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Biomedical subjects

Y Fujii

Publications and source records attributed to Y Fujii.

At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources

Prediction of lung cancer spread and functional resectability by 133Xe radiospirometry.

Sixty-six patients with primary lung cancer who underwent thoracotomy were studied to determine the correlations among 133Xe radiospirometry, surgical procedures and histological extension of the lung cancer. Disturbance in the regional perfusion (Q per cent) was more prominent than disturbance of the regional ventilation (V per cent), as the pathological stage and t factor proceeded, while V per cent and Q per cent were disturbed almost equally in relation to the pathological n factor. Lobectomy was impossible in patients with a Q per cent of less than 33 per cent of the total, but low perfusion did not necessarily contraindicate surgery. The predicted postoperative FEV1.0 was calculated according to the equation of (1-b/a x (V per cent or Q per cent)) x (preoperative FEV1.0), where a and b were the number of subsegments in the lung lobes on the involved side and the resected lobe. The predicted and actually measured postoperative FEV1.0 showed significant correlations (less than 0.001) in both equations. We conclude that Q per cent reflects a complex pattern of lung cancer spread more sensitively than does V per cent, and the significance of V per cent and Q per cent in terms of prediction of postoperative EFV1.0 seems to be equivocal.

Aged↗

Aldose reductase inhibitors: flavonoids, alkaloids, acetophenones, benzophenones, and spirohydantoins of chroman.

The inhibitory activity of various compounds, including 12 flavonoids, 10 alkaloids, 15 benzophenones, 5 acetophenones, and 7 spirohydantoins of chroman, was tested on rabbit lens aldose reductase, an enzyme involved in complications of diabetes. Almost all compounds tested were found to inhibit the enzyme at low concentrations (10(-5) M). The most potent inhibitor was 2R,4S-6-chloro-2-methylspiro(chroman-4,4'-imidazo-lidine+ ++)-2',5'-dione with an I50 value of 4.7 x 10(-8) M; other spirohydantoins showed similar potency. Polyhydroxybenzophenones were also potent inhibitors with an I50 value of about 10(-7) M. The possible structure-inhibitory activity relationships of the compounds tested are discussed.

Acetophenones↗

Effect of Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin on the isolated rat vas deferens.

Alpha toxin produced by Clostridium perfringens potentiated norepinephrine-evoked contraction in the isolated rat vas deferens, but itself caused no contraction within 60 min. The potentiating activity was dependent on the dose of the toxin and was quantitatively related to the phospholipase C activity of the toxin preparation.

Animals↗

Acetylcholine receptor antibody-producing cells in thymus and lymph nodes in myasthenia gravis.

Eleven patients with myasthenia gravis (5 with thymoma) were studied and spontaneous production of antibody to acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in vitro was found by thymus cells in 10 (and in all 5 with thymoma) and by lymph node cells in 8 (and in 3 with thymoma). The rate of AChR antibody production by thymus cells was greater than that by lymph node cells (10.7 +/- 11.6 and 1.4 +/- 1.5 fmol/10(6) cells/week, respectively, mean +/- SD, P less than 0.05 by paired t test), although the B-cell population was always smaller in the thymus than in the lymph nodes (9.5 +/- 9.4 and 31 +/- 12.7%, P less than 0.001), suggesting the principal role of the thymus in AChR antibody production. It is suggested that lymph nodes can be one of the main sites of AChR antibody production in myasthenia gravis but the antibody-producing cells may originate in the thymus.

Adult↗

Myasthenia gravis in elderly patients.

The clinical features and the effect of thymectomy were compared between 27 elderly patients (Group 2) and 119 young adult patients (Group 1) with myasthenia gravis (MG). In the elderly group, MG was type I in 3 patients, type IIA in 6, type IIB in 17, and type III in 1; and in the young group, type I in 6, type IIA in 36, type IIB in 73, and type III in 4. The association rate with autoimmune disease in patients without thymoma was 12.5% (1/8) in Group 2 and 21.3% (20/94) in Group 1. Autoimmune diseases were not seen in any patients with thymoma. The clinical stage of thymoma was not significantly different between the two groups. The rates of remission and of palliation at 3 years after thymectomy were 18.2% and 72.7%, respectively, in Group 2 patients with thymoma, 21.4% and 78.6% in Group 1 patients with thymoma, 50% and 100% in Group 2 patients without thymoma, and 50% and 98.1% in Group 1 patients without thymoma.

Adolescent↗

Recurrence of thymoma: clinicopathological features, therapy, and prognosis.

Factors influencing the recurrence or persistence of thymoma after therapy were investigated in 127 patients with thymoma, including 75 with thymoma and myasthenia gravis. The rate of recurrence or persistence was 19% (24 of 127 patients) overall, 11% (8 of 75 patients) in myasthenic thymoma, and 31% (16 of 52 patients) in nonmyasthenic thymoma. The more advanced the clinical stage, the higher the rate of recurrence or persistence. The recurrence/persistence rate for patients with the same clinical stage was higher in those with nonmyasthenic thymoma (8% in Stage I, 11% in Stage II, 36% in Stage III, and 75% in Stage IV) than in those with myasthenic thymoma (0 in Stage I, 13% in Stage II, 18% in Stage III, and 20% in Stage IV). The prognosis for patients having subtotal resection of tumor was good in myasthenic thymoma (recurrence/persistence rate, 17%) in contrast with nonmyasthenic thymoma (recurrence/persistence rate, 78%). These results suggest that nonmyasthenic thymoma is more malignant than myasthenic thymoma. Postoperative radiotherapy was effective in preventing the recurrence or persistence of thymoma after therapy.

Adult↗

Induction of intestinal ornithine decarboxylase by single amino acid feeding.

Intestinal and hepatic ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activities increased to a peak 4 h after administration of a diet containing casein or an amino acid mixture simulating that of casein to rats starved for 12 h. All amino acids except cysteine with a two or three carbon skeleton, including those with a D-configuration, and alpha-amino-isobutyric acid (AIB) strongly induced intestinal ODC when given in the diet or administered intragastrically. Amino acids with a four carbon skeleton were far less effective as inducers and other amino acids did not induce intestinal ODC at all. The amino acids that induced hepatic ODC showed no particular structural characteristics: glycine and cysteine were very effective, threonine, tryptophan, methionine, and phenylalanine were less effective, and serine, valine, isoleucine, and histidine were only slightly effective. Elevation of ODC activity after amino acid administration was not due to stabilization of the enzyme protein with the amino acids. Intestinal ODC was induced by intragastric but not intraperitoneal injection of glycine, although these treatments resulted in similar increases in the tissue concentration of glycine. On the contrary, hepatic ODC was induced by glycine regardless of the administration route. Intestinal ODC was also induced only in the segment of the intestine perfused with a solution of an amino acid with which the activity increased in the feeding experiment. These results suggest that the accumulation of an amino acid per se is not a trigger for induction of intestinal ODC and that an amino acid must act on the mucosal surface to induce the enzyme.

Amino Acids↗

Acetylcholine receptor antibody production by bone marrow cells in a patient with myasthenia gravis.

We briefly report antiacetylcholine receptor antibody production by cultured bone marrow cells (4.9 +/- 0.9 fmol/10(6) cells/wk, mean +/- SD) in a 65-year-old man with myasthenia gravis without thymoma. Lymphocytes from peripheral blood, thymus, and lymph nodes produced less antibody (1.8 +/- 0.1, 0.9 +/- 0.3, and 1.0 +/- 0.4, respectively). The thymus was involuted, and the effect of thymectomy was doubtful 6 months postoperatively.

Aged↗

Clinical evaluation of the captopril screening test for primary aldosteronism.

In order to investigate the validity of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition with captopril as a screening test for primary aldosteronism (PA), 50 mg of captopril were administered orally to 7 patients with PA, 17 with essential hypertension (EH), 5 with renovascular hypertension (RVH), 2 with renoparenchymal hypertension (RH) and 8 normal volunteers. The plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was suppressed to less than 15 ng/dl in all of the EH, RVH and RH patients and normal subjects 90 min after administration of captopril, but not suppressed in 6 of 7 patients with PA. In addition, the plasma renin activity (PRA) was increased to greater than 1 ng/ml/h in 10 of 17 patients with EH and in all with RVH, RH and the normal controls, but to less than that in 6 of 7 PA and the remaining EH patients. The PAC to PRA ratio after captopril was greater than 20 in all patients with PA, while it remained below 20 in EH, RVH and RH patients and normal controls. From these results, we conclude that the PAC to PRA ratio in the captopril administration test is a simple and useful tool to detect PA in hypertensive patients. In addition, the test has a great advantage in that it can be safely applied to outpatients with relatively severe hypertension.

Adult↗

ApoE-2/E-3 ratio of very low density lipoprotein in diabetes mellitus.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) in 22 diabetic patients was analysed by the method of one-dimensional isoelectrofocussing (IEF). We modified the IEF-method of Kashyap et al. by which apoE isoproteins were easily and accurately determined. The measurement of apoE-2/E-3 ratio was useful for determining apoE phenotypes. In 17 of 22 diabetics apoE phenotype was E3/3, while three patients showed E2/3 and two showed E3/4. ApoE-2/E-3 ratio was reduced from 0.91 +/- 0.07 to 0.73 +/- 0.04 (p less than 0.05) by the one month-period treatment in 10 insulin required diabetics. The ratio was also reduced from 1.06 +/- 0.14 to 0.89 +/- 0.09 (p less than 0.2) in 10 non-insulin required diabetics. The reduction in apoE-2/E-3 ratio was caused by an increase in apoE-3 band and a decrease in apoE-2 band which might be attributed to the changes in the sialic acid-content of isoproteins on the one-dimensional IEF method. Therefore, apoE phenotypes in diabetic patients should be determined when their diabetic state is improved.

Adult↗

[A case of cystadenocarcinoma developing from an ovary autografted to the abdominal wall].

A 73-year-old woman developed an abdominal tumor. We performed tumor resection. The tumor, located between the fascia and peritoneum, was removed completely. The histological finding was cystadenocarcinoma. Thirty-eight years earlier she had undergone total hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy because of abnormal genital bleeding. At that time, her own ovary had been transplanted to the abdominal wall. We diagnosed this tumor as having developed from the autografted ovary. The complication of ovarian autografting is cystic degeneration. This complication is rare in Japan. Moreover, malignant change is extremely unusual in ovarian autografting.

Abdominal Muscles↗

[Distribution of cefotiam dihydrochloride to the bloodless lung].

The concentration of cefotiam (CTM) in the serum and the bloodless lung with time is discussed. Five patients who were undergone pneumonectomy or lobectomy, were given 1 g of CTM intravenously during the operation. Blood samples and lung samples were collected 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 300 minutes after the administration. The CTM levels in the blood and the lung samples were measured by the agar well bioassay. The CTM levels in the lung samples were modified as the CTM levels in the bloodless lung by calculating the contained blood volume, as lung samples were proven to have a mean value of 34.2% of blood in weight. The serum CTM level was 73.3 micrograms/ml at 15 minutes after injection and then decreased gradually. The CTM level in bloodless lung was elevated during the first 60 minutes, became equal to that of the blood during next 30 minutes and then exceeded the serum levels thereafter. These results indicate that the distribution of CTM to the bloodless lung was excellent and a satisfactory preventative effect against postsurgical infection could be expected.

Aged↗

[Experimental studies on the therapy of rat myelomonocytic leukemia with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and daunomycin (DM)].

The aim is to examine experimentally whether injections of LPS in combination with Daunomycin are effective on a rat myelomonocytic leukemia. Effects of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the major differentiation-inducing agents in the mouse myeloid leukemia cell line M1, were investigated on the cells of a rat myelomonocytic leukemia cell line c-WRT-7 in vitro and in vivo. It was shown that sensitive cells of c-WRT-7 cells changed remarkably into macrophage-like cells, which lost the growth potential by LPS-treatment, whereas such change and growth inhibition in insensitive cells of c-WRT-7 were not so remarkable by LPS-treatment. Although the sensitive cells were extremely malignant in vivo, the sensitive cells treated with LPS in vitro lost the transplantability into the syngeneic rats. The sensitive cells by injections of LPS developed morphologically into macrophage-like cells in diffusion chamber i.p. in syngeneic rat. Injections of LPS inhibited the progression of leukemia in 60% of the rats which had been inoculated with the sensitive cells, whereas the leukemia-development was inhibited in only 20% of the rats which had been inoculated with the insensitive cells and i.p. treated with LPS. Daunomycin, Aclacinomycin A and Vincristine induced phagocytic activities in c-WRT-7 cells, whereas Actinomycin D and Cycloheximide showed no such effects. Daunomycin in combination with LPS increased the number of phagocytic cells, whereas cycloheximide inhibited the LPS induced phagocytosis. Injections of LPS in combination with Daunomycin inhibited doubtlessly the leukemia-development in rats which had been i.p. inoculated with the sensitive cells, compared to the injections of LPS or Daunomycin alone. In conclusion, it is suggested that the effects of LPS and Daunomycin on the inhibition of the leukemia-development could be associated in part with their differentiation-inducing activities.

Animals↗