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Biomedical subjects

R Ando

Publications and source records attributed to R Ando.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

MR imaging of spastic diplegia. The importance of corpus callosum.

PURPOSE: The MR findings in patients with spastic diplegia were investigated and the role of MR imaging in assessing the extent of brain injury was evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 39 male and 24 female patients (preterm/term 43/20) were imaged using a 0.5 T MR system. RESULTS: The MR findings in term patients were quite different from those in preterm patients; 55% of the term patients showed normal and minimal changes on MR, whereas 90.7% of the 43 preterm children had periventricular leucomalacia. The deep cerebral white matter was the most frequently involved site. Objective measurements revealed significant reductions of the entire sagittal area of corpus callosum in diplegic patients in comparison with normal controls. The motor palsy severity correlated well with the extent of corpus callosum involvement. CONCLUSION: The corpus callosum appears to be a sensitive marker site for the assessment of the extent of white matter injury.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1995

Immunohistochemical determination of rat spinal cord substance P, and antinociceptive effect during development of thiamine deficiency.

During 30 days of thiamine deficiency (TD) feeding, the rat antinociceptive effect (pain threshold) to noxious heat stimulation was significantly increased in proportion to the decrease substance P (SP) fluorescent intensity in the spinal cord. Only a single injection of thiamine HCl (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) on the early treatment day during TD feeding effectively reversed the analgesic effect to the pair-fed control level. Whereas this reversal effect by thiamine treatment was not found if this treatment was done on the relatively late day. However, either treatment day, except muricide, complete disappearance of various animal behaviours induced by TD was found. These results indicate that, after certain degree of TD development, TD-induced behavioral effects might be reversible, but the afferent nerve fibers might be irreversibly damaged, probably by the similar mechanism as found for an excitotoxin(s) mediated injury in the certain brain region(s). The results also suggest a possibility that SP and an excitotoxin, glutamate, in the dorsal part of the spinal cord greatly contribute to the pain transmission induced by noxious heat stimulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[A statistical study of ocular complications of herpes zoster ophthalmicus and its prolongation factors].

A statistical study was carried out on 218 patients (107 male and 111 female) with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) who visited our clinic from April 1985 to March 1992. The incidence of ocular complications (OCs) and the rate of prolonged OCs (over 6 months) were also studied with the factors that were considered to have affected them. There were 114 patients who showed OCs out of 218 HZO patients (52.3%). The incidence of OCs was higher among the patients with nose eruption than among those without (p < 0.001), and lower among the patients with acyclovir treatment in advance than among those without (p < 0.001). The rate of prolonged OCs was higher among the patients over 50 years old than among those under 50 years old (p < 0.05), higher among the patients with nose eruption than among those without (p < 0.05), and lower among the patients with acyclovir treatment in advance than among those without (p < 0.01). Those with nose eruption had a high rate of prolonged iritis. Severe visual acuity loss remained in 3 cases (2.6%): 2 cases of corneal opacity in the center and 1 case of neurouveitis. Two patients suffered from high intraocular pressure complicated with prolonged iritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Plasma thrombomodulin in primary glomerular disease and lupus glomerulonephritis.

Although thrombomodulin (TM) in circulating blood is regarded as an indicator of vascular endothelial disorders, blood TM levels are also known to be affected by renal dysfunction. We measured plasma TM levels in primary glomerular disease (PGD) and lupus glomerulonephritis (GN) with the EIA method, and assessed the extent to which renal dysfunction and endothelial disorders contribute to plasma TM levels in these diseases. The plasma TM/serum creatinine (TM/Cr) ratio was significantly higher in lupus GN patients than in PGD patients or normal controls. A significant positive correlation was found between plasma TM and serum Cr levels in both PGD and lupus GN patients, but the slope (A) of the regression line (TM = A.Cr+B) in lupus GN patients was significantly steeper than in PGD patients. We conclude that plasma TM levels are greatly influenced by renal dysfunction, but that not only renal dysfunction but endothelial disorders may be an important determinant of increased plasma TM levels in diseases such as lupus GN.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Enhanced coagulation and fibrinolysis during treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis.

Twenty-two patients on regular hemodialysis treatment suffering from renal anemia were treated with intravenous recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) for more than 8 weeks. Before and 4 and 8 weeks after the start of rhEPO administration, we measured prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen (FBG), antithrombin III activity (ATIII), plasminogen activity (PLG), alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor activity (alpha 2 PI), alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complex (alpha 2 PIC), and cross-linked fibrin degradation products (XL-FDP) in citrated plasma to determine whether rhEPO treatment enhances coagulation and fibrinolytic activity. The pretreatment values of FBG, alpha 2 PIC, and XL-FDP were significantly higher than the normal control values. The pretreatment values of ATIII, PLG, and alpha 2 PI were significantly lower than the normal control values. Platelet count and FBG were significantly increased 4 and 8 weeks after treatment with rhE-PO. The prothrombin time was significantly shortened 8 weeks after rhEPO treatment, but the activated partial thromboplastin time did not change. PLG was significantly decreased 4 and 8 weeks after rhEPO treatment, and ATIII and alpha 2 PI were significantly decreased 8 weeks after rhEPO treatment. alpha 2 PIC was significantly increased 8 weeks after rhEPO treatment, and XL-FDP was significantly increased 4 and 8 weeks after rhEPO treatment. These data suggest that in patients on regular hemodialysis treatment coagulation and fibrinolysis are already enhanced before the start of rhEPO treatment and that rhEPO administration further enhances these disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Chronic clonidine treatment and its termination: effects on penile erection and ejaculation in the dog.

The effects of chronic administration (4 weeks) of the alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (CL) and its termination on penile erection and ejaculation were investigated in male dogs. Penile erection and ejaculation were elicited by manual penile stimulation (for 5 min). CL (10 micrograms/kg/hr, s.c.) was delivered via osmotic minipump (Alza, 2ML-4). 3 or 7 days after the minipump implantation, CL caused a significant decrease in the amount of ejaculate produced by the genital stimulation without affecting the erectile potency. Ejaculatory ability returned to pretreatment levels despite continued CL administration, becoming evident in tests 14 days after initiation of treatment. Further, chronic CL (23 days) antagonized the inhibitory effects of acute administration of CL (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.). These data indicate tolerance to continued delivery of low doses as well as to acute administration of a higher dose. In the acute drug experiments, the ejaculatory inhibition elicited by CL (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.) was completely antagonized by pretreatment with yohimbine (0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg, i.p.), an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, but not with naloxone (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), an opioid receptor antagonist. Furthermore, DG-5128 (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, i.p.), a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist that poorly penetrates the blood-brain barrier, failed to antagonize the CL-induced ejaculatory inhibition. This study suggests that functional alterations in the central alpha-2 adrenoceptor mechanism may be related to the changes in the ejaculatory capacity during chronic treatment with CL.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1992

Synthesis and biological activities of cyclopropenone antibiotic penitricin and congeners.

A number of derivatives of the cyclopropenone antibiotic penitricin have been synthesized by the reaction of metalated cyclopropenone acetals with electrophiles. Studies on the antimicrobial structure-activity relationships indicated that the penitricin skeleton, hydroxymethylcyclopropenone, is indispensable for antimicrobial activity. These compounds were also found to display cytotoxic activity.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1992

[Clinical effects of six-month short time biofiltration].

The clinical effects of six-month short time biofiltration (SBF) were evaluated using a B-A-B' study (B, B': conventional bicarbonate hemodialysis; CBHD, A:SBF) in ten patients maintained on CBHD three times a week. An F80 hemodiafilter (1.9 m2, polysulfone, Fresenius) was used. In addition to routine clinical parameters for a patient on regular dialysis treatment, plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF) (an index of stimulation of vascular endothelium), and the methylguanidine/creatinine ratio (MG/Cr) and malondialdehide (MDA) (indices of the levels of oxygen radicals), were evaluated. Nine patients completed the study, one patient dropping out at the 12th week of A because of muscle cramps during SBF. The treatment time was 2 hours in six cases and 2.5 hours in three cases. The mean blood flow rate was 280 +/- 42 (SD) minutes. Using the urea kinetics model, the mean KT/V was 1.26 +/- 0.28, and the mean protein catabolic rate was 1.22 +/- 0.18 g/kg body weight/day at the end of A. No change in ultrafiltration, blood pressure, cardiac function (assessed by echocardiography), CTR, human atrial natriuretic peptide, total protein, albumin, uric acid, serum creatinine, sodium, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, vWF, or MDA was found between each period. Blood urea nitrogen, c-PTH, and MG/Cr increased during the A period. Serum magnesium and beta-2 microglobulin decreased during the A period. Blood gas results, on the whole, did not change. In a patients, however, acidosis gradually developed. An increase in substitution fluid from 5 L/session to 7.5 L/session improved the acid-base balance in that patient. In conclusion, SBF is as effective as CBHD in removing small molecules and maintaining cardiocirculatory status, and is superior to CBHD in removing beta 2-microglobulin and is less stimulative to the endothelium than CBHD.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Relationship between developmental prognosis and changing picture of postural findings in early infancy among early treated children].

We followed 93 infants prospectively who were treated because of moderate and severe grades of cerebral coordination disturbances since less than 6 months of age. They were divided into 3 groups according to developmental prognosis at 4 years of age; normal 44, mental retardation 18, and cerebral palsy 31. We compared the postural findings in supine and prone position, and 7 postural reactions at the first examination with those at discharge about 50 days after the first examination. We assessed the changing pictures of postural findings as improved, not changed or worsened. We analyzed the relationship between the changing pictures of postural findings during the short period in early infancy and the developmental prognosis among the 3 groups. The normal group showed improvement in a larger number of items than the other two groups. The findings of cerebral palsied children showed poor improvement, and more postural reactions changed to be more pathologic than those in the other two groups. Among the cerebral palsied children, ambulatory cases showed better improvement than those who could not crawl. But we found no significant difference between ambulatory and crawling children. This study demonstrated that assessment of changing pictures of postural findings in early infancy was helpful to predict developmental prognosis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing conservative treatment.

Eighteen patients with chronic renal failure due to primary glomerular disease undergoing conservative treatment (CRF patients) were studied to evaluate whether coagulation and fibrinolytic activity in plasma are enhanced in the patients. We measured plasma levels of coagulation-fibrinolysis parameters including thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT) (an index of thrombin formation), alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha 2 PI)-plasmin complex (alpha 2 PIC) (an indicator of plasmin production) and cross-linked fibrin degradation products (XL-FDP) (an index of fibrinolysis secondary to coagulation). There was no correlation between plasma levels of TAT, alpha 2PIC and XL-FDP and serum creatinine levels in CRF patients. Both fibrinogen and TAT were found to be significantly higher in CRF patients than in normal controls. TAT was negatively correlated with serum albumin or total protein. Antithrombin III (ATIII) activity was significantly lower in CRF patients than in normal controls. CRF patients showed significantly but slightly higher alpha 2 PIC and XL-FDP when compared to normal controls. These results suggest that TAT, alpha 2PIC and XL-FDP are good indicators of coagulation-fibrinolysis even in patients with decreased renal function. Coagulation activity is significantly increased in CRF patients but fibrinolysis secondary to coagulation is only slightly enhanced.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Biphasic effects of yohimbine on the ejaculatory response in the dog.

The effects of various doses (0.01-1.00 mg/kg) of yohimbine, an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, on the erectile and ejaculatory response elicited by manual penile stimulation were investigated in male dogs. Systemic administration of yohimbine caused a biphasic effect on ejaculatory response; the amount of ejaculate produced by the genital stimulation (for 5 min) was dose-dependently increased by low doses (0.01-0.10 mg/kg) of yohimbine, whereas it was decreased by the highest dose (1.00 mg/kg) of yohimbine. The erectile potency was attenuated only, by the highest dose of yohimbine. The most effective dose (0.10 mg/kg) of yohimbine on ejaculation did not affect the duration of penile erection after removing the genital stimulation. In a stereoisomer's testing, the stimulatory effect on ejaculation was also observed by rauwolscine, an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist (0.03 and 0.10 mg/kg), but not by corynanthine, an alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonist (0.10 and 0.30 mg/kg). These results suggest that yohimbine at low doses specifically facilitate the ejaculatory response through the blockade of the alpha-2 adrenoceptors. This study also indicates that the effects of yohimbine on male genital responses vary with its dosage used.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Plasma histamine, epinephrine, cortisol, and leukocyte beta-adrenergic receptors in nocturnal asthma.

Plasma histamine, cortisol, epinephrine, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and leukocyte beta-adrenergic receptors were measured in asthmatic patients with (n = 7) and without (n = 10) nocturnal asthma at 4 PM and 4 AM and compared with those of normal subjects (n = 10). A twofold higher plasma histamine concentration was observed at 4 AM compared with 4 PM in all groups, with no change in plasma cortisol, epinephrine, and cAMP concentrations. At 4 AM compared with 4 PM, only patients with nocturnal asthma had a significant 33% decrease (p less than 0.05) in mononuclear and polymorphonuclear leukocyte beta-adrenergic receptor density, with no difference in binding affinity in all three groups. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with nocturnal asthma had significantly impaired response to isoproterenol at 4 AM (17% +/- 7.3% SEM increase in cAMP; p less than 0.05) compared with those of patients without nocturnal asthma (69.4% +/- 13.7%) and normal (80.2% +/- 21.3%) subjects. A significant change in beta-adrenergic receptor density and function occurs at night in patients with nocturnal asthma.

Asthma↗