Functional role and histological demonstration of nitric-oxide-mediated inhibitory nerves in dog sphincter of Oddi

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important physiological role in regulating gastrointestinal motility. Involvement of endogenous NO was evaluated in the response to non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) nerve stimulation of the dog sphincter muscle of Oddi. Transmural electrical stimulation (TES), nicotine (10^?5M) and K⁺ (10 mM) produced only a relaxation in the sphincter muscle strips contracted with substance P, which was not potentiated by atropine. The TES-induced relaxation was abolished by tetrodotoxin (3 times 10^?7 M) and oxyhaemoglobin (1.6 times 10^?5 M), but not affected by atropine (10^?7 M), propranolol (10^?7 M), phentolamine (10^?7 M), indomethacin (10^?6 M), chole-cystokinin (CCK, 10^?8 M) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP, 10^?8 M). The relaxation was also abolished by treatment with N^G-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA, 10^?5 M), an NO synthase inhibitor. Nicotine produced a transient relaxation, which was abolished by tetrodotoxin, hexamethonium (10^?5 M) and L-NA, but not affected by atropine and N^G-nitro-D-arginine (D-NA, 10^?5 M). The addition of K⁺ elicited a transient relaxation, which was abolished by tetrodotoxin and L-NA. The inhibitory effects of L-NA were antagonized by L-arginine (10^?3 M). The presence of neurons containing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase was histochemically demonstrated in the sphincter of Oddi. These findings may indicate that TES, nicotine and K⁺ liberate NO from NANC inhibitory nerve which is involved in the relaxation of the dog sphincter of Oddi. The muscular tone does not seem to be regulated by cholinergic nerves under the experimental conditions used.     

Lack of effect of cimetidine on cigarette smoking

Summary The efficacy of cimetidine as a treatment that could reduce smoking in heavily dependent smokers has been determined. In a randomised, double-blind, double-crossover experiment, 43 heavy smokers were divided into two groups, one receiving cimetidine 400 mg orally three times a day, and the other receiving placebo for two weeks followed by the alternative treatment (placebo or cimetidine).No significant difference in the mean alveolar carbon monoxide, nicotine or cotinine levels was found between the two treatment groups compared to baseline. Since the alveolar carbon monoxide level reflects the intensity of smoking behaviour, the results suggest that no change in smoking behaviour occurred in the subjects.Contrary to our previous findings that cimetidine decreased the total body clearance of nicotine by 30% in a population of non-smokers, in the heavily dependent smokers, cimetidine did not appear to alter nicotine elimination. One possible explanation for the discrepancy is that tobacco smoking is known to induce nicotine metabolism and the induction might have offset any effect of cimetidine on nicotine elimination.Cimetidine does not appear to be a useful treatment leading to a reduction or cessation of cigarette smoking.     

VIM thalamic stimulation for tremor in a patient with IgM paraproteinaemic demyelinating neuropathy.

We demonstrate the effect of deep brain stimulation of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus on intractable action tremor, in a 72-year-old man suffering from neuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy.     

Primary orthostatic tremor is an exaggeration of a physiological response to instability.

Primary orthostatic tremor (POT) is a rare disorder characterised by an intense sense of unsteadiness upon standing and a 16-Hz tremor in which the timing between tremor bursts in different muscles (unilateral and bilateral) remains constant. Hitherto, similar EMG activity has not been described in healthy subjects and it has been postulated that the oscillations seen in POT are primarily pathological. In this study, EMG was recorded from tibialis anterior in healthy subjects who were made unsteady through vestibular galvanic stimulation or leaning backwards. Under these conditions, a peak at approximately 16 Hz was seen in the coherence between the left and right tibialis anterior. This bilateral coherence was absent when the subjects activated the same muscles when not unsteady. These data indicate the existence of a physiological system involved in organising postural responses under circumstances of imbalance and characterised by a highly synchronised output at approximately 16 Hz. In addition, the results suggest that the core abnormality in POT may be an exaggerated sense of unsteadiness when standing still, which then elicits activity from a 16-Hz oscillator normally engaged in postural responses.     

白细胞介素-10诱导的大鼠树突状细胞体外免疫功能的研究

目的　研究白细胞介素 10 (IL 10 )诱导的大鼠未成熟树突状细胞 (imDCs)体外诱导免疫耐受的可行性。方法　在经典诱导方案的基础上 ,应用IL 10 ( 10 μg/L)抑制大鼠骨髓来源DCs的成熟 (IL 10组 ,10例 ) ,并设对照组 (IL 4组 ,10例 )。培养期间观察DCs形态 ,检测DCs表型、摄取抗原能力、体外免疫功能及培养上清细胞因子水平。结果　与IL 4组比较 ,IL 10组DCs细胞表面CD80 、CD86及OX6低度表达 ( 2 5 .3 %、42 .4%、3 2 .3 % ) ,吞噬能力较强 ( 81.9) ,刺激同种异体淋巴细胞增殖能力下降 ,该淋巴细胞具有抗原特异性低反应性 ;培养上清中IL 12水平 ( 4 0 6.5pg/L)及初次MLR培养上清IL 2水平 ( 2 45 .4ng/L)均较低 ,差异有非常显著性 (P <0 .0 1)。 结论　IL 10作用的大鼠imDCs具有诱导免疫耐受的应用价值。     

穴位综合疗法对先天愚型患者智商的影响

【目的】评价中医穴位疗法对先天愚型患者智商的影响。【方法】将80例先天愚型患者随机分为穴位综合疗法治疗组(简称综合治疗组)、脑复康对照组(简称脑复康组)、空白对照组,综合治疗组取四神针(百会穴前、后、左、右各旁开1.5寸)、智三针(神庭穴和左右本神穴)、颞三针(耳失直上2寸为第1针,左右旁开1寸为第2、3针)、脑三针(脑户穴及两侧脑空穴)为主穴,进行针刺和维生素B_(12)、维丁胶性钙、脑活素穴位注射,脑复康组口服脑复康,空白组不作任何特殊治疗;4个月为1个疗程,期间嘱家长在家对患儿进行相应的教育和训练;治疗前和疗程结束后采用 《中国修订韦氏儿童智力量表》测定患儿的智商(IQ),包括语言IQ(VIQ)、操作IQ(PIQ)和总IQ(FIQ)。【结果】4个月治疗后,综合治疗组总体智力水平均有提高(与空白组比较,均P<0.01),并较脑复康组为优;并且综合治疗组治疗后IQ的提高主要为PIO各项得分的提高所贡献,与操作有关的几个项目的得分与治疗前比,均有显著意义(P<0.05),而VIQ得分治疗后未见显著性提高(均P>0.05)。【结论】穴位综合疗法能提高先天愚型患者的智商。     

Pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials following CO2 laser stimulation in peripheral neuropathies

Pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials (pain SEPs) following CO2 laser stimulation were examined in 30 patients with peripheral neuropathies, and the results were compared with clinical sensory findings. Pain SEP findings showed a significant correlation with the clinical impairment of pain sensation, but not with the impairment of deep sensations. In contrast, conventional electrically-stimulated SEPs (electric SEPs) showed a significant correlation with deep sensations, but not with the impairment of pain sensation. Examinations of both pain SEPs and electric SEPs, therefore, are considered to be very useful to evaluate physiological functions of sensory nerves in patients with peripheral neuropathies.     

电刺激黑质对脑干伤害性单位放电的影响

本实验采用单细胞外记录神经元单位放电的方法，在Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠上观察到网状巨细胞核。一区伤害性神经元５７个，其中伤害兴奋性神经元（ＮＥＮ）４２个，伤害抑制性神经元（ＮＩＮ）１５个。电刺激黑质对ＮＥＮ（２９）和ＮＩＮ（８的放电呈抑制作用，其反应百分率分别由刺激黑质第１分钟时的１．０±２．１％和－２０．４±６．２％，降到第５分钟时的－８３．６±１２．３％和－６５．４±１０．７％（Ｐ＜０．０１）。刺激黑质对少数ＮＥＮ（１３）和ＮＩＮ（７）的放电有兴奋作用，其值分别由第］分钟时的２０．５±７．３％和１．０±３．４％，升高到第５分钟时的７４．５±１０．７％和２１，５±８．６％（Ｐ＜０．０５）。氟哌啶醇注入ＰＡＧ腹外侧部可阻断刺激黑质的效应，这提示从黑质到网状巨细胞核α－区存在着一条痛调制通路，而且这种通路的递质是多巴胺能的。     

Change in urethral pressure during voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction and vaginal electrical stimulation

The purpose of the study was to compare the effect of voluntary pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and vaginal electrical stimulation on urethral pressure. Twelve women with genuine stress incontinence, mean age 49.4 years (range 33–66) participated in the study. The urethral and bladder pressures were recorded simultaneously through a double-lumen 8 Ch catheter. The patients first performed three voluntary PFM contractions. Then two electrical stimulators, Conmax and Medicon MS 105, 50 Hz, were used in random order. A visual analog scale was used to measure pain and discomfort. Pain was reported to mean 6.8, SEM 0.64 (range 0.7–9.9) and mean 6.1, SEM 0.81 (range 0–9.1) with Conmax and Medicon MS 105, respectively. The mean paired difference in favor of voluntary contraction with Conmax was ?8.0, SD 6.7,P=0.0067, and with Medicon MS 105 it was ?12.2, SD 5.9,P=0.0022. The results demonstrated that voluntary PFM contraction increased urethral pressure significantly more than did vaginal electrical stimulation.