False-positive IgM serology in coccidioidomycosis.

The clinical observation has been made that there might be an unacceptable number of false-positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test results for IgM among persons suspected of having coccidioidomycosis. Patients with a positive result for IgM by EIA are thought to have a diagnosis of acute coccidioidomycosis. However, this study found that 82% of patients with an IgM-positive and IgG-negative EIA result did not have coccidioidomycosis.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING: Patterns of Aquatic Species Imperilment in the Southern Appalachians: An Evaluation of Regional Databases.

/ For regional analyses of species imperilment patterns, data on species distributions are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from the state heritage programs.

Regionalization of endothelium-dependent relaxation in the thoracic aorta of pregnant and nonpregnant guinea pigs.

Regional variation in the response of the thoracic aorta to contractile agonists has previously been demonstrated. Since the net contractile response reflects the interaction between smooth muscle activation and the release of endothelial substances, we hypothesize that agonist-stimulated release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) also varies along the length of the thoracic aorta. The distribution of thoracic aorta estrogen receptors is also regionalized.

Pregnancy reduces serotonin-induced contraction of guinea pig uterine and carotid arteries.

Because platelet activation and serotonin have been implicated in preeclamptic hypertension, we investigated the effect of pregnancy on the contractile response to this agent. Prior studies have shown that the vascular contractions to norepinephrine, angiotensin II, and thromboxane are reduced during normal pregnancy by the altered release of endothelium-derived vasoactive substances. We hypothesized that the contraction to serotonin would also be reduced during pregnancy by an endothelium-dependent mechanism.

Endothelium-derived relaxing factor and indomethacin-sensitive contracting factor alter arterial contractile responses to thromboxane during pregnancy.

Objectives: Pregnancy reduces uterine artery contractile responses to norepinephrine and angiotensin II in many species, including the human and the guinea pig, by release of endothelium-derived relaxing substances. We hypothesized that vascular reactivity to thromboxane during pregnancy would also be reduced by a similar mechanism.

Study Design: Isolated ring segments of uterine and carotid arteries from nonpregnant and near-term pregnant guinea pigs were suspended in a myograph for the measurement of isometric tension.