The prevalence of Encephalitozoon antibodies in dogs and an evaluation of the indirect fluorescent antibody test.

Fifteen dogs which were serologically negative to the IFA test against Encephalitozoon developed antibodies in their sera following experimental infection. Six other dogs which were not tested prior to infection had titres to Encephalitozoon after experimental infection. In a sequential study in four dogs, antibodies first appeared between 32 and 39 days after infection. These results show that the IFA test would be suitable for epidemiological studies. Fifty serum samples collected from two kennels in which encephalitozoonosis had been confirmed showed an IFA test positive prevalence rate of 70%. In 220 serum samples submitted for various clinial pathological examinations the prevalence rate of antibodies to Ebcephalitozoon was 18%.


Effect of sodium azide on the ultrastructural preservation of tissues.

An electron microscopic study was carried out to examine the quality of ultrastructural preservation of parenchymatous and mesenchymatous tissues and isolated cells fixed in glutaraldehyde with sodium azide (NaN3) as an additive. The dense tissues fixed with conventional glutaraldehyde containing calcium chloride demonstrated only a narrow zone of good tissue preservation on the surface of the specimens. Addition of azide at a concentration of 0.1% greatly improved the cellular preservation in the deeper region of tissues, in particular with respect to the mitochondrial morphology. There was no adverse effect on other cell organelles. The improvement in mitochondrial preservation and the enhancement of penetration of the fixative is presumably due to selective and instantaneous inhibition of mitochondrial metabolic activity by the azide, thus retarding anoxic degenerative effects on cellular structures until permanent fixation is completed by the comparatively slow-acting aldehyde. However, the addition of azide offers no significant improvement in the ultrastructural preservation of isolated lymphocytes and liver cells, or fibroblasts maintained in culture.


Electron micropscopic appearances of rapidly frozen lung.

Analysis of pulmonary structure-function relationships by microscopy requires that the lung be fixed under carefully controlled physiological conditions, since lung structure is extremely responsive to the relationship between airway and vascular pressures. Unfortunately, standard post-mortem fixation techniques leave some doubt as to the exact relationship between these pressures during fixation. This problem can be circumvented by stabilizing lung structure by rapid freezing under carefully controlled physiologic conditions. Using ethylene glycol in a freeze substitution technique we have developed procedures which yield a degree of preservation compatible with the high degree of resolution of the electron microscope. These can be used to obtain a more detailed understanding of pulmonary structure-function relationships under well-defined physiological conditions.


Irradiation effects in the electron microprobe quantitation of mineralized tissues.

The accuracy of absolute quantitation within thick, mineralized tissue specimens is influenced by count rate variations of characteristic X-rays during electron microprobe analysis. The variations occur for electron doses approximately greater than 10(-10) C/micrometer2 and are primarily dependent upon the light element fraction within the irradiated volume. Specimen preparation procedures affect both count rate dynamics and interpretatin of microanalytical results. X-ray intensity data acquird at initial electron exposure and utilized in standard matrix correction schemes will project valid elemental concentrations for known calcium compounds over wide ranges of specimen density. Measurement error could approach +/- 2-3% for the major elemental constituents in mineralized tissues, but only with appropriate control or interpretation of electron irradiation phenomena.


Apparent holes in rotary shadowed proteins: dependence on angle of shadowing and replica thickness.

The influence of experimental conditions during rotary shadowing on the apparent particle size and the production of apparent holes or channels in the centre of a solid spherical particle are illustrated using ferritin.


[Multiple clear cell acanthoma in a patient with psoriasis. Treatment with 5-fluorouracil].

Clear cell acanthoma (CCA) is a benign skin tumour, seldom multiple, perfectly individualized both clinically and histologically. The tumour is more usually mistaken for a seborrheic keratosis. There are large amounts of glycogen within the epidermal cells as can see upon staining with the PAS reaction. Melanogenesis is decreased. The enzymes characteristic of eccrine sweat glands are also decreased. The authors report a 67 years old psoriatic female with 15 C.C.A. They emphasize the treatment with topic 5FU particularly interesting in the multiple forms.


[Dermatozooiasis in a large tropical country (nomenclature--practical approach) dermatozoiases (dermatozooparasitosis)].

The author presents an extensive study of the "Dermatozooparasitoses" derived from his own personal experience and intends in this paper, to give practical directions in its therapeutics. Moreoever, he attempts to establish a nomenclature in a tropical and continental country like Brazil.


[Clinical and dermatological aspects of advanced breast cancer. Its relation with therapy and prognosis].

Seventy patients with locally progressive and/or recurrent mammary cancer or with metastatic lesions located on the area of the surgical procedure were evaluated. Several clinical parameters related to the natural history of the disease were outlined. Some of them kept a close link with the therapeutical results. A dermatological classification of the local recurrencies was made based on the clinical aspects. The improvement of the local recurrencies was classified as total or partial according to the response to the treatment. The association of chemotherapy, anabolic drugs and corticosteroids was the uniform treatment for all the cutaneous lesions. Some of these patients achieve a good therapeutical result. These were the patients with a free interval of more than two years and those with bilateral cancer who have had surgical excision. The other group formed by patients where adrenalectomy was performed or with local recurrencies before the two years period has developed a shorter survival time than the first group. The combined of chemotherapy and hormone treatment is useful in dealing with local recurrent or metastatic skin lesions of mammary cancer.


[Polymorphous light eruption: aspects of special interest].

The authors make the revision of all the characteristic aspects of various clinical pictures which they consider to belong to the group of the Polimorphous Light Eruption. In this revision they include epidemiological, clinical, histopathological, differential diagnosis, pathogenical and terapeutical data.


[Experience in the anatomopathological diagnosis of cutaneous melanomas].

The morphologic findings that allow the classification of human cutaneous malignant melanomas are presented. Their frequency, intensity and value in our series are discussed. The diagnosis of any kind of melanoma depends on multiple morphologic findings, Few of them have an absolute value. Morphologic findings with prognostic significance and the difficulties in the diagnosis of malignancy of cutaneous lesions and lymph nodes are also reviewed. The assessment of dermal invasion depends on anatomical and technical problems. Errors in tissue processing are stressed.


Hormone therapy and affect.

This study investigated the influence of hormone therapy on affect in a double blind crossover trail. The sample consisted of 49 women who had previously undergone hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. Therapy consisted of 3 mth each of ethynyl oestradiol-50 micron/day, levonorgestrel-250 micron/day, "Nordial"-a combination of these two substances, and placebo. Affect was measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, verbal reports by women and self-ratings on visual analogue scales. Ethinyl oestradiol was found to have a beneficial influence on aspects of affect such as Hamilton scores, anxiety irritability and insomnia. The influence of hormones on Hamilton scores could be partly but not fully explained by the alleviation of hot flushes. Norgestrel showed less favourable changes initially but these tended to diminish by the third therapy month. Most of the women studied were not clinically depressed. Anxiety symptoms were the major features exhibited in the group of women investigated. The results of this study suggest that visual analogue rating scales are of questionable validity in assessing affect in patients without any appreciable psychiatric morbidity.


Bone loss during oestriol therapy in postmenopausal women.

In contrast to all other oestrogens examined thus far oestriol hemisuccinate (12 mg/day) did not prevent bone loss in 28 postmenopausal women. The average bone loss, however, was somewhat less than expected from placebo studies, while the bone loss achieved by a group taking 4-6 mg/day was equal to that achieved by previous placebo groups. To be an effective agent for prevention of post-menopausal osteoporosis oestriol would have to be prescribed in daily doses considerably in excess of 12 mg.


Protoplasts from Aspergillus nidulans.

A very effective lytic enzyme system for massive micro/macro-scale production of protoplasts from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans is described. A striking coincidence was observed between maximal lytic activity towards Aspergillus mycelium and the presece of both chitinase and alpha-(1 leads to 3)-glucanase activities. The release of protoplasts was greatly enhanced by preincubating the mycelium with 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Furthermore, protoplast formation was influenced by fungal age, culture conditions, pH of incubation and the osmotic stabilizer used. From 40 mg of fresh mycelium, grown for 14--16 h on 1% glucose in a low phosphate-citrate medium, preincubated with 2-deoxy-D-glucose for 45 min, and then incubated with the lytic enzyme mixture at pH 6.5 in the presence of 0.3--0.4 M (NH4) SO4, 2.5 x 10(8) stable protoplasts were produced within 3 h of incubation at 30 degrees C. Comparable results were obtained with 40--50 g of mycelium. At low osmotic stabilizer concentrations a peculiar type of regeneration was observed in the presence of the lytic enzyme system; within 12 h of incubation aberrant hyphal structure emerged from the large vacuolated protoplasts.


Mercurial toxicity in yeast: glucose uptake, glycolytic and fermentative functions remain unimpaired.

Yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were placed in association with sufficient concentrations of culture mercurials (as HgCl2) to arrest their uptake of culture dissolved O2. They were subsequently employed as substrates to test the status of membrane glucose transport mechanisms, the glycolytic-metabolic pathway, and the fermentative capabilities of mercury-stressed cells. It was discovered that these cells retain their glucose uptake capabilities as evidenced by their depletion of glucose in suspension fluids to levels similar to those of control cell suspensions, and that these cells could produce amounts of CO2 and ethanol which were similar to control cell productions. These data provide evidence that mercurial toxicity is not the result of an overall disruptive effect of cellular reactions or membrane functions but results from a specific lesion or lesions within the catabolic metabolism pathway inhibiting that normally occur after glycolysis.


[Controlled clinical trial of a new antibiotic "CM 9164" (Midecacin) in dental and stomatological practice].

The action of a new antibiotic identified as CM 9164 ("Midecamycin") and provisionally called "Midecacin", has been experimented on patients admitted for dental conditions. The research was carried out on an open basis and erythromycin was used as a comparison. After a short review of the chemicophysical properties and toxicological and pharmacological features of Midecamycin, the purpose, materials and methods of the research, which was done on two groups of patients, are presented. The results demonstrated the therapeutics usefulness of the new antibiotic as its activity is certainly on a par if not greater than that of erythromycin whether considered "historically" or from the viewpoint of the comparison group. The tolerance of the antibiotic was clinically better than that of the other substances. The doses used were much lower than those required with erythromycin. On the basis of these results, the use of Midecamycin is therefore recommended in the treatment of Gram-positive infections in the dental field.


[Double-blind analysis of the possibilities of the use of trazodone in sedation of ambulatory dental patients].

The sedative properties of trazodone were the object of a double blind study in dental out-patients, comparison being made with diazepam. It was observed that oral trazodone possesses considerable tranquillizing activity. It has no side-effects either after intake or during return home. The use of capsules containing 50 mg of trazodone is recommended. At this dose, sympathetic hyperactivity is also inhibited. Diazepam doses of 15 mg lead to mental sedation and inhibition of symptoms due to sympathetic hyperactivity but, unlike trazodone, diazepam possesses hypnotic acitivity and side-effects that make its use dangerous in patients who cannot be taken home by somebody else, or who have to drive a car.


The stereochemical course of amino acid activation by methionyl- and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetases.

Stereochemical analysis has long been recognised as a powerful tool for elucidating the mechanisms of chemical and enzyme-catalysed reactions. Although much is known about the stereochemical course of reactions at saturated carbon, phosphate and thiophosphate esters whose ligands to phosphorus are also tetrahedrally disposed, are capable in principle of revealing sterochemical information about events at the active site of enzymes that transform such substrates. Nucleotidyl transferases are a group of enzymes which in general selectively use one of the diastereoisomers of a nucleoside 5'(1-thiotriphosphate), such as isomers A and B of adenosine 5'(1-thiotriphosphate), designated ATP alpha S-A and ATP alpha S-B, and allow investigation of the stereochemical course of nucleotidyl transfer. We have developed a simple method based on 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for determining the stereochemical course of these reactions, and using this method show here that the nucleotidyl transfer step in two aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from Escherichia coli occurs with inversion of configuration at phosphorus. These observations greatly constrain the mechanistic possibilities for these enzymes, and are interpreted most simply as a direct 'in line' transfer from ATP to the amino acid.


Nucleotide sequence of the hepatitis B virus genome (subtype ayw) cloned in E. coli.

The complete nucleotide sequence of hepatitis B virus genome (subtype ayw) cloned in Escherichia coli has been determined using the Maxam and Gilbert method and the dideoxynucleotide method. This sequence is 3,182 nucleotides long. Location of the nonsense codons shows that the coding capacity of the L chain is larger than the coding capacity of the S chain. Eight open regions, able to code for polypeptide chains larger than 100 amino acids, have been located. Region 6, which is the largest, covers more than 80% of the genome. The gene S which codes for polypeptide I of the Hbs Ag and was previously located between coordinates 95.1 and 73.6 is contained in region 7.


Hepatitis B virus genes and their expression in E. coli.

A composite DNA sequence of regions of hepatitis B virus, determined from a series of recombinant plasmids, reveals the genes for the surface antigen and the core antigen of the virus. The sequence of the core antigen shows it to be a DNA binding protein. The core antigen gene is expressed in Escherichia coli and when injected into rabbits the bacterial product induces antibodies which react with core antigen isolated from human sources.


Insulin binds to brain blood vessels in vivo.

The brain has generally been considered an insulin-independent organ, because insulin does not apparently exert a direct effect on brain glucose consumption. Recently, however, insulin receptors have been detected throughout the central nervous system (CNS) of several species. Since important insights into the functional significance of brain insulin receptors might be provided by identification of the cell type(s) possessing these receptors, we have attempted to localise them morphologically using light and electron microscope autoradiography. We report here results indicating that blood vessels throughout the CNS of the rat bind plasma insulin rapidly and with considerable specificity.


Species specificity of the immediate hypersensitivity to schistosomal proteolytic enzyme.

An acidic proteolytic enzyme which digests host haemoglobin can be isolated and purified from schistosomes. This small glycoprotein is an allergen which sensitizes the host, as shown by immediate hypersensitivity reactions. These are specific for either Schistosoma haematobium or S. mansoni and can be demonstrated by mast cell degranulation in mice or by intradermal skin tests in monkeys. Although high levels of total IgE may be found in acute and chronic schistosomiasis, there was no evident relationship between the worm burden in monkeys and immediate hypersensitivity reactions to either purified enzyme or crude schistosomal extracts. It is suggested that an in vivo correlation between worm burden and manifestations of the allergic response may be perturbed by high titres of non-specific IgE or other homocytotropic antibodies, thus accounting for false negative skin test reactions. Alternatively, a return to low or subnormal IgE levels may allow the restoration of the allergic response, giving rise to false positive reactions. Purified schistosomal antigens offer certain advantages over crude skin test preparations in terms of uniformity of antigen content, dosage and specificity. In addition, the enzyme may represent a species-specific tool for new immunochemical analyses of schistosomiasis.


The relevance to protection of three forms of delayed skin-test response evoked by m. leprae and other mycobacteria in mice. Correlation with the classical work in the guinea-pig.

The controversy surrounding the protective role of 'delayed hypersensitivity' in tuberculous guinea-pigs has never been resolved. This controversy has arisen because the term 'delayed hypersensitivity' is used indiscriminately to describe both a type of necrotic skin-test reactivity which does not appear until 4-6 weeks after infection, and also non-necrotic reactions which can be elicited within a few days. Responses closely analogous to both have been characterized in mice immunized with mycobacteria. Simple criteria are described which allow these responses to be distinguished from one another, and from the Jones-Mote phenomenon. The relevance of each type to protection, susceptibility and immunopathology in leprosy, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and listeriosis is discussed.


Immunosuppression in murine malaria. IV. The secondary response to bovine serum albumin.

The anamnestic antibody response of CBA mice to bovine serum albumin was characterized by a rapid production of high-avidity antibody. After 3 weeks both the total amount of antibody and its avidity declined but still remained above those seen in the primary response for at least 6 weeks. The effects of acute Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium yoelii yoelii infections upon the induction and the expression of this anamnestic response were studied. Mice infected with these malaria parasites responded poorly to primary immunization and the immunological memory generated was quantitatively subnormal. In addition, presence of the infection during a period between approximately the second and third weeks of the primary response prejudiced the development of high-avidity memory. Optimally primed mice, challenged during a subsequent acute infection, responded well initially, but were unable to maintain the secondary response at a normal level in terms of both quantity and avidity of the antibody. However, if challenge was delayed until after recovery from the infection, a normal secondary response ensued. Antibody concentrations in the sera of primed animals declined rapidly during infection. This was at least partly due to increased catabolism.


Adoptive transfer of immunity and suppression by cells and serum in early Mycobacterium lepraemurium infections of mice.

The ability of lymphocytes and serum from mice infected with 10(7) Mycobacterium lepraemurium to adoptively transfer resistance to irradiated (600 rad 60 cobalt) syngeneic mice was studied. Two strains of mice were used: BALB/c mice, which are highly susceptible to moderate cutaneous infections with M. lepraemurium, and C57Bl mice, which are comparatively resistant. In both strains of mice recipients of nylon wool non-adherent spleen cells, and thus T lymphocyte recipients, demonstrated increased resistance to subcutaneous infection with 10(7) M. lepraemurium. Significantly increased susceptibility to infection was noted in the BALB/c recipients of nylon wool adherent spleen cells or serum. No suppressor activity could be demonstrated in the resistant C57Bl strain.


Antibody responses in mice protected against malaria by vaccination.

Mice were vaccinated against lethal P. yoelii or P. berghei malaria and their immunofluorescent anti-parasite antibody levels followed after infection with live homologous parasites. There was a good correlation between antibody titres (especially IgG) and protection, under various experimental conditions, including: different doses of vaccine, different strains of mice, and increase or decrease of macrophage function. When antiserum was passively transferred to normal recipients, protection against challenge also correlated with antibody titre, though even with high titres only a small number of parasites could be completely eliminated. P. berghei was much more difficult to protect against than P. yoelii, despite similar antibody responses. We conclude that antibody is important in the protective effect of vaccination, but that other properties of both the host and the parasite influence its effectiveness.


Membrane fractions of trypanosomes mimic the immunosuppressive and mitogenic effects of living parasites on the host.

African trypanosomiasis in mice leads to profound changes in lymphoid tissues. In an attempt to define the nature of the trypanosome stimulus, we have studied the effect of radio-attenuated trypanosomes and their subcellular fractions in vivo. We find that relatively low doses of irradiated Trypanosoma brucei S42 injected into (CBA/H x C57B1/6)F1 mice mimicked the previously reported effects of infective parasites. 2 x 10(7) irradiated trypanosomes caused a greater than two-fold increase in spleen weight accompanied by a roughly 10-fold increase in background plaque forming cells (PFC) to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The primary response to SRBC was significantly enhanced when priming was carried out on the day of trypanosome injection, but significantly suppressed when carried out 3 days later. Disruption of trypanosomes by freeze-thawing did not destroy their mitogenic or immunosuppressive activities. A membrane fraction collected by high speed centrifugation (150 000 x g) after removal of larger organelles at 12 000 x g retained both mitogenic and suppressive activities. The high speed supernatant lost the ability to enhance background PFC, but still caused partial immunosuppression with a much lower potency than the membrane pellet. Whether immunosuppression and enhanced PFC levels relate to the same parasite product is not clear as yet, but both effects can be ascribed to a membrane fraction of the parasite.


Modulation by malaria infection of the induction of T lymphocyte-dependent delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody formation to sheep erythrocytes in mice.

A profound alteration of the inductive phase of delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody formation to SRBC was found in malaria infected mice when sensitization with this antigen was performed intravenously at a critical time of the disease, but not after subcutaneous immunization, suggesting a major role for the spleen in the mechanism of immunodepression.


Phagosome/lysosome fusion: a possible prerequisite for the enhancement of antibody responses in vitro by BCG, Mycobacterium leprae and Corynebacterium parvum.

Primary in vitro antibody responses to SRBC were suppressed in cultures prepared from the spleens of CBA mice injected i.v. 20 days previously with 10(8) liver BCG. In contrast, cultures prepared from mice injected with dead BCG showed enhanced responses. In vitro spleen cell responses of the mice had returned to normal levels 4--6 weeks after their injection, but if dead BCG, M. leprae or C. parvum was added to the cultures, responses were enhanced. The enhancing effect of the added bacteria could be removed by adding also suramin, a drug known to inhibit in vitro fusion of lysosomes with phagosomes. It is suggested that the different in vivo effects of live and dead BCG may relate to differences in their handling by macrophages and more especially that the enhanced antibody forming cell response seen in the restimulated cultures of spleen cells from BCG primed mice, depends upon efficient intracellular fusion of lysosomes with the phagosomes containing the added dead bacteria.


[Threedimensional reconstruction of odontogenic cysts and their relationship to teeth and bone (author's transl)].

This study reports on the first time three-dimensional presentation of odontogenic cysts demonstrated by means of a simple histological method. Histological sections of biopsy material having been embedded in paraffin were projected on cardboard. After the projections had been cut out, the single parts were arranged in a way to form a three-dimensional model. Radicular cysts are monolocular and exhibit a smooth surface. The individual cyst is surrounded unilaterally by epithelial cell remnants of Malassez opposite to the adhering tooth. The bone shows a reactive-inflammatory transformation. Keratocysts occur in connection with the Gorlin-Goltz-syndrome and reveal a primary multiple structure. Smaller cysts have a round and smooth appearance, whereas the larger ones show an irregular surface. Satellite cysts of various sizes which develop in the adjacent areas are connected with the primary cyst. We are therefore dealing with two different types of cysts: with monolocular cysts which show a complex network and are connected with satellite cysts on the one hand, and, on the other, with additional multiple cast systems including monolocular and multilocular cysts of various sizes. The surrounding bone shows the characteristics of compression atrophy rather than signs of an inflammation.


The association of the temperature-sensitive phenotype with viral attenuation in animals and humans: implications for the development and use of live virus vaccines.

Viruses that possess temperature-sensitive mutations are consistently attenuated in vivo compared with the wild-type parental strains. Such temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants are currently used in several live attenuated virus vaccines and have been proposed for use against several additional viral diseases, including influenza. This paper reviews the following: (1) the evidence that the ts mutation itself is responsible for attenuation; (2) experimental infection of animals and humans with ts mutant viruses; (3) the experience of humans with naturally occurring ts mutants; and (4) the rationale for the use of ts mutants in live virus vaccines. In addition, the potential of ts mutants to produce altered patterns of disease is considered. After the known and potential benefits and possible risks involved in the use of ts mutant viruses are weighed, the continuing use and development of vaccines using live attenuated ts virus seems warranted.


Antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis.

C. difficile was originally described in 1935 but was of minimal clinical interest until recently, when studies showed it to be the cause of antibiotic-associated PMC. Intestinal complications caused by C. difficile appear almost exclusively in conjunction with exposure to antibiotics. Evidence that supports the etiologic role of this organism in antibiotic-associated PMC comes from both bacteriological studies and tissue culture assays. Tissue culture assays have been used to demonstrate that the stool supernate from nearly all patients with anatomically confirmed PMC contains a cytotoxin that is neutralized with Clostridium sordellii antitoxin. The cytotoxin has rarely been found in persons without gastro-intestinal complications related to antibiotic usage. Cultures of stool from patients with anti-biotic-associated PMC usually yield C. difficile, which is encountered only infrequently in the fecal flora of healthy persons. Strains of C. difficile have been shown to cause a similar disease in experimental animals administered antibiotics or intracecal injections of broth cultures of C. difficile. According to the antitoxin neutralization tests and biochemical purification studies done to date, C. difficile is the only organism that produces a cytotoxin similar or identical to the cytotoxin encountered in stools of patients with PMC. The toxin is a high-molecular-weight protein that appears to cause changes in the permeability of cells in tissue culture. However, the mechanism of its action on intestinal mucosa and the cause of its production with antibiotic exposure in clinical settings have not been well defined.


Hemorrhagic fevers, with special reference to recent outbreaks in southern Africa.

In considering the diagnosis of a patient admitted to the Johannesburg Hospital, suffering from an illness characterized by high fever and complicated by a hemorrhagic state from which he died, a list of possible causes of his illness was drawn up. This list included the arthropodborne viral infections prevalent in southern Africa, namely, chikungunya fever, Sindbis fever, West Nile fever, yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever; viral infections associated with rodents, such as Lassa fever; the viral infection associated with monkeys, Marburg virus disease; the rickettsial infections; tick-bite fever (the variety of spotted fever of tick typhus occurring in southern Africa) and Q fever; the bacterial infections, especially the coccal infections, plague septicemia, and meningococcal, staphylococcal, and streptococcal septicemia; and the blood protozoal infections malaria and trypanosomiasis. In addition, rubella, Gasser's syndrome, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, and viperine snakebite were briefly described in this review. All of these conditions may be complicated by the development of a hemorrhagic state. The circulation of large numbers of infecting organisms, by they viruses, rickettsiae, bacteria, or protozoa, may initiate the coagulation cascade, the formation of fibrin and its deposition in the finer blood vessels, and the aggregation and entanglement of platelets resulting in marked thrombocytopenia and bleeding. This bleeding tendency is greatly aggravated when the infection specifically involves the parenchymal cells of the liver; such a condition results in defective formation of coagulation factors such as prothrombin. The proper care of patients in whom a hemorrhagic state has developed requires urgent and accurate diagnosis followed by immediate and appropriate treatment that will combat the infection and alleviate the hemorrhagic state and liver disorder. If the hemorrhagic state is due to one of the dangerous infectious fevers, adequate protection of the medical, nursing, and laboratory staff concerned is also vital.


The sudden infant death syndrome and infant botulism.

Fecal and serum specimens taken from 30 cases of sudden infant death and from eight cases of nonsudden infant death that were diagnosed at a single facility in King County, Wash., were examined for the presence of Clostridium botulinum organisms and toxin. Organisms, but not toxin, were recovered from a fecal specimen in one case of sudden infant death, results that parallel those from studies previously reported by investigators in California. Studies made in our laboratory of a nonfatal case of infant botulism revealed that an estimated 366,000 mouse minimal lethal doses of toxin were excreted in feces collected by purging the infant. Organisms and toxin were excreted for at least 15 days after the infant was hospitalized. Observations made in our laboratory of atypical responses in mice to both fecal and serum extracts, coupled with recently described experiments in which mice were used as an animal model for infant botulism in humans, provide a biologically plausible foundation for the hypothesis that C. botulinum may be implicated etiologically in some sudden infant deaths. Additional microbiologic, physiologic, and toxicologic data are needed to adequately test this hypothesis.


Clostridium botulinum: characteristics and occurrence.

Clostridium botulinum is not a well-defined species of bacterium. Instead, it is a conglomerate of four culturally distinct groups of organisms that, among them, produce seven serologically distinct toxins, all with similar pharmacological action. The principal habitat of C. botulinum is the soil, although its distribution in the soil is sometimes highly regional. Infant botulism is caused by two types of C. botulinum: type A and the proteolytic strains of type B. Type A strains, to whose toxin humans seem most susceptible, are found most frequently in the soil of the western United States; type B strains are somewhat more universally distributed, with a higher frequency of isolation from the soil of some Appalachian areas. The frequency of occurrence of type A and type B food-borne botulism parallels the distribution of these types in the soil.


Laboratory aspects of infant botulism in California.

Infant botulism is the newly recognized form of the disease in which illness results from the production of toxin in the infant's intestines. Between the recognition of infant botulism as a distinct clinical entity in 1976 and the end of 1978, 50 cases were identified in California. The diagnosis of botulism was established by the identification of botulinal toxin in and the isolation of Clostridium botulinum from stool specimens of the affected infants. Thirty cases were type A and 20 were type B. Fecal excretion of toxin and organisms was monitored during hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital. Stools from family members and from 160 age-matched control infants did not contain botulinal toxin. A total of 396 food and drug samples, as well as 159 environmental and miscellaneous items, were examined. None of the foods or drugs tested contained preformed toxin. However, C. botulinum organisms were isolated from the nine samples of honey, five of soil, and one of vacuum cleaner dust.


Absorption of botulinal toxin from the gastrointestinal tract.

Oral toxicity of botulinal toxin is manifested when the toxin is absorbed from one or more anatomic regions of the intestinal tract and reaches target neurons. Toxin is absorbed primarily in the small intestine, although in infants the large intestine may be a site of absorption. Nanogram amounts of toxin that escape proteolytic digestion in the intestine may be sufficient to produce neurologic symptoms. It is estimated that approximately 10(11) molecules of toxin reaching peripheral nerve endings is sufficient to cause clinical botulism in adults, although the amount required to cause infant botulism is probably less. Absorption of toxin from the intestine is achieved by means of an endocytic mechanism, as is the absorption of nutritional proteins. Specific toxin receptors may be involved in the movement of toxin from the gastro-intestinal epithelium to target neurons across cellular barriers.


The intestinal flora and infant botulism.

The intestinal flora of experimental animals interferes with infection by species of Salmonella and Shigella. Protection against infection with these organisms appears to be related to high concentrations of volatile acids, low pH, and low oxidation-reduction potential of the intestinal contents of animals with an intact flora. There are no data to show that the flora influences colonization of the intestine with clostridial species, but indirect evidence suggests that the intestinal flora may be involved in this process. The impact of the intestinal flora on the ecology of the large intestine may be the most important determinant of resistance to infant botulism.


Animal models for the study of infant botulism.

Intestinal infection with Clostridium botulinum was produced by intragastric administration of C. botulinum spores in conventionally reared mice seven to 13 days old but not in younger or older mice. The 50% infective dose of one of the culture strains administered was 170 spores per nine-day-old mouse. Overt botulism did not develop in these animals, but infection with C. botulinum was evidenced by the presence of botulinal toxin in the colon for up to seven days after challenge. Infant mice were at least as sensitive to the lethal action of botulinal toxin as were adult mice, and evidence suggests that infant rats may have a similar age-related susceptibility to enteric botulinal infection. Germfree adult mice were very susceptible to infection with C. botulinum, acquiring intestinally infective doses of airborne spores. Within a few days after exposure to normal mice, the axenic mice became resistant to challenge with 10(5) C. botulinum spores.


Human-derived immune globulins for the treatment of botulism.

The need for a human-derived immune globulin to replace the equine antitoxins currently used in the treatment of botulism is well recognized. A small group of individuals who had received multiple immunizations with pentavalent botulinal toxoid were plasmapheresed for the purpose of collecting a botulism-immune plasma of human origin to be fractionated for the production of immune globulin. Human-derived immune globulin will offer the advantage over equine antitoxins of not inducing reactions to foreign protein and of having a prolonged effective half-life.


Food and environmental aspects of infant botulism in California.

In an effort to identify vehicles by which Clostridium botulinum spores might have reached the intestine of patients with infant botulism, 555 samples of foods, drugs, and environmental specimens were examined. Of the food items, C. botulinum was only found in nine of 90 (10%) honey specimens. Five patients had been exposed to honey that contained C. botulinum, and ingestion of honey was found to be a significant risk factor for type B infant botulism (P = 0.005). In addition, C. botulinum was isolated from five samples of soil (three from case homes, two from control homes) and from vacuum cleaner dust from one case home. In every instance in which C. botulinum was isolated from a specimen of honey, soil, or duct associated with a case of infant botulism, the type of toxin (A or B) in the honey, soil, or dust isolate matched the type of toxin of the organism recovered from the infant. Isolation of C. botulinum from the soil of homes of control infants emphasizes the ubiquitous distribution of and exposure to this organism and suggests that host factors are important in the development of illness. Prevention of infant botulism will depend on the identification of these host factors, as well as on the identification of other vehicles that, like honey, may convey C. botulinum spores to susceptible infants.


Antibodies to streptococcal carbohydrate: substitutes for the myeloma proteins.

Antibodies to streptococcal carbohydrates have been employed in a number of ways as substitutes for the myeloma proteins in studies of the structures of antibody molecules and the development of the immune response. This review concentrates on the chemical nature of the streptococcal polysaccharides and on structural studies of the variable regions of the light chains of rabbit anitbodies to the group A-variant polysaccharide produced by hyperimmunization. The chemistry of the group A-variant polysaccharide has now been clarified, and this information has explained the frequently reported difficulty in the preparation of precipitating antisera to this antigen. The group A-variant vaccine is a potent antigen, but the bulk of the antibody is nonprecipitating because it is directed against the noreducing terminal sugar of the nonbranched rhamnose polymer. Chemical studies of the light chains of homogeneous rabbit antibodies reveal two hypervariable regions and a J sequence that joins the variable region to the constant region. Although the precise topographic highlights of the antigen-binding site hae yet to be determined, these structural studies have extended our knowledge of the structure and diversity of antibody molecules.


Modes of action of enterotoxins from Vibrio cholerae and EScherichia coli.

Current information on the intestinal secretory mechanism and on the actions of the enterotoxins from Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli are reviewed. These enterotoxins, through their effects on the metabolism of cyclic nucleotides, both inhibit active absorption and stimulate active secretion of water and electrolytes in the small intestine. the enterotoxin of V. chol erae and the heat-labile enterotoxin of E. coli affect these activities by stimulating adenylate cyclase, and the heat-stable enterotoxin of E. coli does so by stimulating guanylate cyclase.


An evaluation of pertussis vaccine.

Infant mortality from pertussis in the United States was 4.5 deaths/1,000 in 1900 but decreased to 0.003 deaths/1,000 by 1974. The attribution of this decrease in mortality to the widespread use of pertussis vaccine, which began in the 1940s, has been questioned because death rates from pertussis in infants steadily declined by 70% between 1900-1904 and 1935-1939. Thes doubts are compounded by the uncertain frequency and significance of untoward reactions to the vaccine. An attempt was made to clarify this issue by statistical analysis. Because most deaths from pertussis occur in the young, death rates were determined for consecutive five-year periods from 1900 through 1974 among children younger than one year of age (infants) and among those from one to four years of age. there was an accelerated decline in mortality beginning in 1940, especially among infants (P < 0.01 vs. mortality in 1930-1939). On the basis of the rate of decline before 1940, 4,000-8,000 deaths from pertussis would be expected to hve occurred in 1970-1974; however, only 52 such deaths occurred. It is unlikely that factors other than pertussis vaccine caused this decline in mortality. Therefore, the vaccine's benefit-risk ratio probably is high.


Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis following pyoderma.

Studies of the epidemiology of acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) following pyoderma reported over the past 15 years have been reviewed. Investigations in Alabama, at Red Lake in Minnesota, and in Trinidad proved of special interest because they contribute new information concerning the natural history of streptococcal skin infections and the role of such infections in AGN. Interesting contrasts between streptococcal infections of the skin and those of the throat are now apparent. Compared with pharyngeal infections, skin infections are more common in young preschool children, are caused by different serotypes, and differ in the nature of the streptococcal antibody response. A number of new M-serotypes of group A streptococci, including several of importance in AGN, were found in studies of pyoderma. In contrast to M-types 1 and 12 (those of major importance in AGN followng pharyngitis), M-types 2, 49, 55, 57, and 60 are now recognized to be of major importance in AGN following pyoderma. Although streptococcal skin infections are quire important in AGN, they do not result in acute rheumatic fever.


Hemolytic activity of plasma and urine from rabbits experimentally infected with Legionella pneumophila.

Rabbits were infected with Legionella pneumophila by intravenous administration of allantoic fluid from eggs infected with this organism. Heated plasma from animals with severe illness caused by L. pneumophila lysed erythrocytes from guinea pigs in a radial hemolysis assay. Plasma from control rabbits did not lyse guinea pig erythrocytes in parallel assays. Urine from two of the infected animals also showed hemolytic activity. Attempts to induce illness in rabbits by intranasal administration of L. pneumohpila were less successful. Allantoic fluid from embrynated hen eggs developed hemolytic activity when maintained eithr in vitro at room temperature or in eggs whose embryos were killed by refrigeration. Hemolytic activity in filtrates of allantoic fluid from eggs infected with L. pneumophila, as previously reported, may not be due to the presence of bacterial hemolysins in the fluid.


Comparison of sevral wild-type influenza viruses in the ferret tracheal organ culture system.

Several strains of wild-type influenza A virus were studied in the ferret tracheal organ culture system. Ciliary activity and viral replication were measured. Ciliary activity was reduced more rapidly by A/Hong Kong/45/68 (H3N2) (A/HK) and A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) (A/Vic) than by A/New Jersey/8/76 (Hsw1N1) (A/NJ), A/Scotland/840/74(3HN2) (A/Scot), or A/USSR/90/77 (H1N1) (A/USSR). A/HK, A/Vic, and A/Scot produced titers of virus higher than A/USSR or A/NJ during the first three days after infection. Differences in effects of the five viruses on cilia were not related to history of egg passage. The two strains that destroyed ciliary activity rapidly had caused excess mortality in the United States, whereas the three that destroyed ciliary activity more slowly had not. A relationship may exist between the properties contributing to virulence in humans and the destruction of ciliary activity in vitro in this culture system.


Changes and changing concepts in the biology of group A streptococci and in the epidemiology of streptococcal infections.

Concepts of the cellular structure of group A streptococci have been modified by the recognition of surface fimbriae and by problems with the older view of a layered arrangement of cell wall components. Evidence of genetic drift of serologic types and of some increase in the prevalence of erythromycin-resistant strains has appeared. A curiois bimodal age distribution for streptococcal pharyngitis and an increase in the prevalence of non-group A strains has been detected. Despite repeated challenges, the value of throat cultures for confirming the possibility of streptococcal pharyngitis remains firmly established; throat cultures are superior to saliva cultures, which more frequently detect non-group A streptococci. Difficulties in detecting subclinical steptococcal infections and in defining streptococcal infection in children in endemic situations (particularly in separating true streptococcal infection from carriage of streptococci in individuals whose illness is due to some other agent) continue to present problems to clinicians and epidemiologists. The value of school culture surveys and of treatment of asymptomatic family contacts of cases remains uncertain. A 20% bacteriologic failure rate has been reported after intramuscular treatment with benzathine penicillin, but no in vitro evidence of resistance to penicillin has appeared. No adequate explanations are available for the decline in the problem of rheumatic fever in industrialized countries, for its increased recognition in tropical countries, for the failure of rheumatic fever to occur after streptococcal pyoderma, or for the emergence of group B Streptococcus as a predominant bacterial pathogen in newborn infants.


Rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, and the streptococcal connection: the role of streptococcal antigens cross-reactive with heart tissue.

The role of streptococcal infections in initiating the diverse clinical and pathological manifestations of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease is considered in relation to the multiple cross-reactive relations of group A Streptococcus and tissue antigens. Autoantibodies to the following shared antigens have been demonstrated in sera of patients wit rheumatic fever: (1) cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle; (2) heart valve fibroblasts; (3) neurons in basal ganglia; and (4) a group A carbohydrate-related determinant in connective tissues. Circulating autoantibodies to these different antigens were present in higher titer or occurred more frequently in patients with rheumatic fever than in those with uncomplicated streptococcal infections. A direct correlation of the presence of these autoantibodies with carditis could not be established. The pathogenetic mechanisms that link streptococcal infection to rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are not yet clear. Among the possibilities to be considered within the above frame of reference are combined cell-mediated and humoral autoimmune mechanisms directed to one or more cross-reactive antigens in the tissues, selective binding of streptococci to tissues, role of circulating immune complexes, and linkage with histocompatibility antigens.


Practical problems in selection of spina bifida infants for treatment in the USA.

Seventy-five spina bifida infants were studied for results of selectin for treatment. The 31 nonoperated infants had a survival rate of 70% at 18 months, a figure higher than anticipated. Practical difficulties in adhering to the selectin protocol and controlling medical management in a large North American city were noted. Thirty-three surveyed parents of surgically repaired infants reported satisfaction with family function during the 18 months follow-up but discrepant scores increased with time.


Immunological studies in neonates with spina bifida.

Fifteen neonates with spina bifida were investigated prior to surgery for T and B lymphocytes subpopulations and mitogen responsiveness to PHA. Results were compared to similar studies in 30 normal healthy neonates. The mean percentage of T-lymphocyes in spina bifida patients was 44.6% compared to 48.9% in normal neonates. A normal dose response to PHA was obtained in all patients. These results suggest no impairment of lymphocyte function in neonates born with spina bifida.


The clinical and psychological characteristics of children with the "cocktail party" syndrome.

40% of a group of children with spina bifida were identified as having the "cocktail party" syndrome at the age of 5. In comparison to spina bifida cases with meaningful speech, children with this syndrome tended to have more severe multiple physical handicaps and to be of significantly lower intelligence. At the age of 7 there were significant differences between the two groups in school performance. Reassessment at 10 showed that almost half of the children no longer showed this syndrome, but those who retained this behaviour were grossly retarded. The aetiology of the condition is discussed.


The relationship between intellectual skills and the computerised axial tomograms of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Cranial CT-scans of 467 patients were graded in degrees of severity of hydrocephalus. The patients were aged from 2-22 years and had spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus or related disorders. Even large increases in the degree of hydrocephalus were found to have an insignificant effect upon verbal IQ, but there was a small but statistically significant effect upon performance scale IQ on the WISC. The abilities most affected were those involving the use of motor and perceptuo-motor skills. Assymetrical or other abnormal scans were found to be associated with lower IQ. Children with valves were only found to be substantially inferior in skills to those without valves when their ventricles were either very large, or abnormally small. The highest proportion of children with valves was found in the group with the smallest ventricles. Very small ventricles are known to be associated with an increased rate of valve complications, and this paper shows that there are psychological disadvantages also.


How much value is muscle charting? A study of the relation between neonatal assessment of muscle power and later mobility in children with spina bifida defects.

95 syrviving children with spina bifida were examined between the age of 3 to 8 years and their mobility assessed in relation to the charting of muscle power in the neonatal period. There was no good correlation between these two methods of assessment and the value of repeated muscle charting by the physiotherapists is questioned.


The spina bifida club foot.

A survey was conducted of 143 cases of equinovarus feet associated with myelomeningocele, most of which had been treated with the minimum of operative treatment, until the age of 6, when service and persistent deformities were corrected with the Dillwyn Evans collateral operation. The findings are discussed.


Accounting for changes in family life of families with spina bifida children.

The use of time, division of household chores, and the use of resources outside the immediate family has been studied in 22 families with a spina bifida child aged between 4-6 years and compared with 22 families having a normal child of the same age group. In the families with a spina bifida child, both parents spent more time in child care, and depended more upon friends and parents and neighours. The mothers experienced lack of sleep and increased stress.


Parental coping in raising children who have spina bifida cystica.

In this study of 40 married couples who are rising a child with spina bifida cystica, the family stress theory was used to assess family regenerative power and vulnerability to stress. The reserach tested for differences between high and low stress families in the family environment, coping strategies, and severity of the child's problem. When compared with the high stress families, the low stress families appeared to be more cohesive, be better organised, have a more active recreation orientation, be lower in family conflict, utilise more family community relationships, and have children who have less severe physical problems. The practical implications of this study include the potentiality for applied usage of family diagnostic tests, the clinical and research application of the findings on family coping strategies for improved patient outcomes, and the need for additional social-medical research to assess accurately family concerns about health care policies.


ASBAH-independence.

This paper describes the work done by ASBAH in the field of social independence training since November 1977. The aims of the training scheme are to encourage young people toward accepting responsibility for the course of their own lives, and to prepare them to take fuller advantage of the opportunities for further education and training and a wider range of leisure activities. Problems so far encountered - physical, vocational and emotional, are examined and proposals made for further development in this area of work.


[Clinical and experimental results on the significance of kidney damage for long-term prognosis after kidney transplantation].

In the clinical study the influence of the differently long times of warm ischaemia and of the duration of the acute renal insufficiency post transplantationem on the late prognosis of the grafts and the survival of the patients as well as on the incidence of complications in 93 patients who first underwent a transplantation of the CD-kidney and who more than two months after the transplantation lived with a working kidney was examined. A direct relation between the duration up to the beginning of the function of the kidney and the long-term prognosis of the patients was proved. In the group with immediate beginning of the function of the kidney at an average WIZ of 13 minutes the creatinine clearance was significantly higher and the incidence of severe infections in the late phase was lower than in the groups with longer WIZ and very retarded beginning of the renal function. Haemodynamic investigations on the autograft model of the dog after 30 minutes WIZ resulted in a pathologically increased renal vascular resistance and in a restricted filtration function up to 4 weeks post transplantationem.


[Viability testing during preservation of dog kidneys with an albumin-containing perfusion solution].

In models experiments on kidneys of dogs the prognostic significance of hydrodynamic, metabolic and enzymatic parameters in the machine preservation with an oxygenated-albumin-containing solution was tested. While the hydrodynamic and metabolic measuring values did not give a clear reference to different ischaemic restrictions of the functional capacity after autotransplantation, the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosamidase in the perfusate proved to be suitable criteria of vitality. In this case the determination of lactate dehydrogenase is to be preferred on account of the smaller methodical expenditure.


[En bloc perfusion of donor kidneys--a report on 2 1/2 years' experience].

The methodology of the extracorporal en-bloc-perfusion of donor kidneys is described. After an application of nearly three years its advantages are explained and clearly confirmed on the basis of very good functional results after transplantation of kidneys preserved in such a way.


[Ensuring ureter viability: experimental study].

1. In experiments on dogs we observed that the remaining of the peripelvic and periureteral tissue in taking from the kidney is not decisive for the blood supply of the ureter. That these findings are important also for the clinic is confirmed by the following fact: in order to draw the ureter through the natireflux tunnel, 2-4 cm of the periureteral tissue must be removed. However, we never observed a necrosis restricted to this place. 2. In all experiments the blood supply of the upper half of the donor ureters was confirmed without any mistake. Therefore we recommend to shorten the ureter to this length for the UNC. 3. The preservation by means of hypothermy or permanent machine perfusion has no negative effect on the blood supply of the ureter.


Effect of D,L-carnitine, acetyl-D,L-beta-methylcholine chloride and glycine betaine on some processes of carbohydrate metabolism of humans and goats.

Oral administration of carnitine in normal and diabetic subjects showed a marked decrease in the level of blood glucose during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) except for the three hour samples in diabetic subjects, while a decrease in the level of subsequent blood pyruvate samples was observed during the OGTT in normal and diabetic subjects after the administration of carnitine. During the OGTT, the peak of blood glucose and blood pyruvate level was generally delayed in the diabetic subjects. Furthermore, the mean blood pyruvate levels were elevated above those of normal subjects during the late stages of the test. The mean levels of blood glucose and blood pyruvate of all samples after the administration of carnitine were significantly higher in diabetics than the corresponding values in noramls. Carnitine administration decreased the total blood amino acid nitrogen level only in diabetic subjects. Carnitine caused a highly significant increase in the activity of serum alanine aminotransferase in normal and diabetic subjects, while it had no effect on the activity of serum aspartate aminotransferase. In goats, the level of blood glucose during the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was not affected by carnitine (1,3 or 6 mg/kg body weight). Carnitine in all doses used had no effect on the total blood amino acid nitrogen during the IVGTT, or on the activity of serum alanine aminotransferase and serum aspartate aminotransferase in the fasting samples. Acetyl-D,L-beta-methylcholine had no effect on the level of blood glucose, total blood amino acid nitrogen, the activity of serum alanine aminotransferase or serum aspartate aminotransferase in normal and diabetic subjects. The level of blood pyruvate decreased both in normal and diabetic subjects, in the samples that represented the peak of the curve. Glycine betaine had no effect on blood glucose, pyruvate, total blood amino acid nitrogen and the activity of serum alanine aminotransferase or serum aspartate amino transferase in normal and diabetic subjects or in goats.


[Staphylococcus aureus infections in domestic fowls. 1. Ecology and epizootiology. (Review)].

The ecological and epizootiological aspects relating to Staphylococcus aureus in domestic fowl are expounded, on the basis of literature, with particular reference being made to five topics: occurrence of these conditionally pathogenic bacteria in domestic fowl, point of attack and routes of infection, conditions for possible occurrence of infections, reciprocal infection between man and animal, as well as aspects of therapy and prophylaxis.


[Use of infrared technic in veterinary medicine. (Review)].

More effectiveness of veterinary examination of the living animal is an important demand of socialist practice which applies equally to conditions of stepwise transition to industrialised production processes and to conventional production. The physiological and physico-technical prerequisites for possible use of infrared techniques in veterinary attention and production monitoring are discussed on the basis of available literature, with particular reference being made also to human medicine.


Studies on the identification of B lymphocytes using protein A. Lymphocytes of human palatine tonsil.

The prinicpal methods presently being applied to distinction of the subpopulations of lymphocytes consist in the E-rosette method for T cells and the EAC-rosette method for B cells. However, it has been learned that other cells have the ability to form rosettes. B cells are employed in various experiments due to the explicitly verifiable immunoglobulin on the surface of lymphocytes. However, as the fluorescent antibody method adopted as the method for verification has a number of difficulties, we tried to determine B cells by utilizing protein A, by combining protein A with SRBC (sheep red blood cells) and forming rosettes, both in human peripheral blood and in human intratonsillar lymphocytes. As a result, it was noted that lymphocytes indicating positivity existed at a level of 15-20% in human blood and 40-45% in the tonsil.


Coccinia indica in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Coccinia indica is a creeper which grows wildly in Bangladesh and in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. The plant has been used since ancient times as an antidiabetic drug by physicians who practice the Indian system of medicine known as Ayurvedha. We have conducted a double blind control trial with preparation from the leaves of the plant on uncontrolled, maturity onset diabetics. The trial lasted for six weeks for an individual patient. Out of the 16 patients who received the experimental preparations 10 showed marked improvement in their glucose tolerance while none out of the 16 patients in the dummy group showed such a marked improvement. This difference is highly significant (kappa 2 with Yates' correction = 11.7, P < 0.001).


[Influence of cimetidine on hypoglycemia-induced GH secretion].

Dopaminergic drugs inhibit prolactin and stimulate GH secretion. On the contrary antidopaminergic drugs stimulate prolactin and decrease hypoglycemia-induced GH secretion. According to the hypothesis that Cimetidine, an H2-receptor antagonist, decreases hypothalamic dopamine secretion, it was evaluated GH response to hypoglycemia after this drug. It was demonstrated that Cimetidine decreases hypoglycemia-induced GH secretion.


Ethnic differences in blood pressure with observations on noradrenaline and renin. 1. A working population.

115 factory workers (62 white, 53 black) were studied with measurements of blood pressure, plasma noradrenaline concentration, and plasma renin activity. Blood pressure was higher in blacks than in whites. There were no ethnic differences in plasma noradrenaline, which increased with age, but was not related to blood pressure. Mean plasma renin activity was 55% lower in blacks than whites and this difference was not related to differences in sodium intake. There were no associations between renin and noradrenaline, or between renin and blood pressure.


Ethnic differences in blood pressure with observations on noradrenaline and renin. A hospital hypertensive population.

100 patients with essential hypertension (77 whites, 23 black) were studied with measurements of plasma noradrenaline concentration and plasma renin activity. Black patients had higher blood pressure than whites. There were no ethnic differences in mean plasma noradrenaline, but plasma renin activity was lower in blacks than whites, and this difference was not related to differences in sodium intake. Plasma noradrenaline increased with age in blacks, and in a white control group. Young white hypertensive patients (< 45 years) had higher plasma noradrenaline than controls, and in white hypertensives plasma noradrenaline was positively correlated with plasma renin.


Nuclear activation of polycyclic hydrocarbons.

In this report the ability of nuclei to carry out mixed function oxidase activity has been discussed. The properties of the nuclear system have been contrasted with those of microsomes and the localization of the nuclear mixed function oxidase has been definitively established. In addition, the nuclei have been shown to contain an inducible O-deethylase and epoxide hydrase(s). Finally, nuclei have been demonstrated to catalyze the formation of benzo[a]pyrene syn- and anti-diolepoxides, ultimate carcinogenic forms of this polycyclic hydrocarbon.


Spontaneous abortion rates, gravidity and neural tube defects.

Kline and her co-workers [20, 21] suggest that spontaneous abortions show no overall gravidity effect. However, spontaneous abortions seem to show a negative gravidity effect in some sibships (those containing an infant affected by anencephaly or spina bifida) [22]. It is inferred that there is a heterogeneity among spontaneous abortion sibships, and that there are other sibships in which spontaneous abortions show a positive gravidity effect (perhaps as a result of e.g. iso-immunization).


Historical development of abstracting.

The abstract, under a multitude of names, such as hypothesis, marginalia, abridgement, extract, digest, précis, resumé, and summary, has a long history, one which is concomitant with advancing scholarship. The progression of this history from the Sumerian civilization ca. 3600 B.C., through the Egyptian and Greek civilizations, the Hellenistic period, the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and into the modern period is reviewed.


Using bibliometric analyses of patent literature for predicting the clinical fates of developing drugs.

Certain bibliometric features of the early literatures of developing drugs can be used to predict their ultimate clinical fates. The chronological sequence of publications is expressed as a binary vector with 1 for a patent and 0 for a nonpatent. The decimal equivalents for standardized vector lengths provide scalar values for comparing one drug with another. In order to incorporate concordant patents, fuzzy subsets are employed, with the number of attempts required to achieve transitive closure being the values for comparison. The methods involved are described using minoxidil as an example.


Automated scanning of 14C on polyacrylamide gel.

Cylindrical polyacrylamide gels were automatically analyzed for radioactive 14C using a commercially available radiochromatogram scanner. This method was capable of detecting peaks of [14C]protein containing 50 000--1 000 000 cpm. Under optimal conditions, gels could be scanned at a rate of 1 cm per min, allowing for analysis of 20--30 gels per day.


[Juvenile macula degeneration].

Among the various forms of juvenile macular degeneration, one can distinguish those that primarily involve: 1. The neuro-epithelium: Stargardt's disease; dominant juvenile degeneration; central or pericentral pigmentary retinopathy, progressive dystrophy of the cones and cystoid macular oedema. 2. The pigment epithelium: vitelliform degeneration of the macula, fundus flavimaculatus, Sjögren's reticulated pigmentary dystrophy, butterfly shaped pigment dystrophy of the macula and grouped pigmentation of the macular region. 3. Bruch's membrane: the hyaline dystrophies or drusen of the lamina vitrea and dominant progressive foveal dystrophy. 4. The choroid: central areolar atrophy of the choroid and Sorsby's pseudo-inflammatory dystrophy. -- All these macular heredo-degenerations are characterized by the fact that they are bilateral and symmetrical. For diagnosis and differential diagnosis not only the ophthalmoscopic appearance is important, but also the examination of the visual functions, which must include an electroretinographic and electro-oculographic examination, as well as the genetic study of the affected families.


[Ct-criteria of orbital hemangiomas and their importance in differential diagnosis of intraconal tumors (author's transl)].

CT-scans of 29 histologically proven cavernous hemangiomas were evaluated with respect to their location, shape, delineation from surrounding tissue, contrast-enhancement, and secondary changes of the bony orbit. Whenever a round or oval tumor, located in the outer upper muscle cone, sharply delineated from surrounding tissue, unattached to optic nerve and ocular muscles, spares a small triangular space in the orbital apex, it is in all probability a cavernous hemangioma. Evaluation of the tumors shape and its separation from surrounding tissues requires imaging in multiple sections in two planes oriented, if possible, at right angles. -- Changes in position of the optic nerve and eye muscles in different directions of gaze demonstrated by CT rule out significant tumor-attachments. The portion of the intraconal space least affected by optic nerve shifts and muscle contractions during eye movements, as demonstrated by CT, is the upper outer quadrant, the site preferred by the mobile tumor. -- Tumors which cannot be differentiated from cavernous hemangiomas by CT-criteria are rare usually benign. Reports of rare examples of well delineated or encapsulated malignant intraconal lesions indicate the possibility -- however remote -- of mistaking a malignant tumor for a cavernous hemangioma by CT.


Ia antigen expression on the developing mouse embryo and placenta.

The expression of I region controlled antigens on the mouse embryo and placenta has been investigated using immuno-peroxidase labelling and a mixed haemadsorption assay. The results indicate that Ia antigens are absent from selected pre- and post-implantation embryonic and trophoblastic tissues and from the trophoblast of the definitive placenta. In contrast, cells derived from the peri-placental maternal decidual tissues are Ia antigen-positive. The findings are discussed in relation to the allograft status of the conceptus and the identity and functional significance of the Ia-bearing maternal cells at the foeto-maternal interface.


The effect on fertility of immunizing female sheep with ram sperm acrosin and hyaluronidase.

Female sheep were injected with highly purified and partially purified preparations of ram sperm acrosin and hyaluronidase. The fertility and immune response of the sheep were monitored. Fertility was not significantly reduced in any single group, though a positive correlation was observed between high antibody titres against acrosin and reduced fertility. Studies on the direct action of sera from the ewes on ejaculated ram spermatozoa did not show any evidence of sperm agglutination or immobilization. Similar studies with denuded spermatozoa (detergent induced 'acrosome reaction') sometimes resulted in agglutination and enzyme inhibition was also seen; there was no correlation between any of these parameters and pregnancy.


Alternate day prednisone treatment may increase kidney transplant rejection.

A retrospective study has been done to determine whether alternate day prednisone and daily prednisone are equally safe. A statistically significant increase in the number of rejection episodes are measured by rises in serum creatinine occurred in the alternate day steroid group. The reasons for the difference may rest in the inherent mechanism of steroid action. The use of alternate day prednisone in transplantation should be reserved for the situations where the potential benefit clearly outweighs the risk of loss of the transplanted kidney.


Elevated plasma adenine nucleotide levels in chronic renal failure and their possible significance.

Plasma ATP, ADP and AMP levels are increased in uremia. The elevation in plasma ATP level correlates with the serum creatinine in chronic renal failure patients not on dialysis. Successful renal transplantation is associated with the return of ATP, ADP and AMP levels to the normal range. Plasma ATP elevations may reflect sickness on the cellular level in uremia and measurement of plasma ATP may be a useful test to assess the need for dialysis. Plasma ATP elevations could also reflect underexcretion in the urine. Irrespective of the mechanism responsible for increased plasma ATP levels in uremia, an elevation of plasma ATP could have major physiological and metabolic consequences.


Improving graft and patient survival rates in renal transplantation.

This report illustrates the improving trend in patient survival of recipients of cadaver and living-related kidneys. Mortality has been less than 3% for living-related recipients and less than 8% at one year for recipients of cadaver kidneys excluding diabetic patients. Although mortality of the diabetic recipient group receiving cadaver kidneys remains a problem, it has decreased in the last year such that overall mortality of the entire diabetic group is 20% at one year. The various factors leading to improved graft function rate are also emphasized.


Plasmapheresis in the treatment of renal allograft rejection.

Thirty-four patients with renal allograft rejection unresponsive to conventional therapy underwent plasmapheresis. Twenty-four patients evidenced prompt and marked improvement and were discharged. Seventeen of these are presently stable off dialysis. Ten patients were not improved and required return to dialysis and/or transplant nephrectomy. Four hour warm, complement-dependent crossmatches which had become positive following transplant became negative following plasmapheresis in 3 patients who now have stable long-term function. Plasmapheresis appears promising in the treatment of refractory acute renal allograft rejection.


Effects of ticlopidine on platelet prostaglandin metabolism. Possible consequences for prostacyclin production.

Ticlopidine, known to inhibit the primary wave of ADP-induced platelet aggregation and to increase the bleeding time, can modify platelet prostaglandin metabolism. The basal level of platelet PGE1 is enhanced by the drug. Ticlopidine does not decrease biosynthesis of prostaglandin endoperoxides from arachidonic acid but increases production of primary prostaglandins, cheifly prostaglandin D2, and causes a slight diminution of thromboxane B2 formation. The excess of prostaglandin endoperoxides not converted to primary prostglandins may escape from platelets and produce more prostacyclin if endothelial cell microsomes are present in the incubate.


Effect of prostacyclin on antigen induced immediate bronchoconstriction in asthmatic patients.

The effect of premedication with inhaled prostacyclin (PGI2) on the allergen induced immediate bronchoconstriction was investigated in 10 asthmatic patients, under single blind conditions, by means of a body plethysmograph. Statistical analysis (Dunnett's test) did not show any significant difference between PGI2 and placebo. The possible meaning of these results is discussed.


Is low urinary prostaglandin concentration a stage in the development of essential hypertension?

Urinary prostaglandin E and F (PGE and PGF) concentrations, renal plasma flow (RPF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), sodium excretion rate (UNaV), potassium excretion rate (UKV), urinary osmolarity (Uosm) and osmolar clearance (Cosm) were found to be higher, while mean blood pressure (MBP) was lower in a group of 15 normotensive subjects (15NS), compared to those values obtained in a group of 25 essential patients (25EHP) of the same mean age. After volume expansion, of the 25EHP, urinary PGE concentration, RPF, noncortical plasma flow (NCPF), UNaV, UKV, UNaV/UKV, Cosm and urine volume (UV) increased significantly, MBP, GFR, Uosm, free water reabsorption (Tc water) and urinary aldosterone concentration did not change, while plasma renin activity (PRA) decreased significantly. It was concluded that the deficiency in renomedullary PG synthesis in the EHP is accompanied by a decrease in RPF, NCPF and UNaV. This decrease in UNaV and renal hemodynamics could increase, in the long term, the BP in these patients. Nevertheless, these findings do not exclude the interpretation that the decrease in renomedullary PGE release in the EHP indicates an attempt to increase sodium excretion at the distal tubule by diminishing sodium reabsorption by this agent in order to prevent further increase in BP. In any case, it seems that renomedullary PGs play an important role in intra-renal control systems.


Vasodilation and inhibition of platelet aggregation by prostacyclins with modified omega-side chain.

Prostacyclin analogs with modified omega-side chain were synthetized in search of therapeutically useful agents. To characterize the vasodilator and platelet-antiaggregating properties, prostacyclin analogs were tested on systemic blood pressure in anesthetized rats, relaxation of bovine coronary artery and inhibition of arachidonic acid induced human platelet aggregation. The sodium salt of prostacyclin induced a dose dependent decrease of blood pressure with an ED25 of 0.23 microgram/kg i.v., a marked relaxation of bovine coronary artery with an IC50 of 5.9 ng/ml and a strong inhibition of platelet aggregation with an ED50 of 3x10(-9) M. Similar results were obtained with prostacyclin-methylester. Replacement of the n-pentyl moiety attached to C-15 of prostacyclin by cyclohexyl, 2-(2-furyl)ethyl, 2-(3-thienyl)ethyl and especially by 3-thienyl-oxymethyl yielded analogs with comparable prostacyclin properties, while substitution by 1,1-dimethyloxaalkyl residues was followed by a marked loss of activity. The order of potency among the analogs of the sodium salt and methylester of prostacyclin with strong vasodepressor and antiaggregatory properties was identical in all three models used. The three test systems used for evaluation have demonstrated that suitable modifications of the omega-side chain of prostacyclin result in potent vasodilator and platelet-antiaggregating agents.


Control of elevated pulmonary vascular resistance in neonatal swine with prostacyclin (PGI2).

Three groups of neonatal piglets were anesthetised and base-line hemodynamic measurements were made. The piglets were then subjected to hypoxia and hypercapnea to raise pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and further hemodynamic measurements were made over a period of at least 100 minutes. During the last 80 minutes of this period the control group received an infusion of 0.05M Tris buffer [the vehicle for prostacyclin (PGI2)], the second group received an infusion of 0.5 microgram/kg/min PGI2, and the third group received an infusion of 1.0 microgram/kg/min PGI2.


Combined effect of prostaglandins and an aortic proteoglycan on platelet aggregation and plasma clotting.

The individual and combined effects of PGD2, PGI2 and an aortic proteoglycan on human platelet aggregation and plasma clotting were studied. PGI2 was at least 10 times more potent than PGD2 in inhibiting platelet aggregation. Small doses of prostaglandins inhibited ADP- and thrombin-induced aggregation, but only prolonged aggregation time without affecting the extent of arachidonic acid (AA)-induced aggregation. Small doses of prostaglandins did not affect thrombin-induced clotting of PRP. Large doses of prostaglandins abolished platelet aggregation and prolonged the onset of thrombin-induced clotting. The aortic proteoglycan (APG) had no appreciable effect on ADP- or AA-induced aggregation. Small doses of APG abolished thrombin-induced clotting, while large doses of APG suppressed both clotting and aggregation induced by thrombin. PGI2 and PGD2 showed additive inhibition of platelet aggregation regardless how the aggregation was induced. APG and prostaglandins showed additive inhibition of only thrombin-induced aggregation. APG, but not any of the prostaglandins, prolonged clotting time of PPP. This prolongation was not potentiated by PGI2 or PGD2.


The influence of prostacyclin on coronary occlusion induced arrhythmia in cats.

The present study examined the effect of prostacyclin (PGI2) on ventricular arrhythmias following coronary artery occlusion in the cat. The left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was occluded abruptly in 50 cats anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. The ECG (Lead II) along with arterial blood pressure were monitored before and for at least one hour after occlusion. Either vehicle or PGI2 was infused at a rate of 0.15 ml . min-1 into the left atrium 15 min before and 1 hour after LAD occlusion. PGI2 was infused at 4 doses: 2.7,27,270 and 2700 pmole . kg-1 . min-1. Infusion of PGI2 before occlusion produced a dose dependent decrease in mean arterial blood pressure with no significant change in heart rate. Abrupt occlusion of the LAD produced ventricular arrhythmia in all cats ranging from ventricular premature beats to ventricular fibrillation (VF). In cats infused with PGI2 the incidence of VF ranged from 30-40% at the low and middle doses to a maximum of 60% at the highest dose (2700 pmole . kg-1 . min-10. The incidence of VF in the latter group was two times greater than that observed in the control group (30%). In addition, the mean number of ventricular ectopic beats was greater at the 27 and 2700 pmole . kg-1 . min-1 doses of PGI2 than in the control group. An increase in ventricular ectopic beats was not observed at the 2.7 or 270 pmole . kg-1 . min-1 doses of PGI2. These data indicate the PGI2 can exert an arrhythmogenic effect following coronary artery occlusion and that this effect occurs in a biphasic manner i.e., the increase in arrhythmia observed at 27 did not occur at 270 but occurred again at the 10 fold higher dose (2700 pmole . kg-1 . min-1). At the lowest dose of PGI2 infarct size was approximately 14% less than in the control group while, at the highest dose, infarct size was 20% greater than control and approximatey 40% greater than the lowest dose of PGI2.


[Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont (1579-1644), the baroque and teeth].

J. B. Van Helmont has been qualified as a medical exponent of the baroque spirit. This affirmation can only be accepted in the following sense: as Harvey, but in an other way. Van Helmont has prepared modern medicine notwithstanding their fidelity to the philosophy of nature (aristotelism or irrationalism) of the sixteenth century. Van Helmont, who believed in the occult forces of the teeth, was also the first to denounce the catarrhe as a cause of toothache.


[Changes in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system during open heart surgery. I. Factors involved in renin secretion].

The endocrine, humoral and hemodynamic factors that affect renin secretion are studied during open-heart surgery in a group of 40 patients, 20 with mitral and 20 with aortic valve disease. During the incission period, the PRA (plasma renin activity) increases due to a sympatoadrenergic hyperactivity. These increase is noted also during bypass, and is closely related with the hypotension that extracorporeal circulation produces. It is also discussed the influence of the exclusion of pulmonary circulation, that decreases conversion of angiotensin I to II and catabolism of norepinephrine.


[Postbronchographic cytological findings in lung (author's transl)].

A review of literature is given on histological reactions by bronchograpyhic agents. Description of cytological changes after using Visotrast "B" in biopsy materials of bronches and lungs. Cytological reactions are characteristical. Their intensity is dependent on several factors.


Hospital infections in Port Moresby General Hospital: studies in special care nursery.

Special Care Nursery of Port Moresby General Hospital has been experiencing too many infections particularly deaths from Septicaemia due to gram negative organisms. Bacteriological Survey in the Nursery reveals presence of too many pathogenic bacteria in the Nursery--in air, in beds, in incubators, in sinks--almost all over the Nursery. It also reveals that Nursing mothers and a good number of hospital workers are, in fact, carriers of dangerous pathogens. Proper cleaning and restructuring of the ward is essential. Based on the results of the study, measures have been recommended to deal with the situation.


Studies on the carrier-state of haemolytic streptococci in iron-masters.

Throat swabs from 165 iron-masters and 160 control subjects were tested for the presence of group A, C and G haemolytic streptococci and other serological groups. The group-A streptococcus strains were serotyped. The study was extended to the evaluation of the state of health, analysis of the sanitary conditions at the working place as well as the analysis of the social, living and economic conditions. Carriers of group-A haemolytic streptococci were of approximately the same frequency in healthy iron-masters and healthy controls and the proportions of the carriers of streptococci of other serological groups were also comparable. On the other hand, some differences in the proportions of the carriers of groups A, C and G haemolytic streptococci in persons with respiratory tract disorders were found, affected iron-masters comprising twice as many carriers as affected controls. The differences are attributed to the different sanitary-hygienic conditions at the working places.


Enterotoxins of enteric bacteria--a review.

A review of the enterotoxins of enteric bacteria was compiled, taking into account recent developments of the field as well as results of the author's own research work. After characterization of enterotoxins of different origin, their pathogenic role is described, with special attention to the genetic background of these agents. The possible use of enterotoxins for active immunization purposes is also discussed.


Electronmicroscopic observations on lysis of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote by normal rabbit serum.

The lytic effects of serum from a non-immunized rabbit on epimastigotes of Trypanosome cruzi were studied by electronmicroscopy. The first detectable change was the appearance of a fuzzy deposit over the whole surface of the epimastigote. Soon after this, pellicular microtubules disappeared without change of axonemal microtubules. Circular lesions were observed by negative staining, corresponding to the lesion of antibody-mediated lysis caused by complement.


A modified PAP (peroxidase-anti-peroxidase) staining technique using sera from patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF): 4 step PAP staining technique.

BHK-21 cells infected with dengue virus type 1 were stained by a newly developed 4 step PAP (peroxidase-anti-peroxidase) technique using sera from patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever as anti-virus antibody. The intensity of staining of the sera was proportional to the hemagglutination inhibition and neutralization titers. With this new technique using sera from patients it should be possible to use the PAP technique of virus infections.


A new method for the study of lining-layer and pulmonary alveolar walls with electron microscope.

The authors describe an original method for the setting up of pulmonary parenchymal preparations to be observed with electron microscopy. The salient aspects of this method are: the material fixed with a supersaturated uranyl acetate solution and colored, after simple dehydration and inclusion in Epon 812, with bismuth subnitrate. With this method it is possible to obtain a good definition of the morphological aspects and a greater contrast of the phospholipidic structures of the pulmonary parenchyma.


Effects of anaesthesia and surgery on immune status.

The immunological implications of anaesthetic practice relate to the possibility that exposure to anaesthesia and surgery, by depressing a variety of both non-specific resistance mechanisms and specific immune responses, renders patients more liable to infections and the spread of malignancy in the period after operation. A review of the literature suggests that, although various anaesthetic agents themselves depress immune responses, the effects are shortlived and of minor importance when compared with the effects of the hormonal aspects of the stress response. A more aggressive approach to relief of pain and anxiety may be beneficial from the immunological point of view.


Sympathetic reflex responses during treatment of essential hypertension with hydrallazine and oxprenolol.

1. The short term effects of hydrallazine, oxprenolol and oxprenolol plus hydrallazine were studied in five patients with essential hypertension. 2. The increase in pulse rate caused by hydrallazine was prevented by combined treatment with oxprenolol, which also lowered the high plasma noradrenaline levels, associated with the use of hydrallazine. 3. Plasma renin activity was higher in the supine and standing positions with hydrallazine than with oxprenolol alone and with the patients standing this high renin level was prevented by simultaneous treatment with oxprenolol. With the patients supine, combination of oxprenolol with hydrallazine resulted in a mean plasma renin activity which was less than half that with hydrallazine alone, although this difference was not statistically significant. 4. The combination of oxprenolol with hydrallazine did not lower the blood pressure further, but reduced the increased sympathetic activity which occurred with hydrallazine alone.


An introduction to the evaluation of alcoholism outcome studies.

The results of outcome studies in the field of alcoholism have been challenged as not providing clear and definitive demonstrations of the effectiveness of alcoholism treatment. This has not been due to studies showing negative results, or to a lack of studies reporting positive results. The difficulty has been that the studies failed to satisfy the standards of experimentally minded methodologists. Many methodological problems with respect to patient, treatment, and criterion variables were described which will require a great deal of basic research for their solution. Others may not be soluble. Drawing a representative sample of alcoholics may not be feasible. Assigning patients at random to treatments and no treatment who are uninterested, who desire particular treatments, or who are in need of specific treatments is impractical and socially unacceptable. Matching or randomly assigning therapists to provide consistent, measured, and equal amounts of specific therapies is similarly unrealistic. Determining what constitutes a good therapeutic outcome may be more of a philosophic than a scientific issue. Applying experimental standards to human outcome studies is inappropriate. The state of the art with respect to evaluating the effectiveness of alcoholism treatment is not ready for experimental investigations or cost-benefits analyses. Despite all these problems, a review of 384 studies indicates that two-thirds of the patients improve following alcoholism treatment. Research studies are increasingly sophisticated. A great deal has been and is continuing to be learned about patient characteristics, treatment methods, and matching patients to treatments.


Role of the sympatho-adrenal system in the control of endocrine pancreas during haemorrhage in cats.

Glucose, insulin and glucagon concentrations were determined before, during and after a 60-min period of haemorrhagic hypotension at 60 mm Hg in controls, adrenalectomized and splanchnicectomized cats. Peak increase of arterial plasma glucose concentration in response to haemorrhage was 13.7 +/- 4.3 mM in controls, 10.2 +/- 2.8 mM in adrenalectomized and 3.1 +/- 1.7 mM in splanchnicectomized cats, respectively. Peak portal insulin decrease was 58 +/- 8 and 36 +/- 14 pmol/l in controls and adrenalectomized cats, respectively, whereas insulin levels increased slightly in splanchnicectomized cats during hypovolaemia. Portal plasma glucagon concentration rose by about 250 pmol/l in response to bleeding in all groups of cats. We conclude that the prompt hyperglycaemic and hypoinsulinaemic response to haemorrhage in cats are caused by an adrenergic, 'non-medullary' mechanism, whereas the marked rise in pancreatic glucagon release seems due to factors unrelated to the sympatho-adrenal system.


Effect of stress and dietary fatty acids on allograft survival in the rat.

To determine the immunosuppressive effect of stress and a diet rich on linoleic acid on vascularized organ graft survival in the rat, a series of allogeneic heart and kidney grafts were carried out. Restraint stress resulted in a significant prolongation of the survival time. Although 5 days of postoperative stress gave the best results, 3 h of stress given on the first postoperative day already gave a marked prolongation of the survival time of kidney allografts. The beneficial effect of stress on heart survival was abolished when prior adrenalectomy was carried out. A diet high on polyunsaturated fatty acids gave significant prolongation of the survival times of kidney-grafted rats. A diet hgh on saturated fatty acids did not result in a statistical significant prolongation of the survival time, although the difference with the polyunsaturated fatty acid group was very small and not statistically significant. It was concluded that stress and diets high in certain types of fatty acids depress the immune response in rats, possibly via a mechanism which has some common pathways. The adrenal glands could play an important role in this immune inhibition.


An enzymatic method for distinguishing deoxyuridine and deoxythymidine nucleotide pools and its application for determining ribonucleotide reductase activity.

A method is described for distinguishing deoxyuridine and deoxythymidine di- and triphosphate pools. The method utilizes a DNA polymerase assay for triphosphate determination and a coupled assay in which the disphosphate is converted to its corresponding triphosphate by nucleoside-diphosphate kinase and the triphosphate is measured by the DNA polymerase assay. By including deoxyruidine-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase in the reaction mixture, dUTP is removed as a substrate for the polymerase. By determining differences in labelled acid-insoluble product formed in the reaction it is possible to determine dUTP, dUDP, dTDP and dTTP pools. Ribonucleotide reductase activity was determined by converting either CDP or ADP to its corresponding deoxyribonucleoside disphosphate and then using the diphosphate assay described for deoxyribonucleoside pools.


Nitration of polypeptides using ethanol in reaction buffers minimizes crosslinking.

High concentrations of ethanol are effective in reducing the intermolecular cross-linking which predominates when the reactions of tetranitromethane with the carboxypeptidase inhibitor from potatoes, a chymotrypsin inhibitor also from potatoes, and insulin are carried out under standard conditions. Including reagents such as ethanol may be of general utility in the preparation of monomeric nitro-derivatives of hydrophobic, low-molecular-weight proteins.


Chromatographic fractionation of Escherichia coli transfer RNA on a new support, naphthoyl-Sepharose.

The noncharged naphthoyl-Sepharose CL-6B has been prepared. Escherichia coli tRNA binds to this new adsorbent in 0.75 M ammonium sulphate at neutral pH at room temperature. Using a negative salt gradient, the tRNAs are eluted in a defined order. The chromatographic pattern is clearly different from those of other commonly used tRNA separation techniques.


A review of the renin-angiotensin system: historical and methodological perspectives.

It is apparent that early studies of the renin-AII system utilized measurement of blood pressure and organ bath techniques. More recent methods of electrophoresis, RIA and binding studies are continuing to add to our knowledge. Future studies will involve receptor isolation and understanding of the post-receptor mechanism of transduction of the AII response. With the recent advances in our knowledge of peptide hormone-receptor interaction, particularly new findings that peptide hormones can enter the cell, it is apparent that intracellular actions of AII will provide a new field of discovery.


Somatic and endocrine consequences of electrolytic lesions in the epi and subthalamus of weanling and mature rats.

Weanling rats received lesions in the zona incerta (ZIN). Sham-operated rats served as controls. Two experiments were performed several months apart. The animals were maintained on lab chow and tap water for 30 days and then sacrificed. Ponderal and linear growth, food and water intake, water/food-intake ratio, and pituitary weights were significantly reduced in rats with ZIN lesions. Plasma, growth hormone, insulin, glucose, and body composition were normal, however. Weanling and mature rats received lesions in the medial habenula (HAB). Sham-operated rats served as controls. The experiment lasted 44 days postoperatively. In the weanling Hab-lesioned rats, body weight changes, body composition pituitary, weight, food and water intake, water/food-intake ratio, and plasma insulin were normal. Linear growth was slightly (p < 0.05) reduced. In the mature HAB-lesioned rats, all the above parameters were normal except for water intake, which was slightly (p < 0.05) reduced. The pathways by which the epi- and subthalamus may influence the observed changes--or the lack thereof--are discussed.