Publications by authors named "Kayo Okazaki"

Normally, differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) tends to be biologically indolent, highly curable and has an excellent prognosis. However, the treatment may fail when the cancer has lost radioiodine avidity. The present study was carried out in order to evaluate the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of I and Co and radioiodine uptake in WRO cells, derived from DTC, harboring the BRAF mutation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Micronucleus (MN) assay constitutes a valuable surrogate to the chromosome aberration technique for in vitro testing of the genotoxicity of substances. As test substances, two peptidic compounds (DOTATATE and Ubiquicidin) used in nuclear medicine, were tested for in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in CHO-K1 cells. None of the compounds showed detectable cytotoxicity (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A study directed to the cytogenetic and dosimetric aspects of radionuclides of medical interest is very valuable, both for an accurate evaluation of the dose received by the patients, and consequently of the genetic damage, and for the optimization of therapeutic strategies. Cytogenetic and dosimetric effects of (131)I in lymphocytes of thyroidectomized differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients were evaluated through chromosome aberration (CA) technique: Euthyroid patients submitted to recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) therapy (group A) were compared with hypothyroid patients left without levothyroxine treatment (group B). CA analysis was carried out prior to and 24 h, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year after radioiodine administration (4995-7030 MBq) in both groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A protocol combining acute toxicity, developmental toxicity and mutagenicity analysis in freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata for application in ecotoxicological studies is described. For acute toxicity testing, LC50 and EC50 values were determined; dominant lethal mutations induction was the endpoint for mutagenicity analysis. Reference toxicant potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) was used to characterize B.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Saving more limbs of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) from amputation by accelerating angiogenesis in affected limbs has been anticipated for years. We hypothesized that an anti-Alzheimer drug, donepezil (DPZ), can activate angiomyogenic properties of satellite cells, myogenic progenitors, and thus be an additional pharmacological therapy against PAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a murine hindlimb ischemia model, we investigated the angiogenic effects of a clinical dose of DPZ (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We have recently identified that donepezil, an anti-Alzheimer drug, accelerates angiogenesis in a murine hindlimb ischemia (HLI) model. However, the precise mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated, particularly whether the effects are derived from endothelial cells alone or from other nonvascular cells. Further investigation of the HLI model revealed that nicotine accelerated angiogenesis by activation of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) synthesis through nicotinic receptors in myogenic cells, that is, satellite cells, in vivo and upregulated the expression of angiogenic factors, for example, VEGF and fibroblast growth factor 2, in vitro.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of Brazilian propolis (AF-08; 5, 10, 15, 30, 50, 100, and 200μg/mL) in protecting CHO-K1 cells against genotoxic and cytotoxic damage and clonogenic death induced by (60)Co gamma-radiation (1.0, 2.0, 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Murine and human ventricular cardiomyocytes rich in acetylcholine (Ach) receptors are poorly innervated by the vagus, compared with whole ventricular innervation by the adrenergic nerve. However, vagal nerve stimulation produces a favorable outcome even in the murine heart, despite relatively low ventricular cholinergic nerve density. Such a mismatch and missing link suggest the existence of a nonneuronal cholinergic system in ventricular myocardium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In our previous study, we established the novel concept of a non-neuronal cardiac cholinergic system--cardiomyocytes produce ACh in an autocrine and/or paracrine manner. Subsequently, we determined the biological significance of this system--it played a critical role in modulating mitochondrial oxygen consumption. However, its detailed mechanisms and clinical implications have not been fully investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study was carried out to investigate the cytogenetic effects of therapeutic exposure to radioiodine preceded by rhTSH in an animal model. Three groups of Wistar rats (n = 6) were used: one group was treated only with (131)I (11.1 MBq/animal); the other two groups received rhTSH (1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The single cell gel electrophoresis or the comet assay was established in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata. For detecting DNA damage in circulating hemocytes, adult snails were irradiated with single doses of 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 Gy of (60)Co gamma radiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The dominant lethal effects of gamma radiation of 60Co in the snail Biomphalaria glabrata were studied. Three groups of 13 wild-type snails were irradiated with single doses of 2.5; 10 and 20 Gy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Among various types of ionizing radiation, the beta emitter radionuclides are involved in many sectors of human activity, such as nuclear medicine, nuclear industries and biomedicine, with a consequently increased risk of accidental, occupational or therapeutic exposure. Despite their recognized importance, there is little information about the effect of beta particles at the cellular level when compared to other types of ionizing radiation. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of (90)Sr/(90)Y-a pure, highly energetic beta source-on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and to compare them with data obtained with (60)Co.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

153Sm-EDTMP is a radiopharmaceutical used in nuclear medicine for relief of metastatic bone pain with promising results, but there are few studies about the effects of 153Sm-EDTMP in human cells. This study was conducted for the evaluation of the cytogenetic effects of 153Sm-EDTMP in blood lymphocytes from patients with bone metastases (without previous radio or chemotherapy), using the chromosome aberration technique. The degree of cytological damage found in in vivo blood cells of patients was compared with those found in in vitro in an adjusted dose-response curve.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of cytological radiation damage to peripheral blood lymphocytes induced by 153Sm-EDTMP applied for palliation of metastatic bone pain. Blood samples from 16 patients (46-82 years old), 10 without previous radiotherapy and 6 with previous radiotherapy, were collected before and one hour after the administration of a mean activity of 41.7+/-5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

DNA integrity is threatened by the damaging effects of physical and chemical agents that can affect its function. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is one of the most known and flexible mechanisms of DNA repair. This mechanism can recognize and remove damages causing DNA double-helix distortion, including the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and the pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproducts, promoted by ultraviolet light (UV).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The micromeres at the 16-cell stage of sea urchin embryo have already been endowed with a faculty to self-differentiate into spicule-forming cells (11). The present experiment was designed to test whether the factor(s) necessary for such self-differentiation had already been localized at the 8-cell stage in an area corresponding to the presumptive micromere region in Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Since the blastomeres at the 8-cell stage are all equal in size in normal embryo, unequal 3rd cleavage, by which small blastomeres are pinched off toward the vegetal pole (precocious micromeres), was experimentally induced either by treatment with 4NQO (4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide) at the 2-cell stage or by continuous culture in Ca-free sea water.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Total cell number and number of the primary mesenchyme cells of 1/2 and 1/4 larvae were counted at several developmental stages after hatching in comparison with those of a whole larva, using Clypeaster japonicus as material. To obtain partial larvae, blastomeres were isolated at the 2- or 4-cell stage in Ca-free sea water and cultured in natural sea water at around 23°C. Isolated blastomeres cleaved as in situ, namely, as a part of an embryo.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A pair of pluteus skeletal spicules arises from a pair of calcareous granules via the triradiate form. In polarized light, each spicule behaves as though carved out of a single crystal of magnesian calcite. The optic axis lies perpendicular to the plane of the triradiate and parallel to the body rod of the pluteus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF