Three additional examples of anti-Xga and Xg blood groups among the Japanese

Three examples of anti-Xga identified in Japanese donors are reported. Two of these were stimulated by pregnancy, while the antibody stimulation of the other one remains unknown. All of these antibodies had the ability to bind complement. A dosage effect was observed in an anti-Xga serum. The Xga gene frequency for 529 unrelated Japanese was 0.681, similar to that for Caucasians. Tests on 125 Japanese families with 242 offspring for Xga antigen are also reported.

[Hypotensive effects of diltiazem hydrochloride in the normotensive, spontaneously hypertensive and renal hypertensive rats (author's transl)]

In conscious and anesthetized normotensive rats, intravenous administration of diltiazem (0.1--3 mg/kg) produced a dose-related decrease in blood pressure. Administration of diltiazem (1--50 mg/kg) into the duodenum of anesthetized rats also reduced the blood pressure in a dose related manner. In parallel with the change in blood pressure, the heart rate increased in conscious rats and decreased in anesthetized animals. Such an increase in the heart rate was suppressed by pretreatment with propranolol. Similarly, in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), diltiazem dose-dependently decreased the blood pressure and increased the heart rate after intravenous administration (0.03--1 mg/kg). Oral administration of diltiazem (100 mg/kg) also reduced the blood pressure of SHR. In addition, the progressive increase in blood pressure in young SHR was significantly suppressed by chronic oral administration of diltiazem (30 mg/kg). The blood pressure in conscious renal hypertensive rats was also decreased with diltiazem (50 mg/kg p.o.). On the other hand, it was demonstrated that the pressor responses to norepinephrine and angiotensin II in the anesthetized normotensive rats were non-competitively inhibited by intravenous administration of diltiazem at a dose which had no effect on the blood pressure.

Mitomycin C bladder instillation therapy for bladder tumors

Patients with bladder tumors underwent a course of topical bladder instillation of 20 mg. mitomycin C in 20 ml. sterilized distilled water 3 times weekly for a total of 20 procedures. In 22 of the 50 patients (44 per cent) the tumors disappeared completely, while in 16 patients (32 per cent) there was partial disappearance and in 12 patients (24 per cent) there was no affect. Therefore, the total effective rate was 76 per cent. We concluded from our studies that mitomycin C topical therapy could be applied to low stage and low grade bladder tumors less than 1 cm. in diameter, without regard to the number of tumors. We now use mitomycin C topical therapy in all cases of bladder tumors. Local bladder reaction was noted in 3 cases but a complete course of therapy was accomplished in each case--in 2 cases without interruption of treatment and in 1 case by delaying treatment for 1 week. Abnormal values of hematocrit, white blood cells and platelets in blood were not observed during therapy.

Effects of diltiazem (CRD-401) on developed coronary collaterals in the dog

The effect of diltiazem (CRD-401) on coronary collaterals was studied in the dog. The anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery was occluded for 4 to 6 weeks by an ameroid constrictor. In these dogs, the retrograde flow (RF) from the peripheral coronary artery and peripheral coronary pressure (PCP) were significantly higher than those in acute coronary-ligated dogs, suggesting the development of large supraepicardial intercoronary anastomoses. Diltiazem (100 mug/kg i.v.) increased circumflex blood flow (CBF) for several min, while nitroglycerin (10 mug/kg i.v.) increased CBF transiently after which CBF decreased to below control values. Diltiazem (100 mug/kg) and nitroglycerin (10 mug/kg) increased RF/MAP (mean aortic pressure) and PCP/MAP and these increases lasted longer than that of CBF. Diltiazem also increased RF in doses of 100 mug/kg or 20 mug/kg/min. Therefore, diltiazem possesses the property of dilating coronary collaterals thus causing redistribution of intramyocardial blood flow. In acute preparations, however, both diltiazem and nitroglycerin showed no significant changes in PCP/MAP and RF/MAP.