Low dihydropyridine receptor density in vasa deferentia of castrated rats.

Radioligand binding studies in crude membrane preparations of vasa deferentia of normal rats, with the 1,4-dihydropyridine (+)-[3H]-PN200-110 (isradipine) showed typical saturation isotherms. The binding exhibited a KD of 259 +/- 60 pM and Bmax of 144 +/- 20 fmol mg-1 protein. The low KD and the stereoselective displacement of (+)-[3H]-PN200-110 binding by (+)- and (-)-PN200-110 and by nifedipine suggests that these tissues contain dihydropyridine receptors probably coupled to voltage-sensitive, L-type calcium channels.

Prognosis of transient global amnesia: a long-term follow-up study.

A long-term follow-up study was performed on patients with transient global amnesia (TGA) in order to evaluate the prognosis, the recurrence rate and the occurrence of stroke and dementia. 102 patients (57 women, 45 men; mean age 62.8 +/- 9.

Protective effect of cyproheptadine in a gerbil model of cerebral ischemia.

The efficacy of Cyproheptadine, a serotonin antagonist, in preventing the cerebral ischemic damage was tested on experimental model of transient global cerebral ischemia in Mongolian Gerbil. The semi-quantitative histological evaluation of the severity of ischemic damage showed a protective effect of Cyproheptadine, mainly in the anterior cortical areas.

NMR evidence for perturbation of the copper coordination sphere upon chemical modification of arginine 141 in bovine Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

The reaction of the Cu,Co derivative of bovine Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase with phenylglyoxal or butanedione, which are known to inactivate the enzyme by selectively binding to Arg 141, has been studied by 1H NMR. Several 1H NMR lines of the copper-liganding histidine residues were perturbed, reproducing an effect so far observed only in the case of binding of anions to this protein. The room temperature EPR spectrum of the modified Cu,Zn protein was altered very slightly, indicating that the geometry of the copper site was not grossly affected by the modification.

Assignment of imidazole resonances from two-dimensional proton NMR spectra of bovine Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase. Evidence for similar active site conformation in the oxidized and reduced enzyme.

Two-dimensional 1H-NMR spectra were carried out on bovine Cu(I),Zn superoxide dismutase. The ring protons of the single tyrosine and of the 4 phenylalanines were identified from COSY spectra. From NOESY spectra all imidazole C-resonances could be specifically assigned to each of the 8 histidines using the crystal coordinates of the Cu(II),Zn enzyme.

A study of the intracellular effects of glutathione by 1H-spin echo NMR of intact human erythrocytes.

The effect of adding either reduced (GSH) or oxidized (GSSG) glutathione to intact human erythrocytes was investigated by 1H-spin echo NMR, which allows direct observation of relatively concentrated low molecular weight compounds within intact cells. A specific region of the spectrum was affected by addition of GSH, with the appearance of new peaks that were diagnostic of an increase of intracellular GSH. These changes did not occur in hemolysates, and did not involve extra-cytosol GSH either free or membrane-bound.

Pseudobulbar palsy: a clinical computed tomography study.

61 of 1,590 (3.8%) patients with cerebrovascular disease showed suprabulbar palsy of the pure form (42 patients; 2 had autopsy) and striate form (19 patients; 3 had autopsy). 25 patients with the pallidopyramidal syndrome were included since the clinical picture bordered on the striate form.

Unusual neurological manifestations of Lyme disease: a case report.

We describe a case of Lyme disease with a prolonged relapsing-remitting course, in which peripheral facial palsy, optic neuritis and myopathy were associated. After high-dose penicillin therapy the patient completely recovered.

Risk factors in lacunar syndromes: a case-control study.

The association between some hypothetical risk factors (previous TIA, hypertension, ECG ischemic abnormalities, diabetes, cigarette smoking, atrial fibrillation, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, high hematocrit) and lacunar syndromes has been evaluated by a matched sample case-control study involving 108 consecutive, incident cases with lacunar syndrome and 216 hospital control subjects, matched for sex and age. A significant increase of Relative Risk (RR) has been shown for: 1. Previous history of TIA; 2.

[Subarachnoid hemorrhage. Etiopathogenetic aspects].

Data from existent literature and from analysis of 60 personal cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage are examined in order to clarify the etiologic and pathogenetic mechanisms. In about 50% of the patients intracranial arterial aneurysms are found; in a lower percentage arteriovenous malformations or arterial atherosclerotic lesions are seen. Specific activities or events related to the onset of subarachnoid hemorrhage are found in about 50% of the cases.

[Late degeneration of spinal motor neurons in patients with previous poliomyelitis].

The Authors describe 5 cases of "motor neuron disease" in patients who had suffered from an acute episode of poliomyelitis. The literature and the fundamental pathogenetic theories have been reviewed.

Nuclear localization and phosphorylation of three 25-kilodalton rat stress proteins.

The nuclear localization and phosphorylation of three 25-kilodalton rat myoblast stress proteins were examined. Data obtained in these analyses led to the following conclusions: (i) all three proteins become localized in the nucleus of stressed cells, (ii) two of the proteins are modified by phosphorylation, and (iii) phosphorylation occurs exclusively on serine residues.

Phosphorylation pattern of a 25 Kdalton stress protein from rat myoblasts.

Phosphorylation of a 25 Kdalton nuclear stress protein from rat muscle was examined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and one-dimensional peptide mapping. These studies show that three 25 Kdalton stress proteins found in stressed rat myoblasts are actually the same protein with charge variation brought about by multiple phosphorylations. Furthermore, the predominant charge variant of 25 Kdalton protein found in cells is dependent on the intensity of the stress applied to cells.

[3H]imipramine binding in subcellular fractions of rat cerebral cortex after chemical lesion of serotonergic neurons.

The specific high affinity binding of [3H]imipramine was investigated in subcellular fractions of rat cerebral cortex before and after chemical denervation of serotonergic neurons. In control animals the proportion of the total number of [3H]imipramine binding sites in the nuclear (N), heavy mitochondrial (M), light mitochondrial (L) and microsomal (P) fractions corresponded respectively to 3, 45, 16 and 36% of the total number of binding sites. After chemical lesion of serotonergic neurons with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) the density of [3H]imipramine binding sites in fractions M and L was decreased by 42 and 52% respectively.

Complex inhibition of [3H]imipramine binding by serotonin and nontricyclic serotonin uptake blockers.

Tricyclic antidepressant drugs inhibit [3H]imipramine binding to the rat brain cortex in a competitive manner, giving linear Hofstee plots and Hill coefficients of approximately 1.0. Serotonin, the only neurotransmitter to inhibit [3H]imipramine binding, does so in a complex manner, exhibiting a Hill coefficient of 0.

Arsenate induces stress proteins in cultured rat myoblasts.

The induction of stress proteins was examined in rat myoblast cultures by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Data obtained by this analysis led to the following observations. (a) Arsenate, which behaves as a phosphate analogue in cellular phosphate-transfer reactions, stresses cultured rat cells and induces the synthesis of a unique set of proteins.

High-affinity [3H]desipramine binding in the peripheral and central nervous system: a specific site associated with the neuronal uptake of noradrenaline.

The specific binding of [3H]desipramine to various brain regions and peripheral tissues of the rat was of high affinity, rapid and reversible. It was inhibited with high affinity only by tricyclic antidepressants and noradrenaline uptake blockers. There was a highly significant correlation between the potencies of a series of drugs for the inhibition of [3H]desipramine binding and for the inhibition of noradrenaline uptake.