Comparative study of tear substitutes and their immediate effect on the precorneal tear film.

Dry eye patients present with instability of the precorneal tear film which breaks up much earlier than normally. The instability of the precorneal tear film leads to dry eye symptoms such as the sensation of sand in the eye, recurrent blurred vision, itching, smartness, and the sensation of dryness. The stability of the precorneal tear film can be evaluated by the break-up-time test (BUT).

Repair of fascia with polyglycolic acid mesh cultured with fibroblasts--experimental study.

In the present study polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh was used for repair of fascial defects experimentally made in rats. In the experimental group fibroblasts were cultured on the mesh before implantation and in the control group the mesh alone was used. Rats were sacrificed 7, 14, 28 and 60 days after the implantation of the mesh.

Oral bromhexine has no effect on tear and lysosyme secretion in healthy subjects.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether bromhexine (Solvex) affects the rate of tear secretion or the concentration of lysosyme in the tear fluid in healthy subjects. The rate of tear secretion and lysosyme concentration in tear fluid were estimated in 56 healthy volunteers before and after 3 weeks of oral administration of placebo (tablets of vitamin C, 200 mg per day) followed by bromhexine tablets, 32 mg per day. Shirmer's test I was performed to evaluate the tear secretion, and the lysosyme plate method was used to detect lysosyme concentration.

Mixed maternal-paternal lymphocyte cultures before and after immunotherapy for recurrent spontaneous abortions.

Problem: The increased reactivity of maternal lymphocytes in reciprocal mixed-maternal-paternal lymphocyte cultures (MMPLC), observed in the presence of control serum after immunotherapy, suggests that immunization with paternal lymphocytes may induce a highly significant cell mediated immune response in specifically alloactivated maternal lymphocytes.

Method: Reciprocal one-way MMPLC were set up with responding maternal or paternal lymphocytes and mitomycin C-treated stimulating lymphocytes. Cultures were set up for 6 days in the presence of 15% maternal or control serum.

Interferon alpha-2b modulates beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase gene expression in rat testes.

Sperm surface glycoproteins are modified during passage through the epididymis, a process believed to be important in the production of functionally mature spermatozoa. The effect of various cytokines on reproductive events has recently been investigated, with conflicting results. In the present investigation, the effect of interferon-alpha-2b (IFN alpha 2b) on sialyltransferase (ST) activity and beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (Gal 2,6-ST) mRNA expression was studied in rat testicular tissue.

Analysis of laser-induced-fluorescence carbon monoxide measurements in turbulent nonpremixed flames.

The influence of fluctuating concentrations and temperature on the laser-induced-fluorescence (LIF) measurement of CO in turbulent flames is described, under conditions in which the fluorescence and the temperature are measured independently. The analysis shows that correlations between CO concentration and temperature can bias the averaged mole fraction extracted from LIF measurements. The magnitude of the bias can exceed the order of the average CO mole fraction.

Effect of interferon alpha IIb on the activity of sialyltransferase in testis homogenates of adult rats.

Interferon alpha IIb was injected to adult male rats at doses ranging from 10,000 to 200,000 units. Animals were dissected at intervals of 12 h, 24 h, and 5 days. The activity of the enzyme sialyltransferase in testis homogenates was estimated.

Separation of human semen on Percoll gradients: effect on percentage of motile and morphologically normal sperm and proportion of acrosome reacted sperm.

Objectives: To examine whether sperm motility and morphology correlate with ability to undergo the acrosome reaction in vitro.

Methods: Sixty-one seminal specimens were separated on a discontinuous Percoll gradient (70%, 40%). Percentages of motile and morphologically normal sperm, their motility grade, and percentages of acrosome-reacted sperm before and following acrosome reaction inducing treatment were estimated.

Improvement of rat survival and liver mitochondrial function in biliary obstruction after treatment with sodium thiosulfate.

The exact cause of liver failure occurring after long standing biliary obstruction is not known. Impairment of hepatic mitochondrial respiration was postulated in some studies. Sodium thiosulphate (STS) is known to have a protective effect on liver function during administration of hepatotoxic chemotherapy.

Pseudohyperphosphataemia incidence in an automatic analyzer.

A routine blood analysis, using the Hitachi 717 analyser, of an asymptomatic patient with multiple myeloma revealed a phosphate concentration of 6.2 mmol/l (reference range 0.8-1.

IN vitro cell-mediated immune reactions in herpes zoster patients treated with cimetidine.

In a double-blind placebo-control study the immunomodulating effect of cimetidine treatment for one week and placebo was investigated for cell-mediated immune reactions of 22 patients with herpes zoster (HZ). The mitogen induced leukocyte migration inhibition test (LMIT) and the in vitro proliferation of the patients' lymphocytes to exogenous IL-2 were used. Before any treatment, the mitogen induced leukocyte migration inhibition capacity (LMIC) of HZ patients was found to be significantly reduced (p < 0.

Avoidance of the photochemical production of oxygen atoms in one-dimensional, two-photon laser-induced fluorescence imaging.

We demonstrate that one-dimensional, two-photon laser-induced fluorescence imaging of oxygen atoms in flames can be achieved with reasonable signal intensities and spatial resolution but without the interference caused by the photolysis of O(2), by the use of a beam telescope instead of a focusing lens. The increase in probed volume (and concomitantly the number of excitable atoms) caused by the larger beam diameter in the telescope experiments offsets, to a certain extent, the loss in signal that is due to the reduced laser fluence. Further, the results show that the "correct" dependence of the fluorescence intensity on laser fluence (in this case quadratic) does not guarantee the absence of photochemistry.

Interferon-alpha and dexamethasone effect on AF10 myeloma cell line sialytransferase activity.

Interferon-alpha and the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone are used in the treatment of multiple myeloma. The effect of 48 h exposure to recombinant interferon-alpha 2b (100 to 10,000 U/ml) and dexamethasone (1 microM to 1 mM) was studied in AF10, and IgE-secreting myeloma cell line. Interferon-alpha and dexamethasone at 10,000 U/ml and 1 mM respectively had a synergistic inhibitory effect on IgE concentration.

Mode of inheritance of HLA haplotypes locus A,B in siblings of different sexes.

Method: Forty-eight parents and 172 children were typed for class I HLA antigens, locus A,B.

Results: Although the number of cases is small, we observed: (1) a significantly decreased number of sons born after a first delivery of a son, as compared to a first delivery of a daughter; (2) significantly increased sharing of maternal class I HLA antigens between the firstborn son and his brothers from higher birth orders, as compared to his sisters; and (3) HLA-A2 antigen, which is known to be involved in HLA restricted cytotoxic reactions in the recognition of minor histocompatibility antigens, was inherited in subsequent deliveries of sons as compared to daughters in a significantly higher frequency from the paternal than from maternal HLA haplotype. The results suggest that sharing of identical maternal HLA haplotypes between brothers may aid to decrease the degree of maternal sensitization to fetal antigens, and lack of HLA-2 antigen in maternal cells from sons as compared to daughters may avoid maternal HLA-A2 restricted cytotoxic reactions toward the male fetus.

Percentages of acrosome-reacted sperm in human semen close to liquefaction and following acrosome-reaction inducing treatment.

Objectives: To compare spermatozoa from normal and subnormal seminal specimens in their ability to undergo the acrosome reaction, as defined by the triple-staining method.

Methods: Normal (39) and abnormal (23) specimens were examined by staining promptly after liquefaction. In a total of 32 specimens, the reaction was examined before and after acrosome-reaction-inducing treatment, which was essentially incubation of isolated sperm in BWW containing 0.

Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, dexamethasone and procarbazine: effect on seminal plasma sialyltransferase activity.

The influence of chemotherapy agents, doxorubicin (adriamycin), cyclophosphamide, procarbazine, and dexamethasone on the activity of sialyltransferase in human semen has been examined. Aliquots of 25 mcL semen were incubated for 2 hours with the above substances at concentrations ranging from 10 to 800 mcg/incubation mixture. The measurement of sialyltransferase activity was based on the incorporation of radioactive sialic acid from CMP (14) C sialic acid) into asialofetuin.

Sialic acid level in maternal and neonatal lymphocytes and sera correlated to birth order and sex of the neonate.

Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) was determined 1 h after normal term deliveries on peripheral blood lymphocytes from 42 mother-neonate pairs and in 29 maternal and neonatal sera. Results were evaluated according to maternal parity and sex of the neonate. The cases were divided into two groups: primiparae, and secundi- and multiparae.

Some characteristics of azoospermic human semen.

Of 260 volume measurements and 265 fructose determinations on 257 azoospermic semen samples, the volume was normal (1-6 mL) in 78%, low in 16.7%, and high in 5.2%.

Low energy narrow band non-coherent infrared illumination of human semen and isolated sperm.

Sixty-two samples of human normal and abnormal semen and 23 samples of washed sperm were illuminated for 4 minutes with a narrow band non-coherent infrared device (BioBeam). Immediately after illumination the following parameters were examined in comparison with appropriate controls: motility, viability and morphology, fructose content of semen, acrosome reaction of sperm, viscosity of seminal plasma and analysis of the protein pattern. The mean value of motility grade calculated for the total number of 62 semen samples was 2.

Inhibition of sialyl transferase activity by gossypol acetic acid in human seminal plasma.

Seventeen aliquots of 15 microliters seminal plasma of human origin were incubated with 25 micrograms, 15 micrograms, 5 micrograms and 2.5 micrograms gossypol acetic acid (GAA), dissolved in BWW containing 0.9% sodium chloride and 0.

Sialyltransferase activity in AF10 myeloma cell line.

A STA was observed in a human-derived myeloma cell line, AF10, that produces IgE paraprotein. The STA in the culture medium of the AF10 myeloma cell line was associated in the 24 to 48 hr period of incubation with IgE biosynthesis, and increased thereafter up to 72 hr, while IgE remained stable. These data support our previous observations that human myeloma cells are associated with a relatively high production of sialyltransferase, which is released to the medium, presumably by a mechanism of shedding.

Semen volume and fructose content of human semen. Survey of the years 1980-1989.

The communication presents percentages of semen with low (less than 1 ml) and high (greater than or equal to 6 ml) volume and of semen with decreased fructose content (less than 1 ml) in the total number of 8,128 human specimens analyzed during the years 1980-1989. Percentages of low volume specimens and of specimens with decreased fructose content were found to increase with time. High volume semen lacked such trend.

Separation of sub-populations of sperm with higher fertility potential from normal and pathological semen by peanut agglutinin.

Incubation of human sperm from semen with counts below 20 x 10(6)/ml with peanut agglutinin (PNA) resulted in agglutination of about 70% of sperm. An inverse correlation was found between non-agglutinating (PNA) sperm and sperm density (r = 0.48, p less than 0.