared with MMC or OK-432 i.p. administration group and untreated group. The median survival time was 11 months in CDDP i.p. group (35 patients), 8 months in MMC or OK-432 Ip group (33 patients) and 7 months in untreated group (25 patients). 1- and 2-year survival rates were 30.4% and 12.1% for MMC or OK-432 i.p. group, and 28% and 8% for untreated group, while in CDDP i.p. group, the rates were higher at 46.4% and 14.7%, respectively (CDDP i.p. group vs. untreated group, p less than 0.05). In vitro chemosensitivity test by succinate dehydrogenase inhibition (SDI) test supported the clinical results. CDDP had higher sensitivities than MMC and ADM on poorly differentiated cases as well as peritoneal dissemination cases. Our results suggest that intraoperative i.p. administration of CDDP was useful for the treatment of gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination.

Adult

[A clinical case of ABO-incompatible living renal transplantation].

We successfully made ABO-incompatible renal transplantation, of which report is methodologically the first in Japan and probably the second in the world to our knowledge. Sixty year-old-female (mother) with B-blood type donated her right kidney to 36 years-old male (son) with O-blood type. Pretransplant removal of plasma isoagglutinin of the recipient through plasma exchange with albumin solution followed by hemodialysis with administration of fresh frozen B-type plasma effectively reduced the anti-BIgM-antibody titre of x256 to x8 and the anti-IgG-antibody titre of x512 to x16. Splenectomy was performed at the time of transplantation. On the 10th POD, the anti-B antibody titres were more decreased to IgM antibody x2 and IgG antibody x8. Patient is doing well without any sign of rejection as of 4 months postoperatively.

ABO Blood-Group System

[Successful treatment of adult T-cell leukemia with interferon-alpha-2b by systemic and local administration].

A 59 years old woman, born in Fukuoka Prefecture, was admitted to our hospital in Aug, 1988 because of diarrhea, fever and skin eruption. Physical examination revealed systemic lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. The white blood cell count was 11,200/microliters with 28% atypical lymphocytes with convoluted nuclei. Mild anemia, thrombocytopenia and hypercalcemia were also observed. Antibody against the adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) associated antigen in serum was positive. OKT 4/8 ratio was high. A diagnosis of ATL was made. Because of the complications of pneumonia and herpes simplex, systemic chemotherapy was not given, and interferon (IFN)-alpha-2b was intramuscularly injected daily from Oct, 1988, resulting in the disappearance of atypical lymphocytes and improvement of skin lesions. The effect of IFN therapy lasted for three months, followed by increase of atypical lymphocytes. Although the patient became refractory to systemic IFN therapy, local injection of IFN into a buccal tumor infiltrated with atypical lymphocytes resulted in its regression of size. In spite of continued administration of IFN, the patient died of pneumonia in Jan, 1989.

Female

[Multi-institutional cooperative study of adjuvant immunochemotherapy in gastric cancer--five-year survival rate].

The Gastric Cancer Immunochemotherapy Study Group, constituted of 412 institutions, carried out six independent trials simultaneously from 1978 to 1981. A total of 4,456 cases were subjected to the study, from which 826 cases (18.5%) were excluded due to the violence of entry criteria. Curative gastrectomy, followed by a combination of mitomycin C (MMC), Ftorafur (FT)and Krestin (PSK) produced better postoperative survivals than either combination of MMC and FT, or MMC and PSK (5-year survival rate: 71.7% in MMC + FT + PSK, 64.1% in MMC + PSK, and 58.5% in MMC + FT). In the subset of patients with negative nodes (n(-)), and with involved serosa by histological examination (ps(+)), a combination of FT and PSK after gastrectomy seemed to be more favorable for the post-operative survivals than the single use of either drug. Four drug combinations of MMC, FT, PSK and Picibanil (OK-432) also had a clinical benefit in the group of patients with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, compared with chemotherapy alone. These results, though there are biases due to excluding 18.5% of cases, suggest some clinical benefits in the control of cancer relapse after surgery. The conclusion should be confirmed by a further elaborate trial.

Adjuvants, Immunologic

[Cooperative study of surgical adjuvant chemotherapy of colorectal carcinoma (second study): a preliminary report. Cooperative Study Group of Surgical Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Colorectal Cancer in Japan].

In a prospectively randomized study, the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy with mitomycin C (MMC) and tegafur (FT) on survival and recurrence was analyzed in 2,477 evaluable patients with colon or rectal cancer who underwent macroscopically curative resection. Patients (1,256 with colon cancer, 1,221 with rectal cancer) were divided into the treatment group (group A) and the control group (surgical resection only, group B). In group A, chemotherapy consisted of intravenous administration of MMC (12 mg/m2 on operative day, followed by 6 mg/m2/2 months, 6 times) and oral administration of FT (800 mg/day for one year). No serious adverse effects were observed in the treatment group. There was no significant difference between group A and group B in three-year survival rate. The disease-free interval curve in group A of rectal cancer revealed significantly better results than group B (p = 0.044). There was no difference in the incidence of local recurrence at three years after operation between group A and group B. The incidence of metachronous liver metastases in group A of rectal cancer was significantly lower than in group B (p = 0.036).

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[Cooperative study of surgical adjuvant chemotherapy of colorectal carcinoma (second study): 3-year survival after surgery of non-curatively resected patients. Cooperative Study Group of Surgical Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Colorectal Cancer in Japan].

A prospective randomized study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of surgical adjuvant chemotherapy for non-curatively resected colorectal carcinoma patients as a collaborative study at 428 institutes in Japan from Jan., 1984 to Dec., 1985. A total of 1,138 patients were entered in this study. All patients were divided according to disease location (colon or rectum) and received one of two chemotherapeutic regimens after surgery (Regimen C: MMC 12 mg/m2 i.v. at operation day and 6 mg/m2 in every 2 months +UFT 600 mg/day p.o., D: the same dose of MMC + UFT 400 mg/day p.o.) randomly. 556 cases (colon carcinoma regimen C: 148, D: 185 cases, rectal carcinoma regimen C: 94, D: 129 cases) were evaluable at this presentation. Three-year-survival rate of histologically confirmed non-curatively resected colon carcinoma patients was higher in the group receiving regimen C than in regimen D. But no significant difference was found among the other groups.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[Extensive bone marrow necrosis associated with carcinomatosis 7 years after operation for gastric cancer].

A case of extensive bone marrow necrosis due to cancer metastasis is reported. A 55-year-old female, who had a history of subtotal gastrectomy for signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach 7 years ago, was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of lumbago on October 25, 1987. Red blood cell count was 92 X 10(4)/microliters, hemoglobin 2.7 g/dl, hematocrit 8.0%, platelet 6.4 X 10(4)/microliters, and white blood cell count 13,400/microliters with leukoerythroblastosis. Bone marrow aspiration of the sternum, left iliac crest, and bilateral posterior superior iliac supine showed extensive bone marrow necrosis. Serum ALP was increased to 7410IU/l, dominated isozyme of bone type. Hemostatic findings suggested a complication of consumption coagulopathy. Skull, vertebrae, iliac and pelvic bone X-ray showed multiple osteolytic lesions, and irregular isotope uptake was recognized on the bone scintigraphy using 99mTc. Sixth bone marrow examination at the right iliac crest revealed signet ring cell carcinoma metastasis. In spite of detailed examinations, there was no evidence of primary carcinoma, including the remnant of stomach. We speculated that the signet ring cells were originated from the respected gastric cancer. The patient has received anti-cancer chemotherapy with UFT and OK432, and is still alive 9 months after diagnosis.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous

[Philadelphia-positive acute mixed leukemia with monosomy 7].

A 26-year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of fever and leukocytosis. On admission, a white blood cell count was 28,300/microliters with 46.5% blast cells and 16.0% atypical monocytoid cells, a hemoglobin level 13.7 g/dl, and a platelet count 15.0 X 10(4)/microliters. Bone marrow contained 58.8% of peroxidase-negative blast cells. He was diagnosed as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL L2) according to the FAB classification. Chromosome analysis revealed the marrow cells to contain 45, XY, -7, t(9; 22) (q34; q11). On surface marker analysis, the leukemic cells were positive for both lymphoid (CD10) and myeloid markers (CD13). Two color flow-cytometric analysis showed two distinct populations with CD10 and CD1 3, respectively. Rearrangements of both immunoglobulin heavy chain and T cell receptor beta-chain were observed. The "breakpoint cluster region" on chromosome 22 was not rearranged. On the basis of these findings, we thought this case being acute mixed leukemia. He was refractory to AdVP therapy and BHAC-DMP therapy. He is now under treatment with A-Triple-V therapy.

Adult

[Successful treatment of secondary erythroleukemia with androgen].

A case of secondary erythroleukemia treated with apparent success with androgen is reported. The patient is 63-year-old Japanese female. She had a history of multiple myeloma and had been treated with melphalan, vincristine and prednisolone. She developed erythroleukemia 88 months after the initiation of chemotherapy, while her myeloma was a complete remission. She was treated first with vitamin D3 with no beneficial effect and subsequently with 0.5 mg/kg of mepitiostane. A hematologic improvement began two months from the initiation of androgen therapy, and a complete remission of erythroleukemia was attained thereafter. A chromosomal abnormality of bone marrow cells, which was observed at the time of developing erythroleukemia, also disappeared after the treatment. She remained in good condition and hematologic remission under the androgen therapy at the latest follow-up, 1-year after the development of erythroleukemia. Androgen therapy may be considered as a useful treatment for secondary erythroleukemia.

Androstanols

Sequence-directed bends of DNA helix axis at the upstream activation sites of alpha-cell-specific genes in yeast.

The MF alpha 1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a major structural gene for mating pheromone alpha factor, is an alpha-cell-specific gene whose expression is regulated by the mating-type locus, MAT. Two upstream activation sites (UASMF alpha 1s), which are binding sites for an activator protein, MAT alpha 1, mediate alpha-cell-specific expression of this gene. We show here that DNA fragments containing the UASMF alpha 1 region exhibited anomalous slow electrophoretic mobilities on gels at lower temperature, but not at higher temperature, that is characteristic of bent DNA. We confirmed the sequence-directed bend at the UASMF alpha 1 region by employing a circular permutation analysis and a DNA cyclization assay. Deletion analyses revealed the existence of two bends in this region, each of which overlaps each UASMF alpha 1 element. The two bends were almost in phase; they lie in a nearly same plane with a same direction. We also show the existence of sequence-directed bend at the UAS region of the STE3 gene, another alpha-specific gene in S. cerevisiae. These bent DNAs may be involved in transcriptional regulation of this set of genes.

Base Sequence