Sodium Content of Community Water Supplies in California

The amount of sodium ion in water used for ingestion may be critical in effective use of a low sodium dietary regimen. Waters containing not over 20 mg of sodium per liter are provided for in the sodium restricted diets set forth by the American Heart Association. For diets containing more than 500 mg of sodium a day, waters of greater sodium content may be used if proper dietary adjustments are made.While assessment of the long-term average sodium content of a community water supply is difficult, the determined values for sodium lend to classification within range categories. The larger community water supplies in California are presented within several range categories of sodium content.The more commonly used water softeners add sodium to water. The sodium-restricted patient should be cautioned against their use. Similar consideration should probably be given to water supplies of retirement communities where the potential for disorders requiring sodium restriction is greater than in the general population.     

Typing of Nontypable Staphylococci by Lysogeny

Strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci which were nontypable with the routine typing set of phages could be typed by lysogeny with phage-propagating strains as indicators and with ultraviolet induction. About 10% of the strains could be typed without induction. About 36% of them could be typed by this method when ultraviolet irradiation was used as an inducing agent. The phage groups from which the majority of the nontypable staphylococci originated were easily identified by this method of typing.     

Metabolic Processes in Cytoplasmic Particles of the Avocado Fruit. IX. The Oxidation of Pyruvate and Malate during the Climacteric Cycle

Mitochondria isolated from preclimacteric avocado fruit oxidize pyruvate at a much lower rate than those separated from climacteric fruit. The external addition of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) increased the rate of pyruvate oxidation in both cases.The study of the influence of TPP on the rate of oxidation of malate by mitochondria obtained from both preclimacteric and climacteric fruit indicated that the effect of this cofactor could be understood by assuming that malate was converted to pyruvate. TPP stimulation of malate oxidation was prevented by arsenite, an inhibitor of keto acid oxidation. The addition of glutamate increased the rate of malate oxidation through the transamination of oxaloacetate. This suggests that the rate of oxidation of malate is highly dependent upon mechanisms which remove oxaloacetate efficiently.Incubation of mitochondria from preclimacteric fruit with malate-U-(14)C resulted in the labeling of oxaloacetate and the accumulation of labeled pyruvate. Addition of TPP to this system induced the rapid formation of citrate. This conversion was completely inhibited by arsenite.The results indicate that the ability to carry out the oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-ketoacids improves as the ripening process progresses. The idea was advanced that TPP available to the mitochondria plays an important controlling role.