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Wheat germ agglutinin binding to a rat hepatoma cell line dRLa 74 treated with concanavalin A was studied. It increased depending on the concanavalin A concentration in the culture medium. The cells exhibited about twofold increase in wheat germ agglutinin-binding when pretreated with 50 micrograms/ml of concanavalin A for 48 h. The wheat germ agglutinin binding sites were shown to be localized at the cell surface by lectin-histochemistry. Wheat germ agglutinin blotting of microsomal membrane proteins showed a broad wheat germ agglutinin-reactive band with an apparent molecular weight of 90 to 100 kDa. Loss of wheat germ agglutinin binding to dRLa 74 cells and the glycoprotein after neuraminidase treatment suggested that wheat germ agglutinin reacted with cell surface sialyl residues of dRLa 74 cells. The induced change was reversible. Increased wheat germ agglutinin binding returned to the pretreatment level when the concanavalin A-treated cells were subcultured in the absence of concanavalin A. These observations suggest that environmental factors interacting with tumor cell surface sugar moieties may induce reversible epigenetic changes on cell surface carbohydrate structures.

Concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in eleven brain regions of rats following acute and repeated ethanol administration: (a) an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 1, 2, 3 or 4g ethanol/kg body weight and (b) i.p. injection of 1 or 2g ethanol/kg body weight for seven consecutive days. After acute administration, the concentrations of monoamines and their metabolites appeared to be altered in all brain regions examined except substantia nigra and dorsal amygdala, with maximal variation 2 or 3h after 3g ethanol administration. After repeated administration, the alterations following injections of 2.0g/kg were more marked than the injections of 1.0g/kg. Generally, the levels of NE, DA and 5-HT were decreased while the levels of HVA, DOPAC and 5-HIAA were increased with a few exception. The most prominent findings were seen in the striatum, nucleus accumbens and locus coeruleus. These data indicate that concentrations of monoamines and their metabolites can be determined simultaneously in discrete brain regions and that monoaminergic systems in the brain respond region-specifically to ethanol treatment.</P>

A biventricular bypass type total artificial heart (BVB-TAH) utilizing two pusher-plate pumps was developed and implanted in a sheep for 48 days with excellent results. A Hall effect sensor was utilized to operate each pump independently with a full stroke at variable rates (VR). With this system, the animal's hemodynamics was kept physiologically, and all metabolic parameters except hemoglobin and hematocrit returned to normal three weeks after implantation. However, signs of infection appeared on the forty-second day, and consequently the animal fell into a state of shock. Even at that time the BVB-TAH maintained circulation by increasing pumping rate automatically. On the forty-eighth day, the animal could not stand and suffered from anuria; the experiment was then terminated after 1,140 h pumping. At autopsy, there was an enlarged heart with an atrophic change, 1,900 ml of pleural effusion, and 3,100ml of ascites fluid. Blood culture taken on the forty-seventh day yielded Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. The BVB-TAH operated in an independent VR mode maintained entire circulation, and has a capability of substituting the native heart function in any situation.

Guillingji powder, a complex prescription of traditional Chinese medicines, has been pharmacologically shown to be a possible anti-aging agent, and also used for the treatment of male hypogonadism and female dysgenesis. Since the levels of numerous brain monoamines and their metabolites such as norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) have been correlated with aging, we examined the effects of Guilingji powder and its extract on such monoamines and metabolites in the cerebrum and the cerebellum of mice using HPLC-ECD. The results showed that dietary intake of Guilingji powder had the effect of increasing the NE level and the DOPAC/DA ratio, and decreasing the 5-HT level and 5-HT/NE ratio in the cerebrum. In the cerebellum, the powder did not produce any changes in the levels of the compounds investigated. The extract of Guilingji, on the other hand, not only increased the NE level and the DOPAC/DA ratio but also the 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio in the cerebrum. However, the extract did not decrease the 5-HT in the cerebrum, although it decreased the 5-HT/NE. Unlike the powder, the extract had an effect in the cerebellum, which increased the DOPAC/DA ratio. These results suggest that Guilingji may have the action of modulating the levels and the metabolism of monoamines.

Serum levels of total IgE, specific IgE, IgG and IgG4 against house dust mite were measured in mite-sensitive asthma patients receiving immunotherapy with house dust. Serum levels of total IgE, mite specific IgE and IgG did not significantly change during the course of hyposensitization. Increased levels of mite specific IgG4 were observed in patients during immunotherapy. The increase in specific IgG4 was dependent on the total dose of house dust administered in both children (r = 0.636, p less than 0.001) and adults (r = 0.629, p less than 0.01). However, the increase of specific IgG4 in adults was not as apparent as in children. These results might suggest that mite specific IgG4 is a useful immunological marker in the immunotherapy for allergic asthma, and that IgG4 antibody acts as a blocking antibody in atopic bronchial asthma.

We examined the effect of food deprivation for three days on hypothalamic arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA in rats. Simultaneously the effect of water deprivation for the same period was examined as a model of dehydration. Levels of AVP mRNA in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were determined by semiquantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry. Water deprivation increased AVP mRNA in both nuclei as previously reported. In contrast, food deprivation decreased AVP mRNA in these nuclei. The changes in AVP mRNA levels in the PVN were observed in the magnocellular subdivision of the nucleus. Plasma levels of ACTH and corticosterone were greatly increased in both treated groups of rats. Plasma AVP and osmolality levels were significantly elevated in water-deprived rats but not in food-deprived rats. These observations indicated that both food deprivation and water deprivation stimulated the pituitary-adrenal axis and that a reduction in AVP mRNA levels in food-deprived rats was caused by food deprivation but not by glucocorticoid feedback suppression nor by altered plasma osmolality.

The immunologic mechanisms mediated by anticolon antibodies have been suggested for the injury of colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis (UC). For the understanding of pathogenetic relevance of the anticolon antibody in UC, we examined the class and the subclass of the anticolon antibody reactive to rat colonic epithelial cells in sera from 10 patients with UC immunohistochemically by an indirect immunoperoxidase method. We also examined the distribution of the antigen recognized by the anticolon antibody by immunoelectron microscopy. The antibody reactive to the rat colonic epithelial cell was detected in 2 of the 10 patients, and the class and subclass of the antibody was mainly IgG2. The antigen recognized by the anticolon antibody was located on the apical membrane of the colonic epithelial cells and mucous substances of the goblet cells. These findings suggest that the anticolon antibody detected in this study is inadequate to cause the colonic mucosal injury by activating complements or mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. A potential pathogenetic role of the anticolon antibody in UC remains to be established.

Genetic variation of hepatitis C virus was assessed. We prepared RNA fractions from 21 patients' sera which were positive for hepatitis C virus RNA, synthesized their cDNAs, and amplified fragments, 406 base pairs, encoding a putative core protein, by polymerase chain reaction. One of them, N 15, was cloned and sequenced. N 15 showed 92.4% homology at the nucleotide level and 97.0% homology at the amino acid level compared with HC-J 1 which is the first isolated clone in Japan and similar to that isolated in USA. By restriction fragment length polymorphisms analysis, 14 out of 21 patients (66.7%) showed the same pattern as N 15. No patients showed the pattern of HC-J 1. We could not find a correlation between the genetic variation and clinical features of hepatitis C virus infection. These results indicate that the region, which encodes the core protein and is believed to be relatively conserved in hepatitis C virus genome, has several variations at the nucleotide level, and the major part of hepatitis C virus in Okayama district is different from HC-J 1 and the USA clone.

In the present study, the fumes generated from manual metal arc (MMA) and submerged metal arc (SMA) welding of low temperature service steel, and the chromium and nickel percentages in these fumes, were measured at various horizontal distances and vertical heights from the arc in order to obtain a three dimensional distribution. The MMA welding fume concentrations were significantly higher than the SMA welding fume concentrations. The highest fume concentration on the horizontal was shown in the fumes collected directly above the arc. The fume concentration vertically was highest at 50 cm height and reduced by half at 150 cm height. The fume concentration at 250 cm height was scarcely different from that at 150 cm height. The distribution of the chromium concentration vertically was analogous to the fume concentration, and a statistically significant difference in the chromium percentages was not found at the different heights. The nickel concentrations were not statistically significant within the welding processes, but the nickel percentages in the SMA welding fumes were statistically higher than in the MMA welding fumes. The highest nickel concentration on the horizontal was found in the fumes collected directly above the arc. The highest nickel concentration vertically showed in the fume samples collected at 50 cm height, but the greater the height the larger the nickel percentage in the fumes.

Es wurde am Kaninchenuterus durch Behandlung mit Yohimbin die erregende Wirkung des Adrenalons, Tyramins, Histamins, Phenylathylamins, Tetrahydro-β-naphthylamins, Pituitrins und Calciums analysiert. 1. Die erregende Wirkung des Adrenalons ist, ebenso wie die hemmende, sympathischer Natur. 2. An der Erregung durch Tetrahydro-β-naphthylamin scheint ausser der vorwiegenden Muskelwirkung auch eine sympathische Wirkung beteiligt zu sein, die letztere wurde aber weogen ihrer Verdeckung durch die erstere bisher an diesem Organe nicht nachgewiesen. 3. Phenylathylamin ubt manchmal auf den Kaninchenuterus eine hemmende Wirkung aus, die nach meiner Auffassung auf einer Erregung der hemmenden Sympathikusfasern beruht. 4. Die erregende Wirkung der 5 Gifte, Tyramin, Phenylathylamin, Pituitrin, Histamin und Kalzium, am Kaninchenuterus beruht auf derjenigen auf die Muskeln selbst. Da aber die hemmende Wirkung dieser Gifte, welche am Kaninchenuterus in gewissen Zustanden und auch beianderen Tieren nachogewiesen werden kann, als eine Wirkung sympathischer Natur anzusehen ist, so ist es sehr wahrscheinlich, dass diese Gifte auch den fordernden Sympathikus mitangreifen, wenn sich auch dres hier wegen starker Erregung des Muskels nicht nachweisen lasst. Nach den Resultaten scheint das Yohimbin in dieser Beziehung fast dieselben Dienste zu leisten wie das Atropin. Doch hat es den Vorteil. dass es in den Dosen, welche die neuromuskulare Verbindung der fordernden Sympathikusfasern lahmen keine Muskellahmung hervorruft, obwohl wir, gerade bei uns, ziemlich oft solche Praparate des Atropins antreffen, welche die glatten Muskeln sehr fruh lahmend angreifen.

1. Das Volumen des Blutkorperchens verringert sich durch die Zufuhr von Trau benzuckerlosung. 2. Dageogen vertorossert es sich bei Zufuhr von Cholsaure sowie bei gleichzeitiger Zufuhr von Cholsaure und Traubenzucker, und zwar bei letzterem viel weniger als bei ersterem. 3. Die Osmose der Erythrozyten wird weder durch Zufuhr von Zucker noch durch Zufuhr von Cholsaure verandert. 4. Aus diesem Befunde darf man wohl schliessen dass die verteilung des Zuckertgehaltes im Blute durch die Gallensaure keine merkliche Veranderung erfahrt.