Bicuculline methiodide influences the central nervous system to produce hyperglycemia in rats.

The influence of bicuculline methiodide (BMI), a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor antagonist, on central nervous system regulation of blood glucose homeostasis was studied in fed rats. Injection of BMI (1-10 nmol) into the third ventricle was found to produce hepatic venous hyperglycemia in a dose-dependent manner. This change was associated with increased secretion of epinephrine and glucagon.

Protein C response to induction of warfarin treatment after coronary bypass operation.

To investigate the effect of warfarin on the anticoagulant pathway, protein C antigen and activity levels were compared in two groups of patients treated with different regimens of sodium warfarin during the initial stage of anticoagulant therapy following heart surgery. Group I received 6 mg of warfarin per day for 3 days. Group II received 8 mg twice a day for 2 or 3 days.

[Occult CSF flow disturbance of patients with Alzheimer type dementia and vascular dementia--results from iotrolan CT-cisternography].

We report results of Iotrolan CT-cisternography on 41 demented patients (13 males and 28 females) to find "occult normal pressure hydrocephalus". These patients were suspected to have CSF flow disturbance from clinical symptoms and simple brain CT scan findings. Their average age, duration of dementia, and score of Hasegawa's dementia scale (HDS) were 76.

[Plasma fibrinogen as a cardiovascular risk factor].

Recent prospective epidemiological studies have shown that plasma fibrinogen is a powerful, independent risk factor of arteriosclerotic diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Cross-sectional studies have shown correlation of fibrinogen with various factors, including age, gender, race and smoking. Plasma fibrinogen strongly affects blood coagulation, blood rheology and platelet aggregation.

Effects of central GABA receptors activation on catecholamine secretion in rats.

We investigated the effects of muscimol, the GABAA receptor agonist, and baclofen, the GABAB receptor agonist, injected into the third cerebral ventricle on plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) levels in anesthetized rats. Baclofen (0.4-5 nmol) increased plasma NE levels in a dose dependent manner but did not affect plasma E levels.

Prophylactic intravesical chemotherapy with adriamycin plus verapamil for primary superficial bladder cancer: preliminary results. The Kyushu University Urological Oncology Group.

A prospective randomized trial was conducted to compare the prophylactic effect of intravesical installation of Adriamycin (ADM) plus verapamil (VR) with that of ADM alone for recurrence of superficial bladder cancer. A total of 226 patients were enrolled and randomized into 2 groups. Group A received intravesical instillation of ADM (30 mg/30 ml physiological saline) on 19 occasions during a 1-year period after transurethral resection, whereas group B received intravesical instillation of ADM (30 mg/24 ml physiological saline) plus VR (15 mg/6 ml saline) according to the same schedule used for group A.

Activation of central GABAA receptors suppresses the alteration of plasma catecholamine levels induced by neostigmine or histamine in rats.

We investigated the effects of intraventricular injection of muscimol, the GABAA receptor agonist, on the alteration of plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) levels induced by neostigmine or histamine in anesthetized rats. Injection of neostigmine (10 nmol) into the third cerebral ventricle increased plasma levels of E more than NE, while histamine (500 nmol) increased plasma levels of NE more than E. Concomitant injection of muscimol (2.

Comparative toxicity of oxidatively modified low-density lipoprotein and lysophosphatidylcholine in cultured vascular endothelial cells.

Oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) may play an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. We previously showed that the cytotoxicity of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) depended on the level of lipid hydroperoxides. Meanwhile, it has been shown that during LDL oxidation, a significant part of the LDL phosphatidylcholine (PC) is degraded to lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) by an intrinsic phospholipase A2-like activity, and that LPC is toxic to various cells.

CNS regulation of blood lactate concentration in anesthetized rats.

This study evaluated the effect of stimulating the central nervous system (CNS) with neostigmine, an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, on the blood lactate concentration in fed rats and in rats fasted for 48 hours. After the rat was anesthetized with pentobarbital, neostigmine was stereotaxically injected into the third cerebral ventricle. In fed rats, the central injection of neostigmine significantly increased the blood lactate level, while concomitantly increasing plasma glucagon, epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations.

Chelation of copper reduces inhibition by oxidized lipoproteins of endothelium-dependent relaxation in porcine coronary arteries.

We examined the effect of dialyzing oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oLDL) against Krebs-Ringer solution, in the absence (yielding d-oLDL) or presence (yielding EDTA-oLDL) of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), to investigate the mechanism that underlies the inhibition of endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) by o-LDL. Oxidation of LDL by exposure to Cu2+ resulted in the formation of a thiobarbituric acid-reacting substance (TBARS) and lipid hydroperoxide (LPO). At a concentration of 5 mg/dl, d-oLDL markedly attenuated EDR in the porcine coronary artery.

[Carbohydrate metabolism].

This review summarizes progress in glycosylation research of relevance to atherosclerosis. Glucose reacts in vivo with cellular proteins nonenzymatically and forms Amadori products. The Amadori products proceed very slowly to undergo a number of further dehydration and rearrangement to form advanced glycosylation end products (AGE).

Replacement of the transverse aortic arch for type A acute aortic dissection.

Surgical treatment of acute aortic dissection involving the segment of transverse aortic arch is difficult and often associated with a high mortality and morbidity. The high mortality and morbidity are primarily related to anatomic features and techniques of cerebral protection employed during the period of aortic branch occlusion needed for reconstruction. This study reports our experience of 20 consecutive cases of acute type A aortic dissection treated by repair or replacement of the transverse aortic arch during emergency operation.

Lung reperfusion injury is reduced by inhibiting a CD18-dependent mechanism.

CD18 designates a component of a leukocyte surface glycoprotein complex that mediates endothelial adherence. To determine whether interference with CD18-dependent leukocyte adhesion modifies reperfusion injury, we transplanted 16 canine left lungs after 4-hour preservation with modified Euro-Collins solution. Anti-canine CD18 monoclonal antibody (R15.

Presence and possible involvement of Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in insulin release from the rat pancreatic beta cell.

Roles of Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (Ca/CaM kinase II) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in insulin release from rat pancreatic islets were investigated. Western blotting using polyclonal antibody to Ca/CaM kinase II suggested the presence of this kinase in the pancreatic islets. Extracts of pancreatic islets phosphorylated exogenous myosin light chain, which was inhibited by ML-9, an inhibitor of MLCK.

Activation of GABAA receptors in hypothalamus modulates PGF2 alpha- or PGE2-induced catecholamine secretion in rats.

We previously reported that injection of PGF2 alpha into the third cerebral ventricle produces hyperglycemia and hyperthermia associated with catecholamine secretion in anesthetized rats. We have also studied the potency of catecholamine secretion induced by injecting PGE2 or PGF2 alpha into the third cerebral ventricle and the effect of the GABA-selective agonist, muscimol, on the catecholamine secretion induced by PGE2 or PGF2 alpha. Administration of 50 micrograms of PGE2 into the third cerebral ventricle increased norepinephrine secretion to a greater extent than the same dose of PGF2 alpha, whereas the latter increased epinephrine secretion to a greater degree.

[The study of neuropsychological alterations following coronary artery bypass operation as predicted by computed tomography scan of the brain].

The objective of this clinical study is to provide information regarding the association between coexistent cerebrovascular disease and neuropsychological abnormalities after coronary artery bypass operations. Computed tomography scan of the brain was performed in 104 patients pre-operatively, and their post-operative neuropsychological functions were evaluated. The patients were categorized as follows according to the CT findings: Seventy-three patients showed normal or slight cerebral cortical atrophy which usually seen in patients over fifty of age (group A).

Activation of GABAA receptor in the brain suppresses neostigmine or histamine-induced central nervous system-mediated hyperglycemia.

We investigated the effect of GABA receptor agonists on the central nervous system (CNS)-mediated hyperglycemia induced by neostigmine or histamine in anesthetized fed rats. The injection of muscimol, GABAA receptor agonist (1, 2.5 nmol) into the third cerebral ventricle suppressed the hyperglycemia induced by intraventricular injection of neostigmine (1 x 10(-8) mol) or histamine (5 x 10(-7) mol).

Intrahypothalamic, but not hippocampal, administration of muscimol suppresses hyperglycemia induced by hippocampal neostigmine in anesthetized rats.

We investigated the effects of intrahypothalamic or hippocampal injection of GABA receptor agonists on hyperglycemia induced by hippocampal neostigmine. Prior to the injection of neostigmine (50 nmol) into the hippocampus (HPC), muscimol (0.01-1 nmol) or baclofen (1 nmol) was injected into the bilateral ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH).

Effects of dexamethasone on migration of human monocytes in response to oxidized beta-very low density lipoprotein.

Objective: We previously showed that dexamethasone inhibited the development of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of this inhibition.

Methods: Monocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors.

Involvement of central cholinergic muscarinic receptors and histamine H1 receptors in hyperglycemia induced by prostaglandin F2 alpha in rats.

We studied the effects of the histamine H1 receptor antagonists diphenhydramine and pyrilamine, the H2 receptor antagonist ranitidine and the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine injected into the third cerebral ventricle on prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha)-induced hyperglycemia in anesthetized fed rats. The concomitant injection of diphenhydramine (1 x 10(-8), 5 x 10(-8) mol) with 50 micrograms PGF2 alpha significantly suppressed the increase in hepatic plasma glucose concentrations induced by PGF2 alpha. The concomitant injection of 1 x 10(-8) mol pyrilamine with 50 micrograms PGF2 alpha did not suppress the above-mentioned parameter, while 5 x 10(-8) mol pyrilamine significantly suppressed it.

Histamine-induced, central nervous system-mediated hyperglycemia is suppressed by atropine in the brain.

We investigated the relationship between histamine and muscarinic cholinergic neurons in central nervous system (CNS)-mediated glucose regulation in anesthetized fed rats. The injection of pyrilamine (5 x 10(-7) mol) into the third cerebral ventricle suppressed the hyperglycemia induced by intraventricular injection of histamine (5 x 10(-7) mol). Ranitidine (5 x 10(-7) mol), however, did not suppress this hyperglycemia.

Protective effects of idebenone on vascular endothelial cells against toxicity induced by oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein.

We examined the protective effects of idebenone, 6-(10-hydroxydecyl)-2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, on the cytotoxicity of oxidatively-modified low density lipoprotein (oxLDL), using cultured vascular endothelial cells from fetal bovine aorta. When the cells were incubated with idebenone, the toxicity of oxLDL was inhibited dose-dependently (10(-7)-10(-5) M). When cells were preincubated with idebenone, the toxicity of oxLDL was inhibited only at a high concentration (10(-5) M).

Changes in myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors during acute rejection of heterotopically transplanted rat hearts.

To evaluate changes of the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in acute cardiac graft rejection, the density and binding affinity value of the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors in heterotopically transplanted rat isografts and allografts were analyzed. Hearts from Fisher rat donors were transplanted either to the Fisher rats (isografts) or to Lewis rats (allografts). Histologic examination of the allografts showed mild to moderate rejection on the seventh and fourteenth days and showed severe rejection on the twenty-first day after transplantation.

Influence of sympatho-adrenal system on insulin sensitivity using the euglycemic clamp technique.

The aim of the present study was to further investigate the role of the adrenergic system on insulin action using the euglycemic clamp technique. Whole-body glucose metabolism (GM) was calculated as the glucose infusion rate for maintaining euglycemia under insulin infusion and used as an indicator of insulin sensitivity. Euglycemic clamps were performed in adrenodemedullated, epinephrine-treated, phentolamine-treated (alpha-blockade), propranolol-treated (beta-blockade), and epinephrine plus phentolamine and/or propranolol-treated rats.