Plasma free 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol in acute schizophrenics before and after treatment.

Plasma free 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (pMHPG) was measured in 19 patients with acute schizophrenia before and after neuroleptic therapy. Plasma antinoradrenergic activity (pANA) of the neuroleptics used was measured after treatment. Before treatment, pMHPG was higher in the patients than in 20 normal controls. There was a positive correlation between pMHPG level and the global severity of positive symptoms. After neuroleptic therapy, pMHPG was reduced, and there was a significant correlation between the decline in pMHPG and the improvement in positive symptom score. The decline in pMHPG was also correlated with pANA. These results suggest that there is a dysfunction of the noradrenergic system in the brains of some acute schizophrenics with mainly positive symptoms, and that this dysfunction may be improved, along with positive symptom score, after neuroleptic therapy.

An operon containing the genes for cholesterol oxidase and a cytochrome P-450-like protein from a Streptomyces sp.

The nucleotide sequence of the promoter region of the gene for cholesterol oxidase (choA) from Streptomyces sp. strain SA-COO was determined. We found an open reading frame (choP) that is located between a potential promoter sequence and the structural gene for the ChoA protein. Deletion analysis showed that the promoter region for choP is essential for expression of the choA gene. Mappings of S1 nuclease and primer extension of transcripts generated in vivo suggested that the synthesis of mRNA starts at a site 41 bases upstream from the ATG initiation codon of the choP gene. By Northern (RNA) blot analysis of the transcripts, we found a 2.9-kilobase transcript that is identical in size to the total sequence of the choP and choA genes. These results suggest that the two genes, choP and choA, are transcribed polycistronically under the control of the promoter that is upstream from the structural gene for choP. The choP gene encodes a protein of 381 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 41,668. The nucleotide sequence of the choP gene has a high degree of similarity to the sequence of the genes for cytochrome P-450s from humans and Pseudomonas species. A region of homology with the cytochrome P-450s from various organisms was identified in the choP protein and may represent a region associated with a binding site for heme iron. Analysis of the CO difference spectrum of an extract of Streptomyces lividans cells that carry a plasmid which includes the choP gene revealed a unique peak, characteristic of cytochrome P-450, which is identical to that obtained with the parent strain.

Cloning of DNA fragments containing Streptomyces promoter activity.

The thiostrepton-resistance gene is expressed in Streptomyces jumonjinensis [16]-8 SANK 61185 carrying the plasmid pIJ702 but not the tyrosinase gene. We have isolated DNA fragments from various streptomycetes that restore expression of the tyrosinase gene on pIJ702 in this organism. The nucleotide sequences of two of these DNA fragments show that they contain putative ribosome binding sites and- 10 regions of possible promoters.

Computed tomography of the brain in children with early infantile autism.

In order to examine the cranial CT of autistic children and investigate the etiological significance of CT scan findings, the CT of the brain was surveyed in 24 children with early infantile autism (3 to 17 years with a mean age of 7.6), and 179 children with the normal CT despite their medical histories such as headaches or febrile convulsions. According to their ages, the autistic and normal children were divided into the following three groups: Group I (age ranging from 3 to 5), Group II (age: 6 to 9) and Group III (age: 10 to 17). There was no significant difference between the bifrontal CVI of the autistic children and that of the normal children. However, in Group III, the bifrontal CVI of the autistic children was significantly higher than that of the normal children. There was no significant difference between the bicaudate CVI of the autistic children and that of the normal children. However, in Groups I and II, the bicaudate CVI of the autistic children was significantly lower than that of the normal children. The maximum widths of the third ventricle showed no significant difference between the autistic and normal children. However, in Groups II and III, those of the autistic children were wider than those of the normal children. In the autistic children, as the age increases, the difference becomes significantly wider. A positive correlation was observed between the width of the third ventricle and ages of the autistic children. An examination of the right-left ratio of maximum transverse diameter of the brain showed that there was no significant difference between the autistic and normal children. The above-mentioned results (1)-4)) might suggest a progressive disorder of the brain structure surrounding the third ventricle or lateral ventricles in the autistic children.

New antibiotics, enaminomycins A, B and C. I. Producing organism, fermentation and isolation.

New antibiotics, enaminomycins A, B and C, were found in the culture broth of streptomycete strain No. 13120, which was identified as Streptomyces baarnensis and designated as S. baarnensis No. 13120. Fermentation of enaminomycins were performed by conventional submerged culture in a 30-liter jar fermentor. Isolation of the antibiotics was performed by centrifugation of the culture broth and adsorption of the antibiotics from the supernatant on a column of activated carbon, followed by elution with aqueous acetone. Enaminomycins A, B and C were separated from each other on a column of Sephadex LH-20.