Ionic mechanisms of the depression of automaticity and conduction in the rabbit atrioventricular node caused by hypoxia or metabolic inhibition and protective action of glucose and valine.

The effects of hypoxia and a metabolic inhibitor, sodium cyanide (NaCN), on the spontaneous action potential and membrane current systems were studied in small preparations (0.2 x 0.2 x 0.

Effects of compression on intraradicular blood flow in dogs.

In order to study the pathogenesis of radiculopathy, the authors investigated the effects of mechanical compression of the intraradicular blood flow in adult dogs using the electrochemically generated hydrogen washout method. The blood flow was more severly disturbed at the proximal side than the distal side when the nerve root was compressed, but when the clamp was released, the blood flow on the proximal side was almost completely restored, whereas the flow on the distal side did not recover and stayed at the reduced level. These phenomena can be explained both by the direction of blood flow in the radicular vessels and by the peculiar structure of the nerve root, which is soaked in cerebrospinal fluid.

Augmentation and subsequent attenuation of Ca2+ current due to lipid peroxidation of the membrane caused by t-butyl hydroperoxide in the rabbit sinoatrial node.

Cellular electrophysiological effects of membrane lipid peroxidation by t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBH) were studied in the rabbit sinoatrial (SA) node. Superfusion for 1-5 min with 300 microM TBH caused an initial increase and subsequent decrease in the spontaneous firing frequency of the SA node. Voltage clamp experiments revealed that TBH initially enhanced but later blocked the Ca2+ current.

The occurrence of mouse-type oligosaccharides in mouse-human chimeric immunoglobulin G.

The asparagine-linked sugar chains of mouse-human chimeric IgG which is composed of the variable regions derived from mouse and the constant regions derived from human and produced in mouse cells were quantitatively released as tritium-labelled oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis followed by N-acetylation and NaB3H4-reduction. Paper electrophoresis in combination with sialidase digestion indicated that more than 70% of the oligosaccharides were neutral and the rest was sialylated oligosaccharides. Their structures were determined by sequential exoglycosidase digestions.

A novel cell adhesive protein engineered by insertion of the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser tetrapeptide.

A tetrapeptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) has been shown to be a versatile cell recognition signal of extracellular matrix components for the interaction with cells. We introduced the RGDS tetrapeptide into a truncated form of protein A, a staphylococcal immunoglobulin-binding protein, by inserting an oligonucleotide cassette encoding the tetrapeptide into the coding region of the protein A expression vector pRIT2T. The mutagenized protein was capable of not only binding to immunoglobulin G but also mediating cell attachment and spreading onto an inert substrate.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma: clinicopathologic analyses of 25 cases.

Twenty-five patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) were analyzed to assess clinicopathologic features of the disease and were classified according to the newly proposed histologic classification for T-cell lymphomas to study the correlation between histology and survival, if any. Histologic diagnoses were: Lennert's, 1; T-zone, 1; pleomorphic, small, 1; pleomorphic, large, 1; angiocentric, 4; pleomorphic, medium, 5; immunoblastic, 5; angioimmunoblastic, 7. Patients with PTCL were noted to be endowed with clinicopathologic factors known to adversely affect survival, such as advanced stage (92%), B symptoms (56%), liver involvement (56%), multinodal disease (52%), elevated serum LDH (48%), and so on.

Experimental induction of uterine cancer in rats by N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine dissolved in polyethylene glycol.

In the present experiment we attempted to experimentally induce uterine cancer in rats by injecting into the uterine cavity N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) dissolved in polyethylene glycol (PEG). Fifty-nine female F-344 rats, 7-8 weeks old, were divided into three groups and each received in the left uterine cavity with laparotomy a single dose of ENNG dissolved in PEG according to the following schedule: Group 1 received 75 mg ENNG/kg body wt.; Group 2 had 20 mg ENNG/kg body wt.

T-cell phenotype is associated with decreased survival in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

This study was undertaken to determine which if any pretreatment factors are statistically significant determinants of the clinical outcome in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The pretreatment factors in 20 patients with T-cell lymphoma, including two patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), and 28 patients with B-cell lymphoma were evaluated. In a stepwise logistic regression analysis, a T-cell phenotype in addition to high grade histology and pleural involvement demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with decreased response rate, when the analysis did not include patients with ATLL.

Developmental potential of rabbit oocyte matured in vitro: the possible contribution of prolactin.

The present study was undertaken to define hormonal conditions for in vitro maturation that support subsequent fertilization and embryonic development. Follicular oocytes were recovered from nonstimulated rabbit ovaries and cultured for 12 h in Brackett's medium supplemented with or without hormones. Matured oocytes were inseminated in vitro and transferred 12 h later to Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum.

Effects of hemicholinium-3 and sodium ions on choline uptake system in excised superior cervical sympathetic ganglia of rats.

Active choline uptake by rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglia (SCG), which contain abundant cholinergic nerve terminals, was studied with respect to sensitivity to inhibition by hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) and dependence on extracellular Na under standard conditions of assay. Choline was taken up by a single saturable process with apparent Km = 3.07 x 10(-5) M and Vmax = 286 pmoles/min/mg protein.

Effects of mepacrine on the oxidation of [1-14C]oleate in isolated rat hepatocytes.

In isolated rat hepatocytes, mepacrine stimulated the conversion of [1-14C]oleate into 14CO2 and depressed the formation of acid-soluble products from [1-14C]oleate. The action of mepacrine on [1-14C]oleate oxidation was not affected by exogenously applied phospholipase A2 (from Crotalus adamanteus venom) or arachidonic acid. It is suggested that mepacrine may exert its metabolic effects in isolated rat hepatocytes by a mechanism independent of phospholipase A2 inhibition.

A deficiency in A alpha chain's N-terminal alanine residue as a major cause of the slow coagulation of fetal fibrinogen.

To clarify the mechanism which causes the coagulation time of fetal fibrinogen to be longer than that of adult fibrinogen, the N-terminal amino acid residues of fetal fibrinogen were analyzed. The results showed that the amount of A alpha chain's N-terminal alanine residues in fetal fibrinogen was only 54% of that in adult fibrinogen. When the amount of A alpha chain's N-terminal residual alanine in adult fibrinogen was decreased to 57% of the normal level by digestion with aminopeptidase M, the adult fibrinogen yielded a prolonged thrombin time and a retarded release rate for fibrino-peptides A and B, both values approximating to those of fetal fibrinogen.

Effects of exogenous phospholipase enzymes, arachidonic acid and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol on ketogenesis in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Studies were conducted to see whether exogenous phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens, phospholipase A2 from Crotalus adamanteus venom, arachidonic acid and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG) mimic the anti-ketogenic action of vasopressin in isolated rat hepatocytes. Exogenous phospholipase C inhibited ketogenesis in the presence of 0.5 mM oleate.

Human herpesvirus-6 infection (exanthem subitum) without rash.

Two patients with a three-day febrile episode in whom exanthem subitum was expected showed no appearance of skin eruption after subsidence of the fever. Virus was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the acute stage, which was identified by the cytopathic effects of infected cells and the specific immunofluorescent staining of the cells with convalescent sera from exanthem subitum, but the virus could not be isolated from those in the convalescent stage. The morphology of the virus was similar to herpes group virus.

Spontaneous recovery from hypopituitarism due to postpartum hemorrhage.

A rare case is presented of a woman with spontaneous recovery from hypopituitarism following postpartum hemorrhage. One month after delivery, serum thyroid hormone, TSH, LH and FSH levels were low, and their secretion from the pituitary gland responded poorly to the TRH and LH-RH tests. Pituitary TSH response was normal 3 months after delivery.

Probing molecular polymorphism of fibronectins with antibodies directed to the alternatively spliced peptide segments.

Molecular heterogeneity of fibronectins (FNs) isolated from plasma, cultured fibroblasts, and placenta was studied with site-specific antibodies recognizing alternatively spliced peptide segments, termed ED-A and IIICS/delta 2. The antibodies were raised in rabbits by immunization with synthetic peptides. Neither the ED-A nor the IIICS/delta 2 extra peptide segment was present in the major subunits of plasma FN, although a minor subunit contained the latter extra segment.

[Assessment of chemosensitivity tests of human tumor cells].

It is clear that if we could predict a sensitive drug against an individual tumor the therapeutic effect would be much improved. For this purpose, many kinds of chemosensitivity test have been devised and investigated. The five kinds of test used currently are based on the measurement of enzyme activities (enzyme assay), measurement of inhibition of radioactive precursors incorporation, and measurement of clonogenic cells in a tumor cell population.

Viremia and neutralizing antibody response in infants with exanthem subitum.

Mononuclear cell-associated viremia caused by human herpesvirus type 6 was detected in 39 (66%) of 59 blood samples from 38 children with exanthem subitum between day 0 and day 7 of the disease. The rate of virus isolation from mononuclear cells was 100% (26/26) on days 0 to 2 (just before appearance of skin rash), 82% (9/11) on day 3, 20% (2/10) on day 4, 7% (2/12) on days 5 to 7, and 0% (0/37) on day 8 and thereafter. The cell-free virus was detected in blood in 10 (21%) of 47 blood samples during the same period.

[Serological and immunohistochemical studies in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus].

The present report is a detailed, prospective analysis of 29 pregnancies in 19 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The clinical pregnant status was correlated with maternal serologic patterns. Poor obstetrical prognosis was associated with low or declining complement (C3 and C4) levels and rising antinuclear and anti-DNA antibody titers.

[Balloon occluded arterial infusion (BOAI) therapy in patients with progressive cervical carcinoma].

Ten patients with progressive cervical carcinoma were treated with intra-arterial infusion by BOAI (balloon occluded arterial infusion) in order to secure high concentrations of anti-tumor agents. This study included 9 cases (2 stage IIb, 5 stage IIIb, and 2 stage IV) with squamous cell carcinoma and 1 case (stage IIIb) with adenocarcinoma. Cis-platin (CCDP) 100 mg/body and bleomycin (BLM) 20-30 mg/body and and/or aclacinomycin (ACM) 30-40 mg/body were infused after the bilateral internal iliac arteries were occluded.

Patterns of alternative splicing of fibronectin pre-mRNA in human adult and fetal tissues.

Alternative splicing of fibronectin pre-mRNA at two distinct regions, termed ED-A and IIICS, was investigated with human adult and fetal tissues by the nuclease S1 protection assay. A clear tissue specificity was observed in the splicing pattern at the ED-A region. More ED-A+ than ED-A- mRNAs were identified in lung, whereas ED-A- mRNAs were predominantly expressed in liver.

[Comparative studies on steroidogenesis and prostaglandins production by luteal cells in newly formed corpora lutea and early pregnancy].

The present study was undertaken to assess the ability of cultured luteal cells from human corpora lutea (CL) in the mid luteal phase and the early pregnancy to secrete steroids and prostaglandins (PGs). Luteal cells responded to hCG with a significant increase (2- to 4-fold) in progesterone (P) production. The addition of hCG to the culture media did not stimulate estradiol (E2) production.

A fundamental study of rhinomanometry and its clinical application to objective evaluation.

We measured differential pressure and airflow at constant flow through a cylinder which had a variable aperture in its central portion, by means of a Rhinorheograph MPR-1100 in order to obtain a turbulent coefficient "n" experimentally in the equation R = delta P/Vn. Between of 1.0-5.

Human respiratory airflow through an artificial nasal model: pressure/flow relationship.

Nasal airflow and differential pressure at peak flow were measured by Rhinorheograph MPR-1100 made by Nihon Kohden Co., Ltd. with human resting respiratory airflow through an artificial nasal model.