Chromosome 1q terminal deletion resulting from de novo translocation with an acrocentric chromosome

Distal deletion of chromosome 1q has been reported in nearly 30 patients, all being associated with a deletion ranging from the 1q42 or q43 band to 1qter region. Here, we describe a girl with 1q terminal deletion resulting from an unbalanced de novo translocation t(1;D or G)(q44;p11), as revealed by the presence of a satellited feature and an NOR-stained region at the tip of 1q. We suggest that most of the phenotypic abnormalities seen in patients with 1q distal deletion are attributable to the monosomy for band 1q44.

Is 300 msec too long for cardiac MR imaging? Feasibility study demonstrating changes in left ventricular cross-sectional area with use of single-shot turboFLASH imaging

PURPOSE

To assess the feasibility of demonstrating cardiac motion with 313.6-msec single-shot turbo-fast low-angle shot magnetic resonance imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Effects of motion on single-shot images were evaluated with a phantom moving at known velocity. Single-shot images were obtained in eight healthy volunteers and four cardiac patients and compared with conventional cine images.

RESULTS

The moving phantom was visualized at the location where zero phase-encoded data were sampled. When the velocity was within the physiologic range of left ventricular wall motion (< 11 cm/sec), the full width at half maximum of the object on a 64 x 64-matrix image with a 4.9-msec repetition time was comparable with that of a stationary phantom. The left ventricular cross-sectional area determined with single-shot imaging showed good correlation with results of conventional cine imaging (r = .96) in healthy volunteers.

CONCLUSION

Single-shot imaging can be used for simple and quick assessment of cardiac function.

[Comparison between ELISA and culture method for detection of Helicobacter pylori]

Detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) by ELISA was compared with that by the culture method in 115 patients with gastroduodenal diseases. Both the sensitivity and specificity were more than 85% for patients with histological gastritis with neutrophil infiltration. This indicated that the detection of H. pylori by ELISA is useful for the diagnosis of H. pylori-related gastritis. Although the sensitivity between the ELISA and culture method was 85%, the specificity was 58.8%. The false negative detection may have been caused by a sampling error during the endoscopic biopsy.

11q trisomy detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization

A patient with psychomotor developmental delay, multiple minor anomalies, congenital heart disease and left inguinal hernia is reported. His karyotype was 45,X/46,X,+mar (3:37 cells), and the marker chromosome was identified as t(Y;11)(q12;q14?) using fluorescence in situ hybridization and fluorescent chromosome painting. He was diagnosed as mosaic for de novo 11q trisomy.

Dobutamine prevents both myocardial stunning and phosphocreatine overshoot without affecting ATP level

Catecholamines can overcome myocardial stunning. However, a previous report on energy metabolism in stunned myocardium during catecholamine infusion was based on the conventional biochemical methods which might affect contractile function. Twenty farm pigs were anesthetized and underwent 15 min coronary artery occlusion and 2 h reperfusion. Ten pigs were given 10 micrograms/kg/min dobutamine from immediately after and throughout the reperfusion (dobutamine group). The other ten pigs were given saline (control group). Phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy and sonomicrometry were done alternately. Dobutamine improved percent segment shortening after reperfusion (control/dobutamine = 3.8%-5.7%/11.7%-13.4%; P < 0.01). At 15 min ischemia, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) decreased (control/dobutamine = 72 +/- 8%/73 +/- 10%, n.s.), and remained depressed after reperfusion in both groups. After reperfusion, phosphocreatine (PCr) returned to and maintained the preischemic value in the dobutamine group, while in the control group, PCr overshoot (112 +/- 5%) was observed. Except for the presence and absence of PCr overshoot, there was no significant difference of ATP and PCr between the two groups, although rate pressure product was significantly higher in the dobutamine group than in the control group. Regional myocardial blood flow after reperfusion was significantly higher in the dobutamine group. Dobutamine may improve "stunning" through effective improvement of energy utilization and production, indicated by the disappearance of PCr overshoot and maintained ATP level.

Preconditioning improves energy metabolism during reperfusion but does not attenuate myocardial stunning in porcine hearts

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that a brief period of coronary occlusion and reperfusion slows the rate of ATP depletion during subsequent sustained ischemia as well as limiting infarct size. However, it has not yet been determined whether ischemic preconditioning also has an effect on the functional and metabolic recovery of stunned myocardium. Our study was designed to address this problem.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Farm pigs were anesthetized with fluothane and randomly assigned to either a control group or a preconditioned group. The control group (n = 15) underwent 15 minutes of coronary occlusion followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. The preconditioned group (n = 14) underwent two episodes of 5-minute occlusion and 5-minute reperfusion followed by 15 minutes of occlusion and 120 minutes of reperfusion. This protocol was designed to exclude the stunning effect of the preconditioning procedure itself as much as possible besides preconditioning the heart. A pair of ultrasonic crystals was implanted in the area at risk perfused by the left anterior descending coronary artery. 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and sonomicrometry were performed alternately. Regional myocardial blood flow (RMBF) was determined with colored microspheres. At 15 minutes of sustained ischemia, phosphocreatine (Pcr), ATP, and intracellular pH were significantly better preserved in the preconditioned group (Pcr: control/preconditioned, 1 +/- 1%/14 +/- 1%; ATP:control/preconditioned, 66 +/- 2%/74 +/- 2%; pH:control/preconditioned, 6.32 +/- 0.07/6.52 +/- 0.05; P < .05). After reperfusion, ATP increased progressively and was almost normalized at 120 minutes of reperfusion in the preconditioned group (control/preconditioned, 73 +/- 4%/95 +/- 3%; P < .05). Overshoot of Pcr (which indicates that the energy generating system is operating better than energy utilizing system) persisted in preconditioned hearts but disappeared rapidly in controls (control/preconditioned, 104 +/- 3%/130 +/- 3% after 120 minutes of reperfusion). There was no significant difference in percent segment shortening (%SS), RMBF, and hemodynamics between the two groups throughout the experiment (%SS: control/preconditioned, 29.8 +/- 5.9%/28.8 +/- 6.3% of baseline after 120 minutes of reperfusion).

CONCLUSIONS

Preconditioning improves energy metabolism during reperfusion, although it does not attenuate myocardial stunning for at least 2 hours after reperfusion.

Time-dependent loss of surface complement regulatory activity during storage of donor blood

The survival of transfused red cells (RBCs) diminishes with time of in vitro storage in blood banks, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the slow but incessant deterioration are incompletely understood. To investigate the possibility that impaired resistance to autologous complement attack could play a role in this phenomenon, packed RBCs stored for variable periods were assayed for decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and CD59, two glycoinositol-phospholipid (GPI)-anchored, membrane-associated complement regulatory proteins that function physiologically to protect blood cells from autologous complement activation on their surfaces. Immunoradiometric and flow cytometric assays employing DAF and CD59 monoclonal antibodies showed that levels of both surface proteins gradually declined over 6 weeks. Digestion analyses with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, an enzyme that releases GPI-anchored proteins from cell surfaces, showed that DAF and CD59 molecules with GPI anchors containing unacylated inositol were preferentially lost. These findings suggest: 1) that DAF and CD59 molecules with acylated GPI anchors are more stable in RBC membranes than are molecules with unacylated GPI anchors, and 2) that DAF and CD59 loss may participate with other membrane alterations that occur during in vitro storage in compromising the survival of transfused cells.

Cognitive performance and event-related brain potentials under simulated high altitudes

The effects of hypobaric hypoxia on cognitive processing in humans were studied by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from the scalp in a go/no-go reaction time (RT) paradigm under various simulated high altitudes. Most subjects indicated abrupt impairment of RT at high altitudes. RTs lengthened in association with changes in latency and amplitude of the N2-P3 components, reflecting sensory discrimination and evaluation processes. Some subjects did not suffer any changes in RT up to an extremely high altitude of 6,000 m. In the latter case, although the N2-P3 components did not undergo any changes, the P3 component was followed by a sequence of negative on-going (frontal maximum) and positive on-going (parietal maximum) slow waves. The amplitudes of these slow waves increased as altitude increased. Although these same waves appeared in the ERPs of subjects who demonstrated the increase in RTs at high altitudes, when the subjects failed in the RT task, both of the slow waves either disappeared or diminished. Such slow waves may be associated with attempts to maintain RTs against the deteriorative effects of hypobaric hypoxia.

Human space experiments in SL-J: preparation and conducted

This experiment investigated how human beings achieve visual stability during body movements, including fine motion on the ground. When humans are exposed to an environment with different gravity vectors, the programmed behavior on the ground must be changed, that is, it is reprogrammed. This is called habituation or familiarization. This experiment focuses on visual, vestibular and somatosensory perception coordination and how it changes in microgravity as compared to a 1-G environment. We examined these issues under microgravity during the mission Spacelab Japan [correction of Japane] (SL-J) mission with the cooperation of the Japanese Payload Specialist (PS), Dr. Mohri. In this paper we describe how the first human life science experiments were conducted and how the data processed is being.

Constitutional translocation t(4;22) (q12;q12.2) associated with neurofibromatosis type 2

We report on a female patient with bilateral acoustic neurinomas and other tumors in the central nervous system (neurofibromatosis type 2: NF2) and the constitutional translocation, t(4;22) (q12;q12.2). The precise identification of the translocation breakpoint (q12.2) on chromosome 22 implies the refined localization of a gene responsible for NF2, and would provide a clue to its molecular characterization and to the isolation of the gene. Chromosomes of a paraspinal neurinoma from the patient were also analyzed, and the same karyotype as seen in cultured peripheral lymphocytes was found. The patient's father was also a carrier of the translocation, but he had no clinical symptoms of NF2, nor did other relatives. Several explanations are offered for the different expression of the translocation between the patient and her father.

Effects of chronic oral administration of nifedipine and diltiazem on occlusive thrombus of small coronary arteries in (NZW x BXSB)F1 male mice

OBJECTIVE

(NZWxBXSB)F1 male mice were used as a model to study the effects of chronic administration of nifedipine and diltiazem on small coronary artery disease and mortality.

METHODS

16 week old (NZWxBXSB)F1 male mice were given either nifedipine (n = 29) at 20 mg.kg-1.d-1 orally or diltiazem (n = 28) at 100 mg.kg-1.d-1 orally in two divided doses until they were 24 weeks old (ie, for 60 d). Age matched control mice were given an equivalent volume of vehicle (n = 30). Mice that died received immediate necropsy. After 60 d, all surviving mice were killed and hearts and kidneys were examined histologically.

RESULTS

The survival rate at 24 weeks was significantly higher in mice given nifedipine than in the controls (71% and 47%, respectively, p less than 0.05). The number of mice with myocardial necrosis, scar formation, or both, the percentage of areas of the ventricular wall with myocardial necrosis and scar formation, and the number of mice with small intramyocardial arteries showing greater than or equal to 75% stenosis were all significantly lower in the mice given nifedipine than in the controls. In the mice given diltiazem, there were no such differences from the controls. There was no evidence of significant stenosis or thrombosis in the extramyocardial coronary arteries in any of the mice. Systolic blood pressure and the rate-pressure product at 24 weeks of age, as well as the histological score for glomerulonephritis changes, were significantly lower in mice given nifedipine or diltiazem than in the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite an equivalent improvement of systolic blood pressure, the double product, and renal disease in nifedipine treated and diltiazem treated mice, only nifedipine prevented small coronary artery disease and increased the survival of (NZWxBXSB)F1 male mice, suggesting that nifedipine prevents occlusive thrombi of small coronary arteries better than diltiazem.

Automated homogeneous liposome immunoassay systems for anticonvulsant drugs

We developed automated homogeneous immunoassays, based on immunolysis of liposomes, for measuring phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine from serum. Liposome lysis was detected spectrophotometrically from entrapped glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The procedure was fully automated on a routine automated clinical analyzer. Within-run, between-run, dilution, and recovery tests showed good accuracies and reproducibilities. Bilirubin, hemoglobin, triglycerides, and Intrafat did not affect assay results. The results obtained by liposome immunoassays for phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine correlated well with those obtained by enzyme-multiplied immunoassay (Syva EMIT) kits (r = 0.995, 0.986, and 0.988, respectively) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (Abbott TDx) kits (r = 0.990, 0.991, and 0.975, respectively). The proposed method should be useful for monitoring anticonvulsant drug concentrations in blood.

Automated Homogeneous Liposome Immunoassay Systems for Anticonvulsant Drugs

We developed automated homogeneous immunoassays, based on immunolysis of liposomes, for measuring phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine from serum. Liposome lysis was detected spectrophotometrically from entrapped glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The procedure was fully automated on a routine automated clinical analyzer. Within-run, between-run, dilution, and recovery tests showed good accuracies and reproducibilities. Bilirubin, hemoglobin, triglycerides, and Intrafat did not affect assay results. The results obtained by liposome immunoassays for phenytoin, phenobarbital, and carbamazepine correlated well with those obtained by enzyme-multiplied immunoassay (Syva EMIT) kits (r = 0.995, 0.986, and 0.988, respectively) and fluorescence polarization immunoassay (Abbott TDx) kits (r = 0.990, 0.991, and 0.975, respectively). The proposed method should be useful for monitoring anticonvulsant drug concentrations in blood.

Protective effect of carteolol, a beta-blocker, on myocardial cellular damage in ischemic and reperfused pig hearts: assessment with gated in vivo 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electron microscopy

To assess the effect of carteolol, a beta-blocker, on ischemia and reperfusion, changes in the ultrastructure of myocytes and energy metabolism were studied by 31P-NMR in 41 pig hearts without collateral circulation. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 20 min and reperfused for 120 min in three groups: seven pigs (group 1, no treatment with carteolol; group 2, pre-ischemia treatment with carteolol (10 micrograms/kg); group 3, post-ischemia treatment with carteolol before reperfusion). Other groups of five pigs were killed after 120 min of ischemia (group 4, no treatment; group 5, pre-ischemia treatment) or 20 min of ischemia (group 6, no treatment; group 7, pre-ischemia treatment). After 20 min of ischemia, ATP was higher in groups 2 (76 +/- 9% of the baseline value) than in group 1 (59 +/- 5%) and group 3 (60 +/- 10%). However, the difference disappeared after 30 min of ischemia. After 120 min of reperfusion, ATP showed much better recovery in group 2 (92 +/- 9%) than in groups 1 (66 +/- 7%) and 3 (68 +/- 10%). Ischemic injury, as viewed by light and electron microscopy, was milder in group 7 than in group 6 after 20 min occlusion, but the myocytes were almost normal after 120 min reperfusion in groups 1 to 3. The heart rate, blood pressure and rate pressure product showed no significant difference among the groups. These results indicate that pre-ischemia treatment with carteolol provided protection against ischemic cellular injury and accelerated the repletion of ATP during reperfusion, but the post-ischemia treatment did not lead to recovery of ATP. Therefore, the favorable effect during reperfusion of pre-ischemia treatment with carteolol depends on its protective effect during ischemia.

Ischemic preconditioning preserves creatine phosphate and intracellular pH

BACKGROUND

Ischemic preconditioning slows ATP depletion and ultrastructural damage during the final episode of ischemia. To define the influence of creatine phosphate (CP) and intracellular pH (pHi) on this effect, CP and pHi were serially measured in porcine hearts without collateral circulation by using 31P-NMR spectroscopy and ultrastructural examination.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Farm pigs weighing 12-15 kg were anesthetized with Fluothane. The control group underwent a single occlusion (20 minutes or 60 minutes); the preconditioned group underwent four episodes of 5-minute occlusion and 5-minute reperfusion followed by a sustained occlusion (20 minutes or 60 minutes). After ischemic preconditioning, CP increased to 115 +/- 11% (p less than 0.05) of preischemic value and ATP decreased to 84 +/- 8% (p less than 0.05) of preischemic value, but pHi returned to preischemic value. At 5 and 10 minutes of sustained ischemia, CP was significantly preserved in the preconditioned group (control group, 19 +/- 3% versus preconditioned group, 29 +/- 4% at 5 minutes; control group, 5 +/- 3% versus preconditioned group, 11 +/- 3% at 10 minutes; p less than 0.05). At 15 and 20 minutes of sustained ischemia, ATP was significantly preserved in the preconditioned group (control group, 64 +/- 3% versus preconditioned group, 73 +/- 3% at 15 minutes; control group, 51 +/- 7% versus preconditioned group, 62 +/- 2% at 20 minutes; p less than 0.05). At 10, 15, 20, and 25 minutes of sustained ischemia, pHi was significantly higher in the preconditioned group (control group, 6.5 +/- 0.05 versus preconditioned group, 6.7 +/- 0.1 at 10 minutes; control group, 6.3 +/- 0.05 versus preconditioned group, 6.6 +/- 0.06 at 15 minutes; control group, 6.1 +/- 0.1 versus preconditioned group, 6.4 +/- 0.1 at 20 minutes; control group, 6.0 +/- 0.2 versus preconditioned group, 6.3 +/- 0.1 at 25 minutes; p less than 0.05). Ultrastructural changes were milder in the preconditioned group at 20 minutes of sustained ischemia.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to ATP and ultrastructure, preconditioning preserved CP and pHi during sustained ischemia. These protective effects might be due to overshoot phenomenon of CP and/or reduced ATP consumption. The relatively longer period of preservation of pHi, which probably is the result of reduced ATP consumption, indicates its greater contribution to reducing infarct size than that of CP and ATP.

Failure to reduce infarct size by intracoronary infusion of recombinant human superoxide dismutase at reperfusion in the porcine heart: immunohistochemical and histological analysis

Failure to Reduce Infarct Size by Intracoronary Infusion of Recombinant Human Superoxide Dismutase at Reperfusion in the Porcine Heart: Immunohistochemical and Histological Analysis. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (1991) 23, 1287-1296. We quantitatively determined the extent of infarction and contraction band necrosis in porcine hearts, and analyzed the distribution of administered recombinant human superoxide dismutase (h-SOD) in the myocardium using a polyclonal antibody to h-SOD. After 1 hour of occlusion, h-SOD was infused for the first 30 min of reperfusion in SOD group, while pigs received only arterial blood in control group. The extent of infarction or contraction band necrosis was not significantly different between SOD group and control group. Positive staining by polyclonal antibody to h-SOD was detected only in the infarcted area in SOD group. Thus, h-SOD only entered irreversibly damaged myocytes and neither diminished reperfusion injury nor reduced infarct size in pigs.

[Mechanism of protective effects of ouren-gedoku-to and san'ou-syashin-to on the gastric mucosa]

Ouren-Gedoku-To (OGT) and San'ou-Syashin-To (SST), traditional Chinese prescriptions, have been used to treat peptic ulcer. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the protective effects of OGT and SST on the gastric mucosa, we studied their effects on gastric mucosal lesions, ion permeability and prostaglandin synthesis using ulcer experimentally induced in rats by saturation with acidic test solution after taurocholate treatment. Both OGT and SST inhibited taurocholate-induced gastric mucosal lesions in a dose-related manner. These prescriptions dose-dependently inhibited not only the increase of hydrogen and sodium ion net fluxes but also possible hydrogen ion back diffusion into the gastric mucosa during saturation with acidic test solution. SST induced a significant increase in gastric mucosal prostaglandins synthesized from 14C labeled arachidonate. These results suggest that both OGT and SST by strengthening the gastric mucosal barrier demonstrate their protective effects on the gastric mucosa and that this effect of SST is attributable to the increased ability of the gastric mucosa to synthesize prostaglandin.

Experimental and clinical studies on heater probe hemostasis for upper gastrointestinal bleeding with special reference to comparison with ethanol injection

The hemostatic effects in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding was evaluated using an endoscopic heater probe method and ethanol injection method. The heater probe method was effective in 94.4% of patients with few complications. The ethanol injection method was effective in 86.5% of patients. The heater probe method is considered to be an effective and safe technique in the treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Hypertrophy of surviving myocytes overlying the infarct in human old myocardial infarctions with abnormal Q waves

The time course of hypertrophy of surviving myocytes overlying the infarct after the onset was examined and the hypertrophy was analyzed in relation to the transmural extent of infarct in 34 autopsied hearts with Q wave infarction. The 34 hearts were divided into 4 groups according to the length of time between the onset of infarction and death. This was less than 5 days in group 1 (n = 10), 20-30 days in group 2 (n = 7), 40-60 days in group 3 (n = 7), and 12-24 months in group 4 (n = 10). To clarify the regional hypertrophy of myocytes overlying the infarct, the size of the surviving myocytes in the outer third of the left ventricular wall in the 1-cm wide central zone of the infarct was compared with that of the myocytes in the outer third of the left ventricular wall without infarction (control wall) in the same heart. To exclude factors which stimulate the hypertrophy of the whole left ventricle, the ratio of the monocyte diameter in the infarcted wall to that in the control wall was examined. It was 1.0 +/- 0.0 (mean +/- SD) in group 1, 1.0 +/- 0.1 in group 2, 1.2 +/- 0.1 in group 3, and 1.3 +/- 0.1 in group 4. The ratio was significantly higher in group 3 than in group 1 and 2, and was highest in group 4. In group 4, the corrected percentage transmural extent of infarct indicating the original transmural extent of infarct at the acute stage was 63 + 8%, and this transmural extent correlated positively with the ratio of myocyte diameter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Results of surgical treatment for squamous carcinoma of the lower alveolus: segmental vs. marginal resection

The records of 53 patients treated surgically for squamous cell carcinoma of the lower alveolar ridge were reviewed and the results of segmental and marginal resections of the mandible were compared. Analysis of these 2 treatment modalities disclosed that marginal resection was effective in controlling lower gingival cancers, with and without apparent bone involvement, if erosive bone defects that did not extend beyond the inferior alveolar canal, or invasive bone defects confined to a superficial area of the alveolar bone, were detected radiologically.