Season of birth of schizophrenics in a recent Japanese sample

Abstract  An excess of schizophrenic births in winter or early spring is a well replicated finding in studies on Western populations. However, there are few studies on Asian populations, and their results are not consistent. We examined the seasonality of schizophrenic births in Japanese subjects ( n = 1024) born between 1955 and 1960. Our results showed a significant inverse relationship between temperature and number of schizophrenic births, which is in line with the findings in Western populations. In our data, observed reduction of schizophrenic births in summer was more marked than excess births in winter. We suggest the possibility that birth in summer may have some advantage in brain growth early in life, which results in reducing the risk of developing schizophrenia.     

The Diagnosis of the Anomalous Connection of Pancreaticobiliary Ducts Without Biliary Dilatation—The Usefulness of US/EUS Serial Examination—

The anomalous connection of the pancreaticobiliary duct (ACPBD) without accompanying dilatation of the bile duct (non-dilated type of ACPBD) has recently been found to be associated with gallbladder cancer at a rather high rate. We analyzed the diagnostic process of 5 patients with non-dilated type of ACPBD including 3 asymptomatic cases and reviewed the literature. Symptoms and laboratory data were not useful in detecting this type of lesion. All our patients were checked by ultrasonography for gallbladder lesions which are suggested by: wall thickening, multiple polyps, intramural gall stones, cholecystolithiaisis, and debris. ACT revealed only wall thickening of the gallbladder. An EUS revealed a high rate of ACPBD in addition to the ultrasonographic findings of gallbladder lesions obtained by US. An ERCP was effective in clearly demonstrating ACPBD, but was not so useful for the diagnosis of concomitant gallbladder lesions. Therefore, an US is considered to be a useful means for screening this disease, and EUS is useful as a procedure to follow in order to select patients with or without ACPBD, because EUS can be conducted on an outpatient basis and is highly sensitive in detecting ductal anomalies in ACPBD. Therefore, the US/EUS serial examination is thought to be an effective means for diagnosing this disease.     

Study on Small Colorectal Polyps and Early Cancers

Abstract: We investigated the histopathological features of polyps with a diameter of less than 5 mm that had been resected by a snare or hot-biopsy (1, 357 lesions in 712 patients), and considered the problems associated with these techniques. 67.7% of the polyps were adenomas, 15.5% were metaplastic polyps, 0.6% were colon cancers, and 0.1% were carcinoids. Eighty percent of the polyps situated on the oral side of the descending colon were adenomas. Although adenomas occurred somewhat more frequently in the sigmoid colon, they tended to be distributed evenly throughout the entire colon. The reddened color of the surface of the polyps tended to accompany adenomas, while a whitish surface color was frequently associated with metaplastic polyps. Multiple polyps occurred in 57% of the patients and 33.7% of the patients had a large polyp with a diameter of more than 6 mm. In six out of eight cases of cancer the cancers were limited to the mucosa (m), the other 2 were submucosal invaded carcinomas. One of these cases was a depressd type of cancer and the other lesions were classified as being elevated type polyps. The elevated type of diminutive early colorectal carcinoma with a diameter of less than 5 mm was difficult to distinguish endoscopically from benign polyps, so we recommended that small colonic polyps should be removed when encountered during a colonoscopy.     

How does the distention of urinary bladder cause arousal?

Abstract Under urethane anesthesia, the urinary bladder of male rats was distended by 0.3-0.5 mL of saline. When the animals displayed large amplitude delta waves, the distention caused tonic excitation in 76% (19/25) of the noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus and in 53% (16/30) of the cholinergic neurons in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus. The response was followed by a shift of electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern to faster waves of smaller amplitude. When EEG amplitude was faster and smaller, the same stimuli caused no response. Neurons in Barrington's nucleus were excited by a small amount of bladder distention independent of EEG patterns. These results suggest that the transition of state, caused by bladder distention, from deep sleep to light sleep is mediated by noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons in the brainstem.     

Structural characterization of the molten globule and native states of ovalbumin: A H NMR study

Molecular characteristics of ovalbumin (OVA) in the acidic (pD 3.08, the E-form) and neutral [pD 7.29, the N-form (native form)]. regions were studied by measuring effective radii, H NMR spectra, spin-echo H NMR spectra and cross-relaxation times (T_IS) from irradiated to observed protein protons which are particularly sensitive for detection of the mobile segments and/or structural looseness in proteins. H NMR spectra did not show significant differences between the N- and E-forms except for the spectral lines in the CH₃, °CH₂ and aromatic regions. Effective radii and T_IS values for main- and side-chains showed 1.08 and 1.5- to 2.0-fold increases on going from the N- to E-forms, respectively. The elongation of T_IS values might indicate the appearance of the fluctuating tertiary structure in the E-form. Molecular characteristics of the E-form, inferred from reported far ultraviolet-circular dichroism (UV-CD) spectra in the peptide region, near UV-CD spectra in the aromatic region [Koseki et al. (1988) J. Biochem. 103 , 425-130]., effective radii and especially elongation of T_IS values might indicate that the E-form could be in the molten globule state. The onset of denaturation of OVA using I is measurements was also studied.     

Diltiazem Facilitates Endothelin Clearance from the Blood Stream to Reduce Toxic Elevation of Plasma Endothelin Level in Rodents*

Abstract— Pretreatment with diltiazem at a dose of 2 mg kg^?1 intravenously protected against sudden death induced by intravenous administration of endothelin-1 (ET-1, 5 nmol kg^?1), with an apparent decrease in the plasma immunoreactive-ET-1 (IR-ET-1) in mice. These effects, which were also observed in anaesthetized rats, disappeared in rats with bilateral ligation of the renal arteries. In the latter, the exogenous ET-1-induced elevation of plasma IR-ET-1 tended to be higher than that in the sham-operated controls. Furthermore, in anaesthetized rats, diltiazem inhibited ET-1-induced decreases in renal blood flow and increased renal accumulation of IR-ET-1. These results indicate that part of the clearance of ET-1 from the bloodstream occurs in the kidney, and that diltiazem enhances the elimination of the peptide, presumably by improvement in the renal circulation, this action leading to alleviation of the toxic effects of ET-1.     

Alternation of QRS Morphology and Effect of Radiofrequency Ablation in Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia

We performed electrophysiological studies in 13 patients with idiopathic VT and attempted radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation in 4 of them.Results: VT was induced by programmed stimulation in all patients and the mean cycle length was 363 ± 58 msec. In 8 of 13 patients (62%), alternation of either the cycle length and/or morphology of VT was observed. Transient entrainment was achieved in all patients by rapid pacing from the right ventricular outflow tract so reentry was considered the underlying mechanism of VT. The site of earliest activation (EAS) during VT was located at the apicoposterior portion of the left ventricular septum and used as the target site for RF catheter ablation. Spikelike presystolic activity was detected 20–40 msec prior to the large deflection of the local electrogram in four patients. VT was terminated by a few seconds of RF current in all four patients, but subsequently new VTs with a slightly different morphology were induced in three of them and re-mapping showed a shift of the EAS. After additional RF ablation at the new EAS, VT was no longer induced. No complication was noted and VT did not recur during a follow-up period for a mean of 9.3 ± 5.2 months.Conclusion: RF catheter ablation seems useful and safe for idiopathic VT. The alternation of QRS morphology and the findings at the time of catheter ablation suggest that an alternative pathway or multiple exits may be present in some patients with idiopathic VT, because the change in VT morphology was associated with a shift of the EAS.     

A Case of Rectal Carcinoma with Elevated Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein

A gradual increase in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) had beenobserved in a patient with liver cirrhosis and the complicationof rectal carcinoma was disclosed 18 months later. The concentrationof serum AFP decreased rapidly after removal of the tumor andreached a normal value within a month. The level of serum AFP has remained normal and the patient hasbeen well since the operation. There has been no clinical evidenceof the existence of a liver tumor and the production of AFPby the rectal carcinoma cells was suggested.     

PPARα activator irbesartan suppresses the proliferation of endometrial carcinoma cells via SREBP1 and ARID1A

Endometrial carcinoma (EMC) is associated with obesity; however, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) is a nuclear receptor that is involved in lipid, glucose, and energy metabolism. PPARα reportedly functions as a tumor suppressor through its effects on lipid metabolism; however, the involvement of PPARα in the development of EMC remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that the immunohistochemical expression of nuclear PPARα was lower in EMC than in normal endometrial tissues, suggesting the tumor suppressive nature of PPARα. A treatment with the PPARα activator, irbesartan, inhibited the EMC cell lines, Ishikawa and HEC1A, by down-regulating sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) and up-regulating the tumor suppressor genes p21 and p27, antioxidant enzymes, and AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A). These results indicate the potential of the activation of PPARα as a novel therapeutic approach against EMC.