Effect of hapten binding on antibody-water interaction. A concept of fluctuating cavities

Solutions of pig anti-Dnp antibodies, Fab and Fc fragments, human IgG, human serum albumin and cytochrome c were examined by infrared spectroscopy with the aim to investigate the influence of these proteins on the surrounding water. Anti-Dnp antibodies, human IgG and oxidized cytochrome c induced a shift of the maximum of the deformation—liberation band of water towards lower wave numbers. Anti-Dnp antibodies complexed with hapten, free and haptenated Fab fragments, reduced cytochrome c and serum albumin induced a shift of the maximum to higher wave numbers, while Fc fragment did not induce any significant shift. Perturbating agents such as 0.5 M sodium chloride and 20% saccharose caused a shift of the maximum of water in protein solutions to higher wave numbers.The observed phenomena are interpreted in terms of the ability of cavities and clefts in proteins such as immunoglobulins to fluctuate between two states, more or less accessible to water. This ability is thought to result in a generation of anisotropic fluctuations in the surrounding water medium, associated with lowering of the number and/or strength of hydrogen bonds between water molecules. Proteins lacking cavities or clefts affect the water medium in an opposite way; the hydrogen bond network of water becomes more firm and consolidated. Binding of hapten to the intact antibody apparently alters the domain oscillations and the geometry of the antibody molecule. Consequently in contrast to free antibody, the antibody—hapten complex consolidates the hydrogen bond network of surrounding water.     

The presence and possible significance of agranular reticulum in paranodal oligodendrocyte cytoplasm and in periglomerular astrocyte processes

Paranodal glial loops (lateral belt cytoplasm) of myelinated CNS and PNS fibres contain tubules of agranular reticulum, as well as microtubules, wound spirally around the axon. Similar agranular elements run circumferentially in the expanded rims of sheet-like astrocytic processes encapsulating thalamic synaptic glomeruli. A role for agranular reticulum in these sites in control of the ionic composition of adjacent cellular and extracellular compartments is suggested.     

A comparative study of the morphology of the systemic anaphylactic reaction (SAR) and the shock reaction induced by antigen-antibody complexes in rabbits

Summary Differences in the morphological picture of the systemic anaphylactic reaction (SAR), and of the shock reaction induced by antigen-antibody (ag-ab) complexes in rabbits, are described. In rabbits SAR is characterized by acute distension of the lungs, with oedematous swelling in the vicinity of bronchi and veins, intravascular stasis of basophils without degranulation or visible fixation of the inducing antigen, small clusters of blood platelets, leukostasis, minimal decomposition of neutrophil granulocytes and absence of circulating or fixed ag-ab complexes. The shock reaction induced by ag-ab complexes is characterized by acute distension of the lungs without bronchospasm, swelling of the vicinity of bronchi and veins, hyaline thrombi particularly in the pulmonary microcirculation, leukostasis, formation of antigen-antibody complexes and thrombocyte clusters in the microcirculation, and by phagocytosis of these complexes and thrombocytes by various cells.     

Changes in dimensions of large cancellous bone specimens during histological preparation as measured on slabs from human femoral heads

Summary Distortion of the dimensions of large cancellous bone specimens during all stages of histological processing and cutting of paraffin sections in various directions was measured on Xerograms taken from slabs and then sections from human femoral heads. Although some shrinkage in both width and height of the specimens occurred at every stage of the histological preparation, the main shrinkage (about 6%) occurred during the embedding process, and mainly in the cutting of the sections (10–27%, depending on the direction the knife was approaching the specimen). The shrinkage of cancellous bone tissue during histological preparation appears to be a constant factor, but its magnitude during the individual stages of the preparation can be predicted. For the quantitative measurements a comparison of two Xerograms—one taken from the original fresh bone slab and the other from the final stained section—would reveal the exact extent of the tissue shrinkage.     

Lithium-induced changes in the brain levels of free amino acids in stress-exposed rats

The effects of stress and lithium on brain free amino acid levels in rats were investigated. Stress caused a significant decrease in the brain levels of alanine, ammonia, arginine, isoleucine, lysine and phenylalanine. Lithium by itself induced a significant increase in the brain levels of arginine and threonine, and a significant decrease in those of alanine, ammonia, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Lithium and stress together significantly decreased brain levels of alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glycine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine and tyrosine, and significantly increased that of serine.     

Blood clot evacuation in aneurysm surgery in the acute stage (arguments pro and con)

Summary In a series of 122 consecutive patients operated on by the senior author for rupture of an aneurysm the pterional approach was used in all but a few cases. A microsurgical technique was invariably utilized from opening to closing of the dura. Nearly half of our patients underwent surgery within the first week after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). In the majority of cases operated on in the acute stage, a sizable subarachnoid blood clot was evacuated, mostly from the basal cisterns. The authors present their own experience in the field to show the superiority of the technically more demanding surgery carried out within the first days following SAH over other therapeutic procedures.     

Synthesis, pharmacological investigations and X-ray studies on new 4,5-dihydro-1H-2,4-benzodiazepine derivatives

The synthesis and biological activity of a series of 4,5-dihydro-1H-2,4-benzodiazepine is reported. The structure-activity relationship of these new compounds was studied based on X-ray investigations. Pharmacological investigations have shown that the compounds exert depressive action on the central nervous system and exhibit weak neuroleptic activity.