[Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Africans (author's transl)]

Extra pulmonary tuberculosis are frequent in Africa and have a special severity due to delayed diagnosis and multifocal forms. Various punctures and biopsies may be necessary to demonstate the tuberculous infection. Even with modern treatment it too often implies important risks of severe sequelae.

[Isolated rat hepatocytes. Simultaneous study of variations in sialic acid content of glycoconjugated membranes and asialotransferrin uptake]

Hepatocytes isolated from streptozotocin treated Rats bind less asialotransferrin than hepatocytes isolated from normal rats. This decrease is parallel with a decrease in the sialic acid content. Insulin therapy restored simultaneously membrane sialic acid content and asialotransferrin binding capacity.

[Treatment of hypercholesterolemia in the male rat by introduction of soya oil supplemented or not with sardine oil in the diet]

Substituting soya oil for lard considerably reduced hypercholesterolemia in the male rat with induced hypercholesterolemia due to a dietary overlead of cholesterol and sodium deoxycholate. The decrement was more marked when a mixture of 80 p. 100 soya oil + 20 p. 100 sardine oil replaced the lard. This improvement of the hypocholesterolemic effect by adding sardine oil to soya oil was due to the long-chain fatty acids (mainly C20:5 and/or C22:5 n-3 in the fish oil).

Haloperidol plasma level monitoring in pediatric patients

Plasma levels of haloperidol were monitored in children and teenagers suffering from psychotic episodes and/or abnormal movements (tics and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome). Steady-state concentrations of haloperidol ranged from 0.7 to 19 ng/ml without any apparent relationship with the administered dose (15--285 micrograms/kg/day) and a 15-fold variability was observed for the same daily dosage. On the contrary, a significant (p < 0.02) relationship was found between the age of the patients and the plasma concentrations to dose ratios, lower values being present in younger patients. Side effects too appeared to be related to plasma levels, with a significant increase (p < 0.01) in incidence for concentrations over 6 ng/ml. In most of the cases suffering from tics and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, a positive response was associated with plasma levels of 1--4 ng/ml, while no relationship could be established for the psychotic group. The relevance of monitoring plasma drug levels when prescribing haloperidol in pediatrics is discussed.

Colorimetric assay of sialic acid by a methyl-3-benzothiazolinone-2-hydrazone reactant

A colorimetric assay of sialic acid has been developed in which bound sialic acid is oxidized by periodic acid so as to quantitatively release formaldehyde. In the second step of the reaction formaldehyde reacts with methyl-3-benzothiazolinone-2-hydrazone, giving a colored compound. This method does not require a prior hydrolysis and presents the advantage of great accuracy.

[Metabolic activity of adipose tissue in the goat during gestation and at the beginning of lactation]

In 5 French Alpine goats, omental adipose tissue acetyl-CoA carboxylase, glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase, malic enzyme and lipoprotein lipase activities significantly decreased during the third month of gestation, whereas plasma non-esterified fatty acid and triacyglycerol contents increased. This probably reflects an early decreasing rate of adipose tissue anabolism during gestation in the Goat. At the third week of lactation, anabolic activities relative to DNA content of adipose tissue were extremely low, and the tissue weight relative to DNA was lower than during gestation. Metabolic alterations of omental adipose tissue in early lactation do not seem to be related to milk production level. These results could contribute to a better control of the kinetic of body lipid stores during the reproductive cycle in high milk yielding ruminants.

[Changes in mammary tissue lipid metabolism in the goats during the first 2 months of lactation]

5 French Alpine Goats were studied after normal or premature parturition. Mammary tissue acetyl-C oA carboxylase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities varied in parallel with milk fat secretion from the 3rd to the 9th week of lactation. Variations of mammary LPL activity and of long chain fatty acid secretion were positively highly correlated during that period. In goats with normal parturition, lipogenic activities seemed to reach a maximum level shortly after parturition. There was a positive correlation between mammary Ll activities and plasma non esterified fatty acid contents, possibly reflecting a relationship between adipose tissue mobilisation and mammary metabolism.

[Bessel Hagen's deformity, Madelung's deformity: cosmopolitan diseases (author's transl)]

These two deformities are rare and the 8 reported cases give evidence of the cosmopolitan feature of these malformations (Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Central African Empire, Djibouti).

[Alcohol fermentation: effect of temperature on ethanol accumulation within yeast cells (author's transl)]

During fermentation, yeast growth is rapidly stopped when the concentration of alcohol in the medium increases but fermentive activity is not entirely inhibited until high alcohol concentrations are reached. The rate of alcohol accumulation within the cells and certain kinetic parameters were simultaneously determined in such fermentative processes using Saccharomyces carlsbergensis cells. The growth inhibitory effect of alcohol was related to its retention inside within the cells; i.e. yeast multiplication is stopped when intracellular alcohol concentration reaches a maximum value. Moreover, the higher the temperature, the deeper the inhibitory effect of ethanol and the higher the maximal intracellular alcohol concentration. Activation energy determinations showed that ethanol accumulation within the cells was a consequence of the resistance to its diffusion through the cell wall from within to outside the cell.

Production of L-lysine by immobilized trypsin. Study of DL-lysine methyl ester resolution

The possibility of producing L-lysine from chemically synthesized DL-lysine has been investigated. Optical resolution of racemic DK-lysine may be achieved by using the stereospecific esterasic activity of trypsin on DL-lysine methyl ester, which gives L-lysine and unchanged D-lysine methyl ester. SL-lysine methyl ester spontaneous hydrolysis may be neglected when operating at pH 5.5 and 30 degrees C. Effect of pH and substrate concentration on hydrolysis rate has been investigated when using as a catalyst either soluble or immobilized trypsin. For this purpose, trypsin was coupled onto an amine porous silica, Spherosil, activated with glutaraldehyde. The optimal pH is 5.8 for soluble trypsin and 6.0 for immobilized trypsin. It was yet possible to lower the parent optimal pH of immobilized trypsin, and thus increase its activity at 5.5, by co-grafting onto Spherosil an aminosilane, for enzyme coupling via glutaraldehyde activation and a positively charged diethyl amino ethyl (DEAE) silane, for decreasing the pH of trypsin microenvironment.

Development of digestive enzymes in the piglet from birth to 8 weeks. I. Pancreas and pancreatic enzymes

The development of pancreatic tissue (fresh weight, total proteins, RNA and DNA) and of the level of pancreatic enzymes (trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase and amylase) of the piglet has been followed from birth to the age of 8 weeks in 10 animals at each of 7 stages. There was an increase with age and body weight of the total fresh weight of the exocrine pancreas. From birth until 4 weeks the development of the pancreatic gland was due to hyperplasia; from the 4th week till the 8th week of age, it was due both to hyperplasia and hypertrophy. There was a specific period, at the age of 3--4 weeks, from which total enzymatic activities markedly increased. Furthermore, from the 4th week of age there was a rise in the intake of total dietary proteins, fat and carbohydrates, due to the intake of solid food.

[Periodate oxidation of lymphocyte membrane glycoconjugates]

Mouse spleen cells free of erythrocytes were suspended in PBS at a concentration of 2 X 10(7) cells/ml and mixed with an equal volume of sodium periodate in PBS for 10 min. at 4 degrees C to give a final concentration of periodate ranging from 10(-4) M to 5 X 10(-3) M. The cells were then washed and suspended (60 X 10(6) ml) in PBS containing 3H-labelled sodium borohydrate and incubated for 30 min, at 23 degrees C. Following this, the cells were washed and the pellets treated with H2SO4 0.1 N for 60 min. at 80 degrees C. Compounds liberated by such treatment, were identified by chromatography as derivates of sialic acid. The data provide direct evidence that the mitogenic effect of sodium periodate is associated to the oxidation of the sialic acid residues on the lymphocyte membrane.

[Estrogen receptors in uterine fibromyomas]

The authors have sought the existence of cellular hyper-receptivity in susceptible cells in order to explain the transformation of normal uterine muscle fibres into tumours, because of the absence of true biological proof of hyperoestrogenization in fibromyomata. The total of uterine receptors for oestradiol (the total number of accessible receptors or those in which endogenous oestrogens had been taken up) were measured in normal myometrium and in fibroids removed at myomectomy or at hysterectomy. The oestradiol receptors are significantly raised in fibromyomatous tissue when the results are expressed as femtomoles per mg. of protein. All the same, there is no significant difference to be found when the results are expressed in micrograms of DNA, which leads to the supposition that there is no significant difference in the concentration of oestrogen receptors in the two types of cells. The cause of the cellular multiplication of fibromyomatous tissue should therefore be sought at another level.

[Laurell electroimmunodiffusion. Concerns and limits of various technics for the study of immunoaffinity chromatographic eluants]

Monodimensional and bidimensional electroimmunodifusion techniques were applied to the study of immunochromatography eluates. They were obtained with human sera as samples, and rabbit anti human sera alpha1AGP antibodies coupled to CNBr Sepharose 4B packed in a chromatography column. By monodimensional electroimmunodiffusion alpha1AGP could be quantitated. By tandem bidimensional immunoelectrophoresis the eluate purity could be shown, as well as its identity to alpha1AGP. Besides, this last technique was used to the critical study of elution conditions, and to put forward the influence of some parameters (such as pH ionic strength) on alpha1AGP denaturation and its transformation into a protein which is still antigenic but has lost a part of its electrophoretic mobility at pH 8.6. This phenomenon could explain the alpha1AGP loss observed after column elution. The precautions in the interpretation, the interest and the sensitiveness of the electroimmunodiffusion techniques are exposed.

[Metabolic activity of goat adipose tissue at the end of gestation and at the beginning of lactation: level of deoxyribouncleic acid content and lipoprotein lipase activity]

In the goat the passage from late pregnancy to early lactation is accompanied by a decrease of the epiploon lipoprotein lipase activity and an increase in the epiploon DNA content. The between-goat variations allow us to emphasize a linear relation between the lipoprotein lipase activity decrease and the reduction of the epiploon volume, expressed on a DNA basis. These parameters, used as indicators of the adipose tissue metabolic status, could contribue to the determination of a feeding strategy adapted to high yield milking Ruminants.

[Application of a radial immunodiffusion technic in the determination of a specific immuneoserum titer]

The authors determine the titre of two monospecific immunosera by the radial immunodiffusion method. Because of the precision and rapidity of this technique, it is most suitable for:--periodic quality control of an immunoserum--the quantitative estimation of specific immunoglobulins adsorbed to the supporting medium in affinity chromatography.

[Relationship between the structure and activity of a histamine-blocking serum glycoprotein]

A plasmatic glycoprotein is submitted to a mild periodate oxydation and its pharmacological activity is studied. This glycoprotein contains much N acetyl Neuraminic Acid (NANA = 15 p. cent), and it reduces the biological activity of histamine on smooth muscle such as guinea pig ileum. See article. We also identify the 8 NANA and 7 NANA derivaties. Th only 8 carbon derivative is obtained when about one mole of m-periodate is consumed for one mole of NANA. The 7 carbon derivative appears as soon as the consumption of a second mole leads ta a second cleavage. These results prove that the oxydation islimited to the sole N acetyl neuraminic acid and more precisely to the lateral polyhydroxylic chain. Under these conditions, pharmacological activity gradually decreases, it disappears as soon as the lateral polyhydroxylic chain is completely cut off.

[Lipid overload induced in myocardial cells by vegetable oils. Observation using electron microscopy]

Comparative studies were made to estimate the lipid overloading of myocardiac cells in rats fed by groups, for 3 and 6 days, one of the following dietary oils: peanut oil, maize oil, sunflower oi, soyabean oil, rapeseed-primor oil, rapeseed-canbra oil and rapeseed oil.