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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics associated with participation in worksite-based health promotion activities., Design: Follow-up interviews were used to identify demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral differences among three employee groups. Reasons employees chose not to participate in health promotion activities were also explored., Setting: All respondents were employed at a large midwestern university and were eligible to participate in free onsite health fairs and health promotion programs., Subjects: A stratified random sample of 89 nonparticipants, health fair participants, and behavior change program participants was interviewed., Measures: The interview was comprised of questions related to demographic information, personal health habits, physical activity, perceived health status, perceived self-efficacy, worksite norms, health promoting lifestyle factors, and knowledge about health promotion activities., Results: ANOVA and chi-squared comparisons revealed few group differences. Graduate students and employees with advanced degrees were most likely to take part in health fairs. Behavior change program participants were older, clerical-technical staff members, and women. Faculty members were least likely to participate. A lack of time was the most often cited reason for nonparticipation., Conclusions: The study was retrospective and the analyses limited due to low statistical power. The results suggest that different groups of employees are attracted to different types of health promotion activities.

The nucleotide sequences of ten haemagglutinin genes of representative H7N7 equine influenza viruses isolated between 1956 and 1977 have been determined by primer extension sequencing. Their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences demonstrate a high degree of homology. These equine viruses can be divided into two distinct subgroups, the prototype-like, and a group comprising the early American isolates and the remaining equine viruses. The equine H7 haemagglutinins form a quite distinct group compared to H7 haemagglutinins isolated from other species. Each of these equine H7 haemagglutinins possess a tetrabasic amino acid cleavage site separating the HA1 and HA2 domains but, in addition, all ten contain a nine amino acid insertion prior to the tetrabasic sequence. The haemagglutinin glycoproteins of all ten viruses are capable of cleavage activation in virus infected primary chicken embryo fibroblast cells.

A total of 105 hybridomas secreting anti-Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated from six fusions against four strains of JE virus: wild-type strains SA14 and G8924 and live attenuated vaccines SA14-5-3 and SA14-14-2 (PDK-9). Most of the mAbs (87%) elicited haemagglutination inhibition activity while only a minority (24%) elicited neutralization. None of the mAbs prepared against SA14-5-3, parent of SA14-14-2, elicited neutralization while the only mAbs prepared against SA14-14-2 that elicited neutralization recognized flavivirus cross-reactive epitopes. In comparison, mAbs raised against wild-type strains showed that a spectrum of epitopes with different specificities, including JE type-specific epitopes, elicited neutralizing activity. Two mAbs, prepared against SA14-5-3 virus, were found to be vaccine-specific and five, prepared against strains SA14 and G8924, were wild-type-specific.

One bovine mammary epithelial cell clone, designated PS-BME-Cl, and two bovine mammary epithelial cell lines, designated PS-BME-L6 and PS-BME-L7, were derived from mammary tissue of a pregnant (270 day) Holstein cow. The cells exhibit the distinctive morphologic characteristics of mammary epithelial cells and express the milk fat globule membrane protein, PAS-III. They form domes when cultured on plastic substrata and acinilike aggregates when cultured on a collagen matrix. These cells are capable of synthesizing and secreting alpha-lactalbumin and alpha-s1-casein when cultured on a collagen matrix in the presence of insulin, cortisol, and prolactin. The cells have a near-normal diploid number and do not grow in suspension culture. When transplanted to the cleared mammary fat pads of female athymic nude mice, the cells readily proliferate forming noninvasive palpable spherical cellular masses within 8 wk after inoculation. The cells may become a useful tool to study the regulation of ruminant mammary epithelial cell growth and differentiation.

Concentrations of IGF-I and IGF-II, and IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) in serum and mammary gland secretions were surveyed during the dry period and early lactation of 30 Holstein cows. Although there was a threefold drop in the concentration of IGF-I in serum from the last week of the dry period to parturition (81 +/- 7 to 24 +/- 3 ng/ml, P less than .01), there was no significant change in serum IGF-II concentration during this period (150 +/- 17 vs 173 +/- 13 ng/ml, P greater than .05). Furthermore, a 57% increase in serum IGF-I was observed from the last week of lactation to the second week of drying off (100 +/- 5 to 157 +/- 8 ng/ml, P less than .05). Changes in serum IGF-II were not observed (126 +/- 11 vs 150 +/- 10 ng/ml, respectively; P greater than .05). Although IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP concentrations in mammary secretions peaked 2 wk before parturition (2.95 +/- 1.1, 1.83 +/- .6, and 7.27 +/- .76 micrograms/ml, respectively), total output/quarter was highest in colostrum (394 +/- 119, 295 +/- 132, and 2,680 +/- 1,967 micrograms/quarter, respectively). Weekly milking of two individual quarters during the dry period did not affect (P greater than .05) IGF-I or IGF-II concentration (ng/ml) or total output (microgram/quarter) and milk yield in colostrum and milk (2 wk and 7 wk) compared with the ipsilateral quarter. The data support the hypothesis that IGF-I may be transported by the mammary gland epithelium. Furthermore, the secretion mechanisms of IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP by the gland may be related to each other.

Administration of sodium aurothiomalate (SATM) to adult mice results in a reduction of their average survival time (AST) following intracerebral challenge with the wild-type strains, Asibi and French viscerotropic virus (FVV), of yellow fever (YF) virus. Most attenuated 17D YF vaccines, derived by passage of the wild-type Asibi strain in chick tissue, showed no reduction in AST following intracerebral challenge and administration of SATM. In contrast, challenge with the majority of live attenuated French neurotropic vaccines, derived by passage of FVV in mouse brain, still resulted in SATM reducing the AST of mice. SATM also changed some YF viruses from non-lethal to lethal following intraperitoneal challenge and negated the ability of a monoclonal antibody to elicit passive protection of mice challenged intracerebrally with YF virus.

A modified version of the primer extension dideoxy chain termination nucleotide sequencing technique (Sanger et al., 1977) is described. This method has advantages over existing molecular cloning and primer extension techniques in that it allows the genome of RNA viruses to be directly sequenced from partially purified RNA preparations. Thus, viruses growing at unacceptably low titres in tissue culture can now be partially purified from infected mouse brain and sequenced. The technique also incorporates steps for the denaturation of secondary structure which has previously provided difficulties for primer extension sequencing.

The ability of passage in HeLa cells to attenuate flaviviruses was investigated for three different strains of the mosquito-borne West Nile (WN) virus and two tick-borne viruses, louping-ill and Langat. One strain of WN virus, Sarawak, was attenuated 4000-fold for adult mice by intraperitoneal or intranasal challenge after six HeLa passages. The HeLa-passaged virus was also found to be antigenically different and temperature-sensitive in its growth characteristics compared with the parent. After six HeLa cell passages the Egypt 101 and Smithburn strains of WN virus lost their ability to infect monkey kidney cells and no longer killed adult mice, although inoculated animals became sick for several days. In contrast, two tick-borne flaviviruses remained as virulent for mice after six HeLa passages as the parent non-HeLa-passaged virus. Neither of the tick-borne viruses exhibited characteristics associated with temperature sensitivity. The results, therefore, indicate that the mosquito-borne, but not tick-borne, flaviviruses can be attenuated by very few passages in HeLa cells. This observation may provide a model system with which to analyse the molecular basis of attenuation and/or virulence of mosquito-borne flaviviruses.

Rats that received injections of TRH from Days 2-7 postnatally ran faster to a palatable food reward than controls at 33-37 days of age. Rats treated with TRH were less emotional and more active in an open field both as pups and as adults. There were few notable differences in developmental measures except that the teeth erupted earlier in control animals. Weights of glands and brain parts showed that ovaries, testes, pineal gland, and hypothalamus were heavier in treated animals. The results indicated that TRH given early in life may affect adult behavior by reducing emotionally.

Two panels of envelope glycoprotein reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were prepared against yellow fever (YF) 17D vaccine viruses. Five mAbs were prepared against the World Health Organization 17D-204 avian leukosis virus-free secondary seed virus and eight mAbs against 17DD vaccine manufactured in Brazil. The majority of these mAbs were type-specific and displayed differing reactions in neutralization tests. One, B14, would only neutralize YF vaccine virus grown in invertebrate cells. Others would differentiate 17D-204 and 17DD vaccines, from different manufacturers, in neutralization tests when the viruses were grown in vertebrate cells. The data indicate that heterogeneity exists between the epitopes that elicit neutralizing antibody on YF vaccine from different manufacturers.

The design of contemporary vaccines to date has been dependent upon our understanding of the process of stimulation of protective immunity by virion proteins. However, studies with the flaviviruses have demonstrated that protective immunity can be elicited by a non-structural protein, NS1. Surprisingly, immunity to infection is stimulated in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. The information concerning NS1-induced immunity is described and is discussed with relevance to the role of the protein in immunity and vaccine development, against flavivirus diseases. The possibility exists that the phenomenon of non-structural protein induced immunity is applicable to the prophylaxis of other virus diseases.

A modified single-radial-haemolysis (SRH) test for measurement of antibody to influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) is described. The test requires treatment of sheep erythrocytes with butanol to increase sensitivity. In comparative assays, SRH was found to be more sensitive than the conventional neuraminidase-inhibition test. The SRH test was reproducible, specifically measured antibody to influenza NA and was easy to use. SRH antibody responses in ponies vaccinated with bivalent equine influenza vaccine were shown to be vaccine dose-related but were lower in magnitude and shorter in duration than comparable anti-haemagglutinin responses.

Three single-strain cultures, Streptococcus lactis C(2), S. cremoris R(1), and S. diacetilactis DRC(2), were frozen and stored in skim milk, in skim milk containing apple juice, and in skim milk containing one of the following additives: glycerol (10%, v/v), dimethyl sulfoxide (10%, v/v), l-malic acid (0.5 and 2.0%, w/v), acetamide (0.5 and 2.0%, w/v), or succinimide (0.5 and 2.0%, w/v). Cultures were frozen and stored at -23.3 C, frozen and stored at -196 C in liquid nitrogen, or frozen at -196 C and stored at -23.3 C. Cultures frozen and stored at -196 C in liquid nitrogen gave the greatest recovery of viable cells. The number of cells surviving after storage at -23.3 C was greater when the cells had been frozen in liquid N(2) than when they had been frozen at -23.3 C. All strains stored at -23.3 C showed a decrease in numbers of surviving cells; additives, particularly l-malic acid and apple juice, were advantageous in preserving the viability of the S. lactis C(2) and S. cremoris R(1) strains, but had little or no effect on the survival of S. diacetilactis DRC(2). l-Malic acid and apple juice stimulated acid production for all cultures in activity tests following incubation after thawing, whereas glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide retarded its development.