[Treatment of immediate post-operative agitation (author's transl)]

Though organic causes and operative factors can produce post-operative agitation, a background of anxiety, alcoholism, or neurosis plays a major role in its development. Excellent results were obtained with tiapride in 58 patients with post-operative agitated states. Local and general tolerance were both excellent. Furthermore, an association of tiapride-corticoids was effective in treating post-anaesthetic spasm of the glottis.

Application of cell electrophoretic methods (preparative and analytical) in demonstrating the surface heterogeneity of T-lymphocytes in man

The preparative electrophoretic method allows separation of several cell populations, which can be characterized by the usual membrane markers. This qualitative study shows a heterogeneous distribution of the T-lymphocytes from the most rapid to the slowest migration zones. The electrophoretic mobility (E.M.) of each fraction has been studied by analytical electrophoresis, which confirms the heterogeneity of T-cells. The experiments used total blood lymphocytes and rosette-forming cells with sheep red blood cells. The results obtained with the two methods were well correlated. The average migration speed of the separated populations showed a regular variation from one extreme fraction to the other. The E.M. speeds that characterize the main populations are--0.90 micrometer.sec.--1v.--1cm for the B-lymphocytes; for the T-lymphocytes,--1.10 (previously identified as the "low affinity" E-rosette FC),--1.20 and a small population centered around--1.35 (corresponding to active E rosette FC). In the T-lymphocytes separated after E-rosetting, the progresssive variation in the mean E.M. of each fraction is confirmed, as well as the existence of the previous 3 T-cell populations. Further studies have to be done, to show that each separated population does correspond with a functional differentiation.

[Application of free flow preparative methods for the separation of blood cells]

Human blood cells can be separated using an apparatus described by Hanning and co-workers (Model FF4 Desaga Heidelberg). The method of free flow preparative electrophoresis uses a specific property of blood cells when subjected to an electric field: their electrophoretic mobility. Three regions of migration can be defined: --a high mobility region (HMR); --a low mobility region (LMR) and --an intermediate mobility region (IMR). After the electrophoretic migration, the various cell fractions are identified. If human leucocytes are subjected to an electric field (40 volts/cm) it is possible to isolate several populations which differ by their membranes electric charge. The repartition of the neutrophiles granulocytes is twofold: --one fraction of high mobility (HMR) and --one fraction of low mobility (LMR). The meaning of these two populations is being discussed. Between these teo fractions is located the lymphocyte fraction which is represented by a single peak of intermediate mobility (IMR). Eosinophiles and monocytes are concentrated in low mobility fraction (LMR). With appropriate migration parameters (80 volts/cm, various component buffers) it is possible to obtain from lymphocytes, purified by density gradient, an electrophoretic separation of T and B lymphocytes population. Histograms obtained from quantitative measures (on collected cell fractions) show an unimodal distribution. When separated cells are characterized by three membranes markers (E. Rosettes, EAC Rosettes and surface immunoglobulins) the electrophoretic heterogeneity of B and T cells is then demonstrated. With E Rosettes (T cells) the majority of T lymphocytes is distributed in HMR and IMR. With EAC Rosettes and membrane immunofluorescence (B cells markers) the majority of B lymphocytes is found in the LMR. Thus an important enrichment of T and B sub-population is obtained, but contamination from one another still remains too important. More selective methods should lead to an improvement of this cell separation.