Chlordiazepoxide attenuates activity-induced anorexia and weight loss in rats.

Studied the effects of chlordiazepoxide (CDP) on body weight and food intake in male rats. In Exp 1, the effect of repeated injections of 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg of CDP on food intake and body weight was studied in rats on an activity anorexia (AA) regimen. For several days before CDP testing began, rats lived in activity wheels and had one 60-min meal/day. During CDP testing, this regimen continued except that each rat was injected with an appropriate dose of CDP or saline 30 min before each meal. CDP enhanced food intake; 5.0 mg/kg seemed most effective. However, the CDP-induced increase in eating did not noticeably stem weight loss. In Exp 2, after several days of AA training, CDP (5.0 mg/kg) was tested under less severe conditions; food remained restricted, but access to the wheels was discontinued. Rats given CDP ate more and gained more weight than controls. These findings suggest that benzodiazepines such as CDP may help in treating anorexia nervosa and other anorectic conditions in humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elevated field insulator (ELFIN) process for device isolation of ultrathin SOI MOSFETs with top silicon film less than 20 nm

New device isolation process, called elevated field insulator (ELFIN) process, for ultrathin SOI devices with top silicon film less than 20 nm has been proposed and successfully demonstrated. In ELFIN process, gate oxidation and subsequent gate poly-Si deposition is followed by conventional STI process. ELFIN process has a field region elevated compared with active silicon region, leading to prevention of silicon edge from being wrapped around by gate poly-Si. It is found that thin-film SOI NMOSFETs with ELFIN process have better reverse narrow channel effect about 50% at W/sub G/=0.3 /spl mu/m than that with conventional shallow trench isolation (STI) process.     

Improved Low-Temperature Environmental Degradation of Yttria-Stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystals by Surface Encapsulation

An encapsulating layer was deposited on the surface of tetragonal zirconia polycrystals doped with 3 mol% of yttria (3Y-TZP), to prevent low-temperature environmental degradation (aging) of the material. The layer, which was composed of silica and zircon, was formed on the surface by exposing the specimens next to a bed of silicon carbide powder in a flowing hydrogen atmosphere that contained ∼0.1% water vapor at 1450°C. The layer was ∼0.5 µm thick and is expected to be under strong residual compressive stress. This encapsulation process remarkably improved the low-temperature degradation of the material. The strength of the specimens also was improved by this process.     

Structural identification of a new acetildenafil analogue from pre-mixed bulk powder intended as a dietary supplement

An analogue of acetildenafil was detected in an extract of pre-mixed bulk powder. To our knowledge, the powder was destined to be encapsulated and sold as a dietary supplement. The structure was identified by NMR, HR-ESI-MS, ESI-MSⁿ and FTIR analyses. Owing to the inclusion of a hydroxyl group in acetildenafil, the detected compound was called 'hydroxyacetildenafil'. With increasing use of dietary supplements marketed for penile erectile dysfunction, the detection of analogues of sexual performance enhancers is important and timely.     

Intestinal leakage of technetium-99m-MDP in primary intestinal lymphangiectasia

We present a case in which a patient with primary intestinal lymphangiectasia demonstrated abnormal intestinal accumulation of tracer during 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) skeletal scintigraphy. Early intestinal leakage with gradual colonic migration and concentration was confirmed by repeat bone scan with serial acquisitions. The mechanism for the intestinal localization of 99mTc-MDP seen in this patient is not clear. Thus, intestinal lymphangiectasia can be a cause for extra-osseous localization of bone scan agents in the intestine.     

Neuronal stress and injury in C57/BL mice after systemic kainic acid administration

Kainate-induced seizures are widely studied as a model of human temporal lobe epilepsy due to behavioral and pathological similarities. While kainate-induced neuronal injury is well characterized in rats, relatively little data is available on the use of kainate and its consequences in mice. The growing availability of genetically altered mice has focused attention on the need for well characterized mouse seizure models in which the effects of specific genetic manipulations can be examined. We therefore examined the kainate dose-response relationship and the time-course of specific histopathological changes in C57/BL mice, a commonly used founder strain for transgenic technology. Seizures were induced in male C57/BL mice (kainate 10-40 mg/kg i.p.) and animals were sacrificed at various time-points after injection. Seizures were graded using a behavioral scale developed in our laboratory. Neuronal injury was assayed by examining DNA fragmentation using in situ nick translation histochemistry. In parallel experiments, we examined the expression an inducible member of the heat shock protein family, HSP-72, another putative marker of neuronal injury, using a monoclonal antibody. Seizure severity paralleled kainate dosage. At higher doses DNA fragmentation is seen mainly in hippocampus in area CA3, and variably in CA1, thalamus and amygdala within 24 h, is maximal within 72 h, and is largely gone by 7 days after administration of kainate. HSP-72 expression is also highly selective, occurring in limbic structures, and it evolves over a characteristic time-course. HSP-72 is expressed mainly in structures that also manifest DNA fragmentation. Using double-labeling techniques, however, we find essentially no overlap between neurons expressing HSP-72 and DNA fragmentation. These findings indicate that DNA fragmentation and HSP-72 expression are complementary markers of seizure-induced stress and injury, and support the notion that HSP-72 expression is neuroprotective following kainate-induced seizures.     

Lack of point mutation of the APP gene in sporadic Alzheimer's disease in Japanese

We investigated point mutations of the APP gene in 66 patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 180 normal individuals by use of the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method. Both the AD patients and the normal individuals were Japanese. We extracted DNA from blood samples using the phenol-chloroform method and amplified exons 16 and 17 of the APP gene by PCR. PCR products were digested by MBO-II (exon 16) and BCL-1(exon 17). Electrophoresis was carried out with 3% agarose gel and the separated fragments were stained with ethidium bromide. In addition we investigated other point mutations of exons 16 and 17 by use of the PCR-SSCP (single stranded conformation polymorphisms) method, and found no fragments that exhibited point mutations in the AD patients and normal individuals. These findings indicate that the presence of point mutation of the APP gene is not a major cause of AD in the Japanese population.     

The frequency of left atrial spontaneous echo contrast and its clinical significance in mitral valve insufficiency

The authors investigated the frequency of left atrial spontaneous echo contrast in mitral valve disease. They also tested whether there was any correlation between the presence of left atrial spontaneous echo contrast and the severity of the mitral valve disease. Echocardiographic investigations were performed using both transthoracal and transesophageal echocardiographic methods employing monoplane transducer. The authors carried out 273 transesophageal investigations over a period of 2 years and found left atrial spontaneous echo contrast in 85 patients, who had mitral valve disease. Of this, in 18 cases thrombi were also detected in the left atrium and/or auricula. The diagnoses of mitral stenosis were made in 24 patients, of whom in 12 cases the stenosis were found to be severe, whilst in 12 cases to be moderate. Furthermore insufficiency of the mitral valve was detected in 35 cases. 20 patients had artificial mitral valve implanted, they received long term anticoagulant treatment. 59 patients had no spontaneous echo contrast. 14 patients had previous embolic events of which 9 were cerebral and in other cases arteries of the kidney, eye and extremities were affected. 71 patients had no history of embolism. The authors concluded that mitral valve disease, particularly mitral stenosis is frequently associated with left atrial spontaneous echo contrast. It has been also observed, that the more severe the mitral valve disease, the greater the probability of left atrial spontaneous echo contrast. In all cases where thrombi were found, left atrial echo contrast were demonstrated and the risk of embolism is high. In these cases anticoagulant therapy is suggested.