Unprocessed Bran in Treatment of Diverticular Disease of the Colon

Seventy patients with diverticular disease of the colon were treated with a high-residue, low-sugar diet including unprocessed bran. Follow-up for an average of 22 months showed marked relief of symptoms in 62 patients. Bowel habit was restored towards normal and abdominal discomfort relieved. Only seven patients were unable to give up the use of laxatives. Eight patients did not tolerate the bran diet, and one of these needed surgical treatment. None of the 62 patients who took the diet needed surgery.     

The Dipole Model and Phase Transitions in Biological Membranes

Assuming the dipole model for a membrane, approximate calculations are made which employ a dipole-dipole interaction energy. The calculations are based upon the assumption of cooperative coupling of membrane polar molecules and make use of the Bragg-Williams approximation. A theoretical estimate is made of the critical temperature at which phase changes might occur in certain biological membranes. Proposals are presented which explain how the dipole transition might relate to the sometimes observed thermal phase transitions in biological membranes.     

MICROTUBULE PROTEIN : Identification in and Transport to Nerve Endings

The subunit protein of microtubules, tubulin, has been demonstrated to be present in isolated nerve endings by gel electrophoresis, amino acid composition, and peptide mapping. The tubulin constitutes approximately 28% of the soluble protein of the nerve endings. The transport of tubulin to the nerve endings has been demonstrated and its relationship to slow transport is discussed.     

Therapy of Staphylococcal Infections in Monkeys. IV. Further Comparison of Triacetyloleandomycin and Erythromycins

Intravenous inoculation of a penicillin-resistant, phage type 80/81 staphylococcus caused lethal infection in 8 of 15 untreated monkeys. Daily intragastric administration of 50 mg/kg of triacetyloleandomycin, erythromycin estolate, and erythromycin ethylsuccinate was followed by mortalities of 0 of 16, 3 of 16, and 3 of 10, respectively. At dose levels of 25 and 12.5 mg/kg, none of 7 and 4 of 7 receiving triacetyloleandomycin and erythromycin estolate, respectively, died, as compared to 3 of 4 deaths in controls. In vitro sensitivity data and serum antibacterial levels would suggest that triacetyloleandomycin would be the least effective therapeutically. However, this prediction was not fulfilled in these studies of experimental infections in monkeys wherein triacetyloleandomycin was a very effective antimicrobial agent.