Regulation of intracellular pH by human peripheral blood lymphocytes as measured by 19F NMR

We have measured the intracellular pH of human peripheral blood lymphocytes by means of high-resolution 19F NMR spectroscopy using D,L-2-amino-3,3-difluoro-2-methylpropanoic acid (F2MeAla) as a probe. Lymphocytes readily took up the methyl ester of F2MeAla, and endogenous esterase hydrolyzed the ester to the free amino acid inside the cell. This alpha-methyl amino acid is not metabolized by the cell, and its 19F NMR spectrum exhibits large pH-dependent shifts as the alpha-amino group is protonated. The size of the 19F shifts, the high sensitivity of 19F NMR, and the favorable pKa of the alpha-amino group of F2MeAla (pKa = 7.3) allowed us to measure intracellular pH of lymphocytes at 25-30 degrees C with approximately 5-min acquisition times. Measurements at various external pH values demonstrated that human peripheral blood lymphocytes regulate their internal pH, a process requiring expenditure of metabolic energy. In the pH range between 6.8 and 7.4, lymphocytes maintain a constant internal pH of 7.17 +/- 0.06 pH unit. Outside this range, intracellular pH changes with extracellular pH. The accuracy of this 19F pH probe has been confirmed by independent measurements of intracellular pH using equilibrium distributions of 5,5-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione.

Intranasal ethmoidectomy and concurrent procedures

In this review of 526 intranasal ethmoidectomy procedures, there was a complication rate of 2.5% with no blindness, meningitis, or deaths. The rationale for associated concurrent procedures is presented. The use of an absorbable hemostatic sinus sponge and an easily removable Telfa nasal packing made possible just a two-night hospital stay in over 90% of these patients.

Analgesics and cancer of the renal pelvis in New South Wales

A lifetime history of analgesics and tobacco consumption was obtained by a questionnaire completed at interview from 67 patients with carcinoma of the renal pelvis (40 women, 27 men) and 180 control subjects drawn from two sources, friends of patients and persons attending a health screening clinic. Regular consumption of analgesics conferred a tenfold relative risk of renal pelvic cancer in women and in men a risk ratio of 4-8. The fraction of cases for which analgesic consumption was an attributable risk was 0.74 in women and 0.43 in men. The effect of tobacco, much less than that of analgesics, was significant only in women (risk ratio approximately four; attributable risk 0.4), and no dose-response relationship was demonstrated. Relative excess risks suggested a synergistic effect when both analgesics and tobacco had been consumed. Standardized risk ratios indicated a dose-response relationship for both phenacetin-containing and non-phenacetin analgesics: moderate consumption doubled the risk of renal pelvic cancer, and heavy consumption increased at risk to 6-16 times that for noncomsumers.

A scanning electron microscope study of the development of a peripheral sensory neurite network

The formation of the sensory neurite plexus on the basal lamina of trunk skin in Xenopus embryos has been examined using the scanning electron microscope. It is formed by Rohon-Beard and extramedullary neurons which provide the first sensory innervation of the skin. By observing the distribution of growth cones on the inside surface of the skin of embryos at different ages, the development of the plexus has been followed and related to the development of sensitivity to sensory stimulation. The general features of the plexus are illustrated using a photomontage taken at x 1100. Measurements on neurites from this, and of growth cone orientations demonstrate a general ventral growth pattern with some small regional variations. Interactions of neurites within the plexus are examined. Neurites meeting at shallow angles tend to fasciculate, while those meeting at close to 90 degrees tend to cross each other. Angles of incidence and separation of neurites show few angles less than 30 degrees, which suggests that active adjustments occur after a growth cone meets or leaves another neurite. The observations allow comparison of behaviour of growing neurites in vivo and in vitro. Our evidence suggests that adhesion between growth cones and neurites is stronger than that between growth cones and the basal lamina of the skin.

Prospective study of cosmetic reactions: 1977-1980. North American Contact Dermatitis Group

This prospective study (1977-1980) of cosmetic adverse reactions by eleven dermatologists identified 487 cases of cosmetic-induced dermatitis. Approximately half of the cases were covert in nature. Eight percent were due to allergic contact dermatitis; the face, eye, and upper arm were the most involved sites. Skin care products, hair preparations (including colors), and facial makeup products were the most commonly involved product categories. Fragrances, preservatives, lanolin and lanolin derivatives, p-phenylenediamine, and propylene glycol were most commonly identified causative agents. The data may not be representative of the country at large because of the special interests of the dermatologists involved.

Mutual Antagonism of Sulfur Dioxide and Abscisic Acid in Their Effect on Stomatal Aperture in Broad Bean (Vicia faba L.) Epidermal Strips

Abscisic acid (ABA) was found to counteract the stomatal opening in Vicia faba L. caused by SO(2). The antagonism between SO(2) and ABA was mutual, and their combined effect depended upon which compound was in the greatest concentration. Stomatal apertures were monitored in detached epidermal strips floated in the light on aqueous solutions of SO(2) (sulfurous acid) and/or ABA in 0.01 molar sodium citrate buffer (pH 5.8). Low concentrations of sulfurous acid (10(-10) to 10(-7) molar) increased stomatal aperture, but concentrations greater than 10(-5) molar decreased it. A progressive decrease in aperture size occurred as ABA was increased from 10(-10) to 10(-5) molar.No evidence was found for a direct chemical reaction between the buffered sulfurous acid and ABA (exogenous or endogenous). Extractable, endogenous ABA in the strips remained relatively constant after exposure to several different concentrations of sulfurous acid. A technique for quantitating ABA from methanolic extracts of small samples of epidermis (20 milligrams dry weight) using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography is described.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase catalyzes hydrolysis of adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate

Sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase has been found to cleave the ATP analog adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate in a calcium-dependent reaction. The reaction products were determined by 31P NMR to be inorganic phosphate and adenyl-5'-yl phosphoramidate (AMP-PN). AMP-PNP hydrolysis, like ATP hydrolysis, drives active Ca2+ accumulation by sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles.

Cutaneous complications of orthopedic implants. A two-year prospective study

In a two-year prospective study of cutaneous problems in orthopedic implant recipients, cutaneous eruptions of unknown cause that bore good temporal relationships with implant surgery occurred in 19 patients. Two clinical patterns were observed. A transient "exanthematic" dermatitis was seen in six patients; in two of them, it recurred after each surgical implant procedure. A persistent reaction was seen in 13 patients. Metal sensitivity was found in two patients and considered to be relevant. Allergic cutaneous complications of orthopedic implants are rare. However, in an implant recipient in whom a cutaneous problem develops, the likelihood of the cutaneous problem being allergic in nature is slightly greater if the implant is of the static type, if there is a history of metal sensitivity, if the cutaneous eruption shows a predilection for the anatomic zone of the implant, and if the eruption is eczematous and has developed late and persisted.

A clinical screening program for topical chemotherapeutic drugs in psoriasis

In this national, multicenter cooperative study, a standardized drug screening program was designed and evaluated to test the clinical effectiveness of 30 topically applied chemotherapeutic drugs to psoriasis. Appropriate concentrations and vehicles for topical administration were selected with regard to clinical testing consisted of a double-blind application of test agents to psoriatic plaques under occlusion daily for up to nine days. Drugs known to be topically active in psoriasis, eg, thiotepa, fluorouracil, and betamethasone valerate, were easily detected in the clinical protocol, confirming the validity of this topical drug screening program. Seven drugs produced substantial clinical improvement with evidence of clearing; nine drugs produced slight improvement; 14 drugs had no effect. No systemic toxid reactions occurred. This screen should be useful to test other potential antipsoriatic drugs and to evaluate potential animal model screens for their predictive values with the same drugs.

Pupillary response to auditory versus visual mental loading: a pilot study using super 8-mm photography

The present investigation was two-fold in purpose: to test the hypothesis that auditory mental loading would require greater mental effort and larger resultant pupillary dilation than visual mental loading, and to provide evidence for the feasibility of super 8-mm photography for pupillometric research. Subjects were 30 college students. Stimuli to be stored in memory and repeated aloud in reverse order were seven-digit number-series. Series were either presented visually from 35-mm slides or auditorily from a taped recording. Pupillary responses were recorded to the nearest centimeter on a projected image. Results did not support the hypothesis, but methodologically strong evidence supported 8-mm photography for pupillometry research.

Synchronous combined transvaginal-transvesical repair of vesicovaginal fistulas

Nine cases of vesicovaginal fistula which followed hysterectomy, with or without radiotherapy, are presented. The repair by the above-mentioned technique eventually led to successful closure in all cases. A strong argument can now be advanced that this is the technique of choice in the large, high postoperative type of vesicovaginal fistula which is now the common type of fistula seen in affluent countries.

Kinetic depth effect examined under conditions of unimodal versus bimodal sensory input

To perceive the three-dimensional rotation of a shadow figure, displacement and line length change are required. Without displacement, persons perceive a line lengthening and shortening on a two-dimensional plane. The present investigation attempted to create the kinetic depth effect without displacement by including auditory input. 48 persons were randomly assigned to two groups (line-length change with tone or line-length change without tone). The tone group received sound through headphones which oscillated in amplitude in synchrony with the shadow of a rotating "T" figure. The tone group perceived a three-dimensional figure in rotation significantly more often than did the non-tone group. These results suggest that the kinetic depth effect may be created by more than one combination of sensory input.