Surgical metabolism

Trauma, operative interventions, infection and other disturbances of homeostasis lead to a uniform reaction of the body, namely release and activation of hormones and cytokines. Profound alterations of substrate flow result, with mobilization of energy stores and degradation of structural and functional proteins of vital organs like the gut mucosa. Due to these reactions the energy demands of the organs are met and energy-consuming synthesis of substrates is indicated. Clinically, hypermetabolism, hyperglycemia, lipolysis and increased urea production with negative nitrogen balance can be observed. The metabolic reactivity is reached by an increased substrate cycling. To avoid negative consequences such as organ dysfunction, a rational situation-adapted substrate supply is warranted as well as reduction of catabolic stimuli and stimulation of anabolic factors. The metabolic care of the surgical patient is still a basic and important task.     

AP-3: an adaptor-like protein complex with ubiquitous expression

Equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) is a slow-growing, cytopathogenic gammaherpesvirus, which is suggested to be ubiquitous in the equine population. However, its precise role as a pathogen and its tissue tropism remains uncertain. To estimate the prevalence of EHV-2 in Germany and to investigate the possible pathogenicity of the virus, peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) from 172 horses were examined for EHV-2 DNA by a sensitive and specific nested PCR based on the EcoRI-N genomic fragment and by classical cocultivation. PBL samples from 51% of the horses were positive by PCR and virus was isolated from 31% of the horses by cocultivation. However, almost all animals were seropositive for EHV-2. This may indicate that PBL do not harbour EHV-2 indefinitely after infection. Furthermore, a correlation between clinical signs and EHV-2 as a causative agent could not be determined. Nevertheless, the prevalence of virus was high among horses with upper respiratory tract disease, abortion and severe ataxia. The products of the second round of the PCR reactions showed size polymorphism. Sequencing of the products revealed that these size differences were due to repetition of the motif (AGACAGGGGCCATGCTGGC) between 9-16 times depending on the isolate, suggesting that the nested PCR might be a useful tool for the differentiation of EHV-2 isolates.     

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein from bovine liver contains highly unsaturated phosphatidylcholine species

The jejunum was able to metabolize p-nitrophenol (PNP) rapidly and to transport the metabolites efficiently back into the luminal solution. About 21, 16, 6 and 3.5% of recirculated amount of PNP could be detected in 90 minutes as glucuronide in the lumen of jejunal loop, when 20, 100, 500 or 1,000 microM PNP was perfused, which shows that the luminal appearance of p-nitrophenol-glucuronide (PNP-G) tended to saturability. Biliary excretion rate of PNP-G was lower than the luminal appearance of this metabolite, when PNP was recirculated at 20 or 100 microM concentrations, however, at higher concentrations (500, 1,000 microM) the biliary excretion exceeded the luminal appearance of this conjugate and no saturability was observed in the biliary glucuronidation of PNP. Biliary excretion of sulfate conjugate of p-nitrophenol (PNP-S) exceeded the luminal appearance of this metabolite.