"Paralympic Brain". Compensation and Reorganization of a Damaged Human Brain with Intensive Physical Training.

The main aim of the study was to evaluate how the brain of a Paralympic athlete with severe disability due to cerebral palsy has reorganized after continuous training geared to enhance performance. Both corticospinal excitability of upper-limb muscles and electromyographic activity during swimming were investigated for a Paralympic gold medalist in swimming competitions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the affected and intact hand motor cortical area revealed that the affected side finger muscle cortical representation area shifted towards the temporal side, and cortico-spinal excitability of the target muscle was prominently facilitated, i.

Prandial increases of leptin and orexin in the brain modulate spatial learning and memory.

Leptin is well known to be involved in the inhibition of feeding, hermogenesis, reproduction and neuroendocrine functions through its actions on the rodents hypothalamic receptors. Leptin facilitated the presynaptic transmitter release and postsynaptic sensitivity to the transmitters in the hippocampal CA1 neurons. Thus long-term potentiation (LTP) and the phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin protein kinase II (CaMK II) were facilitated in the CA1 neurons.

The inhibition of aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation by the intravenous anesthetic ketamine.

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation has been recognized as central to the pathology of both major forms of vascular disease, atherosclerosis and hypertension. Recently, we reported that ketamine inhibits rat mesangial cell proliferation, suggesting that ketamine inhibits cell growth. Although the IV anesthetic ketamine has been widely used clinically, the exact effects of ketamine on vascular SMC proliferation have not been studied.

Programmed filtration, a new method for removing large molecules and regulating albumin leakage during hemodiafiltration treatment.

During hemodiafiltration (HDF) treatment for chronic renal failure patients, replacing large volumes using high-flux membranes with relatively large pores is preferred from the standpoint of enhancing the elimination of large molecules (10 to 50 kd). Aggressive protein-permeable treatment often results in massive leakage of essential albumin, however, which may cause fatigue, hypotension, and a decrease in the plasma albumin concentration in some patients. During 5-hour conventional HDF treatment with the filtration rate or pressure set at constant values, fractional albumin loss in the dialysate was assayed, which revealed that the albumin concentration in the dialysate showed a maximum value in the beginning with a steep decline within 1 hour.

[Validation of three limulus tests for the determination of endotoxin in dialysate/substitute used in on-line hemodiafiltration].

The on-line hemodiafiltration, a newly developed technic of artificial kidney, requires a large mount of dialysate as a substitute for filtered plasma. The dialysate is prepared in the hospital, and is liable to be contaminated. To avoid adverse effects from contaminants, the dialysate needs to be checked at least for endotoxin (ET) with a highly sensitive, accurate and precise method.