Early results from the infrared astronomical satellite.

For 10 months the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) provided astronomers with what might be termed their first view of the infrared sky on a clear, dark night. Without IRAS, atmospheric absorption and the thermal emission from both the atmosphere and Earthbound telescopes make the task of the infrared astronomer comparable to what an optical astronomer would face if required to work only on cloudy afternoons. IRAS observations are serving astronomers in the same manner as the photographic plates of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey; just as the optical survey has been used by all astronomers for over three decades, as a source of quantitative information about the sky and as a "roadmap" for future observations, the results of IRAS will be studied for years to come. IRAS has demonstrated the power of infrared astronomy from space. Already, from a brief look at a miniscule fraction of the data available, we have learned much about the solar system, about nearby stars, about the Galaxy as a whole and about distant extragalactic systems. Comets are much dustier than previously thought. Solid particles, presumably the remnants of the star-formation process, orbit around Vega and other stars and may provide the raw material for planetary systems. Emission from cool interstellar material has been traced throughout the Galaxy all the way to the galactic poles. Both the clumpiness and breadth of the distribution of this material were previously unsuspected. The far-infrared sky away from the galactic plane has been found to be dominated by spiral galaxies, some of which emit more than 50 percent and as much as 98 percent of their energy in the infrared-an exciting and surprising revelation. The IRAS mission is clearly the pathfinder for future missions that, to a large extent, will be devoted to the discoveries revealed by IRAS.

An epidemic of disease due to serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis in Alabama: report of an investigation and community-wide prophylaxis with a sulfonamide.

An epidemic of disease due to sulfonamide-sensitive serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis occurred in 1975-1976 in southwestern Alabama. Ten cases occurred in a circumscribed area and resulted in an annual attack rate of 20 cases per 100,000 population. None of the cases were in siblings, and none of the patients had had direct contact with each other. A case-control household study suggested that crowding and person-to-person transmission via carriers may have been contributing risk factors. Seven of the patients were from a triracial ethnic group concentrated in a small isolated rural community within the epidemic area. When three additional cases occurred in this community, a program of community-wide prophylaxis was undertaken as an epidemic control measure, and a large portion of the population participated. No serious side effects were reported. Carrier surveys before and after treatment indicated that compliance with the drug regimen was good and that the drug regimen was associated with a sharp reduction in carriage of N. meningitidis. No cases occurred in the treated population in the five months after treatment.

Effect of Separate and Combined Injections of Poly rI: Poly rC and Endotoxin on Reticulo-endothelial Activity, Interferon, and Antibody Production in the Mouse.

The effect of repeated stimulation on both the interferon and antibody systems and on reticuloendothelial activity was studied by injection of endotoxin 2 days before injection of (poly rI):(poly rC). A single injection of endotoxin or (poly rI):(poly rC) increased or decreased the response in each system depending on the time of administration. If the injection of (poly rI):(poly rC) was preceded by an injection of endotoxin 2 days before, its activity was markedly reduced in all of the three systems studied. Although different doses of endotoxin were required to induce a state of hyporeactivity or tolerance to the effects of (poly rI):(poly rC) in either system, it is possible that a common mechanism underlies the hyporeactivity in all systems.

House-to-house, community-wide chemoprophylaxis for meningococcal disease: an aggressive approach to disease prevention.

During an outbreak of meningococcal disease in a rural community in southwest Alabama in 1975-76, we undertook an aggressive campaign of house-to-house, community-wide chemoprophylaxis distribution. Over a three-day period 1,045 households were visited and 4,454 persons received medication. The 1970 census lists 967 households with 4,067 persons residing in the community. To evaluate compliance we cultured for meningococcal carriers before and after the chemoprophylaxis campaign. All of the previously discovered carriers were negative three weeks after the drug distribution. The cost of the campaign ($26,520) was very small compared to the possible benefit achieved. The methods of planning and executing this campaign are described in detail.

In vivo release of previously cleared interferon by cycloheximide.

The release of previously cleared interferon by cycloheximide was studied in the mouse. When cycloheximide was administered after either endogenous interferon stimulation or administration of exogenous interferon, the clearance of interferon from the blood stream was interrupted and a sharp rise in interferon titer occurred approximately 6 hr after cycloheximide administration followed by a rapid decline to low levels. This effect was observed with either interferon stimulated endogenously (by polyriboinosinic.polyribocytidylic acid), or homologous (mouse) or heterologous (rabbit) interferon administered exogenously. Serum protein concentrations also exhibited this rise and fall phenomenon after cycloheximide administration although the magnitude of the change in protein concentrations was less pronounced than that observed with interferon. Hematocrits, although elevated in mice receiving cycloheximide, did not exhibit this rise and fall phenomenon. Hence, cycloheximide administration leads to the release into the circulation of previously cleared interferon as well as other proteins.