Study of the activity of lymphocyte adenosine deaminase in chronic renal failure.

The activity of lymphocyte adenosine deaminase was studied in 28 undialysed uremic patients, 19 patients on maintenance hemodialysis and 32 normal subjects. A statistically significant decrease of the enzyme activity was found both for the undialysed and dialysed patients.

Mathematical analysis of 51Cr-labelled red cell survival curves in congenital haemolytic anaemias.

The parameters of 51Cr labelled red cell survival curves were calculated in 33 patients with homozygous beta-thalassaemia, 8 with sickle-cell anaemia and 3 with s -- beta-thalassaemia, using a non-linear weighted least squares analysis computer program. In thalassaemic children the calculated parameters denote that the shortening of the mean cell life is due to early senescence alone, while there is some evidence that in thalassemic adults additional extracellular destruction mechanisms participate as well. Red cell survival curves from patients with sickle-cell anaemia and s -- beta-thalassaemia resemble each other, while their parameters indicate an initial rapid loss of radioactivity, early senescence and the presence of extracellular red cell destruction factors.

[Estimation of serum beta 2 microglobulin in carcinoma of the bladder (author's transl)]. / Dosage de la bêta 2-microglobuline sérique dans le cancer de la vessie.

beta 2 Microglobulin is a low molecular weight protein synthesised by lymphocytes and neoplastic cells. The authors measured levels of this substance in the plasma of 40 patients with carcinoma of the bladder and normal renal function. 26 subjects were used as controls. Plasma levels were markedly higher in the bladder carcinoma sufferers than in the normal controls. Levels were also higher in invasive carcinomas than in superficial lesions. beta 2 microglobulin may therefore not be considered to be a specific indicator of carcinoma of the bladder but rather as a factor offering the possibility of measurement of the secretory activity of tumour cells.

Ulcerative colitis and sarcoidosis: a curious association-report of a case.

A case of ulcerative colitis associated with generalized sarcoidosis is reported, bringing to four the number of such cases reported. The association of these two disorders in the same patient is at least curious because altered immunologic mechanisms of different type are considered to be involved in the two diseases.

Serum and erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity in chronic renal failure.

The activity of serum and erythrocyte glutathione reductase was studied in 66 undialysed uremic patients, 19 patients under treatment by chronic hemodialysis and 38 normal subjects. A statistically significant increase of the enzyme activity was found both in serum and erythrocytes in the uremic patients. This increase was in positive correlation with blood urea and creatinine. No difference has been observed in the enzyme activity before and after hemodialysis. By electrophoresis of the hemolysate in cellulose-acetate the pattern of the isoenzymes of the uremic patients was similar to that of the controls.

Colloid clearance rate changes in children with homozygous-beta-thalassemia in relation to blood transfusion.

The plasma clearance rate of heat denatured human serum albumin (DHAI-125, 5 mg/kg body weight) was studied in 20 children with homozygous-beta-thalassemia before and 7--10 days after blood transfusion. A significant increase of the DHAI-125 clearance rate (P less than 0.02) was found 7--10 days after blood transfusion while the spleen presented its minimum size. This finding may be relevant to the improved intrasplenic blood circulation after blood transfusion due to the release of the blood trapped within the spleen.

Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in Greek uremics.

Using a simplified competitive protein-binding assay, we measured serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) in 52 patients with chronic renal failure and in 21 normal subjects. Of the patients with chronic renal failure, 21 were undergoing hemodialysis. Low serum levels of 25-OH-D3 were found in nondialysis patients and normal levels in the dialysis group. A positive relationship between the levels of 25-OH-D3 and serum calcium and a negative relationship between the levels of 25-OH-D3 and serum creatinine were found in the nondialysis group. We postulate that the decreased 25-OH-D3 levels in chronic uremics is the result of the low level of vitamin D in their protein-restricted diets.

Postoperative pseudomembranous colitis associated with ampicillin therapy.

A case of pseudomembranous colitis in a 66-year-old subject is presented. The disease appeared on the fourth postoperative day following prostatectomy. On the first postoperative day ampicillin was administered intramuscularly (4 g/day). On the seventh postoperative day, toxic megacolon complicated the disease and a diverting ileostomy with decompression colostomies was performed. The patient died two days later due to severe respiratory failure following extensive bronchopulmonary infection.

Comparative in vitro activity of netilmicin, amikacin, tobramycin and sisomicin against gentamicin highly-resistant enterobacteriaceae.

Netilmicin was compared with sisomicin, tobramycin and amikacin against 65 recent clinical enterobacterial isolates found to be highly resistant to gentamicin (MIC larger than or equal to 80 microgram/ml). Netilmicin showed a high activity against 20 out of 65 strains tested. Most of the sensitive strains (60%) to netilmicin required a concentration of gentamicin equal or lower than 160 microgram/ml for inhibition. Amikacin proved to be extremely effective in all the organisms tested. Tobramycin was consistently less active than either netilmicin or amikacin and the same was the case with sisomicin. The MIC was determined in both solid and liquid media for 24 strains. Depending upon which aminoglycoside was used, we found that 10-30% of the enterobacteriaceae exhibited a twofold diminution of MIC when tested in broth as compared to agar, while the greater proportion of strains was characterized by a higher MIC tested in broth as compared to agar.

Serum Gm system in liver cirrhosis and hepatoma.

Serum Gm polymorphism was studied in 69 patients with liver cirrhosis, in 64 with liver cirrhosis plus hepatoma, in 40 with hepatoma without evidence of cirrhosis, and in 256 controls. The distribution of Gm factors in liver patients differed from that in the control group, this difference apparently being due to the distribution in cirrhosis patients negative for HBsAg and anti-HBs. Furthermore, significantly more heterozygous Gm individuals were found in this group of patients than in the control group. Thus it appears that Gm heterozygous individuals are prone to develop cryptogenic cirrhosis under the influence of other, as yet undetermined factors.

Reticuloendothelial phagocytosis in patients with chronic renal failure.

Using the clearance of microaggregated iodinated human serum albumin, the phagocytic function of the reticuloendothelial system was tested in 73 patients with chronic renal failure and in 30 normal subjects. Of the patients with chronic renal failure 26 were undergoing hemodialysis. Increased reticuloendothelial phagocytosis was shown in all patients with chronic renal failure. No correlation was shown between hematocrit-creatinine and T 1/2 (min) in patients with chronic renal failure.

Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen in fixed tissues of patients with cirrhosis and hepatoma.

HBsAg has been sought by light microscopy in liver specimens from patients with cirrhosis (79 cases) and hepatoma (99 cases). The study was carried out on fixed material using orcein staining, immunoperoxidase technique and indirect immunofluorescence. HBsAg was detected in the serum by radio-immunoassay (RIA) using Ausria II-125 in 38 patients with cirrhosis and in 36 with hepatoma. In the 38 seropositive cases of cirrhosis HBsAg-positive cells were observed in 31 (81.6%) by the orcein staining and in 32 (84.2%) by the peroxidase and immunofluorescence staining. Among the 36 seropositive patients with hepatoma, HBsAg was detected in the surrounding non-neoplastic part of the liver, cirrhotic or not, in 30 (83.3%) by orcein staining and in 34 (94.4%) by the immunoperoxidase method and immunofluorescence. Positive solitary-cells were seen occasionally in the tumor tissue in 16 cases using orcein, in 9 using peroxidase and in 7 by fluorescence, out of the 36 seropositive patients with hepatoma. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis of a direct oncogenic effect of HBsAg on the liver cells, since this antigen was detected mainly in the non-neoplastic part of the liver tissue and only occasionally in the tumor cells. Of the 63 cases of seronegative hepatoma, 3 showed some round orcein-positive inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm of the neoplastic and the non-neoplastic cells; these bodies were not stained by the two immunological methods.

Serum gastrin concentrations in healthy males and females of various ages.

We measured, by the RIA method, the concentrations of serum gastrin in a fasting state in 80 healthy volunteers of both sexes (M = 43, F = 37) aged 15-81 years. We did not find significant differences in the mean values of gastrin among them and the correlation of gastrin with the ages was insignificant. Further study of various age groups (15-29, 30-59, greater than 60 years) in both sexes and of two more age groups (18-45, 46-71) in the females, did not disclose any significant differences either. People of ages greater than 60 years had the greatest concentration of gastrin. Furthermore, we studied the concentrations of gastrin in the sera of 39 of these 80 people (M = 23, F = 16), aged 15-47 years, 10 min. and 40 min. after a test meal. No differences were found between the two sexes. However, although the mean levels of gastrin were significantly increased 10 min and 40 min after the meal in comparison with the fasting levels in both sexes, only in the men was the increase after 40 min. significantly greater than that after 10 min.

Serum gastrin concentrations in healthy people of the various ABO blood groups.

The concentrations of gastrin were measured by the RIA method in the sera of 121 healthy Greek volunteers of both sexes and of different ABO blood groups, aged 20--70 years. The determinations took place in a fasting state in all the individuals and 10 min and 40 min after a test meal in 42 of them. No significant differences were found in the mean concentrations of gastrin in the fasting state and after the meal between the various ABO groups. There was an increase in the mean concentrations of gastrin in all the groups after the meal. Nevertheless, this was significant 40 min after the meal in the groups A and B whilst in the group O and in the groups A, B and AB considered together this significant increase had appeared already 10 min after the meal.