Zentralbl Gynakol, 1987, 109(5), 300 - 4 {Bacterial vaginitis within the scope of gynecologic consultation}; Barten G; Examinations about bacterial vaginosis have been done in 384 fertile women according the following diagnostic criteria: Homogenous gray flour, typical fish smelling, clue cells and pH of 5 in vaginal content . Clue cells could be detected in 233 (60.6 per cent) women . Bacterial vaginosis with three of the above mentioned criteria could be found in 40.4 per cent . The cure rate following oral metronidazole therapy (twice daily 500 mg metronidazole for 5 days) was 75.2 per cent . In cases with therapy failure or frequent recurrences treatment of sexual partners is indicated, because bacterial vaginosis is a sexually transmitted disease. Arch Oral Biol, 1987, 32(3), 181 - 9 In-vitro urea-dependent pH-changes by human salivary bacteria and dispersed, artificial-mouth, bacterial plaques; Sissons CH et al.; The pH effects of urea metabolism were studied in washed salivary-sediment bacteria from subjects that had up to 10-fold variation in oral ureolytic activity, and in dispersed artificial-mouth plaques . Adequate evaluation required analysis of the {OH-} as well as the pH curve . An initial constant rate of pH-change, lasting until pH 7.8, was derived from the pH curve; this gave the best correlation (r = 0.95) with the ureolysis rate . From the {OH-}-curve, between pH 7.8 and 8.3 (approx.), a constant and maximal rate of change in {OH-} was determined . Although theoretically this was directly related to the rate of ammonia release, it was 10(-2) to 10(-3) times its value and correlated less well (r = 0.83) with ureolysis . Together with the initial and final pH, these two rates largely described urea-induced pH changes . After 12.5-fold dilution of the cells, changes in the pH curve were minor . Although the rate of ureolytic ammonia release was proportional to cell-protein concentration, the reduction in ureolytic activity was compensated by a corresponding reduction in cell pH-buffering . Consequently, in order to relate pH and {OH-} changes to ureolysis, it was necessary to control, or correct for, variations in the cell mass present . Buffering capacity in plaques was greater than in sediments . The 10-fold range in oral ureolytic activity by salivary bacteria gave a 10-20-fold range in base changes. J Clin Periodontol, 1987 Jan, 14(1), 22 - 8 Bacterial penetration of pocket soft tissues in chronic adult and juvenile periodontitis cases . An ultrastructural study; Liakoni H et al.; This study investigates bacterial invasion of the soft tissue walls of deep pockets from cases with adult (AP) and juvenile periodontitis (JP) . Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine pocket soft tissue walls removed from extracted teeth from 5 patients with AP and 2 patients with JP . Bacteria were sparse throughout the epithelium and connective tissue, regardless of the level of tissue breakdown . However many inflammatory cells were seen, and these did appear to be located in regions of marked collagen loss . Accumulations of large numbers of bacteria were extremely rare and found only on the epithelial surface or in artefactual spaces within the deeper tissues . The findings indicate that the tissue destruction associated with periodontitis is not directly related to bacterial invasion . The sparse organisms within the pocket tissues probably result from passive entry rather than an invasive action . Under these circumstances, it would seem reasonable to suggest that bacterial metabolic products rather than the micro-organisms themselves penetrate the tissues in periodontitis. Ann Med Interne (Paris), 1987, 138(8), 610 - 4 {Surgery of bacterial aortic insufficiency . Indications and results}; Michel PL et al.; Seventy nine patients were operated for aortic regurgitation due to bacterial endocarditis confirmed anatomically at surgery between 1968 and 1984 . They were classified into 3 groups according to the stage of endocarditis at the time of operation: progressive endocarditis (21 cases), recent endocarditis (39 cases) and late endocarditis (19 cases) . The patients were adults (21 to 70 years) and predominantly male (82 p . 100) . Previous valvular disease was found in 38 cases, bicuspid aortic valves were found in 21 cases . Most of the patients operated early (recent progressive endocarditis) had cardiac failure and the surgical indication was nearly always poor haemodynamic tolerance . In addition, this indication was also retained in late forms of the disease in patients usually panci-symptomatic in the presence of signs of increasing left ventricular dysfunction . The aortic lesion was the only pathology in 55 cases and was associated with periannular abscess in 8 cases, septal abscess in 5 cases including one with septal perforation, and mitral endocarditis in 12 cases . Seven patients died during surgery, in low output states in 6 cases (global mortality 8.9 p . 100) . The 72 survivors were followed up for an average period of 5 years (4 to 168 months); three patients were lost to follow-up . The actuarial survival rate including the operative mortality was 77 p . 100 at 5 years and 64.6 p . 100 at 10 years . Valve dehiscence was common (52 p . 100); although the perivalvular leak was usually small, in 11 cases it was quite severe and 7 patients had to be reoperated . An excellent functional result was observed in 30 cases, especially in those patients operated early. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol, 1987, 9(4), 421 - 8 No evidence for an interaction of the bacterial immunomodulator trehalose dimycolate (TDM) with liver drug-metabolizing system in mice; Zidek Z et al.; Trehalose dimycolate (TDM), an immunomodulatory glycolipid component of Mycobacteria, was tested from the point of view of possible effects on drug metabolism . TDM was given intraperitoneally as a single 0.1 mg dose to mice . Basic parameters of the liver mixed-function oxidase system were assayed 1 or 7 days later . No significant changes were found in contents of cytochromes P-450 and b5, as well as in specific activities of microsomal enzymes--aniline hydroxylase, ethylmorphine demethylase, and glucuronide transferase . Similarly, liver microsomal protein concentration and activities of serum aspartate and alanine transaminases remained unchanged . The susceptibility of microsomal membranes to lipid peroxidation was significantly decreased 7 days after TDM administration . TDM may thus be presumed not to influence range and magnitude of effects of concurrently administered drugs. Boll Ist Sieroter Milan, 1987, 66(3), 247 - 53 {Multicenter study of the immunostimulating activity of a bacterial lysate}; Pellegrino M et al.; The Authors report the results obtained within a multicentrical trial, weighing the immunostimolant effect of bacterial lysate on 157 patients . The drug (bacterial lysate) has induced an immunitary reaction, making significantly higher either the salivary IgA values or the serum IgA, IgG and IgM values . Also excellent tolerability is peculiar to this new immunostimolant. Drugs Exp Clin Res, 1987, 13(8), 497 - 500 Ceftriaxone compared with a combination of ampicillin and chloramphenicol in the treatment of bacterial meningitis in adults; Girgis NI et al.; Thirty patients, 25 males and 5 females, aged 16-30 years (mean 21.8 years) with bacterial meningitis were assigned randomly into one of two therapeutic regimens . Patients in Group I received ceftriaxone 100 mg/kg (max 4 g) intravenously (i.v.) once daily . Those in Group II received ampicillin i.v . 160 mg/kg/day plus chloramphenicol i.v . 100 mg/kg/day every 6 h . Of the 15 patients in Group I, N . meningitidis was isolated from 11 patients and S . pneumoniae from 4; and of the 15 patients in Group II, N . meningitidis was isolated from 10 patients and S . pneumoniae from 5 . Response to therapy as measured by mortality, time taken for defervescence and for patients to regain full consciousness were comparable in the two groups . One patient in each group died; both died within 24 h of initiation of therapy . The mean no . of days taken to become afebrile were 3.4 and 3.5 and to regain full consciousness were 3.9 and 3.5 for Groups I and II respectively . Ceftriaxone given i.v . appears to be as effective as a combination of ampicillin and chloramphenicol in the treatment of adult patients with meningitis due to N . meningitidis and S . pneumoniae . However, the once-daily schedule of ceftriaxone is more convenient, saving nursing time and expense. Ann Chir Main, 1987, 6(3), 181 - 8 Bacterial flexor tenosynovitis in the hand . A series of 68 cases; Sokolow C et al.; The authors report 68 cases of bacterial tenosynovitis (BT) that is the largest international series dealing with this pathology since the introduction of antibiotics . Their study stresses the connection between the quality of the final result and the stage at which the condition is treated . The speed at which the tenosynovitis becomes established depends on the mechanism of infection . One can dissociate BT by direct inoculation with violation of the tenosynovial sheath, from the BT by diffusion through an undamaged sheath . The former progress within a few hours to a few days, the latter slowly in a few days to a few weeks, with a slower onset masked by the clinical signs of the initial infection . They propose a new classification which allows the choice of proper surgical therapy taking into account the type of onset of the BT and the intraoperative findings. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 1987, 66(4), 365 - 7 C-reactive protein: an early marker for neonatal bacterial infection due to prolonged rupture of amniotic membranes and/or amnionitis; Salzer HR et al.; The C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration was determined in 25 infants whose mothers had presented with prolonged rupture of amniotic membranes (PROM) and/or amnionitis . CRP was positive (i.e . greater than or equal to 6 mg/l) within the first 6 hrs of life in 10 and negative in 15 infants . Clinically, all infants with positive CRP developed symptoms suggesting bacterial infection and both the absolute immature neutrophil counts as well as the ratio immature/total neutrophils were significantly higher in them on day 2 of life than in infants with negative CRP . Blood cultures were only positive in infants with positive CRP . Thus CRP can be regarded as an early marker for neonatal bacterial infection due to PROM and/or amnionitis. Mol Endocrinol, 1987 Jan, 1(1), 5 - 14 Human preproparathyroid hormone synthesized in Escherichia coli is transported to the surface of the bacterial inner membrane but not processed to the mature hormone; Born W et al.; cDNA encoding human preproPTH (hpreproPTH) was expressed in Escherichia coli to study the processing of the precursor to hPTH and its secretion by the bacterial secretory apparatus . We first constructed hybrid genes that differed randomly in the distance between the E . coli lac promoter's ribosomal binding site and DNA encoding a fusion protein with beta-galactosidase activity and the prepro sequence of hpreproPTH on the aminoterminus . Starting with clones identified as efficient producers of beta-galactosidase on indicator agar plates, the coding sequence for hpreproPTH was reconstituted intact . In a different construction we placed the hpreproPTH coding sequence downstream from the lac promoter at a distance of 12 base pairs from the ribosomal binding site . PTH immunoreactive proteins from multiple clones were identified by protein gel electrophoresis and by protein microsequencing . PTH-related proteins encoded by different plasmids were shown to be hpreproPTH with amino-terminal extensions of either two or four amino acids and as authentic hpreproPTH . Two hPTH fragments, hPTH(3-84) and hPTH(8-84), were also observed . The trypsin accessibility of hpreproPTH and of the two hPTH fragments in pulse-chase, cell-fractionation experiments using intact and lysed spheroplasts lets us conclude that the mammalian signal sequence directs hpreproPTH to the surface of the spheroplast membrane but is not appropriately cleaved by the signal peptidase. Lymphokine Res, 1987 Fall, 6(4), 351 - 5 IL 1 and bacterial lipopolysaccharide increase the ability of human endothelial cells to bind peripheral blood monocytes; Downs EC et al.; Human endothelial cells (EC) exposed to human recombinant IL 1 and to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) demonstrated a time dependent increase in their ability to bind peripheral blood monocytes (M0) . The enhancement of endothelial-M0 interactions was shown to represent a direct alteration of EC and was not explained by IL 1 and LPS affecting M0 . Other experiments indicated that the enhancement represented an acceleration in EC binding of M0 suggesting that EC may play a role in initiating proinflammatory events prior to the recruitment of inflammatory cells by chemotactic peptides. Environ Mol Mutagen, 1987, 10(4), 411 - 24 Mutagenic and clastogenic properties of 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2 (5H)-furanone: a potent bacterial mutagen in drinking water; Meier JR et al.; 3-Chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX) was found to be a direct-acting mutagen in the Ames test for strains TA1535, TA1538, TA92, TA97, TA98, TA100 and TA102 . The highest mutagenic response (approximately 13,000 revertants/nmol) was seen in strain TA100 . The TA100 response was six- to tenfold higher than in TA98, TA97, and TA102, and 100- to 500-fold higher than in TA1535, TA92, and TA1538 . The addition of a 9,000 x g supernatant fraction (S-9) from livers of polychlorinated biphenyl-treated rats, along with cofactors for NADPH generation, resulted in a 90% reduction in the TA100 mutagenicity . MX induced chromosomal aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells after 6-8 hr exposure without S-9 at a dose as low as 4 micrograms/ml, and after 2 hr exposure with S-9 at a dose of 75 micrograms/ml . The oral dose of MX lethal to 50% (LD50) in Swiss-Webster mice was determined to be 128 mg/kg . MX did not induce micronuclei in mouse bone marrow when administered by oral gavage at doses up to 70% of the LD50. Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 1987, 244(2), 88 - 90 Effects of bacterial endotoxin on the ciliary activity in the in vitro eustachian tube; Ohashi Y et al.; We have used a tissue culture technique and a photoelectric method to examine the direct effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the ciliary activity present in the eustachian tube . Since LPS possesses the major part of the biological activity of endotoxin, our results show clearly that LPS deteriorates the ciliary activity in a dose-response fashion: LPS does not deteriorate the ciliary activity up to 168 h if its concentration is 1 ng/ml or less; 10 ng/ml LPS can cause deterioration of the ciliary activity with extended exposure (more than 96 h); LPS can cause dysfunction of the cilia rather quickly if the concentration is 100 ng/ml or more . Our results show that the ciliary activity in the eustachian tube under clinical conditions can be affected by endotoxin. Gene, 1987, 54(2-3), 275 - 80 Promoter selection by a bacterial enhancer-like activator element (BELE) in Escherichia coli; Garciarrubio AA et al.; The Escherichia coli glnA gene promoter glnAp2 is activated by an element able to act bidirectionally and at variable distance over the DNA . We demonstrate here that this activating element does not influence another promoter, 82p, adjacent to it, from which a gene is transcribed in opposite direction to glnA . Thus, although it displays a great flexibility, this element can activate selectively . The unresponsive promoter and glnAp2 are recognized by RNA polymerases complexed to two different sigma factors . Therefore, we argue that promoter selection by this element is dependent upon distinguishing the proper sigma factor. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1987, 503, 251 - 60 Bacterial viruses, prophages, and plasmids, reconsidered; Sonea S; Prophages and plasmids offer to the bacterial cells generalized access to each other's genes . The result is an extremely rich, available gene bank . It has successfully supported the original bacterial life since its beginnings and therefore it has conditioned all bacterial cells . Thus, most of the basic mechanisms for the living world, the richest variety of new genes, and particularly the improved ways of using DNA as an extremely adaptable genetic material happened in bacteria with the help of prophages and plasmids . This fact has profoundly marked all the biosphere . The ancestor of the nucleus probably started as an accumulation of prophages and plasmids integrated in the growing "chromosome" of the outer symbiont of the first eukaryotes . Many bacterial vestiges were probably retained in eukaryotes, mostly those related to the dominant and lasting role of small replicons in all their bacterial precursors . These vestiges may, for example, serve as an endogenic source for some DNA viruses in eukaryotes . The other animal and plant viruses seem to derive directly or indirectly from prophages or plasmids . In the case of RNA viruses they may have originated from probable RNA small replicons present in the first forms of life on earth . Some confusion arose in biology, as viruses were discovered first and therefore their most probable ancestors, the plasmids and the prophages which were discovered later, were thought to be viruslike, or viruses, as is the case with prophages. Scand J Infect Dis, 1987, 19(3), 309 - 12 Culture from epipharynx of little value in bacterial pneumonia; Steinum O et al.; In 75 patients with acute pneumonia of moderate severity a comparative study between transtracheal aspiration (TTA), sputum culture and epipharynx culture was carried out . Organisms considered as the probable etiological agent were found in 53% with TTA . The same organisms were found in only 27% in sputum samples and in 21% in epipharynx samples . No serious complications with TTA was noted. Arkh Patol, 1987, 49(3), 37 - 44 {Morphologic manifestations of intestinal lesions of bacterial and mycotic etiology developing in association with acute respiratory infections}; Shastina GV; By means of light and immunofluorescent microscopy the intestines of 34 children were studied, whose bacterial or mycotic enterocolitis most often combined with acute respiratory infections . Intestinal lesions were caused either by virus (sometimes by Mycoplasma), or by bacteria and fungi . Such changes developed in the debilitated children and their course was more severe, than in monoinfections because of the impaired systemic and local immunity, and probably due to formation of viral-bacterial complexes . Viral intestinal lesions were most often caused by a single virus, but not by multiple ones, as in pulmonary infections, which is explained by interferon production and the intensive therapy used . The alternative component in a viral lesion is enhanced due to the presence of lactic acid in the intestine and therefore it is inhibited when acute viral respiratory infection develops against the background of bacterial or mycotic enterocolitis due to dysbacteriosis . Changes in mucosal stroma and intestinal lymphatic system in different infections depend on the duration of the intestinal lesion. Pediatr Hematol Oncol, 1987, 4(2), 131 - 6 Bacterial endocarditis in a child with a Broviac catheter; Becton DL et al.; Broviac and Hickman catheters facilitate the care of children with cancer but provide a source of potential infection . We describe a child with a Broviac catheter who developed left-sided bacterial endocarditis in whom right-to-left atrial shunting was documented following catheter flushing . Following removal of the catheter and administration of prolonged intravenous antibiotics, recovery was complete and cardiac function returned to normal. J Mol Evol, 1987, 26(3), 257 - 67 Examination of protein sequence homologies: IV . Twenty-seven bacterial ferredoxins; Otaka E et al.; Sequence homologies of 27 bacterial ferredoxins were examined using a computer program that quantitatively evaluates extent of similarity as a correlation coefficient . The results of a similarity search among the sequences demonstrated that the basal sequence consists of a pair of extremely similar segments of 26 amino acids connected by a three-amino acid group . The segment pairs, which would have arisen from gene duplication, are termed the first and second units . Because of the gene duplication, the connector sequence appears to have been introduced as a structurally important chain reversal . Each of the two units contains four cysteine residues, which are inserted one by one among seven, two, two, three, and eight amino acid alignments, respectively . The bacterial ferredoxins were categorized with regard to basal constitution as follows: group 1, in which both units closely conform to the basal structure; group 2, in which the second unit is modified in a characteristic manner among members; group 3, in which the first unit is modified in a characteristic manner, while the conforming second unit is accompanied by a long accessory sequence; group 4, in which there are modifications before and/or after the units, of which the respective central domains remain nearly intact; and group 5, where only the former of two Fe:S cluster ligation sets of four cysteines is estimated to remain intact, whereas the latter set is extremely modified . It is noteworthy that throughout all bacterial ferredoxins, one of two cysteine sets never fails to be completely intact and, moreover, the connector of three amino acids also exists intact . Based on this grouping and on the correspondences among the groups, average correlation coefficients among all members were computed, and the respective evolutionary relationships were examined . The results supported the proposition that transposition had occurred in the Azotobacter-type ferredoxins of group 3. J Mol Evol, 1987, 26(3), 187 - 97 The distributions of nucleotides near bacterial transcription initiation and termination sites show distinct signals that may affect DNA geometry; Nussinov R et al.; Compilation and analysis of all bacterial sequences which are aligned by their transcription initiation sites show a dramatic behavior of the four nucleotides . Large peaks of T and A are observed . This highly nonrandom distribution is likely to affect the DNA geometry in addition to affecting the strength of binding between the two DNA strands . Following this site, the G and C rise above their overall bacterial mean . Alignment by transcription termination sites indicates that this behavior continues till the mRNA 3' termini . At this site the concentrations of A and T rise again above the mean . Analysis of the distributions of the 256 quartets in the 1000 nucleotide regions surrounding both transcription initiation and termination sites has been carried out . Some A/T combination sequences may serve as signals to the bacterial transcription machinery, in addition to the well-established TTGACA and TATAAT at positions -35 and -10, respectively, and a run of Ts at the transcription termination site . The frequent occurrences of (dA)/(dT) runs in the vicinity of these sites may result in curved DNA structures, affecting recognition and the nature of the interaction between the RNA polymerase and the DNA. Cornea, 1987, 6(4), 283 - 5 Secondary bacterial keratitis in herpes zoster ophthalmicus; Lyon DB et al.; We report a case of an unusual complication of herpes zoster ophthalmicus, secondary bacterial keratitis . Compared with previously reported cases, ours is unique in its early occurrence in the course of zoster and the lack of predisposing factors such as steroid use, contact lens use, or prior corneal disease or surgery . The opportunistic pathogen Branhamella cattarhalis responded well to medical therapy . We feel that bacterial superinfection must always be a concern in patients with herpes zoster keratitis, even early in their often prolonged chronic disease. Can J Microbiol, 1987 Jan, 33(1), 6 - 11 Analysis of microcalorimetric curves for bacterial identification; Lopez D et al.; A numeric method is suggested for the treatment of microcalorimetric curves of bacterial growth to provide a new tool for their automatic identification . In this method the microcalorimetric curves are searched against certain reference profiles (stored in a library) by means of a cross-correlation analysis and a parametric comparison . The matching between the new curve and each reference profile is evaluated by means of a specific identification coefficient which provides an objective criterion for the identification of each species . The reliability of the method is discussed. Kidney Int, 1987 Jan, 31(1), 77 - 84 Interaction of Tamm-horsfall protein with bacterial extracts; Shachner MS et al.; Crude extracts of uropathic Escherichia coli have been reported to inhibit the binding of human Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP) to homologous and heterologous anti-THP antibody in immunoassays . This phenomenon was believed to be due to immunologic cross reactivity between THP and the bacterial antigens for the same antibody . Our attempts to further purify and characterize these "cross reactive" antigens with ion exchange and molecular sieve chromatography were unsuccessful . When purified anti-THP antibody was conjugated to sepharose beads forming an immunoadsorption column capable of isolating THP and cross reactive antigens from solution, the bacterial extracts did not react with the affinity column . However, binding between THP and the bacterial extracts and between THP and whole bacteria were demonstrated . These findings suggest that the cross reactivity seen in the immunoassays is caused by the interaction between the bacterial extracts and THP, and is not representative of true immunologic cross reaction for a common antibody. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1987 Jan, 53(1), 211 - 3 Specific and sensitive plate assay for bacterial lipases; Kouker G et al.; A plate assay to detect bacterial lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in a medium containing trioleoylglycerol and the fluorescent dye rhodamine B is presented . Substrate hydrolysis causes the formation of orange fluorescent halos around bacterial colonies visible upon UV irradiation . The logarithm of lipase activity from cell-free culture supernatants is linearly correlated with the diameter of halos, thereby allowing quantitation of lipase activities ranging from 1 to 30 nkat. J Natl Cancer Inst, 1987 Jan, 78(1), 121 - 4 Gamma interferon priming of mouse and human macrophages for induction of tumor necrosis factor production by bacterial lipopolysaccharide; Gifford GE et al.; Priming of macrophages from both murine and human sources by recombinant immune interferons from Escherichia coli (r-IFN-gamma s) and activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) . r-IFN-gamma alone did not induce TNF production by macrophages; for this to occur, the second signal provided by small amounts (nanograms) of LPS was required . The small amounts of LPS alone were insufficient to activate the macrophages for TNF production . Priming by r-IFN-gamma was not necessary when larger amounts of LPS were employed, although an enhancement of yield resulted . Priming could also be demonstrated in vivo . Inoculation of r-IFN-gamma into mice resulted in increased yields of TNF following LPS challenge 12 hours later. J Gen Virol, 1987 Jan, 68 ( Pt 1), 247 - 52 Stability of a bacterial gene in a bovine papillomavirus-based shuttle vector maintained extrachromosomally in mammalian cells; MacGregor GR et al.; In order to analyse the stability of cloned genes in a viral vector we have constructed a shuttle vector based on bovine papillomavirus and the Escherichia coli gene lacZ . Propagation of this vector in mouse C127 cells and analysis of vector sequences in bacteria produced no detectable mutations in the lacZ gene in over 6137 clones analysed . This is 100-fold less than the mutation frequency observed when the same and similar target genes are replicated in monkey COS cells using a simian virus 40-based shuttle vector. J Neuroimmunol, 1987 Jan, 13(3), 259 - 71 Analysis of Ia induction on Lewis rat astrocytes in vitro by virus particles and bacterial adjuvants; Massa PT et al.; Viral particles of a neurotropic murine hepatitis virus (JHM) and various substances known to have immunoregulatory effects, including bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and synthetic adjuvant peptide (muramyl dipeptide) (AP), were tested for their ability to induce Ia antigen expression on Lewis rat astrocytes in vitro . JHM virus, LPS and AP are all capable of inducing Ia molecules on astrocytes, however, in a pattern and kinetics distinct from recombinant rat gamma interferon (gamma-IFN) . Whereas gamma-IFN induced Ia expression on astrocytes and all macrophages after 48 h treatment, JHM virus, LPS and AP required 4-7 days for maximal induction of Ia on astrocytes, but had little to no effect on the macrophage population . This indicates that astrocytes are uniquely reactive to components derived from infectious agents and that these components are immunoregulatory with respect to Ia expression on astrocytes . We have also attempted to determine possible mechanisms by which these agents induce astrocyte Ia and show that phorbol myristate acetate and Ca2+ ionophore A23187 have similar effects . These findings suggest that infectious agents may directly stimulate antigen presenting functions of astrocytes in the brain through gamma-IFN-independent mechanisms. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 1987 Jan-Mar, 82(1), 87 - 90 Endocytosis-inducer adhesins produced by enteropathogenic serogroups of Escherichia coli participate on bacterial attachment to infant enterocytes; Andrade JR et al.; Enteropathogenic E . coli (EPEC) infection of Hep-2 cells proceeds through bacterial attachment to cell surface and internalization of adhered bacteria . EPEC attachment is a prerequisite for cell infection and is mediated by adhesins that recognize carbohydrate-containing receptors on cell membrane . Such endocytosis-inducer adhesins (EIA) also promote EPEC binding to infant enterocytes, suggesting that EIA may have an important role on EPEC gastroenteritis. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 1987, 53(6), 447 - 53 Three dimensional structure of bacterial pili; Parge HE et al.; Crystallographic and associated biochemical and structural studies are in progress on the fiber-forming pilin proteins of the gonococcal pilus . Preparative scale purification procedures have been developed for the gonococcal pilin protein, which appear generally applicable to bacterial pilins . For three gonococcal pilin protein strains, we have obtained both reassembled pilus fibers and three-dimensional crystals . One needle-shaped crystal form of gonococcal C30 pilin diffracts beyond 3 A resolution using synchrotron x-ray radiation . A diffraction data set to 3.5 A resolution has been collected on these needle-shaped crystals (lattice spacings a = 125.4(3) b = 120.4(3), c = 26.61(4) A) in which the packing arrangement of the pilin subunits appears to resemble that seen in the pilus fibers using electron microscopy . X-ray diffraction data confirm our proposed model for the overall polypeptide fold of a pilin subunit, which is an antiparallel 4-alpha helix bundle similar to tobacco mosaic virus coat protein and myohemerythrin. Comp Biochem Physiol A, 1987, 88(3), 519 - 21 Bacterial endotoxin and infection cause behavioural hypothermia in infant mice; Lagerspetz KY et al.; 1 . When placed in a temperature gradient, 3-10 day old mice injected with living Escherichia coli or with E . coli endotoxin, select 2-3 degrees C lower temperatures than their litter-mate controls injected with saline . 2 . At the lower selected temperature (32 degrees C) young mouse pups resist bacterial infection for longer and tolerate higher doses of endotoxin than at the temperature selected by the controls (35 degrees C) . 3 . It is possible that a controlled hypothermic state, here called cryexia, is in small mammals an alternative strategy to fever for coping with infections. Folia Microbiol (Praha), 1987, 32(5), 368 - 75 Mini-Mu transposition of bacterial genes on the transmissible plasmid; Weiserova M et al.; Using the pRM30 plasmid, an Aps deletion derivative of broad host range plasmid RP4 with integrated new miniMu 5 (11 kb), we followed the transfer of Escherichia coli chromosomal genes to the recipient strain . The miniMu 5-mediated transposition of chromosomal genes occurs onto the plasmid with integrated miniMu 5 rather than onto the "recipient" plasmid pNH602 . The plasmid DNA in recipient cells was detected by electrophoresis . One of the acquired hybrid plasmids pTB2 was analyzed genetically and by restriction endodeoxyribonuclease digestion . A structure consisting of miniMu-chromosomal segment-miniMu as a product of Mu-mediated transposition was detected. Adv Exp Med Biol, 1987, 216A, 673 - 83 Development of intestinal mucosal barrier function to antigens and bacterial toxins; Israel EJ et al.; In this paper, we have tried to provide evidence for the association between the microvillus membrane immaturity of young infants/animals and the enhanced attachment and uptake of intestinal antigens and toxins . Finally, we have reviewed observations that growth factors that alter the newborn MVM composition towards maturity may also affect the handling of antigens by the intestinal surface. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histopathol, 1987, 411(3), 257 - 65 Microvascular injury and repair in acute human bacterial pyelonephritis; Ivanyi B et al.; Acute inflammatory cell-capillary endothelial cell interactions, related to injury and repair, were investigated light and electron microscopically in acute human bacterial pyelonephritis . In inflammatory infiltrate-adjacent microvessels, the small capillaries were completely occluded by leukocyte plugs and the large capillaries were densely filled with acute inflammatory cells adhering to the endothelium . Severe damage to small and large capillaries was observed around endothelium adherent, degranulated neutrophil granulocytes containing phagocytosed bacteria . There were spaces in the endothelium, degradation of the vascular basement membrane, of the perivascular interstitial matrix and of collagen fibrils, with fibrin deposition and vessel wall fragmentation . In the small capillaries relatively distant from the interstitial infiltrates, emigration of leukocytes was frequently seen . Around the escaping cells the endothelial lining displayed occasional discontinuities, allowing leakage of vascular fluid into the interstitial space . Some small capillaries not related to the infiltrate were occluded by fibrin thrombi with apparent damage to the endothelial cells and disruption of the capillary wall . Various reparative changes were noticed in association with this change including capillary neovascularization . The findings confirm the existence of polymorphonuclear leukocyte-mediated injury of capillaries during the development of inflammatory responses in acute pyelonephritis. Scand J Urol Nephrol, 1987, 21(2), 81 - 8 Effects of sodium pentosanpolysulphate on symptoms related to chronic non-bacterial prostatitis . A double-blind randomized study; Wedren H; A therapeutical trial was conducted with pentosanpolysulphate (Elmiron) in 24 patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis . The study was double-blind and 10 patients received Elmiron 200 mg X 2 daily while 14 received a placebo . A beneficial effect (p less than 0.01) was registered on symptoms from muscles and joints . A side-effect observed was a tendency to develop diarrhoea in a few patients prone to gastrointestinal disturbances previously. J Biol Chem, 1986 Dec 15, 261(35), 16398 - 403 Glucose-permease of the bacterial phosphotransferase system . Gene cloning, overproduction, and amino acid sequence of enzyme IIGlc; Erni B et al.; The glucose-permease (IIGlc) of the bacterial phosphotransferase system mediates sugar transport across the cytoplasmic membrane concomitant with sugar phosphorylation . It also functions as a receptor for bacterial chemotaxis . The structural gene of the permease, ptsG, has been cloned on a multicopy plasmid, and transformants constitutively overproducing the protein 10-15 times over wild-type level have been isolated . Overproduction is slightly inhibited if transformants are grown in a glucose-containing medium . The complete amino acid sequence of the glucose-permease is deduced from the nucleotide sequence . It consists of 477 residues and is moderately hydrophobic . A comparison of the glucose-permease with the mannitol-permease (Lee, C . A., and Saier, M . H., Jr . (1983) J . Biol . Chem . 258, 10761-10767) does not reveal any obvious homology at the level of amino acid sequence. J Biol Chem, 1986 Dec 5, 261(34), 16256 - 9 Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen . Primary structure of Escherichia coli ADP-glucose:alpha-1,4-glucan, 4-glucosyltransferase as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the glgA gene; Kumar A et al.; The nucleotide sequence of the glgA gene, coding for glycogen synthase (EC 2.4.1.21) was elucidated . It consists of 1431 base pairs specifying a protein of 477 amino acids . The deduced amino acid sequence was consistent with the amino acid analysis obtained with the pure protein as well as with the molecular weight as determined from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . The deduced amino acid sequence was also consistent with the amino-terminal acid sequence and amino acid sequence analysis of various peptides obtained from CNBr degradation of purified glycogen synthase. J Mol Biol, 1986 Dec 5, 192(3), 529 - 47 Regulation of IncFII plasmid DNA replication . A quantitative model for control of plasmid NR1 replication in the bacterial cell division cycle; Womble DD et al.; A quantitative model for the regulation of replication of the low copy number IncFII plasmid NR1 in the Escherichia coli cell division cycle has been developed . The initiation of NR1 replication requires a cis-acting initiator protein whose synthesis is regulated by several mechanisms . The NR1 regulatory processes include co-operative protein-protein interactions in the formation of an active transcription repressor, the interaction of repressor with a rightward operator site in the control of transcription of the initiator gene, and the interaction of an inhibitor RNA transcript with the initiator mRNA in the control of translation of the initiation protein . A statistical thermodynamic model was used to predict probable configurations of the regulatory processes in a single growing cell . These probabilities were coupled by a kinetic model to the events of the cell cycle, such as initiation of mRNA transcription and protein translation, and the initiation of plasmid DNA replication . Parameter values were chosen so that the simulated values for plasmid copy number and the intracellular concentrations of repressor protein and mRNA agreed with experimentally determined estimates . A number of different copy number mutants that have altered one or another of the regulatory processes were simulated by the model . The contributions of each of the regulatory processes toward the overall stability of inheritance of plasmid NR1 in a population of cells in culture were examined . These simulations predict a very stable pattern of inheritance for plasmid NR1 despite its low copy number, in agreement with experimental observation. Arch Inst Pasteur Tunis, 1986 Dec, 63(4), 481 - 512 {Bacterial pollution of the littoral waters of the north of Tunisia (Tabarka and Bizerte regions) and of Lake Bizerte}; Chadli A et al.; The inshore areas of Tabarka and Bizerte are not submitted to the bacterian pollution . The "Old Port" of Bizerte is mainly contaminated all the year round and sometimes polluted the neighbouring urban beach . The lagoon of Bizerte presents any bacterian pollution and could be adapted to the conchyliculture and to the stabulation of Bivalves, with before some important precautions. Eur J Biochem, 1986 Dec 1, 161(2), 415 - 9 Methylamine oxidase from Arthrobacter P1 . A bacterial copper-quinoprotein amine oxidase; van Iersel J et al.; Methylamine oxidase from Arthrobacter P1 was purified to homogeneity . The enzyme oxidizes primary amines but not tyramine or polyamines like spermine and putrescine . The enzyme activity has a pH optimum of 8.0 with methylamine, and is inhibited by certain cations as well as anions at rather low concentrations . The enzyme has an Mr of 167900, an isoelectric point of 4.6, consists of two (probably identical) subunits (Mr 82250) and contains two copper atoms but no sugar residues . The visible absorption spectra of the enzyme as it is isolated (broad maximum at 480 nm), that of its reduced form obtained on addition of excess of methylamine (maximum at 470 nm) and that of phenylhydrazine-inhibited enzyme (maximum at 440 nm) are very similar to those of eucaryotic copper-containing amine oxidases (EC 1.4.3.6) . Also the stoichiometry of inhibition with carbonyl group reagents is similar since the enzyme reacted with only one methylhydrazine . The adduct isolated from copper-free enzyme, treated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, was identical to that found in bovine serum amine oxidase treated with this compound after copper removal . This indicates that the enzyme is a copper-quinoprotein amine oxidase, the first example from bacterial origin. Gastroenterology, 1986 Dec, 91(6), 1476 - 82 Folic acid malabsorption in atrophic gastritis . Possible compensation by bacterial folate synthesis; Russell RM et al.; Folic acid absorption was studied in 12 elderly subjects with atrophic gastritis and 10 elderly normal controls using tritium-labeled pteroylmonoglutamic acid . Two folic acid absorption tests were carried out on each subject with 120 ml of either water or 0.1 N HCl . Folic acid absorption was significantly lower in subjects with atrophic gastritis than in normal controls (31% vs . 51%, respectively; p less than 0.01) . In subjects with atrophic gastritis, folic acid absorption rose significantly to 54% (p less than 0.001) when administered with acid, but did not change in normal controls (50%) . Serum folate levels were normal in all subjects . Proximal small intestinal pH was higher in atrophic gastritis subjects than in normal controls (7.1 vs . 6.7, respectively; p less than 0.05), as were bacterial counts of small intestinal fluid (p less than 0.01) . Bacteria cultured from the aspirates of subjects with atrophic gastritis were able to synthesize folate in vitro when incubated in a folate-free medium . Atrophic gastritis results in folic acid malabsorption but not in folate deficiency, possibly due to increased bacterial synthesis of folate in the small intestine. Gastroenterology, 1986 Dec, 91(6), 1447 - 51 Comparison of the 1-gram {14C}xylose, 10-gram lactulose-H2, and 80-gram glucose-H2 breath tests in patients with small intestine bacterial overgrowth; King CE et al.; The sensitivity of three breath tests (1-g {14C}xylose, 10-g lactulose-H2, and 80-g glucose-H2) was studied in 20 subjects with culture-documented small intestine bacterial overgrowth . Elevated breath 14CO2 levels were seen within 30 min of {14C}xylose administration in 19 of 20 subjects with bacterial overgrowth and 0 of 10 controls . In contrast, H2 breath tests demonstrated uninterpretable tests (absence of H2-generating bacteria) in 2 of 20 subjects with bacterial overgrowth and 1 of 10 controls and nondiagnostic increases in H2 production in 3 of 18 glucose-H2 and 7 of 18 lactulose-H2 breath tests in subjects with bacterial overgrowth . These findings demonstrate continued excellent reliability of the 1-g {14C}xylose breath test as a diagnostic test for bacterial overgrowth, indicate inadequate sensitivity of H2 breath tests in detecting bacterial overgrowth, and suggest the need for evaluation of a 13CO2 breath test having the same characteristics as the {14C}xylose test (avidly absorbed substrate having minimal contact with the colonic flora) for nonradioactive breath detection of bacterial overgrowth in children and reproductive-age women. Gastroenterology, 1986 Dec, 91(6), 1343 - 6 Low-protein-concentration ascitic fluid is predisposed to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis; Runyon BA; To assess the risk of development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in relation to the ascitic fluid total protein concentration, routine admission abdominal paracentesis was performed on a group of 107 patients during 125 hospitalizations . The paracentesis was repeated if evidence of peritonitis developed during hospitalization . Twenty-one episodes of spontaneous peritonitis (or its culture-negative variant) were documented in 17 patients . The ascitic fluid protein concentration in the spontaneous peritonitis group (0.72 +/- 0.53 g/dl) was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than that in the group of patients with sterile portal hypertension-related ascites (1.36 +/- 0.89 g/dl) and was significantly lower than that of patients with ascites due to miscellaneous causes . Of the patients whose initial sterile ascitic fluid protein concentration was less than or equal to 1.0 g/dl, 7 of 47 (15%) developed spontaneous peritonitis during their hospitalization; whereas only 1 of 65 (1.5%) patients who had an initial sterile ascitic fluid protein concentration greater than 1.0 g/dl developed spontaneous peritonitis . This difference in risk of development of peritonitis in relation to initial ascitic fluid protein concentration was also significant (p less than 0.01) . Low-protein-concentration ascitic fluid predisposes to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Adv Contracept, 1986 Dec, 2(4), 363 - 9 Metronidazole-containing vaginal sponges for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis; Brenner WE et al.; Currently, there is no FDA approved treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV), although various oral dosages of metronidazole are used to treat this condition . A vaginal therapeutic sponge (VLI Corporation) that releases metronidazole over a 24 h use period has been developed for the treatment of BV . Each sponge contains 250 mg of metronidazole . The safety and effectiveness of using one or three metronidazole-containing vaginal sponges for the treatment of BV was evaluated in 40 patients . Use of a single sponge resulted in a cure rate of 38.9% . With three sponges the cure rate was 94.4% . Cure was defined as the absence of signs and symptoms (vaginal discharge, elevated pH, KOH prep odor, and 'clue' cells) at the one and four week follow-up visits . The sexual partners of most women were also treated with metronidazole (2 g po in one dose) . None of the women were discontinued from treatment because of any adverse effects . Side-effects were minimal and required no treatment . The cure rate with the three vaginal sponge dosage appears to be similar to that associated with oral dosages of metronidazole. EMBO J, 1986 Dec 1, 5(12), 3195 - 200 Complementation of sensitivity to alkylating agents in Escherichia coli and Chinese hamster ovary cells by expression of a cloned bacterial DNA repair gene; Kataoka H et al.; Dual expression vectors derived from pSV2gpt and encoding all or part of the Escherichia coli ada+ gene have been constructed . Following transformation into an E . coli ada strain or transfection and stable integration into the genome of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, plasmid vectors containing the whole ada+ gene conferred resistance to both killing and mutagenesis by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) . Thus, the bacterial DNA repair gene was functionally expressed in the mammalian cells . Plasmids containing an N-terminal fragment of the ada+ gene which encoded only one of the two methyltransferase activities of the Ada protein did not significantly protect E . coli or CHO cells against MNNG . These results are consistent with the central role of the intact ada+ gene in controlling the adaptive response to alkylating agents in E . coli . However, the data further suggest that some alkylation lesions in DNA, such as O6-methylguanine, may exert partly different biological effects in E . coli and mammalian cells. Thromb Res, 1986 Dec 1, 44(5), 565 - 73 Effects of bacterial endotoxin and platelet activating factor (PAF) on human platelet aggregation in native whole blood; Davis RB et al.; The effect of bacterial endotoxins E . coli 0111:B4 or S . minnesota and platelet activating factor (1-0-alkyl-2-acetyl-SN-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine) on platelet aggregation in native whole blood (NWB) were evaluated by impedance aggregometry . In the absence of anticoagulants the patterns of impedance changes associated with aggregation were distinct from those of clotting . Both E . coli 0111:B4 and S . minnesota endotoxins shortened the time to clot formation, but impedance changes suggestive of accelerated platelet aggregation were minimal or absent . In contrast, PAF caused an increased impedance, with oscillations characteristic of aggregation, which in some instances was superseded by the smooth impedance change associated with clotting . E . coli 0111:B4 endotoxin blocked aggregation and delayed the onset of clotting after PAF, whereas S . minnesota endotoxin accelerated platelet aggregation by PAF in ten of thirteen experiments . Incubation of E . coli 0111:B4 endotoxin and PAF markedly enhanced aggregation by PAF, whereas the effect of S . minnesota was variable . Although E . coli 0111:B4 and S . minnesota endotoxins accelerated clotting but not platelet aggregation of human NWB in vitro, their interaction with PAF is complex, depending on the type of endotoxin and individual reactivity . The findings suggest that endotoxin could interact with PAF to significantly augment possible hemorrhagic and/or thrombotic complications of septic shock in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Dec, 83(24), 9561 - 5 Rho-dependent transcription termination of a bacterial operon is antagonized by an extrachromosomal gene product; Lagos R et al.; The psu gene product of "phasmid" (phage-plasmid) P4 acts as a transcription antitermination factor in trans and in cis, respectively, within the morphogenic operons of its P2 phage helper during lytic viral development and on P4 itself during the establishment stage of its alternative mode of propagation as a plasmid . Here we show that psu also antagonizes activity of the Escherichia coli transcription termination factor rho at the terminator of the trp operon . Such a finding provides to our knowledge the first direct evidence for antitermination activity at a known rho-dependent site by the psu gene product . It also reveals an example of an extrachromosomal gene product that acts on specific sites of three different genomes to regulate expression of unlinked families of genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Dec, 83(24), 9443 - 7 Synthesis, bacterial expression, and mutagenesis of the gene coding for mammalian cytochrome b5; Beck von Bodman S et al.; We have totally synthesized a gene that codes for rat hepatic cytochrome b5 . The 5' flanking region was designed for efficient expression of this gene in Escherichia coli by incorporating an optimum ribosome binding site and spacer region . Both a soluble form, analogous to the protease-treated microsomal protein, as well as the complete cytochrome with hydrophobic membrane anchor, was constructed and expressed . Transformants with the gene for the soluble protein overproduce authentic cytochrome b5 to a level of 8% of the total cell protein . The complete cytochrome is expressed to a lesser extent with most of the protein found in the cell membrane fraction . This represents complete synthesis and bacterial expression of a mammalian metalloprotein gene . Cytochrome b5 is normally a six-coordinate low spin heme protein with histidine-39 and histidine-63 as axial ligands . We have replaced histidine-63 with a methionine residue by cassette mutagenesis, utilizing specific restriction enzyme sites engineered into the synthetic gene . The resultant protein has histidine-39 as sole axial ligand and is five-coordinate high spin in the ferric resting state, as indicated by optical and electron spin resonance spectroscopy . The ability to generate mutant cytochrome b5 in high yield is a crucial step in understanding heme protein folding, protein-protein recognition and binding, and biological electron transfer processes. J Bacteriol, 1986 Dec, 168(3), 1466 - 7 Determination of bacterial cell volume with the Coulter Counter; Kubitschek HE et al.; Two methods were used to determine mean volumes of cells of Escherichia coli B/rA in both stationary- and exponential-phase cultures, i.e., electronic measurement with a Coulter Counter-Analyzer system and biophysical measurement of the total volume and number of cells in sedimented cell pellets . Within experimental errors, the methods gave the same mean cell volumes. Fertil Steril, 1986 Dec, 46(6), 1128 - 32 Removal of bacterial contaminants from semen for in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination by the use of buoyant density centrifugation; Bolton VN et al.; Buoyant density centrifugation of semen produces the accumulation of populations of highly motile, morphologically normal spermatozoa in the lowermost 1 ml of Percoll (Pharmacia Fine Chemicals AB, Uppsala, Sweden) density gradients . In addition, the majority of bacteria present in semen are retained in the seminal plasma at the top of the gradients . Of 40 semen samples examined, 37 contained detectable bacteria, but after buoyant density centrifugation, the spermatozoal populations collected from the lowermost 1 ml of the Percoll columns were found to contain few or no bacteria . When preparations were collected using sterile technique (by boring a hole through the bottom of the centrifuge tube), 14 of the 20 preparations were found to be bacteria-free . When preparations were collected by passing a spinal needle from the surface through the seminal plasma to the bottom of the centrifuge tube, the sterility of the final spermatozoa preparations was not maintained, with only 5 of the 20 samples completely free of bacteria . The residual bacterial contamination of the remaining 15 samples was, however, very low (less than 5 colonies after a 48-hour culture period). Am J Gastroenterol, 1986 Dec, 81(12), 1156 - 61 Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: clinical and laboratory features with reference to hospital-acquired cases; Carey WD et al.; A review of a large secondary and tertiary care hospital's experience with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) over 7 yr revealed that in most cases this complication emerges after the patient is admitted to the hospital . Compared with a hospitalized control group, SBP patients were more likely to have gastrointestinal bleeding and renal failure and to require invasive procedures or therapies . Thus, hospitalized cirrhotics with ascites who develop SBP are more debilitated before development of SBP . The clinical signs and symptoms of this disorder are diverse; simple tests of ascitic fluid properties (white blood cell count, polymorphonuclear cell count, and lactate dehydrogenase) correlate closely with positive cultures, affording the clinician a chance to make an early presumptive diagnosis . Recognition of nosocomial SBP has important implications for the management of hospitalized cirrhotic patients . Further study is needed to determine if invasive procedures actually cause some cases of SBP or if the apparent association is simply due to identification of a sicker, more debilitated group of patients. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1986 Dec, 18 Suppl E, 131 - 40 Imipenem in the treatment of severe bacterial infections in seriously ill patients; Garau J et al.; A multicentre, non-comparative study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of imipenem/cilastatin given iv to 53 seriously ill patients with severe bacterial infections, including 16 episodes of UTI, 12 pleuropulmonary, eight intra-abdominal, seven osteoarticular, and two soft tissue infections, three episodes of catheter related sepsis, two primary bacteraemias, one case of endocarditis, one of endophthalmitis, and one of disseminated gonococcal infection . Twenty-five patients were bacteraemic . The overall rate of clinical response was 94% of treated episodes; three cases failed to respond . Adverse reactions were mild and comparable with those reported with other beta-lactams . No patient had clinical superinfection; colonization occurred in seven patients . Imipenem is effective and safe as a single drug therapy for a wide range of infections in seriously ill patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Dec, 83(23), 8987 - 91 Temporal comparisons in bacterial chemotaxis; Segall JE et al.; Responses of tethered cells of Escherichia coli to impulse, step, exponential-ramp or exponentiated sine-wave stimuli are internally consistent, provided that allowance is made for the nonlinear effect of thresholds . This result confirms that wild-type cells exposed to stimuli in the physiological range make short-term temporal comparisons extending 4 sec into the past: the past second is given a positive weighting, the previous 3 sec are given a negative weighting, and the cells respond to the difference . cheRcheB mutants (defective in methylation and demethylation) weight the past second in a manner similar to the wild type, but they do not make short-term temporal comparisons . When exposed to small steps delivered iontophoretically, they fail to adapt over periods of up to 12 sec; when exposed to longer steps in a flow cell, they partially adapt, but with a decay time of greater than 30 sec . cheZ mutants use a weighting that extends at least 40 sec into the past . The gain of the chemotactic system is large: the change in occupancy of one receptor molecule produces a significant response. J Vasc Surg, 1986 Dec, 4(6), 567 - 77 Adult human endothelial cell enzymatic harvesting . Estimates of efficiency and comparison of crude and partially purified bacterial collagenase preparations by replicate microwell culture and fibronectin degradation measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Sharefkin JB et al.; Reliable enzymatic endothelial cell (EC) harvest methods are required for clinical EC seeding of vascular prostheses by methods analogous to those demonstrated in dogs . But crude collagenases used for EC harvest vary in efficacy and cytotoxicity, and purified collagenases reportedly give low EC yields . To compare different harvest methods, we studied growth curves of primary adult human saphenous vein EC (HSVEC) harvests plated in replicate microwell cultures . The EC yield, defined as attachment-capable ECs obtained per square centimeter of vein lumen, was estimated from the lowest number of ECs counted in lag phase before exponential growth began . With the use of morphometric studies of HSVs that were perfusion-fixed at their original dimensions, the baseline in situ density of ECs available for harvest from HSV was estimated at 1.3 X 10(5) EC/cm2 . Crude (CBC) and partially purified bacterial collagenase (PBC) solutions at concentrations with equal levels of basement membrane lysis activity (BMLA) were compared by the replicate microwell method in a series of 21 harvests (six CBC, eight PBC, and seven enzyme-free control harvests) . All 14 enzymatic harvests produced confluent EC cultures with no significant difference in mean harvest efficiency between CBC (12% of in situ EC number) and PBC (15%) . However, PBC caused less degradation of human fibronectin (p less than 0.0001) as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employing a fibronectin-specific monoclonal antibody . These data suggest that chemically defined mixtures of pure enzymes with BMLA equal to the BMLA of crude collagenase might allow reliable EC harvesting without sacrifice in EC yield but with improved preservation of structures at the EC periphery . EC losses during initial vein dissection may have contributed to the low 12% to 15% efficiency we observed. Infect Immun, 1986 Dec, 54(3), 886 - 92 Role of Escherichia coli alpha-hemolysin and bacterial adherence in infection: requirement for release of inflammatory mediators from granulocytes and mast cells; Konig B et al.; We investigated the role of bacterial mannose-resistant fimbriation of S fimbriae (Fim), mannose-resistant hemagglutination (S-Mrh), and hemolysin (Hly) production by an Escherichia coli parent and genetically cloned strains as regards their effect on histamine release from rat mast cells and generation of the chemiluminescence response, leukotriene, and enzyme release from human polymorphonuclear granulocytes . These mediators are involved in the induction of inflammatory disease processes and lead, e.g., to the enhancement of vascular permeability, chemotaxis, aggregation of granulocytes (leukotriene B4), lysosomal enzyme release, and smooth-muscle contraction (leukotrienes C4, D4, and E4) . The content of azurophilic and specific granules in polymorphonuclear granulocytes consists of highly reactive enzymes which amplify inflammatory reactions . Washed bacteria (E . coli 764 Hly+/-, E . coli 21085 Hly+/- Fim+/- Mrh+/-), as well as their culture supernatants, were analyzed at various times during their growth cycle . No differences exist between parent and cloned or mutant strains with respect to their outer membrane proteins and lipopolysaccharide pattern . Washed bacteria {E . coli 764 and 21085(pANN202-312)} which produced hemolysin, unlike Hly- strains, induced high levels of histamine release from rat mast cells and led to a significant chemiluminescence response and enzyme and leukotriene release from human polymorphonuclear granulocytes . Bacterial culture supernatants from Hly+ and secreting strains showed similar results with the exception of E . coli 21085(pANN202-312), which is a hemolysin-producing but not a secretory strain . Our data suggest a potent role for hemolysin as a stimulus for noncytotoxic mediator release from various cells . Furthermore, we showed that the presence of Fim and S Mrh potentiates mediator release . The simultaneous presence of Mrh and Fim {E . coli 535/21(pANN801-4)} increased mediator release compared with Mrh+ Fim- strains {E . coli 536/21(pANN801-1)} . E . coli 536/21 (Msh- Mrh- Fim- Hly-) did not induce mediator release. Respir Care, 1986 Dec, 31(12), 1207 - 10 Bacterial colonization of ultrasonic nebulizers: implications for frequency of circuit changing; Witek TJ Jr et al.; We conducted a prospective study of 50 consecutive postoperative patients over a 5-month period to characterize the bacterial contamination of ultrasonic nebulizers (USNs) after 24, 48, and 72 hours (h) of use . Methods: Samples of the USN effluent mist and reservoir fluid were cultured and the results were correlated with clinical data from patient records, especially indications of pneumonia or related infections . Results: Two thirds of the USNs were bacteria-free at the three times they were tested . After 24 h, cultures of the mist revealed bacterial growth in only 1 of the 50 patients . After 48 and 72 h, cultures of the mist showed bacterial growth in 6 instances (12%) . Colonization of the reservoir fluid was also limited to 1 patient after 24 h . Reservoir-fluid cultures were positive in 10% of the USNs at 48 h and in 18% at 72 h . No clinically significant signs of pneumonia developed in any patient . Conclusions: These results suggest that colonization of USNs is minimal during the first 72 h of use by postoperative patients with uncomplicated clinical courses and that clinical consequences are unlikely in such patients even when the USN is found to have been colonized . Although the Centers for Disease Control has recommended daily changing of USN circuits, this practice may not be warranted in all clinical settings . Further studies are needed to determine the colonization of USNs used by patients with more complicated clinical courses. Biochemistry, 1986 Nov 4, 25(22), 7192 - 200 Mechanistic studies of a protonolytic organomercurial cleaving enzyme: bacterial organomercurial lyase; Begley TP et al.; Mechanistic studies of the protonolytic carbon-mercury bond cleavage by organomercurial lyase from Escherichia coli (R831) suggest that the reaction proceeds via an SE2 pathway . Studies with stereochemically defined substrates cis-2-butenyl-2-mercuric chloride (1) and endo-norbornyl-2-mercuric bromide (2) reveal that a high degree of configurational retention occurs during the bond cleavage, while studies with exo-3-acetoxynortricyclyl-5-mercuric bromide (3) and cis-exo-2-acetoxy-bicyclo{2.2.1}hept-5-enyl-3-mercuric bromide (4) show that the protonolysis proceeds without accompanying skeletal rearrangement . Kinetic data for the enzymatic reactions of cis-2-butenyl-2-mercuric chloride (1) and trans-1-propenyl-1-mercuric chloride (6) indicate that these substrates show enhanced reaction rates of ca . 10-200-fold over alkylvinylmercurials and unsubstituted vinylmercurials, suggesting that the olefinic methyl substituent may stabilize an intermediate bearing some positive charge . Enzymatic reaction of 2-butenyl-1-mercuric bromide (5) yields a 72/23/5 mixture of 1-butene/trans-2-butene/cis-2-butene, indicative of intervening SE2' cleavage . The observation of significant solvent deuterium isotope effects at pH 7.4 of Vmax (H2O)/Vmax(D2O) = 2.1 for cis-2-butenyl-2-mercuric chloride (1) turnover and Vmax(H2O)/Vmax(D2O) = 4.9 for ethylmercuric chloride turnover provides additional support for a kinetically important proton delivery . Finally, the stoichiometric formation of butene and Hg(II) from 1 and methane and Hg(II) from methylmercuric chloride eliminates the possibility of an SN1 solvolytic mechanism . As the first well-characterized enzymatic reaction of an organometallic substrate and the first example of an enzyme-mediated SE2 reaction the organomercurial lyase catalyzed carbon-mercury bond cleavage provides an arena for investigating novel enzyme structure-function relationships. Obstet Gynecol, 1986 Nov, 68(5), 682 - 5 Trimethylamine: the substance mainly responsible for the fishy odor often associated with bacterial vaginosis; Brand JM et al.; The vaginal discharge of women with bacterial vaginosis often has a prominent fishy odor . Intensification of this fishy odor by the addition of strong base to the vaginal discharge suggests that it could be due to trimethylamine, the substance responsible for the characteristic odor of spoiling fish . Samples were collected from 11 women with a vaginal discharge having a fishy odor and from 10 women with no detectable odor . Gas chromatographic analysis of headspace samples of alkalinized vaginal discharges indicated the presence of trimethylamine in all 11 samples with the fishy odor but not in the other samples . The chemical identity of trimethylamine was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of headspace samples from two vaginal discharge samples . It is concluded that trimethylamine is the primary cause of the fishy odor associated with bacterial vaginosis. Mikrobiologiia, 1986 Nov-Dec, 55(6), 962 - 5 {Reduction of chromium (VI) by reference bacterial strains}; Gvozdiak PI et al.; Collection bacterial strains were found to be capable of chromium (VI) reduction although they had not been in contact with chromium compounds before . Strains capable of nitrate respiration could use bichromate ions as a terminal electron acceptor in the absence of competing acceptors . Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) when bichromate was added to the cultural broth whose redox potential reached -140 mV. Gastroenterol Clin Biol, 1986 Nov, 10(11), 712 - 7 {Role of the digestive tract immune system in the control of bacterial translocation in gnotoxenic mice}; Debure A et al.; The aim of this work was to study the role of gut associated lymphoid tissue in the control of bacterial translocation . Two strains of Escherichia coli were orally inoculated to 71 axenic mice . Ten days after, the 2 initial strains and 2 others, resulting from plasmidic exchanges, were present in the digestive tract of the mice which were divided in two groups: the first group (n = 41) received one intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide 100 mg/kg; the second control group (n = 30) received isotonic saline . The following parameters were studied 3, 5 and 9 days after the injection: the population level of the 4 strains in the caecum, their translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen and circulating blood, the density per unit surface of lamina propria plasma cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes in duodenal and caecal mucosae . The population in each strain found in the caecum was different from the 3 others but similar within the two groups of animals and remained unchanged with time . In the control group, bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes decreased (p less than 0.01), while the density of plasma cells increased (p less than 0.01) from the 3rd to the 9th days . In the cyclophosphamide treated group, translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes increased (p less than 0.01), while the density of intestinal plasma cells decreased (p less than 0.05) from the 3rd to the 9th days . Density of intraepithelial lymphocytes did not vary with time in each group and from one group to another . Bacterial translocation to liver, spleen and systemic blood was weak and did not increase in the treated group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Radiat Res, 1986 Nov, 108(2), 158 - 66 The concentration, physical state, and purity of bacterial endotoxin affect its detoxification by ionizing radiation; Csako G et al.; Increasing concentrations of a highly purified bacterial lipopolysaccharide preparation, the U.S . Reference Standard Endotoxin, were exposed to increasing doses of ionizing radiation from a 60Co source . At identical radiation doses both the structural change and Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) reactivity were progressively smaller with increasing concentrations of the lipopolysaccharide in an aqueous medium . Under the experimental conditions used, there was a linear relationship between the endotoxin concentration and radiation dose for the structural changes . In contrast to endotoxin in aqueous medium, endotoxin irradiated in its dry state showed no decrease in LAL reactivity and rabbit pyrogenicity . Endotoxin exposed to radiation in water in the presence of albumin showed a much smaller decrease in LAL and pyrogenic activities than expected . The results show that the concentration, physical state, and purity of endotoxin influence its structural and functional alteration by ionizing radiation. Mutat Res, 1986 Nov, 163(2), 109 - 14 Metabolic conversion of IQ and MeIQ to bacterial mutagens; Alldrick AJ et al.; The metabolic conversion of 2-amino-3-methyl- and 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-imidazo{4,5-f}quinoline (IQ and MeIQ respectively) to bacterial mutagens was studied using a bacterial mutation assay . Studies were performed using S9 fractions derived from either corn oil (uninduced) or Aroclor-1254-treated Sprague-Dawley rats . Aroclor 1254 treatment lowered the S9 protein concentration required for optimum levels of mutagenesis, enhanced the numbers of mutants observed and altered the effects of metabolic inhibitors and cofactors added to the assay . Studies with uninduced preparations revealed that IQ and MeIQ exhibited similar responses to the effects of metabolic inhibitors and cofactors involved in detoxication reactions . Both IQ and MeIQ activation appeared to be inhibited by the biogenic amines tryptamine and tyramine and inactivated by conjugation with either acetyl coenzyme A or glutathione. Int J Cell Cloning, 1986 Nov, 4(6), 415 - 23 Effect of hydrocortisone and bacterial lipopolysaccharide on colony-stimulating activity production from mouse marrow adherent cells, spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages in vitro; Aizawa S et al.; The effect of hydrocortisone (HC) on colony-stimulating activity (CSA) production from mouse bone marrow adherent cells, spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages with or without bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was studied . CSA in the supernatant from bone marrow adherent cells incubated with HC was found to be five times higher than CSA from cultures without LPS stimulation . In contrast, the CSA production by spleen cells and peritoneal macrophages were significantly suppressed by HC in both LPS-stimulated and non-stimulated cultures . These studies suggest that the effect of HC on CSA production was quite different depending on the target cells. J Leukoc Biol, 1986 Nov, 40(5), 525 - 32 Effect of bacterial flora and mouse genotype (euthymic or athymic) on scrapie pathogenesis; Wade WF et al.; Euthymic and athymic female BALB/c mice, reared under either germfree or defined flora conditions, were used to investigate the pathogenesis of scrapie after intracerebral or intraperitoneal inoculation . Time in days to onset of clinical signs (Stage I), to endstage (Stage II), and the time interval between Stage I and Stage II were compared among groups . In addition, scrapie agent titers in spleen were determined at 28 and 90 days after infection, as were agent titers in spleen and brain at Stage II . Three-way analysis of variance indicated that the bacterial flora, the presence or absence of a thymus, and the route of agent inoculation interact to produce significant differences in the pathogenesis of disease . The three factors in the experimental design also influenced the spleen titers of scrapie infectivity . The variation in scrapie pathogenesis among the groups of mice is likely to be mediated by differences in their reticuloendothelial systems . These differences may alter the agent's adsorption in spleen and/or route of transport from spleen to brain. Gut, 1986 Nov, 27 Suppl 1, 56 - 7 Bacterial contamination of enteral diets; de Leeuw IH et al.; Enteral feeding solutions can be contaminated by bacterial micro-organisms already present in the ingredients, or introduced during preparation or transport, or in the hospital ward . During jejunostomy feeding without pump or filter, ascending bacterial invasion of the feeding bag is possible . In patients with lowered immune response contaminated feedings can cause serious septic clinical problems . The progressive loss of the nutritional value of the enteral feeding solution by bacterial contamination has to be considered for all patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Nov, 83(21), 8137 - 41 Linking functional domains of the human insulin receptor with the bacterial aspartate receptor; Ellis L et al.; A hybrid receptor has been constructed that is composed of the extracellular domain of the human insulin receptor fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the bacterial aspartate chemoreceptor . This hybrid protein can be expressed in rodent (CHO) cells and displays several functional features comparable to wild-type insulin receptor . It is localized to the cell surface, binds insulin with high affinity, forms oligomers, and is recognized by conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies . Although most of the expressed protein accumulates as a 180-kDa proreceptor, some processed 135-kDa receptor can be detected on the cell surface by covalent cross-linking . Expression of the hybrid receptor inhibits the insulin-activated uptake of 2-deoxyglucose by CHO cells . Thus, this hybrid is partially functional and can be processed; however, it is incapable of native transmembrane signaling . The results indicate that the intact domains of different types of receptors can retain some of the native features in a hybrid molecule but specific requirements will need to be satisfied for transmembrane signaling. J Immunol, 1986 Oct 15, 137(8), 2711 - 5 Treatment of murine peritoneal macrophages with bacterial lipopolysaccharide alters expression of c-fos and c-myc oncogenes; Introna M et al.; Expression of the c-fos, c-myc, and c-fms proto-oncogenes has been studied in thioglycollate-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) . After incubation with LPS (20 ng/ml), a transient and rapid induction of the expression of c-fos and c-myc oncogenes could be observed, whereas the RNA levels for c-fms were not affected . Treatment with lipid A, the active moiety of the LPS molecule, increased the c-fos and c-myc expression to a comparable degree . Similar induction of c-fos and c-myc was observed after treatment with phorbol myristate acetate, suggesting that this effect of LPS on murine macrophages might be mediated through stimulation of protein kinase C . Under similar experimental conditions, LPS treatment of macrophages did not trigger DNA synthesis . Treatment with LPS blocked DNA synthesis in macrophages treated with L cell-conditioned medium containing colony-stimulating factor . Thus changes in c-fos and c-myc expression may be elements in the complex series of biochemical events that contribute to macrophage activation and are not necessarily related to induction or priming for cellular proliferation. J Biol Chem, 1986 Oct 15, 261(29), 13498 - 503 Phosphate transfer between acetate kinase and enzyme I of the bacterial phosphotransferase system; Fox DK et al.; Interactions between homogeneous acetate kinase and proteins of the phosphoenolpyruvate:glucose phosphotransferase system (PTS) were studied . The phosphorylation of D-glucose was followed spectrophotometrically using a coupled assay system, and acetate kinase and GTP were found to substitute for phosphoenolpyruvate provided that each of the PTS proteins was present in the mixture . To further define the phosphoryl transfer reaction pathway, the system was simplified to include only the homogeneous, soluble PTS proteins . 32P was transferred from {gamma-32P}ATP to the protein IIIGlc, but this transfer reaction required acetate kinase, and the PTS proteins Enzyme I and HPr . These results suggested that acetate kinase interacts with the first protein in the PTS sequence, Enzyme I . Acetate kinase was therefore incubated with {32P} phospho-Enzyme I, and a direct transfer of the phosphoryl group was observed without the addition of any other protein . These results show that there is a reversible transfer of the phosphoryl group between Enzyme I and acetate kinase . The possible role of this interaction in regulating sugar uptake by the Krebs cycle is discussed. J Mol Biol, 1986 Oct 5, 191(3), 367 - 82 Regulation of lambda dv plasmid DNA replication . A quantitative model for control of plasmid lambda dv replication in the bacterial cell division cycle; Womble DD et al.; A quantitative model for the regulation of replication of plasmid lambda dv in the Escherichia coli cell division cycle has been developed . The regulatory processes include the interactions of cro repressor proteins with the rightward operator DNA sites, the transcriptional activation of the lambda dv replication origin, and the interaction of initiation proteins with activated origins to form functional replication initiation complexes . A statistical thermodynamic model was used to predict probable configurations of the regulatory processes in a single growing cell . These probabilities were coupled by a kinetic model to the events of the cell cycle such as initiation of mRNA transcription and protein translation and the initiation of plasmid DNA replication . Parameter values were chosen so that the simulated values for plasmid copy number and repressor and initiator protein concentrations of the model agreed with experimentally determined estimates . Simulated deviations from regular segregation of the various components at cell division, such as plasmid copies and free and bound repressor proteins, suggest that lambda dv replication control responds only slowly to these perturbations . The consequence of this slow response to perturbations, which are expected at a random frequency, was simulated for a population of lambda dv-containing cells in a growing culture . This simulation predicts instability of inheritance of lambda dv plasmids in the population, despite the very high plasmid copy number, in agreement with experimental observation. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand {B}, 1986 Oct, 94(5), 325 - 8 Collection of bacterial aerosols by means of slit-sampler: a face-mask study; Melvaer KL et al.; A simple experimental set-up, using a slit-sampler, was tried in order to measure the effect of wearing face-masks . During the experiments we discovered that when talking unmasked, the number of bacteria collected by the slit-sampler was considerably lower than the number actually spread . When speaking, the contamination spread was mainly in the form of bacterial clusters . These were not sampled on the agar plate but withheld in the sampling equipment (wall loss) or lost . The advantage of using a slit-sampler when comparing face-masks is discussed. J Appl Bacteriol, 1986 Oct, 61(4), 263 - 8 Use of conductance methods to predict bacterial counts in fish; Ogden ID; Conductance methods to measure bacterial growth are more rapid than conventional methods for assessing the load of spoilage bacteria in fish . With the correct choice of medium, an estimate of the count can be obtained within 24 h which shows a very good correlation with the conventional methods . Moreover, the conductance changes correlate better with counts of those organisms thought to be responsible for spoilage . The Malthus conductance instrument provides an automated system capable of the simultaneous monitoring of 128 different samples, resulting in considerable savings of time and effort over traditional plate counting techniques. J Urol, 1986 Oct, 136(4), 844 - 5 Seminal vesiculography in chronic bacterial prostatitis; Baert L et al.; A total of 15 patients with proved chronic bacterial prostatitis underwent bilateral seminal vesiculography to determine the morphological appearance of the seminal vesicles and the ampulla ducti deferentis in this condition . A pathological condition, such as segmental stenosis or complete shriveling of the seminal vesicles, was obvious in 21 of 24 vesiculograms (87.5 per cent), while malformations of the ampulla were seen in 7 (29.1 per cent) . The role of chronic bacterial prostatitis as an important pathogenetic factor in the history of epididymo-orchitis is discussed. J Neuroimmunol, 1986 Oct, 12(4), 299 - 310 Immunoglobulin abnormalities in the cerebrospinal fluid during bacterial meningitis; Forsberg P et al.; 11 patients with bacterial meningitis, examined during the course of the disease for immunoglobulin (Ig) abnormalities in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), all had an increased CSF IgM index equal to (CSF/serum IgM):(CSF/serum albumin), indicating intrathecal IgM production . Seven patients had a slightly increased CSF IgG index, and 7 a slightly increased IgA index . Six of the 11 patients had an increased IgM index in the presence of normal indices for IgG and IgA . Follow-up revealed the return of these values to normal . Four patients had identical oligoclonal IgG bands in the CSF and serum, probably representing a systemic immune response, but in only one case were oligoclonal bands suggestive of intrathecal IgG production found . No oligoclonal IgA response was demonstrable in the 4 patients examined . Antigen-immunofixation or antigen-absorption studies revealed evidence of a specific, intrathecal IgG antibody response in only 2 patients, while a search for IgG antibodies against aetiologically unrelated bacterial and viral antigens was negative . With the exception of IgM production, therefore, a humoral intrathecal immune response is less common in bacterial than in aseptic meningitis. Fed Proc, 1986 Oct, 45(11), 2534 - 40 Chemical structure and biological activity relationship of bacterial cell walls and muramyl peptides; Kotani S et al.; The biological activities of the cell walls of bacteria having different types of peptidoglycans, and those of stereoisomers and analogs of muramyl dipeptide (MDP), of N-acetylglucosaminyl-beta(1-4)-N-acetylmuramyl tetrapeptides having different L- and D-amino acids at the COOH-terminus, and of 6-O-acyl-MDPs were examined to elucidate the relationship between structure and activity . Replacement of the L-alanine residue of MDP with glycine and replacement of the D-isoglutamine residue with L-isoglutamine, L-glutamic acid, and D-isoasparagine, but not with D-glutamic acid, caused a marked decrease in the biological activities of the MDP molecule . Test disaccharide tetrapeptides, irrespective of the configuration of COOH-terminal amino acid, showed strong immunoadjuvant activity and stimulation of macrophages, whereas those having COOH-terminal L-amino acids exhibited greater pyrogenicity, induction of acute joint inflammation, and hemorrhagic necrosis at a primed site than those having COOH-terminal D-amino acids . Introduction of an alpha-branched higher fatty acid to the muramic acid residue resulted in the disappearance of pyrogenicity after i.v . injection, an increase of adjuvanticity, and a loss of dependence on administration vehicles . The lack of the immunopotentiating activity (adjuvanticity) in cell walls from group B-type bacterial species was explained by the combined inhibitory effects of the replacement of the L-alanine residue by glycine and involvement of the alpha-carboxyl group of the D-glutamic acid residue in linking with neighboring peptide subunits. Anal Biochem, 1986 Oct, 158(1), 179 - 88 Preparative ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography of bacterial ribosomal proteins; Capel M et al.; We have developed analytical and preparative ion-exchange HPLC methods for the separation of bacterial ribosomal proteins . Proteins separated by the TSK SP-5-PW column were identified with reverse-phase HPLC and gel electrophoresis . The 21 proteins of the small ribosomal subunit were resolved into 18 peaks, and the 32 large ribosomal subunit proteins produced 25 distinct peaks . All peaks containing more than one protein were resolved using reverse-phase HPLC . Peak volumes were typically a few milliliters . Separation times were 90 min for analytical and 5 h for preparative columns . Preparative-scale sample loads ranged from 100 to 400 mg . Overall recovery efficiency for 30S and 50S subunit proteins was approximately 100% . 30S ribosomal subunit proteins purified by this method were shown to be fully capable of participating in vitro reassembly to form intact, active ribosomal subunits. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler, 1986 Oct, 367(10), 1085 - 94 Binding of a synthetic analogue of mitogenic bacterial lipoprotein to murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene products; Scheuer WV et al.; Lipoprotein from the outer membrane of Escherichia coli and a synthetic analogue of its N-terminal lipopeptide part, tripalmitoyl-pentapeptide, constitute potent mitogens and polyclonal activators of murine B-lymphocytes in vitro . When entering the circulation after intravenous administration in experimental animals, they interact with the humoral and cellular elements of the blood, which results in splenomegaly and B-lymphocyte activation in vivo . We investigated lipopeptide-binding proteins in normal mouse serum and on splenocytes . By affinity chromatography using an affinity adsorbent prepared by coupling the lipoprotein analogue to CPG-aminopropyl derivatized glass beads, we could enrich one major binding protein for tripalmitoyl-pentapeptide from mouse serum, which was identified as albumin . Binding proteins on lymphocytes were determined as follows: Spleen cells of C3H/HeJ mice were activated by the B cell mitogen lipoprotein, biosynthetically labelled with {3H}leucine, and solubilized by the nonionic detergent Nonidet P40 . From the cell lysate, binding proteins were isolated by affinity chromatography: As analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography, proteins with molecular masses of 24, 27, 33, 45, 53, 61 and 71 kDa were eluted from the tripalmitoyl-pentapeptide adsorbent . The eluted material was further enriched for glycoproteins by Lens culinaris lectin affinity chromatography, and immunoprecipitation studies were performed with the glycoprotein fractions using alloantisera specific for class I and class II gene products of the H-2k haplotype . We could show that both class I and class II MHC glycoproteins could be enriched on the tripalmitoyl-pentapeptide column . This finding might suggest that, among other proteins, MHC-encoded proteins are involved in lymphocyte activation by a mitogenic lipopeptide. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1986 Oct, 27(10), 1541 - 3 Vitreous glucose in bacterial and sterile endophthalmitis; Garretson BR et al.; Bacterial or sterile endophthalmitis was induced in rabbits . The vitreous glucose levels were then assayed . Severe intraocular inflammation, whether bacterial or sterile, resulted in marked lowering of vitreous glucose as compared to control levels . Moderate or mild inflammation failed to reduce the vitreous glucose . These data suggest that determination of vitreous glucose is not of value in the differentiation of bacterial from sterile endophthalmitis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Oct, 83(20), 7713 - 7 Introduction and expression of the bacterial PaeR7 methylase gene in mammalian cells; Kwoh TJ et al.; An approach is devised for studying the role of DNA methylation in eukaryotic gene expression . The approach is based on the expression of site-specific bacterial methylase genes in animal cells . A model system using the cloned PaeR7 (an isoschizomer of Xho I) methylase gene was constructed to test the feasibility of this approach . Expression plasmids for the PaeR7 methylase gene were introduced into mouse Ltk- cells by cotransfection with the cloned chicken thymidine kinase (tk) gene . Several of the cell strains derived from Tk+ colonies were found to express the PaeR7 gene as judged by four criteria: the cellular DNA of these strains showed increased resistance to cleavage by Xho I; these strains contained cellular proteins that comigrated with pure PaeR7 methylase protein, as visualized by immunoblotting; PaeR7 methylase activity was found in vitro in crude extracts of total cellular protein from these strains; and murine adenovirus genomes grown on cells expressing PaeR7 methylase showed resistance to cleavage to PaeR7 endonuclease . The potential applications of this approach for the study of cellular and viral gene regulation, DNA repair, and restriction modification are discussed. J Leukoc Biol, 1986 Oct, 40(4), 433 - 43 Tumor growth stimulatory macrophages induced by a subclinical bacterial infection in vivo; De Groot JW et al.; Nonelicited peritoneal macrophages obtained from normal mice from our animal house unexpectedly expressed a strong tumor growth stimulatory effect in vitro . Macrophages expressing this stimulatory effect had an aberrant morphology compared to the morphology of normal macrophages as observed by electron microscopy . The results of immunization of these affected mice with tumour cells led to the usual lymphocyte sensitization . No external symptoms were observed, and the mice looked healthy . Treatment of the affected macrophage donors with antibiotics resulted in the abolishment of the tumor growth stimulatory effect by the macrophages . Thus, this tumor cell growth stimulation by macrophages was probably due to a subclinical infection of the mice. J Wildl Dis, 1986 Oct, 22(4), 511 - 4 Antibodies to bovine bacterial and viral pathogens in pronghorns in Alberta, 1983; Kingscote BF et al.; Sera from 210 pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) ranging in southeastern Alberta were tested for antibodies to disease agents present in indigenous cattle . No antibodies to Brucella abortus, Leptospira interrogans serovars pomona, hardjo, or grippotyphosa, or infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus were found . Antibodies at prevalences of 43.8% and 49.2% were detected to bovine virus diarrhea (BVD) and parainfluenza type 3 (PI-3) viruses, respectively . The much higher prevalence of BVD virus antibodies in cattle than in pronghorns, and the occurrence of clinical bovine PI-3 infection in the study area, suggest that cattle may be a source of infection to the pronghorns. J Biol Chem, 1986 Sep 25, 261(27), 12907 - 10 The secY protein can act post-translationally to promote bacterial protein export; Bacallao R et al.; Conditionally lethal Escherichia coli mutants in secY (prlA) show defective export of proteins to the periplasm and outer membrane . It has been proposed that this gene and other sec genes must act on pro-OmpA at an early stage of protein synthesis in order to allow later translocation to occur . We have described a temperature-sensitive mutation in which the secYts function is impaired at the nonpermissive temperature (Ito, K . (1984) Mol . Gen . Genet . 197, 204-208) . A plasmid bearing the wild-type secY gene under the control of the lactose operon (Shiba, K., Ito, K., Yura, T., and Cerretti, D . P . (1984) EMBO J . 3, 631-635) has been introduced into this mutant strain . We now report that the in vivo chase of pulse-labeled full length pro-OmpA to mature OmpA is accelerated by inducing the synthesis of the wild-type secY protein at the end of the period of pulse labeling . We have also assayed the requirements for secY function for in vitro protein translocation . Membranes derived from secY ts cells which were incubated at 42 degrees C were inactive in vitro in the post-translational uptake and processing of pro-OmpA . Thus, the secY protein can act post-translationally, enhancing the translocation of completed pro-OmpA polypeptide chains across the plasma membrane. J Mol Biol, 1986 Sep 5, 191(1), 85 - 95 Enhancement of bacterial gene expression by insertion elements or by mutation in a CAP-cAMP binding site; Reynolds AE et al.; The regulatory region (bglR) of the cryptic bgl operon was characterized by DNA sequence analysis and transcription mapping . Bgl(-)-specific transcription was found to occur in both the wild-type Bgl- and mutant Bgl+ cells . However, the steady-state level of bgl RNA was much higher in the Bgl+ mutant than in the wild-type . Activation of the bgl operon by insertion sequence-mediated bglR mutations or point mutations in bglR is therefore the result of increased transcription . The ethylmethane sulfonate-induced point mutations in bglR are alterations in a single base in the cAMP binding protein (CAP) binding site, leading to a stronger binding of the CAP-cAMP complex . The IS1 and IS5-mediated bglR mutations analyzed show that the insertion sequences can activate the bgl operon by integration 78 to 125 base-pairs upstream from the transcription initiation site . The role of the insertion sequences in activation of the bgl operon is discussed. Nature, 1986 Sep 4-10, 323(6083), 71 - 3 In vitro synthesized bacterial outer membrane protein is integrated into bacterial inner membranes but translocated across microsomal membranes; Watanabe M et al.; The LamB protein is an integral membrane protein of the outer membrane of Escherichia coli . We have now found that, when synthesized in an E . coli cell-free translation system supplemented with inverted vesicles derived from the E . coli inner membrane, LamB protein is integrated into the vesicle membrane as assayed by its resistance to extraction at alkaline pH . These data suggest that the inner membrane is the primary site for integration of LamB protein prior to subsequent sorting to the outer membrane . When synthesized in a wheat germ cell-free translation system supplemented with canine microsomal membranes, LamB protein is glycosylated at one or two cryptic sites, and surprisingly, it is translocated across instead of being integrated into the vesicle membrane . We suggest that the translocation machinery of the microsomal membrane, although able to recognize the signal sequence(s) of LamB, is unable to recognize its stop-transfer sequence(s), thereby yielding translocation instead of integration. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr), 1986 Sep-Oct, 14(5), 383 - 91 Immunotherapy with standard bacterial and bacterial ribosomal antigens in childhood bronchial asthma; Sanchez Palacios A et al.; In this study we compared the therapeutic effectiveness of a lyophilized bacterial vaccine (LBV) with that of a vaccine prepared from bacterial ribosomal antigens (ARB) in 150 children with bacterial bronchial asthma . The immunological response of the patients was assessed clinically at 6 months, 1 year and 3 years, by determining the intensity and frequency of the bronchospasm . The serum immunoglobulin levels, the only immunologic parametres studied, were determined at basal conditions and following immunotherapy . Clinical results: after 360 days we detected a better clinical response in those patients who received the ribosomal vaccine (ARB), whereas after 3 years there was no difference in the clinical response between this group of patients and the group who received the bacterial vaccine (LBV) . Immunological results: we were not able to show a statistically significant increase in immunoglobulin levels during the three years of immunotherapy with the two vaccines . However, those patients who possessed a deficit in IgG displayed a statistically significant increase in IgG levels after 360 days (t = 3.58, p less than 0.01), and an even greater increase after 1080 days (t = 7.86, p less than 0.001), of treatment with the standard bacterial vaccine . The ribosomal vaccine produced a significant increase in IgG levels (t = 9.59, p less than 0.001) after 1080 days also in patients with a deficit in IgG . In patients with a previous deficit in IgA we did not observe an increase in serum IgA levels during immunotherapy with the bacterial vaccine, but with the ribosomal vaccine these patients displayed significantly higher levels of IgA (t = 13.09, p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Appl Physiol, 1986 Sep, 61(3), 982 - 7 Effects of bacterial endotoxin on protecting copper-deficient rats from hyperoxia; Spence TH Jr et al.; The administration of very low doses of bacterial endotoxin protects rats during exposure to hyperoxia and is associated with the induction of lung antioxidant enzyme activities . Copper-deficient rats have increased susceptibility to O2 toxicity, which may be related to their decreased lung superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) or decreased plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations . To determine whether endotoxin can protect against hyperoxia in this susceptible model, we exposed copper-deficient and control rats to a fractional inspiratory concentration of O2 greater than 0.95 for 96 h after pretreatment with 500 micrograms/kg of bacterial endotoxin or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) . Mortality in the copper-deficient and control rats given PBS and exposed to O2 for 96 h was 100% . Copper-deficient rats died significantly earlier during the exposure than controls . No mortality occurred in either group treated with endotoxin and hyperoxia despite the decreased activity of copper-dependent enzymes in the copper-deficient rats . Copper-deficient rats treated with endotoxin and exposed to hyperoxia did increase lung Cu-Zn-SOD activity, but activity remained below levels found in air-exposed controls . Mn-SOD activity was found to be induced above air-exposed controls in the copper-deficient rats treated with endotoxin and exposed to hyperoxia . Hyperoxic exposure resulted in a marked increase in plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations in the control rats, but no increases in ceruloplasmin occurred in the copper-deficient animals . Endotoxin protects copper-deficient rats from hyperoxia despite their decreased lung Cu-Zn-SOD activity, and decreased plasma ceruloplasmin. Ann Inst Pasteur Microbiol, 1986 Sep-Oct, 137B(2), 133 - 43 Bacterial growth measurement using an automated system: mathematical modelling and analysis of growth kinetics; Corman A et al.; The reliability of automated systems was assessed by simultaneously using an MS2 and a methodology of data interpretation/mathematical modelling . Two experimental situations were analysed . Bacterial growth both in synthetic and in complex media could be well described by Monod's model and the logistic model . In the two cases, the fit of the models to the data was satisfactory. Acta Paediatr Scand, 1986 Sep, 75(5), 846 - 8 C-reactive protein--an indicator of generalized bacterial infection in children with nephrotic syndrome; Eskola J et al.; The usefulness of C-reactive protein for detecting bacterial infections in children with nephrotic syndrome was studied in 12 children who had a total of 29 episodes of infection . Four episodes were septic, with CRP values of 127-270 mg/l and 25 superficial or focal with all CRP values below 47 mg/l; 13 were below 10 mg/l . CRP thus discriminated the invasive bacterial diseases from other infections . It was not affected by the nephrotic syndrome activity. Am J Surg, 1986 Sep, 152(3), 329 - 37 Immunologic effects of blood transfusion upon renal transplantation, tumor operations, and bacterial infections; George CD et al.; Blood transfusions appear to exert a suppressive effect on many aspects of the immune system . In transplantation, this has been used to advantage; in other areas, the consequences can be deleterious . It is likely that various components of the immune system are affected by different mechanisms and possibly by different components of transfused blood . Before rational strategies can be evolved for minimizing the deleterious effects of blood transfusions, it is essential that these mechanisms be clearly defined . Studies must take into account any influence the underlying disease state might have on the immune system . In the absence of any satisfactory substitute, blood transfusion remains an essential therapeutic modality in the management of surgical patients . With current evidence, however, it seems reasonable to avoid the administration of small-volume transfusions whenever possible and encourage the use of autodonated blood for elective surgery. Pediatr Neurol, 1986 Sep-Oct, 2(5), 276 - 9 Bacterial meningitis as an etiology of perinatal cerebral infarction; Ment LR et al.; Despite significant improvement in mortality rate, survivors of neonatal bacterial meningitis experience a significant incidence of neurodevelopmental sequelae . Neuropathologic studies have demonstrated vasculitis, arachnoiditis, and ventriculitis with secondary edema and encephalomalacia . Areas of cerebral infarction, most commonly thought to be venous in origin, have been reported as well . We performed cranial computed tomographic scans on all eight neonates with bacterial meningitis admitted to our Newborn Special Care Unit within the past 36 months and demonstrated abnormalities in seven . Six of these infants were found to have large areas of infarction related primarily to major arterial vascular distributions . We suggest computed tomographic studies for all neonates with bacterial meningitis and subsequent scans at 4-6 months of age in those with abnormal neonatal scans in order to plan better for early intervention services. J Clin Periodontol, 1986 Sep, 13(8), 748 - 51 The distribution of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) in relation to periodontally involved root surfaces; Moore J et al.; The distribution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in periodontally involved root surface associated materials has been investigated using improved methods of identification and quantification . 39% of the LPS could be removed by gently washing in water for 1 min and 60% by brushing for 1 min with a slowly rotating bristle brush . The finding that 99% of the LPS can be removed by comparatively gentle procedures suggests that effective root surface debridement may be achieved by methods other than traditional hand instrumentation. Rofo, 1986 Sep, 145(3), 245 - 9 {Acute focal bacterial nephritis}; Schmidt H et al.; Acute focal bacterial nephritis is a very rare type of infective nephritis . It is characterised by groups of abscesses of 1 to 5 mm . situated in the renal cortex with pus tracking to the papillae . Urography is normal or suggests a non-specific enlargement . On sonography, non-homogeneous foci with reduced echogenicity are observed . Unenhanced CT shows indefinite lesions of reduced density, which do not enhance as much as the surrounding parenchyma after contrast injection . On angiography these areas appear as hypovascular lesions . The disease must be differentiated from a malignant renal tumour and from an acute renal abscess . The clinical findings and the results of sonographic and radiological observations on five patients with acute focal bacterial nephritis are described. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 25, 261(24), 11369 - 73 The receptor-binding domain of human alpha 2-macroglobulin . Isolation after limited proteolysis with a bacterial proteinase; Van Leuven F et al.; Limited proteolysis of human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) by a novel bacterial proteinase resulted in the isolation of a soluble 20-kDa domain . The isolated fragment contained the receptor recognition site, expressed on alpha 2M complexes, as it competed effectively with alpha 2M-trypsin for binding to the receptor on skin fibroblasts . The fragment also reacted with two monoclonal antibodies which define epitopes that are part of the receptor recognition site . Characterization of the 20-kDa domain showed it to contain an intact disulfide bridge, while its susceptibility to N-glycanase and reaction with concanavalin A indicated the presence of N-linked carbohydrate . The NH2-terminal sequence (Glu-Glu-Phe-Pro-Phe-Ala-Leu-Gly-Val-Glu-Thr-Leu-Pro-Glu-Thr-Cys-Asp-Glu -Pro) proved this fragment to constitute the COOH terminus of human alpha 2M . Proteolysis occurred at Lys1313-Glu which together with the observation that tosyllysine chloromethyl ketone was an effective inhibitor of the bacterial proteinase, would indicate the latter to hydrolyze preferentially peptide bonds carboxyl-terminal to lysine residues. J Biol Chem, 1986 Aug 15, 261(23), 10891 - 8 A pH-induced increase in hydrophobicity as a possible step in the penetration of colicin E3 through bacterial membranes; Escuyer V et al.; Exposure to low pH triggers an increase in the hydrophobicity of the colicin E3 molecule . Using a {3H} Triton X-100 binding assay we have shown that the amount of detergent (at supramicellar concentrations) associated with colicin E3 increased dramatically at pH 3.8 and below . Interaction of colicin E3 with asolectin vesicles was monitored by following its cross-linking with two different photoactivatable radioactive phospholipid analogues . At neutral pH colicin E3 was cross-linked with the phospholipid probing the membrane surface whereas at pH 4.5 and below, the bacteriocin reacted with the phospholipid probing the hydrophobic core of the bilayer . With the use of phase partitioning of proteins in Triton X-114 it was shown that at acidic pH whole colicin E3 and its immunity protein segregated in the detergent phase . After trypsin digestion of the colicin-immunity complex, the N-terminal portion of E3 (T1) and the immunity partitioned in the detergent phase at low pH . In contrast, the enzymic domain of the colicin (T2) remained in the aqueous phase and was recovered in a highly active form as a consequence of its dissociation from the immunity protein . These results are discussed in relation to the mechanism of entry of colicin E3 into bacterial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1986 Aug 14, 138(3), 1106 - 9 pH measurements by 31p NMR in bacterial suspensions using phenyl phosphonate as a probe; Thoma WJ et al.; Phenylphosphonate was used as an internal reference for 31p NMR measurements of E . coli cytoplasmic pH . Phenylphosphonate diffused into the cells allowing determination of pH, independent of magnetic susceptibility differences between intercellular and extracellular pools . Phenylphosphonate was used to measure pH changes during succinate uptake and metabolism, as well as during uncoupling of the transmembrane pH gradient by pentachlorophenol. Science, 1986 Aug 8, 233(4764), 647 - 9 Tandem regions of yeast DNA topoisomerase II share homology with different subunits of bacterial gyrase; Lynn R et al.; The nucleotide sequence for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene TOP2, which encodes DNA topoisomerase II, was compared with the sequence for bacterial DNA gyrase . The amino and carboxyl terminal halves of the single-subunit yeast enzyme showed homologies with the B and A subunits of bacterial gyrase, respectively, at corresponding positions along the polypeptide chains . Although the two enzymes differ in both quaternary structure and activity, the homology