[Temporary use of chest negative pressure ventilation to facilitate closure of a tracheal stoma before domiciliary nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation].

A 67-year-old patient with pulmonary tuberculosis sequela had undergone a tracheostomy. The patient was receiving nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation and the stoma failed to close. Temporary use of chest negative pressure ventilation facilitated closure of the stoma and probably shortened the patient's hospital stay.

Partial deficiency of phosphoglycerate mutase with diabetic polyneuropathy: the first Japanese patient.

We report here findings in a 51-year-old Japanese man with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who complained of exercise-induced cramps. Muscle biopsy showed scattered regenerating fibers, small angular fibers and increased PAS positive particles. Electron microscopic examination revealed an abnormal accumulation of glycogen particles in subsarcolenmmal areas and between myofibrils while chemical studies showed an increased glycogen concentration and decreased phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM), 46.

Physiologic factors that determine the health-related quality of life in patients with COPD.

Study Objective: To determine the physiologic factors that influence the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with stable COPD and to identify the factors that most influence HRQL.

Methods: The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used as a general HRQL measure and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) was used as a disease-specific HRQL measure to investigate 132 patients with stable COPD, and measurements of HRQL were compared with physiologic measures.

Results: Vital capacity, FEV1, the ratio of the FEV1 to the FVC, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, diffusion capacity corrected for alveolar volume, lifetime cigarette consumption expressed as pack-years, and age were weakly correlated with several dimensions of both the NHP and the CRQ.

A single Drosophila melanogaster myosin light chain kinase gene produces multiple isoforms whose activities are differently regulated.

Background: Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) specifically phosphorylates the myosin regulatory light chain in a calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM)-dependent manner in animal cells. The roles of MLCK are not fully understood, particularly in nonmuscle cells. Therefore, we cloned and characterized a Drosophila MLCK gene as the first step in a genetic analysis of this process.

Inhibitory effect of an intellectual task on breathing after voluntary hyperventilation.

We investigated the effects of an intellectual task on posthyperventilation (PHV) breathing by using a video game. Eight normal subjects were placed in a supine positions. The game task by itself led to increase ventilation compared with the control tasks via an increase in the average inspiratory flow rate (P < 0.

Influence of baseline airway calibre and pulmonary emphysema on bronchial responsiveness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Study Objective: Bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) is widely observed in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its clinical significance in COPD has not yet been established. To determine the factors that influence BHR in COPD, multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyse the relationship between BHR to methacholine and baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), vital capacity (VC), residual volume (RV)/total lung capacity (TLC), static compliance (Cst), transfer coefficient of the lung (Kco), and the percentage of low attenuation area (%LAA) determined by computed tomographic (CT) scan.

Relationship between dyspnea in daily life and psycho-physiologic state in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy.

We examined the relationships among dyspnea ratings in daily life, the physiologic state, and anxiety and depression of fifty-two patients with chronic obstructive disease (COPD) during long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy (LTOT). Clinical ratings of dyspnea were assessed by the visual-analog scale (VAS) during eight types of basic behavior in indoor daily life. Analysis of the physiologic state included forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.

Effects of NCPAP therapy on fibrinogen levels in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), the blood coagulation system may contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, which occur most frequently in the morning. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) treatment can improve the mortality of patients with OSAS. We measured the plasma fibrinogen concentration, which is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events, in the afternoon (3:30 P.

Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin light chain in sea urchin egg extracts.

We studied enzymatic activities in sea urchin egg extracts that phosphorylate myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) from chicken gizzard smooth muscle. The activity in the presence of EGTA showed cell cycle-dependent changes similar to that of histone H1 kinase, namely, it peaked shortly before cleavage, while that in the presence of Ca2+ ions did not show significant change during division cycle. Phosphopeptide mapping revealed that both the sites phosphorylatable by smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (MLCK sites) and the sites phosphorylatable by protein kinase C (PKC sites) were phosphorylated in the presence or absence of Ca2+ ions.

Assessment of local lung impedance by the alveolar capsule oscillator in dogs: a model analysis.

The alveolar capsule oscillator technique has shown that the response of the lung periphery to intravenous histamine injection in dogs is extremely inhomogeneous both in terms of local peripheral airway resistance (RA) and local peripheral elastance (EA) (M. Mishima, Z Balassy, and J. H.

Collateral channels that develop after an acute myocardial infarction prevent subsequent left ventricular dilation.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the effect of collateral channels that develop late after a first anterior myocardial infarction on left ventricular dilation and function.

Background: Collateral channels in an infarct-related artery may develop long after occlusion of the artery. Well visualized collateral channels that appear immediately after a myocardial infarction reduce infarct size and preserve left ventricular function.

Temporal response of lung impedance after i.v. oleic acid in dogs.

We measured total and regional lung impedances in six anaesthetized, paralysed dogs every min for 1 hour immediately following i.v. oleic acid administration.

Chest flow during the initial inspiratory phase (V0.1) in pulmonary diseased patients.

We measured the chest flow 0.1 s after the onset of the inspiratory phase (V0.1) in patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema (CPE: n = 5), interstitial pneumonitis (IP: n = 5) and normal subjects (Nor: n = 5).

Validity of a random noise oscillation and body box system for the measurement of the respiratory impedance of small animals.

The accuracy and validity of a body box system which was developed for the measurement of airway and chest wall impedance in small animals such as canines was evaluated. Input impedance was calibrated using a resistance tube and the mouth flow sensing system was designed to be as symmetrical as possible such that the minimal common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) from 10 to 40 Hz was greater than 60 dB. The validity of this system using the resistance tube and inertant models indicated that the average error ratio for the input impedance and for the flow transfer function between the mouth and chest flow was within 3 and 0.

Dose response study of ipratropium bromide aerosol on maximum exercise performance in stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Although the bronchodilating effect of inhaled anticholinergics has been established in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), their effects on exercise capacity are still controversial. Previous studies have suggested that the standard dosage hardly affects exercise tolerance, whereas higher doses might elicit an improvement. The aim of the present study was to determine the dose of ipratropium bromide aerosol that improves exercise performance using progressive cycle ergometry in patients with stable COPD.

New design of N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) lung imaging in the patient with lung cancer.

N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) was injected intravenously into primary non small cell lung carcinoma patients (n = 17). The average pixel count ratios of the cancerous area to the whole lung was measured in the initial and delayed images. In the initial image, this ratio was less than 1.

[Characterization of tolerogen-producing cells and lymphoid tissues where self-tolerance is induced--a study on allogeneic bone marrow chimeras established with spontaneous leukemia prone mice].

SL/Kh strain of mice provides a spontaneous pre-B cell leukemia model and AKR/J mice provides a spontaneous thymoma model. Using these leukemia-prone mice, protective influence of bone marrow (BM) transplantation and tolerance induction to a host antigen, Mls-1a, after BM reconstitution were studied. When SL/Kh mice were reconstituted with BM cells from allogeneic C57BL/6 mice, these [B6-->SL] chimeric mice survived longer than non-treated SL or [SL-->SL] syngeneic chimeras.

Production of minor lymphocyte stimulatory-1a antigens from T cell subsets.

T cell subsets that produce minor lymphocyte stimulatory (Mls) antigens were analyzed using mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) in vitro or clonal elimination assay in vivo. When lymph node T cells from B10.BR(Mls-1b) mice were stimulated with various T cell subsets from AKR (Mls-1a) mice in the presence of B10.

Measuring the mechanical properties of the lung in vivo with spatial resolution at the acinar level.

The alveolar capsule technique involves measuring subpleural alveolar pressure in the chamber of a plastic capsule glued to the perforated lung surface. However, measurements of alveolar pressure alone do not permit one to say whether the inhomogeneities that develop are due to changes in local lung resistance, elastance, or both. We have developed an extension of the alveolar capsule technique in which small broad-band oscillations in flow are applied through the capsule.

Promotion of rectal absorption of sodium ampicillin by disodium glycyrrhetinic acid 3 beta-O-monohemiphthalate in rats.

The promotional effect on rectal absorption of sodium ampicillin (ABPC) by the glycyrrhetinic acid derivative disodium glycyrrhetinic acid 3 beta-O-monohemiphthalate (GA MHPh) was studied in rats and compared with those of sodium caprate (CAP) and sodium glycocholate (GLY). Duration of the promotive effect of GA MHPh was also studied. Rectal absorption of ABPC was significantly enhanced by addition of GA MHPh at an optimum concentration of about 1.

Changes in regional lung impedance after intravenous histamine bolus in dogs: effects of lung volume.

We measured the effect of lung volume on the time course of regional lung input impedance (ZA) after bolus intravenous administration of 2 mg of histamine in seven open-chest dogs using alveolar capsule oscillators. ZA (24-200 Hz) was obtained during apnea at constant lung volume every 2 s for 80 s at lung inflation pressures of 0.1, 0.

Effect of successful angioplasty following thrombolysis on infarct size and left ventricular function.

The role of the angioplasty following thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction has been discussed in several studies, however the effect of successful angioplasty on infarct size and left ventricular function has not been properly evaluated. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 79 out of 104 patients with primary anterior acute myocardial infarction. These patients were classified as follows, according to the type of intervention during the acute phase: 50 patients in which thrombolysis was successful (the thrombolysis group); 12 patients who underwent successful immediate angioplasty following successful thrombolysis (the immediate angioplasty group); and 17 patients in which rescue angioplasty was successful (the rescue angioplasty group).