Phagolysosomal pH and Location of Particles in Alveolar Macrophages

Phagolysosomal pH and Location of Particles in Alveolar Macrophages.NYBERG, K., JOHANSSON, U., JOHANSSON, A., AND CAMNER, P. (1991).Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 16, 393–400. Fluorescein-labeledsilica particles (FSP) were instilled into the tracheae of rabbits.Groups of four rabbits were killed after 24 hr, 1 week, 1 month,or 3 months and their lungs were lavaged. Phagolysosomal pHin the alveolar macrophages (AM) was measured using microscopefluorometry with FSP as a probe. Due to the marked decline ofthe fluorescence intensities from the FSP between 1 and 3 monthsafter instillation, it was not possible to measure pH at 3 months,but the values from 24 hr, 1 week, and 1 month were quite similar,with group means of 4.8 and 4.9, respectively. PhagolysosomalpH in AM which phagocytized the FSP in vitro showed values abouthalf a pH unit higher. AM from rabbits lavaged at 1 week hadmore lysosomes in contact with the FSP-containing phagolysosomesand a higher degree of vacuolization between the FSP and thephagolysosomal membrane than AM lavaged at 1 day. The locationof the FSP in the AM appeared to be similar in rabbits lavagedafter 1 week and 3 months. In histologic sections from the lungsthe large majority of the FSP were within cells at all timepoints.     

Self-Reported Health Status and Use of Medical Care by 3500 Adolescents in Western Sweden. I

ABSTRACT. Some 3500 adolescents answered a questionnaire anonymously. The sample represented 85 % of the students between the ages 13 to 16 and 65 % of the students between 17 to 18 in the three communities studied. The students all had middle class backgrounds. Self-reported illness differed considerably from data found in epidemiological surveys. The self-reported medical panorama was dominated by concerns about acne, tiredness, headaches, stomach pains, sports injuries and allergic disorders. One quarter to one third of the students reported such problems. Overall, 85% of the students reported that they were "completely healthy", at the same time as they also reported an average of 3.1 medical complaints. Self-initiated appointments with physicians were reported with an average of 5.5 during the last year, which is high. About 40% of the students had one complaint for which they wanted to see a physician. About 15% reported that they had had suicidal thoughts.     

Social Isolation and Mortality in Ischemic Heart Disease

ABSTRACT The effects of psychosocial and clinical factors on mortality in ischemic heart disease (IHD) were examined in a 10-year follow-up of 150 middle-aged men. Three groups of men were included: men with clinically manifest IHD, men with risk factors and healthy men. Psychosocial factors were assessed by means of standardized questionnaires. They comprised educational level, social class, marital status and a comprehensive assessment of the daily rounds of life of these men. Furthermore, a subjective rating of the own general health status was obtained. The clinical investigation included a standard physical examination, fasting serum lipids, glucose and urate, a frontal and sagittal chest X-ray and a 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring. During follow-up 37 men died, 20 of them from IHD. Non-survivors were descriminated from survivors by the following factors: older age, lower education, lower social class, higher systolic blood pressure, increased ventricular irritability and cardiac enlargement. Furthermore, a relative social isolation as indicated by a low social activity level and a poor self-rated general health status was characteristic of non-survivors. In multivariate analyses three factors emerged as the equally strong predictors of mortality, both from all causes and from IHD: social isolation, a poor self-rated health status and ventricular irritability. The psychosocial mortality predictors were independent of and of similar strength as the clinical predictors.     

Sensory-Motor and Cognitive Functioning in Children Who Have Undergone Bone Marrow Transplantation

ABSTRACT. Sensory-motor and cognitive functioning was investigated in a group of 32 children treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT), 1–6 years after treatment. Twenty-five of the patients had suffered from leukemia. The BMT procedure had involved a regimen of cytostatic drugs and, for leukemia patients, total body irradiation at a dose of 10 Gy, administered in one session. Cytostatic drugs and irradiation are known to be potentially neurotoxic, particularly when combined. The examination involved four neuropsychological tests of sensory-motor and cognitive functioning, as well as an age-appropriate intelligence test. For control the bone marrow donors (n=32), siblings of the patients, were also investigated. A pronounced delay in motor development was found in four children, who had been treated with BMT including total body irradiation before 3 years of age. Patients between 3 and 11 years of age at BMT were at a slight disadvantage, compared to donors, on tasks involving perceptual and fine motor speed. In older patients no deficits were observed.     

Observations From Intraatrial Recordings on the Termination of Electrically Induced Atrial Fibrillation in Humans

Background: The circulating wavelet hypothesis suggests that atrial fibrillation could terminate by either progressive fusion or simultaneous block of all wavelets. Methods: Intraatrial recordings from the right atrial free wall were made during procainamide induced (n = 8) or spontaneous (n = 7) termination of electrically induced atrial fibrillation in 14 patients. Atrial rate, mean magnitude squared coherence, and direction of activation during sequential electrograms were measured. Rate and coherence were calculated from the earliest point within 5 minutes prior to termination as well as from the 4-second interval just prior to termination. Results: Termination was directly to sinus rhythm (13 episodes) or to atrial flutter (2 episodes). For the eight procainamide induced terminations, rate decreased between the first measurement and the measurement just prior to termination, from 443 ±127 beats/ min to 322 ± 119 beats/min. For the seven spontaneous terminations, rate also decreased from 373 ± 119 beats/min to 323 ± 88 beats/min; however, a slight increase in atrial rate prior to termination was observed in three episodes. No specific patterns of atrial cycle lengths were seen during the final few seconds of fibrillation. No increase in coherence was observed. In seven episodes, recordings were made using orthogonal bipoles in the x, y, and z directions, allowing direction of activation of wavefronts to be measured. Three episodes showed multiple instances where direction of activation remained similar over several electrograms as we have previously reported for chronic fibrillation. However, no such instances precipitated termination in any of the seven episodes. Conclusions: Atrial fibrillation usually terminates directly to sinus rhythm and does so abruptly and without forewarning. While we and others have previously reported that the rate of atrial fibrillation decreases with procainamide infusion, a decrease in the rate of atrial fibrillation is not required for the rhythm to terminate and consequently may not be a part of the termination process at all. Coherence does not demonstrate a progressive increase in the organization of atrial fibrillation prior to termination. Lack of stabilization in the direction of activation of wavefronts in the final few seconds also fails to support fusion of wavefronts as the mechanism of termination of atrial fibrillation. Simultaneous block of all wavelets is consistent with, but not proven by our observations.     

Design,synthesis, tandem mass spectrometric sequencing and biological activity of NGF mimetics

Nine low molecular weight nerve growth factor (NGF)-like peptides have been designed to mimic the putative receptor-binding epitope of NGF defined by two β-hairpin loops. Eight different spacers were used as variable links between the β-loop amino acid residues, which from mutagenesis experiments were found to play an important role in the biological activity of NGF. These spacers were amino acids, natural or non-natural, differing in length (5–13 Å) and polarity. The peptides were synthesized via the Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis and purified by reversed-phase HPLC. Their primary sequences were analyzed by a combination of automated Edman degradation and mass spectrometry. The peptides were tested using two different biological assays, the fibre outgrowth from chick embryonic sympathetic ganglia and the PC 12 cell differentiation assay. Weak antagonistic effects could be observed for some peptides. © Munksgaard 1996.     

Dilemmas in sickness certification among Swedish physicians

Despite a growing concern for matters related to sick-leaveand its economical and human consequences, little Is still knownof the practice of sickness certification. To remedy this, astudy based on the critical incident technique was designedto explore dilemmas experienced by physicians when issuing sicknesscertificates. A questionnaire was distributed to 170 generalpractitioners (GPs), private physicians and psychiatrists inthe Swedish county of Ostergotland asking about sickness certificationdilemmas, the consequences of the dilemma and how the situationwas resolved. Through a semi-qualitative analysis, 2 main typesof dilemma were identified. Insurance-associated dilemmas werethe most frequent and concerned the grading of work incapacity,the duration of a sick-leave period and the difficulties ininterpreting the sickness insurance legislation. The focus onbiomedical diagnosis in the sickness certificate was found tocomplicate the certification routines, since working capacitymay be reduced even though a diagnosis has not been confirmed.The primary medical dilemmas consisted of difficulties relatedto encountered obstacles In the clinical management, e.g. insubjective medical history, diagnosis or patient compliance.It is concluded that the physicians' role in the insurance systemmakes it necessary to give the medical diagnosis a social interpretation.The development of standards for grading of work incapacityis needed as well as routines for closer cooperation betweenthe different actors in the sickness insurance system.     

Autoradiographic study of distribution patterns of metals which occur as corrosion products from dental restorations

Abstract – Radioactive chromium, cobalt, gold and mercury, all of which may occur as corrosion products from dental restorations, were injected in single doses via the tail vein of mice and an in vivo analysis of their distribution was performed using whole-body autoradiography. Gold seemed to be inert and went mainly to the liver and bones. The other elements studied were distributed widely in the body and remained for a long period of time in specific target organs and tissues.