Primary intracranial melanoma--case report.

We present a rare case of primary intracranial melanoma in the right occipital region of a 76-year-old male. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an isointensity mass with shorter T1 and T2 relaxation times than those of the opposite hemisphere. A well-defined, dark black tumor was totally removed and histologically diagnosed as malignant melanoma. Eight months postoperatively, however, the tumor recurred and was excised again. He was doing well 1 year after the second operation without additional treatment. In our case, 1) no systemic melanomas were found in close clinical examinations; 2) there was a single nodular tumor attached to the leptomeninges; and 3) a favorable outcome was obtained by surgical treatment alone. These results are consistent with the diagnosis of primary intracranial melanoma.

[A case of splenial astrocytoma with various neuropsychological symptoms].

A case with splenial astrocytoma that showed various neuropsychological symptoms after disappearance of tumor due to chemo- and radiation therapies. A 40-year-old right-handed truck driver visited the Neurosurgical Clinic with complaints of memory disturbance and loosing his way during truck driving. Under diagnosis of protoplasmic astrocytoma chemotherapy and radiation treatments were carried out. These treatments were satisfactorily effective, but the patient showed marked memory deficits and personality change. He was hospitalized, therefore, into the Neuropsychiatric Clinic 20 months after the above mentioned treatments. Aside personality changes such as lack of inhibition and shameless acts, the patient showed interhemispheric disconnection symptoms (dyslexia in the left visual hemifield), memory deficits, and visual perceptual disturbances. His memory deficits consisted of anterograde and retrograde amnesia and disorientation of time and place, indicating that he had typical amnesic syndrome. In other words he had so-called retrosplenial amnesia. His visual perceptual deficits were impaired performance on many tasks already described as tests of visual perception.

A new orally active hypotensive peptide, N-(dibenzyloxyphosphinoyl)-L-alanyl-L-prolyl-L-proline (PAPP).

The antihypertensive effects and mechanisms of a newly developed orally active tripeptide, N-(dibenzyloxyphosphinoyl)-L-alanyl-L-prolyl-L-proline (PAPP), were investigated. When PAPP (1-30 mg/kg orally) was administered to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) reached a maximum reduction after 8 h and this effect lasted over 24 h. In two-kidney, one clip hypertensive rats (2KIC rats) and DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, PAPP also reduced SBP. In normotensive Wistar rats, however, PAPP did not have a hypotensive effect. PAPP showed low toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. The depressor response to bradykinin (BK) was potentiated, but the pressor response to angiotensin I (ANG I) was not inhibited by PAPP. PAPP significantly relaxed isolated SHR aortic strips treated with KC or norepinephrine. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition by PAPP was relatively low in vivo and in vitro.

Novel peptides with orally active and long-lasting antihypertensive activity.

A series of N-(P-substituted phosphinoyl)peptides were synthesized and their antihypertensive activities were tested in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Among them, N-(dibenzyloxyphosphinoyl)-L-Ala-L-Pro-L-Pro-OH showed the most potent and long-lasting antihypertensive activity in SHR when administered orally. Although the inhibitory activity of this peptide against the angiotensin-converting enzyme was about one-hundredth of that of Captopril, the antihypertensive activity in SHR was significantly higher and longer-lasting than that of Enalapril which has been reported to be the most potent agent among similar converting enzyme inhibitors.