Effect of basic compounds on the polymerization of clathrin.

The effects of several divalent cations, various polybasic amines, and lysozyme on the rate of polymerization of 8S clathrin to the 300S coat structure have been evaluated by turbidimetric procedures. Ca2+ and Mn2+ strongly enhance the rate of polymerization. Only spermine among the naturally occurring polybasic amines had an important effect.

Polymerization of clathrin protomers into basket structures.

The effects of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and protein concentration on the rate of clathrin (8 S) polymerization to form coat (or basket) structures (approximately 300 S) have been measured by turbidity. The extent of polymerization has also been evaluated under the same experimental conditions by analytical centrifugation. The characteristic polygonal structure of the re-formed coat was confirmed by electron microscopy.

Molecular characterization of human clathrin.

Clathrin extracted from coated vesicles at pH 8.0 sediments as a single boundary with 8.1S sedimentation constant (s020,w) of 8.

Pulmonary coin lesions: a ten-year review of 239 cases.

The results of a study of 239 resected solitary pulmonary nodules are presented; 66.5% of the resected nodules were malignant, and there were three patients with malignant coin lesions who were under 30 years of age. These findings confirm the generally accepted fact that most solitary pulmonary nodules must be resected if the presence of cancer is to be excluded.

Molecular properties of the reassembled coat protein of coated vesicles.

Clathrin has been prepared from human and bovine brains by a rapid technique which does not require sucrose gradient centrifugation. The promoter molecule which is obtained has the ability to polymerize and form protein coats, i.e.

Early intracardiac repair of large ventricular septal defects with conventional cardiopulmonary bypass and moderate hypothermia.

With the use of conventional cardiopulmonary bypass and moderate hypothermia, primary intracardiac repair of large ventricular septal defects was performed in 30 children below the age of two years. All babies were falling to thrive and suffered from cardiac failure resistant to medical therapy, or had evidence of early pulmonary vascular disease. Two patients died after the operation, giving an operative mortality of 6.

Incidence of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in Hong Kong Chinese.

Postoperative deep vein thrombosis is considered to be rare in Chinese. The 125I-labelled fibrinogen test was used to determine the true incidence of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in Chinese. Deep vein thrombosis was found in 2.

Recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax; an effective method of talc poudrage.

Between January 1977 and December 1978, 24 patients with recurrent or chronic spontaneous pneumothorax were treated in the Hong Kong University Cardiothoracic Centre at Grantham Hospital by talc pleurodesis. Talc poudrage had been carried out under local infiltration anesthesia by a technique that utilizes the Venturi principle and the help of an oxygen injector, used normally for ventilating a patient during bronchoscopy with a rigid bronchoscope. By using this method of poudrage, a uniform application of the powder over the whole pleural surface can be achieved and successful pleurodesis can be obtained in all patients under local anesthesia.

Effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate, acid, alkali, urea and guanidine hydrochloride on the circular dichroism of alpha-globulin of Sesamum indicum L.

The circular dichrotic spectra of alpha-globulin have been obtained under various solution conditions of sodium dodecyl sulfate, acid, alkali, urea and guanidine hydrochloride. The protein in phosphate buffer pH 7.4, 0.

Lipothymoma.

Two cases of asymptomatic lipothymoma, discovered on "routine" roentgenograms of the chest, are presented. Thirty well-documented reports of this tumor in the English literature are reviewed. The pertinent points concerning this rare clinicopathological entity are summarized and discussed.

Reversible gelation of arachin.

Arachin forms a gel at acidic pH (pH less than 3.8) which is thermolabile. The factors governing the gelation seem to be the concentration of the protein, heating temperature, heating interval, cooling temperature of the heated solution, pH, ionic strength and dielectric constant of the medium.

Y incision for median sternotomy.

Between July 1968 and June 1977, in the University of Hong Kong Department of Surgery, 1,083 patients underwent operations via a median sternotomy using a Y incision. Of these patients, 1,070 had open heart surgery, eight had total thymectomy and in five patients pericardectomy was carried out. The overall wound complication rate was 2.

Evaluation of a new diuretic, diapamide, in congestive heart failure.

The diuretic response of patients with congestive heart failure to establish doses of diapamide (750 mg) and furosemide (80 mg) was compared in an open, crossover study. Peak urine output occurred in the first 6 hours after administration of furosemide but somewhat later (12 to 18 hours) with diapamide. Both agents produced active diuresis and natriuresis in most patients.

Coexistent bronchogenic carcinoma and active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Sixty-four cases of coexistent bronchogenic carcinoma and active pulmonary tuberculosis were diagnosed between 1969 and 1976. The majority were male chronic cigarette smokers in their fifth and sixth decades. Human bacilli were isolated in 48 patients (88.

Dissociation, aggregation of sesame alpha-globulin in nonionic detergent solution.

Nonionic detergents Triton X-100 and Brij 36T induce dissociation and aggregation of the protein sesame alpha-globulin above the critical micelle concentrations (cmc) of the detergents. Spectrophotometric titration in Triton shows no change in the pKInt value of the tyrosyl groups at 1x10-3 M detergent where both dissociation and aggregation of the protein are observed. Fluorescence measurement does not indicate any change in the environment of the tryptophan groups of the protein in Brij.

Foreign body in the oesophagus: review of 2394 cases.

A total of 2394 patients with a foreign body in the oesophagus was treated in our unit between 1965 and 1976, including 343 children in whom fish bones (146) and coins (134) were most commonly responsible; in adults, bones (fish and chicken) were commonest. Most of the foreign bodies were impacted in the cervical oesophagus. Pharyngoscopy and oesophagoscopy were carried out under general anaesthesia in all cases except those in which the foreign body was ejected spontaneously or when the patient refused the examination.

An unusual lethal complication associated with Starr-Edwards prosthetic aortic valve holder.

This is the first report of an unusual fatal complication associated with the Starr-Edwards prosthetic aortic valve holder. The patient died 51 days after replacement of his aortic valve with a Starr-Edwards prosthetic aortic valve. The cause of death was coronary arterial embolus caused by a fragment broken off of the prosthetic aortic valve holder.