Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Taguchi.
The new simple technique of rectal mucosal punch biopsy has been used successfully in 170 cases for diagnosing Hirschsprung's disease. The presented punch biopsy method, using a test tube with a side hole and laryngeal biopsy forceps, has proven to be superior to the rectal suction biopsy method associated with several demerits.
We report derivative chromosomes, originally interpreted as 9q;15q whole-arm translocations, in tumor cells from two patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One of the tumors was diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma and the other as an adenosquamous carcinoma. In each case, there was no normal chromosome 9. Because of the pericentromeric location of the breakpoints, classical cytogenetic banding techniques did not permit determination of the centromeric origin of these derivative chromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with satellite (alpha, beta, classical), ribosomal DNA, alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN), and whole chromosome painting probes indicated that the 9;15 rearrangement is dicentric in both tumors. In one of these cases, the derivative chromosome is interpreted as a dic(9;15) (p11;p11.2); the other case has a more complicated rearrangement involving reorientation of pericentromeric sequences. A 9q;15q whole-arm derivative chromosome was reported previously in another lung adenocarcinoma, suggesting that this abnormality may represent a recurrent change in lung carcinomas, particularly those displaying adenomatous features.
Dried biological specimens, such as fossil diatoms, collagen, nerve tissue and spicule of Trepang, were observed by X-ray photoelectron-conversion contact microscopy. A spatial resolution of 0.2 microns was attained. The fossil diatom image shows a clear difference below and above the carbon K-absorption edge (4.46 nm).
Problems in differentiating rat chromosomes 16 and 17 cytogenetically can be resolved with unique probes mapped to these chromosomes. Using somatic cell hybridization and nonisotopic in situ hybridization, probes D16FC1 and Tp12 were localized to 16p16-->p15 and 17q12.1-->q12.2, respectively. The locations of these probes can serve as reference points to facilitate mapping of future probes to rat chromosomes 16 and 17.
The Ox-44 (CD53) leukocyte antigen contributes to the transduction of CD2-generated signals in T cells and natural killer (NK) cells and has been suggested to play a role in growth regulation. The gene encoding this protein was assigned to the midportion of mouse chromosome 3 by interspecific backcross mapping and to human chromosome region 1p21-->p13.3 and rat chromosome region 2q34-->q41 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Comparative mapping data presented in this report demonstrate conservation of synteny within the region encompassing this gene in mouse (Cd53), human (CD53), and rat (CD53).
PURPOSE: A phase II study was conducted to evaluate the antitumor effect and toxicity of CPT-11 in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From December 1989 to March 1991, 67 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled in this study. Sixty-three patients were assessable for toxicity and response. Their median age was 57 years (range, 24 to 72). Forty-six patients (73%) had a good performance status of 0 or 1. Fifty-one patients (81%) had received prior chemotherapy. The major sites of metastasis were liver (63%) and lung (44%). CPT-11 was administered as a 100 mg/m2 weekly intravenous infusion, or as 150 mg/m2 every 2 weeks. The dose was reduced based on the grade of leukopenia and diarrhea, if necessary. RESULTS: A partial response was obtained in 17 of 63 assessable patients (27%; 95% confidence interval, 16% to 38%). The response rate in patients with prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy was 25% (13 of 52). Liver metastases showed a 15% (six of 40) response and lung metastases showed a 39% (11 of 28) response. The median duration of partial response was 127 days (range, 49 to 353) and the median overall duration of response was 208 days (range, 99 to 381). The major toxicities (> or = grade 3) were leukopenia (16%), diarrhea (13%), nausea and vomiting (13%), and alopecia (11%). Adverse effects were generally well tolerated and reversible. Treatment could be continued on an outpatient basis for patients without severe toxicity. Hemorrhagic cystitis was not encountered in this study. CONCLUSION: CPT-11 showed promising antitumor activity against metastatic colorectal cancer that was resistant to prior therapy. Further clinical trials of combination chemotherapy using CPT-11 are justified.
Dual-tracer imaging of the heart with 125I-metaiodobenzylguanicline (MIBG) and 201Tl can simultaneously demonstrate the distribution of sympathetic nerve endings and the underlying myocardial perfusion. A quantitative dual-tracer autoradiographic study with 201Tl and 125I-MIBG was performed to investigate changes in the distribution of cardiac sympathetic innervation with the progression of cardiomyopathy in BIO 14.6 hamsters. The distribution of 201Tl was uniform in control hamsters and BIO 14.6 hamsters at all stages of cardiomyopathy. In contrast, a reduction in MIBG accumulation occurred in the endocardial region of the left ventricular free wall and the left ventricular aspect of the interventricular septum in BIO 14.6 hamsters at 3 and 8 months of age. Thus, there was an uncoupling of the left ventricular distribution of 201Tl and 125I-MIBG in BIO 14.6 hamsters. In addition, interstitial fibrosis was increased in the interventricular septum, the subendocardial region of the left ventricular free wall, and the right ventricular wall, which were the sites of reduced MIBG accumulation. This study shows that dual myocardial imaging with MIBG and 201Tl may be useful for investigating patients with cardiomyopathy.
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The present study was undertaken to explore changes in neurotransmitters and neuromodulators of brain regions impaired by microsphere embolism-induced, sustained ischemia. Nine hundred microspheres (48 microns) were injected into the right internal carotid artery of rats, and the time course of changes in the triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC)-stained areas of their brain slices and acetylcholine and amino acid contents in the cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus of both hemispheres were determined. The TTC-unstained area, a measure of infarction, was developed in the right hemisphere by the 3rd day after the embolism, which was similar to that on the 28th day. A marked decline in acetylcholine content of these three regions of the right hemisphere was detected throughout the experiment (28 days). The glutamate, aspartate, GABA, and taurine levels were markedly decreased following microsphere-embolism. Most of these decreases were significantly attenuated during the first 5 days following the embolism, and they then partially recovered with time after the operation. Minor metabolic changes were observed in the left hemisphere. The results suggest that microsphere-embolism induces cerebral infarction and/or sustained damage to acetylcholine and neurotransmitter amino acid synthesis and/or catabolism of the brain regions. This model may provide information concerning the pathophysiological alterations in long-term cerebral ischemia and infarction.
Scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts of the pancreas from monkies, cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and mice showed certain species differences in the occurrence of intralobular and interlobular islets and in the microcirculatory pattern of these islets. Interlobularly located islets were frequently found in the mouse and guinea pig, as has been previously established in the rat (Murakami and Fujita, 1992); they emitted insulo-venous efferent vessels directly draining into veins. In contrast, the intralobular islets in the guinea pig usually issued insulo-acinar portal vessels continuous with the lobular capillary network. In the mouse, they usually emitted both the insulo-acinar portal and insulo-venous efferent vessels. The insulo-venous efferent vessels, including those of the interlobular islets, could partly be portal in nature since they occasionally issued portal branches directed to the lobular capillary network. In rabbits, cats, dogs, pigs, cattle and monkies, as in men (Murakami et al., 1992), essentially all islets in the pancreas were intralobular in location and usually emitted the portal vessels only. In the mouse and rabbit, as in the rat (Murakami and Fujita, 1992), the islet received afferent vessels in its superficial aspect and issued efferent vessels from its deep aspect. In the Formosan monkey, as previously reported in the rhesus monkey (Fujita and murakami, 1973), the afferent vessels usually ran deep into the islet which emitted vessels from its superficial aspect. In other animals examined in this study, as in humans (Murakami et al., 1992), no consistent rule concerning the microcirculatory pattern within the islet could be determined.
Light microscopy of tissue sections stained either with cationic iron colloid (pH 1.0-2.0) and nuclear fast red or with this colloid and thionin showed that the adult rat brain contains a considerable number of neurons which are strongly negative-charged by being coated with sulfated proteoglycans such as chondroitin sulfates. These neurons are distributed mainly in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, zona incerta, medial and lateral cerebellar nuclei, ventral pontine nuclei and certain other areas. In the hippocampal formation, the strongly negative-charged cells seem identical with the GABAergic inhibitory interneurons reactive to the lectin Vicia villosa agglutinin. Neurons, including the GABAergic Purkinje's cells, of the cerebellar cortex showed no reaction to our cationic iron colloid at pH values of 1.0-2.0. Many non-GABAergic pyramidal cells in the lamina ganglionalis of cerebral cortex and many non-GABAergic large neurons of the ventral pontine nuclei were highly reactive to our colloid at pH values of 1.0-2.0. This suggests that our cationic iron colloid at pH values of 1.0-2.0 mainly stains certain subtypes of GABAergic neurons as well as some non-GABAergic neurons projecting long associational or commissural fibers.
The occurrence of neurons with strongly negative-charged surface-coats was confirmed in the human brain. Cerebral cortical tissue pieces (Area 19 of Brodmann), which had been removed in surgery from a 45-year-old Japanese man with meningioma were fixed with formalin. These specimens were cut into sections, stained with fine cationic iron colloid at pH value 1.0-2.0, treated for Prussian blue reaction, counter stained with carbolthionin, and observed with a light microscope. The observations indicated that some large-sized pyramidal cells in the ganglionic lamina were strongly negative-charged or coated with sulfated proteoglycans, though where these cells projected to could not be determined.
The blood vascular bed of the cerebral hypophysis in the adult rat was replicated completely or incompletely by arterial injection of different amounts of methacrylate resin, to be observed with a scanning electron microscope. Complete replication confirmed our previous findings (Murakami et al., 1987) on the distribution and structure of the vascular beds in and around the hypophysis of the rat. One long major and several minor portal routes (vide infra) were reproduced sufficiently together with the systemic veins of the posterior lobe. Incomplete replication demonstrated that resin flows: 1) via the long portal vessels from the median eminence and neural stalk to the anterior lobe; 2) via the accessory long portal vessels from the subependyma to the anterior lobe; 3) via the short portal vessels from the posterior lobe to the anterior lobe; 4) via the neuro-intermedial portal vessels from the posterior lobe to the intermediate lobe; 5) via the intermedio-distal portal vessels from the intermediate lobe to the anterior lobe; and 6) via the tuberal portal vessels from the tuberal lobe to the anterior lobe. Incomplete replication also demonstrated that resin in the median eminence and neural stalk is drained preferentially into the anterior lobe via the long portal vessels, and that resin in the posterior lobe is drained mainly into the systemic veins. We were unable to demonstrate a retrograde resin flow from the anterior lobe to the median eminence, subependyma, neural stalk, intermediate lobe and posterior lobe, nor an ascending resin flow from the posterior lobe to the median eminence and subependyma. Also failing to be noted were an ascending resin flow from the hypophysis to the hypothalamus and a descending resin flow from hypothalamus to the hypophysis.
A cationic colloidal iron method was introduced for electron microscopic detection of anionic sites in hydrophilic resin-embedded specimens, and the method was applied to Paneth cells of the mouse jejunum. Mouse jejunal blocks were embedded in hydrophilic acrylic resin (LR White), cut into ultrathin sections, stained with the diluted cationic colloidal iron, and exposed to osmium vapor. The jejunal tissues, including the Paneth cells, embedded in hydrophilic resin were reactive to the fine cationic colloidal iron. At pH value 1.5, fine electron dense colloidal iron deposited along the rims of the secretory granules and the Golgi apparatus of the Paneth cell. Colloidal particles distributed on the osmiophilic reticular structures in the rim and in dot-like fashion lined the border between the granular core and rim. At pH value 4.0, ribosomes reacted to cationic colloidal iron particles in addition to the granular rims and Golgi apparatus. At pH 7.0, even the cores of the secretory granules were stained. Semi-thin sections prepared from the LR White-embedded specimens and stained at pH 1.5 with the diluted (1:3 in volume) cationic colloidal iron showed sufficient Prussian blue reaction for light microscopy in the rims of Paneth granules and mucus of goblet cells. This method is therefore useful for correlative light and electron microscopic detection of tissue anionic sites, including sulfate, carboxyl and phosphate groups, at various pH values.
Light microscopy of tissue sections stained with cationic iron colloid (pH 1.0-1.5) showed that the adult rat spinal cord contains some neurons which are provided with strongly negative-charged surface coats. These neurons are distributed preferentially in the posterior and intermediomedial columns of the grey matter. The present study thus supplements our previous study of the rat brain (MURAKAMI et al., 1993b), and proves that the neurons with strongly negative-charged surface coats occur widely in the central nervous system of the adult rat.
A major purpose of this study was to examine inhibitory effect of the catechin derivatives from Japanese green tea Camellia sinensis on collagenase activity. The crude tea catechins, which contain (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (+)-gallocatechin (GC), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECg), and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), were tested for their ability to inhibit the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell derived collagenase activities. Among the tea catechins tested, ECg and EGCg showed the most potent inhibitory effect on collagenase activity when an optimal concentration of tea catechins (100 micrograms/ml) was added to reaction mixture containing collagenase and collagen. Preincubation of collagenase with tea catechins reduced the collagenase activity as well. In contrast to ECg and EGCg, the other four tea catechins (C, EC, EGC, and GC) did not show any collagenase inhibitory effect. Our results suggest that the steric structure of 3-galloyl radical is important for the inhibition of collagenase activity. The collagenase activity in the gingival crevicular fluid from highly progressive adult periodontitis was completely inhibited by the addition of tea catechins. These results demonstrated that tea catechins containing galloyl radical possess the ability to inhibit both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell derived collagenase.
A discoid-shaped ectopic kidney located in front of the right common iliac artery was observed in a 71-year-old Japanese man. The right kidney was normally positioned, but the left kidney was not observed in the normal position. The ureter of the ectopic kidney descended laterally to the left ductus deferens. The ectopic kidney received three arteries which arose from the anterior aspect of the abdominal aorta. Two of the arteries supplied the left half of the kidney. The other supplied the right half and gave off two branches to the adipose tissue around the right kidney; these branches meant that this artery belonged to the right side. Venous drainage from the kidney was handled by two veins. One collected venous radicles from the right half of the kidney and flowed into the inferior vena cava; this vein belonged to the right side. The other served the left half and joined with the left lumbar vein, which finally drained into the left common iliac vein; this vein was attributed to the left side. The present ectopic kidney had a left-side ureter, and vascular supply on both the right and left sides. This disunity or dissociation of laterality in the vessels and the ureter seemed to be strongly related to the location of this ectopic kidney in the median region.
The effects of acute and chronic dorsal rhizotomy on vasodilation induced by spinal cord stimulation were investigated in the pithed rat in vivo. Pithed rats were treated intravenously with hexamethonium (2 mg/kg/min) to block autonomic outflow, and mean arterial blood pressure was maintained at approximately 100 mm Hg with methoxamine (10 to 15 micrograms/kg/min). Electrical stimulation (2 or 4 Hz, 10 V, 1 msec) of the lower thoracic spinal cord (T9-12) via the pithing rod caused a frequency-dependent depressor response without a change in heart rate. The depressor response to spinal cord stimulation was inhibited by the intravenous administration of human calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) [8-37] (60 nmol/kg/min) or tetrodotoxin (100 micrograms/kg). In the pithed rat with acute or chronic bilateral dorsal root rhizotomy at lower thoracic levels (T8-12), spinal cord stimulation at 2 and 4 Hz caused no depressor response. These results suggest that the depressor response to spinal cord stimulation is mediated by endogenous CGRP, which is released from CGRP-containing nerves. The present results also suggest an outflow of CGRP-containing nerves from the spinal cord via the dorsal roots.