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Biomedical subjects

Y Kurimoto

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kurimoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Improved search for nu(mu) --> nu(e) oscillation in a long-baseline accelerator experiment.

We performed an improved search for nu(mu) --> nu(e) oscillation with the KEK to Kamioka (K2K) long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, using the full data sample of 9.2 x 10(19) protons on target. No evidence for a nu(e) appearance signal was found, and we set bounds on the nu(mu) --> nu(e) oscillation parameters. At Deltam(2)=2.8 x 10(-3) eV(2), the best-fit value of the K2Knu(mu) disappearance analysis, we set an upper limit of sin(2)2theta(mue) < 0.13 at a 90% confidence level.

Journal Article↗

Nominal free air in the left inguinal fossa due to perforation of the sigmoid colon in a case of blunt abdominal trauma: CT diagnosis.

We present a case of perforation of the sigmoid colon due to blunt abdominal trauma. Computed tomography showed nominal free air in the inguinal fossa. The distribution of free air may be a clue to the site of an injured intestine. Early detection of intestinal injury is difficult, but repeated computed tomography after several hours may reveal increased free air.

Abdominal Injuries↗

[Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair after detection of the Adamkiewicz artery by magnetic resonance angiography; a way to shorten operating time and improve outcome].

Surgical results were compared between 18 patients (group A) who underwent preoperative anatomic characterization of the Adamkiewicz artery by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and 38 patients (group B) without such imaging. In group A, intercostal or lumbar arteries related to the aneurysm were reattached to the graft only when they represented the origin of the Adamkiewicz artery. In group B, reconstruction from the Th 7 intercostal and the L2 lumbar arteries was performed whenever possible. In-hospital mortality was 16.7% in group A and 15.8% in group B. Total aortic clamp time and operating time were only 84 and 437 min in group A, compared with 134 and 589 min in group B. Three patients showed postoperative paraplegia in group B. No spinal cord injury occurred in patients whose artery had been detected preoperatively. Preoperative anatomic delineation of the Adamkiewicz artery by MRA can reduce risk of ischemic injury to the spinal cord and decrease operating time required for repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Adult↗

Emergency endovascular stent-grafting for infected pseudoaneurysm of brachial artery.

The use of covered stents in an infected field is controversial. It is generally recommended that infected aneurysms be treated using autografts or allografts. We report a case of infected brachial pseudoaneurysms that developed after medical debridement of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-infected wound of the right arm and emergency brachial artery bypass-grafting using the saphenous vein, which was successfully treated by endovascular stent-grafting followed by antibiotic administration. The present case suggests that endovascular stent-grafting prevents rupture and occlusion of infected aneurysms and enables the continued administration of antibiotics.

Adult↗

Severe paradoxical intracranial embolism and pulmonary emboli during hip hemiarthroplasty.

Both paradoxical intracranial embolism, an intracranial arterial embolism caused by venous embolic material that has passed through a right-to-left shunt, and pulmonary arterial embolism are life-threatening complications of joint arthroplasty. We report a case of severe paradoxical intracranial embolism and pulmonary embolism that occurred during hip hemiarthroplasty.

Aged↗

Transplantation of EGF-responsive neurospheres from GFP transgenic mice into the eyes of rd mice.

The isolation of stem cells from various regions of the central nervous system has raised the possibility of using them as a donor cell source for cell transplantation, where they offer great promise for repair of the diseased brain, spinal cord, and retina. Here, we have studied the migration, integration, and differentiation of EGF-responsive neurospheres isolated from the brains of green fluorescent protein transgenic mice and transplanted into the eyes of mature rd mice, a model of retinitis pigmentosa. While grafts of freshly isolated postnatal day 8 retina expressed many markers characteristic of mature retina (e.g. rhodopsin, protein kinase C), very few of the grafted cells migrated into host retina. EGF-responsive neurospheres, conversely, readily migrated into and integrated with the remaining host retina, but showed a very limited ability to differentiate into mature retinal neurons. While the progenitor cells used here show remarkable ability to integrate with host retina and develop some attributes of retinal cells, the failure to fully differentiate into retinal cells suggests that they already express some level of terminal commitment that precludes using them to replace lost photoreceptors.

Animals↗

[Antegrade selective cerebral perfusion for extended total arch replacement using separated graft technique; reassessment from the type of aneurysms and dissections].

One hundred eighty two patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms or dissections who required total arch replacement (TAR) were operated on with separated graft technique and selective cerebral perfusion (SCP) between 1991 and 2000. These patients were divided into 4 groups according to the pathology as follows: group 1; acute type A dissection, group 2; chronic type A dissection, group 3; distal arch aneurysm and group 4; proximal arch aneurysm. For SCP, both the innominate artery and the left common carotid artery were cannulated when the patient was cooled to a rectal temperature of 22 degrees C. Hospital mortalities were 27% in group 1, 14% in group 2, 19% in group 3, and 8% in group 4. Independent predictors of hospital mortality were shock, visceral, and leg ischemia in group 1, and circulatory arrest time of the lower half body to be more than 1 hour and cardiopulmonary bypass time to be more than 5 hours in group 3. Permanent neurological complication occurred in 3% in group 1 and 8% in group 3. Hospital mortality was affected by the type of aneurysms and dissections. It is necessary to give careful consideration to the indication of TAR with SCP, especially in acute type A dissection and distal arch aneurysm.

Aged↗

Transplantation of adult rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells into retina injured by transient ischemia.

Neural stem cells are capable of differentiating along multiple central nervous system cell-type lineages, and their use as graft material has provided new strategies for the treatment of neuronal damage. We transplanted adult rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells into eyes of adult rats that underwent ischemia-reperfusion injury. As control, the cells were also injected into normal rats eyes without ischemic insult. The rats were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and the eyes were examined histochemically. In eyes with the insult, the transplanted cells were well integrated into the host retinas and expressed Map2ab. In the control, none of the cells migrated into the retina. These results suggest that neural stem cells may be used as donor cells for transplantation to repair ischemic-injured retina.

Animals↗

Long-term survival of rat cardiac allografts by intrathymic plus portal venous injections of donor bone marrow cells and short-term tacrolimus immunosuppression.

Intrathymic (IT) or portal venous (PV) injection of donor antigens has been shown to prolong organ acceptance in low responder rat strain combinations. We determined whether a combination of these strategies would prolong cardiac allograft survival in high responder combinations. Wistar Furth rats received 1 x 10(8) ACI rat bone marrow cells (BMCs) via IT, intravenous (IV), PV, IV + PV, IT + IV or IT + PV route at the time of ACI cardiac transplantation. Without tacrolimus (FK), all grafts were acutely rejected. With FK immunosuppression (1.5 mg/kg per day, I. M., days 0-4), single BMC injection did not increase graft survival beyond 93 days, whereas 70% of grafts survived indefinitely ( > 150 days) when IT and PV BMCs were combined. Animals receiving IT and PV BMCs also had less allograft vasculopathy. Thus, IT and PV injections of donor BMCs under a brief course of FK synergistically improve cardiac allograft survival.

Animals↗

Evaluation of the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in eyes with idiopathic macular holes.

PURPOSE: To compare the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in eyes with idiopathic macular holes and age-matched normal controls using scanning laser polarimeter. METHODS: The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was measured in 40 eyes of 40 consecutive patients with idiopathic macular hole (stage 1, 10 eyes; stage 2, eight eyes; stage 3, 15 eyes; stage 4, seven eyes) and 40 eyes of 40 age-matched normal controls with a scanning laser polarimeter. The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness within a 10-pixel-wide ellipse located concentrically with the disk and located 1.5-disk diameters from the center of the disk was measured. The mean overall retinal nerve fiber layer thickness of the peripapillary retina, four 90-degree quadrants, and 16 equal sectors of every 22.5 degrees was calculated for both groups. The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in the two groups was statistically compared. RESULTS: The mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurement for the overall peripapillary retina and for three of the four 90-degree quadrants was not significantly different between the two groups. However, the temporal 90-degree quadrant was significantly thinner in the macular hole group (47.2 versus 54.6 microm, P =.026). For the 16 sectors of 22.5 degrees, the lower three sectors of the four sectors in the temporal quadrant were thinner in the macular hole group (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness of the papillomacular area is thinner in eyes with idiopathic macular hole than that in normal eyes. The progressive thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness as the stage of the macular hole advances may suggest that surgery should be done at the earliest stage.

Aged↗

Network structures and thermal properties of polyurethane films prepared from liquefied wood.

Polyurethane (PU) films were prepared by solution-casting after co-polymerization of liquefied woods (LWs) and polymeric methylene diphenylene diisocyanate (PMDI). The resulting PU films had various [NCO]/[OH] ratios ranging from 0.6 to 1.4 and contained 5.0-16.8% dissolved woody components at the [NCO]/[OH] ratio of 1.0. The crosslink densities of the films with [NCO]/[OH] ratios of 0.6-1.4 increased remarkably with increasing [NCO]/[OH] ratio. Similarly, there were large increases in glass transition temperatures (Tg). These characteristics could be attributed to effective incorporation of PMDI into the LW. The crosslink densities and Tg of the PU films prepared at the [NCO]/[OH] ratio of 1.0 increased because the amounts of dissolved woody components in the films increased. It is concluded that the dissolved woody components acted as crosslinking points in PU network formations. The thermal degradation of the PU films at an [NCO]/[OH] ratio of more than 0.8 or with more than 10.6% dissolved wood started above 262 degrees C under an N2 atmosphere. The thermostability was lost at low crosslink density or with large amount of co-polymerized glycerol structures in the PU networks.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

[Comparison between the anterior chamber configuration in the supine position and that in the prone position in patients with narrow angle].

PURPOSE: To determine whether the anterior chamber configuration of patients with narrow angle is changed in the prone position. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 16 eyes of 16 patients whose anterior chamber angle was classified as Shaffer 2 or narrower. The prone position test(PPT) and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) were performed on every subject. In the UBM examination, the following parameters were measured both in the supine position and in the prone position: the angle-opening distance at 250 microns from scleral spur(AOD 250), the angle-opening distance at 500 microns from scleral spur(AOD 500), the trabecular-iris angle(TIA), and the anterior chamber depth at the center of the cornea(anterior chamber depth, ACD). RESULTS: While the intraocular pressure was higher after PPT than before the test, every subject was evaluated as negative for PPT. Mean value of every parameter examined was lower in the prone position than in the supine position(AOD 250: 114 microns, vs. 128 microns, AOD 500: 121 microns vs. 144 microns, TIA: 12.1 degrees vs. 15.5 degrees, ACD: 1966 microns vs. 2002 microns), and the change in ACD was statistically significant (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The anterior chamber configuration of patients with narrow angle is changed in prone position. Such a change can occur in patients classified as negative for PPT.

Aged↗

FK409, a spontaneous nitric oxide releaser, attenuates allograft vasculopathy in a rat aortic transplant model.

Although systemic administration of NO donors has been shown to attenuate the development of neointimal hyperplasia in the balloon injury model, this strategy has not been tested in a model of allograft vasculopathy. In this study, we investigated the effect of FK409, a spontaneous NO releaser, on the development of allograft vasculopathy, using a rat aortic transplant model. Thoracic aortas from ACI rats were transplanted heterotopically into the abdominal aorta of Wistar-Furth rats. Postoperatively, recipients received FK409 orally every 8 hours from the day of transplantation to the time of euthanization. Morphometric and immunohistochemical analyses were performed on the aortic grafts 8 weeks after transplantation. Control allografts showed severe neointimal hyperplasia, which consists mainly of alpha-actin-containing vascular smooth muscle cells. The FK409-treated allografts showed a dose-dependent reduction (statistically significant compared with the control) in the neointimal thickness as the dose increased from 1 to 10 mg/kg (thrice per day). However, there was no significant difference in the neointimal thickness between groups treated with 10 and with 20 mg/kg. FK409 treatment (10 mg/kg) caused a significant decrease in DNA synthesis (5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine [BrdU] uptake), an increase in DNA fragmentation (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated uridine nick-end labeling [TUNEL]), and upregulation of Fas expression, in the neointimal vascular smooth muscle cells. These data suggest that FK409 attenuates the allograft vasculopathy in a rat aortic transplant model.

Animals↗

Asymmetries of the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in normal eyes.

AIMS: To investigate the variation in the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in detail in normal eyes with a scanning laser polarimeter. METHODS: The retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) was measured in 94 normal volunteers with a scanning laser polarimeter. The mean RNFLT around a 10 pixel-wide ellipse located concentrically with the disc of 1.5 disc diameters was calculated for 16 sectors each of 22.5 degrees. The symmetry of the RNFLT distribution with respect to the horizontal midline for individual eyes and to the vertical meridian for the two eyes was examined. RESULTS: The RNFLT was thicker on the inferior side than on the superior side for the temporal four pairs of 22.5 degrees sectors, and the differences were significant in two of the four temporal pairs (p<0.007). The RNFLT was thicker in the superior than in the inferior side for the nasal four pairs of the sectors, and the differences were significant in three of the four nasal pairs (p<0.04). The mean RNFLT was significantly thicker in the right eyes than in the left eyes in the four temporal sectors (p<0.02), and significantly thicker in the left eyes than in the right eyes in the inferior two nasal sectors (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Asymmetries of the RNFLT in normal eyes with respect to the horizontal midline and to the vertical meridian for the two eyes were found. These asymmetries should be considered when retinal nerve fibre layer loss is evaluated during the course of a disease process.

Adolescent↗