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Despite a highly beneficial role of water soluble arabinoxylans, the information about the effect of their addition on the properties of rye dough is lacking. The aim of this study was to check the influence of their modification methods and properties on water binding capacity of rye flour and suggest some possible explanations for the action of various fractions of arabinoxylans. Three modifications of isolated arabinoxylans were carried out: enzymatic hydrolysis, cross-linking, and combination of both. The preparations used as additives differed in molecular characteristics of arabinoxylans, as well as their rheological behavior. The addition of all preparations at 1 and 2% levels to rye flour types 720 and 1,150 resulted in an increase of water absorption. The high water absorption of the two rye flour types with the same amount of arabinoxylan preparations was mainly related to structural properties of arabinoxylans, such as molecular mass and substitution ratio. Structural properties were responsible for rheological behavior of the samples, which allow prediction of the final water absorption of rye flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complete slip of the cartilage of the inferior angle of the scapula was diagnosed in a 5-year-old boy who fell inside a wooden construction at a kindergarten playground. Radiographs of the scapula were normal, and ultrasound demonstrated complete cartilage detachment, which was displaced deep and laterally. Computed tomography (CT) additionally demonstrated a thin rim of bone displaced along with the detached cartilage. Radiologic findings were confirmed during surgery. We report what we believe to be the first published case of traumatic detachment of the cartilaginous lower angle of the scapula in a child demonstrated by ultrasound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study concerns the development of compensative and compulsive buying in Poland comparing the results of three waves of a cross-sectional study conducted before and at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six predictors of susceptibility to compensative and compulsive buying are in focus: materialism, self-esteem, gender, age, frequency of online shopping, and experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the importance of the first four predictors in explaining compensative and compulsive buying is already very well described in the literature, while the novelty consists in the predictive model including the variables that describe frequency of online shopping and negative experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as coronavirus infection, hospitalization or death of a loved one. On the one hand, a stronger susceptibility to compensative and compulsive buying could be a reaction to these negative experiences of the pandemic; on the other hand, the increased frequency of online shopping as a result of the pandemic may be an important factor in the development of compensative and compulsive buying due to the easy implementation of purchase acts and weaker social control. To achieve the above research objectives, the German Compulsive Buying Indicator (GCBI) was used to measure susceptibility to compensative and compulsive buying. The data were obtained within three waves of the study (2010, 2019, 2022) based on a random sample of about 1,000 respondents representing statistically the general adult population. Drawing on this study, the prevalence of compensative and compulsive buying is observed at 12-19% and 2-4%. The predictors of GCBI are materialism, self-esteem, gender in all examined models and additionally age, frequency of online shopping, and experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in selected models. Although the findings related to the role of materialism, self-esteem, and gender in the prediction of GCBI reflect the results reported in the literature, the analogous conclusions about age, online shopping, and experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic are different from the established opinions. The commonly reported effect of age becomes statistically significant when the examined population is limited to Gens Y and Z. Although extensive online shopping co-exists with compensative and compulsive buying in the total population, the obtained data lead to reverse conclusions in the case of women's subpopulation representing Gens Y and Z. The negative experience with the COVID-19 pandemic operationalised as hospitalization of a close friend predicts GCBI, but again only in the case of representatives of Gens Y and Z, especially among women. The findings show how important the creation of appropriate intervention strategies is within the consumer policy directed to representatives of the younger generations who may develop pathological buying as a response to negative experiences such as COVID-19 pandemic. The findings can inform of the goals behind therapeutic support for compulsive buyers, and implications for social work. People affected by excessive compensative or compulsive buying need to be given opportunities to build up their strengths and growth of their psychological resources towards healthy self-esteem, which seems to be the best protection against excessive compensative and compulsive buying., Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2024 Grzegorz Adamczyk. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Buckwheat hulls which are rich in fiber are good ingredients to increase the nutritional value of food products. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the applied additives in the form of fiber and apple juice on the properties of both potato and corn starch (normal and waxy). In order to characterize the rheological properties of kissel, the pasting characteristic was measured. In the obtained gels, the basic quality parameters were determined. The analysis of texture, color parameters, and also total polyphenol content were determined. Buckwheat hulls, in addition to their high fiber content, are a valuable source of phenolic compounds and can be a great additive in starch desserts. The addition of buckwheat hulls and apple juice improved the nutritional value of the final products but also caused changes in the technological qualities: it increased the initial temperature of potato starch mixtures (by approx. 9 °C); it decreased the viscosity of cold desserts (from 8 to 55%); and increased the hardness of the final product by more than 7 times. In the case of other starches, the recorded changes were much smaller than for potato starch-based products.

This study was focused on the replacement of the part of the flour (10% w / w ) in rye-wheat bread with three different botanical origin powders with a high dietary fiber content (buckwheat hulls, beetroot and flax powder). The dough was based on rye-wheat flour without and with the addition of fiber powders with different botanical origins and was tested, and the quality of the finished baked products made from those doughs were assessed. In order to characterize the flour mixtures, their basic parameters were determined, and their pasting characteristic was performed. The dough parameters were described by the Burger rheological model and also the creep and recovery test. On the other hand, in bread, the basic parameters of baking, crumb and crust color parameters were determined, and an analysis of the crumb texture was carried out. Additionally, a sensory analysis of the finished products was carried out. The applied fiber additives influenced the pasting characteristics of the tested rye-wheat flour and were influenced by the dough rheological properties. It was found that used fiber powders changed the quality parameters of the final products. Despite this, using fiber at the amount of 10% as a flour substitute allowed us to obtain bread of a similar quality to the control sample.

With regard to technological innovations, we applied chia (oilseeds) as a stabilizer additive in a normal and waxy potato starch sample to obtain stable starch-based gels during 20 days of storage. The aim of this study was to investigate the 5% w / w normal and waxy potato starch pastes (hot samples) and gels (cold samples) with the addition of 1% w / w whole and ground chia seeds properties as pasting and flow properties of pastes and textural properties of gels. The pasting process using a viscograph showed that normal and waxy potato starch with the addition of chia had a different pasting characteristic. The addition of chia seeds had a greater effect on the properties of normal potato starch than waxy potato starch. From a rheological point of view, starch pastes without chia were less theologically stable as they showed bigger areas of hysteresis loops. Minor changes in the hardness of gels were obtained in normal starch gels with chia seeds during 20 days of storing compared to the samples without chia seeds, whereas in the waxy starch gels, the effect was the opposite.

The present study concerns the phenomenon of the co-dependence of value orientations and consumer behaviours. Although the idea of the overall connections between both areas is not new, the article contributes to the knowledge about relations between very specific consumer behaviours and social value orientations among people married or in an informal partnership. Using the obtained data, we examine to what extent the prosocial, reciprocal, and egoistic value orientations coexist with compensative, compulsive, and demonstrative buying. The analysis confirms the hypotheses that representatives of the reciprocal and egoistic orientations show susceptibility to compensative and compulsive buying to a greater extent than persons preferring other value orientations. In addition, the data show co-dependence of the reciprocal value orientation and demonstrative buying, while the prosocial value orientation seems to protect against compulsive buying. According to the regression analysis, this effect disappears if prosocially oriented persons suffer from low self-esteem at the same time being characterised by strong materialism. All hypothesised relations between value orientations and consumer behaviours have been analysed in multidimensional models considering materialism, self-esteem, age, and gender as the main factors of compensative and compulsive buying. The findings come from the 2017 survey based on a statistically representative sample of 1,121 adult Poles who were then married or in an informal partnership. The German Compulsive Buying Indicator and Lange's Scale of Demonstrative Buying were introduced to measure consumer behaviours., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fiber from buckwheat hull waste (BH) on the pasting, rheological, and textural properties of 4% and 5% ( w / w ) pastes and gels based on the potato starches with different amylose/amylopectin contents. The starch and starch/fiber mixtures were characterized by pasting and flow measurements as well as by viscoelastic and textural analysis. The pasting properties showed a greater BH effect (0.2%) on the gelatinization of PS than WPS. The starch gels and starch fiber mixtures showed biopolymer gel behavior. In the WPS/BH pastes, a smaller increase in hardness was noted compared to PS/BH.

Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at high risk of developing hyperglycemia in a subsequent pregnancy. This study aimed to assess parameters of glucose metabolism at the beginning of a subsequent pregnancy in women with a history of GDM. This prospective cohort study included 706 women who had at least one previous pregnancy (120 with prior GDM and 586 without GDM history). All study participants received a broad risk evaluation and laboratory testing at the beginning of a subsequent pregnancy and were followed up until delivery to assess GDM status, risk factors for GDM recurrence, and pregnancy outcomes. Women with a history of GDM exhibited lower insulin sensitivity and subtle impairments in β-cell function associated with subclinical hyperglycemia already at the beginning of a subsequent pregnancy compared to women without GDM history. This was associated with a markedly increased risk for the later development of GDM (OR: 6.59, 95% CI 4.34 to 10.09, p < 0.001). Early gestational fasting glucose and HbA1c were identified as the most important predictors. Mothers with a history of GDM showed marked alterations in glucose metabolism at the beginning of a subsequent pregnancy, which explains the high prevalence of GDM recurrence in these women.

The aim of this study was to develop a concept of production for wheat bread enriched with chia seeds and to examine selected physicochemical properties. The examined product was wheat-flour bread made by a single-phase method, using yeast. The production concept assumed the modification of the recipe by replacing part of the wheat flour (1 or 5% w / w ) with whole (CHw) or ground chia seeds (CHg). Bread quality was determined by calculating: dough yield, bread yield, baking loss, total baking loss and loaf volumes. Color was determined using the CIE L * a * b * system. In the texture analysis, the following texture parameters were measured: hardness, cohesion, chewiness and elasticity. The contents of crude fat, crude fiber, total protein, total ash and the total content of polyphenols were assessed to characterize the nutritive value of the bread. The breads with 1% addition of chia (1%CHw, 1%CHg) were characterized by the highest volume of loaves, which increased by at least 8.6% compared to the control bread (C), while in the case of 5% chia, the loaf volume depended on the form of seeds (better results were obtained with whole seeds). Substituting wheat flour with 1% chia seeds (whole or ground) resulted in a significant increase in nutritional value. For potential bread manufacturers, from a technological and economic point of view, replacing wheat flour with whole chia seeds at 1% ( w / w ) is most advantageous, compared to 5% ( w / w ).

The present study examines the phenomenon of compensative and compulsive buying among online shoppers. Firstly, the obtained empirical data make it possible to estimate the prevalence of compensative and compulsive buying among the general population of Poles aged 15 years old and over, with the sample split into users and non-users of the e-commerce market offer. Secondly, the conducted analysis shows to what extent the prevalence of compulsive and compensative buying is differentiated by the frequency of online shopping, by the extent of the expenditures on online shopping compared with offline shopping, by attitudes towards online shopping, and by sociodemographic conditions (gender, age, monthly net income of household). The findings come from a survey conducted in 2019 based on a nationwide statistically representative sample of 1,000 Poles aged 15 years old and over. Drawing on this survey based on the German Compulsive Buying Indicator (GCBI), the prevalence of compulsive buying is observed at about 3% and compensative buying at about 12%. Dividing the general population into online and offline shoppers, one can see serious differences between both target groups; the share of compulsive and compensative buyers in the segment of online shoppers amounts to 3.6% and 16.9%, while among non-online shoppers- 3.3% and 10.1%. The strongest susceptibility to compulsive buying is characteristic of female online shoppers having very positive attitudes towards online shopping and doing online shopping very frequently., Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of dietary fibers from oat (OF) and apple (AF) (concentration 0.2%) on the pasting properties, rheological (including thixotropic and anti-thixotropic) and textural properties of 3% and 4% (w/w) waxy potato starch pastes. The samples were characterized by their pasting characteristics, the hysteresis loop test, and textural properties measured during storage. It was found that the breakdown viscosity values of the blends, including oat fibers, were lower than those of the others (waxy potato starch (WPS), WPS-AF), which suggests that these samples would have higher resistance to retrogradation and therefore would form a more stable paste. The pattern of flow curves showed that the investigated waxy potato starch and starch-fiber pastes were non-Newtonian fluids, thinned by shear. Areas of the hysteresis loops indicated that pastes with fibers had anti-thixotropic or mixed thixotropic/anti-thixotropic character. The greatest areas of the anti-thixotropy hysteresis loops were characteristic for WPS, while its mixtures with AF and OF caused a decrease in the value of these areas. It can indicate that starch-fiber blends were more stable during shearing. Fiber-type and starch concentration strongly affected the textural parameters of the starch-fiber gels., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

This paper presents the rheological instability (thixotropy/antithixotropy) of waxy potato starch (WPS) pastes depending on their concentration (1-5% w/w) and pasting temperature (80, 95 and autoclaved: 121°C, at 0.1MPa). The hysteresis loop, apparent viscosity at constant shear rate as well as the in-shear structural recovery tests with and without pre-shearing were applied. The pastes were also characterized by the granularity profile, molecular weight, polydispersity and optical transmittance. Differences in rheological properties of the pastes prepared at 80 and 95°C as well as autoclaved resulted from degree of granules pasting. At 121 °C dissolution of the granules occurred, while at the lower temperatures only the partial pasting of the granules took place. Pasting temperature of WPS significantly influenced rheological parameters of the resulted pastes which had thixotropic, antithixotropic or mixed thixotropic/antithixotropic behavior. Autoclaved pastes, regardless their concentration were antithixotropic as demonstrated by the areas of hysteresis loops derived from the flow curves signalized by the degree of structure recovery (DSR) which exceeded unity. The apparent viscosity of WPS pasted at 121°C strongly decreased as compared to the samples pasted at lower temperatures. Samples pasted at 80 and 95°C showed both thixotropic and antithixotropic behavior, with a predominance of the latter. The starch concentration played an important role in the formation of the rheological properties of the resulted pastes. Its influence was strongly connected with the degree of the granules pasting, therefore with the temperature of pastes preparation. For the pastes prepared at 80 and 95°C the values of thixotropy and apparent viscosity increased, while the values of DSR decreased with an increase of concentration. In the autoclaved pastes the antithixotropy, DSR and apparent viscosity increased with increasing starch concentration. It was also found that apart from the concentration and temperature also the shear rate influence the thixotropic behavior., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this paper was the study of the rheological instability (thixotropy and/or antithixotropy) of normal potato starch (NPS) pastes depending on their concentration (2-5%) and degree of pasting. Flow curves with hysteresis loops, apparent viscosity at constant shear rate and in-shear structural recovery tests were carried out. Granule size profiles, the pasting characteristic of corresponding starch suspensions and the transmittance of the pastes, the molecular weights and polydispersity of granular starch and its pastes prepared at 80, 95 and 121°C were also studied. The degree of pasting was dependent on the temperature and the concentration and influenced strongly the rheological behavior of the pastes. All pastes belonged to the non-Newtonian liquids thinned by shear and were rheologically unstable to the various extent. Thixotropic properties were connected to the size and the number of the starch granules in the pastes as well as depended on the measuring method used. In the 2 and 3% samples pasted at 80°C the swelling of the granules prevailed their destruction (thixotropy was observed). In the other samples the destruction predominated the swelling (antithixotropy observed)., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim. To evaluate the reasons for atypical sequelae of knee arthroscopy., Material. A group of 11 patients (6 women and 5 men), age 17-56 (mean 33.4), referred for rheumatological consulation because of persistent exudates and/or pain in the operated joint. Infectious arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and gout were excluded. Immunological diagnostics were performed on all patients, testing for the presence of anti-Chlamydia trachomatis, anti-Yersinia enterocolitica, anti-Salmonella enteritidis and typhimurium antibodies., Results. In 10/11 patients various antibodies were detected (most often anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies). Other reasons for atypical sequelae of knee arthroscopy included pigmentous villo-nodular synovitis and chondrocalcinosis. The Discussion presents those clinical symptoms and signs appearing in orthopedic examinations that serve as indications for rheumatological consultation., Conclusion. The most common reason for atypical sequelae of knee arthroscopy is reactive arthritis caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and G(-) enteric bacteria infections.

An introduction of laser flow meters for a continuous measurements of a tissue blood flow has opened new avenues for an accurate assessment blood flow in peripheral nerves. The aim of our study was: 1) to carry out a functional verification of anatomical sources of a sciatic nerve blood supply in the rat; 2) develop a measurement technique to facilitate standardisation of results; 3) to determine the role of nerve fibres tonic activity in the maintenance of a resting blood flow in the sciatic nerve. Based on results of the present study the following conclusions have been drawn out: 1) in order to obtain a real values of the blood flow through the sciatic nerve it is necessary to remove its muscular fascia; 2) an uninjured epineurium plays a crucial role in maintaining the resting blood flow; 3) major blood supply of sciatic nerve comes from inferior gluteal and popliteal arteries; 4) the tonic neural activity plays a role in the maintenance of the resting sciatic nerve blood flow in anaesthetised rats.

Rat allogeneic heart or kidney grafts are rejected within 6 to 8 days, whereas lymphoid cells from the same donor transplanted intravenously across the MHC barrier are eliminated, in most part, within 6 h. We have found that donor specific transfusions (DST) significantly prolonged the survival time of organ allograft but accelerated destruction of i.v. transplanted lymphocytes. Partial elimination of transplanted lymphocytes was observed after third-party blood transfusion. Blocking of the MHC class I and II determinants on transplanted lymphocytes with monoclonal antibodies OX18 and OX6 did not have effect on the lymphocyte elimination kinetics. The effect of hyperacute elimination of allogeneic lymphocytes by DST-treated rats could be adoptively transferred with their sera, although the cytotoxic antibody titer against donor MHC antigens was in these sera low or hardly detectable. DST-recipient sera contained donor-specific IgG and IgM alloantibodies. It seems that these "enhancing" antibodies could block the MHC products on organ graft endothelial cells, thereby preventing attack of circulating donor-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes. At the same time they may opsonize the transplanted lymphocytes, thereby facilitating their recognition and removal in the lymphoid organs of graft recipient.

Between 1980 and 1986 465 cadaveric kidney transplants were performed at the Kidney Transplant Centre Berlin-Friedrichshain. The post-transplant risk to acquire a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection depended on the preoperative CMV antibody status of donor and recipient, on the nettoimmunosuppression and on the recipient's age. The highest infection rate and the most serious courses showed seronegative recipients from seropositive donors. The typical time interval of clinical manifestation included the postoperative months 1-3. A significant dependence of the frequency of infection on different immunosuppressive protocols could not be proven. But there was a significant coincidence between CMV infection and rejection crises. In spite of the raised frequency of rejection crises an influence of the CMV infection on the 1-year-graft and patient survival rates could not be demonstrated. Both an early diagnosis and an adequate therapy are of particular importance.

The upper respiratory tracts of 20 children attending a crèche were studied for bacteria up to the 128th day of crèche attendance. To this end nose and throat swabs as well as double blood withdrawals were to determine antibodies against various respiratory viruses. The germ spectrum thus obtained was correlated with the acute pathological processes occurring during the period of investigation. In addition to the normal flora, the nasopharynx of infection-stable children was, with one exception, only populated with gram-positive pathopotent bacteria during the first four months of crèche attendance. In infection-labile children, however, gram-negative pathopotent bacteria, blastomycetes of the Candida group as well as Mycoplasma, virus and mixed infections were discovered apart from gram-positive bacteria. This broad germ spectrum should be taken into wider consideration in the chemotherapy of respiratory infections.

Out of 1091 and 2275 influenza virus strains isolated in Czechoslovakia (C.S.S.R.) and German Democratic Republic (G.D.R.) from 1969 to 1981, six and two were type C strains. All type C strains were isolated in the course of type A or B influenza epidemics. Double-diffusion tests indicated a relationship between the type C strains isolated in both countries in 1981 and the prototype strain C/Taylor/49; however, haemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) showed a heterogeneity within the 1981 group of viruses and their antigenic distinctness from the strain C/Taylor/49. The low number of type C isolates was in a sharp contrast with the antibody titres found in most adult sera. Only 10-30% of 275 and 2750 serum samples collected from persons aged 6-50 years in Czechoslovakia and G.D.R., respectively, were negative. The percentage of positive sera rose steadily in children 2-4 years of age. These serological findings suggest that influenza C virus was more or less permanently circulating among population, but the disease caused by it tends to take an inapparent or very mild course, so that the virus was isolated only exceptionally.

In 43 recipients of allogenic cadaver kidneys before and three times a week after transplantation to the discharge from the hospital care the antibody titre against the Thomsen-Friedenreich-antigen (Anti-T) was determined and the score value was calculated from the agglutination intensity. A prognostic significance of the value got before operation could not be found. No changes of the titre appeared under the influence of the postoperatively performed immunosuppression as well as in connection with rejection crises. In 9 patients with clinically manifest systemic infections (8 cytomegalovirus infections, 1 bacterial infection) unequivocal (greater than or equal to 8 fold) increases of the anti-T-titre could be proved. These findings speak for an infection-induced formation of these cross-reacting anti-T-antibodies.

High titre plasmas gained from blood donors are the initial material used for producing human immunoglobulin containing cytomegalovirus antibodies (CMV-HIG). For this purpose the sera gained from 467 permanent donors at the District Institute for Blood and Transfusion Service in Berlin were investigated on their CMV antibody content of IgG class by means of an indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT). The infection rate of blood donors amounted to 62% (291/467). CMV-IgG titre greater than or equal to 1:40 was determined in 88 sera (18.8%) and greater than or equal to 1:160 in 14 sera (3%). Two CMV-HIG laboratory samples (charges 3113 and 3117) were produced from these plasmas. Particularly immunoglobulin fraction of charge 3117 (No. 3117 N II) revealed excellent antibody titres (IFT 1:640 [CMV-IgG] or 1:40 [CMV-IgM] respectively, neutralisation test 1:32). Checks made with the donors' CMV-IgG titres after repeated application of plasmapheresis resulted in maximal titres changes of two dilution stages in a period of 15 months. Thus, in producing CMV-HIG a sure, tested pool of donors can be resorted to.

Serum samples of 110 recipients of kidney transplants and the 100 donors belonging to them taken before the transplantation were examined for complement-binding antibodies against cytomegaloviruses. A clear influence of the cytomegalovirus antibody state of donor and recipient on the cytomegalovirus infection appearing after transplantation, serologically ascertained by cytomegalovirus-IgM-antibody proof or seroconversion and fourfold increase of the titre in the complement-binding reaction, respectively, could be made evident. Cytomegalovirus negative recipients of kidneys of cytomegalovirus positive donors had significantly more infections than seronegative recipients of kidneys of seronegative donors (50% vs. 16%, p less than 0.05). According to the infection rate the seropositive recipients stand with about 30% between these two groups. It seems that in these recipients the serological state of the donors has no influence. These findings make evident that seronegative recipients receive the cytomegaloviruses essentially with the transplant, whereas the cytomegalovirus infections in seropositive recipients are endogenous cytomegalovirus reactivations caused by therapy.

Of 201 patients who received cadaver kidneys in the kidney transplant centre in Berlin between June 1978 and December 1981 114 (56.7%) already had complement-binding antibodies against cytomegaloviruses (CMV) before transplantation, 87 (43.3% were seronegative. After transplantation a recurring CMV infection was detected in 36/114 patients and a primary CMV infection in 27/87 patients (31.6% and 31.0% respectively). At dismissal from ward care these patients already had a significantly higher rate of transplant failure than those free of CMV infection. This negative effect of the infection was reinforced by the additional administration of a Prednisolone bolus for the treatment of the rejection crisis associated with CMV. At the same time immunological protection was further suppressed. Thus, in comparison with patients with primary CMV infection not treated with Prednisolone bolus, those with primary CMV infection and parallel treatment with a Prednisolone bolus had a higher rate of T-lymphocytopenia and a significantly delayed humoral immune response to CMV. Together with the usually present leukocytopenia, these findings explain the especially high risk of potentially fatal superinfections in this period. Diagnosis of CMV infection on the basis of clinical symptoms and haematological changes must be speedy. A therapy which is effective with regard to life (although symptomatic) comprises the temporary reduction of the azathioprine dose, the administration of antibiotics and the infusion of human gamma-globulin. It might be possible to avoid primary CMV infection, which presents a particularly great risk, by vaccination of the potential transplant recipient.

The aim of the study was the prolongation of heart allograft survival in rats after DST (donor specific blood transfusion), the characterization of T and B lymphocyte phenotypes in peripheral blood, spleen and lymph nodes and the evaluation of specific and nonspecific suppressor cell activity of spleen and blood lymphocytes of DST rats. Pretreatment of Wistar recipients with one, two and three doses of DST-s prolonged the heterotopic August graft survival to 11.0, 12.3 and 11.4 days, respectively (rats differed across the MHC). Spleen lymphocytes of transfused rats showed significant nonspecific suppressive activity in culture with syngeneic spleen lymphocytes of nontransfused rats stimulated with PHA, but not in culture with blood lymphocytes. Blood lymphocytes of transfused rats did not show any nonspecific suppressive activity. Spleen and blood lymphocytes of transfused rats did not demonstrate any specific suppressive activity in allogeneic MLC. The ratio of W3/25+/OX8+ (Th+/Tsup/cyt+) cells in peripheral blood was found increased in DST rats due to the decrease in the percentage of OX8+ cells whereas the opposite effect was observed with spleen cells (increase in the percentage of OX8+ cells after one DST). The number of OX6+ (Ia positive) cells and B cells in all transfused rats was found unchanged comparing with untreated animals.

Sera of 22 recipients of kidney transplants with clinically and serologically (complement binding reaction) ascertained cytomegalovirus infection were retrospectively examined for virus-specific antibodies of the class IgM by means of the indirect immunofluorescence test. Already two to five days after the appearance of the adequate clinical symptoms (leucopenia, fever, T-lymphocytopenia, increase of creatinine and thrombocytopenia) CMV-IgM-antibodies could be proved. On average a positive complement binding reaction was found only two weeks later. In other 13 patients of the actual control programme the CMV-IgM-antibody findings first obtained were compared with the results of the complement fixing reaction obtained later. Neither falsely positive nor falsely negative results could be found.