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Biomedical subjects

Norio Fukuda

Publications and source records attributed to Norio Fukuda.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Myocardial sarcomeres spontaneously oscillate with the period of heartbeat under physiological conditions.

During heartbeat, the repeated contractions of myocardium are induced by the oscillation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. On the other hand, when intermediately activated at a certain Ca(2+) concentration, cardiac myofibrils exhibit the spontaneous sarcomeric oscillation (Ca-SPOC) under steady ionic conditions. In the present study, we found that Ca-SPOC occurred over a wide range of Ca(2+) concentrations, including physiological contractile conditions, in skinned myocardium prepared from various animal species (rat, rabbit, pig, and cow). The period of sarcomeric oscillation fell within the same range as the period of heartbeat of each animal species. On the basis of these results we propose that the intrinsic auto-oscillatory property of sarcomeres (myofibrils) significantly contributes to myocardial beating in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Auto-oscillations of skinned myocardium correlating with heartbeat.

Skinned myocardium (or myofibrils) exhibits auto-oscillations of sarcomere length and developed force called SPOC (SPontaneousOscillatoryContraction) under partial activation conditions. In SPOC, each sarcomere repeats the cycle of slow shortening and rapid lengthening, and the lengthening phase propagates sequentially to the adjacent sarcomeres in waves (SPOC wave). In this study, we analyzed the sarcomeric oscillation in SPOC in skinned myocardium of various animal species (rat, rabbit, dog, pig, and cow) with different heart rates. The period of oscillation, the sarcomere shortening velocity, and the velocity of SPOC wave, strongly correlated with the resting heart rate of the animal species. The shortening velocity in particular was proportional to the resting heart rate. We then examined the motile activity of each cardiac myosin by an in vitro motility assay. The sliding velocity of actin filaments, which is an index of the motile activity of myosin, also correlated with the resting heart rate but the relationship was not proportional. As a result, the ratio of sarcomere shortening velocity in SPOC to the sliding velocity of actin filaments was not constant but became higher with a higher heart rate. This suggests that the sarcomere shortening velocity in SPOC is modulated by some additional factors besides the motile activity of myosin, resulting in the proportional relationship between the shortening velocity of the sarcomere and the resting heart rate.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed2005

Treatment of lymphedema with lymphaticovenular anastomoses.

Although lymphedema in the extremities is a troublesome adverse effect following radical resection of various cancers, conventional therapies for lymphedema are not always satisfactory, and new breakthroughs are anticipated. With the introduction of supermicrosurgical techniques for the anastomosis of blood or lymphatic vessels less than 0.8 mm in diameter, we have developed a novel method of lymphaticovenular anastomosis for the treatment of primary as well as secondary lymphedema in the extremities. Here, we review the pathophysiological aspects of lymphedema, emphasizing the importance of smooth-muscle cell function in the affected lymphatic walls. We then describe the theoretical basis and detailed operative techniques of our lymphaticovenular anastomoses. Although technically demanding, especially for beginners, we believe that this method will become a new clinical standard for the treatment of lymphedema in the near future.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2005

Titin/connectin-based modulation of the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart.

The basis of the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart is the increase in active force when muscle is stretched. Various findings have shown that muscle length, i.e., sarcomere length (SL), modulates activation of cardiac myofilaments at a given concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]). This augmented Ca2+ activation with SL, commonly known as "length-dependent activation", is manifested as the leftward shift of the force-pCa (= -log [Ca2+]) relation as well as by the increase in maximal Ca2+ -activated force. Despite the numerous studies that have been undertaken, the molecular mechanism(s) of length-dependent activation is (are) still not fully understood. The giant sarcomere protein titin/connectin is the largest protein known to date. Titin/connectin is responsible for most passive force in vertebrate striated muscle and also functions as a molecular scaffold during myofibrillogenesis. Recent studies suggest that titin/connectin plays an important role in length-dependent activation by sensing stretch and promoting actomyosin interaction. Here we review and extend this previous work and focus on the mechanism by which titin/connectin might modulate actomyosin interaction.

Actomyosin↗
PubMed2005

Phosphorylation of titin modulates passive stiffness of cardiac muscle in a titin isoform-dependent manner.

We investigated the effect of protein kinase A (PKA) on passive force in skinned cardiac tissues that express different isoforms of titin, i.e., stiff (N2B) and more compliant (N2BA) titins, at different levels. We used rat ventricular (RV), bovine left ventricular (BLV), and bovine left atrial (BLA) muscles (passive force: RV > BLV > BLA, with the ratio of N2B to N2BA titin, approximately 90:10, approximately 40:60, and approximately 10:90%, respectively) and found that N2B and N2BA isoforms can both be phosphorylated by PKA. Under the relaxed condition, sarcomere length was increased and then held constant for 30 min and the peak passive force, stress-relaxation, and steady-state passive force were determined. Following PKA treatment, passive force was significantly decreased in all muscle types with the effect greatest in RV, lowest in BLA, and intermediate in BLV. Fitting the stress-relaxation data to the sum of three exponential decay functions revealed that PKA blunts the magnitude of stress-relaxation and accelerates its time constants. To investigate whether or not PKA-induced decreases in passive force result from possible alteration of titin-thin filament interaction (e.g., via troponin I phosphorylation), we conducted the same experiments using RV preparations that had been treated with gelsolin to extract thin filaments. PKA decreased passive force in gelsolin-treated RV preparations with a magnitude similar to that observed in control preparations. PKA was also found to decrease restoring force in skinned ventricular myocytes of the rat that had been shortened to below the slack length. Finally, we investigated the effect of the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoprenaline on diastolic force in intact rat ventricular trabeculae. We found that isoprenaline phosphorylated titin and that it reduced diastolic force to a degree similar to that found in skinned RV preparations. Taken together, these results suggest that during beta-adrenergic stimulation, PKA increases ventricular compliance in a titin isoform-dependent manner.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed2005

A patient with congenital defect of nasal cartilaginous septal and vomeral bone reconstructed with costal cartilaginous graft.

We present a 64-year-old woman who had a congenital defect of the nasal septal cartilage and vomeral bone. She noticed her nasal tip was collapsed approximately 2 months before consultation. Computed tomography showed the absence of cartilaginous septum and vomeral bone, and radiograph showed a depression in the anterior nasal floor and hypoplasia of anterior nasal spine. She had no history of maxillofacial trauma, disease, or surgery in the midface. Fiberendoscopic examination of nasal cavity showed normal mucosa without signs of chronic inflammatory diseases such as Wegener's granulomatosis. Her intelligence was normal, and no anomaly was observed in the cranial region. Blood examination showed negative including serologic tests for syphilis. No other systemic findings were found, and none of her relatives were similarly afflicted. From these findings, we concluded that the patient did not have Binder's syndrome (or she has, at least, a new variant of Binder's syndrome). Rhinoplasty with cantilever costal cartilaginous graft was performed. The "hook-shaped part" was carved on the dorsal graft, which served to reduce the collapsed lateral cartilage. Eight months postoperatively, the flattened nose was well corrected with acceptable projection.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Titin-based modulation of active tension and interfilament lattice spacing in skinned rat cardiac muscle.

The effect of titin-based passive tension on Ca2+ sensitivity of active tension and interfilament lattice spacing was studied in skinned rat ventricular trabeculae by measuring the sarcomere length (SL)-dependent change in Ca2+ sensitivity and performing small angle X-ray diffraction studies. To vary passive tension, preparations were treated with trypsin at a low concentration (0.31 mug/ml) for a short period (13 min) at 20 degrees C, that resulted in approximately 40% degradation of the I-band region of titin, with a minimal effect on A-band titin. We found that the effect of trypsin on titin-based passive tension was significantly more pronounced immediately after stretch than at steady state, 30 min after stretch (i.e., trypsin has a greater effect on viscosity than on elasticity of passive cardiac muscle). Ca2+ sensitivity was decreased by trypsin treatment at SL 2.25 microm, but not at SL 1.9 microm, resulting in marked attenuation of the SL-dependent increase in Ca2+ sensitivity. The SL-dependent change in Ca2+ sensitivity was significantly correlated with titin-based passive tension. Small-angle X-ray diffraction experiments revealed that the lattice spacing expands after trypsin treatment, especially at SL 2.25 microm, providing an inverse linear relationship between the lattice spacing and Ca2+ sensitivity. These results support the view that titin-based passive tension promotes actomyosin interaction and that the mechanism includes interfilament lattice spacing modulation.

Actomyosin↗
PubMed2004

Comparative effects of bupivacaine and ropivacaine on intracellular calcium transients and tension in ferret ventricular muscle.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that ropivacaine exerts markedly less cardiotoxicity compared with bupivacaine; however, the mechanisms are not fully understood at the molecular level. METHODS: Isolated ferret ventricular papillary muscles were microinjected with the Ca-binding photoprotein aequorin, and intracellular Ca transients and tension were simultaneously measured during twitch in the absence and presence of bupivacaine or ropivacaine. RESULTS: Bupivacaine and ropivacaine (10, 30, and 100 microm) reduced peak systolic [Ca]i and tension in a concentration-dependent manner. The effects were significantly greater for bupivacaine, particularly on tension (approximately twofold). The percentage reduction of tension was linearly correlated with that of [Ca]i for both anesthetics, with the slope of the relationship being approximately equal to 1.0 for ropivacaine and approximately equal to 1.3 for bupivacaine (slope difference, P < 0.05), suggesting that the cardiodepressant effect of ropivacaine results predominantly from inhibition of Ca transients, whereas bupivacaine suppresses Ca transients and the reaction beyond Ca transients, i.e., myofibrillar activation, as well. BAY K 8644, a Ca channel opener, abolished the inhibitory effects of ropivacaine on Ca transients and tension, whereas BAY K 8644 only partially inhibited the effects of bupivacaine, particularly the effects on tension. CONCLUSION: The cardiodepressant effect of bupivacaine is approximately twofold greater than that of ropivacaine. Bupivacaine suppresses Ca transients more markedly than does ropivacaine and reduces myofibrillar activation, which may at least in part underlie the greater inhibitory effect of bupivacaine on cardiac contractions. These results suggest that ropivacaine has a more favorable profile as a local anesthetic in the clinical settings.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed2004

Role of the giant elastic protein titin in the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart.

Increased ventricular volume enhances the systolic performance, a phenomenon known as Frank-Starling's law of the heart. At its basis is the ability of cardiac muscle to produce increased active force in response to increased muscle length. Although numerous studies have been conducted to elucidate the molecular basis of length-dependent activation, the mechanism remains elusive. The giant protein titin (also known as connectin) is the third filament system in the sarcomere and is responsible for most passive stiffness of striated muscle in the physiological sarcomere length range. The force generated by titin is usually seen as passive and independent of active force generation. Recent findings, however, suggest that titin-based passive force modulates actin-myosin interaction, resulting in greater active force in response to stretch. In this short review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of length-dependent activation, focusing on the possible role of titin in its regulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Titin isoform variance and length dependence of activation in skinned bovine cardiac muscle.

We have explored the role of the giant elastic protein titin in the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart by measuring the sarcomere length (SL) dependence of activation in skinned cardiac muscles with different titin-based passive stiffness characteristics. We studied muscle from the bovine left ventricle (BLV), which expresses a high level of a stiff titin isoform, and muscle from the bovine left atrium (BLA), which expresses more compliant titin isoforms. Passive tension was also varied in each muscle type by manipulating the pre-history of stretch prior to activation. We found that the SL-dependent increases in Ca2+ sensitivity and maximal Ca2+-activated tension were markedly more pronounced when titin-based passive tension was high. Small-angle X-ray diffraction experiments revealed that the SL dependence of reduction of interfilament lattice spacing is greater in BLV than in BLA and that the lattice spacing is coupled with titin-based passive tension. These results support the notion that titin-based passive tension promotes actomyosin interaction by reducing the lattice spacing. This work indicates that titin may be a factor involved in the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart by promoting actomyosin interaction in response to stretch.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Bupivacaine attenuates contractility by decreasing sensitivity of myofilaments to Ca2+ in rat ventricular muscle.

BACKGROUND: Bupivacaine exhibits a cardiodepressant effect, the molecular mechanism(s) of which have yet to be fully understood. Bupivacaine may directly act on contractile proteins and thereby decrease myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. METHODS: Rat ventricular muscle was used. First, the effect of bupivacaine was examined on tetanic contractions in isolated intact myocytes. Next, Triton X-100-treated ventricular trabeculae were used to investigate the effect of bupivacaine on the pCa (= -log [Ca2+ ])-tension relation as well as on maximal Ca2+ -activated tension. Furthermore, to test whether bupivacaine inhibits the pathway downstream from Ca2+ binding to troponin C, tension was elicited in the skinned preparations by lowering the Mg-adenosine triphosphate (MgATP) concentration in the absence of Ca2+. The effect of bupivacaine on the pMgATP (= -log [MgATP])-tension relation was examined. RESULTS: In myocytes, 3 microm bupivacaine significantly (P < 0.01) increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration required for 5% cell shortening from the resting cell length. In skinned preparations, bupivacaine shifted the pCa-tension relation to the lower pCa side; the midpoint of the pCa curve (pCa50) was significantly (P < 0.05) changed by 10 and 100 microm bupivacaine. A highly correlated linear relation (R = 0.81; P< 0.0005) was present between pCa50 and maximal Ca2+ -activated tension. Bupivacaine (10 and 100 microm) significantly (P < 0.05) shifted the midpoint of the pMgATP-tension relation to the higher pMgATP side. CONCLUSIONS: Bupivacaine decreases myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity in ventricular muscle, and this is coupled with the compound's inhibitory effect on the pathway beyond Ca2+ binding to troponin C, possibly on the actomyosin interaction. The current results may partly explain the overall cardiodepressant effect of bupivacaine in vivo.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed2002

The improved synthesis of OPC-29030, a platelet adhesion inhibitor via diastereoselective oxidation of chiral non-racemic sulfide.

An improved synthetic route of OPC-29030, the platelet adhesion inhibitor, was established via the diastereoselective oxidation of a chiral non-racemic sulfide (R)-5 to (S(S))-6 by the catalytic oxidation using VO(acac)(2) and cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) in the presence of MS4A. Under the current condition, the diastereoselectivity was not influenced by the presence of moisture, and moderate to high selectivity (72% de) was obtained at -30 degrees C. The obtained sulfoxide, which diastereomeric excess was easily raised by the recrystallization, could successfully lead to OPC-29030.

Imidazoles↗