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S Kasuya

Publications and source records attributed to S Kasuya.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

A modified agar plate method for detection of Strongyloides stercoralis.

The agar plate method is a new technique with high detection rates for coprological diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis. This report details modifications of the technique and establishes a standardized procedure. We recommend that all plates should be carefully observed using a microscope because macroscopic observation can lead to false negative results. It is also advisable to pour formalin solution directly into microscopically positive dishes to collect worms by sedimentation. This procedure enables one to observe worms otherwise hidden. Sealing dishes with adhesive tape prevents larvae from crawling out of the dishes, eliminating any possibility in the reduction of detection rates, and greatly improves the safety conditions for the technician performing the procedure. We consider the agar plate method to be superior to the filter paper method in detecting Strongyloides, and we believe that it will eventually become the technique of choice.

Animals↗

Prediction of preserved flow to the infarct area based on admission electrocardiogram in anterior wall acute myocardial infarction.

To determine whether preserved flow to the infarct area could be predicted from the admission electrocardiogram and to define the effect of preserved flow on the late results after reperfusion, 20 anterior myocardial infarction patients who were successfully reperfused were studied. Patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) no-flow group (8 patients), with an occluded infarct-related artery and no easily visible collaterals; (2) intact collateral group (6 patients); and (3) subtotal obstruction group (6 patients). From the admission electrocardiogram, the sum of ST-segment elevation (sigma ST), the sum of R-wave amplitude (sigma R) in leads V1 through V6 and the ratio of these (sigma R/sigma ST) were measured. There was no significant difference in sigma R among the 3 groups. The no-flow group had significantly lower sigma R/sigma ST and higher sigma ST than the intact collateral group or subtotal obstruction group. All patients (6 of 6) with subtotal obstruction and all except 1 patient (5 of 6) with intact collateral showed sigma R/sigma ST greater than 2.5 or sigma ST less than 2.0 mV. All patients (8 of 8) with no flow showed sigma R/sigma ST less than or equal to 2.5 and all except 1 patient with no flow (7 of 8) showed sigma ST greater than or equal to 2.0 mV. The regional wall motion was assessed by the radial method at 4 weeks. The mean percentage systolic shortening in the anterior and apical regions was significantly correlated with sigma R/sigma ST (r = 0.75, p less than 0.001) and sigma ST (r = -0.65, p less than 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Lethal efficacy of extract from Zingiber officinale (traditional Chinese medicine) or [6]-shogaol and [6]-gingerol in Anisakis larvae in vitro.

The authors previously reported that an extract from Zingiber officinale, traditionally eaten along with raw fish and used in traditional Chinese medicine, effectively destroyed Anisakis larvae in vitro. In this study, we analyzed the effective components of ginger rhizomes. Methanol extracts were fractionated after first being treated with HCl at pH 3, then with NaHCO3 at pH 10, and, finally, with NaOH at pH 13 (fraction 1). In general, this fraction is rich in neutral substances. [6]-Shogaol and [6]-gingerol, known neutral components of ginger rhizomes, were detected using gas chromatography and were found to be the most prevalent components in the fraction, occurring in quantities that resulted in a dose-dependent killing efficacy. Authentic [6]-shogaol and [6]-gingerol could kill Anisakis larvae at a minimal effective dose of 62.5 and 250 micrograms/ml, respectively. However, the concentration of [6]-gingerol in fraction 1 was greater than 20 times that of [6]-shogaol, making the former the most active component in the fraction. Furthermore, synergistic effects between [6]-gingerol and a small amount of [6]-shogaol were observed. Pyrantel pamoate, an available antinematodal drug, had no lethal effect, even at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. In saline solution containing [6]-shogaol (62.5 micrograms/ml), greater than 90% of larvae lost spontaneous movement within 4 h and were destroyed completely within 16 h. Microscopical examinations showed destruction of the digestive tract and disturbances of culticulae.

Animals↗

Trombiculid mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) and Rickettsia tsutsugamushi isolated from wild rodents in a new endemic area of Japan.

Investigations of trombiculid mites and Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in wild rodents were made in southern Gifu Prefecture where patients infected with tsutsugamushi disease recently have been found. A total of 16,396 trombiculid mites, consisting of 10 species from three genera, was collected from 170 Apodemus speciosus in two locations. Kani-Sakahogi and Kuze. Leptotrombidium scutellare (Nagayo et al.) (44.0%) was most predominant, followed by L. pallidum (Nagayo et al.) (26.9%); L. fuji (Kuwata et al.) (13.6%); and Gahrliepia saduski Womersley (14.2%). These four species constituted the bulk of the chigger mite fauna. L. scutellare was present from October to February with a remarkably high peak in November, whereas pallidum occurred from November to March with the highest peak in December. L. fuji and G. saduski showed their highest peaks in December and moderate peaks in early summer (April and May). Positive identification of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in wild rodents from Kani-Sakahogi were found to be 50 and 58.3% in November 1985 and 1986, respectively, and 38.5% in November 1986 from Kuze. R. tsutsugamushi was isolated from chigger mites of an L. pallidum-rich group, displaying the highest titer to Karp strain. Serological investigation of rodents to R. tsutsugamushi antibodies were calculated as 41.6 and 50% positive in November 1985 and 1986 in Kani-Sakahogi, respectively, and 50% in November 1986 in Kuze. The Karp strain was dominant in specificity to antibodies. These results indicate that the surveyed areas have a high probability of occurrence of tsutsugamushi disease, and L. scutellare and L. pallidum may serve as the vectors in these areas. Particularly, we suggest that L. scutellare is the most important vector which has caused a recent outbreak of this disease in southern Gifu Prefecture.

Animals↗

Experimental pulmonary eosinophilia in mice by Ascaris suum extract.

The transnasal administration of an extract of the parasite Ascaris suum (Asc) to C57BL/6 mice for 3 wk produced marked eosinophilia in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. This pulmonary eosinophilia was not accompanied by blood eosinophilia. The oral administration of cyclosporin, 50 mg/kg body weight, every other day significantly suppressed the pulmonary eosinophilia. Athymic C57BL/6-nu/nu mice failed to develop pulmonary eosinophilia. These data indicate that pulmonary eosinophilia caused by this parasite extract is T-cell-dependent. Genetically mast-cell-deficient (WB X C57BL/6)F1-W/WV (W/WV) mice developed marked eosinophilia in the BAL, which shows that mast cells are not necessary in the formation of eosinophilia in BAL in this model. C57BL/6, W/WV, and Balb-C mice that developed eosinophilia in the BAL also showed elevated total IgE levels and IgE titers against Asc in the sera. On the other hand, C57BL/6-nu/nu mice and IgE low-responder SJL mice, which developed little eosinophilia, did not show elevated total IgE levels and IgE titers against Asc in the sera. However, oral administration of cyclosporin, 50 mg/kg, which inhibited eosinophilia in the BAL in C57BL/6 mice, did not significantly inhibit the elevation of total IgE or IgE against Asc in the sera. This indicates that serum IgE production is not required for the formation of eosinophilia.

Animals↗

[A rare case of airway foreign bodies complicated with flail chest following traffic accident].

A 30-year-old man was taken to the emergency room of this hospital because of chest injury following traffic accident. On arrival he was found to be dyspneic due to multiple rib fractures (flail chest) and tension pneumothorax on the left, and was intubated immediately concomitantly with a chest drainage. During the management with the respirator, he was also noticed to have continuous bleeding from the airway. The X-ray film of the chest showed a suspicion of foreign materials on the right hilar region and subsequent bronchoscopic examination revealed the presence of several fragments of a broken windshield in the bronchial trees. Nine fragments were removed bronchoscopically. Tracheal tube was extubated on the 14th day and he was discharged on the 28th day without any sequela.

Accidents, Traffic↗

[A case of aorto-coronary bypass surgery in a hypophysectomized male patient].

A 53-year-old hypophysectomized male patient who had been on adjuvant therapy with cortizol and thyroxin, underwent aorto-coronary bypass surgery for angina pectoris with 3 vessel obstruction. Following revascularization surgery, he had an uneventful course until 8th post-operative day, when he experienced about of unconsciousness which was relieved by intravenous hydrocortizon supplement. Simultaneously complicated bradycardia and peripheral coldness were considered to be due to lowered serum T3 and T4 values. By the time the thyroid function stabilized, three times as much as preoperative dosage of thyroxin had to be administered for 34 days. The control of the hypothyroidism plays an important role in the postoperative management of the patient with panhypopituitarism after the cardiac surgery.

Angina Pectoris↗

An evaluation of the agar plate method for the detection of Strongyloides stercoralis in northern Thailand.

An examination of the stools from school-children in northern Thailand was performed in order to compare the efficacy of a new method--the agar plate method--for the detection of Strongyloides stercoralis with traditional methods. Twenty-three positive specimens (15.5%) from a total of 148 specimens were detected as follows: 18 cases by the agar plate method, 13 cases by direct stool smear, 11 cases by filter paper culture, and four cases by the formalin-ether method (MGL). On the basis of the above results, the agar plate method appeared to be more efficient than traditional methods for detecting Strongyloides in human stool samples. Other positive factors in its favour were ease of manipulation and low cost. There were some problems with using this method. Five cases shown to be positive by traditional methods were negative in the agar plate method, and it was necessary to discriminate Strongyloides microscopically from other similar nematode larvae, especially in an area, such as northern Thailand, with a high prevalence of hookworms.

Animals↗

Eosinophilia in mouse regulated by multiple factors following repeated stimulations with ascaris eggs into the peritoneal cavity.

Repeated injections of viable eggs of Ascaris suum into the peritoneal cavity of BALB/c mice induced marked peritoneal eosinophilia (9.3 X 10(6) cells/mouse, 52.8%) without infection. Extracted antigen (Asc) and eggs that had been killed also were able to induce marked eosinophilia; however, their levels were significantly lower (p less than 0.001). This experimental system was able to demonstrate how various multiple factors cumulatively affected the degree of peritoneal eosinophilia. These factors included: mechanical stimulation, caused by the repeated peritoneal lavages (4.4 X 10(5) cells/mouse), against a background level of peritoneal eosinophils of 4.5 X 10(4) cells/mouse; T-cell-independent stimulation, observed when the viable eggs were injected repeatedly into athymic nude mice (nu/nu; 1.6 X 10(6) cells/mouse), while on the other hand, neither eggs that had been killed nor Asc displayed any T-cell-independent augmentation of eosinophilia; and, T-cell-dependent augmentation of peritoneal eosinophilia, observed in heterozygous athymic mice (nu/+), in thymocyte-reconstituted nu/nu, and in normal BALB/c mice. Egg culture supernatant could not act on bone marrow cells to support eosinophil colony formation. In conclusion, only viable eggs were considered prime inducers, consisting of T-independent and T-dependent parts exerting cumulative effects.

Animals↗

Malignant spindle cell tumor of the pericardium. Evidence of sarcomatous mesothelioma with aberrant antigen expression.

A case of malignant spindle cell tumor occurring in the pericardium is presented. The tumor arose from the pericardium of a 51-year-old Japanese woman with no history of exposure to asbestos. The tumor extended into the pericardial and left pleural cavities. The primary and metastatic tumors consisted of fusiform cells with frequent mitoses. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells possessed a discontinuous external lamina, cytoplasmic processes, microfilaments and desmosomal intercellular junctions. Immunohistochemical examination showed that most tumor cells were positive for Leu 7, and several for S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Unexpectedly, most of the tumor cells also expressed keratin. These findings favor a diagnosis of sarcomatous mesothelioma with aberrant antigenic expression or heterogeneous differentiation of neoplastic cells.

Female↗

Intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand: an analysis of the present situation.

Stool examination from primary schoolchildren in Chiang Mai Province, north Thailand, was performed to determine the present state of parasitic infections in this area. Out of a total of 491 children, 239 proved positive (48.7%). The most common type of parasite was found to be soil-transmitted helminths such as hookworm (26.3%) or Strongyloides stercoralis (11.2%), while Ascaris lumbricoides was not so prevalent (1.2% being positive in one school out of three). These results are in contrast to earlier reports showing higher prevalence rates, leading the authors to hypothesize that improvements in sanitary conditions and eradication projects have been effective. Opisthorchiasis is another parasitic disease with a relatively high prevalence rate of 7.5%. This disease rate increases with age and it was found in two out of three schools (8.3-15.8%) and was the most common type of helminth infection. Ascariasis was not seen in these two schools, but strongyloidiasis was found to be the second most prevalent helminthiasis, having a higher infection rate than hookworm. Therefore, eradication efforts now need to be directed toward eliminating opisthorchiasis and strongyloidiasis in addition to continuing to eradicate ascariasis and hookworm infections. The most common protozoal infection with a high pathogenicity in this region was found to be giardiasis (7.7%).

Adolescent↗

Steroid-sparing effect of ketotifen in steroid-dependent asthmatics: a long period evaluation in 12 patients.

An open pilot study was carried out over a period of more than 2 years to assess the steroid-sparing effect of ketotifen (1 mg twice daily) in 12 steroid-dependent asthmatic patients. Daily steroid consumption (prednisolone equivalent) was calculated for the year before and for 1 and 2 years of ketotifen treatment from the total of all doses given throughout the year. Results showed that in 6 of the 12 patients who responded with reduced steroid consumption the mean daily dose decreased from 5.7 mg to 4.1 mg/day (p less than 0.05) in the first year of ketotifen: the final mean reduction rate at the end of the 2-year trail was 83.6% (p less than 0.005). Furthermore, the mean daily consumption of beta 2-stimulants (salbutamol equivalent) decreased from 8.7 to 6.2 mg/day (p less than 0.025) in the responders. In the 6 non-responders, there was a slight increase in mean daily steroid consumption from 2.4 mg to 3.0 mg/day. The most frequently reported side-effect of ketotifen was dizziness, which occurred in one-third of the patients; all patients, however, were able to continue with treatment.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Inhibitory immunization using complete Freund's adjuvant on ongoing eosinophilia induced by repeated antigen-stimulations in guinea pigs.

Ongoing eosinophilia, in guinea pigs repeatedly sensitized with dinitrophenylated (DNP)-Ascaris antigen (DNP-Asc) into the peritoneal cavity, was suppressed significantly by complementary immunizations with a heterologous antigen, e.g., ovalbumin (OA) or bovine gamma-globulin (BGG) emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Challenge injections of DNP-OA or DNP-BGG elicited peritoneal eosinophilia in animals that were sensitized repeatedly with DNP-Asc. Under these conditions, antigen specificity in suppressive immunization was studied. Eosinophilia, induced by DNP-OA challenge, was suppressed by immunization with either OA in CFA or BGG in CFA. However, Asc (homologous carrier of sensitizing antigen) elicited no suppression. Additionally, CFA, used as an adjuvant, played an important role in suppressive immunization, but CFA alone had no effect in suppressing peritoneal eosinophilia. Anti-DNP antibody, detected by hemagglutination test or passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, was not affected by complementary immunization. These results suggested that peritoneal eosinophilia was suppressed concomitantly by a supplemental immunization in an antigen-nonspecific manner. Eosinophilia in the bone marrow also was suppressed significantly by complementary immunization, but the pattern was quite different from that shown in the peritoneal cavity. The first nuclear cell response peak after challenging, including eosinophils, was stanched completely by CFA itself. The second nuclear cell peak, on day 5, recovered, but eosinophil response continued to be suppressed.

Animals↗