B H Wainer | PubMed Health

PubMed1979

Calcific stenosis of the porcine heterograft.

We have encountered two cases of late calcification of the porcine heterograft. A patient in chronic renal failure died of sepsis and endocarditis fifteen months after replacement of the mitral and tricuspid valves. At postmortem examination, both heterograft valves exhibited severe calcification and thrombosis. A second patient with rheumatic heart disease and sickle cell disease underwent mitral valve replacement for severe regurgitation. Thirty months later, cardiac catheterization revealed prosthetic valve stenosis. The valve was replaced successfully, and the excised heterograft exhibited severe calcification with restriction of leaflet motion. Although calcification of the porcine heterograft is known to occur in patients with infection or disorders of calcium metabolism, dysfunction of the heterograft is rare in our experience.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

The specificity of antimorphine and antimeperidine antibodies and their reactivity with opioid peptides.

The specificity of antimorphine and antimeperidine antisera was measured by competitive displacement of immunizing radiolabeled haptens. Antimorphine antisera demonstrated a high degree of specificity for a conformation of the phenylpiperidine moiety contained within the structures of morphine and its congeners of the morphinan and benzomorphan series. Antimeperidine antisera demonstrated a high degree of specificity for a different conformation of the phenylpiperidine moiety represented within the structures of meperidine and its semisynthetic derivatives. The reactivity of methionine- and leucine-enkephalin, several synthetic enkephalin analogs, and alpha- and beta-endorphin with the antibodies was tested using purified immunoglobulin G in order to avoid serum-induced proteolysis. No significant cross-reactivity of antimorphine antibodies with any of the opioid peptides was detected. All of the opioid peptides tested exhibited weak but immunologically specific cross-reactivity with antimeperidine antibodies. These findings suggest that conformations analogous to the phenylpiperidine moiety in morphine as have been proposed for [Tyr1] in opioid peptides do not appear to be present as measured by immunochemical methods. A conformation with weak stereochemical similarity to the phenylpeperidine moiety in meperidine does appear to be present. The possible homologies between [Phe4] of opioid peptides, meperidine and hydrophobic side chains of certain oripavine derivatives are discussed.

Antibody Specificity↗

PubMed1978

Effects of passive immunization against morphine on heroin self-administration.

Antimorphine antibodies produced in Rhesus monkeys immunized with morphine-6-hemisuccinate-BSA were passively administered to recipient monkeys trained to self-administer heroin and cocaine. Following antibody administration, changes in heroin self-administration behavior were observed which were similar to those achieved with low doses of naloxone. Both manipulations increased heroin self-administration without affecting cocaine responding.

Animals↗