Symbolic meanings of island in dreams

Abstract Six dreams reported from neurotic patients in the therapy of Jungian analysis are presented to illustrate the symbolic meanings of islands in dreams. The island in dreams symbolizes (i) the entrance point into Jungian analysis, (ii) a complex in which a dreamer has got involved and (iii) the beginning of the newly organized ego consciousness. The multiple meanings of islands are suggested to originate from several levels of the unconscious from which the identical symbol of island comes from.     

Relationship between Plasma Concentration and Antihypertensive Effect of the Dihydropyridine Calcium Antagonist,Benidipine, in Rats

Although benidipine hydrochloride, a hydrophobic and weakly cationic dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, has slow onset but long-lasting anti-hypertensive effect in experimental animals and man, after administration it rapidly disappears from the plasma. Correlation of the plasma concentration with reduction in blood pressure has been investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats, and concentrations in the mesenteric artery were compared with those in plasma after oral and intravenous administration of benidipine to rats. After oral administration of benidipine to spontaneously hypertensive rats, the fall in blood pressure showed an anti-clock hysteresis phenomenon. Using concomitant analysis, plasma concentrations and anti-hypertensive activity could both be closely fitted to a one-compartment open model and the effect compartment for the pharmacological activity of benidipine could be described by a Hill equation. Concentrations in the mesenteric artery increased rapidly and then declined more slowly than in plasma. The mean residence time of benidipine in the mesenteric artery corresponded closely to the reciprocal of the rate constant for elimination of benidipine from the effect compartment. From these results it seems that benidipine is retained longer in the plasma membrane, an effective site, because of its physicochemical properties, and thus shows a more sustained anti-hypertensive effect than would be predicted from its disposition in plasma.     

Outbreak of acute glomerulonephritis in children: Observed association with the T1 subtype of group A streptococcal infection in Northern Kyushu,Japan

Group A streptococcal infection is associated with the occurrence of acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) and rheumatic fever (RF). A surveillance study in the Saga area, in northern Kyushu, Japan, showed a small variation in the reported number of group A streptococcal infections in the period 1988–94. However, of the AGN cases reported in this period, more than half were observed in 1992. In order to examine whether some change had occurred in the serotype distribution of Streptococcus pyogenes during the period, patients in the Saga area diagnosed as having group A streptococcal infection and patients with AGN or RF were analyzed. Serological T-typing of S. pyogenes was carried out for patients with group A streptococcal infections, and the association between the occurrence of AGN or RF and the distribution of each different T subtype was analyzed. M-typing of S. pyogenes was also carried out and the correlation between T and M types was examined. From 1988 to 1994, the annual number of patients with group A streptococcal infections in the Saga area showed a small variation, range 65–100 patients/year. Of the 42 patients with AGN and three with RF observed in this period, 27 with AGN (64%) and one with RF (33.3%) were detected in 1992. Only the T1 subtype increased in 1992; the other T subtypes showed little variation in incidence. The number of patients with the T1 subtype was significantly correlated with the occurrence of AGN by regression analysis (P < 0.01). Of the 170 subjects tested for both T and M subtypes, 44 of the 45 T1-typed subjects had the M1 protein. Our epidemiological study suggested that the T1 subtype of streptococcal infection was associated with an outbreak of AGN in 1992 in the Saga area.     

Human herpesvirus-6-associated exanthema in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia

We report the first case of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) associated exanthema in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL). We analysed DNA extracted from an exanthematous lesion using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA was positive for HHV-6 but negative for herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, and cytomegalovirus. Immunohistochemical staining of the skin with monoclonal antibody against HHV-6 confirmed the infection. The possibility of HHV-6 infection should be considered when an atypical skin rash is seen in patients with ALL.     

A Case of a Pseudomalfunction of a DDD Pacemaker

DDD pacemaker pseudomalfunction occurred in a 65-year-old man. This was due to premature ventricular contraction (PVC) response option and cross-talk detection window, which are designed to protect against pacemaker related tachycardia or cross-talk. Pseudomalfunction disappeared by eliminating PVC response option.     

Reversal of altered intestinal mucosal immunity in rats fed elemental diet by supplementation of oleic acid

We have previously demonstrated that elemental diet (ED) induces decreased lymphocyte transport in intestinal lymph and significant changes in T cell subsets and the number of IgA-containing cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues of rats. In order to examine whether the low fat content contributes to the induction of immunological changes in gut-associated lymphoid tissues, the effects of additional fatty acid in the ED were investigated. Rats were divided into four groups: elemental diet alone, elemental diet supplemented with 5% oleic acid (OA), elemental diet with 10% OA and conventional diet as a control. These diets were given at the same daily calorie intake for 4 weeks. The flow rate of intestinal lymph showed no significant difference between the four groups. However, lymphocyte flux as well as the percentage of CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ cells were significantly greater in the control and the 10% OA groups than in the ED and 5% OA groups. Intestinal lymph showed decreased concentrations of IgG and IgA in the ED group, whereas the addition of 10% OA significantly attenuated the decrease in these levels. In mesenteric lymph nodes, the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio was significantly decreased in the ED group, but 10% OA reversed this change. Immunohistochemical analysis of the ileal mucosa showed that in the ED group the population of CD4⁺ cells was decreased, while the number of CD8⁺ cells was increased. Supplementation of OA to ED produced similar stepwise attenuation of the changes in lymphocyte subpopulations in the lamina propria, while the 10% OA group reached levels that were not statistically different from controls. In the elemental diet, group, there was a significant decrease in immunoglobulin-containing cells of the IgA class in the lamina propria of the intestine. Similarly, the addition of OA induced dose-dependent recovery in the number of IgA-containing cells. These results suggest that a low dietary concentration of fat may be closely related to changes in lymphocyte transport in intestinal lymph and mucosal immunity of intestinal mucosa induced by the feeding of a long-term ED.     

Protocol consisting of cisplatin, etoposide and irinotecan induced complete pathological remission of primary small cell carcinoma of the bladder

A 73-year-old man with primary small-cell carcinoma of the bladder was treated by radical cystectomy with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Pathological complete remission was achieved by combination chemotherapy composed of cisplatin, etoposide and irinotecan. The patient is free of disease 19 months after surgery.     

Comparison of the effects of percutaneous and intraduodenal administration of oxybutynin on bladder contraction and salivation in rabbits

AIM: As only a few basic animal experiments have assessed the usefulness of percutaneous application of oxybutynin, we compared the effects of percutaneous application and intraduodenal injection of oxybutynin on urinary bladder contraction accompanied by micturition in conscious rabbits and salivation in anesthetized rabbits. METHODS: Bladder contractions were induced by continuous infusion of saline (2 mL/min) into the bladder. Salivary secretion was induced by pilocarpine (0.1 mg/kg, i.v.). Oxybutynin was administered at 15 mg/animal, and the plasma concentrations of oxybutynin and N-desethyloxybutynin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography to clarify the effective concentration. RESULTS: The intercontraction interval (ICI) was prolonged from 0.5 h after intraduodenal injection of oxybutynin, and this effect continued for 2 h. The ICI prolongation after percutaneous application of oxybutynin appeared at 2 h and continued throughout the 6-h experimental period. The saliva secretion induced by pilocarpine was inhibited to almost the same level by oxybutynin 3 h after intraduodenal injection and 6 h after percutaneous application. However, the sum of the plasma concentrations of oxybutynin and N-desethyloxybutynin rose steeply to a very high level within 20 min after oral administration instead of intraduodenal injection and decreased within 3 h to about half of the level evident 6 h after percutaneous application. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that percutaneous application of oxybutynin caused long-lasting ICI prolongation in our rabbit model, as compared with that after intraduodenal injection, and produced weaker inhibitory effects on saliva secretion because it did not cause steep elevation of the plasma concentration.     

Utility of a new transcutaneous jaundice device with two optical paths in premature infants

BACKGROUND: Hyperbilirubinemia may cause dysfunction of the central nervous system of newborn infants. Recently, a new transcutaneous bilirubin device has been developed, which is not limited by maturity or melanin concentration of the skin. However, there have been few reports limiting the subjects to preterm and very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants. METHODS: Transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and total serum bilirubin (TSB) were measured within 1 h of time lag in 50 premature infants. TcB was measured with the new jaundice device on the forehead. TSB samples were measured by direct colorimetry. The correlation coefficient and regression line were calculated. RESULTS: The results showed a good correlation between TcB and TSB. However, the correlation tended to be worse with infants whose birthweights were lower than 1000 g, or whose gestational ages at birth were shorter than 28 weeks. CONCLUSION: TcB and TSB have a close correlation, and TcB tends to be higher than TSB. The Minolta transcutaneous jaundice device could be used as a screening instrument, leading to the avoidance of invasive blood samplings for preterm and VLBW infants. However, in patients whose birthweights are lower than 1000 g or whose gestational ages are shorter than 28 weeks, care must be taken when using the transcutaneous jaundice device because of low reliability in these patients.