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Biomedical subjects

K Takamori

Publications and source records attributed to K Takamori.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Organ culture conditions of human hair follicles.

Experimental results revealed that although [3H]thymidine uptake in the hair bulb increased time dependently for 12 days under normal culture conditions (95% air-5% CO2 at 37 degrees C), striking morphological changes occurred in the hair bulb cells as demonstrated by histological findings. As such, organ culture conditions applicable to human hair follicles were studied utilizing observations from both histology and DNA synthesis. We found that culture conditions of 95% O2-5% CO2 at 31 degrees C were superior when compared to normal culture conditions for cultures of human hair follicles when attempting to maintain the normal morphology of hair germinative cells. The hair bulb and the germinative cells successfully maintained their normal morphology throughout the 96 and 48 h culture period, respectively. Autoradiographs of [3H]thymidine-labeled follicles showed localization in the germinative cells below Auber's critical line. Hair bulb DNA synthesis increased time dependently for 96 h after culture initiation. Under conditions of 95% O2-5% CO2 at 31 degrees C, the synthesis of DNA in hair germinative cells was observed. Such an organ culture method may prove useful for studies on the human hair growth mechanism.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1991

Increased HLA-DR+ T-lymphocyte population in peripheral blood of alopecia areata.

The populations of activated T-cell subsets [HLA-DR(+)-Leu 4+ cells, interleukin 2 receptor positive (IL-2R+)-Leu 4+ cells] in the peripheral blood of patients with alopecia areata (AA) were investigated using double direct immunofluorescence staining. Fifty-eight patients with AA were classified into one of three types: those with inactive single AA (type 1) lesions, active multiple alopecia areata (MAA) lesions and active alopecia totalis (AT) (type 2) and chronic alopecia universalis (AU) (type 3). Compared to normal controls, high percentages of HLA-DR(+)-Leu4+ cells were detected in types 2 and 3 AA patients, but not in type 1 AA patients. These findings suggest that T cells are activated in the peripheral blood of active MAA, AT and chronic AU.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Three-dimensional MR brain image using volume rendering method].

3-dimensional image reconstructed from the data of computer tomography has provided useful informations for the pre-operative evaluation in the field of neurosurgery and plastic surgery. However CT has failed to visualized the 3-dimensional surface image of the central nervous system. On the other hand the progress of high-speed data acquisition technique and 3-dimensional fourier transformation has enabled the practical 3-dimensional image using magnetic resonance imager. However for the visualization of a pure surface image of the brain and spinal cord a sophisticated method and special image work station has been necessary. The authors describe a technique for the pure surface image of the brain and spinal cord using a normal mini-computer system and magnetic resonance imager. This image has a good correlation to the macroscopic anatomical brain surface (sulci and gyri).

Brain↗
PubMed1991

[The partial characterization of neutrophils' and lymphocytes' chemotactic factors from murine anagenic hair bulb extract].

Sephadex G-75 gel filtration of murine anagenic hair bulb extracts (HBE) showed two peaks with chemotactic activity. Peak I (m.w. 63 +/- 4.6 KD) was chemotactic for both neutrophils and lymphocytes, and Peak II (m.w. 47 +/- 5.6 KD) was chemotactic for lymphocytes only. The neutrophil related chemotactic activity was sensitive to treatments by trypsin, pronase, neuraminidase, or heating at 100 degrees C for 10 min. With Peak I, lymphocyte related chemotactic activity was sensitive to treatments by pronase, trypsin or neuraminidase, but was unaffected by heating at 100 degrees C for 10 min. On the other hand, the same aforementioned treatments all individually inactivated the Peak II lymphocyte related chemotactic activity. Intradermal injection of Peak I fractions into guinea pigs induced infiltration of neutrophils and mononuclear cells, and that of Peak II induced the infiltration of mononuclear cells. These findings suggest that normal C3H murine anagenic hair bulb contains three different chemotactic factors related to neutrophils and lymphocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Purification and characterization of an extracellular proteinase from Hendersonula toruloidea.

An extracellular proteinase from a fast-growing strain of Hendersonula toruloidea was demonstrated when it was cultivated in liquid medium containing bovine serum albumin as the sole nitrogen source. Purification to homogeneity of the proteinase was performed by carboxymethyl cellulose, CM Sephadex G-50, and Sephacryl S-200 column chromatographies. The purified enzyme was a chymotrypsinlike serine proteinase, as indicated by the strong inhibitory activities of diisopropyl fluorophosphate, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, L-1-tosylamido-2-phenylethylchloromethyl ketone, and chymostatin and good kinetic constants for a synthetic substrate, Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-MCA. The enzyme had a pI of 8.4, a pH optimum of 9.0, and a molecular weight of 34,000. Skin constituents such as stratum corneum and nail, but not hair, were easily digested by this enzyme. Thus, this extracellular proteinase may play a role in the invasion of thickly keratinized skin and nail by this organism.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

[A Japanese family of Nettleship Falls X-linked ocular albinism].

A family with Nettleship Falls X-linked ocular albinism (NFXOA) was reported. The funduscopic examination revealed that both the male proband case and his maternal male cousin with nystagmus and amblyopia had macular hypoplasia and slightly less pigmented fundus than normal Japanese, and the carrier female (proband's mother) had the characteristic pigmentary mosaicism of the fundus. The slitlamp biomicroscopic examination revealed that the proband case's iris was less pigmented and the carrier female had the normal coloured iris. Translucency was not found in the iris of either the proband case or the carrier female. Hypopigmented maculas were found on the skin of the proband case. Histopathological findings of the cutaneous tissue of both the proband case and the carrier female showed macromelanosomes in the epidermis. The diagnosis of NFXOA is considered to be difficult by ocular clinical signs in the case of Japanese male patients without both characteristic albinotic fundus and the mother's pigmentary mosaicism of the fundus. Macromelanosomes recognized by skin biopsy are helpful for diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[The purification of high molecular weight protease from the rat's skin].

In this study, the purification of a high molecular weight protease from Wistar Rats' skin was investigated. A high molecular weight protease from Wistar Rats' skin was purified by successive (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, Phenylsepharose CL-4B, and HPLC gel filtration chromatographies. The activity of the enzyme was determined using a synthetic substrate, succinyl-leucyl-leucyl-valyl-tyrosine methylcoumarinamide (SLLVT-MCA). The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 750,000 by gel filtration. With SDS-PAGE the purified enzyme was dissociated into several bands of which the majority fell into the range of 20,100-36,000 daltons. These findings suggest that high molecular weight protease in rat's skin consists of various subunits.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[A study on the therapy and prognosis of pemphigus vulgaris].

The treatment and, in particular, the prognosis of 32 patients with pemphigus were studied. All cases were classified according to treatment, for example, corticosteroid only, corticosteroid + immune-suppressive agents, plasma exchange + corticosteroid and/or immune-suppressive agents, and other treatments. Results showed that with the plasma exchange group skin lesions disappeared the quickest, the percentage of disappearance was the highest and a long standing remission was able to be maintained. With the plasma exchange group, many cases were severe and had complications which were not able to be resolved by corticosteroid or immune-suppressive agents. Therefore, plasma exchange may be considered as a very significant form of treatment of pemphigus vulgaris.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1990

[The partial characterization of neutrophils and lymphocytes chemotactic factors from murine anagenic hair bulb extract].

The murine anagenic ++ hair bulb extract (HBE) showed a chemotactic activity for both neutrophils and lymphocytes in vitro. The activity for both cells was retained after heating at 56 degrees C for 30 min, and dialysis. However, heating at 100 degrees C for 10 min inactivated the chemotactic activity for neutrophils, but not for lymphocytes. Activity for neutrophils was sensitive to degradation by trypsin or pronase but stable to neuraminidase treatment. On the other hand, activity for lymphocytes was not affected by protease treatment, but was reduced by approximately 30% after being treated by neuraminidase. These findings suggest that HBE contains at least two kinds of chemoattractants for neutrophils and lymphocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[Skin high-molecular-weight protease. 2. Biochemical properties].

The purification of High-Molecular-Weight Protease from Wistar Rat's skin was previously investigated and reported. Some properties of this enzyme were subsequently investigated. This enzyme showed high activities toward succynyl-leucyl-leucyl-valyl-tyrosine-methylcoumarinamide (SLLVT-MCA). The addition of 0.03% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) stimulated enzyme activity to 2,000% of the initial activity. The pH optimum was pH 8.5 in the presence of 0.03% SDS, but pH 6.0-8.5 in the absence of SDS. This enzyme was inhibited by one of serine protease inhibitors, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) strongly. It was also inhibited by some of SH protease inhibitors, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), iodoacetamide (IA), and leupeptin. Interestingly, chymostatin, a serine and SH protease inhibitor also inhibited enzyme activity. These results show that both serine and cysteine++ residues are related to the enzyme activity of High-Molecular-Weight Protease.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

A possible preferential inhibition of chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear neutrophils by a chemical modification.

The modification of neutrophils with amino group blocking reagents of different chemical specificities showed that dansyl chloride caused inhibition of chemotaxis without suppression of random movement. Dansylated neutrophils, like control cells, ingested bacteria. Neither the stimulated cyanide-insensitive respiration, nor lactate production during phagocytosis, was affected significantly by dansylation as compared with the inhibition of directed movement.

Acetone↗
PubMed1978

Neisseria in early stage of dental plaque.

Neisseria in the early stage of dental plaque was studied. Two hundred seventeen strains of Neisseria were isolated from the 12-hour plaque of 9 subjects by using lactose-agar. The isolated strains were divided into 6 major groups with biological characteristics. One hundred twenty-one strains (56%) produced glycogen-like polysaccharide from sucrose. They were divided into 3 groups. Groups 1 and 2 were identified as N. mucosa and N. sicca, respectively. There were 106 strains of N. sica, being the most predominant of the species. The number of strains not producing polysaccharide was 96 (44%). Groups 4 and 5 were Branhamella and N. subflava. The absorption spectra of the ethanol extracts of the pigment in each group were similar and this result supported propriety of the classification by biological characteristics. The adhesiveness of Neisseria to the glass plate was examined. Approximately one-half of N. sica showed an adhesion capacity.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMed1976

Thiols of myosin. IV. "Abnormal" reactivity of S1 thiol and the conformational changes around S2 thiol.

The flexibility of the tertiary structure around the active site of myosin ATPase [EC 3.6.1.3] was studied using the reactivity of two specific thiol groups, S1 and S2, as a structural probe. The following four maleimide derivatives were used as thiol-directed reagents: N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), N-(4-methoxy-2-benzimidazolyl methyl) maleimide (MBM), N-(p-(2-benzimidazolyl)phenyl)maleimide (BIPM) and N-(4-dimethyl-amino-3,5-dinitrophenyl)maleimide (DDPM). 1. All the maleimide derivatives used activated the Ca2+-ATPase activity and inhibited the EDTA-ATPase activity, like NEM, indicating that they modified S1. The rate of modification of S1 by NEM and BIPM increased with increasing pH, while that by DDPM decreased. BIPM simultaneously modified S1 and S2. 2. S1 showed much higher reactivity toward the maleimides, except for BIPM, than did N-acetylcysteine (N-Ac-Cys) a low molecular-weight model compound. The extremely small pKa value of S1, 6.28, accounted for this high reactivity. In addition, the ATP-induced increase in its reactivity inducated that S1 was in a buried state. Kinetic analysis showed that the teritiary structure around S1 at alkaline pH differed from that at acidic pH. 3. The apparent rate constant of S2-modification with NEM was approximately one seven-hundredth and one four-hundredth of those of S1 and N-Ac-Cys, respectively. Fluorimetric studies using BIPM revealed that S2 in the buried state was exposed upon adding ATP; this was compensated by the burying of some other thiol group(s) (Sp). Non-linearity of the Arrhenius plots of the reaction rate of S2 suggested that the S2 region of myosin had different conformations at high and low temperatures, the transition temperature being 10--15degrees. This non-linearity completely disappeared in the presence of Mg2+-ATP. On the other hand, Arrhenius plots for the thiols reactive to BIPM did not show non-linearity in the presence or absence of ATP.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1976

Dextran degrading activity of oral microbial flora.

Dextran degrading activity of the human oral microflora was detected by culturing in TYD broth (Tryptose 1.0%, Yeast extract 0.3%, Dextran T-150 (Pharmacia, MW 150,000) 0.15%). All of the plaue and saliva samples collected from 10 subjects showed a dextran degrading activity, both cultured aerobically and anaerobically, while the anaerobic culture was more active than the aerobic. Furthermore, some individual differences were observed in their activity. Crude enzyme(s) was extracted from the supernatant of a mixed culture of plaque sample by adding ammonium-sulfate to 0.6 and 0.8 saturation (called E-1 and E-2, respectively). E-1 contained 2 dextran-degrading enzymes, one being thought to be an endo-enzyme, with the optimal of H being 5.0 and the other an exo-enzyme with the optimal pH being 7.0-7.5. On the other hand, E-2 contained 1 enzyme of the endo-type. Thirteen strains producing dextranase were isolated from the plaque and were identified as Bacteroides oralis-like organisms. Several other organisms were thought to produce dextranase, although we failed to isolate them in this experiment.

Adult↗