Chromophobe adenoma of the pituitary with Cushing's syndrome and skin pigmentation.

A 76-year-old man with pigmentation and Cushing's disease is described, who was found to have a large chromophobe adenoma of the pituitary. Despite normal skull X-rays the presence of bitemporal hemianopia led to the diagnosis which was later confirmed at post-mortem. Adrenalectomy performed in the treatment of Cushing's disease may be followed by skin pigmentation and an enlarging pituitary tumour (Nelson's syndrome), changes which are commonly attributed to the removal of the negative feed-back mechanism. The spontaneous occurrence of these changes in this patient who did not undergo adrenalectomy supports the view that a pituitary tumour pre-exists in cases of Nelson's syndrome and emphasizes the importance of directing initial treatment to the pituitary.


Left ventricular failure with labetalol.

A patient treated for hypertension with labetalol developed left ventricular failure. When the drug was withdrawn and the BP controlled with 2 other agents, the signs of heart failure regressed. The ill effects in this case could have been because the beta-blocking effects of labetalol are 4 to 6 times greater than the alpha-blocking effects. Caution should be exercised when prescribing this drug for patients with heart failure or with previous symptoms.


Motor polyneuroapthy and nystagmus associated with chloroquine phosphate.

A 49-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis developed a motor polyneuropathy and nystagmus after 5 months' treatment with chloroquine phosphate. The peripheral neuropathy resolved after the chloroquine was discontinued.


Adverse reaction to disopyramide.

A case is reported where the use of i.v. disopyramide for a supraventricular tachycardia resulted in a more serious ventricular dysrhythmia giving hypotension and this probably contributed to the development of a myocardial infarction. Attention is drawn to the possible risk.


Gastric leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma--five cases.

Five patients with smooth muscle tumours of the stomach are presented. In 3 cases, histological identification of the lesion was made pre-operatively on biopsy material obtained under direct vision at gastroscopy.


Neuroblastoma in adults.

Two cases of neuroblastoma are described in patients who were both more than 25 years old when their symptoms first appeared. The behaviour of this tumour appears less aggressive in adults than in children, but the cases presented illustrate its resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and surgery is suggested as the first line of treatment in adults, even if the growth cannot be removed completely.


A leucocytopenia induced in chickens by dietary ochratoxin A.

Ochratoxin A was fed (0, .5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 microgram/g) to broiler chickens from day-old to three weeks of age when the birds were bled and total leucocyte and differential counts were performed. Ochratoxin A significantly (P less than .05) reduced leucocyte counts at every dose level of ochratoxin A administered. The leucocytopenia was characterized by an increase in the relative concentration of heterophils and decrease in the relative concentration of lymphocytes. From total leucocyte and differential leucocyte counts the number of circulating cells was calculated for each type of leucocyte. The total number of circulating lymphocytes of blood decreased significantly (P less than .05) at every dose level of ochratoxin A administered, and the number of monocytes decreased at 2.0 microgram/g and above. However, the number of circulating heterophils was not altered. These data demonstrated that ochratoxin A induced a severe leucocytopenia (lympocytopenia primarily and monocytopenia to a lesser extent) and implied that the functioning of the immune system might be altered.


Refractory phagocytosis by chicken thrombocytes during aflatoxicosis.

The percentage phagocytosis of chicken thrombocytes was insensitive to dietary aflatoxin (10 microgram/g diet) while the mean phagocytosis was slightly but significantly (P less than .05) reduced by 5 or 10 microgram/g but not lower levels. Thrombocytic phagocytosis was dependent on a heat sensitive serum factor which is not affected during aflatoxicosis. These findings contrast with reports that other phagocytic types such as heterophils, macrophages, and monocytes are sensitive to low levels (e.g., .625 microgram/g) of dietary aflatoxin.


Impairment of phagocytosis in chicken monocytes during aflatoxicosis.

Graded doses of dietary aflatoxin (0, .625, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 microgram/g) were tested for their effect on the phagocytic and locomotive capacities of monocytes from chicken blood. The percentage and mean phagocytic activites were decreased significantly (P less than .05) at 2.5 microgram/g and above and at 1.25 microgram/g and above, respectively. Both the directed and undirected locomotion of monocytes were impaired significantly (P less than .05) at 2.5 microgram/g and above. A serum factor with the heat sensitivity of complement and which was required for optimal phagocytosis by monocytes also was reduced in activity during aflatoxicosis. Thus, the circulating element of the mononuclear phagocyte series has reduced capacity to perform its role in host defense during aflatoxicosis.


Studies on nickel metabolism: interaction with other mineral elements.

Nickel toxicity was studied in young chicks fed a semi-purified diet. Dietary nickel concentrations of 300 mg/kg and higher resulted in significant reduction in growth rate. Mortality and anemia were observed in chicks receiving 1100 mg/kg nickel. Dietary nickel content of 300 mg/kg resulted in a significant increase in kidney nickel content while higher dietary levels were required to affect the nickel content of other body tissues. Supplementation of nickel toxic diets (500 mg/kg) with 100 mg/kg of cobalt, iron, copper, and zinc did not alleviate the symptoms of nickel toxicity or consistently affect tissue nickel accumulation. The addition of cobalt resulted in a further depression in growth rate when added to the nickel toxic diet. However, subsequent studies showed that this was due to the toxicity of cobalt and no evidence was found for an interaction between these two elements. The lack of interaction of nickel with copper, iron, and zinc is in contrast to the results observed by other investigators at low dietary concentrations of nickel.


Protective effect of nicarbazin on nutritional encephalopathy in chicks.

Nutritional encephalopathy was induced in young chicks by vitamin E-deficient diets containing either 4% methyl esters of safflower oil or 10% thermally oxidized safflower oil. The coccidiostat nicarbazin (an equimolecular complex of 4,4'-dinitrocarbanilide and 2-hydroxy 4,6-dimethylpyrimidine) reduced the incidence of encephalopathy, but zoalene (3,5-dinitro-o-toluamide) and amprolium [1-(4-amino-2-n-propyl-5-pyrimidinylmethyl)-2-picolinium chloride hydrochloride] did not. Neither of the two components of nicarbazin affected the rate of development of encephalopathy when fed separately, but when included together in the diet, they reduced the incidence of the disease.


Effect of the previous diet, body weight, and duration of starvation of the assay bird on the true metabolizable energy value of corn.

Two experiments were conducted with 36 adult White Leghorn roosters to determine the effect of previous intake of protein (Experiment 1) or purified cellulose (Experiment 2), body weight, and duration of starvation of the assay bird on the true metabolizable energy (TME) value of ground yellow corn. The mean TME value (+/- SE) of the corn was 4.06 +/- .03 and 4.06 +/- .04 kcal/g of dry matter in Experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Dietary levels of 10, 20, and 30% protein or 0, 7.5, and 15.0% supplementary cellulose, and body weight distribution had no significant (P greater than .05) effect on the TME value of the corn. Starvation for 12 hr before force feeding resulted in a significant (P less than .05) decrease of 4% in the TME value of the corn, whereas fasting periods of 24 or 48 hr had no significant effect. It is suggested that the assay birds be paired on the basis of body weight and starved for a minimum period of 24 hr prior to force feeding to reduce the variation associated with the estimate of TME.


Methionine and protein requirements of young turkeys.

Nine experiments involving a total of 3697 turkeys divided into 48 pens per experiment were conducted to determine the methionine or total sulfur amino acid and the protein requirements of Medium White turkeys between 0 and 4 weeks and between 4 and 8 weeks of age. In each experiment, 24 diets varying in protein and methionine content in a 4 X 6 factorial design were fed. Body weight gains were found to be more closely related to the total sulfur amino acid content than to the methionine content of practical type corn-soybean meal diets. For the respective age periods between 0 to 4 and 4 to 8 weeks, the total sulfur amino acid requirements of Medium White turkeys were approximately 1.10 and 1.00% or 3.8 and 3.4 mg per kcal metabolizable energy, and the minimum protein requirements were at least 27% and 24% when diets contained sufficient total amino acids.


Response from menhaden fish meal in diets of young turkeys.

Diets involving three or five fish meal treatments and two zinc bacitracin treatments were fed to 5410 poults. The poults were divided into 552 pens and raised to two, three or four weeks of age in five series of 3 X 2 or 5 X 2 factorial experiments. Body weights increased 9.0 to 31.3% from the addition of 5% menhaden fish meal and 5.4 to 11.9% from the addition of 44 ppm bacitracin. No interaction existed between fish meal and bacitracin. Residues derived from either water or petroleum ether extraction of fish meal, when added to diets at levels equivalent to those in 5% fish meal, produced body weight gains nearly equal to those obtained from 5% fish meal. Body weights were not increased by the addition of either water or petroleum soluble extracts or by charred or ashed fish meal. The addition of a mixture of crystalline amino acids, defluorinated phosphate, and fat equivalent to 5% fish meal produced only a 4.4% increase in body weight. An unidentified growth factor which is non-lipid, non-mineral, and non-water soluble appears to be present in menhaden fish meal when added to well foritified po


The effect of water sodium on the chick requirement for dietary sodium.

Two strains of broiler chicks fed a basal wheat-soybean diet designed to be complete in all known nutrients failed to achieve optimal growth at 3 weeks of age. Increments of dietary sodium resulted in increased growth responses and improved feed efficiencies (P less than .05) which were not related to genotype. The sodium requirements for optimum weight gain was found to be greater than the NRC (1971) requirement when the water sodium level was 3 ppm. The addition of 50 ppm of sodium to the drinking water improved growth and feed efficiency (P less than .05) of birds fed the basal diet. When 100 ppm of sodium was added to the drinking water, a further increase in growth was obtained equivalent to that of birds receiving the basal diet to which increments of sodium were added up to .15%. Sodium in the drinking water was shown to be utilized more effectively than was sodium in the feed.


Potassium deficiency in the adult male chicken.

Adult male chickens, which were maintained on a low dietary potassium intake for 11 weeks showed no gross abnormalities, but had significantly reduced feed intake and losses of body weight. Adult male chickens had a physiological capacity to increase the biological half life of their body potassium from 18 to 134 days when the dietary potassium was reduced from .32 to .02%. However, the deficient birds were unable to balance their intake with the excretion because of the obligatory loss of potassium. The relative specific activity of different tissues in adult male chickens determined at different time intervals after the intravenous injection of potassium-42 indicated that the plasma pool potassium had the highest turnover rate of potassium in the body. In decreasing order, it was followed by the skin, heart, liver, intestine, bone, and muscle. The daily balance of potassium in adult male chickens maintained under optimum and sub-optimum dietary potassium intake gave an estimated minimum requirement for this element of .06% of the diet.


Comparison of lipoprotein lipase activities in chickens and turkeys.

Three experiments were conducted to compare the role of lipoprotein lipase in fatty acid metabolism in chickens and turkeys. An initial experiment to determine the effect of fasting on the enzyme activity of chicken and turkey muscle and adipose tissues demonstrated that fasting decreased the lipoprotein lipase activity of adipose tissue, while increasing the enzyme activity of muscle tissue in chickens only. Quantitatively, turkey samples showed a greater enzyme activity in both muscle and adipose tissue than the chicken samples. In a second experiment both insulin and epinephrine added in vitro signifiacntly increased activity of lipoprotein lipase from chicken adipose tissue, but not from turkey adipose tissue. In a third experiment conducted to examine the effects of carbohydrate and fat feeding on lipoprotein lipase activity of chicken and turkey adipose tissue, fat feeding increased activity the greatest amount. In both species, refeeding, regardless of the energy source, produced a significant increase in the lipoprotein lipase activity of adipose tissue. Differences in lipoprotein lipase activity does not appear to be related to differences in rate of body fat deposition observed between broiler chickens and turkeys.


Physiological changes in caged layers during a forced molt. 1. Body temperature and selected blood constituents.

The effects of forced molting on body temperature and selected blood constituents were studied. Caged layers, reared under commercial conditions, were force molted successively at 72 and 104 weeks of age. This was accomplished by removing feed for up to 12 days and water for up to 3 days while simultaneously reducing the day length to 10 hr or less. This procedure resulted in a cessation of egg production within one week of the initiation of feed removal. There was a significant increase in body temperature during feather loss and renewal. Packed cell volume and hemoglobin increased significantly immediately upon removal of feed and water and remained elevated above control levels for the duration of the pause in egg production, while plasma total calcium, and inorganic phosphate decreased significantly during the corresponding period. Plasma total protein and plasma glucose did not exhibit consistent trends. Body temperature and the levels of the measured plasma consituents returned to normal levels upon the resumption of egg production.


Physiological changes in caged layers during a forced molt. 2. Gross changes in organs.

The effects of forced molting on body weight and the absolute and relate weights of the liver, ovary, oviduct, right adrenal, and spleen were studied. White Leghorn hens which were reared and maintained under commercial conditions were force molted by reducing daylength as well as by withdrawing feed and water. This procedure induced a pause in egg production within one week of the initiation of feed removal. Four trials were conducted. In Trial 1 the hens were sampled at weekly intervals for 56 days beginning at the time feed was removed. In Trials 2, 3, and 4 the hens were sampled either daily or on alternate days for up to 22 days beginning at the time of feed removal. The absolute and relative weights of the liver, ovary, and oviduct were decreased significantly. Body weight decreased consistently. No consistent trend over the four trials was found in the absolute or relative weights of the right adrenal or the spleen.


On hypothalamic control of ovulation in the turkey.

Small bilateral lesions of the ventromedial preoptic hypothalamus consistently blocked ovulation. Lesions that completely cut the supraoptico-hypophyseal tract or that were placed throughout the tuberal hypothalamus and median eminence had no effect on ovulation. Lesions placed in the posterodorsal, medial, and ventral parts of the infundibular nuclear complex and in the medial and posteria divisions of the median eminence resulted in slight to moderate atresia of rapidly growing follicles within 38 to 40 hr after surgery.


The effect of controlled temperature variations on growth rate and blood pressure, hematocrit, and hemoglobin values in the turkey.

Hypertensive and hypotensive strains of turkeys were observed for the possibility of a synergistic response between hypertension and temperature stress. The birds in four experiments were placed in chambers with temperature settings of 15.6, 26.7, and 37.8 C (humidity approximately 60%) and an ambient control. The temperature effect was measured by comparing the responses in body weight-gain, systolic blood pressure, and hematocrit and hemoglobin values. In each experiment both hypertensive and hypotensive strains in the 37.8 C chamber had a significantly lower (P less than or equal to .05) weight gain than those in the other chambers. The 26.7 C chamber had the next lowest weight gain. Considerably more variability in weight gain was observed in the hypertensive strain. Systolic blood pressure data were similar for all experiments. The lowest average blood pressures were recorded in the 37.8 C chamber. The high and low blood pressure strains showed overall average decreases in blood pressure of 28% and 14%, respectively. There was no consistent response in hematocrit and hemoglobin values due to temperature stress. Overall average hematocrit values were 39.1 and 38.0% for the hypertensive and hypotensive strains, respectively, while average hemoglobin values were 11.8 and 12.2 g/dl. The hypertensive strain showed more variation in weight gain, a greater percentage drop in blood pressure, and a 19% mortality rate in the high temperature chambers. These factors indicate that hypertension is an added factor in the overall stress of these birds.


A comparison between aortic lumen surfaces of hypertensive and hypotensive turkeys.

Some features of the aortic intima were examined with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and found to contribute to the etiology of dissecting aneurysm. The endothelium over intimal plaques was not as pendulous as endothelium surrounding plaques. The pendulous appearance of aortic endothelial cells could be associated with the contractile nature of these cells. Some undescribable factor, which has been termed stress or atherosclerosis, seemed to reduce the contractile nature of endothelial cells on the plaque areas. Analyses with SEM revealed a probable cause of a dissecting aneurysm. The effect of pulsating blood pressure on an inelastic endothelium could create a separation between endothelial cells and the fluid pressure of blood could then separate the tissue until the vessel ruptured into the body cavity or back into the aorta. Because all abdominal aortic segments examined had atherosclerosis, it was not possible to show the amount of intimal alteration between normal and atherosclerotic aortas. Each blood pressure line showed a similar change which was 4.52 and 4.95% for the high and low blood pressure lines, respectively. There were no demonstrable correlations in this study between either high or low blood pressure lines of turkeys and atherosclerosis.


Plasma growth hormone levels in normal and testosterone implanted growing turkeys.

The growth of normal and testosterone implanted female turkeys was followed between 2 and 16 weeks of age and the concentration of immunoreactive growth hormone (GH) in the peripheral plasma measured. The testosterone treated birds were larger than the controls between 3 and 11 weeks of age. In both groups the plasma GH levels were inversely correlated with the bird's age and body weight and directly correlated with the percentage weekly weight gain Plasma GH concentrations in the testosterone treated birds were higher than in the controls at 4 weeks of age and lower at 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 weeks of age. Significant differences between the groups in percentage weekly weight gain were not consistently associated with corresponding differences in plasma GH level.


[Synthesis of organic acids by immobilized propionic bacteria in the flow system and stabilization of the process].

The capacity of immobilized cells of propionic bacteria to synthesize organic acids was examined. Propionibacterium shermanii cells incorporated into polyacrylamide gel were capable to synthesize propionic, acetic and pyruvic acids in the flow system. As a carbon source glucose, lactate-Na or whey lactose was used. The greatest amount of the acids was synthesized with the use of lactate-Na. The life-time of the biocatalyst (immobilized cells) can be increased by its reactivation with a nutrient medium required for optimal cell proliferation.


[Effect of salt supplements on lipid growth and synthesis by yeast cultivated on peat oxidates].

The accumulation of biomass and lipids and their fatty acid composition were investigated during cultivation of the yeast Candida tropicalis and Lipomyces lipoferus on peat oxidates supplemented with inorganic compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. The absence of additional sources of the above elements from the nutrient substrate inhibited the culture growth. In order to optimize cultivation of lipid synthesizing yeast on peat oxidates, the above compounds should be added in certain concentrations.


[Influence of cultivation conditions on the synthesis of trypsin inhibitor in the submerged culture of Actinomyces janthinus 118].

The influence of mass exchange and cultivation temperature on the synthesis of trypsin inhibitor in the submerged culture of Actinomyces janthinus was studied. Mass exchange parameters of the fermenter varied from 0.72 to 3.7 g O2 l/hr without oxygen limitations, and cultivation temperature ranged from 25 to 34 degrees C. The growth pattern, dynamics of substrate consumption and synthesis of trypsin inhibitor by the culture of Act. janthinus were shown to depend on mass exchange and cultivation temperature. With an increase in mass exchange the inhibitory activity reached maximum earlier but did not rise in its absolute value. With a temperature increase the inhibitory activity grew by 65%.


[Sorption of acid ribonuclease from Penicillium brevi-compactum by various ion-exchange resins].

Sorption of acid ribonuclease from Penicillium brevi-compactum F-399 was studied. The effect of nature and structure of various ion-exchange resins on the sorption capacity and reversibility was determined. High rate and reversibility of the enzyme sorption on the strong base anion-exchange fiber TsM-A2 were demonstrated. It is suggested that sorption of acid ribonuclease of the TsM-A2 fiber proceeds as ion exchange and on carboxyl cation exchange resins as molecular sorption.


[Use of fluorescein isothiocyanate to label plasma membrane of lymphocytes].

The possibility of using fluoresceine isothiocyanate to label plasmatic membranes of lymphocytes was explored. Membrane labeling can be done under physiological conditions. The label interacted with the surface located membrane component, and the binding centers became saturated with the label concentration which left the membrane undamaged. Modification of the membrane surface resulting from fluoresceine isothiocyanate treatment influenced significantly intercellular interactions mediating mitogen-induced blast transformation.


[Isolation and characterization of hemagglutinin from the stock culture of Actinomyces streptomycini str. 32-12].

From the culture fluid of Actinomyces streptomycini streptomycin was extracted and then hemagglutinin, a biologically active substance, was isolated. The isolation included ethanol fractionation, sulfate ammonium protein precipitation, elimination of contaminating components via centrifugation, dialysis and subsequent lyophilization. The resultant hemagglutinin showed activity towards animal and human erythrocytes, and blast-transforming and mitogenic activity towards human lymphocytes.


[Effect of various procedures of storing the fungus Rhizopus microsporus UzLT-1, a lipase producer].

The effect of various storage procedures on the viability and synthesis of lipolytic enzymes by Rhizopus microsporus UzLT-1 was studied. The best procedures of producer storage proved to be regular passages and lyophilization. These procedures made it possible to maintain stable activity of lipolytic enzymes produced by the fungus for a long time. The fungal storage in vaseline oil or in a dried state was less effective due to significant losses of its lipolytic capacity.


[Partial purification and properties of proteases of bitoxibacillin].

The paper describes properties of proteases A and B isolated from the biological insecticide bitoxibacillin by sulphate precipitation and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration. Proteases A and B of bitoxibacillin belong to the neutral bacterial proteases. pH optimum was found to be 6.0 and 7.5 for detection of proteolytic activity of protease A and protease B, respectively. Thermal stability of proteases A and B was similar and increased by 25% upon addition of CaCl2. Both proteases were inhibited with EDTA. The molecular weight of proteases A and B was estimated to be 57,000 and 47,000, respectively.


[Decomposition of human blood cholesterol by the enzyme from Actinomyces lavendulae].

In vitro experiments with enzymic decomposition of cholesterol contained in the human blood were carried out. The enzyme was obtained from the mycelium of Actinomyces lavendulae. As a result of incubation of blood samples in the presence of the enzyme at 37 degrees, the cholesterol content decreased and reached 30--43% of the initial value within 2 hours. The enzyme showed its specific effect only upon free cholesterol but not on its esters.


[Method for assaying methane monooxygenase activity by measuring methane uptake in the reaction vessel].

The reaction vessel has been designed to measure methane monooxygenase activity. An elastic membrane has been built into one of the walls of the vessel to take liquid samples, avoiding formation of the gaseous phase in the reaction volume. The methane content in the samples is measured in a gas-liquid chromatograph with a flame ionization detector in two ways: 1. by direct measurement of methane in the liquid sample, and 2. by measurement of methane in the gaseous phase after methane diffusion from the liquid sample into the gaseous space of another vessel. The method is simple, sensitive (with a lower limit of 0.1 nMole CH4), and well reproducible. This method permits measurement of the oxidation kinetics of methane and other gaseous hydrocarbons both by intact cells and cell-free preparations of methane oxidizing bacteria.


[Effect of urea on aggregation of immunoglobulins in water solutions].

The methods of molecular light scattering and of gel filtration were used to study the degree of urea-induced desaggregation of immunoglobulin (IgG) molecules preaggregated by heating. Urea was shown to desaggregate considerably (70--80%) protein IgG aggregates. The data obtained suggest an important role of hydrophobic interactions in the immunoglobulin aggregation.


[Immobilization of pectawamorine G10x by gel entrapment].

Polyacrylamide gel immobilization of pectawamorine G10x was investigated. Its pectinesterase and polygalacturonase activity and stability in storage were measured. The degree of pectawamorine binding during gel immobilization was 80--90%, 55% of initial activity being retained. Thermal stability of the immobilized and native preparations was equal. Pectinesterase activity of the gel immobilized enzyme increased during storage.


[Content of free and bound thiamine diphosphate in the liver hyaloplasm of vitamine B1 deficient rats].

The amount of free and protein-bound thiamin diphosphate (TDP) in the liver hyaloplasm of B1 vitamin deficient rats has been measured. In the norm the content of protein-bound TDP remains stable (4.5--4.7 micrograms/g tissue) and does not grow upon thiamin injections. The level of the free coenzyme varies appreciably: in the B1-avitaminotic state the content of free TDP decreases, and in the B1-saturated condition it may exceed the norm 4 times. In the liver this enzyme occurs only as a holoenzyme. In case of B1 vitamin deficiency in the diet the transketolase apoform cannot be detected in the liver. A new model for rapid generation of B1-avitaminosis characterized by a significantly lower level of free and bound TDP is described.


[Procedure for isolating nisin from Streptococcus lactis].

The paper describes a method for obtaining the antibiotic nisine from Streptococcus lactis str. MSU via 50% acetic acid extraction. The concentrate is dried in the Anhydro spray drier (Denmark). The preparation is inactivated during a one-year storage in the refrigerator by 20-25%.


[Activities of protein-inhibitors of proteases in seeds of different varieties of yellow and white lupine plants].

Activities of protein-inhibitors of proteases and their correlation with the total content of protein and alkaloids in yellow and white lupine seeds were studied. Yellow lupine seeds showed lowe activities of protein-inhibitors. They also displayed negative correlation between activities of protein-inhibitors and the total content of protein and alkaloids.


[Methylation of ribonuclease and albumin by methyl cobalamin].

The capacity of methyl cobalamine (14CH3-B12) to methylate RNase and albumin in in vitro systems was studied. Under the experimental conditions, 14CH3-B12 methylated proteins about 100--1000 times more actively than S-adenosyl-methionine, a universal donor of methyl groups. The nature of buffer and pH 2 to 8 had no noticeable effect on the methylating capacity of 14CH3-B12. However, at higher pH rate of incorporation of methyl groups slightly increased. The 14CH3-groups incorporated into RNase amino acids remained stable upon illumination, in the presence of KCN in the incubation medium, and when heated in 20% HCl for 24--72 hr at 105 degrees. Methylation did not influence the enzymic properties of RNase. The automatic amino acid analyzer showed three peaks of the label of modified amino acids in the hydrolzates of methylated RNase, one of which corresponded to methylated methionine.


[Preparation and properties of protoplasts from Saccharomyces vini K-42].

Lytic enzymes from the edible snail--Helix pomatia--were used to obtain protoplasts of yeast Saccharomyces vini K-42. The yeast grown in aerobic conditions proved more sensitive. The resultant protoplasts oxidized glucose and sucrose and did not oxidize maltose.


2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: covalent binding of reactive metabolic intermediates principally to protein in vitro.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is metabolized by the mouse liver cytochrome P-450-mediated monooxygenase system to reactive intermediates which bind 'covalently' to cellular macromolecules. Although very difficult to quantitate, the presumably covalent binding to microsomal protein occurs between 120 and 2,640 times more readily than binding to deproteinized DNA in the in vitro reaction. Because of the extremely high rate of binding to protein rather than to DNA, it is visualized that TCDD metabolites may be so reactive that they bind in or near the P-450-active site where the TCDD is monoxygenated. This extreme reactivity may preclude the formation of detectable quantities of phenols, dihydrodiols, or conjugated products. The rate of TCDD metabolism is estimated to be between 9,000 and 36,000 times lower than the rate of P-450-mediated benzo[a]pyrene metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that TCDD is metabolized in any organism. There remains the possibility, however unlikely, that this covalently-bound radioactivity represents metabolites of contaminants--present in the radiolabeled TCDD sample in very minute amounts--rather than metabolites of tritiated TCDD itself. The possible relationship between P-450-mediated metabolism of this environmental contaminant and its extreme toxicity or teratogenicity is discussed.


Selected cardiovascular and central properties of three lidocaine analogs.

Three analogs of lidocaine (benzyl carbamyl, benzyl nitrile and methyl nitrile) were synthesized and examined for cardiovascular and central activity. The benzyl carbamyl analog was more potent than lidocaine in lowering blood pressure but possessed only slight local anesthetic, antiarrhythmic and CNS-depressant activity. At 40 mg/kg the benzyl nitrile derivative was superior to lidocaine in protecting against chloroform-induced arrhythmias. The methyl nitrile analog was less active than the benzyl nitrile analog in most parameters examined. The benzyl nitrile derivative and lidocaine had similar potencies on blood pressure depression, local anesthetic activity and ability to protect against calcium chloride-induced arrhythmias. Unlike the benzyl carbamyl derivative both lidocaine and the benzyl nitrile compounds appear to depress the cardiovascular system via a common mechanism.


Inhibition of drug oxidation and stimulation of NADPH oxidase in vitro by doxorubicin and triferric-doxorubicin.

The electrophilic properties of the quinone-hydroquinone configuration of anthracycline antibiotics suggests a possible influence on cytochrome P-450-mediated mono-oxygenase reactions. Both doxorubicin and triferric-doxorubicin (a derivative in which the quinone groups are blocked with iron) showed a similar dose-dependent inhibition of liver microsomal drug metabolism. A doxorubicin concentration-related stimulation of NADPH oxidase activity was found to be linear but that for triferric-doxorubicin was asymptotic. Neither inhibitor affected the activity of cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome b5 reductase or cytochrome P-450 reductase. However, doxorubicin did potentiate the inhibitory effect of aniline on cytochrome P-450 reductase and on ethylmorphine metabolism. It is concluded that these anthracyclines inhibit drug metabolism in vitro not by their electron-withdrawing potential but in a manner more similar to that described for type II compounds.


RNA and protein synthesis in rat brain during exercise. Effect of arginine and some phosphorylated amino acids.

RNA and protein synthesis is noticeably depressed in the brain of swimming rats. Repeated oral administration of phosphothreonine, phosphoserine or arginine is susceptible of improving brain macromolecular synthesis. A parallel induction is observed on spermine and spermidine accumulation, particularly evident when arginine is used. The anti-fatigue effect of phosphorylated amino acids or arginine may be associated with the observed restoration of brain macromolecular synthesis via polyamine accumulation.


Choice of the measuring quantity for therapy-level dosemeters.

With the introduction of SI units in radiology the quantity exposure will probably be abandoned for therapy level dosemeters because of the inconvenient conversion factors which have, in SI units, to be applied for the change into absorbed dose. Instead of exposure, a quantity is envisaged which, like absorbed dose, is measured in the unit gray (= joule per kilogram). A difficulty lies in the fact that in the immediate future only primary standards of exposure will be available, necessitating the introduction of conversion factors at the interface between primary and secondary standards or field instruments. Expert opinion differs as to whether a kerma quantity, a half-way stage to the desired situation, should be used, or whether the full step should be taken involving the calibration of field instruments in terms of 'absorbed dose in water under specified conditions'. This paper discusses the problem and recommends the full step.


The influence of variations in the ventilation rate in rooms upon the respiratory dose from inhalation of radon daughters.

Theoretical calculations are reported of the mean respiratory dose from inhalation of short-lived radon daughters under different ventilation condtions. These calculations are related to the variations in ventilation practice over different periods of time.


Radioactivity of building materials and the gamma radiation in dwellings.

Measurements of the radioactivity in some common building materials in Norway are reported, together with calculations of the gamma-ray exposure from walls of different materials. Model rooms are used in calculations of the mean exposure inside concrete, brick and light-weight expanded clay aggregate buildings. These calculations give very good agreement with previous experimental results. The radiological implications of using building materials with high concentrations of radioactivity are also discussed.


Solar dosimetry of the face: the relationship of natural ultraviolet radiation exposure to basal cell carcinoma localisation.

Measurements have been made of the distribution of natural ultraviolet radiation (UVR) at 41 sites on the face of a large fibreglass model of a head. The dosemeter used was the polymer film polysulphone. The results have been correlated with published values of the distribution of basal cell carcinomas on the face. Although the comparison has highlighted the problems of trying to relate frequency of skin tumour occurrence to sunlight exposure, the present results are compatible with the hypotheses that human skin cancer incidence increases with environmental UVR exposure, and that sunlight is not the only factor in the aetiology of basal cell carcinomas of the face.


Computed LET distributions in the build-up region of tissue for 14 MeV neutrons.

Experimental radiobiological investigations of fast neutron beams involve irradiation of thin cell layers. The irradiation of cells is done either in free air or with a material such as graphite, TE plastic or bone-equivalent plastic covering the cells. This paper discusses the computed dose distributions in LET at shallow depths between 5 or 10 micrometers and the equilibrium depth, and the influence of the overlying materials on the distributions. The secondaries considered are elastic recoils of H, C, N and O, and 22 alpha particle groups and the corresponding heavy recoils arising from (n, alpha) events in C, N, O, P and Ca. Dose-average LET and curves of detailed dose distributions in LET as a function of depth in tissue are given for various overlying materials.


Attenuation factors for certain tissues when the body is irradiated omnidirectionally.

Experimental values of mean attenuation factors are reported for certain tissues in an anthropomorphic phantom irradiated omnidirectionally with gamma rays from sodium-24, radium-226, iodine-131 and xenon-133. The data are used to relate the mean absorbed dose to the whole body, bone marrow, gonads and skin to (a) the absorbed dose in air and (b) the exposure in air. Correlations are made for the degradation of the radiation by scatter and the photoelectron enhancement effect. It is proposed that for natural background gamma rays a mean attenuation factor of 0.7 may be used for bone marrow. The corresponding rad/R factor is 0.67. It is also estimated that the effective mean depth of bone marrow for omnidirectional irradiation is 5.0--5.5 cm.


Theoretical of the measurement of choroidal blood flow using a radioactive inert gas clearance technique.

A mathematical model for the diffusion of krypton in ocular tissues and its removal by blood flow has been developed to explain the complex clearance pattern found experimentally in the rabbit--an animal which has predominantly a choroidal circulation. Comparison of theoretical and experimental results has shown that the initial slope of the clearance curve is a measure of choroidal blood flow for values of blood flow over 500 ml/100 g/min. The shape of the curve at later times has been shown to be attributable predominantly to the diffusion of krypton into other ocular tissues.


Effect of size and composition of the body on absolute measurement of calcium in vivo.

The effect of size and composition of the body on the measurement of total calcium in absolute units by neutron activation analysis is described. The neutron beam, produced from a cyclotron, was of mean energy 7.5 MeV. Counting of the activities induced in a patient was carried out with a multidetector whole body counter. Calibration of the system was achieved by using two phantoms of different sizes containing known quantities of calcium. The dimensions of various phantom sections were varied to determine the effect on efficiency of activation, an approximately linear relationship with body thickness being found. The influence of body habitus on counting efficiency was assessed by counting different patients who had been given known quantities of 42K. The effects of (a) the non-uniform distribution of calcium and (b) the variation in density of different tissues on both activation and counting efficiency are discussed. It is estimated that the 68% confidence limits on the measurement of 49Ca count rate per unit neutron fluence is +/- 3.0% and on the measurement of calcium in grams +/- 8.2%.


Elemental analysis of bone mineral by backscattering of alpha particles.

Backscattering of 2 MeV alpha particles has been applied for the first time to studies of the inorganic substances of human bone. Bone samples taken from the femoral shaft (dense bone) and iliac crest (spongy bone) of 18 cadavers were analysed for the calcium, phosphorus and oxygen content, after lyophilisation and heating for 1.5 h at 500 degrees C to remove water and organic material. The backscattering method produces a spectrum in which all the elements present in the sample except hydrogen can be seen at once. The reproducibility of the measurements was less than 2%. No previous studies were found in the literature of the measurement of elemental oxygen in bone samples. Ca/P ratios varied from 1.97 to 2.47, Ca/O ratios from 0.76 to 0.91 and P/O ratios from 0.34 to 0.41, the latter two being about 10--15% lower than expected if bone mineral were hydroxyapatite (Ca/O = 0.96 and P/O = 0.44). The results are consistent with previous work on Ca/P ratios but the low Ca/O and P/O ratios could not be explained without postulation of crystal or hydroxyl water in bone mineral. Support for the explanation was gained by differential gravimetric and thermal analysis.


Thermal history and reusability of CaSO4: Dy Teflon TLD discs.

The TL sensitivity of CaCO4 : Dy Teflon TLD discs was found not to change after isothermal annealing for 1 h in the temperature range 220--400 degrees C. The reusability of these TLD discs after two separate annealing treatments (240 degrees C and 400 degrees C, each 1 h) were studied for 20 cycles of use. The former annealing treatment resulted in a 12% loss in TL sensitivity after 20 cycles, mainly due to the increase in optical density of these discs. A decrease in the maximum temperature from 300 to 250 degrees C while clamped for read-out in the TLD reader has prevented any change in the optical density of these discs, and their TL sensitivity did not show any change after 20 cycles. The darkening of PTFE-based TL dosemeters was attributed to the reorientation of molecules in PTFE when the temperature during readout exceeds 250 degrees C; isothermal annealing at 400 degrees C restored their original colour. Their TL sensitivity decreased gradually with the number of cycles (over 15% in 20 cycles) after the 400 degrees C anneal, mainly because of the loss in TL sensitivity of the CaSO4 : Dy phosphor itself. This study has demonstrated that under controlled conditions, the Teflon TL dosemeters can be reused a number of times without any change in TL sensitivity.


Electrical stimulation of wrist and fingers for hemiplegic patients.

Passive cyclical electrical stimulation was applied during a four-week treatment program to the wrist and finger extensors of 16 hemiplegic patients with flexor spasticity. The study noted the effects of this treatment on the patients' sensation; spasticity; passive range of motion of the wrist, metacarpophalangeal, and proximal interphalangeal joints; and strength in the wrist extensor muscles. Patients were divided into chronic and subacute groups. Both groups received electrical stimulation for three half-hour periods a day, seven days a week, as a substitute for all other range-of-motion techniques. Flexion contractures were prevented in the subacute group of patients at the wrist, metacarpophalangeal, and proximal interphalangeal joints. A statistically and clinically significant increase in wrist extension range occurred in the chronic group that had wrist flexion contractures before the electrical stimulation. Increased extension was noted at the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of patients in the chronic group. Those patients with some voluntary wrist extension before the treatment began were able to increase their extension strength during stimulation. No changes in skin sensation were noted and only a general trend in decreasing spasticity was apparent.


Electrical stimulation in exercise of the quadriceps femoris muscle.

Thirty-seven healthy subjects took part in an investigation to determine if the application of electrical stimulation to normal muscle, in combination with exercise, augments strength. Subjects were divided into three groups. Grwoup A (n = 14) was a control group (no exercise, no electrical stimulation). Group B members (n = 11) engaged in 10 sessions of maximum isometric exercise, and Group C subjects (n = 12) performed 10 sessions of maximum isometric exercise while simultaneously receiving electrical stimulation. The knee extensor muscles of subjects in Groups B and C increased in strength. However, the strength gains for Groups B and C were equivalent, suggesting that electrical stimulation combined with maximum isometric contractions has no greater effect on enhancing strength than does conventional static exercise.


Interactive effects of resistance and facilitation patterning upon reaction and response times.

The purpose of this study was to determine the interactive effects of maximum resistance with proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation patterning upon reaction, movement, and response time. Reaction time, response time-one (flexion at shoulder, extension at elbow), response time-two (flexion, adduction, external rotation at shoulder, elbow flexion), and movement time (response time-two minus reaction time) were measured before and after a training program. Fifty subjects were randomly assigned to one of the following training groups: weight training, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation patterning without resistance, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation with maximum resistance. Subjects participated in their training sessions three times a week for six weeks. Analysis revealed no significant changes between the training groups.


Increasing sensory and motor stimulation for the patient with quadriplegia.

The common perception about the individual with quadriplegia (having a lesion at C5 and above) as a fragile, immobile, and medically unstable individual is in direct conflict with the concept of successful rehabilitation. Long hospitalizations, constant medical attention, and profound physical dependence often work against the efforts of those providing rehabilitation to ease the patient's transition back to as normal a life style as possible. This paper describes a successfully executed sensory and motor stimulation program, designed to meet the needs of the sensory-deprived individual with quadriplegia and to deemphasize the perception of both physical and psychological fragility.


Qualitative differences among sweeteners.

Seventeen sweeteners varying widely in chemical structure were arranged in a three-dimensional space by two multidimensional scaling procedures, INDSCAL and ALSCAL. Fructose, glucose, sorbose, xylitol and xylose tended to fall near one another. Two sweeteners with a syrupy component, maltose and sorbitol, fell further away. Ca cyclamate and the dipeptide aspartame were the two artificial sweeteners which fell closest to and thus tasted most like the sugars. The proteins monellin and thaumatin, as well as the chalcone glycoside, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, all have long aftertastes and thus tended to fall proximate to one another. Stimuli with the highest metallic and bitter ratings (acetosulfan, sodium saccharin, rebaudioside and stevioside) tended to fall near one another with the amino acid d-tryptophan located a little farther away. Adjective scales were related to the spatial arrangement. Wide variability in the patterns of intensity ratings over  subjects suggests that the sweet taste may be mediated by several peripheral receptor mechanisms.


Activation of sexual reflexes of male rats by dihydrotestosterone but not estrogen.

Previous studies have shown that withdrawal and administration of testosterone propionate (TP) has a quantitative influence on sexual reflexes which parallels changes in copulatory activity following castration and administration of TP. The present study involving castrated spinal male rats explored further this parallel, focusing on the effects on sexual reflexes of the administration of dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP) and estradiol benzoate (EB), both of which can activate sexual behavior in spinally intact castrated male rats, but only if given in very large doses for a prolonged period of time. A parallel effect on reflexes and behavior was not found inasmuch as DHTP activated sexual reflexes at a dose (200 microgram daily) considerably below that needed to activate behavior, and EB did not appreciably activate reflexes, even after prolonged treatment at levels (100-200 microgram) higher than necessary to activate behavior. The results, with EB in particular, point out that the display of intromissive and ejaculatory patterns in rats may not involve spinal neural mechanisms that are customarily associated with these behavioral patterns.


Circadian rhythm of luminance detectability in the rat.

Rats lived in a visual detection test environment which allowed for around-the-clock measurement of the detectability of a 500 nm stimulus of low luminance. Daily trends in visual sensitivity were compared with a behavioral activity measure, the rate of trial initiations in the self-paced testing procedure. Both variables showed circadian rhythms with periods exceeding 24 hr in the absence of day-night cues. However, the two oscillations were phase-displaced, such that maximal visual sensitivity occurred earlier than did maximal behavioral activity, each day. The temporal organization of visual sensitivity may underlie well-known photic influence on circadian rhythms and photoperiodic behavior.


Spatial memory deficit following fimbria-fornix lesions: independent of time for stimulus processing.

The present experiment examined the possible role of stimulus processing time in the spatial memory deficit found following fimbria-fornix lesions in rats. Rats were trained preoperatively on a radial arm maze in a procedure that placed them at the end of each arm and confined them there for 30 seconds. This confinement period was markedly longer than the few seconds the rats normally spend there in the usual test procedure. Rats with fimbria-fornix lesions performed no better than expected by chance on the first choice after placements. Although performance on subsequent choices was above chance, this was due to a strong turning pattern; when this pattern was interrupted, performance was no greater than that expected by chance on all choices. These data demonstrate that the deficit in the radial arm maze resulted primarily from a difficulty in spatial memory, rather than from an insufficient time for processing stimulus information.


Genetic obestiy: estrogenic influences on the body weight and food intake of lean and obese adult Zucker (fa/fa) rats.

The effects of chronic estrogen withdrawal and subsequent hormone replacement on the feeding and body weight of adult lean and genetically obese Zucker rats were investigated. Following confirmation of a delay in the vaginal canalization of the fatty rat, subgroups of each genotype received either ovariectomy or sham surgery (Experiment 1). One hundred days later all subjects were injected subcutaneously (SC) with 1.0 microgram of estradiol benzoate (EB) daily for 16 treatment days (Experiment 2A). A second series of daily 2.0 microgram EB injections was administered intraperitoneally (IP) for 1 week (Experiment 2B). The first experiment revealed that ovariectomy produced overeating and similar weight gains in both genotypes. In the second experiment, SC hormone treatment completely reversed ovarian obesity in lean animals but failed to alter the food intake or weight gain of fatty rats. IP administration of EB depressed the feeding of fatty and lean animals to a comparable degree but a reduction in weight gain was observed only in the lean rats. These findings are discussed in light of current theories of estrogenic modulation of energy balance.


Weight loss, slower growth and lower fasting heat production rates following LH lesions in female rats.

Lesions in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) can result in a permanent loss of body weight and slower growth in female rats, but do not do so invariably. Weight and growth rate changes were always accompanied by lower rates of fasting heat production (FHP) independent of changes in activity. The thyroids of these animals were significantly below normal in size. None of the traditional deficits of the "LH syndrome" were present: the animals ate when deprived of water: drank when deprived of food (although less than the control animals) and increased their food intakes when injected systemically with insulin, at least on the initial test. With repeated tests the food intake following insulin-induced hypoglycemia declined both in the animals with lesions and in the animals whose body compositions and weights had been lowered to the same levels.


Effects of hippocampal lesions on adaptive intake of diets with disproportionate amounts of amino acids.

Bilateral double electrolytic overlapping lesions were placed in dorsal-lateral hippocampus of male 230 g rats, and their food intake responses to the ingestion of diets containing disproportionate amounts of amino acids were examined. Rats with such lesions and intact control rats maintained their normal intakes of the 6% casein basal diet or a threonine basal amino acid diet postoperatively. However, they exhibited marked initial food intake depression, similar to that of intact rats, when fed the threonine imbalanced amino acid diet. Also, animals with lesions in certain areas of the dorsal-lateral hippocampus showed facilitated adaptation to the amino acid imbalanced diet. Similar severe reduction in food intake with relative lack of adaptation were observed in both the intact controls and rats with hippocampal lesions when fed amino acid diets completely devoid of threonine. Initial food intake of rats with hippocampal lesions was inhibited drastically as was the case with the intact controls when fed a 75% casein high protein diet. All rats, either intact or lesioned, showed similar slow adaptation patterns with the prolonged ingestion of the high protein diet. The initial food intake responses and facilitated adaptation of the animals bearing lesions in certain areas of the hippocampus suggest that such areas are not crucially involved in the inhibition of food intake of rats fed disproportionate amounts of dietary amino acids. Rather, such areas of lesions in the hippocampus may play a role in a system governing the behavioral adaptation of the intake of amino acid imbalanced diets but not of diets containing amino acids in general excess. This would also indicate that different mechanisms control the intake of amino acid imbalanced diets and diets containing amino acids in excess.


Patterns of eating as a function of the cost of the meal.

Rats were required to complete fixed ratio schedules (FR 20-FR 2560) of wheel turns to obtain access to food. By decreasing meal frequency and increasing meal size directly as functions of the fixed ratio requirement, animals controlled total daily food intake and body weight relatively constant until the highest ratio requirement was introduced. These functional changes in feeding patterns provide experimental support for theoretical models of optimal feeding strategies. At the highest ratio requirement, as animals lost weight, they increased running and therefore opportunities to feed, however, food intake continued to decrease with increasing exposure to this schedule. As rats on this schedule initiated feeding each time food became available, but did not eat large enough to this schedule. As rats on this schedule initiated feeding each time food became available, but did not eat large enough meals to maintain body weight, it is suggested that activity may interest with satiety mechanisms to produce termination of meals.


Evidence of state dependent learning of brightness discrimination in hypothermic mice.

Shock-elicited escape behavior of C57Bl mice in a brightness discrimination task was examined to investigate the effects of hypothermia on acquisition and reversal. Neither acquisition nor reversal was impaired by 7 degrees C or 13 degrees C decreases in central body temperature when body temperature remained at those levels throughout testing. However, body temperature changes from acquisition to reversal were accompanied by memory deficits during reversal if acquisition occurred at body temperature decreased by 13 degrees and reversal occurred at normal body temperature or body temperature decreased by 7 degrees and reversal at body temperature decreased by 13 degrees. This finding suggests the occurrence of a state dependent discrimination response: an instance of asymmetrical dissociation. In addition, during acquisition, latency of the escape response was longer in hypothermic animals than in controls, and should be interpreted as a performance deficit, rather than failure or delayed rate of learning. Depressed intertrial activity also was observed in hypothermic animals.


Pancreatic glucagon, food deprivation and feeding in intact and vagotomized rabbits.

Thirty New-Zealand female rabbits were implanted with hepatic-portal cannulas and six simultaneously underwent bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy. When recovered, all animals received pancreatic glucagon infused at 1.0 cc/min for a total dosage of 12 microgram in 3.0 cc of isotonic saline. On alternate days, isotonic saline alone was infused as a control. Twelve intact and six vagotomized animals received infusions terminating food deprivations of 4, 8, and 24 hr while the remaining animals received the infusions only when free feeding. The feeding behavior of all animals was measured at 0.5, 1 and 2 hr postinfusion. Glucagon significantly suppressed feeding relative to saline only in 0- and 4-hr-food-deprived intact rabbits. Longer deprivations followed by glucagon did not produce suppression, and glucagon was completely ineffective in suppressing feeding in vagotomized animals. Although glucagon infusion in 4-hr food-deprived intact rabbits produced 38% suppression of food intake during the first hr postadministration, glycogen analysis revealed no significant reduction under the behavioral testing paradigm. These results indicate that glucagon can suppress food intake without depletion of liver glycogen. It is suggested that glucagon is not a satiety signal but can probably suppress feeding through initiating glycogenolysis.


Superior colliculus lesions and environmental experience: nonvisual effects on problem solving and locomotor activity.

Bilateral lesions of the superior colliculus were produced in rats reared in either a restricted or complex environment. Problem solving ability in a Hebb-Williams closed field and activity in an open field were subsequently observed in conditions of either bright or dim illumination. Animals with superior colliculus lesions were deficient in problem solving ability and were hyperactive in the open field. Complex environment exposure during development increased problem solving ability and initial ambulation scores in all groups. Extent of pretectal damage and behavioral measures were significantly related for animals reared in the complex, but not in the restricted environment. There were no interactions with illumination level, suggesting that the deficits resulting from collicular lesions are not dependent upon the availability of visual cues.


Conditioned taste preferences as a measure of brain-stimulation reward in rats.

Conditioned taste preferences (CTPs) were demonstrated in rats after one, three or five pairings of a novel tasting solution with sessions of intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Control groups that experienced single or repeated unpaired presentations of the novel taste or the ICSS did not exhibit such preferences. Although there were no group differences in the absolute size of the CPTs, the resistance of those preferences to extinction reliably increased with the number of novel taste/ICSS pairings. A second experiment was devised to study the effects of changes in ICSS Current intensity on the CTPs produced by that ICSS. There were statistically reliable differences in the CTPs produced by Low-Current and High-Current groups. A No-Current control group did not demonstrate a CTP. Taken together these data suggest that the conditioned taste preference is a learned phenomenon analogous to the conditioned taste aversion that occurs following novel taste/illness pairings. The use of the CTP paradigm as a measure of the rewarding nature of intracranial self-stimulation is proposed.


Cranial irradiation of young rats impairs later learning and growth.

Young rats (26 days) were exposed to ionizing radiation of the head of 0, 1200, 2400, or 3000 rads total in 200 rads/day doses. The subsequent growth of irradiated rats was permanently impaired: such impairment was positively related  to amount of irradiation. Beginning in adolescence, rats were trained on a horizontal/vertical visual discrimination in a runway task, and although all four groups mastered the discrimination, they differed in their patterns of acquisition. These results indicate long term effects are associated with a cranial irradiation regimen similar to that given to children suffering acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).


The postnatal development of swimming behavior in the rabbit.

Adult rabbits make flexion and extension movements with fore- and hindlimbs while swimming. This type of behavior develops between 8 and 15 days after birth. It is concluded that by observing swimming movements the maturation of subcortical structures related to locomotion can be studied in unrestrained rabbits.


Hypophagia follows the initial hyperphagia produced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose in rats.

The glucose analogue 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) inhibits glucose metabolism and causes a rapid increase in food consumption in most species. This increase is most apparent during the first 6 postinjection hours, although it may persist as long as 10 hr. There are no published descriptions of alterations in food consumption subsequent to the hyperphagia. In the present study male and female rats were injected with 2DG (750 mg/kg IP), insulin (regular, 20 U/kg SC) or distilled water, and food intake was compared to baseline levels during the next 1, 6 and 24 hr. Results showed that food intake: (1) was not affected by injections of water: (2) was higher than normal during all 3 time periods following insulin injections: and (3) was higher than normal at 1 and 6 hr following 2DG, but significantly lower than normal by the end of 24 hr. The reasons underlying the development of hypophagia subsequent to the initial hyperphagia produced by 2DG are presently unknown.


An automatic device for delivering "tail-pinch" stimulation to freely moving rats.

An automatic device useful in the study of tail-pinch induced eating is described. The apparatus can apply pressure of controlled duration and intensity to the tail of freely moving rats. With this method, eating can be induced reliably without any vocalization.


The sexual attractiveness of male rats: olfactory and behavioral components.

Female rats are more attracted to intact than to castrated males. In this study, we compared the approach of female rats, in a straight runway, to (1) castrated males, which neither smell nor behave like intact males, (2) castrated males treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which smell like intact males but behave like castrate males, and (3) castrated males treated with DHT and estradiol benzoate (EB), which both smell and behave like intact males. It was found that females ran faster to DHT males than to the castrate controls; and faster to the DHT-EB group than to the DHT group. Thus the odour and the sexual activity of male rats are independent effective sources of incentive to females.


Rodent hearing: apparatus for behavioral measurements with ultrasounds.

For frequencies from 4 to 80 kHz, the acoustic reliability, behavioral reliability and overall performance of an open platform were entirely satisfactory in measurements of "absolute" auditory thresholds (using a reward operant procedure) in Rattus norvegicus. Equal satisfaction was provided by a rodent-holder in measurements of Preyer reflex thresholds over a similar frequency range in R. norvegicus, Mus musculus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Meriones unguiculatus and Sigmodon hispidus.


Glucagon and insulin oscillatory self-administration in rats.

In a previous work, it was shown that insulin was intravenously self-injected by rats. By the study here reported it was demonstrated that, in the same procedure, glucagon was not self-administered. However, when allowed to obtain either insulin or glucagon ad lib in a two lever procedure, rats established a sustained daily self-injection pattern of the two hormones. Mostly self-injection bouts occurred immediately before and after each meal with an insulin to glucagon ratio higher after than prior to the meal. Fifty-six and sixty-four percent of glucagon and insulin respectively were self-injected in coupled oscillatory bursts. In such alternated self-injections the amounts of the hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic agents obtained were positively correlated. These data indicate that rats might be able to learn and to carry out a behavioural regulation of blood glucose level.


Visual cortical hypersynchronous bursting as an index of shifts in behavioral state.

Photically evoked after-discharge (PhAD) bursting was examined in lightly restrained albino rats during habituation of a leg flexion response. The initial effect of iterative footshock (200 trials, 0.17 mA, 2.5 msec duration, separated by 1.0 sec) was to block PhAD bursting. As response habituation developed PhAD reappeared at reduced levels, subsequently returning to control levels as habituation progressed and became complete. The number of spindles per PhAD burst was suppressed for a brief period which coincided with response sensitization. These results are interpreted as demonstrating that phasic shifts in behavioral state are reflected by PhAD parameters. In addition, the possible relationship between cortical information processing and PhAD bursting is discussed with reference to putative neural mechanisms involved.


Dorsal bundle extinction effect: motivation or attention?

Male albino Wistar rats were injected bilaterally with 4 micrograms of 6-hydroxydopamine into the dorsal noradrenergic bundle to deplete forebrain noradrenaline to less than 5% of control values. Acquisition learning of a fixed interval schedule or a continuously reinforced schedule was not altered but resistance to extinction was seen after food reinforced training on either schedule but not after water reinforced training. A possible increase in food motivation was tested by the use of preloading with free food prior to a fixed interval session but both control and lesioned rats reacted similarly to this manipulation thus appearing to exclude an increase in food motivation. An attentional explanation is proposed and tested by the demonstration that resistance to extinction does not occur after a partially (variable ratio 4), as opposed to a continuously, reinforced schedule. Further evidence in favour of an attentional mechanism comes from the finding that on both a fixed interval and a continuously reinforced schedule the lesion has to be present during the acquisition phase to result in subsequent resistance to extinction. Intact animals trained on either schedule and subsequently subjected to the lesion failed to show an increased resistance to extinction.


Dissociation of a visual discrimination task into incentive, location and response habits.

Rats previously trained to run from a start box, through a choice chamber, approach and displace a white card rather than a black card and enter a goal box in order to avoid footshock sustained damage to either the medial thalamus, occipital cortex or rostral caudoputamen. The retention test disclosed that the avoidance response was abolished by thalamic lesions, the visual discrimination response was abolished by occipital lesions and the card displacement response was abolished by caudatal lesions. These data demonstrate that this visual discrimination task can be fractionated into a least three discrete habits: One is related to the initiation of the response leading to the reward (incentive habit), the second is related to the location of the correct pathway to the reward (location habit) and the third is related to the response necessary to gain access to the reward (response habit).


Taste responses to deuterium oxide.

Substitution of deuterium oxide (D2O) as the solvent in taste stimuli elicits neural responses which differ from ordinary water (H2O). Previous reports have shown that D2O is toxic to many animals and rats avoid drinking it when offered H2O simultaneously. In the current study, summated responses were recorded from the chorda tympani nerves of rats after NaCl, KCl, sucrose and quinine were applied to the tongue in solutions of either D2O or H2O. Both solvents were used as the adapting or rinse solution in separate series. On tongues adapted to H2O, D2O elicited mean responses which were equivalent to 29% of the response to 0.1 M NaCl. The threshold concentration of D2O in H2O was between 25% and 50%. Solutes in D2O yielded responses which were greater than corresponding solutions of H2O when adapting rinse was H2O. Adaptation to D2O diminished the responses to D2O solutions of NaCl, KCl and sucrose but not quinine. This observation suggests that some portion of the augmented response to stimuli in D2O is due to the solvent itself. The taste of water has been examined by both electrophysiological methods and by behavior, but none of the mechanisms espoused for its effect seem adequate to explain the response to D2O. Water structure at the interface between molecular components of the cell membrane and the bulk phase of the surrounding medium is considered as a locus for disparity in the taste responses to D2O and H2O in the rat.


Effects of mesencephalic central gray and raphe nuclei lesions on hypothalamically induced escape.

Central gray (CG) lesions, in particular those located in its anterior part, provoked in about half of the lesioned rats a decrease in switch-off responses (SOR) induced by medial hypothalamic stimulation. Such a decrease in performance, followed by a partial or even total recovery, occurred only when the stimulation site was located in the postero-medial part of the medial hypothalamus. Occurrence and duration of the decrease in SOR did not depend on a possible severance of noradrenergic fibers that ascend from the locus coeruleus and course along the CG, since bilateral destruction of the locus coeruleus did not alter SOR. On the other hand, a lasting facilitation of SOR was observed in those rats in which the CG lesion extended more caudalle fully explained by an interruption of serotonergic fibers ascending from the raphé nuclei since lesions limited to the dorsal nucleus as well as combined lesions of the dorsal and medial raphé nuclei induced only a transient facilitation, whereas a lasting one was provoked both by raphé lesions that encroached upon the ventro-medial tegmentum and by CG lesions that only partially destroyed the dorsal raphé nucleus.


Effect of brain lesions on rat shuttle behavior in four different tests.

Rats were trained to perform shuttle responses to a buzzer in four different situations: pseudoconditioning or D test (buzzers and footshocks presented at random), classical conditioning or DP test (buzzers and footshocks paired on every trial), avoidance without stimulus pairing or DC test (buzzer-shock intervals varied at random, shocks contingent upon non-emission of a shuttle response to the preceding buzzer), and standard two-way avoidance or DPC test (buzzers paired to shocks, but the latter omitted every time there was shuttling to the buzzer). The letters in each test disignate the factors involved in the emission of responses in each one, which were shown in previous papers to be: a non-associative factor or "drive" (D), the Pavlovian or stimulus-stimulus relation ("pairing", P), and the shuttle-no shock or main avoidance contingency (C). The effects of various brain lesions on these behaviors were studied. Ventral caudate and amygdala lesions depress both the Pavlovian (P) and the avoidance (C) component. Dorsal caudate lesions have an opposite influence on these two factors. Septal (n.medialis + lateralis, and n.accumbens) and tuberculum olfactorium lesions enhance the non-associative component (D); accumbens lesions, in addition, impair operation of the C factor. The effect of the diverse lesions on jumping responses to the buzzer or on performance of intertrial crossings does not correlate with the effect on shuttle responses.


Effects of topical applications of epidermal growth factor on wound healing. Experimental study on rabbit ears.

In wounds in rabbit ears, the application every 12 hours of an ointment containing epidermal growth factor appears to produce faster and better healing. The resulting epithelium is thicker and more cellular than in the untreated ear wounds, and more fibroblasts appeared sooner during the healing process. Less wound contracture occurred in the EFG-treated wounds, and wound maturation occurred earlier. The healed wounds that had been treated with EGF more closely resembled the surrounding normal tissue, producing less local deformity than in the controls. It is too early to know whether this will have clinical application, but other experiments are under way to further investigate the effects of EGF on wound healing.


Avoiding facial nerve injuries in rhytidectomy. Anatomical variations and pitfalls.

Injury to the facial nerve in rhytidectomy has been occurring in less than one percent of the cases, and a spontaneous return of function in more than 80 percent of these injuries has resulted within 6 months. With the introduction of the newer and more aggressive techniques of platysmal and subplatysmal flaps and SMAS dissections, the risk of injury to facial nerve branches is obviously increased. Though there has not yet been an increase in the facial nerve injuries reported, these techniques are still relatively recent additions to the face-lift operation-and usually they have been done by more experienced surgeons, taking more time and working under direct vision with a more careful dissection. More care is needed to prevent injuries. We discuss here the detailed anatomy of the muscular branches of the facial nerve, how to prevent injuries to them during rhytidectomy, and how to manage injuries when they do occur.


Providing useful and protective sensibility to the sitting area in patients with meningomyelocele.

About 62 percent of the patients with meningomyeloceles will have essentially normal sensation in the area supplied by the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (which is also the territory of the extended tensor fasciae latae flap), despite the fact that they may have complete anesthesia in their sitting area. In these, pressure sores can be healed and future ones prevented by transposing a sensation-bearing tensor fasciae latae flap to provide virtually normal sensibility in the sitting area.


"Apple coring" the nipple in subcutaneous mastectomy.

A simple technique is described for removing the ductal tissue from the nipple in a subcutaneous mastectomy. We believe that complete removal of all the ductal tissue is desirable in this operation, and that it will also decrease the incidence of subsequent infection. The operative technique, the problems, the advantages, and the disadvantages of the procedure are described.


Fungi in and around implants after augmentation mammaplasty.

Four cases of possible fungal infections after 700 augmentation mammaplasties are presented in a 9-year experience. The source could not be determined. If any readers have had one or more similar cases, we would appreciate your contacting us.


Human bite losses of the lower lip.

In two years, in our hospital in Nigeria, we saw 16 patients with lower lip losses caused by human bites. These are presented, together with the methods used for early management and subsequent repair.


Orbital cellulitis and blindness following a blepharoplasty.

An unusual case of orbital cellulitis following blepharoplasty, with resultant blindness in that eye, is presented. The cause is unknown, but the pathogenesis and treatment of this rare complication are discussed. Unilateral severe headache may alert one to the possibility of this rare, but grave, complication.


An easy access incision for the removal of some intraoral malignant tumors.

A new access incision for the extirpation of intraoral malignancies has been used in 16 cases, and it is described--together with its apparent advantages.


Comparison of three studies of aircraft noise and psychiatric hospital admissions conducted in the same area.

Two earlier studies conducted in the vicinity of London (Heathrow) Airport compared the rate of admissions to a psychiatric hospital from areas exposed to different levels of aircraft noise. Their methods and results were not identical. A third study, reported here, examined standardized rates of admission to the same hospital for a longer period and for a larger area divided into 4 bands of aircraft noise. Statistically significant trends of decreasing admission with increasing noise levels were found. Comparisons between the investigations show how the contradictory results are related to the methods used and the accuracy of the data, and that caution should be exercised in formulating conclusions from exploratory research.


The stability of perceptual disturbances in anorexia nervosa.

Patients with anorexia nervosa have previously been shown to display disturbances in visual self-perception and interoception. In the present investigation we wished to determine the stability of these disturbances and the effects of weight gain on them. We studied 29 females, 16 patients with primary anorexia nervosa and 13 controls, who had also been studied one year previously. Each subject took part in investigations of body image, using a distorting photograph technique, and interoception, using a satiety aversion to sucrose test. We found that some anorexic subjects tend to overestimate body size and have an absence of aversion to repeated sucrose tastes. Moreover, these disturbances were stable over the year and were not affected by weight change.


Altered platelet monoamine oxidase activity in affective disorders.

Platelet MAO activity was found to be elevated in primary depressive illness, and the severity to correlate positively with MAO activity. The reactive depression subgroup's mean platelet MAO activity was not significantly different from that of the controls. The endogenous group's unipolar and bipolar subgroups had significantly different platelet MAO activity, respectively high and low. The differences in MAO activity between unipolar and bipolar patients appeared to persist in the well state, but not after lithium carbonate therapy. These differences in MAO activity were apparent with the substrate tyramine but not with benzylamine. Altered MAO activity in patients with affective disorders may be determined through genetic mechanisms.


Depression and cancer: a follow-up study.

Thirty-nine male and 90 female patients aged 40 and over, who had been given a primary diagnosis of depression, were followed up for 2 1/3-4 years. During this period 9 male and 9 female patients died. Five male patients and 1 female died from cancer that had not been diagnosed at the time of their psychiatric admissions. The male cancer deaths are significantly higher than expected. The possible relationships of malignant neoplasm to affective disorder are discussed.


Integration of hospital care for the mentally ill: a status report.

Analysis of DHSS statistics from the Mental Health Enquiry for 1975 indicates that, contrary to some predictions, district general hospital psychiatric units (DGHU) are assuming a proportionate share of the burden of hospital care for most groups of mentally ill individuals. Comparisons of admissions to mental illness hospitals and DGHUs indicate no major differences in most categories of patient characteristics (age, sex, order of admission and diagnosis); where differences do exist, they appear to be decreasing. Concern that DGHUs might 'cream off' patients with less serious illnesses, with a resultant 'two-tier' system of mental hospital care, would thus appear to be unwarranted.


Comparative reliability of categorical and analogue rating scales in the assessment of psychiatric symptomatology.

The reliability of 26 items from the ninth edition of the Present State Examination (PSE) was assessed using both the conventional categorical scales and separately constructed analogue scales. Reliability was also calculated when the analogue responses were rescaled down to 2, 3 and 4 categories. The levels of inter-rater agreement obtained were comparable to those achieved in previous studies of PSE reliability, although as expected the levels of agreement on audiotapes were greater than those for independent interviews performed on the same day. These levels were not significantly affected by any of the changes in scale format, but there were apparent differences in reliability depending on the statistics used. In selecting or constructing a psychiatric rating scale, the question of reliability should not influence the choice of a categorical or continuous scale, or the number of scored points in the scale.


A cross-national comparison of the institutionalized elderly in the cities of New York and London.

Two random samples, each constituting 0.5% of the institutionalized elderly (over 65) in the cities of New York and London have been compared. This preliminary report of a collaborative study demonstrates the similarity of the 2 samples. Institutions in the 2 cities are shown to differ in size, type of ownership and the frequency that skilled nursing is provided. Some implications of these 2 findings are raised now, and will be discussed later when the full data for the study are presented.


An epidemiologic study of the human bite.

The 892 human bites reported to the New York City Department of Health in 1977 were analyzed by time, place, and the victim's characteristics. The bites appeared to have a seasonality, increasing in March and exceeding the mean monthly average through August. The bite rate for the entire city, 10.7 per 100,000 population, was exceeded in 5 of the 10 Brooklyn health districts; one of these districts reported a rate of 60.9 human bites per 100,000 population. Most of the bites with identifiable locations occurred indoors (63.2 percent). In 72.8 percent of the bite episodes in which the activities surrounding them were known, these activities were aggressive in nature. Males exceeded females as bite victims in all age groups except those 10-20 and 55-60 years. Bites of the upper extremity accounted for 61.2 percent of the total bites. Left-sided bites exceeded right-sided, except for the hand. In frequency of reported occurrence, the human bite ranks third, after the dog bite and the cat bite. Human bites may be a useful indicator of antisocial behavior.


Where people die.

Death certificates for 1977 filed with the New York State Department of Health were studied to determine where people died. Data were examined by the location and cause of death and by the age, sex, race, and marital status of the decedent. Comparisons were made with a similar study in which U.S. data were used for 1958 events. Approximately 60 percent of all the 1977 deaths in upstate New York occurred in hospitals; only 27 percent occurred outside an institution. The location of death varied by all the factors studied. Within all age categories, males had a higher percentage of hospital deaths. In those age categories in which nursing home deaths comprised a significant proportion of total deaths, females had a higher percentage of such deaths than males. Differences in the location of death according to its cause reflect the nature of the cause of death, for example, whether it was of sudden onset or the result of chronic disease. Most people do not consider in advance where they might die. The idea that age, sex, and marital status, as well as the more obvious cause, all play a part in the location may seem surprising. Yet all these factors were found to be associated withe location of deaths in upstate New York, and there is no reason to believe that this association does not hold true for the entire nation. More research, however, needs to be done based on more years and other geographic artal stutus may be instructive as to the present state of health resources.


A rubella vaccination program for women entering the U.S. Army.

A voluntary rubella vaccination program for female basic trainees was initiated on April 21, 1975, at Fort Jackson, S.C. A total of 29,852 women were tested for rubella titers between April 21, 1975, and December 31, 1977, and 6,167 were found to be nonimmune. An average of 53 percent of the susceptible women were vaccinated. The best results were obtained from August 1 to December 31, 1977, when 67 percent of the susceptible women were vaccinated. During this period, blood specimens for rubella titer and for pregnancy testing were obtained simultaneously. This procedure reduced the number of referrals to the Obstetrics-Gynecology Clinic, as well as the amount of training time lost when pregnancy testing and rubella titer testing were done on separate days. Despite the vaccination program, however, rubella epidemics occurred among female trainees at Fort Jackson in 1975, 1976, and 1977. A significant number of women are still susceptible to rubella. To reduce morbidity and the risk of congenital rubella syndrome, rubella titer testing and immunization of susceptibles should be considered for women-especially where they can be screened, counseled, and vaccinated en masse.


[Angiography of the bronchial arteries in lung disease (author's transl)].

Anatomical basis and method of selective angiography of the bronchial arteries are described. Selective vascular angiograms of different lung diseases are different in appearance but are not always specific. Bronchial-arteriograms of the following diseases are demonstrated: tumors, inflammations, bronchiectasis, cystic lungs diseases and angiomatous changes of the vessel. Key features common to all investigated cases are: 1. Increased flow with dilatation of the afferent bronchial artery. 2. Bronchialangiography is more effective in defining the extensions of the hypervascularized lung diseases than other conventional diagnostic methods. 3. In all our cases we have observed arterial bronchopulmonary anastomoses which seem to be a significant cause for hemoptysis occurring during the course of the disease.


[Therapeutic angiography in hemoptysis (author's transl)].

Clinical results of therapeutic bronchial artery embolization in 100 patients are presented. The most frequent causes were chronic fibroproductive tuberculosis and bronchiectasis. 85 patients were cured, 10 patients showed recurrent bleeding and in 4 patients bleeding could not be stopped. Complete embolization of all supplying vessels is of great importance to achieve successful results. Caution has to be applied not to risk medullary complications.


[Roentgen signs of rare mediastinal masses (author's transl)].

Mediastinal masses are commonly classified into lesions of the anterior, middle, and posterior compartment as a first step in differential diagnosis. Teratoma,  neurogenic tumors, goiters, and thymoma with their characteristic localization constitute together already two thirds of all mediastinal neoplasms. However, the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses should include also rare diseases: lymphangio-hemangioma, aneurysm of the pulmonal artery, intrathoracic meningocele, esophageal cyst, and pleurobronchial cyst are demonstrated. It is emphasized, that differential diagnosis has to consider history and physical data of the patient as well.


[Double contrast examination of the pericardial cavity in a case of exsudative pericarditis (author's transl)].

1)Radiographic examinations of the pericardial cavity by double contrast technique yield good information about the pericardial layer itself, the pericardial cavity and its contents. -- 2) Pericardial puncture and fluid aspiration and subsequent creation of a pneumopericardium with installation of water soluble contrast material are important diagnostic tools and have an important therapeutic effect as well. -- 3) For an appropriate examination 300--400 ml gas (oxygen in inflammatory, room air in carcinomatous conditions) and 5--8 ml of 60% water soluble contrast material (0.1 ml per kg bodyweight) should be installed.


[Phenomenology and psychopathology of agitation states].

States of agitation are frequent psychiatric emergency cases, which stem from very different biological, psychic and social constellations. Very often it is a question of a slipping expression of strong affects like fear, anger, pain and of excessive, reactive performances like flight, defence etc., which are built on top of the affects. Inner restlessness, which rises from unrestrained and disfigured drives, and the accompanying autonomic reactions of the affects promote the beginning of these states of agitation; whereas sensible expectations and clearly aimed absorptions of the drive do reduce the disposition to becoming agitated.


[Diagnosis in a psychiatric case register].

This study examines the stability of psychiatric diagnosis over a five-year period and its agreement with the diagnosis of a case register. The stability of diagnosis over a period of time has two component parts: the course of the morbid process and the reliability of the diagnostic technique. We studied the importance of these components as far as the cause of disends in diagnostic changes, the discrepancy of instability in different diagnostic categories and factors which may possibly indicate instability of psychiatric diagnosis.


[Déjà vu: elaboration of a hypothetical model of explanation].

Although psychiatric literature abounds in allusions to the phenomenon of "déjà vu", few communications were devoted to an analysis of this interesting psychological state. After a short review of the "déjà vu" conditions, the author proposes a model consisting of two channels. Under normal conditions, the first deals with the reading of information already stored, and the second, the engrammic channel, will store future information. The "déjà vu" condition is produced when the reading channel and the engrammic channel meet in the same area. This mechanism can explain the various etiological possibilities of "déjà vu", ranging from more or less ordinary cases such as fatigue or anguish to the most important etiology which is a psychotic process.


Looking differences in relation to examiner's attitude in paranoid patients and normal controls.

The differences in amount and pattern of looking during interviews of 20 male paranoid patients and 20 nomral controls are investigated in relation to a female examiner's change of attitude, as indicated by change in the tone of her voice, by means of a cross-over design. The results indicate that paranoids do not follow the "decreased looking" model suggested for schizophrenics in other studies. Patients show a significant order effect, a higher overall amount of looking and a quite opposite pattern of looking across interviews as compared to controls. It is suggested that patients may have difficulties in regulating their visual behaviour according to examiner's attitude, resulting to a "stereotyped" pattern of looking. These findings are discussed with particular reference to visual information processing.


Schistosome motility in saline media.

The authors observed the motility of 1067 worms used as a biological parameter indicating the vitality of the parasites, to define the survival time of S. mansoni males and females in 0,85% NaCl and PBS. Among the worms observed in 0,85% NaCl the mean time of survival in minutes was 204 for males and 240 for females and in PBS it was 267 min. for males and 344 min. for females. All the tested differences (media, sex; sex for saline group; sex for PBS group) were significant at a 0.0001 level.


[Bean and rice mixtures of high protein value (author's transl)].

The optimum content of different rice (Oryza sativa) and bean (Vigna unguiculata L.) combinations was studied in Albino rats. The mixture containing 3 g of rice proteins, corresponding to 41g of rice "in natura", and 7 g of bean protein, corresponding to 59 g of bean "in natura", presented the highest protein efficiency ratio and the feed efficiency ratio. Since the limiting amino acid of this mixture was methionine, new assays using varying levels of this amino acid as a supplement were carried out. The PER of normal rats as well as the "plateau" value of previously protein depleted rats were highest when 0.2% methionine was added to the mixture. The net protein utilization (NPU) confirmed these findings. The values attained after the addition of other amino acids were not higher than those attained by the mixture containing 7 g of bean protein and 3 g of rice protein supplemented with 0.2% methionine. The PER and the NPU values came close to those of milk.


Histochemical and electrophoretical studies in normal and infected Biomphalaria glabrata. II. Acid and alkaline phosphatase.

Various organs of normal and infected Biomphalaria glabrata were analysed, electrophoretically and histochemically, with respect to the acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activity. In general, digestive gland, ovotestis and stomach show an increase in acid phosphatase activity in infected snails, whereas kidney and albumen gland show less activity. Alkaline phosphatase does not show any significant different in activity between normal and infected snails. Electrophoretically digestive glands of snails, twenty days after infection, show an extra faint band, whereas seven days after infection, the snails do not show any such extra band. Histochemically also after twenty days, infected snails show more activity in the sporocyst region, but those infected for only seven days, do not show any increase in acid phosphatase activity.


[Walker's 256 carcinosarcoma: metastatic dissemination in two cell lines (author's transl)].

Walker's 256 carcinosarcoma a transplantable tumor of the rate changes its behaviour as a consequence of various factors. In this paper we compare the evolution of 2 lines of the tumor: WM 16 (muscular) and Christ Hospital (ascitic) both inoculated intramuscularly. Animals receiving line WM 16 had a severe rapidly progressive evolution dying around day 14 after inoculation with diffuse metastases to lymph nodes (65% of animals), kidneys (53%), spleen (50%), lungs (46.5%), liver (45%), bone marrow (44.8%), in 56% of the animals there were circulating tumoral cells. Animals receiving Christ Hospital line survived up to 40 days, metastases were limited do lungs (48.7%) and lymph nodes (31.7%) and only in 2 of 45 animals circulating tumoral cells were observed.


Lack of evidence for hepatic control of renal sodium excretion in rats.

Three experimental protocols were used: a) normal and partially hepatectomized rats were expanded with isotonic saline; b) normal rats were expanded with isotonic saline; b) normal rats were infused with hypertonic saline (5%), either by the femoral or portal vein and c) hypertonic saline was sequentially and alternatively infused into normal rats via portal and femoral veins. All the experiments were made under anesthesia. Inulin clearance and absolute and fractional urinary sodium and potassium excretion were measured. Multiple analysis of variance was made to compare normal and partially hepatectomized rats, as well as portal and femoral infusions made either in the same or in different animals. In none of these experiments it was possible to demonstrate an effect of the liver in enhancing the natriuresis induced by saline infusions.


Innervation of the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint in guinea-pig Cavia cobaya (Rodentia - Mammalia).

The innervation of the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint of 6 adults guinea pigs was studied with the use of Nonidez technique. Only occasional nerve fibers next to blood vessels at the posterior inferior peripheral part of the articular disc were observed.


[Progressive antithrombin activity in blood of pregnant women and neonates in the first four days of life (author's transl)].

Progressive antighrombin activity was assayed in 45 term infants in the first four days of life, in 20 cord blood specimens and in the blood of 20 pregnant women (at term). In the term infants a positive correlation was shown between progressive antithrombin and postnatal age. No correlation could be demonstrated with sex, ethnic group or type of delivery. Maternal antithrombin activity was shown to be moderately decreased, maternal values being closely related to cord blood values.