[The production of hybrid cells producing monoclonal antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii]

Hybridomas that secrete monoclonal antibody to Toxoplasma gondii have been developed. Two groups of 10 female BALB/c mice each were immunized either over a shorter (71 d) or longer (117 d) period at first with Toxoplasma lysate antigen and afterwards with intact tachyzoites of the RH strain. Higher titres of antibody were obtained with the long-period immunization. The fusion experiments have shown that both schemes of immunization approximately result in the same number (16 and 14% respectively) of hybridoma cell lines producing antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies. Hybridoma cultures secreting antitoxoplasma monoclonal antibodies were screened parallel by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). 16 of the hybridoma cell cultures produced positive results only in the IFAT, 112 reacted only in the EIA and 21 were positive in both tests. The monoclonal antibodies 5B10, 5G6 and 1B2, which are positive in the IFAT form a chemical compound with the major antigens on the surface of RH tachyzoites. The patterns of fluorescence produced by these monoclonal antibodies are in conformity with those produced by using polyclonal sera of Toxoplasma gondii infected hosts (mouse, rabbit, man).

[An unusual case of suicidal carbon monoxide poisoning]

A 35 years old student with prior suicidal tendencies was found dead laying enclosed in a plastic-bag together with four plastic-bags of minor capacity. Three bags were opened by cuts and empty, one bag contained 73 1 of 83.2 Vol.% carbon monoxide. Postmortem carboxyhemoglobin concentrations in blood of five different regions of the corpse ranged from 80.3% to 93.4%. From the circumstances--chemicals and apparatus--it could be reconstructed that carbon monoxide was produced by the reactions of formic acid and sulfuric acid.

[Screening for HIV antibodies in pregnancy]

The results of the first screening in pregnant women for HIV antibodies published in the literature were obtained at the Charlottenburg Gynecological Clinic of the Free University of Berlin, and are communicated here. They indicate that in future it will be questionable whether AIDS should be looked for only among risk groups, as is currently the case in many obstetric centers. Tests for HIV were positive in 0.5% of 1295 pregnant women who did not belong to a risk group (heroin addicts, prostitutes, transfusion recipients); the findings were confirmed with the more specific Western Blot. Consequently, therefore, it is recommended that HIV screening should be included among the basic antenatal care examinations, the patient having been thoroughly informed. In order that the patient be aware of the reality of the risk, she should, if possible, be informed in early pregnancy: the family physician therefore has a special obligation to fulfil. The fact that increasing numbers of infected women do not belong to risk groups is a further argument in favor of HIV screening. Moreover, AIDS has become the most common infection with serious consequences for mother and child. Patients in whom the test for HIV antibodies is positive also require appropriate counseling and care. Finally, the need to protect both patients and staff against infection during birth must not be neglected.

Resistance to cellular immune response in AKR leukemias

Spontaneous AKR leukemias express murine leukemia virus (MuLV) gag and env gene-encoded structural proteins on their cell surface. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) induced in AKR mice by syngeneic leukemia 369 which expressed high amounts of H-2 antigens recognized viral gag polyproteins in association with H-2K antigens as target antigens. H-2K-negative leukemias were resistant to lysis by AKR/Gross MuLV-specific CTL and did not induce a cellular immune response. However, they became susceptible after stimulation with interferon. H-2K-positive leukemias induced CTL which were cytotoxic for 369 cells. However, the majority of H-2K-positive leukemias was not lysed by CTL induced by autologous immunization. These leukemias were also resistant to lysis by anti-369 CTL, but could restimulate AKR/Gross-specific CTL in vitro, and were susceptible to lysis by H-2Kk-restricted CTL against AKR minor histocompatibility antigens. Thus, there could be specific defects of the H-2Kk antigens of these tumors. However, there were also qualitative and quantitative differences in antigenic determinants of the gag target antigens in these leukemias. Therefore, in addition to quantitative reduction of the H-2K restriction elements, qualitative alterations of H-2 antigens or of the viral target antigens may impair T cell cytotoxicity and thus influence leukemogenesis of AKR spontaneous leukemia.

[The Aids problem in pregnant women--a challenge to the obstetrician]

Nine pregnant women with the AIDS problem were under treatment and care at the Department of Gynaecology of the University of Berlin at Charlottenburg during 1985. Of these, seven had HTLV-III antibodies only, whereas one woman showed additional clinical signs such as lymphoadenopathy and opportunistic infections; another woman developed exanthemas during pregnancy that pointed to a possible manifestation of AIDS. The increasing incidence in our clinic of pregnant women infected with or actually suffering from AIDS is due to the fact that for several years we have been conducting heroin withdrawal programmes in pregnant women. It must be born in mind, however, that generally more and more women outside the high-risk groups covered by anamnesis are being infected with HTLV-III. Screening tests for HTLV-III can help to clarify matters and make it possible to care adequately for the patient and to guarantee the obstetric team an appropriate management of the risk of infection. However, it must be considered as a minimum demand to be made on the obstetrician to conduct tests for HTLV-III antibodies in women of the high-risk groups (heroin addicts, prostitutes, blood transfusion recipients, fathers at risk). Based on update knowledge, the authors supply pointers to a more realistic information of pregnant women. Suggestions are advanced in respect of care during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium.

Effect of GIP on insulin release to intravenous glucose infusion in hyperthyroid rats

Triiodothyronine induced hyperthyroidism caused significantly elevated basal and stimulated glucose and insulin levels in rats. The release of Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide (GIP) following an oral glucose load was not significantly different between euthyroid and hyperthyroid rats. The insulin response, however, was significantly higher in hyperthyroid rats. Following intravenous glucose hyperthyroid rats showed a diminished insulin response when compared with euthyroid rats but intravenous infusion of glucose together with GIP caused a significantly higher insulin response in hyperthyroid rats. It is hypothesized that in hyperthyroidism there is an increased sensitivity to the insulinotropic action of GIP and that this mechanism could emphasize the importance of the enteroinsular axis in pathophysiological states.

[Proof of diaplacental transmission of HTLV III/LAV before the 20th week of pregnancy]

Tissue samples were taken from a 20-week old foetus in a mother with positive LAV/HTLV-III reaction without clinical or immunological signs of AIDS. These samples were used for cocultivation of LAV/HTLV-III. This resulted in inducing in MT-2 cells a cytopathic effect characteristic for LAV/HTLV-III infections, induced by thymus, spleen, lungs and brain tissue of the foetus after cocultivation with umbilical cord lymphocytes; in H-9 and MT-2 cells this led to the expression and release of antigens reacting with LAV/HTLV-III-specific anti-bodies. This observation shows that intrauterine infection of the foetus must have occurred already before the 20th week of gestation; the same target cells are involved via uterine transmission as via postnatal infection, i.e. cells of the lymphatic system and of the CNS.

Correlation of immune defects in hemophilia with HTLV-III antibody titers

Of 170 hemophilia patients, 22% had high-titer, 29% had low-titer, and 49% had no antibodies against HTLV-III. The strength of HTLV-III antibodies was correlated significantly with a decreased OKT4/T8 ratio (p less than 0.0005), decreased in vitro response to pokeweed mitogen (p less than 0.025), and elevated serum neopterin (p less than 0.05) and serum IgG (p less than 0.0005). The fraction of patients with abnormal immunological findings was consistently greater among patients with high-titer than among patients with low-titer HTLV-III antibodies. Testing these immunological parameters may be useful for monitoring the breakdown of immune functions leading to AIDS.

A rapid screening technique for lymphocytotoxic antibodies using tray-frozen lymphocytes

A method whereby sera can be screened for the presence of lymphocytotoxic antibodies within 4 hr using lymphocytes frozen in microtest trays is described. The reactions of the sera of 48 hemodialysis patients against freshly prepared lymphocytes were compared with those against tube-frozen (384 reaction pairs) and tray-frozen (864 reaction pairs) cells. There was a better than 90% concordance, and only 3% of the reactions differed from negative to strongly positive or vice versa. Preliminary results indicate that the method is also suitable for B-cell (HLA-DR) antibody testing. Routine screening against 50- or 100-cell panels can be accomplished more rapidly and more efficiently using tray-frozen lymphocytes. The data matrix for analysis of a serum's HLA specificity is greatly reduced in comparison to the conventional screening technique, rendering the method particularly suitable for microcomputer processing.

Ventricular arrhythmias in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Twenty four hour ambulatory electrocardiograms were recorded in 60 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The diagnosis was based on clinical, laboratory, and cardiac catheterisation findings. All patients had a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 0.55; in 39 it was less than 0.40. Ventricular extrasystoles were evident in all patients: they were rare in 11 (18%), moderately frequent in 24 (40%), and frequent in 25 (42%). Multiform extrasystoles were recorded in 57 patients (95%), paired ventricular extrasystoles in 47 (78%), and non-sustained ventricular tachycardias consisting of three to 19 beats in 25 (42%) of the 60 patients studied. Eight patients had more than five episodes of ventricular tachycardia a day. Patients with atrial fibrillation had the same frequency and grade of ventricular arrhythmias as those with sinus rhythm. Patients with infrequent and frequent ventricular extrasystoles could not be differentiated on the basis of the clinical or haemodynamic findings. The mean values of NYHA functional class, cardiac index, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and ejection fraction were, however, significantly different in patients with and without ventricular tachycardia. During follow up of 12 +/- 5 months seven patients died; all seven had an ejection fraction less than 0.40. In four patients who died of congestive heart failure, but in only one of the three patients who died a sudden cardiac death, ventricular tachycardia was recorded during ambulatory monitoring. High grade ventricular arrhythmias are often seen in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy; patients with ventricular tachycardia have more impairment of left ventricular function than patients without ventricular tachycardia; and ambulatory monitoring may be of little help in identifying patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Electrocardiographic evidence for a cardioprotective effect of nifedipine during experimental hypercalcemia

To investigate the effect of nifedipine on hypercalcemic electrocardiographical alterations, steadily increasing hypercalcemia was induced in guinea-pigs by continuous calcium gluconate infusion until cardiac arrest occurred. During the experimental time the electrocardiograms were continuously recorded and compared in animals with and without pretreatment by nifedipine (Adalat). The hypercalcemia-induced electrocardiographical alterations intensified during increasing serum calcium levels. Ascending serum potassium and magnesium levels indicated increasing cell damage with a leak of these mainly intracellular ions. Pretreatment by nifedipine did not significantly influence the hypercalcemia-induced bradycardia and augmentation of the P-Q interval except a small and transient effect during relatively low calcium levels. The drug, however, exerted a distinct normalizing effect on hypercalcemic reduction of the S-T segment and the Q-T interval despite of an unaltered development of hypercalcemia. Accordingly, the cellular potassium and magnesium leaks were markedly reduced and the survival time during calcium infusion was significantly prolonged after nifedipine pretreatment. These electrophysiological data are in agreement with our previous cytochemical studies, which showed a protective effect of nifedipine against hypercalcemia-induced overloading of the cellular calcium depots in myocardial cells. Whether this cardio-protective effect of nifedipine during hypercalcemia can be used therapeutically in hypercalcemic crisis, has to be examined in clinical studies.

The staphylococcal phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. Purification and characterisation of the galactoside-specific membrane-component enzyme II

The galactoside-specific membrane-bound component of the staphylococcal phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system, enzyme IIlac, was purified to homogeneity. The purification procedure involved several extractions steps at the particulate state, followed by solubilisation with Triton X-100. Up to this stage the biological activity of enzyme II was preserved. Isolation of the homogeneous protein involved gel filtration of the dodecylsulfate-denatured material. An apparent molecular weight of the polypeptide chain was estimated by dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis. The 55000-Mr protein is visible in dodecylsulfate gels upon induction of the staphylococcal lac operon as a more intensively stained area. Antibodies against the denatured 55000-Mr protein inhibit the mutant complementation assay of enzyme II offered as membrane fragments. This demonstrates that the 55000-Mr protein and enzyme IIlac are identical. Polarity and the solubility of the protein in detergents are typical for an integral membrane protein.

[Computer-analysis of volume distribution curves of erythrocytes (author's transl)]

The erythrocyte diameter curve of Price-Jones exhibits symmetrical, normal distribution. In contrast, the volume distribution curve of erythrocytes shows an asymmetrical course with some skewness to the right, which with different haematological diseases may vary. With respect to differential diagnosis as well as to therapy it is of importance to have available an objective means of comparing curves with different shapes. We therefore developed a mathematical determination of the volume distribution curves, which derived from the overlapping of two Gaussian normal distribution curves. Volume distribution curves of erythrocytes were determined with an electronic particle counter (Coulter counter) in 271 healthy and haematologically affected children as well as in 3 adults. With only one exception all volume distribution curves of erythrocytes could be fitted using computer analysis and the constants m1, m2, s1 and s2 were calculated. Characterisation of the curves with only these 4 constants allows a simple qualitative as well as quantitative comparison of different volume distribution curves.

[Sarcoma botryoides of the cervix uteri as cause for haemorrhages in childbed (author's transl)]

A case of a 21-year-old woman with a botryoid sarcoma of the cervix uteri, who consulted a specialist for women's diseases because of non stopping haemorrhages in childbed, is reported. Neither radical operation nor radiation nor treatment with cytostatica could arrest the extreme impetuous growth of this tumor.

Studies on the orientation of brush-border membrane vesicles

Orientation of rat renal and intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles was studied with two independent methods: electron-microscopic freeze-fracture technique and immunological methods. With the freeze-fracture technique a distinct asymmetric distribution of particles on the two membrane fracture faces was demonstrated; this was used as a criterion for orientation of the isolated membrane vesicles. For the immunological approach the accessibility or inaccessibility of aminopeptidase M localized on the outer surface of the cell membrane to antibodies was used. With both methods we showed that the brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from rat kidney cortex and from rat small intestine for transport studies are predominantly orientated right-side out.

The influence of gibberellic acid on reassociation kinetics of DNA of Daucus carota L

Carrot DNA, extracted from the tap root of untreated and gibberellic acid (GA3)-treated plants and of different varieties, was analyzed by reassociation kinetics. Differences due to GA3 treatment appear mainly in the intermediate repeated DNA region. Differences in approximately the same region are found using carrot DNA of different varieties, which also show differences in the slow reassociating sequences. By hybridizing a "family" of the "unique" DNA range with DNA obtained from GA3-treated plants and the controls, respectively, it could be shown that changes in the composition of total DNA are the result of GA3 treatment.

[Intraepithelial spread of the squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix into the endometrium. A contribution to the question of a surface spread of the cervical carcinoma]

Four cases have been reported in which a squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix was spreading on the surface of nearly the whole endometrial cavity by expansive intra-epithelial growth. In one of these cases, in the portio, there was only a beginning invasion into the stroma, whereas in the other three cases the wall of the cervix was variably infiltrated. In two cases a change to infiltrating growth into the corpus uteri could be observed.

[Differentiation of the aging intestinal epithelium by morphology, histochemistry and discelectrophoresis (author's transl)]

The intestinal epithelium of the small and large intestine of fetal rats (19th, 20th and 21st day of pregnancy) newborn and juvenile rats (1st to 50th day of life) adult rats (3rd to 4th month) and senile rats (18th to 30th month) was investigated by means of morphology, enzyme histochemistry and discelectrophoresis. The results obtained permit division of the development and aging of the rat intestinal epithelium into five periods: 1. The period of prenatal development. 2. The period of postnatal development. 3. The period of adaptation. 4. The stage of adult maturity. 5. The senile atrophy of the intestinal mucosa.

Differentiation and aging of the intestinal mucosa of the rat. I. Morphological, enzyme-histochemical and disc electrophoretic aspects of the prenatal and postnatal differentiation of the intestinal mucosa

The large and small intestines of fetal, newborn, juvenile and adult rats were investigated at various points by means of enzyme histochemistry, disc electrophoretic separations of enzymes and electron microscopy. The results obtained permit division of the morphological and enzymatic differentiation of the rat intestinal epithelium into four periods of development. 1. The period of prenatal development from the 19th to the 21st fetal day with a continuous increase of the enzyme activities in the enterocytes of the entire intestinal mucosa. 2. The period of postnatal development from the first day of life until the end of the second week with enzyme activity remaining roughly the same compared with the 21st day of life. 3. The period of adaptation from the beginning of the third week of life up to the middle of the fourth week of life. During this phase the transition into the stage of adult maturity occurs both morphologically and enzymatically. 4. The stage of adult maturity, which is fully developed in the middle of the fourth week of life.

[Acute necrotizing angitis with eosinophilic myocarditis in bronchial asthma(author's transl)]

In a 34-year-old patient asthma had developed as an allergy to infection. He died suddenly from cardiac and respiratory arrest following parenteral penicillin and sulphonamides. At autopsy necrotizing angiitis of the myocardial vessels as well as eosinophilic myocarditis were shown. These findings are probably the expression of a drug allergy.

[An ultrastructural study of the adrenal cortex in Cushing's syndrome without and with hyperaldosteronism]

This paper reports ultrastructural comparision of the adrenal gland zones of a rare case of a combination from Cushing's syndrome and hyperaldosteronism with a pure Cushing's syndrom and with a normal human adrenal gland. Whilst between the zona glomerulosa of the normal adrenal gland and of the Cushing's syndrom there are no differences, the morphological state of the glomerulosa cells of the Cushing's syndrom in combination with hyperaldosteronism is interpreted as an inhibition of the activity of these cells. In the cells of the hyperplastic zona fasciculata of Cushing's syndrom in combination with hyperaldosteronism, there are no electronmicroscopical characteristics, who are morphological equivalent of the production of aldosterone. The abundant quantity of steroid producing organells in these cells point to a high function. The cells of the adenoma of Cushing's syndrom contain abundant vacuols of lipids, in which presumable are stored steroid hormones.

The effect of chronic lithium application on the mineral content of rat bone and soft tissues

Rats were treated with lithium chloride over 6 weeks. During the experiment, determinations of serum calcium, magnesium and phosphorus revealed no changes due to the therapy. Postmortem examinations of liver, skeletal muscle, and femur minerals as well as bone histology showed these organs to be unaffected by lithium application. Only body weight gain was in part increased by lithium.