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Biomedical subjects

T Azuma

Publications and source records attributed to T Azuma.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Anterior sagittal anorectoplasty for rectovestibular and anovestibular fistula.

Rectovestibular (or anovestibular) fistula is the most common form of anorectal anomaly in female infants. In the surgical repair of these malformations, anal transplantation has been in widespread conventional use. Based on the idea of posterior sagittal anorectoplasty, we devised a new approach, anterior sagittal anorectoplasty, in which, in the lithotomy position, the anterior portion of sphincter muscles are cut through a median perineal skin incision and then the rectum is pulled through the center of these muscles to make its opening at the normal position. The operation has been performed in 12 patients with satisfactory results.

Anal Canal↗

Kinetics of inter-heavy chain disulfide bond formation of liganded and unliganded human immunoglobulin G by radioimmunoassay.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the hinge region of human IgG1 immunoglobulins were prepared by immunization with a proteolytic fragment of hinge segment coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. A mAb, 4G3, was obtained capable of binding to intact IgG but not to partially reduced IgG. Using this mAb, inter-heavy (H) chain disulfide bond formation from partially reduced anti-tetanus antibodies (Abs) in the presence or absence of antigens (Ags) was studied by solid phase radioimmunoassay. When the Abs were partially reduced in solution and then coated to plastic plates, only 10% regeneration of inter-H chain disulfide bonds occurred after reoxidation, although 100% formation occurred in solution [Kishida et al., J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 79, 91-105 (1976)]. This difference in the extent of disulfide bond formation can be explained by the fact that there are two convertible isomers in solution, Conformer I and II, one of which (Conformer I) can form disulfide bonds but is present as a minor component. Since the motion of IgG molecules on plates is restricted by hydrophobic interactions, the two conformers are not convertible as in solution. Therefore only Conformer I which existed before coating formed inter-H chain disulfide bonds. Similar kinetic measurements were performed using plates coated with tetanus toxoid. Abs, partially reduced in solution and then allowed to react with Ags on the plate were able to completely regenerate their inter-H chain disulfide bonds, although the rate of reaction was slow. These results can also be explained by the fact that the two isomers are convertible since Ag-Ab complexes are dissociable. Ag-binding therefore did not significantly perturb conformation of the hinge segments. In addition, no difference between liganded and unliganded Abs was observed in the binding of anti-hinge mAbs. These results imply little or no contribution of the hinge region to transmission of the signal produced by Ag-binding to Fc.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Detection of a polymorphism within the pepsinogen C gene with PCR: construction of a linkage map around PGC from 6p11-6p21.3.

An insertion/deletion polymorphism between exons 7 and 8 of the pepsinogen C gene (PGC), previously detectable with Southern analysis, was formatted for detection with PCR. Alleles were rapidly typed by UV irradiation of ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. Whereas Southern analysis revealed two alleles, the smaller fragments generated with PCR allowed the resolution of three alleles that were previously scored as a single allele and increased the heterozygosity of the system from 0.20 to 0.53. After a set of reference families was genotyped with the PCR-based polymorphism, a linkage map around the PGC gene on chromosome 6 was constructed. This included the HLA cluster and the highly informative D6S223 locus. PGC lies 22 cM proximal to HLA-DPB and between D6S5 and D6S4 at distances of 4.5 and 13.1 cM, respectively.

Base Sequence↗

In vitro anti-tumor activity of anti-c-erbB-2 x anti-CD3 epsilon bifunctional monoclonal antibody.

With the aim of developing an effective cancer immunotherapy for common epithelial cancer, a new class of bifunctional antibody (BFA) was developed; one arm of this BFA recognized c-erbB-2 gene product, and the other arm recognized CD3 epsilon, a T-cell specific surface antigen. Application of this BFA with human peripheral blood lymphocytes exhibited specific anti-tumor activity in vitro on a breast tumor cell line, ZR-75-1, which expressed abundant c-erbB-2 gene product on its cell surface. These results indicate that BFA recognizing an oncogene product on cell surface is a potential new agent for cancer immunotherapy.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Serotype 2 reoviruses from the feces of cats with and without diarrhea.

During a virus survey carried out in the period 1989-90 with 148 fecal samples collected from cats in Japan, three reovirus strains were isolated in feline cell cultures. Two strains (Nos. 114 and 140) were from 48 diarrheal fecal samples and another strain (No. 32/41) was from 100 normal fecal samples. The strains grew in feline and simian cell cultures with producing typical intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in which virus particles were densely packed. All strains, especially Nos. 32/41 and 140 strains, showed trypsin-dependent growth in vitro. Their ultrastructural and genomic properties were characteristic of genus reovirus in the Reoviridae. All strains agglutinated erythrocytes of human type O but not of bovine. Although they were identified as serotype 2 by hemagglutination-inhibition test with the hyperimmune sera against human reovirus prototype strains, No. 114 strain was typical and the other two strains were atypical serotype 2 reoviruses. Furthermore, from the reason that Nos. 32/41 and 140 strains possessed some common properties though derived from cats in distant locations, they were considered to be reoviruses having been maintained in the cat population. Seroepizootiologic survey revealed that the prevalence of serotype 3 infection was most widespread and serotype 2 was least among three serotypes of reovirus in a cat population.

Animals↗

[Microalbumin excretion in the group of patients with asymptomatic hematuria].

Urine albumin was determined in patients with chronic glomerular injuries with normal renal function, who had shown positive test of microhematuria but negative test of proteinuria at any time of our renal clinic. The subjects were divided into 4 groups: (1) IgA nephropathy (IgAN); 13, (2) asymptomatic hematuria (AS); 18, (3) nephrotic syndrome in complete remission (CR); 21 and (4) age matched normal subjects; 44. Urine albumin concentration was measured with radioimmunoassay in the ambulatory urine, and, in some cases, in the urine obtained after supine position for 30 minutes to demonstrate the effect of ambulatory physical movement on albumin excretion. Also urine alanine aminopeptidase (AAP) and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were estimated by monitoring the absorbance of products released by the enzyme, as the indices of tubular function. The results indicated that urine albumin were 8.4 +/- 7.3 mg/g Cr (Mean +/- SD) in normal subjects, and 8.8 +/- 8.9 mg/g Cr in CR (vs. controls: N.S.), 18.9 +/- 14.5 mg/g Cr in AS (P = 0.0071), and 22.2 +/- 14.9 mg/g Cr in IgAN (P = 0.0063). The albumin excretion had no relation with the grade of microhematuria and also with the ambulatory physical movement. Moreover, AAP and NAG excretion in each group had shown no significant alterations. These results indicate that urine albumin increases in IgAN and AS with normal renal function and with microhematuria alone, but not in CR. Urine albumin is probably glomerular origin, since no abnormality is found in the tubular functions.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

A basic study on removal of nutrient salts in wastewater using plants (removal by mung beans; Phaseolus radiatus L).

Many studies have reported on the removal of pollutants from wastewater using aquatic plants. The water hyacinth has been the most widely used and its system is the most well established. This system however, has a few problems in practical use. The purpose of this study is to obtain basic information on a new system that can substitute for a conventional system or be used as a secondary system to assist the conventional one. We first envisioned a model of this new system and then conducted a preliminary experiment using a small experimental unit to simulate the new system. The experiment showed that mung beans were a suitable plant for our study. Their removal rate of pollutants was the highest before they developed leaves and started photosynthesis. We found that nutrients were expelled outside the plant root when nutrient concentration inside the plant tissue became too high.

Absorption↗

A spigelian hernia in an infant.

The case of a two-month old Japanese girl with a left side Spigelian hernia that developed during the course of recovery from the surgical treatment of a meningomyelocele and ventriculo-peritoneal shunting (V-P shunting) is reported on. At this time, to our knowledge, 20 cases involving infants and children have been reported on in world-wide medical literature. Of these cases, 4 cases were caused by trauma, 1 by abdominal surgery, and the others had no evident causes. Our patient had a meningomyelocele, and underwent a V-P shunting. However, a cause and effect relationship between the Spigelian hernia and the treatment of the meningomyelocele followed by V-P shunting is inconceivable. We doubt any relationship between the preceding neurosurgery and the development of the hernia. This is the first case of infantile Spigelian hernia reported on in Japan.

Female↗

[Epidemiology, prognosis and causes of death in rheumatoid arthritis].

The prevalence of RA in Japan has been reported to be approximately 0.3% of general population and the ratio of male to female patients is 1 to 4. The course of RA is classified into 3 types, those are monocyclic, polycyclic and progressive. The polycyclic and progressive courses of RA would have been ameliorated by the recent progress of medical and surgical treatment and an increased number of patients in monocyclic course would be expected. The mortality rate among RA patients is higher than that of population control. There are causes of death directly related to rheumatoid process itself and resulted from drug treatment. The former includes secondary amyloidosis and basilar impression and the latter includes infection, renal failure and GI bleeding.

Adolescent↗

Somatic mutation in constant regions of mouse lambda 1 light chains.

To study the distribution of somatic mutation, we determined nucleotide sequences of rearranged lambda 1-chain genomic DNA from four hybridomas obtained from C57BL/6 mice that had been immunized with (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl-conjugated chicken gamma globulin. In total, 114 nucleotide substitutions were observed, with neither insertion nor deletion. Sixty-one mutations occurred in the variable-joining region genes (V lambda 1-J lambda 1) and 49 in joining-constant (J lambda 1-C lambda 1) introns. Although frequency decreased with distance from the V lambda 1-J lambda 1 coding region, somatic mutations occurred in the entire J lambda 1-C lambda 1 intron and even in the C lambda 1 region. We found four nucleotide substitutions in C lambda 1 genes, all of which were replacement mutations. Therefore, the mechanism responsible for somatic mutation is operative into the C lambda 1 exons. Nucleotide sequences of rearranged but inactive lambda 2-chain genes from two hybridomas were also examined and compared with those of lambda 1-chain genes. The clustering of replacement mutations in complementarity-determining regions in the inactive lambda 2-chain genes similar to the active lambda 1-chain genes suggested a mechanism that induces somatic mutation preferentially in this region even in the absence of antigenic selection.

Animals↗

Heterogeneity of CD4+ T cells involved in anti-allo-class I H-2 immune responses. Functional discrimination between the major proliferating cells and helper cells assisting cytotoxic T cell responses.

MLR in various combinations with class I H-2 disparity revealed that there are three patterns of MLR in the aspect of responding T subset (CD4 vs CD8) dominance. Irrespective of the CD8 vs CD4 dominance, a single i.v. administration of class I-disparate allogeneic spleen cells resulted in almost complete abrogation of anti-class I proliferative capacity of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in six combinations. The suppression of proliferative responses was correlated with the striking reduction in the ability to produce IL-2 upon stimulation with the relevant class I alloantigens. In contrast, i.v. presensitized recipient mice exhibiting only marginal MLR/Il-2 production could generate comparable magnitudes of anti-allo class I CTL as well as graft rejection responses to those induced by normal unpresensitized mice. The administration in vivo of anti-CD4 antibody along with the i.v. presensitization not only suppressed the generation of CTL responses by spleen cells but also induced appreciable prolongation of allo-class I-disparate skin grafts under conditions in which neither alone did it. These results demonstrate that 1) the suppression of graft rejection responses is not necessarily reflected on the reduction of MLR; 2) CD8+ CTL precursors responsible for graft rejection can be activated by either allo-class I-reactive CD8+ or CD4+ Th cells; 3) i.v. presensitization induces functional elimination of CD8+ and CD4+ proliferative/IL-2-producing T cells but not of CD8+ CTL precursors and CD4+ Th whose capacity is expressed by assistance of CTL induction but not by their own proliferation. Thus, this study illustrates the heterogeneity of class I alloantigen-reactive CD4+ T cells in the aspect of their capacity to proliferate themselves vs contribute to CTL induction as well as graft rejection.

Animals↗