Effect of dimethylnitrosamine on ornithine decarboxylase in rat liver and kidney.

Changes in ornithine decarboxylase activity were followed in the liver and kidneys of female rats at various pre- and postnatal ages. During normal development the basal ornithine decarboxylase activity was higher in both organs up to the age of one month than in the adults. When newborn animals were treated with a single dose (30 mg/kg i.p.) of dimethylnitrosamine after birth, the normal developmental pattern of ornithine decarboxylase was perturbed both in the liver and kidney. The carcinogen induced more pronounced responses in ornithine decarboxylase activity of the left kidney than that of the right one.

Effect of dimethylnitrosamine on the concentration of polyamines in rat liver and kidney.

Newborn female rats were injected once with dimethylnitrosamine. The polyamine content of the liver and kidneys was measured and compared to the respective controls. Both liver and kidney polyamine concentrations were found to decrease in both organs up to one month of age. The polyamine concentrations then increased in the carcinogen treated animals, whereas the control levels remained unchanged. The concentration of polyamines was greater in the left kidney than in the right one. A close correlation was found between the concentration of polyamines and histological findings during tumour development.

[Atrioventricular block caused by tick bite--Lyme's carditis]. / Kullancs csípés okozta atrioventricularis blokk--Lyme carditis.

The authors present the case of a 44-year-old patient who was admitted to the hospital because of AV block of degree III. Six weeks earlier a tick was removed from the left foot of the patient. Two weeks later an erythema of 8 cm in diameter, spreading peripherally as well as painful inguinal lymphadenitis developed at the site of the bite with transient arthralgia and myalgia in the region of the waist and left lower limb. After the temporary use of pacemaker, steroid and atropine therapy applied because of the pronounced bradycardia the block became of degree I on the 4th day however negative T-waves appeared in leads III, aVF, V3. By the 14th day the AV time returned to normal and the pathological signs of repolarization disappeared. Serological examinations revealed increased Borrelia burgdorferi antibody level. Lyme's carditis may be prevented by starting the antibiotic therapy at the time of the chronic erythema migrans. Upon medication the patient may recover from the carditis without remaining symptoms.

Detectability of thyroid anti-microsomal antibodies, changes in thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI) and thyrotropin-binding-inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII) during methimazole treatment of Graves' disease patients.

The prognostic value of determination of different antibodies in Graves' disease patients is questionable. The authors simultaneously assessed the generation of cAMP, the TSH-receptor binding inhibitory assay and the detectability of anti-microsomal antibodies by indirect immuno-fluorescence. The tests were performed before, during and after methimazole treatment. During a 12 months' medication all 22 patients became euthyroid. Six months after withdrawal of the drug, 15 patients were still euthyroid (Group A); 7 relapsed (Group B). Patients showing enhanced activities by all three methods, relapsed (5 out of 7 cases of Group B). The results indicate that simultaneous determination of TSI, TBII and anti-microsomal antibodies are of high prognostic value for relapses. These data should be taken into consideration for the further therapy.

Temporary pacing in complete heart block due to Lyme disease: a case report.

The authors present the case of a 44-year-old man who was admitted with complete heart block and signs of severe bradycardia. After steroid administration and temporary pacemaker treatment the complete heart block resolved. During this therapy transient ST segment and T wave abnormalities occurred. The positive Borrelia burgdorferi antibody titer arrived only after therapy had been completed. This is regarded as the first case of Lyme carditis with complete heart block diagnosed in eastern Europe. Carditis resolved without antibiotic treatment and has not recurred.