Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2 - and 4- hydroxymestranol.

The synthesis of 2-hydroxy and 4-hydroxymestranol by oxidation of mestranol with m-chloroperbenzoic acid is described. The oral estrogenicity and contragestational activity of these and related catechol estrogen derivatives in the rat is also presented.


The detection and measurement of D-norgestrel in human milk using Sephadex LH 20 chromatography and radioimmunoassay.

An accurate sensitive method for the assay of D-norgestrel in human milk is described. The steroid is isolated from an ether extract of milk by Sephadex LH 20 chromatography in the system iso-octane-benzene-methanol (70:20:10 v/v). The radioimmunoassay utilises a specific antibody produced in rabbits against D-'norgestrel 3-(O-carboxymethyl) - oxime coupled to bovine serum albumin with D-norgestrel 3-(0-carboxymethyl) -oxime/ [125I]-iodohistamine conjugate as radioligand. Accuracy, sensitivity and blank value are satisfactory. Milk samples were obtained from three subjects treated with 30 microgram/day D-norgestrel, treatment commencing two weeks following parturition. Significant amounts of D-norgestrel were found, ranging between 92-135 pg/ml milk at the end of the first two-week treatment regimen. In two of three subjects, lower, but significant concentrations (53 pg and 35 pg/ml respectively) of steroid were found at the end of four weeks treatment. In the third subject, D-norgestrel could not be detected at this time. As a check on the specificity of the assay, three samples were submitted to additional chromatographic purification on alumina thin layer in the system benzene-cyclohexane-ethanol (70:27:3 v/v). Although this additional chromatographic step yielded somewhat lower values, agreement between the respective sets of results was good. The significance and implications of these findings are discussed.


Synthesis of pregnenoic acid derivatives possessing structural elements of prostaglandins.

Pregneoic acid derivative V in which the character of functional groups and distances between them (expressed in terms of C-C bonds) resemble those occurring in prostaglandins has been synthetised. 3beta-Hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one acetate VII was converted to ethyl 3beta-acetoxypregn-5-en-21-oate XIIa via a Reformatsky reaction followed by dehydration of adduct VIIIa and selective hydrogenation of the diene X. Compound XIIa was then transformed into trienone XIII by oxidation of the 3beta-hydroxy-5-ene XIIc with DDQ. The trienone XIII was subsequently epoxidised with alkaline hydrogen peroxide and m-chloroperbenzoic acid to give diepoxide XV which was reduced with aluminum amalgam to the final product V.


Synthesis of 5alpha-pregna-1,20-dien-3-one.

5ALPHA-Pregna-1,20-dien-3-one has been synthesized from 3beta-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one by reaction of the tosylhydrazone with butyllithium to introduce the vinyl moiety. Oxidation of the alcohol and treatment of the anion of the resulting ketone with benzeneselenenyl chloride gave the 2-phenylseleno derivative. This afforded the conjugated enone on oxidative elimination.


3alpha-Hydroxy-5beta,14beta-chol-8-en-24-oic acid and its isomer, dehydration products of chenodeoxycholic acid obtained by treatment with concentrated HC1.

3alpha, 7alpha-Dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-oic acid in acetic acid was treated with concentrated hydrochloric acid at room temperature. Two of the dehydration products thus obtained proved to correspond to the beta- and gamma-acids reported (5). One (gamma-acid) of these was identified as 3alpha-hydroxy-5beta, 14beta-chol-8-en-24-oic acid (IIa) by means of several spectral measurements of itself and its OsO4 oxidation products. Chemical structure of the other (beta-acid) remains undetermined.


4-Desmethylsgerols in the seeds of Solanaceae.

Thirteen 4-desmethylsterols: cholesterol, 24-methylcholesterol, 24-ethylcholesterol, stigmasterol, 24-methylcholesta-5,24-dienol, 24-ethylcholesta-5,24-dienol, 28-isofucosterol, 24-methylenecholesterol, cholestanol, 24-methylcholestanol, 24-ethylcholestanol, cholest-7-enol and 24-ethylcholest-22-enol, were identified in the seeds of solanaceous plants. The distribution of these 4-demethylsterols in the seeds of eleven plants among seven genera of the Solanaceae family was determined.


Structural aspects of Plasmodium relevant to vaccination against malaria.

The extracellular stages of Plasmodium which can be inactivated with antibodies include the sporozoites, merozoites and microgametes. The surface of sporozoites and merozoites are known to bind antibodies which render them unable to invade host cells. Intra-erythrocytic merozoites, trophozoites and schizonts release antigens which are conveyed to the surface of the host cell, although they do not appear to be attacked by antibodies directly. The significance of these observations is discussed.


Antibodies against murine typhyus in sera from Indonesians.

A sero-epidemiological study of human CF and indirect immunofluorescence antibodies against murine typhus was conducted in Indonesia. Antibody prevalences ranged from 10% to 20% in sera of Indonesians from Java and Sumatra to less than 2% in sera from islands east of Java.


Malarial antibodies in tropical splenomegaly syndrome in Papua New Guinea.

Levels of species and class-specific malarial antibody were studied in 249 New Guineans with tropical splenomegaly syndrome (TSS) and in 87 control subjects living in the same area. Titres of IgG and IgM antibody to Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae were estimated by indirect immunofluorescence. Both Ig and IgM antibody levels were higher in subjects with TSS than in controls; IgM titres were highest in those with the greatest splenic enlargement. Responses to all three species were comparable. It is concluded that there is no evidence from this study to incriminate any one species of malaria parasite in the production of tropical splenomegaly syndrome.


Leishmaniasis in Tuscany (Italy): (I) An investigation on phlebotomine sandflies in Grosseto Province.

A survey of phlebotomines has been made in the area of the Province of Grosseto (Tuscany, Italy) where human cases of both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis have recently occurred. 12 collecting stations, placed around the leishmaniasis foci, were divided into three groups of localities, the Argentario Promontory, coastal plains territory and hilly inland territory. Sandflies were collected with lit and unlit oil traps, and by hand. A total of 11,032 specimens (57% males) were caught and identified. Of these, 86.6% were Phlebotomus perfiliewi, 10.8% P. perniciosus and 2.3% Sergentomyia minuta; only a few specimens were P. papatasi and P. mascittii. In the first group of localities, P. perniciosus was very abundant (87.8%) and S. minuta scarce (12.0%); in the second group, P. perfiliewi was the only species collected; in the third group, P. perfiliewi was very abundant (98.0%), S. minuta was vert scarce (1.1%) and P. perniciosus even more so (0.7%). P. perniciosus is thought to be the probable vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the area of the Monte Argentario and P. perfiliewi is strongly suspected of playing a role in transmission of the cutaneous form in the third group of localities. The species responsible for transmitting visceral leishmaniasis in some of the foci in this area is yet to be found.


Dermatophytosis survey in Lagos State of Nigeria.

A dermaphytosis survey covering 3,860 schoolchildren was conducted in Lagos, Nigeria, between January 1973 and January 1974. Seven species of dermatophytes, namely, Trichophyton mentagrophytes (four isolates), T. rubrum (three isolates), T. soundanense (11 isolates), Microsporum canis (five isolates), M. gypseum (two isolates), M audouinii (four isolates), and Epidermophyton floccosum (three isolates) were recovered from specimens collected from the hair, skin and scalp scrapings of 81 schoolchildren. The incidence of dermatophytosis (2.10%) is low in schoolchildren covered in this survey. This is the first time M. canis and M. Gypseum have been isolated from superficial skin lesions in human beings in Nigeria.


Differentiation of Taenia saginata and Taenia solium by enzyme electrophoresis.

Forty-four Taenia saginata and seven T. solium specimens were collected in Nigeria. Extracts of these worms and of their metacestodes were compared by enzyme electrophoresis. The mobility of glucose phosphate isomerase was consistently faster with T. saginata than with T. solium. Extracts of the strobilate and cysticercus forms of the same species gave identical results. It was thus possible to distinguish clearly between material of either species.


Tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities in adult Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum.

Reduced tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities were found in paired adult Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum in comparison to those reported for S. mansoni cercariae (Coles, 1973). Succinate dehydrogenase activity, which has not been previously reported for either adult blood fluke, is more than twice as great in paired adult S. japonicum as in paired adult S. mansoni, but the activity is low in both species of adult worms. The similar low levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme activities which occur in adult S. mansoni and S. japonicum further substantiate the fact that anaerobic glycolysis is the major energy source in adults of both species.


A study of the presence of circulating immune complexes in schistosomiasis.

The sera from 51 patients with schistosomiasis were studied for the presence of circulating immune complexes (IC) using two methods, inhibition of EAC rosette formation and precipitation of radio-labelled Clq. The percentage EAC rosette inhibition was significantly greater in the total group of patients compared to the control sera. The material inhibiting EAC rosette formation was precipitable by 4% polyethylene glycol, thus excluding the role of C3 fragments and suggesting that inhibition was due to immune complexes. Using precipitation of radio-labelled Clq significant high values compared to control sera were only obtained in those patients before treatment or with an active infection. The results suggests that material behaving as IC is present in the sera of patients with schistosomiasis and that measurement of the levels of IC may be important in assessing the state of the disease.


Renal disease in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis: a clinicopathological study.

Thirty-nine cases of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis associated with renal disease are included. They were investigated for renal function, serum and urinary immunoglobulins, some serological tests, and bacteriological studies for evidence of associated salmonellosis. Renal biopsy was obtained from 23 subjects and studied by light microscopy. It was possible to distinguish two groups of cases "salmonella-negative" and "salmonella-positive". The former group was characterized by marked glomerular lesions, mainly membrano-proliferative, in different phases of evolution. Salmonella-positive cases were categorized into those with clinical, laboratory and histological evidence of interstitial nephropathy (six cases), that seems to result from salmonella pyelonephritis; and those with overt glomerular lesions (17 cases). The latter group differed from salmonella-negative cases in having mainly proliferative glomerular lesions with minimal or no basement membrane thickening; the lesions were diffuse and appeared in the same stage of evolution. The possible relation of schistosomiasis and associated salmonellosis to the pathogenesis of these lesions is discussed, suggesting an immunological basis for the glomerular injury and outlining the possible significance of hepatic fibrosis.


Morphological evidence for the ability of eosinophils to damage antibody-coated schistosomula.

Schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni were incubated with preparations from human peripheral blood containing up to 98% eosinophils, in the presence or absence of anti-schistosomular antibody. It was found that there was a correlation between damage to the schistosomula, as judged by phase-contrast microscopy, and release of 51chromium from labelled organisms. The proportion of schistosomula showing damage did not increase over the times tested (two to six hours), but the release of chromium was progressive over the same period. This suggested that the chromium within damaged schistosomula was not all released immediately after the initial damage. A small proportion of the schistosomula appeared not to be susceptible to antibody-dependent, eosinophil-mediated damage. Antibody alone, in the absence of eosinophils, did not have any detectable damaging effect. Electron microscopy showed that, in the presence of antibody, the interaction between eosinophils and schistosomula, which results in damage to the schistosomula, is initiated by an intimate contact between the eosinophils and the schistosomular surface.


The natural decline of Wuchereria bancrofti infection in a vector control situation in the Solomon Islands.

In a situation where filariasis and malaria are transmitted by the same vector, as seen here in the Solomon Islands, the Malaria Eradication Programme aimed at controlling the vector, was found to have an effect on both diseases. In an area of Choiseul island first surveyed by the author in 1970, three follow-up surveys were conducted--in 1974, 1975 and 1976. These showed a progressive decrease in persons infected. When the densities, especially the median microfilarial counts, were expressed as percentage values of the pre-spray survey, there was found to be a proportional decrease over eight years. It is possible that the Anopheline vector needs to be reduced less for the cessation of transmission of filariasis than for malaria. A theoretical ratio was calculated and supporting field evidence presented.


Variation in urinary creatinine concentration and Schistosoma haematobium egg count.

Variation in urinary creatinine concentration was studied in a Gambian community. Whilst there was appreciable day to day variation there were also differences between subjects and between different times of year. Day to day changes in creatinine concentration correlated with changes in egg count, which were, in proportion, smaller. While there are difficulties in the use of creatinine as a reference index, it is suggested that knowledge of creatinine concentrations may eliminate some of the ambiguities arising in the interpretation of Schistosoma haematobium egg counts in random, untimed urine specimens. The relation between the two variables and the extent of seasonal changes in creatinine concentration suggest that changes in the mean egg count of a group of subjects due to changes in urine flow are usually small and seldom of the magnitude which some have assumed.


Sickle cell anaemia: diagnosis and care in a Nigerian health centre.

A study of 156 cases of SS and SC disease diagnosed at Igbo-Ora between 1962 and 1975 is described. In 1971 haemoglobin electrophoresis was introduced for all previously untested patients with a PCV of less than 30 and/or a clinical suspicion of SS or SC. Following this, the total known cases of SS and SC disease rose from nine to 156 in four years. The new cases diagnosed within one year of birth rose from zero before 1971 to 10 in 1974. This is 25% of all expected cases. The percentage of cases diagnosed within one calendar year of detecting anaemia (PCV less than 30) rose from 0 to 94%. It is concluded that haemoglobin electrophoresis is of great value in improving early diagnosis in peripheral clinics. Ways of further improving the early diagnosis and management of SS and SC disease in peripheral clinics is discussed.


Distribution of rubella antibodies in Nigeria.

A total of 1,847 serum samples obtained from human subjects in various areas of Nigeria (North, East and West) were tested for the presence of rubella haemagglutination inhibition antibodies. The results showed that an average of 68% of the Nigerian population studied possessed rubella antibody.


Granulocyte function in visceral leishmaniasis.

Nitroblue tetrazolium test in nine children with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) showed no increase of spontaneous reduction by neutrophils. The normal bactericidal activity of four of these patients excludes an impaired function of the neutrophils in VL.


Amino-acid and glucose utilization of Leishmania donovani and L. braziliensis.

The availability of a defined medium (STEIGER & STEIGER, 1976) has enabled studies on the nutritional requirements of promastigotes of L. donovani and L. braziliensis (STEIGER & STEIGER, 1977). As outlined elsewhere (STEIGER & MESHNICK, 1977), the present paper describes preliminary experiments dealing with the utilization of amino-acids and glucose by these two Leishmania species. The data are compared to those obtained with Trypanosoma (CROSS et al., 1975a,b; BRUN & JENNI, 1977) and are discussed in relation to the nutrition of Leishmania.


Total and partial blood exchange in the rat with hemoglobin prepared by crystallization.

Hemoglobin, prepared by crystallization, has been used as a blood substitute in total (91 to 93%) and partial (70 to 76%) blood replacement studies. Exchange transfusions have been carried out in laboratory animals to a total blood replacement of 91 to 93 per cent with hemoglobin or with albumin solutions. When albumin was used, all animals died at approximately ten minutes after transfusion was completed, whereas all animals transfused with hemoglobin survived for five hours and displayed normal activity during this time. In these studies the plasma half-disappearance time of hemoglobin was 3.5 hours and body distribution of 51Cr-labeled hemoglobin, as a percentage of initial levels, has shown six per cent in the kidney, six per cent in the liver, 10.5 per cent in the marrow and 13 to 14 per cent in the urine at three hours after transfusion. Survival was obtained with all animals transfused with hemoglobin or albumin solutions to a partial blood replacement of 70 to 76 per cent. However, the oxygen capacity of the circulating fluid in the hemoglobin transfused animals was about three times greater than that found in the corresponding albumin-transfused controls. Values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, and P50 returned to normal pretransfusion levels within five to seven days.


An evaluation of several blood transfusion filters.

Several blood transfusion filters designed to remove microemboli were evaluated for filtration and flow characteristics, as well as for hemolysis and for release of particulate debris from the filter. The Dacron wool filter, a depth filter, was superior at removing microemboli measured with an electronic particle size analyzer. A 25 micrometer pore mesh filter was least effective at removing microemboli from stored blood, but demonstrated the most favorable flow rates and induced no apparent red blood cell destruction during filtration. In general, filter efficiency and filter induced hemolysis correlated inversely with flow rate. No filter tested released significant quantities of particulate debris when compared with unfiltered isotonic saline.


Risk factors in transmission of non-A, non-B posttransfusion hepatitis. The role of hepatitis B antibody in donor blood.

Risk of developing icteric hepatitis in a transfusion study involving cardiac surgery patients was 0.2 per cent per unit of blood transfused with the ratio of icteric to anicteric cases being 1:4. Risk of developing hepatitis was proportional to the number of units transfused: one to four units, 4 per cent; six to ten units, 8 per cent; 11 to 20 units, 19 per cent; greater than 21 units, 42 per cent. The prevalence of type B hepatitis was low (6 per cent), with the vast majority of patients being shown to have non-A non-B hepatitis. However, a greater incidence of hepatitis type B serologic events was observed among recipients of anti-HBs positive blood than those transfused only with units not containing antibody (p = 0.04. A significantly greater incidence of non-A, non-B hepatitis was observed among patients transfused with blood containing anti-HBs when compared with a group who received blood without antibody (p less than 0.01). Caution should be exercised in interpretation of this difference because patients transfused with blood containing anti-HBs received significantly more units of blood. However, utilization of stepwise regression analysis to unconfound the two dependent variables suggest that the use of blood containing anti-HBs increases the hepatitis risk (p = 0.06) although the number of units transfused was the more significant factor (p less than 0.001). Additional data from carefully designed studies are needed to determine if donor blood containing anti-HBs significantly increases the risk of transmitting non-A, non-B hepatitis.


Automated donor-recipient identification systems as a means of reducing human error in blood transfusion.

Clerical and administrative errors are the most common mistakes in blood banking, with errors of sample or patient identification accounting for the majority of mistakes. In an effort to reduce the incidence of human errors, three automated donor-recipient identification systems were developed and were evaluated under clinical conditions. After two years of development and bench testing, each set of equipment was tested, along with established procedures, at a large clinical center, a medium-sized community hospital and a regional donor center. Although none of the systems, as tested, proved acceptable under clinical conditions, a great deal was learned about prototype equipment testing in the clinical setting. Future development of identification systems for clinical use should respond to carefully defined problems, apply in all areas of the hospital or donor center, and be convenient and reliable. The development of the equipment should involve established manufacturers and be subject to exacting preclinical testing.


Causes of disqualification in a volunteer blood donor population.

The causes of disqualification in a volunteer blood donor population for a period of two years were analyzed. Of 138,436 prospective volunteer blood donors, 24,327 (17.6%) donors were disqualified. Phlebotomy was unsuccesful in 721 (0.5%) donors and blood was drawn from 113,388 (81.9%) eligible donors. The majority of rejections were due to medical history findings (61.0% of all rejections). The ten leading causes of disqualification were: low hemoglobin/hematocrit, medication, allergies, signs and symptoms, high blood pressure, illness in last month, hepatitis and hepatitis exposure, malaria and travel overseas, atypical antibodies, and high serum bilirubin. Hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 82 donors out of 114.746 donors tested (0.07%).


Adult outpatient transfusion clinic in a hospital-based blood bank.

Eighty-one patients have been followed in our ambulatory transfusion clinic for a total of 176 patient visits. They received phlebotomies, plasmapheresis, and transfusions of erythrocytes and platelets. Minor reactions (febrile reactions, transient hypotension, and urticaria) occurred in only six patients. The advantages of a transfusion service conducted by blood bank professional and technical staff are numerous. The nurse/patient ratio is low enough so that the patient can receive individualized attention including virtually constant vigilance. The laboratory staff and pathologist become familiar with the therapeutic management of patients who may potentially place great stress on the laboratory. The transfusion clinic also provides an opportunity for the pathologist to gain further experience and to train others as transfusion therapists, a role which he is often asked to assume when a transfusion reaction occurs. The gain for the outpatient clinic and emergency room is that they can function more efficiently when more rooms are available for patients who have a faster turnover time.


Synthesis of ITP and ATP and regeneration of 2,3-DPG in human erythrocytes incubated with adenosine, pyruvate and inorganic phosphate.

In the stored, 2,3-DPG depleted human erythrocytes incubated for four hours in a medium containing adenosine (10 mM), pyruvate (10 mM), and inorganic phosphate (50 mM) the regeneration of 2,3-DPG reached the value of five times higher than the physiological concentration and the ATP synthesis exceeded four times the physiological level. It has been also found that these erythrocytes are able to synthesize hypoxanthine nucleotides, namely IMP to 58 and ITP to 61 mumoles per 100 ml of erythrocytes.


Chimeric drift in allophenic mice: analysis of changes in red blood cell and white blood cell populations in C57Bl/6 in equilibrium (A X SJL)F1, C57Bl/6 in equilibrium (CBA X CBA/H-T6)F1, and C57Bl/6 in equilibrium DBA/1 mice.

Forty-seven allophenic mice of three different types (C57BL/6 in equilibrium (A X SJL), C57BL/6 in equilibrium (CBA X CBA/H-T6), and C57BL/6 in equilibrium DBA/1) were analyzed for changes in their peripheral white blood cell composition and hemoglobin composition with age. It was found that 10 of the 47 mice showed significant changes termed "chimeric drift" in one or the other or both of these parameters. These 10 mice were classified as unstable chimeras, as opposed to the 37 stable chimeras, which showed no apparent chimeric drift. There was an excellent correlation of peripheral white blood cell and hemoglobin compositions of the stable chimeras. However, the unstable chimeras showed little or no correlation of these two markers. Possible mechanisms of chimeric drift are discussed.


Ocurrence of anti-Wr a in blood donors and in selected patient groups, with a note on the incidence of the Wr a antigen.

The occurrence of the Wr a antigen on the red blood cells of 5,000 primarily Caucasian New York State blood donors was shown to be 1:1,000. Anti-Wr a was detected in sera from random blood donors with a frequency of 1:56 and with progressively increasing frequency in postpartum women, patients undergoing open-heart surgery, hemodialysis subjects, and random persons with other alloantibodies. Anti-Wr a was found in one fourth of sera from patients with positive direct antiglobulin tests, including 12 of 23 in whom the positive test was associated with alphamethyldopa treatment.


Carcinoma of the female breast in Jamaica.

The incidence of breast cancer in Jamaican women is intermediate between the low levels of African countries and the high levels of USA, UK, and other Western industrial societies. The annual incidence in Jamaica has shown an upward trend from 1958 to 1974. Compared with Uganda, breast cancer in Jamaica conforms to a "westernized" pattern with regard to shape of the age-specific incidence curve and stage of presentation. There are no obvious histological differences between breast cancer in Uganda, USA and Jamaica. The incidence of breast cancer in Jamaica appears disproportionately high in view of the high proportion of early pregnancies occurring in Jamaican women.


Tropical pyomyositis in the Nigerian Savanna.

Ninety cases of tropical pyomyositis from the Nigerian Savanna are described. This is the first report from a hot and dry area of the tropics. Many of the features are similar to previous reports but affection of the younger age group is found to be a reflection of the age distribution of the population. Greater involvement of the left side of the body, spontaneous bursting of an abscess and absence of any seasonal variation are some of the differences noted. Further studies including unexplored areas of the tropics are indicated regarding the aetiology of this disease.


Erythrocytic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency amongst non tribal population of Orissa.

Blood samples from three hundred subjects belonging to the non-tribal population of Orissa were examined for G-6-PD deficiency employing the methaemoglobin reduction test. G-6-PD deficiency was detected in 19 (6.3%) persons. Full expression was observed in 11 (3.6%) and partial expression in 8 (2.6%) individuals. Although a higher incidence in males was noted, this difference was not statistically significant. A brief review regarding prevalence of G-6-PD deficiency in various parts of the world and in other states of India is presented.


The relationship between donor-recipient lymphocytotoxicity and the transfusion response using HLA-matched platelet concentrates.

Matching donor-recipient pairs for HLA antigens provides a logical starting point for selecting platelet donors for thrombocytopenic recipients who have demonstrated refractoriness to pooled random donor platelet transfusions. However, not all recipients achieve a compatible transfusion response with platelets selected by HLA type, indicating that additional selection methods are required. Because of studies indicating that a positive lymphocyte cross-match assay between recipient serum (antibody) and donor lymphocytes predict acute renal allograft rejection, it was hoped that this assay might be useful in predicting the platelet transfusion response for alloimmunized patients. The data herein indicate that the results of this assay in no way correlate with the platelet transfusion response. The lymphocyte cross-match would seem to be helpful in the selection of donors where known HLA antigen mismatches occur between donor and recipient. However, even in this situation, no correlation was observed between the transfusion response and donor-recipient lymphocytotoxicity reaction. Clearly additional assays are needed for the selection of compatible donors from those matched by HLA antigens.


Haematological values in a rural Ghanaian population.

Early in 1973 residents of 20 randomly selected rural villages in southern Ghana were studied to determine the prevalence of anaemia. Laboratory tests were conducted to learn what haemoglobin phenotypes were present and the distribution of white blood cell counts. Moderate anaemia (below 10 g%) was fairly common, particularly in children and 15--29 year old women, but severe anaemia (below 7 g%) was rare. Malaria infection and diets with low iron content were major factors affecting haemoglobin level, while hookworm infestation and high parity had little effect. Neutropenia (about two-thirds of Caucasian values) and the distribution of haemoglobin types (AS 16.3%; AC 11.1%) were similar to findings in earlier studies. To improve haemoglobin levels in children and young women, low-cost intervention programmes based on volunteer village workers are recommended.


Serum immunoglobin A. G and M levels in blood donors of four racial groups in Malaysia.

Serum levels were determined in urban Chinese, Malays and Indians and in the forest-residing Orang Asli of age group 11 to 50. There was no difference in the IgM levels in the Chinese, Indians and Malays, but the serum IgG was elevated (p less than 0.05) in the Malays and the serum IgA level (p less than 0.01) in the Indians, when compared to the other two races. In contrast to the three other races there was a significant elevation of all three immunoglobulins in the Orang Asli. The mean immunoglobulin levels of the urban Malaysians are comparable to those reported for Caucasians residing in temperate countries. However, in the Orang Asli, the immunoglobulin levels were higher than observed for populations of the temperate regions but are comparable to the levels reported for several other populations of the tropical regions. Females had higher IgM levels than males in the Chinese, Indian and Malays but in the Orang Asli there was no sex difference in the immunoglobulin levels.


Hepatitis B antigen - post transfusion studies in Papua New Guinea.

To determine the frequency of post transfusion hepatitis (PTH), in Papua New Guinea, 143 patients were serially blood tested after blood transfusion. Detection of HBsAg and anti-HBs was performed either by RIA or a haemagglutination method, and SGOT levels were measured. Of patients transfused with HBsAg positive blood, 85% developed HBsAg or anti-HBs within two weeks of transfusion. 18% developed subclinical PTH; no cases of clinical jaundice were noted. Of patients transfused with HBsAg negative blood, 12% developed HBsAg or anti-HBs within 2 weeks of transfusion. The frequency of PTH was not statistically different from that of the previous group. This study demonstrates that clinical Type B post transfusion hepatitis must be unusual in PNG but mild subclinical post transfusion hepatitis does occur in a minority of patients transfused with HBsAg positive or negative blood. It is postulated that the low frequency of PTH is related to the normally high Hepatitis B immune status of Papua New Guineans. Minimal health benefits would be conferred by the introduction of sensitive and expensive widespread testing for HBsAg in all donor blood; scarce financial resources may be better diverted to other areas of more productive health care.


Neurological and related manifestations of cysticercosis.

Neurological and related manifestations of 17 cases of human cysticercosis have been reported. The cases have been grouped into convulsive disorder (6 cases), meningo-encephalitis (4 cases), pseudo-tumour syndrome (2 cases), psychiatric disease (2 cases), ocular cysticercosis (2 cases) and pseudomuscular hypertrophy (1 case) which proves the varied clinical manifestations of the disease.


Kajal eye staining for early detection of vitamin A deficiency in the field.

Staining of the eyes with carbon black ("kajal") was tried out in 500 children, age 1--15 years, partly urban and partly rural, in Jaisalmer District. Of the eyes of 280 rural boys 21.4% took the stain, of 50 girls 16.0%. In the urban groups the figures were 5.7% of 88 and 9.7% of 82, respectively. These figures conincided nearly wholly with the cases diagnosed X1A (conjunctival xerosis) or X1B (conjunctival xerosis with Bitot's spots) clinically. All Bitot's spots were stained black; in addition also 2.6% of cases diagnosed X1A. Eight cases presenting only nightblindness also stained. Since kajal application is harmless, cheap, and acceptable to Indian custom it is proposed as a diagnostic procedure suitable for the general duty doctor and paramedical staff in the field.


Social and economic factors in malnourished children around Lusaka, Zambia.

Three hundred and sixty malnourished children were admitted to one of the units of the Children's Hospital, UTH, Lusaka, in 1975. They were studied in an effort to determine the effects of various social, economic and feeding habits in the evolution of PCM. Malnutrition was found in 9.1% of the total admissions and was associated with a high immediate mortality (26.6%). The majority of children were in the 7 months to 24 months age-group. The majority of families were unitary and small, with a high level of illiteracy and from the slums of Lusaka. Breast feeding was a general rule in spite of the urban status of most families. The study showed that the major factors which contributed to malnutrition were poverty and faulty weaning foods. Results were compared with other studies in Africa and India. Incidence of malnutrition can be reduced by increasing the economic level of the community and improving basic health services.


Machakos project studies. Agents affecting health of mother and child in a rural area of Kenya. II. The diagnosis of measles under field conditions.

The measles signs of children reported for measles were recorded on a check list of clinical signs. The presence and absence of these signs for a measles group (M) and a control group (C) were subject of a statistical analysis. The M and C group were determined by the results of laboratory determinations. A prediction score was derived by means of minimal paths analysis, used in reliability networks. The clinical score, based on certain criteria, the prediction score and the result of laboratory determinations were combined in order to reach a final diagnosis. A comparison of the clinical diagnosis and the final diagnosis showed a considerable overlap of the two diagnoses. The conclusion was that the clinical diagnosis only is sufficient to reach adequate incidence rates in the case of a measles epidemic.


Intensive fattening of beef cattle by stall feeding on the Lilongwe Plain, Malawi. II. Utilisation of crop residues, crop by-products and leucaena.

Experiments were conducted over three dry seasons to investigate the value for fattening beef cattle, of crop residues (maize stover, groundnut haulm) and madeya (maize bran) with varying levels of dried leucaena leaf or cottonseed cake. The inclusion of groundnut haulm in the roughage increased animal performance when madeya was restricted. Increasing the protein content of the madeya supplement but restricting the quantity of madeya fed did not influence liveweight gain although the efficiency of concentrate conversion was enhanced. Restricting the amount of maize stover and feeding madeya to appetite had no significant effect on liveweight gain, but the inclusion of leucaena up to a level of 12 per cent crude protein improved animal performance. There were no differences between cottonseed cake or leucaena when fed with madeya at the same levels of crude protein.


Intensive fattening of beef cattle by stall feeding on the Lilongwe Plain, Malawi. III. Comparative productivity of Malawi zebu and Friesian X Malawi zebu steers.

Beef fattening experiments were undertaken on the Lilonge Plain with Malawi zebu (Mz) and Friesian X Malawi zebu (F X Mz) steers. Animals were fattened under various dietary regimes based on either green forage crops or crop residues supplemented with concentrate rations of local origin. Mz steers consumed less feed and liveweight gain was approximately 75 per cent that of the F X Mz. Measurement of the efficiency parameters of feed conversion, gain and carcass yield per unit of liveweight revealed no significant differences between the two breed types. Slaughter observations indicated better fat distribution in the F X Mz and a significantly higher proportion of hindquarter. The significance of the results is discussed.


Pig production in the Solomon Islands. III. The influence of breed, diet and housing on reproduction and growth.

In the Solomon Islands pigs grow slowly and sows have small litters. An experiment using 124 pigs in 16 litters from eight sows compared the effect of village breed, village diet and village husbandry which encouraged infection of pigs with Stephanurus dentatus, with the effect of European breed, commercial rations and a system of management which ensured freedom from S. dentatus infection on the productivity of pigs. It was shown that the village diet was markedly inferior to the commercial rations and had by far the greatest influence of any of the three factors studied on the parameters measured. The village breed was not inferior in litter size or growth rate when fed on the village diet, but was inferior in growth on the commercial diet. No harmful effects of the village husbandry system were detected on either type of pig but this may have been due to the lightness of S. dentatus infections.


Studies on the digestion of carbohydrates in the camel (Camelus dromedarius).

Camels with cannulas in the small intestine were used to study the "digestive-absorptive" capacities of the small intestine. Solutions of different carbohydrates were infused through the cannulas and the responses in blood glucose levels were measured. Monosaccharides were readily absorbed from the camel small intestine. The pattern of disaccharide absorption indicated that there was high lactase activity and low maltase and sucrase activity, in the camel small intestinal mucosa.


Haematological values of Udah and Yankasa sheep in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria.

Haematological values of Yankasa and Udah sheep were determined in three clinically healthy flocks and a fourth flock with mixed helminthiasis, predominantly haemonchosis. Values for Hb, PCV, RBC and WBC from the healthy flocks were similar. They were, however, lower than reported values for sheep in temperate zones except the WBC values which were higher. These parameters were lower in the infected flock and had a wider spread. It was concluded that haematological values from the clinically healthy flocks could serve as a baseline for interpreting haematological data from diseased local sheep. It is suggested that management and health status are more important than breed for differences in haematological values.


Thermal and ultraviolet light inactivation of Mycobacterium africanum.

Mycobacterium africanum Yaoundé and Rwanda were more heat-resistant than the tubercle bacilli. The ultraviolet susceptibilities of M. africanum strains were within the range usually found in the mycobacteria (e-1 doses), however marked differences were found in the intersept numbers of the Yaounde and the Dakar types.


The prevalence of persistent coughs in a rural community in the Lango district of Uganda.

During a survey of disease due to M. ulcerans in a small rural community in Uganda in 1971 individuals were asked whether they had a cough and how long it had been present. Nine thousand one hundred and seventy-two were questioned. Of these, 4.0% of males and 4.2% of females reported a cough of longer than 1 month's duration. Of 909 aged 50 years or more the proportion was 7.9% being higher in females (9.8%) than in males (6.5%).


Changes in the serum concentrations of sodium, potassium, and free haemoglobin during transurethral resection of the prostate--parts of the TUR-syndrome?

In 133 patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate under standardized conditions the concentration of serum sodium decreased, and the concentration of free plasma haemoglobin increased significantly after the operation. Such changes were not found in a control group of 31 patients undergoing cystoscopy or bladder biopsy. The changes in the operated group are believed to be caused by the absorption of water used as irrigating fluid during the resection.


Cocaine use by the otolaryngologist: a survey.

The unique characteristics of cocaine--anesthesia and vasoconstriction--make it a valuable nasal anesthetic which is a safe topical anesthetic when used properly. The safe dose limit for cocaine used topically in the nose is surely greater than 200 mg, as evidenced by 826 otolaryngologists using greater than 200 mg in their daily practice without ever having experienced a cocaine reaction. Cocaine reactions are not simply dose-dependent, as evidenced by reactions occurring with as little as 10 mg. Fatalities secondary to topical application of cocaine to the nasal mucous membranes are exceedingly rare; only 15 fatalities have been seen in the entire clinical practices of the 2,434 physicians responding in this survey. Establishing 200 mg as the safe limit for cocaine in our literature, althugh it is not based on experimental evidence, is haphazard and carries far-reaching medicolegal implication to 48% of otolaryngologists who use greater than 200 mg of cocaine. A controlled scientific study to elucidate experimental data regarding the toxicity of cocaine in clinically useful doses is urgently needed.


Herniation of the lacrimal glands.

Herniation of the lacrimal gland is an unusual condition which has a predilection for blacks and is associated with blepharochalasis. It is benign and tends to become progressive. Either or both lobes of the lacrimal gland can herniate and must be differentiated from dermolipoma and orbital fat. A surgical treatment is described, and three cases are presented.


The role of Mycoplasma strain F38 in contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCCP) in Kenya.

The results of a serological and cultural study of experimental and field cases of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia were consistent with an aetiological role for mycoplasma strain F38. This mycoplasma was isolated from 57 acute cases in 46 outbreaks of CCPP and from 87 experimental contact cases. Clinical data from experimental contact cases were assessed for comparison with field cases.


Hearing loss in the Marine Corps.

Audiograms of 11,577 made Marine officers and enlisted personnel are analyzed by age group and level of hearing for six frequencies: 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 6,000 Hz. Speech reception thresholds are determined for the average of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology; high-frequency thresholds are determined for the average of 3,000, 4,000, and 6,000 Hz. Hearing impairment (greater than 25 dB ISO) for the speech frequencies is between 0.6% and 5.9%; for the high frequencies the range is 3.4% to 76.5%. For the high frequencies the largest increase in impairment is in the age group 35 to 44 years. No difference in the percentage distribution of hearing impairment is found between a statistically comparable group of civilians and Marines. This is in sharp disagreement with the hypothesis that a greater degree of hearing loss would exist in a military population exposed to more noise than a civilian population. Hearing impairment in the high frequencies caused by noise exposure is a problem of significant magnitude, especially above the age of 35, and may have an effect on speech intelligibility. However, the magnitude of the problem seems to be the same in the military and civilian populations studied.


Comparisons of the starch equivalent (SE) and metabolisable energy (ME) systems in feeding cattle.

Rations were formulated for dairy cows and for growing and fattening cattle by the starch equivalent (SE) and the new metabolisable energy (ME) system, to show in quantitative terms the differences that are recognised between the two systems. For a low-yielding cow, rations formulated by both systems are very similar, but for a high-yielding cow the SE system greatly underestimates energy requirement: at a production of 40 kg (8.8 gal) milk daily an extra 2 kg (4.4 lb) of a barley-soyabean concentrate is needed daily to meet the energy requirement according to the ME system. For a particular rate of gain in young newly weaned animals and in older animals gaining weight at a moderate rate on a high roughage diet, the energy level recommended by the ME system is lower than that by the SE system. The difference corresponds in each case to about 0.5 kg of a barley-soyabean concentrate daily. For older animals gaining weight rapidly on a high concentrate diet the ME system requires slightly more energy for a given weight gain, than the SE system.


Apparent re-infection of enzootic-pneumonia-free pig herds: specificity of diagnosis.

In a control scheme for enzootic-pneumonia-free herds, 43 herds developed enzootic pneumonia, as judged by non-specific clinical and pathological criteria over 10 years. Material for cultural examination was obtained from 32 of these outbreaks, and Mycoplasma suipneumoniae was identified in 28 of them. The four failures occurred before 1971 at a time when the cultural techniques were clearly inferior. Since 1971 M suipneumoniae has been isolated from all the 17 outbreaks sampled for this purpose. Two of the outbreaks from which M suipneumoniae was not recovered, and three further outbreaks, were closely connected with outbreaks from which M suipneumoniae had been isolated (to make 33 out of 35). The remaining eight outbreaks (in which isolations of M suipneumoniae were not attempted) were clinically and pathologically consistent with the pattern of the others. Hence, there is reason to believe that during this period the outbreaks of respiratory disease simulating enzootic pneumonia in the control scheme have probably all been associated with the presence of M suipneumoniae.


Deaths from copper toxicity of sheep at pasture and the use of fresh seaweed.

A number of sheep of the Orkney breed died of suspected copper poisoning while at pasture under circumstances which left sheep of other breeds apparently unaffected. Fresh seaweed offered to sheep with symptoms of copper toxicity appeared to be therapeutic and to lead to a reduction in plasma Cu level.


Canine giant axonal neuropathy.

The clinical and pathological details of a case of canine giant axonal neuropathy are presented. An 18-month-old alsatian had hind leg ataxia, weakness, hypotonia and loss of patellar reflexes. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated denervation of the distal hind leg muscles and abnormal nerve conduction velocities. Biopsy and post mortem examination of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) demonstrated large anoxal swellings, up to 28mu in diameter. Electron microscopy showed these swellings to be composed almost entirely of neurofilaments. Similar giant axons were found in the central nervous system (CNS) and the distribution of the lesions in the CNS and PNS was suggestive of a 'Dying Back' disease. The possible aetiology of this new canine condition is discussed.


Treatment of chronic post partum endometritis in cattle with cloprostenol.

Seven dairy cattle showing clinical post partum endometritis were monitored daily by rectal examination of uterus, ovaries and vagina and by sampling of jugular venous blood and uterine pus. The animals were treated by intramuscular injection of 500 microgram cloprostenol (ICI). All seven animals had an immediate reduction of plasma progesterone concentrations and showed oestrus within two to three days. In six cases the clinical endometritis resolved, with uterine involution, within seven days and uterine mucus sample showed no specific growth. One animal required a second cloprostenol injection 11 days after the first to achieve complete resolution. Subsequently, plasma progesterone levels rose in all animals but two cases later appeared to become anoestrous, perhaps due to pituitary insufficiency. In a further study of chronic endometritis in cattle in the field, 51 out of 56 animals treated in the presence of a corpus luteum showed oestrus within 14 days with resolution of the condition; five others did not respond. None of the three cases which had been treated in the absence of a corpus luteum showed any improvement. This lack of response was not unexpected and supports the view that the mode of action of cloprostenol in this treatment regime is to induce luteolysis. The mechanism of therapy and possible explanation for the occurrence of chronic endometritis are discussed.


Studies on the feeding patterns of the sheep headfly Hydrotaea irritans (Diptera, Muscidae) in Great Britain.

Serum-precipitin tests carried out on the stomach contents of laboratory maintained and field-caught Hydrotaea irritans showed that a positive result could be obtained for at least seven to 10 days after feeding. Eye, nasal and salivary secretions, even if undiluted, did not give a precipitin response in these tests. Field results from over 3000 flies thus indicate that 20 to 55% of the active fly population had taken a blood meal within the previous 10 days: 75 to 100% of these had fed on cattle blood and 15% or less on sheep blood. Significantly lower feeding levels were obtained from flies collected within plantations, indicating a protracted resting phase in woodland. From "fly feeding areas" high blood-feeding levels were shown from early July, as ovarian development begins. Early feeding rates were similar in both sexes.


Campylobacter fetus (Vibrio fetus) infection in dairy herds in South-West Scotland.

Infertility and abortion caused by Campylobacter fetus is described in a series of 12 herds in South West Scotland during the period May 1974 to December 1976. Herd studies show that 44 bulls were involved and that there were 34 bull and 18 cow movements for breeding purposes. The need to include C fetus infection in the differential diagnosis of herd infertility is emphasised.


[Deep freezing of Babesia ovis in liquid nitrogen].

Comparative investigations were carried out to determine the optimal concentration of glycerin and dimethylsulfoxide in deep freezing of sheep erythrocytes infected with Babesia ovis. The blood was obtained from experimentally infected weaned lambs in the phase of acute parasitemia. Equal blood samples, mixed with the same volume of 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-molar concentrations of the two cryoprotective agents as well as blood samples without such agents were frozen by the slow and the fast method up to--75 degrees C and kept in liquid nitrogen. The cryoprotective effect was evaluated by the hematocrit level of the samples of various concentrations in comparison with samples having no cryoprotective agent, frozen under one and the same conditions and by biologic experiments with susceptible weaned lambs. It was found that 4-molar concentrations of glycerin and dimethylsulfoxide produce an optimal  cryoprotective effect, which, with the slow method of freezing was 64 per cent for glycerin and 60.7 per cent for dimethylsulfoxide. Blood frozen under such conditions and stored up to 6 months in liquid nitrogen retained its virulence.


[Relationship between infections of the genitalia and udder in cows].

It was found that the pathogenic and occasionally pathogenic bacteria were readily transmitted in cows, originating from the genital tract, and more specifically from the uterine and vaginal discharge to the udder through the lactogenic route. The study of a total of 183 metritis-affected cows for the presence of Streptococcus uberis revealed that the pathogen could be found in the genital tract and in the udder in 20.7 per cent of the investigated cows, and it could be isolated simultaneously from the two organs in 82.6 per cent of the cases. In another group of cows also affected with metritis the study for the presence of different bacterial agents established coincidence in their simultaneous isolation from the uters and the udder in 61.2 per cent of the cases.


[Immunoelectrophoretic studies of the antigenic properties of virulent and vaccinal Newcastle strains].

Studied were immunoelectrophoretically the antigenic properties of 16 virulent and 4 vaccinal strains of the Newcastle disease virus--B1, La Sota, Komarov, and Roakin. Results showed that all virulent strains isolated in the course of 5 years had the same antigenic components as compared both to each other and to the vaccinal strains. This similarity was manifested by the presence of a clearly expressed precipitation line found with all strains in one and the same place of the immunoelectrophoregrams. It was assumed on the basis of the results obtained that there is no variation in the antigenic structure of the Newcastle disease virus. This confirmed the appropriateness in using the vaccinal strains B1, La Sota, Komarov, and Roakin in the active prophylaxis of birds against Newcastle disease.


[Changes in the toxic, antigenic and immunogenic properties of the O-antigen of Salmonella gallinarum-pullorum irradiated with gamma rays].

Studied was the effect of gamma-rays at rates of 1 to 20 MR on the toxic, antigenic, and immunogenic properties of the O-antigen extracted from Salmonella gallinarum-pullorum by the method of Boivin. It was found that the irradiation of aqueous solutions of the O-antigen lowered the toxic, antigenic, and immunogenic capacity with the increase in the dose of treatment. Strongest detoxication of the endotoxin was produced through irradiation at the rate of 10 MR, and especially at 20 MR. The antigenic activity, established through the hyperimmunization of rabbits was expressed best at irradiation rates of 1 and 5 MR. At such treatments the immunogenic capacity remained intact as followed up by the murine protection test.


[Spread and economic importance of acariasis in swine].

Studies were carried out on the aspects of the epizootic process and the economic importance of acariasis in swine. It was established that the disease had widely spread. About 92 per cent of the pig-breeding farms proved infected, in which an average of 30.06 per cent of the animals showed symptoms of mange. The source of the infective agent were the diseased pigs. Infection was transmitted mainly through contact between normal and affected animals. The basic part in the epizootic process was played by sows and boars that were carriers of the parasites. Acariasis was shown to inflict heavy losses in pig farming. Acariasis-affected growing pigs gave 48.2 per cent lower weight gain as compared with intact animals of the same age.


[Species and seasonal dynamics of the ixodid ticks in Smolyan Province].

Investigations have been carried out in the course of three years into the occurrence, species composition, and seasonal dynamics of the Ixodes ticks in the district of Smolyan. A total of six species were established: Hyalomma plumbeum (Panzer), Dermatocentor marginatus (Sulz.), Haem. sulcata (Can et. Fanz.), Haem. punctata (Can. et Fanz.), Rh. bursa (Can. et Fanz.), and Ix. ricinus (L.). It was concluded that the spread and seasonal dynamics of the Ixodes ticks in Smolyan district were directly dependent on the climate, geographic conditions, and altitude.


[Structure of the Salmonella from animals, birds and the environment through the period of 1970-1975].

Studied were biochemically and serologically the species of a total of 8738 Salmonella cultures. Most of the investigated strains belonged to subgenus I--95 species; to subgenus II belonged one species (Salmonella sofia); to subgenus III belonged 4 species: Salmonella arizonae 11:b:1, 7; Salmonella arizonae 35:r:z35; Salmonella arizonae 35:z52:1, 5, 7; Salmonella arizonae 58:rz53:z57 of three serologic groups. The attention was focused on more than 20 (new to this country) Salmonellae among which a Salmonella bulgaria species new to the Salmonella genus. Data are given for the origin of the strains, the biochemical and serologic behaviour, the sensitivity to phage O1 and the phage types of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis.


[Effect of photooxidation on the immunological properties of immunoglobulins].

Photooxidation of anti-HSA antibodies, isolated by affinity chromatography, was carried out using methylene blue as a photosensitizing agent. Activity of anti-HSA antibody as well as an absorption maximum at 280 nM pH 7.0 disappeared due to photooxidation. Incubation of antibodies with methylene blue in the darkness was ineffective. Antigenic properties of human IgG were unaltered after photooxidation under the same conditions but the absorption maximum of the immunoglobulin at 280 nM disappeared.


[Calcium transport in rabbit myocardial cells during experimental heart damage].

Content and distribution of 45Ca, administered intravenously, were studied in fractions of rabbit myocardial tissue in experimental allergic and caused by injections of adrenaline heart impairments. Concentration of Ca was increased in mitochondria as well as its binding was stimulated both in mitochondria and in sarcoplasmic reticulum. Increased Ca utilization by mitichondria was also shown in vitro. Correlation between Ca accumulation in mitochondria and energy metabolism impairment in myocardium is discussed. The distinct increase of Ca concentration in mitochondria simultaneously with stabilization of its content in homogenate of myocardial tissue suggest that amount of Ca, bound to myofibrillar proteins, is decreased under the pathological conditions studied.


[Synthesis of multiple forms of brain cholinesterases].

Highly purified multiple forms of brain cholinesterase were isolated by a new method. Eight forms were identified as acetyl cholinesterases, seven forms--as butyryl cholinesterases, four forms--as mixed acetyl- and butyryl cholinesterases and four forms--as aliesterases. Biosynthesis of multiple forms of brain cholinesterase was monitored by following incorporation of 14C-glycine into the purified fractions. Cats were killed at different periods (3 hrs, 3,6 and 9 days) after intoxication with isopropyl hydroxymethyl fluorophosphate. The restoration of the enzymatic activity after the inhibition did not correspond to the incorporation of the labelled amino acid into the enzyme protein. There was a transcient increase in the incorporation of the label after an increase in acetylcholine concentration.


[Effect of hexenal and thiopental anesthesia on energy metabolism in different brain areas].

Respiration and oxidative phosphorylation were studied in dog mitochondria of visua and acoustic areas of brain cortex as well as of medial thalamus after hexenal and thiopental narcosis. The distinct increase in the respiratory activity, which was not accompanied by phosphate esterification, was observed in mitochondria of medial thalamus as compared with the organelles of brain cortex from visual and acoustic areas. The phenomenon was responsible for uncoupling of respiration and phosphorylation processes.


[Erythropoietin-forming and esterase activity of rat kidney subcellular fractions during stimulation of erythropoiesis].

Stimulation of erythropoiesis in rats (hemolytic-phenylhydrazine and acute posthemorrhagic anemia, effect of hypoxic hypoxia) was accompanied by an increased erythropoietine-formating activity in kidney microsomes and light mitochondria. The phenomenon correlated with an increased esterase activity in hypotonic supernatant of kidney homogenate mainly due to the enzymatic fraction, corresponding to alpha2-globulin by its mobility. Histochemical examination of kidney showed that the most distinct alterations in the esterase activity were observed in epithelial cells of nephron proximal part and in capillary endothelium.


[Kinetic parameters of the rat liver monooxygenase system in the early stages of chemical carcinogenesis].

Functions of the liver monooxygenase system, participating in metabolism of 3,4-benzpyrene, were shown to vary significantly at different steps of carcinogenesis induced by 3,4-benzpyrene. These variations appear to be due to changes in the effect of monooxygenase-epoxide hydrase complex in rat liver microsomes.


[Effect of physical exertion on indices of cholesterol metabolism in alimentary obesity].

Physical loading affects the patterns of cholesterol metabolism in patients with obesity. Content of total cholesterol was altered in blood serum after loading depending on its initial level: it was increased if the initial level was low; if the initial content of cholesterol was high physical loading caused a hypocholesterolemic effect. Level of cholesterol esters was often decreased after loading. Physical loading activated lecithin-cholesterol-acyl transferase in blood plasma.


[Effect of peroxidation on the physical structure of phospholipid membranes].

Peroxidation of lipids caused rearrangements in physical structure of biomembranes as it was shown by a method of fluorescent probes. These structural rearrangements were accompanied by an increase in the viscosity on the surface and in the depth of the phospholipid bilayer. The increase in the viscosity was apparently due to oxidation and to elimination from the phospholipid bilayer of the unsaturated fatty acid residues. Presence of the unsaturated fatty acids in biomembranes decreases their viscosity. The fraction of saturated fatty acids after peroxidation was respectively increased in the bilayer.


[Indirect method of determining drug-metabolizing enzyme activity and its clinical application].

Activity of microsomal enzymes was studied using an indirect method for estimation of the rate of antipyrine secretion with saliva in 70 healthy persons at the age from 16 to 86 years. Distinct individual differences were observed in the activity of the enzymes: time of the antipyrine half-secretion varied from 6.4 hrs to 50.1 hrs. The time of antipyrine half-secretion was significantly higher in the older (60-86 years) than in younger persons (16-30 years), suggesting decreased activity of the microsomal enzymes in older people. The microsomal enzymes activity might be increased distinctly under effect of several drugs, especially of hypotensive drugs--reserpine and dibasole. The data obtained suggest that for effective medicinal therapy it is essential to control the initial activity of microsomal enzymes as well as its alterations in the course of medicamentous treatment; the activity of microsomal enzymes in a given person must be taken into consideration for correct individual selection of doses of the drugs.


[Excretion of catecholamines and DOPA in lipid metabolism disorders].

Excretion of catecholamines and DOPA was impaired in patients with metabolic-alimentary obesity, with ischemic disease of heart, with atherosclerosis and excessive weight. Distinct decrease in content of adrenaline, noradrenaline and DOPA was observed in patients with obesity; the phenomenon was less pronounced in ischemic disease of heart, mainly in aged patients. Correlation was found between the rate of excretion of catecholamines and DOPA and the extent of hyperlipidemia. Dietetics did not normalize completely the impairments studied. Additional administration of pyridoxine caused a favorable effect.


[Principles and tasks of biochemical research at centers participating in the accomplishment of the national program for the control of cardiovascular diseases].

For substantiation of definite methodological approaches in the biochemical investigations an analysis of published data was carried out. Correlation was considered between one of the early alterations in vessel wall, preceding atherosclerosis, namely proliferation of smooth muscle cells and factors of risk of ishemic heart impairment -- hyperlipoproteinemia, hypertension, smoking. The analysis showed that each of these factors of risk as well as thrombosis increased the proliferation of smooth muscle cells and thereby promoted the development of atherosclerosis. Thus, biochemical research must be directed not only towards revealing of developed impairments in lipoprotein metabolism but the biochemical approach has to be used for diagnosis of the primary impairments in metabolic processes, preceding hyperlipoproteinemia, stable increase in arterial pressure, thrombosis. This approach enables to reveal the early alterations and to begin the rational primary prophylaxis of atherosclerosis.


[Properties of monoamine oxidases from myocardial mitochondria].

Mitochondrial monoamine oxidases from rabbit and rat heart muscles varied distinctly in the sensitivity to the effect of selective irreversible inhibitors clorgyline and deprenyl. In presence of mitochondrial fragments from rabbit heart oxidation of phenylethylamine, tyramine, benzylamine and triptamine was highly sensitive to the effect of deprenyl. Very low concentrations of clorgyline inhibited oxidation of these amines in samples containing rat heart mitochondrial fragments. Rabbit heart mitochondrial fragments appear to contain considerable amounts of monoamine oxidases of "B" type and rat heart mitochondrial fragments--the monoamine oxidases of "A" type. A highly sensitive fluorescent method was used for estimation of the monoamine oxidase activity; it was based on the extinguishing by hydrogen peroxide in presence of peroxidase of the scopolethine fluorescence.


[Effect of diketopiperazine on mouse liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy].

Inhibition of serine-hydroxymethyl transferase activity by dimer of cycloserine--diketopiperazin (DP) was studied in vivo in mice liver tissue. DP (2500 mg and 4000 mg per kg of body weight) caused a decrease in the enzyme activity by 14% and 30%, respectively, within 2 hrs after intraperitoneal administration into the animals. Complete reactivation of the enzyme was observed in presence of pyridoxal phosphate added into the experimental samples. DP inhibited the rate of mice liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, if it was administered separately or in combination with methotrexate within 8 days before and 4 days after the operation. The decreased rate of the tissue regeneration occurred simultaneously with a distinct decrease in the serine-hydroxymethyl transferase activity in vivo. Methotrexate did not affect the liver tissue regeneration after hepatectomy. A method is described for estimation of the serine-hydroxymethyl transferase activity in tissue extracts in presence of partially purified preparation of 5,10-methylene-H4-folate-dehydrogenase.


[Interaction of immobilized carboxypeptidase with a natural inhibitor from human blood plasma].

Carboxypeptidase N was bound covalently to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B without decrease in the enzymatic activity. Interaction of the immobilized enzyme with native low molecular inhibitor from human blood plasma was accompanied by formation of the stable Co2+-dependent complex, which is partially dissociated in presence of 2 M NaCl. The data obtained suggest that the inhibitor studied possesses the specific effect on the carboxypeptidase N activity.


[Phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase activity in the liver in viral hepatitis].

Phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase activity was studied in liver tissue, obtained by biopsy from 5 patients with viral hepatitis and from 8 persons without parthological alterations of liver. The enzymatic activity was estimated by formation of 14C-tyrosine in presence and in absence of added cofactor 2-amine-4-hydroxy-6,7-dimethyltetrahydropteridine. Without addition of the cofactor the phenylalanine hydroxylase activity was of the same order of magnitude in liver tissue of the patients and of healthy persons. In presence of the cofactor the enzyme activity in liver of the patients with the hepatitis of moderate severity constituted 44% of the activity found in the control group. The rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation was 0.19 with 10-2 min-1 in patients with hepatitis and 0.5 with 10-2 min-1--in the control group. In severe and moderate forms of viral hepatitis the impairment of phenylalanine metabolism was due to decrease in the activity of phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase in liver tissue.


[Effect of new 2-propinylamine derivatives on mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity].

New derivatives of 2-propinyl amine were studied as possible inhibitors of mitochondrial monoamine oxidases (MAO) from rat liver and brain tissues. Kinetics of inhibition of the MAO activity (A and B types) is described for one of the substances studied -- N-(8-quinolyl methyl)-N-methyl-2-propinyl amine. Interaction of N-(8-quinolylmethyl)-N-methyl-2-propinyl amine with MAO of the A type (serotonin as a substrate) and of the B type (beta-phenylethylamine as a substrate) was studied by the kinetic method, which enabled to determine and quantitatively estimate the steps of enzyme-inhibitor complexes formation. The inhibition of the mitochondrial MAO A and B types by the substance was shown to include the steps of formation of dissociating enzyme-inhibitor intermediates with the subsequent irreversible modification of them. The data on K1 values, estimated in experiments with serotonin and beta-phenylethylamine as substrates, show that the affinity of N-(8-quinolyl methyl)-N-methyl-2-propinyl amine towards MAO of the A type was 10-fold higher than the affinity towards MAO of the B type. The rates of these complexes conversion into irreversibly blocked forms of the MAO A and B types was found to be similar.


[Protein biosynthesis in a cell-free protein synthesis system from nodular euthyroid goiter cells].

Analysis of proteins, synthesized in cell-free system using nodal euthyroid goiter, was carried out by polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. Four protein farctions, incorporating labelled amino acids, were found: "complete" thyroglobulin, two its subunits and thyroalmbumin. This correlates with the concept that malignant cell synthesizes intensively proteins untypical for a normal tissue.


[Interrelationship of pseudouridine and transfer RNA metabolic disorders in thermal injury].

Excretion and turnover rate of radioactive pseudouridine were studied in intact and burned rats. The thermic injury increased the pseudouridine excretion and lowered the rate of decrease in its specific radioactivity. Relative increase in excretion of pseudouridine was more distinct for the "B" isomer as compared with the isomer "C". The general pattern of dynamics of alterations in pseudouridine turnover after thermic injury corresponded to the patterns of impairments in metabolism of transfer RNA, which were studied previously. But the rate of pseudouridine turnover considerably exceeded the rate of tRNA metabolism either in normal state or in thermic injury.


[Trypsin and lipase activity in the presence of antibiotics].

Effect of penicillin, kanamycin and streptomycin on the proteolytic activity of trypsin using hemoglobin and casein as substrates as well as effect of these antibiotics and oxacilin, methycillin and tetracycline on the lipase activity were studied in vitro. Penicillin, kanamycin and streptomycin (5 mg, 20 mg and 80 mg of the antibiotic per 1 mg of trypsin, respectively) did not inhibit the proteolytic activity of the enzyme. Kanamycin slightly activated the trypsin activity in reaction with hemoglobin and streptomycin -- in reaction with casein. Penicillin, oxacillin and methycillin inhibited the lipase activity, when 80-100 mg of the antibiotics were used per 1 mg of the enzyme.


[Combined treatment of inoperable stomach cancer].

The results of combination therapy of 66 patients with inoperable gastric cancer are presented. The complex of therapeutic measures included: preoperative gammatherapy with a single dose of 350--400 rad and total dosage up to 2400--3000 rad, palliative operations or explorative laparotomy with subsequent postoperative irradiation (up to 4500--6000 rad) or chemotherapy with 5-fluoruracil (up to 3--5 grams). The average survival of patients was 9.3 +/- 0.9 months, and it was dependent on tumor process spread and the kind of surgical intervention. Radiotherapy is shown to effect positively the clinical course of the disease and patient's survival.


[Structure of cytoplasmic glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits].

Differences in the ratio of molecular forms of crystalline glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD, EC 1.1.1.8) from sceletal muscle and in their primary structure were found in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis as compared with normal animals. In atherosclerosis the molecular weight of GPD and of its fragments was increased; the amino acid composition of these GPD molecules differs from that of control rabbits as shown by estimation of content of 8 amino acids. Experimental atherosclerosis is apparently related to alteration in the GPD primary structure.


Serotonin metabolism in duodenal tissue in acute renal ischemia in rabbits.

Metabolism of serotonin was studied in duodenum of rabbits in acute kidney ischemia (from 15 min to 1 hr). Estimations of serotonin and 5-hydroxy indolacetic acid content and the activities of 5-hydroxytryptophane decarboxylase (5-HTD) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) using serotonin as a substrate were carried out. A complicated phase dynamics in the intestine of main patterns of serotonin metabolism was observed in acute kidney ischemia. Within the ischemic period content of serotonin and the MAO activity correlated with the activity of 5-HTD in the duodenal tissue. The alterations in the activity of MAO from intestine suggest that this enzyme was especially important in the serotonin metabolic conversions studied.


[Effect of sectioning the celiac and vagus nerves on the activity and isoenzymatic composition of rat liver lactate dehydrogenase].

Total activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was increased in rat liver cytoplasm after dissection of nervus celiacus; the enzyme activity was, however, decreased after section of nervus vagus. As showen by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the alterations in the enzyme activity occurred mainly due to changes in the isoenzyme LDH5, prevailing in this liver fraction. Administration of insulin did not restore the LDH activity, decreased after vagotomy. The suggestion is corroborated that the regulatory effects of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems on glycolysis are of oppositely directed character.


[Cytotoxic index in melanoma patients].

The cytotoxic index was studied in 38 patients with melanoma. The cytotoxic effect would not be observed in tumor progression or in the persistent absence (1.5 years) of the signs of metastasization and recurrences in case of the previously removed tumor. The positive effect of the cytotoxic test in some cases was gained in the presence only of the primary focus or after the latter and metastases being removed, and in the long-term absence of metastases and recurrences in the period to come. In other cases the positive effect was gained during a short period of time before the appearance of metastases or in progressing of the disease. To fully estimate the results of the study the cytotoxic test should be methodically associated with studying of the blocking effect of patient's serum. The blood groups A. B. O compatibility or incompatibility of patient's and donor tumor cells did not influence the results of the cytotoxic test.


[Characteristics of the development of highly differentiated thyroid gland tumors].

Under study was the kinetics of morphological changes of high-differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid after repeat operative interventions, the interval between those was 2--15 years. It is suggested that during the development of high differentiated thyroid tumors the morphological structure of the tumor is remained and shows no tendency to transformation into anaplastic forms. Tumors showing both papillary and anaplastic structures (papillary polymorphous cancers) are considered to be the result of irregular tumor progression under which separate zones of neoplastic cells proved to be in different stages of differentiation.


[Intrastitial iodine-131 administration in inoperable thyroid gland cancer].

The authors report the indications to and the results of clinical application of interstitial injections of iodine-131 in unresectable tumors, recurrences and regional metastases of thyroid cancer. Interstitial injection of iodine-131 in 35 inoperable patients (66 injections of iodine-131) made it possible to reduce considerably the size of tumor by 1 g of the tumor, on the average, were of the order of 5140 rad, radiation exposure of blood and kidneys--0.03 rad/litre and 139 rad, accordingly. Neither complications nor grave local and general reactions were noted.


[Effect of Ca2+ ions on the pyruvate kinase isoenzymes from rabbit kidney cortex].

Ca2 ions showed the various effect on isoenzymes of pyruvate kinase from rabbit kidney cortex. Ca2 activated the "L" type of pyruvate kinase at low concentrations of PEP and inhibited -- at high concentrations of the latter. "M2" type of pyruvate kinase was inhibited by Ca2 under all the conditions studied. In presence of Ca2+ the activating effect of PDP on "L" and "M2" types of pyruvate kinase was absent; the inhibitory action of ATP on the "M" type of pyruvate kinase was increased at all the concentrations above 1.3 mM. The effect of Ca2+ on the pyruvate kinase isoenzymes depended on content of Mg2+ in the medium.


[Native and desensitized forms of L-type pyruvate kinase from rabbit kidney cortex].

A time-consuming procedure of isolation of pyruvate kinase isoenzymes from rabbit kidney cortex (more than 5 hrs) at 0-2 degrees led to obtaining of a desensitized form of "L" type, resembling the "M3" type of the enzyme from sceletal muscle. Rapid isolation of pyruvate kinase "L" type (within about 2.5 hrs) at 4-6 degrees provided the isoenzyme in the active (allosteric) form.


[Types of anesthesia and the late results of breast cancer treatment].

The author studied the remote results of the treatment in 1358 breast cancer patients, 554 of them were operated under ether-nitrogen-oxygen anesthesia and 804--under fluothane-nitrogen-oxygen anesthesia. The patients were subjected only to the Halsted mastectomy. Both groups of patients were identical in age and the degree of tumor spread. It is shown that late results of the treatment in breast cancer patients operated under fluothane narcosis are much better than those under ether narcosis.


[Role of oxidative processes in the realization of the adaptive mechanisms of the human placenta].

Redox reactions were studied in 217 placentas obtained after partus maturus and pathological labor (premature labor, gestoses, incompatibility by Rh antigen, uterine inertia, placentas at early therapeutic and spontaneous abortions). Several uniform alterations were observed in activities of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase, lactate-, glutamate- and malate dehydrogenases. Increase in the activity of these enzymes was accompanied by alteration in distribution of LDH isoenzymes and by elevated formation of glutamic acid; activities of transaminases, cytochrome c and cytochrome oxidase were unaltered. The alterations observed appear to be due to activation of compensatory-adaptive mechanisms of placenta.


[Extent of the surgical intervention for the purpose of ovariectomy in breast cancer patients].

In laparotomy of breast cancer patients to the end of performing ovariectomy a careful revision of abdominal viscera should be included in the general plan of the treatment for the principal lesion. This measure allows the recognition both of secondary changes in abdominal organs due to mammary gland tumor and the changes not related with the principal lesion but necessitating some widening of the extent of surgery.


[Pantothenate metabolism in the rat liver and its regulation].

Pantothenate, penetrating the liver tissue after intraperitoneal administration into young rats at a dose 100 mumole/kg was metabolized to unidentified substances within 15-30 min without accumulation of 4-phosphopantothenate. Within subsequent 2-4 hrs period pantothenate, 4-phosphopantothenate, CoA and considerably higher amounts of the unidentified metabolites (apparently symmetric and mixed (disulphides) were simultaneously accumulated in liver tissue; the latter substances determined the subsequent prolonged and essential elevation in content of CoA in the liver tissue. The phase dynamics of accumulation in liver tissue of the administered pantothenate is due to its recirculation from intestine and to alteration in the activity of pantothenate metabolizing enzymes, particularly those, which catalyze the reactions of thiodisulphide metabolism.


[Quantitative determination of tissue disulfide groups by reverse amperometric titration].

A method of reversed amperometric titration for estimation of content of S- S-groups in biological materials is described. The method is based on splitting of disulphide groups in reaction with a reducing agent (Na2SO3) in presence of an excess of metal ions (Ag+, Hg2+), which form a mercaptide bond (AgS) with SH-groups. The excess of free metal ions was titrated with the equimolar solution of thiol (unithiol, cysteine). The method is comparatively simple and enables to estimate S- S groups in presence of air oxygen and enzymatic systems.


[Cryosurgical treatment of prostate gland cancer].

The authors share their experience with cryosurgical treatment of 38 patients with prostatic cancer (stage T3--in 9 patients, T4--in 29). The technic of cryotherapy is described. The former was employed in patients with complete obstruction of the cervico-urethral segment being nonresponsive to the hormone- and radiotherapy, and also for a life cystostome. Three freezing sessions for 5--15 minutes were conducted with natural warming of the prostate between sessions during 10--12 minutes, and forced warming for 3--4 minutes after the third session. The optimum time of cryoeffect was 5--7 minutes. The postoperative period was smooth, uncomplicated. The process of rejection of the frozen tissues lasted for up to 4--6 weeks, after that a suprapubic drainage was withdrawn and uresis was restored. 32 patients were discharged from the clinic, the survival up to 3 months--in 2, up to 6 months--in 6, up to 1 year--in 4, up to 2 years--in 7, up to 3 years--in 7.


[Blast transformation reaction in testicular teratoblastomas].

Cell immunity was studied in vitro by means of the blasttransformation reaction (RBT) under the influence of phytohemagglutinin nonspecific mitogen (PHA). The results obtained indicated a correlation between the clinical course of teratoblastoma and the cell immunity intensity, measured by RBT. RBT indices also were correlated well with the efficacy of chemotherapy and were of certain prognostic value.


[Effect of a centrogenic fever on phosphorylase and pyruvate kinase activity in rabbit tissues].

Administration of pyrogenal into rabbits caused a decrease in the activity of phosphorylase A and pyruvate kinase in musculus gastrocnemius as well as pyruvate kinase -- in musculus soleus. The phosphorylase A activity was increased within 3 hrs after the drug administration but it was decreased after the treatment for three days. Administration of hydrocortisone decreased the activity of phosphorylase and pyruvate kinase in both muscles. Activities of total phosphorylase and phosphorylase A were decreased simultaneously with restoration of the pyruvate kinase activity in the both muscles after the complex administration of pyrogenal and hydrocortisone within 3 days. In liver tissue and kidney cortex activities of the enzymes did not differ from those of control animals under all the conditions studied. The various extent and direction in alterations of the same enzymes in dissimilar tissues of a single amnial after administration of pyrogenal and hydrocortisone were considered as the various adaptation of cells of different tissues to the effect of hydrocortisone and as the alteration in tissue reactivity in experimental fever animals to the hormonal effect.


[Quantitative method of determining the activity of zinc- and copper-dependent superoxide dismutase in biological material].

The activity of superhydroxide dismutase was estimated by following rate of inhibition of non-enzymatic reduction of tetrazolium salt in reaction with superhydroxide ions, which were continuously generated in a photochemical system. The quantitative estimations were achieved by using para-nitrotetrazolium chloride, which was reduced to formazanes soluble in acetone. Formation of formazanes by the photochemical system (riboflavin + tetramethylethylene diamine + O2 + para-nitrotetrazolium chloride + light) in presence of biological material and cyanide was compared with formation of formazanes in absence of cyanide for specific estimation of Zn, Cu-dependent forms of superhydroxide dismutase. The rate of enzymatic cyanide sensitive inhibition of the photochemical formation of formazanes from paranitrotetrazolium chloride was determined by the activity of Zn, Cu-dependent superhydroxide dismutase in biological material and might be expressed in units of the activity -- un. ac. = 10/(0,026.% inhibition--1,3).


[Colonofibroscopy in the diagnosis of cancer of the large intestine].

Fiberoptic colonscopy was performed in 35 patients with cancer of the large intestine (14% among the examined patients). Endoscopic diagnosis in cancer of the large intestine was precise in 96%, the results of Fiberoptic colonscopy, biopsy and cytologic assay being of primary importance in recognition of the early cancer.


[Respiration of the cells and isolated mitochondria of the rat liver in the early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis].

Under study was the respiration of mitochondria and cell aggregates (slices) of rat liver during the process of chemical carcinogenesis, induced by 3'-Me-DAB and AAP. The study of the hepatic mitochondria respiration indicated no impairment of the mitochondria functions investigated at early stages of carcinogenesis. The examination of hepatic slices respiration has demonstrated that during the process of chemical carcinogenesis the stimulation of endogenic respiration affected by DNP is decreased, whereas such effect is not observed while using succinate as a substrate. During the carcinogens metabolism compounds are assumed to be formed, those are able to affect oxidative phosphorylation without forming any stable link with the respiratory chain components. Which of the carcinogens metabolites may render similar effects is the question to be discussed.


[Methylcholanthrene sensitization in skin tumor induction].

Injection of 2 mg of methylcholanthrene renders a sensitizing effect on separate tissues and enhances the development of skin papillomas and cancer in skin application of methylcholanthrene. To the time of papillomas appearance sensitized animals showed immunosuppression being more significant than in nonsensitized mice. Animals with cancerous tumors, both sensitized and non-sensitized, showed paralysis of immunological mechanisms of the organism protection.


[Ezymohistochemical study of the early stages of carcinogenesis in the rat peripheral nervous system].

Early blastomatous changes in the peripheral nervous system induced by transplacental N-nitroso-N-ethylurea exposure were manifested in lemmoblasts proliferates, observed starting from the 14th day of the postnatal period in rats. The proliferates showed the increased activity of ortho-phosphoric and carbonic esters hydrolysis enzymes pentose cycle, ultimate glycolysis and the reduced citric acid cycle, tissue respiration, the synthesis of aminoacids, folic acid, nucleoproteids precursors, and a sharp suppression of oxidative desamination. Such profile of enzymic provision was retained in neurinomas developed 6 months following the postnatal period. Based on the data obtained, it is concluded that the process of glial cells malignant transformation is terminated long before the appearance of malignant neoplasms detected macroscopically.


[Spontaneous neoplasms in guinea pigs].

The authors present an analysis of the data of foreign literature and the results of their personal studies of spontaneous neoplasms in 40 guinea pigs of national breeding observed during observed during a 5-year period. In 4 of them malignant tumors were diagnosed-lympholeucosis (2 cases), dermoid ovarian cysts and also cancer and adenoma of the adrenal cortex (in one animal). The neoplasms described developed in guinea pigs, aged over 4 years, and they are referred to as mostly common tumors in this species of animals.


[Clinical evaluation of the dysplasias and the early forms of cervical cancer].

One hundred and forty patients, admitted to the Center of Oncology Research of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences with a suspicion to cervical cancer, were examined by the complex method comprising in addition to routine gynecological examination also extended colposcopy, cytological investigation of smears from pathological foci surface as well as  histological studies, "aimed biopsy and cervical canal curetting. It was found that the cytological picture of moderate dysplasia of cervical epithelium is more frequently recognized in patients with pseuderosions developed with unchanged in size and form uterine cervix in the background, in the presence of benign colposcopic picture. The cytological picture of marked epithelial dysplasia and dysplasia with clear-cut cell atypism is observed in patients with bleeding pseuderosions against the background of hypertrophic and deformed cervix. Histological assay in these patients revealed early cervical cancer in 67% of observations. Marked extensive leucoplakia of the cervix found in clinical examination is manifested by different forms of epithelial dysplasia, while histological assay revealed early cervical cancer in 29.4% of observations.


[Hemoglobin in lymphogranulomatosis in children].

The peculiarities of hemoglobin content and properties in lymphogranulomatosis were studied in children by different methods. In most patients the content of fetal hemoglobin and methhemoglobin was found to increase and the rate of ferricyanide oxidation of hemoglobin also increases. Simultaneously, the rate of non-homogenicity of basic hemoglobin fractions was observed to increase on account of immunologically different components.


[Possibility of predicting the results of the surgical treatment of cancer of the thoracic portion of the esophagus].

Within a 18-year period in the clinic 273 patients were subjected to radical surgery for cancer of the thoracic esophagus. 206 patients were discharged from the clinic. The survival rate for 5 years and longer was noted in 58 patients. The data and results of the treatment depending on a sum of clinical signs were treated mathematically. It is noted that the patients' survival is influenced by such factors as sex, the stage of the disease, the morphological structure of tumor, the character of course, tumor size and spread, the type of surgical intervention. An advanced course, changes in blood presence of metastases do not seem to be the reason for cancellation of the operation.


[Effect of the combined use of pyrogenal and cyclophosphane on experimental tumors].

The effect of the combined administration of cyclophosphane and pyrogenal was studied on mice with sarcoma 37 and Ehrlich carcinoma. It has been found that pyrogenal potentiates the antitumor effect of cyclophosphane and reduces the toxic action of this drug, thus making the survival of animals longer.


[Complex diagnosis of breast diseases in a polyclinic].

In 159 patients with malignant and in 170 patients with benign tumors the diagnosis was established on the basis of clinical data, cytographic findings, obtained in puncturing the node and the results of roentgenological studies of mammary glands. In patients with malignant tumors all these methods yielded the similar results in 71.7% of cases, none of the methods concerned helped to diagnose the lesion in 2.5% of cases. The ultimate diagnosis in patients to be directed to the clinic coincided with histological findings in 97.5%. The coincidence of diagnoses, while using the mentioned three methods in patients with benign breast tumors was noted in 72.9% of cases. The methods under consideration failed to establish the diagnosis in 3% of cases. The ultimate diagnosis coincided with histological findings in 97.0%. The presence of negative results while using each of these methods is shown to be the characteristic of their resolving power.


[Work capacity of women after treatment for breast cancer].

Under consideration are the results of the analysis of 209 questionnaires from females, subjected to surgical and radiotherapy for cancer of the mammary gland. Among 134 patients with group 2 invalidism 100 patients resumed their former activities. During first two years following the treatment 28 of them had to change their occupation. Sixty three females did not work at all after the treatment. The main causes leading to partial or complete loss of the efficiency were complications of radical mastectomy for cancer such as: pain, edema of the upper extremity at the site of the operation and its limited motion in the shoulder joint.


Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity: a critical assessment of the Simeons method.

Injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) have been claimed to aid in weight reduction by reducing hunger, and affecting mood as well as aiding in localized (spot) reduction. We have tested these claims in a double-blind randomized trial using injections of HCG or placebo. Weight loss was identical between the two groups, and there was no evidence for differential effects on hunger, mood or localized body measurements. Placebo injections, therefore, appear to be as effective as HCG in the treatment of obesity.


[Mechanocardiographic diagnosis of impaired cardiac function (author's transl)].

The value and limitations of phonocardiography, systolic time intervals, apex cardiography and kinetocardiography in the diagnosis of impaired cardiac function during rest and haemodynamic stress were critically reviewed on the basis of studies carried out in our laboratory, as well as reports in the literature. When compared with invasively-obtained measurements, none of the above-mentioned techniques allows the prediction of heart function quantitatively in a single given patient. However, when one considers the broad overlap of mechanocardiographic measurements in normal subjects and patients with heart disease and defines an abnormal mechanocardiogram accordingly, these methods may be used to diagnose abnormal cardiac function with adequate specificity though low sensitivity.


[The influence of mexiletin on ventricular arrhythmias during ergometric exercise (author's transl)].

Wireless telemetric ECG observations and suitably-graded ergometric loads to reach an age-dependent maximum heart rate of about 130/min. are suited for the critical examination of released ventricular arrhythmias requiring therapeutic aid. In the recovery period after ergometric exercise the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias is twice as great as at rest or during normal physical activity. Even in the recovery period distinct ST depressions were observed. The hypothesis that myocardial ischaemia predisposes to ventricular arrhythmias as a result of electrophysiological instability is apparently supported by these findings. Mexitil--a potent class I antiarrhythmic drug--significantly reduced the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias at rest, normal physical activity and after ergometric loading during initial intravenous therapy followed by continuous oral administration over a three-week period at a daily dosage of 600 to 800 mg. No significant haemodynamic effects were observed, especially with respect to the pump function of the heart during oral or intravenous therapeutic administration.


[Arrhythmias during catheterization of patients with acute myocardial infarction (author's transl)].

Arrhythmias in forty consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction during ventricle passage of floating catheters were compared with those in forty patients with chronic heart disease. Lidocaine (1 mg/kg body weight i. v.) as a bolus proved to be effective in reducing the incidence of these arrhythmias, because the number of single ventricular premature beats (VPBs), and the number of VPBs in salves was significantly reduced. Haemodynamic changes due to this bolus are small and short-lasting, so that they are acceptable, especially when continuous monitoring of the patients is attempted. Furthermore dangerous arrhythmias are reported in 1600 cases treated with floating catheters.


[Emergency treatment with a temporary balloon-floated pacemaker electrode (author's transl)].

The "blind" insertion of a balloon-tipped pacemaker electrode is a suitable method when emergency pacing at the bedside is needed. The disadvantage of placement of the electrode without fluoroscopic control is counter-balanced by the saving of time and the lesser stress and risk involved for the patient, who is not required to be moved to a fluoroscopic room.