Incidence of chromosome anomalies in first-cleavage mouse embryos obtained from frozen-thawed oocytes fertilized in vitro

To assess the effect of low temperature storage on mouse oocytes we (1) examined the capacity for normal development of embryos derived from frozen oocytes fertilized in vitro after transfer to pseudopregnant foster mothers and (2) analyzed the chromosome complement at the first cleavage division. Fewer frozen than control oocytes were fertilized (36% vs 66%), but after embryo transfer the proportion of fertilized eggs that implanted (67-68%) and formed normal foetuses (50-53%) was similar in the two groups. Freezing did not affect the observed incidence of aneuploidy (1.5-3.3%). The frequency of polyploid embryos derived from frozen oocytes was almost double that of controls (15.8% vs 8.5%), but it is unclear whether this is a real effect of freezing or is an artifact produced by the chromosome preparation technique.

Oral acyclovir for acute herpes zoster infections in immune-competent adults

Previous studies have shown that intravenous acyclovir does modify rash development, reduce viral shedding and alleviate acute pain in herpes zoster. To assess the clinical efficacy of an oral dosage regimen with 800 mg acyclovir five times daily, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies were carried out at three centres within the U.K., using a common protocol. According to inclusion criteria (immune competent patients over 60 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of herpes zoster with rash of no more than 72 h duration, no previous systemic antiviral treatment, no history of renal insufficiency) 205 patients were recruited after they had given their informed consent. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either two 400 mg tablets acyclovir (41 men, 59 women) or matching placebo (46 men, 59 women) five times daily for seven days. Treatment was predominantly domiciliary based. According to clinical assessment and pain score acyclovir recipients showed a significant benefit in terms of reduction in rash progression if treatment was started within 48 h of the onset of rash, and alleviation of pain during the acute phase of herpes zoster. Overall, the number of patients developing extradermal lesions was significantly lower in the acyclovir group than in the placebo group (p = 0.02). However, there were no significant differences in rash progression and pain response in patients with herpes zoster affecting the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve in patients who received acyclovir (n = 21) compared to those who received placebo (n = 32). 12 acyclovir and 13 placebo recipients reported symptoms, predominantly gastrointestinal in nature, possibly or probably related to therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Oral acyclovir in acute herpes zoster

Oral acyclovir at a dose of 800 mg five times daily for seven days was compared with placebo in a randomised double blind trial conducted at three centres in the United Kingdom. The study group comprised 205 elderly immune competent patients suffering from herpes zoster who were entered within 72 hours of the onset of rash. Acyclovir significantly reduced the times to arrest of new lesion formation (p = 0.005), loss of vesicles (p less than 0.001), and full crusting (p = 0.02) in those patients entered within 48 hours of the onset of rash. In addition, there was a significant reduction in pain during treatment with acyclovir as compared with placebo (p = 0.008). Of the patients with severe pain on entry, 40% (10/25) of those treated with acyclovir had no or only mild pain at the end of treatment, whereas in the placebo group all had residual moderate or severe pain (p less than 0.001). No clinically important adverse effects of acyclovir were reported. Oral acyclovir may modify acute herpes zoster and reduce pain.

Ciprofloxacin for soft tissue infections

Twenty-one patients with cellulitis or other bacterial soft-tissue infections were treated with oral ciprofloxacin. One patient developed nausea and vomiting and was withdrawn from the study, but 19 of the other 20 were clinically cured or improved. Only nine of the original 18 bacterial isolates were completely eradicated, however, the majority of the failures being staphylococci or streptococci. There was no evidence from disc sensitivity testing of resistance developing during treatment. No serious toxicity was seen.

Oral cefuroxime axetil: clinical pharmacology and comparative dose studies in urinary tract infection

Cefuroxime axetil, an orally absorbed pro-drug of cefuroxime was used to treat a mainly elderly group of patients with symptomatic urinary tract infections. The drug was clinically effective and the bacteriological short term and long term cure rates (55% and 48% respectively) comparable to those of other antibiotics. The study had to be terminated however after the development of three cases of antibiotic associated colitis. Studies of the pharmacokinetics of the drug in volunteers gave inconsistent results suggesting that there may be variable bioavailability of the compound.

Evaluation of antimotion sickness drug side effects on performance

This project has employed a computerized pursuit meter which has a high correlation with operational performance (2) to test the principal antimotion sickness drugs. Proficiency scores on the pursuit meter task were improved over placebo scores in subjects with d-amphetamine 10 mg and 5 mg, the combination of promethazine 25 mg plus scopolamine 0.4 mg with d-amphetamine 10 mg, and the combination of scopolamine 1 mg with d-amphetamine 10 mg. Scores were not significantly different from placebo scores in tests with scopolamine 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, or 0.6 mg; marezine 50 mg; meclizine 50 mg; or dimenhydrinate 50 mg. This was also true for the combination of scopolamine 1 mg with d-amphetamine 5 mg, and that of promethazine 25 mg with d-amphetamine 10 mg. A statistically significant decrement of performance scores was seen with scopolamine 1 mg or 0.8 mg, and with promethazine 25 mg oral or 25 mg I.M. The combination of promethazine 25 mg with scopolamein 0.4 mg, and that of promethazine 25 mg oral plus 25 mg I.M. with d-amphetamine 10 mg, also gave significant decrements from placebo scores. These results indicate that selected doses and combinations of antimotion sickness drugs can be used without loss of operational proficiency.

Ceftazidime plus mezlocillin as initial antibiotic therapy in febrile neutropenic patients with haematological malignancy

Sixty episodes of fever in neutropenic patients with haematological malignancy were treated with ceftazidime and mezlocillin. Improvement or temporary improvement was seen in 76% of patients with microbiologically or clinically documented infection. Fifty-seven per cent of episodes due to bacteraemia improved with the antibiotics. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the commonest pathogens isolated; bacteraemia due to Staph. epidermis was not encountered. The toxicity of ceftazidime plus mezlocillin was acceptable. Diarrhoea developed in 12% and a skin rash in 10%.

Derivation of mouse intestinal crypts from single progenitor cells

Adult intestinal epithelium consists of a sheet of single-cell thickness which is morphologically highly organized into tubular invaginations (crypts) and finger-like projections (villi). Proliferation of the cells is confined to the base of the crypts, from which cells migrate to the villi, where they are shed. The villi are formed during embryogenesis from a multilayered epithelium. In mice, crypts develop at about the time of birth from the epithelium between the villi, which by this stage is no longer multilayered. So far it has remained unknown how many progenitor cells contribute to each crypt, and whether they develop by the proliferation of already committed progenitors, or as a result of local inductive tissue interactions. Here, we have used mouse aggregation chimaeras as an experimental system to demonstrate immunohistochemically that the epithelium of individual crypts in small and large intestine of adult mice is always composed of cells of a single parental type. We have confirmed that this result is not an artefact of the chimaeric system by examining female mice that are mosaic for the X-linked alleles Pgk-1a and Pgk-1b. We conclude that the epithelium of each adult crypt is derived from a single progenitor cell.

Exchange transfusion in severe falciparum malaria

Three cases of severe falciparum malaria with high parasitaemia, one of them complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation, were treated with exchange transfusion in addition to conventional chemotherapy. All three made a good recovery. There are few previous reports of this treatment which deserves wider attention and further assessment.

Pathogenicity of mouse hepatitis virus for preimplantation mouse embryos

Mouse embryos which were hatched from the zona pellucida in vitro in the presence of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) or outgrown on coverslips and then exposed to MHV were shown by immunohistochemical staining to have virally infected trophoblast cells. Zona-intact embryos incubated with MHV for 48 h (2-cell embryos) or 1.5 h (blastocysts) were resistant to infection. Morulae and early blastocysts collected from donor mice experimentally infected with MHV were not infected, but the medium in which they were flushed from the uterine horns was contaminated with virus. No virus was detected after embryos were washed through three changes of uncontaminated medium. MHV was transmitted to foster mothers when embryos were transferred in medium contaminated with the virus. Fetal and decidual tissues were not infected. We suggest that embryo transfer is an effective and simple alternative to Caesarian rederivation of MHV-contaminated mice.

Effect of copper deficiency in wheat on the infection of roots by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici

Wheat was grown in a soil at five levels of copper (ranging from levels deficient, to those luxurious, for plant growth), in the presence or absence of introduced take-all inoculum (oat kernels colonized by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritica). The incidence and severity of take-all were related to the copper supply and hence the copper status of the wheat. Plants grown without applied copper were more severely infected by take-all than were those grown with an adequate or luxurious supply of copper. The number of lesions per gram fresh weight of roots was reduced from 6.5 to 2.4 by increasing the copper supply from that severely deficient, to that adequate for plant growth. In seminal roots, increasing the copper supply from levels severely deficient to those adequate or luxurious for plant growth, decreased the length of proximal lesions (those closest to the seed). By contrast, in nodal roots, a similar increase in copper supply had no effect on the length of proximal lesions, but increased the length of uninfected root between the crown and proximal lesions. In both seminal and nodal roots, copper supply did not affect the intensity of lesions.

Elimination of Sendai (parainfluenza type 1) virus infection from mice by embryo transfer

Preimplantation embryos collected from mice in the acute phase of Sendai virus infection were not infected. Transfer of embryos from infected donors did not transmit the virus to the recipient foster mothers or to their progeny. The pregnancies were normal with no differences in implantation rate or number of live births when compared with control transfers of embryos collected from non-infected donors.

Radionuclide brain scans in hospitalized psychiatric patients

Radionuclide brain scans were obtained routinely on 100 consecutive patients admitted to the inpatient psychiatric service. Ninety-nine of these scans were unequivocally normal. One showed unilateral decreased flow in the carotid distribution, but this was not confirmed arteriographically nor did this result in any change in therapy. The authors conclude that there is no justification for the use of the radionuclide brain scan as a screening procedure for patients presenting with psychiatric symptoms.