The role of (E)-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in platelet activation by low density lipoprotein and iron.

(E)-4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is a highly reactive product of the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) which increases the platelet aggregation response to various agonists. HNE formation was increased during the enhanced platelet aggregation to thrombin, ADP. A23187 and epinephrine in the presence of LDL.

Gallium-67 scintigraphy in borderline lepromatous leprosy.

A middle aged woman with a pyrexia of unknown origin was shown to have borderline lepromatous leprosy. Early gallium-67 scintigraphy demonstrated increased uptake in the subcutaneous tissues of the face and thighs. As a result of these findings skin biopsy was obtained from the right thigh which gave a diagnosis of borderline lepromatous leprosy.

CT appearances of rounded atelectasis.

Five patients examined with CT had lesions fulfilling criteria for a diagnosis of rounded atelectasis (RA) and these were managed without biopsy. In three patients unsuspected contralateral lesions were identified as RA variants, and one of these was biopsied at thoracotomy and proved to be benign. All patients remain well at 6-22 months follow-up.

A national collaborative study of resistance to antimicrobial agents in Haemophilus influenzae in Australian hospitals. The Australian Group for Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR).

An Australia-wide survey of the prevalence of resistance to antimicrobial agents among Haemophilus influenzae was conducted on clinically significant isolates collected between July 1988 and September 1990. Laboratories from the capital cities of each Australian state and territory participated. Nine hundred and seventy clinical isolates were examined for beta-lactamase production and the MICs of ampicillin, coamoxiclav, chloramphenicol, cefaclor, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, tetracycline, rifampicin, trimethoprim, sulphamethoxazole and co-trimoxazole were determined using the NCCLS agar dilution method with Haemophilus Test Medium.

Occurrence of (E)-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal in plasma and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

(E)-4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), a cytotoxic propagation product of lipid peroxidation, is present in the synovial fluid (0.54 (0.19) mumol/l; mean (SE), n = 9) and plasma (0.

Suppression of active but not passive autoimmune encephalomyelitis by dual cyclo-oxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibition.

Previous research has shown that the dual cyclo-oxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, BW755c suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In the present study, the effects of BW755c on both actively and passively induced EAE in the Lewis rat were examined, and also its effect on the accumulation of radiolabeled spleen cells in response to direct injection of tumor necrosis factor into the spinal cord. It was found that BW755c suppressed actively induced EAE but not passively induced EAE nor cytokine-induced cell accumulation in the central nervous system.

Studies on fibrin network structure in human plasma. Part One: Methods for clinical application.

Methods based on turbidity and permeability, for measurement of mass-length ratio of fibrin fibres developed in pure fibrinogen solution, have been evaluated in respect of their applicability to human plasma. Theoretical assumptions made in the calculation of mass-length ratios in plasma have been critically examined. Methods of handling plasma, reproducibility of technique and the influence of age and sex have been investigated.

Ultrastructural localization of human kidney antigens using monoclonal antibodies.

A highly sensitive method of ultrastructural-immunoperoxidase staining was developed for use with monoclonal antibodies which have been raised in this laboratory to a variety of antigens of the human kidney. Because of the susceptibility of the antigens to fixation and processing, a four layer, pre-embedding method of staining was used. Results confirmed and clarified previously reported light microscopy results, indicating that an antigen recognized by the PHM5 antibody was found on the podocyte cell membrane within the glomerulus and was not present within the glomerular basement membrane.

Caecal volvulus in a child: an unusual postoperative complication.

A 2.5 year old dysmorphic child with severe gastro-oesophageal reflux was admitted for elective fundoplication. Three days postoperatively, she developed progressive signs of intestinal obstruction.

Orbital blowout fracture from hydrostatic pressure.

This case report describes an orbital blowout fracture due to hydrostatic pressure from a high-diving accident. Also described are the velocities encountered in this case.

Loss of activation-induced CD45RO with maintenance of CD45RA expression during prolonged culture of T cells and NK cells.

The results of the present study show that activation-induced changes in CD45RA and CD45RO expression on T cells and natural killer (NK) cells are not unidirectional for all cells during a 5-week culture period. T cells and NK cells were generated from a resting subpopulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) defined by sedimentation at Percoll high buoyant densities (p greater than 1.0640 g/ml) and unresponsiveness to IL-2.

Studies on fibrin network structure: the effect of some plasma proteins.

Significant differences were found between characteristics of networks developed in plasma and those developed in pure fibrinogen solution. Networks in plasma have thicker fibres, are more permeable and have lower tensile strength. In this investigation determinants of network structure under physiological conditions of clotting have been examined in an attempt to account for the differences in network structure in plasma and fibrinogen solution.

Linear atelectasis in the lingula as a diagnostic feature of left lower lobe collapse: Nordenström's sign.

Collapse of the left lower lobe is sometimes accompanied by linear atelectasis in the lingula. The lingular atelectasis may be more readily apparent than conventional signs of left lower collapse. The mechanism of this association as first described by Nordenström is discussed and its value as a diagnostic sign emphasised.

Phenotypic analysis of a resting subpopulation of human peripheral blood NK cells: the FcR gamma III (CD16) molecule and NK cell differentiation.

A subpopulation of human peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells, defined by sedimentation at Percoll high buoyant densities (P greater than 1.0635-1.0640 g/ml) and unresponsiveness to interleukin-2 (IL-2), contained two distinct populations based on the intensity of CD16 (FcR gamma III) expression, namely CD16dim and CD16bright.

Direct injection of cytokines into the spinal cord causes autoimmune encephalomyelitis-like inflammation.

A single micro-injection of Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF) or gamma Interferon (IFN-gamma) into the lumbosacral spinal cord of the rat produced meningitis and mononuclear cuffs within the cord, an inflammatory response remarkably similar in pattern to that observed during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a research analog of multiple sclerosis. Rats injected with saline or heat-inactivated cytokine exhibited no such inflammatory response. In other experiments, the accumulation of radiolabeled spleen cells into spinal cord was measured after the injection of various doses of TNF and IFN-gamma, results indicated that both cytokines elicited accumulation of spleen cells in an additive but not synergistic manner.

The effects of some plasma proteins on fibrin network structure.

Pronounced differences are found between characteristics of networks developed in plasma and those developed in pure fibrinogen solution. Networks in plasma have thicker fibres, are more permeable and have lower tensile strength. In this investigation the role of some plasma proteins as determinants of network structure under physiological conditions of clotting has been examined in an attempt to account for the differences in network structure in plasma and fibrinogen solution.

An Australia-wide epidemic of Pseudomonas pickettii bacteraemia due to contaminated "sterile" water for injection.

Nineteen cases of Pseudomonas pickettii bacteraemia and one case of Pseudomonas cepacia bacteraemia were identified in an Australia-wide outbreak of nosocomial sepsis associated with contaminated water for injection. The contamination was limited to one batch of commercially produced water for injection. Four different organisms were identified (three biotypes of P.

Immediate, long-lasting suppression of autoimmune encephalomyelitis by cell-bound neuroantigen.

When lymphoid cells from rats recovered from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) were incubated in vitro for 1 hr with myelin basic protein (BP), then washed and transferred along with anti-BP immune serum to naive recipients, those recipients immediately developed a solid, long-lasting resistance to active induction of EAE. To obtain this high level of suppression, both steps of BP-incubation of cells and transfer of immune serum were found to be essential, i.e.

Inhibition of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor castanospermine.

The alkaloid castanospermine is a potent inhibitor of oligosaccharide processing in vitro. Our recent findings indicating the importance of carbohydrate moieties in some critical step of the neuro-immunologic inflammatory process of allergic encephalomyelitis prompted us to investigate the effect of castanospermine on this disease process. The alkaloid inhibited passively induced allergic encephalomyelitis in a dose-dependent manner when administered continuously for 7 days beginning at the time of lymphocyte transfer.

Replication of donor lymphocytes in recipients is not essential for the passive transfer of allergic encephalomyelitis.

Gliotoxin is a fungal metabolite belonging to the class of epipolythiodioxopiperazines which possesses both immunomodulating and anti-phagocytic activities. We have examined the effect of gliotoxin on passively induced allergic encephalomyelitis and report here that pulse treating activated experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) effector lymphocytes with gliotoxin inhibits, in a dose-dependent manner, their ability to transfer disease. Cells treated with 300 ng/ml are unable to replicate in vitro in response to concanavalin A stimulation, nor did they produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) following stimulation.