The coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex and its proposed role in CoA biosynthesis in bakers' yeast.

An improved procedure is described for the recovery and purification of the coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex (CoA-SPC) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bakers' yeast). The molecular mass of the CoA-SPC, determined prior to and following its purification, is estimated by Sephacryl S-300 size exclusion chromatography to be between 375,000-400,000. Two previously unreported catalytic activities attributed to CoA-SPC have been identified.

Urinary endothelin-1: not a useful marker for preeclampsia.

Urinary endothelin-1 levels were assayed from 50 gravidas with preeclampsia and 11 with normotension in the third trimester of pregnancy. Urinary endothelin-1 levels (mean +/- SEM) were similar between gravidas with normotension and preeclampsia (62.7 +/- 7.

Magnesium sulfate therapy in preeclampsia is associated with increased urinary cyclic guanosine monophosphate excretion.

Objective: Our objective was to determine if maternal urinary cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels are altered in preeclampsia.

Study Design: Aliquots from 24-hour urine samples collected from 57 women with preeclampsia and 14 normotensive pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy were assayed for urinary cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Urinary cyclic guanosine monophosphate values were expressed per milligram of urinary creatinine to standardize for renal function.

Oral nifedipine pharmacokinetics in pregnancy-induced hypertension.

The pharmacokinetics of oral nifedipine were studied in 15 women with pregnancy-induced hypertension in the third trimester of pregnancy to determine if the drug's disposition was different from that in nonpregnant patients. Peak serum concentrations of 38.6 +/- 18 ng/ml occurred at approximately 40 minutes after ingestion of nifedipine 10 mg.

Nifedipine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics during the immediate postpartum period in patients with preeclampsia.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of oral nifedipine were studied in the immediate postpartum period in eight women with preeclampsia. Peak serum concentrations of 18 +/- 2.1 micrograms/L occurred 40 minutes after ingestion of nifedipine (10 mg).

Labetalol pharmacokinetics in pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Pharmacokinetic parameters of oral labetalol were studied in eight women with pregnancy-induced hypertension in the third trimester of pregnancy. Labetalol exhibited rapid absorption; peak serum concentrations of 881 +/- 219 ng/ml occurred at 20 minutes after labetalol ingestion. The terminal elimination half-life (mean, 1.

Evaluation of the B-protein assay in cancer management.

Previous data have suggested that the B-protein assay might prove to be useful in the assessment of patients with cancer after various therapeutic modalities. The assay's effectiveness was evaluated by prospective study of 133 patients with cervical, uterine, or ovarian cancer. After therapy, B-protein levels remained elevated in 17 nonresponding patients who eventually died of the disease.

Purification and characterization of B-protein from human serum.

B-Protein, present in the serum of individuals with cancer, has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The purification procedure consisted of chromatography on Sephacryl S-200, Affi-Gel Blue, Con A--Sepharose 4B, wheat germ lectin--Sepharose and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of B-Protein is estimated to be 100 000 to 120 000.

Comparison of the Lumadex-foam stability index test, lecithin: sphingomyelin ratio, and simple shake test for fetal lung maturity.

Amniotic fluid was obtained from 269 patients within 72 hours of delivery. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the Lumadex-foam stability index test, lecithin: sphingomyelin (L:S) ratio, and simple shake test were assessed in the diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), as well as the accuracy in identification of functional lung maturity in the growth-retarded fetus. The Lumadex-foam stability index test was found to be an accurate, quantitative, simple, and rapid measure of fetal lung maturity in the normal as well as abnormal pregnancy.

Accelerated pulmonary maturity as measured by the Lumadex-foam stability index test.

The Lumadex-foam stability index test and lecithin:sphingomyelin (L:S) ratio were compared in the small preterm fetus. Amniotic fluid was obtained within 72 hours of birth from 70 high-risk patients whose infants were at 34 weeks' gestation or less and/or weighed less than 2000 g. Twenty-nine infants were small for gestational age.

Placental transfer of 14C-hexoprenaline.

The placental transfer of a single intravenous injection of 14C-hexoprenaline was studied in eight pregnant New Zealand white rabbits. Maternal and fetal blood was sampled intermittently for 60 minutes after the injection. An initial rapid decrease in the levels of 14C-hexoprenaline in maternal blood was followed by a second slower phase, whereas fetal levels remained insignificant.

Hexoprenaline pharmacokinetics in pregnant and nonpregnant sheep.

Hexoprenaline, a beta 2-sympathomimetic agent, is used to suppress uterine contractions in the treatment of premature labor. However, little is known regarding the potential of this drug to undergo placental transfer or whether the pregnant state alters any of the pharmacokinetic parameters. Using sheep as a model, intravenous doses of 14C-hexoprenaline were administered to pregnant and non-pregnant animals.

Effects of hexoprenaline on the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio and pressure-volume relationships in fetal rabbits.

A placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was carried out on 74 New Zealand White rabbit fetuses from 15 does to assess the effect of a fetal injection of hexoprenaline on surfactant release. After the uterus was exposed, half the fetuses received 0.1 ml (0.

Effect of corticosteroids and fetomaternal disorders on the L:S ratio.

Hydrocortisone or placebo was administered to 126 women at risk for premature delivery who had immature lecithin:sphingomyelin (L:S) ratios in order to induce early surfactant synthesis. In 70 subjects (37 steroid-treated patients, 33 controls), L:S ratio was determined a second time between 9 hours and 7 days after therapy had been initiated. The treatment group showed a significant increase in the L:S ratio when compared to those who received the placebo.

Prophylactic transfusions in pregnant patients with sickle hemoglobinopathies: benefit versus risk.

Pregnancy in patients with sickle cell disease has been a significant threat to maternal survival and good reproductive outcome. In the past several years, statistics for both maternal and perinatal outcome have improved. There is controversy, however, as to whether this improvement has resulted from the use of maternal transfusions or the aggressive and intense medical management afforded these patients in recent years.

Lecithin-sphingomyelin ratio and RDS in patients with diabetes mellitus: possible mechanisms.

Controversy exists concerning the positive correlation of maternal diabetes mellitus and the propensity for the progeny to develop respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The increased incidence of RDS in these offspring seems to occur despite the various physical and biochemical assessments which indicate a mature lung profile. Recent data seem to incriminate insulin antagonism of normal fetal physiologic processes as the principal culprit.

Coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex (CoA-SPC) is a multienzyme complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Bakers' yeast), which has a molecular weight in excess of 200,000 as determined by Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. This multienzyme complex, which is insoluble in the crude yeast cell lysate, has been purified 229-fold. A cellular component of the yeast cell lysate, referred to as t-Factor, with a molecular weight of 400-1000 and chloride ion are involved in the solubilization of CoA-SPC.

Alternate procedure for the preparation of the coenzyme A-synthesizing protein complex of Bakers' yeast.

The coenzymes A-synthesizing protein complex (CoA-SPC) of Bakers' yeast synthesizes coenzyme A in an in vitro system from the precursors ATP, D-pantothenic acid and L-cysteine. CoA-SPC has been produced on a small scale by freezing Bakers' yeast cells in a mixture of diethyl ether and solid CO2, followed by a thawing period, and subsequent removal of the diethyl ether by vacuum. The resulting yeast lysate was then stirred for 18 h in the presence of t-Factor to solubilize CoA-SPC.

Use of partial exchange transfusion preoperatively in patients with sickle cell hemoglobinopathies.

Sickle cell anemia and other severe sickle cell disorders (hemoglobin SC and hemoglobin S-thalassemia) are known to complicate surgical procedures in susceptible patients. Although transfusions have been used preoperatively to increase the packed cell volume, we have recently used the method of partial exchange transfusion in the treatment of patients with these disorders in the preoperative period. Forty-two patients with significant sickle cell hemoglobinopathies underwent operative procedures on various surgical services.

Injection of corticosteroids into mother to prevent neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

In this study, 500 mg. of hydrocortisone were injected intravenously into 126 women every 12 hours for four doses in a double-blind, randomized fashion. These 126 subjects were at risk for delivery of a premature infant because of premature labor of fetomaternal disease necessitating intervention.

Separation of isoacceptor cysteine transfer ribonucleic acids of bakers' yeasts.

Isoacceptor species of certain amino acid-specific transfer ribonucleic acids (tRNAs) were fractionated by gel permeation chromatography using Sephadex G-100. The separation is attributed to the 20% ethanol-1% NaCl solvent and to the characteristics of Sephadex. Isoacceptor tRNAs specific for cysteine, arginine, phenylalanine, and histidine were recovered from commercial tRNA of yeast by this method.

The lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in cases associated with fetomaternal disease.

The efficacy of correlating the L/S ratio in the amniotic fluid with fetal lung maturity has been substantiated in normal pregnancies. In gestations complicated by fetomaternal diseases, however, the assay is less reliable. This study involves 555 pregnancies in which there was a significant maternal, fetal, or placental disorder.

Mechanism for the incorporation of S-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-hydroxy-1-naphthyl)-L-cysteine into protein.

Evidence is presented which indicates that S-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-hydroxy-1-naphthyl)-L-cysteine (THN-cysteine), formed by the reaction of 1,2-epoxy-THN with cysteine, can be incorporated into protein; The position of incorporation of THN-cysteine into protein would depend on whether the epoxide of THN reacts with cysteinyl-tRNACyS or with cysteine. In both cases, the mechanism of incorporation of THN-cysteine into protein is the same as for the natural amino acids. For example, the incorporation of THN-cysteinyl-tRNACyS is stimulated by Poly-UG, the code for tRNACyS, and would be expected to be substituted for cysteine in protein being synthesized, whereas THN-cysteine not previously esterified to tRNA is activated by the isoleucyl- and valyl-RNA synthetases, and its incorporation is stimulated by Poly-AU and Poly-UG, respectively.