The chemotherapeutic value of sulphadiazine in treatment of Acanthamoeba meningoencephalitis in mice

The chemotherapeutic value of three sulphonamides, sulphamethizole,sulphamethoxazole and sulphadiazine, was examined in experimental Acanthamoeba meningoencephalitis in mice. Only sulphadiazine was capable of protecting mice challenged with A. culbertsoni A-1 strain. However, protection to mice was only afforded if the drug was given early after infection. Once the amoebae reached, and became established in, the central nervous system, sulphadiazine displayed no chemotherapeutic value.     

Investigations on the use of testosterone oenanthate as a male contraceptive agent

The effect of exogenous testosterone on male gonadal function was in vestigated by applying a practical dose schedule of weekly injections of testosterone enanthate. 7 healthy young males received 22 intramuscular injections of 250 mg testosterone enanthate once a week for a period of 21 weeks. Mean sperm counts were reduced from a pretreatment value of 73 million sperm/ml to below 3 million sperm/ml within 9 weeks of testosterone administration and remained so during the whole treatment period. A marked recovery of spermatogenesis did not occur before 13 weeks after testosterone withdrawal, when the mean sperm count rose to 63 million sperm/ml. Changes of the mean sperm motility and percentage of normal sperm morphology generally paralleled those of the mean sperm concentration, whereas the mean semen volume, libido, potency, and secondary sex characteristics remained unaffected. A consistently azoospermic semen was not developed by any individual. This and the fact that sperm counts in 3 out of 7 males still showed some depression of spermatogenesis at the end of the observation period of 28 weeks after testosterone withdrawal indicate that testosterone enanthate admin istered in the described dose schedule is not a safe male contraceptive agent. However, further research on the use of hormones for the control of fertility in men seems warranted.     

A role for amine accumulation in the syndrome of ingestive deficits following lateral hypothalamic lesions

Lesions of the lateral hypothalamus produce ascending catecholamine neuron degeneration which results in terminal depletion and proximal accumulation above the lesions. The occurrence of deficits in ingestive behaviour has been attributed traditionally to the loss of functional dopamine neurotransmitter in the terminal fields. However, release of functional amines may occur in the lateral hypothalamus at areas of accumulation, to produce at least some of the behavioural symptoms characterizing the lateral hypothalamic syndrome. Recovery from behavioural deficits as a result of various pharmacological treatments, after dopamine-depleting lesions, may be mediated by changes in amine release or modified sensitivity of receptors affected by released amines. We conclude that amine accumulation should be considered when interpreting experiments implicating central catecholamine systems in the control of consumatory behaviour and the regulation of body weight.     

Studies of cervical caps: I. vaginal lesions associated with use of the vimule cap

Prior to investigating the contraceptive efficacy of cervical caps, we undertook a preliminary study to evaluate potential side effects of these devices. Women who had not previously used a cap were randomly assigned to wear either a Vimule or Cavity Rim Cap (CRC) for as long as seven days. The Vimule cap caused lesions of the $\text{portio vaginalis}$ ranging from erythematous impressions to abrasions and frank lacerations. There was variation in the degree of trauma depending, in part, on the size of the cap and duration of wear. Disruption of the epithelium occurred in eight of twelve Vimule users, but the lesions were sometimes difficult to see owing to their location. CRCs were worn by 20 women. This device sometimes left a “suction ring” on the cervix but did not disrupt the epithelium Two of three long-term users of the Vimule cap who were also studied had unusual formations of the vaginal mucosa suggesting a proliferative reaction to chronic irritation. It is recommended that all women using a Vimule Cap be carefully re-examined and counseled about further use of the device according to the findings of the examination.     

The use of ELIEDA (enzyme-linked-immuno-electro-diffusion-assay)) in the study of humoral antibodies in human schistosomiasis.

In order to improve the sensitivity of immuno-electrodiffusion (IED) we have developed a technique of treating the precipitated immune complexes with enzyme-labelled antibodies. This technique we term ELIEDA (Enzyme-Linked-Immuno-Electro-Diffusion-Assay). The enzyme-labelled antibodies can be made monospecific for each class of immunoglobulins found in patients with schistosomiasis and which precipitate with schistosome antigens. We believe that this sensitive technique will prove valuable in studying the sequential development of antibodies in human and experimental schistosomiasis.     

Kala-azar in north-western India: a study of 24 patients.

Twenty-four sporadic cases of kala-azar diagnosed over an 11-year period in a referral medical centre in north-western India are reported. Most of the patients were residents of non-endemic areas or where endemicity was low. Certain unusual clinical and laboratory features were seen in some of the cases, namely, lymphadenopathy, nasopharyngeal growth, acute and chronic hepatic involvement and portal hypertension. Awareness of the occurrence of the disease and of its protean modes of presentation was found to be an important factor in early diagnosis.     

Human salmonella carriers in a tropical urban environment

Salmonella sp. were isolated from rectal swab specimens from 39 of 464 (8·4%) of apparently healthy adults and children in central Jakarta, Indonesia. A wide variety of species of Salmonella were found with S. oranienburg predominating. Most of the S. oranienburg isolated were resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, probably because of their previous widespread and inappropriate administration. The yield of carriers identified increased significantly with the use of double enrichment procedures. This study emphasizes the importance of high rates of carriage of Salmonella sp. as potential causes of diarrhoeal disease in overcrowded, unhygienic cities in the tropics.     

Activation of complement by Naegleria

Neither Naegleria nor its culture supernatant was found to be directly chemotactic for human neutrophils. Interaction of Naegleria with human serum, however, resulted in the generation of a strong chemotactic stimulus. The reduction of serum activity by heat-inactivation indicated a dependence on serum complement for the interaction. The ability of Naegleria to activate the alternative complement pathway was demonstrated with the use of C2-deficient serum.     

Intraindividual changes of blood pressure,serum lipids,and body weight in relation to menstrual status: Results from a prospective population study of women in Göteborg,Sweden

Women initially aged 38, 46, 50, and 54 who participated in a population study were followed up longitudinally with respect to changes of blood pressure, serum lipids, and body weight in relation to changed or unchanged menstrual status during a 6-year period. Women initially aged 46 were especially suitable for obtaining relevant data. Those women who stopped menstruating during the period showed increased serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride values; this was less marked in women with unchanged menstrual status. Weight gain was observed in women who were premenopausal throughout the follow-up period and in women who stopped menstruating, but not in women who were already postmenopausal at entry to the study. Blood pressures tended to increase more in the groups of women with no change of menstrual status than in those women who became postmenopausal during the period. The results from our longitudinal study were mostly in agreement with those from our cross-sectional studies.     

Faecal pollution of surface waters in Jakarta.

Profuse numbers of Enterobacteriaceae were found in samples of surface waters from the Ciliwung River and adjoining canals which criss-cross metropolitan Jakarta and are used widely for domestic purposes by the poorer sections of its population. 15 of the 20 specimens gres E. coli, Klebsiella were isolated from seven and Citrobacter from four. Using enrichment culture procedures, Salmonella sp. were grown from 10 (48%) of 21 water samples examined, and 12 (63%) of aquatic sediments collected at the same sites. Altogether 14 serotypes and 37 Salmonella isolations were recorded. This high degree of faecal contamination of the environment is a major cause of the immense problem of gastro-intestinal infections in that city and probably in many similar cities in developing countries in the tropics.     

Abnormal anti-single stranded (ss) DNA activity in sera from Plasmodium falciparum infected individuals

Sera from 32 subjects with Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia were screened for the presence of antibodies to native-double stranded (ds) DNA and to heat-denaturated-single stranded (ss) DNA by a Farr DNA binding radioimmunoassay. In addition anti-dsDNA antibodies were also studied by indirect immunofluorescence using Crithidia luciliae and rat liver sections as substrates. Immunoglobulin (G, A, M) levels and plasmodial antibodies titres (PA) were concomitantly evaluated. The anti-ssDNA activity was higher in malarious individuals with high IgM levels than in normal or malarious individuals with normal IgM levels. This activity was higher during the acute stage of infection than after recovery. A positive and significant relationship was found between the anti-ssDNA activity and the IgM levels but not with IgG, IgA or PA titres. Speckled antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were also observed in sera from 43.8% of the individuals and the mean ssDNA activity was higher in these ANA positive patients. Conversely anti-dsDNA antibodies could not be detected by any of the tests performed. This preferential production of anti-ssDNA Ab and not anti-dsDNA Ab is additional evidence that the autoantibodies observed in malaria infection are not a consequence of a generalized and non-specific polyclonal activation.     

Effect of adrenergic blockers and depleters on food intake in rats

In rats kept at a constant temperature (24 +/- 1.5 degrees C) and on a reversed day/night cycle (light from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m.), the amount of food eaten during the first 2 h of darkness and during 24 h was measured every day. When reserpine or guanethidine were injected 5 min before the beginning of the dark period on four consecutive days, there was no significant change in the 0.5-, 1-, or 24-h food intake on the injection days, but there was a significant increase in the 0.5-, 1- and 2-h food intake during the next five to eight days, without any change in the 24-h intake. A single injection of dichloroisoproterenol produced no change on the day of injection but it induced a significant increase in the 0.5-, 1- and 2-h intake on the following 15 days, without any change in the 24-h intake. The increase in the early night-time feeding without any change in the 24-h intake was interpreted as an increase in meal size (diminished preabsorptive satiation) compensated by a decrease in meal frequency. Both reserpine and guanethidine are catecholamine depleters but the latter does not penetrate into the brain. Dichloroisoproterenol is a beta-blocker acting on the glycogenolytic effects of catecholamines. The results thus agree with the hypothesis that glycogenolysis elicited by the liberation of intrahepatic catecholamines from the sympathetic nerve endings and chromaffin cells plays a role in preabsorptive satiation.