Cardiopulmonary thromboembolism detected by Tc-99m MH-1 antifibrin antibody.

A patient with shortness of breath had a high probability lung scan for pulmonary embolism, but no obvious embolic source. Whole-body scintigraphy using Tc-99m labeled Fab' antifibrin monoclonal antibody showed large central pulmonary emboli as well as tracer uptake in the right atrium and aortic arch. No lower extremity clot was detected. This case shows significant differences in the appearance of pulmonary embolism as assessed by direct clot and ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy. It shows the importance of the heart as the origin of pulmonary emboli and the utility of direct thrombus visualization.

Dualism in medicine, Christian theology, and the aging.

Distinguishing a person's soul or mind from a person's body describes dualism, the philosophical premise that fails to integrate the person as one, but instead leaves the person as two, usually as souland body or as mindand body. In dualism, one tends to think of the soul or the mind as the person and the body as an appendage. I argue that 1) dualism is rampant in medicine; 2) that Christian theology has fundamentally opposed it, and 3) that cultural dualism today threatens the aging in particular. To deal with this threat, I argue that the moral task of being human is to become one in mind and body. That is, I argue that the unity of the person which is the unity of the mind and body is not really a metaphysical given, but rather the goal or end of being human.

Effects of heavy metals on alpha-fetoprotein in maternal sera and amniotic fluid of pregnant mice.

This report describes the effects of low levels of copper, nickel and lead salts on the concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the sera and amniotic fluid of pregnant Nylar mice. During the early and mid-gestation (9-17 days), pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally twice with heavy-metal salt solutions and were autopsied two days following the second injection. Maternal sera and amniotic fluid (AF) were collected and AFP levels were quantified by radial immunodiffusion. Metal levels determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy in individual samples confirmed the presence of trace metals in the fetus. Low doses of nickel and copper were associated with elevated AFP levels in amniotic fluid in 15-17 day pregnant animals, while maternal serum AFP levels mostly remained unchanged. Decreased concentrations of maternal serum AFP occurred with increased doses of copper and lead in contrast to elevated concentrations of AFP in amniotic fluid. Furthermore, there was an increase in fetal wastage when higher doses of copper and lead were administered. A reduction of secondary litter size (F1 generation) with low dosage levels of lead was also observed. These results imply that the fetal-maternal transfer of AFP may either be impaired or reflect increased leakage or decreased placental permeability in the presence of sublethal doses of copper and lead. These findings suggest that the parallel measurements of AFP concentrations in sera and amniotic fluid might be employed for assessment of embryo- and fetotoxicity when heavy metal intake is suspected during pregnancy.

Separation of the estrogen-activated growth-regulatory forms of alpha-fetoprotein in mouse amniotic fluid.

We have previously reported that murine fetal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) incubated for 1.0 h at room temperature in the presence of high concentrations of estradiol (E2) generates a growth-regulatory product designated AFP/E2. Subsequently we developed a bioassay in the immature mouse uterus to measure both the growth-inhibitory and growth-enhancing properties of AFP. In the present study, we have employed this bioassay to monitor each of the amniotic fluid-derived AFP isolates fractionated by various chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques. The objective of this investigation was to partition and isolate the various molecular forms of AFP contained in amniotic fluid and determine whether the growth-regulatory activities resided with one or more of the fractions. AFP was fractionated by three different chromatographic/electrophoretic methods: E2 affinity chromatography, preparative polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); and one immunoaffinity method: gel-entrapped antibody filtration (GAF). Whereas E2 affinity chromatography separated the biological activity of AFP into inhibitory and possibly enhancing activities, PAGE purification yielded three fractions: an inhibitor, an enhancer, and a fraction without growth-regulatory activity. Immunoaffinity separation yielded an AFP product with only inhibitory activities. In comparison, fractionation by HPLC produced seven AFP fractions in which only three displayed growth-regulatory activities: two inhibitory and one enhancing. After subsequent HPLC rechromatography of these fractions, none displayed any biological activity. Thus, murine AFP derived from amniotic fluid is composed of potential heterofunctional forms that, depending on their relative abundance in the preparation, constitute a mixture capable of either (a) growth inhibition, (b) no effect, or (c) growth enhancement.

What is morally new in genetic manipulation?

The investigation into the specific moral issues of genetic manipulation requires us to determine exactly the new moral issues of genetic manipulation. But even that determination requires us to consider whether the context in which we live and the method of moral reflection which we use is adequate enough to address genetic manipulation. Given the liberalist context in which we live, this paper argues that an act-oriented ethics is inadequate and that only a virtue-oriented ethics enables us to recognize and resolve the new problems ahead of us in genetic manipulation. Moreover, those problems have a common root, that is, that through genetics we will be in danger of objectifying the human subject.

Binding of 16 alpha-[18F]fluoro-17 beta-estradiol to alphafetoprotein in Sprague-Dawley female rats affects blood levels.

To examine the relationship between blood levels of 16 alpha-[18F]fluoro-17 beta-estradiol(18F-ES) and serum alphafetoprotein (AFP) concentration, we undertook a study in which serum from various aged (20-33 days old) Sprague-Dawley female rats injected with 18F-ES was analyzed for both blood activity levels and AFP. There is a strong positive correlation between serum AFP concentration and 18F-ES blood levels (r = 0.914, P less than 0.001), suggesting that the binding of 18F-ES by AFP has a significant effect on blood activity levels. The AFP concentration and ultimately the AFP-18F-ES binding is dependent on the age and weight of the rat: younger, as well as low weight rats exhibited high AFP concentrations and consequently increased 18F-ES blood activity. The rats most suitable for comparative studying of labeled estrogens are 25-28 days of age and weigh a minimum of 50-55 g. Thus, the use of the immature rat model to compare labeled estrogens requires a careful consideration of possible interference from blood binding proteins (i.e. AFP), as well as potential receptor binding competition from endogenous estrogens produced during the estrous cycle. Comparable consideration of blood binding proteins (sex steroid binding protein, SBP) and endogenous estrogens must be made in human studies, as well.

Rubidium and zinc fluctuations in selected tissues during the development of the BW7756 murine hepatoma.

In separate studies, radioisotopes 65Zn and 86Rb were used to monitor trace element fluctuations from normal in C57L/J mice throughout the progression of a murine hepatoma. Amounts too small to upset normal levels were injected directly into the blood stream. After an equilibration period, the whole mouse and various resected organs and tissues were counted. Compared to normal levels, rubidium in diseased mice was lower in kidney and blood, and elevated in skin and muscle. Diseased mice showed depressed levels of zinc in skin and muscle. Large fluctuations during different stages of tumor growth were observed for various other tissues and organs of diseased mice.

Time dependent zinc distribution in the development of the BW7756 murine hepatoma.

The Zn levels in selected tissue types were measured in a study of the BW7756 murine hepatoma utilizing 65Zn as a tracer. The total body burden and individual tissue activities (including tumor) were recorded at predetermined stages of tumor growth and directly compared to those obtained from normal (healthy) animals. 65Zn fluctuations observed with disease progression were correlated to the growth curve of the carcinoma. Normalization of individual tissue activities to the total body activity, the control of geometry and lack of significant attenuation of the accompanying gamma ray are unique advantages in the use of this isotope.