bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and C3 glomerulonephritis: Frequency, clinical features, and outcome in children
Authors: Okuda Yusuke , Ishikura Kenji , Hamada Riku , Harada Ryoko , Sakai Tomoyuki , Hamasaki Yuko , Hataya Hiroshi , Fukuzawa Ryuji , Ogata Kentaro , Honda Masataka
Published: December 2014

Aim

C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) is a recently described disease that is related to membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). We retrospectively compared the frequencies, clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes of C3GN and MPGN in a cohort of Japanese children.

Methods

Children who were pathologically diagnosed with MPGN (type I or III) in our hospital were divided into two groups based on immunofluorescence imaging of renal biopsies: children with MPGN induced by classical complement pathway activation (classical MPGN) and children with C3GN.

Results

Of 14 children with MPGN (five boys), four had classical MPGN, eight had C3GN, and two had unclassifiable glomerulonephritis. Four children with classical MPGN and seven with C3GN received methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone for 2 years (MPT+PSL therapy). Subsequently, six of seven children with C3GN received combined therapy (prednisolone, azathioprine, and anticoagulants) for 2 years because they responded poorly to MPT+PSL therapy. At the last follow‐up visit, two children with classical MPGN and seven with C3GN had not achieved remission. One child with classical MPGN and five with C3GN had hypocomplementaemia at the last follow‐up. None of the children had renal impairment.

Conclusion

More than half of the patients previously diagnosed with MPGN fulfilled the criteria for C3GN in children. C3GN may be more refractory than classical MPGN to immunosuppressant therapy.
Prevalence of mental illness, intellectual disability, and developmental disability among homeless people in Nagoya, Japan: A case series study
Authors: Nishio Akihiro , Yamamoto Mayumi , Ueki Hirofumi , Watanabe Takahiro , Matsuura Kenshin , Tamura Osamu , Uehara Ryosuke , Shioiri Toshiki
Published: December 2014

Aim

While it has been reported that the prevalence of mental illness is higher in homeless people than in the national population, few studies have investigated the prevalence of intellectual and developmental disability among the homeless. In this study, we conducted a survey to comprehensively assess these mental problems among homeless people in Nagoya, Japan.

Methods

The subjects were 18 homeless men. Mental illness was diagnosed with semi‐structured interviews conducted by psychiatrists. We used the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III to diagnose intellectual disability. Discrepancies between Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III subtest scores were used as criteria for developmental disability.

Results

Eleven of the 18 participants were diagnosed with mental illness: six with mood disorder, two with psychotic disorder, and six with alcohol problems. The mean IQ of all subjects was 83.4 ± 27.4. The 95% confidence interval (CI) was 96.2–69.1. Seven participants were found to have intellectual disability. Three men showed discrepancies of more than 10 between subtest scores, and all of them were diagnosed with a mental illness. We divided the participants into four groups: those with mental illness only; those with intellectual disability only; those with both problems; and those without diagnosis. The men with intellectual disability only were significantly younger and had been homeless since a younger age than the other groups. Participants diagnosed with a mental illness had been homeless for longer than those without mental health problems.

Conclusion

Although the sample size was limited, this study revealed the high prevalence of mental illness and intellectual disability, 61% (95%CI, 35–83%) and 39% (95%CI, 17–64%), respectively, in homeless people in Nagoya, Japan.
Distribution and accumulation of cassava brown streak viruses within infected cassava (Manihot esculenta) plants
Authors: Ogwok E. , Alicai T. , Rey M. E. C. , Beyene G. , Taylor N.J.
Published: December 2014

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), caused by Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV), ranks among the top seven biological threats to global food security. The disease poses a significant threat to cassava production in East and Central Africa (ECA). In Uganda, overall CBSD incidence increased by c. 20% since it re‐emerged in 2004, and the disease persistently reduces cassava yields and storage root qualities. The spread of CBSD has been studied spatially in fields in different agroecologies. However, within‐host distribution and accumulation of CBSV and UCBSV in naturally infected cassava plants is unknown. Therefore, within‐host CBSV and UCBSV distribution was studied to correlate CBSD symptoms with virus titre in organs of infected cassava. Leaf, stem and storage root samples, with and without symptoms, were collected from 10 genotypes of field‐grown cassava. Presence of CBSV and UCBSV was detected by RT‐PCR and virus levels determined by qRT‐PCR. CBSV was present in 100% of CBSD samples with symptoms, with 45·3% positive for presence of both CBSV and UCBSV. Tolerant cassava genotypes were infected with CBSV alone and accumulated higher titre in roots than in aerial organs. Susceptible genotypes were co‐infected with CBSV and UCBSV and exhibited variation in virus titre in each organ. Across genotypes, virus titre was lowest in the youngest leaves and highest in mature non‐senescing leaves. This information provides insight into the relationship between CBSV, UCBSV and their cassava host, and is valuable for CBSD resistance breeding, epidemiology studies and CBSD control.
Emotion, sighing, and respiratory variability
Authors: Vlemincx Elke , Van Diest Ilse , Van den Bergh Omer
Published: December 2014

How dimensions of emotion affect respiratory regulation assessed by respiratory variability and sighing is unknown. The present studies aimed to investigate the effects of emotional valence and arousal on respiratory variability and sigh rate. Within subjects, emotions were induced by picture viewing in a first experiment, and script‐driven mental imagery in a second experiment. Respiration was measured throughout the experiment, while valence, arousal, and dominance ratings were assessed after each trial. Negative and/or high‐arousal emotions increased sigh rates and respiratory variability during picture viewing and imagery. Only depression imagery, however, decreased correlated variability (and only in minute ventilation). Fear imagery particularly increased variability in end‐tidal carbon dioxide and expiratory time. These findings show that dimensions of emotion importantly influence respiratory regulation.
Plant–microbe interactions change along a tallgrass prairie restoration chronosequence
Authors: Herzberger Anna J. , Meiners Scott J. , Towey J. Brian , Butts Paula A. , Armstrong Daniel L.
Published: December 2014

Soil microbial communities are critical in determining the performance and density of species in plant communities. However, their role in regulating the success of restorations is much less clear. This study assessed the ability of soil microbial communities to regulate the growth and performance of two potentially dominant grasses and two common forbs in tallgrass prairie restorations. Specifically, we examined the effects of soil microbial communities along a restoration chronosequence from agricultural fields to remnant prairies using experimentally inoculated soils. The two grass species, Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans, grew best with the agricultural inoculates and experienced a decline in performance in later stages of the chronosequence, indicating that the microbial community shifted from being beneficial to grasses in the early stages to inhibiting grasses in the later stages of restoration. Growth of the forb, Silphium terebinthinaceum, varied little with inoculation or position along the restoration chronosequence. Growth of Baptisia leucantha, a legume, appeared limited by nodule formation in agricultural soils, peaked in young restoration soils along with nodule formation, but decreased in older soils as the microbial community became more antagonistic. Overall, negative feedbacks tended to be less important early in restoration, but appeared important in remnant and older restored prairies. Our results provide evidence that it may be advantageous for management practices to take negative soil feedbacks into consideration when trying to recreate the diversity of tallgrass prairies.
Latest evidence on using hormone replacement therapy in the menopause
Authors: Bakour Shagaf H , Williamson Jennifer
Published: December 2014

Key content

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most effective treatment for symptoms of estrogen deficiency. When HRT is individually tailored women gain maximum advantages and the risks are minimised.

Several types and regimens of HRT and different routes of delivery exist. Results from studies using only one type and route may not therefore apply to all users.

The use of HRT is an individual decision, which a woman can only make once she has been given correct information and advice from healthcare professionals.

HRT should be recommended in women with premature ovarian insufficiency with advice to continue until the average age of the menopause at 51.4 years.

Learning objectives

To review the current research and the evidence on the use of HRT in women.

Application of the evidence in relation to the management of the symptomatic menopausal woman.

To promote confidence in prescribing HRT in most symptomatic women.

To have a general overview of prescribing in women with relative contraindications.

Ethical issues

The use of HRT is a patient informed choice.

Where evidence is limited and quality of life a priority, then a multidisciplinary approach may be necessary and informed written consent documented.
In vitro function of platelets treated with ultraviolet C light for pathogen inactivation: a comparative study with nonirradiated and gamma‐irradiated platelets
Authors: Tynngård Nahreen , Trinks Marie , Berlin Gösta
Published: December 2014

Background

During storage of platelet concentrates (PCs) replication of contaminating pathogens might occur, which can be prevented by various pathogen inactivation (PI) methods using photoactive substances in combination with ultraviolet (UV) light. A new method uses only UVC light for PI without photoactive substances. This study evaluates the in vitro function, including hemostatic properties (clot formation and elasticity), of platelets (PLTs) treated with UVC light.

Study Design and Methods

A PC with 35% plasma and 65% PLT additive solution (SSP+) was prepared from five buffy coats. Three PCs were pooled and divided into 3 units. One unit was used as a nonirradiated control, the second was a gamma‐irradiated control, and the third unit was treated with UVC light. In vitro variables including analysis of coagulation by free oscillation rheometry were analyzed on Days 1, 5, and 7 of storage. Ten units in each group were investigated.

Results

Swirling was well preserved, and the pH level was higher than the reference limit (6.4) during storage of PLTs in all groups. Glycolysis and PLT activation were higher for UVC‐treated PLTs but the clot‐forming capacity was unaffected. However, immediately after UVC treatment, the clot elastic properties were slightly affected. Hypotonic shock response decreased immediately after UVC treatment but recovered partly during the storage period.

Conclusion

UVC treatment affected the in vitro properties, but PLT quality and storage stability were well preserved for up to 7 days, and the in vitro hemostatic capacity of UVC‐treated PLTs was only minimally altered. The clinical relevance of these changes needs to be evaluated in controlled trials.
A multicenter study of plasma use in the United States
Authors: Triulzi Darrell , Gottschall Jerome , Murphy Edward , Wu Yanyun , Ness Paul , Kor Daryl , Roubinian Nareg , Fleischmann Debra , Chowdhury Dhuly , Brambilla Donald ,   NHLBI Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study‐III (REDS‐III)
Published: December 2014

Background

Detailed information regarding plasma use in the United States is needed to identify opportunities for practice improvement and design of clinical trials of plasma therapy.

Study Design and Methods

Ten US hospitals collected detailed medical information from the electronic health records for 1 year (2010‐2011) for all adult patients transfused with plasma.

Results

A total of 72,167 units of plasma were transfused in 19,596 doses to 9269 patients. The median dose of plasma was 2 units (interquartile range, 2‐4; range 1‐72); 15% of doses were 1 unit, and 45% were 2 units. When adjusted by patient body weight (kg), the median dose was 7.3 mL/kg (interquartile range, 5.5‐12.0). The median pretransfusion international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.9 (25%‐75% interquartile range, 1.6‐2.6). A total of 22.5% of plasma transfusions were given to patients with an INR of less than 1.6 and 48.5% for an INR of 2.0 or more. The median posttransfusion INR was 1.6 (interquartile range, 1.4‐2.0). Only 42% of plasma transfusions resulted in a posttransfusion INR of less than 1.6. Correction of INR increased as the plasma dose increased from 1 to 4 units (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the INR response to different types of plasma. The most common issue locations were general ward (38%) and intensive care unit (ICU; 42%).

Conclusion

This large database describing plasma utilization in the United States provides evidence for both inadequate dosing and unnecessary transfusion. Measures to improve plasma transfusion practice and clinical trials should be directed at patients on medical and surgical wards and in the ICU where plasma is most commonly used.
Therapeutic efficacy of autologous platelet‐rich plasma and polydeoxyribonucleotide on female pattern hair loss
Authors: Lee Si‐Hyung , Zheng Zhenlong , Kang Jin‐Soo , Kim Do‐Young , Oh Sang Ho , Cho Sung Bin
Published: December 2014

Autologous platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) exerts positive therapeutic effects on hair thickness and density in patients with pattern hair loss. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of intra‐perifollicular autologous PRP and polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) injections in treating female pattern hair loss (FPHL). Twenty FPHL patients were treated with a single session of PRP injection, followed by 12 sessions of PDRN intra‐perifollicular injection, along the scalp at weekly intervals. Additionally, another 20 FPHL patients were treated with 12 sessions of PDRN injection only. Meanwhile, one half of the backs of two rabbits was injected with the PRP preparation, while the other half was injected with phosphate buffered saline as a control. Tissue samples from the rabbits were analyzed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Compared with baseline values, patients treated with PRP and PDRN injections exhibited clinical improvement in mean hair counts (23.2 ± 15.5%; p < 0.001) and mean hair thickness (16.8 ± 10.8%; p < 0.001). In addition, patients treated with the 12 sessions of intra‐perifollicular PDRN injection alone also showed clinical improvement in mean hair counts (17.9 ± 13.2%; p < 0.001) and mean hair thickness (13.5 ± 10.7%; p < 0.001). Comparison analyses between the two groups revealed that combined therapy with PRP and PDRN induces greater improvement in hair thickness than treatment with PDRN therapy alone (p = 0.031), but not in hair counts (p > 0.05). The pilot animal study revealed significant up‐regulation of WNT, platelet‐derived growth factor, and fibroblast growth factor expression in rabbit skin treated with the PRP preparation, compared with control skin. In conclusion, intra‐perifollicular injections of autologous PRP and/or PDRN generate improvements in hair thickness and density in FPHL patients.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE THYROID GLAND TO MUSCULAR WORK PERFORMED BY THE ALBINO RAT
Authors: Cox L. W.
Published: December 2014

1. Muscular work performed by the sciatic nerve‐gastrocnemius muscle preparation in the anæthetised rat is recorded when normal, high, and low thyroid hormone levels are present.

2. Hypothyroid animals performed less work than normal animals.

3. Hyperthyroid animals performed less work than normal animals.

4. Thyroidectomized animals, with iodine added to the diet, performed work at a rate not significantly different from normal animals.

5. All animals on which thyroidectomy had been performed, showed a phase of sustained contraction, lasting ¼ to 2 hours, at the commencement of the experiment. This phase was not due to hypocalcæmia, and possibly was not due to defective neuro‐muscular transmission.

6. No animal, normal or abnormal in thyroid metabolism under the conditions stated, showed muscular fatigue during the twenty hours of the experiment.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PENETRATION OF THE SKIN BY CHEMICAL AGENTS
Authors: Culliumbine H.
Published: December 2014

Using the common vesicants, mustard gas and lewisite, a study has been made of the factors influencing penetration of the skin. It has been concluded that penetration is facilitated by the presence of moisture on the skin and is hindered by the presence of fat. Defatting the surface of the skin will increase penetration, while active sweating with evaporation reduces penetration. The influence of a rise in external temperature is more complex, depending on whether the sweat is allowed to evaporate away and the degree of hyperæmia produced.
Spatial and temporal summation in impaired regions of the visual field
Authors: Wilson M. E.
Published: December 2014

1. Spatial and temporal summation have been measured in perimetrically impaired regions of the visual field. Two classes of impairment have been studied: that resulting from lesions in the pre‐geniculate visual pathways, and that resulting from post‐geniculate lesions (optic radiation and/or striate cortex).

2. Control measurements were made in the perimetrically normal visual fields of subjects without visual pathway damage.

3. Spatial summation was found altered in all impaired visual fields: the greater the threshold elevation produced by the lesion, the more nearly complete was spatial summation.

4. The above relation between threshold and spatial summation has also been given numerical form. This has been shown to be very nearly identical to the threshold—spatial summation relation which is seen as stimuli are increasingly peripherally presented in normal visual fields.

5. It has been shown that the alterations of spatial summation brought about by a lesion are found only in those parts of the visual field which are perimetrically impaired: spatial summation is always normal in perimetrically normal regions of a visual field, even if other parts of the same field show impairment.

6. Temporal summation has been found altered in visual fields impaired by post‐geniculate lesions: the greater the threshold elevation produced by the lesion, the more nearly complete was temporal summation. These changes in temporal summation were found only in perimetrically impaired regions of the field.

7. Temporal summation was normal in visual fields impaired by pregeniculate lesions.
The response of single units in the caudate nucleus to peripheral stimulation
Authors: Sedgwick E. M. , Williams T. D.
Published: December 2014

1. Extra‐ and intracellular recordings have been made of single units in the caudate nucleus of the cat, anaesthetized with alpha chloralose.

2. Pentobarbitone was shown to depress the spontaneous activity and responses of units in the caudate nucleus.

3. Spontaneous activity of units usually took the form of single spikes or bursts of up to four spikes occurring every 100‐300 msec.

4. The response to electrical stimulation of limb nerves was a burst of 1‐4 spikes after a latency of about 30 msec. Convergence from all four limbs on to single units was observed. It is shown that muscle afferents do not cause these responses.

5. Post stimulus histograms of spontaneously active units show, following stimulation of the limb nerves, recurring cycles of excitation and inhibition at a rate of 3‐4 c/s and lasting for several seconds. It is suggested that each stimulus synchronizes the normally rhythmic spontaneous activity.

6. Similar responses have been obtained following stimulation by clicks and flashes of light.

7. Stimulation of the ipsilateral cerebral cortex gave excitatory and inhibitory responses similar to those described above.

8. Possible mechanisms for these responses and their significance are discussed.
Inhibition of gastrointestinal movement by sympathetic nerve stimulation: the site of action
Authors: Gershon M. D.
Published: December 2014

1. The mechanism of sympathetic nervous inhibition of gastrointestinal movement was investigated in order to determine whether the primary action of sympathetic nerve stimulation was on ganglia or on the smooth muscle itself.

2. The effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation did not resemble the effect of ganglionic blockade or that of removing all nervous tone with tetrodotoxin.

3. The same frequency of sympathetic nerve stimulation to the rabbit jejunum which inhibited the myogenic spontaneous activity blocked excitatory responses to transmural post‐ganglionic cholinergic nerve stimulation and antagonized contractions in response to drugs acting directly on the smooth muscle.

4. Acetylcholine output was measured as an indicator of post‐ganglionic nervous activity. In contrast to hexamethonium, stimulation of sympathetic nerves at frequencies of stimulation sufficient to relax the muscle did not reduce the output of acetylcholine.

5. Vagus nerves and sympathetic nerves to the guinea‐pig stomach were stimulated individually and simultaneously in the presence of hyoscine. The relaxant responses to stimulation of the two nerves summated when they were stimulated simultaneously, indicating that the transganglionic vagal pathway was not blocked.

6. It is concluded that the effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation is due to the direct action of the released noradrenaline on the smooth muscle.
Fusimotor stimulation and the dynamic sensitivity of the secondary ending of the muscle spindle
Authors: Brown M. C. , Engberg I. , Matthews P. B. C.
Published: December 2014

The response of secondary endings of de‐efferented muscle spindles in the soleus muscle of the anaesthetized cat was recorded during stretching of the muscle at velocities of 5‐30 mm/sec. Stimulation of single fusimotor fibres, most and probably all of which were static fusimotor fibres, produced no appreciable change in the normally small dynamic sensitivity of these endings.
Resting and spike potentials of skeletal muscle fibres of salt water elasmobranch and teleost fish
Authors: Hagiwara Susumu , Takahashi Kunitaro
Published: December 2014

1. Membrane properties of the muscle fibre were studied in twitch motor system of sea‐water elasmobranch (Taeniura lymma, Himantura uarnak and Pastinachus sephen) and teleost fish (Periophthalmodon barbarus, Tetradon immaculata, Hemiramphus welsby, Parexocoetus brachypterus and Conger labiatus).

2. The resting potential of the elasmobranch fibre is mainly determined by the Cl− concentration difference between inside and outside the membrane whereas the K+ conductance is the determining factor in teleost fibres.

3. The resting membrane of the elasmobranch fibre is permeable not only to Cl− ions but also several other anions (Br−, I−, NO3−, SCN−, ClO4−, ClO3−) of large limiting conductivities in the aqueous solution.

4. The spike potential of the elasmobranch fibre always shows a significant overshoot in normal saline while no significant overshoot is generally found in teleost fibres.

5. In both elasmobranchs and teleosts the spike is produced by the permeability increase of the membrane to Na+ ions and is effectively suppressed by tetrodotoxin at a concentration of 0·5‐1·0 × 10−7 g/ml. of the external solution with one exception, i.e. the Na+ spike of Tetradon fibre is not suppressed by the toxin even when the concentration is above 5 × 10−4 g/ml.
Active transport of ions by the gastric mucosa of the rabbit foetus
Authors: Kendall Anne , Wright G. H.
Published: December 2014

1. The short‐circuit current and absolute fluxes of Na+ and Cl− across the gastric mucosa of the 28‐day rabbit foetus have been measured in vitro.

2. Substitution of Na+ in the solution bathing the mucosal surface by choline ion or K+ resulted in a 70% decrease in short‐circuit current which was reversed when Na+ was restored to the mucosal solution. The portion of the short‐circuit current dependent on the presence of Na+ in the mucosal solution was found to be equivalent to the net flux of Na+ from mucosa to serosa.

3. The net flux of Cl− from serosa to mucosa was compared with the short‐circuit current persisting when Na+ had been replaced in the mucosal solution. Averaged results from sixteen experiments indicated that the net flux of Cl− was equivalent to 166% of the Na+ independent short‐circuit current.

4. The results indicated that the component of short‐circuit current associated with acid secretion was independent of the presence of Na+ in the mucosal solution.

5. The small scale of the experiments and the secretion of mucus by the preparation did not permit successful simultaneous measurement of H+ secretion and short‐circuit current.

6. Replacement of Cl− by SO42- or glucuronate in the solutions on both sides did not result in a reversal or decrease in magnitude of the Na+ independent short‐circuit current, even after allowing time for the tissue to become depleted of Cl−. It is suggested that a non‐specific active anion transport was occurring.
S‐potential and dark adaptation in fish
Authors: Naka K. I. , Rushton W. A. H.
Published: December 2014

1. The change in d.c. level of the S‐space was investigated during dark adaptation to see if there is any correlation between the d.c. level and log sensitivity.

2. Except for a few minutes after strong adaptation the d.c. level of the S‐space was found unchanged throughout dark adaptation.

3. The maximal excursion of the potential (the ceiling) also remained unchanged during the light and dark adaptation.

4. Changes in the sensitivity in dark adaptation were found formally equivalent simply to a change in the unit of light intensity.

5. Thus adaptations to bleaching or to the equivalent background are entirely different in the effect on S‐potentials.
Evidence for the vesicle hypothesis
Authors: Hubbard J. I. , Kwanbunbumpen Suthiwan
Published: December 2014

1. The relationship of synaptic vesicles to the synaptic cleft was examined with the electron microscope at neuromuscular junctions in the rat diaphragm before and after bathing the preparation in a physiological salt solution for 2 hr.

2. A population of vesicles was defined which appeared to ‘touch’ the axoplasmic membrane. These vesicles were found to be aggregated adjacent to axoplasmic densities which lay opposite the mouths of post‐synaptic junctional folds.

3. Soaking in the salt solution and modifications of this solution increased the proportion of folds opposed by presynaptic densities with associated vesicles.

4. Soaking in solutions with 20 m
M‐KCl depleted both the specific vesicle population and the whole population of terminal vesicles. The effect was shown in paired experiments to be a specific effect of the 20 m
M‐KCl, and it was prevented by a concomitant increase of the bathing MgCl2 concentration.

5. Soaking in solutions with a raised osmotic pressure reduced the specific but not the general vesicle population.

6. It is suggested that these observations support the vesicle hypothesis and that the specific vesicle population forms part of a feed‐back mechanism adjusting transmitter synthesis and mobilization to the rate of release of transmitter.
Release by tubocurarine of dopamine and homovanillic acid from the superfused caudate nucleus
Authors: Portig P. J. , Sharman D. F. , Vogt Marthe
Published: December 2014

1. The release of dopamine and its metabolite homovanillic acid from the ‘superfused’ caudate nucleus was studied in the cat. Fluorimetric assay of the two compounds was carried out on 30 min samples of artificial cerebrospinal fluid perfused through the anterior horn of one lateral ventricle.

2. When tubocurarine 0·5 or 1 × 10−4 g/ml. was added to the perfusion fluid, amounts of dopamine of the order of 0·1 ng/min, and very much larger quantities of homovanillic acid (up to 8 ng/min) appeared in the perfusing fluid.

3. No release of dopamine was obtained under conditions when tubocurarine failed to produce any clinical signs or when gallamine was substituted for tubocurarine.
Factors modifying renal tubular bicarbonate reabsorption in the dog
Authors: Ullmann Elisabeth
Published: December 2014

1. Acute experiments were carried out on anaesthetized dogs during metabolic alkalosis produced by
I.V. administration of NaHCO3. Partial constriction of one ureter led to a significant rise in the HCO3− threshold, beyond the simultaneous value for the other kidney. The magnitude of the increase was not correlated with the reduction of glomerular filtration.

2. Stop‐flow analysis, following complete unilateral obstruction of urine flow, demonstrated proximal as well as distal tubular reabsorption of bicarbonate. At any given plasma PCO2 the detailed configuration of the concentration changes which developed depended on (a) the presence and concentration of mannitol, (b) the duration of urinary stasis, and (c) the plasma concentration of HCO3−.

3. If a solution containing 15% (w/v) mannitol was infused
I.V., the HCO3− concentration in free flow urine was lower than in plasma, and it fell further during arrest of flow in the entire column of trapped fluid. If less mannitol was infused, or none at all, interruption of urine flow led to a striking increase of HCO3− concentration in the distal portion of the occluded column, and to a fall in the fluid arrested in the proximal segments.

4. It was demonstrated that the HCO3− concentration attained after 2½, 6, or 15 min of urinary stasis at any point in the trapped fluid column was due to the combined effects of water reabsorption and HCO3− reabsorption which proceeded independently, and with a different time course.

5. If mannitol was administered the lowest urinary HCO3− concentration in the series moved progressively to a more distal location with increasing duration of urinary stasis. When HCO3− concentration peaks were present in distal fluid they were conspicuous only after short interruptions of urine flow; during extended stop‐flow periods they became attenuated, or disappeared. If no mannitol was administered this did not occur.

6. Provided the plasma level of HCO3− was sufficiently elevated, mannitol (15%, w/v) was administered, and the time available for reabsorption was lengthened by ureter obstruction, much larger concentration differences between plasma and trapped fluid developed than the largest that are ever found between the plasma and freely draining urine. The magnitude of the largest plasma—urine (P—U) concentration difference for HCO3− increased with intratubular ‘contact time’, and no limiting value was found.

7. Potassium concentration in distal occluded fluid fell with prolonged duration of stasis. This was related to the slow and progressive diminution of distal HCO3− concentration. But if instead of bicarbonate a nonreabsorbable anion, such as phosphate, was the dominant distal anion, K+ concentration in distal fractions remained high and rose further with time.
Vasomotor responses in the hind limbs of foetal and new‐born lambs to asphyxia and aortic chemoreceptor stimulation
Authors: Dawes G. S. , Lewis B. V. , Milligan J. E. , Roach Margot R. , Talner N. S.
Published: December 2014

1. Hind limb blood flow was measured in lambs of from 91 days gestation (delivered by Caesarean section) to 1 month after birth (term is about 147 days), under chloralose anaesthesia. Vascular resistance/100 g wet wt. increased progressively with age. There was reflex femoral vascular tone from the earliest age studied, as shown by vasodilatation on cutting the sciatic nerve.

2. On asphyxia by cord occlusion reflex femoral vasoconstriction began earlier and was somewhat greater in older foetal lambs. At all ages, and after denervation of the hind limb, there was vasodilatation after local ischaemia, and a vasoconstriction of delayed onset during asphyxia attributed to release of noradrenaline into the circulation. The vasoconstrictor effect of noradrenaline in immature lambs was at least as great as at term or in the new‐born.

3. Injections of minimal effective doses of cyanide were used to localize possible chemoreceptor sites in foetal lambs. Injection into the left atrium caused a rise of arterial pressure, femoral vasoconstriction and a complex change in heart rate (usually bradycardia) but rarely any respiratory movement. After atropine, cyanide caused a large tachycardia. All responses were much reduced or abolished by cervical vagotomy.

4. Injection of the same doses of cyanide into a jugular vein, the right ventricle, pulmonary or common carotid arteries of foetal lambs caused negligible cardiovascular or respiratory effects, whereas injection into the carotids of new‐born lambs caused a profound hyperpnoea.

5. It is concluded that the aortic chemoreceptors are active in the foetus, are supplied from the left heart, and that they probably represent the primary defence in blood gas homeostasis by their effects on the circulation.
Water and sodium absorption in the human intestine
Authors: Love A. H. G. , Mitchell T. G. , Phillips R. A.
Published: December 2014

1. Studies are reported of total intestinal perfusion in man in which data relating to the absorptive capacity for water and sodium, flow rate transit time and intestinal volume have been obtained.

2. A 'bolus' of radiosodium added to the steady‐state perfusion has allowed measurement of bidirectional fluxes of sodium ion across the mucosa to be determined.

3. The values obtained agree closely with those that can be predicted from small segmental studies reported in the literature.

4. Increasing absorption capacity with increasing flow rate does not seem to reflect a true increase in absorption per unit of intestine but rather a progression to more nearly continuous flow conditions.
Effect on temperature of 5‐hydroxytryptamine injected into the cerebral ventricles of cats
Authors: Banerjee U. , Burks T. F. , Feldberg W.
Published: December 2014

1. In unanaesthetized cats the effect on rectal temperature was examined of 5‐HT injected through a Collison cannula chronically implanted into the left lateral ventricle. The response depended on the amount of 5‐HT injected and on the solvent employed.

2. An intraventricular injection of 200 μg 5‐HT creatinine sulphate dissolved in 0·9% NaCl solution resulted in a long‐lasting rise often interrupted initially by a transient fall in temperature.

3. This fall became more prominent with larger doses of 5‐HT; even more when the 5‐HT was dissolved in distilled water, and then the hyperthermic effect was attenuated.

4. It is concluded that intraventricular 5‐HT raises rectal temperature in cats when the amount is not too large, and that a hypothermic effect when it occurs results from paralysis of cells in the anterior hypothalamus which are excited by small doses. This would be similar to the actions of acetylcholine in the perfused superior cervical ganglion of the cat, where small doses excite but large doses paralyse the ganglion cells.

5. An intraventricular injection of distilled water produced a steady rise in temperature which is attributed to release of 5‐HT.
Adaptation in the goldfish retina
Authors: Easter S. S.
Published: December 2014

1. Isolated photopic goldfish retinas were stimulated and adapted by red light, and the spike activity of single ganglion cells was monitored by micro‐electrodes.

2. A unit's threshold to illumination of one part of its receptive field was often raised by adapting spots which fell elsewhere. An adapting spot of fixed area and intensity always desensitized the unit most when focused at the test position.

3. When adapting and testing spots were given concentrically, the large adapting spots raised the test threshold more than the smaller adapting spots, even though all completely covered the test spot. Quantitative considerations rule out scattered light as an explanation; there must be a neural mechanism, an adaptation pool, which sets the sensitivity on the basis of quanta received over a field hundreds of microns in diameter.

4. The desensitization is a non‐linear function of area and intensity.

5. The adaptation pool's field is not coincident with the ganglion cell's receptive field.
Factors affecting the conductivity of pathways in the cerebral cortex
Authors: Bliss T. V. P. , Burns B. Delisle , Uttley A. M.
Published: December 2014

1. We have investigated the conductivity of neural pathways in slabs of unanaesthetized, isolated, cerebral cortex, cut from the isolated forebrains of twenty‐five cats.

2. Neurones within the isolated area were indirectly excited, either by a small electrode thrust into the subcortical white matter, or by remote stimulation of the pial surface. Sometimes a small electrode was employed for intracortical stimulation.

3. The response of single neurones to these stimuli was recorded with extracellular micropipettes. Submaximal stimuli produced a stochastic response which was measured from the post‐stimulus histogram (PSH) and provided an estimate of the probability of discharge at various times after the stimulus.

4. The PSH often displayed several discrete humps of different latencies, indicating several pathways between stimulated and recording point. Conductivity measurements were usually restricted to the pathway of shortest latency.

5. The conductivity of a pathway was defined as C = xy/x, averaged over 1 or 2 min, where

x = frequency of afferent test volleys,

xy = frequency of response: i.e. of those action potentials contained within a well‐defined hump of the PSH,

(y = frequency of all discharges of the recorded neurone).

6. The progress of conductivity was tested with some constant form of cortical stimulation, repeated at regular intervals of 1‐5 sec. Reliable results were obtained for twenty‐six pathways subjected to thirty‐eight experiments.

7. Temporary alteration of x, y or xy (conditioning with Δx, Δy or Δxy), for a period of 6‐25 min, often caused a subsequent change in the conductivity (ΔC) of a pathway which sometimes attenuated with a time constant of about 10 min, but which could persist without detectable attenuation for 20‐30 min.

8. Conditioning periods less than 6 min rarely produced changes in conductivity; alterations of conductivity were more likely to be caused by conditioning periods longer than 17 min, than by periods of 6‐16 min.

9. Changes in conductivity were usually correlated

negatively with temporary changes in xy,

negatively with temporary changes in x,

positively with temporary changes in y.

10. Nineteen of twenty‐six pathways tested showed properties consistent with the formula [Formula: see text], where

G1 lies between ‐1·0 and ‐0·16, with mean value ‐0·50,

G2 lies between 0 and 0·42, with mean value +0·12,

G3 lies between ‐0·61 and 0 with mean value ‐0·38,

K is a coefficient which is usually different for each experiment.

Four out of twenty‐six pathways so tested provided results which did not fit this formula; three out of twenty‐six pathways did not give adequate information.
Influence of intragastric pH on electrolyte secretion by the guinea‐pig stomach
Authors: James R. M. V.
Published: December 2014

1. A technique is described for the continuous assessment of acid secretion by the guinea‐pig gastric mucosa at selected levels of intragastric pH.

2. The rate of hydrogen ion secretion increases linearly with pH over the intragastric range of pH 4·4 to 9·4. Sodium and potassium secretions are not clearly related to pH. Outputs of both chloride and bicarbonate rise as pH is increased.

3. The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide reversibly reduces rapid rates of acid secretion as occur when gastric contents are maintained at pH 10.

4. Alkali stimulated acid output is not inhibited by atropine (2 mg/kg) and probably results directly from increased carbonic anhydrase activity as the in vitro activity of the enzyme may be correlated with the rate of acid secretion over a wide range of pH.
Adipose tissue and heat production in the new‐born ox (Bos taurus)
Authors: Jenkinson D. McEwan , Noble R. C. , Thompson G. E.
Published: December 2014

1. A histological examination of adipose tissue from 1‐ and 6‐day‐old calves showed a structure typical of white adipose tissue and no evidence of brown adipose tissue.

2. Infusion of noradrenaline (1·0 μg/kg.min
I.V.) into 1‐to 6‐day‐old calves affected heart rate and respiratory rate but did not increase heat production, rectal temperature, skin temperature or skin evaporative loss.

3. Cold exposure led to shivering and an increased oxygen consumption in the 6‐day‐old calf.

4. Blood samples taken from 6‐day‐old calves in the cold (‐1° C) appeared to have a higher proportion of unesterified fatty acids in the total blood lipid than samples taken in an environment of 20° C, but no change in fatty acid composition was found.

5. It has been concluded that there is no non‐shivering thermogenesis in the young calf.
On the mechanism by which calcium and magnesium affect the release of transmitter by nerve impulses
Authors: Hubbard J. I. , Jones S. F. , Landau E. M.
Published: December 2014

1. The relationship between the quantal content of end‐plate potentials (e.p.p.s) and the bathing [Ca] and [Mg] was determined at neuromuscular junctions in the rat diaphragm in vitro.

2. E.p.p.s were recorded intracellularly from preparations exposed to solutions with [Ca] between 0·05 and 10 m
M and [Mg] between 0·1 and 12·5 m
M. The quantal content of e.p.p.s was increased by raising the [Ca] over this range and decreased by raising the [Mg]. There appeared to be competition of Mg with Ca at three sites in the nerve terminal membrane.

3. A kinetic scheme based on competition of Ca and Mg at three sites could quantitatively explain the effects of Ca and Mg upon the quantal content of e.p.p.s and also the effects of these ions upon miniature end‐plate potential frequency.
Rate limiting processes in the bohr shift in human red cells
Authors: Forster R. E. , Steen J. B.
Published: December 2014

1. The rates of the Bohr shift of human red cells and some of its constituent reactions have been studied with a modified Hartridge—Roughton rapid reaction apparatus using an oxygen electrode to measure the progress of the reaction.

2. The rate of the Bohr shift was compatible with the hypothesis that the transfer of H+ across the membrane by means of CO2 exchange and reaction with buffers is generally the rate‐limiting step.

(a) When the Bohr off‐reaction was produced by a marked increase in PCO2 around the cells, the half‐time at 37° C was 0·12 sec. In this case CO2 was available initially to diffuse into the cells, the process being predominantly limited by the rate of intracellular CO2 hydration.

(b) When the Bohr off‐shift was produced by an increase of [H+] outside the cell, PCO2 being low and equal within and outside the cells, the half time became 0·31 sec. In this case, even at the start, the H2CO3 formed by the almost instantaneous neutralization reaction of H+ and HCO3− had to dehydrate to form CO2 and this in turn had to diffuse into and react within the red cell before the [HbO2] could change. When a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor was added to slow the CO2 reaction inside the cell, the half‐time rose to 10 sec.

(c) The Bohr off‐shift in a haemolysed cell suspension produced by an increase in PCO2 appeared to be limited by the rate at which the CO2 could hydrate to form H+.

3. The Bohr off‐shift has an average Q10 of 2·5 between 42·5 and 28° C with an activation energy of 8000 cal.

4. The pronounced importance of the CO2‐bicarbonate system for rapid intracellular pH changes is discussed in connexion with some physiological situations.
Recurrent inhibition in sacral parasympathetic pathways to the bladder
Authors: de Groat W. C. , Ryall R. W.
Published: December 2014

1. The effects produced by stimulation of the central end of transected ventral roots were observed on spontaneous and evoked vesical contractions and on the firing of sacral parasympathetic neurones.

2. Recurrent inhibition of sacral parasympathetic neurones was demonstrated at frequencies of stimulation above 10/sec and at intensities above threshold for the parasympathetic axons.

3. Recurrent inhibition was present in chloralose cats, as well as in decerebrate animals and was unaffected by chronic spinal transection.

4. Interneurones were located which are presumed to be the autonomic equivalents of the somatic Renshaw cells. They were synaptically activated by antidromic stimulation of preganglionic fibres in sacral ventral roots.

5. The inhibition of vesical contractions and the firing of the interneurones was reduced when the intravesical pressure was raised.

6. The recurrent inhibition was unaffected by the intravenous injection of dihydro‐β‐erythroidine.

7. Strychnine reduced the recurrent inhibition in some experiments but the results were inconsistent. The effects of picrotoxin were inconclusive.

8. The possible role of recurrent inhibition in micturition is discussed.
Response of lymphatics of canine hind limb to sympathetic nerve stimulation
Authors: Browse N. L.
Published: December 2014

1. The changes in lymphatic pressure in a limb whose circulation was temporarily arrested with a pneumatic cuff have been studied.

2. Stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic chain caused an increase in lymphatic pressure. It has been shown that this is a primary not a secondary phenomenon, due to an active lymphomotor mechanism.

3. The increase of lymphatic tone is proportional to the rate of stimulation; peak values are reached between 5 and 9 impulses/sec.
Natriferic and hydrosmotic effects of neurohypophysial peptides and their analogues in augmenting fluid uptake by Bufo melanostictus
Authors: Elliott Annie B.
Published: December 2014

1. The effect of intramuscular injection of 8‐arginine vasotocin, 8‐arginine vasopressin, 8‐lysine vasopressin, oxytocin, 8‐ornithine oxytocin and 8‐ornithine vasopressin on fluid uptake across the skin was studied in the live toad, Bufo melanostictus, bathed either in distilled water or in NaCl solution (0·1 g/100 ml.).

2. When the bathing solution was distilled water, 8‐arginine vasotocin was the most potent, 0·14 nmole/kg augmenting the rate of fluid uptake by 50%. Compared with it the others had relative potencies of: 8‐arginine vasopressin 0·8, 8‐lysine vasopressin 0·8 × 10−3, oxytocin 0·8 × 10−3, 8‐ornithine oxytocin 0·8 × 10−2, 8‐ornithine vasopressin < 1·4 × 10−4.

3. When the bathing solution contained 0·1% NaCl, 8‐arginine vasotocin was again the most potent, 0·06 nmole/kg augmenting the rate of fluid uptake by 50%. Compared with it the others had relative potencies of: 8‐arginine vasopressin 0·3, 8‐lysine vasopressin 0·3 × 10−3, oxytocin 0·3 × 10−2, 8‐ornithine oxytocin 0·8 × 10−2, 8‐ornithine vasopressin < 0·6 × 10−4.

4. Dose—response curves for each peptide showed that in the case of 8‐arginine vasopressin, 8‐lysine vasopressin and 8‐ornithine vasopressin the augmentation of rate of fluid uptake did not differ in the absence or in the presence of NaCl in the bathing solution; whereas in the case of 8‐arginine vasotocin, oxytocin, and 8‐ornithine oxytocin the augmentation was greater in the presence of sodium chloride.

5. Support has been found for the postulate of a binary action of some neurohypophysial peptides on amphibian skin, arginine in position 8 being correlated with hydrosmotic effect, and isoleucine in position 3 with natriferic effect.