No abstract

In a cross-sectional study of 181 male workers of a rotogravure printing plant, most of whom were exposed to toluene levels well above the GDR threshold limit values, 55 subjects revealed pathological liver screening values (activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase; liver size). The differential diagnostic examination showed in 51 out of these 55 subjects an association with competing factors such as alcohol abuse (78%) and overweight (40%), to a slight extent disorders of fat and carbohydrate metabolism and of the gallbladder. Drug intake did not play any role. The variance and regression analyses of the biochemical data have shown that alcohol significantly and considerably increases the activities of all three enzymes tested. Bodyweight had a similar, but less pronounced, significant effect. On the other hand, in subjects with a higher alcohol intake the activities of liver enzymes in highly toluene exposed subgroups were significantly and clearly lower than among slightly toluene exposed workers.

Lipids in erythrocytes and plasma of children and adults with terminal renal insufficiency were determined and compared with those of normal controls. The erythrocyte phospholipids in uremic patients were altered in phosphatidylethanolamine (absolutely and relatively elevated) and in lecithin (relatively diminished). Sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine, total erythrocyte phospholipid content and cholesterol were within the normal range. The detailed analysis of the distribution of plasma phospholipids showed an increase in all phospholipids except phosphatidylserine. The unesterified plasma cholesterol was also found to be elevated. The fatty acid distribution in the individual erythrocyte phospholipids showed the following variations in comparison with controls: one main fatty acid was significantly decreased in sphingomyelin and in lecithin and slightly decreased in phosphatidylethanolamine. It could be shown that the lipid alterations in uremic erythrocytes were quite different from those in plasma. There were no typical signs for an increased lipid peroxidation in the erythrocytes of patients with renal insufficiency.

The total lipid content and the lipid pattern of normal and leukemic leukocytes showed no significant difference except the fact, that lymphocytes of chronic lymphatic leukemia have a lower content of triglycerides and sphingomyeline. Lecithin of leukemic lymphocytes contained more palmitinic acid and oleic acid and a lower level of stearic acid than the same fraction in normal lymphocytes. The lipid pattern of normal and leukemic granulocytes was identical.