To determine the extent of antiviral activity present in a number of plant extracts, hot glycerin extracts were prepared from Rheum officinale, Aloe barbadensis, Rhamnus frangula, Rhamnus purshianus, and Cassia angustifolia and their virucidal effects were tested against herpes simplex virus type 1. All the plant extracts inactivated the virus. The active components in these plants were separated by thin-layer chromatography and identified as anthraquinones. A purified sample of aloe emodin was prepared from aloin, and its effects on the infectivity of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2, varicella-zoster virus, pseudorabies virus, influenza virus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus were tested by mixing virus with dilutions of aloe emodin for 15 min at 37°C, immediately diluting the sample, and assaying the amount of infectious virus remaining in the sample. The results showed that aloe emodin inactivated all of the viruses tested except adenovirus and rhinovirus. Electron microscopic examination of anthraquinone-treated herpes simplex virus demonstrated that the envelopes were partially disrupted. These results show that anthraquinones extracted from a variety of plants are directly virucidal to enveloped viruses.

In HEp-2 cells infected with herpes simplex virus the rate of protein synthesis at first decline, is stimulated between 4 and 8 hours after infection, and progressively and irreversibly declines from 9 to 16 hours later. The increase and decrease in rates coincide with corresponding changes in the amounts of cytoplasmic polysomes and amounts of labeled amino acids in nascent peptides bound to polysomes. The data indicate that (i) early and late inhibition and intervening stimulation of protein synthesis are due to the corresponding breakdown and formation of polysomes, and (ii) the bulk of viral proteins is probably made on cytoplasmic polysomes.

One of the key factors for obtaining a favourable long-term prognosis in avulsed teeth is maintenance of the vitality of the periodontal ligament (PDL) cells. Most studies which have examined PDL cell vitality have used neutral red or trypan blue as stains. However, these stains have certain inherent disadvantages. The purpose of this paper was to (i) evaluate the use of saline and milk as storage media for PDL cells and (ii) determine the value of using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) as a staining medium for vital PDL cells on the root surface of avulsed teeth. Thirty-two single-rooted premolars were utilized from patients aged 13 to 28 years. Following atraumatic extraction, the teeth in the experimental groups were air dried for 10 min and then placed in either milk or saline for 120 min. Both control and experimental teeth were subjected to trypsinization procedures, staining with FDA, and haemocytometer readings to determine the number of vital cells. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of viable cells on the root surfaces of teeth after 2 h of storage in either milk or in saline. Furthermore, staining with FDA provided an excellent method by which to determine PDL cell vitality.

No abstract

Two mannose-negative mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 have been isolated. These mutants are deficient in the ability to synthesize phosphomannose isomerase and capsular polysaccharide when grown on glucose-containing media. Interrupted mating experiments to determine the kinetics of genetic transfer show that the two mannose-negative mutations map together between the histidine and tryptophan regions of the E. coli chromosome. The capsular polysaccharide of Escherichia coli K-12 contains glucuronic acid, D-galactose, Dglucose, and L-fucose in the approximate molar