Efficacy of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock

Cardiogenic shock still remains a highly lethal complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study reviews our hospital experience in treating AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock to evaluate whether coronary angioplasty improves survival or not. We have treated 523 AMI patients from 1985 to 1990, and among these, 26 patients with AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) compose the study group. In 16 patients, PTCA was successful (Groups S) and in 10 patients, unsuccessful (Group F). There were no statistical differences between the Groups with respect to clinical background, intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) or emergency coronary bypass graft surgery. Before PTCA, hemodynamic variables including cardiac index, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and systolic blood pressure were similar in the 2 groups. After PTCA, cardiac index in Group S patients was better than in Group F patients (2.18 +/- 0.61 versus 1.62 +/- 0.65, p less than 0.05). Thirty day and 1 year survivals were also better in Group S than in Group F (30 day survival: Group S 56.2%, Group F 10%, 1 year survival: Group S 31.2%, Group F 0%, p less than 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age under 75 years old, systolic blood pressure over 90 mmHg after PTCA and successful PTCA were independent predictors of 30 day survival (p less than 0.05). It was suggested that PTCA was an effective procedure to reduce mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock.

Synthesis of 4'-deoxy-4'-fluorokanamycin A and B

4'-Deoxy-4'-fluorokanamycins A (17) and B (25) have been prepared through fluorinative ring-opening of the D-galacto-3',4'-oxiranes (8 and 21) derived from kanamycin A and B with potassium hydrogenfluoride in ethane-1,2-diol. The mechanism of preponderant formation of the 4'-deoxy-4'-fluoro-D-gluco (9 and 22) over the 3'-deoxy-3'-fluoro-D-gulo derivatives was discussed. In the synthesis of 25, the unusual 3',6'-epimine (23) was the main product along with the 4'-deoxy-4'-fluoro derivative. The mechanism of this reaction is also discussed. Both 17 and 25 were active against resistant bacteria producing aminoglycoside-adenylylating enzymes for HO-4'.

[Perioperative management for type A acute aortic dissection]

Twenty nine cases of type A acute aortic dissection were subjected to a retrospective study concerning perioperative management. Two keys pointed out for the management were as follow; (1) An optimal control of blood pressure is the most important measure to avoid advance of aortic dissection or rupture of dissecting aneurysm. Both pericardiac tamponade and aortic valve insufficiency should be taken care of from their onset, since they are often complicated after aortic dissections and their onset is fatal. (2) Separated brain perfusion and profound hypothermia with total circulatory arrest might involve a high risk of inducing postoperative brain damage and mortality, especially for old patients.

Cloning and sequencing of the melB gene encoding the melibiose permease of Salmonella typhimurium LT2

The nucleotide sequence of the melB gene coding for the Na+ (Li+)/melibiose symporter of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 was determined, and its amino acid sequence was deduced. It consists of 1428 bp, corresponding to a protein of 476 amino acid residues (calculated molecular weight 52,800). The amino acid sequence is homologous to that of the melibiose permease of Escherichia coli K12, with 85% identical residues. All, except one, of the amino acid residues that have been reported to be important for cation or substrate recognition in the melibiose permease of E. coli are conserved in the melibiose permease of S. typhimurium. In addition, part of the sequence resembles the lactose permease of Streptococcus thermophilus, the animal glucose transporter (GLUT1), the plasmid-coded raffinose permease (RafB), and the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 4 (Nuo4) of Aspergillus amstelodami.

Role of endothelium-derived nitric oxide in myocardial reactive hyperemia

In pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized dogs we investigated the role of the endothelium-derived nitric oxide and adenosine in the regulation of the coronary blood flow during myocardial reactive hyperemia. Repayments of flow debt after 10-, 20- and 60-s occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) were measured before and after infusion of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; n = 15), 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT; n = 5), and both L-NMMA and 8-PT (n = 5) into the LCX. Infusion of L-NMMA (2 mumol/min, for 20 min) reduced repayments of flow debt after 10-, 20-, and 60-s LCX occlusion by 30 +/- 4 (P less than 0.01), 34 +/- 3 (P less than 0.01), and 14 +/- 3% (P less than 0.01), respectively. Infusion of 8-PT (0.75 mumol/min for 15 min) also reduced these repayments of flow debt by 31 +/- 7 (P less than 0.01), 30 +/- 7 (P less than 0.01), and 34 +/- 6% (P less than 0.01), respectively. Simultaneous infusion of L-NMMA and 8-PT significantly attenuated the peak reactive flow rate and reduced repayment of flow debt after 20-s LCX occlusion by 57 +/- 1% (P less than 0.001), and this reduction in repayment of flow debt was significantly greater than each of those by the individual administration of L-NMMA and 8-PT (both P less than 0.01). The suppressive effect of L-NMMA on repayment of flow debt after 20-s LCX occlusion was quickly reversed by the infusion of L-arginine (3 mg/min for 10 min; n = 5).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Study on fluorination of 2,3-dideoxy-2,3-(N-tosylepimino)-alpha-D-allopyranosides, and synthesis of 3'-deoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin B and 3',4'-dideoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin B

Reaction of the structurally rigid methyl 2,3-dideoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-2,3-(N-tosylepimino)-alpha-D-a llopyranoside (6) with KHF2 in DMF at 150 degrees gave initially methyl 2,3-dideoxy-2-fluoro-4,6-O-isopropylidene-3-tosylamido-alpha-D-altrop yranoside (10) by N-tosylepimine-ring opening, and 10 was gradually converted into the stable methyl 2,3-dideoxy-3-fluoro-4,6-O-isopropylidene-2-tosylamido-alpha-D-glucopyra noside (11). A reversible mechanism involving 6 and 10 has been proposed. In the mobile methyl 2,3-dideoxy-2,3-(N-tosylepimino)-alpha-D-allopyranoside (7) and the corresponding 4,6-di-O-acetyl (8) and -di-O-methyl derivatives (9), reactions with KHF2 proceeded comparatively rapidly giving the corresponding 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosides as the major products. A slightly different reaction mechanism for the mobile compounds has been proposed. By application of this study, 3'-deoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin B was prepared by treatment of 4",6"-O-cyclohexylidene-2'-deamino-3'-deoxy-3'-epi-6'-N-methoxycarbonyl- 1,3, 3"-tri-N-tosyl-2',3'-(N-tosylepimino)kanamycin B (21) with KHF2 as the key reaction. 3',4'-Dideoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin B was also prepared. Both compounds were active against resistant bacteria producing 3'-modifying enzymes.

Preferential utilization of glucose over melibiose, and vice versa, in a pts mutant of Salmonella typhimurium

Preferential utilization of glucose and melibiose was investigated in wild type cells and in pts mutant (ptsI-leaky) cells of Salmonella typhimurium. A typical diauxic growth and preferential utilization of glucose over melibiose were observed in wild type cells when these two sugars were added as carbon source. Similar results were obtained with a pts mutant (SB1476) although utilization of glucose was slow. When cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) was added to the culture medium to release the catabolite repression, preferential utilization of glucose was still observed in wild type cells. With glucose-induced mutant cells, preferential utilization of glucose was observed in the presence of cAMP. Gradual utilization of melibiose took place when glucose concentration in the medium decreased. Surprisingly, preferential utilization of melibiose over glucose was observed with melibiose-induced and glucose-uninduced mutant cells in the presence of cAMP.

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the gene (citC) encoding a citrate carrier from several Salmonella serovars

The nucleotide sequence of the citC coding for the citrate carrier in several Salmonella serovars has been determined, and the amino acid sequence of the carrier protein was deduced. The predicted citrate carrier from Salmonella pullorum and Salmonella enteritidis consists of 446 amino acids with a molecular weight of 47,621, whereas that from Salmonella dublin is the same 446 amino acids with the slightly different molecular weight of 47,591, because 1 amino acid residue was substituted. The predicted proteins are highly hydrophobic (69% nonpolar amino acids). The hydropathy profile suggests that the proteins are composed of 11-12 hydrophobic membrane-spanning segments with two hydrophilic cores in the middle of the protein sequence. No homology in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences was found in the molecular structures of citA, citP, and tctI genes. The citC-coding citrate transport activity is Na(+)-dependent and specific for citrate only. The transcript from the citC gene was not detected in the total RNA from several Salmonella serovars except S. dublin in Northern blot analysis, although the promoter of the citC genes appeared to be functional in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium strains using the lacZ fusion assay. These results suggested that the citC gene-coding citrate carrier is probably a TctIII system such as that identified previously in S. typhimurium.

Mapping of antigenic sites to monoclonal antibodies on the primary structure of the F1-ATPase beta subunit from Escherichia coli: concealed amino-terminal region of the subunit in the F1

To analyze relationships between the ternary and primary structures of the beta subunit of Escherichia coli F1 ATPase, we prepared two monoclonal antibodies beta 12 and beta 31 against the beta peptide. These antibodies bind to the beta subunit but do not bind to the F1 ATPase, resulting in no inhibition of the ATPase activities. Several different portions of the beta subunit peptide were prepared by constructing expression plasmids carrying the corresponding DNA segment of the beta subunit gene amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Western blotting analysis using these peptides revealed that the antibodies bound to a peptide of 104 amino acid residues from the amino terminal end, which is outside the previously estimated catalytic domain between residues 140 and 350. These results indicated that the amino terminal portion of the maximal 104 residues is not exposed to the surface of the F1 ATPase. The binding spectrum of the antibodies to the subunit from various species including Vibrio alginolyticus and thermophilic bacterium PS3 indicated possible epitope sequences within the 104 residues. The ternary structure of the beta subunit, in terms of cleavage sites by endopeptidases, was analyzed using the antibodies. A 43-kDa peptide without binding ability to beta 12 and beta 31 appeared upon cleavage by lysyl endopeptidase. The results suggested that lysyl residues from around 70 to 100 from the amino terminus are exposed to the surface of the beta subunit.

Myosin phosphorylation-independent contraction induced by phorbol ester in vascular smooth muscle

In isolated rat aorta, carotid artery, tail artery, rabbit aorta and mesenteric artery, but not in ear artery, 1 microM 12-deoxyphorbol 13-isobutyrate (DPB) induced a sustained contraction. However, DPB increased cytosolic Ca++ concentration ([Ca++]i) only in rat aorta and carotid artery. Similar results were obtained with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, although the inactive phorbol ester, 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, was ineffective. In rat aorta, DPB-induced contraction was followed by an increase in 20 kDa myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Both contraction and MLC phosphorylation stimulated by DPB were greater than those due to high K+ for a given increase in [Ca++]i. A Ca++ channel blocker, verapamil, decreased the DPB-induced increments in [Ca++]i and MLC phosphorylation to their respective resting levels, although contraction was inhibited only slightly. In the absence of external Ca++ (with 0.5 mM ethyleneglycol bis(beta-aminoethyl-ether)tetraacetic acid), DPB induced sustained contraction without increasing [Ca++]i or MLC phosphorylation. This contraction was followed by an increase in stiffness and force recovery after a shortening step. These results suggest that the contraction induced by DPB in rat aorta is due to increase in [Ca++]i followed by MLC phosphorylation and Ca++ sensitization of MLC phosphorylation. In the presence of verapamil or in the absence of external Ca++, DPB may increase cross-bridge cycling by activating an unknown mechanism that is not dependent on an increase in MLC phosphorylation.

Receptor agonists induce myosin phosphorylation-dependent and phosphorylation-independent contractions in vascular smooth muscle

In isolated rat aorta, 72.7 mM KCI, 10 microM prostaglandin F2 alpha, 30 nM endothelin-1 and 1 microM norepinephrine increased muscle tension, cytosolic Ca++ concentration ([Ca++]i) and 20 kDa myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. The levels of contractile tension and MLC phosphorylation at a given [Ca++]i were greatest in the presence of endothelin-1 followed by prostaglandin F2 alpha greater than norepinephrine greater than high K+. Verapamil inhibited the high K(+)-induced increments to their respective resting levels. Verapamil also almost completely inhibited the receptor agonist-induced increments in [Ca++]i and MLC phosphorylation, although a part of the contraction was not inhibited. Ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid further decreased [Ca++]i and muscle tension, suggesting that a part of the contraction is regulated by [Ca++]i below a resting level. Receptor agonists induced sustained contraction in the absence of external Ca++ which was not followed by the increase in [Ca++]i or MLC phosphorylation. This contraction was followed by the increments in shortening velocity and stiffness. In the rabbit mesenteric artery permeabilized with Staphylococcus aureus, alpha-toxin, norepinephrine and endothelin-1 shifted the Ca(++)-tension curve to the left in the presence of GTP. From these results, it is suggested that high K(+)-induced sustained contraction of vascular smooth muscle is attributable to an increase in [Ca++]i followed by an increase in MLC phosphorylation. In addition to this fundamental mechanism, receptor agonists increase Ca+ sensitivity of MLC phosphorylation when [Ca++]i is higher than resting level resulting in a greater contraction than that induced by high K+ for a given increase in [Ca++]i.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Clinicobacteriological study of Pasteurella multocida infection as a zoonosis. (2)--Comparisons of P. multocida separated from patients and their pet dogs and cats]

A total of 17 strains of Pasteurella multocida, of which 13 were isolated from patients treated at Nihon University Itabashi Hospital or Nihon University Surugadai Hospital between April, 1984 and March, 1991 and 4 from 1 dog and 3 cats kept by the patients, were evaluated with respect to their biochemical properties, sensitivity to drugs, and serotype. The isolated strains were all considered to be Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida because of the agreement of their responses to indole, sorbitol and dulcitol with those of this subspecies, except for 1 sorbitol-negative strain of Pasteurella multocida subsp. septica isolated from 1 patient who had been bitten by a cat. All the isolated strains showed high sensitivities to various drugs. The serotype was capsular type A, which is often observed in cats and dogs, in 7 strains, which consisted of 6 of the 7 strains derived from the airway of the patients and 1 of the 6 strains derived from bit or scratch wound. The remaining strains could not be classified. Five morphological types, namely 1, 3, 3.8, 6, and 8 were observed. In 2 patients, Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida of the same serotype was also isolated from their cats. One of these patients had intimate contact with the cat including kissing. Our findings suggest that: 1) Pasteurella multocida subsp. multocida has been responsible for most conventional cases of Pasteurella multocida infection. 2) Strains isolated from patients differ in the capsular type according to the disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cheiro-oral syndrome due to lesions in the corona radiata

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

We describe three patients with cheiro-oral syndrome caused by a small lesion in the corona radiata confirmed by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging.

CASE DESCRIPTIONS

Case 1: A 56-year-old hypertensive man who developed hypesthesia and paresthesia in the left perioral area and hand was found to have a small hematoma just lateral to the right internal capsule. Case 2: A 67-year-old man noticed hypesthesia around the left mouth angle and thumb and index finger. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the right corona radiata. Case 3: A 45-year-old hypertensive man developed numbness in his perioral region and left hand that later spread to his shoulder. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a recent small infarct in the lower lateral aspect of the right corona radiata.

CONCLUSIONS

A small lesion in the corona radiata can cause cheiro-oral syndrome, whose pathogenetic mechanism in such patients may be explained by the somatotopical location or by the differing vulnerability of the neuropils in the corona radiata.

Developmental aspects of a unique glutathione S-transferase subunit Yx in the liver cytosol from rats with hereditary hyperbilirubinuria. Comparison with rat fetal liver transferase subunit Yfetus

The unique glutathione S-transferase (GST) subunit Yx, which is undetectable in normal adult rat liver cytosol, was shown to occur in the liver cytosol of rats with hereditary hyperbilirubinuria (EHB). The Yx subunit is a member of the Alpha-class GST subunits, and is immunologically closely related to the Yc subunit. The Yx subunit has an apparent M(r) of 26,400, different from those of Ya (M(r) 25,800), Yb1 and Yb2 (both M(r) 27,200) and Yc (M(r) 28,400). During postnatal development in livers of EHB rats, the Yx subunit concentration in either sex was highest during the first week post partum and declined rapidly with age. Although the concentration of subunit Yx at 8 weeks of age accounted for about 60% in females and 40% in males of that observed in 1-week-old 'neonatal' male EHB rats, concentrations in females thereafter increased gradually to almost the neonatal level and remained at this high level at least up to 37 weeks of age, whereas the concentration in males did not increase again. Thus the post-pubertal Yx subunit concentration was 2-fold higher in females than in males. In contrast, in normal Sprague-Dawley rat liver, the Yfetus subunit, with the same M(r) as the Yx subunit, had the highest concentration in 10-day-old animals, declined rapidly thereafter, and was not detectable in the post-pubertal period. The Yfetus subunit was also immunoreactive with an antibody against GST YcYc. The analysis of GST subunits by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. revealed that the Yx subunit was eluted at a retention time different from other known subunits, but coincided with that of Yfetus. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the Yx subunit displayed a high degree of sequence similarity to that of the Yfetus subunit. These data suggest that the Yx subunit in EHB rats may be very similar to, if not identical with, the Yfetus subunit.

Bactericidal action of a glycoprotein from the body surface mucus of giant African snail

1. Bactericidal action of a glycoprotein, Achacin, purified from the giant African snail, Achatina fulica Férussac, has been studied. 2. Achacin kills both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but only in their growing states. 3. Achacin does not have any bacteriolytic activity. 4. The strain which has no cell wall is a little more sensitive than the native strain and the cell membrane-damaged strain. 5. Achacin was observed on the cytoplasmic membrane and on the cell wall of treated Escherichia coli by immunoelectron microscopy. 6. Achacin attacks the cytoplasmic membrane of the cell.

Synthesis of 7-O-[2,6-dideoxy-2-fluoro-4-O-(3-fluorotetrahydropyran-2-yl)- alpha-L-talopyranosyl]daunomycinone

7-O-[2,6-Dideoxy-2-fluoro-4-O-(3-fluorotetrahydropyran-2-yl)-alpha -L- talopyranosyl]daunomycinones (7a-7c) have been prepared by condensation of 3'-O-benzoyl derivative of 7-O-(2,6-dideoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-L-talopyranosyl)daunomycinone with 2,3-difluorotetrahydropyran as the key reaction. Antitumor activities of these compounds are described.

Ultrasonic evaluation of the site of carotid axis occlusion in patients with acute cardioembolic stroke

PURPOSE

We performed the present study to determine whether the site of cardioembolic occlusion in the carotid axis could be identified by end-diastolic velocity measurements of the common carotid arteries.

SUMMARY OF REPORT

Using duplex carotid ultrasonography, we measured the flow velocity in the common carotid arteries and calculated the side-to-side ratios of the end-diastolic velocity (ED ratio; the end-diastolic velocity of the nonaffected side divided by that of the affected side) in 46 patients with acute cardioembolic stroke. The velocity on the faster side was divided by the slower velocity to obtain the normal values of ED ratio in 30 controls. The ED ratios were compared with the angiographic findings, in which unilateral intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion was present in 20 patients (IC group), occlusion of the horizontal segment of the middle cerebral artery was present in 16 patients (M1 group), and branch occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was present in 10 patients (MBr group). The ED ratios of the control group were less than 1.3; those of the MBr group generally less than 1.3; the IC group greater than 4.0, except in two patients with severe cerebral edema; and those of the M1 group between 1.3 and 4.0. Therefore, the IC group was easily distinguished from the other groups by an ED ratio greater than or equal to 4.0, with an accuracy of 97%, and the M1 group by an ED ratio greater than or equal to 1.3 and less than 4.0, with an accuracy of 93%.

CONCLUSIONS

We found the ED ratio useful to identify internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery occlusion in patients with cardioembolic stroke unless severe cerebral edema was present.

Comparative studies by cell culture and in vivo implantation test on the toxicity of natural rubber latex materials

Colony assay using V79 cells, the agar diffusion assay with L929 cells, and the 7-day rabbit muscle implantation test were employed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and tissue toxicity of natural rubber latex (NRL) materials. The in vivo implantation test showed that, among 13 histological parameters, thickness of inflammatory layer was the most useful index to evaluate tissue responses quantitatively. A comparison of the in vivo and in vitro parameters revealed the following correlations between the thickness of the inflammatory layer and cytotoxicity indices: Colony assay of the extracts, IC50: r = 0.80; Agar diffusion assay, Zone index: r = 0.73; Lysis index: r = 0.61. From these results, it appears that the colony assay provides a more reliable prediction of the tissue response than the agar diffusion assay.

A synthetic study of methyl 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosides from methyl 2,3-anhydro-alpha-D-allopyranosides, and synthesis of 3'-deoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin A and 3'-chloro-3'-deoxykanamycin A

Reactions of 4,6-disubstituted 2,3-anhydro-alpha-D-allopyranosides with potassium hydrogenfluoride (KHF2) in ethane-1,2-diol gave, by oxirane-ring opening, the corresponding 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-altro- and 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-alpha-D-gluco-pyranosyl derivatives, with the latter always in preponderance. The influence of the substituents at C-4 and C-6 on the D-gluco-D-altro ratio (r) have been studied by molecular mechanics, and the discrepancy between the experimental and calculated r values has been positively utilized to measure the effects of solvation and hydrogen bonding relative to the C-4 and C-6 substituents. By application of this reaction, 3'-deoxy-3'-fluorokanamycin A has been prepared by treatment of a 2',3'-anhydro-3'-epikanamycin A derivative (35) with KHF2. 3'-Chloro-3'-deoxykanamycin A was also prepared.

Teratogenicity of arotinoids (retinoids) in the rat whole embryo culture

Structural modifications of the arotinoid molecule RO 13-7410 led to a difference in the teratogenic potencies of more than five orders of magnitude in mice in vivo and in micromass cultures of rat embryonic limb bud cells (Kistler et al. 1990). Five of these retinoids were selected and tested in rat whole embryo culture to determine the suitability of this in vitro test system for the identification of potentially non-teratogenic derivatives among this class of chemicals. The highest concentrations of the compounds with no effects (NOAEL) on general conceptus growth, on differentiation and on the frequency of dysmorphogenic embryos in vitro were compared with the lowest effective teratogenic doses in vivo (LOAEL) or with the concentrations leading to 50% inhibition of limb bud cell differentiation (IC50) in vitro. NOAEL's for the parameters of conceptus development ranged from 10(-5) micrograms/ml (0.03 nM) to 10 micrograms/ml (28.7 microM) for the compounds tested. These correlated very well with LOAEL and IC50 (R greater than 0.95). The types of dysmorphogenesis in vitro were those typical for retinoids, and for the most part resembled the malformations found in vivo. We conclude that the whole embryo culture system is a useful tool for the preliminary testing of retinoids.

Production and cytological studies of nine-paired barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Several barley plants with 2n = 18 chromosomes (9 II) were developed from crosses between two lines with 2n = 16 chromosomes (8 II). Cytological studies of the 18-chromosome plants showed nine bivalents at metaphase I and normal 9:9 segregation at anaphase I. Morphologically, these plants with 18 chromosomes were qualitatively similar to normal diploids (2n = 14), in spite of a duplication of a small proximal segment of the short arm of chromosome 3. However, the 18-chromosome plants were as vigorous as some normal diploid cultivars and more vigorous than 16-chromosome parental lines. If the duplicated segment carried beneficial gene(s), it might be useful for enhancement of germplasm in barley genetics and breeding. The significance of the establishment of this new 18-chromosome barley in karyotype evolution is discussed.Key words: nine-paired barley, aneuploid, trisomic, duplication, Hordeum.