The unexpected occurrence of a hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a chimpanzee experimentally inoculated with hepatitis A virus (HAV) provided an opportunity to examine the course of simultaneous acute infections with both agents. A chimpanzee inoculated intravenously with HAV developed elevated levels of aminotransferases in serum, detectable excretion of hepatitis A antigen in feces, and a marked antibody response to HAV. During the acute phase of this experimentally induced infection with HAV, the chimpanzee simultaneously developed an HBV infection. The latter was characterized by jaundice, a second increase in levels of aminotransferases in serum, and the appearance in serum of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, and, later, antibody to HBsAg. During the acute phase of both HAV and HBV infections, marked histopathologic inflammatory changes were observed in serial liver biopsy specimens. In this chimpanzee, the concurrent acute infection with both HAV and HBV occurred in association with marked liver damage.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1979

Isolation by differential and zonal centrifugation of minicells segregated by Escherichia coli.

Minicells segregated from Escherichia coli chi925 carrying a drug-resistance plasmid were separated from nucleated cells by differential centrifugation and purified by rate-zonal centrifugation in sucrose gradients. Minicells purified in this way were capable of donating the plasmid to nucleated cells. They also incorporated thymidine, uridine and methionine into macromolecules. Methods are described for purification of plasmid-containing minicells on a scale large enough to allow isolation of DNA, DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase in sufficient quantities for studies of enzymes involved in replication and transcription of plasmid DNA.

Cell Fractionation↗

PubMed1979

Overjet values of children and young adults in Lagos.

Overjet values were studied in a stratified convenience sample of 820 Nigerians aged 15, 19, 20 and 21 years from Lagos educational establishments. There was no indication that between 15 and 21 years of age overjet values were age or sex dependent. The mean overjet value, which is one indication of antero-posterior occlusal relationship, is effectively the same in Lagos, Nigeria as it is in York, England.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Different measurements of thyroid function in hypothyroid infants diagnosed by screening.

Different measurements of thyroid function including I123 thyroid scanning were performed in 16 hypothyroid infants diagnosed by a TSH screening project. These results were then related to the clinical presentation and the bone age. Although T3 levels were preferentially maintained, it was the best single measure of the severity of hypothyroidism. Thyroglobulin may have a role in the diagnosis of athyrosis. Scanning showed that athyrosis was uncommon (12.5%) but an ectopic gland occurred in 40%, and accounts for many of the less severly affected cases found on screening. Some of these measurements may have prognostic significance.

Female↗

PubMed1979

A mechanical aid for the treatment of carcinoma of the breast.

A relatively inexpensive mechanical aid is described which, in primary or adjuvant irradiation for breast carcinoma, allows easy and stable reproducibility of the abducted arm position, unobstructed access for lateral tangential portals, and leveling of the anterior chest for regional nodal irradiation. The device may be constructed de novo or from a commonly available treatment-table accessory.

Arm↗

PubMed1979

The prevalence and distribution of gingivitis and gingival recession in children and young adults in Lagos, Nigeria.

The prevalence and distribution of gingivitis and gingival recession were studied in 820 Nigerians aged 15, 19, 20 and 21 years sampled from Lagos educational establishments. The prevalence of gingivitis was relatively high at all ages. There was a high degree of correlation between the prevalence of gingivitis affecting mouths, papillae and margins. It therefore would appear that in those mouths with gingivitis, the proportion of affected papillae or margins to those not affected varies only within narrow limits. Although the peak prevalance of gingivitis was observed in the 15-year olds, the prevalence of gingival recession was higher in the 21-year-old students than in those aged 15 years. Gingival recession may be a sequel of gingivitis resulting from apical proliferation of the epithelial attachment with destruction of the subjacent periodontal tissues. Hence gingivitis should be distinguished from gingival recession in its prevalence and distribution.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979