3-Methylglutaconic aciduria type I causes leukoencephalopathy of adult onset.
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Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors↗
Biomedical subjects
R Okada
Publications and source records attributed to R Okada.
Olfactory discrimination of structurally similar alcohols by cockroaches.
The capability of the cockroach Periplaneta americana to discriminate odors of structurally similar aliphatic alcohols was studied by using an operant conditioning paradigm. Cockroaches were trained to discriminate three odors: one odor associated with sucrose solution (reward) and two odors associated with NaCl solution (non-reward). After training, their odor preferences were tested by counting the number of visits to each odor source. We tested the capability of cockroaches to discriminate (1) three normal aliphatic alcohols with different numbers of carbon (1-pentanol, 1-hexanol and 1-octanol), (2) three C6 aliphatic alcohols (1-hexanol, 2-hexanol and trans-2-hexen-1-ol), (3) binary mixtures of two of these three alcohols and their components, and (4) 1-hexanol solution of three different concentrations (1, 10 and 100 micro g micro l(-1)). Cockroaches exhibited higher preferences for the odors associated with reward in these tests, and we therefore conclude that cockroaches can discriminate these odors. However, discrimination of 1-hexanol and trans-2-hexen-1-ol and their binary mixture was imperfect, in that some statistical tests suggested significant level of discrimination but other tests did not. In addition, the cockroaches learned to associate a 1-hexanol solution of the highest or lowest concentration with sucrose reward but failed to learn to associate 1-hexanol of an intermediate concentration with reward.
1-Octanol↗
Comparison of plastic prostheses and self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis.
OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy of plastic prostheses and self-expandable metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis and/or fistula. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects were 31 patients with esophageal cancer, 4 with esophagotracheal fistula, and 1 with esophageal stenosis. A plastic prosthesis was inserted in 15 patients (group A) and a self-expandable metallic stent in 21 patients (group B). We evaluated food ingestion improvement, effectiveness, complications, mean survival, food ingestion duration, the percentage of food ingestion capability in total survival time, and inhospital mortality. RESULTS: No differences were seen in food intake improvement or in the effectiveness between groups, whereas fatal complications were higher in Group A. No significant differences were seen in mean survival, food ingestion duration, percentage of food ingestion capability, or inhospital mortality between groups. CONCLUSION: We concluded that a self-expandable metallic stent was safer than a plastic prosthesis because of fewer serious complications such as bleeding, and recommended the use of metallic stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stenosis and/or fistula.
Aged↗
Comparative study of self-expandable metallic stent and bypass surgery for inoperable esophageal cancer.
We evaluated the effect of two different therapies for 23 patients with inoperable esophageal cancer, of whom 13 patients underwent placement of a metallic stent and 10 received bypass surgery. We newly defined the improved level of food intake and the effective rate based on the grade of the patient's status in order to evaluate objectively. Although the effect of stent placement was significantly better than that of bypass surgery, there were no significant differences in the improved level of food intake and the effective rate between the two groups. Four out of 10 patients in the bypass group had suture insufficiency, resulting in no oral intake and a fatal outcome. In addition, the ratio of survival period of ability to ingest orally and in-hospital mortality was significantly favorable in the stent group compared with the bypass group. In conclusion, stent placement should be the first choice for inoperable malignant stenosis or esophageal fistula.
Adult↗
Quantitative analysis of hypertrophy in cardiac chambers in cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot.
Although early total corrective repair for cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot is now safely performed at many institutions, long-term complications after surgical repair have been demonstrated. Therefore, the optimal procedure and timing for surgical treatment remain controxersial. In the present study, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the hypertrophy of all four chambers of 87 autopsied hearts of cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot and 71 normal control hearts utilizing the myocardial mass index, and evaluated the progression of lesions with advancing age. In cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot, hypertrophy of the right ventricle progresses immediately after birth, with that of the right atrium developing soon after. The left side of the heart is normal or slightly atrophied which could be corrected by sufficient palliative intervention or total corrective repair. The growth curves of both ventricles were parallel to those of normal hearts for the period studied. Pulmonary atresia, palliative operation, and total corrective repair have been shown to have some influence on the morphological characteristics of hearts of cyanotic tetralogy of Fallot.
Child, Preschool↗
Cloning of bullfrog thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) beta subunit cDNA: expression of TSHbeta mRNA during metamorphosis.
A thyroid-stimulating hormone beta subunit (TSHbeta) cDNA encoding both signal peptide and mature TSHbeta molecule was cloned from a cDNA library constructed from total RNA of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) adenohypophysis. The bullfrog TSHbeta mRNA was estimated by Northern blot analysis to be approximately 1 kb. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 40-61% homologies with the sequences of TSH beta subunits of other vertebrates. Using the cDNA as a probe, we measured changes in mRNA expression in metamorphosing tadpoles of R. catesbeiana. The TSH beta subunit mRNA level increased progressively throughout prometamorphic stages, reaching its maximum at the end of prometamorphosis. The maximum level was maintained throughout early and mid climax, declining at late climax. These results, together with previously obtained data on plasma prolactin and pituitary prolactin mRNA levels, as well as thyroid hormone levels, are discussed in relation to metamorphic changes occurring in the bullfrog larvae.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Sudden death in Hunter syndrome caused by complete atrioventricular block.
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Adult↗
Ampulla cardiomyopathy ('Takotusbo' cardiomyopathy)--reversible left ventricular dysfunction: with ST segment elevation.
The clinicopathologic findings of reversible ampulla-like ventriculogram of the left ventricle were studied in 8 elderly women and one middle-aged man. Their coronary arteriograms were normal, even in the 7 patients who had ST elevation on electrocardiogram. Coronary spasm was positive in only 2 of the 7 patients who received provocation tests. Biopsy specimens revealed focal myocyte injury. Normal coronary arteriograms during ST elevation and the presence of pathologic myocardial lesions were not consistent with a concept of stunned myocardium. The presence of myocardial lesions suggested that focal and disseminated myocardial damage had occurred.
Aged↗
Requirement of sperm-oocyte plasma membrane fusion for establishment of the plasma membrane block to polyspermy in human pronuclear oocytes.
We investigated whether the incorporation of the sperm membrane into the oolemma contributes to the human plasma membrane block to polyspermy. We used zona pellucida-free oocytes fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or activated by parthenogenetic activation. Only two of the 35 pronuclear oocytes fertilized by spermatozoa (control) demonstrated one single penetrating spermatozoa. In contrast, the majority of ICSI and parthenogenetically activated pronuclear oocytes were penetrated with an average of three spermatozoa per oocyte. The number of fused and binding spermatozoa of ICSI and parthenogenetically activated oocytes were significantly higher than in control oocytes (3.5+/-0.6 and 4.3+/-0.6 for ICSI; 3.0+/-0.3 and 3.8+/-0.4 for activated and 0.2+/-0.1 and 0.6+/-0.2 for controls, respectively, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the cortical granules were released from the cortex of ICSI and calcium ionophore-puromycin-activated pronuclear oocytes to the same extent as that of pronuclear oocytes fertilized by spermatozoa. These results suggest that the establishment of the plasma membrane block to sperm penetration in the human oocyte may require a fusion process between sperm and oocyte plasma membranes.
Cell Membrane↗
Histological evaluation of coronary plaque in patients with variant angina: relationship between vasospasm and neointimal hyperplasia in primary coronary lesions.
OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine whether coronary vasospasm in patients with variant angina pectoris (VAP) may produce focal organic lesions at the site of vasospasm that would contribute to disease progression. BACKGROUND: Recent clinical angiographic and experimental studies have demonstrated the potential role of vasospasm in the worsening of organic coronary stenosis. METHODS: We studied histologically the coronary plaques obtained at atherectomy in 202 patients with moderate to severe coronary stenosis. This population included 22 patients with VAP, 100 patients with chronic stable angina and 80 patients with restenosis following angioplasty or atherectomy. Diagnosis of VAP was based on both the clinical feature of angina at rest associated with ST elevation and a positive response to acetylcholine provocation test. RESULTS: The most common histological appearance in 92% of patients with stable angina was hypocellular fibroatheromatous plaques, whereas neointimal hyperplasia was the characteristic feature of the plaque observed in 90% of patients with restenosis. The coronary specimens at the site of spasm in 15 of the 22 patients (68%) with VAP demonstrated intimal injuries such as neointimal hyperplasia (15), thrombus formation (2), and intimal hemorrhage (3). Neointimal hyperplasia was significantly more common in the patients with VAP as compared with those with stable angina (68% vs. 8%; p < 0.0001). A rapid progression of organic stenosis within three years was angiographically found in 5 of the 22 patients with variant angina. In all five cases, neointimal hyperplasia was the main contributor to the worsening of the organic lesion at the site of spasm. These histological findings in patients with VAP extremely resembled those in restenosis. Except for vasospasm, no factors significantly predicted the presence of neointimal formations in primary coronary lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary vasospasm may provoke vascular injury that leads to the formation of neointima in VAP patients similar to that seen with restenosis. Coronary spasm may thus play a key role in the rapid coronary stenosis progression in certain patients with VAP.
Adult↗
The clinical efficacy of low-dose step-up follicle stimulating hormone administration for treatment of unexplained infertility.
The present study was designed to compare the clinical efficacy of low-dose step-up follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) administration with conventional FSH protocol (FSH was injected daily starting with a dose of 150 IU), both combined with intrauterine insemination (IUI), for the treatment of unexplained infertility. A total of 97 unexplained infertility couples was randomly assigned to one or other of the two treatment groups, either conventional FSH with IUI (48 patients) or low-dose step-up FSH with IUI (49 patients), and only the first treatment cycle was evaluated in each protocol. The difference in pregnancy rates per cycle was not statistically significant between the low-dose FSH group and the conventional group [seven of 49 (14.3%) and seven of 48 (14.6%) respectively]. A significant reduction in the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) was observed in the low-dose group (8.3% versus 27.1%, P < 0.05). The incidence of moderate OHSS requiring hospitalization was reduced significantly in the low-dose group (low-dose 0% versus conventional 16.7%, P < 0.01). However, the low-dose protocol did not completely prevent multiple pregnancies. Our results suggest that the low-dose step-up FSH treatment appeared to be useful for the treatment of unexplained infertility because of the high pregnancy rates and the significant decrease in the incidence of OHSS.
Adult↗
Life-style related factors and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy--a case-control study using pooled controls.
A case-control study was conducted to investigate how basic habits of life including dietary habit, physical activity, cigarette smoking, and drinking, are involved in the development of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Collection of cases was entrusted to the clinical research group of DCM, and national pooled controls established by sex and age category by the epidemiological research group of intractable diseases were used to ensure representativeness of the controls. Fifty-eight cases of DCM which developed in and after January 1991 were collected, and 5,912 controls matched with the cases by residential area, sex, and age were selected. Analysis of the results of the study showed that items in the questionnaire suggestive of viral infection, such as "susceptibility to common cold" and "susceptibility to diarrhea", items concerning dietary habit, including "taking no breakfast", "ingestion of salty food", and "ingestion of fatty food", and such items as "cigarette smoking" and "lack of sleep" tended to be observed in the case group at significantly higher frequencies. Since viral infection has been suspected as a causative factor of DCM, further research of this area is thought to be of particular importance for determining the etiology of DCM.
Adult↗
STAZ: interactive software for undergraduate statistics.
STAZ is an interactive computer program that demonstrates statistical concepts, many of which cannot be readily demonstrated using conventional methods. Use of dynamic graphics encourages active engagement with challenging statistical concepts. The program consists of 13 graphical demonstrations, most of which allow for interactive participation by students. A detailed Help file with guided explanations accompanies each demonstration. STAZ is a multiple document interface program that makes full use of Windows features, such as tiling, links, and multitasking. Designed to be used as a supplement for any undergraduate statistics course, STAZ may be used by either instructors in class-room settings or students working independently.
Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
Mushroom bodies of the cockroach: activity and identities of neurons recorded in freely moving animals.
This article describes novel attributes of the mushroom bodies of cockroaches revealed by recording from neurons in freely moving insects. The results suggest several hitherto unrecognized functions of the mushroom bodies: extrinsic neurons that discriminate between imposed and self-generated sensory stimulation, extrinsic neurons that monitor motor actions, and a third class of extrinsic neurons that predict episodes of locomotion and modulate their activity depending on the turning direction. Electrophysiological units have been correlated with neurons that were partially stained by uptake of copper ions and silver intensification. Neurons so revealed correspond to Golgi-impregnated or Lucifer yellow-filled neurons and demonstrate that their processes generally ascend to other areas of the protocerebrum. The present results support the idea of multiple roles for the mushroom bodies. These include sensory discrimination, the integration of sensory perception with motor actions, and, as described in the companion article, a role in place memory.
Animals↗
Topography of modular subunits in the mushroom bodies of the cockroach.
The mushroom body (MB), a conspicuous neuropil structure in the insect brain, is implicated in associative memory and in some aspects of motor control. Intrinsic neurons of the MB (Kenyon cells) extend dendrites into the calyx, and their axons run through the pedunculus and then bifurcate to form the alpha and the beta lobes. At the pedunculus and the lobes, Kenyon cells make synaptic connections with dendrites of extrinsic (output) neurons. Previously, we reported that the alpha lobe of the cockroach MB consists of repetitive modular subunits (Mizunami et al. [1997] Neurosci. Lett. 229:153-156). Each subunit is composed of a dark layer and a light layer, and the layers are refereed to as slabs. Each slab is composed of axons of a specific subset of Kenyon cells. In the present study, we examined serial sections of reduced silver preparations and found that each dark and light slab continues throughout the length of the pedunculus and the alpha and beta lobes. We also found that Golgi-impregnated Kenyon cells often exhibit a characteristic grouping, forming a thin sheet interlaced by dozens or hundreds of axons. The sheet is much thinner than the slab, and each sheet remains within a particular slab throughout the length of the pedunculus and the lobes. Thus, the sheet is a component forming the slab. In the pedunculus and the beta lobe, a class of Golgi-impregnated extrinsic neurons exhibit segmented dendritelike arbors that interact with every other slab, i.e., either with only dark or light slabs. Because each neuron of this class interacts with each particular set of dark or light slabs, we conclude that the slabs are units for transmitting output signals from the MB.
Animal Structures↗
Topography of four classes of Kenyon cells in the mushroom bodies of the cockroach.
Mushroom bodies (MBs), which are higher centers in the insect brain, are implicated in associative memory and in the control of some behaviors. Intrinsic neurons of the MB, called Kenyon cells, receive synaptic inputs from axon terminals of input neurons in the calyx. Axons of Kenyon cells project into the pedunculus and to the alpha and beta lobes, where they make synaptic connections with dendrites of extrinsic (output) neurons. In this study, we examined the morphology of Kenyon cells in the cockroach by using Golgi stains and found that they can be classified into four classes (K1, K2, K3, and K4), according to the diameter, location, and morphology of the cell bodies, dendrites, and axons. The somata of Kenyon cells of different classes occupy different concentric zones; K1 cells occupy the most central zone, and K4 cells occupy the most peripheral zone. The main processes of Kenyon cells of different classes also occupy different concentric zones in the calyx. Dendrites of K2 and K3 cells are distributed throughout the calycal neuropil, whereas those of K1 and K4 cells cover the outer and inner halves of the depth of the neuropil, respectively. In the pedunculus and the alpha and beta lobes, axons of Kenyon cells of different classes occupy different zones, although the separation is not complete. A class of extrinsic neurons in the a lobe has dendrite-like arbors that cover the zones where either K1, K2, or K3 are located. These neurons probably transmit signals of each class of Kenyon cells. We conclude that, in the cockroach, four classes of Kenyon cells subdivide the cell body region, pedunculus, and lobes of the MBs, whereas subdivision is less prominent in the calycal neuropil.
Animal Structures↗
Effect of probucol on smooth muscle cell proliferation and dedifferentiation after vascular injury in rabbits: possible role of PDGF.
We previously reported a clinical study in which probucol reduced the restenosis rate. The mechanism of this effect is unclear. Restenosis is characterized by neointimal hyperplasia caused by proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which increases the expression of Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A and SMemb. SMemb, a non-muscle-type myosin heavy chain most predominantly expressed in embryonic smooth muscle, can be used as a good molecular marker for dedifferentiated SMC. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of probucol on neointimal proliferation and the level of expression of PDGF-A and SMemb after balloon injury in rabbits. Probucol was given orally 1.3 g/d from 2 weeks prior to carotid balloon injury to the time of killing (2 or 4 weeks after balloon injury). Intimal area was determined histologically using a computerized morphometry program. For quantification of SMC proliferation, alpha-actin-positive cells and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-labeled cells were counted. The expression of PDGF-A and SMemb mRNA was analyzed by the RNase protection assay. SMemb expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Probucol remarkably decreased intimal area by 70% and the number of SMC and PCNA-labeled cells in the intima. The expression of PDGF-A mRNA was significantly increased after balloon injury in untreated rabbits, whereas it was markedly suppressed with probucol treatment. The expression of SMemb was significantly increased in injured arteries at mRNA and protein levels. However, probucol did not suppress SMemb expression. Probucol is effective in preventing SMC proliferation, which is possibly due to a decrease in the expression of PDGF.
Angioplasty, Balloon↗
The antiatherogenic effect of nifedipine on intramural small coronary arterial lesions in cholesterol-fed rabbits.
The objective of this study was to examine the suppressive effect of nifedipine on intramural coronary arterial lesions in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Each rabbit in Groups A (n=6) and B (n=5) was fed a 0.3% cholesterol diet and was orally administered nifedipine (40 mg/day) or placebo. Each rabbit in Groups C (n=5) and D (n=6) was fed a 0.5% cholesterol diet and was orally administered nifedipine (40 mg/day) or placebo. The serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) were determined at 1-week intervals to calculate the integrated values. The lesion induction ratio was defined as the ratio of intramural coronary arteries 50-150 microm in diameter with arterial lipoidosis to the total number of arteries of the same diameter. There were no significant differences between the nifedipine-treated and placebo groups in either the integrated TC or lesion induction ratio in either the 0.3% and 0.5% cholesterol-fed rabbits. This study demonstrates that nifedipine does not suppress atherogenesis in the intramural small coronary arteries of cholesterol-fed rabbits.
Administration, Oral↗