Production of a factor by cultured human heart valves that is immunologically related to interleukin 1.

Analysis of the conditioned medium from cultured human heart valves showed that these tissues secrete a biologically active factor that induces chondrocytes in cultured cartilage to degrade extracellular matrix proteoglycan. This activity was similar to that described for porcine interleukin-1 (catabolin) and a cytokine secreted by cultured porcine heart valves (cardiac catabolic factor). The biological activity of the material in human valve conditioned medium was unaffected by the presence of low doses of cortisol, but its production by cultured valves was impaired by this steroid or benoxaprofen and abolished by cycloheximide.

T cell and OKM1-positive monocyte populations in the intestinal lamina propria mucosae and in the peripheral venous blood in Crohn's disease.

Nineteen patients with Crohn's disease were examined prior to operation. Peripherally circulating mononuclear cells were examined for the presence of the cell surface markers recognized by monoclonal antibodies OKT3, OKT4, OKT8 and OKM1. After surgical treatment samples of the mucosal lesions were obtained from the resected bowel segments of these patients.

Extensive surgical excision of large hemispheric "malignant" astrocytoma in a 6-week-old infant.

A massive hemispheric "high"-grade astrocytoma, diagnosed in a 6-week-old infant, was totally excised by means of two craniotomies. The child is still alive and well with minimal neurological dysfunction 1.5 years after operation.

Peroxidative metabolism of a carcinogen, N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide, by rat uterus and mammary gland in vitro.

Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed metabolism of N-hydroxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide (N-OH-2-FAA) may be via one-electron oxidation to nitroxyl free radical which dismutates to equimolar N-acetoxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide and 2-nitrosofluorene (2-NOF) and/or a Br(-)-dependent oxidative cleavage to 2-NOF. Hence, the 2-NOF:N-acetoxy-N-2-fluorenylacetamide ratios reflect the relative contributions of the two peroxidative pathways to the metabolism of N-OH-2-FAA. Peroxidative activities of rat uterus (UT) and mammary gland (MG) were extracted with a cationic detergent, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (Cetab).

Hospital materials managers as merchants.

The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) provides a number of special rules which apply to merchants. Some apply "between merchants" and others use the terminology "as against a merchant". It is important that hospital materials managers understand these rules as they apply to their operations.

Initiation of simian virus 40 DNA replication in vitro: aphidicolin causes accumulation of early-replicating intermediates and allows determination of the initial direction of DNA synthesis.

Aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, provided a novel method for distinguishing between initiation of DNA synthesis at the simian virus 40 (SV40) origin of replication (ori) and continuation of replication beyond ori. In the presence of sufficient aphidicolin to inhibit total DNA synthesis by 50%, initiation of DNA replication in SV40 chromosomes or ori-containing plasmids continued in vitro, whereas DNA synthesis in the bulk of SV40 replicative intermediate DNA (RI) that had initiated replication in vivo was rapidly inhibited. This resulted in accumulation of early RI in which most nascent DNA was localized within a 600- to 700-base-pair region centered at ori.

Lysosomal changes during thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in rabbits.

By use of a combined morphologic, immunocytochemical, and biochemical approach, this study demonstrates the changes in the lysosomal vacuolar apparatus that accompany thyroxine-induced cardiac hypertrophy. During the 1st wk of thyroxine administration, immunocytochemical studies revealed a decline in cathepsin D within many myocytes, but an increase within interstitial cells. These events transpired with only a modest rise in cathepsin D activity.

Cardiac protein synthesis and degradation during thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy.

Assessment of cardiac protein metabolism in thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy requires measurements of both protein synthesis and degradation. In vivo protein degradative rates can best be measured as the difference between rates of protein synthesis and growth. Accordingly, rates of left ventricular protein accumulation were determined in growing rabbits, and in animals administered intravenous L-thyroxine (200 micrograms X kg-1 X day-1) for up to 15 days.

Private brand labels of hospital associations and purchasing groups.

Some hospital associations and purchasing groups are negotiating contracts with the manufacturers of basic, large volume surgical, housekeeping, and maintenance supplies which permit the associations to package the products under their own label. This apparently gains some cost advantages as well as group recognition. Dr.

Porcine heart valves produce a protein that induces cell-mediated connective tissue degradation: II. Biochemical properties of the partially purified protein.

A cardiac catabolic factor (CCF) has been partially purified from serum-free medium conditioned by minced porcine heart valves. CCF was prepared by a series of chromatographic techniques and compared directly with porcine synovial catabolin purified by the same protocol. CCF displayed a somewhat higher molecular weight (Mr 21,000) and isoelectric point (pI 5.

Porcine heart valves produce a protein that induces cell-mediated connective tissue degradation: I. Biological properties.

Cultured porcine heart valves secrete a factor that induces cells to degrade their extracellular matrix. This activity was routinely monitored by measuring the release of glycosaminoglycans from proteoglycan in cultured bovine nasal cartilage. It was observed that factor-mediated matrix degradation was dose dependent and required live target cells, while factor production by valves was inhibited by cycloheximide and declined with reduced cell viability.

Warranty liability of the hospital for goods used during surgery.

A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Alabama goes a long way toward applying the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) rules on warranty liability to a hospital for materials and goods used during surgical operations. Because of its potential impact upon hospitals, materials managers must understand this decision so that steps can be taken in buying and handling items to reduce the hospital's potential liability.

Influence of agents that alter lysosomal function on fetal mouse hearts recovering from anoxia and substrate depletion.

Recovery of fetal mouse heart myocytes from oxygen and substrate deprivation for 1 h is accompanied by complicated lysosomal and non-lysosomal vacuolar responses which can be subdivided temporally into four distinct phases that include production of lysosomal dense bodies; segregation of damaged subcellular organelles into vacuoles that initially lack lysosomal enzymes; delivery of lysosomal enzymes to these vacuoles through fusion with dense bodies, transforming them into lysosomal autophagic vacuoles and degradation of the sequestered organelles. These events are normally completed within 6 h of the resupply of oxygen and substrate. The progression of these events is influenced significantly by pharmacological interventions that alter lysosomal properties.

Lysosomal responses of fetal mouse hearts recovering from anoxia and substrate depletion.

Recovery from a 1 h period of anoxia and substrate deprivation is accompanied by a marked lysosomal response in myocytes of fetal mouse hearts maintained in organ culture. Two classes of subcellular vacuoles form within 5 to 15 min of recovery. One appears to provide lysosomal enzymes for degradation of subcellular particles, while the other segregates organelles within the cytoplasm of the injured myocyte.

Performance evaluation of the Abbott HTLV III EIA, a test for antibody to HTLV III in donor blood.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA), designed to detect antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV III), was evaluated. The antibody test was found to be highly sensitive; serum from 221 of 223 (99.1%) patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was positive for antibodies to HTLV III.

When hospitals contract-out their services: collection problems.

As a result of having excess personnel and operating plant capacity due to reduced bed census, some hospitals are contracting-out their services to other businesses. Some non-profit hospitals are apparently forming another corporation or other type of business entity to handle these activities in an effort to preserve their non-profit status. Some of the activities mentioned are cleaning and housekeeping, window washing, central procurement, printing, catering, parking lot operation and maintenance, and incineration of waste products.

The predictive role of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity testing in postoperative complications.

Ten parameters, including delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity testing (DCH), were evaluated with regard to their predictive value in instances of postoperative septic complications. In 302 patients undergoing surgical treatment, 45 complications, including wound infection, abscess, pneumonia and sepsis, were seen postoperatively in 42 patients. When these patients were compared with 260 patients without complications, hemoglobin, leukocyte count, serum albumin, total protein, blood sedimentation rate, age and sex were found not to contribute to the prediction of postoperative complications.

Clinical significance of concurrent hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody positivity.

Over a period of 30 months, 64 patients with concurrently positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs) were identified at two institutions. When all assays were considered, 23.9% of HBsAg-positive individuals exhibited anti-HBs.

Hominoid triosephosphate isomerase: characterization of the major cell proliferation specific isozyme.

Proliferating cells derived from hominoid species contain electrophoretically separable forms of triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), including a constitutive isozyme and major and minor cell proliferation specific isozymes. Genetic studies have shown that the constitutive and inducible isozymes are products of the same structural gene. A procedure has been developed for the rapid isolation of the constitutive and major proliferation specific TPI isozymes from human lymphoblastoid B cells.

[Acute rectus sheath hematoma (differential diagnosis of acute abdomen)].

The rectus sheath hematoma is a generally rare disease, however the frequency of occurrence has increased with introduction of anticoagulant therapy. It almost always mimics the symptoms of acute abdomen. In 7 out of 14 cases, which we observed, an anticoagulant therapy was administered.

Protection against obsolescence.

Is there any legal recourse against a manufacturer of medical equipment who declares a product "obsolete" and discontinues repair service, support services, and providing spare parts? Is there something implied in a written contract for such equipment that the manufacturer will provide repair service and spare parts for a number of years before the equipment is declared to be "obsolete"?

Limited proteolysis of rabbit cardiac procathepsin D in a cell-free system.

Rabbit cardiac cathepsin D is initially synthesized as an inactive, apparent molecular weight (Mr) 53,000, pI 6.6 precursor (procathepsin D) that is proteolytically processed during intracellular transport to produce the Mr 48,000 isoforms of active cathepsin D found in cardiac lysosomes. To examine potential proteases responsible for intracellular proteolytic processing, biosynthetically labeled procathepsin D was isolated from rabbit ventricular tissue perfused for 30 min with [35S]methionine.