Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus among food handlers from a metropolitan university in Chile

BACKGROUND: An important agent of food intoxication is Staphylococcus aureus, that is able to produce enterotoxins. AIM: To detect Staphylococcus aureus contamination in cafeteria food handlers of a Chilean University. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Nose, throat, hands and nail samples from 87 food handlers were obtained for microbiological examination. RESULTS: Fifty seven subjects (65.5%) were carriers of Staphylococcus aureus. Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus was found in 36 subjects (41%). The most frequently found enterotoxin was type B (18 samples) followed by type D (12 samples). Men bad a higher frequency of contamination than women (83 and 57% of positive samples respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of Staphylococcus aureus contamination among food handlers is high and should prompt personal and environmental hygienic measures.     

Nucleoli and argyrophil nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs) of cells of the megakaryocytic line in the rat

The main maturation stages of Norway rat megakaryocytic series, megakaryoblasts and mature megakaryocytes, stained by silver for demonstration of argyrophil nucleolus organizer regions (AgNORs) were investigated to provide basic information on the number of nucleoli and interphasic AgNORs in these cells. The results showed that megakaryoblasts as well as mature megakaryocytes possess numerous nucleoli; their number and also the number of AgNORs is significantly higher in less mature than in more mature cells. The number of AgNORs in megakaryocytes of the Norway rat and man are virtually the same, although the numbers of nucleolar organizers per haploid chromosome set differ markedly. This fact leads to the conclusion that the number of interphasic AgNORs depends on the function and metabolic state of the cell rather than on the number of nucleolar organizers.     

Cloning and sequencing of a tpr-met oncogene cDNA isolated from MNNG-transformed human XP fibroblasts

A rearranged tpr-met oncogene was identified in a MNNG-transformed human Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cell line (ASKMN). A 2016 bp cDNA was cloned and sequenced, disclosing an ORF with a coding capacity for a 523 aa protein. The sequence of this tpr-met cDNA was very similar to that previously reported in another human MNNG-transformed cell line (MNNG-HOS).     

Hemocompatibility in hemodialysis and erythropoietin therapy

Two studies designed to investigate the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) treatment of anemia in chronic dialysis patients on hemocompatibility were conducted. Study 1, whose main aim was to establish whether treatment with rHuEPO enhances coagulation activation during dialysis, included 15 patients before rHuEPO therapy at a mean hematocrit (HCT) of 22.3% and then during therapy at a HCT of 29.3%. The plasma concentrations of the thrombin-antithrombin III complex were not higher during rHuEPO therapy than before it when performing hemodialysis with a Cuprophan membrane. No significant difference was demonstrated either in the values of activated clotting times (Hemochron), thrombocyte or white blood cell counts (Coulter S+II), or in plasma C5a concentrations (ELISA) established during dialysis sessions before and during rHuEPO therapy. In Study 2, which focused primarily on the question of whether or not rHuEPO therapy increases thrombocyte activation during hemodialysis, 8 patients on chronic dialysis were examined both before therapy at a mean HCT value of 22.1% and during rHuEPO therapy at a HCT of 31.5%, invariably during dialysis with either a Cuprophan or polyacrylonitrile (AN69HF) membrane. The plasma concentrations of beta-thromboglobulin (ELISA) did not differ between the examinations made during rHuEPO and before rHuEPO therapy; however, statistically significant differences were found between dialysis sessions involving Cuprophan and AN69HF membranes. No significant difference between examination before and during rHuEPO was demonstrated in activated clotting time nor thrombocyte and white blood cell counts in this study either. The authors conclude that rHuEPO therapy does not enhance coagulation activation during hemodialysis, does not have an effect on thrombocyte activation, and does not influence complement activation and changes in white blood cell counts.