The subgenus Persicargas (Ixodoidea: Argasidae: Argas). 26. Argas (P.) arboreus: effect of photoperiod on diapause induction and termination

The anthelmintic efficacy of fenbendazole (methyl 5-(phenylthio)-2-benzimidazole carbamate) was tested in sheep against standardised strains of Hcaemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis, known to be resistant to thiabendazole (LD90 for thiabendazole against H ontortus was 200 mg/kg bodyweight and against T colubriformis was 150 mg/kg). Fenbendazole at dose rates of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg per os reduced total worm counts in H contortus infected sheep by 66, 90 and 100 per cent respectively, with similar reductions recorded for worm egg outputs. For the thiabendazole resistant strain of T colubriformis, fenbendazole reduced total worm counts in infected sheep by 4, 44 (40-48), 79 (75-83), 96 and 100 per cent at dose rates of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg per os. Significant suppression of worm-egg production by thiabendazole resistant T colubriformis was obtained with fenbendazole at dose levels of 5 mg/kg and above. The implications of these results are discussed in the light of the increasing occurrence of strains of trichostrongylid nematodes resistant to currently available benzimidazole anthelmintics.     

Determination of phenprocoumon, an anticoagulant, in human plasma

Phenprocoumon is extracted from acidified plasma, the organic phase evaporated, and part of the residue, in ethanol, is quantitatively applied to a thin-layer plate. After separation, the quantity of phenprocoumon is assayed by fluorescence densitometry in situ. Results are reproducible to about 2.5%. The lower limit of detection is 0.1 mg/liter, which makes the method fully applicable to human plasma, because therapeutic concentrations range from 1 to 3 mg/liter. Seven determinations can be made within 3 h. For toxicological purposes, a qualitative analysis can be done in a shorter time, because the phenprocoumon spots are visible under ultraviolet light at 254 nm.     

Complement activation in vivo in cancer patients receiving C. parvum immunotherapy

Serum complement levels were assayed in 26 patients with disseminated cancer, who received immunotherapy with infusion of C. parvum. Complement activation, indicated by the consumption of C3 or C4 or both, was found in 46% of the patients. Serum samples showed direct correlation between decreased C3 and conversion of C3 proactivator, whereas such conversion did not occur when C4 alone was decreased. It is concluded that the bypass (properdin) pathway was activated in patients in whom C3 consumption was detected, while the classical (C1) pathway was activated in the patients with C4 consumption unaccompanied by C3 decrease. Direct correlation was observed between delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to recall antigens and the incidence of C. parvum-associated complement activation.     

The occurrence in amino acid sequences of extensive informational symmetries based on possible codon-codon complementarity in the encoding polynucleotides

1. A procedure is described for the detection and assessment of informational complementarity in an amino acid sequence; it is based on possible autocomplementarity in the mRNA, and involves codon-to-codon matching. 2. This procedure was applied to myelin basic protein, a variety of protamines, histone IV, silk fibroin, rat skin collagen alpha1 chain and a sheep keratin. A multiplicity of extensive low-probability informational symmetries, based on codon-to-codon matching, were detected. 3. These low-probability orderings, which are independent of the actual mRNA codons, are rationalized in terms of the evolutionary ordering of the amino acid sequences concerned, in such a way that constraints on the secondary structure of the coding polynucleotides were satisfied. This possible interpretation is supported by a number of significant common properties of the protein sequences analysed.     

Evaluation of an adenosine 5'-triphosphate assay as a screening method to detect significant bacteriuria

The bioluminescent reaction of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) with luciferin and luciferase has been used in conjunction with a sensitive photometer (Lab-Line's ATP photometer) to detect significant bacteriuria in urine. This rapid method of screening urine specimens for bacteriuria was evaluated by using 348 urine specimens submitted to the clinical microbiology laboratory at the University of Minnesota Hospitals for routine culture using the calibrated loop-streak plate method. There was 89.4% agreement between the culture method and the ATP assay, with 7.0% false positive and 27.0% false negative results from the ATP assay using 10(5) organisms/ml of urine or greater as positive for significant bacteriuria and less than 10(5) organisms/ml as negative for significant bacteriuria.     

A sensitive method for the determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline in human plasma

The kinetics of the male gametogenesis during the pregonadal period, prespermatogenesis, and "early" spermatogenesis has been described in detail. Concerning spermatogenesis in the adult individual reference is made to the articles of Courot, Hochereau-de Reviers and Ortavant (1970) and of Clermont (1972). The comparison of female and male gametogenesis (Fig. 1) shows that the "gonia stage" (asterisks) of the female germ cells is limited to one proliferation wave only, whereas the "gonia stage" of the male germ cells consists of a first proliferation wave, comparable to that of oogonia, a preparative phase to initiate spermatogenesis, and a second proliferation wave with renewal and differentiation of the spermatogonia. Germ cells in the "gonia stage" are highly sensitive towards ionising radiation and cytostatic drugs.     

Bleeding fibroma of the small intestine

A case of serious, recurrent enterorrhagia is reported. The cause could not be identified with normal diagnostic tools and was discovered only after explorative laparotomy. The finding was benign ulcerated tumour of the small intestine, histologically defined as fibroma with fluorishing cellularity.     

Comparison of hemodynamic and regional blood flow changes at equivalent stages of endotoxin and hemorrhagic shock

Hemodynamic, respiratory, and regional blood flow measurements were carried out in two groups of monkeys at three roughly equivalent stages of endotoxin and hemorrhagic shock. Comparisons revealed characteristic differences at the two early stages, particularly in systemic vascular resistance and the pattern of distribution of cardiac output. However, at the final stage of shock, these patterns had merged and there were no characteristic differences between the two groups. The pathologic significance of these findings, in terms of the endotoxin theory of irreversible hemorrhagic shock and the realtive contributions of vasoactive humoral substances at various stages of the two forms of shock, is discussed.