Importance of Q fever in community acquired pneumonia.

Coxiella burnetii appears to be endemic in animals in the Mauricie region of Quebec, and causes some human cases of Q fever annually. Unlike in other rural areas, patients in this study experienced few respiratory symptoms. To determine whether C burnetii pneumonia is underdiagnosed, adults admitted to hospital for community acquired pneumonia were included in a one-year serological study.

Q fever in Quebec (1989-93): Report of 14 cases.

Q fever, a zoonosis acquired by inhalation of the rickettsia Coxiella burnetii, is rarely diagnosed in Canada. The world incidence has been increasing since 1960, because of progressive dissemination of this microorganism in animal populations, particularly domestic ruminants. Some recent outbreaks were caused by cats.

Atrial natriuretic peptide stimulates submandibular gland synthesis and secretion of cGMP.

Binding of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) to rat submandibular gland and its effect on guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) formation and salivary secretion were investigated. Membranes rapidly and specifically bound 125I-ANP. Binding was inhibited by unlabeled ANP (IC50 approximately 1.

Bovine adrenal medullary cells contain functional atrial natriuretic peptide receptors.

The recent report that bovine adrenal chromaffin cells synthesized and secreted atrial natriuretic peptide, ANP, suggested that the peptide may have binding sites in the gland itself. Studies in bovine adrenal medulla membranes did reveal a single class of high affinity [125I]-ANP binding sites with a KD of 94 pM and a density of 1.7 pmol/mg protein.