PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Tohno

Publications and source records attributed to S Tohno.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Trace elements found to be variable in two coral reef species, Heliofungia actiniformis and Galaxea fascicularis, collected from the Ryukyu Islands.

Biominerals and metals of intertidal corals of two species (Heliofungia actiniformis, Quoy and Gaimard; Galaxea fascicularis, Linnaeus), collected from the Iriomote Island of Ryukyu, were examined with an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). Twelve elements were detectable in the coralline skeletons dissected radially along the growth axis. The relative content (RC) of Hg periodically fluctuated and was minimum at the hollow sites of the coralline slab of Heliofungia sp., corresponding to the cyclic growth. There were two types of elements: constant elements and variable elements along the growth axis. RCs of Ca, Mg, Al, Si, and P were nearly constant. RCs of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Ba were variable, but not as regularly changed as Hg. There were positive mass correlations of Hg to Mn, Cu and Zn, but not to Ba and Fe. In contrast, these relationships were not prominent and were likely degraded by aging in the skeleton of Galaxea sp., suggesting a different mode from that of the Heliofungia sp.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Stability of metallothionein isoforms by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Stability of isoforms on storage of metallothionein (MT) was investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) at neutral pH. The mouse liver was removed 1 day after injection of zinc, and homogenized in 0.25 M sucrose with 100 mM TRIS-HCl buffer, pH 7.4. The specimens for MT analysis were obtained by two partial purification methods, i.e., heat treatment (HT) and ethanol/chloroform precipitation (ECP) methods. The specimens were stored at either 4 degrees C or -80 degrees C for 1 and 3 days, and peak areas of MT-1 and MT-2 isoforms obtained by CZE were compared. When specimens were obtained by HT method, both MT isoforms were stable at -80 degrees C within 3 days. However, the peak area of MT-1 stored at 4 degrees C was gradually decreased to one third on the 3rd day. The MT-2 peak did not decrease the next day, but decreased to 57% on the 3rd day. In contrast, peak areas of both MT isoforms decreased remarkably the 1st day, when specimens obtained from ECP method were stored at 4 degrees C and -80 degrees C. From these results, we conclude that stability of MT isoforms is different depending on the purification methods, and MT isoforms are not stable after partial purification, especially by ECP method, even if stored at -80 degrees C.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Age-related differences in calcium accumulation in human arteries.

To elucidate the accumulation of calcium in the human arteries, the calcium contents of the thoracic aorta, coronary, common carotid, basilar, internal thoracic, axillary, radial, femoral, popliteal, and dorsalis pedis arteries, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The calcium content began to increase in both the thoracic aorta and femoral artery around the age of 50 years (yrs), in the popliteal artery at the age of 60 yrs, in the coronary, basilar and dorsalis pedis arteries at the age of 70 yrs, and in the common carotid artery at the age of 80 yrs. In the same time, the calcium content did not increase significantly in the internal thoracic and radial arteries. Accumulation of calcium in human arteries was classified into two groups: The first is an age-related increase of calcium content in the arteries like the thoracic aorta, coronary, common carotid, basilar, axillary, femoral, popliteal and dorsalis pedis arteries. The second is non-age-related, such as the internal thoracic and radial arteries. To examine the localization of this calcium accumulation, the thoracic-aortic and femoral-arterial walls were separated into the three tunicae, intima, media and adventitia. In the case of the thoracic aorta, the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus occurred primarily in the tunica media of aorta, secondarily in the tunica intima. With regard to the femoral artery, the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus occurred only in the tunica media, only in the tunica intima, or in both the tunicae media and intima. Therefore, the manner of accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the femoral-arterial wall was different from that in the aortic wall. Comparing the upper and lower limb arteries, the calcium content was found to be higher in the femoral, popliteal, and dorsalis pedis arteries of the lower limb than that of the axillary and radial arteries of the upper limb.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Different element ratios of red cosmetics excavated from ancient burials of Japan.

Marker elements of red cosmetics, collected from ancient burials of Matsuyama, Tokushima and Nara Japan, were determined by emission spectrometry (ICP/AES). The mass ratios of Hg, Fe, Cu, and Zn were different between samples. Element levels were compared with reference to relative amounts of sulfur. Of the possible contaminants from the bone and sand of burials, the relative amounts of Hg and Fe to S were most commonly available to evaluate the difference between the cosmetics. The cosmetics were divided into four groups; type I (high Hg with less Fe), type II (both moderate Hg and Fe), type III (moderate Hg with high Fe) and type IV (less Hg with high Fe). The main constituents of cosmetics are mercury sulfide (cinnabar) or ferric oxide mixed with trace metals. Zinc contents differ between the Fe and Hg amounts for the three areas. Cosmetic compositions varied with each burial site, suggesting that they were derived from different mines of ancient Japan.

Anthropology↗
PubMed1997

Age-independent constancy of mineral contents in human vertebra and auditory ossicle.

To elucidate age-related changes of mineral contents in human bones, element contents of human vertebrae and auditory ossicles were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry. The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae were removed from 12 vertebral columns. The mallei of auditory ossicle were removed from 27 cadavers. It was found that average relative contents (RCs) of calcium and phosphorus in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae remained almost constant within ages ranging from 46 to 99 y. In addition, it was found that the RCs of calcium and phosphorus in men's and women's mallei remained constant within ages ranging from 40 to 98 yr. These results support the view that there is no significant age-dependent change of mineral contents in human bones.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

High accumulations of calcium and phosphorus in women's pubic symphysis.

To elucidate compositional changes of the pubic symphysis (PS) by aging, elements of pubic symphysis (PSs) removed from 26 cadavers were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry. It was found that the relative contents (RCs) of calcium and phosphorus in women's PSs were about three- and five-fold amounts as compared with those in men's PSs, respectively. In contrast, the RCs of sulfur, magnesium, sodium, and iron in women's PSs were somewhat lower than those in men's PSs. The accumulations of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) in women's PSs occurred mainly beyond the age of 70-yr-old, but did not occur in men's PSs.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

High accumulation of elements in the human femoral artery.

The relative contents (RCs) of elements in the femoral arteries as well as the thoracic aorta, coronary, basilar, and radial arteries from 26 subjects within the age range between 55 and 92 yr old, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The RCs of calcium and phosphorus in the femoral arteries started to increase before the age of 60 yr. The RCs of magnesium increased after the age of 70 yr. However, the RCs of sulfur did not change significantly within the age range between 55 and 92 yr. With regard to localization of the mineral accumulations in the femoral arterial wall, it was found that the accumulations of calcium and phosphorus occurred only in the tunica media, only in the tunica intima, or in both the tunica media and the tunica intima. The manner of accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the femoral arterial wall was different from that in the aortic wall. The average RCs of calcium in the 26 specimens were the highest in the femoral artery, followed in descending order by the thoracic aorta, coronary, basilar, and radial arteries. The average RCs of phosphorus were highest in the thoracic aorta, followed by the coronary, femoral, basilar, and radial arteries. It is noted that the accumulation of mineral elements never occurred uniformly in all the arteries.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Sexual differences of the bone mineral content and density of human calcanei].

To examine whether there were sexual differences of human calcanei, the bone mineral content, bone mineral density and bone mass were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and the principal of Archimedes, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry indicated that the average relative contents of calcium and phosphorus in the man's calcanei were one and a half folds higher than those in the woman's calcanei over 40 years old. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry showed that the average bone mineral density of the man's calcanei was two times higher than that of the woman's ones over 40 years old. In addition, the average calcanean volume of the man was about one and a half folds larger than that of the woman over 40 years old.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1997

Differential accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in aged human arteries.

To elucidate age-related changes of human arteries, relative contents (RCs) of minerals were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry on the thoracic aorta, basilar, coronary, femoral, and radial arteries from 27 subjects within the age range between 0 and 92 years old (Ys). Calcium and phosphorus never accumulated uniformly in any of the arteries such as the thoracic aorta, basilar, coronary, femoral, and radial arteries. The accumulations of calcium and phosphorus occurred earlier in the order of the femoral artery, thoracic aorta, coronary artery, and basilar or radial artery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

A constancy of mineral contents in human auditory ossicles.

To determine element contents of auditory ossicles, the malleus and incus were removed from 27 subjects which died at the ages between 40 and 98 years old, and their elemental contents were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. It was found that the relative contents (RCs) of calcium and phosphorus were very high in the malleus and incus. The RCs of calcium and phosphorus in the ossicles corresponded to one-and-a-half-fold amounts as compared with the spongy bone of human cervical vertebrae. The mass ratio of calcium per phosphorus in the ossicles was almost the same as that of crystalline calcium phosphate hydroxyapatite. Relationships between the aging and RCs of minerals and between both the sexes in the ossicle were examined. It was found that both the RCs of calcium and phosphorus in the malleus and incus were really constant at the age over 40 years old, and that there was no significant difference of the mineral contents between men and women.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Age-related change of mineral content in the human thoracic aorta and in the human cerebral artery.

The relative contents (RCs) of mineral elements in aortae and cerebral arteries from 23 subjects, with ages ranging between 45 and 99 yr, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The RCs of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in the aortae increased markedly after the age of 70. While the RC of sulfur in aortae decreased gradually after that age. It was found that accumulation of calcium and phosphorus occurred primarily in the tunica media of aorta, and secondarily in the tunica intima. Furthermore, the RCs of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in cerebral arteries increased markedly after the age of 70, whereas the RC of sulfur in cerebral arteries decreased after age 70. It was found that accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the cerebral arteries were 30 and 60%, respectively, lower than those in the aortae with ages ranging between 45 and 99 yr.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Difference of mineral contents in human intervertebral disks and its age-related change.

To establish a difference of the relative contents (RCs) of elements among the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar intervertebral disks and its age-related change, the intervertebral disks between the axis and the sacrum, which were resected from the nine cadavers who died at 53 to 99 yr old, were analyzed by inductively coupled atomic plasma emission spectrometry. It was found that both the RCs of calcium and phosphorus were high in the cervical disks, especially the highest in the disk between the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae, and lower in the order of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar intervertebral disks. In regard to the RCs of sulfur and magnesium, there were no significant differences among the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar intervertebral disks. In addition, it was found that both the RCs of calcium and phosphorus in the cervical intervertebral disks started to increase in the sixth decade of life, became the highest in the eighth decade of life, and then decreased.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

An improved method for estimating original mineral contents in excavated bone using sulfur.

Trace element analysis in excavated bones is complicated by the lack of a reliable index for estimating the original amount of bone material. In this study, we subjected modern human bones to alkali treatment to simulate aging. Alkali treatment of vertebrae with attached muscle did not affect sulfur (S) content; it increased the magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn) contents, and tended to decrease iron (Fe) content of the bones. When vertebrae cleaned of muscle were used, alkali treatment did not affect S and Fe contents but increased Mg, P, Ca, and Zn contents. Ca and S contents were higher in excavated bones (200-1300 yr old) than in their surrounding soils. In contrast, S, Mg, and Ca contents per dry weight did not differ between the excavated bones and the alkali-treated modern bones. These results indicate that S can provide a more accurate index of excavated bones than the often-used Ca content or dry wt measures, especially for bones excavated from calcium-rich soils.

Archaeology↗
PubMed1996

Bindings of metallothionein to supranucleosomal fibers in mouse pancreatic nuclei after induction by 4-aminopyrazolo [3,4-D] pyrimidine.

To examine intranuclear localization of metallothionein (MT) induced by administration of 4-aminopyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidine (4-APP), the present study of MT was performed by immuno-electron microscopy. One day after oral administration of 4-APP, the mouse pancreas removed and frozen with dry ice was cut at about 1 mm thickness. Pancreatic slices were reacted with anti-MT antibody, fixed with formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, and embedded in hydrophilic Lowicryl K4M resin. Ultrathin sections were reacted with the secondary antibody labelled with colloidal gold, and stained both with uranyl acetate and with lead citrate. It was found that the MT site was shown simultaneously in the chromatin and in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of mouse pancreatic exocrine cells one day after administration of 4-APP. The structure of MT-binding chromatin was composed of supranucleosomal fibers, but not of nucleosomal fibers.

Adenine↗
PubMed1995

Accumulation of mercury in excavated bones of two natives in Japan.

Mercury content of excavated bones and surrounding soil was compared between the two areas of Shikoku, Tokushima and Matsuyama. Results show a high variance of mercury content between localities and between ages of the burials. There was a high mercury occurrence in the 6-7th century in Tokushima and a moderate one in Matsuyama, and a trace in the 12-17th century in both places. Moreover, a low level of mercury was observed in the soil samples of Tokushima, and mercury was not detected in any of the Matsuyama soil samples. Therefore, these occasions of high mercury content may be due to artificial uptake, and may relate to differences in conventions and customs.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMed1995

Chromatin loop size in human leukemia (HL-60) cells.

Human leukemia (HL-60) cells were treated with 0.1% detergent Joy and chromatin, protruded from the cell, was observed with an electron microscope. It was demonstrated that most, but not all of the protruded chromatin fibers had a loop structure. The average length of the protrusions of chromatin from the nucleus was 8.47 microns. A high magnification revealed that most of the protruded chromatin consisted of beaded nucleosomal fibers. Therefore, the chromatin loop size was estimated to be 315 +/- 47 k base pairs in length. This length is much longer than that of the fragmented DNA seen in the apoptosis of HL-60 cell, conflicting with the hypothesis that the DNA fragmentation is related to the size of the chromatin loop.

Chromatin↗
PubMed1995

Anomaly of the ulnar artery arising from the brachial artery.

A high origin of the ulnar artery was encountered in the body of an 87-year-old Japanese man in the course of normal anatomic dissection at Nara Medical University. The left ulnar artery originated from the brachial artery at the height of the left inferior angle of the left scapula and passed medially to the brachial artery and the median nerve. In the forearm, the ulnar artery passed deep to the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. Thereafter, the two branches from the ulnar artery contributed to form the superficial and deep palmar arterial arches. The left brachial artery was divided into two terminal branches of the radial and common interosseous arteries.

Aged↗