Is low energy intake a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease?

The relation between total energy intake and the development of ischaemic heart disease was investigated from a review of all available data including the results of 26 years of follow up from a longitudinal study of diet and ischaemic heart disease. A consistent inverse relation was found, whose strength and consistency are similar to those of other established risk factors. It is concluded that there may be a minimum energy intake below which the risk of ischaemic heart disease is increased.

Anaerobic myocardial abscess following myocardial infarction.

An anaerobic myocardial abscess due to Bacteroides fragilis developed in a 60-year-old man when he had an acute myocardial infarction while recuperating from surgery for a paracolonic abscess. Anaerobic bacteremia is a common event and may lead to infection in areas of low oxygen tension far removed from the original portal of entry.

Inosine analogs as chemotherapeutic agents for African trypanosomes: metabolism in trypanosomes and efficacy in tissue culture.

Certain purine analogs, the pyrazolopyrimidines, are effective chemotherapeutic agents against Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi both in vitro and in some clinical models. Heretofore they have not been effective against the African trypanosomes; this suggested that these organisms were not comparable to the other pathogens with respect to their purine metabolism.

Efficacy of pyrazolopyrimidine ribonucleosides against Trypanosoma cruzi: studies in vitro and in vivo with sensitive and resistant strains.

Strains of Trypanosoma cruzi differ in their susceptibilities to and metabolism of pyrazolopyrimidines. Allopurinol riboside can control but not eliminate infections with a sensitive strain in both tissue culture and mice. Formycin B, which proved to be greater than 10-fold more effective on a weight basis, showed a similar strain specificity but could eliminate an infection with a sensitive strain from tissue culture.

Monophosphates of formycin B and allopurinol riboside. Interactions with leishmanial and mammalian succino-AMP synthetase and GMP reductase.

Formycin B 5'-monophosphate (Form B-MP) and allopurinol riboside 5'-monophosphate ( HPPR -MP) are isomers of IMP that are metabolically produced when Leishmania spp. are incubated with the antileishmanial agents formycin B and allopurinol or allopurinol riboside. The interactions of Form B-MP with succino -AMP synthetase and GMP reductase from both leishmanial and mammalian sources were compared with the data of earlier studies with HPPR -MP.

Nucleoside hydrolases from Trypanosoma cruzi.

Four distinct nucleoside cleaving enzymes were detected in extracts of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Two of these were nucleoside phosphorylases: one was specific for pyrimidines and the other for purines. The other two enzymes were nucleoside hydrolases.

Biological action of inosine analogs in Leishmania and Trypanosoma spp.

Previous investigations have suggested that inosine analogs would be good models for the development of chemotherapeutic agents active against pathogenic hemoflagellates. We have systematically modified the five-membered heterocyclic ring of six inosine analogs and tested them for their antiprotozoal activities and toxicity to a mammalian cell line. All six analogs were very active against the three protozoan pathogens Leishmania donovani, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Trypanosoma gambiense.

Pyrazolopyrimidine metabolism in Leishmania: an overview.

The demonstration of this unusual metabolic sequence in these organisms indicates that there are substantial differences between these protozoans and their mammalian hosts with respect to pyrazolopyrimidine metabolism. The intracellular forms of L. donovani, which are the pathogenic agents of the human disease, metabolize allopurinol identically.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in an infant.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the United States is unusual. We report an infant who developed CL after returning from an endemic area. A skin biopsy yielded Leishmania organisms within 48 hours.