A hybrid zone dominated by fertile F1s of two alpine shrub species, Phyllodoce caerulea and Phyllodoce aleutica, along a snowmelt gradient.

In alpine ecosystems, the steep environmental gradients produced by the difference in snowmelt timing create a dynamic selective regime for alpine plants. As these gradients directly alter flowering phenology, they can affect pollen-mediated gene flow among populations of single and related species. In northern Japan, we found a hybrid zone dominated by fertile F(1)s of two alpine shrub species, Phyllodoce caerulea and P. aleutica, along a snowmelt gradient. Seed germination confirmed the fertility of F(1) hybrid, making the rarity and absence of backcross and F(2) plants puzzling. The long-term clonal perpetuation of F(1) hybrids (at least a few thousand years ago) contributes the maintenance of this unique hybrid zone. The distribution patterns of chloroplast DNA haplotypes suggest that F(1) formation might be caused by directional pollen flow between parental species along the snowmelt gradient. Based on these results, we discuss the ecological and evolutionary significance of this unique hybrid zone.

Features of IgA nephropathy in preschool children.

AIM: The aim of this study is to clarify the age-related characteristics of pediatric IgA nephropathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five cases in preschool children less than 6 years old were analyzed and compared to 38 cases in older children from 6 to 15 years old. RESULTS: The group of younger children had higher incidences of gross hematuria, hypertension, proteinuria, and hypoproteinemia. Renal biopsy specimens in this group showed more intracapillary lesions including mesangial cell proliferation and endocapillary proliferation ofglomeruli, but less segmental lesions, global sclerosis, and interstitial changes. CONCLUSION: IgA nephritis in preschool children demonstrated more symptoms of acute onset and less chronic renal injury.

[A case of hypocomplementemic mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis progressing to focal membranoproliferation without aggravation of urinalysis].

We reported a 14-year-old boy with hypocomplementemic mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis progressing to focal membranoproliferation without aggravation of urinalysis. He was pointed out as having asymptomatic hematuria by a school urinalysis screening, and revealed mild hematuria and proteinuria (not nephrotic). The laboratory data showed severe hypocomplementemia and high titers of antistreptolysin O (ASO) and antistreptokinase (ASK). A renal biopsy specimen obtained 2 months after the onset showed diffuse mesangial proliferation, and did not display any characteristic changes in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis by either light or electron microscopy. After eight months of observation, a second renal biopsy was performed in order to examine morphological changes, because severe hypocomplementemia, mild hematuria and proteinuria had persisted. The second biopsy specimen showed C3 deposition with a mesangiocapillary pattern detected by immunofluorescence microscopy and diffuse mesangial proliferation by light microscopy. In some glomeruli, electron microscopy showed focal mesangial interposition, which was considered to be a histological feature of focal membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and subsequent glucocorticoid administration (60 mg of prednisolone every other day) was performed. The serum complement level was elevated just after the methylprednisolone pulse therapy, but fell to the previous value within 2 months. The hypocomplementemia, even if proteinuria and hematuria were mild, indicated the existence of glomerular change in this case.

[The clinical study of cefpodoxime proxetil dry syrup preparation in the pediatric field].

The clinical efficacy was examined for the newly developed oral cephem antibiotic, cefpodoxime proxetil (CPDX-PR) dry syrup, in the treatment of various acute infections in the field of pediatrics. CPDX-PR dry syrup was administered at 10 mg/kg/day in 3-divided doses to 535 children at 21 institutions, including Tottori University Hospital and its related hospitals. The efficacy rate of this drug was determined to be 80.8%. Among isolates, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp. were highly susceptible to the drug, whereas Haemophilus influenzae showed relatively poor susceptibility. Side effects were observed in 2.80% of all of the patients, and abnormal laboratory findings were detected in 1.87%. The low incident of side effects demonstrated its high safety, and this drug was considered to be very useful for such pediatric infections as acute tonsillitis, acute pharyngitis and acute bronchitis.

Organ distribution and antitumor activity of free and liposomal doxorubicin injected into the hepatic artery.

The plasma levels, organ distribution, and in vivo antitumor activity of free and liposomal doxorubicin injected into the hepatic artery of rats bearing W256 liver tumors were studied. The administration of liposomal doxorubicin resulted in liver-tumor and liver-parenchyma doxorubicin areas under the curve (AUCs) that were 4.7- and 3.8-fold, respectively, those obtained after the administration of free doxorubicin. Spleen and plasma AUCs were also increased by 2.8 and 2.5 times, respectively, following administration of the liposomal form. In contrast, liposomal doxorubicin did not affect heart AUCs; peak doxorubicin levels in heart tissue were three times lower in animals treated with liposomal doxorubicin. Following treatment with the liposomal form, the cumulative urinary excretion of doxorubicin at 8 h was 38 times lower. In good correlation with these findings, liposomal doxorubicin (2.35 mg/kg on day 7) was more effective than free doxorubicin against liver W256 tumors as measured by tumor-growth inhibition at 5 days after treatment (16% for liposomal doxorubicin versus -53.7% for free doxorubicin, P < 0.05) and increased life span (ILS; 108% for liposomal doxorubicin versus 27% for free doxorubicin, P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that as compared with free doxorubicin, the administration of liposomal doxorubicin into the hepatic artery results in higher drug levels in the liver tumor and enhanced antitumor activity while maintaining the cardioprotective effect of the liposome carrier as suggested by the decreased peak drug levels measured in the heart tissue.

Suppressive effect of superoxide dismutase on adriamycin nephropathy.

A single intravenous injection of adriamycin (ADR) results in marked proteinuria and glomerular morphological changes that are similar to minimal-change disease in humans. We examined the effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) on ADR-induced proteinuria. ADR in a dose of 7.5 mg/kg body weight significantly increased urinary protein by day 14; proteinuria rapidly increased thereafter. Concurrent administration of SOD (50 mg/kg) over 30 min prior to and 30 min following ADR injection markedly reduced proteinuria. Twenty-one days after the treatment with SOD, the amount of urinary protein was 108.6 +/- 43.1 mg/24 h in the experimental animals, while it was 221.6 +/- 102.9 mg/24 h in the ADR control group (p less than 0.05). There were also less severe glomerular morphologic changes in the SOD group versus ADR controls. The protective effects of SOD provide indirect evidence that oxygen free radicals are important mediators of ADR-induced proteinuria.

The clinical pharmacokinetics of two different preparations of intrarectal ketoprofen following spinal or local anesthesia for anal surgery.

Two different preparations of commercially available suppositories containing Ketoprofen (KP) were administered to 49 patients immediately following anal surgery. The KP was prepared as either fatty suppositories (FS) or gelatin capsulated suppositories (GCS) and surgery was performed under either spinal (n = 37) or local anesthesia (n = 12). Similar results were observed in the kinetics of KP after both FS and GCS administration. The extent of bioavailability of the two dosage forms in the patient groups and control subjects (n = 10) were essentially equal. When the pharmacokinetic parameters of KP were compared between patient groups under spinal and local anesthesia, significant differences were found in the values of the peak level (C max), peak time (T max), and terminal phase half-life (t 1/2). The C max decreased by one-half, while the T max and t 1/2 increased twice and four times, respectively, in patient operated on under spinal anesthesia compared to those operated on under local anesthesia. The absorption rate constant (Ka) following spinal anesthesia was significantly less than that following local anesthesia or that of the healthy subjects (p less than 0.01). A "flip-flop" phenomena could be seen in the time profiles of plasma KP concentration following spinal anesthesia.

[A study of taste-sensitivity in pre-school children with special reference to its time-course according to their growth].

Sensitivity to drops of sweet, salty, sour and bitter tasting test liquids was evaluated in 47 kindergarteners (20 males, 27 females). The results revealed that ability for taste discrimination in pre-school children was related to growth and development processes, and was strongly affected by environmented factors mainly dietary lifestyle. Pre-school children showed no sex difference in sensitivity to these 4 kinds of tastes, but displayed gradually increasing sensitivity to sweet and salty tastes from age 3, 4 to 5 on, and gradually decreasing sensitivity to sour taste, while no age-related change was found with regard to bitter taste. Examination of its relationship to dietary habits revealed that taste discrimination became gradually sensitive and to a greater extent at age 3 to 5 for the group that was more careful with weaning and current diets and the group with some family member(s) practicing therapeutic diet treatment, compared with other groups.

[A giant struma histologically confirmed as a medullary carcinoma with multiple systemic bone metastasis].

Reported is the case of a 46 year old woman with no significant family medical history, who presented a neck tumor that she had had for about ten years. This large tumor was noted on her admittance to hospital due to a bone fracture. She subsequently underwent a resection of this giant neck tumor. A histologic examination of the specimen revealed a medullary carcinoma of the follicular variety. Silver impregnation by the Grimelius method caused a positive reaction, and an electron-microscopic examination revealed round, electron-dense, endocrine granules about 195 nm in diameter, Immunohistochemically, the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and the presence of calcitonin proved the cells to be cancerous.

[Prophylactic therapy for liver metastasis of gastrointestinal carcinomas using biological response modifiers (BRM): fundamental studies on the inhibition of experimental liver metastasis by intraportal administration of OK-432].

For prophylactic therapy to inhibit hepatic metastatic recurrence after surgical treatment of gastro-intestinal carcinomas, the effects of OK-432, a biological response modifier (BRM), were examined with inoculation of tumor cells and administration of OK-432 via portal vein. Experiments with the inhibition of liver metastasis were performed as follows. The animals were divided into five groups. Group 1: 1.0 KE of OK-432 was given intraportally 5 minutes after injection of 5.0 X 10(6) tumor cells per rat via the portal vein. Group 2: Non-medicated group, only 5.0 X 10(6) tumor cells per rat were injected into portal vein, as the control for group 1. Group 3: 0.5 KE of OK-432 and 2.5 X 10(6) tumor cells per rat were used. Group 4: 1.0 KE of OK-432 and 2.5 X 10(6) tumor cells were used. Group 5: Non-medicated group, injected with 2.5 X 10(6) tumor cells as the control group for groups 3 and 4. Colonies of metastases in the liver of each group were examined by autopsy on the 30th day after treatment. Metastases were observed in 75% of group 1, 100% of group 2, 58.8% of group 3, 64.3% of group 4 and in 90% of group 5. For the investigation of the mechanisms to inhibit these liver metastases, 51Cr labeled AH60C tumor cells were injected into the portal vein, and the remained of radioactivity in rat liver was examined. The result showed that OK-432 injected into the portal vein did not directly kill the lodging tumor cells. To prove the morphological evidence of inhibition of hepatic metastasis, the changes of tumor cells were microscopically observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Enhancement of local anaesthesia action by organic acid salts. (I): Possible change of excitability in nerve fibre membrane.

Measurements of action potentials recorded from giant nerve fibres of the crayfish abdomen showed that by addition of an organic acid salt to a local anaesthetic solution, the onset of anaesthetic action became more rapid and the duration of action was prolonged. Similar results were also obtained in rat vagal nerves. The chemical structure of compounds having these enhancing effects was found to have, in common, a carboxyl group connected with either a benzene ring or an aliphatic hydrocarbon. Topical application of anaesthetic solutions to the skin of flexor side of the forearm in humans revealed that the duration of anaesthesia evaluated by the apparent decrease of the number of pain points was significantly prolonged by the addition of salicylate. The use of local anaesthetics combined with organic acid salts would be promising in clinical practice to enhance their action greatly.

Effects of nickel ion on the conduction of action potentials in non-myelinated nerve fibre of crayfish.

Effects of NiCL2 and PCMB (p-chloromercuribenzoate) on the action potential were examined by the method of extra- and intracellular electrodes, using a single nerve fibre of crayfish. The results obtained were as follows : The conduction of the action potential was blocked by treating the nerve fibre with Ni ion or PCMB. The blockade was easily recovered by replacement with cysteine. The process of the blockade and recovery, which could be repeated several times, was fairly characteristic such that the more repetition led the sooner blockade and the harder recovery. No conduction block was observed by treatment with Ni-cysteine mixed solution nor with PCMB-cysteine solution. The critical concentration for blocking was 1.1 x 10(-4)M for NiCL2 and 5.6 x 10(-6) M for PCMB. The action potential was disappeared without any change in the resting potential by treatment with the chemicals, which gave significant effects on the rising and falling phases of the action potential before the blockade.