Apyrase administration prolongs discordant xenograft survival.

Platelet thrombi and vascular inflammation are prominent features of discordant xenograft rejection. The purinergic nucleotides ATP and ADP, which are secreted from platelets and released by injured endothelial cells (EC), are important mediators of these reactions. Quiescent EC express the ectoenzyme ATP-diphosphohydrolase (ATPDase; an apyrase), which exerts an important thromboregulatory function by hydrolyzing both ATP and ADP.

Developmental differences in cytosolic calcium accumulation associated with surgically induced global ischemia: optimization of cardioplegic protection and mechanism of action.

Objective: The effect of cardioplegic solutions with high concentrations of potassium or magnesium (or both) on cytosolic calcium accumulation was investigated with fura-2 in isolated perfused mature (n = 24) and aged (n = 24) rabbit hearts.

Methods: We compared cytosolic calcium accumulation before ischemia (control), during 30 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion under global ischemia, or after treatment with potassium (20 mmol/L), magnesium (20 mmol/L), or both.

Results: Cytosolic calcium accumulation was increased during global ischemia in the mature heart (from 178.

A brief period of retrograde hyperthermic perfusion enhances myocardial protection from global ischemia: association with accumulation of Hsp 70 mRNA and protein.

The induction of heat shock proteins in the myocardium has been suggested as a possible intervention to allow for enhanced cardioprotection. We examined the cardioprotective effects of Hsp 70 induction in a clinically relevant model, in which a brief period of retrograde hyperthermic perfusion (42 degrees C) was applied for 15 min, only 5 min prior to global ischemia and reperfusion in the isolated perfused rat heart. Our results indicate that in retrograde hyperthermic perfused hearts (n = 17) there was enhanced dP/dT, end diastolic pressure, and peak developed pressure during normothermic reperfusion following 15 min of global ischemia when compared to control hearts perfused at 37 degrees C (n = 18).

Dermatology.

Calcipotriene ointment has recently been approved for the treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis. Recent laser developments have created new and effective treatments for a variety of cutaneous pigmented disorders. Three new systemic fungicidal drugs have been developed in the treatment of tinea unguium.

Tumoral Calcinosis in Infancy. A light and electron microscopic study with X-ray microanalysis.

The most frequent form of idiopathic calcinosis is tumoral calcinosis (TC) which rarely occurs at young ages. We describe here a TC case of a young boy with its light microscopy completed with electron microscopic examinations. X-ray microanalysis revealed in the intracellular crystals CaCl2 besides the previously described hydroxyapatite.

Heparin resistance after preoperative heparin therapy or intraaortic balloon pumping.

Heparin resistance, defined as failure of 500 IU per kilogram of body weight of heparin to prolong the activated clotting time (ACT) to 480 seconds or longer, was noted during 949 of 4,280 (22%) consecutive open heart surgical procedures performed on adults between 1986 and 1991. The total population was divided into the following four groups: group 1, preoperative intraaortic balloon support without concomitant heparin therapy (n = 138 patients); group 2, preoperative intravenous heparin therapy (n = 741 patients); group 3, intraaortic balloon support with concomitant intravenous heparin therapy (n = 137 patients); and group 4, controls, not receiving preoperatively the therapy given groups 1, 2, or 3 (n = 3,264 patients). The ACT response to an initial dose of 500 IU/kg of heparin and the incidence of heparin resistance were 596 +/- 203 seconds and 30% in group 1; 506 +/- 149 seconds and 50% in group 2; 520 +/- 159 seconds and 53% in group 3; and 705 +/- 234 seconds and 14% in group 4, respectively.

[Quality of life following liver transplantation].

247 liver transplantations in 210 patients were done between June 1983 and April 1991 in our hospital. In this paper we have analyzed our experience with adult liver transplantation from the view point of quality of life after liver transplant. Indications for liver transplantation were the following: 46 patients with cirrhosis due to non A, non B hepatitis, 29 with alcoholic cirrhosis, 13 with hepatitis B, 34 with primary biliary cirrhosis, 26 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, 29 with acute hepatic necrosis, 10 with liver tumor, 13 with miscellaneous other diseases.

Ultrasonic thrombus ablation: in vitro assessment of a novel device for intracoronary use.

An ultrasonic thrombolysis device designed for intracoronary use was developed and evaluated in vitro to assess efficacy in achieving clot ablation without deleterious effects, such as heat generation and production of large particles during clot ablation. Studies on 31 samples with a bench-top version demonstrated that clot ablation was rapid (typically 2 mL in under 2 minutes) and no macroscopic particles were released. The fluid produced did not reclot.

Psychologic effects of the diagnosis and treatment of hypercholesterolemia: lessons from case studies.

Some patients exhibit adverse psychologic responses to the diagnosis and treatment of hypercholesterolemia. These responses are, in part, a function of the patient's perception of the distinction between disease and illness and the patient's understanding of the probabilistic relationship between risk factors and associated diseases. Moreover, failure to acknowledge some of the specific complexities of hypercholesterolemia (e.

Abdominal CT findings after liver transplantation in 66 patients.

CT scanning is used frequently to assess the condition of patients after liver transplantation. The CT records of 174 adult patients who underwent liver transplantation were studied retrospectively to determine the number and timing of CT studies as well as the frequency and significance of the findings. One-hundred seventy CT scans were obtained in 66 (38%) of the 174 patients, with a mean of 2.

Reactivity of chemically cross-linked fibrinogen and its fragments D toward the staphylococcal clumping receptor.

It has been established that the binding domain for the staphylococcal clumping receptor exists in fragment D of human fibrinogen [Hawiger J., Timmons, S., Strong, D.