Essential renal haemorrhages

On the basis of the conception of renal hypertension, worked out by the authors, the new interpretation of the cause of 'essential' renal haemorrhages is discussed. Special attention is drawn to secondary 'arterial' venous hypertension in the kidney, which happens in cases when there are no obvious reasons for the distortion of the outflow through the renal vein. In a case of renal haematuria, the origin of which is not connected with the distortion of the venous blood outflow from the kidney, it is necessary to bear in mind the relationship between the venous pressure in the kidney and the systemic arterial pressure. In arterial hypertension the contralateral kidney may become the source of haematuria. The rarity of isolating a calycovenous canal as a separate definite cause is discussed.     

Investigation of the action of sporofusarin on cell membranes of the isolated perfused liver

The effect of sporofusarin (a myoctoxin produced byFusarium sporotrichiellav. sporotrichioides) on the functional activity and permeability of cell membranes of the isolated perfused rat liver was studied. Sporofusarin in a final concentration of 5.9·10^?5 M was found to reduce the rate of bile formation, urea synthesis, and oxygen consumption and also to cause an earlier and severe disturbance of permeability of the lysosomal and plasma membranes of the hepatocytes (an increase in activity of the enzymes β-acetylglucosaminidase, β-glucuronidase, arylsulfatases A and B, and β-galactosidase in the supernatant of a liver homogenate and in the perfusion fluid). The depression of liver function by sporofusarin is considered to be the result of damage to the membraneous structures of the cell and, in particular, of the lysosomes.     

Effect of a highly purified factor from the thymus on cellular and humoral indices of immunity in thymectomized mice

In experiments on thymectomized adult CBA mice the effect of a homogeneous factor of polypeptide nature from the thymus, with mol. wt. about 5000 (thymarin-III) on the cellular and humoral indices of immunity was studied in animals. Thymectomy in animals was shown to sharply reduce the number of T-cells in the spleen. Correspondingly, the ability of the mice to produce both IgM- and IgG-antibody-forming cells and humoral antibodies against a thymus-dependent antigen (sheep's red blood cells) was sharply inhibited in the mice. Subcutaneous injection of thymarin-III in a dose of 1 g/kg into the animals daily for 7 days completely restored the T-cell population of the spleen and restored the normal immunologic reactivity of the animals.Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. I. Ioffe.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 7, pp. 51–53, July, 1978.     

Batching of low-concentration anesthetics with evaporators used in apparatuses for inhalation anesthesia

The accuracy of the anesthetic vaporizers with modern vaporizing devices is complicated by necessity of providing small anesthetic vapor concentration for a wide range of gas flows, especially at small flows, and at use of a combination of inhalation anesthesia with intravenous one. Compliance with the requirements of the international standards concerning the accuracy of low-concentration anesthetic vapor batching also does not provide management of anesthesia depth at various stages of surgical operations. The problem is solved well by replacement traditional vaporizers with so-called barbotage ones equipped by adjustment of vapor concentration by modem electronic methods. It is even more promising to use direct injection of the liquid anesthetics into the respiratory contour of infusion pump. However, because individual sensitivity of patients to anesthetics is rather variable, these devices do not provide regulation of the depth of anesthesia. Therefore, stability rather than accuracy of batching of low-concentration anesthetics with evaporators used in apparatuses for inhalation anesthesia is of cardinal importance, Methods of objective instrumental evaluation of the depth of anesthesia require further research and implementation.     

Dynamics of corrected QT interval and heart rate in patients with early postinfarction angina

The subjects of the study were 135 patients with acute Q-wave and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI) aged 36 to 78 years (mean 62.4 +/- 11.2 years). 59 patients (main group) developed early postinfarction angina (EPA). 76 patients (control group) had no stenocardia attacks within the entire period of hospital treatment. In the patients with EPA corrected QT interval dispersion was greater within the entire period of hospital treatment: 81.2 +/- 7.6 and 67.1 +/- 4.6 ms1/2 on the first day, 74.6 +/- 6.0 and 70.3 +/- 4.7 ms1/2 on the third day, 82.1 +/- 6.5 and 71.6 +/- 6.2 ms1/2 on the seventh day, 88.7 +/- 6.2 and 69.4 +/- 8.2 ms1/2 on the 28th day, respectively. Heart rate entropy decreased in both groups, but before discharge (mean 28th day) the patients with EPA demonstrated its significant reduction compared to the patients without EPA (3.89 +/- 0.16 and 4.13 +/- 0.09 bits, respectively, p < 0.05). Thus, recurrent myocardial ischemia in patients with MI, manifesting by EPA attacks, leads to the increase of QT interval dispersion and to heart rate rigidity which apparently mirrors greater probability of myocardial electric instability and increased risk of fatal arrhythmias in such patients.