Glycolytic activity of rat aorta after exercise

Summary Activities of glycolytic enzymes in the aorta were investigated in female Wistar rats. There were two groups of rats; one served as the control (sedentary rats), while the other group was forced to run on a treadmill for 10 weeks. In the control animals, the activities of hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and aldolase were relatively lower than those of the other glycolytic enzymes (phosphoglucose isomerase, lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase). After exercise, the activity of phosphofructokinase increased by 15%, whereas the other enzymatic activities were much the same as in the controls. Within the limits of the experiments, the increased percentage of phosphofructokinase was statistically significant (p<0.05). Since phosphofructokinase is a putative rate limiting enzyme, this enzymatic activation may indicate that glycolytic activity in the rat aorta is enhanced during and after running exercise.     

The Role of Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes in Rat Chronic Serum Sickness-type Nephritis

In order to investigate the role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in the distribution of antigen in various organs and in the development of nephritis, chronic serum sickness type nephritis was induced in both anti rat PMN rabbit serum (APS) treated and normal rabbit serum (NRS) treated rats by preimmunization with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and subsequent daily intravenous administration of BSA for 4 weeks. Kinetic studies using radiolabeled BSA showed that accumulation of BSA after the first intravenous administration was reduced by APS treatment in the liver, lungs and spleen and increased in the circulation, but was not affected in the kidneys and glomeruli. Histological studies supported the above findings. After 4 weeks of BSA administration, the BSA accumulation in the kidneys and glomeruli was significantly less in APS treated rats than in NRS treated ones, while amounts of BSA in the circulation and other organs were not different between the two groups. Furthermore, APS treatment reduced proteinuria, PMN infiltration and IC deposition in the glomeruli. These observations indicate that PMN play a partial role in IC deposition in the glomerular capillary walls and subsequent destruction of glomerular permeability in chronic serum sickness-type nephritis. Acta Pathol Jpn 39 : 619-629, 1989.     

Metachromatic leukodystrophy caused by a partial cerebroside sulfatase defect

A patient with neuropathy and myopathy since infancy but whose neuropathy had been stable for a number of years showed a profound deficiency of arylsulfatase A in leukocytes and urine. Urine contained material that stained metachromatically and cochromatographed with cerebroside sulfate. In contrast, cultured fibroblasts contained about 10-20% of normal arylsulfatase A with properties identical to properties of normal fibroblast enzyme, except that it showed no cerebroside sulfatase activity. Growing fibroblasts in the cerebroside sulfate loading test had an attenuated rate of sulfatide hydrolysis. A re-examination of the cerebroside sulfatase reaction revealed that while only limited hydrolysis occurred with low concentrations of taurodeoxycholate or cholate (type I activation), significant hydrolysis of the natural substrate did take place with high concentrations of cholate (type II activation). This suggests that there is a partial cerebroside sulfatase defect in this atypical form of metachromatic leukodystrophy.     

BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN (BSA) NEPHRITIS IN RATS IV. A SEQUENTIAL EVALUATION OF MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTE SYSTEM (MPS) FUNCTION

A clearance kinetic study of intravenously administered ¹²⁵I-labeled aggregated human IgG (¹²⁵I-AHIgG) from the circulation and its distribution in various organs was performed weekly during the course in a model of experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis which was induced in rats immunized 8 weeks previously with 6 times a week administration of 2 mg of bovine serum albumin (BSA) for 4 weeks from week 8 to 12. The removal rates of the injected ¹²⁵I-AHIgG from the circulation were retarded in nonproteinuric rats of week 9 and 10, at almost every checked point (p-value was <0.01). The clearance in those rats with severe proteinuria returned to the level of the control and of rats in week 8. The distribution of ¹²⁵I-AHIgG in the liver 4 hours after the administration revealed a considerable decrease in non-overt proteinuric rats of weeks 9, 10, and 11. A similar tendency of decreasing depositions of the radioactivity was shown in the spleen at each 4 hours. In contrast, the uptakes in the kidney and lung at the final week of 12 were larger. Delayed clearance from the circulation and a decreasing handle of the injected macromolecule in the liver and possibly in the spleen may suggest the presence of some impairment of the MPS function in the course of this experimental glomerulonephritis.     

Cardiovascular effects in rats of alpha1 and alpha2 adrenergic agents injected into the nucleus tractus solitarii

Summary The cardiovascular effects of selective alpha₁ and alpha₂ agonists and antagonists injected into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) were studied in urethane-anesthetized rats. Methoxamine (0.3–3 g) injected bilaterally into the NTS caused a dose-dependent increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Phenylephrine (6 g) and an imidazolidine derivative St 587 (3 g) similarly injected also produced an increase in blood pressure, whereas a-methylnoradrenaline and an azepine derivative B-HT 920 (1 and 3 g) caused a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. The pressor response to methoxamine (1 g) was markedly inhibited by prazosin (0.3 pg) injected into the same sites or hexamethionum (25 mg/kg, i. v.). Prazosin (0.3 g) alone injected bilaterally into the NTS did not affect the blood pressure, while yohimbine (0.1 g) similarly injected increased the pressure. These results suggest that in the rat NTS there exist alpha₁ adrenoceptors responsible for an increase in arterial pressure. The NTS alpha2 adrenoceptors seem to be involved in the tonic regulation of arterial pressure. Send offprint requests to T. Kubo at the above address     

A case of retroperitoneal hemangiopericytoma

We report a case of a huge retroperitoneal tumor in a 67-year-old woman. When the patient was taken to another hospital by ambulance, she had lost consciousness because of hypertension and hypoglycemia and abdominal CT revealed a huge retroperitoneal tumor with deviation of the right kidney and inferior vena cava. After further examinations including ultrasonography, MRI and angiography in our hospital, the tumor was extirpated. The tumor, 22 x 17 x 10 cm in size and 2,580 g in weight was diagnosed as hemangiopericytoma histologically. She has remained well with no evidence of recurrence for 9 months since the operation.     

Protective effect of JTV519, a new 1,4-benzothiazepine derivative, on prolonged myocardial preservation

BACKGROUND: JTV519 is know to protect cardiomyocytes from calcium overloading-induced damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential protective effect of JTV519 on myocardium subjected to prolonged ischemia and the underlying mechanism of such protection. The effect of JTV519 was also compared with that of diltiazem, a 1,5-benzothiazepine derivative. METHODS: Isolated rat hearts were randomly divided into three groups. Control hearts were arrested with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarat (HTK) cardioplegic solution alone. In the JTV519 group of hearts, cardiac arrest was achieved with JTV519 (10(-3) mmol/L) in the HTK solution. Hearts in the diltiazem group were arrested with diltiazem (0.5 mmol/L) in the HTK solution. All the hearts were then subjected to 6-hour storage in HTK solution at 4 degrees C. RESULTS: After a 30-minute reperfusion, the left ventricular developed pressure in the JTV519 and diltiazem groups were improved significantly compared with the control group. There was a significantly lower left ventricular end-diastolic pressure level and higher recovery of coronary flow in the JTV519 group than in the control group. The postischemic intracellular calcium concentration was attenuated by adding JTV519 or diltiazem to HTK cardioplegia. CONCLUSION: As an adjunct to cardioplegia, JTV519 showed a significant protective effect on myocardium undergoing 6 hours of ischemia. The beneficial protective effects of JTV519 are correlated with its ability to inhibit the postischemic rise in intracellular calcium.     

Haemodynamic responses to the intubating laryngeal mask and timing of removal

We determined (a) the haemodynamic responses to intubating laryngeal mask (ILM) airway insertion/intubation and removal in anaesthetized patients, and (b) whether the timing of ILM removal influences these responses. One-hundred and twenty patients without cardiovascular disease were studied. ILM airway insertion/intubation was 5 min after induction with propofol 2 mg kg(-1) and maintenance of anaesthesia with sevoflurane 2% in oxygen 33% and nitrous oxide. Patients were randomly assigned for removal of the intubating laryngeal mask airway at 1, 3 and 5 min after successful intubation. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures and heart rate were recorded preinduction (baseline), before ILM airway insertion/intubation, at 1-min intervals after insertion/intubation, and at 1-min intervals for 5 min after ILM removal. ILM insertion was successful at the first attempt in all patients, but 46 patients required more than one intubation attempt. Compared with baseline values, there were no increases in systolic or diastolic arterial pressure, but there was an increase in heart rate 1 min after ILM insertion/intubation (9%, P<0.001) and 1 min after ILM removal (8%, P<0.01). There was a significant increase in systolic and diastolic pressures and heart rate 1 min after ILM insertion/intubation (30%, 31% and 15%; all: P<0.002) compared with before ILM insertion/intubation values and 1 min after ILM removal (9%, 8% and 7%; all P<0.05) compared with 1 min after ILM insertion/intubation values. Removal of the ILM 1 min after successful intubation resulted in higher arterial pressure compared with removal at 3 min (systolic arterial pressure 10% higher for 1 min, P = 0.01) and 5 min (systolic arterial pressure 10-23% higher for 3 min, P<0.01; diastolic arterial pressure 10-20% higher for 4 min, P>0.02), but there were no differences in heart rate between groups. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were greater if more than one intubation attempt was required. Early removal or multiple intubation attempts did not exceed baseline haemodynamic values. We conclude that ILM insertion/intubation and removal in anaesthetized patients produces little or no haemodynamic response, even if multiple intubation attempts are required. The timing of removal exerts a small, but clinically unimportant influence on these responses.     

Significance of carbohydrate antigen sialyl-Lewis X, sialyl-Lewis A, and possible unknown ligands to adhesion of human urothelial cancer cells to activated endothelium

OBJECTIVE: To assess the contribution of the carbohydrate antigens, sialyl-Lewis X (sLe(x)) and sialyl-Lewis A (sLe(a)), which are known to be ligands for E-selectin, to the adhesion between human urothelial cancer cells and cytokine-activated human endothelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the expression of sLe(x) and sLe(a) antigens of three bladder cancer cell lines (JTC 30, JTC 32, and T24) by flow cytometry and the adherence to interleukin 1beta-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). RESULTS: JTC 30 and JTC 32 cells expressed both sLe(x) and sLe(a) antigens, and showed adhesion to activated HUVEC, which was completely abolished by anti-E-selectin antibody. T24 cells expressed neither sLe(x) nor sLe(a) antigen, and did not adhere to activated HUVEC. Each of anti-sLe(a) or anti-sLe(x) antibody partially blocked the attachment of JTC 30 cells to activated HUVEC, and combination of these antibodies almost completely blocked the adhesion. The combination of antibodies did not significantly influence the adhesion of JTC 32 cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that both sLe(a) and sLe(x) carbohydrate antigens are involved in E-selectin-mediated adhesion of some urothelial cancers, and that there might be unknown ligands for E-selectin on urothelial cancer cells.