ANDERSON, P., S. A. SLORACH and B. UVNXS. Sequential exocytosis of storage granules during antigen-induced histamine release from sensitized rat mast cells in vitro. Acta physiol. scand. 1973. 88. 359-372.

During the period 1984-88 several hundred samples of meat, liver and kidney from Swedish pigs and cattle were analysed for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury. Analysis was performed by AAS and extensive quality assurance was carried out. The mean lead levels in pig meat, liver and kidney were less than 0.005, 0.019 and 0.016 mg/kg, respectively: the mean levels in the corresponding bovine tissues were less than 0.005, 0.047 and 0.097 mg/kg. The mean cadmium levels in pig meat, liver and kidney were 0.001, 0.019 and 0.11 mg/kg, whilst those in the corresponding bovine tissues were 0.001, 0.070 and 0.39 mg/kg. The mean arsenic levels in pig meat, liver and kidney were 0.024, 0.023 and 0.019, respectively and those in the corresponding bovine tissues were lower, none exceeding 0.015 mg/kg. The mean mercury levels in pig meat, liver and kidney were 0.009, 0.015 and 0.019 mg/kg respectively, while those in the corresponding bovine tissues were 0.005, 0.006 and 0.010 mg/kg. A decrease in the levels of both arsenic and mercury in pig tissues was found during the period studied, which may be due to a decrease in the use of fish meal in pig feed.

No abstract

Ten healthy men ingested, twice daily between meals, during each of the seven-day experimental periods: (a) citric acid (as lemon juice), (b) Al(OH)3, or (c) Al(OH)3 + citric acid. Whole blood sampled after each dietary period was analyzed electrothermally after digestion with nitric acid. Moderate, but significant, increases in mean Al concentrations as compared with pretreatment values [5 (SD 3) micrograms of Al per liter] were seen after ingestion of either citric acid or Al(OH)3: 9 (SD 4) and 12 (SD 3) micrograms/L, respectively. Ingestion of both Al(OH)3 and citric acid resulted in a more pronounced, highly significant (p less than 0.001) increase in Al concentrations, to 23 (SD 2) micrograms Al/L, probably owing to formation and absorption of Al-citrate complexes.

The relationship between the release of histamine and heparin from rat mast cells exposed to compound 48/80 in vitro has been studied in order to elucidate the mechanism of action of this histamine releasing agent. Heparin is almost exclusively localized to the granule fraction of mast cells and therefore its release can be used as an index of granule release. The ratio percentage histamine release/percentage heparin release was found to be 1.4–1.7 and 1.6–2.0 following exposure of mast cells to 2.5 and 0.25 μg/ml respectively of compound 48/80. These “found” ratios are artificially high due to the fact that it is impossible to effect a complete separation of the released granules from the mast cells. Bearing this in mind, these results are consistent with the hypothesis (Uvnäs and Thon 1966) that the release of histamine‐containing granules is a primary event in the release of histamine induced by this agent. How ever, they do not exclude the possibility that part of the histamine release can take place without granule release. Studies of the specific activities of the 35S‐labelled heparin released and retained by mast cells taken from rats at different intervals after Na235SO4 injection and exposed to compound 48/80 suggest that the most mature granules are released first on treatment of mast cells with this substance.