Fat intake in Hong Kong Chinese children.

The people of Hong Kong are experiencing a transition in dietary practices and lifestyle that can be observed in the fat intakes of Hong Kong children as compared with those of their counterparts on mainland China. The studies described here include 1) a longitudinal and observational dietary survey beginning with a cohort of 174 newborns and concluding with 124 children at age 7 y; 2) a biochemical study of serum lipids in relation to dietary fat intake at age 7 y; 3) a chemical fatty acid analysis and comparison of duplicate meals collected from 20 Hong Kong and 20 mainland Chinese children at age 7 y; 4) a dietary assessment of 52 lactoovovegetarian children aged 4-14 y; and 5) a comparison of the growth of all subjects with US National Center for Health Statistics standards. About 30% of the total daily energy intake of Hong Kong Chinese children aged 1-7 y was contributed by fat-much more than that in the traditional Chinese diet. Growth of the children was not impaired, including that of children on the mainland and of those lactoovovegetarians in Hong Kong whose fat intakes were lower. Mean serum cholesterol of Hong Kong Chinese children at age 7 y was 4.59 mmol/L, significantly higher than that of their counterparts on the mainland, 4.16 mmol/L. Foods consumed in Hong Kong had a significantly lower ratio of 18:2 to 14:0. Nutritional deficiency was uncommon. Chinese children in Hong Kong had a dietary fat intake that was both quantitatively and qualitatively different from the traditional Chinese diet.

Incidence of major complications of neurolytic coeliac plexus block.

The number of neurolytic coeliac plexus blocks carried out in England and Wales over a 5 year period (1986-1990) was ascertained. The number of cases of the major complications of permanent paraplegia and/or loss of anal and bladder sphincter function following on from such blocks, over the same period of time, was also ascertained. The information was obtained by means of a questionnaire which was sent to most of the pain clinics in England and Wales. There were 2730 neurolytic blocks carried out over the 5 year period. The number of cases of permanent paraplegia following on from the blocks was four. Of these four cases, three of them also had loss of anal and bladder sphincter function--loss of sphincter function never occurred in isolation. The incidence of major complications following neurolytic coeliac plexus block was thus one case per 683 blocks.

Cryptococcal meningitis/acquired immune deficiency syndrome presenting as a transient neurologic deficit.

A previously healthy man presented with a transient neurologic deficit and neck pain. Lumbar puncture revealed cryptococcal meningitis. He was subsequently found to have acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Transient neurologic deficit is an uncommon initial manifestation of cryptococcal meningitis. We suggest AIDS-related infections be considered in the differential diagnosis of transient neurologic deficits.

Conversion of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase to an acidic and catalytically inactive form by extracts of osmotically stressed Lemna minor fronds.

The fronds of Lemna minor L. respond to a number of stresses, and in particular to an osmotic stress, by producing an enzyme system which catalyzes the oxidation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase; EC 4.1.1.39) to an acidic and catalytically inactive form. During the first 24 h of osmotic stress the induced oxidase system does not seem to exert a significant in-vivo effect on RuBPCase, presumably because of compartmentation. Subsequently, the oxidase system gains access to the enzyme and converts it to the acid and catalytically inactive form and eventually the oxidase system declines in activity.A number of partially acidified forms of RuBPCase are formed during oxidation, and this process appears to be correlated with the disappearance of varying numbers of SH residues. The number of-SH residues in RuBPCase from Lemna has been estimated at 89. However, RuBPCase isolated from 24-h osmotically stressed fronds showed a reduction in the number of-SH residues per molecule from 89 to 54. It seems likely that the oxidation of-SH groups is causally related to the acidification of RuBPCase which occurs during osmotic stress.

Protein Degradation in Lemna with Particular Reference to Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase: II. The Effect of Nutrient Starvation.

The concept of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase as a storage protein is not supported in the case of Lemna minor, where the enzyme appears to be particularly stable under conditions of nitrogen starvation. Total nutrient starvation in light and in the dark induced the degradation of this enzyme, but not at an enhanced rate compared with other leaf proteins and, surprisingly, darkness inhibited the degradation of chlorophyll which occurs with total nutrient starvation in the light. The data suggest that Lemna is not programmed to senesce in response to nutrient starvation. Differences in the pattern of protein degradation, which occurred under the stress conditions employed, are not consistent with a simple model of protein degradation in which the degradative system is assumed to be located in the vacuole. The data is best explained by a dual system in which cytosolic proteins are degraded by a vacuolar/lysosomal system and chloroplast proteins are degraded within the chloroplast. Whatever the system of degradation, our data do not support the proposed correlation between the rate of protein degradation and either protein charge or size.

Protein degradation in lemna with particular reference to ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase: I. The effect of light and dark.

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase from Lemna minor resembles the structure reported for the enzyme from other plants. When grown in the light, the enzyme appears to undergo little or no degradation, as measured by a double-isotope method. This situation is similar to that reported for wheat and barley, but is unlike that reported for maize, where the enzyme degrades at the same rate as total protein. Prolonged periods of darkness usually induce leaf senescence, characterized by the rapid degradation of chlorophyll and protein, with ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase undergoing preferential degradation. In L. minor there is selective protein degradation in the dark, but chlorophyll and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase are stable when fronds are kept in the darkness for up to 8 days. It appears that Lemna is not programmed to senesce, or at least that darkness does not induce senescence in Lemna. Although there is no evidence for in vivo degradation or modification of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase during prolonged periods of darkness, extracts from fronds which have been kept in the dark for periods in excess of 24 hours convert ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase to a more acidic form. The properties of the dark-induced system which acts on ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, suggest that it may be a mixed function oxidase. The proposition that the selectivity of protein degradation is genetically determined, so that the rate at which a protein is degraded is determined by its charge or size, was tested for fronds grown in the light or maintained in the dark. There was no significant correlation between protein degradation and either charge or size, in light or dark.

Distribution of trichloroethylene between plasma and erythrocytes in whole blood from fasting subjects.

The plasma:erythrocyte distribution ratio of trichloroethylene at room temperature was determined by a direct method using 10 separate blood samples. The trichloroethylene content of plasma was lower than that of the erythrocytes by a ratio having a mean value of 0.63 (SD 0.05, range 0.56-0.74).

Is protein degradation correlated with either the charge or size of Lemna proteins?

Evidence is presented that the organelles of Lemna minor do not degrade as functional units. The proteins of Lemna show wide differences in their rates of degradation and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) has a particularly slow rate of degradation. Contrary to some earlier evidence, we found no correlation between the rate of soluble-protein degradation and either charge or size of proteins. We could find no correlation between protein degradation and subunit size in any of the organelles of Lemna.

Stimulation of glutathione degradation by amino acids: lack of stereospecificity.

The rate of degradation of glutathione by rat kidney slices has been analysed. In the absence of exogenous amino acids a half-life of 84 min is found. In the presence of the L-isomer of three amino acids which are good substrates for gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase the rate of degradation is increased in a concentration-dependent manner. The stimulatory effect is not stereospecific, the D-isomers having a similar effect to their L-enantiomers. These findings indicate that perturbations in glutathione metabolism need not be due to the stimulation of active transport mediated by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

Amino-acid biosynthesis in the cotyledons of Sinapis alba L. in darkness and far-red light studied by deuterium labelling and mass spectrometry.

The incorporation of deuterium from deuterium oxide into the free amino acids of the cotyledons of Sinapis alba L. was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and was similar, both qualitatively and quantitatively, after incubation of the seedlings in darkness or far-red light. The results support studies which show that phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) is synthesised de novo, rather than activated, in response to far-red light.

Severe acute polyarthropathy associated with levamisole therapy in a patient with Crohn's disease.

A 17 year old Caucasian youth with intractable Crohn's disease developed a severe, acute polyarthropathy during a second course of levamisole therapy. Rapid resolution of systemic symptoms occurred on stopping the drug but full joint recovery was not achieved until five months had elapsed. The relationship of levamisole to Crohn's disease and the underlying mechanisms of the polyarthropathy are discussed.

The physiological role of the isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase in potatoes.

Four of the five isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase present in potato tubers have been isolated and their kinetic properties examined. The pyruvate-reductase activity of isoenzyme-4 is greatly reduced at low pH, the affinity for both pyruvate and NADH is reduced and ATP has a stronger inhibitory effect. If the design properties of an enzyme dictate a high affinity for substrates, then the Km values for lactate, glyoxylate and NAD are consistent with an oxidative role for isoenzyme-4. The same considerations do not permit a conclusion about the physiological role of isoenzymes-1 to-3. However, an overview of the kinetic properties of these isoenzymes indicates that isoenzyme-1 is best adapted for the role of pyruvate reductase. Consideration of the relationships between kinetic constants and electrophoretic mobilities of the isoenzymes, leads us to predict that isoenzyme-5 is well adapted for a role in the oxidation of lactate or glyoxylate. The lactate dehydrogenase of potato leaves appears to consist prodominantly of an isoenzyme with the same mobility as isoenzyme-2 of the tubers and the two isoenzymes are probably identical. The kinetic properties of this isoenzyme are consistent with roles in either oxidation or reduction.

A 12-month comparative trial of auranofin and D-penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis.

The oral gold salt auranofin, 6 mg per day, was compared with oral d-penicillamine, 500 mg per day, in a single-blind trial in 40 patients suffering with definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis. The patients were randomly allocated into the two therapeutic regimens (19 patients auranofin; 21 patients d-penicillamine) and monitored at a minimum of four-week intervals during the first year of treatment. Significant diminution in rheumatoid disease activity, as assessed by numerous clinical and laboratory parameters, was observed in both the auranofin- and penicillamine-treated groups. No significant differences existed for these parameters between the two groups, either initially or at the end of the trial period. Ten patients were lost from the trial over the 52-week period. Three subjects were withdrawn from the auranofin-treated group (increasing severity of rheumatoid arthritis at four weeks; severe diarrhea at four weeks; probable drug-related erosive gastritis at 40 weeks). Seven subjects were permanently withdrawn from the penicillamine-treated group (four, skin rashes four to eight weeks; one, heavy proteinuria at 24 weeks; one, therapeutic failure at 32 weeks; one, compliance failure at eight weeks), and treatment was temporarily withheld in three further patients because of thrombocytopenia (two) and proteinuria (one). We conclude that both drugs are effective in rheumatoid arthritis and that the lesser toxicity with auranofin will make it a valuable addition to our therapeutic armamentarium.