Thermography imaging during static and controlled thermoregulation in complex regional pain syndrome type 1: diagnostic value and involvement of the central sympathetic system

Background  

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) is a clinical diagnosis based on criteria describing symptoms of the disease.     

Results of the IPCS collaborative study on complex mixtures.

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) sponsored a collaborative study to examine the intra- and inter-laboratory variation associated with the preparation and bioassay of complex chemical mixtures. The mixtures selected were National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). 20 laboratories worldwide participated in the collaborative trial. The participating laboratories extracted the organic portion of two particulate samples--an air-particulate sample and a diesel-particulate sample--and bioassayed the extracts. The laboratories simultaneously bioassayed a NIST-prepared extract of coal tar and two control compounds (benzo[a]pyrene, and 1-nitropyrene). The bioassay method used was the Salmonella/mammalian microsome plate-incorporation test using strains TA98 and TA100. Study design also allowed for a comparison of sonication and Soxhlet extraction techniques. The mean extractable masses for the air particles and diesel particles were approximately 5% and 17.5%, respectively. The particulate samples were mutagenic in both strains with and without activation in all 20 laboratories. For TA100 the with and without activation slope values for the air particulate were 162 and 137 revertants per mg particles, respectively. For TA98 the respective diesel slope values were 268 and 269. The mutagenicity slope values for the diesel particles ranged from 3090 (TA98, +S9) to 6697 (TA100, +S9) revertants per mg particles. The coal tar solution was negative for both strains when exogenous activation was not used but was mutagenic in both strains with exogenous activation. The benzo[a]pyrene and 1-nitropyrene were used as positive controls and gave results consistent with the literature. This paper provides a complete summary of the data collected during the collaborative study. Companion papers provide further analysis and interpretation of the results.     

Characterization of intracellular polygalacturonic acidtrans-eliminase fromKlebsiella oxytoca,Yersinia enterocolitica,andErwinia chrysanthemi

Intracellular polygalacturonic acidtrans-eliminase (PATE) was purified and characterized fromKlebsiella oxytoca andYersinia enterocolitica, enterobacteria unable to macerate plant tissue. The well-studied PATE from a strain ofErwinia chrysanthemi, a phytopathogen able to macerate plant tissue and cause soft-rot disease, was included for comparison. PATE from all strains displayed endo-splitting activity with pH optima between pH 8.5 and 9.0E. chrysanthemi had three isozymes (pls at pH 9.4, 9.0, and 7.8),K. oxytoca had two isozymes (pIs at pH 5.9 and 5.3), andY. enterocolitica had one isozyme (pI at pH 5.8). Molecular weights for theKlebsiella andYersinia PATEs were 71,000 and 55,000, respectively, compared with 33,000 for theErwinia PATE. Unlike theErwinia enzyme, theKlebsiella andYersinia PATEs did not require divalent cations for activity and could not macerate plant tissue without addition of pectinmethylesterase. The polygalacturonic acid-degrading enzymes found inK. oxytoca andY. enterocolitica appear to represent a separate type of PATE enzyme. It is unlikely that these organisms are phytopathogens; however, their ability to degrade polygalacturonic acid is probably advantageous to their survival in environments containing decomposing plant residues.     

Development of codominant markers for identifying species hybrids

Herein we describe a simple method fordeveloping species-diagnostic markers thatwould permit the rapid identification of hybridindividuals. Our method relies on amplifiedlength polymorphism (AFLP) and single strandconformation polymorphism (SSCP) technologies,both of which can be performed in any molecularbiology facility using standard laboratoryequipment. We demonstrate the utility of theAFLP-SSCP method by developing threetaxon-specific markers that will be suitablefor monitoring introgression in endangeredKlamath basin suckers.     

Klebsiella planticola sp. nov.: A new species of enterobacteriaceae found primarily in nonclinical environments

The nameKlebsiella planticola sp. nov. is proposed for a group of organisms isolated primarily from botanical and daquatic environments. Both numerical and molecular taxonomy techniques show that the species belongs within the genusKlebsiella and that it is distinct from other described species of the genus. The new species has 3 biogroups.K. planticolla is phenotypically identical toK. pneumoniae in classical biochemical tests, but it is distinguishable fromK. pneumoniae based on its ability to grow at 10°C and its inability to produce gas from lactose at 44.5°C. Additional reactions that can be used in combination with the temperature criteria includel-sorbose fermentation and ability to utilize hydroxy-l-proline as a sole carbon source. Strain V-236 (ATCC 33531; CDC 4245-72) is the type strain of the new species.