Severe precocious emphysema in intravenous methylphenidate (Ritalin) abusers.

Intravenous (IV) drug abuse is known to cause pulmonary tale granulomatosis. Reports have documented a syndrome of pulmonary vascular sclerosis in long-term IV methylphenidate users. Although this would be expected to produce restrictive lung disease, we hereby report six patients who have severe obstructive lung disease.

Use of monoclonal antibodies for the differential detection of Trypanosoma cruzi and T. rangeli in epidemiological studies and xenodiagnosis.

T. cruzi and T. rangeli have the same insect and mammalian hosts, including man, and in addition share approximately half the antigenic determinants recognised by the humoral response.

Expression of functional interleukin 2 receptors on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia B lymphocytes is modulated by recombinant interleukin 2.

In 16 of 18 chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients examined, a significant proportion of B cells in the leukaemic clone bound monoclonal antibodies specific for the interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor site (CD25). B lymphocytes from patients tested showed a direct response to recombinant interleukin (rIL-2) during culture in vitro as shown by: (a) a ligand-mediated upregulation in the level of IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression (12 of 12 patients), (b) an increase in cell size (eight of nine patients), (c) an increase in 3H-thymidine uptake (four of six patients). Taken together, this evidence suggests that the majority of leukaemic B cells from all the CLL patients examined expressed functional IL-2 receptors in vitro.

Direct effect of interleukin 2 on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia B cell functions and morphology.

The functional and morphological changes induced by recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) were studied in purified B cells from patients with untreated B chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL). In eight of nine patients, purified B-CLL cells increased their DNA synthesis in response to IL-2 without preactivation in vitro. This response, studied in detail in three patients, was dose dependent and reached a maximum on day 5 or 6.

Analysis and isolation of leukaemic and residual normal B lymphocyte populations from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Two colour fluorescent staining using anti-Leu-1 and anti-B1 monoclonal antibodies has been combined with continuous flow microfluorimetry to analyse and isolate the T and B cell populations in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) patients. In Rai stage 0 patients two distinct B1 positive populations were detected and sorted; one was Leu-1- and the other Leu-1+. Analysis of the isolated populations showed that the former (Leu-1- B1+) represented the residual normal B cells, whereas the latter represented monoclonal CLL B cells.

Clinical Trypanosoma rangeli infection as a complication of Chagas' disease.

Laboratory studies on a group of 20 patients from the Rio Negro Valley, Colombia selected for detailed study showed that 14 gave antibody reactions on immunoassay consistent with Trypanosoma cruzi or T. rangeli infections. Four were diagnosed as having T.

Comparison of inhaled albuterol powder and aerosol in asthma.

In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind study comparing the efficacy and safety of aerosolized albuterol with the dry powder formulation, 231 patients with chronic reversible obstructive airway disease were randomly allocated to receive either placebo albuterol aerosol followed immediately by active albuterol powder (200 micrograms) or active albuterol aerosol (two puffs, 180 micrograms) followed immediately by placebo lactose powder four times a day for a period of 12 weeks. No statistically significant differences were found between the powder and aerosol formulations with respect to pulmonary function, length of time mean FEV1 remained greater than or equal to 15% above baseline, physicians' assessments of patients' clinical response, or patients' subjective symptom scores. There were also no significant differences between treatment groups in cardiovascular effects, laboratory values, or adverse events.

Investigation of variation in phenotype and DNA content between single-conidium isolates of single Penicillium strains.

Variation in phenotypic properties was examined in three strains of closely related fasciculate species of Penicillium using 114 morphological, physiological, and biochemical characters. Thirty-six of these characters showed variation within single-conidium isolates of the same strain. Conidial sizes and nuclear DNA contents were compared using flow microfluorimetry; these results suggested that significant differences in conidial DNA content are associated with phenotypic variation.

The pleural manifestations of asbestos exposure.

Pleural abnormalities are the most common disease manifestations of asbestos exposure and have both clinical and epidemiologic implications. Benign pleural processes include pleural thickening, which can be discrete (plaques) or diffuse, rounded atelectasis (pseudotumor), and benign exudative asbestos effusions. Asbestos is the most significant cause of diffuse malignant mesothelioma.

A three-step purification procedure for protein kinase C: characterization of the purified enzyme.

An efficient high yield three-step purification procedure for protein kinase C consisting of ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and substrate affinity chromatographies is described. Protein which appears homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis contains amino acid sequences, predicted from cDNA cloning, for both the alpha and beta isoenzyme forms of the bovine brain enzyme. Both forms appear active as indicated by [3H]phorbol dibutyrate binding stoichiometry of approximately 1.

Aberrant splicing of proteolipid protein mRNA in the dysmyelinating jimpy mutant mouse.

cDNA clones encoding proteolipid protein (PLP) were isolated from a mouse brain library and sequenced. We describe two transcripts arising from the PLP locus by alternative splicing: the major one encodes the 277-amino acid PLP protein and the minor one corresponds to the DM-20 protein, a PLP-like protein of 20,000 Mr that shares both amino and carboxyl regions with PLP. These two transcripts lack approximately 70 bases in PLP mRNA from the dysmyelinating jimpy mutant.

Effect of positive end-expiratory pressure on right and left ventricular function in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

The predominant mechanism of the cardiac output reduction associated with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is unclear. Reported possibilities include decreased systemic venous return, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, or change in ventricular contractility. We investigated this question by studying 9 patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during PEEP application.

Canine unilateral lung transplantation: effect of ciclosporin A on the frequency of donor-lytic lymphocytes.

Limiting dilution analysis showed that the frequency of precursor donor-lytic cytolytic lymphocytes increased dramatically within the leucocyte population recovered by broncho-alveolar lavage in dogs after unilateral lung transplantation. The increases for animals experiencing acute pulmonary rejection (11.5-24.

Myelin-specific proteolipid protein is expressed in myelinating Schwann cells but is not incorporated into myelin sheaths.

Contrary to widely held beliefs, the gene encoding proteolipid protein (PLP), the major structural protein of central nervous system myelin, is expressed in Schwann cells and their tumors. Proteolipid mRNA was identified in human acoustic neuromas and in rat and rabbit sciatic nerves using a human PLP cDNA as a probe. Proteolipid protein itself was shown to be present in human and rat sciatic nerve Schwann cells by immunofluorescence microscopy and by Western blot analysis using antisera raised to a synthetic PLP polypeptide.

Cost and outcome of care for patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Analysis by physician specialty.

We studied the effect of physician specialization and board certification on costs and outcome of health care for a group of 213 patients with chronic lung disease followed prospectively for a year. Linear, semilogarithmic, and logistic regressions were used to control for differences in pulmonary function, functional ability, and sociodemographic characteristics. The cost of health services during the year was estimated from the total charges incurred.

Recombination within the myelin basic protein gene created the dysmyelinating shiverer mouse mutation.

Shiverer (shi) is an autosomal recessive mutation in the mouse characterized by an almost total lack of central nervous system myelin. While small amounts of other myelin components are present in the brain of the shi mouse, the four forms of myelin basic protein (MBP) are not detectable. Previous investigations by us and others indicate that the MBP gene has undergone a major rearrangement in the shi mutant.

Percutaneous transtracheal ventilation and morphometric measurements of cervical structures in swine.

Fifteen swine cadavers were examined to determine a quick, reliable means of locating the level of the cricothyroid ligament from consistently palpable structures in the head and neck area. From calculations of measurements made on these cadavers, it was discovered that when a 21-43 kg pig was placed in a standard position, the measured length (L) from the angle of the mandible to the manubrium sterni multiplied by a factor of 0.48 equals the parameter Z [L (0.