Detection of Salmonella in onion and garlic powders: collaborative study

The relative efficiency of trypticase soy broth with added 0.5% K2SO3 and lactose broth as pre-enrichment media for recovering Salmonella from onion powder and garlic powder was collaboratively studied. For each spice, 13 collaborators each received 5 duplicate samples; 4 of the 5 replicate samples were inoculated with 1 of 4 levels of S. thompson ranging, at initiation of analysis, from greater than 3 to 93 organisms/g onion powder and greater than 3 to 43 organisms/g garlic powder. Salmonella growth was inhibited in each of these spices as evidenced by a rapid decline of most probable number values in samples determined immediately after and 7 days following inoculation. Collaborative results of cultural analyses demonstrated superiority of the modified tripticase soy broth for recovering Salmonella in each of the 2 spices. The improved method of detecting Salmonella in onion and garlic powders has been adopted as official first action.

[Efficiency of cancer-preventive examinations. Problems in early detection for the physician and laboratory]

The efficiency of gynecological cancer detection and verification depends on optimal team work of different medical specialties, such as General Medicine, Gynecology, Cytopathology, Histopathology, Surgery, Radiology. Each number of the team, working incompetently in its field, lowers the efficiency of the whole group. The most important factors leading to inefficiency in gynecological cancer detection and verification are discussed. The comparison of two different sized cancer detection programs (1962-1964; 38 119 patients vs. 1968--1976: 331 355 patients) revealed that the efficiency of verification of cancer cases does not improve with the size of the program: The cancer verification rates were higher in the small program with less routine work-up material (verification rate: 80%) compared withe the big program containing mostly follow-up cases (verification rate:75%). Much more attention should be paid to the control of optimal cooperation of the medical specialties participating in a cancer detection program, since not only the size of a program but the quality of the work-up can improve the results in cancer detection.

Rheologic properties of erythrocytes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The transformation of erythrocytes into echinocytes by suspension in isotonic phosphate buffer was increased in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) as compared to healthy controls. The transformation was enhanced when glass slides instead of polystyrole slides were used for observation. Viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions with a hematocrit of 80% was the same in patients and controls. The mean flow rate of erythrocyte suspensions in autologous plasma was only slightly reduced in the patient group, but decreased markedly after suspension of the cells in phosphate buffer, without as well as after preincubation with 10 mM Na salicylate. The decreased flow rate in patients is probably due to the increased number of echinocytes and not to an increased membrane rigidity, because the membrane flexibility of isolated ghosts, measured in a viscosimeter, was normal at all shear rates. Echinocyte formation in patients with DMD is strongly dependent on the techniques applied and difficult to evaluate quantitatively by phase contrast microscopy. Filtration of erythrocyte suspensions seems to be a more reliable, quantitative test for increased erythrocyte vulnerability.

[Heat-stable Escherichia coli-enterotoxin: reduced action after administration of phenylbutazone in infant mice (author's transl)]

Heat-stable Escherichia coli enterotoxin was assayed by the method of DEAN determining gut weight to body weight ratios in infant mice. The enterotoxic responses were significantly lower than in saline treated controls when Phenylbutazone at 20 mcg/mouse was administered subcutaneously 30 minutes prior to intragastric toxin challenge. The trials were performed with lyophilized culture filtrates of E. coli O 149:K91 (B) K88 ab (L), and three other enterotoxigenic strains one of which was isolated from an outbreak of swine oedema disease, the other two strains originated from the stools of diseased children.

[Decreased flexibility of newborn infant erythrocytes]

The rheological properties of erythrocytes of 10 full-term infants were studied. A method of filtration and measurements of viscosity of erythrocyte suspensions with a hematocrit of 80% were used. Erythrocytes of newborn infants were less flexible than erythrocytes of healthy adults. Rigidity of erthrocytes was due to an increased hemoglobin content of the erythrocyte membranes which was measured in isolated ghosts. After incubation of the cells with acetylphenylhydrazin Heinz-bodies were formed in the erthrocytes of adults. The flexiblity of these cells decreased markedly. More Heinz-bodies were found in the erythrocytes on the newborn infants, when their cells were incubated under identical conditions. These erythrocytes became more rigid than the erythrocytes of adults. From these results we conclude that the more rigid erythrocytes of the newborn infants would not pass the splenic sinus, especially when they contain Heinz-bodies. The rheological properties of the erythrocytes of newborn infants explain the shortened life-span of red cells of newborn infants.

Cytophotometric studies in suspicious cervical smears

Papanicolaou stained smears of various cervical lesions diagnosed as "suspicious" by routine cytology were reviewed with regard to different cell types leading to this diagnosis. The smears were then submitted to Feulgen hydrolysis and redyed by Acriflavin-SO2 for fluorescence-cytophotometry. In nine of 14 cases measured, the DNA content of all types of "suspicious" cells was increased with DNA modes at euploid levels of 2 n, 4 n and 8 n indicating that the "suspicious" cells in those cases are polyploid. However, in five cases aneuploid DNA-distribution patterns were found similar to those observed in carcinoma in situ or severe dysplasia. Since polyploidization may be considered as a cellular response to higher functional requirement (i.e. inflammation or regeneration) a "suspicious" cervical smear with a polyploid DNA-distribution pattern may reverse to normal cervical epithelium after normal conditions are restored. However, a "suspicious" smear with an aneuploid DNA-distribution pattern should be considered more seriously as being related to a precancerous lesion requiring immediate surgical treatment.

The significance of random sample size in flow-through photometric prescreening in cervical cytology

The determination of nuclear DNA content by flow-through photometry is employed as a prescreening procedure in cervical cytology. The goal of a prescreening procedure is to obtain the smallest possible number of false negative findings with an economically acceptable number of false positive findings, which must be retested. False negative findings result from the often low relative frequency of atypical cells in a mixed population of normal and atypical cells. Only between 10,000 and 50,000 cells are contained in a random sample from the total suspended smear material. It was the purpose of this study to investigate whether a flow-through photometric study of the entire suspension and thus the larger absolute frequency of atypical cells mught lead to a decrease in false negative results. Flow-through photometric evaluation of the entire smear material is not superior to measurement of a random sample of 10,000-50,000 cells. 1. The relative frequency of atypical cells is unchanged, and thus also the proportion of false negative findings. 2. The number of false positive findings increases by 10% due to the inclusion of aggregates at the bottom of the preparation. 3. The measuring time is increased 10-fold, thus making the prescreening procedure uneconomical.

[Virologic and serologic findings in an epidemic of abacterial meningitis of unknown origin (author's transl)]

In the summer of 1972 there occurred an epidemic of abacterial meningitis in Bayreuth and its surroundings. We received material of 52 ill children, aged 2 months to 14 years. A virus could be isolated in 10 (5 Coxsackie A4, 2 ECHO 6, 1 Coxsackie B 5 and twice enterovirus which would not be typed). Only in another 13 children could we make unequivocal diagnoses (7 Coxsackie A4, 2 Coxsackie B5, one each Coxsackie A 2, ECHO 3, Mumps, RRS-virus). With the other 29 patients a safe laboratory diagnosis could not be made, because there were either antibody titers against several virus from the same blood specimen (10) or nothing abnormal could be found (19). Therefore, since in a third of those examined no laboratory diagnostic basis for the cause of the epidemic could be found, we felt that we had not established the cause. The large number of positive findings we believe to be due to more or less "normal" epidemiologic processes in this child-population during the summer-fall period. The obvious limits of serologic diagnosis are discussed.

Functionally substituted oligomeric stannoxanes

The successive insertion of Bu2SnO units of into Sn—Cl, Sn—OOCR, Sn—OAR, and [Formula: see text] bonds was found to lead to functionally substituted oligomeric stannoxanes.

Conditions influencing the intensity of the Feulgen reaction

Hydrolysis in 5 N hydrochloric acid at room temperature is preferable to the conventional Feulgen hydrolysis in 1 N HCl at 60°C. The intensities achieved are less critically dependent on time and temperature and the maximum Feulgen values obtained may be significantly higher than after the latter procedure. However, the shape of the 5 N hydrolysis curve is dependent on the fixative and preparative procedures used and it may vary from experiment to experiment. The small lymphocyte, which has previously been found by several workers to bind about 10% less Feulgen dye than other diploid cells, was found to have a similar lower Feulgen intensity after 5 N HCl hydrolysis at room temperature. Isolating leukocyte nuclei or extracting their acid-soluble nuclear proteins failed to cause a significant elevation in the amount of Feulgen dye found.