Cultivation of Tripterygium wilfordii Tissue Cultures for the Production of the Cytotoxic Diterpene Tripdiolide.

The production of the cytotoxic agent tripdiolide employing plant tissue cultures of TRIPTERYGIUM WILFORDII is demonstrated. Detailed investigations of a developed cell line of T. WILFORDII in terms of tripdiolide production versus variations in growth conditions, for example media composition, are presented. Also the age and size of the inoculum and the incubation period with respect to tripdiolide formation are evaluated.

Bacteriuria and subsequent mortality in women.

The relation of bacteriuria to subsequent mortality was investigated in population-based cohort data from women living in Jamaica and Wales. Three surveys were done in each location over a 13-year period. Women with 10(5) or more gram-negative bacilli per millilitre of urine in three consecutive cultures over a 3-week span were considered bacteriuric for that survey. Mortality was determined at the second and third surveys. Bacteriuria was associated with increased mortality both in the crude data and in life-table analyses adjusted for the confounding effects of age and weight. The adjusted risk ratio for death between the first and third surveys was 1.5 for women bacteriuric at the first survey compared with non-bacteriuric women. For deaths between the second and third surveys, the adjusted risk ratio was highest (2.0) in women who were bacteriuric at both of the first two surveys. The adjusted risk ratio for death between the second and third surveys for women who were bacteriuric at one of the first two surveys but not at the other was 1.6.

Alkaloid Production in Catharanthus roseus cell cultures VIII.

A cell line of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don coded PRL # 200, was characterized with respect to its biosynthetic capabilities for indolealkaloids, in particular catharanthine, in suspension cultures. Other alkaloids isolated are vallesiachotamine isomers, ajmalicine, hörhammericine, hörhammerinine, vindolinine, 19-epivindolinine and strictosidine lactam.

Further effects of vomifoliol on stomatal aperture and on the germination of lettuce and the growth of cucumber seedlings.

(+)-Vomifoliol was shown to be as rapidly acting as (±) abscissic acid in stomatal closure time studies which involved the use of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms epidermal strips. (±)-Vomifoliol was shown to be less effective, while 4-(1-hydroxy-4-keto-2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one) had only a slight effect in the same bioassay system. (+)-Vomifoliol showed no significant effect on the germination of lettuce seeds or the growth of cucumber seedlings.

The effect of vomifoliol on stomatal aperture.

Vomifoliol, a compound related to abscisic acid (ABA) but lacking the 2,4-pentadiene sidechain and so far found in four different plant families, caused as much stomatal closure in epidermal strips of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms as ABA at identical concentrations. It appears worthwhile to investigate whether vomifoliol plays a role as an endogenous regulator of stomatal aperture.

Rheumatic fever prophylaxis: a three-year study.

An effective programme of secondary prophylaxis against rheumatic fever has been established in Barbados over the last three years. Relatively unsophisticated patients collaborated well over prolonged periods. Adequate secondary prophylaxis was achieved with monthly injections of benzathine penicillin, with a resultant decrease in the complication rate.A total of 84 admissions over 32 months from a population of some 60,000 children under the age of 12 emphasizes the need for registration and prophylactic treatment of children with rheumatic fever. The low yield in the survey of schoolchildren between the ages of 5 and 11 and the large number of personnel required for the survey suggest that it might be extended to include older age groups. Automatic screening devices should be used when possible so that more may be screened.

Approach to assessment of risk factors in mild hypertension.

Criteria are urgently needed for the early detection of subjects with only mildly raised blood pressure who may be at high risk of developing the complications of hypertension. As a step towards the establishment of such criteria we have examined the association of certain possible "risk" factors-namely, x-ray evidence of cardiac enlargement, high serum cholesterol levels, effort pain, E.C.G. abnormalities, and high systolic blood pressure-with fatal or morbid endpoints in a five-year follow-up study of subjects whose diastolic pressure had been found initially to be between 95 and 114 mm Hg. The index group consisted of 22 patients in whom these end-points occurred. They comprised death from cardiovascular disease, clinical or E.C.G. deterioration, and either an increase in diastolic pressure of at least 10 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure of 115 mm Hg or both. The control group consisted of 22 subjects chosen at random from other respondents with the same range of diastolic pressures and the same age and sex distribution."Any two or more" of the possible risk factors examined were found to occur significantly more often in the index group than in the controls, suggesting a possible approach to the early detection of high-risk subjects. The value of longterm studies along these lines and the urgent need for them are emphasized.

Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Barbados: detection and prophylaxis.

The objectives of this study were to improve our methods of secondary prophylaxis of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Barbados, to estimate the overall prevalence of these diseases and the relative load imposed by them on available health services, and to measure the yield, feasibility, and effectiveness of mass programmes for the detection and prophylactic management of rheumatic heart disease in schoolchildren.Improved methods of surveillance and follow-up resulted in 97% adherence to therapy by patients on prophylactic penicillin. Thirty-four children, 27 with a first attack, were admitted with acute rheumatic fever, representing a 7% occupancy of children's medical beds during the 12-month period of the study. Out of a possible 3,942 schoolchildren aged 5-11 years, 3,882 (98%) were screened for rheumatic heart disease. Four cases (about 1 per 1,000) were discovered.

Outpatient treatment trial of mild and severe hypertension.

Not much is known about the feasibility or the advantages of treatment of subjects with only mild hypertension. There are also many unresolved problems in the outpatient management of hypertension of any severity. In this study an analysis is made of the results of a controlled treatment trial of 56 subjects with mild hypertension, 26 of whom were treated with active drug and 30 initially with placebo, and a treatment programme involving 81 patients with moderate or severe hypertension, all of whom received treatment with active drug. The drugs used in this study were bethanidine, debrisoquine, and guanethidine.Follow-up for 12 months or more was achieved in 87% of individuals admitted to the study with mild hypertension and in 80% with severe hypertension. Many subjects with only mildly raised blood pressure were found to have cardiac enlargement on chest x-ray (up to 45%) and left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram (up to 51%). Rapid rates of rise of blood pressure were observed in many placebo-treated subjects; but good blood pressure control was achieved in 63 out of 104 patients (61%) receiving active drug in both the mild and the severe hypertension groups. The drugs used showed approximately equal effectiveness in controlling blood pressure.

Prognosis of idiopathic cardiomegaly in Jamaica with reference to the coronary arteries and other factors.

Clinical and epidemiological features of idiopathic cardiomegaly in Jamaica are reviewed, and the high community prevalence of the disorder is shown. The frequent occurrence of sudden or unexpected death in patients whose earlier electrocardiograms had shown repeated ventricular ectopic beats has been noted. Common electrocardiographic findings included a high rate of abnormalities usually regarded as indicative of coronary artery disease: cardiac arrhythmias, particularly multiple ventricular extrasystoles; and high voltage complexes characteristic of left ventricular hypertrophy. The differences and similarities between idiopathic cardiomegaly and coronary heart disease are shown. A possible role for intramuscular lignocaine in the control of the chronic ventricular ectopic rhythms is demonstrated. There is a statistically significant association between idiopathic cardiomegaly and positive serological tests for treponemal infection. The hearts are invariably hypertrophied at necropsy. In some hearts the smaller intramuscular coronary arteries show occlusive changes. Their possible nature and significance are discussed.