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Biomedical subjects

K Takayanagi

Publications and source records attributed to K Takayanagi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

The structure, frequency, and forensic application of the STR locus D16S543 in the Japanese population.

D16S543 is a complex STR locus consisting of five types of repeat units. The frequency distribution and genetic characteristics of this locus in Japanese were investigated using blood samples from 124 unrelated Japanese and 15 families. Alleles were detected using denatured polyacrylamide gels followed by automated analysis on an ABI 373 sequencer using Genescan software 672. Twenty-one alleles were identified, ranging in size from 281 to 489 bp. An allelic ladder containing the 21 alleles was constructed and used as a typing standard. The repeat unit arrays allowed the 21 alleles to be classified into three distinct groups, including alleles 1 to 7 in group I, alleles 8 to 14 in group II, and alleles 15 to 22 in group III. The alleles in group II were characterized by the insertion of one repeat unit of CAGG, one of AAAG, and three of AAGG, while the group III alleles differed from those of groups I and II by the insertion of a total of 32 repeat units ranging in 5 types. Within each group, the alleles differed from each other only in one 5' side tetranucleotide AAGG. The power of discrimination (Pd) and the estimated heterozygosity were calculated to be 0.989 and 0.934, respectively. Typing of this locus was successfully applied in four old forensic materials. The study presented herein demonstrates that D16S543 is a highly polymorphic and applicable locus in Japanese.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

Cardiac pacing as emergency care for serious bradyarrhythmia with circulatory shock.

Three cases of bradyarrhythmia with serious illness of extracardiac organs are reported. Case 1 had sick sinus syndrome. He was admitted to our hospital complaining of syncope and developed apnea. Case 2 had complete atrioventricular block and serious hepatic failure in the hospital. Case 3 had paroxysmal atrioventricular block. He complained of syncope which followed convulsions. Their symptoms might be due to circulatory shock caused by a lazy lower pacemaker from the ventricle. Emergent temporary pacing successfully improved the extracardiac organ dysfunction. Although their bradyarrhythmias were transient, permanent pacemakers were implanted to inhibit the recurrence. A quick temporary pacing should be indicated in patients with critical bradyarrhythmia like our cases for survival.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Transformation of Antirrhinum majus L. by a rol-type multi-auto-transformation (MAT) vector system.

A total of 11 independent beta-glucuronidase (GUS) positive hairy roots were induced following co-cultivation of leaf explants of Antirrhinum majus L. with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV2260 containing rol-type multi-auto-transformation (MAT) vector pNPI702. A total of 326 adventitious shoots were regenerated from the hairy root lines on 1/2 MS medium without plant growth regulators at 25 degrees C under a 16 h/day photoperiod condition 4 months after infection of the A. tumefaciens GV2260. The absence of the rol genes in five plants was verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot analysis. Acclimatized transformants exhibited normal phenotypes in height and in the morphology of leaves and flowers. Furthermore, the GUS gene was strongly expressed in the leaves, inflorescence of the transformed plant, and the progeny. This result demonstrates that the rol-type MAT vector can be used to study gene functions controlling the morphogenesis of Antirrhinum majus plants.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Synthesis and characterization of helical multi-shell gold nanowires

Suspended gold nanowires were made in an ultra-high vacuum. The finest of them was 0.6 nanometer in diameter and 6 nanometers in length. By high-resolution electron microscopy, they were shown to have a multi-shell structure composed of coaxial tubes. Each tube consists of helical atom rows coiled round the wire axis. The difference between the numbers of atom rows in outer and inner shells is seven, resulting in magic shell-closing numbers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Air embolism in the right coronary artery occurring during the left coronary angioplasty using the guiding catheter with a side hole.

Coronary air embolism is one of the inadvertent complications of coronary angioplasty. We report two rare cases of complicating air embolism in the right coronary artery occurring during control left coronary angiography using a guiding catheter with a side hole, just prior to a coronary intervention procedure for a left coronary artery lesion. The air seemed to be injected into the right coronary artery through the side hole. When we use an angiographic or guiding catheter with a side hole, we should be aware that an air embolism can occur in the contralateral coronary artery and should carefully and repeatedly perform aspiration of the catheter.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of the Ca2+ entry channels responsible for mechanical responses of guinea-pig aorta to noradrenaline and thapsigargin using SK&F 96365 and LOE 908.

Noradrenaline (NA) produces sustained contractions in conduit arteries such as aorta isolated from various animal species. In guinea-pig aorta, NA-produced sustained contraction is largely dependent upon the influx of extracellular Ca2+, but is refractory to the treatment with organic Ca2+ entry blockers. In the present study, we attempted to characterize pharmacologically the Ca2+ entry channel responsible for NA-produced sustained contraction of guinea-pig aorta using SK&F 96365 (1-[beta-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propoxy]-4-methoxyphenylethyl]-1H-imi dazole) and LOE 908 ((R,S)-(3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-isoquinoline-1-yl)-2-phenyl-N,N-di-[2- (2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]-acetamide), both of which block voltage-independent Ca2+ channels. The effects of SK&F 96365 and LOE 908 on NA-produced contraction were compared with those on extracellular Ca2+-dependent contractile and endothelium-dependent relaxant responses to thapsigargin (TSG), an inhibitor of Ca2+-pump Ca2+-ATPase. NA (3x10(-6) M)-produced sustained contraction of guinea-pig aorta without endothelium exhibited a strong dependency on the extracellular Ca2+. Nicardipine (10(-7) M), diltiazem (10(-5) M) and verapamil (10(-5) M) did not show any appreciable inhibitory effects on NA-produced sustained contraction. SK&F 96365 concentration-dependently (10(-6)-10(-4) M) attenuated the NA-produced sustained contraction whereas LOE 908 did not affect it at concentrations up to 10(-4) M. Similarly, extracellular Ca2+-dependent contraction of guinea-pig aorta without endothelium in response to TSG was also diminished by SK&F 96365 but was unaffected by LOE 908. In fura-PE3-loaded vascular preparations, SK&F 96365 decreased both cytoplasmic Ca2+ level ([Ca2+]i) and muscle tension elevated by NA and TSG. Both SK&F 96365 and LOE 908 did not affect an endothelium-dependent relaxation of guinea-pig aorta in response to TSG. These findings suggest that in guinea-pig aortic smooth muscle cells, NA activates Ca2+ influx across the plasma-membrane through the Ca2+-permeable channel which is identical with or has similar properties to the store-operated Ca2+ channel (SOCC) stimulated by TSG, but is distinct from endothelial cell SOCC.

Acetamides↗
PubMed2000

Changes of the sacrum in severe spondylolisthesis: a possible key pathology of the disorder.

Deficient development of the posterior lumbosacral portion has been thought to be a possible etiology of severe spondylolisthesis. However, the precise causes of the deformity have yet to be revealed. To our knowledge, progression of the disorder has not been discussed in the light of sacral changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The objectives of the present study were to document changes of the sacrum on MRI scans in patients with severe spondylolisthesis and to discuss the relation of these changes to the progression of deformities. Roentgenograms and MRI scans of 13 patients (10 women and 3 men) with severe spondylolisthesis were retrospectively reviewed. Average age at first MRI examination was 20 years (range, 12 to 50 years). The MRI scans commonly showed a defect at the antero-superior portion of the sacrum. This lesion seems to appear during the period of progression of slipping associated with lumbosacral kyphosis. The defect of the sacrum was considered a unique feature to discriminate this type of olisthesis from others. Taking into consideration the present results, the deformity can be called kyphospondylolisthesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Investigation of ACTBP2 mutations in the Japanese population.

In the investigation of ACTBP2 (human beta-actin related pseudogene H-beat-Ac-psi-2) mutation in the Japanese population, 230 meioses were analyzed, and two cases of paternal mutations were observed. Paternity confirmation analyses were carried out using seventeen genetic marker systems including erythrocyte antigens, HLA types, D1S80, and nine STR loci contained in the AmpFlSTR Profiler Kit. Excluding ACTBP2, the paternity probabilities for the two cases were each calculated to be over 99.99%. Genotyping of the ACTBP2 locus was performed using the fluorescence detection method under denaturing conditions on an ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer. After sequencing analysis using the BigDye terminator method, the paternally originated alleles of the two children were found in one case to show one repeat insertion and in the other case one repeat deletion as compared with each father. Although the number of meioses observed in this study is limited, it appears that ACTBP2 mutations are not rare events in the Japanese population.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Application of short tandem repeat of genomic DNA and mitochondrial DNA for identification of mixed-up tissue specimens.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) typing methods, short tandem repeat of genomic DNA and mitochondrial DNA with the use of polymerase chain reaction amplification, were applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues submitted for diagnosis, to identify and sort out mixed-up tissue specimens. These techniques were found to be reliable, reproducible and specific for personal identification, and thus to eliminate the need for further examinations and to prevent unnecessary surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Insulin resistance affects endothelium-dependent acetylcholine-induced coronary artery response.

AIMS: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance and the acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent coronary artery response in patients without angiographically significant atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and to elucidate the pathophysiological significance of insulin resistance in the early stages of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Insulin resistance was calculated from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentration using homeostasis model assessment in 40 patients suspected of having ischaemic heart disease, but without angiographic evidence of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease defined as a discrete stenosis or intimal irregularity. They were selected for an acetylcholine provocation test in both left and right coronary arteries. The homeostasis model assessment level was higher in 16 acetylcholine-positive patients than in 24 acetylcholine-negative patients (1.84+/-1.24 vs 0.72+/-0.62, P<0.01). Comparisons of the percentage change in vessel lumen diameter after the acetylcholine test in each of proximal, mid and distal segments of three coronary arteries among the three groups of low (less than 0.7; n=13), intermediate (0.7 to 1.4; n=13), and high homeostasis model assessment level (more than 1.4; n=14) revealed that a higher level resulted in a worse acetylcholine-induced constrictive response in coronary arteries. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there is an association between high insulin resistance and coronary vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, and that insulin resistance may be an indicator of early stage coronary artery atherosclerosis not detectable by angiography.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2000

Simultaneous STM and UHV electron microscope observation of silicon nanowires extracted from Si(111) surface

A miniaturized scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) was fitted in a side-entry holder of an ultra-high vacuum electron microscope. The clean Si(111)7 x 7 surface was observed by both STM and reflection electron microscopy (REM) at atomic resolution. The tungsten tips were often rounded off upon tip-approach with a constant current, through a gentle touch with the sample surface. The apices of such rounded tips had radii of several tens of granometre with widths of about 3 x 3 nm. Atomically resolved STM of the Si(111)7 x 7 surface was obtainable when an atom or an atomic cluster sits on the tip surface. The rounded tips were used for fabrication of Si nanowires by the touch-and-away operation of the tip. The nanowires grew longer at higher substrate temperature and they reached as long as several tens of nanometre at 700 degrees C. The nanowire had many twins and the (111) twin lamellae were stacked in the direction of the wire axis. In another case, the twin planes were oblique to the wire axis so that the (112) direction was nearly parallel to the wire axis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Idiopathic adrenal hemorrhage.

A case of idiopathic adrenal hemorrhage is reported. A 76-year-old woman exhibited a left adrenal tumor, 3 cm in diameter, on abdominal computed tomography. The patient was receiving aspirin medication for atrial fibrillation. There was no evidence of increased adrenal hormones. The mass enlarged to 6 cm in diameter within 18 months, and malignancy was suspected. The mass was diagnosed as adrenal hematoma by operative findings.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Direct discrimination and full-day disclosure of ventricular parasystole on new heart rate tachograms.

INTRODUCTION: To discriminate ventricular parasystole from fixed coupling interval ventricular premature complexes (VPCs), we developed a new diagnostic method using a dot distribution pattern corresponding to VPCs recorded on a heart rate tachogram using ambulatory ECG monitoring data. We tested our hypothesis that widely scattered VPC dots on instantaneous heart rate tachograms indicate a constant VPC-VPC interval compatible with parasystole. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with frequent VPCs > 5,000/day) were divided into two groups depending on the tachogram dot distribution patterns: group S (n = 10, aged 61 +/- 16 years) showed widely scattered VPC dot distribution, whereas group F (n = 10, 60 +/- 17 years) showed fixed VPC dot distribution limited to a narrow zone. Using digitized R-R interval data, full-day heart rate tachograms and VPC-VPC intervals were depicted simultaneously. Group S demonstrated constant basic VPC-VPC intervals (1,285 to 2,052 msec, mean 1,738 +/- 219), with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.061 +/- 0.018. Their VPC coupling intervals were markedly variable (651 +/- 113 msec; CV = 0.193 +/- 0.034). Each patient's basic VPC-VPC intervals showed small diurnal alterations (minimum -13% +/- 3% to maximum +15% +/- 6%). VPC-VPC intervals in group F were not constant and showed marked variation. Group F VPC coupling intervals were shorter and constant (480 +/- 30 msec, P = 0.0002; with CV = 0.076 +/- 0.013, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Ventricular parasystole with constant VPC-VPC intervals consistently became evident based on VPC dot patterns recorded on heart rate tachograms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A preliminary study on the knowledge and attitudes of physicians at two university hospitals towards the medical insurance system of Japan.

In this preliminary study, we surveyed the physicians at two academic hospitals on their knowledge of and attitudes toward the medical insurance system in Japan. Most of the physicians had not read the "Ministerial Ordinance on Insurance Medical Institutions' and Insurance Medical Doctors' Medical Treatment under Health Insurance." Of the 433 physicians who filled out the questionnaire completely, 34% had either not read or rarely read the "Medical Fee Point List." Most (89.1%) of the physicians knew that there is a stepwise reduction in the hospitalization fee as the length of a patient's hospital stay increases. However, approximately 30% did not know the stipulation of obtaining an informed consent from the patient prior to blood transfusion. As for the right of patients to see their medical care remuneration statements, which was decided by the government in 1997, 26.8% of the physicians did not know this rule. Physicians who had read the "Ministerial Ordinance on Medical Treatment," were more likely to read the "Medical Fee Point List" frequently; were more likely to know the stipulation about diminishing hospitalization fee; were more likely to know that an informed consent must be obtained prior to blood transfusion; and were more likely to know that patients had a right to see their medical care remuneration statements. The longer the clinical experience of the physician, the more likely that the physician had read the "Ministerial Ordinance on Medical Treatment" and know the other stipulations well. In these two academic hospitals, it is important to establish educational seminars for physicians on the guidelines of the medical insurance system so that physicians will become familiar with the medical insurance system quickly.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

[Does disclosure of medical records to patients influence medical care?].

UNLABELLED: Disclosure of medical records to patients has been assessed, but the influence of disclosure on medical care has not been well researched. To address this situation, this study was conducted to test three hypotheses: 1) doctors think that the disclosure can influence medical care, 2) whether doctors think disclosure can influence medical care depends on how they rank medical records (for example, as evidence for diagnosis and treatment, a process to reach a diagnosis, a tool to communicate with other medical staff, etc), and on whether they think medical record disclosure could change the content of the record. Questionnaires were sent to 881 doctors who work at two hospitals affiliated with N Medical School and K Medical University. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-eight doctors responded. The findings related to the hypotheses were as follows: 1) Those who answered that the disclosure could have an influence on medical care were 49.1% of the total. 2) There was no relation between how doctors ranked medical records and whether they thought disclosure could influence medical care. 3) Doctors who answered that there were things that they would not be able to write if medical records were disclosed accounted for 73.5% of the total. These doctors answered "yes" significantly higher to the question that the disclosure could influence medical care than others (Odds 3.6, P < 0.01). Doctors who thought they would not be able to enter the diagnosis, the name of the disease for insurance, self-evaluation, information that could be judged and subjective information answered that disclosure could influence on medical care (P < 0.05). It was assumed that disclosure of medical records to patients could change the content of the medical records and that could influence medical care. How to deal with information will become an important issue if records are disclosed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy following transbrachial cardiac catheterization.

We experienced a rare case of complication by reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) following transbrachial cardiac catheterization which may have been caused by poorly executed hemostasis using a hemostatic device. The symptoms of RSD markedly limited the patientOs daily work activities. Although the transbrachial approach is a useful procedure for cardiac catheterization, interventionalists should be aware that RSD may cause serious complications.

Aged↗