Vesicular pityriasis rosea: response to erythromycin treatment

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a relatively common disease although its aetiology has not yet been identified. It occurs worldwide and there is no racial susceptibility factor. It usually affects teenagers and young adults between 10 and 35 years of age. Typical PR is much easier to diagnose than the rare atypical forms. We report a rare case of vesicular PR in a black woman who had vesicular lesions limited to her palms and soles in addition to regular typical lesions. We devised an efficient oral erythromycin treatment for this patient.     

Elemental analysis using radioisotope excited X-ray fluorescence

The measurement of energies and intensities of fluorescent X-rays emitted from a given material when atoms are bombarded with suitable projectiles like electrons, protons, α-particles or protons has been successfully used for non-destructive elemental analysis. Use of radioisotopes as a source of exciting radiation in combination with high resolution semiconductor detectors in X-ray fluorescence has found wide applications in elemental analysis. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence is useful in multi-elemental analysis, and thus finds a wide variety of applications. A radioisotope excited X-ray fluorescence spectrometer consisting of a 30 mm² × 3 mm Si(Li) detector having a resolution of 200 eV at 5.9 keV coupled to a System 100 Canberra multichannel analyser has been used. A side source geometry using 20 mCi ¹⁰⁹Cd source together with PC AXIL software have been used for the study of environmental and geological samples in Botswana.     

环孢菌素A阻断人HL－60抗药性细胞于G_1期而诱导敏感细胞凋亡

进一步研究了抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞（ＨＲ２０）抗细胞凋亡的机制及该抗性和抗药性的关系。结果表明，环孢菌素Ａ（ＣｓＡ）２０，１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）诱导ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，而阻断ＨＲ２０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，就不能诱导细胞发生凋亡。低浓度的ＣｓＡ明显增加柔红霉素在ＨＲ２０细胞内的积聚，其逆转抗药性作用与阻断细胞周期运行无关。ＣｓＡ１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）处理ＨＲ２０细胞，可引起５０ｋＤａ的蛋白质高度磷酸化。结果提示：环孢菌素Ａ阻断抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，而诱导敏感的ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，其阻断作用与抗药性无关     

Effect of tryptophan on hepatic polyribosomal disaggregation due to hypertonic sodium chloride.

The effect of tryptophan on the disaggregation of hepatic polyribosomes and on the inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis in rats due to the administration of hypertonic NaCl solutions was studied. Overnight-fasted rats were given by stomach tube or intraperitoneally hypertonic (6.2 to 10.7 per cent) NaCl alone or with 30 mg. of L-tryptophan and were killed 30 minutes later. The hypertonic NaCl treated rats revealed marked hepatic polyribosomal disaggregation and inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis (in vitro incorporation of 14C-leucine into proteins). Rats that received tryptophan alone or in a complete amino acid mixture in addition to hypertonic NaCl revealed a marked improvement in the patterns of hepatic polyribosomes and an increase in in vitro hepatic protein synthesis over that in hypertonic NaCl treated rats. The incorporation of 14C-orotate in hepatic messenger RNA (peak appearing between the 4 S and 18 S RNA fractions) associated with hepatic polyribosomes was studied. Administration of hypertonic NaCl alone caused a decrease in incorporation into hepatic messenger RNA whereas administration of hypertonic NaCl plus tryptophan caused an increase in incorporation into hepatic messenger RNA. Thus, tryptophan appears to cause an increase in hepatic messenger RNA as well as to prevent to a great extent the hepatic polyribosomal disaggregation and the inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis due to hypertonic NaCl.     

Effect of tryptophan on hepatoma and host liver of rats: Influence after treatment with hypertonic sodium chloride and carbon tetrachloride

Female inbred Buffalo rats bearing intrahepatically transplanted hepatoma 5123 were subjected intraperitoneally to the acute administration of hypertonic NaCl or CCl₄ followed by a tube-feeding of l-tryptophan. The responses in terms of changes in polyribosomal aggregation and protein synthesis (in vitro) of host liver and hepatoma were evaluated. While treatment with hypertonic NaCl or CCl₄ caused disaggregation of polyribosomes and inhibition of protein synthesis in both host liver and hepatoma, the subsequent administration of tryptophan caused some improvement in both parameters in host liver but not in hepatoma. Administration of hypertonic NaCl alone caused a decrease in [¹⁴C]orotate incorporation into poly(A)-mRNA of host liver and hepatoma, whereas administration of tryptophan after hypertonic NaCl caused a significant improvement in host liver alone. Following the tryptophan administration, the activities of nuclear DNA-dependent RNA polymerases I and II, and of nuclear-envelope nucleoside triphosphatase, as well as labeled nuclear RNA release in vitro were slightly elevated in host liver but not in hepatoma. Tryptophan-related compounds, 5-hydroxy-dl-tryptophan, 5-fluorotryptophan, indole, and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, when administered in place of l-tryptophan, did not appreciably affect polyribosomal aggregation or protein synthesis in vitro in host liver or hepatoma.     

Needle biopsy of renal allografts: comparison of two techniques

Two techniques for renal allograft biopsy were retrospectively evaluated to compare relative safety and efficacy. After ultrasound (US) localization of the kidney and biopsy with a hand-held 14-gauge cutting needle, an adequate specimen was obtained in 74 of 77 cases (96%). Major complications occurred in six of these 77 cases (8%). One hundred four biopsies were performed by using a smaller 18-gauge cutting needle with a spring-loaded biopsy "gun" and real-time US guidance. With this newer technique, specimens adequate for diagnosis were obtained in 99 biopsies (95%). There was a single major complication with this technique (1%). The 18-gauge needle with real-time US guidance yields comparably adequate specimens with a lower frequency of complications.