Hepatitis safety of a new prothrombin complex preparation, sterilized according to the method of LoGrippo. Results of a prospective clinical trial

In a controlled, prospective clinical trial with almost 300 patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery, the hepatitis risk was examined of a new prothrombin complex (PPSB) preparation produced from pooled plasma, which was cold sterilized according to the method of LoGrippo with beta-propiolactone and UV-light. Of 268 evaluable patients, 102 belonged to a group receiving PPSB and 166 belonged to a control group without PPSB. 25 batches of PPSB in dosages of up to 4,500 units per patient, in total, were used. The mean requirement for transfusion of blood or plasma was 10 units per patient in the group receiving PPSB and slightly more than 2 units per patient in the control group. In both of the groups, 3 hepatitis infections occurred (5 cases of non-A, non-B, 1 case of type B), corresponding to hepatitis incidences of 2.9 and 1.8%, respectively. The difference in hepatitis incidence between both groups was statistically not significant. This demonstrates, on the one hand, the hepatitis safety of the sterilized PPSB and, on the other, that multiple transfusion is no longer associated with a high risk of hepatitis when the guidelines of modern donor screening are followed.     

Genetische Nierensteinerkrankungen

medizinische genetik - Die Inzidenz und Prävalenz von Steinerkrankungen haben in den letzten Jahren deutlich zugenommen. Es ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, möglichst frühzeitig...     

The effect of changes in cardiac frequency on left and right ventricular dP/dt max at different contractile states of the myocardium

In 17 canine heart-lung preparations the dependence of frequency potentiation of the right and left ventricular myocardium on the basic inotropic state of the heart was investigated. The effect of unipolar stimulation of the right atrium on dP/dt max in both ventricles was measured. The aortic pressure was maintained constant. Shortly after isolation of the heart, a stepwise increase of rate from 140 to 200 beats/min only had a very weak influence on left ventricular dP/dt max. With deterioration of the myocardium the frequency potentiation of dP/dt max increased considerably. End-diastolic pressure regularly decreased with rising cardiac frequency. Since the real positive inotropic effect is masked by the concomitant fall in diastolic loading, the end-diastolic pressure was maintained constant in a second group of 8 hearts during rate variation. The most pronounced inotropic effect was now found shortly after isolation of the heart. A rate increase of 30 beats/min resulted in a 20% rise of dP/dt max. The frequency potentiation decreased with deterioration of the heart resulting in a 12% dP/dt max increase at an estimated inotropic state of 50% of control. When the contractile state of the heart was improved above the control state by calcium application the frequency potentiation of the myocardium decreased. In the right ventricle similar results were obtained except for the fact that no significant correlation between the steepness of the frequency characteristics and the contractile state of the heart could be found when the end-diastolic pressure was kept constant.     

Genetic and endocrine studies of the pregnancy-blocking pheromone of mice.

Secretion of the pregnancy-blocking pheromone was stimulated by injection of depo-testosterone cypionate into females and males of inbred strains of mice which do not normally secrete the pheromone. Testosterone treatment of SJL males altered pheromone secretion so that pregnancies were blocked when the stud male was of the same inbred strain; an event that does not normally occur. Injection of epiandrosterone, androstenedione, androsterone or testosterone significantly increased pheromone secretion in SJL females, but progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone were ineffective. Kidney weights were significantly increased by administration of androgen metabolites and the possibility of the kidney being the site of pheromone synthesis is discussed. The preputial gland can be excluded as the site of pheromone synthesis since males which are hemizygous for the Tabby-J gene and have no preputial glands blocked pregnancies as effectively as their normal littermates. Preliminary results are also presented concerning the isolation of the pregnancy-blocking pheromone from urine. Urine was analysed by gas chromatography and a peak was observed whose concentration could be correlated with secretion of the pheromone, although the compound(s) has not been identified or tested for biological activity.     

Agrivoltaics—The Perfect Fit for the Future of Organic Photovoltaics

This Essay presents a possible pathway for the advancement of organic photovoltaics toward broader commercial success and enlarged market size. This vision aims at broad scale applications in photovoltaic greenhouses and polytunnels, which harvest those portions of the solar spectrum that are not used or required by plants. Based on the assumptions of the Shockley–Queisser–Limit, respectively detailed balance, and the additional postulation of using no absorption in the visible part of the AM 1.5G solar spectrum a power conversion efficiency of ≈17% is theoretically predicted. The suggestion is supported by the existence of a number of organic compounds, which already exhibit a good spectral compatibility with the typical photosynthetic action spectrum of chloroplasts. It is hoped that more suitable materials development shall be triggered and fertilized as a result of this Essay.     

Size and mortality rates of Glossina pallidipes in the semi-arid zone of southwestern Kenya

Seasonal changes in the mean size of tsetse, Glossina pallidipes Austen, as indicated by wing vein length, were monitored during 1983-86 at Nguruman, southwestern Kenya. Changes in size of nulliparous females and wing fray category 1 males were shown to be correlated with the relative humidity 2 months before they were captured. Soil temperature when flies were in the pupal stage had much less effect. Size dependent mortality was demonstrated, with the mean size of flies emerging from pupae significantly less than that of field-caught flies. This mortality must occur at emergence, since there was no evidence of size-dependent mortality once the flies became available to the trap. Size was correlated with density-independent mortality acting on the parent population 2 months previously. It might therefore be possible to use size as an index of the intensity of such mortality. This could be useful when assessing the level of additional mortality required to suppress tsetse populations.     

Nuclear DNA sequences from late Pleistocene megafauna

We report the retrieval and characterization of multi- and single-copy nuclear DNA sequences from Alaskan and Siberian mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius). In addition, a nuclear copy of a mitochondrial gene was recovered. Furthermore, a 13,000-year-old ground sloth and a 33,000- year-old cave bear yielded multicopy nuclear DNA sequences. Thus, multicopy and single-copy genes can be analyzed from Pleistocene faunal remains. The results also show that under some circumstances, nucleotide sequence differences between alleles found within one individual can be distinguished from DNA sequence variation caused by postmortem DNA damage. The nuclear sequences retrieved from the mammoths suggest that mammoths were more similar to Asian elephants than to African elephants.      

Environmentally induced limb malformations in mink frogs (Rana septentrionalis).

In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of frog deformities throughout many of the northern states of North America. The most readily noticed malformations involve the hindlimbs of peri-metamorphic animals. We have analyzed skeletal preparations of metamorphosing mink frogs (Rana septentrionalis) collected from a site in Minnesota, in order to develop a better understanding of the possible causes. In this paper we describe the categories of abnormalities found at this site. The spectrum of deformities includes missing limbs, truncated limbs, extra limbs (including extra pelvic girdles), and skin webbings. We also describe a newly recognized malformation of the proximal-distal limb axis, a bony triangle. In this abnormality, the proximal and distal ends of the bone are adjacent to one another forming the base of a triangle. The shaft of the bone is bent double and protrudes laterally, the midpoint of the bone forming the apex of the triangle. In this paper we consider several recently proposed explanations for the recent outbreak of amphibian deformities. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the spectrum of abnormalities seen in these frogs is remarkably similar to the range of abnormalities that has been reported as a result of exposure of developing vertebrates to exogenous retinoids. Given the potential implications of this possibility for the welfare of humans as well as wildlife, further studies are needed to determine whether environmental retinoids are responsible for the frog deformities at the site we have examined.