Biomedical subjects

K Okada

Publications and source records attributed to K Okada.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

cDNA cloning of nine S alleles and establishment of a PCR-RFLP system for genotyping European pear cultivars.

Nine full-length cDNAs of S ribonucleases (S-RNases) were cloned from stylar RNA of European pear cultivars by RT-PCR and 3' and 5' RACE. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences between the nine S-RNases cloned and 13 putative S alleles previously amplified by genomic PCRs revealed that seven corresponded to Sa, Sb, Sd, Se, Sh, Sk and Sl alleles, and the other two were new S alleles (designated as Sq and Sr alleles). Genomic PCR with a set of a8FTQQYQa9 and a8EP-anti-IIWPNVa9 primers was used to amplify nine S alleles; 1,414 bp (Sl), ca. 1.3 kb (Sk and Sq), 998 bp (Se), 440 bp (Sb) and ca. 350 bp (Sa, Sd, Sh and Sr). Among these, S alleles of similar size were discriminated by digestion with BaeI, BglII, BssHII, HindIII, EcoO109I and SphI. The PCR amplification of S allele following digestion with the restriction enzymes provided a PCR-RFLP system for rapid S-genotyping European pear cultivars harboring nine S alleles. The PCR-RFLP system assigned a total of 63 European pear cultivars to 25 genotypes. Among these, 14 genotypes were shared by two or more cultivars, which were cross-incompatible. These results suggested that the genes cloned represented the S-RNases from European pear, and that there were many cross-incompatible combinations among European pear varieties.

Alleles↗

PubMed2006

Preparation and sorption properties of porous materials from refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF).

Porous materials consisting of activated carbon and amorphous CaO-Al(2)O(3)-SiO(2) (CAS) compound were prepared from refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF), (a mixture of old paper and plastic) by carbonizing and/or activating treatments. Samples formed by chemical activation using K(2)CO(3) showed a high specific surface area (S(BET)) of 1330 m(2)/g but a lower ash content due to being washed after activation. By contrast, samples prepared by physical activation using steam showed rather lower S(BET) (510 m(2)/g) due to higher ash contents. The physically activated samples showed much higher uptake properties for Ni(2+) (a representative heavy metal) and phosphate ions (a representative of a harmful oxyanion) than the chemically activated samples because of the higher content of amorphous CAS in the former samples. By contrast, the chemically activated samples showed higher uptake for methylene blue (MB, a representative organic material) than the physically activated samples because of the higher activated carbon content of higher surface area. Although differences in the sorption properties for Ni(2+), phosphate ion and MB were found between the physically and chemically activated samples, both samples show excellent multiple sorption properties for cation-anion combinations and inorganic-organic sorbents.

Adhesives↗

PubMed2006

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the oxygen K resonance of NiO: nonlocal charge transfer and double-singlet excitations.

We report high-resolution polarization-dependent resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the O K resonance of NiO showing a rich excitation spectrum. We perform multisite Ni6O19 cluster model calculations, revealing that solid state effects are substantial. We identify a nonlocal charge transfer excitation at 4-5 eV and double-singlet creation at 1.75 eV, both exhibiting significant scattering geometry dependence. Apart from an intense band of local charge transfer excitations (above 5 eV) also dd excitations at 1 eV are observed. Finally, we point out that O K RIXS of correlated metal oxides allows a quantitative and consistent determination of the charge transfer energy delta and the Hund coupling energy J(H).

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Early onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus as an initial manifestation of aceruloplasminaemia.

BACKGROUND: Aceruloplasminaemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by specific mutations in the ceruloplasmin gene. Aceruloplasminaemia is clinically characterized by diabetes mellitus, pigment degeneration of the retina, and neurological abnormalities, such as cerebellar ataxia, extrapyramidal signs, and dementia. We present a patient with aceruloplasminaemia who, until progressive neurological abnormalities were noticed, had been treated for more than 30 years as having Type 1 diabetes mellitus requiring multiple insulin injection therapy. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 58-year-old man. At the age of 23 years, he developed diabetes that required multiple insulin injection therapy. At the age of 39 years, he was commenced on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy. Despite CSII therapy, the patient's blood glucose levels were poorly controlled (HbA(1c), approximately 9.5%). He was diagnosed as having aceruloplasminaemia at 58 years of age when he presented with progressive cerebellar ataxia, extrapyramidal signs of recent onset and pigment degeneration of the retina. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that some diabetic patients with aceruloplasminaemia are mistakenly diagnosed as having Type 1 diabetes mellitus, as they have reduced insulin secretion and develop diabetes at a younger age, before neurological abnormalities associated with aceruloplasminaemia are apparent. Therefore, aceruloplasminaemia should be considered in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who develop progressive neurological abnormalities of unknown aetiology along with a microcytic hypochromic anaemia and retinal degeneration.

Blood Protein Disorders↗

PubMed2006

Lack of alpha2-antiplasmin improves cutaneous wound healing via over-released vascular endothelial growth factor-induced angiogenesis in wound lesions.

BACKGROUND: The fibrinolytic system is supposed to play an important role in the degradation of extracellular matrices for physiological and pathological tissue remodeling; however, the detailed mechanism regarding how this system affects cutaneous wound healing remains to be clarified. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed experimental cutaneous wounding in mice with a deficiency of alpha(2)-antiplasmin (alpha(2)AP), which is a potent and specific plasmin inhibitor. We found that an accelerated wound closure was observed in alpha(2)AP-deficient (alpha(2)AP-/-) mice in comparison with wild type (WT) mice. Moreover, we observed that a greater increase of angiogenesis occurred in the process of wound healing in alpha(2)AP-/- mice than in the WT mice. Intriguingly, mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is the best characterized positive regulator of angiogenesis, in wound lesions was found to show a greater increase in the early phase of the healing process in alpha(2)AP-/- mice than in WT mice. In addition, the amount of released-VEGF from the explanted fibroblasts of alpha(2)AP-/- mice increased dramatically more than in the WT mice. Finally, the intra-jugular administration of anti-VEGF antibody clearly suppressed the increased angiogenesis and accelerated wound closure in the wound lesion of alpha(2)AP-/- mice. CONCLUSION: The lack of alpha(2)AP markedly causes an over-release of VEGF from the fibroblasts in cutaneous wound lesions, thereby inducing angiogenesis around the area, and thus resulting in an accelerated-wound closure. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report to describe the crucial role that alpha(2)AP plays following angiogenesis in the process of wound healing. Our results provide new insight into the role of alpha(2)AP on cutaneous wound healing.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma with telangiectatic osteosarcoma-like features.

A 35-year-old Japanese man was admitted to the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan, in December 2000, with a 2-month history of pain around the left thigh. Radiographs showed a poorly demarcated osteolytic lesion with focal mineralisation and endosteal scalloping in the left proximal femur. Biopsy showed a proliferation of highly anaplastic cells without any cartilaginous component. A wide excision of the left proximal femur with a replacement by endoprosthesis was carried out in February 2001 after treatment with methotrexate and 20 Gy radiation therapy. Pathological examination of the surgical specimen showed a focus of low-grade chondrosarcoma and the coexistence of telangiectatic osteosarcoma-like features. The patient was diagnosed with dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma with telangiectatic osteosarcoma-like features. Lung metastasis appeared in July 2001 despite an adjuvant chemotherapy including methotrexate, cis-platinum and doxorubicin. The latest follow-up study in June 2004 showed multiple lung metastases. Establishing a definitive diagnosis of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma may be difficult with limited small biopsy specimens. Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of osteolytic tumours with focal calcification and endosteal scalloping even if an extraosseous tumour component is not identified.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Clinical study of influenza-associated rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure.

AIMS: Influenza-associated rhabdomyolysis induces renal failure with a fatal outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment efficacy of influenza-associated rhabdomyolysis patients with acute renal failure (ARF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects included 6 patients who had presented with rhabdomyolysis and ARF due to influenza infection on admission to our university hospital and its 2 affiliated hospitals between January 2002 and February 2004. We retrospectively examined the cases. RESULTS: All the patients (n = 6) were males, and none of them had received an influenza vaccine. The viruses were identified as influenza A (n = 5) and B (n = 1). Muscular weakness was observed in many cases (n = 5), whereas pain or tenderness was observed in only 1 case (n = 1). For anuric or oliguric patients (n = 4), blood purification therapy was performed, while for patients in whom the urine volume was normal (n = 2), conservative therapy was administered. CONCLUSION: Careful medical attention is necessary when patients have muscle pain and weakness. Early recognition of rhabdomyolysis allows prompt institution of an appropriate therapy that includes blood purification and may minimize the renal dysfunction associated with this disorder.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

PubMed2006

[Pericardioperitoneal fenestration for chronic exudative pericarditis using a subxiphoidal approach; report of a case].

A 77-year-old woman with a previous history of median sternotomy and collagen disease, presented with chief complaints of resting dyspnea as a result of recurrent pericardial effusions or restrictive ventilatory impairment. She experienced significant symptom amelioration after undergoing pericardioperitoneal fenestration. We weighed the positive against the negative of various pericardial effusion drainage methods in this study. This operative procedure is not innovative, but favorable because it can be carried out conveniently and safely, enabling early rehabilitation without appreciable postoperative complications.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

An assessment survey of anti-tuberculosis drug management in Cambodia.

SETTING: One hundred and seven public health facilities with tuberculosis (TB) service and 66 private pharmacies in 14 provinces. OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of TB service providers, new smear-positive pulmonary TB out-patients and drug storekeepers, to document practices in the public sector TB drug procurement system, to measure TB drug availability in private pharmacies and to compare public and private sector TB drug prices with international prices. DESIGN: Documents and treatment record reviews, inventory checks and structured interviews. RESULTS: The prescribing practices of the TB service providers were acceptable. The level of new smear-positive TB out-patients' knowledge of TB treatment was high. The storekeepers' inventory practices for TB drugs indicated a need for improvement. Various TB drugs were available in the private pharmacies. TB drug prices in the public sector were similar to international reference prices, although they were higher than the Global TB Drug Facility prices. CONCLUSIONS: An indicator-based anti-tuberculosis drug management assessment survey can measure the current situation and quality of DOTS, identify any weaknesses or changes in practice from the norm, and simultaneously serve as a basis for training of TB service providers and storekeepers.

Antitubercular Agents↗

PubMed2006

[Usefulness of ultrasonically activated scalpel for pulmonary resection in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery].

We evaluated the reliability and efficacy of the ultrasonically activated scalpel (Harmonic Scalpel) for pulmonary resection in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Fifty-six cases of primary or metastatic lung cancer with history of lobectomy or segmentectomy from July 2003 to June 2006 were investigated. The ultrasonically activated scalpel was used to separate aborted lobulation and segment in the surgery. The outcome of the operation using the ultrasonically activated scalpel revealed the mean operation time of 224.5 minutes and mean blood loss volume of 116.7 ml. The chest drainage catheter was removed at the postoperative day 3.4 and hospitalization lasted 10.4 days on average. By means of statistical analysis, no significant differences were noted when compared with the cases using surgical stapler to separate the lobules or segments of the lungs. Histopathological results showed destruction of alveolar structures and denaturation of cells at the cut surface of the resected lung through the use of the ultrasonically activated scalpel. This method resulted in good lung expansion and preservation of the residual lung volume. Furthermore, it prevented postoperative air leakage by appropriate treatment to the cut surfaces of the residual lung. Indeed, the method appears to be useful in the separation of lung tissues in severe aborted lobulation and segmentectomy by VATS.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

A movement protein and three capsid proteins are all necessary for the cell-to-cell movement of apple latent spherical cheravirus.

Immunoblot analysis of apple latent spherical cheravirus (ALSV)-infected leaves using a polyclonal antibody against the 21 C-terminal amino acids of a 53 K/42 K movement protein (MP) showed that a protein with an Mr of 42 kDa (42KP) is the dominant form found in vivo, which could indicate that the second AUG is used as an initiation codon of a ORF in RNA2. Co-expression of GFP with 42KP in tobacco epidermal cells showed that 42KP is able to facilitate cell-to-cell trafficking of GFP that is expressed in the same cells. The analysis of deletion mutants on each of MP, Vp24, Vp20, or Vp25 using an ALSV vector that stably expresses GFP indicated that an MP and three capsid proteins are all indispensable for the cell-to-cell movement of the virus. In ultrathin sections of infected leaves, a file of virus-like particles passing through the plasmodesmata connecting neighboring cells and tubular structures containing virus-like particles extending into the cytoplasm were observed. These results show that ALSV moves from cell to cell as virus particles.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed2005

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha up-regulation in spontaneously proliferating cells derived from bovine leukemia virus-infected cattle.

We previously reported that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was one of the cytokines that contributed to the leukemogenesis caused by bovine leukemia virus (BLV). To determine if the spontaneous cell proliferation observed in the late disease stages, such as persistent lymphocytosis and lymphosarcoma, correlated with the expression level of TNF-alpha, we analyzed the mRNA expression levels for TNF-alpha in spontaneously proliferating PBMCs derived from BLV-infected cattle. The mean mRNA expression level for TNF-alpha was higher in the spontaneously proliferating PBMCs derived from BLV-infected cattle than in non-spontaneously proliferating PBMCs from normal cattle. The TNF-alpha protein level in the PBMCs was determined by flow cytometric analysis, and it was noted that most of the cells expressing membrane-bound TNF-alpha in the spontaneously proliferating cells were CD5+ or sIgM+-cells. Additionally, in order to determine if this spontaneous proliferation can be blocked by anti-bovine TNF-alpha MAb, the spontaneously proliferating PBMCs from a BLV-infected cattle were cultured in the presence of the MAb. The addition of this MAb at the beginning of the 72 h-cultivation clearly inhibited spontaneous proliferation of cells in a dose-dependent manner, indicating the direct involvement of TNF-alpha in the spontaneous proliferation of PBMCs during the late disease stage. These data suggest that an aberrant expression of TNF-alpha might contribute to the progression of bovine leukosis in animals which develop persistent lymphocytosis of B-cells or B-cell lymphosarcoma.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Correlation of retinal sensitivity measured with fundus-related microperimetry to visual acuity and retinal thickness in eyes with diabetic macular edema.

AIM: To determine whether significant correlations exist between retinal sensitivity measured by fundus-related microperimetry and the visual acuity and the foveal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 32 eyes with DME and 17 normal healthy eyes that had undergone fundus-related microperimetry and OCT. The macular sensitivity was measured using the recently introduced fundus-related microperimeter, Micro Perimeter 1. The mean retinal sensitivities within the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were correlated with the best-corrected visual acuity and OCT-measured foveal retinal thickness. RESULTS: The mean sensitivities in the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were significantly lower in patients with DME than in normal subjects (P<0.0001). The mean retinal sensitivities in the central 2 degrees and 10 degrees were inversely correlated with visual acuity (r(2)=0.623, P<0.0001; r(2)=0.581, P<0.0001) and foveal thickness (r(2)=0.581, P<0.0001; r(2)=0.551, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The mean retinal sensitivities measured with fundus-related microperimetry were significantly lower in eyes with DME than in normal eyes. Because a significant correlation of the microperimeter-determined retinal sensitivity to visual acuity and foveal thickness was observed, the retinal sensitivities obtained by fundus-related microperimetry may be another measure that can be used to assess the effects of DME.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Robust pulmonary nodule segmentation in CT: improving performance for juxtapleural cases.

Two novel methods are proposed for robust segmentation of pulmonary nodules in CT images. The proposed solutions locate and segment a nodule in a semi-automatic fashion with a marker indicating the target. The solutions are motivated for handling the difficulty to segment juxtapleural, or wall-attached, nodules by using only local information without a global lung segmentation. They are realized as extensions of the recently proposed robust Gaussian fitting approach. Algorithms based on i) 3D morphological opening with anisotropic structuring element and ii) extended mean shift with a Gaussian repelling prior are presented. They are empirically compared against the robust Gaussian fitting solution by using a large clinical high-resolution CT dataset. The results show 8% increase, resulting in 95% correct segmentation rate for the dataset.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Juxtacortical chondroma of the hand: treatment by resection of the tumour and the adjacent bone cortex.

A recurrence of a juxtacortical chondroma of the finger after marginal excision prompted us to review the treatment of this condition. Although the recommended treatment is simple curettage or marginal excision, the reported recurrence rate is significantly higher for lesions in the hand than those in other locations and recurrences only occurred in patients who had local treatments which did not include excision of the adjacent bone cortex. We report five patients with juxtacortical chondroma of the fingers. The first patient underwent marginal excision without resection of the underlying bone cortex. The other four patients underwent intralesional, marginal or wide excisions of tumour with resection of the bone cortex underlying the lesion. Recurrence was only seen in the patient who did not undergo resection of the bone cortex. Resection of the underlying bone cortex after excision of this tumour may be advisable for the treatment of this tumour in the hand to reduce the rate of recurrence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Differentiation of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells in a large osteochondral defect in rabbit.

BACKGROUND: Although accumulating evidence shows that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a promising cell source for articular cartilage repair, the fate of transplanted MSC has not been extensively studied. METHODS: To monitor their persistence and differentiation, we labeled uninduced MSC with a fluorescent dye, PKH26, and transplanted them, in a poly-glycolic-acid scaffold, to full-thickness defects made in the weight-bearing area of rabbit femoral trochleae with hyaluronate sheets. The fate of the labeled cells was monitored for up to 8 weeks. RESULTS: Two weeks after transplantation, immature cartilage containing collagen type II had formed. By 8 weeks, this cartilage had thinned and immunolabeling for collagen type II gradually disappeared from the basal region, which became positive for collagen type I. Most chondrocytes within the regenerated cartilage were PKH26-positive and, therefore, derived from transplanted MSC, whereas osteoblasts within the regenerated bone were a mixture of donor- and host-derived cells. The thickness of the cartilage became thinner up to 8 weeks and then remained stable up to 42 weeks after surgery. DISCUSSION: These results showed that uninduced MSC were able to survive osteochondral defects and differentiated according to the environment, making a major contribution to initial cartilage formation and a partial contribution to bone regeneration.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Immunological development of preterm infants in early infancy.

To evaluate the immunological development of preterm infants, especially in early infancy, we examined the serum cytokine levels and the expression of Th2 and Th1 chemokine receptors, CCR4 and CCR5, on days 0, 14 and 28 in 16 low birth weight infants (1720.38 +/- 502.80 g) born at less than 37 (33.63 +/- 3.29) weeks of gestation. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), serum interleukin (IL)-4 levels exhibited an increase on day 14, but decreased to the initial level on day 28 (P < 0.05). The significant elevation of serum transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta levels was confirmed on day 14 (P < 0.05) but decreased to the initial level on day 28 (P < 0.05). The expression of CCR4 and CCR5 were examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometric analysis. The RT-PCR confirmed the expression of CCR5-mRNA soon after birth, while there was no expression of CCR4-mRNA. Thereafter, the expression of CCR4-mRNA increased significantly and reached the level of CCR5-mRNA expression on day 28 (P < 0.05). Flow cytometric analysis, however, revealed that the expression levels of both CCR4 and CCR5 were low at birth. Thus, CCR4(+) CD4(+) cells were significantly increased from days 0-28 (P < 0.05), while CCR5(+) CD4(+) cells were not. Increased IL-4 and TGF-beta synthesis as well as increased CCR4(+) CD4(+) cells suggest that, under extra-maternal circumstances, there is a shift in bias toward Th2 responses even in preterm infants soon after delivery, while they may be capable of developing Th1 mediated responses soon after birth.

Actins↗

PubMed2005

The influence of hot pack therapy on the blood flow in masseter muscles.

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether hot pack therapy can change the blood flow of human masseter muscles. Thirty-two healthy subjects with no history of muscle pain in the masticatory system participated and were divided into two groups. One group underwent proper hot pack therapy (hot pack group) and the other underwent sham hot pack therapy (control group). Continuous and non-invasive measurements of haemoglobin volumes and oxygen saturation levels (StO2) were determined with a near-infrared spectroscope. The blood flow parameters were total haemoglobin volume (THb), oxygenated haemoglobin volume (OXHb), deoxygenated haemoglobin volume (deOXHb) and oxygen saturation level (StO2). In hot pack group, results showed that the THb, OXHb and StO2 after the hot pack application were significantly larger than those before the hot pack. In control group, the THb, OXHb, deOXHb, StO2 and heart rates showed no significant differences between the values before and after the sham hot pack application. The THb, OXHb and StO2 after the hot pack application in hot pack group were significantly larger than those in control group, while the deOXHb after the hot pack was significantly smaller than that in control group. The heart rates showed no significant differences between the groups. The results suggest that hot pack therapy can increase regional blood flow of human masseter muscles and creates an advantageous condition for aerobic energy metabolism in the muscles.

Adult↗