Biomedical subjects

Sanae Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to Sanae Watanabe.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Carotid hemodynamic alterations in hypertensive patients with insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. One mechanism is thought to be the impaired vasodilation, which can lead to a reduction in peripheral blood flow. Hypertensive patients with IR have greater intima-media thickness (IMT) in the common carotid artery (CCA) than those without IR. However, the relationship between IR and hemodynamic alterations of the CCA has not been clarified. METHODS: Seventy patients with essential hypertension (EHT) and 11 normotensive controls (NT) participated in this study. The IMT, number of plaques, and internal dimensions of the CCA were evaluated by ultrasound imaging. Mean diastolic (Vd) and systolic (Vs) velocity were determined by the Doppler flow method, and other parameters such as Vd/Vs and the cross-sectional distensibility coefficient (CSDC) were further calculated. When the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index exceeded 2.0, the subject was considered to have IR. RESULTS: The IMT was positively correlated with the HOMA index in all subjects. The Vd/Vs and CSDC were significantly decreased in EHT patients with IR compared to NT and EHT patients without IR. The Vd/Vs and CSDC were negatively correlated with the HOMA index. A stepwise regression analysis revealed that age, HDL-cholesterol, and the HOMA index were independently associated with IMT in patients with EHT. Age, the HOMA index, and mean blood pressure (MBP) were independently associated with CSDC, and the first two factors were independently associated with Vd/Vs. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased distensibility of the arterial wall and ensuing low diastolic perfusion are possible mechanisms of atherosclerotic changes in the CCA in EHT patients with IR.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Soluble Fas ligand and atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND: The Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) system is involved in apoptosis in many types of cells. Recently, the expression of FasL on endothelial cells was reported. FasL is cleaved by a metalloproteinase and released in serum as soluble FasL (sFasL). Vasoactive substances, including metalloproteinase, are modulated by endothelial dysfunction. Advanced atherosclerosis and impaired endothelial function are seen in hypertensive patients. The inflammatory response has an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, whereas C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with the presence and severity of atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To measure the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery and evaluate the relationship between atherosclerosis and serum sFasL concentrations in hypertensive patients. PATIENTS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Forty-seven patients with hypertension participated in the study. The intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery was evaluated by ultrasound imaging. Serum concentrations of sFasL were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Intima-media thickness correlated positively with age (r = 0.362, P = 0.012) and sFasL concentrations (r =0.332, P = 0.022), and negatively with creatinine clearance (r = -0.399, P = 0.0055). A general linear model analysis with atherosclerotic risk factors and sFasL revealed that age, sFasL, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure were significantly associated with intima-media thickness. Furthermore, we demonstrated that serum sFasL is directly associated with CRP concentration (r = 0.316, P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that serum sFasL concentration is associated with atherosclerosis and inflammatory disease, in patients with hypertension.

Arteriosclerosis↗

PubMed2002

Stability of a recombinant adenoviral vector: optimization of conditions for storage, transport and delivery.

Recombinant viral vectors have been developed for use as therapeutic agents and for the introduction of exogenous genes into living cells. However, little is known about the viability and stability of such recombinant viruses during storage, transport and delivery under various conditions. We describe here an analysis of the stability of an adenoviral vector in crude solutions of cell lysates during freezing and thawing and during storage at various temperatures in the presence and in the absence of glycerol. For example, the titer of adenoviruses in crude lysates of infected cells was reduced only ten-fold or three-fold after two hundred rounds of freezing and thawing or after incubation at 28 degrees C for 14 days, respectively. Our observations indicate that recombinant adenoviral vector was more stable than expected both during freezing and thawing and during storage at low temperatures. Our results confirm the importance of appropriate conditions for the delivery and transport of recombinant adenoviral vectors.

Adenoviridae↗

PubMed2002

A case of metastatic extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma 12 years after surgery.

At the age of 53, a 65-year-old man had been diagnosed with extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma in the retroperitoneum and underwent total tumorectomy. Afterward, he had his serum catecholamine periodically measured in an outpatient clinic. In February 1999, 12 years after surgery, he complained of lower left abdominal pain. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an osteolytic lesion in thoracic vertebrae 11Th (Th 11). Although his basal serum and urine catecholamines were at normal levels, glucagon injection increased blood pressure and plasma catecholamine levels. 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy was specifically taken up to Th 11. By bone biopsy, the osteolytic lesion in Th 11 was finally diagnosed with metastasis of pheochromocytoma. For post-operative pheochromocytoma, long-term follow-up involving biochemical tests, including serum catecholamines, and MIBG is needed.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗