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Biomedical subjects

T Fujimura

Publications and source records attributed to T Fujimura.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Evaluation of tinnitus patients by peroral multi-drug treatment.

To evaluate patients complaining of subjective tinnitus, this study examined their response to peroral betahistine mesilate, vitamin B complex and diazepam in combination. Because three drugs were used together, it remains to be seen whether a single drug or a combination of drugs was effective. We issued questionnaires to 67 patients with tinnitus associated with sensorineural hearing loss of unknown etiology or tinnitus, despite normal hearing in pure tone audiometry and lack of distinct systemic disorders. Our original questionnaire contained seven items and allotted points for each item to facilitate evaluation. After prescribing the above drugs and observing patients' progress for 5 weeks, 50 of the 67 subjects were evaluated again by the same questionnaire. The present study evaluates tinnitus of patients as an example of clinical applications; this was not a controlled double blind study. It was found that, after patients took the prescribed medication, the total number of points were significantly reduced (paired t-test, P < 0.001). After medication, cases of bilateral tinnitus were significantly reduced from 27 to 14, and cases of two types of tinnitus sound, were significantly decreased from 22 to 11 (chi 2-test, P < 0.05). After 5 weeks of administration, 54% of patients felt treatment had been effective. Preliminary results suggest this peroral multi-drug treatment may provide relief for some patients with subjective tinnitus. However, long-term efficacy of the treatment was not investigated.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Establishment of a new murine-phenotypic angiosarcoma cell line (ISOS-1).

A cell line, designated ISOS-1, was established from a tumor formed by transplantation of a human angiosarcoma into mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). The cells showed endothelial properties, based on the uptake of Dil-Ac-LDL and binding of UEA-I/GSA-I lectins, but were negative for CD11b and Pan Cytokeratin. However, the cells lost differentiated characteristics such as expression of von Willebrand factor, contact inhibition growth and tube formation activity. These findings indicate that ISOS-1 is a poorly-differentiated endothelial cell line. At the 81st passage, all of the cells were positive for H-2Dd in various intensity, but not HLA-ABC. The metaphase chromosomes consistently showed a characteristic mouse, but not human, telocentric form. Furthermore, this cell line produced fatal tumor growth in SCID mice and also in BALB/c mice. These results suggest that ISOS-1 is a murine-phenotypic angiosarcoma cell line.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Prognostic significance of c-erbB-2 gene expression in the poorly differentiated type of adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Prognostic significance of c-erbB-2 gene abnormalities is unclear in the poorly differentiated type of gastric carcinoma, because the abnormalities of this gene have been reported to be restricted to the differentiated type of gastric carcinoma. In this study, correlation of c-erbB-2 gene amplification/overexpression of mRNA and protein were studied in the poorly differentiated type of gastric carcinoma. c-erbB-2 gene amplification determined by the slot-blot hybridization was observed in 11 (13%) of 82 gastric cancer, and 8 of 11 tumors were poorly differentiated. In addition, c-erbB-2 mRNA expression was studied by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Four (17%) of 24 tumors showed overexpression of c-erbB-2 mRNA, and all these four exhibited morphologically a poorly differentiated type. Among 157 poorly differentiated gastric cancers, 20 (13%) tumors showed immunohistochemically c-erbB-2 protein expression. These tumors had significantly higher incidences of larger tumor, serosal invasion-positive tumors, node-positive tumor, or peritoneal dissemination-positive tumor than those without c-erbB-2 expression. Furthermore, patients with c-erbB-2 protein overexpression ran poorer prognoses than those without c-erbB-2 expression. From these results, we conclude that expression c-erbB-2 tissue status may be a good prognostic indicator in poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

Dissection of the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and class II gene polymorphisms within the MHC on murine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Gene(s) in the MHC of the NZW strain (H-2z) up-regulate(s) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in (NZB x NZW) F1 mice. So far, two plausible mechanisms have been implicated: (i) unique mixed haplotype class II molecules formed in the F1 mice act as a restriction element for self-reactive T cells and (ii) a unique polymorphism in the H-2-linked NZW tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha allele which down-regulates TNF-alpha is contributory. Because of the difficulty in dissecting these alleles within the H-2 complex, it has not been determined which is indeed the case. We addressed this issue by establishing three different H-2-congenic (NZB x NZW) F1 mice bearing distinct haplotypes at class II and TNF-alpha regions, i.e. (NZB x NZW) F1 (H-2d/z:A(d/u)E(d/u)TNF(d/z)), (NZB x NZW.PL) F1 (H-2(d/u):A(d/u)E(d/u)TNF(d/d)) and (NZB x NZW.H-2d) F1 (H-2(d/d):A(d/d)E(d/d)TNF(d/d)). Among these, only (NZB x NZW) F1 produced a markedly lower level of TNF-alpha, due to the unique NZW TNF-alpha allele (TNF(z)). Studies of anti-DNA antibodies and lupus nephritis revealed that, compared to (NZB x NZW) F1, the disease of (NZB x NZW.H-2d) F1 was markedly reduced. In (NZB x NZW.PL) F1, the onset of renal disease was significantly delayed, while the extent of proteinuria and renal histopathology in individuals that had developed the disease was comparable to that seen in (NZB x NZW) F1. It seems likely that both class II and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms are functioning as H-2-linked predisposing genetic elements, and that the TNF-alpha polymorphism acts to modulate an initial process of the renal disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

The significance of endothelin for generation of endocochlear potential.

The role of intermediate cells (ICs) in the stria vascularis (SV) of the cochlear ducts in the generation of endocochlear potential (EP) is clear because certain mutants cannot generate EP. Recent reports have shown that endothelin (ET) stimulates or inhibits the function of Na+, K(+)-ATPase in various organs. This study was designed to examine the immunocytochemical localization of ET and its receptor in the SV. The cochlear ducts of WBB6F1 (+/+) mice and mutants (W/Wv) devoid of the ICs were used for light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry using rabbit anti-ET-1, ET-3, and ETA receptor antisera. The location of Na+, K(+)-ATPase using rabbit anti-rat Na+, K(+)-ATPase was also examined. Immunoreactivity to Na+, K(+)-ATPase was seen in the marginal cells (MCs) in both species. Immunoreactivity to ET-1 and ET-3 was preferentially localized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic vesicles of the ICs and along the plasma membrane of the ICs and in the MCs apposed to the ICs. Immunoreactive sites for ETA were almost identical to those of ET-1 and ET-3. Because Na+, K(+)-ATPase activities also exist in the MCs of the mutants, it appears likely that ET, synthesized and released by the ICs, may participate in generation of EP by regulating the function of Na+, K(+)-ATPase for production of the endolymph of the MCs.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Local cytokine expression in steroid-modified tinea faciei.

In tinea faciei, a dermatophyte infection of the face, early stage lesions show erythema with crust and/or vesicles, a condition often misdiagnosed as dermatitis. Steroid application retards the healing in some cases and may induce penetration of the dermatophyte hyphae into hair and hair follicles. In the present study, we examined local immunity mediated by cytokines derived from lesional T lymphocytes in late stage of this disease. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were highly expressed, but neither interleukin-4 (IL-4) nor interleukin-5 (IL-5) could be detected by RT-PCR using cryosections. These data suggested that IFN-gamma and MIF may be important in the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response against the fungus in the hair follicle in late stages.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Cepharanthine inhibits proliferation of cancer cells by inducing apoptosis.

Cepharanthine, a biscoclaurine alkaloid extracted from Stephania cepharantha Hayata was examined for a possible apoptosis-inducing effect in murine P388 doxorubicin-sensitive (P388/S) and -resistant (P388/DOX) cells. A significant increase in LDH release from cells was observed after P388/S and P388/DOX cells had been exposed to cepharanthine for 24 h. Cepharanthine (10 micrograms/ml) markedly induced apoptosis in resistant cells after 6 h and 24 h. By the means of agarose electrophoresis the DNA ladder was detected in cell lines treated with cepharanthine for 24 h. Cepharanthine (1-10 micrograms/ml) also induced the production of reactive oxygen species in P388/DOX cells, while no such cepharanthine-induced increase in reactive oxygen species was observed in P388/S cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed a high level of Fas-antigen expression in P388/DOX cells treated with cepharanthine. Furthermore, we found that the inhibitition of DNA and protein synthesis caused by cepharanthine (10 micrograms/ml) was more significant in resistant cells than in sensitive cells. Cepharanthine had no effect on the GSH content of P388/S and P388/DOX cells. Our experimental results suggest that cepharanthin can induce apoptosis both in P388/S and P388/DOX cells, especially in the latter. Apoptosis induced by cepharanthine may be implicated in the production of reactive oxygen species and Fas-antigen expression in tumor cells.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1998

A retrospective cohort study on retirement and mortality for male employees of a local government of Japan.

This retrospective cohort study describes the mortality pattern after retirement and examines associations of the last job position and work status immediately after retirement with the mortality for male employees who retired from Kochi prefectural government. The subjects include 514 retirees over the 1977-1981 period, who were followed for 9.8 years after retirement, and 721 retirees over the 1982-1986 period, who were followed for 5.8-9.8 years. All subjects were hypothesized to have retired at a normal retirement age. Mortality risk was stable through the follow-up period subdivided into two-year intervals in both cohorts of retirees. In both cohorts, men who did not work immediately after retirement had increased mortality within the first two years of retirement compared with those who worked immediately after retirement. This finding is consistent with the mortality pattern explained by health related selection into working after retirement. The present study does not show a meaningful mortality fluctuation over the post-retirement period among male employees of the local government. Lack of information on ages and health status at retirement of individual subjects hampers discussion about causality of observed associations between two study variables concerning pre- and post-retirement characteristics and post-retirement mortality.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[The expression of cMET/hepatocyte growth factor receptor in colorectal cancer].

In this study, we estimated the expression of c-MET/Hepatocyte Growth Factor receptor in colorectal cancers by immunohistochemistry. In 118 patients, c-MET wee expressed in 65 patients (55%). About the clinicopathological findings of metastasis, the proportion of c-MET-positive in the patients with liver metastasis, 78% (18/23), was significantly higher than that without liver metastasis, 49% (47/95), but there was no significant difference about lymph node metastasis and peritoneal dissemination. About the pathological findings of primary lesion, the proportion of c-MET-positive in the patients with infiltration into lymphatic vessels, 63% (48/76), was significantly higher than that without infiltration, 40% (17/42), but there was no significant difference about infiltration into veins. The proportion of c-MET-positive increased as the tumor stage proceeded from t1 to t4 and as the histopathological stage proceeded from I to IV. These results suggest that c-MET may play an important role in the growth and scattering of colorectal cancer cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

Origin and evolution of twin microsatellites in the genus Oryza.

An ancestral sequence of twin microsatellites of rice was found in a wild species. Twin microsatellite loci, RM20A and RM20B, were located on separate regions of chromosomes 11 and 12, which had been duplicated during rice evolution. These twin microsatellites showed different allele diversities in A genome species of the genus Oryza. This difference was caused by repetition of a simple sequence consisting of (TAA)n. Oryza longistaminata contains a short poly(A) sequence in this region instead of the poly(TAA) found in other species. A sequence comparison of RM20-related amplicons suggested that the poly(A)-containing sequence is the ancestral sequence of the RM20A and RM20B microsatellites. A simple base substitution in the poly(A) sequence may have produced the longer microsatellite motif (TAA). This mutation may have occurred on one of the chromosomes of a hypothetical ancestor of the A genome species before duplication of the chromosome segments.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

Separation of 18 6-aminoquinolyl-carbamyl-amino acids by ion-pair chromatography.

Eighteen 6-aminoquinolyl-carbamyl (AQC)-amino acids were separated by ion-pair chromatography, using tetrabutylammonium (TBA) as a counterion. Optimum separation was obtained on a C8 reverse-phase column using gradient elution with two mobile phases, A (5 mM TBA, 75 mM ammonium acetate, pH 7.5) and B (80% acetonitrile). The AQC-amino acids were detected by fluorescence with excitation at 250 nm and emission at 395 nm, and the analysis time was 65 min. The response factors of individual AQC-amino acids to AQC-phenylalanine ranged from 0.42 to 1.08 (except for tryptophan at 0.01), with an average of 0.8. Detection limits by fluorescence ranged from 11.8 fmol (threonine) to 51.7 fmol (methionine), except for tryptophan (1.8 pmol).

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1997

The structure of Silurus asotus (catfish) roe lectin (SAL): identification of a noncovalent trimer by mass spectrometry and analytical ultracentrifugation.

We identified a noncovalent trimer of Sirurus asotus roe lectin (SAL) at Mr 95,362 along with its monomer at M(r) 31,750 by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry when SAL was dissolved in 0.5% acetic acid, sprayed into the ion source with methanol as a sheath liquid, and desolvated at 75 degrees C in a heated capillary column. The molecular weight of SAL, determined by the sedimentation equilibrium method, was 95,200 and the sedimentation coefficient (S20,w) of SAL in water was 5.58. SAL existed as a noncovalent trimer in solution and showed the ability to agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes. SAL showed three peaks (sal 1, sal 2, and sal 3) by C8 reverse-phase HPLC, and these appeared to be a monomer, a dimer, and a trimer, respectively, by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, sal 1 and sal 2 were shown to have a structure interchangeable with that of sal 3 in water.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1997

Apical tubules in marginal cells of the differentiating stria vascularis.

BACKGROUND: Apical tubules (ATs) in marginal cells (MCs) of the stria vascularis appear in limited stages of differentiation of the MCs, but their origin and roles remain uncertain. The present study was designed to solve the problem of whether the ATs are intracellular compartments derived from the Golgi apparatus (GA). METHODS: The cochleae of Wistar rats at ages of postnatal days 1, 3, and 5 were prepared for electron microscopy and cytochemistry using thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase) and coenzyme A phosphatase (CoA-Pase) as marker enzymes of trans Golgi cisterns and fluorescent labelled lectin, griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-I (GS-1). RESULTS: The ATs appeared in the apical cytoplasm of the MCs between postnatal days 1 and 5. Reaction products of TPPase and CoA-Pase activities were localized in the trans-Golgi cisterns and the ATs, which were occasionally in a close apposition to the GA. The reaction was found along the apical plasma membrane of the MCs only in case of TPPase. Heavy reactions to GS-1 were seen in the supranuclear region as well as along the apical plasma membrane of the MCs. CONCLUSIONS: The present ultrastructural and cytochemical studies indicate that the ATs, which appear in the MCs at limited perinatal stages, originate from the trans-Golgi cisterns. These ATs may be involved in the apical plasma membrane supply for the differentiation of the MCs prior to the generation of EP.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Lack of association between variants of the angiotensinogen gene and the risk of coronary artery disease in middle-aged Japanese men.

The renin-angiotensin system is important in cardiovascular remodeling. Although a variant of the angiotensinogen gene is associated with an increased generation of angiotensinogen, it is unclear how this genetic variant might influence the activity of the renin-angiotensin system and thereby contribute to the predisposition to coronary artery disease (CAD). The relation between genetic polymorphisms in the gene-encoding angiotensinogen and the risk of CAD in middle-aged Japanese men was investigated. Two polymorphisms in exon 2 of the angiotensinogen gene, M235T and T174M, were analyzed in 327 patients with CAD and 352 matched control subjects. The genotype distribution of both polymorphisms did not differ between patients with CAD and control subjects. No combination of genotypes of the two polymorphisms was associated with CAD. Results indicate that the M235T and T174M variants of the angiotensinogen gene are not associated with CAD in Japanese men.

Angiotensinogen↗
PubMed1997

Conversion of the CD4+ T cell profile from T(H2)-dominant type to T(H1)-dominant type after varicella-zoster virus infection in atopic dermatitis.

Skin lesions of atopic dermatitis were examined for cytokine expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The profile of mRNA for various cytokines revealed that both T(H1) and T(H2) types of CD4+ T cells, probably including T(H0) type, infiltrate into the skin lesion. We observed that atopic skin lesions improved after varicella infection. In such lesions, expression of T(H1) type cytokines predominated. The peripheral blood T cells from atopic patients exhibited a differentiation into T(H2) type cells upon in vitro stimulation with mite antigen. In contrast they differentiated into T(H1) type cells upon stimulation by varicella antigen. Since IL-12 has been reported to switch the in vitro recall response of allergen-specific T cells of atopic donors from a T(H2)- to a T(H1)-like phenotype, we examined its local production in varicella lesions. IL-12 p35 and p40 mRNA were expressed in fresh lesions. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from atopic patients expressed p40 mRNA upon in vitro stimulation with live varicella zoster virus, but they did not show p40 mRNA without stimulation. This finding suggested that in atopic skin lesions containing the virus, IL-12 was produced and the cell type was changed to T(H1) type-predominance. These results suggested that patients with atopic dermatitis always have highly reactive CD4+ T cells infiltrating into their skin, and that the switch to T(H1) or T(H2) dominance is related to whether the lesion is improved or exacerbated.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1997

Lack of association of polymorphisms of the angiotensin converting enzyme and angiotensinogen genes with nonfamilial hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy.

Although several genes or genetic loci that are either responsible for or confer susceptibility to familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have been identified, genetic defects that underlie nonfamilial HCM or DCM remain to be characterized. An allelic association study for the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensinogen genes has now been performed with 71 patients with nonfamilial HCM, 88 patients with nonfamilial DCM, and 122 healthy control subjects in the Japanese population. The distribution of ACE genotypes for an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in intron 16 did not differ significantly among control subjects and patients with HCM or DCM. Similarly, the distributions of angiotensinogen genotypes for methionine-235-threonine (M235T) and threonine-174-methionine (T174M) polymorphisms did not differ significantly among the three groups. Echocardiographic parameters that are indicators of the severity or progression of disease did not differ significantly among ACE I/D or angiotensinogen M235T and T174M genotypes in the two patient groups. Finally, no additive or synergistic effect of any combined genotypes or haplotypes of the ACE and angiotensinogen polymorphisms on the association with HCM or DCM was detected. Results indicate that the ACE I/D and angiotensinogen M235T and T174M polymorphisms are not related to HCM or DCM in the Japanese population, and that variants of these polymorphisms do not contribute to the genesis or progression of these cardiomyopathies.

Angiotensinogen↗