[Experimental study on the role of bacteria from urinary tract infections on the bladder carcinogenesis]

The role of bacteria isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) was studied with a view to the possibility that such bacteria are an etiological factor in the development of bladder cancer. The bacterial strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis, isolated from patients with UTI at the Kyushu University Hospital, were tested for their nitrate-reducing activity after 1 hr of incubation with sodium nitrate (3.57 mM) in a growth medium (pH 7.2) at 37 degrees C. Of 35 strains tested, 27 strains (77%) showed the ability to reduce nitrate to nitrite with yields ranging from 2 to 310 microM NO2-/hr/10(7) bacterial cells, but in 8 strains (23%) including all the 7 strains of E. faecalis no elevated activity (0.0-0.3 microM) could be detected. Various kinetic profiles were observed for the nitrate-reducing bacteria, at various rate ranging from rapidly to slowly, during 5 hr of incubation. The effect of nitrate-reducing bacteria on mutagen formation in the human urine was examined. The mutagenic activity of smokers' or non-smokers' urine incubated with or without bacteria for 72 hr at 37 degrees C was assayed by the Ames Salmonella/microsome test (using TA100 or TA98 with S9-mix). The mutagenic activity increased in urine incubated with the nitrate-reducing S. marcescens or P. aeruginosa, compared to controls which were incubated without bacteria. Potent mutagenic activity could be induced when the urine concentrate prepared from smokers' urine with an XAD-2 resin column was incubated with sodium nitrite (40 mM) at pH 3 for 4 hrs. The potent mutagenic activity observed here seems to be due to the class of direct-acting mutagen(s), because no metabolic activation was required. The mutagen formation at an optimal pH 4 proceeded rapidly during 4 hrs of incubation, but decreased thereafter. It was noted that even at a physiological pH 6 of human urine, a lower but significant level of mutagenic activity could still be detected. The mutagenic activity of individual urine concentrate from 14 male smokers and from 6 male non-smokers was assayed after 30 min of incubation with or without sodium nitrite (40 mM) at pH 6. Mutagenic activity increased in most of these urine concentrates incubated with sodium nitrite. The levels were variable between individuals with a 1.3- to 53-fold increase compared with the controls incubated without sodium nitrite.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

[A cooperative study on the incidence of bacteriuria in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy]

The incidence of bacteriuria in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy was studied at 8 National Hospitals. Among 1,542 patients, urinary infection was the reason of visit in 63 patients (4.1%). After open and transurethral prostatectomy, one-third of patients developed bacteriuria (30 of 59 subcapsular enucleations, and 252 of 776 transurethral resections). When a catheter is placed without prophylactic antimicrobial, all patients developed bacteriuria within 10 days, and within 30 days even if they received antimicrobials. The incidence of bacteriuria increased with age.

[Left ventricular function during hypoxia--II: Effects of intramyocardial pH]

We investigated the effects of intramyocardial acidosis on cardiac function during hypoxia in mongrel dogs (n = 50). Intramyocardial pH in subendocardium of left ventricle was measured continuously using a pH electrode. During hypoxia (PaO2 = 20 mmHg) caused by inhalation of low oxygen fraction, intramyocardial pH decreased significantly following initial enhancement. Intramyocardial pH correlated significantly with arterial pH, base excess, lactic acid (LA) levels, coronary venous PcO2, and coronary venous-arterial PcO2 difference. There were significant correlations between intramyocardial pH with maximum rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (LV dp/dt max), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), LVEDP/LVP and the time constant of exponential isovolumic left ventricular pressure fall. High arterial LA levels tended to cease myocardial LA uptake and production, turning LA balance into zero. LV dp/dt max was low in such a condition. Myocardial LA production decreased intramyocardial pH, but LV dp/dt max was maintained at high levels of LA production. These observations suggest that myocardial LA production maintains left ventricular function with the increase of ATP by acceleration of anaerobic glycolysis. In conclusion, during hypoxia, intramyocardial acidosis was caused by the increase of arterial LA level, myocardial anaerobic glycolysis and ATP breakdown, and it worsened left ventricular contractile function and relaxation. Arterial LA levels can play a major part in intramyocardial acidosis, but the increase in myocardial LA production might be beneficial to left ventricular contractile function.

Color selectivity of neurons in the inferior temporal cortex of the awake macaque monkey

We tested the color selectivity of neurons in the inferior temporal (IT) cortex of two awake macaque monkeys. A color stimulus was presented at the center of the visual field while the animal performed a fixation task. The responses of single units to various colors were recorded and were plotted in a color space. The color space was based on the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) chromaticity diagram. Quantitative analysis of the color selectivity was performed using a standard set of colors that were evenly distributed in the color space. Sixty-five neurons recorded from eight guide tubes implanted in anterior part of IT cortex were tested quantitatively, and their color selectivity was statistically evaluated. Forty-six of them (71%) were classified as color selective. Color-selective cells responded to some colors but not to others, and we called the responsive region in the color space the "color field." The location and the size of a cell's color field were largely independent of the luminance of the stimulus. About 80% of the color-selective neurons had color fields consisting of a single responsive region that were restricted in some part of the color space, and the remaining cells had more than one responsive region within the color space. Preferred hues of the color-selective neurons differed from cell to cell. The population of cells together covered nearly all of the color space. There was a tendency for more color-selective cells to be less sensitive to white and desaturated cyans. Some of the cells with color fields that consisted of more than one responsive region were more sensitive to saturation of the stimulus than to its hue. Although previous electrophysiological studies in IT cortex emphasized the pattern selectivity of the neurons, our results suggest that color is an important factor in the role that IT cortex plays in the object recognition.

Traumatic false aneurysm of finger tip. Case report

A 13 year old girl presented with a false aneurysm of the tip of the left middle finger. This was treated by ligation of the branch of the digital artery and sac excision. The patient made an uneventful recovery. To our knowledge, only 10 such cases have been reported, and these were all proximal to the distal interphalangeal joint.

Epilepsy and driving: a survey of automobile accidents attributed to seizure

From results of a survey of 72 epileptic car drivers who had a mean driving history of 8.6 years, 18 (25%) had experienced one or more automobile accidents ascribed to a seizure while driving, with the total number of accidents of the surveyed group amounting to 35. All the drivers were known to have partial epilepsy, 13 of them having temporal lobe epilepsy. The main characteristics of these 35 accidents were as follows: (1) Fifty-seven percent were caused by complex partial seizure without an aura in which consciousness was immediately impaired at onset, while about 10% were attributed to simple partial seizure in which the conscious state was not altered. No accident was caused by a first seizure; (2) Fifty-one percent occurred on an empty road with little pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic; (3) In about half the accidents, the driver's vehicle collided against an immovable object, and only 20% involved crashing into another car; (4) Most accidents caused damage to only the driver's car and/or mild physical injury; and (5) Fifty-four percent of the accidents were not reported to the police, and many that were reported were ascribed to driving while asleep, to careless driving or to similar behavior.

[Mass screening for prostatic cancer in Hisayama town, Fukuoka]

A mass screening for prostatic cancer was conducted in Hisayama town, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan from 1988 to 1989. As the primary screening questionnaire survey about urination and measurement of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) were performed in 789 of the 1025 male residents over 50 years old (77.0%). For the second screening with digital rectal examination and transrectal ultrasonography, 184 subjects (23.3%) were picked up. Prostatic cancer was suspected in 33 (4.2%) of the 134 subjects who actually underwent the second screening examination. Prostatic biopsy and other examinations such as measurement of prostatic acid phosphatase and gamma-seminoprotein, urinalysis and radiographic examination were performed in 26 as the third screening, and prostatic cancer was detected in 5 (0.63%); 3 in stage B and 2 in stage C. Four of the 5 subjects with prostatic cancer had complained no urinary symptoms on questionnaire. Serum PSA was useful for detecting early stage prostatic cancer.

Osteoarthropathy in hereditary sensory radicular neuropathy. A case report

A young man had hereditary sensory radicular neuropathy with relapsing ulcer of the foot and, in addition to previously known clinical features, osteoarthropathy with hallux valgus, metatarsus primus varus, exostosis, and pes planus.

Effects of flunarizine therapy on intractable epilepsy

In an open trial the antiepileptic effects of flunarizine were studied in 64 patients with intractable epilepsy, and the following results were obtained: 1. Seizures disappeared completely in 2 cases, with a 50% decrease in 6 cases. 2. Of the 25 patients who had accompanying psychiatric symptoms 8.0% showed an improvement in these symptoms. 3. While no marked side-effects were observed, some cases showed an increase in frequency of seizures and the trial was stopped for 8 cases. 4. "Global evaluation" showed an overall improvement rate of 9.4%. In 47 cases, in which changes in frequency of seizure were confirmed and dosage of flunarizine was subsequently changed, improvement rate was 12.8%. 5. The above results suggest that the effectiveness of flunarizine in this open trial was very low.

What facial features activate face neurons in the inferotemporal cortex of the monkey?

Single neurons were recorded in the inferotemporal cortex (IT) of a monkey trained to discriminate three selected human faces from a large number of different faces. Neurons which were not responsive to non-face visual stimuli used in the task but were responsive to certain sets of faces were found in the gyrus of the IT. The correlation analysis between the quantified facial features and the responses has revealed that face neurons detect the combination of the distances between facial parts such as eyes, mouth, eyebrows, hair, and so on. One of the face neurons detected the combination of the degree that the forehead above the left eye covered with hair and the distance between the eyes and the mouth. The results of this analysis have given appropriate reason for naming the neurons as the face neurons.

Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum. Case report and review of literature

A case of leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum in a 47-year-old man is presented. A review of the English literature revealed this to be the 7th reported case of leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum, and sufficiently wide surgical excision is required as the initial treatment.

Neural interactions of two moving patterns in the direction and orientation domain in the complex cells of cat's visual cortex

An examination was made of the responses of complex cells in cat's striate cortex to a textured (nonoriented) stimulus moving in the preferred direction, superimposed upon either a textured or a grating stimulus (oriented) that was moved in different directions. The cell discharges elicited by the textured stimulus moving in the preferred direction were reduced by the textured stimulus moving in nonpreferred directions, and increased when moved in the preferred direction. A grating moving in nonpreferred directions showed similar inhibitory effects on the responses to a textured stimulus moving in the preferred direction. Neural processing for directional movement is, therefore, affected by other neural processing for directional movement, and still more by that for orientation.

Neural interactions of two slits in the orientation domain in the visual cortical units of the cat

The responses of the cat's visual cortical cells to an optimally oriented (O-) and an inclined (theta-) slit have been studied. Cell's responses to the simultaneous presentation, in simple cells, are similar to those to theta-slit alone, but in complex cells, are remarkably decreased at orientation difference of about 45 degrees. In the sequential presentation, the effects of preceding theta-slit on the responses to the following O-slit decrease as the orientation difference increases. This suggests that neural interactions of simultaneous and sequential presentation of two slits are caused by different mechanisms.