Coronary vasodilatory response to a novel peptide, adrenomedullin 2.

1. Adrenomedullin-2 (AM2) is a novel peptide originally found in a fish and it is structurally related to mammalian AM or fish AM1. Cloning of AM2 cDNA in the mouse, rat and human has been successful.

Effects of phytoncides on blood pressure under restraint stress in SHRSP.

1. Phytoncides are volatile substances released mainly from trees. We studied whether phytoncides can reduce stress responses in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP).

Exaggerated response to cold stress in a congenic strain for the quantitative trait locus for blood pressure.

Objective: Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) are known to have sympathetic hyperactivity to various stimuli. In the search for 'intermediate phenotypes' inferring the function of hypertension genes, the present study assessed responsiveness to cold stress in a congenic strain derived from SHRSP/Izm and Wistar-Kyoto/Izm (WKY/Izm).

Design: A congenic strain, WKYpch1.

Distribution of the pores of epithelial basement membrane in the rat small intestine.

The distribution and diameter of the pores of epithelial basement membrane in the intestinal villi and the lymph nodules of ileal Peyer's patches were investigated in the rat small intestine by scanning electron microscopy after the removal of the overlying epithelial cells with OsO(4) maceration. In the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, the pores were mainly distributed at the upper three fourths of the villi, but were scarce around the top of the villi. The diameter of some of the pores in the upper three fourths of the villi was larger than that of those in the lower portion.

Cellular kinetics of villous epithelial cells and m cells in rabbit small intestine.

The cellular kinetics of villous columnar epithelial cells and M cells in the rabbit small intestine were determined by the use of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) as a tracer. To identify M cells, vimentin antibody was used. The BrdU-labeled nuclei of columnar epithelial cells reached the base of intestinal villi in all portions at 1 day after BrdU administration.

Exaggerated response to restraint stress in rats congenic for the chromosome 1 blood pressure quantitative trait locus.

1. To understand the roles of a putative hypertension gene in the chromosome 1 quantitative trait locus (QTL) region, the response to restraint stress was studied in strains congenic for this QTL. 2.

Preference of guinea pigs for bedding materials: wood shavings versus paper cutting sheet.

The preference of guinea pigs for bedding materials, wood shavings (WS) or paper cutting sheets (PS), was studied. Animals aged 8 weeks and 20 weeks showed a similar behaviour pattern during 30 min in the light, preferring WS to PS regardless of ages. Over both light and dark periods for 24 h, guinea pigs apparently preferred WS in the light, spending much more time resting in them than in PS.

Fine linkage mapping of the blood pressure quantitative trait locus region on rat chromosome 1.

To narrow the area known to contain the blood pressure quantitative trait locus (QTL) on rat chromosome 1, we constructed a fine linkage map covering the blood pressure OTL region on the chromosome using 22 genetic markers informative for stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats of the Izumo colony (SHRSP/Izm) and Wistar-Kyoto rats of the Izumo colony (WKY/Izm). Linkage mapping was done by genotyping 626 backcrossed rats from matings between SHRSP/Izm and WKY/Izm. Nineteen genetic markers informative for the two strains were selected from public databases.

Type II alveolar cells play roles in macrophage-mediated host innate resistance to pulmonary mycobacterial infections by producing proinflammatory cytokines.

Roles of type II pneumocytes in macrophage (Mphi)-mediated host resistance to pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and M. avium complex (MAC) infections were studied. Electron microscopy of the lung sections of mice given intratracheal infection indicated that the organisms invaded both Mphis and type II pneumocytes.