To clarify the etiology of atherosclerosis in collagen disease, the prevalence and quality of coronary arterial lesions was examined histopathologically. The materials consisted of 68 autopsy cases, including 10 of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 28 of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 8 of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 5 of dermatomyositis (DM) and 17 of miscellaneous collagen disease (MD). As a control group (C), 9 age-matched cases of hematologic disorders were chosen. In order to conduct systematic research on coronary arteries, tissue blocks were taken, according to the method proposed by the "Vascular Lesion of Collagen Disease Research Committee" in Japan. To estimate the narrowing of the coronary arterial lumen quantitatively, the coronary stenosis index (CSI), which was the sum of the grade of three main coronary arterial narrowing scores, were used. Significant coronary stenosis (more than 75% occlusion of the lumen) was observed in 8 cases of SLE, one of PSS, 2 of DM and 4 of MD. Stenosis was due to atherosclerosis except in 3 cases of MD. The degree of stenosis expressed by the CSI was higher in MD, SLE and DM than in C (p less than 0.05). Atherosclerotic lesions in collagen disease tended to have a higher population of cellular components than did those in C. There were no statistical correlations between the CSI and some risk factors (age, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and long-term corticosteroid administration). In the 12 cases with significant stenosis due to atherosclerosis, only 4 patients received corticosteroid hormone for more than one year. Active vasculitis with prominent inflammatory cell infiltration was observed in 2 cases of RA, 3 of SLE and 9 of MD. In cases of vasculitis in SLE examined by the serial section method, luminal narrowing caused by intimal fibrocellular proliferation seemed to have a close relationship with inflammatory cell infiltration in the media and the adventitia. It was concluded that prolonged stimulation of the injured intima by the common risk factors played an important role in the acceleration of coronary atherosclerosis and this intimal change should be reconsidered as a preceding lesion of coronary atherosclerosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Forebrain lordosis inhibiting system and serotonin neuron in female rats: effect of P-chloroamphetamine.

Relationship between forebrain lordosis inhibiting system and serotonergic mechanism was examined in estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P)-primed ovariectomized rats. In order to remove the forebrain inhibition of lordosis response, anterior roof deafferentation (ARD) which interrupts the dorsal inputs to the POA coming down anterior to the anterior commissure or medial preoptic area lesions (POA-L) were made. All experimental females pretreated with EB and P showed high levels of lordotic activity. Soon after the behavioral tests, the animals were injected with 10 mg/kg p-chloroamphetamine (PCA) intraperitoneally and tested again 30 min later. PCA strongly suppressed female sexual behavior. Regardless of the presence of ARD or POA-L, no PCA injected females showed lordosis. From these results, it can be said that serotonin may not directly act on the forebrain lordosis inhibiting system.

Amphetamines↗

PubMed1982

Left ventricular morphometric estimation of the coarctation complex in the first year of life.

Coarctation complex is a serious congenital cardiovascular malformation in infants. It is associated with severe congestive cardiac overload and high mortality even after surgical treatment. To investigate left ventricular performance, quantitative morphometry and histometry of the left ventricle were carried out in 19 autopsied patients who died without surgical intervention. The following results were obtained: 1. Coarctation of the aorta was found to selectively affect the left ventricle, showing a volume overload response without effectively adapting to the pressure overload; the right ventricle showed a significant reaction to the pressure overload. 2. The coronary arterioles responded to the pressure load in the left ventricle. In order to promptly recover left ventricular function, simple coarctectomy without VSD closure or other procedures is advisable for treatment of the coarctation complex in the early months of life.

Aortic Coarctation↗

PubMed1982