Limulus lysate assay for gonorrhea.

The Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay is currently being studied for use in diagnosing gonococcal urethritis/cervicitis syndromes and as a screening test for gonococcal cervicitis. Experience shows that the test can be adapted to office use by private physicians, providing rapid, accurate results in situations where laboratory facilities are unavailable. Further modifications are improving the speed and interpretation of results.

Rapid evaluation of gonococcal and nongonococcal urethritis in men with Limulus amoebocyte lysate and a chromogenic substrate.

A chromogenic substrate was used with Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) and compared by parallel testing with the traditional gelation LAL method for the rapid evaluation of exudative urethritis in 125 male patients. Of these patients, 67 had positive cultures for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and 58 were negative. The corresponding prevalence of gonococcal urethritis was 53.

Lipogenesis and adipose tissue cellularity in steers switched from alfalfa hay to high concentrate diets.

An experiment was conducted to 1) evaluate the effects of diet (alfalfa hay vs high concentrate) on adipose tissue cellularity and rates of in vitro lipogenesis and 2) determine if there was a relationship between in vitro lipogenic rates from acetate and lactate and rates of L- or D-lactate disappearance from plasma. Number of adipose cells/g of tissue decreased with time on experiment; however, hay-fed steers had fewer, but larger cells/g of subcutaneous adipose tissue compared with concentrate-fed steers (.78 +/- .

Cefotaxime: pharmacokinetics and in vitro antibacterial activity of serum and urine in normal human volunteers.

The pharmacokinetic and antibacterial properties of cefotaxime were determined in normal adult volunteers. Single doses of 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg were evaluated following 5- and 20-min intravenous (i.v.

Response of mice to transtracheal pulmonary inoculation of anaerobic bacteria.

The transtracheal inoculation of a mixture of anaerobic bacteria, with or without hydrochloric acid, into the lungs of mice caused nonlethal pneumonia and abscesses in a minority of challenged animals. All animals cleared organisms and recovered by 30 days. Secondary infection with Escherichia coli was common but did not affect the response to challenge with the anaerobes.

Rapid evaluation of female patients exposed to gonorrhea by use of the Limulus lysate test.

The Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay was used to evaluate 115 females who were named as sexual contacts by men with culture-proven gonorrhea. These patients were treated for gonorrhea before laboratory confirmation, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, because of the lack of rapid screening tests and the serious consequences of undetected infection. For the LAL assay, endocervical samples were collected with depyrogenated cotton-tipped swabs, and the swabs were placed in 10 ml of diluent to assay for endotoxin; the negative predictive value of the LAL assay at this dilution was 100%.

The effect of 3-mercaptopicolinic acid and substrate interactions on the incorporation of lipogenic precursors into glyceride-glycerol, glyceride-fatty acids and nonesterified fatty acids in bovine adipose tissue.

The effects of 3-mercaptopicolinic acid, an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, were studied in bovine subcutaneous adipose tissue slices in vitro. Lactate and glucose stimulated the incorporation of [U-14C]acetate into total lipids and nonesterified fatty acids. 3-Mercaptopicolinic acid abolished the stimulatory effect of lactate on total synthesis but had no effect on that from glucose.

Hormonal effects on partitioning of nutrients for tissue growth: role of insulin.

Understanding factors that potentially regulate pathways of nutrient utilization is essential to the development of means of manipulating tissue growth to optimize the type and quality of product produced. Insulin is one hormone that has pronounced effects on carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Relative to most monogastric animals, ruminants absorb little glucose directly from the gastrointestinal tract.

Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the Limulus lysate assay for detection of exclusion of gonococcal cervicitis.

The Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay was evaluated for its ability to detect or exclude gonococcal cervicitis in two groups of women. The first (positive) group consisted of 100 untreated women who were referred to the venereal disease clinic with culture-proven gonococcal cervicitis. The second (negative) group consisted of 50 normal volunteers who were evaluated on two separate occasions.

Detection of polysaccharide cell wall antigen of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a rabbit model by counterimmunoelectrophoresis.

A rabbit chamber model was developed and inoculated with 10(9) colony-forming units (cfu) of viable Neisseria gonorrhoeae to determine whether the lipopolysaccharide-derived Gc2 polysaccharide cell wall antigens could be detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). Four hours after inoculation, a polymorphonuclear leukocyte response was noted in the chambers; this response was followed by progressive phagocytosis of the organisms and a fall in number of cfu/ml. All visible bacteria were intracellular, and chamber fluids were sterile 6 hr after inoculation.

Mineral accretion during prenatal growth of cattle.

Angus, Hereford and Red Poll crossbred yearling heifers (n = 81) were mated to Brown Swiss bulls. Pregnant heifers were assigned on the bases of weight and breed cross to one of three diets and fed to achieve maternal weight gains of 0, .5 or 1.

Gluconeogenesis in the ruminant fetus: evaluation of conflicting evidence from radiotracer and other experimental techniques.

Conflicting evidence exists as to whether the gluconeogenetic process is active in the late gestation fetal lamb. In vitro evidence based on measurements of enzyme activity and substrate flux into glucose indicates that the capacity for gluconeogenesis exists in fetal liver. The in vivo conversion of [14C]lactate and [14C]alanine into glucose in the lamb fetus has been demonstrated.

Influence of diet on amino acid absorption in beef cattle and sheep.

Six sheep and three steers were fed pelleted alfalfa hay prior to and during the first blood sampling period (BSP) and then switched to an 85% concentrate (HC) diet at least 28 days before a second BSP. Portal plasma flow rates were higher in steers than sheep (7.9 versus 5.

Application of a Limulus test device in rapid evaluation of gonococcal and nongonococcal urethritis in males.

A test device incorporating Limulus amoebocyte lysate (Mallinckrodt, Inc., St. Louis, Mo.

Glucose and lactate absorption and metabolic interrelationships in steers changed from low to high concentrate diets.

Cannulas were surgically implanted in the portal and mesenteric veins and femoral artery of eight crossbred steers averaging 270 kg. They were given primed, continuous 3-hour infusions of U-[14C]-L-lactate and 2-[3H]- or 6-[3H]-glucose into the jugular vein and para-aminohippuric acid (portal blood flow indicator) into the mesenteric vein before and after being changed from a pelleted alfalfa hay to a pelleted 85% concentrate diet. Blood samples were collected at 20-minute intervals during infusions.

Mezlocillin susceptibility tests by the single-disk agar diffusion method.

A regression line for correlating zones of inhibition of a 75-mug mezlocillin disk with minimal inhibitory concentrations of mezlocillin for Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenters was calculated. Correlation was excellent (r = -0.96) for all species tested except Pseudomonas cepacia.

Response of several Limulus amoebocyte lysates to native endotoxin present in gonococcal and nongonococcal urethral exudates from human males.

Three Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) preparations obtained from three different suppliers were comparatively evaluated for sensitivity to native endotoxin contained in urethral exudates from 28 men with gonococcal urethritis and 16 men with nongonococcal urethritis. One LAL preparation was not extracted with organic solvents during manufacture, whereas the other two were extracted with chloroform. All three LAL preparations had equivalent sensitivities (0.

Application of the limulus lysate assay in evaluation of disseminated gonorrhea in women.

The limulus lysate assay was utilized as a diagnostic adjunct in the evaluation of three cases of disseminated gonorrhea in women. Although not a specific test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the limulus lysate assay, when used with properly diluted endocervical samples, gave results that correlated with conventional diagnostic techniques. If the advantages and limitations of the limulus lysate assay become fully appreciated, it may serve as a useful clinical tool for diagnosis of this syndrome.

Effects of intravenous infusions of glucose, lactate, propionate or acetate on the induction of lipogenesis in bovine adipose tissue.

Crossbred steers (seven to nine per treatment) fed a pelleted alfalfa hay diet were biopsied (preinfusion) to obtain subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Five days later a continuous intravenous infusion was begun of either 0.9% NaCl, glucose (2.