Transfer of autoimmune thyroiditis and resolution of palmoplantar pustular psoriasis following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

We report an unusual case of a patient who was cured of one autoimmune disease (palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPP)) but developed another autoimmune disease (autoimmune thyroiditis) after allogeneic BMT. A 40-year-old man suffering from AML with PPP underwent allogeneic BMT from his HLA-identical sister for the treatment of AML. The patient experienced complete clearance of the cutaneous PPP despite the cessation of immunosuppressive therapy for over 2 years. However, he developed hyperthyroidism with anti-thyroglobulin antibodies 5 months after BMT, although he had showed normal thyroid functions without anti-thyroglobulin antibodies before BMT. The donor had no history of thyroid diseases and showed normal thyroid functions but was positive for anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Thus, even when the donor is in a subclinical state, autoimmune thyroiditis may be transferred from donors to recipients by BMT.

Aplastic anemia complicating Sjögren's syndrome

A 47-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of severe anemia and polyclonal gammopathy. She developed sicca syndrome after admission. Laboratory data revealed pancytopenia (white blood cells, 2,800/microliter; hemoglobin, 6.4 g/dl; platelets, 6.1 x 10(4)/microliter) and hyper gamma globulinemia (5.2 g/dl), and bone marrow was hypoplastic. Histology of the salivary gland showed infiltration of lymphocytes. We report a good response to immunosuppressive therapy in a rare case of aplastic anemia complicating Sjögren's syndrome.

Characterization of the promoter region, first ten exons and nine intron-exon boundaries of the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit gene, DNA-PKcs (XRCC7)

The gene, DNAPKcs (XRCC7), for the human DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is a strong candidate that complements a severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation in mice. We constructed a cosmid library from a previously identified, X RCC7-covering YAC clone (943G4). From the library, we isolated three cosmid clones containing the 5'-region of XRCC7. Sequence analysis with primer walking on a 6.3-kb segment of these cosmids identified the promoter region, the first ten exons and nine intron-exon boundaries of XRCC7. The promoter region contains several potential Sp1 protein-binding sites and a high G+C content but no TATA or CCAAT boxes. These findings are consistent with the TATA-less housekeeping gene promoter and provides the basis for transcriptional regulatory studies. Since nine other exons spanning an 8-kb segment are already known, a total of 19 exons in the gene have been identified. The cosmids isolated and the primer sets designed in the present study are useful for mutation analysis in patients with a SCID phenotype.

Possible narrowed assignment of the loci of monosomy 21-associated microcephaly and intrauterine growth retardation to a 1.2-Mb segment at 21q22.2

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Molecular mapping of a translocation breakpoint at 14q13 in a patient with mirror-image polydactyly of hands and feet

Mirror hands and feet (MIM, 135750) is a rare congenital anomaly, and mirror-image polydactyly is considered to be a variant of mirror hands and feet. To our knowledge, seven patients with the disorder have been reported in the literature. Parent-to-child transmission was reported in two families, which may indicate a single-gene defect inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. We had previously encountered a boy with mirror-image polydactyly whose karyotype showed 46,XY,t(2;14) (p23.3;q13) de novo. We hypothesized that at least one of the putative genes responsible for the determination of an anterior-posterior limb pattern is disrupted by a translocation breakpoint. In this study, we identified a yeast artificial chromosome clone spanning a translocation breakpoint at 14q13, and the breakpoint was confirmed to be located between two loci, AFM200ZH4 and D14S306, within a genetic distance of 0.6 cM.

The assessment of trigeminal sensory nerve paraesthesia after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: modified somatosensory evoked potentials recording method

Trigeminal neurosensory impairment is frequently observed following orthognathic surgery. The purpose of the present study is to visualize the degree of trigeminal nerve impairment following bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). Twenty patients who underwent BSSO were in the present study. To record the modified somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), two electrostimulation clips were applied. One clip was placed on the mucous surface of the lower lip and the other was placed on the skin surface. Each contact surface contained a separate 2 mm diameter silver anode and cathode attached to a 5 x 15 mm basement plate. The results obtained using this method revealed that complete recovery from neural impairment was observed in 7 cases (36.8%) on the right operative side and 4 (20.0%) on the left side at 6 months postoperatively. A definite delay in latency was observed on the left operative side at all the examination periods. The recovery period evaluated by the SEP method was longer than that of the objective two-point discrimination thresholds. Clinical records obtained showed considerable implications for trigeminal nerve function after BSSO.

Restoration of immune responses in tumor-bearing mice by ONO-4007, an antitumor lipid A derivative

ONO-4007, a synthetic lipid A derivative, has been found to exhibit potent antitumor activity in several animal models. In the present study, we examined the effects of ONO-4007 on delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction and antibody production in Meth A sarcoma-bearing BALB/c mice. The DTH reaction to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and the IgG production against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), were depressed in tumor-bearing mice as well as in normal mice given Mitomycin C (MMC). However, ONO-4007 restored these immune responses to normal levels. In addition, in vitro studies showed that ONO-4007 induced the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in splenic adherent cells of tumor-bearing mice more than those in normal mice. Though ONO-4007 alone had little effect on the induction of IL-2 production in spleen cells, it augmented the Concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated IL-2 production. Moreover, ONO-4007 had a mitogenic effect on spleen cells. These results suggest that ONO-4007 may improve immunocompetence in tumor-bearing hosts and contribute to the induction of antitumor immunity and prevention of bacterial infections.

Principal neuronal organization in the frog optic tectum revealed by a current source density analysis

In the frog optic tectum, the spatiotemporal pattern of neuronal activity evoked by electrical stimulation of the optic tract was examined by means of a current source density (CSD) analysis. The CSD depth profile was highly reproducible in different experiments. In all seven CSD profiles, three current sinks A, B, and D were observed in the retinorecipient layers. Four out of the seven profiles show additional two sinks C and E below the retinorecipient layers. Very small and short lasting sinks related to afferent fiber activities precede sinks A and B by about 1 ms, which could be accounted for by monosynaptic delay, in the corresponding depth region. The earliest prominent sink A at the bottom of the retinorecipient layers reflects only excitatory monosynaptic activities derived from R3 and/or R4 retinal ganglion cells. The second prominent sink B in the superficial retinorecipient layer is composed partly of excitatory monosynaptic activity from medium-sized myelinated optic fibers. It may involve excitatory monosynaptic activity from unmyelinated optic fibers and further polysynaptic activity. The fourth prominent sink D in the intermediate retinorecipient layer partially reflects excitatory monosynaptic activity derived from unmyelinated optic fibers. It may also involve further polysynaptic activity. In contrast with these three sinks, the third prominent sink C and fifth sink E exclusively reflect intratectal polysynaptic activity that has not been reported in any previous CSD studies in the frog optic tectum. These sinks almost overlap spatially in the tectal layer. We also measured the intratectal resistance changes and computed inhomogeneous CSD depth profiles to show that the results from homogeneous CSD computation assuming constant conductivity are valid for our present study. Finally, we compared the present results with previously reported CSD studies on the frog optic tectum and discuss consistencies and discrepancies among these experiments.

Effect of freeze-drying or gamma-irradiation on remodeling of tendon allograft in a rat model

Freezing or freeze-drying and gamma-irradiation are techniques currently used for processing tendon allografts. However, it is still unknown how these processing methods affect graft remodeling. In this study, we used a rat patellar tendon transplantation model to investigate the effect of various processing methods on remodeling by quantifying loss of collagen labeled with a radioactive isotope. The grafts were divided into the following four groups according to the processing method: fresh-frozen, freeze-dried, fresh-frozen and gamma-irradiated, or freeze-dried and gamma-irradiated. The percentage of donor collagen, calculated from hydroxyproline content and radioactivity level, was used as an indicator of graft remodeling. At 2 weeks, the level of donor collagen in the fresh-frozen group was 62%; in the freeze-dried group, 59%; in the fresh-frozen and irradiated group, 57%; and in the freeze-dried and irradiated group, 44%. At 4 weeks, the percentage of donor collagen remaining in grafts decreased to 38% in the fresh-frozen group, 19% in the freeze-dried group, 27% in the fresh-frozen and irradiated group, and 12% in the freeze-dried and irradiated group. Finally, at 12 weeks, the levels were 19% in the fresh-frozen group, 20% in the freeze-dried group, 15% in the fresh-frozen and irradiated group, and 6% in the freeze-dried and irradiated group. The percentages of donor collagen in the freeze-dried and the fresh-frozen and irradiated groups were significantly lower than that in the fresh-frozen group at 4 weeks. The values for the freeze-dried and irradiated group were significantly lower than those for the fresh-frozen and irradiated group at 4 and 12 weeks. These data suggest that freeze-drying, freeze-drying followed by gamma-irradiation, and fresh-freezing followed by gamma-irradiation temporarily accelerate graft remodeling.

Assignment of the human connexin43 gene, GJA1, to chromosome 6q22.3

Connexin43 is one of connexin proteins which make up the intercellular gap junctions. Targeted null mutation of the mouse connexin43 gene has been reported to result in a cardiac malformation. Moreover, single-base mutations of the human homolog (GJA1) were identified in patients with laterality defects of the chest and abdominal organs, suggesting that connexin43 contributes to the determination of laterality during organogenesis. We mapped GJA1 to 6q22.3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization, using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone that covered almost the entire GJA1-cDNA, as a probe.

Three-dimensional examination of bone structure around hydroxyapatite implants using digital image processing

This study introduced a new method for three-dimensional (3D) examination of the bone structure around an implant and presented 3D bone-implant contact rates. A block of nondecalcified implant tissue was ground gradually at an interval of 80 micrograms for the collection of serial two-dimensional (2D) images. An image of the stained block surface was instantly recorded by a charge-couple device (CCD) camera and computer-aided system. A 3D model was reconstructed from 60-70 sheets of serial 2D images. The 3D bone structure around the implant was shown in perspective and displayed all sides of the implant. The bone-implant contact rate depended on the cutting position and direction in the specimen. The 3D model will be necessary and valuable for the biomechanical study of dynamic bone changes around implants.

Influence of bone quality on the stress distribution. An in vitro experiment

Adequate bone quality and stress distribution to the bone are of decisive importance for implant success. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the influence of bone quality on the stress distribution using 2 implant-bone mimicking models, simulating compact and cancellous bone quality. The resin model was made of an acrylic resin only simulating compact bone quality. The hybrid model was made of 2 kinds of materials, acrylic resin covered with a 1-mm layer of urethane to simulate cancellous bone quality. An implant was embedded in each model, and the abutment and suprastructures were connected to the implant. A strain gauge was placed perpendicular to the implant on the surface of the model and a small accelerometer was attached to the abutment. When an impact load was applied to the suprastructure, both strain and acceleration were measured. Both abutment acceleration and surface strain in the hybrid model decreased rapidly as time progressed when compared to the resin model. Abutment accelerations in the resin model were significantly lower than those in the hybrid model. In the hybrid model, the strain increased as the loading site was moved closer to the strain gauge. The influence of loading sites on strain in the resin model was greater than in the hybrid model. Therefore, the occlusal stress was distributed more widely in the hybrid model than in the resin model. This may indicate that occlusal stress in compact bone may have a tendency to concentrate in particular regions.

Remodeling of allogeneic and autogenous patellar tendon grafts in rats

The differences in remodeling among frozen allografts, frozen autografts, and fresh autografts were investigated using a patellar tendon transplantation model in 2 different strains of rats. In this study, isografting (transplantation among the same strain inbred animals) was adopted as an autograft model. This method makes it possible to set up a frozen autograft model. Evaluation included mechanical properties determined during tensile failure tests, cross sectional area, histologic findings, and collagen fibril distribution. Recipient rats were euthanized at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after transplantation (n = 5, in each group and in each period). The frozen allografts showed significantly less tensile strength than did the frozen autografts at 4 weeks, but this difference was transient and diminished by 8 weeks. The tensile strength of the fresh autografts was significantly greater than that of the frozen autografts at 8 weeks or the frozen allografts at 8 and 12 weeks. It was suggested that freeze thawing has adverse effects on the remodeling of fresh autografts in this extraarticular graft model. The cross sectional area for each type of graft at each posttransplantation period was about twice as large as that before transplantation. The collagen fibril profile of the frozen allografts was similar to that of the frozen autografts. However, the fresh autografts showed a greater number of large diameter fibrils and a lesser number of small diameter fibrils than did the other 2 frozen groups.

Use of interimplant displacement to measure mandibular distortion during jaw movements in humans

It has been reported that the mandibular body and the dental arch distort during jaw movements because of contraction of the jaw muscles. In the present study the relative position between two biointegrated implants approx. 10 mm apart was measured during maximum opening and protrusive movements of the jaw using a magnetic sensor system. Mandibular distortion was evaluated as the change in the sensor signal. In all participants the distal implant deviated to the lingual side relative to the mesial implant and the deviation with jaw protrusion was larger than that with opening movement. The linear displacement of the two implants ranged from 8 to 25 microns during maximum opening and from 10 to 37 microns during jaw protrusion. Further investigation is required to establish the mechanism of this mandibular distortion, which may be of relevance to implant therapy.

[Three patients with Gilbert's syndrome associated with constitutional excretory defect of indocyanine green]

We routinely perform, as a preoperative liver function test, the indocyanin green (ICG) test in patients scheduled for operations under general anesthesia. Doubts have been raised, however, concerning the necessity for this test, since no abnormalities have ever been detected by it. Nonetheless, we noted a high level of ICG retention and a slight increase in indirect bilirubin in 3 patients, and further investigation led to a diagnosis of Gilbert's syndrome accompanied by constitutional impairment of ICG excretion. This syndrome can be associated with perioperative jaundice in patients with malnutrition and those who received halothane, morphine, or some other agents. Although the indirect bilirubin level increased briefly after surgery, no other abnormalities occurred in the 3 patients. Since this syndrome is asymptomatic and is detected incidentally, the preoperative ICG test was considered to be useful.

The B cell epitope of paramyosin recognized by a protective monoclonal IgE antibody to Schistosoma japonicum

Passive immunization of mice with a monoclonal IgE antibody to Schistosoma japonicum (SJ18 epsilon. 1) induces significant protection to a challenge infection and the target molecule of SJ18 epsilon. 1 is paramyosin. In the present study, we demonstrate the B cell epitope of paramyosin recognized by SJ18 epsilon. 1 by using a series of deletion mutants expressed in Escherichia coli. SJ18 epsilon 1 reacted with the recombinant paramyosin containing 113 amino acids (Glu301. Ala413) but not with a shorter peptide (Glu301-Asp343). Further epitope mapping carried out by a multi-pin system using heptameric peptides synthesized sequentially from 71 amino acids of paramyosin (Asp343-Ala413) demonstrated significant binding of SJ18 epsilon. 1 to the sequence, 359Ile-Arg-Arg-Ala362. Replacement set analysis of the pentameric peptide, 358Leu-Ile-Arg-Arg-Ala362, revealed that replacement of each residue with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic amino acid did not inhibit binding of SJ18 epsilon. 1, whereas replacement of positively charged Arg. or hydrophobic Ala with a negatively charged amino acid, Glu, showed reduction in binding of the antibody. Moreover, replacement of each amino acid including Arg with a positively charged amino acid, Lys, resulted in a drastic loss of the binding, indicating that binding of the antibody was markedly affected by the change of charges of the peptide as well as by the conformational alteration. The target epitope of SJ18 epsilon. 1 was common among paramyosins of S. mansoni, Taenia solium and Echinococcus granulosus but not among nematode paramyosins, suggesting that the epitope is specific for platyhelminthes.

Nigrostriatal dopamine system may contribute to behavioral learning through providing reinforcement signals to the striatum

The nigrostriatal dopamine system has long been regarded to play an essential role in motor mechanisms, since selective damage to this system results in the severe motor disturbances known as Parkinson's syndromes. The mechanisms how the nigrostriatal dopamine system plays a part is still not clear. Based on recording of single neuron activity in the primate striatum and selective destruction of the nigrostriatal dopamine system, we propose that this system is crucially involved in behavioral learning through providing reinforcement signals to the striatum during behavioral learning. The way of involvement in learning seems to be consistent with the reinforcement learning rule.

Different secretion profiles of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides after acute volume loading in patients with ischemic heart disease

In order to clarify the different secretion profiles of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in response to acute hemodynamic change by volume expansion, we measured plasma ANP and BNP levels after intravenous isotonic saline infusion for 3 min at a rate of 3 ml/kg body weight/min in 15 patients with ischemic heart disease. Plasma ANP and BNP levels before the volume loading were 30.7 +/- 16.7 and 19.4 +/- 24.6 pg/ml, respectively. Five and 10 minutes after infusion, plasma ANP levels rose significantly to 43.5 +/- 20.7 and to 46.0 +/- 22.5 pg/ml, respectively (p < 0.01), and plasma BNP levels rose significantly to 27.3 +/- 30.8 and 24.8 +/- 23.2 pg/ ml, respectively (p < 0.01). The BNP/ANP ratio was not affected by volume loading. The maximum increments of plasma ANP level correlated significantly with those of the mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mPCWP, r = 0.78, p < 0.01) or left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP, r = 0.86, p < 0.01). However, there were no significant correlations between the maximum increments of plasma BNP levels and those of mPCWP or LVEDP. Plasma ANP level can be a useful parameter for atrial pressure even if the hemodynamic state change rapidly. However, in an early phase of ventricular overload BNP secretion is not increased sufficiently despite the raised LVEDP, and plasma BNP level may not always reflect ventricular hemodynamics.

[A case of report of traumatic aortic regurgitation accompanying cerebral embolism]

Aortic regurgitation due to nonpenetrating trauma of the chest is an extremely rare disease and only 12 cases have been reported in this country. We report a case we treated and present additional of retrospective discussions. The patient was a 59-year-old man who lost consciousness due to a heavy blow to the chest during work. He was diagnosed as having acute aortic regurgitation. A close examination on the 3rd day after the injury revealed cerebral embolism and heart failure could not be controlled by physical treatment. Surgery was performed on the 5th day after the injury. The aorta was incised under cardiopulmonary bypass to examine aortic valves. Commissures between the RCC and the NCC and between the NCC and the LCC had been torn from the aortic wall and injured and thrombus adhesion was observed in a part of the NCC. After repairing the aortic wall, the valve was replaced by SJM valve. Postoperative course is satisfactory.

Changes in the responsiveness of parabrachial neurons in the arthritic rat: an electrophysiological study

1. Rats rendered polyarthritic by injection of Mycobacterium butyricum into the tail were used as a model for the study of "chronic pain". In such rats, anesthetized with halothane in a nitrous oxide-oxygen mixture, spontaneous activity and responses of parabrachial (PB) neurons to somatic stimulations were studied in comparison with those in a control group of healthy animals processed under the same experimental conditions. 2. The size of the somatic receptive field of PB neurons was similar in both arthritic and control groups. In the control group 13%, 55%, and 32% of the receptive fields were small, medium, and large, respectively. Similarly, in the arthritic group, 10%, 60%, and 30% of the receptive fields were small, medium, and large, respectively. 3. The spontaneous activity was significantly (P < 0.001) increased in the arthritic rats (0.1 < 3 < 16 Hz, n = 31; 10th percentile < median < 90th percentile) in comparison with the healthy rats (0.03 < 0.3 < 5 Hz, n = 22). 4. The sensitivity to mechanical stimuli was markedly increased in arthritic compared with healthy rats: 1) although PB neurons in normal rats never responded to innocuous stimuli, several PB neurons in arthritic rats responded to touch and/or joint movement; 2) the mean mechanical threshold decreased from 15.8 N/cm2 in normal rats to 5.9 N/cm2 in arthritic rats; 3) the mean pressure evoking 50% of the maximum response decreased from 34 N/cm2 in normal rats to 21 N/cm2 in arthritic rats; and 4) the intensity of the maximum response increased from 15.7 Hz in normal rats to 26.3 Hz in arthritic rats. 5. The mechanical encoding properties were clearly modified in arthritic rats compared with healthy rats. In this latter group, the PB neurons exhibited a clear capacity to encode mechanical stimuli in the noxious range: 1) the stimulus-response curves were always positive and monotonic until 48 N/cm2; and 2) the slope of the mean curve increased progressively from 2 to 8 N/cm2 before reaching a roughly linear maximum for a wide range of pressure (8-64 N/cm2) and plateauing beyond. In the arthritic rat, the PB neurons also encoded mechanical stimuli, but clearly from a lower pressure range: the slope of the mean curve was maximum and remained steep from the lowest pressure tested (1 N/cm2) up to 16 N/cm2; afterward the slope decreased progressively from 16 to 64 N/cm2 before plateauing. 6. The sensitivity to heat stimuli was only weakly modified. The thermal threshold was weakly, but significantly, increased from 44 degrees C in the normal rat to 45.8 degrees C in the arthritic rat. Other parameters for thermal modality were not changed, with the mean stimulus-response curves being similar in both arthritic and normal groups. 7. In conclusion, these experiments demonstrate that the activity of PB neurons is clearly changed in arthritic rats. These changes are reminiscent of some behavioral and electrophysiological modifications observed during arthritis. Considering the current literature, it is hypothesized that the PB relay could be responsible, at least in part, for several affective-emotional, behavioral, autonomic, and energy metabolism changes observed in arthritic rats.

Effect of electrical stimulation of the central amygdaloid nucleus on the nociceptive neuron of the cortex (SI) in the cat

The effect of conditioning stimulation of the central amygdaloid nucleus (ACE) on the response of tooth pulp-driven (TPD) neurons in the first somatosensory cortex (SI) was investigated in cats anesthetized with N2O-O2 (2:1) and 0.5% halothane. The tooth pulp test stimulus was a single 30-450 microA rectangular pulse, and the conditioning stimuli of the ACE were trains of 33 pulses (300 microA) delivered at 330 Hz. The ACE conditioning stimulation markedly suppressed the response of the slow-type neurons with latencies of more than 20 ms without any effect on the discharges of fast-type TPD neurons and spontaneous discharges. This inhibition was 68.9 +/- 24.7% (mean +/- SD) of the control. These findings suggest that there are at least two pathways for the ascending pulpal (nociceptive) information to the SI, and that the ACE modulates the transmission of impulses in one of the pathways.

Neural information transferred from the putamen to the globus pallidus during learned movement in the monkey

1. We studied the physiology of the neuronal projection from the striatum to the external and internal segments of the globus pallidus (GPe and GPi, respectively) in macaque monkeys. The objective of the study was to answer the following specific questions. 1) Which classes of the electrophysiologically identified striate neurons project to GPe and GPi? 2) What kind of information is transferred from the striatum to GPe and GPi during learned movement? 3) What are the physiological actions of striate projection neurons on target neurons in GPe and GPi? 4) What is the spatial pattern of the striatopallidal projections? 2. Sequential arm and orofacial movements were used as behavioral tasks. Visual stimuli triggered a sequence of three flexions-extensions of the elbow joint across the target, and the click of a solenoid valve triggered repetitive licking movements. 3. Striatopallidal projection neurons were electrophysiologically identified by antidromic activation after focal stimulation of either GPe or GPi. Of two classes of striate neurons, tonically active neurons (TANs) with tonic spontaneous discharges (2-8 imp/s) and broad action potentials, and phasically active neurons (PANs) with a very low spontaneous discharge rate (< 0.5 imp/ s) and high-frequency discharges in relation to behavioral tasks, PANs were identified as the projection neurons to either GPe or GPi. In 325 TANs examined by stimulation of GPe or GPi, no neuron was activated antidromically, even in the case of TANs located in the close vicinity of PANs that were identified as striatopallidal projection neurons. 4. The physiologically identified projection neurons (52 cells) in the striatum exhibited either discharges related to movement (30 cells) or discharges related to preparation for movement (4 cells) during performance of learned motor tasks. The activities of the remaining 17 striatopallidal neurons either were not related to the behavioral tasks used or could not be characterized sufficiently in the tasks. However, all of the unidentified striatopallidal neurons were PANs, on the basis of the spontaneous discharge rate and the shape of the action potential. 5. PANs with movement-related activity and those with preparation for movement-related activity were antidromically activated from the globus pallidus (GP). Not only the PANs that show burst discharges specifically at the beginning of a sequence of movement but also PANs that show phasic discharges time-locked to each movement of a sequence were identified as putaminopallidal projection neurons. On the other hand, no neurons that showed responses to sensory stimulus were identified as putaminopallidal neurons. 6. The conduction velocities of the putaminopallidal axons were estimated at approximately 1 m/s on the basis of the latency of antidromic activation and conduction distance. The PANs with activity only at the beginning of a sequential movement were more frequently found to project to GPi than to GPe, whereas the PANs with burst activity at each movement were more frequently found to project to GPe than to GPi. Among the GPi-projecting PANs, neurons with initial activity only showed a tendency to have longer latencies of activation from GPi than neurons with activity time-locked to each movement. 7. The physiological action of the striatopallidal projection was examined by switching from recording to microstimulation after identification of striatopallidal projection neurons in the putamen while recording evoked field potentials or spike discharges of single GP neurons located where the electrical stimulation evoked antidromic activation of the striate neurons with the lowest threshold. A small majority of GP neurons that exhibited increase of discharges during motor tasks received facilitatory putaminopallidal influences, whereas the vast majority of GP neurons that exhibited decrease of discharges during motor tasks received suppressive putaminopallidal influences.

Effect of barium in porcelain on bonding strength of titanium-porcelain system

The bonding strength to titanium, thermal expansion, and bending strength of glassy porcelain containing barium of 5, 10, and 15 mass% were estimated and compared with those of barium-free porcelain, to estimate the effect of barium content on bonding strength to titanium. The three different glassy porcelains containing barium were made by melting at 950 degrees C. The bonding strength of a commercial porcelain to titanium increased with the addition of barium. Bending strength and thermal expansion were not affected by the barium content. Therefore, the addition of barium to porcelain is effective for strengthening the bonding of porcelain to titanium.

Angiographic and coronary risk factor analyses of Japanese patients with ischemic heart disease before age 40--a multicenter cooperative study

Coronary angiographic and risk factor (RF) characteristics were analyzed in 133 Japanese patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) who were less than 40 years old and who had undergone coronary angiography (CAG) during the past 10 years at six university hospitals in the Tokyo area. We compared the coronary angiographic characteristics of the subject group with those of 216 controls with coronary sclerosis detected by CAG who were more than 40 years old (older control group) and the RF characteristics with those of 133 sex- and age-matched volunteers (younger control group). Sixty seven percent of the subjects (89 cases) were diagnosed as having myocardial infarction (MI) and 33% (44 cases) had angina pectoris (AP). Coronary artery disorders in this group consisted of 103 (77%) cases of coronary sclerosis, 20 (15%) cases of coronary spasm and 10 (8%) cases of miscellaneous diseases, eg, possible vasculitis with connective tissue disease, congenital anomalies, etc. The incidences of significant (> or = 75%) sclerotic narrowing in 0 vessels (31%) and 1 vessel (49%) in the subject group were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than those in the older control group, while the incidence of multivessel disease was significantly (p < 0.05) less in the subject group than in the older control group. The incidences of the following coronary risk factors were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the subjects than in the younger controls: smoking (83% vs 35%), hypercholesteremia (44% vs 10%), obesity (31% vs 9%), hypertension (29% vs 3%), familial IHD (28% vs 7%) and diabetes mellitus (19% vs 2%). Thus, zero- or single-vessel disease predominated in the younger subject group and the prevalence of coronary risk factors was significantly higher in the subject.

Molecular mechanism of tissue factor-mediated acceleration of factor VIIa activity

The mechanism of the acceleration of the catalytic activity of factor VIIa (VIIa) in the presence of tissue factor (TF) was investigated. To explore the VIIa's site(s) that correlates with TF-mediated acceleration, zymogen VII, VIIa, and active site-modified VIIa were prepared, and dissociation constants (Kd) for their bindings to TF or soluble TF in solution were determined. We found that conversion of zymogen VII to VIIa led to an increase in affinity (DeltaDeltaG = 4.3-4.4 kJ/mol) for TFs. Dansyl-Glu-Gly-Arg chloromethyl ketone (DNS-EGRck) treatment of VIIa led to a further increase in the affinity (DeltaDeltaG = 7.3-12 kJ/mol). Neither removal of the Gla domain from VIIa nor truncation of the COOH-terminal membrane and cytoplasmic regions of TF affected the affinity enhanced after DNS-EGRck treatment of VIIa. Treatment of VIIa with (p-amidinophenyl)methanesulfonyl fluoride also enhanced its affinity for soluble TF, whereas treatment with 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, or diisopropyl fluorophosphate had a slight effect on the affinity. On the other hand, DNS-EGRck and (p-amidinophenyl)methanesulfonyl fluoride treatments, but not diisopropyl fluorophosphate treatment, of VIIa led to protection of its alpha-amino group of Ile-153 from carbamylation. Protection of the alpha-amino group was consistent with formation of a critical salt bridge between Ile-153 and Asp-343 in the protease domain of VIIa. Therefore, TF may preferentially bind to the active conformational state of VIIa. When one assumes that free VIIa exists in equilibrium between minor active and dominant zymogen-like inactive conformational states, preferential binding of TF to the active state leads to a shift in equilibrium. We speculate that TF traps the active conformational state of VIIa and converts its zymogen-like state into an active state, thereby accelerating the VIIa activity.