Evaluation of the efficacy and neural mechanism of a hypnotic analgesia procedure in experimental and clinical dental pain.

Previous research implicates an endogenous central pain inhibitory mechanism in opiate analgesia, analgesia produced by focal electrical stimulation of the brain, and acupuncture analgesia. This investigation evaluates the possibility that analgesia produced by hypnosis is also mediated by such a mechanism. Results suggest that hypnotic analgesia is unlikely to involve this central pain inhibitory mechanism since hypnotic analgesia is not altered by naloxone hydrochloride, a specific narcotic antagonist. Results further demonstrate that the hypnotic procedure used produces an unusually effective and reliable increase in pain threshold. This finding generalizes to the control of clinical dental pain, and suggests that hypnotic pain control is a more widespread phenomenon in the population than has been thought.


Immunodepression in Babesia microti infections.

Infection with the avirulent piroplasm Babesia microti in mice is accompanied by a marked depression in the ability of the mice to mount an immune response to sheep red blood cells. The period of immunodepression begins 3 days after peak parasitaemia and is maximal 4 days later. Thereafter, there is a slow return to normal immune responsiveness, correlated with the gradual disappearance of the parasites from the blood. Both IgM and IgG responses are depressed. Cell-mediated responses as determined by contact sensitivity to oxazolone and allograft survival are apparently unaffected. Phagocytic activity was measured by carbon clearance tests is increased, and is correlated with the parasitaemia.


Ribosomal protein-nucleic acid interactions. I. Isolation of a polypeptide fragment from 30S protein S8 which binds to 16S rRNA.

Within the bacterial ribosome a large number of specific protein and rRNA interactions appear to be required for assembly of the particle and its subsequent function in protein synthesis. In this communication it is shown that it is possible to isolate cyanogen bromide digestion products from ribosomal 30S protein S8 which will interact stoichiometrically with 16S rRNA. In addition to this a small binding polypeptide was generated from S8-16S rRNA complexes which were treated with proteinase K. The digestion of the complex yields a "protected" fragment of protein S8 which binds to 16S-rRNA. The isolated fragment will reassociate with 16S rRNA. It is not displaced by other 30S ribosomal proteins and blocks the binding of intact S8 to 16S rRNA. The size the possible structure of the S8 protein binding site are discussed and compared with the binding of cyanogen bromide digestion products which bind to 16S rRNA.


Pathway-dependent refolding of E. coli 5S RNA.

The refolding of 5S RNA into its two conformational states has been examined as a function of solvent composition and annealing conditions. The results show that the product distribution depends on the folding pathway. Quick cooling from high temperature produces roughly equal amounts of the two forms, even in the presence of 1 mm Mg++. However annealing by slow cooling to intermediate temperatures (50 degrees--60 degrees C) in Mg++-containing buffers, followed by quick cooling, allows formation of a structure which guides the refolding path to the "native" conformation.  The stability of this structural nucleus for the "native" conformation depends strongly on Mg++ concentration. We conclude that the A ("native") conformation differs from the B conformation not in rate of refolding, but rather in having a lower enthalpy and a also a smaller rate of unfolding for the critical structural nucleus. The order of folding during biosynthesis may be crucial for forming the "native" conformation.


Sequence specific interaction of the chromosomal proteins with DNA.

Calf thymus chromatin was partially deproteinized by 0.6-1 M NaCl extraction. From the shape of the temperature derivative plot of its melting curve, the DNA in each chromatin was resolved into regions of exposed DNA, and DNA still complexed with proteins. The partially deproteinized chromatin was capable of directing in vitro RNA synthesis in an amount proportional to the fraction of exposed DNA. The in vitro RNA transcript was hybridized to denatured calf DNA under hybridization conditions where only RNA's transcribed from repetitive DNA sequences were able to form hybrids. From the results it is deduced that the in vitro RNA transcripts of 0.6 M NaC1-extracted chromatin after the removal of HI histones plus one-quater of the non histones may be transcribed from repetitive DNA sequences and those of 1 M NaCl-extracted chromatin contain more transcripts from the unique DNA sequences.


Study of yeast mitochondrial tRNAs by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: characterization of isoaccepting species and search for imported cytoplasmic tRNAs.

By two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, yeast mitochondrial tRNA is fractionated into 27 major species. All but 6 of them migrate distinctly from cytoplasmic tRNAs. Migration of mitochondrial DNA-coded mitochondrial tRNAs shows the occurence of only one cytoplasmic tRNA in mitochondria. Several mitochondrial tRNA spots are identified on the electrophoregrams, some of them show isoaccepting species (Val, Ser, Met, Leu). It is suggested that there are sufficient mitochondrial tRNA genes on yeast mitochondrial DNA to allow mitochondrial protein biosynthesis by the mitochondrial tRNAs alone. Guanosine + Cytidine content and rate base composition are reported for some individual species. Mitochondrial tRNAPhe lacks Ribothymidine.


An NMR study of the exchange rates for protons involved in the secondary and tertiary structure of yeast tRNA Phe.

Solvent exchange rates of all the protons of yeast tRNAphe resonating in the lowfield NMR region (-11 to-15 ppm from DSS) have been measured by saturation-recovery long-pulse Fourier transform NMR. All these protons in yeast tRNAphe are in the fast exchange limit with H2O relative to their intrinsic longitudinal relaxation processes. Most rates show very little temperature dependence; however, tertiary base pair protons are preferentially destabilized in the absence of Mg++ at higher temperatures. The measured exchange rates are between 2 and 125 sec-1 for a temperature range from 10 degrees C to 45 degrees C and MgCl2 concentrations between 0 and 15 mM.


Complex formation between ribosomal protein S1, oligo-and polynucleotides: chain length dependence and base specificity.

In order to examine the nature of the complex formation between the ribosomal protein S1 and nucleic acids three methods were used: Inhibition of the reaction of n-ethyl[2.3 14C]-maleimide with S1 by the addition of oligonucleotides; adsorption of the complexes to nitrocellulose filters; and equilibrium dialysis. The complex formation is Mg2+ dependent at low salt concentrations and becomes Mg2+ independent at an ionic strength greater than 90 mM. Oligouridylates of increasing chain length reach an optimal KA of 3-3-10(7) M-1 at a chain length of n=13-14. Protein S1 contains one binding site for long chain oligouridylates, such as U12, and the standard-free-energy change on binding caused by one Pu increment is 0.41 kcal/mol, when n varies between five and fourteen. Complex formation is insensitive to the capacity of the homopolynucleotide bases to form hydrogen bonds. Homopolynuceotides, however, showing a Tm less than 250 in the buffer system used show an increased affinity for S1 compared to poly(A) and poly(C) (Tm greater than  40 degrees). The data are discussed with respect to the proposed binding of protein S1 to the 3-terminal end of the 16S RNA.


Nursing research-the road ahead.

In a summary of NURSING RESEARCH anniversary year articles, implications from and highlights of the articles are discussed and future needs of and directions for research in nursing are outlined.


The services of a hospital medical library.

The purpose of a hospital medical library is described under the headings of diagnostic and treatment guide, current awareness and access to published literature. The Wessex Regional Library and Information Services is described.


[Effect of thyroid hormones on the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary system in female rats].

No elevation of the LH-RH level in the hypothalamus, and of the LH in the blood, observed in intact animals, occurred in sexually mature female rats after thyroidectomy. The cyclic character of the changes in the blood estrogen content persisted in the operated on rats, although to a lesser degree. Thus, the influence of the thyroid glands on the gonads was realized not only at the peripheral level, but also at the level of the hypothalamo-hypophysial system.


[Relationship between the pineal body and the hypothalamo-hypophyseal complex. 3. Possible role of LH releasing hormone in the hypothalamo-epiphyseal feedback].

The presence of immunoreactive LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) was revealed in the epiphysis of rats by radioimmunochemical method. The content of this hormone displayed circadian variations: it was maximum at 6 p.m. and minimum at 6 a.m. Intravenous injection of synthetic LG-RH to infantile and sexually mature rats of both sexes induced in the epiphysis the activity of hydroxyindol-O-methyl transpherase (HIOMT), the key enzyme of melatonin synthesis. Increased activity of this enzyme in the epiphysis persisted for at least 5 hours after the administration of LH-RH. HIOMT activation is preceded by a rapid fall (in 5 minutes) of cyclic adenosine-3', 5'-monophosphate in the epiphysis. The data obtained permitted to suppose that feed-back of the hypothalamus with the epiphysis could be realized with the aid of LH-RH.


[Immunoreactive insulin level in the blood and the blast transformation reaction to insulin and the pancreatic tissue at the initial stages of diabetes mellitus].

The following was examined in 60 adult persons with normal weight and obesity: insulin level during the glucose tolerance test and lymphocyte sensitization to insulin and the pancreas tissue. An increased insulin level both on fasting stomach and after glucose tolerance was noted in obese persons. A delayed elevation of insulin level, particularly in combination of obesity with deranged glucose tolerance was often seen. Immunological reactions to insulin and the pancreatic tissue were mostly noted in patients with moderate obesity and at the initial stage of the carbohydrate metabolism deragement. Lymphocyte sensitization to insulin was characteristic of cases when the glucose was flat, insulin secretion--moderately elevated and insulin/glucose index--increased.


5'-Terminal nucleotide sequence of Escherichia coli lactose repressor mRNA: features of translational initiation and reinitiation sites.

In a sequence of 214 nucleotides at the 5' terminus of the I gene mRNA, which codes for the lactose repressor protein of Escherichia coli, (i) an untranslated leader sequence of 28 residues precedes the repressor coding region; (ii) a GUG initiates synthesis of the wild-type repressor; (iii) GUG and AUG are the functional initiators for the synthesis of restart polypeptides activated by early I gene amber mutations, confirming previous assignments for these residues based on protein sequencing data; and (iv) sequences complementary to 16S ribosomal RNA provide stronger potential mRNA.16S rRNA interaction at the wild-type initiation site than at the restart sites. When I mRNA is used to direct the formation of initiation complexes in vitro, ribosomes bind only to the wild-type initiator region.A striking feature of the I mRNA sequence is the presence of a number of in-phase GUGs that have not been observed to serve as initiation signals in vivo in the nonsense mutant strains examined. The selective use of potential initiator triplets in the I mRNA leads to the following conclusions. First, when presented with several neighboring initiator triplets at the wild-type initiator region, ribosomes select the one preceded by the strongest appropriately positioned complementarity to the 16S 3' end. Second, ribosomes do not restart after termination simply by moving to the next available initiator codon. Third, the formation of stable secondary structures predicted for the untranslated I mRNA beyond chain-terminating nonsense mutations may prevent ribosome access to some potential reinitiation sites.


Limited accessibility of chromatin satellite DNA to RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli.

An attempt was made to elucidate some of the factors influencing the fidelity with which isolated chromatin from mouse L-cells is transcribed by RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli by analyzing the in vitro transcript for the presence of satellite sequences. These sequences are absent from cellular RNA and therefore reflect aberrant transcription. The results indicate that satellite sequences are underrepresented in chromatin transcripts relative to those of DNA. This selectivity is insensitive to many variables in procedures for the isolation and transcription of chromatin. However, lowering the ratio of enzyme to template further reduced the proportion of satellite sequences in the transcript. We conclude that a primary factor influencing the extent of aberrant transcription is the level of enzyme used. Under limiting enzyme conditions, an efficient selection against satellite sequences is observed. However, under conditions of enzyme excess, the enzyme initiates chains at weaker secondary promoters localized in regions of the chromatin containing satellite DNA.


Elongation factor Tu resistant to kirromycin in an Escherichia coli mutant altered in both tuf genes.

A mutant of Escherichia coli is described that displays kirromycin resistance in a cell-free system by virtue of an altered elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). In poly(U)-directed poly(Phe) synthesis the kirromycin resistance of the crystallized enzyme ranged between a factor of 80 and 700, depending on temperature. Similarly, kirromycin-induced EF-Tu GTPase activity uncoupled from ribosomes and aminoacyl-tRNA required correspondingly higher concentrations of the antibiotic. Resistance of EF-Tu to kirromycin is a consequence of a modified enzyme structure as indicated by its altered fingerprint pattern.P1 transduction experiments showed that the kirromycin-resistant EF-Tu is coded by an altered tufB gene (tufB1). The known existence of two genes coding for EF-Tu would interfere with the recognition of a mutant altered in only one of those genes, if the mutation were recessive. Because kirromycin blocks EF-Tu release from the ribosome, kirromycin sensitivity is dominant, as shown by the failure of a mixed EF-Tu population to express resistance in vitro. Therefore, phenotypic expression of kirromycin resistance in vivo appears to be only possible if the EF-Tu mutant lacks an active tufA gene, a property likely to be inherited from the parental D22 strain. The observations that introduction of a tufA(+) region makes the resistant strain sensitive to the antibiotic and that transduction of tufB1 into a recipient other than E. coli D22 yields kirromycin-sensitive progeny support these conclusions.


Transcription termination at the trp operon attenuators of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: RNA secondary structure and regulation of termination.

Transcription termination at the attenuators of the trp operons of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium was studied in vitro using DNA restriction fragments as templates. Readthrough transcription beyond the terminators occurred with 5 and 30% efficiency, respectively, in E. coli and S. typhimurium. This difference is correlated with the stability of proposed secondary structures of the respective trp leader transcripts. Secondary structure analyses of the two leader transcripts revealed a well-conserved pattern of RNA base paring. This and the possibility that trp leader RNA is translated suggest a model for regulation of transcription termination that is based on ribosome movement along the RNA and a shift between alternative RNA base-pairing configuration.


Helper factor(s) for growth of adeno-associated virus in cells transformed by adenovirus 12.

Evidence is presented that a helper factor(s) for growth of adeno-associated virus (AAV) is present in cells transformed by adenovirus type 12 (Ad12). The growth of AAV was observed in heterokaryons formed by fusion of human KB and Ad12-transformed rodent cells by using ultraviolet-inactivated Sendai virus without coinfection of cells with adenovirus. The presence of the helper factor(s) for AAV growth in rat cells transformed by the EcoRI-C fragment or the HindIII-G fragment of Ad12DNA suggests that the helper factor(s) induced by infection with adenovirus is the Ad12-specific T antigen.


Differential lateral mobility of IgM and IgG receptors in mouse B lymphocyte membranes.

Anti-Ig induced redistribution of different Ig subclasses was studied as a function of temperature and correlated with membrane phase transitions as revealed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-coupled anti-IgG2 and anti-IgM antibodies induced patching and capping that proceeded with increasing rates from 2 degrees to 40 degrees (measured at 2 degrees intervals). Characteristic temperatures marked the onset of discontinuities in such rate changes. IgG2-bearing lymphocytes displayed discontinuities at 14 degrees , 22 degrees , 28 degrees , and 36 degrees , whereas IgM-bearing lymphocytes displayed discontinuities at 18 degrees , 24 degrees , 32 degrees , and 38 degrees . Electron spin resonance spectroscopy studies using the spin label 2,2-dimethyl-4-butyl-4-penty-N-oxyloxazolidine, a nitroxide-substituted decane, indicated that these temperatures are a function of hydrocarbon phase separations in the B lymphocyte membrane. With a glucosamine-derivative [2-(10-carboxydecyl)-2-hexyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxyl glucosamide] as a probe restricted to the outer monolayer of the plasma membrane, the temperatures 14 degrees and 28 degrees denoted the onset and end, respectively, of a fluidizing process in the outer monolayers of IgG2-bearing lymphocytes. Temperatures of 18 degrees and 32 degrees denoted these boundaries in IgM-bearing lymphocytes. Inner monolayer transitions are associated with the remaining temperatures. We conclude that membranes of IgM-bearing lymphocytes are less fluid than those of IgG2-bearing lymphocytes.


Nalidixic acid resistance: a second genetic character involved in DNA gyrase activity.

ATP-dependent DNA supercoiling catalyzed by Escherichia coli DNA gyrase was inhibited by oxolinic acid, a compound similar to but more potent than nalidixic acid and a known inhibitor of DNA replication in E. coli. The supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase purified from nalidixic acid-resistant mutant (nalA(R)) bacteria was resistant to oxolinic acid. Thus, the nalA locus is responsible for a second component needed for DNA gyrase activity in addition to the component determined by the previously described locus for resistance to novobiocin and coumermycin (cou). Supercoiling of lambda DNA in E. coli cells was likewise inhibited by oxolinic acid, but was resistant in the nalA(R) mutant. The inhibition by oxolinic acid of colicin E1 plasmid DNA synthesis in a cell-free system was largely relieved by adding resistant DNA gyrase. In the absence of ATP, DNA gyrase preparations relaxed supercoiled DNA; this activity was also inhibited by oxolinic acid, but not by novobiocin. It appears that the oxolinic acid-sensitive component of DNA gyrase is involved in the nicking-closing activity required in the supercoiling reaction. In the presence of oxolinic acid, DNA gyrase forms a complex with DNA, which can be activated by later treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate and a protease to produce double-strand breaks in the DNA. This process has some similarities to the known properties of relaxation complexes.


Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S1 has two polynucleotide binding sites.

The interaction of Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S1 with a variety of RNA and DNA oligomers and polymers has been studied, using both a sedimentation technique and the quenching of intrinsic protein fluorescence upon nucleic acid binding to obtain equilibrium binding parameters. Two polynucleotide binding sites have been detected on S1: site I binds either single-stranded DNA or RNA and does not discriminate between adenine- and cytidine-containing polynucleotides, while the II binding is highly specific for RNA over DNA and shows a marked preference for cytidine polynucleotides over the corresponding adenine-containing species. On the basis of the binding properties of S1 to denatured DNA cellulose and poly(rC)-cellulose, it is demonstrated that every S1 molecule carries both a site I and a site II. Some possible implications of these results for mechanisms of protein synthesis and phage Qbeta replication are briefly considered.


In vivo site-specific genetic recombination promoted by the EcoRI restriction endonuclease.

Site-specific genetic recombinations promoted in vivo by the EcoRI endonuclease has been demonstrated by using constructed hybrid plasmids in which the chloramphenicol resistance gene was inactivated by insertion of DNA fragments at an EcoRI site within the gene. Such recombination can involve either the joining of intracellularly generated cohesive termini of the same DNA fragment or intermolecular ligation of different DNA fragments. DNA cleavage and ligation in vivo are precise: recombinant DNA molecules show functional continuity of the gene sequence cleaved by the enzyme and regeneration of nucleotide recognition sites for both the EcoRI endonuclease and the EcoRI DNA methylase. In other experiments, EcoRI-generated fragments of eukaryotic DNA that had not been modified by the Escherichia coli K methylase were shown to be taken up by bacterial cells and to undergo intracellular ligation to segments of bacterial plasmid DNA.


Ribonuclease III cleavage of bacteriophage T3RNA polymerase transcripts to late T3 mRNAs.

In vitro transcription of T3 DNA by T3 phage-induced RNA polymerase (nucleosidetriphosphate:RNA nucleotidyltransferase; EC 2.7.7.6) yields eight discrete RNAs (designated I-VIII) with molecular weights of approximately 6.2, 4.7, 4, 2.8, 1.8, 0.9, 0.52, and 0.21 X 10(6), respectively. Comparison of the size of in vitro T3 RNA polymerase transcripts with in vivo late T3 mRNAs indicates that several late RNAs produced in T3-infected cells do not correspond to any of the in vitro RNAs, and no RNAs as large as the three largest in vitro RNA species, I, II, and III, are observed. Escherichia coli RNase III cleaves these three high molecular weight T3 RNA polymerase transcripts to discrete RNAs that comigrate in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with some of the late T3 RNAs.


Isopeptide linkage between N-alpha-monomethylalanine and lysine in ribosomal protein S11 from Escherichia coli.

Protein S11 from the Escherichia coli ribosome has a unique NH2-terminal structure not previously observed among ribosomal proteins. Owing to the formation of an isopeptide bond between a secondary amino acid (N-alpha-monomethylalanine) and the epsilon-amino group of the NH2-terminal lysine residue, a "branching point" is formed. Therefore, two amino acids are seen when the NH2 terminus of the protein is determined.


Sensory transduction in Escherichia coli: role of a protein methylation reaction in sensory adaptation.

The behavioral response of Escherichia coli to the addition of a stimulatory compound is transient; thus the organism undergoes sensory adaptation. When the compound is removed, E. coli undergoes the inverse process, called deadaptation, and very rapidly regains its sensitivity to the stimulus. In this communication we demonstrate that the previously reported methylation of several cytoplasmic membrane proteins is correlated with, and very likely controls, the state of adaptation of the cell. In the absence of an added stimulus these proteins are methylated to a basal level. When the bacteria are stimulated by the addition of an attractant, the extent of methylation increases over a period of several minutes to a new level, which is maintained as long as the attractant is present. The magnitude of the increase in methylation is a function of the size of the stimulus and is directly proportional to the duration of the behavioral response. Upon removal of the attractant the level of methylation very rapidly falls to the basal value. Previously we have shown that adaptation requires methionine, but maintenance of the adapted state and de-adaptation do not [Springer, M. S., Goy, M. F. & Adler, J. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 183-187]; here we demonstrate that methylation requires methionine but maintenance of an attractant-induced level of methylation and the demethylation that occurs following removal of the attractant do not. These results strongly indicate a role for protein methylation in sensory adaptation.


Flexibility of myosin rod, light meromyosin, and myosin subfragment-2 in solution.

Myosin rod was prepared by papain proteolysis of myosin. The components of rod, light meromyosin (LMM) and subfragment-2 (S-2), were prepared by proteolysis of myosin and rod, respectively, using trypsin treated with tosylphenylalanine chloromethyl ketone. S-2, thus prepared, was of greater molecular weight than obtained previously, so that the combined molecular weights of LMM and S-2 were equal to that of rod, and S-2 contained virtually all of the region of the rod susceptible to trypsin. Electro-optical measurements were made on the three fragments in 2 mM sodium pyrophosphate, pH 9.3 at 3 degrees, over a large range of protein concentrations. Analysis of the relaxation of birefringence, at low protein concentration where there was no aggregation, showed that LMM (relaxation time 13.1 micros) behaves as a rigid cylinder. Rod (relaxation time 41.2 micros) and S-2 (relaxation time 6.0 micros) had relaxation rates that were too fast for rigid molecules of their dimensions, and therefore are not straight rods. This implies that myosin rod is flexible in the S-2 portion, presumably in the region susceptible to proteolysis. The implications of rod flexibility for the mechanism of muscle contraction are discussed.


Specific neural and adrenal medullary antigens detected by antisera to clonal PC12 pheochromocytoma cells.

Antisera were prepared against a clonal line (PC12) of rat pheochromocytoma cells that were grown in either the presence or the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF). PC12 cells respond to NGF by growing neurites and express many differentiated properties of adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons. The antisera, after absorption with rat liver, kidney, spleen, and thymus, reacted in the micro-complement fixation and indirect immunofluorescence assays with PC12 cells (both NGF-treated and untreated), brain, adrenal medulla, and superior cervical ganglia, but not with a variety of other tissues. Cross-absorption of the antisera with brain and adrenal medulla indicated the presence of components that were specific to brain, adrenal medulla, and PC12 cells. Brain-specific and adrenal-medulla-specific antigens were also detected in other species, such as rabbit, cat, and mouse. No differences could be detected in the specificity of antisera raised against either NGF-treated or untreated PC12 cells. Indirect immunofluorescence on live cells also detected cell surface antigens on both cell bodies and processes. These results suggest that such antisera may be used to detect, localize, and identify specific neural and adrenal medullary antigens.


Transmembrane interactions and the mechanism of capping of surface receptors by their specific ligands.

The mechanism of capping of cell surface receptors has been examined by a double fluorescence staining procedure that permitted simultaneous observations of the distribution of a surface-bound ligand together with intracellular actin or myosin. At an early stage in the capping of the T-25 antigen or the H2 histocompatibility antigens on mouse splenic T lymphocytes, or of concanavalin A receptors on HeLa cells, when the specific receptors in question were collected into patches that were distributed over the entire cell surface, the intracellular membrane-associated actin or myosin was also accumulated into patches that were located directly under the receptor patches. These and other results have led us to propose a general molecular mechanism for the process of capping, in which actin and myosin are directly involved. It is suggested that membrane-associated actin is directly or indirectly bound to an integral protein or class of proteins, X, in the plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells. When any receptor in the membrane is aggregated by an external multivalent ligand, the aggregate binds effectively to X, whereas unaggregated receptors do not bind to X. The receptor aggregates, linked to actin (and myosin) through X, are then actively collected into a cap by an analogue of the actin--myosin sliding filament mechanism of muscle contraction.


Domains involving nonrandom distribution of lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli.

The present data demonstrate that the outer membrane of Escherichia coli contains domains of lipopolysaccharide that do not intermix freely with each other. A strain of E. coli lacking galactose epimerase was grown with galactose, for varying periods of time, which permits formation of a long polysaccharide, and without galactose, which results in a short polysaccharide. Such cultures yielded outer membrane fragments that were heterogeneous in lipopolysaccharide composition, some containing more long- than short-chain lipopolysaccharide, and vice versa. The kinetics of formation of these fragments suggest that lipopolysaccharide initially enters the membrane at points from which it can diffuse but ultimately is organized into domains that do not mix with each other, at least when lipopolysaccharides or different composition are present in the same organism.


Simple Mendelian inheritance of the reiterated ribosomal DNA of yeast.

A diploid strain of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was found to be heterozygous for two forms of the highly repetitious ribosomal DNA. These forms could be distinguished by the pattern of fragments produced after digestion with the site-specific restriction endonuclease EcoRI. The mode of inheritance of ribosomal DNA was determined by tetrad analysis. Of 14 tetrads analyzed, 12 clearly showed the ribosomal DNA forms segregating as a single Mendelian unit. The simplest interpretation of this result is that all of the approximately 100 copies of the ribosomal DNA genes of the yeast cell are located on one chromosome and that meiotic recombination within these genes is suppressed. Two of the 14 tetrads showed the segregation patterns expected as the result of mitotic recombination within the ribosomal DNA.


Cell--cell interactions in conjugating Escherichia coli: role of traT protein in surface exclusion.

Escherichia coli cells carrying the F sex factor are poor recipients in conjugation. This phenomenon is called surface exclusion. Two F cistrons, traS and traT, are independently responsible for part of the whole mechanism. The traS gene product reduces DNA transfer within stable mating aggregates. The traT gene product, pTraT, results in a greatly reduced ability to form stable mating aggregates, and thus also leads to reduced DNA transfer within the cell population. pTraT is a 25,000-dalton protein incorporated into the cell envelope outer membrane. It is found in 29,000-84,000 copies per cell, depending on the plasmid expressing it. There is a parallel variation in recipient ability. Models for surface exclusion are discussed.


beta-Lipotropin: localization of cells and axons in rat brain by immunocytochemistry.

Using specific antisera to human beta-lipotropin, we have visualized cells and axons with beta-lipotropin-like immunoreactivity in rat brain and pituitary. The beta-lipotropin so localized is well delineated and contained in the cytoplasm of cells and in beaded axons. Areas of greatest beta-lipotropin content are hypothalamus (with cell bodies in the medial basal hypothalamus and arcuate regions), periventricular nucleus of the thalamus, ansa lenticularis, zona compacta of the substantia nigra, medial amygdaloid nucleus, zona incerta, periaqueductal central gray area, locus ceruleus, and a few fibers in the reticular formation. The question of the exact relationship of beta-lipotropin and methionine-enkephalin remains open, because some brain areas contain both substances and some areas contain only one or the other.


Scanning electron microscopy of the aorta.

The folds of the intimal surface do not represent the endothelia. Rather, they are produced by tissue shrinkage occurring during preparation, with the shrinking process proceeding in the arteriosclerotic bed differing from that in the normal vessel wall. Consequently, the surface appearance, or texture, of arteriosclerotic beds is different from that of the normal vessel wall. Administration of angiotensin results in the deposition of parietal microthrombi and fibrin filaments as well as in the adhesion of mononuclear leukocytes to the inner coat of the vessel.


Dietary fats and arterial thrombosis: effects and mechanism of action.

Dietary fats have a pronounced effect on arterial thrombosis: in rats, long-chain saturated fatty acids are thrombogenic, oleic acid is neutral, and linoleic acid is anti-thrombotic. These effects are likely to be mediated, at least in part, by changes in platelet fatty acid composition and--consequently--platelet function. Blood coagulability and differences in vitamin E intake seem of no (or minor) importance. In man, dietary linoleic acid inhibits platelet aggregation and other parameters of platelet activation. Dietary fat effects on vascular prostacyclin formation have not yet been found.


Cation effects on cell shape.

We have found that human erythrocyte ghosts in 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.0) at 0 degrees C would crenate when 20-50 mM of Na+ or K+, 0.2-0.5 mM OF Ca++, Ba++, Sr++, or Mg++, or 10 muM of La+++ was added. The shape change after cation addition was faster than fixation by 1% glutaraldehyde at 4 degrees C and was readily reversible upon dilution of the cation. After incubation of ghosts in 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.0) at 37 degrees for 10-20 min there was a significant inhibition of subsequent crenation by cations. In a process that is believed to occur by a similar mechanism, whole red blood cells were observed to cup (invaginate) when 20 mM of a divalent or 0.1 mM of a trivalent cation was added. After neuraminidase treatment to remove the sialic acid charge groups, these same shape changes were observed in ghosts and whole cells. Another type of cation-induced crenation was found to follow upon the addition to whole cells of A23187 and Ca++ or Ba++ but not Mg++. This process is much slower than crenation in the ghost and is believed to be caused by a different mechanism.


Behavioural basis of the dorsal bundle extinction effect.

Lesion to the fibres of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle arising from the locus coeruleus using the selective neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine has been shown to produce a resistance to extinction on a number of behavioural tests without affecting the acquisition learning process itself. The experiments reported here are aimed at elucidating the behavioural mechanisms involved in this resistance to extinction. Theories invoking general hyperactivity, internal inhibition and perseveration are tested in the following experiments and all are shown to be contrary to the observed facts. On the basis of other data it is tentatively concluded that the dorsal noradrenergic bundle may play a role in the filtering out of irrelevant stimuli or in the memory of non-reward.


Successful use of muscle flaps or myocutaneous flaps in patients with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease presents an unusual challenge to the reconstructive surgeon. The interaction between the underlying hemoglobinopathy and the circulatory mechanics in pedicled flaps leads to a high incidence of flap necrosis in patients with this disease. We present 3 patients with sickle cell disease in whom the use of axial flaps allowed the repair of difficult reconstructive problems in one stage, without preoperative exchange transfusions. The rationale for this approach is discussed.


Oral hypoglycemic agents.

Oral agents should not be used in the treatment of patients with asymptomatic maturity-onset diabetes. The indication for sulfonylureas is symptomatic maturity-onset diabetes or excessive hyperglycemia--fasting blood sugar over 300 mg per 100 ml--in the elderly patient who cannot or will not take insulin. The use of biguanides cannot be recommended.


New drugs in the treatment of pituitary disorders.

Because of the poor results and the morbidity associated with surgical and radiation treatment of pituitary adenomas, investigators continue to search for new pharmacologic tools to treat anterior pituitary hyperfunction. New drugs are being studied in the treatment of acromegaly, Cushing's disease, and galactorrhea-amenorrhea, infertility, and impotence associated with prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors.


[Notes on the phlebologic work of Jean-Daniel Martinet].

In homage to J.D. Martinet, the author, who was his collaborator for more than 25 years, surveys his phlebological work, so diverse and so multiple that it embraces all subjects of the venous pathology of the lower limbs. He cites 3 representative examples on different levels: the information and practical conclusions provided by phlebological investigations, especially retrograde; the classification of phlebitis migrans according to its course; the various problems presented by the surgery of varicose veins. Finally he emphasizes Martinet's qualities of loyalty and intellectual honesty, as well as his role as creator and director of a team (Broca, and later Epee de Bois).


Ventilation, cardiac frequency and pattern of breathing during exercise in men exposed to O-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and ammonia gas in low concentrations.

Ventilation minute volume, tidal volume and cardiac frequency during submaximal exercise have been measured in healthy young soldier volunteers exposed to O-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and ammonia gas in concentrations respectively of 0.16 to 4.4 mg.m(-3) and 50 to 344 mg.m(-3). The response of ventilation minute volume to the two gases is apparently similar; both gases cause a reduction of, on average 6%. With low doses this reflects a diminution in respiratory frequency whereas with higher doses it is due to a reduction in tidal volume which is accompanied by tachypnoea. The findings may result from stimulation successively of receptors in the larynx and of irritant receptors in the large airways of the lung. The pain which is a feature of exposure to CS but not to ammonia is due to stimulation of other so far unidentified receptors. Neither gas has a direct effect upon the exercise cardiac frequency.


Chemical and biological consequences of beta-decay. Part 1.

Radioactive decay in a labelled molecule leads to specific chemical and biological consequences which are due to local transmutation effects such as recoil, electronic excitation, build-up of charge states and change of chemical identity, as well as to internal radiolytic effects. In the present paper these effects are reviewed emphasizing the relation of the chemical alterations on a molecular level to the biological manifestation. Potential importance of this type of research for biomedical applications is pointed out. In part 1 we review the underlying physical and chemical principles and consequences of beta-decay of 3H, 14C, 32P, 33P, 35S and 125I for gaseous and simple condensed organic systems. Part 2 which will appear in the next issue will include the discussion of biological effects associated with beta-decay.


Growth of cells on solid culture medium. II. Cell physiological data of stationary yeast cells and the initiation of cell cycle in nutrient free buffer solution.

For precise experiments with yeast (or other) cells stationary populations are produced by growth on the surface of a solid nutrient medium. The energy supply to these cells is well known from a former publication. The oxygen supply during growth is analysed here in detail. Different types of cell populations can be produced in this way dependent on the thickness of nutrient medium. If such cells are transferred into a liquid buffer solution cell multiplication can be initiated without any nutrient flux into the cell. This new type of initiation of the cell cycle of G1-cells has to be distinguished from the usual initiation by nutrient supply and from the mechanism of meiotic cell division. The dependence of this cell growth on cell volume, pH-value, oxygen concentration and osmotic pressure is analysed and possibilities to avoid this kind of cell multiplication reaction are discussed.


Social surveys and health policy implications for national health insurance.

The authors explore the utility of applying social survey data (a) to evaluate the impact of existing health programs and (b) to rank-order priorities concerning future health care policies. Based on national survey data from 1963, 1970, and 1976, they concluded that although Medicare and Medicaid have enabled more people to see a physician than ever before, a large proportion of the population still registers dissatisfaction with the health care they received--particularly with respect to their out-of-pocket costs for obtaining it. However, national health insurance options favored by the majority of the population--particularly those who can best afford the cost of care--suggest preferences for programs that incorporate some mix of existing modes of financing rather than those that provide for substantial restructuring of the current system.


Radiology at war.

It can be assumed that the high percentage of wounded sent immediately from the triage area to the department of radiology was a reflection of the necessity for X-rays. The radiological examination was essential in reaching the correct diagnosis, and the radiologist was the central consultant, as by giving the diagnostic information and performing therapeutic angiographic intervention, he actively participated in the treatment of the patient. The radiologist and the surgeon together reached the final decision as to which injury prevailed and in which sequence treatment had to be planned. Hence, the department of radiology became the vital link in flow of patients from the sorting area to the operating theatre.


Results of computer-aided diagnosis of peripheral bronchial carcinoma.

Radiographic images can be converted into numerical sequences that can be evalueate by computer to determine the significance of certain radiographic findings in peripheral pulmonary nodules. Of three methods (discriminant analysis. Bayes' theoroem, and the Calm system), discriminant analysis has proven the best with an accuracy rate of 85%. By taking into account serial radiographs and statements on the possible growth of the neoplasm, the accuracy of the method can be increased to 90%. A simplified, inexpensive and effective method for application of this diagnostic tool is described.


The technology of balloon catheters in interventional angiography.

Balloon catheters with expansion capabilities from 1 mm to 6 cm have been developed. They feature torque control and can be selectively positioned within vessels as easily as the ordinary diagnostic angiographic catheters. The balloons can be utilized for hemorrhage control, conventional embolectomy, operative angiography, vena cava occlusion, and purposeful vascular thrombosis or dearterialization. In the event of unsuccessful control, the balloon can be readily deflated and removed within minutes.


[Growth, orthodontics and orthopedics, by Pierre Fauchard (1928), Hendrik Van Deventer (1739) and Nicolas Andry (1740)].

In the eightteenth century (by Fauchard) and orthopaedics (by H. Van Deventer, a Dutch surgeon) have been founded independently as practcal sciences without the faculties of medicine. The famous book of Andry, "L'orthopédie", also translated in English (1743), has not been written for the medical profession. It deals only with "such means as may easily be put in practice by Parents themselves, and all such as are employed in Educating children". Nevertheless it states precisely the name of the speciality and defines some ethical, aesthetical and physiological principles also applicable to orthodontics. This is also the case for H. Van Deventer, who was the first to take plaster casts before, during and after treatment.


Osteocytic osteolysis in a cretaceous reptile.

Bone resorption through osteocytic activity already recognized in all classes of Vertebrates, has been demonstrated in fragments of long bones from a non-identified reptile found in an Upper Cretaceous rock formation in Dinosaur National Park, Patricia, Alberta.


[Magnesium in animal and human reproduction].

The literature concerned with the amount of magnesium in genital organs and products of sexual activity is analysed in the first chapter; these data are compared with those concerning other organs and replaced in a comprehensive view of the body, related or not with the medium. It is likely that magnesium plays a role in ovule maturation, sperm viability and fecundation in Invertebrates and Fishes. In Birds and Mammals, it appears to be necessary for fecundation. In the Discoglossus (Anurian Amphibian), the deficiency and the excess in Mg2+ reduce development and influence the growth of the body and the ovary. In the Rat, the pregnancy cannot be normal, unless the food contains an adequate supply of magnesium. Severe or mild deficiencies affect the site of fetal implantation and, if they are prolonged, lead to abortion in the first instance and pathological disorders in the latter. An ionic determination of sex has been established in various animal species and in Man. In some marine Invertebrates, and in the Discoglossus, changes in ionic concentration of the breeding medium carried out immediately after fecundation induce, at will, a majority of one sex or the other; in various Mammals and in Man, variations in the composition of mineral food administered to the female before fecundation may also induce changes in the sex ratio of the progeny.


Oxidation of various substrates by host grown Mycobacteria leprae and M. lepraemurium.

Oxidation of various substrates by whole cell suspensions of M. Lepraemurium and M. leprae was investigated using manometric techniques. Yeast extract, L-cysteine, dithioerythritol, and DL-penicillamine were oxidized by both M. lepraemurium as well as by M. leprae. Although tween 80 was oxidized by M. lepraemurium cell suspensions, it was not by M. leprae. Succinate was readily oxidized by whole cells of M. leprae (without being frozen) whereas it was oxidized only by M. lepraemurium cells frozen at -40 degrees C for one minute. The results indicate that M. leprae and M. lepraemurium are capable of oxidizing some substrates without requiring any cofactor and are not dependent upon host cells for respiration.


Mycobacteria from leprous tissue of an armadillo cultivated on a hyaluronic acid based medium.

Mycobacteria were isolated from pooled leprous tissues of an armadillo. The suspensions of acid fast bacilli obtained were inoculated into a culture medium composed of umbilical cord extract, supplemented with yeast extract powder and glycerol with sheep serum added. Incubation temperature was 34 degrees C. An abundant growth of mycobacteria was observed in the primo culture in four weeks. The culture was easily sub-cultured on the homologous media. The primo culture did not grow on Loëwenstein medium. The identity of the cultures of mycobacteria obtained is not yet established. The same strain of mycobacteria was cultured in media inoculated with suspensions of M. leprae decontaminated with sodium hydroxide-citrate solution. We confirm the findings of Skinsnes et al. (1975) that mycobacteria from human and animal leprous tissue can be cultured repeatedly on a hyaluronic based medium.


Suppressed immune response to T-cell dependent antigen in chemically sympathectomized mice.

Chemical sympathectomy induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) suppressed the secondary immune response of mice to a T-cell (thymus derived lymphocyte) dependent antigen, sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Treatment with 6-OHDA on the day of the secondary injection of SRBC resulted in depression of hemagglutinin titers to the antigen, while treatment with 6-OHDA on the day of the primary injection of SRBC had no effect upon the secondary response to the antigen. In addition, 6-OHDA treatment did not suppress the primary immune response to a T-cell independent antigen, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These results suggest that it is the T-cells which are mainly affected by chemical sympathectomy. Significant non-specific toxicity was not observed with 6-OHDA 100mg/kg, the dose of which suppressed the primary and the secondary immune response to SRBC.


[Suppression of the cell-mediated immunity in minor histoincompatible rat kidney allograft recipients (author's transl)].

To study the immunological status of recipients of major compatible and minor incompatible kidney allografts, we transplanted FiS and FLF1 kidneys into LEW rats. Most of the FiS kidneys were rejected within 55 days. Of 24 recipients, only 4 survived longer than 4 months. However, two-thirds of the FLF1 recipients survived longer than 4 months. The other third died with 64 days. During the first postoperation week a high level of lymphocytotoxin was detected in the serum of the FiS kidney recipients. Thereafter hardly any alternation of its titer was found, and no variation among the recipients of major histocompatible kidney allografts was shown. The FLF1 kidney recipients showed a low titer of antibody. The hemagglutinin titer showed the same trend as the lymphocytotoxin titer. A blocking serum factor could not be found in the serum of the kidney recipients with the microcytotoxity assay method or with the allorosette-formation inhibition test. Cellular immunity, which was studied with the GvH-reaction and microcytotoxity assay, was detected in the first postoperative week. However, this immunity was gradually supressed, and after 6 weeks was no longer to be found. This immunological status remained unchanged in the indefinitive surviving kidney-recipients in spite of antigen inoculation with two skin allografts of donor origin. This immunological status could be defined as "graft acceptance".


Uptake of maternal antibody by the neonatal pig following intramuscular and intramammary vaccination of the preparturient sow.

Administration of heat inactivated Escherichia coli antigens by intramuscular and intramammary routes induced elevated antibody levels in sow serum and colostrum, predominantly associated with IgG. Colostral IgG accounted for approximately 80 per cent of the total antibody activity, and there was a similar distribution in the sera of one-day-old piglets. The additional antibody activity was carried almost entirely by IgM following intramuscular injections and was evenly distributed between IgM and IgA following intramammary stimulation. The distribution of antibody activity and all three major immunoglobulin classes in colostrum and milk from individual mammary glands was remarkably uniform. A similar uniformity was inferred for the ingestion and absorption of colostrum by individual piglets as judged by the contents of their blood sera during the neonatal period.


Investigations into the role of carrier animals in the spread of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.

An attempt was made to transmit contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) from 22 animals recovered from artificial infection to healthy animals. Despite close contact and the imposition of a number of stresses no disease was transmitted. An unsuccessful attempt was made to reactivate old CBPP lesions by corticosteroid treatment, and by splenectomy. Four animals recovered from artificial infection did not become reinfected when put in contact with acute disease. Seven animals were reinoculated with Mycoplasmamycoides sub-species mycoides by endobronchial intubation. No clinical disease resulted. It is concluded that sequestra do not break down easily and that it is difficult to reinfect recovered animals. It is suggested that in field outbreaks of obscure origin, investigation should be thorough before it is concluded that an animal with an old sequestrum was responsible.


The morphology of the normal end-plate in lambs as revealed by silver impregnation and light microscopy.

A technique employing silver impregnation can be used on frozen formalin-fixed material for demonstrating ovine motor end-plates. The morphology of ovine motor end-plates is variable but broadly similar to that described in other species. The end-plates are oval with approximate dimensions of 33 X 17 micrometer. The distal ramifications of the nerve fibre show terminal and sub-terminal vesicles. The endings are flimsy or robust and the latter have single, dual or multiple terminations.


Indirect infection of cattle with contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.

Hay infected with Mycoplasma mycoides sub-species mycoides (M mycoides) was fed to six animals on three occasions. Five animals developed complement-fixing antibody in their sera and gave a positive reaction to the comparative intradermal allergic test. No animal died from contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) but when they were killed, three had unequivocal lesions of the disease. M mycoides was isolated from the animals with these lesions but not from the others. CBPP was transmitted to two animals put in contact with those animals showing disease, and M mycoides was recovered from lesions in both animals. It is suggested that when unexplained outbreaks of CBPP occur, the possibility of indirect transmission should be considered.


Inhibition of the growth of some strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp mycoides by the blood of certain horses.

When incorporated in solid medium at a concentration of 15 per cent, the defibrinated blood of certain horses strongly suppressed the growth of some, but not all, strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp mycoides so that many colonies failed to develop to a visible size. Blood from a single rabbit was tested and found to exert a similar effect. There was striking variation in the degree of inhibition produced by different samples of horse blood and, of five strains of the organism examined, the T1 vaccine strain was the most susceptible. The results suggested that the effect was not due to antibody.


[Radiation ulceration of the skin and its treatment (author's transl)].

Radiation ulcera are a permanent source of danger. Their treatment may be long and difficult. Surgical competence is the clue to treatment. Conservative treatment is justified only in the beginning and for short periods. The goal of surgery is excision of damaged tissue and plastic cover with healthy skin. The technique will have to be chosen according to findings and localisation.


[Associated and secondary chondrocalcinosis].

The authors consider the problems posed by secondary and associated chondrocalcinosis (CCA) on the basis of a study carried out at many French Rheumatology centres (Centres de Rhumatologie Française) and in the light of data in the literature. CCA is associated with gout in 4 percent of cases, with hyperparathyroidism in 3.9 percent of cases, with haemochromatosis in 1.7 percent of cases and with hypothyroidism in 0.8 percent of cases. The existence of secondary CCA in gout, hyperparathyroidism, haemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, ochronosis, hypophosphatasia and perhaps hypothyroidism seems proven. These secondary cases of CCA represent 10.7 percent of the total 1226 : here CCA seems to form one element of a much broader syndrome, namely the metabolic arthropathies. The other associations, with the exception of those which are not considered in this paper (rheumatoid polyarthritis, diabetes mellitus, Paget's disease, osteochrondromatosis, acromegalia), are probably coincidental.


Principles of albumin and IgG analyses in neurological disorders. III. Evaluation of IgG synthesis within the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis.

Fifty-nine multiple sclerosis patients were investigated with regard to blood-brain barrier function by determining the CSF-protein and the CSF/S albumin ratio. Abnormal values were found in 19% and 32% respectively. The occurrence of CSF-IgG elevation due to synthesis within the CNS was analysed by determining the CSF IgG/protein and CSF IgG/albumin ratios and the IgG-index = (CSF/S IgG ratio)/(CSF/S albumin ratio). Increased values were found in 75%, 80% and 86%, respectively. Oligoclonal IgG was found in CSF by agarose gel electrophoresis in 88% of the patients. The IgG-index is the parameter recommended for the demonstration of an IgG elevation in CSF due to synthesis within the CNS.


Circadian rhythm of plasma aldosterone and plasma renin activity in steroid and non-steroid treated kidney transplanted patients.

The circadian rhythm of plasma aldosterone (PAC) and cortisol concentration (PCC), and renin activity (PRA) was measured in five steroid and five non-steroid treated kidney transplanted patients--all with denervated kidney grafts--and compared with four normal controls and two steroid-treated patients with non-renal disease and thus normal renal innervation. The non-steroid treated patients had a normal circadian thythm of PAC and PCC, but without variation of PRA, suggesting that denervation of the kidneys has no influence on the circadian rhythm of PAC. In both steroid treated groups the PAC showed an inverse diurnal variation--now correlating to the diurnal variation in PRA. The inverse circadian rhythm of PAC in patients with suppressed ACTH secretion remains unexplained, but is in accordance with the nocturnal peak of sodium and water excretion in steroid treated patients.


Forearm and splanchnic blood flow at rest and during exercise in relation to the systemic arteriovenous oxygen difference in cardiac patients.

In eleven patients with chronic heart failure forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured by plethysmography with a mercury-in-silastic strain gauge and splanchnic blood flow (SBF) with indocyanine green (ICG) infusion clearance at rest during right heart catheterization. The measurements were repeated during 8 min supine exercise on a bicycle ergometer, SBF during exercise being calculated from the changes of the brachial artery to hepatic vein oxygen differences and the ICG values at rest. Close correlations were found between cardiac output and FBF, and cardiac output and SBF at rest. During exercise forearm and splanchnic vascular resistances were both closely correlated with the brachial to pulmonary artery oxygen difference. It is concluded that in patients with heart failure vasoconstriction occurs during exercise in resting limbs and visceral organs, both closely related to the circulatory strain.


Influence of antibiotics on microbial intestinal transformation of cholesterol to coprostanol in man.

Fecal excretion of coprostanol was followed in groups of healthy volunteers receiving various antibiotics per os. No effect upon excretion was found in the groups receiving phenoximethylpenicillin or doxicycline, whereas a prolonged reduction was found in the groups receiving clindamycin, ampicillin, oxitetracycline or a fixed combination of bacitracin and neomycin.


G-cell counts in antral endoscopic biopsies by immunofluorescence.

Antral gastrin-producing cell (G-cells) were counted by an immunofluorescence technique in the antral biopsies obtained at endoscopy from 67 subjects; they included patients with duodenal ulcer, gastritis, and individuals with a normal gastric mucosa. The G-cell count was significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in patients with duodenal ulcer (142 G cells per mm2) in comparison to normal subjects (327 G cells per mm2). No statistically significant correlation was found between the G-cell number and any of the other parameters tested (pentagastrin test, basal serum gastrin and its response to a standard meal).


Osmic acid in rheumatoid synovitis. A controlled study.

Ninety-nine adult RA patients with knee joint synovitis were randomized into two groups. The knee joints of the first group (52 patients) were treated with osmic acid and those of the second group (47 patients) with a placebo. After 6 months, the incidence of hydrops and pain was statistically less significant in joints treated with osmic acid. the result was better in joints without advanced radiological destruction. It is concluded that osmic acid is still of benefit in the local treatment of rheumatoid knee joint synovitis at an early stage.


[Pharmacokinetics of antiepileptic agents: their significance in the therapy of epilepsy].

In the modern treatment of epilepsy, determination of the serum concentration of antiepileptic drugs is essential. In cases which are refractory to treatment, cases where a combination of different drugs is necessary, or cases where compliance of the patient with the prescription is questionable, a knowledge of serum levels of anticonvulsants and acquaintance with their pharmacokinetics is indispensable for optimal therapy. The pharmacokinetic properties of antiepileptic drugs and their important and common interactions are reviewed. The effective serum concentrations of the commonly used antiepileptic drugs are listed and discussed.


[Antibody-coated bacteria and localization of urinary tract infection].

The distinction between upper and lower urinary tract infection (UTI) is of great help in the management and treatment of these conditions. The antibody-coating technique was used to investigate urine of patients with nephrostomies, chronic and acute pyelonephritis, chronic and acute cystitis, of male patients with dysuria and significant bacteriuria and of female patients with indwelling catheters. Furthermore this indirect method was compared with FAIRLEY'S direct method for localization of UTI in female patients with indwelling catheters. All tests were positive in patients with nephrostomies and acute pyelonephritis. Out of 19 tests in patients with chronic pyelonephritis, 18 were positive and one negative. Antibody-coated bacteria were present in 4 out of 8 patients with chronic cystitis and in 2 out of 9 patients with acute cystitis. Out of 5 male patients with dysuria and significant bacteriuria, 3 had a positive test. Out of 25 women with indwelling catheters 20 exhibited antibody-coated bacteria in urine and 5 did not. In 9 female patients with indwelling catheters the UTI was localized in the upper tract 5 times by the Fairley technique but 7 times by determination of antibody-coated bacteria. The demonstration of antibody-coated bacteria in the urine is a simple and reliable method of localizing the site of a UTI. False positive results may be observed in patients with indwelling catheters and prostatitis; in both instances there is probably local antibody production and coating of the bacteria. As the test is relatively expensive and time-consuming, it is indicated only in special situations and is not considered a routine screening procedure.


[Comparison between the presence of specific circulating immune complexes and the leukocyte migration inhibition test in different clinical forms of hepatitis B].

Circulating immune complexes were measured by a radioimmunoassay specific for HB complexes in different clinical situations related to hepatitis B virus infection. The leukocyte migration inhibition test (LMIT) was performed simultaneously. Comparison with the clinical situation suggests that immune complexes are not responsible for the lesions, but that these lesions might be produced by the immunity demonstrated by the LMIT. A deficiency of this immunity is responsible for the persistence of infection. However, in chronic active hepatitis, LMIT is as deficient as in carriers and in this form of hepatitis the frequency and quantity of complexes are the highest: it is thus possible that in this case the lesions are nevertheless produced by the complexes.


[Dissolution of gallstones by chenodeoxycholic acid].

A 2-year prospective study with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) (750 mg per day) was performed in 34 asymptomatic patients with radiolucent gallstones. 17 patients dropped out before completion of the trial. In 5 cases (29%) the stones dissolved and in 5 additional cases they decreased in size, while in 2 cases (13%) they increased in size during treatment. Favorable criteria for dissolution were round stones without edges and fissures on radiological appearance and a stone diameter of less than 1 cm. In 3 cases drug-induced nausea or diarrhea were so pronounced that treatment could not be continued. CDCA treatment also caused a significant rise in SGPT for at least one year. Thus, CDCA is at best moderately effective in a highly selective group of patients with gallstones.


[Iron overload: effect on specific and nonspecific immunity].

Acute overload with an iron salt in mice enhanced the virulence of a relatively avirulent type of Salmonella typhimurium in a dose-dependent fashion. Iron administration also partly abolished specific immunity. Ferritin iron did not display the virulence-enhancing effect.


[Cranial mucormycosis in a patient with a transplanted kidney].

Mucormycosis is a very serious complication of debilitating diseases, and particularly of diabetes. Presently the treatment of choice is amphotericine B. A patient is described who, like most other renal transplant patients with mucormycosis, had cranial localization of this disease and diabetes. The clinical findings were classical and the diagnosis was confirmed histologically.


[Carbohydrate intolerance during complete fasting].

In the first part of the study oral glucose tolerance tests (GTT) or insulin tolerance tests (ITT) were performed in 22 lean and 22 obese nondiabetics before and after fasts of at least 6 days' duration. Deterioration of glucose tolerance was greater in lean than in obese individuals. Plasma levels of factors known to influence glucose tolerance (glucagon, growth hormone, free fatty acids, ketones) were significantly higher in fasting lean than in fasting obese subjects. Furthermore, delayed insulin rise (GTT) and decreased insulin sensitivity (ITT) were observed after starvation in lean subjects but not in the obese, which could explain the greater deterioration of glucose tolerance in the lean population. In the second part of the study glucose and fructose tolerance were compared during 4-hour infusions of these substrates (0.5 g/kg/h) in 8 normal subjects before and after two 4-day fasts. After starvation, glucose as well as fructose infusion resulted in plasma levels of the infused hexose significantly higher than in control, and the rise in plasma lactate and pyruvate was delayed. These results contradict the view widely held in the literature, that fructose metabolism remains unimpaired in the fasting state.


[Falciparum malaria in Switzerland: a problem of intensive care?].

In the period 1972-1976, 5 of 17 patients admitted to the Cantonal Hospital, Basel, for falciparum malaria had to be treated in the intensive care unit. Two patients died. None had performed regular chemoprophylaxis and in all of them several days had elapsed between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. The importance of information on malaria to tourists and physicians is stressed.


[Treatment possibilities of arterial circulatory disorders using calcitonin].

74 patients with arterial circulatory disorders have been treated with calcitonin in low dosages (0.25-0.5 mg s.c. or i.m. twice to three times weekly). In 3 women with Raynaud phenomenon in sclerodermia, previously refractory necroses of the finger-tips were cured. One woman with Raynaud disease became symptomfree. Marked improvements in the results of ergometric tests were observed in 8 out of 22 patients with intermittent claudication of the lower extremities. In 12 out of 31 patients with refractory angina pectoris, the attacks were practically eliminated. Remission of headaches of vascular origin was obtained in 6 out of 17 cases. Attacks of migraine were terminated in the incipient stage by treatment with 0.25 mg Cibacalcin.


[Effect of glycerol on cerebral infarct].

Intravenous administration of glycerol under double-blind conditions (25 g twice daily for 6 days) to 26 patients with cerebral infarction localized in the territory of the middle cerebral artery temporarily improved the clinical evolution, as assessed by a scoring system, in comparison with 25 patients receiving placebo infusions.


The chemotherapy of tuberculosis--a personal overview.

The story is told of how streptomycin, PAS and isoniazid came to be known as the first-line drugs. Although the present first line is generally accepted as rifampicin, ethambutol and isoniazid, the way in which these drugs should be used in different types of tuberculosis and in different parts of the world is discussed in relation to efficacy, toxicity and cost. Passing reference is also made to second-line drugs used in the retreatment of cases with bacterial resistance.


Immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer.

This article is a review of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer incorporating the history of immunotherapy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, assessment of the techniques currently in use and of possible future developments. Although immunotherapy is not established as a therapeutic technique, evidence suggests that the immune response does influence the development of neoplastic cells. A better understanding of the immune response and its control may lead to the production of efficacious immunological treatment of certain cancers.


Posttranslational covalent modification of proteins.

A search for derivatized amino acids in proteins has shown that the extent of posttranslational modification of proteins is quite substantial. While only 20 primary amino acids are specified in the genetic code and are involved as monomer building blocks in the assembly of the polypeptide chain, about 140 amino acids and amino acid derivatives have been identified as constituents of different proteins in different organisms. A brief consideration of the questions about where and when the derivatization reactions occur, how the specificity of the reactions is established, and how the posttranslational modifications can facilitate biological processes, reveal a need for more information on all these points. Answers to these questions should represent significant contributions to our understanding of biochemistry and cell biology.


Somatostatin: widespread abnormality in tissues of spontaneously diabetic mice.

Diabetic mice of the C57BL/6J obob and C57BL/Ks dbdb strains show a reduction in pancreatic somatostatin concentration accompanied in the obob strain by a striking decrease in the number of somatostatin-containing cells in the islets. Somatostatin concentration is also decreased in the stomach but increased in the hypothalamus. These findings suggest different control mechanisms for somatostatin in the hypothalamus compared to the gut and pancreas and exclude a primary genetic abnormality of somatostatin cells in the mutants.


Saccharin and other sweeteners: mutagenic properties.

Saccharin preparations commonly distributed as artificial sweeteners exhibited mutagenic activity in bacterial tests. When administered orally to mice, mutagenic activity was demonstrable in the urines of these animals as well as in a host-mediated assay. Highly purified saccharin was not mutagenic in the direct assay, but the urines of mice to which this material had been administered exhibited mutagenic effects on one tester strain (Salmonella typhimurium TA100). Two other sweeteners, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and xylitol, had no detectable mutagenic activity in any of these assays using his- Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 or TA98.


Immunofluorescence localization of proteins of high molecular weight along intracellular microtubules.

To help clarify the role, in cytoplasmic microtubule function, of the proteins of high molecular weight that coassemble with tubulin in vitro, a monospecific antibody against the proteins of high molecular weight was prepared from the serum of immunized rabbits by affinity chromatography. With indirect immunofluorescence we found that the protein in both cultured neuroblastoma cells and 3T3 cells in distributed in an extensive filamentous array that originates at sites near the nucleus and extends to the cell periphery or, in neuroblastoma cells, gathers into bundles which enter neurites. No filaments were seen with nonspecific antibodies from serum taken before immunization, and prior incubation of the specific antibody with purified protein of high molecular weight (but not tubulin) prevented filament visualization. The filamentous pattern in 3T3 cells was disrupted by colchicine. This evidence indicates that the proteins of high molecular weight are found in cells in association with cytoplasmic microtubules.


Metals as regulators of heme metabolism.

Heme is essential for cell respiration, energy generation, and oxidative biotransformations. The latter function is exemplified by the oxidative metabolism of various endogenous and exogenous chemicals catalyzed by the heme protein cytochrome P-450. Recent studies have established that metal ions directly regulate cellular content of heme, and thus of heme proteins by controlling production of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase and heme oxygenase, the rate-limiting enzymes for heme synthesis and degradation, respectively. Metal ions also alter cellular content of glutathione. In excess amounts, metal ions greatly accelerate the turnover and degradation of heme and substantially impair the oxidative functions of cells--particularly those dependent on cytochrone P-450. As a result, the biological impact of chemicals which are detoxified or metabolically transformed by the P-450 system is greatly altered.


Methylphenidate in hyperkinetic children: differences in dose effects on learning and social behavior.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is widely prescribed for hyperkinetic children. This study showed a peak enchancement of learning in children after being given a dose of 0.3 milligram per kilogram of body weight, and a decrement in learning in those given larger doses; social behavior showed the most improvement in children given 1.0 milligram per kilogram. These results had been hypothesized from theoretical dose-response curves which indicate different target behaviors would improve at different doses.


Evaluation of BCG vaccines and a new method of multipuncture administration.

In comparative investigations the Japanese vaccinating tool was found to be more satisfactory for BCG administration than the Heaf multipuncture apparatus. Not only were the immune responses achieved by 27 punctures made by the Japanese applicator equal to those produced by 40 punctures made by the Heaf apparatus, but the results were similar to those obtained with the intradermal method of vaccination. The Japanese applicator can be sterilized effectively, it is simple to use, durable, usable up to 100 times and cheap. All pre- and post-vaccination tuberculin testing was done intradermally with 2 tuberculin units of human PPD RT23. The studies also confirmed the high quality of the Japanese intradermal and percutaneous BCG vaccines. Administration of the potent percutaneous Japanese BCG vaccine with the Japanese applicator is an ideal, effective and safe method of BCG vaccination.


Epilepsy and IgA deficiency--the effect of sodium valproate.

IgA deficiency (less than 80 IU/ml serum) occurred in 29% of 41 epileptic patients on anticonvulsant therapy. Sodium valproate users had significantly lower mean IgA levels (102 IU/ml) than non-users (151 IU/ml) and had a significantly higher incidence of IgA deficiency (50%) than non-users (16%). The occurrence of IgA deficiency did not appear to be related to age, sex, number of drugs used or to serum anticonvulsant levels.


The management of the lungs during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Many factors that contribute to the postextracorporeal pulmonary insufficiency have been recognized over the years that extracorporeal circulation has evolved. It is evident that more than one factor is the cause. For the present, a complex multifactoral problem appears to exist. Whether the unifying theory for this syndrome is related to abnormal organ perfusion, blood element destruction, microvascular phenomenon secondary to release of vasomotor substances or a combination of these remains to be determined. It is clear that all patients who undergo cardioplumonary bypass sustain some degree of pulmonary injury. Most lungs provide ample reserve, and adequate postoperative pulmonary care is sufficient to avoid morbidity related to the lungs. However, patients with severe forms of cardiopulmonary disease who require cardiopulmonary bypass require intraoperative pulmonary care as discussed herein to preserve maximum pulmonary function during the postoperative period.


Venereal transmission of shigellosis in Seattle-King county.

In the past, shigellosis in Seattle-King County has been primarily a disease of children, their parients, and foreign travelers. During the 18 months beginning in July 1975, an outbreak of shigellosis in Seattle's community of gay men involved both Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei. They accounted for nearly 30% of all cases of shigellosis reported to the health department. Fellatio and/or oral-anal contact was reported by 90% of the infected homosexual men; this was probably the mechanism of transmission of most infections. Intercity spread was determined by case histories and by the finding of S. flexneri 3, a previously unusual organism in Seattle.


Factors determining occurrence of cleft lip and cleft palate.

The modern care of newborn infants with oral clefts renders their survival possible. Since they will eventually reproduce, a slight increase in the incidence may be expected and genetic counseling will be requested on occasion. The cleft lip with or without cleft palate has a different genetic inclination from isolated cleft palate and the risk of recurrence is different. Drugs, such as antiepileptics, salicylates, benzodiazepines and cortisone, have a role in causing oral clefts. When an oral cleft is a part of a syndrome, the genetics of the particular syndrome must be outlined and genetic counseling is given accordingly. Oral clefts alone are usually multifactorial.


The significance of serratia as an infectious organism.

The hospital records of 48 patients with infections due to Serratia marcescens were reviewed. Isolates from these patients had been cultured during the period from August 1973 through July 1975, at which time an increase in frequency of infections due to Serratia had been noted. Most of these patients were elderly males with chronic debilitating diseases. All patients had received antimicrobial therapy prior to the time Serratia was first isolated. The majority had had indwelling urinary catheters inserted during some period of their hospitalization. Isolates were obtained predominantly from the urinary tract. In six of the 11 patients who died, Serratia appeared to play a role in the outcome, and all three patients with Serratia septicemia died. Serratia marcescens can be a virulent pathogen with a high degree of resistance to antibacterial agents. Attention must be given to the use of a sterile technique for insertion of urinary catheters, frequent care and cleansing of the catheter-meatal junction and use of a closed drainage system.


Preliminary observation on the immunology of nerve allograft rejection.

A preliminary experiment was devised to delineate the specificity of nerve allograft rejection. Skin grafts were performed between inbred strains of Fisher, AgB1, and Buffalo, AgB6, rats to determine the time required for a first set rejection, which occurred at day 9. Skin grafts also were performed two weeks after orthotopic placement of whole nerve or fascicular grafts. The rats that had previously been exposed to whole nerve showed skin graft rejection at six days, while those exposed to nerve fascicle demonstrated skin graft rejection at seven days. Fascicular whole nerve allografts and autografts were compared histologically at seven, 12, 19 and 28 days after grafting. The whole nerve allograft consistently showed gross and microscopic evidence of lymphocytic infiltration consistent with rejection involving the perineural connective tissues. Antigens obviously are present in sufficient levels in both the nerve and surrounding connective tissue, but at least, theoretically, there are some advantages to the use of fascicles versus the whole nerve.


Axillary, subclavian, and brachiocephalic vein obstruction.

The consequences of occlusion of a major upper extremity vein were evaluated in eight patients with effort thrombosis, ten with thrombosis secondary to intimal injury, six with extrinsic compression, and one hypercoagulable patient, all of whom were followed for an average of 4 years. Twenty-two patients had venography, which confirmed the diagnosis but often failed to define the proximal extent of obstruction. Thirteen patients had noninvasive hemodynamic studies which did not corroborate chronic morbidity, but which were valuable in assessing the effect os specific therapy. Twelve patients were treated with anticoagulants, and six had operative removal or bypass of the obstruction. Three patients had pulmonary emboli; two embolized while on anticoagulants and both died. Swelling, pain, prominent veins, and easy fatigability of the affected extremity were the late sequelae of occlusion. Chronic morbidity was more dependent on etiology than on initial treatment. Thrombosis secondary to intimal injury caused no persistent symptoms, whether treated with anticoagulants or not. Effort thrombosis was intermediate: three fourths complained that their affected arm tired easily and half had prominent veins or persistent swelling. All of those with obstruction secondary to extrinsic compression had easy fatigability. The majority also had concomitant swelling, pain, and prominent collaterals. Operative treatment produced objective improvement in venous outflow but often was unsuccessful in relieving symptoms, particularly in patients with obstruction from extrinsic compression.


Mediastinal cyst containing mural pancreatic tissue.

The second documented case of mediastinal ectopic tissue presenting as a mediastinal mass is reported. Previously reported cases of ectopic pancreatic tissue in the thorax are reviewed in an attempt to explain this anomalous development.


[The effect of resuscitation on the results obtained in identification of enterobacteriaceae by the API system (author's transl)].

During studies on the reliability of the API system, the question arose whether the small proportion of adequate results in cultures stored at 4 degrees C could be attributable to this method of storage. Therefore, the reactions of those cultures which had caused most problems were studied following periods of storage ofone day, six weeks and nine weeks at 4 degrees C, and in the freeze-dried state. Storage in particular conditions was found to have a definite effect on the reliability of the API system so that a period of resuscitation of forty-eight hours in a bouillon at 37 degrees C is required to restore the cultures to normal.


[Reconstructive surgery for supraaortic occlusions--a report of 356 cases].

Internal carotid endarterectomy is an effective and long-lasting means of preventing cerebrovascular accidents. It was entirely successful in 97% of asymtomatic patients. 85% of patients with transient ischemic attacks experienced no further symptoms. In patients with acute stroke, 52% were improved by the operation, but the mortality in this group was 23,9%. We therefore perform emergency carotid endarterectomy only in a conscious patient and within 8 hours of the stroke. The early and late results after reconstruction of the other supra-aortic vessels were good in 90% of cases.


[Change in indications for reconstruction of supraaortic extracranial arteries (author's transl)].

Analysis of 334 patients, operated upon from 1962 till 1976 because of obstructions of the extracranial cerebral vessels demonstrates a change in the indication for reconstruction during the last years. The aspect of prophylaxis of neurological damage by prompt reconstruction becomes increasingly important which is documented by an increase of patients which were operated upon a) in the asymptomatic stage, b) bilaterally, c) for internal carotid occlusion during the stage of increasing neurological symptoms after they were selected according to certain criteria.


[On the pathology of mediastinal tumors (author's transl)].

Review on the mediastinal tumors with a special view to the diverse morphologic expressions of mediastinal lymphomas. These tumors represents three groups: Castleman-Lymphom, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The nomenclature of the diversity of the morphologic features in mediastinal lymphomas have been reviewed, the relationship of the histologic findings to the clinical prognosis has been discussed.


Sequence of ultrastructural changes induced by activation in the posterior neurosecretory cells in the brain of Rhodnius prolixus with special reference to the role of lysosomes.

The posterior neurosecretory cell (PNC) group in the brain of Rhodnius prolixus is composed of five ultrastructurally identical cells. The PNC were examined in the unfed fifth instar and at seven stages (from 15 min to 14 days) after activation was initiated by feeding. Each stage examined revealed successive changes in morphology which can be related to the synthesis, maturation, storage and transport of neurosecretory material. It is suggested, in particular, that the lysosomal system (dense bodies and multivesicular bodies) may play a role in the maturation of the secretory granules.


[Detailed analysis of systolic and diastolic parameters in aortic valve disease (author's transl)].

The on-line computer-system for the analysis of cathlab data developed by us allows the immediate evaluation of the conventional pressure- and valve-opening as well as a new hemodynamic parameters. In addition the volume-analysis is performed by the videometry-program. In simultaneous pressure-volume-registrations the complementary calculation of important energetic items is possible. This expanded analysis by the aid of the computer-system enables a detailed pre- and postoperative study of great clinical-practical and scientific importance.


The synaptic spinule in the dendritic spine: electron microscopic study of the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

The present report calls attention to a component of certain synaptic junctions which has received little attention since its description in 1962 by Westrum and Blackstad. This component, which we term the synaptic spinule, is found in dendritic spine synapses in rat telencephalon (e.g., hippocampus, caudate nucleus, temporal and frontal cortex). Its major feature is an invagination of the presynaptic terminal by the presynaptic membrane, with the postsynaptic membrane protruding into this invagination. The synaptic spinule occurs in close association with the post-synaptic density, often occurring between breaks in this specialization. Serial sections reveal that when a synaptic spinule is present, a spine apparatus is observed near the dendritic protrusion. Coated vesicles are sometimes observed associated with the synaptic spinule; in all such instances they are associated with the presynaptic membrane. We studied the distribution of synaptic spinules in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. In contrast to its presence in the molecular layer, the synaptic spinule has not been observed in terminals of the subgranular layer of the dentate hilus. It is speculated that the synaptic spinule may play a role in exchange of material at dendritic spine synaptic junctions.


Histopathology on testicular involvement of leukemia with an emphasis on lymphatics.

The human testes in cases of malignant hematopoietic tumors, especially of leukemia, were histologically examined to characterize the mode of leukemic infiltration in comparison with that of malignant lymphoma. Materials were obtained from 56 autopsy cases, composed of 47 of leukemia, 7 of reticulum cell sarcoma and 2 of lymphosarcoma. Leukemic infiltration was confirmed in 43 (19%) of all leukemic cases and the pattern was divided into three types; diffuse, patchy and perivascular. A high grade infiltration was most common in lymphocytic leukemia. The testicular involvement was unexceptionally bilateral with occasional differences in the grade of infiltration, slight to moderate. There was no regional difference in incidence of leukemic infiltration in the testicular interstitium. A thin-walled canal located closely between the proper lamina of seminiferous tubules and the interstitial cell cluster was suggested to be lymphatics, which were extremely irregular in shape and occasionally did not have endothelium. Therefore human testicular lymphatics might not be a constant canal system, but rather akin to narrow tissue space. A network of argyrophilic fibers was pronounced in the lesion of leukemic infiltration. The frequency and grade of an involvement of the testes in malignant lymphoma were lower and lesser than those in leukemia.


A new fixative solution to precede the reduced silver impregnation of arthropod central nervous systems.

Arthropod central nervous tissue is fixed for 1 hr at 20 C in 8% pure formic acid in 1:1 n-butanol/n-propanol prepared immediately before use (FBP), then washed for 15-30 min in 90% ethanol, and embedded in paraffin wax. Impregnation is by modified Ungewitter techniques in which the silver bath is preceded by mercury/cobalt mordanting, or by modified Holmes' methods following similar mordanting procedures. The methods yield high resolution of axons with minimal background staining, while the staining of neuronal somata is suppressed. They succeed with brains of crustacea and Odonata and other difficult materials. Tissues fixed in FBP are hard and require care in sectioning.


[Radiation therapy and treatment results in carcinoma of the esophagus (author's transl)].

Results from radiotherapeutic treatment of 200 patients with malignant tumors of the esophagus are reported. The principal part is represented by squamous cell carcinomas with 88%, followed by adenocarcinomas with 4.5%, by more or less differentiated solid carcinomas with 4%, and small cell carcinomas with 1.5%. Sarcoma was found in three cases, one of them a myosarcoma, another a reticulosarcoma. An ectopic carcinoma of the gastric glands was present in one case. The staging was performed according to the TNM system. A focal dose of 6000 to 6500 rd within 6 or 8 weeks was tried for, using 60Co-gamma-rays. The one-year and five-year survival rates in stage T2N0M0 amounted to 80% and to 17%; no survival was obtained in stage T3N0M0. Out of the total of stage T2-3N0M0 cases 24% obtained one-year survival, and 2% five-year survival. In stages T3N2-3M0 and T3Nx-3M1 after one year 9% and 7% of the patients were alive. The mean survival time of stage T2N0M0 cases was 30.5 months; of T3N0M0, 7.3 months; of T3N1-3M0, 5.2 months; of T3Nx-3M1, 3.8 months. The one-year and five-year survival rates, being related to the irradiation dose administered, amounted to 28% and to 2% after a minimum dose of 5000 rd to the focus. With less than 5000 rd, none of the patients survived two years. The bad results of treatment demand new therapeutic pathways. Short-term pre-irradiation followed by surgical treatment is discussed as well as a combined radiation therapy with cobalt-60 and neutrons or a combined radio-chemotherapy using cytostatics.


[The effect of various caries preventive agents on the microflora of albino rats].

An experiment with 80 Wistar rats was performed to study, using cultural methods, the effect of locally and internally applied caries-preventive agents on the microbiological situation in the oral cavity and on the surface of the skin. Especially in case of combined internal and local application, fluoride-containing preparations exerted an inhibitory effect on the oral microflora that had been altered by a cariogenic diet and on the bacterial invasion of the skin. The influence of a locally applied mineral solution on bacterial growth was only insignificant.


[Rational methods of crown preparation].

Today, a rational technique of crown preparation seems to be defined by the following features: 1. Speed-conscious operation 2. Sectionalization into a phase of coarse preparation and a phase of fine preparation 3. Phase-synchronous and segment-oriented coarse preparation in the maximum speed range 4. Fine preparation by means of abrasive tools to achieve a defined preparation limit in the high-speed range 5. Finishing with the aid of properly formed diamond stones or tungsten-carbide finishers in the normal speed range 6. Speed-dependent supply of cooling water according to the principle of double safety (spray and additional cooling).


[Technological bases for rational impression technics for fixed partial dentures].

Starting from the general properties of silicone-elastomer impression materials, the author outlines problems concerning their adequate processing. He deals in particular with studies on the mixing time, the value of the change in shape and the dimensional behaviour of "Stafanat zähplastisch" and "Stafanat leichtfliessend" that demonstrate the effects of different working conditions.


[Impression technics for crowns and bridgework].

A survey is given of the impression methods developed for the accurate manufacture of crown and bridge preparations by means of the indirect technique. A description of the impression task in fixed prostheses is followed by an account of the principles of band and bandless impression techniques, pointing to their advantages and disadvantages and their indications.


[Success and preventive effectiveness of therapy with fixed partial dentures].

The author deals with the question what factors are suited for securing an optimal duration of serviceability of fixed partial prostheses. It is pointed in particular to the indication and the planning of bridges with regard to the form changes of the masticatory organ. Further factors are: attention to the reparability of plastic facings and, if necessary, renunciation of plastic facing materials and utilization of ceramic materials or bridge anchors without facing.


[Preventive therapy with cast removable partial dentures].

Starting from tertiary prevention, the author quotes statistical reports of their clinical successfulness. The classification into groups of changes of success according to E. Köhler (fig. 3) permits to give practice-oriented recommendations for therapy (fig. 4-6). The various possibilities of designing the sublingual bar and its attachment (fig. 7 and 8) are interpreted. Finally, the author gives advice on mouth and prosthesis hygiene and on the mode of wear with regard to their importance in inflammations.


[The construction of cast removable partial dentures with functional-effective structural elements].

In view of caries susceptibility and periodontal condition, oral examination (fig. 1) is of prime importance in treatment planning (fig. 2). Crownings as well as possibilities of direct and indirect stiffenings are explained from the viewpoints of construction and differential indication in connection with the design of the prosthesis.


[Clasp areas as a basis for individually designed prosthetic retention].

The clasp areas of the teeth are analysed with regard to the paths of insertion. The area below the equator is a retention area if the opposite tooth wall is parallel (= classical guiding area) or also cervically curved (= active guiding area). Consequently, the so-called singular independent clasp has either a retention arm and classical guiding or a retention arm and active guiding or two active guiding arms. On the contrary, the anchorage of the dependent clasp requires coordination with other independent or dependent clasps.


[Achieving therapeutic success with cast removable partial dentures].

The strategic goal is the complex prosthetic rehabilitation for a period of at least 10 years. Thorough oral examination is the basis of differential indication and treatment planning. The pretreatment is an integral part of the therapy. The construction must take into consideration the following facts. The periodontal support is in general superior to the gingival supprt (dependence on incomplete dentition). Primary splinting is in general superior to secondary splinting. The denture skeleton must be stable. The prosthesis should be constructed in such a manner that it can be extended, adjusted and rebased. The denture skeleton and the connectors should not cover the marginal gingiva. Denture sore is caused by mechanical irritation and infection. Mouth and prosthesis hygiene is of prime importance also from the viewpoint of caries prevention and periodontal prophylaxis.


[Our experiences with a removable partial prosthesis as a preventive therapeutic device].

On the basis fo follow-up examinations, the author points to essential features on which the preventive action of the cast removable partial prosthesis depends. Frequently encountered periodontal diseases are caused by clasps and covering components of the denture base. Traumatic occlusions occur independently of the duration of wear, which is indicative of the dentist's inadquate attention. Metaphylaxis associated with adjustment of the prosthesis to the changing masticatory organ is the main prerequisite for long-term success.


[The rational removal of dental calculus in every-day practice].

A survey of instrumental and technical scaling is followed by the representation of a pymamid-shaped sharp-edged turbine instrument (fig. 1 and 2) that permits to remove also the subgingival calculus in less time, with a good survey (due to the spray), and with less stress on the dentist than the hand instruments.