Clinical study of living-related liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of ONO-5046, an elastase inhibitor, on liver mitochondrial dysfunction after endotoxin administration. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled animal study. SETTING: Research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Male Hartley guinea pigs. INTERVENTIONS: Endotoxin shock was induced by intravenous infusion of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide endotoxin (50 mg/kg). Six guinea pigs were treated with endotoxin and saline. Twenty-four guinea pigs received 5, 10, and 30 mg/kg/hr of ONO-5046 after endotoxin administration. Six guinea pigs received only saline. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured oxygen uptake in state 3 (substrate and adenosine 5'-diphosphate [ADP]) and state 4 (excess substrate, no ADP), as well as the respiratory control ratio (state 3/state 4), adenosine 5'-diphosphate/oxygen ratio (ADP/O), and arterial ketone body ratio. ONO-5046 was dose dependently effective in liver mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, such as oxygen uptake in stage 4, respiratory control ratio, adenosine triphosphate synthesis, ADP/O, and arterial ketone body ratio when ONO-5046 was started 30 mins after endotoxin. The administration of 30 mg/kg/hr of ONO-5046 improved mean blood pressure, which had decreased after endotoxin. CONCLUSION: ONO-5046 attenuates the endotoxin-induced liver mitochondrial dysfunctions that may be related to increased liver blood flow.     

Preliminary study on the application of the heat pipe to the passive decay heat removal system of the modular HTR

To investigate the applicability of heat pipe to the decay hat removal (DHR) system of the modular HTRs, preliminary study of the Heat Pipe DHR System was performed. The results show that the Heat Pipe DHR System is applicable to the modular HTRs and its heat removal capability is sufficient. Especially, by applying the variable conductance heat pipe, possibility of a fully passive DHR system with lower heat loss during normal operation is suggested.

The experiments to obtain the fundamental characteristics data of the variable conductance heat pipe were carried out and the experimental results are also shown.     

Maternal inheritance of mouse mtDNA in interspecific hybrids: segregation of the leaked paternal mtDNA followed by the prevention of subsequent paternal leakage

The transmission profiles of sperm mtDNA introduced into fertilized eggs were examined in detail in F1 hybrids of mouse interspecific crosses by addressing three aspects. The first is whether the leaked paternal mtDNA in fertilized eggs produced by interspecific crosses was distributed stably to all tissues after the eggs' development to adults. The second is whether the leaked paternal mtDNA was transmitted to the subsequent generations. The third is whether paternal mtDNA continuously leaks in subsequent backcrosses. For identification of the leaked paternal mtDNA, we prepared total DNA samples directly from tissues or embryos and used PCR techniques that can detect a few molecules of paternal mtDNA even in the presence of 10(8)-fold excess of maternal mtDNA. The results showed that the leaked paternal mtDNA was not distributed to all tissues in the F1 hybrids or transmitted to the following generations through the female germ line. Moreover, the paternal mtDNA leakage was limited to the first generation of an interspecific cross and did not occur in progeny from subsequent backcrosses. These observations suggest that species-specific exclusion of sperm mtDNA in mammalian fertilized eggs is extremely stringent, ensuring strictly maternal inheritance of mtDNA.     

Adsorption of saccharides from aqueous solution onto activated carbon

The Freundlich's adsorption constants of 13 saccharides and 4 polyhydric alcohols from aqueous solutions onto an activated carbon have been determined and correlated with various physical constants. A good linear relationship is obtained between the adsorption constants and the physical constant such as molecular refraction or parachor. Further, the adsorption isotherms of saccharides can be predicted from the carbon atom number and the oxygen atom number in the molecular formula.     

Correlation between deletion patterns of SMN and NAIP genes and the clinical features of spinal muscular atrophy in Japanese patients

OBJECTIVE: To look for preclinical markers of Alzheimer's dementia in a sample of healthy, oldest old individuals. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study of individuals examined at yearly intervals with neuropsychological tests selected to be sensitive to the early detection of dementia. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty-nine community-dwelling, functionally independent, healthy individuals 65 to 106 years of age who met strict criteria for lack of dementia at entry. Incident dementia cases consisted of 16 volunteers all 80 years old or older who developed dementia of the Alzheimer's type and 31 volunteers 80 years old and older showing no evidence of dementia during a mean 2.8-year follow-up interval. MEASUREMENTS: Scores on 10 neuropsychological measures were analyzed for the initial examination when none of the volunteers showed clinical evidence of dementia and for the two subsequent yearly examinations. RESULTS: Individuals who subsequently developed dementia showed evidence of verbal memory impairment at their initial examination, which was a mean of 2.8 years before clinical evidence of dementia. The average yearly incidence rate for dementia in those 80 years of age and older was 12%. Performance of individuals who did not development dementia remained relatively stable during follow-up for up to 5 years. CONCLUSION: Alzheimer's disease has a preclinical stage in which verbal memory decline is the earliest sign. Dementia in the oldest old is distinguishable from age-related cognitive decline.     

DELIQUORING BY EXPRESSION - PART 2 VARIABLE-PRESSURE EXPRESSION

Expression processes under variable-pressure condition are analyzed in view of the flow through compressible porous media. It has been demonstrated that the expression mechanism of slurry consists of two flow phenomena and these types of phenomena can be analyzed first by filtration theory and second by the so-called consolidation theory.

By assuming that the continuous screw expression process con- sists of a succession of batch processes, the basic equations ex- pressing the relationship between the dehydration rate, the feed rate, and the expression pressure distribution are derived.     

Effect of nitrous oxide on spinal dorsal horn WDR neuronal activity in cats

The effects of nitrous oxide (75%) on the spinal dorsal born wide dynamic range (WDR) neuronal activity were studied in either spinal cord intact or spinal cord-transected cats. Extracellular activity was recorded in the dorsal horn from single WDR neurons responding to noxious and non-noxious stimuli applied to the cutaneous receptive fields on the left bind foot pads of intact or decerebrate, spinal cord-transected (L 1-2) cats. The experiment was divided into four sections as follows: (1) When 10 micrograms of bradykinin (BK) was injected into the femoral artery ipsilateral to the recording site as the noxious test stimulus in the spinal cord-transected cat, all of 6 WDR neurons gave excitatory responses which were not depressed by 75% nitrous oxide. (2) When the injection of 10 micrograms of BK into the femoral artery ipsilateral to the recording site was used in the spinal cord-intact cat, 6 of 15 WDR neurons (40%) gave excitatory responses, which were significantly depressed by 75% nitrous oxide, and 9 of 15 WDR neurons (60%) gave inhibitory responses, which were not affected by 75% nitrous oxide. (3) When 10 micrograms of bradykinin (BK) was injected into the femoral artery contralateral to the recording site as the noxious test stimulus in the spinal cord transected cat, 6 of 12 WDR neurons gave excitatory reasons, which were not depressed by 75% nitrous oxide. (4) When the injection of 10 micrograms of BK into the femoral artery contralateral to the recording site was used in the spinal cord-intact cat, 6 of 6 WDR neurons (100%) gave responses, which were affected by 75% nitrous oxide. We have observed that nitrous oxide reduces the excitation and inhibition of dorsal born WDR neuronal activities induced by BK injection in spinal cord-intact cats, but does not reduce the excitation of those in spinal cord-transected cats. This finding confirmed that the antinociceptive effect of nitrous oxide might be modulated by supraspinal descending inhibitory control systems. In addition our result showed that the supraspinal effect of nitrous oxide was mediated not only by an increase but also a decrease in a supraspinal descending inhibition.     

Survey of complications of indocyanine green angiography in Japan

PURPOSE: We evaluated the safety of indocyanine green for use in fundus angiography. METHODS: We sent a questionnaire concerning complications of indocyanine green to 32 institutions in Japan, which were selected on the basis of the client list from the Topcon Company, which manufactures the indocyanine green fundus camera. RESULTS: Ophthalmologists at 15 institutions responded, reporting a total of 3,774 indocyanine green angiograms performed on 2,820 patients between June 1984 and September 1992. Before angiography, intradermal or intravenous indocyanine green testing, or both was performed at 13 of 15 institutions. For three patients, the decision was made not to proceed with angiography after positive preangiographic testing. The dosage of indocyanine green used for angiography varied from 25 to 75 mg, depending upon the institution. There were 13 cases of adverse reactions (0.34%), ten of which were mild reactions such as nausea, exanthema, urtication, itchiness, and urgency to defecate, and did not require treatment. Also recorded were one case of pain of the vein, which required treatment, and two cases of hypotension. The two hypotensive patients required treatment for shock. CONCLUSIONS: A comparison of frequency of adverse reactions to indocyanine green with the previously reported frequency of such reactions to fluorescein sodium indicated that indocyanine green is a safe as fluorescein for use in angiography.