A reassessment of Doppler pressure indices in the detection of arterial lesions in proximity penetrating injuries of extremities: a prospective study.

This prospective study assessed the role of Doppler pressure indices (Ankle-Brachial Index [ABI] or Brachial Brachial Index [BBI]) in the evaluation for occult arterial injury from penetrating proximity extremity trauma (PET). A total of 258 patients with 323 PETs were evaluated by physical examination and Doppler pressure (ABI/BBI) determination. An ABI/BBI of < 0.

Preferential increase in chylomicron levels of the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin compared to beta-carotene in the human.

The time-course of appearance of five carotenoids in chylomicrons and their distribution pattern were studied following ingestion of a single dose of Betatene, a natural carotenoid source composed of 0.5% lutein, 0.75% zeaxanthin, 3.

Differential modulation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/extracellular signal-related kinase kinase and MAP kinase activities by a mutant epidermal growth factor receptor.

A paradigm has been established whereby mutant tyrosine kinase receptors such as the v-erbB and v-fms gene products function as oncoproteins in the absence of ligand. A spontaneously occurring deletional mutant of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-vIII) has been isolated from astrocytic neoplasms and transforms NIH3T3 cells in the absence of ligand. The EGFRvIII is constitutively complexed with the majority of cellular GRB2, suggesting a link to the Ras-Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway (D.

beta-Cryptoxanthin selectively increases in human chylomicrons upon ingestion of tangerine concentrate rich in beta-cryptoxanthin esters.

beta-Cryptoxanthin is a major source of vitamin A, often second only to beta-carotene, and is present in fruits such as oranges, tangerines, and papayas. Here, we studied the uptake of this carotenoid upon ingestion of tangerine juice concentrate, rich in beta-cryptoxanthin esters. Increasing amounts of free beta-cryptoxanthin were detected in chylomicrons and serum.

Vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids as antioxidants.

Tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and the carotenoids react with free radicals, notably peroxyl radicals, and with singlet molecular oxygen (1O2), which is the basis for their function as antioxidants. RRR-alpha-Tocopherol is the major peroxyl radical scavenger in biological lipid phases such as membranes or low-density lipoproteins. Ascorbic acid is present in aqueous compartments (eg, cytosol, plasma, and other body fluids) and can reduce the tocopherol radical; it also has several metabolically important cofactor functions in enzyme reactions, especially hydroxylations.

Computed tomographic findings in pseudomembranous colitis: an important clue to the diagnosis.

Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly used to evaluate abdominal diseases, including those of the colon. Recent CT studies have documented colonic abnormalities in patients with pseudomembranous colitis; however, these findings are not widely appreciated by primary care physicians. Over a 25-month period, we prospectively identified 13 patients who had proven pseudomembranous colitis evaluated by abdominal CT.

All-trans beta-carotene preferentially accumulates in human chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins compared with the 9-cis geometrical isomer.

Following ingestion of a beta-carotene isomer mixture (Betatene) containing nearly equal amounts of all-trans and 9-cis beta-carotene (all-trans/9-cis beta-carotene ratio approximately 1.5), concentrations of all-trans beta-carotene increased for 6 or 8 h in the chylomicron fraction of plasma from four of seven human subjects. A substantially lower increase in the 9-cis beta-carotene concentration was observed, with the accumulation of the all-trans isomer being 10- to 50-fold higher than that of the 9-cis isomer, calculated on the basis of the beta-carotene isomer pattern in the ingested mixture.

Gastric mucosal pH and oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption indices in the assessment of adequacy of resuscitation after trauma: a prospective, randomized study.

Objective: To compare gastric mucosal pH (pHi) and global oxygen variables [Oxygen Delivery Index (DO2I) and Oxygen Consumption Index (VO2I)] as indicators of adequacy of resuscitation after major trauma.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients were prospectively randomized into two groups: group 1 (n = 11), normalization and maintenance of pHi at or above 7.30; and group 2 (n = 16), maintaining a DO2I of 600 and a VO2I of > 150.

Children who are shot: a 30-year experience.

Three data sets describe the pattern of gunshot injuries to children from 1960 to 1993: The Harlem Hospital pediatric trauma registry (HHPTR), the northern Manhattan injury surveillance system (NMISS) a population-based study, and the National Pediatric Trauma Registry (NPTR). A small case-control study compares the characteristics of injured children with a control group. Before 1970 gunshot injuries to Harlem children were rare.

Induction of gap junctional communication by 4-oxoretinoic acid generated from its precursor canthaxanthin.

The activity of 4-oxoretinoic acid as an inducer of gap junctional communication was investigated in C3H/10T1/2 murine fibroblasts. Two isomers of this retinoid, all-trans- and 13-cis-4-oxoretinoic acid, enhance gap junctional communication. This is accompanied by increased expression of connexin43 mRNA.

Localization of the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform PMCA3 in rat cerebellum, choroid plexus and hippocampus.

mRNA encoding rat plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase isoform PMCA3 was localized in the granule cell layer of the cerebellum and in choroid plexus by in situ hybridization with an 35S-labelled oligodeoxynucleotide probe. In order to examine whether this isoform is expressed as a protein in brain, polyclonal antibodies were raised against a peptide corresponding to a C-terminal 18 amino acid sequence of PMCA3 which had been conjugated to bovine serum albumin. Using immunoblot analysis with affinity-purified antibodies, PMCA3 protein was found in rat brain microsomes and cultured neurons.

Efficacy of all-trans-beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, and all-trans-, 9-cis-, and 4-oxoretinoic acids in inducing differentiation of an F9 embryonal carcinoma RAR beta-lacZ reporter cell line.

A reporter cell line was established from F9 mouse teratocarcinoma cells containing the RAR beta 2 promoter coupled to the lacZ (beta-galactosidase) reporter gene. All-trans-, 9-cis-, and all-trans-4-oxoretinoic acid were equipotent in inducing cell differentiation at 1 microM, determined by induction of collagen IV mRNA expression, of morphological changes, as well as of beta-galactosidase enzyme activity. By the same criteria, beta-carotene at 10 microM also induced differentiation, but less strongly and more slowly than the retinoic acids.

Localization of Na, K-ATPase isoforms in the hypothalamus of the rat.

In situ hybridization histochemistry with synthetic oligonucleotide probes was used to localize mRNAs encoding three isoforms of the catalytic (alpha) subunit and one isoform of the (beta) subunit of the Na, K-ATPase in rat hypothalamus using contact film radioautography. 3H-Ouabain binding to specific anatomical nuclei in the hypothalamus was determined using a quantitative radioautographic technique previously developed in our laboratory. Specific hybridization was found with oligonucleotide probes for mRNA encoding alpha 1, alpha 2, alpha 3, beta 1 isoforms of the Na, K-ATPase.

Etiology of ovarian dysfunction in chronic murine toxoplasmosis.

Ovarian dysfunction develops in Nya:NYLAR mice chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii. To differentiate between primary ovarian failure and pituitary gonadotropin insufficiency, we (a) monitored ovarian responsiveness to pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and (b) assessed endogenous pituitary gonadotropin capacity by the degree of ovarian compensatory hypertrophy (OCH) developing after unilateral ovariectomy (ULO). PMSG stimulated vigorous folliculogenesis and estrogen synthesis, but not ovulation.

Uterine atrophy in chronic murine toxoplasmosis due to ovarian dysfunction.

Uterine atrophy is a conspicuous finding in Nya:NYLAR female mice chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Administration of 17B-estradiol to infected mice induced a vigorous uterotropic response, i.e.

Vitamin D influences gap junctional communication in C3H/10T 1/2 murine fibroblast cells.

Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, induces cell-cell communication via gap junctions in murine fibroblasts (C3H/10T 1/2 cells) at concentrations between 0.01 and 1.0 microM, as assayed by the dye transfer method using Lucifer yellow CH.

The plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA isoform PMCA 4 is expressed at high levels in neurons of rat piriform cortex and neocortex.

Ca2+ transport mediated by the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) serves an important role in regulation of cytosolic-free Ca2+ in a variety of cells. Isoform PMCA4 mRNA distribution in rat brain was studied by in situ hybridization using 33P-labeled antisense oligodeoxynucleotide probes. Very high levels of hybridization were found in piriform cortex with high levels in amygdaloid nucleus and laminae 2 and 6 of cerebral cortex.

Calibration of 14C-plastic standards for quantitative autoradiography with 33P.

Probes labeled with 33P have potential for widespread use in in situ hybridization because they are better able to detect relatively scarce mRNAs compared with probes labeled with 35S, but the relatively short half-life of 33P is a disadvantage when it is used as a radioactivity standard for quantitative autoradiography. To determine if plastic sections containing 14C can be used as standards for quantitative autoradiography with 33P, we co-exposed 33P-labeled liver paste sections and 14C-plastic standards to Hyperfilm beta max. The autoradiographic response of Hyperfilm beta max to these isotopes was almost identical.

Pentoxifylline inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated cytotoxicity and cytostasis in L929 murine fibrosarcoma cells.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) is recognized as a principal mediator of a variety of inflammatory conditions. In animal models, pentoxifylline attenuates the morbidity and mortality of bacterial sepsis, an effect which has been attributed to its ability to suppress the induction of TNF alpha. To determine whether pentoxifylline also directly inhibits the effects of TNF alpha, the ability to inhibit cytotoxicity on the TNF alpha-sensitive murine fibrosarcoma cell line, L929, was examined.

Diagnosis and treatment of patients with gastroesophageal reflux and noncardiac chest pain.

Patients with noncardiac chest pain frequently have some evidence of gastroesophageal reflux. Yet there are few formal studies on the treatment of what appears to be reflux-related chest pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intensive antireflux therapy in patients with noncardiac chest pain and gastroesophageal reflux and to determine whether patients who will respond to this therapy can be identified through routine esophageal testing.

Selective celiotomy for missile wounds of the abdomen based on laparoscopy.

The role of laparoscopy in the selective management of gunshot wounds (GSW) of the abdomen was prospectively investigated in 38 patients. All the patients were hemodynamically stable and had equivocal evidence of intraabdominal penetration. Laparoscopy was performed in the operating room under anesthesia.

Na,K-ATPase is decreased in hippocampus of kainate-lesioned rats.

The effects of intraventricular injection of kainic acid on the Na,K-ATPase (Na,K pump) were examined in discrete pyramidal cell regions of rat hippocampus. [3H]Ouabain binding was used to quantitate Na,K-ATPase catalytic subunits and in situ hybridization was used to determine Na,K-ATPase mRNA levels. Large decreases were found in both [3H]ouabain binding and alpha 3 isoform mRNA in hippocampus areas, especially in the CA3 pyramidal cell layer, which sustains heavy cell losses as a result of bilateral, intraventricular injection of kainic acid.

A prospective reappraisal of primary repair of penetrating duodenal injuries.

Based on a retrospective analysis of 100 penetrating duodenal injuries, the role of primary repair or resection and anastomosis was assessed prospectively in 66 patients (1986-1992). Duodenal exclusion was reserved for extensive combined pancreato-duodenal injuries. Seven of the 66 patients died from extensive abdominal trauma (mean Abdominal Trauma Index, ATI 70) within 48 hours of admission.