The pulmonary excretion of14CO2 in patients with ileal resection,Crohn's disease and control subjects following administration of glycine-1-14C

Zusammenfassung Mittels Cholinglycin-¹⁴C-Atemtest für eine bakterielle Konjugation im Darm wird gezeigt, dass der Glycinmetabolismus zwischen Normalpersonen und solchen mit Ileumresektion und Morbus Crohn unterschiedlich ist.

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Acknowledgments. We wish to express our thanks to MissBarbara O. Brown for writing the computer programme, to Mr.A. D. McLaren who gave advice on statistics and to Mrs.Gail Jamieson for her help in the collection of specimens.     

Histopathological abnormalities in the skin of patients suffering from chronic pulmonary emphysema

Résumé On a étudié l'histopathologie de la peau chez 43 sujets ayant un emphysème pulmonaire chronique. Chez la plupart de ces malades, on a observé des lésions cutanées de hyperkératose ortokératosique diffuse du corps muqueux de Malpighi, l'épaisseur de la couche granuleuse diminuée ou absente et des phénomènes dégénératifs des fibres élastiques. L'analyse de contingence a montré des différences hautement significatives (P0.001) par rapport aux malades asthmatiques sans emphysème pris comme témoins.     

Selectivity of alterations in skeletal fibers in chronic Chagas' disease of the mouse

Summary In mice chronically infected withTrypanosoma cruzi, the masseter muscle (rich in type II fibers) was devoid of inflammatory infiltrates and parasites. In contrast, other muscles, composed of type I and II fibers, showed a decrease of type I fibers, parasites and lesions, suggesting that inT. cruzi infection type I muscle fibers are selectively damaged.     

Selectivity of alterations in skeletal fibers in chronic Chagas' disease of the mouse

In mice chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the masseter muscle (rich in type II fibers) was devoid of inflammatory infiltrates and parasites. In contrast, other muscles, composed of type I and II fibers, showed a decrease of type I fibers, parasites and lesions, suggesting that in T. cruzi infection type I muscle fibers are selectively damaged.     

Oxygen consumption and14CO2 production in tissue of rats with chronic and acute selenite poisoning

Riassunto Nessuna influenza sull'attività respiratoria di cellule di fegati e reni di topi è stata notata quando gli animali sono stati trattati con somministrazioni acute o croniche di Na₂SeO₃. La diminuzione della produzione di¹⁴CO₂, quando i tessuti degli animali trattati con Na₂SeO₃ sono stati incubati con¹⁴C glucosio, suggerisce la possibilità di un aumento dell'attività catabolica dei lipidi.     

Involvement of small Ras GTPases and their effectors in chronic renal disease

The mechanisms involved in the development of renal fibrosis are poorly understood. Small Ras GTPases control cell proliferation, differentiation, cellular growth and apoptosis, with cell-specific expression in the kidney. Cytokines, high glucose medium or advanced glycation end-products activate Ras in different renal cells. Increased Ras activation has been found in experimental tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and Ras signalling pathways are close related: TGF-β1 overcomes Ras mitogenic effects, and Ras counteracts TGF-β signalling. However, Ras activation is also an intracellular signal transduction point for several molecules (e.g. TGF-β1) involved in kidney damage. Ras isoforms play different roles in regulating extracellular matrix synthesis in fibroblasts and mesangial cells. These data give evidence for a role for Ras in renal fibrosis, but no reviews are available on the role of p21 Ras in this process. Thus, our goal is to review the role of Ras activation and signalling in renal fibrosis. Received 7 June 2007; received after revision 17 September 2007; accepted 1 October 2007     

DDT: the degradation of ring-labeled 14C-DDT to 14CO2 in the rat.

Ring fission of p, p'-DDT was studied in the rat following a single oral dose of 0.74 mg/kg (1.04 muCi) of uniformly ring-labeled 14C-DDT. Expired air was passed through a solution of ethanolamine-ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (1:2) to trap 14CO2. A total of 1.6% of the radioactivity administered was recovered in the expired air collected continually for 10 days, indicating that while degradation of the phenyl moiety is not a major route of p,p'-DDT metabolism in the rat, it is equal to the urinary excretion. Nevertheless, these results represent the most radical change accomplished in vivo of a residual insecticide yet reported in mammals.     

RAGE is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily: implications for homeostasis and chronic disease

Receptor for AGE (RAGE) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that engages distinct classes of ligands. The biology of RAGE is driven by the settings in which these ligands accumulate, such as diabetes, inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders and tumors. In this review, we discuss the context of each of these classes of ligands, including advance glycation end-products, amyloid beta peptide and the family of beta sheet fibrils, S100/calgranulins and amphoterin. Implications for the role of these ligands interacting with RAGE in homeostasis and disease will be considered.     

DDT: The degradation of ring-labeled14C-DDT to14CO2 in the rat

Summary Ring fission ofp, p-DDT was studied in the rat following a single oral dose of 0.74 mg/kg (1.04 Ci) of uniformly ring-labeled¹⁴C-DDT. Expired air was passed through a solution of ethanolamine-ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (12) to trap¹⁴CO₂. A total of 1.6% of the radioactivity administered was recovered in the expired air collected continually for 10 days, indicating that while degradation of the phenyl moiety is not a major route pfp, p-DDT metabolism in the rat, it is equal to the urinary excretion. Nevertheless, these results represent the most radical change accomplished in vivo of a residual insecticide yet reported in mammals.Acknowledgment. We acknowledge the secretarial work of Ms.Elaine Smolko. This study was supported by NIH fellowship No. 1 F22 ES01723-01 and No. HL16264.     

Acute stress reduces the sensitivity of the vasculature to sympathetic control

Summary Vascular smooth muscle from rabbits subjected to acute severe stress exhibits decreased sensitivity to sympathetic regulation. Stimulation of the sympathetic innervation of isolated vascular segments resulted in a similar subsensitivity as did exposure to norepinephrine (NE) but not histamine. Periodic contraction of these segments caused an increase in their maximum ability to contract independent of the constrictor procedure used. These results suggest that the increase in sympathetically mediated NE release that occurs in stress and some other pathological conditions may result in a blunting of neural control and possibly resistance to certain therapeutic agents.Supported by U.S.P.H.S. HL 20581 and GM 7304.     

Acute stress reduces the sensitivity of the vasculature to sympathetic control

Vascular smooth muscle from rabbits subjected to acute severe stress exhibits decreased sensitivity to sympathetic regulation. Stimulation of the sympathetic innervation of isolated vascular segments resulted in a similar subsensitivity as did exposure to norepinephrine (NE) but not histamine. Periodic contraction of these segments caused an increase in their maximum ability to contract independent of the constrictor procedure used. These results suggest that the increase in sympathetically mediated NE release that occurs in stress and some other pathological conditions may result in a blunting of neural control and possibly resistance to certain therapeutic agents.     

Demonstration of erythroblastic differentiation after 14 days in blood in vitro during Vaquez's disease without addition of erythropoietin]

Leucocytes of normal individuals and patients with polycythemia vera were isolated from the peripheral blood by Ficoll-Hipaque density gradient centrifugation and cultured in vitro suing the bovine plasma clot culture technique with a minor modification: the addition of fresh normal serum. After 14 days in the presence of sheep erythropo?etin (3U/ml) erythropo?etic bursts containing between 3 and 10 subcolonies were observed in normal and polycythemia vera cultures. Blood leucocytes of patients with polycythemia vera rise to these erythropo?etic bursts without addition of erythropo?etin to the culture. This behavior was never observed in the blood of normal individuals. These results indicate that in polycythemia vera commited erythro?d stem cells of high proliferative capacity closely resembling the murine erythro?d burst forming unit have an abnormal sensitivity to erythropo?etin as well as the immediate precursors of the proerythroblasts. The culture of these cells from the peripheral blood offers some practical advantages.     

Degradation of haemoglobin-14C and urinary excretion of bilirubin-14C by the normothermic perfused isolated dog kidney

Résumé L'hémoglobine libre du sang, filtrée par les glomérules rénaux et partiellement absorbée par les tubules, est métabolisée par le tissu renal. A l'aide de l'hémoglobine marquée en¹⁴C, formée à partir de la glycine-2-¹⁴C et de la glycine-1-¹⁴C nos résultats prouvent que chez le chien mâle les reins métabolisent l'hémoglobine en bilirubine conjugée et excrètent cette dernière dans les urines.

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Our thanks are due to the Fonds voor wetenschappelijk geneeskundig onderzoek of Belgium for the financial support.     

Loss of the ability to oxidize hydrocarbons in protoplasts ofCandida lipolytica

Zusammenfassung Aus den Zellen der HefeCandida lipolytica wurden Protoplasten gewonnen, die die Oxydationsfähigkeit gegenüber Hexadekan verloren haben, während diejenige gegenüber Glukose erhalten geblieben ist. Der Verlust der Fähigkeit, den Kohlenwasserstoff zu oxydieren, wird entweder durch eine Veränderung der Oberfläche der zytoplasmatischen Membran und Destruktion des an sie gebundenen Oxydationsenzyms erklärt oder dadurch, dass die Protoplasten die Fähigkeit verloren haben, Kohlenwasserstoffe in die Zelle zu transportieren.