METHEMOGLOBIN FORMATION BY STERILE CULTURE FILTRATES OF PNEUMOCOCCUS

1. Sterile filtrates of aerobic cultures of pneumococcus which contain hydrogen peroxide are capable of converting catalase-free solutions of crystalline oxyhemoglobin into methemoglobin. This action is dependent upon the hydrogen peroxide in the filtrates and occurs only in the absence of blood catalase. 2. In catalase-containing solutions of hemoglobin from laked corpuscles, the actual methemoglobin-forming system of Pneumococcus involves a labile constituent of the bacterial cell. This intracellular substance is itself susceptible to oxidizing agents and may be rendered inactive, if exposed to peroxide or similar substances previous to its introduction into oxyhemoglobin solutions. The activity of this function in the case of sterile filtrates of pneumococcus cultures depends, therefore, upon the liberation of cell constituents into the medium and upon the protection of these cellular substances from the oxidizing agents which are formed when pneumococcus cultures are freely exposed to air. When these cultural conditions are fulfilled sterile culture filtrates of Pneumococcus convert oxyhemoglobin into methemoglobin independent of the presence of blood catalase.     

STUDIES ON THE OXIDATION-REDUCTION OF HEMOGLOBIN AND METHEMOGLOBIN : II. THE OXIDATION OF HEMOGLOBIN AND REDUCTION OF METHEMOGLOBIN BY ANAEROBIC BACILLI AND BY STERILE PLANT TISSUE.

The oxidation-reduction systems of anaerobic bacteria manifest their action upon the blood pigments by marked deoxygenation of oxyhemoglobin, prompt reduction of methemoglobin to hemoglobin, and to a less marked degree oxidation of hemoglobin to methemoglobin. The action of sterile plant tissue upon oxyhemoglobin, hemoglobin, and methemoglobin has been studied. The oxidations and reductions of the blood pigments which are induced by sterile plant tissue are similar to the reactions which are brought about by pneumococci and by anaerobic bacteria.     

Xanthogranulomatous inflammation of corpus cavernosum

IntroductionXanthogranulomatous inflammation is a rare, chronic destructive inflammatory lesion. The pathological finding is typically lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration, surrounded by accumulating lipid-laden macrophages.MethodsA 65-year-old healthy man presented with a 3-week history of a painless palpable mass in the penis.ResultsThe patient underwent an excision of the mass with a tunica albuginea, and a graft from the tunica vaginaglis. Histopathological findings showed the diffuse xanthogranulomatous inflammation.ConclusionsXanthogranulomatous inflammation of corpus cavernosum in old men is a rare condition. The inflammatory mass should be treated by complete excision and graft. Seo IY, Jo HJ, and Rim JS. Xanthogranulomatous inflammation of corpus cavernosum.     

Born too soon: the continuing challenge of preterm labor and birth in the United States

Prematurity is the single greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in obstetrics. Families, health care services, and education systems experience the impact of prematurity for the lifetime of the preterm-born child. Health care providers have tried to lower the preterm birth rate with prevention both before and during pregnancy and intervention for symptomatic women. The inability of the health care system to significantly decrease the incidence of preterm birth continues to be a challenge. To further complicate the situation, new data shows that infants born between 34 and 37 weeks' gestation who were thought to have minimal long-term effects of preterm birth may be more at risk than previously appreciated. This article reviews evidence-based risk identification, prevention, and management of women experiencing preterm labor and birth.     

Community attitudes toward childhood suicide and attempted suicide

To assess whether people's reactions to family members of child suicide attemptors were similar to reactions to family members of (a) actual suicides and (b) actual suicides that were preceded by a failed suicide attempt, 120 shoppers (60 men and 60 women) read and responded to one of five short newspaper articles about an incident of a 10-year-old child who either (a) attempted suicide, (b) committed suicide, (c) committed suicide after a previous suicide attempt, (d) died accidentally, or (e) died of a viral illness. Opinions about the psychological health of the victim and reactions to the surviving family varied depending on the nature of the incident. However, in many instances reactions to families of suicide attemptors could not be differentiated from reactions to families of actual suicides. Therefore, it is likely that the number of people affected by negative community reactions to suicidal behavior has been previously underestimated.     

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Adhesive Capsulitis: Correlation with Clinical Staging

The purpose of this study was to evaluate non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of adhesive capsulitis and correlate them with clinical stages of adhesive capsulitis. This will hopefully define a role for shoulder MR imaging in the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis as well as in potentially directing appropriate treatment. Forty-seven consecutive non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging examinations of 46 patients with a clinical diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with clinical staging. Specific MRI criteria correlated with the clinical stage of adhesive capsulitis, including the thickness and signal intensity of the joint capsule and synovium as well as the presence and severity of scarring in the rotator interval. Routine MRI of the shoulder without intraarticular administration of gadolinium can be used to diagnose all stages of adhesive capsulitis, including stage 1, where findings may be subtle on clinical examination. We believe that future studies assessing the role of MRI in guiding the initiation of appropriate treatment should be undertaken.     

Apoptosis of peripheral CD4(+) T-lymphocytes in end-stage renal disease patients under hemodialysis and rhEPO therapies

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) under hemodialyses (HD) is related with a higher propensity to infections, essentially due to T-cell lymphopenia. We postulated that HD procedure affects CD4(+) T cells, especially by inducing apoptotic death and that recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) therapy may also play an important role in the modulation of the immune system in these patients. T-cell phenotype and apoptosis of HD patients and healthy controls were evaluated by flow cytometry using anticoagulated whole-blood samples. In 12 HD patients, these parameters were also analyzed before and immediately after HD procedure. HD patients showed a decrease in total circulating CD3(+) lymphocytes, especially in CD4(+) T cells (0.747 ± 0.410 vs. 0.941 ± 0.216 × 10(9)/L, p < 0.05), which could be a consequence of the higher proportion of CD3(+) and CD4(+) lymphocytes in the latest stage of apoptosis (or death) and of the higher proportion of apoptotic CD4(+) T cells observed in the patients immediately after HD procedure (2.91 ± 0.780 vs. 3.90 ± 1.96, p < 0.05). A positive and statistically significant correlation between CD3(+) and CD4(+) lymphocytes in latest stage of apoptosis (or death) with HD time was found (CD3(+): r = 0.592, p < 0.01; CD4(+): r = 0.501, p < 0.01). We also found a negative and significant correlation between weekly rhEPO doses and the number of CD4(+) T cells (r = -0.358, p < 0.05). In conclusion, HD procedure still contributes to the development of T-cell lymphopenia, at least in part, by apoptosis induction. It was also shown that rhEPO therapy is associated with the CD4(+) T-cell decline, possibly by immune modulation, eliminating atypical cells and helping to restore the CD4(+) T-cell subset.