The intrapulmonary arterial pattern in infants with transposition of the great arteries associated with interventricular septum defect

Summary Microangiographic and histological studies, including serial sectioning, were carried out on the lungs of seven autopsy cases of transposition of the great arteries associated with interventricular septum defect. In five of the cases other cardiovascular abnormalities were also present — valvular pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary and systemic venous anomalies, atrial septal defect and coarctation of the aorta. The ages of the subjects varied from four days to 11 months. Tortuosity of the intralobular pulmonary arteries was observed in three subjects. The number, size and course of the pulmobronchial arteries were normal. A few arterial bronchopulmonary anastomoses (diameter range 50–350 µ) were demonstrated in two subjects. The diameter range of the main bronchial arteries in the aorta-injected specimens was within normal limits. The number of bronchopulmonary arteries was moderately increased in two of the older subjects. The systemic-artery supply of the pulmonary parenchyma, however, was not as prominent as in infants of the same age with isolated transposition of the great arteries.

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Das intrapulmonale, arterielle Gefäßmuster bei Kindern mit Transposition der großen Arterien und Ventrikelseptumdefekt

Zusammenfassung Bei 7 Obduktionsfällen mit Transposition der großen Arterien und Ventrikelseptumdefekt wurden mikroangiographische und histologische Untersuchungen (einschl. Serienschnittstudien) der Lunge durchgeführt. Bei 5 Fällen lagen auch andere kardiovaskuläre Mißbildungen vor: Pulmonalklappenstenose, Venenanomalien, Vorhofseptumdefekte und Coarctatio aortae. Das Alter der Fälle betrug 4 Tage bis 11 Monate. Abnorm gewundene intralobuläre Pulmonalarterienäste wurden bei 3 Fällen beobachtet. Pulmobronchialarterien kamen in normaler Anzahl vor und zeigten keine Abweichungen hinsichtlich Größe oder Verlauf. Eine geringere Anzahl arterieller, bronchopulmonaler Anastomosen (Lumen 50–350 µ) wurde bei 2 der untersuchten Fälle beobachtet. Das Lumen der Hauptäste der Bronchialarterien war normal. Bei 2 der älteren Fälle war die Zahl der Bronchopulmonalarterien mäßig erhöht. Die Bronchialarterien des Lungenparenchyms zeigten jedoch keine so starke Vergrößerung und reiche Verästelung wie bei gleichaltrigen Fällen mit isolierter Transposition der großen Arterien.

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This investigation has been supported by grants from the Swedish National Association against Heart and Chest Diseases, Karolinska Institutes Reservationsanslag, Carin Tryggers fond, and Stiftelsen Therese och Johan Anderssons Minne.     

A functionally active complement system is present in uterine secretion of the mouse prior to implantation.

Sephadex beads were placed carefully in the uterus on days 2 and 3 and left for 6 to 8 h to absorb uterine secretion. The beads were then removed with volatile silicon oil and mounted on small pieces of nitrocellulose paper. Immuno-staining of these bead blots showed they contained the complement components C1q, C3, C4, and C5. We demonstrated that complement component C3 in the uterine secretion could be activated and deposited on model immune complexes, and also that antibody-coated erythrocytes were lysed in utero, that is, a membrane attack complex was produced. Thus, the mouse uterine secretion at the preimplantation stage contains a functionally active complement system.     

Lactate dehydrogenase activity and isoform distribution in normal and hypertrophic smooth muscle tissue from the rat

The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and isoform distribution of LDH were investigated in tissue samples from the rat portal vein, aorta and urinary bladder. In addition, samples were obtained from hypertrophic urinary bladder. The total LDH activity per unit smooth muscle volume was higher in the urinary bladder compared to that in portal vein and aorta. Five LDH isoforms, reflecting different combinations of the two polypeptide chains denoted H and M, could be separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. The aorta contained more of the H form compared to the portal vein and urinary bladder. This difference suggests that the aorta, which is a slow smooth muscle, is more adapted for aerobic metabolism than the faster muscles of portal vein and urinary bladder. In the hypertrophic urinary bladder a shift in LDH isoform pattern towards less of the H form was found, which correlates with a better maintenance of contraction in anoxia in this type of hypertrophic smooth muscle.     

Regulation by T cells of delayed hypersensitivity reaction in mouse lung as reflected by mononuclear cells, mast cells and mucus-producing cells

The appearance of mononuclear cells, mast cells and mucus-producing cells in the lung and their linkage to the development of delayed hypersensitivity (DH) reactions were studied. Adoptive transfer of immune lymph node cells, spleen cells and serum and in vivo treatment with monoclonal antibodies to L3T4-positive T cells in Balb/c mice were performed to investigate the cellular regulation of the number of mononuclear cells, mast cells and mucus-producing cells in the lung. Immune lymph node cells and, to a lesser extent, immune spleen cells from mice sensitized epicutaneously with picrylchloride transferred DH reactions to the recipients as assessed by ear thickness increase after challenge. Serum from sensitized mice was not able to transfer a DH reaction. Cyclophosphamide treatment of donor mice increased the DH reaction in the recipient mice. Adoptive transfer of immune lymph node cells and spleen cells gave a slight increase in the number of mononuclear cells in the lung of recipient mice compared with controls. This weak accumulation of mononuclear cells in the lungs of recipient mice, however, was not accompanied by a consistent increase in the number of mucus-producing cells and mast cells. The number of spleen cells expressing the L3T4 antigen decreased after in vivo treatment with the monoclonal GK1.5 (anti-L3T4) antibody as assessed by immunohistochemistry. This antibody treatment also resulted in an inhibition of the DH reaction and a decrease in the number of mononuclear cells and mucus-producing cells, but not in mast cells in the lung of sensitized and challenged mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Blood Lymphocyte Proliferation Response to Pollen Extract as a Monitor of Immunotherapy

In a study of immunotherapy 41 children with seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis due to deciduous tree pollen allergy were monitored by means of symptom scoring, patient self-evaluation, conjunctival provocation tests and lymphocyte proliferation in vitro to the allergen. The lymphocyte responsiveness to birch pollen decreased significantly during the first year of immunotherapy. However, neither the lymphocyte responsiveness before treatment nor changes in lymphocyte reactivity during the immunotherapy correlated with the clinical efficacy of the therapy as evaluated by changes in symptom scores, self-evaluation or conjunctival provocation test changes in the individual patients. The results indicate the lymphocyte responsiveness to an allergen cannot be used to select patients for immunotherapy, i.e. to predict whether a patient would benefit from immunotherapy or not, or to evaluate the effects of immunotherapy after beginning the treatment. However, lymphocyte proliferation response to an allergen indicates clinical sensitivity.     

Activity of Pilomotor Muscles of Single Tactile Hairs in the Cat

Contractions of the pilomotor muscles of individual carpal tactile sinus hairs in the cat were studied by simultaneous recording of the movement of a single hair by means of a capacitance meter, and of the electrical activity during the muscle contraction, as recorded by an external metal microelectrode. Single shock stimulation of the nerve gave rise to a twitch contraction, whereas repetitive stimulation caused summation of contractions at frequencies higher than 0.2/sec and fusion at frequencies of 1/sec or more. The electrical response consisted of a slow potential and a superimposed spike. These components were both shown to be dependent on the stimulus strength and to be facilitated on repetitive stimulation. At stimulus frequencies higher than 3/sec the spike gradually declined in amplitude and was substituted by a rhythmic oscillation at the same rate as the stimulus. Even when no spike was recorded the contraction was sustained. Comparisons are made between the electrical activity elicited in the pilomotor muscles and the junction potentials and spikes recorded in other types of smooth muscle.     

Antibody response in laying hens with small amounts of antigen

Chicken antibodies offer many advantages over the traditional mammalian ones. A laying hen produces large amounts of yolk antibodies and the use of yolk antibodies eliminates the painful procedure of collecting blood from the animal. Thus, the use of chicken antibodies will reduce both the number of animals required to produce antibodies and also animal distress. Chicken antibodies also have several biochemical advantages compared to mammalian antibodies: they often increase the signal and reduce interference in many assays. However, the species chosen for antibody production have usually been mammals. This is probably due to tradition, but also to limited knowledge about the production of chicken antibodies. We studied the immune response in the chicken using small amounts of mammalian antigen, and show that a good immune response can be obtained with 0.1–1.0 μg of bovine serum albumin.