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Biomedical subjects

M Furusawa

Publications and source records attributed to M Furusawa.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Isolation and characterization of a novel gene of the DEAD box protein family which is specifically expressed in germ cells of Xenopus laevis.

We have isolated a cDNA of the DEAD protein family from a Xenopus ovary cDNA library. Northern hybridization revealed that the mRNA corresponding to the cDNA [XVLG1 (Xenopus vasa-like gene)] was specifically expressed in adult testis and ovary. The deduced amino acid sequence of XVLG1 was relatively homologous to that of Drosophila vasa. XVLG1 protein was found to be expressed exclusively in adult testis and ovary by immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody against XVLG1 protein. Immunocytological study showed that XVLG1 protein was expressed in oogonia, oocytes, spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and also in primordial germ cells in stage 46 tadpoles. The monoclonal antibody used in this study specifically stains germ line cells and is useful both as a germ cell lineage marker and in biochemical studies of germ cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Postoperative immunochemotherapy including streptococcal lysate OK-432 is effective for patients with gastric cancer and serosal invasion.

The effects of postoperative immunochemotherapy including the streptococcal preparation OK-432 on the rate of peritoneal recurrence and survival time after curative resection were studied in 36 patients with gastric cancer. Patients randomized to group B received 18 months of a therapy that is widely used in Japan for patients with gastric cancer: mitomycin C (MMC) and UFT, a combination of tegafur and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4. Patients randomized to group A received the same drugs given to group B plus an intraperitoneal injection of OK-432 on postoperative day 0 and intradermal injections of OK-432 for 18 months at 2-week intervals. There were no differences between the two groups in any known prognostic factor or dose of any drug received, except for OK-432. There was no difference in the toxicity rates between the groups. The concomitant administration OK-432 and anticancer drugs significantly decreased the rates of peritoneal recurrence and lengthened survival time (P < 0.05).

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1994

Proliferative activity as a prognostic factor in Borrmann type 4 gastric carcinoma.

Proliferative activities in 181 primary Borrmann type 4 gastric carcinomas were investigated using percentage labelling of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and an argyrophilic nucleolar organiser region (AgNOR) count. Tumours with a high proliferative activity often metastasised to lymph nodes (P < 0.01), and these patients had a lower survival rate (P < 0.05). A significant correlation was recognised between the PCNA labelling percentage and AgNOR count (r = 0.452, P < 0.001). Cox's regression analysis showed that PCNA labelling percentage is an independent prognostic factor. These results indicate that estimating proliferative activity may be useful in predicting lymph node metastasis and patients' prognosis in cases of Borrmann type 4 gastric carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Radiation therapy of adult T-cell leukemia.

Between January, 1983 and December, 1991, 30 adult patients with T-cell leukemia (ATL) and lymph node or skin lesions resistant to chemotherapy were treated by irradiation. Thirty Gy of high energy x-rays, 60Co gamma rays or electrons was delivered to 22 lymph node lesions in 17 patients, for focal cutaneous lesions in 6 patients, and as total skin irradiation in 7 patients. Irradiation therapy was effective in all patients with skin lesions and in 12 of 17 patients with lymph node lesions. Symptoms such as pain or itching diminished in all cases and no severe side effects were observed. Radiation therapy thus achieved good control of ATL associated focal lesions resistant to chemotherapy. Even if the prognosis of ATL is poor, radiation therapy should be considered as a palliative therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Characteristics and sequence of the recurrent patterns after curative esophagectomy for squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: A large number of patients with esophageal cancer experience recurrence, even when a curative operation is performed. The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of recurrence after a curative esophagectomy. METHODS: The patterns and the time of recurrence after curative esophagectomy were examined in 187 cases of thoracic esophageal cancer. Ninety-five of these patients died of evident recurrence. The recurrence patterns were classified into lymphatic, hematogenic, mixed type (lymphatic and concomitant hematogenic), and intramural recurrences. RESULTS: The number of cases in each recurrence group were 46, 23, 22, and 4, respectively. The disease free intervals were fairly closely correlated with pTNM stage in the lymphatic and mixed type groups whereas they were within 2 years in all cases of the hematogenic group. Among the 22 cases of the mixed type, hematogenic recurrence preceded lymphatic recurrence in only one case. Furthermore, 17 of 20 cases with either cervical or mediastinal lymph node recurrence of the mixed type were accompanied with lung recurrence, whereas the remaining two cases with abdominal lymph node recurrence had liver recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that most mixed type recurrences and most lymphatic ones are primarily caused by lymph node metastases; thus the importance of a radical lymphadenectomy was supported. On the other hand, a careful examination for hematogenic recurrence is essential soon after operation.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1994

[Effect of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with early gastric cancer].

Effects of adjuvant chemotherapy following curative resection were evaluated in patients with early gastric cancer. According to postoperative chemotherapy, seven hundred and thirty-one patients were divided into four groups as follows. MMC+FT group: those who received mitomycin C and tegafur; MMC group: those receiving MMC; FT group: those given tegafur or 5-FU; NC group: those who never received chemotherapy. Postoperative recurrence was observed in 25(3.4%) of the 731 patients. Relationships between rates of recurrence or survival with clinicopathological findings were assessed among the four groups. In cases with cancer cell invasion of the intralesional veins, recurrence tended to occur less in the groups given postoperative chemotherapy, compared to the NC group. When a positive venous invasion was determined, rates of recurrence in the MMC+FT, MMC, FT and NC groups, were 7.4, 0, 0 and 35.7%, respectively. On the other hand, in relation to other clinicopathological findings, no differences were observed in rates of recurrence among those groups. As for the survival rate, no differences were observed in the clinicopathological findings among the four groups. These findings indicate that adjuvant chemotherapy may contribute to prevention of postoperative recurrence in patients with early gastric cancer, especially in cases with positive venous invasion.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

A neo-Darwinian algorithm: asymmetrical mutations due to semiconservative DNA-type replication promote evolution.

Evolution is, in a sense, to resolve optimization problems. Our neo-Darwinian algorithm based on the mechanics of inheritance and natural selection uses double-stranded DNA-type genetic information to resolve the "knap-sack problem." The algorithm with asymmetrical mutations due to semiconservative DNA-type replication most effectively resolved the problem. Our results strongly suggest that disparity in mutations caused by the asymmetric machinery of DNA replication promotes evolution, in particular of diploid organisms with a high mutation rate, in a small population, and under strong selection pressure.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1993

Simultaneous determination of glucose and 1-deoxyglucose in serum by anion-exchange chromatography with an immobilized pyranose oxidase reactor.

A liquid chromatographic system for the determination of glucose and 1-deoxyglucose in serum using an immobilized pyranose oxidase reactor and chemiluminescence detection is described. Separation was achieved on a TSK gel SAX column (2 cm x 4 mm I.D.) with an eluent of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution. Serum was diluted 30-fold with 0.1 M NaOH. Sample solution (50 microliters) was injected into the system. The hydrogen peroxide produced was detected by measuring the chemiluminescence emitted on admixing with luminol and potassium hexacyanoferrate (III). The calibration graphs were linear from 1 to 600 microM glucose and from 0.6 to 400 microM 1-deoxyglucose; the detection limits for glucose and 1-deoxyglucose were 0.5 and 0.3 microM, respectively. The sample throughput was 10/h. The immobilized enzyme reactor was stable for at least 2 months.

Anions↗
PubMed1993

Predictive value of preoperative serum sialyl Tn antigen levels in prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Expression of sialyl Tn antigen (STN) or serum STN levels were reported to be the independent prognostic factors of colon and ovarian cancers, respectively. The clinical significance of serum STN was evaluated as a tumor marker in gastric cancer. METHODS: Preoperative STN levels were examined in 350 patients with gastric cancer, surgically treated in the Department of Surgery II, Kyushu University Hospital, and in the National Kyushu Cancer Center, between April, 1981 and April, 1986. The patients were divided into two groups: a high STN group (n = 304), with over 45 U/ml of STN, and a low STN group (n = 46), with less than or equal to 45 U/ml. RESULTS: In the high STN group, the patients were older and the tumors were larger, compared to the low STN group. Histologically, tumors in the high STN group were deeply penetrating and the rates of lymphatic involvement, vascular involvement, and lymph node and hepatic metastases were higher. Infiltrative growth patterns dominated. Thus, the tumors were in an advanced stage. The 5-year survival rate for patients in the high STN group was significantly less than that of patients in the low STN group (44.8% +/- 7.9% versus 75.1% +/- 2.6%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Because a high STN level correlates with an advanced tumor stage and a poorer prognosis, close follow-up and aggressive therapy are recommended.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Prognostic significance of flow cytometric analysis of DNA content in colorectal cancer: a prospective study.

We prospectively analyzed the tumor DNA content by flow cytometry in 100 patients who underwent a curative resection for colorectal cancer between August 1989 and May 1992 in order to evaluate the prognostic significance of DNA ploidy and the DNA index (DI). Patients with aneuploid tumors were found to have a significantly shorter disease-free survival than those with diploid tumors (P = 0.014). In addition, patients who had tumors with a DI greater than 1.6 had a significantly shorter disease-free survival than those who had tumors with a DI of less than 1.6 (P = 0.0001). After stratification by stage, this association was only seen in Dukes' stage C disease (P = 0.0065). Cox's regression analysis demonstrated that the DI (below or above 1.6) rather than DNA ploidy was an important independent predictor of disease-free survival. These results suggest that the DI rather than DNA ploidy provides us with important prognostic information in patients undergoing curative surgery for colorectal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Establishment of gastric surface mucous cell lines from transgenic mice harboring temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene.

We succeeded in establishing two gastric surface mucous cell lines (designated as GSM06 and GSM10), which produce periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)- and concanavalin A (Con A)-positive glycoproteins, from a primary culture of gastric fundic mucosal cells of adult transgenic mice harboring a temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. At the permissive temperature (33 degrees C), GSM06 and GSM10 cells grew until confluent monolayers were formed and have now been in culture for more than 9 months with regular passaging. Con A-horseradish peroxidase- and PAS-positive staining indicated that these cells retain the characteristics of gastric surface mucous cells. GSM06 cells showed temperature-sensitive growth in culture and expressed SV40 large T-antigen at the permissive temperature but not at a nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C). In contrast, GSM10 cells showed temperature-insensitive growth and expressed T-antigen at both permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the establishment of gastric surface mucous cell lines from animals. These immortalized cell lines with normal characteristics may serve as good experimental models for the basic and applied biology of gastric surface mucous cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The process of calcification during development of the rat tracheal cartilage characterized by distribution of alkaline phosphatase activity and immunolocalization of types I and II collagens and glycosaminoglycans of proteoglycans.

The rat tracheal cartilage was shown to calcify during development. The process of calcification was characterized in terms of distribution of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and alterations to immunolocalization of types I and II collagens and glycosaminoglycans of proteoglycans during the development of the tracheal cartilage, in comparison with calcification of the epiphyseal growth plate cartilage. ALP activity was not identified in the tracheal cartilage in the course of calcification, which therefore differed from that in the growth plate. The tracheal cartilage matrix was not resorbed or invaded by type I collagen during calcification. This suggests that no osteogenesis is involved in calcification of the cartilage. Immunoreactivity for type II collagen became weaker in the central region of the tracheal cartilage during development. No net loss of proteoglycans was identified with Alcian blue staining after calcification of the tracheal cartilage. Immunoreactivity for chondroitin 4-sulphate increased in the calcified tracheal cartilage, while reactivity for chondroitin 6-sulphate was weaker in the calcified area than in the surrounding uncalcified region of the tracheal cartilage. The alteration of the extracellular matrices during development may be involved in the calcification of the rat tracheal cartilage.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1993

[Pharmacodynamic study on the effectiveness of UFT against cancer of gastro-intestinal (GI) tract].

Preoperative oral administration of either 5-FU 200 mg/day (15 patients) or UFT (tegafur plus uracil at a 1:4 molar ratio) 400 mg/day (22 patients) were carried out was carried out against the patients cancer of GI-tract 3 consecutive days till the morning of the operation. Serial blood samples of peripheral and portal veins were obtained for the measurement of concentration of 5-FU. The Concentration of 5-FU in normal and tumor tissues was measured in 13 patients given UFT pre-operatively. Thymidylate synthase inhibition rate were also measured in 5 of them. Furthermore, AgNOR count of tumor tissue before and after administration of UFT were examined in 11 patients. Following conclusions were obtained. (1) The Concentration of 5-FU in peripheral venous blood of UFT group was significantly higher than that of 5-FU group during 1-5 hrs after the last dose (p < 0.05). (2) The concentration of 5-FU in portal venous blood of 5-FU group was higher than that of UFT group during initial 2 hrs after the last dose. However, during 3 to 7 hrs after the last dose, UFT group showed a higher concentration. (3) In UFT group, the concentration of 5-FU in tumor tissue was significantly higher than that in normal tissue (p < 0.01). Consequently, preoperative administration of UFT can be effective for prevention of intraoperative prevention of hematogenous metastasis via portal system in cancer of gastrointestinal tract.

Administration, Oral↗