Detergent effects of kinetic properties of (Na+ +K+)-ATPase from kidney membranes.

Studies on (Na+ +K+)-ATPase generally employ detergents such as SDS and deoxycholate. Under such conditions, the purified enzyme possesses high specific activity. The (Na+ +K+)-ATPase from kidney membranes was unmasked by deoxycholate and SDS as described by Jlrgensen and its kinetic properties were studied. The results suggest that these detergents induce some irreversible alterations in the kinetic properties of the native enzyme. Another detergent, saponin, unmasked the (Na+ +K+)-ATPase as effectively as did SDS, but it seems to affect the kinetic properties of the native enzyme to a lesser extent.

[Use of SDS and saponin detergents for the demonstration and purification of (Na+K+)ATPase in sheep kidney]. / A propos de l'utilisation des détergents SDS et saponine pour le démasquage et la purification de la (Na+K+)ATPase de rein de mouton.

Incubation of membrane fragments from sheep kidney outer medulla in detergents such as SDS or saponin revealed increased specific (NA+) ATPase activity. Measurement of enzyme phosphorylation from [gamma 32P] ATP showed irreversible alteration of EP to (Na+) ATPase activity ratio when SDS is used as unmasking agent. These results were found with unmasked and purified enzyme.

Airway complications in thyroid surgery.

Perioperative and postoperative morbidity and mortality were studied in a series of 3,008 thyroidectomies. Compressive symptoms, frequent in substernal and cancerous goiters, were present in 11.0% of the patients, although a low rate of dyspnea (2.7%) was observed. In large goiters, some orotracheal intubations were difficult. In such cases, the transtracheal approach can also be difficult, so failure should be anticipated. Postoperative causes of respiratory obstruction included local hemorrhages, bilateral recurrent nerve palsies, and laryngeal edema. A tracheal collapse was not observed. These respiratory obstructions led to repeat surgery in 11 patients, tracheostomy in 3, and temporary reintubation with steroid therapy in 1. The recurrent laryngeal nerve, which may have been affected preoperatively, was found to be damaged postoperatively in 0.5% of the patients with benign goiters, compared to 10.6% of the patients with thyroid cancer. In this last group a bilateral palsy was observed in 3 cases with prolonged or extensive surgery. After these short-term orotracheal intubations (114 minutes on average), injuries of the airway caused by the endotracheal tube were found in 4.6% of the patients.

The distribution of elements in the tissues of Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbits.

A deficiency or an excess of some elements in the diet is reported to modify the concentration of cholesterol in plasma, and, conversely, a reduction of cholesterol in the diet decreases zinc in plasma. We have studied the distribution of elements Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, S, P, and Mn in the tissues, plasma, heart, aorta, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, thymus, and brain of New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) and of Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic rabbits (WHHL). The WHHL rabbits had a massive hypercholesterolemia (7.45 +/- 1.2 g/L) induced by a lack of liver low density lipoprotein receptors. The concentrations of elements in the tissues of the control NZW rabbits were very similar to those found in the normal rat. In WHHL, compared to NZW, besides the very important increase of total phosphorus in plasma explained by the augmentation of phospholipids, there was an increase of plasma copper (+44%) and zinc (+36%). The other noticeable changes were an increase of iron in heart (+19%), sulfur, and zinc in liver (+15% and +18%). The other changes observed in WHHL rabbits were, besides the increase of ceruloplasmin, the increase of vit E (+468%) and MDA (+62%). In conclusion, despite a massive increase of lipids in plasma, there was no major disturbance of element distribution in WHHL rabbits.

[Value of the Chiba needle in the technique of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography. 20 cases. (author's transl)]. / Apport de l'aiguille de Chiba dans la technique de la cholangiographie trashépatique percutanée.

The authors used the Chiba needle for percutaneous trasphepatic cholangiography in 20 patients. Catheterisation of non-dilated biliary canals is easy with this new piece of equipment, making it possible to confirm or eliminate the presence of an obstruction. There were no severe complications. The authors report a certain number of incidents which were troublesome during the examination and in the interpretation of the results: intraparenchymatous injection, sub-capsular injection, defective filling.

[Chromatography of urinary amino-acid in bismuth encephalopathy (author's transl)]. / Chromatographie des acides aminés urinaires au cours d'encéphalopathie bismuthique.

The urinary excretion of amino-acid have been determined by ionic exchange chromatography for 10 cases of bismuth encephalopathy and for 15 normal controls. The ninhydrine positive constituant reported by Burns in 5 cases of encephalopathy has not been detected. We are thinking it may be related to the use of a rich amino-acid solution during perfusions. We did not find any significant difference between the urinary excretion of amino-acid average value to the two groups. We found an increase excretion when severe encephalopathy were observed. Separate analysis of individual amino-acid excretion showed the following results: i) average percent of tyrosine excretion is lower in controls as in encephalopathies; ii) among the different ratios tested only SER + THR)/TYR and VAL/TYR are different in the two groups.

[Modification of septicaemias in an intensive care unit following the suppression of prophylactic antibiotics (author's transl)]. / Modification des septicémies en réanimation après suppression de "l'antibiothérapie de couverture".

The authors after to have suppressed the preventive antibiotic therapy in their intensive care concluded after four years of this new attitude. They ascertain that this new attitude has not changed by no means the number of septicenia in their intensive care. In the other hand, the gram negative septicemia stronghly decrease, succeeding by gram positive septicemia. This results were statistically significant in the sector of intensive care where the supress of antibiotic was quick and the most completely. Thanks to this attitude, the cost of operation of the service was divided by three.

Insulin increases the rate of degradation of 2-deoxy-glucose-6-phosphate in the perfused rat heart: a 31P NMR study.

The effect of insulin on the production and degradation of 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (2DG6P) from 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) in the Langendorff-perfused rat heart was studied by 31P NMR. The 2DG concentrations ranged from 0.25 to 20 mM in the 5 mM acetate perfusion medium, and from 2 to 4 mM in the 12 mM glucose medium. With acetate as the carbon source, the apparent Km for the production of 2DG6P was 7 mM and Vmax was 1.8 mumols/min/mg prot. Insulin enhanced Vmax 7-fold without change in Km of the transporter. With glucose perfusion, insulin had no effect on the initial rate of production of 2DG6P. The interpretation is that glucose phosphorylation is regulated by work when glucose is the energy substrate. In acetate-perfused hearts, in the conditions where the 2DG6P content reached a plateau, the rate of production of 2DG6P (equal to the measured degradation rate, see below) was eight times smaller than the initial rate, both with and without insulin. In glucose-perfused hearts, it was the same as the initial rate. The degradation of 2DG6P upon interruption of 2DG perfusion was exponential. The time constant was the same in acetate or glucose. It was strongly affected by insulin, being 225 +/- 60 min without, and 92 +/- 13 min with insulin. The observation that 2DG6P degradation is sensitive to insulin in the heart shows that its rate may vary. This possibility should be kept in mind in the analysis of PET studies of glucose metabolism.