Determination of D-amino acids labeled with fluorescent chiral reagents, R(-)- and S(+)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoles, in biological and food samples by liquid chromatography.

D-Amino acids in food and biological samples labeled with R(-)- and S(+)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N, N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazoles (DBD-PyNCS) were separated by reversed-phase chromatography and detected fluorometrically at 550 nm (excitation at 460 nm). DL-Amino acids were efficiently labeled at 55 degrees C for 20 min in basic medium. The resulting thiocarbamoyl-amino acids were resolved by an isocratic elution using water:30% methanol in acetonitrile (72:28) containing 0.

Morphological onset and early diagnosis in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a long term analysis with nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: A long-term follow-up study with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging was undertaken to detect the morphological onset and to establish the early diagnosis in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Background: A spadelike configuration on left ventriculogram (LVG) is regarded as a diagnostic criterion for the classical apical HCM. There also exists a segmented hypertrophy at the apical level without indicating the spadelike features (a nonspade configuration).

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of erdosteine and its optical active metabolite utilizing a fluorescent chiral tagging reagent, R-(-)-4-(N,N-dimethylamiosulfonyl)-7-(3-aminopyrrolidin-1-yl)-2 ,1,3-benzoxadiazole.

Chiral separation of racemic M1 metabolized from erdosteine was investigated by reversed-phase chromatography. The sensitive determination of M1 and erdosteine with UV detection was difficult because of their low absorptivity in the effective wavelength region. To improve the sensitivity and separatability, one thiol and two carboxyl groups in the M1 structure were labelled with DBD-F and R-(-)-DBD-APy, respectively.

Studies of aloe. VI. Cathartic effect of isobarbaloin.

The cathartic effect of isobarbaloin, a stereoisomer of barbaloin (compound principally responsible for the cathartic activity of Aloe), was examined in male rats by oral administration. Individual differences in sensitivity in the laxative activity of isobarbaloin and barbaloin was not found. The cathartic activity (ED50) of isobarbaloin in barbaloin positive rats was 19.

Total resolution of 17 DL-amino acids labelled with a fluorescent chiral reagent, R(-)-4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-y1)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)- 2,1,3-benzoxadiazole, by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Total resolution of 17 DL-amino acids after derivatization with a fluorescent chiral tagging reagent, 4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfony l)-2,1,3- benzoxadiazole [R(-)-DBD-PyNCS], was studied by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The reaction of the reagent with amino acids proceeds effectively at 55 degrees C for 20 min in the presence of 1% TEA to produce the corresponding fluorescent diastereomers (excitation at 460 nm, emission at 550 nm). Each pair of the resulting derivatives was efficiently separated with water-acetonitrile containing 1% acetic acid as the mobile phase.

Vector analysis of the hemodynamics of atherogenesis in the human thoracic aorta using MR velocity mapping.

Objective: Our study was designed to assess the applicability of MR velocity mapping for vector analysis of the hemodynamics of atherogenesis.

Subjects And Methods: MR velocity mapping was used to measure axial and nonaxial elements and the length of the wall shear rate (a spatial gradient of near-wall flow velocity parallel to the vessel wall) vector at 16 time points per cardiac cycle at eight anatomic locations of the thoracic aorta in six healthy subjects. An oscillatory shear index (a ratio of blood flow volume in the recessive direction divided by the sum of blood flow volume in both dominant and recessive directions) was introduced for analysis of the degree of oscillation.

A hypertensive father, but not hypertensive mother, determines blood pressure in normotensive male offspring through body mass index.

This investigation was to assess the role of genetic loading of hypertensive parents in the determination of blood pressure (BP) in their normotensive offspring. The medical check-up data from 7279 Japanese university students aged 19.22 +/- 0.

Measuring the diameter of coronary arteries on MR angiograms using spatial profile curves.

Objective: The spatial profile curve of the nuclear MR intensity across the short axis of a coronary artery in an MR angiogram results in a gradual up-and-down slope lacking sharp definition, which indicates that display parameters may influence edge recognition. Therefore, our study was designed to determine the appropriate window setting and to devise a method of accurately measuring the diameter or width of the artery independent of window parameters.

Conclusion: The diameter of a coronary artery measured on MR coronary arteriography significantly varied with experimentally selected display parameters.

Prostaglandin D2 inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) as well as macrophages have been shown to generate a substantial amount of NO in inflammatory vascular lesions. Prostaglandin (PG) D2 (PGD2) is produced by inflammatory cells, including mast cells and macrophages. We investigated whether PGD2 modulates NO metabolism in rat VSMCs.

Both hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies are caused by mutation of the same gene, delta-sarcoglycan, in hamster: an animal model of disrupted dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex.

Cardiomyopathy (CM) is a primary degenerative disease of myocardium and is traditionally categorized into hypertrophic and dilated CMs (HCM and DCM) according to its gross appearance. Cardiomyopathic hamster (CM hamster), a representative model of human hereditary CM, has HCM and DCM inbred sublines, both of which descend from the same ancestor. Herein we show that both HCM and DCM hamsters share a common defect in a gene for delta-sarcoglycan (delta-SG), the functional role of which is yet to be characterized.

Comparative cytotoxicity of the aqueous chlorination products of thiobencarb, a thiocarbamate herbicide, in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Thiobencarb (S-4-chlorobenzyl N, N-diethylthiocarbamate) has been widely used in the rice fields of Japan. This herbicide is reported to decompose in aqueous chlorination to the compounds 4-chlorotoluene, 4-chlorobenzyl chloride, 4-chlorobenzyl alcohol, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde and 4-chlorobenzoic acid. We compared their cytotoxicity and the inducibility of cytochrome P-450 (P450) in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Serum N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity in a genetic rat model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Serum N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity (NAG) is a possible predictor of vascular injury in hypertension. We assessed whether the activity of this enzyme reflects vascular damage in a genetic rat model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in humans. Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats fed a regular chow were treated with the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor imidapril for 16 wk.

Effects of extracellular pH on receptor-mediated Ca2+ influx in A7r5 rat smooth muscle cells: involvement of two different types of channel.

1. The effects of extracellular pH (pHo) on receptor (vasopressin or endothelin-1)-mediated Ca2- entry and Ca(2+)-permeable channels were investigated in aortic smooth muscle cells (A7r5) from rat embryonic thoracic aorta. Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) was measured using fura-2 AM and whole-cell voltage clamp techniques were employed.

Direct action of nitric oxide on osteoblastic differentiation.

The effect of nitric oxide (NO) on osteoblastic differentiation was examined in cultured mouse osteoblasts. Interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expressed inducible NO synthase gene with little effect on constitutive NO synthase gene. These cytokines increased NO production, which was inhibited by L-NMMA pretreatment, and decreased alkaline phosphatase (AIPase) activity, which was not restored by L-NMMA.

Enantioseparation of beta-blockers labelled with a chiral fluorescent reagent, R (-)-DBD-PyNCS, by reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

A fluorescent chiral tagging reagent, 4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfony l)-2,1, 3-benzoxadiazole [R(-)-DBD-PyNCS], has been used for the liquid chromatographic resolution of racemic pairs of beta-blockers. The reagents reacts with beta-blockers at 65 degrees C for 90 min in aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.05% triethylamine to produce the corresponding pair of diastereomers.

In vivo gene transfection of human endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase in cardiomyocytes causes apoptosis-like cell death. Identification using Sendai virus-coated liposomes.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) has various actions on the cardiovascular system, although its pathophysiological significance in myocardial cells remains obscure. The aim of the present study was to identify direct NO actions on cardiomyocytes by gene transfection in vivo using a newly developed vector under physiological conditions.

Methods And Results: Liposomes containing the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene alone or with the human endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene were coated with UV-inactivated Sendai virus and injected into the left ventricular wall of rat heart in vivo.

Determination of saccharides labelled with a fluorescent reagent, DBD-ProCZ, by liquid chromatography.

Saccharides were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after precolumn tagging with 4-(2-carbazoylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulphonyl )-2,1, 3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-ProCZ). The tagging conditions were optimized with D-glucose. Monosaccharides and oligosaccharides were efficiently labelled under conditions of 65 degrees C for 180 min in water: acetonitrile mixture containing 0.

Role of Y chromosome of hypertensive parent in determination of blood pressure in normotensive offspring.

We investigated whether the sex of hypertensive parents mediates determination of blood pressure in their normotensive offspring. We analyzed medical checkup data from 7279 Japanese university students. Six hundred and forty-one students had one hypertensive parent with or without hypertensive grandparents, and 609 of these were available for the present analysis.

Hepatotoxicity of diisopropyl ester of malonic acid and chloromalonic acids, disinfection by-products of the fungicide isoprothiolane.

The fungicide isoprothiolane (diisopropyl 1,3-dithiolane-2-ylidenemalonate) decomposes to the diisopropyl esters of malonic acid (DM), chloromalonic acid (DCM) and dichloromalonic acid (DDCM) upon aqueous chlorination. In this study, the cytotoxicity of these compounds was examined using rat hepatocytes cultured on Matrigel. DCM and DDCM caused hepatocellular death at concentrations > 0.

Toxic action of nitric oxide on myocardial cells: direct evidence from gene transfer in vivo.

To examine whether nitric oxide (NO) has a protective effect against Ca2+ overdose or a beneficial action on myocardial cells, we employed direct gene-transfer of endothelial (type III) nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), using HVJ (Sendai virus) coated liposomes and beta-galactosidase (lac-z) as a marker for the transfection. The transfection efficiency of the lac-z gene was comparable with adenovirus as a vector, though the subsequent inflammation was much improved. The lac-z gene transfection was restricted to myoplasm between two intercalated discs, indicating that the transfected gene dose not permeate the disc.

Recent progress in liquid chromatographic enantioseparation based upon diastereomer formation with fluorescent chiral derivatization reagents.

Techniques for the resolution by liquid chromatography of racemic compounds based upon diastereomer formation with a fluorescent chiral reagent are outlined in this review. The tagging reagents for various functional groups, i.e.

Body mass index is a determinant of blood pressure in young adults with essential hypertensive parents. Health Care Programme of University of Tokyo.

We analysed blood pressure (BP) and various parameters related to glucose metabolism in 10,867 Japanese university students aged 19.22 +/- 0.01 years, and investigated the relationship between the subject's own BP and hypertension in close relatives.

The role of nitric oxide in the cardiovascular system.

Nitric oxide (NO) exerts various pathophysiological effects on the cardiovascular system; inhibition of platelet aggregation or leukocyte adhesion on endothelium and vasorelaxation including lethal hypotension in endotoxic shock. In spite of these significant roles of NO, its direct action on individual cardiovascular cells remains unclarified. Therefore, we have investigated the function of NO on cells which constitute vascular wall and heart, and have found this new evidence.