EFFECT OF A CALCIUM ENTRY BLOCKER ON BLOOD PRESSURE, PLASMA RENIN ACTIVITY, ALDOSTERONE AND CATECHOLAMINES IN NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS

The effects of the calcium entry blocker nifedipine on blood pressure, heart rate, plasma renin activity, aldosterone, noradrenaline and adrenaline were studied in 23 normotensive subjects in the supine and upright positions. Nifedipine, 10 mg administered sublingually, lowered mean blood pressure and increased heart rate, plasma noradrenaline and renin activity without increasing plasma aldosterone in the supine position. The increase in plasma aldosterone in response to upright posture was inhibited by nifedipine, whereas the rise in plasma noradrenaline was augmented. These results suggest that intracellular calcium is important as a regulator of aldosterone secretion as well as of vascular tone in normotensive subjects.     

Specific IgE antibodies and serum eosinophil cationic protein in children with atopic dermatitis alone

Both eosinophils and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to foods and mites have been considered involved in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). The relationship between eosinophils and specific IgE, however, remains to be elucidated. Blood eosinophil counts, serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and IgE to egg white, cow's milk, soybean, rice and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) were measured in subjects with AD alone or bronchial asthma (BA) alone. Subjects with positive IgE titers (Pharmacia radioallergosorbent test (RAST) units > 0.7) of one or more items were defined as RAST-positive. Immunoglobulin E titers to egg white, cow's milk and soybean of subjects with AD were high in early childhood and declined with aging, whereas the titers of subjects with BA were negative or low. Immunoglobulin E titers to Dp were elevated after 1 year of age in both disease groups. Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels and blood eosinophil counts in the AD and BA groups were significantly higher than those of non-atopic controls. No difference in ECP levels or blood eosinophil counts were observed between RAST-positive and negative groups. It is concluded that IgE to foods such as egg white, cow's milk and soybean might have a role in the pathogenesis of AD of young children, while IgE to mites might be involved in older children. Eosinophils may also participate in AD. However, different mechanisms may be responsible for the rise in specific IgE and high ECP levels and blood eosinophil counts.     

A case of sub wakefulness syndrome

Abstract We report a patient, a 30-year-old male Japanese-Brazilian migrant construction worker, suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness for at least 6 months. Electroencephalogram recordings during his waking states showed that 10-Hz and 60-µV alpha activity was present prominently in the occipital regions. From the multiple sleep latency test, it was found that stages 1–2 NREM sleep episodes appeared repetitively without any REM episodes, and that the mean sleep latency was 10.2 min. These findings support the diagnosis that this patient suffers from subwakefulness syndrome.     

Is Activation of Lysosomal Enzymes Responsible for Paracetamol-induced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity?

Paracetamol overdose (300 mg kg^?1) in mice resulted in a time-dependent increase in the liver weight; no change was seen for the kidney. The total acid phosphatase activities in the two tissues increased significantly 0.5 h after paracetamol overdose and remained elevated up to 3 h. Free as well as total cathepsin D activities increased significantly in both the tissues within 2-2.5 h of paracetamol treatment. Simultaneously tyrosine positive materials in the two tissues increased. RNAse II and DNAse II activities were low in liver and kidneys of the controls. Paracetamol treatment elevated both free and total RNAse II activity in the two tissues by 0.5 h. Maximum activity of DNAse II (free and total) was seen at 2.5 h after paracetamol administration. The results suggest that concerted action of cathepsin D, RNAse II and DNAse II may be responsible for paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.     

能谱CT提高腹部增强效果的可行性

目的 探讨能谱CT（GSI）提高腹部增强效果的可行性。方法 收集因病情需要先后接受腹部双期增强CT扫描的27例患者,于第1次均采用传统120 kV单电压CT进行扫描（对照组）,复查时采用GSI扫描（试验组）,两次检查对比剂总量均为600 mgI/kg体质量。于增强图像上腹主动脉、肝脏、胰腺、肾脏、下腔静脉、门静脉主干选取ROI进行分析,记录GSI图像上各器官相对于120 kV单电压扫描的等价CT值时的平均单能量值（等价亚组）,以及CT值提高50%（150%亚组）、100%（200%亚组）时的MEI,并记录所对应的噪声值,比较各亚组间单能量值、CT值与噪声值的差异,评估2名医师对MEI各亚组图像质量的主观评分一致性。结果 等价亚组能量值（71.92±3.54）keV,图像噪声为（23.07±3.99）HU,与对照组比较,各器官CT值的差异均无统计学意义（P均>0.05）;150%亚组能量值（57.39±2.77）keV,图像噪声为（35.30±7.56）HU,较等价亚组增高了53.01%;200%亚组能量值（49.94±2.72）keV,图像噪声为（44.01±8.59）HU,较等价亚组增高了90.77%。与对照组比较,150%亚组、200%亚组间单能量值、CT值与噪声值差异均有统计学意义（P均<0.01）。2名医师对试验组3个亚组的主观评分一致性均很好（P均<0.01）。结论 采用GSI的单能量技术于72 keV时可以达到常规120 kV的腹部增强CT效果,57 keV、50 keV时增强效果可分别提高50%、100%。     

Effects of Hemerocallis on sleep in mice

Abstract Freeze-dried flowers of the Akinowasuregusa ( Hemerocallis fulva L. var. sempervirona M. Hotta ), a Hemerocallis genus of the lily family, were fed to C57BL strain mice. The slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep of the Hemerocallis-treated group increased during the dark period. The differences between the control group and the Hemerocallis-treated group were significant ( P < 0.05). The Hemerocallis feeding did not cause a change in sleep time during the light period. As a result, there was no significant change in the sleep-time percentage over a 24-h period.