The value of urinary pregnanediol estimation for monitoring early pregnancies

Urine samples from 76 pregnant women were tested for pregnanediol content during the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. Pregnanediol was measured by gas chromatography in 24-hour urine samples obtained once weekly from 76 randomly selected pregnant women 21, 28, 35, and 42 days after the last menstrual period. Pregnancy was ascertained by a positive hemagglutination inhibition test for human chorionic gonadotropin. In patients in whom the urinary pregnanediol content was less than 3 mg/24 hours the abortion rate was 81.5%, and 18.5% had normal pregnancies and births In patients whose pregnanediol content was greater than 3 mg/24 hours the abortion rate was 8.3%, and 91.7% had normal pregnancies and births. The 24-hour urinary pregnanediol excretion rate reflects corpus luteum function and can be considered as a means of monitoring pregnancy in its initial stage.

A new case of gamma-heavy chain disease

The first case of gamma-heavy chain disease described in Spain is here reported. The patient, a 36-year-old woman, presented fever, enlarged regional lymph nodes, and hepatosplenomegaly, without bone marrow abnormalities but with lymphopenia. Serum electrophoresis did not disclose any M-component. The abnormal gamma-chain protein had a alpha2-globulin mobility and was immunochemically related to the Fc fragment. It belonged to the IgG 4 subclass, its molecular weight was about 60,000. Proteinuria was minimal but the electrophoresis of concentrated urine showed a homogeneous peak of alpha2-globulin mobility constituted by the gamma-chain fragment. Biopsy of an axillary lymph node disclosed features of immunoblastic sarcoma. The course was malignant, resulting in death in 8 months.

Do schizophrenics give rare word associations?

For the past 50 years, researchers have been trying to demonstrate that schizophrenics give uncommon word associations. Although secondary sources largely agree that these demonstrations have been successful a review of the most frequently cited studies reveals that there has been an uncritical acceptance of inadequately documented data. Errors in experimental design, methodology, and even data analysis are described. The support that these data provide for the hypothesis that schizophrenics give rare word associations is illusory. Theories based on the relationship between schizophrenia and rare word associations should either be revised or supported by empirical evidence that such a relationship exists.

Reconstitution in severe combined immunodeficiency by transplantation of marrow from an unrelated donor

A patient with severe combined immunodeficiency received seven transplants of bone marrow from an HLA-B-compatible and HLA-D-compatible unrelated donor in an attempt to provide immunologic reconstitution. The first four transplants achieved restricted engraftment with evidence of rudimentary immunologic function. A fifth transplant, given after low-dose cyclophosphamide, produced reconstituion of cell-mediated immunity. Marrow aplasia developed after recontamination with a nonpathogenic microflora. Transplantation of marrow previously stored in liquid nitrogen was ineffective. A subsequent transplant, administered after high-dose cyclophosphamide, achieved durable engraftment, with complete hematopoietic and immunologic reconstitution. Seventeen months after transplantation, full functional engraftment persists. Graft-versus-host disease has been chronic and moderately severe, but limited to the skin and oral mucosa. Transplantation of marrow from unrelated histocompatible donors may provide a useful treatment for patients with severe combined immunodeficiency or aplastic anemia who lack a matched sibling or related donor.

Bovine protoporphyria: the first nonhuman model of this hereditary photosensitizing disease

Protoporphyria, a photosensitizing disease documented only in humans, was transmitted as a recessive trait to seven female calves. Cutaneous lesions were extensive, and erythrocyte and fecal protoporphyrin concentrations exceeded by far those of human protoporphyria. Average ferrochelatase activity was decreased to one-half of normal in the liver of carriers, and to about one-tenth of normal in liver, kidney, heart, spleen, lung, and marrow of protoporphyrics.

Picture mediation in abstract-concrete paired associates

The present study investigated the hypothesis that pictures of abstract-concrete paired associates would serve to make the abstract stimulus member more concrete thereby enhancing the learning process. 60 subjects were equally divided into 6 groups, varying conditions of concreteness and abstractness of the stimulus items and pictures or no picture. The results supported the basic proposition that the picture mediation presented during the learning-testing condition facilitated the learning of the abstract paired associates.

Liver tissue lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity in patients with liver disease

Lecithin: Cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity was measured in serum and liver tissue from patients with parenchymal liver disease. Serum LCAT activity was within normal limits and it was probably related to the absence of clinical and laboratory evidence of a decompensated liver function. Liver tissue LCAT activity is about tenfold lower than that in serum. The relative proportion of cholesterol esters in liver tissue was much higher that could be expected according the low tissue LCAT activity. This findings suggest that LCAT is a "plasma specific" enzyme and that cholesterol esters in parenchyma may be considered as a storage form of cholesterol esterified in plasma pool.

Hepatoma presenting as lower gastrointestinal bleeding

A 61-year old white male, known to have alcoholic cirrhosis, presented with massive fresh bleeding per rectum. Various investigations failed to ascertain the cause of bleeding. Hepatoma of the liver was revealed by selective hepatic and superior mesenteric angiography. Massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding occurred again one month later and was rapidly followed by death from hepatic coma. An extensive hepatoma infiltrating the adjacent hepatic flexure of the colon was found at autopsy, the colonic infiltration explaining the lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Anti-androgen-therapy in pachydermia of the female larynx--a new therapeutic possibility

Case-report about a 56 year old white female patient with pachydermia laryngis and hirsutism, successfully treated with cyproterone-acetate, a testosterone antagonist. The significance of androgenic hormones for the development of epithelial changes in the female larynx is emphasized. The administration of antiandrogenic substances as a new therapeutic measure is discussed.

Evidence of agar gel electrophoresis changes of lipoprotein-X after phospholipase A and deoxycholic acid

The effect of phospholipase A from snake venom and deoxycholic acid on lipoprotein-X (LP-X) recovered from the cathode side of a previous agar gel electrophoresis is described. Adding phospholipase A and deoxycholic acid to the removed cathodal fraction is followed by a marked migration to the anode side on a second electrophoresis procedure. This seems to confirm that phospholipase A and bile salts on LP-X particles modifying their agar gel electrophoretic migration characteristics.

Relation of pH to fluorescence of serotonin, melatonin, and other indole compounds reacted with o-phthaldialdehyde

We distinguished serotonin, malatonin, and other indole compounds by their markedly different fluorescence behavior when heated with o-phthaldialdehyde in different concentration of HCl, or after the subsequent addition of alkali. Fluorescence may increase, disappear, or change from blue to orange-red. Only melatonin developed significant fluorescence (at less than 0.5 mug/liter) when heated with the reagent in 50 mmol/liter HCl. Serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole compounds with a C-3 aliphatic chain lost their blue fluorescence when brought from strong to weakly acid and alkaline pH. Intense reddish fluorescence developed in strongly alkaline solution. C-5 methoxy derivatives, such as melatonin, maintained their blue fluorescence in alkaline solution. Differences in fluorescence color (and RF) also characterized these compounds on silica gel plates. The use of toluene decreased blank fluorescence, while sample preparation in dim light, as often recommended, resulted in diminished and less-stable fluorescence.

Relation of pH to fluorescence of serotonin, melatonin, and other indole compounds reacted with o-phthaldialdehyde

We distinguished serotonin, malatonin, and other indole compounds by their markedly different fluorescence behavior when heated with o-phthaldialdehyde in different concentration of HCl, or after the subsequent addition of alkali. Fluorescence may increase, disappear, or change from blue to orange-red. Only melatonin developed significant fluorescence (at less than 0.5 mug/liter) when heated with the reagent in 50 mmol/liter HCl. Serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole compounds with a C-3 aliphatic chain lost their blue fluorescence when brought from strong to weakly acid and alkaline pH. Intense reddish fluorescence developed in strongly alkaline solution. C-5 methoxy derivatives, such as melatonin, maintained their blue fluorescence in alkaline solution. Differences in fluorescence color (and RF) also characterized these compounds on silica gel plates. The use of toluene decreased blank fluorescence, while sample preparation in dim light, as often recommended, resulted in diminished and less-stable fluorescence.

Chromatography on Florisil in the quantitative estimation of urinary and other porphyrins

We describe the use of Florisil chromatography to purify and fractionate porphyrins into uro-, copro-, and protoporphyrins before their measurement by quantitative fluorometry. Porphyrinogens in fresh urine may be rapidly oxidized to porphyrins by chloranil, or slowly in weakly alkaline solution, before the sample is applied to the Florisil column. Aliquots of the separate ammoniacal eluates may be lyophilized for additional fractionation by direct thin-layer chromatographic analysis if desired. The behavior of delta-aminolevulinic acid, porphobilinogen, and other pyrrole compounds in this system is also described.

Chromatography on Florisil in the quantitative estimation of urinary and other porphyrins

We describe the use of Florisil chromatography to purify and fractionate porphyrins into uro-, copro-, and protoporphyrins before their measurement by quantitative fluorometry. Porphyrinogens in fresh urine may be rapidly oxidized to porphyrins by chloranil, or slowly in weakly alkaline solution, before the sample is applied to the Florisil column. Aliquots of the separate ammoniacal eluates may be lyophilized for additional fractionation by direct thin-layer chromatographic analysis if desired. The behavior of delta-aminolevulinic acid, porphobilinogen, and other pyrrole compounds in this system is also described.