Case reports Rhizopus brain abscess: report of a case and review of the literature.

The case of a 34-year-old intravenous drug abuser who survived brain abscess due to Rhizopus arrhizus is presented. The diagnosis was made by brain biopsy. Fungal brain abscess is a rare complication of IV drug abuse.

Endothelial injury induced by bacterial endotoxin: effect of complement depletion.

The role of complement activation in the pathogenesis of endothelial injury caused by bacterial endotoxin was investigated in the rat. DNA synthesis in aortic endothelium was compared 48 hours after an intravenous injection of endotoxin (50 - 500 mug) in normal rats and in rats depleted of haemolytic complement by purified cobra venom factor. At the time of endotoxin administration the rats treated with cobra venom factor had less than 3% of the normal haemolytic complement level, their fibrinogen level was increased and clot retraction was impaired.

Serotonin transport by cultured bovine aortic endothelium.

Endothelial cells isolated from bovine aortas without prior treatment with enzymes were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium containing 17% fetal calf serum and antibiotics. The endothelial cells at confluency (7 days) were similar to endothelium in situ or to freshly isolated endothelial cells from blood vessels as seen by light, scanning, and electron microscopy. Cultured and freshly isolated indothelial cells exposed to labeled serotonin, even in the presence of iproniazid (5 x 10-4M), took up approximately 125 and 250 pmoles 14C-serotonin/mg protein, respectively, in 3 hours.