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Biomedical subjects

M Takaya

Publications and source records attributed to M Takaya.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Pulmonary functions in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis].

We studied the correlations of pulmonary function with clinical symptoms or autoantibody profiles in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). Percent vital capacity (% VC) was low in 40% of PSS patients and percent diffusing capacity of carbon oxide (% DLCO) was decreased in 76% of the patients. Eighty-five percent of the patients had abnormal pulmonary functions. The % DLCO was significantly low in male patients compared with female patients. The arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) in patients with esophageal hypomotility was significantly lower than those without esophageal hypomotility. PSS with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) showed a significant decrease of the % VC (p < 0.05) and PO2 (p < 0.05), and of lung fibrosis was frequent in the patients compared with those without SS. Pulmonary fibrosis was recognized in 63% of PSS patients and was more frequent in the patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody than those without the antibody. The annual decrease of VC was 62 ml in PSS patients, and that of DLco was 0.12 ml/min/mmHg. The annual decrease of VC was more prominent in the PSS patients with severe pulmonary fibrosis or anti-Scl-70 antibody. The decrease of VC, however, was mild in the patients with anti-RNP antibody compared with those without the antibody.

Adult↗

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of peroxidase from a fungus Arthromyces ramosus.

Peroxidase (donor: H2O2 oxidoreductase [EC 1.11.1.7]) was purified from the culture broth of the hyphomycete Arthromyces ramosus in the early log phase to show a single band on SDS-PAGE. The crystals of A. ramosus peroxidase (ARP) were formed by salting out with ammonium sulfate at room temperature and pH 7.5. The repeated seeding technique was employed to grow the crystals to the size large enough for X-ray diffraction study. The crystals were characterized as tetragonal, space group P4(2)2(1)2, with unit cell dimensions of a = b = 74.5 A, c = 117.6 A. The asymmetric unit contains one molecule of peroxidase. They diffract X-rays to at least 2.0 A resolution and are stable to X-rays.

Crystallization↗

[Studies on pyridazinone derivatives. XV. Oxidative reactions and antibacterial antifungal activity of sulfur derivatives of pyridazinone].

Oxidative reactions of o-nitrophenylthio substituted 2-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinones (3, 4, 13) with hydrogen peroxide were examined and o-nitrophenylsulfinyl compounds (5, 7, 14) and o-nitrophenylsulfonyl compound (6) were obtained. As the results of antibacterial antifungal screening tests in vitro, 3, 5 and 6 revealed strong antitrichophyton activities.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Thrombomodulin levels in the plasma and joint fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The hemostatic mechanism is thought to contribute to the inflammatory process of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thrombomodulin (TM), an inhibitor of blood coagulation, is synthesized by various cells which are recognized in the inflammatory lesions of RA. To elucidate a possible relation of TM with the process of RA, therefore, we measured soluble forms of TM in the plasma and joint fluid (JF) from RA patients by a recently developed sandwich enzyme immunoassay using monoclonal antibodies. TM levels in the plasma and JF were not significantly elevated in RA patients, although TM levels in plasma were positively correlated with those in JF. The plasma TM levels were related to renal functions (serum creatinine levels), but the levels showed no connection with systemic inflammatory indices of RA such as erythrocyte sedimentation rates, serum C-reactive protein levels and Lansbury's activity index. In the JF, TM levels were not correlated with the numbers of neutrophils or monocytes/macrophages associated with articular inflammations. Our results indicate that TM levels in the plasma and JF do not reflect systemic and articular inflammations of RA, and suggest that TM molecules in JF are mainly recruited from circulating TM.

Adult↗

Comparison of antinuclear antibody and other immunohematological profiles among primary Sjögren's syndrome, secondary Sjögren's syndrome associated with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus, and corresponding systemic disease.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is currently classified into two groups (primary and secondary), because of differences in the disease in the two groups. We determined antinuclear antibody and other immunohematological parameters by using newer, more sensitive serologic methods on patients with primary SS, or secondary SS associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and patients with just the systemic disease free of SS. This study defined both distinctive and common features between primary SS and each systemic disease: High titers of fluorescent antinuclear antibodies (FANAs), anti-SS-A/SS-B antibodies, and rheumatoid factors (RFs), as well as leukocytopenia were considered the main features of primary SS. Elevated levels of RFs and C-reactive protein were prominent in RA patients. In contrast, high titers of FANAs and anti-single stranded or anti-double stranded DNA antibodies, positive anti-ribonucleoprotein or Sm antibodies, leukocytopenia, and hypocomplementemia were characteristic for SLE. Furthermore, patients with secondary SS plus RA or SLE were found to have mixed features of SS and the associated systemic disease. The results strongly suggest that patients with secondary SS have two separate diseases, SS and the associated systemic disease.

Adult↗

Ossifying cementicular fibroma of the orbitofrontal bone in a child: case report.

A rare case of ossifying cementicular fibroma of the left orbitofrontal bone that developed in a 12-year-old boy is presented. A hard, painless mass that was incidentally noticed gradually enlarged over 2 years. Skull X-rays showed a well-demarcated lesion with mixed sclerotic and osteolytic radiolucent changes in the left orbitofrontal bone. Computed tomography revealed an expansile intradiploic multilocular mass that was separated by bony trabeculae. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a multi-cystic iso-intense mass with homogeneous contrast enhancement. Left external carotid angiograms revealed a vague tumor stain that was mainly fed by the middle meningeal artery. Systemic bone scintigrams revealed a single abnormal uptake in the lesion. The skull tumor was totally removed. Histological examination demonstrated two different characteristic findings that were composed of fibrous dysplasia and cementifying fibroma, although most of the tumor appeared to be a highly cementicular form of fibro-osseous lesion. The pathological diagnosis was a cementicular variant of fibrous dysplasia.

Child↗

[Soluble IL-2 receptor levels in rheumatic diseases].

We measured soluble interleukin-2 receptors (sIL-2R) in plasma and/or joint fluid (JF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA: 16 patients), Sjögren's syndrome (SS: 24 patients) and Behçet's disease (BD: 23 patients). Plasma sIL-2R levels were significantly higher in RA patients (956 +/- 994 U/ml, p < 0.01) and SS patients (1025 +/- 1112 U/ml, p < 0.01) than 20 healthy subjects (338 +/- 159 U/ml), but not significantly increased in BD patients (408 +/- 329 U/ml). sIL-2R levels higher than the mean of healthy subjects +2 standard deviations were observed in 3 BD patients (13.0%), 7 RA patients (43.8%) and 10 SS patients (41.7%). sIL-2R levels positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rates and C-reactive protein levels in RA patients, or IgM levels in SS. There was no significant correlation between plasma sIL-2R levels and disease activity, clinical symptoms, or other laboratory parameters in BD patients. However, sIL-2R concentrations in the JF from 4 BD patients (1644 +/- 198 U/ml: p < 0.05) or 16 RA patients (3946 +/- 5424 U/ml: p < 0.01) were significantly higher than corresponding plasma sIL-2R concentrations. Above results indicate that lymphocytes are being activated in patients with RA or SS and in the inflammatory lesions of BD patients, while the whole immunologic activation are relatively lower in BD than RA and SS.

Adult↗

Serum apolipoprotein H levels in systemic lupus erythematosus are not influenced by antiphospholipid antibodies.

Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were recently discovered to recognize a complex consisting of phospholipids and apolipoprotein H (apo H). In this study, we determined the serum apo H levels in 36 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with or without antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), including aCL and lupus anticoagulants, to clarify the possible effects of aPL on apo H levels in vivo. The apo H levels were low in SLE patients as compared with 22 healthy controls. However, no associations were found between apo H levels and circulating aPL or clinical features of the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. A secondary hyperlipidemic state, which probably related to lupus nephritis (proteinuria) and/or prednisolone treatment, increased apo H levels in SLE patients.

Adult↗

Lack of deletion of complement C4 and steroid 21-hydroxylase genes in Japanese patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

A null allele at C4A (C4AQO) is associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) in Japanese. Since a deletion of the C4A and CyP21A genes is reported to account for C4AQO in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Caucasians, we studied the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of genomic DNA to determine whether similar deletions of the C4A and CyP21A genes occur in Japanese patients with SS. Patients with C4AQO did not show the extensive deletion of C4A and CyP21A, which would be recognized by the appearance of 8.5 kb/HindIII and 6.4 kb/TaqI fragments hybridizing with a C4 probe. It is yet to be shown whether the lack of expression of C4A genes in Japanese patients with primary SS is due to point mutations, or to small deletions or insertions that were not detected by the RFLP approach.

Alleles↗

Antibodies against myofibrillar proteins in myasthenia gravis patients.

Antibodies against various myofibrillar proteins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in sera of thirty-one myasthenic patients. The antibody activity expressed as optical absorbance values was higher in 15 (48%) patients for myosin, 10 (32%) patients for tropomyosin, 9 (29%) patients for troponin, 7 (23%) patients for alpha-actinin, and 1 (3%) patient for actin as compared with 95% tolerance limits of eleven normal individuals. Twenty-five (81%) of the patients had one of these antibodies or more. Anti-myosin antibody titer was higher in male patients (0.447 +/- 0.196; mean +/- SD, p less than 0.05) than in female patients (0.316 +/- 0.107), and positively correlated with the age of onset of myasthenia gravis (r = 0.41, p less than 0.05). Anti-tropomyosin antibody titers had an inverse correlation with the age of onset (r = -0.46, p less than 0.01). No significant correlation was found between the antibody activities and other clinical conditions, including the severity and duration of disease, and treatments (systemic treatment with corticosteroids or previous thymectomy). Positive correlations were observed between anti-myosin antibody and anti-troponin antibody titers (r = 0.44, p less than 0.02), and between anti-actin antibody and anti-alpha-actin in antibody titers (r = 0.39, p less than 0.05), but no significant correlation between other pairs of antibodies against myofibrillar proteins was found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Association of the complement allele C4AQ0 with primary Sjögren's syndrome in Japanese patients.

We studied allotypes of the fourth component of complement (C4) and factor B in 76 patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and in 63 normal subjects. C4A-null (C4AQ0) was found in 10 of 28 patients who had primary SS, compared with 1 of 63 control subjects (P less than 0.005). In contrast, no significant difference in the frequency of any C4 allotype was observed between patients with secondary SS and control subjects. An association of HLA-DRw53 with primary SS in Japanese patients has been reported. Since there is no linkage disequilibrium between DRw53 and C4AQ0, it is possible that at least 2 genes in the major histocompatibility complex may determine susceptibility to the development of primary SS in the Japanese population.

Autoimmune Diseases↗

Sjögren's syndrome and pregnancy.

We analyzed 117 histories of pregnancy obtained from 40 female patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) including 13 patients with primary SS and 27 patients with secondary SS. The frequency of spontaneous abortions did not differ in the 40 patients and those with primary SS compared with 129 healthy women. However, both spontaneous abortions and premature deliveries were significantly more frequent in the SS patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anti-SS-A and anti-SS-B antibodies were not associated with the outcomes of pregnancy although spontaneous abortions were more frequent in secondary SS patients with false positive serological tests for syphilis, anti-erythrocyte antibodies, thrombocytopenia or prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time. Neither congenital anomalies nor connective tissue disease was found in the 77 neonates of the patients. We concluded that SS does not influence the outcome of pregnancy except in patients with SLE or those with serological and hematological abnormalities related to lupus anticoagulants or antiphospholipid antibodies.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

[Pathophysiological study of corona radiata infarcts by clinically available diagnostic methods].

The authors evaluated 18 patients who presented with corona radiata infarction, one of the 'water-shed infarctions', on CT and/or MRI to determine its etiology and pathophysiology using cerebral angiography, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and tests of hemostatic function including hematocrit, platelet aggregation and adhesiveness. On angiography, 8 of these 18 patients had ulcerative lesions in the common carotid artery bifurcation with or without minimal stenosis and exhibited no or a minimal area of hypoperfusion localized to the corona radiata on SPECT. In these, microembolism from the lesions at the common carotid bifurcation seemed play an important role in the genesis of corona radiata infarction. In 7 of the remaining 10 patients, cerebral angiography showed occlusive lesions of the internal carotid artery around its origin in 3, more than 90% stenosis of the internal carotid artery in 1, severe stenosis of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery in 2, and M1 occlusion in 1. In 5 of these 7, SPECT demonstrated a larger area of hypoperfusion than the corona radiata in the involved hemisphere. In the remaining 2, SPECT demonstrated a hypoperfusion area localized to the corona radiata. In all 7, the hematocrit was elevated. A collateral blood supply was visualized in 5 of 7 on cerebral angiography. In these 7 patients, hemodynamic disturbance was considered to contribute to the pathogenesis of infarction in the corona radiata. In the final three patients, cerebral angiography showed significant occlusive lesions in the main trunk of the cerebral arteries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Expression of MHC class II antigens and other T cell activation antigens on T cells and salivary duct epithelial cells in the salivary gland of cases of Sjögren's syndrome.

We studied infiltrating T cells and salivary duct epithelial cells in the sublingual glands of 10 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) using monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) to T cell subsets (OKT-series), natural killer cells (Leu7) and activation antigens of T cells such as OKT10, OKT9, interleukin 2 receptor (anti-Tac antibody) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens (anti-DR and anti-DQ antigens). DR antigens were identified on salivary duct epithelial cells, suggesting that the cells might function as antigen-presenting cells (APC). Among the salivary duct epithelial cells, OKT8+ cells, which are known to be suppressor/cytotoxic cells, were found in 9 out of 10 patients. Three types of mononuclear cell infiltrations were also evaluated separately: (1) periductal foci, (2) periacinal foci and (3) lymph follicles. We found that the majority of the infiltrating cells in the central portion of the periductal foci were activated T cells (OKT3+, OKT4+, OKIa-1+, DR+ and DQ+), but OKT9, OKT10 and Tac antigens were rarely found in this portion. However, most of the infiltrating cells in the peripheral portion of the periductal foci were OKT10+, and some of them were also positive for OKT9 antigen (transferrin receptor). The results indicated that the T cells in the peripheral portion of the periductal foci are at an early or intermediate phase of activation, whereas the T cells around the salivary ducts are at a later phase. Infiltrating cells in the periacinal foci resembled the cells on the peripheral portion of the periductal foci. Cells within lymph follicles were mainly B cells although scattered OKT4+ or OKT8+ cells were also present.

Antigen-Presenting Cells↗

[Successful pregnancy outcome in a patient with HbE/beta (0)-thalassemia].

Successful pregnancy outcome is described in a patient with hemoglobin E/beta(0)-thalassemia which is expressed as thalassemia major. A 21 year-old Laotian female complicated by severe anemia became pregnant. The diagnosis of hemoglobin E/beta (0)-thalassemia was made by hemoglobin analysis. The fetal weight estimated by abdominal echogram decreased during pregnancy. She received blood transfusions, in order to improve intrauterine growth retardation. Hemoglobin concentration was maintained at the level greater than 9 g/dl. Fetal growth was improved by the treatment. A normal full-term male infant was born by a caesarean section, and splenectomy was performed at the same time.

Adult↗

[A case of lupus nephritis resistant to steroid pulse therapy markedly improved by bolus intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy].

Bolus intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy (IVCY) has recently been the subject of considerable attention because it is occasionally very effective in the treatment of severe lupus nephritis. However only a few reports on this form of therapy have been noted in Japan. Described here is a patient with lupus nephritis accompanied by multi-organ disorders resistant to various therapies including methylprednisolone pulse therapy which responded dramatically to IVCY. The patient, a 37-year-old woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) starting in 1984, was admitted to our hospital with increasing generalized edema and malaise in January 1987. Evaluation revealed hypoalbuminemia, hypoxemia, ascites, hypocomplementemia and leukopenia. The patient was treated with high-dose oral prednisolone, however the lupus nephritis deteriorated and a high urinary protein level, massive ascites, and pericardial and pleural effusions were noted. Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) was also observed. Subsequently, she was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and low-dose oral cyclophosphamide. As her disease was refractory to these treatments IVCY was initiated in May 1987, at a dose 0.5-0.8 g/m2. A total of 3 doses were given, and treatment was discontinued in October 1987 because of marked clinical improvement. After the final IVCY treatment she was discharged, and her subsequent clinical course over a year with a maintenance dose of prednisolone has been uneventful. Thus, IVCY seemed to be useful in the treatment of severe lupus nephritis. More rigorous comparisons of IVCY with other therapies are necessary.

Adult↗