Gelatin and Tween 80 as stabilizing agents for tuberculin dilutions

The addition of Tween 80 to tuberculin dilutions as a stabilizer is known to increase the size of moderate and strong reactions but to reduce that of weak reactions. In order to find out whether this effect on reaction size is connected with the stabilizing action, a study was carried out to compare the reactions to tuberculin plus Tween 80 with those to tuberculin plus gelatin, an almost equally effective stabilizer. In this study, 2519 young adults were given simultaneously, by random selection, one of four experimental tests (1 TU of RT 23 with gelatin, 2 TU of RT 23 with gelatin, 2 TU of RT 23 with Tween 80 and 2 TU of RT 23 without stabilizer) in one arm and a reference test (2 TU of RT 23 with Tween 80) in the other arm.     

Proliferating mole in menopause imitating choriocarcinoma recurrence--case report

OBJECTIVE: To show the possibility of new invasive mole arising after 2 years of menopause, after choriocarcinoma cured by chemotherapy 5 years ago. SETTING: Trofoblastic disease center (TDC), Prague, Institution for care of mother and child, Prague. CASE REPORT: Patient 50-years-old with choriocarcinoma, in consequence to invasive mole, was cured by chemotheraphy. After 5 years of clinical and laboratory remission and after two years of menopause new pregnancy with invasive mole arised imitating relapse of choriocarcinoma.     

Sphingosine-1-phosphate: an emerging therapeutic target

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPP) is a polar sphingolipid metabolite that has received increasing attention as both an extracellular mediator and an intracellular second messenger. SPP is the ligand of a family of specific cell surface G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), known as the endothelial differentiation gene-1 (EDG-1) family. These receptors, which include EDG-1, -3, -5, -6 and -8, regulate diverse processes including cell migration, angiogenesis, vascular maturation, heart development, neurite retraction and soma rounding. In addition, abundant evidence indicates that SPP also acts as an intracellular lipid messenger, regulating calcium mobilisation, cell growth and survival. The relative intracellular level of SPP and ceramide, another sphingolipid metabolite associated with cell death and cell growth arrest, is an important factor in determining cell fate. Changes in SPP and ceramide have been implicated in a number of pathological conditions in which apoptosis plays an important role, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as in atherosclerosis and allergic responses. This review will examine the biosynthesis, metabolism and potential functions of SPP in diverse diseases in order to illuminate targets for the pharmaceutical and therapeutic manipulation of SPP levels.