Renal disease after mitomycin C therapy

Fourteen patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas treated with mitomycin C(MMC) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) had renal impairment 6-11 months from the beginning of MMC therapy. Two clinical entities were recognized: an acute fulminating renal failure that was rapidly fatal and a chronic slowly progressive renal impairment. The first entity showed a microangiopathic hemolytic profile with anemia, thrombocytopenia, and erythrocyte fragmentation. Light microscopy and electron microscopy examination of the kidney revealed a primary vascular disease with musculomucoid intimal hyperplasia of arteries and rare fibrin thrombi in arterioles. Interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and widespread glomerular necrosis were also seen. The disease was ultimately fatal within three to four weeks. The second entity showed a chronic course of renal failure with similar pathologic findings but less pronounced, and a microangiopathic hemolysis was absent. The course in the second group was ultimately fatal between three to eight months.     

Electron microscopic studies of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection of macrophages,T- and B-lymphocytes of mice

Summary The course of infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in peritoneal macrophages, phytohemagglutinin (PHA-)stimulated (T-)lymphocytes and lipopolysaccharide (LPS-)stimulated (B-)lymphocytes of NMRI-mice was studied by means of electron microscopy. Non-stimulated as well as thioglycolate-stimulated macrophages were investigated; lymphocytes were derived both from HSV-1-sensitized and non-sensitized animals. The morphological characteristics of the abortive infection in macrophages and T-lymphocytes and of the productive infection in B-lymphocytes are described. No differences were observed between stimulated and non-stimulated cells or cells of sensitized and non-sensitized animals.With 7 Figures     

Management of hepatic injury.

Liver injuries may be due to either blunt or penetrating trauma to the thorax or abdomen. Specific treatment depends on the site and extent of hepatic injury. Following resuscitation with intravenous fluids and blood as needed, surgical therapy is directed to provide hemostasis, remove necrotic liver tissue and promote adequate external drainage in the postoperative period. While local measures are usually sufficient, complex hepatic wounds may require extensive resection and vascular ligature or repair.     

Synthesis of Plastoquinone Analogs and Inhibition of Photosynthetic and Mammalian Enzyme Systems

New 5-hydroxy- and 5-chloro-6-alkyl-1,4-benzoquinones with one or two methyl groups on the nucleus were synthesized as potential antimetabolites of plastoquinones for biological research on photosynthetic and mammalian enzyme systems; the primary emphasis was on photosynthesis.2,3-Dimethyl-5-hydroxy-6-phytyl-1,4-benzoquinone completely inhibited in chloroplasts the water-dependent electron transport, but photosystem I was insensitive to this analog. The data are consistent with the interpretation that this analog inhibits electron transport in the chain prior to the site of electron donation from the ascorbate-dichlorophenolindophenol couple. Concentrations of 70 muM and 120 muM of this analog caused about 50 and 100% inhibition, respectively, of cyclic photophosphorylation.2,3-Dimethyl-5-hydroxy-6-phytyl-1,4-benzoquinone is a new type of inhibitor of photosynthetic electron transport that specifically inhibits the rate-limiting step between photosystems I and II. Structurally related analogs caused inhibitions in the range of 50-100% in chloroplasts.These analogs showed marginal inhibition in mitochondrial coenzyme Q(10)-oxidase systems from beef heart.     

Rhizopus rhizopodiformis: emerging etiological agent of mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis is caused principally by members of the genus Rhizopus, especially R arrhizus and R. oryzae. Infection attributable to R. rhizopodiformis has rarely been documented. Of 13 cases of mucormycosis diagnosed during a 4-year period (1974 to 1978) at The Mount Sinai Hospital, 6 cases, occurring within 9 months, were caused by R. rhizopodiformis. The six isolates were identified mainly by: growth at 50 degrees C; production of short, sometimes branched, sporangiophores arising from opposite rhizoids; elongated columellae; and small spherical-to-elliptical, smooth-to-finely striated sporangiospores. The possibility that this explosive occurrence of R. rhizopodiformis at our institution was because of nosocomial acquisition was strongly supported by the recovery of this same mycotic agent from adhesive bandages used in the cardiac intensive care unit, where a patient developed subcutaneous R. rhizopodiformis infection after cardiac surgery. The invasive potential of R. rhizopodiformis was manifested by the extensive subcutaneous and systemic infections in each of the six patients, three of whom developed antibody against this mucormycotic agent.     

Growth hormone secretion from pituitary cells in chronic renal insufficiency.

To examine whether growth hormone (GH) secretion is adversely affected by chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), the GH secretory response of dispersed anterior pituitary cells perifused with GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) was investigated in 5/6 nephrectomized (CRI, N = 18) and sham-operated (N = 18) rats. Two weeks after nephrectomy, during a period of stable uremia, CRI rats had significantly higher serum concentrations (mean +/- SEM) of urea nitrogen and creatinine than sham rats, 16.8 +/- 1.4 mmol/liter (47 +/- 4 mg/dl) and 79.6 +/- 0.0 mumol/liter (0.9 +/- 0.0 mg/dl) versus 6.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/liter (17 +/- 1 mg/dl) and 35.4 +/- 0.0 mumol/liter (0.4 +/- 0.0 mg/dl), respectively (P less than 0.0001). Incremental gains in body weight and nose to tail-tip length of CRI rats over two weeks were also significantly depressed, 53.3 +/- 5.38 g (CRI) versus 87.0 +/- 3.78 g (sham; P less than 0.0001) and 3.2 +/- 0.2 cm (CRI) versus 3.6 +/- 0.1 cm (sham; P less than 0.05). The cumulative food intake as well as food efficiency (g food consumed/g weight gain) were also adversely influenced by the uremic state: food intake 304 +/- 1 g (CRI) versus 397 +/- 6 g (sham; P less than 0.0001) and food efficiency 0.173 +/- 0.013 g/g of weight gain (CRI) versus 0.219 +/- 0.008 g/g of weight gain (sham). No significant difference in GH secretory rate (ng/min/10(7) cells) was found between the uremic and sham animals under basal conditions, 65.2 +/- 2.1 (CRI) and 67.9 +/- 2.2 (sham) or in response to GH-releasing hormone, 282.8 +/- 42.4 (CRI) versus 306.2 +/- 42.6 (sham).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)