Allergic airway disease caused by methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride in epoxy resin

Work-associated rhinitis and asthma occurred in a subject exposed to methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) used as a curing agent in an epoxy resin system. He displayed bronchial hyperreactivity in provocation with methacholine, as well as skin prick test positivity and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) serum antibodies, against a conjugate of MTHPA and human serum albumin. Thus, it seems likely that the disease was caused by an IgE-mediated allergy.     

Select types of supporting cell in the inner ear express aquaporin-4 water channel protein

Aquaporins (AQPs) confer a high water permeability on cell membranes and play important parts in secretory and absorptive epithelia in kidney and other organs. Here we investigate whether AQPs are expressed in the sensory epithelia of the inner ear, where a precise volume regulation is crucial. By use of specific antibodies it was found that the inner ear contains AQP1 and 4 while being devoid of detectable levels of AQP2, 3 or 5. Immunofluorescence and postembedding immunogold labelling revealed a strictly non-epithelial distribution of AQP1, confirming previous data. In contrast, AQP4 protein and mRNA (visualized by in situ hybridization) were concentrated in select types of supporting cell, including Hensen's cells and inner sulcus cells. Immunogold particles signalling AQP4 were confined to the basolateral plasma membrane of Hensen's cells and to the basal plasma membrane of Claudius cells and inner sulcus cells. AQP4 was also found in supporting cells of the vestibular end organs, but was absent from transitional epithelial cells and dark cells. Strong labelling for AQP4 and AQP4-mRNA was associated with the central part of the cochlear and vestibular nerves. Hair cells were consistently unlabelled. Our findings indicate that AQP4 may facilitate osmotically driven water fluxes in the sensory epithelia of the inner ear and thus contribute to the volume and ion homeostasis at these sites.     

Abdominal ultrasound versus intravenous urography in the evaluation of infravesically obstructed males

In a prospective study intravenous urography (IVP) and abdominal ultrasonography (US) were compared in 100 consecutively admitted male patients with symptoms of infravesical obstruction. No pathology was found in 67 patients on IVP and in 61 patients on US. Both modalities disclosed 5 bilateral, 4 unilateral hydronephroses and one patient with contracted kidneys. IVP found 7 renal masses: one solid tumour, 2 "possibly solid" tumours and 4 "possibly cysts", whereas US found one solid tumour and 16 cysts. Both modalities detected 3 kidney stones, 5 bladder stones and 3 bladder tumours. It is concluded that "imaging" of the urinary tract is only indicated in cases of haematuria, elevated creatinine, history of renal calculous disease and other clinical suspicion of upper urinary tract disease. It is further concluded that US is preferable to IVP in this patient category due to (1) better characterization of renal masses, (2) the possibility of investigating the liver and the retroperitoneum in the same setting, (3) better evaluation of the prostate with respect to size, (4) better evaluation of the bladder, and (5) last but not least for economical reasons. However, bone metastases will be missed.     

Investigation of TSH dependency, circulating thyroid autoantibody, and morphological features of recurrent nontoxic goitre

Pathogenetical factors possibly responsible for recurrence of nontoxic goitre in a nonendemic area are evaluated. A group of 22 female patients admitted for surgical treatment of recurrent nontoxic goitre was compared with a control group of 86 female nontoxic goitrous patients not operated upon before. Preoperative serum baseline thyrotrophin levels in the recurrent goitre group were low normal and did not differ significantly from those in the control group. Circulating thyroid microsomal autoantibodies, thyroglobulin antibody titers, and the densities of lymphocytic aggregation in goitrous tissue did not differ significantly in the two groups. Thus, none of the parameters studied were likely explanations of regrowth of goitre.     

Infection studies with canine distemper virus in harbour seals

Summary Infection studies in harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) were conducted with the Snyder-Hill strain of canine distemper virus (CDV) that is virulent for dog and mink. The inoculated seals showed clinical symptoms which were to some degree similar to those observed in CDV infections of sensitive species of carnivores. Viral replication in lymphoid cells was followed by an extended period of immunosuppression. The results did not provide conclusive evidence for viral replication in surface epithelia of seals, and accordingly no spread of the infection to contact seals and mink was demonstrated. The pathogenicity of the infection did not increase upon a second viral passage in seal. The serological data showed that CDV-infected seals mounted an early virus specific antibody response. Overall, the results indicated that the harbour seal was not especially sensitive to CDV infection. The differences in the in vivo biological properties of CDV and PDV add to the distinction between these viruses at the genomic and antigenic levels.     

H-reflexes are smaller in dancers from The Royal Danish Ballet than in well-trained athletes

Summary The size of the maximalH-reflex (H _max) was measured at rest and expressed as a percentage of the maximalM-response (M _max) in 17 untrained subjects, 27 moderately trained subjects, 19 well-trained subjects and 7 dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet. TheH _max/M _max was significantly larger in the moderately and well-trained subjects than in the untrained subjects but smaller in the ballet dancers. It is therefore suggested that both the amount and the type of habitual activity may influence the excitability of spinal reflexes.     

An HLA study in 74 Danish haemochromatosis patients and in 21 of their families

HLA-A and -B alleles in 74 Danish patients and 21 homozygous relatives with idiopathic haemochromatosis (IH) were compared with those in a sample of 1719 chromosomes from healthy Danish control subjects. The following alleles occurred with higher frequencies in IH compared to controls: A3: 53.6% vs. 15.1% (Pc less than 0.001); B7: 33.1% vs. 15.6% (Pc less than 0.001); B14: 6.9% vs. 3.0% (Pc greater than 0.05); B38: 5% vs. 0.9% (Pc greater than 0.05); B47: 4.0% vs. 0.4% (Pc greater than 0.05). Pedigree analyses disclosed 19 different haplotypes in IH subjects, compared to 286 haplotypes in controls. The following haplotypes occurred with higher frequency in IH compared to controls: A3,B5: 10.3% vs. 0.3% (Pc less than 0.001); A3,B7: 25.6% vs. 6.6% (Pc = 0.001); A3,B14: 3.4% vs. 0.6% (Pc greater than 0.05); A3,B47: 6.9% vs. 0.2% (Pc greater than 0.05). The major IH marker HLA-A3 was found in 56% of the haplotypes. The patterns of HLA-alleles associated with IH in Denmark show similarities to those in Central Europe, Australia, USA and Canada, being A3,B7 dominated and those in Central Sweden, England and Ireland, being A3,B14 dominated.     

Goblet cells in the normal adult human larynx--studies on morphology, distribution and density

From 12 clinically and macroscopically normal larynges from adult persons all the mucosa was prepared and stained with PAS-alcian blue to study the morphology, distribution, and density of the goblet cells. In each larynx goblet cells were counted in 600 fields of 0.01768 mm2 mucosal surface, distributed on 18, 18 and 24 localities in the subglottis, glottis with the sinus of Morgagni, and supraglottis respectively. The goblet cells form a continuous pattern, comprising the entire subglottis, the anterior commissure, the sinus of Morgagni, the false vocal cords, vestibule of the larynx, and reaching to the cranial part of the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis. Another continuous, but goblet cell-free area extended from a couple of mm posterior to the anterior commissure, posteriorad on the cranial surface of the vocal cords, ary regions, aryepiglottic fold, the edge of the epiglottis, and 4-5 mm of the laryngeal surface of the epiglottic top, epiglottic vallecula, piriform recess, and the postcricoid region. Between the pseudostratified, ciliated columnar epithelium with goblet cells and the goblet cell-free stratified squamous epithelium there is a transitional epithelium in which the goblet cells alter from the 40 micron tall goblet cells characteristic of the respiratory tract epithelium to being quite flattened in order to disappear completely in the stratified squamous epithelium. The goblet cell density is significantly lower in the subglottis, viz. 125 cells per field, than in the glottis with the sinus of Morgagni and supraglottis, where the median density is 166 and 161 cells respectively per field. A possible correlation between the influence of the respiratory air upon the density of goblet cells and the complex anatomy of the larynx is discussed.     

Fatal familial cholestatic syndrome in Greenland Eskimo children

Summary We report the first detailed study of hepatic morphlogy in 28 biopsies from 16 Greenland Eskimo children with fatal familial cholestatic syndrome. The changes were categorized as early, intermediate and late. In the early stage, until 5 months of age, changes were restricted to zone 3, consisting of cholestasis and rosette formation without fibrosis. In the intermediate stage, from 5 to 14 months, cholestasis persisted and rosette formation increased, both with further extension into zone 2. Perisinusoidal fibrosis developed, first in zone 3 and later in zone 1. The late stage, from 17 to 60 months, showed a further increase in cholestasis and rosette formation, and fibrosis of zones 3 and 1 in nearly all biopsies. Portal to portal and portal to central fibrosis was evident with resulting cirrhosis in 2 of 7 patients. The morphological features can be summarized as pure cholestasis with prominent rosette formation followed by zone 3 fibrosis, zone 1 fibrosis, and, cirrhosis. Other characteristics are the virtual absence of inflammation and the lack of anatomical abnormalities such as paucity of bile ducts. The changes and their progression resemble those of Byler disease. Clinical and biochemical features are also largely similar, except for the presence of thrombocytosis in many of the Eskimo patients.