Effect of vagotomy on ornithine decarboxylase activity in rat duodenal mucosa.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the circadian rhythm of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in rat small intestine is controlled by factors other than luminal nutrients. ODC activity in duodenal and jejunal mucosa of rats fed ad libitum was measured at four time points (0500, 1100, 1700, 2300 h; light period: 0800-2000 h). ODC activity in the jejunum increased in the dark period, which is when rats normally eat.

[Alcoholic liver injury accompanied with various metabolic and endocrinological disorders--a case report].

We report a young female case of alcoholic liver injury accompanied with various metabolic and endocrinological disorders. A 29 year-old woman was admitted because of general fatigue and hyperlipidemia. She was a heavy drinker.

Abnormalities in obese Zuckers: defective control of histaminergic functions.

Histaminergic functions in the hypothalamus of Zucker obese rats were investigated. Blockade of postsynaptic H1-receptor after infusion of chlorpheniramine into the third cerebroventricle (ICV) failed to affect feeding in obese Zuckers, although feeding was potently elicited in Wistar King A control rats. Presynaptic increase in histamine by an H3-receptor antagonist, thioperamide, suppressed feeding in Wistar controls, but not in obese Zuckers.

Thymectomy in human renal transplantation.

We reviewed 17 patients submitted to thymectomy via the suprasternal notch (Yoshimatsu Method I), which was performed before transplantation in 12 patients and after transplantation in 5 patients. There were no complications of thymectomy. Graft survival of our patients with thymectomy was better than that for the overall allograft survival in Japan transplant registry for the same period.

[A case of systemic lupus erythematosus who developed nodular shadows in the lung in parallel with the disease activity].

A 35-year old woman was admitted to our hospital in April 1991 due to the appearance two nodular shadows on chest X-ray. The patient's past medical history was as follows; In 1986, she developed polyarthralgia, facial eruptions and Raynaud's phenomenon which was treated with prednisolone. In 1988, investigations revealed proteinuria where by the diagnosis of SLE complicated with lupus nephritis was established.

[Evaluation of results following thymectomy in myasthenia gravis].

Sixty-nine patients with generalized myasthenia gravis underwent thymectomy consecutively between 1980 and 1991 and were evaluated 1 month to 120 months after operation. Extended thymectomy was performed in 43 patients and other procedures in 26. The effect of thymectomy were as follows: 14.

Sympathetic nerve activity after discrete hypothalamic injections of L-glutamate.

In these experiments L-glutamate, an amino acid which stimulates neuronal discharge, was microinjected into several hypothalamic nuclei and the resultant changes in electrical firing rate of sympathetic nerves innervating interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) were measured. Three patterns of response were seen. A single large stimulatory response was seen when L-glutamate was microinjected into the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH).

Effect of beta-endorphin on sympathetic nerve activity to interscapular brown adipose tissue.

beta-Endorphin was injected into the third cerebroventricle to investigate its effects on sympathetic nerve activity to interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) in rats. Multiunit discharges of sympathetic nerves to IBAT were recorded electrophysiologically in anesthetized rats. The intracerebroventricular injection of beta-endorphin (125, 250, and 500 pmol/rat in 10 microliters) suppressed sympathetic nerve activity in a dose-related fashion (-23.

Food consistency modulates eating volume and speed through brain histamine in rat.

Changes in meal parameters of rats fed with different consistency of food were examined using hard and soft pellets. Meal size and eating speed of the first meal after 1800 h increased significantly in rats fed with soft pellets compared to those fed with hard pellets. Effects of histamine depletion on meals treated with hard or soft pellets were investigated after an intraperitoneal injection of 0.

Effects of cholecystokinin on sympathetic activity to interscapular brown adipose tissue.

The effects of injecting cholecystokinin (CCK) into the third ventricle or into selected hypothalamic sites on electrical firing rate of sympathetic nerves to interscapular brown fat (IBAT) has been investigated in anesthetized rats. The hypothesis for these experiments was that there was a reciprocal relationship between sympathetic activity and food intake. Since CCK reduces food intake we predicted that CCK would stimulate sympathetic activity to IBAT.

Advance shift of feeding circadian rhythm induced by obesity progression in Zucker rats.

To determine the relation between the circadian rhythm of ingestive behavior and the progression of obesity in Zucker rats, ingestion and ambulation were analyzed at four different developmental stages. The obese rats were disrupted gradually in nocturnal patterns of feeding, drinking, and ambulation with the progression of obesity, although the lean littermates maintained the patterns during whole test periods. Analysis of autocorrelogram revealed that circadian rhythms of those behaviors remained throughout the whole test periods.

Zucker obese rats: defect in brain histamine control of feeding.

Manipulation of hypothalamic histamine produced different effects on feeding between the Zucker obese (fa/fa) and their lean littermate rats (Fa/-). Infusion of a histamine H1-receptor antagonist into the third cerebroventricle elicited feeding in the lean and Wistar King A rats, but it did not affect feeding in the obese rats. To enhance hypothalamic neuronal histamine, thioperamide, and H3-receptor antagonist, was similarly infused.

[Effective continuous hemofiltration and plasma exchange for the treatment of subacute type fulminant hepatic failure].

By combination of continuous hemofiltration (CHF) with plasma exchange therapy we successfully treated a patient with subacute type fulminant hepatitis to keep her consciousness alert. The patient was a 55-year-old woman who admitted because of severe jaundice. On the 51st day after the onset she had consciousness disturbance and was transferred to our hospital.

Acceleration of tail pinch-induced feeding in rats by analgesic effect of neurotropin.

Mechanisms of tail pinch-induced feeding and effects of neurotropin (NSP), an extract from the inflamed skin of rabbit inoculated with vaccinia virus, on behavioral responses were investigated in rats. Treatment of a 5-min tail pinch (tail pinch I) induced feeding response. An intensified 15-min tail pinch (tail pinch II) provoked emotional reactions besides feeding behavior.

2,5-Anhydro-D-mannitol: its unique central action on food intake and blood glucose in rats.

Peripheral administration of D-fructose has been reported to decrease food intake, and its 2-deoxy analogue, 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol (2,5-AM), increased food intake and decreased blood glucose in rats. In the present study, 2,5-AM was selected for comparison with well-known 2-deoxy analogues of glucose. Infusion of 2,5-AM into the rat third cerebroventricle at 11.

Adrenal sympathetic nerve activity in response to hypothalamic injections of 2-deoxy-D-glucose.

Adrenal sympathetic nerve activity after microinfusion of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) into various hypothalamic nuclei was investigated in anesthetized rats. Infusion of 2-DG into the ventrolateral portion of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) induced a large and long-lasting increase (greater than 60 min) in adrenal nerve activity. In contrast, infusion into the dorsal or medial portion of the LHA tended to produce a small decrease with a return to baseline within approximately 60 min after the end of the infusion.

Histaminergic control of energy balance in rats.

Manipulating neuronal histamine in the hypothalamus, its effects on brain functions were assessed in nonobese normal rats and Zucker rats. Alpha-fluoromethylhistidine (FMH), an inhibitor of histamine synthesis, induced feeding dose-dependently after 2.24 mumol infusion at 1100 h, when hypothalamic histamine was normally high.

Feeding and body weight regulation after 6-OHDA application into the preoptic area.

Our previous results showed that neurochemical destruction of the amygdaloid terminal field of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system caused disturbances in body weight regulation and feeding. In the present experiments, it was studied whether 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced bilateral lesions of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system in the lateral preoptic area produce similar symptoms in rats. To enhance the selectivity of the neurotoxin, 6-OHDA was also used after desmethylimipramine (DMI) premedication.

[Multiple pulmonary metastasis from histologically benign giant cell tumor of the right radial olecranon].

An unusual case of a benign giant cell tumor of bone with pulmonary metastasis is reported. A 23-year-old man had a painful tumor in the right radial olecranon that proved to be a histologically benign giant cell tumor. Curettage and bone-grafting were performed, but the tumor recurred twice, 8 months and 20 months after initial treatment.

Thymectomy in ulcerative colitis: a report of cases over a 13 year period.

Seventy eight patients with ulcerative colitis were treated by thymectomy combined with conventional therapy. An interim analysis was made after a median follow-up of 40 months in the thymectomized group and after 25 months in 173 from a non-thymectomized group. The percentage of remission periods in the thymectomized group was significantly higher than that in the non-thymectomized group as estimated by the "patient-month" method.

Neuropeptide Y suppresses sympathetic activity to interscapular brown adipose tissue in rats.

To investigate the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on sympathetic nerve activity to interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT), we injected NPY into the third cerebroventricle (icv), medial preoptic area (MPOA), anterior hypothalamic area (AHA), paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN), and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of anesthetized rats. Multiunit discharges from sympathetic nerves to IBAT were recorded electrophysiologically. The icv injection of NPY suppressed sympathetic nerve activity in a dose-dependent manner, followed by a gradual recovery.

The surgical treatment of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm with total preservation of the intercostal and lumbar arteries using a permanent bypass technique--a case report.

A 44 year old man underwent successful surgery for a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm using a permanent bypass graft and aneurysmoplasty. This technique reduces visceral ischemia to a minimum and the aneurysmoplasty, through total preservation of the intercostal and lumbar arteries, can avoid paraplegia caused by spinal cord ischemia. Our technique is recommended as it can be performed easily, safely, and effectively without heparinization, temporary shunts or bypass perfusion.

Hypothalamic neuronal histamine modulates ad libitum feeding by rats.

Manipulating histamine endogenously, its effects on brain functions were assessed in rats. alpha-Fluoromethylhistidine (FMH), an inhibitor of histamine synthesis, elicited feeding (P less than 0.01) after intra-third cerebroventricular infusion at the early light phase when hypothalamic histamine was normally highest.