The pharmacological actions of sotalol, (-)-propranolol and prazosin on norepinephrine (NE) concentration and creatine kinase (CK) activity in the coronary sinus blood of the ischemic heart were studied in open-chest dogs. A 60 min occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery was followed by a reperfusion period of 30 min. In saline-treated dogs, a significant increase in coronary sinus NE concentration occurring 30 s after the onset of reperfusion was followed by a rapid decrease to the initial value within 15 min. CK activity increased gradually and continuously starting 5 min after the beginning of reperfusion. A good correlation (r = 0.9, n = 8, P less than 0.05) was obtained in saline-treated dogs when the calculated slope of the time-activity curves for CK release was plotted against the corresponding peak concentration of NE. The increase in coronary sinus NE concentration upon reperfusion was accompanied by an increased arrhythmic ratio. Sotalol (5 mg/kg i.v.) diminished the increase in coronary sinus NE concentration along with a significant decrease in the arrhythmic ratio. The administration of either (-)-propranolol (0.1 mg/kg i.v.) or prazosin (1 mg/kg i.v.) did not significantly affect the increase in coronary sinus NE concentration. The arrhythmic ratio was significantly reduced by prazosin but not by (-)-propranolol. The rise in coronary sinus CK activity was significantly diminished in the presence of either sotalol, (-)-propranolol or prazosin. These results suggest that the occurrence of severe ventricular arrhythmias upon reperfusion may be related to the action of the increased myocardial NE on the cardiac alpha-adrenoceptors. The increased coronary sinus CK activity suggests that increased cardiac sympathetic activation may accelerate or aggravate the myocardial damage. We conclude that the antiarrythmic effect of sotalol may be due at least in part to its inhibitory action on the release of cardiac NE upon reperfusion.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1986

[Counseling in industries: its current practices and its future].

Counseling in industries, along with mental health in industries is becoming a major concern among industrial nations in recent years. However, large scale studies on this subject has been few and limited in scope, due partly to the fact that no governmental regulation or accreditation for counseling in industries or for counselors exist. Nevertheless, some enterprises have initiated counseling services. To investigate the actualities of counseling in industries, the authors send questionnaires to 1385 enterprises with an employment of over 500. 52.8% of the questionnaires were collected. Among them 25.8% replied that they already had counseling services. The questionnaire asked counselors at these enterprises about the system of counseling, counselors' duties, counselors' techniques, counselors' training, counselors' educational background and about clients. Since the practice of counseling is determined, to an extent, by the background of the counselors, the authors separated counselors into four groups: medical counselors who graduated from medical schools; psychological counselors who graduated from colleges or graduate schools with a major in psychology; nurse counselors who graduated from schools of nursing; and lay counselors who did not meet the criteria for the above three groups. The results showed that the four groups tend to respond differently to the questionnaire. Based on these results, the authors discussed four different types of counseling in industries. It is hoped that this study, along with future studies, will pave the way for the establishment of coherent systems of counseling in industries, as well as for the accreditation of several types of counselors.

Counseling↗

PubMed1986

Discrimination of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase from normal and carcinomatous pancreas.

Two types of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GTP) were identified in normal human pancreas, but ductal cell carcinomas of the pancreas showed only one type on analysis with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, anion exchange column chromatography, concanavalin A affinity chromatography and isoelectric focusing. gamma-GTP from carcinoma tissue was almost identical to the sialic acid-rich type of normal pancreatic gamma-GTP, and our methods did not evidence a difference between the two. However, E-PHA lectin column chromatography demonstrated differences in their elution pattern. Compared with normal pancreatic gamma-GTPs, the elution pattern of the carcinoma gamma-GTP was slowly delayed by the E-PHA lectin column. This finding suggests the presence of a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine-rich sugar chain in pancreatic carcinoma gamma-GTP, as well as the possible presence of a different sugar structure in the carcinoma gamma-GTP.

Acetylglucosamine↗

PubMed1986

Lateral geniculate kindling and long-lasting photosensitivity in cats.

The kindling response of the lateral geniculate body (GL) was compared with that of the amygdala, using cats. Daily electrical stimulation in the GL group led to the generalized tonic-clonic convulsion in most subjects and the resulting state of seizure susceptibility was long-lasting, as in the amygdala group. The kindling response of the GL differed from that of the amygdala in some respects, i.e., rapid kindling, short latency for seizure generalization, a different pattern of behavioral seizure development, and seizure regression during the course of kindling. The effects of photic stimulation with pentylenetetrazol administration were also examined before and after kindling in both groups. This study revealed that the photically induced myoclonus, at times proceeding to the generalized tonic-clonic convulsion, was provoked repeatedly as a result of GL kindling, whereas none of the amygdala-kindled cats showed such marked photosensitivity. These photically induced seizures were invariably observed for at least 4 weeks after GL kindling. Our results suggest that a neural mechanism participating in GL kindling is different from that in amygdala kindling, and that there might be cross-sensitization between seizure susceptibility resulting from GL kindling and photosensitivity.

Amygdala↗

PubMed1986

Effects of allylglycine on photosensitivity in the lateral geniculate-kindled cat.

The effects of DL-allylglycine, an inhibitor of GABA synthesis, on the responses to photic stimulation were studied in the cat kindled in the lateral geniculate body (GL). For 3 to 8 h after the injection of DL-allylglycine at a subconvulsant dose (30 or 40 mg/kg, i.v.), the kindled cat showed a stable level of photosensitivity without any toxic effects and responded with various degrees of myoclonus or a generalized tonic-clonic convulsion when photic stimulation was repeated at hourly intervals. The incidence of photically induced myoclonus reached its plateau during this period. Our results suggest that photosensitivity of the lateral geniculate-kindled cat is related to the modification of GABAergic mechanisms, and that when the GL-kindled cat is pretreated with DL-allylglycine it is a reliable model of photosensitive epilepsy.

Allylglycine↗

PubMed1986

Characterization of the chimeric SV40 large T antigen which has a membrane attachment sequence of polyoma virus middle T antigen.

A chimeric SV40 mutant, pMTPY, was constructed which codes for a large T antigen having the putative membrane attachment sites of polyoma virus middle T antigen at the carboxy-terminal portion. The mutant T antigen was detected exclusively in the cytoplasm of CV-1 cells transfected with pMTPY by a fluorescent antibody test. This mutant could not support viral DNA replication, but could immortalize secondary cultured rat brain (RB) cells. Immortalized RB cells produced nonkaryophilic large T antigen and also small T antigen. The amount of p53 expressed in those cells was larger than that in control RB cells. In addition, this mutant had the ability to transform NIH3T3 cells. The mutant nonkaryophilic large T antigen in NIH3T3 transformant was localized in cytoplasmic membrane fractions.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Plasma neuroleptic levels in the elderly patients on propericiazine therapy--possible role of morbidity.

Plasma neuroleptic levels of 31 elderly psychiatric patients (8 males and 23 females, age 80.1 +/- 8.95 years) on chronic propericiazine therapy and with multimorbidity were measured by means of radioreceptor assay. There was no significant correlation between the daily dose and the plasma neuroleptic level. Nor was there any significant correlation between the patients' age and the ratio of plasma neuroleptic level to the daily dose. On the other hand, the immobility score of patients (GBS scale) had a high correlation with the ratio of the plasma neuroleptic level to the daily dose. Furthermore, patients with positive C-reactive protein (CRP) had an average ratio value 3-fold higher than the CRP negative group. The results suggest that the plasma neuroleptic level of propericiazine in elderly patients is raised by morbidity and immobility rather than chronological age per se.

Aged↗

PubMed1986

The fusogenic effect of synthetic polycations on negatively charged lipid bilayers.

The effect of synthetic polycations, polyallylamine, and polyethylenimine, on liposomes containing phosphatidylserine was investigated along with that of polylysine and divalent cations. The addition of polycations caused aggregation of sonicated vesicles composed of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine (molar ratio 1:4) as determined by measuring the turbidity changes. Liposomal turbidity increased 10 times compared with that of control liposomes at charge ratios of polymer/vesicle from 0.23 (polylysine) to 2.5 (linear polyethylenimine), while the turbidity was unchanged by the addition of Ca2+ or Mg2+ at charge ratios up to 500. These polycations also induced intermixing of liposomal membranes as indicated by resonance energy transfer between fluorescent lipids incorporated in lipid bilayers, without inducing drastic permeability changes as determined from the calcein release. Fifty percent intermixing of liposomes (0.05 mM as lipid concentration) was induced by these polycations at charge ratios of around 1.0. However, the highest resonance energy transfer was produced by the addition of polyallylamine, which caused multicycles of membrane intermixing between vesicles. Polycation-induced membrane intermixing and permeability changes of phosphatidylserine liposomes were also investigated. At charge ratios of around 1.0, these polymers caused resonance energy transfer of fluorescent lipids incorporated in separate vesicles; however, polyallylamine and branched polyethylenimine also caused permeability increases of liposomal membranes. Membrane intermixing and permeability changes of phosphatidylserine vesicles induced by polyallylamine were dependent on the polymer/vesicle charge ratio, and were different from those induced by Ca2+ since the latter caused half-maximal membrane intermixing or permeability change of phosphatidylserine vesicles at about 1 mM at the liposomal concentrations investigated.

Cations↗