Alcohol and central serotonin metabolism in man

Animal studies and some of thephenomena associated with alcoholism in humans suggest that some central effects of alcohol may involve serotonergic systems. The CSF metabolites of serotonin and dopamine, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), and homovanillic acid (HVA) were studied in hospitalized alcoholics. There were no significant differences in HVA levels between groups. The level of 5HIAA of alcoholics in the abstinence phase, 28 to 63 days after their last drink, was significantly lower (21.8 +/- 1.9 ng/mL) than both a nonalcoholic comparison group (31.7 +/- 2.0 ng/mL) and alcoholics in the immediate postintoxication phase, within one to two days after their last drink (32.3 +/- 2.9 ng/mL).

Urinary catecholamines and amphetamine excretion in hyperactive and normal boys

Urinary catecholamines and metabolites and urinary amphetamine excretion were examined for hyperactive and normal boys following a single dose of dextroamphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) and placebo. Hyperactive children showed a significantly faster rate of excretion of amphetamine which could not be accounted for by previous exposure to drug or by signs of neurological involvement. Urinary norepinephrine (NE) was significantly higher for hyperactive than for normal children, but NE excretion did not correlate with motor activity or any measures of arousal. The single dose of amphetamine produced a significant rise in urinary epinephrine excretion (EP) for the normal children but not for the hyperactive group, supporting the notion of a more sluggish catecholamine response to stimulants for hyperkinetic children.

A laboratory evaluation of immune complexes in patients on inhalant immunotherapy

Patients with allergic rhinitis receiving maintenance inhalant immunotherapy and two control groups were studied for evidence of circulating immune complexes. The first control group contained patients with allergic rhinitis who had never received immunotherapy. The second control group contained normal volunteers. Patients in the treatment group had no proteinuria. When compared with the control group, the treatment group had no statistically significant differences in incidence of Clq binding immune complexes, cryoglobulinemia, rheumatoid factor, or complement depletion. This initial study suggests that maintenance immunotherapy does not result in an increase of circulating immune complexes.

Immunologic dysfunction in the myeloproliferative disorders

Forty patients with various types of myeloproliferative disorders were evaluated immunologically. Serum immunoglobulin levels were within the normal range in most patients and no monoclonal gammopathies were detected. Serum C'3 levels were decreased in 19 of 40 (48%) patients. The response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin was decreased in 26 of 40 (65%) and to pokeweed mitogen in 18 of 28 (64%) patients studied. Lymphocytes from patients with polycythemia vera were least affected. Unstimulated lymphocytes from some patients demonstrated markedly increased thymidine uptake activity. Despite the diminished mitogenic response, only 2 of 33 patients (6%) were anergic by intradermal skin testing. There was no association between depressed lymphocyte response and recent chemotherapy except in chronic myelogenous leukemia where 6 of 8 patients were receiving cytotoxic therapy when studied. These observations suggest that most of our patients with myeloproliferative disorders have abnormal cellular responses in vitro, but that delayed hypersensitivity and humoral responses are minimally affected.

Nucleoprotein localization by bismuth staining

Experiments on isolated mouse liver muclei involving enzyme digestion, the crosslinking of amino groups and alkaline hydrolysis demonstrate that bismuth binds to nucleoproteins through amino and phosphate groups. Analysis of the nucleoproteins extracted with salt and acid solutions in conjunction with bismuth staining after these treatments suggests that: (1) a bismuth amino group interaction occurs on ribonucleo-protein particles, histones and perhaps some non-histone chromosomal proteins, and (2) bismuth phosphate binding is specific for one, or all, of three distinct species of non-histone proteins. These results suggest that histones not tightly bound to DNA through their amino groups are present on interchromatin granules, the presumed transcriptionally active regions of chromatin. Phosphorylated non-histone proteins are also localized at these sites. Staining with heavy metals such as bismuth may be the best method for high resolution localization of nucleoproteins involved with regulating gene activity and maintaining chromatin structure.

Cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid in male alcoholics: effects of disulfiram

It is well know that if an individual maintained on disulfiram (Antabuse) ingests alcohol, excess acetaldehyde is formed, resulting in a toxic reaction. In addition to this toxic interaction with alcohol (the basis of its use as a deterrent), there are both behavioral and biochemical observations to suggest that disulfiram alone has a direct effect on the CNS. The possibility that some of disulfiram's effects are related to alterations in biogenic amine metabolism led to the present study of cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites in a group of male alcoholics. In this group, disulfiram treatment was associated with a significant reduction in homovanillic acid, the major metabolite of dopamine, while no change was noted in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, the major metabolite of serotonin. Prior to disulfiram, patients with withdrawal symptoms had significantly lower homovanillic acid than those without such symptoms.

A comparative analysis of the protein components of plasma membranes isolated from differentiated and undifferentiated mouse neuroblastoma cells in tissue culture

The plasma membranes of the cells of mouse neuroblastoma clone NB41A, were isolated without fixation by hardening procedures and were characterised by their enzyme activities and by their morphology in the light and electron microscopes. The membranes were prepared from two kinds of differentiated monolayer cultures; one in which the cells were induced to form long axon-like processes by the addition of N6,O2'-dibutyryladenosine 3':5'-monophosphate to the culture medium, and the other in which the cells were induced to form processes by the addition of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine. The proteins from the solubilised membranes were compared with similar preparation from the membranes of undifferentiated cells, grown in suspension, by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, using the incorporation of radioactive amino acids and L-fucose into proteins in the cultures to follow the differences in the patterns of polypeptide synthesis and glycosylation of the membrane proteins. The differentiated cells induced with either inducer show an increased incorporation of L-fucose into two distinct components with molecular weights of 60 000 and 70 000. The two types of induced cells differ from each other in that N6,O2'-dibutyryladenosine 3':5'-monophosphate stimulates both glycosylation and protein synthesis, with a relative increase in the low molecular weight proteins, but 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine stimulates mostly increased glycosylation of the membrane proteins.

Hemoglobins of the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis). II. Polymorphism; electrophoretic and chromatographic observations

Eighty-five adult opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) were examined for variation of hemaglobin by means of electrophoresis and column chromatography. A single hemoglobin was found in 83 animals while two hemoglobins were observed in two animals. The results of the chromatography studies suggested that the polymorphism was due to primary sequence differences in the alpha chain. Attempts to confirm this result by hybridization with human or canine hemoglobins were unsuccessful. The polymorphism was found not to be due to size differences and further investigation into its genetic basis was suggested.

Hemoglobins of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana Kerr). I. Developmental changes from yolk sac to definitive erythropoiesis

In 5- to 7-da old opossum pouch young, hemoglobins were observed. The "primitive" species I, II, and IV were shown to be electrophoretically distinct from the adult hemoglobin III. Hemoglobin I was detectable until the 7th postnatal da. Hemoglobins I, II, and IV were detected only during the period when yolk sac-derived primitive erythroblasts were seen in circulation, ei, until the 13th postnatal da, but in decreased amounts from the 6th to 13th da. The electrophoretic pattern of hemoglobin of pouch young after the 13th postnatal da was indistinguishable from that of the adult opossum.

Computer files and analyses of laboratory data from tuberculosis patients. II. Analyses of six years' data on sputum specimens

Laboratory data on sputum specimens from patients with pulmonary mycobacterioses between 1968 and 1973 were analyzed. Specimens were cultured on Middlebrook 7H10 and/or 7H11 medium; blue light fluorescence microscopy was used to examine specimen smears. An admission series of 6 sputum specimens detected 94.7 per cent of all culture-positive patients. Only 62 per cent of patients who were culture positive in the admission series would have been detected by smear alone. Quantitative agreement of smear and culture results was seen only in the smear-numerous (more than 2 bacilli per high-power field), culture-numerous (more than 100 colonies per plate) category. Qualitative agreement of smear and culture was 71 per cent. A total of 123 smear-positive and culture-negative specimens, representing 9 per cent of the total number of positive smears, was found among 6,251 sputum specimens from 270 culture-positive ptients. At least one smear-positive and culture-negative specimen was obtained from 23 per cent of the patients evaluated. During this period, improved housekeeping measures and drying of culture plates reduced the culture contamination rate from 9.8 to less than 5 per cent.

Local antibody production against the murine toxin of Yersinia pestis in a golf ball-induced granuloma

The method of Garra and Baygorria, for localized antibody production, has been adapted for obtaining high-titered and monospecific antibodies against the murine toxin of Yersinia pestis. A hollow, perforated plastic golf ball surgically implanted under the skin of rabbits induced the formation of a granuloma. When the murine toxin of Y. pestis was injected directly into the granulomatous cavity, an increased amount of antibody was found in the granuloma fluid as compared with serum or with serum antibody obtained by conventional immunization. The granuloma antibody consisted mainly of immunoglobulin G, probably produced locally by lymphoid cells of the granuloma. The immune granuloma fluid and the granuloma tissue were rich in plasma cells and lymphocytes. The chemical composition of the granuloma fluid indicated that it was a transudate.

Clinical aspects of 'Q' fever

‘Q’ fever is an acute febrile illness seen mainly among members of the farming community. The infection is contracted from sheep and cows mainly by inhalation of infected dust, but can be spread by raw milk.

The symptoms bear a marked resemblance to influenza and in the majority of cases the illness clears up spontaneously. A firm diagnosis can best be made by demonstrating a rise in complement fixing antibodies. Patchy consolidation of the lungs is seen on X-ray in about one-third of the cases and occasionally the infection becomes implanted on previously damaged heart valves and gives rise to subacute bacterial endocarditis. Treatment with tetracycline or trimethoprim sulphamethoxazole is indicated.

Enhancement of the humoral immune response by vitamin E

Vitamin E, supplemented to semisynthetic or natural commercial diets in amounts of 60–180 mg/kg increased the humoral immune response of mice against sheep red blood cell or tetanus toxoid antigens by 30–40%, measured by the antibody plaque forming cell test, or by hemagglutination. Vitamin E affected particularly the IgG antibody production. The antioxidant <i>N</i><i>N</i>-diphenyl-<i>p</i>-phenylene diamine was ineffective in restoring immune response in a vitamin E-deficient diet, and was only partially effective in replacing vitamin E in a normal diet.