Reversal effect of thyroxine on altered vascular reactivity in diabetic rats

The influence of thyroxine treatment on the altered reactivity of the isolated perfused mesenteric vasculature from streptozocin-induced diabetic rats was examined and compared with that of insulin. After 8 weeks of diabetes, the time when the decreased response to isoproterenol appeared, treatment with thyroxine reversed this decreased response to control levels. However, thyroxine replacement did not reverse the decreased responsiveness to norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, acetylcholine, and isoproterenol after 12 weeks of diabetes. On the other hand, insulin replacement improved the vascular responsiveness to these agonists at 8 and 12 weeks. Insulin treatment also reversed the attenuated response to nerve stimulation found in diabetic rats, whereas thyroxine treatment did not improve it. Insulin treatment reversed the decreased plasma thyroid hormone levels similarly as thyroxine treatment. These results suggest that thyroid hormone deficiency is likely to be involved partly in the altered reactivity of the rat mesenteric vasculature at the early period of diabetes. On the other hand, adrenergic neuropathy is not induced by hypothyroidism.     

The effect of food deprivation on the fatty acid and lipid profile of red seabream (Pagrus major) larvae

Under conditions of food deprivation the lipid fraction of red seabream (Pagrus major) larvae shows patterns of conservation or loss in the profile of fatty acids and lipids. These changes were used for qualitative formulation of the dietary requirements of this species. Red seabream larvae were deprived of food for 5 d after hatching. Their lipid was extracted, weighed and analysed by gas-liquid chromatography and iatroscan for the presence of twenty-four fatty acids including n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), four polar lipids (PL) and four neutral lipids (NL). The results show an exponential decline in lipids with food deprivation, from a mean of 27.7 down to 11.8 mg/g wet larvae weight (LW). This loss could mainly be attributed to a decline in NL from 22.4 to 7.7 mg/g LW, in triacylglycerols, from 21 to 1 mg/g LW, and a change in cholesterol, from 1.3 to 4.2 mg/g LW after 5 d of food deprivation. PL declined from 5.3 to 4.1 mg/g LW in this period. The chief components of this fraction were phosphatidyl choline, and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. Among the fatty acids, the chief decline was observed in saturates and monoenes. Carbon chain lengths of 14 to 18 made up 18.2 mg/g LW in hatched larvae, but only 4.8 mg/g LW in larvae which were deprived of food for 5 d after hatching. n-3 PUFA were lost at a slower rate, from 5.4 to 3.5 mg/g LW for the same period, suggesting that they were conserved. Finally, early larvae of red seabream showed a reduced rate of loss of n-6 relative to n-9 fatty acids, suggesting that the latter were used preferentially as an energy source.     

Clinical Use of Low Porosity Woven Ultrafine Polyester Fiber Grafts

Abstract: A woven fabric graft made of ultrafine polyester fibers (UFPF) (Toray Graft, water porosity: 100 ml/ min/cm²:120 mm Hg H₂O) was clinically applied in 81 cases (28 thoracic aortic aneurysms, 6 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, 42 abdominal aortic aneurysms, and 5 atherosclerotic obstructions of the peripheral arteries). Eight patients died after surgery due to causes unrelated to the graft. The other 73 patients were in good condition after surgery. For operations requiring extracorporeal circulation, the graft was presealed with human albumin. For the abdominal aortic aneurysms, the graft was pre-clotted in situ with nonheparinized autoblood after the completion of the proximal anastomosis. It took about 2 min to complete the preclotting. A nonsealed graft was used for the reconstruction of peripheral arteries for theintraaortic balloon pumping procedure. The graft was easy to handle. There was no cut edge fraying problem with the graft in any direction of cutting. Even after pre-sealing, the graft was soft and pliable enough to enable easy adaptation and anastomosis. Just after implantation, bleeding was minimal from the graft wall, anastomotic sites, and suture pores, and it stopped spontaneously. These clinical data showed that the woven UFPF graft exhibited both easy handling despite in spite of low porosity and safe application in the reconstruction of arterial systems even under totally heparinized conditions during extracorporeal circulation.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6: MRI of three Japanese patients

We describe the MRI findings in three Japanese patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) in which a polymorphic CAG repeat was identified in the gene encoding the α_1A voltage-dependent P/Q-type Ca²⁺ channel subunit (CACNL1A4). All showed slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia and mild pyramidal signs. Neuroradiologically, they had moderate cerebellar atrophy, most prominently in the superior vermis, whereas the brain stem appeared to be spared. No abnormal signal intensity was identified. Received: 3 October 1997 Accepted: 7 November 1997     

Different Inhibitory Effects of Sevoflurane on Hyperreactive Airway Smooth Muscle Contractility in Ovalbumin-sensitized and Chronic Cigarette-smoking Guinea Pig Models

Background: The authors hypothesized that sevoflurane had different inhibitory effects on hyperreactive airway smooth muscle contractility in different types of hyperreactive airway models.

Methods: The effects of sevoflurane on hyperreactive airways in ovalbumin-sensitized and chronic cigarette-smoking guinea pig models were investigated by measuring (1) total lung resistance, (2) smooth muscle tension and intracellular concentration of free Ca2+, (3) voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity, and (4) cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels.

Results: Ovalbumin and muscarinic airway hyperreactivity was seen in ovalbumin-sensitized animals. Enlarged alveolar ducts/alveoli and lesser muscarinic hyperreactivity were observed in chronic cigarette-smoke animals. Although sevoflurane inhibited the acetylcholine-induced increase in total lung resistance in the control and ovalbumin-sensitized models, the anesthetic had a smaller effect in the chronic cigarette-smoking model. Similarly, in the chronic cigarette-smoking model, sevoflurane had a smaller inhibitory effect on carbachol-induced muscle contraction and increase in intracellular concentration of free Ca2+. Sevoflurane also had a smaller inhibitory effect on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity in the chronic cigarette-smoking group than in the other two groups. The sevoflurane-induced increase in cyclic adenosine monophosphate that was seen in the control and ovalbumin-sensitized groups was significantly suppressed in the chronic cigarette-smoking group.     

External iliac pseudoaneurysm ruptured into non-functioning intrarenal allograft abscessed mass.

Case report A 49-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with severeanaemia due to haemorrhage from a left lower abdominal openwound. Her medical history included haemodialysis because ofchronic nephritis at age 28. She received a first renal graftin the right iliac fossa from     

Primary thymic adenocarcinoma with production of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen

A 59-year-old male, whose chest X-ray showed an abnormal shadow, visited us for further study. Laboratory examination showed the elevated level for both carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in serum, and the chest X-ray and computed tomography showed an anterior mediastinal mass. Under a diagnosis of thymic malignancy, extended thymectomy with combined resection of the pleura and pericardium was performed. Histopathological findings showed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the thymus, in which CA19-9 and CEA were positive immuno-histochemically. The level of serum CA19-9 and CEA returned to normal ranges postoperatively, however, the tumor recurred in local site with re-elevation of these tumor markers at the 20th month after surgery. He died at 4th month after the first recurrence despite the intensive chemotherapy. We report an extremely rare case of primary thymic adenocarcinoma with the production of CA19-9 and CEA.     

Alendronate and vitamin D2 for prevention of hip fracture in Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Incidence of a fracture, particularly in the hip joint, is high in elderly women with Parkinson's disease (PD), and this is due to the immobilization-induced bone resorption and vitamin D deficiency with reduced bone mineral density (BMD). The objective of this study was to address the possibility that treatment with alendronate and vitamin D2 may reduce the incidence of hip fractures in elderly women with PD. PD patients were randomly assigned to daily treatment with 5 mg alendronate (n = 144) or a placebo combined with 1,000 IU of vitamin D2 (n = 144) and followed for 2 years. Incidence of hip fractures in the two patient groups during the 2-year follow-up period was studied. At baseline, both groups of patients had low BMD with high levels of serum-ionized calcium and urinary deoxypyridinoline (D-Pyr). Hip fractures occurred in 14 patients in the placebo group and 4 in the alendronate group. The relative risk for hip fractures in the alendronate group as compared with the placebo group was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.10-0.85). The number of hip fracture per 1,000 patient-years was 14 and 49 for the alendronate and placebo groups, respectively. In the alendronate group, serum calcium and urinary D-Pyr levels decreased significantly during the follow-up period, while the levels in the placebo group were increased. BMD increased by 3.1% in the alendronate group and decreased by 2.8% in the placebo group (P < 0.01). Treatment with alendronate and vitamin D2 increases BMD in elderly women with PD and leads to the prevention of hip fractures.     

Airway and alveolar inflammation assessments with bronchoalveolar lavage in various interstitial lung disorders]

Fractional analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (FABAL) fluid was performed in 6 control patients and 41 patients with various interstitial lung disease. The cell differential counts in the first 30 ml fraction of BAL (FBAL-I), which is considered to be the bronchial lavage, differed from those of the 50 ml second and third fraction (FBAL-III). Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and sarcoidosis showed a high recovery of lymphocytes (52%); however, the former two disorders were occasionally, associated with neutrophil airway inflammation, whereas sarcoidosis was not. The percentage recovery of neutrophils in total FBAL was considerably high in patients with diffuse panbronchiolitis, and relatively high in those with collagen vascular disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, and control smokers. However, these neutrophils were largely recovered from FBAL-I, suggesting the presence of airway inflammation. Thus, it is valuable to apply the FBAL method to determine the topographic distribution of inflammatory cells in the lungs. It was also found that the lymphocyte morphology in the lavage fluid was of value in establishing the diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and it is critical whether or not mast cells and basophils are present in BALF since they indicate the pathologic state of allergy or fibrosis. Although present in various fibrotic lung diseases in a limit number, langerhans cells are a diagnostic marker for histiocytosis X.     

Distribution of the HindIII restriction fragment length polymorphism among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with different concentrations of CR1.

Sixty six patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were genotyped using a HindIII restriction fragment length polymorphism identified by CR1.1 cDNA, then were followed up for an average of 50 months to evaluate the stability of their CR1 activities. The gene frequencies for the two alleles which correlate with the numeric expression of CR1 on the erythrocytes were not significantly different between 66 patients with SLE and 52 normal controls. A discrepancy between homozygosity for a high allele and a negative CR1 activity was found in many patients. These patients, however, had significantly lower concentrations of serum complement than did patients with a positive CR1, and some were in an active state of the disease. Furthermore, there were several patients in whom the CR1 activities changed from negative to positive together with an increase in serum complement. Our results suggest that the decreased expression of CR1 on erythrocytes in patients with SLE is not inherited, rather it is a consequence of the disease processes.