Recording of electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms during daytime sleep in trained canines: Preparation of the sleeping dogs

Abstract  Although respiration in trained canines is well investigated, the process of preparing dogs has not been described in any great detail. Moreover, their daytime patterns of sleep and wakefulness during 1 or 2 h of electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings are not clear. Therefore, we describe the process of selecting and training dogs, in which we recorded EEG and ECG in the laboratory. First, 14 of 1242 dogs dealt with over a 1 year period were chosen. They were trained for 2 h to lie quietly and to sleep in the laboratory; this training procedure was repeated 152 times. Three dogs were then selected and a permanent tracheostomy was performed in one. Finally, EEG and ECG were recorded with the bipolar fine needle electrodes; respiration was recorded simultaneously through a tube inserted to a tracheostomy in one dog. Wakefulness, slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (REMS) were identified according to the EEG pattern and on the basis of the behavioral criteria. Recordings were performed 12 or 13 times in each dog. Complete sleep cycles, including wakefulness, SWS and REMS in this sequence, were observed 3.9–4.1 times. The mean duration of SWS was 2.2–4.4 min and that of REMS was 3.5–4.6 min. The REMS latency was 33.9–41.8 min. Fluctuation of heart rate with respiration, termed respiratory sinus arrhythmia, was noted in the ECG. Heart beat increased with inspiration and decreased with expiration. The present study demonstrates how to select and train sleeping dogs and shows their undisturbed daytime sleep and wakefulness patterns.     

Prostaglandin E1‐effective,transient‐type ischemic colitis developed after surgical resection of sigmoid colon cancer. A case report

A 55‐year‐old‐man had a laparoscopic resection of the sigmoid colon due to colon cancer with submucosal invasion. After the surgery he suffered ileus and had a laparotomy. Six months later he complained of frequent defecation. Colonoscopy confirmed a circular ulcer extending from the anal side of the anastomosis in the sigmoid colon to the mid rectum. Endoscopic ultrasound demonstrated thickening of all layers of the diseased colon and rectum. We diagnosed ischemic colitis. After intravenous drip infusion of prostaglandin, symptoms and colonic stricture gradually improved. Although abdominal angiography revealed a narrowing of the peripheral sigmoid branch of the inferior mesenteric artery, blood flow was unrestricted. Colonoscopy performed 84 days after discharge revealed an ulcer scar.     

A Ro/SS-A auto-antibody positive mother's infant revealed congenital complete atrioventricular block,followed by insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and multiple organ failure

We experienced a congenital complete atrioventricular block infant who was born from a Ro/SS-A antibody positive mother. Ro/SS-A antibody was also found in this baby which was presumed to be mediated by the maternal placenta. Temporary cardiac pacing was required at birth and pacemaker implantation was performed at 9 months. At 11 months of age, the baby fell into shock and experienced multiple organ failure because of diabetes mellitus-induced coma. The association between congenital complete heart block and the Ro/SS-A antibody is well known. However, the accompaniment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has not been reported previously. As the Ro/SS-A antigen appears in the cytoplasm of many tissues, the possibility of an association between Ro/SS-A antibody and diabetes mellitus is difficult to deny. We report this rare case to draw attention to the possibility that babies who are born from an Ro/SS-A antibody positive mother may develop diabetes mellitus as well as congenital complete heart block.     

Aniracetam,a Pyrrolidinone-type Cognition Enhancer,Attenuates the Hydroxyl Free Radical Formation in the Brain of Mice with Brain Ischaemia

We demonstrate here that aniracetam has the ability to block the formation of cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (· OH) during ischaemia-reperfusion of mouse brain. The fact that brain ischaemia for 40 min followed by reperfusion increased ·OH was evidenced by detection of a peaked increase at 20 min after an ischaemic insult in the formation of 2,3-dihydroxy-benzoate (DHBA) from salicylate in cerebroventricular perfusate, a means of monitoring ·OH formation. A clearcut increase in dopamine was also observed during and after brain ischaemia. The ischaemia-reperfusion mice given aniracetam at an intraperitoneal dose of 30 or 100 mg kg^?1 showed a smaller increase in the formation of DHBA than those given the vehicle only. Aniracetam at 100 mg kg^?1 significantly suppressed the formation of DHBA by approximately 80%, becoming evident at 20 min after reperfusion and thereafter. Protection against death in mice insulted with a 40-min brain ischaemia (3/13 vs 13/25) was observed following 100 mg kg^?1 aniracetam. The increase in the dopamine levels was substantially reduced following aniracetam treatment and the reduction became significant at 20 min after reperfusion and thereafter in parallel with attenuation by aniracetam of DHBA formation. This finding suggests that the inhibitory activity of aniracetam in attenuating the hydroxyl free-radical formation in ischaemic mice is probably due, at least in part, to its palliative action on the dopaminergic neurons.     

The Acute and Chronic Toxicities of Nivalenol in Mice

The Acute and Chronic Toxicities of Nivalenol in Mice. Ryu,J.-C, Ohtsubo, K., Izumiy-ama, N., Nakamura, JL, Tanaka, T.,Yamamura, H., and Ueno, Y. (1988). Fundam. Appl Toxicol. 11,38–47. In an attempt to ascertain precisely the toxiceffects of nivalenol (N1V), we conducted the determination ofLD50 values, and interim kills during the carcinogenic studyin mice. LD50 values (mg/kg) of NIV in 6-week-old male ddY micewere determined as 38.9 (po), 7.4 (ip), 7.2 (sc), and 7.3 (iv).Seven-week-old female C57BL/6CrSlc SPF mice were fed diets containing0, 6, 12, and 30 ppm (mg/kg) NIV over 1 year, and were assessedfor effects on body weight gain, feed efficiency, terminai organweights, hematology, and histopathology. The rates of body weightgain and feed efficiency showed a good dose-dependent correlationin all experimental periods. Gross and histopathological evaluationof the liver, thymus, spleen, kidneys, stomach, adrenal glands,pituitary gland, ovaries, sternum, bone marrow, lymph node,brain, and small intestines with or without Peyer's patch portionfrom control and all NIV-exposed mice revealed that these tissueswere normal in appearance and in histopathological structure.Also, no changes were observed in the ultrastructural studieson the bone marrow. Dietary NIV did, however, cause dose-dependentdecreases of absolute organ weights (mg) and increases of relativeorgan weights (mg/g body weight) in the terminal organ weightsrecorded. A significant leukopenia was observed in the 30 ppmgroup at 6 months and in all NIV-treated groups at 1 year. Nomarked changes were observed in the other hematological parameters.These results indicated that 6 ppm or more of dietary NIV for1 year showed a characteristic toxic effect of trichothecenemycotoxins in mice.     

The Role of the Biopsy in Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer

In order to determine the reliability of endoscopic biopsy indiagnosis of early gastric cancer, and to clarify the problemswith biopsies, preoperative endoscopic biopsies from 771 earlygastric cancer cases were reviewed and analyzed clinicopathologicallyin comparison with surgically resected specimens. The 771 cancerswere surgically resected at the National Cancer Center Hospitalduring the period from 1972 to 1982. Definite histological diagnosiswas obtained in 87.4% of the carcinomas at the initial biopsies.Repeated biopsy raised the percentage of correct definite diagnosesto 96.1%. False-negative (including suspicion of cancer) diagnosiswas most frequent in the case of depressed lesions (50 lesions).Half of the false negatives were found to be due to samplingerrors by the endoscopists. The other half of these 50 lesionswere diagnosed as "suspicious of malignancy" because of thehistological difficulty in differentiating early gastric cancerfrom regenerative atypia with intestinal metaplasia, or becausethere was not enough information, or for the other reasons.Most of the 31 false-negative diagnoses at the initial biopsyfrom elevated lesions were reported as adenoma (group III) orsuspicious of carcinoma (group IV), indicating that differentialdiagnosis between well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and adenomais very difficult. The result of the present study suggeststhat repeated biopsy from correct sites and discussion of thelesions between clinicians and pathologists are very important. ^**Present affiliation: Toranomon Hospital, Toranomon 2-2-2,Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan.     

A case of West syndrome with atypical massive gray matter heterotopia that is well controlled by ACTH therapy

A 4 month old female infant with atypical asymmetrical massive gray matter heterotopia diagnosed as West syndrome is described. Her seizure initially appeared as afebrile general tonic and clonic convulsion and progressed to typical West syndrome consisting of clusters of myoclonic spasms of the extremities, mainly on the left side, accompanied by head and eye deviation to the right side. Electroencephalogram (EEG) presented typical hypsarrhythmia and cranial computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed massive heterotopic gray matter in the right hemisphere with the same density or intensity as cortical gray matter. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), using N-isopropyl-p-¹²³I-iodoamphetamine (¹²³I-IMP), demonstrated decreased blood flow in the ectopic lesion. Although clinical response to several anti-epileptic drugs was poor, her seizures were well controlled by relatively low dose adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy of 0.015 mg/kg per day followed by a combination of valproic acid and clonazepam.     

Comparison of Injection Materials for the Elevation of Gastric Mucosa Prior to Endoscopic Mucosal Resection

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), namely strip biopsy, to eradicate gastric mucosal lesions requires certain special techniques, including submucosal injection of appropriate agents. This experimental study using dogs was conducted to compare, with regard to the degree of duration of mucosal elevation and subsequent histologic changes of the gastric wall, three injection materials; physiological saline, hypertonic saline with epinephrine (HSE) and 10% soybean oil. The duration of mucosal elevation which should be sufficient for the EMR procedure did not differ between the three agents. The post-injection histologic changes included vessel dilatation in the peri-muscularis mucosae, dilatation of the lymphatic channels and vessel congestion. These changes appeared in all injection material groups, and the vessel congestion was found to be more conspicuous in the HSE group. All EMRs in this series were performed by single snare cutting, which was also evaluated. The margin of the stripped material was well limited to the submucosal layer in all cases, but the depth of the ulcers formed varied. The healing process of the ulcer for the first 4 weeks was delayed in the soybean oil group. Although there were few cases of perforation in this experiment and some subjects had adhesion between the gastric serosa and adjacent organs, the single snare method could be applicable for clinical use by skilled hands.     

QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROTEIN IN BLOOD SERUM AND IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID OF PSYCHOTICS —THE POLAROGRAPHIC AND ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES—

SUMMARY By the use of the polarographic method and paper electrophoresis, the proteins in the serum and in the CSF of schizophrenic, epileptic, and general paretic groups were examined. The examinations for the serum were carried out on 157 cases and for the CSF on 139 cases with the use of PLG; for the serum on 157 cases and for CSF on 105 cases with the use of PEP and a normal group were used as the controls. A comparison of the results from the serum and the CSF according to each symptom type group, the qualitative difference of the proteins is discussed.

• 1) In the normal group the difference between the quantity of the proteins in the serum and in the CSF is great with marked qualitative difference. The PLG findings show that the SH group activity of the protein surface is higher in the CSF than in the serum, while those of all three types are higher in the serum. The PEP findings show that the v-fraction is contained only in the CSF and that there is a difference between the fraction patterns in terms of the percentage of the protein and glycoprotein.
• 2) As to the PLG findings, the schizophrenic group as a whole showed protein surface SH group activity in the CSF and mucoprotein SH group activity in the serum higher than the normal group. Consequently, there was a disparity between the CSF/serum ratio of each and that of the normal group. The PEP findings showed an increase of the u-fraction of the CSF above the normal and in most cases a decreases in Al and α₂-Gl in the glycoproteins of both the fluids. As to the CSF/serum ratio, that of the γ- and β-Gl is lower and of α₁-Gl higher than the normal. As to the glycoprotein, Al and α₂-Gl are smaller and α₁-, β-, and γ-Gl greater than the normal. The differences according to the case development and symptom types were discussed.
• 3) In the intermittent period between epileptic seizures, the protein surface SH group activity is higher in the CSF and lower in the serum than in the normal, while the mucoprotein SH group activity is lower in the CSF and higher in the serum than in the normal; with a resulting variation in the CSF/serum ratio. As regards the PEP findings, many cases showed an v-fraction and α₂-Gl increase in the CSF, and an α₁-Gl increase and Al, and α₂-Gl decreases of the glycoproteins. In comparison with the normal group CSF/serum ratio, Al, α₁ and α₂-Gl showed a higher ratio and γ-Gl, a lower ratio, whereas in glycoprotein α₁-, and γ-Gl were higher and α₂- and β₂-Gl lower.
• 4) The general paresis groups examined were chronic cases. In them, both the serum and the CSF showed an increase in the proteins. In spite of the PLG finding that the protein SH group activity in each is higher than the normal, the CSF/serum ratio is nearly the same as the normal. The PEP findings showed many cases of v-fraction, γ-, and α₂-Gl increases in the CSF, and α₁-Gl increase in the serum. As to the glycoprotein, many cases showed α₁-, α₂- and γ-Gl increases and Al, α₂-, and α₂-Gl decreases in the CSF, and a β-Gl increase in the serum. Al and γ-Gl were high in the CSF/serum ratio, and α₁, and β-Gl were low; α₁- and γ-Gl of the glycoprotein, were high, and Al, α₁- and β-Gl low.
• 5) In general, the CSF showed greater changes than the serum in spite of the fact that the former is smaller in quantity than the latter. A discussion was attempted concerning the qualitative difference between the serum and the CSF.

     

Cyclic peptides

In order to investigate the role of the L-2-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoic acid residue at position 2 of AM-toxin I (cyclic tetradepsipeptide) on necrotic activity for apple leaves, two analogs, [L-lactic acid²] AM-toxin I and [L-2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoic acid²] AM-toxin I, were synthesized by the conventional method for peptide synthesis. The toxic activity of the former analog was much weaker than that of the natural AM-toxin I and the latter analog. CD spectra of AM-toxin I and these analogs were correlated to those toxic activities, indicating that bulkiness of the side chain at position 2 is important for the maintenance of active conformation and the induction of necrotic activity.