Systemic lupus erythematosus with pulmonary hypertension--normalization of pulmonary artery pressure by long-term administration of beraprost sodium

OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive value of angina pectoris diagnosed by Rose questionnaire for cardiovascular disease among treated hypertensives. METHODS: The cardiovascular experience of 4093 patients who had no history of cardiovascular disease and had been administered the Rose questionnaire for angina in a worksite treatment program was evaluated. RESULTS: Among 2659 men and 1434 women of similar age (53 versus 54 years), the race distribution was 44 versus 31% whites, 27 versus 41% blacks and 29 versus 28% Hispanics. Overall, the prevalence of angina by Rose questionnaire in women (15%) was twice that in men (7%) in all three races, with Hispanics having the highest (20 versus 10%) prevalence. Those with angina (Rose-plus) and those without (Rose-minus) had similar initial and final blood pressures. In 4.0 years of average follow-up study, the crude incidence rates (per 1000 person-years) of the recorded 120 myocardial infarctions and 35 strokes did not differ significantly between Rose-plus and Rose-minus patients, except for myocardial infarction in Hispanic men (20.5 versus 5.9). When myocardial infarction incidence was adjusted for age within each sex-race subgroup, only Rose-plus Hispanic men had a significantly greater relative risk with Rose-minus as referent (relative risk 3.13, 95% confidence interval 1.31-7.50). Overall, in the Cox proportional hazards regression model, angina by Rose questionnaire was not predictive of myocardial infarction after accounting for other recognized risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that the Rose questionnaire as a diagnostic tool for angina is not predictive of subsequent clinical events among treated hypertensive patients.     

A study on local buckling behavior of hybrid beams

In this paper, the local buckling behavior of hybrid beams, with high-strength steel webs and mild steel flanges, is investigated. A wide-flange shaped member is essentially an assemblage of plate elements and then the plate buckling has a significant effect on the plastic deformation capacity of a beam, while the web provides the flange with some degree of rotational restraint against local buckling. The torsional restraint of the web against the flange inelastic buckling depends on the web stiffness, namely, the length of the plastic region in the web. A hybrid beam with high-strength steel webs and mild steel flanges is considered to be effective in carrying loads after the flange local buckling. The results of investigation are presented herein.     

Structure and organization of the human alpha class glutathione S-transferase genes and related pseudogenes

We have isolated and characterized genomic DNA encoding several human Alpha class glutathione S-transferase genes and pseudogenes. All the genes are composed of seven exons with boundaries identical to those of the Alpha class genes in rats. The GSTA1 gene is approximately 12 kb in length and is closely flanked by other Alpha class gene sequences. The complete sequence of the 1.7-kb intergenic region between exon 7 of an upstream pseudogene and exon 1 of the GSTA1 gene has been determined. An additional gene that encodes an uncharacterized Alpha class glutathione S-transferase has been identified. The protein derived from this gene would have 19 amino acid substitutions compared with the GSTA1 isoenzyme. Several pseudogenes with single-base and/or complete exon deletions have been identified, but no reverse-transcribed pseudogenes have been detected. The occurrence of multiple genes and pseudogenes on a single fragment of cloned genomic DNA and the prior identification of a single chromosomal region (6p12) of hybridization (Board and Webb, 1987, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:2377-2381) suggest that all the Alpha class genes are members of a closely linked gene family that has evolved by duplication and gene conversion events.     

Electronic scanning by ferrite-loaded corner reflector antennas

The measured performances of the antennas which consist of a90degcorner reflector, a horn, a core wire of a coaxial line, two or three ferrite rods, and electromagnets magnetizing the respective ferrites are presented. The following are made clear for the antenna with two ferrite rods. The load of the ferrites yields the asymmetric power pattern owing to the anisotropy of the ferrites, though the antenna geometry and the magnetization of the ferrites are symmetric. Moreover, the remarkably sharper main lobe and the higher gain are obtained by loading the ferrites. The main lobe can be turned to the direction reflected about the symmetric plane of the antenna by reversing all the dc magnetic fields applied to the ferrites, that is, electronic lobe switching in theH-plane is realized. It is shown that the antenna loaded with three ferrite rods makes the continuous scan of the main lobe possible by applying the suitable magnetic fields to the ferrites. The direction of the main lobe of these antennas is turned by electronically changing the currents of the electromagnets, that is, by changing the tensor permeabilities of the ferrites. The reciprocity for antennas composed of isotropic media does not hold for these antennas. The receiving power pattern coincides with the transmitting pattern reflected about the symmetric plane when the same dc magnetic fields are applied for both cases. Hence, these antennas permit us to receive from a direction and simultaneously to transmit in the direction reflected about the symmetric plane.     

Surgical treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms]

Between February, 1981, and April, 1989, 20 patients underwent surgical treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Most of the patients were operated under temporary external bypass. For Group I and III aneurysms without reconstruction of renal arteries, a modified Crawford's graft inclusion technique was employed to shorten abdominal visceral ischemic time. This modification consists of (1) using adjuncts to perfuse the distal aorta during aortic clamp, (2) starting the first anasistomosis from the distal end of the graft, and (3) shifting the distal aortic clamp on the graft after completing the anastomosis in order to restore abdominal visceral circulation as soon as possible. For Group III and IV aneurysms with reconstruction of renal arteries as well as celiac and superior mesenteric arteries, a modified DeBakey's procedure was employed. This modification consists of (1) using the spiral opening method, (2) doing end-to-end anastomosis at the proximal aortic site, and (3) maintaining the circulation of abdominal organs and spinal cord by using adjuncts during the anastomosis of the proximal end. There were one operative death and two hospital deaths. Paraplegia developed in two cases, one of which was a ruptured case. Renal dysfunction was not found in any case. The survivors were followed from 5 to 103 months, and there was no late death. The results suggest that our modified procedures for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms are useful and reliable ones.     

Inelastic behaviour of steel under plasticity-creep interaction condition: An interim report of the Bench Mark project by the subcommittee on inelastic analysis and life prediction of high temperature materials, JSMS

Some of the interim results of the Bench Mark Project by the Subcommittee on the Inelastic Analysis and Life Prediction of High Temperature Materials, JSMS, is presented. The purpose of the present bench mark study is to review and evaluate the inelastic constitutive models relevant to material response under the plasticity-creep interaction.By specifying normalized and tempered steel at 600°C, sixteen bench mark problems of four categories are first established: (I) tensile stress-strain relations and creep curves, (II) material response under mixed modes of plastic and creep loading, (III) ratcheting and deformation under program loads, and (IV) cyclic deformation behaviour under the combination of different strain rates. Then, the outline of seventeen inelastic constitutive models of nine types discussed in this project is presented. Finally, the interim results of these bench mark tests are compared with the corresponding predictions of the constitutive models to evaluate their accuracy in simulating the actual behaviour of the material.     

Production of gamma-aminobutyric acid by cheese starters during cheese ripening

Nine mixed-strain starters were examined for their abilities to produce gamma-aminobutyric acid. Six commercial starters were found to produce gamma-aminobutyric acid in a skim milk culture. The bacterium that produced gamma-aminobutyric acid was isolated from the mixed-strain starters, identified as citrate-utilizing Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (formerly L. lactis ssp. lactis biovar diacetylactis) and designated as strain 01-7. A cell extract showed glutamate decarboxylase activity, for which the optimum pH was 4.7. In pH-controlled cultivation, gamma-aminobutyric acid was generated at pH 5.0 but not above pH 5.5. Cheeses were prepared experimentally using strain 01-7 to determine the relationship between the pH values and the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid during cheese ripening. gamma-Aminobutyric acid increased linearly in the experimental cheeses as the pH of the cheese decreased. Based on these results, gamma-aminobutyric acid was concluded to be produced by the cheese starters during ripening.     

Effect of oral administration of prostaglandin E1 on erectile dysfunction

Collagen-related peptides, Gly-Pro-Arg and its analogues, were examined for their inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation induced by the addition of ADP. Human platelet aggregation was suppressed by more than 50% with each of Gly-Pro-Arg and such Gly-Pro-Arg-containing peptides as Gly-Pro-Arg-Gly, Gly-Pro-Arg-Gly-Pro, Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro, and Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro-Pro at a concentration of 0.3 mM. The inhibitory effects of these peptides were about 10 times higher in human PRP than in rat PRP. Other Gly-Pro-Arg analogues such as Sar-Pro-Arg, Gly-Pro-Lys, Gly-Ala-Arg, and Ala-Gly-Pro-Arg had no inhibitory effect at a concentration from 0.1 to 0.8 mM even in human PRP. Intravenous and oral administrations of Gly-Pro-Arg and enzymatic hydrolysates of collagen suppressed the decrease in platelet count for endotoxin-induced DIC in rats. Collagen itself has been regarded as a potent inducer of platelet aggregation, but these findings suggest that collagen-related peptides and enzymatic hydrolysates of collagen prevent platelet aggregation.     

Stimulation by histamine of TPA-dependent hepatocyte growth factor production in promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is most likely a physiological hepatotrophic factor that triggers regeneration of the injured liver. Histamine may also be important in the pathophysiology of the injured liver. Previously we showed that histamine production was increased in liver macrophages of mice injected with CCI4, a well-known hepatotoxin. Therefore, it is likely that the biological actions of histamine in repairing processes of the injured liver are mediated by HGF. This study was aimed at examining the effects of histamine on production of HGF using, as a model, the human promyelocytic leukemia cells, HL-60. 12-o-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) markedly stimulated HGF production and release from the cells; the maximal amount of HGF was released at a concentration of 3 ng/ml of TPA. Histamine significantly stimulated the TPA-induced HGF production and release in these cells, depending on incubation time and its dose. These actions of histamine were abrogated by a H2 receptor antagonist, ranitidine.     

Two chicken B cell lines resistant to ouabain for the production of chicken monoclonal antibodies

Two chicken B cell lines, termed MuH1 and MuH4, which are resistant to ouabain, were established as fusion partners for production of chicken monoclonal antibody from the parental cell lines R27H1 and R27H4 which were deficient in thymidine kinase activity. The MuH1 synthesized, but did not secrete mu chain, whereas the MuH4 secreted non-specific IgM. Fusions of the MuH1 and MuH4 with spleen cells from chickens immunized with human IgG resulted in successful preparations of hybridomas secreting antibodies specific to human IgG. Transformed cells insensitive to HAT appeared in many culture wells after cell hybridizations with R27H4, but on hybridization with MuH1 or MuH4 the appearance of such unfavorable cells could be avoided by the inclusion of ouabain in HAT medium. Thus, in comparison with the R27H4 line, the MuH1 and MuH4 lines did not provide higher fusion efficiencies, but gave increased opportunities to obtain hybridomas producing specific antibodies. Among a total of eight hybridomas, four derived from HuM1 and four derived from MuH4, seven secreted both IgG and IgM, and the remaining one derived from MuH1 secreted only IgG. In all eight hybridoma lines IgG was specifically reactive to human IgG.