Activation of glucose transport in muscle by prolonged exposure to insulin. Effects of glucose and insulin concentrations.

Glucose transport activity was found to increase over 5 h in rat epitrochlearis muscle in response to a moderate concentration (50-100 microunits/ml) of insulin. This process was examined using 3-methylglucose. The increase in permeability to 3-methylglucose was 2- to 4-fold greater after 5 h than after 1 h in muscles incubated with 50 microunits/ml of insulin and 1 or 8 mM glucose.

Evidence that interleukin-1 induction of synovial cell plasminogen activator is mediated via prostaglandin E2 and cAMP.

Addition of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin to human synovial cells in culture, at concentrations which completely block prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis, reversibly inhibited the interleukin-1 (IL-1) stimulation of cell-associated and extracellular plasminogen activator (PA) production. Results of mixing experiments suggested that the inhibition by indomethacin was not due to stimulation of production and/or activation of a PA inhibitor, but reflected inhibition of PA synthesis. Simultaneous addition of PGE2 or dibutyryl cAMP prevented the inhibition by indomethacin.

Bradykinin does not mediate activation of glucose transport by muscle contraction.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the report that bradykinin is the "muscle activity hypoglycemia factor" responsible for the activation of glucose transport that occurs in response to muscle contractile activity. Stimulation of rat epitrochlearis muscles to contract resulted in approximately a fourfold increase in the rate of intracellular accumulation of the nonmetabolizable glucose analog 3-O-methylglucose. Incubation of the muscles with high concentrations of aprotinin (Trasylol), a polypeptide inhibitor of kallikrein which blocks formation of kinins, did not inhibit the activation of sugar transport by contractile activity.

Interleukin 1 stimulation of synovial cell plasminogen activator production.

Addition of human monocyte interleukin 1 (IL-1) to cultured human synovial cells can cause an increase in both cell associated (30-fold) and extracellular (40-fold) plasminogen activator (PA) activity. This increase was inhibited by antibody directed against IL-1 and phenylglyoxal. PA activity could be detected 3 h after the addition of IL-1, continued to increase for 24 h and was dependent on RNA and protein synthesis.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin stimulates prostacyclin production in cultured pulmonary artery endothelial cells: membrane attack and calcium influx.

The effects of highly purified Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin were investigated on cultured pulmonary artery endothelial cells. This toxin dose-dependently (7.5-60 micrograms/ml) and time-dependently (20-75 minutes) stimulated the release of radiolabeled arachidonic acid and metabolites and the synthesis of prostacyclin in the absence of overt cell damage (no enhanced lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] release).

Elevations in synovial fluid plasminogen activator in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Plasminogen activator (PA) activity in synovial fluid (SF) obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is elevated when compared to SF obtained from patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Immunological studies and lack of evidence for a decrease in PA inhibitors, or an increase in PA stimulators, suggest that elevations in RA SF PA activity reflect increases in PA level. Although the origin(s) of SF PA was not identified, the enzyme resembles urokinase and RA synovium may be a contributing source.

[Diagnosis and radio-chemotherapy of the neuroblastoma in adults].

The neuroblastoma in the adult is a rare disease which has a bad prognosis. Until now, there are no generally accepted therapy conceptions. The clinical symptoms of the patient whose case is presented here were above all pains in the pelvic region.

The importance of the posteromedial fragment and its specific pinning in fractures of the distal radius.

In fractures of the lower end of the radius, the presence of a posteromedial fragment should be recognized if present. This fragment with two articular surfaces, if not reduced, will damage the radiocarpal and inferior radioulnar articulations. The diagnosis needs to be made on 3/4 X-ray views, as the fracture is often mistaken for a Colles' fracture.

Phenytoin: the drug of choice in tricyclic antidepressant overdose?

Tricyclic antidepressants seem to have at least three types of effect on the heart: anticholinergic, adrenergic, and quinidine-like. Although the therapeutic emphasis in tricyclic antidepressant overdose has been on reversing the anticholinergic effects with physostigmine, there is considerable evidence suggesting that the life-threatening manifestations of tricyclic antidepressant overdose--the conduction defects, bradyarrhythmias, heart block, etc--are much more like quinidine and are more appropriately treated with phenytoin, or other drugs which enhance intracardiac conduction and myocardial contractility.

[Revascularisation of the intestinal arteries from the suprarenal aorta (author's transl)].

Amongst procedures for revascularisation of the intestinal arteries, bypass implanted in the suprarenal aorta by a purely abdominal approach, with section of the right crus of the diaphragm, would appear to be the most satisfactory procedure. For the superior mesenteric, in particular, the pre-pancreatic anterograde course avoids any bending or kinking. Nine patinets undergoing surgery with venous or goretex grafts confirmed the quality of the results obtained by this technique.

High performance liquid chromatographic assay of vancomycin in serum.

A liquid chromatographic procedure is described for rapid and accurate quantitation of vancomycin in serum. Vancomycin is extracted from serum by using a CM-Sephadex column and is measured by reversed-phase chromatography with detection by UV absorption. Ristocetin is used as an internal standard.