Although Giemsa staining has been routinely used for the detection of trophozoites and intracystic bodies in smears of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) from patients with Pneumocystis cariniipneumonia, it does not normally stain the cyst wall. For detection ofthe cysts other stains such as toluidine Blue 'O' and methenamine silver must be used as well. Sulphation of smears before staining wit...

Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs in up to 35% of patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. However, spontaneous pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium are uncommon complications in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus, with no reported incidence rates, even among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and P. jirovecii pneumonia. We report a case of spontane...

Co-crystals of hexamethylenetetramine and resorcinol were investigated by X-ray diffraction. The structure was refined in the superspace group Xmcm(0beta0)s0s, X=(1/2 1/2 0 1/2). In the average structure the resorcinol molecules are disordered between two orientations. The main effect of the modulation in the structure is a harmonic modulation of the occupation probabilities of the two orientat...

Individual-based incentive pay or team-based incentive pay? There is a prior question whether it is appropriate to have any form of incentive pay as opposed to straight salary. If it has been decided that the former is desirable, the next question is the form of the incentive pay. The standard argument in favour of individual-based incentive scheme (IBIS) is the following: if I am rewarded as a...

Heavy metal impregnation of specimens for electron microscopy offers a means for differential "staining" of various tissue components and cellular constituents. Of many silver impregnation methods, one of the most useful is Gomori's silver methenamine (1) after periodic acid oxidation (PA-SM) (2, 3). Several authors have applied silver impregnation to electron microscopy (4-7), mainly for the d...

In 12 of 20 (60%) biopsy-proven cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, the diagnosis was first suggested by examination of routine Gram stains of impression smears made from infected lung tissue and later confirmed by methenamine-silver staining. The cysts appeared as 5- to 7-microns unstained spheres, each containing six to eight intracystic gram-negative bodies (sporozoites). Although the G...

Nocardia farcinica is a gram-positive, partially acid-fast, methenamine silver-positive aerobic actinomycete that is infrequently associated with nocardiosis. The relative frequency of Nocardia farcinica isolates in nocardiosis is unknown but thought to be under diagnosis. It is increasingly been recognized in immunocompetent patients. We report a case of disseminated Nocardia farcinica causing...

Polyglucosan bodies (PGB) in the prostate of aged dogs without neurological signs were examined by light microscopy, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Prostatic PGB were round or oval and slightly basophilic. Most of the bodies were situated within the stromal smooth muscle cells. PGB were intensely positive for PAS, Best's carmine, Lugol's iodine and Grocott's methenamine silver method....