Biomedical subjects

T Fujihara

Publications and source records attributed to T Fujihara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Slow induction with sevoflurane was associated with complete atrioventricular block in a child with hypertension, renal dysfunction, and impaired cardiac conduction.

We describe the appearance of complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) with sevoflurane and nitrous oxide during the slow induction in a ten-year-old male patient with hypertension, renal dysfunction, and impaired cardiac conduction. Sinus rhythm was restored following the washout of the anaesthetic gas. And CAVB recurred after the subcutaneous injection of lignocaine. The present report shows that sevoflurane should be treated with care like other inhalational anaesthetics as regards the effect on cardiac conduction.

Anesthesia, General↗

PubMed1998

Lactoferrin suppresses loss of corneal epithelial integrity in a rabbit short-term dry eye model.

Human tear fluid contains lactoferrin at the highest concentration. In patients with dry eye such as Sjogren's syndrome, the concentration of lactoferrin in the tears is approximately half the normal value. The present study utilizes a short-term rabbit dry eye model to evaluate if lactoferrin containing eye drops can reverse any of the damage produced by blockage of blinking with an ocular speculum. Damage was evaluated based on the extent of methylene blue staining in histological sections. After 3 h of desiccation, the amount of extractable dye recovered following sacrifice increased by more than 4-fold in the vehicle-treated eyes. However, in those rabbits treated with 1% lactoferrin, dye recovery was only 40% of the value in the vehicle-treated eyes. Between 1-3 h and over a concentration range from 0.01 to 1% lactoferrin, the decreases in staining were both time and concentration dependent. Alternatively, if 1% lactoferrin was applied during the desiccation period, there was partial restoration of corneal epithelial integrity. These results suggest that lactoferrin may be of therapeutic value in decreasing the loss of corneal epithelial integrity in dry eye.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

TGF-beta1 produced by gastric cancer cells affects mesothelial cell morphology in peritoneal dissemination.

In vitro morphologic change of mesothelial cells was observed following the addition of serum-free conditioned medium (SF-CM) from peritoneal dissemination cell line OCUM-2MD3. The same morphologic change of mesothelial cells was observed following the addition of 10 ng/ml TGF-beta1, but not following the addition of b-FGF, IGF-I, VEGF or PDGF-AA. In the in vivo study, mesothelial cells of mice treated with SF-CM from OCUM-2MD3 and TGF- beta1 were separated from one another, resulting in exposure of the submesothelial connective tissue. The molecular size of the mesothelial morphology changing activity was estimated by running the SF-CM from OCUM-2MD3 through a gel filtration column TSK-gel G2000SW. The mesothelial morphology changing activity was recognized at positions equivalent of Mr 6, 500-30,000. 25 kDa TGF-beta1 was detected in the active fraction from the TSK-gel G2000SW column and the SF-CM of OCUM-2MD3 by Western blotting using a monoclonal antibody against TGF-beta1. These findings suggest that TGF-beta1 produced by gastric cancer cells changes the morphology of mesothelial cells and may thus be closely associated with peritoneal dissemination.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Dentinal tubule occlusion with lanthanum fluoride and powdered apatite glass ceramics in vitro.

To simulate hypersensitive dentin, the smear layer and dentinal plugs of bovine root dentin specimens were removed by immersion in 10% phosphoric acid, polishing with hydroxyapatite particles, and ultrasonic cleansing. The fluoride-tannic acid-lanthanum-apatite (FTLA) group was treated with acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) containing tannic acid followed by rubbing with a paste of lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) and powdered apatite glass ceramics. The treated specimens were immersed in a remineralizing solution that mimics saliva for 6 weeks. The SEM observations revealed that the treated surfaces of the FTLA group were completely covered with fine spherical compounds and the dentinal tubules were occluded with plugs to a depth of about 3 microns. Fluoride and lanthanum were detected to a depth of over 20 microns by EPMA observation. After the remineralization, the surface of FTLA-treated specimen did not have any opened tubules and showed a remarkable increase in the number of fine spherical deposits in the dentinal tubules. These results suggest that the reaction products produced by sequential treatment with acidic fluoride and LaCl3 and powdered apatite glass ceramics are able to effectively occlude dentinal tubules.

Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride↗

PubMed1998

Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in invasive breast cancer reflects low growth potential, negative lymph node involvement, and good prognosis.

To understand the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in tumor progression in the host, we examined ICAM-1 expression in breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. This study included 274 female patients with invasive breast cancer, with a median follow-up of 98 months. The molecule was identified in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumors, and the relationship to clinicopathological factors and prognosis was analyzed. ICAM-1 expression occurred in 50.3% of patients. ICAM-1 expression had negative correlation to tumor size (P = 0.003), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0001), tumor infiltration (P = 0.003), nuclear pleomorphism (P = 0.004), and nuclear grade (P = 0.042). Patients with ICAM-1-positive tumors had better relapse-free and overall survival than those with negative tumors (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0003, respectively). These results suggest that expression of ICAM-1 on cancer cells might have a role as a suppressor of tumor progression under the host immune surveillance system.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed1997

Evaluation of human conjunctival epithelium by a combination of brush cytology and flow cytometry: an approach to the quantitative technique.

Cytology using the brush technique is readily available and is a rapid means of establishing a presumptive diagnosis of ocular surface changes. However, those techniques have some limitations when obtaining cells from certain localized areas particularly if using the Cytobrush-S. We have described here a new type of brush (Accellon-M), which can collect the local cells using its spherical tip, and evaluated them by comparing with Cytobrush-S. Furthermore, we differentiated epithelial cells from nonepithelial cells that were collected by brushing, and by a combination of brush cytology and flow cytometry using an anti-keratin antibody, AE-3, which reacts with all basic epithelial keratins. Accellon-M could collect the epithelial cells from conjunctiva as effectively as with the Cytobrush-S, and there were no statistical differences between both groups. AE-3, which is reported as the marker of epithelial cells, were detected quantitatively by a combination of brush cytology and flow cytometry techniques. The result of the present study emphasizes that both the Cytobrush-S and the Accellon-M are valuable for conjunctival brush cytology. An additional positive feature of the Accellon-M may be improved cell collection from the conjunctival epithelium especially when the target cells are in a limited area. The combination of the brush cytology and the flow cytometry technique appears to be a useful adjunct as an additional diagnostic or research tool for use in the detection of various antigens in the conjunctival epithelium.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Bioavailability of rumen bacterial selenium in mice using tissue uptake technique.

A tissue uptake experiment was conducted to determine the bioavailability of rumen bacterial Selenium (Se) in mice. The donor animal was wether fed a diet containing 0.2 mg Se/kg dietary dry matter (DM). Ruminal fluid was collected 2 h postprandially. Bacterial-rich precipitate was obtained by differential centrifugation of the ruminal fluids. This was later freeze-dried and mixed in the diet to be used in feeding the mice experiment. Thirty growing female mice with a body wt (mean +/- SD) of 21.4 +/- 0.74 g were housed in plastic cages (5 mice/cage) and allotted equally to three dietary treatments. Diet 1 and Diet 2 were formulated based on AIN-76, except that no Se supplementation in the form of selenite was made in the former. In Diet 3, rumen bacterial matter was 20% of the diet, which gave an equivalent of 0.1 mg Se/kg dietary DM. The other two diets, Diet 1 and Diet 2, had an Se content of 0.025 and 0.1 mg/kg dietary DM, respectively. A 7-d feeding commenced after 7 d of acclimatization of the semipurified diet. Results showed that those mice fed an Se- (selenite) supplemented diet (Diet 2) had higher (P < 0.05) tissue Se concentrations than those mice fed the other two diets. No statistical differences were observed on various tissue Se concentrations between Diet 1 and Diet 3, although the latter diet had higher values. Kidney and liver had the highest Se concentrations compared to the other tissues. This study concludes that bacterial Se collected from the rumen of wether is not fully available for absorption in the intestine of the mice.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Dry eye and Meige's syndrome.

AIMS: To determine the relation between dry eye and Meige's syndrome. METHODS: 325 patients with dry eye were divided into those responsive to topical and other forms of treatment (n = 276) and those who were not (n = 49). A neuropsychiatric examination was performed to check for Meige's syndrome in the latter group. RESULTS: Twenty eight (57%) of the treatment unresponsive patients were diagnosed with Meige's syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: There is a subgroup of patients with dry eye who do not respond to simple therapy. More than half of these patients have Meige's syndrome and need psychiatric, as well as ophthalmic, care.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Flow cytometric analysis of surface antigens on human conjunctival epithelial cells.

We analyzed the levels of expression of different surface adhesion molecules on normal human conjunctival epithelial cells with cytology and flow cytometry. The levels of beta 1 (CD29), VLA-1 (CD49a), VLA-2 (CD49b), and VLA-3 (CD49c) integrins were high, whereas those of VLA-5 (CD49e) and VLA-6 (CD49f) were faint, and that of VLA-4(CD49d) was undetectable. Among the beta 2 integrins, the levels of Mac-1 (CD11b) and p150.25(CD11c) were positive, while LFA-1 (CD11a) was not detectable. HLA class I and class II were also expressed. However, CR2 (CD21), CD57, CD44 and ICAM-1 (CD54) were not detected. Our study suggests that these techniques may aid in identifying changes in the expression levels of various surface antigens on conjunctival epithelial cells that could occur in ocular surface disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Soluble interleukin-2 receptors and serum autoantibodies in dry eye patients: correlation with lacrimal gland function.

PURPOSE: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by decreased lacrimal and salivary gland function causing dry eye and dry mouth. We examined several parameters as measures of lacrimal function and compared the serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and serum autoantibodies as measures of systemic autoimmune condition. METHODS: Serum levels of sIL-2R, antinuclear antibody (ANA), and rheumatoid factor (RF) in 128 patients (16 men, 112 women; average age, 54.3 +/- 12.5 years) were measured. The lacrimal function was evaluated clinically. RESULTS. There was no correlation between systemic condition and the cotton-thread test, Schirmer test with or without anesthesia, tear-clearance test, tear-function index, or the BUT. However, the Schirmer test with nasal stimulation and rose bengal and fluorescein staining was positively correlated with systemic parameters. CONCLUSION: We show the correlation of serum sIL-2R, ANA, and RF to lacrimal function, which is good evidence that systemic immune conditions directly affect local lacrimal gland function.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗

PubMed1996

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) produced by peritoneal fibroblasts may affect mesothelial cell morphology and promote peritoneal dissemination.

Mesothelial cell monolayers have been reported to prevent infiltration of cancer cells into the peritoneum. We have previously reported that peritoneal fibrosis induced by gastric cancer cells prior to metastatization may provide a congenial environment for peritoneal metastases. In this study, we investigated the effects of peritoneal fibroblasts on peritoneal mesothelial cell morphology. Human gastric cancer (OCUM-2MD3), peritoneal fibroblast (NF-2P) and mesothelial (MS-1) cell lines were established in our laboratory. Histology of the peritoneum was investigated following intraperitoneal inoculation of serum-free conditioned media (SF-CM) from OCUM-2MD3 cells into nude mice. SF-CM from peritoneal fibroblasts was added to monolayer-cultured mesothelial cells, and their morphology was examined by phase-contrast microscopy. This experiment was conducted in the presence and absence of neutralizing antibodies against various factors. Mesothelial cells exposed to fibroblasts proliferation became hemispherical and separated from each other, while unexposed mesothelium remained as a flat monolayer. Cultured-mesothelial cells rounded up or exhibited a fibroblast-like shape following the addition of peritoneal fibroblast SF-CM. Anti-hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) neutralizing antibody partly inhibited this effect. We suggest that soluble factors, such as HGF, produced by peritoneal fibroblasts affect the morphology of mesothelial cells in monolayers so that the resulting environment may become prone to the peritoneal dissemination of cancer cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Amebic liver abscess.

We report eight cases of amebic liver abscess. All patients were men, and four were homosexual. Five of the eight patients had syphilis, but the four homosexual patients who were tested for HIV infection were negative. Ultrasonography (US), with or without needle aspiration, is the best method for diagnosing amebic liver abscess, and the treatment of choice is US-guided needle aspiration of the abscess followed by metronidazole therapy. Complication by other sexually transmitted diseases is another important factor affecting the treatment of this disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Decreased reflex tearing is associated with lymphocytic infiltration in lacrimal glands.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether reflex tearing measured by the Schirmer test with nasal stimulation is better correlated with lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal gland and is thus a more appropriate test for Sjögren's syndrome (SS). METHODS: 272 patients with dry eye (age 55.5 +/- 13.5 years) with regular Schirmer test results < 10 mm were recruited for the study. They were divided into 2 groups depending on the results of the Schirmer test with nasal stimulation. 24 age and sex matched patients from each group were selected for lacrimal gland biopsy and 10 patients for salivary gland biopsy, and the levels of systemic autoantibodies and degrees of ocular surface staining and lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal and salivary glands were compared. RESULTS: Of the 272 patients, 187 (68.8%) had good reflex tearing (GT) and 85 (31.2%) had poor reflex tearing (PT). There were no significant differences in the age or sex of the 2 groups. Lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal gland was observed in 7 GT cases and 22 PT cases out of 24 cases. Lymphocytic infiltration of the salivary gland was also higher in the PT (6 of 10) than the GT group (2 of 10). CONCLUSION: Evaluation of reflex tearing by the Schirmer test with nasal stimulation identifies 2 groups of patients with dry eye. Those with poor reflex tearing were more likely to have autoantibodies and lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands consistent with SS.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Secretory IgA and squamous epithelization in adenoids of children with otitis media with effusion.

Infection of adenoids has been considered a causative factor of otitis media with effusion (OME). We believe that the deterioration in the mucosal barrier of adenoids makes the adenoids vulnerable to bacterial infections, resulting OME. In this study, we evaluated secretory IgA, secretory component (SC) and reticular and squamous changes of ciliated epithelium in adenoids. Fourteen children with OME (OME(+)) and 6 children without any history of OME (OME(+)) were enrolled in the study. Immunohistological study on the adenoids using anti-IgA and anti-SC revealed no significant difference between two groups in the number of IgA positive cells in the subepithelial layer. However, the proportion of the secretory component-positive area in the epithelium was significantly lower in the OME(+) group (11.4 +/- 13.0%) than in the OME(+) group (20.7 +/- 9.6%) (Mann Whitney U test, p <0.05). Histological study using hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that the area of squamous epithelization was bigger in the OME(+) group (32%) than in the OME(+) group (16%) (p <0.05). The number of ciliated cells was decreased in the OME(+) group (13%) compared with the OME(+) group (31%). The epithelium was thicker in the OME(+) group (101 mu m) than in the OME(+) than in the OME(+) group (79 mu mm) (p <0.05). These results suggest that the production of the secretory component is lower in the epithelium of adenoids in children with OME. Hyperplasia, squamous epithelization and decreased number of ciliated cells may also hamper mucosal clearance of the adenoids of children with OME. These findings suggest that the adenoids of children with OME are more susceptible to infections than adenoids of children without OME.

Adenoids↗

PubMed1995

Lactoferrin inhibits herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) infection to mouse cornea.

Lactoferrin inhibits bacterial growth in the conjunctival sac. However, its antiviral function particularly in ocular tissue has not been reported in the literature. We studied whether lactoferrin inhibits infection of herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) in vitro using Vero cell monolayer. We also tested the inhibitory effect of lactoferrin on HSV-1 infection in the mouse cornea. Lactoferrin prevented HSV-1 plaque formation. Administration of topical 1% lactoferrin prior to the virus inoculation suppressed infection on ocular tissue, however it did not inhibit propagation of the virus.

Acyclovir↗

PubMed1995

Establishment of a rabbit short-term dry eye model.

The dry eye syndrome is a chronic disease which can become a serious threat to useful vision. However, there is only a limited understanding regarding effective treatment or prevention of this disease. Establishing an effective mode of treatment requires the use of a satisfactory animal dry eye model. Ideally, such a model should rapidly determine the effectiveness of agents that inhibit the damaging effects of this syndrome. This paper presents a short-term dry eye model using rabbits, which combines mechanical prevention of blinking and methylene blue staining. This model is not intended to be a precise representation of the dry eye syndrome, since this disorder has recently become recognized to involve a primary pathological process of the corneal and conjunctival epithelium. However, by using this model, clinical signs of dry eye can be observed after a few hours in the form of acute desiccation. Corneal damage can easily be evaluated both qualitatively by methylene blue staining scores, and quantitatively by chronic assay. Visually observed corneal epithelial thinning was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to be due to loss of epithelial integrity. Using a 3% chondroitin sulfate solution, an already proven effective agent for dry eye, this model effectively demonstrated an 80% inhibition in the development of methylene blue positive lesion after a period of only 2 hours. This short term dry eye model is valuable in primarily screening the efficacy of potential therapeutic agents in the prevention and treatment of dry eye.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Arachidonic acid stimulates corneal epithelial migration.

We determined the concentration dependent effects of arachidonic acid between 0.3 and 30 x 10(-6) M on corneal epithelial migration, in an organ culture system of the rabbit cornea. With 3 x 10(-6) M arachidonic acid, corneal epithelial migration was maximally stimulated by 51%. The cyclooxygenase inhibitors, indomethacin, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen and diclofenac sodium also all had a tendency to stimulate corneal epithelial migration at low concentrations (0.1 or 1 x 10(-6) M). However, the inhibitory effect of epithelial migration was observed at higher concentration (100 x 10(-6) M) of these compounds. On the other hand, the selective 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, AA-861 over a concentration range from 0.1 to 10 x 10(-6) M maximally inhibited corneal epithelial migration by 25%. These results suggest that during wound healing some of the increased release of arachidonic acid may be derived from a metabolite of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway which may in turn hasten wound closure.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

[Usefulness of 5-FU high-dose continuous therapy at home in patients with recurrent gastric and colon cancer].

Recurrence of gastric cancer or colon cancer was observed in some patients who received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) high-dose continuous Methotrexate (MTX)-Leucovorin (LV) therapy (FML therapy) previously. 5-FU high-dose 48-hours continuous therapy (5-FU therapy) as maintenance therapy for the patients was performed in the hospital and successively at home. The patients included 3 with recurrent gastric cancer and 2 with recurrent colon cancer: there were 4 males and 1 female, the mean age was 51.8 years (33-59 years). All patients had received FML therapy during the hospital stay before the maintenance chemotherapy at home. 5-FU therapy (30 mg/kg/day x 2 days/w), 30.2 courses on an average (11-40 courses), was performed through a catheter (Port-A-Cath), which was introduced into the right subclavian vein and placed under the skin, with a Baxter infusion pump. The concentration of 5-FU was 197 +/- 172-401 +/- 127 ng/ml between the 2nd and 48th hour. Adverse reaction included anorexia in 5 patients, stomatitis in 4, pigmentation in 4, leukopenia in 3, neuropathy in 2 and alopecia in 1. The therapy was effective for 10.4 months on an average (4-18 months) and the mean survival period was 12.0 months (7-18 months).

Adult↗