Myocardial injury: quantitation by cell sorting initiated with antimyosin fluorescent spheres.

Spheres coated with antibodies specific for myosin were used to detect myocardial cell membrane disruption by scanning electron microscopy. Injury in a population of cultured myocytes as then followed and measured by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. This approach provides a unique method for quantitating the evolution of myocardial injury and potentially for assessing the efficacy of interventions aimed at myocardial protection.

Sequential imaging of indium-111-labeled monoclonal antibody in human mammary tumors hosted in nude mice.

Using a bifunctional chelating agent, indium-111 was attached to a monoclonal antibody 10- 3D2 , specific for a 126-kilodalton phosphoglycoprotein antigen associated with human mammary carcinoma, and was then used to localize and visualize human mammary tumors hosted in nude mice. Simultaneous tumor concentration of In-111-10- 3D2 was eight times greater than that of control I-125-MOPC-21. Uptake of F(ab')2 and Fab of 10- 3D2 was also compared. the scintigrams demonstrated that intact antibody provided the best images. Control In-111-labeled MOPC-21 and plasma did not show specific localization in the tumor. Uptake of In-111-labeled 10- 3D2 was also compared in two lines of human mammary tumors, BT-20 and HS- 578T . Imaging with 10- 3D2 was better for BT-20 than for HS- 578T . These studies demonstrated that (a) In-111-10- 3D2 can be utilized to image human mammary tumors hosted in nude mice; (b) intact antibody provided the best tumor images, although F(ab')2 had optimal target-to-background ratios for earlier imaging; and (c) different mammary tumor lines with possibly different concentrations of tumor-associated antigen showed different rates of uptake and apparent saturation with 10- 3D2 .

Catheter infection control in parenteral nutrition.

Catheter sepsis rates related to total parenteral nutrition are variable and depend on several patient-specific factors. These factors include the presence of immunosuppression or critical illness, the use of multiple intravascular catheters, and bacterial translocation. Catheter-related sepsis may present in the patient as fever, chills, change in mental status, hypotension, and leukocytosis. In patients with suspected catheter-related infection whose peripheral blood cultures do not grow the same organism as a blood culture drawn from the catheter, a guidewire exchange of the catheter has been shown to be effective. This technique should be considered a surgical procedure. Complications that are associated with guidewire exchange of central venous catheters are catheter malposition, embolism of air or septic thrombi, and cardiac arrhythmias.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide and nerve regeneration.

The role of vasoactive intestinal peptide (V.I.P.) in nerve regeneration was investigated by assessing the changes in immunoreactive V.I.P. levels in rat sciatic nerves following injury and repair. 60 rats were divided into three surgical groups and one control group: In group I (primary repair), sciatic nerves were divided and immediately repaired; in group II (secondary repair), sciatic nerves were divided and repaired two weeks later; in group III (no repair), sciatic nerves were divided and not repaired; and in group IV (controls), sciatic nerves were exposed but not divided. Animals were sacrificed at three days and at weekly intervals. Their sciatic nerves were extracted and assayed for V.I.P. concentrations by a specific radioimmunoassay. The mean V.I.P. concentration varied between 22 and 46 pg./mg. protein in the control nerves and between 60 and 529 pg./mg. protein in all other groups. In the three surgical groups the levels were significantly higher in proximal than in distal stumps. Following nerve injury, there was an increase in V.I.P. concentration in the injured and repaired areas. This increase was greater in injured non-repaired areas and was highest in the first 48 hours, but continued during regeneration. The accumulation of V.I.P. in divided nerves occurred in response to nerve injury.

Aerobic mouth flora of the rhesus monkey.

The aerobic and facultative anaerobic mouth flora of 17 rhesus monkeys was studied qualitatively, including antibiotic susceptibilities. The organisms most often encountered were Neisseria species (19.8%), alpha haemolytic streptococci (19.8%), and Haemophilus parainfluenzae (17.2%). All Haemophilus parainfluenzae isolates were susceptible to cefoperazone. The combination of penicillin and cefoperazone may be the most appropriate initial antibiotic treatment for monkey bite injuries.

Eikenella corrodens in human mouth flora.

The incidence of Eikenella corrodens in the human mouth was studied in 229 individuals. Six (2.6%) had positive cultures. The incidence of positive cultures for the saliva group was 0.6% and for the tooth-scraping group it was 8.2%. When 11 isolates were tested against 33 antimicrobials by disc-agar diffusion, 82% were susceptible to penicillin, cephalothin, and cefoperazone. Susceptibility to the remaining second- and third-generation cephalosporins studied was 100%. We suggest that the use of a second- or third-generation cephalosporin only is appropriate empiric therapy for human bite injuries.