Acupuncture analgesia and cesarean section

The application of acupuncture anesthesia in obstetrics is discussed and reviewed. Of 14 patients delivered by cesarean section under acupuncture, 8 (57%) felt no pain, and 6 did not go through the entire procedure without other supplementary anesthesia. The failure and success rates are reviewed. It is suggested that the technique be evaluated further because with acupuncture the fetus and mother are completely protected from the secondary effects of general regional anesthesia.     

Isolation of a spotted fever group rickettsia from the Pacific Coast tick, Ixodes pacificus, in Oregon

A rickettsia of the spotted fever group was isolated on three occasions from Ixodes pacificus in western Oregon. These isolations, and additional evidence furnished by complement fixation tests on guinea pigs inoculated with other Oregon ticks of this species, indicate that the association of this rickettsia with the Pacific Coast tick may be widespread. This is the first isolation of a spotted fever group rickettsia from I. pacificus. Because the Oregon isolates are mildly virulent for guinea pigs they resemble the Western U and Rickettsia montana strains of rickettsiae. However, preliminary evidence from cross-immunofluorescence tests of mouse antisera suggests the Tillamook and Grants Pass strains are antigenically different from all known spotted fever group agents.     

Kinetics of a micelle specific palmitoyltransferase isoenzyme of rabbit mammary gland

Palmityl-CoA: monopalmityl-sn-glycerol 3-phosphate palmitoyltransferase [EC 2.3.1. -] in rabbit mammary gland microsomes is composed of two isoenzymic species. The alpha form (LPAT-alpha) is active with monomeric substrates and inhibited by micelles while the beta form (LPAT-beta) is active only with micelles. By combining the effects of time, temperature, and Tween 80 which selectively inhibited LPAT-alpha, the substrate saturation curve for the LPAT-beta isoenzyme has been successfully determined. Both theoretical and experimental curves are in good agreement.