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When rat peritoneal mast cells which had been loaded with fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2/AM were exposed to compound 48/80, fura-2 fluorescence was increased in the presence of 1mM extracellular Ca2+, but remained unchanged in the Ca2(+)-eliminated medium. Only in the presence of 1mM extracellular Ca2+, both fura-2 fluorescence and histamine release were increased in response to compound 48/80, depending on the concentration of the stimulant. Both of these responses were attenuated in the same degree by such release inhibitors as disodium cromoglycate and HSR-6071. Fluorescent microscopic observation of fura-2/AM-loaded mast cells revealed that fura-2 fluorescence was densely localized in the granules and the nucleus, but less in the cytoplasm. All these results strongly suggest that increase in the fura-2 fluorescence might not result from the increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration, but from binding of fura-2, which had been released together with chemical mediators from granules following stimulation, to extracellular Ca2+. Therefore, it seems likely that the fura-2/AM loading method is inadequate to investigate whether or not the increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration triggers release of chemical mediators from mast cells.

1 N-(3'-4'-dimethoxycinnamoyl) anthranilic acid (N-5') exhibited a dose-dependent, potent inhibition of the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) mediated by homocytotropic antibodies (HTA), which was hardly affected by anti-inflammatory agents such as phenylbutazone, indomethacin and prednisolone at any dose used. The HTA-induced PCA was significantly inhibited by combined treatment with diphenydramine and cyproheptadine. 2 Doses of N-5' which potently inhibited HTA-induced PCA inhibited only slightly the heterologous PCA produced by anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA) rabbit serum. This heterologous PCA was clearly inhibited by phenylbutazone, indomethacin and prednisolone. Diphenydramine and cyproheptadine, singly or combined inhibited the heterologous PCA only slightly. 3 The increased vascular permeability caused by histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine was significantly inhibited by diphenyldramine or cyproheptadine, but not by N-5' and the anti-inflammatory agents used. 4 N-5' 150 mg/kg orally inhibited rat paw oedema induced by carrageenin by about 26% while phenylbutazone, indomethacin and prednisolone produced significant inhibition. 5 N-5' at concentrations of 100 and 1000 muM significantly inhibited (by about 52% and 95%, respectively) the histamine release from rat peritoneal cells induced by HTA; 10 muM N-5' had little effect. Histamine release was inhibited by phenylbutazone or indomethacin at 1000 muM but not at 100 muM. Prednisolone had no effect on histamine release at any of the concentrations used. 6 These findings suggest that the inhibition of the HTA-induced PCA by N-5' may be due to inhibition of histamine release and is clearly different from the actions of anti-inflammatory agents such as phenylbutazone, indomethacin and prednisolone.

1In cascade perfusion and superfusion experiments on rabbit tissues, when acetylcholine (ACh) was introduced into the circuit so as to perfuse the aorta under perfusion with noradrenaline (NA), the effluent relaxed the transverse aortic strip which had been denuded of endothelium. 2The effluent from the perfused aorta which was capable of relaxing the transverse aortic strip also significantly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) in a volume-related manner. The inhibitory activity was decreased by the prolongation of transit time before addition of the effluent to platelet-rich plasma. 3Neither the inhibition of AA-induced aggregation nor the relaxation of the transverse strip by the effluent could be observed after the removal of endothelium from the aorta, or after pretreatment of aorta with mepacrine or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). 4The AA-induced platelet aggregation was unaffected by pretreatment of platelets with mepacrine or NDGA at the concentration tested. 5Pretreatment of aorta with indomethacin failed to modify the relaxation of the transverse strip induced by the effluent. 6These results strongly suggest that endothelium-derived vascular relaxant factor (EDRF) possesses inhibitory activity on AA-induced aggregation in addition to its vasodilator activity.

種の条件下での受身皮膚アナフィラキシー (PCA) におよぼすN- (3', 4'-dimethoxy-cinnamoyl) anthranilic acid (N-5') の影響について検討し, 以下の成績を得た. (1) N-5' (100および200mg/kg) はPCA惹起30または60分前に経口投与した場合に最大の抑制作用を示し, 240分前処置では抑制作用はごく軽微であった. Disodium cromoglycate (DSCG, 150mg/kg) は経口投与ではPCAに対してほとんど影響しなかった. (2) N-5' (20mg/kg) およびDSCG (5mg/kg) は, いずれもPCA惹起5分前に静脈内投与した場合に最大の抑制作用を示し, DSCGの場合, 以後抑制作用は著明に減弱し, 30または60分前処置では作用はごく軽微となるのに対して, N-5'では120分前処置でも明らかな抑制作用が認められた. (3) 最大抑制作用発現時でのN-5'およびDSCGのPCAに対するED50は, それぞれ8.8および0.79mg/kgであった. (4) N-5' (37.5～300mg/kg, p. o.) の副腎摘出ラットにおけるPCA抑制作用の程度は, 偽手術群におけるそれと差がなかった. (5) 生後3週齢のラットにおけるN-5'のPCA抑制作用の程度は, 成熟ラットにおけるそれよりも強かった. (6) N-5' (75および150mg/kg) を1, 2, 3および4週間にわたり連続経口投与しても, PCAに対する抑制作用の程度は1回投与時のそれと差がなく, 体重増加の抑性作用も認められなかった.

Maternal expectations about development help organize parental behavior by providing internal referents against which a child's growth and behavior are evaluated, thus identifying occasions for intervention by the adult. Fifty-eight mothers from Japan and 67 mothers from the United States were interviewed about the ages at which they expected their four-year-old children to acquire a number of specific developmental skills. There were no differences between the two groups of mothers in mean age of mastery expectation across all 38 items but Japanese mothers expected early mastery on skills that indicated emotional maturity, self-control, and social courtesy. Mothers in the U.S. expected mastery at an earlier age on items indicating verbal assertiveness and social skills with peers. Maternal expectations were found to correlate with children's performance on tests of school aptitude when the children were six years of age.

It has been reported that dl-2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyacetamide hydrochloride (Olmidine) shows an antihypertensive action through inhibition of the adrenergic transmission. The present experiment was an attempt to investigate the pharmacological actions of olmidine in the alimentary canal of rat, rabbit and guinea pig. We found that the salivary secretion of rabbit was unaffected by olmidine at a dose of 2 mg/kg i.v., but increased by approximately 3 times that of controls with 10 mg/kg i.v.. Volume of gastric juice, concentration of free HCl, total acidity and pH of gastric juice in Shay rats were unaffected by 20 mg/kg i.p. of olmidine while volume and free HCl were significantly reduced at a dose of 100 mg/kg i.p. of the drug. The pH of gastric juice showed an evident increase to 3.33. Total acidity, however, was unaffected. Bile secretion of rat was decreased by olmidine at a dose of 100 or 500 mg/kg i.p. in a dose-dependent manner. Olmidine did not induce any lesion of gastric mucosa of rats at a dose of 200 mg/kg p.o. or less. Movement of charcoal meal in the small intestine of rats was inhibited by olmidine at doses of 20 to 500 mg/kg p.o.. Olmidine caused a biphasic response, that is contraction followed by a relaxation,in the isolated guinea pig gastrointestinal tracts. The contractile response caused by olmidine was completely inhibited by pretreatment with atropine or scopolamine and converted to one of relaxation which was unaffected by a combined treatment with phentolamine and propranolol. Contractile responses caused by transmural stimulation were significantly potentiated by olmidine, while potentiation of the contractile responses caused by exogenously applied acetylcholine was only slight in the isolated gallbladder from guinea pig.

The pharmacological properties of human platelet strips were studied by recording changes in tension after the application of various compounds. The platelet strips were prepared by packing cold re-calcified human platelets over a sheer gelatinized nylon mesh. The contractile response of such a strip was dependent on the number of platelets sticking to the nylon mesh. The strip was contracted by the addition of platelet aggregation inducers such as ADP, norepinephrine, thrombin and collagen, thereby suggesting that the contractile response is mediated through membrane receptors on the platelets. The ED50 values of the aggregation agents which contracted the strip were much the same as those which induced platelet aggregation, thereby suggesting that contraction of the platelet strip is similar to platelet aggregation in platelet rich plasma (PRP). The addition of platelet aggregation inhibitors such as papaverine, W-7 and PGE1 relaxed the platelet strip. The ED50 values of the aggregation inhibitors which relaxed the platelet strip were also similar to those for platelet aggregation inhibition. The time course of the release of the preloaded [14C]serotonin from the platelet strips correlated well with that of the tension developed.

For the purpose of alleviating pulmonary hypertension and maintaining cardiac output, which tended to be decreased to acute low-flow oxygen therapy in chronic lung diseases, we evaluated combined low-flow oxygen therapy and oral administration of OP-1206, a prostaglandin E1 derivative, in 7 patients with obstructive lung disease and 3 with restrictive one. Low flow oxygen inhalation (1 l/min. 30 minutes) increased PaO2 from 67.2 +/- 12.8 mmHg to 91.0 +/- 18.2 mmHg (p less than 0.001), PVO2 from 36.4 +/- 3.1 mmHg to 41.7 +/- 7.0 mmHg (p less than 0.01) and decreased cardiac index from 3.38 +/- 0.39 l/min/m2 to 3.07 +/- 0.32 l/min/m2 (p less than 0.01), RVSWI from 18.7 +/- 2.6 g.m/m2 to 6.1 +/- 2.0 g.m/m2 (p less than 0.01), transpulmonary driving pressure from 13.0 +/- 5.4 mmHg to 9.8 +/- 5.5 mmHg (p less than 0.01) and mean PA from 21.6 +/- 7.7 mmHg to 18.3 +/- 6.9 mmHg (p less than 0.05) with a trend of increase in COD and no change at oxygen delivery. OP-1206, on the contrary, decreased mPA from 21.6 +/- 7.7 to 18.2 +/- 5.6 mmHg (p less than 0.05), RVSWI from 8.7 +/- 2.6 g.m/m2 to 6.9 +/- 2.3 g.m/m2 (p less than 0.01) with trend of decrease in transpulmonary driving pressure, TPVR and PAR with no substantial changes in gasometric parameters. The decrease rates of PA by low-flow oxygen therapy and OP-1206 administration correlated significantly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In this study we examined the possibility that causal inferences about performance may help explain the relatively superior achievement of Japanese students in mathematics. Data from mothers and children in Japan and the U.S. were examined for (a) attributions about causes of performance in math; (b) intra-family transmission of beliefs; and (c) effect of sex of child on attributions. Results showed that Japanese mothers and children emphasized effort, particularly for low performance, while American mothers and children emphasized ability. Beliefs of mothers and children were similar within country but not within family. suggesting that transmission is diffuse. Differences in attributions about performance of boys and girls did not appear in Japan and in the U.S. appeared for mothers only. The emphasis placed on attributions to effort Seems to offer a highly motivating context for Japanese students.

Most psychological phenomena are intrinsically culture bound. Psychological theories developed in one culture may not automatically be generalizable to the behavior of the people of another culture. The psychology as a science primarily developed in Europe and America, based on the behavioral data of Western people studied by the psychologists grew in the Western culture. This obviously limits the applicability of psychology as it is to developing countries. This does not mean, however, that there should be as many psychologies as there are cultures. More generally valid psychology will emerge by identifying what is culturally specific in the main stream psychology and adopting new concepts of general applicability from other cultures. In the article below, stages of interaction between Western psychology and indigenous thought are described based on the history of psychology in Japan.

Studies of family effects on children's school-relevant skills usually involve socioeconomic status (SES) or ethnic comparisons within Western cultures. This paper extends these cultural comparisons with results from a longitudinal study of family influences on school achievement in Japan and the United States. The initial project included 58 mothers and their 4-year-old children in Japan and 67 mothers and their children in the United States. Data were gathered by interview, tests of mental ability, and three interaction tasks. A follow-up phase included 48 mothers and their 11-year-old children in Japan and 47 mothers and their 12-year-old children in the United States. Ten maternal variables from the preschool phase were selected to examine the association between maternal behavior and school readiness at ages 5 and 6 and scores on tests of vocabulary and mathematics at follow-up. Maternal behavior was significantly related to both outcomes in both countries even after children's mental ability at age 4 was taken into account. The association of maternal behavior with children's school-relevant performance increased between preschool and follow-up periods in Japan but declined in the United States. Explanations are offered relating these trends to socialization patterns in the two cultures.

The pharmacological mechanisms of platelet aggregation induced by highly toxic proteins (CrTX-I, CrTX-II, and CrTX-III) obtained from tentacles of a jellyfish, Carybdea rastonii, were investigated. When the partially purified toxin (pCrTX) and CrTXs were added to the citrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP), aggregation was produced in a concentration-dependent manner. The activity of CrTXs was approximately 100 times more potent than pCrTX. The CrTXs-induced aggregation was little affected by indomethacin and quinacrine at concentrations sufficient to inhibit arachidonic acid- and collagen-induced aggregation. The CrTXs-induced aggregation in washed platelets was significantly augmented in the presence of Ca2+. The pretreatment with verapamil failed to modify this augmentation of aggregation. The concentration of cytoplasmic-free calcium ([Ca2+]i) of platelets was increased by CrTXs at the same concentrations that produced aggregation. This effect of CrTXs was again little affected by verapamil. CrTXs at the same concentrations as those that produced aggregation and increased [Ca2+]i caused depolarization of platelets, which was unchanged after pretreatment with sodium or potassium transport inhibitors. CrTX-I significantly increased the 22Na flux into platelets and this effect of CrTX-I was unaffected by tetrodotoxin. The CrTX-I-induced aggregation, depolarization, and increase in [Ca2+]i were all significantly attenuated in the low Na+ medium. These results suggest that CrTXs cause a massive depolarization by increasing cation permeability and this generalized depolarization permits an inward movement of Ca2+ down its electrochemical gradient which, in turn, triggers platelet aggregation.

モルモット摘出右心房標本の経壁刺激効果，ならびにnicotine反応におよぼすdoxapramの影響をdimorpholamineのそれと比較検討し，以下の成績を得た．1)Doxapramおよびdimorpholamineは，適用直後に一過性の軽度の心運動充進作用を来たしたが，後，抑制に転じた．2)Doxapramは，用いた濃度において経壁刺激効果に顕著な影響を示さなかったが，高濃度のdimorpholamineは，経壁刺激により生ずる心運動の停止を阻止し，また，停止につづく陰性変力ならびに変時作用を抑制した．3)Nicotineによる陰性変時ならびに変力作用に対して，doxapramおよびdimorpholamineは，いずれも顕著な抑制効果を示した．しかし，高濃度ではnicotineの陽性反応に対しても抑制作用を示した．4)外来性のacetylcholine(以下ACh)による心運動抑制作用に対して，doxapramおよびdimorpholamineはほとんど影響しなかった．外来性noradrenaline(以下NA)による心運動充進に対して，doxapramはほとんど影響しないか，軽度の抑制作用を示すのみであったが，dimorpholamineは，軽度に増強した．5)経壁刺激による副交感神経終末および交感神経終末の興奮伴い，またnicotineの副交感神経節および交感神経終末刺激を介し，それぞれAChおよびNAが遊離されることにより，陰性および陽性反応を生ずる．上記2)，3)および4)から，doxapramは用いた濃度では副交感神経終末，ないしは心房筋muscarine受容体に対してほとんど影響することなく，むしろ一定濃度において，洞房結節ないしはその近傍に存在する副交感神経節のnicotine受容体遮断の結果，終末からのACh遊離を抑制することにより，nicotineの心房運動停止作用を阻止することが結論される．対照に用いたdimorpholamineは，そのほか副交感神経終末に対する直接作用によりACh遊離を阻害し，経壁刺激に対する心房運動停止反応を阻止すると考えられる．また，両薬物とも高濃度では，交感神経終末に対する作用によりnicotineのNA遊離を抑制し心房運動促進を阻止する．

Description styles of mothers and preschool teachers in Japan and the U.S. are compared in a referential communication task situation, and their relationship to children's communication task performance is investigated. Mothers and preschool teachers are asked to describe one of a set of four pictures to four-year-old children. Children are asked to choose the target picture described. The type of description is analyzed in terms of two criteria: a literal vs. an imaginative description and a novel vs. a repetitive description. The results show that the differences in description styles are larger between mothers and teachers in Japan than in the U.S. The relationship between their description styles and children's communication task performance is similar in both countries.

A partially purified toxin (pCrTX) was obtained from the tentacles of the jellyfish, Carybdea rastonii. When pCrTX (3 X 10(-8) - 3 X 10(-7) g/ml) was added to citrated platelet-rich plasma, aggregation was produced in a concentration-dependent manner. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed that both pCrTX and collagen produced aggregates of platelets possessing many pseudopods. The concentration which produced 50% aggregation for pCrTX was 1.8 X 10(-7) g/ml, as compared to 2.3 X 10(-6) g/ml for collagen. The pCrTX-induced aggregation was only slightly inhibited by indomethacin and quinacrine in concentrations sufficient to inhibit arachidonic acid- and collagen-induced aggregation. pCrTX was less active in washed platelets suspended in Ca2+ free medium, whereas the pCrTX-induced aggregation was significantly augmented in the presence of Ca2+. The augmentation of aggregation by Ca2+ was only slightly attenuated by pretreatment with 100 microM verapamil. pCrTX significantly increased the concentration of cytoplasmic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and depolarized the platelet membrane in concentrations that produced aggregation. The increase in [Ca2+]i caused by pCrTX was little affected by verapamil. The depolarization by pCrTX was unchanged in the presence or absence of Ca2+, or by sodium or potassium transport inhibitors. The movement of 22Na+ into platelets was significantly increased by pCrTX. This increase in the movement of 22N+ into platelets was unaffected by tetrodotoxin. On the other hand, pCrTX-induced aggregation, depolarization and the increase in [Ca2+]i were all significantly attenuated in low Na+ medium. These results suggest that pCrTX causes a massive depolarization by increasing cation permeability indiscriminately and this generalized depolarization permits an inward movement of calcium down an electrochemical gradient which, in turn triggers platelet aggregation.

Transmural stimulation applied to the isolated sphincter of Oddi from rabbit caused a transient contraction. On termination of stimulation, a rapid second contraction was superimposed, then followed by a relaxation and inhibition of automaticity. Atropine inhibited the initial component during stimulation. The late second component was, however, little affected by atropine. On the other hand, the contractile response to exogenously applied acetylcholine was antagonized by atropine. All responses to transmural stimulation were completely abolished by tetrodotoxin 1.55×10-7 M. Both initial and late components of contractile response to transmural stimulation were significantly reduced in cold stored preparations depending on the period of storage, and under N2 gas-bubbling anoxia. The contractile response to exogenous acetylcholine, however, was not reduced under such conditions. Both initial and late components were unaffected by a ganglionic blocking agent and adrenergic alpha and beta blocking agents, alone or combined. Both components were significantly inhibited by pretreatment with hemicholinium-3, or noradrenaline, however, the response to exogenous acetylcholine was little affected by pretreatment with noradrenaline. The physostigmine-potentiated late component was reduced by atropine, whereas the late component was not potentiated by physostigmine in the presence of atropine. It is clear that the initial component is mediated through the release of acetylcholine from the intramural postganglionic cholinergic neurones. These results indicate that the late component may also be related to acetylcholine released from the same neurones.

Purpose: To study the development of the concept of “good” and “bad” child among pre-adolescent and early adolescent subjects, with the purpose of clarifying the moral development from the cognitive side.Subjects: The 3rd, 5th and the 8th grade boys and girls, approximately 100 from each grade level.Method: Subjects are asked to think of the best child and the worst child they know. An inventory of 50 items, each describing a characteristic behavior of a child, is provided for each subject. He is to rate both the best and the worst child he has in his mind against each of these items.Results:1. Each item was tested whether it discriminated the “good” and the “bad” child as conceived by our subjects. Forty one out of 50 items discriminated significantly. No clear developmental trend was observed as to the number and the kind of the significant iertems.2. Based on the difference score between the “best” and the “worst” child, the items were intercorrelated to from a 50×50 correlation matrix. This matrix was factor analyzed by the Complete Centroid Method and then rotated by the orthogonal rotation method developed by Kashiwagi (1969). Following four factors emerged.Factor I: Integration of purposeful act, e.g., clear expression of opinion, willingness to do good things, etc.Factor II: Adaptation to cultural norms, e.g., cleanliness, good language habit, etc.Factor III: Adaptation to interpersonal norms among children, e.g., observing rules, playing tricks, etc.Factor IV: Cooperativeness and friendliness, e.g., not selfish, cooperative, etc.3. The factor scored of Factors II and III tended to decrease as age increased. Sex difference was observed in factor I score, male being larger than the female subjects. It was also to be noted that the factor 4 score tended to be much higher than other factor scores.4. The analysis of the distribution shape of the factor scores in terms of Weibull distribution to determine the contribution of each factor in discriminating good and bad. Factor 1 increased the effectiveness as the age increased. Factor 2 was important for younger subjects. Factor 3 was also more important at younger age level. Factor 3 was more effective with older subjects.Conclusion: As the age of the subjects increases the important discriminating criteria shifts from adaptation to outside norms to purposeful integrity and self regulation.

The study was made on the quantitative estimation of steroids of allopregnanetetrol and-pentol types, excreted in urine.1) The urinary excretion of the aimed steroids amountcd to 1.6-10.0mg per day in healthy adults.2) The administration of ACTH or hydrocortisone showed marked increases in their daily excretion. When 50-100mg hydrocortisone was administered, ca.9.3-18.7mg was excreted as steroids of allopregnane-tetrol and-pentol types and 8.2-32.6mg as steroids of allopregnane-17, 21-dio1-20-one type respectively.