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Biomedical subjects

T Gunji

Publications and source records attributed to T Gunji.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Correlation between the serum level of hepatitis C virus RNA and disease activities in acute and chronic hepatitis C.

The influence of viremia on hepatic injury in patients infected with hepatitis C virus was examined by analysis of the relationship between alanine aminotransferase activity and the amount of hepatitis C virus RNA in sequential serum samples from I untreated patient with acute hepatitis C and 3 untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C. Semiquantitative analysis by the competitive-reverse-transcription/polymerase-chain-reaction method indicated that the quantity of hepatitis C virus RNA in the serum affected the disease activities of acute and chronic hepatitis C through their natural clinical courses in all these patients. The nucleotide sequence encoding the putative envelope region of the viral genome in the patient with acute hepatitis C was examined. Blood samples taken serially at 2 times of exacerbation of the hepatitis revealed 2 nucleotide mutations, resulting in changes of predicted amino acid residues. This finding suggests that nucleotide mutations in the envelope region of the viral genome may be responsible for the recurrent hepatic injury attributed to recurrence of viremia in patients with hepatitis C. From these aspects, the serial divergence of the virus genome in infected individuals, especially in the region encoding the viral envelope protein, may possibly play an important role in developing chronic infection of hepatitis C virus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with advanced cirrhosis by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization using autologous blood clot: a preliminary report.

Twenty-two patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were treated by a new method of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization using an autologous blood clot as an embolizing agent. All had underlying advanced cirrhosis (14 Child's class B and 8 Child's class C patients). The median follow-up interval was 11 mo (range = 2 to 30 mo). The results of the treatment were compared with those of conventional chemoembolization using gelatin sponge particles for 19 Child's class B patients as historical controls. The survival rate for Child's class B patients treated by the new procedure estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method was 100% at 2 yr, whereas the survival rate for Child's class B patients treated by conventional chemoembolization was 89% at 1 yr and 72% at 2 yr. The survival rate for Child's class C patients was 75% at 1 yr and 50% at 2 yr. Side effects such as pyrexia of more than 38 degrees C or an elevation of the serum bilirubin level of more than 1.5-fold were less common in patients treated by the new method than in those treated by conventional chemoembolization, and thus the new procedure could be performed even for Child's class C patients. The autologous blood clot did not collapse the hepatic arteries even when the embolization was performed repeatedly, and thus fine collateral vessels feeding recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma did not develop. The results suggest that the new chemoembolization using an autologous blood clot is a promising therapeutic procedure in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with advanced cirrhosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: necessity for prospective randomized trial.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is now widely used in cases of surgically unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it is unclear whether patients with surgically resectable hepatocellular carcinoma should always be treated with hepatectomy as opposed to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Sixty-six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent hepatectomy, whereas 29 patients with more advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization at our hospital from 1984 to 1990. All cases were associated with cirrhosis of Child class A or B. All of them underwent hepatectomy or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the first time. Their outcomes were determined on March 31, 1991. The backgrounds and survival curves for hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization were compared in both Child A and Child B patients. For both Child A and B patients, no significant difference was found between hepatectomy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with respect to age, sex, cause of underlying cirrhosis, liver function assessed by indocyanine green test and maximum diameter of the main tumor. The incidence of multiple hepatocellular carcinoma, more advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (TNM stage III or IV) or both was significantly higher in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization group than in the hepatectomy group for both Child A and Child B patients. The survival curves of both the hepatectomy and the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization groups showed no significant difference for both Child A and Child B patients. A prospective study is therefore warranted to elucidate whether hepatectomy or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization is more effective for treating resectable hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Expression of androgen receptor mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinomas and hepatoma cell lines.

The expression of androgen receptor messenger RNA in hepatocellular carcinomas and hepatoma cell lines was studied using Northern-blot analysis and the complementary DNA-polymerase chain reaction method. Androgen receptor messenger RNAs were detected (although in low levels) in both hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and noncancerous tissues of the liver in all eight cases we studied, except for the tumor sample of one case. None of the hepatoma cell lines studied, however, expressed detectable levels of androgen receptor messenger RNA except for the SK-HEP-1 hepatoma cell line.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed1991

Multiple diffuse hemangiomas of the large intestine.

A 54-year-old male case with multiple, diffuse hemangiomas of the large intestine is described. Large diffuse hemangiomas were located at the rectosigmoid and the ascending colon. Some polypoid lesions were located on the transverse colon. Tiny calcifications representing phleboliths were detected in those lesions. No skin hemangiomas were present. Although he did not manifest systemic bleeding tendency, blood examinations demonstrated the presence of mild consumption coagulopathy.

Colonic Polyps↗
PubMed1990

A human T-cell clone cytotoxic for hepatocytes from patients with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis.

A human T-cell clone (TA-NB-2) which could lyse hepatocytes from patients with chronic non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis was established (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1989;86:2883-2887). TA-NB-2 cells belonged to CD3+ CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and recognized the target hepatocytes by T-cell receptor without restriction by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens. TA-NB-2 cells significantly lysed hepatocytes from 22 of 23 patients with chronic NANB hepatitis, whereas they lysed hepatocytes from only one of 17 control patients with chronic type B hepatitis, acute hepatitis B or acute hepatitis A. TA-NB-2 cells also significantly lysed hepatocytes from 4 of 5 patients with autoimmune liver disease. The results suggest that TA-NB-2 cells specifically recognize a NANB hepatitis-related antigen expressed on NANB hepatitis virus-infected hepatocytes by T-cell receptor in non-MHC-restricted manner. The results also suggest that most, if not all, cases of chronic NANB hepatitis are caused by one agent and that a portion of cases of autoimmune liver disease may be induced by infection with a NANB hepatitis virus.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1990

Breast form changes resulting from a certain brassière.

Eleven adult female subjects aged 22-39 years wore a certain brassière for 3 months while anthropometry and moiré fringe photographs on the anterior trunk were taken regularly once a week. After the 3 months, the brassière was not worn for another 3 months. Then the measurements and photogrammetry were repeated for comparison using superimposed moiré configurations. The results are summarized as follows. Regardless of slim or obese trunk, subjects with pendent breasts showed the highest degree of breast form "correction" from wearing the brassière. In all subjects, after 3 months of brassière constraint, the underbust circumference was smaller but the chest circumference became enlarged, the distance between the right and left nipples became wider, and the breasts tended to hang down. This change was more marked in obese subjects with pendent breasts. And when this type of subject wore a "well-fitted" brassière for a long time, her breast form became developed; that is, her breasts hung down more.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1989

Fluorescence intensity analysis through simplex optimization in flow cytometry.

Fluorescence intensity analysis in flow cytometric surface immunophenotyping has recently been appreciated in clinical applications. A curve fitting method to estimate the mean and SD values of fluorescence intensity is described in this report. A Gaussian distribution is aimed to be adapted for a specified distribution in logarithmically scaled histogram data through the simplex optimization, one of the non-linear least squares methods. In comparison with the conventional methods which include the detection of peak point and the direct calculation, this fitting method has demonstrated exceeding precisions in the estimation of both parameters with limited involved cell counts in typical lymphocytic phenotyping. The actual estimation for a precise SD value will develop the quality control approaches based on the fluorescence intensity analysis. While this method is not suitable for distributions that involve extremely small cell counts or that deviate markedly from a symmetric Gaussian, it has additional advantages of loose requirements, namely, narrow fitting regions, ordinarily small cell counts, practical computational periods and a simple programming.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed1989

Establishment of a human T-cell clone cytotoxic for both autologous and allogeneic hepatocytes from chronic hepatitis patients with type non-A, non-B virus.

A human T-cell clone (TA-NB-2) that could lyse both autologous and allogeneic hepatocytes from chronic hepatitis patients with type non-A, non-B virus (NANB) was established. This clone produced CD3+ CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and expressed an antigen specific for alpha and beta subunits of T-cell receptor. The cytotoxic activity of the clone was abrogated by incubation with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Anti-HLA monoclonal antibodies did not block the lysis of the target hepatocytes by TA-NB-2 cells. The cytotoxicity of TA-NB-2 clone against hepatocytes from patients with chronic NANB hepatitis was 39.8 +/- 13.2% (mean +/- SD; n = 17) (range, 14.2-60.5%), whereas that against hepatocytes from control patients with chronic type-B hepatitis, acute hepatitis B, acute hepatitis A, or alcoholic liver cirrhosis was 4.0 +/- 7.7% (n = 12) (range, -10.8 to 14.0%). The results suggest that TA-NB-2 cells specifically recognize a hepatitis NANB-related antigen expressed on hepatitis NANB-infected hepatocytes by T-cell receptor and that the recognition is not restricted by the major histocompatibility complex antigens. The results also suggest that most, if not all, cases of chronic hepatitis due to NANB are caused by one agent; TA-NB-2 clone may be useful as a tool to identify this particular hepatitis-related antigen.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1987

Elevation of cerebrospinal fluid sialic acid concentration in children with central nervous system leukemia.

We studied sialic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 52 children with leukemia and 51 children with non-leukemic diseases. The CSF sialic acid concentration in the children with central nervous system (CNS) leukemia was significantly higher than that in the children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia without CNS involvement, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia without CNS involvement, non-hemopoietic diseases, non-suppurative meningitis, epilepsy, and other neurologic diseases. Serial determinations revealed a rapid decline in the CSF sialic acid concentrations in the patients with CNS leukemia who responded well to the therapy and who were free from relapse of CNS leukemia. The simultaneously determined CSF beta 2 microglobulin concentration did not show any significant changes. These results suggest that the CSF sialic acid may be a good indicator of CNS leukemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Familial OKT4 epitope deficiency: studies on antigen density and lymphocyte function.

The family of a case of hereditary deficiency of OKT4 epitope on helper T cells was investigated. A 30-year-old woman was found to have hardly any OKT4+ T cells (0.7%, normal 24-51%), but normal OKT3, OKT8, OKT11, OKIa1, Leu1, Leu2a, Leu3a, Leu7, and B1 positive cells. The response to mitogens (PHA, PWM, and Con A) and helper-or suppressor-T-cell functions of her peripheral lymphocytes were normal. She had normal helper-T-cell populations detected with OKT4A (39.1%) and Leu3a (39.5%) monoclonal antibodies. One of her sisters had the same defect, but other members of the family had normal lymphocyte subsets. Lymphocyte functions were also found to be normal in all family members examined. The peak position of the fluorescence intensity of OKT4+ cells was about half that of normal controls in five members of this family. Considering that these were carriers of OKT4 epitope deficiency, the OKT4 epitope abnormality was inherited as an autosomal codominant trait in this family. Similar OKT4 epitope deficiency with normal Leu3a+ and OKT4A+ cells was found in 38 of 8866 (0.43%) other subjects in Japan by the examination of routine blood samples.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Elevated serum and urine sialic acid levels in renal diseases of childhood.

Serum and urine sialic acid levels were measured in various renal diseases of childhood. Serum sialic acid levels were found to be elevated in patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) at onsets and relapses, acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) and chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) found by chance proteinuria and/or hematuria. A large amount of bound sialic acids were excreted in the urine in INS at onsets and relapses, although the serum sialic acid levels were increased. Sephadex G-200 column chromatography revealed three separate peaks with sialoglycoproteins in a patient with INS at onset, but only two peaks in a normal control subject. These results suggest that some sialoglycoproteins are involved in the development of INS, PSGN and CGN.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗