The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects of muscle pump by pedaling exercise on blood circulation and define its properties. Lower body pressurization device equipped with bicycle ergometer was used to provide negative pressure on the lower body of subjects in recumbent position. Seven healthy male collage students volunteered for subjects.
Whole experiment for each subjects was divided into control stage (0 mmHg), -20, -40, and -60 mmHg LBNP (lower body negative pressure) stage. Preceeded by resting period, 25, 75, and 125 W exercise in experiment 1, 50 and 100 W exercise in experiment 2 were loaded using bicycle ergometer with revolution of 60 rpm during each stage. Following parameters were determined: HR, SV, Q, and blood pressure.
The results obtained were as follows;
(1) In resting condition, LBNP caused significant decrease in SV and Q in spite of marked compensatory increase in HR.
(2) These effects of LBNP were cancelled in -20 mmHg or mostly cancelled in -40 and -60 mmHg by pedaling exercise of 50 W or more.
(3) Effect of muscle pump by pedaling exercise is apparent in light exercise such as 25 or 50 W arriving to a plateau with more intensive load.
(4) Muscle pump action by the same exercise condition is more effective under more severe LBNP.
(5) Light exercise in LBNP caused decrease in HR, probably because of pressure reflex initiated by restoration of blood pressure.
These results leed us to a conclusion that light pedaling exercise produces a powerful pumping action nearly enough to compensate the circulatory disturbance by strong LBNP.

OBJECTIVES: There have been several evidences that the central nervous system defect is one of the etiologic factors in schizophrenia and high nailfold plexus visibility can reflect indirectly. These are particularly related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the relationship between nailfold plexus visibility and various clinical variables in schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty patients(20 males, 20 females) satisfying the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and forty normal controls(20 males, 20 females) were measured for Plexus Visualization Score(PVS) by using capillary microscopic examination. We used Positive and negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS). Uimann-Giovannoni Process-Reactive Questionnaire(PRQ), Phillips Premorbid Adjustment Scale(PAS). Continuous Performance Test, and Backward Masking for psychopathology and clinical variables. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between schizophrenic subjects and normal controls in PVS. PVS was correlated with PANSS positively except negative symptom subscore. PVS was correlated with PRQ score negatively, and with PAS score positively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows high PVS are associated with more severe psychotic symptoms and with clinical variables, such as disease process and premorbid adjustment, in some schizophrenics.
Adult* ; Capillaries ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Male ; Masks ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Pneumonia*

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Headache*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Some malignant melanoma cells regress spontaneously by terminal differentiation, and understanding the mechanisms of this spontaneous regression can contribute to the development of a new therapy not only for melanoma but also for other cancers. The signal transducing G protein is one component of the signaling pathways for the differentiation-inducing molecules such as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and cAMP. To investigate the role of G proteins in the differentiation process, we analyzed the expression of various G proteins by quantitative Western blot and cAMP response in human malignant melanoma cell lines. SK-MEL-3 cells expressed the largest amount of stimulatory G protein alpha subunit (G(s) alpha) and the largest amount of inhibitory G protein alpha subunit (G(i) alpha) was expressed in Malme-3M cells among the 4 melanoma cell lines analyzed in this experiment. The SK-MEL-28 cells exhibited largest amount of alpha subunit of G(q) and the beta subunits. The cAMP formation by forskolin stimulation was largest in the Malme-3M. The amount of cAMP formation did not show any correlation with the expression of G(s) alpha nor that of G(i) alpha. The population doubling time was longest in Malme-3M cells. In this experiment, we found that the melanoma cells vary widely both in the expression of various G proteins and in cAMP production depending on the cell lines.
alpha-MSH ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line* ; Colforsin ; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits ; GTP-Binding Proteins* ; Humans* ; Melanoma*

No abstract available.
Body Mass Index* ; Pregnancy* ; Weight Gain*

No abstract available.
Hypopituitarism*

We experienced one case of extragonadal germ cell tumor of retroperitoneal origin. The patient had orchiopexy of left cryptorchidism twenty years ago. The left testis was atrophied and the right testis was normal on palpation. Retroperitoneal exploratory surgery and complete excision of the mass were performed. The pathologic report identified seminoma. There was no evidence of metastasis computed tomography and bone scan. Then left orchiectomy and right testicular biopsy were performed. The left testis demonstrated hyalinization of seminiferous tubules and right testis demonstrated normal finding, but both specimens showed no malignancy or carcinoma in situ. The patient was treated with BEP(bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) combination chemotherapy. With a follow-up of 24 months the patient remains disease free.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Cryptorchidism* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Etoposide ; Follow-Up Studies ; Germ Cells* ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal* ; Orchiectomy ; Orchiopexy ; Palpation ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Seminoma ; Testis