Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of DNA dodecamer with 5-hydroxy-6-cytosinyl radical

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of DNA dodecamer d (CGCGAATTC*GCG)2 with a primary radiation damage represented by 5-hydroxy-6-cytosinyl radical (C*) in position 9 was performed with AMBER 4.0 force field with periodic boundary conditions for the solvent. The temperature, potential energy of the system, energetic contributions from groups and RMS deviation from original positions were examined throughout the course of the simulation up to 140 ps. The stabilized structure (after 100 ps) was distorted and bent near the damaged site, which is similar to that observed in the MD of DNA with thymine glycol (Miaskiewicz, K. et al (1994) Radiat. Protection Dosimetry, 52, 149-153). The results suggest that a small and local damage in DNA may cause a large and global conformational change in DNA. Water molecules form two layers at distance 2.5 A and 5.5 A around the DNA. The MD simulation is a new approach to study radiation damages in molecular level.

[Reasonable indication for PTCA or CABG in Japanese patients with coronary artery disease--on the basis of 11 years follow-up]

The principle of our treatment choices for either PTCA or CABG is as follows; 1) 1VD is mainly indicated for PTCA or medical treatment except for very proximal or complicated LAD lesion, 2) 3VD is absolutely indicated for CABG, 3) 2VD involving LAD is positively indicated for CABG, 4) Special indications were set aside for critical lesion(s) in limited groups of patients such as those with prior CABG, and those with other serious or fatal disease, and also senile but active patients (male > 80 years old, female > 75 years old). Proper medial treatment was always conducted in all cases. During the period of 11 years between 1984 and 1994, 1050 PTCA procedures (760 individual patients) and 1484 CABG's were done at our university hospital. The annual ratio between CABG and PTCA (CABG/PTCA) was higher than 2.0 in the first 4 years but it has settled on a level of 1.0 +/- 0.2 in the last 5 years even with a significant increase in the number of PTCA patients. As to the characteristics of our PTCA group, patients with single vessel lesion comprised 57%, only single target PTCA did 78% and only LAD did 47%. Patients with prior CABG and multi lesion PTCA comprised 10% and 22%, respectively. The lesion success rare was 89%. As the major complications in 1050 PTCA's, one death (0.1%), seven (0.7%) emergency CABG's and eleven (1.0%) Q wave MI patients were recognized. The overall angiographical lesion restenosis rate was 44% of 657 lesions in 550 patients who underwent CAG within 6 months after PTCA. In 1484 CABG's, hospital mortality was 1.5% and non fatal major complications 6%. The survival rates (free of cardiac death) for PTCA patient appeared equivalent between single and multi vessel groups. However, their event free survival rates even for 1VD significantly dropped, from 99% to 68% in one year and below 60% at 5 years. For 3VD it became as low as 26% at 10 years. On the contrary, the even free survival rates for CABG patients with 3VD keep as high as 93% at 5 years and 75% at 10 years, respectively. As a conclusion, the timely use of PTCA considering an indication of CABG may be a wise and practical treatment choice for CAD, but the reasonable ratio of PTCA vs CABG seems to be about fifty-fifty as indicated in our study results. Our treatment decisions of either PTCA or CABG as mentioned above yielded acceptable outcomes in the prognosis of patients with CAD.

Tissue distribution and plasma concentration of human guanylin

Guanylin, a peptide homologue of the bacterial heat-stable enterotoxins, is an endogenous activator of guanylate cyclase C (GC-C). We determined the tissue content and plasma concentration of human guanylin, and its cellular source in the intestine. Human guanylin is distributed widely from the duodenum to the rectum, the highest content being in the ileum and proximal colon. The plasma concentration of immunoreactive guanylin in the normal individuals tested was 30.3 +/- 3.7 fmol/ml (mean +/- SE) and that in patients with chronic renal failure was elevated with increasing serum creatinine concentration. Guanylin immunoreactivity was detected in the villus epithelial cells in the small intestine and these guanylin-containing cells were increased in number along the cephalocaudal axis of the gut. Guanylin was also present in Paneth cells in the small intestine and superficial epithelial cells in the large intestine. Guanylin mRNA was detected in the intestine by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Guanylin may have paracrine action on neighboring enterocytes, activating intestinal guanylate cyclase and thereby regulating intestinal fluid as well as electrolyte transport through the second messenger, cyclic GMP.

Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation initiated by a short-coupled ventricular premature beat

We report the case of a 38-year-old man who had idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF) which initiated by abnormally short-coupled ventricular premature beats. VF was successfully prevented by the combination of pilsicainide, propranolol, and verapamil. In particular, the effects of pilsicainide are assumed to exert an important effect in controlling this arrhythmia. Class Ic drugs may be effective for preventing VF initiated by short-coupled VPBs.

Relationship of thallium-201 clearance on exercise stress myocardial scintigraphy to coronary flow reserve in patients with coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated thallium-201 (201Th) clearance measurement during exercise myocardial scintigraphy in patients with coronary artery disease, for the assessment of coronary circulatory function and diagnosis.

DESIGN

The clearance rate of 201Th was compared with the coronary flow reserve measured by Doppler coronary flow velocimetry.

METHODS

We selected 20 patients who had chronic stable angina with single-vessel coronary artery disease of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Ten control patients had atypical chest pain but no detectable heart disease. Regional net clearance of 201Th was measured from the early and delayed bull's-eye images of 201Th exercise stress single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Using a Doppler catheter, we also measured coronary flow reserve of the LAD, which was obtained by the intracoronary administration of papaverine.

RESULTS

The net 201Th clearance in the anterior wall myocardium in the patients with coronary artery disease before PTCA was significantly less than that in the controls. At follow-up angiography after successful PTCA, it increased. The coronary flow reserve before PTCA was also lower than that in the controls. It was increased immediately after PTCA, and was more markedly increased at the follow-up angiography. Before PTCA, regional net clearance in the anterior myocardium was correlated with the coronary flow reserve of the LAD. The ratio for the net clearance of the anterior myocardium at follow-up angiography to that before PTCA was also correlated with the ratio for coronary flow reserve.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with coronary artery disease, the regional 201Th clearance in the ischaemic area measured by exercise 201Th SPECT is correlated with the coronary flow reserve of the affected artery. Moreover, the increase in the clearance rate after PTCA is also correlated with that in the coronary flow reserve. Thus the measurement of regional 201Th clearance might be a useful non-invasive method of estimating of the coronary flow reserve.

Prophylactic effect of Enterococcus faecalis FK-23 preparation on experimental candidiasis in mice

The prophylactic effects of heat-killed cells of Enterococcus faecalis FK-23 (FK-23 preparation) on experimental candidiasis were investigated in normal and leukopenic mice. In cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenic mice, oral or intraperitoneal administration of the FK-23 preparation at a daily dose of 1.25 or 5 mg/mouse for 3 consecutive days prior to Candida albicans infection significantly prolonged survival periods of the infected mice, and decreased viable counts of C. albicans recovered from their kidneys. In normal mice, the FK-23 preparation administered at dosages ranging from 0.63 to 10 mg/mouse/day for 3 consecutive days was ineffective, while in leukopenic mice, the FK-23 administered orally caused a facilitated recovery in the number of white blood cells including neutrophils. Furthermore, intraperitoneal administration of the FK-23 preparation into mice augmented the anti-Candida activity of immunocompromised peritoneal exudate cells obtained from the animals. These results suggested the potential usefulness of the FK-23 preparation as a prophylactic agent for the management of patients with opportunistic fungal infections.

Cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a precursor for human uroguanylin

Uroguanylin, a member of the guanylin peptide family, is an endogenous activator of intestinal guanylate cyclase (GC-C). A cDNA encoding a precursor for human uroguanylin was cloned from a human colon cDNA library and sequenced. The precursor was 112 amino acids long and included a signal peptide at the N-terminus and the human uroguanylin sequence at the C-terminus. RNA blot analysis and the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that human uroguanylin mRNA is expressed in the stomach and intestine. Uroguanylin, as well as guanylin, may be a potent physiological regulator of intestinal fluid and electrolyte transport.

Risk factors for lymph node metastasis from intramucosal gastric carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Although regional lymph node metastasis from intramucosal early gastric carcinoma (EGC) is rare, it is very important to clarify the characteristics of patients having lymph nodal metastases in order to determine appropriate therapy.

METHODS

The authors investigated 1196 patients with solitary intramucosal EGC who underwent resection at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, with special reference to lymph node metastases. Eight clinicopathologic factors (age, sex, tumor: size, location, macroscopic type, histologic type, histologic ulceration of the tumor, and lymphatic vessel invasion) were investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses for their possible relationship to lymph node metastasis.

RESULTS

Lymph node metastases were found in 43 patients (3.5%). Univariate analysis revealed that younger age (< 57 years), macroscopic depressed type, larger tumor size (> or= 30 mm), undifferentiated histologic type, histologic ulceration of the carcinoma, and lymphatic vessel invasion had a significant association with regional lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymphatic vessel invasion, histologic ulceration of the tumor, and larger size (> or = 30 mm) were independent risk factors for regional lymph node metastasis. The incidence of lymph node metastasis from intramucosal EGC negative for these 3 risk factors was only 0.36% (1 in 277 patients).

CONCLUSIONS

Lymphadenectomy is unnecessary for patients with small intramucosal EGC with neither histologic ulceration of the tumor nor lymphatic vessel invasion because the incidence of regional lymph node metastasis is extremely low in those patients. The therapeutic options for such patients would be local resection or endoscopic resection.

Circulating parathyroid hormone-related protein (109-141) in malignancy-associated hypercalcemia

For differential diagnosis between hypercalcemia-induced bone metastasis and humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM), serum parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) concentrations were measured in normal subjects and patients with malignancy-associated hypercalcemia according to the presence or absence of bone metastasis, using a new sensitive PTHrP(109-141) radioimmunoassay system. The serum PTHrP(109-141) levels in all of 14 patients without bone metastasis were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. However, in four patients with hypercalcemia associated with bone metastasis the levels were nearly the same as those in normal subjects. The time course in two hypercalcemic patients with esophageal carcinoma revealed that serum PTHrP(109-141) levels were elevated before hypercalcemia developed and that changes in PTHrP(109-141) and corrected serum calcium levels were significantly correlated. These findings suggest that determination of serum PTHrP(109-141) may be clinically important not only for differential diagnosis of HHM but also as a useful predictive marker of hypercalcemia.

Protection of C3H/HE J mice from development of Candida albicans infection by oral administration of Juzen-taiho-to and its component, Ginseng radix: possible roles of macrophages in the host defense mechanisms

Protective effect of a Japanese traditional herbal medicine, Juzen-taiho-to (TJ-48), which was recently reported to augment host-mediated antifungal actions, in Candida albicans-infected mice was further studied. TJ-48, given orally once daily for 5 consecutive days in a dose of 2 g/kg after intravenous infection of C. albicans, prolonged survival period of infected mice of a C3H/He J strain which is characteristic of functional deficiency of macrophages, but did not that of infected mice of a C3H/He N strain with normal macrophage function. Peritoneal macrophages obtained from C3H/He J mice showed a moderate inhibitory activity against Candida growth in vitro. The anti-Candida activity of the macrophages was augmented by the addition of TJ-48 or some component extracts of TJ-48 to the incubation medium. Among such active component extracts is an extract of Ginseng radix which was demonstrated to enhance the anti-Candida activity of macrophages in vitro and to prolong the survival time of C. albicans-infected C3H/He J mice without effect on C3H/He N mice. On the base of these findings, the mechanisms underlying the protective action of TJ-48 against systemic Candida infection was discussed in relation with its possible activity to activate the macrophage function.

Karyotyping by PFGE of clinical isolates of Sporothrix schenckii

From October 1991 to December 1992 we had eight patients with sporotrichosis at Tsukuba University Hospital in Japan. With 8 strains isolated from these patients, PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) analyses were carried out to examine whether the karyotype of S. schenckii is distinguished by our method and whether this molecular approach is a useful means of biotyping of S. schenckii strains. Chromosomes were separated by contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) gel electrophoresis. The strains had six to eight chromosomes and a total genome size was approx. 28 Mbp. Although these karyotypes of all the isolates looked closely similar to each other, they were grouped into three types.

Laparoscopic cholangiography: a new technique for difficult cannulation

Laparoscopic surgery has become accepted in the United States as the surgical procedure of choice for treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis. The general surgeon is now presented with a vast array of instrumentation and new techniques that have rapidly developed since the introduction of laparoendoscopic surgery. Much of this new technology is designed for easier and less expensive laparoscopic cholangiography. We describe a technique for difficult cannulation of the cystic duct using a new introducer (the DeKalb wire introducer) when conventional methods have failed.

Vitamin A is involved in estrogen-induced cell proliferation but not in cytodifferentiation of the chicken oviduct

We examined vitamin A-deficient chicks to determine whether vitamin A affects the estrogen-induced development of the chick oviduct. When oviduct development was stimulated for 5 days with the synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol, the wet weight of the oviduct in vitamin A-deficient chicks was only half that in control chicks. The DNA content in this tissue showed that the decreased oviduct weight in the vitamin A-deficient chicks was caused by the decreased proliferation of oviduct cells. However, the estrogen-induced expression of the ovalbumin gene was not affected by the vitamin A deficiency, suggesting that estrogen-induced cytodifferentiation is not affected by vitamin A. To clarify the vitamin A action on estrogen-induced development in the oviduct, transcripts of nuclear estrogen receptor (ER) and all-trans-retinoic acid (RAR alpha, beta and gamma) receptors, which exert the effects of estrogen and vitamin A, were measured. The ER, RAR alpha and RAR beta genes, but not that of RAR gamma, were expressed during oviduct development, indicating that estrogen and vitamin A may control the expression of target genes through their cognate receptors. Thus, we have shown that vitamin A is involved in estrogen-induced cell proliferation but not in cytodifferentiation of the chicken oviduct.

Dopamine D2 receptor plays a critical role in cell proliferation and proopiomelanocortin expression in the pituitary

BACKGROUND

It has been suggested that the dopaminergic system is involved in the inhibitory control of secretion of pituitary hormones and in the regulation of motor function in the striatum. To elucidate the specific role of the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) in the pituitary and brain, we generated D2R deficient (D2R mutant) mice using the gene targeting method.

RESULTS

Electrophysiological studies as well as ligand binding assays show no functional D2R in mutant mice. The D2R mutant mice display a hypoactivity and a slow, creeping movement. The expression of enkephalin mRNA in the striatum is increased in the mutant mice, but not that of dynorphin and substance P. D2R mutant mice have significantly darker coat colour than their wild-type littermates and show an elevation of plasma alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) levels. We found corresponding hyperplastic changes of intermediate lobe of the pituitary and the increased expression of pro opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the pituitary in D2R mutant mice.

CONCLUSIONS

D2R plays a critical role in the inhibitory regulation of endocrine cell proliferation and the transcription of POMC mRNA, and consequently in the regulation of alpha-MSH in plasma. D2R might be involved in the regulation of enkephalin expression in the striatum, and hence might affect the movement and the behaviour.

Effect of orally administered heat-killed Enterococcus Faecalis FK-23 preparation on neutropenia in dogs treated with cyclophosphamide

Dogs injected intravenously for 3 days with cyclophosphamide (CY) at a dose of 10 mg/kg were given 100 mg/kg of Enterococcus faecalis FK-23 preparation (FK-23) perorally for 14 days to confirm the beneficial effects of the latter drug in neutropenic dogs when orally administered. Although FK-23 treatment did not inhibit CY-induced neutropenia, it augmented neutrophil-reconstituting capacity in these dogs. Increases in the myeloid/ erythroid ratio and neutrophilic lineages were found in the bone marrow of FK-23 administered dogs. The oral administration significantly restored the reduced activity of neutrophil phagocytosis and chemiluminescence in dogs treated with CY. These findings indicate that FK-23 administered perorally not only augments neutrophil reconstitution through the activation of bone marrow but also functions in dogs treated with CY. It may thus be a useful supportive agent to reduce the adverse side-effects associated with the administration of chemotherapeutic agents such as CY.

Sequence of deposition of heterogeneous amyloid beta-peptides and APO E in Down syndrome: implications for initial events in amyloid plaque formation

Patients with trisomy 21 [Down syndrome (DS)] progressively develop amyloid beta-protein (A beta) deposits and then other features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), apparently due to increased gene dosage and thus expression of the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Because the neuropathological phenotype in older DS subjects closely resembles that of AD, the examination of DS brains of increasing age provides a unique model of the progression of AD. Here, we characterized the deposition of several A beta peptides and apolipoprotein E in formalin-fixed brain sections from 29 DS subjects between 3 and 73 years old. Amyloid plaque number and the percentage of cortical area they occupied were quantified by computerized image analysis. A beta ending at amino acid 42 (A beta 42) was the earliest form of A beta deposited in DS cortex. It was observed in 7 of 16 young (3-30 years) subjects, with the earliest deposition occurring at age 12. A beta ending at residue 40 (A beta 40) was not detected until approximately age 30, a time when degenerating neurites around A beta immunoreactive (IR) plaques were first observed, and the frequency of A beta 40 IR plaques then rose with age. Even in old (51-73 years) DS subjects, A beta 42 IR plaques were always more abundant than A beta 40 IR plaques. A beta peptides starting at aspartate 1 or pyroglutamate 3 were detected in small subsets of compacted, neuritic plaques beginning around age 30 and rose with age, the latter species always exceeding the former. Thus, the N-termini of the A beta 42 peptides abundantly deposited in very young DS subjects remain unknown. Apo E was detectable in a small subset of A beta 42 IR plaques beginning at age 12 and rose steadily with age; it clearly followed the deposition of A beta. Our analysis of very young DS brains suggests that amyloid plaque formation begins with A beta 42-ending peptides, and the number and percentage of cortical area of A beta 42 plaques increase very little with advancing age, while other heterogeneous A beta species and Apo E progressively accrue onto plaques containing A beta 42.

Muscarinic receptor reserve for inhibition of cAMP accumulation in bovine trachealis cells

In airway smooth muscle, muscarinic agonists inhibit synthesis of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP). The goal was to characterize the relationship between agonist occupancy of muscarinic receptors and regulation of cAMP for bovine trachealis cells. For intact cells dispersed by enzyme, carbachol maximally inhibited 58 +/- 4% (mean +/- SE, n = 5) of isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP accumulation at low concentrations [log half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) = -8.34 +/- 0.16]. In radioligand binding experiments, carbachol competed for [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (n = 7) and [N-methyl-3H]scopolamine (n = 3) binding sites on intact cells with both low (log KL = -4.26 +/- 0.06 and -4.50 +/- 0.20, respectively) and high affinities (log KH = -5.91 +/- 0.24 and -6.39 +/- 0.19, respectively). In separate experiments, a fraction of the muscarinic receptors on intact cells were inactivated with either phenoxybenzamine (POB) or propylbenzylcholine mustard (PBCM). We compared equally effective concentrations of carbachol before and after partial inactivation of receptors, and the calculated equilibrium dissociation constants for agonist (log KA = -4.36 +/- 0.42 to -3.20 +/- 0.40 for POB; log KA = -4.27 +/- 0.45 for PBCM) were much greater than the half-maximally effective concentration of carbachol in control cells (log EC50 = -8.34 +/- 0.16). Based on these equilibrium dissociation constants, we calculated that maximum responses (EC95) to carbachol were obtained by occupancy of 0.8% of the receptors coupled to cAMP regulation. We concluded that muscarinic inhibition of cAMP accumulation is characterized by a muscarinic receptor reserve.

Muscarinic inhibition of adenylyl cyclase regulates intracellular calcium in single airway smooth muscle cells

To determine whether muscarinic agonists attenuated isoproterenol-stimulated decreases in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), changes in [Ca2+]i were measured in single airway smooth muscle cells using ratiometric analysis of fura 2 fluorescence. Isoproterenol (10(-5) M) and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcAMP) decreased [Ca2+]i by 24 +/- 3% (P < 0.05, n= 28) and 17 +/- 1% (P < 0.05, n = 6), respectively. The decreased [Ca2+]i in response to isoproterenol was inhibited by propranolol (10(-6) M) and Rp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-cAMPS) (10-40 microM). In subsequent experiments assessing the effects of muscarinic agonists, isoproterenol did not decrease [Ca2+]i in the presence of carbachol (5 x 10(-8) M) (6 +/- 8% increase; NS, n = 8). To determine the mechanism underlying this inhibitory effect of carbachol, cells were loaded with 4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzyl adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (caged cAMP). For cells loaded with 20 microM caged cAMP, photolysis of caged cAMP decreased basal [Ca2+]i by 28 +/- 3% (P < 0.05, n = 12). In the presence of carbachol (5 x 10(-8) M), photolysis of caged cAMP still induced a 27 +/- 4% decrease in [Ca2+]i (P < 0.05, n = 12). We concluded that a low concentration of carbachol did attenuate isoproterenol-stimulated decreases in [Ca2+]i. Because low concentrations of carbachol attenuated the decreases in [Ca2+]i stimulated by isoproterenol but not the comparable decreases stimulated by cAMP directly, we concluded that the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity by muscarinic agonists contributed to the regulation of [Ca2+]i in airway smooth muscle cells. The findings suggested that physiological levels of cholinergic stimulation inhibit adenylyl cyclase, thereby attenuating the effects that beta-adrenergic agonists have on [Ca2+]i.

[Hansenula anomala fungemia in a patient undergoing IVH-treatment with ascending colon carcinoma]

A case of catheter-related fungemia due to Hansenula anomala is reported. A 61-year-old male was diagnosed as having stage 3 ascending colon carcinoma stenosing the colon severely and was admitted to our hospital to receive an operation of the carcinoma. Just after admission, an intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) catheter was inserted and IVH was started to prevent development of ileus and to prepare for laparotomy. Nine days later, he developed a fever. On the next day, the IVH catheter was removed and cultures of blood and the catheter revealed the presence of yeast-like organisms that were identified as H. anomala. Laboratory data showed hypogranulocytemia, slight disturbances of liver and kidney, a prolongation of PT, an increase of FDP and positive reaction of candida antigen by CAND-TEC. He improved after the removal of the catheter, and treatment with intravenous infusion of fluconazole 2 days after the removal was thought to be useful for recovery and to prevent the reappearance of infection though susceptibility to fluconazole was not good. Human infections due to H. anomala are rare and this is the 8th case of H. anomala fungemia in Japan. From this report and a review of the literature, risk factors for developing this fungemia include the use and abuse of central venous catheters such as IVH-catheter. It appears that H. anomala has recently emerged as a potential pathogen in the immunocompromised hosts and patients after insertion of central venous catheters and that these organisms should be added to the growing list of unusual fungal pathogens in these patients.

Wound healing effect of the new imidazole antimycotic lanoconazole in rats

The wound healing effect of cream preparations of lanoconazole (CAS 101530-10-3, NND-318), an antimycotic imidazole compound, was examined using an excisional open skin-wound model produced on the back of rats. The rapid decrease in the size of wounded areas showed that 0.5% and 1% lanoconazole creams accelerated spontaneous healing. The effectiveness was almost similar to that of an ointment containing 5% deproteinized calf blood extract (DCBE), a wound healing agent on the market. In contrast, neither 1% clotrimazole cream nor 1% bifonazole cream, both of which are imidazole antimycotics, showed an accelerative effect. The wound healing effect of lanoconazole was further confirmed by histological evaluation; a thicker and more cellular granulation tissue was formed, and epidermal regeneration was more stimulated by lanoconazole than by non-treatment or vehicle alone. The effect of lanoconazole on the formation of granulation tissue in rats was also studied using a cotton pellet implantation method. Lanoconazole accelerated the formation of this tissue in terms of dry weight in a dose dependent manner (0.5-4 mg/pellet), and collagen content and angiogenesis also increased in the stimulated tissue, indicating that these accompany the compound-induced acceleration of tissue formation. These results suggest that lanoconazole has a distinctive wound healing effect which is a feature no other imidazole antimycotic is known to possess to date.

[Reconstruction procedure for full-thickness chest wall defects]

Reconstruction of full-thickness chest wall defects after the total layer resection of the chest wall has been performed on 6 cases. Five of 6 cases had local recurrent of breast carcinoma, one case had a recurrent liposarcoma in the chest wall. The reconstruction procedure of skeletal chest wall used to double soft Marlex mesh. The soft tissue layer of the chest wall was reconstructed with myocutaneous flaps in five cases (four cases using latissimus dorsi, one case using rectus abdominis), with omental pedicle graft and free skin flap in one case. Minor wound complications occurred in 2 in the 6 cases, one case had myocutaneous flap using rectus abdominis, the other case using omental pedicle flap, but any postoperative complications including respiratory insufficiency was not seen with myocutaneous flap using latissimus dorsi. The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap was most suitable to cover the soft tissue layer of the chest. We confirmed that Marlex mesh and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap were able to reconstructed for large defects of full-thickness chest wall involving the sternum, there were best approach to reconstruction full-thickness chest wall defects after total layer chest wall resection.

[Effect of endothelin on ionic background in the optic nerve head of rabbits]

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is thought to have some effect on the retinal circulation and its autoregulation. The disturbance of ET-1 secretion might contribute to the pathogenesis of retinochoroidal or optic nerve disease. In this study, to determine the effect of ET-1 on the optic nerve head, we observed the optic nerve with a transmission electron microscope and measured element contents in the axon and myelin of the optic nerve head by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Albino rabbits were given an injection of 0.1 ml (10(-6)M) ET-1 into the middle of the vitreous of one eye (ETs) and 0.1 ml Opeguard-MA into the other eye (controls), and 2 hours after the injection changes in the optic disc were observed. In transmission electron microscopy (n = 3), axon polymorphism and myelin disorder were seen. The X-ray analysis of frozen sections (n = 5) revealed that with ET-1 treatment Ca and Cl concentrations were increased in the axon, and K concentration was decreased significantly in both axon and myelin. These results suggest that the increase of intracellular Ca could elevate the activity of some proteases, which might then cause damage to the optic nerve.