The Kitasato archives of experimental medicine最新文献

The effects of sodium (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-) on blood pressure were studied in rats treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA). Four groups were prepared, each consisting of male Wistar rats that underwent heminephrectomy and administration of DOCA: the control group was maintained with tap water, the NaCl group with tap water containing 1% sodium chloride, the NaCit group with tap water containing 1.67% sodium citrate (including an equivalent dose of Na+ to 1% NaCl), and the ChoCl group with tap water containing 1.15% choline chloride (including an equivalent dose of Cl- to 1% NaCl). The time-course of systolic blood pressure showed only slight change in blood pressure in the control and ChoCl groups, and in the NaCl and NaCit groups. The rotational correlation time, an index of the fluidity of erythrocyte membrane, with spin-labeling of 16-doxyl-stearic acid, was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the NaCl and NaCit groups than in the control group, indicating an increase in the membrane fluidity, i.e., membrane fragility. The sodium, potassium ions-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+,K(+)-ATPase) activity of the erythrocyte membrane was decreased to 22% (P < 0.01) and 24% (P < 0.01) in the NaCl and NaCit groups, respectively, compared with the control groups; this activity was decreased to 43% in the ChoCl group (P < 0.05). The Ca(2+)-ATPase activity showed similar changes. In contrast, there were no marked differences in the erythrocyte electrolyte level between the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Few objective and quantitative studies have been made on energy expenditure during hospital nursing activities. The pedometer is a light handy instrument, which gives highly accurate results, and is a minimal burden for subjects. To ascertain daily energy expenditures, we used a pedometer. Twelve day-shift nurses served as subjects, in whom the number of steps token in 16 hours, from getting up until going to bed, was measured. We used the data obtained to calculate energy expenditures for 24 hours. In addition, eight nurses were chosen from among these subjects to undergo simultaneous pedometry and Holter electrocardiography. These data were also used to calculate energy expenditures. The following results were obtained. 1) The maximum total number of steps was 13897, the minimum 9899 and the mean +/- standard deviation was 11478.4 +/- 1285.8. 2) As to the energy expenditure of the eight nurses who were both pedometer and Holter electrocardiograph, the highest energy expenditure calculated from pedometry results was 2648 kcal. the lowest 2455 kcal, and the mean +/- standard deviation was 2514.1 +/- 55.5. The highest energy calculated from Holter electrocardiographic data was 3040 kcal, the lowest 2683 kcal, and the mean +/- standard deviation was 2868.1 +/- 108.0. The correlation coefficient was r = 0.59, (P < 0.05).

Overexpression of the human multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) on acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) correlates with poor prognosis. We evaluated several methods for mRNA estimation to standardize simple and reliable techniques for identifying MDR1 positive leukemia among untreated AMLs in large scale studies. Northern blot detection of MDR1 mRNA suffered from low signal-to-noise ratio under the conventional conditions, that was improved mainly by removing unincorporated radioactivity. The amount of MDR1 transcripts on positive cells was estimated less than 10% of that of constitutive mRNA species. A modified method seemed useful in estimating the total amount of the MDR1 mRNA in a whole leukemic cell population, and suitable to study stock samples or for large prospective clinical trials. RT-PCR was more sensitive in detecting MDR1 mRNA than Northern blot analysis, and the very feature made it virtually impossible to exclude contamination with normal hematopoietic cells. This procedure showed that FAB M3 leukemias were essentially MDR1 negative, and there existed frequently myelodysplastic syndrome subpopulation which had excessive MDR1 transcripts. In situ hybridization of the mRNA with a FITC-labeled phosphorothioate oligonucleotide probe was visualized using flowcytometry or con-focus lightmicroscopy, enabled us to recognize the difference between multidrug resistant K562/ADM and its wild type.

We examined the kinetics study of serum enzyme after the administration of beta-blocking agents or alpha-stimulator in the experimental rats. Following the administration of beta-blocking agents, propranolol and pindolol, the serum levels of adenylate kinase, aldolase, lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase as well as that of creatine kinase increased in rats. The same was observed following the administration of noradrenaline (an alpha-stimulator). Isoenzyme pattern indicated that most of these enzymes were considered to be released from muscular tissues. There were also changes in serum calcium, inorganic phosphorus and magnesium, concurrently with the release of the enzymes into the serum.

Five healthy male adults were deprived of food for a short period (40 hr) and biochemical studies and urinalyses were done before and after fasting to determine the effects on liver and renal functions. Acceleration in lipid metabolism was seen with an increase of about 90% in NEFA and about 20% in TG. GOT, GPT and LDH showed elevations of about 40 to 100% indicating a slight effect of 40 hr fasting on liver functions. BUN, HDL-C and ALP showed increases of about 30% while, CPK and TC showed decreases of about 20%. In the other parameters changes of about 10% were seen. After a fasting with water intake of about 1,000 ml/day, a body weight loss of 1.2 kg was observed at 40 hr. During the short-term fasting (40 hr) as done in our study, changes were seen in glucose and lipid metabolism. However, since no abnormalities were seen in general biochemical parameters, we consider that a fasting of this duration is valuable for use as one of the fastings.

Immunohistochemical distributions of tyrosine hydroxylase and calmodulin in the rat forebrain were analyzed quantitatively as a possible model for the hypertension mechanism. The brain slices of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at 12 weeks of age were stained immunohistochemically for tyrosine hydroxylase and for calmodulin, and the distributions and amounts of these proteins were measured at 40-microns intervals by a fluorescence microphotometry system in comparison with those in normotensive control, Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY, the parent strain of SHR). Tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the neostriatum, nucleus accumbens, nucleus septi lateralis and tractus diagonalis, and calmodulin levels in the medial part of the neostriatum of SHR were lower than those in WKY. We reported previously that the decrease of the serum calcium level in SHR causes a decrease of the dopamine levels in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens regions through a calmodulin-dependent system, and subsequent low levels of dopamine in the brain which may produce an increase in blood pressure. Combining this finding and our previous reports, we also suggest that the lower dopamine levels seen in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens regions of SHR may result from the decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase and/or calmodulin levels in these regions in addition to the abnormality of calcium metabolism, and low levels of dopamine may produce an increase in blood pressure through functions of cerebral dopaminergic neurons and peripheral sympathetic nerves.

Characteristics of peritoneal macrophages recovered from mice infected with two attenuated strains SER and Jena of Salmonella enteritidis were compared. Strong resistance against lethal infection with a virulent strain 116-54 of S. enteritidis was seen in a group of mice immunized with strain SER, but not in a group of mice immunized with strain Jena as well as in a control group. Peritoneal macrophages from mice immunized with strain SER showed an enhanced Salmonella-killing activity, an increased generation of O2- and an increased expression of Ia antigen on 7 to 14 days after infection when compared with those from mice immunized with strain Jena and thioglycollate(TG)-elicited macrophages as a control. The bacterial number of strain Jena in organs decreased more rapidly than that of strain SER after day 4 of infection. These observations suggest that the survival of an attenuated Salmonella bacilli at reticulo-endothelium is essential to increase of their activities of macrophages. Macrophages from mice injected with recombinant interferon(IFN)-gamma for 3 days induced the activated stage of the same characteristics as noted in activated macrophages from mice immunized with strain SER. Effect of oxygen intermediates (OI) scavengers such as superoxide dismutase and catalase on Salmonella-killing activity of activated macrophages was not seen at all. These results suggest that an increased generation of OI may be not primarily responsible for the ability to inhibit the intracellular growth of a virulent strain of S. enteritidis in macrophages activated by immunization with live, attenuated strains and injection with rIFN-gamma.