A triangular conditioning voltage wave does not influence spontaneous neuronal activity in the rat striatum

A triangular potential wave applied shortly before each measuring triple pulse has been used in in vivo voltammetric experiments to ensure the maintenance of a high level of stability and sensitivity in the carbon fiber electrode. To investigate whether a triangular wave (0- +/- 1500 mV, 10 V/s slope) and a consecutive triple pulse affect spontaneous neuronal firing, extracellular recordings were made in the rat striatum at a distance of about 200-300 microns from the carbon fiber electrode while these potentials were being delivered. No significant change in the rate of spontaneous firing was found. A triangular pulse has proven to be very effective in lengthening the measurement lifetime of the carbon fiber electrode without interfering with the spontaneous activity of striatal neurons.

[A case report of true palmar aneurysm]

True palmar aneurysm is a rare disease of the hand. Only 12 cases of true palmar aneurysm have been reported in Japan. This occurs commonly in the hypothenar region. We experienced a 12-year-old boy who had a aneurysm of the left palmar hand successfully treated by surgery. The clinical diagnosis was established by ultra sound. Vascular reconstruction by end to end anastomosis was performed after excision of aneurysm. Pathology revealed this was true aneurysm.

Decarboxylation of exogenous L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine in rat striatum as studied by in vivo voltammetry

An in vivo voltammetric technique was used to determine whether striatal nondopaminergic neurons take up and decarboxylate exogenous L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and release it as dopamine. After the striatal serotonergic neurons of the rat had been destroyed by intraventricular injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, L-DOPA was administered intraperitoneally. It was found that changes in the dopamine concentration in the striatal extracellular fluid of the rat were the same as those in the nonlesioned rat. L-DOPA was also administered to the rat after the striatal perikarya had been destroyed by the intrastriatal injection of kainate. The striatal dopamine concentrations of the lesioned rat changed in parallel with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine-lesioned rats, as well as the nonlesioned rats. Moreover, when normal rats were administered L-DOPA, the dopamine concentration was not increased in the cerebellum, where dopamine neurons do not exist. From these observations, it is concluded that exogenous L-DOPA is taken up, decarboxylated to dopamine, and released only in the striatal dopamine neurons.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of pyrophosphate in the presence of a 20,000-fold excess of orthophosphate

An HPLC method was based on anion-exchange separation of pyrophosphate (diphosphate) and orthophosphate and postcolumn spectrophotometric detection at 140 degrees C with a molybdenum(V)-molybdenum(VI) reagent. The reagent was easy to prepare, stable for at least 6 months at room temperature, and ready for the determination of pyrophosphate and orthophosphate by the so-called heteropoly blue method without use of any reducing agent. A photodiode-array detector for HPLC indicated the spectral characteristics of the heteropoply blue complex that was detectable at 330-800 nm. The HPLC method had a wide dynamic range from 3 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-4) M for both pyrophosphate and orthophosphate with a relative standard deviation of measurement of 10 approximately 2%. Pyrophosphate of 5 x 10(-7) and 5 x 10(-6) M, respectively, could be determined in the presence of a 20,000-fold excess of orthophosphate; 0.01 and 0.1 M.

Effect of exogenous L-dopa on behavior in the rat: an in vivo voltammetric study

L-DOPA was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intraventricularly (i.v.t.) to freely moving rats to investigate the effects of exogenous L-DOPA itself on behavior. Striatal dopamine (DA) in the extracellular fluid was examined with microcomputer-controlled in vivo voltammetry, and behavioral change was observed. When L-DOPA was administered (i.p.) after pretreatment with benserazide, a peripheral DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor, behavioral change was elicited before the elevation in DA and suppressed before its reduction. After pretreatment with NSD-1015, a central DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor, behavioral change was also elicited, although DA was still not increased. When L-DOPA was injected (i.v.t.), the behavioral effect was manifested at once; DA was still unchanged at this time, but it increased after behavioral activity reached the maximum level. L-DOPA was also injected (i.v.t.) into rats with striatal lesions induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (i.v.t.). Behavioral change was manifested promptly after the injection. When the dose-response curves to different dosages of L-DOPA were examined in normal rats without striatal lesions, it was found to exhibit a steeper rise than that of DA. Finally, when rats were injected (i.p. or i.v.t.) with 3-O-methyl-DOPA (3-methoxytyrosine), a major metabolite of L-DOPA, no behavioral change was elicited, and no increase in DA was recognized. These experimental results indicated that L-DOPA is related directly to the manifestation of behavioral change.

Adrenoleukodystrophy presenting as spinocerebellar degeneration

The clinical features of 3 patients from a kindred with adrenoleukodystrophy and the analysis of their plasma sphingomyelin are described. Onset of symptoms was between the ages of 33 and 54 years. Ataxic gait and spasticity were the only symptoms noted during the early stage of the disorder. Dementia and optic atrophy were present in two of the cases. Baseline plasma cortisol was normal, but adrenocorticotropic hormone was elevated. Analysis of plasma sphingomyelin demonstrated an increase in very-long-chain (C24-C26) fatty acid. This study demonstrates that adrenoleukodystrophy may present with spinocerebellar symptoms.

In vivo voltammetric study of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neuronal degradation

Freely moving rats were injected intraventricularly with 200 micrograms of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and examined for transport of this substance to the striatum, degradation of dopamine (DA) neurons, and functional recovery through microcomputer-controlled in vivo voltammetry. Approximately 6 min after the injection, 6-OHDA began to appear in the extracellular fluid of the contralateral striatum. It increased linearly and began to decrease exponentially with the termination of the injection. Two hours after the injection with 6-OHDA, a peak began to appear at the same potential as the peak of DA in the differential pulse voltammogram. It persisted for approximately 3 days. When the rats were injected intraperitoneally with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-Dopa), the conversion of L-Dopa to DA was not found 1 week after the 6-OHDA injection, but was clearly recognized 5 months after the injection. When the rats were examined for behavioral changes arising from the L-Dopa injection, they were found to be clearly less hyperactive 5 months after the 6-OHDA injection than 1 week after.

Locus coeruleus neurons projecting to the forebrain and the spinal cord in the cat

The intranuclear organization of the cat locus coeruleus neurons was investigated anatomo-physiologically. The locus coeruleus neurons project to the forebrain through the dorsal noradrenergic bundle and to the spinal cord. Horseradish peroxidase, a retrograde tracer, was pressure-injected into either the dorsal noradrenergic bundle or the ventrolateral funiculus of the high cervical cord (C1-C2). The cats (n = 12) were killed after a 2- or 3-day survival period. The frontal sections (100 micron) throughout the locus coeruleus were observed by light microscope after carrying out the diaminobenzidine reaction. The labeled locus coeruleus neurons were located predominantly in the rostral locus coeruleus proper and locus coeruleus alpha when horseradish peroxidase was injected into the dorsal noradrenergic bundle, whereas they were predominantly located in the caudal locus coeruleus alpha and subcoeruleus when horseradish peroxidase was injected into the spinal cord. In the electrophysiological experiments, cats (n = 30) were anesthetized with alpha-chloralose and two stimulating electrodes were placed stereotaxically in the dorsal noradrenergic bundle and the ipsilateral ventrolateral funiculus of the high cervical cord (C1-C2), respectively. Monophasic square-wave pulses (2.5 Hz, 100 microsecond duration, 800 microA) were delivered. A recording glass electrode, filled with 2 M NaCl saturated with Fast Green, was placed in the locus coeruleus. Neurons with different conduction velocities, which were evoked by the antidromic stimulation of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle and spinal cord, were verified in the locus coeruleus and the adjacent areas. The slow conductive neurons with a conduction velocity of less than 1 m/s had a slow firing rate (1.6 +/- 0.9/s). They were located predominantly in the rostral locus coeruleus proper and locus coeruleus alpha by the dorsal noradrenergic bundle stimulation. From the anatomical and electrophysiological experimental results, it was concluded that the conduction velocities of the horseradish peroxidase-labeled neurons observed in locus coeruleus proper and locus coeruleus alpha were mostly slow and less than 1 m/s. Most of the slow conductive neurons were considered to be noradrenergic. Neurons evoked antidromically by both the dorsal noradrenergic bundle and spinal cord stimulation were not observed.

Epiphyseal destruction of children's hands after frostbite: a report of two cases

Two cases of epiphyseal destruction resulting from frostbite in the hands of children are reported. The most significant change observed on the x-ray film was the absence of the epiphyses. Stunted growth and mild flexion deformity of the fingers are characteristic sequelae.

Cervical radiculomyelopathy due to calcification of the ligamenta flava

Three cases of cervical radiculomyelopathy caused by calcification of the ligamenta flava of the cervical spine are reported. A review of the literature yielded 13 cases of calcification of the cervical ligamenta flava with findings similar to those in our cases. Specifically, we observed that 1) all patients were more than 50 years of age; 2) most were female; and 3) the calcifications appeared consistently as oval nodules, located symmetrically and paramedially in and around the region of the fifth cervical vertebra. Such characteristic similarities in both clinical and radiologic features are important in considering the etiology of calcification of the cervical ligamenta flawa.

A comparison of measurements of serum free T3 concentration by equilibrium dialysis, free T3 index, and T3:TBG ratio in thyroidal and non-thyroidal illnesses

The present study was undertaken and compare the methods for measuring free T3 (FT3) by equilibrium dialysis, free T3 index (FT3I), and T3:T4-binding globulin (T3/TBG) in 40 healthy subjects, 26 patients with hyperthyroidism, 36 patients with hypothyroidism, 16 women in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, 5 euthyroid subjects with low TBG, and 24 patients with non-thyroidal illnesses (NTI) with normal or low serum T3 concentration. Both FT3I and T3/TBG correlated significantly with FT3 (r = 0.98, P less than 0.001 and r = 0.92, P less than 0.001, respectively) when the data from all subjects were analyzed together. When each group was analyzed separately, FT3I still correlated significantly with FT3 in all groups (r = 0.67-0.97) except in the NTIs with low T3 (r = 0.18). The correlation of T3/TBG with FT3 was also significant in all groups (r = 0.60-0.88) other than the euthyroid with low TBG (r = 0.32) and NTIs with low T3 (r = 0.04). Both FT3I and T3/TBG values agreed well with the FT3 level in hyper- and hypothyroid subjects. In euthyroidism with abnormal TBG level, FT3I agreed well with FT3. However, T3/TBG gave a falsely lower FT3 when the TBG level was high, and a falsely higher FT3 when the TBG was low. In NTIs with normal T3, both FT3I and T3/TBG agreed well with FT3, but FT3I and T3/TBG values were all subnormal in NTIs with low T3, where FT3 ranged from normal to subnormal. These data suggest that 1) both FT3I and T3/TBG may be equally useful for an assessment of FT3 level in hyper- and hypothyroidism, 2) FT3I may be superior to T3/TBG in euthyroidism with abnormal TBG concentration in serum, and 3) neither FT3I nor T3/TBG may be valid for an indirect measure of FT3 in NTIs with low serum concentration of T3.

Relationship between monensin and sulphur amino acid requirements in broiler chickens

1. Diets containing 80, 100, 125, 150, 175 or 200 mg monensin/kg were fed to broiler chickens from 0 to 28 d in cages that prevented access to excreta. 2. Growth was depressed with 125 mg monensin or more/kg and food intake tended to decrease. Feathering was adversely affected with 175 mg or more/kg. 3. In a similar experiment, diets containing 8.8, 9.1, 9.4, 9.7 and 10.1 g total sulphur amino acids (SAA)/kg were supplemented with 125 or 80 mg monensin/kg and compared with a diet containing 8.8 g SAA and 33 mg robenidie/kg. 4. With 125 mg monensin/kg, body-weight gain was significantly less than that of birds receiving robenidine if dietary SAA content was 9.4 g or less/kg. With 9.7 g SAA or more/kg, gain in birds receiving monensin was similar to that of birds receiving robenidine. 5. Monensin at 125 mg/kg therefore appears to increase SAA requirement.