Several clinical aspects of thalamic pulvinotomy.

Several clinical aspects of thalamic pulvinotomy were investigated. Influence of electrical stimulation of pulvinar on consciousness, speech, memory, evoked response, emotion, intelligence, character, ophthalmic and auditory examinations were studied during operation and compared between pre-, post, and during operation.     

Phenytoin protected mouse cortical cell cultures against neurotoxicity induced by kainate but not by NMDA

Summary Phenytoin (PHT) protected cultured mouse cortex neurons against kainate-induced excitotoxicity, but failed to protect against the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced excitotoxicity. The voltage-clamp experiments showed that PHT significantly blocked kainate-induced currents but did not block NMDA-induced currents in the cultured neurons. These results indicate that PHT protects the cultures by blocking non-NMDA receptors and suggest that PHT has clinical efficacy against neuronal cell death through the excessive stimulation of non-NMDA receptors.     

Identification of 3,6,7,12-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acids in human biologic fluids

Unusual bile acids, 3 alpha, 6 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-, and 3 alpha, 6 beta, 7 beta, 12 alpha-tetrahyroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acids, were identified in all amniotic fluid (four samples) and urine (six samples) from adult patients with cholestatic liver disease by gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. For the certain identification of these bile acids in the biologic samples, the chemical syntheses of 3 alpha, 6 beta, 7 alpha, 12 alpha- and 3 alpha, 6 beta, 7 beta, 12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acids were conducted.     

Quantitative analysis on discrimination of various odorants at receptor sites of the frog olfactory cell revealed by a cross adaptation method

Cross adaptation experiments were carried out quantitatively with the frog olfactory system by varying concentrations of odorants in a wide range. The results obtained gave quantitative information on the difference in the receptor sites for various odorants.