Apnea-related heart rate variability in congestive heart failure patients

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) causes fluctuation of the RR interval. However, the details are uncertain. We studied the characteristics of sleep-related heart rate variation (HRV) in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients with SDB. Ambulatory electrocardiograms and data on respiration (oronasal flow, trachea sound, abdominal wall movement, and oxygen saturation) were simultaneously recorded by a multi-channel digital recorder for 13 CHF patients (8 men and 5 women; mean age, 68 +/- 4 years). Heart rate variation occurred as a result of cyclical apnea attacks between 0.005 and 0.03 Hz (apnea band). The proportion of the apnea band (% apnea) increased with the number of apnea episodes, and SDB was highly likely when the % apnea was > or = 80%. Low-flow oxygen administration effectively reduced apnea frequency, and the apnea-related HRV also decreased. We concluded that apnea-related HRV was useful for detecting and following SDB in CHF cases.     

Dissemination and proliferation of neural stem cells on the spinal cord by injection into the fourth ventricle of the rat: a method for cell transplantation

We examined the distribution of hippocampus-derived neural stem cells on the spinal cord surface for up to 3 weeks following injection through the fourth ventricle. The injected cells were disseminated as tiny spots on the pia mater of the spinal cord and proliferated into large cell-clusters. On both the dorsal and ventral side, cell clusters increased in number rapidly up to 5 days after injection and thereafter decreased gradually due to the coalition of neighbouring clusters. Concomitantly, individual cell clusters continuously increased in size, occupying almost 50% of the spinal cord surface. Cell attachment was usually found around blood vessels, along which cells invaded into the spinal cord. In the injured site, cells migrated into the lesion and were integrated into the spinal cord tissue, some of which had differentiated into astrocytes 1-2 weeks after injection. BrdU-uptake experiments demonstrated that the transplanted cells proliferated within the host cerebrospinal fluid. These results indicate that application of neural stem cells through the ventricle is an effective method to disseminate cells all over the spinal cord and that they can migrate and be integrated into the injured spinal cord.     

Encrusted cystitis with ammonium acid urate calculi: a case report

We present a case of encrusted cystitis with ammonium acid urate calculi. An 88-year-old man was referred to our hospital to determine the cause of hematopyuria. He was a patient at another hospital for treatment of interstitial pneumonia with predonisolone. After admission to our hospital, kidney, ureter, bladder X-ray, computed togography and cystoscopy revealed calcification of about two-thirds of the mucosa of the bladder, and biopsy of the bladder revealed bacterial colonies with inflammation and calcification. Calculographic analysis revealed ammonium acid urate calculi. After treatment with antibiotics and irrigation with solita T1, an acidic solution of pH 3.5-6.5, inflammation and calcification were significantly reduced.     

Association between renal dysfunction and mortality among inhabitants in the region around the Jinzu River basin polluted by cadmium

A follow-up study was conducted on 5725 inhabitants (men 2858, women 2867) in and around the Jinzu River basin to determine the influence of environmental Cd exposure on mortality. In the Jinzu River basin, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) investigated according to urinary findings (protein, glucose, and protein+glucose) were significantly low in the urinary protein-, glucose-, and protein+glucose-negative groups. SMRs calculated after dividing urinary protein- and glucose-positive status into two levels were lowest in the proteinuria- and glycosuria-negative groups and tended to be high in the higher positive groups. In the Jinzu River basin, Cox's hazard ratios were significantly higher for men and women in the urinary protein, glucose and protein+glucose-positive-groups. In the same analysis where the urinary protein- and glucose-positive subjects were divided into two levels, mortality was demonstrated to be higher in the groups with the greater degrees of proteinuria and glycosuria. In the Jinzu River water system almost all SMRs and Cox's hazard ratios showed statistical significance. This was not the case in the other water systems. Mortality of inhabitants with Cd-induced renal injury is increased in the Jinzu River basin.     

Identification of addicsin/GTRAP3-18 as a chronic morphine-augmented gene in amygdala

Using subtractive cloning, we identified a 1.4 kb mRNA that was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues; this mRNA was highly up-regulated in amygdala nuclei in mice when morphine was repeatedly administered but not when an opiate-receptor antagonist was co-administered. The mRNA encodes a 23 kDa protein, designated 'addicsin'. This contains two putative PKC-phosphorylation motifs and several hydrophobic regions, and was recovered in a soluble protein fraction of brain lysate. Its primary structure showed 98% identity with that of rat glutamate-transporter-associated protein 3-18 (GTRAP3-18), a putative modulator of neural glutamate-transporter EAAC1. Up-regulation of addicsin expression by morphine may affect glutamate uptake in the amygdala, causing mice to develop morphine tolerance and dependence.     

Effects of group musical therapy on inpatients with chronic psychoses: a controlled study

The objective of the present study was to examine the efficacy of group musical therapy for inpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective psychosis. Thirty-four therapy group subjects in a ward for long-stay female patients received 15 group musical therapy sessions over 4 months, while 32 waiting group subjects from another ward with the same function were to wait for the sessions until the studied course was completed. The assessment included measures of psychotic symptoms, objective quality of life and subjective musical experiences. Comparison of the groups indicated that significant advantages in the therapy group subjects were detected in some measures concerning personal relations and a subjective sense of participation in a chorus activity. However, the follow-up evaluation suggested that the improvement might not be durable. These findings suggested that the musical therapy had some, but possibly only short-lived, effects on personal relations and musical experiences of chronic psychotic patients.     

Glucagon-like peptide-1 evokes action potentials and increases cytosolic Ca2+ in rat nodose ganglion neurons

We previously reported that the intraportal appearance of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) facilitates the afferent activity (the spike discharge firing rate) of the rat hepatic vagus in a dose-dependent fashion. To examine whether GLP-1 directly activates single neurons isolated from the rat nodose ganglion, GLP-1-induced changes of the membrane potential and cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the cells were measured using whole-cell patch-clamp and microfluorometric techniques, respectively. GLP-1 application (3 x 10(-12) - 3 x 10(-9) M) induced a gradual depolarization from a mean resting membrane potential of - 55.0 +/- 3.1 mV and evoked a burst of action potentials with a time lag of 7.5 +/- 4.5 min after its starting (n = 4). The burst of action potentials continued during the application and even up to 13 min or more after its cessation. GLP-1 at a concentration of 10(-12) - 10(-8) M induced an increase of [Ca2+]i. The GLP-1-induced [Ca2+]i responses were often oscillatory and lasted even up to 10 min or more after the washout of GLP-1. An adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, mimicked the GLP-1-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. The present results indicate that GLP-1 activates nodose ganglion neurons as manifested by membrane depolarization, a burst of action potentials and [Ca2+]i increase, possibly via the cAMP pathway. Together with our previous observations, the results strongly suggest cellular mechanisms by which the postprandial humoral information, intraportal appearance of GLP-1, is uniquely converted to the neural information in the hepatoportal area.     

Demonstration of competition between endogenous dopamine and [11C]raclopride binding in in vitro brain slices using a dynamic autoradiography technique

Although the basolateral nucleus (BL) of the amygdala is known to contain an abundance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons that regulate the amygdaloid projection neurons and influence storage and consolidation of memory, it remains to be determined what type of neuronal input controls GABAergic neurons in the BL. We examined the synapses that GABAergic neurons form with GABAergic and noradrenergic neurons and terminals with unknown transmitters by double-labeling immunoelectron microscopy using anti-GABA and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) antisera. The medium and small dendrites of the GABAergic neurons were shown to receive symmetric, inhibitory-type synapses from GABAergic axon terminals and asymmetric, excitatory-type synapses from noradrenergic axon terminals. Each segment of the GABAergic neurons from perikarya to dendritic spines received both symmetric and asymmetric synapses from unlabeled axon terminals of various forms and sizes. The incidence rates of the two types of synapses were almost identical. Our results suggest that GABAergic neurons in the BL of the rat amygdala might be affected by the excitatory influence of the noradrenergic system and the inhibitory influence of the GABAergic system. Furthermore, these neurons are also strongly influenced by both excitatory and inhibitory-type synapses from neuronal systems other than the GABAergic and noradrenergic systems.