Nitroblue tetrazolium reduction of neutrophils in heat stressed goats is not influenced by selenium and vitamin E injection

Experiment was designed to determine whether heat stress suppresses neutrophil function and injections of selenium and vitamin E prior to heat stress prevent suppression of neutrophil function in goats. Twelve female goats were divided into 2 groups of 6 each and were kept at 25 degrees C. Goats in the treatment group were injected intramuscularly with 0.1 mg/kg of selenium and 2.72 IU/kg of vitamin E at 8 and 1 day prior to the initiation of heat stress. The other group was kept as control. All goats were exposed to hot environment at 38 degrees C from day 0 through 8. Decreased tendency in plasma cortisol concentrations and temporary increase in plasma glucose concentrations were shown in both groups. In the control group, plasma selenium concentration gradually increased and alpha-tocopherol concentration decreased during the first 2 days. After the second injection with selenium and vitamin E, plasma selenium and alpha-tocopherol concentration significantly increased and remained higher than those in the control group. Whole blood glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in the treatment group tended to be greater than that in the control group, but no significant difference was observed between 2 groups. The nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction by activated neutrophils significantly decreased on day 6 in the control group but not in the treatment group. The NBT reduction by resting neutrophils significantly decreased in both groups. These data suggest that heat stress depresses neutrophil function, and selenium and vitamin E injection prior to heat stress has no apparent effect on neutrophil function during the stress.

[Evaluation of effectiveness of community mental health system in Kawasaki City--a comparison with national statistics]

The pioneering community mental health system of Kawasaki was evaluated by comparison with national statistics using the data from a citywide survey of patients with schizophrenia.

METHOD

Subjects were citizens of Kawasaki who were receiving medical treatment for schizophrenia (ICD-9) in the city. All inpatients (565 cases) and a random sample of outpatients (685 cases; extraction rate was 1/3) who met the criteria were asked to complete the questionnaires by themselves. The responsible medical staffs of the subjects were also asked to complete the questionnaires. In order to calculate the total prevalence rate in the city, the number of patients who received medical treatment outside the city was estimated by extrapolation.

RESULTS

Higher outpatient rate and lower inpatient rate of Kawasaki were indicated despite the almost equal prevalence (i.e. 32.7 per 10,000 population) compared to the national rate. The outpatient rate was 70.6% in Kawasaki, which was 16% higher than the national average. And the rate of outpatients with schizophrenia living alone in Kawasaki was three times higher. While national outpatient rates declined significantly when patients became 40 years old, such a decline was not evident in Kawasaki. On the other hand, as patients with schizophrenia got older, the rate of outpatients living alone or living with spouse increased in Kawasaki due to the change of caregivers' generation.

CONCLUSION

The higher outpatient rate especially of people over 40 years old and the higher rate of patients who lived alone may be explained by the effective community care system in Kawasaki. However, more an intensive support system which provides' daily services such as home-help and group home services should be developed, as the living conditions of outpatients who lived alone were very difficult.

[Hepatectomy and intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer]

We experienced 339 patients with primary colorectal cancer in our department. In the present study 69 cases of liver metastasis were examined for their treatments and effects. One-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 49.2%, 16.2% and 6.8% in the 69 patients, respectively. Fourteen patients underwent hepatic resection plus hepatic artery infusion therapy. The overall survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were favorable: 88.3%, 55.6% and 29.6%, respectively. Three patients with H3 liver metastasis underwent hepatic resection plus hepatic artery infusion therapy. One patient is alive 29 months after operation, one died 25 months after operation, and the other is alive 8 months after operation. Thirteen patients with H3 liver metastasis from colorectal cancer underwent hepatic artery infusion therapy, and the one-year survival rate was 30.8%. None of the H3 patients without hepatic artery infusion therapy survived more than one year.

[Public health center based educational approach for families of the mentally disabled in Japan]

In order to evaluate a public health center based educational approach for families of the mentally disabled, questionnaires were sent to all public health centers in Japan. Out of 852 public health centers, 742 responded satisfactorily. At 68.6% of the 742 public health centers, some form of educational programs for families of the mentally disabled have been conducted. In a structured educational program, public health nurses and mental health counselors participated as the main staff. Training seminars for the staff were conducted by prefectural mental health centers or Zenkaren, The National Federation of Families with the Mentally Ill. In order to develop an educational program at the public health centers, the following three elements are required: 1) information transmitted through training seminars and publications, 2) trained staff members including mental health welfare counselors and public health nurses specialized in mental health, and 3) a sufficient budget. Further development of the program is considered crucial for a functional improvement of the public health centers.

[Practical training adopted from essential laboratory tests in laboratory medicine]

A proposal of essential laboratory tests, made by the Japan Society of Clinical Pathology in 1989, was applied to the education of medical students in Tokushima University. The effects of this proposal on lecture and practice of laboratory medicine were evaluated by obtaining information through a questionnaire from students and clinicians. Our curriculum of laboratory medicine generally received good assessment from students and my opinion and practical training on essential laboratory tests were understood by them. The mean coefficient of variation of intra-assay precision was 3.7% and mean recovery was 70.3 at the measurement for serum protein concentration, which is one of the items in the essential laboratory tests. However, the quality of this experiment was not in accordance with the scholarly attainments or the results of the state examination for physicians. The clinicians in service at the medical school have more selected items than items of essential laboratory tests both at the initial outpatient examination and at hospital admission. Therefore, essential laboratory tests in daily primary medical care may be considered from a different standpoint, when used in the education of laboratory medicine.

The locus controlling pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity (Nat-2) is located on mouse chromosome 11

Melatonin is synthesized from serotonin by the enzymes serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) and hydroxyindole-O-methyl-transferase (HIOMT). We have previously reported that C57BL/6 mice do not have SNAT activity because of a mutation in an autosomal gene which is responsible for the absence of normal SNAT activity. In the present study, we have tried to map the loci of Nat-2 (the locus controlling SNAT activity) on chromosomes using a set of the BxH recombinant inbred strains which were derived from an initial cross between C3H/He with SNAT and C57BL/6 without the enzyme. Based on strain distribution patterns (SDPs), a close linkage on chromosome 11 was found between Nat-2, Es-3 (esterase-3), Glk (the locus controlling galactokinase activity) and Myla (myosin alkali light chains expressed in cardiac atrial muscle). The linkage between Nat-2 and Es-3 was confirmed by a conventional linkage test and the recombination frequency between these loci was estimated to be 16.1 +/- 3.6% (mean +/- S.E.M.).

Application of in vivo microdialysis to pineal research in birds: measurement of circadian rhythms of melatonin

Circadian rhythms of pineal melatonin release were measured in free-moving pigeons, Japanese quails, and chickens under light-dark cycles followed by constant dim light. Although melatonin levels differed among individual birds, circadian rhythms of melatonin were observed in all of them. Using this technique, we could examine phase shifts of melatonin rhythms and suppression of melatonin release by photic stimulation in pigeons. We could also examine effects of norepinephrine infusion on melatonin release. These results indicate that microdialysis is useful for the study of pineal melatonin rhythms in birds.

Radioimmunoassay of human pancreatic amylase with monoclonal antibody

A monoclonal antibody (E-21) was obtained that specifically binds to human pancreatic amylase and shows negligible cross-reaction with human salivary amylase. Using this antibody a radioimmunoassay was developed for pancreatic amylase in human serum. The assay was shown to be sensitive (detectable up to 7 mg/L), reproducible, and specific for pancreatic amylase. In normal subjects, the mean concentration of serum pancreatic amylase determined by this method was 36.3 mg/L with a 95% confidence range of 16.5 to 79.2 mg/L. A good correlation was observed between the concentrations of immunoreactive pancreatic amylase (IR-PA) and enzymatic activities in 20 serum samples (r = 0.97). The concentration of serum IR-PA was below the detectable limit in pancreatectomised patients, and was greatly increased in patients with acute pancreatitis; the latter was accompanied by parallel changes in total enzymic activity. In patients with mumps, the serum IR-PA level was within the normal range whereas the total enzymic activity was elevated.

Melatonin content of the pineal gland in different mouse strains

Pineal melatonin content at several times during the day and night was measured in 36 inbred strains of mice (Mus musculus) kept under LD 12:12 cycles. The results have indicated that only five inbred strains have pineal melatonin content, with higher levels during the night and lower levels during the day; the other 31 strains do not contain detectable melatonin in their pineal gland at any of times examined. The former group includes two commonly used strains (C3H/He and CBA/Ms) and three wild-derived strains (Mol-A, Mol-Nis, MOM). C3H and CBA mice showed a similar pattern of pineal melatonin rhythm with a peak at 2 hours before lights on. The peak levels were about 150 pg/gland in both strains. The rhythmic patterns of melatonin content in Mol-A, Mol-Nis, and MOM were slightly different from those in CBA and C3H. In the wild-derived strains, the peak of melatonin content did not occur at 2 hours before lights on but tended to occur at midnight. The peak levels were 67-91 pg/gland at the highest point in these strains.

Different responses of the circadian system to GABA-active drugs in two strains of mice

Recent work in our laboratory has shown that sodium pentobarbital injections can induce phase-dependent phase shifts of the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity with the maximum advance at circadian time (CT) 8 and the maximum delay at CT0 in SK/Nga mice but no phase shifts in C57BL/6 mice. In the present study, the possibility that the differences in the effects of pentobarbital on the circadian rhythm may be due to different contributions of the GABA-ergic system to circadian organization in the two strains was tested by comparing the responses of SK mice with those of C57BL mice to muscimol (2 mg/kg), a GABA receptor agonist, and triazolam (25 mg/kg), which is thought to act by potentiating the action of GABA. The hypothesis that pentobarbital-induced phase shifts of SK mice are mediated by the GABA receptor system was also tested by observing whether the phase-shifting effects of pentobarbital were blocked by bicuculline (0.5 mg/kg), a selective antagonist of GABA, injected 3 min prior to pentobarbital (30 mg/kg). The results indicated that muscimol induced phase advances at CT8 and phase delays at CT0, and triazolam induced phase advances at CT8 in SK mice. No phase shifts were induced by any treatment in C57BL mice. These results suggest that the role of GABA-ergic systems in circadian organization may be different in SK and C57BL mice. In addition, bicuculline could block the phase-shifting effects of pentobarbital in SK mice, suggesting that the GABA receptor system may mediate phase-shifting effects of pentobarbital in SK mice.

Loss of the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity, food intake, and plasma melatonin concentration induced by constant bright light in the pigeon (Columba livia)

Locomotor activity and feeding activity were measured together with circulating levels of melatonin in pigeons which were exposed to constant bright light (LLbright, 2000 lux) following light-dark (LD) cycles. Although all the pigeons showed daily rhythms of locomotor activity, feeding activity, and melatonin levels under LD cycles, they lost all the rhythms in prolonged LLbright. Acute exposure to bright light (2000 lux) during darkness reduced plasma melatonin levels. The half-time for the suppression in melatonin levels was about 30 min after short-term light exposure. These results support the hypothesis that melatonin may control the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and feeding activity in the pigeon.

The phase-shifting effects of pentobarbital on the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in the mouse: strain differences

The phase response curves (PRCs) generated by pentobarbital injections (30 mg/kg) were obtained in SK and C57BL mice. Pentobarbital injections induced both advance and delay phase-shifts in the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in SK mice but no phase-shifts were observed at any circadian time (CT) for pentobarbital injections in C57BL mice. The observation that a higher dose of pentobarbital (80 mg/kg) does not induce phase-shifting in C57BL mice has indicated that the differences in phase-shifting effects of pentobarbital are not quantitative but qualitative. These strains may be useful for studying the neurochemical regulation of the mammalian circadian rhythm.

Comparison of half-disappearance times, distribution volumes and metabolic clearance rates of exogenous glucagon-like peptide 1 and glucagon in rats

The pharmacokinetics of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in vivo after bolus and continuous i.v. administrations of the peptide were compared with those of glucagon in rats. The half-disappearance time (t1/2) distribution volume (Vd) and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of GLP-1 given as a bolus injection and by constant infusion, were, respectively, as follows: t1/2 (min), 47.7 +/- 14.5 and 39.5 +/- 15.5 (mean +/- S.D.); Vd (ml), 903.8 +/- 62.4 and 516.3 +/- 92.1 and MCR (ml kg-1 min-1), 27.4 +/- 10.8 and 18.6 +/- 8.6. These values differed significantly from the respective values for glucagon (t1/2, 3.3 +/- 0.6 and 5.8 +/- 1.0; Vd, 206.5 +/- 25.9 and 240.0 +/- 76.1; and MCR, 83.1 +/- 8.2 and 46.7 +/- 13.3). These findings demonstrate that GLP-1 is degraded more slowly than glucagon in vivo.

Asymptomatic hyperbromidaemia detected as pseudohyperchloridaemia measured with an ion selective electrode meter

Six patients were found to have increased serum chloride concentrations when these concentrations were determined with an ion-selective electrode, but not when determined by continuous flow mercuric thiocyanate colorimetry or amperometric-coulometric titration. Their serum bromide levels of 1.8-8.0 mmol/l were much higher than those of 0.07-0.13 mmol/l in normal controls. The urinary bromide excretion, measured in two of these patients, was higher than that in normal subjects. No common symptoms or abnormalities in laboratory findings except hyperbromidaemia were found in these patients, who claimed not to have taken any drugs containing bromide. For determination of the incidence of subclinical hyperbromidaemia, the serum bromide concentrations were measured in sera of 1,323 outpatients sent to Tokushima University Hospital for routine measurements of blood chemistry over a one-month period. Five samples showed abnormally high bromide levels. It is concluded that subclinical hyperbromidaemia is not as rare as generally thought, though the aetiology of this state is unknown. Chloride determination with an ion-selective electrode can be used to screen for hyperbromidaemia, since increased levels of bromide ion result in apparently high chloride values.

Specific radioimmunoassay of glucitol-lysine--application to lens proteins in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

A radioimmunoassay using antibody against glucitol-lysine was developed to quantitate glycated proteins in the lens of diabetic rats. The amount of glycated protein was expressed as molar equivalents of reduced glycated hippuryl lysine (GlcRED-Hip-Lysine). Significant differences (p less than 0.01) were found in the amounts of glycated protein in the lenses of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes (3.92 +/- 0.59 nmol/mg protein, n = 5), those with streptozotocin-induced diabetes treated with insulin (2.94 +/- 0.36 nmol/mg protein, n = 4) and normal rats (1.23 +/- 0.22 nmol/mg protein, n = 5). There was a significant correlation between the concentration of glycated protein in the lens and the HbA1c level at the end of the 12 week experiment (r = 0.957, p less than 0.001). These results indicate that glycation of lens protein is parallel with the severity of diabetes in rats.

The measurement and analysis of circadian locomotor activity and body temperature rhythms by a computer-based system

A new computer-based system for collection and analysis of circadian body temperature and locomotor activity rhythms is described. This system makes possible the simultaneous measurements of body temperature and locomotor activity rhythms from 16 animals kept in separate cages. Several programs were developed for measurement and analysis of the data. This system is available not only in the study of circadian rhythms but also in other biological studies where long-term recordings of rest-activity cycles and body temperature are required.