Procedure for evaluating changes in respiratory symptoms of experimentally asthma-induced guinea pigs by a personal computer.

An automated system was developed for evaluating changes in respiratory symptoms in guinea pigs over a long period with a personal computer. The data on breathing curves obtained with a body plethysmograph were analyzed to determine respiratory rate, expiration/inspiration ratio, ventilation ratio, and other parameters. With this system, respiratory changes in guinea pigs, such as increase or decrease of respiratory rate, expiration/inspiration ratio, and ventilation ratio, and death of animals could be easily observed. Investigation of delayed respiratory response to Candida albicans in sensitized guinea pigs and of the effects of SO2 or NO2 exposures on its response was carried out using this system. Respiratory changes in delayed respiratory response were mostly increased respiration rate and succeeding expiratory prolongation being noted just before death. In the influences of SO2 or NO2 exposure on delayed respiratory response, increase of respiratory rate in NO2 and expiratory and inspiratory prolongation in SO2 were found. This system should prove useful for evaluating changes in respiratory symptoms due to toxic agents, medicines, and air pollutants in small animals.     

Cure of membranous nephropathy after resection of carcinoma

Clinical cure was effected in two patients with biopsy-proved membranous nephropathy associated with neoplasms. One had a complete histologic remission as well. The incidence of malignancy in an unselected group of patients with membranous nephropathy in our institution was 9%. Careful workup in all patients over age 40 years with membranous nephropathy should be done to exclude tumor.     

Change in intrathoracic pressure in rats with spontaneous and controlled ventilation during microgravity by parabolic flight

We previously reported that the intrathoracic pressure (ITP) decreases and the transmural pressure of the aortic wall (TMP) increases during 4.5 s of microgravity (muG) induced by free drop. To examine the ITP response to a longer period of muG in the absence of the respiratory rate (RR) decrease, i.e., bradypnea, which occurs at the onset of muG, we measured the aortic blood pressure at the diaphragma level (AP) and ITP. We then calculated the TMP at the aortic arch level during 20 s of muG induced by parabolic flight in anesthetized rats (n = 7) with either spontaneous ventilation (SPN-V) or controlled ventilation (CONT-V). In the SPN-V group, the bradypnea was observed in all rats after the onset of the muG (RR change -13.9 +/- 2.9/min). The ITP during muG (-9.3 +/- 0.9 mmHg) was significantly lower than that during 1 G (-7.7 +/- 0.9 mmHg), and the TMP was significantly increased during muG (112 +/- 6 mmHg) compared to 1 G (103 +/- 5 mmHg). Similar changes in ITP and TMP were observed in the CONT-V group: During muG and 1G, respectively, the ITP was -8.4 +/- 0.6 mmHg and -5.9 +/- 0.7 mmHg, and the TMP was 112 +/- 6 mmHg and 101 +/- 6 mmHg, whereas no change in RR was observed because of the controlled ventilation. These results show that the ITP decreases and the TMP increases during muG, and they are not affected by a disturbance of respiratory rhythm.     

Perisaccadic perception of continuous flickers

To realize perceptual space constancy, the visual system compensates for the retinal displacement caused by eye movements. It has been reported that the compensation process does not function perfectly around the time of a saccade--a perisaccadic flash is systematically mislocalized. However, observations made with transient flash stimuli do not necessarily indicate a general perisaccadic failure of space constancy. To investigate how the visual system realizes perisaccadic space constancy for continuous stimuli, we examined the time course of localization for a perisaccadic 500 Hz flicker with systematic variation of the onset timing, the offset timing and the duration. If each flash in the flicker is localized individually in the same way as a single flash, the apparent position and length of the flicker should be predicted from the time course of mislocalization of a perisaccadic flash. However, the results did not support this prediction in many respects. A dot array (of half the length of the retinal image) was perceived when the flicker was presented during a saccade, while only a single dot was perceived when the flicker was presented only before or after the saccade. A flash in a flicker was localized at a different position, depending on the onset timing, the offset timing and the duration of the flicker, even if the flash was presented at the same timing to the saccade. In general, our results support a two-stage localization in which the local geometrical configuration is first generated primarily based on the retinal information, and then localized as a whole in the egocentric or exocentric space. The localization is based on the eye position signal sampled at a time temporally distant from the saccade, which enables precise localization and space constancy for continuous stimuli.     

Effect of benzylic oxygen on the antioxidant activity of phenolic lignans

It has been clarified in the present investigation that a high degree of oxidation at the benzylic position of phenolic lignans bearing a 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl group reduces their antioxidant activity and that the antioxidant activity of the bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)tetrahydrofuran lignan 2 is higher than that of the corresponding gamma-butyrolactone lignan 1. This was demonstrated by comparing the antioxidant activities of compounds 1 and 2 with those of the (benzyl)(hydroxybenzyl)tetrahydrofurans 3 and 4, the bis(hydroxybenzyl)tetrahydrofurans 7 and 8, the (benzoyl)(benzyl)tetrahydrofuran 6, and the dibenzoyltetrahydrofuran 9. The activity level of compound 2 was approximately the same potency as that of the tetrahydronaphthalene-tetrahydrofuran 5. These compounds possess either a 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl group or a 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoyl group as the benzyl or benzoyl group. An examination of radical scavenging activity showed differences of activity between diastereomers. To make this comparison possible, compounds 1-9 were synthesized using new synthetic routes for several of these lignans. In this investigation, stereoisomers of the (benzyl)(hydroxybenzyl)tetrahydrofurans 3 and 4 and liovils 7 and 8 were synthesized for the first time.     

Expression of carbohydrate antigens (SSEA-1, sialyl-Lewis X, DU-PAN-2 and CA19-9) and E-selectin in urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis, ureter, and urinary bladder

Carbohydrate antigens and E-selectin play important roles in the invasion and metastasis of cancers. We examined the expression of these antigens and their ligand protein, E-selectin, in urothelial carcinomas to evaluate whether their staining is correlated with the grade and stage of cancer. We studied the expression of carbohydrate antigens (type 1 and type 2 blood-group antigens) and E-selectin in urothelial carcinomas of the renal pelvis, ureter, and urinary bladder in 52 patients by staining SSEA-1 (LeX), sialyl LeX (sLeX), DU-PAN-2, CA19-9, and E-selectin with 5 different monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to evaluate whether their staining correlated with cancer grade and stage. The differences between organs with regard to the degree of expression of these antigens were not evident. Type 2 antigens (SSEA-1 and sialyl LeX) are frequently expressed in the tumor cells regardless of atypical grade. The expression level of type 1 antigens (DU-PAN-2 and CA19-9) is lower than that of type 2 antigens. However, the presence of DU-PAN-2 tends to correlate with the grade of atypia; however, that of CA19-9 is inversely proportional to the grade of atypia. The lack of CA19-9 and appearance of DU-PAN-2 in urothelial carcinoma implies a high malignant potential. The expression of E-selectin can be correlated with stage and grade of tumor atypia. Type 2 antigen and E-selectin may be involved in tumor invasion and metastasis.