The forensic medical assessment of the mechanisms of trauma to the large joints of the upper extremity

Glycogen synthesis and degradation were studied in cultured rat hepatocytes prelabeled by incubation with [14C]glucose or [14C]galactose. During prelabeling about 75% of the accumulated glycogen was synthesized from glucose and about 25% from gluconeogenic precursors. Following the labeling period, glycogen synthesis and degradation were estimated at 5 and 12.5 mM glucose and varying concentrations of insulin and glucagon. At 12.5 mM glucose and 10 nM insulin the accumulation of glycogen was comparable to in vivo values, whereas the level of radioactivity in prelabeled glycogen remained constant. Further addition of 0.1 nM glucagon resulted in constant values of both content and radioactivity of glycogen. Increasing the concentration of glucagon to 10 nM resulted in a parallel decrease of content and radioactivity in glycogen. At 5 mM glucose, 10 nM insulin, and 0.1 nM glucagon both the content and the radioactivity of glycogen were constant, whereas addition of 10 nM glucagon resulted in a parallel decrease of content and radioactivity of glycogen, which was 64% higher than that observed with 12.5 mM glucose. In the absence of insulin, prostaglandin D2 had effects similar to those of 10 nM glucagon, whereas no effects was observed in the presence of insulin. From these results and from calculated rates of glucose 6-phosphate formation, it is concluded that the rate of glycogen degradation is less than 10% of the rate of synthesis under conditions favoring glycogen accumulation. At conditions favoring glycogen degradation (10 nM insulin plus 10 nM glucagon or prostaglandin in the absence of insulin) no synthesis could be detected. Results from cells prelabeled with [14C]galactose suggested that glycogen degradation is not an absolutely ordered process, but that some random degradation takes place.     

Dopamine receptor subtypes expressed in vertebrate (carp and eel) retinae: cloning, sequencing and comparison of five D1-like and three D2-like receptors

Eight dopamine receptor-like cDNA clones were isolated from the carp (Cyprinus carpio) retina and four dopamine receptor-like cDNA clones were isolated from the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) retina. These cDNA clones show high sequence and structural homology to the known dopamine receptor subtypes. The sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis revealed that five subtypes (D1A3, D1A4, D1B, D1C and D1X) in the carp retina and four subtypes (D1A1, D1A2, D1B and D1C) in the eel retina are D1-like receptor subtypes, and three (D2, D4A and D4B) in the carp retina are D2-like receptor subtypes; no D2-like receptor was found in the eel. Carp D1A3 and D1A4, carp D4A and D4B, and eel D1A1 and D1A2 are highly homologous pairs of receptors which show significant, domain-specific differences to each other and to their species homologues. The structure of the third cytoplasmic loop in the carp D1X receptor was particularly different from the other D1-like receptors. The implications of these structural differences in terms of dopamine receptor activation and signalling are discussed. It is suggested that the known diverse physiological and pharmacological effects of dopamine on the retinal neurones are likely to be mediated through these multiple receptor subtypes which may be coupled to different signal transduction pathways.     

Absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectra of nonequilibrium states of hemoproteins. III. Complexes of peroxidase

Absorption and magnetic curcular dichroism spectra of nonequilibrium states of peroxidase and its complexes with F-, N3-, CN- produced by reduction of oxidased forms of proteins by thermalysed electrons at 77 degrees K were studied. Mixtures of high spin and low spin ferroforms were found in nonequilibrium states of peroxidase and complexes with F- and N3-, the content of the high spin ferroform increasing as follows: N3- complex less than peroxidase less than fluorine complex. Only low spin ferroforms was found after low temperature reduction of the cyanide complex. The existence of the low spin ferroform in equilibrium states of peroxidase and its complex with F- was explained by location of iron near the porphyrine plane. In the case of azide and cyanide complexes the existence of the low spin form is due to the presence of these ligands in heme iron's coordination sphere. The temperature relaxation of all nonequilibrium forms was investigated and a possible mechanism of the process is proposed.     

The double ended queue with mixed-Erlangian arrival distribution and limited waiting space

The steady state solution of the double-ended queue involving taxis and customers at a taxi stand has been considered under the assumption that there is limited waiting space both for taxis and for customers. Taxis arrive according to mixed Erlangian input, the mean times of stay in the various phases which comprise the arrival channel not being the same. The arrivals of customers are assumed to be Poisson distributed. We obtain an expression for the probabilities that there aren units in the queue. The cases of exponential and 2-Erlang arrival distributions for taxis have been considered as particular cases. For the 2-Erlang arrival distribution for taxis, we have evaluated the probabilities that the waiting space for customers or taxis is full; their values are also shown by means of graphs. Paper presented at the Fourth Annual Convention of Operational Research Society of India, 2nd–4th, March 1972, held at Madras.     

Left colon gangrene after acute inferior mesenteric artery occlusion

We report here an experience with five patients, aged 58 to 70, suffering gangrene of the left colon after spontaneous inferior mesenteric artery occlusion. All cases were the result of arteriosclerosis; in two, small aortic aneurysms were present and might have been responsible for emboli to the inferior mesenteric artery. The dead bowel was resected in all patients; three patients survived. No primary anastomoses were done and they are not recommended. Because ligation of the patent inferior mesenteric artery has been done so often without ill effects during aortic surgery, the collateral circulation to the left colon can be considered excellent. Gangrene is therefore rare and requires major interference with collateral circulation by emboli or arteriosclerotic occlusion. The clinical symptoms and signs may be confusing.     

Assessment of regional myocardial uptake and metabolism of omega-(p-123I-phenyl) pentadecanoic acid with serial single-photon emission tomography

The utility of myocardial imaging and assessment of regional myocardial metabolism of omega-(123I-paraphenyl-)pentadecanoic acid (I-PPA) by means of serial single-photon tomography is demonstrated in animal experiments. High quality cross sectional images of dog hearts with clear delineation of left ventricular walls are obtained. Myocardial infarcts are visualized as areas of deficient radioactivity uptake. I-PPA elimination from non-infarcted myocardial regions is significantly (p less than 0.001) prolonged when compared with unaffected controls. Hence, not only localized absence of uptake of free fatty acid by infarcted myocardium can be demonstrated with serial single-photon tomography but also general impairment of cardiac FFA-metabolism.     

Carbon nanowalls deposited by inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using aluminum acetylacetonate as precursor

Well aligned carbon nanowalls, a few nanometers thick, were fabricated by continuous flow of aluminum acetylacetonate (Al(acac)₃) without a catalyst, and independent of substrate material. The nanowalls were grown on Si, and steel substrates using inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Deposition parameters like flow of argon gas and substrate temperature were correlated with the growth of carbon nanowalls. For a high flow of argon carrier gas, an increased amount of aluminum in the film and a reduced lateral size of the carbon walls were found. The aluminum is present inside the carbon nanowall matrix in the form of well crystallized nanosized Al₄C₃ precipitates.