Charles M. Carpenter

SERUM GLYCOPROTEINS IN INFECTIOUS AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES

The serum glycoproteins have been reported to be increased in tuberculosis, neoplastic disease: rheumatoid arthritis,g psoriasis,4 eczema: systemic lupus erythematosus: diabetes,6 pemphigus? dermatitis herpetiformis? and allergic diseases? Although the reported abnormalities of glycoproteins have been frequently confirmed for most of these diseases, they have not been widely used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes in clinical medicine. This may be attributed partly to an assumed nonspecificity of these abnormalities as well as to lack of information concerning the pathologic significance of these changes. The purpose of this report is to compare quantitative and electrophoretic variations of certain glycoproteins in clinically discrete diagnostic categories and to compare these glycoprotein variations to those of C-reactive protein, a nonspecific measure of the idammatory response widely used in clinical medicine.

Normal serum proteins in gastric juice. A preliminary report.

There has been considerable interest in the high molecular weight constituents of gastric juice, with reference to both their biochemixad cal characteristics and physiologic signifixad cance. It has been shown that gastric juice from normal subjects and patients with gastric disease is a complex solution of high molecular weight constituents with diverse biochemical, 1. 2 chromatographic,3-5 electroxad phoretic, 6 • 7 polarographic,8 and biologic 9 characteristics. It has also been demonxad strated that there are significant qualitative and quantitative differences between these components in health and disease.1° It is likely that the heterogeneity of gastric juice is even greater than is indicated by the above analytic techniques. One un evaluated technic for gastric juice analysis is the specific immunologic identification of these high molecular weight constituents. This preliminary report is concerned with the application of the immunologic techxad niques of gel diffusion precipitin analysis and immunoelectrophoresis to the demonxad stration of normal serum proteins present in certain pathologic gastric juice specimens, and their potential clinical values as indicaxad tors of gastric disease.

Ultrastructure of the dog cardiac muscle cell.

Observations on the cellular structure of the dog heart as seen in the electron microscope are described. Electronmicrographs illustrate the ultrastructure of the dog myocardial cell, especially the relationships of the intercalated disc and the sarcolemma to form the cell boundaries and the relationships of the myofibrils and “Z” bands to the sarcolemma which result in an “accordion-like” appearance of the cell after contraction.

Effects of inanition, protein depletion and repletion on serum lactic acid dehydrogenase levels in rats.

Summary The effects of inanition, protein depletion and repletion upon serum lactic acid dehydrogenase (SLD), total serum protein and hematocrit values have been determined in adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats. Significant increases in concentration of SLD concomitant with decreases in serum protein levels followed inanition and protein depletion. Upon repletion, subnormal SLD values occurred in groups fed a diet containing 17% or more of protein. Serum protein values for the groups were significantly increased. The results are discussed with respect to possible causes for observed changes.

Immunoelectrophoretic Patterns of C-Reactive Protein in Serum and In Ascitic Fluid from Patients with Cancer.

Summary Three immunoelectrophoretic types of C-reactive protein, β, γ, and 2H, have been observed in serum from patients with neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. Gel diffusion precipitin analysis disclosed no evidence of antigenic heterogeneity. The nature of the electrophoretic dissimilarity was studied by means of dilution, defatting with chloroform, by heating and by enzymatic digestion of CRP in sera and of partially purified CRP recovered from carcinomatous ascitic fluid. The reported studies indicate that C-reactive protein consists of two proteins with different electrophoretic mobilities but with identical antigenicity. The two proteins differ in their susceptibilities to proteolytic enzymes.

A Comparison of Serum Glycoprotein Concentrations in Four Species of Mammals

TARAS, M. 1948. Photometric determination of magnesium in water with brilliant yellow. Analyt. Chem., 20:1156-58. TOBIAS, J. M. 1948a. Potassium, sodium, and water exchange in the irritable tissues and haemolymph of an omnivorous insect Periplaneta americana. Jour. Cell. and Comp. Physiol., 31:125-42. 1948b. The high potassium and low sodium in the body fluids and tissues of a phytophagous insect, the silkworm Bombyx mori, and the change before pupation. Ibid., 31:143-48.

Respiration of gamma irradiated Brucella abortus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Summary Lyophilized Br. abortus 19 and M. tuberculosis H37RV were exposed to various doses of gamma irradiation from a cobalt-60 source and tested for oxygen uptake on suitable substrates. Cells exposed from 750,000 to 800,000 r failed to grow on appropriate culture media, yet continue to respire at a rate from 40% to 50% of that of the non-irradiated cells.

Serum complement levels in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia

Summary 1.Serum complement titers were determined for 46 children, aged 2 to 13, with acute lymphocytic leukemia and for 17 normal children within the same age range. 2.The mean C′H 50 of 44.6 units obtained for the leukemic group was significantly lower than the 54.0 units observed for the normal group. 3.The wide range of C′ titers among the leukemic children as compared to the range among normal children resulted predominantly from the lower levels observed in 24 or 52.1 per cent of the 46 patients. 4.Correlation of the C′ titers with the clinical data revealed that 20 or 64.5 per cent of the 31 patients in remission had significantly low C′ levels, whereas only 4 or 26.7 per cent of the 15 patients in relapse had similar titers. 5.Although the mean C′H 50 value of 51.1 units for the patients in relapse did not differ from that of the normal group, a significantly low mean C′H 50 of 41.5 units was obtained for leukemic children in remission.

The isolation of unidentified pleomorphic bacteria from the blood of patients with chronic illness.

Abstract 1. 1. Unidentified pleomorphic bacteria were isolated from the blood of 44 of 100 patients with chronic illness including fevers of unknown origin, lymphomas, chronic brucellosis, cardiovascular disease, and Reiters disease. In only two instances were similar organisms isolated from so-called normal individuals. 2. 2. A number of the UPB were resistant to penicillin and a few were resistant to other antibiotics. 3. 3. The organisms are morphologically very similar to Corynebacteria and may belong to this genus. 4. 4. None of the UPB were pathogenic for laboratory animals. All, however, were pathogenic for five-day chick embryos.