Prophylactic effects of recombinant human superoxide dismutase in neonatal lung injury

To determine if recombinant human Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (rhSOD) would prevent acute lung injury caused by hyperoxia and barotrauma, 26 newborn piglets were studied. Ten piglets were hyperventilated (arterial PCO2 15-20 Torr) with 100% O2 for 48 h. A second group received identical treatment for 4 h (n = 2) or 48 h (n = 8) but was given 5 mg/kg of rhSOD intratracheally at time 0. Six piglets were normally ventilated (arterial PCO2 40-45 Torr) for 48 h with 21% O2. Pulmonary function and tracheal aspirates were examined at time 0 and at 24 and 48 h, and bronchoalveolar lavage was performed at 48 h. In piglets treated with hyperoxia and hyperventilation, lung compliance decreased 42%, and tracheal aspirates showed an increase in neutrophil chemotactic activity (32%), total cell counts (135%), elastase activity (93%), and albumin concentration (339%) over 48 h (P < 0.05). All variables were significantly lower in rhSOD-treated piglets and comparable to normoxic control values. Surfactant remained active in all groups. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that at 48 h significant rhSOD was distributed homogeneously in terminal airways. Adding rhSOD to tracheal aspirates of hyperoxic hyperventilated piglets did not alter neutrophil chemotaxis, suggesting that rhSOD protected the lung by reducing the production of chemotactic mediators. Results indicate that acute lung injury caused by 48 h of hyperoxia and hyperventilation is significantly ameliorated by prophylactic intratracheal administration of rhSOD.     

Overview of randomized trials of intravenous heparin in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic therapy

Intravenous heparin is routinely given after thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction in the United States and in some, but by no means all, other countries. Several trials have documented improved infarct-artery patency in patients treated with heparin; however, none was large enough individually to assess the effect of heparin on clinical outcomes. We performed a systematic overview of the 6 randomized controlled trials (1,735 patients) to summarize the available data concerning the risks and benefits of intravenous heparin versus no heparin after thrombolytic therapy. Mortality before hospital discharge was 5.1% for patients allocated to intravenous heparin compared with 5.6% for controls (relative risk reduction of 9%, odds ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.59 to 1.39). Similar rates of recurrent ischemia and reinfarction were observed among those allocated to heparin therapy or control. The rates of total stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and severe bleeding were similar in patients allocated to heparin; however, the risk of any severity of bleeding was significantly higher (22.7% vs 16.2%; odds ratio 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 1.98). There was no significant difference in the observed effects of heparin between patients receiving tissue-type plasminogen activator and those receiving streptokinase or anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex, or between patients who did and did not receive aspirin. The findings of this overview demonstrate that insufficient clinical outcome data are available to support or to refute the routine use of intravenous heparin therapy after thrombolysis. It is not known if these findings are due to lack of statistical power, inappropriate levels of anticoagulation, or lack of benefit of intravenous heparin. Large randomized studies of heparin (and of new antithrombotic regimens) are needed to establish the role of such therapy.     

An autoantibody to C1-inhibitor recognizes the reactive center of the inhibitor

Immunohistochemistry was applied to AMeX-fixed sections of twelve cases of gastric carcinoma obtained at surgical resection to explore the occurrence and distribution of fibrin deposits in situ. Fibrinogen was distributed in abundance throughout perivascular zones and in the connective tissue of the tumor stroma. Fibrin II (des-fibrinopeptide B-type fibrin) was easily identified in a direct apposition to the surface membranes of viable carcinoma cells, predominantly at the host-tumor interface and in the regions immediately adjacent to the zones of angiogenesis. Further studies are required to identify the triggers of the coagulation reactions as well as fibrinolytic system components in the gastric cancer tissue.     

Revascularization of calvarial, mandibular, tibial, and iliac bone grafts in rats

The development of approaches to screening of hospital patients for harmful drinking frequently encounters resistance from both patients and hospital staff. A contributing factor could be the discomfort both feel about talking specifically about drinking. One approach to reducing this discomfort has been to mask concern about alcohol consumption into a general focus on other health and lifestyle issues. One-hundred and eighty-two patients admitted to an emergency department were presented randomly with either a straight alcohol screening questionnaire or a general health and lifestyle questionnaire with alcohol questions embedded amongst items on smoking exercise and diet. The number of returns was equal for both questionnaires which suggests the masked questionnaire does not improve the acceptability of alcohol screening in hospital environments.     

K-ras gene mutations: an unfavorable prognostic marker in stage I lung adenocarcinoma

Activation of K-ras gene by point mutations, a common finding in lung adenocarcinomas, has been suggested to decrease patient survival. We investigated 109 lung adenocarcinomas, mostly small, peripheral, stage I tumours (81/109) for presence of K-ras gene mutations at codons 12 and 13. Mutations were detected by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of specific sequences amplified by polymerase chain reaction from DNA extracted from archival pathological material. Thirty-three of 109 (30.3%) tumours showed mutations at codon 12 (28/33, 84.8%) or 13 (5/33, 15.2%) of the gene. Mutations and type of nucleotide substitutions were differently distributed among cytological subtypes, being more prevalent among less differentiated (G2 and G3) tumours and among bronchial than bronchiolo-alveolar type adenocarcinomas. Survival analysis showed an adverse effect of K-ras mutation on survival, restricted to stage I tumours. Median survival for 81 stage I patients was 30 months for non-mutated tumours versus 20 months for mutated tumours (p = 0.016). Multivariate analysis showed that age of patient (p = 0.001) and K-ras mutation status (p = 0.04) were the only independent factors influencing survival significantly. These data strengthen the hypothesis that K-ras gene mutations may be useful in identifying a subgroup of patients with poor outcome.     

Separations of derivatized amino acid enantiomers by cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis: mechanistic and molecular modeling studies

The enantiomers of 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalene sulfonyl (DNS)-derivatives of selected amino acids were successfully separated using capillary electrophoresis (CE) employing cyclodextrins (CD) as enantio-selective running buffer additives. A previously described model for retention and chiral recognition in CD-modified CE is shown to adapt well in this application. Resolution of the isomers is strongly influenced by the type and concentration of cyclodextrin employed, as predicted by the model. Although data indicates differences in the electrophoretic mobilities for some of the completely complexed enantiomer pairs, selectivity generally requires exploiting differences in the amino acid-CD complexation constants for enantiomer pairs. In this work, the D-enantiomers exhibit larger formation constants and are complexed to a greater degree (elute first) at moderate CD concentration. When mixtures of amino acids are analyzed, the effects of separation conditions on general elution behavior must be considered or separated enantiomer pairs will co-elute with other enantiomers. Preliminary results aimed at predicting the strength of DNS-amino acid enantiomer-CD interactions based on molecular modeling studies are presented. A statistical mechanical approach to treating computationally derived enantiomer-CD interaction energies is shown to provide reasonable correlation with separation performance.     

Magnetic field detection enhancement in an external cavity fiberFabry-Perot sensor

The sensitivity of an extrinsic fiber-optic magnetic field sensor using a gallium doped yttrium iron garnet (Ga:YIG) bulk optic crystal has been significantly improved by incorporating a Fabry-Perot resonator around the crystal     

Serum lipids and incidence of coronary heart disease. Findings from the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)

BACKGROUND: The association of serum lipids with coronary heart disease has been studied extensively in middle-aged men and, to a lesser extent, in similar women. Less well defined are lipid variables predictive of CHD in individuals of age > or = 60 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program recruited 4736 persons (mean age, 72 years; 14% were black; and 43% were men). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 170 and 77 mm Hg, respectively. Baseline mean total cholesterol was 6.11 mmol/L (236 mg/dL); HDL cholesterol, 1.39 mmol/L (54 mg/dL); and non-HDL cholesterol, 4.72 mmol/L (182 mg/dL). Triglyceride levels were 1.62 mmol/L (144 mg/dL) for fasting participants and 1.78 mmol/L for the total group. LDL cholesterol, estimated in fasting samples with triglycerides of < 4.52 mmol/L, averaged 3.98 mmol/L (154 mg/dL). Mean follow-up was 4.5 years. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, baseline total, non-HDL, and LDL cholesterol levels and the ratios of total, non-HDL, and LDL to HDL cholesterol were significantly related to CHD incidence. HDL cholesterol and triglycerides were not significant in these analyses. In fasting participants with triglyceride levels of < 4.52 mmol/L, a 1.03 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) higher baseline total, non-HDL, or LDL cholesterol was associated with a 30% to 35% higher CHD event rate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the concept that serum lipids are CHD risk factors in older Americans.     

Child abuse in Hong Kong revisited after 15 years: characteristics of victims and abusers

The purpose of this paper was to examine the characteristics of the victims and abusers of child abuse cases on the Child Protection Registry in Hong Kong as of March 1995 and to compare findings with a similar community report of child abuse in Hong Kong conducted approximately 15 years earlier. As of March 31, 1995, there were 457 active cases of child abuse or suspected child abuse (44% male and 56% female) on the computerized Child Protection Registry. Fifty percent of the victims were grade school age children between 7-12, and 62.4% suffered physical abuse. The abusers or suspected abusers were 52% male and 48% female with nearly half (49%) in their thirties. The majority of abusers were married/cohabiting (75%) with only a grade school education (60%). As compared to 1979, there was an increase of sexual child abuse cases, female victims of child abuse, and an increase in male abusers or suspected abusers.