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Calcification occurred in the kidney of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats fed a low-zinc diet. The deposits were stained by the von Kossa method and were detected intracellularly in the tubular cells, mainly in the cortico-medullar region. The deposits were found to be a heterogenous substance on electron microscopy. There were various sizes of deposits, and the surfactant was very much distorted. Many deposits grew up to bind small particles, and the core-like substance was observed in the center of the deposit. The component of the deposit was analyzed by an X-ray microanalyzer, and was found to be calcium and phosphorus. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus was 2.159, which coincided with the ratio of standard hydroxyapatite. From these observations, the deposit is believed to be hydroxyapatite. It is thought that the core is formed at first, many particles are then bound to the core, and deposits grow up.

We treated a patient with arrhythmia during pregnancy with prolonged intravenous administration of lidocaine hydrochloride. This was a case of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and the arrhythmia was caused by ritodrine therapy. In total, 14.1 g lidocaine (50 mg.hr-1 for 282 hr) were used. Since there are no descriptions of human placental transfer of lidocaine after such a prolonged continuous intravenous administration, we measured lidocaine concentrations in maternal and fetal serum, and in the amniotic fluid (AF) at delivery. Fetal serum lidocaine concentrations (donor: 0.83 microgram.ml-1; recipient: 0.82 microgram.ml-1) were lower than in the maternal serum (1.6 micrograms.ml-1), while the AF lidocaine concentrations (donor: 1.05 micrograms.ml-1; recipient: 1.04 micrograms.ml-1) were higher than those of the fetal sera. The fetal/maternal concentration ratios of lidocaine were 0.52 for the donor and 0.51 for the recipient, which were similar to those described previously after administration of lidocaine in labour.

To characterize females with bulimia nervosa and alcoholism, this study compared the social and family backgrounds, as well as the clinical symptoms of alcoholics with bulimia and patients with bulimia only. The subjects were 22 Japanese female patients with both bulimia nervosa and alcoholism; the comparison group comprised 22 age-matched female patients with bulimia nervosa but without alcoholism. Patients with both bulimia and alcoholism had more borderline personality disorders and pathological symptoms such as stealing, suicide attempts, and liver injuries than the nonalcoholic comparison group. The subjects' average body weight was significantly less than that of the comparison group. Whereas the clinical characteristics of females with bulimia and alcoholism differ in many respects from those with bulimia only, it is suggested that alcoholic bulimia patients form a distinct clinical subgroup among patients with bulimia nervosa.

Intravenous DSA (IVDSA) was evaluated as a screening method for cerebral aneurysms. It was performed 390 times in 372 cases. Clinically useful images were obtained in 94.1% in all examinations. Nineteen aneurysms were visualized in cerebral angiography among 21 cases with SAH or 3rd nerve palsy, whereas in IVDSA 15 aneurysms were noted. Aneurysms not visualized in IVDSA were all 4 mm or less in size. Therefore, aneurysms, more than 4 mm in size, which have higher risks for rupture, were detectable in IVDSA. Based on these findings, IVDSA is considered to be clinically useful in screening for aneurysms. In all 372 cases, 33 aneurysms were suspected in IVDSA findings, whereas in cerebral angiography 21 of them turned to be aneurysms. Such 12 false positive cases were distributed mainly at anterior communicating and middle cerebral arteries. Improvement of image resolution, avoidance of vessel overlapping and proper selection of screened cases should be investigated for further development of this screening method.

In some amphibians and bony fishes, oocyte- and somatic-type 5S rRNA genes are expressed differently in oocytes and somatic cells. In order to determine at what stage of animal evolution this differential expression system appeared and how it is regulated, the sequences of oocyte and somatic 5S rRNAs from three invertebrates (sea urchin, sea hare, and silkworm) and two vertebrates (lamprey and chick) were analyzed. It was found that the oocyte 5S rRNA from lamprey consists of two components, while its somatic 5S rRNA consists of only one. In other animals, such differential expression of 5S rRNA in oocytes and somatic cells was not seen. A phylogenetic tree of 63 animal 5S rRNAs was constructed by means of the parsimony method, and the evolution of oocyte and somatic-type 5S rRNAs was discussed.

The nucleotide sequence of 5S rRNA from an extreme thermophile Thermusthermophilus HB8 has been re-examined and determined as [Formula: see text] The present study could resolve previously ambiguous residues and find two additional residues (G(8 3), C(9 7)), G at position 89 and two terminal heterogeneities which are exactly the same as reported with Thermusaquaticus 5S rRNA.Images

Ribosomal 5S RNAs were highly purified from the total tissues of Lingula anatina and the posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori. The nucleotide sequences of the RNAs were determined by a chemical method for rapidly sequencing on gels of 3' end-labeled RNA, with the aid of conventional sequence analysis of the complete RNase digests of the unlabeled RNAs. By comparing the sequences with those of several animal and Chlorella 5S rRNAs, a phylogenic tree of these 5S rRNAs was constructed.

Staring from low molecular weight RNA obtained from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) liver, 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was highly purified by successive chromatography on columns of DEAE-Sephadex A50 and Sephadex G100. Products of complete and partial digestions on this RNA with pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A) [EC 3.1.4.22] and RNase T [EC 3.1.4.8] were isolated and sequenced by conventional and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedures. The nucleotide sequence of this RNA thus established was compared with those of five other vertebrae 5S rRNAs, and the rates of base substitution per site per year were found to be nearly constant in these RNAs. The analyses of the partial digests of the trout 5S rRNA revealed several sites susceptible to RNase attack, which could be accounted for by the secondary structure model for eukaryotic 5S rRNAs proposed by Nishikawa and Takemura (1).

The nucleotide sequence of 5S ribosomal RNA from plasmodia of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum was determined as pppGGAUGCGGC CAUACUAAGG 20 AGAAAGCACC 30 UCAUCCCGUC 40 CGAUCUGAGA 50 AGUUAAGCUC 60 CUUCAGGCGU 70 GGUUAGUACU 80 GGGGUGGGGG 90 ACCACCUGGG 100 AAUCCCACGU 110 GCUGCAUUCU 120 Uoh by chemical and enzymatic gel sequencing technics using 3' and 5' end-labeled RNA. This RNA is very different from 5S rRNA of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum (36 nucleotides are different), and shows greater similarity to 5S rRNAs from Protozoa and Metazoa than to those from fungi.

Time-dependent measurements of differential digital plethysmogram during exercise were made on five male subjects. The results obtained were as follows; Differential digital plethysmogram (delta DPG) was obtained by using biophysical amplifier with the time constant of 0.03 seconds which minimized the fluctuation of the baseline in digital plethysmogram (DPG). A linear relationship was shown in P wave amplitude of both delta DPG and DPG. The decrease in delta DPG-P waves was observed in visual concentrations, mental learning and arithmetic, initial inspiratory phase with tachycardia, maximal inspiratory and/or expiratory breath holding, and head-up tilt at 60 degrees or over. The increase in delta DPG-P waves was obtained at the expiratory phase with bradycardia and in the effect of alcohol intake. During 15 minutes of bicycle ergometer exercise at 750 kpm/min, the P wave amplitude in delta DPG decreased to 77% of the control in the first one minute of exercise, and then gradually increased to 218% at the final stage of exercise (p less than 0.01). Heart rate measured simultaneously increased, as compared from the beginning of exercise. P wave amplitude and heart rate after exercise decreased progressively to the control level. It is suggested that the initial decrease in P wave amplitude of delta DPG couples with the dominant activity of the sympathetic vasoconstrictor, and the final increase in P waves is due to the compound factors of the increased cardiac output and arteriolar vasodilation.

The nucleotide sequence of 5S rRNA from the fission yeast, S. pombe, has been established by post labeling procedures combined with cataloging RNase T1- and A-oligonucleotides derived from unlabeled 5S rRNA. The sequence consists of 119 nucleotides without a modified base and shows more dissimilarities (at 38 positions) from that of S. cerevisiae than from that of humans (at 33 positions).

By chromatography on columns of DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Sephadex G-100, and electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel, 5S rRNA was purified from a low-molecular-weight RNA fraction extracted from the total tissues of Lingula anatina. Complete digests of the 5S rRNA with RNase T1 [EC 3.1.4.8] and pancreatic RNase [EC 3.1.4.22] were sequenced by conventional column chromatography procedures. The nucleotide sequence of this RNA was determined mainly by a chemical method for sequencing the RNA 3' end-labeled with 32P (1), with the complement of the oligonucleotide catalog obtained by the complete RNase digestions of the RNA. By comparing the sequences of several invertebrate, vertebrate, and Chlorella 5S rRNAs, a phylogenic tree of the rRNAs was constructed and the time of divergence of Lingula was estimated.

The nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNAs from sponge Halichondria japonica and tunicate Halocynthia roretzi were determined by chemical and enzymatic gel methods. Their phylogenetic positions among metazoans were derived from the 5S rRNA sequences by a computer analysis based on the maximum parsimony principle. It was suggested that the sponge is closely related to several invertebrates and the tunicate has affinity to vertebrates rather than invertebrates.

A low molecular weight RNA fraction was obtained from the posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori. 5S rRNA was purified from this fraction by gel filtration on a column of Sephadex G-100 and electrophoresis on a discontinuous polyacrylamide gel devised for large scale preparation. The nucleotide sequence of this RNA was determined mainly by a chemical sequencing method on polyacrylamide gels using RNA labeled with [32P]pCp at the 3' terminus (1). An enzymatic sequencing method on gels using 32P-labeled RNA at the 5' end (2) and conventional sequence analyses of the complete digests of the unlabeled RNA with RNase T1 [EC 3.1.27.3] and RNase A [EC 3.1.27.5] were used for complete determination of the total sequence. 16 base substitutions were observed between B. mori and Drosophila melanogaster 5S rRNAs.

We reported three cases with involuntary movements following pontine hemorrhage. All cases had various symptoms indicating brain-stem lesions, but the consciousness and motor functions were not severely disturbed. CT scans showed a small hematoma localized in unilateral pontine tegmentum in all cases. Intention tremor developed six to ten months after the hemorrhage when the initial neurological symptoms were almost relieved. Electromyogram (EMG) showed a rhythmic 3-4 Hz alternating or synchronized tremor pattern which was induced by finger-nose test and arm stretching. In one case which had showed bilateral horizontal gaze palsy indicating bilateral PPRF involvement in the acute stage, spontaneous vertical nystagmus was observed when the tremor developed. Electronystagmogram (ENG) and its differential calculus showed a pendular nature of the eye movement. This abnormal eye movement did not disappear while the patient was asleep. This case also developed a palatal myoclonus in the chronic stage. Magnetic resonance images (MRI's) obtained one to three years after the hemorrhage revealed a lesion localized in hemipontine tegmentum. The responsible lesion of these involuntary movements was thought to be located in pontine tegmentum from the MRI findings. The functional Prognosis of small hemorrhage in unilateral pontine tegmentum is generally good, but care should be taken for the possibility of late development of various types of involuntary movement.

Conditions were established for the separation and quantitative determination of ribonucleosides, mono- and oligo-ribonucleotides by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on columns of AS-Pellionex SAX and AL-Pellionex WAX. By combining a high-speed UV spectrum monitor with an HPLC apparatus, products of RNase digestions of oligonucleotides and 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were identified by measuring their UV spectra under continuous solvent flow, and also from their retention times on the columns (positions of elution). It took only 10 to 30 min for one chromatography run and required less than 0.01 A260 unit of sample per nucleotide material in each peak.