Activation of protein kinase C by phorbol ester induces downregulation of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase in oocytes of Xenopus laevis.

Full-grown prophase-arrested oocytes of Xenopus laevis were treated with 50 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C, or with 50 nM 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4 alpha PDD) that does not activate protein kinase C. The effect on membrane currents and capacitance, inulin uptake and ouabain binding, and on membrane morphology were analyzed. (i) During application of PMA, current generated by the Na+/K+ pump decreases; in addition, Cl- and K+ channels become inhibited.

Electron beam therapy of primary tumors of the skin.

High energy electrons have, in comparison with 50-100 kV X rays, definitive advantages in treating large, thick or deeply infiltrating skin cancers. Moreover, a skillful therapeutic policy (fractionation, use of acrylic absorbers, shrinking field technique) often leads to excellent late results, with none or only insignificant side effects especially on bone and cartilage.

Asymmetric reconstitution of the erythrocyte anion transport system in vesicles of different curvature: implications for the shape of the band 3 protein.

The anion transport protein of the human erythrocyte membrane, band 3, was solubilized and purified in solutions of the non-ionic detergent nonaethylene glycol lauryl ether and then reconstituted in spherical egg phosphatidylcholine bilayers as described earlier (U. Scheuring, K. Kollewe, W.

Characterization and histochemical localization of the rat intestinal Na(+)-D-glucose cotransporter by monoclonal antibodies.

The localization of the Na(+)-D-glucose cotransporter in rat small intestine was investigated with four monoclonal antibodies which were raised against porcine renal brush-border membrane proteins. The antibodies alter high affinity phlorizin binding or Na+ gradient-dependent D-glucose uptake in kidney and intestine. In both organs, the antibodies react with polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 75,000 and 47,000.

Immunological characterization and localization of the Na+/Ca2(+)-exchanger in bovine retina.

The sodium/calcium exchanger was purified from bovine retinal rod outer segment membranes and used for the immunization of New Zealand White rabbits. A polyclonal antibody was produced which was found to bind specifically to the 230 kDa Na+/Ca2(+)-exchanger protein as assessed by Western blotting. The antibody did not bind to the high-molecular-weight "rim protein," thereby demonstrating that this protein is distinct from the rod outer segment of Na+/Ca2(+)-exchanger.

Flunarizine (10 and 20 mg) i.v. versus placebo in the treatment of acute migraine attacks: a multi-centre double-blind study.

In a multi-centre, randomized double-blind study, the effect and tolerance of 10 and 20 mg flunarizine i.v. versus placebo was tested on 102 migraineurs with acute migraine attacks with and/or without aura.

[The association of strabismus and aphakia in children].

The frequency and polarity of secondary strabismus was related retrospectively to the onset of deprivation in 131 children with mono- and bilateral aphakia after congenital cataract or perforating injury. The frequency was highest in patients up to 2 years of age at the onset of deprivation. From the 3rd year on, it declined to 50% or less.

[Human pharmacologic studies on transdermal administration of mepindolol. Pharmacodynamic and orienting pharmacokinetics].

The pharmacodynamic effects of acute and repeated application of a transdermal patch (BIO TSD) containing 20 mg of the beta-receptor blocking agent mepindolol were assessed in 13 normotensive male volunteers. Orienting measurements of mepindolol serum levels were performed additionally. At rest, the effects on blood pressure and heart rate were very limited.

Microtubules are involved in the secretion of proteins at the apical cell surface of the polarized epithelial cell, Madin-Darby canine kidney.

Microtubule-disrupting drugs (nocodazole, colchicine) and cytochalasin D, which inhibits the polymerization of the actin microfilaments, were used to study the role of the cytoskeleton in protein secretion in the polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells. Two proteins were analyzed. The gp 80 glycoprotein complex, which in untreated cells is sorted into the apical pathway and lysozyme, which is released randomly at both cell surfaces in transfected MDCK cells.

Electron microscopic immunohistochemical localization of components of Na+-cotransporters along the rat nephron.

The localization of Na+-cotransport proteins in cortex and outer medulla of rat kidney was investigated with five monoclonal antibodies. Recently, it was found that these antibodies altered Na+-D-glucose cotransport and/or Na+-dependent high affinity phlorizin binding in pig kidney cortex and that three of these antibodies interacted also with Na+-cotransporters for lactate, L-alanine and/or L-glutamate (Koepsell, H., K.

Isolation of rat liver endocytic vesicles using the proton pump as a marker.

ATP-driven acidification visualized by the delta pH indicator acridine orange was used as marker for isolation of endocytic vesicles from rat liver. By differential and Percoll density gradient centrifugation, a vesicle fraction was obtained with an approx. 80-fold enriched H+-pump activity.

Does sphingomyelin inhibit the erythrocyte anion transport system?

The anion transport protein of the human erythrocyte membrane, band 3, was incorporated into unilamellar sphingomyelin vesicles. The vesicles showed a rapid sulfate efflux which could be inhibited by specific inhibitors of the erythrocyte anion transport system. All band 3 molecules contributing to the inhibitor-sensitive flux component were arranged 'right-side-out'.

The turnover number for band 3-mediated sulfate transport in phosphatidylcholine bilayers.

The anion transport system of the human erythrocyte membrane was reconstituted in unilamellar phosphatidylcholine vesicles, and a vesicle subpopulation of a narrow size distribution was isolated from the sample by gel filtration. In this subpopulation, the turnover number of the transport protein (the band 3 protein) for sulfate transport was determined. It was found that, in the reconstituted system, the protein transports sulfate 5-10 times faster than in the human erythrocyte membrane.

[Diplopia, enophthalmos and motility disorders in isolated orbital floor fractures].

In cases of pure blow-out fracture with unequivocal clinical symptoms (limitation of movement of the globe, dislocation and/or enophthalmos) and confirmed X-ray findings, early surgery is the treatment of choice. In cases where the clinical findings are less pronounced, a "wait-and-see" policy, keeping the patient under observation, seems appropriate for the sake of avoiding surgical trauma. Coronal computerized tomography offers advantages in cases where the diagnosis is questionable.

[Mammography after breast-preserving therapy of breast cancer].

Follow-up after tumorectomy and intensive irradiation for carcinoma of the breast creates new diagnostic problems. In particular, more experience is necessary about the value of mammography. We have therefore analysed the mammograms of 104 patients intensively followed over one to eight years after primary treatment.

Reconstitution of the erythrocyte anion transport system: recent progress.

The anion transport system of the human erythrocyte membrane was reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine vesicles by a new procedure. The reconstituted system shows all major properties of the sulfate transport system found in the erythrocyte membrane (Scheuring, U., K.

A new method for the reconstitution of the anion transport system of the human erythrocyte membrane.

The anion transport protein of the human erythrocyte membrane, band 3, was solubilized and purified in solutions of the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100. It was incorporated into spherical lipid bilayers by the following procedure: Dry phosphatidylcholine was suspended in the protein solution. Octylglucopyranoside was added until the milky suspension became clear.

ATP-dependent H+ pump in membrane vesicles from rat kidney cortex.

The presence of membrane vesicles containing an ATP-driven H+ pump was demonstrated in rat kidney cortex homogenate using the delta pH-sensitive dye acridine orange (AO). These vesicles were purified by differential and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. ATP-driven H+ uptake was about 20-fold enriched compared with the homogenate.

[Postoperative microstrabismus: performance accuracy in spatial depth].

Thirty-six patients with postoperative microstrabismus (24 of them without or with only a slight amblyopia, 12 with severe unilateral amblyopia) and three control groups (normal binocular, long-term monocular, and inexperienced monocular subjects) were tested by their ability to hit 14 vertical sticks set in varied positions in a rectangular board, without any time limit during the first test and with time limits in the second and third tests. The evaluation shows that all 36 patients achieved considerably better results than any of the monocular subjects, but did not score as highly as normal binocular persons.

Electrogenic calcium transport in plasma membrane of rat pancreatic acinar cells.

ATP-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake was investigated in purified plasma membranes from rat pancreatic acinar cells. Plasma membranes were purified by four subsequent precipitations with MgCl2 and characterized by marker enzyme distribution. When compared to the total homogenate, typical marker enzymes for the plasma membrane, (Na+,K+)-ATPase, basal adenylate cyclase and CCK-OP-stimulated adenylate cyclase were enriched by 43-fold, 44-fold, and 45-fold, respectively.

Na+/Ca2+ countertransport in plasma membrane of rat pancreatic acinar cells.

The presence of a coupled Na+/Ca2+ exchange system has been demonstrated in plasma membrane vesicles from rat pancreatic acinar cells. Na+/Ca2+ exchange was investigated by measuring 45Ca2+ uptake and 45Ca2+ efflux in the presence of sodium gradients and at different electrical potential differences across the membrane (= delta phi) in the presence of sodium. Plasma membranes were prepared by a MgCl2 precipitation method and characterized by marker enzyme distribution.