Crystal structure of S-hexyl (E)-3-(2-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazate.

The title compound, C14H20N2OS2 [systematic name: S-hexyl (E)-2-(2-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)hydrazine-1-carbodi-thio-ate], crystallizes with four independent mol-ecules (A-D) in the asymmetric unit. All four mol-ecules adopt an E conformation with respect to the C=N bond of the benzyl-idene moiety and have an intra-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bond generating an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, the A and D mol-ecules are connected by a pair N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming a dimer with an R 2 (2)(8) ring motif. In the case of mol-ecules B and C, they are linked to themselves by pairs of N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming B-B and C-C inversion dimers with R 2 (2)(8) ring motifs.

Crystal structure of 1,2-bis-((benzyl-sulfan-yl){2-[1-(2-hy-droxy-phen-yl)ethyl-idene]hydrazin-1-yl-idene}meth-yl)disulfane.

The title compound, C32H30N4O2S4, consists of two Schiff base moieties, namely two S-benzyl-ß-N-(2-hy-droxy-phenyl-ethyl-idene)di-thio-carbazate groups, which are connected through an S-S single bond. These two moieties are twisted with respect to each other, with a dihedral angle of 87.88 (4)° between the S2C=N planes. A bifurcated intra-molecular O-H⋯(N,S) hydrogen bond is observed in each moiety. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by pairs of C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into inversion dimers. The dimers are further stacked in a column along the b axis through weak C-H⋯π inter-actions.

Crystal structure of S-octyl (E)-3-(4-meth-oxy-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazate.

As already observed in similar mol-ecules, the di-thio-carbazate group in the title compound, C17H26N2OS2, adopts an EE configuration with respect to the C=N bond of the benzyl-idene moiety. In the crystal, mol-ecules are connected into inversion dimers by pairs of N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds. The dimers are linked by weak π-π inter-actions, with centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.723 (11) Å, forming chains parallel to [110].

Crystal structure of bis-{S-hexyl 3-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-benzyl-idene]di-thio-carbazato-κ(2) N (3),S}copper(II).

In the title complex, [Cu(C16H24N3S2)2], the Cu(II) atom is coordinated by two azomethine N and two thiol-ate S atoms of the chelating Schiff base ligands, resulting in a distorted square-planar coordination environment. The S-Cu-N chelating angle is of 84.41 (5)°. The Cu(II) atom is located on a crystallographic inversion centre, leading to a trans configuration of the N,S-chelating ligands.

Crystal structure of bis-[S-hexyl 3-(4-methyl-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazato-κ(2) N (3),S]nickel(II).

In the title complex, [Ni(C15H21N2S2)2], the Ni(II) atom exhibits a square-planar coordination geometry and is located on an inversion centre leading to a trans configuration of the N,S-chelating ligands. In the crystal, the complex mol-ecules stack at a distance of 4.6738 (3) Šalong the a axis, which exclude any significant inter-actions between the aromatic rings.

Crystal structure of S-hexyl (E)-3-(4-methyl-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazate.

In the title compound, C15H22N2S2, the di-thio-carbazate group adopts an E conformation with respect to the C=N bond of the benzyl-idene moiety. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by pairs of N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R (2) 2(8) ring motif. The dimers are linked via C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming chains propagating along [100].

Crystal structure of S-hexyl (E)-3-(4-methoxy-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazate.

In the title compound, C15H22N2OS2, the di-thio-carbazate group adopts an EE conformation with respect to the C=N bond of the benzyl-idene moiety. The hexyl side chain adopts an extended conformation and the C-S-C-C torsion angle is -93.36 (13)°. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of N-H⋯S hydrogen bonds generate R 2 (2)(8) loops.

Crystal structure of bis-[µ-S-hexyl 3-(2-oxido-benzyl-idene)di-thio-carbazato-κ(4) O,N (3),S:O]dicopper(II).

The title compound, [Cu2(C14H18N2OS2)2], is a binuclear copper(II) complex of an oxybenzyl-idenedi-thio-carbazate ligand. The ligand coordinates in a tridentate manner through N-, S- and O-donor atoms. Each O atom also bridges to a second Cu(II) ion to form the binuclear species. It has a central Cu2O2 rhomboid moiety and a metal-to-metal separation of 2.9923 (6) Å. In the crystal, the binuclear complexes stack along the a axis with all the hexyl chains located side-by-side, forming a hydro-phobic region. The complexes are linked via C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the c-axis direction. One Cu(II) atom has the S atom of a symmetry-related complex located approximately in the apical position at 2.9740 (11) Å. This weak inter-action links the chains to form slabs parallel to the ac plane.

Identification of a novel variant of the human NR2B gene promoter region and its possible association with schizophrenia.

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We determined the nucleotide sequence of the 5'-upstream region of the human NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) subunit gene and identified a novel T-200G variant located in one of the Sp1 binding sites. To investigate the effect of this variant on the transcriptional activity of the hNR2B gene, we performed gene reporter assays using PC12 pheochromocytoma cells transiently transfected with luciferase reporter plasmids. In the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF), luciferase activities did not significantly differ between the two alleles and the control plasmid. However, luciferase reporter activity of the T allele was significantly up-regulated compared to that of the G allele in the presence of NGF (P = 0.0013), indicating that this polymorphic site is a critical region for NR2B gene regulation through NGF-induced Sp1-binding. A case control study showed that the frequency of the G allele (P = 0.0164) was significantly higher in 100 schizophrenics than in 100 controls. These findings suggest that the T-200G variant causes dysfunction of NMDA receptors consisting of the NR2B subunit and may be involved in the development of schizophrenia. Replication studies of independent samples and family-based association studies are necessary to further evaluate the significance of our findings.

Effects of isoproterenol and butylscopolamine on the friction between an artificial stone and the intraureteral wall in anesthetized rabbits.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effects of the nonselective beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol and the nonselective muscarinic antagonist butylscopolamine on ureteral wall tension, namely friction between an artificial stone and the intraureteral wall, in anesthetized rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relaxing effect of the drugs on the KCl induced tonic contraction was examined in isolated rabbit ureters. The effect of the drugs on the applied force needed for the artificial stone to pass at a constant speed through the ureter, called sliding force, was evaluated in anesthetized rabbits. RESULTS: In a concentration dependent manner isoproterenol but not butylscopolamine reduced the KCl induced contraction in isolated ureter (mean pD2 7.35 +/- 0.06). Intravenous administration of 1 and 10 microg./kg. isoproterenol significantly decreased the friction between the artificial stone and intraureteral wall in anesthetized rabbits with sliding force at 15 minutes after drug administration decreased by 54.5% and 63.6%, respectively. In contrast, 100 and 1,000 microg./kg. butylscopolamine intravenously had no evident effect on ureteral wall tension. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that ureteral smooth muscle relaxation by beta-adrenergic stimulation reduces ureteral wall tension, thereby, diminishing mechanical effects impeding the movement of a ureteral stone down the ureter.

[A case of intratubular germ cell tumor giving rise to seminoma in a subfertile man].

A 34-year-old man visited our hospital with the complaint of right scrotal swelling. Right high orchiectomy was performed under the diagnosis of testicular tumor. Pathological examination was seminoma, pT2pN0pM0 and 3 courses of chemotherapy (cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin) were performed. The patient had undergone testicular biopsy for infertility at another hospital 6 years before this visit. Re-examination of the biopsy specimen revealed a intratubular germ cell tumor. No evidence of recurrence or metastasis was found 2 years after surgery.

[A case of tumor-forming chronic pyelonephritis that was difficult to be differentiated from renal cell carcinoma].

We experienced a rare case of tumor-forming type of chronic pyelonephritis that could hardly be differentiated from renal cell carcinoma. A 62-year-old man was admitted to our department with right renal tumor which was discovered when he underwent examination for gastric cancer. Abdominal ultrasound sonography and computed tomography revealed a mass in the middle portion of the right kidney, measuring 3.8 x 3.5 cm in diameter, with irregular surface and isoechoic and isodense inner mass. Renal angiography demonstrated a hypervascular area in the middle portion. Radical nephrectomy and subtotal gastrectomy were performed under a tentative diagnosis of right renal cell carcinoma and early gastric cancer. The excised specimen macroscopically demonstrated a yellowish mass in the middle portion and microscopically revealed many lymphocytes and few neutrophils, macrophages or foam cells. The patient was diagnosed as tumor-forming type of chronic pyelonephritis. Such obvious inflammatory findings very rarely exist in the tumor-forming type of chronic pyelonephritis. Therefore, caution should be exercised in the differential diagnosis between this disease and renal cell carcinoma.

Confirmation of a two-factor model of premorbid adjustment in males with schizophrenia.

Because schizophrenia is considered to be a neurodevelopmental disorder, premorbid adjustment is of particular interest. Premorbid adjustment is probably not a unitary construct but rather is expressed across a number of developmental domains. The current investigation examined the validity of a two-factor model that differentiated premorbid adjustment across social and academic domains and evaluated relationships between these premorbid adjustment domains and other variables of interest. Participants with schizophrenia (n = 141) underwent evaluation of premorbid adjustment (using the Premorbid Adjustment Scale), intellectual functioning, and psychiatric symptoms. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a two-factor model of premorbid adjustment was identified that included an academic domain and a social domain. The social domain was associated with symptom variables, while the academic domain was associated with measures of intelligence. Results provide evidence for at least two domains of premorbid adjustment in schizophrenia. Distinguishing between these two premorbid domains may be theoretically important because of potential differences in incidence rates and deterioration courses; some individuals with schizophrenia may exhibit adequate academic adjustment but poor social adjustment, while others may exhibit the opposite pattern.

Existence of a beta3-adrenoceptro and its functional role in the human ureter.

PURPOSE: We tried to determine the beta-adrenoceptor (AR) subtypes distributed in the human ureter and to clarify their functional role in ureteral relaxation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1) Effects of beta-AR agonists on either spontaneous or KCl-induced contractions of the human ureter and the antagonism by beta-AR antagonists on isoprenaline (a non-selective beta-AR agonist)-induced effects were evaluated in vitro. 2) Displacement by beta-AR antagonists of [3H]-dihydroalprenolol binding to a membrane preparation derived from human ureteral smooth muscle was evaluated. 3) A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to determine the expression of the mRNA for beta1-, beta2- and beta3-ARs in human ureteral smooth muscle. RESULTS: 1) Isoprenaline and procaterol (a beta2-AR agonist) concentration-dependently suppressed both spontaneous and KCl-induced contractions of the human ureter. The beta3-AR agonists, CGP-12177A and CL-316243, also suppressed these ureteral contractions, but dobutamine (a beta1-AR agonist) had little relaxing effect. The rank order of relaxing potency for the catecholamines was isoprenaline > adrenaline > noradrenaline. ICI-118,551 (a beta2-AR antagonist) only partially antagonized the isoprenaline-induced relaxation. 2) Propranolol (a non-selective beta-AR antagonist) and ICI-118,551 concentration-dependently displaced [3H]-dihydroalprenolol binding to the membrane with Ki values of 1.5 x 10-9 M and 6.3 x 10-9 M, respectively, while metoprolol (a beta1-AR antagonist) was less effective in this assay. 3) beta1-, beta2- and beta3-AR mRNAs were all expressed in human ureteral smooth muscle. CONCLUSION: The present results provide the first evidence that the beta3-AR subtype is distributed in human ureteral smooth muscle and that it, and beta2-AR, mediate the ureteral relaxation induced by adrenergic stimulation.

[A case of testicular tumor in a patient with Down's syndrome: a case report].

A 40-year-old man with Down's syndrome was admitted to our hospital for complaint of painless, swollen right scrotum. Computed tomography revealed a right testicular tumor and mass of iliac fossa. Right high orchiectomy and extirpation of mass were performed. Histological diagnosis of right testicular tumor was seminoma and the mass was an external iliac lymph node metastasis of seminoma. After operation, radiation therapy was performed.

[Vesicovaginal fistula due to a vaginal foreign body: a case report].

An 18-year-old female consulted a clinic complaining of pollakisuria and urinary incontinence. She was referred to our department for operation under the diagnosis of vesicovaginal fistula due to a vaginal foreign body confirmed by intravenous pyelography and cystoscopic examination. About 7 months earlier, she inserted a hair spray can into the vagina but could not remove its cap. The vaginal foreign body was transvaginally removed. After 2 months, transabdominal repair of the vesicovaginal fistula was performed. After operation, dysuria and urinary incontinence were not observed. Few cases of vesicovaginal fistula due to a foreign body in the vagina have been reported, and there have been only 6 reported cases in Japan including ours.

[A case of pedunculated hepatoma suspected of adrenal tumor].

A case of pedunculated hepatoma which was preoperatively diagnosed as non-functioning adrenal tumor is reported. A 48-year-old man presented to our hospital for further examination of remittent fever and leg edema. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a right suprarenal mass, its continuity of liver was uncertain. Tumor vessels were visualized on selective right adrenal arteriography and right adrenal function and serum alpha-fetoprotein were normal. Preoperative diagnosis was non-functioning right adrenal tumor. On operation, the dissection between the tumor and the inferior part of liver was easy. Pathological diagnosis was hepatocellular carcinoma with sarcomatous change. Difficulty of preoperative diagnosis of pedunculated hepatoma is discussed.

[An experience of indwelling of a urethral stent (Urolume Wallstent) for urethral stricture accompanying pelvic fracture in a young man].

The patient was a 15-year-old boy, who sustained pelvic fracture and complete disruption of the urethra in a traffic accident. The previous doctor performed two-staged treatment for complete disruption of the urethra, which ended in postoperative urethral stricture. We performed two sessions of endoscopic operations and a pull-through procedure, but the procedures were not effective. Five years later, a urethral stent was indwelt. Urolume Wallstent of AMS, Co, Ltd. was used as the urethral stent. At 4 months, the stent started to be enveloped in the urethral epithelia and no complications have been found in particular. However, detention of a permanent-type stent in a young man such as ours remains a controversial issue and long-term follow-up is needed.

No linkage of the cytochrome P-450IIE1 (CYP2E1) C1/C2 polymorphism to schizophrenia.

We investigated, using PCR-SSCP analysis, the relationship between schizophrenia and the polymorphism of d-benzphetamine N-demethylase (cytochrome P-450j or CYP2E1), which metabolizes psychotropic substances such as d-benzphetamine and alcohols. Among 41 patients with schizophrenia, no statistically significant change in the frequency of the mutant (C2) allele relative to in controls was found, and no novel structural mutation in the CYP2E1 gene, which would be expected to alter the CYP2E1 protein, was found. This could be explained by no linkage of the CYP2E1 gene (mutations in the exon 1-9, and C1/C2 polymorphism) to schizophrenia.