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Biomedical subjects

N Mishima

Publications and source records attributed to N Mishima.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Psychophysiological correlates of relaxation induced by standard autogenic training.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to determine the psychophysiological changes induced in subjects by standard autogenic training (AT). Physiological measurements were taken under strict experimental conditions. METHODS: Thirty-one healthy students were divided randomly into two groups: the AT group and the control group. In the first session, the physiological variables were measured for all students before and after all were asked to relax in their own way. The AT group were then taught AT for 3 months, after which time the measurements were repeated. In the second session, the AT group practised the standard AT exercise, while the control group repeated their own form of simple relaxation. Electrocardiogram, plethysmogram (PTG) and blood pressure (BP) were measured while the students carried out a breathing rate of 15 cycles/min. The R-R intervals and BP were analysed by an autoregressive model for spectral analysis, and the data were compared by repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The AT group had a significant increase in the mean R-R interval and a significant decrease in the baseline deflection of the PTG in the second session. There were no significant changes in sympathetic activity except for the change in the PTG, although low frequency amplitude of systolic BP decreased slightly. CONCLUSIONS: AT was found to induce significant changes that were independent of respiration in healthy students, although paced breathing might have operated as a mental stress. The increase in mean R-R interval and the decrease in baseline deflection of the PTG were the most robust correlates of AT.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1999

Reliability of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form Y in Japanese samples.

The internal consistency of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form Y was examined using data collected from Japanese participants by five diverse surveys, in which one included American university students. Cronbach coefficient alpha was calculated separately for state and trait items as well as for anxiety-present and absent items. The internal consistency was higher for the anxiety-absent items than those of the state and trait anxiety items, but this tendency was not clear for the anxiety-present items. The trait anxiety items showed the lowest internal consistency for all Japanese groups, whereas the anxiety-present items showed the lowest alpha for American university students. It can be considered that this difference might induce the difference in two--factor structure between Japanese and people in Western countries.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1998

Can positive affect items be used to assess depressive disorders in the Japanese population?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to examine the measurement properties of positive affect items among the Japanese population. METHODS: Responses to the Japanese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and four additional negatively revised items of the original positive affect items were compared for 85 Japanese psychiatric out-patients with dysphoric-mood-related symptoms and 255 demographically matched controls. RESULTS: Responses to positive affect items were generally comparable between the two groups, whereas responses to negative symptom items were markedly different (P < 0.002 for all comparisons). The group difference was most marked for symptom persistence. Responses to the four negatively revised items of positive affect revealed a similar picture to that of the negative symptom items. The internal consistency of the scale significantly improved when the original positive affect items were replaced by the negatively revised items (P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Positive affect items with positive wording cannot be used to assess depressive disorders in the Japanese population adequately, but this can be done with the corresponding negatively revised items.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Positive and negative affect in the factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Japanese workers.

The factor structure of Form Y of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) was examined with 1,862 Japanese adult workers (1,509 men, 353 women). The initial principal component analysis extracted three factors based on the scree test. All 20 state (S-Anxiety) and 20 trait (T-Anxiety) items had dominant salient loadings on the first factor, which reflected "over-all anxiety." The three factors identified by an oblique (promax) rotation were labeled "anxiety-absent," "state anxiety-present," and "trait anxiety-present." All 20 items with dominant salient loadings on the first oblique factor were clearly grouped on the basis of their content, indicating the absence of anxiety. The second and third oblique factors, defined almost entirely by the STAI-Y anxiety-present items, clearly reflected the state-trait distinction in this sample of Japanese workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The Japanese adaptation of the STAI Form Y in Japanese working adults--the presence or absence of anxiety.

Symptom endorsements and response patterns of 1,862 Japanese adult workers (1,509 males and 353 females) to the Japanese adaptation of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI-JY) items, were examined in this study. The mean STAI-JY State and Trait anxiety scores of Japanese workers were substantially higher than those of American workers reported in the Manual, due primarily to the much higher scores of Japanese workers in responding to the anxiety-absent items. The correlations between the State and Trait anxiety-present scales and those of their anxiety-absent scales' counterparts were higher than those between the State anxiety-present and -absent scales and those of their Trait scales' counterparts. These findings suggested that responses to anxiety-present and -absent items should be considered independently in scoring the STAI-JY scales in Japanese working adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Chicken Eyes absent 2 gene: isolation and expression pattern during development.

In all vertebrates studied (human, mouse, chicken), there are at least three genes related to Drosophila eyes absent (eya) gene. The chicken Eyes absent 2 (Eya2) cDNA was isolated from 14 day embryonic chicken lenses, and a complete open reading frame encoding a 59 kDa protein was elucidated. The chicken Eya2 protein is moderately conserved and 78-82% identical to the mouse and human Eya2. The Eya2 gene demonstrated a dynamic expression pattern in different tissues of diverse embryological origin. Expression of Eya2 was first detected at Hamburger and Hamilton stage 9 in the foregut. At later stages of development, Eya2 mRNA was detected in neural crest derivatives (dorsal root ganglia, branchial arches and cranial nerve ganglia). In the cranial placodes, expression of Eya2 was first detected in the nasal pit at stage 13. In the eye, expression of Eya2 was first convincingly detected in neural retina at stage 24 (day 4). The highest level of Eya2 mRNA in the lens was detected around day 9. Eya2 is also expressed in the cornea and iris. Therefore, chicken Eya2, as well as mouse Eya2, is expressed relatively early in the nasal (but not in the lens) placode and may mediate induction of the nasal placode. Expression of Eya2 in the wing and limb buds is consistent with its proposed role in the patterning of limb connective tissues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Theory of optical chromatography.

To evaluate the performance of optical chromatography, a number of equations are theoretically derived using a ray-optics model. These mathematical formalisms are experimentally verified by determining the relationship between the velocity of motion of a polystyrene bead with respect to the intensity of an applied radiation force under the condition where there exists no applied fluid flow. The force is confirmed to be at a maximum at the focal point and to decrease with increasing distance from this position. The radiation force is verified to be proportional to the square of the particle size when the particle diameter is much smaller than the beam diameter. In addition, the radiation force is ascertained to be proportional to the laser power. These results are in excellent agreement with the proposed theoretical model, which is based on ray optics. Furthermore, by analogy with conventional chromatography, fundamental parameters such as retention distance, selectivity, theoretical plate number, and resolution are calculated, and optimum conditions for chromatographic separation are discussed. Based on the results obtained, the dynamic range can be extended by increasing laser power and decreasing flow rate. Peak broadening is primarily caused by variations in laser power and flow rate of the medium for large particles (< 1 microm). It is possible, in theory, to distinguish particles whose diameters differ by less than 1% for particles with a diameter larger than 1 microm. Three sizes of polystyrene beads are well separated at a flow rate of 20 microm s(-1) and a laser power of 700 mW. This technique is also applied to the separation of human erythrocytes. Two fractions, one consisting of cells ranging from 1.5 to 2.4 microm in diameter and another consisting of cells ranging from 3.5 to 5.7 microm in diameter, are observed. Optical chromatography is useful for separation and size measurement of particles and biological cells.

Cell Separation↗
PubMed1997

[The relationship between workers' attitudes towards health, lifestyle and mental health].

In order to investigate the relationship between health practices, various psychosocial factors, and mental health, a survey was conducted by means of a self-rating questionnaire on 424 industrial workers. The questionnaire included items concerning Goldberg's 12 selected items from the Japanese version of the General Health Questionnaire, the Type A scale used in the Framingham study, Breslow's 7 health practices, and other original psychosocial, health practicing items. A total of 391 or 92.2% responded to the questionnaire. Among them, 354 (266 males and 88 females) complete responders to the GHQ were analysed for the present study. As a result, several factors such as decrease in age, perceived present illness, worsening of perceived health status, increase in anxiety concerning health, exacerbation of alcohol and smoking related behaviour, decrease in physical exercise, reduction of Breslow's 7 health practices, perceived stress and difficulty in dealing with stress, increase in stress content, negative and malfunctional coping strategies, and decrease in relaxation were, according to the GHQ scores, related to negative mental health. Furthermore, Type A scores were significantly correlated to GHQ scores, the number of stress factors, and Breslow's 7 health practices in males, but they were weak or had no correlation in females. It is considered that favorable health practices and attitudes towards health might help to maintain positive mental health, but further analysis is needed to determine their causal relationships because of the cross-sectional design of the present study.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

[Psychosocial evaluation on the correct recollection of periodic medical checkups of workers. 1. The ratio of correctly recalled results of medical checkups].

To investigate the usefulness of a periodic medical checkup at the workplace from the standpoint of remembering the results, a survey was performed by a self-rating questionnaire on 424 industrial workers in a certain manufacturing company. The questionnaire included several items, such as their recalled abnormal medical findings and follow-up toward them, Breslow's 7 health practices, Goldberg's 12 selected items from the Japanese version of the General Health Questionnaire, and other original health related items. The study was conducted a month after the workers received their results. A total of 391 (290 males and 101 females) or 92.2% responded to the questionnaire. Several factors, such as age, gender, the type of occupation, and perceived health status were significantly correlated to the recalled results of medical checkups, but, only age and the way of observing the results were in accordance with the actual results. Only forty-nine percent of the responders correctly remembered their results. Age and perceived health status were significantly correlated to the exact recollection of the results. In particular, those who had poor perceived health status tended to have a wrong understanding of their medical results. Furthermore, there were those with the highest averaged GHQ scores who responded as having some abnormal findings even though no abnormalities were discovered in the medical checkups. On the other hand, there were those with the lowest averaged GHQ scores who answered that they had no abnormal findings even though some abnormalities were revealed in the medical checkups. The frequency of correct follow-up of the results was lower than the exact recalling of the results. In addition, those who made a mistake in the follow-up were inclined to have an optimistic view. Therefore, comprehensive health care for precise recalling of the results of medical checkups should be required to improve abnormal findings or maintain a good health status.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Smooth muscle alpha-actin downregulation in cultured chick aortic smooth muscle and neural crest cells is associated with altered cell shape.

A modified CXL retrovirus was used to clone an antisense smooth muscle alpha-actin ribozyme sequence adjacent to the reporter lacZ sequence. The virus was applied to downregulate alpha-actin expression in cultured smooth muscle cells obtained from chicken aortic arch and cultured neural crest cells. After infection with the ribozyme-containing CXL retrovirus both the smooth muscle and neural crest cells showed beta-galactosidase activity accompanied by a reduction of smooth muscle alpha-actin-positive fibers. Double staining of beta-galactosidase and smooth muscle alpha-actin using immunohistochemistry revealed that single cells infected with the CXL/ribozyme showed little to no smooth muscle alpha-actin protein. The absence of smooth muscle alpha-actin was associated with a distinct change in cellular morphology of the cultured cells, suggesting that expression of smooth muscle alpha-actin in cultured neural crest cells may be associated with cytoskeletal elements rather than vascular smooth muscle phenotype.

Actins↗
PubMed1996

[Psychosomatic effect of a health program on obese employees].

A 12-week training period including exercise and diet was undertaken to determine the effects of a newly developed health program on the physical and phychological parameters in 24 obese employees of a certain company. The association between a number of somatic parameters and psychological variables, including the attitude toward better health, and the level of mental health (General Health Questionnaire) were analysed before, immediately or 1 year after the program. After the program, significant overall improvements were found in several physical parameters. Those who had higher initial levels of attitudes toward better health showed greater exercising/dieting achievements during the program. Furthermore, these considerable health-related attitudes seemed to be concerned with higher HDL levels preceding the program, and minor improvements in diastolic blood pressure due to the program. The GHQ scores tended to increase in proportion to decreased exercising/ dieting achievements during the program and undesirable lifestyle that ignored any form of exercising.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[A study on the usefulness of stress assessment based on the THP health measurement--comparison with the general health questionnaire].

Although the "Total Health Promotion Plan (THP)" drawn up by the Labor Ministry includes a self-administered stress checklist (THP-SC) as a health measurement, THP-SC has not been utilized in the way that it had been planned. Hence, we studied the usefulness of this list by comparing it with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). We made a questionnaire that included both THP-SC and the 60-item GHQ, and collected answers from 261 white-collar workers (male, average age 43.7). The GHQ was evaluated using the Goldberg's method. When analyzing THP-SC, the number of answers indicating stress was counted, and the respondents were divided into two groups based on the cut-off points of 75 percentile or 90 percentile. In the 60-item GHQ, 48 respondents out of 243 with valid answers had a higher score than the cut-off point, and in the 12-item GHQ, 77 out of 256 had a higher score. The average number of THP-SC was 5.67 +/- 3.19. Concerning the relationship with GHQ, many items of the 'A' section of THP-SC were significant. The comparison also suggested that four or more items checked in 'A' section or seven or more items checked in the whole list would mean that a respondent may be under stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Thermal damage threshold of brain tissue--histological study of heated normal monkey brains.

The thermal damage threshold of normal brain tissue was evaluated from immediate and delayed histological changes caused by hyperthermia treatment of normal monkey (Macaca fuscata) brains. A 2450 MHz microwave antenna and an antenna cooling system devised by our group were used for interstitial hyperthermia treatment. The antenna within the cooling system was inserted through a small craniectomy under general anesthesia. The temperature at a reference point, 4 mm radially away from the surface of the cooling system, was maintained at 42, 43, 44, 45, or 46 degrees C for 60 minutes. Eighteen animals were treated and sacrificed immediately after the treatment, while nine animals were treated and sacrificed 7 days after the treatment. The histological changes were studied microscopically on sections stained with HE or Kluver-Barrera's method. The non-survival experiment demonstrated that areas heated at 44 degrees C or below showed no obvious irreversible changes. The survival experiment showed areas heated at 44 degrees C or above developed coagulative necrosis. These histological findings indicate that thermal damage occurs in normal brain tissue after heating at 44 degrees C or above for 60 minutes, suggesting that the safety limit for brain hyperthermia is 43 degrees C for 60 minutes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Plasma-free and sulfoconjugated MHPG in major depressive disorders: differences between responders to treatment and nonresponders.

The plasma levels of free and sulfoconjugated forms of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) were examined before and after treatment in 16 patients with unipolar major depressive disorders without melancholia. The patients were treated with intravenous administration of clomipramine for 4 weeks. Seven depressive disorder patients who showed marked improvement (the improvement group) revealed significant reduction in their plasma sulfoconjugated MHPG levels. In 6 depressive disorder patients who showed no improvement (the no-improvement group), the plasma sulfoconjugated MHPG levels showed no significant change after treatment. The remaining 3 patients, who showed ambiguous change after treatment, were excluded from the analysis. Levels of plasma-free MHPG showed significant change after treatment in neither the improvement group nor in the no-improvement group. It is suggested that levels of plasma sulfoconjugated MHPG may serve as an indicator of brain noradrenergic activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Backtransplantation of chick cardiac neural crest cells cultured in LIF rescues heart development.

The cardiac neural crest is essential for normal development of the cardiovascular system. Cardiac neural crest cells are derived from the neural folds located between the mid-otic placodes and the caudal limit of somite 3. These crest cells can differentiate into a variety of mesenchymal cell types that support cardiovascular development, in addition to neurogenic cells. When cultured, many express alpha-smooth muscle actin or neurofilaments and lose their undifferentiated neural crest phenotype as shown by a decrease in HNK-1 reactivity. We wanted to determine whether cultured cardiac neural crest cells maintained the potency to support normal heart development when backtransplanted into embryos lacking their native cardiac neural crest. Under usual circumstances removal of the cardiac neural crest results in 80-100% incidence of persistent truncus arteriosus. The present study reports a system in which cardiac neural folds are cultured for 3 days and the cells backtransplanted into chick embryos after laser-induced ablation of the intrinsic cardiac neural folds. Rescue of heart development was improved 50% when cultured cells were backtransplanted and almost 200% when the backtransplanted cells had been cultured in leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). To determine whether the cultured cells are capable of following normal migratory routes, cultured homospecific cardiac neural crest cells were tagged with DiI. Initially, fluorescent cells were found concentrated around the neural tube. By the second day following backtransplantation, the cells had migrated to the circumpharyngeal crest, populated the pharyngeal arches and aortic arch arteries, and were in the region of the cardiac outflow tract. By the third day, the labeled cells had dispersed, but could be found around the neural tube, esophagus, cardiac outflow tract, and within the dorsal root ganglia. Interestingly, a cranial migration to the periphery of the eyes was also noted. With the exception of the cranial migration to the eyes, cultured and backtransplanted cardiac neural crest cells followed normal migratory pathways to the cardiac outflow tract. LIF is used for the in vitro maintenance of the pluripotential phenotype of embryonic stem cells. In an effort to understand why LIF improves the ability of cultured neural crest cells to support normal heart development, we have examined the relationship of neural crest expression of HNK-1 antigen, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and neurofilament protein in neural crest cells cultured in LIF. LIF treatment resulted in an expanded period of expression of HNK-1 antigen, associated with a decrease in expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The 32.6 kb Indian delta beta-thalassaemia deletion ends in a 3.4 kb L1 element downstream of the beta-globin gene.

The Indian delta beta-thalassaemia, with elevated fetal gamma globin gene expression, was previously found to have a large deletion beginning 1 kb 3' of the (A) gamma globin gene at GenBank HUMHBB coordinate 42151, and extending into a new L1 sequence. We have now determined the 3' breakpoint of this deletion, and in doing so we have extended the known beta-globin gene cluster DNA sequence from its end at 73326 to projected GenBank coordinate 79016. These data show that the deletion is 32.6 kb long, terminating 11 kb 3' of the beta-globin gene. This 3' breakpoint is at 74772, within a 3.4 kb partial L1 repeat at 74263-77665; the Black ((A) gamma delta beta)(0)-thalassaemia also terminates in this L1, at 76508. In addition, two Alu sequences were found, at 73692-73816 and 78171-78441. Among the protein-binding DNA sequence motifs 3' to the Indian delta beta-thalassaemia breakpoint, at 76581/76607 there is a TGATAA/ACACCC pair that binds the erythroid-specific GATA-1 and ubiquitous CACCC-box binding proteins. We hypothesize that elevated fetal haemoglobin may be due to an enhancer or enhancers 3' to the deletion breakpoints and may involve the TGATAA/ACACCC pair.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Preliminary results of interstitial 192Ir brachytherapy for malignant gliomas.

Twenty-six patients with recurrent or unremovable malignant gliomas were treated by interstitial brachytherapy with iridium-192 seeds. Stereotactic implantation of the afterloading catheters using the Brown-Roberts-Wells computed tomography (CT)-guided stereotactic system was performed in 24 patients and surgical implantation in two patients with pontine glioma. The response to therapy was measured by serial CT, magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical examination. Tumor regression was seen in 17 patients 1-3 months after implantation. Tumor progression was seen in only three patients. After interstitial brachytherapy, the most commonly observed CT finding was central low density. Median survival time was 18 months after implantation. Autopsies in five patients revealed the delayed effects of radiation injury such as typical vascular changes, microcalcification, and coagulative necrosis in the implant area and tumor recurrence at the periphery. The results suggest that brachytherapy is not curative but prolonged the median survival time by 6 months.

Adult↗