The rate of blood culture contamination and common organisms isolated in Malaysian public hospitals.

Introduction: Blood culture contamination remains a dilemma issue in the diagnosis of bloodstream infection. However, to date, there is no national data on blood culture contamination and the common organism isolated in Malaysia. This is a pioneer multi-centre study involving public hospitals with medical microbiologists in Malaysia to determine the blood culture contamination rate and the common organism isolated.

A Hospital-based Study on the Local Epidemiology of Pneumonia Including the Contribution of Legionella Pneumonia.

Background: In real-life practice, only 20% of hospitalised pneumonia cases have an identified etiology. The usage of urine antigen test (LUAT) in developed nations revolutionised case detection rates. Accordingly, our objectives were to study the microbiological etiology for hospitalised pneumonia patients and the diagnosis of pneumonia.

A Combination of Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and Ceftazidime Showed Good In Vitro Activity against .

Background: has emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen, capable of causing a wide spectrum of infections. Treatment is difficult because it is resistant to many antimicrobial agents, thus reducing the treatment options. The aims of this study were to describe the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and synergistic effect of selected antimicrobial combinations against isolates.

Pasteurella canis Isolation following Penetrating Eye Injury: A Case Report.

A 3-year-old boy presented with history of trauma to the left eye after he accidentally injured his eye with a broom stick made up from coconut skewers. There was history of cats as their pets but not dogs. Ocular examination revealed left superonasal conjunctival laceration and scleral perforation with prolapsed vitreous.

Drainage tube implants in the treatment of glaucoma following penetrating keratoplasty.

A retrospective review was undertaken to compare outcomes in 26 eyes that underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and drainage tube surgery (Molteno double-plate implant or Schocket procedure). Drainage tube surgery was performed either before PKP (10 eyes), after PKP (7 eyes), or at the same time as PKP (9 eyes). Mean follow up was 22 months.

Decreased inhibition of immune precipitation by sera with the C2 B allotype.

Complement-mediated precipitation inhibiting (CMPI) activity of sera of 5 individuals homozygous for C2 B was compared to that of sera of 20 individuals carrying the common C2 C allotype. Sera with the rare C2 B allotype had a depressed CMPI capacity in both the early (5 min) and the late (60 min) stages of the reaction. We have also compared the CMPI activity of seven homozygous C4A deficient (C4A*Q0) and eight C4B deficient (C4B*Q0) serum samples and did not find significant differences from the controls (no C4 null alleles) in any stage of the reaction.

Anti-rhodopsin monoclonal antibodies of defined specificity: characterization and application.

A panel of anti-bovine rhodopsin monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of defined site-specificity has been prepared and used for functional and topographic studies of rhodopsins. In order to select these antibodies, hybridoma supernatants that contained anti-rhodopsin antibodies have been screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the presence of synthetic peptides from rhodopsin's cytoplasmic regions. We selected for antibodies against predominantly linear determinants (as distinct from complex assembled determinants) and have isolated antibodies that recognize rhodopsin's amino terminus, its carboxyl terminus, as well as the hydrophilic helix-connecting regions 61-75, 96-115, 118-203, 230-252 and 310-321.

A practical method for rescuing desired hybridomas during monoclonal antibody production.

We present a practical method for the rescue of previously stable hybridoma clones which increases the proportion of desired cells in the population before cloning by limiting dilution. When the antibody activity of a culture supernatant was lower than that previously obtained, a precloning distribution at a density of 10 cells per microtiter well greatly improved the chances of obtaining a single active clone by subsequent limiting dilution. The Poisson distribution model was used to evaluate the method.

Use of peptides to select for anti-rhodopsin antibodies with desired amino acid sequence specificities.

We have produced monoclonal antibodies directed against defined amino acid sequences of rhodopsin by using peptides for hybridoma selection, rather than for immunization. Mice were immunized with rhodopsin, and hybridoma culture supernatants were assayed by ELISA to detect anti-rhodopsin antibodies. These antibodies were further tested by competition ELISA using synthetic peptides from the rhodopsin sequence in order to select antibodies with the desired amino acid sequence specificity.

A monoclonal antibody specific for the phosphorylated epitope of rhodopsin: comparison with other anti-phosphoprotein antibodies.

Monoclonal antibody A11-82P has been prepared and shown to recognize the phosphorylated epitope of bovine rhodopsin. Antibody A11-82P is quite specific for phosphorylated rhodopsin; only the 200K neurofilament protein has been found to cross react, and this requires 10(3) more protein for the same extent of binding as evaluated by competition ELISA. An immunocytochemical study of light-adapted retina showed strong staining of rod outer segments.

The effect of enzymatic contact lens cleaning on adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to soft contact lenses.

Previous studies have demonstrated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa adheres more readily to soft contact lenses with a mucin coating than to unworn contact lenses. The mucin coatings that develop on soft contact lenses may, therefore, play a significant role in the pathogenesis of contact lens-associated Pseudomonas corneal ulceration. We tested the ability of a variety of enzymatic contact lens cleaners and other enzyme solutions to decrease the adherence of Pseudomonas to mucin-coated soft contact lenses.

Radioimmunocytochemical localization of retinal S-antigen with monoclonal antibodies.

Two monoclonal antibodies (RSA1/83 and RSA2/83) were developed against a homogeneous preparation of bovine retinal S-antigen. The two hybridomas produced by mouse X mouse hybrid myeloma cells secrete immunoglobulin G. Indirect autoradiography on glutaraldehyde-fixed preparations of bovine explants was used to locate the antigenic site.

Cell-mediated immunity in herpetic keratitis measured by leukocyte migration inhibition.

Leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LMIF) assays have been used as a measure of cell-mediated immune responses. Direct assays of this factor were determined in 30 patients with recurrent herpes simplex stromal keratitis during the quiescent stage of the disease and in 10 of these patients during the acute stage as well. The migration of leukocytes incubated in the presence of HSV antigens was compared to that without viral antigens for the migration index (MI).

Hybridoma antibodies to insoluble antigens of the corneal epithelium.

Human corneal epithelial water insoluble proteins were used to immunize mice. Immune splenocytes were fused with Sp 2/0-Ag14 mouse myeloma cells by 40% PEG. Hybridoma antibodies obtained by somatic cell fusion were tested by radioimmunoassay.

Adherence properties of Pseudomonas pili to epithelial cells of the human cornea.

In vitro adherence of Pseudomonas fluorescens organisms to the human cornea is correlated with bacterial pili. The role of pili in the attachment to human corneal epithelial cells was studied in an in vitro adherence assay system. A homogeneous, purified pilin preparation showed a molecular weight of 16,500 on SDS-polyacrylamide gels.

Primary herpes simplex subepithelial dendritic keratitis.

A 37-year-old man developed an acute follicular conjunctivitis with preauricular lymphadenopathy believed to be epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. On the eighth day of his disease, subepithelial dendritic opacities developed in the cornea which were not typical of either epidemic keratoconjunctivitis or herpetic keratitis. A diagnosis of primary herpes simplex virus infection was established by positive viral culture and a rise in serum antibody titer to herpes simplex virus.

Production of hybridomas secreting antibodies to the cornea.

Major controversies exist in the literature on the presence of blood group antigens on the endothelial and stromal layers of the cornea, and the importance of major histocompatibility typing for keratoplasty. Antibodies were raised in BALB/C mice against water soluble proteins of corneal epithelium. Following fusion of spleen cells with myeloma cells (Sp2/0-Ag14) hybrid colonies were maintained in HAT selective medium.

Isolation of the plasma membrane from corneal endothelial cells.

The plasma membtanes of normal rabbit endothelail cells were isolated by the use of an aqueous two-phase polymer system. The membrane fraction was identified by electron microscopy, and a fivefold to eightfold increase in the specific activity of two plasma membrane markers. Na+-K+-ATPase and 5'nucleotidase was found.

Leukocyte migration inhibitory factor in HSV infections.

The cell-mediated immune (CMI) response as measured by a direct assay of leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LMIF) was determined in a population of patients with recurrent herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in the quiescent stage as well as in healthy volunteers. The migration of leukocytes incubated in the presence of HSV antigens was compared to that without viral antigens for the calculation of the migration index (MI). Eleven of 41 control subjects (16.

In vitro studies on the mechanism of herpesvirus plaque growth inhibition by sensitized lymphocytes.

Inhibition of herpesvirus plaque growth was observed when herpes simplex virus (HSV)-sensitized rabbit lymphocytes were placed in contact with an HSV-infected human foreskin monolayer. This inhibition was obtained as early as 3 h when a ratio of 6 viable lymphocytes to target cells was used, and the supernatants of these cultures also demonstrated plaque size reduction when put onto newly infected cell monolayers. Interferon, which is present in this system, had no effect on HSV when tested on human foreskin monolayers, indicating that interferon was not the mechanism for plaque size reduction.

Failure of systemically administered adenine arabinoside to affect humoral and cell-mediated immunity.

The effect of a high dosage (250 mg/kg of body weight) of adenine arabinoside or ara-A (9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine) on humoral immunity was studied in New Zealand white rabbits infected with the McKrae strain of herpes simplex virus. The rabbits were treated daily for 14 days with subcutaneous injections of ara-A. The primary and secondary humoral responses, as measured by neutralizing antibody titers, developed similarly in control and treated groups.

Anti-herpes activity of adenine arabinoside monophosphate.

Adenine arabinoside monophosphate (Ara-AMP) demonstrated antiviral activity equivalent to adenine arabinoside (Ara-A) against herpesvirus Types 1 and 2 in tissue culture. Against established herpes virus Type 1 epithelial keratitis in rabbits, Ara-AMP 2 per cent was comparable in efficacy to Ara-A 3 per cent, and Ara-AMP 20 per cent was superior to Ara-A 3 per cent. These results are especially significant in that Ara-A's high solubility will permit (1) more concentrated formulations to be presented topically and (2) adequate absorption by parenteral routes with smaller fluid loads than required for Ara-A.

In vitro transformation of hamster cells by herpes simplex virus type 2 from human prostatic cancer cells.

A cell-associated herpes simplex virus type 2 found in a human prostatic carcinoma induced in vitro transformation of hamster embryo cells. The transformed cells (YW-74) have been shown to be hamster cells by karyotype analysis. Their epithelial morphology and growth pattern, which are different from the parental cell, have remained stable through cell passages.