Characterization of antibodies to advanced glycosylation end products on protein.

Antibodies directed against advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) formed during a Maillard reaction have been generated and characterized. Since protein-bound AGEs recognized by the antibodies were labile to acid hydrolysis, the antibodies were further characterized by using the AGE-alpha-acetyl-L-lysine methyl ester (AGE-ALME) with a brown and fluorescent property as well as the AGE-proteins. The antibodies reacted with fluorescent compounds, rather than brown pigment compounds, in the AGE-ALME.

The critical role of blood from HLA-homozygous donors in fatal transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease in immunocompetent patients.

Fatal transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease developed in a 69-year-old woman with colon cancer who underwent elective hemicolectomy. During the perioperative period, she was transfused with 4 units of nonirradiated fresh whole blood less than 6 hours after the blood was donated by family members. She was immunocompetent and was not treated with any immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or irradiation therapy.

Radioimmunoassay for the determination of glycated haemoglobin.

A competitive radioimmunoassay for the quantitative determination of glycated haemoglobin was developed. The antiserum, obtained by immunizing guinea pigs with reduced glycated human albumin, was capable of identifying and quantitating the glucitollysine residues of glycated Hb after reduction with sodium borohydride. To simplify the sample preparation we introduced trichloroacetic acid precipitation to remove unreacted sodium borohydride instead of using dialysis or gel filtration.

Guanine levels in house dust as a means of estimating the mite population.

House dust has recently been incriminated as an important causative allergen in bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. In particular attention is being focused on the mites contained in house dust. Previously, the number of mites contained in house dust was determined by counting under a microscope.

The effect of abstinence from smoking on urinary excretion of hydroxyproline.

The effect of abstinence from smoking on the urinary hydroxyproline to creatinine ratio (HOP ratio) was assessed in 49 smokers who participated in an anti-smoking course. Urine samples were collected at the beginning of the course and weekly during the subsequent 14 weeks in 1985. The subjects were divided into five groups depending on the number of cigarettes smoked daily before abstinence: 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40 and greater than 40 cigarettes.

[Studies on the absorption kinetics of subcutaneously administered insulin].

This study was designed to evaluate, using compartmental model analysis, the effects of jet injection, changes in injected dosage, and mixture of short- and intermediate-acting insulin preparations on the absorption kinetics of human insulin (HI) mainly in rabbits. The following results were obtained. (1) It was found that a split-pool model was adequate for the evaluation of the absorption kinetics of insulin.

[Study on the pharmacokinetics of UFT in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma associated with cirrhosis].

UFT was administered preoperatively in 20 cases of primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and tegafur, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), uracil, total thymidylate synthase (TS) and free TS in blood and liver tissue were determined. The results were as follows. 1.

[An epidemiological study on the relationships among HDL-cholesterol, smoking and obesity].

The relationships among high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and other serum lipid items, and active smoking, passive smoking, obesity, alcohol drinking and working status were investigated. This study was performed both in healthy adults and in schoolchildren. The adult group was sampled at random from those who were diagnosed to be healthy by medical examination at the Automated Multiphasic Health Testing and Services Center in Tokai University Hospital, and the schoolchildren group was selected with regular health examinations in a primary school in Tokyo.

[Reservoir implanted arterial infusion therapy in liver cancer with replaced right hepatic artery].

Seven cases of liver cancer with replaced right hepatic artery were treated with arterial infusion therapy using implanted reservoir. The reservoir was surgically implanted in all cases. In 5 cases, right hepatic artery ligation was done simultaneously.

Production and characterization of antibodies to advanced glycation products on proteins.

Antibodies directed against advanced glycation products formed during Maillard reaction have been generated and characterized. These antibodies reacted specifically with advanced glycation products in common among proteins incubated with glucose, but not early-stage compounds such as a Schiff base adduct and Amadori rearrangement products. Incubation of bovine serum albumin with glucose caused a time-related increase in immunoreactivity and a concomitant increase in fluorescence intensity.

Measurement of dephasing time using incoherent light in the Kerr shutter configuration.

We propose a convenient signal-selective method to measure the dephasing time using incoherent light performed in the Kerr shutter configuration. The advantage of this method is easy alignment, which allows one to obtain a better signal-to-noise ratio than with ordinary forward two-beam degenerate four-wave mixing. The dephasing time of Cresyl Violet doped in a polymethyl methacrylate film obtained by this method is compared with the result from ordinary two-beam degenerate four-wave mixing.

Radioimmunoassay for non-enzymatically glycated serum proteins.

We have developed a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for nonenzymatically glycated serum proteins. The polyclonal antibodies prepared against reduced glycated human albumin were specific for the glucitollysine residues of serum proteins. Serum proteins from diabetic patients (n = 25) contained 5.

Calcium ion concentration detected by structural changes of a Millipore DOPH artificial membrane.

The surface structure of an artificial membrane composed of a Millipore filter and a synthetic lipid analogue, dioleylphosphate (DOPH), immersed in KCl solution changes when the CaCl2 concentration reaches a critical value. Using a photomultiplier mounted on the eyepiece of a stereoscopic microscope the structural change can be measured quantitatively as an intensity variation of reflected light of the membrane surface. Calcium ions decreased the intensity to about 50% of the original hydrophilic state whose solution was only KCl.

Resistance oscillation of a Millipore DOPH model membrane accompanying structural changes.

A Millipore DOPH model membrane is composed of a Millipore filter whose pores are filled with dioleylphosphate (DOPH), and its electric resistance increases by a factor of 10(4) when Ca2+ ions are combined with it. The concentration of CaCl2 which increases the membrane resistance depends on the density of DOPH adsorbed in the filter and the initial KCl concentration. The surface structure of the membrane changes at the same time as the membrane resistance increases.

A radioimmunoassay for an advanced glycosylation endproduct.

A competitive radioimmunoassay for an advanced glycosylation endproduct, 2-(2-furoyl)-4(5)-(2-furanyl)-1H-imidazole (FFI) was developed. The immunogen was prepared by coupling of 4-furanyl-2-furoyl-1H-imidazole-1-hexanoic acid to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The antiserum obtained by immunizing guinea pigs with the immunogen exhibited high affinity binding to FFI, but no cross-reactivity was observed for structurally related compounds containing an imidazole ring or furan ring(s).

[Fabrication and clinical application of intrahepatic arterial catheter facilitating repeated infusion therapy and experience].

Balloon occluded arterial infusion (BOAI) is an ideal and widely accepted method for augmentation of the intrahepatic tissue level of anticancer drugs. But this method nakes repeated infusion very difficult because the Seldinger method is needed to cannulate into the hepatic artery. Recently, we made an intrahepatic artery catheter attached with an implantable reservoir, consisting of an intra-arterial catheter, reservoir and cylinder-like device which has a small balloon on its inner part.

Determinants of indoor NO2-concentration and the personal exposures of children and their mothers in Japanese homes.

In February and in July 1986 the personal exposures to NO2 of 60 children and their mothers were measured and NO2-concentrations in their homes were measured. In the summer also the NO2-concentration in the kitchen was determined during the time that the mother was in the kitchen. The mothers were asked to keep a diary of the activities of her and her child during that day and of the time that the heating appliances, cooking range, etc.

Impact of smoking on the concentration and activity of alpha-1-antitrypsin in serum in relation to the urinary excretion of hydroxyproline.

The impact of active and passive smoking on the serum levels of alpha 1-AT, the trypsin inhibitory capacity (TIC), the trypsin inhibitory activity (TIA) and the urinary hydroxyproline to creatinine ratio (HOP-ratio) was studied. The subjects used in the study on active smoking were 167 healthy adult men and in the study on passive smoking 189 healthy primary school children. Serum levels of alpha 1-AT in active smokers were significantly higher than those in non-smokers.

[A case of leiomyosarcoma of the prostate].

A 50-year-old man with the symptom of anal pain was treated by pelvic exenteration, ileal conduit diversion and artificial anus. The pathologic diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma of the prostate. At 5 months post-operatively, the patient had no evidence of metastasis or recurrence.

Antibodies to nonenzymatically glucosylated albumin in the human serum.

The existence of antibodies to nonenzymatically glucosylated albumin was investigated in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects. The sera from both the nondiabetic and the diabetic subjects were shown to contain the proteins which bound to reductively glucosylated albumin. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that the antibodies specific for reductively glucosylated albumin existed in the sera containing the binding proteins.