Central regulation of feeding behavior in rats isconsidered to be very complicated since it involved many neurotransmitters and their interactions. The details of these are not fully understood at present. In this study, the effect of the benzodiazepine receptorantagonist, Ro15-1788, GABAA receptor antagonist, SR-95531 and Cl^- channel blocker, picrotoxin, on food intake in rats induced by diazepam and muscimol was examined. The subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of diazepam and the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of muscimol induced hyperphagia in a dose-dependent manner. The s.c. injection of Ro15-1788 inhibited the diazepam-induced hyperphagia, though didn't inhibit the muscimol-induced hyperphagia. The i.c.v. administration of SR-95531, and the intraperitoneal injection of picrotoxin inhibited the muscimol-induced hyperphagia, though didn't inhibit the diazepam-induced hyperphagia. The results of this study are suggested that GABA_A agonist, muscimol may induce hyperphagia by acting on GABA-Cl^- ionophore complex, however benzodiazepines-induced hyperphagia act not only on this complex, but on other mechanism.

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Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by employing positron emission tomography (PET) in nine healthy right-handed male subjects, while they simultaneously performed the auditory oddball task using tone bursts. Results showed that the rCBF value was highest in the transverse gyrus of Heschl in both right and left hemispheres. When comparing the rCBF values between right and left hemispheres, the following four areas had higher rCBF values in the left hemisphere: the piriform cortex, the hippocampus, the nucleus accumbens septi, and the hypothalamus; and the following eight areas had higher rCBF values in the right hemisphere: the orbitofrontal cortex, the thalamus, the transverse gyrus of Heschl, the anterior part of the superior temporal gyrus, the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus, the anterior part of the middle temporal gyrus, the posterior part of the middle temporal gyrus, and the angular gyrus. Of these, the anterior and posterior parts of the superior temporal gyrus, especially, showed significant differences. The hemispheric differences in the rCBF values of the auditory areas can be attributed to the performance of the oddball task which requires higher processing of non verbal auditory input. The P300 amplitude which reflects the amount of the allocated information processing resources correlated positively (r≧0.7) with rCBF in the following areas: left piriform cortex, the transverse gyrus of Heschl in both left and right hemispheres. Meanwhile, P 300 amplitude correlated negatively (r≦-0.7) with rCBF in the nucleus accumbens septi in both right and left hemispheres. The N100 amplitude evoked by frequent stimulus did not correlate with rCBF in almost all ROIs. These indicated that multiple areas of the brain were involved with the performance of the oddball task in a stimulatory or inhibitory manner. We plan on improving experimental conditions and further investigate how the task is related to the hemispheric differences in rCBF.

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A questionnaire survey on presumption allergen (s) and measurement of total serum IgE and allergen-specific serum IgE by ELISA were carried out to assess allergens in the general-population. Of 254 university students, 45.7% replied of the presence of allergic symptoms, and Japanese cedar pollen, house dust, mite, short ragweed pollen, food, cat, metal as the causes of allergy. Serum total IgE was measured by fluorometric ELISA in 156 students. Mean value was 131.5 ± 140.6 IU/ml (± 2 SD). IgE of 54.5% was 100 IU/ml or less and for 90%, 300 IU/ml or less. Students with (189.5 IU/ml) showed a mean value three times that of students without (67.3 IU/ml) subjective syndrome. Allergen-specific IgE was measured for 34 students with 79.5 IU/ml or more as total serum IgE. Allergen-specific IgE was shown to be Dermatophagoides farinae (a species of mite), Japanese cedar pollen, short ragweed pollen, orchard grass pollen, sweet vernal grass pollen, house dust and cat antigens. The number of students having allergen-specific IgE to two or more allergens was 27 (87.3%). Over 40% of these had allergen-specific IgE to Dermatophagoides farinae and Japanese cedar pollen. Based on the present results, analysis of allergen-specific IgE to various allergens is shown to provide data on sensitization allergens, which showed be of use for establishing protective counter measures.

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The action of serotonin (5-HT) on the self-recurrent synaptic (autaptic) transmission in the culturedrat hippocampal neuron was studied by the whole-cell patch-clamp methods. Bath application of 5-HT (10 μM) decreased amplitude of the autapticepsc, and 8-OH-DPAT caused the similar effects. These effects were suggested to be mediated through 5-HT_<1A> receptor. Distribution pattern of the amplitudes of asynchronous epsc, which appeared just after the evoked epsc, was not affected by 5-HT, suggesting that 5-HT acted on the pre-synaptic terminal and decreased the release of the excitatory neuro-transmitter.

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We examined platelet-dependent thrombin generation in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Thrombin generation was measured according to the method of Aronson et al. (Circulation. 1992). A half ml of platelet rich plasma was prepared and 40 mM of CaCl_2 was added to start clotting. The generated thrombin was measured spectrophotometrically using a chromogenic substrate, S-2238 at 10 minutes-intervals. Patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris showed marked increase in thrombin generation compared with control subjects. The increased thrombin generation in patients with unstable angina pectoris was normalized after treatments. There was a significant corelation between severity of coronary artery stenosis and thrombin generation in patients with acute myocardial infarction. These findings indicate that a hypercoagulable state is present in patients with acute myocardial and unstable angina pectoris and that generation of thrombin may play an important role in pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome.

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Heat shock protein is induced in cells when a stress is given to a living body, and is reported to participate in the degradations of abnormal protein. Then we quantitatively measured the ubiquitin in liver, kidney, heart and lung which were obtained from 20 autopsy cases. Ubiquitin was measured by using SDS-PAGE with subsequent Western blotting and immunostain. As a result, a high ubiquitin level was measured in all organs from the burn case and in the heart from the exsanguination case. In contrast, it was significantly low in all organs from the immediate death case. These results were in line with the former studies employing immunohistochemistry of heat shock protein, implying that the ubiquitin level was able to represent the intensity of the stress quantitatively. In conclusion, it is suggested that quantitative analysis of ubiquitin can provide specific information of the mode of death.

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The authors present a rare case of primary torsion of the omentum. A 37-year-old man admitted our hospital with a chief complaint of right lower abdominal pain. The patient underwent a laparotomy under a diagnosis of acute appendicitis suspected from physical and hematological examinations. Operation findings showed that the omentum was twisting and the necrotic omentum was excised. A review of Japanese literatures revealed an additional 22 cases of primary torsion of the omentum, and none of them was correctly diagnosed preoperatively.

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Most cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) show distally dominant limb weakness or proximally as well as distally even limb weakness. But some cases are known to present with proximally dominant motor disturbances. This clinical form is designated as the pseudomyopathic form, one case of which we experienced and reported in this paper. Among totally 17 cases of GBS admitted in our department during about 8 years, 2 cases (12%) showed the pseudomyopathic form. There were no differences in clinical findings and laboratory examinations between the usual form and the pseudomyopathic form, except for the distribution of muscle weakness. Although the mechanism causing the pseudomyopathic form has not been elucidated, we proposed that predominant damage to medially placed ventral roots innervating proximal limb muscles, compared with little damage to laterally placed ventral roots innervating distal limb muscles could give rise to the pseudomyopathic form. Concerning the pathogenesis of GBS, autoimmune damage to nerve involving anti-ganglioside antibody has recently been proved. But almost selective da-mage to the motor nerve still remains unexplained. For this clarification, the analysis of possible antigenic substances in the ventral and dorsal roots of spinal nerves would be rewarding.

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A case of female child with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's curse) and long segment Hirschsprung disease was reported. Continuous mechanical ventilation was necessary for several months and she could not be weaned from the respirator during sleep. She underwent tracheostomy and Soave's endorectal pull-through operation for the Hirschsprung disease at 6 months of age. She was discharged from hospital aged 19 months with home ventilation with favourable prognosis. Thirty cases of this complex neurocristopathy are reviewed. Only five other cases have survived to return home with ventilatory support.

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