Undetected injuries in head-injured adults

Of 254 adults admitted over a period of two years to the Head Trauma Service, 29 (11%) had ten previously undiagnosed fractures and/or dislocations and 29 had previously undetected peripheral neuropathies. The average delay in diagnosis was 57 days. Only one fracture, a fracture-dislocation of the thoracic spine, was of major consequence. Median, ulnar, and peroneal neuropathies were common and were usually associated with other orthopedic injuries. Nine of the neuropathies were explored and normal neurologic recovery ensued in each case. Nerve function, commonly the peroneal, did not return in six patients. This retrospective knowledge of head injured patients is necessary for early diagnosis and possible prevention of these neuropathies.

A very short version of the Minnesota Aphasia Test

A very short version of the Minnesota Differential Diagnosis of Aphasia Test is described. It is standardized on 86 aphasics and reduces the original 43 subtests to just four; takes less than 15 minutes to give; correlates by over 0.9 with the total full test; and misclassified only 13 per cent of subjects. These four subtests are identifying objects named serially (A4), oral reading of words (B8), naming pictures (C13) and written spelling (D6). This extensive shortening is made feasible by the high degree of redundancy in the original full version. The test is designed to detect asphasia in general, and not to partition aphasics typologically, for which the full Minnesota is required.

Easily hydrolyzable, water-soluble derivatives of (+/-)-alpha-5-[1-(indol-3-yl)ethyl]-2-methylamino-delta2-thiazoline-4-one, a novel antiviral compound

The preparation of a series of indole N-acyl and N-carbamic esters of (+/-)-alpha-5-[1-(indol-3-yl)ethyl]-2-methylamino-delta2-thiazolin-4-one (1) is reported. These derivatives were synthesized as potential water-soluble precursors of the antiviral thiazolinone 1, for evaluation by intranasal administration against influenza and other respiratory infections caused by viruses. Salts of the basic carbamic esters (16--19) possess the required water solubility, undergo rapid hydrolysis and decarboxylation at pH values greater than 6, and have high activity against influenza A2 and Coxsackie B1 viruses in vitro. In influenza A2 infected ferrets a representative ester (16) reduced the severity and duration of disease symptoms and reduced nasal wash virus titres but caused local irritancy.

Thiazolinone analogues of indolmycin with antiviral and antibacterial activity

Total synthesis of a series of thiazolinone and thiazolidinone analogues of the antibacterial oxazolinone antibiotic indolmycin is described. The synthetic route involves nucleophilic displacement of mesyloxy and chloro groups from methyl 2-substituted-3-(indol-3-yl)propionates 3 and 4 and butyrate 19 with N-substituted thioureas. The formation of the rearranged chloro esters 29, 43, and 44 from beta(RS,RS)-methyl indolmycenate (27), alpha(RS,SR)-methyl 2-hydroxy-3-(2-methylindol-3-yl)butyrate (39), and alpha-methyl 2-hydroxy-3-(indol-3-yl)valerate (41) supports a reaction mechanism involving neighboring group participation by the indole C-3 carbon during nucleophilic displacement on the beta-carbon of a C-3 substituent. Structure-activity relationships are discussed. Although neither indolmycin nor its diastereoisomer isoindolmycin is antiviral, 2-monoalkylaminothiazolinone analogues have in vitro activity against both RNA viruses and bacteria. The most active compound is the sulfur isostere of indolmycin, and only the levorotatory enantiomer 46, with the same absolute stereochemistry as natural indolmycin, has antimicrobial activity.

Transplantation immunity in annelids. II. Adoptive transfer of the xenograft reaction

The oligochaete annelids Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia foetida were used to demonstrate adoptive transfer of transplantation immunity. Eisenia grafts were used as sensitizing antigen and test grafts. Host Lumbricus injected with coelomic fluid containing coelomocytes from Lumbricus donors previously sensitized to Eisenia grafts rejected test grafts in an accelerated fashion. The rejection time was shorter and significantly different from that of worms injected with saline or coelomocytes from unsensitized worms. Coelomocytes resemble various vertebrate leucocytes and immunocytes and seem equivalent to a hypothetical invertebrate precursor wandering cell which recognizes and reacts to antigen.