Jesse G. M. Bullowa

The treatment of pertussis with lyophile hyperimmune human pertussis serum

Summary 1. Twenty-three patients with pertussis were treated with lyophile hyperimmune human pertussis serum. 2. Twelve of the patients treated were in the 1-to 3-month age group. Seventy-five per cent of these infants had a good response. There were no deaths in this group. 3. Treatment early in the course of pertussis was effective. In addition, two patients treated in the eighth and ninth week of illness had a good response. 4. There were demonstrable circulating agglutinins following the administration of the serum. 5. The lymphocytosis of the blood was suppressed after the administration of the serum. 6. Eleven patients who had pneumonic involvement were treated with the serum in addition to sulfadiazine. 7. There was no extension or recurrence of the pulmonary involvement and no development of pneumonia after a full course of serum therapy.

Cevitamic Acid Excretion in Pneumonias and Some Other Pathological Conditions

Previous studies by Harde, 1 and Harde and Philippe, 2 Harde and Benjamin, 3 Harde and Greenwald, 4 have shown a lowering of vitamin C content of the tissues of laboratory animals in many infections and intoxications. King 5 and his associates noted a similar fact in studies of human autopsies, and later in work on guinea pigs. 6 These observations suggested to us that vitamin C in infectious diseases unrelated to scurvy, such as pneumonia, may be lowered. The examinations of urines for vitamin C from pneumonia and other pathological conditions permitted verification of this hypothesis. A reducing substance in the urine of normal individuals, probably in large part cevitamic acid, has been studied by Hess and Benjamin 7 and by Birch, Harris and Ray. 8 The latter authors found a relation between vitamin C content of the diet and the urinary excretion of the reducing substance.

Electrophoresis and Antibody Nitrogen Determinations of a Gold Hemagglutinin.

Summary Study of a human cold hemagglutinin revealed: 1. The cold hemagglutinin had the electro-phoretic mobility of gamma globulin. 2. A cold hemagglutinin titer of 1/2560 at 4°C was equivalent to 1.473 mg per ml of antibody nitrogen.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN CAPSULAR POLYSACCHARIDE AND ANTIBODY IN RELATION TO THE PROGNOSIS AND THERAPY OF PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA

Excerpt INTRODUCTION The antigen-antibody balance in pneumococcal pneumonia was first reported by Blake,1who employed the methods of detection described by Dochez and Avery.2, 3Blake1studied 19 cas...

Hemagglutinins of Pneumococcic Antisera.

For a number of years it has been known that some pneumococcic strains possess the Forssman antigen and hence produce in the blood of immunized rabbits hemolysins for sheep blood and agglutinins for blood of Group A. According to a recent report 1 this antigen is present in all strains of pneumococci except those of Types IV, VIB, XI, and XXXI. Prominence was given to these facts only recently on account of the current increased use of therapeutic sera derived from rabbits. We were led to examine the hemagglutinins and hemolysins of all antipneumococcic therapeutic sera available (rabbit and horse), especially in view of recent reports which indicate that horse sera containing strong-titered agglutinins for human blood were responsible for occasional fatal acute hemolytic reactions. 2 , 3 , cf. 4 These accidents were due to injection of horse serum Type XIV. Our own experiments are based on tests done with therapeutic sera administered to patients at the Harlem Hospital. The sera were tested in dilution of 1:50 for hemolysins of sheep blood and for agglutination of human blood of Groups O, A2. A1, and B. Hemolysins for sheep blood were tested by adding 1 drop of 50% suspension of washed sheep-cells to a mixture of 0.5 cc of serum-dilution and 0.5 cc guinea-pig complement 1:10. Tests for agglutination were made by mixing in small tubes 2 drops of a 2% washed blood suspension and 2 or 3 drops of serum dilution; readings were made after the tests stood for one hour at room temperature. Our results indicate that antipneumococcic rabbit sera of numerous types contain hemolysins for sheep blood and agglutinins with specific action on human blood of Group A.

Pertussis: Bacteriologic and agglutination studies

Summary 1. Seventy-four comparative tests with nasopharyngeal swab cultures, laryngeal suctions and cough plates were made in fifty-three cases of pertussis. In every age group and in every week of the disease the swabs yielded a higher percentage of cultures positive for H. pertussis than did either the laryngeal suctions or the cough plates, and the suction material more positives than the cough plates. 2. The suction method of obtaining specimens is cumbersome and as the results are only slightly better than the cough plates it cannot be considered as a practical routine procedure. 3. The nasopharyngeal swab in combination with the cough plate are the methods of choice for obtaining the maximum number of cultures positive for H. pertussis. 4. Serial streaking of swabs on the media yielded individual colonies from which H. pertussis could be readily identified. 5. Circulating pertussis agglutinins were found only in 14 per cent of the patients. The absence of agglutinins, therefore, does not exclude the diagnosis of pertussis.

Structure of the rectum due to lymphogranuloma venereum-symptoms and treatment with sodium sulfanilyl sulfanilate

Proctitis and rectal stricture due to Lymphogranuloma Venereum have been greatly benefited by poorly absorbed and non-toxic sodium sulfanilyl sulfanilate. The local symptoms disappear, the mucosa regenerates, and edema and infiltration recede so that the stricture is wider, permitting normal evacuation of the bowel. No surgical treatment other than dilatation has been necessary in patients treated with sodium sulfanilyl sulfanilate.

Detection of Free Polysaccharide in Blood of Pneumococcic Pneumonia Patients; Prognosis and Therapy

Conclusions The occurrence of free polysaccharide in the blood of pneumonic patients is not uncommon. Its presence is generally indicative of a severe infection, with usually fatal outcome. It would appear that sulfapyridine alone may be ineffective in the control of those pneumococcic infections which are accompanied by the production of sufficient polysaccharide to reach relatively high concentrations in the blood stream, but that it may be effective in such instances if it is combined with the administration of sufficient type-specific antibody. The observations reported suggest that sulfa-pyridine alone may control pneumococcic infections provided there is not too much antigen present in the blood, and some specific antibody is produced.

Effect of a Single Dose of 3,3′-Methylenebis (4-Hydroxycoumarin) upon Blood Coagulation in Humans.∗†

Summary A prolongation in the coagulation time and a lowering of the prothrombin index of the blood for approximately 6 days beginning between 24 and 72 hours after the drug has been ingested will usually be produced by oral administration of a single dose of 400 mg of 3,3′-methylenebis (4-hydroxycoumarin) to a patient weighing 130 lb or less, or 600 mg to a patient weighing over 160 lb.

Voraussetzungen und Technik der Pneumoniebehandlung

ZusammenfassungEs sei abschließend noch einmal betont: Die Serumbehandlung der Pneumonie erfordert die ätiologische Typendifferenzierung des Falles mit folgender typenspezifischer Serumbehandlung. Es ist, als ob ein besonderer Schlüssel zur Öffnung eines Schlosses erforderlich ist. Einen Passepartout (um bei dem Bilde des Schlüssels zu bleiben) gibt es nicht!Die fortgesetzte Darreichung von Sauerstoff durch Nasenkatheter, Zelt oder Sauerstoffkammer verhindert die Anoxämie. In Verbindung mit Serum macht Sauerstoff andere Stimulantien überflüssig. Gelegentlich ist symptomatische Behandlung von Schmerz und Unruhe erforderlich. Die wirksame Frühbehandlung mit Serum verhindert oder heilt die Bakteriämie.