Nonenzymatic glycation of fibrinogen is species independent and depends only on the glucose concentration in the incubation mixture under selected in vitro conditions. An increased fibrin monomer aggregation in the presence of Ca2+ ions and a decreased proteolytic susceptibility of nonenzymatically glycated fibrinogens may favour the development of thrombophilic states. Blocking of lysine residues as well as restricted conformational changes induced by glucose attachment may be responsible for these effects. Fibrin stabilization by factor XIII is not impaired by nonenzymatic glycation of fibrinogen. Attachment of aortic endothelial cells to fibrin films from glycated fibrinogens is diminished. This phenomenon may be the result of blocked plasminogen activator binding sites in fibrin by nonenzymatic glycation. These effects may contribute in vivo to the accumulation of fibrin in those tissues most frequently affected by diabetic complications.

The influence of the oral administration of an aqueous-ethanolic extract of a mixture of Thujae occidentalis herba, Baptisiae tinctoriae radix, Echinaceae purpureae radix and Echinaceae pallidae radix, on the course of Influenza A virus infection in Balb/c mice was investigated. The extract was administered to mice via the drinking water for 14 days starting 6 days before intranasal infection with Influenza A virus. The progress of infection was recorded during a time range of 21 days. Parameters for the evaluation of antiviral activity were survival rate and mean day to death. In a further set of experiments infected mice were sacrificed on defined days. Determination of consolidation score and virus titer were performed for each lung. The data show that the oral treatment with the extract induced a statistically significant increase in the survival rate, prolonged the mean survival time and reduced lung consolidation and virus titer. The experiments demonstrate that the plant immunomodulator given 6 days before exposure is a potent inhibitor of Influenza A virus pathology in vivo.

The influence of the oral administration of a herbal immunomodulator, consisting of an aqueous-ethanolic extract of the mixed herbal drugs Thujae summitates, Baptisiae tinctoriae radix, Echinaceae purpureae radix and Echinaceae pallidae radix, on cytokine induction and antibody response against sheep red blood cells was investigated in mice. The treatment of the animals with the extract caused no enhancement of the cytokine titers in the serum. Spleen cells isolated from the treated mice, however, produced higher amounts of IL-2, IFNgamma and GM-CSF ex vivo in comparison to spleen cells isolated from control animals, especially after additional stimulation by lipopolysaccharides or concanavalin A. The application of the extract also triggered the production of IL-1 and TNFalpha by peritoneal macrophages ex vivo. The influence of the herbal extract on the antibody response was examined by the plaque forming cell assay. The administration of the extract caused a significant enhancement of the antibody response against sheep red blood cells, inducing an increase in the numbers of splenic plaque forming cells and the titers of specific antibodies in the sera of the treated animals. In mice, immunosuppressed by old age or additional treatment with hydrocortisone, the therapy with the extract resulted in a normalization of the antibody response against sheep red blood cells.

Adhesion of bovine endothelial cells on fibronectin and collagen before and after nonenzymatic glycation in vitro has been studied. Nonenzymatic glycation of these proteins reduced their ability to bind endothelial cells. Furthermore, nonenzymatically glycated fibronectin failed to bind to normal and nonenzymatically glycated gelatin and to fibrin. So gelatin and fibrin Sepharoses can be used to separate highly glycated fibronectins from fibronectins with a low degree of nonenzymatic glucose substitution. Sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis did not demonstrate a covalent cross-link between nonenzymatically glycated fibronectins. These results present further evidences for the role of nonenzymatic glycation of proteins in the development of vascular complications in long-term diabetes and of atherosclerosis.

Zusammenfassung Es werden drei Fälle von Aneurysma dissecans beim Kalb beschrieben. Zwei Tiere starben an Haemopericardium, ein Tier an Haemothorax. Bei einem Tier wurden am Vorabend Kolikerscheinungen beobachtet. Alle drei Tiere waren zwischen 2 1/2 und 3 1/2 Monate alt und lebten in einer Höhe von über 2800 m, in einer Gegend, in welcher Jodmangel besteht. Alle drei Tiere zeigten ausserdem Hypertrophie des rechten Ventrikels, erstes Stadium der “Brisket Disease”. Höhe und ein Mangelfaktor (Jodmangel, Kupfermangel?) werden als mögliche Ursache vermutet, jedoch fehlen noch die nötigen Ergänzungsuntersuchungen.

Bei ungefähr einem Drittel der sezierten Hauskatzen sowie bei einem Ozelot haben wir an den kleinen Ästen der A. pulmonalis Verdickungen gefunden, die zu keinen andern Krankheiten in direkter Beziehung stehen. Das Leiden beginnt mit einer sich zentrifugal ausbreitenden Periarteriitis nodosa eosinophilica mit starkem Mediaödem. In älteren Fällen entwickelt sich eine asymmetrische Intimafibrose und eine unregelmässige Mediahyperplasie. In alten Stadien fehlen Entzündungserscheinungen. Die meist schwach ausgeprägte Hypertrophie des rechten Herzens ist sekundärer Natur. Diese Arterienveränderungen, die nichts mit Arteriosklerose zu tun haben, werden sehr wahrscheinlich durch Aelurostrongylus abstrusus verursacht. Sie werden hauptsächlich bei älteren Tieren beobachtet und führen zu keinen klinischen Störungen.

Abstract14C‐Carboxylmarkierte Indolyl‐3‐essigsäure geht mit einer spezifischen Einbaurate von 0,3% in die Clavinalkaloide von Claviceps purpurea ein. Dieses Ergebnis macht es nicht unwahrscheinlich, daß Indolyl‐3‐essigsäure auch als ein Praecursor der Alkaloide in Betracht kommen kann. Die geringe Einbaurate erklärt jedoch nicht die Steigerung der Alkaloidbildung nach Zusatz von Indolyl‐3‐essigsäure.