Isolation and characterization of two minor fractions of alpha 1-antitrypsin by high-performance liquid chromatographic chromatofocusing

alpha 1-Antitrypsin is a glycoprotein that separates into five electrophoretic fractions, viz. M2, M4, M6, M7 and M8. Con A-Sepharose separates the protein into three fractions according to the branching degree of the three oligosaccharide chains. The Con A affinity is identical for M4 and M7 and for M6 and M8. Within each pair the proteins were isolated by rapid chromatofocusing. The M7 and M8 have the same carbohydrate structure as the major M4 and M6 respectively, but have lost the first five N-terminal amino acids (Glu-Asp-Pro-Glu-Gly) as compared to the majority of the protein.

The role of negative charge in the complement-dependent dissociation of IgG-mediated aggregation

The IgG-mediated aggregation of yeast particles was used as a model to study the dissociating effect of human serum complement on immune aggregates. A 92% decrease in non-aggregated particles was obtained by coating particles with IgG. After incubation of the aggregates in normal human serum (NHS) at 37 degrees C the number of free particles increased almost 10 times. The effect could be obtained with ethyleneglycol-bis-(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid-containing serum but not ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-containing serum, indicating the importance of the alternate pathway of complement activation. Treatment with NHS did not release anti-yeast IgG from the particles, indicating that disruption of antigen-antibody bonds did not explain the phenomenon. The negative charge of the different particles was studied by measuring the interaction to diethylaminoethyl-Sephacel beads. Compared with non-coated and IgG-coated particles, the NHS-treated particles were not released until the ionic strength increased to 200 mM NaCl or the pH decreased to 4.4, indicating a strong negative charge of NHS-treated particles. We propose that complement increases the negative charge of immune complexes, thereby inducing repulsive forces that counteract Fc-Fc interactions and increase the solubility of the complexes.

Intravenous computed tomographic cholangiography in acute cholecystitis. A comparison with conventional cholangiography

Forty-nine patients with clinical signs of acute cholecystitis underwent conventional and computed tomographic cholangiography. Among 39 patients with signs of contrast medium in the biliary system at both examinations there was a diagnostic discrepancy in only one patient. Conventional radiography demonstrated cholecystopathy in this patient while contrast medium in the gallbladder and an acute pancreatitis were found at computed tomography. Ten patients with an indeterminate conventional cholangiography had a conclusive computed tomographic examination. Twenty of 30 patients with an abnormal computed tomographic cholangiography underwent cholecystectomy and all had diseased gallbladders. All 17 patients with histopathologically confirmed acute cholecystitis had signs of subserosal edema and/or changes in the omental fatty tissue adjacent to the gallbladder at computed tomography. A layer of tissue of water-density adjacent to the gallbladder and/or changes in omental fatty tissue were also seen in one patient with congestive heart failure and in one with a penetrating duodenal ulcer. None of the 19 patients with a normal computed tomographic cholangiography had a proven acute cholecystitis.

Complement activation according to the alternate pathway by glass and plastic surfaces and its role in neutrophil adhesion

C3-deposition, generated by complement activation according to the alternate pathway, was detected on borosilicate glass slides and polystyrene Petri dishes. The C3-depositions grew peripherally until the entire surface was covered. The deposits were also visualized with scanning electron microscopy and could not be washed away with low-pH (3.5) or high-pH (9.6) buffers. No consumption of complement function was detected indicating a phenomenon restricted to the glass and plastic surfaces. The C3-deposits could mediate an adherence of human neutrophils.

Cross-reactivity between enteric adenoviruses and adenovirus type 4: analysis of epitopes by solid-phase immune electron microscopy

The immunological relationships between the two newly discovered serotypes of enteric adenoviruses, Ad40 and Ad41, and antisera to human adenoviruses representing all subgroups were studied by solid-phase immune electron microscopy. A pronounced two-way cross-reaction was seen between Ad40 (subgroup F) and Ad41 (subgroup G). Furthermore, a distinct one-way cross-reaction was noted between adenovirus type 4 antiserum (subgroup E) and virions of Ad40.

Determination of noscapine in plasma by liquid chromatography

A liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of noscapine in plasma. Noscapine and the internal standard, papaverine, were extracted into methylene chloride by column extraction. The separation was performed on a straight-phase liquid chromatographic system using a mobile phase of hexane--methanol--chloroform--diethylamine. A high detection selectivity was obtained by UV detection at 310 nm. The precision of the method was 3.8% (standard deviation) at a level of 89 ng/ml and 9.5% (standard deviation) at 5.9 ng/ml. The selectivity of the analytical method was evaluated by comparing analytical results after isolation of extracts of plasma samples on reversed- and straight-phase liquid chromatographic systems.

Pharmacokinetic properties of noscapine

Noscapine was administered to five healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover design, as an intravenous infusion of 66 mg, and as an oral 150 mg dose of either rapidly dissolving tablets or a tablet containing ion exchange resin-bound noscapine. After i.v. administration, the disposition of noscapine was bi-exponential with an elimination half-life of 2.6 h; the total plasma clearance was 22 ml/min/kg and the volume of distribution (Vdarea) was 4.7 l/kg. The absolute oral bioavailability was 30%, with a 3.6-fold interindividual variation. There was no pharmacokinetic evidence to support a prolonged action of the ion exchange resin tablet.

Effects of surface-active alkyltrimethylammonium salts on concanavalin A-mediated agglutination in Acanthamoeba castellanii

Pretreatment of Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff strain) with sublytic concentrations of surface-active alkyltrimethylammonium salts (C12, C14, C16) enhanced ConA-mediated agglutination of the amoebae. Treatment with the surfactants alone did not affect the "spontaneous" agglutination of the amoebae. Electron microscopic (SEM and TEM) examinations of amoebae treated with sublytic concentrations of the surfactants did not reveal any significant alterations in cell shape or in cell surface morphology in treated cells. The binding of [3H]ConA to the amoebae was not affected by pretreatment with sublytic concentrations of the surfactants. It is suggested that the increase in ConA-mediated agglutination in surfactant-treated amoebae may be due to a fluidizing effect of the surfactants on plasma membrane of the amoebae. Part of the results of this work has previously been published in Eur. J. Cell Biol. 22, 210 (1980). (Abstract M 624).

Ornithosis as a nosocomial infection

An outbreak of ornithosis in the department of infectious diseases of a general hospital is described. The outbreak comprised 12 cases aged 18-80 years. The index case had a history of contact with birds. He developed a serious illness and died. 11 persons contracted the disease after contact with the index case; 8 of them were personnel of the clinic of infectious diseases and 1 case was a patient hospitalized in the same room as the index case. All of the patients showed a typical pneumonia and one of them had symptoms of encephalitis. Treatment with doxycycline was successful. 200 healthy contacts were treated prophylactically with doxycycline. None of these displayed any symptoms of disease.

Climate and environment change in patients with chronic airway obstruction

Psychological, clinical, and pulmonary physiological measurements were studied in ten patients with weather-sensitive chronic airway obstruction during one month in Gothenburg, Sweden, and immediately after for one month in the Canary Islands, a change to a drier and warmer climate. All patients improved according to psychological tests and claimed to be better. Objective measurements including peak expiratory flow rate, airway conductance, static lung volumes, and elastic lung recoil showed improvement in eight of ten patients, a change that we believe is due to the effect of climate.

Function of microdissected pancreatic islets cultured in a chemically defined medium. I. Insulin content and release

Microdissected pancreatic islets from non-inbred ob/ob-mice were cultured for 6 or 7 days in serum-free tissue culture medium 199. The insulin content of the islets decreased 60% during culture in 17 mM or 28 mM glucose and about 70% in the presence of 3.3 mM or 5.6 mM glucose. At the end of a culture period in high glucose, the sum of the insulin in the islet plus that in the culture medium was almost twice as high as the insulin content of fresh islets, indicating an active insulin biosynthesis. The maximal insulin response to glucose after culture in 17 mM or 28 mM glucose was about 40% of that in fresh islets; after culture in 3.3 mM glucose it was 10%. Half-maximal stimulation was observed at a glucose concentration of 5 mM for islets cultured with high glucose as compared to 9 mM for fresh islets. Like glucose, glibenclamide was a more effective insulin stimulator after culture with a high glucose concentration than with a low one. However, leucine-induced insulin release was not affected by the glucose concentration in the preceding culture medium. Whereas potentiation of glucose-stimulated release by arginine or dibutyryl-cAMP was independent of glucose concentration during the culture, theophylline released three times more insulin when the islets had been cultured with high glucose.