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Biomedical subjects

M Yasui

Publications and source records attributed to M Yasui.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Autologous transplantation of the cervical sympathetic ganglion into the parkinsonian brain: case report.

The authors have reported a clinical trial of an autologous cervical sympathetic ganglion transplanted into the brain of a parkinsonian patient. A 45-year-old woman presented with bradykinesia and a gait disturbance for 8 years under L-dopa treatment. The patient underwent stereotactic transplantation of the right stellate ganglion into the right putamen. She showed marked amelioration of bradykinesia and gait disturbance 1 month after the operation, and she was able to conduct her activities of daily living without requiring L-dopa administration. The patient continued to improve gradually until 3 months after the operation. Two years after surgery, the patient functions independently as a housewife. The right hand tremor, however, became slightly worse after the operation, but it was transient. The patient developed a permanent right-sided Horner's syndrome after resection of the cervical sympathetic ganglion. Taken together with our previous data obtained from animal experiments, this case suggests that the autologous cervical sympathetic ganglion can be donor tissue for neural transplantation in Parkinson's disease.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

[Argyrophilic proteins of nucleolar organizer regions of macrophages and lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with diffuse lung diseases].

Alveolar macrophages and T-lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with diffuse lung diseases have been shown to be activated. The object of this study was to investigate whether the numbers of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes were abnormally high in these patients or not. Alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes were collected by bronchoalveolar lavage from 7 control subjects, 36 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, 10 patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 6 patients with measles pneumonia, 6 patients with mycoplasma pneumonia, and 6 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis related to interstitial pneumonitis. These cells were cytocentrifuged and stained by one-step silver staining. Argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) were counted in 300 alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes. The numbers found in control subjects were compared to those found in patients with diffuse lung diseases. In the patients with sarcoidosis, these numbers were also compared among subgroups divided according to staging, involvement of other organs, administration of steroids, and differences in deposition of 67Ga. We also examined correlations between Ag--NORs and known markers of activation in sarcoidosis. The numbers of Ag-NORs were significantly greater in patients with diffuse lung diseases than in control subjects. There were no significant differences in the numbers of Ag-NORs among subgroups of patients with sarcoidosis. No correlations were seen between the Ag-NORs and the markers of activation of disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMed1994

The fate of intravenously injected endotoxin in normal rats and in rats with liver failure.

The elimination of endotoxin from the blood was studied in rats with D-galactosamine-induced liver failure and in normal controls after intravenous injection of various doses of endotoxin. Endotoxin was found to localize in liver tissue by immunohistochemical staining with factor C, which is derived from amebocyte lysate of the horseshoe crab and which reacts specifically with endotoxin. Before injection, the blood endotoxin concentrations were normal both in control rats and in rats with liver failure. The blood concentrations of endotoxin were significantly higher after intravenous injection of endotoxin in the D-galactosamine-induced liver failure group (p < 0.05) and decreased much more slowly (p < 0.05). Endotoxin concentrations were also significantly higher after in vitro incubation with plasma from rats with liver failure (p < 0.05). After intravenous injection of endotoxin (1 mg/kg), endothelial and Kupffer cells in the liver sinusoids were positively stained for endotoxin in the control group, but not stained or faintly stained in the liver failure group. Endotoxemia in liver failure thus results from reduced inactivation of endotoxin in plasma and from impaired hepatic clearance.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Facility for chronic exposure of rats to ELF magnetic fields.

The facility consists of a 12 x 11.5 x 2.4 m high room containing six sets of exposure apparatus and the other equipment necessary to maintain a pathogen-free system. The apparatus sets produced 5 mT (rms), 0.5 mT, or a sham exposure. The apparatus was arranged in the room to minimize the fringing field of the 5 mT set at the sham position. Each set was 3.85 x 1.80 x 0.66 m in outside dimension, containing 24 cages in the magnetically homogeneous region. The apparatus was designed using Harvey's figure-eight-configuration and generated a horizontal sinusoidal alternating field. In order to save electric power, the coil of the apparatus constituted a 50 Hz LC resonance circuit with a condensor bank to which electric power was supplied to compensate losses. Magnetic flux density was kept constant by controlling the coil current. Although mild steel was used in the skeleton of the building, the fringing flux at the sham was as low as 0.1 to 1 microT. Stainless steel was used for ventilating ducts, racks for the cages, cage covers, feeder baskets, and watering nozzles. The homogeneity of the field was measured to be +/- 10% in the animal residence area, and food and water consumption was found to be unaffected by the field. At 5 mT, the coil current was 370 A, and the hollow coil was cooled by a stream of 20 degrees C water to prevent both heat and dew on the coil surface. Vibration and acoustic noise was prevented by fiber reinforced plastic framework of the coil. High harmonic distortion was not observed at the output terminal of the coil driver. The facility has operated without trouble for 2 years.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Extent of hepatic resection as a prognostic factor for small, solitary hepatocellular carcinomas.

The prognostic factors for solitary hepatocellular carcinomas with a maximum tumor diameter of < or = 3 cm were investigated in 59 of 231 patients who underwent curative hepatic resections at the Department of Surgery II, Nagoya University Hospital between January 1981 and December 1991. The 3- and 5-year survival rates of these 59 patients were 61% and 41%, respectively. As prognostic factors, tumor maximum diameter, vascular invasion, capsule formation, cell differentiation, tumor localization, hepatic functional reserve, extent of hepatic resection, and macroscopic surgical margin were selected in this study. Of the patients with a tumor size > 1.5 cm, those who underwent major hepatic resections (hepatic lobectomy or segmentectomy) tended to have better survival than patients who received minor hepatic resections (hepatic subsegmentectomy or limited resection). Although most patients with a tumor size < or = 1.5 cm underwent minor hepatic resections, they had a good survival rate. According to Cox's multivariate analysis, the extent of hepatic resection was significantly correlated with long-term prognosis of patients with a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma < or = 3 cm in diameter, but the macroscopic surgical margin was not. Cell differentiation, vascular invasion, capsule formation, and tumor localization were all correlated with the long survival. These results suggest that the selection of an adequate operative procedure is an important factor for the long-term prognosis of patients with small, solitary hepatocellular carcinomas.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Benzodiazepine inverse agonists augment long-term potentiation in CA1 and CA3 of guinea pig hippocampal slices.

The effects of benzodiazepine inverse agonists on the long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission in hippocampal slices of the guinea pig were examined using an extracellular recording technique. Benzodiazepine inverse agonists, beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCE), 2-phenylpyrazolo [4,3-c]quinolin-3(5H)-one (CGS-8216) and 2-[5-methylthien-3-yl]-2,5-dihydro-3H-pyrazolo [4,3-c]quinolin-3-one (S-135), augmented the magnitude of long-term potentiation induced by tetanic stimulation of input fibers in both the CA1 and the CA3 regions. beta-Carboline-3-carboxylate was more effective in augmenting long-term potentiation in CA1 than in CA3. Augmentation of long-term potentiation produced by beta-CCE was antagonized by concomitant application of flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist. Therefore, the enhancing action of benzodiazepine inverse agonists on long-term potentiation, which is suggested to be a specific action, mediated by the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex, might help to explain the mechanism of the memory-enhancing effects of benzodiazepine inverse agonists, observed in some in vivo behavioral paradigms.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

[Fluorescent labelling of rhodamine-labelled albumin in rabbit incisor dentine].

Incorporation of rhodamine-labelled serum albumin (R-ALB) into the developing dentine was investigated by fluorescent microscopy. Male Japanese white rabbits were injected with R-ALB at a dose of 50 mg/kg and the undecalcified section of the incisor dentine was obtained 11 days after the injection. The orange-red fluorescent labelling of R-ALB was observed in the internal dentine. The labelling consisted of several periodic stripes and decreased its intensity toward the predentine-dentine junction. Serum concentration of R-ALB rapidly decreased after the injection and 10% of the initial value was present after 12 hours. The concentration gradually decreased thereafter. No relationship was observed between the fluorescent labelling pattern and the change in the concentration of serum R-ALB. These results suggest that R-ALB fluorescent labelling is related to the diurnal dentine formation by the odontoblasts in the rabbit incisor.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Bronchoalveolar lavage cell analysis in measles viral pneumonia.

Although the immunological changes due to measles virus infection, such as suppression of delayed skin reactivity and increase in soluble CD8 in peripheral blood, have been demonstrated, the immunological changes in the lung during measles viral pneumonia (MVP) have not been reported. The aim of this study was to clarify the intrapulmonary immunological changes in MVP. We analysed cell differentials and lymphocyte surface antigens of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells, both in the acute and the convalescent phase of MVP by flow-cytometry, using CD4+, CD8+, CD8+CD11b+ and CD8+CD11b- monoclonal antibodies in five patients and six healthy control subjects. The absolute numbers of CD8+ and CD8+CD11b- cells were significantly greater both in the acute and the convalescent phase compared with those in controls. The percentages of CD8+ and CD8+CD11b- cells in the acute phase were significantly greater than those in controls and the convalescent phase. The CD4/CD8 ratios in the acute phase were significantly smaller than those in the convalescent phase and controls. In conclusion, the intrapulmonary immunological changes with an increase in CD8+ and CD8+CD11b- cells in BAL fluid of MVP are thought to be the primary reaction in measles virus-infected lungs.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Concentrations of zinc and iron in the brains of Guamanian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia.

Simultaneous measurements of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentrations were determined using neutron activation analysis in gray and white matter of the frontal and occipital regions obtained from four patients with parkinsonism-dementia (PD), eight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and four neurologically normal controls from Guam. Zn content in gray matter from the frontal cortex in ALS and PD cases was significantly decreased, compared with that of controls (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the Zn content of white matter from the frontal cortex, and/or gray and white matter from the occipital cortex between the groups. The Zn content in gray matter from both frontal and occipital regions was less in ALS and PD patients than in controls. Fe content in gray matter from the frontal cortex of ALS and PD increased significantly compared with that of controls (p < 0.05). Fe content in white matter from the frontal cortex in PD patients was greater than in controls (p < 0.05), with an overall difference: controls < ALS < PD. These data indicate that an increase in Fe in gray and white matter, and a decrease concentration of Zn in gray matter, combined with an excess and deficiency of bioavailable aluminum and calcium, respectively, may be involved in the pathogenic process of these disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[A case of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with pituitary hypothyroidism].

We report a case of chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with pituitary hypothyroidism. This patient had complained of hearing-loss at the age of fourteen and loss of body weight at fifteen. She was examined by otorhinolaryngologists at large hospitals yearly over a period of 5-6 years, but hearing-loss remained unknown. As her ophthalmoplegia progressed (as is evident from family photographs from the age of sixteen onward), with hindsight it should have been recognized. When examined on October 11, 1991, she complained of ptosis, speech disturbance and dysphagia at the age of thirty-four. Neurological examination revealed limitation of ocular movement, bilateral ophthalmoplegia, facial muscle atrophy, and weak gag reflex. She showed muscle atrophy in her neck including both sternocleidomastoid, major and minor rhomboid, girdle and distal parts of upper and lower extremities. Muscle biopsy of her biceps demonstrated ragged-red fibers, cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) deficient fibers and deletion of mitochondrial DNA. A plain CT scan revealed bilateral periventricular lucency, and a brain MR image showed a normal sized pituitary gland but diffuse high-signal intensities in the both periventricular white matter with proton density weighted and T2-weighted axial MR image. And also her electroencephalogram showed diffuse 7 Hz slow waves in all areas and increased slow waves by hyperventilation, and all waves from I to V of the auditory brain stem response disappeared. The effect of TRH on serum TSH secretion was not evident in this patient. This case was ascertained to be chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with pituitary hypothyroid function.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[A case of eosinophilic pneumonia due to tolfenamic acid].

We report a case of pneumonitis induced by tolfenamic acid. A 23-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of cough and fever. She had been treated with tolfenamic acid and other medications for lumbago. Nine days after the treatment, she developed erythema, fever, cough and dyspnea. Her chest X-ray revealed multiple patchy and micronodular shadows in both lung fields. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) showed increased total cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils and CD4/CD8 ratio. Microscopic examination of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) specimens showed infiltration of mononuclear cells and eosinophils into the alveolar wall and the interstitium. After discontinuation of all drugs, her complaints, laboratory data and chest X-ray findings markedly improved. The lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) and challenge test for tolfenamic acid were positive. Based on these findings, we diagnosed this case as pneumonitis (eosinophilic pneumonia) due to tolfenamic acid. To our knowledge, there has been no reported case of pneumonitis due to this drug in Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[A case of chylothorax resulting from malignant lymphoma--pathogenesis of chylothorax: a new concept].

We report a case of chylothorax in a 51-year-old male with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Combination chemotherapy reduced the size of mediastinal lymph nodes dramatically, but retroperitoneal lymph nodes remained almost the same, and chylothorax subsequently developed. Lymphangiogram showed reticular spread of contrast material from the thoracic duct downwards but not above the diaphragm. These findings suggest that an obstruction of the infra-diaphragmatic but not the supra-diaphragmatic thoracic duct caused development of collateral lymphatic channels penetrating the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity, with subsequent formation of chylothorax.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Three-dimensional structure of ferricytochrome c' from Rhodospirillum rubrum at 2.8 A resolution.

The structure of ferricytochrome c' extracted from Rhodospirillum rubrum has been determined by the X-ray crystallographic method. Crystals in hexagonal space group P6(1), with unit-cell dimensions a = b = 51.72 A and c = 155.49 A, contain one dimer molecule composed of chemically identical polypeptide chains (monomer I and monomer II) per asymmetric unit. An electron density map has been calculated at a resolution of 2.8 A by the multiple isomorphous replacement method using four-circle diffractometer data from native crystals and two heavy-atom derivatives. The quality of the map was improved by averaging the electron density about the non-crystallographic 2-fold axis relating the two monomers. The initial three-dimensional model of monomer I was built on a computer graphics system and that of monomer II was derived from monomer I using the non-crystallographic symmetry matrices. The dimer structure has been refined using a combination of simulated annealing and conventional restrained least-squares crystallographic refinement. The current model includes 244 amino acid residues (122 x 2) and 2 hemes, with a root-mean-square deviation in bond lengths from ideal values of 0.022 A. The current crystallographic R-factor is 23.3% for 4,481 independent reflections [magnitude of Fo greater than or equal to sigma (F)] between 5.0 and 2.8 A resolution. The monomer molecule is structurally organized as an array of four nearly parallel alpha-helices which construct a left-twisted bundle. One end of the bundle, in which a covalently bound protoheme IX prosthetic group is incorporated, is more divergent than the other.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Involvement of arachidonate cyclooxygenase products in bronchial hyperresponsiveness induced by subthreshold concentration of aerosolized thromboxane A2 analogue (STA2) in guinea pigs.

Effects of a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (OKY-046) and a cyclooxygenase inhibitor (indomethacin) on bronchial hyperresponsiveness induced by subthreshold concentration of aerosolized thromboxane A2 analogue (STA2) were investigated in anesthetized, artificially ventilated guinea pigs in order to examine the role of the cyclooxygenase pathway in bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Pretreatment with aerosolized OKY-046 significantly inhibited the bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine, but pretreatment with intravenous indomethacin showed a tendency to potentiate bronchial hyperresponsiveness. These results suggest that subthreshold concentration of thromboxane A2 contributes to bronchial hyperresponsiveness through activating the cyclooxygenase pathway including thromboxane A2 synthesis, and that the released cyclooxygenase products have an inhibitory effect on the bronchial hyperresponsiveness in guinea pigs.

Aerosols↗
PubMed1992

[13C] breath test of medium-chain triglycerides and oligosaccharides in neonates.

It is suitable to examine the utilization of carbohydrates and fats using stable isotope-labelled substrates in neonates because of their non-radioactivity. Administering medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and oligosaccharides is of use in enteral nutrition for a patient with a limited water intake such as a neonate. In this study, the oxidation of MCT and maltose administered orally as an energy supplement in neonates has been examined using a stable isotope-labelled breath test. Five normal term neonates and five growing preterm infants were given [13C]-trioctanoin orally and three growing preterm infants were given [13C]-glucose and [13C]-maltose orally. The [13C] enrichment in carbon dioxide was analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, and oxidation rates over 6 hr and 12 hr respectively, were calculated. The oxidation rates for [13C]-octanoin after 6 hr were 46.2 +/- 3.6% in preterm infants and 53.5 +/- 13.8% in normal neonates, respectively (no significant difference), and 58.4 +/- 9.4% and 52.8 +/- 6.0% for [13C]-glucose and [13C]-maltose, respectively (not significant). The results demonstrate that orally administered MCT and maltose are oxidized sufficiently in preterm infants.

Breath Tests↗
PubMed1992

Magnesium and calcium contents in CNS tissues of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients from the Kii peninsula, Japan.

To further elucidate the involvement of metals as a factor in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on the Kii peninsula of Japan, a well-known high incidence area of ALS with low calcium and magnesium contents in soil and drinking water, we determined concentrations of these metals in samples of central nervous system tissue taken from postmortem ALS cases. Calcium content was determined by neutron activation analysis and magnesium by inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrometry. From 5 ALS cases and 5 neurologically normal controls, we examined tissues from the precentral gyrus, including the motor cortex, internal capsule, crus cerebri and spinal cord, and from 22 other areas. The average calcium content in precentral gyrus, internal capsule, crus cerebri and spinal cord in ALS cases was higher than that in the controls, and the mean value of all 26 areas in the ALS cases was also higher than that of the controls. The average magnesium content of each region as well as the mean value of the 26 regions in the ALS cases was significantly lower than that in the controls. The Ca/Mg ratio of the 26 ALS regions was significantly higher than that of controls. This study strengthens our hypothesis that an abnormal metal metabolism plays a responsible role in the Ca-hydroxyapatite formation observed in central nervous system tissue of ALS cases, leading to motor neuron death and degeneration of the pyramidal tracts.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Serum concentrations of magnesium and parathyroid hormone in randomly selected hospital in-patients and out-patients, and in in-patients with dementia.

The relationship between hypomagnesaemia and the secretion of parathyroid hormone was studied. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations were measured in 63 randomly selected patients and 54 hospitalized demented patients using carboxyl-terminal PTH53-84 (h-PTH53-84), mid-region PTH44-68 (m-PTH44-68) and intact PTH1-84 kits. Both groups of patients were further subdivided into those with near normal serum magnesium concentrations (1.7 - 3.2 mEq/l) and those with hypomagnesaemia (1.2 - 1.6 mEq/l). Serum h-PTH53-84, m-PTH44-68 and PTH1-84 concentrations in both the randomly selected and the demented patients with hypomagnesaemia were significantly lower than those in the groups with near normal serum magnesium concentrations. The results suggest that parathyroid hormone secretion was inhibited in randomly selected patients and dementia patients with hypomagnesaemia.

Aged↗