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Biomedical subjects

R Kaneko

Publications and source records attributed to R Kaneko.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Overexpression of monocyte-derived cytokines in active psoriasis: a relation to coexistent arthropathy.

An overexpression of inflammatory cytokines has been found in the lesional skin as well as peripheral blood in patients with psoriasis, although its etiological significance is not yet understood. In order to evaluate the cell type responsible for the elevated cytokines in the peripheral blood, we investigated cytokine profiles of the fractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in 30 patients with psoriasis and 27 healthy controls. Without stimulation, higher levels of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 were produced by freshly isolated PBMCs from the patients than those from the controls. In the fractionated PBMCs, the monocyte-rich fractions were mainly responsible for the production of these cytokines and mRNA. The elevated levels of monocyte-derived cytokine mRNAs decreased following successful treatment with cyclosporin A. Although no correlation was found between the cytokine levels and the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores, patients with arthropathy showed significantly high production levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8. These findings suggest that monocytes are the major cell source producing inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood of psoriasis, and the increased cytokine levels are related to the coexistent arthropathy rather than the severity of cutaneous lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Heat-induced formation of intermolecular disulfide linkages between thaumatin molecules that do not contain cysteine residues.

Thaumatin, a sweet protein that contains no cysteine residues and eight intramolecular disulfide bonds, aggregates upon heating at pH 7.0 above 70 degrees C, and its sweetness thereby disappears. The aggregate can be solubilized by heating in the presence of both thiol reducing reagent and SDS. This molecular aggregation depended on the protein concentration during heating and was suppressed by the addition of N-ethylmaleimide or iodoacetamide, indicating a thiol-catalyzed disulfide interchange reaction between heat-denatured molecules. An amino acid analysis of the aggregates suggested that the cysteine and lysine residues were reduced, and the formation of a cysteine residue and a lysinoalanine residue was confirmed. The reduction and formation of these residues stoichiometrically satisfied the beta-elimination of a cystine residue. The disulfide interchange reaction was catalyzed by cysteine; that is, a free sulfhydryl residue was formed via beta-elimination of a disulfide bond. Intermolecular disulfide bonds were probably formed between thaumatin molecules upon heating at pH 7.0, which led to the aggregation of thaumatin molecules.

Disulfides↗
PubMed1999

Pilocarpine-induced cholinergic sweat secretion compared with emotional sweat secretion in atopic dermatitis.

We studied pilocarpine-induced cholinergic sweating, emotional sweating and sympathetic reflex sweating in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Secreted sweat was measured both with equipment that continuously records sweat rate and with a filter paper method that measures sweat weight absorbed. Comparison of the two methods revealed that the filter paper method underestimated the sweat secretion in AD patients. While AD patients showed no significant abnormalities in emotional sweating and sympathetic reflex sweating, the duration of pilocarpine-induced sweating was prolonged. The time from the maximal sweat rate until the sweat rate fell to half of the maximal rate was significantly longer in AD patients than in control subjects. In contrast, the time from the beginning of sweat secretion until the maximal sweat rate was not significantly different between AD patients and control subjects. There was no significant difference between AD patients and control subjects in sweat volume secreted in 20 min after pilocarpine iontophoresis. In AD patients, the total sweat volume secreted after pilocarpine iontophoresis was greater than in control subjects, although not significantly. These results suggest that the system of deactivation of pilocarpine-induced sweat secretion is impaired in AD patients whereas the activation system is not altered.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Clinical retrospective study on outpatients at clinic for oral implant].

A retrospective study was made on 1,000 outpatients visiting the Clinic for Oral Implant, University Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University between April 1995 and June 1998. The following findings were obtained according to sex, age group, reason for visit, classification of edentulous area, indication and contraindication for implant therapy, and pre-implant surgical treatment. Forty percent of the outpatients were male and 60% were female. The largest number was in the 50-59-year-old group. The reason for visit of 822 patients was request for implant therapy. 123 patients with uncomfortable implants done at other clinics, 12 patients undergoing maintenance of implants at other clinics and 43 other patients. There were 505 upper jaw cases and 529 lower jaw cases. Most anterior edentulous cases were in the upper jaw group. Most of the posterior edentulous cases were unilateral cases and many of them were free-end saddle cases. Indication patients were 447 of the 822 outpatients. The main contraindication was insufficient volume of bone. Two hundred twenty-one of the 477 indication patients did not need the pretreatment which consisted of extraction, bone graft, free gingival graft, provisional prosthetics, sinus lift, and so on.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

New superselective intra-arterial infusion via superficial temporal artery for cancer of the tongue and tumour tissue platinum concentration after carboplatin (CBDCA) infusion.

We developed a new technique of superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy for tongue cancer using a modified (1.35 mm) angiographic catheter. The catheter was confirmed to be inserted into the lingual artery by the new technique. We measured the platinum concentrations in resected tumour tissues after infusion of carboplatin (CBDCA) at 20 mg/m2 over 30 min from 30 min before tumour resection in 12 patients with cancer of the tongue (6 patients: superselective intra-arterial infusion; 6 patients: conventional intra-arterial infusion). The mean platinum concentration in tumour tissue was 10.5 +/- 1.2 micrograms/g wet, which was more than twice higher than, and significantly different from, 4.3 +/- 3.8 micrograms/g wet by the conventional intra-arterial infusion method. This new superselective intra-arterial infusion method allows direct infusion of the anticancer agent into the artery supplying the tumour and is expected to become a new therapeutic modality for cancer of the tongue.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1998

Effect of the combination of a local OK-432 injection and hyperthermia on SCC VII tumors in mice.

Hyperthermia is being investigated as a cancer treatment. Many of its basic mechanisms, particularly those related to cell killing, are still poorly understood. We used a transplanted squamous cell carcinoma cell line to investigate the therapeutic effect of hyperthermia. In particular, we examined the effect of OK-432 (biological response modifier) on hyperthermia-induced apoptosis. In the hyperthermia only group the most extensive necrosis occurred on day 3 (70.3%), and the apoptosis index also was highest on that day (69.3). These results suggest that the induction of apoptosis is closely related to the cell death caused by hyperthermia. The percent of necrosis was significantly higher in the groups given hyperthermia and combined OK-432 and hyperthermia treatment than in the OK-432 group (p < 0.05). The apoptosis index was significantly lower in the combined OK-432 and hyperthermia treatment group than in the hyperthermia only group, indicative that the antitumor effect of combined hyperthermia and OK-432 therapy is not ascribable to the induction of apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Surname and consanguineous marriages in Japan.

A survey of consanguineous marriages in Japan was conducted on 1 September 1983, by questionnaires. The total number of couples surveyed was 9225. They were chosen from six widely different areas and the inbreeding coefficients from isonymy and pedigrees were estimated for each area. Random inbreeding remained constant with the marriage year whereas total (F) and non-random (Fn) inbreeding from isonymy and inbreeding from pedigrees (alpha) decreased with the marriage year in each area. Estimates of genetic microdifferentiation from surnames were obtained; estimates of the reduced variance indicated low microdifferentiation (0.000014-0.000081) in five areas and a higher value in Fukue City (0.0004). The ratio of FST (the average within-group a priori kinship) to alpha-value ranged from 0.42 in Kawanishi City to 3.9 in Minobu-Cho.

Consanguinity↗
PubMed1995

Rising mortality from Parkinson's disease in Japan, 1950-1992.

The death rate from Parkinson's disease (PD) were analyzed using Japanese vital statistics for 1950-1992. The age-adjusted PD death rate increased statistically significantly with the years between 1950 and 1992 for both sexes. However, decline in the PD death rate were observed among the population under 65 years old, while striking increases were seen among those over 70 years old. The changing patterns in the PD death rate might be explicable by a constantly improving ascertainment of PD, a true rise in the incidence of PD, particularly among the elderly, and a constantly increasing number of elderly people. There were remarkable differences in the PD death rates among the four marital categories in each sex. The mean age at death in PD increased from about 60 years in 1950 to 77 years in 1992 for both sexes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Purification and some properties of alpha-galactosidase from Penicillium purpurogenum.

alpha-Galactosidase was purified by ion-exchange chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose and SE-cellulose columns from the culture filtrate of Penicillium purpurogenum No. 618. The final preparation was judged homogeneous by SDS-PAGE and its molecular mass and isoelectric point were estimated to be 67 kDa and 4.1, respectively. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was analyzed and aligned with those of other alpha-galactosidases. In addition, the enzyme acted on the stubbed alpha-galactosyl residue connected to the beta-1,4-manno-oligosaccharide chain, indicating that this specificity was quite different from that of Mortierella vinacea alpha-galactosidase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Heat-shock protein 40, a novel predictor of thermotolerance in murine cells.

We have investigated the relationship between the synthesis of hsp-40, recently identified as a mammalian homologue of DnaJ protein, as well as hsp-70 and the development of thermotolerance in cells of the mouse squamous cell carcinoma line SCCVII. Thermotolerance as determined by clonogenic survival was induced not only by prior heating at 44 degrees C for 30 min but also by prior treatment with 100 microM sodium arsenite for 1 h and 5 micrograms/ml prostaglandin J2 for 4 h. These treatments concomitantly induced both hsp-70 (p72, inducible form) and hsp-40. The extent of thermotolerance correlated well with the relative amount of hsp-70 and hsp-40. These results suggest that hsp-40 is a good predictor of thermotolerance in addition to hsp-70.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Study of JA300 as agent having high transglycosylation activity.

Escherichia coli JA300 as the strain catalyzing transglycosylation of nucleic acids has so strong activity. We scrutinized where the high faculty of this strain come from. Using PCR methods with our primer pair MI-1 (up; GTT GAA TTC GCC TTT GTT ATG TCA C) and MI-2 (down; GTT CCG CTA ACG GAA CAC CTA GGC CT), we isolated deoD (the coding region of PNPase) of JA300. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that deoD of JA300 is definitely same as that of parent strain K12. The fact that the transcription of deoD of JA300 is more active than that of K12 was also revealed after the analysis by Northrn blot hybridization. These data may suggest that the varieties of gene concerning regulation contribute to the difference of PNPase activity between them.

Base Sequence↗