A Case of Paroxysmal Cold Hemoglobinuria Possessing Moderate Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria-Type Erythrocytes.

BACKGROUND Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH) is an autoimmune hemolytic disease caused by the Donath-Landsteiner (DL) antibody. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a non-autoimmune hemolytic disease that is caused by a dysfunction in the synthesis of the glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchor protein, resulting in the deregulation of the complement cascade and hypersensitivity for a hemolytic attack against erythrocytes. The mechanisms of these 2 hemolytic diseases are distinct.

Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage ameliorates fungus-induced peritoneal injury model in mice.

Fungal peritonitis in a patient on peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a refractory injury accompanied by severe inflammation, predisposing patients to a poor prognosis. Defective clearance of necrotic tissue interferes with amelioration of tissue injury and induces abnormal tissue remodeling. In the recent reports, apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM, also called CD5L) prevents obesity, hepatocellular carcinoma and acute kidney injury.

Sodium chloride promotes tissue inflammation via osmotic stimuli in subtotal-nephrectomized mice.

Chronic inflammation, which is often associated with high all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, is prevalent in patients with renal failure; however, the precise mechanisms remain unclear. High-salt intake was reported to induce lymphangiogenesis and autoimmune diseases via osmotic stimuli with accumulation of sodium or chloride. In addition, sodium was recently reported to be stored in the extremities of dialysis patients.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 is a novel target to improve net ultrafiltration in methylglyoxal-induced peritoneal injury.

Appropriate fluid balance is important for good clinical outcomes and survival in patients on peritoneal dialysis. We recently reported that lymphangiogenesis associated with fibrosis developed in the peritoneal cavity via the transforming growth factor-β1-vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) pathway. We investigated whether VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), the receptor for VEGF-C and -D, might be a new target to improve net ultrafiltration by using adenovirus-expressing soluble VEGFR-3 (Adeno-sVEGFR-3) in rodent models of peritoneal injury induced by methylglyoxal (MGO).

Estrogen-dependent activation of neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase underlying gender difference of atherogenesis in apoE-/- mice.

Objective: Mechanisms underlying gender difference of atherogenesis were investigated focusing on direct effects of estrogen on the artery.

Methods: First, male and female apoE(-/-) mice were fed an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks from 10 weeks of age. Second, female apoE(-/-) mice were ovariectomized (ovx) or sham operated at 8 weeks of age, and 2-weeks afterwards, one-third of each ovx-group received conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) (0, 2.

Ascorbic acid levels and neutrophil superoxide production in blood of pre-, early and late hypertensive stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We compared ascorbic acid (AA) levels in the blood and TPA- and fMLP-stimulated superoxide (O(2)(•-)) production in neutrophils of pre-, early, and late hypertensive stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) with those of age-matched Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), or two other normotensive strains of rats. Plasma and lymphocyte AA levels were about two-fold higher in SHRSP as early as 4 weeks old compared to WKY, and also higher than those of Wistar and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Levels of AA were high in the liver and adrenal glands of SHRSP, indicating congenitally high AA levels.

Antiatherosclerotic effect of the edible mushrooms Pleurotus eryngii (Eringi), Grifola frondosa (Maitake), and Hypsizygus marmoreus (Bunashimeji) in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

In the present study, we examined the antiatherosclerotic effects of 3 edible mushrooms, Pleurotus eryngii (Eringi), Grifola frondosa (Maitake), and Hypsizygus marmoreus (Bunashimeji), in atherosclerosis-susceptible C57BL/6J, apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice. Male apoE(-/-) mice (6 weeks of age) were fed a normal diet (cholesterol concentration <66 mg/100 g) or a normal diet containing 3% dried Eringi, Maitake, or Bunashimeji mushroom powder for 10 weeks. Food intake, body weight, serum total cholesterol (TC), and serum triacylglycerols (TG) were measured periodically during the experimental period.

[Anesthetic management of cesarean section in a patient with pulmonary embolism due to protein S deficiency diagnosed postoperatively].

A 27-year-old pregnant woman with pulmonary embolism was scheduled for cesarean section. She received anticoagulant therapy with continuous infusion of heparin and prophylactic placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Heparin was discontinued 7 hours before operation.

Preventive effects of green tea catechins on spontaneous stroke in rats.

Background: Green tea catechins possess potent antioxidative properties and protect against various oxidative diseases. Malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (M-SHRSP) develop severe hypertension and spontaneous stroke at early ages. We previously reported that ingestion of green tea catechins prevents cerebral ischemic damage in a middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion rat stroke model, in association with increased plasma epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) concentrations.

[Anesthetic management of a patient with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy under total intravenous anesthesia].

This report describes a patient with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy who underwent tracheostomy under total intravenous anesthesia. This 15-year-old girl had been suffering from aspiration pneumonia repeatedly. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (30 mg) and fentanyl (50 microg), and the trachea was intubated without a muscle relaxant.

Repeated in utero and lactational 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin exposure affects male gonads in offspring, leading to sex ratio changes in F2 progeny.

The effects of in utero and lactational 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on the reproductive system of male rat offspring (F1) and the sex ratio of the subsequent generation (F2) were examined. Female Holtzman rats were gavaged with an initial loading dose of 400 ng/kg TCDD prior to mating, followed by weekly maintenance doses of 80 ng/kg during mating, pregnancy, and the lactation period. Maternal exposure to TCDD had no significant effects on fetus/pup (F1) mortality, litter size, or sex ratio on gestation day (GD) 20 or postnatal day (PND) 2.

In utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in rats disrupts brain sexual differentiation.

The effects of in utero and lactational exposure of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on brain sexual differentiation were investigated. TCDD was orally administered to pregnant Holtzman rats on gestation day (GD) 15, and the activity of brain aromatase, a key enzyme for sexual differentiation, was measured in offspring on postnatal day (PND) 2. Changes in sexual dimorphisms of saccharin preference and the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) were examined in adult offspring.

Nitric oxide and effect of a radical scavenger N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone on stroke in a rat model.

To characterize the role of nitric oxide (NO) in stroke, NO was measured using an in vivo microdialysis technique and electron spin resonance spectrometry in malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (M-SHRSP), stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The brain dialysate NO level was higher in SHRSP than in WKY. NO was not detected in M-SHRSP hippocampus microdialysate after stroke except after the administration of N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (PBN).

Protective effects of green tea catechins on cerebral ischemic damage.

Background: Green tea catechins possess potent antioxidative properties, and the preventive effects against various oxidative diseases have been reported. The purpose of this study is to examine preventive and protective effects of green tea catechins on various deteriorative processes following stroke.

Material/methods: Male Wistar rats were given ad libitum water with or without 0.

Sterol-mediated regulation of hormone-sensitive lipase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

We previously reported that intracellular free cholesterol at physiological concentrations regulates the activity of neutral cholesterol esterase (N-CEase) in macrophages. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether the regulation of N-CEase by cholesterol is generally observed in other types of cells such as adipocytes with high activity of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the same gene product as N-CEase. 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured with and without cholesterol (1-30 microg/mL) or 25-hydroxycholesterol (0.

Concurrent formation of peroxynitrite with the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the brain during middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion in rats.

Peroxynitrite is assumed to play a crucial role in brain damage associated with the overproduction of nitric oxide (NO). The purpose of this study is to examine time-dependent changes of nitrite and nitrate (NOx) concentration in the circulation, and peroxynitrite formation as well as the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the penumbra of rat brains during transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) of Wistar rat for 2 h and reperfusion for 4-70 h. NOx concentration in the circulation was continuously monitored at the right jugular vein by microdialysis.

Fluctuation of serum NO(x) concentration at stroke onset in a rat spontaneous stroke model (M-SHRSP). Peroxynitrite formation in brain lesions.

Malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (M-SHRSP) develop hypertension and stroke at earlier ages than do nonmalignant SHRSP. Our previous findings suggested that reactive oxygen species were involved in the development of stroke in this strain. Nitric oxide (NO) which is more released at ischemia, might play a crucial role in stroke development by producing peroxynitrite, a neurotoxic substance.

Changes in fetal brain aromatase activity following in utero 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin exposure in rats.

Aromatase catalyzes intraneuronal conversion of androgens to estrogens in the hypothalamus-preoptic area at a specific time during development. This local estrogen formation has a central role in sexual differentiation. To investigate the effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on sexual differentiation, TCDD (800 and 1600 ng/kg) was orally administered to pregnant Holtzman rats on gestation day (GD) 15, and the change in brain aromatase activity of fetuses (GD20) and pups (postnatal day 2) was examined.