Pharmacokinetics and enzymatic transformations of 35S-lincomycin in the tissues of certain organs

Pharmacokinetics of 35S-lincomycin was studied with the microbiological and radiometric methods of the antibiotic determination. Significant deviations in the results obtained with the two methods in determination of lincomycin levels in the liver and kidneys were observed. The values obtained with the radiometric method were 10 times higher than those obtained with the microbiological method. Paper radiochromatography of the extracts from the liver and kidneys of the animals treated with 35S-lincomycin revealed the presence of not only 35S-lincomycin, but also a number of the label containing substances, the products of the antibiotic enzymatic transformation. Radiochromatography of the extracts from the brain of the animals treated with 35S-lincomycin revealed several peaks of radioactivity against the back ground of low levels of the label.     

Comparative kinetics of oxytetracycline and oxyglucocycline cotent in tissues of the ENT organs

The kinetics of oxytetracycline and oxyglucocycline levels (calculated for oxytetracycline) was studied on 80 patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory organs, the antibiotics being administered intramuscularly. After a single injection of oxytetrachcline hydrochloride in a dose of 1500 Units/kg body weight its levels in the blood serum and certain tissues of the ENT organs were rather low. When the dose was 3000 Units/kg the maximum antibiotic level in the blood level reached 1 Unit/ml. The drug was detected in the bacteriostatic concentrations in the blood serum and tissues within 12 hours. When the dose of oxyglucocycline was 1500 Units/kg the rate of its absorption was 4 times higher than that of oxytetracycline absorption. However, the character of its distribution in the blood and tissues of the ENT organs did not differ from distribution of oxytetracycline as dependent on the duration of the injection period. The both pharmaceutical forms had a tendency to some retention of the drugs in the tissues of the palatine tonsils. Because of better absorption and retention in the tonsils tissue oxyglucocycline may be recommended for therapy of inflammatory processes in the lymphadenoid apparatus of the pharynx.     

Distribution of casein-like proteins in various organs of rat

Casein-like proteins were detected in various organs of rat by use of a specific antiserum raised against rat milk caseins. The antiserum specifically recognized alpha 1-, alpha 2-, beta-, and gamma-caseins in rat milk by Western blot analysis, whereas no immunoreactive band was observed in sera of rat and fetal bovine and in bovine caseins. Immunohistochemical studies of this antiserum on formalin-fixed mammary glands showed that immunoreactive caseins were localized to the apical portion of the cytoplasm in lactating mammary epithelial cells and in the luminal secretion, which indicates a directional secretion of caseins to the lumen by the mammary epithelial cells. With this antiserum, immunoreactive substances were detected in various organs, including the pancreatic ducts and islets of Langerhans, the secretory ducts of salivary glands, zona fasciculata cells and ganglion cells of adrenal gland, distal tubules and convoluted collecting tubules of kidney, epithelial cells of bronchioles and large pneumocytes of the lung, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and the prickle cell layer of skin, uterine glands and epithelium of the endometrium, hepatic bile ducts, and brain. In Western blot analysis, major immunoreactive substances in the above organ extracts showed a similarity in molecular weight to alpha 2-casein of rat milk. Skin was the only tissue that expressed both alpha 2- and beta-caseins. There were no other immunoreactive bands with similarity to beta- and gamma-caseins in the other organ extracts, but higher molecular weight immunoreactive bands (> 100 kD) were detected in some organ extracts, such as salivary gland, kidney, liver, lung, and uterus. These findings suggest that the alpha 2-casein-like substance is localized not only in the mammary gland but also in a variety of organs and may play an important role as a functional molecule in those organs.     

Distribution of catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme in rat tissues

In the present study we show the distribution of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in various rat tissues with a highly specific antiserum prepared against recombinant rat COMT. Immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemical controls confirmed the COMT-specificity of the antibodies. The antiserum detected both the 24 KD soluble and the 28 KD membrane-bound forms of the enzyme. By immunohistochemical staining the COMT enzyme was found in most rat tissues. Staining was most intense in the liver and in the kidney, in agreement with previous studies and our immunoblotting results. In the gastrointestinal tract, epithelial cells of the stomach, duodenum, and ileum were immunoreactive for COMT. In pancreas, COMT immunoreactivity was found in insulin-producing beta-cells and somatostatin-producing D-cells but not in glucagon-producing alpha-cells of the islets of Langerhans. In pituitary, COMT immunoreactivity was found in cleft cells, in pituicytes of the posterior lobe, and in the anterior lobe, partly in the same cells containing luteinizing hormone (LH). In other endocrine organs, COMT immunoreactivity was found in epithelial cells of the thyroid gland and in zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex. In the brain, brightest immunofluorescence was seen in ependymal cells of the cerebral ventricles and choroid plexus. Weak to moderate immunofluorescence was found in the neuropil of several brain areas, including striatum and cortex. Scattered small neurons in spinal sensory ganglia were also COMT immunoreactive. Previous immunocytochemical studies, enzyme activity determinations, and distribution of the COMT mRNA are in general agreement with the results presented here. The wide distribution of COMT in different tissues suggests an important role for this protein in inactivation of catechol compounds.     

Nursing and the procurement of organs and tissues in the acute care hospital setting

Organ and tissue transplantations are now well established procedures; however, a scarcity of donors and the obstacles encountered during the procurement process have resulted in a growing shortage of organs and tissues. This paper reviews the issues surrounding the procurement process and the role that nurses play in that process. Two case studies are presented and discussed in order to identify important issues to address with the family (i. e., clarification about the meaning of brain death, the impact of donation on funeral arrangements, and the costs of donation) and to suggest practical strategies for approaching these issues.     

Distribution of probon in various organs in acute poisoning]

The amino acids composition of summary proteins in unground buckwheat of four common and promising varieties grown in the Ukraine was investigated by using ion-exchange chromatography with an automatic analyzor Hd-1200 E. Between individual varieties of buckweheat no essential differences in the amino acids content were in evidence. The total proteins of the buckwheat grit contain high quantities of lysine, treonine, leucine, glutamic acid and arginine. The amino acids score was instrumental in determining the biological value and in eliciting amino acids limiting this value in different grits. These data may be made use of in the practice of public catering for estimating formulae of meals prepared with grits differently combined with other products securing an improved amino acids composition of ready-to-eat meals.     

Distribution and subcellular localization of a lysosome-associated protein in human genital organs

The management of breast cancer is becoming increasingly complex, almost year by year. Previous paradigms have held that issues were dichotomous (e.g., good versus bad). These are being challenged constantly by more complex models that demand more than a duality of choice in therapeutic decision making. Most importantly, the determinants of local failure after conservative treatment are quite different from the determinants of survival. While we develop enhanced chemotherapy for immediate life-threatening disease, we also accepting subtypes of breast cancer that are of little threat to life and need little treatment. With the establishment of the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy, the question of whether some patients may be helped with chemotherapy becomes extremely important. The list of possible clinically useful subcategories is growing and is under active development. However, the prognostic factors in use have been validated repeatedly. The two major elements of anatomic staging--size and lymph node status--interact powerfully with histologic categories of grade and special type. In the area of small tumors, these associations indicate lesions that have almost no likelihood of association with distant failure, at least within 5 years.     

Concentration and several properties of lysozyme in the tissues of organs from slaughtered cattle]

Of four media tested, a tissue culture medium supplemented with a bovine serum albumin-oleic acid complex provided the best leptospiral growth and cost efficiency.     

Reservations and preferences among procurement professionals concerning the donation of specific organs and tissues

The aim of this study was to analyze the ability of an alloantibody from a patient with severe von Willebrand disease (vWD) to interfere with the vWF domain for FVIII, to inhibit factor VIII (FVIII), and to compare it with a rabbit polyclonal antibody. The vWF domain for binding to FVIII was assayed by a method previously described but using recombinant FVIII (r-FVIII, Kogenate), which contains no vWF, instead of Hemofil M (HM). Rabbit or human antibodies towards FVIII (FVIII-Ab) were analyzed using microtiter wells with immobilized r-FVIII through a monoclonal anti-FVIII antibody and an ELISA method. IgG from plasma of a patient with hemophilia A and FVIII inhibitor was used as a positive control. Normal human and rabbit IgGs were included as negative controls. Human vWD alloantibody IgG and the rabbit anti-vWF antibody IgG reacted with immobilized normal vWF, inhibiting its binding to r-FVIII in a dose-dependent manner, which suggests that it is specific. Normal human IgG fraction, as well as nonspecific rabbit IgG, did not interfere with this binding at all. The monoclonal antibody used in this assay to immobilize vWF did not alter this interaction at all. Human vWD alloantibody IgG and the rabbit antibody against vWF showed a partial inhibitory activity to plasma FVIII as well as r-FVIII. The inhibition reached a plateau with residual FVIII activity. FVIII-Ab were not detected in human alloantibody or in rabbit antibody preparations. In contrast, hemophiliac FVIII inhibitor showed FVIII-AB. This human vWD alloantibody behaves like polyclonal heterologous antibodies, and their inhibition of FVIII seems to be nonspecific due to a steric hindrance mechanism provided that both have no FVIII antibodies.     

Distribution of transposable elements in neotropical species of Drosophila

The phylogenetic distribution of transposable families, P, gypsy, hobo, I, and mariner has been analyzed in 33 species of 11 groups of neotropical Drosophila and a Drosophilidae species Zygotrica vittimaculosa, using squash blot and dot blot. Genomic DNA of almost all neotropical species tested hybridized with gypsy probe and some species showed a particularly strong hybridization signal, as D. gaucha, D. virilis, and species of flavopilosa group. The hobo element was restricted to melanogaster group and some strains of D. willistoni. Only D. simulans DNA showed hybridization to mariner probe in all species tested and D. simulans and D. melanogaster showed hybridization with I element probe. P element homologous sequence was present in D. melanogaster and all species and strains of the willistoni and saltans groups tested. The presence of at least one P-homologous sequence was detected in Drosophila mediopunctata. This one was the only P-bearing species of all six tested from the tripunctata group. Four different pairs of primers homologous to segments of the canonical sequence of D. melanogaster's P were used to amplify specific sequences from D. mediopunctata DNA, showing the occurrence of seemingly well-conserved P-homologous sequences.     

Distribution of free D-amino acids in tissues and body fluids of vertebrates

Reports on the distribution, metabolism and origins of free D-amino acids in vertebrate tissues and body fluids are reviewed. The transient emergence of D-aspartic acid during the development of brain and peripheral organs or early stages of life is reported. D-Serine in brain is postulated to be a potentiator for the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Some D-amino acid concentrations in human serum, such as D-Ser and D-Ala, are suggested to correlate with damage to renal function.     

Selective incorporation of 14C-arachidonic acid into the phospholipids of intact tissues and subsequent metabolism to 14C-prostaglandins

A method is described for the efficient incorporation of radioactive arachidonic acid into the lipids of rabbit hearts and kidneys. Infusion of 14C-arachidonate through perfused tissues resulted in the quantitative removel of label from the media. Analysis of the lipids from tissues labeled by this procedure revealed that the majority of the 14C-arachidonate was incorporated into phospholipids. Essentially all of the radioactivity in phosphatidylcholine was found in the 2-position. Subsequent to the 14C-arachidonate infusion, stimulation of prostaglandin biosynthesis (e.g. by bradykinin) resulted in the release of radioactive prostaglandins. This suggests that the 14C-arachidonate is incorporated in a manner such that it is available for hormone-stimulated prostaglandin biosynthesis. The method described allows both qualitative and quantitative analysis of arachidonate metabolism in intact tissues and offers significant advantages over other presently used methods.     

Distribution of nitrazepam and its metabolites in the subcellular fractions of several white rat organs

After intraperitoneal administration into rats at a dose of 100 mg per kg of body weight nitrazepame (mogadone, eunoktine) was enzymatically reduced with the subsequent acetylation. Derivatives of nitrazepame were found in cellular fragments and nuclei, in mitochondrial, microsomal and soluble fractions of liver, lungs, heart and brain tissues. Reduction of the substrate was shown to occur in soluble and microsomal fractions of liver tissue and acetylation--in mitochondria of lungs and liver tissue. Nitrazepame metabolites were quite uniformly distributed over cell organelles of heart and brain tissues; this suggests that they originate in the organs from other tissues, where the processes of reduction and acetylation take place. Nitrazepame and its derivatives penetrated into brain very effectively; this phenomenon is considered as an essential one for their pharmocological activity.     

Distribution of radioactivity from 14C-formaldehyde in pregnant mice and their fetuses

Fine structure, location and size of the core of 12 calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) papillar calculi from different 'idiopathic' stone-formers were studied by an optical and scanning electron microscope equipped with the EDAX analytical device. Each individual core exhibited a unique overall structure composed of loosely arranged twined and intergrown crystals of plate-like and/or columnar shape and particles of 'rosette' structure with considerable void space among crystals in some cases or compact structure in others. Crystals were covered by a thin layer or organic material mostly invisible to the microscope. Sometimes debris of organic origin in a core was observed. A substantial amount of organic matrix appeared at the core boundary, often in the form of amorphous plates. The outer striated layer of COM stone consisting of tightly packed columnar crystals originated on this matrix. The stone core was located near the stone surface that was attached to the kidney wall and contained foreign particles that act as heterogeneous nucleants of calcium oxalate crystals.