Effects of Topically Applied Spironolactone on Androgen Stimulated Sebaceous Glands in the Hamster Pinna

The effects of spironolactone (5% SYC-201G, a preparation developed for clinical use in acne vulgaris by Searle Yakuhin K.K.), which is known to have antiandrogenic effects by competitively inhibiting dihydrotestosterone at androgen receptor sites, was topically applied to the androgen stimulated sebaceous glands of adult female golden hamsters. Androgen stimulation, induced by intramuscular injection of testosterone propionate (TP) every other day over a two week period, resulted in a 2.5 to 2.7 time increase in the size of the sebaceous glands of the hamster pinna. Once-daily treatment with 5% SYC-201G or matching placebo was applied to androgen-stimulated hamsters on one pinna only during the same period as TP injection. Comparison between the treated and untreated sides revealed a significant suppression in the sebaceous gland size (p<0.05) by 5% SYC-201G; no such effect was observed with placebo. The difference in the suppression rate of the sebaceous gland size between 5% SYC-201G (23%) and matching placebo (–4.7%) was significant (p<0.01).     

Changes of Electroencephalographic Bicoherence during Isoflurane Anesthesia Combined with Epidural Anesthesia

Background: The authors previously reported that, during isoflurane anesthesia, electroencephalographic bicoherence values changed in a fairly restricted region of frequency versus frequency space. The aim of the current study was to clarify the relation between electroencephalographic bicoherence and the isoflurane concentration.

Methods: Thirty elective abdominal surgery patients (male and female, aged 34-77 yr, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-II) were enrolled. After electroencephalogram recording with patients in an awake state, anesthesia was induced with 3 mg/kg thiopental and maintained with oxygen and isoflurane. Continuous epidural anesthesia with 80-100 mg/kg 1% lidocaine was also administered. Using software they developed, the authors continuously recorded the FP1-A1 lead of the electroencephalographic signal and expired isoflurane concentration to an IBM-PC compatible computer. After confirming the steady state of each isoflurane (end-tidal concentration at 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3, and 1.5%), electroencephalographic bicoherence values were calculated.

Results: In a light anesthetic state, electroencephalographic bicoherence values were low (generally <= 15.0%). At increased concentrations of isoflurane, two peaks of electroencephalographic bicoherence emerged along the diagonal line (f1 = f2). The peak emerged at around 4.0 Hz and grew higher as isoflurane concentration increased until it reached a plateau (43.8 +/- 3.5%, mean +/- SD) at isoflurane 0.9%. The other peak, at about 10.0 Hz, also became significantly higher and reached a plateau (32.6 +/- 9.2%) at isoflurane 0.9%; at isoflurane 1.3%, however, this peak slightly decreased.     

Clinical efficacy of clarithromycin in the field of pediatrics

A new macrolide antibiotic, clarithromycin (TE-031, A-56268), was studied for its clinical efficacy in the field of pediatrics. Patients treated were infants and children ranging from 2 months to 11 years old suffering from acute bronchitis in 5 cases, acute tonsillitis in 2 cases, Mycoplasma pneumonia in 2 cases, pertussis in 6 cases, scarlatina in 1 case and acute enteritis in 2 cases, a total of 18 cases. TE-031 was administered 19.7-43.5 mg/kg in daily doses and lengths of treatment ranged from 4 to 19 days. As regards to its clinical efficacy, good or excellent results were obtained in all cases: excellent in 11 cases and good in 7 cases. No clinical side effects nor abnormal laboratory test values obviously attributable to TE-031 were observed.     

Symmetrical brainstem encephalitis caused by herpes simplex virus

We describe a 53-year-old man with herpes simplex virus (HSV) brainstem encephalitis diagnosed based by positive HSV immunoglobulin M antibodies from cerebrospinal fluid. The MRI findings of this case had three unique features. First, the lesions were symmetrical. Second, the lesions may have been associated with reactivation of HSV infection in the region of the trigeminal nerve. Third, diffusion-weighted and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) imaging, conducted for the first time on an HSV brainstem encephalitis case, suggested that the lesions were associated with vasogenic edema.     

Monitoring of intracellular Ca2+ elevation in a single neural cell using a fluorescence microscope/video-camera system

For monitoring the changes in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), we developed a simple system combining a fluorescence microscope, an image intensifier, a video-camera, a cathode ray tube display and a photodiode, employing quin2 as a Ca2+ indicator. We recorded increases of the fluorescence intensity due to [Ca2+]i rises, when high K+ medium, neurotransmitter and Ca2+ ionophore were applied to the single cells of nervous system origin in culture. The present system is capable of simultaneous detection of the [Ca2+]i changes from multiple separate cells.     

A case of immediate allergy to anisakis following saury intake]

We report here a 76-year-old male that presented with an immediate allergy to Anisakis following saury intake. Three and a half hours after eating pressed saury sushi, whole-body pomphus appeared including itching, facial dropsical swelling, and dyspnea. Diagnostic tests revealed specific IgE antibodies against anisakis simplex and a skin prick test was positive using an extraction of anisakis simplex. The results of skin prick tests using the body and internal organs of a saury were negative. Based on these results, we diagnosed the case as immediate allergy to Anisakis. Anisakis is parasitic to a diverse array of fish, and it seems rare that eating saury will induce an allergic response because the reported parasitic rate of Anisakis on saury is only 5%. In addition, as tropomyosin is currently considered to be the primary cause of allergies to Anisakis, renewed attention should be paid to other foods for which tropomyosin is also assumed to be a common antigen.     

Angiolipoma of the buccal mucosa: a possible role of mast cell-derived VEGF in its enhanced vascularity

A case of angiolipoma occurring in the buccal mucosa of a 69-year-old male is described. The patient had noticed a painless mass in his buccal mucosa for 2 years. The surgically removed tumor, measuring 9 mm in diameter, was mainly located in the submucosal layer with focal expansion into the muscle layer. Histologically, the tumor was well-demarcated and composed of proliferations of mature fat cells and fibrous connective tissue containing many small blood vessels, which were evenly distributed. There was diffuse infiltration of a large number of mast cells, which were immunopositive for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) especially around blood vessels, suggesting that VEGF produced by mast cells in angiolipomas plays an important role in the vascular proliferation in this particular tumor.