Differential effects of allopregnanolone and diazepam on social behavior through modulation of neural oscillation dynamics in basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex.

Effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) have long been needed. One hypothesis for the mechanism of depression involves a decrease in neuroactive steroids such as allopregnanolone, an endogenous positive allosteric modulator of the γ-aminobutyric acid-gated chloride channel (GABA) receptor. In our previous study, we discovered that allopregnanolone, not diazepam, exhibited antidepressant-like effects in the social interaction test (SIT) of social defeat stress (SDS) model mice.

The antagonistic activity profile of naloxone in μ-opioid receptor agonist-induced psychological dependence.

Naloxone is a μ-opioid receptor antagonist that has been used to prevent overdose-related respiratory depression and deaths by the illicit use of opioids. Naloxone can also deter the abuse potential of opioids, but little has been reported regarding its antagonistic activity profile against opioid-induced psychological dependence. This study aimed to confirm the antagonistic activity profile of naloxone against several μ-opioid receptor agonists and investigate whether naloxone could affect the psychological dependence induced by widely used μ-opioid receptor agonist, oxycodone.

Radioadaptive response: efficient repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in adapted cells.

To verify the hypothesis that the induction of a novel, efficient repair mechanism for chromosomal DNA breaks may be involved in the radioadaptive response, the repair kinetics of DNA damage has been studied in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells with single-cell gel electrophoresis. The cells were adapted by priming exposure with 5 cGy of gamma-rays and 4-h incubation at 37 degrees C. There were no indication of any difference in the initial yields of DNA double-strand breaks induced by challenging doses from non-adapted cells and from adapted cells.

[Osteoporosis in collagen diseases].

The pathogenesis of osteoporosis in patients with rheumatic diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is poorly understood. The duration of the disease, the severity of the inflammatory process, gender, age, steroid therapy and menopause have been suggested as risk factors for osteoporosis in patients with RA. Although these factors may contribute to the development of osteoporosis, the influence of one specific factor is difficult to evaluate.

[The assessment of cortical and spongy bone mineral content with quantitative computed tomography. A comparison of measurement sites in relation to certain diseases with metabolic bone disorder].

The CT numbers of cortex at the level of 20 cm (CT20) and spongiosa in the lateral condyle at the level of 2 cm (CT20) proximal from the distal end of the femur, and the bone mineral density of spongiosa in the L3 body (BMD), were obtained by QCT. The study included 43 female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 71 female patients with primary osteoporosis (OP), 20 female nondialyzed patients with chronic renal failure (CRF:nonHD), 37 hemodialyzed patients (CRF:HD), including 13 parathyroidectomized patients (CRF:HD, PTX), and 10 healthy volunteers. CT20 correlated closely with age in RA.

Bone cement not weakened by cefuzonam powder.

We report tensile, shearing, and bending tests on bone cement to which cefuzonam sodium (Cosmosin), a third generation cephalosporin, had been mixed. Mixing 3 g of cefuzonam sodium to 40 g of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer did not diminish the strength of the bone cement in any of the tests. We speculated that this lack of influence was because the cefuzonam sodium powder used was in the form of relatively uniform-sized spheres and therefore did not become the origin of stress concentration within the cement.

[Usefulness of assessing bone mineral content of cortical bone in patients with lingering imbalance of bone metabolism].

The CT numbers of cortex at the level of 20 cm (CT20) and of spongiosa in the lateral condyle at 2 cm (CT02) proximally from the distal end of the femur, and the bone mineral density of spongiosa in L3 body (BMD), were obtained by QCT. The study included 48 patients with rheumatoid arthritis or chronic renal failure as well as 10 healthy volunteers. The relationships of CT20 vs BMD in the regions above and below a critical value of BMD were quite different from each other.

Measurement of the footsole pressure distribution of normal subjects by pressure sensitive films.

A simple method measuring the pressure on the footsole was described using "Prescale", pressure sensitive films. Prescale consists of two films, one coated with microcapsules which contain a color-producing agent and rupture when a pressure is applied, and the other coated with a color-developing agent. Then, when a pressure is applied on the former film, the latter one display a color of various density corresponding to the pressure applied.

A simple method of measuring the footsole pressure of normal subjects using prescale pressure-detecting sheets.

A simple method of measuring the pressure beneath the footsole was described using 'Prescale', pressure detecting sheets. These are two sheets, one coated with microcapsules which contain a color-producing agent, and the other coated with a color-developing agent. As the applied pressure determines the amount of microcapsules that rupture, the coloring sheet reveals its density corresponding to the pressure applied.

A method of arthroscopic surgery. Clinical evaluation of synovectomy with the electric resectoscope and removal of loose bodies in the knee joint.

The structure and function of the electric resectoscope have been discussed and the application to synovectomy and removal of loose bodies in the knee joint. Our clinical results have also been reported. The advantages and problems of synovectomy and arthroscopic surgery with the electric resectoscope as used in the knee joint are discussed, especially in comparison with conventional resection of the anterior two-thirds of the synovial membrane.