Search

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: As well as its involvement in control of adipose mass and body energy balance, several reports suggest a link between leptin and hemopoiesis. To test its putative role in human hemopoiesis, we developed a homologous system, ie recombinant human leptin treatment of purified CD34 + progenitors from adult human bone marrow. RESULTS: Leptin (50-100 ng/ml) significantly stimulated the appearance of granulocyte-macrophage colonies in the presence or absence of erythropoietin. The concentration of leptin required for this effect was rather high but within the range of plasma leptin levels observed in obesity. Two results further support the hypothesis that leptin may be involved in the leukocytosis associated with obesity: (i) leptin concentrations in bone marrow and plasma of subjects studied were highly correlated; (ii) leptin and leukocyte count were correlated only in obese subjects. Paracrine effects of locally released leptin from bone marrow adipocytes could also be involved in the regulation of hemopoiesis, a hypothesis supported by marrow immunocytochemistry revealing the close association of CD34+cells with adipocytes and by previous demonstration that leptin is secreted at a high level by these cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that leptin acts on human multilineage CD34 + cells and that high plasma leptin levels associated with obesity could participate in the differentiation of granulocytes from hemopoietic progenitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple, inexpensive method for measuring the cerebral circulation time (CCT) was developed. The CCT was considered to be equal to the time that an intravenously injected bolus of sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m took to go from the subclavian artery to the posterior venous confluence. The dilution curves were externally recorded at these two vessels. Particular attention was given to the curve treatment. The computer programmes were specially conceived in order to detect and, if possible, correct the experimental curve defects. Several reliability criteria were also defined in order to test the validity of each measurement. From a physiological point of view, the CCT is equal to the ratio of the global cerebral blood volume to the global cerebral blood flow. Thus, it can be widely applied in clinical research. For example, in a study of the relationship between CCT and age, sex and light cerebrovascular impairment, the technique was sensitive enough to discriminate between healthy subjects and patients suffering fromtransient ischemic attack, or regressive stroke, and to show the action of a drug on the cerebral circulation in such patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the immunodiagnosis of human toxocaral disease, a sensitive and specific assay using the Western blotting procedure (WB) with excretory-secretory antigens from Toxocara canis larvae (TES) was developed and compared with the standard enzymelinked immunosorbent assay method (TES-ELISA) using the same antigens. We tested groups of sera from laboratory animals or patients presenting with toxocariasis or other helminthic diseases and a group of sera from people dwelling in an area endemic for toxocariasis who exhibited hypereosinophilia. Statistically, the WB assay correlated well with TES-ELISA, but the former was more specific for banding patterns corresponding to low-molecular-weight fractions, thus avoiding problems of cross-reactivity with sera infected with other helminthic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-year case-control study was performed by occupational physicians in 328 injured people and 662 controls in order to investigate a possible relationship between the consumption of benzodiazepines and the occurrence of industrial injuries. Benzodiazepine consumption was found to be related to sex (females) and age but not to a higher frequency of industrial injuries. It is suggested that knowledge of being at risk might be a factor reducing the consumption of benzodiazepines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]