Effects of phenylephrine and prostaglandin E on ventriculo-arterial matching during halothane anaesthesia

We have investigated the effects of phenylephrine alone andcombined with prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁) on ventriculo-arterialmatching during halothane anaesthesia in dogs. The ratio ofleft ventricular end-systolic elastance (Ees) to effective arterialelastance (Ea) was used as an index of ventriculo-arterial matching.In group 1 (n = 7), measurements were performed at control,1.5% halothane, halothane+phenylephrine 1–10 µgkg^–1 min^–1, and halothane + phenylephrine + PGE₁,0.2–1.0 or 1.0–2.0 µg kg^–1 min^–1.In group 2 (n = 5), dobutamine 2 and 5 µg kg^–1 min^–1was infused during halothane anaesthesia. Halothane 1.5% decreasedmean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output and Ees. Phenylephrinerestored MAP, but further decreased cardiac output. The decreasein Ees produced by halothane was reversed by phenylephrine.PGE₁ increased cardiac output and reversed the increases inEa and Ea/Ees during phenylephrine infusion. Dobutamine alsoreversed halothane-induced decreases in MAP, cardiac outputand Ees, and improved Ea/Ees. Our results indicate that combineduse of PGE₁ with phenylephrine can eliminate the vasoconstrictiveproperty of phenylephrine, resulting in an improvement in ventriculo-arterialmatching.     

Circadian Characteristics of Urinary Melatonin from Clinically Healthy Young Women at Different Civilization Disease Risks

ABSTRACT Rhythm characteristics in the about-daily (circadian) and about-yearly (circannual) frequency ranges were assessed for urinary melatonin. Clinically healthy women in Minnesota, USA, and Kyushu, Japan, were sampled around the clock once in 1-4 seasons. Possible differences that could reflect the large difference in breast cancer incidence in these two geographic locations were investigated. Each subject's risk of developing breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases resulting from an elevated blood pressure, and emotional conditions was numerically evaluated according to epidemiologic questionnaires. A prominent circadian rhythm characterizes urinary melatonin in both populations, peaking in the middle of the night. The American women exhibit a larger circadian rhythm-adjusted mean (mesor) than do the Japanese women. A circannual rhythm is also apparent in the North American women, but not in the Japanese women. The circadian mesor of urinary melatonin correlates negatively with the risk score of emotional depression and positively with that of developing cardiovascular diseases.     

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia associated with IgG2 deficiency

We report on a 1 year old boy with cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH). He suffered from recurrent upper respiratory infections and short-limbed dwarfism. As with most patients with CHH, he had impaired cellular immunity as determined by lymphocyte reactivity. In addition, he had a selective IgG2 deficiency. This combination of immunodeficiencies has not previously been reported for patients with CHH. His recurrent upper respiratory infections were likely to be associated with cellular immunodeficiency and IgG2 deficiency.     

FIBRE DISORGANIZATION IN THE NEOCORTEX OF PATIENTS WITH SENILE DEMENTIA OF THE ALZHEIMER TYPE

The loss of neurons, which is thought to occur during senile dementia of the Alzheimer type, could alter the fibre organization of the neocortex. In the present study, the density and course of the fibres were measured in histological sections in 14 cases: all were women over 75 years of age who had been living in a long-stay hospital and had been prospectively assessed by the test score of Blessed et al. (1968). Their intellectual status ranged from nearly normal to severely demented. Samples from the supramarginal and prefrontal gyri were studied after Bodian's impregnation. The course of the fibres in 3-dimensional space was determined by two angles: (a) the angle which characterized their orientation in the plane of section and discriminated between horizontal (tangential), vertical (radial) and oblique fibres and (b) the angle of section with which the fibres were cut. The total density of fibres correlated neither with the test score nor with the density of neurofibrillary tangles or senile plaques. The percentage of obliquely orientated fibres and of fibres with a high sectioning angle increased in the course of the disease. This increase was mainly at the expense of the horizontal fibres in the supramarginal gyrus and could be explained by the presence of a great number of small, tortuous and abnormally orientated fibres (kinked fibres) in the most severely affected cases. The methodology employed in this study could be useful in the investigation of fibre architecture in other diseases involving the cerebral cortex.     

Effect of Selective PEEP on Pulmonary Blood Flow following Unilateral Hydrochloric Acid Aspiration in the Dog

We investigated the effect of unilateral or bilateral positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on pulmonary perfusion in 12 dogs with a hydrochloric acid aspiration injury of the left lung. The lungs were ventilated separately and PEEP was applied to the left lung at 10 cmH2O (1.0 kPa) in six and at 15 cmH2O (1.5 kPa) in six others. Measurements of the right and left pulmonary arterial blood flows (QR and QL) and venous admixture were made before, during and after PEEP. After this study, 5 and 10 cmH2O (0.5 and 1.0 kPa) PEEP were applied to both lungs in six dogs and measurements were repeated. Following the application of PEEP to the left lung, a significant decrease in QL and increase in QR were observed. However, the application of PEEP to both lungs was followed by significant decreases in both QL and QR. The cardiac output decreased slightly during unilateral PEEP and markedly during bilateral PEEP. The venous admixture decreased significantly during PEEP in all the groups. These findings indicate that selective PEEP causes a transfer of pulmonary blood flow from the injured lung to the normal lung, improving ventilation-perfusion inequality, and improves gas exchange without impeding oxygen delivery.     

Copper Contents and Pathological Changes in Various Organs of Macular Mouse

Abstract The hemizygote of the macular mutant mouse ( Ml/y ) is considered to be a model of Menkes kinky hair disease (MKHD). It suffers from seizure, ataxia and emaciation, and dies around day 15 after birth. However hemizygotes which were injected with 10, 20, 20 and 30 μg of cupric chloride on days 4, 6, 8 and 10, respectively were freed from these clinical manifestations. Copper contents in the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem and liver from untreated Ml/y were significantly lower than those from normal littermate (+/ y ); 1.9±0.4, 3.8±1.0, 2.5±0.6 and 9.3±2.5 /μg/g dry weight in Ml/y , and 7.0±0.7, 11.3±3.3, 8.6±1.7 and 29.1±10.4 μg/g dry weight in +/y , respectively, on day 14. On the contrary, copper contents in the kidney and intestine from Ml/y were higher than those from Ml/y 35.5±10.9 and 24.3±7.7 μg/g dry weight from Ml/y , and 9.4±1.2 and 6.1±1.3 Mg/g dry weight from +/y , respectively, on day 14. By electron microscopic observation, although abnormal mitochondria were now and again observed in the neurons of the spinal cord, pathological changes were not seen in the liver, kidney and intestine from Ml/y. In the treated Ml/y , the copper contents of the brain and liver were raised to between those of the Ml/y and of the +/y. The copper contents in the kidney and intestine had increased much more in the treated Ml/y , and were 5.3 and 1.6 times more than those in the Ml/y , respectively, on day 14. These results show that the distribution of copper in various organs of Ml/y is quite similar to that of the patient with MKHD, and that the copper injection raised the level of copper content in the nervous system, thus improving the clinical features of Ml/y.     

同位素标记结合毛细管液相色谱和电喷雾质谱分析糖蛋白单糖组成

目的单糖组成分析能够为糖蛋白糖链结构的分析提供重要的信息。本文对一种高灵敏度及快速的单糖组成分析方法进行了研究。方法糖蛋白通过酸水解释放出全部单糖，然后经过乙酰基化(氨基单糖)，非氘取代2-氨基吡啶标识，毛细管石墨化碳柱分离，最终通过电喷雾质谱的可选择离子模式进行检测。由于分析中采用氘取代2-氨基吡啶标识的单糖作为内标，提高了单糖定量测定的准确性。结果本方法可测定低至1皮摩尔的单糖，并已成功应用于牛胎球蛋白和促红细胞生成素单糖组成的分析。结论本方法具有很高的灵敏度，可适用于微量糖蛋白单糖组成的分析。