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Biomedical subjects

S Chihara

Publications and source records attributed to S Chihara.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

[The role of hospice in Japan].

It was more than 15 years ago that the concept of Hospice Care was introduced to Japan through the activity of St. Christopher's Hospice established in London, 1967. At that time medico-social circumstances in our country were not necessarily desirable for both doctors and patients, especially for terminally ill cancer patients. In this paper, some factors spoiling the good relationships between doctors and patients will be analyzed and the importance of Hospice in our country will be explained based on the 10 years' practice and experience at Seirei Hospice. Moreover, some details on how to take care of terminally ill cancer patients will be mentioned. Conclusively, it should be emphasised that the special department of terminal care medicine for cancer patients must be organized, and the appearance of doctors who devotedly attend to the practical activity for terminal care is heartly expected.

Hospices↗
PubMed1989

Dynamic aspects of airborne bacterial flora over an experimental area in a suburb and distribution of resistant strains to antibacterial agents among airborne staphylococci.

Airborne bacterial floras were investigated at stations A to E and P on the UOEH campus located in a suburb of the city of Kitakyushu. Bacterial collections were carried out by a filtration method using a soluble gelatin foam filter at an altitude of 1 m from the ground and viable bacterial cells were enumerated on nutrient agar plates supplemented with 50 micrograms/ml cycloheximide. At station P, where airborne bacterial composition was evaluated as a mean value of 20 repeated experiments, there were 42% Gram-positive cocci, 37% Gram-positive rods, 3.5% Bacillus strains and 5.5% Gram-negative rods. Fluctuating values of cell amounts for Gram-positive cocci and rods during these experiments suggested that in the atmospheric layer near the ground, the former was a more transient group of airborne bacteria than the latter. When airborne bacterial flora over the experimental area was surveyed by observations at six stations, the dispersion profile of bacterial flora closely corresponded to vegetating states on the surface of the ground. Over vegetating areas, airborne bacterial flora appeared in about equal amounts of Gram-positive rods and cocci, while over bare ground, Gram-positive rods appeared more abundantly than Gram-positive cocci. To investigate the distribution of drug-resistant strains among airborne bacteria, sensitivity tests to six antibiotics were carried out with S. xylosus strains isolated at stations P and E. As a result, considerable amounts of single-drug-resistant strains for TC (DOX) and EM were recognized, but the distribution of multiple-drug-resistant S. xylosus was restricted to a few strains.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1989

[The role of radiotherapy in hospice care].

The aim of palliative radiotherapy for the terminally ill is to improve the quality of the remaining span of life. From November 1982 to September 1987, 69 patients in the Seirei Hospice have been treated with such radiotherapy, and symptomatic relief was obtained in 64% of these patients. Radiotherapy also proved useful in achieving an improvement in their performance status. While the aim of hospice care is not directed towards treatment of the underlying disease, the use of radiotherapy is considered to have an important role in hospice care.

Hospices↗
PubMed1989

[Hospice].

Terminal care for cancer patients must be oriented to the dignity of human being. For this purpose our hospice has five principles, that is, to control physical pain, to relieve spiritual problems, to settle socio-economical matters, to give religious support and lighten family loads. To put into practice these five principles, various kinds of staff take their places as caregivers: physicians, nurses, helpers, chaplains, psychiatrists and voluntary workers. Moreover, the Hospice has many facilities such as a community hall, a kitchen for family members, guestrooms for family members and friends, a chapel for services and patient's rooms with one bed which make it possible for the patients to communicate intimately with family members or friends. During these 7 years, from April '81 to March '88, 398 terminally ill cancer patients have been treated at the Seirei Hospice. Through these experience, we have observed that most of terminally ill cancer patients do wish to live as long as possible in good condition without physical pain. So, we should conclusively emphasize that medical treatment including radiotherapy and cancer chemotherapy, attempting to reduce the physical distresses, ought to be continued until the time when the treatment might come to waste the patient's energy and only increase their agony.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Frequency and voltage dependent effects of AN-132, a new class I anti-arrhythmic agent, on Vmax of action potential upstroke in guinea pig ventricular muscles.

The in vitro electrophysiological properties of a newly synthesised antiarrhythmic agent, AN-132, were evaluated by recording transmembrane action potentials from guinea pig papillary muscles. AN-132 (10-100 mumol.litre-1) caused a dose dependent decrease in the maximum upstroke velocity (Vmax) of the action potential without affecting the resting potential. In the presence of AN-132, trains of stimuli at rates greater than or equal to 0.1 Hz led to an exponential decline in Vmax. This use dependent block was enhanced at higher stimulation frequency. The time constant for the recovery of Vmax from the use dependent block was 39.5-41.2 s. The curves relating membrane potential and Vmax were shifted by AN-132 (100 mumol.litre-1) in the direction of more negative potentials (6.1 mV). In preparations treated with AN-132 (30 and 100 mumol.litre-1), the Vmax of test action potentials preceded by conditioning clamp pulses to 0 mV was progressively decreased with an increasing number of pulses. A single prolonged clamp pulse to 0 mV reduced Vmax much less than multiple brief clamp pulses. These findings suggest than AN-132 has use dependent inhibitory action on the fast sodium channel by binding to the channel mainly during its activated state and that the unbinding rate of the drug during diastole is very slow. This use dependency and its greater inhibition of Vmax in depolarised muscles through the increase in tonic block may play a major role in preventing ventricular arrhythmias.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1987

Mechanical and electrical responses to alpha-adrenoceptor activation in the circular muscle of guinea-pig stomach.

1 In the circular muscle of the corpus region of the guinea-pig stomach, the effects of catecholamines on mechanical activity were studied with simultaneous recording of membrane potential by use of intracellular microelectrodes. In order to investigate responses mediated through alpha-adrenoceptors, the beta-adrenoceptors were blocked by propranolol (10(-6) M) in most experiments. 2 Adrenaline (less than 10(-6) M) produced a monophasic contraction with little change in membrane potential. At higher concentrations (greater than 10(-5) M), adrenaline usually produced an early transient contraction followed by a slow tonic contraction. During the early phase, the membrane was hyperpolarized and slow waves were reduced in amplitude. 3 The phasic contractions superimposed on the late slow phase of the contractile response were higher in frequency and larger in amplitude than in controls before adrenaline application. These changes were associated with an increase in the amplitude and frequency of slow waves, and with a spike-like component appearing on the top of each slow wave. 4 Adrenaline-induced changes in mechanical and electrical activity were inhibited by prazosin, but largely unaffected by yohimbine. In some preparations, there was a transient weak inhibition of phasic contraction before muscle tone was increased by adrenaline, and this became more pronounced in the presence of yohimbine. 5 Phenylephrine, selective for alpha 1-receptors, produced responses very similar to those of adrenaline, whereas agonists selective for alpha 2-receptors, clonidine and B-HT 920, produced only a small slow contraction without any clear change in membrane potential. 6 It is concluded that in the circular muscle of guinea-pig stomach, the contractile response and changes in the electrical slow wave activity produced by adrenaline are both mediated mainly through the activation of alpha-receptors.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1985

[Drug susceptibility of staphylococci isolated from clinical specimens].

Eighty-eight strains of staphylococci were isolated from a variety of specimens collected from patients at our university hospital from June to August 1982. These strains were identified as Staphylococcus aureus (86%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (6.8%), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (2.3%), Staphylococcus capitis (2.3%), and Staphylococcus simulans (1.1%). One strain could not be identified with certainty as a currently recognized species. A majority (70%) of the S. aureus strains was resistant to two or more of the following drugs; penicillin G, kanamycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol. As for susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics, most of the strains that were resistant to penicillin G were also resistant to aminobenzyl penicillin and cephalexin. Whereas none of the strains was resistant to methicillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, nor cefmetazole, and only a few strains were resistant to cefoperazone or cefazolin or both. Over 50% of the S. aureus strains were found to be resistant to each of four aminoglycosides (Kanamycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, and sagamicin), while only 5% of the strains were resistant to amikacin. Multiple resistance to the above four aminoglycosides was observed among more than 40% of the S. aureus strains, and also observed among three of six strains of S. epidermidis.

Aminoglycosides↗
PubMed1985

Effects of an indazole derivative, FKK, a novel bronchodilator, on the cardiovascular system in dogs.

The cardiovascular effects of FKK (2,3-dihydro-7-methyl-9-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo [1,2-a]indazolium bromide) were compared with those of aminophylline and isoproterenol in anesthetized dogs. The doses of the three drugs used were sufficient to cause significant tracheal dilation in the anesthetized dogs. FKK (0.1-3.0 mg/kg, i.v.) slightly increased respiratory frequency, left ventricular (LV) dp/dt max and myocardial contractile force. A slight increase followed by a decrease was observed in systemic blood pressure and LV systolic pressure. The drug caused direct vasodilation in the coronary, mesenteric and femoral vasculatures, but had no effect on the renal vasculature. Similar results were obtained with aminophylline (0.3-30.0 mg/kg, i.v.) and isoproterenol (0.003-0.3 microgram/kg, i.v.), but their effects on the measured cardiac parameters were much more potent and long-lasting than those of FKK, when compared in doses producing a bronchodilation in similar magnitude. It is particularly pertinent that FKK (30 mg/kg, i.d., enough to cause marked bronchodilation), unlike aminophylline (30 mg/kg, i.d.), did not significantly influence the cardiovascular system.

Aminophylline↗
PubMed1984

[Mutagenesis of amino and/or methyl analogs of acridine in Salmonella and yeast: a comparison between the spot-test and the pre-incubation methods].

The relationship between mutagenic activities and chemical structure of acridine derivatives was examined by using Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 1537 and TA 1977 and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Most analogs with amino and/or methyl group(s) caused frameshift-type mutation in Salmonella without mammalian microsomal enzyme activation. The 9-amino analogs were strong mutagens and mutagenicity was also increased when 10-position was methylated in 1-amino and 2-amino compounds. However, 9-amino derivatives did not cause mitochondrial mutation in yeast, where 3,6-diamino and/or 10-methyl groups were structural requisites for significant mutagenic activity. In comparison with the pre-incubation method, the spot-test method was shown to be less sensitive. The mutagenicity of some compounds could not be detected by the spot-test method. Mutagenic activities of these drugs were revealed and increased markedly with an increase in pre-incubation period up to 20 min, suggesting that the pre-incubation of tester bacteria with a compound prior to a mutagenicity assay is necessary for the detection of mutagenesis of these compounds.

Acridines↗
PubMed1977

A comparative study of the mechanical properties in aging alveolar wall.

Alveolar wall from the lung of aging humans shows a progressive decrease in maximal extensibility, which should follow an increase in resting tissue length rather than a reduction in maximal length. An increase in resting tissue length is compatible with the change in lung volumes and reduction in elastic recoil that occurs with time. A model of the lung was used to compare the effects of a change in resting tissue length in diminishing elastic recoil with that of a reduction in the volume density of the elastic elements (emphysema). Such differentiation is important in selecting an animal that may model the aging or emphysematous lung. In the rat, rabbit, and horse, alveolar walls show no decrease in maximal extensibility with age. In the male monkey (M. nemestrina and M. mulatta) between birth and 2.4 years there is a decrease in maximal extensibility that lacks significance for the limited age span examined. On the other hand, the energy loss in length-tension cycling (hysteresis) of alveolar wall increases in aging humans, diminishes in rats and rabbits, and shows little change in horses and monkeys. The breaking force of alveolar wall increases with age in rats and rabbits but does not change significantly in the other species. Of these species, the monkey promises a better model of the age-related changes in maximal extensibility of alveolar wall. A measure of maximal extensibility can distinguish the effects of dilatation of air spaces from those of destruction of alveolar wall in causing loss of lung elastic recoil.

Adolescent↗