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Síndrome de Kartagener , Femenino , Embarazo , Humanos , Síndrome de Kartagener/complicaciones , CesáreaRESUMEN
We describe an instrument for the measurement of the Soret and thermodiffusion coefficients in ternary systems based on the transient holographic grating technique, which is called Soret forced Rayleigh scattering (SFRS) or thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering (TDFRS). We integrated the SFRS technique and the two-wavelength detection technique, which enabled us to obtain two different signals to determine the two independent Soret coefficients and thermodiffusion coefficients in ternary systems. The instrument has been designed to read the mass transport simultaneously by two-wavelength lasers with wavelengths of λ = 403 nm and λ = 639 nm. The irradiation time of the probing lasers is controlled to reduce the effect of laser absorption to the sample with dye (quinizarin), which is added to convert the interference pattern of the heating laser of λ = 532 nm to the temperature grating. The result of the measurement of binary benchmark mixtures composed of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene (THN), isobutylbenzene (IBB), and n-dodecane (nC12) shows that the simultaneous two-wavelength observation of the Soret effect and the mass diffusion are adequately performed. To evaluate performance in the measurement of ternary systems, we carried out experiments on the ternary benchmark mixtures of THN/IBB/nC12 with the mass fractions of 0.800/0.100/0.100 at a temperature of 298.2 K. The Soret coefficient and thermodiffusion coefficient agreed with the ternary benchmark values within the range of the standard uncertainties (23% for the Soret coefficient of THN and 30% for the thermodiffusion coefficient of THN).
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lung sound analysis (LSA) has been reported to be useful for predicting airway obstruction and inflammation in patients with bronchial asthma. Objectives: We examined whether the exhalation-to-inhalation sound pressure ratio in the middle frequency range (200-400 Hz) (E/I MF) is useful for monitoring therapy in patients with asthma. METHODS: The study population comprised 84 patients with mild to moderate asthma whose LSA data were available before and after 1 year of daily treatment with (budesonide 800 µg). We analyzed whether the E/I MF before and after treatment was associated with the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level, sputum eosinophil percentage, respiratory function, and airway hyperresponsiveness. RESULTS: Prior to treatment with budesonide, the E/I MF was significantly correlated with respiratory function, airway hyperresponsiveness, FeNO, and sputum eosinophil percentage. The cutoff values for the E/I MF to detect the abnormalities of respiratory function, FeNO, and sputum eosinophil percentage were 0.367, 0.358, and 0.363, respectively. With respect to the reference value, the E/I MF improved significantly in patients whose respiratory function and FeNO benefited from therapy with budesonide compared with patients whose respiratory function did not benefit from budesonide (odds ratios of 6.39 and 4.78, respectively). According to the multivariate analysis, patients whose E/I MF did not improve had a longer history of smoking (P=.038), poorer posttreatment respiratory function (P=.028), and higher posttreatment FeNO (P=.0095). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to respiratory function and FeNO, E/I MF based on LSA is a useful indicator for monitoring the efficacy of therapy in asthmatic patients.
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Asma/tratamiento farmacológico , Budesonida/uso terapéutico , Glucocorticoides/uso terapéutico , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/tratamiento farmacológico , Ruidos Respiratorios/fisiopatología , Administración por Inhalación , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Asma/inmunología , Asma/metabolismo , Asma/fisiopatología , Pruebas Respiratorias , Eosinófilos/citología , Femenino , Volumen Espiratorio Forzado , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Análisis Multivariante , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Pruebas de Función Respiratoria , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/inmunología , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/metabolismo , Hipersensibilidad Respiratoria/fisiopatología , Procesamiento de Señales Asistido por Computador , Fumar , Esputo/citología , Capacidad Vital , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Shape perception can be achieved based on various cues such as luminance, color, texture, depth and motion. To investigate common neural mechanisms underlying shape perception cued by various visual attributes, we examined single-neuron activity in the monkey anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) in response to shapes defined by luminance and motion cues during shape discrimination. We found cortical mapping with respect to selectivity for shapes as well as for direction of motion in the STS. About 90% of shape-selective neurons were located in the lower bank of STS (lSTS) assigned to the ventral pathway, while about 80% of direction-selective neurons existed in the upper bank of STS (uSTS) assigned to the dorsal pathway. The neurons showing selectivity for both shape and motion coexisted in lSTS as well as uSTS. This result indicates that integration or convergence of shape information and motion information can occur in both banks of STS. About 90% of STS neurons showing selectivity both for shapes defined by luminance cue and for shapes defined by motion cue were located in lSTS. They showed a highly similar shape preference between the different visual attributes, indicating cue-invariant shape selectivity. The cue-invariant shape-selectivity was modulated with target selection as well as with discrimination performance of monkeys. These results suggest that lSTS could be involved in cue-invariant shape discrimination, but not the uSTS.
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Discriminación en Psicología/fisiología , Percepción de Forma/fisiología , Neuronas/fisiología , Reconocimiento Visual de Modelos/fisiología , Lóbulo Temporal/fisiología , Potenciales de Acción , Animales , Señales (Psicología) , Macaca mulatta , Masculino , Microelectrodos , Percepción de Movimiento/fisiología , Estimulación Luminosa , Percepción Visual/fisiologíaRESUMEN
A novel local temperature measurement method using fluorescence near-field optics thermal nanoscopy (Fluor-NOTN) has been developed. Fluor-NOTN enables nanoscale temperature measurement in situ by detecting the temperature-dependent fluorescence lifetime of CdSe quantum dots (QDs). In this paper, we report a novel triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe that can increase the temperature measurement sensitivity of Fluor-NOTN. The performance of the proposed probe was numerically evaluated by the finite difference time domain method. Due to improvements in both the throughput and collection efficiency of near-field light, the sensitivity of the proposed probe was 1.9 times greater than that of typical double-tapered probe. The proposed shape of the triple-tapered core was successfully fabricated utilizing a geometrical model. The detected signal intensity of dried layers of QDs was greater by more than two orders than that of auto-fluorescence from the fiber core. In addition, the near-field fluorescence lifetime of the QDs and its temperature dependence were successfully measured by the fabricated triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe. These measurement results verified the capability of the proposed triple-tapered near-field optical fiber probe to improve the collection efficiency of near-field fluorescence.
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Patients hospitalized in a hospital with a high incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea due to toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive (A-/B+) Clostridium difficile were retrospectively investigated to determine the clinical manifestations and risk factors for infection. Of 77 Clostridium difficile isolates obtained from 77 patients during the 1-year investigation period, 30 were A-/B+ and 47 were toxin A-positive, toxin B-positive (A+/B+). By pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, 23 of the 30 A-/B+ strains were outbreak-related, suggesting nosocomial spread of a single type of bacterium, which mainly affected patients in the wards of respiratory medicine, hematology and neurology. Using regression analysis, three factors were found to be associated with infection by A-/B+ isolates: (i) exposure to antineoplastic agents ( P=0.01, odds ratio [OR]=5.1), (ii) the use of nasal feeding tubes ( P=0.008, OR=5.2), and (iii) assignment to a certain internal medicine ward ( P=0.05, OR=3.0). Between patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea caused by A-/B+ strains and those with A+/B+ strains, no statistically significant difference was found in body temperature, serum concentration of C-reactive protein, leukocyte count in whole blood, frequency of diarrhea, or type of underlying disease. These results indicate that A-/B+ strains of Clostridium difficile can cause intestinal infection in humans and they spread nosocomially in the same manner as A+/B+ strains.
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Antibacterianos/efectos adversos , Proteínas Bacterianas , Clostridioides difficile/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por Clostridium/epidemiología , Infección Hospitalaria/microbiología , Diarrea/epidemiología , Diarrea/microbiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Análisis de Varianza , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Toxinas Bacterianas/análisis , Niño , Preescolar , Clostridioides difficile/efectos de los fármacos , Infecciones por Clostridium/diagnóstico , Estudios de Cohortes , Infección Hospitalaria/epidemiología , Diarrea/etiología , Electroforesis en Gel de Campo Pulsado , Enterotoxinas/análisis , Femenino , Hospitales Urbanos , Humanos , Incidencia , Lactante , Japón/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Probabilidad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Medición de Riesgo , Estadísticas no ParamétricasRESUMEN
Functional contribution of the cholinergic pathway between the frontal cortex and basal nucleus of Meynert to micturition reflex was investigated. Male Wistar rats were subjected to bilateral lesion of the basal forebrain by ibotenic acid (IA) injection (7.5 microg/rat on each side) (BF rats). Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was injected into control rats (sham operated rats; SO rats). Cystometrograms were obtained from conscious BF and SO rats 7-10 days after IA/PBS injection. Bladder capacity (BC) of BF rats was significantly smaller than that of SO rats (approximately 43.7%) and was accompanied by decrease in choline-acetyltransferase activity in the frontal cortices. Oxotremorine M, a muscarinic receptor agonist, increased BC in BF rats, while pirenzepine, an M1 muscarinic receptor antagonist, counteracted the effect of the oxotremorine M-induced increase in BC. Injection of oxotremorine M into the dorsal pontine tegmentum (DPT) reduced BC in BF and SO rats, while injection of pirenzepine had no effect on cystometrograms. These findings indicate that the M1 muscarinic receptor plays a part in the forebrain inhibitory mechanisms involved in the micturition reflex and that muscarinic receptor in the DPT contributes to excitatory control of micturition reflex.
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Prosencéfalo/fisiología , Receptores Muscarínicos/fisiología , Reflejo/efectos de los fármacos , Vejiga Urinaria/fisiología , Micción/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Núcleo Basal de Meynert/efectos de los fármacos , Núcleo Basal de Meynert/fisiología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Agonistas de Aminoácidos Excitadores , Ácido Iboténico , Masculino , Agonistas Muscarínicos/farmacología , Oxotremorina/farmacología , Prosencéfalo/efectos de los fármacos , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Receptor Muscarínico M1 , Reflejo/fisiología , Vejiga Urinaria/efectos de los fármacos , Micción/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Most tumors, including gliomas, are resistant to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) cytotoxicity unless protein or RNA synthesis is inhibited. We investigated the effects of the combined use of TNF-alpha and cisplatin (CDDP) on cultured malignant glioma cells, T98G, U373MG, A172, and U87MG. All glioma cell lines were sensitive to treatment with CDDP but resistant to TNF-alpha during 24 h-incubation. The combined use of CDDP and TNF-alpha had synergistic effects on T98G and U87MG but not on U373MG and A172 cells. Sequential treatments showed that only pretreatment with CDDP for 2 h followed by TNF-alpha for 22 h was synergistic on cell cytotoxicity. Annexin V-flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling assay showed that TNF-alpha can induce apoptosis in cells treated with CDDP. Although only sensitive cell lines express transcripts for p75 TNF receptor 2, changes in TNF receptors were not found to contribute to the susceptibility to TNF-alpha. The production of interleukin-6, a representative cytoprotective cytokine, from glioma cells stimulated by TNF-alpha was suppressed by the combined use of actinomycin D, but not CDDP. Our results indicate that CDDP can sensitize glioma cells to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis by a mechanism other than blocking the cytoprotective protein production.
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Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Apoptosis , Cisplatino/farmacología , Glioma/fisiopatología , Factor de Necrosis Tumoral alfa/farmacología , Sinergismo Farmacológico , Humanos , Interleucina-6/biosíntesis , Receptores del Factor de Necrosis Tumoral/metabolismo , Células Tumorales CultivadasRESUMEN
The hemolysis of various animal erythrocytes in emulsions prepared with various emulsifying agents (lecithins) and oils was examined. In the emulsions stabilized with different emulsifying agents, the degree of hemolysis increased in the order soybean lecithin
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Inhaled corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of bronchial asthma, but it is still uncertain whether long-term use of the inhaled corticosteroids affects bone metabolism in asthmatic patients. In this study, we examined the effect of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) on bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in pre- and early postmenopausal asthmatic women. Thirty-six (17 premenopausal and 19 early postmenopausal) asthmatic women and 45 healthy control (24 premenopausal and 21 early postmenopausal) women were investigated. All the asthmatic patients were treated with BDP (542 +/- 298 microg/day; 100-1200 microg/day) without any systemic administration of corticosteroids for at least 1 year. In premenopausal women, BMD as well as the biochemical markers of bone metabolism did not differ between control subjects and BDP-treated asthmatic patients. By contrast, in early postmenopausal women, BMD was significantly lower in BDP-treated asthmatic patients than in control subjects. In these early postmenopausal women, serum intact osteocalcin concentration was lower in the BDP-treated asthmatic patients than in the control subjects whereas urinary free pyridinoline (F-PYD) and free deoxypyridinoline (F-DPD) concentrations did not differ between the groups. Thus, early postmenopausal, but not premenopausal, asthmatic patients who were treated with inhaled BDP had reduced BMD, which was associated with a decreased level of the bone formation marker. Ovarian hormones may be protective against the adverse effect of inhaled BDP on bone metabolism in the premenopausal patients.
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Antiasmáticos/efectos adversos , Asma/tratamiento farmacológico , Beclometasona/efectos adversos , Densidad Ósea/efectos de los fármacos , Resorción Ósea/inducido químicamente , Osteoporosis Posmenopáusica/inducido químicamente , Posmenopausia , Premenopausia , Absorciometría de Fotón , Administración por Inhalación , Adulto , Aminoácidos/orina , Antiasmáticos/administración & dosificación , Antiasmáticos/farmacología , Antiasmáticos/uso terapéutico , Beclometasona/administración & dosificación , Beclometasona/farmacología , Beclometasona/uso terapéutico , Biomarcadores , Susceptibilidad a Enfermedades , Femenino , Hormonas Esteroides Gonadales/fisiología , Humanos , Vértebras Lumbares/diagnóstico por imagen , Vértebras Lumbares/efectos de los fármacos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Osteocalcina/sangre , Osteoporosis Posmenopáusica/sangre , Osteoporosis Posmenopáusica/orinaRESUMEN
To evaluate the influences of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mechanisms on bladder hyperactivity after left middle cerebral artery occlusion, cystometric recordings were obtained from unanesthetized female rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of both muscimol (GABA(A) receptor agonist; 0.1-10 nmol) and baclofen (GABA(B) receptor agonist; 0.1-3 nmol) produced dose-dependent inhibitions of micturition with increases in bladder capacity (BC). The effects of high doses (1-10 nmol) were similar in sham-operated (SO) and cerebral-infarcted (CI) rats. However, lower doses of muscimol (0.1 or 0.3 nmol) and baclofen (0.1 nmol) reduced BC in CI rats. After bicuculline (GABA(A) receptor antagonist; 1 or 3 nmol) administration, BC in both SO and CI rats first decreased and subsequently increased. An increase in urethral pressure was observed after administration of bicuculline (3 nmol) but not with either muscimol or baclofen. Infarct volumes in muscimol-, bicuculline-, or baclofen-treated rats were not significantly different from those of vehicle-treated rats. These results suggest that GABAergic mechanisms inhibit the micturition reflex at the supraspinal level but that this can change as a result of CI.
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Baclofeno/farmacología , Infarto Cerebral/fisiopatología , Ventrículos Cerebrales/fisiología , Arteria Cerebral Media/fisiología , Muscimol/farmacología , Vejiga Urinaria/fisiología , Animales , Baclofeno/administración & dosificación , Bicuculina/administración & dosificación , Bicuculina/farmacología , Ventrículos Cerebrales/efectos de los fármacos , Ventrículos Cerebrales/fisiopatología , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Agonistas de Receptores de GABA-A , Agonistas de Receptores GABA-B , Inyecciones Intraventriculares , Muscimol/administración & dosificación , Presión , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Convulsiones/fisiopatología , Vejiga Urinaria/efectos de los fármacos , Vejiga Urinaria/fisiopatología , Micción/efectos de los fármacos , Micción/fisiologíaAsunto(s)
Sistema del Grupo Sanguíneo ABO , Incompatibilidad de Grupos Sanguíneos , Rechazo de Injerto/inmunología , Trasplante de Riñón/inmunología , Trasplante Heterólogo/inmunología , Animales , Anticuerpos Heterófilos , Complemento C3/análisis , Rechazo de Injerto/patología , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina M/análisis , Inmunohistoquímica , Isoanticuerpos , Trasplante de Riñón/patología , Modelos Inmunológicos , Papio , Porcinos , Trasplante Heterólogo/patologíaRESUMEN
The human genome is composed of long-range G+C% mosaic structures, which are thought to be related to chromosome bands. Replication timing during S phase is associated with chromosomal band zones; thus, band boundaries are thought to correspond to regions where replication timing switches. The proximal limit of the human X-inactivation center (XIC) has been localized cytologically to the junction zone between Xq13.1 and Xq13.2. Using PCR-based quantification of the newly replicated DNA from cell-cycle fractionated THP-1 cells, the replication timing in and around the XIC was determined at the genome sequence level. We found two regions where replication timing changes from the early to late period during S phase. One is located near a large inverted duplication proximal to the XIC, and the other is near the XIST locus. We propose that the 1Mb late-replicated zone (from the large inverted duplication to XIST) corresponds to a G-band Xq13.2. Several common characteristics were observed in the XIST region and the MHC class II-III junction which was previously defined as a band boundary. These characteristics included differential high-density clustering of Alu and LINE repeats, and the presence of polypurine/polypyrimidine tracts, MER41A, MER57 and MER58B.
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Replicación del ADN , Compensación de Dosificación (Genética) , ARN no Traducido , Cromosoma X/genética , Animales , Células CHO , Ciclo Celular , Bandeo Cromosómico , Cricetinae , ADN/genética , ADN/metabolismo , Humanos , Complejo Mayor de Histocompatibilidad/genética , ARN Largo no Codificante , Factores de Tiempo , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Células Tumorales CultivadasRESUMEN
Aniracetam has been used to improve the mental condition of patients with cerebrovascular disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that aniracetam activates the residual functions of cholinergic neurons in damaged brain areas. In this study, the effects of aniracetam on bladder overactivity after left middle cerebral artery occlusion were assessed through oral or i.c.v. administration in sham-operated and cerebral infarcted rats. Oral administration of aniracetam (100 and 300 mg/kg) resulted in a significant and dose-dependent increase in bladder capacity in cerebral infarcted rats but had no effect on bladder capacity in sham-operated rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of aniracetam (0.25 and 2.5 microg/rat) resulted in a significant and dose-dependent increase in bladder capacity in cerebral infarcted rats but not in sham-operated rats. Aniracetam had no significant effect on bladder contraction pressure or micturition threshold pressure in either sham-operated or cerebral infarcted rats. Furthermore, i.c.v. administration of atropine (1 microg/rat), a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, completely inhibited the enhancing effects of aniracetam on bladder capacity in cerebral infarcted rats. The effects of aniracetam on bladder overactivity are thought to be mediated in part by activation of cholinergic inhibitory mechanisms in the brain. These results indicate that aniracetam may improve the neurogenic voiding dysfunction observed in patients with cerebrovascular disease.
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Infarto Cerebral/fisiopatología , Nootrópicos/farmacología , Pirrolidinonas/farmacología , Vejiga Urinaria/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Atropina/farmacología , Infarto Cerebral/tratamiento farmacológico , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Inyecciones Intraventriculares , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/farmacología , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Receptores Muscarínicos/fisiología , Vejiga Urinaria/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease entity. A total of 61 cases have been reported in the Japanese literature, and most of them were AL type amyloidosis. We report here a case of primary AA type amyloidosis. A 52-year-old man presented with a chief complaint of asymptomatic gross hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed yellowish elevated lesions, transurethral mucosal biopsies were performed, and the histopathological diagnosis indicated a primary AA type amyloidosis of the urinary bladder. Systemic amyloidosis was clinically eliminated. The yellowish lesions in the bladder through cystoscopy disappeared spontaneously one year later without any specific treatment, but periodical work-up may be necessary to rule out recurrence of the disease or bladder tumor.
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Amiloidosis/diagnóstico , Enfermedades de la Vejiga Urinaria/diagnóstico , Amiloidosis/clasificación , Amiloidosis/patología , Cistoscopía , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Recurrencia , Remisión Espontánea , Enfermedades de la Vejiga Urinaria/clasificación , Enfermedades de la Vejiga Urinaria/patologíaRESUMEN
In January 1999, an outbreak of type A(H3N2) influenza occurred in a psychiatric hospital. Among 273 inpatients, 59 male and 40 female patients, age between 24-84 year old, developed high fever(38 degrees C), joint pain, cough and nasal discharge, and eleven male and one female patients died. In that hospital, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA), with production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) and staphylococcal enterotoxin(SE) type C(SEC), were isolated from inpatients, medical stuffs and hospital environments. Under investigation, a 59-year-old male inpatient developed respiratory failure following influenza infection. The titer of serum TSST-1 antibody and SEC antibody of this patient was significantly elevated in his clinical course. It is highly suspected that influenza outbreak occurred among MRSA carriers and TSS was complicated with fatal cases.
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Gripe Humana/complicaciones , Choque Séptico/complicaciones , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Infección Hospitalaria , Brotes de Enfermedades , Femenino , Hospitales Psiquiátricos , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
The mandibular advancement splint (MAS) was recently introduced for the management of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), although its effects on psycho-intellectual functions have not been elucidated yet. We examined psycho-intellectual function before and after treatment with MAS in patients with SAS. Twenty patients with SAS underwent psycho-intellectual function testing before and after treatment with MAS for 3 to 4 weeks. The apnea index significantly decreased from 19.0+/-15.6 to 2.4+/-1.9. The state anxiety score significantly decreased from 44.6+/-12.1 to 33.7+/-11.1, the trait anxiety score significantly decreased from 46.2+/-13.4 to 37.6+/-13.8, and the depression scale score significantly decreased from 39.2+/-11.0 to 30.8+/-9.9 with MAS treatment. By the Cornell Medical Index and the Yatabe-Guilford test, the patients became less neurotic and less eccentric after treatment. By the Uchida-Kraepelin psychodiagnostic test, calculation ability significantly increased from 1247.4+/-402.1 to 1950.2+/-651.9. We conclude that MAS treatment reduces apneic episodes and improves psycho-intellectual derangements in patients with SAS.
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Ansiedad/etiología , Depresión/etiología , Avance Mandibular/instrumentación , Síndromes de la Apnea del Sueño/psicología , Síndromes de la Apnea del Sueño/terapia , Férulas (Fijadores) , Adulto , Anciano , Ansiedad/psicología , Depresión/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Oxígeno/sangre , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Síndromes de la Apnea del Sueño/sangre , Síndromes de la Apnea del Sueño/fisiopatología , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Results of previous studies have suggested that the rostral superior colliculus (SC), which corresponds to the representation of the central visual field, is involved in the control of accommodation and active fixation. To clarify the functional interaction between accommodation and active fixation in the rostral SC, this study was performed to investigate the axon collaterals diverging from the rostral SC to the pretectal accommodation-related areas and the omnipause neuron area in the raphe interpositus (RIP) of the cat by using a fluorescent double-labeling technique. This study was conducted on four cats, weighing 2.5-3.5 kg. Retrogradely labeled neurons in the SC were examined following injections of Fast Blue into the RIP and Diamidino Yellow into the pretectal accommodation-related areas, which were identified with microstimulation techniques. Neurons projecting to the RIP were located mainly in the intermediate layers in the rostral SC, whereas neurons projecting to the pretectal accommodation-related areas were scattered in the superficial and intermediate layers of the rostral SC. The population of double-labeled neurons was highest in the rostral SC, which corresponds to the representation of the central visual field. The presence of double-labeled cells indicated that the accommodation-related area in the rostral SC contains neurons whose axons collateralize to project to both the pretectal accommodation-related areas and the ominipause neuron area in the RIP. Neurons in the rostral SC may be involved in the interaction between accommodation and active fixation.
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Acomodación Ocular/fisiología , Axones/fisiología , Gatos/fisiología , Neuronas/fisiología , Movimientos Sacádicos/fisiología , Colículos Superiores/fisiología , Animales , Mapeo Encefálico , Gatos/anatomía & histología , Colorantes Fluorescentes , Neuronas/ultraestructura , Colículos Superiores/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
A 44-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to severe hypertension. An electrocardiogram (ECG) and an echocardiogram showed severe left ventricular hypertrophy. Her plasma aldosterone level was elevated. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a small mass in the right adrenal gland. Before removal of the tumor, plasma endogenous digitalis-like substance (EDLS) levels were elevated. After removal of the tumor, EDLS levels quickly returned to the normal level. A series of echocardiograms and ECGs over a 6- year period after removal of the tumor showed marked regression of cardiac hypertrophy. These findings suggest that EDLS may be closely related to the development of concentric cardiac hypertrophy in primary aldosteronism.
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Digoxina , Hiperaldosteronismo/complicaciones , Hipertensión/etiología , Hipertrofia Ventricular Izquierda/etiología , Saponinas/sangre , Neoplasias de las Glándulas Suprarrenales/complicaciones , Adulto , Cardenólidos , Ecocardiografía , Electrocardiografía , Femenino , Humanos , Hipertrofia Ventricular Izquierda/diagnósticoRESUMEN
The mechanism of metal ion-catalyzed oxidative modification of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in human very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and its inhibition by glycosaminoglycan (GAG) was investigated in vitro. The VLDL oxidation catalyzed by Cu2+ led to the lipid peroxidation, the formation of aggregates, and covalent modification of apoE. The modified apoE lost heparin-binding activity. These results suggest that the lipid peroxidation of VLDL and modification of apoE cause impairment of lipid uptake by cells and deposit the oxidized lipids in the tissues. The lipid peroxidation and oxidative modification of apoE in VLDL mediated by Cu2+ and an aqueous radical generator were suppressed by GAG, heparan sulfate, heparin, and chondroitin sulfate A, even though GAGs demonstrated no ability to scavenge alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl radical. There were no relationships between inhibitory activity of GAGs in the VLDL oxidation and their number of sulfate groups which possess chelating activity of metal ion. Therefore, it can be considered that the inhibition of VLDL oxidation by GAGs is possibly due to the interaction between GAG and VLDL which bring about the steric hindrance, interference with the reaction between VLDL particle and the reactive oxygen species. These studies suggest that GAGs preserve the biological functions of apoE from oxidative stress.