Sixty-seven subjects, admitted to the Trauma and Critical Care Center (TCC) of Kyorin University Hospital because of suicide attempts using cutlery in the period from April 1, 1987 to March 31, 1994, were interviewed by consultating psychiatrists to investigate their mental conditions. The results were summarized as follows ; in the schizophrenia group, one half of the subjects have been previously treated in psychiatric hospitals. The mentally abnormal experience was observed in almost all of the patients attempted suicide in this group. In the depression group, 83.0% of the patients were not under medical treatment. In addition, 54.5% of the patients over 50 years of age had suicidal ideas after their attempts. In the non-psychotic reaction group, all the patients had obvious motivations to attempt suicide and 73.0% of them were male. Fifty percent of the male patients was in their forties and fifties of age. On the other hand, none of the patients have attempted repeated suicide. In conclusion, psychotic disorder was in high rate among the patients who had committed suicide and admitted to the TCC. Mental together with physical treatment and diagnosis should be properly taken for those traumatic patients.

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It has been shown that inferoposterior myocardial infarctions (MI) are associated with larger infarct size and a higher mortality rate than inferior MI. However, no studies have examined the differences in the clinical characteristics between these two groups. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics, infarct-related vessel, and prognosis between these two groups and to determine the clinical usefulness of these differences. The study included 108 patients with a first inferior (n=87) or inferoposterior (n=21) MI who underwent coronary angiography and who had single-vessel disease. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to clinical characteristics and in-hospital mortality rate. On the other hand, in 87% of patients with an inferior MI and in 61% of patients with an inferoposterior MI, the right coronary artery (RCA) was the infarct-related vessel, and in 13% of patients with an inferior MI and in 39% of patients with an inferoposterior MI, the left circumflex artery (LCX) was the infarct-related vessel. Overall, the incidence of complications (cardiogenic shock, right ventricular MI, or atrio-ventricular block) was significantly higher when the RCA was the infarct-related vessel than when the LCX was. Distinguishing between inferior MI and inferoposterior MI was not clinically useful. However, identifying the infarct-related vessel may help to increase preparedness for the development of complications of MI.

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Sandwich ELISA technique for the determination of Lp(a) by using monoclonal antibody (LP15) was developed, in order to find out the clinical utility of Lp(a) testing. Comparative study between this novel assay method and the conventional kit for Lp(a) assay was performed concerning the ratio of novel testing values to conventional kit values (RP-RATIO) and confirmed that this novel assay method reacted significantly to the short-sized apolipoprotein (a) of Lp(a). The clinical usefulness of this novel assay method was examined in relation to the variety of laboratory tests of lipid parameters. It was suggested that, especially as to the patients with ischemic heart diseases, this assay method showed the predominant reactivity to the short-sized apolipoprotein (a) of Lp(a). Furthermore, in comparative study with lecitin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) level, median level of Lp(a) in patients with ischemic heart diseases showed a tendency toward high level in comparison with that of normal healthy subjects, whereas, LCAT level was found to be elevated in case of low level (≦40mg/dl) of Lp(a). On the contrary, in case of high level (>40mg/dl) of Lp(a), LCAT level remained at a normal level. These results suggest that Lp(a) would possibly relate to the HDL metabolism through LCAT including the results of sub-fraction of HDL and other lipid parameters.

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In order to clarify the deviation in the regulation of the cell proliferation mechanism in the neoplasm, the expression level of K-ras, p53, p21 and cdk5 genes in the tumor tissue in mice was measured by an RT-PCR method using QPCR apparatus, which detects the electrochemical luminescence emitted from the fluorescent dye attached to the PCR products of these genes. BALB/c mice transplanted with methyl-cholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma cell line was injected with bleomycin and changes in the expression level of those genes were studied time-dependently. Results indicate that the tumor tissue of these mice showed 2-3 times increased expression levels in K-ras, p53 and p21 gene compared with those found in liver of untreated mice. Cdk5 did not show such an elevated expression level. Bleomycin administration increased the level of all those gene expression in the normal mouse liver within 24hours after the injection. In the tumor tissue, however, the level did not increase but rather decreased in the expression of these genes in the same time interval. These results suggests that the cell-cycle regulation mechanism, including p53-p21 cycline-dependent kinase inhibitor system, does not work properly in the methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma in mice.

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We have examined the effects of peripheral administration of 6R-BH_4, a cofactor for tryptophan hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase, on serotonin and dopamine outputs from the rat striatum using in vivo brain microdialysis. The serotonin levels in striatal dialysate significantly increased in concentration at 30 minutes after single 6R-BH_4 peripheral administration. With rats treated the drug for 7 days, serotonin outputs showed a tendency to increase at first time of the determination period, and similar pattern was recognized in its levels at the same time of the single one. But the effects on dopamine levels were little found with the single or repeated injection. These results suggest that the repeated administration of 6R-BH_4 may enhance the synthesize or release of serotonin and constant increase in output. It is furthermore considered that the different action or susceptibility of 6R-BH_4 induced varied effects on serotonin or dopamine concentration.

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