Possibility of shortening an aerosol immunization session with dry live plague vaccine]

A comparative study of the 10- and 30-minute seances of the animal vaccination with the dry living plague aerozol EB vaccine demonstrated that the biological and the weight aspiration doses for a 10-minute vaccination seance constituted 96 and 89% of the dose, respectively, during a 30-minute exposure. According to the results of the passive hemagglutination test immunological shifts developing in guinea pigs after the 10- and 30-minute exposure proved to be equal. On this basis it is recommended to decrease the seance of the animal vaccination from 30 to 10 minutes.     

Beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol in allergic rhinitis.

Treatment with beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol (BDA), 50 mug four times daily in each nostril, was compared with placebo therapy in a double-blind non-crossover trial of 30 matched patients with allergic rhinitis induced by ragweed pollen. The trial was started at the beginning of the ragweed season and continued for 42 days. Response to treatment was assessed from information on daily diary cards, weekly objective measurements of nasal patency and measurement of total eosinophil count (TEC) before treatment and at week 4. Patients in the BDA group had significantly less (P less than 0.05) sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal stuffiness at 36 days, cough at 10 days and antihistamine consumption at 17 days. There was no significant difference between the groups in eye symptoms, nasal airway inspiratory resistance, maximum inspiratory nasal flow or TEC. Overall comparison with previous pollen seasons by the patients indicated moderate to great improvement in 86% of the BDA group and in 13% of the placebo group (P less than 0.01). Minor side effects were noted by two patients in each group.     

Use of the RSP-1M device in practice for the aerosol immunization of humans with dry plague vaccine]

Creating high concentrations of dry vaccine aerosols, RSP-1M pulverizer provides aspiration doses adequate for effective immunization against plague. Aerosol of dry plague vaccine obtained with the aid of RSP-1M was polydispersive; this provides distribution of the preparation along the whole respiratory tract (in man) and its low reactogenic properties.     

淡水螺类去壳干重和无灰干重的换算方法

软体动物的生物量常用带壳湿重表示,然而外壳的主要成分是碳酸钙,不宜计为生物量,去壳干重和无灰干重相对更接近真实生物量,但其测量过于繁琐,因此有必要建立一套简单易行的方法对这2种干重生物量进行换算.选择长江流域常见的6种淡水螺类（环棱螺、长角涵螺、纹沼螺、大沼螺、方格短沟蜷和萝卜螺）,对其螺壳的5个形态参数和带壳干湿重与去壳干重和无灰干重的关系进行了研究.结果表明：这6种螺类的5个形态参数与去壳干重和无灰干重的回归关系均为指数式（y=ax^b）,其中,壳宽和壳长的换算效果（预测值与实测值间的百分误差率均值分别为22.0%和22.5%）好于其他参数;带壳湿重可通过方程直接换算为去壳干重和无灰干重（百分误差率均值为21.7%）.从概念的内涵和换算误差表明,无灰干重是表示螺类生物量的最适参数.     

Low-frequency collective modes in dry and hydrated proteins.

We have observed Brillouin-like low frequency collective modes in the scattering of 1 A neutrons from a fully in vivo deuterated protein. These modes are tentatively interpreted as due to short-lived coherent excitations propagating with velocities between 2,000 and 4,000 m/s in elements of the secondary structure and patches of closely associated water.     

Stability of dry liposomes in sugar glasses.

Sugars, particularly trehalose and sucrose, are used to stabilize liposomes during hydration (freeze-drying and air-drying). As a result, dry liposomes are trapped in a sugar glass, a supersaturated and thermodynamically unstable solid solution. We investigated the effects of the glassy state on liposome fusion and solute retention in the dry state. Solute leakage from dry liposomes was extremely slow at temperatures below the glass transition temperature (Tg); however, it increased exponentially as temperature increased to near or above the Tg, indicating that the glassy state had to be maintained for dry liposomes to retain trapped solutes. The leakage of solutes from dry liposomes followed the law of first-order kinetics and was correlated linearly with liposome fusion. The kinetics of solute leakage showed an excellent fit with the Arrhenius equation at temperatures both above and below the Tg, with a transitional break near the Tg. The activation energy of solute leakage was 1320 kJ/mol at temperatures above the Tg, but increased to 1991 kJ/mol at temperatures below the Tg. The stabilization effect of sugar glass on dry liposomes may be associated with the elevated energy barrier for liposome fusion and the physical separation of dry liposomes in the glassy state. The half-life of solute retention in dry liposomes may be prolonged by storing dry liposomes at temperatures below the Tg and by increasing the Tg of the dry liposome preparation.     

Effect of pretest temperature on aerosol penetration and clearance in donkeys.

Pretest temperature and humidity were correlated with tracheobronchial particle penetration and clearance data from donkeys housed in unheated outdoor facilities and tested after spending 1-2 h in a temperature- and humidity-controlled laboratory. The animals inhaled an inert insoluble radioisotope-labeled monodisperse aerosol for several minutes. Its retention was monitored continuously for 3 h by external gamma detection. Aerosol deposition pattern and bronchial clearance were linearly correlated with pretest outdoor temperature which ranged from -10 to 30 degrees C. The fraction depositing in the unciliated regions of the lung decreased 0.6% per degrees C drop in outdoor temperature. Overall bronchial transport decreased at least 1.5% per degrees C decrease. Multiple linear regression analysis and correction for the positive correlation between temperature and humidity left no significant residual humidity dependence. Acclimatization of the animals in the laboratory for 6 h before testing significantly reduced these effects.     

Comparison of aerosol ipratropium bromide and salbutamol in chronic bronchitis and asthma.

The effects of inhaling 200 mu g of salbutamol were compared with those of inhaling 40 mu g of ipratropium bromide singly and in combination with salbutamol in eight patients with bronchitis and eight asthmatic patients in a double-blind controlled trial. Changes in airways resistance were assessed by measuring the forced expiratory volume in 1 second and specific airways conductance. Both drugs were significantly better in relieving airways obstruction than placebo. Salbutamol was significantly more effective than ipratropium bromide in patients with asthma, but in the patients with bronchitis there was no significant difference between salbutamol and ipratropium bromide. The combination of the two drugs produced a slightly greater and longer response than either drug alone but this was not significant.     

Production ofBeauveria bassiana [Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes] in different liquid media and subsequent conidiation of dry mycelium

Mycelium ofBeauveria bassiana can be grown in liquid culture, filtered, and the mycelium dried. After rehydration the mycelium sporulates. Two carbohydrate sources (sucrose and maltose), and one nitrogen/vitamin source (yeast extract) were tested for mycelium growth and subsequent conidial production. Maximum mycelium growth (12.31 mg/ml), in liquid culture, was in the sucrose (3.5%)/yeast extract (3.5%) medium, but mycelium from a maltose (2%)/yeast extract (0.75%) medium produced the maximum of 4.62×10⁶ conidia/mg dry mycelium after incubation in moist Petri dishes. Using the data on mycelium yield (in liquid culture) and conidial production (by dry mycelium) it is calculated that the sucrose (3.5%)/yeast extract (3.5%) and the maltose (2%)/yeast extract (0.75%) media produce most conidia per media volume (an equivalent of 3.52–3.72×10⁷ conidia/ml).      

Comparison of two biological aerosol sampling methods.

Two biological aerosol samplers, the Andersen two-stage microbial impactor and the May three-stage glass impinger, were examined to determine the benefits and effectiveness of the May sampler compared with the Andersen sampler, one of the most widely accepted samplers. Side-by-side samples were collected during simulated wastewater spray irrigation dispersion studies. Escherichia coli colony counts and air concentrations were statistically treated to determine the dependability of the May results with respect to the Andersen results. After data pairs containing potentially overloaded Andersen counts were eliminated, a linear regression of the remaining data was performed. It indicates that although the May sampler reports 82% of the Andersen sampler value, the correlation between the two samplers is good with an r2 value of 0.84. This comparison indicates that although there are differences between the two samplers, they do give comparable results and that when both are used in a sampling program, they tend to complement each other.