[Relationship between the converting ability of liver microsomes and monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in male, female and castrated male rats].

It is well known that the initial reaction of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats (MPH) is injury to the endothelial cells of pulmonary vascular bed by monocrotaline-pyrrole (MP), which is converted from monocrotaline (M) by cytochrome P450 monooxygenase in hepatic microsomes. It is also known that the degree of MPH differs between sexes. The mechanisms of MPH remain, however, to be elucidated.

Purification of cardiac annexin V from the beagle dog heart and changes in its localization in the ischemic rat heart.

We isolated and purified 35 kDa protein from the myocardium of the beagle dog and identified it to be annexin V from partial amino acid sequence determination. It was confirmed that anticanine cardiac annexin V rabbit polyclonal antibody, which was produced using the 35 kDa protein, cross-reacts with annexin V of the myocardium, lung, liver, kidney, and brain of the rat. The localization of cardiac annexin V and the effect of ischemia for 30-180 min in the rat were immunohistochemically studied with the use of the Langendorff perfusion heart.

Bioactive glass promoted formation of nodules in periodontal-ligament fibroblasts in vitro.

The effects of bioactive glass and vitamin D3 on cultured fibroblasts derived from periodontal-ligament, with respect to their proliferation and alkaline-phosphatase activity were studied. The cells were cultured with or without the bioactive glass and/or vitamin D3, then the number and alkaline-phosphatase activity of the cells were measured periodically until the 33rd day. Formation of mineralized deposits was assessed by staining with alizarin red and von Kossa staining techniques.

[A case of metastatic iris tumor from lung cancer presenting as decreased vision].

We presented a case of metastatic iris tumor from lung cancer first presenting as decreased vision. A 47-year-old male was referred to our hospital, complaining of decreased vision. At his first visit, a yellowish mass was found on the right iris, and chest X-ray revealed paratracheal, subcarina, and right hilar lymphadenopathy.

[A case of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVF) treated with detachable balloon embolotherapy].

A case of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas (PAVF) treated with detachable balloon embolotherapy is reported. A 31-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of polycythemia and hypoxemia. He had a history of dyspnea on exertion and transient cerebral ischemic attacks (TIA).

[Significance of Tc-99m pyrophosphate accumulation in unstable angina: clinical characteristics and evidence for myocardial stunning].

Tc-99m pyrophosphate (PYP) and Tl-201 simultaneous dual energy single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were performed for 33 patients with clinically diagnosed unstable angina. Twenty-two patients (76%) showed PYP accumulation in the myocardium (PYP+group). Clinical features, types of unstable angina, electrocardiographic changes during and after the anginal attack, and serial creatine kinase (CK) sampling data were reviewed and compared in the 2 groups.

The response to drug therapy in unstable angina on the basis of coronary angiography findings.

Among 366 unstable angina pectoris patients at our hospital, myocardial infarction was common (15.7%) in those with attacks of chest pain lasting for at least 20 min. There was also a high incidence (30.

[The acute and chronic effects of bunazosin on exercise capacity estimated by the anaerobic threshold in patients with chronic congestive heart failure].

To study the effect of bunazosin on exercise capacity in patients with congestive heart failure (NYHA II-III), anaerobic thresholds (AT, VO2, ml/min/kg) were measured before (control) and after initial 1 = 2mg administration of bunazosin (acute phase; N = 14) and after two weeks of bunazosin therapy (3mg/day, 1mg t. i. d.

Accelerated purine nucleotide degradation by anaerobic but not by aerobic ergometer muscle exercise.

The exact conditions under which exercise causes purine nucleotide degradation are not well understood. We determined plasma hypoxanthine and uric acid levels serially in eight individuals during ergometer muscle exercise. When the load was increased gradually by 15 W/min, plasma hypoxanthine was elevated only after the status exceeded the anaerobic threshold (AT), as determined by analysis of expired gas.

Induction of kinetic cell death and its underlying mechanisms.

Using a modified Langendorff system, we established an experimental model of kinetic cell death in the rat heart. After calcium (5.5 mM) was loaded for 20 min and 10(-7) mol isoproterenol was then delivered to the perfusion medium, the hearts developed tonic contracture.

Experimental evaluation of a new type of heparin-bonded polyurethane.

A new type of heparin bonding method using polyurethane (H-PU) in an ionically equivalent manner was examined experimentally. In vitro testing of polyvinylchloride tubes with this coating showed that the behavior of the heparin was attributed to the activation of retained heparin on the surface. After 4 hrs of heparinless arterio-arterial bypass in a canine model with a central shear rate of 25 sec-1 (inner diameter, 0.

Schistosoma mansoni: higher free proline levels in the livers of infected mice.

The concentration of L-hydroxyproline in the liver of ICR female mice increased rapidly during the 8th to 11th weeks of Schistosoma mansoni infection. Free L-proline concentration began to increase about the 7th week and reached its maximum at the 8th to 9th weeks of the infection, when the granulomatous response to the schistosome eggs in the liver was most prominent, as indicated by the increase in liver wet weight and its deoxyribonucleic acid concentration. A significant increment in the total activity of ornithine-delta-transaminase (EC 2.

Clinical and pathologic studies on contraction band lesion: relation to acute myocardial infarction and unexplained sudden death.

The relation between contraction band lesion (CBL) and major cause of death was investigated through the use of hearts from 500 serialized autopsy cases. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unexplained sudden death (USD), cardiac surgery death, cancer, infection, cerebrovascular disease, and ruptured aortic aneurysm were examined with respect to age, sex, heart weight, and CBL localization patterns. CBL was observed frequently with AMI, USD, and cardiac surgery death, but virtually unseen with cancer or in the remaining disease categories.

[Effects of indomethacin on calcium release from cultured rat calvaria].

The bone-resorbing action of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in vitro has unknown mechanism of action. In order to evaluate the effect of LPS on rat calvaria and the influence of LPS on the bone-resorbing activity of macrophages, the following experiments were conducted. The addition of macrophages 10(6)/ml to a culture system composed of rat calvaria increased calcium release from the cultured bone.

An ameloblastoma-like neoplasm of the buccal mucosa. Report of a case.

A case of an unusual neoplasm of the buccal mucosa nearly identical to an ameloblastoma is reported. The tumor probably arose from the overlying squamous epithelium in the vicinity of the parotid duct.

A case of lipoprotein glomerulopathy. Light and electron microscopic observations of the glomerulus.

A 41-year-old Japanese woman with lipoprotein glomerulopathy is reported. The patient presented with nephrotic syndrome, hyperlipoproteinemia and an increased level of plasma Apo E. The damaged glomeruli showed various degrees of capillary dilatation and accumulation of some material-often showing stratification, along with mesangial proliferation and mesangial interposition.

Human peroxisomal L-alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase. Evolutionary loss of a mitochondrial targeting signal by point mutation of the initiation codon.

The amino acid sequence of human hepatic peroxisomal L-alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (AGTI) deduced from cDNA shows 78% sequence identity with that of rat mitochondrial AGTI, but lacks the N-terminal 22 amino acids (the putative mitochondrial targeting signal). In humans this signal appears to have been deleted during evolution by a point mutation of the initiation codon ATG to ATA. These data suggest that the targeting defect in primary hyperoxaluria type 1, in which AGT1 is diverted from the peroxisomes to the mitochondria, could be due to a point mutation that reintroduces all or part of the mitochondrial signal sequence.

Serological studies on schistosomiasis mansoni in the northeast Brazil (I).

Sera from the patients (N = 10) with schistosomiasis mansoni of the hospital of Federal University of Pernambuco, the Schistosoma mansoni egg-positive (N = 51) and -negative (N = 452) inhabitants in Cabo City area, out-patients (N = 37) of the IMIP hospital and Japanese immigrants (N = 127) in Petrolina City area of northeast Brazil as well as Japanese healthy subjects (N = 30) were examined by serological tests including an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with antigens prepared from eggs (ELISA-egg) and adult worms (ELISA-adult). The ELISA with egg or adult antigen correctly identified 100% of the uninfected individuals lived in non-endemic area of schistosomiasis. Moreover, when examined cross-reactivity of our ELISA with sera isolated from 78 subjects infected with various intestinal parasitic infections, only one of these sera reacted with the egg and adult antigens.

Turner's syndrome--review of the literature with reference to a successful pregnancy outcome.

A 30-year-old Japanese female with Turner's syndrome had become pregnant and delivered a normal male infant by cesarean section. Her menarche was at age 14, and secondary sex characteristics developed normally. She had some features of Turner's syndrome, and cytogenetic studies from peripheral blood lymphocytes and several tissues revealed only 45,XO karyotype without evidence of mosaicism.

Appearance of osteoclasts by injections of lipopolysaccharides in rat periodontal tissue.

The effect of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on periodontal tissue was studied in 11-week-old Wistar rats. Four injections of 500 micrograms LPS induced marked osteoclastic alveolar bone resorption, whereas no alveolar bone resorption occurred after four injections of physiological saline. The osteoclast count increased progressively during the four injections of 500 micrograms LPS.

Elevation of laminin and beta-subunit of prolyl 4-hydroxylase in the sera of human subjects with Schistosomiasis mansoni.

Serum levels of several markers for liver fibrosis were measured utilizing three groups of human subjects related with schistosomiasis mansoni in northeast Brazil; (1) 20 Schistosoma mansoni egg-positives, who have never been administered with anti-schistosomal drugs, (2) 29 egg-negative inhabitants in the endemic area of schistosomiasis, and (3) 23 egg-negative Japanese immigrants in the non-endemic area. None of these sera were positive for antibody to the surface antigen of human hepatitis B (HBs) and circulating HBs antigen. There was no significant difference in the serum levels of N-terminal peptide of procollagen type-III between the egg-positive subjects and either of the egg-negative Brazilian or Japanese immigrants, whereas the mean value of serum laminin significantly increased in the egg-positive subjects.

Malignant luteoma in a sow.

A case of malignant luteoma was found in a 3-year-old Landrace sow. A large neoplastic mass was present in the left ovary and small neoplastic nodules were seen in the right ovary. There were metastatic lesions in the diaphragmatic peritoneum and heart.

Schistosoma mansoni: suppression of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (ammonia) and ornithine carbamoyltransferase activities in the liver of infected mice.

ICR female mice infected with cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni exhibited a significant decrease in both total and specific activities of carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase (ammonia) (EC 6.3.4.