[Transfer of fosfomycin into the cerebrospinal fluid]

After the fosfomycin (FOM) infusion, its levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were repeatedly measured in 8 cases without meningitis. 1. The peak concentration of FOM in CSF was 15.5 micrograms/ml with the average of 10.3 micrograms/ml and was reached at 240 minutes with the average of 210 minutes after the infusion. The biological half life time of FOM in CSF was 2 to 6.5 hours. 2. The peak concentration in CSF was compared with it in serum. The average ratio was 4.3 per cent. Each area under the curve (AUC) of FOM concentration in CSF and serum was calculated and average of their ratio was 9.0 per cent. 3. In a case with middle cerebral artery aneurysm, FOM transferred into CSF with ease. The lowest diffusion into the CSF was shown in 2 cases of meningioma. In 3 cases of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage with intraventricular perforation, FOM moderately transferred into CSF.

Immunohistochemical studies of intrahypothalamic somatostatin-containing neurons in rat

Intrahypothalamic somatostatin-containing neurons were investigated immunohistochemically. In intact rats, immunoreactive cell bodies appeared in the rostral periventricular area, and immunoreactive beaded fibers were observed to terminate in the median eminence and to form delicate networks surrounding immunonegative cell bodies within the medial preoptic, suprachiasmatic, arcuate, ventromedial and premammillary nuclei. Intraventricular colchicine infusion resulted in the appearance of immunoreactive cell bodies in the arcuate, ventromedial and suprachiasmatic nuclei, and an increase in the number of cell bodies seen in the periventricular area. Complete deafferentation of the medial-basal hypothalamus excluding the rostral periventricular area caused the immunoreactive structures in the median eminence to disappear and enhanced the staining of periventricular cell bodies. In the arcuate and ventromedial nuclei, the immunoreactive fiber networks were left intact and the immunoreactive cell bodies were occasionally recognized. Horizontal knife cut between the arcuate nuclei and median eminence did not alter immunoreactivity in either region. Neonatal administration of MSG caused only the disappearance of arcuate nuclei. The results indicate that two kinds of somatostatin neuronal systems exist in rat hypothalamus: one is involved in the production of hormonal somatostatin and the other serves for the regulation of neuronal activities in restricted hypothalamic nuclei.

Immunoreactive ACTH/beta-endorphin neurons in the tubero-infundibular hypothalamus of rats

In the preinfundibular portion of male rat hypothalamus, the arcuate-median eminence region was examined after staining with anti-porcine ACTH 1-39 serum. In several cases, anti-beta-endorphin serum was also employed. Both sera stain the same cell bodies. The cell bodies of the immunoreactive neurons are scattered in the subependymal layer, arcuate nucleus and lateral tuberal region. Fibers originating from these cell bodies are distributed extensively throughout these regions. They make synaptic contacts on immunonegative fibers in the arcuate nuclei, or terminate directly in the perivascular space in the internal layer of the median eminence. The findings suggest that the ACTH/beta-endorphin neuronal system may serve neuronally and humorally as an intrahypothalamic constituent of the hypothalamic pituitary regulation system.

Development of the hypothalamic-hypophysial-gonadotrophic activities in fetal rats

Pituitary responsiveness to LHRH and anti-LHRH serum was investigated in fetal rats aged 18.5-22.5 days. Synthetic LHRH injection in utero into fetuses brought about a remarkable depletion of pituitary-LH with a corresponding increase of serum-LH on day 18.5. On the contrary, anit-LHRH serum administration to day-20.5 fetuses caused a significant augmentation of pituitary-LH 1 day later. These data indicate that LH-gonadotrophs respond to LHRH even on day 18.5, and that endogenous LHRH begins to affect LH gonadotrophs on day 20.5.

Electron microscopic study of immunoreactive LHRH perikarya with special reference to neuronal regulation

In early postnatal rats, immunoreactive LHRH perikarya in the preoptic area were studied by light and electron microscopy. Synaptic junctions were found between the immunoreactive perikaryon or its process, and the immunonegative nerve fibers. The significance of these synapses is discussed in relation to possible mechanisms by which the activities of LHRH neurons are regulated.

Bone scanning in assessing viability of vascularized skeletal tissue transplants

One hundred and eight bone scans using 99mTechnetium methylene diphosphonate (MDP) were performed in rats undergoing vascularized and nonvascularized syngeneic and allogeneic transplants of the hind limb, and in control animals. A six-level system of grading the radionuclide uptake in the graft was used to evaluate healing or complications of the transplantation. Bone scanning was superior to other modalities in assessing viability of the graft. Bone scans were able to: (1) immediately confirm vascular patency, thus obviating angiography; (2) demonstrate differences in the rate of repair in syngeneic and allogeneic nonvascularized grafts; (3) sequentially assess vascularized allograft rejection; and (4) document long-term effects, such as bone atrophy due to disuse and early epiphyseal maturity.

Solitary ulcer of the rectum: report of a case and review of the literature

A 13-year-old girl with Prader-Willi syndrome was admitted to our hospital with an 18-month history of anal bleeding and mucus discharge on defecation. Physical examination revealed obesity, hypogonadism, hypotonia and hypomentia. On digital examination, a nodular mass was palpated on the right wall of the ampulla recti, which was suspected to be carcinoma on a barium enema study. Proctoscopic examination revealed a large, irregular ulceration with white slough at the base, surrounded by the nodular and lumpy mucosa. The lesion was excised by the abdomino-anal pull-through method. The resected specimen showed a lesion of large, shallow, irregular ulcer, 5.0 x 2.2 cm in size. Microscopic examination revealed obliterated lamina propria by fibroblasts and muscle fibers derived from the muscularis mucosae, and misplaced cystic dilated glands in the submucosa at the margin of the ulcer. The gross and microscopic appearances are identical to those of "solitary ulcer of the rectum" described by Madigan and others, and similar to those of "colitis cystica profunda" described by Goodall and others. According to these findings, this lesion was diagnosed as solitary ulcer of the rectum. In the present report, the relationship between solitary ulcer of the rectum and colitis cystica profunda was discussed.

Topographical appearance of adenohypophysial cells with special reference to the development of the portal system

To determine whether or not the portal vessels play any essential role on the cytogenesis of adenohypophysis through the mediation of hypothalamic neurohormones, chronological and topographical relations between the portal system and adenohypophysial cells have been studied in fetal rats aged from 14.5 to 18.5, by vascular infusion with India ink and by immunohistochemistry. On day 14.5 the intraglandular fossa (Atwell's recess) receives several blood vessels (primitive portal vessels) from the subtuberal capillary plexus and a pair of fine branches from the internal carotid arteries: those blood vessels anastomose within the recess. On day 15.5 the recess becomes narrow but the vasculature extends posteriorly into the growing anterior wall of the rathke's pouch, in which they sprout short branches showing terminal dilations. Immunoreactive ACTH cells first appear in the ventral-middle portion of the pars distalis, where the vascular sproutings are not evident. On day 16.5 the intraglandular blood vessels spread through the pars distalis and connect occasionally with extraglandular venous system suggesting the initiation of the hypophysial portal circulation. TSH cells first appear sporadically in the posterior part of the pars distalis, where blood vessels are still scarce and very occasional cells abut on te sinusoids. On day 17.5, the recess becomes indistinct and pituitary acquires the mature shape. The intraglandular vasculature of the portal system makes a dense meshwork in the adenohypophysis except the pars intermedia. LH cells appear first in the ventral region of the anterior half of the adenohypophysis, where occasional cells appear abutting on the sinusoids. The conclusion is that the portal blood supply, which might convey hypothalamic neurohormones, is not essential or initial cytogenesis of the adenohypophysial cells studied here.

Immunohistochemical demonstration of LHRH neurons and their pathways in the rat hypothalamus

LRHR neurons and fiber tracts have been studied immunohistochemically in rats. After the intraventricular infusion of colchicine, a number of immunoreactive LHRH neurons were consistently evident in the preoptico-septal area and in the diagonal band of Broca. The immunoreactive fiber tracts originating in those areas were classified into two groups: preoptico-terminal and preoptico-infundibular tracts. The former terminated in the OVLT. The latter was further divided into the mediobasal and laterobasal tracts; both were found to terminate in the median eminence. The mediobasal tract ran posteriorly through the ventral portion of the lateral periventricular area. The laterobasal tract ran posteriorly in the medial forebrain bundle and was accompanied by several immunoreactive neurons. The immunoreactive cell bodies were further scattered in the base of the tuberal hypothalamic area. An anterior bilateral Halász cut in the retrochiasmatic region was followed by a great reduction of the immunoreactive materials in the median eminence and by the appearance of the immunoreactive perikarya and in the preoptico-septal area and in the diagonal band of Broca. A horizontal hypothalamic cut, on the other hand, which disconnected the tubero-infundibular tract between the median eminence and the arcuate nuclei, caused neither reduction of the immunoreactive materials in the median eminence nor appearance of the immunoreactive perikarya in the arcuate nuclei. Those results indicate that the bulk of the immunoreactive LHRH is synthesized in the anterior hypothalamic area and transported by the preoptico-terminal and -infundibular tracts but a minor part is produced in the cell bodies located in the basal tuberal hypothalamus and transported to the median eminence.

Light and electron microscopic observation on the appearance of immunoreactive LHRH in perinatal rat hypothalamus

The appearance and localization of LHRH were studied in the developing hypothalamus of perinatal rats using the unlabelled antibody method. By light microscopy, immunoreactive LHRH was first detected as brown dots on day 18.5 of gestation in the OVLT and on day 19.5 in the median eminence, respectively. When the median eminence was examined by the preembedding immunohistochemistry technique for electron microscopy, the occurrence of immunoreactive LHRH fibers could be demonstrated on day 18.5. These fibers were thin and very occasionally encountered near the surface of the lateral regions of the median eminence. The axoplasm contained a few immunopositive secretory granules and also extragranular immunoreactive products. With development, a gradual increase was noted both in number and size of nerve fibers with a concomitant accumulation of secretory granules within the axoplasm. A possible physiological significance of LHRH is discussed in relation to the onset of hypothalamo-hypophysial system in fetal life.

In vivo and in vitro studies on the appearance of LHRH neurons in the hypothalamus of perinatal rats

Ontogenetic development of LHRH-containing neurons was studied by fluorescence and enzyme immunohistochemistry in rats. In in vitro studies, the tissues of the septal-chiasmatic and mediobasal hypothalamic areas of fetal rats on day 16.5 or 18.5 of gestation were trypsinized separately for dissociation of the neural cells, and cultured for several days. Immunopositive reaction against LHRH was first detected in nerve cells derived from both areas of the hypothalamus of the fetuses on days 16.5 and 18.5 of gestation, after 8 and 6 days culture, respectively. The cells were small, and seemed to be bipolar in morphology indicating an axon and arborized dendrites. Immunopositive material occurred in the cell soma as well as in the cellular processes. In in vivo studies, immunopositive material, possibly deposited in nerve fibers, appeared first in OVLT and simultaneously in the external layer of the median eminence of fetuses on day 20.5 of gestation. The immunoreactive fibers increased in number of both parts with development, especially after birth in the median eminence. No immunopositive material was detected within any neural cell bodies nor in the cytoplasm of any ependymal cells.

Induction of persistent estrus by electrolytic lesions placed neonatally in the hypothalamus of the female rat

Electrolytic lesions were placed in the hypothalamus of two-day-old female rats. Destruction of the mediobasal part of the preoptic area resulted in persistent vaginal estrus starting on the day of vaginal opening, while lesions placed laterally in the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area did not interfere with normal cycles. Therefore, the mediobasal hypothalamus is capable of undergoing maturation without any postnatal influence from at least the mediobasal part of the anterior hypothalamus. Destruction of the anterior wall of the third ventricle also caused persistent or prolonged vaginal estrus preceded by normal cycles. The relationship between the loci of lesions and the occurrence of sexual cyclicity was discussed.

Anserine and carnosine contents in muscular tissue of rat and rabbit

The effect of various muscle conditions on anserine and carnosine contents suggests that these peptides have some physiological role in muscular functions. These conditions are: 1) Although the anserine content in rat gastrocnemius muscle was not changed by ischiamic denervation, the carnosine content was significantly decreased. Carnosinase activity in the denerved gastrocnemius muscle was two times stronger than that of intact gastrocnemius muscle. 2) Carnosine content in rat gastrocnemius muscle was also decreased by forced swimming exercise. 3) Neither anserine nor carnosine was detected in sarcoma and granuloma. 4) In rabbit, anserine and carnosine contents in white muscle fibers were 12-17 and 1-2 mumole/g of wet tissue and were approximately 10 and 2 times more than those in red muscle fibers, respectively.