Postarthroscopy analgesia with intraarticular bupivacaine/morphine. A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Postarthroscopy analgesia has been provided with intraarticular bupivacaine, but the duration of analgesia may be only a few hours. More recently, longer-lasting analgesia has been achieved using intraarticular morphine, although the onset of analgesia may be delayed. The combination of intraarticular morphine and bupivacaine has been suggested as an ideal analgesic after knee arthroscopy.

Characterization of radioimmunoassays for high- and low-molecular weight urokinases and estimation of different molecular forms of urokinase in urine and plasma.

Antibody populations against high- and low-molecular weight urokinases (HUK and LUK) were purified by passage of rabbit antiserum immunoglobulin fractions made against HUK and LUK through HUK- or LUK-bound Sepharose 4B (Pharmacia AB, Uppsala, Sweden) gels, respectively. Radioimmunoassays were then set up with these antibody populations. The characteristics of these radioimmunoassays were studied by competition of different antigens against radiolabeled HUK or LUK for these antibodies.

Isolation and Identification of Listeria monocytogenes from Retail Meats in Beijing.

To determine the contamination of retail meats by Listeria monocytogenes in Beijing, 70 meat samples (25 pork, 10 beef, 14 lamb, and 21 chicken) were analyzed between January and March in 1990. Eight (11%) samples were positive for L. monocytogenes , and 39 (56%) samples were found to contain other Listeria spp.

Complete structure of eclosion hormone of Manduca sexta. Assignment of disulfide bond location.

The locations of the three disulfide bonds of eclosion hormone (EH) isolated from Manduca sexta were assigned by sequence analysis of thermolysin fragments and by comparison of a key heterodimeric fragment to regiospecifically synthesized parallel and antiparallel isomers. We elucidated the complete structure of Manduca EH as a 62-residue peptide which has three disulfide bonds between Cys14-Cys38, Cys18-Cys34, and Cys21-Cys49.

Elective oral tracheal intubation in cervical spine-injured adults.

There is controversy regarding the optimal mode of elective tracheal intubation in the patient with an unstable cervical spine following trauma. A ten-year review of 150 patients with traumatic cervical spine injuries with well-preserved neurological function, presenting for operative stabilization, was conducted to compare neurological outcome with the mode of tracheal intubation. Preoperative neurological deficits were identified in 49 patients (33%); most were single-level radiculopathies.

Effect of insecticides (Dimiline WP 25, Torak EC 24 and Gamacide 20) on hydra (Hydra vulgaris Pallas).

Investigations showed that the three insecticides used had the most damaging effect upon hydra immediately after treatment. The tentacles and the hypostome are the parts most often damaged. Inse the affected cells, lesions appear in the intracellular membranes, the nucleus shell and the membranes of the mitochondria, Golgi complex and the endoplasmic reticulum, while the cell membrane is preserved.

Endogenous opioids are involved in the genetically determined high preference for ethanol consumption.

The link between endogenous opioid peptides and the genetic predisposition to preferentially consume ethanol was examined in alcohol preferring C57BL/6J mice compared with the alcohol nonpreferring DBA/2 mice. Concentrations of Met-enkephalin pentapeptide or precursor in various brain regions of potential relevance were not different between the two strains. C57BL/6J mice had a significantly lower pain threshold that could be increased by a selective mu-receptor opioid agonist [D-Ala2, MePhe4, Met(O)5-ol]-enkephalin.

Baricity and the distribution of lidocaine in a spinal canal model.

The role of the baricity of local anaesthetic solutions in determining the distribution of local anaesthetics injected into the subarachnoid space (and hence the level of anaesthesia) has been challenged. A recent study found no difference in the extent of cephalad spread of hyperbaric and isobaric solutions and concluded that density had no effect on the spread of local anesthetics. The present study, to determine the validity of this conclusion, utilized a spinal model filled with a "cerebrospinal fluid equivalent.

Structures of paralytic acylpolyamines from the spider Agelenopsis aperta.

The structures are given for five paralytic acylpolyamines from the venom of the funnel web spider, Agelenopsis aperta. The acyl moieties are derived from (3-indolyl)acetic acid, (4-hydroxy-3-indolyl)acetic acid, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. The polyamine portions of the toxins are novel.

Chemical characterization of acylpolyamine toxins from venom of a trap-door spider and two tarantulas.

Two acylpolyamines are identified from venom of the trap-door spider, Hebestatis theveniti. These toxins (paralytic to lepidopteran insect larvae) are amides containing 3-(3-indolyl)lactic acid joined to spermine or 1,13-diamino-4,10-diazatridecane (Het389 and Het403, respectively). Het389 is also abundant in venom from a tarantual from Mozambique (Harpactirella sp.

The adult cervical spine: implications for airway management.

Anaesthetists are responsible for the management of the airway in patients with unstable cervical spines. Unfortunately, the anaesthetic literature does not contain a recent, critical analysis of the current medical literature to aid anaesthetists attending such patients. This review is intended to serve such a purpose.

Training resident physicians in fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy. How many supervised examinations are required to achieve competence?

Twenty-five resident physicians performed 495 fiberoptic sigmoidoscopic examinations that were graded for overall skill according to a six-point competence scale. In general, 24 to 30 examinations were required to become competent at fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy. Trainees with prior rigid sigmoidoscopy experience achieved competence more quickly than those with no prior rigid sigmoidoscopy experience.

Identification of plasmin as the major contaminant in immunoglobulin preparations.

A proteolytic enzyme could be isolated from rabbit serum by means of DEAE cellulose, Protein A-bound Sepharose and lysine-bound Sepharose chromatographies. This enzyme was found to be the major protease contaminating IgG preparations of rabbit serum. This enzyme was identified as plasmin because it displayed an apparent Mr of 90,000 on nonreduced SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was able to directly lyse fibrin and the chromogenic substrate H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-p-nitroanilide, and was stable after heating at 56 degrees for 30 min but broke down at 80 degrees.

Relationship between body store of vitamin B6 and plasma pyridoxal-P clearance: metabolic balance studies in humans.

Factors that regulate the clearance of plasma pyridoxal-P (PLP) are unknown. Four volunteers were given a diet supplying approximately 12 mumol pyridoxine (PN) per day. The pharmacokinetics of plasma PLP clearance were measured in these subjects before and after 4 weeks of intravenous PN supplementation (122 mumol/day).

The measurement of plasma vitamin B6 compounds: comparison of a cation-exchange HPLC method with the open-column chromatographic method and the L-tyrosine apodecarboxylase assay.

A cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was found to be comparable to the open-column (OCC) method for measuring six different B6 compounds in human plasma and the L-tyrosine apodecarboxylase (LTD) assay for pyridoxal-P (PLP). Plasma samples were obtained from 9 subjects before and after 7 days of pyridoxine (PN) supplementation. PLP, pyridoxal (PL) and 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA) were the major B6 compounds in plasma and the only compounds which increased after supplementation.

Comparison of the use of L-tyrosine apodecarboxylase and D-serine apodehydratase for plasma pyridoxal phosphate assay.

The enzymatic methods for plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) assay using L-tyrosine apodecarboxylase (apo-LTD) and D-serine apodehydratase (apo-DSD) were compared with respect to their operating characteristics, accuracy and precision. With the apo-LTD assay, the recovery of authentic PLP added to irradiated plasma was 96-100% and the precision for within-run and run-to-run replicates was 4-5% (coefficient of variation). The recovery of authentic PLP with the apo-DSD assay tended to be lower (viz.

Biliary excretion of 14C-labeled vitamin B-6 in rats.

The biliary excretion of vitamin B-6 was studied in the intact rat and isolated perfused rat liver. In the whole animal, 21% of the radioactivity administered intravenously as [14C]pyridoxine was excreted in the urine over 4 hours, whereas only 2.1% was recovered in the bile.

Regeneration of hydra damaged by zolone PM insecticide.

The zolone PM (phosalone) insecticide in the suspensions used destroys parts of the hypostome, ruins many buds and budless hydras. In the insecticide suspension a hydra shrinks and assumes the smallest surface. It is due to this that the surface mucous layer thickens and epidermal and gastrodermal cells become highly squeezed together.

Transport of pyridoxine and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in isolated rat liver mitochondria.

The transport of [14C]pyridoxal-P and [14C]pyridoxine into isolated rat mitochondria was studied by centrifugal filtration. The incubation medium contained 20 mM 2-oxoglutarate and 10 mM inorganic phosphate to inhibit metabolism of pyridoxal-P by the mitochondria. The ratio of [14C]pyridoxine space to [3H]H2O space rapidly attained unity independent of the [14C]pyridoxine concentration in the medium and remained unchanged for up to 90 min of incubation.

Single copy DNA homology in sea stars.

The sequence homology in the single copy DNA of sea stars has been measured. Labeled single copy DNA from Pisaster ochraceus was reannealed with excess genomic DNA from P. brevispinus, Evasterias troschelii, Pycnopodia helianthoides, Solaster stimpsoni, and Dermasterias imbricata.

The influence of pyridoxine in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

To determine the role of pyridoxine in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, 18 symptomatic diabetic patients were treated with vitamin B6 or placebo in a double-blind controlled study. Only one patient had a low plasma pyridoxal phosphate level at the start of the study. After 4 mo of treatment with pyridoxine hydrochloride (50 mg three times daily) 6 of 9 pyridoxine-treated and 4 of 9 placebo-treated patients noted significant relief from their neuropathic symptoms.

Metabolism of vitamin B6 in rat liver mitochondria.

The capacity of rat liver mitochondria to transport and metabolize B6 compounds has been studied. In B6-sufficient rats, 20% of the B6 content in liver is located in mitochondria. The ratio of pyridoxal-P to pyridoxamine-P in isolated mitochondria is increased with 2-oxoglutarate as substrate and decreased with glutamate.