Neonatal administration of phencyclidine decreases the number of putative inhibitory interneurons and increases neural excitability to auditory paired clicks in the hippocampal CA3 region of freely moving adult mice

Animals exposed to phencyclidine (PCP) during the neonatal period have fewer GABAergic interneurons in the corticolimbic area, including the hippocampus, and exhibit abnormal behaviors after attaining maturation that correspond with schizophrenic symptoms. Since a lack of inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus has also been reported in postmortem studies of patients with schizophrenia, the deficit may induce abnormal activity of hippocampal neurons that underlies pathological states in schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear how PCP treatment during the neonatal period affects the discharge activity of hippocampal neurons in adulthood. In the current study, single unit responses of hippocampal CA3 neurons to paired auditory clicks were recorded in freely moving mice repeatedly injected with PCP or saline during the neonatal period. The recorded neurons were classified into two subpopulations, narrow-spike neurons and broad-spike neurons, based on the spike width. The spontaneous discharge rate was higher in the narrow-spike neurons than in the broad-spike neurons, indicating that the narrow-spike neurons correspond with hippocampal inhibitory neurons. The proportion of narrow-spike neurons was significantly smaller in neonatally PCP-treated mice than in saline-treated mice. The broad-spike neurons that exhibited a response magnitude to the second click as large as that to the first click (E/E-type response) showed longer response duration to the paired clicks in PCP-treated mice than in the saline-treated mice. Further, the number of neurons with E/E-type response was higher in the PCP-treated mice than in the saline-treated mice. Finally, the attenuation of an auditory-evoked potential component, N40, to the second click (sensory gating) was blunted in the PCP-treated mice when compared with that in the saline-treated mice. These results suggest that the neonatal administration of PCP induced a deficit of inhibitory interneurons and altered discharge activity of neurons in the hippocampal CA3 region to the paired clicks, thereby inducing the deficit in sensory gating.

A case of living-donor renal transplantation for chronic renal failure caused by secondary amyloidosis

In Japan, amyloidosis is a rare cause of renal failure and of renal transplantation. We treated a patient who underwent a renal transplantation because of chronic renal failure caused by secondary amyloidosis with a good result. The patient was a 50-year-old woman who was diagnosed with secondary amyloidosis and an amyloid kidney. She underwent living donor renal transplantation after about 7 years of hemodialysis. During the 3-year posttransplantation period, she maintained good allograft function with a serum creatinine level about 1.2 mg/dL. Because of amyloidosis is a systemic disease, amyloid kidney patients often experience fatal complications, so the indications for renal transplantation in amyloid patients are still controversial. But if the patient's general condition is good, renal transplantation can be an effective therapy for patients with kidney failure caused by amyloidosis.

Rare spontaneous remission of hepatic artery aneurysm following ABO incompatible living donor liver transplantation: a case report

A 60-year-old male patient with an unknown cause for cirrhosis and a hepatoma underwent an ABO incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) from his son. The transplanted graft was his son's right lobe. For ABO incompatible transplantation, splenectomy was performed for desensitization. A catheter was inserted into the recipient's right hepatic artery for subsequent local immunosuppression. On the 15th postoperative day, a fusiform 15 × 10 mm aneurysm was observed in the graft right hepatic artery using ultrasonography and hepatic arteriography. At that time, the patient was also diagnosed to have an intraperitoneal abscess at the bottom of his left diaphragm. Administering antibiotics, we tried to embolize the aneurysm because of fear of rupture, but this manever failed because it was difficult to insert the wire in to the aneurysm to produce a stenosis around its proximal neck. However, because the aneurysm was not detectable on the 37th postoperative day, it was assumed to have embolized spontaneously. This relatively rare case revealed a hepatic artery aneurysm that spontaneously regressed after ABO incompatible LDLT.

Periostin, a matrix protein, is a novel biomarker for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are histopathologically classified into several types, including usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and cryptogenic organising pneumonia (COP). We investigated whether periostin, a matrix protein, could be used as a biomarker to assess histopathological types of IIPs. We performed immunohistochemical analyses in each histopathological type of IIP, examined serum levels of periostin in IIP patients and analysed the relationship between serum levels of periostin and the pulmonary functions in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Periostin was strongly expressed in lungs of UIP and fibrotic NSIP patients, whereas expression of periostin was weak in the lungs of cellular NSIP and COP patients, as well as in normal lungs. Serum levels of periostin in IPF were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects and COP patients. Furthermore, periostin levels in IPF patients were inversely correlated with their pulmonary functions. Thus, we have found that periostin is a novel component of fibrosis in IIP. Periostin may be a potential biomarker to distinguish IIP with fibrosis.

A New Intramolecular Charge Transfer Material for Nonlinear Optics: Piperonal Derivatives

This paper describes a new organic nonlinear material, piperoniridene ethyl cyano acetate which shows short cut-off wavelength, good nonlinearity (better than POM in powder) and good crystallinity. These features of this compound encourage its application in second harmonic generation (SHG) coupled with semiconductor laser.

Effects of combination therapy with montelukast and carbocysteine in allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Montelukast and S-carbocysteine have been used in asthmatic patients as an anti-inflammatory or mucolytic agent respectively. S-carbocysteine also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Ovalbumin (OVA) sensitized BALB/c mice were challenged with OVA for 3 days followed by single OVA re-challenge (secondary challenge) 2 weeks later. Forty-eight hours after secondary challenge, mice were assessed for airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and cell composition in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Suboptimal doses of 10 mg.kg(-1) of S-carbocysteine by intraperitoneal injection (ip), 20 mg.kg(-1) of montelukast by gavage, the combination of S-carbocysteine and montelukast or 3 mg.kg(-1) of dexamethasone as a control were administered from 1 day before the secondary challenge to the last experimental day. Isolated lung cells were cultured with OVA and montelukast to determine the effects on cytokine production.

KEY RESULTS

Treatment with S-carbocysteine or montelukast reduced both AHR and the numbers of eosinophils in BAL fluid. Neutralizing IFN-gamma abolished the effects of S-carbocysteine on these airway responses. Combination of the two drugs showed further decreases in both AHR and eosinophils in the BAL fluid. Goblet cell metaplasia and Th2-type cytokines, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, in BAL fluid were decreased with montelukast treatment. Conversely, S-carbocysteine increased Th1-type cytokines, IFN-gamma and IL-12 in BAL fluid.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The combination of two agents, montelukast and S-carbocysteine, demonstrated additive effects on AHR and airway inflammation in a secondary allergen model most likely through independent mechanisms of action.

Narrow band imaging for detecting superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Narrow band imaging combined with magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) is useful for the detection of superficial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) within the oropharynx, hypopharynx, and oral cavity. The risk of a second primary SCC of the head and neck is very high in patients with esophageal SCC. This prospective study evaluated the detection rate of superficial SCC within the head and neck region (superficial SCCHN) with NBI-ME in patients with esophageal SCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between March 2006 and February 2008, 112 patients with a current or previous diagnosis of esophageal SCC were enrolled. All patients underwent endoscopic screening of the head and neck by NBI-ME. The primary end point was the detection rate for superficial SCCHN. Secondary end points were to compare demographic characteristics between patients with and without superficial SCCHN and to assess the clinical course of patients with superficial SCCHN.

RESULTS

The detection rate for superficial SCCHN was 13 % (15/112). The prevalence of multiple Lugol-voiding lesions, observed endoscopically throughout the esophageal mucosa after application of Lugol dye solution, was significantly higher in patients with superficial SCCHN than in those without (100 % vs. 24 %, P < 0.0001). Minimally invasive curative treatment with organ preservation was feasible without severe complications in patients with superficial SCCHN after curative treatment of esophageal SCC.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with esophageal SCC, NBI-ME is useful for detecting superficial SCCHN, thereby facilitating minimally invasive treatment.