Effects of methylphenidate on hyperactive children's ability to sustain attention.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the attentional characteristics of hyperactive children, the relationship of subjective and objective measures of these characteristics, and the effects of methylphenidate on these measures of attention. Forty-five hyperactive children, ages 6 to 10 years, were entered into an 18-week study of the effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on attention. Measures included rating scales completed by teachers and parents and a vigilance task. All measures reflected significant changes during the period of investigation. Attention and behavior were significantly improved under drug conditions and significantly worsened when methylphenidate was discontinued. However, only performance on the objective measure returned to predrug levels; final off-drug parent and teacher ratings remained improved over initial reports. Parent ratings of behavior, and specifically of children's ability to attend, were unrelated to equivalent teacher ratings. Teachers' ratings of attention correlated significantly with performance on the vigilance task, discriminated between on-drug and off-drug conditions, and discriminated between children who obtained normal or near normal predrug scores on the objective measure and those who performed poorly on this measure. Methylphenidate improved attentional performance for children who had poor predrug scores on the vigilance task, but did not produce a statistically significant change on the scores of children with normal predrug performance.


Neonatal hotline telephone network.

By simplifying the process by which telephone contacts are made, improved communications were established between a university-affiliated newborn intensive care center and some of the community hospital nurseries that it serves as a regional resource. Initiation of the improved system of communications was associated with a significant improvement in the survival of infants transferred from the community hospitals to the regional care facility.


The effect of posture on ventilation and lung mechanics in preterm and light-for-date infants.

The effect of right lateral, supine, and prone postures on ventilation and lung mechanics was studied in 23 healthy newborn infants, ten preterm and 13 term, "light-for-date," In the preterm group, tidal volume, minute volume, elastic work, inspiratory viscous work, total viscous work, and the total work of breathing were significantly greater in the prone position than in the supine position. Results obtained in the lateral position did not differ significantly from those in the prone or supine positions. Posture did not significantly affect tidal volume or lung mechanics in the light-for-date infants. The prone position is suggested to be the optimum nursing posture for healthy preterm infants.


Asymptomatic bacteriuria in adolescent girls: I. Epidemiology.

Because the incidence of bacteriuria in asymptomatic school girls is low (1% to 2%), we examined possible risk factors in adolescents, such as previous history of urinary tract infection (UTI) and sexual intercourse (previous and recent). Eight (1.6%) of 500 adolescent girls were detected with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). Of 47 patients reporting a previous UTI, four (9%) were bacteriuric. Two other patients detected with bacteriuria had a history of enuresis; thus 6/8 adolescents with ABU had a history that suggests a need to screen for infection. A history of sexual activity was not helpful in case detection. Of the 500 girls, 133 had a routine pelvic examination at the time of the visit. The procedure was not associated with bacteriuria, as measured by a home nitrite test each day for three days following the clinic visit.


A depression rating scale for children.

A rating scale is needed for clinical and research studies of depression in childhood. A Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) was devised and tested on 30 inpatient children in a medical hospital. A high correlation was found between the global ratings by two psychiatrists of the severity of depression and the scores on the CDRS. The items on the CDRS which had the highest correlation with a global rating of depression were social withdrawal, capacity for fun, irritability, schoolwork, expressive communication, general somatic features, hypoactivity, and depressed mood. The syndrome of depression in childhood can be characterized and rated primarily by observed behaviors.


Chronic neuropathy presenting as a floppy infant with respiratory distress.

Respiratory distress was the presenting feature in a 4-month-old male infant suffering from Déjérine-Sottas disease, an inherited sensory-motor polyneuropathy. This unusual but potentially benign disorder can be diagnosed upon peripheral nerve biopsy by noting extensive demyelination with "onion bulb" formation. Polyneuropathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infantile neuromuscular weakness including or solely involving bulbar and respiratory muscles.


Recurrent meningococcal meningitis with absence of the sixth component of complement: an evaluation of underlying immunologic mechanisms.

A 51/2-year-old black girl with recurrent meningococcal meningitis and absence of the sixth component of complement (C6) is reported. To explore the pathogenesis of recurrent neisserial infections in C6 deficiency, a detailed analysis of her immune competence was conducted. Her serum had normal chemotactic, opsonic, alternative complement pathway, and specific antibody activity, but lacked complement-mediated bacteriolytic activity. In addition, her C6-deficient serum was indistinguishable from normal serum in a complement-dependent assay of phagocyte bactericidal activity. Absent bacteriolysis remains the only consistent defect associated with recurrent neisserial infections and absence of one of the late-acting complement components.


Anatomic confirmation of echocardiographic measurements in neonatal hearts.

Significant correlations were demonstrated between echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular wall thickness, right ventricular wall thickness, septal thickness, left ventricular mass, aortic valve excursion, pulmonary valve excursion, mitral valve excursion, and tricuspid valve excursion and the same measurements made directly on the same hearts at autopsy. A new regression formula was derived for the calculation of echocardiographic right ventricular mass in life and was found to correlate significantly with right ventricular mass measured as the sum of right ventricular wall and septal volumes at postmortem examination.


Primary malignant lymphoma cutis in an infant: case report and review of literature.

A 6-month-old infant with primary malignant cutaneous lymphoma is presented. The histologic differentiation between benign cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia and cutaneous malignant lymphoma is discussed. Intensive therapy is warranted at the onset because of early dissemination and poor response to treatment after dissemination.


Hypophosphatemic rickets: effect of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on growth and mineral metabolism.

Growth retardation nearly invariably accompanies hypophosphatemic rickets. Studies were conducted in an adolescent male with this disorder as follows. Protocol I: age, 6 to 16 years; treatment per day, 5,000 to 80,000 units vitamin D2, 1,760 to 2,200 mg phosphorus, orally as buffered phosphate; growth velocity, 5 to 6 cm/year. Protocol II: age 16 to 17 years; treatment per day, 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 1 microgram; 2,200 mg of phosphorus, orally as buffered phosphate; growth velocity, 14 cm/year. The height improved from less than third percentile for the decade during study protocol I to the 25th percentile during protocol II. Mineral balance studies showed a reduction of urinary and stool phosphorus during treatment protocol II, while the patient was receiving metabolic diet. The serum phosphorus improved from 2.2 to 4.3 mg/dl and radiologic healing of rickets was documented. No hypercalcemic episode was encountered. The data support the contention that 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is the treatment of choice for hypophosphatemic rickets.


Clinical hepatotoxicity of isoniazid in children.

A patient is presented with reversible clinical and biochemical hepatocellular injury secondary to isoniazid (INH). This apparently rare drug reaction in children is compared with the more common transient hypertransaminasemia induced by isoniazid. A review of the clinical literature and basic pharmacologic mechanisms of isoniazid-induced hepatotoxicity has led to a rational plan for monitoring and managing children who are treated with INH.


Potential effect of demographic and other variables in studies comparing morbidity of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants.

Comparing the morbidity of breast-fed and bottle-fed infants is confounded by inherent differences in breast-feeding and bottle-feeding mothers and their infants. Self-selection introduces complex variables encompassing much more than milk source used for infant feeding. Reasons for selecting breast or bottle feeding relate to demographic, socioeconomic, educational, ethnic, cultural, and psychological factors, as well as maternal and infant physical and emotional health. Many of the differences in the maternal populations may affect infant care practices, access to medical care, and infant health status. Studies published to date have not quantified these confounding effects and other potential biases in comparing morbidity to breast- and bottle-fed infants and the relationship between milk source and incidence of infantile disease remains in question. There is need for more cautious use of the available data and investigators must seek ways to design future studies to take into account the differences between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding mothers that affect both reported and actual infant morbidity.


A "Retreat" for pediatric interns.

For the past two years, pediatric interns at the University of Washington have been relieved of their clinical duties for five days to participate in a "retreat". Their places were taken by pediatric practitioners as a continuing education experience. The chief benefit of the retreat was the coming together of the intern group and the subsequent support they were able to give to each other. The educational content was deemed less important than the fact that the retreat occurred.


Hypnotically induced pain control in sickle cell anemia.

Recurrent painful vaso-occlusive crises often represent sources of frustration and debilitation to those afflicted with sickle cell disease. We present two adolescents with sickle cell disease who have been able to gain control over the frequency and intensity of these crises by utilizing self-hypnosis. We feel that the utilization of similar technique(s) may allow many ill children and adolescents to obtain mastery over abnormal physiologic processes concomitant with their particular disease status.


The effects of observed sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) on hospital staff.

We have described an observed case of SIDS in a hospital setting. The victim was "well baby" hospitalized for psychosocial reasons. Death occurred on the fifth hospital day, during sleep and two hours after feeding. The death was silent and was preceded by cyanosis and respiratory arrest. Hospital staff who attended the baby during his admission experienced the same traumatic reactions as families of SIDS victims, ie, shock, disbelief, anger, guilt, fear, blaming, sadness, and behavioral manifestations. Information on SIDS, communication about feelings and continued group support were of utmost importance in helping the staff to deal with the crisis. Although they had experienced death and serious illness on the ward and continued to be faced with grave situations, the unique aspects of SIDS, namely lack of etiology and its sudden and unexpected onset, brought forth personal feelings of vulnerability and called for extra coping devices. Our experience illustrates the need of an in-hospital support system to assess needs, coordinate efforts, and offer timely intervention after the death of an infant or child.


Controlled clinical trial of pediatric telephone protocols.

A randomized clinical trial of pediatric protocols administered by health assistants demonstrated an alternate method of handling telephone complaints in a large emergency room. The new system advised a higher medical examination rate than the current system in the emergency room probably bacause the current system has deficits with respect to collecting necessary information and making explicit decisions. This higher rate of recommended visits demonstrated in the emergency room was not confirmed in the two pediatric primary-care settings in which the protocol system was also tested. In addition to this use, the telephone protocols may also be useful in training medical and nursing students, in handling telephone complaints similar to a poison control center, in triaging problems in a rural or emergency medical service, and in providing a record of the telephone call.


Development and field testing of protocols for the management of pediatric telephone calls: protocols for pediatric telephone calls.

Although telephone calls comprise almost one fourth of all childhood patient-physician contacts, the content of telephone care is not emphasized in most educational and service programs. In response to the need to improve management of telephone calls to our pediatric emergency room, we developed 28 protocols to deal with the 25 most common complaints presented by phone. This paper describes the content of these protocols, the training of the health assistants who administered them, and the measures we took to assure their safety and general utility in pediatric practice settings. The study demonstrates the feasibility of an organized system for telephone care based on protocols which include: (1) basic data to be collected for each chief complaint category; (2) a range of appropriate dispositions; and (3) advice for home management when the patient does not require an immediate medical visit. Potential uses of these protocols for medical and nursing education and for clinical service needs are discussed.


Obesity in 10-year-olds: an epidemiologic study.

With a multifactorial pathogenetic model (heredity versus environment, central nervous control, energy balance, morphology of the fat tissue), an attempt was made by this study to assess the relative importance of the various factors to the origin of overweight and obesity in school children. From an original sample of 972 children followed longitudinally from the ages of 7 to 16 years, and with retrospective weight data from the first year of life, 550 were selected for this study at age 10. Information concerning the children's habits (physical activity and appetite), social conditions, and parental heights and weights were obtained from the parents by questionnaire (response rate 94%). The major results of a multiple regression analysis were: (1) clear-cut sex differences; heredity and physical inactivity having the greatest explanatory power for both overweight and obesity at 10 years in girls, whereas appetite and environmental conditions were more prominent predictors in boys; (2) an analysis of the main predictors of the variable "change in relative weight between 7 and 10 years"--a variable with possible implications for preventive school programs--indicated that markedly inactive only children from lower class families are particularly at risk of developing obesity during the first years at school; and (3) in the absence of all the risk factors considered in this study, obesity does not occur; at the other extreme, even a high risk score still implies a 50% chance of escaping the fate of obesity.


Use of antimicrobial drugs in general hospitals: IV. Infants and children.

The use of antimicrobial drugs was studied among 933 randomly selected infants and children who were hospitalized in 20 short-stay general hospitals in Pennsylvania. Twenty-two percent of pediatric patients received antimicrobial drugs: 5% of neonates and 57% of patients aged 12 to 18 months. Sixty-eight percent of the 265 antimicrobial courses administered to these children consisted of a penicillin or a penicillin analogue. Ampicillin was the single drug most frequently administered and was given in 32% of all courses. In contrast to the findings in older children, penicillin or penicillin analogues and aminoglycosides were the only antimicrobial drug groups administered to neonataes. Seventy-nine percent of courses were initiated for proved or suspected infections and 17% were initiated to prevent infections associated with surgical or nonsurgical invasive procedures. Cultures were associated with the initiation of 84% of courses among neonates and 39% of courses among children 6 to 9 years of age. This study provides the initial information, from data derived from randomly selected general hospitals, to permit a statement of norms of practice with respect to use of antimicrobial drugs in pediatric populations.


Response of hypertensive adolescents to dynamic and isometric exercise stress.

Isometric handgrip and dynamic exercise stress tests were performed on 109 hypertensive and 74 normotensive subjects 14 to 17 years old. The hypertensive subjects had resting systolic or diastolic pressures persistently above the 95th percentile on four consecutive examinations. Blood pressures and ECGs were recorded during isometric handgrip (25% maximum effort for four minutes) and bicycle ergometry until the subject was exhausted. The hypertensive subjects increased systolic pressure by an average 16 mm Hg with isometric exercise and 53 mm Hg with dynamic exercise. Control subjects had similar pressure changes, averaging 18 and 54 mm Hg, respectively. During isometric handgrip stress, diastolic pressures increased 12 mm Hg in hypertensive subjects and 18 mm Hg in control subjects. Only two hypertensive adolescents developed systolic pressures exceeding 200 mm Hg during dynamic exercise stress, and none developed systolic pressures above 200 mm Hg during isometric exercise stress. None of the normotensive or hypertensive subjects developed cardiac arrhythmias and the prevalence of ST segment depression during maximal stress was less than 2% in both groups. Therefore, in adolescents with mild to moderate hypertension the risk of developing significant ECG or hemodynamic abnormalities during mild isometric or heavy dynamic exercise is small. We believe the decision to restrict physical activity of an adolescent with elevated pressures should be based on the development of abnormal ST segment depression, cardiac arrhythmias, or excessive blood pressures at the time of exercise stress testing.


Pulmonary excretion of carbon monoxide in the human newborn infant as an index of bilirubin production: III. Measurement of pulmonary excretion of carbon monoxide after the first postnatal week in premature infants.

Using a single pass, flow-through system, the excretion rate of endogenously produced carbon monoxide (VeCO) was measured as an index of bilirubin production in 41 Caucasian infants of various gestational ages after the first postnatal week. twenty-one were less than or equal to 32 weeks gestation. The mean slope for the 25 premature infants with multiple VeCO determinations was -0.21 +/- 0.11 (SE) microliters/kg/hour per day (P less than .025, one-tailed). Fifteen premature infants with at least three VeCO determinations during the first 30 days of life had an average decrease in total CO excreted of 1.33% per day compared to the extrapolated initial value of total CO excretion of 27.0 +/- 2.0 (SE) microliters/hour, giving a calculated maximum red cell life span of 75 days.


The prevalence of cholelithiasis in sickle cell disease as diagnosed by ultrasound and cholecystography.

Gallbladder disease is known to be increased in sickle cell disease (SS). The prevalence of cholelithiasis in children with SS has been reported as 10% to 37%. Gallbladder ultrasound, cholecystography, and/or abdominal radiography were used to evaluate 31 patients aged 2 to 18 years with no systematic evidence of gallbladder disease for cholelithiasis, Overall prevalence of gallstones was found to be 29%. Cholelithiasis was detected in children as young as 4 years of age. Prevalence below the age of 10 years and above the age of 10 years was found to be 11% and 55% respectively. The increased prevalence of cholelithiasis in children with sickle cell disease suggests the use of diagnostic ultrasonography as a routine screening procedure.


Testosterone and estradiol concentrations in paired maternal and cord sera and their correlation with the concentration of chorionic gonadotropin.

Testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) concentrations were determined and correlated with beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) concentrations in 43 paired maternal and cord sera (22 female and 21 male infants). Mean (+/- SD) maternal E2 concentrations were significantly (P less than .005) higher when the sex of the fetus was male than when the sex of the fetus was female (20.6 +/- 3.9 vs 13.5 +/- 3.2 ng/ml). Maternal T concentrations were not significantly different when related to the sex of the fetus (males, 114.8 +/- 60.7 vs females, 113.8 +/- 54.5 ng/100 ml, P greater than .1). Regression analysis did not show a significant correlation between maternal T or E2 concentrations and maternal beta-HCG concentrations. Mean cord serum T and E2 concentrations of male infants were significantly greater than that of female infants (T, 38.8 +/- 8.5 vs 25.8 +/- 7.1 ng/100 ml, P less than .005; E2, 9.1 +/- 3.3 vs 6.6 +/- 2.0 ng/ml, P less than .005). Regression analysis showed a significant (P less than .005) correlation between cord beta-HCG concentrations and E2 concentrations for male infants (r = .7) and female infants (r = .6). A significant correlation between cord beta-HCG concentrations and T concentrations was found for male infants (r = .5; P less than .01) but not for female infants (r = .3; P greater than .05). There was no correlation between maternal and infant E2 concentrations (males, r = .3, P greater than .05; females, r = .3, P greater than .2) or T concentrations (males, r = .02, P greater than 0.4; females, r = .06, P greater than .3). These data (1) confirm the sex difference in cord serum T and E2 concentrations, (2) indicate that the lower beta-HCG concentrations in mothers of male infants are associated with E2 concentrations which are greater than those in mothers of female infants, and (3) are consistent with an influence of beta-HCG on fetal T and E2 secretion.


Metabolic fuel and hormone responses to fasting in newborn infants.

To examine why newborn infants frequently cannot maintain adequate levels of plasma glucose in the interval between delivery and the time they are first fed, circulating metabolic fuel and regulatory hormone concentrations were determined in 44 healthy infants at the end of an eight-hour postnatal fast. Plasma glucose fell below 40 mg/100 ml prior to eight hours in four of 24 term-appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA), two of nine preterm-AGA, five of six term-small-for-gestational-age (SGA), and three of five preterm-SGA infants. Fuel and hormone patterns in the premature and SGA infants were not different from those found in term-AGA infants. Results in these neonates differed in two areas from the response to fasting seen later in life. In fasted term-AGA infants, ketones were low (beta-hydroxybutyrate 0.29 +/- 0.04 mM/liter) despite elevated concentrations of fatty acid precursors (1.4 +/- 0.07 mM/liter), and the group of infants studied failed to demonstrate the increase in plasma ketones with lower glucose levels (r = ".23, P = .07) which is found in older children. Levels of glucose precursors were two to three times higher in term-AGA infants (lactate 2.9 +/- 0.2 mM/liter; alanine 0.48 +/- 0.02 mM/liter) than levels found beyond the neonatal period and, in contrast to older children and adults, were not diminished in infants with lower plasma glucose (lactate, r = -.28, P less than .035; alanine, r = -33, P less than .02). These differences between the responses to postnatal fasting and those seen beyond the neonatal period suggest that the capacity for both hepatic ketone synthesis and gluconeogenesis is not fully developed at birth.


Comparative pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin and ampicillin in infants and children.

The pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin and ampicillin were studied in 24 infants and children. Mean peak serum concentrations of 5.4 micrograms/ml in fasting and 3.2 micrograms/ml in nonfasting patients were observed after 15 mg/kg amoxicillin doses. Area under the curve values and serum half-life values were similar in fasting and nonfasting patients. The pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin (15 mg/kg) were compared to those of ampicillin (25 mg/kg). Peak serum concentrations, area under the curve values and half-life times were comparable for the two drugs. Amoxicillin (25 mg/kg) and ampicillin (25 mg/kg) were compared in cross-over fashion in 11 children. Serum concentrations of amoxicillin were consistently larger than those of ampicillin; the differences were of borderline significance at one and two hours and statistically significant at four and six hours after the dosage. The bioavailability of amoxicillin was twice that of ampicillin. Amoxicillin was detected in approximately half of the saliva samples studied. Although the salivary concentrations in many children exceeded the inhibitory level for most pneumococci and group A streptococci and for many non-beta lactamase-producing Haemophilus influenzae type b strains, the clinical relevance of these observations is unknown.


Technetium colloid bone marrow imaging in Fanconi's anemia.

Four patients with Fanconi's anemia were evaluated with 99mTc-sulfur colloid bone marrow scans. The scans revealed similar paradoxical and irregular tracer distribution in all four patients. Normal to increased activity was demonstrated in the proximal metaphyses of the humeri with varying degrees of increased activity in more primitive marrow sites in the distal diaphyses of the humeri and tibia, the distal metaphyses of the humeri and femora, and the proximal metaphyses of the ulnae, radii, and tibia. Skip areas of normal distribution were seen in the proximal diaphyses of the humeri and femora. Although the scan reflects only the reticuloendothelial portion of bone marrow, it may be of some value in the differential diagnosis of pancytopenia.


Mercury vapor contamination of infant incubators: a potential hazard.

In a survey of 42 infant incubators 18 showed detectable concentrations of mercury vapor. In 12 instances the concentrations of mercury vapor in the thermometer holder exceeded industrial safety standards. In 16 incubators the contamination was traced to broken mercury-in-glass thermometers used to monitor incubator ambient temperatures. Use of alcohol thermometers or thermistors in place of mercury-in-glass thermometers would eliminate this potential hazard.


Lidocaine intoxication in a newborn following local anesthesia for episiotomy.

A case report of lidocaine intoxication in a newborn following local anesthesia for maternal episiotomy is presented. A molded head in the occiput posterior position may predispose to inadvertent, direct injection of the fetal scalp.


Do parents utilize physician follow-up after death of their newborn?

Numerous authors have advocated appropriate physician-patient counseling following a perinatal death. We examined, in a prospective manner, how many families utilized physician follow-up when such follow-up was offered. Seventy-six percent of the 108 families who experienced a neonatal death chose to have physician follow-up in the weeks after the death. A family's utilization of subsequent physician contact was not related to the distance they lived from the medical center, the duration of survival of the infant, or the racial background of the mother. Parents utilized follow-up visits whether or not an autopsy was performed or an interpreter was needed. Certain features distinguished the parents who did not utilize the physician follow-up service: parents were less likely to utilize the service if they were not married, the mother was a teenager, the head of the household was unemployed, or there was no phone at home.


The unheralded hazard of ureterosigmoidostomy.

Patients with ureterosigmoid urinary diversions always have some anal leakage of a malodorous mixture of feces and urine, especially at night or when passing gas. They obtain limited continence only by consciously keeping their buttocks tensed toegher. Their unusually high elimination frequency weds them to a bathroom for the rest of their lives. The universal prevalence of this truly severe burden of liquid fecal incontinence, which a patient is asked to bear after ureterosigmoidostomy diversion, is not well recognized and should be clearly revealed to the patient before a choice of procedure is made.


The recent trend in breast-feeding.

This study presents results of surveys conducted on a continuous basis over a period of years to determine the trend in the incidence of breast-feeding. Questionnaires were mailed to large samples of mothers, representative of the national distribution of births, asking them what type of milk they fed their infants over a period of time. Demographic characteristics of mothers who breast-fed were also obtained. From 1955 to 1971, there was a progressive decline in breast-feeding, followed by a resurgence in its incidence through 1978. Not only are more mothers breast-feeding, more are continuing to do so for a longer period of time throughout the months of their infants' most rapid growth and high nutritional requirements. It is also apparent that the increased incidence of breast-feeding has not been limited to higher income, better educated mothers. From 1971 to 1978, the incidence at two months postpartum more than doubled among mothers in lower-income families. The incidence of breast-feeding almost tripled among mothers whose education did not extend beyond elementary or high school and among those attending public clinics.


Dyslexia and classic pathognomic signs.

The classic pathognomic signs of dyslexia, such as reversals and rotations, appear to be associated with poor reading, not diagnosed developmental dyslexia. 26 8th and 9th grade dyslexia with poor perceptual/attentional ability were matched with 19 reading-retarded subjects with age-equivalent perceptual/attentional test scores for age, IQ, and degree of reading retardation and compared both with each other and with 96 adequate readers for reversals, rotations, insertions, substitutions, omissions, poor handwriting and visual ability on the Gray test, the WRAT Spelling Test, a writing task, and the star-tracing mirror test. On 46 of 49 variables, the dyslexia and retarded readers performed comparably. Together they made more classic errors and had lower achievement scores than the adequate readers on 44 of 49 variables. Classic errors clustered with poor reading but not diagnosed dyslexia. The hypothesis that reading acquisition trains perceptual test-taking ability is advanced.


Mirror-drawing performance as a function of instructional set and conflict.

The effect of instructional sets designed to manipulate levels of conflict on mirror-drawing performance was examined by testing 60 male college students, assigned at random to four experimental conditions: low conflict (speed emphasized), low conflict (accuracy emphasized), intermediate conflict and accuracy actively emphasized). The response measures were means for 10 trials per subject on total time, time and number of errors. In low conflict conditions, performance agreed with the response emphasized in instructional set. The second hypothesis, that performance is inversely related to level of conflict, was not supported. Performance in the conditions of intermediate and high conflict did not differ and ranked between the two conditions of low conflict on each of the three response measures.


Violence in the mass media: a case of modelling.

A case study of the modelling effects of the news media in reporting an unusual act of violence is presented. Using the naturalistic unobtrusive methodology, the double assassination attempts on President Gerald Ford in September 1975 resulted in an increase in the number of assassination threats for several months threafter. The implications were discussed.


Some observations on apathetic operant responding of chronic schizophrenics.

Schizophrenics and controls (normals and alcoholics) were compared in terms of their rates of talking (on any topic) and button-press responding when they were instructed to respond in certain ways and when they were reinforced for responding under a fixed ratio (FR) schedule. Subjects were given complete information about response-reinforcement relationships under the FR schedule. The results showed that, when subjects were told to talk at different rates, response rates of the schizophrenics and controls were fairly comparable. Reinforced rates of talking and button pressing were higher than non-reinforced rates for both the schizophrenics and controls. However, reinforced rates of talking and button-pressing were lower for the schizophrenics compared to the controls. Such apathetic responding by the schizophrenics could not be attributed readily to medication, to a limited capacity for response, to difficulties in understanding the instructions or the contingencies of reinforcement, to the rates of non-reinforced responding, or to the value of the reinforcer (money). It was suggested that the absence of instructions which told the schizophrenics at what rate to respond under the FR schedule may have been a factor.


Influences of environmental differentiation and conceptual tempo on young children's spatial coordination.

This study examined the effects of stimulus differentiation on kindergartners' ability to coordinate spatial perspectives when classified by conceptual tempo. 33 children were asked to identify from an array of pictures the one which best represented a doll's view of the stimulus display. Two stimulus displays were constructed which differed in the degree of differentiation among their items. In one set, low differentiation, three three-dimensional cardboard forms were in the shape of houses, each house having minimal external cues. In the second set, high differentiation, were three three-dimensional house scenes with each house having numerous external cues. The subjects took longer to make an initial response, made more correct, and somewhat fewer egocentric responses under the high differentiation condition than under the low differentiation condition. There also was an interaction between conceptual tempo and environmental differentiation; the impulsive children's egocentric performances were more influenced by the stimulus conditions than were the reflective children's. These findings suggested that organismic and environmental conditions are both important factors in children's spatial cognition.


Evidence that the colored shadow effect is retinal.

Polarized lenses were employed to present the images of the colored shadows effect separately to each eye. The phenomenon was perceived only when both images were viewed on the same retina, leading to the conclusion that the effect is entirely retinal in origin and does not involve the central nervous system.


Perception of effort during constant work to self-imposed exhaustion.

The purpose of this study was to describe the pattern of change in effort sense and the value of this pattern in predicting work end-point at relatively high work intensity (80% VO2 max). The patterns of change of various physiological functions were also observed. Two modes of work (walking and running) were compared to ascertain generalizability of results. 26 healthy male volunteers served as subjects. Time to exhaustion (ET) did not differ between walking and running. As work continued during both tasks, significant increases of VE, VE/VO2, VE/VCO2 and HR and a significant decrease of ETCO2 were observed; while VO2 and R remained fairly constant. VO2 and VE during the run were about 5% greater than during the walk; there were no differences in other measures. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) from the Borg Scale were identical for both conditions, increasing in a near linear fashion from a value of 12.9 at 25% of total work time to 18.9 at exhaustion. Ratings obtained at 25 and 50% ET were extrapolated to time of exhaustion; the point of intercept corresponded to ratings of perceived exertion for maximal work. At exhaustion, subjects rated perception of respiratory exertion for the walk as less than that for the run; perception of leg exertion was not different for the two conditions. Plasma lactate, epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations following exercise did not differ between the two conditions. The findings for the walking experiment were essentially replicated in a second investigation involving another 28 subjects. It is concluded that, with the exception of VO2 and some ventilatory parameters, walking and running at the same relative work intensity resulted in comparable perceptual and physiological responses. Psychophysical judgments made early during work were reasonably accurate predictors of exhaustion time.


Visual field-cerebral hemisphere differences in perception of visual nonverbal stimuli.

16 subjects were tested for differences between left and right visual fields in accuracy of recognition for paired verbal and nonverbal stimuli presented at below threshold duration and at minimal intensity. Performance on the visual recognition task was also compared with scores on a written n-Ach test. The data clearly indicated superior recognition of physiognomic stimuli presented in the left visual field and above-chance-level performance of subjects' manual responses for these below-threshold stimuli. The data also hint at a possible relationship between n-Ach and accuracy of visual recognition in the left hemisphere.


Improving exposure component and generalization potential of stress inoculation for pain.

Stress inoculation for pain involves education about the psychological dimensions of pain, training in a number of coping skills, and practice in applying these skills during exposure to the noxious stimulus. In a previous study the exposure component (which involved six practice sessions) proved ineffective; moreover the efficacy of the other components was not repeated on the generalization measures. The present study compared three variations in the exposure component and found that training with a single practice session on the cold pressor task proved more helpful than training with no practice at all, which in turn was no worse than training with six practice sessions. Moreover, therapeutic attention to generalization resulted in increased pain tolerance on the pressure algometer task.


Startle reflex habituation in children with cerebral palsy.

Two groups of children (9 with cerebral palsy and 10 normals, matched for sex and age) participated in a study of the startle reflex. Each child was instructed to press a button as soon as possible after the onset of a visual stimulus on a box on the table at which they were seated. During some of the trials, a sudden and intense auditory stimulus (85 dB) was presented concomitantly with the onset of the visual stimulus, and effects on reaction time recorded. Mean reaction time of normal children was significantly faster than that of the group with cerebral palsy. The magnitude of disruption associated with the first startle stimulus presentation was signicantly greater for cerebral palsied children. The course between groups of habituation to the startle stimuli was not significantly different. Data support the hypothesis that startle reflexes of children with cerebral palsy are more marked than are those of normal children.


Accuracy of recall as a function of eidetic imagery.

90 subjects (45 boys and 45 girls) from Grades 3, 4, 5 were screened for eidetic imagery. Using Haber's criteria, 12 subjects were identified as having eidetic imagery. These subjects were randomly divided into two groups of six each with one group designated the experimental group and the other, the control group. Eidetic imagery was evoked in all subjects to the same stimuli. Members of the experimental group were tested for accuracy of recall while maintaining the images and those of the control group were tested for accuracy of recall after blinking their eyes and turning their heads to erase the images. Significantly more correct responses were given by the experimental than by the control group. Also, eidetic images were not always erased by blinking the eyes and turning the head, and eidetic images did not necessarily last longer than afterimages, as Haber has reported.


Long-term memory and the value-size hypothesis.

10 yr. after decimalization of New Zealand currency 32 people (half female) individually selected brass discs to match the size of three withdrawn coins. In support of the value-size hypothesis a higher-valued coin was inaccurately recalled as larger and two basic coins were erroneously remembered as smaller than originals.


Cognitive predictors of articulation in writing.

Among 106 college students scores on a spontaneous 20-min. essay were regressed on referents of verbal and visual spatial ability. 26% of the variability in writing articulation among males was accounted for by the regression of graded writing scores against logical relations and embedded figures tests. 82% of the variability in writing ability among (females was accounted for by the regression of graded writing scores on visual closure, reading comprehension, spatial visualization, and embedded figures tests. The use of verbal and visual sptial referents as predictors of the degree of articulation in spontaneous writing samples consistent with sex-specific models of.cerebral lateralization was described.


Note: religious involvement and anti-social behavior.

This paper reports two studies, one of university students and one of high school students, which indicate support for the hypothesis that lack of religious involvement is related to anti-social behavior.


Evidence that line illusions originate in the central nervous system.

Polarized lenses were employed to present the components of four line illusions separately to each eye. The phenomena were perceived even when both images were disparately presented, leading to the conclusion that the effect originates in the central nervous system and does not require the retina.


Lateral preference and style of cognition.

The relationship between cognitive ability and laterality was examined in terms of the relation of intelligence test scores to lateral preference. The factor analysis was performed on the variables of 12 tasks of the intelligence scale and total lateral preference. A slight relation was found between lateral preference and figure combination task. To clarify the relationship, the mean scores of tasks were tested for subjects who preferred the right and left on each preference item. Some significant differences were found. On some items, the mean scores of subjects with left preferences were inferior to those of subjects with right preferences on the figure-combination task. The result confirmed Levy's finding (1969). But cross-validation on a large sample is required.


Development of articulatory competence in mentally retarded children.

Mentally retarded children participated in a verbal stimulation program developed at the Institute for Psychophysiological and Speech Disorders, Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Intensive home therapy was associated with an increase in articulatory competence in both moderately and profoundly retarded children. The development of articulation differed between retardate groups as well as with the sequence of normal phonological production. The results suggest that the order in which wounds are introduced into the therapeutic program may be a critical factor in the over-all development of competent articulation.


Pseudolearners in discrimination reversal.

This research investigated the shape of the acquisition and reversal functions in retardates' discrimination learning, with safeguards against suspected artifacts in other studies. A modified Wisconsin General Test Apparatus was used with 60 retardates in a 2 X 2 factorial design. Another 11 were classified as pseudolearners. The variables were the prereversal criteria and the number of irrelevant dimensions. After meeting criterion subjects were given 30 more trials for the detection of pseudolearners, but all received reversal training. Performance was stationary in both acquisition and reversal, suggesting all-or-none learning. For learners, differences of midreversal plateaus appeared which were opposite to predictions of the Zeaman and House (1963) theory. When pseudolearners were included, however, the plateau effect partially conformed to the theory.


Function of color in learning an assembly task by learning disabled adolescents.

This study examined the effect of color on responses by 20 14- to 17-yr-old learning disabled students in a probation facility to a puzzle assembly task. Prior to the task, one of two randomly constituted groups of 10 viewed a black and white film illustrating a puzzle assembly, the other group viewed an identical film of the puzzle being assembled in color. Analysis indicated that color does not enhance performance in some cases and may inhibit performance.


Effect of familiar size on judgments of relative size and distance.

Carlson and Tassone (1971) found that for far viewing distances a person was judged taller in objective size, smaller in apparent size, and more distant than a board of the same size and at the same distance as the person. The purpose of this experiment was to replicate Carlson and Tassone's findings for near viewing distances. Subjects compared to size and distance of familiar and unfamiliar objects viewed from a distance of 5.3 m. The two objects were judged equal in both apparent and objective size and the familiar object was judged as more distant than the unfamiliar object. It is suggested that the distance results can best be explained in terms of the detail pattern cue rather than the familiar size cue to relative distance.


Perception: an experiment to compare "here and now" and "there and then" perspectives.

A basic tenet of humanistic psychology is that "here and now" perception is different from and superior to "there and then" perception. This article describes an experimental test of this tenet. The test is based on the close relationship between categorizing and perceiving of stimuli. Data showed that people tend to use fewer categories to sort stimuli when in a "there and then" perspective than in a "here and now" perspective. This outcome is consistent with a theorem of information theory regarding signal to noise ratio and optimal number of categories.


Avoidance of Ontological Confrontation of Loneliness and some epidemilogical indices of social behavior and health.

A scale, Avoidance of the Ontological Confrontation of Loneliness, was developed to assist the psychometric recorded documentation of choice of avoidance versus confrontation strategy to the issue of loneliness. Analysis showed low scores (confronters) reported increased use of soft drugs and were absent from employment more often than medium or high scorers. Borderline statistically significant findings hint that high scorers (avoiders) lean toward less alcoholic beverage consumption while low scorers lean toward fewer automobile accidents and less use of medication than medium groupings. These results both advantages and disadvantages to strategies of awareness.


Lateral eye movement while eyes are closed.

The present study was designed (1) to clarify whether lateral eye movements appear when eyes are closed as well as when they are open and (2) to examine some possible factors which may affect the phenomenon. Horizontal eye movements of 8 males and 8 females during reflection were recorded by means of electro-oculography. All the subjects showed fewer lateral eye movements in eyes-closed condition than in eyes-open condition, and neither the consistency of direction nor the effect of question types was replicated. These facts cannot be explained by the hemispheric activation hypothesis.


Effects of hypnotists' and subjects' sex on hypnotic susceptibility.

2 male and 2 female student-hypnotists administered the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C to 49 male and 42 female subjects. Subjects were also administered a group hypnotic-susceptibility scale and questionnaire measure of absorption and willingness to cooperate with hypnosis. The effects of these three measures on Stanford, Form C scores were statistically controlled with analysis of covariance. Neither hypnotists' sex, subjects' sex, nor the interaction of these variables was significantly related to scores on the Stanford scale. Implications for hypnosis research were briefly discussed.


Slang knowledge as an indicator of a general social deviancy subcultural factor.

Evidence for a general social deviancy subcultural factor was found using the Kulik, Sarbin, and Stein (1971) slang test on drugs, gangs, law enforcement, and general words. The slang scores of 68 confirmed opiate addicts exceeded those of normals and young delinquents reported by Kulik, et al. (1971), including delinquents who were recidivists. Addicts knew more drug and alcohol slang than slang in the three other categories. It was recommended that more attempts should be made to subdivide measures of social deviancy by means of slang as there is some evidence of possible further differentiation of subcultural types by means of slang.


Schizophrenic WAIS pattern by diagnostic subtypes.

Post-treatment WAIS scores of 36 hospitalized schizophrenics were analyzed according to diagnostic subdivisions elsewhere validated. Significant differences emerged between Verbal and Performance Scales and among the 11 subtests, which transcended diagnostic subclasses. The results implied a reliable schizophrenic WAIS pattern supportive of Wechsler's (1958) proposal.


Comparison of McCarthy General Cognitive Indexes and Stanford-Binet IQs for educable mentally retarded children.

15 Educable Mentally Retarted children, aged 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 yr., were tested on the McCarthy Scales of Children's abilities and the Stanford-Binet (1972 norms). All children were tested over a 6-mon. period in public schools located in Northeast Georgia. Since 8 of the 15 children obtained General Cognitive Indexes below the norms presented in the McCarthy manual, extrapolated scores were assigned to increase the precision of the comparison. Although the two scores correlated significantly, the mean Index with IQ was significantly lower than the mean IQ for this sample of educable mentally retarded children. The implications of the findings were discussed.


Effect of different workloads varying in intensity and duration on resolution acuity.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of participation in physical activity on resolution acuity. In the experiment, 21 undergraduate males participated in exercise sessions with work loads of 300, 700, and 1100 kmp for durations of 3 and 6 min. and a non-exercise control session. Resolution acuity was then determined by finding thresholds of a 20-cpd sinusoid-wave grating using the method of adjustment. A repeated-measures analysis of variance compared the effects of different workloads, intensities, and durations of workloads, and the interaction of intensity and duration on resolution acuity. Significant improvement of resolution acuity was found for all workloads relative to the non-exercise control session, for all other workloads relative to the 300 kpm/3 min. workload, and for the 1100 kpm/6 min. workload relative to the 300 kpm/6 min. and the 700/3 min. workloads. Increases in duration or intensity of exercise significantly improved resolution acuity. There was no significant interaction of the variables of intensity and duration of work on resolution acuity.


Sex differences in feedback: effects on Rod-and-Frame performance.

It has been demonstrated that feedback is effective in changing rod-and-frame performance for women if given the opportunity to adjust the rod to the vertical repeatedly from the same starting position. It is also shown that the significant difference between males and females in the Rod-and-frame Test is carried by the large difference in the initial tilting position.


An indirect technique for establishing preferences for categories of reinforcement for severely and profoundly retarded individuals.

The development of a reinforcement survey hierarchy is described for programming severely and profundly retarded individuals. The survey identifies reinforcement preferences of severely and profoundly retarded individuals by means of an indirect categorical technique. The categorical technique views reinforcement as being educationally, environmentally, and developmentally characteristic of severely and profoundly retarded individuals. The survey is a preliminary step to more direct approaches to reinforcement, such as sampling or use of multiple reinforcements. Field data are discussed.


Kinetic depth effect examined under conditions of unimodal versus bimodal sensory input.

To perceive the three-dimensional rotation of a shadow figure, displacement and line length change are required. Without displacement, persons perceive a line lengthening and shortening on a two-dimensional plane. The present investigation attempted to create the kinetic depth effect without displacement by including auditory input. 48 persons were randomly assigned to two groups (line-length change with tone or line-length change without tone). The tone group received sound through headphones which oscillated in amplitude in synchrony with the shadow of a rotating "T" figure. The tone group perceived a three-dimensional figure in rotation significantly more often than did the non-tone group. These results suggest that the kinetic depth effect may be created by more than one combination of sensory input.


Effects of type of information (abstract-concrete) and field dependence on asymmetry of hand movements during speech.

Asymmetry of object-focused (gestural) and body-focused (self-touching) movements was investigated in a sample of 14 field dependent and 14 field-independent right-handed male college students. The data were obtained from standardized, videotaped interviews which consisted of an abstract and a concrete communicative task. Significant right-hand asymmetry was found for gestures which depict or represent (motor primary movements,p less than .01) but not for nonrepresentational speech primacy movements. In general, field-independents had greater right-hand asymmetry than field-dependents for object-focused movements, whereas field-dependents showed more left-hand asymmetry of self-touching. Results are discussed in terms of a possible relationship between extent of movements asymmetry and the use of visual imagery in verbal encoding.


Relative contributions of active and passive touch to a child's knowledge of physical objects.

Literature was examined for contributions of both active and passive touch to a child's knowledge of shape perception. While research suggests that passive touch provides a useful function, haptic exploration or active touch is more effective for information processing. Various models and their educational implications for sensory training are discussed.


Pesticide residue concentrations in soils of five United States cities, 1971--urban soils monitoring program.

Soil samples from five metropolitan areas including Baltimore, Maryland; Gadsden, Alabama; Hartford, Connecticut; Macon, Georgia; and Newport News, Virginia were analyzed for elemental arsenic, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A representative number of samples were analyzed for organophosphorus pesticides, but none was detected. All areas exhibited heavy soil concentrations of organochlorine pesticides including sigma DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, photodieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, endrin, endrin ketone, and endosulfan sulfate. PCBs were detected in three of the five metropolitan areas. Within the metropolitan areas, samples from the urban, or core city, locations generally had higher pesticide concentrations than did samples from suburban locations. Finally, pesticide residue concentrations were generally higher in soils of metropolitan areas than in nearby agricultural soils.


Monitoring pesticides in agricultural and urban soils of the United States.

Organochlorine pesticides were monitored annually in the major agricultural areas of the United States from 1968 to 1973. Results show that agricultural soils are widely contaminated with low levels of organochlorine residues. Residue concentrations are decreasing as applications of the compounds decrease. Annual monitoring of urban areas since 1969 has demonstrated that urban soils generally have higher pesticide residue concentrations than do agricultural soils in the same locations. High concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead have also been observed in urban soils.


Mercury, arsenic, and cadmium in fish, water, and sediment of American Falls Reservoir, Idaho, 1974.

Mercury and cadmium were found in fish, water, and sediment of American Falls Reservoir (AFR), Idaho. Mercury and cadmium levels in some fish exceeded human health standards set by the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and the World Health Organization. Analyses performed on the flesh of rainbow trout showed mercury residues of up to 1.20 mg/kg, which were higher than residues previously reported in trout collected in 1970 and 1971 from AFR. Cadmium residue levels were as high as 0.80 mg/kg. Although arsenic was found in reservoir sediment at levels of 1.36-2.40 mg/kg, it was not detected in fish.


[Entero-colitis in the horse. A description of 46 cases (author's transl)].

A description is given of 46 cases of non-parasitic enteritis, treated in the Large Animal Clinic during the period 1965--77. A group of 12 horses showed an acute or peracute clinical course with rapid development of shock and high lethality (83 per cent). A smaller group of 9 horses showed a subacute course while 22 horses had chronic enteritis with intermittent diarrhoea--often semisolid like cow's dung--increased peristalsis, weight loss and, in some cases, hypoproteinaemia with subcutaneous edema. Lethality rate in this group was appr. 40 per cent. Predisposing factors--especially physical stress, medical treatment (antibiotics, anthelmintics) and pulmonary diseases--could be demonstrated in appr. 40 per cent of the cases. Appr. 66 per cent appeared during the period January--July. Recent studies on "colitis X" and chronic enteritis are discussed and it is suggested that the cases described here do not represent one single disease entity but rather several aetiological groups with a similar symptomatology.


[Verminous enteritis and thrombo-embolic colic in the horse. A description of 36 cases (author's transl)].

Based upon case reports from 36 cases of verminous thrombosis of arteria mesenterica cranialis--all of which were verified at necropsy--clinical symptoms, course and pathological lesions are described. Seventy five per cent of the patients were under 3 years old, and 73% of the cases showed initial signs during the period July-December. Salient clinical findings were, unthrifty appearance and emaciation, diarrhoea--observed in two thirds of the patients--and colic--observed in 50 per cent of the cases. Haematological and biochemical findings were inconclusive, yet, hypoproteinaemia was a rather frequent finding. At necropsy, enteritis and/or typhlocolitis were observed in 29 horses of which 8 horses had superficial lesions, 7 horses hyperplastic lesions and 12 horses diphteroid/necrotizing lesions. Fourteen per cent of the horses had renal infarctions. The findings are discussed in relation to recent observations on the epidemiology of Strongylus vulgaris infection and comparisons are drawn to findings in a material of horses with non-parasitic enteritis.


[Intrauterine insemination in ewes with frozen semen (author's transl)].

110 ewes were allocated for intrauterine insemination. One succeeded to deposite semen intra uterine in 43 of the ewes and 37 (86%) of these lambed. In the remaining 67 the semen was deposited in cervix, and of these 15 lambed (22,4%). Totally 52 (47,3%) of the inseminated ewes lambed. Similar results were obtained by one or two inseminations in the heat. Dilution 1:3 gave a significantly (p less than 0.05) higher lambing rate than dilution 1:9 when the semen was deposited in the cervix, while the results were similar for dilution 1:3 and 1:9 by intra interine deposition. A group of 49 ewes was inseminated according to the conventional method on the first day of heat and the intra uterine method on the second day. Intra uterine deposition of semen succeeded in 31 ewes and 27 (87,1%) lambed. In the 18 remaining ewes the semen was depposited in the cervix and 9 (50%) lambed. Totally 73,5% of the ewes in this group lambed.


[Colonoscopic polypectomy. Histopathological features and course (author's transl)].

A study of 424 colonic polyps resected electrically via colonic fibroscopy in 343 patients, in several Parisian centers between september 1972 and august 1976. The topography, shape, diameter and histological type of the polyps were analysed, and 14.3% were malignant. Study of the prevalence of the different histological types in subjects of the both sexes, by ten year age groups, revealed the large number of villous and adenocarcinomatous forms in the young woman. The preponderance and increase with age of villous forms in the male explain the marked shift in histological forms towards malignancy seen after the age of 60. The average time taken for transformation of a benign polyp already accessible to endoscopic resection into a killing recto-colic carcinoma may be 13 years. Initial results of the follow-up, of 83 patients undergoing 101 colonoscopic polypectomies, and despite inadequate follow-up, indicated that 9% of polyps recurred (above all, villous and adenovillous polyps), and the absence of local recurrence or metastases detectable after electrical resection of 17 colonic polyps with invasive adenocarcinoma must be taken with great reserve.


[Trypanosomiasis presenting with trypanids and complicated by myopericarditis (author's transl)].

In a 26-year-old man who had spent time in a trypanosome endemic zone, lesions of erythema marginatum progressing by acute exacerbations for 2 years despite various forms of treatment led to the discovery of a multiple lymphadenopathy and a greatly accelerated sedimentation rate. These findings suggested a diagnosis which was confirmed by the discovery of Trypanosoma gambiense in the blood and lymph node aspirate. In addition, there was an albumino-lymphocytic reaction in the cerebrospinal fluid. Finally, an atrioventricular block was discovered. All these symptoms and signs responsed to treatment with melarsoprol but a pericardial reaction developed, possibly of immunoallergic origin.


[Spontaneous perforation of the rectum. One case (author's transl)].

A 48-year-old man, operated upon with a diagnosis of perforation of a hollow viscus, in whom a spontaneous perforation of the rectum was discovered. Such perforations are rare since only 36 cases have been reported in the literature. The mechanism is unknown and various factors have been suggested, including increased pressure or local ischaemia. Treatment is rendered difficult by local infection and the frequently fragile general condition of the patients.


[Clinicopathological profile of pancreatic lithiasis (author's transl)].

Clinical, radiological and histopathological features of 31 duodenopancreatectomies for chronic pancreatitis with lithiasis are analysed in relation to whether or not there was dilatation of the duct of Wirsung. Two groups of patients may be defined in the basis of this criterion: -- the first, without dilatation of the duct of Wirsung, with lithiasis predominantly affecting the head of the pancreas and irregular fibrosis, corresponding patients aged approximately 30 years, suffering from the disease for about 10 years, often already operated upon for pancreatitis; gastrointestinal bleeding is common; -- the second, with dilatation of the duct of Wirsung, with disseminated lithiasis, and very marked fibrosis, affecting patients aged over 50 years, suffering from the disease for less than 5 years and not yet operated upon for their pancreatitis. The problem of the independance of the two groups or of the possibility of progression of forms without dilatation of the duct of Wirsung to dilated forms remains.


[Study upon oxygen conveyance in severe anaemia. About a very serious case of hemolytic anaemia which led to a myocardial infarct (author's transl].

To understand the orientation the metabolism of a sick person whose arterial content in oxygen had collapsed (CaO2 reaching 1,9 vol/100 ml) the cardiac output and the rate myocardic extraction of the lactates have been measured. The cardiac index was very high 7,4 l/m/m2 and in spite of a low D (a-v) (2,5 vol/ml) the consumption of oxygen was normal. Three days after a first measure the steep (or brutal) fall of the cardiac and the reversal of the rate of myocardic extraction of lactate led up to diagnose an acute coronary insufficiency. The electrocardiogramm only cortoborated the myocardic necrosis in a second time. This result invites (or calls for) a constant electrographic watching of sick persons who suffer from severe anaemia, even with sane coronary vessels, to avoid diagnosing coronary insufficiency through so circuitous means.


[Acute exacerbation of prolactin-secreting adenomas during pregnancy following the treatment of sterility. 2 cases (author's transl)].

These 2 cases were similar in terms of the time of onset of problems at the 8th month, the clinical and radiological signs of the tumour, and the existence of an amenorrhoea-galactorrhoea syndrome with hyperprolactinaemia. They differed with regard to the mode in which the pregnancy was obtained: one was induced by anti-prolactins in the presence of a normal sella turcica whilst the other began during the cycle following the administration of clomiphene with no prior radiological study of the sella turcica. They also differed in terms of the course: intra-tumoural haematoma requiring early surgery in one, hyperplasia and oedema regressing after delivery in the other making it possible to avoid immediate treatment.


[Bone lesions in hairy cell leukaemia (author's transl)].

Between 1959 and 1978, 150 patients with tricholeucocytic leukaemia were seen, 5 having radiological bone lesions. This has been reported only once in the literature, its significance and therapeutic consequences remaining ill-defined. One of the commonest sites of bone involvement is the neck of the femur. The usual appearances are those of demineralisation, lysis and pathological fracture. The true prevalence of such lesions could be determined only by routine studies for the presence of such lesions.


[Neonatal cardiac tumour: diagnostic and therapeutic problems. One case (author's transl)].

We report a case of cardiac tumour, presenting as cardiac failure during the first hours of life and refractory hypoxia. The diagnosis was made with difficulty by angiography which revealed a filling defect in the right atrium, whilst echocardiography had shown only a localised pericarditis. The tumour (which extended into the pericardium) was found to fill the right atrium and appeared to extend towards the venae cavae and the left atrium, contraindicating any attempt at excision. The newborn infant died on D7 of a strictly intra-atrial well-limited fibromyoma.


[Hepatic metastases of colonic and rectal carcinoma: surgical treatment (author's transl)].

Statistical results show a marked improvement in survival after surgical treatment of hepatic metastases. The possibilities of surgery are evaluated after precise analysis of the lesions seen at the time of excision and not at autopsy. The data from assessment which indicate that surgery will be successful are described and discussed. Surgical techniques consist above all of resection: metastasectomy, segmentectomy, hemihepatectomy and hepatectomy followed by transplant. Other methods are palliative. Certain resections themselves appear to be palliative and the ideal is to carry out adequate resection at the outset, adapted to the size and site of the lesions. However the possibilities of surgery form part of an overall programme: -- complete removal of the primary carcinoma in order to avoid any local recurrence, -- wide eradication of metastatic lesions, -- préventive treatment against further development of possible subclinical lesions by post-surgical chemotherapy and subsequent immunotherapy.


[End-to-end mechanical circular anastomosis in digestive surgery (author's transl)].

The anastomotic clamp described may be used to perform end-to-end anastomoses in digestive surgery. After a description of the instrument and its mode of use in its most suitable application -- colo-rectal anastomosis -- the authors report the first results of their clinical experience in 13 anastomoses, which are highly satisfactory.


[Carcinoma of the kidney. Trial of chemotherapy. 97 patients (author's transl)].

Chemotherapy for carcinoma of the kidney using the sequence VM 26 (or vincristine), CCNU gave 12 per cent of objective results (complete remission or regression of more than 50 per cent in metastatic tumours and did not alter the actuarial survival curve of these patients. The same type of chemotherapy given on a routine basis and early did not alter the actuarial curves of the first remission after nephrectomy for carcinoma of the kidney at Robson stage III or II. Early chemotherapy would thus not appear to be justified before trials in cases of metastatic carcinoma have led to the discovery of a more effective form.


[Epididymal and testicular metastases. 2 cases (author's transl)].

Two cases of epididymotesticular metastases are reported: one epididymal from a carcinoma of the kidney by retrograde venous spread and the other testicular secondary to a carcinoma of the prostate and apparently by arterial spread. Epididymotesticular metastases of carcinomas are rare. When the initial carcinoma is known, or even treated, the development of a large testis should lead to consideration of the possibility. Treatment should consist of inguinal orchidectomy with ligation of the spermatic cord as high as possible.


[Lateral exclusion and lateral terminal ileostomy according to Turnbull's method (author's transl)].

A lateral ileostomy permits perfect exclusion, easy fitting of an ileostomy bag and easy secondary closure. An analogous procedure may be used to perform a terminal ileostomy and/or a perfectly vascularised ileal bladder, specially suitable for the obese patient.


[Phaeochromocytoma: localisation by computerised scanner tomography. 5 cases (author's transl)].

In five patients with a phaeochromocytoma, axial computerised scanner tomography made it possible to localise the tumour without ambiguity, even when intravenous urography had been interpreted as normal. Although all the tumours diagnosed were relatively large (between 3 and 9 cm), this is nevertheless a non-invasive examination, free of danger and worthy of consideration in the preoperative assessment of a case of phaeochromocytoma.


[Absence of anti double stranded DNA antibodies in viral hepatitis (author's transl)].

The presence of anti double stranded DNA antibodies (ds DNA Ab) in the sera of patients with acute viral hepatitis and B virus chronic active hepatitis has recently been described. In contrast with these results we found no ds DNA ab, but anti single stranded DNA antibodies (ss DNA ab) in the sera from patients with these diseases. The ds DNA ab were studied simultaneously by two methods: Immunofluorescence (IF) on crithidia luciliae and Farr test. In this later case it was shown that the ds DNA preparation contained no ss DNA because it did not react with an anti ss DNA rabbit serum. Our results indicate that the above mentioned authors have been using in their Farr test a preparation of ds DNA contaminated by ss DNA, thus revealing the presence of anti ss DNA ab but not anti ds DNA ab, in the sera of their patients. On the other hand the presence of ds DNA ab has been shown in the sera of 85% of the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and of 20,5% of the patients with non EB chronic active hepatitis. At least one part of these later are probably autoimmune diseases.


[Lung cancer with elevated amylase activity. One observation with study of amylase's isoenzymes (author's transl)].

Amylase is composed by two isoenzymes groups: pancreatic or salivary type. This last part can be increased in many diseases. A case of lung cancer with elevated amylase activity in blood, urine and pleural fluid is reported in a 74-year-old man. This increase was due to salivary type isoamylases with an unusual component which disappeared by neuraminidase treatment. The significance and the origin of this hyperamylasemia with non pancreatic cancer are discussed.


[Variations in urinary antidiuretic hormone levels related to sodium intake (author's transl)].

Eighteen healthy male subjects, were investigated under normal sodium intake and after 5 days of high and low sodium intake. Under normal sodium intake, the following mean values were observed -- plasma osmolality (Posm): 294 +/- 5 mOsm/kg -- plasma volume (Vp): 33.9 +/- 4,3 ml/kg -- urinary sodium output (UNa.V): 173 +/- 73 mEq/24 h -- urinary antidiuretic hormone (A.D.H.): 68.8 +/- 35.6 ng/24 h. Under low sodium intake these values decreased to -- Posm: 289 +/- 4 m Osm/kg -- Vp: 32.7 +/- 3.2 ml/kg -- UNa.V: 12 +/- 9 mEq/24 h -- A.D.H.: 40.9 +/- 16.3 ng/24 h. Under high sodium intake these values increased to -- Posm: 298 +/- 5 m Osm/kg -- Vp: 36.3 +/- 4.1 ml/kg -- UNa.V: 325 +/- 67 mEq/24 h -- A.D.H.: 118.2 +/- 45.5 NG/24 H. Highly significant correlations are found between Posm and A.D.H. and between the Posm or A.D.H. and UNa.V. Interest is focused on UNa.V since the correlation between A.D.H. and UNa.V (r = 0.78) is more significant than that between A.D.H. and Posm (r = 0.47). Overriding of Posm on Vp in the regulation of A.D.H. secretion is again demonstrated. Plasma renin activity decrease when A.D.H. increase.


[A case of acute acrolein poisoning].

A four and a half year old boy was hospitalised with acute respiratory failure due to the inhalation during two hours of the smoke from an overheated frier. Oxygen, corticosteroids and furosemide led to clinical stabilisation but after 24 hours asphyxia developed. The trachea was found to be obstructed by a firm elastic substance which prevented intubation or bronchoscopy. Autopsy revealed massive cellular desquamation of the bronchial lining. The lumen was occupied by miscellaneous debris. There were multiple pulmonary infarcts. This is the second case of acute intoxication by acroleine. In the light of these two cases, treatment should consist of corticosteroids, antibiotherapy, inhalation therapy, and repeated bronchial aspiration.


[Total hip prosthesis. Current indications (author's transl)].

The various problems posed by total hip prosthesis are first described. The authors then analyse the various parameters which should guide the choice of this technique which must be used only when all other solution have failed. The recent development of prostheses without cement has made it possible to widen the application of this surgery to younger patients. Two special cases are finally reported: the role of total prostheses in the treatment of sequelae of fractures of the acetabulum, and in disarthrodesis of the hip with insertion of a total prosthesis.


[Stage III and VI Hodgkin's disease. Success and failure of therapeutic protocol H2 65 (author's transl)].

224 patients with stage III and IV Hodgkin's disease (H.D.) have been treated by 6 monthly MOPP courses. 190 patients achieved remission and among them there were 109 complete remissions (C.R.) . All patients received vinblastin maintenance combined with "reinduction" courses of MOPP (68 patients) or irradiation (57 patients). At ten years, remission curves are "on plateau" at 72% for those patients who achieved C.R. at 48% for those who had partial remission, and for all patients the ten years survival rate is 53%. The parameters which influence C.R. achievement are age, fever, histology, but the best predictive parameter seems to be lymphogram: diffuse involvement and aspects of cystic storage pattern as seen in "non Hodgkin lymphoma" heralding an unfavorable prognosis. The lymphogram picture should thus be included as parameter of initial classification and treatment active in "non Hodgkin lymphoma" such as Vincristine - Cytoxan - Prednisone - Adriamicin should be tried in these high risk patients.


[Acute aortic dissection. Prognostic factors, therapeutic indications. 137 cases (author's transl)].

137 patients (92 men and 45 women) with an average age of 58 years (range: 19 to 90 years) were hospitalised between January 1970 and June 1977 for acute aortic dissection. In 107 patients (and in 91 cases during the first 24 hours of hospitalisation) aortography was performed. This examination was found to be greatly reliable when its findings were compared with those at surgical exploration. In the absence of surgical treatment, 69 patients died and 5 survived. Amongst the patients undergoing surgery, 37 died and 27 survived. With the exception of type III dissections, survival appeared to be markedly increased by surgical treatment. Preoperative factors indicative of a poor prognosis included a neurological deficit of central origin, oligoanuria, raised blood urea, disseminated intravascular coagulation and dissection of the superior mesenteric artery or the coeliac trunk.


[Vegetating endocarditis on a Hancock valve. Diagnostic value of echocardiography (author's transl)].

Vegetations of endocarditis are frequently seen at echocardiography performed in patients with infective endocarditis. The presence of such vegetations was demonstrated on a Hancock porcine heterograft inserted two years' previously. These vegetations were responsible for quite severe stenosis and had produced systemic emboli on two occasions. Histological examination after valve replacement confirmed the echographic findings.


[Simultaneous popliteal and leg revascularisation by sequential saphenous bypass in situ (author's transl)].

Certain types of threatening leg ischaemia are difficult to treat when there is a combination of obstruction at three levels: superficial femoral, popliteal and leg, leaving as the only distal vascular network a short segment of upper popliteal artery, "suspended" between several collaterals and a distal leg artery. Classical techniques come up against problems in terms of revascularisation ("suspended" popliteal or leg), surgical material and the flow rate in the graft. The technique suggested here uses the devalved great saphenous vein left in place to revascularise succesively, "sequentially", the 2 permeable arterial levels. The main advantages are the absence of any prosthesis, an increase in flow and improved haemodynamics of the arrangement, and the double level of revascularisation.


[Adrenal hyperandrogenism due to enzyme disturbance of late onset (author's transl)].

In the context of hyperandrogenism, the group of hyperandrogenism due to disturbances in hormon-synthesis of late onset is worthy of being considered separately, not by virtue of its prevalence but by the fact that its course may be one of isolate hirsutism (3 cases out of 11 in this study), or even sterility. The diagnosis may be of varying difficulty, because of the incomplete nature of the block. Eleven cases are reported, ten due  to a partial deficit in 21 hydroxydation, and one due to a deficit in 11 hydroxydation. The presence of cortisone precursors is often more significant in stimulation tests. Estimation of blood testosterone levels may give somewhat high results in certain cases, but it must be emphasized that it may be diminished dexamethasone and the estimateion of delta 4 androstenedione is of value. In difficult cases, the diagnosis of a minor or incomplete disturbance is based upon a combination of biological, statistical and dynamic arguments. However this diagnosis is important since cortisone at low inhibitory doses are effective, in particular against menstrual disorders, sometimes making it possible to rapidly correct sterility.


[Tomodensitometry: localizing value in hypertension of adrenal origin (author's transl)].

Computarized axial tomography has shown the localization of adrenal lesions in four cases of hypertension of adrenal origin: two phaeochromocytomas, one primary hyperaldosteronism, one Cushing's syndrome. This method has the advantage of being neither invasive, nor time-consuming. Unfortunately, it cannot localize tumors smaller than two cm in diameter. It seems to be highly beneficial in phaeochromocytoma, where it can advantageously take the place of arteriography. It is less fruitful in primary hyperaldosteronism and in Cushing's syndrome because lesions are smaller.


[Septicaemia and spontaneous peritonitis in the cirrhotic (author's transl)].

During a five year period 36 episodes of septicaemia in 32 patients with hepatic cirrhosis were documented. This represents 20% of the patients hospitalized with a decompensated cirrhosis and 1.1% of the patients with non decompensated cirrhosis. In patients with decompensated cirrhosis, enteric Gram-negative organisms were most frequently isolated (91% of the cases) and ascitis was infected in one third of the cases. No primary foci of infection were documented. On the contrary patients with a non decompensated cirrhosis had infection mostly with Gram-positive organisms (82%) and foci of infection (skin, throat) were documented in 38% of the cases. Infection by enteric organisms was associated with higher mortality than infection by non enteric organisms (68% vs 28%). Five patients with inappropriate antibiotic treatment died from septic shock. Spontaneous septicaemia and peritonitis are frequent complications if cirrhosis. There are potentially treatable causes of deterioration in the cirrhotic patient, necessitating prompt recognition and treatment.


[New emergency hand surgery (author's transl)].

Injured hands may now be divided into two categories: those in which revascularisation by suture or bypass is necessary as an acute emergency and those in which classical reparative surgery suffices. As far as the first category is concerned, those who first see such patients should undertake the vascular repair but also all the others, if this is possible and desirable, or refer the injured individuals to a specialised centre. The prodigious development of microsurgery and its teaching to hand surgeons should soon make it possible for all injured patients to derive full benefit from this revolution. However, the indications must be perfectly defined in order to avoid the creation of handicapped patients and useless increase in surgical expenditure.


[Ultrasonography and radiocholesterol scintigraphy in the topographic diagnosis of a pheochromocytoma (author's transl)].

Topographic diagnosis of adrenal pheochromocytoma were determined by ultrasonography in all 6 cases studied and by radiocholesterol scintigraphy in 6 out of 7 cases studied. It would appear that ultrasonography is preferable in the localization of an abdominal pheochromocytoma, whether adrenal or extra-adrenal. Intravenous urography along with rapid sequence nephrotomography and radiocholesterol scintigraphy, play a complementary role in confirming the topographic diagnosis. In case these methods prove unsuccessful or provide conflicting results, it is then possible to consider computed tomography, angiography and caval catheterization.


[Reversible dialytic encephalopathy after interruption of aluminium intake. 6 cases (author's transl)].

The cases presented with psychic troubles and repeated somnolence episodes accompanied by dysarthria in 5 cases, myoclonic jerks in 4 cases and epileptic seizures in 1 case. In all cases the EEG was disturbed. It showed symetrical, paroxystic, bilateral, monomorph slow activity with more or less frequent paroxysms. The average serum aluminium level was at 407 microgram/l in the acute phase, at 161 microgram/l in the remission phase and at 123 microgram/l three months later. After interruption of oral and dialytic aluminium intake the remission is maintained. However in 2 cases the transitory readministration of aluminium gel was followed by reversible recurrency. The role of both aluminium gel and dialysate aluminium as the origin of encephalopathy is discussed.


[Corticosteroid-sensitive chemical diabetes in Horton's disease].

We report 5 cases of temporal arteritis associated with a diabetes whose good evolution under corticotherapy suggests a common pathogenesis. Several hypotheses can be formulated to explain the origin of the glycemic abnormality and to understand the way corticotherapy is effective. A moderate posology could at first have a hyperplasic effect on the insulin-secreting cells, and later on a favorable action on the vascular lesion and on an immunological disorder. Any definitive conclusion cannot be evolved yet. Only a more systematical study of the glycoregulation's abnormalities in the temporal arteritis will enable to answer the many remaining questions.


[Pseudomonas cepacia hospital infections; uncertainties and experiences with an epidemiological investigation (author's transl)].

During a hospital outbreak of Pseudomonas cepacia a traditional epidemiological investigation was proved to be misleading. Suppression of the suspected antiseptic did not stop the epidemics. A further investigation proved that it was due to the intravenous injection of contamineted anesthetic vials. Fever, chills, lack of hemodynamic disorders and of metastatic absceses characterize the clinical state of the infected patients. The removal of the catheters for perfusion was sometimes necessary to stop the bacteraemia. A lack of medical information is responsible of the outbreak.


[Complex anal fistulas (author's transl)].

Based on the experience of more than 6 500 patients with perianal suppurations, the authors conclude that the term of ano-rectal fistula should be rejected. The fistulas are rectal (secondary to an organic infection rectocolonic, or iatrogenic) or anal (with a cryptic starting point). The rectal fistulas are always complex for their internal opening being located in the rectal ampulla, they take the sphincteric apparatus as a whole and involve a major risk of post operative incontinence. Some of the anal fistulas are spontaneously complicated. It is the case of fistulas the track of which is located high in the sphincter, of those having multiple extensions, of some horse shoe fistulas with which the communication between the two ischio-rectal spaces is made by unusual passages. Most of them are iatrogenic. Without a doubt the complexity of some fistulas has been favoured by the prolonged and repeated use of antibiotics, but more often they are due to technical faults such as creation of false track during the search of the internal opening towards the superior pelvi-rectal space of towards the rectal ampulla with perforation situated more or less high up. The solution always difficult of therapeutics problems set by such cases should be looked for in the space of time placed between the operations, that alone allows to bring back progressively the complex tracks to their simple tracks.


[The insertion of permanent pacemaker leads via the retro-pectoral veins (author's transl)].

When it is not possible to use the cephalic vein for the insertion of a permanent pacemaker wire, the veins situated below the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, close to the lateral border of its upper part, can be used. This is possible in 87.6% of cases. The use of this approach is associated with a lower reoperation rate than the cephalic vein way.


[Cytoprognosis in the pretherapeutic assessment of carcinoma of the breast. 192 cases. (author's transl)].

A cytologic grading method of fine needle aspiration smears has been applied to 192 cases of breast carcinoma. Grade I defines well differenciated carcinoma, grade II pleioporphic tumor cells, grade III anaplastic carcinoma. Special attention was given to the unfavorable forms of tumors (grade III). The cytologic grading was correlated with the NMT clinical classification, with the notion of acute exacerbation and with axillary nodes involvement. The correlation of grading with the clinical course of the disease was evaluated after a twelve months follow up. In 4% of patients classified in grade I, 8% of grade II and 58% of grade III, metastases, local recurrence or death had occurred within one year. The contribution of grading to the identification of fast growing tumors is discussed.


[The treatment of hypertension in the elderly using a beta-blocker: acebutolol (author's transl)].

The tolerance and antihypertensive action of acebutolol, as a sole drug and in combination with a diuretic, were studied in a population of 34 female subjects aged over 65 years, with a mean of 81 years, suffering from well tolerated essential hypertension. The study was carried out in the form of double blind permutations, each subject receiving successively in an order determined by random selection each of three therapeutic phases: acebutolol, acebutolol in combination with a diuretic and a placebo. The results showed that in the elderly acebutolol had a moderate diuretic action which was remarkably potentialised by diuretics. The tolerance of this beta-blocker was excellent: no cases of cardiac failure, and no disturbances in atrioventricular conduction developed during the phases with active treatment.


[Kidney polycystic disease as the major feature in three adults with congenital hepatic fibrosis. 3 cases (author's transl)].

Congenital hepatic fibrosis is nearly always associated with ectasia of collecting tubules of the kidneys. This abnormality usually remains silent. In this study we report three cases of adult's CHF with associated renal failure treated by hemodialysis. In all three cases, renal injuries were indistinguishable from those found in adult-type of polycystic disease. The kidneys of our third patient, who underwent two nephrectomies at a 14-years interval, showed ectasia of the collecting tubules with only a few cortical cysts. The second one showed numerous large cysts and only a few ectatic tubules. Our data indicate that: renal failure can complicate the CHF course in adults. Uremia can be the pressenting feature; polycystic kidneys in CHF are microscopically different from those found in adult-type, they might be considered as the final stage in ectasia of collecting tubules.


[Should phlebitis of the limbs be treated surgically (author's transl)].

Controversy persists between partisans of medical treatment and partisans of wide surgical indications. In iliocaval phlebitis, the authors defend surgery insofar as the operation is restorative, whilst remaining "reasoned" in terms of the lesions and the numerous factors involved. Experience of 90 cases of phlebitis treated over the past two years has shown that restoration may be obtained and maintained in more than half the number of cases and that prophylactic partial venous occlusion proved necessary in only 30% of cases. Absence of any deaths confirmed the value of this approach.


Immune regulation of intestinal goblet cell differentiation. Specific induction of nonspecific protection against helminths?

Goblet cell differentiation (GCD) was studied in the intestines of rats infected with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis since an important component of the immune expulsion of this parasite is thought to be nonspecific. An increase in the proportion of villous goblet cells occured at the time of worm expulsion during a primary infection. GCD was augmented by the passive transfer of immune thoracic duct lymphocytes and immune serum in infected rats but not in normal controls. Since drug-induced expulsion of the worms did not induce comparable changes, it was concluded that increased GCD in passively immunized rats was not simply a repair phenomenon. Passive protection with serum was abrogated by reserpine and prednisolone and GCD was depressed in the recipients of these drugs. The possibility that goblet cell differentiation and mucus release are part of the nonspecific component of worm expulsion is discussed.


[Genetic polymorphism of erythrocytic enzymes in the Rennes area. Frequency of adenylate kinase, esterase D, adenosine deaminase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and glyoxyalase I phenotypes].

Blood donors from the Centre Régional de Transfusion Sanguine de Rennes were investigated for the phenotypic distribution of seven enzymatic systems : adenylate kinase, adenosine deaminase, esterase D, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, phosphoglucomutase, and glyoxalase I. Two unusual phenotypes were observed: phenotype 6-1 for adenosine deaminase and phenotype 3-1 for transaminase GPT. For five of these enzymes, the statistical analysis points out significant differences in one or several of the European populations described in the literature.


Control sites in the sequence at the beginning of T7 gene 1.

The DNA sequence of the fragment Hind.30, 378 bases long, from the beginning of gene 1 of T7 is presented. It contains the C promoter, two in vitro transcriptional terminator sites and a sequence of 171 bases which probably codes for the N terminus of the T7 RNA polymerase. The sequence also codes for the RNase III cleavage site before gene 1. The overlaps with the transcriptional terminators, The RNA transcript of the sequence about the terminators can be arranged in a set of alternative double-stranded hairpin structures. It is suggested that conversion between these structures may have a role in termination; this may be influenced by interactions with ribosomes and RNase III. The region of the C promoter between genes 0.7 and 1 thus contains several sites which may be involved in the control of transcription and translation.


Construction of a recombinant bacterial plasmid containing DNA sequences for a mouse embryonic globin chain.

Messenger RNAs for mouse embryonic globins were purified from yolk sac derived eyrthroid cells in mouse fetuses. Double stranded DNAs complementary to these messengers were synthesized and blunt end ligated to a EcoRI digested and DNA polymerase I repaired pBR322 plasmid. Of the ampicillin resistant transformants, one contained a plasmid with globin-specific cDNA. The inserted sequence is about 350 base pairs long. It contains one restriction site for EcoRI and one restriction site for HinfI about 170 and 80 base pairs from one end. The insert is not cleaved by HindIII, HindII, BamHI, PstI, SalI, AvaI, TaqI, HpaII, BglI. A mixture of purified messengers coding for alpha chains and for x, y and z embryonic chains was incubated with the recombinant plasmid and the hybridized messenger was translated in a mRNA depleted reticulocyte lysate protein synthesizing system. The product of translation was identified as a z chain by carboxymethylcellulose cromatography. The recombinant plasmid is named "pBR322-egz" after embryonic globin z.


Interactions of 4', 6-diamidine-2-phenylindole with synthetic polynucleotides.

4', 6-Diamidine-2-phenylindole forms fluorescent complexes with synthetic DNA duplexes containing AT, AU and IC base pairs; no fluorescent complexes were observed with duplexes containing GC base pairs or with duplexes containing a single AT base pair sandwiched between GC pairs. The binding site size is one molecule of dye per 3 base pairs. The intrinsic binding constants are higher for alternating sequence duplexes than for the corresponding homopolymer pairs. With the exception of the four-stranded helical poly rI which exhibits considerable fluorescence enhancement upon binding of the ligand, none of the single- or multi- stranded polyribonucleotides and ribo-deoxyribonucleotide hybrid structures form fluorescent complexes with the dye. Poly rI is the only RNA which forms a DNA B-like structure (Arnott et al. (1974) Biochem. J. 141, 537). The B conformation of the helix and the absence of guanine appear to be the major determinants of the specificity of the fluorescent binding mode of the dye. Nonfluorescent interactions of the dye with polynucleotides are nonspecific; UV absorption and circular dichroic spectra demonstrate binding to synthetic single- and double-stranded DNA and RNA analogs, including those containing GC base pairs.


Selective staining by 4', 6-diamidine-2-phenylindole of nanogram quantities of DNA in the presence of RNA on gels.

4', 6-Diamidine-2-phenylindole.2HCl (DAPI) forms fluorescent complexes with double-stranded (ds) DNA but not with ds RNA as shown by fluorescence titration. The widely used dye ethidium bromide (EB) forms fluorescent complexes with both types of nucleic acids. Also, in contrast to EB, DAPI forms much weaker fluorescent complexes with single-stranded DNA than with ds DNA. These observations were utilized to develop staining procedures for the selective visualization of ds DNA on gels. The use of DAPI in addition to EB for staining makes possible the localization of ds DNA and other species of nucleic acids on a single gel.


Translation of specific vaccinia virus RNAs purified as RNA-DNA hybrids on potassium iodide gradients.

A procedure has been developed for purifying specific mRNAs by hybridization to fragments of DNA and isolation of the hybrids by potassium iodide equilibrium buoyant density centrifugation. The hybrids obtained are essentially free of unhybridized RNA as well as double-stranded RNA. Moreover, the RNA in the hybrids is undamaged and can be translated in vitro. Application of this procedure to mapping vaccinia virus genes is described. A total of 34 polypeptides have been assigned to three regions of the viral genome.