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Biomedical subjects

T Bakke

Publications and source records attributed to T Bakke.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Relationship between ATP and energy charge during lethal metabolic stress of the marine isopod Cirolana borealis.

The relationship between ATP and energy charge was studied in individuals of Cirolana borealis under heavy metabolic stress caused by anoxia or exposure to toluene. Prolonged anoxia led to a lowering of the ATP content to about 10% after 4 days, with a simultaneous decrease in energy charge to about 0.25. A lowering of the total adenylate pool reduced the fall in energy charge somewhat, but this effect was marked only in late anoxia when the individuals had become inactive. Exposure to 0.14 mM toluene for 8 days led to a similar decrease in ATP and energy charge. Exposure to 1.4 mM toluene for 24 h led to only slight changes in the adenine nucleotide pool, although the individuals became narcotized within a few hours. The energy charge associated with moribund individuals thus varied much. The mechanism of energy charge stabilization through reduction of the adenine nucleotide pool as ATP declined seemed to be of little significance for the survival of the individuals.

Adenine Nucleotides

The metabolism of biphenyl. V. Phenolic metabolites in some marine organisms.

The phenolic metabolites of biphenyl in the crustacean Cirolana borealis LILJEBORG (ISOPODA), the gastropod Buccinum undatum L and the ophiuroid Ophiocomina nigra ABILDGAARD have been analysed qualitatively and semi-quantitatively as trimethylsilyl (TMS) ethers by combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography, respectively. The findings demonstrate the in vivo metabolic capacity of these organisms to convert biphenyl into its hydroxylated derivatives. Thus, 2-hydroxybiphenyl is the most prominent metabolite detected in all these experiments, which also showed that minor amounts of the 4-hydroxy and 4,4'-dihydroxy metabolites are formed. Metabolites of biphenyl origin are found both in the sea water from the aquaria and in the tissue of the respective marine organisms. The experiments, moreover, indicate a slow metabolism of biphenyl in C. borealis, B. undatum and O. nigra, between which no qualitative metabolic differences are found.

Animals

Fetal thymus transplantations in severe combined immunodeficiency.

Two brothers with severe combined immunodeficiency were treated with repeated transplantations of fetal thymus tissue. The first patient was not treated until he was critically ill, and the intramuscular transplants had no effect. He died at 11 months of age of overwhelming pneumonia. At postmortem examination a transplanted thymus seemed viable. In the second patient an intramuscular transplant had no effect, but three subsequent intraperitoneal transplants led to transient increase in circulating T lymphocytes with a concomitant fall in B lymphocytes. The results suggested an additive effect of each transplant. However, delayed hypersensitivity skin tests and in vitro mitogen responses were not influenced. Initially, transfer factor was given, and fetal liver was administered intraperitoneally together with the last thymic transplant. Neither of these measures had any observed effect, and this patient, similarly, died of pneumonia at nearly 12 months of age.

B-Lymphocytes

Growth of the fetal skull, with special reference to weight-for-dates of the newborn child.

Two growth curves of the fetal biparietal diameter are presented. One is prospective, based on the last menstrual period, while the other is retrospective, calculated from the date of birth. The prospective curve shows a slight decline in average values following the week 42 of gestation. This is thought not to reflect a true shortening of the biparietal diameter in the single fetus, since serial measurements in single fetuses show growth up to the time of delivery. Individual growth curves, grouped according to the weight-for-dates of the newborn child, show a trend towards longer biparietal diameters in the larger fetuses. Serial measurements, preferably starting before week 30, appear to be a good help in predicting birth weight, but growth rates without regard to the actual measurement values were of little prognostic value in the present material.

Birth Weight

Ultrasonic measurement of sound velocity in whole blood. A comparison between an ultrasonic method and the conventional packed-cell-volume test for hematocrit determination.

A new ultrasonic instrument for the determination of sound velocity in tissue is described. The instrument has been used in this investigation to measure the sound velocity in heparinized whole blood samples. The corresponding hematocrit values of the blood samples were determined by the packed cell volume test. The measurements in the hematocrit range of approx. 30-55 indicate a high degree of correlation between the hematocrit value and the respective blood sound velocity (S.E.E.=1.3 and r=0.96). Repeated measurements of the same blood samples up to 1 hr after collection of the blood show very small changes in reading of sound velocity, provided the samples were kept at a constant temperature and well stirred. The ultrasonic measurement is quick and simple to perform, and the blood specimen is not changed by the measuring process.

Electronics, Medical