Clinical effects of oxybutynin hydrochloride (Pollakis)--especially in the treatment of pollakisuria, urgency and urinary incontinence

The effects and the safety of oxybutynin hydrochloride were investigated in 52 patients, 17 male and 35 female, with the chief complaints of pollakisuria, urgency and urinary incontinence. Clinical responses to the drug were assessed mainly by the subjective symptoms of the patients. The diagnoses of these patients were neurogenic bladder in 17, unstable bladder in 16 and others in 19 patients. The average administration period was 66.8 days. The rate of global improvement (excellent and good) was 55% in the 2 mg dose given 3 times daily group, 68.2% in the 3 mg dose given 3 times daily group. Side effects, such as dry mouth, were observed in 2 of the 52 patients (3.8%), but no serious side effects were observed. The rate of global utility (remarkable and moderate) was 67.3%. These data indicate that oxybutynin hydrochloride seems to be useful and safe for the treatment of pollakisuria, urgency and urinary incontinence.     

The effects of potassium concentration in reperfusion solution upon myocardial protection]

The effects of potassium in reperfusion solution (RS) and the influence of sodium on this effect were studied. Experimental time course was as followed: 20 min working perfusion, 3 min cardioplegic infusion with St. Thomas Cardioplegic Solution followed by global ischemia for 33 or 35 min at 37.5 degrees C, 15 min early Langendorff reperfusion with several different potassium concentration modified with Krebs Henseleit Bicarbonate Buffer (KHBB) containing 145 mM and 110 mM sodium and 5 min late reperfusion with KHBB, followed by 20 min working perfusion. Potassium in RS possessed bell shaped dose response nature with optimal concentration of 10 mM in the condition of 145 mM sodium but 6 m in the condition of 110 mM in terms of percent recovery of aortic flow. Although higher potassium reperfusion produced less Creatine Kinase leakage.     

Effects of dexamethasone on the expression of myelin basic protein, proteolipid protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein genes in developing rat brain.

Effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on the relative abundance of myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) mRNAs in the developing rat brain were examined. After DEX (1.0 mg/kg body weight) or saline was administered intraperitoneally to 3-day-old rats for 7 consecutive days, wet weight, DNA content and the relative abundance of the glia-specific mRNAs in cerebrum and cerebellum were analyzed at postnatal days (P) 10, 20 and 30. DEX decreased both wet weight and DNA content in cerebellum more profoundly than in cerebrum. The appearance of MBP, PLP and GFAP mRNAs in cerebellum preceded that in cerebrum in the control group. In cerebrum, the relative abundance of MBP and PLP mRNAs was significantly less in the DEX group than that in the control group at P20 and P30. The relative abundance of the GFAP mRNA was significantly less in the DEX group than in the control group at P10 and P20, but there was no significant difference at P30. In cerebellum, a significant decrease in the abundance of MBP, PLP and GFAP mRNAs in the DEX group was observed only at P10 but not at P20 and P30. Our findings indicate that DEX suppresses expression of genes related to glial functions, especially myelination when administered in the early postnatal period.     

Characterization of polypeptides in Rickettsia tsutsugamushi: effect of preparative conditions on migration of polypeptides in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The polypeptide compositions and antigenic components of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi were analyzed by modifying the solubilization conditions prior to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by using monoclonal antibodies in immunoblotting experiments. Several polypeptides were converted to larger or smaller molecules by using various conditions for rickettsial sample preparation. Solubilization of a sample in 2-mercaptoethanol-containing buffer resulted in conversion of high-molecular-weight polypeptides to smaller polypeptides and conversion of some of the 43-kilodalton (43K) polypeptide to a 46K polypeptide. The heat modifiability of selected polypeptides was shown by heating samples at 100 degrees C. A major polypeptide on the rickettsial surface which showed strain-specific antigenicity appeared at the 43K position in samples solubilized at 37 degrees C but moved to the 56K position after samples were heated at 100 degrees C. Immunoblotting with an anti-56K polypeptide monoclonal antibody demonstrated that the reactive antigens existed predominantly as the higher-molecular-weight polypeptides. These polypeptides were converted to 43K polypeptides at 37 degrees C or the 56K polypeptides at 100 degrees C by cleavage of disulfide linkages with 2-mercaptoethanol treatment.     

Evaluation of cardiac functions in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS)]

Cardiac functions in 20 female patients with PSS were measured by ultrasound cardiography and compared with those of 10 healthy age-matched controls. The following results were obtained: 1) The patients with PSS showed the increases in left ventricular mass (LVmass), interventricular septal thickness (IVS) and left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPW) more than those of controls. 2) Diastolic descent rate (DDR) of patients decreased significantly in comparison with the healthy controls. 3) Right ventricular dimension (RVD) of patients were demonstrated to dilate more than those of controls. Conclusively ultrasound cardiography (UCG) is an available method for detecting the cardiac lesion of PSS. Abnormal signs were recognized even though their clinical features were limited to the extremities.