The role of the l-IPS in the comprehension of reversible and irreversible sentences: an rTMS study.

Thematic roles can be seen as semantic labels assigned to who/what is taking part in the event denoted by a verb. Encoding thematic relations is crucial for sentence interpretation since it relies on both syntactic and semantic aspects. In previous studies, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left inferior intraparietal sulcus (l-IPS) selectively influenced performance accuracy on reversible passive (but not active) sentences.

Localization of Magic-F1 transgene, involved in muscular hypertrophy, during early myogenesis.

We recently showed that Magic-F1 (Met-activating genetically improved chimeric factor 1), a human recombinant protein derived from hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) induces muscle cell hypertrophy but not progenitor cell proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we examined the temporal and spatial expression pattern of Magic-F1 in comparison with Pax3 (paired box gene 3) transcription factor during embryogenesis. Ranging from 9.

[Urinary flow in children: correlation with age, body height and body surface area].

Peak flow rate data (Qmax) are important for diagnosis of lower urinary tract obstruction. However, the lack of uroflowmetry studies in children, makes their interpretation difficult. With this aim, we studied 167 boys classified in four groups according to their age (G1: n = 48, 6-7 years; G2: n = 43, 8-9 years; G3: n = 37, 10-11 years; G4: n = 39, 12-14 years).

[Leiomyoma of the bladder. Apropos of a case and review of the literature].

Mesodermal tumors of the urinary tract are unusual, being leiomyoma the most frequent tumor type. We present a case of leiomyoma of the urinary bladder in a 29 year old woman and review the literature. Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

Muscle phosphofructokinase deficiency in a myopathic child with severe mental retardation and aplasia of cerebellar vermis.

Muscle phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiency in man is responsible for at least two forms of myopathy; one is characterized by painful contractures of muscles and typically occurs in adults, whereas the other is often disabling and typically occurs in childhood, with psychomotor and growth retardation. In this investigation, a young myopathic patient with severe mental retardation and aplasia of the cerebellar vermis presented with muscular hypotrophy of the limbs, generalized hypotonia, convergent strabismus and marked pain during passive movement. Biopsy of quadriceps femoris muscle showed variation in the fiber size with sarcoplasmic areas positive for periodic acid-Schiff stain.

Biochemical changes induced in the myocardial cell during cardioplegic arrest supplemented with creatine phosphate.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the biochemical changes in the myocardial cell using cardioplegia supplemented with creatine phosphate (CP). Many previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of CP on the ischemic myocardium and its mechanism of action has been assumed to be mainly extracellular. Based on the assumption that CP could also exert some influence on myocardial cellular metabolism, this investigation was carried out.

Effects of hypoxia and pharmacological treatment on enzyme activities in skeletal muscle of rats of different ages.

The activities of enzymes related to energy metabolism in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in young-adult (4 months), mature (12 months), and senescent (24 months) rats were compared after continuous (72 consecutive h) exposure to normobaric hypoxia or normoxia after the vasodilator naftidrofuryl or saline solution had been given intraperitoneally for 30 consecutive days. The maximum rats (Vmax) of the following enzyme activities in the crude extract and/or the crude mitochondrial fraction of each muscle specimen were evaluated for: the anaerobic glycolytic pathway (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase), the tricarboxylic acid cycle (citrate synthase, and malate dehydrogenase), the electron transfer chain (cytochrome oxidase), and the NAD+/NADH redox state (total NADH cytochrome c reductase). The significance of differences between the enzyme activities at different ages or under different experimental conditions in the two tissue preparations of the two muscles were determined by ANOVA.

Hypoxia and pharmacological treatment in differently aged rats: effect on muscular metabolite concentrations.

Metabolite concentrations in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were compared in young-adult (4 months), mature (12 months) and senescent (24 months) rats after continuous (72 consecutive hours) exposure to normobaric hypoxia or normoxia with the intraperitoneal administration of the vasodilator naftidrofuryl or saline solution for 30 days consecutively before hypoxia. The following metabolites were assessed in gastrocnemius muscle in relation to: (a) energy mediators: ATP, ADP, AMP; (b) energy store: creatine phosphate; (c) anaerobic glycolysis: glycogen, glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate; (d) Krebs' cycle: citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, malate; (e) free amino acids related to Krebs' cycle: aspartate, glutamate, alanine; and (f) ammonia. In the soleus muscle only ATP, creatine phosphate, glycogen, glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate malate, aspartate and glutamate were assessed.

Congenital muscle fibre type disproportion: clinical, morphological and biochemical findings in children.

Muscle biopsies from quadriceps femoris muscle of normal subjects and subjects with symptoms of congenital myopathy, aged 1-3 years, were examined for morphological and biochemical differences. Four patients showed clinical signs of Congenital Fibre Type Disproportion (CFTD) as described originally by Brooke (1973), while the other cases showed only signs of hypotonia and diffuse weakness as described by Clancy et al. (1980).

Influence of some ergot alkaloids on the cerebral reduced glutathione.

Dose-related changes of the reduced glutathione were evaluated in forebrains from male Wistar rats aged 10 months after chronic i.p. treatment for two months with the ergot alkaloids dihydroergocristine and dihydroergocriptine.

[Influence of proximal gastric vagotomy on the esophageal high pressure zone in dogs].

The influence of parietal cell vagotomy (PCV) on esophagogastric high pressure zone (HPZ) (pressure and length) was studied in 30 dogs. The animals were divided in 3 groups: group 1, 10 dogs submitted to PCV with gastric denervation until the esophagogastric junction; group 2, 10 dogs submitted to PCV with gastric denervation into esophagogastric junction and 3 cm above this; group 3 (control), 10 dogs submitted to laparotomy only. In the postoperative period (immediate and later) it wasn't observed any alteration of pressure and length of esophagogastric HPZ in three studied groups.

Effect of hypoxia, aging and pharmacological treatment on muscular metabolites and enzyme activities.

The effect of hypoxia and post-hypoxic recovery were studied in gastrocnemius muscle of young-adult and mature beagle dogs. Furthermore, the possible interference of pharmacological treatment with nicergoline was evaluated in these conditions. Muscular glycolytic fuels, intermediates and end-products (glycogen, glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate), Kreb's cycle intermediates (citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate) and related free amino acids (glutamate, alanine), ammonium ion, energy store and mediators (ATP, ADP, AMP and creatine phosphate), and the energy charge potential were evaluated.

Polarography of Walker tumor submitted to radiotherapy.

A polarographic study of oxygen was done in 57 rats inoculated with Walker 256 tumor and platinum electrode implanted in muscle and in tumor. The goal of the research was the study of oxygen in tumor before and after irradiation. Tumor growth caused a decrease in tumoral oxygen.

Energetic state of aged brain during hypoxia.

Synaptosomes isolated from the forebrain of rats of different ages (20, 60, 100 and 140 weeks of age) and incubated in Krebs-Henseleit-Hepes pH 7.4 buffer (for 10 min at 24 degrees C) were utilized to define the redox state of the intramitochondrial NAD couple (delta Gox-red) and the phosphorylation state of adenine nucleotide system (delta GATP). The free-energy change (delta delta G) for the coupled reactions was calculated.

Hopantenate interference on the adaptation of muscular energy metabolism to intermittent hypoxia.

In rat gastrocnemius muscle, the concentrations of glycolytic fuels, intermediates and end-products; Krebs cycle intermediates and related free amino acids; ammonia; energy store and mediators; and the energy charge potential were evaluated in normoxia or after repeated, alternate hypoxic and normoxic exposures (12 hr of hypoxia daily; for 5 days) with or without treatment with hopantenate (HOPA). Furthermore, in the crude extract and/or mitochondrial fraction the maximum rate (Vmax) of some muscular enzymes related to the anaerobic glycolytic pathway; the tricarboxylic acid cycle; and the electron transfer chain were evaluated. Hopantenate was administered daily at the dose of 250 mg.

Pressure evaluation of the antireflux ability of the rat ureterovesical junction.

The bladder pressure necessary to cause vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was measured in 16 female rats. Under general anesthesia, the ureters were exposed via an abdominal incision and a pressure catheter was placed near the ureterovesical junction. Values of bladder distension and bladder pressure increase to cause VUR were obtained by injecting isotonic saline in one ureter until VUR in the opposite ureter was detected as a sudden pressure increase.

Modification of the skeletal muscle energy metabolism induced by intermittent normobaric hypoxia and treatment with biological pyrimidines.

Muscular glycolytic fuels, intermediates and end-products (glycogen, glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate), Krebs cycle intermediates (citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate), related free amino acids (glutamate, alanine), ammonia, energy store (creatine phosphate), energy mediators (ATP, ADP, AMP) and energy charge potential were evaluated. Furthermore the maximum rate (Vmax) of the following enzyme activities was evaluated in the crude extract and/or mitochondrial fraction: for the anaerobic glycolytic pathway: hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase; for the tricarboxylic acid cycle: citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase; for the electron transfer chain: total NADH cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxidase. The rat gastrocnemius muscles were analysed in normoxia and after normobaric intermittent hypoxia (12 hours continuously daily; for 5 days).

Adaptation of skeletal muscle energy metabolism to repeated hypoxic-normoxic exposures and drug treatment.

Muscular glycolytic fuels, intermediates and end-products (glycogen, glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate), Krebs cycle intermediates (citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, malate), related free amino acids (glutamate, alanine), ammonia, energy store (creatine phosphate), energy mediators (ATP, ADP, AMP) and energy charge potential were evaluated. Furthermore the maximum rate (Vmax) of the following muscular enzyme activities was evaluated in the crude extract and/or mitochondrial fraction: for the anaerobic glycolytic pathway: hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase; for the tricarboxylic acid cycle: citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase; for the electron transfer chain: total NADH cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxidase. The rat gastrocnemius muscles were analyzed in normoxia and after repeated, alternate hypoxic and normoxic exposures (12 hours of hypoxia daily; for 5 days).

Role of drugs in recovery of metabolic function of rat brain following severe hypoglycemia.

Severe hypoglycemia with isoelectric EEG induced extensive deterioration of the energy state and gross alteration of amino acid contents on the rat cerebral and cerebellar cortex. During recovery, tissue glucose concentration returned to normal, while both lactate and pyruvate concentrations increased to above normal. In the recovery period, the ATP concentration increased but the adenine nucleotide pool remained reduced, even if the ADP and AMP contents were close to normal.

Recovery period after profound hypoglycemia. Influence of some metabolic modulators on the cerebral endogenous substrate utilization.

The content of "energy-rich" phosphates was markedly decreased in rat cerebral cortex after 20 min of severe hypoglycemia, followed by partial restitution during the recovery period. The adenine nucleotide pool remained reduced even if the energy charge returned to normal. During hypoglycemia the non-glucose endogenous substrates were provided by glycolytic intermediates, by Krebs' cycle intermediates and by related amino acids.

On the possible pharmacological role of UDP-glucose on some muscular metabolites.

The effects of intraperitoneal administration of UDP-glucose were studied on male rat gastrocnemius muscle. Muscular glycolytic substrates and metabolites (glycogen, glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, lactate), Krebs' cycle intermediates (citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, malate), related aminoacids (glutamate, alanine), ammonia, energy store and mediators (creatine phosphate, ATP, ADP, AMP) and the energy charge potential were evaluated. UDP-glucose was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 0.

Cerebral endogenous substrate utilization during the recovery period after profound hypoglycemia.

Markedly decreased levels of energy-rich phosphates were seen in cerebral cortex after severe hypoglycemia, followed by their partial restitution during the recovery period. During hypoglycemia the nonglucose endogenous substrates were provided by glycolytic intermediates, by Krebs cycle intermediates, and by related amino acids. Other potential substrates for brain oxidation were provided by the breakdown of phospholipids and fatty acids.

Cerebral and cerebellar metabolic changes induced by drugs during the recovery period after profound hypoglycemia.

On rat cerebral and cerebellar cortex, severe hypoglycemia with isoelectric EEG induced extensive deterioration of the energy state and gross alteration of amino acid contents. During recovery, tissue glucose concentration returned to normal, while the rate of glycogen synthesis was slow, both lactate and pyruvate concentrations increasing to above normal. In the recovery period, the ATP concentration increased but the adenine nucleotide pool remained reduced, even if the ADP and AMP contents were close to normal.