Clinical application of sialic acid (II) Sialic acid contents in cerebro-spinal fluid of patients suffering from the disease of the central nervous system

It is well known that human serum contains some sialic acid and its contents increase markedly in the blood serum of the patients bearing malignant tumors. Recently YAMAKAWA2, BHOM3, SAITO4 and YUI5 observed the sialic acid contents in the blood sera from the patients of various diseases and clarified that its contents increase not only in the sera from the cases bearing malignant tumors but also in those of rheumatic or tuberculous diseases. BOHM6 et al. measured the sialic acid contents in the cerebrospinal fluid of several diseases and ascertained that its contents increase in the cerebrospinal fuid from the cases of inflammatory diseases. In connection with these works we have observed the sialic acid contents in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patients suffering from the diseases of central nervous system, prior to the surgical operation, and revealed the markedly increased contents in the sialic acid in the patients bearing tumors of the nervous system. In this paper the data are reported in detail.</p

Increased expression of kisspeptin and GnRH forms in the brain of scombroid fish during final ovarian maturation and ovulation

BACKGROUND: Kisspeptins (Kiss) are prime players in the control of reproductive function through their regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) expression in the brain. The experimental scombroid fish, chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) expresses two kiss (kiss1 and kiss2) and three gnrh (gnrh1, gnrh2, and gnrh3) forms in the brain. In the present study, we analyzed expression changes of kiss and gnrh mRNAs in the brain and corresponding GnRH peptides in the brain and pituitary during final ovarian maturation (FOM) and ovulation. METHODS: Female fish possessing late vitellogenic oocytes were injected with GnRH analogue to induce FOM and ovulation. Fish were observed for daily spawning activities and sampled one week post-injection at germinal vesicle migration (GVM), oocyte hydration, ovulation, and post-ovulatory time periods. Changes in relative mRNA levels of kiss and gnrh forms in the brain were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. Changes in GnRH peptides in the brain and pituitary were analyzed using time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. RESULTS: Both kiss1 and kiss2 mRNA levels in the brain were low at late vitellogenic stage and increased significantly during the GVM period. However, kiss1 mRNA levels decreased during oocyte hydration before increasing again at ovulatory and post-ovulatory periods. In contrast, kiss2 mRNA levels decreased at ovulatory and post-ovulatory periods. Levels of gnrh1 mRNA in the brain increased only during post-ovulatory period. However, levels of gnrh2 and gnrh3 mRNAs were elevated during GVM and then, decreased during oocyte hydration before increasing again at ovulatory period. During post-ovulatory period, both gnrh2 and gnrh3 mRNA levels declined. Peptide levels of all three GnRH forms in the brain were elevated during GVM and oocyte hydration; their levels were significantly lower during late vitellogenic, ovulatory, and post-ovulatory periods. In contrast, pituitary GnRH peptide levels did not show any significant fluctuations, with the GnRH1 peptide levels being many-fold higher than the GnRH2 and GnRH3 forms. CONCLUSION: The results indicate increased expression of multiple Kiss and GnRH forms in the brain and suggest their possible involvement in the regulation of FOM and ovulation in captive female chub mackerel

Resting energy expenditure and nutritional status in patients undergoing transthoracic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

This study was to assess the resting energy expenditure of patients with esophageal cancer using indirect calorimetry. Eight male patients with esophageal cancer and eight male healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent transthoracic esophagectomy with lymph nodes dissections. The resting energy expenditure was measured preoperatively, and on postoperative day 7 and 14 using indirect calorimetry. Preoperatively, the measured resting energy expenditure/body weight in these patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (23.3 ± 2.1 kcal/kg/day vs 20.4 ± 1.6 kcal/kg/day), whereas the measured/predicted energy expenditure from the Harris-Benedict equation ratio was 1.01 ± 0.09, which did not differ significantly from the control values. The measured resting energy expenditure/body weight was 27.3 ± 3.5 kcal/kg/day on postoperative day 7, and 23.7 ± 5.07 kcal/kg/day on postoperative day 14. Significant increases in the measured resting energy expenditure were observed on postoperative day 7, and the measured/predicted energy expenditure ratio was 1.17 ± 0.15. In conclusion, patients with operable esophageal cancers were almost normometabolic before surgery. On the other hand, the patients showed a hyper-metabolic status after esophagectomy. We recommended that nutritional management based on 33 kcal/body weight/day (calculated by the measured resting energy expenditure × active factor 1.2–1.3) may be optimal for patients undergoing esophagectomy

Divulging the social sex change mechanism in a unique model system for studying the sexual plasticity of protogynous hermaphrodite fish, three bamboo leaf wrasse (Pseudolabrus sieboldi)

The gonadal sexual fate of vertebrates is either defined by genetics or environment, or a combination of both factors. Interestingly, in sequential hermaphroditism, the animal can undergo natural sex changes from female-to-male, male-to-female, and bidirectional way throughout their lives. This change exhibits the process which shifts between oogenesis and spermatogenesis and is regarded as an ideal instance of sexual plasticity. To develop the experimental model for studying the sexual plasticity of protogynous fish, the social conditions that induce sex changes were defined in wrasse, Pseudolabrus sieboldi. When six females were kept together in a tank, the largest female became a male, whereas a similar conversion did not occur when only two females were present in a tank. A semi-gonadectomy analysis developed in the present study verified the direct relationship between gonadal sex and body coloration. In P. sieboldi, the sex change is controlled by the relative body size of an individual within a group, rather than by absolute body size. When six females were kept in smaller sized tanks, delayed sex change or unchanged individuals was observed. Overall, more than 90% of the largest females demonstrated sex change after being housed with five smaller females in different sizes of tanks ranging from 80 to 500 L. Furthermore, the experiment using a transparent barrier suggested that visual stimuli are one of the major cues to initiate sex change. Our findings on the laboratory conditions leading to the initiation of sex change in wrasse suggest the usefulness of this species as a model organism for comparative studies in molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms of sexual plasticity, as well as on social and reproductive behaviors

Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer in Early Stage — The Clinical Ob­servation of Operated Cases

1. An attempt has been made to find the diagnostic criteria for early gastric cancer. It is most important to detect the evidences or suspected features of the malignant growth in incipient stage in order to attain the radical cure by surgical operation. 2. Twelve patients with early gastric cancer (groups A and B) were selected out of 476 patients who had undergone gastrectomy during the past three years in the Okayama Saiseikai General Hospital. The other 6 patients in the &#34;precancerous group&#34; (group C) were also studied, who had abnormal epithelial proliferation in the resected stomach membrane during the same period. 3. The processes of discovery of early cancer have been described. Fairly precise diagnosis can be made in the mucosal carcinoma, but it is not in the ulcer-carcinoma. It was generally difficult to estimate the degree of the malignancy and the extension of the growth preoperatively. 4. The details of the diagnostic aids are as follows. i. Negative occult blood of stool does not always mean the definite diagnostic aid. ii. The malignant gastric change may occur even in non-anacidity. Further investigations should be followed up on gastric ulcer patients if malignant alteration is under the consideration. iii. Minor roentgenological findings, such as the absence or irregularity of mucosal folds, rigid and/or overlapped contour, localized absence or decrease of the peristaltic waves and absence or bow-shaped deformity of the angulus, are of important significance. Such changes should be minutely sought for by X-ray film examination. iv. On gastroscopy and gastrocamera photography, such changes as erosion or irregular granular thickening of the membrane with abnormal reddening and edematous appearance, irregularity of ulcer edge, uneven swelling on ulcer margin with reddening and unsharpness of the edge of adherent coat on ulcer floor, must be noted in the early gastric cancer. v. It is not safe to leave a patient having stomach ulceration under a mere conservative management because it is often quite difficult to dissolve the question of malignancy of the lesion with all sorts of examinations. vi. So far as clinical examinations have indicated malignancy, histological examination must be carried out immediately at the time of operation, even when malignant lesion is absent in inspection and palpation on the exposure of the stomach. vii. On the gross observation of the resected stomach, a particular attention must be paid to erosion, depression or atrophy, irregular granular thickening and abnormal reddening on the restricted areas of the mucosal surface.</p

秋田市における血液透析患者の現状と医療・福祉のニーズ(第1報)

血液透析患者(以下,透析患者)に対する望ましい医療・福祉サービスを考える手だてとして,透析患者に実態調査を行った。秋田市内9施設362人の調査結果,以下のことが明らかになった。1)通院コスト,家族による付きそいなどをあげたものが多く,通院の負担が大きかった。2)日常生活動作では,比較的歩行を伴わない行動はできている者が多かったが,軽・重労働は介助を要する者が多かった。3)過去6ヶ月で受けた各種の介護サービスよりも,いずれの種類も今後受けたいという回答件数が多かった。また,その内容は様々であった。以上から,通院支援や個別的な医療・福祉サービスの充実が望まれると考えた。透析患者のQOLを高める方策として,社会福祉的な視点が重要である。In order to better understand the medical and social services needs of patients receiving hemodialyis in Akita a questionnaire was administered to these patients. 362 responses were received from 9 hospitals within Akita City. These were analysed and the conclusions are as follows : 1. The major concerns of respondents were the costs of attendance by family members at hospital and the costs of medical care and medications. 2. Some patients coped with ADLs with minimal assistance but others required assistance with both light and heavy tasks 3. While there was a variety of answers to the question regarding social welfare services most participants indicated a desire to receive different kinds of social welfare services than had been provided in the previous 6 months. In light of these findings we recommend the development of individualised medical and social welfare services to support hospital visits and quality of life for hemodialysis patients

The Influence of Amino Acid upon Cholinestrase Activity in the Brain Part 1. The influence of amino acid upon cholinesterase activity in cerebral cortex of idiopathic epileptics

The ChE activity of cerebral cortex resected from idiopathic epileptics and non-epilcptics and the influences of glutamic acid, glutamine, aspartic acid, asparagine, γ-aminobutyric acid and γ-amino-β-hydrooxybutyric acid were studied. 1) In the brain of idiopathic epileptics, ChE activity is more markedly accelerated than that in the brain of non-epileptics. 2) By adding the amino-acids mentioned above, restraint occurs in each case. The intensity of these restraint for the non-epilcptic brain has the order of asparagine, glutamine, γ-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine. γ-aminobutyric acid, while that for idiopathic epileptic brain it is asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, γ-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid, glutamic acid γ-aminobutyric acid. 3) The reduction of ChE activity by adding amino acids is found in each case of epileptic and non-epileptic brain. But it is not so definite in epileptic brain as in none-epileptic brain. 4) The ascending of ChE activity in idiopathic epileptic brain is regarded to be caused by the reduction of free amino acids in idiopathic brain

The Influence of Amino Acid upon Cholinestrase Activity in the Brain Part 2. The influence of amino acid upon cholinestrase acitivity in the cerebral cortex of rabbits with latent local anaphylaxis

Various influecnes of amino acids upon ChE activity in the brain of latent cerebral local anaphylactic rabbits (LCLA rabbits) and normal ones were studied. 1) The ChE activity in the brain of LCLA rabbits accelerated stronger than that of normal rabbits, but after adding amino acid it fell to normal value or less. 2) By addition of amino acid the ChE activity redueces both in normal rabbits and LCLA rabblts, but it was more marked in the latter. 3) The intensity of the straint of amino acids for the ChE activity is the largest by glutamine to normal rabbits. Aspartic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, asparagine, glutamic acid follows. To LCLA rabbits glutamine effects excellent and then asparagine, γ-aminobutyric acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid. 4) If the density of adding amino acid solution is changed in glutamine and glutamic acid, they show a maximum straint at M/10. In glutamine it shows respectable straint even at M/200. 5) The influence of glutamine upon the ChE activity in the brain of LCLA rabbits showed straint even at M/100 and at M/200 it became equal with the level of normal rabbit brain. This is found to be almost the same value as the deficient value of amino nitrogen in LCLA rabbit brain

The Influence of Amino Acid upon Cholinestrase Activity in the Brain Part 1. The influence of amino acid upon cholinesterase activity in cerebral cortex of idiopathic epileptics

The ChE activity of cerebral cortex resected from idiopathic epileptics and non-epilcptics and the influences of glutamic acid, glutamine, aspartic acid, asparagine, γ-aminobutyric acid and γ-amino-β-hydrooxybutyric acid were studied. 1) In the brain of idiopathic epileptics, ChE activity is more markedly accelerated than that in the brain of non-epileptics. 2) By adding the amino-acids mentioned above, restraint occurs in each case. The intensity of these restraint for the non-epilcptic brain has the order of asparagine, glutamine, γ-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine. γ-aminobutyric acid, while that for idiopathic epileptic brain it is asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, γ-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid, glutamic acid γ-aminobutyric acid. 3) The reduction of ChE activity by adding amino acids is found in each case of epileptic and non-epileptic brain. But it is not so definite in epileptic brain as in none-epileptic brain. 4) The ascending of ChE activity in idiopathic epileptic brain is regarded to be caused by the reduction of free amino acids in idiopathic brain