Thromboxane A2 is involved in the nitric oxide-induced central activation of adrenomedullary outflow in rats.

The central effect of 3-morpholinosydnonimine, a nitric oxide donor, on the sympatho-adrenomedullary system was investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of 3-morpholinosydnonimine (100, 250 and 500 microg/animal) induced a marked elevation of adrenaline levels and a slight elevation of noradrenaline levels in the plasma. These 3-morpholinosydnonimine (250 microg/animal)-induced elevations of catecholamines were abolished by intracerebroventricular treatments with 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl 3-oxide (750 microg/animal), a nitric oxide scavenger, and indomethacin (500 microg/animal), a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, but not with superoxide dismutase (250 units/animal), a superoxide anion scavenger.

Familial cortical tremor with epilepsy: an under-recognized familial tremor.

The authors report three Japanese families presenting with cortical tremor and epilepsy. The patients showed either tremulous finger movements or seizures as the initial symptoms between 19 and 30 years of the age without progression. Postural tremor resembled essential tremor and responded to the anticonvulsants such as clonazepam, primidone and sodium valproate.

Properties of calcium channels coupled to endogenous glutamate release from the vascularly perfused rat stomach in vitro.

We have demonstrated that both high-K+ and electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves release endogenous glutamate from the vascularly-perfused rat stomach in a calcium-dependent manner. In the present study, we examined properties of calcium channel subtypes mediating endogenous glutamate release from the stomach. Application of 50 mM KCl elicited a release of glutamate, and this release was abolished in calcium-free medium.

[The involvement of cytokines, chemokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induced by a transient ischemia in neuronal survival/death in rat brain].

Inflammatory/immunological processes underlie the survival/damage of neurons after brain ischemia. In glial cells, cytokines such as IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha are produced following ischemic stresses. On the other hand, it is suggested that NO/iNOS is involved in neuronal apoptosis.

Reassessment of H-reflex recovery curve using the double stimulation procedure.

We conducted two types of experiments to assess the validity of the H-reflex recovery test, using double stimulation to test soleus motoneuron pool excitability in healthy and spastic subjects. One type dealt with the mechanical effect of the conditioning H reflex on the ankle joint; the other type with the effect of change in reflex size. The mechanical effect was tested both with the ankle joint fixed (FX) and free to move (FR).

Centrally applied nitric oxide donors inhibit vagally evoked rat gastric acid secretion: involvement of sympathetic outflow.

ntracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.

Familial cortical tremor with epilepsy.

We report here on a Japanese family in which five members in three generations developed non-progressive adult onset cortical tremor and epilepsy. Other than tremulous movements resembling essential tremor, the neurologic findings were unremarkable. Electrophysiologic studies revealed giant somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), enhanced long latency reflexes (C-reflex), and positive premovement cortical potentials, recorded by jerk-locked averaging, indicating cortical reflex myoclonus.

Brain histamine mediates the bombesin-induced central activation of sympatho-adrenomedullary outflow.

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.

Nitric oxide mediates central activation of sympathetic outflow induced by interleukin-1 beta in rats.

The excitatory mechanism of central sympathetic outflow induced by interleukin-1 beta was investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of interleukin-1 beta induced a gradually developing elevation of plasma noradrenaline levels in a dose-dependent manner (50, 100 and 200 ng/animal), while the levels of adrenaline were not affected. The elevation of noradrenaline levels induced by interleukin-1 beta (100 ng/animal i.

Calcium-dependent release of endogenous glutamate from vascularly perfused rat stomach in vitro.

To investigate a possible physiological role for glutamate in the stomach, release of endogenous glutamate from an isolated vascularly-perfused rat stomach preparation was studied. Glutamate was measured by the bioluminescence assay method. High concentrations of KCI (30-75 mM) induced a dose-dependent release of glutamate.

[A 63-year-old woman with muscle weakness, myotonia, and parkinsonism].

We report a 63-year-old woman who presented myotonia and parkinsonism. The patient was well until 15 years of the age when she noted that the ring finger of her left hand at times flexed when she did not intend to do so. She noted weakness in her left upper extremity at the age of 40, and difficulty in relaxing her hand grip at 45.

Reciprocal inhibition in hemiplegia: correlation with clinical features and recovery.

Background: Previous reports have described changes in reciprocal Ia inhibition in hemiplegic patients, but correlations between the amount of Ia inhibition and the clinical deficits have not been well established.

Methods: We studied reciprocal inhibition between ankle flexors (tibialis anterior) and extensors (soleus) in 16 hemiplegic patients at various stages following a stroke and in 26 control subjects. The amount of disynaptic Ia inhibition was determined from the short latency suppression of the soleus or tibialis anterior H-reflexes by conditioning stimulation of the antagonistic muscle nerves.

Inhibition of vagally mediated gastric acid secretion by activation of central prostanoid EP3 receptors in urethane-anaesthetized rats.

1. We studied the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Brain prostaglandins mediate the bombesin-induced increase in plasma levels of catecholamines.

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.

Recombinant interleukin-1 beta inhibits gastric acid secretion by activation of central sympatho-adrenomedullary outflow in rats.

The inhibitory mechanism of gastric acid secretion induced by human recombinant interleukin-1 beta was investigated in bilaterally vagotomized, urethane-anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of interleukin-1 beta (10, 50 and 100 ng/animal) dose dependently inhibited the gastric acid secretion induced by electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve at 3 Hz. Inhibition of gastric acid secretion induced by interleukin-1 beta (50 ng/animal) was abolished both by splanchnectomy and by phentolamine (5 mg/kg i.

Elevation of plasma noradrenaline levels in urethane-anaesthetized rats by activation of central prostanoid EP3 receptors.

1. We studied the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Centrally applied bombesin increases nerve activity of both sympathetic and adrenal branch of the splanchnic nerves.

We reported that centrally applied bombesin probably excites both the gastric sympathetic and adrenomedullary systems and thus induces inhibition of gastric acid secretion. In the present study, therefore, we examined whether or not centrally applied bombesin directly affects sympathetic nerve activities in rats anesthetized with urethane. Intracerebroventricular administration of bombesin (0.

Properties of the voltage-gated calcium channels mediating dopamine and acetylcholine release from the isolated rat retina.

We examined the properties of voltage-gated calcium channels mediating endogenous dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) release in the isolated rat retina. Application of 30 mM KCl elicited the release of DA and ACh, and these releases were abolished in Ca(2+)-free medium. The high K(+)-evoked DA release was largely blocked by both of omega-agatoxin IVA and omega-conotoxin MVIIC, P- and Q-type calcium channel antagonists, and partly blocked by isradipine, and L-type calcium channel antagonist, and omega-conotoxin GVIA, an N-type calcium channel antagonist.

Release of endogenous acetylcholine from a vascularly perfused rat stomach in vitro; inhibition by M3 muscarinic autoreceptors and alpha-2 adrenoceptors.

We measured endogenous overflow of acetylcholine (ACh) from a vascularly perfused rat stomach in vitro with modified Krebs-Ringer solution containing 100 microM physostigmine. Evoked ACh overflow by vagal stimulation at 2.5 Hz for 2 min was abolished by tetrodotoxin (3 x 10(-7) M) or Ca++ removal and reduced by hexamethonium (10(-4) M).

Roles of central nicotinic receptors in regulation of gastric functions.

In the first part of this paper, the effects of single administration of nicotine on gastric motility of urethane-anesthetized rats are briefly summarized from our recently reported papers. Then, the effects of repeated administration of nicotine on the nicotine-induced changes in gastric motility and release of hypothalamic noradrenaline, in vitro, are described, with special references to up-regulation of nicotinic receptors. Nicotine 0.

Microinjection of alpha-calcitonin gene-related peptide into the hypothalamus activates sympathetic outflow in rats.

Effect of rat alpha-calcitonin gene-related peptide (alpha-CGRP) microinjected into various hypothalamic nuclei on plasma levels of catecholamines and arterial blood pressure were investigated in urethane-anesthetized rats. alpha-CGRP (0.05 and 0.

Immunoprecipitation of alpha 2a-adrenergic receptor-GTP-binding protein complexes using GTP-binding protein selective antisera. Changes in receptor/GTP-binding protein interaction following agonist binding.

The nature of the interaction of cloned alpha 2a-adrenergic receptors from LLC-PK1-O clone cells with G proteins was investigated using an immunoprecipitation approach. Following solubilization of the alpha 2a receptors, antiserum 8730, which is directed against the C-terminal region of Gi alpha, immunoprecipitated alpha 2a receptor-Gi alpha complexes. The immunoprecipitation was specific since it could be blocked by the peptide to which antiserum 8730 was generated.

Release of endogenous noradrenaline from the vascularly perfused rat stomach in vitro: modulation by pre- and postsynaptic adrenoceptors.

We developed an experimental in vitro model to detect a very small amount of endogenous noradrenaline (NA) released from the rat gastric sympathetic nerve terminals. The stomach was perfused via celiac artery with modified Krebs-Ringer solution containing 10 mM pargyline and 0.1% bovine serum albumin at a constant flow of 4 ml/min.

Spinal cord substance P mediates the inhibition of gastric acid secretion induced by electrical stimulation of the preoptic area.

A possible role of spinal substance P (SP) in the mediation of signals to inhibit gastric acid secretion by central activation of the sympatho-adrenomedullary system was examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. Intrathecal (i.t.

Antitumor effects of human recombinant interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor on five cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines, in vivo and in vitro.

We examined the antitumor effects of recombinant interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) on cervical adenocarcinoma cell lines, in vitro and in vivo. Four of five cell lines showed a high sensitivity to IFN-gamma, in vitro. One of five cell lines showed a remarkable sensitivity to TNF, in vitro.