The effect of heptakis(2,6-0-dimethyl)3-cyclodextrin (MePiCD) on the production of pertussis toxin was evaluated. The addition of MePCD to the medium stimulated cell growth and pertussis toxin production. Me,CD enhanced pertussis toxin production 100 times more in synthetic media, such as Stainer-Scholte medium (D. W. Stainer and M. J. Scholte, J. Gen. Microbiol. 63:211-220), than in MePCD-free medium in 2-day shake cultures. Maximum production of pertussis toxin was estimated as 50 mg of protein per liter of culture broth both by in vitro and in vivo assays. Purified toxin was demonstrated to be biochemically and biologically identical to the toxin produced in Me,BCD-free static cultures.

The effect of cyclodextrins on the growth of Bordetella pertussis Tohama phase I in synthetic medium was evaluated. The addition of cyclodextrins, especially heptakis(2,6-0-dimethyl)p-cyclodextrin (MePCD), to a complete synthetic medium such as Stainer-Scholte medium gave the same number of individual colonies and growth rates as those on Bordet-Gengou medium. Furthermore, with the addition of MePCD, growth inhibition by fatty acids such as oleic or palmitic acid was overcome and normal cell growth was observed. This modified Stainer-Scholte medium, designated as cyclodextrin solid medium (CSM), supported excellent growth of 20 lyophilized clinical isolates. Serotypes of the organisms after 10 passages on this CSM plate were not changed. These results suggest that MePCD is a significant growth stimulant and CSM is one of the most suitable synthetic media for culture of B. pertussis phase I.

Crystallographic pits were grown on Al͑100͒ at temperatures from 30 to 90°C, in solutions of HCl ϩ H 2 SO 4 . Pits grew during a galvanostatic anodic pulse for 5-100 ms that was preceded by a galvanostatic cathodic pulse of 50 ms. The anodic potential has a small peak for 1-2 ms and then remains constant. The cathodic pulse causes rapid pit nucleation so most pits nucleate within 5 ms, and pit passivation and pit growth are the dominant processes at longer times. It was determined that a substantial fraction of pits passivates during the pulse, so growth rates were calculated from the increase in largest pit size with pulse duration. The growth rate is constant at each temperature and follows an Arrhenius temperature dependence with an activation energy of 7.2 kcal mol Ϫ1 . There are significant differences between the growth of pits and the growth of etch tunnels. The activation energy for pit growth is one-half that for tunnel growth, and pit growth rates are greater than tunnel growth rates. It is proposed that the chemisorbed chloride complex postulated to be an intermediary for Al dissolution changes from one structure during pit growth to another, more stable, structure during tunnel growth.

There are few published results of etch tunnel growth in aluminum at temperatures below 60°C because a high tunnel density is not achieved at these temperatures. We find that etching high purity capacitor foil with its as-received surface oxide produces a low but sufficient density of tunnels so steady state tunnel growth rates can be measured at temperatures down to 28°C . These rates follow the same Arrhenius temperature dependence as rates measured at high temperatures. It is concluded that the mechanism of steady state tunnel growth is the same from 28 to 97°C . It is found at lower temperatures that there is a transition period of a few seconds between crystallographic pit growth and steady state tunnel growth during which tunnels grow at a rate that is slower than for pit growth but faster than steady state tunnel growth. The activation energy for this rapid tunnel growth is 7.2kcal∕mol , the same activation energy as for pit growth but one-half that for steady state tunnel growth. This transition period grows shorter with increasing temperature and is not seen at 70°C or above. Tunnel segments grown during this period have a different appearance than steady state tunnels, indicative of a different growth mechanism.

This study evaluates whether Spirulina, including its components such as phycocyanin, enhances or sustains immune functions by promoting immune competent-cell proliferation or differentiation. The effects of Spirulina of a hotwater extract (SpHW), phycocyanin (Phyc), and cell-wall component extract (SpCW) on proliferation of bone marrow cells and induction of colony-forming activity in mice were investigated. The Spirulina extracts, SpHW, Phyc, and SpCW, enhanced proliferation of bone-marrow cells and induced colony-forming activity in the spleencell culture supernatant. Granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) were detected in the culture supernatant of the spleen cells stimulated with the Spirulina extracts. Bone marrow-cell colony formation in soft-agar assay was also significantly induced by the blood samples and the culture supernatants of the spleen and Peyer's patch cells of the mice which ingested Spirulina extracts orally for 5 weeks in in vivo study. Ratios of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and bone marrow, consequently, increased in the mice.Spirulina may have potential therapeutic benefits for improvement of weakened immune functions caused by, for example, the use of anticancer drugs.