New aspects of the ontogenetic development of the human colon]

The parts of the fetal colon--later retroperitoneally located (ascending and descending colon)--were examined in 31 human fetuses in order to determine their ontogenetic formation, position, and dorsal attachment. The present data cast doubt upon so-called "descending of the caecum" described in current textbooks of embryology. Considering the literature available a new concept of the formation of the right colon flexure and the ascending colon is presented.     

Long-term Result of Treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome by Scopinaro's Bilio-pancreatic Diversion. Study of Three Cases and the Effect of Dextrofenfluramine on the Postoperative Evolution

The Prader-Willi syndrome shortens the life of patients due to the morbid obesity which it entails. The compulsive hyperphagia associated with it makes a dietetic treatment or a gastroplasty difficult. This study presents the case-histories of three patients suffering from the Prader-Willi syndrome who were operated on by means of a Scopinaro's bilio-pancreatic diversion. Following a marked reduction the first year, the weight loss stabilized and then tended to diminish. The observation of three cases which continued for two and a half to six years did not reveal any considerable metabolic problems. The deficiency of iron, vitamins D and B12 as well as folic acid had to be made up by supplementation. These results are comparable with the most favorable ones in the literature. Even if the effect on the weight loss is not spectacular, the operation manages to hold off the development of the obesity, inexorable for those with the Prader-Willi syndrome, and prevents lethal complications, without having notable side effects. Lifting coercive dietary measures improves the quality of life.     

Permeability of single muscle capillaries to potassium ions

A frog muscle preparation suitable for capillary micropuncture is described. The K⁺ permeability of single muscle capillaries was measured using the methods developed for frog mesenteric capillaries (C. Crone, J. Frøkjaer-Jensen, J. J. Friedman, and O. Christensen (1978), J. Gen. Physiol.71, 195–220). The K⁺ permeability of arterial capillaries was 8.6 × 10^?5 cm/sec (SD = 1.8; n = 7). The initial K⁺ permeability of venous capillaries was 13.1 × 10^?5 cm/sec (SD = 4.3; n = 6). In venous capillaries—unlike in arterial capillaries—a gradual increase in permeability associated with endothelial gap formation was observed in repeated measurements on the same capillary segment. This inflammatory response to exposure, micromanipulation, or perfusion could be partially blocked by pretreatment with promethazine. The study shows that frog muscle capillaries differ markedly from frog mesenteric capillaries, being 5–10 times less permeable to potassium ions although both belong to the category of continuous capillaries. The results demonstrate that whole-organ and single-capillary techniques for studying muscle capillary permeability yield values which comply within a factor of about 2.     

Indications for determining serum levels of antiepileptic drugs (author's transl)

Measurement of the serum levels of antiepileptic drugs is an important progress in managing the patients with epilepsy. The determination of serum levels has become indispensable in special indications such as assessing the compliance in taking medication and identifying the responsible agent in intoxicated patients on multiple drug therapy. The long-term prognostic value of the routine determination of anticonvulsant drugs is related to the validity of the concept "therapeutic serum level".     

Efficient DNA-mediated gene transfer into prostate cancer cell line LNCaP

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. In the beginning stages of the disease, prostate cancer is dependent on androgens for growth. The only common and readily available cell line to study this phase of prostate cancer in vitro is LNCaP, which was originally derived from a lymph node metastatis of a human prostatic adenocarcinoma. However, DNA-mediated gene transfer, a common and key procedure in cellular and molecular studies, is very inefficient for LNCaP cells, and this limits the utility of these cells in investigations of the molecular mechanisms of prostate carcinogenesis. METHODS: In search of a simple, reproducible, and cost-effective method for introducing DNA into LNCaP cells, we adopted and optimized two methods of transient transfection into LNCaP cells: a modified calcium phosphate (CaPO(4)) coprecipitation procedure and polyethylenimine (pEI)-mediated transfection. RESULTS: When compared with the liposome-mediated transfection that was previously used for LNCaP cells, we find that the most efficient of these techniques is the modified CaPO(4) coprecipitation procedure. For experiments in which calcium exposure of the cells is not desirable, the pEI procedure provides a less efficient, but reproducible and cost-effective alternative. CONCLUSIONS: These two new DNA-mediated gene transfer methods should facilitate gene expression studies in LNCaP cells and thereby aid in the study of the androgen-dependent phase of prostate cancer.     

C-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase mediates proliferation and tumor growth of human prostate carcinoma.

PURPOSE: C-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) has been implicated in numerous functions including stress responses, apoptosis,and transformation. The role in transformation is based largely on studies of isolated cell types with little indication of whether JNK plays a general role in a specific human tumor type or whether this occurs in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We examined 9 human prostate carcinoma cell lines in vitro and a representative line in vivo. RESULTS: For all of the cell lines proliferation is highly correlated with serum-supported JNK activity (r(Pearson) = 0.91; P = 0.004), whereas no relationship was observed for 10 human breast cancer cell lines (r(Pearson) = -0.32). Treatment with characterized antisense oligonucleotides complementary to sequences common to either the JNK1 or JNK2 family of isoforms showed that, whereas antisense JNK1 inhibited growth by a maximum of 57%, antisense JNK2 inhibited proliferation up to 80%. Sense and scrambled control oligonucleotides had little effect (average 3.7 +/- 1.5%). Moreover, systemic treatment of mice bearing established xenografts of PC3 prostate carcinoma cells with antisense JNK1 and JNK2 led to inhibition tumor growth by 57% (P < 0.002) and 80% (P < 0.001), respectively. The difference is significant (P < 0.012). Combined antisense treatment led to a significant increase in frequency of tumor regression (P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that JNK is required for growth of prostate carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo, and additionally indicate that JNK2 plays a dominant role. The JNK pathway is a novel target in the treatment of prostate carcinoma.     

Destination of debris during intramedullary reaming. An experimental study on sheep femurs

This study was designed to further explain the better fracture healing in fractures treated with a reamed nail. It investigates the location and quantity of the reaming debris in an ex vivo animal model to test the autograft theory. In 10 cadaveric sheep femurs, a 5-mm semicircular gap was created at the midshaft. The medullary cavity was opened and the reaming debris that dropped from the gap during reaming and the debris from the proximal opening were collected and weighed separately. The mean harvest of reaming debris at the gap was 0.99 g +/- 0.12 g (24%) and from the proximal opening at the medullary cavity 3.08 g +/- 0.31 g (76%) (total 4.07 +/- 0.34 g). This study proves that a significant amount of reaming debris collects at an artificial fracture gap during reaming of the medullary cavity. This finding supports the theory of bone autografting.     

Resistive index: an experimental study of the normal range in the pig

OBJECTIVES: To study the normal range and distribution of the resistive index (RI) and the resistive index ratio (RIR) in the non-obstructed non-dilated porcine kidney, and to assess the reliability of the threshold values RI 0.70 and RIR 1.10 as prognosticators of true obstruction in the upper urinary tracts. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty female pigs of Danish land race breed were studied under general anaesthesia. Blood pressure and urine output was monitored throughout the experiment. Doppler evaluations were obtained from an interlobar artery in the lower half of each kidney, and the RI was calculated as the average of 3 x 3 cycles for each side independently. Statistical analysis of the obtained results was performed. RESULTS: Forty renal units were studied. The RI values ranged from 0.48-0.85 (mean 0.63). Nine renal units (22.5%) had RI values > or = 0.70. RIR values ranged from 1.00-1.38 (mean 1.07). Three RIR values (15%) were above 1.10. There was no statistically significant relationship between RI and laterality (p = 0.25), and no overall significant relationship between RI and mean arterial blood pressure (r2 = 0.21) or urine output (r2 = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a wide distribution of the RI normal values in the pig model, and our results do not support the normal ranges for RI and RIR, or the cut-off values used in clinical practice.