Rupture of a giant splenic artery aneurysm. Report of an autopsy case

We describe an autopsy case of a 61-year-old woman with von Recklinghausen's disease, who died suddenly following intraperitoneal hemorrhage due to the rupture of a giant splenic artery aneurysm. The aneurysm measured 16 x 13 x 5.5 cm--much larger than those in most previous reports. The pancreatic body, which was pressed by the aneurysm, was widely atrophic. In general, splenic artery aneurysms are more frequent in pregnant women or patients with portal hypertension. The pathogenesis of this aneurysm is presumed to be arterial dysplasia, focal arterial inflammation, or portal hypertension, unlike other aneurysms due to arteriosclerosis or syphilis. Since the patient had not been pregnant and had not had liver cirrhosis or arteriosclerosis, the pathogenic factor could not be determined in this case. The relationship between the genesis of the aneurysm and von Recklinghausen's disease was not clear either.

Hemopericardium following cerebral hemorrhage. Report of an autopsy case

The simultaneous occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage and hemopericardium due to the rupture of a dissecting aneurysm has not been previously reported. We describe an autopsy case of a 45-year-old man with hypertension who died suddenly following both of these conditions. He had been treated for hypertension; the finding of arteriolar nephrosclerosis supported the existence of the disease. Because rupture of the aorta invariably causes a marked fall in blood pressure, the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage following hemopericardium is highly unlikely. Thus, we presume that rupture of the aorta occurred after the cerebral hemorrhage.

Role of endogenous endothelin in the development of hypertension in rats

To further elucidate the pathophysiologic role of endogenous endothelin (ET), we have studied the chronic effect of anti-ET gamma-globulin on the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and stroke prone SHR (SHR-SP) for three weeks. In neither SHR nor SHR-SP did repetitive bolus injection of anti-ET gamma-globulin suppress the rise in blood pressure. The present data suggest that endogenous ET is not likely to play a key role in the development of hypertension, although ET may induce a local vasoconstriction at the injured vascular wall.

[Sudden death of alcohol withdrawal syndrome--report of a case]

A 50-year-old driver was arrested in a drunken stupor while he was driving a track. He suddenly died after five days of the arrest in a jail. As time went by, various symptoms of alcohol withdrawal appeared. He was in the state of delirium treatments for about a day before he died. Gross and microscopical examination revealed fibrosis and fatty degeneration of liver and heart lesions representing chronic and acute ischemia. We discussed the cause and the mechanism of the death in the case and reviewed those in the previous observations.

Development and application of immunoassay for paraquat: radioimmunoassay

A sensitive radioimmunoassay for paraquat is reported. Anti-paraquat antisera were produced by repeated immunization in rabbits with 1-methyl, 1'-hexanoic acid-4,4'-bipyridinium (MHBP) coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Less than 0.5 ng of paraquat dichloride was detectable by this assay system. These antisera were strongly cross-reactive with the bipyridyl ring and methyl group in either the 1- or 1'-position of paraquat. The determination of paraquat in tissues of paraquat-poisoned cadavers was also carried out.

Fluorescence energy transfer between ionophore, A23187, and membrane proteins of isolated outer and cytoplasmic membranes of a Gram-negative bacterium

When tryptophan residues of the proteins of outer and cytoplasmic membranes of a moderately halophilic bacterium, Pseudomonas halosaccharolytica ATCC 29423, were excited at the wavelength 270 nm, tryptophan emission was observed at 330 nm. Adding the calcium ionophore, A23187, to both suspensions, the tryptophan emission at 330 nm decreased and the ionophore emission at 430 nm increased. Thus, when the calcium ionophore was increased in both suspensions, the ionophore emission increased with excitation of membrane tryptophan, that is, the fluorescence energy was transferred from tryptophan to the calcium ionophore. Using the Förster equation the critical distance was calculated to be 52 A. As this distance is considerable compared with the diameter of the membrane protein molecules, the ionophore cannot be bound to the membrane proteins. It is probably located in the lipid bilayers.

Composition of cholesterol esters in blood plasma of mouse, rat and rabbit

Mixtures of cholesterol estes were extracted from the blood plasma of mouse (C3H/He, C57BL/6J and Jcl : ICR), rat (Wistar) and rabbit (JW-NIBS/Rabiton) and purified by thin-layer chromatography. Fatty acid moieties of the esters were methylated with BF3-methanol and analyzed quantitatively by gas chromatography. Although linoleate was most abundant (over 30% of the total esters) and myristate was found only in traces, the composition of the esters varied markedly among the species. Mice had 15.3 to 17.4% of arachidonate, but only a trace of linolenate and no stearate. In rats, arachidonate and linoleate were found in almost equal quantities, but stearate, linolenate and docosahexaenoate were present in only trace amounts. Rabbits had more palmitate and oleate and less arachidonate and eicosapentaenoate than the other two animals, but no docosahexaenoate.

Squamous cell carcinoma found in the cardiac region of the stomach of an aged orangoutang

A spontaneous tumor was found in the cardiac region of the stomach of an aged orangoutang (Pongo pygmeans) in the Ueno Zoological Garden. This tumor, which was 10 cm in diameter and had invaded the serosa, was diagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma. Metastases were found in the lymph nodes at various sites and in the liver, spleen and bronchus.

Hepatic 7-alkoxycoumarin O-dealkylase in mice: induction by beta-naphthoflavone of hepatic enzyme activity

Hepatic 7-alkoxycoumarin O-dealkylation activities in control and beta-naphthoflavone-pretreated mice were determined. The O-demethylation and O-deethylation activities of 7-alkoxycoumarin in control mice were almost the same values, while the O-depropylation activity was lower than those of the other reactions. The O-dealkylase activity varied markedly among the 18 strains of mice surveyed, and strain-dependent differences in the cytochrome P-450 content were also detected among the strains. beta-Naphthoflavone induced O-dealkylation activity, especially O-deethylation and O-depropylation activities, only in ddY, DS and its substrains (A2-3, A3-1, C1-2 and Nh/+). C3H/He and C57BL/6J strains, but not in DBA/2, BALB/c and KYF/2 strains. The former strains of mice are thus classified as "responsive strains" to beta-naphthoflavone and the latter as "non-responsive strains". The O-dealkylase activity in other strains of mice were not clear in responsiveness to beta-naphthoflavone. The hepatic cytochrome P-450 content in responsive strains also increased upon pretreatment of the animals with beta-haphthoflavone. The results indicate marked strain differences in basal and beta-naphthoflavone-induced activity of hepatic 7-alkoxycoumarin O-dealkylase in mice.

Time course of biochemical and histological alterations following a single feeding of carbon tetrachloride to mice

Carbon tetrachloride (0.02, 0.5 or 1.5 ml/kg) was given through a stomach tube to female C57BL/6J mice. Liver weights, the quantities of nine liver (protein, free glucose, glycogen, triglyceride, phospholipid, free and esterified cholesterol, DNA and RNA) and three blood components (glucose and free and esterified cholesterol), and SGOT activities were measured at 15, 24, 39, 48, 63, 87, 159 or 327 hr after carbon tetrachloride feeding. Livers were examined histologically. Chemical components of the liver and blood changed generally in a dose-related manner, but more slowly in the larger-dose groups. The biochemical alterations were reflected well in the histological findings. Degenerative and regenerative findings occurred later in the larger-dose animals. Histological changes appeared first in the midzones in the 0.5 and 1.5 ml/kg groups.

ESR studies on the lipid bilayers of separated outer and cytoplasmic membranes of a moderately halophilic bacterium

Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies were performed on the isolated outer and cytoplasmic membranes from cells of a moderately halophilic bacterium Pseudomonas halosaccharolytica ATCC 29423, which were grown in 2 M NaCl medium at different temperatures. The cytoplasmic membrane contained more acidic phospholipids (50% or more; including most of the diphosphatidylglycerol) than the outer membrane (40%) in 25 and 30 °C grown cells, while in both membranes of 35 °C grown cells the relative content of acidic phospholipids was almost the same. With elevated growth temperature C19-cyclopropanoic fatty acids in both membranes increased.The physical properties of lipid bilayers of both membranes were studied by a spin-label method using N-oxyl spin-labelled stearic acids. Isolated membranes suspended in a medium with or without 2 M NaCl showed no appreciable differences in ESR spectra on changing the sodium chloride concentration in the medium. The lipid bilayers of both membranes gave almost uniform rotational correlation times for the first 12 carbon atoms of the hydrocarbon chains starting from the polar surface of the bilayers. The difference between rotational correlation times of either membrane and those of whole cells and liposomes of extractable lipids of this bacterium was that the rotational correlation times of both membranes gave similar absolute values regardless of change in the growth temperature and varied similarly with the temperature of ESR measurements. The surface lipid layers up to C12 had a phase transition temperature near the growth temperature of the bacterium. The rotational activation energies were 5–10 kcal/mol (1 cal = 4.1868 J) for the liquid phase and 10–25 kcal/mol for the solid phase. In general, the order parameters of both membranes decreased gradually with increasing temperature of ESR measurements, except for rapid decreases and discontinuous drops near the growth temperature with the spin-probe labelled at C12 of stearic acid (12NS). Such discontinuous decreases in order parameter of 12NS were not observed for the whole cell membrane nor for liposomes of total extractable lipids of this bacterium.