Mycoplasmas adhere closely to the central region of the surface of mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. They do not appear connected to each other or the macrophage membrane, and they induce no change in the surface of the cell. After addition of antimycoplasma antibody, mycoplasmas show interconnections and the cell shows an increase occurrence of ruffled membrane and folding over the mycoplasmas. Large and small lacunae appear in the membrane at sites other than those taking in organisms, and the cell develops a diffusely granular appearance. These changes are associated with an increase in pinocytosis of horseradish peroxidase that is 85% above controls. Five minutes after addition of antibody, the macrophage appears contracted and engorged and has persistent membrane changes consisting of pits, openings, and membrane folds. Trypsin causes slow ingestion of surface mycoplasmas without the obvious membrane folding over organisms but with evidence of a predominantly invaginating process of phagocytosis. The macrophage surface has numerous microprojections, but is does not have the granular appearance seen after addition of antibody. Trypsin and Mycoplasma pulmonis antigen do not enhance macrophage pinocytic rates. (Am J Pathol 87:347-358, 1977).

Animals↗

PubMed1976

Down's syndrome with X0/XY mosaicism.

A 5-month-old Chinese infant with combined Down's syndrome and X0/XY mosaicism is presented. The phenotypical features of mongolism are classical and unmodified. The somatic effects of X0/XY mosaicism is that of incomplete masculinization with short phallus, hypospadias, bifid scrotum, urogenital sinus, and bilateral extra-abdominal infantile testicles. These features together with the absence of internal female organs and signs of Turner's syndrome in this patient are different from the previous reported cases of mixed gonadal dysgenesis.

Cryptorchidism↗

PubMed1966

Structure of the red fluorescence band in chloroplasts.

Using Weber's method of "matrix analysis" for the estimation of the number of fluorescent species contributing to the emission of a sample, it is shown that the fluorescence(1) band in spinach chloroplast fragments at room temperature originates in two species of chlorophyll a. Emission spectra obtained upon excitation with different wavelengths of light (preferentially absorbed in chlorophyll a or b) are presented. Upon cooling to - 196 degrees C, the fluorescence efficiency increases about twentyfold. Two additional bands, that now appear at 696 and 735 mmicro, suggest the participation of four molecular species. Emission spectra observed at different concentrations of chloroplast fragments with excitation in chlorophyll a and b and excitation spectra for different concentrations of chloroplast fragments and measurements at 685 and 760 mmicro are presented. Two of the four emission bands may belong to pigment system I and two to system II. The 685, 696, and 738 mmicro bands respond differently to temperature changes. In the -196 degrees C to -150 degrees C range, the intensity of the 685 mmicro band remains constant, and that of the 696 mmicro band decreases twice as fast as that of the 738 mmicro band.

Chlorophyll↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bronchial arteriography and transcatheter embolization in the management of hemoptysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing the effect of bronchial artery embolization in treating massive hemoptysis and the value of bronchial arteriography in the evaluation of patients with hemoptysis. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with acute hemoptysis were evaluated by means of bronchial arteriography and treated with transcatheter embolization. Specific causes for bleeding were bronchiectasis (17), lung cancer (9), tuberculosis (4), tetralogy of Fallot (1), and idiopathic hemoptysis (4). The materials used for embolization were gelatin sponge in 33 patients, dextran microspheres in 2, and stainless coils in 1. RESULTS: The angiographic signs of hemorrhage encountered were extravasation of contrast media (14.2%), hypervascularization (94.5%), bronchopulmonary shunts (34.2%), and bronchial artery aneurysms (14.2%). Immediate control of bleeding occurred in 32 (91.4%) of 35 patients after embolization. The rate of recurrent hemoptysis was 20.0% after 2 weeks of the procedure, but the hemorrhage was less severe than before treatment. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that bronchial artery embolization is an effective method for managing patients with hemoptysis. Minor bleeding recurrences appear to be relatively frequent.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnosis of an accessory portal vein and its clinical implications for portosystemic shunts.

PURPOSE: To present a peculiar anatomic portal veins variant and evaluate its clinical implications. METHODS: Among 118 consecutive patients undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS), six male patients were found to have an accessory portal vein, which was seen during direct portography.R ESULTS: In all six patients, portograms showed an accessory small-caliber vein parallel to the trunk of the main portal vein ending in the right lobe of the liver. Two of the six accessory portal veins drained blood from coronary veins, precluding access to coronary vein embolization during TIPS. CONCLUSION: An accessory portal vein is a rare anatomical variation with clinical significance for both surgical shunt placement and TIPS, as well as for transportal embolization of coronary veins.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Actions of 6-epitetrodotoxin and 11-deoxytetrodotoxin on the frog skeletal muscle fiber.

6-Epitetrodotoxin (6-epiTTX) and 11-deoxytetrodotoxin (11-deoxyTTX), isolated from an Okinawan newt, Cynops ensicauda, were tested for sodium-channel blocking effects on the voltage-clamped frog skeletal muscle fiber. In 6-epiTTX, the C-6 -OH is in an epimeric position; in 11-deoxyTTX, C-11 has a methyl in place of a hydroxymethyl group. At pH 7.25, the ED50s for reducing INa are: 4.1 nM (TTX), 96 nM (6-epiTTX), and 445 nM (11-deoxyTTX). In each analogue, the lowered potency can be attributed energetically to the loss of a hydrogen bond. By complementarity, in the sodium-channel receptor for TTX, there must be a hydrogen-acceptor group for the C-6 -OH, and another for the C-11 -OH. Therefore, the TTX molecule is bound to the receptor through an ion-pair (for the guanidinium), and five hydrogen bonds, one each for the -OH on C-9, C-10, C-4, and, as now identified, for C-6 and C-11. Considering the three-dimensional structure of the toxin molecules, these binding sites must be located in a fold or a crevice of the channel protein. If glutamate 387 of rat brain sodium channel II is the ion-pairing site for the guanidinium group, then the carbonyl oxygen of asparagine 388 is the hydrogen acceptor for the C-9 and C-10 -OHs.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Actions of decarbamoyloxysaxitoxin and decarbamoylneosaxitoxin on the frog skeletal muscle fiber.

Two new analogues of the decarbamoyl series of paralytic shellfish toxins have been isolated through improved HPLC methods. In decarbamoyloxysaxitoxin (doSTX), the -OH function at C-13 of decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX) is changed to -CH3. In decarbamoylneosaxitoxin (dcneoSTX), the carbomyl side-chain of neosaxitoxin (neoSTX) has been removed. The new analogues were assayed on voltage-clamped frog skeletal muscle fiber for their potency in reducing the sodium current. Compared with neoSTX, the relative potencies of dcneoSTX are: 0.003 (at pH 6.50), 0.004 (pH 7.25), and 0.005 (pH 8.25). The influence of pH on the potency is the same in neoSTX and dcneoSTX. The fractional loss of potency caused by decarbamoylation is much greater in neoSTX than in STX, possibly because of an intramolecular interaction between the N-1 -OH in neoSTX and the -OH on C-13. Compared with STX, the ED50 for reducing INa by doSTX is 618 nM, making its relative potency 0.008 that of STX. Energetically, the decreased potency can be accounted for by the loss of two hydrogen bonds, one at the C-13 -OH of dcSTX, and the other at the amino group in the carbamoyl function of STX. These two groups resemble the C-6 and C-11 -OHs in tetrodotoxin, and probably bind to the same site-points. Thus, the near-identical actions of STX and TTX can be attributed to the common sharing of one ion-pair site and four hydrogen-bonding sites. If glutamate 387 of rat brain sodium channel II were the anionic site which ion-pairs with the 7, 8, 9 guanidinium of STX, then the carbonyl oxygen of asparagin 388 is the hydrogen-acceptor for the C-12 gem-diols.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Suppression of alloimmune responses in vitro and in vivo by CD3(+)CD8(-)CD4(-)alphabeta(+) regulatory T cells.

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Animals↗