Differentiation of two strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry

Identification of infecting Mycoplasma spp. is difficult and not routine for strain. This paper describes a procedure for the rapid identification of the strain of M. gallisepticum. Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against M. gallisepticum F and M. gallisepticum S6. Aliquots of 24-hour broth cultures of these organisms were incubated briefly with either of the monoclonal antibodies. A second incubation was made with anti-mouse immunoglobulin conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate. Fluorescent intensity associated with the organisms was measured with a flow cytometer. The criterion for identification was a comparative increase in fluorescent intensity when the strain and monoclonal antibody were homologous. The procedure correctly differentiated the F and S6 strains of M. gallisepticum in a blind study.     

Review of liver trauma management in Tasmania: an analysis of risk factors for mortality and morbidity

A review of liver trauma treated by the major trauma care facilities of Tasmania in the 5 year period between 1989 and 1993 is presented. The aim of this retrospective review was to provide an audit of the management of liver trauma in the island of Tasmania and to analyse the risk factors contributing to mortality and major morbidity. Thirty-seven patients were treated with a median Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 14 (range 9-34). The overall mortality rate of this series was 5.8%. Age, mechanism of injury (blunt or penetrating), delay prior to hospital presentation and modality of treatment (operative or non-operative) were not significant risk factors for mortality and morbidity; however, transfusion requirement of over 10 units of blood (P < 0.005), ISS score of over 20 (P < 0.0005), haemodynamic instability at presentation (P < 0.05) and a Hepatic Injury Score (HIS) grade of 3 or more (P < 0.05) were statistically significant risk factors.     

Bias and bulimia nervosa: how typical are clinic cases?

OBJECTIVE: Since patients being treated for bulimia nervosa constitute only a minority of persons with the disorder, the cases seen in clinics may be subject to sampling bias. The aim of this study was to investigate sampling bias as it affects secondary referrals for bulimia nervosa. METHOD: The personal and family characteristics of a consecutive series of 60 women with secondary referrals for bulimia nervosa (clinic subjects) were compare with those of 83 subjects with bulimia who were recruited directly from the community. Most of the data were collected by interview. RESULTS: The demographic characteristics of the two groups were similar. The clinic subjects had a more severe eating disorder and much greater impairment of social functioning. There was no difference between the groups in duration of the eating disorder or level of general psychiatric disturbance. The community subjects were heavier and had stronger family histories of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: There is sampling bias among secondary referrals for bulimia nervosa. The relative absence of persons prone to obesity among secondary subjects is important, since there is evidence that vulnerability to obesity is a poor prognostic feature as well as being a risk factor for the development of bulimia nervosa. The greater social impairment among the clinic subjects is suggestive of greater personality disturbance in this group. Caution is warranted when generalizing from clinic cases to the disorder as a whole.     

Evaluation of disease status with sensitive measures of growth hormone secretion in 60 postoperative patients with acromegaly

Traditionally, suppression of GH measured by polyclonal RIA to less than 2.0 microg/L after oral glucose was accepted as evidence of remission after transsphenoidal surgery for acromegaly. Recently, with newer, more sensitive GH assays, a cut-off of less than 1.0 microg/L has been suggested. With the development of accurate insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) assays, additional tools are now available for assessing postoperative GH secretion. There has, however, never been a systematic comparison of sensitive GH, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 assays in defining disease status in a large cohort of postoperative patients with acromegaly. Therefore, we evaluated how the use of modern assays impacts on our assessment of disease activity in these patients. Sixty postoperative subjects with acromegaly and 25 age-matched healthy subjects were evaluated with nadir GH levels after 100 g oral glucose as well as baseline IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels. GH was assayed by polyclonal RIA, sensitive immunoradiometric assay (IRMA), and highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean nadir GH determined by IRMA was 0.09 +/- 0.004 microg/L in the healthy subjects, with the upper limit of the normal nadir being 0.14 microg/L (mean + 2 SD). Subjects with acromegaly were divided into those with active disease (n = 22), defined by elevated IGF-I levels, and those in remission (n = 38), defined by normal IGF-I levels. GH determined by IRMA failed to suppress into the normal range defined by our healthy subjects in all patients with active disease; nadir GH determined by IRMA ranged from 0.33-5.0 microg/L in this group. In 50% of the active group, nadir GH levels determined by IRMA were less than 1.0 microg/L, a GH nadir previously considered normal by strict criteria. When nadir GH levels in the subjects with active disease were measured by polyclonal RIA, there was overlap with the range of RIA values in the healthy subjects. Thus, the IRMA was superior to the RIA in that the overlap between these two groups was eliminated. Subjects with acromegaly in remission included those with normal GH suppression (n = 23; mean nadir GH by IRMA, 0.10 +/- 0.006 microg/L) and others with abnormal GH suppression by IRMA (n = 15; mean nadir GH by IRMA, 0.35 +/- 0.07 microg/L). The latter group may have persistent GH dysregulation detected by the sensitive IRMA. GH levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay confirmed the IRMA results. IGFBP-3 levels were significantly higher in subjects with active acromegaly (4940 +/- 301 microg/L) vs. those in healthy subjects (2887 +/- 153 microg/L; P < 0.0001) and those in the subjects in remission (2966 microg/L; P < 0.0001). IGFBP-3 levels correlated overall with IGF-I levels (r = 0.765; P < 0.0001), but IGFBP-3 levels were not predictive of disease status because 32% of the subjects with active acromegaly had normal IGFBP-3 levels. In addition, failure of GH to suppress adequately was not associated with a higher IGFBP-3 level among the subjects in remission. These data indicate that the IRMA is superior to the RIA in distinguishing between patients with active disease (defined by elevated IGF-I levels) and healthy subjects. We also show that GH levels after oral glucose measured with highly sensitive GH assays can be much lower in subjects with active disease than previously believed; values less than 1.0 microg/L may be found in up to 50% of patients. In addition, in 39% of patients in apparent remission with normal IGF-I levels, GH determined by highly sensitive assays fails to suppress normally; it remains to be determined whether these patients are at higher risk for recurrence of active disease.     

Reconstructive operations on the head and neck using a microsurgical technic

Eighty-one patients with defects and deformations of the head and neck of various origin were examined and treated. Microsurgical autotransplantation of vascularized tissue complexes was carried out in all the cases. Profound preliminary examinations of patients helped objectively define the indications for the use of this method. Special attention was paid to the choice of donor zone. Due to correct selection of a complex graft, good functional and cosmetic results were attained. Despite repeated corrective operations in 16 patients, virtually complete social and communal rehabilitation was attained in 74 (91.4%) patients by using a limited number of donor areas. The authors persuasively demonstrate the advantages of microsurgery in repair of complex and extensive defects on the head and neck.     

Efficacies of KY62 against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania donovani in experimental murine cutaneous leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis

Carcass measurements of 12th-rib fat thickness (CARCFAT), longissimus muscle area (CARCLMA), and weight (CARCWT) on 2,028 Brangus and Brangus-sired fed steers and heifers, as well as yearling weights (YWT) and ultrasound measures of 12th-rib fat thickness (USFAT) and longissimus muscle area (USLMA) on 3,583 Brangus bulls and heifers were analyzed to estimate genetic parameters. Data were analyzed using a six-trait animal model and an average information REML algorithm. The model included fixed effects for contemporary group and breed of dam, covariates for age at slaughter or measurement, and random animal and residual effects. Heritabilities for CARCFAT, CARCLMA, CARCWT, USFAT, USLMA, and YWT were .27+/-.05, .39+/-.05, .59+/-.06, .11+/-.03, .29+/-.04, and .40+/-.04, respectively. Genetic correlations between CARCFAT and USFAT, CARCLMA and USLMA, and CARCWT and YWT were .69+/-.18, .66+/-.14, and .61+/-.11, respectively. The favorable and moderately strong genetic correlations between carcass measurements and similar yearling breeding-animal ultrasound measurements indicate that such measurements of 12th-rib fat and longissimus muscle area are useful in predicting genetic values for carcass leanness and longissimus muscle area. Selection using yearling ultrasound measurements of breeding cattle should result in predictable genetic improvement for carcass characteristics. Inclusion of yearling ultrasound measurements for fat thickness and longissimus muscle area should enhance national cattle evaluation programs.     

Gastric microbleeding following single and repeated dosing with naproxen

Our previous study provided evidence that higher serum levels of the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1, 25-D), might possibly slow the progression of subclinical to clinically significant prostate cancer in both black and white men, especially after age 57. This paper extends the prior study by contrasting seasonal variation in 1,25-D and its precursor, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-D), in case and control subjects. In addition, the risk of prostate cancer is related to serum levels of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) and total dehydroepiandrosterone and to polymorphic variation in VDBP. The expected elevated summer levels of 25-D were seen in case and control subjects and, as expected, 1,25-D did not vary throughout the year in the control subjects. Unexpectedly, lower case levels of 1,25-D were limited largely to the summer months (P = 0.01) in both black and white cases and to cases greater than or equal to the median age of 57 years. Levels of VDBP and dehydroepiandrosterone and the frequencies of VDBP polymorphisms were similar in case and control subjects, although striking differences were seen in allelic frequencies in black and white men. These observations provide additional evidence that vitamin D metabolism may impact the risk of prostate cancer.     

Circulating iodide concentrations during and after pregnancy

Early, indirect studies suggested that an important aspect of thyroid economy during pregnancy was a decline in plasma or serum inorganic iodide (PII) concentrations, but there is little information concerning circulating iodide concentrations as assessed by direct measurement. The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between gestation and serum iodide concentrations as assessed by direct measurement of PII. PII concentrations, urinary iodide levels, and other parameters of thyroid economy were measured during the first, second, and third trimesters and after delivery in 16 women. Mean serum T4 concentrations were significantly higher in all 3 trimesters than those after delivery. Serum free T4 index concentrations were significantly higher in the first trimester than during later periods of gestation or after delivery, but serum TSH concentrations were not depressed in the first trimester. Serum thyroglobulin concentrations were similar during pregnancy and after delivery. There was wide variability in PII and urinary iodide concentrations during and after pregnancy, but there was no trend for PII concentrations to be depressed during pregnancy. Pregnancy, at least in iodine-sufficient regions, does not have an important influence on circulating concentrations of iodide.     

DNA sequence recognition by bis-linked netropsin and distamycin derivatives

The dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR), a voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channel, and the Ca2+ release channel/ryanodine receptor isoform-1 (RyR1) are key molecules involved in skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling. We have reported age-related decreases in the level of DHPR expression in fast- and slow-twitch muscles from Fisher 344 cross Brown Norway (F344BNX) rats (Renganathan, Messi and Delbono, J. Membr. Biol. 157 (1997) 247-253). Based on these studies we postulate that excitation-contraction uncoupling is a basic mechanism for the decline in muscle force with aging (Delbono, Renganathan and Messi, Muscle Nerve Suppl. 5 (1997) S88-92). In the present study, we extended our studies to older ages and we intended to prevent or retard excitation-contraction uncoupling by restricting the caloric intake of the F344BNX rats from 16 weeks of age. Three age groups, 8-, 18-, and 33-month old caloric restricted rats, were compared with ad libitum fed animals. The number of DHPR and RyR1 and DHPR/RyR1 ratio (an index of the level of receptors uncoupling) in skeletal muscles of 8-month and 18-month rats was not significantly different in either ad libitum fed or caloric restricted rats. However, the age-related decrease in the number of DHPR, RyR1 and DHPR/RyR1 ratio observed in 33-month old ad libitum fed rats was absent in 33-month old caloric restricted rats. These results suggest that caloric restriction prevents age-related decreases in the number of DHPR, RyR1 and DHPR/RyR1 ratio observed in fast- and slow-twitch rat skeletal muscles.