Evaluation of human antibody responses to diphtheria toxin subunits A and B in various age groups

This study aimed to evaluate human antibody responses to diphtheria toxin subunits in various age groups. Antibodies against the intact diphtheria toxin and the diphtheria toxin subunits A and B were evaluated in 1319 individuals using a double-antigen ELISA. Although high levels of protection (83.6%, 95% CI 79.2-87.4) were found in children and adolescents, the middle-aged adult population was less protected (28.8%, 95% CI 24.3-33.6). An increase in age was associated with a decrease in the frequency of protected individuals in the 0-39-year age group (p <0.001). Anti-subunit B levels correlated well (p <0.01) with levels of antibodies against the intact toxin. In children aged < or =16 years, the intervals at which the peaks in geometric mean titres of anti-subunit B antibodies were observed were found to correlate with the ages at which booster doses are administered. Overall, males appeared to be more protected than females (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.34-2.08, p <0.001). A small group of individuals had antibody levels of > or =0.1 IU/mL against the intact toxin, but did not have protective antibody against subunit B. Determination of anti-subunit B antibody levels should help in evaluating the effectiveness of diphtheria boosters and other aspects of diphtheria immunity.     

SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS IN PSEUDOEXFOLIATION SYNDROME

Purpose: to determine wheather an association exists between sensorineural hearing loss and pseudoexfoliation. Methods: Hearing thresholds were determined by using pure-tone au-diometry in 75 patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome and in the control group of 75 subjects without pseudoexfoliation The groups were sex and age matched. Results: The frequency of     

Post-traumatic pain syndromes of the shoulder joint--differentiation and treatment

The main symptom of posttraumatic trouble in the shoulder-joint is the painful immobility. We had to differentiate between genuine shoulder pain originating in shoulder alternation and shoulder pain in consequence of other diseases. Significant causes of posttraumatic shoulder pain are the impingement syndrome with tendon alteration or lesion or, due to fractures, the instable shoulder joint as well as shoulder rigidity. An exact diagnosis and, in consequence an exact treatment can only be accomplished basing on accurate history and specific clinical examination.     

Subclinical adrenocortical insufficiency in renal amyloidosis

In order to investigate the functional significance of possible adrenal amyloid infiltration in patients with renal amyloidosis, we performed corticotrophin stimulation tests in 15 patients having renal amyloidosis with no clinical evidence of adrenocortical insufficiency and 12 controls. In 7 of the patients, the cortisol increments obtained during the test were found to be consistent with primary adrenal insufficiency due to possible amyloid infiltration of the adrenal cortex; in contrast, in all control subjects, adrenal responses to the test were regarded as sufficient for proper adrenal function.     

Responses to natural scenes in cat V1

Studies on processing in primary visual areas often use artificial stimuli such as bars or gratings. As a result, little is known about the properties of activity patterns for the natural stimuli processed by the visual system on a daily basis. Furthermore, in the cat, a well-studied model system for visual processing, most results are obtained from anesthetized subjects and little is known about neuronal activations in the alert animal. Addressing these issues, we measure local field potentials (lfp) and multiunit spikes in the primary visual cortex of awake cats. We compare changes in the lfp power spectra and multiunit firing rates for natural movies, movies with modified spatio-temporal correlations as well as gratings. The activity patterns elicited by drifting gratings are qualitatively and quantitatively different from those elicited by natural stimuli and this difference arises from both spatial as well as temporal properties of the stimuli. Furthermore, both local field potentials and multiunit firing rates are most sensitive to the second-order statistics of the stimuli and not to their higher-order properties. Finally, responses to natural movies show a large variability over time because of activity fluctuations induced by rapid stimulus motion. We show that these fluctuations are not dependent on the detailed spatial properties of the stimuli but depend on their temporal jitter. These fluctuations are important characteristics of visual activity under natural conditions and impose limitations on the readout of possible differences in mean activity levels.     

Interleukin-6 production by thyroid epithelial cells. Enhancement by interleukin-1.

Interleukin-1 is a potent inhibitor of thyroglobulin and cAMP production in human thyroid cells and the inhibitory effect is enhanced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma. In the present study secondary cultures of human thyroid cells produced interleukin-6 and the production was significantly increased after exposure of the cells to recombinant interleukin-1 alpha and -1 beta. This increase was dose-dependent and concomitant of the IL-1 induced decrease in cAMP and thyroglobulin production. Both tumor necrosis factor-alpha and -beta also augmented interleukin-6 production, but less potently than interleukin-1. Interferon-gamma did not affect the production of interleukin-6. The rat thyroid cell line FRTL-5 produced interleukin-6 spontaneously, and the production was enhanced after addition of recombinant interleukin-1 beta. A pathogenetic role of interleukin-6 in autoimmune thyroid disease is suggested.     

Use of a ribosomal RNA gene probe for the epidemiological study of methicillin and ciprofloxacin resistantStaphylococcus aureus

Conventional bacteriophage typing was combined with ribotyping in the analysis of methicillin and ciprofloxacin resistantStaphylococcus aureus strains isolated in increasing frequency since the introduction of the new 4-quinolones as therapeutic agents in the Tel-Aviv Medical Center. Whole-cell DNA was digested withEcoRI andHindIII restriction endonucleases. Agarose gel electrophoresis, Southern blotting, and hybridization by biotinylated probe DNA coding for ribosomal RNA revealed 7 to 14 bands. Analysis of the patterns established a single DNA type inEcoRI as well as inHindIII digests for all strains except one. Control strains from other sources differed in their band patterns. Bacteriophage typing confirmed the results of DNA typing. Thus, the frequent occurrence of staphylococcal isolates resistant to 4-quinolones in the hospital was not due to mutational development of resistance in many strains, but to the spread of a resistant strain.     

A light and electron microscopic study of osteogenesis imperfecta bone samples, with reference to collagen chemistry and clinical phenotype

A detailed morphological study was carried out using light and electron microscopy on 36 bone specimens from patients suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and 20 age- and site-matched control bone specimens. The findings were grouped into the clinical types of OI according to the Sillence classification. The morphological and ultrastructural alterations observed in OI bone correlate well with clinical severity. Thus, OI type I, the mildest type, showed the least abnormalities in bone ultrastructure. OI type IV closely resembled type I, with only minor abnormalities in the bone cells and osteoid. OI type III showed abnormalities in the structure and distribution of osteoid collagen fibrils, whilst OI type II, the lethal form, revealed many varied abnormalities such as thin cortical bone, sparse trabecular bone, increased numbers of osteoclasts and osteocytes, thin osteoid with thin collagen fibrils, and patchy mineralization.     

A quantitative study on the sacrum of the dog.

The aim of this study was to record sacral bone morphometry that may help in selection of the implant type and proper size in sacroiliac separation. For this reason, sacral lengths and width, the length of each sacral vertebrae, distances between cranial and caudal articular processes, vertical and transversal diameters of the cranial endplate, sacral tuberositas and articular surface areas were obtained from 11 dogs. Additionally, the transverse and vertical diameters of the bony structure and sacral canal were measured from six cross-sections. The data of the study were determined to be representative of the sacral values for average-sized dogs, which was confirmed statistically. The highest value was the sacral width among the linear measurements. The ventral sacral length was longer than the dorsal sacral length. The total lateral area of the sacral wing was measured as 677.46 (142.1)mm2. The transverse diameters of the first sacral vertebra important for screw implantation were 46.02 (4.33)mm and 44.18 (5.29)mm in the first and second cross-sections, respectively.