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Circulating food antibodies, intestinal permeability and HLA status were studied in twelve blood donors previously identified as being selectively IgA deficient from screening 10,000 donations by means of a latex agglutination inhibition test, and confirmed by laser nephelometry. Assessment of intestinal function also included clinical history and standard laboratory tests. The donors proved to be healthy with no evidence of autoimmune disease or allergy. Nine donors (75%) had precipitins to food antigens. None had increased intestinal permeability as measured by the cellobiose/mannitol absorption test. HLA-A, B and DR antigen distribution was normal. IgG sub-class distribution was normal with the exception of an IgG2 level slightly below normal in one donor (0.9 g/l). An unexpected finding was a return of IgA levels to normal in four donors (33%) within 6 months.

An elderly woman swallowed 2 tablets of a denture-cleansing agent (Steradent) believing them to be her sleeping tablets. This caused severe burning pain in the throat and resulted in a tight postcricoid oesophageal stricture. Treatment by repeated dilatation of the stricture has been only partially successful. Characteristic containers for non-medicinal tablets might help those with poor vision, and medicinal and non-medicinal tablets should never be stored in the same place.

The effect of moderate exercise on jejunal absorption was examined in seven healthy subjects using a triple lumen perfusion technique. Moderate exercise on a bicycle ergometer significantly reduced net absorption of water from 32.0 (4.0) to 16.2 (6.1) ml/30 cm/50 min (p less than 0.02), sodium from 2.4 (0.4) to 0.5 (0.9) mmol/30 cm/50 cm (p less than 0.05), chloride from 2.0 (0.4) to 0.3 (0.7) mmol/30 cm/50 min (p less than 0.05), and potassium from 0.20 (0.02) to 0.01 (0.04) mmol/30 cm/50 min (p less than 0.01). After exercise, water, sodium, and chloride absorption returned towards basal values, but potassium absorption remained significantly decreased. These results suggest that moderate exercise can influence jejunal absorption of salt and water in man. They support the possibility that the autonomic nervous system has a physiological role in the control of intestinal transport, although other mechanisms may be involved.

Common or cross-reactive epitopes of Gram-negative endotoxins are found in the inner-core glycolipid region of the outer membrane lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Hydrophobic LPS from rough mutants of Gram-negative bacteria, lacking serotype polysaccharide O-antigen chains, did not bind satisfactorily to polystyrene microplates for ELISA detection of cross-reactive IgG anti-endotoxin antibodies. When these LPS molecules were reacted with the cationic polypeptide polymyxin B, complexes were formed which were stable when coated on microplates. LPS-polymyxin complexes allowed optimisation of conditions for an ELISA for IgG antibodies to the core glycolipid region of endotoxins which could be used for screening large numbers of blood donor sera.

Vagal stimulation induced by sham feeding in 11 healthy subjects was used to examine the possibility that the autonomic nervous system might be involved in the control of human jejunal absorption. Gastric acid secretion was measured from gastric aspirates corrected for recovery, and jejunal absorption was determined using a triple lumen perfusion technique. Sham feeding induced a significant increase in gastric acid secretion from 1.29 to 7.73 mmol/h (p less than 0.02). Jejunal absorption of water decreased significantly from 41.0 to 26.8 ml/30cm/h (p less than 0.02), sodium from 2.60 to 0.74 mmol/30cm/h (p less than 0.05, and chloride from 2.68 to 0.74 mmol/30cm/h (p less than 0.02). During the hour after sham feeding gastric acid secretion and jejunal absorption returned towards basal values. These results suggest that vagal stimulation may have influenced jejunal absorption of salt and water in man and supports the possibility that the autonomic nervous system has a physiological role in the control of intestinal mucosal function.

The possibility that the central and autonomic nervous systems might be involved in the control of intestinal absorption was assessed by measuring the effect of physical stress (cold-induced pain) on jejunal transport in 13 healthy subjects. Using a triple-lumen perfusion technique to determine jejunal absorption, cold pain significantly reduced net water absorption from 34.9 to 15.7 ml/30 cm.50 min (p less than 0.005), net sodium absorption from 2.6 to 0.2 mEq/30 cm.50 min (p less than 0.005), and net chloride absorption from 2.2 to 0.6 mEq/30 cm.50 min (p less than 0.02). These changes were associated with an elevation of blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine during cold pain. During the period following cold pain, systolic blood pressure remained significantly elevated and net jejunal water absorption significantly reduced. These results suggest that physical stress can influence jejunal absorption of salt and water in humans and support the possibility that the central and autonomic nervous systems have a physiologic role in the control of intestinal function.

Influenza C virus antigen could be detected by immunofluorescence in chick amniotic epithelium 4 hr. after inoculation with undiluted amniotic fluid. Antigen could be detected in the nucleus of rhesus monkey kidney tissue cultures 10 hr. after infection. Only cytoplasmic fluorescence was observed 17-21 hr. after infection.The pattern of replication was similar to that reported for group I myxoviruses, indicating that the virus is correctly classified as an influenza virus.

1. Orosomucoid was prepared from the urine of a nephrotic patient and polymerized by heating it in a range of salt concentrations at pH4.1. 2. Heating at low ionic strengths produced a ;chain' polymer of indefinite length but having the same width as the diameter of the monomer (5.0nm.). Similar treatment in high ionic strengths also produced a spherical (;ball') polymer of limited diameter (14.8nm.). 3. The size and shape of both polymers were determined from ultra-centrifuge, gel-filtration and electron-microscope results. The results suggest that eight monomer units condense to form the ball polymer. 4. Heating orosomucoid at pH1.8 hydrolysed the N-acetylneuraminic acid off the molecule; only chains could then be formed, even in high ionic strengths. 5. Both polymers were stable under normal conditions but could be depolymerized in 3m-guanidine hydrochloride. The monomer could be repolymerized on heating: the ;chain monomer' only formed chains at all ionic strengths, but the ;ball monomer' was indistinguishable from the original monomer in its immunological properties and polymerization reaction.

1. Polymers of orosomucoid were produced in two molecular shapes, filamentous (;chain') and spherical (;ball'), by heating the sodium salt of the monomer in either water or high concentrations of sodium chloride. An ;intermediate' state containing both shapes in various proportions was found in preparations obtained by polymerizing orosomucoid in intermediate concentrations of sodium chloride. 2. The filamentous form of polymer was found to inhibit strongly the haemagglutination of some (;sensitive') strains but not of other (;insensitive') strains of influenza virus; the ;intermediate' form feebly inhibited haemagglutination by ;sensitive' strains. 3. The filamentous form agglutinated both ;sensitive' and ;insensitive' strains of virus; the other forms of polymer did not. It also inhibited multiplication of both ;sensitive' and ;insensitive' strains when inoculated into embryonated and de-embryonated eggs. 4. The ;intermediate' and spherical forms of the polymer had no effect on the virus multiplication. 5. Polymers of orosomucoid from which neuraminic acid had been split off had no detectable effect on influenza viruses.