Protective immunization of mice against Schistosoma mansoni with purified adult worm surface membranes

Immunity to Schistosoma mansoni in the mouse was induced by vaccination with adult worm surface membrane (mb-S). Of several adjuvants tested, including Freund's, BCG and alum, 50 micrograms of saponin per mouse given subcutaneously with the antigen was the easiest to administer, and gave consistent protection, approaching levels usually seen in our mouse model after exposure to irradiated cercariae. An antibody response to the schistosomular surface was detected in mice immunized with mb-S plus saponin which was predominantly anti-polypeptide, not anti-carbohydrate, and thus similar to the antibody response of mice exposed to irradiated cercariae. The level of antibodies to Mr 90,000 and 38,000 schistosomular surface antigens as well as to Mr 25,000 adult surface membrane antigen was significantly correlated with the presence of protection.     

The effect of alcohol consumption on recency discrimination ability: an early screening test for alcohol-induced cognitive impairment

In this short study the relationship between recency discrimination ability and a measure of alcohol intake was examined using a series of regression analyses. Semi-partial correlations were extracted in order to evaluate which variables (level of alcohol consumption, age and IQ) best predicted recency discrimination performance on both verbal and non-verbal tasks. Results showed that while IQ best predicted performance on the verbal task both IQ and alcohol intake were significant predictors on the non-verbal task. The results are discussed in relation to current findings and the continuity hypothesis.     

Respiratory Cancer in a Scottish Industrial Community: A Retrospective Case-control Study

A retrospective case-control study was undertaken as part ofan enquiry into possible causes of an epidemic of lung cancerin an industrial town in central Scotland. Relatives of thecases and controls answered a questionnaire which encompassedaspects of the social and occupational personal history of thedeceased. Despite the length of time intervening between theperiod of mortality and this investigation, enough questionnaireswere completed to allow the histories of the cases and controlsto be usefully compared. The results indicate that smoking and occupation contributedlittle to the aetiology of the outbreak of lung cancer in Armadale. ⁰Dr O. LI. Lloyd, Environmental Epidemiology and Cancer Centre, Wolfson Institute of Occupational Health, Department of Community Medicine, Level 5, Medical School, Ninewells, Dundee.     

Life Events and Addiction: a critical review

A number of research studies dealing with the relationship between life events' and the course of the addiction process are reviewed. It is concluded that there are problems involved in drawing unambiguous inferences from these researches. There is an absence of strong theoretical development which makes it difficult to see where the train of research is leading; consequently any association between the main variables can, at present, be viewed as ex post facto support for some version of a life events theory’. In addition, there are methodological problems concerning retrospective recall, the ‘search after meaning’ and the treatment of events as independent separate entities. It is suggested that advances will be made by way of approaches which take into account the dynamic and structural aspects of life courses' and the addiction process, and which pursue a more rigorous line of theoretical development and refinement.     

A COMPARISON OF NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL SYNOVIAL FLUID

Synovial fluid from 16 normal subjects was compared with thatfrom 149 patients with a variety of rheumatic disorders. Normalfluid had fewer cells and a lower content of ß-glucuronidasethan osteoarthritic samples. Particles, including occasionalbirefringent crystals, were seen in normal fluids as well aspathological samples. Alizarin red staining particles (presumedto contain apatite) were seen in all diagnostic groups; theirnumbers showed some correlation with radiological calcificationin and around the joints and with a hypertrophic subchondralbone response. Lactate levels were highest in septic arthritis.No assay showed disease specificity. KEY WORDS: Synovial fluid analysis     

Vaccination against Haemonchus contortus with denatured forms of the protective antigen H11

As part of a systematic examination of the protective epitopes on H11, groups of sheep were vaccinated with preparations of purified H11 used untreated (group A), or progressively denatured (linearized) by incubation with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) (group B) or by boiling with SDS in the presence of dithiothreitol (group C). All the sheep developed antibodies which bound to the untreated H11. When challenged with 10 000 infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus the mean levels of protection relative to the mean values for adjuvant controls were 99.8%, 85% and 79% for faecal egg counts and 95%, 79% and 54% for worm burden at post-mortem for groups A, B and C respectively. The H11-specific antibodies inhibited the microsomal aminopeptidase activity of H11 in vitro up to 80%. The levels of inhibition by sera from individual animals correlated with levels of protection with r², of 0.69–0.87.