The frequency with which the word whirling and similar words (whirlall words) were used in Rorschach tests administered to 1154 medical students 20 to 35 years ago has been counted by computer. Subjects (now for the most part physicians in midlife) were assigned to different groups according to their health status as of December 1982. When the proportion of subjects using whirlall words was compared across health groupings, those in the suicide and other deaths groups had used the largest proportions of such words. Subjects were then divided into dead and living groups, and those in the total dead group showed a threefold greater frequency of whirlall words than did those in the living group, a highly significant difference (p less than 0.001). Also, the mean number of Rorschach responses was significantly higher for the dead group as compared with the living group (p less than 0.05) and for the major cancer group as compared with the healthy group (p less than 0.01).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of a specific thromboxane synthetase inhibitor on development of experimental Dirofilaria immitis immune complex glomerulonephritis in the dog.

Twelve Beagle dogs were immunized with aqueous-soluble Dirofilaria immitis antigens, and subsequent to at least fivefold increases in serum antibody titer, 6 mg of homologous antigen was infused into the left renal artery. Six dogs were treated once daily starting the day of infusion with 0.75 mg/kg of 1-benzylimidazole (1-BIM) in saline. Six control dogs were given saline only. Light, immunofluorescent, and transmission electron microscopic examinations of renal tissue from control dogs, 10 days after antigen infusion, showed a mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis in the left kidney with polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) infiltration and fibrin deposition. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G, M, C3, and Dirofilaria antigen deposits were observed in a segmental granular pattern. Mesangial, subendothelial, and intramembranous electron dense deposits were observed, and anti-Dirofilaria antibodies were demonstrated in kidney eluates from each dog. Administration of 1-BIM had no significant effect on IgG, IgM, C3, or antigen deposits, electron dense deposits, or concentration of antibody in kidney eluates. However, 1-BIM-treated dogs had less glomerular cell proliferation, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive glomerular staining, PMNL infiltration, and fibrin deposition. These data suggest that thromboxane is an important mediator in the development of immune complex glomerulonephritis, and that in certain circumstances, inhibition of thromboxane synthesis may be an effective therapy for immune complex glomerulonephritis in the dog.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunobinding assay for the speciation of avian mycoplasmas adapted for use with a 96-well filtration manifold.

An immunobinding assay capable of distinguishing among Mycoplasma synoviae, M. gallisepticum, M. gallopavonis, and M. meleagridis was developed. A low-protein-binding membrane filter served as the solid support, and a 96-well microsample filtration manifold was used. The assay detected 50 ng of mycoplasmal protein, or approximately 3 x 10(4) colony-forming units, from pure or mixed cultures. No cross-reactions were observed among the mycoplasma species tested. The assay was inexpensive, easy to interpret, and required approximately 3 hr to perform. The 96-well format allowed screening of numerous cultures and use of several antisera in a single assay.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of a modified Edward-type medium and a modified SP4-type medium for primary isolation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) from chickens vaccinated with the F strain of MG.

The efficacy of two media, an Edward-type medium (EPJ) and a modified SP4-type medium (SP4-PS), were compared for primary isolation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) from commercial layer chickens (n = 58) vaccinated with the live F strain of MG. Three groups of chickens that differed in the interval after vaccinal exposure to the F strain (32, 41, and 102 weeks) were studied at necropsy. Mycoplasma isolation was attempted from the trachea, sinus, and cloaca using lavage and swab techniques but was successful only from the trachea and sinus. MG was isolated from 39 (8.4%) of 463 culture attempts from 58 tracheal inocula and 58 sinus inocula. Isolation of MG was successful more frequently using EPJ medium than SP4-PS medium, and isolation occurred more often from the sinus than from the trachea. Of the 58 chickens studied, 19 (33%) were shown by culture to be infected with MG. Isolation was successful only from 32- and 41-week post-vaccination exposure groups. However, all chickens studied were serologically positive for MG antibody by rapid-plate agglutination and hemagglutination-inhibition assays.

Agglutination Tests↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of F strain Mycoplasma gallisepticum isolates by detection of an immunoreactive protein.

Commercial laying hens were examined microbiologically at necropsy 31 or 42 weeks after aerosol vaccination with the F strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). Mycoplasma isolates were studied in Western blots probed with polyclonal antiserum raised in rabbits to F strain immunogen. The persistence of the vaccine strain was demonstrated by detection of a 75-kilodalton immunoreactive protein, which was present in all MG isolates and thought to be a unique marker of the F strain. Use of PCA-F to probe Western blots allowed simultaneous identification of non-MG isolates, non-F strains of MG, and the F strain of MG.

Aerosols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Glycoconjugate heterogeneity among five strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum.

Five strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) were examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot analysis for the presence of carbohydrate-containing components. Staining with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) demonstrated carbohydrate components in three of the five strains studied. The PAS-reactive bands counterstained for protein, indicating a possible glycoprotein nature. Western blot analysis using three biotinylated lectin probes demonstrated the presence of additional glycoconjugates in the blot profiles of each MG strain. The carbohydrate specificity of lectin binding was demonstrated by competition experiments using specific sugars. Differences in the number, electrophoretic mobility and the morphology of PAS and lectin reactive bands were reproducible among separate preparations of each MG strain. These findings indicate substantial phenotypic diversity among the five MG strains in their ability to produce or acquire glycoconjugates.

Animals↗