Intracerebroventricular injection of choline increases plasma oxytocin levels in conscious rats

In the present study, we examined the effect of intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) injected choline on both basal and stimulated oxytocin release in conscious rats. I.c.v. injection of choline (50–150 μg) caused time- and dose-dependent increases in plasma oxytocin levels under normal conditions. The increase in plasma oxytocin levels in response to i.c.v. choline (150 μg) was greatly attenuated by the pretreatment of rats with atropine (10 μg; i.c.v.), muscarinic receptor antagonist. Mecamylamine (50 μg; i.c.v.), a nicotinic receptor antagonist, failed to suppress the effect of 150 μg choline on oxytocin levels. Pretreatment of rats with 20 μg of hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), a specific inhibitor of choline uptake into nerve terminals, greatly attenuated the increase in plasma oxytocin levels in response to i.c.v. choline injection. Osmotic stimuli induced by either oral administration of 1 ml hypertonic saline (3 M) following 24-h dehydration of rats (type 1) or an i.c.v. injection of hypertonic saline (1 M) (type 2) increased plasma oxytocin levels significantly, but hemorrhage did not alter basal oxytocin concentrations. The i.c.v. injection of choline (50, 150 μg) under these conditions caused an additional and significant increase in plasma oxytocin concentrations beyond that produced by choline in normal conditions. These data show that choline can increase plasma oxytocin concentrations through the stimulation of central cholinergic muscarinic receptors by presynaptic mechanisms and enhance the stimulated oxytocin release.     

Crohn's disease of the vulva

We have reported a case of Crohn's disease of the vulva, an unusual manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease. The initial management of this condition should be medical, using antibiotics and established regimens to control gastrointestinal symptoms. Surgical therapy is appropriate when medical management fails, as it did in our patient.     

Synthesis and in vitro LTD4 antagonist activity of bicyclic and monocyclic cyclopentylurethane and cyclopentylacetamide N-arylsulfonyl amides

The dissociation constants (KB) at the LTD4 receptor on guinea pig trachea of a series of monocyclic and bicyclic cyclopentylurethane and cyclopentylacetamide N-arylsulfonyl amides have been measured. The KB was found to be remarkably tolerant of changes in the electronic constitution and lipophilicity of the bicyclic ring system (template). Thus, N-[4[[6-[[(cyclopentyloxy)carbonyl]amino]benzimidazol-1- yl]methyl]-3-methoxybenzoyl]benzenesulfonamide (11a) and N-[4-[[5-[[(cyclopentyloxy)carbonyl]amino]benzo[b]thien-3- yl]methyl]-3-methoxybenzoyl]benzene-sulfonamide (25a) had closely similar affinities (pKB, 9.20 and 9.31, respectively; LTE4 as agonist). It has been shown that the hetero-ring of the template need not be aromatic in order to achieve high affinity, since indoline 31 and 2,3-dihydrobenz-1,4-oxazines 37a-c had pKBs greater than 9. Further, it has been shown that an o-aminophenone (see 42 and Figure 3) can function as a template; the template in 42 [see iii] is bicyclic by virtue of the presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond. In contrast, when the template is a phenyl ring (48), receptor affinity is markedly reduced. These findings support the notion that central bicyclic ring system in this family of peptidoleukotriene antagonists is a molecular feature which helps to preorganize the acylamino and acidic chains and thereby facilitate the molecular recognition event.     

The use of a subperiosteal tissue expander in rib reconstruction of an atrophic mandible

A technique is described that provides adequate coverage for rib grafts used in reconstruction of the atrophic mandible. The flaps are highly vascular and thick because of the fibrous capsule that forms around the tissue expander. A one-stage expansion technique is used that reduces the total time needed for reconstruction.     

Function and regulation of a murine macrophage-specific IgG Fc receptor, Fc gamma R-alpha

Ligand binding specificities of two cloned murine Fc gamma Rs (Fc gamma R-alpha, Fc gamma R-beta [9]) were determined by gene transfer into Fc gamma R negative cell lines. Both receptors were expressed as full-length molecules capable of IgG immune complex binding that was inhibitable by the mAb 2.4G2. The ligand binding profiles of these receptors were indistinguishable whereby both bound immune-complexed mouse IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b, but not IgG3. Neither receptor could bind monomeric IgG2a, indicating these receptors to be low-affinity IgG Fc receptors. Accumulation of the Fc gamma R-alpha mRNA can be induced with murine IFN-gamma at a concentration of 200 U/ml in the macrophage-like cell lines RAW 264.7 and J774a. The time course for induction indicates that the mRNA accumulation is transient but does not return to the uninduced level even after 50 h of treatment. Fc gamma R-beta mRNA was not induced by IFN-gamma, rather its expression was down modulated in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Both RAW and J774a cells lines exhibited increased receptor levels after IFN-gamma stimulation as measured by 125I-2.4G2 and ligand binding. In the absence of IFN-gamma, the RAW and J774a cell lines were minimally phagocytic, while P388D1 cells were actively phagocytic. In the presence of IFN-gamma, however, RAW 264.7 and J774a cells were induced to become actively phagocytic. Induction of Fc gamma R-alpha mRNA and protein by IFN-gamma may be part of the process by which macrophages become activated to engulf antibody-coated particles.     

Disorders in early embryonal cellular proliferative properties distort the postnatal formation of nervous, immune, and endocrine regulation systems in a newborn

Disorders in the postnatal nervous, immune, and endocrine regulation systems were revealed in the progeny of rats irradiated during the preimplantation period of embryogenesis. These disorders persist till adult age. The direction of disorders confirms the hypothesis about memorization of changed proliferative properties of embryonal cells during the development of the (pro)endocrine system of a new organism. Memorization results in distortion of postnatal nervous immunoendocrine regulation: hypertrophy of the endocrine component and coadaptive underdevelopment of the nervous and immune components. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 8, pp. 164–166, August, 1998