T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) with unique surface phenotype

Leukemic cells of a 19 year old patient with prolymphocytic leukemia of T-cell type (T-PLL) were characterized by surface markers and immunologic functions. Phenotypic analysis using a large panel of monoclonal antibodies corresponding to the clusters (CD) of differentiation antigens established on the Leukocyte Typing Workshops I and II revealed a unique T-cell phenotype not yet reported in the literature: CD1 (T6)-, CD2 (T11)+, CD3 (T3)+, CD4 (T4)-, CD5 (T1)-, CD6 (T411)+, CD7 (Leu9)+, CD8 (T811)-, CD10 (J5)-, CD11 (M22)+, CD12 (M67)-, CD13 (My7)-, CD14 (Mo2)-, CD16 (Vep13, 3G8, Leu11)+, CD18 (MHM23)+, CD19 (B4)-, CD20 (B1)-, CD25 (TAC)-, MHC-class II (HLA-DR, HLA-DQ)-, NKH1A+, Leu7-. Despite the expression of surface structures associated with natural killer (NK) function (CD16, CD18, NKH 1 A) the T-PLL cells were inactive in NK assays in vitro. Low in vitro ADCC activity was detectable. This unusual T-PLL phenotype might help to identify a new distinct T-cell differentiation stage.

Patient history in screening for dry eye conditions

A dry eye history questionnaire was completed by 500 patients who presented for the correction of refractive errors (normals), and 68 patients with previously diagnosed sicca syndrome. Subsamples of females over 45 years were extracted for comparison, and discriminant analysis yielded correct classification for 62 of 63 sicca subjects and 36 of 37 normals, representing 98% sensitivity and 97% specificity. An equivocal classification that warranted supplementary diagnostic procedures was indicated for 5% of subjects. The results indicated that the use of the questionnaire will obviate the need for supplementary ocular sicca examination procedures for the majority of patients presenting for an ocular examination.

Unilateral hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in a patient with an infected axillary-axillary bypass graft

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HO) is a specific clinicoradiologic entity, the most common cause of which is the presence of pulmonary lesions. Eight cases of aortic graft infection and aortoenteric fistulae in association with HO have been recognized. A case of an infected axillary-axillary graft presenting as unilateral HO of the upper limb is reported, and its unusual features are used to postulate a mechanism underlying HO.

Method of evaluating ultrasonic pachometers

Although many ultrasonic pachometers are commercially available, little has been reported about their performance. We outline a technique for evaluating the accuracy of ultrasonic pachometers by simulating corneal thickness measurements using hydrogel contact lenses. On-eye contact lens thickness is determined using ultrasonic and optical pachometry. Absolute lens thickness is determined using a thickness gauge. Comparisons are made between measurements from the ultrasonic pachometer and measurements from the thickness gauge and optical pachometer. We used this technique to evaluate the performance of the Vida-55 ultrasonic pachometer. This technique was also used to determine the ultrasonic velocity for cat corneal tissue and two hydrogel lens materials. We determined the velocity of ultrasound in cat corneal tissue to be 1590 m/s at 33 degrees C. The velocity of ultrasound in hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was 1740 +/- 24 m/s and 1700 +/- 40 m/s in Snoflex 50. We found the Vida-55 pachometer measured corneal thickness accurately when the appropriate ultrasound velocity was used (SEM = 6 microns).

Low contrast charts effectively differentiate between types of blur

Test charts with three different contrast levels were used to measure acuity of six subjects at distance and near. Reduction in measured acuity as a result of refractive defocus was shown to be independent of contrast level. Reduction in measured acuity with diffusive blur was greater on the medium and low contrast charts than on the high contrast chart. We advocate the use of charts with two different contrast levels to help differentiate between causes of visual degradation.

Isolation and characterization of high-buoyant-density proteoglycans from semilunar menisci

Proteoglycans were extracted from adult canine menisci in high yield and were purified, and the major species were characterized biochemically. Most proteoglycans in menisci were isolated in the high-buoyant-density fraction. By agarose-acrylamide composite gel electrophoresis, two proteoglycans were seen in this fraction. Although they were smaller than those from porcine laryngeal hyaline cartilage and had shorter chondroitin sulphate and keratan sulphate chains and a lower carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, they were functionally similar to those in hyaline cartilage in their specific interaction with hyaluronate.

Toward an analogue of alcoholism in mice: criteria for recognition of pharmacologically motivated drinking

Two criteria of alcoholic drinking behavior--inelasticity of demand and dissociation of intake from normal eating and drinking--are illustrated by study of alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J mice. Although these mice drink enough to become intoxicated for brief periods each night, they do not meet the more rigorous criteria for pharmacologically motivated drinking. Their intake of alcohol was dramatically decreased when they were offered diets augmented with sugar or Crisco, and the temporal pattern of drinking was correlated with the intake of food. Thus, their motivation for drinking alcohol is related to nutrition and is not drug-seeking comparable to that of human alcoholics. Since the tests are simple and decisive, it might be useful to apply them to all putative models of alcoholism.

Strong association of HLA BW46 with juvenile onset myasthenia gravis in Hong Kong Chinese

The HLA antigen distribution and thyroid autoantibody status of 27 Chinese children in Hong Kong with juvenile onset myasthenia gravis have been compared with 110 healthy university students from the same population. Twenty-four of the patients had ocular myasthenia. There was a significantly increased prevalence of HLA BW46 in the patients compared with controls (67% vs 26.4%, p less than 0.005) indicating that BW46 confers a relative risk of 5.6 for juvenile onset myasthenia gravis in Chinese children. The increased prevalence of BW46 was not associated with thyroid autoimmunity in the patients although the antigen is known to be associated with thyrotoxicosis in Chinese. The possibility that BW46 confers protection against the development of acetyl-choline receptor antibodies in Chinese patients is discussed. One patient had the Caucasian antigen B8 and the question whether defective immune response genes were introduced into the Chinese through Caucasian admixture is raised.

Electrotonic parameters of rat dentate granule cells measured using short current pulses and HRP staining

The passive electrotonic parameters of nerve cells in the dentate gyrus of the rat were studied in vitro. Intracellular recordings from 30 granule cells and 3 pyramidal basket cells followed by intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), allowed calculations of input resistance (RN), membrane time constant (tau m), electrotonic length (L), ratio of dendritic to somatic conductance (rho), membrane specific capacitance and resistance (Rm, Cm), and specific axoplasmic resistance (Ri). The analysis of the voltage decays from long saturating (100 ms) and short (0.5 ms) current pulses showed that the short-pulse method gave better resolution for the measurement of the time constants and avoided some of the time-dependent nonlinearities but required larger currents than the long pulse. Morphological analysis of 49 branching points taken from the dendritic trees of granule cells showed that the branching power, n, is equal to 1.56 +/- 0.186 and was fairly constant throughout the tree. Given the fact that all dendrites have approximately the same length and number of branch points, the granule cell dendritic tree can be meaningfully collapsed into an equivalent cable. Moreover, electrophysiological data suggested that the cable had a "sealed" end or at least a high-impedance termination. Based on an equivalent cable model with a sealed end and a lumped soma impedance, a method was implemented to analyze the multiexponential decays from hyperpolarizing current pulses and to solve the equations of the model. This was done successfully in only 40% of the cells and yielded the following mean values for L = 1.13 and rho = 7.58. From the measurements of the soma surface area (S) and the equivalent cable diameter (D), the average specific membrane parameters were calculated: Rm = 2,726 alpha x cm2, Cm = 5.24 microF/cm2, Ri = 101 alpha x cm. The input resistance and time constant of the granule cells as measured from the short-pulse technique averaged to RN 58.57 M alpha and tau m = 16.21 ms. The failure of the model to fit 60% of the cells was interpreted to be due to the presence of a somatic shunt resulting from electrode injury, tonic synaptic activity, a lower somatic membrane specific resistance, or electronic coupling.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

An improved technique for monitoring the drinking behavior of mice

A set of calibrated lickometers provides continuous, quantitative monitoring of fluid consumption. It has been used in our laboratory at four levels of temporal resolution: 24 hr, 1 hr, 6 min, and for counting of individual licks. Convenient features are mounting of the licking tube-bottle assembly on the cage top (which permits the use of disposable plastic cages with litter) and automated collection of data with microcomputers.

[Occurrence of HLA-antigens in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy]

The etiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with (HOCM) and without obstruction (HCM) is poorly understood. Controversial data have been published concerning the association of HLA-B-12-antigen with HOCM and HCM respectively. Further, HLA-D-antigen occurrence has been determined in few patients with HOCM or HCM. In 29 patients with HOCM, 38 patients with HCM, and matched healthy persons we determined the occurrence of HLA-A, B, C and DRW-antigen using the test of microcytotoxicity in lymphocytes. HLA-antigens occurred with similar frequency in patients with HOCM and HCM and in control subjects. 25% of the patients and 23% of the control subjects had HLA-B-12. Further, no difference was detected in the frequency of occurrence of HLA-antigens in patients with HOCM and in patients with HCM. The data support the view that HLA tissue typing is of no diagnostic value in identifying patients with HOCM or HCM.

The effect of chronic poisoning with carbon tetrachloride on voluntary consumption of ethanol by mice

Mice were chronically poisoned with carbon tetrachloride injected twice weekly, intraperitoneally, in doses of 0.05-0.80 mg/g over 10 to 16 weeks. The poisoned animals, as compared to vehicle-injected controls, showed marginally significant increases in voluntary consumption of ethanol in a three-bottle choice (water, 10% and 20% ethanol continuously available), but not to a degree than could be considered alcoholic. The average daily intakes of ethanol remained within the range of variation for normal animals of this strain; there was no consistent shift in preference from 10% to 20% ethanol, and the distribution of drinking times within the 24-hour cycle remained normal. The relevance of these findings to the clinical problem of alcoholism is that the appetite for alcohol, a potential hepatotoxin, persists despite serious damage to the liver.