'Background' Ig-secreting cells in pregnant germfree mice fed a chemically defined ultrafiltered diet

During syngeneic pregnancy the numbers of 'spontaneously' occurring ('background') Ig-secreting cells were determined in the spleen, bone marrow (BM) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of BALB/c mice that were kept under germfree conditions and fed a low molecular weight synthetic diet (GF-CD), SPF BALB/c mice fed autoclaved natural ingredient (SPF-NI) and conventional BALB/c mice fed natural ingredient (CV-NI). 'Background' Ig-secreting cells were enumerated in the protein A plaque assay and the specificity repertoire of the IgM-secreting cells was determined with plaque assays specific for differently haptenized sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The numbers of 'background' Ig-secreting cells, especially the IgG- and IgA-secreting cells, are very much reduced in the BM and MLN of GF-CD mice as compared to SPF-NI and CV-NI mice. During pregnancy the total number of Ig-secreting cells increased in all lymphoid organs tested, but the proportional increase was most prominent for the IgG- and IgA-secreting cells in the BM and MLN of the GF-CD mice. This increase could only be due to their pregnant state since all environmental antigenic influences are excluded in GF-CD mice. No changes were found in the background specificity repertoire of the IgM-secreting cells during pregnancy. This suggests a polyclonal activation of the Ig-secreting cells during pregnancy. The reason for this activation remains obscure, but it has to be endogenous. Pregnancy apparently induces a new steady state of the immune system, which can be most properly investigated in GF-CD mice.     

Effect of Lactose, Dextran and Albumin on Recovery and Survival of Frozen Red Cells

We have studied the effect of albumin and dextran, with and without previous modification with lactose, on the recovery and posttransfusion survival of red cells subjected to rapid freezing and thawing.
Dextran and albumin have been found to protect red cells during freezing and thawing, with a recovery rate of 98.5 and 98.57%, respectively. A mean survival of 69.14% of red cells was obtained 24 hours posttransfusion when the red cells were treated with lactose, prior to freezing with dextran.
A relationship has been found to exist between the mean corpuscular volume of the frozen red cells and the posttransfusion survival; potassium loss, stability, dimensional changes and O₂ dissociation of frozen red cells were determined.     

From beginner to expert: gaining a differentiated clinical world in critical care nursing.

The purpose of this study was to further explicate the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition in the practice of critical care nursing. For this analysis data were used from a sample of 105 nurses practicing in the adult, pediatric, and newborn intensive care units of eight hospitals in three metropolitan areas. The data were composed of group interviews in which nurses gave narrative accounts of exemplars from their practice and close observations and intensive personal history interviews of a subsample of nurses. Two interrelated aspects were found to distinguish four levels of practice, from advanced beginner through expert. First, practitioners at different levels of skill literally live in different clinical worlds, noticing and responding to different directives for action. Second, a sense of agency is determined by one's clinical world and shows up as an expression of responsibility for what happens with the patient.     

In vitro investigations with a new method for continuous and quantitative measurements of platelet aggregates in flowing blood

Summary Heparinized dog's blood in vitro is sucked at a constant rate by a syringe pump through a glass capillary which lies in the axial stream of a perfused plexiglass chamber. The capillary is projected with a microscope onto a screen at a magnification of 175x. Changes of light intensity due to the streaming blood are monitored by two photocells covering the diameter of the image of the capillary. Because of their higher transparency platelet aggregates are differing from the surrounding suspension of red blood cells. The photocells thereby produce voltage peaks of high amplitude which after their transformation into standardized signals can be counted electronically. By the use of this technique the kinetics of platelet aggregation can be followed continuously. In addition, a correlation between platelet count in the blood and the number of aggregates counted after ADP can be demonstrated.Partially presented at the 37. Tagung der Deutschen Physiologischen Gesellschaft, Erlangen 1970.     

Exfoliative Dermatitis Due to Immunologically Confirmed Carbamazepine Hypersensitivity

Abstract: A 6–year-old Caucasian girl experienced a generalized erythematous skin rash during carbamazepine therapy. Over the next four days the eruption worsened into erythroderma with fever and generalized lymphadenopathy. Routine laboratory studies revealed increased serum levels of liver enzymes and eosinophilia. Immunologic reactivity to the anticonvulsant carbamazepine and its analogs was investigated both in vivo and in vitro by patch tests and lymphocyte proliferation assays, respectively.     

Preponderance of the oncogenic V599E and V599K mutations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">B-raf</Emphasis> kinase domain is enhanced in melanoma cutaneous/subcutaneous metastases

Background  

Downstream of Ras, the serine/threonine kinase B-raf has been reported to be mutated, among other carcinomas, in a substantial subset of primary melanomas with a preponderance of mutations within the kinase domain including the activating V599E and V599K transitions.