Herpes simplex virus type I from a patient with radiculoneuropathy.

Herpes simplex virus type I was isolated from the CSF of a patient with atypical lumbosacral pain. The features of this case are unusual and important in light of the current understanding of herpes-simplex-virus-associated neurologic disease.     

Massive prolapse of the urethral mucosa following periurethral injection of calcium hydroxylapatite for stress urinary incontinence

The injection of bulking agents into the urethral submucosa is designed to create artificial urethral cushions that can improve urethral coaptation and hence restore continence. Ideally, a urethral bulking agent should be non-immunogenic and biocompatible, leading to minimal inflammatory and fibrotic response. The authors present a case report of a granulomatous reaction leading to urethral prolapse, 3 months after the transurethral injection of calcium hydroxylapatite. To our knowledge, this is the first granulomatous reaction described after calcium hydroxylapatite injection.     

Antibodies against neurons in chronic Chagas' disease.

Severe qualitative and quantitative alterations of the autonomic system inervating the heart and other organs have been demonstrated in experimental and natural Chagas' disease. These facts led us to search for the presence of antibody to neurons in 230 chagasic sera by an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Our results indicated that 83% of the chagasic patients presented IgG antibodies and 7% IgM antibodies to neurons. All control sera were negative. The demonstrated antibody to neurons presented cross-reaction against neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) and also against neurons of different species.     

Comparison of radio-iodinated serum albumin and blue dextran as indicators to measure rate of formation of cerebrospinal fluid.

The characteristics of two nondiffusible indicators, ¹²⁵I-labeled albumin (RISA-125) and blue dextran, were compared by using them simultaneously to measure rate of formation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in in vitro experiments and in a series of ventriculocisternal perfusion experiments in rhesus monkeys. Mean CSF formation calculated from the dilution of RISA-125 was 37.6 μl/min (±0.74 sem); the CSF formation calculated from the corresponding dilution of blue dextran was 37.1 μl/min (±0.70 sem). The difference is not statistically significant. As measured by counts per minute, the concentration of RISA-125 in aliquots of a dilute RISA-125 solution varied considerably. In the in vitro experiments, simulated CSF formation calculated from these counts varied around the mean by more than ± 10% at the 95% confidence limits. Counting variability is probably related to the low energy levels of the ¹²⁵I isotope. Cerebrospinal fluid formation calculated from the dilution of blue dextran had one-tenth the coefficient of variation of that calculated from the dilution of RISA-125. We have concluded that blue dextran is preferable to RISA-125 to measure the rate of formation of cerebrospinal fluid in the experimental setting because it is easier to detect accurately small changes of CSF formation with blue dextran.     

Toxicity assessment of industrial effluents from S. Paulo state,Brazil, using short-term microbial assays

Microorganisms have demonstrated several attributes that make them attractive for use in quick screening of effluents and chemicals for toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity and mutagenicity of industrial effluents from São Paulo State using short-term microbial bioassays. Samples of industrial effluents and receiving waters were analyzed for acute toxicity by the Microtox system, a motility test using Spirillum volutans, growth inhibition of Pseudomonas fluorescens, and dehydrogenase assay; for mutagenicity, these samples were analyzed by Salmonella typhimurium (Ames test), Escherichia coli WP₂, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae reversion mutation assays. Among the acute toxicity assays carried out in this study, the Microtox and S. volutans tests showed good sensitivity and general good agreement with the Daphnia similis assay, which demonstrates that these tests are potentially useful as toxicity indicators for the industrial effluents and receiving waters considered. In relation to mutagenicity assays, good results were obtained with the three methods tested. The detection of mutagens in the industrial effluents considered indicates that some constituents of these waste waters discharged in receiving waters can cause adverse biological effects and could be deleterious from a public health standpoint. The data of this research emphasize the importance of acute toxicity and mutagenicity assays as supplementary approaches for a rapid and efficient action in water pollution control, and for evaluation of potential toxic chemical effects.