Circulatory changes during mental stress in tetraplegic and paraplegic man

In ten patients suffering from complete chronic cervical spinal cord lesion, the effect of mental stress was studied. Before, during and after stress, variations of blood pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamines were tested. The study showed a loss of hemodynamic reactions under mental stress in tetraplegics, namely the pressure response, the typical increase in heart rate and in plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline. It is concluded, that changes in sympathectomized man interfere with the acute hemodynamic stress reaction and impair the blood pressure homeostasis.

Characteristics of Hodgkin's disease-derived cell lines

In the last 3 years we were able to establish five long-term in vitro cell cultures from biopsy specimens taken preterminally from four patients with histologically proven Hodgkin's disease (nodular sclerosing type, clinical stage IVB). Four of the lines are continuously proliferating in vitro; one culture stopped growth for unknown reasons after 7 months. When culture conditions were modulated, the first culture, L 428, gave rise to two sublines: L 428 KS, after adaptation to calf serum, and L 428 KSA, permanently growing as an adherent monolayer line after treatment with a phorbol ester (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) for 3 weeks. Cell-marker analysis by conventional means (SIg, cIg, rosette formation, Epstein-barr virus reactivity, cytochemistry, phagocytosis, and lysozyme production) and with monoclonal antibodies directed against various human lymphoid, myeloid, and monocytoid antigens showed that the tested cell lines are clearly different from all hitherto described hematopoietic lines; they most likely represent a cell type resembling an early myeloid-monocytoid progenitor cell. Conditioned medium of the L 428 cells and its two sublines showed colony-stimulating factor activity and suppression of spontaneous cell-mediated cytolysis of L 428 KS and K 562 cells.

Hodgkin and Sternberg-Reed cells contain antigens specific to late cells of granulopoiesis

The results of a recent investigation, in which an antiserum specifically directed against Hodgkin (H) and Sternberg-Reed (SR) cells was prepared, indicated the existence of a granulocytic cell-specific antigen on H and SR cells. In the present study, a large series of biopsies from patients with Hodgkin's disease were subjected to immunostaining with monoclonal mouse antibodies raised against acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) cells. Among seven hybrids that secreted antibodies showing reactivity to AMML cells but not to Daudi cells, there were three (TU5, TU6 and TU9) whose antibodies selectively stained formalin resistant antigens in cells of granulopoiesis. The strongest staining was found in the more mature cells; only a few promyelocytes stained very faintly with TU9, H and SR cells showed distinct staining for TU9 in 57 (76%) of the 75 tested cases of Hodgkin's disease, whereas TU5 and TU6-reactive H and SR cells were found in only 35 cases (47%). All cases of the nodular sclerosis type and almost all cases of the mixed cellularity type contained TU9-reactive H and SR cells, although the percentage varied from case to case. TU9-reactive H and SR cells were demonstrated in nine of 12 cases of the lymphocyte depletion type and in eight of 21 cases of the lymphocyte predominance type. The presence of granulocytic cell-specific antigens in H and SR cells in most of the cases of Hodgkin's disease suggest that (1) H and SR cells (including the lacunar cell variant) are not heterogeneous, but rather homogeneous in origin and nature, at least in a majority of cases, and (2) H and SR cells are more closely related to cells of the granulocytic cell lineage than to any other type of cell of the hemato-lymphoid system.

Comparison of atropine and dexetimide in treatment of intoxications by selected organophosphates

Mice and guinea pigs were intoxicated by three different organophosphates: DFP, paraoxon, and OMPA. After onset of intoxication the animals were treated by either a mixture of atropine plus obidoxim or dexetimide plus obidoxim. The combination of dexetimide plus reactivator proved to be superior to the combination of atropine plus reactivator in case of DFP intoxication. In guinea pig the LD50 of DFP could be increased from about 20 to 1300 micrometers/kg b.wt. by dexetimide plus obidoxim when applied after the onset of intoxication. Concerning the paraoxon intoxication both antidote mixtures were found to be equally potent, whereas the purely peripheral intoxication induced by OMPA could only be influenced to a minor degree. The tissue distribution of atropine and dexetimide differs markedly, dexetimide being accumulated faster and to a higher degree. Thus the higher penetration rate of dexetimide into the central nervous system is considered to be the reason of its superiority in the treatment of an organophosphate intoxication of rapid onset.

Ganglioside patterns: new biochemical markers for human hematopoietic cell lines

The ganglioside patterns from a representative collection of 20 human B-cell, T-cell, null cell, myeloid cell, and early erythroid cell lines were determined. Radioactive sugar-labeled gangliosides from cultured cells were extracted, analyzed, and quantitated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high-pressure liquid chromatography, essentially according to the polarity of the oligosaccharide chain. The ganglioside labeling patterns of the human cell lines were in some cases extremely complex, since more than 100 components could be separated upon two-dimensional HPTLC, e.g., in the case of a promyelocytic cell line. Each type of cell showed a characteristic pattern: Null cell lines were much less complex than T-cell lines, and myeloid and erythroid lines exhibited characteristic patterns as well. Although clearly distinguishable from all other cell lines, the B-cell lines showed a high degree of heterogeneity. Therefore, gangliosides can be expected to serve as additional markers to establish the origin, of a cell line or to classify pathologic cell populations.

Comparison of the effects of nitroglycerin administered to rats by different routes

In pentobarbital-anesthetized rats a comparison was undertaken of the blood pressure lowering effect of nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate, GTN) administered by different routes: jugular vein (i.v.), portal vein (p.v.), peritoneal (i.p.), intrajejunal (i.j.), and sublingual (s.l.). The potency of GTN given by these routes was approximately i.v.:s.l.:i.p.:p.v.:i.j. = 100:20--10:10--5:5:5--2.5. Application of GTN to the visceral peritoneum (i.p.) caused a greater and more prolonged lowering of blood pressure than an injection into the portal vein. We conclude that the capacity of the liver to degrade the active agent during the first passage can be overcome and that a blood pressure response to enterally absorbed GTN could be caused by a prehepatic site of action, i.e., on the splanchnic venous system.

Rapid preparation of multiple cell samples for immunofluorescence analysis using microtiter plates

A method is described which allows incubation, washing and staining of cells for immunofluorescence analysis to be carried out in microtiter plates. Comparison of this procedure with the conventional protocol, carried out on normal and leukemic human peripheral blood cells, reveals 5 major advantages. (1) Only 2.5 X 10(5) viable cells are needed for testing a particular antiserum. (2) The amount of reagents needed is 1/4 of that used in the conventional method. (3) Damage to cells is reduced to a minimum by shorter processing times and gentler centrifugation steps. (4) A large number of samples can be processed at the same time in an identical and reproducible manner. (5) The cost of an experiment is considerable reduced.

Effects of carbachol on contractile force and action potentials of isolated atria at different rates of stimulation

Dose-response curves for the negative inotropic effect and the shortening of the action potential duration induced by carbachol were established in isolated left atria of rats and guinea pigs. Various experimental conditions were chosen, including two different frequencies of stimulation (0.1 and 2 Hz) and the application of ouabain. Under all experimental conditions, very similar dose-response curves were obtained for the electrical activity. In contrast, the dose-response curves for the negative inotropic effect were markedly affected, since carbachol was less effective in depressing contractile force at 0.1 Hz and in the presence of ouabain. A lesser negative inotropic effect of carbachol could also be demonstrated after a single prolongation of the beat interval for various periods of time. It is suggested that the differences in the dose-response curves for the electrical and mechanical activities reflect changes in the efficacy of excitation-contraction coupling.

[Clinical use of lyophilized dura in diaphragmatic defects]

A short survey about pathology and clinic of diaphragmatic defects and injuries is given. The different operative possibilities of plastic diaphragmatic defect surgery are discussed. Direct, autoplastic, alloplastic and homoioplastic closure of diaphragmatic defects are used today. We report about two patients. In both cases we used lyophilized human dura for closing the diaphragmatic defect with success.

Accumulation of drugs by guinea pig isolated atria. Quantitative correlations

The time course of the tissue accumulation of 16 neutral, cationic, and anionic drugs by resting and 2-Hz stimulated atria of the guinea pig was measured. The accumulation of the substances was quantified by means of their tissue to medium ratios (T/M). Auricles driven with 2 Hz accumulated the drugs faster and during a long period of time to a greater extent than resting atria. By extrapolation of the binding characteristics, the final equilibrium T/M values were estimated. The variance in these accumulation data at equilibrium (log T/M) Could be best described by a linear combination of log P (octanol/water) and the ability of the drugs to bind to atrial homogenate (log percent bound/percent free). A parameter calculated from protein binding appeared less significant. Comparable results were obtained for the accumulation data measured in resting and 2-Hz stimulated atrial muscles. It is suggested that the degree of accumulation of drugs into atrial tissue is determined by the facility of their penetration of the plasma membrane and the extent of their intracellular binding.

Studies on biosynthesis, assembly and expression of human major transplantation antigens

Biosynthesis and regulation of expression of transplantation as detected by a monoclonal antibody to HLA-A,B,C antigens (human leucocytic antigen) and a polyclonal antiserum to beta 2-microglobulin have been investigated using radioactive amino acids and sugars to label human lymphoid cells. We found unbalanced synthesis of HLA heavy chains and beta 2-microglobulin, the latter being in excess and secreted to the extracellular medium. In DAUDI cells, which are defective in beta 2-microglobulin, no HLA-A,B,C could be detected intracellularly even in the presence of added beta 2-microglobulin. Treatment of BRI-8 cells with tunicamycin, an antibiotic which inhibits glycosylation of polypeptides, almost had no effect on the levels of beta 2-microglobulin, while it markedly decreased that of HLA heavy chains, both on the cell surface and intracellularly. Glycosylation of the HLA heavy chains appeared to be an essential requirement for the normal expression of HLA-A,B,C antigens. The translation in vitro in a messenger-dependent reticulocyte system with total polysomes obtained from BRI-8 cells showed that beta 2-microglobulin was synthesized as a precursor. This larger polypeptide was converted into mature beta 2-microglobulin when protein synthesis was performed with microsomes instead of polysomes.

Accumulation of drugs by resting or beating cardiac tissue

The rate and degree of accumulation of 12 neutral, anionic and cationic drugs were studied in resting and 2 Hz-stimulated isolated left auricles of the guinea pig. The uptake process was accelerated in muscles driven electrically. The time needed to reach equilibrium was related to the extent of accumulation which in turn corresponded with the lipophilicity of the drug. The frequency-induced changes in the kinetics of the accumulation disappeared under reduced mechanical activity of the muscle. It is suggested that the increased mechanical activity enhances drug disposition within the extracellular space, so that more drug is available for transmembrane penetration.