Protective effects of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, citalopram and clomipramine, against hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage following transient ischemia in the gerbil

To clarify the role of serotonin in cerebral ischemia, we examined the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, citalopram and clomipramine, on ischemic neuronal damage in the gerbil. Pretreatment with citalopram (40 mg/kg i.p.) and clomipramine (20 mg/kg i.p.) protected against neuronal destruction of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells following 5 min of forebrain ischemia. Furthermore, microdialysis assays showed that a striking increase in extracellular excitatory amino acid levels during ischemia was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with citalopram and clomipramine. However, citalopram (40 mg/kg i.p.) did not alter the extracellular amino acid concentrations in normal gerbils. Thus, serotonin reuptake inhibitors have a protective effect against ischemic neuronal damage. Furthermore, the present result suggests that the protective effect is mediated through prevention of the accumulation of extracellular excitatory amino acids during and after ischemia.     

Prospective study of serum cholesterol and site-specific cancers.

From 1965 to 1968, 7716 Japanese-American men were examined and tested for serum cholesterol. After 22 years, 1380 incident cancer cases were identified. Of the site-specific cancers, only colon cancer cases had a significantly lower mean serum cholesterol value than that of noncases (213.0 mg/dl vs 219.0 mg/dl). When the study subjects were separated into either a low, middle or high group, based on their serum cholesterol values, there was a significant inverse trend for cases of oral/pharyngeal/esophageal cancer combined. The association was present for cases diagnosed within 10 years of examination (p = 0.012), but not for cases diagnosed after 10 years. This suggests that the inverse association is due to the metabolic effects of undiagnosed oral/pharyngeal/esophageal cancer upon serum cholesterol levels. These results are discussed in relation to other studies on serum cholesterol.     

The difference between response of nasal mucosa to specific antigen and non-specific stimulation

To examine the difference between response of nasal mucosa to specific antigen and that to non-specific stimulus in the same patient, specific nasal provocation was performed using the house dust antigen disk while nasal respiratory resistance was continuously measured by Rhinograph. On the other hand, non-specific nasal provocation was performed with inhalation of methacholine while nasal respiratory resistance was continuously measured with Astograph. Thereafter the resulting response curves were analyzed. Subjects were 12 males and 9 females, who had nasal obstruction, watery rhinorrhoea and sneeze, and were proved to have allergic rhinitis by house dust. To analyze specific response curve, primary nasal respiratory resistance (Rrs.N), reacting time (Ta) and slope signifying increase of nasal respiratory resistance (delta Rrs.N) were used as parameters. To analyze non-specific response curve, primary nasal respiratory resistance (Rrs.N.cont), minimum dose of methacholine that caused an increase of nasal respiratory resistance (Dmin.N) and slope signifying increase of nasal respiratory resistance (Sd.N) were used as parameters. Ta and Dmin.N reflect sensitivity of nasal mucosa. Their values become smaller, it means sensitivity of nasal mucosa becomes higher. Delta Rrs.N and Sd.N reflect reactivity of nasal mucosa. Their values become larger, it means reactivity of nasal mucosa becomes larger.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Growth after bone marrow transplantation in children.

Growth of the patients with hematological malignancies, aplastic anemia, Fanconi's anemia, and Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome who had been treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was studied. Fourteen out of 21 patients showed suppression of linear growth after BMT. Recovery of the growth velocity after 1-2 years tended to occur if BMT was performed at younger age. Six of eight patients with chronic graft-versus-host-disease (CGVHD) had impaired growth after BMT, whereas eight of 13 (61%) without CGVHD did. Provocative tests for growth hormone (GH) performed 5-72 months after BMT revealed three boys who showed poor response to more than two different stimuli. Two of these three boys had prolonged suppression of growth. Neither the age at BMT, difference in disease, nor presence of posttransplant growth retardation gave significant difference in the response of GH to provocative tests. It was concluded that approximately two-thirds of marrow-grafted children experienced transient decrease in growth velocity after BMT.     

Late Effects of Childhood Acute Leukemia and Its Treatment

Late effects of childhood acute leukemia and its treatment were studied in 766 patients (684 ALL, 73 ANLL, and 9 others) in Japan who had remained in remission for more than 1 year after their first complete remission. Delayed adverse sequelae involve a wide variety of organs and their functions. Short stature was present in 2.61%, obesity in 3.79%, abnormalities of growth hormone secretion in 1.5%, delayed secondary sex characteristics in 1.5% of males and 0.6% of females, motor disturbances in 1.17%, sensory disturbances in 0.91%, intellectual and learning disabilities in 2.48%, abnormal findings in routine neurologic examinations in 1.31%, EEG abnormalities in 4.30%, brain CT abnormalities in 5.09% and cardiac dysfunction in 1.07%. Various other disorders were seen in 20 patients. Many of these delayed adverse sequelae are caused by or related to central nervous system prophylaxis and systemic combination chemotherapy. The results suggest that it is needed to improve therapeutic methods through the stratification of patients by risk factors and detailed analysis of prognostic factors. Moreover it is important to render medical and psychosocial support to long-term survivors of childhood leukemia through interactions between the patient, parents and medical staff.     

Significance of the BTA Test in Bladder Cancer: A Multicenter Trial

Background :
The BTA test is a latex agglutination assay for the qualitative detection in the urine of analytes that are associated with bladder tumor. We compared the results of the BTA test with those of voided urine cytology (VUC) in patients with bladder cancer.
Methods :
A multicenter trial was performed at 6 institutions. A total of 132 patients with histologically diagnosed bladder cancer were enrolled. Urine samples were split for BTA and VUC testing.
Results :
The sensitivities of the BTA test and VUC were 57.6% and 37.9%, respectively; this difference was significant ( P < 0.001). The BTA test had much higher sensitivity for small, solitary, superficial tumors than did VUC.
Conclusion :
The BTA test is simple to perform, gives rapid results, and is far more sensitive than VUC for detection of bladder cancer. The BTA test has the potential to become an additional tool for detecting bladder cancer.     

Clinical statistics on inpatients admitted to the Department of Urology, Hyogo Prefectural Hospital Nishinomiya during 20 years from 1972 to 1991]

A statistic analysis was carried out on the 4,956 inpatients admitted to our Department of Urology from April 1972 to December 1991. The patients included 3,399 males and 1,557 females. A total of 4,105 operations including 255 renal allotransplantations were performed on 3,590 patients. Open surgery for upper urinary tract stones has been replaced by extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in the last three years.     

Persistent left superior vena cava draining to left atrium with normal coronary sinus

In embryology, a persistent connection of the left superior vena cava to the left atrium rarely coexists with a coronary sinus. We herein report an unusual case of persistent left superior vena cava terminating in a left atrium with normal coronary sinus, which was revealed at the time of permanent pacemaker implantation after a second operation for recurrent left atrioventricular valve regurgitation. Because this anomaly had gone undiagnosed at the first operation, we were unable to diagnose it prior to the second operation, because the preoperative coronary angiogram clearly demonstrated a coronary sinus that was not dilated. We would have repaired the anomaly using a patch or other procedure had it been diagnosed before the second operation in order to prevent cyanosis or brain complications secondary to right-to-left shunting. One should always be on guard for this rare condition.     

Inhibitory effect of anti-platelet prostaglandin on liver metastasis of hamster pancreatic cancer

Coagulation system and platelets play an important role in the stage of lodgement of tumor cells. We examined abilities of human and hamster pancreatic cancer cell lines to aggregate platelets in vitro, and investigated the effect of prostaglandin E1, I2, on artificial liver metastases of pancreatic cancer in Syrian golden hamster. Platelet aggregating activities were found in five out of six human pancreatic cancer cell line and thromboplastin likes activity in five cell lines. Diisopropanolnitrosamine induced hamster pancreatic cancer cells (HPK-1) were able to aggregate platelets both in vitro and in vivo and these activities were inhibited by prostaglandin I2. Hamster was inoculated intraportally with 1 X 10(6) HPK-1 cells. After two weeks autopsy of these hamsters revealed multiple metastatic nodules on liver surface. In this model we administered prostaglandin E1, I2 into the portal vein five minutes before cell inoculation. Number of liver surface nodules were significantly decreased to 33.1 + 7.0, 11.0 + 9.6 in hamster given 100g PGE1 PGI2 before cell inoculation, compared with control group of hamsters (62.0 + 6.6 PH9.3, 66.1 + 13.9 PH7.4). But administration of prostaglandin after cell injection was not effective. In all cases none of extrahepatic metastases were noted. Inhibitory action of PGE1 PGI2 on liver metastasis is suspected to be related to inhibition of platelet aggregation.     

Inhibition of HIV-1 replication and syncytium formation by synthetic CD4 peptides

Summary Only one peptide of CD₄ (amino acid residues 70–132) among 16 synthetic peptide fragments selectively inhibited HIV-1 replication and HIV-1-induced syncytium formation. Several smaller peptides within this region did not show any activity, except for the peptide (86–132) which showed somewhat lower activity.