Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease. Morphological studies in two cases examined at necropsy

Specimens of femoral heads were studied at necropsy in two cases of Legg-Calve-Perthes' disease. One was that of a boy aged four years ten months who died from appendicitis; the other was from a boy aged six years who died from a malignant glioma. Both had been treated for one and a half years for Legg-Calve-Perthes' disease which was in a stage of repair at the time of death. The diseased femoral heads were moderately flattened but the surface cartilage was intact. Epiphysial bone and bone marrow were partly replaced by cartilage, fibrous tissue and granulation tissue, and new bone was being formed. Inflammatory reaction was inconspicuous. Enchondral bone formation was only slightly decreased, and the structure of the growth plate was undisturbed. There was no sign of systemic bone disease. In the first case the changes indicated that more than one episode of ischaemia had occurred, and an occlusion--probably from an old thrombus--was demonstrated in the posterior inferior retinacular artery of the femoral head. The last episode of ischaemia, furthermore, had caused infarction of part of the metaphysial bone. In both cases, the central area of the metaphysial bone of the affected femur contained fat, but there were few haemopoietic cells and it therefore looked pale. The findings are discussed in relation to previous work on the pathology in Legg-Calve-Perthes' disease, recent information on the vascularisation of the femoral head in children, and experimental and comparative animal studies.     

Body mass index and height in patients requiring surgery for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

The immediate preoperative body mass index and standing body height of 1128 patients who underwent surgery for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were compared in a cross-sectional study with the corresponding values obtained from a general population sample. The material was divided into sex- and age-specific subgroups. To delineate possible differences, the 99% confidence intervals for the anthropometric mean values were constructed instead of hypothesis testing. With the exception of the oldest age group, from 50 to 59 years, the patients who underwent surgery for a disc herniation were more obese and taller than the population on average in all other sex- and age-specific subgroups. The major contrast emerged in women aged 20-29 years, in whom the 99% confidence interval for the mean body mass index of the patients undergoing surgery on was 25.1-27.3 kg/m2 versus 22.3-23.1 kg/m2 in the general population. In patients aged 20-39 years the mean body mass index was increased also when the body height of the patients was less than the mean value of the general population samples. Both an increased body mass index and a tall stature seem to have a clear association with those severe lumbar intervertebral disc herniations that require operative treatment.     

Flow cytometric analysis of protein phosphorylation in the hematopoetic system

Cellular growth and differentiation in blood cells are regulated by the phosphorylation status of growth factor receptors and downstream proteins. Protein kinases and phosphatases balance the homeostasis of protein phosphorylation. Various diseases are associated with alterations in these tightly regulated processes. Aberrations have been proved to be of diagnostic value and might enhance the pathophysiological insight into the origin of the disease. However, quantitation of protein phosphorylation is currently not feasible in a clinical situation. We developed a flow cytometric methodology which enables for direct investigation of protein phosphorylation in cell populations defined by multi-color flow cytometry. This assay does not only overcome drawbacks of traditional methodologies (e.g. Western blotting) but also allows quantitative analyses even in rare cell populations. We accurately examined phosphorylation levels in different cell populations of hematological interest and especially analyzed CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. CD34+ cells in bone marrow and in cord blood contained similar, low levels of phosphotyrosine. Circulating pheripheral blood system cells PBSC in patients exposed to G-CSF for stem cell mobilization exhibited significantly increased levels of phosphotyrosine. In vitro exposure of CD34+ progenitors to growth factors (G-CSF, IL-3, SCF) raised the levels of tyrosine phosphorylation in bone marrow and cord blood. Effects were dose and time dependent. Interestingly, in vivo stimulated CD34+ PBSC could not be further stimulated in vitro. In conclusion, we present a new powerful methodology for analysis of protein phosphorylation in hematological specimens. The method does not only allow for accurate detection of phosphorylation levels in vivo, but also enables for quantitative analysis of growth factor receptor stimulation in vitro and in vivo.     

Blocking of protein pancreatic secretion by maximal secretion infusion in the dog

In conscious chronic gastric and pancreatic fistula dogs (Thomas cannula), secretin was perfused for three hours with a submaximal (GIH, 1.0 C.U./kg.) and a maximal dose (GIH, 8.0 c.u./kg.), according to the following schedule: 1. First hour submaximal stimulus; 2. second hour maximal stimulus; 3. third hour submaximal stimulus. The alkaline and protein components of pancreatic secretion were analyzed in 20-minute sample collections thoughout the three hours. The same protocol was followed in anesthetized dogs subjected to a mind line laparotomy. A biopsy of the pancreatic gland was taken before (control) and at the end of each perfused dose. The secretion showed a significant increase of protein concentration and output when passing from the maximal to the last submaximal secretin perfusion dose. These findings correlated well with the piling up of zymogen and prozymogen granules in the apical zone of the acinar cells during maximal secretin perfusion, with their subsequent discharge into the acinar lumen upon abrupt reversal to the initial secretin submaximal dose. The study confirms that secretin influences pancreatic protein secretion and indicates in addition, that pharmacologic doses of the hormone, have the capacity to block acinar cell zymogen granule release.     

Effect of chlorine-containing pesticides on the hemolytic stability and acetylcholinesterase activity of erythrocytes

The hemolytic action of the chlorine-containing pesticides, trichloroacetic acid (TCA), pentachlorophenolate (PCP), chlorophos and pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) on red cells was studied, as were their effects on acetylcholinesterase activity and resistance of red cells to mechanical hemolysis by ultrasound. The modifying action of pesticides on red cell membranes was shown to lead to their mechanical resistance. TCA, PCP and chlorophos were found to sensitize red cells whereas PCNB to make them resistant to the mechanical action of ultrasound. The kinetic characteristics of the structural functional disorders of red cells might be used as quantitative criteria of the efficacy of the action of pesticides on the cells.