Repeated testing attenuates conditioned place preference with cocaine

Cocaine-treated rats acquired a preference for cocaine-associated contextual stimuli (CS) relative to saline-injected control rats. However, when animals were given repeated tests for conditioned place preference intermittent between conditioning trials, they displayed an attenuation in strength of conditioning. This attenuation was not due to pharmacologic tolerance (Experiment 1), but rather reflected a disruption in learning due to exposure to the CS alone (Experiment 2). Like other examples of classical conditioning, the strength of the conditioned response (CR) as assessed by the conditioned place preference model may be influenced by partial reinforcement.     

DNA binding of a 38,000-dalton herpes-simplex-virus-2-specific protein

Western transfer and immunoenzymatic staining with affinity-purified monospecific antiserum was used to detect a 38-Kd protein that bound to native and denatured DNA cellulose. This protein has previously been shown to be a delayed early herpes simplex virus type-2 specific protein.     

Epidemiology of chlamydial eye diseases in a mixed rural/urban population of West Germany

4260 conjunctival specimens of 2850 outpatients with keratoconjunctivitis of presumed infectious etiology were studied. Two thousand six hundred sixty-eight specimens (63%) revealed growth of bacteria, and 80 (2%) growth of fungi. One hundred ninety-nine specimens (5%) were McCoy cell culture or direct stain (monoclonal antibody or Giemsa) positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. two patients had a C. psittaci infection (ELISA techniques). In patients with keratoconjunctivitis of bacterial etiology, overall incidence of McCoy cell culture-proven chlamydial infections was 7%; in the 20 to 30-year age group it was 12.5%. Simultaneous infections of chlamydiae and other bacteria were seen in 34 patients. Since sensitive and specific tests to diagnose chlamydial infections are available, ophthalmologists may be able to prevent these infections by agent-specific antibiotic therapy.     

Improvement in men inpatients in an alcoholism rehabilitation unit: a week-by-week comparison

The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), a 53-item psychiatric symptom checklist, was administered to 57 alcoholic inpatients on days 2, 10, 18 and 26 of their 28-day stay in an alcoholism rehabilitation unit at a Veterans Administration hospital. The results of the test show a steady decline in the patients' psychiatric symptomatology from week 1 to week 4 with the most dramatic improvement evidenced between weeks 1 and 2.     

Activity of newer beta-lactam agents against clinical isolates of Bacteroides fragilis and other Bacteroides species.

The in vitro activities of beta-lactam antibiotics against Bacteroides fragilis and B. fragilis group isolates are presented. Clinical isolates from 1986 were compared with strains from 1979 to 1982. Imipenem, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, and ceftizoxime were the most active agents. Cefotetan was equivalent to cefoxitin against B. fragilis but less active against B. fragilis group isolates. Enhancement of cefotaxime by its desacetyl metabolite was minimal.