Structures of strong shocks in low-density helium and neon gases

Strong shocks are essential components in many high-energy-density environments such as inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, the experimental measurements of the spatial structures of such shocks are sparse. In this paper, the soft x-ray emission of a shock front in a helium gas mixture (90% helium, 10% neon) and a pure neon gas was spatially resolved using an imaging spectrometer. We observe that the shock width in the helium mixture gas is about twice as large as in the pure neon gas. Moreover, they exhibit different precursor layers, where electron temperature greatly exceeds ion temperature, extending for more than ∼350µm with the helium gas mixture but less than 30µm in the pure neon. At the shock front, calculations show that the electrons are strongly collisional with mean-free path two orders of magnitude shorter than the characteristic length of the shock. However, the helium ions can reach a kinetic regime as a consequence of their mean-free path being comparable to the scale of the shock. A radiation-hydrodynamic simulation demonstrates the impact of thermal conduction on the formation of the precursors with charge state, Z, playing a major role in heat flow and the precursor formation in both the helium mixture and the pure neon gases. Particle-in-cell simulations are also performed to study the ion kinetic effects on the formation of the observed precursors. A group of fast-streaming ions is observed leading the shock only in the helium gas mixture. Both effects explain the longer precursor layer in the helium shock.

Nintedanib administration after the onset of acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease in the real world

Nintedanib reduces the decline in forced vital capacity and extends the time to the first acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (AE-ILD). However, the effect of additional nintedanib administration after AE-ILD onset is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of nintedanib administration after AE-ILD development. We retrospectively collected the data of 33 patients who developed AE-ILD between April 2014 and January 2022. Eleven patients who received nintedanib after AE-ILD development and the remaining who did not were classified into the N and No-N groups, respectively. The survival time in the N group tended to be longer than that in the No-N group. The generalized Wilcoxson test revealed that the cumulative mortality at 90 days from AE-ILD onset was significantly lower in the N group. The time to subsequent AE-ILD development was significantly longer in the N group than that in the No-N group. The incidence of adverse gastrointestinal effects and liver dysfunction in the N group was 9-18%. Treatment without nintedanib after AE-ILD development and the ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen were significant independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis. Thus, nintedanib administration may be a treatment option for AE-ILD.

Collateral status evaluation coupled with time window by dynamic axial computed tomographic angiography with a focus on the middle cerebral artery for mechanical thrombectomy

Background

Dynamic axial computed tomographic angiography (dynax–CTA), covering a thin width, with a focus on the bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA), can quickly visualize the internal carotid artery (ICA) or MCA occlusion. We aimed to investigate whether dynax–CTA appropriately evaluated the collateral status coupled with the upper limit of the onset-to-reperfusion (OtR) time to achieve a major neurological improvement (MNI) at a 24-h follow-up examination after mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods

We included acute ischemic stroke patients admitted from 2018 to 2020 who underwent dynax–CTA on admission and emergent MT for ICA or MCA occlusion. We performed dynax–CTA using an 80-row CT scanner and acquired 25 volume scans, consisting of 40 images of 1-mm thickness and 4-cm width. We classified the collateral status as good, intermediate, and poor based on MCA branch opacification. We evaluated the collateral status and the upper OtR time limit to achieve MNI.

Results

Forty-eight patients met our inclusion criteria. Dynax–CTA findings demonstrated MCA and ICA occlusion in 30 and 18 patients, respectively. The collateral status was good, intermediate, and poor in four, 25, and 19 patients, respectively. The upper limits of the OtR time for MNI were 3.63, 8.08, and 8.67 h in patients with poor, intermediate, and intermediate or good collateral status, respectively.

Conclusions

Dynax–CTA appropriately evaluated the collateral status coupled with the upper limit of the OtR time before performing MT.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-021-02284-8.

Development of quadrupole susceptibility automatic calculator in sum frequency generation spectroscopy and application to methyl C-H vibrations

Sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy has been established as a powerful interface probe technique based on the electric dipole approximation, while possible signals of quadrupole and bulk origin have also been known for a long time. In this work, we developed a computational tool, namely, Qsac (quadrupole susceptibility automatic calculator), to evaluate the comprehensive contributions of the dipole/quadrupole and interface/bulk in the arbitrary vibrational bands of SFG spectra. The calculations of relevant susceptibility terms are performed on the basis of the theory of energy representation using quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics simulation, which allows for semi-quantitative comparison among these terms on the same footing. We applied the Qsac to the methyl C-H stretching bands of organic molecules and found a general trend that the weak asymmetric bands are more sensitive to the bulk contribution than the symmetric ones. The phases of interface and bulk terms tend to cancel in the asymmetric band, which results in the reduced band intensity in the SFG spectra.

Quadrupole Contribution of C═O Vibrational Band in Sum Frequency Generation Spectra of Organic Carbonates

Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) is usually governed by surface-selective signals of dipole origin, but it can also contain some bulk signals of quadrupole origin. In this work, we examined the dipole and quadrupole contributions in the C═O stretching band of organic carbonate liquids with collaboration of heterodyne SFG measurement and theoretical analysis. As a result, we found that these spectra are substantially affected by the quadrupole contribution of the bulk, which resolved the discrepancy between the experimental and computational SFG spectra.

Self-Generated Magnetic and Electric Fields at a Mach-6 Shock Front in a Low Density Helium Gas by Dual-Angle Proton Radiography

Shocks are abundant both in astrophysical and laboratory systems. While the electric fields generated at shock fronts have recently attracted great attention, the associated self-generated magnetic field is rarely studied, despite its ability to significantly affect the shock profile in the nonideal geometry where density and temperature gradients are not parallel. We report here the observation of a magnetic field at the front of a Mach ∼6 shock propagating in a low-density helium gas system. Proton radiography from different projection angles not only confirms the magnetic field's existence, but also provides a quantitative measurement of the field strength in the range ∼5 to 7 T. X-ray spectrometry allowed inference of the density and temperature at the shock front, constraining the plasma conditions under which the magnetic and electric fields are generated. Simulations with the particle-in-cell code lsp attribute the self-generation of the magnetic field to the Biermann battery effect (∇n_{e}×∇T_{e}).

MUFINS: multi-formalism interaction network simulator

Systems Biology has established numerous approaches for mechanistic modeling of molecular networks in the cell and a legacy of models. The current frontier is the integration of models expressed in different formalisms to address the multi-scale biological system organization challenge. We present MUFINS (MUlti-Formalism Interaction Network Simulator) software, implementing a unique set of approaches for multi-formalism simulation of interaction networks. We extend the constraint-based modeling (CBM) framework by incorporation of linear inhibition constraints, enabling for the first time linear modeling of networks simultaneously describing gene regulation, signaling and whole-cell metabolism at steady state. We present a use case where a logical hypergraph model of a regulatory network is expressed by linear constraints and integrated with a Genome-Scale Metabolic Network (GSMN) of mouse macrophage. We experimentally validate predictions, demonstrating application of our software in an iterative cycle of hypothesis generation, validation and model refinement. MUFINS incorporates an extended version of our Quasi-Steady State Petri Net approach to integrate dynamic models with CBM, which we demonstrate through a dynamic model of cortisol signaling integrated with the human Recon2 GSMN and a model of nutrient dynamics in physiological compartments. Finally, we implement a number of methods for deriving metabolic states from ~omics data, including our new variant of the iMAT congruency approach. We compare our approach with iMAT through the analysis of 262 individual tumor transcriptomes, recovering features of metabolic reprogramming in cancer. The software provides graphics user interface with network visualization, which facilitates use by researchers who are not experienced in coding and mathematical modeling environments.

Preservation of beam emittance in the presence of ion motion in future high-energy plasma-wakefield-based colliders

The preservation of beam quality in a plasma wakefield accelerator driven by ultrahigh intensity and ultralow emittance beams, characteristic of future particle colliders, is a challenge. The electric field of these beams leads to plasma ions motion, resulting in a nonlinear focusing force and emittance growth of the beam. We propose to use an adiabatic matching section consisting of a short plasma section with a decreasing ion mass to allow for the beam to remain matched to the focusing force. We use analytical models and numerical simulations to show that the emittance growth can be significantly reduced.

[Supplementary motor area syndrome with frontal glioma]

The supplementary motor area (SMA) is a region located within each cerebral hemisphere at the posterior medial border of the frontal lobe. It is considered to play an important role in planning, initiating and maintaining sequential motor actions. In this report, we aimed to confirm or invalidate the somatotopic organization of the SMA, correlates the pattern of clinical symptoms observed after SMA removal with the extent of resection. Althogh there was no apparent change shown in the monitoring of intraoperative motor evoked potential (MEP), four patients displayed postoperative SMA syndrome on the side of the body contralateral to the SMA resection. All patients developed postoperative severe hemiplegia. One dominant frontal glioma patient was followed by transient mutism and motor aphasia. In this study, there is no correlation between extent of SMA resection and postoperative clinical pattern of deficits.

Ion acceleration by collisionless shocks in high-intensity-laser-underdense-plasma interaction

Ion acceleration by the interaction of an ultraintense short-pulse laser with an underdense-plasma has been studied at intensities up to 3 x 10(20) W/cm(2). Helium ions having a maximum energy of 13.2+/-1.0 MeV were measured at an angle of 100 degrees from the laser propagation direction. The maximum ion energy scaled with plasma density as n(0.70+/-0.05)(e). Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations suggest that multiple collisionless shocks are formed at high density. The interaction of shocks is responsible for the observed plateau structure in the ion spectrum and leads to an enhanced ion acceleration beyond that possible by the ponderomotive potential of the laser alone.

Altered psychomotor behaviors in mice lacking pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been conserved remarkably during evolution and is widely expressed in the mammalian brain. In Drosophila, mutation of the PACAP homologue results in behavioral defects, including impaired olfaction-associated learning and changes in ethanol sensitivity. Here, we report the generation of mice lacking the PACAP gene (PACAP(-/-)). PACAP(-/-) mice were born in the expected Mendelian ratios but had a high early-mortality rate. The surviving adult PACAP(-/-) mice displayed remarkable behavioral changes; they exhibited hyperactive and explosive jumping behaviors in an open field, increased exploratory behavior, and less anxiety in the elevated plus maze, emergence, and novel-object tests. Analysis of PACAP(-/-) mice brains revealed that the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was slightly decreased in the cortex and striatum compared with wild-type mice. The present study provides evidence that PACAP plays a previously uncharacterized role in the regulation of psychomotor behaviors.

Induction of IRF-3/-7 kinase and NF-kappaB in response to double-stranded RNA and virus infection: common and unique pathways

BACKGROUND

Infection by virus or treatment with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) results in the activation of transcription factors including IRF-3, IRF-7 and a pleiotropic regulator NF-kappaB by specific phosphorylation. These factors are important in triggering a cascade of antiviral responses. A protein kinase that is yet to be identified is responsible for the activation of these factors and plays a key role in the responses.

RESULTS

The signal cascade was analysed using sensitive assays for the activation of IRF-3 and NF-kappaB, and various inhibitors. We found that the activation of IRF-3 and NF-kappaB by dsRNA or virus involves a process that is sensitive to Geldanamycin. Although the induction of NF-kappaB by dsRNA/virus and TNF-alpha involves common downstream pathways including IKK activation, the upstream, Geldanamycin-sensitive process was unique to the dsRNA/virus-induced signal. By an in vitro assay using cell extract, we found an inducible protein kinase activity with physiological specificity of IRF-3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the same extract specifically phosphorylated IRF-7 in a similar manner.

CONCLUSIONS

Double-stranded RNA or virus triggers a specific signal cascade that results in the activation of the IRF-3/-7 kinase we detected, which corresponds to the long-sought signalling machinery that is responsible for triggering the early phase of innate response. The signal branches to a common NF-kappaB activation cascade, thus resulting in the activation of a set of critical transcription factors for the response.

Desensitization, surface expression, and glycosylation of a functional, epitope-tagged type I PACAP (PAC(1)) receptor

To study desensitization and glycosylation of the type I pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) receptor (PAC(1)R), a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope was inserted within the N-terminal extracellular domain, allowing immunological detection of PAC(1)R both in intact and permeabilized cells. PAC(1)R was tagged without loss of functions in ligand binding and ligand-stimulated cAMP production. In transiently transfected COS-7 cells, PAC(1)R was localized both in the plasma membrane and the cytoplasm around the nucleus. By immunoblot analysis, the immunoreactive bands with relative molecular masses ranging from 45 to 70 kDa were detected in the membrane fractions of PAC(1)R-expressing COS-7 cells. Digestion of the membranes with endoglycosidase F or treatment of the cells with tunicamycin decreased the size of the receptor to major bands of smaller size (approximately 45 and 48 kDa), suggesting that these two forms of PAC(1)R represent core proteins. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the agonist promoted a disappearance of cell surface receptor. In accordance with this observation, preexposure of cells to PACAP38 induced a desensitization of PAC(1)R to the agonist response, although it did not cause a reduction in PAC(1)R mRNA or protein level and even slightly elevated them. These results suggest that agonist-induced desensitization of PAC(1)R involves the receptor sequestration.

Mice with markedly reduced PACAP (PAC(1)) receptor expression by targeted deletion of the signal peptide

In an attempt to study the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) type 1 (PAC(1)) receptor (PAC(1)R) function in vivo and to produce a mouse model with altered expression of PAC(1)R, we have used gene targeting in embryonic stem cells to disrupt exon 2 of the PAC(1)R gene, which contains the ATG translation start site and the signal peptide. Un-expectedly, active transcription of PAC(1)R mRNA was detected in the mutant mice; however, exon 1 was spliced to exon 3 (skipping exon 2), and (125)I-PACAP27 binding in brain was greatly reduced. PAC(1)R exon 2(-/-) mice were viable, fertile, and morphologically and histologically indistinguishable from their wild-type counterparts. We next examined the ligand binding and cell surface expression of the mutant receptor lacking the signal peptide in transfected COS-7 cells. (125)I-PACAP27 binding of the mutant receptor was approximately one-tenth of that in the wild-type receptor. Although the wild-type receptor was expressed abundantly in both the plasma membrane and the cytoplasm around the nucleus, the mutant receptor was expressed in the plasma membrane with a markedly reduced level. Digestion of the membranes with endoglycosidase F greatly reduced the size of the wild-type receptor but only slightly reduced that of the mutant receptor. These results demonstrate that the signal peptide is required for efficient cell surface expression and N-linked glycosylation of the PAC(1)R. However, the mutant receptors still functionally coupled to adenylate cyclase in COS-7 cells, suggesting the presence of sufficient spare receptors such that the mutant receptors are capable of activating the second messenger system. We suggest that the mutant mice with markedly reduced PAC(1)R expression can serve as a useful animal model or cell culture system for further studies in PAC(1)R function.

Synergistic induction of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) gene expression by nerve growth factor and PACAP in PC12 cells

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) gene expression was analyzed in PC12 cells. PC12 cells transfected with a PACAP promoter-luciferase reporter construct were utilized to investigate the effects of PACAP, either alone or in combination with nerve growth factor (NGF), on PACAP transcriptional response. PACAP induced transcription from the PACAP promoter through PACAP type I receptor (PAC1 receptor). PACAP gene transcription was also induced by NGF. Simultaneous treatment with PACAP and NGF resulted in a synergistic transcriptional response that was more than three times the predicted response, based on a simple additive effect of both agents. This synergism in transcriptional response paralleled the PACAP mRNA levels, as determined by RT-PCR and northern blotting. The level of PACAP mRNA peaked 3 h after stimulation and gradually returned to basal levels by 48 h. PC12 cells are known to express predominantly the hop isoform of the PAC1 receptor, which positively couples to both adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C. To determine the role of the cyclic AMP and protein kinase C pathways in PACAP gene expression, the effects of forskolin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) were then examined. PMA did not alter PACAP mRNA levels but enhanced forskolin-induced PACAP mRNA expression. Down-regulation of protein kinase C blocked the ability of PACAP to stimulate PACAP mRNA expression. The mitogen-activated protein kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor PD98059 also blocked the PACAP mRNA expression induced by either PACAP or NGF but not that induced by a combination of PACAP and NGF. These results suggest that PACAP stimulates the PACAP gene expression in PC12 cells at least in part through activation of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase C signaling pathways and that the ERK1/2 cascade is involved in PACAP and NGF-induced PACAP gene expression, although redundant signaling pathways may also be involved. The present finding showing that PACAP in combination with NGF causes a synergistic increase in PACAP gene expression in PC12 cells supports the idea that PACAP acts as an autocrine regulatory factor.

Renal tissue mast cells in liver diseases

Renal tissue mast cell counts were studied in autopsied cases of liver diseases. In cirrhosis and fibrosis of the liver, cases with hepato-renal syndrome showed a significant decrease in renal tissue mast cell counts as compared to those without hepato-renal syndrome. On the other hand, a significant increase in the number of mast cells was noted in cases with hepato-renal syndrome as compared to those without hepato-renal syndrome in fulminant hepatitis. These results suggest that renal tissue mast cells may play an important role in the onset of acute renal failure in liver diseases.

Smoking and health: a review prepared by the Smoking and Health Subcommittee of the Tobacco Industries Council, a council formed by the Minister of Finance of Japan

Any definition of health is inevitably broad and contains various elements that may differ from one individual to another. Recent studies on the effects of smoking on physical and mental health have progressed remarkably and have great value in the fields of epidemiology, pathology, clinical medicine, and psychiatry. This report concludes that while smoking may have beneficial psychological effects on smokers, it may pose a risk to physical health.

Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of melatonin in rats

The effects on plasma lipids of daily intraperitoneal injections of 4 mg of melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) for 10-27-day periods were examined biochemically and morphologically in rats fed regular and high-cholesterol (1% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid) diets. Melatonin administration had no significant effect on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in the rats on a normal diet but blunted the effects of a high-cholesterol diet on these parameters. No effects of melatonin on lipase activity were noted. Melatonin also diminished the fatty infiltration in the liver of animals on the high-cholesterol diet. The high-cholesterol diet produced major increases in VLDL and LDL cholesterol and protein content, and decreases in HDL cholesterol and protein. Melatonin decreased the extent of this plasma lipoprotein increase, although it did not completely prevent the phenomenon. Therefore, the effect is thought to be quantitative and not qualititative in nature.

Spread of herpes simplex virus type-1 (Miyama +GC strain) to the central nervous system after intraperitoneal inoculation: the role of the myenteric plexus of the gut

The pathways taken by the HSV-1 virus after intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation were studied in 5-week old male C3H/HeN mice injected with 1 x 10(4) PFU (100 LD50) or 5 x 10(5) PFU (5000 LD50) of HSV-1 (Miyama +GC strain). At the higher dosage (5 x 10(5) PFU), HSV-1 began replicating in the adrenal from the first day, then in the gut and thoracic portion of the spinal cord by the third day, and in the brainstem by the fourth day, as shown by the titers of the virus in these organs. By immunoperoxidase staining HSV-1 was localized in a necrotic area of the adrenal, the myenteric plexus of the gut, the intermediolateral columns of the thoracic cord, and the vagus nerve nuclei of the medulla oblongata. In the low dose mice (1 x 10(4) PFU), HSV-1 was not isolated from the adrenal or thoracic segment of the spinal cord from the time of inoculation until the time of death. It was, however, isolated from the gut on days 4-6 and from the brainstem by day 5. HSV-1 was never isolated from the blood of either group at any time. The localizations of viral replication suggest that in the mice inoculated with 1 x 10(4) PFU, HSV-1 spreads to the brainstem via the vagal nerves after replication in the myenteric plexus of the gut. In the mice given the higher dose, localizations suggest not only the above route, but also that the virus spread to the intermediolateral columns of the spinal cord after replicating in the adrenal.

Organ distribution of 3H-endotoxin in rats with liver fibrosis and rats with liver cirrhosis

The organ distribution of 3H-endotoxin was investigated in rats with CCl4-induced liver injury. Wistar male rats were given water containing phenobarbital (Controls), or were treated with water containing phenobarbital and CCl4 inhalation. Rats inhaling CCl4 for 6 weeks developed liver fibrosis (Group LF), while those inhaling it for 10 weeks developed liver cirrhosis (Group LC). Animals were killed and examined 24 hours after an intravenous injection of 3H-endotoxin (12,000 CPM/l g body weight). Compared with the control rats, the measured amount of 3H-endotoxin per unit weight of spleen, lungs, and blood increased, while that of the liver significantly decreased in the rats of groups LF and LC. These results suggest that endotoxemia may be enhanced by a diminished uptake of endotoxin by the liver in liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

Age and sex differences in bone metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Japanese autopsy cases

Metastatic patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 6997 autopsy cases recorded in the Annual of the Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan from 1981 to 1984 were analyzed by using a computer. Significant association of the metastatic pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma with age and sex was shown after separating patients into different age groups in pack years. It was especially worthy of notice that bone metastasis decreased in an age-dependent manner only in men within the widest age range (P less than 0.001) and was significantly prevalent in men in their forties and fifties (P = 0.012). In addition, in 350 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma autopsied at Tokyo University Hospital during 15 years from 1971 to 1985, it was suggested that bone metastasis might be prevalent in male patients with liver cirrhosis although significant relationship between bone metastasis and hepatitis B virus infection or alcohol abuse was not shown. These results might indicate possible effects of sex differences on the metastatic pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma, particularly bone metastasis, as well as on the incidence of the cancer.

Selective segmental hepatic necrosis produced by the Shwartzman mechanism in rabbits

In this study, a new experimental model for hepatic necrosis is presented using rabbits, and E. coli endotoxin as the Shwartzman reagent. A segment of the liver was chosen as a target site for the univisceral Shwartzman reaction. Endotoxin-Lipiodol emulsion was used as a preparative injection via the portal venous branch into the target segment by direct puncture. Provocation was made by an intravenous injection of endotoxin 24 h later. A marked and sharply demarcated necrotic area was produced selectively in the target segment; specific changes were not seen in other lobes of the liver or other parts of the body. This model, strongly enhanced by using Lipiodol, seems to be a subtype of the univisceral Shwartzman reaction of the liver.

The organ distribution of [3H]endotoxin following partial hepatectomy

3H-labeled endotoxin was intravenously injected into Wistar rats 24 hours following 70% hepatectomy and also into the normal rats. They were sacrificed 12 hours, 24 hours or 5 days after the injection. Microscopical autoradiography was performed on the rats' organs. The distribution of endotoxin in the organs was investigated by quantitatively measuring their radioactivity. Endotoxin was taken up mainly by Kupffer cells of the liver in all the groups. Endotoxin was observed also in macrophages of the spleen and the lung in all the groups. The amount of endotoxin per 1 g organ weight of the hepatectomized rat was significantly smaller in the liver, and significantly larger in the spleen, lung and blood (per 1 ml) than that of the control groups early after hepatectomy. These differences of the organ accumulation of endotoxin between groups diminished 5 days later. Deficient tolerance of the liver to endotoxin at the peak phase of regeneration following partial hepatectomy was suggested.

Fate of 3H-labeled endotoxin in partially hepatectomised rats

Organ distribution of endotoxin was compared in normal and previously hepatectomised rats after administration of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide labeled at the galactose moiety. Most of the radioactivity was found in the liver in both cases, but total recovery was much higher in the organs of normal rats. In the liver, the amount of endotoxin per total organ and per 1 g organ weight was significantly reduced in the hepatectomised rats as compared with the intact controls. In normal rats, the radioactivity decreased 12 to 24 hours in the liver, but in the hepatectomised rats, no significant change was observed during this period. The total radioactivity in the lungs, spleen and blood (1 ml), as well as that per unit weight bases, was significantly higher in the hepatectomised rat than in normal rats. These results and autoradiographical studies suggest that endotoxin clearance activity of Kupffer cells in the liver is decreased by partial hepatectomy of the rats at the peak phase of regeneration, and that remaining endotoxin flow out of the liver is disposed mainly by the macrophages in the spleen.

Effects of melatonin on genetic hypercholesterolemia in rats

Administration of the pineal hormone melatonin to genetically hypercholesterolemic rats resulted in a decrease in plasma cholesterol levels and in an improvement of fatty changes of the liver. Thus, the antihyperlipemic effect of melatonin, which was first discovered in hypercholesterolemia produced by short- or long-term administration of glucocorticoids, has now been proved to be rather universal and not simply anti-glucocorticoidal. The mechanism of the decrease of plasma cholesterol levels remains unknown. It was also found that the pathogenesis of this so-called genetic hypercholesterolemia in rats involved biochemical nephrotic changes and histopathological changes in the kidney.

Pathologic study of myocardial infarction of the right ventricle

To evaluate pathologic features of myocardial infarction of the right ventricle (MI-RV), we analyzed 106 autopsy cases with transmural myocardial infarction (MI) (fresh in 46 cases and healed in 60). Anterior MI was observed in 47, posterior MI in 54 and lateral in 5. There were 13 cases (12%) with MI-RV (anterior in 1 case and posterior in 12), which included 10 cases with fresh MI and 3 with healed MI. All cases with MI-RV had associated transmural interventricular septal infarction. Of the 13 cases with MI-RV, 9 (69%) had right ventricular dilatation (RVD) and 2 had right ventricular hypertrophy. Extensive MI-RV (more than 1/3 of the right ventricle) was observed in 8 (89%) of those with RVD. Of 93 cases of MI without MI-RV, 14 (16%) had RVD. The incidence of RVD was greater in cases with MI-RV than in those without (p less than 0.005). All 12 cases with posterior MI-RV had significant (greater than or equal to 75%) narrowing of the right coronary artery (RCA), and 19 cases (87%) of those with posterior MI without MI-RV, had similar lesions. In conclusion, the incidence of RVD and significant narrowing of RCA was greater in cases with posterior MI-RV than in those with posterior MI.

A light and scanning electron microscopic study of hepatic veno-occlusive disease

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease, which was observed in a patient with hepatic coma, was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and correlated with its histology. Postmortem examination disclosed microscopic occlusion of the centrilobular and sublobular veins in the liver. These veins were occluded, partially or completely, by intimal and medial thickening of their walls due to proliferation of collagen and reticulin fibers. In addition to venous obliteration, which had not been demonstrated by other techniques, frequent occlusion of the sinusoidal opening into the central veins was observed by SEM. The size and distribution of the openings were irregular in comparison with those in normal controls. There was no evidence of fibrin thrombus formation in the veins. This case exemplified the usefulness of the application of SEM to autopsy material.

Early adrenal infection by herpes simplex virus type-1 (Miyama + GC strain): special reference to inoculation dose and spread from the adrenal to the central nervous system

Male C3H/HeN mice, aged 5 weeks, were inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with different doses (1 x 10(3), 1 x 10(5), 5 x 10(5), 1 x 10(6) pfu) of the herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) (Miyama + GC strain). The LD50 of this virus was 10(2) pfu (i.p.) per mouse. All the mice in each group died 12 days after inoculation. Adrenal necrosis was found to be dose-dependent, the threshold dose being 5 x 10(5) pfu. In addition, encephalitis and inflammatory cell infiltration in abdominal ganglia appeared in 3-4 days after inoculation. By the plaque method, HSV-1 was detected first in the adrenal glands, then in neurons in the spinal cord and the brain. These findings suggest that in mice inoculated with doses of virus sufficient to infect the adrenal gland, HSV-1 spreads to the central nervous system through peripheral nerves after replication in the adrenal.

Origin of the medulloblastoma experimentally induced by human polyomavirus JC

The origin of the medulloblastoma induced by JC virus (JCV) in golden hamsters was investigated by the in situ hybridization method. After inoculation of JCV into newborn hamsters, a few migrating cells in the cerebellar molecular layer as well as several cells in the internal granular layer hybridized with an antisense mRNA probe of JCV T-antigen on the 10th day. The number of cells positive for this probe decreased on the 15th and 20th days. Moreover, an incipient medulloblastoma consisting of many cells positive for T-antigen mRNA was noticed in the cerebellar internal granular layer 30 days after inoculation. About 6 months post inoculation, 95% of the animals had succumbed to medulloblastoma. Therefore, the origin of the medulloblastoma seemed to be the cells in the cerebellar external granular layer that were infected by JCV, that migrated normally through the molecular layer to the internal granular layer, and that began to proliferate to become medulloblastoma. When 5-day-old hamsters were inoculated, a few cells positive for T-antigen mRNA were detected in the cerebellum within a month. In the long-term observation, the ratio of medulloblastoma induction decreased as the age of the animals at inoculation increased. These results support the idea that JCV infects and transforms the cells in the cerebellar external granular layer, because this layer appears only transiently in newborn hamsters.

An autopsy study of lung cancer in University of Tokyo for the last 27 years, from 1958 to 1984, with special reference to the characteristics of lung cancer in Japan

Four hundred and sixty-five male and 159 female consecutive autopsy cases of lung cancer, autopsied over the 27 years from 1958 to 1984, were analysed and were compared with other materials and mortality statistics, including statistics from other countries. Malignant tumor autopsy cases are gradually increasing and now comprise more than 60% of total autopsy cases. The percentage of lung cancer cases among all autopsy cases was 7% in males and 4% in females. The percentage of lung cancer in autopsies of patients with malignancies was about 13% for males and 9% for females. The most frequent fatal malignant tumors were gastric cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia. The relative incidence of gastric cancer was decreasing, while that of lung cancer was increasing. In the distribution of the histological types of lung cancer, adenocarcinomas were the most frequent types in both sexes. As has been noted in mortality statistics, we noticed a gradual shift in the peak age of lung cancer autopsy cases towards older patients. During the period under study, the peak shifted from patients in their sixties to patient in their seventies; this was true for most of the major histological types in both sexes. The male/female ratio of all lung cancer cases was 2.9, which was much lower than the ratio found in the United States and Europe, and very similar to the ratio of the mortality rates in Japan and other Asian countries. It was pointed out that the male/female ratios by age-group in each country is a very good reflection of the histological distribution.