Quantitative analysis of the suppressive effect on the light rise of the hypertonic solution

We previously reported the hyperosmolarity response (a decrease of the ocular standing potential by hyperosmolarity) as a new clinical test of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) activity. In the present study a hypertonic solution (Fructmanit, 1.4 × 10³ m0sm/1) was intravenously injected for 20 min in proportion to a subject's total blood volume (TBV). At the injection speed of 5, 10, and 15% of the subjects' TBV per hour the mean amplitude of the hyperosmolarity response in normal subjects was 19.7, 30.1 and 36.4% respectively. The amplitude of the hyperosmolarity response depends on the logarithm of the dose of the hypertonic solution within the range of the dose tested.We previously found that hyperosmolarity suppresses the light rise. The present study investigated this suppressive effect in a quantitative manner. The light rise (a full-field illumination of 1.2 × 10³ cdl/m²) was dose-dependently suppressed by Fructmanit. The mean of the light rise to dark trough ratio in normal subjects was 1.81 with no osmotic stress, and 1.64, 1.41 and 1.29 respectively at the injection speeds of 5, 10, and 15%. The suppression of the light rise by hyperosmolarity is compatible with the view that the hyperosmolarity response and the light rise share the basal membrane of the RPE as the main site of their generation.     

Changes in the volume and histology of retractile testes in prepubertal boys

Testicular development was studied in prepubertal boys with retractile testes. Testicular volume, the diameter of the seminiferous tubules and the number of spermatogonia in the tubules were decreased in cases of unilateral retractile testis, when compared with values for the contralateral normally descended testis. On the other hand, in patients with a unilateral retractile testis and contralateral inguinal testis, there was no difference in the developmental parameters between the two testes. These results suggest that the retractile testis has developmental failures characteristic of a cryptorchid testis and therefore requires orchiopexy.     

Prevalence of post-polio syndrome based on a cross-sectional survey in Kitakyushu, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the number of polio survivors living in Kitakyushu, Japan, and the prevalence of post-polio syndrome. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey in Kitakyushu. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: A total of 342 possible polio survivors were selected from the list of physically disabled persons' certificates administered by the Department of Health and Welfare, Kitakyushu City Government. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire concerning the diagnosis, paralysis, limitation in daily living, and use of adaptive devices was mailed to the 342 possible polio survivors. RESULTS: By confirmation of the diagnosis, 241 of the 342 turned out to be polio survivors, and the number of polio survivors per population of 100,000 amounted to 24.1. Of the polio survivors, 85% complained of new health problems such as difficulty in climbing stairs, muscle weakness, difficulty in walking, or fatigue. According to Halstead's criteria, 180 polio survivors suffered from post-polio syndrome, and the prevalence of post-polio syndrome in Kitakyushu was 18.0 per population of 100,000. CONCLUSIONS: This survey revealed the number of polio survivors, and the prevalence of post-polio syndrome in Kitakyushu, Japan.     

Hydrostatic pressur influences mRNA exprssion of trnsforming growth factor-β1 and heat shock protein 70 in chondrocyte-like cell line

The present study investigated the influence of hydrostatic prssure on the exprssion of cytokines and heat shock protein 70 in a chondrocyte-like cell line. Chondrocyte-like cells (HCS-2/8) were exposed to hydrostatic pressur by a special pressure apparatus. Total RNA for cytokines (interleukin-1β, basic fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-I, and transforming growth factor-β1) and for heat shock protein 70 was extracted and was analyzed by a polymerase chain reaction method and Northern blotting. An assay for incorporation of [³⁵S]sulfate was performed to assess proteoglycan synthesis. The expression of transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA was enhanced after exposure to 5 Mpa of hydrostatic prssure and was reduced after 50 Mpa, whereas the expression of heat shock protein 70 was enhanced following exposure to 50 Mpa of hydrostatic pressure. The incorporation of [³⁵S]sulfate into the cultured cells increased following exposure to 1-5 Mpa of hydrostatic pressure and decreased following 10-50 Mpa of pressure. These results suggest that hydrostatic pressure at physiologic levels enhances the expression of transforkming growth factor-β mRNA in addition to increasing proteoglycan synthesis in chondrocytes and that excessively high hydrostatic pressure reduces the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA and increases the expression of heat shock protein 79 mRNA while decreasing proteoglycan synthesis.     

Media conditioned by smooth muscle cells cultured in a variety of hypoxic environments stimulates in vitro angiogenesis. A relationship to transforming growth factor-beta 1.

Conditioned media (CM) harvested from bovine smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of aortic media cultured under hypoxic conditions remarkably enhanced angiogenesis in vitro, that is, the tube formation of bovine capillary endothelial cells (BCEs) cultured on type I collagen gels. The extent of in vitro angiogenesis was assessed by the total length of tube structures formed by BCEs per area measured quantitatively with an image analyzer. The tube formation in CM obtained from the cultivation of SMCs at 1% O2 for 24 hours was enhanced by about 1.5 times and 3.4 times as compared with those at 5% O2 and 20% O2, respectively. This tube-forming activity was abrogated by the pretreatment of CM with anti-transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 IgG, but not by anti-basic fibroblast growth factor IgG. The SMC-CM obtained from hypoxic cultivation (1% O2 for 24 hours) inhibited [3H] thymidine incorporation by BCEs, SMCs, and fibroblasts more than about 20% of control. Anti-TGF-beta 1 IgG thus significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of hypoxic SMC-CM on DNA synthesis of these cells. These results suggest that SMCs in a hypoxic state release active in vitro angiogenic factors into CM, and active TGF-beta 1 is closely related to the in vitro angiogenic enhancement of media conditioned by SMCs cultured in a hypoxic state.     

Cerebral type of Lewy body disease

A cerebral type of Lewy body disease (LBD) is proposed. Lewy body disease was split formerly into three types: brainstem type, transitional type and diffuse type. The diffuse type is now called diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD). These three types are characterized pathologically by the presence of a large number of Lewy bodies in the CNS. In the brainstem type, Lewy bodies are numerous in the brainstem and diencephalon nuclei, and in DLBD, a vast number are present not only in these nuclei but also in the cerebral cortex and amygdala. In the cerebral type of LBD, as many Lewy bodies are found in the cerebral cortex and in the amygdala as there are in DLBD, but only rarely are they present in the brainstem and diencephalon nuclei. Thus, this type of LBD is different from other types in that it has no parkinson pathology. Therefore, parkinsonism fails to occur throughout the whole clinical course of this disease. The existence of a cerebral type of LBD suggests that Lewy bodies occur in the cerebral cortex earlier than in the brainstem nuclei and that cortical Lewy bodies appear even when the mesocortical dopaminergic system is intact. In addition, this might explain why dementia frequently precedes parkinsonism in DLBD.     

A human friendly reporting and database system for brain PET analysis

We have developed a human friendly reporting and database system for clinical brain PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans, which enables statistical data analysis on qualitative information obtained from image interpretation. Our system consists of a Brain PET Data (Input) Tool and Report Writing Tool. In the Brain PET Data Tool, findings and interpretations are input by selecting menu icons in a window panel instead of writing a free text. This method of input enables on-line data entry into and update of the database by means of pre-defined consistent words, which facilitates statistical data analysis. The Report Writing Tool generates a one page report of natural English sentences semi-automatically by using the above input information and the patient information obtained from our PET center’s main database. It also has a keyword selection function from the report text so that we can save a set of keywords on the database for further analysis. By means of this system, we can store the data related to patient information and visual interpretation of the PET examination while writing clinical reports in daily work. The database files in our system can be accessed by means of commercially available databases. We have used the 4th Dimension database that runs on a Macintosh computer and analyzed 95 cases of^I8F-FDG brain PET studies. The results showed high specificity of parietal hypometabolism for Alzheimer’s patients.