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Objective: To identify the determinants of natural cause mortality in a cohort of individuals with serious mental illness assessed prospectively. Method: Persons with schizophrenia (n = 789) and bipolar disorder (n = 498), mean age of 38 (s.d. 12.6) years, underwent an in‐person clinical assessment. They also had a blood sample drawn from which infectious disease markers were measured. Mortality was subsequently determined utilizing data from the National Death Index following a period of up to 16.9 years. Results: A total of 6.8% (87 of 1287) of persons died of natural causes. Mortality was predicted in a multivariate model by baseline cigarette smoking (RR = 6.29, 95% CI 1.41, 3.72, P = 0.00076); divorced or widowed status (RR = 1.90, CI 1.21, 2.99); reduced cognitive score (RR = 0.73, CI 0.61, 0.87); receipt of antidepressant medication (RR = 1.74, CI 1.12, 2.71); elevated levels of antibodies to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) (RR = 1.29, CI 1.01, 1.66); and a genitourinary (RR = 1.82, CI 1.16, 2.86), respiratory (RR = 1.82, CI 1.16, 2.86), or cardiac (RR = 2.09, CI 1.33, 3.29) condition. There was an additive effect of smoking and both a cardiac and a respiratory condition but not elevated EBV antibody levels. Conclusion: Smoking is a modifiable behaviour which is associated with mortality in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neurobiology of mood states is complicated by exposure to everyday stressors (e.g., psychosocial, ubiquitous environmental infections like CMV), each fluctuating between latency and reactivation. CMV reactivation induces proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α) associated with induction of neurotoxic metabolites and the presence of mood states in bipolar disorder (BD). Whether CMV reactivation is associated with bipolar diagnoses (trait) or specific mood states is unclear. We investigated 139 BD type I and 99 healthy controls to determine if concentrations of IgG antibodies to Herpesviridae (e.g., CMV, HSV-1, and HSV-2) were associated with BD-I diagnosis and specific mood states. We found higher CMV antibody concentration in BD-I than in healthy controls (T234=3.1, Puncorr=0.002; Pcorr=0.006) but no difference in HSV-1 (P>0.10) or HSV-2 (P>0.10). Compared to euthymic BD-I volunteers, CMV IgG was higher in BD-I volunteers with elevated moods (P<0.03) but not different in depressed moods (P>0.10). While relationships presented between BD-I diagnosis, mood states, and CMV antibodies are encouraging, they are limited by the study’s cross sectional nature. Nevertheless, further testing is warranted to replicate findings and determine whether reactivation of CMV infection exacerbates elevated mood states in BD-I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total synthesis of the cyanobacterial natural product nostodione A is reported involving a convergent, diversity-oriented route. A small assemblage of structural analogues were prepared and their cytotoxicity and anti-invasion activity against the protozoal parasite Toxoplasma gondii is reported for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the search for direct evidence of human infection with Pestivirus. Suggests that Pestivirus may prove to be major agent of diarrheal disease in young children.

Background: Previous studies looking for evidence of viral infection in schizophrenics have yielded conflicting results. We searched for viral nucleic acids to test the hypothesis of the viral aetiology of schizophrenia.Method: We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to search for cytomegalovirus (CMV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza A, Borna disease virus (BDV), and bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in: hippocampus from three schizophrenic and three non-schizophrenic subjects; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 48 schizophrenic patients; CSF and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from nine sets of identical twins discordant for schizophrenia; and SK-N-SHEP cells co-cultured with schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic brain homogenates. All patients met DSM-III-R criteria.Results: Virus-specific nucleic acids were not found in any of the samples tested.Conclusions: The absence of viral nucleic acids in the samples tested suggest that, in these patients, schizophrenia is not associated with a persistent or latent infection due to these viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine salivary mucin (BSM) inhibits rotavirus replication in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effect of BSM in vitro is abolished by Arthrobacter ureafaciens neuraminidase but not by Clostridia perfringens neuraminidase; it is abolished by mild base deacetylation but not by influenza C acetylesterase. The data suggest that SA11 rotavirus binds to a specific sialic acid structure on BSM different from the sialic acids recognized by other viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of Giardia lamblia in human feces. The assay could detect between 37 and 375 trophozoites from cultures and between 12.5 and 125 cysts purified from human stool. Stool specimens were positive by ELISA in 36 (92%) of 39 patients with giardiasis; negative specimens came from patients with low numbers of parasites in their stool. In 10 patients stools became negative by ELISA after successful treatment. Stool specimens were positive by ELISA in three (2%) of 128 patients without demonstrable Giardia organisms in their stools; one positive specimen was from a child with IgA deficiency and diarrhea who responded clinically to metronidazole. The ELISA is a simple, sensitive, and specific diagnostic test for G lamblia that will be useful in diagnosis, in follow-up treatment, and in large-scale studies directed at defining the epidemiology and pathophysiology of G lamblia infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In November 1977, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting rotavirus antigen was introduced in the laboratory of a rural treatment centre in Bangladesh. During the next 40 days rotavirus without other pathogens was found in the stools of 216 (45%) of 480 children under age 5 years who visited the centre with a gastrointestinal illness. 188 (87%) of these children were treated with oral rehydration alone, using the solution currently recommended by the World Health Organisation, while 28 (13%) also required some intravenous rehydration; there were no deaths. Oral rehydration treatment was judged successful in 205 (95%) of the rotavirus patients and was not associated with any serious side effects. Oral rehydration treatment, with this solution, has been used extensively and successfully in the treatment of enterotoxin-mediated diarrhoea and can also safely be used for treating rotavirus diarrhoea in infants and young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of several bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolates from the severe Quebec outbreak was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Sequences revealed the loss, for the BVDV type II isolates, of an internal PstI restriction site, which is present in all known BVDV type 1 5′UTR sequences. A single restriction enzyme digestion (PstI) of an aliquot of PCR product allowed us to differentiate BVDV type I and BVDV type II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]