The secretion of plasminogen activator by human synovial cultures established from explants was studied. Thirteen cultures established from patients with rheumatoid disease were hyposecretors of plasminogen activator. Seven cultures derived from patients with nonrheumatoid joint disorders all secreted high levels of this enzyme. Rheumatoid and nonrheumatoid cells contained comparable levels of intracellular activator. It is suggested that the secretion of plasminogen activator is a function of normal synovium and that a defect in this function in the rheumatoid synovium perpetuates the inflammatory process.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Balloon dilatation and stent placement of suprahepatic caval anastomotic stenosis following liver transplantation.

We present an unusual case of suprahepatic caval anastomotic stenosis after adult liver transplantation in the early postoperative period. Color flow Doppler sonography and cavography were used to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Successful nonoperative treatment of the obstruction was achieved by balloon dilatation and subsequent implantation of a vascular stent.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Disposition of 3H-labelled buserelin continuously infused into rats.

The disposition of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist buserelin was studied in male rats under conditions of long-term administration. Rats were continuously infused with about 30 pmole [3H]-buserelin/24 h subcutaneously by osmotic minipumps for 4-7 days. After killing the rats, the 3H-activity of the tissues was measured and was found to be highly concentrated (about 10-fold to plasma) only in the pituitary. The daily amounts of 3H-activity excreted in urine and faces were constant over the whole infusion period, suggesting steady state conditions. On a molar basis, of the infused dose of buserelin, 14.8% was found to be excreted into urine as intact peptide, and 16.5, 10.8 and 20.6% as the partial buserelin sequences 1-2, 1-3 and 5-9. It is concluded that the major elimination route of buserelin, constant with time, is glomerular filtration, followed by enzymatic degradation of part of the filtered peptide by kidney tubuli enzymes to the partial sequences 1-2, 1-3 and 5-9, which reflects the proteolytic breakdown of buserelin by kidney membrane peptidases in vitro. Based on the similarities in the pharmacokinetics, in vivo metabolities, and in vitro enzymatic degradabilities among the GnRH agonists that have the native GnRH sequence modified at position 6 with or without additional modification at the C-terminal, the elimination process as shown here for buserelin should also be valid for other GnRH agonists.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Primary hyperlipoproteinemias as risk factors in peripheral artery disease documented by arteriography.

In a controlled study on 121 patients with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (75 patients with primary hyperlipoproteinemia, 15 diabetics, 31 patients without metabolic disease) the relationship between risk factors (hyperlipoproteinemia, obesity, hypertension, abnormal glucose tolerance, smoking) and the degree and localisation of sclerotic lesions was investigated by angiography. The degree was directly related in all patients to the number of risk factors, in Type IIa to cholesterol levels, in diabetics and Type IV with abnormal glucose tolerance to age. The latter patients were 5-10 years older than patients with Type IIa and showed 2 or more additional risk factors. The sclerotic lesions affected in Type IIa, less in Type IIb, predominately the pelvic vessels. Diabetics and Type IV patients showed a distal arterial involvement. The difference was significant. The degree of sclerotic lesions in arteries of the pelvis and the distal lower limb was positively correlated with the cholesterol-triglyceride ratio. Smoking aggravated the pelvic lesions in Type IV. Hypertension lead to more pronounced lesions of the distal lower limb in Type II. S-shaped tortuosities of the big vessels were shown to be typical, independent of localisation or degree.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Proteolytic degradation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by rat ovarian fractions in vitro.

GnRH in physiological concentrations is highly degradable by both soluble and particulate fractions of rat ovarian homogenate in vitro. The two proteolytic enzyme activities differ strongly by the soluble activity showing a dithiothreitol optimum, high inhibition by diisopropyl fluorophospate (ki = 0.7 microM), and a relatively high affinity (Km = 1.1 microM) as opposed to the particulate fraction (Ki = 3.5 mM and Km = 150 microM, respectively). The results of this study show that the rat ovary is differently endowed with GnRH-degrading activity at different sites. The involvement of these in terminating the biological activity of the hormone on the ovary may possibly depend on its exact pathway in this GnRH-target organ.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Proteolytic inactivation of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) by the whole rat ovary in vitro.

Using 3H-labeled luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) at low concentrations, the in vitro proteolytic inactivation of the peptide hormone by whole rat ovaries was studied and compared with that by the soluble and particulate rat ovarian fraction. Whole rat ovaries were found to express the three proteolytic activities that were, according to their properties, also observed in rat ovarian homogenates: (1) soluble intracellular activity which was released into the medium, (2) released activity of membrane-bound origin, and (3) firmly membrane-bound activity. It is suggested that in vivo LHRH is largely inactivated extracellularly at least by enzymes that are located in the plasma membrane although the membrane-bound activity comprises only about 1% of the whole LHRH-inactivating capacity of the ovary.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of the energy concentration of feed mixtures for poultry based on the chemical analytical data].

Based on data material available for 33 feed mixtures, several regression equations were developed which make the estimation of energy concentration (EC) on the basis of the content of crude nutrients possible. The values received from the various equations were compared with those resulting from digestibility experiments with colostomized male and female chickens. An estimation equation is recommended resulting from the regressions for the digestibility of the individual crude nutrients: EC = 0.604 X crude protein content + 2.045 X crude fat content + 0.901 X crude carbohydrate content-158.3.

Animal Feed↗

PubMedDate not supplied

How can one explain aneuploidy status in fibromatous and lipomatous naevus cell naevus?

34 lightly fibromatous, 23 heavily fibromatous, 5 lipomatous and 10 naevus cell naevi were stained with Feulgen kit in order to evaluate their ploidy status with CAS 200 image analyzer. 26/34 lightly fibromatous, 18/23 heavily fibromatous, and 5/5 lipomatous naevi were either suspicious for aneuploidy (Auer III) or clearly aneuploid (Auer IV). In contrast all 10/10 naevus cell naevi were euploid. Proliferation (S-phase) was not increased in naevi fibromatously and lipomatously changed. The mechanisms leading to aneuploidy are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relation between two independent DNA-repair pathways in different groups of naevi.

The relation between 2 DNA-repair systems was investigated in 3 groups of naevi (naevus cell naevi, dysplastic naevi, fibromatous naevi) using the correlation coefficient according to Spearman. In the group of naevus cell naevi, only 1 significant correlation between MSH2 and GADD34 expression was found. In the group of dysplastic naevi, 9 significant and highly significant correlations between GADD genes and mismatch repair genes were found. In the group of fibromatous naevi, MLH1 correlated significantly with GADD45 and highly significant with GADD34 expression. Different correlations in naevi groups investigated show the different functional connections between the genes of DNA repair.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Growth arrest DNA damage gene expression in naevi.

Thirty-one naevus cell naevi, 30 dysplastic naevi and 12 fibromatous naevi were stained for the presence of p53 and Growth Arrest DNA Damage genes. All naevus cell naevi and fibromatous naevi were highly positive for GADD genes and negative for p53. Dysplastic naevi had significantly lower GADD34 and GADD153 expression as well as higher p53 expression in relation to the other naevi groups. The absence or decrease of GADD genes expression in naevus may indicate a potential malignant transformation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of DNA mismatch repair genes in naevi.

The significant difference of DNA mismatch repair genes expression between naevi and melanomas was demonstrated by our research group in the previous study. The main aim of this study was to compare the expression of MLH1, MSH2, PMS1 and PMS2 in 31 naevus cell naevi, 12 fibromatous naevi and 30 dysplastic naevi. The expression of DNA mismatch repair proteins was found in all naevi investigated. However, the expression (percentage of positively stained cells) was significantly higher in naevus cell naevi than in dysplastic and fibromatous ones.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗