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AimsChronic conditions of the wrist may be difficult to manage because pain and psychiatric conditions are correlated with abnormal function of the hand. Additionally, intra-articular inflammatory cytokines may cause pain.We aimed to validate the measurement of inflammatory cytokines in these conditions and identify features associated with symptoms.Patients and MethodsThe study included 38 patients (18 men, 20 women, mean age 43 years) with a chronic condition of the wrist who underwent arthroscopy. Before surgery, the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Hand20 questionnaire and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain were used. Cytokine and chemokine levels in the synovial fluid of the wrist were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and correlations between the levels with pain were analysed. Gene expression profiles of the synovial membranes were assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.ResultsOlder patients had high pre-operative Hand20 scores. One-year post-operative Hand20 and VAS scores and pre-operative VAS scores correlated with SDS scores. Post-operative VAS scores negatively correlated with the expression of nerve growth factor and SDS scores positively correlated with the expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and negatively correlated with the expression of tumour necrosis factor-converting enzyme.ConclusionThere was a positive correlation between depression and chronic conditions of the wrist. Levels of some cytokines correlate with pain and depression. Additionally, cytokines may be important in the assessment and treatment of chronic conditions of the wrist and depression.Cite this article: Bone Joint J2016;98-B:961–8.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment results following arthroscopic triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) debridement for recalcitrant ulnar wrist pain. According to the treatment algorithm, 66 patients (36 men and 30 women with a mean age of 38.1 years (15 to 67)) with recalcitrant ulnar wrist pain were allocated to undergo ulnar shortening osteotomy (USO; n = 24), arthroscopic TFCC repair (n = 15), arthroscopic TFCC debridement (n = 14) or prolonged conservative treatment (n = 13). The mean follow-up was 36.0 months (15 to 54). Significant differences in Hand20 score at 18 months were evident between the USO group and TFCC debridement group (p = 0.003), and between the TFCC repair group and TFCC debridement group (p = 0.029). Within-group comparisons showed that Hand20 score at five months or later and pain score at two months or later were significantly decreased in the USO/TFCC repair groups. In contrast, scores in the TFCC debridement/conservative groups did not decrease significantly. Grip strength at 18 months was significantly improved in the USO/TFCC repair groups, but not in the TFCC debridement/conservative groups. TFCC debridement shows little benefit on the clinical course of recalcitrant ulnar wrist pain even after excluding patients with ulnocarpal abutment or TFCC detachment from the fovea from the indications for arthroscopic TFCC debridement.Cite this article: Bone Joint J2013;95-B:1687–96.

This paper presents a new drive control system for electric car with GPS system to measure the speed of the car-body. This drive control system uses a non-linear controller designed by following the Lyapunov stability theorem. The controller is designed in order to control the wheel slip when the car starts to accelerate on the slippery road condition. The effectiveness of this control system is verified by experiments.

The mechanisms that regulate programmed cell death, such as apoptosis, and the cellular “selfeating” phenomenon of autophagy, share many regulatory systems and common pathways. These mechanisms have been extensively investigated over the last few years. Some intracellular structures may determine and control the autophagic fate of the cell such as the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and lysosomes. The coordination and interrelation of these organelles are crucial in maintaining calcium levels and general cellular homeostasis, as well as in regulating cell life and death under physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and aging. In this review, we discuss the crosstalk between the aforementioned organelles and their influence in apoptotic and autophagic processes.

Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter in neurons and glial cells and it is one of the keys to the neuron-glial interaction in the brain. Glutamate transmission is strongly dependent on calcium homeostasis and on mitochondrial function. In the present work we presented several aspects related to the role of mitochondria in glutamate signaling and in brain diseases. We focused on glutamateinduced calcium signaling and its relation to the organelle dysfunction with cell death processes. In addition, we have discussed how alterations in this pathway may lead or aggravate a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. We compiled information on how mitochondria can influence cell fate during glutamate stimulation and calcium signaling. These organelles play a pivotal role in neuron and glial exchange, in synaptic plasticity and several pathological conditions related to Aging, Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Huntingtons diseases. We have also presented autophagy as a mechanism activated during mitochondrial dysfunction which may function as a protective mechanism during injury. Furthermore, some new perspectives and approaches to treat these neurodegenerative diseases are offered and evaluated.

We have developed an illustrated questionnaire, the Hand20, comprising 20 short and easy-to-understand questions to assess disorders of the upper limb. We have examined the usefulness of this questionnaire by comparing reliability, validity, responsiveness and the level of missing data with those of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire.A series of 431 patients with disorders of the upper limb completed the Hand20 and the Japanese version of the DASH (DASH-JSSH) questionnaire. The norms for Hand20 scores were determined in another cross-sectional study.Most patients had no difficulty in completing the Hand20 questionnaire, whereas the DASH-JSSH had a significantly higher rate of missing data. The standard score for the Hand20 was smaller than the reported norms for the DASH.Our study showed that the Hand20 questionnaire provided validation comparable with that of the DASH-JSSH. Explanatory illustrations and short questions which were easy-to-understand led to better rates of response and fewer missing data, even in elderly individuals with cognitive deterioration.

We report a 72-year-old woman with a type-1 intra-osseous ganglion in the proximal humerus, extending to the bone surface. We conducted a systemic review of intra-osseous ganglion cases in Japan to identify clinical features and pathogenesis of this condition. The anatomical distribution between intra-osseous ganglia without a communicating soft tissue ganglion (type 1) and those with (type 2) is different. The origins of intra-osseous ganglia vary and depend on their anatomical location. They can arise from within the bone or in the adjacent soft tissue, and can progress to a type-2 lesion in either an outside-in or inside-out fashion.

Murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Neospora caninum tachyzoites were produced to identify the cross-reactive antigens between N. caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. Ten mAbs recognizing cross-reactive antigens of both parasites were obtained and tentatively classified into 6 different groups based on their reactivity patterns in an indirect fluorescent antibody test and Western blot analysis. Three mAbs in group 1 recognized antigens located on the surface of parasites with molecular masses ranging from 28 to 76 kDa; one mAb in group 2 recognized antigens located on interior organelles of parasites with a molecular mass of 50 kDa; one mAb in group 3 recognized antigens located on interior organelles of parasites with molecular masses of 35 kDa and 14 kDa; three mAbs in group 4 recognized antigens located on interior organelles with a molecular mass of 64 kDa; one mAb in group 5 recognized antigens located on the surface of parasites with an unknown molecular mass; one mAb in group 6 recognized antigens located on the apical end of parasites with an unknown molecular mass. The mAbs in groups 1, 2, 3, and 5 showed inhibitory effects on the growth of the two parasites in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. A cDNA expression library prepared from N. caninum tachyzoite mRNA was immunoscreened with the mAb panel. Three kinds of proteins, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70), and ribosomal protein 1 (RP1), were identified as cross-reactive antigens recognized by mAbs in groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Some of the proteins could be useful in developing vaccines or drugs for controlling the diseases caused by the two parasites.

High-Cr heat-resistant ferritic steel used at elevated temperatures in the main steam lines of thermal power-generating plants generally sustains a creep rupture strength loss of 20% or more in an effect known as HAZ softening.1

High-Cr heat-resistant ferritic steel used at elevated temperatures in the main steam lines of thermal power-generating plants is generally recognised to sustain greater loss of creep rupture strength in the HAZ of welded joints than the base metal in an effect known as HAZ softening.1 This phenomenon is characterised by rupture in the fine-grained HAZ outside the coarse-grained region (type IV rupture), as shown in Fig. 1.

The influence of castration (30-90 days) on the effects of ATP, noradrenaline (Nor), and carbachol (CCh) were examined in prostatic and epididymal portions of the rat vas deferens. All agonist-induced contractions were greatly increased in the prostatic and suppressed in the epididymal portion of the vas deferensfrom castrated rats, as compared with those in preparations from normal animals. Responses to Nor showed a typical cumulative dose–effect curve, with an additional twitch at the minimal dose. Responses to CCh were paradoxically changed; the maximum of twitch responses was observed at threshold concentrations (10-7to 3 · 10-7M), and decreased at higher concentrations. In the threshold concentration (10-7M), ATP induced almost maximal responses in a non-cumulative manner. All agonist-induced responses were blocked by isradipine (10-7M) and increased by pretreatment with reserpine. In normal animals, injection of testosterone insignificantly decreased responses to all agonists. The ratio of the amplitude of high-potassium (80 mM)-induced contractions (mm) to the tissue wet mass (per mg) in preparations from castrated animals also showed oppositely directed modulation of the responses, as compared with that in normal animals. It is suggested that the lack of hormone modifies a negative feedback mechanism of elevation of the intracellular Ca2+concentration, which exists in normal rats mostly in the prostatic portion and is the reason for regional variation along the vas deferens, to a positive feedback link amplified in castrates.

Neurons responsive to stimulation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region were recorded from superficial laminae at the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical cord (Vc/C2) junction region of cycling female rats under barbiturate anesthesia. To determine if receptive field (RF) properties or sensitivity to algesic chemicals of TMJ units vary over the estrous cycle, animals were selected from proestrous (high estrogen) or early diestrous (low estrogen) stages. More than 90% of TMJ units from each group received convergent nociceptive input [wide dynamic range (WDR) or nociceptive specific (NS)-like] from facial skin. The cutaneous high-threshold RF areas of WDR units from proestrous rats were 30% larger than diestrous units, while RF areas of NS units were similar. Bradykinin (BK, 0.1–10 μM) injection into the TMJ region excited a high percentage of units (>80% of total) from both groups in a dose-related manner. However, BK-evoked response magnitude (Rmag, +140%) and duration (+64%) were greater for proestrous than diestrous units. Both WDR and NS-like TMJ units of proestrous females displayed enhanced BK-evokedRmagvalues and response duration. Glutamate or mustard oil excitation of TMJ units was not affected by stage of the estrous cycle. Several TMJ units from proestrous and diestrous females were activated antidromically from the contralateral posterior thalamus, indicating that projection and nonprojection units were included in the sample population. These results were consistent with the hypothesis that factors related to stage of the estrous cycle modify the processing of deep craniofacial inputs by superficial dorsal horn neurons at the spinomedullary junction, a key region for the initial integration of sensory signals from the TMJ.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) represent a family of recurrent conditions that often cause pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region and muscles of mastication. To determine if TMJ-responsive neurons encoded the intensity of pro-inflammatory chemical signals, dose-effect relationships were assessed after direct injection bradykinin into the joint space and compared with responses after injection of glutamate or saline. Neurons were recorded from superficial laminae of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis/upper cervical cord junction region (Vc/C2) and identified by palpation of the TMJ region in barbiturate-anesthetized male rats. The majority (62 of 84) of units received convergent input from facial skin, while 26% were driven only by deep input from the TMJ region. Conduction-velocity based on the latency to firing after electrical stimulation of the TMJ region indicated 64% of units were driven by A-delta fiber input only. Bradykinin (0.1–10 μM) excited 69% of neurons tested, and 70% (19 of 27) of these units were activated by the lowest dose (0.1 μM). Glutamate (50–200 mM) excited 27% of units; however, when tested after bradykinin, 58% of units were activated by glutamate. Some TMJ units (17%) were excited by saline injection alone and not enhanced further by bradykinin or glutamate. Most (88%) TMJ units were activated by injection of the small fiber excitant, mustard oil (20% solution), into the TMJ region. Units responsive to bradykinin or glutamate were not restricted to particular classes [e.g., wide dynamic range (WDR), nociceptive specific (NS), deep only]. A small percentage of TMJ units (∼15%) were activated antidromically from the contralateral posterior thalamus. In parallel studies using c-fosimmunocytochemistry, bradykinin (1 μM) injection into the TMJ region produced a greater number of Fos-positive neurons at the Vc/C2region than glutamate (200 mM) or saline. These results revealed two broad classes of TMJ units that encoded the intensity of pro-inflammatory chemical stimuli applied to the TMJ region, units that received convergent nociceptive input from facial skin (i.e., WDR and NS units) and units that responded only to deep input from the TMJ region. On the basis of encoding properties and efferent projection status, it is concluded that activation of TMJ units within the superficial laminae at the Vc/C2region contribute to the diffuse and spreading nature of TMD pain sensation.

It is difficult for conventional hemodialysis to remove albumin-binding uremic toxins (ABUTs) even though they are low molecular weight substances. We investigated the efficiency of albumin-dialysate (AD) for removal of ABUT. Phenols and indoxyl sulfate were selected as ABUT. In vitro dialysis was performed for 2 h in the closed circuit with ABUT containing plasma as a test solution using conventional dialysate (CD) or AD. By the use of CD, the ABUT concentration in the test solution only was reduced by 20 to 30%. On the other hand, AD caused a marked reduction and an increase in test solution and dialysate concentration of ABUT, respectively. ABUT in AD could be adsorbed effectively by activated-charcoal column; accordingly, the ABUT concentration in the test solution continued to decrease throughout the study period. These results suggest that AD could remove ABUT more efficiently than CD, and AD may be useful for reducing accumulated ABUT levels.

We have previously observed, using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion system, that PLC-delta1 is localized mainly at the plasma membrane and in the cytosol, whereas little is present in the nucleus in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (Fujii, M., Ohtsubo, M., Ogawa, T., Kamata, H., Hirata, H., and Yagisawa, H. (1999) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 254, 284-291). Herein, we demonstrate that PLC-delta1 has a functional nuclear export signal (NES) sequence in amino acid residues 164-177 of the EF-hand domain. The fluorescence of NES-disrupted GFP/PLC-delta1 expressed in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells was present not only at the plasma membrane and in the cytosol but also in the nucleus. Moreover, treatment with leptomycin B, a specific inhibitor of NES-dependent nuclear export, resulted in the accumulation of GFP/PLC-delta1 in the nucleus. A site-directed mutant containing a pleckstrin homology domain, which does not bind inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cannot hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in vitro, accumulated in the nucleus to a much greater extent than wild-type GFP/PLC-delta1 after treatment with leptomycin B. These results suggest that PLC-delta1 is shuttled between the cytoplasm and the nucleus; its nuclear export is dependent on the leucine-rich NES sequence and its active nuclear import is regulated by an unidentified signal(s).

Abstract: The microstructure of the micelles formed in aqueous solution by gemini surfactants with aromatic spacers, [Br(CH3)2N+(C m H2 m +1)-(Ph)-(C m H2 m +1)N+(CH3)2Br, m=8 and Ph = o-, m- or p-phenylenedimethylene] has been examined by small-angle neutron scattering. Aggregation of the gemini surfactants with an o-phenylenedimethylene spacer brings about formation of premicelles and small micelles at concentrations below the second critical micelle concentration, while above this concentration marked micellar growth and variation in shape occurs. It is suggested that the minimum aggregate formed at this critical micelle concentration may be the trimer or tetramer and that this result supports the mechanism of “gemini → submicelle → assembly” for micellar growth.

HSP47 is a collagen-binding heat shock protein and is assumed to act as a molecular chaperone in the biosynthesis and secretion of procollagen. As the synthesis of HSP47 is closely correlated with that of collagen in various cell lines and tissues, we performed a promoter/reporter assay using HSP47-producing and nonproducing cells. 280 base pairs (bp(s)) of upstream promoter were shown to be necessary for the basal expression but not to be enough for the cell type-specific expression. When the first and the second introns were introduced downstream of this 280-bp region, marked up-regulation of the reporter activity was observed in HSP47-producing cells but not in nonproducing cells. This was confirmed in transgenic mice by staining the lacZ gene product under the control of the 280-bp upstream promoter and the introns. Staining was observed in skin, chondrocytes, precursor of bone, and other HSP47/collagen-producing tissues. A putative Sp1-binding site at -210 bp in the promoter, to which Sp3 and an unidentified protein bind, was shown to be responsible for this up-regulation when combined with the introns. However no difference in the binding to this probe was observed between HSP47-producing and nonproducing cells. The responsible region for cell type-specific up-regulation was found to be located in a 500-bp segment in the first intron. On electrophoresis mobility shift assay using this 500-bp probe, specific DNA-protein complexes were only observed in HSP47-producing cell extracts. These results suggest that two separate elements are necessary for the cell type-specific expression of the hsp47 gene; one is a putative Sp1-binding site at -210 bp necessary for basal expression, and the other is a 500-bp region within the first intron, required for cell type-specific expression.

Abstract: The microstructure of the normal micelles formed by dimeric surfactants with long spacers, [Br−(CH3)2N+(C m H2 m +1)-(CH2) S  -(C m H2 m +1)N+(CH3)2Br−, m = 10 and s = 8, 10 and 12], has been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering and compared with previously reported results for micelles of the same dimeric surfactants with shorter spacers (m = 10 and s = 2, 3, 4 and 6). It was found that for dimeric surfactants with long spacers (s = 8 and 10), both micellar growth and variation in shape occur to only a small extent, if at all, compared with dimeric surfactants with short spacers. However, for the dimeric surfactant with the longest spacer, s = 12, the extent of micellar growth and shape variation is also large. These results are due to the differences in conformation of dimeric surfactants with short spacers (s = 2–6) compared with that of the surfactants with long spacers (s = 8–12).

Summary.: A 12-year-old boy with osteosarcoma in the proximal tibia underwent a successful limb-saving operation with preservation of the epiphyseal and articular cartilage of the proximal tibia as a result of his remarkable response to chemotherapy. There was no evidence of tumour invasion to the adjacent physis, as demonstrated by image findings. The bone defect was reconstructed using autoclaved autogeneous bone with a vascularized fibula. The patient exhibits excellent function of the affected limb, and the knee joint remains disease-free 55 months postoperatively.

A new case of heterozygous dysfibrinogenemia characterized by the replacement of NH2-terminal amino acid of fibrin beta-chain was found in a 50-year-old man. Despite a prolonged thrombin time, the propositus' fibrinogen had a normal reptilase time with the normal release of fibrinopeptide A. Release of fibrinopeptide B by thrombin was strongly affected, but a very high concentration of thrombin almost completely released fibrinopeptide B with a normal elution pattern on reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Lysylendopeptidase-cleavage of purified B beta-chains analyzed on HPLC showed the decrease of one peptide compared with the normal and the appearance of an abnormal peptide peak. These peptides were treated with thrombin and further separated on HPLC. Amino acid sequence analysis of the abnormal peptide demonstrated that B beta glycine-15, NH2-terminus of the fibrin beta-chain, was replaced by cysteine. These findings will be of particular importance because they strongly support the hypothesis that the NH2-terminal portion of the fibrin beta-chain is involved in the polymerization reaction by thrombin. The propositus' daughter and two sisters had the same abnormal fibrinogen. This unique inherited abnormal fibrinogen was designated as fibrinogen Ise. During these studies, we found that a very high concentration of thrombin cleaves not only the A alpha Arg19-Val20 bond but also the COOH- terminal region of alpha-chains, which results in the generation of further degraded alpha-chains with apparent molecular weights of 44,000 or less.

It was established that many crystalline molecular complexes composed of cationic surfactants such as CTAB and several phenolic derivatives were obtained from an appropriate concentrated solution system in which a remarkable viscoelasticity was developed. It is revealed that the molecular complexes have an unambiguous composition of 1:1 molar ratio of surfactants to phenolic additives. The molecular complexes also showed characteristic endothermicity of a degree that suggests the specimens to be single and a pure species. However, through repeated runs the thermal stability of the complexes seemed to be rather poor, as exhibited by a profile change in thermograms of DSC.

The structure of strongly interacting, charged dispersions is examined using the Ornstein-Zernike integral-equation formalism with thermodynamic consistency conditions (i.e., with the so-called HMSA closure conditions). It is shown that for highly charged dispersions interacting through screened Coulombic (Yukawa) interactions this integral-equation approach predicts the static structure factorS(q) in excellent agreement with Monte Carlo results and that it is better than the rescaled mean-spherical approximation. The Sogaimi potential (which predicts Coulombic attraction under identical physicochemical conditions) is also considered here as a model potential for representing soft, long-ranged interactions with an attractive component. None of the integralequation formalisms, including the HMSA theory and the reference hypernetted-chain (RHNC) theory, leads to a sufficient level of thermodynamic consistency for the latter potential, and the results deviate noticeably from the Monte Carlo results. We further demonstrate that fitting the experimentally observed structure factors in the neighborhood and beyond the primary peak inS(q) could lead to inaccurate conclusions concerning the nature of interparticle forces, particularly in the case of soft, long-range interactions.

Some cationic surfactants such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) show a very spectacular viscoelasticity in solution, in even very diluted states, with some aromatic substances added, such as salicylic acid. Formerly, the authors established that the remarkable solution behaviour was the result of the entanglement of such enormously elongated giant micelles, based on recognition of the existence of large aggregates, through direct observation of them as substantial images under the electron microscope.

We demonstrated that a 65-kDa cytosolic protein (pp65) was most heavily phosphorylated in murine macrophages in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (J. Immunol.146:3617,1991). The pp65 phosphorylation closely correlated with cellular responses in the macrophages. We have thus performed amino acid sequence analysis of the two pp65-derived peptide fragments in order to elucidate its structure and function. The results indicated that pp65 is a novel protein existing almost exclusively in hemopoitetic cells and has the strong homology with human L-plastin, a substrate which has recently been identified as a novel protein transformation-dependently expressed in neoplastic human cells. Our pp65 is apparently the first purified protein whose phosphorylation has been augmented by stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide and whose primary structure has been clarified. Because L-plastin possesses the unique functional domains, detailed investigation of the pp65 phosphorylation should lead to progress in our understanding of the mechanisms of macrophage activation.

In an abnormal fibrinogen with impaired fibrin monomer polymerization designed as fibrinogen Osaka II, we have identified substitution of Arg by Cys at position 275 of the gamma chain. This Cys is linked to a free cysteine molecule by a disulfide link as evidenced by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. This finding was supported by identification of a single cysteine released from isolated abnormal fragment D1 upon reduction. This unique cystine structure at the mutation site has not been reported heretofore in any abnormal protein including fibrinogen. The substitution may well perturb the structure required for fibrin monomer polymerization, specifically that assigned to the carboxyl-terminal D domain of fibrinogen. Indeed, isolated fragment D1 with the Cys substitution failed to inhibit thrombin-mediated clotting of normal fibrinogen and normal fibrin monomer polymerization, while normal fragment D1 inhibited them markedly. Our data seem to provide supporting evidence that the putative polymerization site(s) assigned to the D domain of fibrinogen may be structure-dependent, including the carboxyl-terminal segment of the gamma chain as well as a contiguous region that contains the gamma 275 residue.

1. Extracellular recordings were obtained from single presumed noradrenergic neurons in the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) in response to percutaneous electrical foot shock (FS) stimulation in the rat. We employed long-duration stimulus pulses to examine the possible contribution of peripheral C-fibers to evoked activity in LC. 2. As in previous studies, 0.5-ms FS stimuli produced a short-latency excitatory response (onset 20.8 ms) followed by a prolonged postactivation inhibition. However, 2.0- or 5.0-ms FS stimuli yielded an additional late excitatory response. 3. The onset and termination latency of this late excitatory response were approximately 200 and 400 ms, respectively, after the FS. The conduction velocity for this late response (peripheral plus central pathway) was estimated to be < 1.2 m/s. 4. The percentages of LC neurons that exhibited a significant late response was 4% (3/85) with 0.5-ms stimuli, 53% (31/59) with 2.0-ms stimuli, and 73% (47/64) with 5.0-ms FS stimuli. 5. The average number of spikes evoked per FS stimulus (presented at 0.5 Hz) increased from the 1st to the 21st FS stimulus. This increased response occurred selectively in the late, not in the early, response. This result was interpreted to represent a "windup" phenomenon reflected at the level of LC. 6. Direct application of capsaicin onto the sciatic nerve reduced the average magnitude of the late response of LC neurons to 17% of control 42.5 min after application. The magnitude of the short-latency response components showed little or no change. 7. Averaged compound action potential (cAP) recordings from the sciatic nerve revealed that C-fiber responses were more consistently observed and much larger with 5.0-ms compared with 0.5-ms FS stimuli. 8. C-fiber cAPs were reduced or eliminated after application of capsaicin distal to the recording site with a time course similar to that of the late response of LC neurons, with little or no effect on A-fiber cAPs. 9. These data show that a previously undescribed long-latency response of LC neurons to noxious FS stimulation in rat results from C-fiber activation in the sciatic nerve. This late response may be involved in generating descending noradrenergic analgesia induced by electrical stimulation of the foot pad or other body regions. Future studies of the pharmacology of this late response to noxious stimuli in LC may aid in developing new therapies for the treatment of acute or chronic pain.

The cultivation experiments were conducted in two parts: (1) zooplankton cultivation in a heterogeneous system as fundamental research (Experiment I); (2) prawn seed-production in a homogeneous system as applied research (Experiment II). In Experiment I, several types of apparatus were designed in order to study a feedback system for cultivation of zooplankton (Brachionus plicatilis andTigriopus japonicus). A 550-1 round transparent tank was used for reserve culture, A 150-1 zigzag stream unit was made of vinyl plates, and connected with the reserve culture tank. In both cases, the water was re-circulated 20 times a day by an airlift pump. A tower-decomposer tank and two blowing cultivators were specially designed for promoting energy-flow. During a 140-day experiment, total wet weight of feed and harvest were 4817 g of yeast and 4308 g of zooplankton, respectively. The rate of food conversionwas 89.4% in terms of wet weight and 33.6% in dry weight. In Experiment II, a 2500 m3-hatchery tank with movable aerators and airlift circulation systems was contructed to maintain an artificial ecosystem for rearing of the prawnPenaeus japonicus. Feeding rate in the 2500 m3-tank was 10.8% lower than that in the 200 m3-tank, but growth rate in the former was 10.6% higher than in the latter.