Blood levels of thyroid hormones, insulin and cortisol in children with retardation of physical development in malnutrition

The content of thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), insulin and cortisol was studied in the blood of children with growth retardation A 60%-increase in T3 concentrations was detected whereas T4 levels remained unchanged. Insulin concentration in the blood reduced by 62%, this being an early indicator of changes in anabolic processes. Cortisol levels decreased by 25% as well. The results suggest that changes in hormone levels in children with growth retardation are associated with adaptation reactions of the body.     

Urachal remnants: sonographic demonstration in children

On 62 of 100 pediatric bladder sonograms a small, elliptical, hypoechoic structure was observed on the middle of the anterosuperior surface of the urinary bladder. One of the these structures was removed surgically, and pathologic examination disclosed a normal urachal remnant. Since it is a common sonographic finding in children, it should not be mistaken for a pathologic process unless it is accompanied by signs and symptoms of infection or bladder obstruction.     

Complex fractures of the proximal humerus: role of CT in treatment

The authors reviewed the computed tomography (CT) scans, plain radiographs, and subsequent treatment of 17 patients with complex proximal humeral fractures. CT scans and radiographs were compared in the demonstration of fracture lines, displacement of fracture fragments, rotation of fragments relative to their normal positions, and status of the head and articular surface of the humerus. The impact of CT findings on the decision to treat with surgery versus closed reduction and on the choice of surgical procedure was assessed. Surgery was not performed in nine patients because CT scans showed no significant displacement of fragments previously judged displaced or "indeterminate" on radiographs. Surgery was performed in eight patients; CT demonstrated significant abnormalities not definitely shown with radiography. In six of these eight patients, CT scans demonstrated unsuspected abnormalities that directed the choice of surgical procedure. CT scans provide clinically useful information for the treatment of complex proximal humeral fractures when radiographs provide inadequate or indefinite information.     

Placental protein 14 in endometrium during menstrual cycle and effect of early luteal phase mifepristone administration on its expression in implantation stage endometrium in the rhesus monkey

Placental protein 14 (PP14) is a glycoprotein which is secreted by secretory phase endometrium and decidua in women. Despite the suggestion that PP14 is involved in the process of endometrial maturation for blastocyst implantation, our understanding in this regard is poor. In the present study, the concentrations and distribution patterns of immunodetectable PP14 in the endometrium during proliferative and secretory phases of normal ovulatory menstrual cycles, as well as in implantation stage endometrium in naturally mated ovulatory cycles with or without early luteal phase mifepristone treatment, were investigated using the rhesus monkey as a primate model. Immunopositive PP14 was observed mainly in epithelial cells of glands and it was detected in one major immunopositive band at Mr 28 kDa in tissue homogenate and spent medium. The area of immunopositive precipitation of PP14 in glands was minimal in follicular phase endometrium, and was higher (P < 0.01) in early, mid- and late luteal phase endometrium compared with that in pre- and periovulatory phases of the cycle, but there was no change in its area profile in the glandular compartment throughout the luteal phase. Immunopositivity for PP14 in luminal contents of gland displayed an increasing profile from early to late secretory phases. Thus, the concentrations and the distribution of immunodetectable PP14 in luteal phase endometrium of the rhesus monkey showed marked similarity with those of human endometrium during the natural menstrual cycle. Although there was no marked change in the band characterstics for the protein in implantation stage endometrium following early luteal phase mifepristone treatment, it was markedly decreased (P < 0.01) in tissue homogenate and in vitro spent medium along with a lesser (P < 0.02) degree of immunoprecipitation in the glands in implantation stage samples of mifepristone treatment group compared with that in control group samples. Thus, the contragestional effect of early luteal phase mifepristone treatment appears to be associated with a decrease in the concentration of immunodetectable PP14 in implantation stage endometrial glands and its secretion in the rhesus monkey. It remains to be seen whether this decline is caused from direct antiprogesterone action on endometrial glands during progesterone dominance, or secondarily from associated retarded development of endometrium.      

Full genetic rescue of adenosine deaminase-deficient mice through introduction of the human gene

We have shown recently that adenosine deaminase (ADA)-deficient mice die perinatally with severe liver cell degeneration. In addition to enzyme substitution, we report the restoration of viability through introduction of the human ADA gene. The ADA gene is subject to complex developmental and tissue-specific regulation. To include the cis- regulatory elements necessary for correct regulation of the human ADA gene, a large transgenic locus constituting the human ADA gene with 10 kb of 5' and 4 kb of 3' flanking sequences was generated by co- injection of two overlapping DNA fragments into murine zygotes. Probably as a result of extrachromosomal (homologous) recombination between the fragments, one of the two transgenic lines contained a reconstituted, functional human ADA gene. As in man, human ADA expression generally was low in these transgenic mice, but high in the thymus, spleen and gastro-duodenal part of the gut. Apparently, all cis- regulatory elements essential for a human expression pattern were incorporated in the transgene and were functional in the murine background. Similarly to man, the upper alimentary tract of the transgenic mice revealed low human ADA activity in contrast to extremely high levels of murine ADA. The human gene probably lacks the cis-regulatory elements that target high level murine ADA expression to the murine upper alimentary tract. ADA-deficient mice rescued by introduction of the human ADA transgene appeared histologically and immunologically normal. Apparently, human ADA can complement murine ADA in all tissues, even in the epithelium of the upper alimentary tract where human ADA activity is as much as 70-fold lower than murine ADA activity in wild-type mice. Clearly, the lethal phenotype of ADA- deficient mice is due to the absence of ADA.      

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSES OF THE RAT ISOLATED SEMINAL VESICLE TO ELECTRICAL FIELD STIMULATION: A PHARMACOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

• 1 Electrical field stimulation (EFS) of the rat isolated seminal vesicle elicited frequency-dependent and tetrodotoxin sensitive contractions which were unaltered by hexamethonium or mecamylamine.
• 2 Prazosin alone was not sufficient to abolish these responses, but a combination of atropine and prazosin was fully effective, indicating involvement of both noradrenergic and cholinergic mechanisms.
• 3 Responses were predominantly cholinergic (blocked by atropine, potentiated by ecothiopate but not significantly altered by prazosin or guanethidine) at 1–8 Hz but became increasingly noradrenergic (blocked by prazosin or guanethidine but relatively unaltered by atropine or ecothiopate) with increasing frequencies of stimulation.
• 4 Electrical field stimulation of seminal vesicles removed from reserpine or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-pretreated rats produced contractions that were clearly cholinergic in nature.
• 5 After exposing the seminal vesicles to guanethidine, or after pretreatment of rats with 6-OHDA, responses to EFS remained, indicating that activation of discrete cholinergic and noradrenergic innervations seem to underlie the contractile responses observed.
• 6 Yohimbine and prazosin potentiated the predominantly cholinergic responses at 1,2 and 4 Hz in tissues from untreated rats, but not in those from animals pretreated with reserpine or 6-OHDA, indicating the possibility of an interaction between the two innervations.
• 7 No inhibitory responses to EFS could be demonstrated in tissues precontracted with KCI in the presence of a combination of atropine and prazosin suggesting the absence of a non-adrenergic, noncholinergic inhibitory innervation.