Search

A new method for attaching aldehydes to solid supports has been developed employing a 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (DMPA) functionalized resin. High loading levels are obtained for both aryl and alkyl aldehydes protected as their respective acetals. Treatment of the derivatized resin with 95% TFA then cleanly affords the recovered aldehyde in high yield.

Involvement of reactive oxygen species has been implicated in the process of hyperactivation and capacitation of sperm. Nitric oxide has recently been found to function both as an intracellular and extracellular messenger, with its synthetic enzyme found in several cell types, including male and female genital tract organs. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of nitric oxide in hamster sperm hyperactivation. Caudal epididymal contents of mature golden hamster sperm were diluted with human tubal medium supplemented with a sperm motility preparation. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (nitro-L-arginine, methyl-L-arginine, and 1,3-phenylene-bis[1,2-ethenediyl]-bis-isothiourea) were added to incubation media in various doses. Alternatively, a nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside, was used. The percentage motile and grade of movement were recorded at intervals encompassing the normal period of capacitation and hyperactivation. Acrosomal status was evaluated by phase contrast microscopy. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis did not affect motility during early capacitation but dramatically inhibited later hyperactivation. An inactive stereo-enantomere of the inhibiting drug had no effect. Addition of nitric oxide to nonstimulated sperm induced hyperactivation in a similar time course. In conclusion, nitric oxide plays a significant role in hyperactivation of hamster epididymal sperm.

A series of complexes of the type Tp'Rh(CNCH(2)CMe(3))(R)Cl, where R = CH(3), CD(3), n-propyl, isopropyl, cyclopropyl, and vinyl and Tp' = tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate have been synthesized and fully characterized. The complexes are prepared by reaction of the corresponding Grignard reagent with Tp'Rh(CNCH(2)CMe(3))Cl(2), which in turn is synthesized from Tp'Rh(NCCH(3))Cl(2). The complex Tp'Rh(CNCH(2)CMe(3))(isopropyl)Cl crystallizes in orthorhombic space group Pbcn (No. 60) with a = 27.8224(1) Å, b = 14.2541(2) Å, c = 14.5549(2) Å, Z = 8, and V = 5772.23(9) Å(3). The complex Tp'Rh(CNCH(2)CMe(3))(cyclopropyl)Cl crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2(1)/c (No. 14) with a = 9.573(2) Å, b = 18.933(3) Å, c = 17.873(14) Å, beta = 103.70(4) degrees, Z = 4, and V = 3147(3) Å(3). The complex Tp'Rh(PMe(3))Cl(2) crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2(1)/n (No. 14) with a = 10.9384(6) Å, b = 17.3111(9) Å, c = 13.5132(7) Å, beta = 111.536(1) degrees, Z = 4, and V = 2378.5(2) Å(3).

The synthesis and biological activity of selenophenfurin (5-beta-D-ribofuranosylselenophene-3-carboxamide, 1), the selenophene analogue of selenazofurin, are described. Glycosylation of ethyl selenophene-3-carboxylate (6) under stannic chloride-catalyzed conditions gave 2- and 5-glycosylated regioisomers, as a mixture of alpha- and beta-anomers, and the beta-2,5-diglycosylated derivative. Deprotected ethyl 5-beta-D-ribofuranosylselenophene-3-carboxylate (12 beta) was converted into selenophenfurin by ammonolysis. The structure of 12 beta was determined by 1H- and 13C-NMR, crystallographic, and computational studies. Selenophenfurin proved to be antiproliferative against a number of leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumor cell lines at concentrations similar to those of selenazofurin but was more potent than the thiophene and thiazole analogues thiophenfurin and tiazofurin. Incubation of K562 cells with selenophenfurin resulted in inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase (IMPDH) (76%) and an increase in IMP pools (14.5-fold) with a concurrent decrease in GTP levels (58%). The results obtained confirm the hypothesis that the presence of heteroatoms such as S or Se in the heterocycle in position 2 with respect to the glycosidic bond is essential for both cytotoxicity and IMP dehydrogenase inhibitory activity in this type of C-nucleosides.

Two continuous-wave (CW) focused CO(2) Doppler lidars (9.1 and 10.6 µm) were developed for airborne in situ aerosol backscatter measurements. The complex path of reliably calibrating these systems, with different signal processors, for accurate derivation of atmospheric backscatter coefficients is documented. Lidar calibration for absolute backscatter measurement for both lidars is based on range response over the lidar sample volume, not solely at focus. Both lidars were calibrated with a new technique using well-characterized aerosols as radiometric standard targets and related to conventional hard-target calibration. A digital signal processor (DSP), a surface acoustic wave spectrum analyzer, and manually tuned spectrum analyzer signal analyzers were used. The DSP signals were analyzed with an innovative method of correcting for systematic noise fluctuation; the noise statistics exhibit the chi-square distribution predicted by theory. System parametric studies and detailed calibration improved the accuracy of conversion from the measured signal-to-noise ratio to absolute backscatter. The minimum backscatter sensitivity is ~3 × 10(-12) m(-1) sr(-1) at 9.1 µm and ~9 × 10(-12) m(-1) sr(-1) at 10.6 µm. Sample measurements are shown for a flight over the remote Pacific Ocean in 1990 as part of the NASA Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) survey missions, the first time to our knowledge that 9.1-10.6-µm lidar intercomparisons were made. Measurements at 9.1 µm, a potential wavelength for space-based lidar remote-sensing applications, are to our knowledge the first based on the rare isotope (12)C (18)O(2) gas.

Two hundred and fifty patients attending primary care with glandular fever or an upper respiratory tract infection were studied prospectively up to 6 months after onset. Of these patients 228 were interviewed with the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schzophrenia, giving Research Diagnostic Criteria for psychiatric disorders. The experience of severe social adversity (provoking agents) had a significant association with psychiatric disorder at 2 months (odds ratio = 5.3) and 6 months (odds ratio = 5.8) after onset of infection. This association was especially significant for depressive illness (odds ratio = 9.1 at 2 months and 11.9 at 6 months). In contrast, social adversity had little association with the development of the post-infectious fatigue syndrome, or delayed physical recovery. Social adversity may be an important maintaining factor for psychiatric disorders, especially depressive illness, following acute infections.

Background: After the identification of five suspected cases of tuberculosis (TB) in a Nassau County (New York) jail during a 3-week period, an epidemiologic investigation was begun to document the number of cases of TB infection and disease associated with the jail, the characteristics of current or former inmates with TB disease, and the factors contributing to TB transmission in the jail., Methods: The county TB register was matched against the inmate files of the jail. Medical records from hospitals, the health department, and the jail were then reviewed. All inmates in the jail were skin tested during a mass screening., Results: From January 1, 1988, through March 16, 1990, of 205 TB cases in the county, 49 (24%) were associated with the jail. Forty of the cases occurred among current or former inmates, one in a corrections officer, and eight among community contacts of inmates. The 40 inmates with TB were predominantly nonwhite (75%), unmarried (80%) men (90%), with a median age of 32 years. Twenty-three (58%) had a history of injecting drug use, and 14 (35%) were known to be seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus. Thirty (75%) of the inmates had culture-confirmed pulmonary TB. Five (29%) of 17 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates had the same phage type and DNA fingerprint, which was consistent with transmission of infection within the jail. The mass screening revealed that 374 (20%) of 1855 inmates were tuberculin positive., Conclusions: Without an effective program of TB control, jails can act as reservoirs of disease for inmates and staff, and for the community into which the inmates are released.

Protein kinase C (PKC) was implicated as an important positive regulator of angio-genesis by studies showing that tumor promoting phorbol esters, which activate PKC, stimulate angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, inhibitors of PKC might be expected to block angiogenesis. MDL 27032 [4-propyl-5-(4-pyridinyl)-2(3H)-oxazolone], an inhibitor of cellular protein kinases, prevented capillary-like tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) on basement membrane preparations, an in vitro model for angiogenic activity. MDL 27032 had an IC50 = 50 microM, whereas MDL 27044, the 4-methyl analog of MDL 27032, was less effective (IC50 greater than 100 microM). This selectivity was reflected in the relative abilities of the two compounds to inhibit PKC and protein kinase A (PKA) activity prepared from HUVEC, and also to inhibit the basic fibroblast growth factor stimulated proliferation of HUVEC. MDL 27032 (0.3 microgram/egg) also significantly inhibited neovascularization in yolk sac membranes of developing chick embryos, whereas MDL 27044 added at concentrations up to 3 micrograms/egg was not inhibitory when compared with vehicle treated controls. Adhesion of HUVEC to individual extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin, fibronectin, and fibrinogen, but not to the mixture of matrix components or collagen type I and IV, was inhibited after treatment with MDL 27032. These studies suggest that MDL 27032, may have potential as an anti-angiogenic agent because it disrupts both formation of tube-like structures by HUVEC on Matrigel and normal neovascularization in ovo. This inhibition may in part be due to altered cellular interactions with the extracellular matrix.

Profile analysis of mycolic acid ester patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Gúerin (BCG) using high-performance liquid chromatography indicated that separation of BCG from M. tuberculosis and M. bovis by elution and relative retention times is possible. Mycolic acid patterns of BCG eluted from the column 0.5 min before M. tuberculosis or M. bovis, resulting in relative retention times for two peaks not seen in the pattern of M. tuberculosis or M. bovis. Identification was confirmed by phage typing, which has been the standard procedure for confirmation of BCG strains. These results showed that high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of mycolic acid esters can be used in the mycobacterial reference laboratory for separation of BCG from M. tuberculosis and M. bovis.

Phorbol esters which activate protein kinase C (PKC) have been shown to enhance experimental lung metastasis. Therefore, it was reasoned that inhibitors of PKC might also modulate metastasis. We have investigated this possibility using a PKC inhibitor, MDL 27,032 [4-propyl-5(4-pyridinyl)-2(3H)-oxazolone], as well as staurosporine and H-7. Treatment of B16F1 murine melanoma cells with MDL 27,032 for 24 h in culture and subsequent i.v. injection of the cells into mice resulted in greater than 90% inhibition of lung metastasis. Inhibition of metastasis was time dependent, with 90% of maximum inhibition occurring by 8 h of incubation. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for inhibition of metastasis with MDL 27,032 was 7 microM, a value similar to that for the inhibition of B16F1 membrane-associated PKC (IC50 = 13 microM) but not cytosolic PKC (IC50 = 54 microM). B16F1 cells treated with MDL 27,032 for 24 h were less adherent than untreated cells to extracellular matrix/basement membrane proteins. Adhesion to fibrinogen and collagen IV was inhibited (IC50 = 6 microM and 48 microM, respectively) by MDL 27,032, whereas adherence to laminin and fibronectin was not affected, indicating that the drug affects specific adhesion molecules. MDL 27,032-treated cells were also found to be less adherent than untreated cells to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The phosphorylation of an 80-kDa B16F1 cell plasma membrane protein was stimulated under conditions known to stimulate PKC activity, and MDL 27,032 inhibited this phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. MDL 27,032 was more potent than H-7 for the inhibition of metastasis but was significantly less potent than staurosporine. These results support the hypothesis that there is a critical role for PKC-mediated phosphorylation of cell surface adhesion receptors in metastasis.

A human monocytic cell line, THP-1, stimulated with 40 nM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), differentiated to macrophage-like cells, and exhibited increased expression and release of interleukin-1 beta and expression of acetylated low density lipoprotein (ac-LDL) receptors. A selective inhibitor, MDL 29,152 (4-propyl-5-(4-quinolinyl)-2(3H)-oxazolone) was used to show that this induction required activation of protein kinase C. MDL 29,152 acts in the catalytic domain of protein kinase C and is at least 200-fold selective for protein kinase C over cAMP-dependent protein kinase in THP-1 cells. MDL 29,152 (50 microM) reduced levels of interleukin-1 beta mRNA in PMA-stimulated cells by 76% and eliminated detectable interleukin-1 beta in the media. Flow cytometric analysis showed that 48 h after THP-1 activation, approximately 50% of the cells expressed ac-LDL receptors, while in the presence of 100 microM MDL 29,152, less than 5% of the cells expressed receptors. The relationship between THP-1 differentiation and protein kinase C activation was determined by following the expression of the cell surface antigen MO-1. Expression of MO-1 antigen increases as monocytes differentiate to macrophages. After 48 h of phorbol activation, 90% of the THP-1 population was MO-1-positive; less than 16% of the population was MO-1-positive when 100 microM MDL 29,152 was present. By dual analysis, it was found that within the differentiated, MO-1-positive population, only approximately 50% of the cells also expressed ac-LDL receptors. Based on these findings, we conclude that protein kinase C promotes processes important in THP-1 activation and differentiation to macrophage-like cells including interleukin-1 beta expression and secretion, ac-LDL receptor and MO-1 expression.

A 33-year-old man with AIDS and pleuro-pulmonary tuberculosis was treated with a combination of antituberculous medications for 12 months and with continuation of isoniazid. A total of 2 months after completing combination therapy the patient developed fever, malaise, and anorexia. Mycobacterial blood cultures grew M. tuberculosis and the patient improved with the readministration of rifampicin and pyrazinamide. Phage typing of the patient's isolates of M. tuberculosis confirmed that he had experienced a relapse and not a reinfection. The patient had received 5 months of his treatment while hospitalised. We believe he was compliant with therapy outside the hospital because he attended all of his clinic appointments. Follow-up studies of HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis are therefore needed.

The smooth muscle relaxant effect of MDL 27,032, 4-propyl-5-(4-pyridinyl)-2(3H)-oxazolone, was studied in vitro using strips of femoral arteries and saphenous veins from dogs and trachea from guinea pigs. MDL 27,032 (10(-6)-10(-3) M) produced a concentration-dependent relaxation of arterial and venous strips contracted by carbachol. MDL 27,032 also antagonized contractions of arterial and venous strips produced by phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB), a protein kinase C activator, both in normal-Ca2+ and zero-Ca2+ medium. The compound inhibited protein kinase C in soluble extracts prepared from saphenous veins of dogs, with an IC50 value of 36.6 microM. MDL 27,032 was more effective against the contractions produced by phenylephrine and serotonin than by KCl in arteries, but no such selectivity was noted in veins. MDL 27,032 (10(-3) M) also inhibited accumulation of inositol phosphates in femoral artery but not in saphenous vein, and this effect may have contributed to the arterial-relaxant effect. Because the vascular smooth muscle relaxant effect of MDL 27,032 was endothelium independent, did not involve blockade of alpha-adrenoceptors or inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors, stimulation of adenosine A2-receptors, or activation of K+ channels, these data suggest that the relaxant effects of MDL 27,032 primarily involve inhibition of protein kinase C.

MDL 27,032 [4-propyl-5-(4-pyridinyl)-2(3H)-oxazolone] is a novel vasodilator whose mechanism of action has not been elucidated. We investigated whether smooth muscle relaxation by MDL 27,032, in vitro, may involve an alteration in the activity of protein kinase C, cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase or myosin light chain kinase by investigating the effects of MDL 27,032 on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) and protein kinase activities. Strips of dog femoral artery or saphenous vein contracted with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) were relaxed by 100 microM concentrations of MDL 27,032, as well as by other known inhibitors of PDEs [3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and papaverine], myosin light chain kinase (W-7) and protein kinase C (H-7 and polymyxin B). In contrast to 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and papaverine, MDL 27,032 was either inactive or weak as an inhibitor of purified PDE types I, II, IVa and IVb. Similarly, it was a weak inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase. However, MDL 27,032 was a significantly more potent inhibitor of protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase in cytosolic extracts of dog vein. Kinetic experiments utilizing purified rat brain protein kinase C revealed that inhibition with MDL 27,032 was competitive with Mg(++)-ATP (Ki 24 microM) and noncompetitive with phospholipid, diacylglycerol, PMA, calcium or substrate proteins. Inhibition of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was also competitive with Mg(++)-ATP (Ki 14.3 microM). Similar results were obtained with MDL 27,032 and H-7 on both enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures obtained from India and South Africa were phage-typed to determine distribution patterns according to phage type in these two geographic locations. Of the 74 Indian strains, 14.9% were type 1, 32.4% were type 2, 28.4 were type 7, and 24.3% were type 8, whereas of the 78 South African strains, 20.5% were type 1, 47.5% were type 2, 1.3% were type 4, 11.5% were type 7, 19.2% were type 8. The phage types were then subdivided according to the lytic patterns produced by the six auxillary phages. The phage type distribution in the Indian and South African strains was compared with the type distribution in cultures from the United States and Southeast Asia, and differences were found in the four widely separated geographic areas.

Cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from 86 Southeast Asian immigrants were phage typed as type 1 (10.5%), type 2 (57.0%), type 5 (23.2%), and type 8 (9.3%). Strains belonging to types 3, 4, 6, and 7 were not found among the 86 strains tested. The lytic patterns of 6 auxiliary phages further divided the strains into 5 to 14 additional subgroups. The phage-type distribution in the Asian cultures was different from the type distribution in cultures from residents in the United States.

A case of fibrous histiocytoma required 4 surgical excisions over an 11-year period. The technique of frequent observation and early excision of recurrences is probably the best approach to established histiocytomas. Complete primary excision seems to offer the best chance of definitive cure.

Patients attending two primary care settings in Nepal (a village health post and a district hospital outpatient department) were screened for psychiatric morbidity using the Self Reporting Questionnaire. Approximately one-quarter of all patients screened were found to have psychiatric morbidity. Women presenting were found to have higher frequency of "psychiatric caseness" than men. All these psychiatric patients presented with physical complaints, none with psychological, and the most common physical symptoms presented were abdominal pain, headache and cough. Health worker recognition of these cases was 29% in the health post and 0% in the hospital. Conclusions are drawn regarding the need for sufficient and relevant psychiatric teaching in health worker curriculae.

Bacteriophage typing was performed on 235 Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures submitted from 31 laboratories. In each instance, either the attending physician questioned the misdiagnosis of tuberculosis or the laboratory supervisor suspected that laboratory cross-contamination had occurred. Phage typing data confirmed these suspicions. Phage typing is a useful adjunct in the investigation of suspected cross-contamination of laboratory cultures of M. tuberculosis.

A total of 125 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from the Southeastern area of the United States was subjected to phage typing. In addition to the five major mycobacteriophages, a new phage, F-phi WJ-1, was used in the study. The results obtained with the five major phages were: type A0, 35.2%; TYPE B, 29.6%, and type C, 4.0%. The remaining 21.2% of the strains phaged typed as subgroups A1 through A6. These percentages were similar to the typing results of earlier studies. The new phage, F-phi WJ-1, subdivided each of the phage types, with the exception of type C, into two subgroups. The possible role of host modification-restriction of the phages used in phage typing of strains of M. tuberculosis is discussed.

Increasing familiarity with elective reconstructive approaches to craniofacial deformity has led to the application of a similar multispecialty approach to repair of selected cases of massive frontal and upper facial trauma. The fundamental steps in craniofacial reconstruction are outlined. The process of patient selection is emphasized. Illustrative case histories review the management of this type of injury. Contributions from anesthesiology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and plastic surgery are required. Specialized facilities for postoperative care are mandatory.

Mycobacteriophage Bo4 grown on the indicator host strain Mycobacterium fortuitum SN203 was restricted and modified by Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Phage Bo4.Rv was restricted and modified by the alternate host SN 203. M. tuberculosis strain Myc 1025 was described as a r-m-isolate. By using the mycobacterial prototype strains for phage typing wild M. tuberculosis isolates, it was demonstrated that only the modified phage Bo4.H37Rv was a potential typing phage.

A pseudolysogenic Mycobacterium chelonei and its phage phi630 are described. Phage phi630 is the first mycobacteriophate reported to be resistant to the nonpolar solvents chloroform, dioxan and diethyl ether. The phage had a latent period of 75 min, a rise period of 90 min and a burst size of 5I. Evidence is presented for host modification and restriction. Phage phi630A, grown on host strain M. chelonei F-630 Rg, plated on the alternative host M. smegmatis ATCC607 with an efficiency of plating (e.o.p.) of 10(-5). Phage phi630B, grown on host M. smegmatis, plated with an e.o.p. of 10(-5) on the alternative host F-630 Rg. Phages phi630A and phi630B absorbed equally well on their alternative hosts and on their indicator host strains. The progeny of plaques from initial platings on the alternative host, when grown in the alternative host, exhibited a marked reduction in e.o.p. on their original host.

Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from various geographic areas within the continental United States were typed according to their susceptibility to 4 mycobacteriophages. Of 462 wild isolates studied, 34% were phage type 1 (previously designated A0), 42% were type 2 (A1), 2.6% were type 5 (A4), 13% were type 7 (A6), and 20.1% were type 8 (B). Distribution of types was essentially unaffected by geographic location, sex, age, or ethnic origin of the patient or by resistance of the isolate to antituberculosis drugs. Major types were further divided by susceptibility of the strains to lysis by 8 auxiliary phages, 2 of which were phages newly evaluated in this study. A new numbering system is proposed for designating major phage types of M. tuberculosis.

Recombinant plasmids containing DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis were transformed into Escherichia coli, and three colonies were selected by their reactivity with polyclonal antisera to M. tuberculosis. The three recombinant vectors contained DNA inserts of different sizes flanking a common 4.7-kilobase (kb) sequence. Each recombinant produced 35- and 53-kilodalton proteins (35K and 53K proteins, respectively) which were absent in the control E. coli. In Western blotting experiments, both proteins bound several antisera to M. tuberculosis but not antisera to other commonly isolated mycobacteria. Rabbits immunized with the recombinant 35K protein produced antisera which bound to both the 35K and 53K protein bands, a single 35K protein band present in a culture filtrate of M. tuberculosis, and single protein bands with differing molecular weights in whole-cell homogenates from other Mycobacterium spp. An additional recombinant vector containing a 2.2-kb subclone of the 4.7-kb sequence was constructed and, when used as a probe, demonstrated homology with various fragments of chromosomal digests of selected mycobacteria. Reactivity of this probe to Mycobacterium bovis and M. bovis BCG was indistinguishable from reactivity to M. tuberculosis. Immunoglobulin G reactivity to the 35K antigen was detected in antisera from 8 of 20 persons with active tuberculosis, 4 of 18 persons with leprosy, and none of 14 healthy controls. In contrast, reactivity to various proteins in M. tuberculosis culture filtrate was present in 18 of 20 patients with tuberculosis, 16 to 18 patients with leprosy, and 5 of 14 controls. The production of M. tuberculosis proteins by E. coli circumvents many difficulties encountered in the growth and manipulation of M. tuberculosis and may facilitate the development of better diagnostic and immunizing reagents.

Mycobacteriophage 33D (Warsaw) was used to differentiate Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) strains from M. bovis and M. tuberculosis. Known strains as well as clinical strains of BCG were used in the study. Single plaque isolations and adsorption studies demonstrated that phage 33D (Warsaw) did not adsorb to BCG cultures.

A procedure in which soft agar overlays were used in bacteriophage-typing Mycobacterium tuberculosis is presented. This safer method uses commercially available media, whereas media presently used must be prepared in the laboratory. Single plaque isolations of the phage BG-1 specifying phage type A and B of M. tuberculosis were readily made by using the modified procedures. This purification and the use of prototype strain Myc 1415 as the indicator host strain have significantly enhanced the ability to discriminate among strains of phage types A and B.

This paper describes measurements of the atmospheric backscatter coefficient in and around Australia during May and June 1986. One set of backscatter measurements was made with a CO(2) lidar operating at 10.6 microm; the other set was obtained from calculations using measured aerosol parameters. Despite the two quite different data collection techniques, there is quite good agreement between the two methods. Backscatter values range from near 1 x 10(-8)m(-1)sr(-1) near the surface to 4 - 5 x 10(-11)m(-1)sr(-1) in the free troposphere at 5-7-km altitude. The values in the free troposphere are somewhat lower than those typically measured at the same height in the northern hemisphere.

As an initial step in gaining a better understanding of the important clinical properties that vary between strains of mycobacteria, we attempted to find molecular markers that would define different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We used restriction fragment analysis with the endonuclease MboI and hybridization with total M. tuberculosis DNA to examine DNA differences between 15 strains of M. tuberculosis. We were able to identify different strains using this method. In order to assess the sensitivity of this method in identifying different strains, we compared it with phage typing. The 2 methods appear to be similar in sensitivity and also to be complementary. There were 2 examples where restriction fragment analysis did not separate strains with different phage types. In addition, there were 2 examples where phage typing did not separate strains with different restriction patterns. Finally, there were 2 epidemiologically unrelated strains with the same restriction pattern and the same phage type. This method of restriction fragment analysis of chromosomal DNA is potentially useful for epidemiologic studies of tuberculosis. Additionally, by analyzing the genome of M. tuberculosis, molecular markers may well be defined that will be useful in discovering the pathogenesis of the clinical properties of M. tuberculosis, which previously have been poorly understood.

During a single week in April 1982, cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were reported positive from nine patients who did not appear clinically to have active infection. Each of the patients had only one positive culture out of multiple specimens cultured. At the time of investigation, five specimens were available and were found to be all of the same phage type which strongly suggested cross-contamination. Four patients received antituberculosis chemotherapy. In one year of follow-up of the five who did not receive chemotherapy, none developed clinical disease. The contamination was probably due to faulty laboratory technique, but the source of the contaminant is uncertain. This investigation suggests that patients without clinical evidence of active infection and with isolated positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis should be carefully evaluated before they are subjected to a prolonged, potentially toxic, and expensive course of chemotherapy.

The superiorly based and inferiorly based posterior pharyngeal flaps are compared. Reasons for choosing one or the other in specific cases are given. The complications with each are enumerated. The results obtained in speech comparing the two flaps in two retrospective series and one prospective series of cases failed to show a significant difference between them. Therefore, with little difference in the results and some good reasons for preferring one or the other under certain conditions, it would seem logical to select the one best suited for the particular problem.

Six employees of the emergency department at Parkland Memorial Hospital developed active tuberculosis in 1983-1984. Five of the cases occurred four to 12 months after exposure to the index case, a patient with severe cavitary tuberculosis seen in the emergency department in April 1983. One resident physician developed cavitary disease after exposure to this patient. An additional employee case may have resulted from transmission from one of the initial employee cases. One immunocompromised patient may have acquired tuberculosis as a result of exposure to the index case. In addition, the tuberculin skin tests of at least 47 employees exposed to the index case converted from negative to positive. Of 112 previously tuberculin-negative emergency department employees who were tested in October 1983, 16 developed positive skin tests, including the 5 employees with active disease. Fifteen of these new positives had worked on April 7, 1983, while the index case was in the emergency department (X2 = 20.6, P less than 0.001). Factors related to the genesis of the epidemic included the disease characteristics in the index case and the recirculation of air in the emergency department. This investigation indicates that city-county hospital emergency department employees should be screened at least twice a year for evidence of tuberculosis and that the employee health services of such hospitals should regard the surveillance of tuberculosis infection among personnel at a high-priority level.

Mycobacteriophage typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates was used as an epidemiologic aid in investigating the transmission of tuberculosis in community, industrial, and institutional outbreaks. The technique was also useful in other situations, e.g., documenting congenital transmission of infection and distinguishing exogenous reinfection from endogenous reactivation. Additional studies are indicated to further explore the value of phage typing for tracking the transmission of tuberculosis in the community.

The use of mycobacteriophage 33D to differentiate strains of BCG from isolates of Mycobacterium bovis was investigated. The procedure was found to be reproducible and, using the commercially available media described, can be recommended for use in mycobacterial reference laboratories.