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Biomedical subjects

S Pollak

Publications and source records attributed to S Pollak.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

[Morphologic peculiarities in gunshot injuries of the aorta].

The characteristic appearance of gunshot injuries to the aorta is presented on the basis of 5 autopsy cases. (1) In sections showing no atherosclerotic changes, projectiles from hand weapons and from .22 calibre rimfire rifles leave remarkably small holes (comparable to the orifices of the intercostal arteries); in areas with sclerotic plaques the bullet holes are considerably larger. (2) Tears of several millimetres in length radiate from the entrance and exit perforations, so that the lesions may appear as stellate lacerations. The configuration of ante-mortem injuries was reproducible in test shots on aortas removed post mortem. The morphological findings can be explained by the ballistic wound response of elastic tissues.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Characterization of the expression products of recombinant human choriogonadotropin and subunits.

Human choriogonadotropin (hCG) is a placental glycoprotein hormone composed of a 92-amino acid alpha subunit noncovalently linked to a 145-amino acid beta subunit. We report here the expression of biologically active hCG in mouse C127 cells transfected with expression vectors containing the DNA coding for both subunits. In addition, the same cell line was used to express the alpha subunit alone. The expression products were purified by affinity chromatography using specific monoclonal antibodies to hCG or its subunits. The system secreting biologically active hCG also produced a 10-fold or greater molar excess of free beta subunit. The dimeric hormone, as well as the excess beta subunit, resembles the standard urinary hCG and beta subunit by chemical and biological criteria. In contrast, when the vector encoding for the alpha subunit was expressed alone, the alpha subunit had a higher molecular weight than both standard alpha and the alpha found in the expressed dimeric hormone. The molecular weight difference between expressed alpha subunit and standard alpha was found to reside in the alpha peptide consisting of residues 52-91 which contained all of the carbohydrate of the alpha subunit. The N-asparagine-linked carbohydrate moieties in the recombinant alpha were found to be triantennary in contrast to biantennary in urinary alpha, and this hyperglycosylation was responsible for the higher molecular weight of the alpha subunit when it was expressed alone. We found no evidence of O-threonine glycosylation at position alpha 39 reported to be present in free forms of the alpha subunit; however, the companion paper (Corless, C.L., Bielinska, M., Ramabhadran, T. V., Daniels-McQueen, S. Otani, T., Reitz, B. A., Tiemeier, D. C., and Boime, I. (1987) J. Biol Chem. 262, 14197-14203) finds a small quantity of O-glycosylation. Since the excess beta subunit appears to be of normal size and contains the expected complement of sugars, only free alpha subunit seems to be a potential substrate for addition of extra sugar moieties. No large beta subunit forms have been found by others, while large alpha subunits have been described both clinically and in tissue culture systems. These observations imply that the conformation of the free alpha subunit, in the regions of the glycosylation recognition sites, allows easier access for glycosyltransferases than those same sites in the beta subunit. When alpha is combined with beta, the local structures around the alpha glycosylation sites are apparently altered so as to make the synthesis of triantennary chains less favorable.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

[Fire at the Viennese hotel "Am Augarten"--a contribution to the toxicology of combustion gas poisoning].

The fire at the Vienna hotel "Am Augarten" (28.9 1979) caused 25 deaths. 24 victims died as a result of inhalation of fire gases; 10 of them also suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns. In one case, death was due to internal injuries (sustained when jumping from a window). The fact that none of the bodies was charred facilitated identification. In all cases autopsy revealed the typical symptoms of inhalation of fire gases (soot deposition in the respiratory tract, presence of carboxyhaemoglobin in the blood). In public discussion the question was raised whether the inhalation of hydrogen cyanide (liberated from nitrogen-containing natural or synthetic polymers by pyrolysis) was a contributory factor to the fatal outcome. The cyanide concentrations in blood samples measured by gas chromatography were below the toxic range in all cases. Chemical investigation comprised the determination of the carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations and the demonstration of volatile hydrocarbons in the air of the lungs.

Austria↗
PubMed1987

[Large droplet lipids in blood in the right ventricle].

In several cases of fatal blunt-trauma injuries or after exposure to severe burning, large-drop fatty substances, discernible to the naked eye, were found in the venous blood of the right ventricle. Thin-layer chromatographic separation of the extracted lipids demonstrated an increase in the triglyceride fraction. Analysis of the fatty acids by means of combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed a shift towards oleic acid. The distribution pattern of the molecular weights was determined by means of DCI-mass spectrometry in order to characterize the triglycerides in detail. The total chemical findings indicated that the visible lipids present in the right ventricle had predominantly derived from the adipose tissues. In cases of post mortem burning (without vital traumata) no typical pulmonary fat embolism had developed despite massive lipemia in the venous blood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Detection of diphenhydramine in autolytic brain tissue in poison-induced brain death syndrome].

A case of accidental monointoxication caused by diphenhydramine is reported. Having taken 12 dragées of Neo-Emedyl (50 mg diphenhydramine), an 18-month-old girl showed the following symptoms: generalized erythema, dyspnoea, vomiting, hyperpyrexia, tremor, convulsions, coma, respiratory arrest and absence of reflexes. Computed tomography (CT) suggested a massive cerebral oedema. Her electroencephalogram was abnormally diffused at first; later on, it flattened significantly and became isoelectric between the 14th day and the final stoppage of circulation (after 5 weeks). Autopsy revealed total necrosis of the brain, with the venous cerebral blood vessels being thrombosed (the morphological basis for dissociated cerebral death). In autolysed brain tissue, diphenhydramine was detected at a concentration of 30 ng/g by GC/MS (gas chromatography, mass spectrometry); the concentration of the substance was less than 10 ng/g in the liver. The relatively high concentration in the brain was due to the previous blocking of the circulation. Cerebral death syndrome caused by intoxication offers the chance of detecting measurable amounts of the unchanged drug in autolysed brain tissue.

Autolysis↗