Effects of cadmium and calcium on the fluidity of plasma membranes.

The fluidity of plasma membranes was assessed by steady-state fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), a fluorescent probe. The presence of increasing concentrations of calcium (Ca) (0.5-4 mM), cadmium (Cd) (50-500 microM), or both decreased the motional freedom of the fluorescent probe molecules in plasma membranes derived from both human erythrocytes and rat hepatocytes.

Relative toxicities of several nonsteroidal antiinflammatory compounds in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Primary cultures of intact, functional heptocytes were used to compare the relative toxicity of four nonsteroid antiinflammatory agents (NSAID)--benoxaprofen, orpanoxin, aspirin, and ibuprofen--with that of indomethacin. The relative toxicity of these compounds was evaluated on the basis of the release of lactate dehydrogenase, levels of urea (an indicator of a liver specific function), viability (based on dye exclusion), and morphology after a 12-h exposure to concentrations ranging from 0 to 1000 microM. Evaluation of the data obtained from these three parameters enabled us to rank these compounds from toxic to nontoxic, in decreasing order to toxicity: indomethacin greater than benoxaprofen greater than ibuprofen greater than or equal to aspirin greater than or equal to orpanoxin.

Comparison of dantrolene sodium with erythromycin estolate using primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Using primary cultures of parenchymal hepatocytes as a model system, the cytotoxic potential of dantrolene sodium (DS) was compared with that of erythromycin estolate (EE)--a known hepatotoxin. Parallel morphological and functional comparisons were made, following 4-, 8-, or 24-h exposures of hepatocyte cultures, using phase contrast microscopy and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, respectively. Four-hour exposures of cultures to rather low concentrations of EE (i.

The prognosis in subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown etiology.

The mortality rate, risk of rebleeding, relevant subjective and objective symptoms, and daily functional capacity after a verified subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) of unknown etiology were evaluated in 44 patients treated during a 5-year period (1978 to 1983). A vascular basis for the SAH had been excluded by bilateral carotid and vertebral angiography and computerized tomography. The patients were interviewed at a follow-up examination from 3 to 64 months (median 36 months) after the bleed.

Calcium amelioration of cadmium-induced cytotoxicity in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Parenchymal hepatocytes from neonatal rats were isolated, cultured about 24 h, exposed to cadmium with or without calcium, and processed for scanning electron microscopy. To assess the severity of cadmium-induced changes, exposed hepatocytes were categorized based upon the extent of morphological damage. Differences in surface blebbing, alterations in microvilli, variations in the degree of swelling, and changes in cell shape were used to categorize the severity of cell damage.

Cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity in cultured rat hepatocytes as evaluated by morphometric analysis.

Freshly isolated hepatocytes from neonatal rats were cultured for approximately 24 h; incubated for 5, 30, or 60 min in solutions containing 0, 50, 100, or 200 microM cadmium; embedded in plastic; and sectioned for optical microscopy. The extent of cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity was evaluated by double-blind morphometric analysis (a geometricostatistical processing of two-dimensional data for the collection of three-dimensional information) whereby hepatocytes were classified on the basis of the severity of morphologic damage at the optical level. Both time and concentration effects were studied.

In vitro culture of pods from annual and perennial Medicago species.

Because most interspecific Medicago embryos abort before they can be excised and cultured, our objective was to grow young pods in vitro. Various media were used to grow three-day-old pods of annuals [diploids, M. blancheana Boiss.

Enhanced acute lung damage following corticosteroid treatment.

The administration of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) to mice has been shown to produce diffuse alveolar epithelial cell damage, which is largely resolved within 2 wk. Treatment with the corticosteroid prednisolone, 30 mg/kg twice daily during the first 5 days after BHT, greatly exacerbated the initial damage. A severe interstitial pneumonitis was evident histologically 15 days after BHT-treatment.

Histopathological changes in selenium-exposed fish.

Redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) were collected from Martin Lake in east Texas. For at least 8 months, 1 year earlier, aqueous selenium-laden effluent from man-made sources was released into this 5,000-acre reservoir (unpublished data). Redear sunfish from a reference lake, 8 km upstream, were collected for comparison to Martin Lake fish.

Hepatocyte changes following selenium accumulation in a freshwater teleost.

This report provides morphological and analytical data for a group of green sunfish collected from an area relatively free of metals and a second group of the same species collected from a lake into which selenium had been discharged. Neutron activation data of livers (and kidneys) collected from these fish show an average of about 11 ppm selenium (fresh weight) for both organs; other metals were not detected in the liver (or kidneys) of these fish. Ultrastructural examination of livers from fish of this group showed focal necrosis, areas of granular cytoplasm, fatty infiltration, increased numbers of Kupffer cells, and disorganized liver architecture--compared with those of controls.

Human insulin (Novo): chemistry and characteristics.

The amino acid sequence of human insulin was published in 1960. The structure was first confirmed in 1982 by x-ray crystallography, in which complete overlaps of x-ray diffraction patterns were achieved on exposures of insulin from human pancreas and human insulin prepared from porcine insulin. Additional complementary identity tests like HPLC and immunochemical cross-reactivity with anti-insulin sera have substantiated the identity of insulin from human pancreas with human insulin prepared from porcine insulin.

Human monocomponent insulin. Chemistry and characteristics.

The primary structure of different insulins is reviewed and the properties, identification tests, purity, potency and immunogenicity of human insulin are summerized. Novo Research Institute has developed a method, simply using an enzymatic conversion reaction to substitute the B30 alanine of porcine insulin with threonine to manufacture human insulin. This process is basically an extension of the process currently used to manufacture the Novo purified insulins which are commercially available.