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A survey of the stock of registered blood donors in Malmo revealed 0.07 per cent carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) if tested with immunoelectroosmophoresis (IEOP). In the group of prospective donors, the IEOP technique detected HBsAg at a frequency of 0.5 per cent, while a more sensitive solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) detected a further 0.1 per cent. The RIA technique used in this investigation showed an incidence of false positives of 0.5 per cent. Most of the falsely positive sera probably contained antibodies against guinea pig globulin thus interfering with the test. The incidence of suspected transfusion hepatitis decreased after the screening for HBsAg among the blood donors was introduced. The justification of using RIA as screening method for HBs Ag is discussed.

In the course of a six-month-study of acute gastroenteritis in children of ages up to six years, a reo-like virus was found in 54 per cent of the faecal specimens obtained at an early stage of the disease, using electron microscopy as screening test. By means of a concentrated complement fixation antigen, composed of a related calf diarrhoea virus cultivated in tissue culture, the rise in titre was found to be significant in 96 per cent of the patients whose faeces contained the reo-like virus. Antibodies were present in the remaining 4 per cent without rise in titre. In 10 per cent of the cases with gastroenteritis infection was caused by adenovirus or Salmonella. A probable aetiological agent was found in 71 per cent of the patients. It applies to 33 per cent of all cases caused by the reo-like virus that they were nosocomial infections.

In two separate studies, faecal samples were collected from children with acute gastroenteritis; the samples were tested both by electron microscopy and immunoelectroosmophoresis with a view to detect reo-like virus. In 94 per cent and 100 per cent of samples positive by electron microscopy in the first and second material, respectively, a precipitin line was found after electrophoresis, using a guinea pig antiserum against a purified bovine virus. No false positives were detected by this method.

The grand aim of the Integrated Tokamak Modelling (ITM) task-force is to provide a flexible, modular and reliable plasma simulator in view of planning and analyzing ITER discharges. Since radio-frequency (rf) heating in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) is foreseen as one of the main additional heating systems in ITER, physics modules that simulate ICRF wave propagation and absorption are necessary for the ITM project. Here, we report on the status of the benchmark activity of ICRF codes, already imported in ITM environment platform. We consider various scenarios for ITER, limiting the comparisons to wave propagation and absorption in Maxwellian plasmas. © 2014 American Institute of Physics

Duplicate samples from 110 periodontal sites of 6 mm or more pocket depth in 16 patients were analyzed for the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Capnocytophaga spp., Campylobacter rectus, Eikenella corrodens and Fusobacterium nucleatum. The sites were sampled before and after nonsurgical periodontal treatment. No statistically significant associations were found before treatment between any of the analyzed species. After treatment, statistically significant associations were found between E. corrodens and all the other species, F. nucleatum and P. intermedia; Capnocytophaga spp. and C. rectus; P. intermedia vs Capnocytophaga spp. and P. gingivalis; and C. rectus vs Capnocytophaga spp. and A. actinomycetemcomitans. Some of these associations could be explained either by patient-related factors or site-related characteristics such as the pocket depth. The proportion of P. gingivalis seemed to be unrelated to the proportion of P. intermedia in the samples. If one of the analyzed microbes was found in one of the sampled pockets in a patient, the probability of finding that microbe in all the sampled sites in the same patient before treatment was more than 50%. This probability was reduced after treatment for many species, especially P. gingivalis, which showed a probability of zero. The probability of detecting a bacterial species on at least one additional site if it was present on one in the same individual was nearly 100%, both before and after treatment, for all species studied. This study has shown several potential microbial associations in the subgingival plaque flora of deep periodontal pockets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A procedure for stepwise regression analysis for the non-experimental case is suggested. Regarding the problem as a multiple inference one, the procedure picks out the relevant regressors and, based on a slightly new approach, estimates the structure of dependencies among the variables involved.

The influence of sampling procedure and of laboratory processing on the recovery of Bacteroides gingivalis, Bacteroides intermedius, and Actinobacillus antinomycetemcomitans from periodontitis sites was evaluated. Thirty-three adult subjects with severe periodontitis participated in the study. In all, 462 samples from 81 sites were examined. The samples were taken using the paper point technique. The cultivations were performed by use of enriched Brucella agar for determination of total colony-forming units and Bacteroides species, and trypticase soy bean agar for determination of A. actinomycetemcomitans. The risk of getting a false negative result was 4% for B. gingivalis, 20% for B. intermedius, and 38% for A. actinomycetemcomitans. It was considerably reduced if duplicate samples were taken. The sampling procedure alone explained up to 98% of the false-negative results.

The aim of the present study was to compare registered data of caries prevalence and incidence from cross-sectional studies of specified age groups with the corresponding caries data from cohorts of individuals receiving dental health service from the same dental clinic during the years studied. The study covered two 15-19-year groups, who had been offered complete dental care from three years of age in the City of Göteborg for the time periods 1986/7-1990/1. When compared, the longitudinal cohort attempts often gave statistically significant different values to those of the cross-sectional year classes, which should be considered when presenting caries index mean values in dental health reviews. It is not indifferent to choose between longitudinal cohort and cross-sectional year class attempts when searching for dental health treatment effects. Due to the advantages of using longitudinal cohort study methods, and with regard to the differences of the study design used, as pointed out in the study, the use of longitudinal cohort patient material, extracted from cross-sectional epidemiological data bases, could favour analysis of the effects of different preventive dental care programs.

Cellular fatty acids of 10 strains of lactic acid bacteria were analyzed. The purpose of this work was to find lactic acid bacteria with high lactobacillic acid contents. The bacteria studied were unable to synthesize oleic acid. Some strains did not synthesize lactobacillic acid, although all were able to form dihydrosterculic acid. Twenty-one to thirty-four percent of the fatty acid content of Lactobacillus fermentum and L. buchneri was lactobacillic acid, and these species were chosen for future studies of environmental factors affecting cyclopropane fatty acid synthesis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of 17 forensic odontologists identifying individuals from two sets of radiographs, one regarded as ante- and the other as postmortem. Each case was observed twice and only one pair out of 31 did not match. The observers were asked to comment about each case, classifying it as easy, moderate or difficult. The results show that one observer was totally correct in the first analysis while four observers made no errors the second time. In the first evaluation 14 observers made between one and seven errors and two observers made 11 errors each. In the second evaluation 12 observers made between one and seven errors and one observer made 13 errors. At the first evaluation, the observers judged 18 of the cases as easy, eight as medium and five as difficult. At the second evaluation, the observers pronounced 13 of the cases as easy, 13 as medium and five as difficult. The corresponding values for the authors were 6, 12 and 13. Most of the mistakes were made on the cases with no restorations and the incorrect answers were found mostly among the difficult cases. In practical forensic work however additional dental chart information is usually available to the forensic odontologist.

In dentistry, there is a need for better understanding of the distribution of the time spent on different activities at dental clinics. In order to investigate these resource aspects, both for the total time and for various categories of personnel and/or patients in dental clinics at the Public Dental Service (PD), Göteborg, Sweden, a time study method was used. The present study reports on the development of the PD's time study method (TSM) and analyses its functionality. The TSM, based on formulated criteria, used a method for an observer-monitored counting of frequencies. Specially trained observers registered the sampled observations for each professional, using a separate code list for each personnel group to which the professional belonged. The observer registered the on-going activity, not the duration of the procedure. Each observer followed several persons working in separated areas of the dental clinic. In 1989, the TSM was tested with the purpose of obtaining mean time values for dental care activities in the PD clinics performing general dental care. This study comprised all personnel categories in the clinic teams. Clinics were randomly selected and stratified according to the amount of dentistry for children in relation to the total time for dental care, reported as the parameter "dentist hours". Eight out of a total of 36 clinics were randomized, two from each strata.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

When implants are to be inserted in the mandible posterior to the mental foramen, tomography is required to determine the exact location of the mandibular canal and assess the dimensions of the body and alveolar process. Previous studies have shown discrepancies between the true distance between the alveolar crest and the upper border of the mandibular canal and that measured from computed tomograms. This study evaluates the reliability of such measurements made from hypocycloidal tomograms. Six examiners, three radiologists and three oral surgeons, independently measured the distance from the alveolar crest to the upper border of the mandibular canal in transverse hypocycloidal tomograms of the mandible. Analysis of variance showed an average standard deviation between observers of 1.33 mm. This variation, which is the total of inter- and intra-observer variation conditional upon patient and radiograph, was mainly due to the latter which amounted to a mean of 1.04 mm. Calculation of lower confidence limits showed that these could be decreased by the use of several observers. Various confidence levels, equal to the probabilities of obtaining lower confidence limits which are below the true values, can be used to choose acceptable levels of risk in overestimating the true distance.

A serological investigation on infants with incidentally detected cytomegalovirus (CMV) excretion was made in an attempt to differentiate between congenital and acquired infections. Generally, each of the patients, 0–12 months old at the detection of CMV-excretion, was studied by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test for IgM-antibodies in cord serum and by complement fixation (CF) test performed on cord serum and a number of sera drawn after the detection of CMV. Two out of 4 patients with virologically confirmed congenital CMV-infection, as shown by positive virus isolation within 1 week of age, had a positive CMV-IgM-test in cord serum. One of these two children also had a persistently high CMV-CF-titer from birth until 2 months of age, indicating congenital infection. In the remaining 46 cases, all with the CMV-excretion detected after 3 weeks of age, in half of the cases after 5 months, no positive IgM-reaction was recorded in cord serum. No persistently high CF-titer could be demonstrated among 13 out of the 46 patients from whom sera were drawn at birth and at 1–4 months. Six out of these 13 patients had a CF-titer rise after the period of 1–4 months, indicating acquired infection. However, also one of the congenitally infected children had a similar titer increase. Many patients lacked characteristic serological patterns, some of them in spite of access to sera drawn at birth, as well as at 1–4 months of age and later on. It could be concluded that the possibility of making a serological distinction of congenital and acquired infant CMV infection found, by chance, during infancy is limited.

The families of 31 index cases infected by reo-like virus were examined for gastroenteritis symptoms, virus excretion and serological evidence of infection. Excretion of virus was seen only among the children in the families, and it occurred together with gastroenteritis symptoms in 97.2 % of all cases. Virtually all infected children had a significant rise in titre in paired sera. Among the parents 25.0 % had a significant rise in titre associated with infections with gastroenteritis symptoms and 28.6 % with symptomfree infections. A comparison between complement fixation and immunoelectroosmophoresis for detection of antibody showed that the tests gave similar results.

A solid-phase radioimmunoassay (Ausria-125) was compared to an immunoelectro-osmophoresis method in detecting hepatitis-B antigen (HBAg). The radioimmunoassay detected HBAg in approximately 230 times higher dilutions than the immunoelectroosmophoresis method. In cases of acute hepatitis HBAg could be detected for about 70% longer after the onset of jaundice using radioimmunoassay compared with immunoelectroosmophoresis. Of 138 patients with acute hepatitis, who were HBAg-negative by immunoelectroosmophoresis, 23 (17%) were positive by radioimmunoassay. The specificity of the positive results with this test was investigated by neutralization tests with human antiserum to HBAg.

Summary The clinical and autopsy findings in a female newborn infant who expired at an age of 15 days from a generalized herpes simplex infection associated with septicemia due to Staphylococcus aureus have been reported. The source of the herpetic infection which probably started as an ulcerative esophagitis remains unknown. The diagnosis of generalized viral infection was established from virologic studies of liver and brain tissue and from the demonstration of intranuclear inclusion bodies in the esophagus, myocardium, liver, spleen, adrenal glands and brain. The interrelationship of generalized herpes simplex and staphylococcal septicemia is discussed, and the analogy to Kaposi's varicelliform eruption is considered. Infection generalisee d'herpes simple associee a une septicemie staphylococeique chez le nouveau-ne. On a rapporte les recherches cliniques et celles faites a l'autopsie chez un nouveau-ne de sexe feminin qui a expire a l'âge de 15 jours par suite d'une infection generalisee d'herpes simple associee a une septicemie due au staphylococcus aureus. La source de Tinfection herpetique qui commenca probablement comme une oesophagite ulcereuse reste inconnue. Le diagnostic de l'infection virulente generalisee fut etabli en se basant sur des etudes virologiques du foie et du tissu cerebral, et sur la demonstration d'inclusions intercellulaires dans l'œsophage, le myocarde, le foie, la rate, les glandes surrenales et le cerveau. Le rapport reciproque entre l'herpes simple generalise et la septicemie staphylococeique est discute, et l'analogie avec l'eruption de Kaposi, ressemblant a, la varicelle, est discutee. Oeneralisierte Herpes simplex – Infehtion verbunden mit Staphylokokken-Septikamie bei einem Neugeborenen. Die klinischen und Sektions-Befunde eines weiblichen, neugeborenen Kindes, das im Alter von 15 Tagen zufolge einer generalisierten Herpes-simplex-Infektion verbunden mit einer Septikamie durch Staphylokokkus aureus ad exitum kam, wurden referiert. Der Ursprung der herpetischen Infektion, die wahrscheinlich als ulzerose Oesophagitis begann, bleibt unbekannt. Die Diagnose der generalisierten Virus-Infektion stutzte sich auf virologische Untersuchungen der Leber und Hirngewebe sowie auf die Beobaehtung intranuklearer Einschlusskorper in Oesophagus, Myokard, Leber, Milz, Nebennieren und Gehirn. Die gegenseitigen Beziehungen der generalisierten Herpes simplex-Erkrankung und der Staphylokokkenseptikamie wird diskutiert. Die Analogie zu Kaposi's varizelliformen Eruption wird in Erwagung gezogen. Herpes simple generalizado asociado a una septicemia estafilococica en un recien nacido. Se han expuesto los signos clinicos y necropsicos de una nina recien nacida que expiro a los 15 dias de vida con un cuadro de herpes simple generalizado asociado a una septicemia por estafilococo dorado. El origen de la infeccion herpetica, que se inicio en forma de una esofagitis ulcerosa, se desconoce. El diagnostico de infeccion virica generalizada se establecio por el estudio virologico del higado y tejido cerebral, y por la demostracion de cuerpos intranucleares de inclusion en el esofago, miocardio, higado, bazo, suprarenales y cerebro. Se discute la relacion entre el herpes simple generalizado y la septicemia estafilococica, considerandose la analogia con la erupcion variceliforme de Kaposi.

Comparison between the sensitivity in detecting Australia antigen of the Ouchterlony double diffusion method and the immunoelectroosmophoresis (IEOP) was made. The IEOP technique using pure agarose and staining the plates was 21 times more sensitive than the Ouchterlony method. In cases of hepatitis it was possible to detect Australia antigen for 50% longer time with IEOP than with the Ouchterlony method. The practical application of IEOP for detection of Australia antigen and antibodies is discussed.

During a small epidemic of infectious hepatitis, a fulminant infection with fatal outcome occurred in a 54-year-old woman. IgM antibody to hepatitis A virus was demonstrated in the serum and large amounts of hepatitis A virus were found in the liver. It is suggested that the pathogenesis may be different for fulminant hepatitis A and B infection.

A new cold neutron spectrometer has been installated at the R2 reactor at Studsvik. The energy resolution of the spectrometer is in the range 0.09–0.4 meV.

Ahlfors, K., Ivarsson, S.-A., Johnsson, T. (†) and Renmarker, K. (Department of Clinical Virology and Department of Paediatrics, University of Lund, Malmo General Hospital, Malmo, and the Department of Personnel Health Care, Malmo, Sweden). Risk of cytomegalovirus infection in nurses and congenital infection in their offspring. Acta Paediatr Scand, 70: 819, 1981.-The risk of contracting cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in nursing of infants and of congenital CMV infection in infants born to such nursing personnel were investigated. The investigation comprised 292 women working in paediatric clinics or day nurseries and a control group of 163 women who had no professional contact with infants. Among the women younger than 25, those who had tended infants for more than six months were significantly (p

The study included two clinical materials. First, the frequency of cytomegalovirus and its clinical significance were studied among 661 Swedish children under one year of age admitted to a paediatric hospital. Before the age of one week 4/326 (1%) children excreted virus. At one month the frequency had risen to 6/52 (12%) and after this age the frequency was constant around 20–25%. Sixty per cent of infants born to immigrants were infected after one month of age. One of the four congenitally infected children had symptoms at birth followed by neurological sequelae. The majority of the infections acquired at birth or in early infancy seemed to be subclinical and without sequelae. Second, a retrospective investigation of 18695 children born during a six-year period was performed. Two cases of virologically confirmed congenital cytomegalic inclusion disease were found. Regarding seven microcephalic patients in the retrospective study congenital CMV-infection could be excluded in four cases. In the remaining three cases the data did not permit any conclusions regarding the etiology.

A solid phase radio-immunoassay (SPRIA) was developed for the detection of anti-HBc IgM. The assay proved sensitive and easy to perform and rheumatoid factor did not affect the test results. Anti-HBc IgM titres were followed in consecutive samples from 15 patients after uncomplicated acute hepatitis B. In the acute phase anti-HBc IgM titres ranged from 10(-5) to 10(-7) (mean 10(-6.4)). One year after onset of disease ten of the 15 had titres below 10(-4) and between two and three years after onset most patients had titres 10(-3). Anti-HBc IgM titres were determined in six episodes of acute hepatitis B, all HBsAg negative but anti-HBc positive in the first samples obtained (within 8 days) and developing anti-HBs during convalescence. Acute phase anti-HBc IgM titres in these patients ranged between 10(-5.5) and 10(-7) (mean 10(-6.5)) and were thus identical with HBsAg positive cases. When acute phase sera from 168 episodes of acute hepatitis primarily classified as non-A, non-B, were tested for anti-HBc IgM titres above 10(-5), sera from 13 episodes were positive and in seven of these hepatitis B diagnosis could be confirmed by rising anti-HBs titres in convalescence. Sera from four of the 13 patients contained HBeAg, which was thus demonstrated in the absence of HBsAg. The results show that testing for anti-HBc IgM is important for a true non-A, non-B diagnosis.

The etiological role of Legionella pneumophila and other infectious agents in acute lower respiratory tract infections in 112 patients attending an infectious disease clinic was estimated by a serological study of paired sera and bacteriological culture of nasopharynx swabs and culture and immunoelectroosmophoresis of expectorates. Only 2 of the patients had a 4-fold rise in antibody titre to L. pneumophila, suggesting a similar incidence of legionnaires' disease as reported from USA.

In a study of the prevalence of nine different micro-organisms in the female genital tract in a Swedish population, significantly higher isolation rates occurred among women attending a venereal disease clinic than among those attending a gynaecological health control department. The prevalence of Candida albicans, however, was similar in different groups, individual susceptibility being the most important factor. Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma hominis occurred concomitantly with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, indicating a similar epidemiology for all these agents. Younger patients seemed to have an increased susceptibility to C. trachomatis whereas older patients had an increased susceptibility to T. vaginalis.

This study (March 1977-February 1978) was performed at the Ethio-Swedish Pediatric Clinic, Addis Ababa, to determine whether there were any seasonal fluctuations in the occurrence of diarrhoea associated with enterotoxigenic enterobacteria (ETEB), rotavirus and two parasites (Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica).A total of 1161 children (962 patients and 199 controls) were investigated. ETEB were isolated in 12.2% of the patients and 4.5% of the controls, rotavirus in 27.8% and 8%, and parasites in 6.8% and 1%, respectively. There is a statistically significant difference in the isolation rates between patients and controls (P0.001 for rotavirus, P0.01 for ETEB and parasites). Rotavirus was most prevalent in the 7-12 months age group and ETEB during the second year of life, while parasites showed a continuous increase with age.Two peaks in the occurrence of ETEB were found during the year, the first in August (32.6%), the second in January (19.2%). Two peaks for rotavirus though not as distinct as for ETEB, were seen in June (42.7%) and November (36.4%). The isolation rate of parasites showed no consistent pattern during the year.This study suggests a seasonal occurrence of ETEB and rotavirus but with no apparent correlation to climatological factors.

985 episodes of hepatitis representing 98% of all acute hepatitis episodes found in a Swedish city during a 10-year period were analyzed for anti-hepatitis A IgM antibodies and hepatitis B surface antigen. Hepatitis A was diagnosed in 311 episodes (32%), hepatitis B in 494 (50%), simultaneous acute hepatitis A and B in 12 (1.2%), and 168 episodes (17%) were classified as hepatitis non-A, non-B. The majority of the hepatitis A cases were drug addicts (58%), and all were concentrated in 3 outbreaks of 1-2 years duration. 16% of all hepatitis A cases were probably imported. Hepatitis B cases decreased significantly (p less than 0.001) between the first and second half of the study period. 47% were drug addicts. Hepatitis non-A, non-B was also dominated by drug addicts (61%). Approximately 20% of the cases in all 3 types of hepatitis had no identifiable source.

4 382 new mothers were examined retrospectively with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG activity to cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy. Some of them were also studied with the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test for CMV-IgM antibodies. All the infants had been studied for CMV excretion within the first week of life. Nineteen of them had been shown to be congenitally infected with CMV. 1 218 (28%) women lacked CMV-IgG activity at their first antenatal visit (usually in months III-IV). Fourteen of them seroconverted before parturition (primary infection). Thirteen of the seroconverters were shown to develop CMV-IgM activity. In 6 (43%) cases the primary infection was transmitted to the offspring. The remaining 13 congenitally infected infants were born to mothers with a positive IgM-test at their first antenatal control. Only one of these mothers had a clearly positive IgM-test. She was shown to lack CMV-antibodies before conception (primary infection during the first trimester). Preconceptional sera were obtained from further 4 of the 13 seropositive mothers of congenitally infected infants; all 4 had CMV antibodies before pregnancy (secondary infection during pregnancy). The combined studies of the mothers and infants revealed that 21-63% of the congenital infections could have been caused by secondary maternal infections. Prospectively performed, the study would only have disclosed one of the three fetal CMV infections that resulted in neurological sequelae.

In the course of a six-month-study of acute gastroenteritis in children of ages up to six years, a reo-like virus was found in 54 per cent of the faecal specimens obtained at an early stage of the disease, using electron microscopy as screening test. By means of a concentrated complement fixation antigen, composed of a related calf diarrhoea virus cultivated in tissue culture, the rise in titre was found to be significant in 96 per cent of the patients whose faeces contained the reo-like virus. Antibodies were present in the remaining 4 per cent without rise in titre. In 10 per cent of the cases with gastroenteritis infection was caused by adenovirus or Salmonella. A probable aetiological agent was found in 71 per cent of the patients. It applies to 33 per cent of all cases caused by the reo-like virus that they were nosocomial infections.