Human migration inhibitory factor: purification and immunochemical characterization.

Using gel filtration and preparative isotachophoresis, the migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was highly purified from human lymphocytes activated with concanavalin A. MIF is an acidic protein with a mol wt of approximately equal to 25,000 daltons as determined by gel filtration and analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The protein inhibits migration of macrophages in the capillary test and in addition, has a slowing effect on the electrophoretic mobility of guinea pig peritoneal macrophages. Rabbit antibodies specific for this protein, as determined by immunochemical techniques, neutralized the biological effect of MIF on migration and on the electrophoretic mobility of macrophages.

Flow cytometry as a new method for the measurement of electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes using membrane charge staining by fluoresceinated polycations.

The binding of FITC-labeled poly-L-ornithine and poly-L-lysine to fresh or neuraminidase treated human, rat or rabbit erythrocytes was investigated by simultaneous cell volume and cell membrane fluorescence measurements in a flow cytometer. The cell volume was converted into cell surface and the distribution curve of the fluorescence/micrometer2 cell surface was calculated from all histogram classes by a computer program. The mean fluorescence/micrometer2 cell surface as a measure of the density of the negative charges on the cell surface was directly proportional to the elctrophoretic mobility of the erythrocytes, showing that polycation binding can effectively be used for the measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes. The computer fitting of the experimental two parameter histograms by two dimensional Gaussian normal distributions was found to be a very efficient way of data reduction, and a good separation of overlapping cell clusters was possible even in the case of low total numbers of cells in the histogram.

Hypomagnesemia in patients in postoperative intensive care.

In order to study the clinical consequences of postoperative hypomagnesemia, the serum magnesium (Mg) concentration was measured in samples of blood collected from 193 patients admitted to two postoperative ICUs. On admission to the ICU, 117 patients (61 percent) had hypomagnesemia (serum Mg less than 1.5 mEq/dl), 66 patients (34 percent) had normomagnesemia (1.5 to 2.0 mEq/dl), and ten patients (5 percent) had hypermagnesemia (greater than 2.0 mEq/dl). There were no correlations between the severity of illness score (r = 0.145) or the degree of hypoproteinemia (r = 0.01) and the postoperative serum Mg level. Patients with severe hypomagnesemia (serum Mg less than or equal to 1.0 mEq/dl) experienced hypokalemia more often (p less than 0.02) than the others in the study. Furthermore, those with severe hypomagnesemia had a higher mortality rate (7/17 or 41 percent) than the remainder of the population studied (22/176 or 13 percent) (p less than 0.02). Those with severe hypomagnesemia had received aminoglycosides more often (p less than 0.001) than those with normal serum Mg concentrations. The serum Mg level was not a sensitive (68 percent) or specific (37 percent) predictor of survival. Our conclusions were as follows: (1) hypomagnesemia is common in postoperative ICU patients; and (2) patients in the postoperative ICU who have severe hypomagnesemia have a higher mortality and more hypokalemia than similarly ill patients with normomagnesemia. Because of the association between aminoglycoside therapy and severe hypomagnesemia, we recommend measurement of this variable in those patients receiving aminoglycosides. Furthermore, Mg replacement therapy is recommended for those patients with serum Mg values of 1 mEq/dl or less.

Phase partitioning in space and on earth.

In aqueous solution at low concentrations, the neutral polymers dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) rapidly form a two-phase system consisting of a PEG-rich phase floating on top of a dextran-rich phase. Biological particles and macromolecules tend to partition differentially between the phases and the liquid-liquid phase interface in these systems. Bioparticle partitioning has been shown to be related to physiologically important surface properties such as membrane charge or lipid composition. Affinity partitioning into the PEG-rich phase can be accomplished by coupling PEG to a ligand having affinity for specific cells or macromolecules. Subpopulations can be identified or separated using multi-step countercurrent distribution (CCD). Incomplete understanding of the influence of gravity on the efficiency and quality of the impressive separations achievable by partitioning, and appreciation for the versatility of this efficient technique, have led to its study for low-gravity biomaterials processing. On Earth, two-phase systems rapidly demix because of density differences between the phases. In low-gravity, demixing has been shown to occur primarily by coalescence. Polymer surface coatings, developed to control localization of demixed phases in low-g, have been found to control electroosmosis which adversely affects electrophoretic separation processes on Earth and in space. In addition PEG-derivatized antibodies have been synthesized for use in immunoaffinity cell partitioning.

Giant pediatric aneurysmal bone cysts of the occipital bone: case report and review of the literature.

Cranial aneurysmal bone cysts are uncommon. Cranial aneurysmal bone cysts of the occipital bone are exceedingly rare. A 2-year-old toddler with this rare cyst presented with a large space-occupying lesion of the posterior fossa, with cerebellar tonsillar herniation. The patient experienced complete recovery after total excision of the lesion. We review the literature regarding this rare presentation, and discuss the origin, pathogenesis, pathologic features, imaging characteristics, and treatment of cranial aneurysmal bone cysts.

[Postnatal development of rat thrombocytes: the volume distribution and electrophoretic mobility or rat thrombocytes during the first month of life (author's transl)]. / Postnatale Entwicklung von Rattenthrombozyten: Die Volumenverteilung und elektrophoretische Beweglichkeit von Rattenthrombozyten während des ersten Lebensmonats.

The volume distribution curves of rat thrombocytes show a significant rise of the modal volume between days 5 and 8 after birth. No clear evidence for two distinct thrombocyte populations was obtained by computer analysis of the volume distribution curves. However, the increase of the modal volume of the platelets correlates with the production of a new erythrocyte population. In addition, the platelet concentration in the blood increases significantly during this time. These changes could indicate the production of a second thrombocyte population. The mean electrophoretic mobility of rat thrombocytes decreases only slightly during the first 3 weeks after birth, while it increases for erythrocytes significantly during the same period.

Electromagnetically induced fluid streaming as a possible mechanism of the biomagnetic orientation of organisms.

The results show that both the direction and the intensity of the geomagnetic field can be sensed within the chamber of a Zeiss Cytopherometer. This suggests that electromagnetically induced fluid streaming might play a role in the perception of the geomagnetic field by organisms, although it is not clear at present in which organ the perception occurs. A basic requirement for such an organ would be an anisotropy of cells or cellular structures. The nervous system with its parallel axons, or specific cells associated with the nervous system, could thus be possible locations of the sensitivity towards magnetic fields.

The trajectories of particles suspended in electrolytes under the influence of crossed electric and magnetic fields. Possible explanation of the sensitivity of organism to magnetic fields.

We observed that particles, suspended in an electrolyte and brought into crossed magnetic and electric fields of low intensities, will deviate in the central part of the electrophoresis chamber of a standard Zeiss Cytopherometer with a component vertical to both fields. The direction and magnitude, however, were sharply at variance with what would be expected by the action of the Lorentz force (EMF) on the surface of the particles. The magnitude of the deviation depends upon the magnetic and electric field strength, the ion concentration of the suspension medium and the geometry of the chamber. The movement of the particles is due to streaming of the electrolyte which is mainly caused by inhomogeneities of the electric field in the electrophoresis chamber. The magnitude of the effect is high enough to occur physiological conditions. Magneto-electrophoretic streaming might eventually act as a transducer mechanism which could explain the ability of some animals to orientate themselves in the geomagnetic field.