Effects of castor bean extract and ricin A-chain on ovulation and implantation in rabbits.

The anti-implantation and antiovulation effects of castor bean extract (CBE) and ricin A-chain (RAC) were evaluated in rabbits. Both CBE and RAC, administered intraperitoneally on days 5-9 of pregnancy, exhibited a pronounced decrease in maternal body weight gain and in death of all fetuses. A significant (p < 0.01) decrease of implantation sites resulted after rabbits were treated with RAC on the first 6 consecutive days of pregnancy. When female rabbits were treated with RAC for 10 consecutive days followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (50 IU/kg intravenously), there was a 30% reduction in the number of corpora lutae. These data clearly indicate that CBE and RAC possess potent effects on implantation and ovulation in rabbits. The protein contents of castor bean extract, separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, revealed the presence of several protein bands, ricin toxin being a major constituent of the extract.

Studies on chronic liver diseases in patients with and without Toxoplasma latent infection.

Chronic liver diseases mainly due to schistosomiasis is a common clinical feature in Egypt. On the other hand, Toxoplasma latent infection is another common feature. In this paper, it was aimed to study the role of Toxoplasma latent infection in patients with chronic liver diseases mainly due to schistosomiasis. The latent Toxoplasma infection was measured by the positivity of IgG to ELISA and the negativity of IgM to DS-ELISA. The cellular immunity was assessed by the dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) skin test. The clinical and the laboratory studies showed that latent Toxoplasma infection had no marked effect on the progression of the chronic liver diseases.

Myopathic changes in schistosomal hepatosplenomegaly; histopathological, histochemical and immunopathological studies.

Eighteen patients suffering mainly from schistosomal hepatosplenomegaly (B.H.S.M.) were selected & classified into 3 groups according to the degree of B.H.S.M. Muscle biopsy for histopathological, histochemical and immunopathological studies were taken. The results showed that fatiguability as a symptom was present in all cases but motor weakness was present in four cases. Twelve cases had peripheral neuropathy in the form of glove and stocking hypothesia, while pyramidal tract lesion was present in four cases. Two cases, however, showed both peripheral neuropathy and pyramidal tract lesions. Histopathological and histochemical assessment revealed frank myopathic changes in 14 cases while only one case showed definite neuropathic changes. The remainder cases were inconclusive. Immunopathological examination revealed marked deposition of IgG in 50% of cases, while IgM and IgA showed mild to moderate reactions. It was concluded that muscular changes in schistosomal patients are myopathic in nature and that immunological mechanisms could be considered as a factor in the pathogenesis of this muscular disorder.

Serum 5-nucleotidase and serum sialic acid in pregnancy.

Serum 5-nucleotidase enzyme activity and serum sialic acid concentrations were measured in 219 pregnant women to establish the incidence of cholestasis of pregnancy and the effect of rapid fetoplacental growth on serum sialic acid level. Serum 5-nucleotidase activity increases in diseases of the liver and obstruction of the biliary tract, whereas the level of serum sialic acid, a carbohydrate component of plasma membrane and cellular glycoproteins, rises in the presence of rapidly proliferating cells such as tumors. Serum 5-nucleotidase activity did not change between the first and the third trimesters of pregnancy. The elevation of serum 5-nucleotidase activity and of alkaline phosphatase in one case most likely indicated a cholestatic effect of pregnancy, and represented an incidence of 0.45% in the women studied. Among 201 cases, we found a graded and significant increase in the mean (+/- SD) serum sialic acid concentration with progressing pregnancy, from 1.63 +/- 0.3 mmol/L at the onset of pregnancy (five to eight weeks) to 2.06 +/- 0.49 at term; in the last stages of pregnancy, some of the values may overlap with those of cancer patients. We could not find any earlier report in the literature regarding the increase in serum sialic acid level in pregnancy.