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M Mueller

Publications and source records attributed to M Mueller.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Parathyroid ultrastructure after aldehyde fixation, high-pressure freezing, or microwave irradiation.

Parathyroid cell variants, commonly observed in parathyroid glands fixed by immersion in glutaraldehyde, are believed to be the result of cyclic changes in the course of parathyroid hormone secretion. Immersion of bovine parathyroid glands in a mixture consisting of 1% glutaraldehyde, 1.5% formaldehyde, and 2.5% acrolein, followed by post-fixation in 1% osmium tetroxide, resulted in high uniformity with only one cell variant, whereas the same fixation procedure led to disruption of cell membranes and formation of cell variants in rat parathyroids. Parathyroid glands of both cattle and rats prepared by high-pressure quick-freezing and subsequent freeze-substitution contained only one cell variant. Excellent preservation of the ultrastructure of bovine and rat parathyroids, also exhibiting only one cell variant, was achieved by microwave irradiation in the presence of 2.5% glutaraldehyde in Na-cacodylate followed by post-fixation with OsO4 in Na-cacodylate or s-collidine, both containing Ca2+ and Mg2+. Use of the appropriate buffer, as well as osmication, is essential for successful fixation utilizing microwave energy. The main effects are considered to be heating specimens within sufficient short periods and enhancement of subsequent osmium fixation. The results support the idea, arising after examination of perfusion-fixed parathyroid tissue, that parathyroid cell variants occur during improper aldehyde fixation rather than that they express functional diversity.

Air Pressure

Damage of erythrocytes by activated oxygen generated in hypoxic rat liver.

The implication of activated oxygen in the interaction between hypoxic rat liver and circulating erythrocytes was investigated. Reduced species of oxygen generated in hypoxic liver owing to accelerated purine nucleotide degradation via xanthine oxidase initiate alterations of plasma membrane and glutathione system of erythrocytes. Osmotic fragility, hemolysis rate and erythrocytic GSSG:GSH ratio may be considered as appropriate indicators of oxidative load in liver and other tissues. Addition of erythrocytes to the perfusion medium attenuates the GSSG efflux of hypoxic liver from 2.7 +/- 0.5 nmol x g w.w.-1 x min-1 to 1.4 +/- 0.2 nmol x g w.w.-1 x min-1 Thus, circulating erythrocytes protect the liver against oxidative attack.

Animals

Influence of repeated washings with soap and synthetic detergents on pH and resident flora of the skin of forehead and forearm. Results of a cross-over trial in health probationers.

Ten healthy individuals washed their forehead and forearm twice a day over consecutive periods of four weeks with soap and synthetic detergents or vice versa (cross-over design). In general the pH values were higher during the period when soap was applied (the mean pH differed by 0.3 units, p less than 0.01). As a rule the counts of coagulase-negative staphylococci were not much altered. The number of propionibacteria, however, was markedly higher when soap was used (p = 0.02 and 0.01 resp.). At the forehead there was a clear correlation between bacterial counts and skin pH both with propionibacteria (0.56, p less than 0.001) and staphylococci (0.51, p less than 0.001). At the forearm only the former proved true (0.24, p less than 0.05). Thus the skin pH seems to be open to long-standing changes according to the preferred washing habits which may also be of major influence on the composition of the cutaneous bacterial flora.

Adult

The role of cytochrome a in the proton pump of cytochrome-c oxidase.

Cytochrome-c oxidase of bovine heart mitochondria was depleted of copper A by dialysis against 1 M KCN in the presence of dodecylmaltoside. There was no difference of the pH-dependence of the midpoint potential between the intact and the copper-depleted enzyme. Oxidation of reduced cytochrome a2+a3(3+).CN complex released about 1 proton/electron in the medium at pH 7.6. This release was inhibited by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. Again there was no difference between the intact and Cu-depleted enzyme. This limits the role of copper A in the mechanism of the proton pump. On the other hand, these experiments showed that cytochrome a could be a component of the proton pump.

Animals

In-home versus clinic-based services for the developmentally disabled child: who is the primary client--parent or child?

This paper analyzes two different approaches to service delivery, in-home and clinic-based, in order to assist planners and clinicians in utilizing the merits of both systems most effectively. The two systems are compared and contrasted along the following variables: team process, identified client, pace of treatment, and degree of coverage. Using these variables as a guideline, this paper proposes that the degree to which the family's priorities are similar or dissimilar to the priorities of the organization determines the degree of effectiveness of home-based or clinic-based services. This proposal is discussed and case histories illustrating this premise are presented.

Ambulatory Care Facilities

Fibrinogen-fibrin transformations characterized during the course of reaction by their intermediate structures. A light scattering study in dilute solution under physiological conditions.

Intermediate structures of human fibrin formed under physiological conditions were investigated by means of light scattering in the course of the polymer/network formation. Very low fibrinogen concentrations (c = 0.03--0.13 mg/ml) were used to lower the polymerization rate, and thrombin at five concentrations (0.0085--0.04 N.I.H./ml) was used for initiation. The light scattering data were evaluated from (i) a Zimm plot, (ii) a Holtzer plot, i.e., hRtheta/Kc vs. h2, and (iii) a Kratky plot, i.e., h2Rtheta/KC vs. h2. In the beginning of the polymerization process rod-like structures are formed. The dimensions of the rod-like monomeric unit in the fibrin polymer are 112 X 3.9 nm and agree with the dimensions of fibrinogen, which also was found to be a thin rod of 105 +/- 10 nm length and 3.9 nm diameter. The mass per unit length, obtained from the asymptote in the Holtzer plot, initially increases only slightly but for high thrombin concentrations increases steeply when a critical length of 1000 nm is exceeded. At this point also the total scattering behaviour changes considerably. The upturn in the Zimm plot and the occurrence of a maximum in the Kratky plot are clear indications for the onset of branching. At low thrombin concentrations the kink in the curve of Mw/Lw against Mw becomes smoothed out because of nonspecific side-by-side aggregation of fibrin strands. The results are discussed and compared with earlier findings by others, and lead to the following conclusions. (i) Fibrinogen is a polymer with some flexibility and can exist in conformations of a stretched rod 105 nm in length, a folded rod of 45 nm in length, and a banana-like conformation of 94 nm circumference. (ii) Under the conditions of the present work, fibrinogen has the thin stretched rod conformation, and has the same dimensions as the repeating unit in the fibrin polymer. (iii) After approx. 10--12 units, end-to-end aggregated monomer branching occurs. (iv) The end-to-end aggregation is promoted by the cleavage of A peptides, branching is caused by the cleavage of B peptides while side-by-side aggregation of strands is caused by nonspecific van der Waals interaction.

Fibrin

Growth state-dependent phenotypes of adult hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture.

A proliferation-competent adult rat liver cell monolayer system has been analyzed for tissue-specific functions during its growth cycle. High levels of the adult (L type) form of pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40) and glutathione S-transferase B ("ligand," EC 2.5.1.18) are observed during the early lag phase; they decline markedly during the logarithmic phase and reappear during the stationary phase. By contrast, elevated levels of the fetal (K type) form of pyruvate kinase and alpha1-fetoprotein production appear only after proliferation begins; this pattern diminishes slightly during stationary phase as the adult phenotype is restored. Albumin production continues throughout the entire growth cycle. These in vitro findings simulate those observed during hepatoproliferative transitions in the intact animal and, as such, constitute a developmental program for normal epithelial cells in primary culture.

Albumins

Septic bursitis.

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Bursitis

Graded global ischemia and reperfusion. Cardiac function and lactate metabolism.

The effect of global ischemia of different degrees of severity and reperfusion was studied in the isolated working rat heart. Four degrees of ischemia were induced by reducing the control total coronary flow of 8 ml/min to 0, 0.04, 0.4, or 0.8 ml/min for 30 minutes, after which the coronary flow was returned to the control level. After severe ischemia (0 and 0.04 ml/min ischemic coronary flow groups), recovery of contractility was to less than 30% of the control, pre-ischemic value of ventricular developed pressure and dP/dt, and irreversible cardiac contracture and an increased pacing threshold occurred. After moderate ischemia (0.4 and 0.8 ml/min ischemic coronary flow groups), contractile function recovered completely, ischemic contracture was rapidly reversible and the pacing threshold did not increase. The moderately ischemic groups were able to function at a stable, low level of contractility for the 30 minute ischemic period, whereas the severely ischemic groups had no contractile activity. The amount of calculated tissue lactate accumulation correlated with the occurrence of irreversible ischemic injury; the severely ischemic groups which failed to recover with reperfusion accumulated 3-5 times as much lactate as the moderately ischemic groups which recovered completely. The results suggest that relatively small differences in the severity of the ischemic condition can markedly affect the degree of tissue injury.

Animals

Methods of identification and confirmation of abusive drugs in human urine.

A thin-layer chromatography (TLC) procedure is described to be used as the initial drug detection method for urine surveillance in a drug abuse treatment program. While the TLC method is sufficiently sensitive, it is prone to false-positive results. For this reason, two other drug detection methods (gas-liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay) have been incorporated to confirm positive results obtained with TLC. The combined methodologies result in a urine surveillance procedure that is versatile, sensitive and highly reliable.

Amphetamine