Pediatr Res, 1986 Sep, 20(9), 843 - 7 Biosynthesis of variant medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase in cultured fibroblasts from patients with medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency; Ikeda Y et al.; We prepared monospecific antiserum in rabbits against medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) purified from rat liver and studied the biosynthesis of MCAD in cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with MCAD deficiency using the antibody . Cells were incubated with {35S}methionine . The labeled MCAD was immunoprecipitated using the anti-rat MCAD antiserum and Staphylococcus aureus cells and then analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . We first demonstrated that antirat MCAD antibody crossreacted specifically with human MCAD . In 13 MCAD-deficient cell lines tested, the residual MCAD activity ranged from 5-12% of the mean of normal controls, but the variant MCAD in all of these cells was indistinguishable from the normal human MCAD on the basis of molecular size, indicating that MCAD deficiency in all of these patients is most likely due to point mutation(s) in the MCAD gene. J Bacteriol, 1986 Sep, 167(3), 1016 - 9 Determination of hydrophobicity on bacterial surfaces by nonionic surfactants; Noda Y et al.; The hydrophobicity of the bacterial cell surface was determined by using nonionic surfactants . The method is based on the adsorption of nonionic surfactants at the hydrophobic sites of the cell surface . Among many nonionic surfactants, C18H37O(CH2CH2O)13H was preferred . The surfactant was added in excess to a bacterial suspension, and the suspension was mixed by sonication or mechanical stirring . The amount of surfactant remaining in the supernatant after centrifugation was determined spectrophotometrically by measuring the absorbance of tetrabromophenolphthalein ethylester . Effective dispersion of bacterial cells such as Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium smegmatis was achieved by sonication in the presence of the nonionic surfactant . Adsorption measurements coincided with Langmuir's equation, indicative of monolayer adsorption . The method is useful for the determination of the hydrophobicity of various bacterial cell surfaces. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1986 Sep, 30(3), 382 - 4 Efficacy of ciprofloxacin for experimental endocarditis caused by methicillin-susceptible or -resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus; Carpenter TC et al.; The efficacy of ciprofloxacin for experimental aortic valve endocarditis in rabbits infected by either a methicillin-susceptible or a methicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus was compared with standard therapy of nafcillin or vancomycin, respectively . After 4 days of therapy, ciprofloxacin reduced the counts of organisms in aortic valve vegetations as effectively as the standard regimen for both susceptible and resistant strains . Mean concentrations of ciprofloxacin in serum achieved 1 h after a dose exceeded the MBC for each strain by twofold or less . In these experiments ciprofloxacin was as efficacious as standard regimens currently used to treat staphylococcal infections in humans. J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Sep, 24(3), 349 - 52 Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis; Woods GL et al.; To determine whether methods suggested for detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus apply equally to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, 135 S . epidermidis isolates were tested by the Vitek AMS gram-positive susceptibility card (Vitek Systems, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.) and by modifications of agar screen, disk diffusion, and microdilution methods . Modifications included 24- versus 48-h incubation, unsupplemented versus 2% NaCl-supplemented broth, and standard versus direct inoculum . At 24 h, the highest number of resistant strains, 59, was detected by oxacillin (1 microgram) disk diffusion . At 48 h, three additional strains were judged resistant . With one exception, results for oxacillin disk diffusion and agar screen were equivalent at 24 and 48 h . Vitek detected 50 resistant strains . Significantly fewer resistant strains were detected at 24 h by methicillin disk diffusion (5 micrograms) and methicillin microdilution with 2% NaCl . For oxacillin microdilution, neither 2% NaCl supplementation nor the method of inoculum preparation significantly affected the results . Oxacillin microdilution with cation- rather than non-cation-supplemented broth detected significantly fewer (n = 33) resistant strains at 24 h; 51 were resistant at 48 h . To detect methicillin-resistant S . epidermidis, a direct inoculum with either 24-h oxacillin disk diffusion and reincubation of intermediate strains for an additional 24 h or 24-h oxacillin agar screen and reincubation of strains with no growth for a total of 48 h is recommended. J Bacteriol, 1986 Sep, 167(3), 975 - 80 Molecular cloning of the gene of a penicillin-binding protein supposed to cause high resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in Staphylococcus aureus; Matsuhashi M et al.; A novel penicillin-binding protein, PBP-2' (Mr about 75,000), is known to be induced in excessively large amount by most beta-lactam compounds in cells of a clinically isolated strain of Staphylococcus aureus, TK784, that is highly resistant to beta-lactams and also most other antibiotics . This protein has very low affinities to most beta-lactam compounds and has been supposed to be the cause of the resistance of the cells to beta-lactams . A 14-kilobase DNA fragment was isolated from the cells that carried the gene encoding this penicillin-binding protein and also a genetically linked marker that is responsible for the resistance to tobramycin . This DNA was cloned on plasmid pACYC184 and was shown to cause both production of PBP-2' and resistance to tobramycin in Escherichia coli cells . However, the formation of PBP-2' in E . coli was only moderate and was independent of normal inducer beta-lactams . The PBP-2' formed in the E . coli cells showed slow kinetics of binding to beta-lactams similar to that of PBP-2' formed in the original S . aureus cells and gave a similar pattern of peptides to the latter when digested with the proteolytic V8 enzyme of S . aureus. Biochem J, 1986 Sep 1, 238(2), 561 - 70 A novel isoform of cytoplasmic actin that binds poly-L-proline; Kedersha NL et al.; An actin-like protein was purified to apparent homogeneity from chick-embryo homogenates and chick-embryo fibroblasts by the use of poly-L-proline-agarose affinity chromatography; we therefore refer to this protein as PBP (poly-L-proline-binding protein) . PBP binds to deoxyribonuclease-agarose, co-migrates with known actin standards on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and has an amino acid composition similar to that of actin . Linear peptide maps after digestion with Staphylococcus aureus proteinase reveal its apparent homology with gamma-actin; however, isoelectric-focusing experiments show that PBP is clearly more acidic than any of the three major isoforms of actin . PBP polymerizes in the presence of ATP to form fibrillar structures resembling actin paracrystalline aggregates . In chick-embryo fibroblasts, immunofluorescence with antibodies to PBP shows that its distribution is cytoplasmic: perinuclear staining of the cytoplasm, generalized cytoplasmic staining and peripheral fibrillar structures are evident . In contrast, antibodies specific for the (alpha, gamma)-actins reveal the typical stress fibre structures characteristic of fibroblastic cells . PBP appears to constitute a novel isoform of cellular actin, distinct from the known actin isoforms in terms of its lower isoelectric point, its ability to bind poly-L-proline and its distinct subcellular localization. Arzneimittelforschung, 1986 Sep, 36(9), 1301 - 2 Bactericidal effect of combinations of cephalosporins with tobramycin on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Staphylococcus aureus; Wagenvoort JH et al.; The antimicrobial activities of the cephalosporins cefazolin, cefotaxime, moxalactam or ceftazidime in combination with tobramycin against clinical isolates of E . coli, of Klebsiella, of beta-lactamase-negative and beta-lactamase-producing S . aureus strains were compared in vitro by the checkerboard technique . Antibiotic dilutions differed by small arithmetic increments . Favourable interactions occurred with each bacterial species . This trend applied to third-generation cephalosporins against E . coli and Klebsiella as well as to cefazolin against S . aureus . The antibiotics with already the highest intrinsic activity generally exhibited also the most favourable interaction. Am J Vet Res, 1986 Sep, 47(9), 2017 - 9 Comparison of four test procedures to identify Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine intramammary infections; Hogan JS et al.; A comparison was made between conventional tube coagulase, macrocupsular coagulase, latex agglutination, and miniaturized biochemical test systems for identification of Staphylococcus aureus of bovine origin . A total of 303 gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci of bovine origin were tested . Agreement between each pair of 4-hour tube coagulase, macrocupsular coagulase, latex agglutination, and miniaturized biochemical test results within isolates was greater than 95.0 . Seventeen (5.6%) isolates were test negative for 4-hour tube coagulase, but test positive for 24-hour tube coagulase . Thirteen (76.5%) of these isolates were identified as S hyicus, 3 were S aureus, and 1 was not identified. Nurs Res, 1986 Sep-Oct, 35(5), 263 - 8 Covergowns and the control of operating room contamination; Copp G et al.; This study assessed the effectiveness of cotton/polyester covergowns in protecting scrubsuits against bacterial contamination when operating room (OR) personnel are outside the clean environment of the operating suite . Rodac impression plates were used to measure bacterial contamination . The subjects were nurses working a normal daily OR routine . Bacterial colony counts on the right shoulder decreased when covergowns were worn over scrubsuits during the lunch period outside the OR and when fresh scrubsuits were put on following the lunch period . Colony counts rose over the lunch period when scrubsuits were worn unprotected outside the OR and when scrubsuits were removed before and put on again following lunch . Left thigh samples showed no significant effects of experimental treatments and yielded a mean colony count 2.8 times higher than right shoulder samples . Fifty-three percent of subjects were positive for Staphylococcus aureus and 16% yielded positive plates on 3 or more study days . The incidence of S . aureus contamination was affected by experimental treatments in a way similar to overall bacterial contamination . The results indicated that wearing covergowns protects against above-waist bacterial contamination of scrubsuits. Infect Immun, 1986 Sep, 53(3), 663 - 70 Regulation of staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and total exoprotein production by magnesium ion; Mills JT et al.; The effect of Mg2+ on in vitro production of extracellular proteins and, specifically, of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), by Staphylococcus aureus in a chemically defined medium was examined . As previously observed, the organisms did not proliferate in the absence of divalent cations . Low levels of Mg2+ (0.02 to 0.04 mM) permitted submaximal proliferation and elevated production of exoproteins . When the Mg2+ concentration was raised to 0.4 mM, multiplication was optimal and exoprotein levels were depressed . Ca2+ and Mn2+ diminished the effect of limiting Mg2+ . The increased levels of exoproteins were not due to cell lysis or leakage since intracellular TSST-1 levels were not high enough to account for the increase in extracellular TSST-1 and since the intracellular enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, was not found in culture supernatants . Cells cultured in low levels of Mg2+ remained in logarithmic growth longer than did those cultured in high concentrations of Mg2+ and, unlike the latter, produced exoproteins throughout the logarithmic growth phase . Low Mg2+ had no effect on cultures in the stationary phase, and organisms cultured in low Mg2+ recovered fully when transferred to high Mg2+ . We conclude that, when cultured in medium deficient in Mg2+, S . aureus responds early in the growth cycle by increasing production of many extracellular proteins, including TSST-1. Eur J Pediatr, 1986 Sep, 145(4), 252 - 7 In vitro analysis of lymphocyte functions in common variable immunodeficiency: heterogeneity in B-cell defects; Matsuoka H et al.; Ten patients with common variable immunodeficiency were classified into three groups according to the number of circulating B-cells, i.e . B-cells being absent (three patients), very low (three patients) or within the normal range (four patients) . The four patients in the last group showed significant proliferative responses to the T-independent B-cell mitogen, formalin-fixed Staphylococcus aureus, Cowan I . Further study of these patients by co-cultures with allogeneic T or B-cells in various combinations with pokeweed mitogen showed that two patients had an intrinsic B-cell defect without T-cell defect . The third patient had a T-cell dysfunction (i.e . his T-cells could only help the B-cells of some individuals) resulting in a defect in Ig production . The T-cells of the fourth patient showed poor helper function towards all controls . All six patients with absent or very low numbers of B-cells in group I and II had normal T-cell helper function . This study demonstrates that the immunological defect in common variable immunodeficiency is most often a B-cell defect at different stages of their differentiation with sometimes an additional T-cell dysfunction. J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Sep, 24(3), 490 - 2 Failure of rapid agglutination methods to detect oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Ruane PJ et al.; Although a latex agglutination test (StaphAurex) and a hemagglutination test (Staphyloslide) correctly identified all strains of Staphylococcus aureus that were susceptible or had intermediate susceptibility to oxacillin, 17 of 73 (23%) and 18 of 73 (25%) strains of oxacillin-resistant S . aureus were not identified by StaphAurex and Staphyloslide, respectively . All strains not detected were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and rifampin. J Clin Invest, 1986 Sep, 78(3), 612 - 7 Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I . Potent stimulus of immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor production; Levinson AI et al.; These studies demonstrate that Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC), a protein A-positive Staphylococcal strain, is a potent and consistent inducer of IgM rheumatoid factor production by normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells . The frequency and magnitude of this response greatly exceeded that of parallel cultures stimulated with pokeweed mitogen or the protein A-negative S . aureus Wood strain, although all three agents induced a similar amount of total IgM . Cell fractionation studies indicated that SAC-induced IgM rheumatoid factor is T cell-dependent . The striking ability of SAC to induce IgM rheumatoid factor may relate to its protein A content, since cultures stimulated with protein A-coupled sepharose beads also consistently produced this autoantibody . Thus SAC is a new probe of in vitro IgM rheumatoid factor production and its use has provided further evidence that most healthy individuals harbor precursors of IgM rheumatoid factor secreting cells . Unlike other polyclonal activators, SAC is unique in its capacity to bind immunoglobulin, a property that may account for its prominent anti-IgG inducing capacity. Blood, 1986 Sep, 68(3), 708 - 11 Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhances phagocytosis of bacteria by human neutrophils; Fleischmann J et al.; In order to determine whether human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) can enhance phagocytosis, neutrophils were combined with Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus), and both the number of bacteria per neutrophil and the percent of neutrophils phagocytizing were assessed in the absence and presence of GM-CSF . Exposure to GM-CSF did not enable neutrophils to ingest unopsonized bacteria . When bacteria were opsonized with serum, both the number of bacteria per neutrophil and the percent of cells phagocytizing were increased by treatment with GM-CSF . Digestion of extracellular organisms by lysostaphin was used to substantiate phagocytosis . These results indicate that another effect of GM-CSF on the mature neutrophil is the enhancement of phagocytosis. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1986 Sep, (9), 29 - 32 {Determination of protein A I staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from monkeys}; Dzhikidze EK et al.; Protein A content in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from 6 species of monkeys at the Sukhumi Monkey Nursery has been studied . Protein A has been detected in 73% of the studied strains . One strain isolated from a rhesus macaque has been found to release high amounts of protein A into the environment. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg {A}, 1986 Sep, 262(3), 287 - 97 Biochemical properties of fibrinogen binding protein (clumping factor) of the staphylococcal cell surface; Usui Y; The staphylococcal fibrinogen binding protein of a strain of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus was purified 229 fold in terms of the haemagglutination unit compared to the starting material by affinity chromatography on fibrinogen-Sepharose . By polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in both reduced and unreduced gels, the protein showed one major band and minor bands with relative molecular masses of 62,000, 61,000, and 59,000, respectively . The isoelectric point was between 10.2 and 10.8 determined by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel . By the agar diffusion test one band was obtained against anti-whole cell rabbit serum . Amino acid analysis of fibrinogen binding protein showed glycine, glutamic acid, lysine, alanine, aspartic acid, and arginine as the major components . Protein A or teichoic acid extracted from the homologous strain did not show fibrinogen binding activity assayed by haemagglutination and anti-fibrinogen binding activity of anti-whole cell Fab . The amount of the fibrinogen binding protein to absorb the activity of anti-whole cell Fab was decreased to 1/60 of that of the starting material . Sheep red blood cells coated with the fibrinogen binding protein agglutinated in 0.001% (w/v) fibrinogen solution. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1986 Sep, 39(9), 1314 - 21 Studies on pristinamycin synergism in Staphylococcus aureus; Lacroix P et al.; Binding experiments were performed with both components of the pristinamycin complex (pristinamycin IA (PIA) and pristinamycin IIA (PIIA} using ribosomes from sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Fluorescence polarization was used to measure PIA binding . The results obtained show a direct correlation between inhibition, synergy and the enhancement of the affinity of PIA for its receptor in the presence of PIIA . The uptake of PIA by intact cells seems to be directly correlated with affinity between PIA and ribosomes, a phenomenon which is probably shared with the macrolide antibiotics. Res Vet Sci, 1986 Sep, 41(2), 191 - 5 Variations in immunoglobulin isotype produced during the antibody response to Brucella abortus and Staphylococcus aureus vaccines in sheep; Kerlin RL et al.; Experiments in sheep were carried out to examine factors modifying the immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype of the antibody response to Brucella abortus . Live B abortus (S19) stimulated higher titres of agglutinating antibody and IgG1 and IgG2 antibody than did killed B abortus . Live B abortus stimulated a more protracted synthesis of IgG2 antibody during the primary and secondary responses than did the killed S19 vaccine . In a second experiment, the capacity of live and killed Staphylococcus aureus to modify the antibody response to killed B abortus was examined . Both live and killed S aureus enhanced production of anti-brucella antibodies; this response was attributed to the adjuvant properties of S aureus . Killed S aureus enhanced production of anti-brucella antibody to a greater extent than live S aureus . Live S aureus did not preferentially enhance production of IgG2 anti-brucella antibody . The results suggested that the enhanced production of IgG2 antibody induced by live vaccines does not depend solely on a pyogenic lesion at the vaccination site. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1986 Sep, 18(3), 359 - 64 Resistance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to macrolides, lincomycin and streptogramin B; Stopler T et al.; Of four strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, highly resistant to erythromycin and related antibiotics, three were homogeneously resistant, but the fourth showed heterogeneous resistance, with only 1% of the cells manifesting this property . Stable, homogeneous resistance was generated in this strain in the presence of erythromycin, whereas the heterogeneous resistance was lost spontaneously on passage in the absence of antibiotics, or on treatment with acridine orange . The mechanism of induction of stable resistance appears to be different from that seen in Staphylococcus aureus. J Med Microbiol, 1986 Sep, 22(2), 115 - 8 Drug resistance patterns and susceptibility to aflatoxin B1 of strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; Tiwari RP et al.; The antibacterial properties of aflatoxin B1 have been evaluated against antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . The inhibition of growth ranged from 11.5 to 60.0% and 4.5 to 18.5% in the strains of S . aureus and E . coli, depending on the extent of drug resistance . Aflatoxin-B1 binding varied with toxin concentration, the presence of surfactants (Tween-80 or EDTA) as well as with the antibiotic-resistance pattern; binding was maximal in antibiotic-sensitive strains and least in the most resistant strains . Binding of aflatoxin B1, correlated with growth inhibition . Aflatoxin B1 also caused leakage of cell contents and decrease in inulin uptake, effects which were also concentration dependent. J Bacteriol, 1986 Sep, 167(3), 888 - 92 Nucleotide sequence of the constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance plasmid pNE131 from Staphylococcus epidermidis and homologies with Staphylococcus aureus plasmids pE194 and pSN2; Lampson BC et al.; The complete nucleotide sequence of the Staphylococcus epidermidis plasmid pNE131 is presented . The plasmid is 2,355 base pairs long and contains two major open reading frames . A comparison of the pNE131 DNA sequence with the published DNA sequences of five Staphylococcus aureus plasmids revealed strong regional homologies with two of them, pE194 and pSN2 . The region of pNE131 containing the reading frame which encodes the constitutive ermM gene is almost identical to the inducible ermC gene region of pE194, except for a 107-base-pair deletion which removes the mRNA leader sequence required for inducible expression . A second region of pNE131 contains an open reading frame with homology to the small cryptic plasmid pSN2 and potentially encodes a 162-amino-acid protein. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1986 Sep, 18(3), 301 - 6 Uptake of gentamicin by Staphylococcus aureus possessing gentamicin-modifying enzymes: enhancement of uptake by puromycin and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide; Gilman S et al.; Uptake of gentamicin by a gentamicin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus possessing the aminoglycoside-modifying phosphotransferase enzyme APH(2") was enhanced by the protein synthesis inhibitor, puromycin or by the proton-translocating ATPase inhibitor, N,N'-dicylohexylcarbodiimide . Such enhanced uptake was inhibited by carbonyl cyanide p trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone or by valinomycin in the presence of potassium ions, suggesting a role for the transmembrane proton motive force in the process . The accumulated gentamicin did not cause loss of cell viability and exhibited altered chromatographic mobility compared with a control (unmodified) preparation of gentamicin. J Biomed Mater Res, 1986 Sep, 20(7), 989 - 1002 The biological performance of calcium phosphate ceramics in an infected implantation site: I . Biological performance of hydroxyapatite during Staphylococcus aureus infection; van Blitterswijk CA et al.; In the present study the biological performance of macroporous and dense hydroxyapatite after implantation in the rat middle ear was evaluated during an induced Staphylococcus aureus middle ear infection . The course of the infection was similar to that in the absence of an implant . Hydroxyapatite was frequently integrated with fibrous ingrowths in the middle ear lumen, originating solely from the infection . Good epithelial covering of the implant with all types of epithelial cells of importance for middle ear defence, was found . Increase of the exudate in the pores due to the infection was relatively small, and most of the exudate was restricted to pores on the implant surface . The bony tissue in the pores was not influenced significantly by the induced infection . Degradation of hydroxyapatite was consistent with earlier results obtained in the non-infected middle ear . The results obtained so far suggest that hydroxyapatite is highly suitable for middle ear implantation. J Biomed Mater Res, 1986 Sep, 20(7), 1003 - 15 The biological performance of calcium phosphate ceramics in an infected implantation site: II . Biological evaluation of hydroxyapatite during short-term infection; van Blitterswijk CA et al.; Macroporous hydroxyapatite was implanted submucosally in the rat middle ear and studied after intratympanic injection of a Staphylococcus aureus suspension . The middle ear infection was induced 1 week after the implantation, and the effects of infection on the middle ear and the implant material were evaluated after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days by light and electron microscopy . The findings in the infected middle ear with an implant corresponded well with those described for the infected middle ear cavity without an implant . The reactions of the tissue over the implant were similar to those of the original mucosa of the middle ear . Bone was deposited on the implant and in its pores in relatively large quantities . Biodegradation, due at least partially to phagocytic activity of macrophages and multinucleated cells, was more prominent than previously found . This higher degree of biodegradation may be attributed to the use of the mucosal implantation technique, because this was the only point of divergence with respect to material or methods from earlier work reported by our group . The present results, together with those published earlier, suggest that this material has promising features for use as a bone substitute in reconstructive middle ear surgery . Definitive conclusions on biological performance and biofunctionality will, however, have to await long term clinical trials. Pediatr Res, 1986 Sep, 20(9), 848 - 52 Effect of the synthetic inhibitor tosylamino-phenylethyl-chloromethylketone on chemotactic peptide receptor activation and superoxide production in human neutrophils; Suter S et al.; It was previously shown that inhibitors such as tosylamido-phenylethyl-chloromethylketone (TPCK) inhibit superoxide production by human neutrophils . These studies suggested that a chymotrypsin-like protease inhibited by TPCK was involved in the activation of the neutrophils oxidative system . In this study, we attempted to define the step in cellular activation and/or cell function inhibited by TPCK . TPCK 10(-5) M did not inhibit the following early events thought to be involved in the activation of oxidase . 1) f-met-leu-phe-induced activation of phospholipase C assessed by the production of inositol-tris-phosphate (IP3), 2) f-met-leu-phe-induced membrane potential changes, 3) f-met-leu-phe-induced increase in free cytosolic calcium, and 4) phorbol-myristate acetate-induced protein phosphorylation in 32P labeled neutrophils . We also showed that TPCK 10(-5) M inhibited bactericidal activity of neutrophils on Staphylococcus aureus, whereas it did not inhibit the ingestion rate of endotoxin-coated Oil red O particles . We conclude that 1) TPCK at the concentration of 10(-5) M inhibits superoxide production but not ingestion of Oil red O particles and 2) TPCK inhibits superoxide production at a step distal from calcium mobilization and protein phosphorylation . Radiolabeled TPCK may therefore be a useful tool to study, whether a protease is involved in the activation of the oxidative system distal to second messenger generation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Sep, 83(18), 6980 - 4 The murine Fc receptor for immunoglobulin: purification, partial amino acid sequence, and isolation of cDNA clones; Hibbs ML et al.; The murine Fc receptor for IgG (Fc gamma R) was purified to homogeneity by immunoaffinity chromatography from detergent lysates of the macrophage cell line J774 . Microsequencing of intact protein yielded a single amino-terminal sequence, which was confirmed and extended to 20 residues by the isolation of an overlapping peptide . The isolation of additional proteolytic fragments obtained by using Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, cyanogen bromide, and lysine C proteinase, facilitated sequence analysis of a total of 119 amino acid residues . Codon usage charts were used to construct oligonucleotide probes based on the amino acid sequences of three nonoverlapping peptides . These probes were used to screen a cDNA library derived from the WEHI-3B myelomonocytic cell line, and a single cDNA clone (pFc24) to which all three probes hybridized was isolated . This clone, containing a 1.02-kilobase cDNA insert, has been characterized by restriction mapping and partial DNA sequencing, and it has been shown to encode the Fc gamma R . The sequence at the 5' end of the clone contained the coding information for the amino-terminal sequence of the Fc gamma R as well as a putative 13-amino acid signal sequence . The 3' end of the clone encoded a peptide identified in purified receptor preparations . Thus, the presence of coding information at the 5' and 3' ends of this clone suggests that full-length Fc receptor cDNA spans greater than 1 kilobase. J Hosp Infect, 1986 Sep, 8(2), 143 - 8 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the UK and Ireland . A questionnaire survey; Cooke EM et al.; The results of a questionnaire survey of the distribution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the UK and Ireland between 1982 and 1983 are reported . Information was obtained about the geographical distribution of MRSA, the units affected, the sites of isolation and the preventive measures employed . Serious clinical problems were confined to a small number of hospitals with high isolation rates of MRSA. J Biochem (Tokyo), 1986 Sep, 100(3), 651 - 61 Antigenic structure of adenylate kinase from porcine skeletal muscle . IV . Two antigenic determinants on carboxyl-terminal peptide 126-194; Endo S et al.; Delineation of the location(s) of antigenic activity in CNBr peptide 126-194 from porcine skeletal muscle adenylate kinase (AK) was attempted . Peptide 126-194 was digested with chymotrypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and trypsin, and several short peptides were purified from the digests by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) . Inhibition of the binding of radioiodinated peptide 126-194 to goat antibody to porcine skeletal muscle AK (anti-AK antibody) by the peptides obtained by the enzymatic cleavages was examined by solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) . At least two antigenic determinants have been identified from the results . One is in the amino (N)-terminal half region 126-154, especially in the vicinity of 131-144, and the other is in the carboxyl (C)-terminal half region 165-183, especially in the vicinity of 165-171 . Both of them seem to correspond to exposed and accessible regions in the three-dimensional structure of AK . The correlation between antigenicity and high mobility of the loop in the estimated antigenic region 131-144 is also discussed. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 25, 261(24), 11334 - 40 Comparisons of antibody reactivity and enzyme sensitivity between small proteoglycans from bovine tendon, bone, and cartilage; Vogel KG et al.; Preparations of small proteoglycans from bovine tendon, bone, and cartilage have been compared for sensitivity to various enzymes and reactivity with different polyclonal antibodies . Chondroitinase ABC digestion of all proteoglycans generated a core protein preparation that migrated similarly in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis as a doublet band with Mr approximately equal to 45,000 . The small proteoglycans of cartilage were divided into two populations based upon electrophoretic migration of the intact molecules (Rosenberg, L . C., Choi, H . U., Tank, L-H., Johnson, T . L., Pal, S., Webber, C., Reiner, A., and Poole, A . R . (1985) J . Biol . Chem . 260, 6304-6313) . The core preparations of tendon, bone, and the faster-migrating (PG II) proteoglycans of cartilage all interacted in Western blot/enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis with polyclonal antibody raised against either the tendon or bone proteoglycans . The slower-migrating (PG I) proteoglycans of cartilage did not react with these antibodies . Digestion of the tendon small proteoglycan with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease released glycosaminoglycan chains from the molecule and generated a 40-kDa protein fragment that was resistant to further rapid degradation by the enzyme . This large digestion fragment was also prominent following V8 protease digestion of the faster-migrating (PG II) population of small cartilage proteoglycans, but not the small proteoglycan of bone . The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the tendon (PG II) proteoglycan was determined . These observations provide additional evidence for heterogeneity among the chemically similar small proteoglycans from different tissues. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 25, 261(24), 11315 - 9 Sensitization of the Escherichia coli cyclic AMP receptor protein to trypsin cleavage by polydeoxyribonucleotides and polyribonucleotides; Angulo J et al.; In the absence of cAMP the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) is relatively resistant to trypsin whereas the cAMP X CRP complex is attacked yielding N-terminal core fragments of 14,300 and 18,500 Da which still bind cAMP . The DNA X CRP complex formed at low ionic strength in the absence of cAMP is cleaved by trypsin with the formation of 9,700- and 6,000-Da fragments and the concomitant loss of cAMP binding activity . DNA X CRP remains as resistant to attack by subtilisin, clostripain, and the Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease as unliganded CRP but is slowly digested by chymotrypsin . All of the double-stranded polydeoxyribonucleotides and several of the single-stranded polydeoxyribonucleotides and polyribonucleotides tested render CRP sensitive to cleavage by trypsin . CRP is less rapidly cleaved by trypsin in the presence of d(A)n, d(I)n, and r(C)n indicative of a weaker affinity of CRP for these polynucleotides . The 9,700-Da fragment is N-terminal in CRP and probably terminates at Lys-89 . The loss of cAMP binding activity following trypsin cleavage of DNA X CRP indicates that regions beyond this residue are important in the function of the cAMP-binding domain of CRP . The 6,000-Da fragment extends from Val-131 to Arg-185 or Lys-188 and contains part of the F helix involved in DNA binding by CRP. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 25, 261(24), 11290 - 4 Functional domains of assimilatory NADH:nitrate reductase from Chlorella; Solomonson LP et al.; Assimilatory nitrate reductase from Chlorella is a homotetramer which contains one of each of the prosthetic groups FAD, heme, and molybdenum per subunit . Besides the reduction of nitrate by NADH, nitrate reductase also catalyzes the partial activities NADH:cytochrome c reductase, NADH:ferricyanide reductase, and reduced methyl viologen:nitrate reductase . Incubation of native nitrate reductase with either trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, or a natural inactivator protease from corn results in a loss of NADH:nitrate reductase and NADH:cytochrome c reductase activities but no loss of reduced methyl viologen:nitrate reductase activity . Incubation of nitrate reductase with V8 protease or corn inactivator protease resulted in two different products, each of which retained a different partial activity . Reduced methyl viologen:nitrate reductase activity was associated with a homotetrameric fragment of about 260 kDa which contained heme and molybdenum but no FAD . The molecular mass of native nitrate reductase determined under the same conditions was 375 kDa . NADH:ferricyanide reductase activity was associated with a monomeric species of approximately 30 kDa which contained FAD and the NADH-binding site . These results are consistent with a structure-function model of nitrate reductase which has the following features: FAD/NADH-binding domains exposed on the surface of the molecule, a protease-sensitive hinge region which connects the nitrate-reducing and NADH dehydrogenase moieties, and the quaternary structure maintained via association sites on the heme/molybdenum domain. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 15, 261(23), 10945 - 51 Topology of mannosidase II in rat liver Golgi membranes and release of the catalytic domain by selective proteolysis; Moremen KW et al.; The orientation of mannosidase II, an integral Golgi membrane protein involved in asparagine-linked oligosaccharide processing, has been examined in rat liver Golgi membranes . Previous studies on mannosidase II purified from Golgi membranes revealed an intact subunit of 124,000 daltons, as well as a catalytically active 110,000-dalton degradation product generated during purification (Moremen, K . W., and Touster, O . (1985) J . Biol . Chem . 260, 6654-6662) . In Triton X-100 extracts of Golgi membranes, the intact enzyme was cleaved by a variety of proteases to generate degradation products similar to those observed previously . At appropriate concentrations, chymotrypsin, pronase, and proteinase K generated 110,000-dalton species, while trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease generated 115,000-dalton forms . Cleavage by chymotrypsin under mild conditions (10 micrograms/ml, 10 min, 20 degrees C) resulted in a complete conversion to a catalytically active 110,000-dalton form of the enzyme which was extremely resistant to further degradation . Attempts to demonstrate these protease digestions in nonpermeabilized Golgi membranes were unsuccessful, a result suggesting that the protease-sensitive regions are not accessible on the external surface of the membrane . In Golgi membranes permeabilized by treatment with 0.5% saponin, mannosidase II could readily be cleaved to the 110,000-dalton form by digestion with chymotrypsin under conditions similar to those which result in a proteolytic inactivation of galactosyltransferase, a lumenal Golgi membrane marker . Although mannosidase II catalytic activity was not diminished by this chymotrypsin digestion, as much as 90% of the enzyme activity was converted to a nonsedimentable form . To examine the effect of the proteolytic cleavage on the partition behavior of the enzyme, control and chymotrypsin-treated Triton X-114 extracts of Golgi membranes were examined by phase separation at 35 degrees C . The undigested enzyme partitioned into the detergent phase consistent with its location as an integral Golgi membrane protein, while the 110,000-dalton chymotrypsin-digested enzyme partitioned almost exclusively into the aqueous phase in a manner characteristic of a soluble protein . These results suggest that mannosidase II catalytic activity resides in a proteolytically resistant, hydrophilic 110,000-dalton domain . Attachment of this catalytic domain to the lumenal face of Golgi membranes is achieved by a proteolytically sensitive linkage to a 14,000-dalton hydrophobic membrane anchoring domain. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 15, 261(23), 10526 - 33 Structure of hemocyanin II from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus . Sequences of the overlapping peptides, ordering the CNBr fragments, and the complete amino acid sequence; Nakashima H et al.; The amino acid sequence of the largest fragment, CNBr Ia (203 residues) has been reported (Yokota, E., and Riggs, A . F . (1984) J . Biol . Chem . 259, 4739-4749) . The amino acid sequences of the second largest fragment, CNBr Ib (142 residues), and of the 12 smaller fragments are reported in accompanying papers (Moore, M . D., Behrens, P . Q., and Riggs, A . F . (1986) J . Biol . Chem . 261, 10511-10519; Behrens, P . Q., Nakashima, H., and Riggs, A . F . (1986) J . Biol . Chem . 261, 10520-10525) . The complete amino acid sequence of hemocyanin component II has been established by isolation and analysis of 13 methionine-containing peptides from either a tryptic digest or a Staphylococcus aureus strain V8 protease digest of whole carboxamidomethylated hemocyanin II . Hemocyanin II is composed of 628 residues and has a molecular weight with two copper atoms of 72,946. Biochem J, 1986 Aug 15, 238(1), 65 - 73 Substrate specificity and characterization of rat liver p-nitrophenol, 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferases; Falany CN et al.; Purified preparations of rat liver 17-hydroxysteroid, 3-hydroxyandrogen and p-nitrophenol (3-methylcholanthrene-inducible) UDP-glucuronosyltransferases were further characterized as to their substrate specificities, phospholipid-dependency and physical properties . The two steroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferases were shown to exhibit strict stereospecificity with respect to the conjugation of steroids and bile acids . These enzymes have been renamed 17 beta-hydroxysteroid and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferase to reflect this specificity for important endogenous substrates . An endogenous substrate has not yet been identified for the p-nitrophenol (3-methylcholanthrene-inducible) UDP-glucuronosyltransferase . The steroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities were dependent on phospholipid for maximal catalytic activity . Complete delipidation rendered the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases inactive, and enzymic activity was not restored when phospholipid was added to the reaction mixture . After partial delipidation, phosphatidylcholine was the most efficient phospholipid for restoration of enzymic activity . Partial delipidation also altered the kinetic parameters of the 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferase . The three purified UDP-glucuronosyltransferases are separate and distinct proteins, with different amino acid compositions and peptide maps generated by limited proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase . Some similarity was observed between the amino acid composition and limited proteolytic maps of the steroid UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, suggesting they are more closely related to each other than to the p-nitrophenol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase. J Immunol, 1986 Aug 15, 137(4), 1208 - 13 Identification of an early activation antigen (Bac-1) on human B cells; Suzuki T et al.; We have produced a monoclonal antibody, Bac-1, that appears to identify a novel antigen on activated human B cells . The Bac-1 antigen can be detected between 8 to 16 hr, as well as transferrin receptors (T9), after activation of small resting B cells with phorbol myristic acetate, anti-IgM antibody, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I, or Epstein-Barr virus . The expression of the Bac-1 antigen precedes that of IL 2 receptors (Tac-1) . Peak expression of the Bac-1 antigen was observed on day 3 after activation, and decreased thereafter . The Bac-1 antigen was present on a minor subpopulation of relatively large B cells isolated from blood samples, and on "preactivated" B cells of heterogeneous size isolated from spleens and tonsils . It was not detected on bone marrow pre-B cells, blood small B cells, or plasma cells, nor was it expressed by resting or activated T cells or nonlymphoid cells . Certain B cell neoplasms and B lymphoblastoid cell lines were Bac-1+, but neoplastic cells of non-B lineage were Bac-1- . With immunoperoxidase staining, Bac-1+ cells were detected predominantly in the germinal centers of tonsil sections . The Bac-1 antigen on activated B cells was destroyed by protease treatment and was enhanced by neuraminidase treatment, suggesting that the Bac-1 antibody detects a cell surface molecule via an antigenic determinant which is partially obscured by neighboring sialic acid residues . The reactivity pattern of Bac-1 differs from the patterns of cellular reactivity reported for other monoclonal antibodies with specificity for activated human B cells. Eur Heart J, 1986 Aug, 7(8), 679 - 84 Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis: an analysis based on 25 proven cases; Freeman R et al.; Twenty-five consecutive unequivocal cases of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis in a single centre over 5 years were reviewed . Despite an unusually high proportion of prosthetic infections an early mortality of only 16% was observed . Analysis reveals that early diagnosis and prompt effective antibiotic chemotherapy were important factors in achieving this low mortality . Monotherapy with an isoxazolyl penicillin (flucloxacillin) was shown to be as effective as combination therapies, and there was a significant association between the use of aminoglycosides and subsequent renal damage. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1986 Aug, (8), 85 - 8 {Comparative evaluation of the diagnostic effectiveness of staphylococcal allergens of different manufacture in bronchospastic reactions of sensitized lungs}; Shamsutdinova GS et al.; With allergic immediate hypersensitivity test to the antigens of Staphylococcus aureus strain Wood 46 specific bronchospastic reactions were simulated in the lungs of guinea pigs by means of two allergens: commercial allergen manufactured in Czechoslovakia and staphyloallergen prepared by ultrasonic treatment under laboratory conditions at the Alma-Ata Research Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Infectious diseases (USSR) . Allergens prepared at the Kazan Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology (USSR) and in Bulgaria produced no reactions. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1986 Aug, (8), 14 - 8 {Comparative immunochemical characteristics of extracellular polysaccharide-containing preparations and teichoic acids of Staphylococcus aureus}; Iastrebova NE et al.; The sensitivity of the enzyme immunoassay on the basis of polysaccharide-containing preparations was found to be lower than that of the assay on the basis of teichoic acids . The specificity of both assays was 100% . There was no complete coincidence between the results of the detection of antibodies to these two antigens in patients' sera. Scand J Haematol, 1986 Aug, 37(2), 162 - 7 Hyperactive phagocytosis by circulating neutrophils and monocytes in Chédiak-Higashi syndrome; Komiyama A et al.; Phagocytic capacity of circulating neutrophils and monocytes was studied by electron microscopy in 2 children with Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) . Apparent phagocytosis of autologous leucocytes by the CHS neutrophils and monocytes was demonstrated when they were coincubated with Staphylococcus aureus in vitro, indicating their capacity for hyperactive phagocytosis . The hyperactive phagocytic capacity of the CHS phagocytes was a cellular abnormality . CHS neutrophils and monocytes are known to be defective in chemotaxis and bactericidal capacity, and the hyperactive phagocytic capacity is another functional abnormality of CHS phagocytes. Neth J Surg, 1986 Aug, 38(4), 118 - 20 Bacterially contaminated detached autogenous bone fragments--an experimental study; Stroosma OC et al.; Bacterially contaminated and uncontaminated standardized autogenous bone fragments were compared in an experimental canine model . Bacterial contamination was effected by immersing in a Staphylococcus aureus suspension of 6 X 10(8)/ml for 15 minutes . The fragments were replaced and either left detached or fixed with a lag screw . In a number of cases bone replacement was combined with transverse osteotomy followed by reduction and fixation with a six-hole neutralization plate based on the AO-principle . Follow-up carried out after six and 12 weeks, comprised radiological, histological, microradiographic, fluorescence microscopic and micro-angiographic investigation . Non-quantitative assessment indicated that the rate of resorption and new bone formation in the bacterially contaminated fragments definitely exceeded that of the uncontaminated fragments . Semi-quantitative findings seemed to confirm these conclusions . After 12 weeks this difference had virtually disappeared, except in loosely replaced infected fragments, which still showed more resorption and new bone formation . Integration of all fragments was good, there was no encapsulation with sequestration. J Am Acad Dermatol, 1986 Aug, 15(2 Pt 1), 192 - 7 Density of the microflora in hand eczema before and after topical treatment with a potent corticosteroid; Nilsson E et al.; Twenty patients with hand eczema were studied with the use of quantitative bacteriologic cultures before and after successful topical treatment with a potent corticosteroid . One sample was taken from the most pronounced eczematous lesion, a second from skin affected with only erythema, and a third from clinically normal skin . Before quantitative bacteriologic analysis, the different species were combined into three main groups: Staphylococcus aureus, other aerobes, and anaerobes . Before treatment, S . aureus colonized the most pronounced eczematous lesion in eighteen of twenty patients and exceeded 10(5) cfu/cm2 in fifteen of twenty patients . The geometric mean count of S . aureus before treatment was significantly higher in eczema (10(4.8) cfu/cm2) than in erythema (10(3.4) cfu/cm2) and significantly higher in erythema than in normal skin (10(1.7) cfu/cm2) . The density of other aerobes and anaerobes was similar in the three sampling sites . After treatment, the mean count of S . aureus was significantly reduced at all three sampling sites, and the densities became equal . Treatment did not affect the mean count of other aerobes or anaerobes. J Med Microbiol, 1986 Aug, 22(1), 9 - 15 Isolation and characterisation of a family of small plasmids encoding resistance to nucleic acid-binding compounds in Staphylococcus aureus; Emslie KR et al.; A family of small plasmids encoding resistance to nucleic acid-binding (NAB) compounds has recently been identified in strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated in Italy, Texas and Western Australia . The mol . wts of the NAB-resistance plasmids are in the range (1.5-1.9) X 10(6) and all but one encode resistance to acridine yellow, ethidium bromide and quaternary ammonium compounds . The largest of the plasmids, pWG1773, differed in that it did not confer resistance to ethidium bromide . Restriction enzyme analysis of these plasmids revealed four distinct patterns corresponding to plasmids of four different mol . wts and physical maps were constructed based on the restriction patterns . Two plasmid types of molecular sizes approximately 2440 and 2240 base pairs had a 610-base pair region in common . Physical maps of the other two plasmid types were not related . The presence of a family of small NAB-resistance plasmids which carry no other known phenotypic markers provides further evidence for the strong selective advantage associated with maintenance of this determinant in clinical isolates of S . aureus. J Bacteriol, 1986 Aug, 167(2), 726 - 8 Sequence of the exfoliative toxin B gene of Staphylococcus aureus; Jackson MP et al.; We sequenced the Staphylococcus aureus exfoliative toxin B gene contained on a 1.7-kilobase HindIII fragment of plasmid pRW001 . The gene was located by comparison of the amino acid sequences of open reading frames with the amino-terminal sequence of exfoliative toxin B and the total amino acid composition of the protein (A.D . Johnson, L . Spero, J.S . Cades, and B.T . De Cicco, Infect . Immun . 24:679-684, 1979) . The primary translation product consists of 274 amino acids and contains a 31-amino-acid N-terminal peptide presumably necessary for transport. Infect Immun, 1986 Aug, 53(2), 441 - 4 Immunological protection of rabbits infected with Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with toxic shock syndrome; Scott DF et al.; Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) isolated from the growth medium of Staphylococcus aureus 1169 and 555 was used to immunize male rabbits before infection with either a TSST-1+ or a TSST-1- strain of S . aureus isolated from cases of TSS . None of the immunized rabbits died as a result of the infections, whereas 50% of the nonimmunized rabbits infected with the TSST-1- strain, D4508, and 75% of those infected with the TSST-1+ strain, 555, died . Western blots of crude extracellular protein preparations probed with sera from immunized rabbits indicated that the TSST-1- strain produces a 30,000-molecular-weight protein that cross-reacts with antiserum to TSST-1 . Because both organisms caused similar diseases in rabbits, we propose to designate the cross-reacting protein as TSST-2. Chest, 1986 Aug, 90(2), 293 - 5 Endocarditis of a tricuspid prosthesis causing valvular stenosis and shunting through a patent foramen ovale; Bier A et al.; A young intravenous drug user presented with Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis involving the tricuspid valve, which was replaced with a Hancock bioprosthesis . She presented again with fever and dyspnea five months later and was found to be cyanotic . Recurrent endocarditis involving the prosthesis with right-to-left shunting through a patent foramen ovale was documented by echo and confirmed at autopsy. Clin Pediatr (Phila), 1986 Aug, 25(8), 395 - 9 Neonatal mastitis; Walsh M et al.; Forty-one cases of neonatal mastitis seen at Children's Hospital, Boston since 1947 have been analyzed and the literature since 1950 reviewed . All 41, like those in the literature, occurred in full-term infants 1-5 weeks of age, with a sex ratio of 2:1 (females:males) . Bilaterality was rare (3) cases in this series, one in the literature review) and systemic spread or extramammary foci even rarer . The incidence has changed little in the past 35 years except for the larger number of cases in the 1950s . In the present series, all but a few cases have been caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and gram-negative enteric bacilli have not been seen . Therapy is surgical incision and drainage when fluctuance is present, but early treatment with appropriate intravenous antibiotics has apparently obviated the need for surgery in many recent cases . The prognosis for cure of the infection is excellent. Clin Orthop, 1986 Aug, (209), 249 - 54 Prophylaxis with cefamandole nafate in elective orthopedic surgery; Henley MB et al.; A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was conducted to determine the efficacy of cefamandole nafate in reducing infections in general orthopedic procedures . Of 743 patients initially entered into the study, 715 (362 on cefamandole, 353 on placebo) fulfilled the requirements of the protocol . The infection rate was 1.6% for the cefamandole-treated group and 4.2% for the placebo group . In operations lasting longer than two hours, there were two infections in the cefamandole group and seven infections in the placebo group (p less than 0.05) . Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacilli were the common pathogens . Adverse side effects were limited to transient elevations in liver enzymes. J Infect Dis, 1986 Aug, 154(2), 273 - 82 Antigen-induced experimental septic arthritis in rabbits after intraarticular injection of Staphylococcus aureus; Mahowald ML et al.; With the Dumonde-Glynn model of antigen-induced arthritis, a rabbit model was developed to examine the histopathologic differences between normal and arthritic joints in the same animal infected by intraarticular injections of Staphylococcus aureus . Microscopic examination of whole joint sections and a quantitative histopathologic scale were used to compare changes in all the articular components of 17 normal and 17 arthritic joints infected for less than two weeks . The histological changes were more severe in infected arthritic joints than in infected normal joints (mean +/- SD total histology score, 13.8 +/- 2.4 and 9.3 +/- 4.0, respectively; P less than .001) . In infected arthritic joints, subsynovial abscesses extended into subchondral bone via the pannus of chronic synovitis at articular margins and intraarticular attachments of cruciate ligaments, rather than by initial cartilage destruction and direct extension into subchondral bone. Endocrinol Jpn, 1986 Aug, 33(4), 489 - 96 Analysis of thyroglobulin antibody synthesis by cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis using biotin-avidin solid phase enzyme immuno-assay; Hirose W et al.; The influence of bovine thyroglobulin (Tg) and/or staphylococcus aureus cowan I (SAC) on Tg antibody synthesis has been studied using cultures of 8 Hashimoto's and 5 normal peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) . The detection of Tg antibody in the culture supernatants was performed by sensitive biotin-avidin solid phase enzyme immunoassay . By using this technique, we were able to detect small amounts of Tg antibody synthesized by cultured Hashimoto's PBL responsive to bovine Tg and/or SAC; PBL from three out of eight patients produced increased levels of Tg antibody in the presence of 0.02 microgram/ml bovine Tg . On the other hand, PBL from two other cases among them which were unresponsive to bovine Tg alone became responsive to bovine Tg following simultaneous stimulation with SAC . PBL from the other three cases failed to respond to bovine Tg or simultaneous stimulation with bovine Tg and SAC . The former five patients had serum Tg tanned red cell hemagglutination (TGHA) titers greater than 1:409,600 except in one case and the latter had serum TGHA titers less than 1:12,800 . These results indicated the presence of the different functional stages of B cells to produce Tg antibody in the circulation of Hashimoto's patients and suggested that sufficient number of lymphocytes responsive to bovine Tg are present in the circulation of Hashimoto's patients with high titers of serum TGHA. Chemioterapia, 1986 Aug, 5(4), 257 - 62 In vitro and in vivo evaluation of L/105, a new topical intestinal rifamycin; Venturini AP et al.; L/105 (4-deoxy-4'-methylpyrido {1',2'-1,2} imidazo {5,4-c} rifamycin SV; INN: Rifaximin) is a new rifamycin active in vitro against both gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms . The activity of L/105 was comparable to that of rifampicin and, against gram-positive bacteria, higher than that of neomycin . The antibacterial activities of L/105 and rifampicin were equally affected by the highest size of inoculum used (10 cells/ml) and they were equally bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . The speed and the degree of development of resistance to L/105 were quite superimposable on those of neomycin . In vivo, L/105 did not show therapeutic activity by oral route in the staphylococcal infection in the mouse till the highest dosage used (10 mg/kg b.w.); under the same conditions, gentamicin was equally ineffective . After subcutaneous administration, L/105 showed therapeutic activity (ED50 = 0.46 mg/kg b.w.) practically superimposable on that of orally administered rifampicin. South Med J, 1986 Aug, 79(8), 947 - 51 Chronic osteomyelitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus: controlled clinical trial of nafcillin therapy and nafcillin-rifampin therapy; Norden CW et al.; A controlled trial of treatment of chronic osteomyelitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus compared nafcillin alone with nafcillin plus rifampin for a six-week period . Treatment was well tolerated, the only adverse effect being mild neutropenia in four of 18 patients; no toxicity was observed from rifampin . Eight of ten patients in the combined treatment group had a favorable clinical response (with follow-up of two to four years) as compared to four of eight in the nafcillin group (P = .2) . Despite the failure to show a statistically significant advantage of rifampin plus nafcillin, we conclude that the combination, along with appropriate surgery, should be considered for patients with chronic staphylococcal osteomyelitis. Biochem J, 1986 Aug 1, 237(3), 723 - 30 Reversible deactivation of beta-lactamase by quinacillin . Extent of the conformational change in the isolated transitory complex; Persaud KC et al.; Conditions have been established where the deactivation of the beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus PC1 by the penicillin substrate, quinacillin, is close to complete but fully reversible . The temperature-dependence of the rate of re-activation indicated a half-life of about 170 min for the deactivated state at 0 degrees C . Measurement of the relative viscosity of mixtures of enzyme and quinacillin at 8.4 degrees C ruled out any significant difference in shape or solvation between the deactivated and the normal enzyme . C.d . measurements of the deactivated protein, separated from excess quinacillin, showed that the quinacillin side-chain chromophore was bound in an asymmetric environment . The ellipticity associated with the bound quinacillin chromophore decreased with the same first-order rate constant as that for reappearance of enzyme activity . These findings support the accumulation of a deactivated state that contains bound quinacillin or a derivative . Quinacillin caused a 3-fold increase in the rate of 3H exchange-out (at a rate that was low compared with that for the substantially unfolded or expanded protein) . However, there was rapid exchange-out of about 50 3H atoms on addition of 1 M-urea to the deactivated enzyme, whereas the same concentration had no effect on the exchange-out of 3H from native enzyme . The interpretation that quinacillin increases the susceptibility of the native state to unfolding in the presence of urea is supported by the demonstration that SO4(2)- ions decreased the rate and extent of deactivation but had no effect on the rate of re-activation, as predicted from the observation that SO4(2)- ions, in competition with urea, stabilize the native state relative to the partially unfolded state H {Mitchinson & Pain (1985) J . Mol . Biol . 184, 331-342}. Clin Exp Immunol, 1986 Aug, 65(2), 303 - 10 In vitro synthesis of IgM rheumatoid factor by lymphocytes from patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia; Meroni PL et al.; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia (EMC) were studied for their ability to synthesize polyclonal IgM and rheumatoid factor (RF) IgM in vitro . Our results indicate: that EMC-PBMC produce smaller amounts of polyclonal IgM but higher quantities of IgM-RF than normal PBMC after pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or Staphylococcus aureus activation, so that the IgM-RF to total IgM ratio is significantly greater in EMC than in normal cultures; that enriched EMC-B lymphocytes display a significantly higher spontaneous synthesis of IgM-RF than normal B lymphocytes and that the IgM-RF B cell clones are receptive to T cell regulation . Taken together these findings suggest an expansion of B cell clones committed to IgM RF production and the presence in peripheral blood of differentiated B lymphocytes capable of secreting IgM-RF in EMC. Hum Genet, 1986 Aug, 73(4), 346 - 9 A subpopulation of t(2;14)(p11;q32) cells in ataxia telangiectasia B lymphocytes; Butterworth SV et al.; Partially purified B cells from ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) patients and normal individuals were stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I organisms (SAC) . High levels of apparently random rearrangements were seen in the A-T B cells only . In addition a t(2;14)(p11;q32) rearrangement was identified in B cells from more than one patient. J Infect Dis, 1986 Aug, 154(2), 283 - 8 Use of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate and gallium-67 citrate scans after intraarticular injection of Staphylococcus aureus into knee joints of rabbits with chronic antigen-induced arthritis; Mahowald ML et al.; Numerous clinical studies have questioned the ability of radionuclide scans to differentiate septic from aseptic joint inflammation . A clinical study may not be able to document an underlying disease process or duration of infection and, thus, may make conclusions about the accuracy of scan interpretations open to debate . In this study, the Dumonde-Glynn model of antigen-induced arthritis in rabbits was used as the experimental model to study technetium and gallium scans in Staphylococcus aureus infection of arthritic and normal joints . Gallium scans were negative in normal rabbits, usually negative in antigen-induced arthritis, but positive in septic arthritis . The bone scan was usually negative in early infection but positive in late septic arthritis, a finding reflecting greater penetration of bacteria into subchondral bone because of the underlying inflammatory process. J Oral Pathol, 1986 Aug, 15(7), 386 - 8 A comparison of oral rinse and imprint sampling techniques for the detection of yeast, coliform and Staphylococcus aureus carriage in the oral cavity; Samaranayake LP et al.; The sensitivity of the impression culture, the neat rinse culture (NRC) and the concentrated rinse culture (CRC) methods in detecting the oral carriage of yeasts, coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus was estimated in 75 individuals . The recovery of organisms from the imprint cultures of the tongue and the CRC was similar and there was highly significant positive correlation between the two techniques . The CRC was simple to perform, equally sensitive and superior in quantifying yeast, coliform and S . aureus carriage than the imprint culture technique . Hence, it is suggested that the CRC technique be preferentially employed in future investigations to obtain comparable data from different centres. Allergy, 1986 Aug, 41(6), 423 - 8 Topical sodium cromoglycate in atopic dermatitis . A disappointing but informative trial; Kjellman NI et al.; Forty children with atopic eczema requiring topical steroids entered a double-blind group comparative study over 12 weeks and were randomized to either 4% sodium cromoglycate (SCG) in an oil-in-water cream or matching placebo cream . The eczema was evaluated on area charts for 20 parts of the body at five clinic visits . In addition, the families kept diaries on symptoms and treatment . After 3 weeks there were small but statistically significant decreases in severity scores recorded at the clinical visits in the SCG group compared with small increases in the placebo group . However, there were no statistically significant differences in the diary card data during the first 3 weeks of treatment or in any other period, nor were significant differences found in any efficacy data collected during the other 9 weeks of the trial . There were no marked differences in treatment opinions, unusual symptoms, skin infections, use of topical steroids or drugs, or acceptability data between the groups . Staphylococcus aureus was found once or twice in cultures from eczema lesions in 31 of 40 children with no marked group difference . The trial showed that there is great need for improved information, family support and topical as well as general treatment in childhood atopic eczema, but topical SCG did not relieve the patients' eczema. J Interferon Res, 1986 Aug, 6(4), 331 - 6 Determination of the complete amino acid sequence of recombinant human gamma-interferon produced in Escherichia coli; Yamazaki S et al.; The complete amino acid sequence of recombinant human gamma-interferon (HuIFN-gamma) produced in Escherichia coli was determined using a gas-phase protein sequencer . The sequence was established by automated Edman degradation on the intact protein and its peptides obtained after Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or trypsin digestion . The result was identical to the amino acid sequence predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned HuIFN-gamma cDNA except that it was missing the four carboxy-terminal residues, Arg-Ala-Ser-Gln. J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Aug, 24(2), 186 - 8 Screening method for recovery of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from primary plates; La Zonby JG et al.; A study designed to screen for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from primary plates was conducted from 1 January to 1 September 1985 in a small community hospital . The screening method used a plate of lipovitellin salt mannitol agar and a 4-microgram oxacillin disk incubated at 30 degrees C . Growth of yellow colonies, typical of S . aureus, around the disk without a zone of inhibition was called presumptive methicillin-resistant S . aureus . All susceptibilities were confirmed by using the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards macrodilution technique . Of 224 cultures containing S . aureus, 118 (53%) were positive for methicillin-resistant S . aureus isolates . Of these 118, 111 (94%) were correctly identified from the primary plates as methicillin-resistant S . aureus . Of the 224 isolates, 14 could not be categorized from the primary plates as methicillin-resistant S . aureus due to the small amounts of S . aureus recovered. Eur J Immunol, 1986 Aug, 16(8), 925 - 32 The roles of interleukin 2 and interferon-gamma in human B cell activation, growth and differentiation; Jelinek DF et al.; The roles of interleukin 2 (IL 2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in human peripheral blood B cell activation, growth and differentiation were examined . Highly purified B cells stimulated with Cowan I Staphylococcus aureus (SA) proliferated minimally and generated no immunoglobulin-secreting cells (ISC) without the addition of T cell supernatants (T sup) produced by mitogen-activated T cells . Recombinant IL 2 (rIL 2) alone was able to promote maximum proliferation and generation of ISC in cultures of highly purified SA-stimulated B cells when present from the initiation of the incubation . IFN-gamma, by contrast, could not support either response alone . When a two-step culture system was employed to determine the effect(s) of T cell influences during both initial activation and in propagating the response following activation, it was found that B cells activated by SA alone subsequently responded maximally to T sup but only minimally to IL 2 and not at all to IFN-gamma . However, the presence of T sup, rIL 2, or rIFN-gamma during initial activation with SA was found to facilitate greatly the subsequent capacity of the activated B cells to proliferate and differentiate in response to either T sup or IL 2 . These data suggest two distinct pathways of human B cell responsiveness . Activities in T sup other than IL 2 or IFN-gamma can support the growth and differentiation of B cells initially activated with SA alone, whereas rIL 2 is capable of promoting these responses maximally only when B cells have been initially activated by SA in the presence of T cell lymphokines, such as IL 2 or IFN-gamma . The results emphasize the role of specific T cell factors in determining the outcome of humoral immune responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Aug, 83(16), 6174 - 8 Calcium and calmodulin-enhanced in vitro phosphorylation of hen brain cold-stable microtubules and spinal cord neurofilament triplet proteins after a single oral dose of tri-o-cresyl phosphate; Suwita E et al.; The effect of a single 750-mg/kg oral dose of tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) on the endogenous phosphorylation of brain microtubule preparations and spinal cord neurofilaments was assessed in hens after the development of delayed neurotoxicity . Protein phosphorylation with {gamma-32P}ATP was analyzed by one-dimensional and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, autoradiography, and microdensitometry . TOCP treatment enhanced the Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of tubulin in crude chicken brain cytosol (160% for alpha-tubulin and 140% for beta-tubulin) and cold-stable microtubules (165% and 155% for alpha- and beta-tubulin, respectively) . Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) phosphorylation was also increased in brain fractions studied--i.e., brain cytosol (145%), cold-stable microtubules (133%), and cold-labile microtubules (328%) . There was significant increase in phosphorylation of a 70-kDa protein in the brain cytosol and in the cold-stable microtubule fractions . TOCP also stimulated the phosphorylation of spinal cord proteins of 70 kDa (119%) and 160 kDa (129%) in a Mg2+-dependent manner . Addition of Ca2+ and calmodulin further enhanced the phosphorylation of these 70-kDa (563%) and 160-kDa (221%) proteins as well as of 52-, 59-, and 210-kDa proteins by as much as 126%, 160%, and 196%, respectively . Two-dimensional electrophoresis was carried out to identify these proteins . They were confirmed as alpha- and beta-tubulin (52 and 59 kDa) in brain and spinal cord preparations and the neurofilament triplet proteins (70, 160, and 210 kDa) in the spinal cord preparation . The 70-kDa protein in brain was not neurofilament in origin . Peptide mapping using Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease showed the brain and spinal cord cytoskeletal proteins have identical phosphopeptide patterns in control and TOCP-treated hens, indicating that it was unlikely that the phosphorylation sites were altered by TOCP treatment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Aug, 83(15), 5439 - 43 Exchange of guanine nucleotide between GTP-binding proteins that regulate neuronal adenylate cyclase; Hatta S et al.; GTP-binding proteins have been demonstrated to stimulate and inhibit rat brain adenylate cyclase without the prior addition of hormone . Exposure of rat cerebral cortex membranes to hydrolysis-resistant GTP analogs results in inhibition (or stimulation) of adenylate cyclase, which persists subsequent to buffer washing . The hydrolysis-resistant GTP photoaffinity probe P3-(4-azidoanilido)-P1-5' GTP (AAGTP) can promote a similar persistent inhibition of adenylate cyclase, and, after removal of unbound AAGTP and subsequent UV photolysis, AAGTP is covalently linked to the 40-kDa inhibitory GTP binding protein, GNi (inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding regulatory subunit of adenylate cyclase) . Under conditions where the persistent inhibition of adenylate cyclase is overcome by subsequent incubation with 5'-guanylyl imidodiphosphate or NaF, AAGTP bound to the 40-kDa GNi protein is diminished while that bound to the 42-kDa stimulatory GTP-binding protein (GNs) is increased . Additionally, we have identified a 32-kDa protein that binds AAGTP with an affinity similar to that of GNs . This protein does not appear to be a byproduct of proteolysis as demonstrated by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion experiments, and it is not a substrate for ADP-ribosylation by bacterial toxins . The sum of the AAGTP bound by the GNi and GNs proteins is constant, and the transfer of nonphotoactivated AAGTP to GNs from GNi is stable to buffer washing . Furthermore, this alteration in the AAGTP-labeling pattern corresponds to the shift in adenylate cyclase from inhibition to stimulation . These data raise the possibility that hydrolysis-resistant GTP analogs might be exchanged directly between the GNi and GNs and that there exists some interaction between those proteins in the regulation of adenylate cyclase activity. Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med, 1986 Aug, 50(2), 337 - 43 Rhodium(III) as a potentiator of the effects of X-rays on cells; Richmond RC et al.; A rhodium compound, Rh(NH3)3Cl3, does not sensitize the spores of Bacillus megaterium to X-rays . However, it is a very effective sensitizer of vegetative cells of Staphylococcus aureus, raising the sensitivity four times in O2 and over 100 times in anoxia . The inhibition by oxygen of the sensitizing action of Rh(III), which operates over a wide range of {O2}, is noteworthy . These experiments were performed in saline-phosphate buffer using 50 kVp X-rays . The results are discussed in terms of the known radiation chemistry of this compound. Aust J Exp Biol Med Sci, 1986 Aug, 64 ( Pt 4), 367 - 79 Conjugative, staphylococcal plasmids carrying hitch-hiking transposons similar to Tn554: intra- and interspecies dissemination of erythromycin resistance; Townsend DE et al.; Two staphylococcal plasmids, pWG4 and pWG25, encode production of a diffusible pigment and resistance to erythromycin and spectinomycin . The former was found occurring naturally in a clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus and the latter in S . epidermidis . Both plasmids are conjugative, capable of high-frequency, interspecies transfer, only isolated in the open-circular form and identical in molecular weight and pattern of restriction-endonuclease fragments . The only difference between the plasmids is in the expression of resistance, pWG4 encoding inducible and pWG25 constitutive erythromycin resistance . The resistance determinants of both plasmids behave as hitch-hiking transposons in cultural conditions that favour phage-mediated or phage-independent conjugation, always inserting a copy of themselves into the recipient's chromosome, except in S . epidermidis in which the chromosomal insertion site may be absent . The resistance determinants have been cloned and located on a 4 X 7 kbp EcoR1/HindIII restriction fragment which has a restriction map similar to that of the right arm of Tn554 (Murphy and Lofdahl, 1984) . The hitch-hiking transposon of plasmid pWG25 has been designated Tn3853. Mol Gen Genet, 1986 Aug, 204(2), 341 - 8 Incompatibility between plasmids with independent copy control; Projan SJ et al.; Incompatibility between autonomous plasmids has been attributed, for the most part, to interaction between plasmids' negative control systems and/or partitioning systems . In this report it is shown that indirectly regulated plasmids with non-interactive negative control systems are incompatible on the basis of their shared initiator protein . This principle was demonstrated for a family of Staphylococcus aureus plasmids whose copy number is regulated by inhibitory RNAs that control the production of a rate-limiting, trans-active, initiator protein . We have constructed a pair of plasmids that have the same regulation systems and different initiator proteins and another pair with different regulation systems and the same initiators . Both of these pairs of plasmids were shown to be incompatible. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1986 Aug, 18(2), 233 - 7 Effects of cefotaxime and cefodizime on human granulocyte functions in vitro; Labro MT et al.; In vitro, cefotaxime and cefodizime enhanced significantly the bactericidal activity of human neutrophils against Staphylococcus aureus P 209 A, but not phagocytosis . The increase was about 150% for cefotaxime and 400% for cefodizime at concentrations as low as 1 mg/l . Furthermore, by two different techniques (NBT and cytochrome C reduction tests) cefotaxime but not cefodizime significantly enhanced superoxide anion production by zymosan-stimulated neutrophils . Other neutrophil functions (chemotaxis and myeloperoxidase-mediated iodination of proteins) were not significantly altered by either antibiotic, even at concentrations as high as 1000 mg/l. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Aug, 83(16), 5793 - 7 Insulin stimulates the generation from hepatic plasma membranes of modulators derived from an inositol glycolipid; Saltiel AR et al.; Insulin binding to plasma membrane receptors results in the generation of substances that acutely mimic the actions of the hormone on certain target enzymes . Two such substances, which modulate the activity of the high-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17), have been purified from hepatic plasma membranes . The two have similar properties and activities but can be resolved by ion-exchange chromatography and high-voltage electrophoresis . They exhibit a net negative charge, even at pH 1.9, and an apparent molecular weight of approximately 1400 . The generation of these substances from membranes by insulin can be reproduced by addition of a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C purified from Staphylococcus aureus . This enzyme is known to selectively hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol and release from membranes several proteins that are covalently linked to phosphatidylinositol by a glycan anchor . Both enzyme-modulating substances appear to be generated by the phosphodiesterase cleavage of a phosphatidylinositol-containing glycolipid precursor that has been characterized by thin-layer chromatography . Some of the chemical properties of these substances have been examined . They appear to be related complex carbohydrate-phosphate substances containing glucosamine and inositol . These findings suggest that insulin may activate a selective phospholipase activity that hydrolyzes a membrane phospholipid, releasing a carbohydrate-containing molecule that regulates cAMP phosphodiesterase and perhaps other insulin-sensitive enzymes. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1986 Aug, (8), 52 - 6 {Protective role of effectors and T-suppressors of delayed hypersensitivity in mice with a localized staphylococcal infection}; Bekhalo VA et al.; To induce delayed hypersensitivity (DH) in mice, experimental local infection with a small dose of Staphylococcus aureus was used . The production of suppressor cells was shown to occur after the intravenous injection of a large dose of killed staphylococcal culture . Experiments with the use of cell transfer and the treatment of lymphocytes with Thy-1 antiserum in the presence of the complement demonstrated the T-lymphocytic nature of DH and its suppression . The study revealed that the role played by DH in antistaphylococcal immunity was different in the animals infected by the subcutaneous routes; besides, the regulatory action of T-suppressors of DH was established. EMBO J, 1986 Aug, 5(8), 1783 - 90 Inhibition of N-linked oligosaccharide trimming mannosidases blocks human B cell development; Tulp A et al.; Deoxymannojirimycin (dMM) or swainsonine (SW), which block conversion of high-mannose to complex-type N-linked glycans, strongly inhibited the production of immunoglobulin (Ig) when added to cultures of human lymphocytes together with the polyclonal B cell activators pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and Staphylococcus aureus (SAC) . To obtain the inhibitory effect, inhibitor had to be present during the first 36 h of culture . Addition at later timepoints was less effective and showed that neither inhibitor interfered with rate of production or secretion of Ig as such . Viability and proliferation of the lymphocytes, as defined by cell number and rate of DNA synthesis, were not influenced by the presence of dMM or SW, and no changes in the relative number of helper (T4+) or suppressor (T8+) cells were observed . Thus, for normal differentiation of human B lymphocytes into Ig secreting (plasma) cells in response to PWM and SAC, conversion of high-mannose to complex N-linked glycans is essential. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Aug, 83(15), 5474 - 8 Integration of staphylococcal phage L54a occurs by site-specific recombination: structural analysis of the attachment sites; Lee CY et al.; Lysogenization by staphylococcal phage L54a induces the loss of lipase (glycerol ester hydrolase) activity in its host Staphylococcus aureus . The attachment site of the bacterial chromosome (attB) for the phage is at the 3' end of the lipase gene, geh . The DNA fragment containing the attB (base pairs 2620-2637 inclusive) site has been sequenced . We have also cloned and determined the nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragments containing the other three attachment sites--i.e., the attP locus on the circularly permuted phage genome and the attL and attR loci at the left and right ends of the prophage in the lysogenized strain . These results reveal that an 18-base-pair core sequence is common to all four att sites . These data indicate that the crossover point must exist within the core sequence and, further, that integration is site- and orientation-specific . We also localized the viral recombinase gene to a 2.1-kilobase DNA segment extending rightward to the attP site . This region was found to be essential for integration of plasmids containing the attP site. J Am Acad Dermatol, 1986 Aug, 15(2 Pt 2), 385 - 9 Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a homosexual adult; Richard M et al.; A homosexual man developed staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome associated with a Staphylococcus aureus septicemia . We discuss the role of prednisone, renal insufficiency, and immunosuppression as predisposing factors to staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in adults . In particular, our study of the patient's immune function revealed anergy and lymphopenia, with a reduced response to phytohemagglutinin . Studies of T cell subpopulations revealed an elevated percentage of T suppressor cells and a diminished percentage of T helper cells with a depressed T helper/T suppressor ratio . Because of those abnormalities, we suspected acquired immunodeficiency syndrome . A few months after recuperation from the acute disease, the patient has had a normalization of the T helper/T suppressor ratio, but because of persistent polyadenopathy, hypergammaglobulinemia, and a negative sensitization to keyhole-limpet hemocyanin (KLH), we now consider the patient to have an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related complex. Infect Immun, 1986 Aug, 53(2), 366 - 71 Humoral antibody response against Bacteroides gingivalis-specific antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody in adult periodontal patients; Miyoshi T et al.; An antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody specific for Bacteroides gingivalis was purified in the presence of 0.5% (wt/vol) beta-octyl-glucoside by immunoadsorbent column chromatography . The purified antigen was homogeneous as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver staining, and the pattern of SDS-PAGE agreed with that of immunoblotting . The molecule exhibited an apparent molecular weight of about 62,000 by SDS-PAGE . The antigen was sensitive to trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, DNase I and II, and heating, but insensitive to RNase and neuraminidase . By the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, the purified antigen was not cross-reactive with rat polyclonal antibodies to each of several black-pigmented Bacteroides species, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Eikenella corrodens, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans . These results indicate that the purified antigen is specific for B . gingivalis . Humoral antibody titers in adult periodontal patients against the specific antigen were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . Serum immunoglobulin G antibody titers against the specific antigen in adult periodontal patients correlated significantly with the severity of periodontal disease . However, such significant correlation was not observed with serum immunoglobulin M antibody titers. Immunology, 1986 Aug, 58(4), 583 - 9 Control of human B-lymphocyte replication . I . Characterization of novel activation states that precede the entry of G0 B cells into cycle; Walker L et al.; Tonsillar B lymphocytes of a particularly high buoyant density were prepared essentially free of contaminating monocytes and T cells . When exposed to anti-immunoglobulin, such cells initiated the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids . This provides a postulated 'dual signal' for growth through the liberation of intracellular calcium stores and the activation of protein kinase C . Nevertheless, neither anti-immunoglobulin nor direct agonists of this bifurcating pathway (respectively, calcium ionophore and the phorbol ester TPA) were capable, when used alone, of driving cells out of G0 and into RNA synthesis . All three agents did, however, induce two activation antigens at the surface of G0 B cells, which included CD23, p45 and a lineage-unrestricted antigen identified by the monoclonal antibody BK.19.9 . Cells that had been exposed to calcium ionophore, but not those activated with either TPA or anti-immunoglobulin, revealed further change indicated by an increased accessibility of their native DNA for the intercalating dye acridine orange . Cells receiving full mitogenic signals in the form of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan Strain I (SAC) or a combination of TPA and calcium ionophore showed the same initial sequelae but continued to enter the cell cycle and progress through to DNA synthesis . The observations identify two phases in the early activation of human B cells, both in terms of various temporal events, and the signals required to promote each activation state . before entering the proliferative cycle . Thus, the exit of human B cells from G0 appears subject to multiple controls that precede those associated with G1 and later phases of the cell cycle. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1986 Jul 31, 138(2), 611 - 7 The complete amino acid sequence of human brain-derived acidic fibroblast growth factor; Gimenez-Gallego G et al.; Acidic fibroblast growth factor is a potent mitogen for a variety of cells in culture, including vascular endothelial cells, and is angiogenic in vivo . The complete amino acid sequence of human brain-derived acidic fibroblast growth factor has been determined from amino terminal sequence analysis and carboxypeptidase A digestion of the whole protein and sequence analyses of peptides generated by tryptic, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and cyanogen bromide cleavages . A potential Asn-Gly-Ser glycosylation sequence is present in the human protein . The complete amino acid sequence is compared to that of the equivalent protein purified from bovine brain. Biochemistry, 1986 Jul 29, 25(15), 4309 - 14 Amino acid sequence of a basic Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii phospholipase A2 . Possible role of NH2-terminal lysines in action on phospholipids of Escherichia coli; Forst S et al.; A basic (pI = 10.2) phospholipase A2 of the venom of the snake Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii is one of a few phospholipases A2 capable of hydrolyzing the phospholipids of Escherichia coli killed by a bactericidal protein purified from human or rabbit neutrophil granules . We have shown that modification of as many as 4 mol of lysine per mole of the phospholipase A2, either by carbamylation or by reductive methylation {Forst, S., Weiss, J., & Elsbach, P . (1982) J . Biol . Chem . 257, 14055-14057}, had no effect on catalytic activity toward extracted E . coli phospholipids or the phospholipids of autoclaved E . coli . In contrast, modification of 1 mol of lysine per mole of enzyme substantially reduced activity toward the phospholipids of E . coli killed by the neutrophil protein . To explore further the role of lysines in the function of this phospholipase A2, we determined the amino acid sequence of the enzyme and the incorporation of {14C}cyanate into individual lysines when, on average, 1 lysine per molecule of enzyme had been carbamylated . After incorporation of approximately 1 mol of {14C}cyanate per mole of protein, the phospholipase A2 was reduced, alkylated, and exhaustively carbamylated with unlabeled cyanate . The amino acid sequence was determined of the NH2-terminal 33 amino acids of the holoprotein and of peptides isolated after digestion with trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V-8 protease . The protein contains 122 amino acid residues, 17 of which are lysines . The NH2-terminal region is unique among more than 30 phospholipases A2 previously sequenced because of its high content of basic residues (His-1, Arg-6, and Lys-7, -10, -11, and -15).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Biochemistry, 1986 Jul 29, 25(15), 4431 - 7 Identification of amino acid residues photolabeled with 2-azido{alpha-32P}adenosine diphosphate in the beta subunit of beef heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase; Garin J et al.; When beef heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase is photoirradiated in the presence of 2-azido{alpha-32P}adenosine diphosphate, the beta subunit of the enzyme is preferentially photolabeled {Dalbon, P., Boulay, F., & Vignais, P . V . (1985) FEBS Lett . 180, 212-218} . The site of photolabeling of the beta subunit has been explored . After cyanogen bromide cleavage of the photolabeled beta subunit, only the peptide fragment extending from Gln-293 to Met-358 was found to be labeled . This peptide was isolated and digested by trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . Digestion by trypsin yielded four peptides, one of which spanned residues Ala-338-Arg-356 and contained all the bound radioactivity . When trypsin was replaced by V8 protease, a single peptide spanning residues Leu-342-Met-358 was labeled . Edman degradation of the two labeled peptides showed that radioactivity was localized on the following four amino acids: Leu-342, Ile-344, Tyr-345, and Pro-346. J Biol Chem, 1986 Jul 25, 261(21), 9678 - 83 Isolation of an active-site peptide of lipoprotein lipase from bovine milk and determination of its amino acid sequence; Reddy MN et al.; Lipoprotein lipase from bovine milk reacted stoichiometrically with diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (DFP), an inactivator of serine esterases, resulting in the loss of enzymatic activity against triacylglycerols . The reaction obeyed first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.69 h-1 . In order to isolate the peptide containing the diisopropylphosphoryl moiety (DIP), partially purified lipoprotein lipase was covalently labeled with {3H}DFP, and the labeled protein was reduced, carboxymethylated, and further purified to about 90% homogeneity . Cyanogen bromide cleavage followed by gel filtration yielded a radioactive peptide of 6-8 kDa . This peptide was succinylated and then digested with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase . From this digest, a peptide containing 0.95 mol of {3H} DIP/mol of peptide was isolated by gel-permeation chromatography followed by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography . Automated Edman degradation provided the following sequence: Ala-Ile-Gly-Ile-His-Trp-Gly-Gly- (DIP)Ser-Pro-Asn-Gln-Lys-Asn-Gly-Ala-Val-Phe-Ile-Asn-(Ser, Leu)-Glu . Analysis of the sequence for secondary structure suggests that the reactive serine of lipoprotein lipase is in a beta-turn, a structure similar to those of the active sites of most other serine proteinases . Lipoprotein lipase appears to share this secondary structure with other serine hydrolases despite significant differences in the primary structure of this domain. N Engl J Med, 1986 Jul 10, 315(2), 91 - 6 Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and infection in patients on hemodialysis . Efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis; Yu VL et al.; We conducted a five-year prospective controlled study of prophylaxis of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and infection among patients in a hemodialysis unit . Carriers tended to have chronic colonization with a single phage type . S . aureus infections occurred significantly more frequently in carriers than in noncarriers and, in 93 percent of the infected carriers, were caused by the same phage type as that carried in the nares . Neither intravenous vancomycin nor topical bacitracin was found to be efficacious in eradicating nasal carriage . However, oral rifampin given for five days decreased S . aureus carriage over a one-month follow-up period, but within three months colonization of the nares recurred in most carriers, often with an S . aureus of the original phage type . Carriers were then randomly assigned to receive either rifampin or no prophylaxis . Rifampin was readministered at three-month intervals if culture of the anterior nares yielded S . aureus . Infections with S . aureus occurred significantly more frequently in carriers given no prophylaxis than in those given a full course of rifampin . S . aureus resistant to rifampin was isolated from the anterior nares of four patients, but these isolates were not implicated in any infections . The incidence of infection at the dialysis access site, skin, and soft tissue of patients on hemodialysis can be decreased by interventions directed at nasal carriage of S . aureus. FEBS Lett, 1986 Jul 7, 202(2), 303 - 8 The complete primary structure of GTP:AMP phosphotransferase from beef heart mitochondria; Tomasselli AG et al.; To complete the amino acid sequence of GTP:AMP phosphotransferase (MgGTP + AMP in equilibrium with MgGDP + ADP) from beef heart mitochondria it was necessary to sequence an intermediate region of about 33 residues after position 102 {(1984) Eur . J . Biochem . 143, 331-339} and find a suitable overlap with the rest of the protein . The required peptides were obtained by cleaving the enzyme with endoproteinase Lys-C . One peptide, covering the region from residue 79 to 144, was sequenced up to residue 124 . Another peptide, extending from residue 79 to 169, was subcleaved with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and provided the fragment from residue 99 to 139 which was sequenced . Several other peptides from endoproteinase Lys-C cleavage were used to check large sections of the previously published sequence work . The complete sequence contains 225 amino acids and has an Mr of 25 469. J Biol Chem, 1986 Jul 5, 261(19), 8836 - 41 Chicken liver H-protein, a component of the glycine cleavage system . Amino acid sequence and identification of the N epsilon-lipoyllysine residue; Fujiwara K et al.; The complete amino acid sequence of H-protein from chicken liver was determined by aligning peptides obtained by cyanogen bromide, endoproteinase Lys-C, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and chymotrypsin cleavage together with the partial NH2- and COOH-terminal sequence of the intact protein . H-protein consists of 125 amino acids and a lipoic acid moiety linked to lysine 59 . The sequence is: (sequence in text) . The lysyl residue involved in lipoic acid attachment is indicated with an asterisk . The molecular weight including lipoic acid is calculated to be 13,883 . From the secondary structure predicted by the method of Chou and Fasman (Chou, P . Y., and Fasman, G . D . (1978) Adv . Enzymol . 47, 45-148) the lipoic acid binding region shows alpha-helical structure and is predicted to be an interior portion of the protein from the hydropathic profile according to Kyte and Doolittle (Kyte, J., and Doolittle, R . F . (1982) J . Mol . Biol . 157, 105-132). Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg {A}, 1986 Jul, 261(4), 407 - 10 Coagulase typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from animals; Kawano J et al.; Coagulase typing was performed on Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various animals . Of the 383 strains examined, 209 (54.6%) strains were typable and could be differentiated into 8 coagulase types . The remaining 174 strains were non-typable with antisera against the 8 known types of coagulases . This suggests that many strains of S . aureus of animal origin may possess unknown types of coagulases. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler, 1986 Jul, 367(7), 579 - 89 Guinea pig plasma murinoglobulin . Purification and some properties; Suzuki Y et al.; Murinoglobulin, a newly identified mouse plasma protein resembling alpha-macroglobulins {Saito, A . & Sinohara, H . (1985) J . Biol . Chem . 260, 775-781}, was also found in guinea pig plasma, and purified to homogeneity . Guinea pig murinoglobulin consisted of a single 180-kDa polypeptide chain containing about 18% carbohydrate . It inhibited the proteolytic activities of trypsin and thermolysin towards Remazol brilliant blue hide powder, but stimulated the amidolytic activities of trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease towards small synthetic substrates . Heat treatment of murinoglobulin completely abolished the former activities, but partially retained the latter activities . The ability of guinea pig murinoglobulin to inhibit the proteolysis was much weaker than that of the mouse homologue . On interaction with trypsin, murinoglobulin underwent cleavage of one susceptible bond with concomitant unmasking of one thiol group . Methylamine treatment also released one thiol group per molecule. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1986 Jul, 30(1), 42 - 5 Steady-state serum pharmacokinetics of novobiocin and rifampin alone and in combination; Drusano GL et al.; Because of the potential of novobiocin-rifampin for oral therapy of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics of novobiocin and rifampin, alone and in combination, in a randomized, crossover, multiple-dose evaluation (500 mg of novobiocin and 300 mg of rifampin administered orally, twice a day, for 27 doses) in 10 volunteers . The half-lives of novobiocin and rifampin when administered alone were 5.85 +/- 1.20 and 1.46 +/- 0.30 h, respectively; when administered in combination, the half-lives were 2.66 +/- 0.65 and 1.43 +/- 0.29 h, respectively . This difference was significant for novobiocin . The area under the curve also differed significantly for novobiocin when administered in combination . No significant differences were seen in the maximum concentration of drug in serum, the time to maximum concentration of drug in serum, or both for either drug when single and combination therapy groups were compared . A change in clearance of novobiocin rather than a change in absorption is the more likely explanation for these findings . The mechanism remains to be elucidated . Nevertheless, the trough serum concentrations of both novobiocin and rifampin were in excess of the MIC for 90% of strains tested of methicillin-resistant S . aureus, even when coadministered. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, 1986 Jul-Aug, 10(4), 431 - 4 In vitro contamination of "piggyback/heparin lock" assemblies: prevention of contamination with a closed, positive locking device (Click-Lock); Gibilisco PA et al.; Direct contact and airborne transmission are established modes of microbial contamination of standard intravenous (iv) assemblies such as piggyback and heparin lock . In this study, 60% of the standard iv assemblies inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (S . aureus) at the barrel of their exposed needle grew these organisms when cultured in a Soy Casein Digest Broth (SCDB) . Also, 40 closed, positive locking iv assemblies (Click-Lock) were inoculated at possible contamination sites, and none of these assemblies grew S . aureus in a SCDB . These in vitro studies suggest that a closed, positive locking iv assembly such as the Click-Lock device may substantially reduce, and potentially prevent contamination of iv systems. Hautarzt, 1986 Jul, 37(7), 410 - 2 {Toxic shock syndrome}; Marsch WC et al.; A 23-year-old woman developed mitigated toxic shock syndrome while using intravaginal tampons during menstruation . The Staphylococcus aureus strain isolated from the vaginal epithelium produced the responsible exotoxin (TSST-1). Genetika, 1986 Jul, 22(7), 1081 - 92 {Nucleotide sequence and physical map of kanamycin-resistant plasmid pUB110 from Staphylococcus aureus}; Bashkirov VI et al.; The complete nucleotide sequence of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pUB10 was determined . The sequence consists of 4545 b.p . and contains 64% A-T and 36% G-C pairs . pUB110 was found to contain four open reading frames, capable of coding for polypeptides having more than 80 amino acids . All the putative polypeptides are coded for by one DNA strand . The molecular weights of four putative polypeptides are (in kilodaltons): A-49.5; B-38.8; C-28.8 and D-9.5 . Polypeptide C is involved in kanamycin resistance . Polypeptide B is, possibly, involved in pUB110 replication . No role has yet been established for polypeptides A and D, since deletions in their coding sequences have no detectable effect on any properties of pUB110 plasmid. Arthritis Rheum, 1986 Jul, 29(7), 910 - 2 Aseptic arthritis in a man with toxic shock syndrome; Gertner E et al.; Synovitis in toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an unusual finding . A 31-year-old man presented with pain and swelling in both knees and was found to have TSS, secondary to a septic bursitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus . Immune complexes were not detected in serum or synovial fluid, and the S aureus was not recovered from the inflamed joints . Antibodies against the TSS toxin-1 were detected in serum and synovial fluid, but in lower levels than would be seen in a normal control serum . Complement studies implicated alternative pathway activation by a marked diminution in C3 levels compared with C4 levels, and by lower levels of factor B than would be found in other inflammatory joint diseases . The diagnostic dilemma posed by TSS in a man is discussed. Tijdschr Diergeneeskd, 1986 Jul 1, 111(13), 639 - 42 {A hemorrhagic-anemic syndrome with dermatitis in broiler chickens}; Froyman R et al.; Eleven successive deaths of broiler chickens affected with dermatitis (Staphylococcus aureus) preceded by anaemia and muscular haemorrhages, are reported as occurring in Belgium . All of these cases could be traced to a single flock of broiler breeders . The depletion of lymphoid cells in the bursa, thymus and spleen was a striking feature . Infectious Bursal Disease virus as triggering or causative agent, could not be demonstrated . The pathological changes showed a marked resemblance to similar syndromes which were recently reported in broilers (1, 2, 3, 4). Am Surg, 1986 Jul, 52(7), 398 - 401 Social, economic, and surgical anatomy of a drug-related abscess; Wallace JR et al.; The "letting of pus" has been a surgical triumph throughout medical history . This study was initiated to expand our knowledge of the etiologic, economic, and surgical aspects of an abscess . The records of 651 patients undergoing intraoperative incision and drainage of an abscess over a 12-month interval were analyzed . The abscesses were due to injection of illicit street drugs in 421 patients (64.7%), perirectal, pilonidal or sweat gland inflammation in 118 patients (18%), complications of diabetes in 22 patients (3.4%) and a prior operative procedure in only 18 patients (2.8%) . Fifty-three of the 421 patients with a drug-related abscess were randomly selected for an indepth review . Eighty-three per cent of the patients had positive cultures including 75 per cent with a single organism and 25 per cent with mixed flora . Staphylococcus aureus was present in 62 per cent of the cultures and 41 per cent of the isolates were methicillin resistant . The average length of hospitalization was 12.4 days with a range of 1 to 61 days . The average cost of hospitalization was $10,651 which increased to $24,383 if the patient had a mycotic aneurysm . The estimated annual cost of treatment of this sequela of injected illicit drugs was 6.9 million dollars in our hospital. J Pharmacol Methods, 1986 Jul, 15(4), 335 - 46 Radioimmunoassays for fish tail neuropeptides: I . Development of assay and measurement of immunoreactive urotensin I in Catostomus commersoni brain, pituitary, and plasma; Suess U et al.; Antisera were raised in rabbits using highly purified urotensin I (UI) or UI (4-41) conjugated with high-molecular-weight proteins . Antiserum 2U4, at a final dilution of 1:300,000, gave 50% binding to iodinated UI (specific activity 40-120 microCi/micrograms) . Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and sucker (Catostomus commersoni) UI peptides cross-reacted completely with the antiserum . Results from cross-reactivity tests using various tryptic and Staphylococcus aureus protease fragments of UI indicated that the antigenic sites of the main antibody(ies) are directed against a part sequence in the C-terminal region of the peptide although antibodies with lower concentration or affinity, recognizing N-terminal region(s) of the peptide, are also present . No cross-reactivity was seen with insulin, secretin, vasoactive intestinal peptide or a structural UI-homolog, the ovine hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor, up to molar concentrations . Sauvagine, another structurally homologous peptide from frog skin, showed only 0.1% cross-reactivity . The urophysis-specific proteins, urophysins B and D, showed a low degree of cross-reactivity . Assays of serial dilutions of urophysis extracts from teleostean species yielded parallel displacement curves, except in the case of the pacific goby, Gillichthys mirabilis . Varying concentrations of immunoreactive UI were present in different regions of C . commersoni brain, spinal cord, and pituitary, and also in plasma . The measurement of 17.5 +/- 2.1 fmol UI/ml of plasma indicates that this assay may be used for the study of circulating UI peptide(s). J Vasc Surg, 1986 Jul, 4(1), 16 - 21 Inhibition of bacterial adhesion by antibacterial surface pretreatment of vascular prostheses; Webb LX et al.; Polytetrafluoroethylene grafts were pretreated with oxacillin, with the cationic detergent benzalkonium, or with both substances, either at room temperature or at 90 degrees C . Inhibition zones ranging from 6.4 to 15.2 mm formed around all grafts incubated on Staphylococcus aureus-streaked agar plates except control disks and those treated with oxacillin . Treated grafts were exposed in vitro to S . aureus in high concentration, followed by distilled water lavage . The graft surface was then stained with ruthenium red to stain polysaccharides and studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy . Colonization of the graft surface by adhesive bacteria was demonstrated in all cases, although it was less prevalent on grafts pretreated with benzalkonium bound at 90 degrees C. J Exp Med, 1986 Jul 1, 164(1), 321 - 6 C-reactive protein is produced by a small number of normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes; Kuta AE et al.; Biosynthetic labeling with {35S}met and immunoprecipitation with anti-C-reactive protein (CRP) antibodies and Staphylococcus aureus indicate that cell surface CRP is produced by lymphocytes . The ability of anti-CRP to reduce NK activity, and the demonstration that 125I-anti-CRP-labeled PBL are found in low-density Percoll fractions associated with large granular lymphocyte (LGL) and NK activity suggest that S-CRP-bearing cells are NK effectors . The production of S-CRP by LGL supports this hypothesis . While lymphocytes were shown to synthesize S-CRP, monocytes produced no detectable S-CRP . The lymphocytes that produce S-CRP apparently do not secrete it; when lymphocyte culture supernatants were tested, no S-CRP was found . This is the first description of extrahepatic synthesis of CRP. J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Jul, 24(1), 137 - 8 Gastrointestinal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Rimland D et al.; Nasal and rectal cultures were taken from all patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus identified on routine cultures obtained because of clinical indications . Of 117 patients studied over a 3-year period, 70 (60%) had rectal colonization and 62 (53%) had nasal colonization . Rectal colonization, probably reflecting gastrointestinal carriage, may be a source of transmission of methicillin-resistant S . aureus in hospitalized patients and may be difficult to eradicate. J Bacteriol, 1986 Jul, 167(1), 77 - 81 Binding of collagen to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1; Speziale P et al.; Collagen binds to a receptor protein present on the surfaces of Staphylococcus aureus cells . Binding of 125I-labeled type II collagen to its bacterial receptor is reversible, and Scatchard plot analysis indicates the presence of one class of receptor that occurs on an average of 3 X 10(4) copies per cell and binds type II collagen with a Kd of 10(-7) M . Studies on the specificity of collagen cell binding indicate that the receptor does not recognize noncollagenous proteins but binds all of the different collagen types tested (types I to VI) . Furthermore, isolated collagen alpha chains and peptides generated by cyanogen bromide cleavage of type I collagen alpha chains are recognized by the receptor as indicated by the ability of these polypeptides to inhibit bindi