Anatomical and Molecular Properties of Long Descending Propriospinal Neurons in Mice.

Long descending propriospinal neurons (LDPNs) are interneurons that form direct connections between cervical and lumbar spinal circuits. LDPNs are involved in interlimb coordination and are important mediators of functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Much of what we know about LDPNs comes from a range of species, however, the increased use of transgenic mouse lines to better define neuronal populations calls for a more complete characterisation of LDPNs in mice.

Eye position effects on the remapped memory trace of visual motion in cortical area MST.

After a saccade, most MST neurons respond to moving visual stimuli that had existed in their post-saccadic receptive fields and turned off before the saccade ("trans-saccadic memory remapping"). Neuronal responses in higher visual processing areas are known to be modulated in relation to gaze angle to represent image location in spatiotopic coordinates. In the present study, we investigated the eye position effects after saccades and found that the gaze angle modulated the visual sensitivity of MST neurons after saccades both to the actually existing visual stimuli and to the visual memory traces remapped by the saccades.

Application of radiosurgical techniques to produce a primate model of brain lesions.

Behavioral analysis of subjects with discrete brain lesions provides important information about the mechanisms of various brain functions. However, it is generally difficult to experimentally produce discrete lesions in deep brain structures. Here we show that a radiosurgical technique, which is used as an alternative treatment for brain tumors and vascular malformations, is applicable to create non-invasive lesions in experimental animals for the research in systems neuroscience.

Tumoral calcinosis in a patient with hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural deafness, and renal dysplasia syndrome undergoing hemodialysis.

We describe a hemodialysis patient with hypoparathyroidism due to HDR (hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural deafness, and renal dysplasia) syndrome caused by GATA3 mutation. She presents tumoral calcinosis which is a rare complication of end-stage renal failure. A novel mutation of GATA3 is identified in this patient.

Localization of SK2 channels relative to excitatory synaptic sites in the mouse developing Purkinje cells.

Small-conductance, Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK) channels regulate neuronal excitability in a variety of ways. To understand their roles in different neuronal subtypes it is important to determine their precise subcellular distribution. Here, we used biochemical, light microscopy immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopy techniques, combined with quantitative approaches, to reveal the expression and subcellular localization patterns of SK2 in the developing cerebellum.

Cognitive processes involved in smooth pursuit eye movements: behavioral evidence, neural substrate and clinical correlation.

Smooth-pursuit eye movements allow primates to track moving objects. Efficient pursuit requires appropriate target selection and predictive compensation for inherent processing delays. Prediction depends on expectation of future object motion, storage of motion information and use of extra-retinal mechanisms in addition to visual feedback.

Increased contractile responses to endothelin-1 and U46619 via a protein kinase C-mediated nifedipine-sensitive pathway in diabetic rat aorta.

To determine how diabetes alters vasocontractile responses to endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the thromboxane A2-mimetic U46619 (9,11-dideoxy-9alpha,11alpha-methanoepoxyprostaglandin F2alpha) and to explore the possible mechanisms of the altered responses, contractions produced by these agonists were examined in aortic rings from rats with 8- to 12-weeks streptozotocin-induced diabetes in comparison with those from age-matched control rats. ET-1 (> or = 1 nM) and U46619 (> or = 100 nM) induced significantly greater contractions in diabetic aorta. The enhanced contractile responses of diabetic aorta to these agonists were abolished in the presence of 1 microM nifedipine, resulting in no significant difference in the maximum responses between control and diabetic aortas.

Identification and immunohistochemical localization of annexin II in rat cornea.

Purpose: We have identified annexin II mRNA expression in the rat cornea and demonstrated immunolocalization of annexin II in normal and injured corneas. Furthermore, to investigate possible interaction between annexin II and its extracellular ligand tenascin during corneal wound healing, we also examined tenascin expression simultaneously.

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from the corneal tissue of male Wistar rats as well as from the cell cultures of corneal epithelial cells and keratocytes.

Neutralization of pregnancy-preventing activity of cabergoline, a dopamine agonist with progesterone.

Cabergoline (Cab), a dopamine agonist, inhibits the production and/or release of prolactin and reduces progesterone biosynthesis. Cab at doses of 20 microg/kg/d and higher administered on Days 1, 2 and 3 of pregnancy prevented implantation of fertilized ova in all treated female rats. The pregnancy-preventing activity of Cab is attributed to a deficiency of progesterone since estradiol levels remain unchanged.

Alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtype distribution and the coupling to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat and rabbit ventricular myocardium.

The relative contributions of the alpha 1A- and alpha 1B-adrenoceptor subtypes to the stimulation of phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis in rat and rabbit ventricular myocardium were defined pharmacologically using WB-4101 and chloroethylclonidine (CEC). Radioligand binding experiments with [3H]prazosin showed that the maximum number of alpha 1A-adrenoceptors in rat myocardium was about ten times higher than in rabbit myocardium. The proportion of the two [3H]prazosin binding sites with high and low affinity for WB-4101 was similar in the two species: approximately 30% of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor population was pharmacologically alpha 1A and approximately 70% was alpha 1B.

Dissociation of paraventricular NPY release and plasma corticosterone levels in rats under food deprivation.

Extracellular neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the vicinity of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as well as NPY concentrations in the PVN were measured in rats under ad libitum feeding and 2-day and 10-day food deprivation. Plasma corticosterone levels were not changed by 2-day food deprivation but were increased by subsequent refeeding. In contrast, the extracellular NPY levels were increased by 2-day food deprivation and were decreased rapidly by refeeding.

Human T lymphocyte virus type I-induced myeloneuropathy in rats: implication of local activation of the pX and tumor necrosis factor-alpha genes in pathogenesis.

The pathogenetic roles of human T lymphocyte virus type I (HTLV-I) and cytokines were investigated in HTLV-I-induced myeloneuropathy in Wistar-King-Aptekman-Hokudai rats. In the nervous system, pX messenger RNAs of HTLV-I were selectively expressed in the diseased spinal cord and peripheral nerves but not in the unaffected cerebrum and cerebellum, even though proviral DNAs were consistently identified in these tissues. Among several cytokines examined, mRNA expression and production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid correlated positively with the development of spinal cord lesions.

Endourological evaluation and management of leukoplakia of the renal pelvis.

Since August 1989, we have seen 4 patients with leukoplakia of the renal pelvis associated with a longstanding renal stone. In 2 of them, excretory or retrograde pyelography revealed multiple filling defects in the left renal pelvis as well as a renal stone, although urine cytological examination was negative. One of the other 2 patients underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for the renal stone, but this was not followed by the passage of stone fragments.

Endothelin-1 does not phosphorylate phospholamban and troponin I in intact beating rat hearts.

To determine a role of phosphorylation of specific cardiac regulatory proteins in the positive inotropic effect of endothelin-1, we examined phosphorylation of sarcoplasmic reticulum and myofibrillar proteins in perfused beating rat hearts treated with endothelin-1. In parallel experiments, the effects of isoprenaline and phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDB) on protein phosphorylation were also tested. In 32Pi-labeled hearts, perfusion with isoprenaline (100 nM) caused 4.

Chemohormonal therapy of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

This article reports a prospective randomized controlled study to investigate the effect of sex hormone therapy combined with intra-arterial chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thirty patients with unresectable HCC were randomly divided into two groups. A catheter was inserted into the hepatic artery of all patients.

A mechanism of catecholamine tolerance in congestive heart failure--alterations in the hormone sensitive adenylyl cyclase system of the heart.

It is well known that failing hearts show diminished responsiveness (desensitization) to catecholamines. In this study, 2 different animal models were used to investigate the alterations in the hormone sensitive cardiac adenylyl cyclase system in a congestive heart failure. In the first model, cardiomyopathic Syrian hamsters (BIO53.

Peripheral factors contributing to the volitional control of firing rates of the human motor units.

Human subjects can volitionally control discharge frequencies of isolated motor units at several frequencies. If the tonic firing rates such as 10 Hz are mainly dependent on the gamma-loop and if Xylocaine blocks gamma-fibers before blocking alpha-fibers, application of Xylocaine would preferentially disturb the tonic rates. After application of Xylocaine to the nerve innervating the motor units the tonic discharges at 10 Hz became irregular, while the phasic discharges at 1 Hz could still be performed volitionally.