We studied some metabolic and hormonal effects of a very early nutrition supplementation in burned patients. The patients were divided into two groups of 10 patients each. Supplementation in the first group, the very early nutritionally supplemented (VENS) group, was started immediately after admission, ie, after 4.4 +/- 0.5 h (mean +/- SEM) from the injury; it was started after 57.7 +/- 2.6 h from the injury in the second group (control group). Hormonal and metabolic indices were recorded every 4 d up to 28 d. In the VENS group, the nitrogen balance became positive in 8.8 +/- 4.1 d whereas it took 24.1 +/- 6.9 d in the control group (p less than 0.05). Urinary catecholamine excretion and plasma glucagon concentrations were lower during the first 2 wk of observation in the VENS group compared with the control group. Insulin concentrations were significantly higher on the fourth and eighth days in VENS patients and plasma cortisol concentrations were similar in both groups.

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In this work we set out to determine if the murine macrophage J774 cell line can be used to produce myogenic growth factors. Activated J774 macrophages were grown in serum-free conditions. The macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM) was then used to treat cultures of primary myoblasts and regenerating muscle tissue, in vitro and in vivo respectively. MCM activity in vitro was tested by analyzing the expression of muscle-specific transcription factors, in parallel with the proliferation and differentiation rates of the cells. The macrophage-secreted factors greatly enhanced the proliferative potential of both rat and human primary myoblasts and were found to be highly muscle-specific. In vivo, MCM administration markedly enhanced the regenerative processes in damaged muscles. The ability to produce large amounts of macrophage-secreted myogenic factor(s) in the absence of serum holds great promise for its biochemical characterization and successive application in therapeutic protocols, both for ex vivo gene therapy and for muscle repair.

A B S T R A C T The cellularity of normal and lipomatous adipose tissue and its response to different lipolytic agents have been studied in a group of 10 patients with multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL).In MSL patients, fat cells from lipomatous tissue are smaller than normal, uninvolved adipocytes. Fat cells from lipomata show minimal variations in size following conspicuous increase of lipomatous masses. These findings suggest that the growth of lipomata can be attributed to the neoformation of adipocytes rather than to an enlargement in the single fat cells.The incidence of reduced glucose tolerance and of hyperlipoproteinemia is similar in MSL patients and in controls. A significant reduction in plasma free fatty acids was observed in MSL patients after a 24-h fast as well as after noradrenaline infusion.A specific insensitivity of lipomatous tissue to the lipolytic effect of noradrenaline and isoprenaline was observed in vitro, as indicated by glycerol release in the medium, whereas response to theophylline and to dibutyryl cyclic AMP was retained. The lipolytic response to catecholamines was normal in the nonlipomatous adipose tissue of MSL patients. In basal conditions ATP concentrations were similar in normal and in lipomatous adipose tissue. However, incubation with noradrenaline induced a significant fall in intracellular ATP levels in normal tissue, whereas no variations were observed in lipomatous tissue. Theophylline, instead, induced a prompt and significant decrease in intracellular ATP levels in lipomatous tissue. These obervations indicate that the block in catecholPreliminary results of in vitro studies were presented at

The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphology of the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS). Eight embalmed cadavers were analyzed: one side of the face was macroscopically dissected; on the other side, full-thickness samples of the parotid, zygomatic, nasolabial fold and buccal regions were taken. In all specimens, a laminar connective tissue layer (SMAS) bounding two different fibroadipose connective layers was identified. The superficial fibroadipose layer presented vertically oriented fibrous septa, connecting the dermis with the superficial aspect of the SMAS. In the deep fibroadipose connective layer, the fibrous septa were obliquely oriented, connecting the deep aspect of the SMAS to the parotid-masseteric fascia. This basic arrangement shows progressive thinning of the SMAS from the preauricular district to the nasolabial fold (p < 0.05). In the parotid region, the mean thicknesses of the superficial and deep fibroadipose connective tissues were 1.63 and 0.8 mm, respectively, whereas in the region of the nasolabial fold the superficial layer is not recognizable and the mean thickness of the deep fibroadipose connective layer was 2.9 mm. The connective subcutaneous tissue of the face forms a three-dimensional network connecting the SMAS to the dermis and deep muscles. These connective laminae connect adipose lobules of various sizes within the superficial and deep fibroadipose tissues, creating a three-dimensional network which modulates transmission of muscle contractions to the skin. Changes in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the fibroadipose connective system, reducing its viscoelastic properties, may contribute to ptosis of facial soft tissues during aging.