The cyclo-copolymerization of diallyl compounds and sulfur dioxide, 6. 1,6-Heptadiene and sulfur dioxide

Copolymers from 1,6-heptadiene ( 1 ) and SO₂ with various mole ratios of their units were prepared. Their structures were studied by elemental analyses, IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Structures containing a cyclopentane ring ( 2 ) and such containing a thiane ring ( 3 ) in the main chain are proposed.     

Cross education of muscular strength during unilateral resistance training and detraining

Abstract. The purpose of the present study was to examine the changes in maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) in the contralateral untrained limb during unilateral resistance training and detraining, and to examine the factors inducing these changes by means of electrophysiological techniques. Nine healthy males trained their plantar flexor muscles unilaterally 4 days·week^–1 for 6 weeks using 3 sets of 10–12 repetitions at 70–75% of one-repetition maximum a day, and detrained for 6 weeks. Progressive unilateral resistance training significantly (P<0.05) increased MVC, integrated electromyogram (iEMG), and voluntary activation in the trained and contralateral untrained limbs. The changes in MVC after training were significantly correlated with the changes in iEMG in both limbs. No significant changes occurred in MVC, voluntary activation, and iEMG in the contralateral limb after detraining. The changes in MVC after detraining did not correlate with the changes in voluntary activation or iEMG in either limb. Training and detraining did not alter twitch and tetanic peak torques in either limb. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying cross education of muscular strength may be explained by central neural factors during training, but not solely so during detraining. Electronic Publication     

Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from patients with Guillain-Barré and Fisher syndromes in Japan

Campylobacter jejuni isolation is the standard for the diagnosis of this type of bacterial infection, but there have been no epidemiological studies of a large number of C. jejuni isolates from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and Fisher syndrome (FS). For 13 years, stool specimens from GBS/FS patients have been sent from 378 hospitals throughout Japan to the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health. A total of 113 strains (11%) were isolated from the stool specimens from 1,049 patients. The isolation rate did not differ by region. The rates were 22% for 449 patients with a history of diarrhea and 2% for the others. An additional 18 isolates were provided by various hospitals. There was no noticeable seasonal distribution in the onset of C. jejuni isolated from patients with GBS/FS. The male/female ratios were 1.7:1 for GBS and 2.2:1 for FS. The patient age range showed a peak in 10- to 30-year-old subjects who had GBS and in 10- to 20-year-old subjects who had FS. The predominance of young adults and male patients who had C. jejuni-associated GBS/FS may be related to the preponderance of young adults and male patients who had C. jejuni enteritis. The median interval from diarrhea onset to neurologic symptom onset was 10 days for GBS/FS. Penner's C. jejuni serotype HS:19 was more frequently present in GBS (67%) than in enteritis (6%) patients. HS:2 was more frequent in FS (41%) than in enteritis (14%) patients. These findings suggest that certain C. jejuni strains specifically trigger GBS and that others specifically trigger FS.     

Allergic conversion of protective mucosal immunity against nasal bacteria in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

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Effect of azelastine on the release and action of leukotriene C4 and D4

The effect of azelastine on the release of leukotriene C4 and D4 (LTC4 and LTD4), and the antagonistic action of the drug against the leukotrienes were determined by using in vitro tests and compared with those of ketotifen and chlorpheniramine. Azelastine inhibited LTC4 and LTD4 release from guinea pig lung fragments passively sensitized with homologous anti-ovalbumin IgGl-b antibody. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of azelastine was 6.4 X 10(-5) M for a 15-min preincubation or 4.7 X 10(-5) M for a 30-min preincubation. Ketotifen and chlorpheniramine were inhibitory only at the highest concentration tested (3 X 10(-4) M), giving inhibitions of 35.6 and 21.3%, respectively. Azelastine also inhibited calcium ionophore A23187-induced release of leukotrienes from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes; the IC50 values were 3.6 X 10(-5) M for 15 min and 2.3 X 10(-6) M for 30 min of preincubation. Ketotifen and chlorpheniramine were inhibitory only after a 30-min preincubation, with IC50 values of 2.1 X 10(-5) and 5.9 X 10(-5) M, respectively. The potent inhibition by azelastine might be partly a result of the inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase, since 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid formation in rat basophilic leukemia cell homogenate was inhibited by azelastine. Pretreatment of guinea pig ileum with azelastine antagonized LTC4- and LTD4-induced contraction of the ileum with IC50 values of 7.0 X 10(-6) and 1.1 X 10(-5) M, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)