Hypothalamo-pituitary dopaminergic system in patients with myotonic dystrophy.

We studied the function of hypothalamo-pituitary dopaminergic system in 15 myotonic dystrophy (MyD) patients whose growth hormone (GH) responses to insulin or arginine had been normal. We obtained the following findings: (1) basal levels of plasma GH and prolactin (PRL) were normal, although the latter levels were slightly lower than controls, (2) both GH and PRL responses to L-dopa or bromocriptine were significantly blunted compared with controls, (3) PRL response to sulpiride was also significantly low compared with controls. These results indicate that hypothalamic dopaminergic neuron and its postsynaptic dopamine receptors relating to GH secretion might be impaired.

Desmin distinguishes cultured fat-storing cells from myofibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts in the rat.

To differentiate cultured rat liver myofibroblasts, fat-storing cells, aortic smooth muscle cells and skin fibroblasts from each other, desmin and vimentin stainings were undertaken by indirect immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibodies. In myofibroblasts, the reaction with antibodies to vimentin was positive but that with antibodies to desmin was virtually negative. In primary cultures as well as subsequent passage of fat-storing cells, reactions with antibodies to both desmin and vimentin were positive.

Neurotransmitter receptors of the rolling mouse Nagoya: a quantitative autoradiographic study.

The distribution of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator receptors was studied in the brain of the rolling mouse Nagoya (RMN) and in controls, using in vitro receptor autoradiography. Quantitative autoradiography was used to map adenosine A1 (labeled with [3H]cyclohexyladenosine), GABAA [( 3H]muscimol), opiate [( 3H]naloxone), L-glutamate [( 3H]L-glutamate), benzodiazepine [( 3H]flunitrazepam), and muscarinic cholinergic [( 3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate) receptors. In the cerebellar cortex, GABAA and adenosine A1 binding sites were significantly reduced in the RMN, whereas other transmitter binding sites were not significantly altered.

Hydrolysis of alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-sorbitol and alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-mannitol by rat intestinal disaccharidases.

The hydrolyzing activities in rat small intestine for newly developed sugar substitutes, alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-sorbitol (GPS) and alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-mannitol (GPM), both of which are produced by hydrogenation of palatinose, were characterized. GPS and GPM were hydrolyzed in mucosal homogenate as well as in brush border membranes of rat small intestine at a slower rate than the rate of hydrolysis of palatinose (30%) and sucrose (6-7%). Gel filtration column chromatography of disaccharidases solubilized from brush border membranes revealed that GPS and GPM were hydrolyzed mainly by sucrase-isomaltase complex and its degradation product, i.

Determination of aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme activity in human liver.

As acetaldehyde (Ac-CHO) has been implicated as a cause of alcoholic liver injury, accurate knowledge concerning changes in the Ac-CHO oxidizing system in human liver is essential for the understanding of the pathogenesis. However, an assay system for aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH: EC 1.2, 1.

Hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzymes: differences with respect to species.

Although changes in the acetaldehyde (Ac-CHO) oxidizing system in the liver are important for understanding the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury, interspecies differences of hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH: 1.2.1.

Connective tissue components in cultured parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells of rat liver. Immunohistochemical studies.

Connective tissue components were detected immunohistochemically in cultured rat hepatocytes and sinusoidal lining cells. In the Ito and endothelial cells, the staining reactions to prolyl hydroxylase were strong. The reaction in the hepatocytes, however, was weaker, and there was no staining reaction to prolyl hydroxylase in the Kupffer cells.

Endocrinological abnormalities in myotonic dystrophy: consecutive studies of eight tolerance tests in 26 patients.

We studied endocrine functions of the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, gonad, adrenal and pancreas in 26 patients with myotonic dystrophy. The following findings were obtained: (1) Hyporesponsivenesses of HGH to insulin, arginine and L-dopa test were observed in 25%, 45% and 54.5% of patients, respectively.

Effects of malotilate on ethanol-inhibited hepatocyte regeneration in rats.

The effects of malotilate, a hepatotrophic drug, on the inhibition of hepatocyte regeneration induced by ethanol were studied in rats. Following acute ethanol administration, both DNA synthesis and commencement of the S phase of the cell cycle in hepatocytes after partial hepatectomy were delayed. Malotilate prevents this ethanol-induced delay.

Possible role of insulin status in the increased lipogenic enzyme activity by dietary medium-chain triglyceride in rat liver.

The possible role of insulin status in the increase in liver lipogenic enzyme activities upon feeding medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) was investigated with streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and insulin-treated diabetic rats. Rats were fed synthetic diets that contained either 2% corn oil (control), fat free, 13% MCT +2% corn oil, or 13% lard +2% corn oil, respectively. Feeding the MCT diet for 3 days increased serum ketone bodies in both the normal and diabetic rats.

WF-3405, a novel antitumor antibiotic. Taxonomy, isolation, structure elucidation and biological properties.

A new antitumor antibiotic, WF-3405 was isolated from the culture of Amauroascus aureus F-3405. The structure has been determined as 1,5-dioxiranyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentanepentanol on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical evidence. WF-3405 exhibits strong inhibitory activity against various murine tumors including leukemia P388, leukemia L1210 and Lewis lung carcinoma.

Comparative studies on clinical features and CSF proteins of motor neuron disease patients.

Clinical features such as types of diseases, sex ratio, age of onset, sites of initial involvement, the appearance of bulbar signs, and duration of illness were studied in 52 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) with a special reference to immunoglobulin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum. Although MND has been thought to be a degenerative disease of unknown cause, our data suggested there are some immunological abnormalities in this disease. The duration of illness and the abnormalities of CSF immunoglobulins appeared to be correlated with the type of disease and the site of initial involvement.

Characterization of desmin-positive rat liver sinusoidal cells.

Hepatic sinusoidal lining cells were isolated from mature male rats (12 months old) and cultured in order to clarify the characteristics of the Ito cells (fat-storing cells). Desmin staining was used as a marker in the isolation of the Ito cells, and a highly purified desmin-positive cell fraction was obtained. Less than 10% of the desmin-positive cells were positive for vitamin A auto-fluorescence.

Cellular vitamin A-binding proteins in the testis.

Vitamin A plays an important role in the testis, being essential for the maintenance of spermatogenesis. Studies on CRBP and CRABP suggest that both retinol and retinoic acid are involved in maintaining testicular function. The cellular location of the two proteins suggests that retinoic acid may be particularly involved in the later stages of germ cell differentiation, but retinol may be the form of vitamin A that the Sertoli cell receives initially.

Significant increase in immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) in serum of patients with multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory neurological disorders.

IAP, a type of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, is mainly produced by macrophages when stimulated in the presence of circulating immune complexes or some inflammatory substances. We assayed the serum levels of IAP by a single radial immunodiffusion method. The normal level of IAP is below 500 micrograms/ml (385 +/- 73).

Effects of dietary fat on alcohol-pyrazole hepatitis in rats: the pathogenetic role of the nonalcohol dehydrogenase pathway in alcohol-induced hepatic cell injury.

Rats were fed with two different alcohol-containing (36% of total calories) liquid diets of high fat and low fat (35% and 15% of total calories) with or without 2 mM of pyrazole for 12 weeks. At the 12th week, the serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase level was significantly elevated in the alcohol-pyrazole high fat group, but not in the low fat group. Ballooning and necrotic changes of the hepatocytes in the centrolobular area were more prominent in the alcohol-pyrazole high fat group than in the low fat group and alcohol alone groups, indicating that high fat diet accelerates the development of alcohol-pyrazole hepatitis.

Transfer of retinoic acid from its complex with cellular retinoic acid-binding protein to the nucleus.

Cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP), a potential mediator of retinoic acid action, enables retinoic acid to bind in a specific manner to nuclei and chromatin isolated from testes of control and vitamin A-deficient rats. The binding of retinoic acid was followed after complexing [3H]retinoic acid with CRABP purified from rat testes. The binding was specific, saturable, and temperature dependent.