Gonadal function abnormalities in sickle cell anemia. Studies in adult male patients

Thirty-two adult patients with sickle cell anemia were evaluated endocrinologically. Secondary sex characteristics were abnormal in 29, and eunuchoidal skeletal proportions were present in all except one. The age at which different stages of pubic hair growth were attained in these patients was delayed in comparison to normals (P less than 0.005). Hormonal assays were carried out in 14 patients. Basal serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione values were lower (P less than 0.02) in patients than controls. Serum LH and FSH levels before and after stimulation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone were consistent with primary testicular failure. Erythrocyte and hair zinc concentrations were significantly decreased, and there was positive correlation between erythrocyte zinc and serum testosterone (r = 0.61, P less than 0.01) in sickle cell anemia. Our study shows that androgen deficiency in this disease is a result of primary rather than secondary hypogondadism. Further studies are required to establish the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of testicular failure in sickle cell anemia.     

Production of tubular structures from the aerial mycelium of Actinomyces roseoflavus var. roseofungini]

Jejunal lamina propria plasma cells and eosinophils and intraepithelial lymphocytes were raised in coeliac children on gluten-containing diets, but only intraepithelial lymphocytes were increased in patients on gluten-free diets. In contrast, lamina propria lymphocytes were reduced in children with coeliad disease on gluten-containing diets but were normal in paitents on gluten-free diets. In children with coeliac disease who were studied serially, lamina propria plasma cells and eosinophils and intraepithelial lymphocytes increased, and lamina propria lymphocytes decreased, within three months of the reintroduction of gluten to the diet. These observations are essentially similar to those made in the adult form of the disease and suggest that more than one type of immunological reaction is involved in the pathogenesis of the jejunal lesion.     

Phytochemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils of three endemic Soqotraen Boswellia species

The chemical composition of three essential oils obtained from the barks of three endemic Boswellia species namely, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia elongata and Boswellia socotrana which were collected from the Soqotra Island (Yemen), was investigated. In parallel to that evaluation of their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities was also carried out. The investigation led to the identification of 72, 70 and 67 constituents for B.dioscorides, B. elongata, and B. socotrana, respectively. The B. dioscorides oil was found to have a high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (32.8%) with α-thujene (9.3%) and α-pinene (8.3%) as main components. Whereas, the essential oil of B. elongata was characterised by high diterpene content (31.7%), in which incensol (14.8%) was found to be the major constituent. On the other hand, the oil obtained from the B. socotrana was found to be predominated of monoterpene hydrocarbons (26.4%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (30.7%) with p-cymene (13.0%), 2-hydroxy-5-methoxy-acetophenone (16.3%) and camphor (11.6%). All essential oils possessed antimicrobial activity especially against Gram-positive bacteria with MIC-values between 1.8 and 17.2 mg/ml. Furthermore, the DPPH-radical scavenging assay exhibited only weak antioxidant activities (28%) at 1.0 mg/ml.     

D1 and D2 dopamine receptor mediation of amphetamine-induced acetylcholine release in nucleus accumbens

To assess the interaction of dopamine and acetylcholine systems in the rat nucleus accumbens in response to direct D-amphetamine administration, in vivo microdialysis measures of acetylcholine were used during reverse dialysis of amphetamine alone and in combination with D1 and D2 receptor antagonists SCH 23390 and sulpiride, respectively. During a 15-min exposure to amphetamine (50 microM) in the nucleus accumbens, acetylcholine increased to 33% above pre-infusion levels, became maximal at 15 min post-infusion (+41%) and gradually returned to baseline levels by 60 min post-amphetamine. Conversely, amphetamine (1 mM) administration caused a biphasic change in acetylcholine release with a trend toward a decrease (-14%) during exposure followed by a significant increase (+36%) at 30 min post-amphetamine that returned to baseline levels by 60 min after infusion. The increases observed during amphetamine (50 microM) exposure and during recovery from amphetamine (1 mM) were both blocked by co-administration with the D1 antagonist, SCH 23390 (10 microM), but not with the D2 antagonist, sulpiride (10 microM). Co-infusion of sulpiride eliminated the trend toward reduced acetylcholine release observed during 1 mM amphetamine whereas co-administration of SCH 23390 potentiated this decrease. A possible tonic D1 facilitation of nucleus accumbens acetylcholine release was indicated by the consistent reductions in acetylcholine release observed during infusion of SCH 23390. These results suggest that amphetamine administration in the nucleus accumbens induces a bidirectional change in acetylcholine release that is dependent on dose and opposing effects of nucleus accumbens D1 and D2 activation. In general, relatively low doses of amphetamine administered into the nucleus accumbens caused an increase in acetylcholine release that was dependent on dopamine D1 receptors whereas higher doses of amphetamine resulted in a D2-mediated decrease.     

Oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis: a cause of dysphagia in a 10-year-old boy

We report a 10-year-old boy who presented with a piece of chicken stuck in his throat. He had similar episodes in the past that resolved spontaneously. The foreign body was removed and oesophagoscopy revealed no abnormality. Post-operative barium swallow showed oesophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis.     

Ozone therapy of diffuse peritonitis in the early postoperative period

The functional status of the oxidative-antioxidative system was studied in 72 patients after vast cancer operations. Traditional surgical treatment and its combination with intraoperative irradiation were shown to lead to tense antioxidative defense and to suppressed T-cell immunity and to call for antioxidative and immunomodulating therapy. High intraoperative blood loss complicated by hemorrhagic shock injured the oxidative-antioxidative system greatly. The magnitude of this damage correlated with the rate of prehypoxia. Addition of the potent antioxidant Ceruloplasmin to the drug regimen normalized a recovery period, helped to correct posthypoxic multiorgan insufficiency, to recover oxidative-antioxidative balance, and to decrease the incidence of pyoinflammatory complications. Patients with endogenous intoxication showed activated lipid peroxidation, decreased functional activity of antioxidative defense components and of T-cell immunity in homeostasis. The use of Ceruloplasmin and Laprot had pronounced antiinflammatory and detoxifying effects on the patient's body and activated its antioxidative defense.     

Effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance

Purpose

To examine the effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance.

Methods

Sixteen recreationally active subjects (7 females and 9 males) completed three sprint tests, each consisting of four 12 sec efforts against a resistance equal to 5.5% of body weight; efforts were separated by 2.5 min of cycling at zero resistance. Test one established baseline; test two and three were preceded by seven days of daily consumption of 591 ml of a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage as a placebo or a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage containing 0.42% betaine (approximately 2.5 grams of betaine a day); half the beverage was consumed in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. We used a double blind random order cross-over design; there was a 3 wk washout between trials two and three. Average and maximum peak and mean power were analyzed with one-way repeated measures ANOVA and, where indicated, a Student Newman-Keuls.

Results

Compared to baseline, betaine ingestion increased average peak power (6.4%; p < 0.001), maximum peak power (5.7%; p < 0.001), average mean power (5.4%; p = 0.004), and maximum mean power (4.4%; p = 0.004) for all subjects combined. Compared to placebo, betaine ingestion significantly increased average peak power (3.4%; p = 0.026), maximum peak power max (3.8%; p = 0.007), average mean power (3.3%; p = 0.034), and maximum mean power (3.5%; p = 0.011) for all subjects combined. There were no differences between the placebo and baseline trials.

Conclusions

One week of betaine ingestion improved cycling sprint power in recreationally active males and females.     

NMR studies of caldesmon-calmodulin interactions

The binding of the calcium-regulatory protein calmodulin (CaM) to caldesmon (CaD) contributes to the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. Two regions of caldesmon have been identified as putative calmodulin-binding domains. We have earlier reported on the binding of one of these domains to calmodulin (Zhang & Vogel (1994) Biochemistry 33, 1163-1171). Here we have studied the binding of CaM to synthetic peptides of CaD which contain: (1) both the first and second CaM-binding domains; (2) the second CaM-binding domain; and (3) the sequence between the first and second CaM-binding domains. Two-dimensional transferred nuclear Overhauser enhancement proton NMR measurements as well as circular dichroism studies of a 22-residue peptide NKETAGLKVGVSSRINEWLTK, which contains the second CaM-binding domain, show that only the C-terminal half of the peptide becomes alpha-helical upon binding to CaM. Somewhat surprisingly, the shorter 9-residue peptide SRINEWLTK was sufficient to form a 1:1 complex with CaM; this peptide appears to bind as a 3(10)-helix. Proton-carbon-13 correlation NMR titration studies with specifically labeled [methyl-13C]methionine CaM were used to study the participation of the hydrophobic regions in both domains of the dumbbell shaped CaM in peptide binding. Binding of a 54-residue CaD peptide containing both CaM-binding domains affects all the 8 Met residues in the two hydrophobic domains of CaM (only Met 76 in the linker region of CaM is not involved), while binding of the second CaM-binding domain of CaD influences principally Met 51, 71, and Met 124, 144. Simultaneous binding to CaM of two peptides comprising the first and the second CaM-binding domains also caused changes to all Met residues except Met 76. Taken together, these data demonstrate that both CaM-binding domains of CaD can bind simultaneously to the two hydrophobic regions of CaM.