Comparison of laparoscopic and minilap cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis

The charts of all patients with acute cholecystitis undergoing either laparoscopic or minilap cholecystectomy at the Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility between October 1, 1991, and August 15, 1993, were retrospectively reviewed. During that period, 54 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 45 patients had minilap procedures. The two groups had similar mean age, sex distribution, temperature, leukocyte count, gallbladder wall thickness, and duration of preoperative symptoms. While laparoscopic cholecystectomy took an average of 16 min longer to perform than minilap cholecystectomy, patients who had laparoscopic cholecystectomy had less blood loss, reduced postoperative narcotic needs, and shorter hospital stays.     

Pentylenetetrazol causes polysynaptic responses to appear in the dentate gyrus

In a particular brain region specific changes in inhibition or excitation may be the basis of seizure initiation. Alternatively, changes in the balance of excitation and inhibition in the circuit, which may be detectable as polysynaptic responses may be more important indicators of epileptogenesis. That the appearance of polysynaptic responses precedes the initiation and, therefore, may be necessary for the onset of epileptiform activity in the hippocampal-parahippocampal circuit was tested using the chemical convulsant pentylenetetrazol. Excitation and paired-pulse inhibition were measured in CA1 and the dentate gyrus of the urethane-anaesthetized rat before and after administration of pentylenetetrazol. In addition, three polysynaptic responses were monitored. In both CA1 and the dentate gyrus, pentylenetetrazol, 100 mg/kg, caused a trend towards increased excitability and caused a relatively mild loss of inhibition. Two polysynaptic responses appeared in the dentate gyrus after the administration of pentylenetratrazol, both apparently mediated through the entorhinal cortex. A polysynaptic response of the CA1 pyramidal neurons to contralateral angular bundle stimulation was not observed. These experiments demonstrate that pentylenetetrazol will facilitate only the appearance of polysynaptic responses mediated through the entorhinal cortex. These results support the hypothesis that pentylenetetrazol has a specific action within the entorhinal cortex that may facilitate the synchronization and spread of epileptiform activity. These results are also consistent with the hypothesis that the appearance of polysynaptic responses may be necessary for the onset of epileptogenesis in the hippocampal-parahippocampal circuit.     

Access to hypertensive care. Effects of income, insurance, and source of care

BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between income, health insurance, and usual source of care characteristics and screening and management of hypertension. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Adult survey respondents constitute a sample representative of the total adult noninstitutionalized US population. Screening, follow-up care, and pharmacologic treatment for hypertension were examined among low income individuals, the uninsured, those without a usual source of care place, and those without a particular usual source of care physician. RESULTS: The uninsured, individuals without a usual source of care place, and those without a particular usual source of care physician received less screening, follow-up care, and pharmacologic treatment for hypertension. Income did not affect receipt of hypertensive care. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of health insurance and lack of a usual source of care are barriers to hypertensive care. Policies that increase access to health insurance or to usual source of care physicians may enable more individuals to attain control of hypertension.     

Thrombin-like enzyme from Lachesis muta muta venom: isolation and topographical analysis of its active site structure by means of the binding of amidines and guanidines as competitive inhibitors

A serine protease enzyme was purified from Lachesis muta muta venom, with 40% yield, by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and affinity chromatography on Sepharose-agmatin. Homogeneity of the enzyme preparation was demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the enzyme had a relative mol. wt of 45,000. The molar extinction coefficient at 280 nm was 62,127 (M x cm)-1. The enzyme hydrolysed Bz-Arg-Nan with Ks = 0.233 +/- 0.08 mM and kcat = 2.80 +/- 0.07 sec-1. All the amidines and guanidines tested for their inhibitory effect on thrombin-like enzyme behaved as competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with Ki values in the range 6.2 microM to 42.3 mM for amidines and 0.19 mM to 9.31 mM for guanidines. Dissociation constant values were analyzed in terms of the binding of the inhibitors with the subsite S1, the specificity pocket of the enzyme, Ki values were discussed in accordance with those for trypsin inhibition. beta-Naphthamidine was the strongest inhibitor, while guanidine was the weakest. The differences among the Ki values were interpreted in terms of the shape of the enzyme active site. For meta- and para-substituted benzamidinium ions a good correlation was found between log l/Ki and sigma Hammett values of the substituents. The substituent effects in the pi-electrons of the benzamidine ring were considered in the frame of Hückel molecular orbital theory. A model for the binding of p-benzamidine derivatives with the primary specificity S1 subsite of the enzyme active site was proposed.     

Haemolytic activity of Aeromonas species isolated in Libya

Twenty seven Aeromonas strains (5A. hydrophila, 8A. sobria and 14A. caviae) isolated from children with diarrhoea and 34 Aeromonas strains (9A. hydrophila, 7A. sobria an 18A. caviae) isolated from children without diarrhoea were tested from haemolysin production. The results obtained showed that haemolysin production using human, horse or sheep erythrocytes was significantly associated with A.hydrophila and A sobria but not with A.caviae, regardless of whether these strains were isolated from children with or without diarrhoea. Human or horse rather than sheep erythrocytes are recommended for use in the haemolysin assay.     

Morphological variations of the human gastric mucosa after omeprazole treatment: a scanning electron microscopic study

The effects of antiepileptic drugs on cognitive function in 48 healthy volunteers were assessed using event-related potentials (ERP) and the Attention Index included in the Wechsler Memory Scale, revised edition (WMS-R). The study was conducted over 1 week, using a double-blind design. Four drugs, carbamazepine (CBZ), phenytoin (PHT), valproate (VPA) and zonisamide (ZNS) were tested. Using an auditory oddball task, ERP measurements were made under two conditions with different tone intensities: Condition 1 used 70 db SPL; and Condition 2 used 30 db SPL. Results showed that CBZ prolonged target N1 and P3 latencies in Condition 1, and reduced frequent N1 amplitude in Condition 2, which suggests that CBZ may cause a change in sensory memory and prolong stimulus evaluation time. It is suggested that under a low stimulus intensity level, the sensory function itself was affected. Phenytoin was found to prolong target N1 latency in Condition 2, which also indicates a change in the sensory memory function. However, VPA did not significantly affect ERP components, except for the shortened frequent N1 latency, which could not be explained due to the limited information. It was found that ZNS augmented P3 amplitude in Condition 2, and reduced scores on the Attention Index. It is suggested that the augmentation of P3 amplitude was caused by the reduction of processing negativity as a result of the detrimental effect of ZNS on subjects' attention. However, the apparent difference between the ERP and behavioral indices suggests that caution should be exercised in assessing the results obtained only from ERP measurements.     

Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis of the M(r) 170,000 isozyme of DNA topoisomerase II in human tumor cells

Five cell lines selected for resistance to the cytotoxicity of inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase II have point mutations in the gene that codes for the M(r) 170,000 form of this enzyme. In each case, the mutation results in an amino acid change in or near an ATP binding sequence of the M(r) 170,000 isozyme of topoisomerase II. We used single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis to screen for similar mutations in other drug-resistant cell lines or in leukemic cells from patients previously treated with etoposide or teniposide. We also analyzed the region of the gene that codes for amino acids adjacent to the tyrosine at position 804 of topoisomerase II which binds covalently to DNA. CEM/VM-1, CEM/VM-1-5, and HL-60/AMSA human leukemic cell lines were used as controls; 3 of 3 known mutations were detected by migration differences of polymerase chain reaction products from the RNA extracted from these three lines. A previously unknown mutation was found in the tyrosine 804 region of the M(r) 170,000 topoisomerase II expressed by CEM/VM-1 and CEM/VM-1-5 cells. Sequence analysis showed that substitution of a T for a C at nucleotide 2404 resulted in an amino acid change of a serine for a proline at amino acid 802. No mutations in any of the ATP binding sequences or in the tyrosine 804 region were detected in polymerase chain reaction products from RNA extracted from human leukemia HL-60/MX2 or CEM/MX1 cells (both cell lines selected for resistance to mitoxantrone) or in human myeloma 8226/Dox1V cells (selected for resistance by simultaneous exposure to doxorubicin and verapamil). No mutations were detected in polymerase chain reaction products from RNA extracted from blasts of 15 patients with relapsed acute lymphocytic leukemia, previously treated with etoposide or teniposide. We conclude that: (a) single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis is useful for screening for mutations in topoisomerase II; (b) resistance to the cytotoxicity of inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase II is not always associated with mutations in ATP binding sequences or the active site tyrosine region of M(r) 170,000 topoisomerase II; and (c) mutations similar to those detected in drug resistant cells selected in culture have not been identified in blast cells from patients with relapsed acute lymphocytic leukemia, previously treated with etoposide or teniposide.     

Exceptional convergent evolution in a virus

Replicate lineages of the bacteriophage phiX 174 adapted to growth at high temperature on either of two hosts exhibited high rates of identical, independent substitutions. Typically, a dozen or more substitutions accumulated in the 5.4-kilobase genome during propagation. Across the entire data set of nine lineages, 119 independent substitutions occurred at 68 nucleotide sites. Over half of these substitutions, accounting for one third of the sites, were identical with substitutions in other lineages. Some convergent substitutions were specific to the host used for phage propagation, but others occurred across both hosts. Continued adaptation of an evolved phage at high temperature, but on the other host, led to additional changes that included reversions of previous substitutions. Phylogenetic reconstruction using the complete genome sequence not only failed to recover the correct evolutionary history because of these convergent changes, but the true history was rejected as being a significantly inferior fit to the data. Replicate lineages subjected to similar environmental challenges showed similar rates of substitution and similar rates of fitness improvement across corresponding times of adaptation. Substitution rates and fitness improvements were higher during the initial period of adaptation than during a later period, except when the host was changed.