Interaction between endogenous opioids, cholinergic and adrenergic mechanisms during vagally-induced gastrin release in rats

Endogenous opioids are present in neurons of the vagus and the intrinsic nervous system and they are colocalized with gastrin in antral G-cells. This raises the possibility that endogenous opioids modulate gastrin release. Stimulation of both cervical vagi (10V, 5Hz, 5ms) elicited an increase of arterial plasma gastrin levels at intragastric pH7 or pH2. The response at pH2 was 30% of that at luminal pH7. Atropine reduced vagally stimulated gastrin levels substantially. At luminal pH2 the small residual noncholinergic response was mediated neither by adrenergic mechanisms nor by endogenous opioids. At luminal pH 7 adrenergic blockade with phentolamine and propranolol reduced vagally stimulated gastrin by 60%. In the presence of atropine adrenergic blockade elicited only a small inhibitory effect suggesting that vagal activation of adrenergic mechanisms depends on atropine-sensitive cholinergic pathways. Blockade of opiate receptors by naloxone had no effect on vagal gastrin release, however, the noncholinergic gastrin response was reduced significantly by naloxone, suggesting that cholinergic mechanisms normally restrain activation of endogenous opioids during vagal stimulation. Naloxone had no effect on the noncholinergic, nonadrenergic stimulation of gastrin levels. These data suggest that endogenous opioids can contribute to vagal gastrin release provided the cholinergic restraint is blocked and adrenergic mechanisms stimulate endogenous opioids. In conclusion a major role of endogenous opioids in the regulation of vagal gastrin release can not be detected.     

Neuroblastoma: the role of MR imaging

Thirty-five MR examinations were performed in 17 children with neuroblastoma during the course of their diagnostic evaluation and treatment. Findings were confirmed by correlation with the results of other imaging techniques, biopsies, and surgical and autopsy findings. MR accurately detected the lesions and their extent in all patients. It correctly evaluated the possibility of resectability and showed metastases, response to treatment and development of complications. MR appears to be a reliable technique for the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of children with neuroblastoma.     

Recurrence, progression and survival in bladder cancer. A retrospective analysis of 232 patients with greater than or equal to 5-year follow-up

A retrospective study of 232 bladder tumours with minimum follow-up 5 years is presented. The carcinoma was superficial in 66%, muscle-invasive in 31% and could not be staged in 3%. Primary treatment was mainly transurethral resection for superficial tumour, but was cystectomy or radiotherapy in 22 of 29 T1 G3. Of the superficial tumours, 71% recurred. Progression to higher T stage occurred in 15% of Ta and 29% of T1 tumours, and half of these patients died of bladder cancer. The corrected 5-year survival rates in grades 1, 2A, 2B and 3-4 were 96, 84, 64 and 43%, and in stages Ta, T1, T2 and T3 they were 94, 69, 40 and 31%. All patients with T4 tumour died within 4 years. Among the 45 patients with 40 Gy irradiation + cystectomy, the corrected 5-year survival rate was 83% in superficial and 64% in muscle-invasive tumours, and among the 38 with radical radiotherapy the rates in T1-3 were 46, 36 and 13%. Transurethral resection was successful in most Ta cases. Most T1 tumours were, like T2-4, of higher grade than Ta. Prognosis was worse in T1 than in Ta. After progression to muscle-invasive disease, even during close follow-up the outlook was poor, as poor as for patients with primary muscle-invasive disease.     

Classification of progressive systemic scleroderma

A new classification of forms of progressive systemic scleroderma (PSS) is presented. Compared with previous classifications, it includes not only frequent, typical forms of PSS, but also rarer manifestations. For the first time, it considers pathogenetic factors, such as the phenomena which have become known concerning the immunological system, and distinguishes between noninflammatory and inflammatory subtypes. Etiological (in this case, immunogenetic) criteria are also considered. This classification is open to further differentiation and development.     

(E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-desoxyuridine--a new nucleoside analog with selective inhibitory action against herpesviruses. Studies in cell culture and animal experiments

(E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (1; BrVUdR) inhibits the replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in vitro at concentrations of 0.01 to 0.23 mumol/l, whereas herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is influenced only at 5.5 to 27 mumol/l. In comparison to some classical and newly developed antiherpetics, i. e. 5-iodo-2'-desoxyuridine (2; idoxuridine, IDU), 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (4; vidarabine Ara-A), 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl) guanine (5; acyclovir, ACV) and 2'-fluoro-5-iodo-1-beta-D-aracytosine (6;FIAC) the following order of decreasing activity was found:1 greater than 6 greater than 5 greater than 2 greater than 4 (against HSV-1) and 6 greater than 2 greater than 5 greater than 1 greater than 4 (against HSV-2). The high selectivity of the antiviral effect of BrVUdR towards HSV-1 and TZV is based on the fact, that proliferation of different mammalian cell lines is inhibited by 50% only at concentrations as high as 90 to 170 mumol/l, resulting in a therapeutical index of 1000 to 10,000. Successful treatment of an HSV-1 encephalitis in mice as well as an HSV-1 keratitis of rabbits confirmed the efficiency of 1 in experimental animal infections. No toxic side effects in both local and systemic applications were observed. Promising data from cell culture and animal experiments recommend 1 as a potential candidate for the local and systemic treatment of HSV-1 and VZV infections in man.     

A HIGH FREQUENCY OF INHERITED DEFICIENCY OF COMPLEMENT COMPONENT C4 IN DARWIN ABORIGINES

Abstract A high frequency of serum complement component C4A deficiency may explain the higher prevalence and greater severity of systemic lupus erythematosus reported in Australian Aborigines. Inherited deficiencies of serum complement components C4A, C4B, and C2 were examined in two Australian Aboriginal populations from Darwin and Alice Springs and compared with the prevalence of complement deficiencies in white Australian blood donors. The frequency of C4A deficiency alleles was 29% in Darwin Aborigines compared with 12% in Alice Springs and 17% in Canberra blood donors. Partial C4B deficiency was also higher in Darwin Aborigines than in the other populations. Inherited deficiency of serum complement component C2 was not observed.     

Shouldice hernia repair: results at a teaching institution

Authors with wide experience report that the Shouldice technique for repair of inguinal hernia is very effective. The technique has not gained widespread acceptance or notoriety. For example, the 13th edition of Textbook of Surgery, edited by Sabiston, devotes only one paragraph to this type of herniorrhaphy. Because of the excellent results reported by the Shouldice Clinic, this technique was adopted at the Augusta Veterans Administration Hospital, a teaching hospital of the Medical College of Georgia. Since 1976, a total of 604 Shouldice repairs have been performed by supervised house staff; 468 patients have been followed for up to 8 years and a recurrence rate of 1.3 per cent is reported. Although the follow-up is brief, the Shouldice hernia repair is widely applicable and good results are not dependent on wide experience alone.