Aggregates of modified low-density lipoproteins induce lipid accumulation in intimal cells of the human aorta in vitro

Institute of Experimental Cardiology, All-Union Cardiologic Scientific Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. N. Smirnov.) Translated from Byulleten's Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 110, No. 7, pp. 34–36, July, 1990.     

Initiation of the extrinsic pathway of coagulation by human and rabbit alveolar macrophages: a kinetic study

We examined assembly and expression of the factor X activating complex on human and rabbit alveolar macrophages. Kinetic parameters of the factor X activating reaction were determined by functional titrations of factors VII and X with macrophage tissue factor (TF) added. We found rapid activation of factor X to Xa on alveolar macrophage surfaces. Detection of rapid factor Xa formation on macrophages required addition of exogenous factors VII and X. At plasma concentrations of the purified factors, factor Xa was formed on freshly isolated macrophages at approximately 5.4 pmol/min/10(6) cells. After macrophage maturation in culture for 20 hours with LPS (endotoxin) added, the factor X activation rate was increased two- to sixfold. The km' (apparent km) of TF-factor VII enzymatic complexes assembled on alveolar macrophages for factor X were (258 +/- 55 and 475 +/- 264 nmol/L for human and rabbit cells, respectively). The km' did not change during macrophage maturation in culture, but V'max (apparent Vmax) was consistently increased. The K1/2 of human factor VII (concentrations giving half maximal rates of factor X activation) for the interaction with human and rabbit alveolar macrophage TF were 0.191 +/- 0.096 and 1.7 +/- 0.7 etamol/L, respectively. The K1/2 were not significantly changed after maturation, whereas rates of Xa formation at saturation with factor VII were increased. The fast rates of factor X activation observed at physiologic concentrations of plasma-derived factors VII and X indicate that TF on alveolar macrophages is likely to provide sites for binding of factor VII and activation of factor X in vivo during clotting reactions associated with alveolar edema and inflammation.     

Functional state of blood platelets in arterial hypertension and the changes in serotonin-containing cellular granules

The study was undertaken to examine the status of the granular apparatus and platelet aggregability in 9 healthy donors and 18 patients with arterial hypertension (AH), including 14 with essential hypertension (EH) and 4 with symptomatic forms of AH. Among the patients, a group of 8 EH patients was singled out, who had, compared with normal, reduced relative volumes of electron dense platelet granules (from 17.9 +/- 2.0 to 5.3 +/- 0.6%). The group also showed lower platelet serotonin levels (from 67.3 +/- 5.3 to 17.6 +/- 3.7 ng per 10(8) cells; p less than 0.001) and a 2-fold decrease in the transport factor of acridine orange across the cytoplasmic and granular membranes as compared to normal. A positive correlation was established between the amounts of cellular serotonin and the relative volume of platelet granules (r = 0.850; p less than 0.001).     

Trends in pemphigus research over 15 years

Background Although pemphigus is a rare autoimmune blistering disease, it attracts the attention of physicians of many disciplines. Objective This study aims to assess the number of articles on pemphigus that have been published over 15 years in dermatology vs. non‐dermatology medical journals, and to evaluate the quality of available evidence. Methods PubMed was searched for articles on pemphigus published between 1 January 1993 to 31 December 2007 using the search word pemphigus. Articles were characterized by publication type and journal type per year. Regression analysis was used to determine the effect of year of publication on number of publications of each type. Results The search yielded 2032 publications on pemphigus during the evaluation period. Sixty‐one per cent were published in dermatology journals. Overall, the number of publications increased linearly with time. Most of this increase was accounted for by publications in non‐dermatology journals. There was an increase in clinical trials over the course of the study period. The number of certain publications with lower quality of evidence, mainly case reports and letters to the editor, increased significantly in the last few years. There was no increase in publications with high quality of evidence. Conclusions The increase on data from non‐dermatology disciplines is a welcome contribution. Nevertheless, high‐quality evidence on pemphigus is still lacking. We trust that the current trend towards evidence‐based dermatology will impact future research on this severe disease.     

Nasal dermoids: the significance of a midline punctum

Nasal dermoids are rare and their diagnosis is often delayed until complications occur. Signs such as a midline nasal punctum may be noted at birth but the significance of this finding frequently passes unrecognised. The cases are reported of two patients which illustrate the typical presentation of these lesions and their subsequent management is discussed.