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Biomedical subjects

T Kitagawa

Publications and source records attributed to T Kitagawa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Clonal growth of hepatitis B virus-integrated hepatocytes in cirrhotic liver nodules.

A total of 83 cirrhotic nodules (pseudolobules) individually collected from 11 cirrhotic livers of hepatitis B virus carrier patient were analyzed for the frequency and mode of hepatitis B virus integration as well as histological features. Southern blot analysis disclosed discrete bands at higher molecular weight region in 26 of 83 nodules (31.3%), indicating a clonal growth of hepatocytes with viral integration. Considerable variation (0-75%) existed in the positive rates for discrete bands in nodules among livers. Molecular cloning revealed the sequence flanking an integrated viral sequence to be host DNA and thus confirmed true integration. Histological analysis, however, did not reveal any neoplastic-appearing foci of growth within nodules, despite the fact that the detection sensitivity would predict clones of more than 10(5) cells to give rise to clonal integration patterns on Southern blot analysis. The question of whether clonal expansion of hepatocytes reflects any viral integration-associated growth advantage and/or a preneoplastic condition awaits future studies.

Adult

Capillary gas chromatographic method for the determination of the thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist S-1452 and its metabolites in human plasma.

A capillary gas chromatographic method for the determination of a newly developed thromboxane A2 antagonist, S-1452, and its metabolites in human plasma has been developed. This nitrogenous compound was detected as the free acid (+)-S-145 using a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. The two metabolites bisnor-(+)-S-145 and tetranor-(+)-145 were also assayed. The three compounds, which all possess carboxylic acid group, were converted into their hexafluoro-2-propyl esters with hexafluoropropan-2-ol-pentafluoropropionic anhydride as reagent. The esterification resulted in a decreased background response from the detector, and hence higher sensitivity and better precision. The glucuronides of the three compounds were also assayed after alkaline hydrolysis. The plasma concentration of the glucuronide of I was more than twice that of the free acid. This method allows determination of the three compounds at more than 2 ng/ml with a precision of 2-6% and an accuracy variation of less than +/- 5%. The analysis was performed within 2 min after injection to assay the sample rapidly from the Phase I test. The method is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies.

Bridged Bicyclo Compounds

Capillary gas chromatographic method for the determination of the thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist S-1452 and its metabolites in human urine.

A capillary gas chromatographic method using a sulphur-specific detector (Hall's electrolytic conductivity detector) was established to determine the thromboxane A2 antagonist S-1452 and its metabolites in human urine. The target species were the free acid (+)-S-145 of the drug and its nine metabolites: the three hydroxyl forms of (+)-S-145 (I, II and III), bis-nor-(+)-S-145 (IV) the hydroxylated forms of IV (V and VI), tetranor-(+)-S-145 (VII) and the hydroxylated forms of VII (VIII and IX). These ten compounds, which have the same sulphur-containing functional group in common, were determined simultaneously. Their conjugated forms, which were assumed to be glucuronides, were also assayed after hydrolysis. The first derivatization was esterification with diazomethane. The second, for the hydroxylated compounds, was trimethylsilylation with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. The ten analytes appeared as separate peaks without mutual interference during 5 min. Hall's detector distinguished the ten analytes selectively from the other urinary components, which removed the need for complex clean-up procedures and led to higher sensitivity with a lower noise level. The method is sensitive enough for the assay of substances present at more than 0.1 micrograms/ml of urine. All the compounds could be determined with a high level of precision and accuracy, with 2-5% relative standard deviation and within +/- 5% deviation from the actual value. Day-to-day measurements verified the reproducibility of the method. Recovered substances were quantified by following the time course, and the analytical data together with previously obtained plasma data clarified the metabolism pharmacokinetically.

Bridged Bicyclo Compounds

[MR angiography of the lung using 3-dimensional imaging method].

Three-Dimensional MR angiography (3D-MRA) of the lung was performed in 5 healthy volunteers and 14 patients with primary pulmonary cancer in the hilum, and compared with 2D-MRA. As 3D-MRA could be obtained with single breath holding after intravenous bolus injection of Gd-DTPA, pulmonary vessels of the hilum and peripheral zone were demonstrated more definitely than those of 2D-MRA. In all patients except one case, the relation between the tumor and pulmonary vessels was visualized more clearly by 3D-MRA than 2D-MRA. This technique is considered a non-invasive and effective method for evaluation of pulmonary vessels in the patient with hilar tumor.

Humans

Lung cancers associated with thorotrast exposure: high incidence of small-cell carcinoma and implications for estimation of radon risk.

The widely accepted concept that the alpha-emitting radionuclide radon (222Rn, 220Rn) induces lung cancers in humans has been based on the excess of lung tumours observed in underground miners extracting uranium or other substances. However, this poses the important question of whether radon is the only carcinogenic factor because such miners are also heavily exposed to mine dusts including silicates, diesel exhaust, etc. in their working environment. Patients to whom Thorotrast was administered continuously exhale radon (220Rn) derived from 232Th deposits in the body and therefore provide a good model for lung carcinogenesis by radon without concomitant dust exposure. We therefore investigated lung-cancer incidence in our epidemiological follow-up series, analysing the histological types of 11 lung cancers which were found among 359 Thorotrast autopsy cases and measuring radioactivity in the breath of living Thorotrast patients. The study revealed that, while the proportion of small-cell lung cancers considered to be related to alpha-particles was significantly increased, the overall lung cancer incidence was not significantly higher than in controls, in spite of the high level of 220Rn in the patients' breath. This result suggests that radon in the lung does induce cancers (particularly small-cell carcinomas) but that the induction rate is not as high as expected from risk factors associated with mining. Thus, excess lung cancers among the miners might be related to the combined effects of exposure to radon and mine dusts, and not solely to radon.

Aged

Resonance Raman study on the active-site structure of a cooperative hemerythrin.

Resonance Raman spectra were observed for the oxy and azidomet forms of a cooperative hemerythrin (Hr) isolated from Lingula unguis and a noncooperative Hr from Siphonosoma cumanense. The O-O stretching frequency of the oxy derivative of the L. unguis Hr was lower in the high-affinity form generated at pH 7.6 than in the low-affinity form generated at pH 6.2, while that of the S. cumanense Hr did not change at those two pH values. The Fe-O-Fe symmetric stretching mode of L. unguis azidomet-Hr exhibited a frequency shift between pH 7.6 and 6.2, while that of S. cumanense was not shifted. However, the corresponding band of the oxy form did not show a pH-dependent frequency change. Therefore, it is noted that the azidomet form is not a suitable model for studying a mechanism of cooperativity, contrary to the structural similarity between the oxy and azidomet forms. The Fe-O2 as well as Fe-N3 stretching frequencies were found to have no relation with the oxygen affinity. Upon exchange of solvent from H2O to D2O, the O-O and Fe-O2 stretching modes of L. unguis Hr were shifted to higher and lower frequencies, respectively, and their magnitudes were the same for the high- and low-affinity forms. The same frequency shifts were observed for S. cumanense Hr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Observation of the FeIV=O stretching Raman band for a thiolate-ligated heme protein. Compound I of chloroperoxidase.

The FeIV=O stretching vibration has never been identified for a cysteine-coordinated heme enzyme. In this study, resonance Raman and visible absorption spectra were observed simultaneously for transient species in the catalytic reaction of chloroperoxidase with hydrogen peroxide by using our original apparatus for mixed-flow and Raman/absorption simultaneous measurements. For the first intermediate, the FeIV=O stretching Raman band was observed at 790 cm-1, which shifted to 756 cm-1 with the 18O derivative, but the v4 band was too weak to be identified. This suggested the formation of an oxoferryl porphyrin pi cation radical. The second intermediate gave an intense v4 band at 1,372 cm-1 but no oxygen isotope-sensitive Raman band, suggesting oxygen exchange with bulk water.

Chloride Peroxidase

The primary structure of mouse saposin.

The primary structure of mouse sphingolipid activator protein (saposin) was determined by cDNA sequencing. The amino acid sequence predicted by the cDNA sequence revealed that mouse saposin was highly homologous to human saposin and also to rat sertoli cell glycoprotein. Mouse saposin also has four functional domains, which are structurally similar to each other, and each domain has cysteines, prolines, and a potential glycosylation site at an almost identical position. An amino acid comparison between human and mouse saposins revealed that the similarity was approximately 70%, and human saposin lacks thirty-one amino acids between domains C and D. Heterogeneities of mRNA were found in both the coding and noncoding regions.

Amino Acid Sequence

Allelotype of non-small cell lung carcinoma--comparison between loss of heterozygosity in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

We examined loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on all autosomal chromosomes in 53 non-small cell lung carcinomas. Frequent LOH was observed on the long arms of chromosomes 1 (37%), 2 (31%), 5 (30%), 8 (31%), and 13 (32%), and the short arms of chromosomes 3 (54%) and 17 (62%). LOH on chromosomes 3p and 17p was observed in all informative cases of squamous cell carcinoma, but was significantly less frequent in adenocarcinomas (P = 0.003 and 0.001, respectively). Similarly, LOH on chromosome 13q was observed frequently in squamous cell carcinomas (5 of 9 informative cases, or 56%), but in only 5 of 26, or 19%, of adenocarcinomas. In contrast, LOH on chromosome 2q was observed only in adenocarcinomas. In addition, this chromosomal arm was lost more frequently in poorly differentiated, compared to well differentiated adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, a correlation between fractional allelic loss and pathohistological grade was identified. These results implicate the presence of several tumor suppressor genes associated with development and/or progression of non-small cell lung carcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma

Site-directed mutagenesis in hemoglobin: functional and structural role of inter- and intrasubunit hydrogen bonds as studied with 37 beta and 145 beta mutations.

In order to clarify the functional and structural role of intra- and intersubunit hydrogen bonds in human hemoglobin (Hb A), we prepared two artificial beta chain mutant hemoglobins by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant Hb Phe-37 beta, in which Trp-37 beta is replaced by Phe to remove the intersubunit hydrogen bond between Asp-94 alpha and Trp-37 beta at the alpha 1-beta 2 interface in deoxy Hb A, showed a markedly increased oxygen affinity and almost completely diminished Bohr effect and cooperativity. However, 1H-NMR data indicated that the structure of deoxy Hb Phe-37 beta is rather similar to that of deoxy Hb A. The enhanced tetramer-to-dimer dissociation previously observed in Hb Hirose (Trp-37 beta----Ser) together with our observation of the effects of organic phosphate on the structure and function of Hb Phe-37 beta suggested that a large part of the abnormal properties of Hb Phe-37 beta observed for dilute solutions appears to result from partial dissociation into alpha beta dimers rather than direct destabilization of the T-quaternary structure in the deoxygenated state. Thus, the primary and direct role of the hydrogen bond between Asp-94 alpha and Trp-37 beta is to stabilize the tetrameric assembly, and thereby this hydrogen bond indirectly contributes to stabilization of the T-quaternary structure. The other mutant Hb Phe-145 beta has a Phe residue at the 145 beta site and lacks the intrasubunit hydrogen bond formed between Tyr-145 beta and the carbonyl group of Val-98 beta in deoxy Hb A.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

A clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of osteofibrous dysplasia, differentiated adamantinoma, and adamantinoma of long bones.

A clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of 12 cases of osteofibrous dysplasia (OFD), two cases of differentiated adamantinoma, and five cases of adamantinoma of long bones is presented. Although OFD and differentiated adamantinoma showed similar radiologic findings, differentiated adamantinoma was more likely to be a recurrent lesion than osteofibrous dysplasia and seemed to require a more extensive surgical procedure. Immunohistochemically, cytokeratin- and vimentin-positive cells were seen in both OFD and differentiated adamantinoma. The positive cells were scattered in the former, and were both scattered and nest-like in the latter. Both these lesions, however, were negative for epithelial membrane antigen. Excluding two cases of Ewing-like adamantinoma, the other three cases of adamantinoma were also positive for cytokeratin and vimentin. These results suggest that these three lesions share the same histogenetic origin. The two cases of Ewing-like adamantinoma differ from tibial adamantinoma in their radiological, histological and immunohistochemical aspects, and seem to constitute a distinct variant of adamantinoma with a different histogenesis.

Adolescent

Aggressive resection for advanced pancreatic carcinoma.

An aggressive pancreatectomy was performed on a 53 year old Japanese man with advanced cancer of the pancreas. The tumor originated from the body of the pancreas and invaded the stomach, duodenum, left kidney, transverse colon and common hepatic artery. An unexpected cancer was also found in the head of the pancreas during the operation. Therefore, total pancreatectomy, total gastrectomy, left adrenonephrectomy, resection of the left transverse colon and dissection of the regional lymph nodes were performed. Resection of the common hepatic artery was also performed, followed by an end-to-end anastomosis between the common hepatic artery and celiac trunk. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was doing well until nine months after the operation when multiple metastatic lesions were noted in the liver. He died 391 days after the operation from hepatic failure.

Adenocarcinoma

Measurement of beta 2 microglobulin in dried urine spotted on filter paper by means of a forward sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

We devised a highly sensitive forward sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for estimation of the beta 2-microglobulin concentration in dried urine spotted on filter paper. This method is suitable for mass screening because of the good reproducibility, satisfactory stability, low operation cost and easy sample collection. However, preliminary studies using our new method for detecting renal diseases in the Tokyo infant population did not produce good results. The high cut-off value may have been the main reason. To make this ELISA more suitable for mass screening, we plan to reduce the cut-off value, test older children and improve the extraction step.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Frequent spontaneous sister chromatid exchange in hepatocytes of transgenic mice harboring the SV40-T antigen gene.

In order to shed light on the causal mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis in the transgenic mouse into which the albumin-promotor-regulated SV40-T antigen gene has been introduced (T+ mouse), and especially on the frequent chromosomal aberrations seen in cultured hepatocytes and hepatocellular neoplasms derived from such animals, the frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and karyotype abnormalities were investigated in a hepatocyte primary culture system. Cells were obtained through collagenase perfusion from T+ mice at 16-18 days of age, when no morphological changes are apparent, and from nontransgenic littermates, and cultured in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine. SCE was seen in transgenic hepatocytes twice as frequently as in their normal counterparts. No karyotype abnormalities in terms of numerical change or gross aberration were detected at this phase. The results thus suggest mutagenic properties for the T antigen, which may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis in this transgenic mouse.

Animals

Changes in plasma free and sulfoconjugated catecholamines before and after acute physical exercise: experimental and clinical studies.

To elucidate whether sulfoconjugated catecholamines in plasma, especially dopamine, serve as a source of free catecholamines, we examined the change in afterload on the deconjugating activity of catecholamines in isolated Langendorff perfused rat hearts. Dopamine-sulfate was administered under ordinary or high-work-load conditions. Free dopamine in the effluent was increased by the high-work-load of the hearts, whereas conjugated dopamine showed an apparent decrease. These results indicate the possibility that deconjugation of sulfoconjugated catecholamines is accelerated by a high-work-load. To obtain further evidence in humans, we also examined the changes in the plasma levels of free and sulfoconjugated catecholamines in healthy volunteers before and after marathon running. Free dopamine increased 1.99-fold from the baseline value after exercise, whereas conjugated dopamine decreased by 12%. Similarly, the plasma levels of free noradrenaline and adrenaline increased after exercise to 2.45- and 1.51-fold their respective baseline values, while conjugated noradrenaline and adrenaline both decreased. These clinical results, as well as those of the experimental studies, suggest that the increase in plasma free catecholamines after exercise is due not only to increased release from the sympathoadrenal system but also to accelerated conversion from sulfoconjugated catecholamines in the plasma.

Adolescent

Investigation of higher order structures of proteins by ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Progress in laser technology and light detection devices have enabled us to explore protein structures and their dynamics by using time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy. It is in the last decade that Raman spectra of proteins excited at 200-240 nm have brought about rich structural information. The technological developments in deep UV resonance Raman spectroscopy are reviewed first, and the unique information on proteins obtainable from such spectra are summarized. As an application of this technique to investigations of the higher order structures of proteins, studies on the quaternary structure transition of haemoglobin are described.

Amino Acid Sequence