Prototype and evaluation of automatic fingertip-blood-sampling system that uses fingertip blood-vessel images to determine puncture position.

We are developing an automatic fingertip-blood-sampling system to reduce the burden on trained medical personnel. For this system to withdraw a consistent volume of sampled blood for blood tests, we developed a mechanism for our system to select and puncture the vicinity of a large blood vessel from the blood-vessel image of an individual's fingertip. We call this mechanism the fingertip-vessel-puncture mechanism.

Analysis of finger vein variety in patients with various diseases using vein authentication technology.

In finger vein authentication technology, near-infrared rays penetrate the finger and are absorbed by the hemoglobin in blood. The veins appear as dark areas. The finger vein pattern images of patients with various diseases were acquired; a new evaluation method applying image processing technique ("E value") was developed, and it was examined whether the patterns have any characteristics differentiating them from those of healthy volunteers.

Thyroglobulin may affect telomerase activity in thyroid follicular cells.

Telomerase (TA) activity is known to be present in malignant tumor cells, but not in most somatic differentiated cells. TA shows relatively high activity in thyroid cancer cells, but reports vary. This fact prompted us to elucidate whether cell component inhibitors of TA in the thyroid follicles can modulate its activity.

Cu/Zn- and Mn-superoxide dismutase distribution and concentration in adrenal tumors.

The tissue distribution of Cu/Zn- and Mn-superoxide dismutases (SOD) in adrenal tumors was studied by an immunohistochemical technique, and the concentrations of both SODs were measured by a sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique. In the normal adrenal gland, both Cu/Zn- and Mn-SODs were localized predominantly in the reticular zone of the cortex. Cu/Zn-SOD was stained clearly in the inner fascicular zone of the cortex, but not in the medulla, whereas Mn-SOD was stained weakly in the medulla.

Changes in cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity and calmodulin concentration in heart muscle of cardiomyopathic hamsters.

Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities and expression are altered in the cardiac muscle of cardiomyopathic heart failure, and PDE inhibitors improve the abnormal muscle condition through changing the cyclic nucleotide concentration. These observations prompted us to investigate the role of calmodulin (CaM) in the regulation of cyclic nucleotide PDE activities, and moreover to study the modulation of the PDE isozymes in heart failure, using cardiac muscles of cardiomyopathic hamster. The CaM concentrations in the heart muscle of the normal control and cardiomyopathic hamsters (each of three to four hamsters) varied with cell fraction and with the age of the animal.

Expression of erbB receptors mRNA in thyroid tissues.

ErbB family members, such as epidermal growth factor receptor 1 (erbB1), erbB2, erbB3 and erbB4, are widely distributed in organ tissues, and these receptors are suspected tumorigenesis factors. We measured erbB mRNA in thyroid tissues of benign and malignant thyroid tumors or Graves' disease using Genescan. ErbB2 is associated with aggressive cancers and is used as a biological marker for the disease; Northern blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses have shown it to be increased in Graves' disease.

Alteration of urinary sorbitol excretion in WBN-kob diabetic rats - treatment with an aldose reductase inhibitor.

An accelerated polyol pathway in diabetes contributes to the development of diabetic complications. To elucidate diabetic nephropathy involving also renal tubular damage, we measured urinary sorbitol concentration concomitantly with urinary N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) excretion in WBN-kob diabetic rats.Twenty-four-hour urinary sorbitol concentrations increased in the diabetic rats in parallel with whole blood sorbitol concentrations.

Tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis in white and brown adipose tissues is enhanced following intraperitoneal administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

Tetrahydrobiopterin is an essential cofactor for nitric oxide synthase (NOS). This study was undertaken to examine the effects of intraperitoneally injected lipopolysaccharide on tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis in murine white and brown adipose tissues. Tetrahydrobiopterin content, catalytic activity and mRNA expression level of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH), rate-controlling enzyme in de novo biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, in both adipose tissues were up-regulated by 500-microg lipopolysaccharide at 6 h after the injection.

Urinary sorbitol measurement and the effect of an aldose reductase inhibitor on its concentration in the diabetic state.

The amounts of sorbitol (SOR) excreted in 24-h urine were determined on two groups, i.e., diabetic and nondiabetic patients, using an improved method in which ion exchange resin column processing was applied, and these levels were compared with SOR levels in whole blood.

A calcium-deficient diet caused decreased bone mineral density and secondary elevation of estrogen in aged male rats-effect of menatetrenone and elcatonin.

In view of the fact that a deficient calcium (Ca) intake results in osteoporosis in elderly males, we conducted an animal experiment on aged male Wistar rats given a Ca-deficient diet. The rats were divided into 2 groups according to diet: a Ca-deficient diet group (Ca content, 0.08% to 0.

Peripheral injection of risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic, alters the bodyweight gain of rats.

1. Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug that possesses 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT2 receptor antagonism combined with milder dopamine D2 receptor antagonism. 2.

Distinctive response of thyroid-infiltrating mononuclear cells to B cell activation through CD40 and interleukin-4 in Graves' patients.

The possible role of abnormal T cell-dependent B-cell activation in Graves' disease was investigated by comparing lymphocyte subset distribution and the production of soluble CD8 (sCD8), sCD23, IL-10 and IL-12 by peripheral blood cells (PBMC) and thyroid-infiltrating lymphocytes (TL) in vitro. In TL, the percentage of CD8(+) cells was slightly higher and the sCD8 concentration was significantly higher than in PBMC. The ratio CD23(+) cells to CD20(+) cells (activated B/pan B cells) was increased in TL compared to PBMC from Graves' or normal controls, although the percentage of CD20(+) cells was decreased.

Hormonal regulation of DNA polymerase beta activity and expression in rat adrenal glands and testes.

We investigated whether DNA polymerase beta activity and expression in rat adrenal glands and testes are controlled by the cAMP dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) phosphorylation system in addition to anterior pituitary hormones. DNA polymerase beta mRNA expression in rat testes was decreased by hypophysectomy and recovered with administration of gonadotropic hormone, suggesting that this enzyme is controlled at the mRNA level by this pituitary hormone. In addition, DNA polymerase beta activity in the adrenal glands and testes and the amount of mRNA in the testes increased when cAMP was administered to the normal rat.

Lung cancer associated with hypercalcemia induced by concurrently elevated parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein levels.

In general, many cases of malignancy-associated hypercalcemia are due to HHM. In patients with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM), it has been reported that plasma parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels were elevated, while plasma PTH and active vitamin D(3) levels were suppressed. Our patient showed hypercalcemia with a concurrent increase in plasma and tumor tissue PTHrP and PTH concentrations and also high cAMP and low 1-25(OH)(2)VD(3) levels in the plasma.