Acute promyelocytic leukemia: report of a variant translocation, t(1;17)

A 4-year-old female with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was found to have a variant form of the 15;17 translocation, which is diagnostic of APL. The karyotype of the malignant cells was 47,XX,t(1;11)(q25;q21),t(1;17)(p36;q21), + 8. This case is additional evidence that the breakpoint of #17 at q21 is the characteristic chromosomal aberration of APL. The present case is also unusual because of the young age of the patient.     

Influence of neonatal sympathectomy on proximal renal resistance artery function in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Renal transplantation experiments have shown that the kidney contributes to chronic sympathectomy-induced arterial pressure reduction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The underlying mechanisms are currently unclear but may include alterations in the function of small renal arteries. Neonatal SHR were sympathectomized by intraperitoneal guanethidine injections and removal of adrenal medullary tissue. Controls were sham- or hydralazine-treated. At 12 weeks of age, distal interlobar artery segments were investigated using small-vessel wire myography. Vessels from sympathectomized animals showed increased sensitivity to noradrenaline (NE). Vasopressin- and endothelin-1-induced vasoconstriction was similar in all groups (as reflected by the pD₂, i.e. –logEC₅₀, where EC₅₀ is the molar concentration of agonist eliciting a half-maximal response). Maximum vasopressin-induced tension was similar in all groups while endothelin-1-induced maximum tension was significantly higher in sympathectomized than in sham-treated SHR. The sensitivity of NE-induced vasoconstriction to extracellular Ca²⁺ did not differ between groups while sensitivity to L-type Ca²⁺ channel activation was significantly higher in both sympathectomized and hydralazine-treated animals than in sham-treated animals. Endothelium-dependent and independent vasodilation were similar in all groups. Sequential blockade of NO-synthase and cyclooxygenase had similar effects in all groups. In conclusion, neonatal sympathectomy does not induce any changes in the function of isolated proximal renal resistance arteries from SHR that could explain the blood pressure lowering effect of a kidney graft from sympathectomized SHR.     

Heterozygote detection in phenylketonuria

Phenylalanine loading was carried out on 105 parents of children with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency and 33 apparently normal individuals with no family history of phenylketonuria. The best discriminant was found to be the logarithmic transformation of the slope of the rise in serum tyrosine multiplied by the maximum serum tyrosine concentration over the maximum serum phenylalanine concentration obtained after an oral load with a pure solution of L-phenylalanine. The overlap between heterozygotes for phenylketonuria and normal homozygotes was 2.4%. The distribution of the discriminant values suggested three heterozygous phenotypes for phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency, and the phenotypic combination of parents could be correlated to the phenotype of their affected offspring, i.e. classical phenylketonuria, mild phenylketonuria or hyperphenylalaninemia. The probability of heterozygosity for phenylketonuria was determined by means of the distribution of the discriminant values of the heterozygotes and that of normal homozygotes. The likelihood of being a heterozygote was corrected for the genetic background of the person requiring genetic counseling, and was finally expressed as the percentage probability of being a heterozygote for phenylketonuria.     

Septicemia caused by Sphingobacterium multivorum.

Sphingobacterium multivorum was isolated in pure culture from the blood of a man undergoing chemotherapy for a lymphoma. He responded to appropriate antibiotics and later showed a significant rise in specific serum antibodies. Carbon substrate assimilation tests and fatty acid analysis proved useful in identifying the organism precisely.     

Follow-up on mental illness in medical inpatients: health care use and self-rated health and physical fitness

Consecutively admitted internal medical inpatients (N=294) who were psychiatrically assessed with the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry in a two-phase design were followed up in a review of public files on their use of medical care over 18 months. Self-rated outcome was assessed from health and fitness ratings at admission and after 1 year. ICD-10 mental disorders had a statistically significant impact on the risk (odds ratio) of high use (above the 80th percentile) of primary care, as did ICD-10 anxiety/depression, and worry about illness (as assessed by the Whiteley-7 Scale). The authors found a less-than-significant tendency for mental illness to influence the use of inpatient admissions and self-rated outcome.     

Identification of surface-exposed B-cell epitopes recognized by Haemophilus influenzae type b P1-specific monoclonal antibodies.

A panel of P1 synthetic peptides was synthesized to map the surface-exposed epitopes of Haemophilus influenzae type b outer membrane protein P1 recognized by three murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs 7C8, 3E12, and 6B1). By using peptide-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, MAbs 6B1, 7C8, and 3E12 were shown to recognize distinct epitopes localized within residues 60 to 88, 165 to 193, and 400 to 437 of mature P1, respectively. Since MAb 7C8 was shown previously to be protective against certain H. influenzae type b subtypes in the infant rat model of bacteremia, its cognate epitope was further characterized by using truncated peptide analogs. Fine mapping of the 7C8 epitope by competitive inhibition studies revealed that it was localized within residues 184 and 193.     

über die antikörperinaktivierende Wirkung der Antirheumatica

Zusammenfassung Die Antirheumatica Prednisolon, Phenylbutazon, Resochin, Natriumgentisinat und Natriumsalicylat hemmen die durch hämolytischen Hammelblutamboceptor und Komplement bewirkte Hammelbluthämolyse.Diese Wirkung der Antirheumatica kommt durch eine Inaktivierung des Amboceptors (Antikörpers) zustande. Das Komplement und die Hammelblutkörperchen werden bei diesen Versuchen von den Antirheumatica nicht beeinflußt.Es besteht eine strenge quantitative Beziehung zwischen Amboceptorkonzentration und Antirheumaticumkonzentration. Je höher die Konzentration des Amboceptors ist, um so stärkere Antirheumaticakonzentrationen sind zu seiner Inaktivierung nötig.Bezogen auf die wirksamen molaren Endkonzentrationen sind Prednisolon 8,5, Phenylbutazon 6,5, Resochin 5,0 und Gentisinsäure 1,5mal stärker wirksam als Salicylsäure.Wird der Amboceptor mit bestimmten Konzentrationen von Phenylbutazon, Natriumgentisinat oder Natriumsalicylat vorbehandelt, so kann mit diesem Amboceptor der Forssman-Schock (invers-anaphylaktischer Schock) nicht mehr beim Meerschweinchen ausgelöst werden. Phenylbutazon und Natriumgentisinat sind dabei etwa gleichstark wirksam, während Natriumsalicylat wesentlich schwächer wirkt als die beiden anderen Substanzen.     

Hemadsorption and virulence are separable properties of Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

A selective enrichment technique was used to isolate a hemadsorption-positive revertant of a hemadsorption-negative mutant strain of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This hemadsorption-positive revertant was shown to have simultaneously regained both the ability to attach to neuraminidase-sensitive receptors on the tracheal ring respiratory epithelium in vitro and the ability to synthesize three virulent-strain-specific proteins which were not synthesized by the hemadsorption-negative mutant. Despite the persistence of the revertant in hamster lung tissue for 9 to 12 weeks postinfection, no cytopathology was observed. Intranasal inoculation of the revertant provided limited protection against a challenge dose of virulent M. pneumoniae.