Effects of estrus cycle on thermoregulatory responses during exercise in rats

Summary In female rats, rectal temperature (T _re), tail vasomotor response, oxygen uptake , and carbon dioxide production were measured in proestrus and estrus stages during treadmill running at two different speeds at an ambient temperature (T _a) of 24° C. Experiments were performed at 2.00–6.00 a.m., when the difference inT _re was greatest between the two stages;T _re at rest in the estrus stage was 0.54° C higher than in the proestrus stage. In a mild warm environment, thresholdT _re for a rise in tail skin temperature (T _tail) was also higher in the estrus stage than in the proestrus stage. In contrast, no difference was seen in the thresholdT _re and steady stateT _re at the end of exercise between proestrus and estrus stages. These values were higher at the higher work intensity. was also similar between the two stages, except in the second 5 min after the beginning of exercise, when was greater andT _re rose more steeply in the proestrus stage. These data indicate that deep body temperature during exercise is regulated at a certain level depending on the work intensity and is not influenced by the estrus cycle.This study was supported in part by a Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (Grant No. 62480114)     

Are cerebrovascular factors involved in Alzheimer's disease?

Recent epidemiological studies have shown that vascular risk factors may be involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as dementia in general. To investigate the relation between a vascular disorder and AD pathology, current criteria are defective because most depend on exclusion of a cerebrovascular disorder. Epidemiological studies have indicated the possibilities that arteriosclerosis, abnormal blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and smoking may be related to the pathogenesis of AD. As for the mechanism that vascular disorders influence AD, it is presumed that amyloid deposition may be caused by a vascular disorder. Alternatively, a vascular event may cause progression of subclinical AD to a clinical stage. Insulin resistance and apolipoprotein E may also be involved in these mechanisms. Our studies show that ischemia-induced the Alzheimer-associated gene presenilin 1 (PS1) and endoplasmic reticulum-stress, generated from a vascular disorder, may unmask clinical AD symptoms caused by presenilin mutation, suggesting that a vascular factor might be involved in the onset of familial AD.     

Sperm morphological assessment based on strict criteria and in-vitro fertilization outcome.

One-hundred-and-twenty-three in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles were analysed in order to clarify the influence of strictly normal morphology (SNM) of spermatozoa on IVF outcome. SNM was defined using strict criteria according to Kruger with our modifications. The IVF cycles studied were divided into three groups: %SNM less than 12% (13 cycles), 12 less than 40% (68 cycles), greater than or equal to 40% (42 cycles). The cleavage rates per oocyte were higher in the groups with 12-40% and greater than or equal to 40% of %SNM than in the group with %SNM less than 12%. The embryo transfer rate per cycle increased with increasing %SNM. The overall pregnancy rate per cycle increased with increasing %SNM (7.7% in %SNM less than 12%, 22.1% in 12-40% of %SNM, and 40.5% in %SNM greater than or equal to 40%). The ongoing pregnancy rate per cycle also increased with increasing %SNM (7.7% in %SNM less than 12%, 14.7% in 12-40% of %SNM, and 31.0% in %SNM greater than or equal to 40%). The miscarriage rate was lower in %SNM greater than or equal to 40% (23.5%) than in 12-40% of %SNM (33.3%). It was suggested that %SNM is a good predictor of IVF outcome.     

Divergence of natural killer cell receptor and related molecule in the decidua from sporadic miscarriage with normal chromosome karyotype

The aim of this cohort study was to investigate immunophenotypic characteristics of natural killer (NK) cells by assessing specific molecules expressed in the decidua of sporadic miscarriages and induced abortions. The deciduae were obtained from 29 consecutively seen women whose pregnancies ended in first trimester miscarriages (MS), and the fetal chromosome karyotype of these MS was analysed. Additionally, 13 deciduae were obtained from induced abortion (IA) with informed consent. The expression of perforin, CD94, CD161, CD158a, CD158b, CD244 on CD3-CD56+NK cells, and perforin on CD3+CD8+ T cells was analysed by flow cytometry. The CD158a (mean+/-SD, 26.2+/-14.7%) and CD94 (50.2+/-25.7%) expressions in MS with normal chromosome karyotype (MSNK; n=11) were significantly decreased as compared with those (41.5+/-19.5%, 71.4+/-20.4%) in MS with abnormal karyotype (MSAK; n=18) and those (44.3+/-21.9%, 80.8+/-17.5%) in IA (n=13). Conversely, the perforin expression on CD3-CD8-CD56+NK cells (76.3+/-11.0%) and CD3+CD8+T cells (30.6+/-9.2%) in MSNK was significantly increased as compared with those (66.8+/-16.6%, 23.6+/-8.7%) in MSAK and those (62.9+/-11.6%, 19.7+/-8.1%) in IA. A positive correlation between CD94 and CD158a expressions on NK cells, negative correlations between CD94 on NK cells and perforin on NK cells/T cells, and between CD158a on NK cells and perforin on T cells were found in the decidua. A divergence of NK cell repertoire in the decidua might be related to aetiology of sporadic MSNK.     

In vitro hydrolysis of blends from enantiomeric poly(lactide)s. Part 4: well-homo-crystallized blend and nonblended films

Well-homocrystallized enantiomeric blend and nonblended films were prepared from poly(L-lactide), i.e., poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide), i.e., poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) by crystallization from the melt. The effects of enantiomeric blending on the in vitro autocatalytic hydrolysis of the homo-crystallized polylactide, i.e., poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films were investigated in phosphate-buffered solution (pH 7.4) at 37 degrees C for up to 24 months. In the period of 0-12 months, the effects of enantiomeric polymer blending on the autocatalytic hydrolysis were very small. This finding reflects that in the PLLA/PDLA blend film separate homo-crystallization of PLLA and PDLA into the respective crystallites reduced the peculiar strong interaction between PLLA and PDLA chains in the amorphous region between the homo-crystalline regions. In the period of 12-24 months, enantiomeric polymer blending significantly retarded the autocatalytic hydrolysis of the PLLA/PDLA blend film compared with that of the nonblended PLLA and PDLA films. This is attributable to the increased chain mobility and the reduced entanglement effects due to the chain cleavage to a great extent, resulting in the enhanced interaction between PLLA and PDLA chains. It was also revealed that the hydrolyzabilities of the PLA films can be widely varied by enantiomeric polymer blending, crystalline species and their amounts, and molecular weight.     

A HhaI/BstUI polymorphism in a novel gene at human chromosome 11p15.5

We found a HhaI/BstUI polymorphism in the 3′ untranslated region of a novel gene which was localized to 11p15.5. This region is one of prominent imprinting domains and contains multiple imprinted genes, such as H19, IGF2 , KVLQT1, and p57 ^KIP2 , which suggests that regional factors might contribute to the imprinting. This polymorphism will be useful in the allelic analysis of expression and methylation of the novel gene. Received: July 24, 1998 / Accepted: July 29, 1998     

Retrograde dopaminergic neuron degeneration following intrastriatal proteasome inhibition

Recent studies have suggested that defects in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) contribute to the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in Parkinson's disease. The present study aims to study the effects of proteasome inhibition in the nerve terminals of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Following a unilaterally intrastriatal injection of lactacystin, a selective proteasome inhibitor, dopaminergic neurons in the ipsilateral SNpc progressively degenerated with alpha-synuclein-immunopositive intracytoplasmic inclusions. When lactacystin was administered at a high concentration, the striatum was simultaneously involved, and alpha-synuclein-immunopositive extracytoplasmic granules appeared extensively within the SN pars reticulata (SNpr). In addition, during the retrograde neuron degeneration in SN, the level of heme oxygenase-1 immunopositivity, an oxidative stress marker, was markedly increased in SNpc neurons. These results reveal that intrastriatal proteasome inhibition sufficiently induces retrograde dopaminergic neuronal degeneration with abundant accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the SN.     

Dynamic characteristics of carotid sinus pressure-nerve activity transduction in rabbits

The dynamic characteristics of the baroreflex neural arc from pressure input to efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) reveal derivative characteristics in the frequency range of 0.01 to 0.8 Hz (i.e., the baroreflex gain augments with increasing frequency) and high-cut characteristics in the frequency range above 0.8 Hz (i.e., the baroreflex gain decreases with increasing frequency) in rabbits. The derivative characteristics accelerate the arterial pressure regulation via the baroreflex. The high-cut characteristics preserve the baroreflex gain against pulsatile pressure by attenuating the high-frequency components less necessary for arterial pressure regulation. However, to what extent the carotid sinus baroreceptor transduction from pressure input to afferent baroreceptor nerve activity (BNA) contributes to these characteristics remains unanswered. To test the hypothesis that the carotid sinus pressure-BNA transduction partly explains the derivative characteristics but not the highcut characteristics, we examined the dynamic BNA response to pressure input in the frequency range from 0.01 to 3 Hz by using a white noise analysis in 7 anesthetized rabbits. The transfer function from pressure input to BNA showed slight derivative characteristics in the frequency range from 0.01 to 0.3 Hz with approximately a 1.7-fold increase in dynamic gain, but it showed no high-cut characteristics. In conclusion, the carotid sinus baroreceptor transduction partly explained the derivative characteristics but not the high-cut characteristics of the baroreflex neural arc. The present results suggest the importance of the central processing from BNA to efferent SNA to account for the overall dynamic characteristics of the baroreflex neural arc.