Testicular macromolecular synthesis in men with varicocele.

The synthesis of DNA, RNA, and protein by varicocele testes with spermatogenic dysfunction was studied by examination of the levels of incorporation of [3H]thymidine, [14C]uridine, and [14C]leucine into the testicular tissue at 31 degrees C in vitro. The results suggest that DNA synthesis by the testis with moderate tubular damage is impaired whereas synthesis of RNA and protein is not. The cell regenerative ability of the testis with moderate tubular damage may be poor in spite of the preservation of testicular cell RNA and protein synthesis.     

Radial shortening for Kienb?ck's disease: factors affecting the operative result

The operative results of radial shortening in 23 patients with Kienb?ck's disease were analysed on the basis of age, stage of disease, ulnar variance and the amount of radial shortening. The patient's age was found to be the factor which affected the operative result most and unsatisfactory results were obtained in patients over 30 years old. However, neither the clinical stage nor ulnar variance affected the results significantly and the results in patients with ulnar zero or plus were no worse than in patients with ulnar minus. The risk of ulnar wrist pain was increased when the radius was shortened more than 4 mm in patients with positive or zero ulnar variance. This was an important cause of unsatisfactory operative results.     

Basic and clinical studies on norfloxacin in the pediatric field

Pharmacokinetic , bacteriological and clinical studies on norfloxacin (NFLX), a quinolone-carboxylic acid antibacterial agent, were conducted in the pediatric field. 1. Serum concentrations and urinary excretion of NFLX after single dose of 2.2 approximately 5.6 mg/kg (mean 4.4 +/- 1.2 mg/kg) were determined in 13 children with ages between 6 and 11 years. The mean peak serum concentration of the drug was 0.37 +/- 0.20 micrograms/ml at 2 hours after administration. The mean half-life of the drug in serum was 2.8 +/- 0.4 hours and the serum concentration at 8 hours was 0.11 +/- 0.06 micrograms/ml. The mean urinary concentration reached a maximum of 125.2 +2- 166.2 micrograms/ml in pooled urine from 0 to 2 hours and the mean urinary recovery rate in the first 8 hours after administration was 22.1 +/- 6.0%. A dose-response relationship was observed between doses/body weight and peak serum concentrations. 2. The clinical efficacy, bacteriological efficacy and the safety of NFLX were evaluated in 65 pediatric patients with ages between 2 years 10 months and 15 years 7 months with infections. In 62 assessable cases (acute purulent tonsillitis 9 cases, acute pneumonia 3 cases, chronic rhinitis 1 case, urinary tract infections 15 cases, and acute colitis 34 cases), clinical efficacies were excellent in 48 cases, good in 13 cases, and fair in 1 case with an overall efficacy rate of 98.4%. Staphylococcus aureus 1 strain, Staphylococcus epidermidis 1 strain, Escherichia coli 10 strains, Salmonella sp. 5 strains, Morganella morganii 1 strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3 strains, Haemophilus parainfluenzae 1 strain and Campylobacter jejuni 12 strains were isolated from the patients as pathogens. Bacteriologically, all of these strains were eradicated except that 3 strains of C. jejuni only decreased. With regard to side effects, dizziness and nausea were observed in 1 case each but they were slight and the continuation of the treatment was possible. No abnormal laboratory test data were observed. From the above results, NFLX was considered to be a useful drug for the treatment of pediatric infections.     

Protective effect of prostaglandins D2, E1 and I2 against cerebral hypoxia/anoxia in mice

The protective effect of prostaglandins (PGs) against cerebral hypoxia/anoxia was investigated with a variety of experimental models in relation to their CNS depressant effects in mice. Furthermore, the effect of PGs on the changes of cerebral energy metabolites and cyclic nucleotide was examined in hypoxic mice. Mice were given s.c. doses of PGs 30 min before tests. Among the PGs tested, treatment with PGD2, PGE1 and PGI2 Na showed a consistent and dose-dependent protection against cerebral anoxia induced by all models studied: histotoxic anoxia by KCN, hypobaric hypoxia, normobaric hypoxia and decapitation-induced gasping. However, PGA1, PGA2, PGB1, PGB2, PGE2, PGF1 alpha, PGF2 alpha and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha at a dose of 3 mg/kg were without effect against normobaric hypoxia and gasping duration. The three PGs, i.e. PGD2, PGE1 and PGI2 which showed anti-hypoxic effects decreased locomotor activity and potentiated hexobarbital-induced sleep. On the other hand, PGE2, PGA1, PGA2 and PGB2 also caused a decrease in locomotor activity. Similarly, PGE2 and PGA1 caused a potentiation of hexobarbital-induced sleep, but interestingly they did not cause clear-cut increase in cerebral resistance to hypoxia, in contrast with the former three PGs. Thus general depression of CNS function appears not to be responsible for the PGD2-, PGE1- and PGI2-induced increase in cerebral resistance to hypoxia. The levels of Cr-P and ATP were significantly reduced and those of ADP and AMP were markedly elevated in hypoxic brain, resulting in a decrease in a calculated energy charge potential. The lactate level and lactate/pyruvate ratio increased and the glucose level decreased markedly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Deficiency of insulin receptor substrate-1 impairs skeletal growth through early closure of epiphyseal cartilage.

Morphological analyses in and around the epiphyseal cartilage of mice deficient in insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) showed IRS-1 signaling to be important for skeletal growth by preventing early closure of the epiphyseal cartilage and maintaining the subsequent bone turnover at the primary spongiosa. Introduction: IRS-1 is an essential molecule for intracellular signaling by IGF-I and insulin, both of which are potent anabolic regulators of cartilage and bone metabolism. To clarify the role of IRS-1 signaling in the skeletal growth, morphological analyses were performed in and around the epiphyseal cartilage of mice deficient in IRS-1 (IRS-1(-/-)), whose limbs and trunk were 20-30% shorter than wildtype (WT) mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The epiphyseal cartilage and the primary spongiosa at proximal tibias of homozygous IRS-1(-/-) and WT male littermates were compared using histological, immunohistochemical, enzyme cytohistochemical, ultrastructural, and bone histomorphometrical analyses. RESULTS: In and around the WT epiphyseal cartilage, IRS-1 and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptors were widely expressed, whereas IRS-2 was weakly localized in bone cells. Chronological observation revealed that height of the proliferative zone and the size of hypertrophic chondrocytes were decreased in WT mice as a function of age, and these decreases were accelerated in the IRS-1 (-/-) cartilage, whose findings at 12 weeks were similar to those of WT at 24 weeks. In the IRS-1(-/-) cartilage, proliferating chondrocytes with positive proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) or parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) receptor immunostaining had almost disappeared by 12 weeks. Contrarily, TUNEL+ apoptotic cells were increased in the hypertrophic zone, at the bottom of which most of the chondrocytes were surrounded by the calcified matrix, suggesting the closure of the cartilage. In the primary spongiosa, bone volume, alkaline phosphatase (ALP)+ osteoblasts, TRACP+ osteoclasts, and the osteopontin-positive cement line were markedly decreased. Bone histomorphometrical parameters for both bone formation and resorption were significantly lower in IRS-1(-/-) mice, indicating the suppression of bone turnover. CONCLUSION: The IRS-1(-/-) epiphyseal cartilage exhibited insufficient proliferation of chondrocytes, calcification of hypertrophic chondrocytes, acceleration of apoptosis, and early closure of the growth plate. Thus, the data strongly suggest that IRS-1 signaling is important for the skeletal growth by preventing early closure of the epiphyseal cartilage and by maintaining the subsequent bone turnover at the primary spongiosa.     

Mouthguards: difference in longitudinal dimensional stability between single- and double-laminated fabrication techniques

Abstract –  Though the use of mouthguards (MGs) has increased with the increase in sporting activities, little is known about the influence of their fabrication methods on longitudinal dimensional stability. The objective of this study was to compare the difference in the longitudinal dimensional stability between single and laminated MGs. Single-layer MGs were made from a 4.0 mm thick ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) sheet and laminated MGs were made from two 2.0 mm thick sheets of EVA. MGs were kept in a 37°C water bath for 60 h, equivalent to the time period of 3-months inter-oral use. MG deformation was analyzed by measuring designated points on the MG border using a profile projector (J-12, Nikon Inc., Tokyo, Japan) before and after the water immersion. A finite-element model was also created to examine the time course of stress accumulation during the sheet forming process using Finite Element software. Longitudinal deformation was smaller in the laminated MGs than in the single-layer MGs in the anterior area ( P  < 0.05). Finite element method (FEM) analysis also showed the largest stress accumulation in the anterior incisal area where deformations were mainly observed. Laminated double layer MGs have advantages over single-layer MGs in terms of longitudinal stability due to lower stress accumulation during the fabrication process.     

Comparative study of G- and D-cell population in the dog stomach

Since somatostatin is a local hormone controlling gastric acid secretion and gastrin release, quantitative histopological distribution of the G-cells and D-cells in the canine whole stomach was investigated by the specific immunoperoxidase staining technique. The G-cells were identified only in the pyloric antrum and the estimated total number of G-cells was 15.5 X 10(6) cells. Most of the D-cells were also found in the pyloric antrum but a few were found scattered diffusely throughout body and fundus of the stomach. The estimated total number of D-cells was 11 X 10(6) cells in the pyloric antrum and 4 X 10(6) cells in the corpus and fundus. The G-/D-cell ratio in the antrum was 1.4:1. The number of G-cells as well as D-cells per unit mucosal surface area was significantly higher on the greater curvature and the proximal part of the antrum than on other areas of the antrum. Thus, the pattern of distribution in G-cells was similar to that of D-cells and there was a highly significant correlation between G- and D-cells per unit mucosal surface area. It would appear that under normal conditions, the number of G- and D-cells in the antrum are in good balance and may play an important role in the control mechanisms related to gastric secretion.     

A case of Cushing's syndrome caused by an adrenal black adenoma

A black adenoma of the adrenal cortex was surgically removed from an 18-year-old female who had clinical and laboratory findings characteristic of Cushing's syndrome. The electron microscopic study revealed typical features of steroid-producing cells, including a prominent smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. In addition, many of the adenoma cells contained numerous pigmented granules which were lipofuscin. Three months after the surgery, the hormone levels returned to the normal range. The Japanese literature of functional black adenoma is reviewed.