Intensive treatment of respiratory failure--personal experiences

Controlled oxygen-therapy was used in 30 out of 49 patients (61%) with the acute respiratory failure or exacerbations of the chronic respiratory failure treated at ICU (Group Y), while artificial ventilation in the remaining 19 patients (39%; Group B). An improvement was achieved in 70% of patients of Group A and 42% in Group B. Overall improvement was achieved in 59% of the treated patients. There were 69% of treated patients with infections. Totally 41% of the treated patients died (30% of Group A and 58% of Group B). An analysis of the results has been carried out in various subgroups of the treated patients, i.e. the acute and exacerbated respiratory failure as well as partial and complete respiratory insufficiency. The result of high risk patients have also been analysed. This subgroup included sudden cardiac arrest, shock and non-compensated acidosis. Favourable effects of the intensive care of patients with infections have been discussed with particular reference to the life hazard in case of septic complications. Emphasis is on the unfavorable effects of therapy in patients with respiratory failure complicated with pulmonary embolism. Indications to the use of respirator and complications of the artificial ventilation have been discussed.     

Toxicity effects of latex gloves on boar spermatozoa

It is known that several materials used in semen collection have been found to be detrimental to spermatozoal motility. In this study, examinations for toxic effects of latex and vinyl gloves, used with and without talcum powder on boar spermatozoa, were performed. Ten boars of known fertility with >/=80% sperm motility were divided into two groups (n = 5 boars each) for in vitro and in vivo studies. In the in vitro study, semen was collected from each of the five boars and was divided into five separate aliquots (5 ml each). One aliquot from each of the boars remained as the control, while the remaining aliquots were divided into individual treatments exposing the semen to a l cm(2) piece of latex or vinyl glove with or without talcum powder. In the in vivo experiment, semen from each of the five boars was collected using a gloved hand. During collection, the first half of the sperm-rich fraction was collected into a filtered sterile container, while the second half of the fraction was allowed to run through the palm of either a latex or vinyl powdered glove prior to collection in the container. In both experiments, semen sample motility was assessed by two independent observers at 1 minute after exposure. Results of both experiments consistently showed a significant (P<0.05) effect of latex gloves (with or without talcum powder) on boar semen when compared with the control semen. Motility was at or near 0% at 1 min after exposure to latex. No significant difference (P>0.05) in motility was observed between the control semen and the semen exposed to talcum powdered vinyl gloves. These results show that latex gloves are detrimental to boar spermatozoa. Therefore, it is suggested that when collecting boar semen vinyl gloves should be used.     

Farrowing induction with cloprostenol-xylazine combination

Eighty crossbred, multiparous sows, weighing between 190 and 320 kg, were randomly assigned to the following four treatment groups of 20 sows each: 1) saline-saline, 2) cloprostenol-saline, 3) saline-xylazine and 4) cloprostenol-xylazine. The mean gestation length of each multiparous sow was calculated. Cloprostenol (250 ug/sow, i.m.) or saline was given 3 d prior to the calculated due date at 11:30 a.m. Xylazine (2 mg/kg, i.m.) or saline was given 20 h after either the cloprostenol or previous saline treatment. Cloprostenol-xylazine treated sows had the shortest mean farrowing interval (1.5 +/- 0.3 h) when compared with the rest of the treatment groups (saline-saline:66.0 +/- 8.1, cloprostenol-saline:10.5 +/- 1.9, saline-xylazine:60.6 +/- 5.6 h). Farrowing time, percentage of stillbirths, average birth weight, d-5 and d-21 postbirth weights, number of pigs born, number of pigs born alive, and number of pigs surviving at 5 and 21 d afterbirth were not significantly different among the four groups. This study demonstrated that cloprostenol-xylazine treatment decreases the time to onset of farrowing with less variation than cloprostenol or xylazine alone. Therefore, the use of a cloprostenol-xylazine combination is suggested as an alternative method for inducing farrowing.     

Effect of lard and corn oil intake on serum lipids in young men

An experimental diet with lard (30 g/day for 7 days) and corn oil (30 g/day for 7 days) on high carbohydrate (basal diet) was given to four healthy Japanese young men and the effect of diets containing different fat on serum lipids was examined. Serum total cholesterol was increased significantly from a basal diet of 106 +/- 23 to 141 +/- 26 mg/dl on lard diet, and then decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 111 +/- 22 mg/dl on corn oil diet. Serum triglycerides increased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 66 +/- 38 to 173 +/- 32 mg/dl on basal diet. Serum HDL-cholesterol was decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 41.9 +/- 1.6 to 31.2 +/- 3.8 mg/dl on lard diet and increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 41.9 +/- 4.6 mg/dl on corn oil diet. Serum HDL-cholesterol fraction was decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) from 41.6 +/- 4.9 to 28.1 +/- 3.2% on basal diets, but increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 44.3 +/- 3.1% on lard diet, and then decreased to 36.3 +/- 2.5% on corn oil diet. Serum HDL phospholipid fraction decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) from 62.5 +/- 6.7 to 50.7 +/- 1.8% on basal diet and increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to 60.4 +/- 1.0% on lard and corn oil diet. Serum phospholipids did not change by experimental diets. It is concluded that lard and corn oil have different and specific roles in lipid metabolism.     

Characterization and quantitation of fatty acids covalently bound to erythrocyte membrane proteins: anion transporter contains 1 mol of fatty acid thiol ester

Human erythrocyte membranes which had been thoroughly extracted with organic solvents contained 20 nmol of fatty acids/mg dry wt. The major fatty acids were palmitic and stearic with their monoethenoic derivatives as minor constituents. No other fatty acids were detected. When solvent-extracted membranes were digested with Pronase about 90% of the original content of fatty acids was retained in the insoluble residue. Fatty acids were linked to membrane proteins through alkali-labile bonds of which 30% were of a thiol ester and the remainder of an O-ester type. This conclusion is based on differential liberation of fatty acids by hydroxylamine at pH 7.0 and pH 11.0. Two extracts of membranes enriched in peripheral proteins (bands 1, 2, 5 and 2.1, 4.1, 4.2, 6) were prepared and extracted with organic solvents but each contained about six times less fatty acids than the parent solvent-extracted membranes. Glycophorin A contains little if any covalently bound fatty acids. Anion transporter (band 3) contains about 1 mol of thiol ester of fatty acid. This accounts for about half of the thiol ester-linked fatty acids in the parent solvent-extracted membranes. Most of the O-ester-linked fatty acids are linked to an undisclosed membrane protein.     

Serodiagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in guinea pigs by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Guineapig antibodies to Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPN) serotype 19F were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a simple procedure. In experimentally infected hosts, antibody was detectable as early as 2 to 3 weeks after infection, and high titres were maintained for a long period. Antibodies higher than 1:64 were regarded as specific. In a field study, high antibody titres were shown in SPN enzootic colonies in contrast to negative or low antibody titres in a majority of the animals from non-enzootic and SPF colonies.     

Carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis of alpha-thalassemia of Southeast Asian deletion by polymerase chain reaction

Summary Alpha-thalassemia of Southeast Asian deletion (-- SEA/) is very common in Southeast Asia. Homozygosity of this genotype is the major cause of Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis in Taiwan. With polymerase chain reaction using three oligonucleotide primers bridging the common deletion breakpoint, a DNA fragment of 194 basepairs (bp) was amplified in chromosomes with the-- SEA determinant and a DNA fragment of 287 bp was amplified in chromosomes without this deletion. In our pilot study including 8 normal subjects, 20 obligate carriers, and 11 homozygotes of the deletion, all the genotypes were determined and then confirmed by Southern blotting and DNA hybridization with globin gene probe. For prenatal diagnosis, 55 at-risk pregnancies were collected. Chorionic villus sampling was done in 51 cases and early amniocentesis was done in 4 cases. Fourteen cases (25.5%) were diagnosed as normal, 25 (45.5%) as heterozygotes, and 16 (29%) as homozygotes of -- SEA. All of the diagnoses were also confirmed as aforementioned. With polymerase chain reaction, the determination of the -- SEA deletion is straightforward and is much quicker and easier than with conventional Southern blotting and DNA hybridization. In areas with a high prevalence of -- SEA deletion, this method provides a rapid tool for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis.     

TRK1 and TRK2 encode structurally related K+ transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We describe the cloning and molecular analysis of TRK2, the gene likely to encode the low-affinity K+ transporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. TRK2 encodes a protein of 889 amino acids containing 12 putative membrane-spanning domains (M1 through M12), with a large hydrophilic region between M3 and M4. These structural features closely resemble those contained in TRK1, the high-affinity K+ transporter. TRK2 shares 55% amino acid sequence identity with TRK1. The putative membrane-spanning domains of TRK1 and TRK2 share the highest sequence conservation, while the large hydrophilic regions between M3 and M4 exhibit the greatest divergence. The different affinities of TRK1 trk2 delta cells and trk1 delta TRK2 cells for K+ underscore the functional independence of the high- and low-affinity transporters. TRK2 is nonessential in TRK1 or trk1 delta haploid cells. The viability of cells containing null mutations in both TRK1 and TRK2 reveals the existence of an additional, functionally independent potassium transporter(s). Cells deleted for both TRK1 and TRK2 are hypersensitive to low pH; they are severely limited in their ability to take up K+, particularly when faced with a large inward-facing H+ gradient, indicating that the K+ transporter(s) that remains in trk1 delta trk2 delta cells functions differently than those of the TRK class.     

Synergistic effects of the myc and ras oncogenes on ganglioside synthesis by BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts

The effects of oncogene activation on glycosphingolipid (GSL) synthesis by a mouse fibroblast clonal cell line were studied. A transfectant that expressed the activated ras gene showed a definite change in the composition of acidic GSLs, probably an increase in polysialoganglioside, while one that expressed the myc gene showed only a slight change. Neither transfectant grew in soft agar. However, another transfectant, which expressed both the myc and ras genes, and grew in soft agar, showed a more dramatic increase in the acidic GSL component. Thus, activations of the myc and ras oncogenes have a synergistic effect on GSL synthesis during transformation.     

Nuclear functions required for cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Characterization of mutants in 34 complementation groups

To identify nuclear functions required for cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis in yeast, recessive nuclear mutants that are deficient in cytochrome c oxidase were characterized. In complementation studies, 55 independently isolated mutants were placed into 34 complementation groups. Analysis of the content of cytochrome c oxidase subunits in each mutant permitted the definition of three phenotypic classes. One class contains three complementation groups whose strains carry mutations in the COX4, COX5a, or COX9 genes. These genes encode subunits IV, Va, and VIIa of cytochrome c oxidase, respectively. Mutations in each of these structural genes appear to affect the levels of the other eight subunits, albeit in different ways. A second class contains nuclear mutants that are defective in synthesis of a specific mitochondrial-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit (I, II, or III) or in both cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and apocytochrome b. These mutants fall into 17 complementation groups. The third class is represented by mutants in 14 complementation groups. These strains contain near normal amounts of all cytochrome c oxidase subunits examined and therefore are likely to be defective at some step in holoenzyme assembly. The large number of complementation groups represented by the second and third phenotypic classes suggest that both the expression of the structural genes encoding the nine polypeptide subunits of cytochrome c oxidase and the assembly of these subunits into a functional holoenzyme require the products of many nuclear genes.