Infection with the Avian-Battey Group of Mycobacteria in England and Wales

Of 109 cases in England and Wales in which mycobacteria of the avian-Battey group were isolated from man 89 were considered genuine infections (including 32 with Mycobacterium avium) and six were doubtful. Almost half the significant cases were lung infections in men in dusty occupations, mostly coal miners with pneumoconiosis, and just over a quarter were non-pulmonary, mostly cervical adenitis in children. The prognosis in lung infections was serious, especially in the presence of pneumoconiosis.     

Myasthenia Gravis: Anesthetic and Surgical Management of the Patient Undergoing Thymectomy

Experience in the anesthetic and surgical management of 25 patients with myasthenia gravis is recorded. These are subdivided into two groups: those operated on during the period 1950-1958 and those operated on during the period 1959-1964. The purpose of this paper is to indicate improvement in mortality and morbidity due to three major advances: (1) use of the decamethonium diagnostic test in a myasthenia gravis clinic; (2) improvements in assessment and management of respiratory insufficiency; and (3) avoidance of anticholinesterase treatment in the immediate and early postoperative recovery period.Fourteen patients with myasthenia gravis, including five with thymoma and two who were refractory to medication, were in the second (1959-1964) group. There were no deaths and no myasthenic or cholinergic crises. Three prophylactic tracheostomies were performed. No emergency bronchoscopies or tracheostomies were required.     

Molecular requirements for T cell activation by the staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin-1

The activation of Ag-specific, Ia molecule-restricted, TCR V beta 3+ T cell clones by staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), was investigated. The results show that although Ag- and TSST-1-induced activation of T cell clones both require TCR expression and similar biologic activation signals, the Ia molecule requirement for TSST-1 recognition was much less stringent than that observed for antigenic peptide recognition. In addition, T cell clones recognized TSST-1 without processing by APC. These results suggest that the ability of TSST-1 to polyclonally activate T cells is dependent on TCR recognition of the intact toxin molecule bound to a nonpolymorphic region(s) of the Ia molecule resulting in the same activation events induced by Ag recognition.     

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dingoes

Serum samples from 62 dingoes (Canis familiaris dingo) trapped in five areas of southeastern New South Wales, Australia were tested for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. Six (10%) of the dingoes had direct agglutination test titers for T. gondii of greater than or equal to 1:64, and four of these animals had T. gondii-specific IgM, suggesting recent exposure.     

Crystal structure of a berenil-dodecanucleotide complex: the role of water in sequence-specific ligand binding.

The three-dimensional structure of a complex between the dodecanucleotide d(CGCGAATTCGCG) and the anti-trypanocidal drug berenil, has been determined to a resolution of 2.5 A. The structure has been solved by molecular replacement and refined to an R factor of 0.177. A total of 49 water molecules have been located. The drug is bound at the 5'-AAT-3' region of the oligonucleotide. At one end of the drug the amidinium group is in hydrogen-bonded contact with N3 of the adenine base complementary to the thymine of the AAT. The other amidinium group does not make direct interactions with the DNA. Instead, a water molecule mediates between them. This is in hydrogen-bonded contact with an amidinium nitrogen atom, N3 of the 5' end adenine base and the ring oxygen atom of an adjacent deoxyribose. Molecular mechanics calculations have been performed on this complex, with the drug at various positions along the sequence. These show that the observed position is only 0.8 kcal/mol higher in energy than the best position. It is suggested that there is a broad energy well in the AATT region for this drug, and that water molecules as well as the neighbouring sequence, will determine precise positioning. More general aspects of minor groove binding are discussed.