The significance of the levels of D-dimer in thrombotic conditions

A D Dimer ELISA test (Asserachrom D Di Stago) was used to quantify the modification of plasmatic D Dimer levels in two kinds of thrombotic diseases: DIC and deep venous thrombosis. Very high values were obtained in these two situations (m +/- sd): DIC (n = 22): 15.2 +/- 18.5 micrograms/ml. (Normal values were defined in 20 healthy subjects: 0.15 +/- 0.04 micrograms/ml). In DIC highest values were a bad prognosis, they were found in patients who died during the ten days following the diagnosis. In deep venous thrombosis the increase was not related to the size of the clot but to the endogenous fibrinolysis. An elevated concentration of D Dimer was often related to a good phlebographic evolution. During heparin therapy with standard heparin or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) a greater decrease of D Dimer level was observed in patients with a good phlebographic evolution. Results expressed in percentage of decrease were (successful group against the failure group): J3/J10: 46.4 +/- 29.2 p. cent/13.4 +/- 11.0 p. cent (p less than 0.05); J7/J10: 52.3 +/- 31.5 p. cent/24.2 +/- 26.3 p. cent (p less than 0.05). The intensity of the decrease may have an indicative value for in vivo thrombolysis. This could be explained by a smaller clot mass to be lysed in successful group. During streptokinase treatment the D Dimer levels were very high (greater than 50 micrograms/ml). A problem of specificity could be evoked in presence of a massive quantity of fibrinogen degradation products levels.     

Long-term feeding studies in mice fed a diet containing irradiated fish II. 90-day toxicity study

Three groups of mice (F_2b generation of Part I study) were fed for 90 days, either stock ration or diets containing 45% fish, either non-irradiated or irradiated with 1.75 kGy. Equal amounts of cod and redfish (ocean perch) constituted the fish portion of the diet. Haematological and clinical chemical examinations revealed no treatment-related effects. There were no untoward terminal gross or histopathological changes. An initial lag in weight gain of males fed fish diets was attributed to reduced food consumption, due to the difference in texture of the fish diets compared with the stock ration.     

Porcine heterograft dressings for split-thickness graft donor sites.

As compared with previous methods of donor site care, procine heterograft dressings allow the donor site to heal faster, require less postoperative care, are associated with a lower infection rate and eliminate virtually all of the pain of the split-thickness wound. Our experience supports that of others. We believe our modifications of this technique to be superior to previous modalities of donor site care.     

Stereokontrolle. III. Geschwindigkeitskonstanten der iso- und syndiotaktischen anlagerung

The rate constants of isotactic and syndiotactic addition can be calculated from the rate constant k_w of the propagation reaction and the fractions of isotactic and syndiotactic dyads and triads. Corresponding equations are given for BERNOULLI trials and MARKOV trials of first order with respect to monomer dyads. The temperature dependence of dyad formation is discussed for MARKOV trials.     

Colonic Crohn's disease and use of oral contraception

The prevalence of use of oral contraception before the onset of disease was established in 100 consecutive women attending follow up clinics for inflammatory bowel disease. A significant excess of women with Crohn's disease confined to the colon had taken oral contraceptives in the year before developing symptoms (10/16 (63%] compared with women with small-intestinal Crohn's disease (12/49 (24%); p less than 0.02) and women with ulcerative colitis (3/35 (9%); p less than 0.0005). When the patient groups were matched for age and year of onset of disease usage of oral contraception before the onset of disease was still more common among women with isolated colonic Crohn's disease (9/12, 75%) than among those with ulcerative colitis (2/12 (17%); p less than 0.02) and was also more common than would be expected from reported figures for oral contraception in England and Wales (31.4% of women aged under 41; p less than 0.005). A survey of current patient records showed that isolated colonic disease was at least twice as common among women with Crohn's disease (63/218, 29%) compared with men (25/181, 14%; p less than 0.001). These data support the suggestion made previously that oral contraceptives may predispose to a colitis that resembles colonic Crohn's disease.     

Surface tension properties of human urine: relationship with bile salt concentration

The surface tension of urine has been simply and rapidly measured using two methods, the DuNouy ring detachment method and the Wilhelmy blade immersion method. The methods agree, the correlation coefficient, r, was 0.992. The effect of ageing of the surface, of storage, of temperature, pH, dilution and albumin on urine surface tension are described. Volume corrected 24 hour urine surface tensions from 6 volunteers over 12 or more days showed variations between individuals of mean surface tensions of 6 mN/m (S.D. +/- 2.16 mN/m). This suggests individual variation in excretion of surface active agents, probably bile salts. This was confirmed by further studies which showed that: 1. Surface tension of urines and rediluted extracts were not significantly different when amphiphilic and hydrophobic solutes including bile salts were extracted from urine and subsequently rediluted in water of the same volume. 2. Bile salt concentration in urine measured by RIA and by enzymatic spectrofluorometric methods correlated well with urine surface tension, r = -0.91, and r = -0.60. 3. Molecular surface area for urinary surfactant was 79 A2 similar to pure conjugated bile salt solutions calculated from dilution studies. We conclude that the main determinant of urine surface tension is bile salt concentration.     

Lamellar body-enriched fractions from neonatal mice: preparative techniques and partial characterization

Several problems have frustrated the isolation of lamellar bodies (LB) from mammalian epidermis. We obtained pellets enriched in intact LB by utilizing the staphylococcal epidermolytic toxin to provide intact, outer epidermal sheets, by controlled homogenization in a cell disrupter, and by passage of homogenates through a graded series of nuclepore filters (Science 221:962, 1983). Such preparations contained more intact LB than did fractions prepared by a variety of differential or sucrose/metrizamide discontinuous centrifugation methods. Initial characterization of the enzymatic content of this fraction revealed it to be enriched in certain hydrolytic enzymes (acid phosphatase, carboxypeptidase, cathepsin B, acid lipase, sphingomyelinase, and phospholipase A), but strikingly depleted in all sulfatases, beta-glucuronidase, and the non-lysosomal protease, plasminogen activator. Thus, LB show some properties of lysosomes, although certain characteristic lysosomal enzymes are strikingly absent. Lamellar body fractions contained 2-3 times more lipid per unit weight than did homogenates, and were enriched in phospholipids, free sterols, and glycosphingolipids, but not in other neutral lipids or ceramides. In summary, whereas some of the enzymes in LB could participate in the metabolism of LB lipid precursors to hydrophobic barrier constituents, others may attack intercellular constituents, ultimately resulting in desquamation. The lipid profile of these organelles suggests that they deliver precursors of permeability barrier lipids to intercellular domains.     

Relationship of age and hypertension to neuropsychological test performance

Young adult (X- = 29) and middle aged (X- =50) hypertensive and normotensive subjects were compared with respect to seven neuropsychological test scores derived from tests on the Halstead-Reitan battery. Age main effects, with inferior performance for the middle aged subjects, were observed for the localization and time portions of the Tactile Performance Test (TPT) and for the Trail Making A test. The multivariate age effect was significant for the composite of seven scores. A multivariate blood pressure main effect was obtained and main effect blood pressure was significant for the category test; hypertensives made more errors than normotensives. A blood pressure by age interaction was observed for finger tapping scores and the TPT-Memory scores with larger differences between hypertensives and normotensives for the younger than for the middle aged group. Results were discussed in terms of previous studies of age and hypertension with the WAIS, the Primary Mental Abilities Test and serial reaction time measures. The poor prediction of hypertensive status from individual neuropsychological test scores was emphasized and readers were cautioned not to conclude that essential hypertensives, as a group, can be characterized as brain damaged.