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Biomedical subjects

M Fukuchi

Publications and source records attributed to M Fukuchi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Differential inactivation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity by O6-arylmethylguanines.

Activity of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is well related with drug resistance of tumor cells to chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs), because MGMT removes CENU-induced O6-alkylguanines in DNA by accepting the alkyl group at a cysteine moiety. Inactivation of MGMT is a feasible way to overcome MGMT-related resistance of tumor cells to CENUs. O6-Benzylguanine is known to be a strong depleter of MGMT. We previously reported the potentiation effect of O6-arylmethylguanine derivatives on cytotoxicity of 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU), a CENU, for HeLa S3 cells. In this study, we tested the activity of these O6-arylmethylguanine derivatives as depleters of MGMT using HeLa S3 cell-free extract. The O6-arylmethylguanine derivatives tested were O6-benzylguanine (1), O6-(4-, 3-, and 2-fluorobenzyl)guanines (2-4), O6-(4, 3-, and 2-trifluoromethylbenzyl)guanines (5-7), O6-(4-, 3-, and 2-pyridylmethyl)guanines (8-10), and O6-(2- and 1-naphtylmethyl)guanines (11,12). Among these, compounds 1-3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 showed a strong MGMT depletion activity, whereas compounds 4, 6, 7, 10 and 12 were inactive. These inactive compounds, except for 6, have a substituent at the alpha position of the benzyl group (4, 7, 12) or are an alpha nitrogen analogue of 1 (10). There was a good relation (r = -0.856, p < 0.001) between the MGMT depletion activity of O6-arylmethylguanine derivatives and their potentiation activity of ACNU cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the alpha position of the benzyl group plays an important role in the interaction of O6-arylmethylguanine derivatives with MGMT to result in the inactivation of MGMT. Potent MGMT inactivators (1-3, 5, 8, 9, 11) sensitize tumor cells to CENU chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Agents

Circulating forms of immunoreactive parathyroid hormone-related protein for identifying patients with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy: a comparative study with C-terminal(109-141)- and N-terminal(1-86)-region-specific PTHrP radioassay.

We evaluated the circulating forms of immunoreactive PTHrP in 115 healthy subjects and 122 patients with malignant diseases by using radioassay systems (RAS) specific for the C-terminal (109-141) fragment of PTHrP (C-RAS) and for the N-terminal(1-86) (N-RAS). PTHrP levels in healthy controls ranged from 1.5 to 38.2 (mean: 24.5) pmol/L with the C-RAS and from 0.9 to 2.5 (mean: 1.7) pmol/L with the N-RAS. The ratio of circulating N-terminal fragment (N) to C-terminal fragment (C) of PTHrP was calculated to be about 1: 14.4 in the healthy subjects. Of the 122 patients with malignant diseases, 40 (32.8%) had circulating PTHrP levels undetectable with the N-RAS, but only 11 (9.0%) patients had levels undetectable with the C-RAS. Of the former 122 patients, 41 (33.6%) had high PTHrP as determined with the C-RAS, and 10 (8.2%) had high PTHrP as determined with the N-RAS. The former of these included only 8 (19.5%) HHM patients, while the latter included 8 (80.0%) HHM patients. The circulating N to C ratio was about 1: 70.7 in the HHM patients. The N and C obtained with the different RASs showed a close correlation (r = 0.86). The values also showed a close correlation with serum Ca; r = 0.75 for C-RAS and r = 0.81 for N-RAS. In addition, the correlations between the PTHrP reading obtained with the different RASs and serum Cr were: r = 0.42 with C-RAS and r = 0.26 with N-RAS. The circulating form of immunoreactive PTHrP fragments is therefore comprised mainly of PTHrP(109-141). In contrast, circulating concentrations of the PTHrP(1-86) fragment are very low, but detection of the PTHrP(1-86) fragment with the N-RAS is a more useful indicator of HHM with fewer false positive results and is less likely to be influenced by renal function than the detection of the PTHrP(109-141) fragment with C-RAS.

Adolescent

[Basic and clinical studies on serum cytokeratin 19 fragment assay using Centocor CYFRA 21-1 kit in patients with lung cancer].

We evaluated the newly developed tumor marker assay kit, "Centocor CYFRA 21-1", an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) kit for determining the serum cytokeratin 19 fragment using the sera of healthy subjects, patients with benign lung diseases and patients with lung cancer. The assay procedure is simple and based on the one-step IRMA system. There were no problems in reproducibility, dilution test and recovery test. The minimum detectable dose was 0.3 ng/ml. The antigen measured by this kit was immunologically cross-reactive with tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) and CYFRA 21-1 concentration was closely correlated with TPA concentration in the patient's serum (r = 0.86, p < 0.01). The cut-off value of serum CYFRA 21-1 based on the assay results of this kit was calculated to be 1.6 ng/ml from the receiver operating characteristic curve. Three of 47 healthy subjects (6.4%) and 9 of 30 patients with benign lung diseases (30.0%) showed a concentration over the cut-off value. By contrast, serum CYFRA 21-1 concentration was elevated in 31 of 50 patients with lung cancer (62.0%), 11 of 13 squamous cell carcinoma patients (84.6%), 8 of 12 small cell carcinoma patients (66.7%), 4 of 7 large cell carcinoma patients (57.1%) and 8 of 18 adenocarcinoma patients (44.4%). In addition, the positive rate of serum CYFRA 21-1 in patients with lung cancer gradually increased with staging of the disease: 50.0% in stage I, 50.0% in stage II, 61.9% in stage III, and 76.9% in stage IV. Thus, our results suggested that the Centocor CYFRA 21-1 kit is a useful assay system for serum cytokeratin 19 fragment as a tumor marker in patients with lung cancer.

Adult

Antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological effects of SD-3212, a novel Na+ and Ca++ channel blocker, in anaesthetized dogs with myocardial infarction in comparison with its stereoisomer (SD-3211) and bepridil.

Antiarrhythmic and electrophysiological effects of SD-3212, a novel antiarrhythmic agent, which has both Na+ channel and Ca++ channel blocking activities, were compared with those of its (+)-stereoisomer, SD-3211, which has only a Ca++ channel blocking activity, and bepridil, a known Ca++ channel blocker with additional Na+ channel blocking activity, using the two-stage coronary ligation induced arrhythmia (24 h after the ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery) and 7 day-old myocardial infarcted hearts in anaesthetized dogs. SD-3212 showed a dose-dependent antiarrhythmic effect on the two-stage coronary ligation induced arrhythmia. SD-3212 at a dose of 3 mg/kg reduced the arrhythmic ratio, i.e. ectopic beats per min divided by the sum of ectopic beats and sinus beats per min, significantly from 1 up to 12 min after the administration. Neither bepridil (1-6 mg/kg) nor SD-3211 (1 mg/kg) had an antiarrhythmic effect. SD-3212 (0.3-3 mg/kg) prolonged both the conduction time in the normal myocardium and the delayed potential in the infarcted myocardium in the 7 day-old myocardial infarcted hearts in anaesthetized dogs in a dose-dependent manner. This effect of SD-3212 was shown at coupling intervals of 150-1000 ms increasing with decreasing interval. In this respect, SD-3212 is similar to drugs which show fast recovery of Vmax from use-dependent block such as lidocaine. Bepidril (1-6 mg/kg) also prolonged these parameters in a dose-dependent manner, however, the prolongation induced by bedripil was limited to shorter coupling intervals as compared with that induced by SD-3212. SD-3212 (0.1-1 mg/kg) did not show this prolonging effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Photochemically induced thrombosis of the rat coronary artery and functional evaluation of thrombus formation by occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias. Effects of acetylsalicylic acid and a thromboxane A2 synthetase inhibitor of thrombus formation.

During i.v. infusion of rose bengal (48 mg/kg/h), the proximal portion of the rat left coronary artery was illuminated from the outside of the myocardium by green light (540 nm) to produce a transluminal thrombus subsequent to endothelial damages. The primary endothelial damages within the illuminated vascular portion, which resulted from the photochemical reaction between the dye and green light, and the subsequent formation of transluminal platelet-rich thrombus, were easily revealed by both light and electron microscopy. The establishment of the thrombus was accompanied in all cases by the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias due to myocardial ischaemia. The times required to initiate ventricular premature beats (VPBs) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) were 381 +/- 96 s and 444 +/- 114 s (mean +/- SEM, n = 10), respectively. Pretreatment of the rat with acetylsalicylic acid (3 and 10 mg/kg, i.v.) before the initiation of illumination had no effect on the times required to exhibit the first VPBs and VT, the incidences of both types of arrhythmias were not reduced, and the thrombus was finally formed. On the other hand, pretreatment with Y-20811, a novel thromboxane A2 synthetase inhibitor (0.3, 1 and 3 mg/kg, i.v.), delayed the onset of both VPB and VT in a dose-dependent manner. The incidences of VPBs and VT were significantly reduced at 1 and 3 mg/kg, and the thrombus formation was prevented. The formation of a transluminal thrombus in the left coronary artery by the present technique was highly reproducible and could be functionally evaluated by the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias.

Animals

Myocardial uptake of antimyosin antibody compared with serum myosin light chain I levels in patients with myocardial infarction.

Myocardial accumulation of In-111-antimyosin (InAM) was evaluated in comparison with circulating serum myosin light chain I (LCI) level at the time of InAM injection. Seventeen consecutive patients were studied at various stages ranging from 6 days to 34 days after myocardial infarction (MI). The infarct area was positive for InAM uptake in all patients (100%), and significant myocardial uptake was observed in 14 patients (82.4%). The intensity of InAM uptake correlated with the infarct location shown by ECG and CAG. In contrast, 12 patients (70.6%) had normal or undetectable serum myosin LCI levels, with 5 being normal (0.42-2.5 ng/ml) and 7 undetectable (0.42 ng/ml or less). Only 5 patients (29.4%) had elevated serum myosin LCI levels at the time of InAM injection, and this elevation was slight, ranging from 3.4 to 4.5 ng/ml (mean: 3.75 ng/ml). Among patients with undetectable, normal, and elevated serum myosin LCI levels, there was no significant correlation between InAM uptake and the serum myosin LCI level. Thus, even after the serum myosin LCI level has decreased to normal, InAM can still bind to cardiac myosin in patients with MI, presumably until there is complete recovery from the hibernating myocardium due to ischemic damage.

Adult

Preoperative evaluation of myocardial viability by thallium-201 imaging in patients with old myocardial infarction who underwent coronary revascularization.

The myocardial uptake and redistribution in thallium scintigraphy and the regional wall motion by echocardiography were evaluated by a semi-quantitative method in 42 patients who previously had myocardial infarction (50 target vessels) and underwent coronary revascularization. The aim of this study was to elucidate the significance of the initial image, delayed image and redistribution on thallium-201 scintigraphy for clinical diagnosis of the myocardial viability. As a semi-quantitative analysis, we used a bull's-eye display for thallium image and centerline method for echocardiographic wall motion, and compared the results before and after revascularization. As a result, the thallium grade improved postoperatively in all 17 areas which preoperative had showed redistribution, and also in 11 of the 32 areas without preoperative redistribution. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of preoperative thallium redistribution for predicting myocardial viability were 61%, 100% and 78%, respectively, when the postoperative improvement in the thallium grade was used as the standard. The postoperative probability of improvement in the thallium grade increased in proportion to the preoperative thallium grade (delayed image) (p less than 0.01). There was no correlation between the preoperative thallium delayed image and postoperative improvement in wall motion. Postoperative improvement in thallium image and wall motion could not be predicted from the preoperative wall motion. Thus, postoperative improvement in thallium images can be anticipated if redistribution is present on the preoperative thallium image, and the preoperative thallium delayed image is useful for predicting myocardial viability. Improvement in wall motion could not be predicted preoperatively by these methods.

Adult

Serum thymidine kinase, a possible marker for monitoring the effect of bone marrow transplant treatment in early recovery phase.

We measured serum thymidine kinase (TK) activity with a radioenzyme assay system employing [I-125]-iododeoxyuridine as the tracer on serial specimens from five bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients before and after transplantation. The serum level of TK activity in the 4 patients with effective BMT treatment ranged from 3.0 to 16.9 U/L (mean, 7.80 U/L) before transplantation and from 27.3 to 236.1 U/L (mean, 82.95 U/L) after the BMT treatment. Mean serum TK activity increased 13.17-fold (range, 1.68 to 29.14-fold). In contrast, the activity in the patient with ineffective BMT treatment was not significantly different during, before, or after BMT treatment. In addition, serum TK activity in BMT patients was well correlated with the change in the number of leukocytes before and after BMT treatment [r = +0.709 (p less than 0.01), y = 0.012 x +0.87]. We conclude that the determination of serum TK activity in BMT patients is very useful in monitoring the course of bone marrow transplantation in the early recovery phase.

Adolescent

Localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands by means of thallium-201 and iodine-131 subtraction scintigraphy in patients with primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism.

The accuracy of the preoperative localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands by subtraction scintigraphy with 201Tl and 131I was evaluated by comparison with the operative findings. The subjects were 67 consecutive patients with hyperparathyroidism (HPT), including 24 with primary and 43 with secondary HPT. In primary HPT, surgery revealed 26 adenomas weighing 0.26-15.80 g (mean +/- SD; 3.01 +/- 3.04 g). Two patients had double adenomas. Scintigraphy correctly localized 25/26 adenomas (96.2%) in primary HPT for a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 96.2%, 98.5%, and 97.9%, respectively. In secondary HPT, 163 hyperplastic glands weighing 0.03-5.08 g (0.85 +/- 0.93 g) were found. Scintigraphy correctly localized 79 glands (48.5%) weighing 0.03-5.08 g (1.19 +/- 1.10 g), but 84 glands (51.5%) weighing 0.04-2.70 g (0.51 +/- 0.50 g) were not detected. Thus, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of scintigraphy were respectively 48.5%, 100%, and 51.2%, in secondary HPT. These results show that scintigraphy with 201Tl and 131I can be used to locate abnormal parathyroid glands with an efficacy equal to or better than that of the conventional methods with 201Tl and 99mTc or 201Tl and 123I.

Adenoma

[Acute myocardial infarction: comparison of results of Tl-201, Tc-99m pyrophosphate and In-111 antimyosin Fab imagings].

To evaluate the extent and characteristics of infarct areas, we performed indium-111 monoclonal antimyosin Fab (InAM), thallium-201 (TL) and Tc-99m pyrophosphate (PYP) imagings in 17 patients with acute myocardial infarction, and tried to find out the mechanism that causes difference of these imagings. In each study, the extent scores as an index of the infarct area were obtained by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and comparisons were made between the results obtained. The overlap between InAM and TL imagings obtained by SPECT was evaluated. Location, severity, extent and patterns of accumulation were compared between InAM and PYP with both planar image and SPECT. The extent scores of InAM correlated well with those of TL (r = 0.73, p < 0.01). However, the overlap of both methods was recognized in 8 of 17 patients, in whom wall thickness of the infarct area as obtained by echocardiography was well preserved. The left ventricular regional asynergy was mild in 6 of these 8 patients. Coronary angiography showed poor or no collateral circulation in these cases. Although there were generally close correlations of the extent scores between InAM and PYP, discrepancy was noted in 2 cases for location; 2 for severity, 5 for extent, and 3 for patterns of accumulation. These differences may be attributed to the timings of imaging, coronary reperfusion and different mechanisms of accumulation. In conclusion, the extent of acute myocardial infarction obtained by InAM correlates well with those obtained by TL and PYP, with some exceptions.

Adult

[Fundamental evaluation of ELSA.F-beta HCG kit as an immunoradiometric assay specific for serum beta HCG].

We evaluated ELSA.F-beta HCG kit as an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) specific for serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta hCG). This IRMA was found to be highly sensitive to serum beta hCG; the minimum detectable concentration of beta hCG was 0.05 ng/ml. No significant effects on the standard curves were observed when first and second incubation time and temperature were varied from 30 min to 240 min and from 4 degrees C to 37 degrees C, respectively. Commercial LH, FSH, and TSH had little effect on the assay system; the cross-reactivity of commercial hCG was 2.5%, and 0.14% after unconjugated beta hCG with alpha-subunit was absorbed with ELSA-tube. Multiple dilutions of sera of pregnancy resulted in curves paralleling that obtained using standard beta hCG; the recovery of beta hCG added to the serum was 98.1 +/- 2.5% (mean +/- SD), and mean coefficient of variation of the interassay reproducibility of serum beta hCG (n = 10) was 6.7 +/- 2.8 (SD)%. Serum beta hCG concentration measured using ELSA.F-beta HCG kit was well correlated with that measured using conventional beta hCG RIA kit (r = +0.961, p less than 0.01), although values were lower than those measured with the latter (y = 0.35x + 0.26). Our results suggest that ELSA.F-beta HCG kit is a useful assay system for serum beta hCG.

Chorionic Gonadotropin

[The influence of findings of coronary artery on myocardial salvage in acute myocardial infarction].

201Tl stress myocardial scintigraphy was performed in convalescent patients with acute myocardial infarction, to evaluate the influence of stenosis and collateral circulation of coronary artery in acute phase, on myocardial salvage in chronic phase. In 14 cases of unsuccessful coronary revascularization (complete occlusion), a complete defect of thallium imaging in chronic phase was seen in only one case of four cases with good collateral circulation, while eight of 10 cases with poor collateral circulation. In 16 cases of poor collateral circulation, six cases showed a complete defect, although the target vessel had improved to less than 75% of stenosis. However, in cases of good collateral circulation, no case showed a complete defect when the target vessel had improved to less than 75% of stenosis. The myocardial salvage is quite possible (p less than 0.05), when the coronary angiography in acute phase showed the forward flow (99% or 90% of stenosis) before coronary revascularization and/or good collateral circulation (Rentrop 2 degrees or 3 degrees).

Adult

Protective mechanism of sodium molybdate against the acute toxicity of cadmium in rats. II. Prevention of cytoplasmic acidification.

In order to clarify the protective mechanism of sodium molybdate against the acute toxicity of cadmium chloride in rat, the effect of in vivo sodium molybdate pretreatment on the cytotoxic action of cadmium in isolated hepatocytes was studied. The cytosolic pH of hepatocytes isolated from untreated rats immediately decreased with incubation in either neutral Hank's balanced salt solution (HBS), pH 7.4, containing 5 microM cadmium chloride minimum or acidic HBS (pH 7.1, 6.8, 6.5, and 6.2). The presence of 5 microM cadmium in HBS adjusted to pH 7.1 aggravated cytosolic acidification induced by the acidic medium alone. Cell viability of hepatocytes incubated in HBS at pH 6.2 was significantly reduced as compared to that of control cells in HBS at pH 7.4, but the presence of cadmium in the acidic HBS had no aggravating action against such a toxic action of the acidic medium although cellular uptake of the metal in the medium increased, as compared to that in HBS at pH 7.4. Molybdenum pretreatment alleviated cytoplasmic acidification induced by the treatment with HBS at pH 7.4 or 7.1 containing cadmium or by extracellular acid load without cadmium. This pretreatment also prevented the loss of cell viability induced by the treatment with HBS at pH 6.2 but could not attenuate that when cadmium was present in the medium. These facts suggest that molybdenum pretreatment alleviated the acute toxicity of cadmium in rat by preventing cytoplasmic acidification caused by the harmful metal.

Animals

Analysis of nuclear sequences homologous to the B4 plasmid-like DNA of rice mitochondria; evidence for sequence transfer from mitochondria to nuclei.

Nuclear sequences homologous to the plasmid-like DNA, B4, were analyzed in the Japonica rice variety, Fujiminori. Homologous sequences existed at several positions in the nuclear genome, but each contained only a portion of the B4 sequence. It was impossible to reconstruct the entire sequence of B4 even by collating all the homologous sequences. Overlaps between some of the B4 sequences present in the nuclear genome resulted in parts of the sequence being represented more than once. These features indicate that nuclear sequences homologous to B4 are not the origin of B4 and that they have been transferred from mitochondria and integrated into the nuclear genome. Five other foreign sequences originating in the chloroplast or mitochondrial genome were found within 1 kb of the B4-homologous sequences. Structural analysis is consistent with the hypothesis that the DNA sequences were transferred via RNA.

Base Sequence

Detection of bile leakage into the thoracic cavity by hepatobiliary scintigraphy.

We report early detection of bile leakage into the thoracic cavity by hepatobiliary scintigraphy in a rare case of spontaneous withdrawal of the catheter for percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographic drainage (PTCD). An 81-year-old man with inoperable carcinoma of the common bile duct was readmitted with a 38 degrees C fever and suspected bile leakage from the hepatic biliary tree following withdrawal of the catheter for PTCD. While plain X-ray immediately after readmission revealed no abnormality in the chest or abdomen, hepatobiliary scintigraphy revealed not only bile leakage into the right thoracic cavity but also the site of laceration. We conclude that hepatobiliary scintigraphy is a simple, non-invasive procedure useful in the early detection and localization of bile leakage following spontaneous withdrawal of the catheter for PTCD.

Aged