Effect of lymphatic and splenic pump techniques on the antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine: a pilot study.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) facilitates the movement of lymphatic fluid and may enhance the immunologic response to infection or injected antigen. In this investigation, two groups of volunteers were vaccinated with recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, given at 0, 5, and 25 weeks. The experimental group (n = 20) received OMT (lymphatic and splenic pump) three times per week for 2 weeks after each vaccination. Control subjects (n = 19) received vaccine but no OMT. Resultant serum antibody levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Fifty percent of subjects in the treatment group achieved protective antibody titers (> or = 10 mIU/mL) on the 13th week with an average titer of 374 mIU/mL. Only 16% of the control subjects had positive antibody responses, with average titers of 96 mIU/mL. At all time points from week 6 on, the average anti-hepatitis B titer was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. These data suggest an enhanced immunologic response in subjects who received OMT.

A multistate program to educate physicians: successful, economical, but endangered.

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) was formed in 1948 to facilitate multistate contracts for education exchange; at present, 15 states participate in this program. West Virginia is one of four states in the SREB that offer training in osteopathic medicine, and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is the only professional school in West Virginia that is a member of the SREB program. The authors describe (1) WVSOM's mission to provide primary care physicians to meet the medical needs of Appalachia, and (2) the success that an WVSOM-SREB partnership has had in training primary care physicians for participating states at a fraction of the effort and cost that would otherwise have been necessary. Concern is expressed for the program's future, and suggestions offered for the establishment of similar multistate programs to foster the production of physicians in a variety of specialties throughout the nation, since the WVSOM has clearly been successful in producing primary care physicians and in motivating graduates to return to their home states. For example, through the WVSOM-SREB osteopathic medicine program, students from states that share parts of Appalachia (Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Maryland) and Florida have received their education at WVSOM. From 1978 until 1994, WVSOM graduated 148 SREB physicians; 122 of these are practicing physicians, 23 are in internships or residencies, and three have died. Of the 122, 53% have returned to practice in their home states; 85% of these graduates and 84% of all the SREB graduates who have returned to their home states or to other Appalachian states are practicing in primary care fields.

In-vitro mutagenesis of the bovine growth hormone gene.

The biological activities of bovine growth hormone (bGH) were studied in a transgenic mouse model system. The following experimental design was used: (1) in-vitro mutagenesis of the bGH gene; (2) expression of the mutated gene in cultured mouse cells under transcriptional regulation of the mouse metallothionein I promoter; (3) binding studies of the mutated and wild-type protein to mouse liver membrane preparations; (4) generation of transgenic mice which express the mutant hormone; and (5) growth rate analysis of transgenic mice. Removal of the alanine +1 codon from the bGH gene or a substitution of serine for cysteine 189 does not affect the ability of the mutant protein to influence transgenic mouse growth. Also, mutations which increase the hydrophobicity within the bGH alpha helix 3 region (amino acid residues 109-126) do not alter the enhanced growth rate in transgenic mice which express these mutated bGH proteins.

Effects of dietary phosphorus, soil ingestion and dietary intake level on performance, phosphorus utilization and serum and alimentary tract mineral concentrations in lambs.

Two experiments were conducted with lambs fed concentrate-based diets to study the effects of dietary P and soil ingestion on performance, P utilization and mineral composition of serum and alimentary tract contents. In Exp. 1, 20 wether lambs were fed diets for 21 d in a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with .2 or .3% total dietary P and O or 9% added Florida Ultisol (highly weathered soil with high P-fixation capacity) containing 4,600 and 6,400 mg/kg total Al and Fe, respectively. True P absorption increased (P less than .05) from 30 to 42% and from 37 to 54% when soil was added to the basal and high P diets, respectively. In Exp. 2, 24 wether lambs were assigned randomly to a 2 X 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Lambs were fed during a 70-d period using diets described previously on either a restricted or an ad libitum basis. Soil increased Fe concentration in ruminal fluid (P less than .05) and ash percentage (P less than .001) in ruminal solids and feces. Aluminum concentration in ruminal solids and feces and Fe in ruminal solids were increased (P less than .001) by soil addition, whereas concentrations of Ca, Mg, P, Zn, Cu and Mn in ruminal solids and feces were decreased (P less than .01) by soil addition. There were time X P interactions on serum inorganic P (P less than .01) and Mg (P less than .05) concentrations. Although high in P-fixing capacity, soil fed to lambs in these experiments improved P utilization. Lambs appeared to be able to adapt to changes in intake of dietary minerals in soil, possibly through adaptation of ruminal microflora or a redistribution of body mineral pools.

Herpes zoster. The treatment and prevention of neuralgia with adenosine monophosphate.

Thirty-two adults were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial of intramuscular injections of gel-sustained adenosine monophosphate (AMP) given three times a week for up to four weeks for acute herpes zoster. Adenosine monophosphate moderately reduced the pain soon after the start of treatment, decreased desquamation time, and promoted faster healing of the skin than placebo treatment. Adenosine monophosphate treatment reduced virus shedding and cleared the virus faster than in placebo-treated subjects. At the end of the initial four-week treatment period, 88% of AMP-treated patients were pain free, as opposed to only 43% in the placebo group. After four weeks, all patients who had not recovered from pain started receiving AMP treatment without breaking the code. All these patients recovered from pain within three weeks after initiation of treatment. No recurrence of pain or lesions was experienced from three to 18 months after the end of treatment. Adenosine monophosphate, a natural cellular metabolite, showed no side effects or toxicity during and after the treatment.

Forage production and quality as influenced by amended quartz sand-tailings following phosphate mining.

Quartz-sand tailings is a waste product from the Florida phosphate mining industry. Individual tailings disposal areas may occupy 20 to 60 ha and support no vegetation. A split plot field experiment was conducted on a sand tailings deposit to study the effect of various amendments on yield, quality, and mineral concentrations of 'Callie' bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon var.aridus Harlan et de Wet) and 'Siratro' [Macroptilium atropurpureum (DC) Urb]. The two species were established on nine treatments: one sand-tailings control (SC); three with air-dried phosphatic clay (PC) at 110, 225, and 340 Mg ha(-1); and three with overburden (OB) at 448, 1,120, and 1,800 Mg ha(-1). All PC and OB treatment rates contained air-dried sewage sludge (SS) at 45 Mg ha(-1) and were all roto-tilled to a 20 to 25 cm depth. There were two additional treatments of OB at 1800 Mg ha(-1) without SS, with and without roto-tilling into sand tailings. Callie established slower (P<0.05) on SC and OB, than on treatments containing SS and/or PC. However, after the root system developed, yields were similar on all sand-tailings treatments. Crude protein andin vitro organic matter digestion for Callie and Siratro did not differ between soil treatments, but Siratro was generally superior to Callie in forage quality. Forage concentrations of P, K, Ca. Mg, Mn, and Zn were adequate in both species for good cattle growth on all treatments. However, Cu tended to be low in Siratro for plant and cattle growth. Once root systems were well established, good yields of quality forage with suitable mineral concentrations were produced on regularly fertilized, quartz-sand tailings.

Activity of AMP against experimental herpes simplex virus type 1 infections in mice.

Administration of AMP soon after inoculation of mice with herpes simplex virus type 1 inhibited development of virus-induced lesions and appeared to prevent establishment of virus latency. These effects were dependent on both the AMP dose and the time of AMP administration. Regression of herpes simplex virus type 1-induced lesions was also accelerated significantly by AMP treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner.

Effects of adenosine monophosphate on the reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus type 1 infections of mice.

Adenosine monophosphate pretreatment of mice with latent herpes simplex virus type 1 infections significantly reduced the rate of reactivation of latent virus. Adenosine monophosphate pretreatment did not, however, eradicate latent virus.

Isolation of a protein kinase induced by herpes simplex virus type 1.

We have isolated a new cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase activity induced in HeLa cells by infection with herpes simplex virus type 1. Induction of the enzyme does not occur in cells treated with cycloheximide at the time of infection, or in cells infected with UV-inactivated herpes simplex virus type 1. The amount of enzyme induced in infected cells is dependent upon the multiplicity of infection. An enzyme with identical properties to the appearing in infected HeLa cells is also induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 in BHK cells.

Chemically induced gene expression. Manipulation of the transforming ability of simian virus 40 minichromatin by specific chemical hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4.

We have developed a non-enzymatic acetylating procedure, closely resembling the situation in vivo, utilizing acetyl adenylate, an acetylating agent in vivo, that mimics the enzymatic hyperacetylation of specific histone species. Analysis of the acetylated species of calf thymus histones produced from reaction with soluble chromatin yielded the same species generated in vivo and observed during active gene transcription. Four species of histone H4 and three of histone H3 occur with no alteration in histones H2A or H2B. This procedure has been utilized to hyperacetylate simian virus 40 (SV40) minichromatin in vitro in order to study the effect of acetylated compared to non-acetylated minichromatin in cellular transformation of cultured Balb/3T3 cells. Transformed cell foci appeared only in the cultures infected with hyperacetylated SV40 minichromatin. To select for cellular transformation, foci were transferred to agar-lined culture flasks and grown in the suspension of 1% methylcellulose. The selected cells were plated on slides and analyzed for the presence of T-antigen by indirect immunofluorescence. The hyperacetylated-minichromatin-infected cells exhibited T-antigen-specific fluorescence, while non-acetylated-minichromatin-treated cells and normal cells showed no specific fluorescence. These results suggest a major role for histone hyperacetylation in the mechanism of SV40 viral transformation.

The role of glycoprotein carbohydrate in the immunological reactivity of antistreptococcal cell-membrane and antiglomerular basement-membrane antisera.

Rabbit antisera to "carbohydrate-rich" antigens prepared from group-A, type-12 streptococcal cell-membrane and human glomerular basement-membrane were found to react by an indirect fluorescent-antibody test with the glomerular basement membrane of adult human kidney. This activity was absent or diminished in neonatal tissue. Removal of the carbohydrate epitopes from the adult tissue by means of carbohydrases removed the immunological activity. Antisera against the "carbohydrate-rich" antigens showed immunological reactivities distinctly different from those against the parent native immunogens--streptococcal cell membrane or glomerular basement membrane--which proved to be directed towards the portein epitopes.

Immunologic cross-reactivity between antisera to group A, type 12 streptococcal cell membrane and human glomerular basement membrane. The effect of age and carbohydrate content.

Antisera to group A, type 12 streptococcal cell membrane and human glomerular basement membrane was evaluated, by indirect immunofluorescence, on adult and neonatal human kidney sections, before and after carbohydrase treatment. Cleavage of GBM carbohydrate potentiated the reactivity of SCM antisera on adult GBM, but not neonatal GBM which in general showed maximal activity without CHOase treatment. Of 22 sera checked 17 showed positive reactivity versus human GBM. Chemical analyses showed that adult GBM contained more carbohydrate than did neonatal GBM, which may explain the observed masking effect.

Increased immunologic reactivity between human glomerular basement membrane and group A type 12 streptococcal cell membrane after carbohydrase treatment.

Anti-streptococcal cell membrane and anti-human glomerular antisera were evaluated on normal human kidney sections by an indirect immunofluorescent test both before and after absorptions with homologous and heterologous membrane preparations. The observed cross-reactions were potentiated by removal of carbohydrate units from both membrane-types by carbohydrase, a mixture of carbohydrate-cleaving enzymes.

Antigenic relationships among four herpesviruses.

Common viral antigens were detected, by fluorescent-antibody studies, in cells infected with herpes simplex virus 1, squirrel monkey herpesvirus 1, bovine rhinotracheitis, and equine abortion viruses. The two primate viruses showed slight cross-neutralization.