Effect of naloxone on the bladder activity of rabbits with acute spinal injury

BACKGROUND: Naloxone enhances bladder activity in patients with chronic spinal cord injury. However, there are few reports on naloxone for bladder morbidity in acute spinal cord injury. METHODS: We performed a prospective, controlled study of the effects of naloxone on bladder function in rabbits with and without surgical transection of the spinal cord at the 10th thoracic vertebra. Acute and chronic stages of injury were defined according to bladder function. Naloxone was given intravenously at both stages, and intrathecally at the acute stage. Bladder activity was monitored by cystometry. Blood concentrations of methionine-enkephalin were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Spinal cord injuries were acute 1 or 2 days after surgery, and chronic after 1 or 2 weeks. Bladder capacity significantly decreased after 0.01 mg of intravenous naloxone in uninjured control rabbits, and after 0.03 mg of intravenous naloxone in rabbits with chronic-phase injuries. During the acute-injury phase, 0.3 mg of intravenous naloxone, or 0.02 mg of intrathecal naloxone, was necessary to evoke the micturition reflex. No significant changes in blood enkephalin levels were seen before or after spinal cord injury. CONCLUSION: In rabbits with acute spinal cord injury, intrathecal naloxone evoked the micturition reflex at a much lower dose than did intravenous naloxone. Intrathecal naloxone promises to become a new therapy for the acute stage of spinal cord injury for active recovery of bladder function, and could replace current therapy.     

Intermittent hydronephrosis. A clinical study in 23 pediatric patients

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to diagnose intermittent hydronephrosis and to decide the indication of surgical intervention. We investigated 23 cases of intermittent hydronephrosis. METHODS: From 1978 to 1995, a total of 23 patients were diagnosed as intermittent hydronephrosis in our institution. We inspected their clinical features and treatment which had been performed to them. RESULTS: Our study comprised 21 boys and 2 girls, whose mean age was 6 year old. Their chief complaint was intermittent flank pain (left: 21, right: 1, bilateral: 1) accompanied with gross hematuria (30%) and vomiting (39%). When they were asymptomatic, an excretory urogram revealed only mild pelvic dilatation without calyceal distension and kinking of ureteropelvic junction. Split renal function study by RI showed no difference between the affected side and the normal side except one case. When pelvic or calyceal enlargement was confirmed on ultrasonography while they were symptomatic, surgery was indicated. Surgery was performed in 17 cases (74%) including dismembered pyeloplasty in 14 cases, resection of aberrant vessel in 1, relocation of lower pole renal vessel in 1 and nephrectomy in 1. In surgical and histological view points, intrinsic stenosis was seen in 10 cases, extrinsic obstruction caused by aberrant vessels was seen in 4 and ureteral polyp was seen in 3 (bilateral polyp in 1 case). CONCLUSION: They had no more symptoms after operation. Of 23 among followed up cases without surgery, we experienced 2 cases unexpectedly advancing irreversible hydronephrotic change after the last attack, 1 case of gradually progressing hydronephrotic change and 1 case of severe renal dysfunction after many attacks. Therefore intermittent hydronephrosis should be followed up carefully.     

Three-vessel study of cerebral blood flow using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging: effect of physical characteristics

The development of phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (P-C MRI) provides a noninvasive method for measurement of volumetric blood flow (VFR). We performed P-C MRI to study the effects of physical characteristics on cerebral blood flow. VFR of the left and right internal carotid arteries and basilar artery were measured using P-C MRI and total cerebral blood flow (tCBF) was calculated by summing up the VFR values in the three vessels. Moreover, we investigated the changes in these blood flows as influenced by age, head size, height, weight, body surface area, and handedness. The blood flows were 142 +/- 58 ml/min (mean +/- standard deviation) in the basilar artery; and 229 +/- 86 ml/min in the left, and 223 +/- 58 ml/min in the right internal carotid artery; and tCBF was 617 +/- 128 ml/min. Significant increases were observed in head size-related change of VFR in the basilar artery (p = .028) and height-related change of tCBF (p = .045). The other characteristics did not significantly influence any VFR. The results suggest that head size and height may reflect CBF, and that these effects should be considered when changes of CBF are diagnosed. Phase-contrast MRI is useful for a noninvasive and rapid analysis of cerebral VFR and has potential for clinical use.     

The effects of parent training on parenting stress and sense of competence.

Examined the effects of behavioral parent training groups on parenting stress and sense of competence. Ss, parents of 91 clinically diagnosed hyperactive preschoolers (aged 3–6 yrs), were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment group (experimental) or a delayed treatment group (control). Results indicate that group parent training yielded benefits beyond changes in parent and child behavior. Compared with controls, experimental Ss reported less parenting stress and increased sense of competence following treatment and 3 mo later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A case of pretibial myxedema associated with Graves' disease: an immunohistochemical study of serum-derived hyaluronan-associated protein

The myxomatous materials in cutis from a patient with pretibial myxedema (PTM) with Graves' disease were found to be mainly hyaluronic acid (HA), which had accumulated extensively in the upper dermis. Fibroblasts were increased in number in the mid to lower dermis. To clarify the mechanism of the deposition of HA in the dermis, we employed an antibody against serum-derived hyaluronan-associated protein (SHAP). This immunohistochemical study disclosed that the greater part of the fibroblasts in the mid to lower dermis stained positively, while the fibroblasts surrounded by fairly large amounts of HA in the upper dermis stained faintly or not at all. From these results, we suspect that the accumulation of HA progresses from the upper to the low dermis and that the interaction of fibroblasts and SHAP leads to development of the physiophathological cutaneous changes seen in our case.     

Silver(I)-Ion-Mediated Cytosine-Containing Base Pairs: Metal Ion Specificity for Duplex Stabilization and Susceptibility toward DNA Polymerases

Spectroscopic characterization of Ag^I-ion-mediated C-Ag^I-A and C-Ag^I-T base pairs found in primer extension reactions catalyzed by DNA polymerases was conducted. UV melting experiments revealed that C-A and C-T mismatched base pairs in oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes are specifically stabilized by Ag^I ions in 1:1 stoichiometry in the same manner as a C-C mismatched base pair. Although the stability of the mismatched base pairs in the absence of Ag^I ions is in the order C-A≈C-T>C-C, the stabilizing effect of Ag^I ions follows the order C-C>C-A≈C-T. However, the comparative susceptibility of dNTPs to Ag^I-mediated enzymatic incorporation into the site opposite templating C is dATP>dTTP≫dCTP, as reported. The net charge, as well as the size and/or shape complementarity of the metal-mediated base pairs, or the stabilities of mismatched base pairs in the absence of metal ions, would be more important than the stability of the metallo-base pairs in the replicating reaction catalyzed by DNA polymerases.     

Growth of β-Ga2O3 nanocolumns crossing perpendicularly each other on MgO (1 0 0) surface

β-Ga₂O₃ nanocolumns straightened and crossed perpendicularly each other were deposited on MgO (1 0 0) substrate by vapor phase transport method. Growth of the nanocolumns was examined at steps of 1000, 1050, and 1200 °C in elevation of source-boat temperature. We have drawn out the substrate from deposition-tube at each source-boat temperatures of 1000, 1050, and 1200 °C. Scanning electron microscopy of the sample with source-boat temperature of 1200 °C demonstrated that the straightened and elongated nanocolumns are crossing perpendicularly each other. Typical lengths of the nanocolumns were in the range of several hundreds nanometers below 1050 °C, and those of 1200 °C were in the range of ten to fifteen hundreds nanometers. Diameters of the nanocolumns stayed in the range of few hundreds nanometers, notwithstanding variation of the source temperature. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that the nanocolumns are monoclinic β-Ga₂O₃ crystal, and the (4 0 0) plane of β-Ga₂O₃ nanocolumns is parallel to the (1 0 0) plane of MgO substrate.     

Methanol Decomposition to Synthesis Gas Over Supported Pd Catalysts Prepared from Hydrotalcite Precursors

Supported Pd catalysts were prepared by solid-phase crystallization (spc) starting from MgAl hydrotalcite anionic clay minerals as the precursors, and were tested for the methanol decomposition to synthesis gas. The precursors based on [Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO₃ ^2-] · 4H₂O were prepared by coprecipitation from raw materials containing Pd²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺ ions as the components of hydrotalcite. The precursors were thermally decomposed and reduced to afford supported Pd catalysts on MgAl mixed oxide. Pd-supported catalysts as a reference were also prepared by the impregnation (imp) method. The spc-Pd catalysts thus prepared afforded highly dispersed Pd metal particles and showed higher activity as well as lower activation energy than the imp-Pd catalysts. When the precursor was prepared under mild conditions, finer particles of Pd metal were formed over the catalyst, resulting in a high activity. In the case of spc-Pd catalysts, carbon monoxide adsorbed on Pd easily desorbed, compared with imp-Pd catalysts. It is likely that the high activity is due to the highly dispersed and stable Pd metal particles and the easy desorption of carbon monoxide.