Mechanisms of glial swelling by arachidonic acid

The effect of arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4) was analyzed in vitro by employment of C6 glioma cells and astrocytes from primary culture. The cells were suspended in an incubation chamber under continuous control of pH, pO2, and temperature. Cell swelling was quantified by flow cytometry. After a control period, the suspension was added with AA at concentrations of 0.01 to 1.0 mM. Administration of AA induced an immediate, dose dependent swelling in C6 glioma cells or astrocytes. AA-concentrations of 0.01 mM led to an increase of the glial cell volume to 103.0 +/- 1.0% of control, 0.1 mM to 110.0 +/- 1.5%, and 1.0 mM to 118.8 +/- 1.5% within 10 min. The swelling response to linoleic acid (18:2) was only about half of what was found when AA was administered at a concentration of 0.1 mM, whereas stearic acid (18:0) did not induce any cell volume changes. Inhibition of the cyclo- and lipoxygenase pathway by BW 755C did not prevent glial swelling from AA, whereas it was reduced by SOD, or almost completely abolished by the aminosteroid U-74389F, an antagonist of lipid peroxidation. Replacement of Na(+)- and Cl- -ions in the suspension medium by choline chloride was also associated with complete abolishment of cell swelling from AA. The results demonstrate an impressive efficacy of arachidonic acid to induce glial swelling which might be attributable to activation of lipid peroxidation by the fatty acid, leading to an increased Na(+)-permeability and subsequent influx of water into the cells.

Cloning and characterization of heat-inducible promoters of Bacillus subtilis

Heat-inducible DNA fragments of Bacillus subtilis were cloned with two different promoter probe vectors. The increased synthesis of the reporter enzymes seemed to be due to a transient increase in the transcription of the encoding genes. The structure of the heat-sensitive promoters resembles the consensus sequence of promoters recognized by the vegetative form of RNA polymerase of B. subtilis. Our results support data in literature that the heat shock response of B. subtilis is regulated by a different mechanism than in Escherichia coli, where alternative sigma factors direct the transcription of heat shock genes.

Fotemustine plus dacarbazine in advanced stage III malignant melanoma

19 patients with advanced malignant melanoma were treated with fotemustine and dacarbazine. Data recorded and available for evaluation in all patients included clinical and histopathological parameters of the primary melanoma, blood chemistry, blood cell count, chest X-ray, ultrasound and bone scan for initial staging of the site of metastases and follow-up during treatment. Dosage was fotemustine 100 mg/m2 and dacarbazine 200 mg/m2 intravenously twice monthly on days 1 and 8, repeated for a maximum of six courses. There were two complete and three partial responses in 5/19 patients (26%), and 8 patients (42%) had stable disease. 6 (32%) patients had no response. Median length of complete and partial responses was 3.9 months, and that of stable disease 4.2 months. The main side-effects were thrombocytopenia in 10 patients (53%) and nausea in 6 (32%); the nausea was easily suppressed by ondasetron. Thus, fotemustine-dacarbazine may be new treatment in advanced melanoma.

Antigenic domains on the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-associated 70K polypeptide: a comparison of regions selectively recognized by human and mouse autoantibodies and by monoclonal antibodies

Antigenic regions on the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP)-associated 70K polypeptide recognized by human and mouse autoantibodies or by monoclonal antibodies were identified and compared. Using a set of 70K fusion proteins as antigen in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting revealed that serum autoantibodies of human and of MRL/Mp mouse origin recognized a common region of the 70K polypeptide. Monoclonal anti-70K antibodies derived from a patient with mixed connective tissue disease, from an autoimmune MRL/Mp mouse, and from a BALB/c mouse immunized with purified U1 snRNP were all shown to bind to a part of the 70K polypeptide rich in charged residues and different from the region recognized by most human and MRL/Mp mouse serum autoantibodies.

Toxicokinetic aspects of chronic cyanide exposure in the rat

Rats received 40, 80 and 160 mg KCN/kg body wt./24 h in the drinking water for 13 weeks. Fairly constant dose-related cyanide and thiocyanate levels were measured in blood, plasma and urine during the exposure. Blood cyanide concentrations were in the range of 16.0-25.5 nmol CN-/ml blood, thiocyanate concentrations in the range of 341-877 nmol SCN-/ml plasma following continuous administration of the maximum tolerated dose-level of 160 mg/kg body wt/24 h. The results suggest that continuous 13-week maximum tolerated cyanide exposure does not lead to saturation of cyanide detoxification pathways.

Kala-azar in displaced people from southern Sudan: epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic findings

Six hundred and ninety-three patients with kala-azar were seen in Khartoum, Sudan, from January 1989 to February 1990. They were almost exclusively from the Nuer tribe, originating from the western Upper Nile province in southern Sudan, an area not known previously to be endemic for kala-azar. Because of the civil war in southern Sudan no treatment was available locally and massive migration to northern Sudan occurred; many died on the way. All age groups were affected; there was a slight male preponderance (56%). In the clinical presentation, marked generalized lymphadenopathy was prominent (84%). Splenomegaly was absent in 4% of cases. Patients usually showed anaemia, leucopenia and/or thrombocytopenia. 623 patients were treated with sodium stibogluconate, 10 mg/kg for 30 d; relapse occurred in 4% and death in 12%. Latterly, 70 patients were treated with sodium stibogluconate at 2 x 10 mg/kg for 15 d, with relapse in 6% and death in 6%. The difference between the 2 regimens in the number of relapses and deaths was not significant. The outbreak may have been caused by a combination of factors: the introduction of the parasite from an endemic area to a non-immune population, the presence of malnutrition caused by loss of cattle and unavailability of other food sources, and possibly an ecological change in favour of the sandfly vector.

Ammonia absorption from the isolated reticulo-rumen of sheep

In fistulated sheep (50-60 kg live weight) the absorption of ammonia from the reticulo-rumen in vivo was studied applying the technique of the temporarily isolated and washed reticulo-rumen. It was found that, at ammonia concentrations between 3 and 18 mM, ammonia efflux and ammonia net absorption were linearly related to the ammonia concentration in the artificial rumen fluid, whereas influx of ammonia nitrogen from endogenous sources remained almost constant. When the concentration of unionized NH3 was changed at the ratio 1:10:76 by varying the pH from 5.8 to 6.8 and 7.7, ammonia net absorption did not reflect the concentration ratio of unionized NH3, indicating either flux of NH4+ ions or titration of NH4+ to NH3 at the absorptive surface. In the experiments with buffer solutions without ammonium salts and extended over 2 h, ammonia concentrations in the artificial rumen fluid increased due to endogenous nitrogen influx and reached levels far beyond the expected plateau concentration of about 2 mM. Labelling of the N pool in the isolated organ by 15N showed that ammonia efflux had almost ceased in these experiments. It is argued that as yet unidentified changes have taken place in the artificial rumen fluid during the experiment, but there is some reason to believe that volatile fatty acid (VFA) absorption was affecting ammonia absorption.

The impact of a resident dog on an institution for the elderly: effects on perceptions and social interactions

A longitudinal case study was made of a sub-unit of a nursing home to examine the perceptions and social interactions of patients and staff after introduction of a resident dog. A behavioral mapping procedure was used to determine staff and patient interactions 6 weeks before and 6 weeks and 22 weeks after the dog's arrival. Interviews were also conducted with patients and staff. Six weeks after the dog's arrival, a significant increase in frequency of interactive behaviors was seen for both staff and patients. By 22 weeks, behaviors for patients had reverted to base-line levels, while remaining high for staff.

Eosinophilic fasciitis with porphyria cutanea tarda and progressive destructive arthritis

The course of arthritis with eosinophilic fasciitis is poorly documented. We report a patient in whom polyarthritis preceded the clinical appearance of eosinophilic fasciitis and progressed over a 14-year period to a destructive process with inflammatory and degenerative characteristics. Porphyria cutanea tarda and transient extramedullary pancytopenia complicated this patient's disease.

Value and limitations of calcium channel blockade in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension associated with CREST--case reports

Reversible vasospasm has been hypothesized to underlie the development of pulmonary hypertension in patients with CREST. Drugs that prevent arterial spasm have been used to treat pulmonary hypertension with variable results. The disparate pulmonary hemodynamic responses to calcium channel blockade reported herein suggest that CREST patients with mild pulmonary hypertension may have a component of reversible vasospasm responsive to vasodilator therapy, whereas patients with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension may have fixed vessel lesions precluding a satisfactory response to calcium channel blockade.

Monoclonal autoantibody recognizing a unique set of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complexes

A murine IgG2a, kappa-monoclonal autoantibody (mAb) F78 is described that recognizes a novel epitope associated with small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complexes (snRNP). F78 selectively immunoprecipitated a unique pattern of small nuclear RNA (U1, U2, and U4 to U6) characterized by a marked depletion of U1 and an elevated proportion of U2 compared with known patterns immunoprecipitated by previously described anti-RNP (2.73) and anti-Sm (7.13, Y12) mAb. Analysis of immunoprecipitated RNA from extracts previously cleared with mAb F78 and probed with anti-RNP mAb 2.73 further indicated the presence of two distinct subsets of U1. Immunoblots of whole cell extracts separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) without heating showed that F78 selectively bound to a trypsin-sensitive component of apparent m.w. greater than 120,000 which was decreased in size following RNase A treatment. The anti-Sm mAb, but not the anti-RNP mAb, also recognized this component in unheated samples. Heating before SDS-PAGE resulted in abrogation of binding to the F78 epitope. Immunoprecipitation of unlabeled or [35S]methionine-labeled cell extracts with F78 revealed the presence of most snRNP peptides, but the absence of peptide C and the 68,000 m.w. component, known to be selectively associated with U1-specific snRNP. Two-dimensional SDS-PAGE analysis of F78 immunoprecipitates confirmed that the epitope recognized by this mAb resides on a heat-dissociable complex containing snRNP-related peptides B, B', D, E, F, and G, but lacking U1-associated peptides. F78 mAb therefore defines a subset of snRNP which lack anti-RNP associated U1 RNA as well as peptides known to be selectively associated with this RNA species. It apparently recognizes an epitope associated with an assembled form of these particles and may be useful in examining structures involved in RNA processing.

Monoclonal autoantibody recognizing a unique set of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complexes

A murine IgG2a, kappa-monoclonal autoantibody (mAb) F78 is described that recognizes a novel epitope associated with small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complexes (snRNP). F78 selectively immunoprecipitated a unique pattern of small nuclear RNA (U1, U2, and U4 to U6) characterized by a marked depletion of U1 and an elevated proportion of U2 compared with known patterns immunoprecipitated by previously described anti-RNP (2.73) and anti-Sm (7.13, Y12) mAb. Analysis of immunoprecipitated RNA from extracts previously cleared with mAb F78 and probed with anti-RNP mAb 2.73 further indicated the presence of two distinct subsets of U1. Immunoblots of whole cell extracts separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) without heating showed that F78 selectively bound to a trypsin-sensitive component of apparent m.w. greater than 120,000 which was decreased in size following RNase A treatment. The anti-Sm mAb, but not the anti-RNP mAb, also recognized this component in unheated samples. Heating before SDS-PAGE resulted in abrogation of binding to the F78 epitope. Immunoprecipitation of unlabeled or [35S]methionine-labeled cell extracts with F78 revealed the presence of most snRNP peptides, but the absence of peptide C and the 68,000 m.w. component, known to be selectively associated with U1-specific snRNP. Two-dimensional SDS-PAGE analysis of F78 immunoprecipitates confirmed that the epitope recognized by this mAb resides on a heat-dissociable complex containing snRNP-related peptides B, B', D, E, F, and G, but lacking U1-associated peptides. F78 mAb therefore defines a subset of snRNP which lack anti-RNP associated U1 RNA as well as peptides known to be selectively associated with this RNA species. It apparently recognizes an epitope associated with an assembled form of these particles and may be useful in examining structures involved in RNA processing.

Ocular complications of Tangier disease

Tangier disease, or familial high-density lipoprotein deficiency, is an inherited disorder resulting in tissue deposition of excessive cholesterol esters. Although associated corneal clouding has been reported to produce little visual impairment, this patient with Tangier disease had corneal clouding, decreased corneal sensation, and cicatricial ectropion and experienced slowly progressive marked visual impairment. All ocular cases of Tangier disease are reviewed. Ectropion and incomplete eyelid closure may precede corneal clouding and should be recognized as signs associated with Tangier disease. The combination of exposure keratopathy and corneal infiltration can cause significant visual impairment.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis in rheumatic disease: a case report

We describe a 67-year-old white man with Wegener's granulomatosis who was treated with cyclophosphamide, then with azathioprine, and who subsequently developed cytomegalovirus retinitis. The patient initially improved on a course of adenine arabinosine, but his retinitis has progressed, despite discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. We show that cytomegalovirus retinitis does occur in patients with rheumatic diseases who receive immunosuppressive therapy.

[Segmental colonic atresia - a contribution to the differential diagnosis of ileus in the newborn (author's transl)]

Segmental atresia of the colon is regarded as an urgent emergency in the neonatal period and quick diagnosis and surgical interference are necessary. In spite of the rarity of this condition it could be thought about in the differential diagnosis in infants with relevant symptoms and can be diagnosed by simple means. The author's own technique is described in relation to the case of atresia of the transverse colon. The aetiology, classification, clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment are discussed. The prognosis depends very much on early diagnosis.

Reporting results of cancer treatment

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

Reporting results of cancer treatment

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

Reporting results of cancer treatment

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

Reporting results of cancer treatment

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

Reporting results of cancer treatment

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

[Further investigational results with the dermatometer according to bingmer (author's transl)]

Further results of investigations using the dermatometer according to Bingmer for the determination of the actual moisture content of superficial skin layers are presented. The investigations are divided into in-vitro tests, tests on excised skin and tests on humans. Results indicate that the Bingmer apparatus used in these trials shows considerable specific sensitivity to changes in the moisture content of the media examined. Different results obtained by other workers might be due to the use of Bingmer apparatus with a different carrier frequency. The advantage of apparatus based on 9 Kc carrier frequency is stressed. As a whole, the use of the Bingmer apparatus may be considered a step forward in dermatological and cosmetic examination techniques.