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Biomedical subjects

T Takasugi

Publications and source records attributed to T Takasugi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Two cases of pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus].

We encountered two-cases of pulmonary disease caused by M. chelonae subsp. abscessus, [Case 1] A 72-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever. He had been observed for one year after being given a diagnosis of pulmonary disease caused by Myocobacterium avium complex. Sputum examination revealed acid-fast bacilli (Gaffky 9). He recovered after administration of clarithromycin (CAM) and other drugs. [Case 2] A 61-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of coughing and sputum production. He had been observed for 4 years after being given a diagnosis of pulmonary M. fortuitum disease. Sputum examination revealed acid-fast bacilli (Gaffky 7). His symptoms deteriorated even though he received anti-tuberculosis agents and CAM. After measurement of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), he was given amikacin (AMK). In both cases, the bacilli found in sputum obtained on admission were identified as M. chelonae subsp. abscessus by DNA hybridization. They were completely resistant to all anti-tuberculosis agents. However, the disk method show that they were sensitive to AMK, imipenem and CAM. The MIC value of those strains to CAM was 0.78 microgram/ml in case I and more than 100 micrograms/ml in case 2. The results obtained by MIC measurement were consistent with the clinical outcome. AMK, cefoxitin (CFX), and CAM had been used to treat M. chelouae subsp. abscessus in Europe, but the MIC value differed from strain to strain within a species. Thus the present data suggest that measurement of the MIC value of CAM would be necessary to predict its therapeutic effect.

Aged↗

[Respiratory disorders during sleep in Duchenne muscular dystrophy].

Respiratory disorders during sleep were studied in 42 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) (mean age 18.4 years). Chest and abdominal movement, nasal airflow, snoring sounds, eye movement, and oxygen saturation were monitored during sleep. Three patterns of disorders were found: obstructive apnea, central apnea, and paradoxical respiration without upper airway obstruction (non-obstructive paradoxical respiration). Of these three patterns, obstructive apnea was the most common. Hypertrophy of the tongue and collapsibility of the upper airway seemed to be responsible for the obstructive apnea in these patients. The relationships between PaCO2 while breathing room air and the various indices of respiratory disorders were studied. The index of central apnea differed significantly between patients in whom PaCO2 was less than 50 Torr (early disease, n = 22) and those in whom PaCO2 was greater than or equal to 50 Torr (advanced disease, n = 20), but the indices of obstructive apnea and non-obstructive paradoxical respiration did not differ between those two groups. In conclusion, sleep disorders were common in patients with DMD, and the most common was obstructive apnea. In the patients with advanced DMD, blood gas analysis showed hypercapnia, and the index of central sleep apnea was high, probably because of respiratory muscle weakness or abnormalities in the respiratory center.

Adolescent↗

[Blood gas changes in Duchenne type muscular dystrophy].

We studied changes in blood gas data from 32 patients with Duchenne type muscular dystrophy (DMD), who were followed for more than 5 years. Regression lines for each blood gas variable were obtained by the least square regression method, from 276 observations. The mean change per year was calculated by averaging the individual slopes. All blood gas variables (PaO2, PaCO2, pH, and [HCO3-]) correlated significantly with age the regression lines were: PaO2 = 95.6-0.45x Age, PaCO2 = 34.7 + 0.70x Age, pH = 7.397-0.0023x Age, [HCO3-] = 20.7 + 0.28x Age. The rates of change were -0.74 Torr/year for PaO2, 1.07 Torr/year for PaCO2, -0.0028 per year for pH and 0.55 mEq/l/year for [HCO3-]. The slope of each regression line was within the average individual yearly change +/- one standard deviation. AaDO2 did not change significantly with age, but chronic respiratory acidosis worsened because of alveolar hypoventilation. As an index of the severity of DMD, PaCO2 was better than PaO2, because the former was more strongly correlated with age and the values of PaCO2 deviated less from the the regression line.

Adolescent↗

[Role of serotonin in impaired gas exchange during pulmonary embolism].

Although serotonin has been reported to play a substantial role in cardiopulmonary dysfunction, the quantitative effects of serotonin, released from activated platelets, on the development of alveolar flooding and on impaired gas exchange in pulmonary embolism have not been systematically investigated. To elucidate the effects of serotonin on pulmonary hemodynamics, accumulation of edema fluid in alveolar space, and impairment of gas exchange in acute pulmonary embolism, 20 mongrel dogs were given 0.4-0.6 g/kg of glass beads with a diameter of 100 microns, via the internal jugular vein. Before and after embolization, pulmonary hemodynamics, systemic hemodynamics, blood gases, and the distribution of ventilation-perfusion ratios (VA/Q) in the lung were measured, with and without a newly developed selective antagonist of the serotonin S2 receptor, DV-7028. VA/Q distribution was determined by applying the multiple inert gas elimination technique. After glass-bead embolization, the animals that did not receive DV-7028 showed significant increases in pulmonary arterial pressure and in extravascular lung water, widened alveolar-arterial O2 tension differences, and appreciable development of low VA/Q areas (0 < VA/Q < or = 0.1). These changes were prevented in the animals that received DV-7028. However, DV-7028 did not affect the formation of high VA/Q areas (VA/Q > 10). In conclusion, in acute canine pulmonary embolism serotonin not only induces pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary edema, but also worsens gas exchange through the formation of low VA/Q areas.

Acute Disease↗

[Chronic respiratory failure--survival for nine years with home mechanical ventilation].

We report the case of a woman, now 58 years old, with chronic respiratory failure due to spinal progressive muscular atrophy. She first noticed gradual progressive muscular weakness in her extremities in 1973. She started to complain of dyspnea on exertion in 1978. Chronic respiratory failure due to spinal progressive muscle atrophy was diagnosed in 1983. Home oxygen therapy was begun, but CO2 narcosis and exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure occurred at the end of that year. A tracheotomy was done and mechanical ventilation was begun. As her general condition improved and she could breathe without the ventilator for a few hours each day, home mechanical ventilation was begun. Seven years later, her general condition is still good and she can live without any life-threatening distress. There are few reports of patients in Japan who have survived for long periods of time with home mechanical ventilation. We believe that improvement in her respiratory care and in her social situation contributed to her long standing clinical course.

Chronic Disease↗

[Respiratory failure: respiratory disorder during sleep in patients with myotonic dystrophy].

Myotonic dystrophy (MyD) patients have been reported to show severe nocturnal desaturation related to sleep respiratory disorders. However, the reason of respiratory failure in MyD has remained unclear. In this study, ten patients with MyD underwent overnight polysomnography to evaluate the mechanisms which would cause respiratory failure, compared with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients in these three views: 1) sleep-related nocturnal desaturation, 2) histopathological evaluation of respiratory muscles, and 3) abnormalities of respiratory center. Nocturnal desaturation was more prominent in MyD rather than DMD. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was higher in MyD than DMD. Type of respiratory disorder during sleep was mainly central apnea-hypopnea pattern, including Cheyne-Stokes respiration. In histopathological findings, central core change in respiratory muscle related to respiratory muscle fatigue was found less frequently in MyD than DMD. In respiratory center function, MyD showed hyporesponse to both alveolar hypercapnic and hypoxic stimulation. However, DMD showed normal response to both stimulations. We concluded that respiratory failure in patients with MyD would be attributed to respiratory center disorder rather than respiratory muscle weakness, which is the main cause of respiratory failure in patients with DMD.

Humans↗

Ventilation-perfusion inequality and diffusion impairment in acutely injured lungs.

To assess the significant role of diffusion impairment and its unequal distribution in acutely injured lungs with alveolar flooding, oleic acid was intravenously injected into twenty-five mongrel dogs. The animals were divided into two groups, A and B. 0.1% CO in air was delivered, as an inspired gas, to the animals of group A. Simultaneously, saline containing a trace amount of six foreign inert gases was infused through a peripheral vein. While allowing the animals in group B to breathe air, saline containing ethylene, acetylene and freon 22 was infused. After injection of oleic acid, group A revealed increase in intrapulmonary shunt accompanied by a marked broadening of ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) and diffusing capacity-perfusion (G/Q) distributions. A considerable amount of total cardiac output was received by the lung areas with low G/Q ratios where significant diffusion limitation was predicted to occur. Group B showed that excretion of freon 22 (gas with lower diffusivity) in injured lungs was considerably distorted as compared to those of ethylene and acetylene (gases with higher diffusivities), again ascertaining the importance of diffusion limitation in lungs with exudate in alveolar regions.

Animals↗

[Effects of vasoactive cyclooxygenase products on shunt flow and extravascular lung water in acute lung injuries].

Using 50 mongrel dogs with alveolar flooding produced by oleic acid administration, the possible roles of vasoactive cyclooxygenase products on intrapulmonary shunt flow (QS/QT) and extravascular lung water (ETVI) in acutely injured lungs were assessed. Suppressing cyclooxygenase activity with indomethacin administration diminished the concentrations of thromboxane (TX) B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) in arterial blood, resulting in a significant reduction in QS/QT. Furthermore, indomethacin completely suppressed the increase in ETVI. Inhibition of TXA2 generation by OKY-046 (thromboxane A2 synthase blocker) diminished the concentration of TXB2 while increasing that of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in blood. Administration of either OKY-046 or synthetic prostacyclin (PGI2) markedly enhanced QS/QT, in association with an increase in ETVI. In conclusion, the potent vasodilator prostacyclin was considered to enhance shunt flow, leading to the augmentation of edema formation.

Acute Disease↗

Effects of pH and SO2 on solubility coefficients of inert gases in human whole blood.

We systematically investigated the quantitative importance of pH and O2 saturation (SO2) of hemoglobin on the solubility coefficients (alpha) for six inert gases: sulfur hexafluoride, N2, ethane, cyclopropane, halothane, and diethyl ether. Measurements of alpha were made at 37 degrees C with SO2 of 0-1.0 and pH of 7.2-7.7 by use of whole blood obtained from three healthy subjects. No significant dependence of alpha on pH was demonstrated for sulfur hexafluoride, N2, halothane, or diethyl ether, but an appreciable augmentation of alpha with increasing pH was found for ethane and cyclopropane. No alpha value obtained for oxygenated blood differed statistically from that for deoxygenated blood. In addition to the basic findings on the effects of pH on alpha values of ethane and cyclopropane with the multiple inert gas elimination technique (data obtained from 22 patients with either interstitial pneumonia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), we also found that dependence of alpha on blood pH exerted no significant influence on the recovery of ventilation-perfusion distribution in the lung. We concluded that: 1) pH plays an appreciable role in determining gas solubilities in blood, 2) SO2 is not a decisive factor for gas solubilities in blood, and 3) the influence of various pH values in pulmonary capillaries on inert gas exchange is negligible.

Adult↗

[Roles of serotonin in glass-bead pulmonary microemboli].

We investigated the role of serotonin release from aggregating platelets in glass-bead microemboli on isolated perfused rabbit lungs. The perfusion was performed at 70 ml/min with a roller pump. The temperature of the perfusion circuit was maintained at 37 +/- 1 degrees C by means of a heat exchanger. 100 microns-diameter glass beads (1 g) were infused via the main pulmonary artery. We examined the concentration of serotonin and the number of platelets in the perfusate and the mean pulmonary arterial pressure before and after glass bead embolization. Administration of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) to the perfusate caused the concentration of serotonin to significantly increase after microembolization. Specific serotonin S2 receptor antagonist (DV-7028) inhibited the increase of serotonin concentration in the perfusate, platelet aggregation, and vasoconstriction. We concluded that in the glass-bead embolization model, serotonin was released from aggregating platelets surrounding the glass beads, and constricted pulmonary microvessels via serotonin S2 receptors on the vascular smooth muscles cells.

Animals↗

[A study of localized inflammatory pulmonary lesions by ultra-thin bronchofiberscope].

We used a new type of endoscope developed by the authors in 10 patients with localized inflammatory pulmonary lesions in the peripheral areas which were far from the 3 branch and needed to be distinguished from lung cancer. Endoscopic findings revealed reddening, obstruction, stenosis, hypersecretion and dilation in the peripheral airway. The endoscopic findings in this disease were different from those peripheral lung cancer. The combination of thin-section CT, endoscopy and lung biopsy was the best method for determining the morphological changes in localized pulmonary lesions.

Adult↗

[Effect of diffusion limitation on gas exchange in the lung--analysis in oleic acid-induced lung injury].

To assess the effect of diffusion limitation on gas exchange in injured lungs with non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, an experimental model of acute lung injury with alveolar flooding was produced in six mongrel dogs by intravenously injecting oleic acid at 0.06 ml/kg. The effect of diffusion limitation was quantitatively examined by measuring the excretion (E) of three indicator gases (acetylene, ethylene and freon-22) with differing solubility (lambda) and tissue diffusivity (d). The indicator gases were dissolved in normal saline and infused at a constant rate through a peripheral vein. Since acetylene and ethylene have nearly identical of d but differing lambda, the difference in E values of these two gases may solely reflect the effect of uneven distribution of ventilation-perfusion ratios (VA/Q) in the lung. Thus, measured E values of acetylene and ethylene allowed us to approximately predict the E of freon-22, the value corresponding to the condition where d of freon-22 was taken to be equal to that of acetylene or ethylene. The difference between predicted and measured E values of freon-22 is indicative of the limitation of diffusion in the lung periphery. In all the lungs studied, measured E values of freon-22 were consistently smaller than those predicted from acetylene and ethylene, leading to the conclusion that gas exchange in injured lungs with widespread pulmonary edema was partly impaired by diffusion in aqueous media.

Animals↗

[Effects of antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes on pulmonary arterial pressure during hypoxic gas breathing].

Using isolated rabbit lungs (n = 72) perfused at a constant flow of 70 ml/min, we analyzed whether the antioxidant system in erythrocytes significantly contributes to maintaining pulmonary vascular responsiveness to alveolar hypoxia (HPV) in normal lungs. As a measure of HPV, we observed the difference (delta P) between mean pulmonary arterial pressure during ventilation with normoxic gas mixture (21% O2, 5% CO2 in N2) and that during hypoxic gas breathing (3% O2, 5% CO2 in N2). Autologous erythrocytes obtained from the animals treated with various substances inhibiting either superoxide dismutase (SOD), the anion channel of the membrane, catalase (CAT) or glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). Subsequently, delta P was systematically measured in the perfusate, whose hematocrit was adjusted to 6-7% with normal or treated erythrocytes as described above. Further, the effects of adding SOD (75 U/ml) or CAT (1000 U/ml) to the perfusate on delta P were examined. The following results were obtained. (1) Inhibition of the superoxide scavenging mechanism in erythrocytes (SOD and anion channel) exerted no significant influence on delta P. (2) Inhibition of hydrogen peroxide scavengers in erythrocytes did not alter the scope of delta P. (3) Addition of either SOD or CAT to the perfusate did not show any significant effect on delta P. The findings are highly consistent with the idea that HPV in normal lungs is essentially independent of antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes, which are expected to be one of the important factors determining the total capacity to deal with oxidant stress in the lung.

Animals↗

[Mechanism of constriction and dilatation of pulmonary artery induced by hydrogen peroxide].

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is known to cause transient pulmonary vasoconstriction in isolated lungs perfused with a solution containing no blood components, by inducing vasoactive arachidonate metabolites such as thromboxane A2 (TXA2). However, the exact site of production of the vasoactive arachidonates in the lung tissue is unclear. Using isolated main pulmonary arterial rings obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats (B.W. 300-350 g), we attempted to examine the arachidonate metabolism, especially that mediated by cyclooxygenase, in the vascular wall of pulmonary artery without endothelium. Changes in isometric tension were used to measure contraction or dilatation of the ring preparation. H2O2 caused transient contraction of the ring, which was treated previously with a solution containing a high concentration of potassium (20 mM). The contractile response was enhanced in parallel with the concentration of H2O2 in the presence or absence of endothelium. Catalase (1000 U/ml), a H2O2 scavenger, completely inhibited the response of the isolated ring (without endothelium) to H2O2. OKY-046 (10(-5) and 10(-4) M), a TXA2 synthetase blocker, partially attenuated the contractile response induced by H2O2. ONO-3708 (10(-5) M), a TXA2 and prostaglandin H2 receptor blocker, fully inhibited the vasoconstriction and caused relaxation of the ring without endothelium after addition of H2O2. Indomethacin (5 microM), a cyclooxygenase inactivator, completely inhibited both vasoconstriction and vasodilation of the denuded ring. H2O2 also induced the release of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, a stable metabolite of the vasodilator, prostacyclin, from the pulmonary artery without endothelium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗