Lipoxygenase products in inflammatory synovial fluids and other exudates.

Forty six synovial fluid samples from 42 patients with inflammatory joint disease were analysed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography to determine 5-lipoxygenase products, specifically dihydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (diHETEs). Twenty eight per cent of the fluids which were assayed had one or more products of 5-lipoxygenase activation. Seven fluids contained leukotriene B4 (0.

Cross-sectional imaging of liver transplantation.

Orthotopic liver transplantation is commonly performed at many institutions around the world. The care of these critically ill patients has heavily relied upon cross-sectional imaging. CT, MRI, and ultrasound help enormously in the preoperative assessment of these patients and in the postoperative management of the various complications.

Noninvasive liver imaging: new techniques and practical strategies.

The goals and expectations of liver imaging have expanded as the treatment options for a range of liver diseases have advanced. Unfortunately, no single modality can yet achieve all the goals that an ideal imaging modality should satisfy. Currently available liver imaging techniques should be considered complementary rather than competitive in their roles, and appropriate utilization of the expanding technical capabilities of cross-sectional imaging depends on many considerations, including patient factors, referring physician expectations and biases, experience and bias of the radiologist, and the availability of state-of-the-art technical capabilities for each modality.

Purine nucleosides and nucleotides stimulate proliferation of a wide range of cell types.

Presumptive astrocytes isolated from 10-day white Leghorn chick embryos, Factor VIII-positive human brain capillary endothelial cells, meningeal fibroblasts from 10-day chick embryos, Swiss mouse 3T3 cells, and human astrocytoma cell lines, SKMG-1 and U373, were rendered quiescent when placed in culture medium that contained 0 or 0.2% serum for 48 h; their proliferation was markedly reduced and they incorporated [3H]thymidine at a low rate. [3H]Thymidine incorporation and cell proliferation were induced in all types of cells by addition of guanosine, GMP, GDP, GTP, and to a lesser extent, adenosine, AMP, ADP or ATP to the culture medium.

Spiral CT of the pancreas.

Computed tomography (CT) is the modality of choice for evaluation of pancreatic disease. In this prospective study, images obtained with spiral CT, which enables examination of a region of the body in a single breath-hold, were compared with those obtained by means of dynamic CT with automatic table incrementation in two groups of 30 patients referred for suspected disease of the pancreas. In both groups, vascular opacification and anatomic detail were analyzed with a grading system (1 = poor, 2 = good, 3 = excellent).

Spiral CT of the thorax with reduced volume of contrast material: a comparative study.

The effectiveness of spiral computed tomography (CT) of the thorax performed with 60 mL of 60% contrast material was compared with that of conventional dynamic incremental CT performed with 120 mL of 60% contrast material. Fifty patients in whom contrast material-enhanced thoracic CT examination was necessary were assigned to undergo either spiral CT or dynamic incremental CT. Vascular opacification and mediastinal-lung image quality were graded independently by two observers.

Assessment of the thoracic aorta by spiral CT.

A recently developed technique, spiral CT, allows rapid data acquisition through an entire anatomic region during a single breath-hold. High-quality spiral CT scans of the thoracic region have been obtained with volumes of contrast material that are small relative to those used with conventional CT. This essay illustrates the diseases of the aorta as seen on spiral CT performed with low volumes of contrast material.

Spiral CT in evaluation of head and neck lesions: work in progress.

Spiral computed tomography (CT) was used in the evaluation of 21 patients with head and neck lesions. Scanning time ranged from 24 to 36 seconds, and high-quality diagnostic scans with excellent anatomic resolution and minimal motion artifact were produced. Vascular opacification was optimized with substantially less contrast medium than used in conventional studies.

Cytotoxicity of fatty acid oxygenase activation in rat basophilic leukemia cells.

Apart from the generation of potent inflammatory mediators, the effects of fatty acid oxygenase activation, per se, on the host cell have not been well-delineated. Fatty acid oxygenases were activated in rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-1) by incubating them for 2-4 hr with 33-300 microM of arachidonic acid (AA) or linoleic acid (LA). As a control, the cells were incubated with one of two analogs of these fatty acids which are not oxygenase substrates: eicosatetraynoic acid or linoelaidic acid.

In vivo activation of an omega-6 oxygenase in human skin.

To test the hypothesis that an epidermal fatty acid oxygenase is activated in vivo under physiologic conditions, surface lipids from normal human skin were analyzed for oxygenase products. With high-performance liquid chromatography on reversed-phase and straight-phase chiral columns and gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, these lipids were found to contain free 13-hydroxyoctadeca-9Z,11E-dienoic acid and 9-hydroxyoctadeca-10E,12Z-dienoic acid. The 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid was present as a stereoisomeric mixture, with an average S/R ratio of 2.

Stereospecificity of the hydroxyeicosatetraenoic and hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids produced by cultured bovine endothelial cells.

Characterization of the stereospecificity of the derivatives of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid produced by endothelial cells is needed to define the enzymatic origin of these compounds and their role in vascular physiology. In studies utilizing two bovine endothelial cell lines (CPAE and AG04762), both free 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) and 11-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (11-HETE) were generated during incubations with exogenous arachidonic acid and both free 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (9-HODE) and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) were generated during incubations with exogenous linoleic acid. Esterification of 15-HETE, 9-HODE and 13-HODE during these incubations was demonstrated.

Saturability of esterification pathways of major monohydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids in rat basophilic leukemia cells.

The principal monohydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), 5-, 12-, and 15-HETE, which can be produced by rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells, are also esterified by these cells. Exogenously added 5-, 12-, and 15-HETE were rapidly incorporated as esters in RBL cells, reaching plateau levels within 25 min. In incubations in culture medium with protein added, all three HETEs were essentially completely metabolized within 24 h.

Abdominal CT findings after liver transplantation in 66 patients.

CT scanning is used frequently to assess the condition of patients after liver transplantation. The CT records of 174 adult patients who underwent liver transplantation were studied retrospectively to determine the number and timing of CT studies as well as the frequency and significance of the findings. One-hundred seventy CT scans were obtained in 66 (38%) of the 174 patients, with a mean of 2.

Pulmonary nodule: evaluation with spiral volumetric CT.

Spiral volumetric computed tomography (CT) was used prospectively in 20 patients with a suspected solitary pulmonary nodule less than 1 cm in diameter on plain chest radiographs. Four additional nodules were detected with spiral CT than were detected with conventional CT. This technique required a 12-second breath hold; patient cooperation was excellent.

Stereospecificity of the products of the fatty acid oxygenases derived from psoriatic scales.

The principal in vivo oxygenase products of arachidonic acid and linoleic acid in psoriatic skin scales are 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (R/S ratio = 5.7), 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (S/R = 1.9), and 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (R/S = 2.

Haemophilus influenzae polyarthritis in an adult: an analysis of serotype b strains.

A 61-year-old man who presented with clinical features suggestive of septic arthritis was found to have acute septic polyarthritis due to Haemophilus influenzae (type b). The clinical and laboratory diagnoses of the case are presented, and the isolates of H. influenzae are characterized.

Cytomegalovirus in the brain: in vitro infection of human brain-derived cells.

Models for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) brain infection have been developed in a variety of brain-derived cells in which the factors governing virus infectivity might be studied in vitro. Studies were initiated with brain endothelial cells, the likely portal of entry for virus into the central nervous system. Primary explant cultures of brain endothelial cells, derived from homogenates of healthy human brain, supported complete viral gene expression and cytopathic effect (CPE).

The structural requirements for anti-cardiolipin antibody binding in sera from patients with syphilis and SLE.

In a search for specific binding patterns of anti-phospholipid (PL) antibody reactivity in sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a quantitative assay was used to compare binding curves with those from beef heart cardiolipin (CL) and the following CL analogues: diphosphatidyl propylene glycol (DPPG), which lacks the internal hydroxyl group on the glycerol moiety; acetyl CL (ACL), in which an acetyl group is substituted for the glycerol hydroxyl group; and dimethyl CL (DCL), in which a methyl group is positioned on each phosphate group. In syphilitic sera the plateau level of antibody binding was decreased by 15 and 41% with DPPG and ACL, respectively. Binding to DCL was dramatically suppressed to levels only slightly above baseline.

Characterization of the chirality of the monohydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids produced by rat basophilic leukemia cells.

Incubation of rat basophilic leukemia cells with exogenous arachidonic acid and permeabilizing concentrations of ethanol resulted in the production of 5-, 12-, and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids. With chiral phase high performance liquid chromatography, it was demonstrated that the 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid had strict (S) stereospecificity while contrary to expectation, the 12- and the 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids were non-racemic mixtures of the stereoisomers with the S/R ratios averaging 8.6 and 2.

Human cerebral endothelium: isolation and characterization of cells derived from microvessels of non-neoplastic and malignant glial tissue.

Human microvessels were isolated and cultured from non-neoplastic cerebral tissue specimens resected for the treatment of seizure disorders and from malignant glial tumors. After 1-2 weeks, cobblestone patterned plaques of cells were isolated and cultured from these microvessels. Cell lines positive for Factor VIII antigen and negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein were designated as endothelium.

Dental health status of mentally and physically handicapped children and adults in the Galway Community Care Area of the Western Health Board.

An epidemiological survey was carried out to assess the treatment needs on the mentally and physically handicapped in the Galway Community Care Area. The survey was conducted by both questionnaire and clinical examination. The results of the survey indicate that the pattern of dental caries for the mentally and physically handicapped children is similar to that for the rest of the child population in Ireland.

Free and esterified 13(R,S)-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids: principal oxygenase products in psoriatic skin scales.

Characterization of the chemical form and stereo-specificity of the fatty acid derivatives of arachidonic and linoleic acid in psoriatic epidermis is needed to define the enzymatic origin of these compounds and their possible role in pathogenesis. In an analysis of psoriatic skin scales, both free and esterified 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids were the principal fatty acid derivatives, present in mean concentrations of 115 and 17 ng/mg scales, respectively. The analysis included reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography of the free acid and of its methyl ester, gas chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the methyl ester derivatives, and chiral separation.

Dose-dependent inhibition of theophylline metabolism by disulfiram in recovering alcoholics.

The influence of disulfiram on theophylline metabolism was studied in 20 recovering alcoholics. Ten of the patients, who were selected at random, received 250 mg of disulfiram daily. The other 10 patients received 500 mg of disulfiram daily.

Unilateral absence of the external carotid artery.

We report a patient with absence of the external carotid artery. The major external branches originate from the internal carotid artery which is really a common arterial trunk. The embryology and clinical significance of this rare vascular anomaly are discussed.