Static QCD potential at three-loop order.

We compute the purely gluonic contribution to the static QCD potential at three-loop order. This completes computation of the static potential at this order.

Detection of measles virus genome in bronchoalveolar lavage cells in a patient with measles pneumonia.

Measles is frequently complicated with pneumonia that could be fatal in numerous occasions. However, a prompt and precise diagnosis of measles is not easily made particularly in the early stage of the disease, or in immunocompromised individuals because of the lack of typical clinical features or the defect in antigen-specific antibody production. In the present paper, we describe a 27-yr-old male who developed fever, skin rash typical of measles, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates associated with respiratory failure. Infection of lung cells with measles virus was proved by detection of viral genome ribonucleic acid within alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction amplification. These techniques may offer a useful tool to make the swift and precise diagnosis of measles pneumonia, thus allowing appropriate therapeutic approaches to the disease.

[Primary Sjögren's syndrome with pulmonary hypertension].

A 50-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion. A chest X-ray film showed cardiomegaly and echocardiography revealed right-heart overload. Right heart catheterization studies revealed pulmonary hypertension and no signs of pulmonary embolism or vasculitis. The patient had complained of Raynaud's phenomenon since 6 years before admission. She did not notice eye or mouth dryness, but examination of a lip-biopsy specimen showed infiltration of lymphocytes into the salivary glands. Laboratory findings showed hypergammaglobulinemia and hemolytic anemia. Primary Sjögren's syndrome with pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed. Her general condition improved with steroid pulse therapy followed by oral administration of corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide.

[Cystic fibrosis].

Cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common fatal hereditary disorder in Caucasians, is caused by mutations of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The protein product encoded by the CFTR gene is a cyclic-AMP-regulated Cl- channel that is dependent on protein kinase phosphorylation and requires binding of ATP for channel opening, but may have additional functions. Although the most common mutation of the CFTR gene (DeltaF508) is found in approximately 70% of CF chromosomes, more than 400 other mutations of the gene have been documented. Several new therapeutic approaches including gene therapy by transfer of the normal CFTR gene to airway epithelium and protein replacement by reconstituting a recombinant functional CFTR protein into the membrane lipid bilayer are being extensively pursued.

Storage and analysis of Goldmann's visual fields with a personal computer.

A method of storing and analyzing Goldmann's visual fields with a personal computer has been developed and applied to cases of retinal detachment. Original two-dimensional analogue data, obtained manually by ophthalmologists, were digitized and transferred to a personal computer. A one-megabyte floppy disk was able to store data of 170 charts. Stored data were easily displayed on the CRT of the computer using two- and three-dimensional graphics. Total and four quadrant areas surrounded by isopter curves were calculated for fellow eyes, diseased eyes and operated eyes. Furthermore, weighted areas with four types of weighting function which attach more importance to the center than the periphery of a visual field were calculated. Power type weighting function was found to give the most significant effect on emphasizing abnormality of eyes with retinal detachment.

Establishment of Namalva cell lines which grow continuously in glutamine-free medium.

Glutamine has been shown to be a preferred energy source for some established cell lines and cancer cells in culture (Kovacevic, 1971; Kovacevic, 1972; Lavietes, 1974). Empirically, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in most of the culture media developed. The major end product of glutamine metabolism is ammonia. Ammonia build up is one of the limiting factors in the proliferation of mammalian cells in higher density culture and is directly related to the initial glutamine concentration. The susceptibility of glutamine to thermodecomposition prevents the heat sterilization of glutamine-enriched media and this significantly increases the cost of medium preparation at the industrial scale. In an attempt to overcome these drawbacks, a population of Namalva cells capable of growing in glutamine-free media was established. The adapted cells were found to contain a higher level of glutamine synthetase activity which enable them to synthesize sufficient amounts of glutamine for their growth.