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Biomedical subjects

M Kihara

Publications and source records attributed to M Kihara.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Beta-alanine, like glycine, microinjected into the rat nucleus tractus solitarii increases blood pressure.

Microinjections of beta-alanine and glycine into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of the rat, led to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. The responses to glycine but not to beta-alanine could be blocked by strychnine. Both amino acids reduced the responses to aortic nerve stimulation. High K+ stimulation caused a calcium-dependent release of beta-alanine from tissues in the area of the NTS. These results suggest that beta-alanine and glycine may modulate the cardiovascular control within the NTS.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Hypotension decreases GABA levels in brainstem regions of the rat.

Concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and other amino acids were measured in microdissected areas of the rostral ventro-lateral medulla (RVL), nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVL) of the rat, and effects on the amino acid levels, of hypotension induced by hexamethonium and nifedipine were examined. Hexamethonium and nifedipine decreased concentrations of GABA in all the regions studied, while concentrations of glycine, beta-alanine and taurine were not affected by these agents. Both agents caused a prolonged fall in blood pressure. These results strongly suggest that a decrease in blood pressure produces a decrease in GABA levels in the brainstem regions of the rat.

Alanine↗
PubMed1990

Genetically altered brain amino acid metabolism in spontaneously hypertensive rats: a study by using young spontaneously hypertensive rats and renal hypertensive rats.

Previously we demonstrated altered amino acid levels in brainstem regions of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). For comparison, in this study, we determined amino acid concentrations in discrete brainstem regions in young prehypertensive SHR and renal hypertensive rats. In prehypertensive SHR, the content of glutamate was increased in the rostral ventrolateral medulla and the caudal ventrolateral medulla, and the content of beta-alanine was decreased in the nucleus tractus solitarii. In renal hypertensive rats, there was no change in glutamate and beta-alanine contents in all the regions. The profiles of contents of glutamate and beta-alanine in the brainstem regions in young SHR but not in renal hypertensive rats are the same as those found previously in adult SHR. Thus, the results of the present study suggest that the altered amino acid metabolism in the brainstem of SHR may be genetically inherent.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1990

International cooperative study on the relationship between dietary factors and blood pressure: a report from the Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison (CARDIAC) Study.

To investigate the epidemiological relationship of dietary factors to blood pressure (BP) and major cardiovascular diseases, we carried out the International Cooperative Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison (CARDIAC) Study, which so far involves 45 centers in 20 countries. From each population, 100 men and 100 women aged 50-54 years were randomly selected for BP measurement, 24-h urine collection, and blood test. Various biological markers of diets from urine and blood were analyzed centrally in the Izumo CARDIAC center. In within-center multiple regression analyses, body mass index (BMI) was strongly positively and independently associated with BP. Urine magnesium (Mg) excretion was negatively and independently associated with BP. In cross-center simple regression analyses, systolic and diastolic BP showed significant correlations with BMI (p less than 0.01) and 24-h urinary sodium (Na) excretion (p less than 0.005) in men and significant inverse correlations with urinary 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) divided by creatinine (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.005, respectively) in men, and were inversely correlated with urinary Mg in women (p less than 0.05). Therefore, Na and BMI adversely affect BP, whereas animal protein and Mg intakes may have beneficial influence on BP.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1989

Immunocytochemical localization of GABA containing neurons in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata of the rat.

Localization of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata of the rat was studied, using antisera directed against GABA molecule fixed to bovine serum albumin. Within the rostral portion of the ventrolateral medulla, GABA-like immunoreactive neurons were found in the lateral wing of the raphe magnus and in the region of the paragigantocellular reticular nucleus. In the caudal portion of the ventrolateral medulla, a lesser number of GABA-stained neurons were found in the region around the nucleus reticularis lateralis. GABA-like immunoreactive punctate structures were also found throughout the ventrolateral medulla. These results provide further evidence for the existence of GABAergic neurons in the ventrolateral medulla oblongata of the rat.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Transient partial growth hormone deficiency due to zinc deficiency.

We present here a 13-year-old boy with partial growth hormone deficiency due to chronic mild zinc deficiency. When zinc administration was started, his growth rate, growth hormone levels, and plasma zinc concentrations increased significantly. His poor dietary intake resulted in chronic mild zinc deficiency, which in turn could be the cause of a further loss of appetite and growth retardation. There was also a possibility of renal zinc wasting which may have contributed to zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency should be carefully ruled out in patients with growth retardation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Aspartate aminotransferase for synthesis of transmitter glutamate in the medulla oblongata: effect of aminooxyacetic acid and 2-oxoglutarate.

The effects of aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA), a transaminase inhibitor, and 2-oxoglutarate, a precursor to glutamate by the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), on slices of rat medulla oblongata, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus were studied. The slices were superfused and electrically stimulated. There was a Ca2+-dependent stimulus-evoked release of endogenous glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and beta-alanine in all regions examined. AOAA (10(-4) and 10(-3) M) decreased the release of glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum but not in the hippocampus. L-Canaline, a specific inhibitor of ornithine aminotransferase, did not affect the glutamate release in the medulla. 2-Oxoglutarate (10(-3) M) increased the release of glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum but not in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Treatment with AOAA (10(-4) M) almost abolished the activities of AAT in all regions studied. AOAA (10(-4) and 10(-3) M) increased the stimulus-evoked release of GABA in the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus, whereas the stimulus-evoked release of beta-alanine was decreased by this agent in all regions studied. These results suggest the participation of AAT in the synthesis of the transmitter glutamate in the medulla oblongata and cerebellum of the rat.

Acetates↗
PubMed1989

Release by electrical stimulation of endogenous glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and other amino acids from slices of the rat medulla oblongata.

Evidence was obtained for the release of amino acids by electrical stimulation of slices of regions of the rat medulla oblongata: rostral ventrolateral, caudal ventrolateral and caudal dorsomedial. There was a Ca2+-dependent, tetrodotoxin-sensitive increase in the efflux of aspartate, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and beta-alanine in all regions examined. There were distinct regional differences in the relative amounts of amino acids released. These results provide evidence for the possible neurotransmitter role of aspartate, glutamate, GABA, glycine, and beta-alanine in these regions of the rat medulla oblongata.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1989

Flagellar switch of Salmonella typhimurium: gene sequences and deduced protein sequences.

The fliG, fliM, and fliN genes of Salmonella typhimurium encode flagellar components that participate in energy transduction and switching. We have cloned these genes and determined their sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences correspond to proteins with molecular masses of 36,809, 37,815, and 14,772 daltons, respectively. None of the protein sequences are especially hydrophobic or look as though they correspond to integral membrane proteins, a result consistent with other evidence suggesting that the proteins may be peripheral to the membrane, possibly mounted onto the basal body M ring. The fliL gene, which immediately precedes fliM, is of unknown function; it encodes a protein with a deduced molecular mass of 17,082 daltons. The hydropathy profile of FliL indicates that it is likely to be an integral membrane protein with at least one spanning segment, near its N terminus. None of the four proteins exhibit consensus N-terminal signal sequences. Comparison of the fliL, fliM, and fliN sequences with the homologous ones in Escherichia coli reveals ranges of similarities of 77 to 95% at the amino acid level and 75 to 86% at the nucleotide level, with the majority (58 to 89%) of codon changes being synonymous ones.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Treatment for refractory myasthenia gravis.

An 8 year old girl with ocular myasthenia gravis was treated with high dose intravenous immunoglobulin and high dose intravenous methylprednisolone. Ocular symptoms recurred seven months after the start of the immunoglobulin. She has been in remission for more than 12 months after two courses of intravenous methylprednisolone, and administration of oral prednisolone was discontinued.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Mitogenesis by serum and PDGF is independent of PI degradation and PKC in VSMC.

Capacities of serum, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) on phosphatidylinositol (PI) degradation and cell growth were compared in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from rat aorta. The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in growth control was also evaluated using polymixin B, a selective inhibitor of PKC. Both dialyzed and nondialyzed fetal bovine serum (FBS) in concentrations from 2 to 20% stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and cell growth without producing corresponding increases in PI turnover. Moreover, both PDGF (40-160 ng/ml) and FGF (6.25-150 ng/ml) also stimulated mitogenesis, but PDGF was more effective although less potent. Mitogenic amounts of PDGF did not stimulate PI turnover, whereas a maximally mitogenic amount of FGF (50 ng/ml) did produce a slight increase. Polymixin B inhibited PKC activity (IC50, 32 microM) from these cells but failed to suppress DNA synthesis produced by 10% FBS or PDGF (50 ng/ml). However, it did suppress that by FGF (50 ng/ml). Angiotensin II (10(-11)-10(-7) M) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB, 1-20 nM) were not mitogenic in the presence or absence of insulin (10 micrograms/ml) or the calcium ionophore A23187 (0.25-4 microM), under serum-free conditions. Instead, PDB inhibited mitogenesis of cells maintained under 0.2% FBS or stimulated with insulin (10 micrograms/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1989

Altered amino acid levels in brainstem regions of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The contents of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, beta-alanine and taurine in brainstem regions responsible for blood pressure regulation, the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVL), the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVL) regions, were determined in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) as compared with Wistar Kyoto rats. In SHR, the content of glutamate was increased in the RVL, NTS and CVL regions whereas GABA and beta-alanine contents were decreased in the RVL and all the regions studied, respectively. There was no difference between WKY and SHR in glycine and taurine contents in all the regions studied. These results provide evidence suggesting alterations of brainstem amino acid metabolism in SHR.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1988

Evidence for gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-mediated modulation of the aortic baroreceptor reflex in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the rat.

Microinjections of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor antagonist bicuculline into the medial area of the nucleus tractus solitarii of the rat enhanced the depressor and bradycardiac responses to aortic nerve stimulation whereas the glycine receptor antagonist strychnine did not affect them. The GABA receptor agonist muscimol and the GABA uptake inhibitor nipecotic acid reduced the responses to aortic nerve stimulation. These results provide evidence suggesting GABA receptor-mediated modulation of the aortic baroreceptor reflex in the nucleus tractus solitarii of the rat.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors mediate tonic vasodepressor control in the caudal ventrolateral medulla of the rat.

Microinjections of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) into the caudal ventrolateral medulla of the rat led to a decrease in arterial pressure whereas 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate injected bilaterally into this region produced hypertension and blocked the depressor effect of aortic nerve stimulation. High K+ stimulation via push-pull cannula caused a calcium-dependent release of endogenous glutamate from the region. These results provide evidence for the NMDA receptor system involved in tonic vasodepressor control in the rat caudal ventrolateral medulla.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Evidence of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated modulation of the aortic baroreceptor reflex in the rat nucleus tractus solitarii.

Microinjections of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) into the medial area of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) of the rat led to a decrease in arterial pressure and heart rate. The NMDA receptor antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (AP5) reduced the cardiovascular responses to NMDA. Depressor and bradycardic responses to aortic nerve stimulation were reduced by AP5 but not by a substance P antagonist, injected into the NTS. High K+ stimulation caused a calcium-dependent release of glutamate and aspartate from tissues in the area of the NTS. These results provide evidence of NMDA receptor-mediated modulation of the aortic baroreceptor reflex in the rat NTS.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗