Priorities in research of hemoblastosis

Evidence is provided for that it is urgent to elaborate a problem of hemoblastosis and hemopoietic depressions within the framework of a special federal research and technological programme. Priorities of research lines in this areas, trends of their development till 2005 are presented.     

Nitrazepam (Mogadon) in blood serum and urine and librium in urine

A method is described for the determination of nitrazepam and its reduced product in blood serum and urine. The metabolite, the reduced product, is the principal substance to be encountered in these fluids. A method is also described for the determination of librium (and the lactam) in urine.     

Antibacterial activity of nifuratel in urine and serum

The minimum inhibitory concentrations of nifuratel for 205 randomly selected isolates from urinary tract infections were tested by tube dilution. Of these, 177 (86.3%) were resistant to more than 6 mug/ml and 140 of 141 (99.3%) strains of Escherichia coli were resistant to more than 3 mug/ml. Urine levels of nifuratel were examined in two groups: one group had 400 mg given once and the other group had 2 g given over 24 hours. In both groups samples of urine were collected every hour for seven hours after the last dose. After one 400-mg dose the maximum urine level achieved by any subject was 2.0 mug/ml and the mean maximum level was 0.75 mug/ml. With the 2 g total dose, the maximum level noted was 4 mug/ml and the mean maximum level was 1.8 mug/ml. No measurable inhibition was noted in any of the blood samples removed at one and a half to two hours after the last dose.     

The determination of serum and urine myoglobin

We have reviewed the current methods of determining serum and urine myoglobin. Qualitative determination of urine myoglobin has been possible for over 20 years, but the quantitative determination is a recent development. Between 1963 (spectrophotometry) and 1978 (radioimmunoassay, RIA), efforts have been made to develop a more sensitive determination method. The RIA method thus developed has a sensitivity as high as 1 ng/ml. Such methods are valuable in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Recently, simple, rapid, and non-isotopic method such as enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and latex agglutination test have been developed and made rapid determination possible. We applied the "Mb-latex [Seiken]", one such latex agglutination method to the TBA-30 R single-multi type automated analyzer. We obtained good results in the fundamental study such as in precision and accuracy. The reference ranges obtained using serum and urine samples corresponded to the values reported by others with the exception of the lower limit of the ranges. Proficiency testing data using the same reagents and same samples at five laboratories revealed some systematic biases. The reasons for such interlaboratory differences is not clear. However, these systematic biases may be due to the type of equipment, the type of calibration procedure and others including reagents and standard solutions. We are continuing our effort to improve the reliability of interlaboratory data.     

A radioimmunoassay to measure piretanide in human serum and urine

This paper describes a specific radioimmunological method for determining the diuretic agent piretanide (4 phenoxy-3-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-5-sulfamoyl benzoic acid) in human serum, plasma and urine. The antiserum was raised in rabbits against an immunogen of piretanide coupled to bovine serum albumin. The iodinated hydroxy derivative of piretanide was used as tracer. The separation of free and antibody-bound piretanide was performed by precipitating the antibody-tracer complex by polyethylene glycol. The limit of detection was 4 ng/ml. Studies on specificity showed less than 0.5% cross-reactivity of an identified metabolite. Interassay reproducibility showed an average coefficient of variation of 7.3%, the interassay variation was 5%. A recovery experiment yielded 100.9% recovery. There is good agreement between parallel determinations of piretanide by RIA and HPLC in both human serum and urine.     

Serum fucosyl transferase activity and serum fucose levels as diagnostic tools in malignancy

Glycoproteins play a significant role in neoplastic transformations. Both the levels of fucose and the activity of fucosyl transferase, which mediates the assembly of the oligosaccharide moieties of the glycoprotein chains, have been found to be elevated in neoplastic conditions. Since these elevations are common features of a variety of neoplastic cells, these two have been designated as non-specific markers of malignancy. In the present study, the fucose level and fucosyl transferase activity were determined in the sera of cancer patients and an attempt was made to establish a relationship between the two. It was found that both the fucose levels and fucosyl transferase activities showed considerable elevation in the five cancer groups studied, establishing them as useful diagnostic parameters. However, it was also observed that the rate of increased fucosyl transferase activity was not fully reflected in the resulting serum fucose levels in a few cases.     

β2-microglobulin and other proteins in serum and urine during preeclampsia

Summary Serum and urine samples of 5 patients with preeclampsia, an equal number with preeclampsia superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis, and 20 normal pregnant women were analysed for fibrin split products (immunoelectrophoresis) and other proteins (Oudin-method) including ₂-microglobulin (radioimmunoassay).No fibrin split products could be detected in normal pregnant women or those with preeclampsia superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis. Distinctly abnormal values were found, however, in the patients with preeclampsia (split D, 27.2±5.1 mg% (S.D.) in serum and 162±55mg/24 h (S.D.) in urine; split E, 0.3±0.1 mg% (S.D.) in serum and 4.2±3.1 mg%/24 h (S.D.) in the urine; fibrinogen in serum 532±146 mg% and in urine 340±78 mg/24 h (S.D.).Mean total protein excretion of patients with preeclampsia (1951±322 mg S.D./24 h) was not different from the value of patients with preeclampsia superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis (1781±289 mg S.D./24 h).Urinary ₂-microglobulin excretion of patients with simple preeclampsia (glomerular filtration rate 100 ml/min) was 4 to 5-fold increased at term but more than 100-fold in patients whose preeclampsia was superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis (glomerular filtration rate 30–70 ml/min).The transient urinary excretion of fibrin split products and other proteins in patients with preeclampsia and normal glomerular filtration rate is an indication of a reversible glomerular lesion, whereas the increased ₂-microglobulin excretion in this group of patients is due to a tubular lesion. In patients with preeclampsia superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis the excretion of ₂-microglobulin is further increased which may be explained by an additional lesion of the already impaired tubular function during delivery.In serum, prealbumin was decreased to about 55% and albumin to 60% in the patients with preeclampsia and preeclampsia superimposed upon chronic pyelonephritis which cannot be explained by renal loss alone but is very likely due to an inhibition of protein synthesis in the liver cell.Contains parts of the Doctoral Thesis of D. Prüfer     

RAST with animal dander, urine, saliva and serum

Binding of specific IgE antibodies from the sera of patients allergic to animals was investigated by direct RAST, using the animal's dander, urine, saliva or blood serum as insolubilized allergens. In allergy to rat, mouse, guinea pig, dog, cat or horse, the RAST results with the excretions of a particular animal were mutually well correlated. RAST with the animal blood serum was positive less often, and only in cases of a positive dander RAST. It is concluded that a RAST with animal dander precludes the use of other animal products.     

Mycoplasmas in human pyelonephritis: demonstration of antibodies in serum and urine.

This study was carried out to elucidate by serological examination the etiological significance of mycoplasmas isolated from the upper urinary tract of patients with pyelonephritis. The occurrence of antibodies in patients with acute pyelonephritis, chronic pyelonephritis with or without exacerbation, or noninfectious urinary tract disease was compared by the indirect hemagglutination method. Antibody response was demonstrated significantly more often in patients yielding growth of Mycoplasma hominis from the upper urinary tract than in patients not yielding growth. Antibodies against M. hominis were demonstrated in ureteric and bladder urine from three patients with acute pyelonephritis and from one patient with exacerbation of chronic pyelonephritis. M. hominis was isolated from the upper urinary tract of all four patients. Urine antibodies could not be demonstrated in any other cases. Thus, it seems highly possible that M. hominis may play a role in pyelonephritis of humans. The investigations did not disclose a similar role for Ureaplasma urealyticum.     

Biochemical changes in a 100 km run: Proteins in serum and urine

Summary Eleven male subjects took part in a 100 km running competition. Alterations in the total plasma protein and in ten individual plasma protein concentrations in blood and urine were measured prior to the run, immediately after and after 1 day of recovery. Five individual proteins showed a 7–10%, and lysozyme a 40%, increase in the plasma after the run. On the contrary, the haptoglobin concentration fell to 40% of its pre-race level. None of these variations were correlated with the plasma volume change. The present data showed a moderate hemolysis, as evidenced by plasma lysozyme and hemoglobin-haptoglobin binding. The urinary excretion of plasma proteins was slightly increased, especially albumin and ₁-acid-glycoprotein. The renal clearance of plasma proteins revealed that the 100 km run induced a moderate increase of glomerular permeability without any significant change in the tubular reabsorption process.The results presented in this paper are part of a cooperative study with Dr. Howald's Group in Macolin, Switzerland, Dr. Keul's Group in D-7800 Freiburg i. B., German Federal Republic, and Dr. Poortman's laboratory in B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium     

Occurrence of BK virus and BK virus-specific antibodies in the urine of patients receiving chemotherapy for malignancy.

Urine specimens from 23 children and 9 adults who were undergoing treatment for malignancy as well as urines from 40 normal individuals were concentrated and examined for evidence of papovavirus infection. Papovavirus particles were detected in 6 of 64 urines examined by electron microscopy. Three of the particle-positive urines induced BK virus-specific immunofluorescence after inoculation of WI38 cells, and three isolations of BK virus were made by inoculation of urines from virus-excreting patients into Vero cells. BK virus-specific hemagglutination-inhibiting and immunofluorescence neutralizing antibodies were found in a majority of urines from adult patients, in about a fifth of pediatric patients, and less often in normal urines. Urines of virus-excreting patients generally had antibodies. In indirect fluorescent antibody tests, BK virus-specific antibodies of the immunoglobulin G class were found in five urine specimens from patients; immunoglobulin A antibodies were not detected in any urine. These data suggest that activation of BK virus is related to immunosuppression and not to transplantation itself and that the occurrence of virus-specific antibodies in urine may be indicative of virus multiplication in the urinary tract.     

Estimation of calcium and magnesium in serum and urine by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

A method has been described for the estimation of calcium and magnesium in serum and urine using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The precision and accuracy of the techniques have been determined and were found to be acceptable.THE RANGE OF VALUES FOR CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM IN THE SERA OF NORMAL ADULTS WAS FOUND TO BE: serum calcium (corrected to a specific gravity of 1.026) 8.38-10.08 mg. per 100 ml.; serum magnesium 1.83-2.43 mg. per 100 ml.