Ultrastructure of Rhizobium japonicum in relation to its attachment to root hairs.

In Rhizobium japonicum strain Nitragin 61A76, morphologically distinct types of bacteria were found to occur in yeast extract-mannitol broth cultures, at both mid-log and stationary phases. Of these only the capsular form, characterized by a smooth cell envelope, storage granules (glycogen and poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid), and an amorphous extracellular capsule, bound soybean lectin. The binding site was localized in the capsular material. Less than 1% of the bacterial population differentiated into these capsular forms, which were also able to attach to the soybean root hair surface.


Diurnal variation in sensory and pain thresholds correlated with mood states.

Twenty-two healthy volunteers were tested for diurnal variations in six mood states and in the sensory and pain thresholds. Cutaneous electrical stimulation was used to detect sensory and pain thresholds and a Mood Questionnaire was used to assess mood states. Both sensory and pain thresholds were found to be significantly lower in the afternoon than in the morning. The detection and pain thresholds were not related to the mood states.


Periodic psychosis recurring in association with menstrual cycle.

We reported seven cases of patients with regularly recurring psychosis in close association with the menstrual cycle, who showed certain characteristics in common in regard to their age of onset, clinical picture, psychogenic factors, endocrine and EEG findings. In these patients, monoamine metabolisms in the central nervous system, fluctuating in connection with menstrual cycle, may be disturbed by emotional impact or other unknown causes thereby delicately deranging the central nervous system activity, mentally and physiologically.


Formation of 7-cis retinal by the direct irradiation of all-trans retinal.

7-cis Retinal, one of the geometrical isomers of retinal, was prepared by the direct irradiation of all-trans retinal dissolved in ethanol and successive separation by high performance liquid chromatography. The production for its purification and identification are described.


Galactose metabolism in Dictyostelium discoideum. Regulation of galactose-1-phosphate-uridyl transferase during growth and development.

Dictyostelium discoideum is able to metabolize [1-14C]galactose to 14CO2 despite the observation that galactose is inhibitory with respect to growth. Galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase activity is present throughout growth and development and varies in activity only slightly during the entire life cycle of D. discoideum, in contrast to the rapid increase in UDP-glucose 4-epimerase activity during development. Therefore, in D. discoideum, these two enzymes of the Leloir pathway are independently regulated, unlike E. coli where these enzymes are coordinately controlled.


Reconstitution of the ribonucleotide reductase enzyme from Ehrlich tumor cells.

Ribonucleotide reductase from Ehrlich tumor cells was separated by chromatography on blue dextran/Sepharose into two protein fractions (Tris and Dye fractions). Neither fraction alone had reductase activity, but when combined, constituted an active enzyme system. Heat treatment of either fraction resulted in an inactive combination. The approximate molecular size of the active component of the Tris and Dye fractions was determined to be 5.7 S and 6.5 S, respectively, compared to 9 S for the intact enzyme. The Tris fraction was inactivated by hydroxylamine while the dye fraction was inactivated by pyridoxal phosphate/BH4-treatment. The inactivation of the Dye fraction was prevented by ATP. These data would indicate that the Tris and Dye fractions were comparable in function to the B2 and B1 proteins, respectively, of the Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase.


Density-dependent effects of oxygen on the growth of mammalian fibroblasts in culture.

Various concentrations of oxygen were used to determine the optimum culture medium PO2 for survival and proliferation of attached human and mouse fibroblasts grown from different inoculum sizes. When T-15 flasks were seeded with less than or equal to 2 X 10(4) cells (less than or equal to 1.3 X 10(3) cells/cm2), the highest plating efficiencies and cell yields were obtained with a culture medium PO2 of 40-60 mm Hg. At higher inoculum sizes (10(5) cells per T-15) used routinely for mass cultured, no difference in cell yield or glycolytic activity was observed between cultures gassed with atmospheric, i.e., 18% O2 (growth medium PO2 approximately equal to 125-135 mm Hg) and those gassed with 1% O2 (growth medium PO2 approximately euqal to 40-60 mm Hg). The enhanced clonal growth observed at the latter PO2 results from an increased proliferation rate rather than more efficient attachment and survival of inoculated cells. Glucose uptake and lactic acid accumulation were increased in sparse cultures sparged with 1% O2. A slight extension of lifespan was observed in WI-38 cells serially subcultured with a gas phase of 1% O2.


Chloride and sulfate transport in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells: evidence for a common mechanism.

The effects of phloretin, H2DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyano-1,2-diphenylethane-2,2'-disulfonate) and SO4-2 on anion transport in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells was studied in an effort to determine whether Cl- and SO4-2 share a common transport mechanism. Sulfate, in the presence of constant extracellular Cl- (100 mM), reduces Cl- self-exchange by 43% (40 mM SO4-2) and Cl--SO4-2 exchange by 36% (25 mM Cl-/O SO4-2 compared to 25 mM Cl-/50 mM SO4-2). Phloretin blocks without delay and to the same extent the self-exchange of both Cl- and SO4-2. For example, at 10(-4) M phloretin, anion transport is inhibited 28% which increases to 78% at 5 X 10(-4) M. Reversibly bound H2DIDS also inhibits the self-exchange of both Cl- and SO4-2. However, at all H2DIDS concentrations tested (0.5 - 10 X 10(-5) M) SO4-2 transport was far more susceptible to inhibition than that of Cl-. H2DIDS when irreversibly bound to the cell inhibits SO4-2 but not Cl- transport. The results of these experiments are consistent with the postulation that both Cl- and SO4-2 are transported by a common mechanism possessing two reactive sites.


The stimulation of DNA synthesis by cytochalasin B in proliferative epidermal and dermal cells.

Cytochalasin B influences a variety of cellular events that are associated with the contractile microfilament system and the formation of binucleate cells. Along with the formation of binucleate cells, cytochalasin B also causes an acceleration of cells from G1 to S in the cell cycle. By pulsing the cytochalasin B for 30 minutes and allowing for a previously established lag time (17.5 hours) a stimulation of thymidine incorporation into DNA of proliferative epidermal and dermal cells was found in both control and stripped epidermis. Autoradiographic analysis confirmed that the stimulation was due to an increased number of basal cells accelerated from G1 to S phase. A minimal number of binucleate basal cells, 1 in 300, was observed, which suggests that the stimulated synthesis is independent of binucleate cell formation. The amount of stimulation is maximum with cytochalasin B concentration pulse between 5gamma and 30gamma/ml. The results suggest a possible link in coupling cell membrane and surface events with subsequent increased cell nuclei synthetic activity.


Responses given by A and B quasi-therapists to differing sexual roles in an intropunitive-neurotic prototype: an analogue study.

Twenty-four male undergraduate students were selected on the basis of their A--B status. Six Ss of each type were assigned randomly to one of two videotaped stimulus conditions, an adequate or an inadequate sexual role variant of an intropunitive neurotic prototype. Two dependent measures, response time and number of confrontations, were used and conceptualized in terms of an approach-avoidance continuum. Differential responding on the basis of the Ss' A--B status was not supported in this study.


The effect of group implosive therapy on snake phobias.

Snake phobic Ss in groups of 10 were presented with a verbal fantasy similar to those used in individual Implosive Therapy (IT) in order to explore the adaptability of the procedure to group use. A single 25-minute implosive presentation of the same material on audio tape was effective in reducing snake phobias in about the same percentage of Ss as individual IT. It was concluded that IT can be adapted to group use, but that care should be taken to ensure an opportunity for extinction to occur through repeated presentation of the fantasy material.


Nutrition education in the Little Rock school lunch program.

The Little Rock (Ark.) School Foodservice Department furnished a nutrition education unit to two groups of primary-grade children. For one group, use of the unit was left to the discretion of the teacher. Teachers of the second group received the assistance of a nutrition education coordinator and use of supplemental materials developed by the coordinator; in addition, the Foodservice Department provided other supplies and foods suggested for carrying out the unit. Change in eating behavior in both groups was measured by studies of plate waste of the test foods incorporated in the school lunch. The study showed that: (a) A cooperative effort between the cafeteria department and classroom can result in changing eating behavior, and (b) first and second graders showed more behavioral change than third graders.


Cardiovascular reactions during psychiatric interview. A non-invasive study on a twin sample.

A sample of 18 monozygotic and 13 dizygotic male twin pairs in the ages 51-74 (mean 62) was  exposed to a stressful psychiatric interview. Genetic influence over blood pressure and peripheral pulse volume was observed to be most evident at the end of the interview, while heart rate was genetically strongly influenced both at rest and during the whole interview.


Serum immunoglobulins in workers exposed to silicogenic risk with tuberculin-negative test and hyperergia.

Changes in serum proteins and immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM were analysed comparatively in workers exposed to silicogenic particles in dependence on the hyperergic test or negative tuberculin test. Hypoalbuminemia with an increase in alpha-2 globulins was found in both groups. In addition, increase in gamma globulins was noticed in the group of hyperergic subjects. The electrophoretic picture in the hyperergic patients resembled that reported in human pulmonary tuberculosis. In the hyperergic group, a significant increase in IgG and occasionally in IgA was found. In the tuberculin-negative subjects, a less definite immunologic picture was found, with a slight but significant decrease in IgG while IgA was normal. In both groups, IgM were significantly decreased.


Health problems of windowless henhouses.

The working, health and zoohygiene problems of keeping chickens (45,000) in TEROZ type windowless houses on deep litter with controlled light regimen and hens (75,000) in cages were the subject of study for 3 years. The poultry was fed on factory-produced feedstuffs with the then permitted addition of CTC in amounts of 20 g/l tonne. Except for the low intensity of illumination in the chicken house (10-1.1 1x) and with the observation of the prescribed technology, the working environment is favourable. The state of health of the employees did not differ essentially from that of other groups of workers in aggriculture. The use of CTC resulted in a growing number of resistant microbial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, E. coli, etc) which led to the banning of its use and replacement by other biostimulants. Every type of large-scale poultry farm should be designed as a whole including the chicken incubator, the egg sorting station, the slaughter house, the use of waste matter and sewage disposal and should be previously tried out experimentally by a group of experts concerned with the given problems, before being introduced into wider use.


Chloro compounds of phosphorus as industrial hazards.

The toxicometric indices of phosphorus oxychloride, trichloride and pentachloride were determined and the peculiarities of the toxic effect of these compounds were investigated in experiment. Comparative characteristics of the irritant and resorptive effects of the substances were presented. The highest admissible concentrations (HAC) in the air of the working place were set at 0.05 mg/m3, 0.2 mg/m3 and 0.2 mg/m3 for phosphorus oxychloride, phosphorus trichloride and phosphorus pentachloride, respectively. Some prophylactic measures were recommended.


Anaphylactic shock following the administration of clindamycin.

A case of anaphylactic shock following the administration of clindamycin is reported. The antibody response was studied by the passive haemagglutination reaction and the presence of haemagglutinating antibodies to both clindamycin and lincomycin was detected. In the discussion, the authors try to account for the causes of development of the mentioned anaphylactic reaction after a single therapeutic dose. In this connection they mention a possible development of haemagglutinating antibodies after the administration of two doses to the patient in an experiment at a long-term interval.


Staphylococcal infections.

All the forms of staphylococcal infections require cooperation among microbiologists, immunologists and clinicians. In case of any acute staphylococcus process, the curative tactics is based on an effective chemotherapy sometimes completed by a radical surgical intervention. In case of chronic forms, however, the antibiotics therapy is considered to be problematic. It is the specific immunotherapy by means of specific vaccine with polyvalent action, containing all pathogenetically significant antigens, that is considered by the authors to be a reliable base of the therapy of chronic staphylococcus infections. The specific polyvalent phage lysate is used for local application. It has to be pointed out that this therapy requires a complex curative regimen, i.e. regulation of the deficiency of serum immunoglobulines, administration of antibiotics, amelioration of the tissue trophism of the area concerned, suitable therapy by means of vitamines and diet. If necessary, surgical technique and tactics are an important part of the entire complex curative method.


Role of cell-cell interactions in mitogenic stimulation of lymphocytes. I. Dissociation on concanavalin A-inducible lymphocyte activation and agglutination.

The aim of the study was to decide whether the delayed agglutination of lymphocytes following mitogenic doses of concanavalin A (Con A) is a prerequisite of the activation process. It was shown that both phenomena can be greatly dissociated; suitable doses of cytochalasin B (CB) completely block agglutination, while the capacity to respond (by [14C]thymidine incorporation) to Con A-induced stimulation is retained. It was concluded that agglutinability is acquired in the early phase of the activation process, concomitant with induced changes in the cell membrane structure; the manifestation (i.e. agglutination) of this capacity is not necessary for the activation of the cell nucleus to take place, and it depends on the cells' chances of being brought together, either by active movement or by external forces.


Human eosinophils: surface receptors and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity.

Neutrophils and eosinophils from normal donors were tested for the presence of complement and Fc receptors with the use of EAC and EA. When cytocentrifuged, stained rosette preparations were used, the mean +/- 1 standard deviation for the percentage of neutrophils and eosinophils forming EAC rosettes was 71.1% +/- 19.1 and 22.2% +/- 16.1, respectively. The percentage of neutrophils and eosinophils forming EA rosettes was 78.0% +/- 10.0 and 23.5% +/- 5.6, respectively. In parallel with these observations, these cell types were tested for their ability to mediate ADC. Neutrophils were much more efficient than eosinophils in ADC, which may reflect differences in surface receptor binding and/or the absence of eosinophil cellular constituents essential for target cell lysis.


Early fate of somatostatin in the circulation of the rat after intravenous injection.

The products of somatostatin in the circulation have been investigated by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Plasma collected 1 min after intravenous injection of cyclic (oxidized) somatostatin showed a single ultraviolet absorbing peak. The total plasma content of this product was equivalent to 10--20% of the injected dose. Amino acid analysis showed that 80--90% of the material in the peak was [des-Ala1]-somatostatin and the remainder was unchanged peptide. [des-Ala1]-Somatostatin is rapidly formed in blood and plasma in vitro and according to other workers may be fully active. In contrast, 1 min after injection of linear (reduced) somatostatin, no products could be detected in the circulation. Incubations in vitro resulted in rapid conversion of the linear somatostatin to a product similar to the cyclic form. However, in vivo, very efficient clearance of linear somatostatin must occur even more rapidly than cyclization. In view of the very different clearance rates of the two forms of somatostatin, it is important to know whether endogenous somatostatin is released in the cyclic or the linear form. The absence of detectable concentrations of inactive peptide fragments in the circulation suggests that inactivation of somatostatin occurs in the tissues.


Differential concanavalin A-induced agglutination of eight-cell preimplantation mouse embryos before and after compaction.

Eight-cell mouse embryos undergo a morphogenetically significant process termed compaction during which blastomeres flatten against one another maximizing their areas of cell-cell contact. Data presented here show striking differences (P less than 0.01) in Con A-induced agglutination between groups of uncompacted and compacted embryos suggesting that the compaction process is accompanied by changes in blastomere surface properties.


Seasonal incidence of an altered diurnal rhythm of platelet serotonin in unipolar depression.

The diurnal rhythm but not absolute values of platelet serotonin (5-HT) was modified in untreated unipolar depressives. When allowance was made for the pronounced seasonal fluctuations in platelet 5-HT the difference was even more significant: in the first half of the year 5-HT was higher at 8 a.m. than at 4 p.m. in controls but the reverse was found in unipolar depressives. Parallel measurements of platelet 5-HT uptake and monoamineoxidase activity in the same patients showed no differences from controls, indicating that these regulatory factors did not determine the altered rhythmicity of platelet 5-HT. However plasma free tryptophan rhythmicity was also altered. These observations of altered rhythms but not concentrations of two peripheral serotoninergic parameters are of interest in the light of the concept of a desynchronization phenomenon underlying depressive states.


Increased platelet serotonin in bipolar depression and hypomania.

Platelet serotonin (5-HT) was higher at 8 a.m. in untreated bipolar depressives than in controls. This high 5-HT was different from unipolar depressives where 5-HT levels were similar to controls but showed altered diurnal rhythmicity. Further differences between unipolar and bipolar patients were found. 5-HT levels and 5-HT uptake into platelets were not correlated in bipolar depressives as found in both unipolar depressives and controls; and 5-HT levels and platelet monoamineoxidase activity tended to be negatively correlated in bipolar but not in unipolar depressives and controls. A longitudinal study of a bipolar II patient throughout three hospitalizations for depression followed by the switch into hypomania, indicated that 5-HT was state independent, remaining constantly high in all clinical conditions and upon remission, reduced only during and after treatment with clomipramine, a 5-HT uptakt dysfunction of indoleamines underlying bipolar illness.


Effect of pyridoxine deficiency on cholesterogenesis in rats fed different levels of protein.

Hepatic cholesterol contents in rats fed a 70% or 20% casein diet with or without pyridoxine was determined. In the case of the 70% casein group, pyridoxine-deficient rats showed a higher content than the control. The increment was mainly due to the accumulation of an ester form of the cholesterol. On the other hand, pyridoxine-deficient rats in the 20% casein group showed a slightly lower content. The cholesterol content in liver microsomal fractions was lower in the 20% casein pyridoxine-deficient group and serum cholesterol level was lower in the 70%-casein pyridoxine-deficient group than those in respective control groups. Incorporation of [14C]acetate into cholesterol was studied using liver slices, and significant stimulation was observed in pyridoxine-deficient rat fed a 20% or 70% casein diet. There was no difference in intestinal cholesterogenesis between the control and the deficient groups.


Indications for early exchange transfusion in patients with erythroblastosis fetalis.

The postnatal rate of rise of the undirect bilirubin concentration was compared with cord hematocrit and bilirubin values in 44 newborn infants with Rh isoimmune hemolytic disease. Cord blood values failed to predict the severity of hyperbilirubinemia with sufficient accuracy to warrant their use as therapeutic guidelines. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the cord serum indirect bilirubin concentration and its subsequent rise in 19 infants who had received antenatal phenobarbital therapy, but this relationship was not observed in untreated infants. The phenobarbital-treated infants had a slower postnatal rise of indirect bilirubin than did nontreated controls. There was no reliable indicator of the severity of hyperbilirubinemia other than careful monitoring of the serum bilirubin concentration during the early hours of life.


Further studies on Capillaria philippinensis: development of the parasite in the Mongolian gerbil.

Capillaria philippinensis larvae from the digestive tract of a Northern Luzon freshwater fish (Hypselotris bipartita) experimentally exposed to embryonated eggs, were given by stomach tube to Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). The larvae developed into adults within 10 to 11 days and female worms produced larvae within 13 to 14 days. These larvae developed into second generation adults by days 22 to 24 and the second generation females produced eggs that were present in the feces of the animal on the average 26 days after infection. Most females were oviparous but a few larviparous females were always present. The gerbils died on an average of 46 days after infection, with the highest numbers of worms recovered between days 36 and 46. All stages of the parasite were generally found at necropsy. Gerbils developed patent infections after receiving 2 or 3 laeval from fish, and 852 to 5,353 worms were recovered at necropsy. These studies show that autoinfection in an integral part of the life cycle of C. philippinensis, both initially and in maintaining the infection. The natural transmission of the parasite was demonstrated when H. bipartita from a lagoon in the endemic area were fed to gerbils and 3 became infected. The parasite can also be maintained in the laboratory by transfer of worms by stomach tube from the small intestines of an infected gerbil to a clean gerbil.


Effect of the anticoccidial arprinocid on production, sporulation, and infectivity of Eimeria oocysts.

Medication of broilers with arprinocid [MK-302, 9-(2-chloro-6-fluorbenzyl adenine)] had 3 distinct effects on oocysts; (1) the number of oocysts produced was decreased, (2) fewer of the oocysts sporulated, and (3) those oocysts which did sporulate were less infective than those from unmedicated birds. The drug level necessary to prevent passage of oocysts depended on the species and strain of coccidia. To essentially eliminate oocyst production (less than 5% of controls) required medication with the following levels of arprinocid: 70 ppm with Eimeria maxima; 60 ppm with E. mivati, E. E. necatrix, and E. brunetti; and 50 ppm with E. tenella. With E. acervulina, oocysts were completely eliminated by 60 ppm of arprinocid with one field strain but were still numerous at 70 ppm with a second field strain. Oocysts recovered from birds on medication often failed to sporulate. No sporulation was seen at drug levels of 30 ppm or above with E. maxima and E. mivati. The level of arpinocid required to prevent sporulation with other species depended on the strain being studied, but varied from 30 ppm to 70 ppm. The oocysts of E. acervulina, E. mivati, E. tenella, and E. brunetti recovered from medicated birds that subsequently sporulated, were less infective when inoculated into susceptible birds, than oocysts from unmedicated birds. Oocysts from low medication level with E. necatrix (30 ppm) and E. maxima (10 ppm), once sporulated, were as infective as oocysts from unmedicated control birds, even though the numbers produced were less. No differences were detected in the time oocysts were produced between medicated and unmedicated birds infected with E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. brunetti, and E. tenella.


GLC--mass spectral analysis of fungal metabolites.

Four metabolites, hispidin, bisnoryangonin, muscimole, and ibotenic acid, from potentially psychoactive mushrooms were analyzed by GLC--mass spectrometry as their trimethylsilyl derivatives. This method was applied to the first two compounds in Gymnopilus punctifolius (Peck) Singer and to the last two compounds in Amania pantherina (Fr.) Secr.


Synthesis and biological activity of N6-(n-alkylureido)purine ribonucleosides and their 5'-phosphates.

Syntheses and biological activities of 12 N6-(n-alkylureido)purine ribonucleosides (alkyl chain length of 1--10, 16, and 18 carbons) and three N6-(n-alkylureido)purine ribonucleoside 5'-phosphates (chain length of 4, 9, and 10 carbons) are described. The N6-(n-alkylureido)purine ribonucleosides were prepared by a reaction of (2',3',5'-tri-O-acetyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-9H-purine-6-carbamate and n-alkylamine in refluxing pyridine. The 5'-nucleotides were prepared by direct phosphorylation of the corresponding ribonucleoside with phosphorus oxychloride and triethyl phosphate. Some N6-(n-alkylureido)purine ribonucleosides (n-octyl, n-nonyl, and n-decyl) and their nucleotides showed a marked antiproliferative activity against L-1210 cells in culture.


Chemical constituents of Gentianaceae XXIV: Anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of naturally occurring xanthones and synthetic analogs.

Anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37 RV data are presented for the individual xanthones of Canscora decussata Schult and Swertia purpurascens Wall (Gentianaceae); a few, from the former species, showed significant activity. Additionally, sturcture--activity relationships of these compounds are evaluated on the basis of the minimum inhibitory concentration data of 18 naturally occurring xanthones bearing 1,3,5- 1,3,5,6-, 1,3,6,7-, 1,3,5,8-, 1,3,5,6,7-, and 1,3.6,7,8-oxygenated patterns and six synthetic analogs.


Effects of acute and chronic morphine treatments on calcium localization and binding in brain.

Acute subcutaneous injection of 25 mg/kg of morphine in rats decreased synaptosomal CA++ levels by 29% without altering the Ca++ content of other subcellular fractions. In contrast, chronic morphine treatment of mice or rats by pellet implantation selectively increased synaptosomal Ca++ levels by almost 100%. This increase in Ca++ induced by morphine was blocked by simultaneous chronic administration of naloxone. The binding of low concentrations (10(-7)-10(-5) M) of 45Ca++ to synaptic plasma membranes was increased by acute morphine treatment and decreased by chronic administration. The binding of higher concentrations (10(-3) M) of 45Ca++ to synaptic vesicles was also increased by acute morphine treatment and decreased by chronic treatment. Changes in binding were not observed with other subcellular fractions. It is suggested that these highly selective changes in Ca++ levels and binding may represent mechanisms by which acute morphine treatment interferes with synaptic transmission and by which chronic administration overcomes these effects, resulting in tolerance and dependence.


Testosterone and progesterone in peripheral plasma during the oestrous cycle of the mare.

Measurements every day or every other day showed that testosterone levels ranging from 15 to 70 pg/ml were higher at oestrus in 4 of the 6 mares studied. In these 4 mares, another testosterone peak occurred 11--13 days before the next oestrus either before (3 mares) or after the fall in progesterone levels.


Ovulation and lambing rates in ewes actively immunized against androstenedione.

In ewes immunized against androstenedione, ovulation rate was increased (P less than 0.001) although the number of live lambs/nursing ewe (1.37), but not the sex ratio (10 females:1 male), was similar to that of controls (1.33).


Oestradiol levels in sheep plasma during the oestrous cycle.

The concentration of oestradiol was measured by radioimmunoassay in ovarian venous plasma collected from ewes of three breeds (Finnish Landrace, Scottish Blackface and Tasmanian Merino) on Day 9 of the oestrous cycle and in jugular venous plasma collected daily around oestrus in two of these breeds. The mean +/- s.e.m. concentration in the ovarian venous plasma of the Merino (44.1 +/- 7.6 pg/ml) was lower than that in Blackface (72.2 +/- 10.2 pg/ml) and Finn ewes (66.8 +/- 10.2 pg/ml). The overall fitted mean concentration in peripheral venous plasma was 1.7 pg oestradiol-17beta/ml, with no difference between the Finn and Blackface ewes, in which the highest preovulatory values were 3.9 +/- 0.5 and 3.4 +/- 0.5 pg/ml respectively.


Active immunization of the cow against oestradiol-17beta.

Six beef heifers were immunized over a 4-month period with an oestradiol-17beta-BSA conjugate in Freund's adjuvant. There was an interference with oestrus in the treated heifers; 2 ceased to exhibit oestrus, one exhibited one oestrus and three exhibited oestrus after Day 47 of treatment. The control heifers treated with Freund's adjuvant had normal oestrous cycles. The antiserum titre rose in all treated heifers and attained its highest level in the 2 animals in which oestrus did not recur. The temporal changes in plasma LH, progesterone and oestradiol were normal during the pretreatment period, but became abnormal during the 120 days after immunization. Although plasma oestradiol-17beta rose at the expected time of oestrus after treatment, it was apparently effectively neutralized by the antiserum induced by treatment as evidenced by the absence of an LH surge. Plasma progesterone levels fell to baseline and remained low, indicating lack of formation of corpora lutea.


Comparisons of the ovulatory and steroidogenic activities of the left and right ovaries of the ewe.

The ovary in which a CL was observed by laparoscopy in Finnish Landrace, Tasmanian Merino and Scottish Blackface ewes had no apparent effect on the location of the CL during the succeeding oestrous cycles, on the duration of the associated oestrous cycles, or on the peripheral progesterone concentrations on Days 7 and 11. Although 53% of CL were present in the right ovaries, the difference between the two sides was not significant.


A method for photographic densitometry of scanning electron micrographs.

A method is described for the study of the surface structure of mammalian chromosomes. Densitometric analysis of scanning electron micrographs permits the detection of regularities where overlying material obscures these in directly inspected micrographs. The method has been applied to the study of mammalian chromosomes.


Low cost internegatives from electron micrographs of metal shadowed objects.

Some observers prefer a contrast reversal of electron micrographs of metal shadowed objects, so that the metal-free shadows appear dark on the print. There are several ways of obtaining contrast reversal, and the reasons for using 35 mm internegatives are given and a setup for re-photography of electron microscopy films is described together with a modified enlarger. Both are equipped with nearpoint illumination, which can be diffused in a simple manner with minimal loss of intensity. Other features are a particularly rigid camera stand combined with a numbering device, and a glass- and scratch-free negative holder for the enlarger. The choice of lens for the re-photography is discussed.


Effect of adriamycin on the reproductive integrity of cultured leukemia L1210 and P388 cells.

Proliferating cultured P388 cells exhibited a greater degree of sensitivity to adriamycin than did proliferating cultured L1210 cells, although both leukemia cell populations had approximately the same doubling time. The rate of reduction in viability when cultured L1210 cell populations were exposed to adriamycin (0.0625-2.0 microgram/ml, concentrations that are comparable to tissue drug levels during therapy) was concentration-dependent. Therefore, the results indicated a possible therapeutic advantage to be gained by an increase in drug concentrations (within the limits of acceptable host toxicity) at the target cell site.


Abortive and transforming infection of rat cell line 3Y1 by adenovirus type 12.

Human adenovirus type 12 underwent an abortive and transforming infection in clonal cultures of rat cell line 3Y1. The frequency of transformation was proportional to the dose of input virus. The ratio of PFU to transforming units was 1.1 X 10(5).


Spring viremia of carp virus RNA and virion-associated transcriptase activity.

An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity has been demonstrated for spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV). The optimal temperature for in vitro synthesis of RNA was 20 to 25 degrees C. The SVCV enzyme activity was stimulated when the methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine was included in the reaction mixture. S-adenosyl-L-methionine was not particularly effective in stimulating the virion RNA polymerase activity of vesicular stomatitis virus or pike fry rhabdovirus. The 5' nucleotide of the SVCV viral RNA is pppAp.


Optimal nutritional support in surgery for bladder cancer: preservation of visceral protein by amino acid infusions.

Seventeen patients undergoing 19 major urological operations for bladder cancer or rectal leiomyosarcoma (1 case) were studied after randomization for 3 hypocaloric dietary regimens, preoperative keto-adaptation by a carbohydrate-free, oral protein diet continued in the postoperative period by isotonic amino acid infusions, postoperative amino acid infusions only and 5 per cent dextrose infusions. In these normally nourished patients serum transferrin (plus 13 mg./dl. minus 30 mg./dl., minus 69 mg./dl., p less than 0.05 for the first and combined amino acid groups against the third group) and 2 other short half-life hepatic secretory proteins, prealbumin and retinol-binding protein, represented sensitive indexes of visceral protein and nutritional support, superior to nitrogen balance, anthropometric assays, delayed hypersensitivity skin test reactivity and serum albumin. Near isotonic amino acid infusions were more effective in preserving visceral protein status than 5 per cent dextrose but preoperative keto-adaptation was not shown to have any increased benefit over protein-sparing therapy given only after an operation.


Management of the urinary tract by suprapubic cystostomy kept under a closed and aseptic state in the acute stage of the patient with a spinal cord lesion.

The urological followup results of 165 cases of spinal cord injury, managed initially by suprapubic cystostomy under a closed and aseptic state, are reported. The therapeutic effects of this method are compared to those of other methods of urinary tract control for the spinal cord injury patient.


[Myocardial energy metabolic disorders in emotional-pain stress and the prevention of these disorders by using sodium gamma-oxybutyrate].

Marked disorders of energy metabolism in the heart muscle simultaneously with the development of ulcerous lesions of the stomach were revealed in animals which had suffered an emotional-pain stress (EPS). These disorders are displayed in the fact that two hours after EPS, the glycogen reserve in the animal's myocardium diminishes, resynthesis of glycogen and oxidation of the main substrates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle are inhibited, and malate dehydrogenase and possibly other dehydrogenase systems of the mitochondria are partly inactivated. Such decrease in the activity of the metabolic tracts is attended by depression of the force and rate of cardiac contractions revealed on inducing a high rate of contractions. The preliminary administration of sodium gammaoxybutyrate to a considerable extent prevents all the changes in the animal's myocardium occurring due to the effect of EPS.


[Influence of nutrition on the cellular defence mechanism (phagocytosis) of preterm and underweight babies during the first six weeks of life (author's transl)].

The phagocytic and NBT reduction indices of 94 preterm and underweight babies, divided into 7 groups and two weight classes, were observed over a period of six weeks while they were observed over a period of six weeks while they were given four commercial baby foods (Humana 0, Meb, Multival, Pomil). In all groups the mean values of both parameters were always within the standard range with only slight differences. In all test subjects, phagocytic activity decreased continuously during the first five weeks, and NBT reducing capacity during the first six weeks. Correlations could not be established between phagocytic or NBT reduction rate and birth weight or gestational age. As compared with the other groups there was a distinct lowering of the phagocytic indices in both Meb groups, which we think is nutrition-dependent and can be interpreted as the result of interaction between nutrition and immunological parameters.


["Late onset disease" (congenital german measles) (author's transl)].

The paper reports on a case of "late onset disease" (congenital German measles). Diagnostically significant for this disease in an infant appearing perfectly healthy when new-born, were mainly the findings of an interstitial pneumonia, hepatosplenomegaly, as well as findings indicating the presence of a meningoencephalitis and retinopathy. The diagnosis of this rare course of congenital German measles was finally established via the identification of specific IgM rubeola antibodies, of a raised hemagglutination inhibition titer, and of the German measles virus itself. An attempt to treat the interstitial pneumonia with cortisone preparations remained unsuccessful. The clinical and diagnostic problem complexes are discussed briefly.


[Total aplasia of the diaphragm with hypoplasia of the lungs (author's transl)].

A case of congenital aplasia of the diaphragm with hypoplasia of both lungs is reported. By the complete absence of the diaphragm the liver could in the early stage of embryonic development expand around the heart into the thoracic cavity. This resulted in a growth arrest with consequently severe hypoplasia of both lungs, which were originally normally developed.


[Hydroxychinoline- and zinc-treated acrodermatitis enteropathica and electroretinographic findings (author's transl)].

A meanwhile 13 years old boy had to be treated by hydroxychinolines for a severe acrodermatitis enteropathica since his 1st year of life. At the age of 5 years he showed visual deterioration by atrophia optici. Dose reduction and application of different halogen substitutions were tried. Finally, it was daily oral zinc application and continuous control of the serum zinc level which made disappear all cutaneous and mucous symptoms. At an unchanged ophthalmoscopic status, there occurred a slight raise of vision, an enlargement of peripheric campus and a normalization of the electroretinographic potentials.


[Potter-syndrome (author's transl)].

Bilateral renal agenesis (or dysplasia without any functioning kidney tissue) is almost constantly associated with a characteristic facial appearance. Extra-uterine existence is limited to less than 24 hours because of severe hypoplasia of the lungs. This pulmonary anomaly, together with the eventual positional bowing of the legs and feet and hands and perhaps some features of the "Potter face" may be attributed to the oligohydramnios which is a regular observation, but certain other findings like the obligatory epicanthic fold, swinging outwards to form a most peculiar "prominent" semi-circle below the orbital space, the dysplasia and low slanted position of the ears, the predominance of the boys, and the very high frequency of additional malformations and even total defects of the internal organs (especially of the urogenital and intestinal tract) can hardly be explained as being secondary resp. consequent upon the "foetal compression", resulting from the amniotic fluid deficit (due to anuria). Ten children, including a case of hermaphroditismus verus, with the full-scale Potter syndrome have been seen in this clinic during a six years period and are described and discussed in detail.


[Coincidence of malformations of the cardiovascular system as well as of the kidneys and of the efferent urinary tract (author's transl)].

Excretion urograms were prepared subsequent to angiocardiograph in a total of 115 cardiac catheter examinations. 104 of these examinations were evaluated. In 17 cases (16.3%), malformation of the kidney or the ureter was found. In consideration of the fact that such fundings are often directly linked to therapeutic consequences (plastic operations), the additional preparation of an excretion urogram is indicated during cardiac catheter examinations.


[Precision and accuracy of 21 methods in clinical chemistry using diluted samples (author's transl)].

The precision and accuracy of 21 methods in clinical chemistry (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, phosphorus, iron, copper, bilirubin, uric acid, urea, creatinine, total serum protein, triglycerides, glutamate-oxalacetate-transaminase, glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase, alpha-hydroxybutyrate-dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase, acid phosphatase, amylase) were studied after diluting samples 1 : 2 and 1 : 4. Dilution of 1 : 2 did not show any significant effect on the precision and accuracy of the studied methods. In case of chloride, phosphorus, iron, bilirubin, uric acid, urea, creatinine, total serum protein, triglycerides, glutamate-oxalacetate-transaminase and alkaline phosphatase reliable results were obtained also after 1 : 4 dilution.


[Results of nasotracheal intubation in acute epiglottitis (author's transl)].

20 of 34 patients with acute epiglottitis were treated with nasotracheal intubation. One patient died because of pneumonia, one patient was clinically dead when he arrived at hospital. After successful reanimation she died some hours later. All other patients left the hospital without any symptoms after an average stay of 12 days. The average duration of nasotracheal intubation was 39 hours. Nasotracheal intubation and adequate antibiotic therapy offer the most effective and secure approach to acute epiglottitis. A protocol for diagnostic and therapeutic regimen is presented.


[The treatment of anemia due to iron-deficiency with iron combined with vitamins (author's transl)].

The effect of combined iron-vitamin therapy and iron therapy only was studied in 14 respectively 14 children with hypochromic anemia. Pyridoxalphosphate in serum, activity of red cell glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and excretion of 4-pyridoxic acid were measured as indices of vitamin B6 nutriture before therapy was started, four and seven days under therapy once more. Erythrocytes, reticulocytes, concentration of hemoglobin were simultaneously counted, whereas serum iron and transferrin have been measured before and after therapy. A group of 22 hematologically healthy children was studied as controls. After iron therapy a decrease of vitamin B6 body pool came off as a consequence of increased requirement of pyridoxalphosphate for heme synthesis. Additional dosage of vitamins compensated the biochemical B6 deficit and had an accelerating effect on heme synthesis.


[Crohn's disease of the large intestine and ulcerative colitis. Basis for morphological differential diagnosis (author's transl)].

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis play a vital role in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the colon during childhood. Pediatricians, radiologists, pediatric surgions and pediatric pathologists have been frequently confronted with the problem of distinguishing the two diseases. Morphologically, both diseases could be definitely differentiated but this is largely dependent on the art and the quantity of the submitted materials to be examined. It is, therefor, important to consider and differentiate their macroscopic and histologic features in relation to the type of inflammation, the pattern of its localization and spread, the involvement of different layers of the large intestinal wall etc. The basic essential differences lie on the primary site of injury and the pattern of its inflammatory response. Both specific and non-specific characteristics of the two diseases would be discussed here.


[Roentgenographic changes of the skeleton in a case of tuberous sclerosis (morbus Bourneville-Pringle) (author's transl)].

Increasing sclerosis in the thoracolumbar spine has been followed up in a boy suffering from tuberous sclerosis. The earlist abnormality appearing as an irregular density in the radix of the posterior arch of the first lumbar vertebra has been detected at the age of one year. Until the ninth year of life the disease process has involved the vertebral column from T-8 to L-2. During the course roentgenograms revealed several diffuse areas of opacification with ill-defined outlines which tended to merge. As a rule all vertebrae were affected asymmetrically. Neither deformities of the vertebrae nor functional impairment of the axial skeleton have been found. Based on X ray appearance classification of characteristic and accessory bone abnormalities in tuberous sclerosis was discussed.


[A phenocopy of a homocygote Pelger's nuclear anomaly associated with an antibody deficiency (author's transl)].

A case of a boy is reported with an antibody deficiency syndrome type Bruton leading to a phenocopy of a homozygote Pelger's nuclear anomaly at the age of 10 months. The dominant inheritance and the absence of the anomaly in the peripheral blood of the parents and a sister support the presence of a phenocopy of this leukocyte anomaly. The recurrent bacterial infections are probably the cause of this phenocopy, since the substitution with gammaglobulins did not control the severe antibody deficiency syndrome.


Thromboembolic complications after mitral valve replacement with Hancock xenograft.

Case histories of 140 patients who had mitral valve replacement with the Hancock xenograft were reviewed according to the incidence of thromboembolic complications. There were 16 patients with preoperative and/or postoperative low-output syndrome (Group A.) Eight of these patients died, and six had autopsies which showed major thrombi on the heterograft valve. In 126 long-term survivors (followed 1 to 33 months) nine thromboembolic events occurred (thromboembolic incidence 5.3 percent per patient-year). All patients with emboli were in atrial fibrillation. Additional predisposing factors included a history of systemic emboli and the presence of atrial clots at the time of surgery. The majority (7/9) of emboli occurred during the first 3 postoperative months. Two emboli occurred immediately following the operation (before oral anticoagulation therapy could have been begun). Five occurred in patients who were not on anticoagulation (Group B) and two occurred under warfarin treatment (Group C). There was no thromboembolic event in patients taking aspirin (Group D). It is concluded that hemodynamically stable patients have a decreased risk of thromboembolism and do not require anticoagulation. Patients with atrial fibrillation have an increased thromboembolic risk and should be on a regimen of warfarin for 3 months postoperatively and then on aspirin therapy.


Results of aortoventriculoplasty in 21 consecutive patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Results of aortoventriculoplasty (AVP) are reported in 21 patients with various types of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). The concept of AVP is based on creating a surgical aortoseptal defect which is patched to provide the largest possible outflow tract to the left ventricle. Lesions consisted of isolated diffuse fibromuscular subaortic stenosis in six patients, diffuse subaortic stenosis and associated other cardiovascular anomalies in five, hypoplastic aortic anulus in two, idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) in two, and stenosis of a previously implanted aortic valvular prosthesis in three patients. Ten patients had had at least one unsuccessful previous surgical attempt to relieve the LVOTO. The coexisting mitral incompetence in IHSS disappeared after AVP alone. Immediate postoperative hemodynamic results were excellent in all cases. Postoperative death in five patients was due to advance myocardial failure in two, brain damage in one, transection of a dominant septal artery in one, and severe acidosis with renal failure in the last case. However, in the last 16 patients (17 operations) the only death (5.8 percent) was that caused by uncontrollable acidosis. Follow-up results indicate that 16 patients are clinically doing well, and hemodynamic studies in 14 patients are rated as excellent or good from 1 to 25 months postoperatively. It is concluded that AVP is an effective operation for managing all types of LVOTO and can be used routinely with an acceptably low mortality rate.


Basal normoglycemia attained with chlorpropamide in mild diabetes.

Sixteen adult-onset diabetics, who were thought by current criteria to be well controlled on diet alone, had substantially elevated overnight, basal plasma glucose concentrations. Chlorpropamide had a sufficiently prolonged stimulatory effect on the beta cells such that normal basal plasma glucose levels were obtained in 13 patients. Both basal plasma C-peptide levels and the C-peptide response to meals became normal, with improved postprandial glycemia. Diurnal plasma triglyceride levels were reduced. Plasma growth hormone levels were normal both before and after therapy. When diet alone is insufficient to maintain basal normoglycemia in mild diabetes, chlorporpamide is as effective as basal insulin supplements in producing normal basal plasma glucose levels.


Dipylidiasis in a 57-year-old woman.

An interesting case of tapeworm infection in a human caused by Dipylidium caninum was recently diagnosed in the Illawarra area of N.S.W. Since it involved and adult (a 57-year-old woman) and recorded human infections are rare in the Australian literature, it was decided to describe this case of dipylidiasis.


Antineoplastic agents. 52. Baileya multiradiata.

The desert-marigold Baileya multiradiata Harv. and Gray (Compositae) has been found to produce a series of sesquiterpenes that markedly inhibit growth of the murine lymphocytic leukemia P388 and the corresponding in vitro cell line. Separation guided by bioassay led to the isolation of baileyin (1), fastigilins B and C (3a and 2a), radiatin (3b), pleniradin (4a), and the new pseudoguaianolide multiradiatin (2b). The most significant antitumor activity was displayed by fastigilin C (2a) and radiation (3b).


Surveillance of malformations in Sydney in 1976.

The results of a pilot study of malformations in newborn infants in two regions of Sydney in 1976 showed that the incidence of major malformations was 11.31 per 1000 live births and stillbirths, and the incidence of minor malformations was 7.33 per 1000. There were 131 stillbirths among the 12816 births in the study. There were geographical and seasonal variation and "time place clustering" of cases. There was a higher incidence of congenital heart disease and chromosomal abnormalities than in the study carried out in 1966 by Stevenson. The need for accurate diagnosis and for the provision of support and genetic counseling for the parents soon after the birth of a baby with an abnormality is stressed; these should be an integral part of total patient care.


Determination of epimeric 1-(3-indolyl) propane -1,2,3-triol isolated from Balansia epichloe.

Investigations into diseases in cattle grazing on grass pastures infected with clavicipitaceous fungi have resulted in the isolation and characterization of erythro and threo 1-(3-indolyl) propane-1,2,3-triol from cultures of Balansia epichloë (Weese). Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analyses of synthetic and natural epimers as their trimethylsilyl derivatives is described. Toxicity studies with fertile chicken eggs demonstrated that the threo epimer was the more active compound. The ratio of erythro to threo was calculated at 3:2 in the natural isolate.


Affinity chromatography of nonhistone chromosomal proteins from lymphocytes on DNA-agarose columns.

A two step procedure is presented consisting of hydroxyapatite and DNA-agarose chromatography which allows the isolation of nonhistone chromosomal proteins with different affinities towards single stranded DNA. The application of this fractionation scheme to nonhistone chromosomal proteins from bovine lymphocytes is described.


The treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenia with vinblastine-loaded platelets.

We devised a method to enhance delivery of vinblastine to macrophages, the cells believed to be responsible for platelet destruction in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Our strategy was based on the ability of platelets to bind vinca alkaloids such as vinblastine. Platelets were incubated with an excess of vinblastine, concentrated and then, after excess alkaloid had been removed, given to 11 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenia refractory to other treatment (including intravenous injections of vinca alkaloids). Platelet antibodies in the patients' plasma led to ingestion of the vinca-laden platelets by macrophages. There were six complete remissions, three partial remissions and two failures. Side effects in a few patients, reversible but annoying, were minimized as technics were refined. We conclude that in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenia refractory to all other measures, including the use of vinca alkaloids, platelet-vinca complex may be effective.


[Residue situation of milk products after the effective carrying out of the "step-by-step program for DDT-replacement" in the GDR].

A step-by-step program had been established to replace the persistent insecticide DDT with other active principles in the GDR by 1975. Monthly thin-layer chromatographic residue determinations in butter samples from all the districts demonstrate that the DDT-residues have decreased gradually since 1973 from an average value of 0.45 mg/kg to an average value of 0.18 mg/kg (in 1976). The DDT intake of adults via the milk products (butter, milk and cheese) was, in 1976, only 2% of the ADI value, which evidences a very positive development. Furthermore, findings concerning the contamination with lindane and HCB are presented.


The role of hormones in the acclimation of fish to low temperatures.

The known cases elucidating the role of hormones in the regulation of physiological and biochemical changes which occur when fish are acclimated to low temperatures are sparse, but evidence is accumulating to implicate prolactin, glucagon, insulin and perhaps thyroxine and cortisol in at least some of the physiological adjustments observed in some species. The need for further research on hormonal control mechanisms at work during low-temperature acclimation is discussed, with special emphasis placed on neuroendocrine relationships.


Lordosis response of senile female rats.

The lordosis response of 27 ovariectomized senile female rats (20 to 32 months old) primed with either estrogen-progestrone (E/P) or estrogen (E) alone was studied and compared with that of ovariectomized young adult rats (3 to 5 months old). As compared with the young rats, out of the 27 senile rats, only 11 showed decreased response with E/P priming and 6 with E priming only. When senile rats are classified into 4 groups according to their vaginal smear pictures and ovarian findings, i.e., prolonged vaginal cornification (PVC) with polyfollicular ovaries, anestrus (ANE) with atrophic ovaries, prolonged diestrus with hyperluteinized ovaries, and still preserved cycle, there is no significant  difference in the incidence of decreased lordosis response among groups. In the 11 senile rats showing decreased response, the responsiveness of the system for sexual behavior to P seems to be decreased in 5 rats without changes in the responsiveness to E and that to E decreased in 6 rats. The lordosis response did not improve after adaptation in the rats which showed decreased response. The dysfunction of gonadotropin (Gn) secretion in senile female rats seems to occur earlier than aging of the system for behavioral estrus.


Nuclear receptor estrogen complex in the pineal gland. Modulation by sympathetic nerves.

Pineal nuclear receptor estradiol complex determined by the 3H-estradiol exchange assay exhibited a Kd = 0.42 nM. Its concentration was maximal at proestrus and after administering 2-20 microgram of estradiol to spayed rats. It was also detected in 6-day-old rats, before full maturation of pineal sympathetic nerves is attained. Superior cervical ganglionectomy caused nuclear receptor estrogen complexes (NREC) to decrease by 48 and 65% 5 and 14 days later; estradiol administration brought about increases of complex levels (1.9-2.3-fold) which were significantly smaller than in control or decentralized rats (3.4-3.9-fold). The time course of accumulation and retention of nuclear complexes was not affected by ganglionectomy. Isoproterenol restored the basal levels of NREC, but inhibited the effects of estradiol on complex accumulation; propranolol, administered simultaneously with estradiol also inhibited estrogen effects on the pineal. Estradiol incubation in vitro increased pineal nuclear receptor hormone levels and enhanced the conversion of serotonin into melatonin and 5-methoxytryptophol; no changes in hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferase (HIOMT) activity were detected. These data support the conclusion that accumulation and retention of pineal NREC are under partial dependence upon sympathetic nerves.


Decreased lymphocyte transformation to vaccinia virus in multiple sclerosis.

Lymphocyte transformation to vaccinia virus was measured in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and normal controls. There was a significant reduction of lymphocyte transformation to vaccinia virus in multiple sclerosis patients compared with the control group. In addition, a positive correlation existed between the degree of disability of the multiple sclerosis patients and the extent of lymphocyte transformation in the presence of vaccinia virus. There was no correlation between cell-mediated immunity to vaccinia virus and either serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibody levels to vaccinia in multiple sclerosis patients or controls, all of whom had been previously vaccinated. In conjunction with other studies, all of whom had been previously vaccinated. In conjunction with other studies that have demonstrated elevated antibody titers to vaccinia virus in the CSF of multiple sclerosis patients, these results support the possibility that vaccinia virus may play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.


The effect of induced hyperthermia on the blink reflex in multiple sclerosis.

In 76 patients with multiple sclerosis, the blink reflex was elicted electrically at normal body temperature and during induced hyperthermia to observe the effect on conduction within the reflex pathway through the brainstem. Special attention was directed to 31 patients with electrophysiologic evidence of reflex slowing, presumably because of demyelination in the reflex pathway. Hyperthermia did not induce any significant changes in mean reflex latency, amplitude, or duration in either the overall group of 76 or in the 31 patients with baseline blink reflex abnormalities. While the mean reflex latency did not change, 13 (33 percent) of 39 abnormal R1 responses from the 31 patients changed by 1.5 msec or more during hyperthermia, whereas change of similar magnitude was noted in only three (3 percent) of 90 normal R1 responses.


Multiple sclerosis among Spanish-surnamed Californians.

The 2,500,000 Spanish-surnamed white Californians have an age-adjusted multiple sclerosis death rate of 0.27 per 100,000 based on 48 MS deaths from 1966 through 1975. This compares with a rate of 0.83 for other white Californians and 0.75 for all Californians, suggesting that the MS death rate in California is due to genetic or local environmental causes. However, the 620,000 foreign-born Spanish-surnamed white Califorians have the extremely low MS death rate of 0.07, which is one-sixth the rate of 0.42 for the 1.330,000 Spanish-surnamed whites born in California. These data, by contrast with the first set, seem to indicate that environmental factors associated with place of birth are of primary importance. These findings suggest that Spanish-Americans as a whole have an MS death rate that is among the lowest of all subpopulation in the United States and that they offer additional opportunities for studying the etiology of multiple sclerosis.


Duchenne dystrophy: abnormal generation of tension and Ca++ regulation in single skinned fibers.

Skinned, single-fiber preparations from the quadriceps or gastrocneumius muscles of four ambulatory male children with Duchenne dystrophy were tested for theri ability to generate tension and to regulate CA++. To determine the intrinsic strength (P0) of the contractile material, the maximum Ca++ -activated tensions were normalized to the fiber diameters. Sixty-four percent of the Duchenne fibers had P0 values below 1.0 kg per square centimeter--the lowest value observed in control muscle--and the average P0 values of fibers from each Duchenne biopsy were significantly (p less than 0.01) below the average P0 values for control muscle fibers and for muscle fibers obtained from one obligatory carrier of the Duchenne gene. The low tensions in the Duchenne muscle fibers could not be ascribed to altered Ca++ regulation or to substrate sensitivity of the contractile proteins in the fibers, since these were normal. However, ultrastructural abnormalities of the myofilaments, which might reduce the ability of the contractile system to develop tension, were observed. Furthermore, Ca++ regulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was impaired in most of those muscle fibers, from both carriers and Duchenne patients, that did develop normal tension. These results suggest that in Duchenne muscle a functional disorder in the SR may precede loss of the ability of the contractile proteins to generate tension. However, since muscle fibers from Duchenne-gene carriers developed significantly greater tensions than fibers from Duchenne-patients, while yet having similar defects in Ca++ regulation, the SR disorder may not be exclusively responsible for abnormal contractile protein function.


A syndrome of progressive muscle spasm, alopecia, and diarrhea.

A syndrome of progressive muscle spasm, alopecia, and diarrhea was seen in 15 patients. The syndrome was characterized by painful intermittent muscle spasm, alopecia, amenorrhea, and malabsorption, and was sometimes associated with epiphyseal destruction and retarded growth. Symptoms began at age 10 and were more common in women than men. Muscle cramps affected the limbs first and then, several years after onset, the neck, trunk, and masticatory muscles. The course was progressive and led to malnutrition. Four patients died from 5 to 18 years after onset. Autopsy revealed polypoid changes throughout the gastrointestinal tract.


Communicating hydrocephalus in adults. Diagnostic tests and results of treatment with medium pressure shunts.

In a study of 60 patients with communicating hydrocephalus, sources of error included lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, epidural infusion, and cerebrovascular reactions during the CSF infusion test; a high frequency of failing shunts; and initially undetected tumors in the group whose hydrocephalus was idiopathic. Though no sharp distinction could be made between positive and negative diagnositc tests, each variable indicated a certain probability of benefit, ranging from high to low, from shunting. CSF opening pressure in the lateral and sitting positions, the CSF infusion test, and cisternography were helpful in selecting patients for shunting. If clinical improvement was to take place, it did so within 3 months of shunting. Only patients with an opening pressure at or within the upper half of supposedly normal CSF pressure improved from a medium-pressure shunt. Improvement occurred in all patients having pressures of 580 mm H2O or more during an infusion test at a rate of 1.5 ml per minute. Neither preoperative signs and symptoms nor a single electroencephalogram had predictive value.


Spontaneous remission of myasthenia gravis in patients with thymoma.

In 42 cases of myasthenia gravis with thymoma, the tumor was removed surgically. In four of these cases, myasthenic symptoms had remitted before operation. However, in two of these four cases, myasthenic symptoms returned after operation, despite apparently total thymectomy. In two of the four cases that remitted before operation, the thymus was found to be highly involuted, without germinal centers; in another case, the thymus was found to be moderately involuted, and germinal centers were found. In the nonrelapsing cases, only the tumor itself was removed, with residual thymic tissue being left behind. The thymoma in all cases consisted of polygonal epithelial cells and lymphocytes.


Single-skinned human muscle fibers: activation by calcium and strontium.

Single-skinned fibers were prepared from human skeletal muscle. Tension generation was measured in solutions containing different amounts of free calcium or strontium ion. Fibers were classified into two types, on the basis of distinct differences in their regulation by strontium. One group developed maximal tension in 3 x 10-5 M free strontium, whereas the other developed minimal or no tension in the same concentration of strontium. It seemed most probable that the former represented type 1 (slow twitch) fiber and the latter type 2 (fast twitch) fiber because of similar patterns observed in guinea pig soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscle fibers.


Pigment variant of lipofuscinosis.

A woman had a progressive neurologic syndrome beginning at age 3 and lasting for three decades. Clinical manifestations included severe mental deterioration, spastic paralysis, myoclonus, and tremors. A postmortem examination showed ubiquitous infiltration of neurons by lipofuscin and deposits of pigment in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, as well as senile changes of nerve cells. Biochemical investigation of brain lipids showed an alteration of fatty acid composition of serine phosphoglycerides.


Acute and chronic progressive encephalopathy due to gasoline sniffing.

Acute encephalopathy caused by gasoline sniffing is well recognized, but has been thought to be completely reversible. We report a patient who developed a progressive encephalopathy characterized by ataxia, tremor and dementia following repeated, deliberate gasoline inhalation. Blood and urine lead levels were consistently elevated and at autopsy, the formalin-fixed brain lead content was between 5200 and 6500 micrograms/100 gm of tissue. This case shows that repeated gasoline sniffing can result in irreversible encephalopathy and that both the acute and chronic encephalopathy probably result from organic lead intoxication and not from the gasoline itself.


[Evaluation of diabetes control by new numerical indices of daily blood glucose values].

Attempts to assess the degree of diabetic control by numerical expressions of blood glucose behaviour have been performed by Schlichtkrull et Al. (M-Ms value) and by Molnar, Service et Al. (MAGE, MODD, MBG and FBG values). However these methods, partly derived from the results of continuous blood monitoring, fail to give qualitative information about the glycemic daily profile. In order to obtain a more complete estimation of the diurnal blood sugar curve, a simple set of three indices is introduced by our group: 1) the Mbs value (modified); 2) the mean difference (delta value) of the various Mbs/bs calculated with a HP 25 Hewlett-Packard, and 3) the mean of the differences, exceeding delta, which are between contiguous Mbs/bs (M delta value). This investigation was carried out in 103 diabetic observations, on the basis of eight blood-sugar daily determinations (Destrostix Reflectance Meter) on two successive twenty-four-hour periods, under standard conditions of diet, exercise and therapeutic regimen. As the results show, modified Mbs describes the mean level of the glycemic profile; delta indicates the amplitude of the glycemic variability field; M delta reports both maximal and minimal extremes of the curve. A correlation of these parameters is expressed by a formula, which might distinguish stable from unstabel ("brittle") diabetes and allow clinical comparison in different treatment conditions.


Surgical advances in the treatment of lesions of the pediatric airway: the role of the carbon dioxide laser.

Transoral microsurgery of the larynx has now made it possible to treat multiple lesions heretofore only treatable by external approach. The introduction of the surgical carbon dioxide laser has been the single greatest advance in transoral surgery of the airway in the past 15 years. This modality of therapy offers many features not found in any other known form of surgery. It is especially useful in the pediatric airway where the avoidance of edema and the need for minimal scarring is most critical. Its unique aspects make this form of treatment most desirable in the pediatric laryngotracheal region.


ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn: evaluation of management and identification of racial and antigenic factors.

Data from 16,320 deliveries from two time periods were examined to compare the incidence of positive direct Coombs' tests and the number of exchange transfusions performed, using different methods of screening and treatment in each time period. Early routine screening revealed an eightfold increase in the number of Coombs-positive infants, while the combined effect of instituting early screening and the change from white light to special blue light phototherapy greatly diminihsed the number of exchange transfusions. In addition, data concerning racial and blood antigen factors in ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) are compared, showing an increase in incidence but no increase in severity for black infants and infants with blood type B. Also, use of cord blood parameters in management of ABO HDN is discussed.


[Determination of mean platelet volume in pediatric hematology. Practical value (author's transl)].

Some particle counters give a routine determination of mean platelet volume. 272 determinations of this new parameter were performed on 107 hospitalized children in the hematology field. Giant platelets are a frequent sign in peripheral thrombocytopenia, and they are never observed in central thrombocytopenia. The determination of the mean platelet volume is of value in an emergency examination for thrombocytopenia, while awaiting the results of a myelogram, and in monitoring primary thrombocytopenic purpura. In this later condition, the persistance of an increased mean platelet volume in spite of an improvement in the number of platelets should lead to a suspicion of a relapse.


The structure of nucleolar chromatin in Physarum polycephalum.

The nucleolar DNA of Physarum polycephalum has been differentially labelled with 3H-thymidine and the structure of the nucleolar chromatin investigated by digestion with micrococcal nuclease. Nucleolar chromatin which had been labelled in G2 phase of the cell cycle and then digested before mitosis had an identical DNA repeat length to main band DNA (165 +/- 5 base pairs) but there was a definite indication that the rate of digestion was faster for nucleolar DNA than for main band DNA. Nucleolar chromatin which had been labelled in G2 and the label chased through mitosis into G2 phase of the next cycle showed an identical DNA repeat length to main band DNA and was also digested at the same rate. We conclude that nucleolar chromatin, at least 25 per cent of which is maximally transcriptionally active in G2, has a nucleosome-like structure.


DNA replication in Physarum polycephalum: bidirectional replication of DNA within replicons.

The direction of replication of DNA within replicons of Physarum polycephalum was studied by pulse-labelling with 5-bromouracil-deoxyriboside (BrdUrd) and 3H-adenosine deoxyriboside (dAdo), followed by ultraviolet- (UV) -photolysis and analysis of molecular weights of single strand DNA fragments on alkaline sucrose gradients. Newly made DNA within replicons at all stages of completion is split in two equal halves upon UV irradiation when BrdUrd was given at the time of initiation of DNA synthesis. This shows that replication within replicons of Physarum polycephalum starts at an origin located in the center of each unit, proceeding bidirectionally from this origin.


Active DNA transcription sites released from the genome of normal embryonic chicken cells.

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) isolated from (and amounting to 1.5-2% of) native nuclear DNA of cultured embryonic chicken cells labelled 1-2 days with 3H-thymidine was analyzed by self-hybridization, hydroxyapatite chromatography (HAC) partial digestion with S1 nuclease, isopycnic centrifugation. Two main fractions were rehybridized to excess amounts of bulk nuclear DNA or total cytoplasmic RNAs. The major fraction, equivalent to 75% of total ssDNA, consists of unique DNA sequences, apparently derived from multiple coding regions of the cell genome, since they are not self-reassociating but are hybridizable to the non repetitious portion of bulk nuclear DNA and 40-45% of them are complementary to cell RNAs. About half of these ssDNA sequences hybridizable to cell RNAs seem to be closely connected with molecules belonging to the minor ssDNA fraction. The latter fraction consists of self-reassociating, moderately repeated DNA sequences, mainly derived from non coding regions of the cell genome. These findings are discussed in the light of others, showing interspersion of coding and non coding DNA sequences and susceptibility of active genes to certain nucleasic attacks.


Microbial counts and thermal resistance of Salmonella oranienburg in ground turkey meat.

The microbial content of unfrozen and frozen ground turkey meat (GTM) in retail markets and the thermal resistance of Salmonella organienburg in GTM was determined. The unfrozen product had an average total aerobic count of 53 X 10(4) cells per g. These counts reduced slightly when held in a display case for one and two days at 1-2 degrees C. The frozen GTM contained 25% protein, 8% fat, 63% moisture and had a pH of 6.2. Microbial counts averaged 58 X 10(4). The time and temperatures to kill ca 10(4) S. oranienburg cells were determined. A thermal destruction curve can be defined as F60 degrees C. = 3.5 min. with Z = 7.4 degrees C.


A nutrient re-evaluation of shell eggs.

Most data on the nutrient composition of shell eggs were obtained before 1950. Since then, management systems for egg production and analytical methods for many components have changed. Freeze-dried whole egg, yolk and white samples were prepared from eggs obtained from a single source of 15 month old White Leghorns. The sample were packaged under nitrogen and held at -20 degrees C. until analyzed. Conversion factors are included for expressing the amount of each component on a per egg as well as a per 100 g. edible liquid basis. This re-evaluation of nutrient data included total solids, lipid, protein, cholesterol, ash, calories, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.


The central action of 1-p-dimethylaminophenyl-5-allyl-5-(beta-hydroxypropyl) barbituric acid and the corresponding lactone.

1-p-dimethylaminophenyl-5-allyl-5-(beta-hydroxypropyl)barbituric acid (NP) and the probably product of its isomerization alpha-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)allophanyl-alpha-allyl-gamma-methylbutyrolactone (MW) was studied. Behavioral experiments carried out on mice and rats showed that both the acid (NP) and the lactone (MW) suppress the reactivity of the central nervous system, and, to some degree, act like tranquilizing agents.


Neurochemical and neuropharmacological investigations with four ergot derivatives: bromocriptine, dihydroergotoxine, CF 25-397 and CM 29-712.

Neurochemical and neuropharmacological investigations with four ergot derivatives reveal differential pharmacodynamic effects of these compounds. Bromocriptine and CM 29-712 showed actions typical of postsynaptic dopamine receptor stimulants, in particular in the extrapyramidal system. CM 29-712 proved to be more potent than bromocriptine, with an early onset of action. CF 25-397 and dihydroergotoxine, while not showing all actions typical of central dopamine agonists, appeared to exert some of their effects by means of a stimulation of central serotoninergic sites. In the rat sleep-wakefulness cycles and in reserpine-induced ponto-geniculooccipital waves in the cat, they mimicked the effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan. In the latter test, CF 25-397 proved to be particularly potent. In addition, bromocriptine, dihydroergotoxine and CM 29-712 showed neurochemical effects consistent with central alpha-adrenergic blockade or an enhanced impulse flow in central noradrenergic neurons.


[Role of estrogen-sensitive neurons in the arcuate region of the hypothalamus in the mechanism of luteinizing hormone release].

Experiments were conducted on rats; estradiol brought to the arcuate region of the hypothalamus by means of microionophoresis led to the increase of the region of the hypothalamus by means of microionophoresis led to the increase of the blood luteinizing hormone (LH) level during the following stages of the estral cycle-diestrus 1, diestrus 2, and the first half day of the proestrus; as to the second half of the proestrus day--estradiol decreased its level. Changes in the LH level in the hypophysis under the influence of the microionophoretic introduction of estradiol into the arcuate region occurred during the second half of the day of diestrus 2 (reduction), and during the estrus (elevation). In the majority of cases a rise of the blood level was combined with the neuron activation in the arcuate region under the influence of estradiol.


A direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies for rubella virus in human sera.

A direct enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), based on the "sandwich" principle on an antigen-coated plastic disc, was used for the rapid detection of rubella antibody. Results were obtained the same day, and the prior adsorption of sera to remove non-specific inhibitors was not necessary. The ELISA was compared to the hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) test on 500 serum samples. There was general agreement between the two methods; most discrepancies occurred with low-titered HAI positive sera. There was excellent correlation between the tests with serum samples negative for rubella antibodies and those samples with HAI titers greater than or equal to 1:40.


Radioimmunoassay of spermidine in human serum.

Specific antispermidine antibodies were produced following immunization of New Zealand white rabbits with a spermidine-thyroglobulin conjugate of high (greater than 200:1) hapten-carrier molar ratio. The harvested antispermidine rabbit antiserum was characterized and a radioimmunoassay procedure developed. The specificity of this antibody was tested against cadaverine, putrescine, spermine, monoacetylputrescine, N-8-acetylspermidine and other compounds of similar molecular structure. Negligible cross-reactivity was observed with putrescine (2.1%), cadaverine (0.6%), spermine (0.3%), diaminopropane (less than 0.1%), and no cross-reaction was found with monoacetylputrescine, N-8-acetylspermidine, histamine, L-lysine and L-ornithine. The spermidine values on serum of five healthy volunteers were determined by RIA and compared with values by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Statistical evaluation of the results were highly agreeable. Antibody titer, intra-assay precision and analytical accuracy were tested. The assay requires only 20 microliter of serum and has picomole sensitivity. The sensitivity, specificity and small sample requirement make this procedure an effective tool for spermidine analysis.


[Night sleep patterns in post-operative intensive care patients (author's transl)].

5 patients admitted to intensive care following post-operative complications had EEG recordings on 2 consecutive nights some time after their operations. Study of the different sleep stages showed a marked increase in deep slow wave sleep and waking but asignificant reduction in light slow wave sleep and paradoxical sleep. The appearance of the sleep cycles through the night was unusual with respect to the maximum occurrence of the various stages and their evolution. Finally certain characteristics of paradoxical sleep, the rhythm and duration of the phases and the number and frequency of ocular movements were also modified. Comparison of these findings with those previously reported show that these abnormalities, rather than suggesting sleep deprivation resemble more closely the fidings in shift workers when they resume night sleep after a period of day sleep. The also resemble the changes seen in people whose circadian rhythm has been displaced by 12 hours.


[Experimental studies in animals concerning adhesive orchiopexy (author's transl)].

In an experimental study in rabbits, histoxicity of butyl-2-cyano-acrylic-tissue adhesive for orchiopexy was comapred with the usual suture type fixation of the testis. There was no difference in tissue damage between the two methods in respect to local inflammation, diameters of the tubules and the number of spermatogonic cells. Using several established cell lines, a significant cytotoxicity was seen when dropping butyl-2-cyanoacrylic-adhesive into the tissue cultures. Mutagenic influence of butyl-2-cyanoacrylate should be ruled out in children prior to clinical application. In addition, the high cost of the adhesive should be considered.


Brain noradrenergic systems as a prerequisite for developing tolerance to barbiturates.

Mice treated with 6-hydroxydopamine before they were chronically fed phenobarbital did not develop functional barbiturate tolerance, measured by duration of the loss of righting reflex and hypothermia. Injection of 6-hydroxydopamine caused significant depletion of brain norepinephrine, while brain dopamine levels were not significantly depleted. Intact brain noradrenergic systems seem to be necessary for developing tolerance to the hypnotic and hypothermic effects of the barbiturates.


Diazepam inhibits myoblast fusion and expression of muscle specific protein synthesis.

The presence of diazepam in culutres of chicken embryo myoblasts arrests normal muscle cell differentiation. High concentrations of the drug reversibly prevent myoblasts from fusing to form multinucleated myotubes. Lower concentrations of diazepam allow cell fusion to occur, but inhibit the synthesis and accumulation of myosin heavy chain, implying that cell fusion does not obligate myoblasts to synthesize and accumulate large quantities of muscle specific protein. The effect of diazepam on muscle cells in culture is direct and specific.


Cholecystokinin inhibits tail pinch-induced eating in rats.

Peripheral administration of the COOH-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin in doses from 1 to 100 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (0.25 to 25.0 micrograms per rat) significantly antagonized tail pinch-induced eating in rats, an animal model for stress-induced human hyperphagia. Centrally administered cholecystokinin was effective only in high doses (3 micrograms into the cerebral ventricle). The finding that the minimal effective dose of cholecystokinin in suppressing stress-induced appetitive behavior is smaller after peripheral than central administration suggests that the peptide is acting on peripheral, as opposed to central nervous system, substrates.


Colposcopy or cervical conization? An economic comparison.

Costs of colposcopic evaluation of patients with abnormal Papanicolaou smears versus evaluation by conization are compared. The average colposcopic evaluation costs $106, and the average conization costs $923.70. Additional savings ensue if a colposcopic diagnosis, rather than conization of the cervix, precedes a definitive hysterectomy. All criteria for an adequate colposcopic examination and tissue diagnosis must be met to make this comparison.


Fragmentation hemolysis in idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis.

A 69-year-old woman with previously asymptomatic IHSS developed fragmentation hemolytic anemia in association with bacterial endocarditis when the calculated pressure gradient across the left ventricular outflow tract was 82 mm Hg. Partial correction of the anemia by transfusion resulted in a prompt reduction in fragmentation. The interplay of anemia and increased pressure gradient in the production of red cell fragmentation is discussed.


Management of noninvasive carcinoma of the cervix.

The diagnosis of noninvasive cancer of the cervix depends on carefully performed pelvic examinations and accurate cytology. Their management is determined by the histologic picture of the lesion. Adequate biopsy material must rule out invasive cancer before conservative measures are adopted. Unless special facilities are available, a cone biopsy and D & C should be performed on all nonpregnant cases with punch biopsies showing severe dysplasia or carcinoma-in-situ. These entities are classified as CIN III according to the most modern classification. Cone biopsies and D & C should also be performed on cases with negative punch biopsies and suspicious cytology. Colposcopic diagnosis diagnosis and outpatient management of these lesions should be performed only in a clinic with the specialized facilities already outlined.


Congenital absence of the heart: observation of human funiculopagous twinning with insertio funiculi furcata, fusion, forking, and interpositio velamentosa.

An anatomic and radiologic study of a normal and acardius twinning with a single placenta is presented with literature review. The fetus was unusually well-developed with an almost normal skeletal and brain formation, a normal genito-urinary tract, and an absence of liver, spleen, lungs, and pancreas. The heart was absent but the great arteries, single aorta, and veins were present. The placentation is described as funiculopagous with insertio funiculi furcata, fusion, forking and interpositio  velamentosa, and the latter may account for the fusion of the two circulations in this instance with the possibility that the heart was never present. The present and other observations of funiculopagous twins with two amniotic sacs suggest that the forked cord twin anomaly may occur earlier than generally recognized.


Biosynthesis of glycoprotein-glycosyl transferases during the cell cycle.

The levels of glycoprotein-glycosyl transferases increased at the late G1-early S phase during the cell cycle both in the plasma membrane and in the microsomal fraction. The levels of the enzyme showed a "peak pattern" during the cell cycle. Elevation of the enzyme activity at earlier stages was not influenced by cytosine arabinoside but that at late G1 was completely inhibited.


[Antigenic activities of eggs, egg membranes, metabolic products and hatched larvae from the uterus of dipetalonema viteae (author's transl)].

Eggs of different stages of development, egg membranes, and the fluid isolated from uterus and pseudocoelomic cavity show antigenic properties against sera from Wuchereriasis- and Onchocerciasis-patients in the indirect immunofluorescent test, while hatched larvae did not show any fluorescence. Isolation and simple drying of these antigenic materials on microscopic slides when compared with histologically prepared antigenic material (Methacrylate or cryostate-sections) proved to have quantitatively and qualitatively equal antigenic properties in the immunofluorescent test with considerable technical, time and money saving advantages. These observations indicate further that the elements of the female reproductive system are group specific antigens responsible for the immune response in the host.


Carrier-mediated taurine uptake in the fetal mouse heart.

Myocardial taurine concentrations have been found to be elevated in hypertension and congestive heart failure states in animals and humans. The mechanism(s) by which myocardial taurine levels increase isn't known. Biosynthesis of taurine by the heart has not been established as a significant process. The fetal mouse heart in culture was used to characterize a taurine uptake system. The uptake of taurine was found to be saturable, temperature and sodium dependent and inhibited by close structural analogs. Taurine uptake was energy dependent and accumulated taurine against a concentration gradient indicating that taurine transport is an active process. Failure of alpha-alanine, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, glycine, leucine or threonine to decrease taurine uptake establishes that the taurine uptake system is separate and distinct from other neutral alpha-amino acid transport systems in the heart.


The George M. Kober lecture: a genetical view of modern medicine.

A genetic approach to medicine provides a powerful concept for understanding of the etiology of many diseases. Significant investigative and therapeutic advances have already been made in the chromosomal and Mendelian diseases using genetic concepts which initially were discovered completely unrelated to medicine. The combination of unfettered basic biomedical research together with family and population studies is likely to bring new insights to understanding, prevention and treatment of the yet poorly understood multifactorial diseases which represent the greatest public health problems in the Western world. Identification of specific genes involved in susceptibility and resistance to these diseases and their interaction with various environmental factors will allow a more rational preventive medicine in the future.


A survey of thelazia worms in the eyelids of British cattle.

Thelazia skrjabini and T gulosa were found in the eyes of 237 of 566 bovine heads (41.9 per cent) examined in a Surrey abattoir during 1976. The prevalence of infection increased during late June, July and August, when a new generation of worms emerged in eyes. The burden in eyes ranged from one to 170 worms, with a mean count of 10.44 +/- 3.23. Worms were found behind and in third eyelids and in the lacrimal ducts of lower eyelids, which makes their detection very difficult by clinical examination. They were significantly more common in cattle 21 to 38 months old than in those less than 21 months old. Lesions occurred in 14 of 327 (4.3 per cent) infected eyes. No worms were seen in eye washings from cattle in nine herds experiencing outbreaks of keratoconjunctivitis.


A rigid lamb syndrome in sheep in Rhodesia.

A syndrome characterised by the birth of lambs with varying degrees of rigidity of the limbs and spine has been encountered on several occasions in Rhodesia. Outbreaks have occurred in autumn-born lambs from Dorper ewes grazing heavily fertilised Star grass cv No 2 (Cynodon aethiopicus) pastures. The condition appears to be exacerbated by the application of sulphur to the pasture and is partly prevented by the administration of selenium and vitamin E to the ewes before lambing. The aetiology is unknown.


Studies on a sheep freemartin.

A case of intersexuality in a Dorset horn ewe is described. Although possessing female external genitalia this animal had a male internal reproductive tract with inguinal testes, epididymes, vasa deferentia and seminal vesicles. No traces of cervix or uterus were present and the vagina was represented in its caudal part only. Chromosomal studies revealed chimaerism in peripheral leucocytes of the type 54, XX/54, XY, while other tissues revealed the normal female karyotype 54, XX. The ewe was born in a set of triplets with one dead male fetus and one living male. It was therefore concluded that the animal was a freemartin. The significance of this case and of the phenomenon of freemartisism in sheep is discussed.


Enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in Coprinus cinereus (C. lagopus sensu Lewis).

This report describes the detection by spectrophotometric assays of all the enzymes involved in the breakdown of glucose to pyruvate via the EMBDEN-MEYERHOF-PARNAS pathway as well as some enzymes of the hexose monophosphate pathway in cell-free extracts of Coprinus cinereus.


[Production of temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus with the aid of nitrosomethylurea, and their preliminary characteristics].

The possibility of using nitrosomethylurea for production of one-hit temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of vaccinia virus suitable for genetic and biochemical studies was explored. The effect of nitrosomethylurea on replicating DNA of the virus produced 26 ts mutants, the effectiveness of mutagenesis being 10%. In recombination experiments with 12 of them it was shown that all the mutants under study had single ts defects of the genome. All ts mutants were capable of synthesizing DNA under nonpermissive conditions; 16 ts mutants had thermolabile virions.


An improved embalming procedure for long-lasting preservation of the cadaver for anatomical study.

A successful embalming procedure necessary for long-lasting preservation of the cadaver and its subsequent anatomical dissection has been undertaken in our laboratory. In short, the procedure consists of a preembalming treatment with blood clot disperser, removal of blood clots, drainage of blood, and arterial embalming with an embalming machine via both carotid and femoral triangles of the body. The embalming fluid is prepared from methyl alcohol and a small amount of formalin as the fixatives, ethylene glycol as a preservative, and liquefied phenol as a mould preventive. Coloring of the blood vessels is also useful in their identification. Other matters relevant to embalming problems are also discussed.


Cyanoacrylates in transcatheter renal embolization.

Isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate and N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate were used in experimental trans-catheter embolization of rat kidneys and in two patients as preoperative embolization of renal carcinoma. The agents produced an efficient and lasting embolization, with no evident complication; however, their usage is difficult and an appropriate dosage is also difficult.


Evaluation of sensory irritation from acrolein-formaldehyde mixtures.

Groups of mice were exposed to eleven combinations of acrolein-formaldehyde atmospheres and their respiratory rate was monitored. A mathematical model, previously derived for analysis of taste receptor stimulation, was applied to the data obtained for each of the above chemicals alone and in combination. The results obtained suggest that such a model adequately described sensory irritation due to these chemicals and indicates that competitive agonism exists between acrolein and formaldehyde when present together.


Discrete subaortic stenosis in Newfoundland dogs: association of infective endocarditis.

Necropsy findings are described in eight Newfoundland dogs from the same colony with discrete subaortic stenosis. Infective endocarditis involving the aortic valve occurred in four dogs and in each it proved fatal. Damage to the aortic valve cusps by the jet of blood ejected through the discretely narrowed left ventricular outflow tract predisposes to the development of infective endocarditis in both dogs and human beings with discrete subaortic stenosis. Severe abnormality of the intramural coronary arteries in the ventricular septum, which also occurs in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was present in all eight dogs. Myocardial fiber disorganization and asymmetric septal hypertrophy, two other findings observed in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, were absent in each of the eight Newfoundland dogs with discrete subaortic stenosis.


Sudden death in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: characterization of 26 patients with functional limitation.

Sudden death is a recognized complication in symptomatic patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, its occurrence in patients with no or transient previous cardiac symptoms presents a particularly challenging diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. Therefore, 26 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy whose death was the first definitive manifestation of cardiac disease were evaluated. Their ages ranged from 8 to 49 years (mean 18) and 23 were less than 25 years of age; 19 were male and 7 female. Of the 26 patients, 13 died during or immediately after moderate or severe physical exertion. Of 12 patients with previous cardiac catheterization, 6 had no or a small left ventricular outflow tract gradient under basal conditions and 6 had an outflow gradient of 50 mm Hg or greater. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was elevated in nine patients, and the ventricular septum was moderately to severely thickened (17 mm or more) in all patients. The electrocardiogram was abnormal in all 19 patients studied before death. Thus, sudden death may be the first definitive manifestation of cardiac disease in some patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although the effects of patient selection in this study group cannot be excluded, sudden death was common in children and young adults and was often related to physical exertion; each patient showed a distinctly abnormal electrocardiogram and moderate to severe ventricular septal thickening.