Environmental pollution and health.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Mayer.
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Topographic EEG was performed in 17 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients and in 15 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Eleven patients were first-onset (neuroleptic naive) schizophrenics. EEG band power was compared with psychopathology, neuropsychology and neurological soft signs. The EEG was recorded at 14 topographic locations monopolarly and movements of the eye and of the lid were monitored by two bipolar electro-oculogram (EOG) derivations, one vertical and one horizontal. A multivariate correction of EOG artefacts was performed based on regression analysis with respect to EOG channels. Schizophrenic patients showed higher mean and median power in most bands. These differences were marked in the delta band, in the fast alpha and beta bands, in particular at left frontal sites. Delta power at F7 was by far the best separating variable between schizophrenics and controls in a discriminant analysis. Significant positive correlations were found between the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores "Anxiety-depression" and "Activation" and power in the fast bands and negative ones between "Anergia" and the beta bands. Positive significant correlations emerged between the total score in the Negative Symptoms Rating Scale and the amount of delta power, predominantly over the temporal region. Impairment in the Luria-Nebraska neuropsychological scores "Rhythm" and "Memory" correlated highly significantly with EEG band power. No correlations were found between neurological soft signs and EEG band power. Our results are in line with the hypothesis of a hypofrontality in schizophrenia. It is unlikely that these findings are an artefact of prior psychiatric treatment, as they were also observed in first-onset, neuroleptic naive schizophrenics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
In some instances the same electrodes are used for stimulation and then for recording a bioelectric event immediately after the stimulus. However, after the current pulse there remains an electrode potential that decays quasiexponentially. We have designated this falling potential the electrode-recovery potential. This study investigated the recovery potentials of single electrodes of rhodium, stainless steel, platinum and platinum-iridium in contact with 0.9% saline at room temperature (25 degrees C) over a current density ranging from 0.1 to 100 mA/cm2 using a constant-current pulse. In all cases, with increasing current density, there was a decrease in the time for the electrode potential to fall to one half of the immediate post-stimulus value. Above about 20 mA/cm2 the decrease in recovery time was smooth with increasing current density. Below 20 mA/cm2, the recovery time was slightly irregular. The shortest recovery times were for platinum and platinum-iridium. The largest decrease in recovery time with increasing current density was for stainless steel, which decreased 10 fold from 0.1 to 100 mA/cm2. The recovery time for rhodium decreased about three-and-one half fold over the same current density range. It was found that the waveform of the recovery potential is not a simple exponential because the Warburg and Faradic components of the electrode-electrolyte interface are current-density dependent. In general, for all current densities studied (0.1-100 mA/cm2), there was a sudden initial fall in electrode potential with cessation of current flow, followed by a very gradual nonexponential decrease in potential.
A new method is used to measure the direct-current (Faradic) resistance of a single electrode/electrolyte interface. The method employs a constant-current pulse and a potential-sensing electrode. By choosing a sufficiently long pulse duration, the voltage between the test and potential-sensing electrode exhibits a three-phase response. In the steady-state phase, the voltage measured is equal to the current flowing through the electrode Faradic resistance and the resistance of the electrolyte between the test and potential-sensing electrode. By measuring this latter resistance with a high-frequency sinusoidal alternating current, the voltage drop in the electrolyte is calculated and subtracted from the voltage measured between the test and potential-sensing electrode, thereby allowing calculation of the Faradic resistance. By plotting the reciprocal of the Faradic resistance against current density and fitting the data points to a third-order polynomial, it is possible to determine the zero-current density (Faradic) resistance. This technique was used to determine the Faradic resistance of electrodes (0.1 cm2) of stainless-steel, platinum, platinum-iridium and rhodium in 0.9 per cent NaCl at 25 degrees. The zero current Faradic resistance is lowest for platinum (30.3 k omega), slightly higher for platinum-iridium (47.6k omega), much higher for rhodium (111k omega) and highest for type 316 stainless-steel (345k omega). In all cases, the Faradic resistance decreases dramatically with increasing current density.
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Ester hydrolysis represents an important biotransformation pathway for various parasympatholytic agents. Cleavage of the ciclotropium ester bond results in the formation of alpha-phenylciclopentylacetic acid (PCA). The relevance of this metabolic route for ciclotropium bromide (HIT-PCE, CAS 85166-20-7) including its stereochemical aspects was studied in a preliminary pharmacokinetic study. An enantiospecific assay for biological material was developed that is based on chiral derivatization of PCA with N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDAC) and the primary amine S-FLOPA, a chiral coupling component for carboxylic acids derived from S-flunoxaprofen, followed by HPLC resolution. R-(--)-Ibuprofen was used as internal standard. From plasma or urine PCA can be extracted into n-hexane/ethanol (9:1) at pH 4 under addition of sodium chloride. Derivatization with EDAC/FLOPA was performed under addition of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole in anhydrous dichloromethane that contained trace amounts of pyridine (ambient temperature; 2 h reaction time). The chromatographic separation was performed on a silica gel stationary phase (Zorbax Sil) using n-hexane-chloroform-ethanol (100:10:1, by vol.) as mobile phase (flow rate, 2 ml/min; fluorescence-detection, 305/355 nm; elution order of the derivatives, (-) before (+)). Limit of quantification was 1.0 ng/ml for plasma and 10 ng/ml for urine. In the pharmacokinetic study in two healthy volunteers who received a single i.v. dose of 10 mg ciclotropium race-mate the PCA concentrations in plasma were below the detection limit, but approx. 1.5% of the administered dose were excreted into urine as the respective glucuronides.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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A new method is described for measuring the Faradic resistance of a single electrode-electrolyte interface. The method employs a test (monopolar) electrode, a potential-sensing electrode and a large reference (indifferent) electrode, along with a constant-current source capable of providing a step function of current. The method was used to measure the Faradic resistance of a 0.1 cm2 platinum electrode in contact with saline (p = 150 ohm-cm) at room temperature. It was found that for both a positive and negative current pulse, the Faradic resistance decreased almost hyperbolically with increasing current density. When the reciprocal of the Faradic resistance (Gf) was plotted versus current density and the data were fit to a polynomial curve, the results showed that for the positive pulse Gf = 0.009 + 0.05J - 0.0001J2; (SEE = 0.117); for the negative pulse, Gf = 0.007 + 0.067J - 0.0001J2; (SEE = 0.028); where Gf is in millisiemens and J is in mA/cm2 for this 0.1 cm2 electrode. These relationships permit estimating the Faradic resistance (Rf) for zero current density. For the positive pulse, Rf = 111 kilohms and for the negative pulse Rf = 143 kilohms. The method is applicable to the measurement of the Faradic resistance of a wide variety of metal electrodes.
The authors report the case of a 25-year-old patient who during discontinuous treatment with a venotropic agent containing catechines suffered from intravascular haemolysis, thrombocytopaenia and acute renal failure, the course of which was favourable with treatment by haemodialysis. Renal biopsy revealed lesions of acute tubulonephritis with a slight interstitial reaction but without immune deposits. The demonstration in the serum and on the red cells of the patient of anti-catechine antibodies confirmed the immunoallergic nature of the haemolysis. The existence of crossed allergy with another venotropic agent, leucocyanide, led to suspicion of the localisation of the antigenic site on the 3-4 dihydroxyphenyl portion of the catechine molecule.
There is increasing evidence in the literature for persistent deficiency in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in Hodgkin's diseases during apparent remissions after discontinuation of the treatment. Patients were followed for 6 months to 2 years after all treatments were stopped. There was a high percentage (41.6) of subjects with skin anergy to seven recall antigens, a highly significant (p less than 0,0001) decrease, as compared with controls, in total and active E rosettes independently from the number of lymphocytes, and a highly significant diminution of T-lymphocyte in vitro reactivity to various doses of phyto haemagglutinine (PHA). There was no difference between the patients tested between 6 months and 1 year and those tested more than 2 years after treatment. No correlation between skin tests and active rosettes was found in this series. Finally, the CMI deficiency is some what different in patients on remission and in untreated patients.
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The LDA test was used to study the materno-foetal transfer of anti-HLA antibodies. The results were compared with those obtained earlier by the complement dependent lymphocytotoxicity test (CdL). Although more sensitive than CdL, the LDA test did not demonstrate more maternal antibodies in cord blood when these antibodies corresponded to the child's paternal antigens. Nevertheless LDA demonstrated antibodies did not always behave similarly to those seen by CdL.
The major glycoprotein of the human erythrocyte membrane has been released from ghosts, by the non-ionic detergent Tween 20 at pH 8,5 and at low ionic strength and further purified by successive passages through columns of DEAE Sephadex at pH 6,8 and CM Sephadex at pH 5 or by hydroxyapatite chromatography at pH 6,8. The purified glycoprotein thus obtained represents about 1 % of the membrane proteins, and shows two major bands upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These bands designed as PAS 1 and PAS 2 are the dimer and the monomer of the glycoprotein. Several other minor bands can also appear on SDS gels, according to experimental conditions of solubilization and purification and are probably oligomers of PAS 1 and PAS 2. This glycoprotein possess inhibitory activity against various phytohemagglutinins.
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Forty-six members of a family known to have Porphyria were studied. As the disease is often latent clinically, erythrocyte uroporphyrinogen I synthetase activity was determined to classify the subjects as being healthy or carriers. HLA--A, B, C, Bf, GLO antigens were determined. No linkage between acute intermittent Porphyria and the HLA system was noted in this family.
The in vivo rate of sulfate activation in Penicillium chrysogenum (wild-type strain ATCC 24791) was determined to be 0.19 +/- 0.09 mumol g(-1) (dry weight) min(-1) by the following methods. (i) The maximum growth of the organism in synthetic medium was a linear function of the initial Na(2)SO(4) concentration between 0 and 8 x 10(-4) Na(2)SO(4). The growth yield was 1.64 x 10(-2) g (dry weight) of mycelium per mumol of added sulfate, corresponding to a minimum sulfur requirement of 61 mumol/g (dry weight). Under these conditions (limiting sulfate) the minimum doubling time of P. chrysogenum in submerged culture was about 3.8 h, corresponding to a maximum exponential growth rate constant of 3.0 x 10(-3) min(-1). If all the sulfur in this mycelium passed through adenosine-5'-phosphosulfate, the rate of sulfate activation in vivo must have been 0.183 mumol min(-1) g(-1) (dry weight). (ii) In the presence of excess (35)SO(4) (2-), the total organic (35)S produced varied with the mycelial growth rate. However, until the culture approached maximum density, the product of [(growth rate constant) x (organic (35)S content)] was nearly constant at 0.24 to 0.28 mumol min(-1) g(-1) (dry weight). (iii) A sulfur-starved mycelium pulsed with 10(-4) M (35)SO(4) (2-) produced organic (35)S at a rate of about 0.10 mumol min(-1) g(-1) (dry weight) under conditions where the internal concentrations of ATP and sulfate would permit ATP sulfurylase to operate at about 70% of its V(max). Cell-free extracts of P. chrysogenum growing rapidly on excess sulfate contained 0.22 U of ATP sulfurylase per g (dry weight). Thus, in spite of the relatively low specific activity of homogeneous ATP sulfurylase (0.13 U/mg of protein, corresponding to an active site turnover of 7.15 min(-1)), the mycelial content of the enzyme was sufficient to account for the observed growth rate of the organism on inorganic sulfate as the sole sulfur source.
The authors take up again the clinical, pathological and genetic analysis of 53 bronchial cancers with a survival exceeding 5 years. The operation samples were reexamined; a H.L.A. grouping was done in every cases. On the whole, it concerned patients under 60 in good general condition; the extension of their lesions only required a limited exeresis (lobectomy). The epidermoid form predominates, the lymph node invasion is rare. Seventy four per cent of the patients carry at least one of the following antigens: W 19, A 10, B 5, BW 35. But the study did not prove the existence of a genetic factor conditioning the survival.