Nodular pulmonary amyloidosis

An elderly man had a 10-year history of multiple pulmonary nodules that he had refused to have investigated. He died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. At autopsy the nodules were shown to consist of amyloid. There was no evidence of systemic amyloidosis.

Double-blind, crossover study of the clinical efficacy and the hemorheological effects of pentoxifylline in patients with occlusive arterial disease of the lower limbs

The effect of a 3 month daily administration of 800 mg pentoxifylline (Trental 400 bds) or placebo was assessed under double blind crossover design in 18 patients (12 males and 6 females) with peripheral occlusive arterial disease in respect of painfree walking distance and various hemorheological and hemostasiological variables, platelet aggregation, serum cholesterol and triglycerides. In first treatment period walking distance significantly increased with pentoxifylline by 46% from baseline 121 +/- 15 m and by 4% with placebo from baseline 134 +/- 18 m. Pentoxifylline administration furthermore yielded significant decrease in whole blood and plasma viscosity and significant increase in erythrocyte deformability. This was paralleled by distinct reduction of fibrinogen, platelet aggregation and euglobulin lysis time, also plethysmographic variables showed positive changes pointing to improvement of limb perfusion. The results of the study suggest that treatment of peripheral occlusive vascular disease by a drug improving blood fluidity through correction of hemorheological and hemostasiological factors turns especially promising and beneficial since the action centers finally on the languishing microcirculation in the ischemic tissue.

Hyperinsulinemia and obesity in the dorsolateral tegmental rat

Adult female rats (N = 26) were prepared with either sham lesions or electrolytic lesions of the dorsolateral tegmentum (DLT). Body weight gain, adiposity, 72-hour food intake and day/night food intake, serum glucose and serum insulin levels were measured 15 and 17 days post-operatively. Dorsolateral tegmental lesions produced moderate weight gains and enhanced adiposity as assessed by the Lee Index. Although dorsolateral tegmental rats were hyperphagic only at night, hyperinsulinemia was observed during the day and the night. Hyperinsulinemia may contribute to the obesifying action of tegmental lesions in rats fed high-fat diets.

Dissociation between transformed and differentiated phenotype in rat thyroid epithelial cells after transformation with a temperature-sensitive mutant of the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus

Differentiated rat thyroid epithelial cells, infected in vitro with a temperature-sensitive mutant of the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus, expressed at the permissive temperature (33 degrees C) some phenotypic properties typical of transformed cells, including morphological features, colony formation in agar, and induction of tumors in newborn animals. Specific functional markers of these differentiated cells, i.e., synthesis/secretion of thyroglobulin, synthesis of thyroglobulin mRNA and iodide uptake, were blocked during growth at 33 degrees C. Normal morphology, failure to grow in agar, and the requirement of hormones for optimal growth were all restored after shifting to the temperature nonpermissive for transformation (39 degrees C), though the typical differentiated functions remained blocked. Infection with a leukemia helper virus clone (Moloney or Kirsten murine leukemia virus) did not lead to the loss of the differentiated phenotype of rat epithelial thyroid cells, thus demonstrating that the loss of the differentiated phenotype is caused by the sarcoma virus component. These results indicate that the expression of some of the phenotypic properties of transformed differentiated rat thyroid epithelial cells is under the direct control of the p21 thermosensitive activity, whereas the block in the expression of two typical differentiation markers of thyroid epithelial cells is irreversible and probably controlled by different mechanisms.

Platelet activation after adrenergic stimulation in hypertensive patients: effects of acebutolol

In 12 patients with arterial hypertension (stages I and II according to WHO), adrenergic stimulation was induced by the immersion of a hand in ice water for 2 min. Blood samples were withdrawn before, at the end of, and 15 min after the cold application: the experiment was repeated 2 h after the ingestion of 200 mg acebutolol, a selective betablocking agent. The following assays were performed: serum nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA), plasma beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) and PF4 with specific radioimmunoassays; thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in plasma was also estimated with radioimmunoassay, platelet sensitivity to exogenous prostacyclin; furthermore, the thrombin-induced thromboxane production before and after acebutolol ingestion as well as serum TXB2-levels were measured. The blood pressure and the heart rate were also monitored. After cold stimulation, a significant increase of NEFA, BTG, and plasma TXB2 was observed, which was still discernible 15 min after the application of cold. After acebutolol, the cold treatment led to a lower increase of blood pressure with a reduction of the heart rate, as well as to a diminished release of BTG, PF4 and TXB2 no changes in the reduced platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin were noticed.

Vasoconstrictory effects of adrenalin on the perfused head of the eel (Anguilla anguilla L.)

Adrenalin (5.0 X 10(-5) M) increases gill vascular resistance up to 23.2 +/- 6.8% in the isolated and perfused head of the european eel (Anguilla anguilla L.). This vasoactive response is nearly abolished by the alpha-adrenergic blocking agent phentolamine mesylate (5.0 X 10(-5) M), while it is increased by the beta-blocker propranolol (5.0 X 10(-4) M). From these results it may be inferred that, in our experimental conditions, the major response to the catecholamine is a vasoconstriction mediated via alpha-adrenoceptors.

Thromboxane B2 formation and platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin in insulin-dependent and insulin-independent diabetics

TxB2 formation in PRP after thrombin stimulus, serum TxB2 and platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin and the correlation with ambient fasting plasma glucose and lipoproteins were determined in 20 insulin-independent diabetics (IID) with macroangiopathy, 10 insulin-dependent diabetics (IDD) with microangiopathy and 30 matched controls. Platelets obtained from insulin-independent diabetics synthetize significantly higher amounts of TxB2 than those of insulin-dependent diabetics and matched controls. IDD and IID patients required significantly higher concentrations of prostacyclin (p less than 0.001) for a similar degree of platelet aggregation inhibition. The amount of prostacyclin required for 50% platelet aggregation inhibition was correlated with fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.64, p less than 0.001) and HbA1% (r = 0.48, p less than 0.01) in all diabetic subjects. We conclude that: 1) only PRP, obtained from some insulin-independent diabetics with a concomitant macroangiopathy, shows an increased synthesis of TxB2; 2) platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin is highly dependent on the fasting ambient plasma glucose.

Block in the expression of differentiation markers of rat thyroid epithelial cells by transformation with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus

Well-differentiated epithelial cells, derived from primary cultures of normal rat thyroid glands (T-79 cells), as well as a cloned cell line also derived from normal rat thyroid glands (FRT-L cells) were infected with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus carrying outer coat of the helper Kirsten murine leukemia virus. Infected T-79 and FRT-L cells changed morphologically and began to proliferate rapidly, suggesting malignant transformation by the virus. Both cell lines can support the replication of both transformation-competent and transformation-incompetent viruses such as murine or rat leukemia viruses. Infected T-79 and FRT-L cells had a high colony-forming efficiency (68 and 64%, respectively) when grown in agar and formed tumors when transplanted s.c. into syngeneic rats. These tumors morphologically resemble undifferentiated adenocarcinomas, thus showing that Kirsten sarcoma virus carrying the outer coat of the helper Kirsten murine leukemia virus is able to transform differentiated epithelial cells. Transformed T-79 and FRT-L cells, in contrast to uninfected cells, neither secrete thyroglobulin concentrate iodide, two biochemical markers of differentiated thyroid function. Thus, expression of the differentiated phenotype is blocked as a consequence of cell transformation. The system described may be useful in studying epithelial cell carcinogenesis in terms of regulated expression of differentiated functions.

Human leptospirosis in Somalia: a serological survey

Sera from Somalis of both sexes between the ages of 16 and 60 were examined for leptospiral agglutinins. 37% of 105 apparently healthy individuals living in the arid Mogadishu area were positive, as were 64% of 107 schistosomiasis patients living in two villages on the Shabeele River (50.5% over-all). Pools of sera from similar subjects, as well as leprosy patients living on the Juba River and patients in Mogadishu hospitals with suspected viral hepatitis showed a similar prevalence rate of 56%. These figures are higher than prevelance rates for leptospiral antibodies generally found in other parts of the world, and in part may be related to the nomadic, cattle-driving existence common in Somalia. The titres of 11.2% of the positive sera examined singly indicated recent infection. Approximately twice as many subjects from the river villages as from the Mogadishu area were positive for more than one serovar, and a greater number of serovars were recorded from the villages. Antibodies to bratislava serovar, not previously recorded in Africa, were found in 57% of positive subjects, showing the highest prevalence rate among the investigated serovars. Co-antibodies to saprophytic Leptospira biflexa serovars were found in many of the sera.

Transformation of rat thyroid epithelial cells by Kirsten murine sarcoma virus

Fischer rat thyroid epithelial cella (FRT) growing continuously in culture were infected with the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus KiMSV(KiMuLV) and found to produce this virus constitutively. Although the morphology of the FRT cells did not change appreciably, the cells became malignant after infection with KiMSV(KiMuLV) as shown by the growth of infected cels in semi-solid media (uninfected FRT cells did not grow) and by the tumorigenicity of infected when injected into syngeneic animals (uninfected FRT cells or FRT cells infected with non-transforming retro-viruses were not tumorigenic). The induced tumors morphologically resembled moderately differentiated carcinomas. Two markers of thyroid epithelial differentiation were absent in the original FRT clone and remained unexpressed after transformation. Fully differentiated rat thyroid epithelial cells (FRT-L cells) infected with another strain of the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus, the KiMSV(MolMuLV), were also transformed as demonstrated by the ability also of these cells to grow as carcinomas (after in vitro transformation) in syngeneic animals. Our results clearly demonstrate that the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus can transform in vitro cells of epithelial as well as of fibroblastic origin.

The inhibition by hydrocortisone of prostaglandin biosynthesis in rat peritoneal leucocytes is correlated with intracellular macrocortin levels

Hydrocortisone inhibits prostaglandin generation by rat peritoneal leucocytes by releasing the polypeptide phospholipase inhibitor, macrocortin. The susceptibility of these cells to hydrocortisone is directly correlated with their intracellular macrocortin content. Cells depleted of the peptide by prior incubation with steroid cannot respond to the steroid, until a fresh intracellular store has been synthesized. In vitro, this process requires 4-5 h. Cells remain sensitive to the inhibitory action of the peptide at all times.

Bullous dermatoses of pregnancy

Eight women had a bullous skin disease that occurred during pregnancy. One patient had clinical, histopathologic, and immunopathologic features of pemphigus. The other seven patients showed the features of herpes gestationis. Oral contraceptives reproduced the disease in the pemphigus patient and in one of the others. When the pemphigus patient was free of active disease, local intraepidermal acantholytic blister formation with deposition of IgG and C3 in the intercellular substance of the epidermis was induced by intradermal injection of progesterone.

Antitoxoplasma antibodies in mothers in labour and their newborn children

A serological investigation on antitoxoplasma antibodies of women in labour and their newborn babies was carried out on a population sample representative of a defined geographical area. The relevant findings revealed: a) high titer antibodies in 21.2% of parturient-newborn pairs; b) slight or non-apparent toxoplasma infection, limited to 2.4% of newborns with high titer antibodies; c) quick drop of antibody titer in two thirds of seropositive women in labour observed 90 days from childbirth; d) a steady proportion of seronegative pregnant women - 40% ca. - detected in all age groups from 20 and 40 years and over. These findings are discussed, and assumptions on their meaning are put forward.