Vascular endothelial cell killing by combinations of membrane-active agents and hydrogen peroxide.

Previous studies have demonstrated that a number of membrane-active agents are capable of binding to the surface of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) resulting in an augmentation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production in response to soluble stimuli. It is now demonstrated that these same membrane-active agents can bind to the surface of endothelial cells and enhance their susceptibility to killing by H2O2. Membrane-active agents which are capable of synergizing with H2O2 include cationic proteins, cationic poly-amino acids, lysophosphatides and enzymes which are capable of degrading membrane phospholipids (e.

Human B cell growth factor enhances proliferation and glial fibrillary acidic protein gene expression in rat astrocytes.

The proliferation and differentiation of astrocytes are fundamental events in the normal development and function of the central nervous system (CNS), and may also contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of neurological diseases. Products of T lymphocytes can stimulate proliferation of astrocytes, but the nature of the T lymphocyte-derived molecule(s) responsible for this response is unknown. The present study was undertaken to examine several well-characterized T lymphocyte-derived factors for their ability to stimulate cultured primary rat astrocytes.

High concentrations of neuropeptide Y in pituitary portal blood of rats.

Pituitary portal blood was collected from urethane-anesthetized rats and examined for the presence of neuropeptide Y (NPY) using high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. Other rats were perfused with fixative, and coronal sections through the hypothalamus and median eminence were processed for immunohistochemical localization of NPY. Combined high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay analysis of pituitary portal plasma and systemic plasma revealed a single peak of NPY immunoreactivity which corresponded in retention time to synthetic porcine NPY.

Beta-adrenergic control of atrial natriuretic factor secretion from dispersed rat atrial myocytes.

Adrenergic control of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) secretion was studied using perifused, dispersed atrial myocytes. ANF secretion was stimulated by as little as 1 nM epinephrine (EPI) or the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (ISO). The response to EPI was completely blocked by equimolar propranolol but not by phenoxybenzamine suggesting that, at least in this system, the adrenergic control of ANF secretion is mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors.

Provision of immunisation--the Gazankulu experience.

Following the outbreak of poliomyelitis in Gazankulu in 1982, the immunisation services in Gazankulu were thoroughly examined. As a result of this, a comprehensive immunisation policy for Gazankulu was accepted in November 1986. The broad aim of the policy is to provide effective immunisation to all Gazankulu residents against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles.

Atrial natriuretic factor in maternal and fetal sheep.

To determine atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) concentrations in the circulation and body fluids of adult pregnant sheep and their fetuses, pregnant ewes were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, and the fetuses were exteriorized for sampling. ANF concentration, as measured by radioimmunoassay, was 47 +/- 6 (SE) pg/ml in maternal plasma, which was significantly higher than the 15 +/- 3 pg/ml in maternal urine. In the fetus, plasma ANF concentration was 265 +/- 49 pg/ml, 5.

Comparative and non-comparative studies of the efficacy and tolerance of tioconazole cream 1% versus another imidazole and/or placebo in neonates and infants with candidal diaper rash and/or impetigo.

Eleven open multicentre studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of tioconazole cream 1% as a treatment for diaper rash with or without fungal (Candida) involvement, or impetigo in neonates and infants. In the dermal candidiasis/diaper rash group, 320 patients had either tioconazole (n = 220), a comparative imidazole (n = 43), or vehicle cream (n = 57) applied to the affected area twice daily. Twenty-one impetigo patients had only tioconazole cream 1% applied three times daily to lesions.

Worldwide study of cefoperazone susceptibility.

In vitro susceptibility to cefoperazone of more than one million clinical aerobic bacterial isolates was evaluated in 369 hospitals in Japan, the United States, Canada, France, Austria, and Hungary. Standard versions of the disk diffusion method were used according to interpretive criteria approved in the respective countries, and comparisons were made among the countries and among various body sites. Susceptibility of organisms varied little within most species among the countries.

Noncalcium-dependent modulation of in vitro atrial natriuretic factor release by extracellular osmolality.

Recent reports have described modulation of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) secretion by atrial stretch, increased Na+ concentration, and a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters. One problem in the study of ANF secretion has been the isolation of stimulatory effects from interference due to rhythmic myocardial contraction. To avoid this problem, rat atria were dispersed, the myocytes were suspended in a polyacrylamide gel matrix, and the resulting cell column was perifused with a physiological buffer.

Supersensitive endocrine response to physostigmine in dopamine-depleted rats: a model of depression?

Depressed patients exhibit an abnormal "supersensitive" increase in the plasma concentration of several pituitary hormones following intravenous injection of the acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (PHY). In the present study, we examined the effects of PHY treatments on the plasma concentrations of prolactin (PRL) and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in the rat. Physostigmine (0-0.

Oxytocin inhibits ACTH and peripheral catecholamine secretion in the urethane-anesthetized rat.

Oxytocin (OT) generally has a stimulatory effect on ACTH secretion both in vitro and in vivo. As part of a study of ACTH-releasing factors in hypophysial portal blood, the effects of i.v.