Carcinoma of the nasopharynx; treatment with radioactive cobalt

A specific and characteristic type of anemia is not a feature of all malignant disease. To the contrary, the nature of the anemia will depend upon the causative mechanism, of which blood loss and accelerated erythrocyte removal appear to be the most frequently seen and the most clearly defined. Recognition of anemia due to loss of blood is relatively simple if the subtlety of blood loss in the stool is borne in mind and persistent testing to demonstrate it is carried out. Indeed, anemia characterized by chronic loss of blood in men can only mean chronic gastrointestinal bleeding if certain rare hemoglobin abnormalities can be ruled out. Anemia due to accelerated erythrocyte removal may also be recognized by simple measures. After transfusions raise hemoglobin values to near normal levels, the disappearance of the transfused blood and the rapid return of the pretransfusion severity of anemia are good evidence of the presence of such a mechanism, if blood loss can be ruled out.Adequate management of the anemia of malignant disease depends upon a clear understanding of the various mechanisms involved. It is highly probable that attention to this feature will, in many instances, significantly prolong the productive life of persons with malignant disease.     

Blood money

Foetal blood contains cells that can regenerate all the cellular elements of blood and the immune system (stem cells). This blood can be obtained from the placenta without any harm to mother or baby and is currently used as a successful alternative to bone marrow for paediatric transplantation. Recently, it has been suggested that this blood can be put in storage and used (if needed) for the child that the blood originally came from. This has prompted a commercial interest, leading to both financial and ethical concerns.     

Stabilized dried blood spot collection

During the collection phase of the dried blood spot method, practitioners need to ensure that there is no smearing of the blood sample on the filter paper or else readings from it will be invalid. This can be difficult to accomplish in the field if there is relative motion between the site of blood discharge on the finger and the filter paper. In this article, a gyroscope stabilization method is introduced and demonstrated to provide consistent and improved dried blood spot collection within a circular guide region notwithstanding the presence of rocking.     

Fetal exsanguination associated with antepartum hemorrhage.

Fetal bleeding in utero is infrequent. It is usually life-threatening but can be treated successfully in most cases if recognized early. Four cases are described and it is suggested that screening for fetal blood be done in all instances of antepartum hemorrhage.     

Pharmacokinetics of phosphocreatine in the blood serum of man, dogs and rabbits

It is shown that a single intravenous injection of phosphocreatine to man or to experimental animals is followed by its rapid clearance from blood serum. This clearance is biphasic in nature with a half-life of 3-5 min at the first rapid stage and of 20-33 min at the next slower stage. To maintain the constant phosphocreatine concentration in blood, it is necessary to infuse it at a rate comparable to that of clearance. In particular, in blood serum of man, the phosphocreatine concentration can be kept at the level of 0.2 mM if it is injected at a rate of 60 mg/h per kg bw.     

Azotaemia Aggravated by Tetracycline

Oxytetracycline given to two patients with impaired renal function produced clinical deterioration and increasing azotaemia. Both patients improved when oxytetracycline was stopped. In general tetracycline should not be used in patients with poor renal function, but if it is necessary the blood urea level should be checked frequently.     

Role of the temperature factor in determining the nature of the chronotropic response of the heart of cats in the simulation of increased venous inflow

The heart rate changes in response to the imitation of venous input to the heart by infusion of an additional blood volume to the right atria have been studied on anesthetized by chloralose cats. It has been discovered that patterns of the heart rate changes are determined by the infused blood temperature if it is equal to the blood temperature in heart, tachycardia appears, if it is below this temperature, bradycardia develops. These data explain, from our point of view, the contradictory results obtaining by different authors in experiments with the imitation of the increased venous input (Bainbridge reflex).     

Temperature regulation of marine mammals

A mathematical model of heat loss from an aquatic animal to the surrounding water is presented. Heat is generated in metabolically active tissues and distributed by circulating blood and by conduction. The time dependent radial temperature profile of the animal is numerically solved from heat transfer equations by a computer. The model is applied to large whales, porpoises, and seals. For the whales, blood circulation to the dermal layer below appendage and body skin surfaces proved to be essential for sufficient heat dissipation. When decreasing the blood flow below a certain value (dependent on sea temperature and whale activity) the large whales would overheat. Blubber thickness was found to be of minor importance in whale thermoregulation, because the blubber coat can be bypassed by blood circulation. On the other hand, it is in general not possible for small porpoises and seals to stay warm in the coldest waters using normal mammalian resting metabolic rates, even if the peripheral circulation is shut off (or artery-vein heat exchangers used). Heat loss can be reduced if the outermost tissue layers are allowed to cool. This is achieved by minimizing convective radial heat flow via the circulation. (For large whales even minute radial blood flow raises the muscle temperatures to the core temperature level.) Seasonal acclimatization of harbour seals is explained by changes in their effective insulation thickness. Differences in whale activity induce changes in the temperature profile mainly within the first few centimeters from the skin surface. These superficial temperatures, if known, could be used to estimate whale metabolic rates. Since they drop close to the sea water temperature within minutes after whale death, the measurements should be done of live whales.     

Blood Collection Procedure of Laboratory Primates: A Neglected Variable in Biomedical Research

A survey of 75 biomedical articles dealing with stress-dependent blood parameters in caged primates revealed that the conditions under which blood collection occurred were in most cases described either not at all or so haphazardly that it would be impossible to determine if humane handling procedures were used and basic principles of scientific methodology applied. These findings were unexpected because there is ample scientific evidence not only that stress-sensitive research data are influenced by traditional blood sampling procedures, but also that those data-biasing effects can be avoided. If dependent variables of the blood collection procedure are not controlled, data variability will increase, automatically increasing the number of animals needed for statistical analysis. For ethical and scientific reasons, it was recommended that editors of biomedical journals require authors to provide sufficient information of the blood collection--and, when applicable, the sedative injection--procedure to ensure that the experiment was done with the smallest number of animals possible to achieve statistical significance and that the investigation can be replicated reliably in another laboratory and the research data interpreted with reasonable accuracy.     

The effect of hyperosmotic mannitol and glucose on heart function.

In the dog heart-lung preparation the effects of glucose and mannitol induced hyperosmolality were examined on left ventricular water content, ventricular compliance, cardiac performance, and coronary blood flow. Glucose-induced increase of serum osmolality by more than 20% resulted in a decrease of myocardial water content and an increase of left ventricular diastolic stiffness if insulin was absent, but the changes did not develop if it was present. Insulin failed to prevent the alterations if hyperosmolality was induced with the nonmetabolizable sugar, mannitol. Coronary blood flow increased in each type of experiments. It is concluded that diagnostic and clinical treatment with hyperosmotic solutions of nonmetabolizable agents can account for disturbed left ventricular compliance and decreased cardiac performance, as it may occur in hyperosmolar diabetic coma.     

High-speed bubble-segmented blood sampler for the rat

An arterial blood sampler for use in the conscious rat is described. With this apparatus it is possible to obtain small (10 microliter) whole-blood or plasma samples as frequently as 1/s and to derive accurate arterial time-concentration curves in the first 60-120 s after compounds are injected for regional blood flow or pharmacokinetic measurements. The blood is withdrawn from an implanted arterial catheter into polyethylene tubing at a constant rate while bubbles are introduced at regular intervals via a side channel into the column of blood. Although some dispersion of blood samples occurs as the tubing is traversed, this can be mathematically corrected. However, correction is unnecessary if the information of interest is the area under the time-concentration curve.     

Transfer of Borrelia burgdorferi s.s. infection via blood transfusion in a murine model

Without antibiotic treatment, the Lyme-disease-causing bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi can be cultured from the peripheral blood of human patients nearly 6 wk post-tick bite. To determine if Lyme disease spirochetes can be transmitted from a spirochetemic donor mouse to a naive recipient during blood transfusion, blood taken from immunocompetent infected mice was transfused into either immunodeficient (SCID) mice, inbred immunocompetent animals (C3H/HeJ), or outbred mice. Nine of 19 (47.7%) immunodeficient mice, 7 of 15 (46.8%) inbred immunocompetent mice, and 6 of 10 (60.0%) outbred mice became infected with B. burgdorferi after transfusion. Our results indicate that it is possible to acquire B. burgdoferi infection via transfused blood in a mouse model of Lyme borreliosis.     

Clinical biological possibilities of the early detection of the side effects of antibiotics]

The study of the dynamics of biogenic amines in the blood of patients provided to a certain extent determination of the possible thread of the drug complications. In this respect the serotonin level was of special significance. As for the reaction of leucocyte agglomeration it may be used before the treatment if there is a doubt in the tolerance of the antibacterial drug prescribed. Increased serotonin blood levels in this case also serve a confirmation of the thread of the possible allergic or toxic reaction in the patient.     

Effects of host blood on mosquito reproduction

Female mosquitoes require blood from their host for egg development. However, the relationship between the composition of host blood and mosquito reproduction, and whether and how this is linked to host selection, remain unclear. A better understanding of these issues is beneficial for mass‐rearing of mosquitoes for vector control. This review provides an overview of the currently known effects of blood constituents on mosquito reproduction. Furthermore, it highlights knowledge gaps and proposes new avenues for investigation. We recommend that research efforts be focused on physiological differences between generalist and specialist mosquito species as models to investigate if and how host preference correlates with reproductive output.     

Functional aspects of eicosanoid metabolism.

The sequential metabolism of eicosanoids by AA oxygenases confers biological properties that may have significant functional implications. Further, the interpretation of the effects of cyclooxygenase inhibitors on eicosanoid, dependent mechanisms needs to be reevaluated. Previously, if cyclooxygenase inhibitors affected the biological action of AA, it was considered to be due to elimination of a prostanoid-mediated component. This interpretation is no longer valid if a cell or tissue has significant P450 and cyclooxygenase activity. The cellular proximity of the P450-dependent monooxygenases and cyclooxygenase, described in tubules, interstitial cells, and blood vessels, may confer a unique ability of AA metabolites to coordinate tubular and vascular function.     

Inhibition of antigen and mitogen-induced lymphocyte transformation by fetal calf serum.

Use of fetal calf serum as a serum supplement in whole blood microcultures of human lymphocytes resulted in a significant suppression of in vitro stimulation with herpes simplex virus (type 1) antigen, purified protein derivative, and phytohemagglutinin. If the response to viral antigen is weak in autologous serum it may be completely missed if cultures are carried out in fetal calf serum.     

Sympathetic activation and nitric oxide function in early hypertension

The purpose of this study was to determine if tonic restrain of blood pressure by nitric oxide (NO) is impaired early in the development of hypertension. Impaired NO function is thought to contribute to hypertension, but it is not clear if this is explained by direct effects of NO on vascular tone or indirect modulation of sympathetic activity. We determined the blood pressure effect of NO synthase inhibition with N(ω)-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA) during autonomic blockade with trimethaphan to eliminate baroreflex buffering and NO modulation of autonomic tone. In this setting, impaired NO modulation of vascular tone would be reflected as a blunted pressor response to L-NMMA. We enrolled a total of 66 subjects (39 ± 1.3 yr old, 30 females), 20 normotensives, 20 prehypertensives (blood pressure between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg), 17 hypertensives, and 9 smokers (included as "positive" controls of impaired NO function). Trimethaphan normalized blood pressure in hypertensives, suggesting increased sympathetic tone contributing to hypertension. In contrast, L-NMMA produced similar increases in systolic blood pressure in normal, prehypertensive, and hypertensive subjects (31 ± 2, 32 ± 2, and 30 ± 3 mmHg, respectively), whereas the response of smokers was blunted (16 ± 5 mmHg, P = 0.012). Our results suggest that sympathetic activity plays a role in hypertension. NO tonically restrains blood pressure by ～30 mmHg, but we found no evidence of impaired modulation by NO of vascular tone contributing to the early development of hypertension. If NO deficiency contributes to hypertension, it is likely to be through its modulation of the autonomic nervous system, which was excluded in this study.     

Preparation of peptide-loaded dendritic cells for cancer immunotherapy

Dendritic cell-based vaccines are being evaluated in clinical trials to determine their ability to activate clinically relevant tumor antigen-specific immune responses. Although some groups isolate dendritic cells from peripheral blood, most have found it more efficient to generate large numbers from peripheral blood progenitors, particularly plastic adherent or CD14+ monocytes, in media supplemented with GM-CSF and IL-4. These DC may then be matured, if desired, and loaded with antigen, such as tumor-associated peptides, prior to administration. We describe the scheme that we are currently using to generate peptide-loaded dendritic cells for our clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy.     

Relationships between physical training and DOCA hypertension in rats.

Swimming, if undertaken for 1 hr/day, 3 days/week for 6 weeks prior to treatment with DOCA, unilateral nephrectomy, and salt-loading, delayed the development of hypertension in rats. If the swimming were undertaken concurrently with or after initiation of treatment with the above hypertensive regime, then it was without effect on the level of blood pressure attained or the length of time required to attain a given blood pressure. Swimming in itself resulted in a significant increase in arterial blood pressure. Previous training, such as swimming, may delay the development of hypertension through an alteration in vascular structure or smooth muscle sensitivity. The increase in blood pressure noted in physically trained rats may be a consequence of the training regime itself acting as a stressor.     

Subperitoneal hemorrhage

Clinical diagnosis of subperitoneal hemorrhage can be made in a substantial percentage of cases by recognition of a quite constant syndrome-provided the possibility of bleeding is considered. Progressive anemia, as indicated by repeated counts of erythrocytes in the blood or by hematocrit determinations, is confirmation of the diagnosis. The majority of patients recover spontaneously under conservative management.Surgical intervention is indicated if repeated episodes of hemorrhage occur or if the volume of circulating blood cannot be maintained by repeated transfusions of whole blood.