Anatomical localization of Gnathostoma spinigerum larval antigens by an indirect fulorescent antibody test

Indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was performed on sections of Gnathostoma spinigerum advanced third-stage larva with gnathostomiasis, angiostrongyliasis, trichinosis, strongyloidiasis and cysticercosis sera. Positive fluorescence was observed with the first three sera. Fluorescence was associated with the anterior part of the esophagus, surface of the cuticle and cytoplasmic granules of the intestine. Absorption of sera with gnathostome antigen did not elicit fluorescence. The results suggest that substances secreted from the esophagus and intestine constitute antigens in excretory-secretory products of the larva.     

Trichinosis: A recent outbreak in Northern Thailand.

During April, 1973, and outbreak of trichinosis occurred in Mae Sruay District, Chiang Rai Province, about 900 kilometers north of Bangkok, Thailand. Thirty-one persons were involved, of whom 27 (20 males, and 7 females), ranging in age from 9 to 72 years, were questioned. One adult female died before being brought to hospital. All subjects gave a history of having consumed raw pork in the form of "lahb" and "nahm", favourite dishes of the northern Thai. Beginning the third week after exposure, all developed fever and myalgia. Other less common complaints were diarrhoea and oedema of extremities and palpebral skin. Leucocytosis was revealed in 37% and 55% had eosinophilia exceeding 20%. Nineteen patients had hookworm and Opisthorchis infections. About 63% were skin test positive with Trichinella antigen. Eight patients were admitted to hospital; muscle biopsy was done on one serious case and trichina larvae were detected.     

Profiling of levoamphetamine and related substances in dexamphetamine sulfate by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method for the simultaneous determination of the enantiomeric purity of dexamphetamine as well as the analysis of 1R,2S-(−)-norephedrine and 1S,2S-(+)-norpseudoephedrine as potential impurities has been developed and validated. Heptakis-(2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-cyclodextrin was chosen as chiral selector upon a screening of neutral and charged cyclodextrin derivatives. Separation of the analytes was achieved in a fused-silica capillary at 20 °C using an applied voltage of 25 kV. The optimized background electrolyte consisted of a 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 2.5, containing 10 mg/ml of the cyclodextrin. The assay was linear in the range of 0.06–5.0% of the impurities based on a concentration of 2.0 mg/ml dexamphetamine sulfate in the sample solution. Analysis of commercial dexamphetamine sulfate samples revealed the presence of 3–4% of levoamphetamine while norephedrine or norpseudoephedrine could not be detected, indicating that the compound was prepared by fractionated crystallization of racemic amphetamine. Comparison with polarimetric measurements indicated that dexamphetamine with an enantiomeric excess as low as 80% still passes the pharmacopeial test of specific rotation while an amount of 0.06% of levoamphetamine can be detected by capillary electrophoresis.     

Interobserver Reproducibility with LiquiPrepTM Liquid-based Cervical Cytology Screening in a Developing Country.

Objective: A modified liquid-based techniques known as the “LiquiPrepTM (LP) system” requires neitherexpensive equipment nor complicated specimen preparation. The aim of this study was to assess the applicabilityof the LP for use in a developing country. Methods: Cervical cytology specimens were collected from 777 women,using the Cervex-BrushTM. The brush was first smeared on a glass side for conventional Papanicolaou (CP)stain, and then immersed in preservation fluid for LP preparation. Cytologic interpretations were classified intofour categories: 1) no atypical cells, 2) atypical squamous epithelial cells (ASC), 3) definite epithelial cellabnormality, and 4) unsatisfactory specimen. Interobserver variability was tested using weighted kappa statistics.Results: An LP specimen cost $9 per case compared to $3 per case for a conventional Pap smear. The time tolearn the technique was only a few days. Forty six (5.92%) specimens by LP were unsatisfactory. The overallagreement between cytopathologists was 96.7% (weighted κ=0.62), with 95.6% (weighted κ=0.44) for the casesenrolled earlier, increasing to 97.9% (weighted κ=0.78) for the cases enrolled later. Conclusions: In summary,after a short learning curve, interobserver reproducibility of LP smear was near perfect. This feature of the LP,together with the relatively low cost and simple protocol, makes it quite suitable for cervical cytology screeningin developing countries. Moreover, with this technique, some of each sample can be reserved for additionalstudies such as HPV detection and subtyping.