The effect of plasmapheresis (PP) monotherapy was evaluated in a 77 year old man with crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN). Because both anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic myeloperoxidase autoantibody (MPO-ANCA) and circulating immune complex (IC) were positive, removal of these substances was expected to be beneficial. Thus, the treatment was started with PP alone. During 2 month's time, three series of PP monotherapy were performed: three sessions of plasma exchange (PEX) with fresh frozen plasma (FFP); two sessions of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP); followed by another two sessions of PEX. The ANCA remained suppressed for 4 weeks after the first PEX, and increased thereafter. Subsequent DFPP caused a rebound in ANCA titer, whereas the second PEX suppressed ANCA for 1 week. Although creatinine clearance (Ccr) improved from 9.3 to 15 ml/min after the first PEX, and this level was maintained, ANCA increased again after the second PEX. Therefore, the patient was treated with methylprednisolone semi-pulse therapy (500 mg/day for 3 days), followed by mild "cocktail" therapy. In 2 weeks ANCA and IC became negative, and Ccr further improved to 20 ml/min. Thus, PP, when performed alone, was shown to be partially effective, arresting the progression of renal damage in the present case. These observations also argue for the advantage of PP, especially PEX, as an adjunct therapy to immunosuppressive therapy in CrGN.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reduction of myocardial infarct size by trapidil in anesthetized dogs.

We studied the effect of trapidil on acute experimental myocardial infarction in anesthetized, openchest dogs. The size of myocardial infarction 8 h after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery was determined by planimetry of myocardial slices stained by the nitroblue tetrazolium method. Systemic hemodynamic variables, epicardial ST-segment elevation, activity of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and changes of myocardial blood flow in the ischemic area were measured. Infusion of 3 mg/kg trapidil reduced the size of infarction and ameliorated the infarction-induced deterioration of systemic hemodynamic variables, such as the decrease in left ventricular dP/dt, aortic blood flow, and regional endomyocardial blood flow in the ischemic area. This dose of trapidil also suppressed ST elevation and significantly inhibited the increase in activity of serum CPK. Hyaluronidase also reduced the size of infarction significantly. These results suggest that trapidil alters the course of acute myocardial infarction favorably, presumably by increasing regional endomyocardial blood flow.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antiproliferative effect of isopentenylated coumarins on several cancer cell lines.

33 coumarins, mainly the simple isopentenylated coumarins and derived pyrano- and furanocoumarins, were examined for their antiproliferative activity towards several cancer and normal human cell lines. The pyrano- and furanocoumarins showed strong activity against the cancer cell lines, whereas they had weak antiproliferative activity against the normal human cell lines. The decreasing rank order of potency was osthenone (10), clausarin (25), clausenidin (26), dentatin (24), nordentatin (23), imperatorin (29), seselin (27), xanthyletin (21), suberosin (17), phebalosin (8) and osthol (12). The structure-activity relationship established from the results revealed that the 1,1-dimethylallyl and isopentenyl groups have an important role for antiproliferative activity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Moyamoya syndrome in young children: MR comparison with adult onset.

PURPOSE: To clarify whether there were any differences in MR appearance between the childhood and the adult moyamoya syndromes. METHOD: We compared the cranial MR findings in four children under the age of 6 who had moyamoya syndrome with previously documented adult cases. RESULTS: Moyamoya syndrome in younger children exhibited a significant increase in cortical and subcortical infarction, and a decreased incidence of deep white matter infarction in the centrum semiovale and basal ganglia, in contrast to adult cases. There were no remarkable differences between these two groups of moyamoya cases with regard to the occlusive changes of the internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries, or to the flow void sign on MR. CONCLUSION: These differences in the sites and frequencies of infarctions between the childhood and the adult moyamoya syndromes observed on MR might reflect differences in the cerebral circulation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

5-Hydroxytryptamine3 receptor and regulation of gastric emptying in rats.

We investigated the role of the 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) receptor in the regulation of gastric emptying in rats using various 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, including GK128, a novel and selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. GK128 dose-dependently accelerated gastric emptying in rats. The accelerating effect of GK128 on gastric emptying was more potent than that of the other 5-HT3 receptor antagonists used in this study. However, the rank order of potency of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, except for the benzamide derivatives, on the accelerating effect of gastric emptying, was not consistent with that of their 5-HT3 receptor-binding affinity in the rat cortex. GK128 improved the gastric emptying delayed by m-chlorophenylbiguanide, a 5-HT3 receptor agonist, and by cisplatin, which is known to cause damage to the small intestine and to release 5-HT from enterochromaffin cells. Furthermore, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, an indoleamine neurotoxin known to destroy 5-HT-containing neurons, significantly accelerated gastric emptying, and no further acceleration was observed after administration of GK128. These results may suggest that 5-HT3 receptor antagonists induce, at least in part, the acceleration of gastric emptying in rats via a peripheral mechanism, and that endogenous serotonin has an inhibitory regulatory effect on gastric emptying in rats. Furthermore, the difference in rank order between the accelerating effect of gastric emptying and the 5-HT3 receptor antagonistic potencies in the cortex suggests that the 5-HT3-like receptor, modulating gastric emptying, is not identical to the classically defined 5-HT3 receptor.

Animals↗