Biomedical subjects

T Mashiko

Publications and source records attributed to T Mashiko.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effects of rugby sevens matches on human neutrophil-related non-specific immunity.

AIMS: To evaluate the influences of the accumulative effect of two consecutive rugby sevens matches (Sevens) on aspects of human neutrophil-related non-specific immunity. METHODS: In seven players participating in the Japan Sevens, neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) production capability and phagocytic activity were measured using flow cytometry, and serum opsonic activity (SOA) was assessed by measuring neutrophil ROS using the peak height of lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence before and after two consecutive matches. RESULTS: ROS showed no change immediately after the first match, and had significantly (P<0.05) increased 4 h later, but showed a decrease after the second match. Phagocytic activity showed no change immediately after the first match, but had significantly (P<0.01) decreased 4 h later, and showed a further decrease after the second match, although it was not significant. SOA significantly (P<0.01) increased after the first match, and still maintained its high 4 h later, but decreased after the second match. ROS production capability, phagocytic activity and SOA significantly (P<0.01) decreased after the second match. CONCLUSIONS: When rugby players play two consecutive Sevens matches, the exercise loading is thought to be hard, similar to that experienced during a marathon race and intensive or long training in a training camp, although the expected changes were not seen after the first match. Differences between after the first and the second matches may be due to the "cumulative effect".

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Effects of 5'-uridylic acid feeding on postprandial plasma concentrations of GH, insulin and metabolites in young calves.

Postprandial changes in plasma concentrations of GH, insulin, IGF-I, leptin and metabolites were compared between young Holstein bull calves fed with milk alone (control group) and with milk+5'-uridylic acid (UMP) (UMP group). UMP (2 g/day) was given with milk at 0830 h and 1530 h for 11 days from the 4th to the 14th day after birth. The perirenal fat weight was significantly lower in the UMP group than in the control group, but there was no significant difference in the weights of the liver, spleen and heart between the groups. Basal GH concentrations in the UMP group were slightly higher, but the postprandial increase in plasma insulin level and the area under the curve for insulin in the UMP group were significantly lower than those in the control group. There was no significant difference in IGF-I levels between the groups. In addition, the postprandial glucose concentrations were lower in the UMP group as reflected by the insulin level, and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were not different. In the muscle (M. longissimus thoracis) sampled at 14 days of age, the triacylglycerol (TAG) content was significantly greater but glycogen content was significantly lower in the UMP group than in the control group. From these results, we have concluded that feeding 5'-UMP at 2 g/day for 11 days significantly alters TAG accumulation in the body and plasma concentrations of GH and insulin in young bull calves.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Use of the curved linear-array echo endoscope to identify gastrorenal shunts in patients with gastric fundal varices.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: : Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) has emerged as an effective, minimally invasive treatment for fundal varices. B-RTO requires a spontaneously developed gastrorenal shunt as a pathway for the balloon catheter to reach the fundal varices. We used a curved linear-array (CLA) echo endoscope in patients with fundal varices to identify gastrorenal shunts, and compared the detection rate with the gold standard, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 40 patients with fundal varices were examined with both CLA echo endoscopy and CECT. The CECT images were retrospectively and independently evaluated by two gastroenterologists who were unaware of the clinical details, including the results of the CLA echo endoscopy. RESULTS: CLA echo endoscopy identified gastrorenal shunts in 26/40 patients with fundal varices. It visualized the shunt in a longitudinal direction and provided images of the connections of the shunt at both ends, the fundal varices and the left renal vein/branch of the inferior adrenal vein. The kappa index for CLA echo endoscopy and CECT for the identification of gastrorenal shunt was 0.9 (95 % CI, 0.6 to 1.0). When the cutoff point for the diameter of the gastrorenal shunt detected by the CLA echo endoscope was set at equal to or greater than 5 mm, the kappa index was 1.0 (95 % CI, 0.7 to 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CLA echo endoscopy can successfully identify gastrorenal shunt and provide detailed morphological information. It also efficiently identifies patients suitable for B-RTO, particularly in cases of acute bleeding. It also has considerable potential for providing detailed information with regard to the treatment of gastric varices.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Effect of incorporating low intensity exercise into the recovery period after a rugby match.

BACKGROUND: The psychological and physiological condition of athletes affect both their performance in competitions and their health. Rugby is an intense sport which appears to impose psychological and physiological stress on players. However, there have been few studies of the most appropriate resting techniques to deliver effective recovery from a match. OBJECTIVES: To compare the difference in recovery after a match using resting techniques with or without exercise. METHODS: Fifteen Japanese college rugby football players were studied. Seven performed only normal daily activities and eight performed additional low intensity exercise during the post-match rest period. Players were examined just before and immediately after the match and one and two days after the match. Blood biochemistry and two neutrophil functions, phagocytic activity and oxidative burst, were measured to assess physiological condition, and the profile of mood states (POMS) scores were examined to evaluate psychological condition. RESULTS: Immediately after the match, muscle damage, decreases in neutrophil functions, and mental fatigue were observed in both groups. Muscle damage and neutrophil functions recovered with time almost equally in the two groups, but the POMS scores were significantly decreased only in subjects in the low intensity exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: Rugby matches impose both physiological and psychological stress on players. The addition of low intensity exercise to the rest period did not adversely affect physiological recovery and had a significantly beneficial effect on psychological recovery by enhancing relaxation.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Effects of exercise on the physical condition of college rugby players during summer training camp.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of exercise training on physical condition in 25 college rugby players during a summer training camp, and to compare these variables by the different players' positions. METHODS: Changes in body composition parameters and blood biochemistry were examined before and after a summer training camp. RESULTS: Body weight and percentage body fat did not change significantly during the camp. There were significant decreases in levels of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, phosphate, uric acid, and immunoglobulin G and M. In contrast, there were significant increases in levels of serum potassium, markers of renal, hepatic, and muscular damage (BUN, GOT, GPT, LDH, CK), and complement C4. Comparison of the changes in biochemical parameters between rugby players playing in different positions showed a significant increase in serum albumin level in the forwards, and significant decreases in serum triglyceride and sodium levels in the backs. The magnitude of change in serum LDH during the camp was significantly greater (p<0.05) for the forwards than for the backs. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that, in rugby players attending a 20 day camp, exercise training resulted in muscular damage, loss of electrolytes due to sweating, and changes in immune function. Backs exhibited a higher rate of fat metabolism and loss of electrolytes than forwards, possibly because they did more running during the camp. In contrast, forwards experienced more physical contact, performed more physically strenuous exercise, and exhibited higher levels of muscular damage and tissue protein degradation.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Position related analysis of the appearance of and relationship between post-match physical and mental fatigue in university rugby football players.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between physical and mental fatigue in rugby players after a match was examined, taking into account the position played. METHODS: The Profile of Mood State (POMS) test, blood biochemical parameters, and serum opsonic activity were measured for 37 university rugby football players before and after a match. RESULTS: There were no differences in parameter changes except for blood urea nitrogen (a marker for protein catabolism) between the forwards and the backs. Regarding correlation between physical and mental fatigue, in forwards, changes in POMS scores showed a positive correlation with changes in the levels of enzymes of skeletal muscle origin, such as glutamate oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and free fatty acid (FFA) level and white blood cell count (for example, in the Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) score, Spearman's correlation coefficient was 0.417 and p<0.05 with GOT, 0.413 and p<0.05 with LDH, 0.462 and p<0.05 with FFA, and 0.442 and p<0.05 with white blood cell count). In backs, changes in the POMS scores showed a positive correlation with changes in the levels of lipid related parameters such as FFA and total cholesterol (for example, as regards the TMD score, Spearman's correlation coefficient was 0.481 and p<0.05 with FFA, and 0.550 and p<0.05 with total cholesterol), and showed a negative correlation with change in blood glucose level (TMD score, -0.517 and p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The different exercise loading of the position played during a rugby match may cause differences in the relationship between physical and mental fatigue.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Explanations for the smoking paradox in Japan.

The prevalence of cigarette smoking among Japanese men has been consistently high compared with Western males over the past 30 years. However, during the same period, the incidence of and mortality rates for lung cancer have consistently been lower in Japan than in Western countries ('Japanese smoking paradox'). The odds ratio/relative risk of cigarette smoking for lung cancer mortality/incidence relative to the same number of cigarettes smoked per capita in Japan, were apparently lower than those in Western countries. This must be the cause driving the 'Japanese smoking paradox'. Furthermore, low carcinogenic ingredients in Japanese cigarettes and a congenitally-related resistance to smoking-related lung carcinogenesis emerged as the main factors which have brought the 'Japanese smoking paradox'.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Visualization of signal propagation from sciatic nerve to spinal cord in canine.

The neuroelectric activity that ascends the sciatic nerve and moves to the spinal cord was visualized by measuring the magnetic compound action fields (CAFs) with a superconducting quantum interference device gradiometer. The sciatic nerve of a dog was stimulated electrically, and propagating evoked CAFs were measured non-invasively. Isomagnetic field maps were made on the basis of this data, and the signal propagation was visualized. The evoked magnetic fields presented a quadrupole consisting of two elements: depolarization and repolarization. Measuring the magnetic CAFs of the sciatic nerve on the body surface enabled us to visualize the non-invasively the signal movement continuously from the sciatic nerve to the spinal cord.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Postoperative changes on functional mapping of the motor cortex in patients with brachial plexus injury: comparative study of magnetoencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI), we investigated the areas of the cerebral cortex that were activated when patients with brachial plexus injuries performed elbow flexion, a motion re-acquired through nerve transfer surgery. In all patients, elbow flexion on the operated side and on the unaffected side led to the activation of an area in the motor cortex, with these areas being located almost symmetrically on either side of the sagittal midline. These findings suggest that the activity center for the transferred intercostal nerves shifted to the motor cortex for the elbow, from the original intercostal nerve site.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

[Assay for determination of the serum procalcitonin level: biochemical and clinical evaluation].

In patients with inflammatory conditions such as infection, cytokines induce the production of C-reactive protein(CRP) and serum amyloid A protein(SAA) in hepatic cells. It has been reported that upon viral infection, the serum SAA level increases by a greater degree than the serum CRP level. Procalcitonin (PCT), the precursor of calcitonin, is a new type of inflammatory marker that is specifically induced by bacterial infection, sepsis and lethal multiple organ failure, but not by viral infection, autoimmune diseases, tumors or surgical stress. To evaluate the immunoluminometric assay(LUMI test PCT; Brahms Diagnostics, Berlin, Germany) procedure for determining the PCT level and to study the clinical significance of the serum PCT level, we determined the serum levels of PCT, CRP and SAA in patients with various inflammatory diseases and normal subjects. The serum PCT level in the normal subjects was < 0.3 ng/ml. Among the patients with inflammatory disease who had a high CRP level(CRP > 20000 micrograms/dl), the PCT level was elevated only in those patients with severe bacterial infection. These results suggest that determining the PCT level may be useful in the differential diagnosis of severe bacterial infection. The patients who had a low CRP level(CRP < 150 micrograms/dl), had a PCT level within the normal range. The patients with autoimmune disease, viral infection, and fungal infection did not have an elevated PCT level.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Effect of dietary concentration of xylitol on growth in male broiler chicks during immunological stress.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary xylitol concentration on growth performance, plasma (alpha1 acid glycoprotein (AGP), nitrite, and Fe concentration in male broiler chicks during immunological stress. Ten-day-old chicks were fed a corn-soybean diet containing 15% glucose and 6% xylitol or 15% xylitol with identical metabolizable energy and crude protein content for 12 d in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, 12-d-old chicks were fed either the 15% glucose or 6% xylitol diet for 7 d. During the final 6 d of each experiment, half of the birds fed each diet were injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0127:B8) on Days 1, 3, and 5 and with Sephadex-G50 superfine on Days 2 and 4 to stimulate the immune system. The xylitol diets partially prevented reductions in body weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency caused by LPS and Sephadex injections, but the glucose diet did not. The injections of LPS and Sephadex increased plasma AGP and nitrite concentrations. Plasma AGP concentration on Days 2 and 6 in chicks fed the xylitol diets did not differ from that of chicks fed the glucose diet in both experiments. Nitric oxide production estimated by plasma nitrite concentration following immunological stress did not differ due to dietary treatments in Experiment 2. The LPS and Sephadex resulted in decreased plasma Fe concentration on Day 6 in Experiment 1 in chicks fed glucose but not xylitol. These results indicate that a beneficial effect of dietary xylitol on growth is obtained with 6% xylitol given to chicks 1 d before stimulating the immune system.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed2000

[Development of gamma-heavy chain disease during the course of diabetic nephropathy].

We reported a rare case of gamma-heavy chain disease. A 63-year-old man had been given a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus at the age of 30 and had received hemodialysis since the age of 55. The patient presented with swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Lymph node biopsy findings suggested immunoblastic lymphadenopathy. The patient was admitted to Kitasato University hospital. Serum protein electrophoresis showed an increase of beta-fraction peak, and immunoelectrophoresis revealed an increase of gamma-heavy chain protein. Further studies of the gamma-heavy chain protein showed that it contained three different components and that the molecular weight of the main component was 34,000 Da. The patient died on the 11th day of hospitalization. The diagnosis at autopsy was unclassified malignant lymphoma.

Diabetic Nephropathies↗

PubMed1999

Regional difference of lipid distribution in brain of apolipoprotein E deficient mice.

According to recent knowledge, apolipoprotein E (apo E) plays a significant role in the homeostasis of intracellular cholesterol level in various tissues. Apo E deficient mice develop hyperlipidemia, and suffer from atherosclerosis in extracerebral blood vessels and neurodegeneration in the central nervous system. Furthermore, Walker et al. (Am. J. Path., 1997;151:1371-1377) demonstrated cerebral xanthomas of various sizes in the brain of apo E deficient mice. In the present study, it is illustrated that in the homozygous apo E deficient mice of advancing age, a great number of foamy macrophages extravasate from microvessels in thalamus and fimbria hippocampi, and scatter in the perivascular regions and migrate toward the ependyma, fimbria hippocampi, hippocampus, and thalamus. Here, it must be pointed out that under hyperlipidemia, although foamy macrophages made clusters in the perivascular region, the cerebral microvessels did not develop atherosclerosis. On the other hand, in the other cerebral regions such as cerebral cortex, caudoputamen, globus pallidus, and substantia nigra, macrophages did not appear and microvessels retained normal shapes, but the fluorescent granular perithelial (in short, FGP) cells accompanied by these vessels contained a certain amount of lipids. That is, in the cerebral cortex and caudoputamen, lipid components are detected in FGP cells and microglia, while in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, they are mainly localized in astrocytes. The reason why the astrocytes in such defined regions contain, specifically, a high quantity of lipid components remains unsettled. Axonal degenerations are often represented in thalamus, globus pallidus, and substantia nigra. On the other hand, in the specimens of Wild-type mice, lipid components were observed only in FGP cells, and the vascular architecture took a normal profile. Any lipid laden macrophages and the axonal degenerations could not be detected through the cerebral parenchyma. Furthermore, it is also a noticeable finding that immunohistochemically, the FGP cells express a positive reaction against the antibody of apo E in the Wild-type mice, but those of homozygous apo E deficient mice are immunonegative. FGP cells are not only provided with the scavenger receptor, but also contribute to the lipid metabolism in the brain.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Are there discrete distal-proximal representations of the index finger and palm in the human somatosensory cortex? A neuromagnetic study.

OBJECTIVE: The distal-proximal representations of the finger and palm in the first somatosensory cortex (SI) were studied in humans. METHODS: Somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs) from 11 subjects were measured, following mechanical stimulation of the skin by using a 122 channel whole head SQUID system. Sensory stimulus comprising of a 10 ms vibration at the frequency of 200 Hz was delivered to 6 successive sites in 3 cm increments, along the distal-proximal direction over the volar surface of the right index finger and palm. Using a single dipole model, the sources of the magnetic fields were estimated and mapped onto magnetic resonance images of each subject. ANOVA was used for statistics. RESULTS: Source localization was determined on the main peak (M50) of the SEFs. All of the sources were located in the area 3b of SI. Contrary to the well-defined distal-proximal representations in the hand area of simian SI cortex, there was no statistically significant differences between the locations of the dipoles in human SI cortex evoked by stimulation of different sites. CONCLUSION: The result, however, should be interpreted with caution, because it cannot be denied that the spatial separation of sources in the distal-proximal somatotopy is beyond the resolving capacity of magnetoencephalography (MEG). In addition, at variance with the discrete distal-proximal gradient in the mechanoreceptor density, there was no statistically significant differences between the signal strengths of the dipoles for stimulation of the different locations.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

[Quantitation and heterogeneity of serum alpha 2-macroglobulin].

alpha 2-Macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is a major protease inhibitor in human plasma. In this study, serum alpha 2M was determined by means of immunoelectrophoresis (IEP), rocket immunoelectrophoresis (R-IEP), laser nephelometry (LN) and single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) in 133 subjects. The values obtained by these methods coincided well in most specimens, but some specimens showed disagreement. The sera of alpha 2M deficiency found by IEP were analyzed by the other methods. We found that R-IEP gave the results of alpha 2M deficiency most frequently while the other methods gave the results of normal alpha 2M level for some specimens. We studied on the presumption that the phenomenon is due to heterogeneity in molecular weight of alpha 2M. After alpha 2M was purified by affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography, we further employed gel-filtration on a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to isolate alpha 2M with different molecular size. Two peaks of immunoreactive alpha 2M were found by the gel-filtration HPLC. When we performed IEP for both portions, the first portion with higher molecular size showed larger rate of migration than the second portion. Serum alpha 2M quantitation with SRID is not appropriate because molecular weight influences on the determination by SRID. We conclude that R-IEP is best suitable for the detection of decrease of serum alpha 2M, although this method requires expertness of manipulation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[Ultrastructural study on intracerebral small blood vessels and fluorescent granular perithelial (FGP) cells in experimental cerebral ischemia].

In order to clarify the sequential changes of the morphology of vascular cells and FGP cells under cerebral ischemia, 32 male Wistar rats were employed. The FGP cells in the present paper are distributed along cerebral microvessels, and markedly potent in the uptake capacity for endo- and exogenous substances under the physiological and pathological conditions. Under the anesthesia of pentobarbital, experimental animals suffered from cerebral ischemia were produced by (1) occlusion of bilateral vertebral arteries, (2) unilateral ligation of common carotid artery accompanied with occlusion of vertebral arteries and (3) temporary clipping of bilateral common carotid arteries accompanied with occlusion of vertebral arteries. On 1 to 14 days after the treatments mentioned above, the cerebral cortices of animals were examined with the electron microscope with paying special attention to morphological changes of FGP cells. From the observation, it is confirmed that: (1) after occlusion of vertebral arteries (first group of experimental animals), the FGP cells become edematous without any severe damage of cerebral neurons through 2 weeks.: (2) In case of the unilateral ligation of common carotid artery (second group of experimental animals), the FGP cells and neurons tend to degenerate at the ligated side on 14 days, but at the opposite side, the considerable vacuolation and swelling of the FGP cells are evident, without accompanying with any degeneration of neurons and FGP cells, and: (3) In the reflow experiment (third group of experimental animals), the neurons are not affective and the FGP cells show some degenerative changes on 7 days, but most of them recovered on 14 days. From these observations, it may be concluded that the morphological changes of FGP cells run parallel with the change of microenvironment surrounding neurons, and the FGP cells, in addition to astrocytes, are reliable morphological markers of cerebral edema.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

[The possibility of acute inflammatory reaction affects the development of pressure ulcers in bedridden elderly patients].

To test the hypothesis that acute inflammatory reaction associates with the development of pressure ulcers in bedridden elderly patients, 40 hospitalized elderly patients suffering from bacterial pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease, and femoral bone fracture were enrolled in this study. All of them were divided into two groups with pressure ulcers (group P; 17 patients) and without one (group N; 23 patients). The blood samples were taken from them within 5 days after the patients being bedridden. Although no significant difference exist in pressure ulcer risk factors (age, gender, Braden scale, underlying diseases, blood pressure, and heart rate) between the two groups, white blood cell, plasma C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in group P increased significantly as compared with those in group N. Besides number of platelets and maximum platelet aggregation rate were significantly higher in group P than in group N. Serum albumin and hemoglobin of both groups decreased after being bedridden, especially hemoglobin in group P was significantly lower than that in group N. While the concentration of serum IL-6 did not indicate a significant difference between both the groups, serum IL-1 beta increased significantly in group P. In conclusion, we suggested that acute inflammatory reaction releasing proinflammatory cytokines affected the development of pressure ulcer in bedridden elderly patients.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Human somatosensory evoked magnetic fields to vibratory stimulation of the index finger: is there frequency organization in SI?

OBJECTIVE: Frequency organization in the human somatosensory cortex was studied. DESIGN AND METHODS: Somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs) from 12 subjects were measured following vibratory stimulation of the index finger by using a 122 channel whole head SQUID system. Sensory stimuli comprising a 40 ms vibration at frequencies of 50, 100, 200 and 400 Hz were delivered to the volar surface of the tip of the right index finger. Using a single dipole model, the sources of the magnetic fields were estimated and mapped onto magnetic resonance images of each subject. The analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was used for statistics. RESULTS: Source localization was determined on the main two peaks (M60 and M110) of the SEFs. All of the sources were located in the area 3b of somatosensory cortex (SI). There were no statistically significant differences between the locations of the dipoles evoked by different frequency stimulations. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the absence of systematic frequency organization at the hand representation area of the SI cortex. We speculate that high frequency vibration above 100 Hz are coded by the fast-spiking interneurons which synapse with Pacinian pyramidal neurons in SI.

Adult↗