Identification, isolation, and characterization of a species-specific 30-kDa antigen of Oesophagostomum dentatum

In the search for a serology tool for the diagnosis of nonpatent as well as patent infections with Oesophagostomum dentatum in pigs a water-soluble, unglycosilated antigen of about 30 kDa specific for the third-stage larvae of the parasite was purified by ion-exchange chromatography. In Western blots, the antigen was first detected by antibodies at day 7 postinfection. Cross-reactivity with O. quadrispinulatum, Ascaris suum, or Trichuris suis was not detected. It is suggested that this protein is a suitable tool for the species-specific serodiagnosis of O. dentatum infection in pigs. Received: 15 June 1998 / Accepted: 28 September 1998     

Multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fluocortin butyl in perennial rhinitis

Fluocortin butyl (FCB) is a newly synthesized corticosteroid with a high ratio of topical to systemic activity. FCB was studied in a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of therapy of perennial rhinitis. The study was conducted between January and May 1981. Patients evaluated suffered from either chronic allergic or chronic nonallergic rhinitis or both. A total of 306 patients from 16 investigative centers were evaluated by comparing FCB to placebo. Three separate dosage regimens were employed. Patients received a total daily dose of 2, 4, or 8 mg. FCB was found to be an effective therapeutic agent. It reduced symptoms of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, postnasal drainage, and sneezing. It also markedly reduced the use of concomitant medications (chlorpheniramine maleate and/or pseudoephedrine). Relief of symptoms was noted as early as the first week of therapy, and the degree of improvement increased progressively during the study. There was little difference between the relief produced by the 4 mg and 8 mg regimens. Both of these were superior to the 2 mg regimen. The drug was well tolerated; no significant side effects were noted.     

Morphological variability, lectin binding and Na+,K+-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity of isolated Müller (glial) cells from the rabbit retina

Rabbit retinal Müller cells were isolated by means of papaine and mechanical dissociation. These cells were shown to have a well preserved morphology and to preserve viability for many hours. Intense wheat germ agglutinin binding occurs on the photoreceptor side of Müller cells, especially in the microvillous region. Rabbit retinal Müller cells have a Na+,K+-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity in the same order of magnitude as brain astroglial cells.     

An Evaluation of Finger Pulse Volume as a Psychophysiological Measure of Anxiety

The present experiment explored the utility of finger pulse volume (FPV) as a measure of anxiety. Subjects were exposed to either a threatening or nonthreatening situation, and indices of physiological arousal (pulse rate (PR) and FPV) and self-report of anxiety (Affect Adjective Checklist (AACL)) were collected. Results indicated that FPV was responsive to changes in experimentally induced anxiety and significantly correlated with PR and AACL, although the strength of these relationships was not substantial. Relevance for psychophysiological theory and the clinical observation of anxiety is discussed.     

A human B cell differentiation antigen selectively expressed on mature B cells identified by a monoclonal antibody (HB-2)

A monoclonal IgM antibody (HB-2), produced against a membrane antigen on the Raji, B cell line, reacted by indirect immunofluorescence with 2 to 40% of lymphoblasts from the B cell lines, Raji, Daudi, SN-1036, and SB but not with other types of cell lines, including pre-B, myeloid, melanoma, or T cells. HB-2 antibody reacted with 10 ± 3% of normal blood mononuclear cells, and was unreactive with monocytes, granulocytes, platelets, or erythrocytes. Two-color immunofluorescence revealed that HB-2 antigen expression was confined to cells bearing surface Ig. An interesting finding was the fact that 25% of plasmablasts induced by pokeweed mitogen also expressed the HB-2 antigen. However, pre-B and plasma cells from normal bone marrow did not express the HB-2 antigen either on their membrane surface or in their cytoplasm. Analysis of 85 leukemias revealed that the HB-2 antigen was expressed on acute and chronic B cell leukemias and Burkitt's lymphomas, but not on malignacies of pre-B, T, myelocytic, or plasma cells. The results suggest that expression of the HB-2 antigen is confined to mature B cells.     

Placental site trophoblastic tumor of the mediastinum

Choriocarcinoma has been described as the most frequent subtype of mediastinal germ cell tumors showing trophoblastic differentiation. We report a unique case of a placental site trophoblastic tumor, which developed in the mediastinum of a 14-year-old boy 2 years after the resection of a mature teratoma. The recurrent tumor was composed of a grossly hemorrhagic and necrotic mass. Histologically, diffusely infiltrating large polygonal cells with focal nodular growth and a teratomatous part containing mature intestinal, respiratory, and squamous epithelium with adjacent cutaneous adnexal structures were found. The typical morphologic features included vessel wall infiltration by the neoplastic cells with fibrinoid deposits and geographic necroses within the tumor masses. Characteristic diffuse positivity for melanoma cell adhesion molecule and human leucocyte antigen G was found on immunohistochemical investigation, confirming the diagnosis of placental site trophoblastic tumor. The patient died 1 year later after polychemotherapy. The outcome of this rare tumor is similar to the reported poor clinical outcome in patients with mediastinal choriocarcinomas.     

Genetic and light intensity effects on the activity and emigratory behavior of the house fly,Musca domestica (L.)

The emigratory behavior and locomotor activity of yellow-eyed (y/y), wildtype (+/+), and heterozygous (+/y) house flies was examined at 8 fc (86 lx) and 1600 fc (17,223 lx) light intenstities. At 8 fc, emigration rate and activity of the y/y flies was similar to that of the +/+ and +/y flies. However, at 1600 fc, the y/y flies emigrated at twice the rate and showed an activity of about one-third that of the other genotypes. The behavior of the +/+ and +/y flies remained similar regardless of the experimental design or light intensity. The excessive neural stimulation by high-intensity light resulting from reduced shielding pigments led to behavioral modifications in the visual and tactile responses of the y/y flies.This research was supported in part by grants from the CUNY Faculty Research Award Program (No. 1103) and NIH Biomedical Research Support Grant 5-S05-R-07064.     

Absence of chromosome heterogeneity between classical Fanconi's anemia and the Estren-Dameshek type

Chromosome investigations were carried out in 7 patients with Fanconi's anemia, type Estren-Dameshek. The frequency and types of chromosome instability found in cultured lymphocytes were in accord with those detected in individuals with classical Fanconi's anemia. The break-point distribution indicates a significant excess of breaks in chromosomes No. 1, 2, and 7 and a deficit in No. 18 and X and Y chromosomes. There was a clear clustering of breaks at certain locations in chromosomes No. 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, and 14. The location of the breaks with respect to the bands demonstrated an almost exclusive involvement of the lighter bands, regardless of the banding method used. These results suggest that most breaks take place in the interbands between the G and R bands. In all patients, chromosome instability was less frequent in direct bone marrow preparations than in lymphocyte cultures. However, cultured bone marrow cells showed a significant increase of chromosome aberrations. On the whole, the chromosome data derived from this series of patients are in agreement with those obtained in individuals with classical Fanconi's anemia and give no support to the idea of cytogenetic heterogeneity between subjects affected by these two forms of childhood aplastic anemia.     

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in ulcerative colitis: anti-cathepsin G and a novel antibody correlate with a refractory type

We analysed the clinical significance of ANCA in patients with ulcerative colitis. On either an indirect immunofluorescence assay or an ELISA with fixed neutrophils, 71% (25/35) of the patients were positive for ANCA. However, only half of them reacted with either cathepsin G or lactoferrin. Western blot assays revealed positive bands in 40% (10/25) of the antibody-positive patients. The sizes of the bands detected were ≈58, 47, 44, 40, and 28 kD. No significant correlation was found between the ANCA positivity and various variables, i.e. disease activity, extent of lesion, or treatment of the disease. The anti-cathepsin G and 28-kD positivity, however, significantly correlated with a refractory type of ulcerative colitis.