Association of auditory Charles Bonnet syndrome with increased blood flow in the nondominant Brodmann area 22.

Aim: Auditory Charles Bonnet syndrome (aCBS) is characterized by musical hallucinations (MHs) that accompany acquired hearing impairments. This hallucination is the acoustic perception of music, sounds, or songs in the absence of an outside stimulus, and it may be associated with hyperactivity of the superior temporal lobes. Some studies have reported the possibility of improving MH with antiepileptics.

Predicting postpartum depression by evaluating temperament during pregnancy.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate premorbid temperaments to predict postpartum depression in pregnant women with no previous psychiatric history and to clarify the correlation between postpartum depression and the factors included in the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R) and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Auto questionnaire (TEMPS-A)/Munich Personality Test (MPT).

Methods: A total of 170 eligible pregnant women filled out both questionnaires, the first between the 8th and 23rd week of gestation, and the latter between the 34th and 38th week of gestation. Participants filled out The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) one month postpartum to measure for postpartum depression symptoms.

Sleep Disorders in Four Patients With Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.

Sleep disturbances such as excessive daytime sleepiness, central and obstructive sleep apneas, restless legs syndrome, and rapid eye movement sleep dysregulation are prominent in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). Mild intellectual deficits presented in many patients with DM1. In addition, psychosocial issues caused by neuropsychiatric symptoms are a clinical problem.

Accumulation of bisphenol A in hemodialysis patients.

Bisphenol A [BPA, 2,2-bis(4-hydoxyphenyl)propane], an industrial chemical used in the production of polycarbonate, epoxide resin, and polyarylate, is considered to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical. BPA may be present in some hollow-fiber dialyzers used in hemodialysis. In this study, we tested the amounts of BPA eluted from various hollow fibers.

Differences in two mice strains on kainic acid-induced amygdalar seizures.

Seizure susceptibility and neurodegeneration induced by microinjection of kainic acid (KA) into the left amygdala (LA) in C57BL/6 and FVB/N mouse strains were compared. Mice were administered 0.5 microg of KA into the LA.

Treatment with cytapheresis for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated renal vasculitis and its effect on anti-inflammatory factors.

To evaluate the efficacy of cytapheresis for the treatment of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) caused by myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA)-associated vasculitis, the renal prognosis and the mortality rate at 1 year after treatment were compared between a Cytapheresis Group and a Steroid Pulse Group. The Cytapheresis Group included 10 patients who were treated with cytapheresis and oral corticosteroids. Five had granulocytapheresis with the Adacolumn (Japan Immuno Research Laboratories Co.

Complement C4d deposition in transplanted kidneys: preliminary report on long-term graft survival.

The effects of antibody-mediated rejection on long-term graft survival have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study is to clarify the influence on long-term survival of deposition of the complement split product C4d in allografts using polyclonal anti-C4d antibody. Inclusion criteria were recipients who underwent graft biopsy during acute deterioration of graft function within the first 2 yr after transplantation.

Cytapheresis for the treatment of myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: report of five cases.

To minimize the adverse effects of high-dose administration of steroids and cyclophosphamide in patients with myeloperoxidase (MPO) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), granulocytapheresis (GCAP) or leukocytapheresis (LCAP) was performed to reduce inflammation. Four patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and one patient with pulmonary hemorrhage due to MPO-ANCA-associated vasculitis were treated by cytapheresis. The prednisolone (PSL) dose was 0.

Effect of interleukin 2 on the production of progesterone and prostaglandin E2 in human fetal membranes and its consequences for preterm uterine contractions.

Our objective was to clarify the mechanism of uterine contraction induced in pregnant women by intrauterine bacterial infection. The concentration of interleukin 2 (IL-2) was measured in amniotic fluids that had been obtained by amniocentesis, transvaginal amniotomy or by transuterine amniocentesis performed at cesarean section in 50 pregnant women. The concentration of IL-2 in those cases with intrauterine infection was significantly higher than that of those without intrauterine infection at preterm.

[Determination of intrauterine pressure using catheter-tip transducer inserted outside fetal membranes].

To determining intrauterine pressure outside fetal membranes, we used a catheter-tip transducer to study 20 women before the occurrence membrane rupture. Their mean age was 28.2 +/- 3.

Enhanced proliferation of fetal rat hepatocytes in primary culture induced by ritodrine.

Objective: Although ritodrine crosses the placenta, its direct effect on fetal cell proliferation has not been reported. We hypothesized that beta 2-adrenergic receptor stimulation could promote fetal liver growth.

Study Design: Ritodrine was added to serum- and hormone-free primary cultures of fetal, neonatal, or adult rat hepatocytes.

Relationship between the changes in placental blood flow resistance assessed by Doppler technique and maternal serum placental aminopeptidases, which degrade vaso-active peptides, in pre-eclampsia.

Our study showed that there were statistically significant correlations between the systolic and diastolic ratio (S/D) of maternal uterine or umbilical artery and the levels of maternal serum aminopeptidase activities in pre-eclampsia. Kininase I was positively correlated with the S/D ratios, whereas placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP) and aminopeptidase A were negatively correlated with the S/D ratios. It is known that the increased S/D ratios reflect the increased utero-placental blood flow resistance.

The effect of nifedipine and dipyridamole on the Doppler blood flow waveforms of umbilical and uterine arteries in hypertensive pregnant women.

In a study of 45 hypertensive pregnant women, the systolic velocity/diastolic velocity ratio and pulsatility index of the umbilical and uterine arteries showed good correlation with the maternal blood pressure, and they appeared to provide a good parameter for the fetoplacental condition. Using the pulse Doppler method, we studied the effects of the antihypertensive agent nifedipine and of dipyridamole (an agent used to treat proteinuria) on the blood flow of the umbilical and uterine arteries in 16 hypertensive pregnant women. The results proved that both drugs caused a decrease in the vascular resistance of the umbilical artery and suggested that they increased the blood flow volume of this artery and were useful in the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy.

Induction by cortisol of aminopeptidases production from the human placenta in tissue culture.

Human placental aminopeptidase M and A and post-proline endopeptidase are known to act as degrading enzymes of bioactive peptides such as angiotensin II, oxytocin and endogenous opioids. We tested the effects of cortisol on the activities of human placental aminopeptidase A and M and post-proline endopeptidase using short-cultured placental tissues. From 34.

Rapid determination of fetal sex using amniotic fluid cells and the polymerase chain reaction.

We determined the sex of 50 fetuses by an amplification of the Y-chromosome specific fragment using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amniotic fluid cells were collected by amniocentesis from pregnant women at 14 to 17 weeks of gestation. Total DNA was purified from cells in 1 ml of amniotic fluid.

Antenatal diagnosis of twin-twin transfusion syndrome by Doppler ultrasound.

We evaluated 31 pairs of twins: six with twin-twin transfusion syndrome, four discordant, and 21 concordant twins. The criterion for the retrospective diagnosis of discordancy was a difference in birth weight of 20% of the larger infant's weight. Using pulsed Doppler evaluation of the umbilical artery of each twin, the pulsatility index (PI) was used to evaluate the umbilical arterial waveforms.

Purification and properties of human placental aminopeptidase B.

Aminopeptidase B (EC 3.4.11.

Effects of low molecular weight peptides and divalent cations on degradation and binding of angiotensin II.

The effects of peptide inhibitors (bestatin and amastatin) and divalent cations (Ca2+ and Co2+) on the velocity of Asp1 liberation from angiotensin II (A-II) by human placental membrane fractions and binding of 125I A-II to human placental membranes were tested at 22 degrees C and 4 degrees C. Asp1 liberation was measured by high performance liquid chromatography. As expected, the degradation and binding of A-II were temperature sensitive, with both being at 4 degrees C than at 22 degrees C.

Increased serum kininase I activity in pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia.

Serum kininase I activity was measured in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. The mean value in nonpregnant controls was 180 +/- 25 (SD) nmol/min/ml. Kininase I activity during normal pregnancy significantly increased after week 14, reaching the highest value (240 +/- 20 nmol/min/ml) at weeks 38 and 40.

A comparison of the binding of angiotensin II to human placenta between normal and severe pre-eclamptic pregnancy.

We compared the binding of angiotensin II (A-II) to human placenta between normal and severe pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Our data did not show any statistically significant difference between normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancy in both the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) and the total number of placental A-II receptors. Therefore, changes in the binding of A-II to placenta might not be involved in the possible cause of activation of the renin-angiotensin system in the feto-placental unit in severe preeclampsia.

Changes in the binding of angiotensin II to rat placental receptor by estrogen and progesterone.

The effects of estradiol and progesterone on the binding of rat placental angiotensin II receptors were examined. Sex steroid (progesterone estradiol plus progesterone) decreased the total number of rat placental angiotensin II receptors, while sex steroid (estradiol plus progesterone) increased angiotensin levels. Our present results suggest that sex steroids may play an important role in the control of the number of the angiotensin binding sites during pregnancy.

Sn-1,2-diacylglycerols and phorbol ester stimulate the production of progesterone from the human placenta.

Human term placental explants were used to investigate the possible role of phospholipid-sensitive and Ca2+ dependent protein kinase in the regulation of human placental progesterone production. Placental tissue was incubated with low density lipoprotein as a precursor of progesterone in the presence or the absence of phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol, and the calcium ionophore A23187. The rate of progesterone production by placental tissue was 21.

Effects of bestatin on intrauterine growth of rat fetuses.

Pregnant Wistar rats were injected with bestatin, a specific inhibitor of aminopeptidase M. Placental aminopeptidase M activity was inhibited by injection of bestatin, and fetal body weight was statistically lower than that in the saline-injected or control group. Our present data suggest that placental aminopeptidase M plays an important role in fetal growth.