Primary interaction between antibody and components of Alternaria. I. Immunology and chemical characteristics of labeled antigens.

Components were isolated from Alternaria tenuis and its culture filtrate, and were radiolabeled with 123-I. The labeled antigenic components had a high polysaccharide content as determined by staining patterns following electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels and by inactivation with sodium metaperiodate. A primary binding test was employed to detect and measure serum antibodies to the components from A. tennuis. This procedure was more sensitive in detecting antibodies that bound to antigens than were comparable tests dependent upon precipitin types of reactions. The labeled components of A. tenuis cross-reacted or shared antigens with 3 other species of molds: Stemphylium sp., Curvularia sp., Aspergillus fumigatus, but not with a variety of other fungal and nonfungal materials.     

Automated measurement of urinary proteins

We have investigated the automation of the trichloroacetic acid turbidometric method for the estimation of urinary proteins using a standard centrifugal analyser.

Conditions of temperature, trichloroacetic acid concentration, sample and reagent volumes have been examined. The method requires 10 μl of urine sample and results have been shown to be linear to 2.0 g per litre with undiluted specimens; higher levels of protein require dilution of the urine samples to obtain greater accuracy.

The coefficient of variation at a level of 0.5 g per litre is 3.5% and at 1.0 g per litre is 1.3%; recoveries ranged from 98.9 to 108%.

The estimation of urinary protein in 29 samples may be carried out in 5 min.     

Coronary artery surgery in Australia. Report from the Committee of the National Heart Foundation Coronary Artery Surgery Register

Clinical data on all patients who have undergone coronary artery surgery in Australia are collected, audited, and published each year by the National Heart Foundation of Australia. These data from 1971 to 1980 are summarized and show the indications for operation, the variation in numbers of patients operated on in each state and unit, and the overall increase in number of operations during the decade.     

Coronary and left ventricular angiographic anatomy and prognosis of survivors of first acute myocardial infarction

To relate coronary anatomy and left ventricular function to prognosis, 197 of 269 consecutive survivors of a first myocardial infarction (MI) ≤ 60 years old underwent prospective cardiac catheterization a median of 2 weeks after admission and were followed up for a median of 24 months (range 12 to 61). Seventy-two patients were excluded from angiography because of early death (9), severe noncoronary disease (44), MI complications (6), or patient refusal (13). The prevalence of multivessel disease was low (30%) and unrelated to the site of MI or presence of Q waves but was increased in patients with previous angina pectoris (p = 0.05) or those in Killip class II or III (p = 0.02). There were only 8 deaths from heart disease. The survival rate at 12 months was 97 ± 1% and at 24 and 36 months, 95 ± 2%. Nineteen patients underwent coronary revascularization surgery. As the number of deaths was small, the differences in survival between patients with single or multivessel disease and normal or depressed ejection fractions failed to reach significance. Survivors of a first MI ≤ 60 years old have a low prevalence of multivessel disease and a good prognosis.     

Technetium brain scanning in the diagnosis and management of cerebral abscess

Eighteen patients with intracranial abscess were investigated over a 3 year period. Each patient was subjected to cerebral scanning with technetium-99m pertechnetate within 10 days of admission to the hospital. The scan accurately localized each lesion present.Brain scanning was found to be the most sensitive and accurate investigation in the early diagnosis and localization of intracranial abscess. When scans were performed and interpreted in careful clinical context, their accuracy approached 100 percent.Serial scanning with the low energy, gamma emitting radio-pharmaceutical technetium-99m pertechnetate was a sensitive and convenient means of monitoring the patients' response to therapy.The brain scan abnormality in cerebral abscess is due to focal breaches in the blood brain barrier, which occur at the cellular level and which are therefore not dependant upon the presence of an accumulation of macroscopic pus of sufficient size to displace vessels or ventricles. A cerebral scan should be performed whenever cerebral abscess is suspected. In this context it should precede the diagnostically ineffective and potentially dangerous lumbar tap.With careful clinical correlation, the brain scan should reduce the present high mortality rate in patients with cerebral abscess.