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Biomedical subjects

Y Ina

Publications and source records attributed to Y Ina.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Six-year longitudinal analysis of adenovirus type 3 genome types isolated in Yamagata, Japan.

Five hundred eighty-seven adenovirus type 3 (Ad3) isolates were established from children with acute respiratory infections (ARI) from 1986 to 1991, in Yamagata, Japan. Ad3 could be found in almost all the months during the 6 years when two epidemics occurred, in 1987 and 1989. A molecular epidemiological study was done on 346 of the 587 isolates, using restriction endonucleases; BamHI, HindIII, SmaI, and BgIII were used. The Ad3 isolates were classified into seven genome types. The genetic differences among the seven genome types were < 0.9%, and their phylogenetic tree, estimated by the neighbor-joining method, correlated highly with their monthly distribution. One genome type predominated for 56 months, while the other six related genome types cocirculated for a short period. These results suggested that the predominant genome type of Ad3 might have been endemically perpetuated in the Yamagata area with minor genomic variations. Furthermore, the outbreaks of Ad3 may have been due not to the appearance of a new genome type but rather to the endemic genome type.

Adenovirus Infections, Human↗
PubMed1994

Reduction of synonymous substitutions in the core protein gene of hepatitis C virus.

Molecular evolutionary analyses were carried out to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships, the evolutionary rate, and the divergence times of hepatitis C viruses. Using the nucleotide sequences of the viruses isolated from various locations in the world, we constructed phylogenetic trees. The trees showed that strains isolated from a single location were not necessarily clustered as a group. This suggests that the viruses may be transferred with blood on a worldwide scale. We estimated the evolutionary rates at synonymous and nonsynonymous sites for all genes in the viral genome. We then found that the rate (1.35 x 10(-3) per site per year) at synonymous sites for the C gene was much smaller than those for the other genes (e.g., 6.29 x 10(-3) per site per year for the E gene). This indicates that a special type of functional constraint on synonymous substitutions may exist in the C gene. Because we found an open reading frame (ORF) with the C gene region, the possibility exists that synonymous substitutions for the C gene are constrained by the overlapping ORF whose reading frame is different from that of the C gene. Applying the evolutionary rates to the trees, we also suggest that major groups of hepatitis C viruses diverged from their common ancestor several hundred years ago.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1994

[Effects of voluntary wheel running on health indexes in rats with SRBC-induced inflammation].

The effects of voluntary running exercise on health indexes in rats were studied before and after Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC)-induced inflammation. Male Fischer rats (SPF) 8 weeks of age were housed in individual sedentary cages (sedentary group) or in individual wheel-running cages (exercise group) for 4 months. Then all rats were injected with 20% SRBC (0.5 ml/100g body weight) i.p. Voluntary running activity averaged 1408m/day, reached a peak (2913m/day) at the 25th day and waned over time, reaching a plateau at the 60th day (about 1000m/day). In spite of a significant increase in food intake (117%), exercising rats gained significantly less weight (93%) than sedentary rats at all times in experimental period. The exercise group also showed a significant decrease in the value of serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (T. CHO) (TG p < 0.0002, T. CHO p < 0.03). The hematocrit (Ht) and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) were higher in the exercised rats, and at 4 days after i.p. SRBC, the difference became statistically significant (Ht p < 0.0002, Hb p < 0.003). Thus, protective effects against the decrease of Ht and Hb were demonstrated in the exercised group. Perhaps this inflammation did not impair liver function severely; sedentary rats had normal or slightly higher levels of GOT and GPT. On the other hand, exercised rats had lower GOT and GPT. Significant differences were found between the groups (GOT, GPT p < 0.0001).

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Effects of crowding on immune functions in mice].

The effects of several types of crowding on immune functions were studied in mice. This study consisted of two experiments. Experiment one: Male BALB/c mice were initially housed in groups of four mice per cage. After fourteen days of acclimation, the mice were randomly divided into three groups, Control (four mice per cage, control group), Crowd-I (four mice per small space) and Crowd-II (sixteen mice per cage). These conditions were maintained for seven days. The results of experiment one were as follows: (1) The percentage of lymphocytes in the blood of Crowd-II was significantly lower than that of Control (p < 0.05). (2) The percentage of neutrophils and the absolute number of neutrophils in blood of Crowd-II were significantly higher than in Control (p < 0.05). (3) Superoxide production activity (NBT reduction activity) of blood neutrophils in Crowd-II tended to be depressed, and phagocytic activity of neutrophils was significantly depressed in Crowd-II as compared with Control (p < 0.01). These results suggest that the complexity of interrelationships among mice caused by an increase in the number of animals per cage is a very important stress factor. Experiment two: Male BALB/c mice were initially housed in groups of five mice per cage. After fourteen days of acclimation, the mice were divided into three groups, Control (five mice per cage, control group), Crowd-(1) (five mice per cmall space) and Crowd-(2) (twenty mice per cage). In Control and Crowd-(1), the same mice were used as in the acclimation period. These conditions were maintained for seven days. In this period, on the second day, all the mice were injected intraperitoneally with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The results of experiment two were as follows: (1) The specific humoral immune response to SRBC was investigated in terms of the number of PFC in the spleens and hemagglutination in sera, but significant differences were not found among the groups. (2) Plasma IgG levels in the Crowd-(1) were significantly higher than those in Control (p < 0.05). (3) Both superoxide production activity and phagocytic activity of neutrophils were significantly depressed in Crowd-(2) as compared with Control (p < 0.01, respectively), whereas each neutrophil function of Crowd-(1) tended to be enhanced as compared with Control.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Antiphospholipid antibodies. A prognostic factor in sarcoidosis?

Serum antibodies against five types of phospholipids, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 55 patients with sarcoidosis. Either IgG or IgM aPL were detected in 21 patients (38 percent). This positive rate was significantly higher than that (7 percent) of healthy control subjects (p < 0.001). In terms of immunoglobulin classes, 5 cases had IgG aPL only, 11 cases had IgM aPL only, and 5 cases had both classes of aPL. No correlation was observed between the occurrence of aPL and disease activity of sarcoidosis. A significant correlation was noted between the occurrence of aPL and many extrathoracic organ lesions or the persistence of abnormal chest x-ray film findings for periods of 2 and 5 years. Taken together, the presence of aPL in sarcoidosis is a useful index to judge the prolongation of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Significance of interleukin 6 in patients with sarcoidosis.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in various materials from patients with sarcoidosis were determined. The subjects of the study were 38 patients with sarcoidosis and 28 healthy controls. For detection of IL-6, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used. Interleukin 6 activity in serum was detected in 4 of 30 patients, but not in 19 controls. In bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, following 20-fold concentration, IL-6 activity was detected in four of ten patients (nonsmokers) and three of seven controls (two of two smokers and one of five nonsmokers). Interleukin 6 levels in the supernatants of cultured monocytes and alveolar macrophages (AMs) were significantly higher (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively) in patients with sarcoidosis than in controls. Interleukin 6 production from monocytes tended to correlate with that from AMs. A significant correlation (r = 0.70, p < 0.05) was found between IL-6 production from AMs and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ in BAL fluid, although no correlation was observed between that from monocytes and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in BAL fluid. Taken together, IL-6 may be involved in the initiation and maintenance of alveolitis by activating and causing the proliferation of T cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Prognosis after pacemaker implantation in cardiac sarcoidosis in Japan. Clinical evaluation of corticosteroid therapy.

Corticosteroids (CS) are useful drugs for the treatment of cardiac sarcoidosis with severe conducting defects due to sarcoid granuloma. Despite the continuous administration of CS, many patients with severe cardiac involvement may eventually die of congestive heart failure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of CS in patients who had a pacemaker implanted. Questionnaires were obtained from 29 institutes, and 34 cardiac sarcoidosis patients (8 males and 26 females) with pacemaker implantation were enrolled in this survey. We analyzed the survival period in these patients by the Kaplan-Meier method. There was no statistically significant difference in the survival of these patients in terms of their age, sex or disease duration (time from the onset of sarcoidosis to cardiac involvement). However, their survival was affected by the grade of dyspnea, the presence of heart failure, and certain abnormal findings on a myocardial scintigram and echocardiogram. In order to evaluate the effect of CS on the prolongation of survival, we measured the survival of the patients treated with CS and those not treated with CS. However, because of the small number of patients not treated with CS, we were unable to detect any statistically significant difference in survival. Therefore, we analyzed 104 cases in order to evaluate CS therapy: the 34 cases from the questionnaires and 70 cases reported in the literature over the last 10 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cardiomyopathies↗
PubMed1994

[Clinical study of anti-phospholipid antibody in patients with sarcoidosis].

Serum antibodies against five types of phospholipids were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 55 patients with sarcoidosis. In 21 cases (38%), either IgG antibodies or IgM antibodies were detected. These antibodies were thought to mainly be infective type. This positive rate was significantly higher than that (7%) of the control group (70 cases) (p < 0.01). As to the immunoglobulin classes, 5 cases had IgG antibodies only, 11 cases had IgM antibodies only, and 5 cases had both IgG and IgM antibodies. No correlation was observed between the occurrence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (APL-Ab) and disease activity of sarcoidosis. Significant correlations were found between the occurrence of APL-Ab and skin lesions, many extrathoracic organ lesions and the persistence of abnormal chest X-ray findings for over 2 years and 5 years. From these data, it is suggested that the presence of APL-Ab is associated with prolonged disease activity of sarcoidosis.

Antibodies, Antiphospholipid↗
PubMed1994

[Recent advances in immunological diagnosis for tuberculosis].

Recent advances in immunological diagnosis for tuberculosis including tuberculin Mantoux test and serodiagnosis were reviewed. New tuberculins (T1327, T1456) were reported to be more specific than the conventional one (RT23). Tuberculins from atypical mycobacteria (PPD-B, PPD-Y, PPD-F) were reported as a useful tool for the diagnosis of atypical mycobacteriosis. Optical density index method is a most appropriate method for a clinical use among several methods for the expression of antigen titer in serodiagnosis using ELISA. The duration of disease is important for understanding the results. IgM antibody rises in the early stage of the disease and comes down in 10 weeks after onset, while IgG antibody rises lately. Anti-cord factor antibody is a highly specific antibody for tuberculosis and may be a potent candidate for a clinical diagnostic tool. Anti-PPD-B antibody was elevated in atypical mycobacteriosis and pulmonary tuberculosis also. The ratio of anti-PPD-B antibody to anti-PPDs antibody was elevated in atypical mycobacteriosis while it was lowered in pulmonary tuberculosis. It may be helpful for suggesting the causative organism when the sputum smear is positive. The opposite results have been reported on the serodiagnosis in HIV infection. The usefulness of serodiagnosis for tuberculosis in HIV infected patients remained controversial.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1994

[Levels of soluble CD4 and soluble CD8 in patients with sarcoidosis].

Levels of soluble CD4 (sCD4) and soluble CD8 (sCD8) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined in 36 patients with sarcoidosis and 20 healthy controls by an ELISA method. In addition, the possible sources of sCD4 and sCD8 were examined in detail. The sCD4 levels in serum did not differ significantly between sarcoidosis patients and controls. The sCD8 levels in the sera of sarcoidosis patients with a high serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) level were significantly higher than those of patients with a normal serum ACE level (413 +/- 148 U/ml vs. 297 +/- 76 U/ml, p < 0.01). The high ACE group also had significantly increased serum sCD8 levels as compared to controls (323 +/- 111 U/ml, p < 0.05). In the sarcoidosis patients, the mean serum sCD8 level was 308 +/- 46 U/ml in stage 0, 339 +/- 107 U/ml in stage I, 557 +/- 141 U/ml in stage II, and 474 +/- 211 U/ml in stage III. The stage II group had a significantly higher sCD8 level than either the stage 0 or I groups (p < 0.05). In the sarcoidosis patients, the sCD8 level correlated significantly with the level of either ACE or soluble Interleukin-2 receptor in serum (p < 0.05). The sCD4 level in BALF was significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients than in controls (4.10 +/- 1.90 U/ml vs. 2.39 +/- 0.12 U/ml, p < 0.01), while the sCD8 level in BALF tended to be higher in sarcoidosis patients than in controls (4.31 +/- 4.39 U/ml vs. 2.02 +/- 1.52 U/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The clinical course and prognosis of patients with severe, moderate or mild sarcoidosis.

During 1978-1990, 346 patients with sarcoidosis were enrolled in our institute. Of 346 patients, 295 patients were eligible for evaluation on the clinical course and prognosis. According of their clinical presentations, they were classified into 3 groups; severe, moderate and mild sarcoidosis. Of the 295 patients, 27 (9.2%) were classified as severe sarcoidosis who developed serious illness including involvement of the heart (8), lung (6), muscles (5), eyes (3), central nervous system (CNS) (3) or liver (2). The mean interval between the onset of disease to severe disability was 58.3 months. The interval was particularly long in those patients who presented with either pulmonary (100.8 months) or liver sarcoidosis (108 months). Of the 27 patients with severe sarcoidosis, 8 (29.6%) gradually became worse towards the end of their clinical course despite only mild clinical signs and symptoms at the first presentation. Therefore, the initial clinical symptoms and findings, including ocular involvement. ECG abnormalities, negative reaction to PPD, high value of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and a small number of lymphocytes in peripheral blood, were not useful in predicting prognosis. The relationship between the maximum serum ACE value during the clinical course and the duration of the active phase was statistically significant in the 123 patients who were monitored throughout their course, suggesting that the maximum serum ACE may be a marker for assessing prognosis. Corticosteroid was administered to 76 patients (22%) with serious systemic involvement. They included 26 (96.4%) of the 27 severe sarcoidosis and 50 (37.9%) of the 132 moderate sarcoidosis. Patients with mild sarcoidosis did not receive corticosteroids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Sarcoidosis complicated by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Report of a case.

A 31-year-old male who had suffered from sarcoidosis since the age of eight developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 23 years after the sarcoidosis was diagnosed. During the course of chemotherapy the patient developed hepatic failure and died of pulmonary hemorrhages. This appeared to be a case of the sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome first described by Brincker and which has been rarely reported in Japan. We review the literature on this disorder and the immunologic abnormalities considered to participate in the lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Usefulness anti-PPD antibody in the medical practice of tuberculosis].

The decline rate of tuberculosis has decreased recently in Japan. One of the problems is the tendency of increasing doctor's delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. One of measures against this problem is to develop a new laboratory diagnostic method. We studied anti-PPD (Purified Protein Derivative of tuberculin) antibody in serum, pleural effusion, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), and found its clinical usefulness in the medical practice of tuberculosis. Firstly the methods of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the antibody to PPD were examined. The expression of antibody titer in optical density was found to be the most accurate and most simple method, and was applied in this study. IgG, IgM and IgA antibody to PPD were measured in serum, BAL and pleural effusion obtained from 122 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 54 patients with tuberculous pleurisy, 39 patients with lung cancer, 39 patients with malignant pleurisy, 37 patients with pneumonia, 26 patients with chronic bronchitis, 51 patients with sarcoidosis, or 49 control subjects. Serum level of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibody to PPD was elevated in tuberculosis compared with those in other diseases or control subjects. The difference was most distinctive in IgG antibody. Serum IgG antibody was higher in chronic case than in acute case and IgM antibody was higher in acute case than in chronic case. IgG, IgM and IgA antibody in pleural effusion was elevated in tuberculous pleurisy compared with those in malignant pleurisy. IgG antibody was higher in chronic tuberculous pleurisy than in acute tuberculous pleurisy and IgM antibody was higher in acute pleurisy than in chronic one.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1993

[Usefulness of BAL in understanding of pulmonary diseases].

Since the introduction of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) by Reynolds, et al. in 1974, direct examination of cells from interest sites in the lung has generated great progress in our understanding of pulmonary diseases. In the present study, BAL and the clinical usefulness of BAL in diagnosing and treating pulmonary diseases were described. In addition, recent research using BAL to elucidate the fundamental mechanism of pulmonary granulomatous disorders was also described.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMed1992

Soluble interleukin 2 receptors in patients with sarcoidosis. Possible origin.

We determined levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptors (IL-2R) in patients with sarcoidosis and further examined their origin. Thirty-nine patients with sarcoidosis and 18 healthy control subjects were studied. Soluble IL-2R levels in serum were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in sarcoidosis than in control subjects. In sarcoidosis, levels of soluble IL-2R in serum were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in patients with active disease than those with inactive disease and were significantly (p < 0.01) correlated with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels. IL-2R expression on monocytes and alveolar macrophages (AMs) was significantly (p < 0.01) increased in patients with sarcoidosis as compared with control subjects. Soluble IL-2R levels in the supernatants of cultured monocytes and AMs were higher in patients with sarcoidosis than in control subjects. Those of cultured T lymphocytes obtained from peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected in some patients with sarcoidosis, while undetected in control subjects. Furthermore, soluble IL-2R in serum was significantly correlated with soluble IL-2R in the supernatants of cultured monocytes and AMs (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). These results demonstrate that soluble IL-2R in serum is a useful index of the disease activity of sarcoidosis and is mainly derived from monocytes and AMs.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Mutation pattern of human immunodeficiency virus gene.

Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) show extensive genetic variation. This feature is the fundamental cause of pathogenicity of HIVs and thwarts efforts to develop effective vaccines. To understand the mutation mechanism of these viruses, we analysed nucleotide sequences of env and gag genes of the viruses by use of molecular evolutionary methods and estimated the direction and frequency of nucleotide substitutions. Results obtained showed that the frequency of changes between A and G was extremely high and the mutation pattern of HIVs was distinct from those of nuclear genes of their host cells. This distinction may be caused by the characteristics of the reverse transcription of HIVs. The mutation pattern obtained would be helpful to construct effective antiviral drugs.

Base Sequence↗