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Biomedical subjects

T Okabayashi

Publications and source records attributed to T Okabayashi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Ratio of CD44 epithelial variant to CD44 hematopoietic variant is a useful prognostic indicator in gastric and colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The CD44 is a cell adhesion molecule that is present as numerous isoforms created by mRNA alternative splicing. Expression of variant isoforms of CD44 is associated with tumor growth and metastasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether CD44 isoform expression is a prognostic factor in gastric and colorectal cancer. METHODS: We performed a polymerase chain reaction analysis following reverse transcriptase treatment for CD44 expression in fresh surgical specimens obtained from 25 colon carcinomas and 30 gastric carcinomas and matched adjacent normal mucosa. We determined the epithelial variant/hematopoietic variant (E/H) ratio (the amount of the CD44 epithelial variant transcript relative to the CD44 hematopoietic variant transcript) in cancer tissues and examined it for correlations with clinicopathological parameters and survival rate. RESULTS: The E/H ratio in tumor tissue was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-cancerous mucosa. In gastric and colorectal cancer tissues, there was no significant relationship between E/H ratio and clinicopathological parameters. However, patients who died due to tumor recurrence had a higher E/H ratio than surviving patients with colorectal cancer. In gastric cancer, patients with high E/H tumors had a shorter survival time than those with low E/H tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the E/H ratio is a useful indicator of prognosis in gastric and colorectal carcinoma.

Adult↗

Detection of Coxiella burnetii from dust in a barn housing dairy cattle.

We attempted to detect Coxiella burnetii in dust samples collected from a barn housing dairy cattle by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Ten dust samples (five from ventilation fans and five from crossbeams) were collected from two areas in a barn on a farm near Sapporo, Hokkaido. C. burnetii was detected in 5 of the 10 dust samples. It was believed that aerial contamination by C. burnetii occurred in the barn.

Air Microbiology↗

Severe diabetic scleredema with extension to the extremities and effective treatment using prostaglandin E1.

We report a 49-year-old woman with severe diabetic scleredema (DS). The patient had non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) for 9 years and noticed thickened skin on her back 3 years previously. Her DS rapidly extended to her back and extremities with pain and immobility. Her symptoms of DS improved dramatically after establishing strict glycemic control and intravenous administration of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). However, the histological findings of her skin biopsy did not change even after the treatment for 12 weeks, and her symptoms worsened again after discontinuation of glycemic control and PGE1 treatment. The causes of DS have been considered to be metabolic abnormalities associated with hyperglycemia and hypoxia in the skin due to diabetic microangiopathy. PGE1 was an effective treatment for DS in our patient. Strict control of hyperglycemia and PGE1 treatment may be sufficient to manage DS, although a very long treatment period is necessary.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗

Is increased IL-1 beta mRNA expression in spleen of tumor-bearing mice relevant to cancer cachexia?

Using C3H/He mice bearing MH-134 tumor cells, cytokine inductions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were determined in spleens by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Levels of IL-1 beta were significantly (p<0.05) increased in the spleens of tumor-bearing mice compared with those of freely fed control animals. In contrast, no significant increase of other cytokine mRNAs was observed. In addition, constitutive levels of IL-1 beta mRNA were present in spleens of tumor-bearing mice during the experimental period. These results suggest that the over-expression of IL-1 beta mRNA was relevant to clinical manifestations of cancer-burden states.

Animals↗

Detection of Coxiella burnetii in cow's milk by PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay combined with a novel sample preparation method.

The use of an adequate concentration of Triton X-100 enhanced immunomagnetic separation of Coxiella burnetii from milk. PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PCR-ELISA) could detect coxiellas more sensitively than could conventional PCR. PCR-ELISA is therefore thought to be suitable for the simultaneous assay of a large number of samples. However, the number of cows from which raw milk tested positive for coxiellas by PCR-ELISA was inconsistent with that found with the antibody to coxiella by indirect immunofluorescence assay. The inconsistency is thought to be associated with the differences in the infectious route, infectious dose, or the timing of yielding the antibody and the period of duration of the antibody.

Animals↗

A 4-base pair deletion mutation of Gs alpha gene in a Japanese patient with pseudohypoparathyroidism.

Mutations in the guanine nucleotide binding protein alpha subunit (Gs alpha) have been found in patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP). We have screened the Gs alpha gene for mutations in a Japanese patient with this disorder and identified a novel 4-base pair deletion in exon 7 in codons 189-190. This deletion causes a frameshift and if synthesis of a truncated form of Gs alpha occurred, it would likely be biologically inactive. The patient was heterozygous for this deletion. The patient's mother and an unaffected brother were tested for the presence of this mutation. His mother had the same mutation, and although her serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were within the normal range, she had subcutaneous calcifications. Thus, this mutation appears to be necessary but not sufficient to cause the complete pseudohypoparathyroidism phenotype and thus, other unknown factors, either genetic or acquired, may be necessary for the full syndrome to occur.

Adult↗

Serological survey of spotted fever group rickettsia in wild rats in Thailand in the 1970s.

In Thailand, the first human cases of spotted fever group rickettsiosis were reported in 1994, but no serosurveys on wild rats have yet been conducted. We investigated the seroepidemiology in wild rats collected in the 1970s from two regions in Thailand, and found a 62.2% positive rate of antibodies for spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. Of the antibody-positive rats, 82.2% had higher titers of antibodies against TT-118 than those against Rickettsia japonica, which suggests that Thailand is infested mainly with the TT-118 strain or its antigenically related organisms. The prevalence of antibodies in Bandicota indica was significantly higher than that in other species, which suggests that B. indica is important as a reservoir of SFGR in Thailand.

Animals↗

Simple obesity with cardiomyopathy of obesity.

A 32-year-old obese female was hospitalized with dyspnea. Echocardiogram revealed left ventricular dilatation. Chest X-ray film showed enlarged heart size and prominent pulmonary congestion. Simple obesity with congestive heart failure (CHF) due to cardiomyopathy of obesity was diagnosed according to the absence of obvious disease that caused obesity or CHF. After diet therapy and medication, subjective symptoms disappeared and body weight was reduced from 137 kg to 85 kg. Although few reports of cardiomyopathy of obesity have been reported in Japan, we propose the possibility that similar cases will be on the increase because Japanese dietary habits are now becoming more similar to those of Caucasians.

Adult↗

Epidemiological survey of small rodents for spotted fever rickettsial antibody in Hokkaido, Japan.

The prevalence of antibody against spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) was investigated with Rickettsia japonica antigen in small rodents captured in an area in Hokkaido, where no human cases of SFGR infection had been reported. Antibody against SFGR was found in Apodemus speciosus and Clethrionomys rufocanus but not in Apodemus argenteus. None of these rodents had antibody against R. typhi. This is the first report of the antibody against SFGR in rodents in Hokkaido.

Animals↗

[Expression of CD44 variant isoforms in human primary colon carcinomas and metastasis].

The CD44 is a cell adhesion molecule that is present as numerous isoforms created by mRNA alternative splicing. A variety of human carcinomas display the overexpression of CD44 variant isoforms. To identify the relationship between the expression of CD44 variant isoforms and the metastatic potential of colon carcinomas, we performed a polymerase chain reaction analysis following reverse transcriptase treatment for CD44 expression in fresh surgical specimens obtained from 25 colon carcinomas and corresponding normal colonic mucosa. The CD44H, a common type of the CD44 isoform, was amplified from all carcinomas and normal tissues, whereas a splice variant form corresponding to CD44E was expressed in 19 out of 23 colon carcinomas (83%) and 7 out of 19 normal mucosa specimens (37%), suggesting that the CD44E expression was predominantly observed in colon carcinomas compared to normal tissues (p < 0.05). The multivariant form of CD44 was identified in 10 out of 23 carcinomas (44%) and 5 out of 19 normal samples (26%). The CD44E/CD44H (E/H) ratio was significantly higher in colon carcinomas than in normal mucosa (p < 0.01). However, neither the E/H ratio nor CD44 multivariant expression correlated with the clinicopathological features. These results suggest that CD44E expression and high E/H ratio are commonly observed in colon carcinomas and that the expression of the CD44 multivariants is not associated with clinicopathological parameters.

Aged↗

Free thyroxine concentrations in serum measured by equilibrium dialysis in chronic renal failure.

The serum concentration of free thyroxine (FT4) is often low in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) with low serum concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3). We evaluated the serum FT4 concentration by using both an equilibrium dialysis RIA kit (D-FT4) and a labeled-antibody kit (M-FT4) in two different groups of CRF patients, undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD, n = 145) or not (non-HD, n = 30), and in a group of normal healthy subjects (n = 58). Thyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies were not detected in any patient. Serum FT4 concentrations (mean +/- SD, pmol/L) by the D- and M-FT4 assays were, respectively, 21.5 +/- 4.6 and 16.6 +/- 2.0 in the healthy subjects, 17.8 +/- 4.3 and 13.9 +/- 3.6 in the non-HD patients, and 16.9 +/- 4.9 and 10.7 +/- 1.9 in the HD patients. By the D-FT4 assay, results for both CRF groups were significantly different from those for the healthy group (P <0.01), as were the results for each pair of groups by the M-FT4 assay (P <0.01). FT4 values were reported as being within the healthy reference range by D-FT4 in 73 of 113 HD subjects who had low T3 and low M-FT4 values. Serum FT4 concentrations measured by both assay kits showed a significant inverse correlation with the serum concentration of creatinine (P <0.01), but the serum concentrations of sex-hormone-binding globulin did not differ significantly among the three groups. Our results indicate that the low FT4 concentration measured by D-FT4 in patients with CRF, particularly those on HD, probably reflects the actual, mild nonthyroidal illness of renal failure.

Adult↗

Decreased expression of DCC mRNA in gastric and colorectal cancer.

The deleted-in-colorectal-cancer (DCC) gene, located on chromosome 18q 21.3, is considered to be a tumor suppressor gene related to cellular adhesion receptors. A loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 18q is frequently observed in adenomatous polyposis coli, as well as in sporadic colon carcinoma and its liver metastatic loci. In this study, we investigated the expression of DCC mRNA in the resected specimens of 38 gastric cancers and 28 colorectal cancers by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. In the gastric cancer patients, the mean expression level of DCC mRNA in the tumors was significantly lower than that in normal tissues (p = 0.009), but no difference was observed in the colorectal cancer patients. DCC mRNA expression was decreased in 15 gastric cancers (40%) and 10 colorectal cancers (36%), and there was a significant correlation between the decreased expression of DCC mRNA and nodal metastasis in colorectal cancer (chi 2 = 7.049, DF = 1, P = 0.0079). Two of four gastric cancer patients and none of seven colorectal cancer patients whose cancers were confined to the muscularis propria without metastasis showed decreased expression of DCC mRNA. These findings demonstrate that decreased expression of DCC mRNA may occur at an early stage in gastric cancer and at a late stage in colorectal cancer and that this decreased expression correlates with the potential to develop nodal metastasis.

Cell Adhesion Molecules↗

Absence of p53 mutation in Japanese patients with malignant thyroid lymphoma.

Abnormalities of the gene encoding the sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, nuclear phosphorprotein p53, are among the most common genetic alterations observed in human cancers. A mutation of this tumor suppressor gene has been reported with a low prevalence in differentiated thyroid carcinomas, while the prevalence was high in undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to probe for mutations of p53 gene in order to determine its role in the genesis of malignant thyroid lymphoma. Involvement of 27 samples had been proven by histopathologic examination of specimen obtained by open biopsy of the thyroid gland or from cervical lymph nodes. DNA was extracted from tissues embedded in paraffin blocks and exons 5-8 of p53 gene were examined for the presence of mutations by DGGE following amplification by PCR using GC-clamped primers. To confirm accuracy of the method, samples with known p53 mutations were included in the study. No mutations were detected in any of the amplified exons of malignant thyroid lymphoma samples. These results suggest that p53 mutations are not present or are uncommon in Japanese patients with malignant thyroid lymphomas. The role of p53 in this form of carcinogenesis cannot be fully excluded since we have not examined the occurrence of mutations in regions upstream of exon 5.

Aged↗

[Analysis of MDR1 (multidrug resistance) gene expression by RT-PCR].

Multidrug resistance to anticancer drugs proved to be related to the MDR1 gene which encodes the P-glycoprotein, an energy-dependent drug-efflux pump for lipophilic drugs. We investigated the expression of the MDR1 gene in clinical samples by RT-PCR. The subjects were all resected cases of 14 colorectal cancers, five gastric cancers, two esophageal cancers, two gallbladder cancers and 20 lung cancers. Adrenal gland was used as a positive control. Total RNA was extracted from a fresh tissue sample. The cDNA was synthesized from 1 microgram of total RNA using reverse transcriptase. With the above cDNA as the template, amplification of the 157-bp fragment of the MDR1 gene was performed using PCR. The PCR product was polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresed and ethidium bromide-stained. In addition, a dot blot analysis was performed to quantify the amount of PCR product. Since PCR was performed simultaneously under the same conditions, the PCR product was quantified at four stages, from (3+) to (-), to indicate the degree of expression of MDR1 mRNA. Adrenal gland showed (3+)-(2+) and colorectal cancer exhibited mostly (2+)-(1+). Both cancerous and non-cancerous areas evidenced a similar degree of expression in the cases of colorectal cancer. The MDR1 gene was expressed at low levels in other digestive tract cancers and in lung cancer. The levels of MDR1 expression revealed no correlation to either histological type or clinical stage. The present method may contribute to designing anti-cancer protocols.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

[Effects of gabexate mesilate (FOY) on the gallbladder, sphincter of Oddi and duodenum of the normal and gastrectomized dogs].

FOY induced a dose-dependent inhibitory response on the gallbladder, sphincter of Oddi and duodenum of normal and gastrectomized dogs, although it induced an excitatory response in some dogs. The inhibitory response was not reduced or terminated by pretreatment with atropine, guanethidine, hexamethonium or/and proglumide. The FOY-induced inhibitory response reversed to the excitatory response in the sphincter of Oddi and duodenum by pretreatment with tetrodotoxin, but not in the gallbladder. These results suggested that the FOY-induced inhibitory response of the sphincter of Oddi and duodenum was caused by stimulation of nonadrenergic noncholinergic inhibitory neurons, not by FOY-induced cholecystokinin secretion. The excitatory response was induced by direct stimulation of their smooth muscles. The inhibitory response of the gallbladder to FOY was induced by direct stimulation of the smooth muscles.

Animals↗