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Volume 190 (2000)
- Issue 4 Pages 239-
- Issue 3 Pages 169-
- Issue 2 Pages 65-
- Issue 1 Pages 1-
Volume 190, Issue 2
February
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
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Review
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Nobuo Yaegashi2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 65-82
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIntrauterine human parvovirus B19 infection is related to non-immune hydrops fetalis and fetal death. First, we performed epidemiological studies to determine the critical period during which maternal infection led to hydrops fetalis. The studies showed that the hepatic period of hematopoietic activity was correlated with the critical period of maternal infection, which suggested that B19 might have affinity for erythroid lineage cells at the stage of hematopoiesis. We next established an in vitro infection experimental system of B19 using erythroid lineage cells derived from fetal liver cells. We demonstrated that the erythroid lineage cells proved to be appropriate targets for B19 virus and that B19 infection could induce apoptosis of infected cells. The massive destruction of erythroid lineage cells through apoptosis seems to cause severe anemia and to result in heart failure of the fetus. To analyze the cytotoxic mechanism in more detail, we established a stringent regulatory expression system of the NS1 protein encoded by the B19 genome and indicated that the apoptosis induced by B19 was directly caused by the NS1 protein. Experiments using mutations engineered in the ATP-binding domain of NS1 indicated that this domain played a critical role for the apoptosis induction. The present studies may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of hydrops fetalis associated with B19 infection during pregnancy.View full abstractDownload PDF (2873K)
Regular Contributions
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Akio Saito, Yasumori Kitano2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 83-92
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe inhibition of cysteine proteinase (papain) by human, bovine, horse, rabbit, guinea pig, rat, hamster, and mouse plasma, and pig, sheep, goat, and dog sera was investigated. The rat and mouse plasma and the pig serum showed such high inhibitory capacity as 813, 380, and 508%, respectively, of the human plasma. On the other hand, the horse, guinea pig, and rabbit plasma indicated 36, 40, and 54%, respectively, of the human plasma. A cysteine proteinase inhibitor (s) was separated from α-macroglobulin by Sephacryl S-300, and the inhibitory activity of all of the mammalian plasma/sera except for the guinea pig plasma appeared at around the 50-150-kDa region. The guinea pig plasma exhibited well-resolved two peaks of 100 and 200 kDa.View full abstractDownload PDF (610K) -
Yoshiko Akasaka, Shimpei Nishikawa, Makoto Tamai2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 93-101
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo investigate the time course of idiopathic macular hole development by scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), we examined 28 eyes of 25 patients with macular holes. Cases included four eyes with stage 1-B disease (foveal detachment), 3 with stage 2 (break at the fovea), 13 with stage 3 (full-thickness macular hole), and 8 with stage 4 (hole with pseudo-operculum, posterior vitreous detachment), according to Gass's classification. The diameter of the dark area around the macular holes was recorded by SLO using a helium-neon laser. We compared the percent difference of dark area recorded between initial findings and these after three months. The size of the dark area increased after three months in eyes with stages 1, 2, and 3 disease. The size of the dark area in stage 4 disease decreased after 3 months. In the stage before posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), the dark areas increased. Once PVD occurred, these areas decreased. These findings suggested that the time course of the dark area may be related to the development of PVD.View full abstractDownload PDF (1253K) -
Mikio Imamura, Hiroto Nakajima, Hiroki Takahashi, Hidemi Yamauchi, Gen ...2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 103-117
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe pathophysiology following a total colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) has not been sufficiently clarified yet. We investigated bile acid metabolism, bacterial bowel flora and transit of the alimentary tract after IPAA, with reference to administration of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in dogs undergoing IPAA. Ten adult beagle dogs underwent IPAA at one stage, and were observed for 12 months. UDCA (100 mg/day) was administered orally to five dogs, and the other five did not. In the UDCA(+) group, UDCA replaced other bile acids, especially cholic acid, accounting for 16.5% of gallbladder bile at 12 months after surgery. Both plasma levels and postprandial increase of total bile acids remained unchanged in the UDCA(+) group, but decreased in the UDCA(−) group at 12 months. Fecal excretion of bile acids tended to be smaller in the UDCA(+) group, and the ratio of secondary to primary bile acids was larger in the UDCA(−) group. Almost all the bile acids were in free form in stool, and UDCA constituted 19% in the UDCA(+) group. The transit time of the whole alimentary tract was elongated by administering UDCA, especially at an early period after IPAA. Although both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria decreased after IPAA, the latter decreased more in stool, resulting in an increase in the ratio of total anaerobes/total aerobes, especially in the UDCA(−) group. The decrease in Bacteroidaceae and Lactobacillus after IPAA was slightly smaller in the UDCA(+) group. Administration of UDCA following IPAA was efficient to induce rapid intestinal adaptation and also to keep the bile acid fraction in the ileal pouch less harmful.View full abstractDownload PDF (876K) -
Tetsuo Sakai, Keiichi Ikegami, Emi Yoshinaga, Ruriko Uesugi-Hayakawa, ...2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 119-128
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe evaluated the clinical usefulness of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay amplifying the 18S ribosomal RNA gene of fungi for the diagnosis of deep candidiasis, compared with that of the β-glucan test or Cand-Tec test. Thirty critically ill patients who had received prolonged care with intravenous hyperalimentation and endotracheal intubation in the intensive care unit and were suspected of having deep fungal infections were examined. Twenty-one were fungi positive in the PCR assay (70%). Among 24 samples in which the PCR assay, β-glucan test and Cand-Tec test were performed simultaneously, 75% of the samples (18/24) were fungi positive in the PCR assay, whereas only 54% (13/24) had positive reactions in the β-glucan test and 21% (5/24) in the Cand-Tec test. The results of the Cand-Tec test showed no relationship with those of the PCR or β-glucan test. The lower limit of detection in the PCR assay was 4-5 CFU/ml of C. albicans in blood. No fungal organism was amplified from the serum of 20 healthy individuals. The results of the PCR assay and β-glucan test showed a significant correlation in this study, but the PCR assay proved to be more sensitive than the β-glucan test (p<0.05), and to be more useful for the clinical diagnosis and monitoring of deep Candidiasis.View full abstractDownload PDF (969K) -
Ritsuko Takahashi, Takeo Sakai, Yasuhiko Furuyama, Yoshiaki Kondo, Chi ...2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 129-142
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo examine the direct effects of norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) on the contractility of arterioles in the gray matter of the rat cerebrum, we micro-perfused arterioles in vitro and observed the changes in luminal diameter under the stop-flow condition with constant intraluminal pressure. While the average diameter of the lumen of arterioles was 39.9±9.7 μm (n=7) in Hepes-buffered saline, the average in 10−7 M NE in the extraluminal solution changed into smaller in saline by 21.1±5.4% (n=7). The contractile effect of NE shows a dose-dependent curve between the 10−7 and 10−5 M. The contractile response to 10−6 M NE was significantly reduced by yohinbin, an α2 blocker. 10−6 M NE applied to the lumen also caused contraction of arterioles by 12.4±5.3% in diameter (n=5). 5-HT at 10−7 M in the extraluminal solution caused contraction of arterioles by 10.9±4.4% in diameter (n=7). 5-HT in the extraluminal solution caused contraction of arterioles in a dose dependent manner between 10−10 and 10−6 M. The contractile effect of 5-HT at 10−6 M was strongly reduced by 10−6 M ketanserin, a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist. 5-HT applied to the lumen had no effect at all (n=6), however NE applied to the lumen caused contraction. These results strongly suggest that 5-HT plays a significant role in arteriolar contractility only from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) side, while NE is an important regulator of arteriolar contractility from both the CSF and blood circulation sides.View full abstractDownload PDF (745K) -
Hisahiko Ota, Sarina Tanimoto, Kazue Takayanagi, Tetsuhiko Kimura, Tak ...2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 143-155
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSIn this preliminary study, we surveyed the physicians at two academic hospitals on their knowledge of and attitudes toward the medical insurance system in Japan. Most of the physicians had not read the “Ministerial Ordinance on Insurance Medical Institutions' and Insurance Medical Doctors' Medical Treatment under Health Insurance.” Of the 433 physicians who filled out the questionnaire completely, 34% had either not read or rarely read the “Medical Fee Point List.” Most (89.1%) of the physicians knew that there is a stepwise reduction in the hospitalization fee as the length of a patient's hospital stay increases. However, approximately 30% did not know the stipulation of obtaining an informed consent from the patient prior to blood transfusion. As for the right of patients to see their medical care remuneration statements, which was decided by the government in 1997, 26.8% of the physicians did not know this rule. Physicians who had read the “Ministerial Ordinance on Medical Treatment,” were more likely to read the “Medical Fee Point List” frequently; were more likely to know the stipulation about diminishing hospitalization fee; were more likely to know that an informed consent must be obtained prior to blood transfusion; and were more likely to know that patients had a right to see their medical care remuneration statements. The longer the clinical experience of the physician, the more likely that the physician had read the “Ministerial Ordinance on Medical Treatment” and know the other stipulations well. In these two academic hospitals, it is important to establish educational seminars for physicians on the guidelines of the medical insurance system so that physicians will become familiar with the medical insurance system quickly.View full abstractDownload PDF (778K) -
Ye Tun, Wataru Hida, Shinichi Okabe, Yoshihiro Kikuchi, Hajime Kurosaw ...2000 Volume 190 Issue 2 Pages 157-168
Published: 2000
Released on J-STAGE: May 24, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThis study was aimed to examine the short- and long-term effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the chemosensitivity to hypoxia and hypercapnia in the patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Awake ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia were examined in 28 patients (3 female) with moderate to severe OSA. All these tests were examined before and after 2 weeks of nasal CPAP. In 10 patients these tests were repeated after 3-6 months of nasal CPAP. All were also tested for spirometry and arterial blood gas analysis. Patients were middle-aged (48.9±9.9 years) and their mean apnea-hypopnea index was 58.3±20.4/hour. After 2 week of nasal CPAP, PaO2 significantly increased (77.7±11.8 vs. 84.6±9.8 mmHg) and PaCO2 significantly decreased (44.9±3.8 vs. 42.3±3.7 mmHg). The ventilatory response to hypoxia significantly decreased (0.80±0.51 vs. 0.61±0.51 liter/min/%) whereas the ventilatory response to hypercapnia significantly increased after 2 weeks (1.47±0.73 vs. 1.80±0.76 liter/min/mmHg). Similar findings were also observed after 3-6 months of nasal CPAP in 10 OSA patients. Nasal CPAP treatment can alter the ventilatory responses in patients with OSA.View full abstractDownload PDF (803K)
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