PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y Uwabe

Publications and source records attributed to Y Uwabe.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Increased secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator by human lung microvascular endothelial cells.

Human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMECs) secreted 1.5-15 times more urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) antigen than human hepatic microvascular endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), angioma endothelial cells, and lung fibroblasts. All of these cells also secreted a 100-fold greater amount of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 than of uPA antigen, and uPA activities were not detected in the culture medium. The expression of uPA mRNA in HLMECs was higher (100-fold) compared with HUVECs, angioma endothelial cells, and lung fibroblasts. HLMECs secreted uPA antigen on both the luminal and basal sides of the cells. On the other hand, HLMECs secreted a 10- to 15-fold lower amount of tissue-type plasminogen activator than HUVECs, mostly on the luminal side. After stimulation with interleukin (IL)-1beta, HLMECs secreted a six- to ninefold amount of uPA antigen. In contrast, no stimulatory effect was observed in HUVECs even under high IL-1beta concentrations. The secretion of uPA and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 from HLMECs was also enhanced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-2. These results suggest that HLMECs may contribute not only to the patency of lung vessels but also to the maintenance of alveolar functions through the production and secretion of uPA, especially in the presence of inflammatory cytokines.

Cells, Cultured↗

[Clinicopathological study of six cases of primary pulmonary lymphoma diagnosed by gene rearrangement analysis].

We report six cases of primary pulmonary lymphoma in which a gene-rearranged band was shown by Southern blot analysis of transbronchial or surgical biopsy specimens. The cases were 3 mens and 4 women with an average age of 59.6, who had abnormal pulmonary shadows on chest X-ray. Two cases had Sjögren's syndrome and one case had monoclonal gammopathy (IgM-lambda type). Histopathologic and immunologic examination revealed diffuse infiltration of small lymphocytes (B-cell type) in all cases, and histological features of lymphoepithelial lesion or lympho-cytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP) in three cases. CT revealed an ill-defined margin, air-space consolidation, and air-bronchogram in all cases. A CT-angiogram sign was apparent in 2 cases. In all cases, Southern blot analysis of the tissue obtained from transbronchial or surgical biopsy revealed a gene re-arranged band, supporting the diagnosis of primary pulmonary lymphoma. We infer that an ill-defined margin, air-bronchogram and air space consolidation on CT were associated with the histopathological features of primary pulmonary lymphoma.

Aged↗

[Pulmonary dirofilariasis with cavity formation and spontaneous regression].

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of a nodular shadow and an apparent cavity in the right middle lung field. Transbronchial biopsy and percutaneous needle biopsy had failed to result in a diagnosis. Serial chest X-ray films revealed slight regression of the nodule without therapy. Pulmonary dirofilariasis was diagnosed after open-lung biopsy and Ouchterlony's double diffusion test. Cavity formation and spontaneous regression are rare in pulmonary dirofilariasis.

Aged↗

[Clinical value of 67gallium single photon emission tomography].

To evaluate the clinical utility of 67gallium single photon emission tomography (SPECT), we prospectively compared 67Ga SPECT with gallium planar views and with compared tomography in 94 patients with diffuse lung diseases. Differences in the accumulation of gallium between slices and between the left and right sides of a single slice were easier to detect with 67Ga SPECT than with planar views. Three-dimensional information regarding accumulation was also obtained by SPECT. Information regarding active inflammation was more difficult to obtain by computed tomography than by SPECT. Diagnosing diffuse lung diseases will be easier with the introduction of gallium SPECT.

Collagen Diseases↗

[Clinico-pathological analysis of airway abnormalities in patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia].

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia is characterized by infiltration of eosinophils into alveolar spaces. Patients with this condition may also have asthmatic episodes, chronic coughing, and bronchorrhea, even after the infiltrative opacity on the chest roentgenogram resolves. We used computed tomography, pulmonary function tests, and biopsies to evaluate the airways of 11 patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. The tomograms showed bronchial wall thickening in all patients at the time of the onset of symptoms and ten months later. Centrilobular peribronchovascular interstitial thickening was detected in four patients, 10 months after the onset. Pulmonary function tests showed that small airway dysfunction remained 13 months after the onset. Pathological analysis revealed airway abnormalities that included basement membrane thickening and cellular infiltration 2 years after the onset. These results show that airway changes had not resolved even after roentgenographic opacities had disappeared. More attention should be given to treatment of airway disease associated with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, and to whether these changes in the airway are similar to those seen in bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia.

Adult↗

[Spontaneous regression in a case of primary pulmonary lymphoma with Sjögren's syndrome].

A 62-year-old asymptomatic woman had a nodular shadow approximately 3 cm in diameter in the middle lung field on chest roentgenogram. The shadow gradually grew over 1.5 years. She was then admitted to our hospital for evaluation of the abnormal shadow. Transbronchial biopsy specimens showed a diffuse, small, lymphoid infiltrate with predominance of B-cells. These findings suggested neoplastic proliferation. Further examinations revealed the presence of Sjögren's syndrome. Four months later, she was readmitted for surgical resection. Chest roentgenogram on the second admission disclosed that the mass shadow had shrunk slightly. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen led to the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, diffuse small cell type (IgG kappa type). Gene analysis revealed the presence of heavy chain gene rearrangements, which confirmed the diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma. In this case, no contraction or necrosis of the lesion was observed, and the change in the shadow size was probably due to partial or transient spontaneous regression.

Female↗

[Autopsy of a patient with rheumatic fever, who initially presented with acute respiratory failure].

A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of dyspnea, fever, and general erythema. He had hypoxemia on admission. Chest X-ray film showed diffuse reticulonodular shadows in both lungs. Chest CT showed a diffuse increase in density, predominantly in both lower lobes. The respiratory failure had rapidly progressed, and the patient died only 40 hours after admission. Autopsy revealed diffuse alveolar damage in the lung, and Aschoff's bodies in the cardiac muscle. Aschoff's bodies are specific for rheumatic fever, and consist of Aschoff's cells with owl-eye-like or caterpillar-like nuclei. We diagnosed this patient's condition as rheumatic fever because of the presence of Aschoff's bodies. Rheumatic fever is generally seen as a disease of younger people, and these patients rarely present with respiratory signs, but this case shows that we have to recognize the possibility of rheumatic fever in adults with respiratory signs and skin lesions.

Acute Disease↗

[A case of psittacosis with prolonged lymphocytosis in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after resolution of pneumonia].

A 52-year-old man was admitted to another hospital with complaints of fever and dyspnea. Chest roentgenogram revealed bilateral widespread infiltrative opacities, and laboratory examinations showed severe hypoxia, hepatic injury and acute renal failure. In addition, hemosputum and eruption appeared, and he was transferred to our department because of the development of multi-organ failure. Moreover, about 2 weeks prior to admission, a budgerigar he had been breeding died. Although the treatment was supportive therapy alone, the abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram and laboratory findings improved markedly. Thereafter, we made the diagnosis of psittacosis, because the serum titer of a complement fixation test against Chlamydia rose from 1:8 on admission to 1:512 after 2 weeks. On admission, PMN and lymphocyte populations increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and 2 weeks later lymphocytes alone increased markedly. Thereafter, we observed lymphocytosis in serial BALF findings for 12 weeks. These findings indicate that lymphocyte alveolitis persisted long after the pneumonia had resolved. Moreover, Ga scintigraphy also revealed accumulation in the filed of shadows which had been absorbed and disappeared on the chest roentgenogram. These results suggest that lymphocytes play a leading role in immune host defenses and that immunological reactivity is prolonged in psittacosis.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗

[Autopsy case of amyloidosis with marked cardiac and pulmonary lesions associated with myeloma, initially presenting with muscle weakness].

A 69-year-old man presented initially with muscle weakness of the bilateral lower limbs. Chest roentgenogram showed diffuse reticulonodular shadows, bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, and dullness of bilateral costophrenic angles. Chest CT showed thickening and irregularity of vascular shadows, and thickening of bronchial walls. On the first admission we could not diagnose pulmonary or muscle lesions. He was subsequently admitted for the deterioration of congestive heart failure, but there was no improvement. Myocardial biopsy demonstrated deposition of amyloid in the cardiac muscular tissue. Autopsy revealed amyloid deposition in pulmonary vasculature, alveolar septal walls and pleura. Amyloid deposition was also recognized systemically in skeletal muscles, lymph nodes, liver, kidney, spleen, stomach, and intestines. We recognized about 20% IgA lambda-positive plasma cells with atypia, and myeloma-associated amyloidosis diagnosed. This case was classified as diffuse alveolar septal form and pleural form of pulmonary amyloidosis. We could find only a few reports of pleural form, which exhibits an interesting distribution.

Aged↗

[A case of status asthmaticus complicated by with pneumoperitoneum during mechanical ventilation therapy].

A 46-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for a severe asthma attack. On admission, systemic cyanosis was observed, and her consciousness state was drowsy. Arterial blood gas showed severe respiratory acidosis, hypoxia, and hypercapnea, with pH, PaO2, and PaCO2 of 7.163, 29.9 torr and 81.3 torr, respectively. Immediately, mechanical ventilation was commerced but on the third hospital day pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema appeared, and on the sixth day pneumoperitoneum also appeared. The chest CT scan on the sixth day showed free air around bilateral internal mammary vessels. This indicated that air moved from the mediastinum into the peritoneal cavity through an anterior route, via the sternocostal triangle formed by the xiphoid origins of the diaphragm medially and the costal origins laterally.

Female↗

Intracellular hydrogen peroxide production by peripheral phagocytes from diabetic patients. Dissociation between polymorphonuclear leucocytes and monocytes.

Although the standard assays for reactive oxygen species have been based on the measurement of those released into the extracellular environment, the microbicidal capacity to the engulfed microorganisms is mainly dependent on those released into the intracellular environment, such as phagosomes. We studied intracellular oxidative activities of individual phagocytes by dichlorofluorescein (DCFH) oxidation assay to investigate the relationship between the reactive oxygen species released intracellularly and the impaired microbicidal capacity in diabetic patients. Time courses of intracellular production of hydrogen peroxide by polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNL) and monocytes were observed at the resting condition and after the stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 160 nM) by flow cytometry. Thirty-four patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and 23 age-matched healthy volunteers were subjected to the studies. PMNL from patients with NIDDM showed a significantly decreased capacity to produce hydrogen peroxide after the stimulation (P less than 0.05 at 15 min, P less than 0.01 at 30 and 45 min). By contrast, intracellular hydrogen peroxide production by monocytes at the resting condition and an early stimulatory phase (8 min after the stimulation) was significantly (P less than 0.01) enhanced in patients with NIDDM compared with that in controls. Both the changes of intracellular hydrogen peroxide production observed in PMNL and monocytes from patients with NIDDM were in association with an increased haemoglobin Alc level in erythrocytes, but did not relate to total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the serum. The possible mechanisms of these dissociated changes in hydrogen peroxide producing capacity of phagocytes from patients with NIDDM are discussed.

Adult↗

Primary mediastinal diffuse large cell lymphoma initially presented with pericardial infiltration.

A 33-year-old Japanese woman visited our hospital with progressive dyspnea. A chest roentgenogram and a chest computed tomogram revealed a mediastinal tumor and pericardial effusion. Ultrasound cardiography revealed the existence of cardiac tamponade. She was successfully treated with emergency pericardial drainage, thoracocentesis and chemotherapy. The histological diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma was established with the tumor specimen obtained by transcutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy and through immunohistochemical analysis. This is a rare case of primary mediastinal diffuse large cell lymphoma with initial presentation of a symptom related to pericardial effusion.

Adult↗

[Production of reactive oxygen species by rat alveolar macrophages. Dissociation between the intracellular and extracellular release of hydrogen peroxide].

In order to clarify the features of reactive oxygen species produced by rat alveolar macrophages (AMs), the concentrations of intracellular and extracellular hydrogen peroxide were measured under various experimental conditions. Intracellular hydrogen peroxide was measured by DCFH method using a flow cytometer, while the extracellularly released fraction was measured by scopoletin method using a spectrophotometer. The concentration of intracellular hydrogen peroxide after stimulation with opsonized zymosan (10 micrograms/ml) was significantly higher than that after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 100 ng/ml). On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide released extracellularly after stimulation with PMA was significantly greater that that after stimulation with opsonized zymosan. These results indicate that the soluble membrane stimulant and the phagocytic particles have different mechanisms in activating the production of hydrogen peroxide in AMs. That is, hydrogen peroxide induced by PMA was mainly released extracellularly, while that induced by zymosan was mainly released into the intracellular environment. At rest, the concentration of intracellular hydrogen peroxide in rat AMs was high. Potassium cyanate, a known mitochondrial inhibitor, suppressed the intracellular hydrogen peroxide in AMs not only at rest but also after stimulations, indicating that most of the reactive oxygen species released into the intracellular environment in AM are produced by mitochondria. From these results, in order to gain a closer insight into the function of AMs, it is very important to distinguish the oxidative metabolites produced intracellularly which are related to bactericidal function from those of the extracellularly released fraction which give rise to lung damage.

Animals↗

[A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung associated with acanthosis nigricans and solitary bronchial papilloma].

A 58-year-old man diagnosed as having acanthosis nigricans symmetrically distributed on the face, neck, hands, navel and external genitals, was admitted to our department for further investigation of abnormal chest films. Bronchoscopy revealed squamous cell carcinoma of left S6 and solitary bronchial papilloma of left S3. After left pneumonectomy, facial hyperpigmentation improved slightly. About half of the reported cases of acanthosis nigricans are accompanied by various kinds of malignant neoplasms, mostly adenocarcinomas of the digestive system. The association with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in our case appears to be unique. Only 16 cases of solitary bronchial papilloma, including our case which had the smallest diameter of 2 mm, have been reported in Japan. While it is suggested that malignant neoplasms contribute to abnormal epidermal growth such as acanthosis nigricans, a causal relationship between squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and bronchial papilloma cannot be established.

Acanthosis Nigricans↗

Adsorption and preparation of human viruses using hydroxyapatite column.

The adsorption and chromatographic properties of hydroxyapatite sorbents for application to different viruses have been investigated. The strong adsorption of viruses was observed on macroporous hydroxyapatite with hydrophilic properties of the sorbent surface. The viruses were purified on this sorbent without loss of biological activity. The column can be used for virus vaccine production.

Adsorption↗

Subthreshold hyperoxia potentiates TNF-alpha-induced ICAM-1 expression on cultured pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells.

The effects of combined exposure to subthreshold hyperoxia and the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) on the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were examined in bovine lung microvascular endothelial cells (BLuEC). The expression of total ICAM-1 was not affected by 50% hyperoxia conditions alone, indicating that this level is subthreshold for BLuEC. In the presence of 5 ng/mL TNF-alpha, which has minimal influence on BLuEC alone, the amount of total ICAM-1 expression under 50% hyperoxia was higher than that in normoxic conditions (approximately 30%) throughout the culture period. The amount of soluble ICAM-1 that has been released into the culture medium increased after joint exposure to hyperoxia and TNF-alpha. These results suggest that exposure to subthreshold hyperoxia, which does not by itself cause damage to the endothelial cells or induce ICAM-1 expression, potentiates the effects of low-level TNF-alpha exposure.

Animals↗