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Biomedical subjects

N Abe

Publications and source records attributed to N Abe.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Overproduction of penicillin-binding protein 7 suppresses thermosensitive growth defect at low osmolarity due to an spr mutation of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli delta prc mutants lacking periplasmic protease Prc, which was originally found involved in the C-terminal processing of penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 3, show thermosensitive growth at low osmolarity. We isolated thermoresistant revertants containing extragenic suppressor (spr) mutations. In the prc+ background the mutations also caused thermosensitivity at low osmolarity. They were all mapped at about 48 min on the chromosome and most probably allelic to one another. From this chromosomal region we cloned a gene that could correct the thermosensitive defect of an spr mutant, which turned out to be a multicopy suppressor of spr. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence predicted that the gene would code for a low-molecular-weight PBP, and penicillin-binding experiments revealed the product to be PBP 7. Disruption of the gene on the chromosome caused no apparent growth defect. PBP 7 seemed to be degraded by protease Prc. Overproduction of mutant PBP 7 that had the active site serine residue replaced with alanine did not correct the spr thermosensitivity, suggesting importance of the DD-endopeptidase activity in the multicopy suppression.

Alleles↗
PubMed1996

Femoral neck fracture following avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Four cases of femoral neck fracture following avascular necrosis of the femoral head were studied histologically. All four patients were women who had received steroid therapy, three of them for systemic lupus erythematosus and the other for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Two types of fracture were found according to the site and the mechanism of fracture. One was at the junction between the necrotic bone and the repairing bone, and it can thus be regarded as a stress fracture. The other type of fracture commenced at the superior portion of the junction between the femoral head and neck, which was weak due to the repair reaction. The fracture line extended to the inferior cortex of the femoral neck, as often occurs in the elderly. In one patient, the femoral neck fracture was the first sign of avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1996

[Treatment outcome of 288 cases of renal cell carcinoma].

The clinical outcome was analyzed on 288 patients with renal cell carcinoma who were admitted to the Niigata Cancer Center Hospital during the 33 years from 1961 to 1993; 254 patients had had nephrectomy and 244 of them had undergone curable operations. The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The 3-, 5- and 10-year survival rates by all causes of death in all 288 patients were 64.8, 55.9 and 36.4%, respectively. According to the stage based on the general rules for clinical and pathological studies on renal cell carcinoma (The 2nd Edition), the 5-year survival rate was 89.5, 78.7, 51.1 and 13.7% for stages I (n = 31), II (n = 128), III (n = 38) and IV (n = 83), respectively. The 5-year survival rate for the patients (n = 88) from 1961 to 1985 was 40.9%, while the rate for the patients (n = 200) from 1986 to 1993 was 64.3%. This improvement of survival rate for the patients after 1986 was brought by the increase of the stage I or II cases and by the improvement of the survival in the stage III cases after 1986. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate for the patients over 50 years old was 55.5%, while the rate for the patients under 50 years old was 83.6%. Female, low pT, low grade and small tumor size were proven to be favourable prognostic factors in renal cell carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Developmental study of Taenia mustelae in the intermediate and definitive hosts, with a note on the life cycle of T. mustelae in Hokkaido, Japan.

The gray red-backed vole Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae and laboratory mice were fed eggs of Taenia mustelae via a stomach tube. Fully developed metacestodes were recovered from the voles fed the eggs at 25 days postinfection; voles were considered to be more suitable intermediate hosts for T. mustelae than laboratory mice. The prepatent period for the metacestodes from voles was shorter (16 days) in the mink than previously reported. A field survey was performed on hepatic cestodes of small mammals in Hokkaido, Japan in August 1993. We found T. mustelae metacestodes from C. rufocanus bedfordiae, representing a new host record.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Effective administration of recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to prevent granulocytopenia due to combination chemotherapy for testicular germ cell tumors].

A prospective randomized study on the administration of recombinant granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rG-CSF) was conducted on 15 patients with testicular germ cell tumors. The clinical stagings of all patients except one were minimal to moderate extent according to the Indiana University staging system. Combination chemotherapy using bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatinum (BEP) was performed as the initial treatment on the eligible patients. rG-CSF was administered by two different methods; 1) routine administration on the 6th day after BEP chemotherapy (group A), and 2) the same method, but after granulocytopenia of 1,500/mm3 had developed (group B). The administration of rG-CSF in group A significantly reduced the severity of leucocytopenia and also the incidence of stomatitis compared with group B. Although rG-CSF produced no significant side effects, the thrombocytopenia was prominent in the group A patients (not significant). BEP chemotherapy itself is an easily-tolerable and well established method for treating young adult patients. The method used in group B seems to be suitable in situations where thrombocytopenia and cost effectiveness.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A bolster suture technique for ear reconstruction for microtia without skin necrosis.

A new bolster suture technique to prevent skin necrosis in microtia ear reconstruction is presented. An outer series of bolsters is placed distant from the ear framework in a zigzag fashion, the temporal skin being gathered on the framework. In this way, the skin flap overlying the framework is relaxed and has sufficient blood flow. Therefore the skin flap can be thinned with little risk of necrosis. Furthermore, the contour of the reconstructed auricle is accentuated because of the thin relaxed overlying skin. Seven ears with microtia were reconstructed using this method. The results were satisfactory, except for one auricle which became slightly congested at the conchal portion due to excessive thinning. There were no haematomas or skin necrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

An outbreak of goose parvovirus infection in Japan.

In a Muscovy duck breeding-growing farm in Aomori prefecture, most of ducklings hatched during spring in 1994 died within two-week-old. The mortality was nearly 100%. In most cases, birds died without clinical signs and some with leg weakness. By serological and virological tests, the outbreak was identified as a goose parvovirus infection. In pathological test, however, no typical manifestations of goose parvovirus infections (hepatitis and intranuclear inclusion bodies in hepatic cells) were detected.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Effect of different suture patterns on wound healing of the teat in dairy cattle.

Experimentally-induced perforating wounds in 4 Holstein Friesian lactating cows were sutured using Gambee, continuous 2-layer (Cushing for submucosal layer and continuous horizontal mattress for skin and intermediate layer), separated 2-layer (simple continuous for mucosal layer and vertical mattress for skin and intermediate layer) and 3-layer (simple continuous for mucosal and intermediate layers, simple interrupted for skin) suture patterns. Wound healing was evaluated by radiograph, blood flowmetry, tensiometry, measurement of hydroxyproline content and histopathology. The present results suggest that 3-layer pattern provided the best healing of the entire teat. Mucosal hyperplasia was observed in Gambee and continuous 2-layer pattern while eversion of the skin, presence of suture tracts and greater amount of granulation tissue were observed in continuous and separated 2-layer patterns.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Periodontal conditions in older age cohorts aged 65 years and older in Japan, measured by CPITN and loss of attachment.

Periodontal conditions were assessed by CPITN and loss of attachment in 601 elderly people randomly selected in Kitakyushu, Japan. The percentage of edentulous persons was 21 per cent, 38 per cent and 65 per cent in the 65-74 year, 75-84 year and 85 years and older groups, respectively. In dentate persons, over 60 per cent had pocket probing depths of 4mm or more; in the majority loss of attachment did not exceed 5mm. The mean numbers of sextants with pocket probing depths of 4-5mm (CPITN 3) and probing depths of 6mm and more (CPITN 4) were similar in each age group. The mean numbers of sextants with both pockets and loss of attachment showed no clear difference among groups. Only the mean number of excluded (no, or only one tooth) sextants increased with increasing age from 1.9 to 3.1. It could therefore be suggested that in the population examined the progress of periodontal destruction with increasing age might not be shown by an increase in pocket probing depth, loss of attachment or gingival recession, but only by an increase in tooth loss. The results for the remaining teeth show that a) severe loss of periodontal attachment (6mm or more) was not frequently encountered, b) recession (attachment loss without pocketing) was present at only very low levels, c) the main periodontal problem seemed to be pocketing, which could be treated. It is therefore tempting to suggest that some of the teeth already lost, could have been saved if proper self- and professional care had been applied.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Nematodes of armadillos in Paraguay: a description of a new species Aspidodera esperanzae (Nematoda: Aspidoderidae).

Twelve species of nematodes comprising 9 genera were recovered from the gastrointestinal tract of 2 Euphractus sexcinctus and 2 Dasypus novemcinctus captured in the Department of San Pedro, Paraguay. All armadillos were infected with 1 or more species of nematode. The following nematodes were recovered: Mazzia mazzia, Spirura guianensis, Trichohelix tuberculata, Ancylostoma sp., Moennigia complexus, Moennigia pintoi, Ascaris dasypodina, Cruzia tentaculata, Aspidodera fasciata, Aspidodera scoleciformis, Aspidodera esperanzae n. sp., and Heterakinae gen. sp. This report describes a new species of the Aspidodera nematode, Aspidodera esperanzae n. sp., the first species to be reported bearing cephalic cordons made up of 7 longitudinal loops in the subfamily of Aspidoderinae. This study also documents a new host record for S. guianensis and shows a new geographical distribution in Paraguay for M. mazzia, S. guianensis, T. tuberculata, M. complexus, and M. pintoi.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Construction of a human full-length cDNA bank.

We aimed to construct a full-length cDNA bank from an entire set of human genes and to analyze the function of a protein encoded by each cDNA. To achieve this purpose, a multifunctional phagemid shuttle vector, pKA1, was constructed for preparing a high-quality cDNA library composed of full-length cDNA clones which can be sequenced and expressed in vitro and in mammalian cells without subcloning the cDNA fragment into other vectors. Using this as a vector primer, we have prepared a prototype of the bank composed of full-length cDNAs encoding 236 human proteins whose amino acid sequences are identical or similar to known proteins. Most cDNAs contain a putative cap site sequence, some of which show a pyrimidine-rich conserved sequence exhibiting polymorphism. It was confirmed that the vector permits efficient in vitro translation, expression in mammalian cells and the preparation of nested deletion mutants.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

The human alpha 1(XV) collagen chain contains a large amino-terminal non-triple helical domain with a tandem repeat structure and homology to alpha 1(XVIII) collagen.

We have cloned and characterized cDNAs encoding the alpha 1 chain of type XV collagen from a human placenta library. Using primer extension cloning we extended the cDNAs to the 5' end of the mRNA and determined the complete deduced primary structure of the human alpha 1(XV) chain. The polypeptide chain contains nine triple helical domains separated by eight non-triple helical regions and flanked by large amino-terminal (555 amino acid residues) and carboxyl-terminal (256 amino acid residues) non-triple helical domains. Comparison of amino acid sequences of the human alpha 1(XV) chain with those of mouse alpha 1(XVIII) collagen showed remarkable similarity within both amino- and carboxyl-terminal non-triple helical domains. Within the carboxyl third of the amino-terminal domain a tandem repeat structure is found with an about 45-amino acid residue sequence repeated four times. This amino acid sequence has a strikingly high similarity to rat cartilage proteoglycan core protein. Northern blot analysis of human embryonic RNA revealed that alpha 1(XV) mRNA is expressed predominantly in internal organs such as the adrenal gland, kidney, and pancreas.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

The complete primary structure of the long form of mouse alpha 1(IX) collagen chain and its expression during limb development.

Type IX collagen is a newly discovered collagen molecule that is associated with Type II-containing collagen fibrils in cartilage, vitreous and embryonic cornea. It consists of three distinct chains: alpha 1(IX), alpha 2(IX) and alpha 3(IX). The alpha 1(IX) chain has been to be synthesized in two different forms, which are generated by alternative transcription and splicing. In this manuscript we describe the isolation and sequencing of a cDNA coding for the entire coding region of the long form of mouse alpha 1(IX) chain. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA determined for the first time the primary structure of the entire long form of the mouse alpha 1(IX) chain. RT-PCR was used to examine collagen gene expression during limb development from day 10 to 18 in mouse embryos. Collagen I and II mRNA levels gradually increased all through the developmental stages. Collagen X expression increased further after day 16 in limb development, whereas the alpha 1(IX)mRNA level dropped at this time. This could be due to active bone formation relative to cartilage synthesis in the embryonic limb bud around day 16 in mouse development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Effects of sodium monensin on reproductive performance of dairy cattle. II. Effects on metabolites in plasma, resumption of ovarian cyclicity and oestrus in lactating cows.

A randomised trial was conducted to determine the effects of sodium monensin on plasma metabolite concentrations, resumption of cyclicity and oestrus and milk production and milk composition of postparturient dairy cows. Cows treated with sodium monensin in a controlled-release capsule had significantly lower plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations (P = 0.006) and tended (P = 0.07) to have significantly higher plasma glucose concentrations than untreated cows. Treatment did not significantly influence plasma free fatty acid, urea nitrogen or cholesterol concentrations. Despite higher plasma glucose concentrations and lower plasma BHB concentrations, periods from calving to first ovulation and oestrus were not reduced by treatment. This observation, with limited numbers of cows, is not consistent with a hypothesis that glucose or ketones are important metabolic regulators of pulsatile release of luteinising hormone and consequent resumption of cyclicity. While milk production and milk protein concentration did not significantly differ between groups, milk fat concentration was significantly lower for treated cows. Treated cows probably had lower dry matter intake than untreated cows as they produced 67 litres less milk per head and lost more weight than untreated cows during the study period, although weight and body condition score were not significantly affected by treatment. The lack of significance of these latter observations probably reflects the low statistical power of the study.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗
PubMed1994

Chrymutasins: novel-aglycone antitumor antibiotics from a mutant of Streptomyces chartreusis. I. Taxonomy, mutation, fermentation, isolation and biological activities.

Three novel antibiotics, named chrymutasins A, B and C, were isolated from the fermentation products of a mutant strain obtained by NTG (N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) treatment. The mutant strain produced the chrymutasins, which differed in the aglycone moiety from chartreusin, and related compounds. The production of these compounds needed a characteristically long fermentation period. The antitumor activity of chrymutasin A is better in vivo than that of chartreusin, the cytotoxic activity against cell lines in vitro is equivalent, and the antimicrobial spectrum is narrower.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Chrymutasins: novel-aglycone antitumor antibiotics from a mutant of Streptomyces chartreusis. II. Characterization and structural elucidation.

Chrymutasins A, B and C are glycosidic antibiotics produced by a mutant of the chartreusin producer-organism Streptomyces chartreusis. We report here the structure elucidation of these compounds. The sugar moieties involved were determined by comparison with the related chartreusins. The structure of the aglycone, the same in all three compounds, was elucidated by NMR, incorporation studies of labeled compounds and synthesis of derivatives. The chrymutasin aglycone differs from that of chartreusin by a single carbon and an amino group.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed1994

Predicting location and structure of beta-sheet regions using stochastic tree grammars.

We describe and demonstrate the effectiveness of a method of predicting protein secondary structures, beta-sheet regions in particular, using a class of stochastic tree grammars as representational language for their amino acid sequence patterns. The family of stochastic tree grammars we use, the Stochastic Ranked Node Rewriting Grammars (SRNRG), is one of the rare families of stochastic grammars that are expressive enough to capture the kind of long-distance dependencies exhibited by the sequences of beta-sheet regions, and at the same time enjoy relatively efficient processing. We applied our method on real data obtained from the HSSP database and the results obtained are encouraging: Using an SRNRG trained by data of a particular protein, our method was actually able to predict the location and structure of beta-sheet regions in a number of different proteins, whose sequences are less than 25 per cent homologous to the training sequences. The learning algorithm we use is an extension of the 'Inside-Outside' algorithm for stochastic context free grammars, but with a number of significant modifications. First, we restricted the grammars used to be members of the 'linear' subclass of SRNRG, and devised simpler and faster algorithms for this subclass. Secondly, we reduced the alphabet size (i.e. the number of amino acids) by clustering them using their physicochemical properties, gradually through the iterations of the learning algorithm. Finally, we parallelized our parsing algorithm to run on a highly parallel computer, a 32-processor CM-5, and were able to obtain a nearly linear speed-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Algorithms↗