Mysterious slapped face rash at holiday centre.

OBJECTIVE--To discover the cause of an outbreak of facial rash in a holiday centre. DESIGN--Questionnaire survey of those with rash; analysis of samples of linen. SETTING--Holiday centre in south west England. PATIENTS--98 holiday-makers presenting to the first aid post with a facial rash. INTERVENTION--Replacement of bed linen with new linen in selected parts of the site. RESULTS--The attack rate was 7.0-14.2/1000 for most accommodation areas in the centre, but in one accommodation area the rate was zero. The pH of rinse water from sheets varied from 7.4 to 9.0. Those parts of the accommodation provided with new linen had zero attack rates. CONCLUSION--The facial rash resulted from irritation from washing powder retained owing to insufficient rinsing during laundering. Modifications to the rinsing process led to a gradual disappearance of the rash.     

Antibiotic interactions at the GTPase-associated centre within Escherichia coli 23S rRNA.

A comprehensive range of chemical reagents and ribonucleases was employed to investigate the interaction of the antibiotics thiostrepton and micrococcin with the ribosomal protein L11-23S RNA complex and with the 50S subunit. Both antibiotics block processes associated with the ribosomal A-site but differ in their effects on GTP hydrolysis, which is inhibited by thiostrepton and stimulated by micrococcin. The interaction sites of both drugs were shown to occur within the nucleotide sequences A1067-A1098 within the protein L11 binding site on 23S RNA. This region of the ribosome structure is involved in elongation factor-G-dependent GTP hydrolysis and in the stringent response. No effects of drug binding were detected elsewhere in the 23S RNA. In general, the two drugs afforded 23S RNA similar protection from the chemical and nuclease probes in accord with their similar modes of action. One important exception, however, occurred at nucleotide A1067 within a terminal loop where thiostrepton protected the N-1 position while micrococcin rendered it more reactive. This difference correlates with the opposite effects of the two antibiotics on GTPase activity.     

The cost of radiation treatment at an Ontario regional cancer centre.

The cost of radiation treatment in 1985 at an Ontario regional cancer centre accruing 2500 new patients annually was examined. The radiation treatment department was equipped with three high-energy treatment machines, a treatment simulator and a treatment planning computer and was appropriately staffed. The total average annual cost of operating one high-energy treatment machine was $668,963. Salaries and employee benefits accounted for 78% of the costs. An average of 5439 radiation treatments were given annually with each treatment machine, at a cost $123 per treatment. The cost of a curative course of radiation treatment (average of 21 treatments) was $2583, and the cost of a palliative course (average of 7 treatments) was $861.