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Competition between the (n - 3) and (n - 6) types of highly unsaturated fatty acids can diminish the abundance of (n - 6) eicosanoid precursors in a tissue, which in turn can diminish the intensity of tissue responses that are mediated by (n - 6) eicosanoids. The mixture of 20- and 22-carbon highly unsaturated fatty acids maintained in the phospholipids of human plasma is related to the dietary intake of 18:2 (n - 6) and 18:3 (n - 3) by empirical hyperbolic equations in a manner very similar to the relationship reported for laboratory rats (Lands, W.E.M., Morris, A. and Libelt, B. (1990) Lipids 25, 505-516). Analytical results from volunteers ingesting self-selected diets showed an inter-individual variance for the proportion of (n - 6) eicosanoid precursors in the fatty acids of plasma phospholipids of about 5%, but the variance among multiple samples taken from the same individual throughout the day was less (about 3%), closer to the experimental variance of the analytical procedure (about 1%). The reproducibility of the results makes it likely that analysis of fatty-acid composition of plasma lipids from individuals will prove useful in estimating the diet-related tendency for severe thrombotic, arthritic or other disorders that are mediated by (n - 6) eicosanoids. Additional constants and terms were included in the equations to account for the effects of 20- and 22-carbon highly unsaturated (n - 3) fatty acids in the diet. A lower constant for the 20- and 22-carbon (n - 3) fatty acids compared to that for the 18-carbon (n - 3) fatty acid in decreasing the ability of dietary 18:2 (n - 6) to maintain 20:4 (n - 6) in tissue lipids confirmed the greater competitive effectiveness of the more highly unsaturated n - 3 fatty acids in the elongation/desaturation process. Also, a lower constant for direct incorporation of 20-carbon fatty acids of the n - 6 vs. the n - 3 type indicated a greater competitive effectiveness of 20:4 (n - 6) relative to 20:5 (n - 3) in reesterification after release from tissue lipids. The equations may be used in reverse to estimate the dietary intakes of the (n - 3) and (n - 6) fatty acids by using the composition of the fatty acids that had been maintained in plasma lipids.

Data were collected prospectively on 8581 cadaveric renal transplants performed by institutions of the South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation (SEOPF) during the period November 1, 1983 through December 31, 1987. Cyclosporine was the initial then always used immunosuppressant for 5742 of these patients while 1050 never received cyclosporine. The drug was started late in the course of 481 transplants and stopped early in 378 cases. This allowed for 7651 transplants to be analyzed regarding these four categories of cyclosporine use or non-use. Actuarial graft survival for the cyclosporine "ALWAYS" group was 75% at one year, 68% at two years, 62% at three years, and 59% at four years compared with 55%, 49%, 45%, and 43%, respectively for the cyclosporine "NEVER" group (P less than 0.0001). Inclusion of the 930 cases that could not be categorized regarding cyclosporine use or for which actuarial data was not complete allowed all 8581 transplants to be analyzed by multivariate methods. This analysis disclosed significant effects on graft survival due to delayed graft function, prior transplant, recipient race, HLA match, level of PRA, and cyclosporine use. Organ sharing had no effect on graft outcome. While cyclosporine improves outcome in renal transplantation, the importance of other biologic factors affecting graft survival is not diminished by its use.

Changes in the circulating lymphocyte populations and thymus glands were studied in rats with experimental chronic renal insufficiency (CRI). Compared to normal or sham-operated animals, rats with CRI had significant reduction in the percentages of circulating T and B lymphocytes. CRI was also associated with marked thymic atrophy and reduction in the numbers of small cortical and medullary thymic lymphocytes. Quantitative microfluorometry revealed a significant reduction in the intrathymic concentration of a potent immunomodulator, thymosin alpha 1 in all uremic animals. There was a significant positive correlation between the percentages of circulating T lymphocytes and the intrathymic concentrations of thymosin alpha 1.

A 34-year-old renal transplant recipient developed multiple soft tissue and extensive cerebral nocardiosis. The number and locations of the cerebral abscesses and probable areas of cerebritis precluded surgical drainage procedures. Gradual resolution of all the cerebral lesions occurred over a period of 6 months with antibiotic therapy alone. A review of the literature revealed only one previous case of a patient with pulmonary nocardiosis who had a probable secondary brain abscess and who survived without surgical drainage. Thus, if surgical drainage is not possible, antibiotic therapy alone may offer a hope of survival in what otherwise has been considered a uniformly fatal disease.

Standard techniques for the quantitative measurement of IgG in cerebral spinal fluid take up to 24 hs. This often delays diagnosis and treatment, critical in newborn infants. A high-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) column, containing immobilized anti-IgG antibody, produced the same or better results in 1 h. The HPAC system gave a 98% correlation with the standard techniques at the normal-abnormal IgG level, but was more accurate at the extremely low IgG level.

Fowler, Richard C. (George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.), Don W. Coble, Norman C. Kramer, and Thomas McP. Brown. Starch gel electrophoresis of a fraction of certain of the pleuropneumonia-like group of microorganisms. J. Bacteriol. 86:1145-1151. 1963.-Starch gel electrophoresis is suggested as a means of further characterizing strains of the pleuropneumonia-like group of microorganisms (PPLO), defined herein as including both the various "L" forms of bacteria and the Mycoplasmataceae. The techniques used may be varied to "select" other groups of proteins or classes of compounds (e.g., glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and enzymes). Only the results by starch gel electrophoresis on the soluble portion of sonically treated, washed cultures, grown in a pancreatic digest of beef heart enriched with bovine serum, are reported. As yet, differences appear more significant than similarities among the electrophoretically separable proteins. The demonstration of characteristic protein patterns for each strain studied suggests possibilities of further dividing serological groups into sero-logically distinct subtypes. Tentative migration values (E(f)) have been assigned to the protein bands for convenience in designation. Numerous interrelationships are thereby suggested.