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Biomedical subjects

M Kajiwara

Publications and source records attributed to M Kajiwara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The study of the cultivation of Chinese hamster ovary and Bowes cell lines with poly(organophosphazene) membranes.

Sixteen poly(organophosphazenes) were prepared by reaction between polydichlorophosphazene (NPCl2)n and nucleophilic reagents such as phenoxides and amino compounds. Adhesive and colony formation percent were investigated using V-79 Chinese hamster cells on poly(organophosphazene) films. It was found that [NP(OC6H5)2-x(NHBu-n)x]n (x = 0.2, 1.8) gave the best percent adhesiveness. This value was similar to that of Falcon. On the other hand, [NP(OC6H5)-(NHBu-n)]n film showed best colony percent formation. This was of a higher value than that of Falcon. The [NP(OC6H5)2]n properties were poor for cultivation of useful Bowes and chinese hamster ovary cell lines in comparison with Cytodex III.

Animals

Increased sensitivity for detection of human cytomegalovirus in urine by removal of inhibitors for the polymerase chain reaction.

The presence of inhibitors in urine interferes with the enzymatic reaction of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). To remove inhibitors, HCMV virions in urine were precipitated with polyethylene glycol, or DNA was extracted from urine by the use of glass powder and subjected to PCR followed by Southern blot hybridization with alkaline phosphatase-linked oligonucleotide probes. These simple, rapid methods increased significantly the sensitivity of PCR for detection of HCMV in urine.

Base Sequence

Treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in children with etoposide.

Ten children with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) were treated with etoposide. For five patients, this was the initial diagnosis. The other five had failed to respond to previous therapies. Etoposide (100 mg/m2) was given intravenously twice a week for 4 weeks, followed by maintenance therapy every 2 to 4 weeks for 2 years. All 10 patients responded to etoposide, and 6 of them (60%) have been in complete remission for 3 to 36 months without any side effects. One patient relapsed with diabetes insipidus, one with a soft tissue mass, and two others developed multiple bone lesions. Chemotherapy with etoposide appears to be effective and safe for the treatment of children with systemic LCH.

Adolescent

Direct injection method for quantitation of delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A highly sensitive and simple method for determining delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in urine was established, using direct injection of urine into a high-performance liquid chromatographic column, with fluorometric detection after post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA). The recovery of ALA was about 100% and ALA was completely separated on an ion exchange column (retention time, 38 min). The detection limit for ALA was 10 pmol (S/N = 2). The mean levels of urinary ALA of 10 healthy volunteers, 4 patients with acute intermittent porphyria, and 2 workers occupationally exposed to lead were 0.76, 5.25, and 23.54 mg/l, respectively. Because of its simplicity, the method is considered to be suitable for routine analysis of urinary ALA in the clinical laboratory.

Aminolevulinic Acid

[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma using an implantable drug delivery system].

Intra-arterial chemotherapy and chemoembolization using implantable drug delivery system were performed in sixty-one cases of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The following results were obtained. (1) The follow-up period was 253 days, and the administrations numbered 13.9 times on average. (2) Response rate was 31.1%. (3) AFP decreased in 80% cases, and PIVKA-II in 83.3% cases. (4) Tumor thrombus in the portal vein disappeared in 4 of 40 cases(10%). (5) Free-CDDP continued for 60 minutes after injection of cisplatin-phosphatidyl-choline-Lipiodol (CPL), and the response rate was 47%. (6) The survival rates were 56% in one year, 25% in two years, and 20% for three years. These results were significantly higher than those of one shot therapy. It is suggested that good therapeutic effects can be obtained by the implantable drug delivery system, and CPL was a useful anticancer agent for the therapy.

Biomarkers

Direct monitoring by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the metabolism and metabolic rate of 13C-labeled compounds in vivo.

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been used to observe the transformations of [1-13C]-D-glucose to [1,1'-13C2]-D-trehalose, and [3-13C]-L-alanine to [2-13C]-L-glutamic acid in the living body of Gryllodes sigillatus. [3-13C]-D-Alanine was not metabolized. The metabolic rate of [1-13C]-D-glucose was found to be altered by prior injection of boric acid.

Alanine

Antibody to HTLV-I in indigenous inhabitants of the Andes and Amazon regions in Colombia.

To explore the HTLV-I-carrying groups among the indigenous inhabitants in South America, a sero-epidemiological study on HTLV-I focusing on hinterland villages isolated from others in the Andes and Amazon regions was conducted. Five (2.9%) out of 171 subjects showed positive for HTLV-I antibody in the gelatin particle agglutination (PA) test. Two out of 5 positives with high antibody titer (greater than or equal to x 1024) in the PA test also showed a positive immunofluorescence (IF) test and anti-HTLV-I-specific protein products, p19, p24, p28, gp46, and p53 in sera by the Western blotting (WB) test. One of three negatives in the IF test showed positive antibodies to p19 and p24 by the WB test. Finally, two were confirmed as HTLV-I carriers and one was suspected of being a carrier. All three are Paez Indians from the central Andes; 53- and 34-year-old women and a 35-year-old man. The results show that HTLV-I carriers exist among isolated indigenous people in South America.

Adult

Sequential analysis of distributions of donor-derived thymocytes bearing T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) and donor-derived Ia+ cells in thymuses of fully allogeneic bone marrow chimera in mice.

Lethally irradiated SJL/J mice were reconstituted with B10 bone marrow cells, and the process of thymic reconstitution by donor-derived cells positive for I-A or V beta 8 molecules was investigated. The donor-derived Ia+ cells appeared in the medulla on day 7 after reconstitution. The Ia+ cells became confluent up to day 14, and the cellularity in the medulla on day 17 was almost the same as that in the normal thymus. Dull V beta 8+ thymocytes were first recognized in the cortex on day 10 and were identifiable in the medulla by day 14. The V beta 8+ cells seemed to be mainly CD4+8+ double-positive. Furthermore, most of the V beta 8+ cells in the medulla of chimeras given cyclosporin A for 3 weeks after reconstitution appeared to be CD4+8+ thymocytes which bear a low concentration of TCR exist in the thymic medulla at a relatively early stage when donor-derived Ia+ cells have already settled there. The coincidental appearance and coexistence of Ia+ cells and TCR+ thymocytes in the medulla suggest that these histological characteristics may be related to the selection of thymocytes in this area.

Animals

Studies on the biosynthesis of corrinoids and porphyrinoids. II. The origin of nitrogen of vitamin B12.

To clarify the origin of nitrogen of vitamin B12, 15N-labeled aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was prepared and administered to Propionibacterium shermanii. Vitamin B12 thus isolated showed four signals in the nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance (15N-NMR) spectrum. The nitrogen of [5-15N]riboflavine was incorporated into the benzimidazole part of vitamin B12. Hydroxycobalamin was transformed into cyanocobalamin by treatment with [15N]potassium cyanide, and the 15N-NMR spectrum was measured. The results of these experiments revealed the origin of the nitrogen atoms of vitamin B12, and allowed the 15N-NMR signals to be assigned.

Chemical Phenomena

Studies on the biosynthesis of corrinoids and porphyrinoids. III. The origin of amide nitrogen of vitamin B12.

To clarify the origin of amide-nitrogen of vitamin B12, [1-13C]aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and L-[amide-15N]glutamine were administered to P. shermanii. The 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the vitamin B12 subsequently isolated showed distinct 13C-15N coupling and isotope shift at six amide carbons. However, the C-57 amide carbon showed neither coupling, nor shift. Thus, it was concluded that the nitrogens of 6 amides of the side chain were derived from glutamine and the C-57 amide nitrogen was from threonine.

Corrinoids

A case of VACTEL syndrome with antenatally diagnosed duodenal atresia.

A rare case of VACTEL syndrome with antenatally diagnosed duodenal atresia is reported. We performed one-staged radial surgery for the esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula and duodenal atresia. The prognosis of VACTEL syndrome with duodenal atresia is very poor. This is the first reported case cured operatively.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Studies on the biosynthesis of corrinoids and porphyrinoids. I. The labeling of oxygen of vitamin B12.

Recently the amide-oxygen has been suggested to participate in the formation of the corrin ring of vitamin B12. To confirm this hypothesis, 17O-labeled aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was prepared and administered to Propionibacterium shermanii. The isolated vitamin B12 showed only broad 17O signals in the oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance (17O-NMR) spectrum. However, distinct isotope-shifted peaks were observed in the 13C-NMR spectrum of vitamin B12 isolated after incorporation of [1-13C:1,4-18O2]ALA. Of these shifted peaks, one peak (C27) showed very low intensity. This indicates that dilution of 18O occurred at the acetyl chain of the A ring of vitamin B12. This result supports the assumption that the lactone formation of the A ring promotes the ring contraction, as proposed by Eschenmoser.

Corrinoids

Stereochemical studies on the formation of melanin by monophenol monooxygenase.

The oxidation of tyrosine by monophenol monooxygenase (tyrosinase: EC 1.10.3.1) to melanin has been studied by a combination of ultraviolet, circular dichroism, and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. It is demonstrated that the chiral intermediate (dopachrome) is generated stereoselectively in this enzymic reaction.

Catechol Oxidase

[Development of a new therapeutic method in hepatocellular carcinoma using a culture system--the intensifying effect of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) on the antitumor action of antitumor agents].

The culture system of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been established and the effect of hepatotrophic factors on these cell lines have been studied. During this study the effect of the human epidermal growth factor intensifying anti-tumor action of anti-tumor agents will be evaluated. HCC cell lines (C-HC-4, C-HC-20) show logarithmic growth in the serum-free medium. These growth curves after administration of 1 x 10(-12- -8) M of hEGF were measured, and the existence of the hEGF receptors was evaluated using the ABC method. The growth curve of HC-4 transplanted into nude mice was measured in 4 groups; the control group, the hEGF group, the gamma Interferon (gamma IFN) group, and the hEGF + gamma IFN group. The hEGF enhanced the cell growth of C-HC-4 and C-HC-20, and EGF receptors were confirmed immunohistologically. In the hEGF+ gamma IFN group, growth inhibition seems to be most important. The hEGF may intensify the anti-tumor action of the anti-tumor agents.

Animals

Distribution of Gm allotypes among the three populations of the Miyako Islands in Okinawa.

Serum samples from 738 unrelated individuals of three populations in the Miyako Islands were tested for twelve Gm allotypes to investigate the variability of phenotypes and haplotypes. Nine phenotypes observed in these populations as well as mainland Japanese could be explained by the presence of the four Gm haplotypes, ag, axg, ab3st, and afb1b3. A good agreement was obtained in the samples of each populations between the observed and expected frequencies on the basis of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of phenotypes. These populations showed remarkable heterogeneities with one another on the basis of Gm haplotype frequency analysis. Moreover they exhibited no homogeneities with the Ryukyuans nor with the mainland Japanese. Homogeneity was found between the Ainu and the people in Ueno village but not in the other two locations. However, Gm xg haplotype, only detected in the Ainu, was not found in Ueno. These may imply a racial relationship between the Ainu and the inhabitants in Miyako in the remote past. However, there is no certainty that both of Ainu and the people in Ueno derived from the same origin, or that genetic drift due to endogamy in this village took place. The Gm phenotype and haplotype frequencies observed in Miyako show that they belong to the northern mongoloid group characterized by a high frequency of Gm ag and an extremely low frequency of Gm afb1b3. It is therefore reasonable to assume that they came from northern Asia as well as mainland Japanese.

Asian People