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Biomedical subjects

N Nishimoto

Publications and source records attributed to N Nishimoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Regulation of hepatic lipogenic enzyme gene expression by diet quantity in rats fed a fat-free, high carbohydrate diet.

This investigation concerns the effects of the level of intake of a high carbohydrate diet on transcriptional rate, mRNA concentration and enzyme induction for lipogenic enzymes in rat liver. Six hours after refeeding fasted rats, the transcriptional rates in livers reached low maximum levels with small quantities of diet, but the mRNA concentrations continued to increase as diet intake increased. Greater diet intake primarily increased transcriptional rates and mRNA concentrations of lipogenic enzymes. After refeeding for 16 h, the mRNA concentrations were sigmoidly increased relative to the diet quantity and reached maximum levels of 20-, 110-, 22- and 16-fold above each fasted level for acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, malic enzyme and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, respectively. After 3 d of refeeding (in a steady state of lipogenic enzyme activities), however, the transcriptional rates, mRNA concentrations and activity inductions of all the enzymes were sigmoidly increased relative to diet quantity, but were not different among the enzymes. Consequently, fatty acid synthesis and triglyceride levels in the liver were not increased by feeding less than 70% of ad libitum intake but were greatly increased by feeding greater than 70% of ad libitum intake.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase

Interleukin-6 as a new indicator of inflammatory status: detection of serum levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein after surgery.

Postoperative serum interleukin-6 (SIL-6) and C-reactive protein (SCRP) levels were examined in 71 patients who underwent various types of abdominal surgery. Similar time-dependent changes in SIL-6 and SCRP levels were observed in 12 patients despite differences in surgical procedures and liver function among the patients. SIL-6 started to increase within 3 hours after the beginning of the operation and reached a peak after 24 hours. SCRP started to increase after 12 hours and was maximum at 48 to 72 hours. The increase in SIL-6 at 24 hours (delta IL-6) showed a close correlation with that of SCRP at 48 hours (delta CRP) in 53 patients without liver cirrhosis. In 18 patients with liver cirrhosis, delta CRP relative to delta IL-6 was less than that in patients without cirrhosis and was poorly correlated with the latter. delta IL-6 was correlated with the length of time of the operation and blood loss in both groups, but delta CRP showed no significant correlation with these factors in either group. These findings indicate that the increase in IL-6 triggered by a surgical procedure may function as a hepatocyte-stimulating factor and that monitoring of SIL-6 may be more helpful than monitoring of SCRP for estimation of inflammatory status and early detection of an acute-phase response.

Abdomen

Normal pre-B cells express a receptor complex of mu heavy chains and surrogate light-chain proteins.

Precursors of B cells, which constitute a subpopulation of the lymphocytes in bone marrow, can be identified by their surface expression of nonimmunoglobulin markers and the absence of immunoglobulin kappa and lambda light chains. Most pre-B cells synthesize mu heavy chains but, without light-chain partners, these undergo rapid cytoplasmic degradation. In the present study, we demonstrate that late stage pre-B cells, like their neoplastic counterparts, express low levels of a surface receptor composed of mu chains paired with a surrogate light-chain complex formed by Vpre-B and lambda 5-like proteins. The data define a previously suspected but unrecognized stage in normal pre-B-cell differentiation. Expression of a clonally diverse receptor renders this population of immature B-lineage cells potentially vulnerable to clonal selection by antigens and idiotypic interactions.

Antibody Formation

Effect of ecdysterone on histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells.

Ecdysterone dose-dependently inhibited anti-IgE-induced histamine release from mast cells. Moreover, the rate and extent of histamine release from mast cells induced by Concanavalin A (Con A) are significantly diminished in samples incubated with ecdysterone. Ecdysterone inhibited both the initial and gradual rise in fluorescent response by anti-IgE and Con A. The effects of ecdysterone on the fluorescence response was correlated with the inhibition of histamine release. These results suggest the possibility that the inhibition of histamine release from rat mast cells by ecdysterone might be due to inhibition of Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular Ca2+ storage.

Animals

[Factors relating to postoperative infections in cancer patients].

Some factors relating to the increasing prevalence of postoperative infections after gastroenterological surgery were investigated from the standpoint of both patients profile and isolated bacteria. Data were collected from 542 cancer patients comprising 39 with esophagus cancer, 229 with gastric cancer, 149 with hepato-biliary tract and pancreatic cancer and 125 with colon cancer. Respiratory infections after operations were most frequently caused by aging, disturbance of glucose tolerance and respiratory dysfunction, whereas with intraabdominal abscess the major factors were disturbance of glucose tolerance, hepatic dysfunction and respiratory dysfunction in this order. Two factors in the management of patients during operation were singled out as mainly contributing to infection: these were prolonged operative time as in the case of esophagus cancer or hepato-biliary tract and pancreatic cancer, and massive intraoperative bleeding as in hepato-biliary tract, pancreatic and gastric cancer. As isolated bacteria, the most frequent clinical isolates were MRSA, Enterococcus, P. aeruginosa and Enterobacter, and it is noteworthy that all of these were strongly resistant to all antimicrobial agents. The greater emphasis on prevention control of postoperative infections, therefore, should be focussed on aging, preoperative risk factors, surgical stress and the kinds of antimicrobial agents administered.

Bacterial Infections

Effects of nutrients and hormones on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of fatty acid synthase in rat liver.

The effects of nutrients and hormones on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of fatty acid synthase in rat liver were investigated following cDNA cloning. When fasted rats were fed a carbohydrate/protein diet, the transcriptional rate was greatly increased even in 1 h. The transcriptional rate, mRNA concentration and enzyme induction reached maximum levels in 4 h, 8-16 h and 48 h, respectively. Although dietary carbohydrate increased each level more than protein did, both carbohydrate and protein were required to reach a high level. Corn oil feeding markedly decreased the transcriptional rate. In diabetic rats, the transcriptional rate, mRNA concentration and enzyme induction were very low in comparison with the normal. By treating the diabetic rats with insulin, however, the transcriptional rate was increased 5-fold in 1 h and 15-fold in 6 h, preceding a great increase in the mRNA and enzyme levels. On the other hand, fructose feeding or triiodothyronine treatment of diabetic rats abundantly increased the mRNA concentration and somewhat increased the transcriptional rate. Thus, it is suggested that insulin mainly stimulates the transcription of the fatty acid synthase gene, whereas triiodothyronine and fructose mainly increase the mRNA stability.

Animals

Effects of nutrients and hormones on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in rat liver.

The effects of nutrients and hormones on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in rat liver were investigated following a cDNA cloning. After refeeding a carbohydrate/protein diet to fasted rats, the transcriptional rate was increased 2.5-fold in only 1 h. The mRNA concentration reached a maximal level of 9-12-fold increase in 8-16 h, and the enzyme induction increased 10-fold in 48 h. By a carbohydrate diet without protein, the transcriptional rate, mRNA concentration and enzyme induction were similarly increased to the levels in the carbohydrate/protein diet. It appears that protein feeding is not necessary to induce acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Corn oil feeding decreased the transcriptional rate. In diabetic rats, the transcriptional rate, mRNA concentration and enzyme induction were very low in comparison with the normal. After insulin treatment, the transcriptional rate was increased 2-fold (the normal level) in 2 h in diabetic rats. By fructose feeding to diabetic rats, the transcriptional rate and mRNA concentration were increased similarly to the levels reached by insulin treatment, while the enzyme induction was increased by only 60%. Thus, it is suggested that insulin is importantly involved in the transcription and also translation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. On the other hand, triiodothyronine treatment increased the mRNA and enzyme levels in diabetic and normal rats, and somewhat increased the transcriptional rate only in diabetic rats. Triiodothyronine appears to stabilize the mRNA besides having an insulin-like action in acetyl-CoA carboxylase transcription.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase

Elevated levels of interleukin-6 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

A significant elevation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) level was observed both in serum (mean 0.455 +/- 0.251) and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (mean 0.043 +/- 0.016) obtained from 13 patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) when compared to that of either asymptomatic carriers (mean 0.181 +/- 0.074 and 0.021 +/- 0.015, respectively) or controls (mean 0.208 +/- 0.119 and 0.021 +/- 0.015, respectively). The differences were statistically significant between HAM/TSP and asymptomatic carrier for serum (P less than 0.05) or CSF (P less than 0.01). The correlation indexes between serum IL-6 and anti-HTLV-I antibody titers in serum and CSF were 0.61 (P less than 0.06) and 0.67 (P less than 0.05), respectively. Both the cell count and protein level in CSF correlated with CSF IL-6 activity at 0.68 (P less than 0.01) and 0.56 (P less than 0.05), respectively. The results demonstrate that IL-6 may contribute to the production of anti-HTLV-I antibody, and signs of slight inflammation are present in the central nervous system in HAM/TSP.

Aged

Interleukin 6 and expression of its receptor on epidermal keratinocytes.

Interleukin 6 (IL 6) was detected in the culture supernatants of human epidermal keratinocytes and its production was enhanced by stimulation with cytokines. Production of IL 6 in keratinocytes was demonstrated directly by immunohistochemical staining of cultured cells with anti-IL 6 antibody. Keratinocyte-growth was increased by stimulation with recombinant IL 6 (as measured by either [3H] thymidine uptake or direct cell count). Moreover, expression of IL 6 receptor was demonstrated on monolayered cells, and the deeper cells of stratified keratinocytes in culture by immunohistochemistry. On the other hand, differentiated cells in the upper layers did not express IL 6 receptor on their surfaces, suggesting that the expression of IL 6 receptors may be confined to the proliferative cells. Thus, IL 6, which is produced by epidermal keratinocytes, may be involved in the regulation of normal keratinocyte growth.

Cell Division

Pathogenic significance of interleukin-6 (IL-6/BSF-2) in Castleman's disease.

Castleman's disease is a syndrome consisting of giant lymph node hyperplasia with plasma cell infiltration, fever, anemia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and an increase in the plasma level of acute phase proteins. It has been reported that clinical abnormalities disappear after the resection of the affected lymph nodes, suggesting that products of lymph nodes may cause such clinical abnormalities. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine inducing B-cell differentiation to immunoglobulin-producing cells and regulating biosynthesis of acute phase proteins. This report demonstrates that the germinal centers of hyperplastic lymph nodes of patients with Castleman's disease produce large quantities of IL-6 without any significant production of other cytokines. In a patient with a solitary hyperplastic lymph node, clinical improvement and decrease in serum IL-6 were observed following surgical removal of the involved lymph node. There was a correlation between serum IL-6 level, lymph node hyperplasia, hypergammaglobulinemia, increased level of acute phase proteins, and clinical abnormalities. The findings in this report indicate that the generation of IL-6 by B cells in germinal centers of hyperplastic lymph nodes of Castleman's disease may be the key element responsible for the variety of clinical symptoms in this disease.

Adolescent

Age-related changes of the function of T cell subsets: predominant defect of the proliferative response in CD8 positive T cell subset in aged persons.

The proportion of CD8 positive cells in the peripheral blood AET-rosette forming T cells from aged persons was significantly reduced than that from young persons. The difference in the proportion between aged and young groups became more significant after proliferative response to a mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or a specific antigen tuberculin active peptide (TAP). The purified macrophage-deprived T cells (Twp), CD4 (T4) positive cells or CD8 positive cells were prepared from aged or young persons. These cell preparations lost proliferative response to PHA or TAP but showed marked proliferative response to the combined stimulation to 1 microM of ionomycin and 1 nM of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) at usual culture cell density (2.5 X 10(5)/ml). Proliferative responses of these cell preparations to the combined stimulation were significantly reduced in the aged than those in the young and the magnitude of the difference in the proliferative responses between aged and young groups was more pronounced in CD8 positive cell population than in CD4 positive cell population. Although the cell preparations were relatively independent of exogenous IL-2 for the proliferative response to the combined stimulation of ionomycin and PMA at usual culture cell density, they needed exogenous IL-2 for sustained proliferation at lower culture cell density (5 X 10(3)/ml). These IL-2-dependent proliferative responses to the combined stimulation in the aged were significantly lower than those in the young and again the difference in the proliferative magnitude between aged and young groups was greater in CD8 positive population. The mechanism(s) of age-related change of the proportion and proliferative ability of T subsets were discussed.

Adult

Reno-colic-cutaneous fistula.

A case of reno-colic-cutaneous fistula is presented. Of several diagnostic methods, fistulography combined with computerized tomography was the most useful to locate the precise anatomical site of involvement. Total nephrectomy, resection of the descending colon and excision of the retroperitoneal abscess were successfully performed.

Colonic Diseases

Urinary retention secondary to ovarian dysgerminoma in a girl.

A thirteen-year-old girl sought medical advice because of a markedly weakened urinary stream with severe hesitancy. She was referred to the pediatric clinic because of 3 episodes of acute urinary retention during a previous month. Pelvic examination showed a retrovesical tumor. An excretory urogram revealed bilateral ureterectasis and pyelocalicectasis. Two weeks after left nephrostomy, surgical exploration demonstrated a right ovarian mass causing compression of the left ureter and obstruction of the bladder neck. Excision of the tumor was performed without difficulty, following which the patient resumed normal voiding. The resected tumor weighed 815 Gm and pathologic examination showed dysgerminoma. Postoperatively the following two and one half years were uneventful.

Adolescent