Autonomic and sensory nerve modulation of peristalsis in the upper urinary tract.

The primary function of the upper urinary tract is to propel urine and various water-soluble toxic compounds from the kidneys to the bladder for storage and evacuation to maintain body ionic balance and contribute to the regulation of blood volume and pressure. The mechanism by which the upper urinary tract propels urine has long been considered to be myogenic in origin as peristaltic contractions in vivo and in vitro (pyeloureteric peristalsis) propagate in a manner little affected by drugs that block nerve conduction or the sympathetic and parasympathetic transmission. However, it is now well established that the release of intrinsic prostaglandins and neuropeptides from primary sensory nerves (PSNs) helps to maintain pyeloureteric peristalsis. Electrical field stimulation of PSNs evokes species-specific positive inotropic and chronotropic effects that have been attributed to release of excitatory tachykinins superimposed on negative inotropic and chronotropic effects associated with the release of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), a rise in cellular cyclic-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and a protein kinase A-dependent activation of glibenclamide-sensitive ATP-dependent K+ (KATP) channels. This review summarises the existing evidence of the nervous control of the upper urinary tract and recent evidence suggesting that the autonomic innervation may indirectly modulate pyeloureteric peristalsis via the activation of PSN nicotinic receptors and via the modulation of KV7 channels located on interstitial cells within the renal pelvis wall.

Neuroproteomics: an insight into ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of unknown aetiology. Diagnosis is made through physical examination, electrophysiological findings, and by excluding other conditions. There is not a single biomarker that concludes the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate differentially expressed proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of ALS patients compared to control subjects, with the purpose to identify a panel of possible biomarkers for the disease. The differentially expressed spots/proteins were submitted to two-dimensional (2D) electrophoresis and recognized with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Parkin-like and many iron and zinc binding were some of the proteins found in ALS CSF. Parkin is a ligase involved in ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and mutations in the parkin gene are the most common cause of recessive familial Parkinson's disease. Iron and zinc are involved with many important metabolic processes and are related to neurodegenerative disease. Common features of ALS comprise failure of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and increased levels of metal ions in the brain. Therefore, the identification of these proteins can be a significant step in ALS research. These and other identified proteins are discussed in this study.

[Thoracoscopic surgery for intractable pneumothorax under epidural and local aesthesia].

Thoracoscopic surgery under epidural and local anesthesia for intractable pneumothorax were performed in 26 patients. A total of 29 thoracoscopic operation were performed in 26 patients. Twenty-three patients undervent only a single thoracoscopic operation, and 3 patients underwent twice thoracoscopic operations. We could control the air leak of intractable pneumothorax with the covering of polyglycolic acid sheets using aerosolized fibrin glue in 25 patients. In all patients postoperative course was uneventful and there was no operative death.

Chemical status of selenium in evaporation basins for disposal of agricultural drainage.

Evaporation basins (or ponds) are the most commonly used facilities for disposal of selenium-laden saline agricultural drainage in the closed hydrologic basin portion of the San Joaquin Valley, California. However concerns remain for potential risk from selenium (Se) toxicity to water fowl in these evaporation basins. In this study, we examined the chemical status of Se in both waters and sediments in two currently operating evaporation pond facilities in the Tulare Lake Drainage District. Some of the saline ponds have been colonized by brine-shrimp (Artemia), which have been harvested since 2001. We evaluated Se concentration and speciation, including selenate [Se(VI)], selenite [Se(IV)], and organic Se [org-Se or Se(-II)] in waters and sediment extracts, and fractionation (soluble, adsorbed, organic matter (OM)-associated, and Se(0) and other resistant forms) in sediments and organic-rich surface detrital layers from the decay of algal blooms. Selenium in ponds without vascular plants exhibited similar behavior to wetlands with vascular plant present, indicating that similar Se transformation processes and mechanisms had resulted in Se immobilization and an increase of reduced Se species [Se(IV), org-Se, and Se(0)] from Se(VI)-dominated input waters. Selenium concentrations in most pond waters were significantly lower than the influent drainage water. This decrease of dissolved Se concentration was accompanied by the increase of reduced Se species. Selenium accumulated preferentially in sediments of the initial pond cell receiving drainage water. Brine-shrimp harvesting activities did not affect Se speciation but may have reduced Se accumulation in surface detrital and sediments.

Relationships between sediment microbial communities and pollutants in two California salt marshes.

Salt marshes are important ecosystems whose plant and microbial communities can alter terrestrially derived pollutants prior to coastal water discharge. However, knowledge regarding relationships between anthropogenic pollutant levels and salt marsh microbial communities is limited, and salt marshes on the West Coast of the United States are rarely examined. In this study, we investigated the relationships between microbial community composition and 24 pollutants (20 metals and 4 organics) in two California salt marshes. Multivariate ordination techniques were used to assess how bacterial community composition, as determined by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and phospholipid fatty acid analyses, was related to pollution. Sea urchin embryo toxicity measurements and plant tissue metabolite profiles were considered two other biometrics of pollution. Spatial effects were strongly manifested across marshes and across channel elevations within marshes. Utilizing partial canonical correspondence analysis, an ordination technique new to microbial ecology, we found that several metals were strongly associated with microbial community composition after accounting for spatial effects. The major patterns in plant metabolite profiles were consistent with patterns across microbial community profiles, but sea urchin embryo assays, which are commonly used to evaluate ecological toxicity, had no identifiable relationships with pollution. Whereas salt marshes are generally dynamic and complex habitats, microbial communities in these marshes appear to be relatively sensitive indicators of toxic pollutants.

Synthesis and physico-chemical properties of peptides in soil humic substances.

Soil humic substances (HS) are heterologous, polydispersive, and multi-functional organometallic macromolecules ubiquitous in soils and sediments. They are key players in the maintenance of the belowground ecosystems and in the bioavailability of both organic and inorganic contaminants. It is widely assumed that the peptidic substructures of HS are readily degraded and therefore do not contribute significantly to interactions with contaminants such as toxic metals. To investigate the turnover of humified peptides, laboratory soil aging experiments were conducted with 13C-glucose or 15N-nitrate for 8.5 months. Evidence for random-coil peptidic structures in the labeled HS was obtained from 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (pyro-GC-MS), and circular dichroism data. Interaction of metals with the peptidic carbonyls of labeled HS was rationalized from the solid-state NMR data. Detailed 13C and 15N labeling patterns of amino acid residues in the acid hydrolysates of HS acquired from NMR and GC-MS revealed two pools of peptides, i.e. one extant (unlabeled) and the other, newly humified with little isotopic scrambling (fully labeled). The persistence of pre-existing peptidic structures indicates their resistance to degradation while the presence of fully labeled peptidic amino acids suggests wholesale incorporation of newly synthesized peptides into HS. These findings are contrary to the general notion that humified peptides are readily degraded.

[Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the lung; report of a case].

We experienced a case of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the lung. The patient was 50-year-old woman. She had been pointed out a lung abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. A lung biopsy by a bronchofiberscope failed to diagnose, and an open lung biopsy under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) offered diagnosis as a MALT lymphoma. We performed the tumor resection (a upper-middle lobectomy of the right lung with hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection under VATS). The post-operative course of the patient was uneventful and she has been free from the disease until now. MALT lymphoma has been a comparatively rare disease, but once the curative resection is performed the prognosis of the disease is good.

Comprehensive chemical profiling of gramineous plant root exudates using high-resolution NMR and MS.

Root exudates released into soil have important functions in mobilizing metal micronutrients and for causing selective enrichment of plant beneficial soil micro-organisms that colonize the rhizosphere. Analysis of plant root exudates typically has involved chromatographic methods that rely on a priori knowledge of which compounds might be present. In the research reported here, the combination of multinuclear and 2-D NMR with GC-MS and high-resolution MS provided de novo identification of a number of components directly in crude root exudates of different plant types. This approach was applied to examine the role of exudate metal ion ligands (MIL) in the acquisition of Cd and transition metals by barley and wheat. The exudation of mugineic acids and malate was enhanced by Fe deficiency. which in turn led to an increase in the tissue content of Cu, Mn, and Zn. The presence of elevated Cd maintained at a free activity pCd of 8.8 (10(-8.8) M), resulted in reduced phytosiderophore production by Fe deficient plants. The buffer morpholinoethane sulfonate (MES), which is commonly used in chelator-buffering nutrient solutions, was detected in the root exudate mixture, suggesting uptake and re-secretion of this compound by the roots. The ability to detect this compound in complex mixtures containing organic acids, amino acids, and other substances suggests that the analytical methods used here provide an unbiased method for simultaneous detection of all major components contained in root exudates.

Cerebellar hemorrhage after coil embolization for a ruptured vertebral dissecting aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of ruptured vertebral dissecting aneurysm that exhibited cerebellar hemorrhage after successful embolization of the vertebral artery including the dissected site. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old man suffered a sudden onset of severe occipital headache when he looked up. Computed tomography demonstrated subarachnoid hemorrhage. Angiography revealed a right vertebral dissecting aneurysm distal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Endovascular embolization of the aneurysm was performed with preservation of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The next day, the patient suffered a cerebellar hemorrhage in the vermis. The intracranial pressure was controlled by external ventricular drainage. The patient was discharged with mild cerebellar ataxia and bilateral abducens nerve palsy. CONCLUSION: In a case of vertebral dissecting aneurysm distal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, blood circulation in the vertebral arterial system may change after embolization of the aneurysm. In our case, the preserved posterior inferior cerebellar artery might have been hemodynamically stressed postoperatively, resulting in cerebellar hemorrhage. Therefore, strict control of blood pressure is essential in the acute stage after occlusion of the aneurysm.

[Use of an expandable metallic stent in 4 patients with superior vena syndrome].

Recently developed expandable metallic stents have been adopted to superior vena cava syndrome with good results. We inserted stents into the superior vena cava in 4 patients with superior vena cava syndrome. The results were comfortable and no complications. We should consider the stenting as the first choice for superior vena cava syndrome.

[A case of video-assisted thoracic surgery for congenital esophago-bronchial fistula].

A 42-year-old male was admitted to our hospital because barium esophagograpm showed an esophago-bronchial fistula with an esophageal deverticulum. He has had frequent episodes of cough at drinking water since childhood. A chest CT scan showed mild inflammatory change and bronchiectasis in the right S6. Division of the fistula by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was performed. There was no evidence of inflammation and adherent lymph nodes around the fistula. This case was diagnosed as a congenital esophago-bronchial fistula by operative findings and clinical course. The fistula was dissected easily and divided by an auto-suturing instrument. The affected lung could be preserved. The patient was discharged on the 10th postoperative day. VATS is an effective treatment for the patients of congenital esophago-bronchial fistula (Braimbrige type I and II), if they are not accompanied with pulmonary abscess or pleural empyema.

Comprehensive analysis of organic ligands in whole root exudates using nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Root exudates in the rhizosphere are vital to the normal life cycle of plants. A key factor is phytometallophores, which function in the nutritional acquisition of iron and zinc and are likely to be important in the uptake of pollutant metals by plants. Unraveling the biochemistry of these compounds is tedious using traditional analyses, which also fall short in providing the overall chemical composition or in detecting unknown or unexpected organic ligands in the exudates. Here, we demonstrate a comprehensive analysis of the exudate composition directly by 1H and 13C multidimensional NMR and silylation GC-MS. The advantages are (a) minimal sample preparation, with no loss of unknown compounds, and reduced net analysis time; (b) structure-based analysis for universal detection and identification; and (c) simultaneous analysis of a large number of constituents in a complex mixture. Using barley root exudates, a large number of common organic and amino acids were identified. Three derivatives of mugineic acid phytosiderophores were also determined, the major one being 3-epihydroxymugineic acid, for which complete 1H and 13C NMR assignments were obtained. Quantification of all major components using these methods revealed a sevenfold increase in total exudation under moderate iron deficiency, with 3-epihydroxymugineic acid comprising approximately 22% of the exudate mixture. As iron deficiency increased, total quantities of exudate per gram of root remained unchanged, but the relative quantity of carbon allocated to phytosiderophore increased to approximately 50% of the total exudate in response to severe iron deficiency.

In vivo 13C NMR analysis of acyl chain composition and organization of perirenal triacylglycerides in rats fed vegetable and fish oils.

Lipid composition of body fat can be a key indicator of nutritional status and a number of human disorders. In vivo 13C NMR provides for repeated, noninvasive analysis of fatty acyl chain composition on individuals, which circumvents classical problems of individual variation and repetitive invasive sampling. It also offers a unique opportunity to examine acyl chain organization in situ. This approach was used to examine the fatty acyl chain composition in the perirenal fat pads of rats fed olive, safflower, and menhaden oil-containing diets. These changes were then monitored during a diet switch between olive and menhaden oil-fed rats. The fatty acid composition of perirenal fat pads and livers was also analyzed using gas chromatography for comparison with the in vivo NMR analysis. Both tissues assumed the general characteristics of diet fatty acyl chain and fatty acid composition and the diet switch induced a switchover of the perirenal composition in 30-45 days. These results indicate that a large portion of the diet fatty acyl chains were incorporated directly into adipose and liver tissues although some were also metabolized, particularly in menhaden oil-fed rats. Furthermore, changes in the in vivo spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) of fatty acyl carbons in the perirenal fat pads and their lipid extracts were followed and effective correlation times (tau eff) were calculated from the T1 data. The result indicated that the in vivo segmental mobility of acyl carbons was sensitive to changes in diet-derived fatty acyl chain composition and that the central region of the acyl chain was more sensitive to these changes. There was a qualitative similarity but quantitative differences in the tau eff of acyl carbons acquired in vivo and from extracts. These results suggest that adipose triacylglycerides experience an overall liquid-like microenvironment in vivo but with more restriction in their mobility, and that different factors may exist in governing their organization in situ versus in extracts.

Electrophoretic separation, characterization, and quantification of biologically active lignin-derived macromolecules.

Degraded macromolecular lignin, which was isolated from the effluents of commercial pulp processing and known to inhibit early development in marine organisms, was separated and characterized using several polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) techniques. This lignin-derived macromolecule (LDM), when subjected to native PAGE and stained with alcian blue, appeared as a single band. On sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE, LDM appeared to consist of two subcomponents with apparent molecular weights of 11 and < 1 kDa. When subjected to isoelectrofocusing--PAGE of pH 3-9, LDM consisted of two major bands in the basic region of the gel, with less distinct banding in the more acidic region. Two-dimensional PAGE of LDM indicated that the higher molecular weight subcomponent corresponded to the more basic constituents, while the lower molecular weight subcomponent corresponded to acidic constituents. When the two subcomponents of LDM were isolated from SDS gels by electroelution and assessed for their effects on successful fertilization and early development, the higher molecular weight subcomponent possessed most of the inhibitory activity. This is the first report of the application of a variety of electrophoretic techniques to both structurally and biologically characterize lignin-derived macromolecules.

Determination of metabolites by 1H NMR and GC: analysis for organic osmolytes in crude tissue extracts.

World-wide salinity and drought problems necessitate the understanding of biological adaptation to water deficit. Osmotic adjustment via organic solutes is a common strategy for organisms to deal with water deficit problems. Numerous water-soluble organic metabolites across several chemical classes are commonly utilized as osmolytes, including betaines, sulfonium and sulfonate compounds, amino acids, carbohydrates, and polyols. To deal with the complexity and variability in osmolyte composition, we have devised an analytical approach that combines high-resolution 1H NMR and GLC to provide both structure identification and quantification of a broad spectrum of compounds. This combined approach also facilitated direct analyses of crude tissue extracts without extensive sample preparation, making it well-suited for a convenient screening of potential osmolytes. The structures of known osmolytes were confirmed from two-dimensional total correlation 1H NMR spectra, which also yielded structural information about unknown compounds. Five each terrestrial plant and marine animal species were examined for 41 metabolites, including osmolyte candidates glycinebetaine, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, taurine, proline, glycine, asparagine, alanine, glutamine, glucose, and sucrose. The osmotic function of glycinebetaine, proline, asparagine, glutamine, glucose, and sucrose was also demonstrated in leaves of Distichlis spicata under different salinity treatments.

Hypoxia does not affect rate of ATP synthesis and energy metabolism in rice shoot tips as measured by 31P NMR in vivo.

The cytoplasmic pH, concentrations of phosphate metabolites, and rate of ATP synthesis were measured in vivo in excised rice shoot tips under normoxic and hypoxic conditions using 31P NMR. When supplied with glucose, the shoot tips grew rapidly and were relatively unaffected by hypoxia. The cytoplasmic pH decreased transiently by only 0.2 units during hypoxia, and the concentration of ATP was maintained to at least 90% of the normoxic level. Most importantly, the unidirectional rate constant of ATP synthesis from free phosphate decreased less than 25% during hypoxia. This is in contrast to other actively growing tissues such as the maize root tip. gamma-Aminobutyrate was the major nonvolatile fermentation end product after 22 h of hypoxia. Other hypoxia-induced changes included a modest increase in [Ala] and [succinate] as well as a substantial decrease in [malate].

Temperature dependence of arginine kinase reaction in the tail muscle of live Sycionia ingentis as measured in vivo by 31P-NMR driven saturation transfer.

We have employed the driven 31P-NMR saturation transfer method to measure in vivo the temperature dependence of the forward and reverse unidirectional fluxes of the arginine kinase reaction in the tail muscle of a live shrimp, Sycionia ingentis. Our results indicated that neither the forward nor the reverse rate constants of this reaction were significantly temperature-dependent between 8 and 16 degrees C, in contrast to the kinetic characteristics of isolated arginine kinases.