Variation in moisture,total sugar,and carotene content of Japanese carrots: Use in sample size determination

Variation in the composition of carrots by season, region, and individual samples was studied to design an efficient multi-stage sampling plan and evaluate its precision in terms of effective sample size. One hundred and twenty carrot samples were collected in an unbalanced four-level nested design. The four levels consisted of four seasons, seven prefectures within the Japanese archipelago, two agricultural cooperatives, and two farmers. The moisture, total sugar, and α- and β-carotene contents of the carrots were determined, and the results were evaluated using a random effects model. Based on the average of the four seasonal collections, 24% of the total variation in carrot composition was found to be attributable to seasonal change, 46% to region, 24% to farmer, and 6% to individual samples. The precision of several sampling scenarios was simulated to quantitatively demonstrate how much composite samples improved the representativeness of the data.     

Cell kinetic analysis of human tumor xenografts using anti-bromodeoxyuridine monoclonal antibody

The cell kinetics of human tumor xenografts serially transplanted into nude mice was examined using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and anti-BrdU monoclonal antibody. After various doses of BrdU were given intraperitoneally into tumor bearing nude mice, the tumors were resected and stained immunohistochemically, using the anti-BrdU monoclonal antibody. The number of stained cells was demonstrated as the labeling index (LI). The optimal condition for BrdU staining was assumed to be 300mg of BrdU per kg followed by an incubation period of one hour. Since the LI by BrdU closely correlated with that in autoradiography by³H-TdR, this method is more useful and safer than the conventional autoradiographic study for investigating clinical cell kinetic analysis, as there is no need to use potentially hazardous radioactive compounds and the period of assay is shorter.     

Post-stroke treatment with imidapril reduces learning deficits with less formation of brain oedema in a stroke-prone substrain of spontaneously hypertensive rats

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of the ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor imidapril, on the brain, when administered after the onset of stroke in a stroke-prone substrain of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Learning deficits and induced lesions in the brain as well as in the kidneys and heart were investigated in detail. SHRSP were divided into two groups with or without salt loading at the age of 4 weeks. The salt loading was performed for 7-9 weeks to increase the incidence of stroke. Within 24 h after the first observation of stroke, animals were subsequently treated with 5 mg/kg imidapril orally once a day or the vehicle for up to the age of 27 weeks. Imidapril attenuated progression of neurological abnormalities such as irritability, hyperkinesia and motor dysfunction, and increased survival rate. In three-panel runway testing, learning deficits did not develop significantly in the imidapril-treated group, and was comparable to that in the non-salt-loaded/non-stroke group. Imidapril reduced oedema formation in the cortex, hippocampus and striatum, and also suppressed lesion formation in the kidneys and heart. Imidapril thus suppressed progression of neurological deficits with loss of learning ability following onset of stroke, and also suppressed formation of oedema in the brain and decreased the number of lesions in other organs. Imidapril-induced reduction of cerebrovascular damage, which presumably occurs in the brain after stroke, may account for the inhibitory effects of imidapril on lesion formation and learning impairment.     

Adaptive 4D MR imaging using navigator-based respiratory signal for MRI-guided therapy.

For real-time 3D visualization of respiratory organ motion for MRI-guided therapy, a new adaptive 4D MR imaging method based on navigator echo and multiple gating windows was developed. This method was designed to acquire a time series of volumetric 3D images of a cyclically moving organ, enabling therapy to be guided by synchronizing the 4D image with the actual organ motion in real time. The proposed method was implemented in an open-configuration 0.5T clinical MR scanner. To evaluate the feasibility and determine optimal imaging conditions, studies were conducted with a phantom, volunteers, and a patient. In the phantom study the root mean square (RMS) position error in the 4D image of the cyclically moving phantom was 1.9 mm and the imaging time was approximately 10 min when the 4D image had six frames. In the patient study, 4D images were successfully acquired under clinical conditions and a liver tumor was discriminated in the series of frames. The image quality was affected by the relations among the encoding direction, the slice orientation, and the direction of motion of the target organ. In conclusion, this study has shown that the proposed method is feasible and capable of providing a real-time dynamic 3D atlas for surgical navigation with sufficient accuracy and image quality.     

Antiepileptic Effects Under Steady State of Phenytoin Serum Levels Produced in Acute Experiments

The antiepileptic effects of phenytoin (PHT) were examined during steady-state serum levels. Experiments were conducted on 69 adult male rabbits weighing 2.5-3.5 kg. A steady state of one or two different PHT serum levels per rabbit was produced with intravenous (i.v.) injections of loading and infusion doses. A train of focal and generalized seizure discharges (SDs) induced by electrical stimulation was compared before and after dosing with PHT. The results showed that PHT levels of 10-40 micrograms/ml induce inhibitory effects, shortening the duration of neocortical focal SDs. The inhibitory effects paralleled the PHT levels and were proportionally related to epileptogenicity in individual neocortical areas. At serum levels under approximately 5-10 micrograms/ml, the spread of secondarily generalized SDs originating from neocortical focal SDs was suppressed more than the shortening of the duration of the primary focus. On the other hand, PHT showed no effects or only slight inhibitory effects on hippocampal SDs, and the SDs spread from them even at levels of 15-40 micrograms/ml. Electroshock (ES)-induced generalized SDs were slightly suppressed in duration at levels of 20-30 micrograms/ml. Moreover, both the focal and the generalized SDs were greatly prolonged at high serum levels (greater than 40 micrograms/ml), although such facilitative effects were rare. The clinical contributions of these results to PHT treatment in human epilepsy are discussed.     

A Case of Purulent Pancreatic Ductitis Successfully Treated by Endoscopic Stenting

A 50‐year‐old male received conservative medical treatment for acute exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis. High fever, abdominal pain, as well as enhancement of inflammatory response and pancreatic enzymes in serum, persisted after treatment for 1 month. Purulent pancreatic fluid was drained by endoscopically placing an 8F plastic stent in the main pancreatic duct, resulting in marked improvement of clinical symptoms. This case appears to provide useful information in considering indications for pancreatic stents.     

Total care for patients with metabolic syndrome

Insulin resistance plays an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and hence an improvement of insulin resistance is important in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Oral hypoglycemic agents such as thiazolidinediones and biguanides improve glycemic control by reducing insulin resistance. Furthermore, it has been clarified that they also have anti-dyslipidemic, anti-hypertensive and anti-atherosclerotic actions. In addition, such an insulin sensitizing effect has been demonstrated when alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, statins, fibrates and hypotensive agents such as ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and ARBs have been given to patients with insulin resistance. These drugs should be used for each patient on the basis of the underlying diseases, in addition to a lifestyle modification.     

Chronopharmacology of analgesic effect and its tolerance induced by morphine in mice

The influence of morphine dosing time on analgesic effect after acute or chronic treatment, recovery of analgesic effect after once developed tolerance, and their pharmacological mechanisms were investigated in ICR male mice under a 12-h light/dark cycle (light on from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM). There was a significant 24-h rhythm in the latency of thermal response at 30 min after morphine injection. The analgesic effect was significantly greater at the dark phase than at the light phase. The rhythmic pattern resembled overall the rhythm occurring in the latency of thermal response under non-drugged state. The absolute value of morphine analgesic effect (the real time spent on the hot-plate) on days 1 and 2 after morphine daily injection was significantly larger after morphine injection at 9:00 PM than after saline injection at 9:00 PM or after morphine injection at 9:00 AM. The recovery from tolerance of analgesic effect was significantly faster at the dark phase than at the light phase. The time-dependent difference in the analgesic effect after chronic treatment or recovery from tolerance is closely related to that in the expression of mu-opioid receptor. The present study suggests that 24-h rhythm of morphine analgesic effect is consistent with 24-h rhythm of mu-opioid receptor expression.