Effects of enflurane anaesthesia and surgery on endocrine function in man

Forty-five patients underwent enflurane anaesthesia and surgery. Anaesthesia alone evoked little change in the plasma concentrations of ACTH, cortisol or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), but there were significant increases during surgery. The plasma concentrations of aldosterone increased during anaesthesia alone, and a further increase was noted during surgery. Neither enflurane anaesthesia nor surgery significantly influenced plasma concentrations of renin activity and thyroxine. A significant decrease in the plasma triiodothyronine concentrations was detected during anaesthesia alone, and a further decrease was found during and following surgery. Enflurane anaesthesia did not affect the plasma concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH) in male subjects throughout surgery, but a significant decrease in female patients was detected to the first day after operation. The plasma concentrations of testosterone decreased during anaesthesia alone and surgery, and a further decrease was noted on the first day after operation.

Kallikrein system during treatment of hematological malignancies

Factors of the plasma kallikrein system have been evaluated following the course of 48 patients with hematological malignancies which consisted of 15 cases of AML, 6 cases of myeloproliferative disorders, 14 of lymphoproliferative disorders, 8 of multiple myeloma and 5 of bone marrow carcinomatoses. Normal range of spontaneous activity was 11.4 +/- 3.0 micronM/ml TAMe hydrolyzed, kallikreinogen was 115.8 +/- 26.2 micronM/ml.h and enzyme inhibitor was 1.02 +/- 0.37 unit. Lower kallikreinogen level of the range was from 77.2 to 93.1; higher spontaneous activity, 8.4 to 18.0 and lower enzyme inhibitor activity of 0.46 to 0.92 was seen before treatment. Kallikreinogen increased up to the range of 95.6 to 120.1 at complete remission and decreased down to 63.1 - 76.5 prior to death. The causes of the change in these factors were discussed.

Effects of alpha- and beta-D-glucose on germination of spores of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551

The effects of D-glucose anomers on the germination of dormant spores of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 were studied, alpha-D-Glucose (1 mM) slightly initiated the germination of the dormant spores during 10 min incubation at 37 degrees C, while about 60% of the dormant spores became germinated with beta-D-glucose (1 mM) in the same conditions. From the above observations and the finding that only a trace amount of alpha- or beta-D-glucose may bind with the dormant spores, it is speculated that the beta-D-glucose-stereospecific receptor site for the germination exists on the surface of the dormant spores of the bacillus.

Heart disease screening of school children using abbreviated electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram

By recording the electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram simultaneously using three abbreviated leads, 23,216 (6 and 7 years of age) elementary school children were screened for heart diseases. One hundred and one cases (0.44%) with congenital heart diseases, ten cases (0.04%) with acquired heart diseases and 100 cases (0.43%) with electrocardiographic abnormalities were discovered. From these observations, we conclude that this screening method applied on school children is useful in discovering the previously unrecognized heart diseases, especially atrial septal defect, primary myocardial disease and arrhythmia.

Sensitivity to diethyl-ester as a possible cause of repeated cardiac arrest

During induction of ether anaesthesia in a five year old girl with multiple cardiac defects (ASD, VSD and PS) cardiac arrest developed repeatedly. Radical surgery was subsequently performed uneventfully under morphine anaesthesia with cardiopulmonary bypass. Ether appears to be the most likely factor accounting for the repeated arrests.

Prevention of plasmin autodigestion by human plasma alpha2-macroglobulin

The autodigestion of plasmin in neutral solution at 37 degrees C and prevention of plasmin autodigestion by methylamine were confirmed by using rho-Tosyl-L-Arginine-Methyl ester as a substrate of plasmin. The autodigestion of plasmin was prevented by human plasma alpha2-macroglobulin which has been reported as an antiplasmin of immediate and reversible type but was not prevented by alpha1-antitrypsin which has been reported as an antiplasmin of slow and irreversible type.

Ultrastructural changes of intercellular junctions in rat ascites hepatoma cells with calcium depletion

To analyse the effect of ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA) on tumour cell adhesiveness, fine structure of intercellular junctions of rat ascites hepatoma cells AH136B and AH7974 (both forming cell islands in vivo) was first compared. The close contact of the apical portion of both cell islands was composed of tight junctions with a narrow gap. The close contact of the inner portion of AH136B cell islands was largely by simple apposition, while that of AH7974 cell islands had many intermediate junctions and desmosomes. Treatment with EDTA (2 mM) induced morphological alteration of simple apposition, intermediate junctions and desmosomes, but tight junctions remained intact. The effect of EDTA on such junctional complexes seemed to be partially reversible on readministration of Ca ions. Changes in desmosomes, as confirmed on AH7974 cells, were initiated by disappearance of the central disc of electron-dense materials, followed by marked opening of intercellular space and disappearance of endoplasmic laminar plaque. These results suggest that Ca ions may be concerned with maintaining the integrity of junctional complexes other than tight junctions.

[A case of deep sylvian meningioma (author's transl)]

So called intracerebral or subcortical meningioma with no relation to the ventricles is extremely rare. In 1938 Cushing and Eisenhardt reported two cases of this type of tumor as "Deep Sylvian Meningiomas" The authors reported a case of "deep sylvian meningioma" because of its rarity and interesting diagnostical questions, and 16 cases reported in the literature were reviewed.