PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Yoshimura

Publications and source records attributed to K Yoshimura.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Long-term results of definitive treatment in elderly patients with localized prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: The indication and effectiveness of definitive local treatment for prostate cancer in patients with a limited life expectancy remains to be established. This study is a retrospective analysis of the long-term clinical outcome of elderly patients with localized prostate cancer treated by radiotherapy or a radical prostatectomy. METHODS: From 1982 to 1992, 37 patients with localized prostate cancer, aged 70 years or older, were treated initially by a pelvic lymphadenectomy and then with either external radiotherapy (n = 1 7) or a radical retropubic prostatectomy (n = 20). Lymph node metastasis was negative in all the cases, and no patients received hormonal treatment after the lymphadenectomy. The outcome of all patients was evaluated in June 1997. RESULTS: The 10-year overall and relative survival rates for the radiotherapy group were 27% and 85%, which were not significantly different from the rates of patients in the prostatectomy group (38% and 74%, respectively). The 5-year progression free rates for the radiotherapy group and the prostatectomy group were 63% and 95%, respectively (P= 0.06). CONCLUSION: In elderly patients with localized prostate cancer, the superiority of a radical prostatectomy over radiotherapy was not demonstrated in terms of either overall or relative survival rates, although the progression rate tended to be higher in patients in the radiotherapy group. The indication of definitive treatment in elderly patients should be further studied incorporating a quality of life assessment.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[A case of bacillary dysentery caused by new quinolone-resistant Shigella flexneri 2a].

A 73-year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of detection of Shigella flexneri 2a from his stool. Antimicrobial treatment with levofloxacin (LVFX) was started, but could not eliminate the organism in the stool. In the examination of drug susceptibility, this strain was highly resistant to all new quinolones. The minimal inhibitory concentration of norfloxacin, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin to this strain was 12.5 micrograms/ml, 6.25 micrograms/ml and 6.25 micrograms/ml, respectively. The dual mutations were detected in the codon 83 and 87 of the gyrA gene by sequencing the quinolone-resistance determining region (QRDR). There was, however, no significant difference between the intracellular uptake of ciprofloxacin in this strain and in the ciprofloxacin-sensitive strain. The amount of ciprofloxacin in this strain unchanged when carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) was added. These results suggest that the advanced resistance in Shigella flexneri against new quinolones could be acquired by only this dual mutations without the change of the active efflux mechanism.

4-Quinolones↗
PubMed1998

Investigation of the possible role of sialic acid in calcium oxalate urolithiasis.

OBJECTIVE: It is considered that sialic acid in urine comprises two different types of sialic acid, that is, the free sialic acid and the bound one which exists as a basic component of urinary macromolecules. The present studies were performed to clarify the role of sialic acid in urine and compare the excretion and concentrations of sialic acid in urine between calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formers and healthy subjects. METHODS: First, we prepared the crystal surface binding substances from whole human urine. The crystal surface binding substances were digested with sialidase and both the inhibitory activity on CaOx crystal growth and concentrations of sialic acid before and after sialidase digestion were measured. The inhibitory activity of free sialic acid in ultrafiltered urine was also measured. The excretion and concentration of sialic acid in urine from patients with CaOx urolithiasis and healthy controls were determined and compared. RESULTS: The inhibitory activity of crystal surface binding substances on CaOx crystal growth did not show any significant difference before and after sialidase digestion. The free sialic acid had also no effect on CaOx crystal growth. There was no statistically significant difference between CaOx stone formers and healthy controls on the excretion and concentration of sialic acid in urine. The free:bound sialic acid ratio in urine was considered 1:0.97 and 1:1.33 for healthy controls and CaOx stone formers respectively (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that neither the free sialic acid nor the bound one in urine has a significant inhibitory effect on CaOx crystal growth.

Calcium Oxalate↗
PubMed1998

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Comparison of the transperitoneal and retroperitoneal approach.

OBJECTIVES: The efficacy of transperitoneal (TP) and retroperitoneal (RP) laparoscopic adrenalectomy was compared. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (male: 13; female: 16) with benign adrenal tumor were evaluated in this study. Seventeen were treated with the TP, and 12 with the RP approach. RESULTS: Convalescence for the TP group took longer than that for the RP group and postoperative pain was stronger for the TP than the RP group, although the difference was not significant. In addition, the amount of blood loss was larger for the TP than the RP group. When the cases were divided according to site of disease, the operating time for the right side was 351 min for the TP group and 347 min for the RP group, while that for the left side was 528 min for the TP group and 267 min for the RP group. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, we recently prefer the RP approach for left adrenalectomy, but consider either approach suitable for the right side. The reason for this preference is that shortening the operating time is most important, also in the case of laparoscopic adrenalectomy because of the resulting reduced blood loss and the patients' early convalescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Relaxation and activation of graviresponses in Paramecium caudatum.

The kinetics of gravitaxis and gravikinesis in Paramecium caudatum were investigated by employing (1) step transitions from normal gravity (1 g) to weightlessness (microgravity) and (2) turns of the experimental chambers from the horizontal to the vertical position at 1 g. The transition to microgravity left existing cell orientations unchanged. Relaxation of negative gravitaxis under microgravity took longer than 10 s and may be described by the time constant of the decay of orientation coefficients. Gravitaxis was started at 1 g by turning the experimental chamber from a horizontal to a vertical position. Gravitaxis activated rapidly during the turning procedure and relaxed to an intermediate level after the turning had stopped. Gravity-induced regulation of swimming speed (gravikinesis) at 1 g had reached a steady state after 1 min; at this point, gravikinesis counteracted the effects of sedimentation (negative gravikinesis). A step transition to microgravity initially reversed the sign of the gravikinesis (positive gravikinesis). The relaxation of this kinetic response was not completed during 10 s of microgravity. The data suggest that gravikinesis is functionally unrelated to gravitaxis and is strongly affected by the rate of change in acceleration. We present a model explaining why gravikinesis reverses sign upon the onset of a step from 1 g to microgravity.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Post-stroke hypertension correlates with neurologic recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

To examine the clinical implications of post-stroke hypertension, defined as the rise in blood pressure on admission after the onset of ischemic stroke as compared with the blood pressure before stroke, and to assess the relationship between the value of post-stroke hypertension and neurologic recovery, we retrospectively studied 28 patients admitted to the hospital within 24 h (mean+/-SD, 6.7+/-7.0 h) after a first-ever, acute non-embolic ischemic stroke, whose blood pressure had been recorded at the outpatient clinic within 3 mo before stroke. The Canadian Neurological Scale was used to assess stroke severity, and neurologic recovery during the acute phase was calculated. The average duration of hospitalization was 18+/-9 d. The value of post-stroke hypertension and stroke severity on admission independently and significantly correlated with neurologic recovery (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.12 and odd ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.72, respectively). There was also a significant linear correlation between the value of post-stroke hypertension and neurologic recovery (r= 0.50, p< 0.01). Furthermore, blood pressure after the onset of ischemic stroke was quite independent of blood pressure before stroke. We conclude that the value of post-stroke hypertension correlates with neurologic recovery in patients with acute non-embolic ischemic stroke. These results suggest that blood pressure control mechanisms change after the onset of acute ischemic stroke.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Fine structure of the tongue and lingual papillae of the penguin.

The tongue in four species of penguin was investigated by light microscopy and by scanning electron microscopy, with special reference to the lingual papillae. 1) The middle of the penguin tongue contains a pair of long cartilages and long tendons accompanied by striated muscle bundles. 2) Large, spine-like, and caudally directed lingual papillae (filiform-like papillae) densely cover the dorsal surface of the tongue, apparently serving to catch fishes. 3) By light microscopy, the dorsal lingual epithelium with the lingual papillae are seen as a thick cornified layer, but the lateral and lower surfaces have a thinner cornified layer. 4) The connective tissue core (CTC) under the epithelium of the lingual papilla shows a stereo structure similar to but smaller than the external form of the papilla. The CTC contains some blood vessels and nerve fibers; the lingual glands are found in the submucous layer only in the posterior tongue. 5) Bundles of nerve fibers in the lamina propria of the tongue were immunohistochemically positive for PGP 9.5, and it appeared that Merkel corpuscles were distributed in the connective tissue closely beneath the epithelium of the finger-like papillae, though they were only weakly immunoreactive for PGP 9.5. 6) Numerous fine filaments of elastic fibers are found closely beneath the epithelial cell layer of the dorsal surface of the tongue including the lingual papillae, while there are very few of them on the lateral and lower sides of the tongue.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Renal hemangiopericytoma: report of a case].

A 34-year-old house wife presented with a right renal mass detected by work-up for epigastralgia. The mass located in the right renal sinus was round and approximately 3 cm in diameter. Although the tumor was well enhanced with contrast medium on CT scan, it was hypovascular on the early arterial phase of renal angiography. Translumbar radical nephrectomy was performed on suspicion of the right renal cell carcinoma. The tumor was solid and hard and, the cut surface of the tumor was homogenously colored pale pink. Microscopically it was hemangiopericytoma arising in the renal sinus, composed of well-developed pericytes and capillaries with so-called staghorn configuration, with invasion of hilar renal vein. Immunohistochemically, the hemangiopericytes were strongly positive for CD34, but negative for factor VIII associated antibodies. To our knowledge, the present patient is the 6th case in the Japanese literature and the first case with incidentally detected renal hemangiopericytoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Effect of chorei-to and gorei-san on calcium oxalate crystallization in human urine].

The inhibitory effect of two kinds of Kampou medicine, Chorei-to and Gorei-san, on calcium oxalate crystallization in human urine, was examined. Chorei-to or Gorei-san was administered to 15 healthy male volunteers for three consecutive days under normal dietary conditions and 24-hour urine samples were collected before and after the administration. Urinary parameters including calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, oxalate and citrate were measured on each sample obtained. The inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate crystallization was examined using part of the collected 24-hour urine. There was no significant difference in urinary parameters before and after Chorei-to administration. Gorei-san administration significantly increased magnesium excretion in urine. A significant inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate crystallization in human urine was recognized when Gorei-san was administered, whereas Chorei-to had no inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate crystallization in urine.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Metastatic renal tumor originating from lung cancer: a case report].

A 45-year-old house-wife, who had undergone surgical treatment for lung adenocarcinoma 2 years previously, presented with a left renal mass detected by follow-up CT. During 7 months of observation, it rapidly enlarged from 1 cm to 3 cm in maximum diameter. Although the short doubling time (40 days) suggested that the tumor was metastatic, abdominal urtrasonography, angiography and CT scan did not exclude primary renal cell carcinoma. Left nephrectomy was performed. Histologically, the tumor proved to be metastasis from the previous lung adenocarcinoma. She has been alive with pulmonary recurrence 13 months after nephrectomy. The doubling time of the tumor may be one of the key factors in differentiating a metastatic renal tumor from a primary carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

[Cystic fibrosis].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1998

[Treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis in AIDS with an intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir implant].

Active cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was treated with an intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir implant. A total number of 19 implants were performed in 15 eyes of 9 AIDS patients. The intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir was effective in preventing reactivation of CMV retinitis in 15 of the 19 implants, ineffective in 3, and undetermined in 1. All ineffective cases had been resistant to ganciclovir therapy before the implants. Vision after the therapy was maintained at better than 0.5 except for one eye. There were no serious ocular complications caused by the therapy. Among 5 patients with unilateral CMV retinitis, 2 unaffected eyes developed CMV retinitis during this therapy. In addition, another patient developed presumed CMV infection in other systemic organs. Based on these data, the intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir implant was considered to be useful for the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1998

[A case of transitional cell carcinoma and milk of calcium in a pyelocalyceal diverticulum].

A 66-year-old man presented with right flank pain and macroscopic hematuria. Abdominal radiographs and computed tomography revealed a right pyelocalyceal diverticulum with milk of calcium and a soft tissue mass inside it. Other examinations, including positive urine cytology and negative random bladder biopsies, suggested a malignant tumor of the pyelocalyceal diverticulum. The patient underwent right nephroureterectomy. Histopathological examination revealed grade 3 transitional cell carcinoma. This is the first case of transitional cell carcinoma and milk of calcium coexisting in the same pyelocalyceal diverticulum.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Characteristics of amylase secretion induced by various secretagogues examined in perifused rat parotid acinar cells.

Isolated parotid acinar cells embedded in Bio-Gel P-2 resin were perifused in small columns, and the effects of various agonists and their combinations on amylase release were studied. Isoproterenol gradually increased the rate of amylase secretion; its maximum response was attained about 5 min after the stimulation. A similar time course of changes in amylase secretion was elicited by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, forskolin and isobutylmethylxanthine. Carbachol (CCh) and substance P evoked biphasic stimulation of amylase secretion; an initial rapid and large peak and a following sustained plateau. The magnitude of the maximum response induced by CCh or substance P was almost the same as that induced by isoproterenol. In Ca2+-free medium, CCh evoked only the initial peak and did not produce the sustained plateau, but the effect of isoproterenol was little changed. Amylase secretion induced by isoproterenol, but not by CCh and substance P, was markedly decreased by lowering the temperature of the medium. Combined addition of isoproterenol and 1 microM CCh markedly augmented amylase secretion; the magnitude of its response was about three times that induced by isoproterenol alone. Potentiation was also observed between alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. Most of these results were very different from those obtained in batch systems. Thus, use of a perifusion system for analysis of amylase secretion is strongly recommended.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1997

Alternative mRNA splicing of 3'-terminal exons generates ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts.

We have isolated two cDNA clones encoding spinach (Spinacia oleracea) stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes [Ishikawa, Sakai, Yoshimura, Takeda and Shigeoka (1996) FEBS Lett. 384, 289-293]. The gene (ApxII) encoding both chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes was isolated and the organization of the gene was determined. Alignment between the cDNAs and the gene for chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes indicates that both enzymes arise from a common pre-mRNA by alternative splicing of two 3'-terminal exons. Genomic Southern-blot analysis supported this finding. The gene spanned nearly 8.5 kbp and contained 13 exons split by 12 introns. The penultimate exon 12 (residues 7376-7530) for the stromal ascorbate peroxidase mRNA consisted of one codon for Asp365 before the TAA termination codon, and the entire 3'-untranslated region, including a potential polyadenylation signal (AATAAA). The final exon 13 (residues 7545-7756) for the thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase mRNA consisted of the corresponding coding sequence of the hydrophobic C-terminal region, the TGA termination codon and the entire 3'-untranslated region, including a potential polyadenylation signal (AATATA). Both exons were interrupted by a 14 bp non-coding sequence. Northern-blot and reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the transcripts for stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase are present in spinach leaves.

Alternative Splicing↗