[Recording characteristics of the eye mark recorder in measurements of vertical eye movements]

Electronystagmography (ENG) has been widely used in physiological studies of eye movements. It is generally known that ENG is at a disadvantage in recording the vertical component of eye movements, and thus there has been a great deal of difficulty in physiological studies of vertical eye movements using ENG. The eye mark recorder is an instrument which has already been used in the study of visual point movement in various situations. We tried to apply the eye mark recorder to the recording of eye movements in normal volunteers, and then compared its recording characteristics with those of ENG. When recording vertical eye movements with the eye mark recorder there is little baseline drift and no confusing waves caused by blinking, which is sometimes misinterpreted as nystagmus. The result is easy calibration of the device and more accurate measurement of the slow-phase velocity of nystagmus than ENG. Recording with the eye mark recorder is atraumatic and allows binocular visual stimulation. There are certain other techniques, such as search coil or video oculography, which allow more accurate recording of vertical eye movements than ENG. The search coil techniques, however, requires the attachment of a measuring contact lens during the examination and video oculography is still in development process, so both of them are difficult to use widely. Thus, we found that the eye mark recorder has a great advantage in recording the slow-phase eye velocity of vertical nystagmus and the vertical component of smooth eye movements in humans. We think that eye mark recorder can serve as a powerful new tool to investigate vertical OKN and OKAN.

Phylogenetic classification of human T cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I genotypes in five major molecular and geographical subtypes

Proviral DNA was obtained from ex vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 75 human T cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected individuals who were either asymptomatic or had adult T cell leukaemia or tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy. Amplified long terminal repeats (LTRs) were analysed for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). The results, together with previously published LTR data (a total of 180 specimens analysed), showed the presence of 12 different RFLP profiles with four major molecular subtypes. Furthermore, a fragment of 413 bp (nucleotides 22 to 434) of the U3/R region was sequenced for 12 new HTLV-I specimens originating from Central and West Africa (8 cases), Iran (1 case), Caribbean (2 cases) and Reunion Island (1 case). Phylogenetic analysis using three different techniques (maximum parsimony, neighbour-joining and UPGMA) comparing these 12 strains (including four new African HTLV-I variants) with the 30 published partial HTLV-I LTR sequences (nt 120 to 434) showed the existence of clusters of molecular variants in discrete geographical areas. The topology of the phylogenetic trees is thought to reflect HTLV-I evolution and the migrations of virally infected populations in the recent or distant past. Furthermore, there was a nearly perfect concordance between the clustering based on the LTR sequence homologies and the LTR RFLP subtypes suggesting that this rapid and simple technique is well suited to the investigation of HTLV-I molecular epidemiology. These results allow a new phylogenetic classification of HTLV-I genotypes into five major molecular subtypes: Cosmopolitan (C) subtype widespread all over the world, Japanese (J) subtype, West African (WA) subtype. Central African (CA) subtype and Melanesian (M) subtype.

Pharmacokinetic behavior of cyclosporine A in liver dysfunction

The pharmacokinetic behavior of cyclosporine A (CyA), known as a potential immunosuppressive agent to prevent graft rejection in transplantation, was studied in patients with acute hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The ratios of blood concentration of total CyA (CyA and its metabolites), CyA, and CyA metabolites to dose/kg body weight, (t-CyA/dose, CyA/dose, and CyA-Met/dose, respectively) were significantly higher in patients with hepatitis than those in renal transplantation. In PBC patients these ratios showed a tendency to be smaller than those in renal transplantation, but were not significant. The ratio of CyA-Met/CyA was higher in the patients with hepatitis and PBC than that in renal transplantation. It was highest in the patients with PBC. The ratio of CyA-Met/CyA was significantly increased with a decrease of liver functions evaluated by serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and total serum bilirubin (t-Bil). These results indicate that hepatic function affects the pharmacokinetic behavior of CyA and the increased ratio of CyA-Met/dose could be caused by a possible increased efflux of metabolites into the blood circulation due to impaired bile excretion. These results also indicate the importance of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in the use of CyA with patients with hepatic dysfunction.

[Limulus test (factor G pathway) positive substance during cardiopulmonary bypass]

Limulus cascade reaction is found to be frequently activated by the plasma in the patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Recently, it is considered that this phenomenon occurs by factor G pathway reactive activity (GPRA) rather than endotoxin that activates factor C pathway. In the present report, we investigated circulating endotoxin and GPRA in 32 patients undergoing CPB. Plasma was pretreated by the New PCA method, and assay was performed by two limulus tests; Toxicolor (reactive with endotoxin and GPRA) and Endospecy (endotoxin-specific). Thirty-two patients were classified into four groups by clinical diagnosis, Group A; dissecting aneurysm of the aorta (6 patients), Group B; ischemic heart disease (9 patients), Group C; heart valve disease (8 patients), Group D; congenital heart disease and myxoma in left atrium (9 patients). GPRA in Ringer's lactate hardly increased during previous circulation before operation. The highest plasma GPRA concentration in all patients was observed at the end of CPB, 415 +/- 342pg/ml, but plasma endotoxin concentration was within normal range. At the end of CPB, plasma GPRA concentrations were 761 +/- 180pg/ml in Group A, 646 +/- 341pg/ml in Group B, 230 +/- 86pg/ml in Group C, and 113 +/- 65pg/ml in Group D. GPRA increase ratio (GPRA increase value/CPB time) of Groups A and B was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of Groups C and D. It was suggested that the origin of plasma GPRA during CPB was not the CPB circuit but the tissue of the patients.

[A case of right atrial thrombus associated with idiopathic pericarditis]

A 73-year-old man suffering from exertional dyspnea was admitted to our hospital. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion. This case was diagnosed as idiopathic pericarditis from laboratory data and pathological findings of the pericardial biopsy. A right atrial mass was detected by computed tomography, transesophageal echocardiography and MRI during conservative treatment. Because of the risk of pulmonary embolism due to the presence of the right atrial mass, removal of the mass was performed. The atrial mass was diagnosed as organized thrombus by pathological examination. It was suggested that the cause of right atrial thrombus was congestion and damage of the right atrial endocardium due to idiopathic pericarditis and atrial fibrillation. This case of a right atrial thrombus associated with idiopathic pericarditis is very rare, and MRI was proven to be very useful in the differentiation of a thrombus from cardiac tumor.

Tax protein of HTLV-1 interacts with the Rel homology domain of NF-kappa B p65 and c-Rel proteins bound to the NF-kappa B binding site and activates transcription

Tax protein of human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) enhances transcription of several cellular genes through activation of a specific enhancer, the NF-kappa B binding site. We found previously that Tax binds to NF-kappa B p50, which is a member of the Rel/NF-kappa B family proteins, and associates with the DNA sequence of the NF-kappa B binding site. In the present study, we tested other NF-kappa B family proteins and found that NF-kappa B p65 and c-Rel proteins also bind to Tax and that their complexes with Tax bind to the DNA sequence of the NF-kappa B binding site. The Tax binding site on NF-kappa B p50 is the Rel homology domain, which is conserved in the Rel/NF-kappa B family proteins. The formations of these complexes by Tax mutants were well correlated with their transactivating capacities. In F9 embryonic carcinoma cells, Tax enhanced transcription synergistically with NF-kappa B p65 or c-Rel. Thus Tax interacts with the Rel homology domain of Rel/NF-kappa B family proteins which bind to the NF-kappa B binding site and activates transcription.

PS-990, a novel neuritogenic compound from Acremonium sp

A novel compound, PS-990, which induces differentiation of neuroblastoma cells, was isolated from the culture broth of a fungus, Acremonium sp. KY12702. PS-990 inhibited brain calcium calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase with an IC50 value of 3 micrograms/ml, and markedly induced neurite extension of mouse neuroblastoma, Neuro2A, at concentrations ranging from 10 to 30 micrograms ml.

Kinetic analysis of the drug permeation process across the intestinal epithelium

The rat intestinal lumen and the blood vessel were simultaneously perfused to study drug permeation across the intestinal epithelium. On the basis of drug disappearance from the intestinal lumen and its appearance into the vascular outflow, the mean time required for permeation across the intestinal membrane (MPT) and the permeation clearance (CLp) were calculated. MPT values of water, antipyrine, propranolol, imipramine and mannitol, varied from 0.45 min to 9.91 min depending on their physicochemical property. From both MPT and CLp, five drugs were classified as being (i) highly and rapidly absorbed (water, antipyrine), (ii) highly but slowly absorbed (propranolol, imipramine) and (iii) low and slowly absorbed (mannitol). Permeation profiles of these drugs were analyzed based on the diffusion model which defined the parameter for each permeation process, i.e. partitioning to and diffusion through the epithelium and clearance into the blood flow. Propranolol and imipramine partitioned into the membrane at a higher level than the other drugs. However, the clearance of both drugs from the epithelium was extremely slow, suggesting that this process is the rate-limiting step in their permeation. On the other hand, the rate-limiting step in the permeation of water and antipyrine was found to be the diffusion process in the epithelial layer.

Benign schwannoma of the liver: a case report

Neurogenic tumors of the liver are very rare, irrespective of associated neurofibromatosis. We report here a well-documented case of benign schwannoma in a 56-year-old woman without neurofibromatosis, including imaging and pathological examinations.

Three cases of malignant hypertension: the roles of endothelin-1 and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system

We experienced three cases of malignant hypertension. Plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) was extremely high in all patients on admission (12.1 +/- 1.0 pg/ml, normal 1.5 +/- 0.5 pg/ml), and changed in parallel with the serum creatinine level. In one patient, during the recovery period, serum creatinine increased 1 mg/dl over a one-week period just after the increase of plasma ET-1 (14.2 pg/ml), while plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were stable. In contrast, the decline of renal dysfunction was larger in patients with high PRA and PAC. These data suggest that increased plasma ET-1 and an enhanced renin-aldosterone-angiotensin system act together in a vicious cycle to deteriorate renal function in patients with malignant hypertension.

Lymphocutaneous nocardiosis with multiple subcutaneous nodules distributed over the extensor aspect of the forearm. Report of a case

We report a case of lymphocutaneous nocardiosis due to Nocardia brasiliensis, marked by multiple subcutaneous nodules and abscesses on the extensor aspect of the left forearm in a 53-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus. Nine months before she was first examined, she had fallen on a concrete surface. A nodule had appeared 2 months later at the same site and had expanded and been followed by others, which finally covered most of the extensor aspect of the forearm. We speculated that the bacteria may have been conveyed retrogradely via the lymph vessels in a distal direction, perhaps as a result of the trauma and the subsequent development of an intradermal lesion.

Reactivity and stereospecificity of neuropathy target esterase and alpha-chymotrypsin with 2-substituted-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxides

2-Substituted-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxides (2-substituted-BDPOs) are of special interest as neuropathy target esterase (NTE) inhibitors because they include not only the neuropathic metabolite of tri-o-cresyl phosphate (the 2-methylphenoxy analog) but also the most potent NTE inhibitors known. These compounds react much faster with NTE than 2 standard inhibitors, O,O-diisopropyl fluorophosphonate (DFP) and mipafox. alpha-Chymotrypsin is similar to NTE in undergoing rapid inhibition by BDPOs which is known to involve phosphorylation followed by aging. NTE and alpha-chymotrypsin were compared for reaction rates with BDPOs varying in the 2-substituent as follows: 4-methyl-, 4-propyl-, and 4-hexylphenoxy; butyl, octyl and dodecyl; (S)- and (R)-butyl. The active site of NTE differs from that of alpha-chymotrypsin in preference for long-chain substituents and in stereospecificity.

Catalytic cooperativity of beef heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase revealed by using 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-ATP as a substrate; an indication of mutually activating catalytic sites

The interaction of 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)ATP (TNP-ATP) with bovine mitochondrial F1-ATPase (MF1) was examined under substoichiometric and stoichiometric conditions to investigate the relationship between the amount of bound TNP-AT(D)P and extent of inhibition on steady state ATP hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of bound TNP-ATP under substoichiometric condition proceeded slowly, with a first order rate constant of 0.014 s-1. However, hydrolysis was greatly accelerated by addition of excess ATP. The hydrolyzed product, TNP-ADP, did not dissociate from the enzyme even after the addition of excess ATP. These properties were the same for both native and nucleotide depleted enzyme. The difference spectrum induced by binding TNP-ATP to MF1 had a distinct peak at 410 nm and a deep trough at 395 nm, which were similar to those induced when TNP-ATP bound to the isolated beta subunit of the thermophilic F1-ATPase. The magnitude of difference spectra as a function of TNP-ATP concentration suggested the presence of at least two types of binding sites on the MF1 molecule. The first site, where substoichiometric TNP-ATP was hydrolyzed, had a very high affinity for TNP-ATP. TNP-AT(D)P bound to this site did not dissociate even in the presence of excess ATP. TNP-AT(D)P bound to the second site dissociated slowly when excess ATP was added. The steady state ATPase activity at 100 microM ATP was linearly suppressed as pre-loaded TNP-ATP increased. The binding of 2 mol of TNP-ATP per mol of MF1 was required to abolish ATPase activity. A model which assumes mutually-activating two catalytic sites is presented to explain these results.

[Significance of phrenic nerve block in the anesthetic management of laparoscopic cholecystectomy]

The significance of phrenic nerve block was studied in the anesthetic management of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Right phrenic nerve block with 1% mepivacaine 10 ml was performed after the patients were epidurally catheterized and anesthetized with isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. Intraoperative anesthetic requirement and postoperative shoulder pain incidence in patients with this block were compared with those in patients without block. Addition of the phrenic nerve block to general and epidural anesthesia did not reduce the intraoperative dosage of isoflurane, but it significantly prevented occurrence of postoperative right shoulder pain. It is known that phrenic nerve contains sensory element and that laparoscopic procedures of gall bladder elicit noxious stimuli which cannot be blocked by ordinary epidural anesthesia for abdominal surgery. Also, shoulder pain is said to be phrenic nerve-mediated referred pain. Our study suggests that blockade of these stimuli is effective in preventing postoperative event rather than intraoperative.

[13-week oral toxicity study of lactitol (NS-4) in rats followed by 5-week recovery test]

Twenty male and 20 female Slc : SD rats were orally given lactitol, a hepatic encephalopathy drug, for 13 weeks at doses of 0, 0.625, 2.5 or 10 g/kg/day. A 5 week recovery test was conducted after the discontinuation of the drug treatment. Soft stool and decreased food consumption were seen in the 2.5 and 10 g/kg groups. In the 10 g/kg group, there were diarrhea, soiled fur, abdominal distention, salivation, piloerection, decreased body weight gain and increased water consumption. Urinalysis showed decreased urine volume and K+ excretion in the 10 g/kg group. In this dose group, biochemical examination showed decreased ALP, total cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, Ca, Na+, Cl- and total protein. In the pathological examination, the cecum weight was increased in all dose groups. In the 2.5 and 10 g/kg groups, cecum distention with mucosal hyperplasia was observed. The adrenal weight was increased in the 10 g/kg group and hypertrophy of zona fasciculata of adrenal gland were seen in the 2.5 and 10 g/kg groups. The thymic weight was decreased in the 10 g/kg group. Ophthalmoscopic and hematologic examinations failed to reveal any drug induced changes. The increased cecum weight in the 0.625 g/kg group was regarded as toxicologically insignificant because of the failure of the association with any clinical or morphological findings. The above mentioned changes were satisfactorily reversible except for those in the cecum. Based on the results obtained, the NOAEL of this study was suggested to be 0.625 g/kg/day.

Multiple functions of nitric oxide in pathophysiology and microbiology: analysis by a new nitric oxide scavenger

A wide range of biological functions of nitric oxide (NO) was analyzed using a newly discovered nitric oxide scavenger, 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolineoxyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) or its water-soluble derivative carboxy-PTIO. The chemistry is very simple in that NO was oxidized by PTIO, yielding one mole each of NO2 and 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl. Based on the potent NO-scavenging activity of PTIO derivatives, the diverse functions of NO under physiological states as well as various pathological conditions such as endotoxin shock and viral diseases are now explicated. It was found that PTIO and carboxy-PTIO showed significant inhibitory activity against a series of biological actions of NO: (1) endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in an ex vivo system, (2) pathogenicity of NO produced excessively in endotoxin shock in rats and in influenza virus pneumonitis in mice, and (3) enhanced vascular permeability in solid tumors mediated by NO. PTIO directly extinguishes NO generated by NO synthase (NOS) without affecting NOS activity, which is a clear contrast to NOS inhibitors. Therefore, characterization of this unique mode of action of PTIO appears to be helpful not only in understanding of the pathophysiological role of NO but also in the treatment of various diseases caused by excessive production of NO.

Molecular epidemiology of HTLV type I in Japan: evidence for two distinct ancestral lineages with a particular geographical distribution

Japan is one of the highest endemic areas of the world for human T cell leukemia-lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I). To gain new insight as to the origin of this virus in Japan and especially in the southern islands of the archipelago, we investigated the long terminal repeat (LTR) of 67 newly isolated HTLV-I proviral DNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HTLV-I-infected individuals for their restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The specimens were from Japanese living in different geographical areas (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, or the Ryukyu Islands) of Japan (59 cases) or Americans of Japanese ancestry living in Hawaii (8 cases). The analysis of the results, together with data for the 19 previously published LTR sequences, demonstrated the existence of 2 subtypes of HTLV-I in Japan. The first, which we propose to name Japanese subtype (previously named subtype III), is more frequent (67 of 86: 78%) than the second, the cosmopolitan subtype (previously named subtype II) (19 of 86: 22%). In parallel, a fragment of 413 base pairs of the U3/R region (nucleotide 22 to 434) was cloned and sequenced from 10 of the new Japanese samples. The alignment of these sequences and their comparison and phylogenetic analysis with previously published LTR HTLV-I sequences, demonstrated clearly the existence of the two distinct molecular subtypes of HTLV-I in Japan, diverging in this LTR region by about 1.6%. Furthermore, the study of the geographical distribution of the 2 subtypes among the 80 samples from patients whose place of residence in Japan was known showed an uneven distribution. While the Japanese subtype was present in all parts of Japan, the cosmopolitan subtype seemed to cluster in the southern islands of the archipelago (i.e., Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands) as well as in immigrants from those areas who had lived in Hawaii for decades. These new molecular data raise questions and suggest hypotheses, discussed here, concerning the origin and means of dissemination of these human retrovirus subtypes in Japan.

Amantadine increases the extracellular dopamine levels in the striatum by re-uptake inhibition and by N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonism

This study was performed to investigate the mechanism how amantadine increases the extracellular dopamine (DA) levels in the striatum in vivo. Local application of amantadine (1 mM, 40 min) to the striatum through the dialysis membrane significantly increased the extracellular DA levels. Coadministration of nomifensine (10 mM, 120 min), an inhibitor of neuronal DA uptake, into the perfusion fluid attenuated the amantadine-induced increase in DA outflow. The amantadine-induced increases in the extracellular DA levels were also inhibited by co-perfusion with Ringer containing high Mg2+ (15 mM, 120 min) or with MK-801 (1 microM, 80 min). These findings suggest that amantadine increases the extracellular DA levels in the striatum by inhibiting the re-uptake of DA and/or by blocking the channel in the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, which results in antagonism of NMDA receptor function.

Isolation of the stable hexameric DnaK.DnaJ complex from Thermus thermophilus

A DnaK homolog (T.DnaK) has been purified as a stable complex with a DnaJ homolog (T.DnaJ) from a thermophilic bacterium, Thermus thermophilus. This complex has an approximate molecular size of 300 kDa and appears to contain three copies of each of T.DnaK and T.DnaJ molecules. Consistently, trigonal ring structures with a diameter (trigonal apex-to-apex) of about 11 nm were observed with electron microscopy. The complex has no endogenously bound AT(D)P and is stable in the presence of Mg-AT(D)P. It possesses a weak ATPase activity and retains about 3 mol of ADP/mole of the complex when incubated with Mg-ATP. This complex is able to interact with the reduced carboxymethylated alpha-lactalbumin which we used as a model unfolded protein.

Human adhalin is alternatively spliced and the gene is located on chromosome 17q21

Mutations in the dystrophin gene cause the X chromosome-linked, recessive Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies. Dystrophin, a large cytoskeletal protein, copurifies with a complex of dystrophin-associated proteins which serve to anchor dystrophin to the sarcolemma. One of these associated proteins, adhalin, has been implicated as a candidate for severe childhood autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy (SCARMD) due to absence of anti-adhalin staining in muscle biopsy samples taken from SCARMD patients. Furthermore, the Duchenne-like dystrophic phenotype seen in the SCARMD families was shown to be tightly linked to chromosome 13 markers. To determine the genetic mutation responsible for autosomal dystrophy, we characterized the human adhalin gene. Contrary to our expectation, human adhalin was mapped to chromosome 17q21, excluding adhalin as the gene causing chromosome 13-associated SCARMD. Additionally, a splice form of adhalin message was found that predicts a 35-kDa nontransmembrane adhalin. The expression of both adhalin splice forms is exclusively restricted to striated muscle, unlike other components of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex.

Crystallization of mutant beta subunit of F1-ATPase from thermophilic Bacillus PS3

The mutant beta subunit of F1-ATPase from a thermophilic Bacillus strain, PS3, in which tyrosine at position 341 is replaced by leucine (beta Y341L) was expressed in Escherichia coli and crystallized by the vapor-diffusion procedure. Small needle-like crystals were obtained using ammonium sulfate as a precipitant and grown by the stepwise seeding method. The crystals obtained by this procedure diffracted X-rays to about 3 A resolution. The diffraction patterns indicated that the crystals belong to the orthorhombic system and the space group I222 or I2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit-cell dimensions of a = 232 A, b = 66 A, and c = 80 A. It is thought that the asymmetric unit comprises one beta Y341L molecule.

[Effect of E. coli endotoxin and D-galactosamine on pathophysiology in rat lungs]

The effects of repeated intravenous injection of E. coli endotoxin (ETX) and intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine (GAL), which decreases the circulating level of alpha 1-antitrypsin, on the pathophysiology of chronic lung injury was studied in rats. Four groups were prepared as follows for 8 weeks. Group 1 (control): Intravenous injection of saline. Group 2: Intravenous injection of ETX (2 mg/kg) once a week. Group 3: Intraperitoneal injection of GAL (200 mg/kg), 2 times daily on 3 consecutive days each week. Group 4: Injection of both ETX and GAL, at the same dosages as used in groups 2 and 3. Total lung capacity and static lung compliance divided by weight were high in the ETX group and the ETX + GAL group, comparative when compared with those in the control and GAL groups, even though weight gain rates in the ETX + GAL group was less than in other groups. Mean linear intercept of rats in the ETX + GAL group was significantly greater than in other groups. These results suggest that ETX + GAL-treated rats have more emphysematous changes in pulmonary function and structure.