[Clinico-pharmacologic study of a new sustained-release oral salbutamol preparation in patients with obstructive airway disease]. / Klinisch-pharmakologische Untersuchungen mit einem neuen retardierten oralen Salbutamol bei Patienten mit obstruktiver Atemwegserkrankung.

A new sustained release preparation of oral salbutamol (8 mg) was compared to salbutamol (8 mg) and placebo in 15 patients suffering from chronic obstructive airways disease in a randomized double-blind cross-over trial. Changes in airways resistance and amplitude of finger tremor as well as subjective assessment of side effects (tremors, unrest, palpitations) revealed a longer lasting effect following the sustained release preparation of salbutamol.

Problems with particle-associated DNA polymerase assays in the diagnosis of plasma-suspended viruses.

The in vitro reaction results of virus-associated DNA polymerases for the demonstration of plasma-suspended particles of avian leukemia virus (AMV) and of hepatitis type B virus (HBV) were compared. AMV particles could be identified by the transcription of the templates poly mC(dG)12-18, poly rAT10, and poly d(AT) using standardized reaction mixtures. With comparable test conditions, no DNA polymerase activity was found in human plasma containing HBV. These findings and the results of a systematic study of factors influencing the polymerization assays are discussed.

Infectivity-destroying effect of humidity for dried coliphage T1.

Infectivity of dried coliphage T1 has been measured as a function of humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. Loss of infectivity by a factor of 10(4) was caused by water vapor of approximately 40 to 85% saturation when the microorganisms were kept for 3 days at 34 C in evacuated containers. At humidities below 40% and above 90% saturation, no loss of infectivity occurred. At a temperature of 24 C, the infectivity loss was 20-fold. When the virus preparation was kept at 34 C and atmospheric pressure, some loss of infectivity was also found at humidities below 40% and above 90% saturation. Damage to tail proteins or to the phage chromosome is considered as a possible explanation for the inactivation.

The biological effectiveness of solar electromagnetic radiation in space.

An attempt has been made to determine the solar ultraviolet action spectrum for dried coliphage T-1 exposed to space under various filters at sounding rocket altitudes between 80 to 150 km. The survival of these microorganisms was compared with the preliminary results of laboratory ultraviolet irradiation experiments using monochromatic light sources of wavelengths of 1633 angstroms, 2062 angstroms, 2537 angstroms and of 3064 angstroms to 3200 angstroms. The results indicate that ultraviolet light of wave-lengths between 2000 angstroms to 3000 angstroms was mainly responsible for the killing of the filter protected microorganisms. More studies of the biological action spectrum of the vacuum ultraviolet light including the Lyman alpha emission are needed to determine the cause of the more than 100 fold higher death rate of the microorganisms which were not protected during the space exposure by filters.