Common bile duct blood clot: an unusual cause of ductal filling defects for calculi.

We report a case of obstructive jaundice caused by a blood clot in the common bile duct in a 75-year-old man with cirrhosis. Five years prior to his admission, he had undergone a left hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. At the present admission, he appeared icteric, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography revealed filling defects in the common bile duct.

Effects of lesion of pontomedullary reticular formation on visually triggered vertical and oblique head orienting movements in alert cats.

The role of the nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis (NRPC) and the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRG) in control of vertical and oblique head orienting movements was investigated in alert cats by lesion of these nuclei with kainic acid. Cats were trained to orient the head vertically or obliquely to various targets. Following unilateral lesion of these nuclei, vertical orienting could be performed correctly with a slight decrease in velocity, while oblique orienting tended to exhibit zigzag course because of severe impairment of horizontal orienting.

Revision of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt under laparoscopic guidance in patients with hydrocephalus.

Ventriculo-peritoneal (V-P) shunt is a common treatment for hydrocephalus. However, shunt insufficiency due to obstruction, dislocation, and detachment of the peritoneal tube is frequently encountered. We designed a new technique in which the peritoneal tube is inserted into a target site of the abdominal cavity under laparoscopic guidance.

Surgical treatment for proximal bile duct carcinoma.

Background: The surgical management of proximal bile duct carcinoma is controversial. There is no consensus among surgeons as to the indications for radical resection. This article described personal experience with the different surgical procedures for patients with proximal bile duct carcinoma.

The visuo-motor pathway in the local circuit of the rat superior colliculus.

Intrinsic circuit of the superior colliculus (SC), in particular the pathway from the optic tract (OT) to neurons in the intermediate layer (SGI), was investigated by whole-cell patch-clamp recording in slice preparations obtained from 17- to 24-d-old rats. Stimulation of the OT induced monosynaptic EPSPs in neurons in the superficial gray layer (SGS) and the optic layer (SO), and disynaptic or polysynaptic EPSPs in a majority of SGI neurons. Stimulation of the SGS induced monosynaptic or oligosynaptic EPSPs in the SGI neurons.

Clinicopathologic features of resected primary adenosquamous carcinomas of the liver.

Four cases of resected adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver were clinicopathologically reviewed, together with immunohistochemical findings. Although no lymph node metastases were seen and a curative resection was achieved in all cases, two patients had recurrences in the peritoneum and distant organs such as the pericardium and pleura relatively soon after the operation. Of the remaining two cases, one patient died during the postoperative period and the other died of coexistent hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Effect of spinal cord lesions on forelimb target-reaching and on visually guided switching of target-reaching in the cat.

Cats were trained to reach to an illuminated tube placed horizontally at shoulder level and retrieve food with the forepaw. The trajectory of an infrared light emitting diode, taped to the wrist dorsum, was recorded with a SELSPOT-like recording system. Movement paths and velocity profiles were compared before and after lesions: (1) in dorsal C5, transecting cortico- and rubrospinal pathways to the forelimb segments so that the cats could only use the C3-C4 propriospinal neurones (PNs) to command reaching, (2) in the ventral part of the lateral funicle in C5, transecting the axons of C3-C4 PNs so that the cats had to use circuitry in the forelimb segments to command reaching.

Inwardly rectifying and Ca2+-permeable AMPA-type glutamate receptor channels in rat neocortical neurons.

Inwardly rectifying and Ca2+-permeable AMPA-type glutamate receptor channels in rat neocortical neurons. J. Neurophysiol.

Voltage-dependent blockage of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors by joro spider toxin in cultured rat hippocampal neurones.

1. The effect of synthetic joro spider toxin (JSTX-3) on alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor channels in cultured rat hippocampal neurones was investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. 2.

Motoneuronal projection pattern of single C3-C4 propriospinal neurones.

The pattern of motoneuronal projection and termination of single C3-C4 propriospinal neurones in the forelimb segments C6-T1 of the cat was investigated by intra-axonal injection of horseradish peroxidase into stem axons. Twelve well-stained axons were used for analysis. Termination was observed in the estimated location of motor nuclei innervating pure shoulder muscles in 10 cases.

Distribution of neurones expressing inwardly rectifying and Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors in rat hippocampal slices.

1. Current-voltage (I-V) relationships and Ca2+ permeability of receptor channels activated by bath application of kainate, a non-desensitizing agonist of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, were examined in various types of neurones in hippocampal slices of 5- to 13-day-old rats by using the tight-seal patch clamp recording technique. 2.

Spermine blocks synaptic transmission mediated by Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors.

AMPA-gated glutamate receptors with outward rectification (type I receptors) are almost impermeable to Ca2+, while those with strong inward rectification (type II receptors) have high Ca2+ permeability. In the present study current responses in rat hippocampal neurones mediated by type II AMPA receptors were blocked by application of spermine to the external solution (IC50 = 170 microM), but those mediated by type I AMPA receptors were not affected. Furthermore, in putative non-pyramidal neurones in rat hippocampal slices, EPSCs mediated by type II AMPA receptors were markedly reduced by 1mM spermine, while those mediated by type I AMPA receptors were much less affected.

Spermine mediates inward rectification of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptor channels.

AMPA-gated glutamate receptors with an inwardly rectifying current-voltage (I-V) relationship and substantial Ca2+ permeability are expressed in a population of cultured rat hippocampal neurones (type II neurones). The inward rectification of these AMPA receptors was gradually lost in cell-free membrane patches. The I-V relationship of the AMPA receptors displayed a slight outward rectification in most patches 10 min after excision.

Activity of neurons in the medial pontomedullary reticular formation during orienting movements in alert head-free cats.

1. Single unit activities of 236 neurons were recorded in the medial pontomedullary reticular formation during visually triggered orienting gaze shifts in 10 alert cats under head-free conditions using movable tungsten-needle electrodes attached to the skull. The activities were analyzed mainly in relation to the head movement that was triggered by presentation of a light-emitting diode (LED) in one of eight directions separated radially by 45 deg after fixation of the center LED.

Activity of neurons in Forel's field H during orienting head movements in alert head-free cats.

Single unit activities were recorded in Forel's field H (FFH) at the mesodiencephalic junction during orienting head movements in two alert cats under head-free conditions. Recordings were made of 63 neurons of which 20 showed phasic firing that preceded the onset of head movements by 20-100 ms and was temporally related to the dynamic phase of the orienting head movement. Nineteen of these neurons showed a preference for upward movements, while the remaining neuron preferred downward movements.

Characteristics of target-reaching in cats. II. Reaching to targets at different locations.

Trajectory formation of unrestrained forelimb target-reaching was investigated in relation to the effect of a change in target location. Sagittal displacement of the target (6 cm in each direction) gave a selective change of velocity in the x direction (protraction) with an increase or decrease at larger and shorter distances, respectively. In the case of a double-peaked x velocity profile, the change was mainly with respect to the first major component.

Axonal trajectories of single Forel's field H neurones in the mesencephalon, pons and medulla oblongata in the cat.

We studied axonal trajectories of single Forel's field H (FFH) neurones (n = 19) in the mesencephalon, pons and medulla by systematic antidromic threshold mapping in cats and differentiated them into two major types. Type I neurones were characterized by projections to the oculomotor nucleus (IIIn) and type II neurones by lack of projections to the IIIn. 2.

Mono- and disynaptic pathways from Forel's field H to dorsal neck motoneurones in the cat.

1. We analysed the synaptic actions produced by Forel's field H (FFH) neurones on dorsal neck motoneurones and the pathways mediating the effects. 2.

Descending projections of Forel's field H neurones to the brain stem and the upper cervical spinal cord in the cat.

1. Descending projections from Forel's field H (FFH) to the brain stem and upper cervical spinal cord were studied in cats. 2.

Effect of naloxone on transmission in excitatory and inhibitory spinal reflex pathways.

The effect of systemic administration of naloxone on transmission in hindlimb reflex pathways was investigated in acute low spinal cats by conditioning monosynaptic reflexes. A marked enhancement of excitatory effects from cutaneous, joint, group II and III muscle afferents was observed in posterior biceps and semitendinosus motoneurones in 4 out of 6 experiments. In contrast, inhibitory synaptic effects in gastrocnemius and soleus motoneurones were not enhanced except weakly in one experiment.

The effect of a low pyramidal transection following previous transection of the dorsal column in cats.

In order to test the working hypothesis that motor deficits after low pyramidotomy may be due to transection of the cortico-cuneate pathway, a low pyramidotomy was made 2-4 months after a C2 dorsal column (DC) transection and tested on forelimb target-reaching and food-taking. Since food-taking recovered faster than after pyramidotomy alone, it is inferred that the loss of food-taking after pyramidotomy without previous DC transection is due mainly to transection of the cortico-cuneate pathway which controls transmission from forelimb Ia afferents to the motor cortex. The dysmetria and dyscoordination of target-reaching, on the other hand, was similar whether or not the low pyramidotomy was made after a previous C2 DC transection.

Pyramidal excitation in long propriospinal neurones in the cervical segments of the cat.

1. The effect of stimulating the contralateral pyramid has been investigated with intracellular recording from 128 long propriospinal neurones (long PNs) in the C3-Th1 segments of the cat. Long PNs were identified by the antidromic activation from the Th13 segment.

Integration in descending motor pathways controlling the forelimb in the cat. 18. Morphology, axonal projection and termination of collaterals from C3-C4 propriospinal neurones in the segment of origin.

The morphology of single C3-C4 propriospinal neurones (PNs) including the cell body, dendritic tree, axonal trajectory and the pattern of projection and termination of axonal collaterals in the C3-C4 segments was investigated by intra-somatic or intra-axonal injection of horseradish peroxidase. All the C3-C4 PNs could be antidromically activated from the lateral funicle in C6 and the lateral reticular nucleus but not from Th13. Another criterion was that they received monosynaptic excitation from corticospinal fibres in the contralateral pyramid.

Projection from excitatory C3-C4 propriospinal neurones to lamina VII and VIII neurones in the C6-Th1 segments of the cat.

Intracellular recording and injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were made in neurones located medially in lamina VII and in lamina VIII of the forelimb segments (C6-Th1). The cells received disynaptic excitation from the contralateral pyramid after corticospinal transection in C5/C6 and monosynaptic excitation from the ipsilateral lateral reticular nucleus. The pyramidal excitation was facilitated by a conditioning volley evoked from the contralateral nucleus ruber, which suggests convergence of cortico- and rubrospinal fibres on the intercalated neurones.

Projection from excitatory C3-C4 propriospinal neurones to spinocerebellar and spinoreticular neurones in the C6-Th1 segments of the cat.

Extra- and intracellular recording was made from neurones in laminae VII and VIII of the C6-Th1 segments, which were disynaptically excited from the contralateral pyramid, nucleus ruber and monosynaptically from the ipsilateral lateral reticular nucleus. The results suggest collateral excitation from the C3-C4 propriospinal neurones which are excited monosynaptically from the former two inputs and antidromically from the latter nucleus. The cells were antidromically activated from the ipsilateral nucleus fastigus, and from the ipsilateral or contralateral reticular formation.