Assessment of assays for the serodiagnosis of Venezuelan equine encephalitis.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), an immunofluorescence assay (IFA), a plaque-reduction neutralization (PRN) assay and an immunoblot assay, all by means of an antigen prepared from the attenuated Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) vaccine strain of virus, were compared with the conventional haemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) assay for the serodiagnosis of VEE. The HAI assay, which includes the use of wild type virus antigen, was less sensitive than the other assays when known-positive samples of serum from an epidemic of VEE were tested. The superior sensitivity of the IgG ELISA was confirmed by assaying both VEE epidemic samples and a bank of samples from VEE vaccinees.

Powders, composed of chlorine-releasing agent acrylic resin mixtures or based on peroxygen compounds, for spills of body fluids.

The use of powders, composed of a mixture of a chlorine-releasing agent with highly absorbent acrylic resin, for disinfecting body fluid spills was evaluated by laboratory tests. 'Encap' and 'Red Z' were found to absorb rapidly up to 200 ml of water to form a semi-solid gel. When experimental formulations containing 1%, 5% and 10% available chlorine were evaluated by a standardized surface test, those containing 10% gave the best results.

Biologically active transcripts of a large satellite RNA from arabis mosaic nepovirus and the importance of 5' end sequences for its replication.

Synthetic transcripts of a satellite RNA associated with a lilac isolate of arabis mosaic nepovirus (ArMV) were made from cDNA clones. Transcripts having either six (M1R) or 29 (M3R) extra nucleotides at their 5' ends replicated in the presence of ArMV genomic RNA in manually inoculated Chenopodium quinoa plants, even though M1R also differs from the native sequence at nucleotide position 2. Transcript 12R, which has 11 guanosyl residues and 27 other nucleotides not present in the natural satellite RNA at its 5' end, and also lacks the two 5'-terminal nucleotides (UA), replicated inefficiently, both in transformed tobacco plants and in plants that had been manually inoculated.

The nucleotide sequence of a satellite RNA associated with arabis mosaic nepovirus.

The nucleotide sequence of a satellite RNA (satRNA) associated with a lilac isolate of arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) was determined from cDNA copies. The sequence was 1104 nucleotides in length excluding the poly(A) tail, contained a long open reading frame which encodes a polypeptide of 360 amino acids, with an Mr of 39K. Nucleotide sequence comparisons revealed that the ArMV-associated satRNA shared 83% nucleotide identity with a satRNA from grapevine fanleaf nepovirus, but no extensive sequence homology was observed with other nepoviral satRNAs.

Cranial fasciitis of childhood.

Cranial fasciitis of childhood is a benign lesion occurring superficial to or involving the cranial bones of children at a median age of 18 months, with a male sex predilection of 2:1. It is histologically described as a well-circumscribed, loose proliferation of stellate to spindle-shaped fibroblasts in a myxoid background with foci of hemorrhage and hyalinization. Mitotic figures, increased cellularity, and cellular immaturity may be seen.

Studies on the pathogenicity of a nairovirus, Dugbe virus, in normal and immunosuppressed mice.

Susceptibility to lethal infection with the KT281/75 strain of the tick-borne nairovirus, Dugbe virus, was similar in an outbred strain and several inbred strains of mice. For the outbred strain, both neural and extraneural routes of virus inoculation resulted in lethal infection, but susceptibility decreased with age and only intracerebral inoculation produced a lethal infection in adults. In newborn mice, subcutaneous (s.

Teaching resuscitation--can we improve?

In 1987, a Working Party Report from the Royal College of Physicians addressed the record of resuscitation from cardiopulmonary arrest. Their stated aim was to identify groups for instruction and to determine how required skills should be taught and retained. The recommendation for our specialty was brief: '.

Use of sodium dichloroisocyanurate granules for spills of body fluids.

The use of chlorine-containing granules for disinfecting body fluid spills has been evaluated by hospital trials and laboratory tests. Hospital trials were carried out by nurses using 'Presept' disinfectant granules according to a protocol. In general they preferred using granules to bleach and, in 50 tests using granules on natural and artificial spills in wards, no organisms were recovered from the floor by contact plates after using the granules.

The code within the codons.

For the first time it is shown that each of the three codon bases has a general correlation with a different, predictable amino acid property, depending on position within the codon. In addition to the previously recognized link between the mid-base and the hydrophobic-hydrophilic spectrum, we show that, with the exception of G, the first base is generally invariant within a synthetic pathway. G--coded amino acids show a different order, being found only at the head of the synthetic pathways.

Triple-lumen catheters.

Triple-lumen intravenous catheters have been available in the UK for 5 years. They are very useful for simultaneous monitoring and multiple infusion therapy. They are not difficult to insert using standard techniques and their use will probably increase.

Dagga-smoker's hand--a new physical sign?

The results of 103 medicolegal autopsies undertaken to detect the presence of cannabinoids in the urine are compared with stains on the hand supposedly suggestive of cannabis smoking using the 'bottleneck' technique. Experience with the EMIT d.a.

Comparison of sodium hypochlorite and sodium dichloroisocyanurate disinfectants: neutralization by serum.

A comparison has been made of the activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) solutions containing 0-40% and 0-70% horse serum respectively. The degree of inactivation of NaOCl and of NaDCC solutions by different concentrations of horse serum is expressed in terms of a neutralization coefficient, which demonstrates that NaDCC solutions are less prone to inactivation by serum than are NaOCl solutions, the disparity diverging as serum concentration is increased. In 30% serum an NaDCC solution containing 4000 ppm of available chlorine exhibited similar bactericidal activity to an NaOCl solution containing 17,000 ppm available chlorine.

Survival of thermophilic campylobacters on fingertips and their elimination by washing and disinfection.

A simple impression-plate technique has been used to investigate the survival of four thermophilic campylobacter strains applied to fingertips. Campylobacters suspended in 0.1% peptone water and dried on the fingertips survived for different periods of time ranging from less than 1 to greater than or equal to 4 min.

Haemodynamic effects of a prolonged infusion of propofol as a supplement to nitrous oxide anaesthesia. Studies in association with peripheral arterial surgery.

The haemodynamic effects of propofol at two infusion rates (54-65 and 108-130 micrograms kg-1 min-1) have been studied during peripheral arterial surgery in eight elderly patients premedicated with morphine sulphate 0.15 mg kg-1. The haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation was partially suppressed: neither arterial pressure nor heart rate exceeded awake values.

Differential production of endogenous pyrogen by human peripheral blood leucocytes following interaction with H3N2 or H1N1 influenza viruses of differing virulence.

Fever and other constitutional effects of influenza (headache, myalgia, listlessness, nausea, shivering, anorexia and depression) result from liberation of endogenous pyrogen (EP) from phagocytes. These effects are milder for recent H1N1 influenza virus isolates than for H3N2 strains. Interaction with human peripheral blood leucocytes in vitro showed that H1N1 strains, A/USSR/90/77 and A/Fiji/15899/83, elicited significantly less EP (as assessed by the rabbit pyrogen assay) than two virulent clones, 7a and 64c, of the A/Puerto Rico/8/34-A/England/939/69 (H3N2) reassortant virus system.

Chromatin structure of integrated T-DNA in crown gall tumors.

We have investigated the chromatin structure of the integrated T-DNA in two N. tabacum crown gall tumor lines, and compared the results to those obtained in a previous study of the methylation patterns of these same integrated DNA sequences (Gelvin et al., Nucleic Acids Res.

Dose requirements of propofol by infusion during nitrous oxide anaesthesia in man. II: Patients premedicated with lorazepam.

The infusion rate of propofol required to supplement 67% nitrous oxide in oxygen to maintain surgical anaesthesia was determined in 72 patients premedicated with lorazepam. Following an induction dose of propofol 2 mg kg-1, groups of eight patients received an infusion of propofol varying from 60 to 200 micrograms kg-1 min-1. Probit analysis was used to determine the ED50 (130 micrograms kg-1 min-1; 95% confidence limits: 106-167 micrograms kg-1 min-1) and ED95 (348 micrograms kg-1 min-1; 95% confidence limits: 233-1296 micrograms kg-1 min-1) for propofol infusion.

A study of thermophilic campylobacters in a river system.

Fifteen kilometres of a river system traversing rural and urban areas and subject to sewage works effluent discharge was studied during a 12 1/2 month period. A total of 312 samples was collected from 12 sites at 14 d intervals and tested by a glass microfibre filtration method and a most probable number (MPN) method. Campylobacters were found in 43% of samples by the filtration method and 21% by the MPN method.