The epidemiology of depressive disorder.

The concept of depression is reviewed. Depression is defined as a syndrome and thus involves particularly subjective decisions by the diagnostician. The conceptual difficulties which arise from this are outlined. The rate of risk is reviewed, using both studies of treated cases and community interview surveys. The study of treated rates tells more of the variables affecting the process of declaration than of depression. It is proposed that case-finding has the prerequisite of precise case-definition with a standardized instrument. Only then can comparability be reached. The effect sociodemographic variables on rates of risk is analysed: it is concluded that they do not account for much of the variance because they are at best gross measures. The role of life events is assessed and it is argued that only by the study of their possible interactions with other factors will an adequate causal explanation of depression be achieved. The usefulness of this as a validation of the concept of depression is emphasized. In this paper we shall firstly look at how concepts of depression affect the process of arriving at a diagnosis and secondly at policies of case finding. We are then in a position to survey critically the findings of epidemiology in the study of depression. Finally, we will review work which throws light on the social causation of depression with the emphasis on recent developments.


Effect of isometric strength training of mechanical, electrical, and metabolic aspects of muscle function.

Monozygous twin pairs (two female and four male) were used in a strength training study so that one member of each pair served as training subject (TS) and the other members as nonexercising controls (CS). TS trained four times a week for 12 weeks with maximal isometric knee extensions of the right leg. The parameters studied included muscle strength, endurance time, electromyographic activity, and activities of several key enzymes in nonoxidative an oxidative muscle metabolism. The results disclosed that in addition to a 20% increase in isometric knee extension strength in the trained leg of TS, an average increase of 11% was observed in strength of TS untrained leg. CS did not demonstrate any change in muscle strength. Training also included an improvement in the maintenance of a static load of 60% of the pretraining maximum. Increase in the maximum integrated electromyographic activity (IEMG) of the rectus femoris muscle occurred concomitantly with the knee extension strength. Traning also caused reduction in the IEMG/tension ratio at submaximal loads indicating a more econimical usage of the rectus femoris muscles. Muscle biopsies taken from the vastus lateralis muscle showed that the enzyme activities of MDH, SDH, and HK were higher, and LDH and CPK lower in the trained leg as compared to the nontrained control leg of TS or to the values of the untrained member of the twin pair. It is concluded that isometric strength training as used in the present study can cause increased recruitment of the availabel motor unit pool, improved efficiency at submaximal loads, and surprisingly also enchancement of the oxidative metabolism in the muscle.


Photooxidation of soybean apoleghemoglobin with protoporphyrin IX, heme and dye.

Soybean apoleghemoglobin a was irradiated with visible light in the presence of different sensitizers to probe the heme environment of the protein. With protoporphyrin IX as sensitizer, specific photooxidation of histidine-92 and histidine-61 occurred. Irradiation of oxyleghemoglobin and cyanleghemoglobin resulted in photooxidation of histidine-92, while addition of methylene blue caused both histidine-92 and histidine-61 to be oxidized. Apoleghemoglobin, irradiated in the presence of rose bengal or methylene blue, lost tryptophan-128 in addition to the two histidines.


Force-time characteristics and fiber composition in human leg extensor muscles.

Recording of the force-time (f-t) characteristics of muscular contraction expresses the rate at which tension is developed. To further understand the problems involved in force production during voluntary contraction, the f-t curve was registered during maximal voluntary isometric extension of both legs performed in the sitting position with the knee angle at 107 degrees. 38 athletes representing various sport events, five pairs of monozygous, and ten pairs of dizygous twins were used as subjects. The reference group consisted of eight normal men. The data disclosed that the time to produce certain force levels showed good trial-to-trial and satisfactory day-to-day reproducibility below tension levels of 0.9 x PO. At these force levels the time of tension development was positively (p less than 0.05) related to the per cent distribution of slow twitch fibers in the vastus lateralis muscle. This result is consistent with animal experiments concerning the mechanical characteristics of slow and fast muscles. In addition, it was observed that the athletic groups had f-t curves different from the other subjects. Genetic factors had only slight influence on the f-t measurement.


Influence of the infection with lipid-containing viruses on the metabolism and pools of phospholipid precursors in animal cells.

The influence of infection with three different lipid-containing RNA viruses, Newcastle disease virus, fowl plague virus, and Semliki Forest virus on the phosphatidylcholine precursors of chick embryo cells and of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells has been measured. In chick embryo cells infection with Newcastle disease virus does not influence the energy charge, or the distribution and absolute pool sizes of the precursors or the choline phosphotransferase activity. In chick embryo cells infected with fowl plague virus the CDP-choline pool increases because of an inhibition of the choline phosphotransferase activity. The phosphorylcholine and CTP pools are smaller in infected cells when compared with mock-infected ones, although the energy charge is not influenced by infection. In chick embryo cells as well as in BHK cells the energy charge is diminished by infection with Semliki Forest virus. Therefore the CTP and phosphorylcholine pools are decreased. The CDP-choline pool in chick embryo cells becomes extremely small after infection with Semliki Forest virus because of a significant stimulation of the choline phosphotransferase. In BHK cells infected with Semliki Forest virus the opposite effect is observed. There are also severe effects on the uptake of the labeled precursors by infection. One and the same virus (Semliki Forest virus) has two completely different effects on the phosphatidylcholine precursors when infecting two different cell types. If one and the same cell type (chick embryo cells) is infected with three different lipid-containing RNA viruses also completely different effects on the phosphatidylcholine precursors were observed. Thus, each virus develops its own strategy to influence the lipid metabolism of the host cell, depending also on the choice of the host. This explains the many disturbing contradictory results described in the literature about the influence of lipid-containing viruses on the lipid metabolism of the host.


Complete assignment of aromatic 1H nuclear magnetic resonances of the tyrosine residues of hen lysozyme.

The complete assignment of the aromatic proton nuclear magnetic resonances of the three tyrosine residues in hen lysozyme is reported. These assignments were made using double resonance techniques, specific chemical modifications of one residue (Tyr-23), and by interpretation of the effects of paramagnetic lanthanide ions. Some aspects of the behaviour of the tyrosine residues are reported, including pK values, reactivity towards modifying agents and conformational mobility.


An unidentified neonatal progeroid syndrome: follow-up report.

Two male infants with a pseudo-hydrocephalic progeroid syndrome with natal teeth are compared with two very similar female cases reported in the literature and interpreted as congenital progeria. All these cases may represent a separate entity, a previously unrecognized genetic progeroid syndrome.


Left ventricular function in patients with hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy.

From 1970 to 1977 the diagnosis of hypertrophic, nonobstructive cardiomyopathy was made by clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic findings in 13 patients (2 females and 11 males). Echocardiography showed asymmetric septal hypertrophy in 10 of the 12 evaluated patients (83%) and symmetric hypertrophy of the septum and the posterior wall in 2 patients (17%). Systolic anterior motion of the anterior mitral leaflet was found in 5 patients (42%) although there was no obstruction of the outflow tract. Significantly higher angiographic ejection parameters were present in the 13 patients with cardiomyopathy compared to 13 control patients and the angiographic lateral wall thickness was significantly larger in patients with cardiomyopathy than in controls. The clinical course was followed during 36 mth; a stable course was found in 8 (group A) and a deterioration in 5 patients (group B). Physical working capacity and left ventricular systolic ejection fraction were significantly higher in group A than in group B. Ejection fraction in group B was similar to that of the controls whereas physical working capacity was depressed. Thus, in nonobstructive cardiomyopathy a higher than normal ejection fraction is needed to maintain a normal physical working capacity. Th increased ejection performance seems, however, not to be related to an increase in muscle fiber shortening, but can be explained by geometric reasons.


Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with unusual involvement of the right ventricle.

4 cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are reported. In all of them, the onset of symptoms occurred before the 8th mth of life, and were characterized by severe right cardiac failure. In 3 cases the catheterization revealed significant decrease in right ventricular compliance and severe reduction of its cavity. The pathological studies were consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with predominant involvement of the right ventricle. The pedigree disclosed a Mendelian autosomal recessive type of inheritance.


Single-dose tolerance to antinociception, and physical dependence on beta-endorphin in mice.

beta-Endorphin (B-EN) injected intracerebroventricularly in mice produced a rapid onset, dose-dependent antinociceptive effect. The median analgesic dose (AD50) 30 min following administration was found to be 270 ng/mouse (3.7 nmoles/kg). B-EN produced an acute, single-dose tolerance which was characterized by its dose dependence and the time course of its development. Single-dose tolerance development was demonstrable with doses twice or more the AD50. Tolerance was maximal at about 12 h following the priming dose and disappeared within 48 h. Tolerance was accompanied by some degree of physical dependence as noted by signs of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal similar to those elicitable in the morphine-dependent state. Tolerance development to B-EN was blocked by the simultaneous administration of naloxone and also by pretreatment with 0.35 mg/kg actinomycin D or 30 mg/kg cycloheximide 30 min before B-EN. It appears that single-dose tolerance to B-EN was initiated by processes similar to those involved with tolerance resulting from chronic administration of morphine.


6-OHDA lesion to the dorsal noradrenergic bundle alters morphine-induced locomotor activity and catalepsy.

Rats show an initial depression in locomotor activity in response to doses of morphine greater than 5 mg/kg during the first hour after injection which is followed by a prolonged hyperactive phase. The effect of bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions to the dorsal noradrenergic bundle on this biphasic action of morphine was studied. These lesions were found to significantly potentiate the locomotor depressant effects of morphine at 10.0 and 20.0 mg/kg while leaving the subsequent stimulant action of morphine unchanged. The cataleptic action of morphine at 20.0 mg/kg as measured in a separate test was also potentiated. These lesions were found to deplete hippocampal and cortical noradrenaline (NA) to 3% and hypothalamic NA to 32% of control values and also to cause significant increases in cerebellar and spinal NA. These data suggest a role for NA in the depressant effects of morphine but not in its subsequent stimulant actions which appear to be mediated by other neurochemical systems.


Irritable aggression and open field behavior in rats given 2-phenylcyclopropylamines.

Adult male Wistar rats given an i.p. injection (3 ml/kg) of a 2-phenylcyclopropylamine (59 mumol/kg) were tested 3--5 h later for shock-induced aggression, jump threshold, stereotypic movement, rearing and ambulation. Shock-induced aggression was facilitated by trans-1-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (1-TPCP) and was suppressed by trans-d-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (d-TPCP). Neither drug affected jump threshold. The effects of 1-TPCP and d-TPCP on irritable aggression are discussed in terms of the effects of the drugs on monoaminergic mechanisms. A behavioral syndrome of increased stereotypic behavior of the serotonin-dependent type as well as decreased rearing and ambulation occurred in rats given d-TPCP, trans-dl-2-phenylcyclopropylamine, 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-cyclopropylamine and 2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-cyclopropylamine, but not in rats given 1-TPCP, cis-dl-2-phenylcyclopropylamine, 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-cyclopropylamine or 2-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)-cyclopropylamine. The findings suggest that the behavioral syndrome depended in part on the absence of a chlorine substitution in the ortho position of the phenyl ring.


Evidence that a nigral gabaergic--cholinergic balance controls posture.

The intranigral injection of kainic acid (k.a.) (3.5 nM/s.n.) produced a lesion which resulted in a decreased muscarinic receptor binding capacity and in a decreased choline acetyl transferase (CAT) activity confined to the pars reticulata. The unilateral, intranigral injection of carbachol in the substantia nigra (s.n.) produced turning, ipsilateral to the injected side, of dose-related intensity, which was antagonized by scopolamine given either i.p. or intranigrally together with carbachol. The bilateral, intranigral injection of carbachol produced rigid catalepsy, highly resistant to apomorphine administration and antagonized by scopolamine. On the other hand, the catalepsy produced by intranigral picrotoxin was much more sensitive to apomorphine and was disrupted by systemic scopolamine administration. Intranigral scopolamine per se produced either contralateral turning or stereotyped movements consistently, when injected unilaterally or bilaterally, respectively. In addition, scopolamine injected bilaterally in the s.n. but not in the caudate nucleus (c.n.), at the concentration of 64 nM side, was able to antagonize the haloperidol-induced catalepsy and to prevent the tremors and the muscular rigidity produced by arecoline. This effect of scopolamine was surmountable with a higher dose of arecoline. Finally, intranigral muscimol (0.44 nM/s.n.) prevented the occurrence of the parkinsonian syndrome produced by systemic arecoline. It is concluded that the muscarinic receptors present in the s.n. pars reticulata play a role in the control of posture opposite to that of the nigral GABA receptors.


Electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus: new observations on the parameters necessary for ovulation in rats anaesthetised with pentobarbitone during the pro-oestrous "critical period".

The experiments were designed to specifiy optimal parameters of hypothalamic electrical stimulation to induce ovulation in rats anaesthetised with pentobarbitone during the "critical period" on the afternoon of pro-oestrous. We have established that duration of stimulation in the arcuate region of the hypothalamus is of greater importance than total number of pulses delivered. The minimum period of stimulation to ensure that all rats ovulated was 45 min. However, stimulation in the arcuate region did not have to be continuous throughout this period. Indeed, three 5-min bursts at 100 Hz distributed equally through 45 min always caused ovulation whereas a continuous 15-min stimulation at the same frequency was without effect. With 30 min of continuous stimulation in the arcuate region, at frequencies ranging from 10 to 100 Hz, approximately half of the rats ovulated.


Permeability coefficients of the egg-case membrane of Scyliorhinus canicula L.

The cleidoic egg-case of the dogfish appears to have a highly porous and permeable outer membrane, the pore radius being computed to be 13.6 A. It does not present any physiological barrier to small molecules and therefore constitutes an open ionic and osmotic system for the embryo. Being a porous protein membrane it may be of value as a model for molecular transport mechanisms.


Electron microscopical observation of the contact between ribosomes and detergent-resistant cytofilaments.

The contact of cytofilaments with ribosome-like particles in Triton X-100-treated cells of Zajdela ascites hepatoma was revealed. It is suggested that cytofilaments are engaged in the transport of ribosomes from the nuclear surface into definite areas of cytoplasm.


[Dynamics of blood circulation and oxygen consumption in mammary glands].

In lactating albino mice, the blood flow rate and oxygen consumption in mammary tissues varied with a period of 45--50 min. The maximal values were reached at the initial stage of the secretory cycle: oxygen consumption 9.7 +/- 2.5 ml O2/100 g.min, and blood flow 94.3 +/- 21.2 ml/100 g.min. The minimal values of oxygen consumption and blood flow ere recorded on the 30--35th min of the secretory cycle and were 1.2 +/- 0.4 ml O2/100 g.min and 16.2 +/- 5.3 ml/100 g.min, respectively. Oxygen consumption by the secretory cells at the beginning of the secretory cycle averaged 19.3 +/- 5.2 ml 92/100 g.min, and within 30--35 min--3.3 +/- 1.1 ml O2/100 g.min. The linear relations between the intensity of blood flow and oxygen consumption in the mammary gland were revealed.


[Biorhythm structure as one of the criteria of the body's capacity for physiologic adaptation].

In order to establish the criteria of the organism's ability for adaptation, we examined 16 healthy subjects, 10 of whom were able to very well adapt themselves to changes in environment, whereas 6 subjects could not do that well enough. In the background examinations (and for the well-adapting subjects in examinations made after meridian crossing in flight), the blood pressure, heart rate, and capillaroscopic picture were recorded during 3 days 5 times a day. Apart from that, the biorhythmic structure of the natural nocturnal sleep EEG was analysed. The data obtained showed that the well-adapting subjects had these characteristics of the biorhythms structure: relatively higher mean values of the parameters under study, a major dispersion of these values over different hours of the day and night, and clear temporal structure of the 24-hr curve as expressed by occurrence of the maximal and the minimal values of the functions at the same hours.


The kinetics of inhibition with methotrexate and vinblastine of the primary immune response to sheep red blood cells in mice.

Forty-eight or 72 h after immunization with sheep red blood cells, CBA mice were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of methotrexate or vinblastine, 2.5 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg respectively, and then the number of direct plaque-forming cells in their spleen was estimated at 4-h intervals. The PFC growth curve showed an exponential and staircase pattern. After administration of both cytostatics, the PFC numbers in the spleen of mice changed in a wave-like fashion: the increase was accompanied by a decrease. In some parts of the curves obtained the PFC numbers increased or decreased 2 to 7 times within 4 hours. A marked increase in PFC numbers in the controls and in animals treated with both cytostatics occurred at 60, 72--76, 84--88 h of the immune response. It is suggested that methotrexate and vinblastine do not prevent recruitment of precursor cells into PFC and consequently the number of PFC increases. The decrease in PFC numbers under the influence of both cytostatics presumably results from "unbalanced growth".


Microtubule reassembly-interactions between microtubules and pore complexes, endoplasmic reticulum and 100 A filaments in tumour cells in vitro.

100 A filaments and annulate lamellae were often observed in the vicinity of vinblastine-induced paracrystals in tumour cells treated with nocodazole. There was often a direct continuity between 100 A filaments and paracrystals. The assembly of microtubules was examined in nocodazole-treated cells with special attention to possible initiating sites. We found an apparent association of microtubules with pore like structures associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. A complex system of 100 A filaments, microtubules and endoplasmic reticulum was observed. The significance of these results is discussed.


Modified desmosomes in cultured epithelial cells.

Junctional complexes are described in various cultured cells of epithelial origin and morphology which show structural features different from those of both typical maculae adhaerentes and fasciae adhaerentes. Established rat kangaroo kidney-derived cell lines (PtK1 and PtK2) and secondary cultures of cells derived from lactating bovine mammary gland epithelium (BMGE) have been studied in particular detail. Several types of modified desmosomes are described which are characterized by altered dimensions and spacings of the individual desmosomal units, variations in intercellular gap width, less distinct submembranous coats and midline structures (dense strata) of the intercellular space, and lack of attachment of typical tonofibril-like bundles of tonofilaments. The observations suggest that progressive changes in junction morphology from desmosome-like to that of a more intermediate junction frequently occur during in vitro culturing of epithelial cells.


Pharmacogenetics of tolbutamide metabolism in humans.

This study was designed to focus on the genetic control of tolbutamide dispositon in humans and to provide insight into the potential for high accrued blood levels in individuals receiving fixed dosage regimens. Tolbutamide was administered intravenously to 42 nondiabetic subjects, eight of their relatives, and to five sets of twins. A ninefold variation in the rate of tolbutamide disappearance from plasms (Kd) was found. This variation was characterized by a trimodal frequency distribution, suggestive of monogenic inheritance and consistent with pedigree analysis, indicating autosomal transmission of rapid and slow inactivation of tolbutamide. A heritability value of 0.995 for Kd indicated little influence of environmental factors on variation of this rate. Interindividual differences in the binding of 35S-tolbutamide to serum proteins were also assessed. No correlation was found between tolbutamide serum protein binding affinity and Kd. Analysis of the metabolites of tolbutamide in urine samples provided evidence for the microsomal oxidation of the drug to hydroxytolbutamide as the primary site of genetic control. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for monogenic control of tolbutamide metabolism in man. The results suggest that fixed dosage regimens of this drug, as were prescribed in the controversial University Group Diabetes Program study, might lead to higher accrued blood levels in slow inactivators.


[Spontaneous hyperstimulation of the ovaries with luteal cysts and ascites during a twin pregnancy-extreme case of the syndrome of painfull early pregnancy (author's transl)].

Laparotomy was performed in a para II gravida II of 28 years in an early twin pregnancy. The left ovary was enlarged to 18 X 8 cm, the right ovary to 1i X 8 cm by luteal cysts. The abdominal cavity contained an ample amount of peritoneal fluid. The history is understood as spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation, and as an extreme case of the relatively common syndrome of painfull early pregnancy, occasionally leading to unnecessary surgical intervention.


Diurnal serum levels of primary conjugated bile acids. Assessment by specific radioimmunoassays for conjugates of cholic and chenodeoxycholic acid.

The serum levels of conjugates of chenodeoxycholic acid (chenyl conjugates) and of cholic acid (cholyl conjugates) were determined by specific radioimmunoassays during a 24-hour period, which included three liquid meals and an overnight fast, in five healthy volunteers, five patients with previous cholecystectomy, five patients with documented bile acid malabsorption because of ileal resection, and four pregnant women. In healthy subjects, fasting-state levels of chenyl conjugates, when compared with those of cholyl conjugates, were higher; postprandially, levels of chenyl conjugates rose to a peak sooner (30 minutes vs 60 minutes) and to higher levels (5.2 +/- 1.3 muM vs 2.0 +/- 0.5 muM, M +/- SE). In cholecystectomised patients, the integrated areas under the curve for both bile acids were similar to those of the healthy controls, but postprandial peaks were less marked. In patients with bile acid malabsorption, postprandial rises of chenyl conjugates were lower but remained relatively constant throughout the day, whereas cholyl conjugate levels diminished progressively with each successive meal, consistant with depletion of the cholyl, but not the chenyl, pool. In three of four pregnant women, the postprandial rise of chenyl conjugates was disproportionately less compared with that of healthy controls. These results confirm the dynamic complexity of serum bile acid levels in man and indicate that the major circulating primary bile acids are chenyl conjugates. They support previous proposals that jejunal absorption of chenyl conjugates is important in the normal enterohepatic circulation of bile acids; and they suggest an abnormality in the enterohepatic circulation in pregnancy.


Epithelial rat liver cells have cell surface receptors recognizing a phosphorylated carbohydrate on lysosomal enzymes.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase by cultured epithelial rat liver cells is inhibited by mannose, L-fucose and most effectively by mannose 6-phosphate. Endocytosis of alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase is lost after treatment of the enzyme with alkaline phosphatase. These findings indicate that epithelial rat liver cells possess cell surface receptors that recognize a phosphorylated carbohydrate on alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase, as was previously reported for cell surface receptors of human skin fibroblasts. Inhibition of alpha-mannosidase endocytosis by epithelial rat liver cells in the presence of mannose 6-phosphate and loss of enzyme endocytosis after treatment with alkaline phosphatase suggest that this enzyme is recognized by the same receptor.


Sexual differentiation of the brain.

Ontogenetically the brain is female and, regardless of genetic sex, would remain so if not exposed to gonadal hormones at a critical stage in its development. Research in animals in which this exposure occurs after birth is providing evidence that the differentiation of the neural substrates that regulate pituitary activity and sexual behavior is localized to a particular hypothalamic region.


Origin of mitotic cells of the chorionic villi in direct chromosome analysis.

The origin of mitotic cells was investigated histologically in chorionic tissue, metaphase plates of which were used for direct cytogenetic study. Mitotic figures were often observed in the Langhans' cell layers, but absolutely none were seen in the syncytium and stromal cells.


Environmental backgrounds of young Chinese nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Twenty-four Chinese NPC patients under 25 years of age at the time of diagnosis were interviewed. The interviews were carried out in the presence of their families in 22 cases and concentrated on the environmental background of the subject's infancy and early childhood. An analysis of the results eliminated household inhalants, aerial contaminants, medicines, food therapy, spices, fresh foods and soya sauce as likely factors in carcinogenesis. The only remaining foods eaten by all subjects and worthy of consideration were laap cheung, salted fish and tau si. Salted fish was the most commonly eaten and the only one fed to babies. In childhood, the subjects had rarely or never been fed vegetables or fruits. Most had, since childhood, been characteristically sickly, inactive, withdrawn and choosy about their food. It would appear that consumption of salted fish and vitamin C-deficiency in early childhood are important environmental factors and that a certain personality type may be associated with an increased risk.


Analysis for volatile nitrosamines in salt-preserved foodstuffs traditionally consumed by southern Chinese.

Six types of salted fish and 10 other sorts of salted food products traditionally consumed by southern Chinese were analysed by GC-MS for the presence of volatile nitrosamines. The detection limit in the original raw food was 1 microg/kg for each nitrosamine. Only NDMA, in the range of 1-35 microg/kg, could be detected, in four of the six types of salted fish samples examined; and no nitrosamines were found in the other salted food products.


Comparison of tissue-cultured bovine endothelial cells from aorta and saphenous vein.

Endothelial cells were harvested from bovine aorta and saphenous vein with collagenase and cultured in McCoy's 5a medium (modified GIBCO) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were subcultured through 17 passages over 4 to 5 months. The growth properties in culture of the two cell types were compared. Morphological comparisons included phase microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Comparisons with cultured aortic smooth-muscle cells were made using phase and scanning electron microscopy. No differences were found between cultured endothelial cells from aorta and saphenous vein. Differences in growth patterns in culture clearly distinguished both endothelial cell types from smooth-muscle cells. The presence of Weibel-Palade bodies identified the cells from both sources as endothelial.


Development of Sertoli cell junctions in vitro--a freeze-fracture study.

Seminiferous tubules of 1-day-old rats were maintained in organ culture for up to 40 days. Five classes of intercellular junctions between Sertoli cells were observed by the freeze-fracture method as the tissue aged: (a) typical gap junctions; (b) focal tight junctions; (c) macular tight junctions; (d) meandering tight junctions; and (e) extensive tight junctions. The relative proportions of these types of Sertoli cell junctions were quantitated as the organ cultures progressed. The junctional structures observed and classified in organ culture were identical to those seen in vivo, but the timing of their appearance and/or disappearance, as well as their relative proportions, was different from that observed in the developing animal. Extensive tight junctions, with numerous parallel strands, were observed in the 40-day cultures; however, their oblique orientation with respect to the myoid layer was in contrast to the parallel orientation observed in vivo.


Decontamination of bacterial infection of monolayer cultures with a specific bacteriophage.

A few cell lines and primary monolayer cultures were accidentally infected by bacteria. These cultures were successfully decontaminated by means of the specific bacteriophage virus after quick identification of the responsible bacteria. This method presents a practical interest for preservation of valuable cultures.


IgG1 and IgG2 immunoglobulins to Bacteroides (Fusiformis) nodosus protease in infected and immunized sheep.

Sheep experimentally infected with foot rot developed antibodies that neutralized the proteolytic activity of Bacteroides nodosus culture filtrates in vitro. Similar antibody activity developed in sheep vaccinated against foot rot. In both cases the antibody was initially only associated with the IgG2 fraction of serum, but with time there was an increase in the proportion associated with IgG1. A subsidiary protein peak devoid of antiprotease activity was observed in elution profiles of affected and vaccinated sheep.


Host defense mechanisms against influenza virus: interaction of influenza virus with murine macrophages in vitro.

The interaction of mouse macrophages with influenza virus was examined as part of a study into the defense mechanisms against influenza infection. Macrophages exposed to A/Port Chalmers/1/73 virus produced infectious foci on susceptible indicator cell monolayers. Sampling of supernatant fluids and cells from infected macrophage cultures showed release of virus adsorbed to the cell surface. Active virus replication in macrophages could not be demonstrated. Exposing macrophages to specific antibody before or after virus infection resulted in a significant decrease in the number of infectious macrophages. The results suggest that although macrophages are not the source of replicating influenza virus, they are able to spread the infection by having virus attaching to their surface. This activity is interfered with by the presence of specific antibody.


Requirement of calcium ions for cell degeneration with a toxin (vibriolysin) from Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

A highly purified toxin (vibriolysin) from Vibrio parahaemolyticus caused degeneration of cell shape, such as bleb and balloon formation, of mouse myocardial cells and mouse melanoma cells in culture. An extracellular Ca2+ concentration of more than 10(-6) M was necessary for the degeneration of cell shape, but extracellular Mg2+, Na+, and K+ were not necessary. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, vibriolysin also caused full contraction of myofibrils of mouse myocardial cells and reduction of both actin cables and tubulin networks of mouse melanoma cells. Vibriolysin also caused excess uptake of Ca2+ from the incubation medium by mouse myocardial cells and mouse melanoma cells. Chick myocardial cells, which show neither degeneration of cell shape nor full contraction of myofibrils, did not take up excess 45Ca2+ in the presence of vibriolysin. These findings suggest that the vibriolysin-induced degeneration of cell shape of mouse myocardial cells and mouse melanoma cells is due to excess uptake of Ca2+ from the incubation medium by the cells.


Serum pseudocholinesterase variants in Mexican-born patients with lepromatous leprosy.

No difference in the distribution of serum pseudocholinesterase variants could be found in lepromatous leprosy patients as compared with controls. The variety of reported relationships of pseudocholinesterase variants in leprosy suggests that only in some populations is a locus regulating pseudocholinesterase genetically linked to a hypothetical locus regulating susceptibility to leprosy.


Use of nitrogen mustard N-oxide for the fixation of electron microscopic tissues.

Nitrogen mustard N-oxide was tried for the fixation of tissue for electron microscopy. A fixative consisting of 1% nitrogen mustard N-oxide, 1% glutaraldehyde and 1% paraformaldehyde buffered at pH 7.4 followed by 1% OsO4 buffered at pH 7.4 was found useful for the tissues examined: thyroid, anterior pituitary, adrenal gland and oviduct of mice. If the tissues are fixed and the sections are stained with uranyl acetate and lead acetate doubly, the follicle colloid, colloid droplets, and secretory granules containing thyroglobulin in the thyroid become higher in electron density. The cisterna of the maturing face of the Golgi apparatus, secretory granules, ribosomes, nucleolus and chromatin in the cells examined are extremely electron dense. Tubular elements of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in the adrenal cortical cell and microtubules in all the cells examined are also well preserved. The fixative containing nitrogen mustard N-oxide is useful also for cytochemistry. Using tissue fixed by this method and stained en bloc by uranyl acetate, the noradrenaline and adrenaline cells in the adrenal medulla are clearly distinguished by light microscopy.


Determination of iodide in nutritional beverage products using an ion selective electrode.

An ion selective electrode procedure is described for the precise, accurate determination of iodide at the sub-ppm level in a variety of nutritional beverages. The relative standard deviation of the analysis is 1--4%; recoveries range from 90 to 120%. Comparison with results from neutron activation analysis and the traditional Sandell-Kolthoff procedure shows that the ion selective electrode procedure is free of determine error and that dry ashing of samples can lead to low results.


A leprosy health education project.

Results of a survey of knowledge and attitudes of the general public towards leprosy and knowledge, attitudes and practices of leprosy patients are reported. This survey is the base line for a health education project, based on social psychological theories of behavior, which is described. The results of the survey show that the general public has very little knowledge about leprosy; patients have more knowledge. Attitudes measured with a Likert scale are negative for the general public and only slightly positive for the patients. Allopathic treatment for leprosy is preferred by most, but many do not relate the "patch" to leprosy and therefore do not seek early treatment. In addition, many patients do not complete the treatment. There is much need for health education.


Automated fluorometric determination of vitamin A in milk.

A previously published fluorometric method for vitamin A in milk, involving saponification in centrifuge tubes and extraction with hexane, was automated using conventional automated equipment including a filter fluorometer. The extraction and separation steps were affected by the presence of fat, so standards were prepared in milk. The peaks obtained with samples were 95% of steady state values. The coefficients of variation for 10 replicate analyses were 1.9% for unfortified milk and 1.3% for fortified milk. In tests on 19 different milk samples, the results of the automated and manual fluorometric methods differed by less than 10%; a colorimetric method using SbCl3 gave more erratic results and was more lengthy and laborious.


Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of sodium 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoate residues on soybeans and foliage, soil, milk, and liver.

Residues of sodium 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoate and its free acid are determined by treating a sample extract with diazomethane to convert the residues to methyl 5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoate. This compound is purified by chromatography on Florisil and measured by electron capture gas-liquid chromatography. The method has been used on soybeans, soybean foliage, soil, milk, and liver. It can detect 0.01 ppm with recoveries of 70--75%.


Occurrence of mRNA for storage protein in dry soybean seeds.

Poly(A)-containing RNA has been isolated from the cotyledons of soybean seeds by adsorption on a poly(U)-Sepharose column. Approximately 0.15% of the total soybean RNA applied bound to the column. The bound RNA (poly(A)-containing RNA) was shown to be mRNA by its ability to serve as template in a cell-free system derived from wheat germ. Poly(A)-containing RNA was polydisperse, migrating from approximately 50,000 to 700,000 daltons with a mean of 150,000 daltons in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The size of the poly(A) portion of this RNA was in the range of 55 to 290 nucleotides. The adenylic acid content of the presumed poly(A) fragment was about 95%. The radioactive products of translation directed by the poly(A)-containing RNA in the wheat germ cell-free system were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by immunoprecipitation using antisera against beta-conglycinin and glycinin. The results of this investigation show that mRNAs for the subunit proteins of the major components of a soybean storage protein exist in the poly(A)-containing RNA preparation obtained from the cotyledons of dry soybean seeds.


Functions of cytoplasmic fibers in intracellular movements in BHK-21 cells.

After trypsinization and replating, BHK-21 cells spread and change shape from a rounded to a fibroblastic form. Time-lapse movies of spreading cells reveal that organelles are redistributed by saltatory movements from a juxtanuclear position into the expanding regions of cytoplasm. Bidirectional saltations are seen along the long axes of fully spread cells. As the spreading process progresses, the pattern of saltatory movements changes and the average speed of saltations increases from 1.7 MICROMETER/S during the early stages of spreading to 2.3 micrometer/s in fully spread cells. Correlative electron microscope studies indicate that the patterns of saltatory movements that lead to the redistribution of organelles during spreading are closely related to changes in the degree of assembly, organization, and distribution of microtubules and 10-nm filaments. Colchicine (10 microgram/ml of culture medium) reversibly disassembles the microtubule-10-nm filament complexes which form during cell spreading. This treatment results in the disappearance of microtubules and the appearance of a juxtanuclear accumulation of 10-nm filaments. These changes closely parallel an inhibition of saltatory movements. Within 30 min after the addition of the colchicine, pseudopod-like extensions form rapidly at the cell periphery, and adjacent organelles are seen to stream into them. The pseudopods contain extensive arrays of actinlike microfilament bundles which bind skeletal-muscle heavy meromyosin (HMM). Therefore, in the presence of colchicine, intracellular movements are altered from a normal saltatory pattern into a pattern reminiscent of the type of cytoplasmic streaming seen in amoeboid organisms. The streaming may reflect either the activity or the contractility of submembranous microfilament bundles. Streaming activity is not seen in cells containing well-organized microtubule-10-nm filament complexes.


A thin-section and freeze-fracture study of microfilament-membrane attachments in choroid plexus and intestinal microvilli.

Choroid plexus and intestinal microvilli in thin sections have microfilaments in the cytoplasm adjacent to the membranes, and in replicas have broken strands of filaments in both cytoplasm and on E faces of plasm membranes. The microfilaments contain actin as indicated by their binding of heavy meromyosin (HMM). In sections of choroid plexus, the microfilaments are 7-8 nm in diameter and form a loose meshwork which lies parallel to the membrane and which is connected to the membranes both by short, connecting filaments (8 times 30 nm) and dense globules (approximately 15-20 nm). The filamentous strands seen in replicas are approximately 8 nm in diameter. Because they are similar in diameter and are connected to the membrane, these filamentous strands seen in replicas apparently represent the connecting structures, portions of the microfilaments, or both. The filamentous strands attached to the membrane are usually associated with the E face and appear to be pulled through the P half-membrane. In replicas of intestinal brush border microvilli, the connecting strands attaching core microfilaments to the membrane are readily visualized. In contrast, regions of attachment of core microfilaments to dense material at the tips of microvilli are associated with few particles on P faces and with few filamentous strands on the E faces of the membranes. Freeze-fracture replicas suggest a morphologically similar type of connecting strand attachment for microfilament-membrane binding in both choroid plexus and intestinal microvilli, despite the lack of a prominent core bundle of microfilaments in choroid plexus microvilli.


Two functionally distinct pools of glycosaminoglycan in the substrate adhesion site of murine cells.

Footpad adhesion sites pinch off from the rest of the cell surface during EGTA-mediated detachment of normal or virus-transformed murine cells from their tissue culture substrates. In these studies, highly purified trypsin and testicullar hyaluronidase were used to investigate the selective destruction or solubilization of proteins and polysaccharides in this substrate-attached material (SAM). Trypsin-mediated detachment of cells or trypsinization of SAM after EGTA-mediated detachment of cells resulted in the following changes in SAM composition: (a) solubilization of 50-70% of the glycosaminoglycan polysaccharide with loss of only a small fraction of the protein, (b) selective loss of one species of glycosaminoglycan-associated protein in longterm radiolabeled preparations, (c) no selective loss of the LETS glycoprotein or cytoskeletal proteins in longterm radiolabeled preparations, and (d) selective loss of one species of glycosaminoglycan-associated protein, a protion of the LETS glycoprotein, and proteins Cd (mol wt 47,000 and Ce' (mol wt 39,000) in short term radiolabeled preparations. Digestion of SAM with testicular hyaluronidase resulted in: (a) almost complete solubilization of the hyaluronate and chondroitin sulfate moieties from long term radiolabeled SAM with minimal loss of heparan sulfate, (b) solubilization of a small portion of the LETS glycoprotein and the cytoskeletal proteins from longterm radiolabeled SAM, (c) resistance to solubilization of protein and polysaccharide in reattaching cell SAM which contains principally heparan sulfate, and (d) complete solubilization of the LETS glycoprotein in short term radiolabeled preparations with no loss of cytoskeletal proteins. Thus, there appear to be two distinct pools of LETS in SAM, one associated in some unknown fashion with hyaluronate-chondroitin sulfate complexes, and a second associated with some other component in SAM, perhaps heparan sulfate. These data, together with other results, suggest that the cell-substrate adhesion process may be mediated principally by a heparan sulfate--LETS complex and that hyaluronate-chondroitin sulfate complexes may be important in the detachability of cells from the serum-coated substrate by destabilizing LETS matrices at posterior footpad adhesion sites.


The visualization of actin filament polarity in thin sections. Evidence for the uniform polarity of membrane-associated filaments.

We have developed an improved method for visualizing actin filament polarity in thin sections. Myosin subfragment-1 (S-1)-decorated actin filaments display a dramatically enhanced arrowhead configuration when fixed in a medium which contains 0.2 % tannic acid. With the exception of brush borders from intestinal epithelial cells, the arrowhead periodicity of decorated filaments in a variety of nonmuscle cells is similar to that in isolated myofibrils. The periodicity of decorated filaments in brush borders is significantly smaller. Actin filaments which attach to membranes display a clear, uniform polarity, with the S-1 arrowheads pointing away from the plasma membrane, while those which comprise the stress fibers of myoblasts and CHO cells have antiparallel polarities. These observations are consistent with a sliding filament mechanism of cell motility.


Osmotic properties of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells during the cell cycle.

Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were grown and maintained in continuous spinner culture. The population of dividing cells was synchronized by a double thymidine block technique. Cell cycle phases were determined graphically by plotting mitotic index, cell number, and DNA synthesis against time. Changes in the osmotic properties of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells during the cell cycle are described. Permeability to water is highest at the initiation of S and progressively decreases to its lowest value just after mitosis. Heats of activation for water permeability vary during the cell cycle, ranging from 9-14 kcal/mole. Results may imply changes in the state of water in the membrane during the cycle. The volume of osmotically active cell water is highest during S and early G2 and decreases during the mitotic phase,  as cells undergo division. Total water content remains stable at 82% (w/w) during the cycle. Total concentration of the three major ions (Na, K, Cl), expressed as mEq/liter total cell volume, does not change. The fraction of total cell water which is osmotically active (Ponder's R) decreased gradually from 0.75 at S to about 0.56 following mitosis. Findings suggest that a fraction of the total water within the cell exists in a "bound" form and is, therefore, incapable of being shifted under the driving force of osmotic pressure. This fraction of bound water increases during the cell cycle. Possible alterations in membrane fluidity and the state of water in the cell are discussed.


Neisseria confirmation by an enriched, bicarbonate-containing carbohydrate medium.

A sugar fermentation medium for the confirmation of Neisseria and related species was developed. The medium contained a commercial supplement and a hemoglobin source prepared from lysed sheep erythrocytes. Bicarbonate in the medium substituted for a CO2-supplemented atmosphere. The medium was dispensed into screw-capped tubes. This medium was compared to cystine-Trypticase agar and the modified rapid fermentation test in the confirmation of Neisseria species. Performance of the new medium was equivalent to that of the modified rapid fermentation test, but cystine-Trypticase agar failed to confirm a significant number of clinical isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.


Ability of chimpanzees to respond to symbols of quantity in comparison with that of children and of monkeys.

Four chimpanzees, 4 rhesus monkeys, and 11 children aged 4-9 yr were assessed under comparable conditions for their ability to make use of colors as symbols of quantity. One particular color represented the quantifier "all"; another represented "some"; another represented "one"; a fourth represented "none." These arbitrarily chosen colors retained their individual meanings when the test conditions were varied on three occasions. The ability of the subjects to continue responding appropriately to the colors immediately after a change of test condition was used as the measure of performance. The apes performed like the monkeys, having especial difficulties relative to the children with the most sensitive quantifier "some."


Relation between 22-kHz ultrasonic signals and sociosexual behavior in rats.

The copulatory performance of male rats, tested in a large seminaturalistic environment, was assessed to determine the relation between 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and a range of sociosexual behaviors. The male rats were tested until sexual exhaustion. Such ultrasonic signals were shown to occur in a wider range of sociosexual circumstances than previously reported; for example, the calls occcurred in particular social circumstances during the preejaculatory period as well as during the postejaculatory interval. There was no consistent evidence that the emission of this call during the postejaculatory period consistently functions to keep the female away from the male. The nature and occurrence of postejaculatory ultrasonic signals showed increasing variability in successive ejaculatory series. The results of this and previous studies are interpreted within a semiotic theory of communication. The 22-kHz call is described as a message that makes available the information that the sender is in a socially depressed and withdrawn state.


Mesencephalic participation in the control of sexual behavior in the female rat.

Electric stimuli applied to both pudendal nerves evoked field potentials, unit responses, and multiunit responses in the ventrolateral midbrain, in and around the peripeduncular nucleus. Bilateral lesions placed in this region suppressed sexual behavioral responses (lordosis and courting behavior) of ovariectomized rats primed with 5, 10, 100, and 1,000 microgram of estradiol benzoate and 2 mg of progesterone per kilogram of body weight. It is proposed that the region in question represents a relay station for the integration of sensory and endocrine information concerned in the control of receptive sexual behavior in the female rat.


Idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis as observed in a large community hospital: relation to age and history of hypertension.

The character of idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS) was studied retrospectively in a large community hospital for the six-year period, 1968--1974. Cases were discovered by examining the records of the Cardiac Non-Invasive Laboratory (phono- and echocardiography). Of the 46 cases of IHSS identified, 39 were in patients of the 50--81 age group. Thirty-two (82 percent) of the 39 patients were women, and 25 (78 percent) of these had a significant degree of hypertension. The hypertension had been present for more than five years in 62 percent of the cases. In 84 percent of the elderly females, the cardiac murmur had been present for less than ten years, and in 65 percent for less than five years. There was no family history of IHSS. Eighteen of the 46 IHSS patients underwent cardiac catheterization which confirmed the accuracy of the cardiographic data in all cases. The results of this study indicated that IHSS is usually nonfamilial, predominates in elderly females, and tends to be acquired after a lengthy period of hypertension. Cardiographic data appear highly specific diagnostically, often rendering cardiac catheterization unnecessary. Previous studies have not clearly defined the role of hypertension in the development of IHSS, at least partly because of the highly selective nature of most series reported from referral centers. These series often contain large numbers of younger patients.


The effect of age on reproduction in repeatedly mated female rats.

The effects of age and repeated pregnancies on reproduction were studied in Long-Evans rats. Indices of reproduction measured included estrous cycles, successful mating, numbers of rats producing litters, average litter size, average pup weight and serum LH-from a 4 pm proestrous blood sample. There were no differences in these reproductive parameters between rats with serial pregnancies initiated at 2 or 9 mo of age. The percentage of rats producing normal litters was reduced much faster than the percentage of successfully mated rats with normal ovarian cycles. Although 60% of the rats still had normal ovarian cycles and were mated at 17 mo of age, only one rat (4%) produced a litter. Increasing age and multiple pregnancies did not significantly affect the LH concentration of the proestrous blood sample or the average litter size or pup weight of the rats with successful pregnancies. These data suggest post-ovulatory loss of reproduction in the aging rat.


Regulating hospital labor costs: a case study in the politics of state rate commissions.

With the advent of various attempts to control hospital costs by direct state regulation, labor input costs have become a target of particular attention. This focus is due in part to the unique discretion administrators can exercise over labor factors, and in part to the large absolute part of hospital resources devoted to labor costs, conservatively estimated to be about 55 percent of total budget. This paper examines the impact of state efforts in prospectively setting rates on collective bargaining outcomes in the hospital sector. Specifically, bargaining in New York, Maryland and Connecticut is examined. The paper concludes that government attempts at controlling costs have, in all cases, required the regulatory bodies to consciously exert influence on the collective bargaining process. Further, while such attempts seem to be within the paradigm of multilateral bargaining, there are significant distinguishing features in the role hospital regulatory bodies play in the bargaining process. These variations from the multilateral paradigm may impede the long run ability of rate review efforts to control bargaining outcomes with respect to wages.


Microfluorimetric scanning of sympathetic nerve fibers. An improved method to quantitate formaldehyde induced fluorescence of biogenic amines.

A two dimensional scanning procedure was developed for studying quantitative aspects of formaldehyde induced fluorescence (FIF) from noradrenaline containing nerve fibers. A computer (PDP 12) controlled scanning device was equipped with a cooled photomultiplier, a 0.5 micron scanning stage and a 0.5 micron measuring spot. Photodecomposition was reduced by a high scanspeed (100/sec) and a small excitation field. Digitized images were obtained with a high resolution. Data (10,000/scan) of large scan areas (2500 micron2) in the iris of the rat were transformed into fluorescence histograms, which allowed statistical evaluation. Visible changes induced in the histochemical preparation by administration of drugs (reserpine, L-Dopa) were reflected in characteristic changes in the histograms. A minor reduction in noradrenaline content, which was too small to be detected by visual observation of the microscopical image and by classical microfluorimetric methods, did evoke a significant change in the histograms. It is concluded that microfluorimetric scanning is a very sensitive technique for detecting changes of formaldehyde induced fluorescence from neuronal networks.


Inhibition of epithelial cell death in the secondary palate in vitro by alteration of lysosome function.

The secondary palate in vivo and in vitro exhibits selective cell death at its medialedge epithelium (MEE) at a precise developmental age. This epithelial degeneration is mediated, in part, by MEE lysosomes. Previous studies in vitro (27) showed that the glutamine analogue, diazo-oxo-norleucine (DON), prevented MEE cell death by inhibiting glucosamine synthesis and thereby the glycosylation of proteins without affecting either the synthesis or activity of palatal lysosomal enzymes. In the present study, histochemical examination of MEE from DON treated day-15 rat palates demonstrated that acid phosphatase activity was restricted to Golgi saccules and associated vesicles as well as to lysosomes. Control MEE had reaction product in these structures and distributed diffusely throughout the cytoplasm of degenerating cells. DON treatment therefore appears to alter the intracellular distribution of lysosomal enzymes. Since DON treatment appears to have prevented MEE cell death by inhibiting glycosylation of proteins, glycosylation of lysosomal membranes or lysosomal enzymes may be essential for its role in programmed cell death.


Myxomatosis: changes in the epidemiology of myxomatosis coincident with the establishment of the European rabbit flea Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale) in the Mallee region of Victoria.

Outbreaks of myxomatosis during the winter or spring have coincided with the establishment of the European rabbit flea in the Mallee region. The severity of these outbreaks has varied from causing complete suppression of the normal spring increase in rabbit numbers to being completely ineffective in a year in which late spring rains allowed rabbit breeding to extend into the early summer.In 1973 and 1974 effective spring myxomatosis caused heavy mortality in kittens before they emerged from the warrens. The age of the population increased as the result of few young rabbits coming into the population and of the lessened stress on old rabbits in a low summer-autumn population. This effect was reversed in the late-breeding year, 1976, when flea numbers were apparently too low to maintain a spring outbreak and rabbit numbers increased rapidly.


Inherited 'mosaicism' within the ABO blood group system.

A family with examples of the rare condition known as 'inherited mosaicism affecting the ABO blood groups' has been studied. In this family there were five examples of Bmos:O mosaicism. Blood group gene-specified transferase estimations were studied in this condition for the first time. In 'affected' members, levels of B gene-specified transferase were low, and amounted to only 7--10% of the activity of a normal control. It is proposed that Bmos is correctly classified as a new form of weak B.


Linkage of tobiano coat spotting and albumin markers in a pony family.

Genetic segregation patterns among blood type markers and various phenotypically observed traits were studied in a small herd of ponies. The herd consisted of 10 mares without white spotting and a single stallion with the dominant pattern of tobiano spotting. Comparison of segregation patterns at loci for which the stallion was heterozygous showed tight linkage for the Alb-B and tobiano markers. In 17 cases in which the Alb contribution of the sire could be determined, all 10 foals that inherited AlbB from him were tobiano spotted, and all 7 non-spotted foals inherited his AlbA. The use of the symbol To is proposed for dominantly inherited tobiano spotting linked to the albumin.


Steroidal control of the release of the preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone in the rat.

Experiments were carried out on 4 day cyclic rats or immature rats induced to ovulate by administration of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin. Removal of the ovaries and adrenal glands at 17.00 h of pro-oestrus, i.e. after the critical period, prevented the appearance of the surge of LH. Sham-operation or removal of only one of the sets of glands had no effect. This indicates that the preovulatory increase in the concentration of oestradiol is not solely responsible for the surge of LH; the presence of a steroid, secreted by the ovaries and adrenal glands in the late afternoon of pro-oestrus, is also required. Attempts were made to reinstate the surge of LH in ovariectomized, adrenalectomized rats by administration of one of the steroids normally secreted in late pro-oestrus. Corticosterone, 20alpha- and 20beta-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one and 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone all had no effect. Progesterone injected at the time of the operation stimulated the release of LH but only after the plasma concentration had reached its maximum 3--5 hr after injection. Testosterone also stimulated the release of LH some hours after administration.


Persistence training: a partial reinforcement procedure for reversing learned helplessness and depression.

This article examines the relative merits of either partial or continuous (total) success therapy as a device for reversing learned helplessness and depression in humans. College students experienced (a) no treatment followed by either abbreviated (20 trials) or extended (40 trials) continuous success therapy, (b) soluble problems followed by either abbreviated or extended continuous success therapy, (c) insoluble problems followed by either abbreviated or extended continuous success therapy, or (d) insoluble problems followed be either abbreviated or extended partial success therapy. Subsequently, subjects in all eight groups received 40 escape-extinction trials in which aversive tones were not controllable. The results of this experiment indicated that both continuous and partial success schedules were effective in reversing depressed responding (helplessness) induced by prior exposure to insoluble problems. However, only the partial success therapy schedules produced persistent escape responding in extinction. Also, across therapy procedures, extended therapy generated more response persistence in escape extinction than did abbreviated therapy. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed, and a compatible new treatment program, labeled persistence training, is introduced.


Assessment of the interferon-like activity in preparations of leukocyte pyrogen.

Preparations of crude leukocytes from rabbit peritoneal exudates contain interferon-like activity which may be separated from pyrogen activity both by Sephadex chromatography and by purification of the pyrogen. This indicates that, despite some similarities, leukocyte pyrogen is not an interferon.


Phenotypic mixing between two primate oncoviruses.

Phenotypic mixing between the primate oncoviruses HL23V and BEV has been demonstrated to occur in doubly-infected bat lung (Tb) cells with the production of HL23V(BEV) pseudotype virus. The presence of the HL23V(BEV) pseudotype permitted the host range for replication of HL23V to be extended to murine cells previously 'resistant' to HL23V replication due to a block at the level of virus penetration. Expression of BEV genetic information was observed in doubly-infected rat cells and also in mouse and rat MSV-transformed non-producer cell lines co-cultivated with BEV-producing Tb cells. No evidence for genetic recombination between these viruses could be demonstrated.


Association of normal serum protein antigens with chimpanzee hepatitis B surface antigen particles.

HBsAg/adw was purified from 2.6 liters of pooled plasma from a single chimpanzee carrier by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation followed by isopycnic and rate zonal centrifugation. The different morphological populatilons of HBsAg separated in the final rate zonal centrifugation step were combined into seven pools: two fractions rich in filaments and Dane particles, two pools composed of filaments and 20--28-nm spheres, and three fractions containing mostly 20--28-nm spheres. The purified preparations of HBsAg analyzed for normal serum protein contaminants revealed albumin and traces of IgG. The same samples analyzed after Tween-80 treatment, revealed enhanced quantitites of the previous two contaminants, and in addition, transferrin, traces of alpha2-macroglobulin, IgM, and complement (C3/C3c). The residual contaminants were mostly removed by further purification and fractionation after detergent treatment using zone convection electrofocusing and rate zonal centrifugation. Our findings indicate that conventional purification techniques will not provide preparations of HBsAg free of traces of serum protein contaminants. Many of these are released only by detergent treatments and subsequent purification. It is not yet clear whether detergents release these contaminants from the interior of the particles or from firm association or incorporation within the membranes.


Biological activity of hepatitis B antigens in cell culture.

Direct interference by purified hepatitis B surface antigen or virus particles was not demonstrated in tissue culture. Significant levels of interferon were not induced. The surface antigen did not block the adsorption of other viruses.


Seasonal diurnal variations in LH release in immature female rats and the effect of pinealectomy.

In springtime only, LH release in young immature female rats shows an increase at 2 p.m. Pinealectomy, performed early after birth, abolishes this increase.


Effect of anticonvulsants on plasma testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin levels.

Plasma sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and testosterone levels were measured in 29 patients with epilepsy (16 men and 13 women), most of them on chronic therapy with anticonvulsant drugs. Sex hormone binding globulin concentrations were increased in both sexes and testosterone levels in male patients. It is postulated that anticonvulsants may induce hepatic synthesis of SHBG.


Effect of pregnancy on experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in guinea pigs and rats.

Pregnancy in guinea pigs and rats exerted a suppressive influence on the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Early or late stages in pregnancy had a similar effect in delaying the onset of EAE, a greater delay being observed in pregnant guinea pigs with full term pregnancies. However, the suppressive effect in the majority of animals was only temporary and when they developed the disease the clinical severity was then similar to that in the controls. Clinical symptoms of EAE, in guinea pigs that did not maintain their pregnancy, developed soon after abortion or resorption and these animals deteriorated rapidly. Histologic lesions were markedly enhanced with prominent demyelination in the majority of guinea pigs that were sensitised when pregnant.


Occupational hypersensitivity lung disease.

A case of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by an air conditioning unit is presented. Aspergillus fumigatus and aureobasidium pullulans were cultured from this unit and antibodies to these organisms were found the patient's blood. The case shows that this disease may present in a very subtle form and may be diagnosed by a culture from the patient's environment and an easily performed blood precipitin test. The importance of searching for this type of lung disease and the need for obtaining precipitin tests are stressed.


A comparison of clonidine with morphine for antinociceptive and antiwithdrawal actions.

Clonidine was found to possess dose-dependent analgesic and antiwithdrawal activity. In mice, clonidine prolonged the tail flick latency and inhibited phenylquinone-induced writhing. In rats, it inhibited tail withdrawal from hot water and a pain response to pressure application on an inflamed paw. The effective doses of clonidine were different in the different tests employed, but they were always smaller than those of morphine. Naloxone failed to antagonize the analgesic actions of clonidine but effectively antagonized those of morphine. Phenoxybenzamine also did not alter the inhibition of tail flick-induced by clonidine. Clonidine suppressed morphine withdrawal body shakes in a dose-dependent manner as does morphine. This action of clonidine was not reversed by naloxone. In usual laboratory tests, clonidine appears to be an effective analgesic which antagonizes signs of morphine withdrawal.


Quantitative comparison of physical dependence on tertiary butanol and ethanol in mice: correlation with lipid solubility.

Mice were made physically dependent on t-butanol and the withdrawal reaction was compared quantitatively with that produced by ethanol. The mice inhaled t-butanol vapor (50-140 mumol/1 of air) continuously for 1, 3, 6 or 9 days. Daily t-butanol blood levels were determined by gas chromatography, using ethanol as internal standard. After t-butanol exposure the mice were removed from the vapor chamber and the withdrawal reaction was quantitated by hourly scoring of convulsions elicited by handling. The peak of the withdrawal reaction occurred 3 to 5 hr after the mice were removed from the t-butanol vapor. The intensity of the withdrawal reaction increased with the duration of inhalation, and with the t-butanol blood levels maintained during the intoxication period. The withdrawal syndrome was qualitatively similar to that produced by ethanol. Quantitatively, t-butanol was 4 to 5 times more potent than ethanol in producing physical dependence. Since t-butanol is about 4 to 5 times more lipid soluble than ethanol, the data are consistent with a cell membrane site for alcohols in producing physical dependence.


Differential effects of leucine and methionine enkephalin on morphine-induced analgesia, acute tolerance and dependence.

Intracerebroventricular (40-80 microgram) or i.p. (5-20 mg/kg) injection of leucine enkephalin 15 min before or after s.c. morphine administration resulted in a marked, dose-dependent enhancement of morphine analgesia as measured by the mouse tail-flick assay. Further, i.p. injection of leucine enkephalin (5 mg/kg) enhanced the analgesia produced by methadone and levorphanol in the tail-flick assay but not that by nalorphine in the abdominal constriction assay. Met- but not leu-enkephalin was an active analgesic in the abdominal constriction assay with the doses used. (D-Ala2, D-leu5)-enkephalin (1 mg/kg) treatment also markedly enhanced morphine analgesia. Similarly, administration of leucine enkephalin enhanced the development of acute tolerance and dependence produced by a single dose of morphine. Methionine enkephalin had no effect on any of the pharmacological responses produced by morphine, methadone or levorphanol. Morphine brain levels of mice after treatment with leucine or methionine enkephalin were found to be no different than those of saline-treated control animals. These results suggest that leucine enkephalin may be an important and potent physiological modulator of narcotic efficacy.


Follow-up of preschool age survivors of neonatal intensive care.

High risk birth status is related to a number of subsequent deficits in development. Factors such as maternal education and economic status of the family are hypothesized to affect the development of high risk children. In this study preschool aged survivors (n = 18) of a neonatal intensive care nursery were compared to a randomly selected control sample (n = 18) on measures of intelligence, receptive language, and visual motor integration. No significant effects were found for birth status alone. A significant interaction between level of maternal education and birth status was found on the measure of intelligence.


Nitroxynil. Anthelmintic activity in cattle following subcutaneous injection.

Nitroxynil injected subcutaneously at 10 mg/kg live mass achieved Class A efficacy when evaluated by the non parametric method against adult Fasciola gigantica. Haemonchus placei, Bonustomum phlebotomum and Oesophagostomum radiatum in cattle. The compound was not effective against adult Cooperia spp. at the same dosage.


Ulcerative vaginitis due to Torulopsis glabrata: a case report.

A patient with ulcerative vaginitis is presented. The differential diagnosis included malignant ulcer, chancroid, and granuloma venereum. Torulopsis glabrata vaginitis, which was subsequently proven, responded successfully to clotrimazole suppositories. Predisposing and related factors and isolation and identification procedures are discussed.


Evaluation of the standard agglutination test in the diagnosis of human brucellosis in the Sudan.

297 healthy persons were investigated on a volunteer basis for human brucellosis using S.A.T. 221 of them were in contact with cattle, sheep or goats; and 14.9 per cent of such people were found reactors. Those who were not in contact with animals (76 persons) gave 14.5 per cent rate of reactivity. To interpretate the S.A.T. for diagnosis of human brucellosis in the Sudan, the significant titre needs to be 160 I.U./ml or over (for persons not in contact with animals), and 320 I.U./ml or over for persons in contact with animals.


Retropharyngeal space - a review of anatomy, pathology, and clinical presentation.

Antibiotic therapy has markedly reduced the incidence of suppuration of the deep fascial spaces of the neck. Affectations of the retropharyngeal space are not commonly encountered. This paper reviews the anatomy of the retropharyngeal space and the pathological processes that involve it. three cases are presented. One patient developed a retorpharyngeal abscess from traumatic perforation of the pharynx secondary to oroendotracheal intubation, another from neoplastic perforation secondary to carcinoma of the hypopharynx. The third patient developed a large retropharyngeal hematoma due to a fracture of the cervical spine, necessitating a tracheostomy.


Live fish in right bronchus.

A rare type of foreign body - a live fish - inhaled into the right bronchus has been reported. A small fish may not cast a shadow in the x-ray.


Residue organic mixtures from drinking water show in vitro mutagenic and transforming activity.

Indications of possible health effects of residue organics in drinking water have been sought using short-term tests of mutagenic and transforming activity. Ten percent or less of the total organic material in drinking water has been identified; the remainder is believed to include thousands of unknown nonvolatile compounds. Residual organics were concentrated from drinking water from representative U.S. cities by reverse osmosis followed by liquid-liquid extraction [yielding the reverse osmosis concentrate-organic extract (ROC-OE) fraction] and sorption-desorption on XAD-2 resin. Samples of these residue organics were provided by the Environmental Protection Agency for bioassay. They were examined for mutagenic activity by using Salmonella tester strains (primarily TA98 and TA100) and for transforming activity by using mouse fibroblasts (BALB/3T3 clone 1-13). City-specific patterns of dose-dependent bacterial mutagenesis and of bacterial toxicity were observed for these samples and for subfractions generated by sequential extractions with hexane, ethyl ether, and acetone. Mutagenic effects were essentially independent of a microsome activation system prepared from liver of Aroclor 1254-induced rats. On the basis of strain-specific effects in mutagenesis and differential distributions of mutagenic activity during liquid-liquid extraction, at least some of the active compounds are thought to be acidic, frameshift mutagens. The ROC-OE fraction of a New Orleans sample transformed BALB/3T3 cells in replicate experiments. By comparison with the bacterial mutagenesis data, cell transformation is a relatively sensitive method for detecting possible mutagenic and carcinogenic activity in this sample. The appropriateness of these systems for the assay of complex mixtures and the degree to which reverse osmosis concentrates contain the unaltered organic compounds in the original samples are discussed.


The Kish urethral illuminating catheter.

The urethral illuminating catheter is a disposable fiberoptic catheter used to illuminate the urethra and bladder of a female patient during an open surgical correction of stress incontinence. The Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz procedure for correction of stress incontinence in a female patient has been used widely since 1949. The most common cause of failure of this procedure has been improper placement of the urethrovesical suspension sutures. Morbidity connected with the procedure results from penetration of the urothelium by the suspending sutures. The urethral illuminating catheter specifically delineates the urethra and bladder fiberoptically. The instrument aids in dissection, allows accurate placement of the suspension sutures, reduces morbidity, reduces operative time and increases the success rate.


The treatment of urethral stricture disease by internal urethrotomy: a clinical review.

The results of internal urethrotomy with 6 weeks of postoperative catheter drainage and antimicrobial therapy in the treatment of urethral strictures in 28 patients are presented. Satisfactory results were obtained in 68 per cent of the patients. Because of the simplicity of this technique and the good results obtained we believe that internal urethrotomy often is the best initial approach to strictures that become difficult to manage by periodic dilation.


Posterior urethral valves: current concepts in diagnosis and treatment.

Since 1969 we have treated 10 pediatric cases of posterior urethral valves. Of these patients 5 underwent early upper tract diversion and 5 underwent valve resection and observation. There were no deaths and no patients with permanent urinary diversion. All patients in whom blood pressure was recorded were hypertensive preoperatively and normotensive postoperatively. Creatinine clearances stabilized or improved in all but 1 case, although the urogram findings did not correlate well with improved clearance. Dilatation of the upper tracts resolved slowly in all cases. The current treatment should include early valve resection or fulguration followed by observation with emphasis on renal function, blood pressure and infection as opposed to the urographic appearance of the collecting system.


Protein-sparing effect of intravenously administered branched chain amino acids in adult rats.

Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) serve as intermediate energy substrates for peripheral tissues. Experiments were conducted to evaluate protein-sparing properties of BCAA at different doses without dextrose. Forty healthy male adult Wistar rats, weighing 437 +/- 34 gm, were randomly assigned to one of five groups. Four groups of eight rats were cannulated at the jugular vein and infused with 3% amino acid solutions containing 13, 23, 50 or 100% BCAA; an additional eight fasted rats served as controls. Results show that weight loss was not significantly different between groups, but was lower than in the fasted rats. Nitrogen balance (NB) was least negative in the 23% BCAA group, followed by 13, 50 and 100% BCAA. Protein-sparing index (PSI), defined as that portion of the infused nitrogen that is used for sparing body proteins, agreed with the calculated fat/protein ratios. Higher PSI and fat/protein ratios resulted from solutions containing balanced amino acid patterns (13 and 23%). No obvious imbalances in plasma amino acid patterns were observed. It is concluded that more protein conservation can be achieved with amino acid solutions containing a balanced amino acid pattern and that the effect of additional BCAA on protein conservation is limited in adult rats.


Routine anthropometry and arm radiography in assessment of nutritional status: its potential.

Elementary anthropometric and radiographic techniques, carefully executed and routinely employed in definitive surveys of healthy persons, are of potential value in assessment of patients, and provide the following: 1. Formulas to compute mean "ideal body weights" of young adults from stature (W = kh1.7). 2. A "unit size-weight" index (uS-W) with a mean value of 100 or nearly identical to 100 for all mean "ideal weights" relative to stature. 3. The distribution of values of the uS-W index for 80 and 90% of the population of young adults around the mean. 4. Conversion of body girths and stature to ponderal equivalents such that component A reflects fatness (if present) and component B, leanness and muscularity. 5. Conversion of skeletal diameters and stature to a relative "frame" size weight, designated component C, and employed as a "reference weight" (Ref W) for the calculation of lean body weight (LBW) in the male, and "minimal weight" as well as LBW in the female. 6. Conversion of skinfold thickness to estimates of body fat by means of a surface area formulation where: Weight of fat = SA x skinfold widths x k(fat). 7. The introduction of comprehensive arm radiography to reveal presumptive estimates of body fat from SA and of the amount of bone and muscle in the arm to LBW. 8. The visualization of body shape in the somatogram, and the value of photography under strictly controlled conditions.


Prophylactic trials for stroke in stroke-prone SHR. (3) Amino acid analysis of various diets and their prophylactic effect.

This study confirmed again that high protein diet feeding decreased the incidence of stroke, and high fish protein diet did attenuate severe hypertension but high soybean protein diet did not affect the hypertension. Dietary amino acid analyses indicated that increases in total amino acids, essential amino acids and nonpolar amino acids but not acid or basic amino acids were significantly related to the reduction of stroke incidence. Among essential amino acids, lysine, threonine, isoleucine, and leucine contents were inversely related to stroke incidence, and methionine content was significantly related to the dietary antihypertensive effect of high protein diets. The prophylactic effect of high protein diets may be ascribed to some amino acid constituent.


Mitral valve replacement using a porcine xenograft for treatment of IHSS--A case report.

Recently we treated a 24-year-old female IHSS patient by mitral valve replacement, using a porcine xenograft valve. Following surgery, clinical manifestations improved markedly and postoperative cardiac catheterization revealed that the pressure gradient between left ventricle and aorta had dropped to a minimum compared with the pre-operative value of 104 mmHg and end-diastolic pressure of the left ventricle had returned to normal level.


[The glaucoma in heterochromic cyclitis Fuchs. Gonioscopic studies and electron microscopic investigations of the trabecular meshwork (author's transl)].

Seven patients suffering from heterochromic cyclitis Fuchs had been investigated by gonioscopy after paracentesis of the anterior chamber. Independent to previous intraocular pressure and tonographical results parts or all of the canal of Schlemm were filled with blood, followed by haemorrhage into the trabecular meshwork on several sites and bleeding into the anterior chamber. Three of the patients were operated on because of a chronic secundary glaucoma and the dissected trabecular meshwork was investigated by electron microscopy. Atrophy of the inner--and outer wall of the canal of Schlemm as well as missing of the endothelium of the trabecular meshwork was to be observed. Discussing the gonioscopical observations and electron-microscopical results the glaucoma in heterochromic cyclitis Fuchs seems to be caused by a collapse of the canal of Schlemm and not by increasing resistance in trabecular meshwork by sclerosis or hyaline membranes.


[Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: improved prognosis through aggressive multiple drug combination and irradiation (author's transl)].

From 1964-1975 43 children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were treated. 60% of the patients had far advanced disease at diagnosis. Therapy before 1970 consisted of low dose irradiation to the primary and single agent chemotherapy; no C.N.S. irradiation to prevent meningeal recurrence was given. Median survival in this group was 5 months; all patients died. Since 1970 all children with NHL were entered into a modified leukaemia protocol regardless of stage or primary site. Therapy comprised an aggressive multiple drug combination, high dose local irradiation and prophylactic C.N.S. irradiation with intrathecal methotrexate. 41% of the patients treated since 1970 survive in continuous complete remission with a median observation time of 31+ (1-93+) months. All relapses occurred within 30 months after diagnosis. Stage of disease was the most important prognostic factor in our patients. Risk of a primary C.N.S. relapse in the total group was 30% for patients without prophylactic C.N.S. therapy compared to only 6% for patients with treatment.


[Suggestion for treatment of primarily inoperable omphalocele (author's transl)].

Bending primarily inoperable omphalocele can be avoided by simply using Stülpa tube-dressing together with a spongering. Epithelising under the employment of tannin or Betaisodona becomes much easier if this method is used.


[Investigation on the influence of a tocolytic treatment of pregnant women with diazepam and fenoterol on the bilirubin levels and apgar score of newborn (author's transl)].

In a retrospective study of 2618 pregnant women we examined the influence of diazepam monotherapy as well as the combination of diazepam and fenoterol on the bilirubin concentrations and Apgar scores of the newborn children. In the diazepam-treated group 17-27% of the newborns showed Apgar scores of 6 or less. In the group treated with diazepam and fenoterol, 66-68% of the newborn had Apgar scores of 6 or less. The effect of diazepam on the bilirubin levels appears to depend on the dose and duration of the diazepam treatment: low, short term diazepam doses cause a slight bilirubin increase, while higher diazepam doses cause a reduction of the bilirubin levels. Following the combination therapy of diazepam and fenoterol a significant number of the infants developed neonatal jaundice. Due to the fact that following the combination therapy the diazepam concentration of the newborns were higher than following the monotherapy, we ascribe the greater frequency of the low Apgar values and also possibly the larger bilirubin increase to the higher diazepam concentration caused by fenoterol.


[Comparison of two cholesterol determination methods in children (author's transl)].

In 792 children aged 1 day-16 years cholesterol in serum was determined by two different methods: the well-known Liebermann-Burchard-reaction and the new enzymatical colorimetric test (Boehringer). The later procedure is simple and reliable. The cholesterol values got by this method amounted to 20 mg/dl lower. But it is not allowed to use a conversion-factor. The values in newborns and infants were significantly lower than these found in school childrens and adults.


[The sagittal and transverse thoracic diameter in children in the pre-school age (author's transl)].

Important factors in assessing the development of the trunk are, among others, the relative thoracic data, for example, measurement of the width and depth of the thorax and calculation of the relative thoracic diameter, as well as the thoracic index. The normal values recorded in 196 healthy boys and girls aged 3-6 years, are stated.


[Congenital dilatations and stenoses of the bile ducts in children (author's transl)].

The congenital choledochus cyst is an extremely rare disease pattern. The author presents two own cases of boys aged 4 1/2 years in whom the disease was manifested as a fusiform dilatation of the cholodochus and of the other bile ducts on the one hand, and by a cyst in the second case. Both cases were characterised by an additional annular stenosis of the cholodochus immediately before the junction of the pancreatic duct. The article discusses the most essential criteria in respect of clinic, diagnosis and therapy, as well as the etiological aspects.


[Adolescent cystinosis. Review of the literature and case report (author's transl)].

A case of adolescent cystinosis in a 17 1/2 year-old boy is reported. The metabolic disorder was diagnosed at the  age of 13 years. Cystine was demonstrated in cornea and bone marrow and was increased in fibroblasts (3.64 nMol 1/2-cystine/mg protein). The renal lesions were characteristic of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis. The rate of detoriation in renal function increased from 1.5 to 6.6 mg/100 ml serum creatinine during the time of follow up. As well as the parents one brother (0.51 nMol 1/2-cystine/mg protein) appears to be a heterozygote carrier of the cystinosis gene. The striking features in adolescent cystinosis were shown by a review of the literature and the present case report.


[Long-term second remission in acute leukemia of childhood (author's transl)].

Report on a case of acute childhood leukemia, who presents with the following exceptional features: During complete remission early bilateral leukemic infiltrations of the testes, followed--after an intervall of several months--by a serve, general relapse with ascites. New induction therapy resulted in a second complete remission, persisting for the next 8 years with 6MP as well as after cessation of therapy until up to more than 17 years. Comparable courses are not as yet on record.


Direct modification of the glycocalyx of a cultured muscle cell line by incorporation of foreign gangliosides and an integral membrane glycoprotein.

As part of a program to better understand the cause-or-effect nature of the relationship between cell surface carbohydrate and cell properties and behaviour, experiments have been carried out on direct modification of the glycocalyx of cultured cells. Modification was by incorporation of gangliosides and an integral membrane glycoprotein chosen to be dissimilar to species occurring naturally in the cell line. Two methods of incorporation were investigated: simple addition of the new components to the culture medium for various times, or assembly of the components into the walls of lipid vesicles which were subsequently fused with cells. Gangliosides from beef brain and glycophorin, the major human erythrocyte sialoglycoprotein, were successfully added to the surface of myoblasts in quantities sufficient to represent a significant perturbation. Changes in cell adhesion, morphology, and viability were observed which seem to be a direct result of glycocalyx modification.


Immunochemical purification of probe-labeled plasma membrane proteins: an approach to the molecular anatomy of the cell surface.

The probe 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sodium sulfonate may be used under appropriate conditions for selective labeling of plasma membrane proteins exposed at the outer cell surface. Labeled proteins, solubilized by detergents, can be purified by reverse immunoadsorption using antiprobe antibodies covalently linked to Sepharose 4B. This method has been applied to an investigation of the outer cell surface structure of chicken embryo and hamster fibroblasts. Coelectrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels of probe-labeled membrane proteins purified from baby hamster kidney fibroblasts have shown that 7 major protein groups of different molecular weight are exposed on both control and Rous sarcoma or polyoma virus-transformed cells. Moreover, the transformed cells display a nonvirion component of 80--100 k daltons that is not labeled by the probe in normal cells. In fibroblasts transformed by a temperature sensitive Rous sarcoma virus mutant, that transforms at 37 degrees C but not at 41 degrees C, the expression of this component is related to the expression of the transformed phenotype.


Measuring the effectiveness of perinatal medical care.

An outcome-based index of the effectiveness of perinatal care was empirically tested using 3,441,448 linked birth-death records. In order to construct the index, an "expected" perinatal mortality rate was computed for 504 California hospitals, based on each newborn's birth weight, sex, race, and plurality. The index was then defined as the ratio of the observed mortality rate to that expected. From the sixteen-fold range observed in the unadjusted rates, a two-fold variation could be attributed to differentials in the efficacy of medical care. The remainder resulted from differences in patient risk and from binomial variations. The observed--expected ratio was observed to be significantly correlated with a number of traditional indicators of medical care quality. Multiple regression techniques revealed that the mortality ratio was significantly lower in larger delivery services, in urban hospitals, in hospitals performing above-average numbers of cesarean sections in those recording Apgar scores, and in hospitals having higher specialist-to-generalist ratios. Conversely, the ratio was significantly higher in hospitals with larger percentages of Spanish-surnamed mothers and in private proprietary hospitals. By separating the index into its observed and expected components, the regression model accounted for 82 per cent of the variance in the observed perinatal mortality rates.


[Endoscopic neodymium-yag laser irradiation for control of bleeding acute and chronic ulcers (author's transl)].

The essential problem of acute gastrointestinal bleeding is hemorrhagic shock. Using a high-power Nd-Yag laser, transmitted endoscopically by Dr. Nath's triconic quartz fiber, it was possible to occlude massive arterial bleeding ulcers immediately after endoscopic localization. Of 202 bleeding ulcers in the upper gastrointestinal tract, 193 = 96% could be stopped. The mortality rate was reduced in bleeding acute ulcers from 58% to 36% and in bleeding chronic ulcers from 21% to 5.1%.


[Bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer: operative procedure (author's transl)].

The high mortality rate in bleeding of gastroduodenal ulcer is decreased by early operation or successful conservative treatment. Necessity and urgency of the operation are dependent on the individual risk factors, localization of the ulcer, intensity of bleeding, type of ulcer, and grading of the ulcerogenic lesion. The general operative procedure should be performed after emergency endoscopy: highly selective vagotomy with three vessel ligatures in duodenal ulcer, partial gastrectomy in gastric ulcer, and intensive conservative treatment in acute ulcerations. If lasercoagulation is feasible, emergency operations are dramatically reduced in favor of elective surgery.


Incidence and type of otopathology associated with congenital palatopharyngeal incompetence.

Based upon the known association of cleft palate and middle ear disease, a study was undertaken to determine the incidence and type of middle ear pathology associated with velar anomalies exclusive of cleft palate which may produce congenital palatal pharyngeal incompetence. The range of velar anomalies encountered was subdivided into congenital palatal incompetence Type 1 (clinically manifested by one or more of a triad of visible palatal anomalies including submucous deficiency of the hard palate, bifid uvula, and a diastasis of velar musculature) and congenital palatal incompetence Type 2 (no visible velar anomalies but radiographic anomalies of the velopharyngeal region such as short or thin velum and/or enlarged nasopharyngeal dimensions consequent to vertebral and skull base anomalies). Middle ear disease was assessed separately in CPI Types 1 and 2 in order to differentiate the effects upon middle ear function between overt and occult velar anomalies. Middle ear disease was more frequent in CPI Type 1 than in CPI Type 2. The predominant otopathologic finding was serous otitis media, paralleling the type associated with cleft palate. Tympanic membrane atrophy, tympanosclerosis and tympanic membrane perforation, often considered sequelae of chronic serous otitis media, were noted infrequently. This investigation supports the concept that middle ear disease frequently occurs with congenital palatal incompetence as it does with cleft palate.