Anencephaly and spina bifida (ASB) and retroversion.

Despite the wealth of epidemiological material of the last decade, birth defects are still the chief cause of perinatal mortality and no significant breakthrough in understanding or reduction has yet been seen. Many proposed aetiological factors are still being evaluated. This report suggests a possible, simple, remediable factor in the aetiology of defects of the central nervous system.


Identification of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in the brain and pituitary gland of a fish by immunocytochemistry.

For the first time immunoreactive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) is demonstrated in both the brain and pituitary gland of a teleost (Xiphophorus maculatus) using an immunoperoxidase procedure. It is specifically localized in the perikarya and their axons of the ventral telencephalon and nucleus lateralis tuberis and within and between the gonadotrops and within some cells of the pars intermedia. These immunoreactions are extinguished when antiserum to LH-RH is preincubated with LH-RH antigen but not with neurohypophysial hormones.


[Segregation of HLA haplotypes in a family with infants having spina bifida].

The search for HLA association in spina bifida is particularly interesting since this condition can be associated with the effect of the T locus in mice. Gene and haplotype frequencies in 32 unrelated patients suffering from spina bifida were studied. Patients and families were examined clinically and radiologically. A high frequency of spina bifida occulta and other vertebral abnormalities was found suggesting genetic determinism but no evidence of linkage with HLA genes or haplotypes was found.


Selective detection of IgM-antibody against core antigen of the hepatitis B virus by a modified enzyme immune assay.

IgM antibody against core antigen of the hepatitis B virus (anti-HBc IgM) was selectively determined by a new enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Microtiter plates were coated with anti-human micro chain immunoglobulin. On addition of serum IgM is bound by a factor of about 4,000 more than IgG. After removing the sample, HBcAg is added to the IgM-coated surface. Binding takes place if the IgM contained anti-HBc and was demonstrated by the aid of a conjugate made from anti-HBc IgG and horse radish peroxidase. Quantitation may be achieved without testing a dilution series. The assay was not disturbed by a large excess of anti-HBc IgG in the sample and rheumatoid factor did not produce false-positive results, provided the sample was diluted in an excess of aggregated IgG. The diagnostic relevance of the assay was demonstrated in selected cases of acute hepatitis B. Rapid diagnosis of acute hepatitis B infection is therefore now possible in those cases whihc are HBsAg-negative but anti-HBc-positive.


Demonstration by radionuclide imaging of possible vascular steal from a renal transplant.

Radionuclide studies in a renal-transplant patient with congestive heart failure suggested vascular steal from the renal allograft by a contralateral femoral arteriovenous fistula. These reliable, noninvasive diagnostic procedures have potential use in similar settings to evaluate allograft perfusion and function. Correction by removal of the fistula was demonstrated.


Renal graft evaluation with pertechnetate and I-131 Hippuran. A comparative clinical study.

This retrospective study compared standard clinical and biochemical data from 50 graft recipients against 533 I-131 Hippuran sequential scintigrams and 515 [99mTc]pertechnetate serial scintigrams. All grafts included in this study are cadaver kidneys. The majority of the studies were made during the early posttransplantation period. Anuria or oliguria of at least 4 days duration was seen in 18 patients. The study spans 574 days of oliguria during which 136 dual-tracer studies were made. I-131 Hippuran renography of functioning grafts was carried out 397 times, and the Tc-99m sequential scintigraphy 379 times. In all, 47 espisodes of actue rejection were registered clinically in functioning gfafrs, 36 of which were recognized during Hippuran renography and 38 with the pertechnetate study. False-positive errors were seen 12 times during renography. The study also demonstrated that furosemide will significantly and predictably influence renography and the pertechnetate study. This seems noteworthy since furosemide is extensively used in posttransplant management.


The paradox image: a noninvasive index of regional left-ventricular dyskinesis.

The paradox image, a functional image of regional dyskinesis derived from the equilibrium (gated) radionuclide ventriculogram, was constructed by subtracting the background-corrected end-diastolic frame from the background-corrected end-systolic frame. In 11 patients showing dyskinesis by contract ventriculography, the percentage of left-ventricular picture elements containing paradox ranged from 3.6 to 55.6% (21.44% +/- 4.45 s.e.m.). In 11 patients with normokinesis and in eight patients with hypokinesis by contract ventriculography, the left-ventricular picture elements demonstrating paradox were less than 1.1% in all cases. In nine patients with akinesis, the percentage of left-ventricular picture elements containing paradox was 2.05% +/- 0.96 s.e.m. and was less tha 2% in seven patients. There was also an excellent agreement between the location of dyskinesis on the paradox image and that by contrast ventriculography. The paradox image is a sensitive indicator of left-ventricular dyskinesis and should be useful in the evaluation of patients with suspected left-ventricular asynergy.


Myocardial perfusion imaging using thallium-201: a new algorithm for calculation of background activity.

A method is presented for calculating a background image to be subtracted from TI-201 myocardial perfusion images. The method was derived from experimental measurements of background components in which hearts of animals injected with TI-201 were replaced with hearts from nonradioactive animals. The algorithm generates a background image that accounts for TI-201 activity in surrounding tissues and within the cardiac chamber. Comparison of the computer-generated background images with background images of the experimental models showed a mean difference of about 3% (range 1-6%). Clinical images using this method of background generation and subtraction are presented.


Automated computer program for radionuclide cardiac output determination.

Radionuclides have provided a safe, reliable, and minimally invasive method for repeated determinations of cardiac output. A completely automated computer program for data analysis is described. Cardiac output values obtained by this technique correlated closely with values obtained by manual determination of the region of interest (r = 0.90 for right-ventricular and 0.98 for left-ventricular outputs, p less than 0.001 for both). Further, cardiac output determined by computer selection of either left-ventricular area of interest or of the "whole heart region" correlated significantly with that simultaneously determined by dye-dilution technique (indocyanine green; r = 0.86, p less than 0.001 for both). The automated approach allows greater objectivity in the selection of the regions of interest, faster turnaround of calculated results, and use of a smaller dose of radionuclide.


Exoerythrocytic merozoites of Plasmodium berghei in rat hepatic Kupffer cells.

Liver biopsies of white rates infected by Plasmodium berghei sporozoites were examined by electron microscopy. Intrahepatocytic schizont development was confirmed. In addition, at 60 and 70 h after sporozoite inoculation, exoerythrocytic merozoites were noted in Kupffer cells of liver sinusoids. Although it is theoretically possible that this observation may be of merozoite development in Kupffer cells, the authors suspect that this example of phagocytosis would be one of the host's natural defenses against sporozoite-transmitted malaria.


Permeability of the fenestrated capillaries in the cat submandibular gland to lipid-insoluble molecules.

1. Permeability-surface area products for the fenestrated capillaries in the perfused cat submandibular gland have been measured for graded lipid-insoluble molecules using the single-passage, multiple-tracer dilution technique. 2. The permeability-surface area for [57Co]cyanocobalamin (mol. wt. 1353) increased as the perfusion flow was increased, but reached a constant value of 4.11 +/- 0.25 ml.min-1.g-1 (mean +/- S.E., n = 9) at flows above 8 ml. min-1.g-1. For [125I]insulin (approximate mol. wt. 6000) it was 1.80 +/- 0.13 ml.min-1.g-1 (mean +/- S.E., n = 9) and apparently diffusion-limited at all the high flow rates studied. A similar permeability-surface area product was measured for [14C]inulin (mol. wt. 5500): 1.76 +/- 0.10 (mean +/- S.E., n = 4). 3. Permeability-surface area values for cyanocobalamin and insulin in the salivary gland are respectively about 20 and 200 times larger than the estimates reported for the continuous capillaries of cardiac and skeletal muscle. 4. The permeability-surface area (PS) ratio [57Co]cyanocobalamin/[125I]insulin (2.33 +/- 0.15, mean +/- S.E., n = 9) was significantly greater than the apparent ratio of their free diffusion coefficients (1.76), suggesting restricted diffusion of insulin relative to cyanocobalamin across the capillary endothelium. 5. Permeability-surface area products for the smaller molecular weight tracers (22Na, 86Rb and 51Cr-EDTA (mol. wt. 357)) increased continuously with perfusion rate, indicating flow-limited solute exchange. The PS ratio of Rb/EDTA was close to unity whereas the corresponding free diffusion ratio is 3.85. 6. The high permeability-surface area values measured were thought to be associated with the fenestrae which appeared to act as high concentrations of 'small pores' rather than as 'large pores'.


Purine metabolism in trypanosomatids.

Purine nucleotide biosynthesis was studied in culture forms of Trypanosoma cruzi strain Y, Crithidia deanei (a reduviid trypanosomatid with an endosymbiote) and an aposymbiotic strain of C. deanei (obtained by curing C. deanei with chloramphenicol). Trypanosoma cruzi was found to synthesize purine nucleotides only fring incorporated into both adenine and guanine nucleotides. Similar results were obtained with guanine, indicating that this flagellate has a system for the interconversion of purine nucleotides. Crithidia deanei was able to synthesize purine and pyrimidine nucleotides from glycine ("de novo" pathway) and purine nucleotides from adenine and guanine ("salvage" pathway). Adenine was incorporated into both adenine and guanine nucleotides, while guanine was incorporated into guanine nucleotides only, indicating the presence of a metabolic block at the level of GMP reductase. The aposymbiotic C. deanei strain was unable to utilize glycine for the synthesis of purine nucleotides, although glycine was utilized for synthesizing pyrimidine nucleotides. These results suggest that the endosymbiote is implicated in the de novo purine nucleotide pathway of the C. deanei-endosymbiote complex. The incorporation of adenine and guanine by aposymbiotic C. deanei strain followed a pattern similar to that observed for C. deanei.


Acid hydrolases and their release in food vacuole-less mutants of Tetrahymena thermophila.

Mutants (NP1 and PSJ5) of Tetrahymena thermophila strains B and D 1968 exist that are unable to construct a functional oral apparatus and form food vacuoles at 37 C but which do so normally at 30 C. Food vacuole-less cells starved in dilute salt solution released similar amounts of acid phosphatase, beta-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and alpha-glucosidase activity into the medium as wildtype cells during an 8-h period. Actively growing, food vacuole-less cells had approximately 50% less total protein, acid phosphatase, beta-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, and alpha-glucosidase per cell than wildtype cells after 72-h growth. During this time food vacuole-less cells released significant amounts of the 3 acid hydrolases into the growth medium. For each hydrolase, the total activity released from growing, food vacuole-less cells was less, on a per cell basis, tahn the amount released from food vacuole formers. The proportion of the total activity secreted by the mutant and the wildtype cells was the same for acid phosphatase and beta-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase and somewhat lower for alpha-glucosidase. It is concluded that the release of a significant amount of acid hydrolase activity from Tetrahymena is independent of food vacuole formation and may be analogous to the secretory activity of other nonphagocytic eukaryotic cells.


Rejection and immunosuppression in kidney transplantation.

Seventeen out of 85 renal allograft patients suffered 23 episodes of rejection. Of these 22 (96%) were associated with a significant increase in DNA synthesis in the peripheral blood and in 12 instances (55%) the DNA increase occurred before biochemical or clinical evidence. The prognostic value depends on the frequency of sampling and in all patients measured daily the DNA increase was predictive with a mean value of 7 days before other signs. Nine patients experienced 12 rejection episodes that resulted in the loss of their graft. All these cases of irreversible rejection were characterized by a significant elevation in DNA synthesis within 36 days of transplant. In 57 patients with good function 46 suffered 120 episodes of infection. DNA synthesis was increased in 12.5% of these. Thus an increase in DNA synthesis is 8 x more likely to be due to rejection than infection. The level of DNA and RNA synthesis may prove a useful guide for monitoring the level of immunosuppression in these patients.


Antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) in 229 sera from human renal allograft recipients.

Comparison between CDC and ADCC in a human allogeneic model using the same cytotoxicity marker, i.e. 51Cr release from labelled target cells, provided a better definition of the optimal technical conditions for revealing ADCC. Testing 229 sera from human renal allograft recipients after transplantation, we found that CDC is detected only during rejection (43% of cases) whereas ADCC can be found both in those recipients tolerating their grafts and in those undergoing rejection, more frequently in the former than in the latter (39% vs. 21%, p less than 0.05). These in vivo results and other in vitro experiments support the assumption that two distinct varieties of antibody can mediate the in vitro ADCC phenomenon, some directed against the A, B and C HLA loci and having a deleterious effect on the graft, and others capable of exerting a protective effect and which could be directed against D related HLA determinants.


A comment on Silver and Blanchard's (1978) review of the treatment of tension headaches via EMG feedback and relaxation training.

In response to an earlier review by Silver and Blanchard, caution is urged in reaching "premature" conclusions about the relative efficacy of biofeedback vs. relaxation training in the treatment of tension headaches. Additional points are raised concerning subject and procedural variables, data interpretation, and choice of dependent measures in assessing treatment outcome. The need for continued study of this question is emphasized.


Osmotic water flow in leaky epithelia.

I review three currently unsolved and controversial problems in understanding solute-linked water transport in epithelia. 1. Values of osmotic water permeability (Posm) calculated from steady-state osmotic flow in response to a gradient of a probe molecule tend to be underestimates, because of three unstirred-layer (USL) effects. These are: dissipation of the probe's gradient by diffusion in USL's; reduction of the probe's gradient, due to the sweeping-away effect of water flow generated by the probe itself; and solute polarization (creation of an opposing gradient of an initially symmetrically distributed solute by the sweeping-away effect). These errors increase with probe permeability, USL thickness, Posm, and concentration ratio of symmetrically distributed solute to probe, and vary inversely as the fractional area available for water flow (e.g., lateral intercellular space width). The form of an osmotic transient, and the possibility of extracting a true Posm value from the transient, depend on the relative values of three time constants: those for solute diffusion in USL's, for solute polarization by water flow in USL's and for measuring water flow. Sweeping-away effects cause major underestimates (by one or more orders of magnitude) in epithelial Posm determinations, as shown by apparent streaming potentials during osmotic flow and by transiently reversed flows after removal of the proble. True Posm values for leaky epithelia probably exceed 10(-3) or 10(-2) cm/sec.osm. The necessary conditions for resolving osmotic transients are set out. 2. I illustrate the difficulties in deciding what fraction of transepithelial water flow is via the cells, and what fraction via the junctions. There is no existing method for answering this question. 3. Controversies about the validity, or need for modification, of the standing-gradient theory are discussed. Progress in this field requires new methods: to resolve osmotic transients; to separate transcellular and transjunctional water flows; and to measure solute concentrations in lateral intercellular spaces directly.


Instructed heart rate control in a high heart rate population.

Forty college students were selected from a large number of introductory psychology students on the basis of high heart rate during an initial screening session. Subjects were then contacted and participated in two additional sessions during which heart rate, respiration rate, and skin conductance measures were obtained. Each session consisted of a baseline period followed by five trial periods during which subjects attempted to control their heart rate or performed a visual tracking task. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group served as a control and monitored a visual feedback display driven by their own heart rate but received no instructions to decrease their heart rate. In contrast, the three heart rate control groups were instructed to decrease heart rate during the trial periods by utilizing a relaxation procedure, proportional biofeedback, or proportional biofeedback plus criterion information. No group differences were present during the baseline periods. During feedback trials, however, all the training groups differed from the control in heart rate but did not differ from each other. It is suggested that feedback displays may not facilitate heart rate reduction beyond the level achieved by instructing subjects to use a general relaxation procedure.


Factors predisposing to adjacent 2 and 3:1 disjunctions: study of 161 human reciprocal translocations.

Reciprocal translocations produce imbalances by three types of disjunction which are, in decreasing frequency, adjacent 1, 3:1, and adjacent 2. Adjacent 1 disjunction produces duplication deficiencies of inverse topography to those of adjacent 2. The imbalanced chromosome segments in one of these types are balanced in the other. The disjunction 3:1 produces pure trisomies and monosomies. The following situations predispose to adjacent 2 disjunction: translocations between the long arms of two acrocentric chromosomes or between one of these and that of a No 9 chromosome; centric segments, either short or carrying a heterochromatic zone (9qh); a balanced translocation in the mother. The factors predisposing to the disjunction adjacent 2 operate by selection, or directly on the meiotic configuration. Some of them (shortness of the interstitial segment, shortness of the short arms of translocation chromosomes) act in both these ways. Their influence is probably responsible for the repetitive and exclusive character of this disjunction. The conditions for the occurrence of the 3:1 disjunctions seem less strict than those for adjacent 2, although they should be of the same nature (involvement of acrocentrics or a chromosome 9 in the translocation, maternal origin).


Shigella vulvovaginitis in childhood: a case report.

Vulvovaginitis due to Shigella sonnei is reported in a four-year-old child.Shigella sonnei as a rare primary pathogen causing vulvovaginitis, the prolonged nature of the clinical course, and the therapeutic implications of increasing resistance to ampicillin by the organism are discussed.


Frantz Fanon's contribution to psychiatry: the psychology of racism and colonialism.

Frantz Fanon was born in Martinique, educated in France, and, after psychiatric training, administered a psychiatric hospital in Algeria. He made numerous contributions to psychiatry which are described in this paper. He is best remembered, however, for his four books: Black Skin, White Masks; Toward the African Revolution; A Dying Colonialism; and The Wretched of the Earth. Fanon became a spokesman for third-world denizens of all nations by describing in sensitive, clinically astute terms the psychology of racism and its untoward effects upon oppressor and oppressed. He also described the dehumanization and psychological treatment inherent in colonialist exploitation. With Dr. Fanon's premature death at the age of 37 in 1961, the world was deprived of one of the most eloquent and skilled spokesmen for those who are oppressed by the pro-white, anti-black paranoia which is racism. This paper describes in detail the nature of his singular contributions.


Intrarenal role of renin-angiotensin system in the regulation of renal hemodynamics.

A reduction of renal arterial pressure in mongrel dogs to 70 mmHg resulted in marked increases in plasma renin activity and plasma levels of angiotensin I (AI) and angiotensin II (AII). Production of renin and AI but not AII in the kidney was observed. A reduction of renal arterial pressure also resulted in a redistribution of blood flow from the outer to inner cortex. An arterial infusion of AII (200 ng/min), however, failed to affect the intrarenal distribution of the blood flow. An intrarenal infusion of AII rather restored the normal pattern of the distribution of intrarenal blood flow altered by the pressure reduction. These results indicate that the renin-angiotensin system is probably not involved in the control of renal hemodynamics through the intrarenal formation of AII, and that the intrarenal hemodynamic changes caused by pressure reduction is due to the intrinsic differences in myogenic force in different cortical zones.


Effect of diltiazem on insulin secretion. II. Experiments on perfused rat pancreas, anesthetized dogs and conscious rats.

Effect of diltiazem on insulin secretion was investigated in the perfused rat pancreas. Experiments were also carried out in anesthetized dogs and conscious rats with and without glucose loading. In the perfused rat pancreas, diltiazem reduced both glucose- and tolbutamide-induced insulin secretion and these effects of diltiazem were reversed with removal of the compound. Inhibition of the glucose-induced insulin secretion caused by diltiazem was counteracted by increasing the concentration of calcium ion. In experiments on intact animals, diltiazem at vasoactive doses produced no significant influence on the basal level of plasma insulin or glucose-induced insulin secretion. These data taken together with findings in previously reported work suggest that diltiazem reduces insulin secretion from pancreatic B-cells in vitro possibly by the calcium-antagonistic property, while the compound exhibits practically no inhibitory action on the insulin secretion in vivo.


Biofeedback instruments for the management of anxiety and for relaxation training.

An EEG alpha biofeedback system and a portable GSR monitor/feedback box are described. The rationale for the use of these instruments in the management of anxiety and for relaxation training, respectively, is also described, as well as the training techniques presently in use at St. Bartholomew's Hospital.


A body-worn delayed auditory feedback fluency aid for stammerers.

Body-worn fluency aiming to relieve the disability of stammering during periods of use (just as spectacles correct defective vision only while worn, and make no claim to treat or cure the disability) have been envisaged for a quarter of a century. Most have been based on Auditory feedback Masking, but the Aid described here is probably the first body-worn version to be based on the principle of Delayed Auditory Feedback, recognised for 20 years as an aid to fluency, but hitherto available only in desk-top equipment. The embodiment described here fits easily into a breast pocket and is wired to a tie-pin microphone and two standard hearing aid earpieces. Voice actuated switching enables other speakers to be heard clearly and undelayed. Results of early clinical trials are indicated.


Application of pattern recognition methodology to the design of an electronic aid for coordination therapy.

Automated aids for developing coordination skills in the handicapped are not common, with the result that therapy of such a nature tends to be highly teacher intensive. This paper describes an electronic aid, based on pattern recognition techniques, for the teaching of writing and drawing skills which, while retaining the flexibility to allow tailoring of its operation to the needs of individual patients and applicability to a variety of tasks, is sufficiently cheap and convenient in implementation to be an effective tool of general acceptability.


Load measurement in orthopaedics using strain gauges.

This paper describes the practical aspects of the design, construction and use of strain gauged transducers in clinical orthopaedics. The role of force measurement as a procedure for diagnosis and evaluation in orthopaedics is reviewed and the type of useful data this technique can yield is indicated. The procedure for setting up a load measuring programme is then covered in detail. This includes the formulation of a clinically viable procedure which yields meaningful data, design and construction of the transducers, choice of gauges, their associated instrumentation and analysis of data. The strain gauge itself is dealt with in sufficient detail to cover all the measurement situations which may be encountered in the orthopaedic clinic. Practical aspects, such as the source of supply of components, are fully described.


[Origin of malignant tumors of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts and the ear. 4. Malignant rumors caused by irradiation. B. Special part (author's transl)].

The problem of radiation-induced tumors is explained in detail in the following chapters: 1. Malignant tumors in dial painters using luminous paint, 2. Malignant tumors after injection of Thorotrast, 3. Bronchial tumors in Uran-mineworkers, 4. Malignant tumors caused by radium-compresses and radium-moulages, 5. Thyroid cancer caused by irradiation, 6. Leukemia and malignant tumors following the atomic bomb detonation in Hiroshima and Nakasaki, 7. Malignant tumors in Lupus vulgaris, 8. Development of malignant tumors following the irradiation of praecancerous alterations, of benign tumors and other benign changes in head and neck, 9. Radiation induced soft-tissue and bone sarcoma in the skull, 10. Radiation-induced cancers in hypopharynx diverticula, 11. Radiation-induced cancers in the antethoracic skin graft esophagus, 12. Radiation-induced second-tumors, 13. Cancer caused by ultraviolet rays, 14. Increase of hematogenic metastases by irradiation. 15. Malignant tumors caused by irradiation of the fetus in utero.


Genetic organization of the Salmonella typhimurium ilv gene cluster.

A number of Salmonella typhimurium ilv::Tn10 insertion strains were used to analyze the Salmonella ilv gene cluster. Tn10 generated ilv deletion mutants were employed in mapping experiments to conclusively define the gene order as ilvG-E-D-A-C. Examination of ilv enzyme levels confirms that the direction of transcription of ilvGEDA is from ilvG to ilvA. The major control locus, designated ilvO, is located before ilvG forming an ilvOGEDA transcriptional unit that is multivalently repressed by isoleucine, valine and leucine. Two internal promoters, one before ilvE and anonother before ilvD, are identified and are shown to provide repressed levels of the ilvE, D and A gene products. Possible regulation of transcription from these promoters in response to isoleucine limitation is discussed in terms of attenuation.


Indirect and intragenic suppression of the lexA102 mutation in E. coli B/r.

In Escherichia coli B/r the expression of UV inducible (SOS) functions is under the control of the recA and lexA genes. In this study we have characterized mutants which are altered in their ability to express SOS functions. These mutants were isolated as UV resistant UV nonmutable (Rnm) derivatives of the lexA102 uvrA155 mutant strain WP51. The UV resistance of these Rnm strains is a result of the suppression of lexA102 mediated UV sensitivity. Genetic mapping of rnm mutations shows that the two predominant classes, rnmA and rnmB, map in or very near the lexA and recA genes respectively. rnmA mutations differ from rnmB with regard to recA protein synthesis, rnmA mutations do not restore the ability to express high levels of recA protein after UV treatment whereas rnmB mutations result in constitutive expression of high levels of recA protein. However, both rnmA and rnmB mutant strains inhibit postirradiation DNA degradation. This shows that in rnmA strains, high levels of recA protein are not needed to inhibit postirradiation DNA degradation. The genetic map location and constitutive expression of recA protein synthesis resulting from rnmB mutations suggests that they are operator constitutive mutations of the recA gene. The result that the lexA+ gene is required for the expression of UV mutagenesis in rnmB mutants shows that high levels of recA protein do not circumvent the need for the lexA+ gene product in this process. Thus, while the lexA gene product is required for the induction of recA protein synthesis, lexA must have an additional role in UV induced mutagenesis.


Nuclear inheritance of resistance to antimycin A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A group of 30 independent mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, resistant to the respiratory inhibitor antimycin A, was investigated from a genetical and biochemical point of view. All the mutants can be grouped into two nuclear loci: AMY1 maps on the VII chromosome, between leu 1 and trp 5; AMY2 is close to its centromere on either chromosome XVIII or XIX. Both genes do not affect mitochondrial structures or functions.


Construction and characterization of a plasmid coding for a fragment of the Escherichia coli recA protein.

The E. coli recA gene was cloned from the phage lambda precA into the vector pBR313. A plasmid, pJL3, was also isolated by cloning a portion of the recA gene into the vector pBR322. pJL3 coded for a fragment of the recA protein 34 Kd (kilodaltons) in size (compared to 40 Kd for the intact protein). This fragment was antigenically related to the recA protein and its synthesis was subject to the same controls as that of the recA protein. The fragment did not express any detectable recA function. When wild-type cells with pJL3 were treated with nalidixic acid, the 34 Kd fragment and the beta-lactamase, made from a gene located downstream from the recA segment, were expressed at very high levels. Moreover, in these cells the rate of synthesis of intact recA protein from the chromosome was inhibited about 2-fold, relative to other chromosomal proteins, when compared to wild-type cells with the pBR322 vector. High level expression of the recA protein fragment and/or the beta-lactamase appeared to be lethal. The size of the 34 Kd fragment, taken together with the location of chain-termination codons in pJL3, localizes the regulatory region of the recA gene within 100 base pairs.


Expression of incompatibility by derivatives of the broad host-range inc P-1 plasmid RK2.

A segment of DNA encoding incompatibility on the inc P-1 plasmid pRK248 was identified by the analysis of deletions generated in vitro, and then cloned into several unrelated and mutually compatible plasmids. These derivatives were tested for expression of P-1 incompatibility. It was demonstrated by transformation experiments that P-1 plasmids were efficiently eliminated from an E. coli host following introduction of any one of the derivatives. However, all the derivatives were compatible with each other. The cloned segment of pRK248 DNA is itself capable of autonomous replication, without being cloned into any plasmid, if plasmid-specified gene products are provided in trans. This satellite plasmid is eliminated from the cell by the inc P-1 plasmid pRK286. The results argue against a partitioning mechanism as the basis for P-1 incompatibility but are consistent with incompatibility being the consequence of negative regulation of copy number. For the inc P-1 system, susceptibility of the plasmid to elimination, but not its ability to eliminate, requires that the P-1 replication system is active.


Mitochondrial and nuclear mutations that affect the biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosomes of yeast. I. Genetics.

We have isolated about five hundred temperature-sensitive mutants specific for the mitochondrial functions. Their growth on glycerol is defective at 36 degrees C and/or 20 degrees C. While most of the mutations were nuclearly inherited, about thirty were found to be of mitochondrial origin. 1) Four mitochondrial mutations (three cryosensitive, one thermosensitive) were localized close to chloramphenicol and erythromycin resistance loci of the mitochondrial DNA, that is in the region coding for the 23 S ribosomal RNA. One of the mutation interfered with the expression of the chloramphenicol resistance gene. 2) A dozen nuclear mutations were isolated from a strain which is labelled with mitochondrial drug resistance markers (chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and paromomycin). Among the temperature sensitive respiratory deficient mutants, we have selected the mutations that supress the resistant phenotypes. We describe two non allelic such mutations, one being cryosensitive, the other thermosensitive. Both supress the expression of the mitochondrial chloramphenicol resistance gene. The temperature sensitive growth on glycerol and the modified antibiotic phenotype segregated together as a single recessive mutation. A biochemical study of these mutants is presented in a joint paper, confirming their presumed ribosomal nature.


[Travelers' diarrhea (author's transl)].

"Travelers' diarrhea" is an acute diarrhea sometimes associated with vomiting and afflicting travelers recently arrived in tropical or subtropical countries. Its incidence ranges from 20 to 50 p. 100. It may cause severe deshydratation which is dangerous for third age tourists with humoral or visceral impairments. Recovery must not be expected before 3 to 10 days. Viruses do not seem frequently responsible and, among other causes (salmonellae, shigellae, staphylococci), colibacilli have a main role. They give cholera-like syndromes due to two enterotoxines. Treatment is symptomatic. Prophylaxis is important and chemical drugs as methyl-5-oxine must be prescribed rather than antibiotics which may induce resistances.


Mitochondrial and nuclear mutations that affect the biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosomes of yeast. II. Biochemistry.

1. Several nuclear mutants have been isolated which showed thermo- or cryo-sensitive growth on non-fermentable media. Although the original strain carried mitochondrial drug resistance mutations (CR, ER, OR and PR), the resistance to one or several drugs was suppressed in these mutants. Two of them showed a much reduced amount of the mitochondrial small ribosomal subunit (37S) and of the corresponding 16S ribosomal RNA. Two dimensional electrophoretic analysis did not reveal any change in the position of any of the mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. However one of the mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. However one of the mutants showed a striking decrease in the amounts of three ribosomal proteins S3, S4 and S15. 2. Four temperature-sensitive mitochondrial mutations have been localized in the region of the gene coding for the large mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (23S). These mutants all showed a marked anomaly in the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (50S) and/or the corresponding 23S ribosomal RNA.


Integration of IS3 into IS2 generates a short sequence duplication.

The Gal+ allele IS2-43 is known to segregate Gal- clones. Among 11 Gal- segregants, one was shown to be due to the integration of IS3 into IS2-43. Precise excision of the integrated IS3 element occurred at a rate of 5 x 10(-9)/cell/generation. DNA sequence analysis revealed that the termini of the IS3 element have the relation of imperfect inverted repeats and it is now flanked by a 3bp or 4bp duplication, a size which has not been seen before with other elements.


Allele specific, gene unspecific suppressors in Aspergillus nidulans.

Seven suppressor mutations have been isolated in Aspergillus nidulans by coreversion of alleles in physiologically unrelated genes namely, alX, sB, alcA, putative structural genes for allantoinase, sulphate permease and alcohol dehydrogenase respectively. The suppressors are allele specific, gene unspecific. Those described map in four loci, suaA, B, C, D. suaA and suaB are on linkage group III, suaC and suaD on VII. suaB111, suaD103 and suaD108 are semi-dominant in their suppression of alX4 and sB43, suaA101, suaA105 and suaC10. are recessive and have a pleiotropic effect on morphology. SuaC109 is cold sensitive for growth as is sua115, an unmapped mutation on linkage group III which is similar in morphology to suaC109. The two mutations, suaA101 and suaA105 have different spectra of suppression and morphologies. suaA105 weakly suppresses alX4 and sB43 whereas suaA101 strongly suppresses these and alcA125. suaD103 and suaD108 have the same spectrum of suppression. The properties of these suppressors are consistent with their being informational suppressors are consistent with their being informational suppressors of the nonsense type.


[Current aspects of human salmonellosis in Upper Volta. Study carried out at Centre Muraz (Bobo-Dioulasso) from 1966 to 1977: isolation of 1,013 Salmonella strains].

In a long term research programme of Centre Muraz a study on salmonellosis in Upper Volta has been carried out, at Bobo-Dioulasso, from 1966 to 1977. Investigations have been executed at Centre Muraz, at Bobo-Dioulasso hospital and at Ouagadougou hospital. All the strains of Salmonella were collected at Centre Muraz by biology laboratory, which is a reference service for Upper Volta. This country is include; among the 32 countries which collaborate with W.H.O. and are involved in the world epidemiological surveillance of salmonellosis. For twelve years, 1.013 Samonella strains have been isolated : 1.002 from man and only 11 from animals. The study, which is presented, deals with human salmonellosis. These diseases have been considered from several points of view : bacteriology, clinic, treatment and epidemiology. The various origins of these strains have been specified. The different technics used for diagnosis are discussed briefly : hemoculture (for typhoïd fever and few other types of salmonellosis), coproculture (for "minor" salmonellosis) are the most common and useful methods. Among the 1.013 which have been found, S. typhi is highly predominant (67 p. 100). In the other hand, S. dublin and S. typhi murium play an important role in the various serotypes which occured. A total of 76 serotypes, already known elsewhere, but found for the first time in Upper Volta, have been observed. Three new serotypes have been described : S. bobo, S. kua and S. farakan. As far as clinical problem is concerned, two main aspects are frequent : either typhoid fever syndrome (caused by S. typhi and, scarcely, by other germs, like S. dublin) or gastrointestinal infections, which present different forms and are more or less severe. Up to now, one single strain of S. typhi murium, suspected to be resistant to chloramphenicol has been isolated in 1977. Such a problem would need more complete research in a reference centre. Otherwise, no epidemic multiresistance has been observed. Checking strictly all the strains by systematic antibiograms is now absolutly essential in the plan of a steady epidemiological surveillance.


Formate dehydrogenase mutants of Salmonella typhimurium: a new medium for their isolation and new mutant classes.

We have designed a new medium for the differentiation of mutants of Salmonella typhimurium defective in the ability to reduce nitrate with formate, and have characterized 24 formate dehydrogenase (FDH) mutants isolated on this medium. The mutants were assayed for the ability to use formate to reduce benzyl viologen and phenazine methosulfate, and were mapped by means of conjugation and P22-mediated transduction. Mutants lacking the ability to reduce either dye were found to map at three distinct sites: at a site co-transducible with xyl (presumably fdhA), at a site or sites between 13U and 33U, but not co-transducible with aroA, bio, purB, pyrC, or pyrD (near, but not identical with fdhB), and at asite 10-20% co-transducible with pyrE, for which we suggest the designation fdhC. Six mutant isolates reduced benzyl viologen, but not phenazine methosulfate. They retained the ability to produce nitrite during growth with nitrate. They mapped between 83U and 89U, but no co-transduction was found with metE, glnA, metB, or argH. The combined biochemical and genetic data suggest the existence of a gene in this area which is essential for the reduction of nitrate with formate, but not for formate hydrogenlyase activity or for nitrate reductase activity.


[Shigellosis in Tananarive (Madagascar). II : Bacteriologic and therapeutic features (author's transl)].

In acute dysenteries or diarrhoeas shigellae are the bacterial organisms which are the most frequently isolated from coprocultures. The most frequent sub-group is sub-group B (S. flexniri). In vitro, shigellae are sensible to all antibiotics but often resistant to sulfamids. Treatment is not difficult.


Immune interferon produced in vitro as a quantitative indicator of cell-mediated immunity.

The present study was constructed to provide some information on the possibility of utilizing immune interferon as a quantitative indicator of cell-mediated immunity and to clarify some of the nature of immune interferon-producing cells (IIPC). When spleen cells derived from L cell-sensitized mice were co-cultivated with L cells, interferon appeared in the culture fluid. It was shown by additional experiments that the cells responsible for immune interferon production in this system were T-lymphocytes assisted by macrophages. The pattern of kinetics of immune interferon production in vitro was similar to that of migration inhibitory factor or T cell-mediated cytotoxicity.


Experimental candida-induced arteritis in mice. Relation to arteritis in the mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.

An extract of Candida albicans isolated from a patient with typical mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MCLS) can produce coronary arteritis in a mouse when injected intraperitoneally. An unusual feature of this arteritis is that it is granulomatous, shows no fibrinoid change and is confined to the coronary arteries. These characteristics are quite similar to those found in patients with MCLS.


The reversal immune surveillance hypothesis.

The proposed reveral immune surveillance hypothesis is based on the identification primarily of self and secondarily of foreignness, unlike the original hypothesis that is based on the identification of foreignness per se. The proposed system is considered to have evolved from the invertebrates through to the vertebrates to become more complex in the mammals, and involves the identification of cell types by lymphocytes through the cell type surface pattern and major histocompatibility antigens. The identification of self and associated foreignness by the immune system is required for the regulation of cell differentiation and replication, and because of this design, the ability of the immune system to destroy foreignness can be regarded as a natural consequence. The reversal immune surveillance hypothesis explains why spontaneously occurring tumours may not be antigenic, in the sense of eliciting their own destruction, and is consistent with the destruction of tumour cells that display significant amounts of viral antigens or gross antigenic changes induced by carcinogenic agents. It is also able to explain the stimulation and inhibition of tumour development.


Role of prostaglandins in bronchial asthma.

It is proposed that the levels of prostaglandin E and F are balanced to the lungs and that this balance is upset on exposure to bronchospastic stimuli. The beneficial affects of steroids and adrenergic drugs in asthma, thus, could be because of their actions on the prostaglandin system. This hypothesis derives support from the fact that prostaglandins modify bronchial tone, have anti-allergic properties, and influence the sympathetic nervous system and immune response.


Diabetes and cancer: a postulated relationship.

Diabetes leads to periodic fluctuations in levels of nutrients and cyclic nucleotides in plasma and various tissues. Variations in cyclic nucleotide levels, periods of nutrient elevation and surges of insulin combine to stimulate growth. Growth stimulation may be associated with the promotional phase of carcinogenesis. Diabetes should therefore predispose the individual to carcinogenesis and limited epidemiological data available suggest that it does.


[Comparison of bio-availability, antianaemic efficacy, tolerance and drug costs in oral iron(II) and iron(III) preparations (author's transl)].

In addition to a clinical study which investigated the bio-availability of three oral iron preparations S, L and X by using postabsorption serum iron concentration curves, the same drugs were compared in order to study their antianaemic efficacy, tolerance and drug costs arising during and iron therapy. Moreover, these iron drugs were related to other current clinical reports. Within all three iron preparations a very good correlation was found between bio-availability and haematopoietic efficacy: The very good absorbability of the bivalent quick release stick capsule preparation S (= 100%) corresponded with a very good capacity of haemoglobin regeneration (2,6 +/- 0,4 g Hb/1/day) whereas due to a very low absorbability (10% to 16%) the antianaemic efficacy of both iron(III) preparations L and X had to be rated as moderate to predominantly poor. In normal therapeutic dosis all three iron preparations showed no differences in tolerance. The ratio of side effects was similar to that after ingestion of placebo. In comparing the drug costs during a therapy leading to a real absorption of 1 g of iron the most effective iron(II)sulfate preparation S is 3.6 to 12.6 times cheaper than the compared trivalent preparations L and X. Therefore, there is no justification for the further production or introduction on the market of trivalent iron preparations.


Cancer of the urinary bladder in the Pacific Basin.

The incidence of urinary bladder cancer differs markedly among the different ethnic and national groups in the Pacific Basin. Because of these differences, the following colaborative studies can be done to identify and characterize factors associated with bladder cancer: 1) study population groups with different levels of bladder cancer risk who reside in the same geographic setting; 2) study ethnically similar groups who differ in risk and reside in different locations; and 3) study population groups who differ in risks and reside in different geographical regions. Factors possibly related to bladder cancer that have been identified and studied by others include occupational exposure to certain chemicals, cigarette smoking, coffee drinking, artificial sweeteners, certain viruses, radiation exposure, phenacetin, bracken fern, Schistosoma haematobium, tryptophan metabolites, nitrosamines, estrogens, hair dyes, vitamin A, and ascorbic acid. In collaborative studies, the pathologic interpretation of histologic material and the content of the questionnaire should be well standardized, and the laboratory tests should be done at one laboratory. Among the population groups in the Pacific Basin, the Japanese in Hawaii and in Japan provide a unique resource for further investigation with respect to bladder cancer.


Immunoperoxidase technique for identification of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae.

The direct immunoperoxidase technique was applied to the identification of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae by staining colonies on the agar plate. The results of this technique applied to 50 isolates of M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae correlated with those of the agar gel precipitation test to the same isolates. The immunoperoxidase technique was proved to be a specific and reliable method for the identification of M. gallisepticum and M. synoviae.


Encephalomyelitis in mice experimentally infected with Akabane virus.

Lesions in the central nervous system of mice, induced by intracerebral injection of Akabane virus, were observed by the fluorescent antibody technique and histological method. Fluorescent antigens were recognized in the cytoplasm of nerve cells, but were not detected exactly in any other part. Fluoresced nerve cells were distributed almost all over the central nervous system, especially in medulla oblongata and spinal cord. The appearance of fluorescent antigens was followed by histological changes. So-called Nissl's acute severe degeneration was observed in nerve cells in the area where the fluorescent antigens were distributed. Spongy foci were seen in medulla oblongata and spinal cord. Virus was recovered from brain and spinal cord, but not from any other visceral organ or blood. Akabane virus showed an affinity to nerve cells and caused primary nonpurulent encephalomyelitis when inoculated intracerebrally to mice.


Immunofluorescence demonstrates the distribution of actin, myosin and intermediate filaments in cultured neuroblastoma cells.

Monolayers of cultured neuroblastoma cells were examined for immunofluorescent reactivity with antibodies directed against actin, myosin or intermediate filaments. In well spread cells, antibody to intermediate filaments stained an intricate cytoplasmic network which extended as filament bundles into cell processes; in poorly spread or rounded cells, the antibody stained thick juxtanuclear filament bundles. By contrast, antibodies to actin or myosin reacted with microspikes and with axonal growth cones. The different topographical distribution of actin, myosin and intermediate filaments suggests that while actin and myosin may have roles in axon elongation, intermediate filaments may function as an internal cytoskeleton as well as in axoplasmic transport. The different distribution of intermediate filaments in well spread compared with rounded cells suggests that the cell makes its filaments prior to axon development and that the filaments subsequently unwind and migrate into the cell processes to form the axon skeleton.


[Monitoring the immune status of breast cancer patients under adjuvant chemotherapy and polychemotherapy].

The effects of various combinations of chemotherapy on the immunological status of breast cancer patients were investigated. The proportion of T cells and B cells in the peripheral blood of the patients were followed and the reactivity of lymphocytes to the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was determined. During observation periods of 6 months it was found that patients under adjuvant chemotherapy developed only a transitory depression of B cells and T cells as well as of PHA-induced lymphocyte stimulation. However, patients under polychemotherapy showed a marked depression of these immunological markers and functions during the whole observation period. The possibility of an improved monitoring of chemotherapy in cancer patients by observation of these immunological parameters is discussed.


[Heterotopic allotransplant of the heart and lungs in the rat. Technical note].

The modalities for the heterotopic transplant of heart-lungs in the rat are described in detail. As in the case of all other rat transplants, this type is fairly easily performed using the techniques and instruments of microsurgery. Special attention is required at the moment of isolating the heart-lung preparation, at perfusion of the coronary circulation and with respect to the exact positioning of the heart-lung block in the abdomen of the recipient. The experimental model may be used for strictly immunological researches or for physiology, pharmacology and haemodynamics research.


[Effect of therapy on the lymphoid cell distribution in the venous blood of breast cancer patients].

Rosetting properties (E, EAh, EAox, EAC rosettes) and presence of surface immunoglobulins (SIg) were examined on peripheral blood lymphocytes from 30 breast cancer patients immediately prior to therapy and 4 weeks thereafter. Therapy consisted of limited radical surgery followed by combined X-ray and telecobalt radiotherapy. The results were compared to patients who had received the same treatment 1 year ago (n = 13), 2 years ago (n = 13) and 3 to 10 years ago (n = 20). All irradiated patients exhibited a considerable leuko- and lymphopenia with a particular decrease of E and EAh rosettes, and a concommittant relative increase of EAox and EAC rosettes. SIg positive cells showed no significantly different percentages before and after therapy although in absolute counts they were similarly reduced as the other subpopulations after radiotherapy. The possible prognostic influence of radiation induced lymphopenia is discussed without coming to clear conclusions.


[Primary spindle cell sarcoma of the pulmonary artery].

It is reported on a patient with a primary, mainly spindle-cell sarcoma of the left pulmonary artery. It is a case of a centrally located tumor, which caused a subtotal occlusion of the truncus pulmonalis and a complete occlusion of the left pulmonary artery. The diagnostical and therapeutical methods with their results and possible complications are discussed. The indication for an operation is demonstrated. In the pertinent literature hitherto 35 cases of this disease are reported.


[ROC-analysis in x-ray study of the breast; a comparative study between film and xeromammography].

A comparative radiographic and histological study was carried out in 126 patients with malignant and benign breast lesions. Prior to biopsy an additional film- and xeromammogram, both at oblique projection, were taken of each patient. The X-ray film was Definix Medical (Kodak), processed 5.5 minutes. The xerograms were taken with 1.5 mm aluminium total filtration, and developed by negative mode. The X-ray equipment consisted of a Senograph (CGR). The image evaluation was carried out independently by seven observers of varying experience in mammography by means of ROC-analysis. There is no loss of diagnostic information content in negative mode xeromammography, on the contrary, it seems to be slightly superior to film mammography.


[Arterial stenosis after renal transplantation].

Attention is drawn to the fact that renal transplants are quite commonly complicated by stenosis of the arterial pedicle. The symptomatology (hypertension, oliguria, fever and gradual loss of renal function) points to the need for angiography. In about 70% of cases, surgical management in the light of the nature of the lesion thus visualised will give good results. Stress is laid on the importance of prophylaxis with platelet anti-clumping agents. Pyramidol appears to offer encouraging results in this connection.


Endogenous fungus endophthalmitis (probably Aspergillus).

A 53-year-old organic chemist developed severe asthma and bronchitis a few weeks after professional exposure to plant dust. 15 days later an acute severe endophthalmitis occurred. Both the systemic and eye conditions were treated with corticosteroids and antibiotics. The atrophic eye which was enucleated 6 months later histologically revealed abscesses in the iris, ciliary body, lens and vitreous harbouring numerous islands of septate, dichotomously branching hyphae, orientated in the same direction and conidiospores, which is considered compatible with an aspergillus species.


Leber's congenital amaurosis as conceived by Leber.

Not being satisfied with the present-day diagnosis of Leber's congenital amaurosis, the original papers written by Leber were studied. It gradually became clear that what Leber had in mind with congenital amaurosis is roughly the same as what we know as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. The present diagnosis of Leber's congenital amaurosis is not a clinical syndrome but an aspecific symptom complex.


Gametocytogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro: the cell-cycle.

Reproducible growth of gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro was obtained from ring-stages taken directly from naturally infected patients and from the same material following storage in liquid nitrogen. Progressive sexual differentiation in vitro was examined for a finite period of 9 days in microcultures and was, for convenience, divided into 5 stages using established morphological criteria (Hawking, Wilson & Gammage, 1971). This microculture system was adapted as a bioassay for various anti-metabolites. Drug activity was measured by observing the inhibition of the established pattern of sequential development in experimental as compared to control cultures. Inhibitors used were directed against DNA, RNA and protein metabolism and microtubule assembly. As a result of these studies it is proposed that the sexual cell-cycle of P. falciparum is characterized by 4 phases. (1) A G1 period which lasts only a few hours. (2) The S phase, where DNA synthesis occurs, occupies the remainder of the first 2 days of development - both G1 and S are confined to stage I and II gametocytes. (3) G2, which is subdivided into 2 sections: G2A, characterized by stage II and III gametocytes, in which significant RNA and protein synthesis continue to occur; and G2B, where there is a progressive increase in transcription control resulting in the depression of both RNA and protein synthesis. Nonetheless, continued morphological differentiation occurs in the latter section transforming the parasites to stage IV and the morphologically and functionally mature stage V. The final M phase is marked by the brief and exposive events of gametogenesis, during which further protein synthesis occurs de novo. The proposed cell-cycle is examined as a model for studies on the activity of gametocytocidal compounds.


[Antifungal activity of aromatic essential oils (author's transl)].

"Paragerm" is commonly used in hospitals where its bactericide action is well known. Preliminary tests have been carried out in the laboratory in order to study the antifungal power of this product. Variation of the different concentrations in the culture medium, variation of the time of contact between "Paragerm" and the fungus and both the mechanical and chemical effects of the product have shown that, among the species selected, certain were more sensitive and others more resistant to this solution and that, in our experimentation, "Paragerm" had a fungistatic effect.


[Localization of urinary infection by immunofluorescence of bacteria (author's transl)].

After having presented a method to detect antibody coated bacteria, the authors give reports about the first result they obtained with this technic. Among 41 patients they got a positive immunofluorescence in 18 of them, corresponding with a rate of 80% to the clinical and biological explorations. This research about antibody coated bacteria permits to state whether the kidney tissue is affected or not.


[A study of the frequency of protozoa and yeasts isolated from the parodontium of 509 subjects (author's transl)].

The protozoa Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax together with yeasts of the genus Candida were investigated in the mouth (gums or neck of tooth) of 509 healthy or diabetic subjects. A study of the possible correlation between presence of these parasites and various local or general factors, showed that neither the sex, maxillo-facial anomalies nor smoking had any influence on parasite incidence. Entamoeba gingivalis was encountered in 85 per cent of subjects free from parodontopathy. Numerous factors influenced the presence of Trichomonas tenax: age, social status, alcohol consumption, dental condition and gingival pathology. Presence of Candida was associated with diabetes, poor buccal hygiene and dental condition.


[Carcinoembryonic antigen in carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Correlations with clinical stage, histopathology, and survival about 115 cases (author's transl)].

Carcinoembryonic antigen is elevated in the serum of approximately 35% (35/98) of patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix. The incidence of elevated serum CEA is not related to stage of disease, histopathology, lymphangiogram and survival rate. Carcinoembryonic antigen levels return to normal after curative radiation therapy (25/32). Persistently high values after irradiation are indicative of residual disease (3/32). Reappearance of CEA, with a progressive rise evoke a recurrence, and may precede the clinical diagnosis.


[Biological and pharmacological effects of carrageenan (author's transl)].

Carrageenan is sulfated polysaccharide which has been extensively used as emulsifier and thickening agent in the food industry, for its ability to induce acute inflammation in pharmacology and for its selectively toxic effect for macrophages in immunology. Carrageenan is a complex substance which displays various biological properties. The authors have shown the extent of these actions and reviewed the latest investigations on this subject.


Determination of blood urea by gas-liquid chromatography. A comparison with two other methods.

An original method for the quantitative determination of plasmatic urea by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) is described. It is based upon the transformation of urea into urethane by alcoholic deamination in a warm and strictly anhydrous medium. Compared with the two other usual methods (enzymatic and colorimetric), the GLC technique is extremely reliable and specific, and can easily be adapted to biological fluids.


[Hypophosphatemia (author's transl)].

Too often neglected, dosage of phosphatemia should yet be kept on mind. The role of phosphorus in bone mineralisation and regulation of acid-base balance is well known. Phosphorus is also an energy purveyor during numerous biologic reactions, and depp deprivation may lead to a lot of pathologic situations, sometimes severe. Mild hypophosphatemia is not rare and occurs in various clinical or therapeutic circumstances; deep hypophosphatemia is rather uncommon, occuring chiefly during hyperalimentation or realimentation of starving patients, especially alcoolics. Deep hypophosphatemia (by depletion or transfert) mainly induces clinical and pathological manifestations; they are subsequent to alterations of glucose metabolism, leading to a failure in ATP and 2,3 DPG synthesis. these metabolic events particularly explain muscular and hematological manifestations of hypophosphatemia. Phosphorus loading per os, or in severe cases intravenously corrects the biological abnormalities and improves clinical manifestations.


[Technics and applications of transfer factor (author's transl)].

Transfer factor is produced by dialysis of repeatedly frozen and thawed pooled buffy coats of healthy blood donors. However, "specific Transfer Factor" of bacteriological or mycological type, prepared from hyperimmunized donors would be more effective for restoring cellular immunity.


["In vitro" activity of cefamandole, cefalotin, cefoxitin and cefuroxim against enterobacteria and Staphylococcus aureus isolated in hospital (author's transl)].

The in vitro activity of cefamandole was compared with that of cephalotin, cefoxitin, and cefuroxime against 612 bacterial strains isolated in hospital. Cephalotin was more active than cefamandole and the other two cephalosporins against oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus strains. In contrast, the activity of cefamandole was superior to that of the other cephalosporins against oxacillin-resistant strains of S. aureus. This improved activity was confirmed by study in media with a high salt content and by population analysis. The activity of cefamandole against cephalotin-sensitive enterobacteria was superior to that of the other cephalosporins. Its activity was comparable to that of cefoxitin and cefuroxime against cephalotin-resistant strains. However, there were marked variations in this activity in relation to the different species. The therapeutic use of these new cephalosporins, and of cefamandole in particular, should thus be selective and based on the results of bacteriologic studies.


[Effects of minoxidil on blood pressure and plasma volume in refractory hypertension (author's transl)].

We substituted minoxidil for dihydralazine in the treatment of 10 patients with refractory hypertension. Supine diastolic blood pressure decreased from 114 +/- 15 mmHg ou dihydralazine to 90 +/- 10 mmHg after one week on minoxidil (mean +/- ISD, p less than 0.01), the concomitant therapy being unchanged (sodium depletion and betablockade in all patients, methyl dopa or clonidine in seven). Simultaneously themean plasma volume increased by 395 ml (p less than 0.02) with no correlation to the decrease in blood pressure, and with no change in plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone. Further expansion of plasma volume was prevented by furosemide, individual dosage requirement ranging from 40 to 500 mg/day, irrespective of the renal function. fter three to six months of ambulatory treatment a satisfactory blood pressure control was maintained. Hirsuties appeared in all our patients, but no subjective side effects was reported.


[Estimation of lung water with 131I-antipyrine and 99mTc-HSA (author's transl)].

Extravascular lung water is estimated in vivo from indicator dilution curves of diffusible and non-diffusible tracers utilizing their different transit times as they pass the lung microvessels. 131I-antipyrine as the diffusible and 99mTc-HSA as the non-diffusible tracer were injected simultaneously, using a pneumatic injector. Indices for rELW/V and rELW/F were calculated using programs previously published, and gave numerical values for the presence and intensity of pulmonary interstitial oedema. Inaccuracies due to sequential inputs are avoided. 131I-antipyrine has a more convenient pulmonary interstitial oedema. Inaccuracies due to sequential inputs are avoided. 131I-antipyrine has a more convenient shelflife and can therefore serve for emergency and follow-up examinations. The results do not differ significantly form those with 123I-antipyrine, and the higher radiation burden is tolerable. A mobile set-up for bed-side measurements is described.


Thermal perturbation differential spectra of ribonucleic acids. II. Nearest neighbour interactions.

Dinucleoside monophosphates are used here as models for studying sequence dependence of the hypochromic effect correlated with base stacking. It was shown that once the contribution due to the temperature dependent hydration change of the bases is substracted from the thermal perturbation difference spectra of dinucleoside monophosphates, the absorbance change of the dimer only due to unstacking of the bases could be obtained. In order to be able to use these corrected thermal perturbation difference spectra as models for studying nearest neighbour interactions in nucleic acids, it was necessary to normalize them to 100% unstacking of the bases. To perform this normalization, apparent thermodynamic parameters were extracted from the corrected transition curves by means of the two-state model.


Medical treatment of endometriosis: a comparative trial.

In a comparison of danazol, and mestranol with norethynodrel (Enavid, Searle) in the treatment of endometriosis danazol was shown to be superior. Danazol is however relatively ineffective when large tumours or extensive adhesions are present and such patients will usually need a surgical operation. Women who have completed their families and who have severe symptoms will be better treated by hysterectomy. Treatment with danazol is indicated for young women with mild or moderate endometriosis. Danazol treatment may also be given postoperatively after conservative operations.


Aspects of fibrocystic disease of the breast. Treatment with danazol.

The differing aspects of fibrocystic disease are presented. The various histological components making up the breast account for the variegated presentation of symptoms and findings. Pain, tenderness and nodularity represent the greatest problem with the former two prompting the patient to seek relief. The latter symptom, nodularity, causes concern for patient and physician as such changes must be distinguished from those of carcinoma of the breast. Guidelines for and consideration of premalignant benign changes are briefly presented. Data from a clinical trial of danazol for the patients with fibrocystic disease are presented. The drug was highly effective in affording relief from pain and tenderness. Some diminution in nodularity was also seen. The impact of this drug on the problems associated with fibrocystic disease of the breast is discussed.


Danazol treatment of benign breast disease: a survey of U.S.A. multi-centre studies.

514 patients with benign breast disease provided records from multicentre studies in the U.S.A. Results showed that a high proportion responded with either decrease or elimination of symptoms, response usually being apparent 15 to 45 days after commencing treatment. Dosage schedules varied between 50 and 400 mg danazol daily and length of treatment between 15 and 196 days. There was a tendency for patients with more severe symptoms to respond better to the higher dosages, and for the elimination rate for all grades of severity to improve with time. Side effects were not severe, and of the expected type including weight gain, oiliness of skin and hair, and acne.


The use of danazol in the treatment of painful benign breast disease: preliminary results.

The preliminary results of a double-blind randomized cross-over trial of danazol versus placebo in patients with severe cyclical breast pain are reported. Though numbers are small at present, the results are encouraging.


Danazol treatment of chronic cystic mastopathy: a clinical and hormonal evaluation.

Danazol, a new synthetic steroid, was administered at a dose of 400 mg daily for two months to 16 premenopausal women with chronic cystic mastopathy. The clinical and hormonal effects (serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, progesterone, testosterone and urinary oestrogens, pregnanediol, pregnanetriol, androsterone and etiocholanolone) were evaluated after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Using the same dosage and duration of treatment, danazol (13 patients) was compared with placebo (12 patients) in a double blind randomized clinical trial. Danazol proved to be significantly more effective than placebo in relieving symptoms. Combining the open and double blind study (27 patients), danazol treatment resulted in complete relief in 14 patients and improvement in 11. The main endocrine changes during danazol treatment were related to the drug's ovulation inhibiting effect. Amenorrhoea, irregular bleeding and weight gain (mean 2.1 kg) were significant side effects.


Dosage aspects of danazol therapy in the treatment of endometriosis.

Danazol is effective in the treatment of endometriosis. Individual patient response is very variable as is dosage requirement. The appropriate dose for maintenance therapy for any particular patient is best determined by a trial and error method, starting with a recommended initial dosage. Side effects are slight.


Treatment of unexplained infertility with danazol.

In order to investigate the possible stimulatory effect of danazol on fertility, a randomized clinical trial was performed on 40 women with unexplained infertility. Twenty-one women received 200 mg danazol daily for 100 days and 19 women received a placebo for the same period. No pregnancies occurred in the placebo group during a 6 month follow-up period. In the danazol group, 5 pregnancies occurred of which 1 were ectopic and 3 went to term.


Danazol and the premenstrual syndrome.

Danazol as a powerful antigonadotrophin is a logical mode of treatment for patients with premenstrual symptoms. Its preliminary use in a dose 200-800 mg daily is reported. Two groups of patients were treated and of 12 patients with severe symptoms (Group I) six benefited from treatment. The second group (Group II) presenting as fresh cases were given 400 mg daily as the first or second choice of treatment. This group had a high drop out rate and any benefit from treatment was marred by the side effects. Danazol will continue to be used where the symptoms are resistant to other treatment, especially when breast tenderness is predominant. The dose should be the minimum required for relief of symptoms.


Preliminary results on clinical and endocrine studies in the treatment of menorrhagia with danazol.

Preliminary results are presented on the effect of 400, 200 and 100 mg of daily danazol on measured menstrual blood loss, in women with menorrhagia. Both 400 and 200 mg daily effectively suppressed menstrual blood loss, 400 mg reducing menstrual blood loss from a pretreatment mean of 456 +/- 48 ml to 45  +/- 26 ml and 6 +/- 5 ml during the second and third months of treatment. Menstrual blood loss on 100 mg danazol was only minimally reduced. After two to three months on danazol, the pituitary showed ability to respond to gonadotrophin releasing hormone and to oestradiol benzoate. A lack of effect of danazol on most coagulation and fibrinolytic factors was demonstrated.


Insulin and the phosphorylation of intracellular proteins.

Protein phosphorylation is a ubiquitous form of posttranslational protein modification in mammalian cells which often serves to regulate protein function. Insulin alters the activity of a number of enzymes known to be regulated via phosphorylation. With the premise that altered protein phosphorylation might be an obligatory intermediate step in insulin action, we have examined the effects of insulin on the phosphorylation of the major phosphopeptides in adipocytes and hepatocytes. Insulin affects overall protein phosphorylation in two ways: 1) Insulin selectively stimulates the phosphorylation of a major peptide in adipose tissue (MW 123,000) and liver (MW 46,000) through a mechanism independent of cAMP and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Net dephosphorylation is not observed with insulin as the sole hormone. 2) Insulin antagonizes cAMP-directed protein phosphorylation. The mechanism of insulin-stimulated phosphorylation and the possible role of this phenomenon in overall insulin action is discussed.


Receptor-bound insulin as a substrate for insulin degradation in adipocytes.

Isolated rat adipocytes were incubated with 125I-labeled insulin (about 100 pmoles/liter) at 37 degrees C, pH 7.4, and the label associated with the cells was measured by a modified oil-flotation method. The binding of tracer alone was at least 10 times higher than the binding in the presence of insulin (1 mumole/liter.) Under conditions with low rates of insulin degradation (4% per hour or less) the amount of label associated with the cells was constant from 40--180 min and about 80% of the label was extracted (acetic acid 3 moles/liter, urea 6 moles/liter) as iodoinsulin as judged by gel filtration followed by titration with antiinsulin antibody. The remaining 20% coeluted with iodotyrosine. At steady state about half of the label dissociated from the cells as iodoinsulin and about half as iodotyrosine, as judged by gel filtration and paper chromatography in two solvent systems. The degradation of receptor-bound insulin was independent of the receptor occupancy. "Nonspecifically" bound labeled insulin (ie, in the presence of unlabeled insulin 1 mumole/liter) was not degraded. It is concluded that receptor-bound insulin is a substrate for degradation in adipocytes and about half of the molecules are degraded at 37 degrees, pH 7.4. The only identified labeled degradation product is iodotyrosine and the pool size within the cell seems to be about 20%.


Relaxin: an insulin-related growth factor.

Relaxin is an ovarian peptide that is released just prior to parturition to effect changes in the tissues of the birth canal that aid in the delivery of the fetus. Structural studies established that the two constituent polypeptide chains, composed of 22 and 30 amino acids, are joined by two interchain disulfide bonds with an additional third intrachain bridge. As well as the identical pattern of disulfide bonds, relaxin shows an overall 25% identity with insulin. Furthermore, the sequence of relaxin can be incorporated into the known three-dimensional structure of insulin without significant distortion of the main polypeptide chain backbone. The discovery of the insulin-relatedness of relaxin brings to three the number of growth factors that share a common structural gene precursor with insulin. Nerve growth factor and insulin-like growth factor have already been so identified. Inclusion in this hormone family suggests that the mechanism of action may involve internalization as well as complexation with cell surface receptors of target cells.


Aminoglycoside renal cortical kinetics: a clue to mechanisms of nephrotoxicity.

In the presence of healthy renal tissues, aminoglycosides demonstrate important differences in quantitative renal cortical accumulation. These phenomena may correlate with clinical toxicity. Proximal tubular reabsorptive pathways appear to be of key significance in the production of high renal cortical drug concentrations. It appears that such drug transport can be blocked competitively. The presence of severe disease in renal tissues significantly influences the intrarenal distribution characteristics of antibiotics and is associated with reduced parenchymal concentration of all drugs, with the exception of doxycycline. Studies defining the intrarenal gradient characteristics of drugs provide us with a better understanding of factors of importance in appropriate antibiotic selection for the treatment of renal infections. The investigations also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of antibiotic-induced nephrotoxicity and the potential clinical management by which such nephrotoxicity can be avoided. Study of the multiple physiologic and pathophysiologic factors that influence drug concentrations within the kidney should continue to provide us with information of both therapeutic and toxicologic value.


[Dehydration effect on the fatty acid composition of lipids in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 14].

The effect of dehydration on the fatty acid composition of lipids in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae 14 cultivated on the ethanol (1.5%) containing medium in the presence or absence of glutamic acid and biotin or on molasses (2%) was studied. In spite of a relatively low drying temperature (35 degrees C), the correlation between saturated and non-saturated fatty acids may vary within 40--60 min.


Lacunar strokes.

Arterial hypertension causes the formation of small lacunes, or ischemic brain infarcts, which may result in transient ischemic attacks, hemiparesis, sensory loss, ataxic hemiparesis, or dysarthria. Usually these effects are reversible with physical therapy, but multiple lesions may lead to dementia. Prevention of lacunar disease is possible with vigorous control of hypertension.


Acute behavioral derangements without hemiplegia in cerebrovascular accidents.

In addition to regulating sensory and motor function, the human brain is also involved in the coordination of complex mental processes. In some cerebrovascular accidents, hemiplegia may be completely absent and deficits of language, behavior, and memory may dominate the clinical picture.


[Effect of fungal cellulases on enzymic activity of malt].

In order to increase malt enzymic activity, cellulases from the fungus Geotrichum candidum were used. Malt milk was processed for 1--3 hr at 40 degrees C and pH 6.0--6.5 by the fungal preparation or culture fluid filtrate used in such quantities in which there were 0.5 to 9.0 units of cellulase activity per g malt. During the process enzymic activities of malt increased significantly: dextrinating activity--by 73%, amylolytic activity--by 60--100%, saccharifying activity--by 3.4 times, and proteolytic activity--by 2 times.


Bereavement as an antecedent factor in thyrotoxicosis of childhood: four case studies with survey of possible metabolic pathways.

Various organic and psychosomatic factors have been postulated over the years as etiologic events antedating the onset of Graves' disease. In some patients psychological events have appeared to be important in the evocation of symptoms. Although examples of the latter have been described in adults for many years, there is little published on this phenomenon in children. The present study delineates findings in two boys and two girls with an age range of 8 to 14 years. Separating experiences appeared to be related to the onset or relapse of Graves' disease in these particular cases. In three of the patients the trigger event was represented by bereavement after death of a close relative; in the fourth case the boy's loss was enforced and traumatic separation from his mother figure. In all these children depression was the common response to loss. The observed relationship between the affective disturbance and Graves' disease is compatible with one or more hypothetical models. One such pathway, via depletion of brain monoamines associated with the state of depression, could cause an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with resultant suppression of immune surveillance. This could permit the formation of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI) and hence Graves' disease in genetically susceptible (HLA B-8) persons.


Hyperlipidaemia following renal transplantation. A study of the prevalence, 'natural history' and dietary treatment.

In a study of 70 renal transplant patients, the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia eight to 28 months following transplantation was found to be 59 per cent. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were normal but low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were significantly elevated compared with controls. Lipid levels, measured before and sequentially after transplantation for 22 months in 10 patients were elevated over the first six to 10 months. Thereafter the lipid values returned to normal in most patients. This change coincided with the attainment of maintenance steroid dosage (usually prednisolone 10 mg. daily; mean 12.5 mg). A diet designed to decrease cholesterol and increase polyunsaturated fat intake, resulted in a significant reduction of serum cholesterol levels but not of triglyceride values over a four week period. The results suggest that the hyperlipidaemia in the initial months after transplantation may well be related to the high dose steroid therapy during this period, and the levels of lipid return to normal once low dose maintenance therapy is attained. Lipid profiles and levels in the first eight to 12 months are variable and should not form the basis for therapy or assessment. Dietary modification alone is unlikely to be an effective form of treatment of severe hyperlipidaemia in these patients.


Acute renal failure due to bacterial pyelonephritis.

Five patients who presented with acute renal failure in association with urinary tract infection are reported. Renal function improved rapidly on antibacterial therapy and no alternative cause for acute renal failure could be identified. None had previously been known to have renal disease but three of the five had taken considerable amounts of analgesics. The unusual severity of renal functional impairment resulting from urinary tract infection in these patients is unexplained but may relate to previous analgesic abuse and/or delay in treatment. Since acute non-obstructive pyelonephritis may result in severe reversible renal failure, this diagnosis must be considered in patients presenting with acute uraemia.


[A rapid method for the isolation of Salmonellae from faeces (author's transl)].

A rapid and simple method for detecting Salmonellae in faeces was developed. It was based on the motility of Salmonellae through a semi-solid medium in a U-tube. The migration of other intestinal bacteria was retarded by means of a magnesium salt concentration. 474 stool specimens were examined for Salmonellae in parallel with the usual isolation method. A total of 39 Salmonella strains were isolated, 37 (94.9%) by means of the selective migration procedure, 26 (66.7%) when the routine method was applied. Two strains of patients in chemo-therapy were missed by the rapid method, which was moreover inefficient in detecting S. typhi, due to its slow motility. However, the rapid method is recommended in addition to conventional mediums in screening of carriers for its higher frequency of positive isolations compared with multistep procedure (+27.3%).


[Recent acquisitions concerning pathogenic enterobacteria].

A subdivision of enterobacteria is made into classic pathogens and saprophytic species which become opportunistic agents of various syndromes. After a review of the epidemiological situation in Central Italy regarding salmonellosis and shigellosis, an analysis of the E. coli types involved in the enteritis syndromes is carried out. Other topics discussed in the article are the sistemic infections by Serratia, Kelbsiella, Enterobacter and Proteus strains; moreover the causative agents of urinary tract infections are reviewed. The role played in human pathology by all the enterobacteria allows to conclude that the work of the laboratorist would be closely cooperative with one of clinician in order to evaluate correctly the etio-epidemiological significance of the microbiological findings.


[Pathogenicity of E. coli: biological aspects and problems related to laboratory diagnosis (author's transl)].

The biological properties which may contribute to the pathogenicity of E. coli are reviewed in this article. Specifically the following topics are discussed in detail: 1) adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells, 2) production of enterotoxins, 3) invasiveness of and ability to multiply within the epithelial cells, 4) insensitivity to complement lysis or inability to activate the alternative pathway of complement, 5) resistance to phagocytic killing. The various techniques which might be of potential usefulness in the clinical laboratory to test the parameters of the pathogenicity of E. coli are briefly outlined. The dissociation between the definition of pathogenicity, as established on the basis of the results of E. coli serotyping, and the criteria of pathogenicity listed above is brought to the attention of the reader. As specificity regards the toxinogenicity, what emerged from a survey of the literature, was that only one of the so called "enteropathogenic" strains of E. coli, according to the serotype classification, was found to produce an enterotoxin.


Microwave radiation: an epidemiologic assessment.

Microwave radiation is coming into increasing use in many countries; it is in use in communications, in industry, for ovens in the home and in commercial establishments and for diathermy. The power output is increasing steadily and community exposure is already a fact. East European countries claim that adverse effects can result from exposure substantially lower than levels permitted in Western countries. Also some of the effects claimed are frequent and disabling. Prolonged and cumulative exposure is especially suspect. While studies in animals are necessary, studies in man cannot be dispensed with. Extrapolation from on species of animal to another, and even more, to man, is hazardous. Moreover, epidemiologic studies are needed to uncover the potentially wide variety of subtle effects, especially mental. Fortunately, there are indices of exposure which can be used in field studies and dosimetry is reaching the point where it can be applied to field studies.


Chromosome changes and benzene exposure. A review.

Benzene exposure can induce chromosome aberrations in somatic cells (lymphocytes and bone marrow cells) of man and of experimental animals in vivo, as well as in some in vitro systems. Numerical and structural chromosome changes in bone marrow cells have been described in subjects with benzene haemopathy. Increased rates of structural chromosomal aberrations both of the "unstable" and of the "stable" type in cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes have been observed not only in subjects with chronic benzene poisoning, but also in individuals with past benzene haemopathy and in subjects with past benzene exposure without signs of poisoning; these findings persisted for years or decades after cessation of exposure. In some cases of benzene-induced leukaemias the cytogenetic pattern was variable, as it is true also for the "spontaneous" acute leukaemias. The possible implications of the finding of chromosome damage from benzene to bone marrow cells for the occurence of leukaemias are discussed. The possibilities and limitations of cytogenetic studies in the biological monitoring of subjects exposed to benzene are commented on.


[Morbidity, mortality and social class. Bibliographical review covering differents aspects of pathology, and discussion (author's transl)].

A bibliographical review of social differences in morbidity and mortality is presented. The data concerns France, Great Britain and U.S.A., only for recent years, and come from large surveys, health examinations, or morbidity or mortality registers. The social class variable may be the educational level, or a professional classification. Different aspects of mortality and morbidity are examined: cancer, cardio-vascular diseases, respiratory diseases, musculo-skeletal diseases, digestive diseases, obesity and diabetes, accidents, mental illnesses; acute and minor illnesses, and unusual illnesses, are no studied. For almost all the diseases in this review, the risk is greater in the lowest socioeconomic class.


[In vitro effectiveness of salicylic, benzoic and boric acid and diiodine thymol solutions on various strains of dermatophytes].

In order to study the in vitro behavior of the drug used according to our formula cultures of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton verrucosum, Trichophyton tonsurans, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gallinae, Microsporum audouinii, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum were prepared in order to prove its efficacy. It was found no growth in cultures to which the drug was added in different concentrations thus proving its efficacy as a fungistatic element. The inocula obtained were re-cultured in the same medium having no drug and no growth was evidenced; this would suggest its efficacy as a fungicide. This efficacy was proved for the different concentrations, that is, from the minimal coinentration (0.1 ml) up to the 1 ml concentration the drug disclosed fungicide power. The untreated controls which were recultured from the original strains grew according to their common development rhythm.


[Effect of physico-chemical factors of the soil on the Oribatid population].

Orbatid populations present in the ground of four randomly selected patches of land for calf farming underwent ecology during four months. The statistical analysis of results disclosed a highly significative decrease of the population in one out of such patches of land. The physicochemical analysis of earth samples from each patch of land permitted the explanation for the phenomenon on the basis of an increased calcium concentration in the least populated patch of land.


[Toxoplasmosis: historical summary and bibliographic review].

A chronologic description of the principal events and discoveries related to toxoplasmosis from 1908 when the causal agent was discovered up to date is performed. The main data with a parasitic interest are summarized, and the endodiogenic multiplication is explained. The cat is the definitive host for this protozoan. Its evolutive cycle in the intestinal epithelium of this domestic animal is commented. The oocyst is recognized as the main infecting form of this microorganism. The classical concepts of congenital and acquired histoplasmosis are briefly exposed. A brief comment of the ophthalmic and gyneco-obstetric complications from the disease is made. Possible relationships between toxoplasmic adenopathies and neurotic states in psychiatry are emphasized.


[Toxoplasmosis and mental diseases].

One hundred mentally handicapped patients admitted to the 10 de octubre clinical-surgical teaching hospital in the Havana city, 100 patients admitted to the day hospital of such institution and 100 normal subjects were studied. The first two groups had different psychiatric diseases. They underwent toxoplasmin tests. The percentage of reactors increased from 30% among healthy subjects to 45,9% among the those attending the day hospital and to 60% among those admitted to wards; this is statistically significative. It is concluded that the higher the severity of the psychiatric disease, the poorer the hygienic habits and the higher the contact with the parasite phocuses.


[Mycobacterium cubense. A new pigmented species of slow growth].

The isolation of an acid-fast microorganism of the genus Mycobacterium is reported. Its most relevant characteristics are the intense red color and the initial spheric shape of colonies which furtherly evolve to a peculiar division. The biochemical products from test bacteria as niacin, nitrase, lipase, phosphatase, TCH, catalase, peroxidase and a series of 11 amides as well as the tests for susceptibility against antibacillary drugs and biological tests are described. The patterns obtained permit the characterization of this species as one non previously described. The name Mycobacterium cubense, n. sp. is suggested.


[Activation of supplementary motor areas during voluntary movements in man studied by measurement of focal cerebral blood flow (author's transl)].

Focal activation in the cerebral cortex during different motility and language tests in 52 patients examined by arteriography was studied by measuring focal cerebral blood flow (fCBF) by means of an apparatus of high resolution. A sterotactic or functional approach demonstrated that the upper premotor activation previously noted in certain types of movement, corresponds to supplementary motor area (SMA). A retrospective study of 157 maps of fCBF recorded during motor or verbal behaviour, compared to 90 recordings in subjects at rest, showed that SMA is involved in most voluntary movements, either verbal or non-verbal. An analysis of the results suggests that SMA acts during the establishment of new motor programs, and in the control of pre-established automatic activities, in response to internal and external stimuli.


[Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in continental France. Retrospective study from 1968 to 1977].

During the decade 1968-1977, 170 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were found in France. The clinical features of 124 neuropathologically-verified cases are summarized and a multi-factor analysis performed to obtain the most frequent combinations of signs and symptoms. Certain exceptional features are discussed. The annual mortality rate during this period was 0.32 cases per million for the whole of France, and 0.69 cases per million for the Paris metropolitan area. Preliminary totals for 1978 suggest that these figures may possibly be doubled, with 30-40 new cases occurring annually. No temporal-spatial clustering of cases was observed, and no contact between patients could be established, except for familial cases (9% of the total). No risk factors were identified; in particular, iatrogenic surgical or neurosurgical transmission did not occur, nor was any relationship apparent between CJD in man, and scrapie in sheep or goats. These data furnish a base of comparison for prospective studies in France, with a view towards discovering the natural mode of transmission of the virus of CJD.


[Subpolar lepromatous leprosy. A histological and ultrastructural study of a case].

Leproma material from a female patient with a previous diagnosis of lepromatous leprosy underwent clinical, histopathological and electrone microscope studies. Following a year under rifampicin treatment it was found that the histic lesions corresponded to those described by Ridley (1974) within the clinical picture of regressive subpolar lepromatous leprosy. Electrone microscope studies of the cells composing the lesions were conducted; their ultrastructural appearance does not markedly differ from that reported for the polar form, but regarding the lack of acid phosphatase reaction for the giant multinucleated and vacuolated cells.


[Value of disk puncture in the diagnosis of infectious spondylodiskitis. Apropos of 48 punctures].

The authors report on their experience with discal puncture in the bacteriological diagnosis of 48 infectious spondylodiscites. This technique makes it possible to obtain a bacteriological certitude in 31 cases (65 per cent): Pott's disease (40 per cent) and 12 pyogene spondylodiscites (25 per cent), with 17 punctures remaining negative, including 5 technical failures, the needle not penetrating into the pinched disc. No incident was noted, demonstrating the harmless nature of this method. The authors insist upon the necessity of washing the disc in order to decrease the percentage of failures.