The cardiovascular effects of selective alpha 1 and alpha 2 agonists and antagonists injected into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) were studied in urethane-anesthetized rats. Methoxamine (0.3-3 micrograms) injected bilaterally into the NTS caused a dose-dependent increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Phenylephrine (6 micrograms) and an imidazolidine derivative St 587 (3 micrograms) similarly injected also produced an increase in blood pressure, whereas alpha-methylnoradrenaline and an azepine derivative B-HT 920 (1 and 3 micrograms) caused a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. The pressor response to methoxamine (1 microgram) was markedly inhibited by prazosin (0.3 microgram) injected into the same sites or hexamethionum (25 mg/kg, i.v.). Prazosin (0.3 microgram) alone injected bilaterally into the NTS did not affect the blood pressure, while yohimbine (0.1 microgram) similarly injected increased the pressure. These results suggest that in the rat NTS there exist alpha 1 adrenoceptors responsible for an increase in arterial pressure. The NTS alpha 2 adrenoceptors seem to be involved in the tonic regulation of arterial pressure.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

PubMed1987

Paragonimus westermani: a comparative study on the migration route of the diploid and triploid types in the final hosts.

Recent studies on chromosomes have shown the presence of diploid and triploid types of Paragonimus westermani. To determine any possible biological differences between them, the migration route and development of the diploid type in the final hosts were compared with those of the triploid type. In the cat, the definitive host, larvae of the diploid type migrated to the abdominal wall, remained there for two weeks, and then migrated to the lung. In the rat, the abnormal host, some orally administered metacercariae of the diploid type made cysts in the lung and laid eggs, but the triploid type did not lay any eggs. Neither type of P. westermani migrated to the liver of the rat, in contrast to the previously reported fact that P. miyazakii and P. ohirai migrate to the liver and develop there. From these results, it seems likely that the two types of P. westermani are closely related.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1987

Estradiol metabolism in Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells.

Estrogen-responsive human cells derived from a specimen of well differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma (Ishikawa line) were incubated with [3H]estradiol (E2) at various concentrations and the medium was sampled at 3, 6 and 24 h to evaluate the kinetics of removal of the hormone and the formation of unconjugated or sulfated metabolites. The detectable products of metabolism were estrone and the conjugate estradiol-3-sulfate. The latter was identified by high pressure chromatography, before and after acetylation, oxidation, and hydrolysis. The disappearance of [3H]E2 from the medium was found to follow first order kinetics between 3 and 24 h, with half-lives increasing from 4.7 to 53 h as the initial concentrations of the hormone were raised from 10(-8) to 10(-6)M. At the lowest concentration, practically all of the [3H]E2 added to the cultures was converted to estradiol-3-sulfate in 24 h, whereas at 10(-6)M oxidation to estrone was quantitatively more important than sulfation. These results indicate the presence in Ishikawa cells of an estrogen sulfotransferase of low Michaelis constant for E2, and 17 beta-oxidoreductase activity that significantly contributes to the metabolism of E2 only at higher concentrations of substrate.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1987

One-Step Microbial Conversion of a Racemic Mixture of Pantoyl Lactone to Optically Active d-(-)-Pantoyl Lactone.

Washed cells of Rhodococcus erythropolis IFO 12540 were found to convert only the l-(+)-isomer of pantoyl lactone to the d-(-)-isomer in a racemic mixture of pantoyl lactone. Under suitable reaction conditions, the amount of d-(-)-pantoyl lactone synthesized was 18.2 mg/ml (94.4% enantiomer excess; molar yield, 90.5%). This conversion was suggested to proceed through the following successive reactions: first, the enzymatic oxidation of l-(+)-pantoyl lactone to ketopantoyl lactone; second, the rapid and spontaneous hydrolysis of the ketopantoyl lactone to ketopantoic acid; and then, the enzymatic reduction of the ketopantoic acid to d-(-)-pantoic acid. After the reaction d-(-)-pantoic acid could be lactonized by means of acid treatment. During the conversion, the d-(-)-isomer, which was initially present in the reaction mixture, did not undergo any modification.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1987

Pelvic angiography in malignant trophoblastic disease.

Pelvic angiography was analyzed in 24 patients with malignant trophoblastic disease. Abnormal findings such as prominent uterine arteries, hypervascularity of the uterus, arteriovenous shunts, tumor staining and pooling were observed. Translucency was observed in all patients with choriocarcinoma. This finding was observed in only 3 of 11 patients (27.3%) with invasive mole and was not apparent in patients with an undetermined group. These differences were statistically significant. Translucency of pelvic angiography in malignant trophoblastic disease was more suggestive of choriocarcinoma than of invasive mole. Thus, translucency in pelvic angiography may be a distinctive finding with which to differentiate choriocarcinoma from invasive mole, without resection of the uterus.

Angiography↗

PubMed1987

Role of a mouse monoclonal IgE antibody in passive transfer of immunity to Schistosoma japonicum infection.

We have been able to produce a mouse monoclonal IgE antibody specific to an adult worm antigen extracted from Schistosoma japonicum (Sj). The antibody was able to elicit passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in the rat skin against Sj with the highest titer of 1:256,000 but did not cross-react with S. mansoni antigen. The antibody recognized a 97-kDa molecule expressed on the surface of mechanically transformed schistosoma of S. japonicum. Passive transfer of the antibody into mice in the early stage of challenge infection resulted in a partial but significant reduction of recovery of adult worms. Induction of eosinophilia by an oral administration of embryonated eggs of Toxocara canis prior to challenge infection enhanced the reduction.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

[Phase II study of peplomycin in breast cancer. A cooperative study. Clinical Study Group of Peplomycin for Breast Cancer in Japan].

A phase II study of peplomycin, an analogue of bleomycin, was carried out in 42 patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer by a cooperative group consisting of 15 institutes throughout Japan, and the following results were obtained. Among the 42 patients, 38 were evaluable, in whom the overall response rate was 7.9% (3/38). For the various histologic types, the response rate was 33.3% (2/6) for papillotubular carcinoma and 9.1% (1/11) for medullary tubular carcinoma. The response rate was 33.3% (2/6) in patients without prior treatment and 3.1% (1/32) in those with prior treatment. Side effects of nausea, anorexia, malaise, alopecia and pyrexia occurred frequently, and a decrease in WBC and an increase in GOT were observed temporally. Pulmonary toxicity was observed in 7 patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1987