Publications

Purified macrophage interleukin 1 (IL 1) induced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the proliferation of two commonly used tumor cell target lines, the human myeloid K562 and the murine T lymphoma Eb. In contrast, mastocytoma-derived P815 cells were not inhibited. The cytostatic action of IL 1 was not associated with direct cytotoxicity and was only partially reversible. PGE or interferon did not appear to mediate these effects. IL 1 treatment of the multipotential K562 cells revealed no morphologic evidence for the induction of specific differentiation. FACS analysis of IL 1-treated K562 cells showed a rapid decrease in transferrin receptor density, and a more delayed, but highly significant, increase in HLA-A,B,C antigen density. These findings provide one explanation for the frequently reported macrophage cytostatic actions against tumor cells, and indicate as well that IL 1, like interferon, may enhance the expression of Class I MHC antigens. These observations further extend the range of IL 1 actions and underscore the fundamental and direct role of this monokine in macrophage antitumor activity.

We undertook a study to determine the acute effects of routine firefighting on lung function and the relationship between these acute effects and nonspecific airway responsiveness. For 29 firefighters from a single fire station, we calculated the concentration of methacholine aerosol that caused a 100% increase in specific airway resistance (Pc100). Over an 8-week period we than measured FEV1 and FVC in each firefighter before and after each 24-hr workshift and after every fire. From 199 individual workshifts without fires, we calculated the mean +/- 2 SD across-workshift change in FEV1 and FVC for each firefighter. Eighteen of 76 measurements obtained within 2 hr after a fire (24%) showed a greater than 2 SD fall in FEV1 and/or FVC compared to two of 199 obtained after routine workshifts without fires (1%; p less than .001). On 13 of 18 occasions when spirometry decreased significantly, we obtained repeat spirometry (postshift) 3-18.5 hr after fires, and on four of these occasions FEV1 and/or FVC were still more than 2 SD below baseline. Decrements in spirometry occurred as often in firefighters with high Pc100s as in those with low Pc100s. In two firefighters in whom FEV1 and FVC fell by more than 10% after fires, we repeated measurements of methacholine sensitivity, and it was increased over the prestudy baseline. These findings suggest that routine firefighting is associated with a high incidence of acute decrements in lung function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholecystokinin (CCK) and substance P (SP) concentrations were measured in discrete brain areas of adult male and diestrous female rats. Significant sex differences in CCK concentration were found in the ventromedial hypothalamic area, medial and lateral preoptic area, nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca, ventral tegmental area, entorhinal and in several cortical areas. No sex differences in SP concentrations were observed in any of these areas. However, significant sex differences in SP concentration were found in the amygdala. These data indicate that the CCK and to some extent the SP systems are sexually differentiated in certain brain areas.