The use of carbon carriers for the immunoenzyme diagnosis of viral infections

Carbon solid phase for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was proposed. This support can be used instead of polysterene plates because the following steps (carbon support incubate with specific and detective reagents) are implemented in arbitrary minimal capacities. The method was tested for detection of the virus antigens (hepatitis B, herpes simplex) and anti-viral (anti-adenovirus, anti-influenza virus) antibodies.     

Antibodies to the food mutagens, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine and 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline: useful for immunoassay and immunoaffinity chromatography of biological samples

Monoclonal mouse IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies were developed to the food mutagens, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,4-f] quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx) in order to make specific and sensitive detection and purification systems suitable for biological samples. The antibodies were developed with the strategy that cross-reaction with analogues modified in the N2-position was desirable. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with 50% inhibition by 0.4-6 pmol food mutagen were developed. The epitopes recognized by the antibodies have been characterized by ELISA using 52 synthetic analogues and metabolites of PhIP, 4,8-DiMeIQx, and other food mutagens. One of the anti-PhIP antibodies only recognizes PhIP and those PhIP-analogues which have minor modifications in the N2-amino group, whereas the other, 7B7-1, is less stringent and also recognizes several other modified metabolites, including bulky adducts at the N2-amino group e.g. the major guanine and deoxyguanosine adducts isolated from PhIP-modified DNA. The antibodies to DiMeIQx also recognize the food mutagens 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (4-MeIQx), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (8-MeIQx), and the corresponding quinolines (4-MeIQ and 8-MeIQ). Two of these antibodies only bind analogues with minor modifications in the free amino group, whereas analogues with major modifications in this position, including a deoxyguanosine adduct, react with the third antibody. Urine samples and faecal extracts from 3H-PhIP or 2-14C-DiMeIQx dosed rats were analysed by these ELISA assays, and high correlations between radioactivity and response in the ELISA assays were observed. Urine samples and faecal extracts from 3H-PhIP-dosed rats were purified on an affinity column containing the less stringent anti-PhIP antibody, 7B7-1. The affinity column was found by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to concentrate exclusively labelled material. This affinity column also bound PhIP-related materials from dilute samples of acid hydrolysed PhIP-DNA with high efficiency. Only approximately 40% of the 4,8-DiMeIQx related materials found in dilute acid hydrolysed samples of 4,8-DiMeIQx-DNA was bound by an affinity column containing the less stringent anti-4,8-DiMeIQx antibody, 2C5-1. We conclude that our anti-PhIP and anti-DiMeIQx antibodies can be used to determine the presence of these food mutagens and some of their activated or conjugated metabolites in complex biological samples.     

Long-term stimulant treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

In this study we evaluated the effect of long-term melatonin (MEL) treatment on the cytotoxic activity and number of natural killer (NK) cells and the proliferative response of spleen lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or interleukin-2 (IL-2) in old mice. Seventeen-eighteen month-old Balb/c mice were supplemented with MEL (40-50 microg/day/mouse) and sacrificed after eight months. The MEL supplementation was unable to recover the low levels of both endogenous and IL-2-induced NK cell activity found in old untreated mice. Also the NK cell number was unaffected by MEL treatment. The spleen lymphocyte proliferative response to both PHA and IL-2 was not different in old MEL-treated compared to old untreated mice. These results indicate that long-term MEL supplementation does not recover the age-related deterioration of NK cell activity and lymphocyte proliferative capacity.     

Growth hormone axis in cushing''s syndrome

This article reviews some recent studies on alcohol preference, dependence, metabolism and pharmacokinetics which were mainly carried out in our department. The inbred strains of mice with genetically different alcohol drinking behavior and alcohol animal model treated with the neurotoxins, 6-hydroxydopamine and 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, are useful for a behavioral and pharmacological approach to evaluate the contribution of specific neural systems to alcohol, drug dependence mechanism and alcohol drinking behavior. The relations between alcohol preference and some physiological conditions are reviewed. On the drug-alcohol interaction, some drugs containing the chemical group = CHONO2, antimony and methamphetamine are addressed. This article also deals with recent topics in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of alcohol. The dose-dependency of the alcohol elimination rate, the first-pass metabolism during alcohol drinking, and the pharmacodynamic model for describing pulse rate reaction to plasma acetaldehyde are discussed.     

Further delineation of spondylo-meta-epiphyseal dysplasia, short limb-abnormal calcification type, with emphasis on diagnostic features

Further delineation of a generalized bone dysplasia which we call spondylo-meta-epiphyseal dysplasia, short limb-abnormal calcification type is presented. This dwarfing condition has several serious complications, with the most common cause of death being spinal cord damage secondary to atlantoaxial instability. It is a heritable condition with an autosomal recessive mode of transmission. Radiologic diagnostic criteria are developed on the basis of studies in 8 patients with the oldest being between 4 and 5 years old. The condition is clinically and radiographically apparent neonatally or in early infancy, and it is probable that all or almost all affected individuals will come to medical attention in the age range screened by this study.     

Abnormal tissue distribution of lead in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The lead content of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was found to be significantly elevated in 12 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, when compared to 28 control subjects having non-degenerative neurological disorders. The difference could not be explained as being merely secondary to blood-CSF barrier damage. A hypothetical model of the pathogenesis of the disease is advanced and the results are discussed in relation to this model.     

Atopic allergy and immunoglobulins in children with adenoids and recurrent otitis media

From 274 adenoidectomized children 1-16 years of age two groups were selected: children with a history of recurrent otitis media and/or otosalpingitis (middle ear effusion) and those in which nasal obstruction was the main symptom. In all, 154 children were subjected to an allergy investigation including history, skin tests, eye tests, determination of IgE and RAST, blood eosinophils and immunoglobulins G, A and M. No increased incidence of immunoglobulin deficiency was found in either group in comparison with unselected children. A family history of atopic disease and/or otitis media was highly overrepresented, especially in the children with recurrent otitis media as the reason for the adenoidectomy. Atopic diseases had occurred in 24.4% of the children. Furthermore, in both groups there was a high incidence of positive skin and eye tests. An increased incidence of eosinophila, positive RAST tests and elevated IgE levels were also found. In all, 39.6% of the children had two or more laboratory findings characteristic of the atopic state but no significant difference was found between the two groups. Possible connections between atopic allergy and recurrent otitis media are discussed.     

Alpha-adrenergic receptors in human myometrium: changes during pregnancy

In order to investigate the effect of fibrin glueing on the treatment or prevention of air leakages, 114 patients undergoing pulmonary resections and pneumonectomies were studied in two treatment groups: surgery alone (59 patients) or analogous surgical treatment followed by the application of fibrin glue (55 patients). The patients were randomly assigned to treatment groups within two strata: pulmonary resections (63 patients) and pneumonectomies (51 patients). Intraoperatively, 81% of the patients undergoing pulmonary resection who suffered from air leakages after conventional suturing showed improved results of the airway-tolerance-pressure test after the application of fibrin glue (one-sided P value < 0.01; 95% confidence interval: 58-95%). Treatment with fibrin glue reduced the incidence of postoperative leakages significantly from 66% in the control group to 39% in the treatment group (one-sided P-value < 0.02; estimated risk reduction 41%; 95% confidence interval 2-65%). An additional reduction of the duration of post-operative air leakages by the treatment with fibrin glue could not be shown. In terms of minor response criteria, slight trends for an advantage of treatment with fibrin glue could be observed for the duration of stay in hospital and the number of patients with complications. There were no obvious trends concerning fever, intraoperative and postoperative intubation times, the amount of secretion from thoracic tubes and the general condition of the patients. No adverse drug event related to fibrin glueing was observed.