Antimicrobial activity of AO-128, a novel inhibitor of alpha-D-glucosidase, against anaerobic bacteria]

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of AO-128, an inhibitor of alpha-D-glucosidase, was evaluated against anaerobic bacteria of 45 reference strains (12 genera, 44 species). AO-128 inhibited no strains tested at a concentration of 1,600 micrograms/ml. The results strongly suggested that this compound would not have any influence on the human intestinal microflora, a majority of which is composed of anaerobic bacteria.     

Operative findings in camptodactyly of the little finger.

In five of six cases of camptodactyly in which an abnormality of the flexor tendon was examined at operation, the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon was hypoplastic and there was no continuity of the normal tendon between the muscle belly and bony insertion. The proximal end of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon was attached to the palmar aponeurosis and the flexor tendon sheath of the ring finger in two patients, to the palmar aponeurosis in one, to the undersurface of the transverse carpal ligament in one and to the flexor tendon sheath of the ring finger in one. The tenodesis effect of the abnormal tendon of the flexor digitorum superficialis is considered to play an important role in the cause and rapid increase of the deformity of camptodactyly.     

Surgical management of endocrine tumor of the pancreas in Japan

Endocrine tumor of the pancreas is potentially malignant. A multicenter analysis of these tumors was conducted to clarity the present status of their surgical management and the subsequent long-term surgical results. The Japan pancreatoduodenectomy (JPD) study group carried out the study; 368 patients were enrolled and variables related to tumor characteristics, surgery, and survival were retrospectively analyzed. There were 222 patients with functioning tumor and 143 patients with nonfunctioning tumor. Malignant tumor was found in 140 of 368 (38%) of the patients, and 63/140 (45%) of these patients had metastatic lesion; the most common site of the metastasis was liver 34/136 (25%), followed by regional lymph nodes 26/136 (19%). Pancreatic resection was performed in 91% of patients with nonfunctional tumor and in 83% of those with malignant tumor, and 73% of the pancreatic resections were done with lymph node dissection. The overall 5-year actuarial survival rate was 76% in patients with malignant tumor. The actuarial 5-year survival rate was 93% in the patients without metastasis and 83% in patients who received curative resection. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence or absence of synchronous metastasis was the sole significant prognostic factor. The results suggest that: (i) malignant endocrine tumor of the pancreas is a curable malignancy when pancreatic resection with lymph node dissection is adopted and (ii) that synchronous metastasis is the dominant prognostic factor. This study was carried out as a group project. The authors' institutions are as follows     

A case of chest wall rhabdomyosarcoma]

A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with right chest pain. Chest X-ray, CT scan and MRI revealed a chest wall tumor and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. Percutaneous lung biopsy was performed, and the pathological diagnosis of pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma was obtained. The only significant abnormal laboratory finding was elevation of serum NSE (24.5 ng/ml). Although chemotherapy (VAC-ADM) and radiation therapy were performed, the patient died about 7 months after admission. To our knowledge, only 17 cases of chest wall rhabdomyosarcoma have been reported in Japan.     

Localization of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) in the Hypothalamus-Pituitary System in Rats: Light and Electron Microscopic Immunocytochemical Studies

The localization of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in the hypothalamus-pituitary system in rats was examined in light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry using a specific antiserum to synthetic PACAP 1–38 (R0831). In light microscopic study, intensely PACAP-immunostained perikarya were observed in the supraoptic and paraventricular magnocellular nucleus in the hypothalamus. In the median eminence, many immunoreactive nerve fibers were observed in the internal layer, but a few immunoreactive terminals were noticed in the external layer. In the pituitary gland, numerous immunoreactive nerve fibers were observed in the posterior lobe. In the intermediate lobe, moderately immunostained cells were observed, but in the anterior lobe no immunostained cells were noticed. In electron microscopic study, PACAP-immunoreactivity was examined by avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method. In the perikarya of the supraoptic and paraventricular magnocellular nucleus, DAB-reaction products were distributed diffusely in the cytoplasmic matrix, frequently attaching to the rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. In the nerve terminals of the posterior lobe, reaction products were observed among the secretory granules, but sometimes upon them. In the cells of the intermediate lobe, reaction products were also distributed in the cytoplasmic matrix.     

A transcrista galli, translamina terminalis approach for highly placed basilar bifurcation aneurysms

Summary Surgery for highly placed basilar bifurcation aneurysms is one of the most difficult operations in neurosurgery. Specific surgical techniques have been developed including the temporopolar, zygomatic, transzygomatic subtemporal, transclinoid trans-sellar transcavernous, and trans third ventricular approaches. The authors present some technical advances which have been developed for the transcristagalli translamina terminalis approach for the treatment of this aneurysm.     

Effect of central scotomata on pattern reversal visual evoked potentials in patients with maculopathy and healthy subjects

The effect of central scotomata on pattern reversal visual evoked potential (PVEP) was investigated in patients with maculopathy and healthy subjects. PVEP was evoked monocularly by both full-field and half-field stimulations. Since the latency of 'the major positivity at Oz' (P100-Oz) is used as the most reliable parameter in the clinical application of PVEP, special attention was focused on its changes, comparing with 'ipsilateral major positivity of half-field PVEP' (P100-IHF). Although the incidence of modification was lower in the patients, central scotomata modified PVEPs of the healthy subjects and of the affected eye of the patients in a similar manner: full-field PVEP showed prolonged latency and reduced amplitude of P100-Oz. Half-field PVEP disclosed prolonged P100-Oz latency with intact P100-IHF latency. Only difference was that amplitude reduction of both P100-Oz and P100-IHF of half-field PVEP was observed only in the healthy subjects. The prolonged P100-Oz latency of half-field PVEP was accompanied, both in the healthy subjects and in the patients, by a contralateral negative-positive complex (N105-P135) which was augmented and extended to Oz. The prolonged P100-Oz latency, thus, was due to the pronounced P135. These observations suggested that an attenuation of the afferent impulses from the central retina may cause a prolongation of the P100-Oz latency in both healthy subjects and patients, but this is not a reflection of the truly prolonged P100-IHF latency. It was concluded that, in the clinical application of PVEP, recordings of half-field PVEP from the lateral electrodes seem to be essential to distinguish true prolongation of the P100-Oz latency.     

Developmental changes in the susceptibility to long-term potentiation of neurones in rat visual cortex slices.

We investigated with intracellular recordings from rat visual cortex slices whether the susceptibility to undergo long-term potentiation (LTP) is age-dependent and whether it is correlated with the expression of synaptic responses mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Test and tetanic stimuli were applied to the white matter and post-tetanic modifications of the amplitude of postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) were assessed in regular spiking cells of supragranular layers. At 2 weeks of age, the amplitudes of early (8-10 ms post-stimulus) and late (20 ms post-stimulus) PSP-components increased after tetanic stimulation to 137.1 +/- 13.4% and 141.3 +/- 12.1% of the pretetanic controls, respectively. At 3 weeks, potentiation of both PSP-components was less pronounced but still significant, the late component being on average more potentiated than the early one. At 4 weeks, PSPs were no longer potentiated. Bath application of 25 microM DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), an NMDA receptor antagonist, blocked LTP induction both at 2 and at 3 weeks. We also studied developmental changes of two synaptic responses known to influence the susceptibility of cortical neurones to LTP, the NMDA receptor-mediated excitatory PSP (EPSP) and the initial inhibitory PSP (iIPSP). The amplitude of the APV-sensitive EPSP decreased with age and reached adult values in 4-week-old animals. The iIPSPs were pronounced already at 2 weeks and showed no marked change during further development. The results suggest a close correlation between the susceptibility to undergo LTP and the extent to which NMDA receptor-gated conductances contribute to the synaptic response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Autoradiographic analysis of second messenger and neurotransmitter system receptors in the gerbil hippocampus following transient forebrain ischemia.

Changes in second messenger and neurotransmitter system receptor ligand binding induced by transient forebrain ischemia were studied in the gerbil hippocampus. The animals were allowed variable periods of recovery ranging from 2 h to 7 days after 5-min bilateral carotid artery occlusion. The binding of second messenger systems ([3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate ([3H]IP3)to inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate, [3H]forskolin to adenylate cyclase and [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutylate to protein kinase C) and neurotransmitter receptor systems ([3H]PN200-110 to L-type calcium channels. [3H]N6-cyclohexyl-adenosine to adenosine A1 and [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate to muscarinic cholinergic receptor) were assayed using quantitative autoradiography. In the CA1 subfield, 2 h after ischemia, [3H]IP3, [3H]forskolin, and [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding activities significantly decreased by 25, 17 and 13%, respectively, though no morphological abnormalities were obvious. Six hours after ischemia, the [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutylate binding activity in the stratum oriens of the CA1 subfield increased by 15%. One day after ischemia, [3H]PN200-110 binding activity in this subfield decreased by 26%, and 7 days after ischemia, [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutylate and [3H]N6-cyclohexyl-adenosine receptor binding activities decreased in this subfield. In particular, at 7 days after ischemia, [3H]IP3 binding activity in the CA1 subfield showed a complete decline. In the CA3 subfield, [3H]PN200-110 binding activity decreased 2 days after ischemia, and [3H]IP3 and [3H]N6-cyclohexyl-adenosine binding activities decreased 7 days after ischemia. In the dentate gyrus, the structure of which remained histologically intact after ischemic insult, [3H]IP3 and [3H]forskolin binding activities decreased 7 days after ischemia. In contrast, the [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutylate binding activity increased in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus 7 days after ischemia. These results indicate that marked alteration of intracellular signal transduction precedes neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and that the histologically intact CA3 and dentate gyrus also shows modulated neuronal transmission after ischemia.     

Age- and sex-related differences in the nerve growth factor distribution in the rat brain.

Levels of the nerve growth factor (NGF) have been measured in various brain regions of young and aged male and female rats of Wistar strain by means of a highly sensitive two-site enzyme immunoassay system for beta-NGF. Among the ten regions examined, the amount of NGF per wet weight of tissue was found to be highest in the hippocampus, irrespective of the sex and age. The NGF concentration in the hippocampus of female rats at 3 months of age was comparable to that of same aged males. Further, there was no significant difference in the NGF levels of the hippocampus between young and age males. However, the NGF level was significantly lower in aged females as compared to that in 3- or 4-month-old females, and hence the marked male-female difference was found in the NGF levels in aged Wistar rats.