Pneumopericardium: a rare triggering factor for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Toshio Fujita.
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Research progress on the pleiotropic effects of interferons (IFN) has thus far required detecting responses by weak IFN signals. The activity of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5OAS) is a valuable indicator in the prognosis and IFN treatment of patients with viral diseases such as hepatitis B and C. Although serum samples generally are used to measure enzyme activity, their values depend on the exact conditions under which blood is stored and the degree of haemolysis that occurs during blood drawing or serum separation. This study presents an improved method of evaluating 2-5OAS activity by using whole blood samples containing heparin, which are frozen and then thawed, instead of serum samples. This method is more reliable, convenient, and 50-100 times more sensitive than the conventional methods of measuring serum 2-5OAS activity. The reliability and sensitivity of this improved method enables detection of the effects of low doses of oral IFN administration or changes in the IFN and cytokine system by infection or autoimmune diseases.
To analyze the log P(sol/w) values (sol: n-octanol or chloroform, w: water) in the framework of the molecular orbital (MO) procedure, we selected solute descriptors such as the solvation energy difference between aqueous and organic solvent phases and the "surface" area of solute molecules to which water molecules are accessible. The solvation energy of solute molecules in their minimum free-energy conformation was calculated using the ab initio self-consistent reaction field-MO method with the conductor-like screening model. The experimentally measured log P(sol/w) value of various solutes except for those of amphiprotics was shown to be analyzable reasonably well by the MO model with additional descriptors for the hydrogen-bonding patterns in the solute-solvent interactions.
We report a 73-year-old man who presented symptoms of low back pain and SIADH followed by weakness of all four limbs and sensory disturbance of the lower legs 2 month after the first symptoms. He was referred to our department because of the evolution of weakness. Neurological examination on admission revealed weakness of the arms and legs, areflexia, and hypoesthesia of the lower legs. The straight leg raising test induced prominent radiating pain bilaterally. The level of sodium was 114 mEq/l, the plasma osmolality was 239 mOsm/kg, and the level of plasma antidiuretic hormone was 3.45 pg/ml. Other blood chemical values were unremarkable. The urine osmolality was 527 mOsm/kg. T1-weighted MR image with gadolinium showed thickening and enhancement of the nerve root. Nerve conduction study revealed compromised conduction with demyelinating features, and somatosensory evoked potential study could not show any potentials. He was diagnosed as having CIDP complicating with SIADH. An association between SIADH and AIDP has been much reported previously. To our knowledge, however, there has been no report of SIADH complicating with CIDP.
2,4-Dinitrophenyl-1-thio N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide was examined as a new substrate for analyzing the level of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in the urine of patients suffering from renal diseases. The analysis is based on the fact that the substrate, when hydrolyzed in the presence of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, liberates 2,4-dinitrothiophenol as the chromogen. The optimum pH for the enzyme reaction is 4.6, which is covered by the optimal range for the UV absorbance of the chromogen. The first-order rate of increase of the absorbance at this pH was linear to the enzyme concentration up to 600 U/L, with a high sensitivity. Analytical reagents with glucosaminides of 2,4-dinitrophenol and 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol are less stable than the reagent with glucosaminide of 2,4-dinitrothiophenol. The optimum pH for the absorbance of p-nitrophenol and 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol does not match that for the enzyme reaction.
Larvicidal activity against the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), was measured after topical treatment for a series of N-tert-butyl-dibenzoylhydrazines having various substituents in the benzoyl (A-ring) moiety closer to the tert-butyl group, the other benzoyl (B-ring) moiety being unsubstituted. The effects of substituents on the larvicidal activity were analyzed using the classical quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) procedure. Introduction of hydrophobic substituents with a small volume into any position was favourable to activity. The existence of electron-withdrawing substituents at ortho positions was also favourable to activity. For multi-substituted compounds, physico-chemically unknown unfavourable factors were suggested to remain after separating common substituent effects derived from QSAR for mono-substituted analogues. With the exception of the unsubstituted compound RH-5849, the effect of substituents in the A-ring moiety on the larvicidal activity was similar to those found with the lepidopteran rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker). The larvicidal activity of RH-5849 against S exigua was significantly lower than the value predicted from the correlation between activities against S exigua and C suppressalis. Topical treatment with piperonyl butoxide, a synergist inhibiting oxidative metabolism, slightly enhanced the larvicidal activity of RH-5849 against S exigua.