To clarify the mechanism of smooth muscle cell (SMC)-derived foam cell formation, we investigated beta-very low density lipoprotein (beta-VLDL) cholesterol metabolism in vascular medial SMCs (M-SMCs) from normal rabbits compared with intimal SMCs (I-SMCs) from normal rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet and LDL receptor-deficient rabbits. For both types of I-SMCs, uptake of [3H]cholesteryl oleate labeled beta-VLDL increased 1.6 times and release of [3H]cholesterol decreased 40% compared with M-SMCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have routinely applied an extra-strong graduated compression stocking to cesarean section patients to reduce the incidence of spinal anesthesia hypotension. Because bupivacaine has recently become available in Japan, we compared the incidence of spinal hypotension using either 2.0 ml of hyperbaric 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 74-year-old man with a hepatocellular carcinoma received percutaneous ethanol injection twice following the needle biopsy of the tumor. Two years and 6 months after percutaneous ethanol injection, a subcutaneous tumor, which appeared to be a needle tract seeding by percutaneous ethanol injection, was recognized in the right lower anterior chest wall. A curative surgical resection was impossible because of the patient's decreased coagulopathy and severe liver dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Chronic hepatitis C which exhibits a varied natural course, is becoming a major problem worldwide.
Methodology: In this study, we investigated 161 patients with chronic hepatitis C by repeated liver biopsies. From initial biopsies, we diagnosed 56 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis, 74 with chronic active hepatitis 2A, and 31 with chronic active hepatitis 2B.
Background/aims: It is still controversial whether endoscopic injection sclerotherapy can affect portal blood flow and liver function. To clarify this issue, we investigated the change in portal blood flow velocity and the relationship between liver function and portal blood flow after sclerotherapy.
Methodology: Ten liver cirrhosis patients with F2 esophageal varices were enrolled in this study.
Currently, pyogenic liver abscess is not frequent, but it is a severe infectious disease. However a strategy for the effective treatment of liver abscess is not established. We analyzed 75 cases of liver abscess over an eight year period and evaluated their prognosis, any associated underlying disease, or the effect of percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage (PTAD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of the present study was to evaluate the profiles of the bone strength of rats treated from infancy with various drugs. Young female Sprague-Dawley rats were classified into five groups according to the composition of their diets. They underwent resection of their femurs for a three-point flexion test and an impaction test at 6, 8, 12, and 16 months of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur previous studies demonstrated that estrogen (E2) prevents the development of disuse atrophy of the femur in tail-suspended rats. To elucidate the mechanisms of this E2 action, we investigated the effects of E2 on the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP, a marker for bone formation) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP, a marker for bone resorption) in the femur of ovariectomized and tail-suspended rats. One group of ovariectomized rats received estradiol dipropionate (OVX-E2), and the other the vehicle alone (OVX).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is known that estrogen deficiency results in osteoporosis in human and experimental animals. However, how this deficiency affects the development of disuse bone atrophy is not well understood. Recently, it has been reported that estrogen affects the production of cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) which acts as local bone-resorbing factor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the effect of estrogen (E2) and tail-suspension on expression of osteocalcin (OC) mRNA in the femur of ovariectomized rats. Five-week-old female Wistar rats were ovariectomized and divided into two groups: one group received estradiol dipropionate (OVX-E2), and the other received the vehicle (OVX). Each group was further divided into two subgroups, tail-suspended (S) and non-suspended (N), giving a total of four groups: OVX-E2-S, OVX-E2-N, OVX-S and OVX-N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is well known that estrogen deficiency results in osteoporosis in human and experimental animals. However, how its deficiency affects the development of disuse atrophy is not well understood. We thus investigated how estrogen deficiency caused by ovariectomy and estrogen supplements affect serum levels of calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in tail-suspended rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatogastroenterology
January 2003
A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our department for evaluation of a hepatic mass. The mass was diagnosed as a hemangioma of the liver by abdominal angiography because of typical cotton wool appearance and stretched arterial vessels and no peripheral staining. However, one month later, the mass was surgically removed because of extravasation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
September 2002
We have reported reversible oxidoreductive regulation of DNA-binding activity of Pax-8: oxidation inhibits its binding and subsequent reduction restores the binding. Here, we show that Cys-45 and Cys-57 in the paired domain of rat Pax-8, which are conserved in all Pax members, are responsible for the redox regulation of its binding. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay using deletion mutants and mutants with substitution of cysteine with serine revealed that oxidation by diamide of either Cys-45 or Cys-57 loses the DNA binding of Pax-8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurvivin functions to suppress cell death and regulate cell division, and is observed uniquely in tumor cells and developmental cells. However, the expression and regulation of survivin in non-transformed cells are not well elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the expression of survivin in a murine liver regeneration model after partial hepatectomy and intraperitoneal carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) injection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis in various transformed cell lines. Therefore, we investigated TRAIL sensitivity, TRAIL-induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, and expression of TRAIL in human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT-29, LS180, SK-CO-1). All four TRAIL receptors (TRAIL-R1 through TRAIL-R4) are expressed in these cell lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline (D-Pyr) has been shown to be a useful marker for bone resorption. In this study, we investigated whether D-Pyr could be used to monitor the changes in bone resorption of the hind limb induced by tail-suspension. Male Wistar rats 5-weeks old were tail-suspended in a metabolic cage to unload the hind limbs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C is predominant in Japan. However, many HBV subtypes are involved in each genotype, and the clinical manifestations in the patients associated with each subtype remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between HBV subtype and clinical aspects of chronic HBV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The question remains as to whether light to moderate alcohol intake is associated with an increased risk of hypertension.
Methods: In 1978, a total of 1101 residents (433 men and 668 women) in a subrural community, Hisayama, in Japan, aged 40 years or more, with normal blood pressure, who were free from cardiovascular disease, were enrolled in a 10-year follow-up study. Inquiries regarding regular drinking were made in an interview based on a self-administered questionnaire.
Six patients with small size (< or =2.0 cm in diameter) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on their liver surface underwent laparoscopic microwave coagulation therapy (LMCT) in our institute. All cases showed complete necrosis after LMCT alone and there were no major complications during the LMCT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) is a rare benign tumor of unknown origin, it has the appearance of a malignant tumor but has a benign histology and clinical course. Therefore, we studied five patients with IPT of the liver to determine what examination can aid in its diagnosis. Five cases of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTreatment for acute rectal bleeding from rectal varices in a patient with liver cirrhosis is often difficult. Herein, we report an elderly male with cirrhosis who successfully underwent endoscopic sclerotherapy for rectal bleeding from rectal varices. He had a history of esophageal varices, which were treated by endoscopic sclerotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present study, the effects on drug oxidations in rat liver microsomes in vitro using 126 Kampo extracts were investigated. Although the effects of inhibition on drug oxidations were dependent on the Kampo extracts and probe reactions studied, most of the Kampo extracts showed inhibitory effects on both N-demethylations of aminopyrine and erythromycin in rat liver microsomes. Among the Kampo extracts studied herein, Daio-kanzo-to exhibited the most remarkable inhibitory effect on both reactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C predominates in Japan. We analyzed the efficacy of interferon (IFN) alpha or beta in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients with HBV genotype C and the clinical predictors for therapeutic response. Forty-three genotype C-infected, chronic hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients (32 men and 11 women with a mean age of 35.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe identified a thyroid hormone [3,5,3'-tri-iodothyronine (T(3))]-responsive gene, ZAKI-4, in cultured human skin fibroblasts. It belongs to a family of genes that encode proteins containing a conserved motif. The motif binds to calcineurin and inhibits its phosphatase activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwelve elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty received lumbar epidural anaesthesia and propofol infusion at 5 mg.kg(-1).h(-1) following a 1.
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