Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Nakata.
RNA editing of tomato orf206, postulated to encode a subunit of the ABC-type heme transporter involved in the biogenesis of cytochrome c, was analyzed by sequencing products of RT-PCR. While half of the transcripts were fully edited, others were heterogeneous as a result of partial or unusual editing.
We experienced a case of a recurrent left atrial myxoma in a pregnant woman with twin fetuses. Normal healthy twins weighing 1430 and 1190 gm were delivered by cesarean section performed under epidural anesthesia at 32 weeks gestation. Neither cardiac failure nor embolisms were observed during pregnancy or delivery. The left atrial myxoma was removed surgically one week after delivery. The infants and mother remain in good health. According to previous reports and our present observations, the decision for cardiac surgery during pregnancy should be based on the maternal and fetal status.
Cigarette smoking is considered to be a risk factor of bladder cancer. We investigated the relationship between bladder cancer mortality rates and cigarette smoking prevalence in various countries, and examined whether only the difference of smoking prevalence could explain the difference of mortality rates of bladder cancer in each country or not. The age-adjusted mortality rates from bladder cancer were high in European countries and low in Asian countries. The sex ratios ranged between 2 to 6 in most of the countries. For 20 countries, the mortality rate from bladder cancer was not correlated with the cigarette smoking prevalence. However, when the analysis was restricted to 16 countries in Europe, North America and Oceania (Caucasians), the correlation coefficients between them were high, being 0.68 (p < 0.01) in males and 0.49 (0.05 < p < 0.1) in females. In both Japan and the United States, cigarette smoking prevalence declined while the incidence of bladder cancer increased in males, both being stable in females. Race might be considered to be a strong risk factor of bladder cancer, followed by the prevalence of cigarette smoking. It is necessary to follow the changes of incidence rates of bladder cancer in the future to evaluate the influence of cigarette smoking.
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We studied in anesthetized dogs, the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass with normothermic blood, crossclamping of the aortic root, and continuous warm blood cardioplegia as a part of circulatory support on the ability of the recovery of the deteriorated myocardial function, and compared this method with the circulatory support under empty beating stage. Eleven dogs were subjected to the deteriorated myocardial function by 30 minute normothermic ischemic arrest and myocardial function was measured (baseline function). In 5 dogs (Group A), coronary perfusion of 5 ml/kg/min with normothermic blood was established under empty beating state. In other 6 dogs (Group B), the aorta was then clamped and 30 minute infusion of warm blood contained 15 mEq/l of potassium and 2 mEq/l of Magnesium was given by 2.5 ml/kg/min as a part of circulatory support. After this, aortic clamp was released and coronary perfusion of 5 ml/kg/min with normal warm blood followed under empty beating state. Cardiac function was measured at the periods of 40, 60 and 90 minutes of circulatory support and compared between the two groups. The parameters of left ventricular function (developed pressure, dp/dt, -dp/dt) were deteriorated by 30 minutes ischemia by about 50% compared with baseline function. In Group a, they improved gradually along with the duration of circulatory support and 90 minutes were required to return to the baseline function. In Group B, however, their % recovery reached 100% at the period of 40 minutes and maintained over 100% thereafter. RSMF could recover myocardial function from ischemic damage more quickly and effectively compared with circulatory support under empty beating state.
Changes in cardiac output (CO), systemic venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), systemic oxygen consumption, and urinary output immediately after Fontan procedure were measured in 10 patients at the intensive unit (ICU) to assess the effects of aorusal from anesthesia, hypothermic management, and respiratory condition. The measurements were taken at the following phases; phase A in deep sedation under hypothermia (33-35 degrees C rectal temperature) and controlled ventilation; phase B in mild sedation under normothermia and controlled ventilation; phase C when awake under normothermia and assisted ventilation; phase D when awake under assisted ventilation; phase D when awake under normothermia immediately after extubation; and phase E 24 hours after extubation. Oxygen delivery (O2 Del.) and fractional oxygen fractions were calculated in each phase. Two patients whose SvO2 values were below 55% during the postoperative course needed reoperation for atrioventricular valve regurgitation in one case for PV stenosis in the other case. CO increased significantly (p < 0.05) after extubation (phase D), compared with that of controlled ventilation (phase B). Under hypothermia (phase A), urinary output was relatively higher with lower CO. There was a significant correlation between SvO2 and CO (R = 0.61) in phase A, however there was no correlation in phase E. Fractional oxygen extraction in phase A was significantly lower than in phase B. In conclusion, the continuous SvO2 measurements reflected real-time changes in cardiac output in the immediate post-Fontan patients. Induced hypothermia was beneficial in increasing urinary output presumably through the correction of maldistribution of cardiac output in post-Fontant patients. Arousal from anesthesia and spontaneous ventilation seemed advantageous for increasing cardiac output, hence, early extubation should be encouraged in the management of post-Fontan patients.
The histopathological features of chronic rejection and its initiation were assessed using rat heterotopic heart transplantation and retransplantation models. Fully allogeneic or minor, non-MHC antigen-mismatch heart grafts transplanted into recipient rats treated with a short course of FK506 showed long-term survival but developed graft atherosclerosis after 40 days posttransplantation. Retransplantation of allografts back into the original donor strain did not prevent graft atherosclerosis if the grafts had resided in the primary recipient for up to 5 days; residence in the primary allogeneic recipient for less than 4 days did not result in graft atherosclerosis in the secondary recipient. Short-course administration of FK506 did not affect the production of these changes. Graft coronary arteriosclerosis begins between 3 and 5 days posttransplantation and progresses without continuous allogeneic immunological drive. The present findings will provide a new means by which to approach the analysis of development of chronic allograft rejection.
Patients with advanced malignant neoplasms develop anemia and immunosuppression. During an attempt to identify the causes, we have found that plasma from such patients makes RBCs more fragile in hypotonic buffer, according to results obtained with a coil planet centrifuge. Plasma from these patients suppresses mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. In this study, we identified the substance with these effects as a protein. During two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, two isomers with M(r) 50,000 and slightly different isoelectric points near 6.0 were found. Cell fractionation showed that these proteins were in both the cytosol and the nuclear fraction of cells in neoplasms. Another protein with the same antigenicity and a M(r) 100,000 found in the nuclear fraction of cells in neoplasms.
cDNA clones were produced from a morphologically typical human calicivirus (HuCV) in stool specimens collected in 1982 during an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Sapporo, Japan. The cDNA clones were generated separately in two laboratories by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using primers 35 and 36 derived from Norwalk virus. The RT-PCR product from six specimens was of the predicted size, had a continuous protein encoding frame on the positive strand, and contained GLPS and YGDD amino acid motifs at the predicted distance from the primers. RT-PCR amplification with primer 35 and a HuCV/Sapporo-specific primer 36 of four HuCV/Sapporo-positive stool specimens from a 1986 Houston day care center outbreak yielded products with 93% nucleotide and 99% predicted amino acid sequence identity with the HuCV/Sapporo strain from the 1982 outbreak. The HuCV/Sapporo strains are genetically distinct from previously characterized HuCVs and more closely related to known animal CVs than other known HuCVs.
Serum specimens (n = 1899) were assayed for infections with HTLV-I, HTLV-II, and HIV-1 in seven classified groups of normal healthy controls, children, pregnant women, prostitutes, intravenous drug abusers, patients under going hemodialysis, and hemophiliacs in South and North Vietnam. Surprisingly, 125 of 954 samples from South Vietnam exhibited seropositivity for HTLV-II and 119 of these belonged to the group of IVDAs (n = 200). The remaining six positives were a healthy control, a prostitute, two children, and two patients under going hemodialysis. Two IVDAs who were seropositive for HTLV-I and 10 of 15 seropositives for HIV-1 were also positive for HTLV-II in this population. In contrast, no seropositives to any of the viruses were detected in the North Vietnamese samples (0 of 945). The HTLV-II-seropositive IVDAs exhibited increased seropositivity with age compared with HIV-1 seropositivity in the population, and there was no statistical relation between seropositivity for HTLV-II and HIV-1. The HTLV-IIs in South Vietnam IVDAs appeared, by subtype-specific peptide ELISA, to be a mixture of both subtypes a and b, with subtype a predominant. It seems possible that HTLV-II may have been introduced into this population from IVDAs from the United States during the Vietnam conflict, but in a period prior to, or early in, the introduction of HIV-1 to IVDAs.
The features of hemifacial microsomia with unilateral condylar hypoplasia in a 9-year-old female patient were analysed in a multidisciplinary fashion. Cephalometric roentgenograms revealed malformation of the mandible, with the right condylar process being smaller than the left. In addition, the right maxillary alveolar process was underdeveloped. Closed view radiography with oblique lateral transcranial projection (by modified Schüller's method) of the temporomandibular joint revealed an anterior dislocation of the condyle on the unaffected side. Computed tomography (CT) of the masticatory muscles demonstrated that the medial pterygoid muscle on the affected side, unlike the other muscles, was larger than that on the unaffected side. The surface electromyographic activities of the temporal and masseter muscles and reduction of the maximum bite force on the affected side during clenching corresponded with the CT findings. The hypertrophy of the medial pterygoid muscle on the affected side was considered likely to be a compensatory adjustment to keep the mandible centred. A three-dimensional study of the movement of the mandible revealed that the condyle on the affected side moved vertically and that the rotational centre was located antero-inferior to the condylar process during maximum jaw opening and closing movements. These findings suggested lack of articular guidance. Moreover, the unaffected condylar process showed considerable backward movement during retrusion and ipsilateral excursion of the mandible. The mandibular head on the unaffected side showed obvious protraction during all jaw movements, which might have induced the overgrowth of the condylar head on the unaffected side in this growing child.
BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is rare in Asia, but the number of patients is increasing in Japan. We conducted an epidemiological study of prostate cancer in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, to investigate the trends and characteristics of the disease. METHODS: The subjects were 1,411 prostate cancer patients newly diagnosed between 1985 and 1992, and 656 patients who died from prostate cancer between 1981 and 1992. The incidence and mortality rates were calculated by year, demographic region and age. RESULTS: The yearly incidence rate showed an increase but the mortality rate showed no marked fluctuations. There was no significant difference between urban and rural districts in either incidence or mortality rate. The incidence rate tended to be high in the northern part of the prefecture, but no marked variation in mortality rate was seen. The incidence and mortality rates in districts with a history of manganese mining were high compared to those in districts without mining. In contrast, the incidence and mortality rates in districts with a history of zinc mining were comparatively lower. Both incidence and mortality rates showed a marked increase with age. The age-specific incidence showed a double logarithmic relationship to age. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of the yearly incidence rate might be due to changes in lifestyle and environmental factors, improved diagnostic techniques, and increased awareness among the general public regarding prostate disease. Further investigation is needed to clarify the pattern and the causes of regional differences in the incidence and mortality rates. The possibilities that managanese and zinc might be related to prostatic carcinogenesis are suggested.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the cause of T wave changes after ventricular pacing using thallium 201 single photon emission computed tomography (Tl-SPECT). Tl-SPECT was performed in 20 patients with sick sinus syndrome who had negative T wave after ventricular pacing and had had a ventricular demand pacemaker (VVI) implanted. Patients who have stenotic coronary arteries were excluded from the study. From the analysis of Tl-SPECT, extent score was calculated as the ischemic region. Data in patients with SSS were compared with those in 20 normal controls (NC). Thallium perfusion defects in patients with VVI were observed and distributed mainly in apex and inferior regions on the polar map. The extent score in patients with VVI was significantly higher than that in NC (56.4 +/- 21.6% vs 3.2 +/- 6.4%, P < 0.01). The washout rate of thallium 201 in the defect area was significantly lower in patients with VVI than in NC (27.4 +/- 10.2% vs 46.8 +/- 12.3%, P < 0.01). These results suggest that T wave changes after ventricular pacing are closely related to myocardial ischemia.
BACKGROUND: Clinical and pathological features of familial prostate cancer patients were examined. METHODS: We compared 7 pairs (14 patients) of familial prostate cancer patients (Group F) with those of 1741 prostate cancer patients diagnosed in around Gunma Prefecture between 1987 and 1993 (Group G). Relative survival rates were compared because the average age was different in two groups. RESULTS: In Group F and Group G, age at diagnosis ranged from 54 to 86 and 47 to 97 years old, and the averages were 68.1 +/- 8.5 (S.D.) and 74.2 +/- 8.3, respectively. The average age tended to be younger in Group F. The ratio of early stage cancer tended to be higher and that of poorly differentiated cancer tended to be lower in Group F. The 3- and 5-year relative survival rate was 82.4% and 57.6% in Group F, and 84.3% and 73.9% in Group G, respectively. The 5-year survival rate tended to be lower in Group F, but almost no difference was observed between two groups on the whole. In Group F, of 6 patients whose causes of death were clear, 4 (66.7%) died of prostate cancer, while in Group G, of 398 patients whose causes of death were elaar, 224 (56.3%) died of prostate cancer. Family history of other cancer sites was positive in 3 of 6 families in Group F. CONCLUSIONS: Familial prostate cancer patients tended to be young, in early stage and low ratio of poorly differentiated cancer.
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