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Biomedical subjects

M Miyahara

Publications and source records attributed to M Miyahara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Isolation and characterization of new restriction endonucleases from Vibrio parahaemolyticus: VpaK32I enzyme with the class-IIS heptanucleotide specificity, GCTCTTCN1/N4.

Six restriction endonucleases (ENases), classified into four different specificities, were found in a screen among 68 reference strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus of human origin. Five of these ENases are isoschizomers of well-known ENases, while the remaining one, designated VpaK32I, is a novel and highly efficient class-IIS ENase with the hepatanucleotide recognition site, 5'-GCTCTTC(1/4)-3'.

Base Sequence

Impaired neutrophil bactericidal activity correlates with the infection occurring after surgery for esophageal cancer.

We examined whether or not preoperative impaired bactericidal activities of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are associated with infections following surgery for esophageal cancer. Intracellular killing (KI), superoxide anion-producing capacity (SOP), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured in 22 patients with esophageal cancer, 27 with gastric cancer, and 13 age-matched controls. The average level of KI was significantly depressed in patients with esophageal cancer or with gastric cancer, to a similar extent, compared to findings in controls, but SOP was not. In esophageal cancer patients, the SOP level was significantly higher in those with postoperative septic complications than in those without such problems, whereas the KI level was depressed to a similar extent in both. Therefore, a depression of KI with elevation of SOP of PMN may serve to predict complications of infection following surgery in patients with esophageal cancer.

Adult

Adenoma of the nipple.

We report herein a case of a 42 year old woman with adenoma of the nipple of her left breast. The diseased nipple was enlarged, reddened and a hard elastic mass was palpable within its substance. There was an area of eczematoid erosion on the surface. Incisional biopsy revealed a picture of adenoma and therefore the nipple was excised. Five years postoperatively, there has been no recurrence of the disease. To our knowledge, only thirteen cases of adenoma of the nipple have been reported in the Japanese literature. Some clinical features and treatments are discussed in a review following the case report. Although rare, adenoma of the nipple should be borne in mind to avoid a misdiagnosis of malignancy and unnecessarily extensive surgery.

Adenoma

Factors contributing to deficiencies in cell-mediated immunity in esophageal cancer patients.

Based on the previous data which indicated a preoperative decrease in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is associated with the occurrence of infectious complications following surgery on patients with esophageal cancer, we examined possible factors contributing to a decrease in CMI levels. A multiple linear regression analysis was made on data from 76 patients with esophageal cancer and 53 with gastric cancer as the control. In patients with esophageal cancer, both protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) and age factor contributed to a decrease in CMI, although the contribution of the latter was weak while the stage of the cancer and the grade of dysphagia showed no such contribution. The PCM and stage of the cancer were contributing factors in patients with gastric cancer. Thus, these results indicate that PCM and old age, and not the presence of malignant tumors, play a significant role in deficiency in CMI in patients with esophageal cancer.

Age Factors

Increases in immunoglobulin and complement in patients with esophageal or gastric cancer.

Based on data providing evidence that the enhancement of serum IgG and IgA is associated with the occurrence of infectious complications following surgery in patients with esophageal cancer, we examined the possible factors contributing to alterations in the serum IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, C4, and CH50 levels. A multiple linear regression analysis was made on data obtained from 71 patients with esophageal cancer and 57 with gastric cancer. In the patients with esophageal cancer, age and protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) were related to the elevation of IgG levels while the stage of cancer was linked to that of IgA. The sex and IgM levels were also seen to be related. Age and the stage of cancer were associated with reductions in C3, C4, and CH50 levels, although in the patients with gastric cancer, the stage of cancer and elevations of these complement levels were related. Thus, age, PCM, and tumor malignancy are all factors related to the enhancement of IgG or IgA in patients with esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma

Primary anorectal malignant melanoma.

A case of primary anorectal malignant melanoma seen in a 46 year old woman is presented herein. Her most marked symptoms were bloody stools and anal pain. Endoscopic examination indicated a tumor with ulceration but without pigmentation in the anorectal region. Histologic examination of the biopsied specimens showed spindle-shaped cells with atypia proliferating in a bandlike arrangement, as in leiomyosarcoma. An abdominoperineal resection was done and detailed histological examination of the tumor confirmed the nature of the tumor to be malignant melanoma. The postoperative immunochemotherapy consisted of Dimetyl-Triazeno-Imidasole-Carboxamide (DTIC), Amino-Methyl-Pyrimidinyl-Methyl-Chlorethyl-Nitrosourea-Hydrochlori de (ACNU), Vincristine (VCR) and OK-432. The patient has been well without recurrence for fifteen months following her operation through the continuous administration of these agents.

Antineoplastic Agents

Experimental study on Reye's syndrome: inhibitory effect of interferon alfa on acetylsalicylate-induced injury to rat liver mitochondria.

Viral infection and acetylsalicylate (ASA)-induced mitochondrial aberration have been reported to play important roles in the pathogenesis of Reye's syndrome. We report that increasing amounts of ASA (0 to 250 mumol/L) resulted in increases in state 4 respiration and decreases in state 3 respiration in rat liver mitochondria in vitro when using alpha-ketoglutarate and/or beta-hydroxybutyrate as respiratory substrates, but not when using succinate as substrate. Interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) (1.5 to 5 x 10(4)IU/mL, approximately 1/100 the therapeutic dosage for humans) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) (1.5 to 2 x 10(4)IU/mL, nearly equivalent to the therapeutic dosage) decreased the severity of the above effects via interaction with mitochondrial membranes. Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) had no such protective effect. Electron microscopic observation indicated that IFN-alpha prevented the induction of mitochondrial swelling by ASA. These results suggest that IFN-alpha may prove to be effective for the treatment of Reye's syndrome.

Animals

The influence of chloro-substituent sites of hexachlorobiphenyl on the respiration of rat liver mitochondria.

The actions of three hexachlorobiphenyls (HCBs) 2,3,4,2',3',4'-, 2,3,4,3',4',5'- and 3,4,5,3',4',5'-HCBs, on the respiration of rat liver mitochondria with succinate as the substrate were compared, and the effect of chloro-substitution sites in HCB on the respiration was examined. 2,3,4,2',3',4'-HCB strongly inhibited both state 3 and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP)-stimulated respiration with 50% inhibition dose of 52 and 54 microM for state 3 and DNP-stimulated respiration, respectively. The inhibitory action of 2,3,4,3',4',5'-HCB on both respiration was approximately half as potent as that of 2,3,4,2',3',4'-HCB. On the other hand, 3,4,5,3',4',5'-HCB did not inhibit any respiration at all. These results indicate that both inside (ortho) and outside (meta or para) positions in each phenyl ring of the biphenyl molecule should be replaced with chlorines for HCB to be an effective inhibitor. Either the actual position of chloro-substituent or steric conformation caused by its substitution or both can be considered as factors affecting the inhibition. On the basis of the conformational energy, calculated by AM1 (Austin model 1) method, with increases in chlorine number in ortho position, HCB molecule became angulated. Furthermore, calculated probability of the conformation distribution for HCB indicated that the probability of nonplanarity was higher for effective HCB than for less effective HCB. These structural features suggest the significance of steric conformation as well as chloro-substituent sites in determining the inhibitory ability of HCB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

[Coronary artery disease in diabetic patients].

Although it is well known that diabetics have high mortality rates due to ischemic heart disease (IHD), controversies still exist about the severity of coronary artery disease in diabetics compared to nondiabetics. We compared coronary arteriographies of 50 diabetics with IHD to those of 50 nondiabetics with IHD. In regard to coronary risk factors, incidence of obesity was significantly higher in diabetics. Incidence of hypertension, hypercholesteremia, hyperuricemia was higher, although not significant, in diabetics. Incidence of smoking was significantly higher in nondiabetics. The diabetic group showed a significantly higher incidence of patients with more than two or three diseased vessels, and a significantly higher number of diseased coronaries with more than 50% stenosis per patient compared to nondiabetics (5.6 +/- 3.7 vs 3.7 +/- 3.2). The distribution of diseased coronaries with more than 75% stenosis showed no difference between diabetics and nondiabetics. The incidence of coronary spasm was significantly lower in diabetics (12% vs 28%). The high incidence of multiple vessel disease in diabetics was thought to be due to other complicated coronary risk factors, especially hypertension and hypercholesteremia.

Aged

Enhanced immunoglobulin levels correlate with infectious complications after surgery in esophageal cancer.

Severe septic complications account for the high mortality of patients with esophageal cancer. We examined the levels of immunoglobulins and complements together with infection-related complications in a large number of patients. Enhancements of IgG, IgA, C3, C4, and CH50 were evident in patients with esophageal cancer and were more predominant compared to findings in cases of gastric cancer. Average levels of IgG and IgA immediately before surgery were significantly higher in esophageal cancer patients with postoperative septic complications than in those without such problems. Preoperative radiation therapy and total parenteral nutrition did not significantly alter the levels of immunoglobulins and complements. It would thus appear that the enhancement of IgG and IgA is associated with the occurrence of infectious complications following surgery for patients with esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma

Complications of infection and immunologic status after surgery for patients with esophageal cancer.

Correlations between defective cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and infections following surgery for esophageal cancer were evaluated. Peripheral lymphocytes, T cells, B cells, PHA transformation, and PPD skin test were measured in 81 patients with esophageal cancer, 58 with gastric cancer, and 50 healthy controls. The depression of CMI was predominant to a similar extent in patients with esophageal cancer and in those with gastric cancer. The average level of PHA transformation immediately before surgery was significantly lower in the esophageal cancer patients with fatal septic complications than in those without such problems. Although preoperative radiation therapy markedly depressed the levels of the four parameters, this association was also noted in 28 patients not given radiation. It thus appears that PHA transformation may be valuable in the prediction of fatal septic complications after major surgery in patients with esophageal cancer.

Adult

Clinical significance of ras p21 overexpression for patients with an advanced colorectal cancer.

The expression of ras oncogene product p21 was examined in 45 paraffin-embedded sections of primary advanced colorectal cancers, using the anti-v-H-ras p21 monoclonal antibody Y13-259. Fourteen of these specimens (31 percent) were stained positively. The incidence of lymphatic vessel invasion of cancer cells and lymph node metastasis correlated statistically with the overexpression of ras p21. The depth of invasion and incidence of liver metastasis in the p21-positive group were more prominent than in the p21-negative group. Statistically significant differences were evident in operative curability and clinical stage at initial surgery and in the long-term survival rate between these groups (P less than 0.05). We propose that ras p21 overexpression may serve as a marker to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Adult

Preoperative assessment of cervical lymph node involvement in esophageal cancer.

Lymphoscintigraphy (LS) and computed tomography (CT) were used preoperatively to assess nodal involvement in 23 patients with esophageal cancer. LS predicted nodal involvement with a high sensitivity and low specificity since false positives were frequent while in contrast, CT predicted it with high specificity and low sensitivity. The combination of LS and CT improved sensitivity by up to 87 per cent but not specificity. The positive image of nodes in LS was associated with malignant cell involvement and/or reactive changes in the nodes, especially sinus histiocytosis and germinal center hyperplasia. When cervical nodes were involved, bilateral images of lymph flows were often lost and by using the images of lymph flow as well as those of the nodes, the combination predicted cervical nodal involvement with a sensitivity of 83 per cent and a specificity of 86 per cent. Thus, the combination of LS and CT is beneficial for preoperatively estimating cervical nodal involvement in esophageal cancer.

Aged

Factors influencing the acute phase protein levels in patients with esophageal cancer.

Based on the findings that the enhancement of serum alpha 2-macroglobulin (A2M) is associated with the occurrence of infectious complications following surgery in patients with esophageal cancer, we examined possible factors which could contribute to the alterations of serum acute phase protein levels in patients with this disease. A multiple linear regression analysis was made for 71 patients with esophageal cancer and 58 with gastric cancer. In patients with esophageal cancer, protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) and age factors more strongly contributed to the alteration of 6 acute phase protein levels than did the malignant tumor when compared to those with gastric acner. PCM was negatively associated with A2M levels while it was positively associated with alpha 1-acidglycoprotein (A1AG) and haptoglobin (Hp) levels. Age did not contribute to the A2M levels but did have a negative effect on the Hp, ceruloplasmin (Cp) and fibronectin (Fn) levels. On the other hand, the malignant tumor was positively related only to the A1AG levels. Since none of these factors contributed to the elevation of A2M levels, it is suggested that the presence of chronic infection might be a factor contributing to the A2M increase which was associated with the occurrence of postoperative infectious complications in patients with this disease.

Acute-Phase Proteins

Acute phase proteins and infectious complications after surgery for esophageal cancer.

Severe septic complications are the major cause of operative mortality in patients with esophageal cancer. We examined the levels of acute phase proteins together with infection-related complications after surgery in a large number of patients with esophageal cancer and compared them with a group of patients with gastric cancer and healthy controls. Elevations in alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-acidglycoprotein, haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin were evident in patients with esophageal cancer, being more predominant when compared to the findings in patients with gastric cancer. Although the mean levels of alpha 2-macroglobulin were not significantly elevated in either patients with esophageal cancer or those with gastric cancer, the average level immediately prior to surgery was higher in esophageal cancer patients with postoperative septic complications than in those without any such problems. Preoperative radiation therapy and total parenteral nutrition did not significantly alter the levels of acute phase proteins. It would thus appear that the elevation in alpha 2-macroglobulin is associated with the occurrence of infectious complications following surgery in patients with esophageal cancer.

Acute-Phase Proteins

Successful 0 degree C liquid preservation of red blood cells.

In an effort to determine the lowest acceptable temperature for liquid preservation of red blood cells, the latter were stored at 5, 0, -2 and -5 degrees C. When polyvinylchloride (PVC) bags plasticized with di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) were used as containers, hemolysis of red cells stored for 42 days at 0 degree C was lower than at the other three temperatures. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, morphology scores, and deformability indices were also best maintained at 0 degree C, and erythrocyte osmotic fragility did not increase at that temperature. On the other hand, when blood was stored in glass bottles at 0 degree C, hemolysis and erythrocyte osmotic fragility increased. The addition of DEHP to red cells stored in glass bottles at 0 degree C decreased hemolysis and erythrocyte osmotic fragility to levels equal to those in PVC bags. Thus, storage of red cells can be done at temperatures as low as 0 degree C, if PVC bags are used as the container. Previous negative assessments of storage temperatures below 4 degrees C, may be due to the use of glass bottles as containers for blood preservation.

Adenosine Triphosphate