[Observation of the right atrial wall suture line after tricuspid valve supra-annular implantation].

Strength of the right atrial wall suture line after tricuspid valve supra-annular implantation (TVSI) is controversial. We observed the right atrial supra-annular position of a 63-year-old male during his third mitral operation who underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR) and TVSI 15 years ago. Eight years later, he received the second MVR and removal of the bioprosthetic valve from the tricuspid position due to primary tissue failures.

Drug-drug interactions of Z-338, a novel gastroprokinetic agent, with terfenadine, comparison with cisapride, and involvement of UGT1A9 and 1A8 in the human metabolism of Z-338.

In the present study, the inhibitory properties of N-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl]-2-[(2-hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxybenzoyl)amino]-1,3-thiazole-4-carboxamide monohydrochloride trihydrate (Z-338), a novel gastroprokinetic agent, were investigated and compared with those of cisapride to establish its potential for drug-drug interactions. There was no notable inhibition of terfenadine metabolism or of any of the isoforms of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1/2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4) by Z-338 in in vitro studies using human liver microsomes. Z-338 was mainly metabolized to its glucuronide by UGT1A9 (UDP glucoronosyltransferase 1 family, polypeptide A9) and UGT1A8, and did not show marked inhibition of P-glycoprotein activity.

Early inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS 2) activity enhances ischaemic skin flap survival.

A functional skin-flap model of angiogenesis in the mouse was utilized to investigate ischaemic flap survival/angiogenesis whilst under pharmacological or genetic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). In this model, the epigastric artery was cauterized. Following a five-day angiogenic period an abdominal skin-flap supplied by the pre-existing epigastric artery was raised and resutured.

Identification of a novel putative non-selenocysteine containing phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (NPGPx) essential for alleviating oxidative stress generated from polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast cancer cells.

A dramatic reduction in the expression of a novel phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx), which incorporates cysteine instead of selenocysteine in the conserved catalytic motif was observed in a microarray analysis using cDNAs amplified from mRNA of Brca1-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts. This non-selenocysteine PHGPx named NPGPx is a cytoplasmic protein with molecular mass of approximately 22 kDa and has little detectable glutathione peroxidase activity in vitro. Ectopic expression of NPGPx in Brca1-null cells that were sensitive to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide conferred a similar resistance level to that of the wild-type cells, suggesting the importance of this protein in reducing oxidative stress.

Incoherent noise and quantum information processing.

Incoherence in the controlled Hamiltonian is an important limitation on the precision of coherent control in quantum information processing. Incoherence can typically be modeled as a distribution of unitary processes arising from slowly varying experimental parameters. We show how it introduces artifacts in quantum process tomography and we explain how the resulting estimate of the superoperator may not be completely positive.

Suitability of the odor stick identification test for the Japanese in patients suffering from olfactory disturbance.

We studied the suitability of the Odor Stick Identification Test for the Japanese (OSIT-J) in patients suffering from olfactory disturbance. In 120 patients with olfactory disturbance (age range 12-85 years) there were statistically significant correlations between the odor identification rate on the OSIT-J, the results of the Japanese standardized olfactory test (T&T olfactometry) and subjective symptom scores. In every patient treated for olfactory disturbance, the OSIT-J reflected the grade of recovery from the olfactory disturbance as determined by means of T&T olfactometry.

ATP-dependent transport of a novel thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist, [2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonylaminomethyl)indan-5-yl]acetate (Z-335) and its xenobiotic taurine conjugate (Z-335-Tau) by rat bile canalicular membrane vesicles.

Purpose: The characteristics of bile canalicular transport processes for xenobiotic taurine conjugates have not yet been clarified. To elucidate the biliary excretion characteristics of xenobiotic taurine conjugates, we investigated the transport of a novel thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist, Z-335, and its taurine conjugate (Z-335-Tau) across the bile canalicular membrane.

Methods: We examined the uptake of Z-335 and Z-335-Tau by isolated bile canalicular membrane vesicles (CMVs) from Sprague Dawley and Eisai-hyperbilirubinemic rats (EHBRs) which EHBRs have a hereditary defect of canalicular multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) function.

Ras is involved in the negative control of autophagy through the class I PI3-kinase.

Ras proteins exert a pivotal regulatory function in signal transduction involved in cell proliferation and their activation mutation leads to malignant cell transformation. However, the role of Ras proteins in autophagy, an intracellular protein degradation process in cell growth control is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that the degradation of long-lived proteins in NIH3T3 cells in response to nutrient starvation was significantly suppressed by oncogenic RasVal12 transformation in a rapamycin (mTOR inhibitor)-sensitive manner.

Differential effects of yohimbine, naloxone and 8-OH-DPAT on ejaculatory response in male dogs.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the alpha(2)-adrenergic-receptor antagonist yohimbine, the 5-HT(lA)-receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and the opioid-receptor antagonist naloxone (all of which have been shown to stimulate male sexual arousal/motivation in rats) on sexual responses in male dogs. Sexual responses (i.e.

Jet-type, water-cooled heat sink that yields 255-W continuous-wave laser output at 808 nm from a 1-cm laser diode bar.

A newly designed jet-type, water-cooled heat sink (the funryu heat sink, meaning fountain flow in Japanese) yielded 255-W cw laser output at 808 nm from a 1-cm bar made from InGaAsP/InGaP quantum-well active layers with a 67% fill factor [70 quantum-well laser diode (LD) array along the 1-cm bar]. A funryu heat sink measuring 1.1 mm in thickness gave the LD 0.

Involvement of adenosine A1 receptors in forced walking stress-induced analgesia in mice.

We investigated the involvement of adenosine receptors on forced walking stress-induced analgesia using a formalin-induced paw-licking test in male mice. Exposure to forced walking stress for 6 h showed stress-induced analgesia in the second phase (10-30 min), but not in the first phase (0-10 min). In the second phase, forced walking stress-induced analgesia was blocked by theophylline, a nonselective adenosine-receptor antagonist and DPCPX, an adenosine A1-receptor antagonist, but not ZM 241385, an adenosine A2A-receptor antagonist.

Six cases of children with a benign cervical tumor who required tracheostomy.

Cervical tumors sometimes cause airway obstruction. We have treated six children with benign cervical tumors who required tracheostomy. Two cervical and one glossal lymphangiomata treated with local injection of OK432 after creating a tracheostomy were successfully decannulated after the treatment.

Improved extraction of thinner components from human body fluids by headspace solid-phase microextraction with a Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber.

An improved method for extraction of thinner components in human whole blood and urine samples by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane-coated fiber is presented. The body fluid samples, containing ethyl acetate, benzene, 1-butanol, toluene, butyl acetate, isoamyl acetate and ethylbenzene as internal standard (IS), were heated at 70 degrees C in a silicone-rubber septum-capped vial in the presence of distilled water plus NaCl; a Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane-coated SPME fiber was then exposed to the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the compounds before capillary gas chromatography (GC) with flame-ionization detection. For whole blood, extraction efficiencies of 1-butanol, ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate were 8.

A survey of combined epidural-propofol anesthesia with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation as a minimally invasive anesthetic protocol.

Background: Combined epidural-propofol anesthesia with use of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) via the nose has been used routinely in our operating theaters. The purpose of this report was to present a survey of this anesthesia.

Material/methods: 265 adult patients undergoing lower extremity or lower abdominal gynecological surgery during 1999 were examined.

Levels of active oxygen species are controlled by ascorbic acid and anthocyanin in Arabidopsis.

Stabilization of the levels of active oxygen species (AOS) is important to the survival of organisms. To clarify the system controlling levels of AOS in plants, this study used an electron spin resonance (ESR) method to directly measure superoxide radical (O(2)(.-)) scavenging activities in the wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana (Col and Ler ecotypes), two anthocyanin mutants (tt3 and ttg1), and an ascorbic acid mutant (vtc1).

Synthesis of milbemycins alpha9, alpha10, alpha11, alpha12, alpha14, alpha15, alpha20, alpha21, alpha22, alpha23, alpha26, alpha27, delta(2,3),delta(4,26)-milbemycins A3, A4 from milbemycins A3, A4, and their acaricidal activities.

Chemical derivation methods to prepare 26-acyloxy and 26-hydroxymilbemycins, which had been reported as natural products, milbemycins alpha9, alpha10, alpha11, alpha12, alpha14, alpha15, alpha20, alpha21, alpha22, alpha23, alpha26, alpha27 from milbemycins A3, A4 were reported. Delta(2,3),delta(4,26)-milbemycins A3, A4, which had also been reported as natural products, were further prepared from milbemycins A3, A4. Their acaricidal activities were also assessed against the organophosphorus-sensitive two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) on primary leaves of cowpea plants (Vigna sinesis Savi species) by spraying.

Mechanism of hepatobiliary transport of a novel thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist, [2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonylaminomethyl)indan-5-yl]acetate (Z-335), and its xenobiotic taurine conjugate (Z-335-Tau) in rats.

We investigated the mechanism of hepatobiliary transport of a novel thromboxane A(2) receptor antagonist, [2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonylaminomethyl)indan-5-yl]acetate (Z-335), and its taurine conjugate (Z-335-Tau) in normal Sprague-Dawley rats (SDRs) and Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats (EHBRs). The biliary excretion rate/unbound concentration in the cytosol (nu(bile)/C(u,cyt)) of Z-335 was markedly decreased in EHBRs, whereas nu(bile)/C(u,cyt) values for Z-335-Tau did not differ significantly between EHBRs and SDRs. These results suggest that biliary excretion of Z-335 involves mrp2, whereas Z-335-Tau is excreted by other transporters.

Intrathecal histamine induces spinally mediated behavioral responses through tachykinin NK1 receptors.

Intrathecal injection of histamine elicited a behavioral response consisting of scratching, biting and licking in conscious mice. Here, we have examined the involvement of substance P (SP) by using intrathecal injection of tachykinin neurokinin (NK)(1) receptor antagonists and SP antiserum. Histamine-induced behavioral response was evoked significantly 5-10 min after intrathecal injection and reached a maximum at 10-15 min.

Polymeric procyanidins as radical-scavenging components in red-hulled rice.

The extracts from white-, black-, and red-hulled rice were prepared by sequential extraction with six different polar solvents, and their radical-scavenging activities were measured by methods using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH*) and tert-butyl hydroperoxyl radical (t-BuOO*). The extracts prepared with highly polar solvents, methanol and deionized water, exhibited higher DPPH* and t-BuOO* scavenging activities in all three cultivars. In addition, the acetone extract from red-hulled rice exhibited a high DPPH* and t-BuOO* scavenging activity, while no such activity was detected for the acetone extracts from white- and black-hulled rice.

Spinal anesthesia hypotension in elective cesarean section in parturients wearing extra-strong compression stockings.

We have routinely applied an extra-strong graduated compression stocking to cesarean section patients to reduce the incidence of spinal anesthesia hypotension. Because bupivacaine has recently become available in Japan, we compared the incidence of spinal hypotension using either 2.0 ml of hyperbaric 0.

Interferon-gamma regulates apoptosis by releasing soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors in a gastric epithelial cell line.

Background And Aims: Interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are predominant cytokines produced in the gastric mucosa of patients with Helicobacter pylori-infected gastritis. Several studies reported that IFN-gamma and TNF induced the synergistic effect on many cell lines. We attempted to clarify the apoptotic activity and the synergistic effect of IFN-gamma and TNF on the gastric epithelial cell, and whether IFN-gamma relates to soluble TNF receptors (sTNF-R) release from the gastric epithelial cell.

[Bacterial examination of sinusitis using antral puncture and irrigation].

Aerobic bacterial examination for sinusitis was conducted using specimens from maxillary sinuses collected by antral puncture in 540 patients--284 men and 256 women aged 6-89 years--between May 1999 and April 2000. We obtained 528 strains of bacteria. Our results were as follows: 1.

Light Chain 3 associates with a Sos1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor: its significance in the Sos1-mediated Rac1 signaling leading to membrane ruffling.

A 19 kDa protein was identified to associate with the Dbl oncogene homology domain of Sos1 (Sos-DH) and was purified from rat brains by GST-Sos-DH affinity chromatography. Peptide sequencing revealed that the protein is identical to light chain 3 (LC3), a microtubule-associated protein. LC3 coimmunoprecipitated with Sos1, and GST-LC3 was capable of forming complexes with Sos1 in in vitro GST-pull down assay.