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Biomedical subjects

S Tasaka

Publications and source records attributed to S Tasaka.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Priming of alveolar macrophages for interleukin-8 production in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

We evaluated the contribution of interleukin-8 (IL-8) to the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by studying bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in eight patients with IPF in the chronically progressive phase, five patients with IPF in the subacutely progressive phase, eight patients with sarcoidosis (SAR), and eight control (CTL) subjects. IL-8 levels were not increased in the BALF of the patients with IPF in the chronic phase (11.3 +/- 8.8 pg/ml), nor in that of the SAR patients (13.8 +/- 7.8 pg/ml), whereas they were increased in the BALF of patients with IPF in the subacutely progressive phase (1.93 +/- 1.10 ng/ml). We then investigated extracellular and cell-associated IL-8 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BALF cells to determine the IL-8-producing potential of alveolar macrophages (AM). Following LPS stimulation of BALF cells from patients with IPF in the chronic phase, both the extracellular IL-8 in culture fluid and the cell-associated IL-8 in AM were increased as compared with those for the CTL subjects (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively). These results suggest that AM of patients with IPF are primed for IL-8 production. We conclude that IL-8 may play a role in neutrophilic alveolitis, especially during the subacute phase of IPF.

Acute Disease

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor exacerbates acute lung injury induced by intratracheal endotoxin in guinea pigs.

The effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG-CSF) on the lung injury induced by intratracheal endotoxin were studied using guinea pigs. Animals were divided into four groups: (1) saline control, (2) endotoxin alone, (3) cyclophosphamide (CPA)+endotoxin, and (4) CPA+rG-CSF+endotoxin. CPA was injected intraperitoneally to suppress hematopoietic function 7 d before the study. rG-CSF at a dose of 100 micrograms/kg was administered subcutaneously twice a day for 5 consecutive d beginning 2 d after the CPA pretreatment. Saline or 0.2 mg/kg of endotoxin was administered via the airway, and the animals were observed for 4 h. 99mTc-labeled macroaggregated albumin was mixed with saline or endotoxin to obtain a lobar distribution. Lung injury was assessed by the concentration ratio of 125I-labeled albumin in lung tissue to plasma (T/P) and lung wet-dry weight ratio (W/D). We also counted the number of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and fixed lung tissues. T/P, but not W/D, increased in endotoxin-alone and CPA+endotoxin groups compared with the saline control group (p < 0.01). Both T/P and W/D of the CPA+rG-CSF+endotoxin group were significantly higher than those of the endotoxin-alone and CPA+endotoxin groups (p < 0.01). In the CPA+rG-CSF+endotoxin group, histopathologic examination of the lung sections showed neutrophil recruitment into the lung, and neutrophil counts in BAL fluid were elevated. In conclusion, pretreatment with rG-CSF increased sequestration of neutrophils into the lung and exacerbated the lung injury induced by intratracheal endotoxin in CPA-treated guinea pigs.

Acute Disease

Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Three cases of persistent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss following Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection are reported. These cases were characterized by highly elevated MP complement fixation titer and cold hemagglutinin titer. All the patients had bilateral acute otitis media with a moderate to high degree of mixed hearing loss in the early stage following primary atypical pneumonia (PAP).

Adult

The microvascular architecture of the vestibule and the endolymphatic duct and sac of the rat in vascular corrosion casts.

The blood vessels of the vestibule and the endolymphatic duct and sac (ES) of the rat were reproduced with methacrylate casting medium and observed under a scanning electron microscope. Dense capillary networks of the macula utriculi and the macula sacculi were observed. The collecting venules from the vestibule emptied into the vein of the vestibular aqueduct (VVAQ). The plexus of the vessels in the ES was triangular in shape and had anastomoses with vessels of the bone and dura and drained into the VVAQ. The posterior meningeal artery (PMA) gave off two branches to the ES. These findings supported the similarity of the vascularization of the vestibule and the ES between the human and the rat.

Animals

[Determination of trace metals in biological materials by iodides extraction and atomic absorption spectrometry].

Extraction of arsenic, mercury, gold, silver, antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, cadmium, zinc and copper iodides with methylisobutylketone was examined in the sulfuric acid of concentrations from 0 to 15 normalities. Although, arsenic and zinc iodides were extracted from 6 to 12 normalities, extraction of other metal-iodides were carried out in more wide range of sulfuric acid concentrations almost from 2 to 12 normalities. Iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium iodides, these, being chief biological elements of inorganic substances, were not extracted in the least into methylisobutylketone layer from sulfuric acid solution. Copper and zinc were normal elements of biological materials and were extracted into methylisobutylketone layer by this procedures. The flame interferences of copper and zinc were not recognized in determinations of gold, silver, antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium and cadmium. To investigate the influences of biological elements, mock solutions of human blood and urine were prepared. The addition of mock blood does not excessively interfere with determinations of arsenic, mercury, indium, bismuth, tellurium, cadmium, silver and antimony with the exception of gold. However, with addition of mock urine negative interferences were strongly seen in antimony determination, while in mercury, indium and silver determinations only slight interferences were observed. To examine the influences of sample preparation techniques, gold, silver, indium, cadmium and copper were treated both by wet ashing (nitric acid and sulfuric acid) and dry ashing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antimony