Fractal property of eye movements in schizophrenia

 On the basis of a temporal model of animal behavior we conducted temporal analysis of eye movements in schizophrenic subjects (n=10) and normal controls (n=10). We found a fractal property in schizophrenic subjects, the fixation time of eye movement during reading ambiguous and difficult sentences showing a clear inverse power law distribution. An exponential distribution of a nonfractal nature was found in normal controls. Received: 21 July 1995/Accepted in revised form: 30 April 1996     

Hopenol-b,a triterpene alcohol from Euphorbia supina

In addition to the known triterpene motiol, hopenol-b (hop-22(29)-en-3β-ol) was isolated from the whole herb of Euphorbia supina. It has not been found previously in nature, though it has been prepared by both synthetic and biosynthetic methods.     

Anti‐Tumor‐Initiating Effects of Spiro‐biflavonoids from Abies sachalinensis

Cancer chemoprevention, the prevention of cancer by ingestion of chemical agents that reduce the risk of carcinogenesis, is one of the potent ways to reduce morbidity and mortality. We have been searching for cancer chemopreventive agents from the leaves and barks of coniferous trees that have been treated as waste in the forestry industry. We have previously reported the isolation of spiro‐biflavonoids, named as abiesinols, and a neolignan from the MeOH extract of the bark of Abies sachalinensis. These compounds were tested for their inhibitory effects on the activation of (±)‐(E)‐methyl‐2‐[(E)‐hydroxyimino]‐5‐nitro‐6‐methoxyhex‐3‐enamide (NOR 1), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, as a primary screening test for anti‐tumor initiators. All compounds tested exhibited potent inhibitory effects on NOR 1 activation. Furthermore, abiesinol A, bearing a spiro‐biflavonoid skeleton, showed remarkable anti‐tumor‐initiating activity in the in vivo two‐stage mouse skin carcinogenesis test using peroxynitrite (ONOO^?; PN) as the initiator and 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) as the promoter.     

Light-Controlled Cytoplasmic Streaming in Vallisneria Mesophyll Cells

The effect of light irradiation on cytoplasmic streaming inVallisneria mesophyll cells was investigated. Red light (     

Thermoregulatory responses to acute body heating in rats acclimated to continuous heat exposure

Thermoregulatory responses to an acute heat load with intraperitoneal heating (IH) or indirect external warming (EW) by increasing ambient temperature (Ta) were investigated with direct and indirect calorimetry in rats acclimated to environments of 24.0 degrees C (Cn), 29.4 degrees C (H1), and 32.8 degrees C (H2) for greater than 15 days. The rats were placed in a direct calorimeter where the air temperature was maintained at 24 degrees C for the initial 3 h. IH was then made for 30 min through an electric heater implanted chronically (6.5 W.kg-1) in the peritoneal cavity, and EW was performed by raising the jacket water temperature surrounding the calorimeter from 24 to 39 degrees C (0.19 degrees C.min-1). Hypothalamic (Thy) and colonic temperature immediately before the start of the heat load tended to be higher as the acclimation temperature increased. During IH, the threshold Thy for the tail skin vasodilation (Tth) was significantly higher in H2 than in Cn rats. During EW, however, there was no difference in Tth between the groups. Metabolic heat production (M) was slightly suppressed during IH and significantly depressed only in H2 rats. During EW, M was suppressed in all the groups. The magnitude and duration of suppression were greater in H2 rats than in the other two groups. The responses in nonevaporative heat loss and thermal conductance (C) to the rise in Thy did not differ among the three groups during IH. According to the rise in Thy, however, there was a greater C increase in H2 than in Cn and H1 rats during EW.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mechanism of vasoconstriction in the rat's tail when warmed locally.

The vascular response of the tail to local warming was investigated in urethan-anesthetized rats whose colonic temperature was maintained at 39.5 degrees C with an intravenous thermode at an ambient temperature of 23 degrees C. The tail, covered with thin latex tubing, was immersed in temperature-controlled water initially kept at 35 degrees C. The tail was warmed by raising the water bath temperature from 35 to 44 degrees C at a constant rate. Tail blood flow (BF), mean arterial blood pressure (BP), and tail skin temperature (Tsk) were measured before and during the local warming. Tail vascular conductance (VC) was computed as 100 x tail BF/BP. When Tsk exceeded 37 degrees C, tail BF and VC significantly decreased from the levels at Tsk of 35 degrees C, and significant reductions in tail BF and VC occurred until Tsk reached 42 degrees C. Surgical deafferentation of the tail, chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine (100 mg/kg), and alpha-blockade with phentolamine (7 or 40.1-45.5 mg/kg) or phenoxybenzamine (5 mg/kg) failed to stop the decrease in tail BF and VC during the local warming. These results suggest that a reflex via the central nervous system and the alpha-adrenergic sympathetic nervous system is not indispensable for heat-induced vasoconstriction (HIVC). It is therefore assumed that, at least in the rat's tail, HIVC predominantly originates from a local vascular response to high temperature.     

Unbudded G2 as well as Gj arrest in the stationary phase of the basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans

Abstract Stationary-phase cells of Cryptococcus neoformans displayed two morphological characteristics: virtually all the cells were unbudded even in the early stationary phase and even when grown in rich media, and average cell size increased from that of exponential-phase cells. DNA contents for small and large stationary-phase cells were determined by quantitative fluorescence microscopy after DNA staining with propidium iodide or DAPI. Small cells contained G, DNA, whereas large unbudded cells had either a G₂ or G₁ DNA content, indicating that Cr. neoformans can enter into the stationary phase from either the G₁ or G₂ period.     

Do you perform the multiple sleep latency test according to the guidelines? A case with multiple sleep onset REM periods

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - The patient was a 21-year-old male who complained of daytime sleepiness. His multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) showed multiple sleep onset REM periods (SOREMPs). The...