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T Osuga

Publications and source records attributed to T Osuga.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The relationship between pharmacokinetic behaviour of glycyrrhizin and hepatic function in patients with acute hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

The pharmacokinetic behavior of glycyrrhizin in four patients with acute hepatitis (hepatitis group) and six patients with liver cirrhosis (cirrhosis group) receiving chronically an IV administration of a 120 mg dose once a day or once every other day of glycyrrhizin was investigated. The plasma concentration of glycyrrhizin declined monoexponentially in both groups. The elimination half-life (t1/2) for glycyrrhizin in the hepatitis and cirrhosis groups varied significantly in the range of 2.7-7.6 h and 6.2-40.1 h, and the total body clearance (CLtot) in the range of 2.8-23.2 mL h-1 kg-1 and 1.4-12.9 mL h-1 kg-1, respectively. The t1/2 for glycyrrhizin in the hepatitis and the cirrhosis groups was about twice and eight times that in normal subjects, respectively, as reported previously, and CLtot values were about 0.7 and 0.23 times that in normal subjects, respectively. There was significant correlation between the CLtot and hepatic function (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum) in both patient groups. With improvement of the liver function, the CLtot for glycyrrhizin increased from 2.8 ml h-1 kg-1 to 11.4 mL h-1 kg-1, and the t1/2 shortened from 7.6 h to 3.4 h. These findings indicated that the variation of pharmacokinetic behaviour of glycyrrhizin in both groups was closely related to the extent of the liver function.

Adult↗

Immediate changes in subcellular structures of transplanted tumors following photodynamic and laser hyperthermic therapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To further understand the precise process of the tumor cell degeneration after photodynamic therapy (PDT), laser hyperthermic therapy (LH), and combined treatments using an Nd:YAG laser. It is important to examine initial morphological alteration of tumor cells after these treatments. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, nude mice bearing HeLa cell tumors were treated with PDT, LH, and combined treatments of the two. Tumor tissues obtained immediately after these treatments were analyzed using electron microscopy and morphometry. RESULTS: In the combined treatments, which produced more severe effects on tumor cells, morphological features of apoptosis such as cytoplasmic condensation, blebs, and apoptotic bodies appeared in the cells, although the typical alteration in the nuclear chromatin was not seen. CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic alterations may proceed more rapidly than nuclear alterations in the cellular degeneration induced by the single or combined treatments of PDT and LH.

Animals↗

Increased bile acid concentration in liver tissue with cholesterol gallstone disease.

Patients with cholesterol gallstone disease have a reduced pool of bile acids. Overly sensitive feedback inhibition of bile acid synthesis has been postulated to explain this size reduction. To test this hypothesis, hepatic bile acid concentration and the activity of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid biosynthesis, were determined in ten patients with cholesterol gallstones and ten patients without gallstones. The bile acids present in liver tissue are the sum of those returning to liver and those newly synthesized in liver. If an overly sensitive feedback inhibition truly existed in our gallstone patients, a decreased concentration of hepatic bile acids would have been expected. However, patients with cholesterol gallstones had significantly higher total (143.3 +/- 25.5 vs 64.5 +/- 10.8 nmol/g liver, P < 0.01), chenodeoxycholic (64.1 +/- 9.9 vs 29.8 +/- 5.4, P < 0.01), deoxycholic (22.8 +/- 10.9 vs 2.0 +/- 0.7, P < 0.05), and ursodeoxycholic acid (6.2 +/- 1.4 vs 1.5 +/- 0.6, P < 0.01) concentrations than patients without gallstones. The activity of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase did not differ significantly between the two groups. Impaired hepatic transport or secretion of bile acids is strongly suspected in cholesterol gallstone patients. The findings of the present study showed no evidence of overly sensitive feedback inhibition of bile acid synthesis in cholesterol gallstone patients. Bile acid pool size may be affected by the inappropriate increase of hepatic bile acids rather than by overly sensitive feedback inhibition.

Bile↗

Clinical significance of the trimethadione tolerance test in chronic hepatitis: a useful indicator of hepatic drug metabolizing capacity.

Trimethadione (TMO) was chosen as an indicator of quantitative hepatic microsomal function, and its pharmacokinetics were studied in 52 patients with chronic hepatitis. Findings in these patients were compared with those for 26 healthy subjects and 13 patients with renal failure. Patients with chronic hepatitis, but not those with renal failure, showed significant reduction in clearance (CL) and prolongation of half-life (t1/2), and the extent of abnormalities was found to reflect the severity of histologic changes in liver tissue. The serum dimethadione (DMO)/TMO ratio 4 h after the administration of TMO altered in parallel with the CL and t1/2 of TMO, and abnormalities in this simple ratio were also related to the histologic severity of changes in the liver tissue. A low DMO/TMO ratio (< 0.4) was associated with advanced histologic changes (chronic active hepatitis with bridging or chronic active hepatitis with cirrhosis), whereas a high DMO/TMO ratio (> 0.4) was associated with mild histologic changes (chronic persistent hepatitis or chronic active hepatitis) (sensitivity, 0.81; specificity, 0.86). These results indicate that the DMO/TMO ratio, which can be obtained from a single blood sampling, reflects the histologic severity of changes in tissue liver, and that the TMO tolerance test is a useful indicator of quantitative liver function.

Chronic Disease↗

L-arginine and endogenous nitric oxide protect the gastric mucosa from endothelin-1-induced gastric ulcers in rats.

We have reported that endothelin-1 induces gastric ulcer characterized by a potent long-lasting vasoconstriction of the regional microvasculature. Nitric oxide synthesized from L-arginine has been shown to regulated gastric mucosal blood flow, and inhibition of its synthesis has been shown to delay the healing of gastric ulcers. We examined the effect of exogenous L-arginine and the inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis on the development of endothelin-1-induced gastric ulcers. In rats anesthetized with urethane, a continuous intravenous infusion of L- or D-arginine (10 mg.kg-1.min-1) was followed, 15 min later, by a submucosal injection of endothelin-1 (200 pmol/kg) in the anterior wall of the gastric body. In another group, rats were intravenously pretreated with N omega-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (1-10 mg/kg), a nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor, and then injected with endothelin-1 (40 pmol/kg). Twenty-four h later, L-arginine, but not D-arginine, had significantly reduced the extent and the severity of the endothelin-1-induced ulcer (mucosal wall damage, 18.11 +/- 4.79% and 88.14 +/- 7.06%, respectively; mean +/- SD, P < 0.001), and the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor (10 mg/kg) had increased the endothelin-1-induced mucosal damage (ulcer length, 3.8 +/- 1.2 mm and 1.1 +/- 0.2 mm, respectively, P < 0.01). Continuous gastric mucosal blood flow measurements showed that L-arginine antagonized the endothelin-1-induced vasoconstriction. L-arginine protected the gastric mucosa from the ulcerogenic action of endothelin-1 and antagonized its vasoconstrictive action. The inhibition of endogenous nitric oxide potentiated the ulcerogenic effect of endothelin-1 on rat gastric mucosa.

Analysis of Variance↗

Accumulation of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol in liver tissue of patients with cholesterol gallstones.

Patients with cholesterol gallstones have a reduced pool of bile acids. This study was undertaken to clarify the mechanism by which bile acid biosynthesis does not increase to supranormal levels to cause a reexpansion of the pool. We investigated the first two steps of the bile acid biosynthesis pathway by assaying the activities of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway, and 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid dehydrogenase/isomerase, and by measuring the concentrations of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol and 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one in liver specimens from ten patients with cholesterol gallstones and ten gallstone-free controls. In the patients with gallstones, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity, 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid dehydrogenase/isomerase activity, and hepatic 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one concentration did not significantly different from levels in controls, but hepatic 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol concentration was more than twofold that of controls (12.9 +/- 2.6 vs 5.3 +/- 1.2 nmol/g liver, P < 0.01). The concentration of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol positively correlated with the ratio of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity to 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid dehydrogenase/isomerase activity (r = 0.93; P < 0.005) in the gallstone-free controls. In contrast, this correlation disappeared in the patients with gallstones. These results suggest a derangement of the normal 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol metabolism in the patients with gallstones. The reason for the accumulation of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol remains unclear; however, it is possible that, in patients with cholesterol gallstone, the accumulated 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol causes inappropriate suppression of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity by product inhibition.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Randomized control trial of lipo-prostaglandin E1 in patients with acute liver injury induced by lipiodol-targeted chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to prove whether lipo-prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)/glucagon insulin therapy combination could prevent the acute liver dysfunction induced by Lipiodol (iodized oil)-targeted chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: This study was a randomized control trial. Patients in two groups (groups A and B: n = 29) were each given an intravenous injection of 10 units of insulin and 1 mg glucagon every 12 hours for 1 week after Lipiodol-targeted chemotherapy. Patients in group B (n = 11) were each given an intravenous injection of 20 micrograms lipo-PGE1 every 12 hours over 1 week. Several items, including conventional liver function tests, were evaluated at the start of the study and on the days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 after Lipiodol-targeted chemotherapy. RESULTS: Combined lipo-PGE1/glucagon-insulin therapy can prevent the elevation of serum ALT level and total bilirubin level after Lipiodol-targeted chemotherapy. In the group A (glucagon-insulin therapy only), the maximum level in the follow-up interval was statistically higher than that in the pretreatment level (p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in group B (treated with combined glucagon-insulin therapy and lipo-PGE1). Changes of ALT level in group B tend to be lower than in group A; however, there was no significant statistical difference. There were few episodes of side effects in both groups. CONCLUSION: Combined lipo-PGE1/glucagon-insulin therapy may be a safe and effective treatment for the prevention of acute hepatic failure.

Aged↗

Primary dual defect of cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in liver of patients with intrahepatic calculi.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intrahepatic calculi, which are characterized by cholesterol-rich pigment stones, are highly prevalent in East Asia. Their pathogenesis remains unknown. To elucidate the etiological factors underlying the formation of cholesterol-supersaturated bile, which leads to the formation of cholesterol-rich pigment stones cholesterol and bile acid de novo syntheses in the liver were studied. METHODS: Liver specimens were assayed for the catalytic activities and steady-state messenger RNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. RESULTS: The activity of HMG-CoA reductase, consistent with the messenger RNA level, was significantly higher in 13 patients with intrahepatic grown pigment stones (11.2 +/- 1.3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1 [mean +/- SEM; P < 0.0001] for affected hepatic lobes and 13.4 +/- 1.7 [P < 0.0001] for unaffected ones [P < 0.0001]) than in 19 control subjects (6.4 +/- 0.4) and in 29 patients with gallbladder cholesterol stones (2.1 +/- 0.1). On the other hand, the activity of 7 alpha-hydroxylase, consistent with the messenger RNA level, was significantly lower in patients with intrahepatic brown pigment stones (2.8 +/- 0.5 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1 [P < 0.0001] for affected lobes and 2.6 +/- 0.5 [P < 0.0001] for unaffected ones) than in control subjects (6.0 +/- 0.6) and in patients with cholesterol stones (5.1 +/- 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: In intrahepatic calculi, the formation of supersaturated bile and cholesterol-rich pigment stones may be attributed to the primary dual defect of up-regulated cholesterogenesis and down-regulated bile acid synthesis in the liver.

Base Sequence↗

Evidence that the elevation of soluble MHC class I antigens in the serum precedes the onset of graft-versus-host disease and is correlated with the severity of the disease in rats.

We examined the changes in the levels of soluble major histocompatibility antigen complex (MHC) class I antigens in the serum under a lethal or nonlethal state of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) induced by injecting various doses of PVG rat splenic lymphocytes into (DA x PVG)F1 rats. All rats receiving 4 x 10(8) lymphocytes (lethal dose) died on day 20-36 showing typical features of GVHD, while the injection of 4 x 10(7) cells (nonlethal dose) induced no sign of GVHD. When rats were inoculated with a nonlethal dose of lymphocytes prior to the injection of a lethal dose, all rats survived with or without showing transient GVHD. Preceding the onset of GVHD the levels of soluble class I antigens increased significantly to 1094 +/- 487 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 4) from 3 days after the injection of a lethal dose to the time of death, whilst the levels in the nonlethal dose group remained unchanged. Rats with transient GVHD in the preinoculated group showed the increase of soluble class I antigens to the same extent as rats with lethal GVHD, suggesting that GVHD was systemically ongoing. The levels of soluble class I antigens also correlated with the severity of GVHD as judged by daily observation and histological studies. Rats receiving a lethal dose showed destructive alteration of spleen structure and cellular infiltration in the portal area of the liver before the animals started to show signs of GVHD, whereas rats in the nonlethal dose group exhibited no marked change. These data suggest the possibility of serum soluble class I antigens being not only a diagnostic but also a prognostic marker for GVHD.

Animals↗

Increase of deoxycholate in supersaturated bile of patients with cholesterol gallstone disease and its correlation with de novo syntheses of cholesterol and bile acids in liver, gallbladder emptying, and small intestinal transit.

A total of 100 nonobese and normolipidemic subjects (29 control subjects, 49 patients with cholesterol stones [CSs], and 22 patients with brown pigment stones) were studied to elucidate the pathogenetic contributions of deoxycholate (DC) to supersaturated bile formation with special reference to de novo syntheses of cholesterol and bile acids in the liver. A higher proportion of DC was observed in gallbladder bile from patients with CSs (CSs; 21.7 +/- 1.4%, mean +/- SEM, vs. control subjects; 10.2 +/- 0.9%). Cholesterol saturation in bile was elevated parallel to the increase of DC (r = .48; P = .0002), irrespective of the existence of stones. In a comparison between the 52 subjects with increased DC in bile (> 10% of biliary bile acids) and the 20 subjects without the increase (< 10%), the molar percentage of cholesterol in bile was significantly higher in the former (9.4 +/- 0.5%) than in the latter (6.7 +/- 0.4%) (P < .001). Consistent with the decrease in steady-state level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-messenger RNA (mRNA), the catalytic activity and mRNA level of microsomal hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme for de novo cholesterol synthesis, were significantly lower in the former (2.9 +/- 0.3 pmol/min/mg protein) than in the latter (5.1 +/- 0.6) (P < .0001). Biliary molar percentage of bile acids was significantly lower in the former (69.8 +/- 1.1%) than in the latter (75.2 +/- 1.5%) (P < .01). However, contrary to expectations, the catalytic activity and mRNA level of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, were significantly higher in the former (5.8 +/- 0.4 pmol/min/mg protein) than in the latter (3.7 +/- 0.6) (P < .01). The magnitude of the impaired gallbladder emptying (control subjects; 78.4 +/- 4% vs. CSs; 58 +/- 3%; P < .0005) together with the prolonged small intestinal transit (control subjects; 126 +/- 9 minutes vs. CSs; 198 +/- 9 minutes; P < .01) correlated significantly with the increased percentage of DC in bile. It is concluded that in cholesterol gallstone disease an increase of DC in bile, linked to an impaired gallbladder emptying together with a prolonged small intestinal transit, may play a significant role in downregulating de novo cholesterol synthesis but not bile acid synthesis in the liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Dose-volume histogram analysis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma regarding changes in liver function after proton therapy].

Seventy-five patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with proton beams from 1983-1993 at the Proton Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba. For the purpose of confirming the feasibility of proton therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma, we investigated the influence of proton therapy on liver function and also tried to evaluate the possibility of optimization using dose-volume histogram (DVH) analysis. The results indicated that proton therapy did not cause clinically symptomatic damage in liver function and the only notable change after proton therapy was the transient increase of transminase. DVH analysis showed that this transient increase of transaminase was well correlated to the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). These results indicate that localized high dose radiation using proton beams is feasible for the treatment of liver cancers and optimization of this treatment may be possible using DVH analysis.

Adult↗

Influence of antibodies to the hypervariable region of E2/NS1 glycoprotein on the selective replication of hepatitis C virus in chimpanzees.

A human plasma (inoculum one) containing hepatitis C virus (HCV) was passaged through eight chimpanzees in three generations. Of 10 HCV clones propagated from it, 7 were different in respect to the hypervariable region of E2/NS1 glycoprotein and they were named clones A, B, C, etc. A chimpanzee received inoculum one, and clone A accounted for 7 of the 10 clones from his acute-phase plasma (inoculum two). Five chimpanzees received inoculum two, and clone A accounted for 5 to 9 of the 10 clones each from their preacute plasma, which were pooled to make inoculum three. Of 10 HCV clones from inoculum three, 4 were A, 5 were B/B', and the remaining 1 was C. Two chimpanzees received inoculum three or its CsCl fraction, and all 40 clones from their acute-phase plasma were A. Thus, clone A in inoculum one was selected by chimpanzees during three passages. HCV virions in the three inocula were separated into free and immunoglobulin-bound forms by sucrose density fractionation. HCV virions in inocula one and two were heterogeneous in the sequence of hypervariable region and predominantly free of immunoglobulins. By contrast, inoculum three contained both free virions of predominantly A and immunoglobulin-bound virions which were heterogeneous. Antibodies to the hypervariable region were determined by enzyme immunoassays with overlapping synthetic decapeptides. Antibodies to clone A were detected in one chimpanzee who received inoculum two, and those to clones B and C in two chimpanzees including him and in inoculum three. Antibodies were not detectable in inoculum one or two or in the other chimpanzees. These results indicate that antibodies to the hypervariable region of E2/NS1 glycoprotein would be protective and contribute toward the selective replication of HCV in chimpanzees.

Adult↗

Determination of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one level in plasma using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry and monitoring its circadian rhythm in human as an index of bile acid biosynthesis.

A highly sensitive and specific method has been developed for determination of the level of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one in plasma. This method is based on a stable isotope-dilution technique by gas chromatography-selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry. 7 alpha-Hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one was extracted from plasma by saltingout extraction, and then purified by serial solid-phase extractions. The extract was treated with O-methylhydroxyl-amine hydrochloride and then dimethylethylsilylated. The resulting methyloxime-dimethylethylsilyl ether derivative was quantified by gas chromatography-selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry with a high-resolution mode. The plasma levels of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one were correlated with the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity to a higher degree than those of any other form of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol (r = 0.84, n = 16, p < 0.0001). The present method was applied to monitor the circadian rhythm of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one levels in human plasma. It was concluded that the plasma level of 7 alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one is a useful index for the monitoring of bile acid biosynthesis in the human liver.

Adult↗