Gallium-67 Scans in the Diagnosis of Pyelonephritis

Gallium-67 (⁶⁷Ga) citrate was administered intravenously (50 microcuries per kg of body weight) to patients in whom acute and chronic urinary tract infections were suspected. Scanning was done, using both the Anger-type scintillation camera and the rectilinear scanner, 24 to 78 hours after injection of the isotope.The preliminary results imply that ⁶⁷Ga renal uptake is present in patients with pyelonephritis whether overt or silent, as well as in patients with uretero-sigmoidostomies. However, ⁶⁷Ga renal uptake is not present in patients with radiographic evidence of chronic pyelonephritis without active infection and in patients without renal disease.     

Microelectrode Studies of Dog's Gastric Mucosa

In anesthetized dogs, the potentials in the mucous coat and gastic cells were measured with microelectrodes. In the secreting stomach, with isotonic saline in contact with the mucosal surface, the orientation of the initial change in potential difference (PD) was often the same as that of the liquid junction potential between gastric juice and saline (the microelectrode became negative to a reference electrode in the saline) but the magnitude of the change was never more than 11 mv. On the basis of this finding an explanation is offered for the observation that in the secreting stomach replacing isotonic saline with isotonic HCl as the bathing fluid on the mucosal surface, results in a change in the serosal to mucosal PD of only 19 mv, which is 40% less than the liquid junction potential between gastric juice and saline. In the surface epithelial cells of both resting and secreting stomach, multiple levels of potentials were found. For the secreting stomach, the resistance between the interstitial fluid of the pit region and the fluid on the mucosal surface was 55 ohm cm², determined as the change in PD per unit of applied current across stomach. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to the separate site theory of HCl formation.     

COMMON EYE PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

Most penetrating or lacerating injuries of the eye in children justify examination under anesthesia to avoid further harm to an uncooperative patient. The pediatrician in doubt should merely apply a sterile dressing and have an ophthalmologist examine the injury in hospital. Nonperforating injuries may result in severe bleeding 48 to 72 hours later; this may be averted by bandaging the eyes and maintaining rest for four or five days. Removal of foreign bodies should be followed by application of antibiotic ointment and patching to prevent contamination.Congenital stenosis of the lacrimal duct may clear spontaneously or through application of decongestants and sympathomimetic drops. More severe effects, especially infection, justify probing at six months or earlier. The operation should be done under general anesthesia, preferably in hospital.Acute conjunctivitis is best treated by local application of antibiotics or sulfonamides only. Chronic infections may be better managed with the addition of corticosteroids, which reduce local inflammation and control bacterial reaction. Bacterial study should be done only if empirical antibiotic therapy fails. Bacterial desensitization may be helpful. The same methods are effective in blepharitis, aided by hygienic measures. Corticosteroids are most useful in allergic inflammations.Refractive difference is difficult to test before a child can read, and apparent defects may be due to lack of cooperation. Marked inequality of the eyes may signify organic disorder. Strabismus, on the other hand, can be detected as early as 12 or 15 months and should be treated as early as possible by proper lenses, surgery, or both. Pediatricians and parents should be aware that many children appear to have strabismus because of wide epicanthi and deep-set eyes.     

Properties of steroid sulphatase and arylsulphatase activities of human placenta

1. The properties of enzyme activities hydrolysing the sulphate esters of dehydroepiandrosterone, oestrone and p-nitrophenol are reported. The preparation studied was obtained from the microsomal fraction of human placenta by ultrasonic treatment and addition of Triton X-100. 2. The behaviour of the preparation during sedimentation at 105000g and attempts at purification indicated that the activities were particulate. Electron microscopy demonstrated the rupture of vesicular structures approx. 0.5mu in diameter concurrent with the release of activity. 3. The three activities were always associated throughout repeated attempts at separation by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation and Sephadex-gel filtration. On the basis of kinetic studies, stability studies and treatment with butanol and ribonuclease it was concluded that a separate enzyme is responsible for each of the three activities. Widely varying plots of activity as a function of pH were consistent with this conclusion. 4. On the basis of sensitivity of the enzymes hydrolysing dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and oestrone sulphate to ribonuclease and sensitivity of all three enzymes to lipase, it was concluded that the three enzymes are bound to a particle containing lipid and RNA. Enzymic activity is dependent on structural integrity of the particle. 5. A spectrophotometric method for the assay of oestrone sulphate hydrolysis is described. 6. Hydrolysis of nitrocatechol sulphate by human placenta under conditions described for arylsulphatases A and B is reported.     

Structural and functional analysis of a bacterial cellulase by proteolysis

CenA is an endo-beta 1,4-glucanase from the cellulolytic bacterium Cellulomonas fimi. It is a bifunctional enzyme comprising an amino-terminal cellulose-binding domain and a carboxyl-terminal catalytic domain joined by a short sequence of prolyl and threonyl residues (the Pro-Thr box). Additional structural and functional information was revealed by a detailed analysis of the products generated by proteolytic cleavage of a nonglycosylated form of CenA. An extracellular C. fimi protease attacked nonglycosylated CenA at the junctions between the Pro-Thr box and the two functional domains. A stable "core" peptide (p30), corresponding to the catalytic domain, remained after extensive proteolysis. p30 was resistant to further attack even in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol plus urea or dithiothreitol, but treatment in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate allowed complete fragmentation to small peptides. Stable peptides, identical, or closely related to p30, were generated by alpha-chymotrypsin or papain. These results indicated that the catalytic domain adopts a tightly folded conformation affording protection from proteolytic attack. In contrast, the cellulose-binding domain showed a relatively loose conformation. Progressive proteolytic truncation from the amino terminus was apparent during incubation with alpha-chymotrypsin or papain, or with C. fimi protease under reducing conditions. Affinity for cellulose was retained by products missing up to 64 amino-terminal amino acids. The remaining carboxyl-proximal region of the cellulose-binding domain with affinity (47 amino acids) contained sequences highly conserved in analogous domains from other bacterial endo-beta 1,4-glucanases. By analogy with other systems, the properties of the Pro-Thr box are consistent with an elongated conformation. The results of this investigation suggest that CenA has a tertiary structure which resembles that of certain fungal cellulases.     

Cold responses of Arabidopsis mutants impaired in freezing tolerance

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Heynh), characterized asdeficient in their freezing tolerance after cold acclimation,were surveyed for some of the normal responses to cold exposure.In foliar tissue, the coldinducibility of three proteins, thelevels of sucrose and glucose, the fatty acyl composition oflipids, and the accumulation of anthocyanin was examined. Fourmutations (sfr3, sfr4, sfr6, and sfr7) reduced or eliminatedthe accumulation of anthocyanin during cold acclimation. Onemutation (sfr4) prevented the normally cold-induced elevationof sucrose and glucose levels; both sfr4 and another mutation(sfr7) affected fatty acid composition after (and only after)cold acclimation. On the other hand mutations sfr1, sfr2 andsfr5 did not differ significantly from the wild type in anyof the parameters tested, suggesting that they have other, perhapshighly specific, effects on lowtemperature responses. Key words: Arabidopsis thaliana, cold acclimation, freezing tolerance, mutation     

Cloning of a cryV-type insecticidal protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis: the cryV-encoded protein is expressed early in stationary phase.

A CryV-type protein (CGCryV) has been isolated from supernatant fluids of Bacillus thuringiensis AB88 cultures. Previous reports have suggested the cryptic nature of the cryV-type genes on the basis of the absence of CryV-type proteins in parasporal crystals. The CryV-type protein reported here is expressed early in stationary phase, and evidence indicates that it is an exported protein. Analysis of the deduced protein sequence from this gene reveals the presence of an N-terminal domain that likely acts as a signal peptide. The CGCryV protein is the first reported case of a delta-endotoxin being a secreted protein, which may influence the biological relevance of these proteins.