Incompatibility of contrast agents with intravascular medications. Work in progress

In vitro and in vivo precipitation of iodinated contrast agents when ioxaglate and papaverine are given together has been reported. To verify these reports and to investigate other medications not previously tested, the authors analyzed mixtures of contrast agents and medications in vitro with a light spectrophotometer and observed them for visible precipitates for up to 120 minutes. Previously reported incompatibilities between ionic or low-osmolality contrast media and medications were verified, and several new incompatibilities were discovered. No incompatibilities were found when the drugs tested were mixed with the new nonionic contrast media.     

Canine myocardial reperfusion injury: protection by a free radical scavenger, N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine

Oxygen-derived free radicals and their metabolites may contribute to the extension of irreversible cellular injury, which occurs on reperfusion of the previously ischemic myocardium. Therefore, therapy directed against the toxic effects of reactive oxygen species may provide protection to the ischemic myocardium, which undergoes subsequent reperfusion. We evaluated the effectiveness of N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG), a free radical scavenger, to limit the extent of irreversible injury resulting from 90 min of ischemia followed by 6 h of reperfusion in a canine model of myocardial infarction. In three groups of dogs, MPG (20 mg/kg) was administered as a constant infusion into the left atrium. Group I received MPG for 2 h, starting 15 min before occlusion of the left circumflex coronary artery and ending 15 min after reperfusion. Group II received MPG for 1 h, starting 15 min before reperfusion. Group III received MPG for 1 h beginning 45 min after reperfusion. Each group was compared with its respective saline control group. Infarct size was reduced by 35% in Group I (32.2 +/- 5.1% vs. 47.7 +/- 3.4% of the area at risk, p less than 0.05) and Group II (31.4 +/- 3.6% vs. 47.5 +/- 5.1% of the area at risk, p less than 0.025) in comparison with the saline treated control animals. In contrast, in Group III infarct size did not differ significantly from the saline-treated control group (45.9 +/- 3.3% vs. 47.7 +/- 3.5% of the area at risk). The percent of left ventricle at risk did not differ among the groups. The beneficial effects of MPG could not be explained on the basis of hemodynamic differences. In addition, MPG did not influence regional myocardial blood flow. In vitro studies indicated that MPG effectively scavanges O2- generated by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction, as well as by PMA-activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Based on these observations, we propose that MPG exerts its beneficial effects by protecting against free radical-mediated damage during the early phase of reperfusion.     

Chlamydial etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children in the Sudan

The role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in 110 Sudanese children with signs of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) was investigated. Four (3.6%) had evidence of C. pneumoniae infection, of whom 3 were culture-positive, while 1 had an antibody response suggesting a recent infection. IgG antibodies at a titer of ≥1:32 to C. pneumoniae, Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia trachomatis were detected in 27 (24.5%), 27 (24.5%) and 7 (6.4%) of the 110 ALRI cases, respectively. C. pneumoniae, C. trachomatis or C. psittaci were not detected in nasopharyngeal secretions from any of 110 patients when fluorescence-labeled specific monoclonal antibodies were used. In a seroepidemiological survey, 318 healthy Sudanese persons aged between 1 month and 67 years were studied for C. pneumoniae antibodies.     

Sweet's syndrome—therapy with cyclosporin

We report the case of a 39-year-old female patient suffering from Sweet's syndrome after an upper respiratory tract infection. Cyclosporin A at a dose of 10 mg/kg per day was given as initial treatment. Skin lesions and general malaise resolved within 9 days. The cyclosporin dose was decreased within 21 days, without recurrence of the eruption. Cyclosporin is a potent inhibitor of T lymphocytes, but affects granulocyte and monocyte functions as well. Success of treatment in our case shows that cyclosporin represents an alternative to steroid treatment in patients with Sweet's syndrome.     

A ubiquitous protein is the source of naturally occurring peptides that are recognized by a CD8+ T-cell clone.

We previously isolated from mouse spleen an octapeptide (LSPFPFDL) that in association with the class I major histocompatibility complex protein Ld is recognized by the antigen-specific receptor of an alloreactive CD8+ T-cell clone (2C). Guided by an assay dependent upon the same 2C T-cell receptor, we have now isolated from the same source another naturally occurring peptide. The second peptide (VAITRIEQLSPFPFDL) includes the entire octapeptide sequence and preliminary evidence suggests that it may be a natural precursor of the octapeptide. On finding extensive sequence homology between the 16-mer and part of human 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, we determined the cDNA sequence of mouse 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and found that the deduced amino acid sequence matches precisely the two naturally occurring peptides, indicating their origin by cellular processing of this ubiquitous self protein.     

Transsynaptic degeneration of motoneurones caudal to spinal cord lesions

We studied the effects of complete transversal section of the spinal cord, at T8-10, in adult rats, upon the number and morphology of identified motoneurones in lumbar segments L4 and L5. In observations by light and electron microscopy many lumbar motoneurones had structural abnormalities when the interval between surgery and perfusion ranged between a few hours and one week. We found also that as many as 25% of the motoneurones distal to a cord transection disappeared as a consequence of the lesions. We did not find comparable changes in the spinal cord at C6 after transection at T8-10. Complete removal of the cerebellum did not reduce the lumbar motoneurone counts. Bilateral ablation of the "motor" cortex did cause a reduction of motoneurone counts at L4-5; these animals showed normal or near normal spontaneous locomotor activity beginning a few days after the lesion was placed. Motoneurone counts were significantly reduced after partial cord lesions that spared the dorsal funiculi (where the corticospinal tract travels in the rat), but in this case the rats were paraplegic as a result of the lesion. Cord transection at 7 days of postnatal age resulted in reduced motoneurone counts when the rats reached adulthood. Intraspinal or subarachnoid administration of colchicine led to reduced motoneurone counts. Prolonged infusion of a GABA agonist, muscimol, into the lumbar CSF did not prevent the loss of motoneurones produced by cord transection. Pretreatment of animals with a Ca2+ channel blocker (nimodipine) did not prevent the effects of cord transection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)