In a group of infants with acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis, examination of paired sera for antibody to human coronavirus (HCV) OC43 and neonatal calf diarrhea coronavirus showed a peculiar pattern of serological response, restricted only to HCV OC43 surface antigens, in a significantly higher proportion than among age-matched controls. In another group of infants and young children with acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis, fecal excretion of coronavirus-like particles was detected by electron microscopy in 34 (16.3%) of 208 patients as compared with three (1.6%) of 182 controls (P less than .01). Two strains of human enteric coronavirus (HECV) were purified from stools of two patients, and immune sera were raised in mice and guinea pigs. Immune electron microscopy showed a two-way cross-reactivity between HECV and HCV OC43 when tested with immune sera and convalescent-phase sera from patients with infection due to HECV or HCV OC43.

No abstract

No abstract

Peroneal motor and sural sensory conduction velocities (MNCVs/SNCVs), somatosensory evoked potentials to median nerve stimulation (MN-SEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) to transcranial stimulation were examined in 138 HIV-infected patients (in the different stages of the disease), 20 seronegative intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs), and 20 healthy subjects. Findings of peroneal MNCV slowing in patients ranged from 16% (asymptomatic HIV patients) to 63% (AIDS) and of sural SNCV slowing from 13% to 40%. Altered MN-SEPs ranged from 10% to 30%, and MEPs ranged from 44% to 72%, mostly due to a prolongation of the central motor conduction time (CMCT). All seronegative IVDAs showed patterns within the normal range. Electrophysiological techniques were helpful in demonstrating early and subclinical alterations in HIV patients.

No abstract

No abstract

Data on the mitotic index of human granulocytopoietic cells are presented. From these and from the duration of mitosis directly measured in living cells by phase contrast microscope, the weighted average generation time and the mean compartment transit time are computed. Maturation in granulocytopoietic cells appears to induce a reduction of mitotic indices and mitotic rate and an increase in mitotic time and in mean compartment transit time. Part of the increment in mitotic duration may be due to the acquisition by a part of the granulocytopoietic cells of cytoplasmic peripheral motility or other specialized activities, thus distracting part of the energies destined to mitosis.

No abstract