Pharmacological protection of vascular endothelium in acute COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an urgent need to find effective treatment. It is widely known that virus attacks and damages mostly the lungs, but also infect vascular endothelial cells. Therefore, the protection of the endothelium is a promising target in the therapy of COVID-19 and its complications. In this review article, we focused on several groups of drugs with potential to protect the endothelium. The most promising ones are angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, drugs targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, heparins, sulodexide, acetylsalicylic acid, statins, tocilizumab, baricitinib, and defibrotide. Although the short period of trials and the lack of data necessitate further research, endothelial protection remains a promising target for COVID-19 therapy.

Purification of monoclonal antibodies to human alkaline phosphatases by antigen-immunoaffinity chromatography: comparisons of their molar binding values.

Antigen-immunoaffinity chromatography has been used to purify monoclonal antibodies to human alkaline phosphatases. The binding of the purified antibodies to various alkaline phosphatases was tested utilizing an electrophoretic titration assay. The results indicate that binding differences among the various ALPs seen with several of the antibodies are due to antigenic differences in the molecular structure of the enzymes. We define a molar binding value as the minimum molar concentration of antibody necessary to complex all of the ALP in a standard reaction mixture. These values varied widely, indicating marked differences in the avidities of the different antibodies.

Two monoclonal antibodies recognizing determinants on human embryonal carcinoma cells react specifically with the liver isozyme of human alkaline phosphatase.

From a series of hybridomas that produced monoclonal antibodies reactive with the surface of human embryonal carcinoma cells, two that specifically recognized determinants of the liver/bone/kidney isozyme of alkaline phosphatase were isolated. They did not cross-react with the intestinal or placental isozymes. Phylogenetic studies revealed that both antibodies cross-reacted strongly with liver alkaline phosphatase from higher primates, but exhibited marked differences in their respective cross-reactions with liver alkaline phosphatase from other mammalian species.

Cytopathic and pathogenic properties of dengue type 2 virus reproduced in quail embryo fibroblast cultures.

Quail embryho fibroblast cultures are able to reproduce dengue type 2 virus up to high titres measured by TCID50 values. The reproduced virus at low passage levels was antigenically closely related to the original virus reproduced in newborn mouse brains in vivo, but was loosing its virulence for these animals.

[Disguised Tourette's syndrome. A contribution to the differential diagnosis on phobia and fear]. / Maskiertes Tourette-Syndrom Zur Differenzialdiagnose von Angst und Zwang.

Patients with Tourette's syndrome often develop multiple psychopathological symptoms beyond the basic symptoms (motor and vocal tics). We describe a female patient who had been treated over years with cognitive-behavioural methods under the diagnosis of anxiety disorder without success. Her obsessive-compulsive and tic symptoms had been ignored because they had not been reported by the patient, who was accustomed to them. Our case underlines the necessity of specific exploration and taking of a case history, especially when symptoms are atypical and do not improve under treatment. This gives cause for some critical remarks on the principle of comorbidity.