Positron emission tomography reveals elevated D2 dopamine receptors in drug-naive schizophrenics.

In postmortem studies of patients with schizophrenia, D2 dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia have been observed to be more numerous than in patients with no history of neurological or psychiatric disease. Because most patients with schizophrenia are treated with neuroleptic drugs that block D2 dopamine receptors in the caudate nucleus, it has been suggested that this increase in the number of receptors is a result of adaptation to these drugs rather than a biochemical abnormality intrinsic to schizophrenia. With positron emission tomography (PET), the D2 dopamine receptor density in the caudate nucleus of living human beings was measured in normal volunteers and in two groups of patients with schizophrenia--one group that had never been treated with neuroleptics and another group that had been treated with these drugs. D2 dopamine receptor densities in the caudate nucleus were higher in both groups of patients than in the normal volunteers. Thus, schizophrenia itself is associated with an increase in brain D2 dopamine receptor density.

Respiratory failure in acute pancreatitis: the role of free fatty acids.

Hypertriglyceridemia has been noted in patients with acute pancreatitis and respiratory failure. Utilizing an isolated, perfused, canine pulmonary lobe, the effect of triglyceride infusion on pulmonary function was evaluated. When heparin was used to anticoagulate the perfusion circuit, the addition of triglyceride to the autologous blood perfusate resulted in massive weight gain (226 gm), intrapulmonary shunting (36%), and a marked drop in pulmonary compliance (congruent to 50%). Heparin activates lipoprotein lipase, and therefore some triglyceride in the perfusate was lipolyzed with a resultant increase in serum free fatty acids (FFAs) to 253 mumole/dl. When anticoagulation of the perfusion circuit was accomplished by defibrinogenation with Arvin, the addition of triglyceride to the autologous blood perfusate caused minimal weight gain (28 gm), no intrapulmonary shunting, and only a slight decrease in pulmonary compliance (22%). Arvin has no effect on lipoprotein lipase, and the FFA level in the perfusate remained normal (less than 70 mumole/dl). Thus it appears that FFA release secondary to the action of pulmonary lipoprotein lipase on blood triglyceride is the important pathogenic step in the induction of respiratory failure in this model.

Respiratory failure in acute pancreatitis: a possible role for triglycerides.

Respiratory failure is a frequent complication of acute pancreatitis. Two clinical studies of this association have demonstrated a high incidence of concomitant hypertriglyceridemia. Experimental studies were carried out using an ex vivo, isolated, perfused, ventilated, canine pulmonary lobe to evaluate the effects of triglyceride elevations on pulmonary mechanics and gas exchange. Control lobes perfused for a four hour period remained stable. When 5g and 10g of triglyceride were added to the perfusate, the lobes became grossly edematous and hemorrhagic. Intrapulmonary shunting developed (23 and 46%), weight gain occurred (130 and 189g), effective compliance decreased, and the pressure-volume deflation curves became abnormal. Free fatty acid (FFA) levels increased markedly during the perfusion periods. When small quantities of FFA were infused directly into the pulmonary artery, similar changes, but less severe, occurred. These studies demonstrate that triglyceride elevations are capable of adversely affecting pulmonary gas exchange and mechanics. Such changes probably occur secondary to FFA release. These data thus add support to the concept that the respiratory insufficiency that is seen in acute pancreatitis could be mediated through triglyceride elevations.

Venous air embolism: comparative merits of external cardiac massage, intracardiac aspiration, and left lateral decubitus position.

The treatment of venous air embolism was compared in adult mongrel dogs utilizing left lateral decubitus position, external cardiac massage, and intracardiac aspiration of air. Following the rapid injection of a lethal dose (15 ml/kg) of air, it was found that the left lateral decubitus position and external cardiac massage each produced 57.1 percent survival, both being as effective as intracardiac aspiration of air (61.9 percent survival). Resuscitation time was shortest in dogs treated with intracardiac aspiration, 2.7 +/- 0.28 minutes, whereas with external cardiac massage and left lateral decubitus position, resuscitation times were 18.3 +/- 2.1 minutes and 19.50 +/- 3.0 minutes, respectively. Our study shows external cardiac massage, left lateral decubitus position, and intracardiac aspiration to be equally effective in the treatment of venous air embolism. Our data did not show intracardiac aspiration to be superior to either external cardiac massage of left lateral decubitus position despite the shorter resuscitation time. External cardiac massage has the advantage of simplicity and speed of initiation.