PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

K Takasu

Publications and source records attributed to K Takasu.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Tyrosine-7 in human class Pi glutathione S-transferase is important for lowering the pKa of the thiol group of glutathione in the enzyme-glutathione complex.

Previously, we reported the importance of Tyr7 for the catalytic activity of human class Pi glutathione S-transferase [Kong et al. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 182, 1122]. As an extension of this study, we investigated the pH dependence of kinetic parameters of the wild-type enzyme and the Y7F mutant. The replacement of Tyr7 with phenylalanine was found to alter the pH dependence of Vmax and Vmax/KmCDNB of the enzyme for conjugation of GSH with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). The pKa of the thiol of GSH in the wild-type enzyme-GSH complex was estimated to be about 2.4 pK units lower than that in the Y7F-GSH complex. Tyr7 is thus considered to be important for catalytic activity in lowering the pKa of the thiol of GSH in the enzyme-GSH complex.

Amino Acid Sequence

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the pituitary gland presenting with hypopituitarism.

A 57-year-old man with pituitary metastasis from renal cell carcinoma is reported. He underwent right nephrectomy and total pancreatectomy for renal cell carcinoma and its pancreatic metastasis, respectively. Imaging studies showed an intrasellar mass lesion. The examination revealed panhypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus and bitemporal hemianospia. Metastatic renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed by the biopsy of the pituitary tumor. Metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the pituitary gland, which is extremely rare, appears to have unique features of presenting with hypopituitarism and visual disturbance more frequently than other metastatic pituitary tumors.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[A case report of the limited form Wegener's granulomatosis].

The classical from of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a necrotizing granulomatous angiitis that involves the upper and lower airways, and kidneys. A limited form of WG is characterized by pulmonary lesions identical to those of classical form WG without renal involvement. The authors report a case of limited form WG. A 58-year-old Japanese woman was admitted because of an abnormal pulmonary shadow. Pathological examination revealed granulomatous angiitis consistent with WG. No other organ involvement was found. The pulmonary shadow improved with cyclophosphamide therapy. The patient is now well and without evidence of exacerbation of the disease 18 month after the discharge.

Cyclophosphamide

[Cytological and immunocytochemical study of prostatic carcinoma cell in voided urine. Usefulness of prostate-specific antigen in cytology specimen].

The presence of prostatic carcinoma cells in voided urine was seldom noticed and these cells might be hardly distinguished from transitional cell carcinoma cells of the urinary tracts on the Papanicolaou-stained slides. We investigated the cytological findings and the localizations of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in 7 cases of prostatic carcinomas (4 adenocarcinomas, 2 squamous cell carcinomas, and 1 undifferentiated carcinoma) which showed tumor cells in voided urine. The cytological findings of each histological types were as follows: adenocarcinoma cells were observed in small clusters of round or columnar cells with eccentric nuclei and prominent nucleoli with occasion, squamous cell carcinoma cells were characteristically well-differentiated keratinizing ones varying in shape and in staining reaction, and undifferentiated carcinoma cells were polyhedral and large ones with dense cytoplasm. After destaining of the Papanicolaou-stained slides, the positivity for PSA was demonstrated by immunocytochemical stain with PSA antiserum in cytoplasms of the tumor cells of 6 cases except for 1 undifferentiated carcinoma. We recognized that immunocytochemical detection of PSA was a useful mean in cytological detection for prostatic carcinomas in voided urine.

Adenocarcinoma