Difference in calcium metabolism following Billroth-I and Billroth-II procedures for gastric and duodenal ulcers.

There have been 7 patients with postoperative osteomalacia in our series of 500 patients who had a gastrectomy for gastric or duodenal ulcers. All seven of these patients had a Billroth-II type gastrojejunostomy or esophagojejunostomy which caused food to bypass the duodenum and the upper part of the jejunum, and six of these patients showed milk intolerance and had diarrhea on food other than cow's milk. From this finding, it may be surmised that patients are predisposed to osteopenia after gastrectomy due to disorder in the process of calcium absorption and they develop osteomalacia when treated with the Billroth-II procedure, showing milk intolerance and diarrhea on food other than cow's milk.


Diagonal abdominothoracic incision as an approach to carcinoma of the cardia and upper gastric region.

An operative technique consisting of a diagonal epigastric incision extending to the left chest wall and severing the inner side of diaphragm adjacent to the pericardium to the hiatus is introduced. This technique was successfully used in 16 cases and the present surgical approach facilitates frontal visualization of the lower esophagus without disruption of the circulatory system. Furthermore, a sufficiently large operative field is obtained and radical dissection of cardia and upper gastric region or combined resection of infiltrated adjacent organs is facilitated. Postoperative recovery of pulmonary function in terms of PaO2 and PaCO2 was similar to that of patients who had received an upper median incision. We found no postoperative complications peculiar to the operative technique introduced here in any of the 16 patients.


Plasma glucagon changes in surgical patients.

We studied the effect of surgery on plasma glucagon (IRG) levels in 40 patients divided into 3 groups according to the severity of surgical stress. In the major and moderate stress groups, 30--100% IRG increases were noted one hour after the start of surgery. In these groups, IRG was increased in the lst to 7th postoperative days and there was a correlation between the amount of increase and the severity of operative stress. In the minor stress group, no postoperative IRG increase was noted. Our results indicate that the severity of operative stress had a direct bearing on the amount of intra- and postoperative IRG increase. We also discuss the origin of hyperglucagonemia in surgical patients.


Functional effect of collateral circulation after dearterialization of the liver.

The functional effect of the collateral circulation after hepatic dearterialization was investigated in dogs with end-to-side protacaval shunt after ligation of hepatic artery. The functional effect of collateral circulation was far less than that of the native hepatic artery even for one week after occlusion of the common hepatic artery. However the functional effect of the collateral blood flow suddenly rose to the level of that of native hepatic artery one week after ligation of common hepatic artery or two weeks after ligation of proper hepatic artery.


A case of mesenteric cyst diagnosed by ultrasound examination and a review of Japanese literatures.

Mesenteric cyst is relatively rare, and its diagnosis is difficult. We carried out an ultrasound examination on a 6-year-old boy who showed intestinal obstruction. This examination revealed an abdominal mass, and he was diagnosed as mesenteric cyst. Later it was confirmed by operation. The histopathological examination revealed that it was a lymphangioma. A review was also carried out on 288 cases of mesenteric cyst in Japan.


Experimental production of varicocele and its effect on testes.

Parital obstruction of left renal vein leads to production of varicocele in a fairly short period, i.e.; even within a month. Collateral venous channels play an important role in the formation and degree of varicocele. Varicocele has got a depressive effect on the spermatogenesis on the side of varicocele as well as on opposite testes. Leydig cells and interstitial tissue flourish at the expense of gonadal elements. The factors affecting the spermatogenesis are different from those of other tissues of the testes.


Fibrous projections from the core of a bacteriophage T7 procapsid.

A cylindrical core previously demonstrated in a bacteriophage T7 procapsid (capsid I) has been further examined by electron microscopy. Fibrous extensions of the core have been observed; these fibers appear to connect the core to the capsid I envelope. After infection of a nonpermissive host with bacteriophage T7 amber mutant in any gene coding for a core protein, the resulting lysates contained more noncapsid assemblies of capsid envelope protein than did wild-type lysates; these assemblies had a mass two to at least 500 times greater than the mass of capsid I. This suggests that the internal core and fibers assist the assembly of subunits in the envelope of capsid I.


Pyrenesulfonyl azide as a fluorescent label for the study of protein-lipid boundaries of acetylcholine receptors in membranes.

Acetylcholine receptor (AcChR) enriched membrane fragments from Torpedo californica electroplax were labeled by in situ photogenerated nitrenes from a hydrophobic fluorescent probe, pyrene-1-sulfonyl azide. Preferential photolabeling of membrane proteins, mainly AcChR, has been achieved and there is a pronounced exposure of the 48,000 and 55,000 molecular weight subunits of AcChR to the lipid environment of the membrane core. Covalent attachment of the photogenerated fluorescence probe does not perturb the alpha-neurotoxins' binding properties of membrane-bound AcChR or the desensitization kinetics induced by prolonged exposures to cholinergic agonists. Non-covalent photoproducts can be conveniently removed from labeled membrane preparations by exchange into lipid vesicles prepared from electroplax membrane lipids. Fluorescence features of model pyrene sulfonyl amide derivatives, such as fine vibrational structure of emission spectra of fluorescence lifetimes, are highly sensitive to the solvent milieu. The covalently bound probe shows similar fluorescence properties in situ. PySA photoproducts have great potential to spectroscopically monitor neurotransmitter induced events on selected AcChR subunits exposed to the hydrophobic environment of membranes.


The serum-free growth of Balb/c 3T3 cells in medium supplemented with bovine colostrum.

Bovine milk contains growth promoting factors that stimulate DNA synthesis and cell division in confluent monolayers of quiescent Balb/c 3T3 cells. The growth factor activity was highest in colostrum obtained within 24 hours after birth of a calf. Samples of milk obtained 32 hours and 60 hours after birth were 20% and 1% as active respectively as was a sample obtained 8 hours after birth in stimulating DNA synthesis. No activity was detectable 3 days after birth or thereafter. A similar temporal dependence was found in sheep's milk. Bovine colostrum obtained on the day of a calf's birth can be substituted for serum and will support the growth of sparse Balb/c 3T3 cells to confluence. In Dulbecco's modified Eagles's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 2.5% (vol/vol) bovine colostrum, the number of Balb/c 3T3 cells in a dish increased 35-fold, from 2.0 X 10(4) cells to 7 X 10(5) cells. The generation time was approximately 38 hours. Proliferation of cells was characterized by formation of clusters of confluent Balb/c 3T3 cells which were smaller in size and more tightly packed than were Balb/c 3T3 cells grown to confluence in serum. No proliferation was detected in DMEM supplemented with milk obtained 10 days after birth of a calf or in DMEM supplemented with bovine serum albumen.


Stimulation of human vascular endothelial cell growth by a platelet-derived growth factor and thrombin.

Repair of a vascular wound is mediated by migration and subsequent replication of the endothelial cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. We have measured the growth response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HuE) to two polypeptides that are transiently produced in high concentrations at the site of a wound; the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and the protease thrombin. When 10(4) HuE cells are seeded as a dense island (2-mm diameter) in the center of a 16-mm tissue culture well in medium containing 20% human serum derived from platelet-poor plasma (PDS), no increase in cell number or colony size is observed. With the addition of 0.5 ng/ml partially purified PDGF, colony size increases and the number of cells after 8 days is 4.8 X 10(4). When human thrombin (1 microgram/ml) is added along with the PDGF, the cell number rises to 9.2 X 10(4). Thrombin alone stimulates no increase in cell number. Although partially purified PDGF stimulates endothelial cells maintained in PDS as well as those maintained in whole blood serum (WBS), pure PDGF is active only when assayed in medium that contains WBS and is supplemented with thrombin. These results suggest the existence of a second class of platelet-derived factors that enable HuE cells to respond to the mitogenic activity of the purified platelet mitogen and thrombin.


Subcellular fractionation of brown adipose tissue.

The present study proposes a technique, using Metrizamide, which permits the preparation of brown adipose tissue plasma membranes from the crude mitochondria as well as from the crude microsome fraction. These plasma membranes have high relative specific activities of their marker enzyme, 5'-nucleotidase (15 +/- 3 and 14 +/- 2 respectively) and, particularly those originating in the crude microsomes, are relatively free of mitochondria contamination. This study also shows the influence of the mode of cell disruption on microsome integrity. When cell disruption was achieved by grinding in liquid nitrogen the purified microsome NADPH cytochrome c reductase specific activity was found to be 3.5 times greater than that of microsomes obtained after homogenization of the tissue.


Growth rate and chromosome number of tumor cell lines with different metastatic potential.

We investigated whether the metastatic potential of various tumor cell lines was related to chromosome counts or to rate of growth in vitro or in vivo. Clones of known metastatic potential derived from a C3H- fibrosarcoma induced by UV radiation (UV-2237) and from C57BL/6 B16 melanoma were tested for these characteristics. No correlation was found between the growth rate of these clones in monolayer culture or at a subcutaneous site and their ability to produce metastases. The cells from clones of UV-2237 were mainly in the diploid range with only one exception, and the B16 clones were all hyperploid. Thus, there was also no correlation between malignant behavior of the clones and gross changes in chromosome number.


Ganglioside patterns of metastatic and non-metastatic transplantable hepatocellular carcinomas of the rat.

In previous investigations, we correlated levels of sialic acid, gangliosides, and ganglioside glycosyltransferases with tumorigenesis over a 24-week continuum of growth of hepatocellular neoplasms of the rat induced by the carcinogen N-2-fluorenylacetamide. However, metastatic tumors developed only rarely and were not analyzed. To investigate surface changes associated with metastasis, well-differentiated and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas were transplanted to syngeneic recipient rats. From those, several metastatic and nonmetastatic isolates were obtained and compared. Both total and ganglioside sialic acid amounts in transplantable hepatomas were elevated above control liver values but were significantly lower for metastatic lines than for nonmetastatic lines. The nonmetastatic lines were characterized by ganglioside patterns depleted in the precursor ganglioside GM3 (sialic acid-galactose-glucose-ceramide) and elevated in the products of the monosialoganglioside pathway. In contrast, metastatic isolates exhibited a restoration of GM3 and nearer normal amounts of other gangliosides. The findings point to differences in sialic acid-containing glycolipids, comparing metastatic and nonmetastatic hepatocellular carcinomas, and further extend the concept that ganglioside alterations do not cause tumorigenesis but are the end result of a cascade of events which apparently continue beyond the onset of metastasis.


Lectin affinity chromatography of cell surface proteins of Novikoff tumor cells.

Novikoff hepatocellular carcinoma cells were radioiodinated by a cell surface-specific method using lactoperoxidase/125I. The iodinated proteins were solubilized in 0.5% Nonidet P-40 and subjected to affinity chromatography on Sepharose-conjugated lectins (Ricinus communis agglutinins I or II, soybean agglutinin, concanavalin A, or wheat germ agglutinin) and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Almost all the iodinated proteins bound to one or more of the Sepharose-conjugated lectins, presumptive evidence that these peptides are glycosylated. Lectin affinity chromatography resolved defined subsets of iodinated glycoproteins and suggested that certain glycoproteins could be fractionated on the basis of heterogeneity of their heterosaccharide moieties. Incubation of the iodinated cells with neuraminidase resulted in increased binding of iodinated proteins to Sepharose-conjugated Ricinus communis agglutinins I and II and soybean agglutinin and decreased binding to Sepharose-conjugated wheat germ agglutinin. Binding of iodinated proteins to concanavalin A was unaffected by neuraminidase treatment of the cells. These studies demonstrate the utility of lectins for the multicomponent analysis of plasma membrane proteins.


Human placental cell surface antigens:expression by cultured cells of diverse phenotypic origin.

The present work examined the expression of cell surface glycoprotein antigens in cultured human cell lines. The set of glycoproteins studied was defined by their immunoreactivity with antiserum developed to Triton-solubilized extracts of placental brush border membranes. Studies were performed using cell lines of trophoblastic (BeWo, JEG-3) and nontrophoblastic (Chang liver cells) origin, as well as diploid fibroblast cell lines (WI-38, GM-38). Antiplacental brush border antiserum reacts with at least 19 distinct antigens present in placental membrane preparations, each of which can be resolved and identified in two-dimensional electrophoresis. The subunit molecular weight and isoelectric point for all components were defined by their positions in the two-dimensional matrix. Thirteen of these could be detected among the five cell lines examined by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed cell surface iodination. One of these 13 antigens has been identified as the placental isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (PAP). The expression of this component is limited to choriocarcinoma cells and Chang liver cells and it is not present in diploid fibroblasts. Under normal circumstances expression of PAP is unique to the differentiated placenta but has been frequently demonstrated in both trophoblastic and nontrophoblastic neoplasms. Two other antigens are variably expressed among the different cell types examined in the present study and their presence or absence was independent of the trophoblastic, epithelial nontrophoblastic, or fibroblastic origin of the cells. Ten surface antigens were expressed in all five cell lines. Six of these had previously been found common to membranes from three adult differentiated tissues, including liver and kidney, as well as placenta (Wada et al, J Supramol Struc 10(3): 287-305, 1979). The presence of this set of antigens in cultured cells as well extends the possibility that these are ubiquitously expressed on human cell surfaces. Two other antigens observed in all cultured cells had been found in both placental and either kidney or liver membranes and may represent common functions shared by many tissues which are also necessary for growth in vitro. The two remaining placental antigens seen in all cultured cells have previously been shown to be absent in adult tissues. Their presence in cultured cells but not in the membranes of resting differentiated tissues may signify the expression of glycoproteins characteristic of trophoblasts in all cells adapted to growth in culture.


Selection of malignant melanoma variant cell lines for ovary colonization.

Murine melanoma line B16-F1, which shows some specificity for metastatic organ colonization of lung but rarely metastasizes to ovary, was used to select variant cell lines with increased preference for experimental ovary metastasis. Ovary-colonizing melanoma cell lines were sequentially selected in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice by repeated intravenous administration and surgical recovery of ovarian melanoma tumors for tissue culture. After ten selections for experimental ovary metastasis, line B16-010 was established which formed experimental metastatic ovary tumors in almost every test animal. In tissue culture B16-010 cells grew in circular colonies with rounded, smooth cell peripheries compared to B16-F1 cells which were flatter, grew in irregular patterns, and exhibited long cellular projections. Ovary-selected B16 lines contained less melanin pigment (B16-010 less than B16-05 less than B16-01 approximately equal to B16-F1) compared to the parental melanoma line. Together with previous cloning and selection data, these results are consistent with the preexistence of highly malignant cells in the parental tumor population that possess the ability to metastasize to specific organs.


Production of monoclonal antibodies against a cell surface concanavalin A binding glycoprotein.

Concanavalin A-binding (Con-A)-binding cell surface glycoproteins were isolated, via Con A-affinity chromatography, from Triton X-100-solubilized Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell plasma membranes. The Con A binding glycoproteins isolated in this manner displayed a significantly different profile on sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gels than did the Triton-soluble surface components, which were not retarded by the Con-A-Sepharose column. [125I]-Con A overlays of the pooled column fractions displayed on sodium dodecyl sulfate--polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis (SDS-PAGE) demonstrated that there were virtually no Con A receptors associated with the unretarded peak released by the Con A-Sepharose column, whereas the material which was bound and specifically eluted from the Con A-Sepharose column with the sugar hapten alpha-methyl-D-mannopyranoside contained at least 15 prominent bands which bound [125I]-Con A. In order to produce monoclonal antibodies against various cell surface Con A receptors, Balb/c mice were immunized with the pooled Con A receptor fraction. Following immunization spleens were excised from the animals and single spleen cell suspensions were fused with mouse myeloma P3/X63-Ag8 cells. Numerous hybridoma clones were subsequently picked on the basis of their ability to secrete antibody which could bind to both live and glutaraldehyde-fixed CHO cells as well as to the Triton-soluble fraction isolated from the CHO plasma membrane fraction. Antibody from two of these clones was able to precipitate a single [125I]-labeled CHO surface component of approximately 265,000 daltons.


Structural states of dictyostelium myosin.

Myosin purified from Dictyostelium amoebae has approximately 10% by weight of RNA associated with it, unless specific steps (DEAE cellulose chromatography or RNase digestion) are taken to remove it. This RNA has significant effects on the structural states formed by the myosin at low ionic strength in the presence of Mg2+. Rapid precipitation of RNA-free myosin by dilution generates bipolar thick filaments (540 nm long, 33 nm thick), often with a bare zone and a 15-nm transverse repeat. Rapid precipitation of myosin with copurified RNA yields linear aggregates of bipolar filaments, showing some lateral association. Slow precipitation of RNA-free myosin by dialysis yields very long filaments or ribbons (greater than 5 micrometer, 30--60 nm wide) in which the myosin may be packed diagonally across the filament, similar to the "side-polar" aggregates formed by other nonmuscle myosins and by smooth muscle myosin (Craig R, Megerman J: J Cell Biol 75:990, 1977; Hinssen H, D'Haese J, Small JV, Sobieszek A: J Ultrastruct Res 64:282, 1978). Slow precipitation of myosin with copurified RNA generates linear filaments with repeat intervals of 290 and 650 nm. Other polyanions were tested for their effects on myosin aggregation. Total RNA and ribosomal RNA from Dictyostelium, when added to RNA-free myosin, also induced the extensive linear aggregation seen with the copurified RNA/myosin complex, although higher concentrations of RNA were required to obtain quantitatively the same effect. DNA and heparin were also effective inducers of linear aggregation, whereas homopolymers of nucleotides and of acidic or basic amino acids were poorly effective.


Ehrlich ascites tumor cell surface labeling and kinetics of glycocalyx release.

Ehrlich ascites tumor cells spontaneously release cell surface material (glycocalyx) into isotonic saline medium. Exposure of these cells to tritium-labeled 4,4'-diisothiocyano-1,2-diphenylethane-2,2'-disulfonic acid (3H2DIDS) at 4 degrees C leads to preferential labeling of the cell surface coat. We have combined studies of the kinetics of 3H2DIDS-label release, the effects of enzymatic treatment, and cell electrophoretic mobility to characterize the 3H2DIDS-labeled components of the cell surface. Approximately 73% of the cell-associated radioactivity is spontaneously released from the cells after 5 h at 23 degrees C. The kinetics of release is consistent with the first-order loss of two fractions; a slow (tau 1/2 = 360 min) component representing 33% of the radioactivity and a fast (tau 1/2 = 20 min) component representing 26%. The remaining 14% of the labile binding may reflect mechanically induced surface release. Trypsin (1 microgram/ml) also removes approximately 73% of the labeled material within 30 min and converts the kinetics of release to that of a single component (tau 1/2 = 5.5 min). The specific activity (SA) of material released by trypsin immediately after labeling is 83% of the SA of the material spontaneously lost in 1 h. However, trypsinization following a 2-h period of spontaneous release yields material of reduced (43%) SA. Neither 3H2DIDS labeling nor the initial spontaneous loss of labeled material alters cell electrophoretic mobility. However, extended spontaneous release is accompanied by a significant decrease in surface charge density. Trypsinization immediately following labeling or after spontaneous release (2 h) reduces mobility by 32%. We have tentatively identified the slowly released compartment as contributing to cell surface negativity.


Membrane dynamics of differentiating cultured embryonic chick skeletal muscle cells by fluorescence microscopy techniques.

Changes in membrane fluidity during myogenesis have been studied by fluorescence microscopy of individual cells growing in monolayer cultures of embryonic chick skeletal muscle cells. Membrane fluidity was determined by the techniques of fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR), with the use of a lipid-soluble carbocyanine dye, and by fluorescence depolarization (FD), with perylene used as the lipid probe. The fluidity of myoblast plasma membranes, as determined from FPR measurements in membrane areas above nuclei, increased during the period of myoblast fusion and then returned to its initial level. The membrane fluidity of fibroblasts, also found in these primary cultures, remained constant. The fluidity in specific regions along the length of the myoblast membrane was studied by FD, and it was observed that the extended arms of the myoblast have the highest fluidity on the cell and that the tips at the ends of the arms had the lowest fluidity. However, since the perylene probe used in the FD experiments appeared to label cytoplasmic components, changes in fluidity measured with this probe reflect changes in membrane fluidity as well as in cytoplasmic fluidity. The relative change in each of these compartments cannot yet be ascertained. Tips have specialized surface structures, filopodia and lamellipodia, which may be accompanied by a more immobile membrane as well as a more rigid cytoplasm. Rounded cells, which may also have a more convoluted surface structure, show a lower apparent membrane fluidity than extended cells.


Biosynthesis of membrane glycoproteins in rat hepatoma tissue culture cells.

The early steps in the biosynthesis of glycoproteins associated with the plasma membranes of rat hepatoma tissue culture cells has been analyzed. By measuring the effect of tunicamycin on the incorporation of [3H] mannose and [3H] fucose into cell glycoproteins, it was determined that an interval of about 1 h was required to transfer the glycoprotein from site of mannosylation to the site of fucosylation. This result was corroborated by an analysis of the time required for the appearance of either mannose or fucose-labeled glycoproteins at the cell surface. The separation of membrane glycoproteins by a two-dimensional gel system allowed the visualization of the modifications leading to both size and charge heterogeneity of these proteins. By following the changes in electrophoretic mobility introduced into membrane glycoproteins during a chase period after a pulse labeling, the time course of these molecular alterations could be estimated. Several glycoproteins have apparently higher rates of synthesis than the bulk of membrane-associated glycoproteins. Most of these glycoproteins were released within 2 h after biosynthesis from the intracellular membrane fraction and appear after 3 h in the medium. In addition to the glycoproteins that contain both mannose and fucose and that show a high degree of charge heterogeneity, there are other membrane-bound species that are not noticeably modified by the incorporation of fucose or sialic acids. These glycoproteins could represent constituents limited to the internal membrane system of the HTC cell.


Structural comparisons of the aggregates of tobacco mosaic virus protein.

The coat protein of tobacco mosaic virus forms numerous aggregates, including the small A-protein, the disk, and two helical forms. The structures of the disk, the helical protein forms, and the virus are compared. Most of the differences are in the conformation of the chain between residues 89 and 113, which lies in the region of protein at the center of the virus, inside the RNA. It is disordered in the disk, but has a fixed conformation in the virus and the protein helices. The differences between the virus and the two helical protein forms are largely in the conformations of arginines and carboxylic acids in this region.


Biosynthesis and maturation of cellular membrane glycoproteins.

The biosynthesis and the processing of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides of cellular membrane glycoproteins were examined in monolayer cultures of BHK21 cells and human diploid fibroblasts after pulse- and pulse-chase labeling with [2-3H]mannose. After pronase digestion, radiolabeled glycopeptides were characterized by high-resolution gel filtration, with or without additional digestion with various exoglycosidases and endoglycosidases. Pulse-labeled glycoproteins contained a relatively homogenous population of neutral oligosaccharides (major species: Man9GlcNAc2ASN). The vast majority of these asparagine-linked oligosaccharides was smaller than the major fraction of lipid-linked oligosaccharides from the cell and was apparently devoid of terminal glucose. After pulse-chase or long labeling periods, a significant fraction of the large oligomannosyl cores was processed by removal of mannose units and addition of branch sugars (NeuNAc-Gal-GlcNAc), resulting in complex acidic structures containing three and possibly five mannoses. In addition, some of the large oligomannosyl cores were processed by the removal of only several mannoses, resulting in a mixture of neutral structures with 5-9 mannoses. This oligomannosyl core heterogeneity in both neutral and acidic oligosaccharides linked to asparagine in cellular membrane glycoproteins was analogous to the heterogeneity reported for the oligosaccharides of avian RNA tumor virus glycoproteins (Hunt LA, Wright SE, Etchison JR, Summers DF: J Virol 29:336, 1979).


Introduction of metastatic heterogeneity by short-term in vivo passage of a cloned transformed cell line.

An experimental system for the study of metastasis has been developed using an epithelioid cell line of hepatic origin which had previously been chemically transformed in vitro. These metastatic cells were studied in the syngeneic rat strain. The cloned parent cell line metastasizes only to the lungs following intravenous, subcutaneous, or intraperitoneal injection. The metastatic phenotype is stable during in vitro passage, and subclones from the parent clone have a metastatic capacity statistically similar to that of the parent clone. Following ascites passage of the parent cell line, the cell population obtained exhibits the same metastatic ability as the parent clone. However, subclones obtained from the ascites-passaged population exhibit metastatic heterogeneity. This heterogeneity is introduced by the host passage and not by in vitro culture or subcloning. In the case of the two metastatic variants examined, the difference in the metastatic phenotype is found not to be due to differences in arrest or trapping of the cells but appears to be related to long-term survival and proliferation of the tumor cells following their arrest in the lungs. Morphologically the variants are very similar, and growth of the metastatic foci provokes a vigorous inflammatory response by the host.


Direct linkage of thrombin to its cell surface receptors in different cell types.

When 125I-thrombin was incubated with foreskin fibroblasts, cervical carcinoma cells or fibrosarcoma cells of human origin, or with secondary chick embryo cells or Chinese hamster lung cells, it became directly linked to its cell surface receptors. The thrombin-receptor complex (TH-R) was derived exclusively from a pool of 125I-thrombin that had become specifically bound to the cell surface. The linkage was probably covalent, since the complex was resistant to boiling in sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2-mercaptoethanol. Raising the pH to 12 disrupted TH-R, but did not affect a similar complex between epidermal growth factor and its receptor, suggesting that the linkage of these mitogens to their receptors was different. Mild trypsin treatment removed the ability of cells to form TH-R; however, after a 24-h incubation in serum-free medium, trypsin-treated cells recovered the capacity to form TH-R, suggesting that TH-R resulted from interaction of 125I-thrombin with a cellular rather than a serum component. The mitogenic response of cells to thrombin was inversely related to the fraction of specifically bound 125I-thrombin represented by TH-R. The role of TH-R in mitogenesis may be clarified in future studies by obtaining clones of Chinese hamster lung cells that vary in their capacities to form TH-R and to respond to the mitogenic action of thrombin.


Isolation of cholera toxin receptors from a mouse fibroblast and lymphoid cell line by immune precipitation.

Cholera toxin receptors have been isolated from both a mouse fibroblast (Balbc/3T3) and mouse lymphoid cell line labeled by the galactose oxidase borotritiide technique. Tritiated receptor-toxin complexes solubilized in NP40 were isolated by addition of toxin antibody followed by a protein A-containing strain of Staphylococcus aureus. In both cell types by far the major species of toxin receptor isolated was ganglioside in nature, although galactoproteins were also present in the immune complexes. Whether the galactoproteins form part of a toxin-receptor complex or are artifacts of the isolation procedure is presently unclear. The relative specificity of cholera toxin for a carbohydrate sequence in a glycolipid suggests that the toxin might prove a useful tool in establishing the function and organization of glycolipids in membranes. For example, interaction of cholera toxin with the mouse lymphoid cell line was shown to result in patching and capping of bound toxin, raising the possibility that the glycolipid receptor interacts indirectly with cytoskeletal elements. Cholera toxin might also be used to select for mutant fibroblasts lacking the toxin receptor and therefore having an altered glycolipid profile. Such mutants might prove useful in establishing the relationship (if any) between modified glycolipid pattern and other aspects of the transformed phenotype. Attempts to isolate mutants, based on the expectation that growth of cells containing the toxin receptor would be inhibited by the increase in cAMP levels normally induced by cholera toxin, proved unsuccessful. Cholera toxin failed to inhibit significantly the growth of either Balbc or Swiss 3T3 mouse fibroblasts although it markedly elevated cAMP levels.


Hallucinogenic plants of the Tarahumara.

Plants used by the Mexican Tarahumara Indians to alter their perception are discussed from an ethnobotanical viewpoint. Reports from earlier workers are reviewed. Recent field work has corroborated many of the early observations. In addition, five Tarahumara plants are reported for the first time as hallucinogenic. They include species of Coryphantha, Echinocereus, Mammillaria, and Scirpus. Other plants are suspected of producing hallucinations or are associated with hallucinogenic plants.


Herbal remedies of the Maritime Indians.

Maritime Indians, in common with other aboriginal people, developed a variety of herbal remedies to use in treating illness. A review of the writings of early settlers and missionaries has resulted in a list of 128 local plants and the medical problems to which they were applied. Although the known composition of some of these plants indicates the value of their application, little is known to date about the others.


Cocaine in blood of coca chewers.

Coca leaves (Erythroxylum coca Lamarck) and powder (5 - 10 g) were taken orally by human subjects in the same way as South American natives do. The cocaine, as measured by mass fragmentography, was immediately detected in the blood, reached peak concentrations from 10 - 150 ng/ml plasma at 0.38 - 1.95 hours, and persisted in the plasma for more than 7 hours. Half-lives of the elimination of cocaine were calculated and ranged from 1.0 to 1.9 hours. The absorption half-lives ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 hours. The shape of the curves fits with the subjective effects reported. There is no reason to believe that the stimulating effect achieved by the use of either coca leaves or powder is not due to cocaine.


Studies on the mechanism of action of Albizzia lebbeck, an Indian indigenous drug used in the treatment of atopic allergy.

Studies were conducted on the decoction of the bark of Albizzia lebbeck which has been in use by Ayurvedic physicians for bronchial asthma and eczema. The effect of A. lebbeck was studied on the degranulation rate of sensitized peritoneal mast cells of albino rats when challenged with antigen (horse serum). Triple vaccine was used as adjuvant. Disodium cromoglycate (DCG) and prednisolone were used for comparison. Drugs were given during the first or second week of sensitization and the mast cells studied at the end of the second or third week. Serum from these rats was used to passively sensitize recipient rats whose peritoneal mast cells were then studied. The in vitro effects of A. lebbeck and DCG on the degranulation rate of the sensitized mast cells were also studied. The results show that A. lebbeck has a significant cromoglycate-like action on the mast cells. In addition, it appears that it inhibits the early processes of sensitization and synthesis of reaginic-type antibodies. If A. lebbeck is given during the first week of sensitization it markedly inhibits the early sensitizing processes, while if given during the second week it suppresses antibody production during the period of drug administration. The active ingredients of the bark appear to be heat-stable and water-soluble.


Technique for precision beveling of relatively large micropipettes.

A technique is described for embedding various sizes of diamond dust in a film of Varathane laid upon an optically flat glass surface. This forms a precise and very durable abrasive surface. When such abrasive surfaces are used with previously described equipment, micropipettes may be beveled rapidly and reliably to tip diameters extending from 0.5 micron to indefinitely large sizes. Beveled tips formed in this manner are extremely sharp, as shown by high resolution SEM photographs. Plugging of the micropipette tip during beveling is prevented by applying pressure to the contained electrolyte. This procedure allows the micropipette's electrical resistance to be monitored accurately and continuously, so that beveling may be stopped at the electrical resistance associated with any predetermined tip diameter. The beveling of such relatively large micropipettes appears to have a variety of applications in neurophysiology, plus additional applications in kidney and capillary micropuncture work.


Photoelectrode with a very short time-constant for recording intracerebrally Ca2+ transients at a cellular level.

In order to study calcium transients in the central nervous system of vertebrates a microphotoelectrode was designed. It is composed of three channels, through the first aequorin is perfused into the extracellular space under constant pressure, the second is an optical glass light-conducting channel, and the third a classical NaCl-filled recording pipette. The light emitted by the interaction of the injected aequorin with the local extracellular calcium is transmitted through the optic fiber to a photomultiplier of high sensitivity.


A new moving-coil microelectrode puller.

This paper describes an improved electrode puller for the manufacture of glass microelectrodes or micropipettes. The instrument resembles a conventional horizontal two-stage, solenoid-powered electrode puller but the pull is now developed by a light moving-coil and a fixed permanent magnet, using the principle of the moving-coil loudspeaker. In a conventional puller the force is generated by a solenoid with a massive moving-iron core. In this new puller the moving-coil solenoid responds much more rapidly to changing currents because of its greatly reduced inductance, and a substantial reduction in mass to 25 g, gives more acceleration from a comparable force. The sudden discharge of a capacitor bank through the coil accelerates the glass quickly during the last stage of the pull. This rapid acceleration is of importance in the formation of good electrodes with fine tips. For the prototype, an electronic control unit was constructed which allows the parameters necessary for the manufacture of electrodes to be set and regulated accurately and repeatedly, so that series of electrodes of constant shapes can be made. The length of the electrode shank may be predetermined over a wide range and tip diameters down to 0.08 micron have already been measured. The angle of the taper that supports the tip may be varied from less than 1 to over 6 degrees. The mechanical design of the instrument is comparatively simple, as it has only one moving part, while the relative complexity of the electronic control section should not present any manufacturing difficulties. Although this puller has been used mainly to make single-barrel fine electrodes from borosilicate glass, it is adaptable for other purposes. The extent of the control over the shape of the shank of the electrode renders it particularly suitable for the manufacture of composite, ion-sensitive electrodes.


Immunoglobulin elution from multiple sclerosis brain.

Immunoglobulin (Ig) was eluted from multiple sclerosis (MS) brain tissue. Razor thin slices of white matter from 10 g of MS and control brains were washed with 5 liters of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), then treated for 90 sec with acetic acid, pH 2.5, containing Pepstatin and epsilon-aminocaproic acid. The protein concentrations of the PBS washes and neutralized acid eluates were determined, and the eluates were assayed for Ig by competitive microradioimmunoassay using rabbit anti-human F(ab1)2. Successive PBS washes reduced extracellular protein to a very low level. Equivalent quantities of protein were recovered from 7 MS and 6 non-MS brain samples after PBS washing and acetic acid elution. However, the amount of protein needed for 50% inhibition of [125I]IgG binding to anti-human F(ab1)2 was significantly less in MS brain than in non-MS brain (P less 0.05). The Ig in brain eluates was present in the void volume of a DEAE cellulose column. The techniques described above facilitate the isolation and characterization of cell-surface Ig in MS brain.


The physics of iontophoretic pipettes.

A theoretical study has been made of the release of drugs from iontophoretic pipettes. The chief predictions are: (1) in the steady state, release becomes linear with current and independent of pipette geometry when the ejecting voltage exceeds approximately 100 mV; (2) release rises relatively slowly during an ejecting pulse to approach its steady state value. At the end of the pulse, release falls abruptly. This asymmetry of the release curve is greatly accentuated by the prior application of a retaining current. It provides an explanation for the characteristic time course of response commonly seen when drugs are applied iontophoretically to central neurones: (3) the above effects occur on a time scale which depends strongly on the geometry of the pipette. Release from pipettes of large tip diameter and nearly cylindrical bore, such as those generally used in the central nervous system, should be thousands of times slower than from pepettes of small tip diameter and larger taper angle. Experimental observations of the release of an ionized fluorescent compound quantitatively confirm prediction (1) and qualitatively confirm predictions (2) and (3).


An improved method for extracellular marking of electrode tip positions in nervous tissue.

The Alcian blue method for extracellular marking of recording sites has been improved by filling the glass micropipettes with 3% Alcian blue 8GX or 8GS in 3M KCl buffered to pH 5.2 with 0.05M Potassium acetate. By filling the microelectrodes with a strong electrolyte (3M KCl) the same low resistances (5--25 M omega) and recording properties as conventional micropepettes are preserved. Currents of 0.5--1 microA for 1--3 min passed through the different electrode connected as anode, resulted in coloured spots of 10--100 micrometers in diameter. There was a positive correlation between the amount of curren passed, and the size of the spots. The localization of the electrode tips was successful in more than 80% of all cases. The dyemarks remained for at least 5 cays in vivo and resisted many histological procedures.


A versatile physiological data analysis system using an Intel 8080 microprocessor.

A microprocessor based physiological data processor has been realised. The system controls the data flow from physiological experiments and performs on-line mean and variance calculations with an output in graphical form. The analyser accepts one data point every 0.5 ms and has a capacity of 128 records each containing 800 data points. Post stimulus histogram and interval histogram analysis programs have also been written and implemented.


Sustained extracellular potentials in the cat spinal cord during the microiontophoretic application of excitatory amino acids.

Sustained negative potentials were recorded in the ventral horn of the cat spinal cord during current balanced extracellular iontophoresis of excitatoyr amino acids. The potentials (referred to a distant indifferent electrode) were measured by an extracellular microelectrode. These focal potentials (FPs) were evoked by DL-homocysteate, L-glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate and kainate. These FPs are not an artifact of extracellular microiontophoresis. Their time course is correlated with the depolarization of spinal motoneurones by excitatory amino acids. During iontophoresis of kainate, FPs can be as large as 50 mV and can be recorded for up to 1 mm from the site of drug application. The FP and depolarization caused by kainate were usually irreversible. The depolarization of motoneurones evoked by excitatory amino acids is very much larger when recorded as a 'transmembrane potential' (i.e. the potential of an intracellular electrode minus the potential of a local extracellular electrode) rather than as a 'classical' intracellular potential (i.e. referred to a distant reference electrode). Possible mechanisms for the generation of the FP are discussed. It is suggested that FP may be recorded routinely during microiontophoretic studies employing extracellular recording of neuronal activity. The application of the FP as a measure of cell depolarization during pharmacological studies of excitatory amino acids and agents that block their action is discussed.


A comparison of extracellular and intracellular recording during extracellular microiontophoresis.

A technique is described in which a central recording microelectrode can be moved independently of a concentrically arranged multibarrelled electrode prepared for microiontophoresis. Recordings were made from cat spinal motoneurones during microiontophoretic applications of excitatory amino acids and biogenic amines with the central electrode placed first extracellularly and then intracellularly. Recording were also made from one of the iontophoretic barrels. Both intra- and extracellular electrodes were used to record action potential firing, the ventral root field (VRF) evoked by antidromic ventral root stimulation and the membrane potential (EM). They were also used to record 'focal potentials' evoked by the extracellular application of drugs to nearby neurones. The firing pattern evoked by extracellular iontophoretic applications of DL-homocysteate and glutamate was not altered significantly following impalement of the cell by the recording microelectrode. Excitatory amino acids usually caused a reduction of the VRF negative wave and evoked an additional late positive wave. These VRF changes recovered at the same rate as the extracellularly recorded, negative 'focal potentials' (Flatman and Lambert, 1979). Iontophoretic applications of biogenic amines caused small increases, small decreases, or no change of the VRF negative wave. Variable responses were also seen during intracellular recording: hyperpolarization, no response and, occasionally, depolarizations were recorded. It is concluded that, during the drug action, VRF changes are difficult to interpret and are a poor index of drug-evoked changes in neuronal excitability or EM.


Isolation of synaptosomal fractions from rabbit retina.

Homogenization of rabbit retina in isotonic sucrose and differential rate centrifugation yielded two morphologically distinct synaptosomal fractions. One fraction  was enriched in photoreceptor cell synaptosomes; the second fraction contained small synaptosomes derived from conventional sized synapses most abundant in the inner plexiform layer. Attempts to further purify these fractions using a variety of density gradients proved unsuccessful due to poor viability of photoreceptor cell synaptosomes. The synaptosomes prepared by our method are functionally stable as they demonstrate high affinity uptake for putative retinal neurotransmitters, neurotransmitter-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity, and calcium-dependent, potassium-stimulated release of [14C]GABA and [3H]dopamine.


Hypothalamic uptake of tritiated testosterone in the sheep following intracerebroventricular infusion.

A method is described for the intracerebroventricular infusion of labelled testosterone in conscious sheep. Our objective was to establish whether the infused testosterone entered the nuclei of cells in the hypothalamic region. Since the results from castrated males showed testosterone to be taken up by cell nuclei, in the hypothalamic region, the method promises to be useful for the study of the hypothalamic metabolism of androgens in relation to the sexual behaviour and neuroendocrine function in large animals.


An apparatus for the assembly of a combined single barrel recording electrode and a multibarrelled micropipette.

In order to impale cells lying in deeper structures of the brain with 'parallel' multibarrelled electrode, we designed a new apparatus for the assembly of a multibarrelled micropipette and a single barrel recording electrode. This device greatly simplifies the procedure of constructing electrodes with shafts of approximately 15-20 mm in length even if the multibarrelled micropipettes are pulled with a slightly curved shaft and the bend made near the base of the shaft is not exactly to the specified angle. Electrodes of this type greatly improve the size and stability of the extracellularly recorded units from the caudate nucleus.


Simultaneous use of retrograde fluorescent tracers and fluorescence histochemistry for convenient and precise mapping of monoaminergic projections and collateral arrangements in the CNS.

A procedure is described for the use of fluorescent retrograde tracers in conjunction with monamine fluorescence histochemistry for single or double labeling studies of the projections of identified catecholamine or indoleamine neurons in the CNS. A number of fluorescent tracers, including Evans Blue, bisbenzimide, DAPI, 'True Blue', 'Granular Blue' and propidium iodide, have been tested and characterized microspectrofluorometrically. Of these, 'True Blue', propidium iodide and Evans Blue were found to have the most suitable properties to be studied concomitant with the monoamine fluorphores. A combination of two of these tracers--'True Blue' fluorescing blue and propidium iodide or Evans Blue fluorescing orange to red--and the catecholamines and indoleamines fluorescing yellow-green and yellow to brownish yellow, respectively, makes possible simultaneous use of four different fluorescent markers in one and the same section. The present procedure has great practical advantages over available HRP techniques and should in modified form also be applicable to other types of transmitter-specific neuronal tracing based on immunocytochemistry or enzyme histochemistry.


Carbon fibre microelectrodes.

A technique for making recording microelectrodes containing an ultrafine carbon fibre is described. This technique can be used for single- and multi-barrel microelectrodes. These microelectrodes not only have a very low signal-to-noise ratio comparable with that found in tungsten microelectrodes but are simpler to make. When used in a multi-barrel array for iontophoretic application of drugs the carbon fibre microelectrode has many advantages over a fluid electrolyte-filled recording barrel, including very high signal-to-noise ratio and relative immunity to spike distortion during application of iontophoretic current.


Radial maze type as a determinant of the choice behavior of rats.

Spatial memory of rats was examined in two types of radial mazes in which animals had to obtain food from 6-, 8-, or 12-different arms without repeating choices. In Maze 1 with tubular channels closed at the far end rats returned to the central platform by backing out from the just visited alley. In Maze 2 the tubular channels were equipped with one-way doors at both ends and the central platform was raised 5 cm above the floor. Rats leaving the far end of the alley returned to the central platform through a circular hole in its center. Performance was almost perfect in both apparatuses, but rats preferred to enter adjacent alleys in Maze 1 and widely separated alleys in Maze 2. These behaviors were significantly different from computer-simulated random choice from the set of correct solutions of the task. It is concluded that Maze 2 is better suited for repeated experiments with the same animal because the obligatory return to the center of the platform precludes the simplification of the task by response chaining.


A gentle bounce-free assembly for quick-freezing tissues for electron microscopy: application to isolated torpedine ray electrocyte stacks.

Thin, isolated stacks of Narcine brasiliensis electric organ were prepared for freeze substitution using a rapid freezing device similar to that described by Van Harreveld and Crowell (1964). Although the impact stress was reduced as much as the design of the apparatus allowed, the tissue was found to become severely squashed and the first layer of nerve terminals was found to be badly damaged. However, in occasional blocks, the morphology of the deeper layers encouraged the view that the tissue could be well suited to the procedure if the impact squash could be minimized. A second problem was identified when studying the impact of various tissue holders with the freeze surface: the original type of apparatus is highly susceptible to bouce in the millisecond time range. Tissue squash was controlled by mounting the sample on a piece of dry foam fitted into a slotted striker tip. Bounce was eliminated by coupling the striker to a simple hydraulic-pneumatic damping device. When electrocytes were frozen with this apparatus and freeze-substituted, the first layer of nerve terminals was found to be intact, well frozen and well fixed.


A method to determine dopamine levels and turnover rate in discrete dopamine nerve terminal systems by quantitative use of dopamine fluorescence obtained by Falck--Hillarp methodology.

In tissue sections of regions with evenly distributed dopamine (DA) nerve terminals such as the nucleus caudatus, it is possible to obtain absolute amounts (nmol/g) of DA by means of quantitative microfluorimetrical measurements of catecholamine (CA) fluorescence intensity in the tissue and in DA-containing albumin-agar standards. The values agree well with mass-fragmentographical determinations of DA. The steady-state DA levels of heterogenously innervated areas such as the tuberculum olfactorium determined by quantitative microfluorimetry can be made comparable to the steady-state levels of DA obtained by biochemistry in the entire tuberculum olfactorium by means of a conversion factor which considers the dilution of the DA-containing structures by non-DA-containing nerve cells in the biochemical analysis. This factor is obtained by making biochemical determinations in such regions of untreated animals (e.g. the tuberculum olfactorium). The results of this paper have demonstrated that the histochemical approach not only has a high power of resolution and makes it possible to perform studies on an intact morphological substrate but also allows the determination of DA steady-state (nmol/g) and DA turnover rate (nmol/g x min-1) in discrete DA nerve terminal systems of the brain in absolute amounts.


[Effect of long-term work in hot microclimate on various physiological parameters in metallurgists].

The study was carried out in 20 per cent of the total number of workers repairing furnaces. Thermal load of workers exceeded the permissible values of heat stress indices (HSI, P4SR, WBGT). Body temperature and pulse rate in workers, taken at the workplaces, confirmed the high thermal load. In the laboratory there were measured: VO2 max., VC, FEV1 blood pressure (RR) and hemoglobin level (Hb). It was stated that VO2 max. in the consecutive class intervals of age decreased not because of work in heat stress but due to ageing. VO2 max. amounted, in those aged 56--60, to 68 per cent, in comparison with those aged 18--25 years. VD, FEV4 and RR were within the physiological limits. Hb level was lower in all age groups as compared to physiological values. The analysis of workers' age structure indicated that only those with high physical capacity and acclimatization abilities were able to remain in the occupation and reach pensionable age (60 years). The work in heat stress itself causes natural selection of workers. On the basis of the study it was concluded that the pensionable age for workers exposed to heat stress should be lowered.


[Incidence of obesity and food habits among industrial workers of Szczecin].

The investigation involved a representative group of workers of three big industrial plants in Szczecin. The aim was to evaluate workers' nutritional habits, using the 24 hr. questionnaire of the Institute of Food and Feeding in Warsaw. Among 556 men examined, in 16.2% Rohrer's index indicated overweight. At the same time a statistical dependence between overweight rate and frequency of meals intake was found.


[Gas-chromatographic determination of methyl-isobutyl ketone, methyl-isobutyl carbinol, acetone, toluene and o-xylene vapors in the air].

A gas chromatographic method of determination of methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl isobutyl carbinol, acetone, toluene and o-xylene has been elaborated. Those compounds have been best separated on the column containing 10% Carbowax 20 M on Chromosorb W. Air samples were collected by passing the examined air through charcoal tubes and by consequent desorption of adsorbed compounds with carbon disulfide. Activated charcoal used in tests has been found to adsorb (by weight) 15% of the determined solvents.


[Kinetices of urinary excretion of various metals after administration of a single massive dose].

The rate of excreting chromium, mercury, thallium and arsenic, in cases when they induced acute poisoning, was observed. Only in a few cases of intoxication, Cr, Hg, Tl and As excretion was diphase. In 40% of subjects, the excretion was irregular and not diphase. What seems interesting is that in some cases some dependence between the rate of Cr, Hg and As excretion and the magnitude of diuresis was observed.


[Modular way of sampling for determination of the degree of occupational exposure at industrial plants with periodically changing dust concentration].

A work station with dustiness changing periodically during a workshift is one of the most common types of work stations, as regards exposure dynamics. Cyclic significant concentrations of dust occurring from time to time result from a specific technological treatment used. The measuring module will be the time of measurement, starting with the beginning of the cycle of working out a given detail or--the technological process through the whole treating and technological process as well as breaks--due to various reasons--until starting another, analogous operation. What was found is that average dust concentrations obtained from modular measurements correspond to average concentration to which an employee is exposed during the whole workshift. Modular measurements allow to reconstruct work conditions inducing silicosis, and may be helpful in settling the maximum allowable concentration.


[Respiratory tract diseases in coal miners. III. Effects of smoking on the rate of chronic respiratory tract diseases in coal miners].

Effects of smoking on the case rate of chronic nonspecific respiratory tract diseases in underground coal miners of two mines "A" and "B" were analysed. Work environment and miners under investigation have been thoroughly described in Part I. Smoking miners from both mines, as examined using the significance test chi 2, did not differ significantly, as regards their age and length of employment. In either mine 73.7% of miners were smokers. In both groups of miners, smoking was found to largely affect health. The chronic nonsepcific respiratory tract diseases were 13 times more frequent in smokers and 11 times in ex-smokers, as compared to non-smokers. In smokers and ex-smokers the case rate of these diseases was found to be directly proportional to the amount of cigarettes smoked daily. The higest percentage of those diseases was found in smokers and ex-smokers smoking more than 25 cigarettes a day. The prevalence of chronic non-specific respiratory tract diseases was not increasing after more than 10 years of smoking. The obturative form of the disease came to about 10% in smokers and ex-smokers from both groups; thus it was 8 times more frequent than among general populations examined. In mine "A" non-smokers, the case rate of the disease was found to be almost twice that of mine "B", which may be indicative of additional factors promoting the development of chronic nonspecific respiratory tract diseases.


[Respiratory indicators after laryngectomy].

35 males aged 48--65 were spirometrically examined prior to treatment and following an operation. Excision of neoplastic larynx and tracheostoma breathing were found to result in defected lung ventilation. The defected lung ventilation depends on the size of neoplastic infiltration and its location, but primarily on the degree of narrowing of larynx lumen.


[Thermal injuries of the middle ear in welders].

In the years 1970--1976 19 cases of middle ear burns due to sparks or incandescent foreign bodies were treated. All patients were metal welders. In the first period of treatment conservative procedures were used and 5 patients were surgically treated (antromastoidectomy, myringoplasty).


[Organizational characteristics of health care problems and the problems of industrial health services. I. Problems of organizational "morphology"].

The major part of industrial health care facilities act in frames of territorial health care complexes (ZOZ). It is unquestionable that ZOZ's organizational features influence fundamentally the efficiency of industrial health care activity. It is assumed that an analysis of these characteristics enables formulation of hypotheses regarding organizational conditions of effective activity of industrial health care. In part I the author analyses two ZOZ's features: 1) organizational components 2) flexibility of organizational structure. The author comes to the conclusion that the flexible structure enables composition of health care facilities network which fit the existing needs. If any needs remain unsatisfied it is a result of either shortage in resources or mismanagement.


Studies on a lipopolysaccharide-protein complex from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. 1 isolation and characterization.

A comparative study of various procedures of a lipopolysaccharide-protein complex (LPPC) from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was carried out. The materials obtained were fractionated by molecular-sieve chromatography on Sepharose 2B resulting in highly aggregated complexes with antigen activity. LPPC aggregates dissociated in the presence of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) and urea. The chemical composition and serologic properties of fractions obtained are under consideration. The protein component of the complex consists of two major polypeptides (molecular weights--45,000 and 20,000) and some minor ones. The LPS component appeared to give 2--3 narrow bands in gel under conditions of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It is suggested that such fractionation is caused by LPS association-dissociation in the course of electrophoresis.


Reversible inhibition of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) haemolysis by bivalent cations.

The capacity of paramyxoviruses for haemolysis (hl) is enhanced after treatment with physical agents and complement (C'). Bivalent cations in the medium inhibit HL. The inhibition is proportional to the molar concentrations, and is graded Ba++ greater than Ca++ greater than Mg++. Substitution of the bivalent cations with K+ and re-incubation leads to reappearance of HL, but in reverse order. It is postulated that bivalent cations inhibit HL mainly by stabilising the virus membrane integrated into the erythrocyte membrane and slowing down the permeability rates. This inhibition is removed on substitution with monovalent cations. The bivalent cations also reversibly inhibit the permeability of the transferred C' lesion.


[Methohexital clearance in patients with acute hepatitis (author's transl)].

Pharmacokinetics of methohexital were studied in patients with acute hepatitis and after a treatment period either with "essential phospholipids" or phenobarbital. During the acute phase the distribution of methohexital was significantly altered. No change had been observed in the methohexital clearance. During remission the distribution of methohexital was in a normal range. After treatment with phenobarbital the methohexital clearance increased significantly whereas no change was observed after treatment with "essential phospholipids".


[Diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis (author's transl)].

With only a few exceptions, in sarcoidosis the lung is virtually always, the liver mostly and the spleen only occasionally involved. Therefore, thorax-X-ray is the most important screening procedure. Histological verification by laparoscopy, bronchoscopy (transbronchial lung biopsy and bronchial mucosa biopsy) or mediastinoscopy is essential. In order to decide the therapeutic regimen, particularly the use of corticosteroids, the staging according to Wurm seems less suitable than pulmonary function testing (pneumotachograph, plethysmograph, CO-transfer, compliance). Futher clinical trials will have to find out, whether enzyme analysis (ACE) is apt to monitor progression of disease or to diagnose sarcoidosis in clinical routine use.


The M protein of influenza viruses has no immunizing effect.

Influenza A virus M protein was prepared by electrophoresis in SDS polyacrylamide gel from virus particles which had been pretreated with octylglucoside to remove the surface glycoproteins; M antigens from the influenza virus strains A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2), A/FPV/Rostock (Hav1N1) and A/chick/Germany/49 (Hav2Neq1) did not protect mice against a lethal challenge infection with the virulent Victoria strain.


Effect of x-ray filtration on dose and image performance of CT scanners.

X-ray source filtration as a means to reduce patient dose while maintaining image quality was investigated for CT scanners. The CT values, their variances for various materials, and the surface dose to a cylindrical phantom were calculated for different filter thicknesses and composition as well as for different tube potentials. Thermoluminescent dosimetry indicated that the maximum dose could be predicted by calculation with an accuracy of 10% (+/- 2 s.d.). The product of the variance of the CT values times surface dose was used to establish the appropriate thickness and composition of the filter, a figure of merit that was independent of dose and noise when the sole source of noise was Poisson statistics. This analysis indicated that source filter materials with an atomic number from 29 to 40 are optimum, and if aluminum is used, the minimum thickness, at 120 kVp, should be 4 mm.


Influence of metal screens on contrast in megavoltage x-ray imaging.

The radiographic contrast of metal screen-film detectors was investigated in order to determine the contrast capabilities of these detectors applied to megavoltage x-ray imaging. The film contrast gamma was found to be independent of the metal screen composition. Measurement of the scatter-to-primary film dose ratio in contact geometry demonstrated that a thick front screen of either 1.5 g/cm2 copper of 2.5 g/cm2 lead provides optimum contrast for the photon energies studied (60Co and 4- and 8-MV x rays). The same thickness were also found to be suitable in an air gap geometry which significantly improved the contrast compared to the contact geometry. Rear lead screens were found to provide no contrast improvement.


Absorbed dose in the presence of contrast agents during pediatric cardiac catheterization.

Administration of x-ray contrast agents during heart catheterization examination increases the absorbed radiation dose in tissue. To estimate the dose absorbed by the blood of children undergoing diagnostic heart catheterization and angiocardiography, a number of measurements and calculations were conducted. First, entrance and exit exposures to the patient were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters calibrated for the diagnostic x-ray energy range. Second, a dose enhancement factor was calculated from mass energy absorption coefficients for various concentrations of the contrast media and at selected x-ray energies. Third, the dose enhancement factor was estimated from survival of peripheral blood lymphocytes suspended in varying concentrations of the contrast agent during exposure to graded doses of x-rays. Fourth, a mean absorbed dose to the patient's blood was calculated using (a) the dose enhancement factor determined above, (b) an estimate of the mean exposure in the irradiated body volume calculated from the entrance and exit exposure measurements, (c) an effective iodine concentration in the blood during the exposure time, and (d) a ratio correcting for the distribution and circulation of the blood. For eight pediatric patients monitored, absorbed doses to the blood ranged between 3 and 12 rad. These values were two to three times greater than the expected dose without administration of a contrast agent.


Metal screen-film detector MTF at megavoltage x-ray energies.

The MTF of metal screen film detectors used in radiation treatment verification has been measured at 4 and 8 MV x-ray energies. The results show that lead screens provide better resolution than copper screens, and a single-emulsion film offers considerable advantage over the traditional double-emulsion film. A rear lead screen was found to seriously degrade the resolution properties of a front lead screen single-emulsion film detector. The detector MTF was found to be energy dependent. In general, both the low and the high spatial frequency response decreased with increasing x-ray energy. This, in part, accounts for the noticeable image quality difference between 4 and 8 MV radiographs.


Choice of reference point in megavoltage dosimetry.

This work considers the problems associated in megavoltage x-ray dosimetry concepts with the current techniques used for normalizing the various dose parameters. The depth of transient charged particle equilibrium (CPE) is introduced as the optimum choice of the normalization point. Properties of this depth are discussed and its uniqueness as a measure of beam quality is illustrated.


Geometrical considerations for Compton scatter densitometry.

The determination of the physical density by Compton scatter densitometry is dependent upon the geometry used for the measurement. The diameter of the sample, the density range, and the scattering volume size and shape influence the relative electron density values obtained by such a system. This work presents the results of an experimental analysis of these parameters in which the importance of each is evaluated for samples of known density. A bias in the computed Compton density, due to multiple scattering and attenuation, is defined; and an expression relating the density bias to these geometrical parameters is presented. The importance of applying corrections to the computed physical density for samples of large diameter and/or high density (cortical bone tissue and large diameter cancellous bone tissue) is discussed.


Thermoluminescence in hydroxyapatite.

A thermoluminescent (TL) glow peak has been shown to exist at 80 degrees C in synthetic hydroxyapatite, in amorphous calcium phosphate, and in deproteinated rat bone mineral. This TL glow peak is excited by a thermal pretreatment at elevated temperature, followed by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. When measured on a cylic TL-readout UV-exposure basis after an original thermal pretreatment, the intensity of this 85 degrees C glow peak displays a logarithmic decay curve characteristic of a transfer thermoluminescence process: A deep trap is activated during the annealing process, and the subsequent UV exposure causes charge transfer to the 85 degrees C glow peak, as is verified using electron spin resonance. Exposure to the atmosphere appears to decrease the TL intensity levels, presumably due to water adsorption; vacuum drying and additional thermal pretreatment reverse this effect on the TL intensities. TL measurements are applied to the comparison of bone mineral samples of varying age. Increases in overall TL intensity are demonstrated between a four-week old normal rat group and eight- and fourteen-week-old normal rat groupings. The TL intensity is also increased by metabolic disorder which causes changes in bone mineral chemistry and crystallography.


The effect of phosphor K x-rays on the MFT of rare-earth screens.

The LSF's and MTF's of two high resolution rare-earth screen-film combinations were measured at two beam qualities. The two beam qualities were chosen to provide x-ray spectral distributions either above or below the K-edge of the screen phosphor. The LSF's were found to be photon energy dependent. This energy dependence is attributed to the generation and reabsorption of phosphor K x-rays resulting in a broadening of the LSF.


Laser fluorescence bronchoscope for localization of occult lung tumors.

A system for imaging occult bronchogenic carcinoma by the fluorescence of previously-injected, tumor-specific compound hematoporphyrin-derivative has been assembled and successfully used to locate a tumor 1 mm thick. The violet excitation source is a krypton ion laser coupled to fused quartz fiber light conductor. An electrostatic image intensifier attached to a standard flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope provides a bright image even at relatively low irradiance. A red secondary filter rejects most reflected background and autofluorescence. Sensitivity and contrast capability of the system should permit detection of a tumor less than 0.1 mm thick.


Cobalt-60 dose calibration: a comparison of methods.

Cobalt-60 dose determination can be accomplished by a variety of methods. This study investigates dose determination by actual "at-depth" measurement for the depths and field sizes desired as well as by "in-air" or "in-water" calibration measurements for both constant SSD and isocentric techniques. Comparison of the above dose determination methods reveals the existence of both depth-dependent and field size-dependent dose discrepancies between the individual methods studied. For many teletherapy units, the source of these discrepancies lies in the inapplicability of the tabulated percent depth dose and tissue-air ratio values employed. Appropriate percent depth dose and tissue-air ratios can be obtained by performing a series of at-depth dose determinations for a variety of depths and field sizes. When the appropriate values are employed, excellent agreement is found between all of the dose determination methods investigated.


Electron beam depth dose scaling by means of effective atomic number reconstructed from CT scans.

A method is developed by which the computed tomography scans of a medium carried out at a number of diagnostic energies can be utilized to obtain the in situ "Effective Atomic Number" and "Effective Density". The electron depth dose curves in water when scaled by these factors estimate the actual electron depth dose distribution in that medium. It appears that the use of CT scans for electron beam treatment planning, in the management of cancer, is quite promising.


Accuracy of a two-sensor sonic digitizer.

Digitizing devices are typically used in radiotherapy computer treatment planning for entering patient anatomy, the locations of internal radioactive source, and the outlines of irregularly shaped external beams. The errors encountered in the use of a large-area two-sensor sonic digitizer for computer input have been studied. Conversion of data from triangular to Cartesian coordinates makes the precision of the digitizer nonuniform over the sensitive area. The response of each senor has been measured and found to be a nonlinear function of distance. The assumption of linearity in computing the triangular distances from the sensor readings produces errors in the computed distances of up to 0.8%. An alternative method of computing the distances using a fitted cubic function reduces the errors to less than 0.1%. For a test pattern, the maximum position error was reduced from 0.5 to 0.1 cm.


Lipid storage myopathy, ichthyosis, and steatorrhea.

A 41-year-old man had ichtyrosis, ectropion, steatorrhea, and slowly progressive proximal limb weakness. Biopsies showed abnormal lipid accumulation in muscle, liver skin, leukocytes, and gastric mucosa. Lipid storage was particularly marked in cultures of skin and muscle, and it increased in subsequent cell generations. By electron microscopy, the lipid globules showed no limiting membranes. The stored lipid was identified by thin-layer chromatography as triglyceride; there was no excess of cholesterol or cholesteryl esters. Muscle carnitine concentration and activities of carnitine palmityltransferase and acid lipase were normal; 14CO2 production from labeled palmitate in leukocytes was not impaired. The excessive accumulation of triglyceride in different tissues and in the progeny of cells in tissue culture suggests a genetic error of lipid metabolism.


Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity of blood and muscle in Duchenne dystrophy.

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity was measured in red cells and in skeletal muscles of normal and Duchenne subjects. [8-14C] hypoxanthine was used as substrate, and 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribose 1-diphosphate (PRPP) was used as the ribose-5-phosphate donor. The [8-14C] inosine monophosphate (IMP) formed was separated by high-voltage electrophoresis, and radioactivity was measured by lipid scintillation counting. HGPRT activity in Duchenne and normal red-cell hemolysates was similar, but such activity was significantly higher in Duchenne than in normal muscle homogenates. Red cells of both normal and Duchenne subjects had significantly higher enzyme activity than did skeletal muscles. It is suggested that increased HGPRT activity may be involved in enhancing protein synthesis by increasing intracellular levels of purine ribonucleotides.


F chronodispersion: a new electrophysiologic method.

We have introduced the term F chronodispersion to denote the scatter or dispersion of the relative latencies of statistically significant numbers of consecutively recorded F waves. Five patients with chronic renal failure and five control subjects were studied. The two groups were matched for age, sex, proximal and distal motor conduction velocity, and latency of fast F waves plotted against distance traveled. We found that the extent of F chronodispersion of the deep peroneal nerve did not exceed 7.5 mscec in control subjects, while it was longer than this value in all uremic patients studied. Measurements of this type may prove to be a useful diagnostic tool for cases in which traditional electrophysiologic measurements are normal.


Inflammatory myopathy in oculopharyngeal dystrophy.

A 75-year-old French-Canadian woman with familial oculopharyngeal dystrophy demonstrated histopathologic alterations similar to those of idiopathic polymyositis. A second biopsy obtained 15 months later was more consistent with previously reported cases. It is suggested that certain patients with oculopharyngeal dystrophy may pass through an initial phase of secondary muscle inflammation similar to that seen in some other heritable myopathies.


Neurotrophic control of skeletal muscle phospholipids.

The phospholipid composition of rat gastrocnemius muscles was assessed one to nine days after sciatic nerve transection was performed either close to the muscle (5-8 mm from the point of entrance of the nerve into the muscle for short-stump nerve sections) or far from it (30-35 mm central to the nerve's point of entrance for long-stump nerve sections). In both instances, denervation did not cause striking changes in total phospholipid content but resulted in a selective loss of 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine (phosphatidyl ethanolamine, GPE). The quantity of GPE in denervated muscles was found to be significantly less than that it controls (p less than 0.01) within one day for short-stump preparations, as compared to three days for long-stump preparations. Also, direct comparison of short- and long-stump GPE values showed significant differences (p less than 0.01) at all times from the first to the fifth day following denervation, with no difference detected thereafter. These results imply that maintenance of skeletal muscle GPE involves a neurogenic influence which is independent of nerve-evoked muscle activity. This conclusion may help us understand neuromuscular diseases in which perturbation of phospholipid components has been implicated.


Delayed functional disability in dystrophic chickens receiving chemotherapy.

Line 413 early-onset, genetically homozygous dystrophic chickens were given twice-daily intraperitoneal injections of the antiserotoninergic drug cinanserin, alone or in combination with methysergide. Other trials consisted of penicillamine treatment in combination with either methysergide or cyproheptadine. Chemotherapy significantly prolonged the righting ability of treated dystrophic chickens, as measured by a periodic standardized flip-test procedure. Plasma creatine kinase activities were not affected by any of the various drug treatments. However, the blood serotonin levels of the dystrophic chickens (grand mean 1.47 microgram serotonin/ml blood) were found to be significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than those in the corresponding normal chickens (0.99 microgram/ml). This finding may partially account for the antiserotoninergic drug enhancement in righting ability that was demonstrated in the drug-treated dystrophic chickens.


Spontaneous electrical muscle fiber activity in polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Forty patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis underwent detailed electromyographic evaluation. The paraspinal muscles of all patients were examined, as were several extremity muscles. The distribution of fibrillation potentials (FPs) in different muscles is discussed. FPs were most frequent in paraspinal muscles. We conclude that, for any patient suspected of having a myopathy, electromyographic examination should include the paraspinal muscles.


Prednisone-neostigmine interactions at cholinergic junctions.

The effect of corticosteroid (prednisone) and/or chronic anticholinesterase (neostigmine) treatment on alpha-bungarotoxin binding was examined in the diaphragms of male rats. In endplate regions of the diaphragm, prednisone treatment had no effect on the density of toxin binding sites, either when given alone or when administered in conjunction with neostigmine while neostigmine was observed to reduce specific binding to less than half after one week.


Subclinical entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve: an autopsy study.

Five out of 12 lateral femoral cutaneous nerves, removed at routine autopsies, showed pathologic changes in myelinated nerve fibers in the vicinity of the inguinal ligament. These changes included both local demyelination and Wallerian degeneration, particularly affecting the fibers with the largest diameters. The presence of polarized internodal swellings on single nerve fibers from two specimens suggested that mechanical factors were involved in pathogenesis. Endoneurial vascular thickening confined to the region of the inguinal ligament was also seen and may be implicated in the production of some of the symptoms of meralgia paresthetica (MP).


The convulsant drugs 3-mercaptopropionate and methionine sulfoximine inhibit L-glutamate and L-aspartate binding to a hydrophobic protein fraction from rat cerebral cortex.

The action of the convulsant drugs, methionine sulfoximine (MSO), 3-mercaptopropionate (3-MP), megimide (MG), and allylglycine on the binding of L-[14C]aspartate, L-[14C]glutamate and [14C]GABA to a hydrophobic protein fraction isolated from rat cerebral cortex was studied. Using the convulsant at 10(-4) M concentration and the radioactive ligands as 10(-6) M the binding of L-[14C]glutamate was inhibited 60% by 3-MP and 40% by MSO, while MG and allylglycine had no effect. The binding of L-[14C]aspartate was inhibited 55%, and 10--20% by 3-MP and MSO, respectively, while MG and allylglycine had not effect. None of the drugs mentioned, except for a minimal inhibition by MG, altered the binding of [14C]GABA. Neither MSO nor 3-MP affected the high-affinity sites for L-[14C]glutamate of L-[14C]aspartate, but they had a strong inhibitory action on the medium affinity site. These results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanism of action of these drugs on L-glutamate and L-aspartate receptors.


Biochemical characterization of [3H]norepinephrine uptake in dissociated brain cell cultures from chick embryos.

The uptake of [3H]norepinephrine ([3H]NE) was studied in dissociated brain cell cultures prepared from 8-day-old chick embryos using the whole brain (minus optic lobes). Uptake [3H]NE, 5 x 10(-9) m, 10 min incubation, in freshly dissociated noncultured embryonic chick brain cells, was detected in 6-day-old embryos; it was temperature and drug (cocaine, metanephrine) sensitive and increased with brain development. In cultured cells, which were assayed at various days in culture, the increase in [3H]NE accumulation per culture was less than that seen in freshly dissociated noncultured embryonic cells. When [H]NE uptake was expressed per mg protein, a decrease with days in culture was observed. reflecting perhaps a dilution of growth or proliferation of cells not accumulating NE. Metanephrine, 5 X 10(-6) M, an inhibitor of extraneuronal uptake, inhibited [3H]NE in 5-day-old cultures whereas desmethylimipramine, an inhibitor of neuronal uptake, inhibited [3H]NE uptake in 15- and 20-day-old cultures. Cocaine, another neuronal inhibitor, inhibited [3N]NE at 10 and 15 days only. We interpret these findings to suggest that during early growth in culture most neuroblasts accumulate NE nonspecifically and, as neuronal maturation proceeds, NE accumulation becomes specific.


Abnormal protein patterns in multiple sclerosis.

Sera from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and those obtained from normal subjects are indistinguishable by regular 5% or 7% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, 11 out of 15 MS sera examined by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed three distinct protein bands. None of the sera obtained from 10 normal subjects showed the characteristic protein patterns when they were examined by gradient gel electrophoresis. Similar results were obtained with de-albumin serum samples or with serum proteins precipitable at 50% ammonium sulfate saturation. These three proteins have now been purified to homogeneity by preparative gradient gel electrophoresis. Molecular weights of these proteins were estimated from gradient gel electrophoresis as 398,000, 363,000 and 302,000 daltons, respectively.


Treatment of Mooren's ulcer by conjunctival excision.

3 early Mooren's ulcers were successfully treated by only one-time conjunctival excision adjacent to the ulcer, while in 2 other chronic vascularized Mooren's ulcers, repeated conjunctival excision was required for a final remission. The clinical outcome of these 5 eyes was better than that of 7 other eyes treated by conjunctival flap procedure, lamellar keratoplasty, topical eye drops or systemic medications. Four fragments of excised conjunctival tissue were examined histopathologically; the substantia propria was found to be infiltrated with plasma cells.


Chromosomal anomaly in a female patient with anterior lenticonus.

Anterior lenticonus is reported in a 20-year-old female who had perceptive deafness, albuminuria, microscopic haematuria, pyuria, primary amenorrhoea, aplasia of the uterus and poorly developed external genitalia. Chromosomal study revealed 45 XO pattern. It is suggested that the gene for anterior lenticonus is recessive and is carried in the short term of the X chromosome.


Acute severe uveitis with retinal vasculitis and retinal detachment.

5 adult patients (7 eyes) with acute severe uveitis with retinal vasculitis and retinal detachment of unknown etiology were studied. Yellowish exudations which appeared in the peripheral fundus rapidly extended posteriorly, and there was a patchy perivasculitis, white sheathing and obliteration of the retinal vessels. The absorption of these yellowish exudations was followed by atrophy of the retina and the choroid. Secondary detachment of the retina then developed, and the visual acuity remained poor in most cases.


Acetazolamide in the treatment of haemorrhagic glaucoma.

For the first time the clinical effect of acetazolamide (AZA) in haemorrhagic glaucoma has been the subject of a controlled study. The clinical impression of none, or a slight effect of AZA in haemorrhagic glaucoma was confirmed. An intravenous injection of a AZA, 10 mg/kg body weight, produced in 13 patients (14 eyes) with haemorrhagic glaucoma a fall in the intraocular pressure (IOP) of only 7.7% within 30 min. A similar examination of 4 patients (5 eyes) with other types of glaucoma showed a drop in pressure of 32.0%. Examinations of the haemorrhagic-glaucoma eyes later that day and on the next day showed no further effect of AZA on the IOP. It is concluded that AZA is of no importance in the treatmen of haemorrhagic glaucoma.


[Therapy of arterial vascular occlusions of retinal and optic nerve (author's transl)].

The authors report on 136 cases of arterial occlusion (80 patients suffering from occlusion of the retinal vessels and 56 patients with vascular occlusion in the optic nerve) who were treated with the vasoactive xanthic substance Pentoxifylline (Trental). A part from its positive effect on the vascular circulation, Trental also helps to improve microcirculation in the retinal and optic nerve tissue damaged by hypoxia. After a 2-week infusion therapy with additional digitalisation, treatment was continued for another 3-6 months with oral administration of Trental 400. In 50 cases therapy was combined with the systemic administration of corticosteroids. Under the mentioned therapy a definitely improved visual acuity (at least 3 lines on the eye charts) was achieved in 56% of the cases with occlusion of the retinal vessels and in 51% of the cases with vascular occlusion in the optic nerve, i.e., in 54% of the total number of patients. Whether or not the additional administration of corticosteroids helped to this effect was not proved.


[Pseudo-internuclear ophthalmoplegia in a case of myeloma of clivus (author's transl)].

A 72-year-old female suffering from a histologically proven myeloma of the clivus exhibited an eye movement disorder closely resembling a bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia. The pertinent clinical findings suggested a peripheral lesions involving both oculomotor nerves. It is discussed under which circumstances an infranuclear lesion can simulate a supranuclear disorder of eye motility.


Contraceptive-induced unilateral retinopathy.

A case of pigmentary retinopathy attributed to an oral contraceptive is described. After suspension of the drug the ocular symptoms regressed, whereas the ophthalmoscopic and fluorescein angiographic picture did not reflect this regression. Fluorescein angiography, used in this condition for the first time, showed that the amount of pigment was much greater than that observed ophthalmo-scopically.


Symposium: Clinical management of physiologic myopia. Introduction.

Myopia is not a cause of serious disease, although the two are sometimes associated. In contrast to hyperopia, it is a symptom and is easily understood. Myopia can have social as well as physical effects. Myopic patients often fear that they have increased their refractive error by their own behavior. This belief is enhanced by practitioners who subscribe to environmental theories and therapies.


Role of cyclopegics in progressive myopia.

Atropine sulfate 1% was instilled in both eyes of 86 children (172 eyes) on a daily basis for a period of two to eight years. No untoward changes in intraocular pressure, pupillary response, accommodation, or appearance of the ocular fundi were noted. A comparison with a similar group of children having only glasses prescribed during a similar time span revealed that atropine is effective in reducing theprogression of myopia in children; a permanent reduction in the degree of myopia may be achieved. Relaxation of accommodation by means of cycloplegic drugs may be a safe and effective treatment of myopia.


Role of cycloplegia in the management of functional myopia.

Those who undertake the management of functional or physiologic myopia subscribe to the thesis that the accommodative-convergence synkinesis is the primary factor in the development and progression of this condition; therefore monocular or binocular cycloplegia has been employed as the essence of management for nearly a century. The results of an uncontrolled series of young functional myopic patients who were managed with 1% atropine sulfate drops and bifocal spectacle lenses for up to one year are reported, and the author's views on the overall value of such therapy are presented.


Symposium: Clinical management of physiologic myopia. Role of orthokeratology: a perspective.

Orthokeratology is the reduction, modification, or elimination of refractive anomalies by the programmed application of contact lenses. A brief background is given on corneal changes induced by contact lenses fitted by normal and orthokeratology techniques. A common orthokeratology fitting method is described, results of inducing refractive changes are discussed, and a recently published study of this method of contact lens fitting and the author's personal observation on patients fitted by this technique are reported. Recent trends in orthokeratology and their possible effects on contact lens fitting are discussed, and a summarization of the effects of this contact lens fitting technique on myopia is given.


Prescribing glasses for myopia.

Myopia is a one-symptom refraction problem: blurring of distance vision. Correction of the myopia should eliminate this symptom, but a prescription for glasses may, in fact, produce other symptoms equally--or more--disturbing. A few of the more common pitfalls in prescribing for the myopic patient are: (1) failure to recognize accommodative stress masquerading as low myopia; (2) confusion as to when, or whether, to prescribe for the unilateral myopic patient; (3) overcorrecting the myopic refractive error and failure to appreciate the symptoms that result from overcorrection; (4) difficulties in gaining acceptance of bifocals by the myopic presbyopic patient; (5) appropriate selection of bifocal segments; and (6) acquired myopic anisometropia caused by sclerosis of the crystalline lens. Although myopia would appear to be the least troublesome of all refractive problems, the maximizing of visual potential with comfort and safety needs refracting skills, experience, and clinical judgement.


The effect of atropine on myopia.

Sixty-two children were treated with atropine in one eye for one year; the fellow eye was the control. The eyes were switched the second year. Twenty-eight patients were treated for four years on the same basis. Control eyes showed significant increases in myopia compared to treated eyes. Some treated eyes showed decreases in myopia; no decreases were seen in control eyes. Posttreatment data analysis indicates the effects are long-term.


Ophthalmic findings in dural arteriovenous shunts.

Five cases of dural carotid arteriovenous shunts in the region of the cavernous sinus are reported. Discussion of the specific carotid angiographic features stresses the pathophysiologic characteristics of these shunts in relation to the ophthalmic findings. In all cases, the meningohypophyseal artery was involved as the sole or predominant source of the afferent arterial supply, and the degree of proptosis, epibulbar congestion and secondary glaucoma correlated with retrograde filling of the superior ophthalmic vein from the cavernous sinus. The ophthalmologist's early recognition of this entity as a "spontaneous" pathologic occurrence is important, since he is intimately involved in its diagnosis and long-term management.


Retrocorneal pigment proliferation after cataract extraction.

Retrocorneal pigment proliferation after cateract extraction is not rare. Downgrowths proliferate from fragments of iris pigment or peripheral iris in the corneal wound edges and occur slowly. Vision is affected if the central cornea is involved. Preventive measures include minimizing iris trauma and irrigating pigment fragments from the cornea and incision during surgery. In the study presented, patches of dislodged iris pigment epithelium were observed in 22 eyes. Lace-like downgrowths occurred in 18 eyes of 14 patients.


Capillary hemangioma of the lids and orbit: an analysis of the clinical features and therapeutic results in 101 cases.

The clinical records of 101 patients (biopsies done on 48) with capillary hemangiomas of the orbit, orbit and lids, and lids were analyzed. Lesions predominated in females and typically appeared at birth or within the first two months of life. The superior orbit and lids were definite sites of predilection. Telltale periocular cutaneous involvement occurred in one third of the cases. Pure proptosis caused by a deep orbital tumor without an anterior component was found in seven cases. Proptosis in general was mild, but in two cases was severe enough to cause corneal exposure. Findings suprortive of a diagnosis of an orbital or periorbital hemangioma include (1) change in tumor size on crying (46%); (2) a dark vascular coloration to the subcutaneous tissue (80%); and (3) the existence of nonperiocular strawberry marks (25). Diagnostic tests of most value were plain radiography, ultrasonography, computed axial tomography, and arteriography. The complication rate in the 50 patients followed up over five years was 80% (60% with amblyopia). Present treatment modalities do not appear to be achieving the desired goals of a good cosmetic and functional outcome. Radiotherapy and corticosteroids are both effective in individual cases, but many lesions are resistant to all forms of present treatment. Amblyopia therapy is difficult and often unsuccessful in these patients.