Retention of antimony in skin biopsies of leishmaniasis patients after treatment with N-methylglucamine antimoniate.

Leishmaniasis patients were treated with N-methylglucamine antimoniate by intravenous injections of 10 or 20 mg of Sb per kilogram of body weight per day for 10 or 20 days. Digests of skin biopsies taken from the site of lesion before and after treatment were analyzed for antimony by instrumental neutron activation (INAA). The detection limit of the assay was 20 ng, and no Sb could be measured in digests of samples (less than 2.45 mg) taken before treatment. Biopsies taken after injections of Sb showed concentrations in the range of 8.32 to 70.68 ng/g skin. We discuss the usefulness of INAA in the study of Sb in small samples of tissues.

Investigación de los receptores estrógenicos por la reacción de inmunofluorescencia directa en la biopsia de pulpejo de dedo en mujeres afectadas de enfermedad y sindrome de Raynaud

Sobre la base de un estudio anterior abierto y comparado, en el que se comprobó un significativo aumento de la temperatura de las terceras falanges con la administración de una medicación antiestrogénica - tamoxifeno - en paciente con Enfermedad y síndrome de Raynaud, y habiendo comprobado la desaparición del Síndrome de Raynaud en 2 pacientes ginecológicas a quienes se les practicó ooforectomía bilateral, se trata de demostrar mediante inmunofluorescencia la presencia de receptores estrogénicos a nivel de los capilares de 15 pacientes afectadas de Enfermedad y síndrome de Raynaud, con una edad promedio de 41 años, comparándolos con 9 testigos sanos -8 mujeres y 1 varón- con una edad promedio de 51 años. Sólo se halló una leve positividad en los capilares de una paciente con esclerosis sistémica progresiva severa. En el resto fue negativa. Se encontró en cambio leve positividad en epidermis y marcada positivada en la capa córnea d epacientes y testigos sanos, lo cual se suma a los hallazgos de receptores estrogénicos en otras zonas del tegumento ya señalada por algunos autores. Queda aún por explicar la acción de los antiestrógenos en las variaciones de la temperatura de los dedos de las pacientes afectadas

Investigación de los receptores estrógenicos por la reacción de inmunofluorescencia directa en la biopsia de pulpejo de dedo en mujeres afectadas de enfermedad y sindrome de Raynaud

Sobre la base de un estudio anterior abierto y comparado, en el que se comprobó un significativo aumento de la temperatura de las terceras falanges con la administración de una medicación antiestrogénica - tamoxifeno - en paciente con Enfermedad y síndrome de Raynaud, y habiendo comprobado la desaparición del Síndrome de Raynaud en 2 pacientes ginecológicas a quienes se les practicó ooforectomía bilateral, se trata de demostrar mediante inmunofluorescencia la presencia de receptores estrogénicos a nivel de los capilares de 15 pacientes afectadas de Enfermedad y síndrome de Raynaud, con una edad promedio de 41 años, comparándolos con 9 testigos sanos -8 mujeres y 1 varón- con una edad promedio de 51 años. Sólo se halló una leve positividad en los capilares de una paciente con esclerosis sistémica progresiva severa. En el resto fue negativa. Se encontró en cambio leve positividad en epidermis y marcada positivada en la capa córnea d epacientes y testigos sanos, lo cual se suma a los hallazgos de receptores estrogénicos en otras zonas del tegumento ya señalada por algunos autores. Queda aún por explicar la acción de los antiestrógenos en las variaciones de la temperatura de los dedos de las pacientes afectadas (AU)

Alpha-melanotropin: the minimal active sequence in the lizard skin bioassay.

alpha-Melanotropin (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, alpha-MSH) is a tridecapeptide, Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2. The minimal sequence of alpha-MSH required for agonism in the lizard (Anolis carolinensis) skin bioassay was determined to be Ac-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2 (Ac-alpha-MSH6-9-NH2). Smaller fragments of this sequence (Ac-alpha-MSH6-8-NH2, Ac-alpha-MSH6-7-NH2, Ac-alpha-MSH7-9-NH2, and Ac-alpha-MSH7-8-NH2) were devoid of melanotropic activity. The tetrapeptide, Ac-alpha-MSH7-10-NH2, was also inactive, thus again demonstrating the importance of His at position 6 for minimal activity. The important potentiating amino acids were found to be Met-4, Lys-11, and Pro-12, since Ac-alpha-MSH4-10-NH2 was about 100 times more potent than Ac-alpha-MSH5-10-NH2, and Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-11-NH2 was about 40 times more potent than Ac-alpha-MSH4-10-NH2 or Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-10-NH2. Ac-alpha-MSH4-12-NH2 and Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-12-NH2 were equipotent and about six times more potent than alpha-MSH. Since [Nle4]-alpha-MSH and Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-13-NH2 were both equipotent but about sixfold less active than Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-12-NH2, it is clear that valine at position 13 does not contribute to the potency of alpha-MSH, except possibly in a negative way. The minimal message sequence for equipotency to alpha-MSH appears to be Ac-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-NH2, since the analog, Ac-[Nle4]-alpha-MSH4-11-NH2, was as active as the native hormone. Ser-1, Tyr-2, Ser-3, Glu-5, and Val-13 are not important for melanotropic potency since Ac-alpha-MSH4-12-NH2 was more potent than alpha-MSH, and Ac-alpha-MSH5-10-NH2 and Ac-alpha-MSH6-10-NH2 were equipotent, being about 4,000 times less active than alpha-MSH.

Analysis of collagen content in the fetal wound.

The absence of apparent scar formation following the creation of surgical wounds in utero appears to be a phenomenon peculiarly privileged as a sequela of fetal wound healing. Little information exists to explain this disparity from our knowledge of adult wound healing. Therefore, following creation of surgical wounds in fetal rats, at different intervals the healing wounds were harvested and analyzed for collagen content and types. The average proportion of type III collagen was elevated in normal (26.5%) as well as wounded fetal skin (33.8%) when compared with normal levels for the adult (15%). The total collagen content was markedly diminished in the fetal wound. Although embryonal collagen synthesis apparently does exist in fetal reparative processes, the relationship to the lack of gross scarring remains undetermined.

The tensiometric properties of expanded guinea pig skin.

Our purpose in this study was to evaluate the tensile properties of expanded skin. In five guinea pigs, 29-cc ovoid tissue expanders were placed and sequentially expanded every 4 days until maximum volume was achieved. Five control and five expanded skins were harvested. Using an Instron tensile testing apparatus, skins were evaluated for stress-strain, maximum stiffness, and tensile strength, and the results were statistically compared. Centrally located expanded specimens demonstrated significantly weaker stress-strain values: 9.51 in.lb/in3 for expanded versus 30.11 in.lb/in3 for control (p less than 0.001). Maximum stiffness was similarly reduced: 4.56 lb/mm2 for expanded vs. 12.98 lb/mm2 for control (p less than 0.001). This is a 67.4 and 64.9 percent reduction, respectively, for the stress-strain and maximum stiffness. No statistically significant difference was seen in peripherally located expanded specimens relative to the controls: stress-strain expanded, 28.7 in.lb/in3 (p greater than 0.5); maximum stiffness expanded, 12.84 lb/mm2 (p greater than 0.5). Expanded skin demonstrated an average 35 percent reduction in tensile strength. We conclude that the tensile properties of expanded skin are significantly less than unexpanded skin and are a function of the degree of expansion.

The locations of collagens with different thermal stabilities in fibrils of bovine reticular dermis.

The techniques of differential scanning calorimetry and electron microscopy were combined to locate collagens with different thermal stabilities in bovine dermis. When calfskin was heated at 1.25 degrees C/min, denatured cores developed in the fibrils at 65 degrees C, leaving native-banded sheaths. Coincident with the initiation of shrinkage and loss of molecular orientation at 68 degrees C, the sheaths of the fibrils began to be denatured at distributed sites along the fibrils. At 80 degrees C the collagen lost its organized fibrillar structure. When thermally labile crosslinks had been stabilized by reduction with borohydride, an endotherm lying above 66 degrees C was suppressed, with proportional lowering of the total enthalpy change, and a fibrous texture revealing a helical subfibrillar structure remained. The three populations of collagen are located in the same fibrils. One, located in the cores of the fibrils, is half denatured at 68 degrees C. Another, established by crosslinks, is competent to sustain the regular appearance of fibrils even after 56% of the collagen in them has been denatured. This population is located as sheaths at the peripheries of the collagen fibrils. A third, denaturing below 59 degrees C, is codistributed with one or both of the two others.

Severe cardiopathy in branching enzyme deficiency.

A 7 1/2-year-old girl had exercise intolerance and exertional dyspnea. Four months later, congestive heart failure developed, with recurrent chylous pleural effusions, and she died at age 8 1/2 years. Endomyocardial biopsy tissue showed abundant PAS-positive, diastase-resistant cytoplasmic deposits. Similar inclusions were seen in muscle, skin, and liver specimens. Postmortem studies showed that the abnormal polysaccharide was especially abundant in heart and muscle, but was also present in all other tissues, including the central nervous system. Glycogen isolated from heart, muscle, and spinal cord showed a shift of the iodine spectrum toward higher than normal wavelengths. Branching enzyme activity was lacking in the muscle biopsy specimen and in all postmortem tissues; glycogenolytic enzymes had normal activities. These studies show that cardiomyopathy can be the first symptom of generalized branching enzyme deficiency and that the degree of accumulation of the abnormal polysaccharide may vary in different tissues.

Occurrence of skin alkaloids in non-dendrobatid frogs from Brazil (Bufonidae), Australia (Myobatrachidae) and Madagascar (Mantellinae).

Several taxa of small frogs from the southern hemisphere contain alkaloids similar or identical to compounds previously known only from neotropical poison frogs of the family Dendrobatidae. Skin of the Brazilian toad Melanophryniscus moreirae (family Bufonidae) contains a new alkaloid 8-hydroxy-8-methyl-6-(5'-hydroxy-2'-methyl-hexylidene)-1-azabicycl o-[4.3.0] nonane (C16H29NO2), which is designated pumiliotoxin 267C. Such a structure is typical of the pumiliotoxin-A class of dendrobatid alkaloids. Melanophyryniscus moreirae contains smaller quantities of an alkaloid (C19H33NO3) identical in chromatographic and mass spectral properties to the dendrobatid alkaloid allopumiliotoxin 323B. Allopumiliotoxin 323B and an isomer of 267C occur with unidentified alkaloids in skin of the Australian frog Pseudophryne semimarmorata (family Myobatrachidae) and also in the skin of the Madagascan frog Mantella aurantiaca (family Ranidae, subfamily Mantellinae). In addition to new compounds, Mantella aurantiaca and M. madagascariensis also contain other alkaloids (e.g. histrionicotoxin and pumiliotoxin B) that were known previously only in dendrobatid frogs. Such alkaloids have not been detected in a phylogenetically wide array of other anuran amphibians, and the dendrobatid alkaloids thus become an evolutionary enigma. Certain of these compounds may have arisen convergently from new biosynthetic pathways in several families of frogs, or these alkaloids may represent parallel expression of shared-primitive pathways that are unexpressed or lost in related frogs.

Identification of female carriers of adrenoleukodystrophy.

The concentrations of very long chain fatty acids in plasma and cultured skin fibroblasts were studied in 96 women who were obligate heterozygotes for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, in 34 women who were mothers of single probands with ALD, and in 32 normal women of comparable age. Discriminant analysis was used to develop a classification function for the plasma values. With this function, plasma values in 88% of the women who were obligate heterozygotes for ALD and 77% of the mothers of single probands were identified as abnormal. With subsequent inclusion of the fibroblast assay data, abnormal plasma values were found in 93% of the obligate heterozygotes.

Skin surface PCO2 monitoring in newborn infants in shock: effect of hypotension and electrode temperature.

We studied the effect of hypotension and of electrode temperature (41 degrees C to 44 degrees C) on the relation of skin surface PCO2 (Roche prototype) to arterial PCO2 in 24 sick neonates of 690 to 3,500 gm with systolic blood pressures of 5 to 70 mm Hg. PsCO2 closely correlated with PaCO2. The standard error of estimating PaCO2 from PsCO2 was 3.02 torr at 44 degrees C, 3.20 torr at 43 degrees C, and 3.57 torr at 41 degrees C. The pH (6.89 to 7.61), body temperature (33.5 to 38.1 degrees C), hematocrit (0.28 to 0.65), scleredema, or treatment with tolazoline did not affect the relation of PsCO2 to PaCO2. PsCO2 grossly exceeded the predicted value at systolic blood pressures below 15 mm Hg, irrespective of electrode temperature.

Angioid streaks in Jamaican patients with homozygous sickle cell disease.

Angioid streaks were observed in 21 of 242 patients with homozygous sickle cell disease. Two morphological types were observed. There is no evidence that angioid streaks in Jamaican patients are related to pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Angioid streaks in Jamaican patients with homozygous sickle cell disease

Angioid streaks were observed in 21 of 242 patients with homozygous sickle cell disease. Two morphological types were observed. There is no evidence that angioid streaks in Jamaican patients are related to pseudoxanthoma elasticum (AU)

Identification of dermorphin and Hyp6-dermorphin in skin extracts of the Brazilian frog Phyllomedusa rhodei.

Methanol extracts of the skin of the Brazilian frog Phyllomedusa rhodei contain approximately equal amounts of dermorphin and its analogue Hyp6-dermorphin, two opiate-like heptapeptides. A unique feature of their sequence is the presence of a D-amino acid residue at position 2. Hyp6-dermorphin possesses a spectrum of central and peripheral bioactivity very similar to that of dermorphin.