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Biomedical subjects

O Inoue

Publications and source records attributed to O Inoue.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Blood lead levels of the general populations of three Chinese cities.

Blood samples were obtained from 537 adults (age greater than or equal to 16 years) living in three cities in China; in Hefei in 1985, and in Shenyang and Jinxi in 1987. The samples were subjected to blood lead (Pb-B) analyses. The subjects were factory workers either in solvent-synthesizing or solvent application plants with no known exposure to metals (including lead). Their smoking and drinking habits were confirmed in medical interviews. Blood lead was significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers, although no dose-dependency was observed. The Pb-B values in non-smokers were log-normally distributed. The Pb-B among non-smokers was significantly higher in men [104.0 micrograms l-1 (1.428) 87] [geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) number of determinations] than in women [75.5 micrograms l-1 (1.358) 225] when the data from the three cities were combined. There was a significant difference in the Pb-B levels of non-smoking men in the three cities studied, suggesting that regional food habits should be considered as a possible contributory factor of a non-occupational nature. The present findings are compared with observations from Korea and Japan from the viewpoint of environmental health.

China↗
PubMed1988

Mutual metabolic suppression between benzene and toluene in man.

The exposure intensity during a shift and the metabolite levels in the shift-end urine were examined in male workers exposed to either benzene (65 subjects; the benzene group), toluene (35 subjects; the toluene group), or a mixture of both (55 subjects; the mixture group). In addition, 35 non-exposed male workers (the control group) were similarly examined for urinary metabolites to define background levels. A linear relationship was established between the intensity of solvent exposure and the corresponding urinary metabolite levels (i.e. phenol, catechol and quinol from benzene, and hippuric acid and o-cresol from toluene) in each case when one of the three exposed groups was combined with the control group for calculation. Comparison of regression lines in combination with regression analysis disclosed that urinary levels of phenol and quinol (but not catechol) were lower in the mixture group than in the benzene group when the intensities of exposure to benzene were comparable, indicating that the biotransformation of benzene to phenolic compounds (excluding catechol) in man is suppressed by co-exposure to toluene. Conversely, metabolism of toluene to hippuric acid was suppressed by benzene co-exposure. Conversion of toluene to o-cresol was also reduced by benzene, but to a lesser extent. The significance of the present findings on the mutual suppression of metabolism between benzene and toluene is discussed in relation to solvent toxicology and biological monitoring of exposure to the solvents.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1988

Changes in in vivo binding of 3H-Ro 15-1788 in mouse brain by reserpine.

The effects of reserpine on the in vivo binding of 3H-Ro 15-1788, (Ro 15-1788:ethyl 8-fluoro-5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H- imidazo[1,5a][1,4]benzodiazepine-3-carboxylate) a selective benzodiazepine antagonist, in the mouse brain were investigated. The biodistributions of tracer amounts of 3H-Ro 15-1788 in mice were significantly altered by pretreatment with reserpine (2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg, 24 h before the tracer administration). The time courses of radioactivity in the brain and the blood following i.v. injection of 3H-Ro 15-1788 with carrier Ro 15-1788 were not changed by pretreatment with reserpine, which suggested that the specific binding process might be altered by reserpine. The degree of alteration in the in vivo binding of 3H-Ro 15-1788 seemed to be dependent upon the dose of reserpine and the duration after the treatment of reserpine. The maximum changes in the biodistribution of 3H-Ro 15-1788 were observed at 1 day after injection of reserpine. The body temperature and the brain monoamine contents (dopamine, norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine) in mice were measured as indicators of pharmacological effects of reserpine, and good relationships to the degree of changes in the biodistribution of 3H-Ro 15-1788 and either the body temperature or brain monoamine contents, were observed. Furthermore, the changes in the biodistribution of 3H-Ro 15-1788 in the reserpinized mice were significantly suppressed by anti-depressant imipramine treatment. These results suggest that it would be possible to detect the in vivo drug interaction with brain benzodiazepine receptors in the living human brain using 11C-Ro 15-1788 and positron emission tomography (PET).

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Determination of catechol and quinol in the urine of workers exposed to benzene.

Time weighted average concentrations of benzene in breathing zone air (measured by diffusive sampling coupled with FID gas chromatography) and concentrations of catechol and quinol in the urine (collected at about 1500 in the second half of a working week and analysed by high performance liquid chromatography) were compared in 152 workers who were exposed to benzene (64 men, 88 women). The concentration of urinary metabolites was also determined in 131 non-exposed subjects (43 men, 88 women). There was a linear relation between the benzene concentrations in the breathing zone and the urinary concentrations of catechol and quinol (with or without correction for urine density) in both sexes. Neither catechol nor quinol concentration was able to separate those exposed to benzene at 10 ppm from those without exposure. The data indicated that when workers were exposed to benzene at 100 ppm about 25% of benzene absorbed was excreted into the urine as phenolic metabolites, of which 13.2%, 1.6%, and 10.2% are phenol, catechol, and quinol, respectively.

Benzene↗
PubMed1988

Increased subjective symptom prevalence among workers exposed to trichloroethylene at sub-OEL levels.

Over 100 workers exposed to trichloroethylene (TRI) mostly at less than 50 ppm during the production or vapor degreasing operation and about an equal number of the non-exposed control workers were examined for subjective symptoms, hematology, serum biochemistry, and sugar, protein and occult blood in urine. Essentially all the clinico-laboratory tests stayed normal, and there was no significant differences in the findings between the exposed and the controls. Thus, no clinically significant effects of TRI exposure were found in the blood and liver functions among the exposed workers as compared with the controls. The prevalence of the subjective symptoms was, however, significantly higher in the exposed group than in the controls, and dose-response relationship could be established in some selected symptoms such as nausea, heavy feeling in the head, forgetfulness, tremor in extremities, cramp in extremities and dry mouth, although the exposure was low. The findings warrant further attention to the effects of TRI especially on the central nervous system at the concentration lower than e.g., 50 ppm.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonary valvular stenosis: a long-term follow-up study using pulsed Doppler echocardiography].

From June 1984 to March 1987, percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty (PBV) was performed for 22 patients with congenital pulmonary valvular stenosis. It was successful for 20 patients, and there were significant decreases of transvalvular pressure gradients; 72 +/- 30 mmHg before PBV, and 30 +/- 12 mmHg immediately after PBV (p less than 0.001). In a follow-up study, pulsed Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization were used to examine changes in long-term hemodynamic findings after PBV. One year follow-up evaluation was performed for 14 patients, and two year follow-ups for seven patients. One year after PBV the transvalvular pressure gradients were evaluated during cardiac catheterization in 11 patients, and using pulsed Doppler echocardiography in the remaining three patients. The gradients of the seven patients at two year intervals after PBV were evaluated using pulsed Doppler echocardiography. The pressure gradients of two patients improved further one year later due to the anatomical degradation in the right ventricular outflow tracts. For seven patients, two year follow-up evaluations were performed, and the transvalvular pressure gradient reduced from 84 +/- 23 to 33 +/- 15 mmHg (p less than 0.001) immediately afterwards; to 27 +/- 22 mmHg (p less than 0.01) one year later; and further to 12 +/- 5 mmHg (p less than 0.001) two years after PBV. Second PBV was performed for three patients in whom a residual gradient was recognized, with the good results. On auscultation, a pulmonary regurgitant murmur was recognized in 28% of 18 patients immediately after PBV, but 80% of this resolved one year later. Two patients had pulmonary regurgitation with pulmonary valvular stenosis before PBV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Cytopathogenic protein in filtrates from cultures of Propionibacterium acnes isolated from patients with Kawasaki disease.

Propionibacterium acnes may have a role in Kawasaki disease. Filtrates from cultures of P acnes isolated from cervical lymph node biopsy specimens and blood samples from patients with Kawasaki disease were studied and compared with samples from control subjects. After inoculation of human embryo liver cells with filtrates from the patients a cytopathogenic effect and vacuolation were seen. A specific cytopathogenic substance was found in only the filtrates of cultures from patients with Kawasaki disease; it was a protein of about isoelectric point 7.0 with a molecular weight of about 100,000 daltons. The amount of IgG antibody to this cytopathogenic protein was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples taken from 63 patients in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (mean 5.2 (SD 1.1) days after onset of illness), 45 in the subacute phase (mean 23.6 (3.3) days), and 51 in the convalescent phase (mean 18.5 (4.1) months) and from 102 control subjects matched for age. Titres of IgG antibody were significantly raised in patients with Kawasaki disease, particularly in the acute and subacute phases of the illness, compared with in the control subjects. Titres of IgG antibodies to cytopathogenic protein were found to be low in normal children below the age of 4 years but they increased with age thereafter. This may explain why outbreaks of Kawasaki disease, which is most common in children aged under 4, occur every three years.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1987

[13N]-beta-phenethylamine ([13N]PEA): a prototype tracer for measurement of MAO-B activity in heart.

[13N]beta-Phenethylamine ([13N]PEA) was evaluated as a radio tracer for the measurement of mouse heart monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in vivo. After intravenous administration, [13N]PEA was deaminated by MAO-B. 13NH3 formed thereby was taken up by amino acids and trapped in the heart. The relation between the radioactivity trapped in the heart and the enzyme activity was examined. The radioactivity in the heart 15 min after administration was reduced in a dose-dependent manner by pretreatment with a specific MAO-B inhibitor, l-deprenyl, but not with a specific MAO-A inhibitor, clorgyline. A linear correlation existed between the heart radioactivity level and the heart MAO-B activity (0-45%). [13N]1,1-d2-2-Phenethylamine (C6H5-CH2-CD2-13NH2, [13N]d2PEA), a modified tracer with less reactivity towards the enzyme, was tested similarly. This tracer possessed a higher sensitivity than [13N]PEA, and a wider range (0-85%) of MAO-B activity correlated linearly with the trapped radioactivity. These results indicate that [13N]PEA derivatives ([13N]PEA and [13N]d2PEA) can be useful radiotracers for noninvasive measurements of MAO-B activity in the human heart.

Ammonia↗
PubMed1987

Synthesis and evaluation of [11C]cyanoimipramine.

[11C]Cyanoimipramine has been prepared by methylation of the desmethyl cyanoimipramine with [11C]methyl iodide. The chemically and radiochemically pure labelled product was obtained with a high specific activity (greater than 300 mCi/mumol). When 11C (or 3H)-cyanoimipramine was intravenously administered in mice, high accumulations were shown in brain and lung. Thirty minutes after injection of the tracer, differences were found in the radioactivity between the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum. The regional distribution of radioactivity in the rat brain 30 min after i.v. injection of [11C]cyanoimipramine was also examined, and the radioactivity was high in receptor rich areas (striatum, cerebral cortex etc.) but low in receptor poor area (cerebellum). The in vivo stability of [3H]cyanoimipramine was quite stable in the mouse brain for at least 30 min. Thirty minutes after injection, the radioactivity in the cerebral cortex of the carrier-added state was reduced as compared with the carrier-free state. Taken together, the in vivo specific binding of [3H]cyanoimipramine in the cerebral cortex was estimated at about 40-50% of the total radioactivity. Furthermore, the distribution of [3H]cyanoimipramine in the mice forced to swim was examined. Significant changes in the distribution of [3H]cyanoimipramine were observed in the cerebral cortex.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of 13N-amines as tracers.

The organ distribution and the metabolic fate of the 13N-amines 13N-beta-phenethylamine, 13N-n-octylamine, and 13N-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine, were studied in detail. After administration 13N-amines were rapidly transferred to tissues and oxidized by MAO. 13N-ammonia formed thereby was converted into amino acids (mainly glutamine by glutamine synthetase) and trapped. 13N-amines were found to be potential metabolic trapping tracers for the study of disposition and metabolism of amines.

Amines↗
PubMed1987

Organ distribution and metabolism of [13N]nicotinamide in mice.

The organ distribution and the metabolic fate of 13N[amide-13N]nicotinamide ([13N]NAM) were studied in order to evaluate its potential as a radiotracer. After administration, [13N]NAM is transported, mainly by simple diffusion, into the brain and heart, where part of the tracer is metabolized into hydrophilic compounds ([13N]NAD etc.) and trapped. A very high radioactivity is accumulated in the small intestine, probably due to bile duct excretion of the tracer and its metabolites. [13N]NAM was found to be a useful tracer for the study of the utilization of the vitamin, nicotinamide.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Specific biodetection of B16 mouse melanoma in vivo by syngeneic monoclonal antibody.

The specific detection of tumors in vivo using a radiolabeled syngeneic monoclonal antibody made by fusion of P3U1 (BALB/c myeloma cells) and C57BL/6 spleen cells primed with syngeneic B16 melanoma cells was investigated by color imaging, autoradiography, and biodistribution. The radiolabeled antimelanoma antibody specifically accumulated only in the tumor lesions, whereas no radioactivity was observed in normal tissues or organs. The distribution patterns of the radioactive antibody in the tumor lesions depended on the sizes of the tumor. Almost the entire region of the small metastatic tumor in lymph nodes was labeled, whereas the radioactive antibody was irregularly localized mainly in the center of the medium-sized tumor. However, only the peripheral region of the large primary tumor was labeled. The highest uptake of radioactivity (tumor:blood ratio) was observed in the small lymph node metastatic tumor lesions rather than in the large primary tumor. Furthermore, high resolution color imaging of B16 melanoma was also obtained by using 125I-labeled monoclonal antibody. Tumor location was specifically visible without subtraction or enhancement methods 3-5 days after injection of the radiolabeled antibody.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Ultrastructural study of lymphocytic interaction with hepatocytes and endothelial cells in acute non-A, non-B hepatitis.

In the liver biopsy specimens of all six patients with acute non-A, non-B hepatitis, the lymphocytic interaction with hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells was observed by electron microscopic study. Lymphocytes were in a close contact with damaged hepatocytes and interrupted endothelial cells, and the microvilli on the surface of these damaged hepatocytes were degenerated and lost. These findings pointed out the possibility that the lymphocyte may play one of the important roles in hepatocytic damage and endothelial cell damage in acute non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗