Chromosome analysis in baboons born following the use of potential, postovulatory, fertility-inhibiting steroids

The chromosomal aberrations of the offsprings of four mothers of pavians which received the steroid substances STS 456 and J 628 postcoitally were investigated. The aberration rate was within the norm. Malformation of the offsprings did not occur.     

Successful treatment of pulmonary and cerebral aspergillosis in an immunosuppressed child

A favourable outcome was observed in a 12 year-old boy who developed invasive pulmonary and cerebral aspergillosis during antineoplastic treatment for central nervous system relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Combination therapy with amphotericin B and 5-Fluorocytosine led to complete regression of pulmonary infiltrates. Despite enlargement of the cerebral lesion monitored by computerized tomography, no viable fungi were found in the completely resected abscess after a 4 weeks' course of antifungal treatment preceeding neurosurgery. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of an aspergillotic abscess. The initially severe neurological symptoms disappeared after successful surgery. Aspergillus fumigatus was detected in the soil of a potted ornamental plant in the mother's living room, suggesting that this might have been the source of the infectious agent.Supported by the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk     

The use of high dose aprotinin in liver transplantation: the influence on fibrinolysis and blood loss.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is frequently associated with systemic fibrinogenolysis and diffuse bleeding. At present antifibrinolytic treatment has not been initiated routinely in OLT. Therefore the influence of high dose aprotinin in OLT (2 million kallikrein inactivator units (KIU) given after induction of anesthesia followed by a 500,000 KIU/h infusion throughout the operation) on intraoperative blood loss and fibrinolysis was studied in 25 patients compared to 25 patients without aprotinin. The incidence of fibrinolysis shown in thrombelastography was 72% in the control group versus 16% in the aprotinin group. Oozing after reperfusion of the graft caused by severe fibrinolysis defined as a clot lysis index below 15% was only observed in the control group (42.8%). In contrast no significant difference was found between the groups in the course of fibrin and fibrinogen degradation product levels (FbDP, FgDP) although the mean concentrations of both parameters were evidently lower in the aprotinin treated patients. Levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity were initially high in both groups and peaked during and after the anhepatic period. After aprotinin there was a trend of lower t-PA levels which reached significance at the time of reperfusion (p less than 0.02). In both groups the course of thrombin antithrombin complex was in line with the variations of FbDP and FgDP. No correlation between thrombin formation and t-PA activity was found. Mean homologous blood requirement was reduced by 50% (5.6 +/- 4.0 vs. 11.2 +/- 8.6 units, p less than 0.005). The blood saving effect was more pronounced in the postanhepatic period (p less than 0.000001). In conclusion high dose aprotinin inhibits hyperfibrinolysis and reduces intraoperative homologous blood requirement. Therefore its routine use in OLT is recommended.     

T lymphocyte subpopulations in anti-HIV-negative drug-dependent patients with intravenous abuse

In the group of patients studied by us, we found a slight disturbance of the balance between immunoregulatory T helper/inductor lymphocytes and cytotoxic T suppressor lymphocytes which is usually characterised by a 2 to 1 ratio. This disturbance was due to the presence of an absolutely and relatively enhanced quantity of T suppressor cells, by which the relation of these T-cell subsets to each other was slightly lower than in the normal controls. The average ratio was 1.37 and was pathologically reduced in 19% of the patients. Activation and increase in the number of T suppressor cells in conjunction with a relative lymphocytosis are probably less due to a directly drug-induced effect than to an adequate immunoreaction to increased antigen stimuli such as infections with hepatitis B virus, viruses of the herpes group and other viral pathogens.