A 7-hour-old boy underwent an emergency operation with an anticipated diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The precise diagnosis of common pulmonary vein atresia (CPVA) was made during the operation. A side-to-side anastomosis between the common pulmonary venous chamber and the left atrium was performed. All procedures were successfully carried out on the beating heart under the cardiopulmonary bypass. A tentative diagnosis of CPVA should always be borne in minds in neonates with clinical conditions such as deep cyanosis unresponsive to the oxygen therapy, stubborn acidosis, severe pulmonary venous congestion, and rapid deterioration. The corrective repair of CPVA with the heart beating appears to be the procedure of choice in the setting of seriously damaged myocardium of the immature heart. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest survivor of the corrective surgery for CPVA and operation at time of diagnosis is the important principle.

Cardiopulmonary Bypass↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selection of a rechargeable internal back-up battery for a totally implantable artificial heart.

Three kinds of rechargeable batteries, NiCd, NiMH, and Li+, were compared for the purpose of selecting the most appropriate battery for use in a Rechargeable Internal Back-up Battery (RIBB) unit for a Totally Implantable Artificial Heart. Batteries of each kind were connected in series to obtain the required driving voltage of 24 V. The NiCd and NiMH batteries were charged by a constant current of 1 C, and the Li+ batteries were charged first by a constant current of 1 C and later by a constant voltage of 28.7 V. All three types of batteries were discharged using a dummy electronic pulsatile load consuming 20 W of power. The tests showed that the Li+ batteries were capable of supplying the required energy for more than 60 minutes. The Li+ batteries had a specific energy of 121.5 Wh/kg, which was more than 3x that of the NiCd and NiMH, and an energy density of 282.5 Wh/L more than double that of the other two. In addition, the Li+ batteries recorded the least temperature rise during charging and discharging. The results of our tests conclusively showed that the Li+ battery is the best among the three for use in an RIBB from the viewpoint of energy density and temperature rise.

Electricity↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Progress of an electrohydraulic total artificial heart system with a separate energy converter.

We have been developing an electrohydraulic total artificial heart (EHTAH) system. The system consists of diaphragm blood pumps, an abdominally placed energy converter, an internal controller, a transcutaneous energy transfer (TET) system, a transcutaneous optical information transfer system, and internal and external lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The energy converter was optimized to obtain better oil transfer. Maximum cardiac output and efficiency of the EHTAH were increased from 8 L/min to 10 L/min and from 10% to 12%, respectively. The volume of the energy converter was reduced from 280 to 210 ml. The pumping unit was successfully implanted in 68-85 kg calves without anatomic problems, and the calves survived up to 10 days with good circulatory results. The maximum temperature rise of the implanted energy converter was only 1 degrees C. Stable performance of the TET system was confirmed in goats for more than 1 month. DC-DC energy transfer efficiency with 20 W of energy transmission remained within the range of 80% to 85%, and no significant temperature rise was observed in the implanted circuit. The internal Li-ion battery was also evaluated in a goat, and the maximum temperature rise during the charging period was 1.5 degrees C, while the charging and discharging times were 72 and 58 min, respectively. We conclude that our system has progressed in its development as a practical implantable system.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

What is meant by "misidentification" in delusional misidentification syndromes? Comparison between Capgras' syndromes and "clonal pluralization of a person'.

The semantic structure of Capgras' syndrome (CS) was analyzed within the framework of "the theory of reference" of analytic philosophy to elucidate the concept of misidentification in delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS). The close relationship between the semantic structure of CS and the ordinary use of a proper name, which is not synonymous with the description but has the function of indicating an object rigidly, is shown. CS is redefined from this perspective, and a novel misidentification symptom, which we call "clonal pluralization of a person", is contrasted to CS. Among so-called DMS, there are at least two types of misidentification with different semantic structures.

Capgras Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Unknown people believed to be known: the 'assoziierende Erinnerungs- fälschungen' by Kraepelin.

A male patient with epilepsy, who developed a unique form of paramnesia after an episode of zonisamide-induced psychosis is reported. The patient consistently mistook people who were quite new to him, such as staff of the hospital, for persons whom he had met long ago. However, he did not misidentify their names or other attributes, such as their occupations. This extraordinary form of misidentification does not fall into any known subcategory of misidentification syndromes. Rather, this paramnesia falls into the classical description of 'assoziierende Erinnerungsfälschungen' by Kraepelin. The neuropsychological interpretation of the reported patient is difficult. However, loss of familiarity with environmental objects due to his long sustained epileptic history is supposed to be a possible mechanism of paramnesia.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Induction of the renal pelvic and ureteral carcinomas by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine in SD/cShi rats with spontaneous hydronephrosis.

We attempted to establish an animal model for renal pelvic and ureteral carcinomas. In Experiment 1, Sprague-Dawley (SD)/cShi and SD/gShi strains of male and female rats and Fischer-344 (F-344)/DuCrj and LEW/Crj strains of male rats, 6 wk old, were given 0.05% N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) for 12 wk and then treated without chemical for 10 wk. Only the SD/cShi strain, which has spontaneous hydronephrosis and hydroureter, showed high incidences of carcinomas in the renal pelvises and ureters, whereas the other strains did not. In Experiment 2, SD/cShi and Crj:CD strains of male and female rats, 6 wk old, were exposed to 0.05% BBN for 20 wk. Both sexes of SD/cShi rats had high incidences of bilateral carcinomas in renal pelvises and/or ureters associated with urinary bladder carcinomas, whereas both sexes of Crj:CD rats had urinary bladder tumors only. These results indicate that the SD/cShi strain may be a suitable animal for the induction of renal pelvic and ureteral carcinomas that appear to depend on urine stagnation secondary to hydronephrosis and hydroureter.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Structure-activity relationship study of host-specific phytotoxins (AM-toxin analogs) using a new assay method with leaves from apple meristem culture.

AM-toxins are host-specific phytotoxins of the Alternaria alternata apple pathotype, which induce necrosis on apple leaves. In this study, we developed a new assay to measure the necrotic activity of AM-toxin analogs using cultured leaves from meristem cells. This method was not only more sensitive to AM-toxin I, but also more reliable than the previous one that used tree leaves due to the homogeneous nature of cultured leaves and to the method of application of toxins. Using this assay method we investigated a structure-activity relationship of AM-toxin analogs synthesized in this study. Most residues and the macrocyclic ring structure were strictly recognized by AM-toxin putative receptor, whereas the L-Ala binding subsite of the receptor allowed for side chain structures with various stereoelectronic properties. These findings are important for designing ligands for further experimental probing of the nature of the receptor.

Alternaria↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in peritoneal equilibration test values during long-term peritoneal dialysis in peritonitis-free children.

Little is known about the changes in peritoneal equilibration test (PET) values in children on long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD). In the present study, a PET was carried out every 6 months in 39 children (mean age 8.8 +/- 5.5 years) undergoing PD for 6 to 85 months (mean 36.9 +/- 23.1 months). Patients experiencing peritonitis were excluded. Both D/P creatinine (dialysate-to-plasma ratio of creatinine at 4 hours) and D/D0 glucose (ratio of dialysate glucose at 4 hours' dwell time to dialysis glucose at 0 dwell time) were measured 195 times in this series of patients. No remarkable change was found for D/P creatinine or D/D0 glucose during the first 24 months of PD but thereafter, D/P creatinine increased gradually and D/D0 glucose decreased gradually. Mean D/P creatinine increased significantly after the first 24 months of PD: from 0.66 +/- 0.12 during the first 24 months, to 0.70 +/- 0.09 after 25 months and more of PD (p = 0.0051). Mean D/D0 glucose decreased significantly after 24 months of PD: from 0.42 +/- 0.09 during the first 24 months, to 0.38 +/- 0.08 after 25 months and more of PD (p = 0.0015). The most significant change for both D/P creatinine and D/D0 glucose occurred after 24 months of PD. It seems reasonable to consider the mean PET values at 24 months of PD as the standard PET values.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Significant role of 5 alpha-reductase on feedback effects of androgen in rat anterior pituitary cells demonstrated with a nonsteroidal 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor ONO-3805.

A 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor with nonsteroidal structure, ONO-3805, has been used to study the role of 5 alpha-reductase on positive and negative feedback effects of androgen on gonadotropin secretion in the rat anterior pituitary gland. Initially, the potential of ONO-3805 to inhibit the formation of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was evaluated. The activity of 5 alpha-reductase in rat anterior pituitary gland was approximately one-fourth of that in rat prostate gland or epididymis, with a Michaelis' constant (Km) value for testosterone of 5-6 x 10(-7) M. When homogenates of rat anterior pituitary glands were incubated with 14C-testosterone (14C-T) in the presence of > or = 10(-7) M ONO-3805, the formation of labeled DHT and its metabolite 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol was inhibited by > 90%. The inhibition pattern was non-competitive, and the inhibition constant (Ki value) derived from Lineweaver-Burk plots was 3.9 x 10(-11) M. Dispersed pituitary cells (1-2 x 10(5)/ml) were cultured for 48 hours and then further incubated with or without androgen and/or the inhibitor for 72 hours (basal secretion). After this incubation, the media were saved, and 10 nM of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) with the same concentration of androgen and/or the inhibitor as used in the 72-hour incubation was added to the cultures for 6 hours (LH-RH-induced secretion). Secreted follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were assayed by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Both testosterone (T) and DHT stimulated 72-hour basal FSH secretion from cultured pituitary cells in a dose-dependent fashion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase↗