Biologic and serologic characterization of the 161A strain of Naegleria fowleri

The 161A strain of Naegleria isolated from the nasal swab of a boy (9) was grown axenically in Nelson's medium. When 10,000 amoebae from the axenic medium were inoculated onto each monkey kidney cell (Vero) culture, characteristic cytopathic effects (CPE) were noticed in 4 to 5 days. The CPE consisted of granulation of the host cell cytoplasm, cell shrinkage, nuclear pycnosis, and discontinuity of cell sheet. When 10,000 amoebae were instilled intranasally into a group of ten 2- to 3-week-old mice, 8 of the 10 mice exhibited characteristic symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis and died within 10 to 12 days. Histopathology of the brain revealed necrotic tissue and an acute inflammatory reaction in the superficial regions of the brain. In the gel diffusion and immunoelectrophoresis tests the sonically disrupted antigens of 161A amoebae reacted extensively with the hyper-immune sera against 3 strains (CA, CJ, HB-1) of pathogenic N. fowleri and produced patterns very similar to those produced by the homologous systems. Further, anti-HB-1 serum absorbed with the 161A antigens failed to react with the antigens of HB-1, CA, CJ, and 161A strains thus indicating antigenic identity of 161A strain with N. fowleri. In view of these observations it was concluded that the strain 161A is pathogenic and should be reclassified as N. fowleri.     

Fertility following bilateral ovarian wedge resection: a critical analysis of 90 consecutive cases of the polycystic ovary syndrome

Fertility following bilateral ovarian wedge resection (BOWR) was evaluated in a retrospective cohort study of 90 consecutive cases of the polycystic ovary syndrome. Post-BOWR follow-up was available for varying time spans of up to 10 years. BOWR resulted in the resumption of menstrual cyclicity in 91.1% (82/90) of the cases. However, within this ovulatory group, 26 patients were characterized by oligo-ovulation and a significantly reduced conception rate (29.2%), as compared with that of 56 normo-ovulatory counterparts (60.3%). Although the crude overall conception rate for this series was 47.8%, the overall cumulative probability of conception at the end of follow-up as determined by life table analysis was 73%. The likelihood of conception at any given point in time was estimated by a monthly fecundability rate of 1.34%. Our findings also indicate that the probability of post-BOWR conception was unaffected by age, race, ward status, or duration of infertility. In contrast, persistent post-BOWR oligo- or anovulation and the presence of concurrent tuboperitoneal disease were reaffirmed as the most important determinants of the likelihood of post-BOWR conception. A minimum incidence of 7.8% was documented for acquired post-BOWR pelvic disease.     

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma involving the heart. An echocardiographic, angiographic and pathologic study

A 12-year-old girl, who had had an above-knee amputation of the left leg for a soft tissue sarcoma six years prior to this admission, presented with syncope, angina, and signs of aortic stenosis. Echocardiography demonstrated a mass arising from the interventricular septum with obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract and aortic valve. Cardiac catheterization and angiography confirmed these findings. At operation, a tumor was found involving the interventricular septum. Histologically, it was an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and it appeared similar to the previous tumor. The patient was treated by partial surgical resection, cytotoxic drugs and localized radiation therapy and has been followed by serial echocardiography.     

Differential gene expression in multilocus isozyme systmes of the developing green sunfish

The patterns of expression of eight multilocous isozyme systems were investigated in the differentiated adult tissues and the early embryonic stages (0-210 hours after fertilization) of the green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus. Enzymes encoded by approximately 23 gene loci were resolved by starch-gel electrophoresis and detected by specific histochemical staining. The developmental patterns of these isozyme systems appear to be the result of the diffential expression of the multiple gene loci. Isozymic forms of glucoseophosphate isomerase (GPI-A2), malate dehydrogenase (MDH-A2), and creatine kinase (CK-C2) were present in most differentiated tissues, in the unfertilized eggs, and in all stages of embryonic development. Closely homologous forms of these isozymes (GPI-B2, MDH-B2, and CK-A2) were expressed predominantly in skeletal muscle and were first detected at around the time of hatching (38-42 hours). The similar temporal and spatial patterns of gene expressions for the GPI, LDH, MDH, and CK loci suggest that the duplicates loci encoding enzymes, diverged in their regulation to patterns of differential gene expression which are similar for each enzyme system.