Gene frequencies and racial intermixture in a Mestizo population from Mexico City.

Blood specimens from a sample (of some 460 subjects) from the Mestizo population in Mexico City were tested for haptoglobin, transferrin, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and haemoglobin types and blood groups. Gene frequencies for these characters were estimated. From the data on O, M, N, S, R degrees, r, Pc frequencies, the amount of admixture was calculated. In the Mestizo population studied the major contribution comes from European sources and the secondary contributions from Mexican Indians; the contribution from African sources is minimal.


The influence of family characteristics on the heights, weights and skinfolds of highland and lowland children in Ethiopia.

In Ethiopian children residing at either high or low altitude, the relationship between growth (in stature, body weight and skinfold thickness) and age and family size (broken down into birth rank and number of younger sibs) was examined. Contrary to expectation, when children were grouped for similar ages, the impact of family characteristics appeared to be small. However, there was some evidence that among low-altitude girls, growth was significantly and positively related to the number of younger sibs. It is suggested tentatively that the relative lack of observed effects is due to the nuclear family being subsumed in a larger kinship group which forms the principal economic unit.


Population structure in the Western Pyrenees: social class, migration and the frequency of consanguineous marriage, 1850 to 1910.

The effects of social class on migration distances and on the frequency of consanguineous marriages in Errazu, a Pyrenean village in Navarre, Spain, have been studied using data from parish records of baptisms and marriages, 1850-1910, and the census data for the year 1897. Migration distances are greater for tenants than for land-owners. Mean marital distances are not significantly different for the two social classes, but the movement of tenant families during married life results in significantly different parent-offspring distances for the two classes, at the 0.001 level for fathers and at the 0.002 level for mothers, by a t-test. Consanguineous marriages, up to and including third cousin marriages, are more frequent among land-owners (16.3 per cent) than among tenants (3.7 per cent). These frequencies are consistent with estimates based on the demographic characteristics of the population. Some implications of these results are discussed with reference to the findings of communities elsewhere in Europe and studies of communities in Japan. The implications of variation in the social class composition of populations with population density, for pedigree inbreeding values, are also considered.


Age at menarche of schoolgirls in Egypt.

The mean ages at menarche of 1365 Egyptian girls attending eight different schools in the Cairo region and representing three strikingly different socio-economic sectors were estimated by probit analysis as 12.59 +/- 0.29 for the well-off girls in Cairo; 13.09 +/- 0.17 for the middle-class girls in Cairo; 13.89 +/- 0.18 for rural agricultural areas. The results were compared with those for some European series and with other data from Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East. Egyptian well-off girls in Cairo have one of the earliest recorded means of all populations studied. In contrast, those from rural agricultural areas are delayed probably because of malnutrition and endemic diseases such as bilharzia, aggravated by the tendendcy for poor uneducated parents in agricultural societies to have large families.


Blue Sepharose chromatography of human alcohol dehydrogenase: evidence for interlocus and interallelic differences in affinity characteristics.

1. The various isozymes of human alcohol dehydrogenase have been examined by Blue Sepharose column chromatography. 2. The products (alpha, beta1 and gamma1) of the common alleles at the three ADH loci (ADH1 ADH2 and ADH3 respectively) were found to show slight, but significant differences in their affinities for Blue Sepharose. The order of affinity of the homodimeric isozymes was: alphaalpha less than gamma1gamma1 less than beta1beta1. The heterodimeric isozymes showed intermediate affinities. 3. The products (gamma1 and gamma2) of the common alleles (ADH31 and ADH32 respectively) at the ADH3 locus showed a pronounced difference in their affinities: the gamma1gamma1 isozyme was firmly adsorbed by Blue Sepharose, whereas the gamma2gamma2 isozyme was not adsorbed. The heterodimeric gamma1gamma2 isozyme was intermediate in its behaviour. 4. The 'usual' and 'atypical' forms of ADH were indistinguishable by Blue Sepharose column chromatography. 6. The 'anodal' form of ADH showed no affinity for Blue Sepharose.


Developmental changes in the protein profiles of human cardiac and skeletal muscle.

1. The use of SDS electrophoresis as a tool for the analysis of development processes in man has been evaluated. 2. The protein profiles of cardiac and skeletal muscle from foetal (10--24 weeks gestation) infant and adult specimens have been analysed and striking developmental changes were found which involved all the major proteins. 3. Before 20 weeks gestation the soluble protein profile of skeletal muscle appears to consist largely of extracellular proteins. 4. Myoglobin was found in foetal cardiac muscle from 20 weeks gestation but was not demonstrable in foetal (greater than 24 weeks) skeletal muscle. Foetal and adult myoglobin were indistinguishable. 5. A limited survey of the protein patterns of brain, liver and kidney was carried out. In general these tissues show less developmental change than skeletal or cardiac muscle.


The frequency in Japanese of genetic variants of 22 proteins. IV. Acid phosphatase, NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase, peptidase A, peptidase B and phosphohexose isomerase.

This paper presents the results of an electrophoretic survey of approximately 4000 individuals from Hiroshima and Nagasaki for four erythrocyte enzymes: isocitrate dehydrogenase, peptidase A, peptidase B, and phosphohexose isomerase. Also reported are the results for erythrocyte acid phosphatase for a subset of these individuals. The frequencies for the ACPA1 and ACPB1 alleles of the ACP1 locus are in agreement with previously reported results from Japanese populations. Rare variants of ICDS, PEPA, PEPB and PHI occur with frequencies varying from 0.25 to 7.2 per 1000 determinations. The relatively high frequency of the PHI 4HIR1 variant and some unusual features involving the effect of reducing agent on the electrophoretic pattern behaviour of some of the rare PHI variants detected during this study are discussed.


A cytogenetic study of spontaneous abortions in Hawaii.

Cytogenetic results on 234 spontaneous abortions showed 109 (46.6%) to have a chromosome abnormality. The results were analysed separately for the four major ethnic groups of which the population was composed and no differences in the proportion or types of chromosome abnormalities seen. The results of this survey were found to be very similar to other major published surveys and it therefore appears, on present evidence, that neither geographic location nor racial group affects the frequency of chromosome abnormalities seen among human spontaneous abortions. The sex ratio among the chromosomally normal and abnormal abortuses and the effect of parental and gestational age were discussed.


Satellite associations of human acrocentric chromosomes identified by trypsin treatment at metaphase.

In the present work 2526 metaphase plates were prepared from 28 normal adult individuals (12 male and 16 female) and then treated with the trypsin method in order to recognize the acrocentric chromosomes involved in the satellite associations. From our data it can be inferred that while the pattern of association of D--D, D--G and G--G groups seems to be random, there exists some preferential association, particularly between the pairs 13--14, 13--13, 13--21 and 21--21. This non-random participation of the acrocentric chromosomes could fit with the new concepts of interphase/metaphase organization of the chromatin fibre.


On the computation of inbreeding coefficients.

A method of calculating inbreeding coefficients is described using a recursive algorithm. This has been programmed in ALGOL 68 and in SNOBOL 4. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are discussed, and several examples are given.


The value of dual mating data in estimating genetic parameters.

It is shown that matings between two affected individuals provide important information on the parameters of a single locus model with incomplete penetrance.


On effects of relaxed selection in familial disorders.

Theoretical predictions are made of the effect of improved treatments, with consequent increase in fertility of affected individuals, on the frequency of familial disorders. Multifactorial inheritance and some two-locus models are considered. (Changes for simple Mendelian disorders have been estimated previously by many authors.) It is estimated that, with two-locus or multifactorial models, an increase in frequency per generation of not more than a few per cent of the frequency of a disorder may be expected. The greatest increase will be in the first generation following introduction of the new treatment.


A new model for measuring breeding genetic distance. II. Polygenic traits.

The breeding genetic distance measure of a single locus (Carlson & Welch, 1977) is extended to polygenic traits. For two populations with means -x and approximately x, theta(-x, approximately x) is defined as the size of the largest subpopulation with mean approximately x which can be (artificially) selected from a population with mean -x. The distance is defined as 1--theta(-x, approximately x). It is shown that theta(-x, approximately x) can be calculated from truncation selection and formulas (two loci) and tables (three and four loci) are given. Values for theta(-x, approximately x) based on a normal approximation are seen to be adequate for most cases. The measure is applied to a data example (human skin colour) and to a discussion of the idea of 'genetic inertia'.


On measuring genetic distance by selection intensity.

A simple selection model (fitness 1, w, w2 for AA, Aa, aa) is employed to change the gene frequency of one population to another. The genetic distance is then defined as d = -log w between the two populations. The distance is symmetrical with respect to the two populations. It is additive: d13 = d12 + d23. The sampling variance of d takes a very simple form. The possible difficulties of using genetic distance in studying evolutionary history have been briefly discussed. The writer means no offence to those who have developed or used the various measures of genetic distance.


Testing a single dominant gene theory without an accepted criterion variable.

In testing a single dominant gene hypothesis we often are not able directly to measure the inherited trait. A typical situation is one where we only have one or more fallible indicators of the trait under study. The statistical method proposed requires that we have measurements on several such indicators for each of the parents of probands known to possess the trait.


[Adjuvant effect of Quil-A on the porcine humoral immune response (author's transl)].

Quil-A, a purified extract of saponin, was analyzed for its adjuvant properties in the porcine humoral immune response against lysozyme. The adjuvant properties of Quil-A are comparable to the oil adjuvant properties in the pig. The optimal dose was found to be 1 mg per pig. Quil-A enhanced also slightly the homocytotropic antibodies.


[Immune responsiveness of high and low antibody producing lines of mice against an antigen non-cross-reacting with the selection antigen (author's transl)].

Mice genetically selected for high (HL) or low (LL) antibody responsiveness to sheep erythrocytes (SE) also differed in the immune response to other antigens. We have studied in details the non-specific effect of the selection on responsiveness to bovine seralbumin (BSA) that is an antigen non cross-reacting with SE. BSA has been used either heat-aggregated (H-BSA) or alum-precipitated (Al-BSA). The characteristics of the response to H-BSA and to SE both injected intravenously were similar in several aspects: ranges of interline difference in agglutinin response were equivalent; minimal immunogenic doses were lower in HL than in LL mice. As for SE, the use of an adjuvant (Al-BSA) increased the response of LL more than that of HL mice, so the interline difference decreased. The interline difference between minimal immunogenic doses was weaker with Al-BSA than with H-BSA (100 times and 10,000 times respectively). The threshold dose for induction of immunologic memory was lower in the HL than in LL mice. For Al-BSA this threshold dose was higher than the minimal immunogenice dose in both lines; for H-BSA it was higher (in HL) or equal (in LL) to the minimal immunogenic dose. The results of this article confirm that the selective breeding for SE responsiveness has modified the antibody response to BSA in a similar way. The group of genes controlling the level of antibody response are also responsible for the induction of immunological memory.


A comparative study on the development of rabbit male accessory gland organ-specific autoantigens.

Experimental cryosurgery of rabbit male accessory glands (RMAG) induced highly specific autoantibodies. They revealed in rabbit male accessory glands the presence of autoantigens when tested by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction and passive haemagglutination test. Using the same techniques, the antisera were confronted with extracts of male accessory glands from rabbits of different ages. It was demonstrated that the autoantigens involved in both tests appear at about the age of three months. The significance of these findings in correlation with the initiation of the organ growth is discussed.


In vitro stimulation by mitogens of peripheral blood lymphocytes from rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

Peripheral blood lymphocytes of the rainbow trout can be stimulated by PHA, conA and LPS. Optimal concentrations for stimulation are 1-50 microgram/ml for PHA, 1-10 microgram/ml for ConA and 1 microgram/ml for LPS. Best stimulation is obtained after an incubation period of 72 h at a temperature of 28 degrees C. Thymidine incorporation into lymphocytes is enhanced when PHA and LPS (1 microgram/ml each) are given simultaneously. After a first stimulation by LPS the lymphocytes become less sensitive to a second exposure to this same mitogen. In contrast, LPS-primed lymphocytes are highly reactive to PHA. These results suggest that there exists (at least) two populations of peripheral blood lymphocytes, one sensitive to PHA and the other sensitive to LPS.


[Estimation of allergenic potency of "Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus" by radioimmunoassay of antigenic extracts (author's transl)].

The allergenic potency of different extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was evaoluated by in vitro methods based on the RAST-procedure (radioallergosorbent-test). Both the direct titration and the inhibition methods were performed and gave comparable results. The inhibition method was studied particularly because it presented various technical advantages, such as the use of a standard immunoadsorbent. The allergenic activity of different extracts of D. pteronyssinus were compared and the results demonstrated the value of this method for the routine estimations of biological activity in allergenic extracts and for control uses in allergen standardization.


[Suppression and therapy of experimental autoimmune uveo-retinitis by injections of retinal extract (author's transl)].

The uveo-retinitis induced in guinea-pigs after one injection in the foot-pad of an extract of guinea-pig retina mixed with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) was successfully inhibited by a series of injections of the retinal extract. These injections were given after the induction by the antigen + FCA, either before (suppression) or after (treatment) the onset of the ocular symptoms. Injections of the antigenic preparation alone, or mixed with Freund's incomplete adjuvant were effective. Depression of cutaneous delayed hypersensitivty was parallel to the inhibition of the disease. The repeated injections provoqued an increase of antibodies, titrated either with the complement fixation test or by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. But no correlation appeared between these antibodies and the inhibition of the disease.


Effect of cell density on the disappearance of cell surface immunoglobulins.

Mouse macrophages and human peripheral blood lymphocytes exhibiting on the membrane autologous IgG as well as mouse thymocytes coated with human IgG, showed a strong cell concentration dependence of surface IgG disappearance during an incubation at 37 degrees C. Mouse spleen lymphocytes treated with anti-mouse Ig behaved in the same way regarding the disappearance of surface immunoglobulins, while the redistribution of ligands (cap formation) was not dependent on cell concentration.


[Cutaneous sarcoid granuloma: cytoimmunological study of the lymphocytes (freed cells and tissue sections) (author's transl)].

Cutaneous lesions in sarcoidosis are characterized by epithelioid nodules surrounded by lymphocytes. The B- or T-cell subpopulation was identified by quantitative immunological methods on freed cells and immunocytochemical labelling on tissue sections. Most of the liberated cells formed spontaneous rosettes with sheep erythrocytes and were devoid of membrane immunoglobulins. On tissue sections most of the lymphoid cells were labelled by anti-HTLA serum. These results demonstrate the thymodependent origin of lymphocytes in sarcoidosis granuloma. A possible cell-mediated immune reaction against an unknown antigen is suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.


Neuropathological changes in cerebellar biopsies of epileptic patients.

In 5 patients with pharmacologically intractable epilepsy, biopsy of the cerebellar cortex at the time of surface electrode implantation for therapeutic stimulation demonstrated marked degeneration of the Purkinje cell layer in every case. Two of the patients had never experienced a generalized convulsion. Comparison of these biopsy findings with the autopsy findings in two other groups of patients with a seizure disorder of different duration and severity and with the findings in other reported series suggests that permanent neuronal damage in epilepsy is related to the cumulative effects of the frequency and chronicity of the disorder. The pathogenesis remains unclear. The histopathological changes are identical to those seen in generalized cerebral hypoxia, but the observations in our series support the view that in epilepsy the pathogenesis may not be hypoxic.


The spectrum of primary blastomycotic meningitis: a review of central nervous system blastomycosis.

Three cases of meningitis with initial and exclusive neurological involvement prompted a review of the clinical, cerebrospinal fluid, and pathological findings in an additional 78 patients with central nervous system blastomycosis. The first patient of the 3 had progressive cerebellar dysfunction as the result of chronic basilar meningitis. The second had a C8-T1 radiculopathy without other evidence of superior sulcus syndrome, and subsequent acute fatal meningitis. The third had aseptic, benign, self-limited meningitis followed by clinically obvious systemic blastomycosis. Diagnosis is difficult, and it is likely that other cases have been presumptively treated for tuberculous meningitis. A more aggressive approach to diagnosis is proposed that takes into account the condition of the patient, the likelihood of dissemination at necropsy, and the frequent meningeal infections that are negative on culture of lumbar CSF.


Epidural spinal cord compression from metastatic tumor: diagnosis and treatment.

The clinical findings in 130 conseucutive cases of spinal cord compression by metastatic extradural tumors were analyzed. These 130 patients were combined with a previous survey of 105 patients to compare the effectiveness of radiation therapy (RT) alone with that of surgical decompression followed by RT. Ambulation after treatment was considered a successful outcome. The most common primary tumors producing spinal cord compression were (in order) breast, lung, prostate, and kidney. In 68% of these tumors the thoracic region was involved. Pain was the primary symptom of 96% of the patients, while motor or sensory deficits (or both) were found in 82% of them. Therapy consisted of surgery and RT in 65 patients and RT alone in 170 patients. There were no differences in outcome between those treated by surgery combined with RT and those managed by RT alone. Patients with radiosensitive tumors and those ambulatory at the onset of treatment benefited whether treated by surgery or by RT. Seventy-five percent of living patients who improved from treatment remained ambulatory at 6 months, and approximately 50% of living patients were ambulatory at 1 year. We conclude that RT without decompressive laminectomy is as effective as decompressive laminectomy in treating epidural spinal cord compression from systemic cancer.


Creatine kinase BB isoenzyme levels by radioimmunoassay in patients with neurological disease.

Creatine kinase BB (CK-BB) isoenzyme was measured by radioimmunoassay in serum and in cerebrospinal fluid from 61 patients with various neurological disorders. Statistically significant elevations of CK-BB isoenzyme in the serum were observed in patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents and in those with seizures and a prolonged alteration in level of consciousness. Statistically significant elevations of CK-BB isoenzyme in the cerebrospinal fluid were also found in patients who had suffered acute cerebrovascular accidents. Some patients with central nervous system infections, acute demyelinating disease, certain drug overdoses, head trauma, and complex migraine also had elevations of serum and CSF CK-BB isoenzyme. In 2 patients with elevations of CK-BB isoenzyme, the elevations in serum occurred later than those detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. If CK-BB elevations determined by radioimmunoassay can be demonstrated to be quantitatively related to the extent of brain damage, then these determinations in conjunction with experimental animal models and newer radiological techniques should allow evaluation, in an objective and precise manner, of measures designed to decrease that damage.


Behavioral toxicity of anesthetic gases.

Operating room personnel were studied for evidence of acute reversible or chronic cumulative cognitive dysfunction as measured by psychometric testing. In comparison with matched controls, no acute reversible deficits were noted in a relatively unpolluted operating room environment. There were only 2 marginally significant test differences between the control and operating room groups; however, control subjects did better than operating room personnel on 16 of 18 tests at both the beginning and end of the work week. Analyses of the deficit patterns and correlations with years of operating room exposure only weakly support the hypothesis that the test differences are due to toxic exposure.


Primary cerebral venous thrombosis in young adults: the diverse manifestations of an underrecognized disease.

Primary cerebral venous thrombosis has a wide clinical and pathological spectrum, which has not been recognized. Seven cases of aseptic cerebral venous thrombosis (5 fatal) are discussed, with pathological study and literature review. Five patients ranged in age from 22 to 31 years. In 3 cases no discernible cause for thrombosis was found. Novel features of these cases include: primary bilateral internal cerebral venous thrombosis; isolated thrombocytopenia; occurrence in the context of (1) ulcerative colitis plus oral contraceptive use, (2) a twin transfusion syndrome, and (3) presenting syndrome five years after mastectomy for carcinoma. Diagnosis and treatment are discussed, and it is suggested that a focal coagulopathy may be responsible for this underdiagnosed condition.


Normal CAT scans in craniopharyngioma.

Three patients with symptoms of headache and vision loss had normal routine CAT scans, with and without injection of contrast medium, as their initial diagnostic procedure. Subsequent pneumoencephalography revealed large suprasellar masses, which at operation were found to be partially cystic craniopharyngiomas. The findings emphasize the existence of craniopharyngiomas that are isodense with brain and may not be detected on routine CAT scan. When a patient's clinical presentation suggests chiasmal or sellar abnormalities, the pneumoencephalogram remains the most accurate diagnostic procedure.


Bilateral oculomotor paralysis due to neurosyphilis.

Bilateral third nerve paresis attributed to neurosyphilis has not been documented in the absence of associated neurological deficits. We describe a patient with isolated bilateral third nerve paresis, positive serological findings in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, CSF pheocytosis, and increased protein content. Resolution of these abnormalities occurred when the patient was treated with penicillin.


A case of Schwartz-Jampel syndrome with unusual muscle biopsy findings.

A case of Schwartz-Jampel syndrome with electrical, radiographic, biopsy, and pharmacological studies is presented along with a summary of the 12 other reported cases. Radiological study showed nonspecific but definite abnormalities. The muscle biopsy revealed myopathic and neurogenic features. No drug was effective in reducing our patient's stiffness.


What hope for repair of the brain?

The consequences of axonal injuries in the adult nervous system depend on the location of the axons: complete anatomical and functional repair can occur in the peripheral but not the central nervous system. A quantitative electron microscopical comparison of the reactions to axonal injuries in a peripheral site (the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion) and in a central site (the septal nuclei) in adult rats shows that in both cases the denervated postsynaptic sites are reinnervated by new formation of synapses. However, in the ganglion it is the originally severed axons which form the new synapses (regeneration), whereas in the septum the new synapses arise from local, undamaged axons and the cut axons do not reestablish their original contacts. Failure of regeneration in the central site is probably due to the fact that the growing axon sprouts are incapable of finding a pathway to the denervated tissues. Since the observations indicate that the neuropil of the central nervous system is capable of highly efficient synapse formation after injury, true repair of central nervous system damage might be possible if methods could be devised for dealing with the "pathway" problem.


Carotid and vertebral-basilar transient ischemic attacks: effect of anticoagulants, hypertension, and cardiac disorders on survival and stroke occurrence--a population study.

A population of 199 patients from Rochester, MN, was followed from the time of their first carotid or vertebral-basilar transient ischemic attack (TIA). Patients treated with anticoagulants had no significant difference in survival from untreated patients. Among patients with carotid TIA who received anticoagulants, the net probability of stroke was slightly but not significantly lower than in untreated patients. The difference favoring treated patients with vertebral-basilar TIA was significant starting at three months. The rate of intracranial hemorrhage was higher higher among all patients receiving anticoagulant treatment than among untreated patients and was significantly higher among those 55 to 74 years old. Almost all the hemorrhages occurred after a year or more of anticoagulant treatment and in patients more than 65 years old. Patients with high diastolic blood pressure had a significantly higher net probability of stroke than did patients with lower blood pressure and those receiving antihypertensive drugs. By implication, treatment of hypertension was effective in preventing stroke in patients with TIA. Linear discriminant analysis and actuarial analysis indicated that diastolic blood pressure and anticoagulant therapy were the only factors that influenced stroke occurrence. There was no suggestion that previous myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, valvular heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, or congestive heart failure--individually or in combination--influenced the occurrence of stroke or survival.


Dopamine binding following prolonged haloperidol pretreatment.

The number of binding sites for tritiated dopamine as well as the affinity of 3H-dopamine for dopamine receptors was studied in rats chronically pretreated with the neuroleptic haloperidol. The rats were given haloperidol for 14 or 21 days and were killed on day 21. It was found that 14 days of haloperidol pretreatment followed by drug withdrawal resulted in a 67% increase in the number of 3H-dopamine binding sites in the striatum and ninefold increase in the affinity constant in the striatum. The same pretreatment regimen had no effect on either the number of receptor sites or the affinity constant in the nucleus accumbens. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that chronic neuroleptic pretreatment results in receptor site hypersensitivity in the striatum, which may be a major factor in the production of tardive dyskinesia.


Further evidence of a possible association between house dogs and multiple sclerosis.

The present study was undertaken because of the recent report of an association between familial multiple sclerosis (MS) and prior ownership of a small pet. Forty-five patients with sporadic MS were retrospectively compared with 45 closely matched controls and were found to have owned a significantly greater number of indoor dogs prior to the onset of MS. Importantly, the MS patients had also had more exposure to neurologically ill dogs in the five years before the onset of symptoms. These new data further support the hypothesis that house dogs may serve as an animal vector in MS.


The cervical myelopathy associated with rheumatoid arthritis: analysis of patients, with 2 postmortem cases.

The clinical findings in a group of 32 rheumatoid patients with symptomatic myelopathy are described. The myelopathy appeared in late middle age after many years of rheumatoid disease (average duration, 18 years). The most common radiological abnormality was anterior subluxation of C1. Other patterns occurred in about half the cases. The most common neurological findings were those of a mild to moderate spastic paraplegia, often with atrophy of muscles of the hands and sensory changes in the hands. Symptoms originating above the foramen magnum (nystagmus, diplopia, slurred speech) appeared to have a vascular cause and were sometimes associated with upward as well as posterior movement of the odontoid process. Root pain into the arms was not present, and its absence helped to distinguish these disorders from cervical spondylosis. Root pain into the territory of the C2 root was common. Medical or conservative therapy was not effective, and the preferred approach was use of a halo traction device followed by posterior fusion, with or without laminectomy. Pathologically, in 2 autopsy cases, the maximal change had occurred in the central gray matter and adjacent posterior and lateral columns. We postulate that direct pressure caused intermittent compression and narrowing of distal transverse branches of the anterior spinal artery.


Ischemia-induced seizures and cortical monoamine levels.

Seizure activity as a component of the ischemic process possibly responsible for monoamine changes described in the gerbil stroke model was the subject of this study. Abnormal motor activity suggestive of seizures developed one to three hours after unilateral ligation of the common carotid artery in approximately 50% of gerbils that exhibited signs of stroke. Reduction of cortical levels of dopamine and norepinephrine was observed only when seizures occurred in association with stroke. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine were reduced bilaterally in animals with and without signs of stroke and were reduced further in animals with stroke plus seizures. Further study is needed to establish whether the catecholamine changes associated with ischemia-induced seizures are primary and causative or secondary to seizure activity itself. In the ischemic brain, 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism appears disordered independent of seizure activity. Seizure activity must be taken into account when the mechanisms of disordered monoamine metabolism are being examined in the gerbil stroke model.


Regulation of intracranial pressure in rat, dog, and man.

Intracranial resistance and compliance were assessed in the cerebrospinal fluid system of rat, dog, and man by means of low-volume, short-duration infusions of artificial CSF into the subarachnoid space. A family of pressure/time response curves was obtained for each species: at low flow rates, steady-state pressure elevations were associated with normal neurological function; at high flow rates, rapid linear pressure elevations were associated with marked neurological dysfunction. From these curves a mathematical model was developed which describes transport and pressure-dependent valvelike characteristics of the CSF outflow resistance. This resistance shows a progressive phylogenetic change in rat, dog, and man which increasingly enhances the species' abilities to vent fluid from the intracranial cavity into the venous circulation. Arachnoid villi appear to be the major structures modulating sustained, nonlethal elevations of intracranial pressure.


Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania: a disabling headache syndrome responding to indomethacin.

A 57-year-old man experienced daily episodes of unilateral headache accompanied by homolateral partial Horner syndrome and rhinorrhea for more than 40 years. Treatment with indomethacin eliminated these headaches. The patient's illness is best classified as "chronic paroxysmal hemicrania" as described by Sjaastad and Dale.


Chemotherapy of non-Hodgkin-lymphoma: Introduction.

Appropriate selection of therapy for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma requires an understanding of the various histologic classifications as well as knowledge of the role of clinical and pathologic staging. The histologic classification of the malignant lymphomas proposed by Rappaport is reviewed. The Ann Arbor Staging System is outlined and its application to NHLs analyzed. Recommendations for clinical staging procedures together with the accuracy of diagnostic tests in the NHL are discussed briefly.


Prognostic significance of the labeling index in non-Hodgkin human malignant lymphomas.

The labeling index has been determined in 34 non-Hodgkin malignant lymphomas. The kinetic parameter has been analyzed in relation to the different histologic types, according to the Kiel calssification, and a kinetic classification with three main groups at low, intermediate, and high proliferative activity has been proposed. The analysis of the survival of the patients in relation to the labeling index of the malignant lymphoma cell population has shown that the potential proliferative activity has an important prognostic significance.


Clinical trials on gastrointestinal cancer in Western Europe and in the FORTC.

The therapeutics on gastrointestinal cancer including only randomized clinical trials carried out in Western Europe and in the EORTC are reported. The studies on preoperative radiotherapy in resectable esophagus cancer and on chemotherapy associated to radiotherapy in nonresectable esophagus cancer has just been activated. The data of a trial on the treatment of gastric cancer have demonstrated the efficacy of long term 5-FU administered after postoperative irradiations. A trial on the immunostimulating effect of levamisole as adjuvant treatment of colon cancer is described, as well as the results of chemotherapy in advanced colon cancer. Finally, scribed, as well as the results of chemotherapy in advanced colon cancer. Finally, the preliminary results of two European trials studying the effect of preoperative radiotherapy and of a chemotherapy, used as a preoperative irradiation sensitizer in rectal cancer, are commented on.


Small molecular microbial products enhancing immune response.

Plasmids are involved in the biosynthesis of many microbial secondary metabolites, and compounds which have various chemical structures are produced by microorganisms. Therefore, it is possible to find microbial products which have no antimicrobial activities but pharmacological activities. Aminopeptidases, alkaline phosphatase and esterase have been found to appear on the cell surface and their strong inhibitors have been confirmed to enhance or decrease immune response. These inhibitors have a very low toxicity without cytotoxic action. Bestatin, which inhibited aminopeptidase B and leucine aminopeptidase, enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity in a wide range of its low dosis (0.1-100 micrometer/mouse) and produced an immune resistance to the second inoculation of the same tumor cells. It showed a synergistic action with antitumor agents in treatment of experimental tumors. Treatment with bestatin alone exhibited a strong therapeutic effect on slowly growing solid tumors.


[Viability study of actinomycete cultures preserved for a long time on agar media].

Viability of 254 actinomycetous strains stored for 1 to 6 years on agarized media a temperature of 4-10 degrees C without passages was studied. The cultures included 204 strain of Actinomyces, 26 strains of Mycobacterium, 2 strains of Streptosporangium, 1 strain of Intrasporangium, 2 strains of Micropolyspora and 5 strains of Thermoactinomyces. Most of the cultures, i.e. 94.55 per cent stored for 6 years remained vialbe after the this period. With an increase in the storage period from 1 to 4 years the number of the viable cultures stored for such periods of time gradually decreased from 95.28 to 73.11 per cent. The representatives of Micromonospora and Streptosporangium, some strains of Proactinomyces and the cultures of Actinomyces forming whorl sporophores were the least stable when stored for a period up to 1 year. It was noted that viability of different strains within the same species was not the same in storage.


[Carminomycin induction of single-stranded breaks in the DNA of tumor cells].

The effect of carminomycin, an antitumor antibiotic of the anthracycline group on DNA of lymphadenosis cells of mice NK/LI was studied. It was found that carminomycin induced single-stranded breaks in DNA. The effect of the antibiotic was proportional to its concentration and depended on the time of the cell exposure to it. When the antibiotic was used in a concentration of 10 gamma/ml, the maximum effect was observed within a minute of incubation. Reparation of DNA must be possible on prolong exposure of the cells to the above dose of the antibiotic. Double-stranded breaks as well as significant degradation of the DNA complex with other nuclear components were not observed.


[Antiviral activity of the complexes obtained at different ratios of complementary homopolyribonucleotides].

Antiviral activity of the complexes of synthetic polyribonucleotides, i.e. poly (I).poly (C) and poly (G).poly (C) obtained at non-equimolar ratios of homopolymers was studied. The system of chick embryon fibroblasts and horse Venezuellan eguine encephalitis virus served as the model. It was shown that the active and stable complexes poly (I).poly (C) and poly (G).poly (C) were formed at some excess of poly (C), i.e. at the ratio of poly G) or poly (I) to poly (C) equal to 40/60 to 20/80 molar per cent. The role of the excessive poly (C) in formation of the stable secondary structure of the nucleotide complexes and its significance as one of the means for affecting the fine structure of double-stranded RNA were discussed.


[Effect of polymer complexons based on vinylpyrrolidone copolymers with vinyliminodiacetic acid and methacrtloylacetone on the antibiotic sensitivity of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains].

Polymer complexons, such as copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone with vinyliminodiacetic acid and metacryloilacetone changed the permeability of the bacterial cell wall due to chelating of the metalic ions contained in the cell wall. An increase in the bacterial sensitivity to chloretracycline, methicillin, ampicillin and methicillin was observed in the presence of the above complexons.


[Elimination of penicillinase plasmids by the new acridine derivative, Dimer].

The possibility of eliminating the drug resistance determinants in penicillinase-producing staphylococci under the effect of an acridine "dimer", synthesized by French scientists was studied. Comparison of the eliminating activity of a number of acridine compounds, such as acrichin, acriflavine, proflavine and "dimer" showed that the new derivative of acridine as well as the other acridines used in the experiments induced elimination of the penicillinase plasmids when used in the sublethal concentrations.


[Resistance to antibiotics of conditionally pathogenic enterobacteria of the genera, Citrobacter and Hafnia].

Antibiotic sensitivity of 363 strains of Citrobacter and 124 strains of Hafnia isolated from patients with acute intestine infections and healthy persons was studied. It was found that 44.6 per cent of the Citrobacter isolates and 36.3 per cent of the Hafnia isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics. Different sensitivity of the bacteria of these 2 genera of the conditionally pathogenic enterobacteria to definite antibiotics was shown. The resistant strains of Citrobacter to negramon, monomycin, levomycetin, polymyxin, streptomycin and tetracycline amounted to 3, 6.1, 24, 14.3, 24.8 and 25.9 per cent, respectively. Among the Hafnia isolates the resistant strains to negramone, levomycetin, polymyxin and tetracyline amounted to 0.8, 8.9, 29.8 and 25 per cent, respectively. All the tested strains of Hafnia were sensitive to monomycin and streptomycin. Comparison of the culture antibiotic sensitivity with respect to the resistance spectra revealed 24 and 5 types of resistance in the cultures of Citrobacter and Hafnia, respectively.


[Biological properties of sherry yeasts in the presence of antimicrobial preparations].

The wine yeasts Cheres were not sensitive to high concentration (500 gamma/ml) of benzylpenicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, morphocycline, erythromycin, oleandomycin, monomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, polymyxin, ampicillin, oxacillin, methicillin, ceporin, ristomycin, levomycetin, furadonin and furazolidone. In concentrations of 50 to 500 gamma-ml oleadomycin, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, kanamycin and ristomycin inhibited synthesis of the Cheres yeast biomass. Benzylpenicillin, polymyxin, neomycin and ampicillin in concentrations of 50 to 100 gamma/ml had a stimulating effect on the yeast biomass synthesis.


[Effect of polyene antibiotics on the isolated kidney mitochondria of dogs].

The effect of amphotericin B and nystatin on mitochondria isolated from the dog kidneys was studied. It was shown that incubation of the isolated kidney mitocondria with amphotericin B or nystatin at a wide range of their concentrations, i.e. from 0.1 to 100 gamma per 0.5 mg of the mitochondrial protein did not affect the activity of succinate dehydrogenase of these cell microstructures. The absence of changes in the succinate dehydrogenase activity of the mitochondria under the effect of the polyenic antibiotics is significant from the viewpoint of elucidating their molecular mechanisms of the nephrotoxic effect.


[Acute toxicity and the cumulative properties of carfecillin].

Acute toxicity of oral and intraperitoneal carfecillin was studied on different species of laboratory animals, such as albino mice, rats and guinea pigs. The average lethal doses equal to 3040 (2393.7-3860.8) and 1325 (1104.2-1590) mg/kg for oral and intraperitoneal administration respectively allowed the authors to consider the antibiotic as a low toxic substance under conditions of a single administration. Higher toxicity of carfecillin as compared to carbenicillin may be due to production of free phenol on carfecillin hydrolysin in the animal organism. The different laboratory animals of both sexes had almost the same sensitivity to the antibiotic. On repeated administration of carfecillin to the albino mouse stomach (in portions of LD50) no cumulative properties of the antibiotic were observed.


Quantitative gas chromatography of Bacteroides species under different growth conditions.

From 56 strains of strictly anaerobic gram-negative rods isolated from stool and purulent lesions the fermentation products in the presence and absence of hemin were determined by quantitative gas-solid chromatography, using a simple and more rapid chromatographic procedure. With hemin the fermentation products were propionic, acetic, lactin and succinic acid. Without hemin no or little succinic acid was formed and the main products were lactic and acetic acid. In both groups the distribution of subspecies was determined and the production of fatty acids measured quantitatively. Fourteen strains of the lesion group showed a higher metabolic activity, resulting in an increased total acid production caused by an excessive production of acetic and lactic acid. This characteristic is probably a virulence factor in these strains. All strains were protoporphyrin- and oxgall-dependent. It is postulated that these substances are used for the production of cytochromes which permits the formation of succinic acid by a fumarate reductase resulting in an increased growth rate and growth yield.


Biochemical and ultrastructural changes in Staphylococcus aureus treated with staphylococcin 1580.

Incorporation of precursors into macromolecules is immediately arrested upon treatment of Staphylococcus aureus cells with staphylococcin 1580. Except for a degradation of RNA, induced after about 40 min, no degradation of macromolecules is observed, and no trichloroacetic acid-insoluble components are released from the cells. The protein composition and content of membranes are not affected by staphylococcin 1580 treatment. The fatty acid pattern of cells is not significantly altered. Protoplasts do not lyse apparently upon treatment with staphylococcin 1580, but undergo morphological alterations. Thin sections of cells treated with the bacteriocin for 30 min show extensive mesosome-like structures, mostly arranged in honeycomb arrays connected to the plasma membrane, and alterations in the nucleoid area. Freeze-etched preparations taken after that time reveal alterations in the plasma membrane, presumably in relation to the formation of the mesosomal structures. No alterations were observed after bacteriocin treatment for 5 min, although at that time the permeability of the membrane is strongly affected. The implications of the observed changes with the development of irreversible lesions in the cells are discussed.


A comparison of the killer character in different yeasts and its classification.

The interactions between 20 killer yeasts of various genera and species were examined. Ten distinct groups were recognised with respect to killer activity and 10 distinct groups with respect to resistance to killer action. Using both killing and resistance phenotypes, 13 classes of killer yeast were found. With the exception of Torulopsis glabrata NCYC 388, non-Saccharomyces strains of yeast were not killed by a member of the genus Saccharomyes. The killer character of the 3 killing groups of Saccharomyces identified could be cured by treatment with cycloheximide or incubation at elevated temperature and the effectiveness of these procedures was indicative of the category of killer yeast examined. Killer yeasts not belonging to the genus Saccharomyces could not be cured of their activity. Double-stranded ribonucleic acids were extracted only from Saccharomyces spp. and the molecular weights of the species present were a function of the killer class to which a strain belonged. By an analysis of the effects of proteolytic enzymes, temperature and pH on killer activity and by gel chromatography of crude preparations of killer factors, the toxins of different killer classes were shown to be biochemically distinct. However all toxins had certain properties in common consistent with there being a protein component essential to killer action.


Bacteria from the gut of Australian termites.

The major gut bacteria of the worker caste of nine species of Australian termites, belonging to four families, were isolated and identified to generic level. All species were either facultative anaerobes or strict aerobes. A correlation appears to exist between the major gut bacterium and the family to which the termite belongs. The major bacterium from the two lowest termites, Mastotermes darwiniensis (family Mastotermitidae) and Cryptotermes primus (family Kalotermitidae), was Streptococcus; from four species belonging to the Rhinotermitidae (Heterotermes ferox, Coptotermes acinaciformis, C. lacteus, Schedorhinotermes intermedius intermedius) it was Enterobacter; and from three species of the Termitidae (Nasutitermes exitiosus, N. graveolus, N. walkeri) it was Staphylococcus. Enterobacter was a minor symbiont of M. darwiniensis, C. primus, and N. graveolus; Streptococcus was a minor symbiont of H. ferox, C. lacteus, S. intermedius intermedius, and N. exitiosus; and Bacillus was a minor symbiont of C. acinaciformis and S. intermedius intermedius. M. darwiniensis possessed another minor symbiont tentatively identified as Flavobacterium. C. acinaciformis from three widely separated locations possessed a similar microbiota, indicating some form of control on the composition of the gut bacteria. Bacteria, capable of growth on N-free medium in the presence of nitrogen gas, were isolated from all termites, except N. exitiosus and N. walkeri, and were identified as Enterobacter. No cellulose-degrading bacteria were isolated.


Three-year investigation of the natural airborne bacterial flora at four localities in sweden.

The concentration of airborne bacteria was recorded during a period of 3 years at four localities: (i) in an agricultural district with an average of 99 (range, 2 to 3,400) bacteria per m3; (ii) in a coastal area with an average of 63 (range, 0 to 560) bacteria per m3; (iii) in a city park with an average of 763 (range, 100 to 2,500) bacteria per m3; and (iv) in a city street with an average of 850 (range, 100 to 4,000) bacteria per m3. At all four localities the bacterial concentrations varied within broad limits, but an annual periodicity with high average counts found during summer and autumn could be seen. The influence of certain meteorological factors on the number of airborne bacteria is also reported. Rain or high relative humidity caused a decrease in the bacterial counts, while high temperature or high wind velocities increased the counts. The particle size distribution for the four localities showed that about 50% of the particles carrying bacteria were larger than 8 micrometer.


Simultaneous determinations of nitrification and nitrate reduction in coastal sediments by a 15N dilution technique.

Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, and nitrate reduction by bacteria in coastal sediments of Mangoku-Ura and Odawa Bay were simultaneously determined by a 15N dilution technique. In muddy sediments of Mangoku-Ura, nitrate reduction proceeded at a rate of 10(-2) to 10 X 10(-2) microgram-atoms of N/g per h. Nitrification was far less intensive. Denitrification, or N2 production from nitrate, accounted for about 30% of the nitrate reduction. A simultaneous occurrence of nitrification and nitrate reduction with a similar rate of 10(-2) microgram-atoms of N/g per h was demonstrated in sandy sediment collected from a Zostera bed of Odawa Bay.


Bacterial dehalogenation of halogenated alkanes and fatty acids.

Sewage samples dehalogenated 1,9-dichloronane, 1-chloroheptane, and 6-bromohexanoate, but an organism able to use 1,9-dichlorononane as the sole carbon source could not be isolated from these samples. Resting cells of Pseudomonas sp. grown on n-undecane, but not cells grown on glycerol, dehalogenated 1,9-dichlorononane in the presence of chloramphenicol. Resting cells of five other n-undecane-utilizing bacteria cleaved the halogen from dichlorononane and 6-bromohexanoate, and four dehalogenated 1-chloroheptane; however, none of these organisms used 1,9-dichlorononane for growth. By contrast, four benzoate-utilizing bacteria removed bromine from 6-bromohexanoate but had little or no activity on the chlorinated hydrocarbons. Incubation of sewage with 1,9-dichlorononane increased its subsequent capacity to dehalogenate 1,9-dichlorononane and 6-bromohexanoate but not 1-chloroheptane. A soil isolate could dehalogenate several dichloralkanes, three halogenated heptanes, and halogen-containing fatty acids. An enzyme preparation from this bacterium released chloride from 1,9-dichlorononane.


Affinity chromatography purification of type A botulinum neurotoxin from crystalline toxic complex.

Type A botulinum neurotoxin was purified from toxic crystals by adsorption to p-aminophenyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside coupled to CH-Sepharose 4B. At pH 6.3, the toxic complex was held by the binding between the ligand and the hemagglutinin of the complex; the toxin is eluted selectively by dissociating the complex with buffer-saline of pH 7.9. The single-step affinity chromatography recovered 50 to 60% of applied toxicity as preparations of greater than 99% purity.


Kinetics of biodegradation of p-nitrobenzoate and inhibition by benzoate in a pseudomonad.

The degradation of p-nitrobenzoate (p-NBA) by domestic sewage was inhibited by benzoate, and a model for this behavior was found in a soil isolate. The isolate, a pseudomonad, utilized p-NBA and benzoate by separate adaptive enzyme pathways. In oxygen uptake experiments, the degradation of p-NBA was competitively inhibited by benzoate, but the degradation of benzoate was not affected by the presence of p-NBA. 4-Nitrocatechol was not implicated in the inhibition. p-Hydroxybenzoate, which is the p-NBA degradation pathway, also had a decreased rate od degradation when benzoate was present. The growth rate of the isolate on the aromatic substrates and on glucose autoclaved in the medium was 0.3 h-1. When glucose was autoclaved separately, the growth rate was less, about 0.2 h-1. The apparent Km in oxygen uptake experiments was 25 micrometer for p-NBA and benzoate and 5 micrometer for p-hydroxybenzoate.


Distribution of hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms and hydrocarbon biodegradation potentials in Alaskan continental shelf areas.

Hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms were enumerated from Alaskan continental shelf areas by using plate counts and a new most-probable-number procedure based on mineralization of (14)C-labeled hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon utilizers were ubiquitously distributed, with no significant overall concentration differences between sampling regions or between surface water and sediment samples. There were, however, significant seasonal differences in numbers of hydrocarbon utilizers. Distribution of hydrocarbon utilizers within Cook Inlet was positively correlated with occurrence of hydrocarbons in the environment. Hydrocarbon biodegradation potentials were measured by using (14)C-radiolabeled hydrocarbon-spiked crude oil. There was no significant correlation between numbers of hydrocarbon utilizers and hydrocarbon biodegradation potentials. The biodegradation potentials showed large seasonal variations in the Beaufort Sea, probably due to seasonal depletion of available nutrients. Non-nutrient-limited biodegradation potentials followed the order hexadecane > naphthalene >> pristane > benzanthracene. In Cook Inlet, biodegradation potentials for hexadecane and naphthalene were dependent on availability of inorganic nutrients. Biodegradation potentials for pristane and benzanthracene were restricted, probably by resistance to attack by available enzymes in the indigenous population.


Inactivation of Bacillus thuringiensis spores by ultraviolet and visible light.

The inactivation of Bacillus thuringiensis spores and spores treated with two protectants, one proteinaceous and the other a commercial product, Shade, at wavelengths of the near-ultraviolet and visible spectra and at 254 nm is described. Determination of the inactivating wavelengths may be used to establish an efficient sunlight protective system for B. thuringiensis when used as a microbial insecticide.


Growth inhibition of Streptococcus mutans and Leuconostoc mesenteroides by sodium fluoride and ionic tin.

Sodium fluoride caused inhibition of growth rate and growth levels of Streptococcus mutans with glucose as the primary energy and carbon source. Stannous fluoride increased growth lag nad caused a much greater inhibition of growth rate than did sodium fluoride. Neither compound was found to be bactericidal when culture viability was measured after 6 days of incubation. Leuconostoc mesenteroides, which lacks a phosphotransferase system for sugar transport, showed less inhibition of growth rate with both inhibitors than did S. mutans, which possesses a phosphotransferase system. Metabolism of glucose or lactose which requires enolase activity shoed sodium fluoride inhibition, whereas metabolism of arginine or pyruvate does not involve enolase activity and showed no inhibition of growth.


Heterotrophic bacteria present in hindguts of wood-eating termites [Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)].

Strict anaerobic culture techniques were used to quantitate heterotrophic bacteria present in hindguts of Reticulitermes flavipes. The grand mean number of viable cells per hindgut was 0.4 X 10(5) (first-instar larvae), 1.3 X 10(5) (third-instar larvae), 3.5 X 10(5) (workers), and 1.5 X 10(5) (soldiers). Of a total of 344 isolates, 66.3% were streptococci that were always obtained regardless of the origin of termites, their developmental stage or caste, or their length of captivity. Most of the remaining isolates were strains of Bacteroides and Enterobacteriaceae. A small percentage were strains of Lactobacillus, Fusobacterium, and unidentified anaerobic gram-positive rods. Recovery of bacteria from worker hindguts was 13.0% of the direct microscopic count. Isolations performed aerobically failed to reveal strict aerobes. Attempts to isolate cellulolytic bacteria were uniformly unsuccessful. Of 145 streptococcal strains isolated from freshly collected termites, almost all were Streptococcus lactis and S. cremoris. Enterobacteriaceae isolates from the same termite specimens were indole-positive Citrobacter, citrate-negative Citrobacter, and Enterobacter cloacae. The possibility of in situ interspecies lactate transfer, between lactate producers (e.g., streptococci) and lactate fermenters (Bacteroides), is discussed.


Microbial transformation of 14C-labeled 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in an activated-sludge system.

The fate of 14C-labeled 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in an activated-sludge system was investigated. No [14C]TNT could be detected in the contents of an aerated reactor after 3 to 5 days of incubation. No significant 14CO2 was formed, and the radioactivity was about equally divided between the floc and the supernatant. The radioactive carbon present in the microflora was mainly associated with the lipid and protein components, but the characteristic constituents of these compounds (e.g., fatty acids and amino acids) were not radioactive. The major part of the 14C present in the lipid and protein fractions was found in precipitates that formed in both fractions. The solubility properties and infrared spectra of these precipitates suggested that they are macromolecular structures of the polyamide type formed by the reaction of TNT biotransformation products with lipids, fatty acids, and protein constituents of the microbial flora. This hypothesis is further supported by the correspondence of the infrared spectrum of the lipid precipitate with that of a model compound synthesized from TNT transformation products and lipid precursors. The resistance of these macromolecules to further biodegradation was paralleled by the reported resistance to microbial attack of polyamides containing similar linkages.


Pathway of degradation of nitrilotriacetate by a Pseudomonas species.

The pathway of degradation of nitrilotriacetate (NTA) was determined by using cell-free extracts and a 35-fold purification of NTA monooxygenase. The first step in the breakdown was an oxidative cleavage of the tertiary amine by the monooxygenase to form the aldo acid, glyoxylate, and the secondary amine, iminodiacetate (IDA). NTA N-oxide acted as a substrate analog for induction of the monooxygenase and was slowly metabolized by the enzyme, but was not an intermediate in the pathway. No intermediate before IDA was found, but an unstable alpha-hydroxy-NTA intermediate was postulated. IDA did undergo cleavage in the presence of the purified monooxygenase to give glyoxylate and glycine, but was not metabolized in cell-free extracts. Glyoxylate was further metabolized by cell-free extracts to yield CO2 and glycerate or glycine, products also found from NTA metabolism. Of the three bacterial isolates in which the NTA pathway has been studied, two strains, one isolated from a British soil and ours from a Michigan soil, appear to be almost identical.


Utilization of non-sugar sources for vitamin B12 production.

Assimilation of non-sugar carbon sources for vitamin B(12) production was studied.


Safe, convenient, portable pipettor.

A dafe, convenient, portable pipetting device that will accommodate any size pipette is described. A vacuum bulb eliminates the need for external vacuum. Necessary components, fabrication procedures, and operating techniques are given.


Anthraquinones in the biosynthesis of sterigmatocystin by Aspergillus versicolor.

14C-labeled averufin, versiconal hemiacetal acetate, and versicolorin A were efficiently converted to sterigmatocystin by Aspergillus versicolor, thus providing experimental evidence that these anthraquinones are biosynthetic precursors of sterigmatocystin, a xanthone.


Uterotropic activity of cis and trans isomers of zearalenone and zearalenol.

The cis and trans isomers of zearalenone [2,4-dihyroxy-6-(10-hydroxy-6-oxo-1-undecenyl)-benzoic acid mu-lactone] and zearalenol [2,4-dihydroxy-6-(6,10-dihydroxy-1-undecenyl)-benzoic acid mu-lactone] were tested for uterotropic activity in the white rat. The metabolites were administered through the oral route (per os) and by topical application to the freshly shaven skin on the back. cis-Zearalenone was significantly more active than trans when fed orally to the rats in the diet or when applied topically by skin application. However, the cis isomer of zearalenol was not significantly different than its trans isomer. trans-Zearalenone was less active than trans-zearalenol.


Superoxide dismutase in anaerobes: survey.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was present in 23 of 28 strains of the genus Bacteroides tested. Several clostridia, anaerobic cocci, and anaerobic, grampositive, nonsporing rods contained measureable SOD, but the frequency of SOD occurrence was much lower than in the bacteroides. These data indicate that there is a large variation in SOD levels between genera and among species within a genus of anaerobic bacteria. There was also no correlation between source of isolate, SOD levels, and presumed pathogenicity of the isolate.


Analysis of deoxynivalenol from cultures of Fusarium species.

Eight isolates of Fusarium roseum and three of Fusarium colmorum were found to produce deoxynivalenol in rice cultures. Deoxynivalenol was extracted with aqueous methanol (40%) and purified by partitioning with ethyl acetate and acetonitrile-petroleum ether (boiling point, 60--70 degrees C). The toxin was identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. High recoveries (80%) of deoxynivalenol were obtained from rice cultures, and as low as 0.250 microgram of the toxin per g was detected.


Results of treatment of supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children with special reference to the cause and prevention of cubitus varus.

Report and analysis of the results of treatment of 56 children who exhibited a typical supracondylar fracture of the humerus necessitating reposition and treatment by clinical methods. The functional results were good on the whole and they were not clearly dependent on the nature of the treatment. The treatment consisting in manual reposition followed by application of a plaster cast was followed in about 50% of the cases by disfiguring cubitus varus. The causes of this phenomenon are discussed. The typical endorotation of the distal fracture fragment in regard to the proximal fragment plays an important part in causing cubitus varus. Cubitus varus may be prevented by wire traction through the olecranon, even if the rotation displacement persists. For this reason, this treatment is recommended. If the rotation displacement persists in the course of the traction treatment, it is advisable to use Baumann's method of demonstrating and correcting a possible varus tilting during the course of the traction treatment. If development of cubitus varus is still suspected, surgical reposition and fixation are possible, a safe method which gives good results. The surgical treatment should achieve an anatomically correct position of the fragments.


Surgical treatment of clavicular fractures with Kirschner wires: a comparative study.

In the period January 1968 to January 1976, 1400 patients were treated for clavicular fractures. In 74 (5 percent) of cases co-adaptation osteosynthesis was carried out and the results are reported. Conservative treatment of clavicular fractures is to preferred. Surgical treatment should be performed only on strict indication. Percutaneous intramedullary Kirschner wire fixation, performed in an atraumatic manner and with proper postoperative treatment, gives good results for simple fractures. A warning is given against over-emphasis on the radiological findings in the treatment of clavicular fractures.


Avulsion fractures of the inferior-anterior iliac spine.

The cases are discussed of two patients with an avulsion fracture of the inferior-anterior iliac spine. Both were treated by surgical fixation. Symptomatology, complications of conservative therapy and the results of surgical treatment are described. Ossifying myositis did not occur in these patients.


Gluteal fasciaplasty as a method of primary closure in the treatment of pilonidal sinus.

Between 1968 and 1973 55 patients with a pilonidal sinus were treated by the gluteal fascial method. Thirty-two patients could be investigated in a follow-up study. Eight recurrences were observed. The author concludes that in his department (in a large training clinic) this method proved unsatisfactory.


Experience in the surgical treatment of pheochromocytoma.

A report is presented on the experience gained in diagnosis and treatment of pheochromocytomas in a group of 41 patients, observed and treated in the surgical clinic of the University Hospital of Leyden. Two groups are distinguished: patients observed before and after 1969. Prior to that year, anti-adrenergic blockade with dibenzyline and propanolol was not available, so aortography was practically impossible in view of the danger of triggering a hyptertensive crisis. Since 1969, this blockade has been applied systematically, both for the aortography which is now a routine measure and for the operation. By using subtotal adrenergic blockade, the surgical treatment of pheochromocytomas may now be regarded as safe.


[Attempts of sensitizing guinea-pigs with five different derivates of para-substituted benzene (author's transl)].

Skin tests with derivatives of para-substituted benzene were carried out at 4 different concentrations on a total of 160 guinea pigs. Results were evaluated macroscopically and histologically. Each substance was tested on 32 animals. Sensitization was obtained with p-aminodiphenylamine in about 50%, with p-toluylenediamine in about 25%, with 1% and 2% p-phenylenediamine in 62% with 5% p-aminoazotoluene in 37%, whereas no sensitization was observed with p-aminobenzoic acid. Thus, p-aminodiphenylamine, p-toluylenediamine and p-phenylenediamine must be regarded as highly sensitizing agents, whereas p-aminozotoluene and p-aminobenzoic acid seem to be less effective respectively non sensitizing.


Demonstration of giant and anular nexus in the psoriatic epidermis.

In the psoriatic skin, nexus were most prominent in the upper layers of the viable epidermis, using the Alcian blue-Lanthanum technique. There, they reached double and manifold the length (giant nexus) of those in normal epidermis. According to the villous transformation of the epidermal cell surface in psoriasis, the nexus showed a great variation in their shape. Undulating nexus were seen beside invagination--and anular nexus. On ther other hand, nexus were lacking in the deepest layers of the psoriatic epidermis in contrast to normal epidermis. From these findings it seems that the intercellular communication by specialized low resistant junctions is reduced in the deepest layers of the psoriatic epidermis. In the upper epidermal layers, however, the extensive formation and the variable configuration of the nexus express a high synthetic activity and a well developed intercellular information in these areas of the psoriatic epidermis.


[Photoaugmentation. a photobiological phenomenon (author's transl)].

The phenomenon of photoaugmentation was investigated in 37 male and female patients. UVA, UVB and UVC was applied with a high intensity grafting monochromator. Photoaugmentation could be induced following UVA plus UVB immediately or dissociated up to 3 h, but not after 24 h (15 J/cm2 lambda 351 less than or equal to 389 nm [UVA] + 13 mJ/cm2 lambda 290 less than or equal to 310 nm [UVB] = 1/2 MED). Simarily the reversed application of UVB plus UVA lead to photoaugmentation. With UVA plus UVC, photoaugmentation could not be elicited in every patient. Moreover, photoaugmentation was demonstrated in albino rabbits using a new light apparatus with a liquid filled light conducting core. Photoaugmentation seems to be an important biological phenomenon in association with sunburn, pigmentation, photoxicity, phototherapy, photochemotherapy, and UV-light induced cutaneous premalignanacies and malignancies.


Treatment of soil-transmitted nematode infections in children with mebendazole.

Treatment of soil-transmitted nematodes with mebendazole was carried out in 137 children aged 6--15 years in Thailand. There were 100 cases of hookworm infection, 37 of ascariasis, 16 of trichuriasis and 32 of strongyloidiasis. Mebendazole was given at 100 mg twice daily for three consecutive days irrespective of age or weight. The reduction rates as seen by mean egg counts four weeks after treatment were 94.9% for hookworm infection, 100% for ascariasis and 93.9% for trichuriasis; the reduction rates of the mean larval count in 15 cases of strongyloidiasis was 82.1%. No side-effects were observed. Mebendazole was thus confirmed as effective and safe in the treatment of soil-transmitted nematode infections in children in Thailand.


The use of chest wall muscle flaps to close bronchopleural fistulas: experience with 21 patients.

Nineteen patients with bronchopleural fistulas associated with tuberculosis and 2 patients with fistulas following resection for bronchiectasis underwent closure of the fistulas with pedicled flaps of chest wall muscle. The muscle grafting was combined with a limited thoracoplasty in 13 patients. The initial myoplasty produced prompt fistula closure in 15 patients and delayed closure in 2 others. A repeat myoplasty was successful in 2 patients in whom the initial myoplasty failed. Compared with other methods of treating bronchopleural fistulas used during the same period, muscle grafting carried a higher rate of successful fistula closure and a lower mortality rate.


Gastric tube interpostion: a satisfactory alternative to the colon for esophageal replacement in children.

The gastric tube was used as the primary method of esophageal reconstruction in 15 infants and children, 9 with isolated esophageal atresia and 6 with lye stricture. The youngest patient was 8 months old and the oldest, 5 years old at the time of the procedure. The technique of gastric tube construction is described. There have been both major and minor complications but the gastric tube has proved very satisfactory as a conduit from mouth to stomach. Growth and development have been acceptable in all 15 children, although most remain in the lower percentiles for growth and height, a condition that usually predates the esophageal substitution. In our institution the gastric tube is the preferred method of esophageal substitution.


Topical cardiac hypothermia: the effect of methylprednisolone sodium succinate.

We evaluated the effects of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) on 60 minutes of myocardial ischemia during profound (5 degrees C) topical cardiac hypothermia (ice chips) in a canine right heart bypass preparation. The ventricular function curve shifted to the right and downward, but not significantly, after ischemia, and stroke work declined significantly for both control and treated dogs. Contractility (rate of rise of left ventricular pressure and maximum velocity of the contractile element) declined for both groups but not significantly. Total coronary flow, oxygen consumption, and metabolism of lactate and pyruvate were not different for control and treated dogs. Ultrastructure of the outer and inner myocardium did not demonstrate benefit from MPSS. Intracellular and extracellular edema of moderate severity was slightly worse in the subendocardium, and reversible mitochondrial injury of  a mild to moderate degreee was symmetrically present. Ice-related injury was not noted. We were unable to deomonstrate that pretreatment with MPSS favorably alters cardiodynamics or ultrastructure after 60 minutes of profound topical cardiac hypothermia.


Preservation of myocardial contractility in hemorrhagic shock with methylprednisolone.

The left anterior descending or left circumflex coronary artery was cannulated selectively in 10 dogs. Methylprednisolone, 1 mg per kilogram of body weight, was injected into the artery and the cannula was withdrawn. The animals were then subjected to hemorrhagic shock for 90 minutes. Retransfusion to prestudy blood pressure was then accomplished. The electrocardiogram, arterial blood pressure, contractile force, and first derivative of contractile force were recorded continously both from the areas that were pretreated and those that were not, the controls. Contractile force in the control area was reduced to 32 +/- 3.2% of the preshock period after 90 minutes of shock, whereas in the pretreated area it was twice as high at the same time. Ten minutes after transfusion, the contractile force of the pretreated area exceeded the preshock level, whereas the recovery of contractile force in the control area reached only 70% of the preshock level. This study shows that intracoronary infusion of methylpredisolone can afford myocardial protection in hemorrhagic shock to a significant degree.


Clinical trials with one type of lithium pacemaker generator.

Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. (CPI) solid-state, lithium-powered pulse generators were implanted in 100 patients by one surgeon in a twenty-eight-month period. Eleven CPI pacer generators were replaced, none due to pacer failure. Ninety-nine percent of the patients were followed for a total of 1,397.55 patient-months; 12 patients died, but no deaths appeared to be pacemaker related. The average age of the patients at the time of implantation was 72.8 years. If the warranty period of six years is achieved, the number of pacemaker generator changes required by many of the patients in this group could foreseeably be zero.


Retrograde esophageal dilation in children without the string.

A new technique for retrograde esophageal dilation is presented, which does away with the indwelling string. The method utilizes a Teflon-coated arterial guide wire, which is passed through the gastrostomy and, under fluoroscopy, is directed up the esophagus and out the mouth. The wire is followed by the string and dilators. This method avoids both embarrassment caused by the string and occurence of the usual complications.


Retrieval of an embolized polyethylene catheter: a new use for the Schultze endomyocardial bioptome.

The Schultze endomycardial bioptome was used to retrieve an embolized portion of plastic catheter from the right ventricle of a 5-month-old child. The retrieval was accomplished using fluoroscopy and took no more than two minutes after placement of the bioptome in the right internal jugular vein.


Current status of pacemaker power sources.

After years during which pacers of very similar design and capabilities were provided by a small number of manufactures, many different lithium, halogen, rechargeable, and nuclear power sources are now available. The variety of chemistries, methods of construction, and sealing techniques used in the batteries of the different manufacturers is almost unlimited. This has made it necessary for physicians who implant and follow pacer to acquire a general knowledge of the field if they are to make an informed choice of pacemaker power source for implantation and if they are to manage recalls with a minimum of patient and physician trauma. More experience is required before it can be definitely determined which of the new pacer power sources will prove superior, but when coupled with well-designed, hermetically sealed pulse generators, all are capable of providing continuous pacing for at least 5 years and the 10-year pacemaker is now a probability.


Afferent fibers and sensory ganglion cells within the oculomotor nerve in some mammals and man. II. Electrophysiological investigations.

The main aim of the present study was to localize with electrophysiological techniques the central projections and terminations of the aberrant trigeminal fibres contained in the oculomotor nerve of the lamb. After severing a trigeminal root, single-shock electrical stimulation of the trigeminal axons present in the central stump of the ipsilateral oculomotor nerve evoked field potentials in the area of, i) the subnucleus gelatinosus of the nucleus caudalis trigemini at the level of C1-C2; ii) the main sensory trigeminal nucleus; iii) the descending trigeminal nucleus and tract; iv) the adjacent reticular formation. Units whose discharge rate was influenced by such a stimulation were also found in the same territories. These regions actually exhibited degenerations after cutting an oculomotor nerve. We conclude, therefore, that the trigeminal fibres which leave the Vth nerve at the level of the cavernous sinus and enter the brain stem through the IIIrd nerve, end in the same structures which receive the terminations of the afferent fibres entering the brain stem through the sensory trigeminal root.


Influence of internal shortening on time course of active state in rat papillary muscle.

In order to investigate internal shortening effects upon time course of active state, a study on rat papillary muscle has been carried out. Internal (or CE) shortening was evaluated according to a mechanical muscle model in which parallel elastic (PE), series elastic (SE), contractile (CE) elements are represented. CE force-velocity-shortening-time relationships have been used to describe time course of muscle active state in isometric, completely isotonic, afterloaded, and stopped isotonic contractions. The results obtained suggest that, regardless of type of contraction utilized, the parameters of muscle active state are strongly influenced by the amount of CE shortening.


Psychiatric epidemiology.

To aid the President's Commission on Mental Health as well as the nonspecialist, the uses and developments of psychiatric epidemiology are briefly sketched. In the past few years, methods have been innovated that are capable of making differential diagnoses on a lifetime basis. We need instruments and tools that provide sufficiently detailed information to be of real use for prevention, intervention, and social policy; many such developments are now within our grasp. The problems are prospects of epidemiology, and needed administration and educational supports for future application to the question of who gets ill and why are discussed.


Epidemiology of mental disorders: emerging trends in the United States.

Psychiatric epidemiology in the United States currently is being influenced by developments in genetics, psychopharmacology, neurobiology, and particularly psychopathology after the heavy influences of the social sciences during the post-World War II period. The integration of recent scientific developments in psychiatry, with the methodological precision that characterized the earlier studies of the 50s and 60s promises to provide new knowledge on the epidemiology of mental disorders in the community, which will have important implications both for professional practices in medicine and public health and for public policy in the planning of mental health services, training, and research.


Psychologic status of community residents along major demographic dimensions.

In a 1972 Chicago area survey of 2,299 adult community residents the prevalence of several psychologic measures were outlined along major demographic dimensions. Measures of psychologic status included a psychiatric symptom index, number of psychosomatic disorders, recent use of psychoactive drugs, and indexes of self-esteem and of self-efficacy. Results for psychiatric symptomatology showed it to be decidely higher among women, those in the lowest socioeconomic level, and those who are separated from their spouses. Blacks and whites showed no differences in symptomatology. Using multiple regression analysis, the combined effects of sex, age, marital status, and income accounted for 7% of the total variance of psychiatric symptoms. In a like manner, the prevalence of the other four psychologic characteristics has been viewed in the context of major demographic variables, with each showing a specific pattern of relationships.


The psychiatric status schedule as a measure of dimensions of psychopathology in the general population.

The Psychiatric Status Schedule (PSS) is a widely used interview that was designed to improve the research value of clinical judgments. Although it was developed with psychiatric patients, its authors hoped it could be used to evaluate nonpatients, a capability that would make it a much needed tool for epidemiologic research. The present study tests the internal consistency reliability of scales drawn from the PSS in both a general population sample (n. = 133) and a patient sample (n. = 100). Like the PSS's authors, we found a wide variety of clinically meaningful scales reliable for use with patients. In striking contrast, however, most of these proved unreliable in the general population sample. Speculative explanations are offered for the failure of most of the PSS scales in the general population sample and for the success of a few.


Suicide, attempted suicide, and relapse rates in depression.

Suicide, attempted suicide, and relapse rates in 519 depressives were examined, comparing the effects of different treatments. After six months, suicide attempts were seen significantly less frequently in the ECT groups (0.8%) than in the antidepressant group (4.2%) or the "adequate" antidepressant subgroup (7.0%) Fewer suicide attempts occurred in the ECT group compared to the antidepressant group among both in those who had attempted suicide prior to admission (0% vs 10%) and in those who had not (1.1% vs 3.6%). A history of attempted suicide showed a greater risk of both suicide (2.9%) in the following year and subsequent suicide attempt (5.9%). A depressive diagnosis may be as good a predictor of suicidal behavior as a history of attempted suicide. Relapse rates did not differ between treatment groups.


The nosological status of neurotic depression: a prospective three- to four-year follow-up examination in light of the primary-secondary and unipolar-bipolar dichotomies.

One hundred patients with "mild" depressive states, variously referred to as "situational," "reactive," or "neurotic," were studied. During a three- to four-year prospective follow-up, 4% had developed bipolar I, 14% bipolar II, and 22% unipolar disorders with predominantly favorable social outcome. Most of the remainder were suffering from nonaffective disorders; in this group, intermittent depressive symptomatology followed a protacted course (paralleling the underlying disorder) with generally unfavorable outcome. Irrespective of diagnostic subtype, a "characterological" component occurring in 24% of the total sample appeared to predict unfavorable prognosis, including three suicides. The diagnostic usage of the concept of neurotic depression may no longer be clinically meaningful, since it lacks sufficient phenomenological characterization and refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders. The data suggest the merits of a biaxial approach to the nosology of depressive disorders whereby phenomenologically based affective diagnoses are qualified as to the presence or absence of character disorder.


Psychiatric disorder, hospital admission, and season.

Psychiatric disorder has been considered to have seasonal variation for a long time. The studies to date have suffered frequently from small samples and imprecise terminology, and the results have been inconclusive. This study has attempted to overcome these difficulties by examining hospital admissions to all facilities in the province of Ontario for a six-year period, with each year carefully divided into seasons. Statistically significant seasonal variation, with peaks in the spring and fall, was found overall for neurotic and endogenous depression. Alcoholism also showed a spring peak. No other diagnoses, overall, showed seasonality, although personality disorders, drug addictions, and transient situational disturbances exhibited trends similar to neurotic depression for certain age and sex groups. The findings are discussed in terms of their clinical and research significance.


Research diagnostic criteria: rationale and reliability.

A crucial problem in psychiatry, affecting clinical work as well as research, is the generally low reliability of current psychiatric diagnostic procedures. This article describes the development and initial reliability studies of a set of specific diagnostic criteria for a selected group of functional psychiatric disorders, the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). The RDC are being widely used to study a variety of research issues, particularly those related to genetics, psychobiology of selected mental disorders, and treatment outcome. The data presented here indicate high reliability for diagnostic judgments made using these criteria.


The concept of prevention in psychiatry: a reexamination.

We examine current concepts of prevention and offer a new approach. Prevention has different meanings and functions in the four major task areas of psychiatry: (1) medical tasks, (2) rehabilitative tasks, (3) social control tasks, and (4) humanistic tasks. Constructs of primary and secondary prevention are most useful in the medical task area. However, efforts at primary prevention of mental illness can have only limited effectiveness when we know so little about etiology. Secondary prevention is central to the medical caring tasks, where early diagnosis and treatment may lead to successful outcome. Tertiary prevention of disease and primary prevention of developmental defect are the work of the rehabilitative task area. The application of models of prevention in the social control and humanistic task areas has led to serious confusion.


[Morphology and DNA content of cultures from normal and dysplastic epithelium, carcinoma in situ and carcinomas of the cervix uteri (author's transl)].

Morphology and DNA content were studied in explantate cultures of normal epithelium, persisting intraepithelial atypias (dysplasias and carcinomas in situ) and carcinomas of the cervix uteri. Intraepithelial atypias and carcinomas can be distinguished from the normal epithelium, growing strictly as a monolayer, chiefly by the primary and secondary loosening of the cellular lawn with increased tendency towards overlapping of cells. DNA determinations provide the possibility of demonstrating, also in vitro, deviations of the DNA content of dysplasias, carcinomas in situ and pavement epithelial carcinomas from the normal epithelium. The findings are in accord with the results which we obtained by in vivo studies and underlinions.


The diagnostic value of x-ray methods, endoscopy, oriented gastrobiopsy and brush cytodiagnostics in malignant and benign diseases of the stomach.

Studies in 59 patients with various diseases of the stomach (37 cancerous and 22 non-cancerous ones) are reported and their results commented on. Each of the patients underwent, beside clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and radiography, fibrogastroscopy with oriented gastrobiopsy and brush cytodiagnostics respectively. At the cytologic preparation of the material, three methods have been used: direct smears, smears from sediment as obtained after brush rinsing in alcohol (50%), and paraffine embedding of sediment. Out of 37 patients with carcinoma of the stomach, positive and suspicious data resulted at the clinical examination (chiefly suspected ones) in 27, as against 25 at the X-ray one, and 35 at fibrogastroscopy. Oriented gastrobiopsy yielded positive results in 27 cases, whereas oriented brush cytodiagnostics in 35 out of 37 patients. An evaluation of the various cytologic methods in the diagnostics of cancerous and non-tumorous diseases of the stomach has been made. The complex examination of the patients yields the most accurate diagnosis, contributing to the ascertainment of benign and malignant diseases of the stomach.


[Exfoliative gastric cytology -- quality control (author's transl)].

Results of exfoliative gastric cytology from two periods were compared (779 examinations in the first period, 598 in the second). In 85% of cytological examinations, a histologic diagnosis was available. 64% of histologically verified carcinoma were diagnosed by cytology, too. In the second period the percentage of false positive findings decreased from 4,7% to 1,1% and the rate of suspicious findings from 3,7% to 1,5%. The proportion of carcinomas not detected by cytology increased from 32% to 35%. The rate of correct diagnosis of two contributors remained constant (53% resp. 71%). Improvement of diagnostic accuracy depends upon better technique of yield of material by endoscopists.


[Experiences in gastrointestinal cytology in Steiermark country (author's transl)].

In Steiermark out of 150 000 smears per annum 1 percent concern gastrointestinal cytology. The material consists in brush smears of stomach and rectum, aspiration biopsy of pancreas and secretions from ERCP. In 80% of gastric brush smears a histologic diagnosis was available for comparison. 17% of gastric smears could not be evaluated, 3.5% were false positive and 4% false negative. Percentage of carcinomas amounted 25%. Age of cancer patients was 30--88 years with a peak between 60 and 65 years. 55% of cancers were inoperable. Only 4% were early cancers. 10% of brush biopsies from rectum and colon were normal, 25% were chronic ulcerative nonspecific proctitis, 15% papillous polyps and 35% carcinoma. Fine needle biopsies of pancreas were performed during operation and evaluated as urgent intraoperative diagnostic. 7 of 25 cases were carcinoma. ERCP is performed mainly in cholostatic icterus. Proportion of carcinoma was 9.1%.


[Value of intraoperative gastric cytology in pernicious anaemia (author's transl)].

A case of pernicious anaemia is described in which the diagnosis of gastric cancer in absence of stomach complaints was established by gastric lavage cytology. A small polypous lesion was detected by gastrotomy and cytologic print smears revealed cancer cells. The value of intraoperative gastric cytology is pointed out. Close cooperation of surgeon, pathologist and cytologist is mandatory.


The effect of gravity on the ligaments of the medial malleolus and its pronating effect on the tarsus.

The strethcing effect of the force of gravity on the ligamentous system of the medial malleolus and the tarsus is described, based on biomechanical calculations. Attention is called to the necessity of the complete healing of the injuries of the ligaments and to the prevention of the valgus tendency of the tarsus.


[Results after fracture of the os calcis (author's transl)].

A double study over a period of 40 years was undertaken--from 1935 to 1954 in Berlin and from 1955 to 1976 in Salzgitter--including a total of 393 fractures of the os calcis. The results of different types of treatment are presented. It is the type and severity of the fractures, not the way of treatment which determines the outcome. 161 patients have been followed clinically and radiologically at least 5 years after fracture of the os calcis. Third degree fractures were objectively and subjectively less favourable regardless of therapy. Active surgical treatment should be post-poned and consist in fusion of the subtalar joint.


[Anatomical and biomechanical considerations for medullary nailing (author's transl)].

By using X-ray films of 390 adult femurs and 15 cadaveric femurs of Japanese origin, and by measuring successive cross-sections the authors have made morphological and statistical analyses of the shape of the femoral medullary canal. These studies suggest new dimensions for the diameter of the reamer and the amount of contact area between nail and inner cortex. Furthermore it was found that the physiological antecurvature of the femur on the lateral view does not correspond with the prebending of the OA-nail. The authors made some mechanical experiments on four types of nails which are widely used today. As a consequence of these studies, the authors developed a new elastic nail for trial (Okayama-nail). This new type of nail greatly increases the area of contact with the inner femoral cortex. Obviously this nail satisfies better all of Kuentscher's originally mentioned requirements an intramedullary nail.


[Biomechanical investigations of the ankle joint after shortening of the distal end of the fibula (author's transl)].

Shortening of the distal fibula after malleolar fracture is accompanied with important alterations of the biomechanics and the compressive forces of the ankle joint. The relationship between the extent of shortening, the degree of valgus position of the talus and the reduction of the joint surfaces is described on the basis of experimental investigations. The importance of these circumstances for treatment of malleolar fractures is discussed.


[Follow-up results of 258 navicular fractures of the hand (author's transl)].

258 fresh and old navicular fractures and pseudarthroses are analysed with regard to conservative and operative treatment. Fracture healing occurred in 97.2% of conservatively treated cases. The method described by Matti-Russe using an iliac graft has given good results in old fractures and pseudarthroses, causing 95% fracture healing in old fractures and 76% in pseudarthroses.


[On Dwyer's scoliosis operation using memory alloy wire (author's transl)].

In Dwyer's spinal column correction a titanium cable is stretched from vertebra to vertebra by a special clamp and secured to each vertebra with screws and clips. It is suggested to replace the titanium wire with wire consisting of the memory alloy NiTi. This will permit the prestretched wire to be tensioned by heating it to 60 deg C after it has been fixed at its ends in the vertebrae. The functional principle of the NiTi memory wire was demonstrated in an experiment carried out on a plastic model. This consists of 8 plastic vertebrae with 30 mm sides which are connected by interposed wedge-shaped soft rubber discs, giving the model a curved shape. Memory wire prestretched by 7% is led through eylets on the convex side and fixed at the ends. On being heated (electrically in this experiment for the sake of simplicity), the wire shortens, righting the model so that it assumes a straight shape. The authors also describe in detail the manufacture of the alloy, i.e. the melting and shaping operations, as well as the properties of the material, that is, the stress-strain and strain-temperature relationships and the transformation temperatures, as well as mechanical problems.


[Dorsal occipito-cerivale spondylodesis with plate fixation of the wire to the occiput (author's transl)].

In occipito-cervical spondylodesis, performed because of instability in this area, there is quite a high incidence of pseudarthrosis. We tried to achieve a biomechanically stable spondylodesis by anchoring the temporary stabilizing wire-loop with a small osteosynthesis plate in the occiput and with a cortical screw in the spinous processus. Our two cases operated by this method showed a favorable result with good reduction. The bone graft consolidated without complications, the wire-loop did not break. This method seems to be less complicated that the fixation with a special plate according to Cabot and Mordent.


Avulsion of the less trochanter.

After a period with prodromal pain a 13 year old, slightly adiposogenital-looking boy suffered from an avulsion of the lesser trochanter after a minior trauma. He was successfully treated with operative reduction and fixation. The aetiology of the lesion is discussed. On the basis of this case and others reported in the literature, the lesion may be due to separation in an epiphysis already suffering from a disorder.