Bacteriophage typing in Salmonella bareilly.

A total of 675 strains of Salmonella bareilly received from different parts of India and France during 1959-92 were phage typed using six bacteriophages. Overall typability achieved was 90.8% with 23 distinct phage types excluding a group of untypable strains. Phage types have been defined in octal code. Simpson''s coefficient was applied for diversity index having a value of 0.839. This system was found to be reproducible, stable and epidemiologically useful.     

Psychological responses to thermal stress in a glass bangle factory.

Behavioural studies were conducted on a random sample of 38 glass bangle workers engaged in various occupations and exposed to high ambient temperature (38.2 +/- 3.4 degrees C) and radiant heat (46.2 +/- 5.1 degrees C) during their work in the glass bangle industries at Firozabad, India. Twenty-two control subjects of similar age and socio-economic status unexposed to heat during their work were also studied for comparison. The digit span test, digit symbol test, Bourdon-Wiersma vigilance test, flicker fusion test and Maudsley personality inventory (MPI) were used to assess the behavioural changes induced by the existing heat stress. The mean scores of immediate memory were much lower in the exposed population than in the controls thereby indicating impairment of immediate memory in the study group. The visuo-motor coordination and vigilance were also significantly affected. Visual perception showed a downward trend among the glass bangle workers, although the MPI test indicated no personality changes.     

Dengue fever presenting with acute colitis.

Gastrointestinal manifestations of dengue fever are mainly in the form of bleeding or liver function abnormalities. Dengue fever presenting as acute colitis-like picture is not reported to date. We report a 50-year-old man with dengue fever presenting with lower gastrointestinal bleeding and colonoscopic features of acute inflammatory colitis.     

Oral intra vascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia in the floor of the mouth.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) is an unusual vascular lesion of proliferating endothelial cells. It is more frequently seen in the extremities, particularly in the fingers. Oral IPEH has been reported with the common sites being lip, tongue, and buccal mucosa. In this article, we present a case of oral IPEH of the floor of the mouth, an unusual location, presenting in a 9-month-old male. The histogenesis, histologic features, and ultrastructural features are also reviewed. A misdiagnosis of angiosarcoma can be made in a case of IPEH due to similar histopathologic features. It is imperative to rule out this error by an elaborate histopathologic evaluation ofthese lesions.     

The physiology of the vitamin D endocrine system

It is clear that the vitamin D endocrine system plays a central role in the maintenance of calcium and phosphate homeostasis. It may be involved in the cellular differentiation and growth of various cells. Investigation of these properties in the future is likely to yield interesting information concerning the biology of this sterol hormone.     

Transformation of immortal, non-tumorigenic osteoblast-like human osteosarcoma cells to the tumorigenic phenotype by nickel sulfate

Epidemiological studies have indirectly linked compounds ofchromium, nickel and arsenic to human carcinogenesis. However,there is no evidence that metal compounds can transform humancells to the tumorigenic phenotype in culture. We show herethat exposure to 36 µM NiS0₄ for 48–96 h resultsin transformation of an immortal, non-tumorigenic, osteoblast-likecell line, HOS TE85, to the tumorigenic phenotype. Continuouspassaging following treatment leads to the formation of a fewdense foci. The cells isolated and expanded from the foci aremorphologically transformed, and form anchorage-independentcolonies of the size and abundance comparable to that formedby Kirsten murine sarcoma virus transformed HOS TE85 cells.The transformed cells from tumors in nude mice, have enhancedlevels of plasminogen activators and have lost the ability toform model bone matrix on extended culture in the presence ofascorbic acid and ß-glycerophosphate. A number ofcell lines have been established from nude mouse tumors. Cytogeneticanalysis reveals 16 marker chromosomes and an aberrant chromosome16. This is the first report of the transformation of a humancell line to tumorigenic phenotype by a metal carcinogen.     

Endoscopic sclerotherapy in the treatment of gastric varices

Of 309 patients with portal hypertension, gastric varices were found in 48 (16 per cent). While the majority (88 per cent) of the patients had gastric varices in association with oesophageal varices, 6 (12 per cent) patients had 'isolated' gastric varices. Gastric varices were seen significantly (P less than 0.01) more often with grade 4 than with grade 3 varices. In 11 (28 per cent) of the 40 patients who completed sclerotherapy for oesophageal varices, gastric varices disappeared concurrently on eradication of oesophageal varices or during the following 6 months. Of the initial five patients with gastric varices who received direct intravariceal injections, four rebled; this technique was therefore replaced by combination (paravariceal + intravariceal) gastric variceal sclerotherapy. Emergency combination sclerotherapy successfully controlled bleeding from gastric varices in six of the eight treated patients. Thirty-two patients entered a programme of elective combination gastric variceal sclerotherapy. Variceal obliteration was achieved in 12 cases (38 per cent) and reduction in size was noted in another 7 patients (22 per cent) after a minimum of four courses. There were 11 (23 per cent) deaths, 8 due to uncontrolled bleeding from gastric varices and 3 due to hepatic coma. The other complications of gastric variceal sclerotherapy were minor and included retrosternal pain, fever and dysphagia. It is concluded that gastric varices often coexist with large oesophageal varices. If they persist for 6 months after eradication of oesophageal varices, a combination of paravariceal and intravariceal sclerotherapy should be attempted for their obliteration.