Relation of protein synthesis and transglutaminase activity to formation of the cross-linked envelope during terminal differentiation of the cultured human epidermal keratinocyte. When serially cultivated human epidermal keratinocytes are placed in suspension culture they stop growing and form, beneath the plasma membrane, an insoluble envelope consisting of protein cross-linked by epsilon- (gamma-glutamyl)lysine. The formation of envelopes in suspended cells is preceded by a sharp decline in the rate of protein synthesis, and most envelopes appear only after the average rate of protein synthesis has fallen to a very low level. If protein synthesis is reduced over 98 percent with cycloheximide or emetine at the time that surface-grown cells are placed in suspension culture, cross-linked envelopes form in most of the cells. This shows that the precursor of the envelope and the cross-linking enzyme are already in the cytoplasm in most cells of growing surface cultures. The process of envelope formation by suspension cultures is actually accelerated by the inhibitors of protein synthesis; an increased number of cells with cross-linked envelopes is observable within 4-6 h after the addition of cycloheximide. The inhibitor also induces a large fraction of the cells of surface cultures to form enveloped within a few days. These findings suggest that arrest of protein synthesis leads to activation of the cross-linking process. Agents known to inhibit transglutaminase-mediated protein cross-linking-putrescine, iodoacetamide, and ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (EGTA)- also prevent envelope formation. Though the activity of the cross-linking transglutaminase depends on the presence of cellular Ca++, we have not been able to activate the cross-linking process by high external Ca++ concentration or ionophores.


Serum standards for the bioassay of aminoglycosides in cerebrospinal fluid. Four diluents were compared as reference standards for the assay of gentamicin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): human CSF, human serum, distilled water, and 150 mmol NaCl/4.5 mmol CaCl2. Standards prepared in pooled human serum were the best alternative to CSF for the assay of gentamicin and were also useful for the assay of tobramycin, netilmicin, amikacin, and sisomicin. The pH (6.0-9.8) of CSF did not alter the results of the assay.


The effects of one-day treatment of anxiety with high doses of halazepam. The main purposes of this study were to examine the effects of one-day treatment of anxiety and to test whether significant relief of anxiety can be achieved in a short time period by frequency individual adjustment of doses. A double-blind crossover study of halazepam and placebo was carried out with 22 patients, 20 completing the study. Each treatment lasted for one day. Oral medication was administered starting with a dose of 40 mg and the dose adjusted every 2 hours. The total daily dose did not exceed 600 mg. Several rating and self-rating scales were used. All observer rating scales and several self-rating scales discriminated at a significant level. The design appeart to be suitable for the rapid screening for anti-anxiety properties of new drugs.


A study in the management of anxiety with lorazepam. A four-week double-blind comparison between lorazepam and placebo involving 60 patients with anxiety revealed that lorazepam in a mean dose of approximately 3 mg on a b.i.d. regimen is significantly and clinically more effective than placebo for almost all items of the Global, Hamilton, and 35-Item scales at nearly all evaluation periods. Moreover, lorazapem was associated with a 50% greater improvement rate than was placebo. Except for only one patient who was withdrawn from the study because of severe sedation, lorazepam was well tolerated and did not interact adversely with concomitant nonpsychoactive medication.


Acid base status during treatment of chronic uremia with diafiltration. Treatment of chronic uremia by hemodiafiltration requires replacement of the filtrate. Using Ringer's solution alone, there is a depression of pH because of bicarbonate loss. To bring the acid base status back to normal, sodium lactate in increasing concentrations (283 mg% = 32 mM/1, 361 mg% = 40 mM/1; 462 mg% = 51 mM/1; 508 mg% = 57 mM/1) was added to the replacement fluid. The optimal concentration is 450 mg% (=50 mM/1) sodium lactate, provided the following conditions are fulfilled: (a) substitution after the filter; (b) mixing ratio of blood and substitution fluid 1:2. Using 12-15 liters of substitution fluid during a 5 hr treatment, the added lactate amounts to 60 g (=0.54 M). With continuous addition of lactate, the serum concentration of lactate is 3.5 times normal and the concentration of serum pyruvate 4 times normal. An excess lactate concentration, according to Huckabee [1,2], was thus not observed. The sieving coefficients were the following: sodium, potassium, urea, lactate, pyruvate, and phosphate 1; chloride greater then 1; calcium and protein less than 1. Serum osmolality fell, on the average, 9 mOsmol/1 during diafiltration.


Kinetics of nitrosation of the herbicide glyphosate. The herbicide glyphosate was nitrosated by third-order kinetics to N-nitrosoglyphosate. The nitrosation at 25 degrees C was maximum at the reaction pH of 2.5 and had a pH-dependent rate constant of 2.43 M-2 sec-1. An activation energy of 9.5 kcal mole-1 also suggested that glyphosate is nitrosated very readily. Thiocyanate increased the rate 4.6 fold. The possibility of using these results to predict the formation of N-nitrosoglyphosate under normal agricultural practice is discussed.


Effects of restoring lethally irradiated mice with anti-Thy 1.2-treated bone marrow: graft-vs-host, host-vs-graft, and mitogen reactivity. In vitro treatment of A/J mouse bone marrow with anti-Thy 1.2 serum and guinea pig complement (GPC) eliminated its ability to induce graft-vs-host (GVH) mortality in lethally irradiated C57BL/6J x A/F1 (BAF1) mice. The anti-Thy 1.2 and GPC treatment of A/J marrow significantly reduced spleen cell activation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) but not lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in A/J mice assayed 6 weeks after lethal irradiation and reconstitution with the treated marrow. However, the anti-Thy 1.2 treatment of A/J bone marrow did not impair the ability of the lethally irradiated, reconstituted, syngeneic mice to reject C57BL/6J skin grafts. We conclude that lymphocytes in bone marrow which are susceptible to inactivation by anti-Thy 1.2 mediate allograft reactions and/or that radioresistant cells which persist in the recipient initiate rejection of allogeneic skin grafts.


Generation of low-dose paralysis in the absence of the ability to secrete antibody. (CBA/N female x BALB/c male)F1 male mice carry an X-linked defect, originating from CBA/N mice, which renders them unable to generate an antibody response to SSS-III. Histocompatible (BALB/c female x CBA/N male) reciprocal F1 male hybrids do not carry the X-linked defect and therefore generate a readily detectable PFC response to SSS-III, which can be adoptively transferred into nonresponding reciprocal F1 male mice. In the present work, we show that this adoptive response could be inhibited in recipient (CBA/N female x BALB/c male)F1 male nonresponding mice in which low dose paralysis had been induced. Evidence is presented which indicates that such suppression is of host rather than donor cell origin. The capacity to develop low-dose paralysis, a phenomenon that is antigen specific and has been attributed to the action of suppressor T cells, indicates that nonresponding (CBA/N female x BALB/c male) F1 males (and presumably the CBA/N progenitor strain) have the ability to recognize this antigen. Furthermore, since these animals fail to make a serum antibody response to SSS-III, the signal that activates suppressor T cells cannot be circulating antibody or antigen-antibody complexes. These findings are most consistent with the view that low-dose paralysis of the response to SSS-III is not dependent on antibody-mediated feedback inhibition; rather, it is an active process mediated by suppressor T cells.


A simplified solid-phase radioimmunoassay for carcinoembryonic antigen. A simple and rapid solid-phase radioimmunoassay for the measurement of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in sera or plasma is described. The procedure involves perchloric acid (PCA) extraction of the samples, followed by a rapid neutralization of excess acid with alkaline buffer solution. The PCA extracts are assayed uing antibody-coated plastic tubes and radio-labeled anti-CEA antibody as a marker. The assay may be completed in one day. The solid-phase direct-binding assay demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.5 ng CEA/ml plasmin and a marked tolerance to variations in pH and ionic strength of the system. A fair correlation between the CEA levels determined by the solid-phase radioimmunoassay and zirconium phosphate gel method was observed.


Factors influencing the therapy of experimental Proteus mirabilis meningitis in rabbits. The therapy of Proteus mirabilis meningitis with gentamicin alone and in combination with chloramphenicol was studied in a rabbit model. Antibiotics were administered for 8 hr. Samples of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained simultaneously were assayed at 2-hr intervals for antibiotic concentration and counts of bacteria in CSF. The percentage of penetration ([concentration in CSF divided by concentration in serum] x 100%) of gentamicin ranged from 14% to 23%, but very large dosages were required to kill bacteria in the CSF. Although the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of gentamicin was 1 microgram/ml, killing in vivo occurred only when concentrations in CSF were 10--30 times the MBC. The high concentration required for bactericidal activity in vivo may be explained by the reduced pH of infected CSF (mean pH, 6.98; range, 6.69--7.18). The bactericidal action of gentamicin was abolished by the simultaneous administration of chloramphenicol. Titers of bacteria in CSF were reduced 2.60 log10 (mean) with gentamicin therapy vs. 0.92 log10 (mean) with combination (P less than 0.01).


Changing ecology of acute bacterial empyema: occurrence and mortality at Boston City Hospital during 12 selected years from 1935 to 1972. The occurrence, etiology, and demography of acute bacterial empyema are presented to reflect the widespread use of sulfonamides, penicillin, and other active antibiotics. In community-acquired (C-A) cases Streptococcus pneumoniae, hemolytic streptococci, and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequent single organisms identified in initial positive cultures of pleural fluid during 1935. S. pneumoniae declined steadily until 1953 but continued to occur frequently in C-A cases. Hemolytic streptococci became infrequent. S. aureus increased and became the most frequent organism in 1955 and declined to original levels after 1965 while gram-negative rods increased. S. aureus, aerobic gram-negative rods, and enterococci were most frequent in originally mixed infections, hospital-acquired cases, and superinfections. Anaerobes with or without aerobes were mostly seen in C-A cases and did not vary in incidence. Mortality increased with age. Overall mortality was greater during the 10 antibiotic years, associated with a marked decrease in the proportion of patients younger than 50 years and increase in those over 60 years old, and was greater in patients with serious underlying diseases subjected to more complicated surgical procedures.


Isolation of the etiologic agent of Korean Hemorrhagic fever. Lung tissues from 73 rodents (Apodemus agrarius coreae) gave specific immunofluorescent reactions when they reacted with sera from patients convalescing from Korean hemorrhagic fever. Similar staaining was observed in the lungs of A. agrarius inoculated with acute-phase sera obtained from two patients with this disease. The unidentified agent was successfully propagated in adult A. agrarius through eight passages representing a cumulative dilution of greater than 10(-17). Experimentally inoculated rodents developed specific fluorescent antigen in the lung, kidney, liver, parotid glands, and bladder. Organs, especially lungs, were positive beginning 10 days and continuing through 69 days after inoculation. The agent could not be cultivated in several types of cell cultures nor in laboratory animals. No fluorescence was observed when infected A. agrarius lung tissues were reacted with antisera to Marburg virus, Ebola virus, and serval arenaviruses. Diagnostic increases in immunofluorescent antibodies occurred in 113 of 116 severe and 11 of 34 milder cases of clinically suspected Korean hemorrhagic fever. Antibodies were present during the first week of symptoms, reached a peak at the end of the second week, and persisted for up to 14 years. Convalescent-phase sera from four persons suffering a similar disease in the Soviet Union were also positive for antibodies.


Physician's assistants, their physician employers, and the problem of autonomy: consensus or conflict? Do physician's assistants (PAs) and their physician employers disagree about levels of supervision and autonomy, and does level of physician's assistant autonomy relate in any way to other aspects of practice satisfaction? An indepth study of MD-PA teams in practice reveals that there is greater consensus than conflict concerning the autonomy of the physician's assistant; that the level of physician's assistant autonomy is not related to salary or to physician's assistant employment satisfaction; and that physician-employers who consider their physician's assistants to be more autonomous also tend to feel that the quality of their lives has improved as a result of hiring an assistant.


Nitrogenase synthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae: comparison of ammonium and oxygen regulation. Rates of nitrogenase synthesis by Klebsiella pneumoniae were measured by pulse-labelling organisms with a mixture of 14C-labelled amino acids followed by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Populations from an NH4+-repressed, SO42--limited chemostat (0.46 mg dry wt ml-1), when released from NH4+ repression, simultaneously synthesized detectable quantities of the three nitrogenase polypeptides 45 min before acetylene-reducing activity was observed. Exposure of populations synthesizing nitrogenase to air or NH4+ (200 microgram N ml-1) repressed synthesis of both component proteins simultaneously, the rate initially decreasing by half in 11 to 12 min; in the presence of NH4+ a second slower phase with an approximate half-life of 30 min was observed. With 5% O2 in N2 the half-lives for the decreases in the rates of synthesis were 30 min for the Fe protein and 33 min for the Mo-Fe protein. Oxygen also repressed nitrogenase in a glutamine synthetase constitutive derivative of K. pneumoniae (strain SK24) which escapes NH4+ repression. Regulation of nitrogenase by O2 may therefore be independent of glutamine synthetase.


Factors influencing the susceptibility of Candida albicans to the polyenoic antibiotics nystatin and amphotericin B. Factors influencing the interaction between Candida albicans and the polyenoic antibiotics nystatin and amphotericin B have been investigated using a K+-specific electrode to measure polyene-mediated efflux of cellular K+. In batch cultures, sensitivity was a function of culture age. Using continuous (chemostat) cultures, the influence of growth-limiting substrate, specific growth rate, growth temperature and growth pH were examined. Carbon-limited cultures showed the highest sensitivity of those substrates tested, and susceptibility increased with growth rate. Within the range 22 to 42 degrees C, growth at lower temperatures resulted in increased sensitivity, whilst a similar trend was observed when the growth pH of cultures was reduced. Further, under the conditions tested, there were considerable variations in free intracellular K+ concentrations.


Cytoplasmic vacuoles of Rous virus transformed cells are organelles involved in cation uptake. Cytoplasmic vacuoles induced during transformation of cells by Bryan strain Rous sarcoma virus (RSV-BH) have been studied using the cationic dye, neutral red(NR). Both the rate of uptake and the accumulation of NR are greater in RSV-BH transformed cells than non-transformed cells however, uptake was greater in vacuolated than in non-vacuolated cells, whether or not they were transformed. The NR was incorporated into pre-existing vacuoles in the absence of cytoplasmic staining, suggesting the existence of direct channels from the cell surface to the vacuoles. Other low mol. wt. cationic dyes could also be incorporated into vacuoles, although those with branched structures or cationic weights greater than 330 were excluded. No anionic dyes were incorporated. Infection of cells with a virus mutant, RSV-BH-Ta, induces temperature-dependent vacuolization. After a shift to the vacuole-permissive temperature, vacuoles developed at different rates and with morphological variations with different cations. Vacuoles which had formed in the presence of several cations, (K+, Rb+, tris+, choline+) failed to disappear when cells were incubated at a temperature sufficient to revert vacuoles formed in Na+-containing medium. No short-term effects of Cl-replacements (Br-, I-, or SO2-4) on vacuolization or reversal were observed. The results suggest that these vacuoles are organelles involved in cation uptake. A possible function for these organelles in RSV-BH induced malignancy is discussed.


Growth hormone and prolactin response to bromocriptine in patients with Huntington's chorea. The growth hormone (hGH) and prolactin (hPRL) responses to oral bromocriptine were studied in two groups of patients with Huntington's chorea and in seven healthy control subjects. The patients included six patients who had previously been treated with phenothiazines and six patients who had not received phenothiazine treatment. All medication was stopped 72 hours before the investigation which involved taking blood samples for up to 210 minutes after taking bromocriptine (2.5 mg). Plasma samples were analysed for hGH and hPRL. There was no significant difference in basal hGH concentrations between the patients and control subjects. The hGH response to bromocriptine varied in the individual patients but the concentrations were significantly lower in the patients compared with the controls between 160 and 210 minutes. The basal concentrations of hPRL were also not different, apart from the findings of elevated hPRL concentrations in three patients previously treated with phenothiazines. The patients and control subjects showed a consistent fall in hPRL concentrations after taking bromocriptine. The lower peak hGH response to bromocriptine found in the patients suggests that there may be an alteration of dopaminergic neurones mediating hGH release.


Influence of dietary biotin level on growth, metabolism and pathology of rainbow trout. Supplementation of a dry diet containing herring and soybean meals with D biotin had no effect on the feed comsumption, growth or mortality of rainbow trout in a 28 week experiment. In a second experiment two series of diets were used: practical, based upon herring  and soybean meals, and purified, based upon casein and gelatin. The basal levels of biotin in the two series of diets were: 0.51 and 0 mg/kg, respectively. There were four treatment groups in each of the two diet series: the practical diets were either supplemented with 0.5 mg D biotin/kg or 10% of either raw or heated egg white was added to the diet. The purified diets were supplemented with graded levels of D biotin (0, 0.25 0.5, or 1.0 mg/kg). Raw egg white (1%) was added to the biotin unsupplemented diet. Feeding these diets to rainbow trout for 24 weeks showed that both the practical diet containing egg white, and the unsupplemented, purified diet were biotin deficient, all the other diets contained adequate amounts of biotin to support growth and prevent mortality. Neither supplementation of the practical diet nor adding more than 0.25 mg D biotin/kg to the purified diet resulted in any improvement in growth however the biotin levels in the livers were greater for the fish which had received the higher levels of dietary biotin, but these increased levels of biotin did not influence the activity of acetyl CoA carboxylase. The biotin deficient fish were anorexic, and exhibited degeneration of the gills: shortening and thickening of the lamellae and hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the heterogenous epithelial cells of the lamellae.


A membrane model of the human oral mucosa as derived from buccal absorption performance and physicochemical properties of the beta-blocking drugs atenolol and propranolol. The buccal absorption characteristics and physicochemical properties of the beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents propranolol and atenolol have been investigated to evaluate their permeation properties across biological lipid membranes. The dissociation constants, solubilities of free base, and n-heptane partition coefficients show that propranolol in its unionized form is much more lipophilic than atenolol, both drugs being bases with a similar pKa. Buccal absorption was studied under conditions of varying drug concentration, contact time, and pH, and controlled through the use of a non-absorbable marker. The absorption findings are in general agreement with the pH-partition theory. A new compartmental diffusional model that includes membrane storage and a hypothetical "aqueous pH-buffering surfaces system" allowed a more exhaustive interpretation to be made. A method for the estimation of the intrinsic pH and buffer capacity of the postulated surface system from drug pH-absorption data and partition coefficients alone is described. With human oral mucosa the intrinsic pH was near 6.7, and the buffering capacity of the system (expressed as the ratio deltapH/deltapH eff) about 2.86. The method was validated using published absorption data from the rat small intestine. Absorption of unionized drug through pores is shown to be negligible in the buccal absorption situation. The time course of absorption suggests membrane storage of lipophilic compounds; the in vivo partition coefficient of unionized propranolol relative to the mucous membrane could be calculated for the peusdo-steady state of absorption, i.e. the partition equilibrium between mouth content and membrane, to be approximately 776; this value is of the same order as the in vitro partition coefficient for the erythrocyte/plasma system. The lipid biophase of the buccal membrane is estimated semiquantitatively to be of intermediate polarity (epsilon = 3-4).


Biopharmaceutical properties of liquid and tablet antacids: in vivo studies using the intragastric pH-measurement technique. Three types of liquid and tablet antacids have been studied in vitro and in vivo: aluminium hydroxide, aluminium hydroxide-magnesium carbonate and hydrotalcite. The effects on gastric pH of antacid suspensions and antacid chewing tablets having identical active ingredients have been studied in 36 volunteers, the sequence of both forms of administration being randomized. Gastric acid secretion was continuously stimulated during the experiment by a pentagastrin infusion. Antacid chewing tablets gave inferior results when compared with the same antacid in liquid. Antacid suspensions are therefore preferred in the treatment of acid-peptic disease.


The diffusion of nandrolone through occluded and non-occluded human skin. Diffusion constants have been measured for nandrolone in human cadaver skin in vitro under conditions which approximate to both the occluded and non-occluded topical therapeutic situation. The results suggest that occlusion affects the diffusion parameters only marginally, if at all, but appears to reduce the ability of the stratum corneum to "irreversibly" bind a fraction of the applied dose. Studies of nandrolone diffusion in freshly excised human epidermis yield similar results to those from measurements on cadaver skin, and it has also been found that epidermal samples excised from non-involved sites of human psoriatic patients behave under these conditions in essentially the same way as normal epidermis.


Circling behaviour in the rat following unilateral injections of p-chlorophenylalanine and ethanolamine-O-sulphate into the substantia nigra. Circling behaviour following the unilateral intranigral injection of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transaminase inhibitor ethanolamine-O-sulphate, (EOS), or the tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) was compared, both for spontaneous circling and for circling induced by apomorphine administration. EOS-injected rats exhibited spontaneous contralateral rotation for up to 3 h after such injections. pCPA-injected rats showed only a slight ipsilateral postural asymmetry, both groups of rats elicited ipsilateral rotation upon apomorphine challenge. Increased ipsilateral dopamine release within the corpus striatrum accompanied this response. It is proposed that GABA and 5-HT may be closely related in modifying the nigrostriatal impulse flow.


Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase release following acute selective sympathetic nerve stimulation of the heart, spleen and mesentery. In increase in the concentration of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) in the blood perfusates of the heart, spleen and mesentery of pithed rats was detected following selective sympathetic nerve stimulation. Furthermore, the concentration of enzyme released by each organ correlated with the stimulation frequency. The results provide further corroborative evidence that the concentration of DBH in the plasma is related to the degree of sympathetic tone. If the sampling methods described were applied to non-spinalized animals, the concentrations of DBH in organ perfusates could be used as an index of sympathetic nervous tone and thus provide a useful preparation for the study of drugs on the sympathetic nervous system.


Possible differences in alpha-adrenoceptors in rabbit ileum and spleen. In isolated tissues from reserpinized rabbits (5 mg kg-1, i.m. 20 h before experiment) and in the presence of cocaine (3 x 10(-5) M), corticosterone (2.8 x 10(-5)M), tropolone (3 x 10(-5) M), propranolol (4 x 10(-5)M) and disodium EDTA (3 X 10(-5)M), the potency ratios (relative to (-)-noradrenaline) of (-)adrenaline, (-)-phenylephrine and (+/-)-methoxamine were (m+/-s.e.) 2.03 +/- 0.13, 0.045 +/- 0.003 and 0.0062 +/- 0.0018 respectively in splenic strips and 1.77 +/- 0.41, 0.093 +/- 0.018 and 0.029 +/- 0.004 respectively in isolated ileum. Although the pA2 values for phentolamine and thymoxamine against (-)-noradrenaline in the two tissues were very similar there was a statistically significant difference when using yohimbine as the alpha-adrenoceptor blocking agent (pA2 = 6.80 +/- 0.30 in spleen; 5.60 +/- 0.12 in ileum). These differences suggest that the alpha-adrenoceptor in the two tissues is not identical. The pA2 value of phentolamine in rabbits ileum was not significantly different whether (-)noradrenaline or (+/-) methoxamine was used as agonist (7.91 +/- 0.07 and 7.97 +/- 0.06 respectively) while that of yohimbine was 5.56 +/- 0.10 using (-)noradrenaline and 6.19 +/- 0.12 using (+/-)methoxamine. In the light of this latter result and, considering the scatter of the experimentally determined values, there may be two alpha-adrenoceptors in rabbit ileum and either or both may not be identical in all respects to the alpha-adrenoceptor found in rabbit spleen.


The synthesis and urinary estimation of N-hydroxyaprobarbitone. N-Hydroxyaprobarbitone (I) has been synthesized by oxidation of aprobarbitone, characterized, and a method developed for its estimation in urine. It has shown to be no more than a minor metabolite (less than 4%) in the human metabolism of aprobarbitone.


Aggregation of antidepressant drugs in aqueous solution. Light scattering, conductivity and pH methods have been used to examine the aggregation in aqueous solution of a series of antidepressant drugs. The drugs investigated included the hydrochlorides of amitriptyline, butriptyline, protriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, desipramine, clomipramine, dothiepin, dibenzepin, opipramol, iprindole, doxepin, mianserin and maprotiline. No significant association of dibenzepin, mianserin or maprotiline hydrochlorides could be detected up to their respective solubility limits. A micellar pattern of association was established for all other compounds. Critical micelle concentrations and micellar properties are reported.


Formation of liquid crystal and other non-fluid phases in emulsions containing non-ionic surfactants. The relation between the phase distribution of components and the nature and properties of dispersions formed in a four-component system containing dodecane, water and two homogeneous non-ionic surfactants has been investigated by phase-rule techniques. Phase equilibrium diagrams for the four ternary systems were investigated and the phase boundaries for the various regions formed in these systems were defined by synthetic and analytical methods. In some of the ternary diagrams a narrow three-phase region occurs where 'gel' or liquid crystal as well as two isotropic liquid phases are present. Dispersions containing the gel phase were very stable. The four-component system has not been fully investigated due to the presence of extensive liquid crystal phases and three-phase regions. However, some distribution data for the quaternary system was obtained. In the presence of sufficient amounts of the short chain non-ionic surfactant C10H21(O.CH2.CH2)3OH, a three-liquid phase region occurs where multiple drops readily form.


Factors affecting the disintegration and dissolution of chloroquine phosphate/starch tablets. A study has been made of the effects produced on the disintegration and dissolution times of chloroquine phosphate tablets by varying their moisture and starch contents and the distribution of the starch in the formulation. 3 to 5% w/w of moisture produces a maximum in the disintegration and dissolution times. Starch added externally as a powder acts only as a disintegrating agent for the tablets, but starch added internally as a paste during granulation acts both as a binding agent and a disintegrant.


Control of the composition of gentamicin sulphate by proton magnetic resonance spectrometry. The proportions of the main components present in gentamicin sulphate complex, gentamicins C1, C1a and C2, can be monitored by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectrometry. The method depends on measurement of the peak heights of signals for N-methyl and C-methyl groups present in all three components and of those present in C1 and C2 only, followed by calculation of peak height ratios to control composition within acceptable limits. The precision and reproducibility of the method have been established through two collaborative studies each involving seven laboratories. In the second study, with an improved procedure, the mean variance between laboratories with 10 samples was 3.4 X 10(-4) for the N-methyl ratio of the peak at delta 2.75 to that at delta 2.95, and 1.25 X 10(-3) for the C-methyl ratio of the peak at delta 1.25 to that at delta 1.35. Within laboratories the mean variance for triplicate determinations was 7.4 X 10(-5) and 8.9 X 10(-5) respectively. The data presented here form the experimental basis for the test controlling the composition of gentamicin sulphate in the British Pharmacopoeia 1973: Addendum 1975, and for the introduction into the British Pharmacopoeia of nmr spectrometry as an analytical technique. The reference standards and all batches of gentamicin sulphate intended for therapeutic use in the United Kingdom examined by this procedure comply with the limits laid down.


Isolation and identification of the fluorescent degradation product of some beta-lactam antibiotics. A fluorescent degradation product of cephalexin, recently employed in the determination of this antibiotic in aqueous solution and human plasma, has been isolated and identified as 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl-6-methylpyrazine. Spectroscopically and chromatographically the product is indistinguishable from  that obtained by the same method from a series of other cephalosporins and penicillins bearing an alpha-amino group on the side-chain, and from the pyrazine structure produced by synthesis. Two reported methods for the fluorimetric determination of ampicillin have also been found to yield the same degradation product and not the suggested diketopiperazine structure.


Survival of plasmid-containing strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in phenylmercuric nitrate and thiomersal. Strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus harbouring plasmids that confer mercury resistance grew in nutrient broth containing concentrations of phenylmercuric nitrate (PMN) that were inhibitory to isogenic plasmid-less strains. Decimal reduction times of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in aqueous PMN solution were also increased by the presence of plasmids. The viable count of a plasmid-containing P. aeruginosa strain in Davis and Mingioli's minimal medium (DM) containing 10 microgram ml-1 PMN fell by approximately 99% after 5 h. The count then remained constant for two weeks, when growth recommenced. This pattern of death followed by growth was also observed with the P. aeruginosa strain in DM + 10 microgram ml-1 thiomersal.


Melanocyte-stimulating hormone--mimetic action of the phenothiazines. We have compared the melanophore-stimulating action of four phenothiazines, trifluoperazine, perphenazine, chlorpromazine, and prochlorperazine, with alpha-MSH on the skin of the lizard Anolis carolinensis, using a new rate method of bioassay. The dose-response curves for the phenothiazines were parallel to that of alpha-MSH, and when given together alpha-MSH and chlorpromazine were additive. The phenothiazines may therefore stimulate melanosome dispersion in the lizard skin by the same mechanism as alpha-MSH; a MSH-mimetic action of phenothiazines may similarly explain their pigmentary action in man. The pigmentary potency of the phenothiazines corresponded with their therapeutic potency in man; this is in keeping with a neuro-regulatory role for MSH peptides and suggests a possible therapeutic use for them.


The effect of various topical antibiotic and antibacterial agents on the middle and inner ear of the guinea-pig. The topical application of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents is used to reduce inflammation of the middle ear mucosa and irradicate infection. Many of the antibiotic and anti-inflammatory preparations so used contain compounds known to be or are potentially ototoxic. Eighteen antibiotic, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory compounds and four commonly used solvents were screened for the absence of ototoxicity and inflammation to the middle ear mucosa. All compounds were injected intra-tympanically and sensory hair cells loss recorded graphically. Inflammation of the middle ear mucosa was assessed macroscopically. Of the 18 compounds only three, penicillin, carbenicillin and nystatin were free of hair cell toxicity and inflammatory effects on the middle ear mucosa. Only one of the commonly used solvents was free of side effects.


Fate of [14C]warfarin in guinea-pigs: effect of a concomitant single dose of salicylate. When a single dose of sodium salicylate (177.8 mg kg-1, by mouth) was given with [14C] warfarin (1 mg kg-1, i.p.) to guinea-pigs, the salicylate depressed the blood concentrations of 14C for 6 h. At 1 h, salicylate increased the distribution of 14C in the liver and brain, but at 1 and 6 h it was decreased in the blood and kidney. A significant portion of the 14C was excreted into the bile, but was subject to enterohepatic circulation and then excreted by the kidney. There was an enhancement of the biliary elimination of 14C in the first 5 h after salicylate and a decrease in 14C concentration in blood; the proportion of warfarin to its metabolites excreted in the urine and bile was unchanged. Salicylate displaced serum protein bound [14C]warfarin in vitro. Salicylate increases the initial biliary elimination of warfarin by displacing some of that bound to plasma protein. This facilitated uptake of warfarin by the liver where it was metabolized. This effect of salicylate did not modify the hypoprothrombinaemia produced by warfarin.


Inhibitors of gastric lesions in the rat. The production by stress of gastric lesions in rats was inhibited by metiamide and by mepyramine. Lesions induced by indomethacin treatment were inhibited by mepyramine but not by metiamide. Those induced by aspirin treatment in pylorus-ligated rats were not affected by either antihistamine drug. Oral glutamine inhibited lesion production in all three systems whereas aspirin orally markedly potentiated it. Sodium salicylate inhibited both indomethacin-induced lesions and those produced by aspirin in pylorus-ligated rats. On the other hand, copper salicylate inhibited stress-induced lesions and it, like copper aspirinate, also markedly reduced the extent of lesions produced by aspirin. On the basis of these results, stress-induced lesion production offers a suitable animal model for testing anti-ulcer drugs as it is, like most human gastric ulcers, inhibited by H2-receptor inhibitors like metiamide.


Effects of catecholamine depleting drugs and d-amphetamine on self-stimulation of the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus. 6-Hydroxydopamine treatments which preferentially depleted either norepinephrine or dopamine were used to define the importance of these transmitter systems in the behavioral alterations produced by catecholamine synthesis inhibitors and d-amphetamine on self-stimulation of the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra. After chronic reduction of brain dopamine, an acute depression of self-stimulation of both the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra occurred. Preferential depletion of norepinephrine with 6-hydroxydopamine did not result in a significant decrease in self-stimulation of locus coeruleus or substantia nigra. However, a dose of alpha-methyltyrosine wihch had no effect in control rats or in rats with brain norepinephrine depleted caused a significant reduction in responding at both electrode placements in animals depleted of brain dopamine. Administration of U-14,624 affected neither substantia nigra nor locus coeruleus self-stimulation, even though it produced an additional 70% depletion of norepinephrine. When d-amphetamine sulfate was given to 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats, the facilitation of self-stimulation produced by this compound was significantly attenuated in rats with prior depletion of brain dopamine. Depletion of brain norepinephrine did not affect the actions of d-amphetamine on self-stimulation. In other experiments, the actions of d-amphetamine to increase self-stimulation of animals pretreated with reserpine was found to be antagonized by alpha-methyltyrosine but not by U-14,624. Results suggest that drugs can alter self-stimulation of a site in brain anatomically associated with noradrenergic neural pathways and self-stimulation of a site primarily associated with dopaminergic pathways in a similar manner. These data also provided evidence for the involvement of dopamine fibers in the pharmacological actions of d-amphetamine, reserpine and alpha-methyltyrosine.


Enhancement by choline of the induction of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase by phenoxybenzamine, 6-hydroxydopamine, insulin or exposure to cold. Treatments that increase the release of acetylcholine from the splanchnic nerve have previously been shown to induce the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase in adrenal chromaffin cells. Such treatments include the systemic administration of the drugs phenoxybenzamine and 6-hydroxydopamine, insulin-induced hypoglycemia, and prolonged exposure to cold. We have reported that the administration of choline also induces the adrenal enzyme and have suggested that the mechanism of this induction involves an increase in the amount of acetylcholine released each time the splanchnic nerve fires. In the present studies, rats received both choline and one of the above treatments. Choline caused an augmentation of the adrenomedullary response to each of the treatments, but it had no apparent effect on a presynaptic enzyme, choline acetyltransferase. These observations strongly support the view that choline availability determines both the amount of acetylcholine present in nerve terminals and the amount liberated when cholinergic neurons fire.


The increase in spontaneous transmitter release produced by beta-bungarotoxin and its modification by inorganic ions. The excitatory phase of the biphasic action on transmitter release of the neurotoxin, beta-bungarotoxin (beta-BuTX; 0.5 microgram ml-1), was studied on miniature end-plate potentials (MEPPs) at frog sciatic nerve-sartorius muscle junctions. The most common type of excitatory response was characterized by a continuous increase in MEPP frequency that reached a plateau; a less common form was characterized by irregular episodic bursts of firing. There was a direct relationship between toxin activity and [K+]O (2.5-10.0 mM) with virtually no effect of the toxin at normal [K]O+ at the concentration of toxin used. In the absence of Mg++, there was a paradoxical inverse relationship between toxin activity and [Ca++]O (0.5-4.0 mM) at higher [K+]O. However, in the presence of 1.0 mM Mg++ the increased MEPP frequency produced by beta-BuTX was independent of [Ca++]O. The action of beta-BuTX was very sensitive to blockade by Mg++. Toxin activity was demonstrated in a Sr++-containing, Ca++-free solution, but not in a Mg++-containing, Ca++-free solution. It is probable that beta-BuTX causes a slight depolarization of the nerve terminals by a mechanism not sensitive to blockade by tetrodotoxin and that the ability of beta-BuTX to depolarize the terminals can account for the enhancement of the response by raising [K+]O and the depression of the response by Mg++. Alternatively, beta-BuTX could be producing its effects by some, as yet undefined, direct action on the release process.


The generation of nerve impulses in mammalian axons by changing the concentrations of the normal constituents of extracellular fluid. 1. Experiments have been performed to determine what changes in normal constituents of extracellular fluid are necessary to generate action potentials in mammalian axons. 2. Single and multifibre preparations of rat spinal roots were tested with Krebs solutions in which Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, pH, PCO2 or osmotic pressure were varied. 3. [Ca2+] below 1.0 mM produced impulses in all preparations. Lowering [Mg2+] did not generate any impulses but did enhance the response to low [Ca2+]. 4. Increasing [Na+] or [K+] caused excitation in some of the multifibres; increased [Na+] evoked 'off' responses in two single fibre preparations. The response to low [Ca2+] was enhanced by increasing [Na+] and depressed by increasing [K+]. 5. Increasing the osmotic pressure (with glucose) did not generate impulses and depressed the response to low [Ca2+]. 6. Changing the pH of Krebs solution did not generate impulses, but modified the response to other stimuli. The response to low [Ca2+] was increased as pH increased from pH 7.4 to 8.2, and decreased with pH in the range pH 7.4--6.2. 7. Altering pCO2 did not have any effect on the responses to low [Ca2+] unless pH also changed.


Calcium and strontium concentration changes within skinned muscle preparations following a change in the external bathing solution. 1. A method for producing rapid [Ca2+] and [Sr2+] changes in the frog skinned muscle fibre preparation while maintaining constant all other cationic concentrations (Moisescu, 1976a, b) is described and analysed in detail. 2. Different experiments, some of them involving the Ca2+-sensitive photoprotein aequorin, as well as theoretical considerations, indicate that with this method one can produce a Ca2+ (or Sr2+) concentration change within 0.1--0.15 sec in a whole preparation having a diameter of 50 micrometer. 3. The rate of force development was similar to that observed in vivo. 4. The radial diffusion coefficient of EGTA in relaxed myofibrillar preparations was measured and found to be 4.6 x 10(-6) cm2sec-1 at 20 degrees C. 5. The sarcoplasmic reticulum in myofibrillar bundles was found to be active with respect to both Ca2+ and Sr2+ in the solutions used ([Mg2+] 1 mM; [Na] 30 mM; [K] 140-170 mM; [Cl] less than or equal to 20 mM; pH 7.10). 6. The amount of Ca released by caffeine from internal stores (previously loaded with Ca) can raise the total Ca concentration in the muscle fibre preparation by at least 1.8 mM. 7. The presence of 10 mM-caffeine in all bathing solutions reduced drastically the ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum to accumulate both Ca and Sr.


The effect of external pH on osmotic permeability, ion and fluid transport across isolated frog skin. 1. The rate of volume flow across frog skin induced by an osmotic gradient was measured when normal (7.4) and low pH (2.28) solutions bathed the outside. The osmotic permeabilities (Pos) were 2.4 +/- 0.4 and 4.8 +/- 1.0 micrometer/sec, respectively. The change in Pos induced by low pH was reversible. 2. Volume flow in the absence of an osmotic gradient was measured at normal and low pH. Values were 0.69 +/- 0.13 and 1.1 +/- 0.2 microliter/hr. cm2, respectively; the paired differences were significant (P less than 0.0025). This change in rate was partially reversible upon return to normal pH. 3. The potential difference (V) and short-circuit current (Is) across skins were measured under several conditions and the following equivalent parameters in a simplified electrical model were computed: total resistance (Rt); shunt resistance (Rs); electromotive force of the pump (ENa); and salt transport at open circuit (JNaCl). Representative figures were (a), at pH 7.4: Is = 14 +/- 1.6 microampere/cm2; Rt = 3.3 +/- 0.4 komega.cm2; Rs = 7.2 +/- 1.0 komega.cm2; ENA = 103 +/- 38 mV; JNaCl = 7.2 +/- 1.2 microampere/cm2; (b) at pH 2.28: Is = 8.3 +/- 2.1 microampere/cm2; Rt = 0.46 +/- 0.12 komega. cm2; Rs = 0.65 +/- 0.06 komega.cm2; ENa = 59 +/- 25 mV; JNaCl = 9.4 +/- 3.3 microampere/cm2. 4. From the electrical parameters measured concomitantly with the rate of fluid transport in given experiments, the expected salt concentration of the transported fluid was 0.30 +/- 0.08 and 0.38 +/- 0.08 mole/l. at normal and low pH, respectively, or some 3-4 times hyperosmotic with respect to the medium. 5. Treatment with low pH on the outside has been found to open the intercellular junctions in previous studies. The present results suggest that, if such an effect occurs, it is localized only to a small fraction of the cell perimeter. Making certain assumptions that fraction could be as low as 0.003. 6. Low pH on the outside reversibly changes the electrical parameters of a 'tight' epithelium like the frog skin into values more typical of 'intermediate' epithelia; both the total and shunt resistances decrease to about 0.1 of their normal values. These changes do not apparently affect the osmolarity of the transported fluid.


Measurement of pH in the rat epididymis in vivo. Antimony microelectrodes were used to measure pH in rat seminiferous tubules and epididymides in vivo. Acidification of fluid leaving the testis occurs primarily in the initial segment and to a lesser extent in the intermediate zone.


Chloride conductance of the amphiuma red cell membrane. Like most other red cells, the giant erythrocytes of Amphiuma means possess a system for rapid exchange of chloride across the membrane. Also, there are indications that the net transport of chloride in these cells is slow. The size of Amphiuma erythrocytes allows direct measurements of membrane potential with microelectrodes. The present work exploits the possibility that such measurements can be used to give a quantitative estimate of the chloride conductance (GCl) of the Amphiuma red cell membrane. The membrane potential was measured as a function of extracellular chloride concentration (5-120mM), using an impermeant anion (Para-amino-hippurate) as a substitute. Furthermore, the effect of different pH values (6.0-7.2) was studied. For each extracellular chloride concentration the membrane potential was determined at a pH at which hydroxyl, hydrogen, and bicarbonate ions were in electrochemical equilibrium. From these membrane potentials and the corresponding chloride concentrations in the medium (at constant intracellular ion concentrations), the GCl of the membrane was calculated to be 3.9 x 10-7 omega-1 cm-2. This value is some six orders of magnitude smaller than that calculated from the rate of tracer exchange under equilibrium conditions. The experimental strategy used gives the values for a "partial transference number" which takes into account only ions which are not in electrochemical equilibrium. Whereas this approach gives a value for GCl, it does not permit calculation of the overall membrane conductance. From the calculated value of GCl it is possible to estimate that the maximal value of the combined conductances of hydroxyl (or proton) and bicarbonate ions is 0.6 x 10-7 omega-1 cm-2. The large discrepancy between the rate of exchange of chloride and its conductance is in agreement with measurements on human and sheep red cells employing the ionophore valinomycin to increase the potassium conductance of the membrane. The results in the present study were, however, obtained without valinomycin and an accompaning assumption of a constant field in the membrane. Therefore, the present measurements give independent support to the above mentioned conclusions.


Resistance to Marek's disease. Effect of Corynebacterium parvum and Marek's tumor cell vaccines on tumorigenesis in chickens. A study of nonspecific stimulation of the avian immune system with Corynebacterium parvum and specific stimulation with Marek's tumor cell vaccines revealed that nonspecifically stimulated outbred White Leghorn-type cockerels had higher incidences of tumors than did controls. A study of tumor cell cytotoxicity of sera from Marek's disease virus exposed birds indicated that humoral factors may play some role in tumor resistance.


Traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the dorsalis pedis artery in a child. A basic principle of children's surgery is to plan it to last for 70 years. The successful reconstruction of the dorsalis pedis artery in an 8-year-old after trauma may be of benefit if he develops peripheral vascular disease as an adult.


Multiple endocrine adenomatosis: in support of the common origin theories. Herein we give clinical support to the theory of a common origin of multiple endocrine adenomatosis. Accurate clinical evaluation of a patient suspected to have endocrine neoplasia requires the search for a much wider range of potential endocrine tumors. Such an approach is now made possible by the radioimmunoassay. Chromosome patterns and histocompatibility antigens are reviewed in a family with the disease.


Anxiety states in general practice.

Anxiety states in general practice. Anxiety is commonly encountered in patient seen by the general practitioner. Frequently it either stimulates an organic condition involving one or more systems of the body or may aggravate symptoms of already existent organic pathology. Presence of environmental stresses and of personal conflicts in the life history of patient and the absence of physical findings on physical examination should alert the physician of this condition. Pharmacotherapy with minor tranquilizers and reassurance generally produce amelioration of symptoms.


Laboratory and field assessment of the molluscicidal activity of gogo (Entada phaseoloides) against the amphibious snail intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum. A molluscicidal fraction occurs naturally in the bark of a vine (gogo in Tagalog), Entada phaseoloides, which grows indigeneously and abundantly in the Philippines. Butanol fraction of the methanol extracts of the bark was most toxic against Oncomelania quadrasi with the LC50 of 3.6-5.8 ppm. Analytical work on the butanol fraction by thin layer chromatography indicated that the active molluscicidal agents contained at least two kinds of saponins. The potency of E. phaseoloides remained rather stable over a wide range of pH values, in the presence of minerals and yeast cells and after ultraviolet irradiation of solutions. Our preliminary field trials, however, showed that doses as higher than 40 g per square meter would be needed to produce a satisfactory molluscicidal effect under field conditions.


Pharmacology of Sch 11973, N-(2-phenylisopropyl)-N-p-toluene sulfonyl urea, a potential new antianginal agent. Antianginal drugs were evaluated on the basis of their ability to protect against subepicardial electrogram changes induced by local ventricular ischemia in anesthetized dogs. Sch 11973 [N-(2-phenylisopropyl)-N-p-toluene sulfonyl urea], a potential new antianginal agent, was also effective against local ventricular ischemia with its maximum effect appearing at 1mg/kg, i.v. or i.d. and with a duration of at least 2 hours. Nitroglycerin, at a dose of 0.04 mg/kg given bucally, exerted less protection, lasting on the average less than 15 minutes. Protection by propranolol at 1 mg/kg, i.v., was not better than nitroglycerin, but lasted up to one hour, while dipyridamole was ineffective when given in a dose range of 0.1-10 mg/kg, i.v. Sch 11973 differed from standard antianginal agents which may act via beta-adrenergic blocking activity or alteration of cardiac or circulatory dynamics since no acute pharmacological changes were observed after Sch 11973 was administered.


Involvement of histamine H1- and H2-receptors in induced asthmas in dogs. Participation of histamine H1- and H2-receptors in both asthmas, i.e. experimentally induced bronchoconstriction and bronchosecretion, with ascaris suum and histamine in anesthetized dogs was investigated. Dogs given 0.2% histamine solution or ascaris antigen (3 mg protein) by inhalation showed increases in respiratory resistance (Rrs) and respiratory rate to 2.5-5.0 fold. Airway secretion volume was also significantly increased 3-4 fold. The increase in Rrs by histamine inhalation was effectively inhibited or abolished by a histamine H1-receptor antagonist, chlorpheniramine (0.3-1 mg/kg i.v.), but not by a H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine (1-3 mg/kg i.v.). The increase in Rrs by antigen inhalation was reduced by relatively high doses of chlorpheniramine (1-3 mg/kg i.v.), and not by cimetidine. In contrast, hypersecretion of tracheobronchial fluid in both asthmas was significantly prevented by either chlorpheniramine or cimetidine. Combinations of both antagonists abolished the hypersecretion. Atropine (2 mg/kg i.v.) significantly inhibited the occurrence of responses in both asthmas. The results suggest that histamine is involved in the allergic asthma produced by ascaris suum and that histamine directly evokes airway constriction through H1-receptors and hypersecretion of tracheobronchial fluid through H1- and H2-receptors, and, in part, indirectly activates the cholinergic pathway.


The inhibitory effect of papaverine on respiration-dependent contracture of guinea pig taenia coli in high-K medium. I. The relationship between contracture and respiration. Papaverine (Pap) inhibited a tonic tension development in guinea pig taenia coli induced by an elevation of the potassium concentration of the medium to 40 mM (40-K). The ID50 of Pap was 4.5 x 10(-6) M. Inhibition of the 40-K induced tonic tension by Pap was dependent on the calculated concentration of non-ionized form, but not the ionized form. Inhibition of the tonic tension by Pap and various metabolic inhibitors was not antagonized by raising the Ca++ concentration in the medium. Results obtained from simultaneous measurement of the 40-K induced O2 consumption and tension illustrated that the inhibition of O2 consumption rapidly induced the inhibition of the tension. Furthermore, glucose removal, amytal or Pap resulted in a progressive relationship between the inhibition of O2 consumption and the inhibition of tension. The inhibition of Pap as determined by O2 consumption was not reversed by application of 10(-4) M 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP). These results plus graphical analysis of the mechanical response suggest that Pap may penetrate the cell membrane and inhibit mitochondrial respiration, thereby inhibiting this very respiration-dependent contracture.


Intraoperative measurement of lower esophageal spincter pressure. The lower esophageal sphincter pressure has been measured intraoperatively in 200 patients with gastroesophageal reflux and in three patients with achalasia. Lower esophageal sphincter pressure is measured before and during repair. Calibrating the cardia during performance of the median arcuate posterior gastropexy allows a sphincter pressure between 50 and 57 mm. Hg to be obtained at operation. The postoperative pressures have ranged between 15 and 25 mm. Hg, or approximately half of the intraoperative pressure. No patient with a spincter pressure of 15 mm. Hg or greater has reflux according to postoperative pH and pressure studies. Correction of reflux correlates well with relief of symptoms. Three patients with achalasia had intraoperative manometrics during myotomy. The lower esophageal sphincter pressure was lowered and the length of the lower esophageal sphincter was shortened. Dysphagia was corrected without producing reflux. This is the first report of measurement of lower esophageal sphincter pressure in anesthetized patients. Intraoperative measurement of sphincter pressure is a safe, simple, and reliable technique which allows the surgeon, for the first time, to determine the status of the lower esophageal sphincter during the operation. This technique should be standard for all operations on the gastroesophageal junction.


The mechanism and control of human erythrocyte zinc uptake. The increasing awareness of the importance of the divalent cation zinc in normal and pathologic cell functions has prompted our investigations into the mechanism and control of human erythrocyte zinc uptake. The albumin in blood plasma appears to be the main zinc binding moiety, effectively limiting zinc availability ot the red cell. In non-protein and non-phosphate-containing buffers (i.e., bicarbonate or Tris buffer) red cells sequester more than 90% of the extracellular zinc within 10--15 minutes at a rate more than 250 times faster than zink uptake by cells in plasma. In an albumin-containing media, the influx on red blood cell zinc is lightly temperature sensitive (decreased) between 37 degrees C and 25 degrees C, whereas with cells in bicarbonate buffer alone temperature sensitivity does not begin until below 25 degrees C. Over the physiological range, pH variation has a minimal effect on zinc uptake regardless of the media employed. Finally, once associated with the red cell zinc tends to remain, with a zinc efflux less than 2% of influx. We conclude that human erythrocytes are highly permeable to zinc, with the rate and amount of zinc taken up controlled primarily by the zinc binding characteristics of the media in which the cells are suspended.


Determinants of lengths of outpatient visits in a prepaid group practice setting. In this paper we have examined the amount of time that physicians (MDs) and physician's assistants (PAs) expended on office visits. The purpose was to determine the extent to which a series of patient-related and system-related characteristics explain variations in that time. Using regression analyses, we found most of the explained variation generally to be due to system-related characteristics. Whether the provider was an MD or PA made little difference in the length of time spent with patients. The principal determinant of provider time for unscheduled and scheduled 15-minute visits was the patient-load (number of patients per minute); for scheduled 30-minute visits, the number of associated morbidities was relatively more important than patient-load. Discriminant analysis was used to identify factors that could distinguish PA visits that require an MD input from those that do not. The data were collected from three months of observation in the department of medicine of a prepaid group practice.


Transport of 14C-L-glycine by the haustorial mycoparasite Tieghemiomyces parasiticus in axenic culture. Transport of L-glycine by the haustorial mycoparasite Tieghemiomyces parasiticus grown in axenic culture was investigated using endogenously metabolizing cells. Transport occurred against a concentration gradient and required the expenditure of energy supplied by metabolic reactions that were inhibited by catalytic amounts of sodium azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol. The process exhibited both pH and temperature dependence with optima at pH 4 and 35 degrees C, respectively. The energy of activation and Q10 for transport were calculated to be 18,227 cal/mole and 2.82 respectively, between 20 and 30 degrees C. The kinetics of the system were consistent with a mechanism of transport that depended upon a finite number of sites on the cell surface and had a Kt of 1.46 x 10(-5) M. The system for L-glycine transport lacked sterospecificity and was most inhibited in the presence of other neutral amino acids while less inhibition was observed in the presence of the acidic and basic amino acids. These results suggest that L-glycine transport in this mycoparasite occurs by an energy dependent, protein-mediated process characteristic of active transport.


New approaches to the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer based on the protective action of saliva with special reference to roughage, vegetable fibre and fermented milk products. Epidemiologic studies have shown differences in the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease among various communities to be related to variation in diet and eating patterns. Results of studies of the effect of diet and pattern of eating on saliva, on gastric juice, and on the amount of bile are reviewed. It is suggested that bile, and not hydrochloric acid, plays the causative role in pathogenesis of peptic ulceration. The role of saliva in the prevention of peptic ulcer is emphasized. The salivary mucus swallowed with food is protective because it decreases the flow rate of bile which, when held in the gall bladder longer, loses its alkalinity and therefore its ability to damage the mucous cells. Roughage, cellulose and vegetable fibres and fermented milk products act in a similar manner. When food is well masticated, containing plenty of vegetable fibres and fermented milk products such as ghee and yoghurt, resulting in an increase in the amount of salivary mucus, peptic ulceration may be prevented and cured and relapses may be prevented. This does not require a big change in the pattern of diet but only a change in the manner of eating so that hasty eating is avoided and good is chewed well. The pattern of diet, especially the relative dietary preponderance of short-chain fatty acids, such as those present in milk, yoghurt and other fermented milk products, have a protective action; the short-chain fatty acids retard gall bladder contraction and thus diminish the amount of bile entering the duodenal lumen.


[Inhibition of electron transport and photophosphorylation in chloroplasts by quercetin]. The influence of quercetin on electron transport and photophosphorylation of pea isolated chloroplasts with methylviologen and NADP+ has been studied. Quercetin inhibits ATP synthesis and phosphorylating electron transport but does not affect the basal electron transport in the presence of methylviologen. In view of these data and because of the increase of the proton uptake by chloroplasts in the presence of quercetin we consider it as an inhibitor of energy transfer. Under conditions of NADP+ photoreduction quercetin acts also as an inhibitor of electron transfer, interacting with ferredoxin, though a complete inhibition of electron transfer has not been observed. This last phenomenon may be of importance for the understanding of the detailed mechanism of NADP+ reduction by chloroplasts.


[Equilibrium dynamics of the 3-dimensional structure of globular proteins]. According to the data of many physical and physico-chemical methods for conditions near to physiological, there are two types of spontaneous reversible conformational transitions in native proteins namely, local transconformations and overall unfolding of the molecule. Conformational transitions of both types occur with correlation times of less than 10-1--10-3 sec. Some local transconformations, especially those revealed by the hydrogen exchange method, are characterized by weak temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant (local temperature-independent (TI) transconformations). Combining the data obtained by the hydrogen exchange method with recently published results of energy refinement of protein structure leads us to suggest that the probability of local TI-transconformations is independent of hydrophobic forces and possibly related to the "internal" conformational free energy of the native protein, i.e. the sum of (1) the potentional energy of non-bonded intramolecular interactions, (2) the energy of dihedral and bond angle strain as well as (3) the entropy of the folded protein. In the proposed model of dynamic structure the cooperative nature of local TI-transconformations is a result of close interrelation between the optimization of van der Waals side chain interactions in the nonpolar core and variation of dihedral and valence angles. It is shown that the local TI-conformers are closely related to the functionally important transient key states of native proteins.


[Stationary kinetics of catalysis by the hydrogenase of Thiocapsa roseopersicina]. Forward and reverse reactions of catalysis by a hydrogenase from T. roseopersicina in steady state have been investigated. The dependance of reaction rate on the concentration of substrates and of hydrogen ions has been studied. Detailed formal-kinetic analysis of possible mechanisms of enzyme action has been carried out and the classification of mechanisms of the reaction has been given. Comparison of experimental data with the equations obtained from formal-kinetic analysis has been undertaken and mechanisms compatible with experimental data were sorted out. Kinetic and molecular mechanism of the catalytic activity of hydrogenase has been proposed and elementary rate constants for the activation of molecular hydrogen have been calculated.


Effect of hypnotic and anxiolytic agents on regional concentration of acetylcholine in rat brain. Pentobarbital (30 and 60 mg/kg) and chloral hydrate (300 and 600 mg/kg) administered in anesthetic/hypnotic doses produced significant increases in acetylcholine concentration in the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus and brainstem. Hypnotic/anxiolytic agents like diazepam, flurazepam (100 mg/kg each) and triazolam (30 mg/kg) significantly increased the acetylcholine concentration only in the cerebral cortex and striatum. Alprazolam and ketazolam had no significant effect on regional distribution of acetylcholine in the brain. The results have been discussed with respect to the role of central cholinergic system in anesthetic and hypnotic actions of these drugs.


Effect of estrogen and progesterone on the release of MSH in gonadectomized rats. The concentration of MSH in serum after estrogen or progesterone injection into gonadectomized rats was measured by a biological assay. Undetectable serum MSH values were found in long-term ovariectomized (OVX) rats. After a single injection of 10 microgram estradiol benzoate (EB) serum MSH exhibited a circadiam rhythm with high levels in the afternoon, while values in the morning were negative. This effect occurred for 4 days following the injection. Progesterone injection into spayed rats also resulted in an increase of serum MSH concentration, but in contrast to the changes observed after EB treatment high values were found in the morning for 3 consecutive days. Afternoon MSH levels were low but measurable. The effect of these steroids on the activity of the hypothalamic enzymes which yielded MIF or MRF upon incubation with oxytocin (OXT) was also studied. Enzymatic activity of both systems was undetectable in OVX rats and was evident after EB treatment. Progesterone increased only the activity of the system which yields MRF. In castrated male rats estrogen elevated baseline MSH levels but a circadian rhythm was not observed, whereas progesterone had no effect. These observations demonstrate a sex difference on steroid-induced MSH release.


Prolactin inhibiting activity of dopamine-free subcellular fractions from rat mediobasal hypothalamus. In order to check the hypothesis of an identity of dopamine (DA) and prolactin inhibiting activity (PIF), their subcellular distribution was studied in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and the striatum, which served as a control structure. PIF was tested both in vivo and on pituitary incubates. Fractions were also assayed after adsorption of their catecholamine content on alumina, as well as in presence of haloperidol or alpha-flupentixol, potent DA receptor inhibitors. In the MBH, PIF was evenly distributed in the 17,000 g supernatant (S2) and in the crude mitochondrial fraction (P2) which contains synaptosomes. PIF activity was completely removed by alumina adsorption of S2, but not of P2 in spite of an over 99.9% elimination of DA. In contrast, striatal PIF activity was detected only in P2, and disappeared completely upon alumina adsorption, thus indicating that, in this structure, it is entirely due to DA. Addition of haloperidol (10--5M) or alpha-flupentixol (10--6M) reduced PIF activity of crude MBH homogenates, but no longer affected it after alumina adsorption. Quantitative studies suggest that only half of the total MBH PIF activity is accounted for by DA. It is concluded that the MBH contains dopamine-free PIF, which, as already shown for several other neurohormones, is exclusively distributed in nerve-endings.


An atypical form of Sandhoff's disease. Case report and biochemical studies. A case of Sandhoff's disease (GM2 gangliosidosis type 2) is reported because of an unusual course with later onset of symptoms, more slow progress and longer survival than those previously described. Otherwise the patient presented most of the classical symptoms of the disease with a final state of blindness, deafness and decerebrate rigidity. The residual acidic hexosaminidase isozymes in liver and brain tissue were Hex A and Hex S, while Hex B was barely detectable. The neutral hexosaminidase form called Hex C was also found. Two urinary oligosaccharides containing N-acetylglucosamine and mannose were found to be execreted by the patient.


Bilateral adrenalectomy: factors affecting hepatic protein synthesis following a single tube-feeding of tryptophan. Effect of tryptophan force-feeding to well-fed adrenalectomized rats on the ability of liver cell sap and initiation factors to support protein synthesis in vitro was investigated. 5 h after tryptophan force-feeding, the capacity of liver cell sap, pH 5 enzyme and pH 5 supernatant to support protein synthesis was greatly increased. The capacity of cell sap to support charging of tRNA with either (14C)-leucine or (14C)-phenylalanine was increased following a dose of tryptophan. Initiation factors prepared from tryptophan-fed adrenalectomized rats stimulated polyuridylic-acid-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis to a greater extent than those from livers of water-fed adrenalectomized controls.


Sodium and chloride transport in the isolated human cornea. 22Na and 36Cl fluxes in isolated human cornea preparations were measured under short-circuited conditions. At pH 7.3-PH 7.6 sodium net flux was directed from aqueous humour to tear side, chloride net flux was statistically not different from zero. Alkalinization of the bathing solution to pH 8.6 stimulated unidirectional sodium and chloride fluxes from aqueous humour to tear side resulting in net sodium and chloride fluxes towards the tear side which both were statistically different from zero. Cyclic AMP (10(-3) M) was found to stimulate sodium and chloride unidirectional fluxes from aqueous humour to tear side, thus leading to significant net sodium and chloride fluxes in the same direction. Epinephrine (10(-4) M) increased the unidirectional chloride flux from aqueous humour to tear side more pronounced than in the opposite direction, producing a significant net chloride flux towards the tear side. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the electrolyte pumps may under certain conditions contribute to the dehydration of the stroma.


[Treatment of acute asthma. Comparison of the effectiveness of corticosteroids and of a combination of corticosteroids and an adrenergic beta-stimulant (author's transl)]. Two comparable groups of patients hospitalised for acute asthma received an intravenous infusion for two hours, containing corticosteroids in the first group and corticosteroids combined with an adrenergic beta-stimulant in the second. Course was assessed by the hourly measurement of forced expiratory volumen in one second (FEV1), heart rate and blood pressure. It was found that corticosteroids alone had a modest action (5,1% improvement in FEV1). By contrast, the combination of corticosteroids with an adrenergic beta-stimulant resulted in a rapid and pronounced improvement in FEV1 (19,9%), without producing any undisrable side-effects. No changes in arterial blood gases were noted under the influence of treatment. Injectable adrenergic beta-stimulants are therefore worthy of use in the treatment of an asthma attack, in the absencd of any contraindication.


Overmethylation of DNAs by the EcoRI methylase. EcoRI methylase is able to catalyze methy incorporation into DNA at sequences other than the canonical EcoRI site. At high enzyme concentrations and over a wide range of pH and ionic strengths, EcoRI methylase modifies polyoma DNA (which contains one EcoRI site) at a number of sites. This modification prevents EcoRI endonuclease activity, and thus is presumably at or near the EcoRI sequences (5') NAATTN.


Mammalian tRNA sulfurtransferase: properties of the enzyme in rat liver. Transfer RNA sulfurtransferase activity was detected in 105,000 x g supernatant preparations from rat liver and several other rat tissues. Sulfur is transferred from [35S] cysteine to tRNA in a reaction which also requires ATP, Mg2+, and supernatant protein. While [35S] beta-mercaptopyruvate appeared to be a substrate for this enzyme, the reaction product was sensitive to deacylation and the reaction was inhibited by [32S] cysteine. Of the various nucleic acids tested, only tRNAs were effective sulfur acceptors, with rat liver tRNA being the poorest substrate. The [35S] reaction product was sensitive to ribonuclease, cochromatographed with tRNA on methylated-albumin kieselguhr columns, and was converted to nucleotide material after alkaline hydrolysis. DEAE-cellulose chromatography of the neutralized [35S] nucleotide digest revealed a single thionucleotide peak. These studies demonstrate that tRNA sulfurtransferase is present in various rat tissues, and that the requirements of the liver enzyme are similar to those of bacterial enzymes.


Choosing a drug regimen for obstructive pulmonary disease. 1. Agents to achieve bronchodilatation. Many patients with pulmonary disease may have significant airflow obstruction. Bronchodilatation is an important aspect of treatment and can be achieved with beta-adrenergic agonists, methylxanthine derivatives, and anticholinergic agents. These can be used singly or in combination, depending on the severity of obstruction.


Multiple endocrine adenomatosis (Type I) and familial hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism is the commonest presenting feature in multiple endocrine adenomatosis Type I (MEA Type I), the other manifestations may be delayed for many years or appear only in relatives. A family now diagnosed as MEA Type I, who was previously thought, in 1965, to have familial hyperparathyroidism due to chief cell hyperplasia is now described. The importance is stressed of family surveillance and long-term follow-up in all cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. Those tests that are essential in the long-term surveillance of the patients and their first degree relatives are discussed.


[Papain immobilization on a fibrous polymer of polyvinyl alcohol]. The paper discusses papain immobilization on modified polyvinyl alcohol fibers by the ion fixation technique. The effect of the chemical structure of polyvinyl alcohol fibers on the basic properties of the bound enzyme has been examined. The level of activity and tolerance to pH changes of the resultant immobilized enzymes have been shown to depend on the papain arrangement in the polymer molecule.


[Immobilization of alpha-amylase on porous glass and silochrome]. Immobilized forms of alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae were prepared on the porous glass and silochrome by the glutaraldehyde method. An addition of calcium ions at a concentration of 0.05 M to the reaction mixture during immobilization stabilized the enzyme activity. pH optimum of the insoluble form of alpha-amylase was 5.8 and that of the soluble form was 4.7. Storage of the insoluble enzyme as water suspension in 0.015 M CaCl2 at 4 degrees C for six months and twenty times repeated specific reaction did not affect significantly the activity of insoluble alpha-amylase.


[Glutamine synthetase immobilization].

[Glutamine synthetase immobilization]. Highly purified glutamine synthetase has been isolated from Chlorella and immobilized on BrCN-sepharose. Its residual activity was 25-35%. Immobilized glutamine synthetase showed far greater thermal stability than glutamine synthetase in solution. During immobilization pH optimum of the enzyme was shifted towards the alkaline area, maximum rate of the reaction was reduced and KM remained unaltered.


Interaction of human chorionic gonadotropin with membrane components of rat testes. Previous studies demonstrating that gangliosides interacted with thyrotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) suggested that gangliosides participate in the transduction of the hormonal message across the target cell membrane. As a continuation of these investigations, we examined the effects of down-regulation of hCG receptors on the interaction of hCG with rat testis membrane components. Rat testes contained a complex ganglioside pattern that did not appear to change qualitatively or quantitatively after the injection of hCG into the animals, although testis membranes from hCG-treated rats lost their capacity to bind (125)I-labeled hCG ((125)I-hCG). Gangliosides extracted from the testes of control and treated animals were equally effective inhibitors of (125)I-hCG binding to testis membranes. However, inhibition of binding was observed only under conditions (pH 6.0, low ionic strength) such that unlabeled hCG (>2500-fold excess) did not block (125)I-hCG binding, and (125)I-hCG bound similarly to testis membranes from control and treated rats. Under conditions such that hCG binding was specific (blocked by 250-fold excess of unlabeled hCG), testis gangliosides were noninhibitory. Liposomes containing gangliosides from the testes of control or hCG-treated rats bound similar small amounts of (125)I-hCG. These same liposomes bound 50 and 1000 times more thyrotropin and cholera toxin, respectively, than hCG. Oligosaccharides derived from gangliosides did not inhibit (125)I-hCG binding to testis membranes nor did they alter the fluorescence of hCG conjugated with fluorescent probes, whereas the gangliosides themselves were inhibitory and enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the hCG derivatives. Exposure of testis membranes from hCG-treated rats to 4 M MgCl(2), which displaces bound hCG [Chen, Y.-D. I. & Payne, A. H. (1977) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 74, 1589-1596], did not restore their ability to bind (125)I-hCG. When membranes were solubilized with Triton X-100, a solubilized receptor was detected from testis membranes of control but not hCG-treated rats. These findings and the absence of demonstrable changes in the composition or quantity of rat testis gangliosides when hCG receptors are down-regulated suggest that gangliosides do not represent the primary binding determinants of hCG receptors.


[Purification and properties of the NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase of Candida tropicalis feed yeasts]. From the cell-free extract of fodder yeast Candida tropicalis NADP-specific glutamate dehydrogenase was isolated and partially purified (75-fold) by means of fractional precipitation by ammonium sulphate and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The preparation was investigated with the aid of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Kinetic characteristics of the enzyme in the cell-free extract and partially purified preparation were derived.


Role of anions in parathyroid hormone release from dispersed bovine parathyroid cells. It is known that permeant anions are required for the release of epinephrine from isolated chromaffin granules and of serotonin from intact platelets. We have now investigated the role of anions in the release of a polypeptide hormone, parathyroid hormone, from dispersed bovine parathyroid cells. The release is inhibited 60%-80% by decreasing either [Cl-] or [OH-] and 60%-70% by replacement of NaCl with the impermeant anion isethionate. By contrast, substitution of various monovalent cations in the medium had no effect on the release. Disodium 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (SITS) and probenecid, which are known to block anion transport in the erythrocyte, also cause a dose-dependent 90%-100% inhibition of release. Moreover, kinetic analysis of inhibition by probenecid suggests that it is competitive with respect to either OH- or Cl-. These results suggest that anions and the anion transport system may play a role in exocytosis of a polypeptide hormone. The proton ionophore carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone was was also found to block hormone release, and the possibility is discussed of a "chemosmotic" mechanism for exocytosis in this system similar to that previously postulated for chromaffin granules and platelets.


Phosphate metabolites in lymphoid, Friend erythroleukemia, and HeLa cells observed by high-resolution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance. High-resolution phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were observed for cell lines from mammalian sources: lymphoid cells, Friend erythroleukemia cells, and HeLa cells. Some phosphate metabolites were identified and their concentrations were found to vary among the different cell lines. ATP/ADP ratios could be measured in the living cells. The phospholipid metabolites phosphorylcholine and phosphorylethanolamine and their glyceryl esters were present in relatively high concentrations in the cells, but their ratios varied considerably. Also, a high concentration of an unidentified diphosphodiester compound was observed in the Friend erythroleukemia and HeLa cells. No appreciable pH gradient across the cell membrance was observed in these three mammalian cell lines, in contrast to the large pH gradient detected in microorganisms.


Inhibition of growth and guanylate cyclase activity of an undifferentiated prostate adenocarcinoma by an extract of the balsam pear (Momordica charantia abbreviata). We have recently described the presence of a guanylate cyclase [GTP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.2] inhibitor (GCI) in an aqueous extract of the balsam pear (Momordica charantia abbreviata). Because the guanylate cyclase-cyclic GMP system is though to be involved in cell growth, DNA and RNA synthesis, and possible malignant transformation, we examined the effect of the aqueous extract containing GCI on an undifferentiated adenocarcinoma of the rat prostate and concanavalin-A-stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into cultured splenic lymphocytes, a process thought to be mediated by cyclic GMP. The results demonstrate that the extract of the balsam pear blocks both the growth of the rat prostatic adencarcinoma in vitro and [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. DNA histograms from flow cytometry indicated that the extract containing GCI inhibited in the G2 + M phase of the cell cycle, a presumed locus of cyclic GMP effects. In addition, guanylate cyclase activity was significantly greater in the tumor than normal prostate tissue and was decreased by the extract containing GCI. Cyclic GMP levels in the tumor in culture wer also decreased by addition of the extract. It remains to be determined whether or not the anti-tumor agent and GCI are the same substance.


[Microbiological transformation of carbohydrates. Glucose isomerization into fructose by washed cells of Streptomyces sp. strain 29]. Glucose-fructose transformation by washed and packed cells of Streptomyces sp. 29 was studied. The cells grown on the nutrient medium containing xylose and Co and Mg salts were capable to perform glucose-fructose isomerization. The cellular activity depended in a great degree on the temperature, pH and initial glucose concentration; to a lesser extent on Co and Mg ions present in the incubation mixture, and did not depend on the age of the culture (within 8-69 hours). The activity reached its maximum at 70-80 degrees C, pH 7.0 and a low concentration of glucose (10(-3) M). Under these conditions the yield of fructose was 50% from the initial glucose concentration (or 100% from the theoretical value). Washed cells of Streptomyces sp. 29 packed into a thermally controlled column continuously transformed glucose to fructose during 24 days with a yield of 30-44%.


[Hypoglycemic effect of nicotinamide in rats with alloxan diabetes]. Experimentally-induced alloxan diabetes was characterized in rats by a marked increase in the blood glucose level and by a number of disturbances in the concentration of metabolites and the activity of the enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver. Stimulation of gluconeogenesis in diabetes was judged by reduction of the redox condition of free NAD- and NADP-couples, by the increase in the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate, malic oxaloacetate and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity of the liver. Nicotinamide in a dose of 50 mg per 100 g of body weight caused a marked reduction in the blood glucose level of diabetic rats. An increase of the [NAD+]/[NADN], [NADP+]/[NADPN] ratio, a reduction of the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate, malate and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity pointed to the inhibition of gluconeogenesis and stimulation of glycolysis in the liver of diabetic rats given nicotinamide.


Fluorimetric determination of the active form of tetracycline, chloretetracycline and oxytetracycline in partially decomposed solutions. The content of tetracycline (1), chlortetracycline (2) and oxytetracycline (3) has been determined by use of the fluorimetric method in partially decomposed acqueous solutions of different pH values. The procedure consisted in the extraction of fluorescent calcium and 5.5-diethyl-barbituric acid complexes of 1 and 3 (with 2 calcium complex only) into an organic solvent. In the method, only complexes with undecomposed 1--3 show a strong fluorescence. Products of decomposition of the antibiotics did not affect significantly analytical results. Comparative investigations have been carried out with 1--3 using t.l.c. and turbidimetry.


The effect of stress on the activity of hepatic tryptophan pyrrolase, of tyrosine aminotransferase in various organs and on the level of tryptophan in the liver and plasma of rats. In rats subjected to 400 revolutions in Noble-Collip drums, hepatic tryptophan pyrrolase activity increases and plasma tryptophan level decreases. After bilateral adrenalectomy, the alterations of plasma tryptophan are even more pronounced and liver tryptophan increases in contrast to tryptophan pyrrolase activity which remains unchanged after injury. The possible significance of the posttraumatic increase of tryptophan pyrrolase in intact animals for brain serotonin metabolism and hepatic gluconeogenesis is underlined. The activity of tyrosine aminotransferase in liver, brain, adrenal, kidney and muscle tissue of rats was determined with special reference to the possible effect of the before-mentioned stress procedure. Organ homogenates were centrifuged at 15000 x g and both supernatants and pellets were investigated for enzyme activity with the exception of the liver, where only the supernatant fraction was used. Tyrosine aminotransferase activity in the liver supernatant considerably exceeded the corresponding values in both supernatant and pellet of the remaining organs, in which a prevalence of the mitochondrial enzyme was obvious. In contrast to the clear-cut increase of the hepatic enzyme during stress, essentially no changes were noted in the brain, the adrenals, kidney or muscle under similar conditions...


[Behavioral rehabilitation of nonspecific symptoms occuring after craniocerbral trauma (author's transl)]. The purpose of this study was to develop a behavioral rehabilitation program for patients with long-term nonspecific symptoms following craniocerebral trauma. In 47 patients we analyzed symptoms typical of "illness behavior" (e.g. complaining tendency, depression, irritability, psychosomatic pain, problems in job performance and social interaction) as possible targets for behavior modification. We then developed a behavioral training program to teach the patients various techniques of self-control (relaxation, desensitization, self-image training, analysis and control of illness behavior, assertiveness, performance techniques), our program being based on studies in the U.S.A. using similar approaches. For a preliminary testing two groups of 8 and 6 patients each were treated by different therapists. The patients worked through a section of the program manual prior to each group session. During the sessions proper (a total of 8 weekly two-hour sessions) the different techniques were practiced under the therapist's supervistion. In both groups a significant reduction in illness behavior as indicated on questionnaires and in 3-month follow-up was found. These encouraging results need to be further substantiated by controlled outcome studies.


Oxygen affinity and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in blood of Australian marsupials of differing body size. Oxygen carriage and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) levels have been measured in the blood of seven species of Australian marsupials ranging in size from 35 to 0.03 kg. They were Red and Grey Kangaroos, Wallaroo, Tammar Wallaby, Brush-tailed possum, Potoroo, and Brown Marsupial Mouse. Oxygen affinity decreased with decrease in adult body size, standard P50 (at 36 C) varying from 24.6 torr in the largest (Red Kangaroo) to 41.9 torr in the smallest (Brown Marsupial Mouse). The relationship between P50 and body size is similar to the relationship which has been described previously for eutherian mammals. The Bohr factor (--deltalog P50/deltapH) and value for Hill n were generally in the range found for other land-dwelling mammals. All species had 2,3-DPG in their erythrocytes acting as a regulator of oxygen affinity. The polymorphism at position beta 2 in hemoglobin of the Grey Kangaroo was shown to affect the respiratory properties of the molecule. When beta 2 = histidine, which has a positively charged side chain, erythrocyte 2,3-DPG was higher, and P50 was higher, than when beta 2 = glutamine which has a neutral side chain.


Metabolic, respiratory and haematological adjustments of the little pocket mouse to circadian torpor cycles. Metabolic, respiratory and haematological parameters were investigated for the Little Pocket mouse during circadian torpor cycles. The rate of O2 consumption decreased from 7.04 to 0.05 ml O2.g-1.hr-1, with a corresponding decrease in respiratory minute volume from 49.4 to 0.9 ml.min-1 during torpor at an ambient temperature of 10 C. No changes in haemoglobin concentration (19.7 g/100 ml), haematocrit (54%), red blood corpuscle count (12.4 10(6)/microliter), mean corpuscular volume (43.6 micrometer3), mean corpuscular haemoglobin content (16.2 pg), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (37.4%) and [2,3-DPG] (9.6 mumol/g Hb) were observed during torpor cycles. The half saturation tension of P. longimembris haemoglobin was 41 mm Hg (37 C, pH = 7.28) and 19.7 mm Hg (10 degrees C, pH = 7.51). The effect of temperature on P50 was deltalog P50/ C = +0.0106 (pH = 7.4). Venous blood parameters were: euthermic mice (37 C); PCO2 = 36.8 mm Hg, PO2 = 49.5 mm Hg, pH = 7.28, [HCO-3] = 17.3 mmol/l; torpid mice (10 C); PCO2 = 14.6, PO2 = 35.7 pH = 7.51, [HCO-3] = 18.8. These data indicate a new, relatively acidotic acid-base status during torpor, characterised by a higher H+/ OH- ratio. The respiratory sensitivity to inspired CO2 of pocket mice was, despite their being semi-fossorial, typical of other mammals. High concentrations of CO2 did not induce, or facilitate, entry into torpor.


A comparative study of the respiratory properties of bird blood. Oxygen affinity and Bohr effect have been measured in the blood of four bird species (chicken, pigeon, Japanese quail and sparrow). Under physiological conditions (41 C, pH 7.5, PCO2 approximately 35 Torr) the oxygen half saturation pressure P50 are 50 Torr for the chickens, 38 Torr for the pigeon, 43 Torr for the Japanese quail and 44 Torr for the sparrow. Values for the physiological Bohr factors deltalogP50/deltapH are similar to those obtained in mammalian blood ranging from -0.57 in chicken blood to -0.42 for pigeon blood. A direct effect of CO2 on the oxygen affinity of chicken blood could not be observed, in agreement with results in hemoglobin solutions. However, at a constant pHpl of 7.5 the intracellular pH rise from 7.22 at 39 Torr PCO2 to 7.32 at PCO2 less than 1 Torr. This leads to a decrease of P50 at pHpl 7.5 from 52 to 46 Torr. A convincing correlation between body weight and P50 could not be established, even when including data from other authors. It is concluded that aside from metabolic rate, behavioural as well as environmental factors have influenced whole blood oxygen affinity during evolution.


Regulation of arterial PCO2 during inhalation of CO2 in chickens. Since CO2-sensitive intrapulmonary chemoreceptors have been shown to exist in the avian lung, we conducted a series of experiments to determine if birds could regulate PaCO2 when confronted with an inspired CO2 load. Chickens were anesthetized with either pentobarbital (30 mg.kg-1) or phenobarbital (160 mg.kg-1). The PICO2 was either increased or decreased in successive 7 torr steps between 0 and 35 torr. At each level of PICO2, steady-state measurements of PaCO2, PaO2 and [H+]a were made. In three of ten experiments, tidal volume and respiratory frequency were determined and minute ventilation calculated. Our results indicate that as PICO2 is varied between 0 and 21 torr, minute ventilation increases and arterial homeostasis of PCO2 and [H+] is maintained; as the PICO2 is increased above 21 torr, PaCO2 increases. We conclude that the isocapnic hyperpnea associated with inhalation of CO2 in chickens is a CO2-coupled phenomenon and that it is mediated by CO2-sensitive intrapulmonary chemoreceptors.


The transduction properties of tracheal stretch receptors in vitro. Extrathoracic tracheal stretch receptors and tracheal tension were recorded in vitro when the trachea was stretched. The receptors responded to an increase in tension produced by displacement in the longitudinal or transverse axis of the trachea. They were sensitive to the rate of change of tension as well as the tension level itself, i.e. there was a dynamic component in the response. A fall in temperature decreased discharge frequency but the receptors were not affected by changes in PCO2 and pH of the perfusion fluid. Contraction of tracheal muscle, induced by acetylcholine, increased discharge frequency showing that the receptors studied were effectively in series with the muscle.


Calcium-stimulated ATPase activity in homogenates of the secretory enamel organ in the rat. The activity of calcium-stimulated ATPase (E.C. 3.6.1.3) in homogenates of the secretory enamel organ of rat incisors was studied biochemically. ATP hydrolysis was estimated from the amount of inorganic phosphate liberated. An analysis of the total degradation of ATP was initially performed to ensure that the enzyme assays pertained to the original substrate, ATP, and were not influenced by reaction products formed. Standard incubations were run in tris-maleate buffer, pH 8.2, with 3 mM ATP, 3 mM Ca2+ and 0.5 mM R 8231 at 37 degrees C. The presence of R 8231 was necessary to inhibit nonspecific alkaline phosphatase. The calcium-stimulated ATPase was completely inhibited when heated at 55-60 degrees C for 5 min. The pH optimum was found to be 8.2. The hydrolysis was substantially dependent on Ca2+ and was fastest when the ATP:Ca2+ ratio was 1:1. High substrate concentrations inhibited the hydrolysis. The addition of 1 mM Zn2+ and Ni2+ to the incubation medium markedly inhibited the hydrolysis as did, though less strongly, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, oligomycin, EDTA and ruthenium red. l-Cysteine, mercaptoethanol, iodoacetic acid and sodium azide were without effect. F- was without effect unless added to a final concentration above 15 mM to media where Ca2+ had first been allowed to react with ATP.


Demonstration of a K+-stimulated and ouabain-sensitive p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity in enamel-and dentin-forming tissues in the rat. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate hydrolysis was studied at neutral pH with tissue preparations of the rat secretory and maturation enamel organs and dental pulp. By introduction of inhibitors to nonspecific alkaline phosphatase activity and stimulants to the K+-stimulated and ouabain-sensitive p-nitrophenyl phosphatase activity, the latter enzyme activity could be demonstrated. This enzyme activity is generally held to be representative of the enzyme sodium- and potassium-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase. The K+-stimulated activity was magnesium dependent and highly sensitive to fluoride. It was inhibited completely by 3 mM fluoride in the incubation medium and about 1 mM produced half the maximum inhibition. The K+-independent enzyme activity was inhibited 50-60% by fluoride in concentrations between 3 and 15 mM. The high fluoride sensitivity of the K+-stimulated activity may perhaps help to explain the vulnerability of dental tissues to fluoride.