Invited Review Article
Replication of Influenza B Virus: Biological Functions of Viral Neuraminidase
KOICHIRO MAENO
pg(s) 1- 17
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Invited Article
Evaluation of the Order Entry System by End Users - A Step to the New Hospital Information System -
KAZUNOBU YAMAUCHI, MITSURU IKEDA, YOSHIRO SUZUKI, MASAKI ASAI, KAZUO TOYAMA and EIICHI HAYASHI
pg(s) 19- 24
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Nagoya University Hospital has developed a new, comprehensive computerized hospital administration system since April 1992. In the present study, a user's evaluation questionnaire survey on the order entry system revealed that the improvements at the human interface level were appreciated by some respondents, but not all users felt the human interface provided, adequately meets their needs. Another presumed advantage of the micro-mainframe-link architecture is fast response, but in our study respondents considered the response time too long. Most users felt that transmission of orders was fast, accurate and clear, and that fast retrieval of the results of laboratory tests was good. Our system with this kind of architecture has thus proved satisfactory except for the slow response time. This study will be useful to reengineer our hospital information system in the next phase.
Original Papers
Beneficial Effects of Iloprost on Acute Myocardial Ischemia in Dogs
NOBUTO IEDA, TATSUAKI MATSUBARA and NOBUO SAKAMOTO
pg(s) 25- 33
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The effects of intravenous administration of iloprost, a prostacyclin analogue, on myocardial energy metabolism and myocardial blood flow (MBF) were examined in anesthetized open-chest dogs subjected to 60 min of myocardial ischemia by coronary ligation. Iloprost administration at levels of 0.1 or 0.2 micrograms/kg/min was started 30 min before the commencement of ischemia and continued throughout the 90 min observation period. Since systolic aortic pressure in the iloprost 0.2 micrograms/kg/min group showed significantly lower values than that in the control group, whereas no clear effect was observed with the lower concentration (0.1 micrograms/kg/min), this latter group was further investigated. This 0.1 microgram/kg/min dose of iloprost lacked influence on MBF in both ischemic and nonischemic areas but did result in a significantly higher value for high energy phosphate contents in the ischemic myocardium. Moreover, myocardial mitochondrial respiratory function in the ischemic area was significantly improved. These results indicate that iloprost brought about preservation of myocardial energy metabolism without alteration of coronary perfusion, suggesting that it may exert a direct cardioprotective effect.
Myocardial Metabolic Markers of Total Ischemia in vitro
YOSHIHIRO KAKINUMA, TATSUAKI MATSUBARA, TATSUO HASHIMOTO and NOBUO SAKAMOTO
pg(s) 35- 42
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The influence of total ischemia on the formation of products of anaerobic metabolism was investigated in canine hearts in vitro. Contents of organic acids were quantitatively analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and high energy phosphate compounds were determined using the luciferin-luciferase enzyme system. During a 10-min period of total ischemia, myocardial creatine phosphate significantly decreased, while ATP remained unchanged as compared with preischemic values. Both 10 min and 60 min of ischemia induced significant increase in tissue succinic acid levels. In contrast, a significant increase in myocardial lactic acid content was only induced with 60 min of ischemia. The data obtained indicate that the accumulation of succinic acid may be regarded as a potential metabolic marker of myocardial total ischemia.
Correlation between Myocardial Blood Flow and Tissue Succinate during Acute Ischemia
KYOJI KATO, TATSUAKI MATSUBARA and NOBUO SAKAMOTO
pg(s) 43- 50
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This study was performed to clarify the relationship between degree plus duration of myocardial ischemia and tissue succinate or lactate contents, and to assess whether their accumulation might be a metabolic marker of ischemic myocardium. Regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured using the hydrogen gas clearance method in anesthetized open-chest dogs subjected to 10 min or 60 min of myocardial ischemia by coronary ligation. The contents of succinic acid and lactic acid in myocardium corresponding to locations of MBF measurement were quantitatively analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In severely ischemic areas with MBF less than 20 ml/min/100g, significant increases in both succinic and lactic acids were observed 10 min after coronary occlusion. Sixty min of ischemia induced significant increase in the myocardial succinic acid content not only in severely but also in moderately ischemic areas. In contrast, lactic acid was significantly increased only in the severely ischemic area 60 min after coronary occlusion. These results indicate a good correlation between degree plus duration of myocardial ischemia and tissue succinic acid content, suggesting that its accumulation in myocardium may be a reliable and sensitive metabolic marker of coronary ligation ischemia.
Medical Consultation Rate of Allergic Rhinitis and Pollinosis Surveillance in Aichi, Japan
KAZUO OZAWA, MASASHI FURUTA, MASARU MIYAO, CHIKAHIRO TERAO, MASAO KIMURA, KAORU SUGATA, HIROTO KATO and SHIN'YA YAMADA
pg(s) 51- 60
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The medical consultation rate of allergic rhinitis (AR) was analysed using Japan National Health Insurance records of Aichi Prefecture for May 1989. Data collected from 88 cities, towns and villages were tabulated and divided into five-year age groups. The standardized medical consultation rate (SMCR) of AR in each municipality was then calculated. It was found that SMCR of AR did not correlate well with the pollen count for Japanese cedars, Japanese cypresses or gramineae, respectively, but a weak correlation with the mean yearly levels of nitrogen dioxide was suggested by the data. There was a significant positive correlation between SMCR of AR and the mean yearly levels of suspended particulate matter, the major element of which is diesel exhaust particulate.
Glucose and Insulin Metabolism in Patients with Hyperthyroidism Due to Graves' Disease
TOSHIKI MANO, AKITOSHI KAWAKUBO and MASAHIRO YAMAMOTO
pg(s) 61- 68
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To clarify the impairment of carbohydrate metabolism in hyperthyroidism, we performed the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glucagon tolerance test in ten patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (GD) and in ten normal subjects. During OGTT, glucose and insulin values in the GD patients were twice as high as those in the normals. The ratio of cumulative net plasma glucose [sigma PG (0-120 minutes)] and insulin [sigma IRI (0-120 minutes)] was 0.83 +/- 0.14 and 1.14 +/- 0.25 in the GD patients and normals, respectively. During the glucagon tolerance test, plasma glucose showed lower peaks in the GD patients than in the normals. C-peptide reached a peak value at 6 min in the GD patients and at 10 min in the normals. Cyclic AMP response in the GD patients was three times greater than that in the normals. A smaller insulinogenic index and a smaller sigma PG/sigma IRI ratio in the GD patients suggest that the secretion of insulin in GD patients does not meet the demand despite the higher insulin values observed during OGTT. Greater response of cAMP, smaller and earlier peaks of C-peptide and smaller response of glucose to glucagon in the GD patients may suggest a rapid insulin turnover and a reduction of glycogen storage in the liver with hyperthyroidism.
Bacteriological Evaluation of a New Air Turbine Handpiece for Preventing Cross-Contamination in Dental Procedures
KOJI MASUDA, MICHIO OHTA, SHINJI OHSUKA, MINORU MATSUYAMA, MANDANA ASHOORI, TAKESHI USAMI, MASAO ITO, MINORU UEDA and TOSHIO KANEDA
pg(s) 69- 76
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An autoclavable air turbine handpiece, Air Flushing Clean System (AFCS) (Osada Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) was developed for use in dentistry with the objective of reducing cross-contamination. Its potential for bacterial contamination was investigated in vitro using two bacterial strains (Streptococcus mutants ATCC 25175 and Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209 P). In theory, this device should prevent cross-contamination of the internal water and air lines of the handpiece, by maintaining an internal positive pressure even after the turbine is stopped. In the present study, this AFCS device was found to reduce the bacterial contamination within the air turbine handpiece more effectively than the conventional handpiece used according to accepted protocol. The reduction of such contamination by the AFCS is in keeping with the recent objective of the American Dental Association to reduce cross-contamination during dental procedures.
Intraluminal Content is Required for the Maintenance of Antigrade Proluminal Movement of 3H-Androgens into Rat Caput Epididymal Tubules
MASANORI YAMAMOTO, HATSUKI HIBI, YOSHIKAZU TSUJI and KOJI MIYAKE
pg(s) 77- 83
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The present study was undertaken to determine whether or not antigrade, proluminal 3H-androgen movement in the caput epididymis occurs in the absence of native lumen content. A single tubule was perfused with artificial caput fluid containing no androgen-binding protein for 30 min and subsequently tubules were perifused with Minimum Essential Medium perifusion fluid containing 26.7 microCi/ml 3H-testosterone and 1.3 microCi/ml 14C-polyethyleneglycol for 1 h. Radioactivity of isotopes in perifusion and intraluminal fluids was determined at 1 h after sustaining perifusion, and the percentage of peritubular isotopes appearing in the intraluminal fluid was determined. Net entry of 3H-androgen into the epididymal tubules in the presence of native intraluminal content was approximately 323%. In contrast, intraluminal 3H-androgen concentrations in the epididymal fluid in the absence of native lumen content were significantly reduced, to 100% of those in the peritubular fluid. Antigrade, proluminal movement of 3H-androgen in the caput epididymis does not occur in the absence of native lumen content. Androgen-binding protein in the epididymal lumen may be required to maintain uphill proluminal movement of 3H-androgen into the tubules.
Abstracts
Annual Reaearch Meeting for Graduate Students: Nagoya, December 1993
pg(s)85-93
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