Clinical and bacteriologic evaluation of BACTEC resin-containing blood culture medium.

In a retrospective study of 1,143 blood culture sets, BACTEC aerobic (6B) and osmotically stabilized (8B) media were compared individually with resin-containing (16B) medium for the isolation of bacteria from the blood of patients receiving antimicrobial therapy. The 16B medium was found to detect significantly more positive cultures than either 6B (P less than 0.01) or 8B (P less than 0.001). For 22 of 25 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from 18 patients, 16B medium provided the only means of recovery. All but one of these patients were receiving appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and 16 of 18 had a previous blood culture set positive for S. aureus that did not include a 16B bottle. There was no evidence of a change in antimicrobial therapy in response to a 16B positive culture in these patients. No significant increase in the recovery of other gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria or decrease in the time to radiometric detection of positive cultures as a result of using 16B medium was noted.

Sampling and analysis of acetic anhydride in air.

This paper describes the development of a new method for monitoring acetic anhydride in the presence of acetic acid in the occupational environment. The method consisted of collecting airborne acetic anhydride on a solid sorbent, desorbing it with acetone and analyzing it by gas chromatography. During the development of this method various parameters such as selection of column, selection of solid sorbent, selection of desorber solvent, effects of humidity, flow rate, total sample volume, desorption efficiency, and shelf-life of samples were studied. Interference from methyl acetate, water, formic acid, and acetic acid was also tested with the determination of acetic anhydride.

Solid sorbent sampler for white phosphorus in air.

A solid sorbent sampling tube packed with Tenax-GC is used with a personal sampling pump to collect samples of white (yellow) phosphorus vapor from air. The phosphorus is leached from the exposed sorbent into xylene and quantitated by gas chromatographic analysis. The capacity of the sorbents is in the range 10 to 20 microgramP4per100 mg of sorbent, which allows for up to 4 hrs of sampling at the OSHA Standard, 0.1 mg/m3. No interferences from red phosphorus, phosphine, water vapor, or other common gases are significant. The effects on the method of variations in temperature, pressure, humidity, sample storage and shipping conditions, and chromatographic parameters were determined.

A solid sorbent personal sampling method for the determination of acrolein in air.

A personal air sampling method, using activated carbon with subsequent analysis by gas chromatography, has been developed for acrolein in the 0.05 to 5 ppm (parts per million) range for a five liter air sample. The sensitivity is 0.25 microgram (microgram) of acrolein. This first known viable method for acrolein using a solid adsorbent was made possible by the discovery that acrolein can be adsorbed on, and recovered from, hydroquinone-treated carbon with efficiencies as high as 90 percent. Samples must be analyzed the same day or frozen and analyzed within five days. Airborne contaminants possibly present in the acrolein production area do not interfere with the analysis.

[Use of the adsorption method for regeneration of dialysate in hemodialysis (Redy-system) (author's transl)]. / Anwendung der Adsorptionsmethode zur Regeneration von Spüllösungen in der Hämodialysebehandlung (Redy-System)

The adsorption method for regeneration of dialysate was introduced as a new principle in hemodialysis. To compare the efficacy of the Redy-system (regenerative dialysis supply system) which utilizes a sorbent cartridge, with the common single-pass systems, 2 patients were dialyzed weekly twice or three times 6 hours over a period of 3 months. Three different types of dialyzers were used: Cordis hollow-fiber, plate dialyzer Lundia Nova 17,0 mu and coil dialyzer Travenol Ultraflo II. Monitoring of serum nitrogen constituents (urea, creatinine, uric acid) showed that the efficacy especially of the hollow-fiber dialyzer was comparable with the single-pass-system. Serial measurements of electrolytes in dialysate and serum, as well as dialysate osmolarity and ammonia indicated that the adsorption method is a safe technique. The advantage of the Redy-system is its independency of a fixed and treated water supply system, since it is able to operate with 5.5 1 tap water, an electrolyte concentrate being added in the recirculation system. Therefore this dialysis device can be installed everywhere, giving the dialysis patient more independency.

The use of antigen-coated protein beads as immunoadsorbent for the purification of antibodies.

A procedure is described using antigen-coated beads of calf serum as immunadsorbent for the purification of antibodies against ferritin and against leukemia-sarcoma virus-induced antigens.