Antigenic differences between Anabaena azollae fresh from the Azolla fern leaf cavity and free-living cyanobacteria

Fluorescent antibody staining indicated differences in surface antigenicity in Anabaena azollae cells fresh from the leaf cavities of the fern, Azolla caroliniana, and algae which were isolated and subcultured from this fern. Such results suggest that either changes in antigenicity occur in this phycobiont during culturing or that isolation selects for an antigenically different mutant strain capable of in vitro growth.Non-Standard Abbreviations FA fluorescent antibody staining - PBS phosphate buffered saline - W microwatt - Anti-F antiserum prepared against fresh cells - Anti-N antiserum prepared against Newton's culture - FTTC fluorescein isothiocyanate To whom offprint requests should be sent     

Collagenase inhibitors retarding invasion of a human tumor in nude mice

Tumor invasion has been correlated with the ability of tumor cells to produce collagenolytic enzymes which are capable of degrading normal host tissues. However, the human small cell carcinoma implanted subcutanouesly and growing progressively in athymic (nude) mice produced large quantities of collagenase but did not appear to significantly infultrate adjacent host tissue. In comparison, subcutaneously implanted murine Lewis lung tumors produced similar quantities of collagenase and were locally invasive. The human tumors were surrounded by a compact layer of fibroblast cells in a fibrous matrix. This fibrous sheath exhibited anticollagenase activity and indicated a mechanism of host tissue resistance to invasion via the formation of inhibitors to degradative enzymes produced by tumor cells.     

Value of outpatient follow-up after curative surgery for carcinoma of the large bowel.

The records were reviewed of 406 patients with carcinoma of the large bowel who had been treated at the Middlesex Hospital during 1958-62. Of these patients, 180 were followed up regularly in this hospital after radical surgery, and from six months to 15 years after operation they were seen 2319 times; 71 developed a recurrent carcinoma but, of these, 41 recurrences (58%) were diagnosed at times other than those of the patients'' routine outpatient appointments, although they were being regularly reviewed. Only one patient with recurrence appeared to have been cured by further surgery. For the present, adequate education of patients in the symptoms of early recurrence, with instruction to return if any of these develop, is likely to be more effective than the unsatisfactory and time-consuming routine follow-up still used in many hospitals.     

Aspects of the structure and functional anatomy of the Middle Triassic cynodont Luangwa

The study concerns an incomplete skull and postcranial skeleton of the traversodontid cynodont Luangwa drysdalli Brink, from the Middle Triassic Ntawere Formation of Zambia. The incisor teeth had cutting edges maintained by tooth abrasion, and the post-canines functioned more by a puncture-crushing mechanism than by shearing. The jaw muscles, in conjunction with the teeth, were arranged to avoid stresses at the jaw articulation.
Both the region of the orbit, and the braincase show certain tendencies towards mammalian structure.
The forelimb operated in a primitive, sprawling fashion. The equivalent of the therian supraspinatus muscle had evolved, but not the infraspinatus. The hindlimb was more or less erect, and the hip musculature was very close to mammalian. Expanded costal plates were still present on the posterior thoracic and lumbar ribs, and functioned to maintain the vertebral column virtually rigid.     

Chemically defined serum-free media for the cultivation of primary cells and their susceptibility to viruses

Summary Chemically defined media SFRE-199-1 for the growth and SFRE-199-2 for the maintenance of primary baboon kidney (Bak) cell cultures were formulated by supplementing medium M199 with insulin, sodium pyruvate, zinc sulfate, and increasing arginine-HCl, cysteine, cystine,l-glutamine,l-glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, tyrosine, and glucose to maximally active nontoxic concentrations. For prolonged maintenance of the cells, physiological pH control, and blocking of excessive lactic acid accumulation in the spent medium of the cell cultures, it was necessary to supplement the medium containing Earle's balanced salts withd-(+) galactose. The cells grew and were maintained equally well on glass or polystyrene surfaces. Selenium, when added to growth medium or substituted for insulin and zinc sulfate, did not stimulate cell growth. Electron microscopy showed that numerous dense particles, approximately 250 to 400 ? in diameter, with the appearance of glycogen, were found throughout the cytoplasm in the cells grown in SFRE-199-1 and maintained in SFRE-199-2. Echovirus types 1 to 3, poliovirus types 1 to 3, coxsackievirus types B2, B4, B5,Herpesvirus hominis type 1, simian herpesvirusH. simiae and SA8, and simian adenovirus SV34 when titrated in primary Bak cells and grown and maintained in SFRE-199-1 and 2, respectively, developed titers comparable to those obtained in conventionally grown and maintained cells. This study was supported in part by National Institute of Health Grant RR00361 and World Health Organization Grant V4/181/38. This laboratory serves as the NIH/WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research in Simian Viruses.     

Plasma concentrations of 9-deoxo-16,16-dimethyl-9-methylene-PGE2 in Rhesus monkeys after administration by various routes

A method is described for the estimation of 9-deoxo-16,16-dimethyl-9-methylene-PGE₂ by double antibody radioimmunoassay. Plasma samples obtained from animals treated with 9-methylene-16,16-dimethyl-PGE₂,1-adamantanamine salt were extracted with diethyl ether to recover the prostaglandin. The validation of sample preparation and assay procedure are presented. Rhesus females were treated by several routes of administration and the samples assayed for drug content. Maximum blood levels were probably reached 30 minutes following subcutaneous injection and within 30 seconds of an intravenous injection. Results of the acute intravenous injection indicate an initial half-life of approximately one minute in peripheral circulation. Continuous intravenous infusion at 3 increasing doses of this compound resulted in a stepwise increase in plasma drug concentrations. Vaginal administration of 9-methylene-16,16-dimethyl-PGE₂,1-adamantanamine salt in suppositories produced a dose dependent increase in plasma drug concentration. Higher plasma drug concentrations were produced when the prostaglandin was delivered in H-15 base suppositories than in E-76 base suppositories.     

A Note on Scanning Electron Microscopic Assessment of Stomacher Action on Chicken Skin

Scanning electron microscopy was used in conjunction with normal microbiological procedures to evaluate the stomacher as a means of recovering bacteria from chicken skin. Stomaching removed most bacteria from the skin and viable counts of skin micro-organisms obtained by this method were not significantly different from those obtained by blending. The stomacher represents a useful alternative to blending techniques commonly used to assess contamination of poultry carcasses.