Total Hip Replacement in Osteoarthrosis using the Charnley Prosthesis

Charnley low-friction arthroplasty was performed on 352 osteoarthritic hips, usually because of severe pain. Three hundred and twenty hips were reviewed at a special follow-up clinic or by postal questionnaire. After operation 89% of hips were pain-free or caused only occasional discomfort, and in 76% there was an increased range of movement. Of those patients actually seen for review 79% were judged to have a good or excellent result. The most frequent single complication was deep infection, which occurred in 5·3% of hips.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of single crystal deoxycobaltohemoglobin

Single crystals of horse ^CoHb were obtained by reduction of ^CoHb⁺ crystals with dithionite. Epr measurements showed that the g? and ^Coà tensors are both axial and share the same principal axis systems. Of the four subunits, the “heme” normals of C? and d? subunits ãb?plane 29 ± 1° from b?; they have the same orientation as the hemes in methemoglobin. The normals of “hemes” à and B? are 47 above the ãb? plane as compared to 16° in methemoglobin.     

Glucose Tolerance and Serum Insulin in Identical Twins of Diabetics

Glucose tolerance with serum insulin assay has been carried out in 24 apparently unaffected identical twins of diabetics. Glucose values were significantly higher and insulin values significantly lower than in control subjects, but there was considerable individual variation and in half the cases glucose tolerance was normal. There was no case of increased insulin response. In these twins glucose tolerance and insulin response were not correlated with weight, family history of diabetes, age at diagnosis of diabetes in the affected twin, time since that diagnosis, nor with age at testing the unaffected twin. On retesting 12 of the twins after two years no significant differences were found from the first testing.We conclude that not all these twins are likely to develop diabetes, that the assumption that identical twins of diabetics are necessarily “prediabetic” is probably erroneous, and that factors other than genetic ones are important in the aetiology of diabetes.     

Mallory Weiss Syndrome

Head injury in infants and young children may produce lesions that are relatively unique for this age group. The uniqueness is generally due to the structural immaturity of the skull, meninges and brain.“Derby-hat” and diastatic fractures are common in this age group. Spurious meningoceles result from tearing of the dura which is closely adherent to the skull. The syndrome of “delayed” concussion is more commonly manifested in children. Extradural and subdural hemorrhage may develop from lacerations of the major venous sinuses. A classical extradural hematoma may occur in the absence of fracture across meningeal arterial channels.The management of patients with head injury has been improved by the more frequent use of tracheotomy, hypothermic techniques and drugs of the “lytic cocktail.” Solutions of urea in 10 per cent invert sugar are administered intravenously to control cerebral edema in selected patients.     

Characteristics of a membrane-associated lipoxygenase in tomato fruit

Microsomal membranes isolated from the pericarp of maturegreen tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit rapidly metabolize exogenous radiolabeled linoleic acid into fatty acid oxidation products at 22°C. The reaction is strongly inhibited by n-propyl gallate, an inhibitor of lipoxygenase. The membranes also rapidly metabolize 16:0/18:2^* phosphatidylcholine into radiolabeled oxidation products that comigrate on TLC plates with those formed from free linoleic acid. At 30°C, the formation of fatty acid oxidation products from 16:0/18:2^* phosphatidylcholine is slower, and there is an initial accumulation of radiolabeled linoleic acid that is not evident at 22°C, which can be attributed to the action of lipolytic acyl hydrolase. Radiolabeled phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol are also formed during metabolism of 16:0/18:2^* phosphatidylcholine by the microsomal membranes, and there is no breakdown of either linoleic acid or phosphatidylcholine by heat-denatured membranes. When Triton X-100 treated membranes were used, the same patterns of metabolite formation from radiolabeled linoleic acid and 16:0/18:2^* phosphatidylcholine were observed. Thus, the enzymes mediating the breakdown of these radiolabeled compounds appear to be tightly associated with the membranes. Collectively, the data indicate that there is a lipoxygenase associated with microsomal membranes from tomato fruit that utilizes free fatty acid substrate released from phospholipids. The microsomal lipoxygenase is strongly active over a pH range of 4.5 to 8.0, comprises approximately 38% of the total (microsomal plus soluble) lipoxygenase activity in the tissue, has an apparent K_m of 0.52 millimolar and an apparent V_max of 0.186 millimoles per minute per milligram of protein. The membranous enzyme also cross-reacts with polyclonal antibodies raised against soybean lipoxygenase-1 and has an apparent molecular mass of 100 kilodaltons.     

Cross-reactive and specific monoclonal antibodies against cellobiohydrolases I and II and endoglucanases I and II of Trichoderma reesei

Splenocytes derived from mice inoculated with a commercial cellulase preparation or purified cellulases were fused with a stable myeloma cell line (SP2/0). Specific monoclonal antibodies to cellobiohydrolases I and II and endoglucanases I and II were established. In addition to specific monoclonal antibodies, we were also able to establish stable hybridoma cell lines which produced monoclonal antibodies that recognized similar epitopes possessed by two or more of the above cellulases. By obtaining monospecific antibodies for all four individual cellulases, the role and function of the individual cellulases can thus be studied in greater detail.     

Increased sensitivity of the rapid hydrophobic grid membrane filter enzyme-labeled antibody procedure for Escherichia coli O157 detection in foods and bovine feces

Several strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 artificially inoculated into vegetables and dairy products were recovered on hydrophobic grid membrane filters and enumerated by an enzyme-labeled antibody assay. The mean of the recoveries from 12 fresh vegetables was 108.8%, whereas that from 10 dairy products was 93.2%. Modified tryptic soy broth at 43 degrees C with shaking at 100 rpm provided optimum recovery of the organism from meat, with a sensitivity of less than or equal to 1 CFU/g, which is 10 times more sensitive than direct plating. The method performed equally well with vegetable and dairy products. Tryptic soy broth, however, under the same conditions gave the best results for fecal samples. Of 22 asymptomatic dairy cattle, reported as having positive Brucella titers when assayed with polyclonal antibodies, eight were found to contain E. coli O157 in their feces as demonstrated by the enzyme-labeled antibody assay by using monoclonal antibodies. This finding may explain some of the false-positive Brucella tests.