J Clin Invest, 1990 Aug, 86(2), 631 - 41 Separation of sublethal and lethal effects of polymorphonuclear leukocytes on Escherichia coli; Mannion BA et al.; Escherichia coli ingested by PMN promptly stop growing and form no colonies in nutrient agar, but metabolize near normally for up to several hours . The bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI) of PMN also inhibits E . coli growth without initial metabolic impairment . We recently showed that BPI-treated E . coli, although unable to grow in normal nutrient agar, can form colonies in this medium plus 0.1% BSA, as long as their metabolism is maintained, indicating that biochemical impairment is a better indicator of death than growth arrest (1990 . J . Clin . Invest . 85:853-860) . We have now reexamined the fate of ingested E . coli . Rabbit PMN ingest greater than 85% of several rough E . coli strains in 15 min, but greater than 80% of these bacteria, while unable to form colonies in conventional agar, grow normally on agar plus 0.1% BSA . Thus, the PMN under these conditions promptly stop growth of ingested E . coli without killing . Adding nonlethal concentrations of normal human serum (NHS) before, but not after ingestion, accelerates killing and, in parallel, loss of bacterial metabolism (t1/2 less than 0.5 h vs . greater than 3 h, respectively, with and without NHS) . The rapid killing of both rough and smooth E . coli pretreated with NHS is lost after C7 depletion (C7-D) and restored when C7 is replenished . Similar results are obtained with human PMN . In contrast, ingested Staphylococcus epidermidis, opsonized with either NHS or C7-D serum rapidly stop metabolizing and do not form colonies in nutrient agar with or without BSA . Respiratory burst activity is the same during ingestion of E . coli (with or without NHS) and S . epidermidis . Killing of E . coli J5 (however, not of O111-B4) by BPI is also accelerated by pretreatment with NHS but not C7-D human serum . These findings indicate that late complement components are needed for efficient killing of both rough and smooth E . coli by PMN, and that BPI is the principal intracellular agent acting on ingested rough E . coli. Am J Gastroenterol, 1990 Aug, 85(8), 917 - 29 The peritoneovenous shunt: expectations and reality; Moskovitz M; Since the introduction of the LeVeen modification of the peritoneovenous shunt (PVS) in 1974, these devices have been placed in a relatively large number of patients . The most common indication has been for medically intractable ascites in the setting of chronic liver disease . A review of a series of studies shows that we can expect approximately an 18% perioperative overall mortality rate, a 46% survival rate at 21 months, and loss of ascites in 59% of the survivors at 18 months . The PVS has not been shown by prospective trials to prolong survival significantly in patients with either intractable ascites or the hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), although it may shorten hospitalizations, compared with medical controls . A few well-documented cases of reversal of the HRS have been documented . The best results of PVS therapy have been evident in those patients with milder liver disease . The loss of ascites need not correlate with a functioning shunt . Alcohol abstinance is associated with hepatic functional recovery and may relate to the disappearance of renal sodium retention, resulting in shunt occlusion due to low flow . A number of serious complications with the PVS have been described . Nutritional repletion follows successful shunting, but might, in part, relate to simultaneous alcohol abstention . The more common complications of coagulopathy and fluid overload are preventable by total ascitic drainage at the time of surgery . Shunt patency remains a clinical problem . Only 18.6% of the total shunts placed functioned in the survivors at 2 yr . Perioperative infections with staphylococcal and Gram-negative organisms occur . Postoperative bacterial peritonitis or septicemia requires shunt removal for cure. Plast Reconstr Surg, 1990 Aug, 86(2), 368 - 71 Long-term use of polyurethane breast prostheses: a 14-year experience; Pennisi VR; I have used polyurethane prostheses for the past 14 years, implanting 220 implants into 130 patients who desired breast reconstruction after subcutaneous mastectomy or cancer ablation or simply breast augmentation . I theorize that a polyurethane-covered implant resists contracture, retaining its compressibility because the fibroblasts proliferate into the polyurethane in many different directions . When the fibrils contract, the forces of contracture counterbalance one another, resisting contracture . However, when smooth prostheses are implanted, fibrils are directed in a circular fashion around the implant and naturally contract, leading to firmer breasts . There were 115 prostheses inserted following subcutaneous mastectomy, and 22 percent developed contracted capsules . Seven implants became exposed because of skin necroses; one was removed because of a Staphylococcus infection; and two patients developed a combination of polyurethane and silicone granulomas . These developed only with the earlier implant, where there was shedding of the polyurethane sponge layer and silicone bled from the low-viscosity silicone used in the earlier implants . No granulomas were noted with the currently used Surgitek Replicon implant . Eighty-five breasts were reconstructed after cancer ablation with polyurethane implants, and the contracture rate was 2.3 percent . Other complications were minimal . A smaller group of patients had augmentation mammaplasty, and 20 prostheses were placed in 10 patients . A 15 percent contracture rate was noted in this group . In this study, 82 percent of patients were followed for up to 14 years . Capsular contractures occurred in 30 implants between 1 and 11 years, for an average recurrence at 6.3 years . The overall contracture rate was 13 percent . Other complications were minimal . All implants were placed subcutaneously or subglandularly, and all were drained. Arch Dis Child, 1990 Aug, 65(8), 861 - 4 Antiviral and antibacterial lipids in human milk and infant formula feeds; Isaacs CE et al.; Human milk and two infant formula feeds were tested for antiviral and antibacterial activity before being given to 21 low birthweight (LBW) infants; neither was present . When samples were aspirated from the stomachs of the infants within one to three hours of feeding, however, they reduced titres of enveloped virus and also killed both Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli . The lipid fraction of the gastric aspirate from an infant who had been given human milk as well as those from four infants who had been given a conventional LBW infant formula feed, showed antiviral and antibacterial activities at least equal to the activities of the unfractionated aspirates . There was no consistent difference in antiviral or antibacterial activity of either the stomach aspirates or the lipid fractions of these aspirates between infants given human milk and those given formula feeds . The antiviral and antibacterial activities of the gastric aspirates seem to result from intragastric production of monoglycerides and fatty acids from the triglyceride content of the ingested feeds. Nutr Clin Pract, 1990 Aug, 5(4), 156 - 9 Catheter sepsis from infusate contamination; Bozzetti F et al.; Ten patients harboring an indwelling CVC with contamination of the infusate are described . Six patients developed sepsis, which was resolved in all patients except one who died from misdiagnosed septic shock . The majority of microorganisms responsible for the infusate contamination were opportunistic pathogens and in five cases were S . epidermidis . There was no apparent correlation between contamination rate of the infusate and subsequent sepsis of the patients . Reasons for the high prevalence of Staphylococcus epidermidis include ubiquitous diffusion of this microorganism, marked affinity for prosthetic devices, especially by the slime-producing strains, and increased susceptibility of debilitated cancer patients to infection . Recognition that the possibility exists for infusate contamination during compounding should alert all members of the Nutritional Support Team to use aseptic technique when preparing and handling the intravenous solutions . Infusate-related sepsis is a potentially lethal but preventable event. J Med Chem, 1990 Aug, 33(8), 2114 - 21 Synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of parenteral 3'-quaternary ammonium cephalosporins; Brown RF et al.; The preparation and biological evaluation of a series of 7 beta-{2-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)-2(Z)-methoximinoacetamido}cep halosporins, substituted at the 3'-position with monocyclic or bicyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycles are described . The resulting family of parenteral compounds displays a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity . Some compounds exhibit a similar level of Gram-negative activity to that of the "third-generation" cephalosporins with increased staphylococcal activity . The in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity, structure-activity relationships, beta-lactamase stability, and in vitro and in vivo pharmacological evaluations are presented. Klin Med (Mosk), 1990 Aug, 68(8), 71 - 6 {Clinical aspects of septic lesions of the lungs}; Mustafin DG; Clinicoroentgenological variants of pulmonary complications were revealed in 96 (81%) out of 118 sepsis patients . In 55% of cases the disease emerged due to staphylococcal infection . Sepsis lesions of the lungs were analyzed clinically and classified according to respiratory insufficiency . The treatment oriented on pulmonary sepsis resulted in lowering of mortality (up to 17%) . Measures to improve early diagnosis and to promote intensive treatment are under discussion. Dtsch Med Wochenschr, 1990 Jul 27, 115(30), 1141 - 4 {Highly malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in hyper-IgE syndrome}; Einsele H et al.; A largely symptom-free swelling of the right submandibular lymph nodes developed in a 23-year-old woman with hyper-IgE syndrome who had suffered from recurrent staphylococcal abscesses since childhood . Histological examination of the lymph nodes revealed highly malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma of centroblastic type . Extensive staging tests did not reveal any further tumour manifestations . Because granulocyte chemotaxis is abnormal in hyper-IgE syndrome and the patient also had an infection of an old lung cyst, treatment was restricted to local radiotherapy of the cervical lymph nodes . Since 12 months there has been no recurrence . There is probably no connection between the hyper-IgE syndrome and the development of a malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma, judging by the results of immunological and immunoelectrophoretic findings. J Biol Chem, 1990 Jul 25, 265(21), 12356 - 62 The folding of staphylococcal nuclease in the presence of methanol or guanidine thiocyanate; Nakano T et al.; The effect of methanol on the folding of staphylococcal nuclease has been investigated . Equilibrium thermal unfolding transitions were monitored by fluorescence emission . The transition was very sensitive to the presence of methanol (at pH 7.0), the Tm decreased from above 50 degrees C for aqueous solution to below 0 degree C for 70% methanol . The transitions were fully reversible and conformed to two-state behavior . A linear relationship was observed between the hydrophobicity of the solvent and both the Tm and the change in delta G for unfolding . The effect of pH on the transition in 50% methanol at 0 degree C was essentially the same as for aqueous solution, with a cooperative transition in the vicinity of apparent pH (pH*) 4 . The unfolding transition was determined as a function of guanidine thiocyanate in aqueous and 50% methanol solvents . The midpoints of the transitions were 0.30 and 0.20 M, respectively, at 2.1 degrees C . The kinetics of folding at 0 degree C were compared in aqueous, 50% methanol and 0.30 M guanidine thiocyanate solvents, by monitoring changes in the tryptophan fluorescence intensity . Triphasic kinetics for refolding in both aqueous and 50% methanol solutions were observed in stopped-flow experiments . In both solvent systems the slowest phase is ascribed to proline isomerization . The kinetics of refolding were monitored at subzero temperatures in 50% methanol at pH* 7.0 in manual mixing experiments . Biphasic kinetics were observed at temperatures between 0 and -35 degrees C . A third, faster phase, was inferred from the missing amplitude . The energies of activation were 20.0 and 17.2 kcal mol-1, respectively, for the two slower phases . At -33.8 degrees C, the observed pseudo first-order rate constants were 1.2 x 10(-3) and 2.1 x 10(-5) s-1 . At temperatures above -35 degrees C, the sum of the observed amplitudes was essentially constant at 70-75% of the expected total amplitude . At lower temperatures the amplitude of the refolding reaction decreased, and the native state was not formed (unless the temperature was increased), due to the formation of a trapped intermediate state . This intermediate has circular dichroism and fluorescence properties consistent with a compact state with some molten globule characteristics. Biochemistry, 1990 Jul 24, 29(29), 6866 - 73 Active site mutant Glu-43----Asp in staphylococcal nuclease displays nonlocal structural changes; Loll PJ et al.; The crystal structure of the Glu-43----Asp mutant of staphylococcal nuclease complexed with Ca2+ and the inhibitor thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate (pdTp) has been determined and refined by restrained least-squares methods to a conventional crystallographic R value of 0.174 at a resolution of 1.74 A . Throughout most of the structure, the conformation of the backbone atoms of the mutant is similar to that of the wild-type protein; however, the seemingly conservative mutation Glu----Asp has significantly perturbed the structure of a loop adjacent to the active site, as well as giving rise to looser binding of the essential calcium ion and to a less extensive network of bound water molecules in the active site . Crystal contacts that extend into the active site have also been altered by this amino acid substitution . The changes caused by this mutation are considerably more drastic than would have been predicted and should serve as caveats to those who would draw conclusions about structure-function relationships on the basis of site-directed mutagenesis experiments in the absence of structural data. Biochem J, 1990 Jul 15, 269(2), 535 - 7 The reactive serine residue of epidermolytic toxin A; Bailey CJ et al.; Comparison of amino acid sequence data suggested that there may be a functional relationship between the staphylococcal epidermolytic toxins and V8 proteinase . The hypothesis was tested by treating epidermolytic toxin with di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate, which bound specifically at serine-195, the homologue of the active-site serine residue of V8 proteinase. Eur J Immunol, 1990 Jul, 20(7), 1475 - 82 Clonal anergy in self-reactive alpha/beta T cells is abrogated by heat-shock protein-reactive gamma/delta T cells in aged athymic nude mice; Yuuki H et al.; Although T cells proliferate and differentiate primarily in the thymus, athymic nude mice contain an appreciable level of T cell receptor alpha/beta and gamma/delta T cells, suggesting the existence of the extrathymic pathway in the development of both T cells . Recent studies with nude mice indicate that clonal deletion of self-reactive T cells does not occur extrathymically . In the present study, we have investigated the responsiveness of self-reactive T cells differentiating along an extrathymic pathway in aged BALB/c (H-2d, Mls-1b2a, I-E+, 7-8 month old) nude mice . Consistent with recent reports, T cells bearing V beta 3 or V beta 11, which are important for recognizing proteins encoded by the Mls-2a or the I-E allele, respectively, are readily detected in age nude mice . The V beta 3- or V beta 11-bearing T cells, however, do not proliferate in response to staphylococcal enterotoxin A which specifically stimulates V beta 3- or V beta 11-bearing T cells . When exogenous recombinant interleukin 2 was added to the culture, the V beta 3-bearing T cells in aged nude mice significantly proliferated in response to staphylococcal enterotoxin A . Aged nude mice also contained a substantial level of gamma/delta T cells which account for 15.6% of all Thy-1.2+ cells . The gamma/delta T cells proliferated and produced a significant level of interleukin 2 in response to the 65-kDa mycobacterial heat-shock protein, which is highly homologous to its eukaryotic counterpart . These results suggest that unresponsiveness of self-reactive T cells may be reversed by T cells responding to stress proteins expressed by the invading microbes and/or the stressed autologous cells. J Med Microbiol, 1990 Jul, 32(3), 201 - 5 A new streptomycin-resistance plasmid from Staphylococcus hyicus and its structural relationship to other staphylococcal resistance plasmids; Schwarz S et al.; A small plasmid of 4.4 kb encoding resistance to streptomycin (Smr) was detected in a multiresistant Staphylococcus hyicus culture from a piglet with exudative epidermitis . The plasmid-encoded properties were determined by interspecies protoplast transformation experiments . This plasmid was further characterised by restriction endonuclease analysis and a preliminary restriction map was constructed . The plasmid from S . hyicus that conferred streptomycin resistance was designated as pSAI-1 . It showed some structural homology with the streptomycin-chloramphenicol resistance plasmid pSK68 from S . aureus of human origin . The MIC of streptomycin in resistance mediated by pSAI-1 was about 10 times higher than the MICs in resistance mediated by Smr plasmids from human S . aureus strains. Stroke, 1990 Jul, 21(7), 993 - 9 Prosthetic valve endocarditis 1976-1987 . Antibiotics, anticoagulation, and stroke; Davenport J et al.; We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 61 patients with 62 episodes of prosthetic valve endocarditis, paying particular attention to neurologic complications (stroke) . Atypical features of the group included a benign outcome of early postoperative infection (18% mortality) and a high stroke morbidity and mortality rate with Staphylococcus epidermidis infections . Eleven patients (18%) suffered an embolic stroke, most less than or equal to 3 days after diagnosis and before the initiation of antimicrobial therapy; the rate of embolic stroke recurrence was low (9%) . The risk of embolic stroke was lower with bioprosthetic than with mechanical valves . No protective effect of anticoagulation therapy with warfarin was observed . Six patients (8%) suffered brain hemorrhage due to septic arteritis, brain infarction, or undetermined causes; no specific risk of hemorrhagic stroke was evident with anticoagulation therapy . Antibiotic treatment appears to be more important than anticoagulation to prevent neurologic complications in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis. Head Neck, 1990 Jul-Aug, 12(4), 357 - 61 Gunshot wound to the frontal sinus; Key JM et al.; Immediate treatment of this patient, evaluation of the wound, the use of antibiotics, and eventual reconstruction are all concerns in this complicated gunshot wound to the frontal sinus . The consultants agree that the first priority in this patient is to assess and stabilize the airway, examine the wound, and obtain a CT scan to ascertain the extent of the defect . Dr . Key feels that these wounds are contaminated and would prophylactically order a broad-spectrum cephalosporin and/or chloramphenicol . Dr . Tami would use antibiotics aimed at Staphylococcus and oral flora; Dr . Donald prefers to treat specific infections as they develop . They also agree that initial reconstruction should be conservative, aimed at covering exposed bone and minimizing local/regional flaps; however, Dr . Donald suggests using an arch bar on the intact side and eyelet wires on the injured side to address the maxillary defect . Drs . Key and Donald feel that it was a mistake to close this wound primarily and use a skin graft, because there was an inadequate soft tissue bed . Dr . Tami states that the initial management of the wound was reasonable . All agree on a basic approach to frontal sinus fractures . CT scanning is the imaging modality of choice . Nondisplaced fractures may be observed . Disruption of the posterior wall or the nasofrontal duct usually require exploration and obliteration of the sinus . Dr . Key would ablate the sinus only in cases where the anterior table is completely lost . Drs . Tami and Donald agree that cranialization should be reserved for comminuted posterior table fractures . After recognizing a CSF leak, Dr . Key would begin a broad-spectrum antibiotic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Infect Dis, 1990 Jul, 162(1), 96 - 102 Correlation between in vivo and in vitro efficacy of antimicrobial agents against foreign body infections; Widmer AF et al.; Implant-associated infections are often resistant to antibiotic therapy . Routine sensitivity tests fail to predict therapeutic success . Therefore experimental in vitro tests were sought that would better correlate with drug efficacy in device-related infections . The activity of six different antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis was investigated . In vivo studies were performed with the guinea pig tissue-cage animal model; in vitro studies with minimum inhibiting and bactericidal concentrations, time-kill studies of growing and stationary-phase microorganisms, the killing of glass-adherent S . epidermidis . Drug efficacy on stationary and adherent microorganisms, but not minimum inhibiting concentrations, predicted the outcome of device-related infections . Rifampin cured 12 of 12 infections and was also the most efficient drug in any experimental in vitro test . Similarly, the failure of ciprofloxacin to eradicate foreign body infections correlated with its low efficacy on stationary-phase and adherent S . epidermidis. Res Immunol, 1990 Jul-Aug, 141(6), 505 - 13 Interleukin-1 beta in human colostrum; Munoz C et al.; The two forms of interleukin-1, IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta respectively, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) are polypeptides sharing different biological activities which are often associated with host defence mechanisms . Because of the well-recognized benefits of breast feeding for newborns, colostrum from 9 healthy lactating women was analysed for the presence of these 3 cytokines . Specific radioimmunoassay revealed that colostrum contains a significant amount of IL-1 beta (mean +/- SEM values of 1,130 +/- 259 pg/ml) . The concentrations of IL-1 alpha and TNF were negligible . Colostral leukocytes are able to produce IL-1 since high activity was found after stimulation with Staphylococcus epidermidis . In addition, these cells produced IL-1 spontaneously in vitro, in contrast to resting maternal blood monocytes . As IL-1 increases resistance to infection, the presence of this cytokine represent a beneficial aspect of breast feeding. Farmaco, 1990 Jul, 45(7-8), 833 - 46 Research on antibacterial and antifungal agents . XIII . Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 1-arylmethyl-4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acids; Massa S et al.; Several 1-arylmethyl-4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives have been synthetized and tested as antifungal and antibacterial agents . Reaction between tosylmethylisocyanide (TosMIC) and beta-arylacrylic esters under basic conditions furnished 4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic esters, which were then benzylated at 1 position . Alkaline hydrolysis of ethyl 1-arylmethyl-4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates afforded the title compounds . All tested derivatives were found to be inactive as antifungal agents . Some of them showed appreciable antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus spp. Plasmid, 1990 Jul, 24(1), 74 - 80 Nucleotide sequence of the rep gene of staphylococcal plasmid pCW7; Balson DF et al.; Previous heteroduplex mapping studies showed that staphylococcal plasmid pCW7 belongs to the pT181 family of small antibiotic resistance plasmids which replicate by a rolling-circle mechanism . Replication in each case is initiated at the plasmid origin (ori) by a plasmid-encoded protein . Rep, which makes a sequence-specific single-stranded nick to form a covalent Rep-ori replication intermediate . A comparison of sequencing results for the repN gene of pCW7 with data for the products of five other homologous rep genes allows a prediction to be made of the segments of the primary structure of Rep which are likely to be responsible for plasmid-specific recognition of the ori region by each Rep protein. Vrach Delo, 1990 Jul, (7), 54 - 5 {The immunological reactivity indices of patients with chronic nonspecific lung diseases}; Linevskii IuV et al.; At height of the disease patients with chronic bronchitis showed a reduction of immunological indices of reactivity of the body . A direct dependence was established between the severity of the course of the disease and degree of reactivity reduction . Absence of complete normalization of indices of immunological reactivity at discharge from the clinic indicates incomplete control of the inflammatory process and short-term character of the remission . The reaction of lymphocyte blast transformation may be used for detection of both latent and clinically manifest staphylococcal infection . Increased sensitivity to staphylococcal allergen results in a reduction of the phagocytic activity of neutrophils in patients with chronic bronchitis. Mycopathologia, 1990 Jul, 111(1), 47 - 53 Pulmonary aspergillosis due to Aspergillus terreus combined with staphylococcal pneumonia and hepatic candidiasis; Kimura M et al.; A female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed pulmonary aspergillosis with staphylococcal pneumonia and hepatic candidiasis . Aspergillus terreus, which is a rare causative organism of pulmonary aspergillosis, was identified from a pulmonary lesion by culture . The aleurioconidium production, a characteristic of the genus Aspergillus sect . terrei, was demonstrated on short and irregular hyphal features in tissue sections . This report is the first of a combined case of pulmonary aspergillosis due to A . terreus with infections caused by other microorganisms. Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1990 Jul, 45(4), 797 - 800 {Relationship between an offensive smell given off from human foot and Staphylococcus epidermidis}; Kobayashi S; The bacteria isolated from foot skins of 17 volunteers by the swab sampling method were mostly gram-positive cocci, which were identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis by the ID-kit SP-18 (Nissui Co., Ltd) . After incubation of S . epidermidis on agar plates containing oleic acid and Tween 80 for 24 h at 35 C, the smell noticed was similar to an offensive smell of human pes . However, under the same conditions, the smell of another staphylococcal species was different from that of S . epidermidis . Except for the staphylococcal species, the colonies isolated from the skins were mostly those of yeast (unidentified) and gave off no offensive smell . From these results, it was considered that the smell of human pes might be given off by S . epidermidis, and if this species is inhibited, the smell would also be inhibited . A selective bactericide for gram-positive bacteria, which is a lotion containing deoxycholic acid, was applied to the feet of the 17 volunteers . The experiments showed that the application obviously decreased the counts of colonies of S . epidermidis and inhibited the smell as compared with controls. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1990 Jul, 34(7), 1336 - 41 Ceftazidime versus imipenem-cilastatin as initial monotherapy for febrile neutropenic patients; Liang R et al.; One hundred febrile episodes in 89 neutropenic patients after cytotoxic chemotherapy were randomized to be treated with either ceftazidime or imipenem as initial monotherapy . The clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients were comparable . The response of the fever in patients who received imipenem was significantly better than that in those who received ceftazidime (77 versus 56%, respectively; P = 0.04), especially in those with microbiologically documented infection (81 versus 33%, respectively; P = 0.02) . The in vitro susceptibilities and the clinical responses suggested that, with the possible exception of Pseudomonas spp., imipenem was more effective than ceftazidime in treating neutropenic infections caused by both gram-positive and -negative organisms . An additional 23 and 21% of the patients in the ceftazidime and imipenem groups, respectively, responded to the addition of cloxacillin and amikacin following failure of monotherapy . The majority of the treatment failures, relapses, and superinfections were related to resistant infective organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp . and Pseudomonas spp . or disseminated fungal infections. J Gen Virol, 1990 Jul, 71 ( Pt 7), 1623 - 5 Detection of the trans activity of the plum pox virus NIa-like protease in infected plants; Himmler G et al.; The NIa-like protein of plum pox virus is a protease with high sequence specificity that is autocatalytically released from the viral polyprotein . In order to determine whether the protease is active in trans we constructed a fusion protein consisting of the C-terminal region of the plum pox virus polyprotein and the staphylococcal Protein A . The authentic protease recognition sequence Asn-Val-Val-Val-His-Gln-Ala occurs in the centre of this protein fusion . This protein was cleaved specifically by extracts of plum pox virus-infected plants due to the strong activity of the viral protease making it a useful tool for diagnostic purposes. Med Clin North Am, 1990 Jul, 74(4), 997 - 1010 CAPD peritonitis . Incidence, pathogens, diagnosis, and management; Saklayen MG; Peritonitis is a frequent complication of CAPD . Sixty percent of all patients on CAPD will have at least one episode of peritonitis during the first year of this mode of dialysis . Most of the episodes of peritonitis are caused by touch contamination of the dialysis tubing or by extension of the catheter exit site or tunnel infection . Coagulase-negative and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus are the two most common organisms, accounting for 50% or more of all CAPD peritonitis . Other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and fungi account for the rest . Intraperitoneal antibiotic treatments are usually effective in eradicating the infection . The choice of antibiotics depends on organisms isolated from cultured dialysate . Fungal peritonitis and, occasionally, Pseudomonas peritonitis require removal of the catheter to eradicate the infection . Prompt identification and treatment of peritonitis are essential to ensure success of a CAPD program . Although with newer techniques, like Y-connector or ultraviolet light system, the rate of peritonitis has declined; however, it has still remained the major complication of the CAPD program. ASAIO Trans, 1990 Jul-Sep, 36(3), M467 - 9 Modulation of peritoneal macrophage antimicrobial activity by peritoneal dialysis fluid, Ca++, and 1,25(OH)2D3 in CAPD patients; Carozzi S et al.; Previous in vitro studies showed that Ca++ and 1,25(OH)2D3 modulate peritoneal macrophage (PM0) antimicrobial activity in CAPD patients . Twenty-four CAPD patients were evaluated in vivo (12 who had never had peritonitis, and 12 with an overall peritonitis incidence of more than one episode per 8 patient/months), for the effects of different peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDF) and Ca++ concentrations (1.25, 1.75, and 2.25 mmol/L) on PM0: cytoplasmic Ca++ concentration; superoxide generation; leukotriene B4 (LTB4) release; and bacterial killing for Staphylococcus epidermidis . The same parameters were also evaluated after adding 1,25(OH)2D3 (0.25 microgram/L) to the PDF . Results showed a direct correlation between the PDF Ca++ concentration and PM0 Ca++ levels, superoxide and LTB4 generation, and bacterial killing such that, with 2.25 mmol/L of Ca++, these values were significantly higher than those seen with 1.75 mmol/L . The addition of 1,25(OH)2D3 potentiated the Ca(++)-induced effects . On the other hand, with PDF Ca++ levels of 1,25 mmol/L, an inhibition of the aforementioned parameters was seen . However, this effect was reversed by the addition of 1,25(OH)2D3 . These in vivo results confirm the importance of Ca++ and 1,25(OH)2D3 in PM0 antibacterial function in CAPD patients, and may be useful in determining the prophylaxis and therapy of peritonitis. J Clin Immunol, 1990 Jul, 10(4), 204 - 10 Binding and functional effects of thyroid stimulating hormone on human immune cells; Coutelier JP et al.; The expression and functional relevance of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors on human immune cells were studied . Flow cytometric analysis was used to study the binding of biotinylated TSH to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and various purified lymphoid populations . Our results indicate that the hormone binds well to monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells and marginally to purified tonsillar T and B lymphocytes . There was a significant increase in the binding of TSH to purified B cells that were activated in vitro with Staphylococcus aureaus Cowan . In contrast, the binding of TSH to T cells was unaltered when they were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) . While TSH increases DNA synthesis and intracellular cAMP levels of FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, it did not have such stimulatory effects on lymphocytes . However, there was a moderate increase in Ig production by activated B lymphocytes when they were cultured in the presence of the hormone . A possible function for TSH as a link between the immune system and the thyroid is discussed. Virus Res, 1990 Jul, 16(3), 275 - 92 Intracellular organization of herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA assayed by staphylococcal nuclease sensitivity; Lentine AF et al.; The nucleoprotein organization of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA during productive infection was analyzed using staphylococcal nuclease . Both prior to and during the genome replication phase of infection, digestion of nuclei revealed two readily discernible forms of viral DNA, resistant and sensitive . The identity of these forms was established by the use of a variety of assays, including velocity sedimentation, nucleic acid hybridization and restriction endonuclease digestion and by employing temperature sensitive (ts) mutants impaired in either DNA replication or encapsidation of progeny DNA . Thus, nuclease resistant DNA was derived from encapsidated unit length genomes while sensitive DNA represented digestion products of replicating viral genomes . Importantly, no evidence was obtained for the arrangement of either parental or progeny viral DNA in nucleosomes . These findings are discussed with regard to the nucleoprotein structure of replicating viral DNA. J Diabet Complications, 1990 Jul-Sep, 4(3), 132 - 5 Cardiac mucormycosis complicating diabetes mellitus; Roy TM et al.; Fewer than 25 cases of myocardial involvement with the Mucoraceae have been reported . We present a diabetic patient with recurrent ketoacidosis and staphylococcal septicemia whose demise was accelerated by unsuspected left atrial mural endocardial mucormycosis. Arch Biochem Biophys, 1990 Jul, 280(1), 53 - 60 Isolation and characterization of human HSP70 expressed in Escherichia coli; Macejak D et al.; A plasmid containing the human HSP70 gene was used to transfect and express the protein in Escherichia coli . The bacterial product was a fusion protein containing 640 amino acids of HSP70, plus 33 additional NH2 terminal amino acids; 12 from the bacterial expression vector and 21 from a 5' human sequence that is not normally translated . It was partially purified by ion-exchange and ATP-Sepharose affinity column chromatography . The bacterially produced human HSP70 protein was then compared with HSP70 obtained from cultured 293 cells . Both shared the same staphylococcal V8 protease peptide fragment pattern, ATP binding, and a weak ATPase activity (about 10-15 nmol ATP hydrolyzed per milligram protein per minute at 30 degrees C) . The bacterially produced human HSP70 protein differed in its V8 protease pattern with an E . coli ATP-binding protein that corresponded in molecular mass to the E . coli dnaK gene product . Mutants in the human HSP70 gene were constructed which significantly reduced a predicted major alpha-helical domain in the HSP70 molecule that has partial homology to an ATP-binding site of several protein kinases . One HSP70 mutant clone contained a deletion of 20% at the NH2 terminus, and expressed a 57-kDa product, while the other was missing the middle 50% of the gene (40-kDa product) . Neither protein fragment bound to an ATP affinity column, suggesting that ATP binding to HSP70 may be conformationally affected by a region about 20% internal to the NH2 terminal end of the molecule . Recently, a similar location of the ATP-binding site has been reported by Milarski and Morimoto (27). Clin Exp Rheumatol, 1990 Jul-Aug, 8 Suppl 5, 75 - 80 Probing of the rheumatoid factor (RF) V gene repertoire in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by hybridoma clones; Natvig JB et al.; Twenty human monoclonal antibodies with rheumatoid factor (RF) specificity were produced from fusions using B lymphocytes derived from the synovial tissue of two patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and one with the polyarticular form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) (1) . All the 20 monoclonal antibodies were IgM . Fourteen of these were classical RFs with specificity restricted to IgG, and included 12 kappa and 2 lambda proteins . When the fine specificity for IgG Fc determinants were investigated most of them showed the Ga specificity . In addition, 5 lambda and 1 kappa monoclonal RF antibodies showed polyreactivity and also reacted with various other antigens than IgG (1) . The 14 monoreactive RFs were further studied for the expression of RF-related cross-reactive idiotypes (CRI) and variable heavy (VH) and light chain (VL) subgroups . Only four of the twelve kappa RFs expressed the V kappa III subgroup . Three of them belong to the V kappa IIIb sub-subgroup and expressed the CRI 17.109 . One of these 3 clones in addition expressed the VH I associated CRI G6 . Five other monoreactive RFs expressed either or both of the VH III associated CRI B6 and D12 (2) . Using staphylococcal protein A (SPA) binding as well as Northern blotting techniques (2), studies indicated that 10 out of the 12 RFs studied expressed the VH III regions and 2 expressed the VH I region . These data, both for the heavy and light chains, indicated a different V gene usage by the RF derived from RA patients than by the RF M-components derived from patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia but without RA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Clin Microbiol, 1990 Jul, 28(7), 1671 - 2 Buffered charcoal-yeast extract medium for the isolation of brucellae; Raad I et al.; A patient with chronic osteomyelitis caused by Brucella abortus had negative agglutination titers . Because of a superimposed staphylococcal infection that resulted in the overgrowth of this organism on nonselective media, brucellae were isolated only on a selective buffered charcoal-yeast extract (BCYE) agar . Sixteen strains of various Brucella species were inoculated on BCYE agar; selective BCYE agar with polymyxin, anisomycin, and cefamandole; and brucella blood agar . The growth and recovery rates on the three media tested were comparable for 14 strains . BCYE agar with polymyxin, anisomycin, and cefamandole may be useful as a selective medium for the isolation of brucellae. Clin Chem, 1990 Jul, 36(7), 1282 - 7 Magnetically tagged subsets of human lymphocytes for assays with laboratory robotics; Schroder U et al.; We demonstrate the possibility of automation of whole-cell functionality assays, e.g., mitogen-activated DNA synthesis, DNA repair synthesis, and assessment of drug-metabolizing enzymes, by use of magnetic separation technology . We have attached antibody-coupled magnetic microspheres to the surface of human T-lymphocytes before performing various assays . Evaluating the biological functions of T-cells estimated by the DNA-synthesis assays showed that the presence of antibody-coupled magnetic microspheres did not affect the results (P greater than 0.05) . The concentration of adenosine diphosphate ribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.30) was shown to be influenced by the magnetic microspheres . However, the amount of enzyme activity induced by oxidative stress was not significantly altered . The results from assays of the phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes glutathione transferase (EC 2.5.1.18) and epoxide hydrolase (EC 3.3.2.3) as well as evaluation of the proliferative response of polyclonal activators (phytohemagglutinin, staphylococcal enterotoxin A, and pokeweed mitogen) support our conclusion that assays can be performed on viable magnetized cells . The use of magnetized cells holds promise for further applications in automated genotoxic and immunological cell assays of mononuclear leukocyte subsets . Laboratory robotics will be essential in bringing these assays into routine use. Infect Immun, 1990 Jul, 58(7), 2144 - 8 Comparative study of hemolytic substances produced by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus strains; Loyer M et al.; Hemolytic substances H7, H62, and E56, produced by Staphylococcus haemolyticus 7 and 62 and S . epidermidis 56, respectively, were purified . H7 and H62 are probably similar on the basis of their isoelectric focusing profiles in 8 M urea and complete immunological identity as revealed by immunodiffusion with rabbit anti-H7 and anti-E56 sera . For E56, we observed seven bands instead of three in isoelectric focusing and only partial immunological identity with H7 and H62 . However, H7 and E56 were similar with regard to the following characteristics: hemolytic spectra against different erythrocytes, kinetics of erythrocyte lysis, heat stability, and inhibition by phosphatidylcholine . E56 was not active at a temperature lower than or equal to 25 degrees C, and its activity increased more rapidly with increased temperature compared with H7 . For both substances, the complexes obtained by molecular filtration on Ultrogel AcA54 and the purified peptides by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography showed some hemolytic activity . These results suggest that a particular association or the presence of a given peptide could enhance the activity. Pediatr Med Chir, 1990 Jul-Aug, 12(4), 405 - 8 {Retropharyngeal abscess in nursing infants . Report of 2 cases}; Berzioli M et al.; The authors report two cases of retropharyngeal abscess in breast-fed babies and highlight the salient points of the disease: 1) The disease is rare, severe and sometime atypical . 2) The clinical features are: the patient age (breast-fed babies), difficult in swallowing, drooling, dyspnea and malaise . 3) The diagnosis is confirmed by a forward movement of the pharynx and of the soft palate except when the abscess is located on the lower half of the retropharyngeal space . 4) The most important diagnostic procedure is the lateral radiography of the neck that shows a widening of the retropharyngeal prevertebral space . 5) If an adequate therapy is not undertaken, following complications are possible: opening of the abscess with passage of the pus into the bronchopulmonary space, obstructive dyspnea with oxygen lack, propagation of the abscess into the mediastinum and possible development of fistulas into lung, and pleura, and exceptionally into pericardium . 6) The therapy includes the use of drugs active toward the possible etiological agents: the most common are the S.B.E.A., anaerobes, staphylococcus and gram-negative . At stage of suppuration, surgical operation is required. Infect Immun, 1990 Jul, 58(7), 2392 - 6 Binding competition of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 and other staphylococcal exoproteins for receptors on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells; See RH et al.; Binding of toxic shock toxin 1 (TSST-1) and staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was investigated by using 125I-labeled ligands . Scatchard analyses revealed similar numbers of receptors (approximately 5,000 to 8,000) and similar dissociation constants (Kd, approximately 20 to 25 nM) per PBMC . SEA but not enterotoxin B, C1, C2, C3, D, or E significantly inhibited binding of 125I-TSST-1 to PBMC . Cross-competition of TSST-1 and SEA in binding assays suggests that they may bind to overlapping or separate epitopes on the same receptor. J Biol Chem, 1990 Jun 25, 265(18), 10232 - 7 Dissociation between interleukin-1 beta mRNA and protein synthesis in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Schindler R et al.; Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells analyzed immediately after isolation did not express detectable mRNA for interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) . In the strict absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), incubation in glass or plastic resulted in expression of IL-1 beta mRNA without detectable IL-1 beta synthesis, even when cells were incubated for 20 h . The accumulation of IL-1 beta mRNA was most likely due to adherence since rotating the containers reduced the amount of mRNA . However, the cells were "primed" by 3 h adherence since subsequent stimulation with LPS resulted in more IL-1 beta (214%) 4 h after stimulation compared to freshly obtained, LPS-stimulated cells . Ratios of IL-1 beta mRNA induced by LPS versus adherence were 7.8, 36, and 20 at 4, 12, and 24 h, respectively; the corresponding ratios for IL-1 beta protein were 18, 160, and 180 . Comparing Staphylococcus epidermidis versus LPS, the ratios of IL-1 beta mRNA were 3.2, 0.5, and 1.2 at 4, 8, and 24 h, respectively, however, the corresponding ratios for IL-1 beta protein were 65, 22, and 10 . The differences in transcription versus translation in these studies are unlikely due to changes in stability of mRNA since the half-life of adherence-induced IL-1 beta mRNA was 2.5 versus 4 h for LPS-induced mRNA . There was also no evidence of superinduction of mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with LPS, whereas, tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA was elevated in the presence of cycloheximide . Using different methods of cell surface stimulation, our results demonstrate that synthesis of IL-1 beta is regulated by at least two separate mechanisms, one at the level of transcriptional activation and the other one involving translational efficiency. Presse Med, 1990 Jun 16, 19(24), 1130 - 2 {Staphylococcal infection of the face . 52 cases}; Ennouri A et al.; Severe staphylococcal infections, and notably those affecting the face, are frequent in Tunisia . We report 52 cases observed between December 1981 and September 1989 . The epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic features of the disease are presented . New antibiotics have reduced the mortality rate to 4% . Lethal cases and sequelae are due to delayed treatment . This demonstrates the importance of an early treatment and, above all, of prevention by vigorous chemotherapy of even the mildest facial skin infections. J Immunol, 1990 Jun 15, 144(12), 4663 - 9 Production of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta by staphylococcal enterotoxin A activated human T cells; Fischer H et al.; Staphylococcal enterotoxin at concentrations of less than 1 pg/ml induces significant TNF activity in human peripheral blood T cells and monocytes . Maximal TNF activity is routinely detected after 48 to 72 h of culture . IL-2 and IL-4 were both growth promoting for human T cells but only IL-2 could efficiently induce TNF production . The production of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta differed greatly in kinetics . An early intracytoplasmatic production of TNF-alpha after 6 h was detected in both monocytes and T cells whereas a late production of TNF-beta (lymphotoxin) after 48 h, occurred in the T cell population . Induction of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta production by Staphylococcal enterotoxin requires the presence of both monocytes and T cells . The CD4+45R- but not CD4+45R+ and CD8+ cells supported TNF-alpha production in monocytes . The main lytic component from Staphylococcal enterotoxin-activated mononuclear cells is TNF-beta . CD4+ and CD8+ T cells produced about equal amounts of biologically active TNF into the culture supernatants but a fourfold higher frequency of TNF-beta producing cells was demonstrated among CD4+ vs CD8+ cells . The CD4+45R- T cell subset was an efficient producer of TNF-beta and IFN-gamma whereas the CD4+45R+ T cell subset produced significant amounts of TNF-beta but only marginal amounts of IFN-gamma. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler, 1990 Jun, 371(6), 485 - 91 Disulfide bridges of bovine spleen cathepsin B; Baudys M et al.; Bovine spleen cathepsin B contains 7 disulfide bridges . Cleavage of the enzyme with cyanogen bromide gives rise to a large and a small fragment . The former contains all disulfide bridges . Their arrangement was determined by analysis of amino-acid sequences and compositions of subfragments prepared by cleavage of the large cyanogen-bromide fragment with trypsin, chymotrypsin and the staphylococcal proteinase using specific methods for the detection of S-S-bonds . Disulfide bridges link together Cys14-Cys43, Cys26-Cys71, Cys62-Cys128, Cys63-Cys67, Cys100-Cys132, Cys108-Cys119 and Cys148-Cys252. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1990 Jun, 11(6), 301 - 8 Intravascular catheter colonization and related bloodstream infection in critically ill neonates; Cronin WA et al.; Intravascular catheter tip colonization was prospectively evaluated in critically ill neonates to determine its relationship to the type of device used, duration of catheterization, insertion site and nosocomial bloodstream infection . Sixty-one percent (376 of 621) of all intravascular catheter tips were retrieved from 91 infants . Thirteen percent (41 of 310) of peripheral intravenous, 14% (6 of 42) of umbilical, 21% (3 of 11) of central venous, 36% (4 of 11) of peripheral arterial and 100% (2 of 2) of femoral catheters were colonized . Duration of catheterization was significantly longer for colonized lines (p less than .001) . Eight of 26 (30.8%) peripheral intravenous catheters remaining in place for more than three days were colonized, compared with 33 of 284 (11.6%) at three days or less (p = 0.012) . Coagulase-negative staphylococcus was the organism most frequently isolated from catheter tips and bloodstream infections . Catheter colonization rates in this population were higher than those found in adults . Heavily manipulated devices and those in place for longer periods of time were the most frequently colonized. Am J Physiol, 1990 Jun, 258(6 Pt 1), L328 - 33 Liberation of a neutrophil enzyme-releasing peptide from the surface of human alveolar macrophages; Miller EJ et al.; The human alveolar macrophage product, enzyme-releasing peptide (ERP), has a molecular mass of 8,000 Da, and releases azurophilic and specific granule constituents from neutrophils . A murine monoclonal anti-ERP antibody (12E10H), previously used to show a lack of antigenic identity between ERP and C5a, interleukin 1, tumor necrosis factor, and gamma-interferon, showed no cross-reactivity with interleukin 8 . 12E10H and a fluorescein-labeled second antibody were used to visualize ERP on the macrophage surface . ERP was removed from alveolar macrophages by a 3-min incubation with 5 X 10(-7) M bovine pancreatic trypsin at 37 degrees C . The washed trypsinized cells could readhere to plastic and exclude trypan blue . Dilution of the trypsin-derived ERP released myeloperoxidase from cytochalasin-B-treated neutrophils dose dependently . The enzyme-releasing ability of the trypsin-derived material was removed by immunoprecipitation using antibody 12E10H bound to Staphylococcal protein A Sepharose 4B . The estimated molecular mass of the trypsin-derived ERP (by molecular sieve chromatography on HPLC) was approximately 8,500 Da . Other proteases (plasmin, thrombin, and cathepsin G) also released ERP from the cell surface, but the ERP was not an active secretagogue for neutrophils . However, macrophages cultured with protease inhibitors did not show decreased ERP accumulation in the medium . Our data indicate that ERP exists on the surface of human alveolar macrophages and can be released by proteases found within the lung environment in some disease states. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 1990 Jun, 99(6), 969 - 76 Postoperative mediastinitis: a comparison of two electrocautery techniques on presternal soft tissues; Nishida H et al.; Postoperative mediastinitis remains a serious surgical problem, complicating 0.4% to 5% of all cases . In an experiment designed to address this problem, 36 mongrel dogs underwent a median sternotomy incision . In group I (n = 18) all layers to the sternum were opened by a scalpel, and electrocautery was used only for pinpoint hemostasis . In group II (n = 18) the skin was opened by a scalpel and the remaining layers to the sternum were opened by electrocautery . Total kilojoules of electrical energy delivered to the tissues was 9.4 +/- 5.7 for group I and 44.1 +/- 7.0 for group II (p less than 0.001) . Each group was randomly divided into three subgroups (n = 6): Ia and IIa were noninoculated controls; Ib and IIb were inoculated just before skin closure; Ic and IIc were inoculated and given one preoperative dose of cefonicid . The inoculum contained Staphylococcus intermedius in a 0.5 ml suspension of 10(8) organisms . Each animal was observed and the wounds were scored daily until death or until all survivors were put to death on the eighth postoperative day . Pleural fluid was cultured at autopsy . Ten dogs died of mediastinitis (four in IIa and six in IIb), but none from group I (p less than 0.01) . Positive cultures from pleural fluid in matching subgroups (n = 6) occurred as follows: one in Ia and five in IIa (p less than 0.05); one in Ib and six in IIb (p less than 0.01); zero in Ic and two in IIc . We conclude that pinpoint hemostasis on the soft tissues of the sternotomy incision significantly reduces the severity and frequency of penetrating mediastinitis. Arch Ophthalmol, 1990 Jun, 108(6), 857 - 60 Comparative treatment of experimental Staphylococcus epidermidis endophthalmitis; Meredith TA et al.; We created experimental Staphylococcus epidermidis endophthalmitis of moderate severity in the aphakic rabbit eye by injecting 100,000 organisms of a standardized laboratory strain (ATCC 155) into the mid-vitreous cavity . This model of endophthalmitis self-sterilizes in about 4 days, but inflammatory signs continue to increase 5 to 7 days after the initial bacterial inoculum . Control eyes were compared with eyes treated with five different strategies 24 hours after bacterial inoculation: intravitreal cefazolin sodium, intravitreal cefazolin plus intramuscular corticosteroid, vitrectomy plus intravitreal antibiotics, vitrectomy plus intravitreal antibiotics and intramuscular corticosteroids, and vitrectomy plus intravitreal antibiotics and corticosteroids . Quantitative grading of inflammation and media clarity were compared at the end of weeks 1, 2, and 3 after treatment . At week 1, eyes treated with vitrectomy had significantly lower inflammatory scores; those treated with corticosteroids had significantly lower scores than those without . The two effects were independent . The best results were observed with treatment consisting of vitrectomy, intraocular antibiotics, and corticosteroids . This strategy also produced significantly more eyes with clear media at the end of week 3 than treatment with intravitreal antibiotics alone. Neurologia, 1990 Jun-Jul, 5(6), 188 - 91 {Treatment of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections using the Perrin and McLaurin technique . Analysis of 11 cases}; Vilalta J et al.; Eleven patients with shunt infection (SI) of the cerebrospinal fluid in whom the SI was withdrawn and replaced by a new SI system with reservoir and intraventricular and parenteral antibiotic treatment were reported . The diagnosis was made by culture of the components of the SI and, or, the cerebrospinal fluid . In 9 cases the agent was a staphylococcus . The different therapeutic trials to treat SI infections can be summarized as follows: a) replacement of the SI by an external drainage, antibiotics, and reinsertion of the SI when the cerebrospinal fluid was sterilized; b) withdrawal of the SI and placement of a new SI in the same surgical procedure associated with intraventricular and systemic antibiotic treatment; and c) treatment with intraventricular and, or, systemic antibiotics . It has been demonstrated that the surgical approach (a and b) is more effective . In our series the procedure indicated in B was followed by the control of the infection in all cases . The follow-up of the surgical treatment was 1-3 years . The most currently used SI was the ventriculoperitoneal bypass . Their main complications are pseudocysts which are easily recognized by of abdominal echography and frequently revealed SI infection . Diagnosis and treatment of SI infections should take into account the type of complications and the most appropriate collaboration with other clinical departments. Drugs, 1990 Jun, 39(6), 856 - 61 Therapy of toxic shock syndrome; Todd JK; Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an acute febrile, exanthematous illness associated with multisystem failure including shock, renal failure, myocardial failure and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) . It usually presents with fever, pharyngitis, diarrhoea, vomiting, myalgia, and a scarlet fever-like rash, and may progress rapidly (within hours) to signs of hypovolaemic hypotension such as orthostatic dizziness or fainting . The signs and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome should be recognised early to permit successful therapy . Patients are usually suffering from hypovolaemia due to leaky capillaries and fluid loss into the interstitial space, and consequently large volumes of fluid, both crystalloid (e.g . saline, electrolyte-solutions) and colloid (e.g . albumin, intravenous gamma-globulin), may be necessary to maintain adequate venous return and cardiac output . Patients with toxic shock syndrome usually have a focus of staphylococcal infection such as a surgical wound infection or soft tissue abscess, or they may have TSS associated with menstruation and use of a vaginal device such as tampons . The site of infection should be adequately drained and treated with antimicrobial therapy . Subacute complications including ARDS and myocardial failure require a thorough understanding of the underlying pathophysiology to ensure appropriate treatment . Recurrences of TSS can be avoided by appropriate antimicrobial treatment and avoidance of recurrent conditions which might favour staphylococcal toxin production (e.g . use of tampons during menstruation) . More than 95% of patients survive toxic shock syndrome if appropriate therapy is instituted early. Lymphology, 1990 Jun, 23(2), 56 - 9 Immunosuppressive actions of retroviruses; Good RA et al.; The immunosuppressive properties of retroviruses were first demonstrated by Old et al . We later showed that Gross Passage A retrovirus superinfection in mice resulted in decreased antibody production and diminished allograft rejection . We have studied in some detail the immunosuppression which occurs subsequent to infection with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) as characterized by profoundly depressed T and B lymphocyte responses and decreased production of gamma-interferon . Injection of staphylococcal protein A (SPA) corrected these deficient immune responses, cleared circulating FeLV from blood and produced a regression of FeLV-induced lymphomas and leukemias . The immunosuppressive properties of FeLV and certain other retroviruses have been linked to the transmembrane viral envelope peptide, p15E . Cianciolo et al synthesized a 17-amino acid viral component which shares sequence homology with a highly conserved region of p15E . In vitro analyses have shown that this synthetic retroviral peptide suppresses T and B cell functions, inhibits the generation of cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) responses and dramatically alters the morphology and distribution of monocytes . The latter finding, along with reports that cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage play a critical role in the initiation of human immunodeficiency infection, suggests that monocytes and macrophages may play a crucial role in retroviral infection and some of the associated immunodeficiencies associated with retroviral infection. Transfusion, 1990 Jun, 30(5), 411 - 7 Studies of in vitro red cell autoantibody production in normal donors and in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia; Hernandez-Jodra M et al.; The in vitro production of red cell autoantibodies (RBC AuAbs) has been investigated for better understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) . Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) were isolated and cultured for 14 days with or without added pokeweed mitogen (PWM), autologous RBCs, methyldopa, procainamide, and alpha-methylnorepinephrine . Also, isolated B cells were infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to produce polyclonal B-cell lines . Supernatants were tested for IgG and IgM RBC AuAbs by use of 125I-staphylococcal protein A (SPA) . RBC AuAbs were detected in PBMNC cultures without additives to the culture medium of four of eight patients who had warm-antibody AIHA or a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) without hemolytic anemia . In two of these patients, RBC AuAb production was augmented by the addition of PWM, and in two additional patients, RBC AuAbs were detected only after the addition of PWM . Supernatants from PBMNC cultures from three of four normal donors produced RBC AuAbs independent of the presence of PWM; in two of these subjects, PWM augmented production of RBC AuAbs . PBMNC cultures from three DAT-negative patients with systemic lupus erythematosus produced RBC AuAbs, one in the presence of PWM and two in its absence . With one exception, there was no augmentation of AuAb production by the addition to the culture system of autologous RBCs or drugs . EBV infection of B cells from four patients with AIHA and four normal persons yielded B-cell lines secreting RBC AuAbs . The quantity of RBC AuAb after a 24-hour culture of EBV-transformed B cells was significantly greater in cultures from four patients who had AIHA than in cultures from four normal persons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Immunol, 1990 Jun 1, 144(11), 4312 - 9 Selective down-regulation of alveolar macrophage oxidative response to opsonin-independent phagocytosis; Kobzik L et al.; We have compared the oxidative response of alveolar macrophages (AM) during opsonin-dependent and independent phagocytosis by using multiparameter flow cytometry . The respiratory burst of AM during phagocytosis was quantitated by the intracellular oxidation of the nonfluorescent precursors dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH) or hydroethidine (HE, a reduced precursor of ethidium) to their fluorescent (oxidized) counterparts . After loading freshly isolated normal hamster AM with DCFH or HE, red or green fluorescent beads, respectively, were added to the shaking cell suspensions . Ingestion of opsonized particles by AM caused a marked increase in oxidation of both DCFH and HE proportional to the number of beads ingested . In contrast, uptake of one to three unopsonized particles per cell led to inhibition of oxidative activity compared to control cells incubated without particles . AM ingesting four or more unopsonized particles showed some increase in oxidative metabolism, but far less than that with identical numbers of particles in opsonin-dependent ingestion . Similar results were obtained using fluorescent labeled staphylococcal bacteria . Using three-color flow cytometry to study cells ingesting both types of particles, cells first ingesting unopsonized beads were also found to have an inhibited oxidative response to subsequently ingested opsonized particles . The mitochondrial poison antimycin inhibited most of the intracellular oxidative response to either type of phagocytosis . The remaining antimycin-insensitive, membrane derived respiratory burst of AM was also substantially diminished after phagocytosis of unopsonized particles vs similar numbers of opsonized particles . The greatly increased mitochondrial respiration in AM during phagocytosis of opsonized particles may be related to bactericidal mechanisms . Killing of ingested Staphylococcus by AM was markedly impaired in the presence of antimycin . The results suggest that AM may ingest the numerous, unopsonized inert particles that are inhaled without generation of potentially toxic oxygen metabolites, while retaining the capacity to undergo a respiratory burst after ingesting opsonized particles and bacteria . The mechanism(s) for this distinct response may include generation of an inhibitor of intracellular oxidative metabolism. Antibiot Khimioter, 1990 Jun, 35(6), 18 - 21 {Use of enzyme preparation from Streptomyces recifensis subsp . lyticus for isolation of membrane substances from staphylococcal cells}; Oriabinskaia LB et al.; A procedure for isolating staphylococcal membranes including preprocessing of the cells with 0.1 M solution of cysteine hydrochloride and subsequent differential centrifugation was developed . The procedure is based on enzymatic lysis with an enzyme preparation from Streptomyces recifensis subsp . lyticus 2435 . The membrane preparations had oxidase and dehydrogenase activity and were characterized by a high specific activity of the membrane-bound ATPase . Determination of the cytochrome differential spectra revealed the presence of cytochromes a, b and o in the membrane preparations. J Pharmacobiodyn, 1990 Jun, 13(6), 378 - 83 Greatly improved activity of staphylococcal ribosomes in polyadenylate directed polylysine synthesis: as an assay system for investigating their sensitivity to macrolide antibiotics; Nakajima Y et al.; In polyadenylate directed polylysine synthesis, homologously cell-free extracts containing ribosomes and S-100 (105,000 x g supernatant) from staphylococcal cells have less than one-half (one-tenth, when the extracts were stored at -80 degrees C within a few weeks) of the activity of the extracts from Escherichia coli Q13 . The present study is concerned with further improving the activity of staphylococcal ribosomes . The polylysine-synthesizing ability by staphylococcal ribosomes increased up to about two times as much as that by E . coli Q13 ribosomes, when S-100 from E . coli Q13 was mixed with staphylococcal ribosomes which had been washed with a high salt HEPES buffer containing 10 mM HEPES, 1 mM EGTA, 16 mM magnesium acetate, 1.0 M ammonium chloride and 0.1 mM dithiothreitol (pH7.6) . Polylysine synthesis by the heterologous extracts has an advantage over polyuridylate-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis in the analysis of ribosome sensitivity for macrolide antibiotics, especially erythromycin. Immunobiology, 1990 Jun, 180(4-5), 419 - 30 Somatostatin and vasoactive intestinal peptide reduce interferon gamma production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Muscettola M et al.; There is increasing evidence that neuropeptide modulation of the immune response is an important physiological phenomenon which involves the interaction of peptidergic neuromodulators with specific neuropeptide receptors on the plasma membrane of immune effector cells . Many studies have examined the effect of neuropeptides on mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and immunoglobulin synthesis but very little is known about specific lymphokine production . In this study, we describe the effect of somatostatin (SOM) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) production by normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated in vitro with polyclonal T cell activator staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) . Our findings provide experimental evidence that both SOM and VIP reduce the IFN-gamma production by SEA-stimulated PBMC . This reduction was time- (with maximal effect at 72 h) and dose-dependent (at doses as low as 10(-11) M with maximal effect at concentrations between 10(-9) and 10(-8) M of neuropeptides) . This effect was absent in resting PBMC . The meaning of inhibitory effect of VIP and SOM on IFN-gamma production and its role in immune response in vivo are discussed. Biochemistry, 1990 May 15, 29(19), 4516 - 25 Coupling between local structure and global stability of a protein: mutants of staphylococcal nuclease; Alexandrescu AT et al.; Staphylococcal nuclease exists in solution as a mixture of two folded (N and N') and two unfolded (U and U*) forms . Earlier workers {Evans et al . (1989) Biochemistry 28, 362} have proposed that the N'/N and U/U* structural differences involve cis/trans isomerization about the Lys116-Pro117 peptide bond with N and U cis and N' and U* trans . The present results show that residue changes throughout the nuclease structure have large effects on the distribution of the N and N'forms . The N'/N ratios at 313 K for nuclease H124L (N'/N = 0.07) and nuclease G79S (N'/N = 12) differ by 2 orders of magnitude . Thermodynamic parameters for equilibria linking the two folded and two unfolded substates were evaluated for seven mutants of nuclease which were found by kinetic assays to have similar enzymatic activities but by NMR spectroscopy to have a wide dispersion of thermal stabilities . Our results indicate that mutational perturbations of the N'/N equilibrium in folded nuclease (delta G for the N in equilibrium N' reaction) are strongly coupled to changes in the stability of the N form (delta G for the N in equilibrium U reaction), but much less so to the stability of the N' form (delta G for the N' in equilibrium U* reaction). J Immunol, 1990 May 15, 144(10), 3762 - 9 Abnormalities of lymphokine gene expression in patients with common variable immunodeficiency; Sneller MC et al.; Common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) is a syndrome characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia, recurrent bacterial infections, and increased occurrence of both autoimmune disease and malignancy . In our study we examine the expression of lymphokine genes in mitogen-activated T cells from four patients with CVI . T cells from patients with CVI did not differ significantly from normals in total T cell number, CD4/CD8 ratio, CD45R expression, or proliferation in response to PHA . However, T cells from this group of patients did exhibit significant abnormalities of mitogen-induced lymphokine gene expression . T cells from patients exhibited significantly decreased expression of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma when compared to normal controls . In contrast to these abnormal findings, mitogen-activated T cells from patients with CVI expressed normal amounts of IL-2R alpha and c-myc suggesting that these patients have a selective abnormality of T cell activation . Furthermore, it is likely that the deficient production of IFN-gamma by patient T cells is partially due to the abnormality of IL-2 production as the levels of IFN-gamma mRNA detected during the initial IL-2-independent phase of T cell activation were normal and the addition of exogenous rIL-2 was able to normalize IFN-gamma production by PHA-stimulated patient cells . Finally, supernatants from PHA-activated cultures of patients PBMC were deficient in their ability to support Ig secretion by Staphylococcus A Cowan's-activated normal B cells suggesting that these T cell abnormalities may contribute to the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Isr J Med Sci, 1990 May, 26(5), 243 - 9 Characterization and localization of human placental mononuclear phagocytes by monoclonal antibodies and other cell markers; Yagel S et al.; Human first-trimester placental macrophages were identified in frozen tissue sections and following cultivation as single-cell suspensions . In placental sections, the placental macrophages were shown to be the main cell type of the stromal zone . They clearly expressed macrophage-specific antigen, identified by EBM 11 monoclonal antibody; all were positive for nonspecific esterase (NSE), and 40-60% of them expressed the HLA-DR antigen . These cells were negative to anti-alpha-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) monoclonal antibody . After preparation of the placental single-cell suspension, the macrophages comprised about 15% of the total cell population . This fact was established by the following findings: 15% of the placental cell suspension expressed the antigen recognized by the OKM5 antibody, 16% expressed the EBM 11 antigen, 13% expressed the HLA-DR antigen, 5.5% were positive for NSE, and 24% phagocytosed Staphylococcus albus . Thirty percent of the cells were positive to anti-alpha-HCG antibody . After 48 h of cultivation in defined tissue culture conditions, the macrophages comprised more than 95% of the culture cell population . In the 48-h cultures, 98% of the cells expressed the macrophage antigens identified by OKM5 and EBM 11 monoclonal antibodies, and 75% expressed the HLA-DR antigen; 95% were positive for NSE, 88% of the cells had Fc receptors, and 95% of them were able to phagocytose S . albus . Only 0.1% of the culture cell population were positive to anti-alpha-HCG monoclonal antibody . These assays showed that the placental macrophages are the main cells in the placental stroma . In our tissue culture conditions, incubation time was shown to be the dominant factor in selecting macrophages over other cell types, most probably because the macrophages are the only placental cells that have the ability to adhere to plastic dishes . This observation might also explain the contradictory results in various studies over the last decade, regarding the incidence of the placental mononuclear macrophages. Biochemistry, 1990 May 1, 29(17), 4242 - 53 Two-dimensional NMR studies of staphylococcal nuclease: evidence for conformational heterogeneity from hydrogen-1, carbon-13, and nitrogen-15 spin system assignments of the aromatic amino acids in the nuclease H124L-thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate-Ca2+ ternary complex; Wang JF et al.; A combination of multinuclear two-dimensional NMR experiments served to identify and assign the combined 1H, 13C, and 15N spin systems of the single tryptophan, three phenylalanines, three histidines, and seven tyrosines of staphylococcal nuclease H124L in its ternary complex with calcium and thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate at pH 5.1 (H2O) or pH 5.5 (2H2O) . Samples of recombinant nuclease were labeled with 13C or 15N as appropriate to individual NMR experiments: uniformly with 15N (all sites to greater than 95%), uniformly with 13C (all sites to 26%), selectively with 13C (single amino acids uniformly labeled to 26%), or selectively with 15N (single amino acids uniformly labeled to greater than 95%) . NMR data used in the analysis included single-bond and multiple-bond 1H-13C and multiple-bond 1H-15N correlations, 1H-13C single-bond correlation with Hartmann-Hahn relay (1H{13C}SBC-HH), and 1H-13C single-bond correlation with NOE relay (1H{13C}SBC-NOE) . The aromatic protons of the spin systems were identified from 1H{13C}SBC-HH data, and the nonprotonated aromatic ring carbons were identified from 1H-13C multiple-bond correlations . Sequence-specific assignments were made on the basis of observed NOE relay connectivities between assigned 1H alpha-13C alpha or 1H beta-13C beta direct cross peaks in the aliphatic region {Wang, J., LeMaster, D . M., & Markley, J . L . (1990) Biochemistry 29, 88-101} and 1H delta-13C delta direct cross peaks in the aromatic region of the 1H{13C}SBC-NOE spectrum . The His121 1H delta 2 resonance, which has an unusual upfield shift (at 4.3 ppm in the aliphatic region), was assigned from 1H{13C}SBC, 1H{13C}MBC, and 1H{15N}MBC data . Evidence for local structural heterogeneity in the ternary complex was provided by doubled peaks assigned to His46, one tyrosine, and one phenylalanine . Measurement of NOE buildup rates between protons on different aromatic residues of the major ternary complex species yielded a number of interproton distances that could be compared with those from X-ray structures of the wild-type nuclease ternary complex with calcium and thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate {Cotton, F . A., Hazen, E . E., Jr., & Legg, M . J . (1979) Proc . Natl . Acad . Sci . U.S.A . 76, 2551-2555; Loll, P . J., & Lattman, E . E . (1989) Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet . 5, 183-201} . The unusual chemical shift of His121 1H delta 2 is consistent with ring current calculations from either X-ray structure. Rev Infect Dis, 1990 May-Jun, 12(3), 520 - 8 Bacteremia due to Staphylococcus epidermidis: microbiologic, epidemiologic, clinical, and prognostic features; Fidalgo S et al.; Staphylococcus epidermidis was established as the causal agent of true bacteremia on the basis of microbiologic, epidemiologic, clinical, and prognostic data on 65 episodes of S . epidermidis bacteremia (SEB) recorded in the Hospital Covadonga of Oviedo, Spain, during 1982-1986 . All isolates were susceptible in vitro to vancomycin, mercury, silver, cadmium, and malachite green, and 95.2% of isolates were susceptible to cephalothin; a dominant biotype, four resistotypes (ion-dye resistance patterns), and four antibiotypes (antibiotic resistance patterns) were found . A high percentage of isolates (76.7%) produced slime, and several potentially toxic exoproteins were detected in various and generally lower proportions . The main clinical features of SEB were high frequency in male patients greater than 40 years of age, fever, leukocytosis, anemia, and phlebitis . Indwelling devices were the most common portal of entry . The overall death rate was 36.9% . Underlying disease, hemodynamic status, predisposing factors, and treatment were statistically significant parameters in relation to mortality. J Bone Joint Surg Br, 1990 May, 72(3), 464 - 7 Condensing osteitis of the clavicle: does it exist? Jones MW, Carty H, Taylor JF, Ibrahim SK. Condensing osteitis of the clavicle was first described as a disease entity in 1974 . There is painful localised swelling of the clavicle of undetermined origin, with increased radio-density, but an infective aetiology has not been excluded by previous authors . We report three children with the clinical and radiological findings of 'condensing osteitis' . Two of them had raised levels of antistaphylolysin titres and all responded to antibiotic therapy . We conclude that condensing osteitis is due to low-grade staphylococcal osteomyelitis; biopsy and treatment by antibiotics is recommended. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1990 May, 70(5), 1341 - 6 Maternal thyroid-blocking immunoglobulins in congenital hypothyroidism; Brown RS et al.; We evaluated 24 mothers whose babies had congenital hypothyroidism (CH) for the presence of immunoglobulins (Igs) that inhibited {125I}bovine TSH binding and blocked TSH-induced growth and function of FRTL-5 cells . Results were compared with those from 2 mothers with known primary myxedema (atrophic thyroiditis) whose babies had transient CH and with normal controls . Only 1 prospectively evaluated CH mother had potent TSH binding inhibitory, growth inhibitory, and function inhibitory IgGs . Further study of this discordant mother's serum indicated that she was hypothyroid, probably due to atrophic thyroiditis . Both mothers with known primary myxedema had blocking IgGs . The thyroid growth-blocking activity was verified by cell count, could be absorbed by and eluted from Staphylococcal protein-A, indicating that it was an IgG, and was not an anti-TSH idiotype . Half-maximal inhibition was similar in the three different assays for thyroid-blocking activity, suggesting that TSH binding inhibitory, growth inhibitory, and function inhibitory IgGs in some patients with primary myxedema may be the same antibody population . There was no correlation with the titer of antimicrosomal antibodies . These data suggest that maternal thyroid-blocking IgGs interacting with the TSH receptor do not play a role in most cases of sporadic CH . Determination of TSH binding inhibitory IgGs, but not antimicrosomal antibodies, is a sensitive screening test for the presence of TSH receptor-blocking antibodies. Infect Immun, 1990 May, 58(5), 1350 - 4 Antiphagocytic effect of the capsule of Staphylococcus simulans; Ohshima Y et al.; An encapsulated strain of Staphylococcus simulans was observed to be more resistant to phagocytosis by human granulocytes than was a nonencapsulated strain . Phagocytosis of the encapsulated strain was enhanced by antisera to S . simulans, but opsonic activity of antisera was removed by absorption with S . simulans capsular material . The encapsulated strain of S . simulans was also more invasive than the nonencapsulated S . simulans in vivo . More encapsulated than nonencapsulated S . simulans were found in heart blood when equal numbers of organisms were injected intraperitoneally into mice . Invasion of the bloodstreams of mice by encapsulated S . simulans was prevented by passive immunization (rabbit antiserum) . Thus, the capsule of S . simulans inhibited phagocytosis in vitro and contributed to virulence in vivo. Clin Orthop, 1990 May, (254), 251 - 4 Peripheral teflon catheters . Potential source for bacterial contamination of orthopedic implants? Wilkins J, Patzakis MJ. To detect low numbers of bacterial cells on Teflon catheters removed from peripheral veins, 74 catheter tips were incubated in thioglycollate media for up to ten days . Fifteen (20.3%) of the catheters were found to be culture-positive . Propionibacterium acnes was isolated from seven, Staphylococcus epidermidis from six, and Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus hominis from one each, all common skin organisms associated with infection of implants . An increase in documentation of bacterial contamination resulted from incubating greater than 72 hours; this allowed the slower-replicating Propionibacterium acnes to grow to detectable numbers . Because of these findings and those of others, attention is focused on the peripheral vein conduit as a potential source for hematogenous seeding of implants with bacterial cells . Changing peripheral catheters within 24 hours is recommended to reduce the constant risk of occult bacteremia. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1990 May, 64(5), 584 - 91 {Cross protection between an encapsulated strain of Staphylococcus hyicus and an encapsulated strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis}; Yoshida K et al.; Strain ST67P of Staphylococcus hyicus was capsular type I (++)/II(+) of S . epidermidis as determined by the method of Ichiman . To mice immunized with heat-killed vaccine of strain ST67P, homologous strain and strain ATCC 31432 (capsular type I), SE-360 (capsular type II) and SE-10 (capsular type III) of S . epidermidis were injected intraperitoneally into mice, then, the viable cell number of the organisms in the peritoneal cavity were enumerated of 30 minutes and 20 hours after the injection . Results showed that the viable cell number of the homologous strain and strain ATCC 31432 was remarkably decreased at 20 hours after the injection, however, the cells were increased with strain SE-360 and SE-10 . Passive protective activity of rabbit anti-ATCC 31432 serum was absorbed either with homologous strain or strain ST67P in the mouse, however, protective activity of anti-SE-360 strain serum and anti-SE-10 strain serum was not absorbed with these organisms although the activity was absorbed with homologous organisms . With an ultrathin section preparation of strain ST67P conjugated with ferritin-labelled rabbit anti-homologous strain serum, numerous ferritin granules surrounding the outermost layer of large capsule were electronmicro-scopically demonstrated . In the same organisms treated with ferritin-labelled anti-ATCC31432 strain serum, the all walls were surrounded by a relatively thinner capsule and a number of ferritin granules were located in the outermost layer of the capsule . However, with the organisms treated with ferritin-labelled anti-SE-360 strain serum only a number of ferritin granules were shown on the surface of the cell walls, and neither capsule nor ferritin granules were exhibited in the organisms treated with ferritin-labelled anti-SE-10 strain serum. Akush Ginekol (Mosk), 1990 May, (5), 25 - 8 {Use of the method of immunothermistography in obstetrical practice}; Palii GK et al.; This paper presents results of testing pregnant women for staphylococcal antigen sensitization using immunothermistography (ITG) . The ITG is based on registration of environmental heat conduction change with a microthermistor resistor during antigen-antibody reaction . The study group comprised 75 pregnant women immunized by staphylococcal anaphylotoxin and nonimmunized pregnant and nonpregnant women . Blood alfa-antistaphylolysin levels showed a close direct correlation with ITG findings . Combined use of these methods identified a population of pregnant women requiring immunization. Protein Eng, 1990 May, 3(6), 555 - 61 A dual-affinity gene fusion system to express small recombinant proteins in a soluble form: expression and characterization of protein A deletion mutants; Jansson B et al.; A novel gene fusion system to express and purify small recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli has been constructed . The concept allows for affinity purification of soluble gene products by sequential albumin- and Zn2(+)-affinity chromatography . The dual-affinity system is well suited for expression of unstable proteins as only full-length protein is obtained after purification and proteins gain proteolytic stability in the fusion protein . Here we show that the dual-affinity approach can be used for the expression of various unstable derivatives of a single IgG-binding domain based on staphylococcal protein A . Analysis of the proteolytic stabilities and the IgG-binding properties of the different mutant proteins suggest that the model for the structure of an IgG-binding domain must be re-evaluated. Protein Eng, 1990 May, 3(6), 461 - 7 An attempt to unify the structure of polymerases; Delarue M et al.; With the great availability of sequences from RNA- and DNA-dependent RNA and DNA polymerases, it has become possible to delineate a few highly conserved regions for various polymerase types . In this work a DNA polymerase sequence from bacteriophage SPO2 was found to be homologous to the polymerase domain of the Klenow fragment of polymerase I from Escherichia coli, which is known to be closely related to those from Staphylococcus pneumoniae, Thermus aquaticus and bacteriophages T7 and T5 . The alignment of the SPO2 polymerase with the other five sequences considerably narrowed the conserved motifs in these proteins . Three of the motifs matched reasonably all the conserved motifs of another DNA polymerase type, characterized by human polymerase alpha . It is also possible to find these three motifs in monomeric DNA-dependent RNA polymerases and two of them in DNA polymerase beta and DNA terminal transferases . These latter two motifs also matched two of the four motifs recently identified in 84 RNA-dependent polymerases . From the known tertiary architecture of the Klenow fragment of E . coli pol I, a spatial arrangement can be implied for these motifs . In addition, numerous biochemical experiments suggesting a role for the motifs in a common function (dNTP binding) also support these inferences . This speculative hypothesis, attempting to unify polymerase structure at least locally, if not globally, under the pol I fold, should provide a useful model to direct mutagenesis experiments to probe template and substrate specificity in polymerases. Rev Infect Dis, 1990 May-Jun, 12 Suppl 4, S457 - 61; discussion S461-2 Intravenous gammaglobulin in the prophylaxis of late sepsis in very-low-birth-weight infants: preliminary results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; Bussel JB; The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as prophylaxis for late sepsis was evaluated in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial involving 240 infants of very low birth weight (less than 1,300 g) . Each infant received a total of five doses of either IVIG (1 g/d) or an albumin placebo . The first four doses were administered between days 1 and 5 of life, and the last dose was administered on day 15 or shortly thereafter . Preliminary analysis of data available for 126 patients showed that in the first 30 days, sepsis developed in nine of 61 patients given IVIG and in 16 of 65 given placebo (one-tailed P = .065) . At 70 days, the number who developed sepsis was similar in the two groups: 20 for those who received IVIG vs . 23 for those who received placebo . When patients with coagulase-negative staphylococcal infections were deleted from the totals, the results were essentially the same, i.e., three of 61 who received IVIG vs . nine of 65 who received placebo (one-tailed P = .041), developed sepsis during the first 30 days and 12 of 61 vs . 13 of 65, respectively, had developed sepsis at 70 days . In the IVIG group, the median peak level of serum IgG at day 7 was 1,700 mg/dL and the IgG levels were significantly greater than those in the placebo group for days 7-42 . These data suggest that infusions of IVIG at the doses and dosing intervals used in this study may be effective in decreasing the incidence of late-onset sepsis during the first month of life in infants of very low birth weight. Genet Anal Tech Appl, 1990 May, 7(3), 47 - 52 Affinity purification of specific DNA fragments using a lac repressor fusion protein; Lundeberg J et al.; A new method for purification of specific DNA sequences using a solid phase technique has been developed based on a fusion between the Escherichia coli lac repressor gene (lacI) and the staphylococcal protein A gene (spa) . The fusion protein, expressed in Escherichia coli, is active both in vivo and in vitro with respect to its three functional activities (DNA binding, IPTG induction, and IgG binding) . The recombinant protein can be immobilized in a one-step procedure with high yield and purity using the specific interaction between protein A and the Fc-part of immunoglobulin G . The immobilized repressor can thereafter be used for affinity purification of specific DNA fragments containing the lac operator (lacO) sequence. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 1990 May, 116(5), 590 - 3 The efficacy of cefaclor vs amoxicillin on recovery after tonsillectomy in children; Jones J et al.; Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy continues to be one of the most commonly performed operations in the pediatric age group . The morbidity from tonsillectomy can be severe and includes throat and ear pain, fever, lethargy, and poor oral intake . A previous study at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pa) demonstrated the efficacy of amoxicillin therapy in minimizing some of these postoperative symptoms . However, some children continue to have a prolonged recovery even while receiving this antibiotic regimen . Because of these children and the high incidence of Staphylococcus found in tonsillar core tissue, a randomized, prospective study was undertaken at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to evaluate the efficacy of cefaclor vs amoxicillin in patients recovering from tonsillectomy . The patients received either ampicillin or cefazolin intravenously at the time of surgery and for 12 to 24 hours postoperatively . When oral intake was adequate, they received either amoxicillin or cefaclor orally for 7 additional postoperative days . Intraoperative cultures of the oropharynx and tonsillar tissue were obtained, as well as cultures of the tonsillar fossa 7 to 14 days postoperatively . The patients were evaluated for severity and duration of postoperative symptoms as well as complications . The results of this study showed no difference between the two groups of patients . We conclude that there is no justification for routine use of cefaclor over amoxicillin in the posttonsillectomy patient. Arerugi, 1990 May, 39(5), 442 - 51 {Hyper IgE syndrome--a disease of imbalanced activation of helper T-cell subsets?}; Yokota S et al.; Hyper-IgE syndrome is a rare immunodeficient disorder characterized by recurrent severe staphylococcal infections of the skin and sinopulmonary tract, chronic eczematoid rashes, coarse facial features, mild eosinophilia, and markedly elevated serum IgE levels . Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D, depressed DTH, and varying degrees of pathogenesis of this syndrome is unknown . The clinical manifestations and the recent research findings indicated the followings: 1) increased production of IL-4: hyperimmunoglobulinemia E, increased number of Fc epsilon R(+)-cells in peripheral blood, 2) defective production of IFN-gamma: abnormal local inflammatory responses (formation of cold abscesses), chemotactic defect in the circulating neutrophils (abnormalities in IFN-gamma/IL-8 pathway), depressed DTH, 3) T-cell immunodeficiency?-chronic dermatitis? 4) genetic factors (frequent familial occurrence, characteristic facial appearance with broad nasal bridge) . These observations led us to postulate that both the increased production of IL-4 and the defective production of IFN-gamma may be the immunopathological bases of this syndrome . Recently, these cytokines were demonstrated to be secreted by different subsets of helper T-cells, designated TH1 and TH2, in murine system, suggesting that the regulatory imbalances between IL-4 and IFN-gamma in this syndrome might be due to the differential activation or inactivation of these helper T-cell subsets. J Bacteriol, 1990 May, 172(5), 2568 - 75 Sequence analysis and comparison of int and xis genes from staphylococcal bacteriophages L54a and phi 11; Ye ZH et al.; The DNA fragment encoding the integrase and excisionase genes involved in site-specific recombination of staphylococcal bacteriophage phi 11 was cloned and sequenced . The int and xis genes and the recombination site, attP, were highly clustered in a 1.7-kilobase DNA fragment with the gene order attP-int-xis . The int and xis genes were transcribed divergently, with the int gene transcribed toward the attp site and the xis gene transcribed away from the attP site . The deduced Int is a basic protein of 348 residues with an estimated molecular weight of 41,357 . In contrast, the deduced Xis is an acidic protein containing 66 amino acids with an estimated molecular weight of 7,621 . The site-specific recombination system of phi 11 was compared with that of a closely related bacteriophage, L54a. J Immunol, 1990 May 1, 144(9), 3449 - 57 On the mechanism of action of dexamethasone in a rat mast cell line (RBL-2H3 cells) . Evidence for altered coupling of receptors and G-proteins; Collado-Escobar D et al.; Prolonged exposure of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells, a cultured analog of rat mast cells, to 0.1 microM dexamethasone resulted in global suppression of various stimulatory events in response to Ag and a global enhancement of the same stimulatory events to the adenosine analog, N-(ethylcarboxamide)adenosine (NECA) . We had previously shown that Ag and NECA both activate phospholipase C but by different mechanisms; cells that had been treated with cholera or pertussis toxin, for example, responded to Ag but not to NECA with the release of inositol phosphates, increase in levels of cytosolic Ca2+, and secretion . Because the toxins still inhibited the responses to NECA in dexamethasone-treated cells, the effects of dexamethasone may have been exerted at the level of receptor/G-protein coupling rather than at the level of effector systems . Additional evidence for this was the following: 1) NECA-induced hydrolysis of the inositol phospholipids was still enhanced after permeabilizing (with streptolysin O or Staphylococcus alpha-toxin) and washing the cells; 2) the response to the G-protein stimulant, guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate was also enhanced in permeabilized, dexamethasone-treated cells and 3) binding and kinetic studies suggested that the enhanced responsiveness to NECA was attributable in part to an increase in receptor number . The suppressive action of dexamethasone on Ag-induced hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids, however, was readily lost by permeabilizing RBL-2H3 cells . The results indicate, therefore, that treatment with dexamethasone leads to changes in receptor-coupling mechanisms that are either resistant to (i.e., NECA-mediated responses) or reversed by (i.e., Ag-mediated responses) cell permeabilization. Immunology, 1990 May, 70(1), 94 - 9 Immunobiological study of interferon-gamma-producing cells after staphylococcal enterotoxin B stimulation; Lee CL et al.; Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) induced the production of human interferon-gamma (hIFN-gamma) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) . Using specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to hIFN-gamma, the patterns of cytoplasmic fluorescence in the PBMC from five individuals were studied . Discrete polar bodies in a ring-formation adjacent to the nuclear membrane was the most frequently observed fluorescent pattern throughout the 76-hr observation period . Additional and different fluorescent patterns such as multifocal and diffused cytoplasmic, as well as granular fluorescence over the whole cytoplasm, may appear during the late induction period (50-76 hr) . By using an immunogold-silver (IGS) enhancement method to label cell-surface antigens, it was possible to detect the presence of CD3, CD4, CD25 and OKT11 marker in 55%, 54%, 77%, and 71% of the IFN-gamma producer cells, respectively . Monensin and carboxylcyanide m-chlorophenyl-hydrozone (CCCP) are ionophores known to interrupt subcellular transport of a number of secretory proteins . When monensin or CCCP was added to the induced cultures 2-3 hr before harvests, an increase in the intensity of cytoplasmic fluorescence in IFN-gamma-producing cells was observed; a greater than 10-fold enhancement in the sensitivity of immunostaining was demonstrated in these preparations. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, 1990 May-Jun, 14(3), 237 - 44 Arginine supplementation and its effect on established peritonitis in guinea pigs; Gonce SJ et al.; To evaluate the efficacy of supplemental arginine with nutritional support in the presence of sepsis, eighty-eight gastrostomized female Hartley guinea pigs were implanted with osmotic pumps effusing an Eschericia coli/Staphylococcus aureus mixture . Animals were randomized and infused for two weeks with isocaloric and isovolumetric diets containing 0%, 2%, 4%, or 6% supplemental arginine as arginine hydrochloride . Survival was 12/22 (54%) in 0%, 9/22 (41%) in 2% and 4%, and 2/22 (9%) in 6% . Analysis by chi-square test of independence was significant (p = 0.0141) with 6% survival lower than the others . Median survival was 11 days in 0%, 8 days in 2% and 6%, and 9 days in 4% . Median survival was longer in 0% than in 2% or 6% (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA: p = 0.02) . Nitrogen balance was significantly lower in 6% compared to 0% on days 2 through 10, and lower than 2% and 4% on days 6 and 9 . Nitrogen balance was higher in 0% than in 2% on days 4, 6, 10, and 13 . Serum albumin and C3 were lower in all experimental groups than normal controls (ANOVA: p = 0.01) . Comparison of liver, spleen, adrenals, gastrocnemius, and carcass weights, cell-mediated immunity as determined by contact sensitivity to DNFB, and transferrin showed no significant differences . There was a positive dose-response effect seen amongst the experimental groups for the amino acids arginine, ornithine, and citrulline in relation to the amount of supplemental arginine . This study suggests that dietary arginine supplementation does not enhance survival in a guinea pig model of established peritonitis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1990 Apr 30, 168(2), 696 - 701 The I-A beta b region (65-85) is a binding site for the superantigen, staphylococcal enterotoxin A; Russell JK et al.; Ia antigen is a receptor for the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) . Peptides I-A beta b(30-60), I-A beta b(50-70), I-A beta b(65-85), and I-A beta b(80-100) of the MHC class II antigen beta chain on mouse (H-2b) accessory cells were synthesized . Only I-A beta b(65-85) inhibited SEA binding to the mouse B-cell lymphoma line, A20 (H-2d) and the human Burkitt's lymphoma line, Raji (HLA-DR) . The I-A beta b(65-85) sequence is a predicted alpha-helix along the hypothetical antigen binding cleft of the Ia molecule . I-A beta b(65-85) also directly and specifically bound both the intact SEA molecule and its Ia binding site, represented by the peptide SEA(1-45) . The results suggest that I-A beta b region (65-85) is a necessary site for Ia molecular interaction with the superantigen SEA . Further, the data suggest that the same helical region of other Ia antigens binds SEA irrespective of haplotype and species. J Immunol Methods, 1990 Apr 17, 128(2), 287 - 91 Detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B . A comparative study of ELISA and ELIFA systems; Dupont H et al.; The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme-linked immunofiltration assay (ELIFA) sandwich methods have been compared for their ability to detect staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in biological samples . Using the avidin-biotin amplification system in the ELISA, high sensitivity was observed and staphylococcal protein A interference was completely prevented . In contrast, ELIFA was less sensitive than ELISA, but very easy to perform, fast and simple to read routinely. Biochemistry, 1990 Apr 17, 29(15), 3677 - 83 Kinetic and conformational effects of lysine substitutions for arginines 35 and 87 in the active site of staphylococcal nuclease; Pourmotabbed T et al.; The high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of staphylococcal nuclease (SNase) suggests that the guanidinium groups of Arg 35 and Arg 87 participate as electrophilic catalysts in the attack of water on the substrate phosphodiester . Both arginine residues have been replaced with "conservative" lysine residues so that both the importance of these residues in catalysis and the effect of changes in electrostatic interactions on active site conformation can be assessed . The catalytic efficiencies of R35K and R87K are decreased by factors of 10(4) and 10(5) relative to wild-type SNase, with R87K showing a very significant reduction in its affinity for both DNA substrate and the competitive inhibitor thymidine 3',5'-bisphosphate (pdTp) . The thermal denaturation behavior of both mutant enzymes differs from that of wild type both in the absence and in the presence of the active site ligands Ca2+ and pdTp . Both the 1H NMR chemical shifts and interresidue nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) of residues previously assigned to be in the hydrophobic core of SNase are altered in R35K and R87K . These observations, similar to those recently reported by our laboratories for substitutions for Glu 43 {Hibler, D . W., Stolowich, N . J., Reynolds, M . A., Gerlt, J . A., Wilde, J . A., & Bolton, P . H . (1987) Biochemistry 26, 6278; Wilde, J . A., Bolton, P . H., Dell'Acqua, M., Hibler, D . W., Pourmotabbed, T., & Gerlt, J . A . (1988) Biochemistry 27, 4127}, suggest that lysine substitutions are not conservative in SNase and disrupt the conformation of the active site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Biol Chem, 1990 Apr 5, 265(10), 5519 - 30 In vitro studies of the initiation of staphylococcal plasmid replication . Specificity of RepD for its origin (oriD) and characterization of the Rep-ori tyrosyl ester intermediate; Thomas CD et al.; Several staphylococcal plasmids from different incompatibility (inc) groups which replicate by a rolling circle mechanism each specify a replication initiator protein (Rep) which is homologous with that of the inc3 tetracycline resistance plasmid pT181 . The rep gene sequences of six pT181-like plasmids are known, each encoding proteins of molecular mass 38 kDa with 62% overall amino acid sequence identity . The initiation of replication in vivo by each of the Rep proteins is plasmid specific, acting in trans only at the cognate replication origin (ori) of the encoding plasmid . Previous studies in vitro of the RepC protein of pT181 demonstrated replication initiator, topoisomerase-like, and DNA binding activities, which appeared to be specific for the origin (oriC) of pT181 when compared with unrelated staphylococcal plasmids . Although RepD, specified by the inc4 chloramphenicol resistance plasmid pC221, has a range of activities similar to those noted previously for RepC, manipulation of in vitro conditions has revealed discrete steps in the overall reaction of RepD with oriD . In addition, factors have been identified which are necessary not only for sequence-dependent discrimination in vitro by Rep proteins for all pT181-like plasmids but also for the absolute specificity of RepD for its cognate pC221 replication origin (oriD), the latter occurring in vivo and a function of the topological state of the ori-containing target DNA . Here we also demonstrate the presence of a covalent phosphoryl-tyrosine linkage between the RepD protein of plasmid pC221 and an oligonucleotide substrate corresponding to its replication origin (oriD) . The reactive tyrosine (Tyr-188) was identified from amino acid sequences of 32P-labeled peptide-oligonucleotide fragments . Substitution of Tyr-188 with phenylalanine confirms the importance of the tyrosyl hydroxyl group since the Y188F protein retains the sequence-specific DNA-binding capabilities of wild-type RepD but is unable to attach covalently to the replication origin or participate in the nicking-closing reaction in vitro. Wiad Lek, 1990 Apr 1, 43(7), 301 - 4 {Staphylococcal septicemia in a newborn infant with multiple organ involvement}; Kasznia-Kocot J et al.; The clinical course and therapeutic problems are presented in a case of staphylococcal septicaemia in a newborn . Generalized infection was associated with multiorgan location of pathological changes, among them, acute haematogenous osteitis and arthritis (of the temporomandibular joint, shoulder joint, hip, elbow joint, knee joint and wrist joint) and rarely occurring parotitis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1990 Apr, 9(4), 262 - 70 Immunochemical analysis of the extracellular slime substance of Staphylococcus epidermidis; Kotilainen P et al.; To analyze immunochemically the extracellular slime substance of Staphylococcus epidermidis, rabbits were repeatedly immunized with the crude slime extract isolated from an adherent, slime-producing clinical Staphylococcus epidermidis strain . Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that the target antigens of the resulting antibodies were located in the extracellular slime-like layer of bacterial cells . When these target antigens were characterized by immunoblotting, a variety of antigens were detected, including many with molecular masses higher than 80 kilodaltons and also a predominant one with a molecular mass of 30 kilodaltons . No characteristic differences were observed between the tube adherence test positive and negative Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates . Although there was variation in the number and intensity of high molecular mass antigens, such variations did not correlate with the tube adherence test . Of the 110 Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates studied, 106 (96%) expressed the 30-kilodalton antigen . This component was found in no other Staphylococcus spp . examined in the study . The bacterial component was not only easily detached from bacterial cells but also water-soluble, characteristics implicating a slime-like nature . Further studies are needed to definitively establish the origin and nature of the 30-kilodalton Staphylococcus epidermidis-specific component, and determine its potential benefit as a diagnostic tool. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex, 1990 Apr, 47(4), 227 - 33 {Neonatal septicemia: differences in full-term and pre-term newborn infants}; Mancilla-Ramirez J et al.; Neonatal septicemia was assessed by blood cultures in 115 newborns (NB) during a two years study in a pediatric hospital of reference in Mexico City . The studied patients were divided in two groups of gestational age, and the differences of etiologic agents, clinical signs, laboratory findings and clinical outcome were compared at term and preterm neonates . We observed Staphylococcus epidermidis became the first cause of septicemia in at term NB (P less than 0.001), while Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (P less than 0.01) were more frequent in the preterm neonates . The clinical manifestations of fever (P less than 0.001), hepatomegaly (P less than 0.01), splenomegaly (P less than 0.05), and rejection to feeding (P less than 0.05) were more common in at term NB . On the other hand, apneas (P less than 0.01), hypothermia (P less than 0.02), and abdominal distension (P less than 0.05) were more frequent in the preterm NB . The altered white blood cell counts were more commonly observed in the preterm group, as leukopenia (P less than 0.05), neutropenia (P less than 0.01), and high I/T ratio (P less than 0.05) . There were not significant differences in complications or sequels between the two groups; however, the mortality ratio was higher in the preterm NB group (P less than 0.02) . Changing etiology of neonatal septicemia is discussed, and we propose these kind of data are very useful for purpose of detection, diagnostic and treatment of septic neonates. J Dairy Sci, 1990 Apr, 73(4), 995 - 9 Influence of nonlactating and peripartum bovine mammary secretions on growth of Staphylococcus species; Oliver SP et al.; Bovine mammary secretions from individual quarters were collected from five cows at 0, 14, and 28 d of involution, at parturition, and 14 d after parturition and used in a microassay to evaluate growth of several Staphylococcus species . All Staphylococcus species evaluated followed similar growth patterns in secretions . Mammary secretions obtained at 14 and 28 d of involution were poor media for growth of Staphylococcus species . Conversely, mammary secretions collected at cessation of milking, parturition, and early lactation supported growth of all species evaluated . Growth of Staphylococcus species in mammary secretions differed slightly among cows but was similar among quarters of a cow . Results suggested that the ability of bovine mammary secretions to support or inhibit growth of Staphylococcus species was related to functional states of the mammary gland. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1990 Apr, 56(4), 1067 - 72 Large-scale purification of staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, and C2 by dye ligand affinity chromatography; Brehm RD et al.; A simple method for the purification of staphylococcal enterotoxins A (SEA), B (SEB), and C2 (SEC2) from fermentor-grown cultures was developed . The toxins were purified by pseudo-affinity chromatography by using the triazine textile dye "Red A" and gave overall yields of 49% (SEA), 44% (SEB), and 53% (SEC2) . The purified toxins were homogeneous when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but isoelectric focusing of the preparations revealed the microheterogeneity associated with these toxins . The SEA and SEB preparations each consisted of two isoelectric forms with pI values of 7.3 and 6.8 (SEA) and 8.9 and 8.55 (SEB); in contrast, SEC2 contained five different isoelectric forms, with pI values ranging between 7.6 and 6.85 . The pattern of elution of the isoelectric forms from the column indicated a cationic-exchange process involved in the binding of toxin to Red A . Such a method forms the basis of a high-yielding, rapid means of purifying the staphylococcal enterotoxins that can easily be adapted to large-scale production. Am J Vet Res, 1990 Apr, 51(4), 636 - 9 Evaluation of a commercial staphylococcal bacterin for management of idiopathic recurrent superficial pyoderma in dogs; DeBoer DJ et al.; Twenty-one dogs with idiopathic superficial recurrent pyoderma were entered into a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of a commercial staphylococcal bacterin . The study spanned an 18-week period . All dogs were administered sodium oxacillin orally for the initial 6 weeks of the study . Dogs were given the bacterin or placebo SC, twice weekly at 3- or 4-day intervals, beginning at week 0 and continuing for 18 weeks . Dogs given antibiotics plus the bacterin (n = 13) had a significantly (P less than 0.05) better treatment response than those given antibiotic plus placebo. Am J Clin Pathol, 1990 Apr, 93(4), 526 - 32 Abnormalities of leukocyte histograms resulting from microorganisms; Marshall BA et al.; The authors report a series of 13 patients seen in their laboratory during October 1985 to August 1988 in which the presence of bacterial, fungal, or malarial parasites visible on peripheral smear was correlated with an abnormal leukocyte histogram . Samples submitted for complete blood count and differential counts were analyzed with Coulter S-Plus VI (seven specimens) or S-Plus STKR (six specimens) instrumentation . Organisms visualized on the Wright-stained peripheral smears included Histoplasma capsulatum (two), Candida sp . (four), Plasmodium sp . (three), and Staphylococcus sp . (four) . Two patients had a diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); intravascular catheters were present in five other patients . In all cases the leukocyte histograms were abnormal . The instrument flagged abnormalities of the R1 region in four patients and multiple regions in nine patients . Similar flags were produced by the in vitro addition of bacteria or fungi to wh