Campylobacter fetus peritonitis followed by septicaemia in a patient on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

A 62-year-old man being treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) developed peritonitis due to Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus (intestinalis), an organism seldom isolated in such circumstances. After appropriate and apparently effective antibiotic therapy, the patient relapsed 6 weeks later with septicaemia. Blood cultures yielded a similar organism, thereby suggesting a clinically silent metastatic infection during the episode of peritonitis, probably at an old arteriovenous fistula.

Self-initiated smoking cessation among high school students.

The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial predictors of self-initiated smoking cessation among high school students. Students from nine high schools were pretested using a questionnaire which assessed smoking behavior, beliefs about positive and negative consequences of smoking, moral attitudes toward smoking, normative expectations about smoking, rebelliousness, peer smoking and parent smoking. Smokers identified at pretest were reexamined three months and fifteen months later.

Pseudomonas paucimobilis peritonitis in patients treated by peritoneal dialysis.

Pseudomonas paucimobilis has rarely been reported as an opportunistic human pathogen. We report the isolation of this organism in two patients who developed peritonitis during the course of intermittent or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. The origin of the infection was related to contamination of the dialysate in the first patient but could not be determined in the second case.

Detection of beta-glucuronidase in lactose-fermenting members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and its presence in bacterial urine cultures.

Four hundred strains of lactose-fermenting Enterobacteriaceae were tested for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid, the chromogenic enzyme substrate of beta-glucuronidase. Escherichia coli was found to be homogeneous with respect to beta-glucuronidase: more than 94% of the examined E. coli strains were positive, whereas none of the other lactose-fermenting strains possessed beta-glucuronidase activity.

Invertase beta-galactosidase hybrid proteins fail to be transported from the endoplasmic reticulum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The yeast SUC2 gene codes for the secreted enzyme invertase. A series of 16 different-sized gene fusions have been constructed between this yeast gene and the Escherichia coli lacZ gene, which codes for the cytoplasmic enzyme beta-galactosidase. Various amounts of SUC2 NH2-terminal coding sequence have been fused in frame to a constant COOH-terminal coding segment of the lacZ gene, resulting in the synthesis of hybrid invertase-beta-galactosidase proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Asparagine-linked glycosylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: genetic analysis of an early step.

Asparagine-linked glycosylation is a form of covalent modification that distinguishes proteins that are either membrane bound or are in cellular compartments topologically outside of the cell from those proteins that remain soluble in the cytoplasm. This type of glycosylation occurs stepwise, with core oligosaccharide added in the endoplasmic reticulum and subsequent modifications occurring in the golgi. We used tunicamycin, an inhibitor of one of the earliest steps in the synthesis of N-linked oligosaccharide, to select for mutants that are resistant to this antibiotic.

Isolation of Serratia ficaria from human clinical specimens.

Serratia ficaria was isolated from sputum in a 62-year-old man and from tracheal aspiration fluid in a 62-year-old woman with acute respiratory distress. These strains are the second and third isolations of S. ficaria from human sources.

Flavobacterium multivorum septicemia in a hemodialyzed patient.

A case of Flavobacterium multivorum septicemia in a hemodialyzed patient is reported. Two blood cultures were positive at 48 h, and the patient became afebrile only after antimicrobial therapy. The origin of the septicemia could not be determined.

Changes in immunoregulatory lymphocyte populations in patients with histoplasmosis.

Circulating T-lymphocyte subpopulations were enumerated in 65 patients with histoplasmosis and correlated with the different clinical manifestations of the disease. Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, rheumatologic, disseminated, and chronic inflammatory manifestations of histoplasmosis were all associated with a significant elevation above normal of OKT8+ (suppressor-cytotoxic) lymphocytes and a significantly lower than normal OKT4+ (helper-inducer)-lymphocyte to OKT8+-lymphocyte ratio. In contrast, cavitary disease was associated with an increase in OKT4+ lymphocytes, a decrease in OKT8+ lymphocytes, and a higher than normal OKT4/OKT8 ratio.

[Studies of pre- and post-prandial abdominal sounds using an electronic analyzer].

In 9 healthy persons abdominal sounds were analysed when fasting and over a period of 155 min after a meal containing 100 g of maltose or starch. Measurements included acoustical power in the following frequency-bands: 100-200 cps, 200-400 cps, 400-600 cps, 100-600 cps. In order to avoid disturbances due to variations in bowel-sounds energy-determinations were extended to 15 min.

Genes required for completion of import of proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum in yeast.

Yeast secretory mutants sec53 and sec59 define a posttranslational stage in the penetration of glycoprotein precursors into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the previous report we showed that at the restrictive temperature (37 degrees C) these mutants accumulate enzymatically inactive and incompletely glycosylated forms of the secretory enzyme invertase and the vacuolar enzyme carboxypeptidase Y. Cell fractionation experiments reveal that these precursor forms remain firmly bound to the ER membrane.

[Detection of glycosidases in Pseudomonas of the fluorescent group: relation between serotype and glycosidase activities in P. aeruginosa].

Fluorescent Pseudomonas species (P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, P.

Targeted selection of recombinant clones through gene dosage effects.

The availability of multicopy plasmid vectors for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae allows the selective amplification of individual segments of the genome. Increased dosage of particular genes results in overproduction of specific gene products and thereby confers resistance to certain metabolic inhibitors. Advantage was taken of this fact to isolate recombinant clones that increase the activities of the enzymes UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-1-P transferase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase.

Behavioral predictors of abstinence: early indicators of a dependence on tobacco among adolescents.

High-school-aged smokers were surveyed about recent attempts to give up cigarette smoking and about the nature of their smoking behavior, including the duration of the habit, frequency of use, and regularity of use. For smokers who had attempted to quit (72%), a stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed. Frequency of use and regularity of use were found to predict significantly the length of time subjects had been able to remain abstinent from cigarettes.

Guar gum and bile: effects on postprandial gallbladder contraction and on serum bile acids in man.

In a randomized cross-over study, 10 healthy volunteers received a fiber-depleted liquid mixed meal alone and, exactly 7 days apart, a combination with 15 g guar gum. Addition of the dietary fiber inhibited emptying of the gall bladder after 30 min to 7 (5-10) ml instead of 4 (3-6) ml (p less than 0.05) and delayed its refilling.