Greenhouse gases: low methane leakage from gas pipelines.

Using natural gas for fuel releases less carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced than burning oil or coal, but its production and transport are accompanied by emissions of methane, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the short term. This calls into question whether climate forcing could be reduced by switching from coal and oil to natural gas. We have made measurements in Russia along the world's largest gas-transport system and find that methane leakage is in the region of 1.4%, which is considerably less than expected and comparable to that from systems in the United States. Our calculations indicate that using natural gas in preference to other fossil fuels could be useful in the short term for mitigating climate change.

[Interdisciplinary treatment of pancreatic cancer]. / Die Behandlung des Pankreaskarzinoms in interdisziplinärer Zusammenarbeit.

Resection of the pancreas due to carcinoma represents with an operative mortality of 3.5% and three-year-survival of 15% an operative strategy, which should be carried out as a therapy of choice only on selected patients with an early cancer stage (ex. T1). But no other treatment offers the chance of long-time survival and curation. There seems to be no influence of operative therapy on patient prognosis in advanced cancer stages. In these cases, palliative treatment (ex. biliodigestive anastomosis or transcutaneous biliary drainage) are methods of choice. A main palliative aspect should be a painless patient. This can be achieved by oral or i.v. medication and/or chemical neurolysis of plexus coeliacus.

CA 19-9, CA 50 and elastase 1 as additional markers of cystic fibrosis.

Since reliable diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) is still difficult, the occurrence of serum markers CA 19-9, CA 50 and elastase 1 was analysed. Serum levels of CA 19-9, CA 50, CA 125 and elastase 1 were estimated in 54 CF patients as well as in a control group of 66 children of similar age suffering from various other diseases and in 57 parents of CF patients. In 67% of CF patients CA 19-9 was higher than 37 U/ml, whereas 8% of the control group and only 2% of the parents showed an increased concentration. In the case of CA 50, 65% of the CF group, 21% of the control and none of the parents exhibited concentrations higher than 17 U/ml. In CF 22% showed decreased, 8% increased elastase 1 values. In the control group 2% had less than 80 ng/dl and 3% had higher elastase 1 levels than 400 ng/dl. In parents there were only increased levels in 4%. Accordingly CA 19-9 has been proven as a suitable marker and its sensitivity can be improved from 67% to 86% by additional testing of CA 50 and elastase 1. With regard to CA 125 in 11% of CF patients, 5% of control persons and 5% of parents CA 125 levels ranged above 35 U/ml. The determination of saliva CA 19-9 and CA 125 does not yield further information. Taking all previous findings into account elastase 1 is a better marker for acute pancreatitis than for pancreatic cancer and CF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Primary structures and Lewis blood-group-dependent expression of major sialylated saccharides from mucus glycoproteins of human seminal plasma.

The primary structures of four major sialylated saccharide alditols derived from mucus glycoproteins of human seminal plasma were established by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and methylation analysis. Anomeric configurations of the glycosidic bonds were determined by exoglycosidase digestion and CrO3 oxidation. (Formula: see text) Two minor components represent isomers of the major saccharide in A6, which are probably characterized by terminal sequences NeuAc(2----3)Gal(1----4)[Fuc(1----3)]GlcNAc(1---- and Fuc(1----2)Gal(1----4)[NeuAc(2----6)]GlcNAc(1----, respectively. Based on quantitative data from high-pressure liquid chromatography and on structural information, the biosynthetic pathways for neutral and sialylated saccharides related to the Lewis system were proposed. Expression of saccharides A6, A7 and A8 and their asialo counterparts, which are characterized by antigenic determinants H, Lex and Ley, respectively, is qualitatively and quantitatively dependent on the Lewis blood type of the respective donor and correlates with Ca 19-9 activity of its seminal plasma.

[Granular-cell tumor of the esophagus]. / Der Granularzell-Tumor des Osophagus.

A granular-cell oesophageal tumour was demonstrated in a 47-year-old man. With rare exception this type of tumour is benign. As it grows dysphagia develops. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice. It should be a wide excision, because the non-encapsulated tumour is microscopically more extensive than macroscopically. If too little is excised it may recur. But the high operative risk justifies expectant waiting, perhaps combined with local partial endoscopic removal of the tumour. Only in the rare instance of a small or pedicled tumour is total endoscopic excision possible.

Ca 125 and Ca 19-9: two cancer-associated sialylsaccharide antigens on a mucus glycoprotein from human milk.

The cancer-associated antigens Ca 125 and Ca 19-9 were demonstrated by radioimmunoassay to form structural units of a mucus glycoprotein in human milk taken from healthy women four days after parturition. The glycoprotein precipitated with the casein fraction at pH 4.6 and was completely absent in the whey as judged from Ca 19-9 assay. It could be effectively enriched by phenol-saline extraction from soluble milk proteins and further purified by gel filtration on Sephacryl S300 and Sephacryl S400. The active component with a bouyant density of 1.41 g/ml in isopycnic density gradient centrifugation (CsCl) shared common physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of mucus glycoproteins. Carbohydrates representing about 68% by weight were conjugated to protein by alkali-labile linkages, exclusively and were essentially free of D-mannose. Activities of Ca 125 and Ca 19-9 were both destroyed by treatment with periodate, mild alkali or neuraminidase suggesting the antigens are sialylated saccharides bound to protein by alkali-labile linkages. The fraction of monosialylated saccharide alditols isolated after reductive beta-elimination from the mucus glycoprotein was shown to inhibit monoclonal antibodies anti-(Ca 125) and anti-(Ca 19-9) in radioimmunoassay.

[In vivo reactivation of reduced T cell activity following polytransfusion caused by immune aggregates in immunoglobulin preparations]. / In-vivo-Reaktivierung reduzierter T-Zellaktivität nach Polytransfusion durch Immunaggregate in Immunglobulinpräparationen.

Surgery leads to an activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes, which is inhibited by polytransfusion. This effect could be eliminated by application of immunoglobulins. We think that immune aggregates in immunoglobulin preparations can stimulate T-lymphocytes.

[Circulating immune complexes and complement factors in patients following cardiosurgical operations]. / Zirkulierende Immunkomplexe und Komplementfaktoren bei Patienten nach kardiochirurgischen Operationen.

In patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery complement levels and immune complexes dropped significantly immediately after surgery, followed by a late rise in not complement fixing IC, suspected to be the product of polyclonal immune stimulation.

[Tumor associated markers as organ-specific antigens of the human seminal plasma. II. Immunohistological studies]. / Tumor-assoziierte Marker als organ-charakteristische Antigene des menschlichen Seminalplasmas. II. Immunhistologische Studien.

The serologically detected and immunochemically characterized Ca 19-9 antigen of the human seminal plasma (as a glycoprotein) could now be also immunohistochemically localized in the prostate gland as well as in the seminal vesicles of the human genital tract. We conclude, therefore, that the main biosynthesis of this organ-typical glycoprotein takes place in both tissues. With respect to the quantitative expression of the antigen, there are differences not only in connection with the property of Lewis blood group but obviously also with regard to functional tissue alterations partly dependent on hormones. Possible associations with infertility, autoimmune diseases, or AIDS cannot be excluded in case of this alloantigen containing neuraminic acid.

[Phagocytosis activity of monocytes and macrophages in patients with plasmacytoma]. / Untersuchungen zur Phagozytoseaktivität von Monozyten-Makrophagen bei Plasmozytomkranken.

The capacity to phagocytosis in monocytic macrophages was investigated in 24 patients with plasmocytoma. The investigation of this capacity was made by using short-term cultures with sheep erythrocytes loaded with antibodies and complement. In comparison to the control group the percentage of phagocyting macrophages was lowered in 16 from 24 patients. This impairment of the function of monocytic macrophages seems to be bound neither to the type of plasmocytoma nor to the stage of disease. Among other things, the nature of cell defect is discussed. The necessity of further investigations is emphasized.

[Tumor-associated markers as organ-specific antigens of human seminal plasma. I. Immunologic studies]. / Tumor-assoziierte Marker als organ-charakteristische Antigen des menschlichen Seminalplasmas. I. Immunologische Studien.

We could demonstrate that some constituents of the human seminal plasma must be regarded as organ-specific substances; these are known as characteristic tumor markers in connection with other subjects. Accordingly, the occurrence of the tumor markers Ca 19-9tm, CEA and Ca 12-5tm in samples of normal human seminal plasma shows that these materials must be defined in this case as organ-characteristic markers. We report on different quantitative distribution of these markers and give evidence that the Ca 19-9 antigen only occurs in persons positive with respect to Lewis' blood group.

Sialylated Lea blood group substances detected by the monoclonal antibody Ca 19-9 in human seminal plasma and other organs.

The glycoprotein fractions of human seminal plasma, amniotic fluid, urine, human saliva and human gastric juice have been found to contain sialyl-Lea blood group substance, an antigen and which is known to function as a tumor-marker in human pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer (Ca 19-9). Tumor-associated carbohydrate structures may well occur in large amounts both in normal tissue and in secretions as organ-specific markers. In human seminal plasma typical variations have been found in relationship to the Lewis blood group of the donor. Accordingly, the Ca 19-9 antigen can be regarded as a marker of the main glycoprotein fraction of human seminal plasma, which could be useful as a tool for clinical investigations.

Structure of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen Ca 19-9 on human seminal-plasma glycoproteins from healthy donors.

The monoclonal antibody-defined, tumor-associated antigen Ca 19-9, chemically identical with the sialylated Lewisa-carbohydrate determinant of a monoganglioside and a mucin, was demonstrated by radioimmunoassay to be present in large amounts as component of fucose-rich sialoglycoproteins, which had been extracted from human seminal plasma of healthy donors. The carbohydrate antigen of these glycoproteins (m greater than 205 kDa and m 115 kDa), which are presumably secreted by the prostatic gland, was absent in seminal plasma from blood-group-Lewis-negative men. The Ca 19-9 active sialyl-oligosaccharide was cleaved from the proteins by mild alkaline borohydride treatment and was shown to chromatograph on gradient elution from DEAE-Sephadex with the fraction of monosialylated saccharide alditols (MS-SP). The asialo derivative of the major saccharide alditol in this fraction was composed of L-fucose, D-galactose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-galactosaminitol in the molar proportions 1:2:1:1 and chromatographed on Bio-Gel P2 according to approximately seven hexose units. A methylation analysis of the sialylated saccharide alditol in fraction MS-SP, which had been purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography, revealed the presence of terminal, non-reducing L-fucose, 3-O-substituted D-galactose, 3,4 di-O-substituted N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and 3-O-substituted N-acetyl-D-galactosaminitol. The presented data and the fragmentation pattern obtained on direct probe EI and FAB+ mass spectrometry of the permethylated asialo derivative are in accordance with the structure of a sialylated pentasaccharide alditol (formula; see text).

Unexpected occurrence of the Ca 19-9 tumor marker in normal human seminal plasma.

A monoclonal antibody with anti-sialyl-lacto-N-fucopentaose II specificity, originally thought to be a specific tumor marker in pancreas- and gastrointestinal tumors, reacts strongly with fucose-rich glycoproteins from human seminal plasma obtained by phenol/saline extraction. They are presumed to come from the prostatic gland secretion. Because of the specificity of this monoclonal antibody it can be deduced that the sialyl-Lea-sequence: N-acetyl-alpha-neuraminyl-(2----3)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1--- -3)-[alpha-L-fucopyranosyl-(1----4)]-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-gluco pyranosyl-(1----3)-D-galactopyranosyl is present on these glycoproteins. This is also supported by our carbohydrate analysis.

[Passive prophylactic immunisation against post-transfusion hepatitis by immunoglobulin preparations: a prospective clinical study]. / Passive Immunprophylaxe der Posttransfusionshepatitis durch Immunglobulin-Präparationen. Eine prospektive klinische Studie.

In the course of a randomised prospective study involving 98 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery, 51 patients were given 20 g human immunoglobulin i.v. over four months, 47 received merely blood transfusions, like all other patients, averaging 4.4 units per patient. Antibodies against HBs antigen or Hbc antigen were present in 20% of patients before operation. After operation (plus blood transfusions) antibodies against hepatitis-B virus were demonstrated in 43% of the control group but 94% of those treated with immunoglobulins. These antibodies persisted in the course of further immunoglobulin administrations, while they fell in the control group. Hepatitis-B infections occurred in ten patients of the control group, after 30-90 days; three of them developed acute hepatitis. In the group treated with immunoglobulins there were only two patients with an infection, one of whom developed hepatitis. Antibodies against cytomegalic virus increased in the control group but not in the treatment group. In both groups there was the same incidence of non-A-non-B hepatitis.