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Biomedical subjects

K Saga

Publications and source records attributed to K Saga.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

CD30+ large cell transformation of mycosis fungoides after psoralen plus ultraviolet A photochemotherapy.

Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) photochemotherapy is widely used for the therapy of mycosis fungoides (MF). Clinical progression of MF is often associated with an increase in the size of tumour cells known as transformation. We report two patients with CD30+ large cell transformation that appeared after low-dose PUVA therapy for MF. Clinical data, histopathology, immunohistopathology and T-cell receptor gene rearrangement were studied. Nodules consisted of atypical large cells that expressed CD30. Monoclonal rearrangement of T-cell receptors was observed in one case. Low-dose PUVA therapy may be associated with CD30+ large cell transformation in patients with MF.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Biomagnification of 7Be, 234Th, and 228Ra in marine organisms near the northern Pacific coast of Japan.

Enrichment of natural radionuclides of thorium, radium and beryllium in several kinds of marine organisms was investigated near the Pacific coast of Miyagi Pref., Japan. The radioactivity of 7Be, 210Pb, 234Th, 238U, 228Ra and 137Cs was measured using gamma spectrometry. High concentrations of 234Th were observed in ascidian livers (50-400 Bq/kg dry) and excrement (2000-2900 Bq/kg dry), although the parent 238U concentrations were less than 3 Bq/kg dry. Such extreme disequilibrium between 238U and 234Th activity was observed in other organisms (barnacles, mussels and brown algae). Relatively high concentrations of 228Ra were detected in ascidian livers and were observed to decrease according to its half-life (5.75 year), suggesting disequilibrium with its parent 232Th. High concentrations (about 1900-5000 Bq/kg dry) of 7Be were detected in ascidian liver. Possible mechanisms for the observed biomagnification and bioaccumulation of these radionuclides in the organisms analyzed were proposed.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Idiopathic acquired generalized anhidrosis due to occlusion of proximal coiled ducts.

Idiopathic acquired generalized anhidrosis is a very rare disease of unknown pathogenesis. We report a 25-year-old man with acquired generalized anhidrosis due to occlusion of the coiled ducts. He did not have sweat secretion over the entire surface of the body, including the palms and soles. Sweat-inducing stimuli provoked tingling pain on the skin. Pilocarpine iontophoresis on the forearm did not induce sweat secretion. Neurological examination did not reveal any abnormality in the central or peripheral nervous system. Skin biopsy showed that the coiled ducts were occluded by an amorphous eosinophilic substance. This amorphous eosinophilic substance was positive with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and was resistant to digestion by diastase. Electron microscopy demonstrated that the coiled ducts were completely occluded by an amorphous substance. The substance occluding the coiled ducts contained fibrous structures. These findings suggested that the acquired generalized anhidrosis in this patient was caused by occlusion of the coiled ducts by a PAS-positive substance probably derived from dark cell granules.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Histochemical and immunohistochemical markers for human eccrine and apocrine sweat glands: an aid for histopathologic differentiation of sweat gland tumors.

Apocrine and eccrine sweat glands are distinct in function, although they are closely related to each other developmentally and morphologically. In certain sweat gland tumors, it is difficult to differentiate between eccrine or apocrine sweat glands. Therefore, this paper reviews histochemical and immunohistochemical markers to differentiate apocrine and eccrine sweat glands with the aim of better understanding the structural and functional characteristics of these sweat glands. Specific markers for apocrine sweat glands are as follows: neuraminidase sensitive anionic sites detected by cationic colloidal gold at pH 2.0, and mitochondrion-like secretory granules that have epidermal growth factor-like antigenicity. The following antibodies react with apocrine sweat glands but not with eccrine sweat glands; the antibodies raised against 70 kDa glycoprotein purified from human milk fat globule membranes, and HMFG-1 (1.10.F3) monoclonal antibody produced by immunizing mice with defatted human milk fat globule membranes. Markers for eccrine sweat glands are as follows: dark cell granules that have chondroitinase ABC sensitive anionic sites detected by cationic gold at pH 2.0 after pretreatment with EGTA, and intercellular canaliculi with high activity of alkaline phosphatase. CEA and GCDFP-15 are expressed in both eccrine and apocrine sweat glands. Anti-EMA monoclonal antibody (E29) stains both eccrine and apocrine sweat glands.

Apocrine Glands↗
PubMed2001

Immunohistochemical localization of activated EGF receptor in human eccrine and apocrine sweat glands.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is secreted into sweat from secretory cells of human sweat glands. The function of EGF in sweat is poorly understood. The biological function of EGF is exerted by the binding of EGF to the receptor (EGFR) and its activation. Therefore, we immunohistochemically localized the activated form of EGFR in human eccrine and apocrine sweat glands to assess the functional importance of the EGF-EGFR system in human sweat glands. Frozen sections of human skin were stained with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) specific for tyrosine-phosphorylated (activated) EGFR and with an MAb that stains both activated and non-activated EGFR. In the secretory portion of eccrine sweat glands, nuclei of the secretory cells were stained with the anti-activated EGFR MAb. In coiled and straight portions of eccrine sweat ducts, nuclei of luminal and peripheral cells were stained with the antibody specific for activated EGFR. Luminal cell membranes and luminal cytoplasm of inner ductal cells possessed non-activated EGFR. In the secretory portion of apocrine sweat glands, activated EGFRs were present in cytoplasm and nuclei of secretory cells. These data suggest that EGF, already known to be present in the cytoplasm of secretory cells in eccrine and apocrine sweat glands, activates EGFR in the nuclei of secretory cells themselves in an intracrine manner. Because ductal cells do not express EGF, EGF in the sweat secreted from the secretory cells should activate EGFR in the ductal cells in a paracrine manner. (J Histochem Cytochem 49:597-601, 2001)

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed2001

[A case of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lung].

A 68-year-old woman presented with a complaint of coughing and chestroentgenography and computed tomography revealed a very large, irregular mass in the left inferior lobe of the lung. The suspected preoperative diagnosis was sarcoma. Therefore, a complete resection of that mass was considered to be difficult. The patient received preoperative chemotherapy including cisplatin with vindesine as employed for non-small cell lung cancer. She demonstrated a clinical response after three cycles of the chemotherapy and underwent surgery successfully. A postoperative diagnosis of MFH was made based on the histology of the tumor, which was pleomorphic with a storiform pattern. The tumor cells showed positive immunostaining for alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin but were negative for SMA and S-100 protein. The patient underwent a further three cycles of postoperative chemotherapy and has remained disease-free for 12 months after tumor resection.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Synaptic plasticity in morphologically identified CA1 stratum radiatum interneurons and giant projection cells.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic efficacy was examined in interneurons and giant cells in the stratum radiatum region of the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Cells were visually selected using differential interference contrast (DIC) optics and filled with biocytin while being recorded using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. Electrophysiological criteria, including spike height, width, and degree of spike adaptation shown to sustained depolarization, proved inadequate for differentiating interneurons from giant cells. We found that cells in the stratum radiatum, however, could be reliably differentiated using DIC optics or following intracellular staining. The response of the two cell types to tetanic stimulation further dissociated them. Long-term potentiation, dependent on the activation of NMDAr (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors), could reliably be induced in interneurons with stimuli administered at 200 Hz, but not 100 Hz. Giant cells, in contrast, exhibited NMDA receptor-dependent LTP in response to 100-Hz stimuli, but not the 200-Hz stimuli. LTP induction in interneurons also appeared temperature-dependent, being much more robust at 34 degrees C than at room temperature. The LTP in both cell types required postsynaptic calcium influx, and was not due to the passive propagation of LTP induction in neighboring pyramidal cells. These results suggest that different cell types within the hippocampal formation may preferentially alter synaptic connectivity in a frequency-specific manner.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1999

Pilocarpine-induced cholinergic sweat secretion compared with emotional sweat secretion in atopic dermatitis.

We studied pilocarpine-induced cholinergic sweating, emotional sweating and sympathetic reflex sweating in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Secreted sweat was measured both with equipment that continuously records sweat rate and with a filter paper method that measures sweat weight absorbed. Comparison of the two methods revealed that the filter paper method underestimated the sweat secretion in AD patients. While AD patients showed no significant abnormalities in emotional sweating and sympathetic reflex sweating, the duration of pilocarpine-induced sweating was prolonged. The time from the maximal sweat rate until the sweat rate fell to half of the maximal rate was significantly longer in AD patients than in control subjects. In contrast, the time from the beginning of sweat secretion until the maximal sweat rate was not significantly different between AD patients and control subjects. There was no significant difference between AD patients and control subjects in sweat volume secreted in 20 min after pilocarpine iontophoresis. In AD patients, the total sweat volume secreted after pilocarpine iontophoresis was greater than in control subjects, although not significantly. These results suggest that the system of deactivation of pilocarpine-induced sweat secretion is impaired in AD patients whereas the activation system is not altered.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

High-level production of human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) by induced expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used as host for high-level production of intact human parathyroid hormone (hPTH). The yield increased about 30-fold by changing from the constitutive MFalpha promoter to the inducible CUP1 promoter in the expression cassettes, use of another host strain, and optimization of growth conditions where especially the pH value was crucial. The secreted products consisted mainly of intact hormone, hPTH(1-84). In addition, two C-terminally truncated forms that lacked the four or five last amino acid residues, hPTH(1-80) and hPTH(1-79), were identified. These hPTH forms migrated aberrantly by SDS-PAGE as 14-kDa proteins, while the real masses measured by mass spectrometry on HPLC-purified products were about 9 kDa. Availability of such easily purified truncated forms will be valuable for studies of how the C-terminal residues affect the structure and function of the hormone. Combination of mutations and disruptions of the host genes encoding proteinase A, B, carboxypeptidase Y, and Kex1p or Mkc7p did not influence the C-terminal deletions. The secretion of hPTH could be enhanced by overexpression of the yeast syntaxin gene SSO2, but the total level of the hormone was not improved due to impaired growth.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1998

Pigmented primary carcinoma of the breast: a clinical mimic of malignant melanoma.

A 68-year-old man had a pigmented tumour in the breast. Although the clinical picture suggested a malignant melanoma, histology revealed that the tumour was a primary ductal carcinoma of the breast. There was no pagetoid cell proliferation in the epidermis. However, tumour nests contained numerous dendritic melanocytes that could survive in the tumour nests without the existence of epidermal keratinocytes. Further immunohistochemical study employing antibodies to melanocyte growth factors demonstrated that anti-basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) antibody was the only reagent to show a positive staining for tumour cells. This indicated that the breast cancer cells produced bFGF, which enabled survival of melanocytes within the tumour mass.

Breast Neoplasms, Male↗
PubMed1996

Vitamin K prophylaxis to prevent neonatal vitamin K deficient intracranial haemorrhage in Shizuoka prefecture.

OBJECTIVE: To compare three methods of vitamin K prophylaxis for neonatal vitamin K deficient intracranial haemorrhage. DESIGN: We designed three strategies for vitamin K prophylaxis: 1. therapeutic administration of vitamin K in a mass screening system using the hepaplastin test; 2. routine oral administration of vitamin K to newborn infants; and 3. administration of vitamin K to lactating mothers during the late neonatal period in addition to the routine method. We evaluated the efficacy of these methods by determining hepaplastin test values at the first month of age. POPULATION: 66,076 full term healthy newborn infants without any complications. RESULTS: Of 55,513 infants in the mass screening system, 3068 infants received vitamin K therapeutically. At the first month of age, in the group where vitamin K was administered therapeutically, 56 infants (1.83%) exhibited low hepaplastin test values (< 40%) despite vitamin K administration. But extremely low values (< 20%), indicating a very high risk of neonatal intracranial haemorrhage, were observed in 34 (0.06%) of 52,445 infants who did not receive vitamin K. In the routine administration system, oral administration of vitamin K twice within the first week of life showed a lower incidence (0.19%) of low level cases than a single administration (1.56%). An additional administration of vitamin K to lactating mothers throughout the late neonatal period showed an effective result.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

A histological study of cutaneous thermal wounds using a Clostridium perfringens-derived wound healing substance with wound healing stimulation activity.

We studied the effects of a Clostridium perfringens-derived wound-healing substance (WHS) on the healing of thermal burn wounds. Third-degree burn injuries were inflicted on the back skin of rats. We histologically evaluated the effects of WHS ointments and compared them with those of lysozyme chloride ointment. We observed the formation of dermal collagen fibers and the increase of capillaries in the WHS ointment treated groups. From the results of hematoxylin and eosin staining and silver staining, an increase in capillaries was observed one week after the application of WHS ointment. Three weeks after the application, when the epithelization was in the final stage, capillary formation ceased. In the WHS ointment-applied groups, electron microscopic observation showed that new collagen fibers were regularly formed in the dermis. On the other hand, in the lysozyme chloride ointment-applied groups, new collagen fibers were present, but were irregularly formed. The main wound healing stimulative action of the WHS ointment could be due to its acceleration of new capillary formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Proliferating activity of the hair follicular melanocytes at the early and anagen III stages in the hair growth cycle: detection by immunocytochemistry for bromodeoxyuridine combined with DOPA reaction cytochemistry.

In order to demonstrate the existence of proliferating activity in hair follicular melanocytes during the early and anagen III stages, immunocytochemistry for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporated in the nuclei of the melanocytes for 1 hr was undertaken at the light and electron microscopic levels in combination with DOPA reaction cytochemistry. Light microscopically, about 30% of the nuclei of the DOPA reaction positive melanocytes at the anagen III stage of the hair growth cycle were labeled by anti-BrdU antibody. These melanocytes were observed in about one hundred hair follicles. Electron microscopically, the nuclei of a few undifferentiated melanocytes at the anagen II stage were labeled by anti-BrdU antibody-affiliated secondary antibody-gold particles. At the anagen III stage, localization of the immunogold particles in the DNA replication domains of the nuclei of the undifferentiated and redifferentiating melanocytes covered the patterns of the early, middle, and late S-phase. These findings suggest that the hair follicular melanocytes begin proliferation at the anagen II stage and that the melanocytes proliferate actively at the anagen III stage to repopulate the hair matrix during subsequent hair growth.

Animals↗