Rhinoplasty: the light reflexes

The physical characteristics of the light reflexes of the nasal tip are defined in large part by the studio lighting configuration. By varying the lighting configuration, it is possible to alter the light reflexes as regards their number, distance apart, symmetry, and size. For the plastic surgeon, the quarter light system of the medical photographer has definite advantages over the key light system of the portrait photographer. The quarter light system consists of two lights of equal intensity with symmetrical angles of incidence placed at 45 degrees to the camera-subject axis. Measuring changes in the light reflexes as a method of determining the efficacy of surgical techniques is valid under very controlled conditions.     

Characterisation of Pseudomonas rhamnolipids

The Gram negative organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is often found in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and other forms of severe bronchiectasis, where it secretes a number of extracellular toxins including the mono- and dirhamnolipids. The principal monorhamnolipid from P. aeruginosa has previously been identified as rhamnosyl-3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate (Rh-C10.C10). A number of related mono- and dirhamnolipids have been purified from cultures of a clinical isolate of P. aeruginosa and identified by fast atom bombardment and electron impact mass spectrometry: these contain the 3-hydroxyoctanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate (C8.C10) and 3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydodecanoate (C10.C12) homologues. Structural isomers were also present where the order of the lipid linkage was transposed (Rh-C10.C8 and Rh-C12.C10). Unsaturated mono- and dirhamnolipids containing the 3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydodec-5-enoate (C10.C12:1) lipid were also present.     

Effects of spaceflight on the proliferation of jejunal mucosal cells

The mitotic indices, villus heights, and crypt depths were determined in each of three jejunal regions (proximal, middle, and distal) for five animals each in the flight, vivarium, and synchronous groups. Because of the rapid turnover of intestinal mucosal cells and the delay in recovering the flight animals, it is not known whether the proliferation of jejunal mucosal cells is affected by microgravity conditions associated with spaceflight. However, since there were no consistent differences between animals in the flight group and those in the synchronous and vivarium control groups, it appears that any effects of microgravity on the turnover of jejunal mucosal cells are short-lived. Thus, this study represents an initial step in determining the effects of microgravity on the proliferation and turnover of intestinal mucosal cells.     

Free fatty acids inhibit cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated lysis of allogeneic target cells

Short term exposure of murine CTL clones to long chain cis unsaturated free fatty acid (FFA) inhibits alloantigen specific lysis of cognate target cells, whereas long-chain saturated FFA have no effect. Inhibition of lysis occurs when cis FFA is added before or within 10 min after CTL-target cell conjugate formation and thus appears to interfere with lethal hit delivery. Our previous studies have shown that similar treatment with cis FFA inhibits, in CTL, the Ag stimulated increase in intracellular calcium and degranulation, suggesting that inhibition of lysis probably results from perturbation of the CTL signaling pathway. However, inhibition of lysis is probably not due to the inhibition of the rise in intracellular calcium or degranulation, because lysis can occur under conditions in which FFA inhibit degranulation and because cis FFA inhibit calcium-independent killing. Inhibition of lysis is detectable at unbound FFA concentrations less than 1 microM and is generally complete at concentrations less than 5 microM. Although these levels of FFA are somewhat higher than reported for normal physiologic conditions, plasma FFA levels can be elevated into this range in states of stress and disease, suggesting that FFA modulation of the immune response has important physiologic consequences.     

Serum hormones and physical performance capacity in young boy athletes during a 1-year training period

Serum hormones and physical performance capacity in boy athletes (AG; n = 19) were investigated during a 1-year training period (between the ages of 11.6 and 12.6 years). Six young untrained boys served as the control group (CG). The mean serum testosterone concentration increased significantly in AG (P less than 0.05) following the training period from 2.92 nmol.l-1, SD 1.04 to 5.81 nmol.l-1, SD 1.33. Significant differences were not observed in the cortisol, sex hormone binding globulin and growth hormone levels during the follow-up period. The AG clearly increased speed (P less than 0.001), speed-strength (P less than 0.01-P less than 0.001) and anaerobic capacity (P less than 0.001) whereas CG had only slight increases (NS) in physical performance capacity during a 1-year period. During the last 6-month training period significant positive correlations (r = 0.49-0.58; P less than 0.05-P less than 0.01) were observed in AG between the relative changes in testosterone, testosterone:cortisol ratio and growth hormone and the relative performance change in speed, maximal isometric force and endurance, respectively. At the end of the period significant positive correlations were observed in all subjects between the level of testosterone and speed-strength (r = 0.52-0.64; P less than 0.01-P less than 0.001) and anaerobic capacity (r = 0.49; P less than 0.05). It was concluded that an increase in anabolic activity with the synchronous training already has positive effects on trainability and physical performance capacity at an early stage in puberty.     

Composition of fatty acids and sphingosine bases of placental gangliosides

The fatty acids and sphingosine bases from major placenta gangliosides (NeuAcLacCer, IV3NeuAc-nLc4Cer, VI3NeuAc-nLc6Cer, (NeuAc)2LacCer, II3IV3(NeuAc)2Gg4Cer and VI3NeuAc, IV6(II3NeuAc-nLcNAc)-nLc6Cer) were studied. The C18-sphingenine was shown to be present in all ganglioside fractions; fraction GD1a contained, in addition, C20-sphingenine. Saturated fatty acids were identified as major fatty acid fragments. The content of long-chain acids (22-25 C-atoms) in the monosialogangliosides was much higher than that in disialogangliosides.     

Neurophysins as markers of vasopressin and oxytocin release. A study in carcinoma of the lung

Vasopressin-neurophysin (hNpI), oxytocin-neurophysin (hNpII) and blood osmolality were assayed before any treatment in basal conditions in 35 patients suffering from lung carcinoma (20 oat cell, 6 undifferentiated and 9 well-differentiated epidermoid cell carcinomas). Plasma vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone, ADH) was also assayed in 7 of the 20 patients suffering from oat cell carcinoma. We found a close correlation (r = 0.98) between plasma ADH and hNpI levels in the 7 patients. Further, hNpI was elevated in 13 out of the 20 oat cell carcinoma patients and in none of the epidermoid-cell carcinoma group; however, searching for an abnormality of ADH secretion as reflected by a detectable plasma hNpI level together with subnormal plasma osmolality revealed 2 additional positive results in the oat cell carcinoma group, and 2 out of the 6 in the undifferentiated-cell carcinoma group. hNpII was increased together with an increase in hNpI in 6 oat cell carcinoma patients; it was specifically increased without hNpI increment in 2 additional oat cell carcinoma patients and in 2 patients of the undifferentiated-cell carcinoma group (different from the 2 positive for the hNpI-osmolality ratio). hNpI and hNpII were normal in the majority of undifferentiated and all of the differentiated epidermoid-cell carcinoma group. Hence, our results show that simultaneous measurements of hNpI, hNpII, and blood osmolality could detect abnormalities in 17 out of 20 oat cell carcinoma patients, in 4 of the 9 undifferentiated-cell carcinoma patients, but in none of the differentiated epidermoid-cell carcinoma patients, suggesting that the neurophysin assay can be used for the early detection of oat cell- and possibly other neuroendocrine-derived carcinomas.