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Biomedical subjects

K Kawakita

Publications and source records attributed to K Kawakita.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Relief of chronic neck and shoulder pain by manual acupuncture to tender points--a sham-controlled randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of real acupuncture to tender points for neck and shoulder pain and stiffness (Japanese: katakori) with those of sham acupuncture. DESIGN: Randomized-controlled trial. METHODS: Thirty-four volunteers from an acupuncture school with complaints of chronic pain and stiffness, who had no arm symptoms and gave informed consent, were randomly allocated to acupuncture or sham groups. Acupuncture or sham acupuncture was applied to the tender points once a week for 3 weeks. In the acupuncture group the acupuncture needle was inserted to the muscle, then the sparrow pecking technique was applied five times. Sham acupuncture was done without insertion of the needle. Dull pain and stiffness were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) before, and every 2 days after the first needling for 1 month. Pressure pain threshold on the tender points was measured before and after each treatment. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference of VAS scores between acupuncture and sham groups 9 days after the last treatment. However, the acupuncture group showed significant reduction of VAS scores immediately after and/or 1 day after the real acupuncture treatments (P<0.01). The effect tended to be prolonged after repeated treatment. Pressure pain thresholds tended to increase after real acupuncture treatment but not after sham acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture applied to tender points appears to have short-term effects on neck and shoulder pain and stiffness, but this study was unable to demonstrate any long-term superiority over sham acupuncture.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗
PubMed2002

Cerebral oxygen metabolism monitoring under hypothermia for severe subarachnoid hemorrhage: report of eight cases.

OBJECTIVES: The significance of cerebral oxygen metabolism monitoring under hypothermia for severe subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was studied. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cerebral oxygen metabolism monitoring (jugular venous oxygen saturation: SjO2, arterio-jugular venous difference of oxygen: AJDO2, and oxygen extraction fraction:OEF) during hypothermia (32-34 degrees C) was evaluated in eight patients with SAH (severe vasoapasm group: five patients, and severe brain damage group: three patients). RESULTS: In favorable cases in both groups, each parameter tended to normalize during hypothermia therapy. When changes in SjO2 were normal, however, the value of AJDO2 was low in unfavorable cases in the severe vasospasm group. In unfavorable cases in the severe brain damage group, high level of SjO2 and low level of OEF and AJDO2 were shown even if hypothermia therapy was performed. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of SjO2 and AJDO2 is useful for estimation of cerebral oxygen metabolism in patients with severe conscious disturbance after SAH under hypothermia therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Repeated thalamic haemorrhage: case report and review of the literature.

Recurrence of thalamic haemorrhage has rarely been reported. A 70-year-old woman had recurrent thalamic haemorrhage five-times during a period of 6 years. The first, second and fifth haemorrhages were located in the right thalamic region, and the third and fourth haemorrhages in the left thalamic region. Cranial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no abnormal lesion. After the first, second, and third haemorrhage with medical treatments, the patient recovered her functional ability or was at least capable of self-care at home. However, after the fourth and fifth haemorrhage, with medical therapy the patient's prognosis was severe disability. In this case, systemic blood pressure was normalized without antihypertensive agents after the first attack. However, there was an episode of sudden hypertension at each attack. Although the mechanism of rebleeding has not been clarified, rebleeding might be associated with changes of cerebral circulation following the previous haemorrhage.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Induction of plant gp91 phox homolog by fungal cell wall, arachidonic acid, and salicylic acid in potato.

The oxidative burst has been suggested to be a primary event responsible for triggering the cascade of defense responses in various plant species against infection with avirulent pathogens or pathogen-derived elicitors. The molecular mechanisms of rapid production of active oxygen species (AOS), however, are not well known. We isolated homologs of gp91 phox, a plasma membrane protein of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase, from a potato cDNA library. Molecular cloning of the cDNA showed that there are two isogenes, designated StrbohA and StrbohB, respectively. The RNA gel blot analyses showed that StrbohA was constitutively expressed at a low level, whereas StrbohB was induced by hyphal wall components (HWC elicitor) from Phytophthora infestans in potato tubers. Treatment of potato tubers with HWC elicitor caused a rapid but weak transient accumulation of H2O2 (phase I), followed by a massive oxidative burst 6 to 9 h after treatment (phase II). Diphenylene iodonium (DPI), an inhibitor of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase, blocked both bursts, whereas pretreatment of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide with the tuber abolished only the second burst. These results suggest that the expression of StrbohA and StrbohB contributes to phase I and II bursts, respectively. The same is true for arachidonic acid, a lipid component of P. infestans-stimulated biphasic oxidative burst, whereas an endogenous signaling molecule, salicylic acid, only induced a weak phase II burst. Both molecules induced the StrbohB expression, which is in agreement with the second burst. To characterize the signal transduction pathway leading to the oxidative burst, we examined the role of protein phosphorylation in HWC-stimulated StrbohB gene expression. K252a and staurosporine, two protein kinase inhibitors, blocked the transcript accumulation. Two inhibitors of extracellular Ca2+ movement, however, did not abolish the transcript accumulation of StrbohB, suggesting that certain calcium-independent protein kinases are involved in the process of StrbohB gene expression. Additionally, we examined a causal relationship between the oxidative burst and expression of defense genes induced by the HWC elicitor. The transcript accumulation of genes related to sesquiterpenoid phytoalexin synthesis (lubimin and rishitin) and phenylpropanoid pathway was inhibited slightly by the DPI treatment, suggesting that the oxidative burst is not essential to activate these genes. Interestingly, the concomitant presence of DPI with the elicitor resulted in an increase in lubimin accumulation and a decrease in rishitin accumulation. Because it is known that lubimin is metabolized into rishitin via oxylubimin, we propose that AOS mediates the synthesis of rishitin from lubimin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system with delayed increased accumulation on I-123 IMP SPECT.

Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy in the management of malignant lymphomas is well established. It cannot, however, differentiate malignant from benign lesions because this agent also accumulates in benign inflammatory lesions. The authors present a case of increased I-123 IMP uptake on both early and delayed SPECT images in a patient with malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system. Results show that I-123 IMP SPECT can help differentiate malignant lymphoma from benign lesions and other malignant brain tumors.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Isolation of the gene for EILP, an elicitor-inducible LRR receptor-like protein, from tobacco by differential display.

We screened tobacco genes, which are differentially expressed in response to a fungal elicitor, and have isolated a gene which codes for a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein closely related to Cf genes in tomato. The EILP (elicitor inducible LRR protein) gene encodes 95 kDa protein, which consists of a putative membrane spanning region, 28 leucine-rich repeats and some N-linked glycosylation sites, and shows high homology to Cf-2/Cf-5 family genes. Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of some genes homologous to EILP in tobacco, like Cf genes in tomato. The expression of EILP was low at the basal level and increased by treatment with elicitor, implying that EILP is involved in both preexisting and inducible surveillance systems. The expression of EILP was activated by a non-pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea, and in a delayed fashion by the tobacco pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci, suggesting that the product of EILP may be involved in non-host disease resistance in tobacco.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Diffuse noxious inhibitory controls in anti-nociception produced by acupuncture and moxibustion on trigeminal caudalis neurons in rats.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture and moxibustion induce analgesic effects. This study examined whether diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) participated in acupuncture and moxibustion induced-analgesia. Single unit extracellular recordings from neurons in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis of urethane-anesthetized Wistar rats were obtained with a glass micropipette. A total of 52 single units, including 36 wide dynamic range (WDR), 5 nociceptive specific (NS) and 11 low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM) units were examined. During noxious test stimulation (cutaneous pinch or electrical stimulation), acupuncture, moxibustion or pinch stimulation was applied as the conditioning stimulus to the remote area of the receptive fields. When the conditioning stimulation induced rapid suppression of noxious receptive field stimulation response, examination revealed that various areas of the entire body were affected and suppression increased in an intensity-dependent manner. These features resemble DNIC phenomena. The suppression was observed on both WDR and NS neurons but not on LTM neurons. Eight of 16 WDR neurons examined were inhibited by acupuncture, five of 14 by moxibustion, and seventeen of 21 by pinching stimulation. Of the NS neurons, one of 2 units examined was suppressed by acupuncture, one of 2 by moxibustion, and two of 3 by pinch stimulation. Pinch stimulation induced the most profound suppression followed by manual acupuncture. Moxibustion induced moderate suppression with a long induction time. These results suggest that DNIC may be involved in the analgesic mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗
PubMed1999

Cloning, expression profile, and genomic organization of the mouse STAP/A170 gene.

The preferential screening of cDNA libraries derived from the mouse osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 has yielded a cDNA clone encoding a 442-amino-acid protein designated STAP (signal transduction and adaptor protein), which contains several motifs shared among transcription factors and adaptors such as a Zn-finger like motif, a proline-rich domain, and a PEST sequence. The amino acid sequence homology search also reveals that STAP is identical to a mouse oxidative stress protein, A170, and has 90% homology with a human p62 protein that binds to the tyrosine kinase p56(lck) SH2 domain. Northern blot analysis indicated a broad expression profile of STAP mRNA in various tissues and cell lines. In MC3T3-E1 cells, STAP mRNA was induced by treatment with TGF-beta, but not with BMP-2 or GDF-5. Analysis of the mouse STAP gene isolated from the genomic library revealed that the STAP gene spans a region of over 11 kb and comprises eight exons. The transcription start site was identified by primer extension analysis to be located 35 bp upstream from the translation initiation site. Sequencing analysis of the 5' flanking region of the STAP gene revealed multiple consensus motifs/sequences for several DNA binding transcription factors. The STAP gene had a TATA box, but no CCAAT box. Potential Sp1, AP-1, NF-E2, MyoD, and NF-kappaB binding sites were found in the 5' flanking region (1.4 kb) of the STAP gene.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1999

Effects of electrical stimulation of thalamic nucleus submedius and periaqueductal gray on the visceral nociceptive responses of spinal dorsal horn neurons in the rat.

Electrical stimulation of the nucleus submedius (Sm) has been shown to suppress the viscerosomatic reflex (VSR), which is evoked by colorectal distension (CRD). We have examined the effects of focal electrical stimulation (0.3 ms, 50 Hz, 100 microA, 10 s) of the Sm and the periaqueductal gray (PAG) on the excitatory responses evoked by CRD in spinal dorsal horn neurons within the L6-S1 region in the urethane-anesthetized Wistar rats. Extracellular recordings were made from 32 spinal excitatory CRD responses. All of these neurons were convergent neurons with cutaneous receptive fields. The majority of the neurons (27/32) were wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons (responding to noxious and non-noxious cutaneous stimuli) while the remaining five neurons were nociceptive specific (NS) neurons (responding only to noxious cutaneous stimuli). The effects of electrical stimulation applied to 28 sites within the Sm were assessed for spinal neurons. Electrical stimulation in seven sites within the Sm (25%) inhibited the CRD excitatory response of dorsal horn neurons, while in two sites (7%) the same stimulation yielded facilitation. Electrical stimulation in the majority of the sites in the Sm (19/28, 68%) did not affect spinal excitatory CRD responses. On the other hand, electrical stimulation of the PAG clearly inhibited 20 of 22 (90%) CRD excitatory responses. These results suggest that the majority of Sm neurons may suppress VSR activity at a supraspinal reflex center rather than via a descending inhibition of spinal visceral nociceptive transmission, as is the case for the PAG.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Molecular cloning of a defense-response-related cytochrome P450 gene from tobacco.

Plant defenses against pathogen attack involve a series of inducible responses that contribute to resistance. Tobacco leaves injected with HWC (hyphal wall components prepared from Phytophthora infestans) elicitor showed typical defense responses, including the induction of localized necrosis and the accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which plant defense systems are activated, we screened tobacco plants for genes differentially expressed in response to HWC. We performed differential screening by RT-PCR with random primers and obtained PCR products specific to HWC-treated leaf RNA. Northern hybridization using the PCR products as probes confirmed that one transcript was actually induced by HWC treatment. As the deduced amino acid sequence of this clone showed the highest degree of similarity to elicitor-induced soybean cytochrome P450 CYP82A4, it was designated CYP82E1. The expression of CYP82E1 was strongly induced in tobacco by the soybean pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea (nonpathogenic on tobacco), but it was activated only slightly and in a delayed fashion by the tobacco pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci (pathogenic on tobacco), implying that the product of CYP82E1 may be involved in disease resistance in tobacco.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

[Acupuncture for urinary incontinence in patients with chronic spinal cord injury. A preliminary report].

PURPOSE: We investigated the possible use of acupuncture for the treatment of urinary incontinence caused by detrusor hyperflexia in patients with chronic spinal cord injury. METHOD: A total of 8 male chronic spinal cord injured patients with urinary incontinence were treated by acupuncture. Their ages ranged from 20 to 33 years (mean 27). The level of lesion was cervical in 4 and thoracic in 4. Detrusor hyperreflexia with uninhibited bladder contraction was confirmed by urodynamic studies in all of them. Acupuncture was performed using a disposable stainless needle (0.3 mm in diameter, 60 mm in length), which was inserted into bilateral BL-33 (Zhongliao) points and was rotated manually for 10 minutes. The treatment was conducted every week for 4 weeks. Urodynamic studies were repeated, immediately after the beginning of and a week after the completion of the treatment. Urinary symptoms were also checked before and after the treatment. RESULTS: No side effects were recognized throughout the treatment period. Among 8 patients, incontinence was controlled completely in 3 (38%) and partially in 3 (38%). The average maximum cystometric bladder capacity increased significantly, from 42.3 +/- 37.9 ml to 148.1 +/- 101.2 ml by the treatment (p < 0.05), while the average maximum bladder pressure was not changed. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that acupuncture could be a promising alternative for conventional therapies for urinary incontinence caused by detrusor hyperreflexia in patients with chronic spinal cord injuries.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1997

Response characteristics of nucleus submedius neurons to colo-rectal distension in the rat.

The effects of colorectal distension (CRD) were examined on neurons located in and around the nucleus submedius (Sm) in the medial thalamus of urethane-anesthetized rats. A total of 66 units (49 in the Sm and 17 in immediately surrounding regions) responding to cutaneous pinch were tested to examine their responsiveness to the CRD. All the neurons that responded to cutaneous stimulation were nociceptive specific (NS) neurons. Based on their responses to the CRD the Sm neurons were classified into three types as follows: 23 (47%) of 49 neurons in the Sm and three (18%) of 17 neurons near the Sm had tonic excitatory responses with long-lasting after-discharges (type I); nine (18%) Sm neurons and four (24%) peri-Sm neurons were tonically excited but had no after-discharge (type II); and seven (14%) Sm neurons were inhibited (type III). Ten (20%) Sm neurons and 10 (59%) peri-Sm neurons did not respond to CRD. All the excitatory and inhibitory responses to CRD increased with increasing CRD pressure. Simultaneous application of CRD and cutaneous pinch did not produce a reduced response (nocigenic inhibition). These results demonstrate that most of the Sm neurons receive convergent viscerosomatic inputs from the colon and/or rectum and from the skin, suggesting that the Sm may participate in visceral nociception.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Identification of chitinase and osmotin-like protein as actin-binding proteins in suspension-cultured potato cells.

Cytoplasmic aggregation is an early resistance-associated event that is observed in potato tissues either after penetration of an incompatible race of Phytophthora infestans, the potato late blight fungus, or after treatment with hyphal wall components (HWC) prepared from P. infestans. In potato cells in suspension culture, the number of cells with cytoplasmic aggregation increased upon treatment with HWC, but such an increase was suppressed by treatment with cytochalasin D prior to treatment with HWC. This result suggested that cytoplasmic aggregation in cultured potato cells might be connected with the association of actin filaments. To identify the molecular basis of cytoplasmic aggregation, we purified actin and actin-related proteins by affinity chromatography on a column of immobilized DNase I from cultured potato cells and isolated proteins of 43 kDa, 32 kDa and 22 kDa. Analysis of the amino-terminal amino acid sequences indicated that the 43 kDa, 32 kDa and 22 kDa proteins were potato actin, basic chitinase and osmotin-like protein, respectively. This conclusion was supported by the results of Western blotting analysis of the 43 kDa and 32 kDa proteins with antibodies against actin and basic chitinase. Binding analysis with actin coupled to actin-specific antibodies and biotinylated actin suggested that the 32 kDa and 22 kDa proteins had actin-binding activity. In addition, examination of biomolecular interactions using an optical biosensor confirmed the binding of chitinase to actin. These results imply the possibility that basic chitinase and osmotin-like protein might be involved in cytoplasmic aggregation, hereby participating. In the potato cell's defense against attack by pathogen.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Inhibitory effects of acupuncture manipulation and focal electrical stimulation of the nucleus submedius on a viscerosomatic reflex in anesthetized rats.

To examine the participation of nucleus submedius (Sm) in the medial thalamus of pain inhibitory systems, we investigated the effects of acupuncture and focal electrical stimulation of the Sm and adjacent brain sites (0.3 ms, 50 Hz, 50-100 microA, 10 s) on the EMG activity of the external oblique muscle evoked by colorectal distension in urethane-anesthetized Wistar rats. The viscerosomatic reflex (VSR) activity was suppressed after the administration of morphine (1.0 mg/kg, i.v.) and the effect was reversed by naloxone (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.). Transection of the spinal cord at the Th2 level also eliminated the VSR. Acupuncture manipulation applied to the cheek (manual rotation at 1 Hz) suppressed the VSR, and this inhibition was eliminated by microinjections of lidocaine into the bilateral Sm nuclei (0.5 microliter of 1.0% solution). Electrical stimulation in the ventral part but not the dorsal part of the Sm suppressed the VSR. The inhibition of the VSR induced by electrical stimulation of the Sm was not reversed by the administration of naloxone (1.0 mg/kg, i.v.). Electrical stimulation of the adjacent medial thalamic nuclei (mediodorsal nucleus (MD) or centromedial nucleus (CM)) and ventrobasal complex (VB) of the thalamus had very little effect on the VSR. These results suggests that the Sm is not only involved in the relay of nociceptive information to the cortex, but may also be involved in a non-opioid mediated pain inhibitory system and may participate, at least in part, in the suppressive effects of intense acupuncture manipulation on VSR activity.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1996

Examination of the afferent fiber responsible for the suppression of jaw-opening reflex in heat, cold, and manual acupuncture stimulation in rats.

The possible afferent fibers that participate in the inhibition of jaw-opening reflex (JOR) were examined using selective conduction blockade by topically applied capsaicin. Blood pressure, heart rate, and rectal temperature were monitored, and bilateral femoral nerves were denervated in thiamylal anesthetized Wistar rats. The sciatic nerves were exposed bilaterally and two cotton balls, one soaked with 1.5% capsaicin and the other with saline, were directly applied to the nerve trunk on the respective sides. We verified the conduction blockade of the compound action potentials A delta and C fibers by 1.5% capsaicin. The evoked activity of the digastric electromyography elicited by electrical stimulation of the tongue (1.5 x T, duration 200 microseconds, interval 2 ms, twin pulse, 0.2 Hz) was monitored. On the saline-treated side, the JOR was gradually inhibited by manual acupuncture stimulation of the ipsilateral hindpaw (80 s), and the effect continued after the cessation of the stimulus. This response was not obtained with the manual acupuncture stimulation on the capsaicin-treated side. Immersion of the hindpaw in hot water (53 degrees C, 40 s) induced a rapid and potent inhibition of the JOR on the saline-treated side, but not on the capsaicin-treated side. Cold water immersion (10 degrees C, 40 s) had no apparent suppressive effect on either side, but it had a rather facilitative effect on the JOR on the saline-treated side. The inhibition of the JOR was elicited by manual acupuncture stimulation of various segmental areas such as the nose, auricle, forepaw, abdomen, hindleg and hindpaw. These results suggest that the capsaicin-sensitive thin afferent fibers (A delta and C afferent fibers) mediated by receptors such as polymodal receptors are activated by manual acupuncture stimulation and that they participate in the peripheral processes that of inhibition of the JOR by diffuse noxious inhibitory controls.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1996

The oxidative burst protects plants against pathogen attack: mechanism and role as an emergency signal for plant bio-defence--a review.

Various aspects, mechanisms and functions of the oxidative burst with generation of O2- superoxide anions in plant cells, which is stimulated by active defence-inducing agents such as fungal infection or elicitor treatment, were reviewed mainly on the basis of experimental evidence obtained in a system of Solanaceae plants and Phytophthora spp. The oxidative burst may be due to an O(2-)generating NADPH oxidase in the plasma membrane, which is activated with combinations of cytosolic proteins, Ca2+, calmodulin and protein kinase, following stimulation by elicitor molecules. The oxidative burst may play the role of an internal emergency signal for induction of the metabolic cascade for active defence.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1996

A cytosolic phospholipase A2 from potato tissues appears to be patatin.

Phospholipase (PL) A2 is involved in signal transduction in the resistance reaction that is induced in potato by inoculation of an incompatible race of Phytophthora infestans, the late blight fungus, or by treatment with fungal elicitor hyphal wall components (Kawakita et al. 1993). In this study, PLA2 in the soluble fraction from potato tuber was purified. The following results suggested that the enzyme was, in fact, patatin: (1) the molecular mass of the purified enzyme was 40 kDa, the same as that of patatin; (2) the pI of the purified enzyme was approximately 4.75, which corresponds to that of patatin; and (3) the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme showed a high degree of homology to that of patatin. Patatin is known as a storage protein of the potato tuber and it has been shown to have esterase activity. However, other enzymatic activities and the function(s) of patatin are unknown. We investigated the PLA activities of the purified patatin. The PLA2 activity of the patatin was much higher than the PLA1 activity, even though the protein exhibited both activities. The PLA2 activity of the enzyme was particularly apparent when phosphatidylcholine with linoleic acid at the sn-2 position was used as substrate. Lower activity was observed with phosphatidylcholine with palmitic acid, oleic acid and arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position.

Amino Acid Sequence↗