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T Ueda

Publications and source records attributed to T Ueda.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources

Impaired transport of lipopolysaccharide across the hepatocytes in rats with cerulein-induced experimental pancreatitis.

Hepatic dysfunction is one of the critical complications in acute pancreatitis but this mechanism is poorly understood. In patients with acute pancreatitis, hypoalbuminemia is often recognized, suggesting possible disturbance of hepatic transport of proteins and hepatic metabolites. The present study was undertaken to elucidate hepatic function in cerulein-induced pancreatitis from the viewpoint of intrahepatic vesicular transport. We examined the biliary excretion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), whose pathway in the hepatocyte has been shown to be microtubule dependent. In vivo studies and ex vivo studies using isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) showed that cumulative excretion of LPS in each period was significantly reduced, by 49 and 25%, respectively, compared with that in control rats. But studies of biliary secretion in vivo and ex vivo studies indicated statistical insignificance between the two groups. Moreover, biliary excretion of LPS was inhibited to 60% of the control by colchicine pretreatment, without affecting bile flow in IPRL, but gadolinium chloride had no effect. We conclude that transport of LPS across the hepatocyte from blood to bile is impaired in rats with cerulein-induced pancreatitis without being affected by Kupffer cell function. These results suggest that a disturbance of vesicular transport in hepatocyte may also occur in exocytosis and endocytosis via the sinusoidal membrane, cause impairment of hepatic transport of proteins and hepatic metabolites, and result in hepatic dysfunction in acute pancreatitis.

Animals↗

Thoracoscopic radiofrequency ablation of the myocardium.

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation has been used for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT), however, in some patients VT might result from subepicardial macroreentry that could be successfully terminated by epicardial approach. This study examined the feasibility of thoracoscopic RF ablation of myocardium from epicardium using a custom made electrode. In five mongrel dogs, the thoracoscope was introduced through the 7th intercostal space. A 500-KHz continuous wave RF energy was connected to a custom made multiple electrode probe. Under thoracoscopic guidance, the heart was exposed and the RF probe was introduced. RF ablation was performed on the nonvascular ventricular wall of the beating heart. The left ventricular free wall and right ventricular outflow tract were satisfactorily visualized and ablated. The total dose of RF energy ranged from 50 to 500 J, and the estimated volume of ablated lesions ranged from 41.0-799 mm3. There were significant correlations between the RF discharge output and the irradiated lesion volume (P < 0.01), and the depth of the lesions (P < 0.01). Grossly, after RF ablation the ventricular myocardium demonstrated a circular, well-demarcated area of thermal injury. Volume and depth of the lesion depended upon the total dose of delivered RF energy. Thoracoscopic RF ablation appears to be a minimally invasive and useful method for creating irradiated myocardial lesions from epicardial surface. This method could be technically feasible for the treatment of Vts for which endocardial RF ablation is ineffective.

Animals↗

[Early manifestation of septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation complicated by acute myocardial infarction in a patient suspected of having Legionnaires' disease].

Legionellosis is an important cause of severe pneumonia in the community. Inadequate therapy will lead to respiratory distress syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and finally fatal multiple organ failure. We encountered a rare case in which early manifestation included septic shock and DIC complicated by acute myocardial infarction (AMI) suspected to be derived from Legionnaires' disease. A 54-year-old healthy female complained of lumbago, high fever and dry cough 10 days after visiting a hot spring spa. She was emmergently admitted due to shock. Physical examination demonstrated hypotension, high fever, course creakle in the right lower lung. Hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and eruption were not found. WBC count was 34600/microliters with nuclear shift. CRP elevated. FDP, D dimer and TAT also elevated CPK elevated with dominance of the MB isozyme. Chest roentogenography revealed congestive heart failure, pleural effusion and obscure pneumonic shadow and EKG showed ST segment elevation in leads I, II, III, aVF, V4, V5, and V6. The patient was diagnosed as having septic shock, DIC and AMI. She was treated with gabexate mesilate, high dose methyl prednisolone and dopamine hydrochloride as well as piperacillin, meropenem, isepamycin and fluconzaole. Despite intensive care, the blood pressure fell again and pneumonia had progressed on the 8th hospital day. These antibiotics appeared to be ineffective. Erythromycin was then administered and a dramatic effect. was obtained as the patient recovered. Serum titer of Legionella pneumophila (serogroup 1) rose to 128-fold 2 weeks after the onset. Other serum titers such as Chlamydia psittaci, Rickettsia, Mycoplasma were all negative. Cultures obtained from the sputum, throat swab, urine and blood did not yield any microorganisms. Although the diagnosis could not be confirmed because the titer did not elevate over 256-fold of 4-fold within 2 weeks after the onset, Legionella infection was highly suspected from the clinical features. This is a rare case in which septic shock and DIC with AMI preceded pulmonary symptoms in a non-immunocompromised patient.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

A critical role for cyclin C in promotion of the hematopoietic cell cycle by cooperation with c-Myc.

Cyclin C, a putative G1 cyclin, was originally isolated through its ability to complement a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain lacking the G1 cyclin gene CLN1-3. Unlike cyclins D1 and E, the other two G1 cyclins obtained by the same approach and subsequently shown to play important roles during the G1/S transition, there is thus far no evidence to support the hypothesis that cyclin C is indeed critical for the promotion of cell cycle progression. In BAF-B03 cells, an interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B-cell line, cyclin C gene mRNA was induced at the G1/S phase upon IL-3 stimulation and reached a maximal level in the S phase. Enforced expression of exogenous cyclin C in this cell line failed to alter its growth properties. In the present study, we examined whether cyclin C is capable of cooperating with the cytokine-responsive immediate-early gene products c-Myc and c-Fos in the promotion of cell proliferation. We found that cyclin C is able to cooperate functionally with c-Myc, but not c-Fos, to induce both BAF-B03 cell proliferation in a cytokine-independent fashion and the formation of cell clusters. Furthermore, cyclin C was primarily responsible for the induction of cdc2 gene expression. Our data define a novel role for cyclin C in the regulation of both the G1/S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, and this effect appears to be independent of the activity of CDK8 in the control of transcription.

Animals↗

The long-term outcome of cystinuria in Japan.

Recurrence of growth of urinary stone is frequently observed during the clinical course of cystinuria patients. The aim of the present study is to examine the long-term outcome of cystinuria in Japan and clarify the effects of medical treatment on urinary stone. Thirty-one patients with cystinuria who had been followed up longer than 6 months were included. The follow-up period was 6-264 months with a mean of 89.5 months. Stone event was defined as appearance of new stone or radiological evidence of stone growth. All patients were managed with forced hydration and urine alkalization. Twenty-eight patients were treated with administration of thiol such as D-penicillamine or alpha-mercaptopropionylglycine. Stone events per year ranged from 0 to 1.09 with a median of 0.09. Stone events per patient-year was 0.19 for all patients. The average urinary cystine concentration during treatment in the favorable outcome group (stone events per year < 0.3) was lower that that in the unfavorable outcome group (stone events per year >/=0.3); 221.2 +/- 75.2 vs. 303.3 +/- 93.5 mg/l, although the difference was not statistically significant. Prognosis of urinary stone in Japanese patients with cystinuria was relatively good with large variation. The medical treatment to reduce urinary cystine concentration would be useful for the management of cystinuria.

Adult↗

Suppressive effects of SP-A on ionomycin-induced IL-8 production and release by eosinophils.

Recent studies have demonstrated that pulmonary surfactant protein (SP)-A plays a potential role in modifying inflammation and immune function. To see whether SP-A could modify IL-8 production and release by eosinophils stimulated with ionomycin, SP-A purified from surfactant recovered from patients with alveolar proteinosis was added to eosinophils isolated by the negative-selection method with immunomagnetic beads, and cultured for 24 h. The concentrations of IL-8 in the cell-free supernatants and cell lysates were then measured by ELISA. SP-A attenuated the production of IL-8 by eosinophils in a concentration-dependent manner. SP-A also attenuated the release of IL-8 from the eosinophils. The addition of SP-A antibody (PE10) reversed these effects of SP-A completely. These data suggest that SP-A may have the potential to modify allergic inflammation by inhibiting the release and production of IL-8 by eosinophils.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Angioplasty after intra-arterial thrombolysis for acute occlusion of intracranial arteries.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to report our experience with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) of intracranial arteries in acute stroke patients who were resistant to intra-arterial thrombolysis alone. METHODS: PTA was performed within 6 hours from symptom onset in 13 acute stroke patients in whom no hypodensity areas were observed on initial CT. PTA was classified into 3 categories: immediate (3 patients), delayed (3 patients), and rescue (7 patients) angioplasty. Treatment results in the PTA group for 9 cases of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion were compared with those in the thrombolysis alone group for 12 cases of thrombotic MCA occlusion. RESULTS: Technical success rates for immediate, delayed, and rescue angioplasty were 100%, 100%, and 71%, respectively, and that of angioplasty for the MCA was 100%. Ten patients (77%) showed improvement in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stroke score after treatment. Improvement in NIH stroke scores in the PTA group for MCA occlusion was greater than that in the thrombolysis alone group (P<0.01). Nine patients (69%) had an excellent, good, or fair outcome 3 months after treatment. In 9 patients who had follow-up angiography 1 month after treatment, no restenosis or reocclusion was demonstrated. There were no symptomatic complications during or after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This limited study demonstrates the technical feasibility of angioplasty for intracranial arteries in acute ischemic stroke and suggests that angioplasty may be an effective option for improving the success rate of recanalization and preventing reocclusion of the MCA. The present results encourage us to perform further clinical trials in a larger number of patients to assess the efficacy of this procedure.

Aged↗

Hepatic infarction caused by an embolus from an atherosclerotic lesion--a case report.

Although it has been reported that emboli from atherosclerotic disease may be more frequent than commonly appreciated, hepatic infarction caused by an arterial embolus is an unusual but serious complication. The authors describe a patient who had a secondary liver infarct during anticoagulant treatment for cerebral infarction. The thrombus causing the liver infarction was detected as a low echoic mass by transesophageal echocardiography at the right coronary sinus.

Aged↗

Disruption of primary imprinting during oocyte growth leads to the modified expression of imprinted genes during embryogenesis.

Parthenogenetic embryos, which contained one genome from a neonate-derived non-growing oocyte and the other from a fully grown oocyte, developed to day 13.5 of gestation in mice, 3 days longer than previously recorded for parthenogenetic development. To investigate the hypothesis that disruption of primary imprinting during oocyte growth leads to the modified expression of imprinted genes and this parthenogenetic phenotype, we have examined Peg1/Mest, Igf2, Peg3, Snrpn, H19, Igf2r and excess p57KIP2. We show that paternally expressed genes, Peg1/Mest, Peg3 and Snrpn, are expressed in the parthenotes, presumably due to a lack of maternal epigenetic modifications during oocyte growth. In contrast, the expression of Igf2, which is repressed in a competitive manner by transcription of the H19 gene, was very low. Furthermore, we show that the maternally expressed Igf2r and p57KIP2 genes were repressed in the alleles of the non-growing oocyte indicating maternal modifications during oocyte growth are necessary for its expression. Thus, our results show that primary imprinting during oocyte growth exhibits a crucial effect on both the expression and repression of maternal alleles during embryogenesis.

Animals↗

Glutamate transport and storage in synaptic vesicles.

Glutamate plays an important metabolic role in virtually every vertebrate cell. In particular, glutamate is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system. As such, the mechanism by which glutamate is diverted from its normal metabolic activities toward its role as a neurotransmitter has, in recent years, been systematically investigated. In glutamatergic nerve endings, synaptic vesicles accumulate and store a proportion of the cellular glutamate pool and, in response to appropriate signals, release glutamate into the synaptic cleft by exocytosis. Glutamate accumulation is accomplished by virtue of a glutamate uptake system present in the synaptic vesicle membrane. The uptake system consists of a transport protein, remarkably specific for glutamate, and a vacuolar-type H+-ATPase, which provides the coupling between ATP hydrolysis and glutamate transport. The precise manner in which the glutamate transporter and H+-ATPase operate is currently the subject of debate. Recent data relevant to this debate are reviewed in this article. Additionally, pharmacological agents thought to specifically interact with the vesicular glutamate transporter are discussed. Finally, a newly discovered, endogenous inhibitor of vesicular uptake, inhibitory protein factor (IPF), is discussed with some speculations as to its potential role as a presynaptic modulator of neurotransmission.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

A novel cell-free system for peptide synthesis driven by pyridine.

Previously we demonstrated that ribosomes can synthesize polypeptides in the presence of high concentrations (40-60%) of pyridine without any protein factors. Here we analyze additional ribosomal parameters in 60% pyridine using Escherichia coli ribosomes. Ribosomal subunits once exposed to pyridine failed to re-associate to 70S ribosomes in aqueous buffer systems even in the presence of 20 mM Mg2+, whereas they formed 70S complexes in the presence of 60% pyridine. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of ribosomal proteins revealed that some proteins located at the protuberances of the large subunit, e. g. L7/L12 and L11 forming the elongation factor-binding domain, were released in the pyridine system. The aminoglycoside neomycin, a strong inhibitor of the ribosomal (factor-independent) translocation reaction, completely blocked poly(Phe) synthesis and translocation activities in the pyridine system, whereas these activities were not affected at all by gypsophilin, a ribotoxin that inhibits factor-dependent translocation. Another inhibitor of the ribosomal translocation, thiostrepton, had no effect concerning the two activities, which is consistent with the fact that this antibiotic requires L11 for its binding to the ribosome. These results suggest that the ribosomes can perform a translocation reaction in the pyridine system, but in a factor-independent (spontaneous) manner.

Cell-Free System↗

[A case of severe neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus treated by plasmapheresis: diagnostic values of serum antiribosomal P protein antibodies and interleukin-6 in cerebrospinal fluid].

We report here a case of neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus with organic brain syndrome and transverse myelitis which was successfully managed by plasmapheresis. A 27-year-old female with facial rash, arthralgia and fever was diagnosed as having SLE and treated with oral prednisolone (PSL) in June 1996. After 6 weeks she demonstrated muscle pain and a spiking temperature. The dose of PSL was increased but clinical symptoms did not improve. In August, pulse methyl-PSL was performed and she subsequently-developed delirium, impairment of orientation, memory and perception, which were followed by paraplegia of the lower extremities and loss of sphincter control. Intravenous bolus cyclophosphamide was not effective, but liver dysfunction, bone marrow suppression and respiratory failure due to an infection of pneumocystis carinii were observed. We then performed plasmapheresis or immunoabsorption several times. After this treatment steady improvement was observed. High values of antiribosomal P protein antibodies in the serum and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid decreased. Small foci of increased signal intensity detected on cranial magnetic resonance imaging and hypoperfused areas on single-photon emission CT diminished. The patient was maintained on low-dose PSL and no recurrence has been observed 15 months from the onset.

Adult↗

The effect of ruminal bypass lysine and methionine on milk yield and composition of lactating cows.

Fifty-six multiparous Holstein cows were assigned at 3 wk prepartum to rations based on grass silage with 1) corn distillers grains to provide 86 and 90% of estimated required metabolizable Lys and Met, respectively; 2) a blend of blood meal, fish meal, and meat and bone meal as amino acid (AA) sources to provide 112 and 103% of required metabolizable Lys and Met, respectively; 3) ruminally protected Lys and Met added as a top-dressing to ration 1 to provide 27 g/d of Lys and 8 g/d of Met as available AA at the duodenum postpartum; and 4) ruminally protected AA for 8 wk postpartum as a top-dressing to ration 1 to provide 40 g/d of Lys and 13 g/d of Met as available AA at the duodenum. Cows fed rations 3 and 4 were offered 13.5 g/d of duodenally available Lys and 4 g/d of duodenally available Met for 3 wk prepartum. The total length of the study was 43 wk. Cows fed ration 4 consumed 3 to 4 kg more dry matter than did cows fed the other three rations, and milk yield and the percentage of milk protein and fat were significantly increased during the first 8 wk of lactation. In early lactation, cows fed ration 3 had a greater milk fat percentage but similar dry matter intake, protein percentage, and yield of 4% fat-corrected milk compared with cows fed ration 2. The concentrations of blood serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, triglyceride, and nonesterified fatty acids were lower for cows fed ration 4 during the first 8 wk of lactation than they were for cows fed the other three rations. The mammary arteriovenous difference of whole blood AA indicated that Met along with His and Arg may be the most limiting AA for milk yield.

Amino Acids↗

[Bilateral pheochromocytomas with von Hippel-Lindau's disease: a case report].

A case of bilateral pheochromocytomas with von Hippel-Lindau's disease (VHL) is reported. A 46-year-old woman who had hyperglycemia was admitted to our hospital because of abdominal tumors. Her elder sister and niece had been diagnosed as VHL. Ultrasonography, CT, and MRI revealed bilateral adrenal tumors. Noradrenaline levels in serum and urine were elevated and 131I-MIBG scintigraphy showed accumulation in bilateral adrenal glands. Moreover, she had bilateral renal cysts and cerebellar hemangioblastoma. Bilateral adrenalectomies were performed and pathological diagnosis was pheochromocytoma. This is the seventh case of bilateral pheochromocytomas with VHL reported in Japan.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

[The growing teratoma syndrome: report of a case].

A 32-year-old man presented with a swelling of the left testis, for which he underwent high inguinal orchiectomy. Histopathological examination of the specimen revealed teratocarcinoma. Further evaluation revealed no metastasis (stage I), and he was followed-up by monthly examination without prophylactic chemotherapy (surveillance). Thirteen months after orchiectomy, AFP and hCG-beta were elevated at 133.8 ng/ml and 0.8 ng/ml respectively. Abdominal CT scan revealed para-aortic masses of recurrent tumor. Although the AFP and hCG-beta levels markedly declined after five courses of COMPE (CDDP, VCR, MTX, PEP, Etoposide) chemotherapy, the retroperitoneal masses had further enlarged and had undergone cystic change. Excision of the residual tumors was performed, and microscopic examination of specimens revealed mature teratoma without malignant components. The diagnosis of the growing teratoma syndrome was therefore made. The growing teratoma syndrome occurs in nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors following chemotherapy and is characterized by enlargement of metastatic lesions with normal tumor marker levels. Total surgical resection of the mass yields good results, and tumor is unresponsive to chemotherapy. Early recognition of this syndrome is important for successful treatment.

Adult↗