[The changes in lymphocytes subpopulations of a patient with postoperative chylothorax]

A case of 64-year-old male who developed chylorrhea at 2 days post coronary artery by-pass grafting, is reported. He was managed conservatively for 3 weeks. But chylothorax was not improved, he was treated operatively. Analysis of his lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood were performed during the course of chylothorax. Lymphocytepenia became apparent and subpopulation of T cell were decreased gradually. The subpopulation of CD 4(+) cell decreased, while the subpopulation of CD 8(+) increased. The CD 4(+) cell/CD 8(+) cell ratio decreased consequently till 7th day after 2nd operation. Although the replenishment of nutritional deficiencies using TPN allows prolonged conservative management for chylothorax patient, the deterioration in cellular immunocompetence can not be prevented at present. It is necessary to take great care about infection for chylothorax patient.

Effects of sustained unilateral molar clenching on the temporomandibular joint space

OBJECTIVE

To measure the effect of unilateral sustained clenching on the temporomandibular joints, changes in the minimum joint space dimension were assessed.

STUDY DESIGN

Ten healthy subjects performed a sustained clench on a bite force transducer in the first molar region for 5 minutes with a constant force of 170 N. Three separate sagittal tomograms were bilaterally obtained with the transducer in place before clenching and during the beginning and at the end of the contraction. Changes were quantified with a computerized image analysis system.

RESULTS

The minimum joint space of the contralateral temporomandibular joint was significantly reduced both at the beginning and at the end of the contraction task. Further the minimum joint space was also significantly less at the end than at the beginning of the contraction even though bite force level was identical. The ipsilateral condyle images showed no significant shift in the minimum joint space.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that unilateral molar clenching induces a significant reduction of the minimum joint space in the contralateral temporomandibular joint and a sustained condition remarkably increases this change.

Enzymatic synthesis of oleamide (cis-9, 10-octadecenoamide), an endogenous sleep-inducing lipid, by rat brain microsomes

The enzymatic synthesis of a novel sleep-inducing lipid, oleamide (cis-9,10-octadecenoamide), was studied using rat brain subcellular fractions as enzyme sources. We found that oleamide was formed from oleic acid and ammonia on incubation with a brain homogenate. The enzyme activity catalyzing the formation of oleamide from oleic acid and ammonia was highest in the microsomal fraction among the subcellular fractions. Boiled microsomes did not exhibit appreciable enzyme activity. These results strongly suggest that oleamide can be synthesized enzymatically in the brains of stimulated animals.

Absent myocardial I-123 BMIPP uptake in a family

A 72-year-old woman with hypertension showed no sign of myocardial accumulation of 123I-BMIPP, and 201Tl and 123I-MIBG scintigraphy demonstrated normal findings. Electrocardiography showed left axis deviation with inverted T waves in leads I, aVL, V2-6 and QT prolongation. Coronary arteriography, two dimensional echo cardiography and laboratory data showed no abnormality. Her 66-year-old sister with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus also had no myocardial BMIPP uptake, but had normal 201Tl finding. ECG and chest film findings were normal. Laboratory data indicated slightly high fasted blood glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol. Four sons of a 72-year-old woman also underwent BMIPP scintigraphy. No BMIPP uptake was also observed in her 2nd son (49 years old) and his electrocardiogram showed QT prolongation. Since these rare findings indicating no myocardial BMIPP uptake were seen in a family, we suspected that a hereditary myocardial metabolic abnormality accounted for them.

Adhesion-dependency of serum-induced p42/p44 MAP kinase activation is released by retroviral oncogenes

G1/S transition of the cell cycle is blocked when cells are cultured without cell adhesion, even if nutrients and serum are present. Shift experiments involving transfer from adhesion to suspension cultures have revealed that cell adhesion in the early half of G1 phase is required for induction of DNA synthesis. We found that activation of p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, one of the earliest responses induced by serum stimulation, was also dependent on cell adhesion in rat F2408 and mouse Swiss3T3 fibroblast cell lines, suggesting that MAP kinase activation is a critical step in adhesion-dependent G1 progression. F2408 cell lines transformed by the v-src, v-K-ras, and v-mos oncogenes showed constitutively high MAP kinase activity, even in the absence of serum and cell adhesion, while both serum stimulation and cell adhesion were necessary to induce intensive activation of MAP kinase in a F2408 cell line transformed by the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16, as well as in untransformed F2408.

[Antiulcer properties of shosaiko-to]

Recently it has been reported that Shosaiko-to (SHO), a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating gastritis and hepatitis, also has been found useful for treating gastric ulcers, although no pharmacological study has yet investigated the precise antiulcer properties of SHO. Herein, the authors report on the results of a rat study in which the effects of SHO on gastric ulcers, acid secretions and potential difference of gastric mucosa (PD) were studied. SHO (100, 250 or 500 mg /kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the development of ethanol-induced gastric lesions in a dose-dependent manner. SHO (500 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the development of aspirin-,indomethacin- or water-immersion-stress induced gastric lesions. Sucralfate (500 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibited both ethanol- and aspirin-induced gastric lesions, and cimetidine (10 mg/kg, p.o.) inhibited aspirin-, indomethacin- or stress-induced gastric lesions. SHO (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) also significantly inhibited pentagastrin- and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)-induced gastric acid secretions in a dose-dependent manner, whereas cimetidine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited a pentagastrin-induced secretion and atropine (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited pentagastrin- or 2-DG-induced acid secretions. SHO (250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg, i.g.) significantly inhibited ethanol-induced PD reduction. Sucralfate (500 mg/kg, i.g.) inhibited the reduction, and cimetidine (250 mg/kg, i.g.) didn't inhibit it. These results indicate that SHO not only possesses the capability of protecting the rat gastric mucosa as well as sucralfate, but also is able to inhibit gastric acid secretions like cimetidine or atropine.

Ontogeny of GABA-immunoreactive cells in the primate cerebellar cortex: comparison with somatostatin-immunoreactivity

The distribution and ontogeny of GABA-immunoreactive cells were studied and compared with that of somatostatin-immunoreactivity in the primate cerebellar cortex. At embryonic day 80, we observed neither GABA-nor somatostatin-immunoreactive cells in the cerebellum. At embryonic day 110, a small number of GABA-immunoreactive cells was detectable in the granular layer only, and these cells seemed to be Golgi cells. At embryonic day 140, although almost all Purkinje cells were somatostatin-immunoreactive, a proportion of these cells was GABA-immunoreactive. At the newborn stage, most of the Purkinje cells were GABA-immunoreactive and almost all of them were also somatostatin-immunoreactive. During the postnatal stages, the number of somatostatin-immunoreactive cells decreased until postnatal day 60. At the adult stage, a large number of Purkinje cell bodies was faintly GABA-immunoreactive and a proportion of Purkinje cell dendrites was GABA-immunoreactive. In the aged animals (28 and 31 years old), a small number of Purkinje cell dendrites was GABA-immunoreactive. These findings suggest that a transition of phenotype from somatostatin to GABA occurred in Purkinje cells during development.

N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), an endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand, and related lipid molecules in the nervous tissues

The effects of N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) and related compounds on the binding of [3H]CP55940 to rat brain synaptosomes were examined. Anandamide was shown to inhibit competitively the specific binding of [3H]CP55940 to synaptosomal membranes. The Ki value was 89 nM. In contrast, N-acylethanolamines containing saturated or monoenoic fatty acids did not exhibit high binding affinity. Several structural analogues of anandamide showed some binding activity. Among them, 2-arachidonoylglycerol is noteworthy because of its occurrence in mammalian tissues. A biosynthetic study indicated that anandamide can be synthesized via two separate synthetic pathways. The first is synthesis from free arachidonic acid and ethanolamine, and the second is the formation of N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) from diarachidonoyl phospholipids and PE and the subsequent enzymatic release of N-arachidonoylethanolamine. The latter pathway appears to explain very well the fatty acid composition of N-acylethanolamines present in mammalian tissues.

Transacylase-mediated and phosphodiesterase-mediated synthesis of N-arachidonoylethanolamine, an endogenous cannabinoid-receptor ligand, in rat brain microsomes. Comparison with synthesis from free arachidonic acid and ethanolamine

The levels of N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), an endogenous cannabinoid-receptor ligand, and a relevant molecule, N-arachidonoylphosphatidylethanolamine (N-arachidonoylPtdEtn), in rat brain were investigated using a newly developed sensitive analytical method. We found that rat brain contains small but significant amounts of these two types of N-arachidonoyl lipids (4.3 pmol/g tissue and 50.2 pmol/g tissue, respectively). Then, we investigated how N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) is produced in the brain. We found that anandamide can be formed enzymatically via two separate synthetic pathways in the brain: enzymatic condensation of free arachidonic acid and ethanolamine; and formation of N-arachidonoylPtdEtn from PtdEtn and arachidonic acid esterified at the 1-position of phosphatidyl-choline (PtdCho), and subsequent release of anandamide from N-arachidonoylPtdEtn through the action of a phosphodiesterase. We confirmed that rat brain contains both the enzyme activities and lipid substrates involved in these reactions. Several lines of evidence strongly suggest that the second pathway, rather than the first one, meets the requirements and conditions for the synthesis of various species of N-acylethanolamine including anandamide in the brain.

Direct interaction between mitochondrial succinate-ubiquinone and ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductases probed by sensitivity to quinone-related inhibitors

The electron-transfer activities of bovine heart mitochondrial complexes I, II, and III, but not complex IV, were simultaneously inhibited by 2-alkyl-4,6-dinitrophenols to a different extent. The extent of inhibition of NADH and succinate oxidase activities by dinitrophenols was compared with that of individual complex activities using submitochondrial particles. The extent of inhibition of succinate oxidase activity by 1-methylpropyl and 1-methylbutyl derivatives was much larger than that of NADH oxidase activity. This large inhibition of succinate oxidase activity seemed not to be explainable by the extent of inhibition of individual complex activities (i.e., complexes II and III activities), based upon the homogeneous ubiquinone pool model. On the other hand, other dinitrophenols (n-propyl, 1-methylpentyl, 1-methylhexyl, and tert-butyl derivatives) very similar to the above compounds did not elicit such anomalous inhibitory action, indicating that the action of 1-methylpropyl and 1-methylbutyl derivatives is highly specific to their structure. The anomalous inhibition by these two compounds was also observed with the isolated succinate-cytochrome c oxidoreductase, in which there is no ubiquinone pool behavior [Rich, P.R. (1984) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 768, 53-79]. However, when the succinate-cytochrome c reductase of which the activity had been partially restored by adding phospholipid and exogenous quinone to the phospholipid- and ubiquinone-depleted succinate-cytochrome c reductase was assayed, the anomalous inhibitory action of interest was undetectable. These results indicated that electron-transfer between complexes II and III, which is mediated not only by free-form, but also by protein-bound ubiquinone, occurs in the mitochondrial membrane. The fact that the anomalous inhibition of succinate oxidase activity of submitochondrial particles was sensitive to changes in the external osmotic pressure which affected the total area of the particle supports this notion.

[Effects of kamikihi-to on ovariectomy-induced changes in behavior and circulation in rats]

The various symptoms that women experience in the climacteric period, such as flashing, depression, paresthesia and insomnia, have been termed the menopausal syndrome. Since Kamikihi-to (KMK) has been administered clinically for several of these symptoms, the effects of KMK were evaluated in a series of experiments using adult ovariectomized (OVX) rats. After surgery, KMK and other drugs were administered daily for 7 or 8 days until the experiments. OVX rats showed significantly higher electric shock thresholds, and KMK restored their sensitivity to electric shock in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the latency of OVX rats in the step-through passive avoidance test was significantly shortened, and KMK prolonged the latency significantly. OVX rats showed a significantly decreased number of correct choices and an increased number of errors in the 8-arm radial maze task, and KMK normalized both of these parameters in a dose-dependent manner. The blood pressure of OVX rats was significantly increased, and KMK improved the blood pressure levels. These findings suggest that KMK might be useful for treatment of the menopausal syndrome, and it is considered that the improvements induced by KMK are due to other actions, such as normalization of the central nervous system, rather than sex hormones.

Influence of diethylstilbestrol, Leuprolelin (a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog), Finasteride (a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor), and castration on the lobar subdivisions of the rat prostate

The effects of various means of interfering with androgen action on rat coagulating gland, ventral prostate, lateral type 1 prostate, lateral type 2 prostate, and dorsal prostate were examined morphologically and quantitatively by assessing DNA content, wet weight, protein content, and zinc concentrations. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 2 weeks of interfering with androgen action by treatment with Leuprolelin (a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog), Finasteride (a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor), or diethylstilbestrol (DES), or by physical castration. For all prostatic lobes, inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase elicited the smallest reduction in prostatic wet weight, DNA and protein contents, and zinc concentration. The most profound reductions in all parameters were elicited by castration. Treatments with DES and Leuprolelin gave intermediate effects with DES being the more effective in reducing all parameters in all prostatic lobes. Morphological changes elicited by all forms of androgen blockade were reduction of epithelial height, relative increase of connective tissue, reduction in ductal diameter, length, and number. The order of effectiveness of the various treatments on morphological features was as described above. While all forms of androgen blockade elicited similar effects throughout the prostate, differences in response to all forms of interference with androgen action were observed in different lobes of the prostate with regard to wet weight, DNA and protein contents, and zinc concentration as well as morphological effects. Regressive changes at the morphological level were particularly striking in the coagulating gland and ventral prostate, and indistinct in the lateral type 2 prostate. Prostatic zinc concentration in both normal and androgen-deprived rats was the highest in the lateral type 2 prostate and was reduced by interfering with androgen action to the greatest extent in the dorsolateral prostate (lateral type 1 and type 2, and dorsal prostate). The distribution of zinc correlated with the expression of metallothionein, which was detected by immunocytochemistry only in the lateral type 2 prostate of both normal and androgen deprived rats. Intraprostatic heterogeneity of zinc and metallothionein expression emphasizes interlobar differences in biological function within the rat prostate. The mechanism of development of regional heterogeneity within the prostate may shed light on the pathogenesis of prostatic proliferative diseases (prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic cancer) that initially owe their development to focal changes within large cell populations.

Immunosuppression by anti-ICAM-1 and anti-LFA-1 monoclonal antibodies of free and vascularized skin allograft rejection

Immunosuppression by anti-adhesion molecule antibody of free or vascularized skin allograft rejection was investigated in rats. Lewis (LEW, RT11) rats were used as donors and Fisher (F344, RT11v1) rats as the recipients. When F344 rats were treated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) mAb (1A29) (3 mg/kg/day) and anti-leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) mAb (WT.1) (3 mg/kg/day) one day prior to grafting and daily after grafting for nine days, free skin graft survival was prolonged only slightly compared with that in control rats which were injected i.p. with a daily dose of 6 mg/kg of anti-TNP mAbs (H1-6-2) one day prior to grafting and daily after grafting for nine days. (Mean survival time [MST] of the free skin graft was 11.2 +/- 0.6 days in the control group and 13.4 +/- 0.3 days in the 1A29 + WT-1 treated group [p < 0.01], respectively.) On the other hand, the vascularized graft survival was prolonged significantly in anti-ICAM-1/LFA-1 mAbs-treated F344 rats as compared with that in control rats. (The mean vascularized graft survival time was 14.2 +/- 0.7 days in the control group and 21.5 +/- 1.9 days in 1A29 + WT-1 treated group [p < 0.002]). Our results suggest that interaction with ICAM-1 and LFA-1 is more important in the rejection of vascularized skin allografts than that of free skin allografts.

Orthostatic hypotension caused by a localised dorsal medullary tumour

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Comparison of the proliferative capacity of adenomatous hyperplasia and well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma

The identification of nodular lesions, which used to be difficult to differentiate from well differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas, has become frequent since the advent of ultrasonic-guided liver tumor biopsy techniques. This is because adenomatous hyperplasias, which are regarded as putative precancerous lesions, which needed to be differentiated from malignant lesions, often an a nodular. The histological specimens of 52 tumors, obtained from patients with chronic liver injury, were subjected to immunohistological staining for proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Findings obtained by this immunohistological technique were compared with those obtained by histological image analysis. Adenomatous hyperplasias with fatty changes or with a high nuclear cytoplasmic ratio on image analysis were frequently PCNA-positive (P < 0.01). These nodular lesions, whose morphological characteristics were similar to those of well differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas, showed a high potential for growth. It seems that PCNA may be a useful indicator for increasing our understanding of the progress from adenomatous hyperplasia to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Temporomandibular disorders in the adult population of Okayama City, Japan

In order to discover the prevalence of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in Japan, and the difference in the prevalence among various sex and age groups in the Japanese population, 672 individuals (304 males and 368 females, age range 20-92 years) were selected randomly in Okayama City, Japan, and were investigated by means of questionnaires and clinical examinations. The reported frequency of symptoms was: TMJ sounds 24%, facial-TMJ-jaw pain 11%, headache 27%, teeth clenching 30%, and grinding 34%. The percent frequency of the following signs was: impaired mouth opening 5%, clicking 46%, reciprocal clicking 20%, crepitus 19%, TMJ tenderness 6%, and masticatory muscle tenderness 21%. The subjects with TMJ clicking were more frequently females than males. TMD signs and symptoms were found to be common in all age groups, but they were fewer in the older than in the younger age group. The younger-aged subjects with clicking appeared with significant frequency, whereas crepitus was populated with significant frequency by the oldest age group.

Effect of KBT-3022, a new cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on experimental brain edema in vitro and in vivo

The effect of KBT-3022 (ethyl 2-[4,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)thiazol-2-yl]pyrrol-1-ylacetate), a new cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on experimental brain edema was studied. In vitro, KBT-3022 (100 microM) and its metabolite desethyl KBT-3022 (10 and 100 microM), but neither acetylsalicylic acid nor indomethacin, inhibited arachidonic acid-induced swelling of guinea pig cortical slices. KBT-3022 (3-100 microM) and desethyl KBT-3022 (3-30 microM), but neither acetylsalicylic acid nor indomethacin, inhibited lipid peroxidation in guinea pig brain homogenate. In vivo, oral administration of KBT-3022 (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) and indomethacin (10 and 30 mg/kg), but not acetylsalicylic acid, prevented brain edema induced by bilateral carotid occlusion and recirculation in gerbils. Indomethacin then prevented postischemic hyperthermia, but not KBT-3022. KBT-3022 (10 mg/kg) and indomethacin (30 mg/kg) inhibited lactate accumulation in gerbil brain after ischemia and recirculation. These results suggest that KBT-3022 prevents development of both cytotoxic edema in vitro and vasogenic edema in vivo.