Physiological significance of plasma free and conjugated dopamine in healthy volunteers--with special reference to sympathetic nerve activity

In order to elucidate the physiological significance of plasma dopamine, blood pressure, pulse rate (PR), plasma concentrations of free or conjugated dopamine (free or conjugated pDA), noradrenaline (pNA) and adrenaline (pAd) were measured in 9 healthy volunteers. Blood sampling for the measurements was performed at a basal condition maintaining a supine position for 60 minutes, after twenty minutes 60 degrees head-up tilt (tilt) and an intravenous infusion of 1000 ml 0.9% saline for 2 hours. Following tilt, mean values in diastolic and mean blood pressure, PR, pNA and pAd were significantly increased, while free, conjugated and total pDA were decreased. On the other hand, saline infusion yielded significant decreases in hematocrit, pNA, free, conjugated and total pDA, but blood pressure, PR and pAd remained at the same level. Free/conjugated pDA ratio did not change during tilt or saline infusion. The basal value of free, conjugated or total pDA did not significantly correlate with blood pressure, PR, pNA or pAd, respectively. Furthermore, no significant correlations between the changes in pDAs and hemodynamic parameters, pNA or pAd by tilt or saline infusion were observed. From these results, it was suggested that plasma free or conjugated dopamine in physiological conditions may not be released from sympathetic nerve endings or adrenomedullary glands. Further investigations are needed to clarify the physiological significance of plasma dopamine in humans.     

Effects of bifemelane on the free fatty acid levels during ischemia

Using the four-vessel extracranial one staged occlusion model of adult Wistar rats, we analyzed quantitatively released free fatty acids during ischemia. Also have we analyzed the effect of bifemelane to reduce free fatty acid accumulation after the onset of ischemia. Bifemelane (15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg) and saline as control were intraperitoneally administered to adult Wistar rat prior to 30 minutes of experimentally induced ischemia. The results obtained were analyzed by one or two way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Physiological variables (systemic arterial pressure, PaO2, PaCO2, pH) did not change significantly in all four experimental groups. Total free fatty acid levels (sum of 5 fatty acid) increased significantly after ischemia (30 minutes). Higher dose (30 mg/kg) of bifemelane administration significantly reduced total free fatty acid accumulation, though lower dose (15 mg/kg) did have no effect. Bifemelane (30 mg/kg) reduced significant accumulation in the amount of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid (palmitic acid [16:0], stearic acid [18:0] and oleic acid [18:1]). Arachidonic (20:4) and docosahexaenoic (22:6) acid failed to show any effective reduction by bifemelane pre-treatment of lower nor higher dose. Bifemelane is supposed to have many pharmacological effects such as increase in cerebral blood flow, augmentation of glucose uptake, monoamine metabolism, cerebral vasodilatation and platelet antiaggregation. Free fatty acid accumulation is effectively suppressed by the higher dose of bifemelane administration. Although the exact mechanism are not clearly identified by the result obtained in this experiment, selective inhibition of accumulation in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids by bifemelane pretreatment may be obtained by the improvement of energy metabolism, which may help to reacylation of fatty acid into phospholipid.     

Histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis

Eleven cases of histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis were studied. Originally four were misdiagnosed as cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis. The characteristic symptoms and signs were local tenderness, fever, leucocytopenia and good prognosis. Antibody to Epstein-Barr virus was elevated in 2 of 3 cases. Biopsy of the affected lymph node was necessary when the differential diagnosis from lymph node tuberculosis or malignant lymphoma could not be made. The characteristic histological feature was focal necrosis without neutrophil infiltration in cortical or subcortical areas. Ultrastructurally, we found characteristic inclusions ('tubulo-reticular structures') in histiocytes and lymphocytes.     

Development of a new wound dressing with antimicrobial delivery capability

A bilaminar wound dressing composed of an outer membrane and an inner three-dimensional matrix of a fabric or a sponge may be considered to constitute an ideal structure that promotes wound healing: the outer membrane prevents body fluid loss, controls water evaporation, and protects the wound surface from bacterial invasion, and the inner matrix encourages adherence by tissue growth into the matrix. Using this concept, we developed a biosynthetic wound dressing with a drug delivery capability. This medicated wound dressing is composed of a spongy sheet of a chitosane derivative and collagen mixture that is laminated to an antimicrobial-impregnated polyurethane membrane. In this study, a gentamycin sulfate-impregnated wound dressing was prepared and evaluated. The antimicrobial efficacy of this wound dressing was examined on an agar plate seeded with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Also, the cytotoxicity of an antimicrobial released from this wound dressing was examined in an in vitro system with cultured skin substitutes. Both in vitro tests have shown that this wound dressing is capable of suppressing bacterial growth and minimizing cellular damage. In addition, in the treatment of wounds inflicted on rats and rabbits, this wound dressing was shown to be efficacious in covering full-thickness and split-thickness skin defects. Finally, the efficacy of this wound dressing was evaluated in a nonrandomized open-label study of 31 clinical cases. In 31 cases treated with this wound dressing, good or excellent wound healing was achieved.     

Continuous lumbar subarachnoid pressure monitoring as an indicator of shunt operation for so-called normal pressure hydrocephalus

Lumbar subarachnoid pressure (LSP) was continuously monitored via intrathecally introduced polyethylene catheter to select the patients for shunt operation. A total of seventy cases included so-called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; 34 cases), idiopathic NPH (17 cases), secondary NPH whose symptoms developed after operations for brain tumors, head injuries or meningitis (12 cases) and other intracranial diseases including pseudotumor cerebri or meningeal carcinomatosis, etc. (7 cases). Shunt operation was effective in 36 cases and not effective in 9 cases, while 25 cases were not shunted since LSP was not elevated or clinical manifestations were slight. Mean values of baseline pressure and maximum pressure in shunt effective group, shunt non-effective group and non-shunted group were 14.5, 12.7, 9.0 and 29.9, 25.0, 17.9 mmHg, respectively. Statistical difference was observed between shunt effective group and non-shunted group. Frequency of pressure waves was also significantly higher in shunt effective group than in non-shunted group. Above all, measurement of LSP was regarded as useful in idiopathic NPH. However, preoperative clinical symptoms had a closer relationship to shunt response than results of LSP in post SAH patients. Complication related to this monitoring was negligible except in one case of meningitis which was easily treated by administration of antibiotics. Follow-up study also justified our selection since no further deterioration was noted in non-shunted group. The present study indicates that measurement of LSP would be useful in selecting the patients who will benefit from shunting and in eliminating unnecessary shunt operations because this simple method is easily performed at bed side without perforating the skull.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Novel responses of peripheral lymphocytes of cancer patients to chemical induction of sister chromatid exchanges

Sensitivities to sister chromatid exchange (SCE) induction by chemicals of peripheral lymphocytes from 26 cancer patients were estimated under conditions identical to those for healthy humans which had been reported (Cancer Res., 43: 439-442, 1983). The sensitive individual was defined as one whose cells give a mean induced SCE frequency more than 2 standard deviation units above the population mean of induced SCEs in cells from the healthy humans. When cells were treated with 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4, 3-b]indole in the presence of rat liver S9 mix, 8 in 10 stomach cancer patients, 4 in 4 colon cancer patients, 3 in 9 lung cancer patients, 0 in 3 patients bearing other cancers, and 0 in 9 non-cancerous individuals were sensitive. The corresponding frequency of individuals in the healthy population, reported previously, was 1 in 33 persons. Thus, the frequency of sensitive individuals in the combined group of stomach and colon cancer patients was very significantly higher than were frequencies in control groups. Three in 10 patients with stomach cancer and 4 in 16 patients with other cancers were sensitive to induction of SCE by methyl methanesulfonate. Six in these 7 methyl methanesulfonate-sensitive patients were also 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole sensitive. The frequency of methyl methanesulfonate-sensitive individuals in the healthy populations was 2 in 50. There was no patient who was sensitive to SCE induction by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. The frequency was not significantly different from the healthy population, in which 3 in 50 persons were sensitive. These results suggest that a particular cancer correlates with the sensitivity of peripheral lymphocytes to SCE induction by particular chemicals.     

Central diabetes insipidus resulting from a nonneoplastic tiny mass lesion localized in the neurohypophyseal system.

With the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the neurohypophyseal system can be clearly delineated and its functional integrity can be predicted. The authors describe seven cases of central diabetes insipidus (DI) that occurred spontaneously. MRI revealed that the normal hyperintensity of the pituitary posterior lobe, which has been thought to be the neurosecretory material containing antidiuretic hormone, was absent in all cases. In addition, enlargement of a part of the neurohypophyseal system was recognized in five of seven cases on MRI. Three of the five patients with enlargement of a part of the neurohypophyseal tract underwent biopsy and were demonstrated to have chronic inflammation of the neurohypophyseal system. It was demonstrated that the enlarged parts of the neurohypophyseal system had shrunk either spontaneously or after the biopsy in four of the five cases. All patients are alive and have not experienced progression or remission of the disease. This study indicates that some cases of idiopathic DI result from a tiny mass lesion, usually nonneoplastic, localized in the neurohypophyseal system.     

Eosinophilic fasciitis associated with Borrelia afzelii infection]

A 58-year-old woman suffered from stiffness, swelling, rubor and muscle pain in the extremities one month after she climbed a mountain in Kyushu, an island in southern Japan. On admission, mild proximal weakness was present in the extremities. Her range of motion in the extremities was limited due to firm skin and subcutaneous stiffness which was similar to scleroderma. She showed peripheral blood eosinophilia and hypergammaglobulinemia as well as a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate. An IgM antibody against Borrelia afzelii was positive. MRI of the skeletal muscles demonstrated enhancing fascia around the biceps brachii muscle, and a biopsy specimen revealed perivascular infiltration of mononuclear cells within the hypertrophic fascia. Eosinophilic infiltration was absent. We treated the patient with prednisolone, doxycycline and amoxicillin, which alleviated the symptoms. This is the first report to show that Borrelia afzelii was involved in eosinophilic fasciitis.