On March 24 and 25, 2017 researchers and clinicians from around the world met at Temple University in Philadelphia to discuss the current knowledge of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and its relationship to human disease. The conference was held because of shared concern that MAP is a zoonotic bacterium that poses a threat not only to animal health but also human health. In order to further study this problem, the conferees discussed ways to improve MAP diagnostic tests and discussed potential future anti-MAP clinical trials. The conference proceedings may be viewed on the website. A summary of the salient work in this field is followed by recommendations from a majority of the conferees.

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Four cases of leiomyoblastoma are presented which illustrate the clinical presentations and gross anatomical appearance associated with this type of tumor when it is clinically significant. Case 1 is unique in having a markedly elevated mitotic rate with no evidence of metastasis at autopsy; it is the third case presenting as a pancreatic pseudocyst. Twenty‐two cases of leiomyoblastoma reported in the literature since 1962 are reviewed. Experience with varying clinical presentations, gross anatomical and histologic appearances, and results of surgical therapy are summarized. Seven examples of metastasis of this tumor have been reported. In each case the rate of mitosis had significantly increased. Case 1 of our series had a mitotic rate from 2 to 3 times higher than those that metastasized, but no evidence of metastasis was present at autopsy. There may be variants of leiomyoblastomas with elevated mitotic rates that do not metastasize or do so only after a protracted course. Nevertheless, the mitotic rate remains die best criterion for prognosis.

We describe a technic that measures the kinetics of the metabolic burst of peripheral blood neutrophils (PMN) by electron spin resonance (ESR) spin trapping. Using this technic, a functional assay for the kinetics of the alternate pathway complement cascade is developed. PMN were stimulated by phagocytosis of opsonized zymosan (OpZym) to undergo the metabolic burst and the resulting free hydroxyl radicals generated during the burst were trapped using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) to form a stable spin adduct. Rapid sequential measurements of the spin adduct concentration were made using a computer-controlled ESR spectrometer to follow the time course of the metabolic burst. Differences in the results obtained with OpZym and with PMN incubated with unopsonized zymosan (Zym) and serum yields information about the kinetics of opsonization. The kinetics of the alternate complement pathway opsonization in sera from normal and C8-deficient patients were compared and found not to be affected significantly by the absence of C8 complement protein.