Determination of galactosyl hydroxylysine in urine as a means for the identification of osteoporotic women.

A sensitive and specific method is proposed to follow bone collagen degradation. The procedure consists of the measurement of galactosyl hydroxylysine (GH) in urine by HPLC. The aim of the work is to assess the predictive values of the method for the identification of post-menopausal osteoporotic women.

Safety and efficacy of a streptomycin dependent live Pasteurella multocida vaccine in rabbits.

The safety of and protection provided by a streptomycin dependent live Pasteurella multocida (serotype 12:A) vaccine was evaluated in New Zealand white rabbits. The vaccine strain was isolated from two of twelve rabbits 24 hours after intranasal administration. Streptomycin independent P.

[Body weight, food habits and physical activity in the Swiss population: the project MONICA].

Within the framework of the first risk factor survey among the two reporting units of MONICA-Switzerland (cantons of Vaud and Fribourg; canton of Tessin), body mass index (BMI) was also analysed. One in four adults (25-74 years) presents with overweight, this proportion being even 1 in 3 among males of the canton of Tessin. However, this health risk can probably be changed, as every third female and every fifth male indicated to have modified their nutritional habits in a more healthy sense within the last 12 months preceeding the survey.

[Cholesterol, arterial pressure and cigarette smoking in the Swiss population: the MONICA project].

Elevated plasma cholesterol, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking are three major risk factors for coronary heart disease. Within the framework of Switzerland's participation in the multicenter study MONICA (MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease), proposed by the WHO, a first risk factor survey was conducted in a representative sample of the population (25-74 years) of two reporting units (cantons of Vaud and Fribourg, canton of Tessin). A high blood cholesterol level (greater than 6,7 mmol/l) is the most common risk factor for coronary heart disease among the studied population.

Development of enzymes of glycerol metabolism in human fetal liver.

The activities of three key enzymes of glycerol metabolism were measured in liver samples from 37 human fetuses ranging in gestational age from 18 weeks to term, from neonates (1-3 days) and from infants to 2 years. Glycerol kinase specific activity was constant throughout the period of fetal development examined, and was comparable to that measured in neonates and infants. However, the subcellular distribution of the activity changed markedly, being predominantly particulate in fetal samples and cytoplasmic in postnatal samples.

Biochemical and immunohistochemical evidence that in cartilage an alkaline phosphatase is a Ca2+-binding glycoprotein.

A glycoprotein that exhibits alkaline phosphatase activity and binds Ca2+ with high affinity has been extracted and purified from cartilage matrix vesicles by fast protein liquid chromatography. Antibodies against this glycoprotein were used to analyze its distribution in chondrocytes and in the matrix of calcifying cartilage. Under the light microscope, using immunoperoxidase or immunofluorescence techniques, the glycoprotein is localized in chondrocytes of the resting zone.

Carrier-mediated transport of thyroid hormone into rat hepatocytes is rate-limiting in total cellular uptake and metabolism.

We investigated if carrier-mediated transport into rat hepatocytes is rate-limiting in total cellular uptake and metabolism of thyroid hormone. Rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture were incubated under equilibrium conditions with tracer T4, T3 or rT3 in the absence or presence of inhibitors of thyroid hormone uptake, i.e.

Biochemical characterization of the epithelial basement membrane antigen defined by the monoclonal antibody KF-1.

The KF-1 monoclonal antibody has been shown to identify a noncollageneous component of the lamina densa of the basement membrane zone of human skin. In the present work, the monoclonal antibody and the antigen were further characterized. KF-1 monoclonal antibody is an IgG3 immunoglobulin with no binding to staphylococcal protein A.

Incomplete epidermal differentiation of A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells.

A431 malignant keratinocytes, although derived from a muco-cutaneous carcinoma of the vulva, fail to achieve terminal epidermal differentiation in culture as shown by their inability to form cornified envelopes. Even after culture in a serum-free medium (MCDB 153) containing no retinoic acid and a high (10(-3) M) calcium concentration (conditions known to facilitate epidermal differentiation), the cells do not become competent as shown by the fact that subsequent treatment with a calcium ionophore is unable to provoke the formation of cornified envelopes. Nevertheless, A431 cells are able to synthesize the envelope precursor involucrin.

Transformation of human keratinocytes by SV40 virus alters their response to the tumor promoter TPA.

Recently, we have shown that transformation of human keratinocytes by SV40 virus induces the re-expression of characters found in fetal epidermis and monostratified epithelia. In the present study, TPA was found to alter some features of the human keratinocyte phenotype in a similar manner to SV40 transformation. Indeed, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate (TPA) treatment induced the expression of cytokeratin no.

A possible role for polyamines in cartilage in the mechanism of calcification.

The role of polyamines in cartilage is not known: they may be somehow related to the mechanism of calcification. In epiphyseal cartilage from calf scapulas, they are more concentrated in the ossifying area, where calcification takes place, than in the resting region. Spermidine is present in greater amounts than spermine and putrescine.

Precocious appearance of involucrin and epidermal transglutaminase during differentiation of psoriatic skin.

We compared the distribution in psoriatic skin of three different markers usually found in the stratum granulosum of normal skin. Using dansylcadaverine, we demonstrate that epidermal transglutaminase activity can be detected in most of the suprabasal layers of involved psoriatic skin and that the epidermal transglutaminase activity closely matches involucrin distribution. The glycoprotein GP37 was not detected in involved psoriatic skin of stable lesions.

Human epidermis reconstructed by culture: is it "normal"?

Human keratinocytes were grown on a dermal equivalent (or lattice) at the liquid-air interface in an attempt to reconstitute a functional epidermis in vitro. Although the multilayered epithelium thus obtained is well differentiated, as shown by the presence of keratohyaline granules and horny layer, several differences from its in vivo counterpart were also observed: In the reconstructed epidermis, basal keratinocytes do not have the cuboidal shape found in vivo; they synthesize bullous pemphigoid antigen and laminin, but the distribution of these antigens is not linear as in vivo; they contain the plasma-membrane antigens restricted to the basal layer in vivo (VM1, BC1), but these antigens are not polarized; lack of polarization is also evidenced by the distribution of actin. Differentiation markers appear but with a topography slightly different from that of epidermis in vivo; the 67-kD keratin does not appear in the first suprabasal layer as in vivo but above; involucrin, which appears in the granular layers in vivo appears as soon as the cells leave the basal layer.

Differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro: a new culture vessel mimicking the in vivo situation.

A culture vessel consisting of two independent chambers separated only by the growth substrate is described. Cells may be cultured on both sides of the growth substrate. Culture medium and gas exposure can independently be controlled in both compartments.

Influence of dose and sex on the disposition and hepatic effects of cinnamyl anthranilate in the B6C3F1 mouse.

Cinnamyl anthranilate is a synthetic food flavouring and fragrance agent, formerly used at very low levels. There is currently some concern over the potential risk to man from its use, since it has been found to cause liver tumours in mice, following the administration of very large doses. This paper reports studies of its disposition and hepatic effects in B6C3F1 mice in relation to dose.

Abnormal maturation pathway of keratinocytes in psoriatic skin.

We compared the maturation pathway of normal and psoriatic epidermis using three different markers: (1) Involucrin, which is normally detected in the stratum granulosum in normal skin, was detected in all but the basal layer of involved psoriatic skin; (2) an antigen, recognized by the murine monoclonal antibody psi 3, was present in all but the basal layer of involved psoriatic skin but was absent from uninvolved and normal skin; (3) fibronectin, which normally localizes in the dermis and the epidermal-dermal junction, was also detected intra- and extracellularly in the psoriatic epidermis. These results indicate that the alterations in keratinocyte maturation found in psoriasis do not arise from a truncation of the normal maturation pathway but rather reflect the onset of an abnormal pathway of differentiation characterized by the expression of psi 3 antigen and fibronectin and the premature appearance of involucrin.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin G antibody to Pasteurella multocida in rabbits.

Three antigen preparations of Pasteurella multocida, lipopolysaccharide antigen, boiled-cell extract antigen, and boiled whole-bacterium antigen, were used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect rabbit immunoglobulin G antibody to P. multocida. The sensitivity of each antigen preparation was compared by using sera from P.

Reexpression of fetal characters in simian virus 40-transformed human keratinocytes.

Normal human keratinocytes are able to stratify, form cornified squames, and terminally differentiate in tissue culture. These properties are frequently impaired by malignant transformation. In the present paper, we show that, in addition, transformation by SV40 results in the coordinate reexpression of a whole set of fetal characters.

Stellate fibrin-fibronectin microclot formation from keratinocytes and fibroblasts stimulated by plasma from patients with psoriasis.

Plasma from patients with active psoriasis has been shown to induce the formation of stellate fibrin-fibronectin microclots in vitro around cultured keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Such a stellate radiation of fibronectin and fibrin was also demonstrated around monocytes from patients with psoriasis. The phenomenon was not observed in healthy subjects but has been found in various disorders.

Cyanide intoxication among silver-reclaiming workers.

Thirty-six former workers in a silver-reclaiming facility who had been exposed over a long-term to excessive levels of cyanide were studied to determine acute and residual toxic reactions. The study involved physical examinations, laboratory studies, and a questionnaire to determine levels of exposure, symptoms during employment, and current symptoms. Questionnaire data showed that during the time of active employment there was a high prevalence of symptoms that are consistent with acute cyanide toxic reactions.

Growth and differentiation of human keratinocytes cultured on eye lens capsules.

The efficiency of the outgrowth of human epidermal and hair-follicle-sheath keratinocytes was studied using three different growth substrates: plastic, type-I collagen and bovine eye lens capsules (the Epicult system). It was shown that the eye lens capsule is the best substrate, since a higher percentage of cultures showed outgrowth, and the outgrowth of epidermal keratinocytes was much more rapid. This effect is related to the faster migration (not proliferation) of cells grown on lens capsules as compared to the two other substrates.