Feasibility of electrophoresis of a subcellular-sized particle in polymer solutions, using automated horizontal gel apparatus

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between social adjustment and the risk of depressive relapse during continuation antidepressant treatment. The Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report Version (SAS-SR) was used to assess a broad range of social functioning before and after acute treatment in 41 outpatients with unipolar depression who responded to fluoxetine and then continued on this antidepressant. No differences were detected between those who relapsed and those who stayed well with regard to pre- and posttreatment SAS-SR total or subscale scores. These data suggest that social functioning does not affect the risk of relapse while depressed patients are taking fluoxetine continuation treatment.     

Antitumor activity of five new platinum complexes having a glycolate leaving ligand

Ganglioside GM3, one of acidic components of membrane glycosphingolipids (GSL), has been known to change its content quantitatively during growth and differentiation of various cells in vitro. Detailed analysis of lipid portion of GM3 of rat renal glomerular SGE1 cells revealed that fatty acids with long carbon chains, especially that of C24:0 and C24:1 increased, while that of short C18:0 and C20:0 decreased after spontaneous dome formation. Since not only fatty acid composition of neutral GSL, sulfatide and phospholipid but also composition of long-chain bases (LCB) did not change, it was suggested that only C24 fatty acid of GM3 specifically increased in relation to dome formation. The spontaneous dome formation has been reported to be related with induction of cellular differentiation in many transporting epithelial cells. We thus assume that the change of fatty acid composition of GM3 is involved in cellular differentiation of SGE1 cells.     

Synovial fluid L-lactic acid in acute arthritis of the adult knee joint

Determination of synovial fluid (SF) lactic acid has been suggested to be an unspecific indicator of SF leukocytosis, and it is not recommended for differential diagnosis of bacterial arthritis. We analyzed the L-lactic acid content by enzymatic UV-method in 65 SF samples obtained from adult patients with acute knee arthritides. The concentration of L-lactic acid was not high in any SFs with intensive leukocytosis. The mean concentration of L-lactic acid was 13.5 mmol/l (95% confidence intervals 9.4; 17.6 mmol/l) in the synovial-fluid samples from culture-positive arthritis and 5.5 mmol/l (4.9; 6.2 mmol/l) in the synovial-fluid samples from culture-negative arthritis. Determination of SF L-lactic acid is an important part of the diagnostic setup for acute arthritis. Values > 9 mmol/l strongly support occurrence of bacterial arthritis and indicates an immediate onset of the treatment.