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Radical surgery for thoracic oesophageal cancer is highly invasive and often leads to respiratory complications; thoracoscopic surgery is a less-invasive alternative. We examined the need for chest physical therapy (CPT) after thoracoscopic oesophagectomy. Thirty-six consecutive patients, randomly selected for either thoracotomy or thoracoscopic surgery, were included in a randomized clinical trial and received CPT under the same protocol. During short-term post-operative follow-up, both groups showed a marked reduction in respiratory function and responded to CPT to the same extent, although 2 weeks after surgery some parameters of respiratory function were significantly higher in the thoracoscopy group. Thoracoscopic surgery has been reported to be less invasive than standard thoracotomy, but our results suggest that the procedure is also invasive with respect to respiratory function and that CPT should be performed before and after thoracoscopic surgery.

The full-length sense cDNA for sweet potato granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) driven by the CaMV 35S promoter was introduced into the sweet potato byAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Out of the 26 transgenic plants obtained, one plant showed the absence of amylose in the tuberous root as determined by the iodine colorimetric method. Electrophoresis analysis failed to detect the GBSSI protein, suggesting that gene silencing of the GBSSI gene occurred in the transgenic sweet potato plant. These results demonstrate that starch composition in the tuberous root of sweet potato can be altered by genetic transformation.

A tobacco microsomal ω-3 fatty acid desaturase gene (NtFAD3) under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter or an improved CaMV 35S promoter (El2Ω) was introduced into sweet potato. Transformed sweet potato plants were obtained from embryogenic calli followingAgrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The transgenic plants grew normally to form storage roots and showed properties similar to those of the non-transgenic plants. The fatty acid composition in the transgenic line with aNtFAD3gene driven by the CaMV 35S promoter was similar to that in the non-transformant. However, in the transgenic line that had aNtFAD3gene driven by the El2Ω promoter, linoleic acid (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3) contents were 47.7 mol% and 24.8 mol%, respectively, which were significantly different from the 53.6 mol% and 11.3 mol%, respectively, in the non-transformant. TheNtFAD3gene driven by the El2Ω promoter was expressed more strongly than that driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, thereby increasing the linolenic acid content in the transgenic sweet potato plants.

The effect of an extract of Ginkgo biloba was studied on cerebral edema in rats intoxicated with triethyltin chloride (TET). Brains of TET-treated rats showed elevated water and sodium levels and a significant increase in the sodium/potassium ratio. Animals treated with TET plus the extract did not show water and electrolyte changes. The course of intoxication and treatment was studied light-and electron-microscopically. A severe edema with extensive vacuolization was seen in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter. Morphometric measurements revealed a significant decrease in these manifestations of the cytotoxic edema when the animals were treated with an extract of Ginkgo biloba. Thus, we conclude that this extract has a protective effect on the development of a cytotoxic edema in the white matter of the brain.

Summary Post-traumatic vomiting was clinically analyzed. One hundred and forty seven patients with head injury came to our hospital consecutively from April 1991 to August 1991. Of 147 patients, 26 exhibited vomiting post-traumatically. The incidence of loss of consciousness, that of fractures on plain X-ray films, and that of traumatic intracranial lesions demonstrated on CT were compared between two patient groups, i.e., a group of patients with post-traumatic vomiting and another one without it. None of them were revealed to be significantly different between the two groups, respectively. It was concluded from the results that the existence of post-traumatic vomiting implied neither severe traumatic impact nor serious intracranial damage.

Stereoisomeric alanylalanine (Ala-Ala) derivatives were examined for their effects on germination of Bacillus thiaminolyticus spores. L-Ala-L-Ala and L-Ala-glycine were effective in inducing germination, and their activities were completely inhibited by D-Ala. L-Ala-D-Ala and glycine-D-Ala competitively prevented L-Ala-induced germination. Sarcosine- or beta-Ala-containing L-alanyldipeptides and eight kinds of alanyltripeptides did not show any detectable effect on germinability or any inhibitory effect. No detectable amounts of Ala were found in germination exudates when alanylpeptides were incubated with spores. The ability of these peptides to induce or inhibit germination depends on their steric conformation and a certain distance between the primary amino group and the free carboxyl groups. Involvement of L-Ala dehydrogenase in the initiation of germination is unlikely because L-Ala-L-Ala was not a substrate and L-Ala-D-Ala was not an effective inhibitor of enzyme activity.

We synthesized lecithinized superoxide dismutase (PC-SOD), in which a lecithin derivative was covalently bound to recombinant human SOD. We selected PC4-SOD (4 molecules of the lecithin derivative bound to each SOD dimer) and PC10-SOD (10 molecules of the derivative to each SOD dimer) for our study. Both of these PC-SOD retained SOD activity in vitro and showed delayed plasma disappearance in vivo in rats. PC-SOD also had 4 to 20 times higher affinity in vitro for several kinds of cells than that of unmodified SOD. Because Forssman antiserum is known to induce bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs via actions of O2-, we studied the effect of PC-SOD on Forssman antiserum-induced respiratory resistance. Unmodified SOD was ineffective at the doses of 1,000 to 30,000 U/kg, whereas PC-SOD showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect over the range of 10 to 1,000 U/kg. The ED50 of PC4-SOD and PC10-SOD were 140 and 240 U/kg, respectively, at 30 min after the challenge with Forssman antiserum. These findings suggest that the pharmacological potency of PC-SOD is over 200 times more than that of unmodified SOD, and that PC-SOD may have the potential for various clinical applications.

Summary Fourteen cases of midline vertebro-basilar trunk aneurysms were operated on by four routes of surgical approach: middle fossa anterior transpetrosal approach (ATP), presigmoid transpetrosal approach (PTP), conventional lateral suboccipital approach (LSO) or suboccipital transcondylar approach (STC). There was no mortality, but the morbitity was different depending on the surgical approach. In basilar trunk aneurysms located higher than the internal auditory canal, excellent results were obtainable by ATP, especially in the case of posteriorly projecting aneurysms. For midline vertebral aneurysms located lower than the internal auditory canal, STC resulted in less surgical complications than LSO. Extradural resection of the jugular tubercle was necessary for aneurysms located on the distal vertebral artery at or close to the vertebro-basilar junction. For vertebro-basilar junction aneurysms located at the level of the internal auditory canal, hearing was preserved by STC, but not by ATP or PTP. However, choice of the surgical approach may depend on the direction of the aneurysm and the technical accessibility of the skull base. All these skull base approaches reduced surgical complications of retraction damage to the cranial nerves and the brain stem. This holds true for all aneurysms arising from the midline vertebro-basilar trunk.

Metabolic pathways of glucose during germination of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 spores were studied by using specifically labeled glucose and gluconate. The Embden-Meyerhof pathway, the pentose cycle, and the direct oxidation route of glucose to gluconate (the gluconate pathway) were all operative at this stage; among those, gluconate accumulation was most predominant, especially in the early stage. Potassium fluoride, an enolase inhibitor, abolished the catabolism by the Embden-Meyerhof pathway totally without affecting gluconate accumulation. Under these conditions glucose was exclusively oxidized to gluconate. Gluconate thus accumulated could be metabolized further via phosphorylation by gluconate kinase. Remarkable gluconate accumulation was also demonstrated in several other spores requiring alanine as an effective germinant. NADH formed by the direct glucose oxidation may serve as a initial ATP source to phosphorylate glucose in germinating spores.

When heat-activated spores of Bacillus megaterium germinated in glucose-containing medium, 10 to 30% of the glucose was found to be oxidized to gluconate.

Eel-calcitonin and its [Asu1,7]-analog, deamino-dicarba-analog, were synthesized by the conventional solution method. The natural-type product showed 4300 MRC U/mg in the hypocalcemic potency which was comparable to that of the natural hormone isolated from eel. Hormonal activity of the Asu-analog was also as high as 3400 MRC U/mg.

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