The antigenic relationships of Morganella]

Interspecies relationships in the genus Morganella have been studied in the agglutination and adsorption tests. New data on the antigenic relationships of O groups O43 and O49 and more precise data on the antigenic relationships of O groups O1 to O42 have been obtained. For the first time the relationships of antigens 40 and 42 with 4, 35 and 31, 38 and 39, 9 and 45, 1a, d and 49; 45 and 47, 24 and 45; 5, 23, 26 with 47; 1, 19, 46 with 41, 48 have been described and the complete identity of O antigens 33 and 35; 34 and 36; 40 and 42; 3, 13 and 17 has been established. These data must be taken into consideration in the preparation of polyvalent agglutinating sera, necessary for finding out the serological picture of Morganella isolated from patients and the environment.     

The lipopolysaccharide of moraxella catarrhalis structural relationships and antigenic properties.

Moraxella catarrhalis has recently been shown to be both widespread and pathogenic, in contrast to previous reports. Several factors have been suggested as virulence factors, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) being one. Recent studies have shown the LPS to be without the O-chain, i.e. the polysaccharide part, and to have specific structural features corresponding to each of the three serogroups, A, B and C. The structures resemble in many respects those present in other Gram-negative nonenteric bacteria, with a galabiosyl element as a prominent common denominator. The presence of such common structures suggests that the LPS of these bacteria might be a part of a mechanism of survival for bacteria colonizing the human host.     

Assessment of the diagnostic effectiveness of antigenic preparations from Sonne shigellae]

The authors studied the diagnostic possibilities of 4 diagnistic agents from Sh. sonnei. A total of 1500 from 1122 persons were investigated. Specificity and sensitivity of the diagnostic agents from Sh. sonnei were determined. Methodical priciples of the objective assessment of the diagnostic efficacy of the antigenic preparations in the controlled epidemiological trial were elaborated. A possibility of establishment of the etiological diagnosis of Sonne dysentery in the passive hemagglutination or blast agglutination tests by the results of testing with the diagnostic agents of the serum obtained from the patient once or by determining the dynamics of the antibody titre rise in coupled serum portions was not great.     

The relationships between fetal and maternal placental blood flows.

Individual maternal and fetal flows to 706 placental cotyledons obtained from 9 chronically catheterized pregnant ewes and their fetuses (gestation age 123-141 days) were measured. The larger the cotyledon the greater the maternal and fetal blood flow to it. Both fetal and maternal flows to larger cotyledons, however, tended to be lower when corrected for the weight of the cotyledon perfused. Changes in fetal placental flow (dfgc, ml/min/g) occurring within 15 min of administration of 15 mg i.v. of captopril to the ewe were dependent on changes in fetal placental vascular resistance (dcotfr) and maternal flow (dmgc) according to the equation dfgc = 0.123 + 0.185 dmgc - 0.026 dcotfr. Changes in maternal placental flow occurring within 15 min of administration of 15 mg i.v. of captopril to the ewe were dependent on changes in maternal placental vascular resistance (dcotmr) and changes in fetal flow according to the equation dmgc = 0.483 + 0.496 dfgc - 0.0198 dcotmr. The changes in fetal flow over the next 1.5h of treatment with captopril at 6 mg/h were dependent on neither changes in fetal placental vascular resistance nor maternal placental flow. changes in maternal placental flows over the same time were no longer related to changes in fetal flow and depended only to a minimal extent on changes in maternal placental resistance. These analyses suggest that treatment of the pregnant ewe with captopril may have disturbed the normal relationships between maternal and fetal placental circulations.     

Sharing of antigenic epitopes between synaptophysin and granulophysin.

The immunological crossreactivity between the two granule-specific membrane glycoproteins, synaptophysin and granulophysin, was studied using a series of site-specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. The epitope relatedness of six monoclonal antibodies against granulophysin was examined by competitive ELISA. The antibodies are shown to recognize distinct, but overlapping epitopes within a compact region that is constructed by the three-dimensional configuration of the molecule. All these antibody clones also recognize rat neuronal synaptophysin. Two monoclonal antibodies against synaptophysin, of which one is the well-characterized SY38 antibody, directed against the carboxy terminal of the molecule, are also shown to react with granulophysin. Characterized polyclonal antibodies against different peptide antigens of synaptophysin failed to recognize granulophysin. Synaptophysin and granulophysin are distinctly recognized in brain cell (white matter) and the pituitary both qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on these and other observations, it is suggested that the repeat motif in the cytoplasmic tail of synaptophysin represents an immunodominant construct that is the target for the observed crossreactive antibodies and that a similar tertiary construct has been preserved in granulophysin and in other transmembrane proteins.     

The relationships between stromatoporoids and heliolitids

The dense fibro-lamellar skeleton of lophiostromatids (Stromatoporoidea) is closely similar to the trabecular skeleton of protaraeids (Heliolitoidea) and, respectively, the cystose skeleton of labechiids is similar to that of proporids. They can be interpreted as different types of basal exoskeleton of colonial coelenterates. The main difference between these ancient stromatoporoids and heliolitids is in the arrangement of zooids in the colony, that in the heliolitids enabled them to participate in skeleton building, which was not possible in the stromatoporoids. The stratigraphical distribution supports the supposition of their cummon origin. Coelenterata, Stromatoporoidea, Heliolitoidea. skeleton formation, morphology .     

Modern methods of intraspecies typing of Sonne shigellae. II. Spread of Sonne shigellae of different biochemical types]

The paper presents the results of studying peculiarities of the Sh. sonnei of different biochemical types spread established by their typing scheme suggested by the authors earlier according to rhamnose, xylose and maltose. The epidemic process in dysentery both during the years of the rise and of the decline of its incidence at various territories of the countries proved to be maintained on account of circulation of Sh. sonnei of various biochemical types. The results of studying their dissociative and virulent properties confirmed the biological separation of individual biochemical types. An interrelationship between the character of the biochemical pattern of Shigellae sonnei at the individual territories and the persisting activity of different ways of dysentery transmission was determined. The results of studying the biochemical pattern could be used as an indicator of the degree of activity of individual ways of dysentery spread at various territories.