Porphyromonas-like gram-negative rods in naturally occurring periodontitis in dogs

A total of 259 Gram-negative Porphyromonas-like rods isolated from subgingival plaque samples of 16 family-owned dogs with naturally occurring periodontitis were characterized phenotypically by biochemical reactions, metabolic end products and enzymatic activities (API-ZYMTM, RoscoTM). Four distinct groups were found. Group A isolates (63) were asaccharolytic, lipase negative, trypsin positive and produced phenylacetic acid (PAA) from peptone-yeast extract glucose broth. Unlike P. gingivalis strains they were catalase positive. Group B isolates (42) differed from those of group A by a positive lipase reaction and from those of group D by failing to ferment sugars. Group C isolates (88) were asaccharolytic and did not produce PAA. They were alpha-fucosidase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (beta-NAG) and trypsin negative, resembling P. endodontalis, but unlike human isolates, they were catalase positive. Subgroup C.1 isolates (6) differed from those of parent group C by producing minor amounts of PAA, and subgroup C.2 isolates (12) were beta-NAG positive. Group D isolates (46) were weakly fermentative, lipase, catalase and trypsin positive, and produced PAA. They resembled the B (P.) salivosus type strain which, in our hands, fermented weakly glucose, lactose and mannose. Two isolates could not be assigned to any of the previous groups.     

Beta-COP is essential for biosynthetic membrane transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex in vivo

Experimental glomerulonephritis was induced in rats to investigate the consequence of the antigen-antibody interaction on the surface of glomerular endothelial cells (GENs). A lectin, Lens culinaris hemoagglutinin (LCH), was first planted in the left kidney by isolated perfusion of a left kidney, and then the circulation was reestablished. Rabbit anti-LCH antibodies were injected from the tail vein 3 minutes after the recirculation of the left kidney, and acute glomerulonephritis ensued. Fifteen minutes after the injection, rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG), rat C3, and LCH were observed exclusively on the surface of GENs. Accumulation of platelets was prominent. Three hours later, the immune deposits were seen in the subendothelial space, and the polymorphonuclear cells were the dominant infiltrate in the glomeruli. Up to the seventh day, immune deposits were seen in the subendothelial space, and the widening of this area was increasingly observed. Fourteen days later, immune deposits containing rat IgG were observed in the subepithelial area, but they were only occasionally seen in the subendothelial space and in the mesangial area. No crescent formation was seen at day 14, but the mesangial area was expanded, with an increased number of cells. The number of nuclei in the cross-section of a glomerulus increased after the induction of glomerulonephritis, but the number of leukocyte common antigen-positive cells (infiltrating cells) decreased gradually from day 4 to day 14. The staining of Thy-1.1, a marker of mesangial cell, was markedly enlarged in the glomerulus at day 14. These data suggest that mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis can be induced by the antigen-antibody interaction on the surface of GENs.     

Tramadol, M1 metabolite and enantiomer affinities for cloned human opioid receptors expressed in transfected HN9.10 neuroblastoma cells

Tramadol hydrochloride is a centrally acting synthetic analgesic in widespread clinical use. Despite different degrees of opioid-like characteristics in preclinical tests, it is characterized by lack of full naloxone reversibility or naloxone-precipitated withdrawal in humans. To investigate this apparent discrepancy, the present study measured the affinity of tramadol (and its enantiomers) and an active O-desmethyl metabolite (M1) (and its enantiomers) to cloned human opioid receptors of the mu, delta and kappa type stably expressed in HN9.10 neuroblastoma cells. At mu sites, the Ki values for tramadol, its (+) and (-) enantiomers, M1, and its (+) and (-) enantiomers were 17000, 15700, 28800, 3190, 153 and 9680 nM, respectively, compared to 7.1 nM for morphine. These results are consistent with the suggestion of a non-opioid contribution to the clinical profile of tramadol.     

Phasic alerting of neglect patients overcomes their spatial deficit in visual awareness

Patients with extensive damage to the right hemisphere of their brain often exhibit unilateral neglect of the left side of space. The spatial attention of these patients is strongly biased towards the right, so their awareness of visual events on the left is impaired. Extensive right-hemisphere lesions also impair tonic alertness (the ability to maintain arousal). This nonspatial deficit in alertness is often considered to be a different problem from spatial neglect, but the two impairments may be linked. If so, then phasically increasing the patients' alertness should temporarily ameliorate their spatial bias in awareness. Here we provide evidence to support this theory. Right-hemisphere-neglect patients judged whether a visual event on the left preceded or followed a comparable event on the right. They became aware of left events half a second later than right events on average. This spatial imbalance in the time course of visual awareness was corrected when a warning sound alerted the patients phasically. Even a warning sound on the right accelerated the perception of left visual events in this way. Nonspatial phasic alerting can thus overcome disabling spatial biases in perceptual awareness after brain injury.     

Continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy with/without mitomycin C in head and neck cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of mitomycin C to an accelerated hyperfractionated radiation therapy. The aim was to test a very short schedule with/without mitomycin C (MMC) with conventional fractionation in histologically verified squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From October 1990 to December 1996, 188 patients entered the trial. Tumors originated in the oral cavity in 54, oropharynx in 82, larynx in 20, and hypopharynx in 32 cases, respectively. Patients' stages were predominantly T3 and T4 (158/188, 84%) and most patients had lymph node metastases (144/188, 77%) at diagnosis. Only 22 patients were female, 166 were male, the median age of patients was 57 years (range 34 to 76 years). Patients were randomized to one of the following three treatment options: conventional fractionation (CF) consisting of 70 Gy in 35 fractions over 7 weeks (65 patients) or continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiation therapy (V-CHART; 62 patients) or continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiation therapy with 20 mg/sqm MMC on day 5 (V-CHART + MMC; 61 patients). By the accelerated regimens, the total dose of 55.3 Gy was delivered within 17 consecutive days, by 33 fractions. On day 1, a single dose of 2.5 Gy was given, from day 2 to 17 a dose of 1.65 Gy was delivered twice: the interfraction interval was 6 hours or more. RESULTS: Mucositis was very intense after accelerated therapy, most patients experiencing a grade III/IV reaction. The mucosal reaction did not differ whether MMC was administered or not. Patients treated by accelerated fractionation experienced a confluent mucosal reaction 12-14 days following start of therapy and recovered (no reaction) within 6 weeks. The skin reaction was not considered different in the three treatment groups. Those patients treated with additional chemotherapy experienced a grade III/IV hematologic toxicity in 12/61 patients. Initial complete response (CR) was recorded in 43% following CF, 58% after V-CHART, and 67% after V-CHART + MMC, respectively (p < 0.05). Actuarial survival (Kaplan-Meier) was significantly improved in the combined treated patients. Local tumor control was 28%, 32%, and 56% following CF, V-CHART, and V-CHART + MMC, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that our continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiation therapy regimen is equal to conventional fractionation, suggesting that by shortening the overall treatment time from 7 weeks to 17 days a reduction in dose from 70 Gy to 55.3 Gy is possible, with maintenance of local tumor control rates. The administration of MMC to the accelerated regimen is tolerable and improves the outcome for patients significantly.     

Erectile dysfunction of arterial origin as possible primary manifestation of atherosclerosis]

We reviewed the records of 292 inpatients in the psychiatric ward of Kagoshima University Hospital who were referred from other medical facilities over a 5-year period in order to clarify age differences in the reason for referral. Patients were classified into groups of physically and mentally ill individuals based on indications for admission. Both groups were further divided into four subgroups based on age. The incidence of inpatients with physical illnesses increased with age. Conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium occurred at high frequency in female patients in the 20- to 39-year-old subgroup. Individuals in the 40- to 59-year-old and in the > or = 60 years subgroups suffered more frequently from neoplasms. The proportion of patients manifesting a defective state in all age subgroups with the exception of the under 19-year-old subgroup was significantly higher in the physical illness group than in the mental illness group. The proportion of patients in a depressive state in the > or = 60 years subgroup was significantly higher in the mental illness group than in the physical illness group. Hence, it is necessary to find a method to be able to cope with psychiatric patients with physical complications to solve this problem.