Catecholamine innervation of the forebrain in the bull frog, Rana catesbiana.

The innervation of forebrain catecholamine (CA) were experimentally investigated with use of sensitive fluorescence method of glyoxylic acid formaldehyde in the brain of the bull frog, Rana catesbiana. The CA of the olfactory bulb is supplied by CA neurons situated in olfactory bulb. And CA neurons in the hypothalamus contribute the main source for the forebrain CA except olfactory bulb. The hypothalamic CA neurons also give rise to long descending axons to innervate the brain stem. Judging from their anatomical aspects it seems that the structure homologous to mammalian nigro-neostriatal dopamine or mesolimbic dopamine system is not present in amphibian brain.     

Pseudocyst of the pericardium developing during maintenance hemodialysis. Report of two cases.

Two cases of pericardial pseudocyst which developed in the course of maintenance hemodialysis are reported. Both patients were usually free of complaints, although there was evidence of the previous pericarditis with recent accumulation of pericardial effusion. As a possible mechanism leading to pericardial pseudocyst formation, distension of a weak area of the thickened pericardium due to an increase in intrapericardial pressure was assumed. Therefore, pericardial pseudocyst is one of the likely complications of patients on maintenance hemodialysis.     

In utero and lactational exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in rats disrupts brain sexual differentiation

The effects of in utero and lactational exposure of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on brain sexual differentiation were investigated. TCDD was orally administered to pregnant Holtzman rats on gestation day (GD) 15, and the activity of brain aromatase, a key enzyme for sexual differentiation, was measured in offspring on postnatal day (PND) 2. Changes in sexual dimorphisms of saccharin preference and the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) were examined in adult offspring. In controls, litter means of brain aromatase activity were higher in males than in females. In utero exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly decreased the sex ratio of aromatase activity (male/female) on PND 2. Offspring were weaned on PND28 and the saccharin test was started on PND84. In controls, saccharin (0.25%) intake (g/kg body weight) was significantly higher in female offspring than in males. In utero exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly increased saccharin intake in male offspring compared with control males, whereas 800 ng/kg TCDD had no effect. Neither dose of TCDD influenced saccharin intake of female offspring. In controls, SDN-POA volume was significantly greater in males than in females at 14 weeks of age. Exposure to 200 ng/kg TCDD significantly decreased SDN-POA volume in males, whereas 800 ng/kg TCDD had no effect. Neither doses of TCDD influenced the SDN-POA volume in female offspring. These results suggest that in utero and lactational TCDD exposure dose-dependently induces demasculinization in male offspring by inhibiting brain aromatase activity in the hypothalamus-preoptic area during central nervous system development.     

Comparison of the antioxidant activity of roasted tea with green, oolong, and black teas

Although the antioxidant properties of green, oolong, and black teas have been well studied, antioxidant activity has not been examined in roasted tea. Therefore, in the current studies, we investigated the antioxidant activity of roasted tea in comparison with those of green, oolong, and black teas. Using water extracts of the various teas, we examined the total phenolic content as well as the antioxidant activities, including the reducing power, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and the inhibition of hemolysis caused by 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced lipid oxidation in erythrocyte membranes. The roasted tea contained lower levels of total phenolics than green, oolong, or black tea (green tea > oolong tea > black tea > roasted tea). The relative reducing power and DPPH scavenging activity decreased in the following order: green tea > roasted tea > oolong tea > black tea. Also, green tea was more effective against AAPH-induced erythrocyte hemolysis than other teas (green tea>roasted tea = oolong tea = black tea). These results suggest that roasted tea is beneficial to health, in humans, because of its high antioxidant activity.     

The establishment of tolerable intake levels and the current situation of the risk assessment of dioxin and related compounds

In 1999 the Japanese Government implemented the Dioxin Counter-Measure Law, which based on a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of dioxin and related compounds of 4 pg-TEQ/kg/day. We here review and explain how the TDI was established by the joint advisory board organized under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Environment Agency, based upon the available scientific findings at that time. We also report on the current dioxin risk assessment situation, focusing upon re-evaluation of the toxic equivalency factor scheme, which has been discussed in the most recent international scientific conferences.     

Primary hepatic carcinoid tumor with carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid heart disease: a case report of a patient on long-term follow-up

We report a 57-year-old woman with a primary hepatic carcinoid tumor who had been suffering from symptoms due to carcinoid syndrome and carcinoid heart disease for more than 9 years. Long-term injection of octreotide acetate was fairly effective to relieve the symptoms due to carcinoid syndrome, but its tumor contraction effect was not confirmed. The massive ascites in the follow-up period appeared to be diminished to a certain extent by timely chemotherapy including cisplatin. The patient died of multi-organ failure about 9 years after the onset of disease. Autopsy confirmed a primary hepatic carcinoid tumor with limited distant metastases.     

Adrenorphin immunoreactivity in rat brain

Adrenorphin is the first C-terminally amidated form of opioid peptides isolated from human pheochromocytoma tumor and is considered to be generated out of proenkephalin A by unique processing. By the highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedure utilizing the antiserum against adrenorphin, combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), immunoreactive adrenorphin in rat brain was verified to be identical with its authentic peptide. It has been revealed that adrenorphin immunoreactivity distributes widely in rat brain but in the unique pattern distinct from those of other endogenous opioid peptides. Note that immunoreactive adrenorphin was most concentrated in the olfactory bulb, and appreciably in the hypothalamus and striatum. Furthermore, immunohistochemical study has revealed that adrenorphin-immunoreactive structures in hypothalamic region of rat were localized in the neurones of the arcuate nucleus. In addition, adrenorphin-immunoreactive fibre plexus was found in the various regions of the hypothalamus, such as median eminence, periventricular zone and paraventricular nucleus. These indicate that adrenorphin may have a unique physiological function.     

Comparative anatomy of cerebellar catecholamine innervation from teleosts to mammals.

The cerebellar innervation of the catecholamine (CA) neurons was experimentally investigated with histofluorescence method in the brains of the vertebrates from teleosts to mammals. In the teleosts the source for the cerebellar CA are composed of three CA neuron groups. Hypothalamic CA neuron group contributes mainly to innervation in the valvula cerebelli whose development is dependent on the high degree of the development of the lateral-line organ. CA neurons in the medulla oblongata might innervate the vestibulo-lateral lobe and corpus cerebelli. These two CA neuron groups appear to constitute the main source for the cerebellar CA, though it is certain that rhombencephalic CA neurons also send their axons to innervate the cerebellum. In the tailless amphibian which is devoid of the lateral-line nerves, cerebellar CA especially in the corpus cerebelli is supplied mainly by the rhombencephalic CA neurons which still remain in less developed stage in phylogenetic scale. In the bird, ascending CA neuron system is maintained by long axons and the anlage of locus coeruleus (LC) appear first in this class. A large number of CA nerve terminals in the cerebellum of the bird are supplied by both CA neurons of the dorsal part of the tegmentum and CA neurons disseminated in the tegmental reticular formation. In the mammals showing the highest development of the cerebellar and cerebral cortices, LC is well developed and cerebellar CA is supplied mainly by LC, though cerebellum is innervated by other CA neurons besides LC. Possible significance of the CA neurons on the development of the cerebellum in phylogeny was discussed.     

Magnetic resonance imaging in stress fractures and shin splints

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether stress fractures and shin splints could be discriminated with MRI in the early phase. Twenty-two athletes, who had pain in the middle or distal part of their leg during or after sports activity, were evaluated with radiographs and MRI scans. Stress fractures were diagnosed when consecutive radiographs showed local periosteal reaction or a fracture line, and shin splints were diagnosed in all the other cases. In all eight patients with stress fractures, an abnormally wide high signal in the localized bone marrow was the most detectable in the coronal fat-suppressed MRI scan. In 11 patients with shin splints, the coronal fat-suppressed MRI scans showed a linear abnormally high signal along the medial posterior surface of the tibia, and in seven patients with shin splints, the MRI scans showed a linear abnormally high signal along the medial bone marrow. No MRI scans of shin splints showed an abnormally wide high signal in the bone marrow as observed on MRI scans of stress fractures. This study showed that fat-suppressed MRI is useful for discrimination between stress fracture and shin splints before radiographs show a detectable periosteal reaction in the tibia.