Gastrointestinal parasites of feral cats from Christmas Island.

Objective: To investigate the gastrointestinal parasites present in feral cats on Christmas Island, with particular interest in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Procedure: Faecal and serum samples were collected from 28 and 25 cats respectively that were trapped as part of an ongoing eradication program being run on Christmas Island by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Faecal samples were screened microscopically for helminth and protozoan parasites.

Plasma nicotine and cotinine in tobacco smoke exposed beagle dogs.

Nicotine and cotinine have been determined in plasma samples from 87 beagle dogs chronically exposed to cigarette smoke with three different levels of nicotine. An additional 18 sham-exposed animals were included in the study as controls. Smoke was administered to the animals through permanent tracheostomas via cuffed tracheostomy tubes and was generated from reference cigarettes under standard puffing parameters by ADL-II smoking machines.

The role of organic volatile profiles in clinical diagnosis.

The organic volatile constituents of biological fluids contain clinically useful diagnostic information for the recognition of metabolic disorders in man. To gain access to this information, it was necessary to develop the methodology for reproducibly stripping the trace concentrations of volatiles from biological fluids (dynamic headspace, gas phase-stripping, solvent extraction, and the transevaporator technique), to separate the complex extracts by high-resolution capillary column gas chromatography, and to develop computer-aided data-handling and pattern-recognition techniques for analyzing the immense amount of information generated. The normal and pathological organic volatiles identified by gas chromatography--mass spectrometry in urine, serum, and breast milk are tabulated.

Methionine dipeptide stationary phases for the resolution of enantiomers.

N-Trifluoroacetyl-L-methionyl-L-methionine cyclohexyl ester as well as the disulfide and disulfone derivatives of this phase have been synthesized. The methionine phase exhibits improved properties as a stationary phase for the separation of amino acid enantiomers as compared to other dipeptide stationary phases and can be used at temperatures ranging from 70 to 150 degrees. The sulfoxide phase, however, was incapable of resolving the enantiomeric derivatives.