[Assessment of the value of stimulation from a preparation of Tolpa peat for treatment of trauma related osteomyelitis]. / Badania wartosci stymulujacej preparatu torfowego Tolpy w leczeniu pourazowego zapalenia kosci.

Tolpa peat preparation at the dose of 5 mg per day was administered to 10 patients with chronic posttraumatic osteomyelitis for 6 weeks period of time. Good clinical result (ceasing of the inflammatory process) was found in 4 patients but 3 of them were concurrently treated surgically. Immunological examination (angiogenesis test and chemiluminescence test) performed before the onset and after completion of the treatment with Tolpa preparation did not reveal meaningful changes indicating immunomodulating action of the preparation on the course of posttraumatic osteomyelitis.

Intake of vitamins and minerals. Euronut SENECA investigators.

In 18 towns of 12 European countries, 1217 men and 1241 women born between 1913 and 1918 participated in a dietary survey (modified dietary history). Each country used its own nutrient data bank for the conversion of food intake data into vitamin and mineral intakes. Information on the use of nutrient supplements was collected through a questionnaire answered by the participants. Enormous variability in nutrient dietary intake was observed between and even within the different sites. The dietary intake of vitamin A was higher in northern towns and, conversely, the intake of beta-carotene and vitamin C was lower. A considerable percentage of the elderly in some towns had intakes of some nutrients below the lowest European recommended daily intakes (RDIs) and so might be at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Women in almost all towns had diets of higher nutrient density than men, except for iron. There was great variability in supplementation practices between different towns, even within a country. In northern towns, supplements were used much more frequently than in the other sites, but their use was not nutrition-oriented. Sometimes vitamin supplements were taken in large quantities, with risk of toxicity. Differences between the sexes in supplementation practices were not consistent.

[Harmful elements versus iron, zinc and copper: their interactions in animals and humans. I. Mercury, tin, nickel, selenium, fluorine and aluminum]. / Pier wiastki szkodliwe a zelazo, czynk i miedz: interakcje w organizmie zwierzat i ludzi. Cz. I. Rtec, cyna, nikiel, selen, fluor, glin.

A literature survey was made of the interactions--in the organism--between some food contaminating elements (mercury, tin, nickel, selenium, fluorine, aluminium) and iron, zinc and copper. The harmful elements may disturb the mineral metabolism already at the stage of intestinal absorption. Moreover, they bring about changes in microelement distribution in the tissues and cells. On account of their approximately similar chemical structure, they compete for the sites of binding to some proteins, including enzymic ones. In this respect a special role is played by ++metallothionein, a protein with the ability of regulating free metal contents in the tissues and thus possibly displaying some detoxifying properties. Many mechanisms and relationships determining the interactions between the surveyed food contaminants and iron, zinc and copper remain, however, not elucidated.

The effect of vitamin E on granulocyte function in patients with recurrent infections.

The influence of vit. E treatment on metabolic and bactericidal granulocyte activity in patients with recurrent infections was studied by chemiluminescence and phagocytosis assays. Vit. E serum level was significantly diminished before therapy. Six weeks supplementation with 200-300 mg/day of vit. E resulted in improvement of clinical status and normalisation of alpha-tocopherol serum level. Bactericidal activity of granulocytes was lower in patients than in the respective controls and it slightly rose after vit. E therapy. Before, therapy, patients granulocytes showed metabolic activity above or within the control range. Vit. E treatment increased, had no effect or decreased granulocyte metabolic activity, but never below the control range.

Comparison of the hypocholesterolemic effects of dietary soybean protein with those of formaldehyde-treated casein in rabbits.

Treatment of casein with formaldehyde changes its tertiary structure and decreases its hypercholesterolemic properties in rabbits. To investigate whether formaldehyde-treated casein exerts this hypocholesterolemic effect in the same manner as soybean protein, rabbits were fed high or low cholesterol diets containing soybean protein, casein, formaldehyde-treated casein or a mixture of casein and formaldehyde-treated casein. Formaldehyde-treated casein was hypocholesterolemic when fed in a low, but not in a high, cholesterol diet. The hypocholesterolemic effect of soybean protein was independent of the amount of cholesterol included in the diet. In contrast to rabbits fed soybean protein, steroid absorption in those fed formaldehyde-treated casein did not differ from that in rabbits fed native casein. Furthermore, the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen was lower in rabbits fed formaldehyde-treated casein than in those fed native casein, whereas the absorption found in rabbits fed soybean protein resembled that of their casein-fed counterparts. The diets containing soybean protein and formaldehyde-treated casein produced a comparable ratio of lysine to arginine in serum. The results presented in this paper indicate that the hypocholesterolemic action of dietary formaldehyde-treated casein does not resemble that of soybean protein.

Antibiotic treatment, intestinal aerobic microflora and experimental sarcoma L-1 growth in Balb/c-mice.

The present paper deals with the influence of a 10 days treatment with mezlocillin, piperacillin, cefotaxime, clindamycin or gentamicin on the endogenous intestinal microflora of Balb/c-mice and on the local growth of sarcoma L-1 tumor. Clindamycin and gentamicin demonstrated no influence, whereas cefotaxime and piperacillin caused the eradication of gram-negative resp. gram-positive bacteria but these antibiotics didn't produce a growth inhibition of local L-1 sarcoma tumor. The oral or parenteral application of mezlocillin (a 3 days treatment was sufficient) eradicated the complete aerobic and anaerobic intestinal microflora. This effect was significantly correlated with an increase of the cecum weight and the inhibition of local tumor growth. Possible mechanisms of these effects are discussed.

Effects of cefotaxime, clindamycin, mezlocillin, and piperacillin on mouse sarcoma L-1 tumor.

For the study described in the paper, the effects of 10 days' chemotherapy with cefotaxime, clindamycin, mezlocillin, and piperacillin on local tumor growth and on spontaneous or artificial metastatic spread into the lungs were studied. For the animal tumor model Balb/c mice and the mouse sarcoma L-1 tumor were used. Chemotherapy was administered before, immediately after, or some time after the injection of tumor cells. The antibiotic dosage given to mice was calculated on a body weight basis from the doses recommended for humans. Cefotaxime and clindamycin did not influence the animal tumor model, whereas mezlocillin and piperacillin showed positive or negative effects depending on the chemotherapy schedule. In vitro none of the four antibiotics caused cytotoxic activity in cell cultures of mouse sarcoma L-1, human lung cancer E-14, or human malignant melanoma MEW.

Effect of whole-body hyperthermia on delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity to oxazolone in mice.

A murine model of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity has been used to study an effect of microwave whole-body hyperthermia on the immune system. Marked suppression of immune responsiveness was observed in mice exposed to repeated sessions of hyperthermia. Cell proliferation in regional lymph nodes of mice sensitized with oxazolone was significantly impaired as measured by uptake of 125I-iododeoxyuridine (125IUdR). The proportion of theta-positive cells and the total number of lymph node lymphocytes remained unchanged. Inhibition of proliferation of lymph node lymphocytes in vivo was accompanied by a decrease in mitogen-induced stimulation of lymphocytes in vitro. In particular the phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response of T cells was affected by hyperthermia. It is concluded that whole-body hyperthermia can be a potent immunosuppressive factor.

Evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of ureidopenicillins in comparison to sisomicin and cephalotin in experimental infections of rabbits.

The therapeutic efficacy of azlocillin, mezlocillin, cephalotin, and sisomicin was evaluated by experimental infection in rabbits. After one hour following infection with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, antibiotics were applied intramuscularly. Colony-forming units were counted before the infection and every day thereafter. Leukocytosis was determined before infection and 3 and 7 days after initiation of therapy. Therapy with antibiotics was continued for seven days, rabbits sacrificed and CFU/g tissue determined. It was shown that in experimental infection caused by E. coli or K. pneumoniae in rabbits, sisomicin was most effective, followed by mezlocillin, azlocillin, and cephalotin. Efficacy of therapy against P. aeruginosa was as follows: sisomicin, azlocillin, mezlocillin.