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Background: Glucagon inhibits digestive motility and is used for endoscopic premedication; however, its effect on cardiopulmonary function during endoscopy has not yet been fully investigated. Aim: To clarify the efficacy and safety of glucagon compared with butyl scopolamine bromide as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy premedication. Methods: Two hundred and forty consecutive patients over 40 years of age, referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, without any complications, were studied. These patients were randomly premedicated with butyl scopolamine bromide (SC group) or glucagon (G group). Time course changes in blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate and the number of retching episodes during endoscopy were examined. The efficacy of glucose tablets after upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to prevent hypoglycaemia caused by glucagon was evaluated. Cardiopulmonary parameters were also examined in 77 complicated patients with glucagon premedication (GC group). Results: A continuous increase in heart rate during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was observed in the SC group, but not in the G and GC groups. Blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation and number of retching episodes were not different between the groups. Hypoglycaemia‐related symptoms were frequent in the G group without glucose tablets, but were prevented by the administration of glucose. Conclusions: Glucagon has a weaker effect on cardiopulmonary function during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy than butyl scopolamine bromide. Glucose administration prevents hypoglycaemia‐related symptoms caused by glucagon.

An action spectrum for anthocyanin formation in dark-grown broom sorghum (Sorghum bicolor Moench, cv Acme Broomcorn and cv Sekishokuzairai Fukuyama Broomcorn) seedlings was determined over the wavelength range from 260 to 735 nanometers. The action peaks were at 290, 650, 385, and 480 nanometers in descending order of height. The action of the 290-nanometer peak was not affected by subsequently given far red light, whereas those of the other three action peaks were nullified completely. The nullification of the 385-nanometer peak action by far red light was reversible. When an irradiation at these action peaks was followed by a phytochrome-saturating fluence of red light irradiation, the action of the 290-nanometer peak remained, whereas that of the 385-nanometer peak as well as those of the 650-and 480-nanometer peaks was masked by the action of the second irradiation. These findings suggested that the 290-and 385-nanometer action peaks involved different photoreceptors, the latter being phytochrome. The blue light-absorbing photoreceptor as reported to be a prerequisite for phytochrome action in milo sorghum was not found to exist in the broom sorghums.The action spectrum deprived of the involvement of phytochrome was determined in the ultraviolet region by irradiating with far red light following monochromatic ultraviolet light. The spectrum had a single intense peak at 290 nanometers and no action at all at wavelengths longer than 350 nanometers.

Far-red light (FR) inhibition of seed germination of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was studied with the phytochrome (phy)-hypersensitive mutants, hp-1w, hp-1w,fri1, a phyA-deficient double mutant, and hp-1w,tri1, a phyB1-deficient double mutant. Seeds of all mutants germinated readily in the dark at 25 degrees C, and the germination was retarded by a single 100-s FR pulse given 1-3 h after sowing. The effect of an FR pulse was red-light reversible in all mutants used. After 24 h where a single FR pulse was no longer effective, prolonged FR exposure or hourly FR pulses suppressed germination in hp-1w and hp-1w,tri1, whereas in hp-1w,fri1 the suppressive effect of FR was almost absent. The effect of the prolonged FR was greater than that of the hourly 3-min FR pulses having equal photon fluence, and was fluencerate dependent. Thus we conclude that the germination inhibition by FR in tomato seed consists of a low-fluence response and a high irradiance response (HIR); the latter is controlled by phyA, but not phyB1. This is the first indication of phyA being involved in the HIR of seed germination inhibition.

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