Relation between tobacco use and urinary excretion of thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin metabolites in young men

BACKGROUND. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The present study addressed the effect of tobacco use on the formation of two eicosanoids, thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin, which have been implicated in both acute and chronic cardiovascular disorders. METHODS AND RESULTS. In 577 randomly sampled 18-19-year-old men, the urinary excretion of the 2,3-dinor metabolites of thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin (Tx-M and PGI-M, respectively) was analyzed and related to the subjects' self-reported use of tobacco. Sixty-five percent of the subjects used no tobacco, 7.5% were cigarette smokers, 22% used wet (oral) snuff, and the rest reported a mixed use of tobacco. The urinary excretion of Tx-M was higher (p less than 0.001) in cigarette smokers than in those not using tobacco (180 versus 128 pg/mg creatinine) and was correlated (r = 0.35, p less than 0.05) with the daily cigarette consumption. Snuff users had no increase in their urinary excretion of Tx-M, despite urinary cotinine levels comparable to those in the cigarette smokers (1,210 and 1,560 ng/ml, respectively). The excretion of PGI-M did not differ between non-tobacco users, cigarette smokers, and snuff users. CONCLUSIONS. We conclude that cigarette smoking, but not the use of snuff, facilitates the formation of thromboxane A2. We propose that such an increased formation reflects platelet activation in the absence of vascular injury and that it may be of significance for the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease.     

Glycogen and glycogen-hydrolysing lysosomal enzyme activity in mouse liver: effects of fasting, adrenoceptor antagonism and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia

Whereas the phosphorolytic breakdown of liver glycogen is known to be of great physiological importance, the functional role of the hydrolytic glycogenolysis in the lysosomal system is less well understood. In the present study the effects of fasting, alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor antagonism and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia on liver lysosomal glycogen-hydrolysing enzyme activity were investigated in mice. In freely fed mice the glycogen-hydrolysing activity (acid amyloglucosidase) was only 50% of the maltose-hydrolysing activity (acid maltase). Starvation for 24 h reduced the acid amyloglucosidase activity by approximately 30% (P less than 0.001), whereas the activities of acid maltase, acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase appeared unaffected. N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity was moderately (20%; P less than 0.01) enhanced by fasting. Thus, liver lysosomal enzyme activities may change independently of each other during fasting. Further, during short-term hypoglycaemic conditions (45 min) induced by endogenous or exogenous insulin, the activity of liver acid amyloglucosidase was found to be moderately reduced (15-20%). Blockade of alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors by phentolamine and propranolol did not result in any apparent influence on acid amyloglucosidase activity except for the indirect effect exerted by the phentolamine-induced hypoglycaemia. A moderate negative correlation (r = -0.51; P less than 0.001) between total liver glycogen concentration and acid amyloglucosidase activity was observed in a series of 43 freely fed NMRI mice. Our data show that in mouse liver the acid maltase activity predominates over the acid amyloglucosidase activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Receptor binding of N-(methyl-11C) clozapine in the brain of rhesus monkey studied by positron emission tomography (PET)

By means of positron emission tomography the uptake and kinetics of N-(methyl-¹¹C)clozapine in different brain regions have been studied in Rhesus monkeys. ¹¹C-clozapine rapidly entered the brain and maximum radioactive uptake was seen 5–12 min after administration. Highest uptake was measured in the striatum. Other regions with an uptake higher than in the cerebellum were thalamus and mesencephalon. The radioactivity from different brain regions decreased with an elimination half-life of about 5 h and parallelled the plasma kinetics of unlabelled clozapine. The striatum/cerebellum ratio of ¹¹C-clozapine-derived radioactivity remained constant during the period studied and did not change after pretreatment with atropine. In contrast, the striatum/cerebellum ratio was somewhat lower after pretreatment with N-methylspiperone (NMSP), indicating competition for the same binding sites in the striatum. After pretreatment with increasing doses of clozapine, a dose-dependent protection of binding sites in the striatum for ¹¹C-NMSP was seen. It is concluded that clozapine is more loosely bound to dopamine receptors in the striatum than N-methylspiperone and that the kinetics of clozapine in the brain parallel that in the plasma. The binding properties of clozapine within the brain may explain some of the clinical properties of the drug.     

Lectin histochemistry of embryonal carcinoma

Histological tissue sections of human testicular embryonal carcinoma from 13 patients and of a xenograft tumour in nude mice, as well as cell lines of human embryonal carcinoma, were investigated with eight different lectins to characterize the distribution of glycoconjugates in embryonal carcinoma. In all cases the malignant cells showed binding with Con A, WGA and RCA I conjugates, whereas other lectins were bound to some, but never to all, tumour cells in each group, revealing the heterogeneity of the malignant cells. A polarization of cancer cells was shown particularly with WGA and RCA I labelling, which was most intense on the luminal borders of the carcinoma cells, where pseudotubular structures were formed. The sugar staining properties were retained in cell culture and in the xenograft tumour. Regardless of the germ cell origin, embryonal carcinoma cells differed from normal germ cells. The distribution of glycoconjugates was also different from that of testicular carcinoma-in-situ germ cells, which share morphological features and the pattern of glycosylation with seminoma cells. However, the similarities in lectin binding pattern of seminomas and embryonal carcinomas suggest the close relationship between the two types of testicular malignancy, without excluding the possibility that embryonal carcinomas were derived from seminomas. Although lectins seem to be less important for differential diagnostic use in testicular cancer, our findings showed the usefulness of lectin histochemistry for characterization of embryonal carcinoma.     

A model for registration and mapping of accident cases in health care

Accidents occur in all social environments and constitute also in Sweden an important causal morbidity and mortality factor. The official accident statistics are in several respects deficient and do not describe injuries in necessary detail for enabling preventive measures to be taken, especially not on the local community level. Since 1 January 1978 a continuous registration of all emergency visits in primary as well as secondary medical care has been pursued in a test and control area in Skaraborg county in Western Sweden. The registration system enables a mapping-out and in-depth studies of accidents in order to provide basic information for preventive measures at local level, i.e. community intervention. The all-age-injury reporting system used in this connection is described in the article.     

Intrascrotal adenomatoid tumors

Adenomatoid tumors are regarded as uncommon neoplasms of the paratesticular tissues, probably of mesothelial origin. The majority of cases reported have involved the epididymis. We report our experience with 8 cases of testicular tumors and 11 of epididymal adenomatoid tumors during a 13-year period, and review the relevant literature. The incidence of adenomatoid tumors relative to all tumors in the testis was 6.9% (8 of 116), exceeding that of Leydig cell tumors, which were previously believed to be the most common benign testicular neoplasms. The adenomatoid tumors included 38% epididymal tumors (11 of 29). The clinical course of the tumors was benign, without recurrences. Local excision is regarded as the treatment of choice for epididymal and testicular adenomatoid tumors.     

Mortality and lead exposure: a retrospective cohort study of Swedish smelter workers

The study is based on the work histories and mortality data for 3832 male workers first employed before 1967 at a copper smelter in northern Sweden and followed up from 1950 to 1981. From the 3832 workers a lead cohort consisting of 437 workers employed for at least three years at sites with considerable lead exposure during 1950-74 was selected. These workers had regularly had blood lead measurements performed since 1950. Based on the cumulative blood lead dose 1950-74 and peak blood lead values, the cohort was subdivided into high mean, low mean, high peak, and low peak groups. Standardised mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated for the six groups using general and local reference populations. The original cohort of 3832 workers showed considerable excess of deaths for total mortality, malignant neoplasms especially lung and stomach cancer, ischaemic heart diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases when compared with the general population. In the lead cohort where the workers had been subjected to a considerable lead exposure only the raised SMR for lung cancer was sustained (SMR = 162; not significant). No significant differences were found between high lead and low lead exposed smelter workers.     

Facial asymmetry and unstable occlusion due to poliomyelitis. Report of a case

A case, referred to the Department of Stomatognathic Physiology, G?teborg, with an unstable occlusion is presented. There was a facial asymmetry and the bony morphology differed markedly between the sides. No EMG activity in the masticatory muscles could be detected on the left side. It was diagnosed as a probable sequela to poliomyelitis in the childhood. The impact of altered muscle function on the bony structures and dentition is discussed.