Effect of hydrocortisone on the elimination of fibrin from the pulmonary vessels in the rat

Administration of hydrocortisone resulted in delayed fibrin elimination from the lungs in rats with thrombin induced intravascular coagulation. The fibrinolytic system was inhibited, with increased fibrinolysis inhibition activity and decreased fibrinolytic activity in the blood, and decreased fibrinolytic activity in the pulmonary vessels. This inhibition of the fibrinolytic system might explain the delayed fibrin elimination from the lungs.     

Lymphotoxin amplification of tumor growth inhibition is specific for natural killer cells but not for macrophages

Lymphotoxin augments the susceptibility of tumorigenic guinea-pig cells to natural killer (NK) cell cytolysis in vitro but does not directly stimulate either NK cell or macrophage cytolytic action. The question whether lymphotoxin enhances the susceptibility of tumorigenic guinea-pig cells to cytolysis or other means of growth inhibition in vivo by syngeneic NK cells or macrophages was, therefore, examined using a modified tumor cell neutralization (Winn) assay. Mineral oil-, thioglycollate- or casein-induced peritoneal leukocytes, but not the macrophages isolated from the elicited leukocytes obtained from nonimmunized strain 2/N guinea-pigs, effected enhanced cytolysis of lymphotoxin-treated guinea-pig benzo (a)pyrene-induced 104CI tumor cells in vitro. Neither guinea-pig splenic NK cells nor oil-induced peritoneal macrophages alone inhibited the growth of 104CI cells as tumors in vivo when admixed with 104CI cells and injected into guinea-pigs. However, when the 104CI cells were treated with lymphotoxin before addition of effector cells, NK cells but not macrophages significantly reduced tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, the ability of lymphotoxin to increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to destruction mediated by natural leukocytes is specific for NK cells as compared to macrophages. This form of lymphokine amplification of natural leukocyte cytotoxicity may be one mechanism by which natural and acquired immunity serves or fails to prevent cancer and should be an important consideration in therapeutic approaches to eradicate or control tumor growth.     

Long-term experience with poly(glycol monomethacrylate) gel in plastic operations of the nose.

Between 1964 and 1970 the authors implanted Hydron gel in 62 patients with nose malformations. The cosmetic defects most frequently operated on were the saddle, and scoliosis of the nasal dorsum. By the end of 1973, 39 of the total number of cases were checked again. In two cases, the gel had to be removed shortly after the operation because of local inflammatory changes. No signs of hypersensitivity could be detected. Calcifications were detected by x-ray examination in 54.2% of the cases. Thirty-four of the patients subjected to the checkup were satisfied with the results of their operations. The authors considered the results to be very good in 16 cases, and unsatisfactory in 6 cases. Calcifications detected by x-ray examination did not affect the final cosmetic effect. None of the examined patients had any complaints in connection with long-term application of the gel. Hydron gel seems to be a suitable implant material in plastic operations of the nose.     

Autologous replacement of the vocal fold: a new surgical approach for adduction-type spasmodic dysphonia

Many surgical approaches have been developed for the treatment of adduction-type spasmodic dysphonia (SPD). We developed and performed a new type of surgical approach (autologous replacement of the vocal fold). Our new surgical technique increases the advantages and decreases the disadvantages of previous surgical procedures in three ways: (1) It has similar effects to the previous procedures in that it prevents contraction of the thyroarytenoid muscle. (2) It decreases vocal-fold tension, as in framework surgery. (3) It reduces glottal incompetence, as does fibrinogen-glue injection, but it is more suitable because it is autologous. Furthermore, it produces increases in the mass and volume of the vocal-fold body and is also safe because the replacement tissue is autologous. The short-term results appear encouraging in preventing spastic voice while also avoiding vocal-fold atrophy. Long-term follow up will be necessary to determine the actual efficacy. However, this is clearly a possible choice as a surgical approach for treating adduction-type SPD.     

Decongestant effects of nasal xylometazoline and mometasone furoate in persistent allergic rhinitis

Thirty-six persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) sufferers were studied, to both compare and correlate 15 minute response to nasal xylometazoline (XYLO) with 28 day response to nasal mometasone furoate (MF). 0.1% XYLO (1 spray each nostril) response was measured on two occasions, then a randomised double blind cross-over comparison of MF (200 mcg daily) to placebo conducted. Outcomes were peak nasal inspiratoly flow (PNIF), nasal forced inspiratory volume in one second (nFIV1) and nasal blockage score (NBS) improvements. Thirty-one participants completed per protocol. Within subject standard deviation for percentage improvement to XYLO was 26.0 for PNIF and 25.2 for nFIV1. Median % improvement (95%CI) in PNIF for XYLO vs. MF was 20.0 (11.4 to 31.0) vs. 9.6 (3.2 to 15.8) and in nFIV1 was 17.8 (10.0 to 28.1) vs. 3.3 (-4.3 to 19.1). XYLO effects were greater than MF (p<0.05) for PNIF, nFIV1 and NBS. There was no significant correlation of MF to XYLO improvements in PNIF, nFIV1 or NBS. In conclusion, acute reversibility to XYLO showed poor repeatability and XYLO reversibility is not predictive of decongestant response to nasal corticosteroid. XYLO was a stronger decongestant than MF but rhinitis medicamentosa still precludes any preference for long term XYLO therapy at this time.     

The fate of iron in the organism and its regulatory pathways

Iron is an essential element involved in many life-necessary processes. Interestingly, in mammals there is no active excretion mechanism for iron. Therefore iron kinetics has to be meticulously regulated. The most important step for regulation of iron kinetics is absorption. The absorption takes place in small intestine and it is implicated that it requires several proteins. Iron is then released from enterocytes into the circulation and delivered to the cells. Iron movement inside the cell is only partially elucidated and its traffic to mitochondia is not known. Surprisingly, the regulation of various proteins related to iron kinetics and energy metabolism at the molecular level is better described. On contrary, the complex control of iron absorption cannot be fully explicated with present knowledge.     

Displacement of epsilon-proteobacterial core genes by horizontally transferred homologous genes

The introduction of novel genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is considered an alternative mechanism for genetic adaptation, leading to diversification and speciation. The goal of this study was to determine which genes that are present in all sequenced epsilon-proteobacterial genomes were acquired by HGT. In our approach we used BLAST analysis to reduce the number of genes that subsequently needed to be analysed using more in-depth phylogenetic methods, including neighbour-joining and maximum likelihood. Among the 991 core genes found in all five completed epsilon-proteobacterial genome sequences, we identified 30 genes that were probably acquired by HGT. It is proposed that these genes displaced an ancestral core gene with a similar function. Although it was not possible to identify putative donor taxa for all acquired genes, it was clear that genes were acquired from a wide range of Bacteria, including Spirochaetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, mycoplasmas and several subdivisions of the Proteobacteria. We did not observe HGT from Archaea to the epsilon-Proteobacteria. The majority of acquired genes were operational genes involved in transport, metabolism, signal transduction and energy production and conversion.