[Weismann-Netter and Stuhl disease. A review of the literature. Apropos of a case with uncommon radiologic signs]. / Maladie de Weismann-Netter et Stuhl. Revue de la littérature. A propos d'un cas avec signes radiologiques inhabituels.

Cases of Weismann-Netter and Stuhl disease reported in the literature usually involve stereotyped pictures characterized by the presence of tibio-fibular dysmorphism, most often the only abnormality. The authors present a current review of the literature on the basis of a new case of this tibio-fibular diaphyseal toxopachyosteosis.

Selective release of inner core proteins from intestinal microvillus membrane by lithium diiodosalicylate.

Lithium diiodosalicylate (LIS) was used to selectively solubilize proteins from purified intestinal brush border membrane vesicles. Incubation of the vesicles with increasing concentrations of LIS resulted in the progressive release of proteins with total disruption of the membranes being obtained at 200 mM. Maximum selectivity was observed at 20-30 mM LIS which preferentially released actin and other non-glycosylated proteins while all the glycoproteins remained associated with the membrane. Electron micrographs showed that, after LIS treatment, brush border vesicles are partially disrupted and have lost their inner core of microfilaments. Sucrase, trehalase, leucylnaphthylamide hydrolase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase all retained more than 70% of their activities and remained associated with the membrane fraction after LIS solubilization (30 mM). The results indicate that lithium diiodosalicylate treatment provides an efficient method for the separation of cytoskeletal proteins from intrinsic membrane glycoproteins and should be very useful for the purification of microvilli proteins and for the study of membrane-protein interactions.

Adaptation of intestinal sugar and amino acid transport to gastric hyperalimentation.

These studies were undertaken to analyze the effects in dogs of the administration of liquid polymeric diets by gastric tube for 14 days on brush-border absorptive functions measured in vitro. Transport studies of D-glucose, L-leucine and L-alanine have been performed by a rapid filtration technique using brush border membrane vesicles isolated from different segments of the small intestine in order to get insights about events occurring directly at the membrane level. Our results clearly show that only the Na+ -gradient dependent pathways for sugars and neutral amino acids transport were modified in treated dogs as compared to chow-fed controls. The adaptation to the diets varied according to the intestinal segment considered and the effects were dependent on both the nature of the diet and the transport function analysed. These effects cannot be due to heterogeneity in the populations of vesicles isolated in the different situations and cannot be attributed to a modification of either the passive permeability of the membrane to solutes or ions or the membrane potential. Our results are best explained by changes in carrier densities along the small intestine in response to modification in the local concentrations of nutrients sequential to faster flow rates in the small intestine. The liquid nature of the polymeric diets, combined with their high fat and low residue content as compared to dog chow, could act in concert to promote faster rates of gastric emptying and intestinal transit, thus leading to modifications in nutrient availability along the small intestine.

A technique for enteral feeding in unrestrained chronic dogs.

A new apparatus for the continuous infusion-feeding of unrestrained dogs is described. The swivel we designed, like the whole apparatus, is quite simple but has proven to be totally effective inasmuch as it needs no day-to-day care. The system has been satisfactorily used for jejunal feeding for periods of up to 33 days. Dogs were very easily acclimatized to this apparatus; the majority of animals lost weight at the beginning of enteral feeding but recovered their body weight after 19 days if a daily caloric intake fixed at a minimum of 100 kcal/kg body weight was provided. The mechanical complications secondary to catheterization of the gastrointestinal tract can be abolished by anchoring the vinyl tube to the intestinal wall. The dog appeared to be an excellent species for long-term experiments as little attention was required during the infusion period; because general adaptation to Isocal was good, feeding hypercaloric amounts of diet was unnecessary to sustain adequate body weight. This model was found to be well suited for the surgical and feeding techniques required for a long-term study of enteral nutrition.

Digestive and absorptive functions along dog small intestine: comparative distributions in relation to biochemical and morphological parameters.

The digestive (hydrolytic enzymes) and absorptive (sugar and amino acid transport) functions of dog small intestine have been evaluated in different segments and analysed in relation to morphometric and biochemical parameters. The dog small intestine is a cylinder of decreasing diameter in which the underlying mucosa thins down from duodenum to ileum, though maintaining its cellular homogeneity as revealed by measuring the mucosal weight, the total DNA and protein content and the protein content of the brush border membrane. Sucrase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, leucylnaphthylamidase and alkaline phosphatase specific activities, measured both in homogenates of the mucosa and purified brush border membrane fractions, were found distributed along proximo-distal gradients of activity. However, different patterns were obtained which are specific for the enzyme considered. Kinetic parameters, Vmax and Km, were estimated for sucrase and alkaline phosphatase in purified brush border membrane fractions. It appeared that Vmax correlated well with the observed distribution of catalytic sites along the small intestine. Sugar (glucose) and amino acid (alanine and leucine) transport capacities were also distributed according to specific proximo-distal gradients but passive and facilitated diffusions were not affected. Only the active, Na+ -dependent component of transport was sensitive to position along the small intestine and we postulated that this adaptation should involve variations in carrier densities. It is therefore concluded that absorbo-digestive functions are intrinsic characteristics of the brush border membrane which are regulated according to the position along the small intestine.

Mechanism of neomycin stimulation of D-glucose uptake in rabbit intestinal brush border membrane.

In order to study the effect of the antibiotic neomycin on the intestinal epithelium, D-glucose was used as a probe molecule and its transport into rabbit brush border membrane vesicles was measured by a rapid filtration method. Treatment of the epithelium with neomycin sulfate prior to the preparation of the brush border membrane enhanced the D-glucose uptake, whereas neutral N-acetylated neomycin did not. This action of neomycin was related to its polycationic character and not to its bactericidal action. No significant difference could be demonstrated between the protein content or disaccharidase-specific activities of the brush border fractions from treated or non-treated intestines. Electrophoretic protein patterns of SDS-solubilized membrane were not significantly different after neomycin treatment. To gain more information on the mechanism involved in the stimulation of D-glucose transport, experiments were conducted on phosphatidyl glycerol artificial membranes and the results compared with those obtained with brush border membrane. At a concentration of 10(-7) M, neomycin decreased the nonactin-induced K+ conductance by a factor of approx. 100. The membrane conductance was linearly dependent on the neomycin concentration and the conductance in 10(-2) M KCl was 10 times that in 10(-3) M KCl. The valence of neomycin was estimated, from the slope of these curves, to be between 6 and 4. In contrast, acetylated neomycin had no effect on the nonactin-induced K+ membrane conductance. Therefore, the effect of neomycin on artificial membrane is related to its 4 to 6 positive charges. It is proposed that the stimulation of sugar transport in brush border membrane is related to screening of the membrane negative charges by the positively-charged neomycin. Accumulation of anions at the membrane surface then occurs and their diffusion into the intravesicular space would increase the transmembrane potential which, in turn, stimulates the entry of D-glucose.

[Long-term therapy of osteoarthritis of the hip and the knee by sulindac (a cooperative trial in general practice) (author's transl)]. / Traitement au long cours de la coxarthrose et de la gonarthrose par le sulindac. Une étude coopérative en médecine générale.

Long-term trial of sulindac (in general practice): 2,040 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or of the knee been treated, 86,5% of them have been following the treatment for one year. This trial let us pointing out the non-improverishment of effectiveness of sulindac and the keepint of its good tolerance for long term. Some epidemiological data have been collected, among which: the importance of ponderal overload in patients studied and the prevalence of the right joints diseases on the left one's.

Labeling of a glucose binding protein in the rabbit intestinal brush border membrane.

Using a double labeling method based on the method of Thomas (Thomas, L. 1973). Isolation of N-ethylmaleimide-labeled phloridzin-sensitive D-glucose binding protein of brush border membrane from rat kidney cortex. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 291, 454--464), with radioactive N-ethylmaleimide ([3H]NEM and [14C]NEM) in the presence and absence of D-glucose, a protein band which is periodic acid--Schiff staining insensitive and which has a relative mobility (Rm) of 0.55 (corresponding to a molecular weight of 51 000 daltons) as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrophoresis was labeled preferentially. When radioactive p-hydroxymercuriphenylsulfonate ([203Hg]PCMBS) is used in the presence and absence of D-glucose, as described by Smith et al. (Smith, M. W., Ferguson, D. R., and Burton, K. A. 1975. Glucose- and phloridzin-protected thiol groups in pig intestinal brush border membranes. Biochem. J. 147, 617--619.), a protein band which has a relative mobility of 0.62 and a corresponding molecular weight of 42 000 daltons was labeled. Control experiments have shown that increasing concentrations of nonradioactive NEM (0.1--5.0 mM) do not substantially modify the electrophoretic pattern of SDS-solubilized brush border membrane. Nonradioactive PCMBS (0.1--10 mM), on the other hand, modifies the electrophoretic pattern and especially causes a change in relative mobility of the 0.55 protein band which migrates after 1 mM PCMBS treatment with a Rm of 0.62. The effect of 1 mM PCMBS can be reversed by adding L-cysteine or dithiothreitol. Actin extracted from rabbit muscle migrates with the same Rm as the 0.55 protein band in our electrophoretic conditions.

Psoriatic arthritis and HLA antigens.

HLA groups including the characteristics of 25 antigens were determined in 108 patients suffering from psoriatic arthritis. These included 18 patients with central forms (pelvospondylitis), and 90 patients with peripheral forms (polyarthritis with or without sacroiliitis). Analysis of the results leads to the following conclusions: central psoriatic arthrisis is strongly associated with B27 and BW38, less closely with B13 and slightly with BW17. Peripheral psoriatic arthritis has the same relationship with the HLA system as has psoriasis without arthropathy.

Enzymic solubilization of the human intestinal brush border membrane enzymes.

The releases of proteins, maltase, lactase, sucrase, trehalase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and leucylnaphthylamide-hydrolyzing activity from human intestinal brush bborder membrane vesicles by various enzymes (especially pancreatic proteases) have been studied. The brush border membrane enzymes are not solubilized by digestion with trypsin and chymotrypsin but are largely released after treatment with papain or elastase. Most of the enzymes are fully active after the proteolytic treatment. All proteins released by papain and elastase have been identified by electrophoresis to already known intestinal hydrolases. Electron microscopy of brush border membrane vesicles demonstrates "knob-like" structures (particles) attached to the external side of the membrane. During papain treatment, enzyme removal runs parallel with the disappearance of the particles. During elastase treatment it is not possible to correlate the release of the enzymic activities with the removal of the particles. The results indicate that most of the intestinal hydrolases are surface components attached to the external side of the membrane. They are in accord with the concept that the brush border membrane enzymes are organized within the membrane in a mosaic-like pattern.

Use of an elemental diet in animals during treatment with 5-fluorouracil (NSC-19893).

Rats eating a diet containing casein hydrolysate (10% wt/wt)(diet 3) instead of whole casein (diet 1) exhibited increased tolerance to nine consecutive daily injections of 15 mg/kg of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The relative nutritional efficiency of diet 3 was significantly higher during 5-FU treatment. Serum albumin levels measured after 5-FU treatment dropped by only 2.7% in diet 3 groups and by 13.5% in diet 1 groups. Serum albumin values for rats on the control diet (Purina lab chow) were comparable to those on diet 1. No 5-FU-related mortality was observed in any of the groups. Intestinal brush border enzymes were determined in a group of rats on diet 1. At the end of 5-FU treatment statistically significant changes were observed: sucrase dropped to 30% of control and leucylnaphthylamide-hydrolyzing activity dropped to 19% of control. The activity of gamma-glutamyltransferase did not change significantly. It is postulated that under these circumstances a mixture with a prevalence of free amino acids (casein hydrolysate) could be more readily absorbed than a corresponding mixture containing a larger proportion of oligopeptides.

[HL-A and Paget's disease]. / HL-A et maladie de Paget

In a study on 43 patients suffering from Paget's disease the authors grouped them within the HL-A histo-compatibility system. Twenty-nine antigens in this system were investigated. Comparison with the distribution in the population of France did not show a significant difference. Nevertheless, there appeared to be a greater frequency of the HL-A 5 and perhaps of W 22 antigens in patients suffering from generalized Paget's disease.

[Muscular involvement in rheumatic pelvispondylitis]. / Les atteintes musculaires au cours de la pelvispondylite rhumatismale

The authors explored a group of patients suffering from rheumatic pelvispondylitis from the point of view of muscular lesions: clinical muscular examination, anatomo-pathological investigation of the muscle (optical microscopy, histochemistry), electromyographic investigation, and determination of certain serum and muscle enzymes. Some muscular anomalies were observed, which were predominant in the muscles of the lumbar grooves, although there were some lesions of the quadriceps muscle, with a myogenous appearance, but without inflammation. The clearest anomalies were neurogenic and were present particularly in the muscles of the lumbar grooves.