Dye-promoted precipitation of serum proteins. Mechanism and application.

Immobilized dyes have been used primarily for purification of nucleotide dependent enzymes and proteins from plasma and other sources. Due to their low costs, high protein binding capacity and resistance to degradation dyes bear the potential as ligand for affinity separation of proteins on a large scale. In this paper dyes have been used for precipitation of proteins.

Polymyalgia rheumatica and rheumatoid arthritis of the elderly: a clinical, laboratory, and scintigraphic comparison.

Clinical, laboratory, and scintigraphic features of 16 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and 23 patients matched for age presenting with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis (American Rheumatism Association 1958 criteria) of the elderly were compared in order to define features that might distinguish between these two syndromes. The sensitivity of proposed diagnostic criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica was always higher in the group with polymyalgia rheumatica, though only significantly so for morning stiffness. A comparison of 27 different laboratory features showed few significant differences between the diseases, though correlation between laboratory variables within each of the disease groups differed, perhaps suggesting a fundamental pathogenetic difference between them.

Impaired eye tracking performance in patients with presenile onset dementia.

Smooth pursuit eye movements, saccades and eye blinks were electrooculographically recorded from 26 healthy subjects of different age and 35 patients with presumptive presenile onset dementia (mean age 54), who had to track a light spot which oscillated with different speeds. Older subjects (mean age 51) performed the eye tracking with less accuracy and more saccades than younger ones (mean age 22). 16 patients with stage CDR 1 according to Washington University Clinical Dementia Rating performed smooth pursuit eye movements significantly worse with increased saccade numbers than the healthy older subjects and lost attention significantly more often which was measured by omitted trackings to presented target oscillations.

Protease-catalyzed peptide synthesis using inverse substrates: the synthesis of Pro-Xaa-bonds by trypsin.

Benzyloxycarbonyl-L-proline p-guanidinophenyl ester is an "inverse substrate" for trypsin; i.e., the cationic center is included in the leaving group instead of being in the acyl moiety.

The reaction of pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) with radiolytically generated reactive oxygen intermediates results in a stable genotoxic compound as assessed by the SOS chromotest.

The most widely studied model of plasmacytomagenesis is the induction of plasmacytomas in BALB/c mice by i.p. injections of the isoalkane pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane).

Protease-catalyzed peptide synthesis using inverse substrates: the influence of reaction conditions on the trypsin acyl transfer efficiency.

Benzyloxycarbonyl-L-alanine p-guanidinophenyl ester behaves as a trypsin "inverse substrate," i.e., a cationic center is included in the leaving group instead of being in the acyl moiety.

First results on the incorporation and excretion of 15N from orally administered urea in lactating pony mares.

Two lactating pony mares were given oral offers of 20 g 15N urea [95 atom-% 15N-excess (15N')] on 6 subsequent days. About 80% of the consumed 15N' were excreted via urine and faeces, but only about 2% via milk. The 15N' secreted via milk-lysine only amounted to 0.

The positive feedback action of vasopressin on its own release from rat septal tissue in vitro is receptor-mediated.

The effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on its own septal release was evaluated using an in vitro superfusion procedure. As compared to basal release from septal fragments, pulses of synthetic AVP (15 pg/5 min) resulted in a 25-fold augmented release of endogenous AVP, indicating a positive feedback action. Both the basal and stimulated AVP release were significantly increased by 60 mM potassium and markedly reduced by omission of calcium.

Vasopressin receptors in the brain, liver and kidney of rats following osmotic stimulation.

The binding site concentration (Bmax) and equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) for [3H]-arginine vasopressin (AVP) binding sites were measured in limbic brain areas (septum, dorsal hippocampus, amygdala) and liver and kidney of control and osmotically stimulated male Wistar rats. Membrane binding was performed in these five areas 30, 60 and 180 min following intraperitoneal injection of hypertonic saline. This paradigm resulted in no significant change in binding characteristics in the septum, dorsal hippocampus, amygdala and liver from control treated rats.

Stable Listeria monocytogenes live vaccine candidate strains with graded attenuation on the mouse model.

Metabolic drift (antibiotics resistance) mutations were used to construct stable two (and three) marker vaccine candidate strains of the predominant Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a and 4b by stepwise selection. Derived from wild-type strains, spontaneous chromosomal streptomycin-resistant clones with their i.p.

The alkaline phosphatase from bone: transphosphorylating activity and kinetic mechanism.

For the purified alkaline phosphatase from bone, the ability to catalyze a phosphate transfer reaction from p-nitrophenyl phosphate to two different hydroxy acceptor compounds, ethanolamine and glycerol, was established by identification of the formed phosphorylated products, phosphoethanolamine and glycerol 3-phosphate, respectively. In addition, a steady-state kinetic analysis of the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate in the presence of an added nucleophile, diethanolamine, gave rise to the proposal of a simple model for the kinetic mechanism of the enzyme. This mechanism includes a covalent phosphoryl enzyme intermediate, the dephosphorylation of which by water (k3) or a nucleophile (k4) is rate-determining.

Quantitative electrocardiography and vectorcardiography in postnatally developing rats.

The aim of this study was to provide quantitative descriptions of developmental changes of the cardiac electrical activity of rats as background information useful for assessing abnormal development, for example, in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The data are based on the findings of serial examinations of 11 animals, slightly anesthetized by ether, on whom Frank-ECGs were recorded on days 6, 14, 21, 30, 38, and 53 of life. Typical features of the electrocardiograms during the physiologic development are P waves consisting of one positive deflection in all three leads (x, y, and z); and PQ intervals decreasing between days 6 and 14, whereas the heart rate increases during this period.

Disturbance of brightness discrimination and active avoidance learning after lesions of nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP) of rats are related to impairment of goal-directed behaviour.

Long-Evans hooded rats were not able neither to reach criterion of active avoidance tasks in a Y-maze and in a jump test, nor in brightness discrimination after lesions of the NRTP without preoperative experience in these tests. After preoperative consolidation of active avoidance, the retention of Y-maze avoidance performance was zero and of jump test avoidance at 25%. The Y-maze avoidance was again relearned except in the task with 2:2 alternation of goals whereas retention of brightness discrimination was not affected.

Postnatal development of urea- and ammonia-excretion in urine of very-low-birth-weight infants small for gestational age.

In 12 very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with intrauterine growth retardation and in 14 VLBW-infants appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fed a human milk (HM) formula (HM enriched with 6 g freeze dried HM per 100 ml) the renal excretion of urea and ammonia was studied on the 10th, 21st and 42nd days of life. The lowest excretion of urea was found in both groups on the 10th day of life. Up to the 42nd day of life the excretion raised significantly more in the AGA- than in the small for gestational age (SGA)-infants.

Simple and rapid purification of F1-ATPase from bovine heart mitochondria by affinity chromatography.

A simple and rapid method for the isolation of bovine heart mitochondrial adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (F1-ATPase) was developed. Mitochondria were purified by differential centrifugation and stored frozen. After thawing.

Biochemical and morphological studies on perivenous and periportal liver parenchymal cells from female rats isolated by digitonin-collagenase method.

Periportal (pp) or perivenous (pv) liver parenchymal cells from female adult Uje: WIST rats were isolated after retro- or antegrade digitonin infusion followed by collagenase perfusion in the opposite direction. The morphological results revealed a distinct acinar-related destruction of the pv- or pp-zone by digitonin. The remaining cells of the respective other zone showed a good structural maintenance.

Cholinergic neurons of the central nervous system: morphofunctional aspects.

Impairment of central cholinergic function is an early and constant finding in a number of mental disorders associated with amnesia or dementia. Although knowledge of the detailed functional implications of cholinergic mechanisms in cognition is still very incomplete, some recent results and concepts about the morphofunctional organization of the cholinergic basalo-cortical projection system are reviewed. This cholinergic system is quite different from other so-called unspecific subcortical projection systems and might have some bearing on understanding the role of cholinergic mechanisms in cognitive function and its disorders.

Characterization of the S'-subsite specificity of V8 proteinase via acyl transfer to added nucleophiles.

The S'-subsite specificity of endoproteinase Glu-C (V8 proteinase) was studied by acyl transfer reactions using Z-Glu-OMe as acyl donor and a series of amino acid- and peptide-derived nucleophiles. The partition constant, which characterizes specificity, was determined by a method based on the integrated rate equation. V8 proteinase prefers amino acid residues with hydrophobic side chains in the P'1 position.

Blood-brain transfer of L-phenylalanine declines after peripheral but not central nervous administration of vasopressin.

To determine whether a previously reported effect of vasopressin on blood-brain transfer of leucine extends to other large neutral amino acids, we measured the regional blood-brain transfer of L-phenylalanine with the integral technique. Intravenous co-injection of L-phenylalanine and arginine vasopressin (30 nmol to 10 pmol) resulted in a decrease of the permeability-surface area (PaS) product of phenylalanine of between 11 and 39%. In addition, the peptide elicited a decrease of the cerebral blood flow of between 11 and 56% combined with a drastic decrease of the cardiac output (32-64%) and an elevation of the blood pressure to approximately 150% of control values.

Effect of varying glucosinolate and iodine intake via rapeseed meal diets on serum thyroid hormone level and total iodine in the thyroid in growing pigs.

In a trial with 50 fattening pigs (20 kg initial body weight), the effect of untreated rapeseed meal (RSM) (148 mmol glucosinolates and aglucones per kg dry matter) on the thyroid was compared with RSM treated with Cu2+ (9.5 mmol glucosinolates and aglucones per kg dry matter) and soybean meal (SBM). The diets containing 8% RSM were supplemented with 0.

Different levels of acetylcholinesterase and choline acetyltransferase activities in C57Bl/6 and DBA/2 mice are not accompanied with different density of cortical acetylcholinesterase reactive fibers.

Mice of the inbred strains C57B1/6 and DBA/2 show strain-dependent behavioural differences which have been correlated with variations in the organization of brain cholinergic systems. The aim of our study was to analyse the extent of cholinergic interstrain differences in circumscript brain regions of C57B1/6 and DBA/2 mice. The biochemical determination of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase in cortical areas, basal forebrain and striatum showed significantly lower enzyme activities in most of the regions of C57B1/6 mice.

The human motion VEP as a function of size and eccentricity of the stimulation field.

A 'motion onset VEP' was elicited by the onset of a pattern drift. The amplitude of the most distinct wave (AN200) was determined on the following stimulation conditions: eccentricity, 0 to 23 deg; velocity. 1.

Therapeutic outcome of patients suffering from malignant melanomas of the conjunctiva.

Eighty-one cases of conjunctival melanoma treated between 1960 and 1988 were studied to determine factors that might affect outcome in patients with such lesions. The therapeutic procedures performed were local excision (16), local excision followed by brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (32), local excision followed by cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen (16), brachytherapy with Sr-90/Y-90 (12), local excision followed by external beam irradiation (3), and local excision followed by brachytherapy and cryotherapy (2). The median follow-up period was 5.