Biomedical subjects

Toshifumi Niwa

Publications and source records attributed to Toshifumi Niwa.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Immunoenzymometric assay for a small molecule,11-deoxycortisol, with attomole-range sensitivity employing an scFv-enzyme fusion protein and anti-idiotype antibodies.

To overcome the sensitivity limit in immunoassays for small molecules (haptens), we established a noncompetitive immunoenzymometric assay (IEMA) format that can detect attomole-range hapten molecules. We selected 11-deoxycortisol (11-DC; Mr 346.5), a corticosteroid serving a diagnostic index for pituitary-adrenal function, as a model target hapten. A fusion of a single-chain Fv fragment (scFv) specific for 11-DC and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was generated for use as an enzyme-labeled antibody, instead of the conventional chemically linked enzyme-antibody conjugates. After binding reaction of 11-DC and fixed amounts of the fusion protein (scFv-ALP), the unbound fusion protein was removed by incubation with a mouse beta-type anti-idiotype antibody recognizing the scFv paratope. These complexes were captured by magnetic separation using anti-mouse IgG antibody-coated magnetic beads. Following magnetic sedimentation of the beads, immune complexes of scFv-ALP and 11-DC remained in the supernatant were further purified by capture on microtiter plates with immobilized alpha-type anti-idiotype antibody. As measured fluorometrically, ALP activity from bound immune complexes on the plates increased with increasing 11-DC, which is characteristic of a noncompetitive relationship. This IEMA afforded an extremely low detection limit (20 amol/assay), a very wide measurable range, and practical specificity. The plasma 11-DC levels determined for healthy subjects were validated as reliable.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

[Examinations and exercises in medical technology utilizing a personal computer and the web].

The practice of e-learning in our department utilizing freeware without additional cost has been introduced: 1) Examinations and exercises are performed on the Web. Using the form-filling format of HTML, multiple-choice questions are asked. When the examinee submits the answers, the server will process the data using active server pages and send the result to the examinee with the score and explanations. So far, the students have given the Web examination (exercise) system a good evaluation. Concerning the effect of the explanations given in the Web exercises on the written test, some improvements were observed in the enumeration-type questions. On the other hand, no such improvements were clearly observed in the explanation-type questions, which require essential understanding of the principle. This suggests that effective utilization of the materials strongly depends on the students' eagerness to study. 2) To understand the chemical structures of body constituents, an exercise to draw structural formulae on the personal computer (PC) is performed. The students had difficulty in the fine control of arranging the whole shape of the formula, in addition to setting the format of characters such as super- and subscripts. In respect of understanding, they had significant difficulty in finding the structures and in distinguishing stereoisomers; however, the students had fun with the structure-drawing software and found it convenient to draw structures. These findings suggest that PC exercises will be attractive to students of the "PC generation", and thus helpful for the understanding of and training in data analysis in medical technology.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed2003

Monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies recognizing the variable region of a high-affinity antibody against 11-deoxycortisol. Production, characterization and application to a sensitive noncompetitive immunoassay.

Anti-idiotype antibodies recognizing the variable regions of a particular anti-hapten antibody are valuable tools, which can be used in sensitive hapten immunoassays based on a noncompetitive format. Here, we describe the production and characterization of monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies against idiotopes on the variable regions of an antibody showing high affinity and specificity to 11-deoxycortisol (11-DC). 11-DC is the biosynthetic precursor of cortisol and a diagnostic index for the assessment of pituitary-adrenal function. BALB/c or A/J mice were repeatedly immunized with the anti-11-DC antibody conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin and their spleen cells were then fused with P3/NS1/1-Ag4-1 myeloma cells. Seven kinds of anti-idiotype antibodies were generated, one of which was a beta-type antibody recognizing the paratope and others which were alpha-type antibodies recognizing the framework region. A noncompetitive ELISA based on idiotype-anti-idiotype reactions was established using one of these alpha-type antibodies in combination with the beta-type antibody and with the anti-11-DC antibody. This noncompetitive assay system provided improved sensitivity (detection limit: 1.0 pg=2.9 fmol), which is approximately 10 times higher than the corresponding competitive enzyme immunoassay, and offered a practical specificity for clinical use. Appropriate serum 11-DC levels were obtained for normal subjects [0.16+/-0.09 (S.D.) microg/l (n=6), ranging from 0.086 to 0.316 microg/l] using the present assay system.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Idiotype-anti-idiotype-based noncompetitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of ursodeoxycholic acid 7-N-acetylglucosaminides in human urine with subfemtomole range sensitivity.

We have established a noncompetitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the group-specific determination of 7-N-acetylglucosaminide of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA 7-NAG) and its glycine- and taurine-amidated metabolites (UDCA 7-NAGs) in human urine. These metabolites are expected to be a diagnostic marker for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). This assay is based on the idiotype-antiidiotype reaction where the analyte was captured by an excess amount of anti-UDCA 7-NAG antibody, and the unoccupied paratope was blocked with a beta-type antiidiotype antibody. The hapten-occupied antibody was then selectively detected with a biotin-labeled alpha-type antiidiotype antibody. The amount of bound biotin, increasing proportionally to the increase in the analyte, was colorimetrically determined using a peroxidase-labeled streptavidin. This assay provided subfemtomole range sensitivity (detection limit 118 amol) and allowed group-specific measurement of the UDCA 7-NAGs in urine without any pretreatment. The present ELISA revealed that significant amounts of UDCA 7-NAGs are excreted even in healthy subjects. Daily excretion rates for healthy males were determined to be 246+/-184 (S.D.) microg (n=5) as the glycine-amidated UDCA 7-NAG equivalent. Randomly collected urine specimens from patients with PBC (n=7) were also measured, and the assay values (standardized to creatinine excretion) ranged from 1.82 to 13.4 microg/mg Ucre with the average of 5.41+/-4.53 (S.D.) microg/mg Ucre.

Acetylglucosamine↗

PubMed2002

A monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of glycolithocholic acid sulfate in human urine for liver function test.

Urinary levels of sulfated metabolites of lithocholic acid (LCA) are expected to be a useful index of liver function. Thus, a sensitive, specific, and feasible enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of these sulfated LCA metabolites (LCA-Suls) should be established. A newly generated monoclonal antibody specific to glycolithocholic acid sulfate (glycine-amidated LCA-Sul (GLCA-Sul)) was immobilized on microtiter plates via a second antibody. A urine specimen and an alkaline phosphatase-labeled antigen were added to the plate, which was then incubated at room temperature for 3h. After this competitive reaction, bound enzyme activity was measured colorimetrically using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate. The detection limit for GLCA-Sul was 0.4 pg/assay. Nonamidated LCA-Sul and taurine-conjugated LCA-Sul showed 40 and 11% cross-reactivities, respectively, while 3-sulfates of cholic acid (CA; 0.02%), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA; 0.63%), and deoxycholic acid (DCA; 2.2%) exhibited very low cross-reactivities. Applicability of the ELISA system to clinical samples was well validated by parallelism, recovery test, and intra/inter-assay variance. Enzymatic deconjugation with bile acids sulfatase resulted in dramatically decreased urinary levels, supporting the specificity of the ELISA toward GLCA-Sul. The mean GLCA-Sul levels in early morning urine from healthy volunteers were 314 ng/mg Ucre (males: n=16) and 507 ng/mg Ucre (females: n=9). Patients with liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis (CH) and liver cirrhosis (LC) exhibited significantly higher values (mean 5222 ng/mg Ucre: n=21). The present 'monoclonal ELISA' is predicted to be useful as a novel noninvasive diagnostic tool for liver function and hepatobiliary diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Effects of interleukin-18 on diaphragm muscle contraction on rats.

To evaluate the role of interleukin (IL)-18 in endotoxin-induced diaphragm muscle deterioration, we studied three treatment groups, namely, a saline+endotoxin group, an IL-18+endotoxin group and an IL-18 only group using Wistar rats. Five minutes after saline or IL-18 (0.25 microg) injection, E. coli endotoxin (30 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally. In the saline+endotoxin group, the force-frequency curves by ANOVA (p < 0.01), twitch tension (TT) and slope during contraction time (TT/CT) were significantly lower at 4 hours than those at 0 hours due to endotoxin (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively) and nitric oxide (NO) production had increased at 4 hours as shown by NADPH diaphorase staining. In the IL-18+endotoxin group, the decrement of the force-frequency curves in a higher frequency range (50-120 Hz), and the decrements of TT and TT/CT observed at 4 hours in the saline+endotoxin group were significantly prevented, and NO production was blocked at 4 hours. In the IL-18 only group, the force-frequency curves did not change except for fatigability, and NO production did not occur. It is suggested that IL-18 itself naturally blocks NO production, even when endotoxin coexists, resulting in the prevention of deterioration of diaphragm muscle contraction by endotoxin.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Generation of a novel monoclonal antibody against cortisol-[C-4]-bovine serum albumin conjugate: application to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for urinary and serum cortisol.

Measurement of cortisol levels in body fluids is important for monitoring pituitary gland and adrenal functions. To develop a specific and standardized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a novel monoclonal anti-cortisol antibody has been generated using a reasonably designed haptenic derivative. Spleen cells were prepared from the BALB/c or A/J mouse, which had repeatedly been immunized with a conjugate of 4-(2-carboxyethylthio)cortisol (CET) and bovine serum albumin, to be fused with P3/NS1/1-Ag4-1 myeloma cells. After four fusion experiments, one hybridoma clone secreting a practical antibody has been established. The resulting monoclonal antibody CS#38 (isotype gamma1, kappa) showed an affinity constant (K(a)) for cortisol of 1 x 10(9) M(-1) and provided a practical calibration curve (detection limit, 0.26 ng per assay) in a homologous ELISA system employing horseradish peroxidase-labeled CET as a labeled antigen. Cross-reactivities with related C-21 steroids were acceptably low: 11-deoxycortisol (4.3%), cortisone (4.0%), corticosterone (1.9%), progesterone (1.6%), 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (12%), 6beta-hydroxycortisol (8.4%), and tetrahydrocortisol (< 0.1%). Urinary and serum cortisol levels of healthy volunteers were determined by this method after methylene chloride extraction to be 39.0 +/- 17.0 microg/day (n = 7) and 80.8 +/- 38.9 ng/mL (n = 10), respectively, both of which are in the reference range.

Adult↗