Evidence for a concentration gradient favoring outward movement of sodium from the thin loop of Henle.

Recent models of the urinary concentrating mechanism have postulated that urea in the medullary interstitium creates a transtubular concentration gradient for sodium between fluid at the end of the descending limb of Henle's loop and the medullary interstitium, favoring the passive outward movement of sodium from Henle's thin ascending limb. These experiments were designed to determine whether such a gradient normally exists. Young nondiuretic Munich-Wistar rats were prepared for micropuncture of the exposed left renal papilla. Samples of loop of Henle fluid and vasa recta plasma (assumed to reflect the composition of interstitial fluid) were obtained from adjacent sites. Loop fluid values in 21 comparisons from 18 rats (mean +/- SE) were: sodium 344 +/- 12 meq/liter; potassium, 26 +/- 2 meq/liter; osmolality, 938 +/- 37 mosmol/kg H23. Vasa recta plasma values (in corresponding units of measurement) were: sodium, 284 +/- 11; potassium, 34 +/- 2; osmolality, 935 +/- 34. Mean values of paired differences (loop fluid minus vasa recta plasma) were: delta sodium, 60 +/- 11.1 (P less than 0.001); delta potassium, -8.0 +/- 2.1 (P less than 0.001); delta osmolality, 4 +/- 16 (NS). Corrected for plasma water, the loop fluid minus vasa recta differences (in milliequivalents per kilogram H2O) were: delta sodium, 40 +/- 11.4 (P less than 0.005); delta potassium, -9.7 +/- 1.9 (P less than 0.001). We interpret these findings to indicate that in the papilla of nondiuretic rats, a significant difference in sodium concentration exists across the thin loop of Henle favoring outward movement of sodium, which confirms a key requirement of the passive models. A concentration difference for potassium in the reverse direction was also observed.


Collagen polymorphism in normal and cirrhotic human liver.

Collagens in normal human liver and in alcoholic cirrhotic liver were investigated. Collagens were solubilized by limited proteolysis with pepsin under nondenaturing conditions, and after purification, were fractionated into types I and III by selective precipitation with NaCl. After carboxymethyl cellulose and agarose chromatography, the resulting alpha-chains from each of the collagen types were analyzed with respect to their amino acid and carbohydrate compositions. A comparison of the results obtained from normal liver with those from the diseases organ revealed no significant differences. The isolated human liver alpha1(I) and alpha1(III) chains were digested with CNBr and the generated peptides were separated and purified by a combination of ion-exchange and molecular sieve chromatography. The molecular weight and the amino acid and the carbohydrate compositions of each of the peptides were identical to those of the corresponding human skin peptides except for the slightly higher content of hydroxylysine in some of the peptides. The relative content of type III in relation to type I collagen in both normal anc cirrhotic liver was determined by digesting washed liver homogenates directly with CNBr and quantitating the resultant alpha1(I) and alpha 1(III) peptides after chromatographic separation. The relative quantities of these peptides indicated that normal human liver contained an average of 47% type III, with the remainder being type I. Cirrhotic liver, on the other hand, contained a significantly smaller proportion of type III, ranging from 18 to 34% in different samples, with a corresponding increase in type I. These findings indicate that although the amino acid and carbohydrate compositions of collagens deposited in cirrhotic liver are normal, the fibrotic process of alcoholic liver disease in humans is accompanied by an alteration in tissue collagen polymorphism, and suggest that the observed alterations may have pathogenetic implications.


Gastric emptying and secretion in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Gastric emptying and secretion, as well as intragastric volume and composition, were determined simultaneously in three patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and in seven normal subjects. Gastric hypersecretion was observed in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and in normal subjects receiving pentagastrin. In contrast, the fraction of gastric contents emptied per minute (fractional rate of emptying) was increased in Zollinger-Ellison patients and unchanged or decreased in normal subjects receiving pentagastrin. The increased fractional rate of gastric emptying in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome persisted despite abolition of gastric hypersecretion by metiamide. Thus, the increased fractional gastric emptying seen in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is not attributable to hypergastrinemia, or to gastric hypersecretion per se. Instead, it appears to be caused by an undefined nervous or humoral factor.


Comparison of NADH and NADPH oxidase activities in granules isolated from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes with a fluorometric assay.

A fluormetric method for the determination of pyridine nucleotides has been adapted for use in studying the reduced pyridine nucleotide oxidases in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In the presence of strong base the oxidized forms of the pyridine nucleotides form a highly fluorescent product. The small amounts of NAD(P) formed by the oxidase reactions can be determined with great sensitivity. This method has been compared to the radioisotopic assay for NADPH oxidation. Both methods gave essentially the same results in terms of nanomoles NADP produced by control, resting, and phagocytizing samples. Both NADPH and NADH oxidase activities were insensitive to cyanide. NADPH oxidation had a pH optimum of 5.5, while that for NADH appeared to be 6.0. Granules isolated from phagocytizing cells routinely showed more activity toward both substrates (two to threefold) than granules from resting cells. Both activities were located primarily in a granule fraction prepared by differential centrifugation. Oxidation of NADPH was routinely four to five times that of NADH at all except very high substrate levels. Measurable NADH oxidation was rarely seen below 0.80 mM NADH, while NADPH oxidation was easily measurable at 0.20 mM. One patient with chronic granulomatous disease was studied. At low substrate levels, there was no activity toward either substrate in granules isolated from either resting or phagocytizing cells of this patient, while granules isolated from normal control cells showed substantial activity at these substrate levels. Purification of the activities had been initiated with linear sucrose gradients. Both activities co-sediment to a very dense region of the gradient, a region different from that in which membrane or azurophil granules usually equilibrate. The peak gradient fractions show a 10-30-fold increase in specific activity over comparable granule fractions. These data suggest that the oxidase activities are associated with one enzyme that has different affinities for the two substrates ans support the contention that the oxidation of NADPH is responsible for the metabolic burst accompanying phagocytosis in human PMNL.


The pathophysiology of acid-base changes in chronically phosphate-depleted rats: bone-kidney interactions.

Acid-base disturbances may develop secondary to the changes in renal tubular function and bone dynamics which attend phosphate depletion (PD). This work characterizes the acid-base status of rats fed a low phosphate diet. After 18 days, PD rats had marked calciuria (pair-fed controls: 0.3 +/- 0.2; PD 32.2 +/- 2.5 mueq/h; P less than 0.001), severe bicarbonaturia (controls: 0; PD 17.6 +/- 0.2 meq/h; P less than 0.001), and negative net acid excretion (controls: 44.5 +/- 2.9; PD: --6.6 +/- 2.5 meq/h; P less than 0.001), but plasma pH, HCO3, and PCO2 were equal in both groups. After 45 days, plasma HCO3 fell to 21.1 +/- 0.9 meq/liter in PD (controls: 23.6 +/- 0.5 meq/liter; P less than 0.05), while bicarbonaturia (controls: 0.4 +/- 0.2; PD: 3.8 +/- 1 mueq/h; P less than 0.02) and calciuria were present but diminished. These data suggested the coexistence of bone HCO3 mobilization and renal HCO3 wasting in PD. To test this thesis, bicarbonaturia was eliminated by nephrectomy. 24 h later plasma HCO3 was higher in PD rats (controls: 19.3 +/- 0.02; PD: 22.6 +/- 0.8 meq/liter; P less than 0.05), consistend with the presence of extrarenal HCO3 production. After inhibition of bone resorption with colchicine (1 mg/kg), plasma HCO3 decreased to 16.8 +/- 0.6 meq/liter in PD rats (controls): 26.4 +/- 1 meq/liter; P less than 0.001) while bicarbonaturia persisted. These data indicate that the plasma HCO3 in PD is the net result of renal HCO3 wasting and bone HCO3 mobilization. These combined effects maintain normal blood HCO3 initially (18 days) but with time (45 days), bone resorption diminishes and the acidifying renal tubular defect predominates.


Influence of somatostatin on splanchnic glucose metabolism in postabsorptive and 60-hour fasted humans.

Cyclic somatostatin was administered intravenously (10 mug/min for 60 min) to 10 healthy overnight fasted (postabsorptive) subjects and to 5 healthy 60-h fasted subjects. In both groups, arterial insulin and glucagon fell 50% and splanchnic release of these hormones was inhibited. In the overnight fasted subjects splanchnic glucose output fell 70%, splanchnic uptake of lactate and pyruvate was unchanged, alanine uptake fell by 25%, and glycerol uptake rose more than twofold in parallel with an increase in arterial glycerol. In the 60-h fasted group splanchnic glucose output was less than 40% of that observed in the overnight fasted subjects. Somatostatin led to a further decrease (--70%) in glucose production. Splanchnic uptake of lactate and pyruvate fell by 30-40%, amino acid uptake was unchanged, while uptake of glycerol rose fivefold. Total uptake of glucose precursors thus exceeded the simultaneous glucose output by more than 200%. Splanchnic uptake of FFA rose fourfold during somatostatin while output of beta-hydroxybutyrate increased by 75%. Estimated hepatic blood flow fell 25-35% and returned to base line as soon as the somatostatin infusion ended. It is concluded that (a) somatostatin-induced hypoglucagonemia results in inhibition of splanchnic glucose output in glycogen-depleted, 60-h fasted subjects as well as in postabsorptive subjects, indicating an effect of glucagon on hepatic gluconeogenesis as well as glycogenolysis; (b) the glucagonsensitive step(s) in gluconeogenesis affected by somatostatin involves primarily intra-hepatic disposal rather than net hepatic uptake of glucose precursors; (c) splanchnic uptake of fatty acids and ketone output are increased in the face of combined insulin and glucagon deficiency; and (d) diminished splanchnic blood flow may contribute to some of the effects of somatostatin on splanchnic metabolism.


Quantitation of countercurrent exchange during passive absorption from the dog small intestine: evidence for marked species differences in the efficiency of exchange.

The present investigation was designed to quantitatively assess the possible influence of countercurrent exchange on passive absorption from the small intestine of the dog. Villus blood flow was measured with a modification of the microsphere method. Simultaneously, the absorption from the gut lumen of five diffusible gases (H2, He, CH4, 133Xe, and CO) was determined. Villus blood flow averaged 0.247 +/- 0.03 (SEM) ml/min per g. The observed absorption of H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe was only 16.2 +/- 1.8, 12.8 +/- 2.3, 12.0 +/- 1.8, and 15.8 +/- 1.4 %, respectively, of what this villus blood flow could carry away if it reached perfect equilibrium with the luminal gases. This low absorption rate could result from diffusion limitation to absorption or countercurrent exchange. The diffusive permeability of the barrier seperating the luminal gases and villus blood flow was assessed by measuring the absorption rate of CO. Because absorbed CO binds tightly to hemoglobin, it cannot exchange, and when present in low concentrations its uptake is entirely diffusion limited. Knowledge of the diffusion rate through tissue of the unbound gases relative to that of CO made it possible to calculate the degree to which each of the unbound gases should equilibrate with villus tip blood. The percentage equilibration between lumen and blood at the villus tip for H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe was 99.7, 99.9, 75.6, and 36.0% , respectively. Each of these values greatly exceeded the percentage equilibration of blood leaving the villus (calculated from the observed absorption rate and villus blood flow) and indicated an exchange of 83.8, 87.2, 84.1, and 56.1% of initially absorbed H2, He, CH4, and 133Xe. This result is in accord with theoretical calculations which suggest that countercurrent exchange should be exceedingly efficient in the dog. The striking effect of countercurrent exchange on passive absorption in the dog differs from our previous studies in the rabbit where no exchange was demonstrated. This marked species difference may result from anatomical differences in villus architecture. The dog has long, densely packed villi while the rabbit has broad, widely spaced villi. In the dog, only the villus tips may equilibrate with the lumen, hence a countercurrent gradient may be established in the villus. The entire villus of the rabbit may equilibrate with the lumen and no gradient for countercurrent exchange can therefore be established.


Secretion by glucagonomas of a possible glucagon precursor.

Five patients with glucagonomas had elevated plasma levels of total glucagon immunoreactivity. Gel filtrations of these plasma samples on Bio-Gel P30 columns showed that most of the immunoreactivity eluted in the 3,500-(true glucagon) and 9,000-dalton fractions. After the administration of alpha cell effectors, changes in total glucagon immunoreactivity were seen which were accounted for primarily by the 3,500-dalton species, but there were also changes in the 9,000-dalton moiety. Venous effluent plasma from tumors of two subjects contained elevated concentrations of glucagon immunoreactivity in both fractions. When material from both the 3,500- and 9,000-dalton peaks were serially diluted in a glucagon immunoassay, parallel displacement curves were found, suggesting that both have similar or identical antigenic determinants. Thus, with conversion to a neoplastic state, alpha cells of glucagonomas, much like beta cells of insulinomas, may secrete an increased amount of a larger, 9,000-mol wt glucagon species which may be a prohormone.


Mechanism of exercise-induced hypoglycemia in depancreatized dogs maintained on long-acting insulin.

Human diabetics on intermediate and long-acting insulin occasionaly become hypoglycemic during exercise. We have shown previously that during exercise, hypoglycemia did not occur in depancreatized insulin-infused dogs because the increments in glucose production and utilization were proportional and of the same magnitude as in normal dogs. Therefore, to elucidate the mechanism of the glucose-lowering effect of strenuous exercise, we measured glucose production and utilization, metabolic clearance of glucose, and serum immunoreactive insulin in postabsorptive depancreatized dogs 8 h after a subcutaneous injection of protamine zinc and crystalline insulin. During rest, plasma glucose was stable, but ranged between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia was associated with overproduction of glucose, indicating insulin deficiency despite normal or elevated serum immunoreactive insulin. Glucose clearance, as in normal dogs, increased threefold but glucose production increased only marginally (50%) and, consequently, glucose decreased in plasma. The decrease of plasma glucose was directly proportional to the preexercise concentration and production of glucose. The magnitude of inhibition glucose production was not correlated with the serum immunoreactive insulin indicating either that some released insluin was not active or that a moderate immunoreactive insulin increment induced a near-maximal inhibition. It is concluded that in depancreatized dogs injected with protamine zinc insulin, exercise accelerates mobilization of insulin from its injection site presumably because of increased blood and lymph flow. Glucose utilization did not exceed that in normal dogs, but hepatic glucose production failed to increase sufficiently to meet the needs of muscle in exercise.


Mechanism of complement-mediated activation of human blood platelets in vitro: comparison of normal and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria platelets.

The paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) platelet differs from the normal human platelet in its interaction with activated complement components: (a) when complement is activated by the alternative pathway, greater amounts of C3 are fixed to the PNH platelet than to the normal platelet; (b) the platelet-release reaction, as measured by serotonin release, occurs after C3 fixation to the PNH platelet. This reaction does not occur with normal platelets; (c) although serotonin release mediated by antibody alone was the same for normal and PNH platelets, antibody-initiated complement activation resulted in the fixation of greater amounts of C3 to PNH platelets and greater consequent serotonin release; and (d) nearly maximal serotonin release; and (d) nearly maximal serotonin release from PNH platelets occurs after the fixation of C3 (or perhaps C5) to the membrane without completion of the terminal sequence. In contrast, completion of the terminal complement sequence beyond C5 is required for maximal serotonin release from normal platelets. These abnormalities of interaction of complement components and PNH platelets may explain the occurrence of thromboses in this disease.


Evidence for an important role of glucagon in the regulation of hepatic glucose production in normal man.

To investigate the role of glucagon in regulating hepatic glucose production in man, selective glucagon deficiency was produced in four normal men by infusing somatostatin (0.9 mg/h) and regular pork insulin (150-muU/kg per min) for 2 h. Exogenous glucose was infused to maintain euglycemia. Arterial plasma glucagon levels fell by greater than 50% whereas plasma insulin levels were maintained in the range of 10-14 muU/ml. In response to these hormonal changes, net splanchnic glucose production (NSGP) fell by 75% and remained suppressed for the duration of the study. In contrast, when somatostatin alone was administered to normal men, resulting in combined insulin and glucagon deficiency (euglycemia again maintained), NSGP fell markedly but only transiently, reaching its nadir at 15 min. Thereafter, NSGP rose progressively, reaching the basal rate at 105 min. These data indicate that the induction of selective glucagon deficiency in man (with basal insulin levels maintained) is associated with a marked and sustained fall in hepatic glucose production. We conclude, therefore, that basal glucagon plays an important role in the maintenance of basal hepatic glucose production in normal man.


A factorial structure of the dimensions of femininity in alcoholic, schizophrenic and normal populations .

The Femininity Study was administered tl 31 alcoholic females, 146 college females, and 152 female schizophrenic patients. The data were factor analyzed: five major factors were identified: (1) heterosexual social role inadaptability; (2) parental role inadaptability; (3) homemaker role inadaptability; (4) general affective (neurotic) instability; and (5) maternal role inadaptability. The institutionalized women showed much greater incidence of all types of inadaptability.


Labelling effects in clinical judgments of psychopathology.

This study utilized a model of inferential accuracy to study the effects of deviant labels on clinical judgments. It was hypothesized that labels would lower both treshold and sensitivity, the key components of the model. Analyses of variance yielded significant effects for labels and specific patterns of psychopathology suggested that labels have differential effects on inferences drawn with regard to various types of psychological disorders. Evidence in support of the generalizability of sensitivity and treshold also was obtained.


Effects of sexual arousal on schizophrenics: a comparative test of hypotheses derived from ego psychology and arousal theory.

Two divergent theories make differential predictions with regard to the impact of sexual stimulation on schizophrenics. Relative to normals, psychoanalytic ego psychology predicts greater sexual arousal in schizophrenics, while the arousal theories predict decreased responsiveness. Fourteen chronic nonparanoid schizophrenic outpatient males and 16 normal males participated in a 2X2 mixed factor experiment with one between factor (schizophrenics vs. normals) and one within factor (sexual vs. neutral stimuli). Dependent measures included looking time, associative sexual responses, associative response latencies, and self-report ratings. A significant interaction for looking time provided empirical support for the psychoanalytic ego psychological position, Results suggest that schizophrenics are less defensive than normals in regard to looking at sexual stimuli, theoretically because of ego deficits that adversely affect repression and other mechanisms of defense.


Relationship between schizophrenic thinking and MMPI for process and reactive patients.

This study examined the relationship between Whitaker Index of Schizophrenic Thinking (WIST) and MMPI performance in 25 male Process and Reactive schizophrenic inpatients. The results demonstrated a correlation between the WIST index and the Sc scale of the MMPI (r = .54, p less than .05) for Process patients only. Other MMPI scales highly correlated with each other also correlated with WIST index for the Process group. The lack of association between WIST and MMPI scales for Reactive patients was interpreted as suggesting a high degree of behavioral disorganization in these patients. Other results, i.e., lack of correlation between time and error scores on the WIST and high variability of time scores on the WIST, suggest that part of this disorganization for the Reactive patients may be understood in terms of disrupted pacing of behavior with respect to time, a process that may be related to the intrusion of irrelevant event processing.


Clinical assessment of a profession: Roman Catholic clergymen.

The present study investigated the personality of the American Catholic priest by means of clinical procedures. It is based on a national, randomly selected, representative sample. Recorded 2-hour clinical interview plus a battery of standardized as well as specially designed psychological tests were administered to 271 Ss. A clinical report was written for each priest based on all the interview data. Four categories or types of classification were devised to describe and to distinguish the priests along a continuum of soci-psychological development: maldeveloped (8%), underdeveloped (57%), developing (29%), and developed (6%).


Using the MMPI 168 with alcoholics.

The potential utility of the MMPI 168 with male alcoholics was explored. Correlations and some clinically relevant comparisons suggested that the MMPI 168 predicted the standard MMPI with a high degree of accuracy. However, high point codes and conclusions drawn from Goldberg's equations were not so promising, which suggests the need to establish the relative validity of the MMPI 168 by the use of external criteria.


Dogmatism, locus of control, and life goals in stable and unstable marriages.

This study hypothesized that individuals in unstable marriages were more dogmatic, more externally controlled, and evidenced more dissimilarity in life-motivating goals than those in stable marriage. Two groups of 22 married couples (designated married-stable and married-unstable) were administered the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, the Rotter I-E Scale, and the Hahn California Life Goals Evaluation Schedules. Although results did not support any of the three hypotheses stated, the findings led to three significant conclusions. First, dogmatic traits that were expected to be predominant in unstable marriages actually were seen as a stabilizing factor when demonstrated by the female spouse. Second, wives in unstable marriages demonstrated greater external locus of control than their husbands. Third, dissimilarities in life goals do not necessarily contribute to marital discordance, but actually are associated with marital stability unless they include the motivational areas of leadership and independence.


A further study of response, set and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI).

The aims of the investigation were to draw attention to systematic scale score discrepancies between Forms A and B of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), to suggest that these discrepancies might be mediated by acquiesence response set (ARS), and to provide reliability estimates for ARS and lie scale scores. Evidence relevant to all three intentions was obtained from a student group and a group of psychiatric patients. The predicted discrepancies between scale scores were obtained. The ARS measure derived from the E scale was found to be reliable, and ARS measures from both the E and L scales were found to obtain significantly different values across forms. Practical suggestions were made with regard to the utilization of an individual form of the EPI.


A factor analysis of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory.

The present study presents a factor analysis of items of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory of independent masculinity and femininity dimensions. Some support was given to the independence of M and F dimensions, but because these together accounted for only 17% of the variance and many other factors were extracted, it was concluded that two dimensions only may be too simplistic a view of this sex-role inventory.


An external criterion study of the MMPI validity indices.

Two hundred and twenty-eight veterans who requested either inpatient or outpatient treatment at a VA Hospital were administered an MMPI and a structured mental status examination (the CAPPS) to determine whether MMPI validity indicators would be useful in the prediction of dissimulation during a structured interview. Statistically significant relationships were found between both F and F-K and ratings of "fake bad" interview behavior. However, the authors point out that the rather small correlations discovered are of little practical utility in the prediction of dissimulation during structured interviews, especially when consideration is given to the amount of time and effort expended to administer and score the MMPI.


A scale for the evaluation of psychological distress.

A state measure of psychological distress (DI) was developed from the MMPI item pool. The DI scale was found to be reliable (internally consistent and stable) and to be unaffected by social desirability. MMPI measures of stress and anxiety measure external to the MMPI were found to correlate well with the DI scale. The alcoholic Ss of this study were found to experience greater psychological distress than medical patients at the Mayo Clinic. Moreover, females (both alcoholics and medical patients) scored higher in psychological distress than did males.


Perceived locus of control experienced control and depression: a trait description of the learned helplessness model of depression.

This study examined a personality-trait approach to the learned helplessness model of depression. Alcoholics were assigned to four groups based upon differential scores on Rotter's Locus of Control and Tiffany's Experienced Control Scales. Analysis of scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and the MMPI D scale indicated that Ss who reported that they had experienced minimal control over stressful events were significantly more depressed than Ss who reported relatively high levels of control. No significant locus of control effect was found. A significant interaction was obtained, which indicated that those Ss with an external locus of control and who experienced minimal control were significantly more depressed than thtical and empirical similarity between the present results and the learned helplessness model are discussed.


Psychiatric patients' religon and MMPI responses.

The relationship between psychiatric patients' psychological test responses and their religion has been overlooked in the past. MMPI protocols were obtained from samples of 18 Roman Catholic schizophrenic, 18 Protestant drug-dependent male patients. The profiles reflected significant religion related differences in scales L, HY, D; MF, PA and SC. The results suggest that the religion of the psychiatric patient is a potentially important S variable that could influence the psychiatric diagnosis and subsequent treatment.


MMPI differences among black, Mexican-American, and white male offenders.

MMPI scores of black, Mexican-American, and white male offenders were compared in order to investigate whether cultural and/or socioeconomomic factors affect this personality inventory. Comparisons were performed on unmatched and matched (education and occupation) groups that utilized all profiles or valid ones only and examined both trait (individual scales) and type (Goldberg indices) differences. Black-white differences on the MA, K, and HY scales appeared to reflect cultural factors, while differences on MF and alcoholism seemed to be accounted for by socieconomic differences among the groups. Cultural factors seemed to be related to differences between Mexican-Americans and white on the L,K,and overcontrolled hostility scales, while socioeconomic factors appeared to explain differences on the Hs scale. Type differences were not apparent except that Mexican-Americans were classified more often as psychiatric, while whites and blacks scored well into the sociopathic range.


Comparative study of the factorial composition of femininity in alcoholic, schizophrenic and normal populations.

The Femininity Study (Thorne, 1965) was administered to a total of 329 women, which included alcoholic females, Skidmore College students, University of Alberta students, and institutionalized chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics. In the alcoholic women, the first five factors were labeled high interpersonal adaptability, heterosexual role inadaptability, female role ambivalence, female identification problems, and maternal role inadaptability. In the Skidmore College population, the first five factors were heterosexual role inadaptability, general female role inadaptability, physical and/or psychosomatic disabilities with low female self-concepts, positive female self-concepts and interests, and emancipated female role concepts. In the University of Alberta women, the first five factors were heterosexual and general social inadaptability, heterosexual interests and adaptability, homosexual tendencies, conflictual sexuality, and emancipated female role concepts. In the institutionalized schizophrenics, the five factors were homosexual conflicts, heterosexual adaptability, rejection of parental-caretaker roles, promiscuity, and negative sexual self-concepts.


MMPI behavioral correlates of spike-5 and two-point code types with scale 5 as one elevation.

Data from 550 student outpatient psychiatric files were extracted and summarized on record sheets. Base rates for the entire population were determined. MMPI profiles were grouped according to their highest two-point elevations or by single elevation when only one scale was elevated above T-score 70. All profiles with only a scale-5 elevation or for which scale 5 was one of the two highest clinical elevations were removed from the profile population, and the corresponding correlates for these groups of profiles were compared to those for the remainder of the population. Spike-5 profiles indicate basically normal adjustment, while 2-5/5-2, 4-5/5-4, 7-5/5-7, and 8-5/5-8 profiles all indicate varying degrees of psychopathology.


MMPI profiles from adolescent medical patients.

In order to examine the age changes that occur in adolescent medical patients, MMPI scale scores of 659 females and 534 males, ages 15 through 19 years, were examined. Descriptive data are presented separately by sex, with comparative data provided by other researchers. Age and sex differences were evaluated by two-way analysis of variance. Results suggest that adolescent medical patients differ from other adolescents in much the same way that adult medical patients differ from the general adult population.


A comparison of empirically derived groups of aphasic patients on the Neurosensory Center Comprehensive Examination for Aphasia.

Rating scales were used to identify characteristic aphasic phenomena in a sample of natural language from aphasic patients. These variables were used to derive empirically four groups of aphasic patients. These groups showed significant multivariate differences on the basis of their performance on the Neurosensory Center Comprehensive Examination for Aphasia. Seven subtests showed significant univariate differences among the four groups: Visual Naming, Description of Use, Sentence Repetition, Repetition of Digits, Reversal of Digits, Identification by Sentence, and Oral Reading Sentences. Two of the groups reflected Howes dichotomy of articulate-nonarticulate language disorders. Another group was thought to reflect Schuell's single dimension of language disorders that could be differentiated only in terms of severity. Afourth group was characterized by a major impairment of memory. These results indicated that aphasic phenomena could be identified reliably on the basis of rating of verbal output on scales that reflect language disorders. These scales were used in a statistical fashion to derive empirically oriented groups that were identified on the basis of psychometric measures of language skills.


The factorial structure of the ITPA and WISC subtests in three diagnostic groups.

An image analysis of the ITPA and WISC Subtest Scores of three diagnostic groups was done. In two of the diagnostic groups, a regular classroom group and an LLD group, a general linguistic factor, a visual-motor factor, and a mediation factor appeared to emerge. A general ITPA factor, a general WISC factor, and an expressive factor were extracted from the mentally retarted group's data. Differences among the factors of diagnostic groups were observed and commented upon after a canonical correlation of factor loading matrices.


A new scoring system for the Spraings Multiple Choice Bender Gestalt Test.

A new scoring procedure to be used with Spraings' technique for administering the Bender-Gestalt test in a multiple choice format is presented. Scoring weights are used instead of simply scoring each item right or wrong. The evidence presented suggests that this method of scoring would increase the value of Spraings' test in the diagnosis of perceptual deficits.


Extension of the Wechsler Memory Scale norms to older age groups.

To extend the norms of the Wechsler Memory Scale, Form I, to older age groups, the test was administered to 64 Ss 60 years of age and older. Because there was significant correlation between WMS performance and IQ, the results were broken down further into IQ ranges. In addition to the standard administration of the WMS, a 1-hour delayed recall of the Logical Memory subtest was included. Performance on the delayed recall task by 51 younger Ss also was presented.


Cognitive tempo and WISC-R performance.

Forty-one reflective and 32 impulsive children were identified by the Matching Familiar Figures test and administered the WISC-R. The mean full-scale IQ score was 88.6 for impulsives and 99.9 for reflectives. Further differences in favor of reflectives were found on both verbal and performance IQ as well as Information, Arithmetic, Comprehension, Digit Span, Picture Arrangement, Picture Completion, Block Design and Object Assembly subtests.


Intellectual and personality changes associated with carotid endarterectomy.

Eleven patients with at least 40-50% carotid artery stenosis were given intelligence and personality tests just prior to and 6 weeks after carotid endarterectomy, a surgical procedure designed to remove arteriosclerotic blockage. When compared with 8 control patients, endarterectomy patients showed increases in Perceptual-Organization IQ, decreases in time to complete a perceptual motor task, and significant reductions in suspicion, confusion, disorientation, and other personality symptoms generally associated with senility.


Test complexity and brain damage at different educational levels.

This investigation attempted to determine whether the complexity (problem-solving component) of selected tests of the Reitan-Halstead Neuropsychological Test Battery was related to their ability to discriminate groups of brain-damaged and non-brain-damaged adults at different educational levels. Twenty tests from the Wechsler-Bellevue and the Reitan-Halstead Battery were administered to 51 brain-damaged and 51 non-brain-damaged adults at three educational levels (grade school, high school, university). Spearman rank-order correlations were obtained for the relationship of task complexity with global scores that reflected the effects of education and brain damage for each variable and with the differences between group means for each education level. The ability of these measures to discriminate the groups was correlated significantly with problem-solving level, whereas the effects of education were correlated negatively with this dimension.


19 Years later: a mental hygiene clinic revisited--a comparison of three methods to describe a clinic caseload.

This is a replication of a 1956 study that compared three ways to describe the case load of a mental hygiene clinic. The methods used were to follow-up of a cohort group, cases closed, and a survey of all active cases. In 1975, as compared to 1956, it was found that patients are more likely to be psychotic, to be receiving psychotropic drugs, and to stay in treatment much longer. Rate of improvement declined slightly. The number of patients increased by 166% and the annual number of patient visits increased by 84%, with about the same size staff. Some hypotheses for these changes are discussed.


Aversive cigarette smoking as a smoking cessation procedure.

Aversive cigarette smoking that consisted of rapid smoking, warm smoky air, and handling of cigarette litter was investigated. Prior to treatment, all Ss were screened to minimize risks inherent in rapid smoking. Tree male and 9 female Ss completed 6 weeks of treatment. After treatment the mean smoking rate was 16% of baseline. At 3-,6-, and 9-month follow-ups, the mean average was 38%, 50% and 50% of baseline, respectively. Aversive smoking appears to be a promising behavioral approach to smoking cessation.


Ratings of client self-disclosure and improvement as a function of sex of client and therapist.

This study examined the effects of client and therapist sex on client self-disclosure and improvement from individual psychotherapy. Based upon closing summary data collected at a college psychological counseling center, it was found that clients were more likely to be rated as low disclosers by female than by male therapists. Males viewed more clients as improved than did females (74% vs. 50%).


Further factor-analytic investigation of the Thorne femininity study.

The responses of 512 undergraduate women to 198 items of the Thorne Femininity Study were factor analyzed in order to isolate the dimensions of femininity represented among the items of this instrument. The procedure used isolated 11 orthogonal factors that accounted for 21.1% of the total variance. Three additional samples of women were tested (total N=222) and compared to the college age samples on the 11 factors. The various samples differed in many systematic and statistically significant ways. Suggestions were made as to the possibility of developing new items to measure some aspects of femininity not represented completely among the items analyzed.


Analysis of process data from token groups in a summer camp.

Forty-two campers who were attending a summer camp for disturbed children were treated by a combined group therapy-token economy approach in which peer judgments were the basis for tokens awarded for behaviors that occurred during the preceding 24-hour period. Process behaviors were studied to determine whether this approach would produce positive verbal behavioral change. Four variables changed significantly. Environmental (irrelevant) responses declined, group responses increased, leader-directed responses declined, and decision-making, reflected by summarizing, testing feasibility and concensus, increased.


Personality integration and successful outcome in individual psychotherapy.

Successful and unsuccessful outcomes in 24 therapy dyads were analyzed according to client-therapist personality integration (pi). Results indicated that successful outcome was most likely to occur when both client and therapist were high pi. Failure was most frequent among mixed sex dyads with discrepant pi differences. Implications for effective client-therapist matching were discussed.


The role of alienation in mental hospitalization.

A scale that assesses alienation was constructed from seven previously reported scales and administered to 74 psychiatric inpatients for whom behavioral and demographic data also were compiled. Factor analysis of alienation items yielded no major factors, which suggests that the construct is not unitary. A rotated factor matrix of alienation scores and behavioral and demographic variables showed that alienation does not account for a major proportion of variance in life history variables or current interpersonal functioning. Regression analysis indicated that alienation scores were predicted poorly from other variables. Moreover, alienation scores were poor predictors of length of hospitalization, which indicates that alienation has little power to account for relative severity of deviance.


The effects of EMG feedback training on state anxiety in introverts and extraverts.

The effect of EMG feedback on state anxiety was investigated in anxious introverts and extraverts. Although both groups learned to relax their muscles adequately, only the introverts reported a significant decrement in anxiety. Some extraverts reacted adversely to the technique, which suggests that other methods to inhibit anxiety may be necessary for this group.


The delayed impact of group therapists' interventions.

The direct and delayed impact of therapist interventions on 21 clients in three outpatient therapy groups was examined. Sessions one and five of each group were taped with every therapist intervention analyzed according to the Group Therapist Interventions Scale and every client utterance rated on the Experiencing Scale and categorized by the Group Immediacy Scale. It was hypothesized that therapists would have a delayed rather than direct influence on group process measures. When pairs of therapist-patient statements were examined; little immediate impact was evident. However, a profound delayed impact of group leaders was inferred from the finding that astherapist interventions became more forceful over the first five sessions, patients' level and immediacy of experiencing became more intense.


Psychotherapists' descriptions of emotionally disturbed adolescent poor and good sleepers.

A sample of 53 poor sleepers (N = 37 boys and 16 girls) and a matched sample of 53 good sleepers were selected from a national study of 831 white, emotionally disturbed adolescents in treatment. Psychotherapists' ratings on 552 variables were examined by comparing the endorsement rates of the two groups by means of a split-sample procedure. The results yielded 74 replicated characteristics that differentiate poor from good sleepers, a number of which are highly unique to each group. Poor sleepers are consistently higher on measures associated with neuroticism, whereas good sleepers are higher on measures associated with pseudo-normalcy or psychopathy. These results present further evidence that personality dynamics play a critical role in disturbed sleep. The authors suggest that a reorientation that integrates personality and physiological findings is necessary to advance our understanding and treatment effectiveness of persons with disturbed sleep.


Some personality differences among the multidisciplinary team.

Professional and student psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists were administered a demographic questionnaire, the Dogmatism Scale and the Personality Research Form. Significant and trend differences on each of these measures were obtained between the four professional groups, the professional and student groups and the professional groups and the norms for the measures. The possible role of these differences in the operation of the multidisciplinary team is discussed.


Locus of control in prediction of counselor effectiveness within a therapeutic camp setting.

This study investigated the utility of two locus of control scales to predict the judged effectiveness of undergraduate counselors in two summer camps for emotionally disturbed children. In general, internal control was correlated positively with overall effectiveness as rated by directors and fellow counselors. When content of the control scales reflected perceptions of interpersonal situations, the relationships to counselor effectiveness tended to be slightly higher. The implications for future, research on personality predictors of clinical competence among paraprofessionals were discussed.


The WISC as a measure of personality types.

This present analysis attempted to provide evidence for the utility of the WISCto identify a specific group of individuals. Incarcerated juvenile offenders in the 70/79 IQ range were separated according to race and sex and their differential WISC patterns studied. Results focused on the efficiency of each of Wechsler's hypotheses for the adolescent sociopath. Post-hoc analysis provided tentative additional signs by which to identify juvenile offenders in the 70/79 IQ range. Consistencies between results of the present analysis and previous studies were noted. The clear pattern that emerged strongly supports the potential of the WISC as a measure of personality types.


Correlates of locus of control among male alcoholics.

This study examined the relationship between internal-external control and several psychometric adjustment indices among 162 male alcoholics (mean age = 40.7) in an inpatient state vocational rehabilitation facility. Rotter's I-E scale was used to compare three subgroups of alcoholics (39 Internals, 82 Moderate scorers, and 41 Externals) on the Success-Failure Inventory, the Dogmatism Scale, the Future Outlook Inventory, the Alcadd Test, and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List. Internal alcoholics were found to be significantly more success-oriented, less dogmatic and more optimistic in future adjustment outlook. I-E subgroup differences on these measures were not dependent on age and IQ variability present between I-E levels. Results suggest that locus of control-adjustment correlates exist within alcoholic as well as within previously studied "normal" samples.


Application of the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI with alcoholic patients.

There is a need to examine the usefulness of an abbreviated form of the MMPI with alcoholic patients. The Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI (FAM) was administered to 225 male alcoholics. The correlations between the T-scores for the FAM and their full MMPI counterparts ranged from .761 to .919. Examination of the high-point code for each FAM-MMPI pair yielded 52.89% with identical high-point codes. A comparison between the MMPI and the FAM pairs showed that 78% of the profiles had the same number of scales with T-score above 70 plus or minus one scale. The authors suggest that when a full MMPI administration is not feasible, the FAM is a valid substitute for alcoholic populations.


Brain damage and five MMPI items with alcoholic patients.

The validity of Hovey's brain damage MMPI index for male alcoholic inpatients was investigated. With educational level controlled, the scale did not show significant relationships with established tests of cognitive and organic impairment. Significant correlations were found with measures of psychopathology. This suggests that only in populations in which neurological deficit is the main factor in variations in emotional and physical well-being will this type of index be useful to screen patients for brain damage. The results stress the importance of local cross-validation prior to the clinical use of measures such as Hovey's scale.


WAIS functioning of cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic alcoholics.

This study was done to determine whether the cognitive dysfunction often found in chronic alcoholics would be greater for alcoholics with Laennec's cirrhosis than for alcoholics without cirrhosis. It was hypothesized that cirrhotic alcoholics would score lower than non-cirrhotic alcoholics, who in turn would score lower than non-alcoholic, non-cirrhotic controls on (1) WAIS Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ; (2) scaled score configuration; and (3) the Wechsler Deterioration Quotient. The WAIS was administered in a Veterans Administration Center to 60 Caucasian male patients aged 35-64 who had been assigned to one of the three groups (N = 20 per group). No differences were found among groups on age, education, or the Information and Vocabulary subtests (p greater than .05). Significant differences (p less than .05) were found on Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ, the remaining nine subtests, and the Deterioration Quotient. A stepwise discriminate function analysis substantiated these differences. It was concluded that Laennec's cirrhosis is a physical condition that negatively affects intellectual functioning in alcoholics.


Purpose in life and personal values among adult alcoholics.

Ideas of purpose and meaning in life, religious or spiritual values, belief in a Higher Power, and related constructs often play an important role in traditional alcoholism rehabilitation approaches, but very few data are available. Consequently, 49 males and 8 females in a 30-day inpatient treatment program for alcoholics were given the Purpose in Life (PIL) test and Study of Values (SOV) shortly after admission to the hospital and again just before discharge. Results indicated: (1) significant increases in PIL scores; (2) no significant dissimilarities between alcoholics and normals on the SPV; and (3) significant correlations between PIL and the Aesthetic and Religious scales of the SOV on the second administration only. Results were discussed in terms of future directions for research and implications for treatment.


Differences in word association commonality of schizophrenics: the self-editing-deficit model vs. the partial-collapse-of-response-hierarchy hypothesis.

Schizophrenics matched by pairs with 26 neurotics were found to be no different in commonality scores under free association conditions on steep-slope words from Moran's (1966) word list equated for "idiodynamic set pull." Schizophrenics scored significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in commonality on flat-slope words, where steep-slope and flat-slope refer respectively to stimulus words with one or several commonly occurring associates. Matched by pairs with 23 "normal" controls, schizophrenics scored significantly lower in commonality on both steep-slope and flat-slope words under free association conditions. These findings are contrary to the prediction for the two-stage, self-editing-deficit model (Lisman & Cohen, 1972) and are consistent with the one-stage, partial-collapse-of-hierarchy hypothesis (Broen & Storms, 1966). Other results (e.g., schizophrenics obtained significantly lower commonality for Concept-referent, but not for Dimension-referent or Object-referent, steep-slope stimulus words) suggest that these models might be modified so as to take into account the idiodynamic set pull of stimulus words.


Family schemata in families of symptomatic and normal children.

Psychological distance within families was investigated by a family doll placement technique. Parents of emotionally disturbed boys tended to use a higher frequency of psychologically distant doll placement than did parents of normal boys. Parents of boys with learning problems used psychologically close doll placements more frequently than did parents of normal boys. Parents grouped the family into a single unit more frequently than their children when the child had learning problems. Siblings of children with learning problems were found to be symptom-free in comparison with siblings of disturbed children.


Prior time uncertainty reduction of foreperiod duration in schizophrenia and old age.

Four groups of college students, alcoholics, schizophrenics, and old age Ss judged stimulus durations of .50 and .55 seconds. The stimulus was preceded by a sound that functioned as the warning signal. The foreperiod duration, that is, the interval between the onsets of the warning signal and the stimulus, was variable and was either 1,3, or 5 seconds. There was no group difference with respect to the effect of foreperiod variability. Estimation of stimulus duration was a monotonically increasing function of foreperiod duration. However, when pitch of the sound was correlated with the corresponding foreperiod duration, this monotonic relation between foreperiod duration and estimation of stimulus duration was eliminated for schizophrenics, but not for nonschizophrenics. Although schizophrenics were not distinguishable from nonschizophrenics in terms of the effect of foreperiod variability, receptivity to prior information associated with time uncertainty reduction was shown to be unique for schizophrenia.


The measurement of femininity.

Preliminary empiric research with The Femininity Study identifies 10 factorially derived factors that indicate the general dimmensions of femininity with particular reference to female self-concept, feelings of inadequacy related to sexual characteristics, and deficiencies of female role-playing. Pilot studies indicate that wide differences occur across time both individually and in different demographic groups so that it is necessary to study the development of sex attitudes across time. Further cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are necessary to discover whether the derived factors are specific to females or distributed in differing degrees among humans in general. No assumptions were made as to whether the obtained factors are unipolar or bipolar, and the present data do not resolve this issue.


Prior time uncertainty reduction of foreperiod duration under two different levels of event uncertainty in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenic and alcoholic Ss judged stimulus durations of .50 and .55 seconds. Stimulus was 1, 3 or 5 dark dots and was preceded by variable foreperiod duration of 1, 3 or 5 seconds. Judgment of stimulus duration was found to be a monotonically increasing function of foreperiod duration. When pitch of sound was correlated with foreperiod duration so that it functioned as prior information, such monotonic function was eliminated for schizophrenics only when the numerosity of dots was constant from trial to trial. The effect of prior information as to foreperiod duration was negligible for both schizophrenics and alcoholics when the numerosity of dots was variable from trial to trial. Uniqueness of schizophrenia was shown to be associated with prior time uncertainty reduction of foreperiod duration in the context of minimal event uncertainty of stimulus.


Anhedonia as a function of non-affective interpretation of ambiguous stimuli and threshold for affective and neutral stimuli.

A theory that schizophrenic anhedonia-the failure to express pleasure-is associated with a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as neutral rather than emotion-laden and arises from selectively high perceptual thresholds for affective stimuli was tested. Seventy-six schizophrenic males were required to guess whether words presented to them tachistoscopically for extremely short periods were positive, negative or neutral in content. The high-anhedonic Ss were significantly more likely to guess neutral words and less likely to offer pleasant interpretations than the low-anhedonic sample, which suggests that anhedonia is associated with a tendency to interpret one's environment as lacking in positive emotional value. The tresholds of high-and low-anhedonic schizophrenic groups then were compared on pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral tachistoscopically-presented stimuli. In the only two significant differences in the latter analyses, high anhedonics showed greater tresholds for neutral stimuli than low anhedonics. These findings suggest that anhedonia is not mediated by peculiarly high tresholds for affective stimuli.


Religiousness and devaluation of a rape victim.

In a 4X3 design (religious orientation vs. marital status of victim), 167 Ss were given a case account of a rape. Intrinsically religious Ss devalued the victim less than did Ss who were extrinsically oriented, indiscriminately proreligious and indiscriminately nonreligious. No significant effect was noted for the marital status of the victim, nor was there a significant interaction between these two variables.


Skin conductance and heart-rate responsivity to public speaking imagery among students with high and low self-reported fear: a comparative analysis of "response" definitions.

The experiment evaluated the feasibility of using self-report measures of public speaking anxiety to select autonomically responsive Ss for behavior therapy research and the influence of E's definition of "response" on empirical generalizations derived from the study. Heartrate and skin conductance responses of Ss who scored high and of Ss who scored low on self-report fear measures were monitored during neutral and speech-related imagery. High-scoring Ss were more responsive than were low-scoring Ss, but the surplus responsivity was not cued uniquely by speech-related imagery. Examination of four definitions (transformations) of heart-rate response and five definitions of skin conductance response showed that different conclusions were yielded by differing response definitions. Implications of the findings for further research are presented.


Understanding and similarity in relation to marital satisfaction.

This investigation assessed the relation of understanding and similarity of spouses to marital satisfaction by use of the MMPI. The satisfactorily married couples predicted significantly more of their spouses' responses than did the unsatisfactorily married couples. This significantly greater accuracy of prediction was not enhanced by the significantly greater similarity exhibited by the satisfactorily married couples. In fact, both groups accurately predicted a significantly greater number of items that were dissimilarly endorsed when compared with those items similarly endorsed. No relation was found for either group between assumed similarity and marital satisfaction.


Differentiation of intropunitive from extrapunitive female inmates.

Five cards of the Thematic Apperception Test were administered to 10 extrapunitive and 10 intropunitive female inmates. A scoring index based upon the individual's relationship and response to the environment was derived. Discrimination of group membership made by two independent judges who employed the index resulted in significant differentiation of groups on card 3BM. Discussion considers response to card 3BM as a manifestation of identification with the stimulus figure. Environmental constriction as an important response component also is examined.


The attitudes of psychiatrists toward etiological theories of schizophrenia.

This study is an analysis of psychiatrists' opinions on the etiology of schizophrenia. A random sample of members of the American Psychiatric Association uncovers a general hesitation on their part to subscribe to any particular etiological theory. Only four theories are viewed as causally related to schizophrenia: social isolation, cognitive breakdown, biochemical imbalance, and maternal deprivation. Attitudes toward etiological theories are significantly different among psychoanalysts, behaviorists, and eclectics. Attitudes also are related to the setting in which the psychiatrist practices.


Changes in the fasting blood sugar after hydrochlorothiazide and potassium supplementation.

A 20% or greater rise in the fasting blood sugar occurred in 11 of 24 patients treated with 50 mg hydrochlorothiazide twice daily for six to ten weeks. The blood sugar decreased when potassium was given in conjunction with the diuretic, but the mean fasting blood sugar remained higher than pretreatment levels. There was no correlation between the percent change in the blood sugar and the per cent change in the serum K or exchangeable 42K.


Pharmacokinetics of orally administered hydroflumethiazide in man.

Hydroflumethiazide plasma and urine levels were measured fluorometrically following the oral administration of 100-mg doses (2 X 50 mg tablets) to each of 12 healthy, adult male subjects. The plasma level data as a function of time were fit to a one-compartment open model using a nonlinear regression digital computer program. The means of the individual apparent absorption and disposition rate apparent absorption and disposition rate constants were 0.770+/-0.46 hr(-1) (t1/2=0.9 hr) and 0.358+/-0.17 hr(-1) (t1/2=1.94 hr), respectively, with a 0.49+/-0.26 hr lag time in absorption. The same parameter estimates obtained by fitting the mean plasma concentration-time curve were 0.461+/-0.15 hr(-1), 0.357+/-0.13 hr(-1), and 0.39+/-0.09 hr for the apparent absorption and disposition rate constants and the lag time, respectively. The closeness of the parameter estimates and the lack of intravenous data preclude unequivocal assignment of the rate constants to the absorption or disposition processes. Nevertheless, the disposition of hydroflumethiazide is clearly a rapid process. The means of the individual peak plasma levels and times to peak were 0.301+/-0.94 microgram/ml and 2.12+/-0.59 hours, respectively. The mean area under the plasma level-time curve was 1.95+/-0.78 microgram-hr/ml and 46.7+/-20.0% of the administered dose was recovered in the 24-hour urine. The mean renal clearance of hydroflumethiazide was 453.4+/-256.6 ml/min.


The effect of indomethacin, 6-hydroxydopamine, saralasin, and hemorrhage on renal hemodynamics.

This report describes the response of the renal circulation to prolonged hemorrhagic hypotension and reinfusion of blood, and to the effect of a variety of drugs (saralasin, indomethacin, and 6-hydroxydopamine, 6-OH-DA). Plastic microspheres were used to measure blood flow perfusing the entire kidney and also the outer cortex, inner cortex, and medulla of the kidney. Cardiac output was determined with a Doppler flow probe, and total and regional flows were calculated. Redistribution of blood flow from outer cortex to inner cortex and medulla occurred during hemorrhage and after administration of saralasin and 6-hydroxy-dopamine, while indomethacin did not alter intrarenal flow distribution. Total renal flow increased after reinfusion of blood and saralasin, but decreased after indomethacin. It did not change after 6-hydroxydopamine. The results demonstrate that changes in total and intrarenal flow occur independently and are probably due to different mechanisms.


Evidence for systematic temporal variation in 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion.

Five hundred fifty-seven 24-hour urinary creatinine specimens from eight healthy males collected in six-day sequences separated by two- to ten-week intervals over six to ten months were analyzed for factors contributing to the large observed standard deviation and range (14% and 50% of the total mean, respectively). Subject means correlated significantly with weight and surface area. Between-sequence differences were significantly greater than within-sequence differences in all subjects. Statistically significant linear and/or curvilinear time dependences were found in each subject. Elimination of subject variation and pooling yielded one cycle of a biphasic function, approximately 12 months in duration, oscillating about the mean with an amplitude approximately 6% of the mean; the maximum and minimum exhibited a seasonal correspondence. Upper limits to sources of eror are estimated as measurement +/- 3%, biological +/- 6%, mixed biologic-temporal +/- 6%, and random +/- 5%.


Pharmacokinetic study of cefazaflur compared to cephalothin and cefazolin.

A single 1-Gm dose of cefazaflur, a new semisynthetic cephalosporin derivative, was compared in a crossover study to the same dose of cephalothin and cefazolin by intramuscular injection in seven healthy volunteers. Serum concentrations were measured at several time intervals during 6 hours following each administration. The mean peak serum levels obtained after 30 minutes were 25.2, 17.2, and 62.3 mug/ml, respectively, for cefazaflur, cephalothin, and cefazolin. In each of the seven subjects, serum concentrations were higher at each sampling time with cefazolin than with the other two cephalosporins. The percentage of total administered dose recovered in urine in a microbiologically active form for the 0-24-hour collection was, respectively, 92.7, 59.2, and 94.9 per cent with cefazaflur, cephalothin, and cefazolin, the largest part being excreted during the first 6 hours. Neither drug appeared to have any pronounced effect on various laboratory tests. Local reactions at the site of intramuscular injection were minor with cefazaflur and cefazolin, but were more pronounced with cephalothin.


Receptive field characteristics of neurons in a visual area of the rabbit temporal cortex.

In a program of surveying the characteristics of visual receptive fields of neurons in rabbit brain, we have explored cortical sectors beyond the striate and occipital cortices and found cells in a part of the temporal lobe that were responsive to visual stimulation. Using evoked potential and unit-cluster methods, this temporal visual area was mapped to be roughly oval-shaped, 3 mm x 2mm in size, and at about the level posterior to the apex region of auditory area 1. It is located ventral to and continuous with visual area 11, at about the caudal half of M. Rose's temporal cortices 1 and 2 (T1 and T2). Only about two-thirds of 96 units studied responded to some sort of moving light stimulation. These motion-sensitive cells were divided into four groups. Cells in the first group (22) responded best to a large light spot or shadow sweeping quickly across the field. Cells in the second group (29) responded to slow moving, jerking spot. Nine cells responded to a narrow, dark bar thrusting into a lighted field. Four cells are "direction-selective," responding to light stimulus moving in one direction and showing either no response or decreased background discharges in the opposite direction. In addition, three cells required unusual stimulus features. Of the 38 cells tested, nine of them were found to be binocularly driven. These receptive field characteristics are quite different from those described for other visual centers of the rabbit. The significance of these results together with data on the anatomical connections of this cortical area as reported in the following paper were discussed.


Neuroanatomical aspects of the gerbil inner ear: light microscope observations.

A specialization of the Mongolian gerbil inner ear allows easy access for electrophysiological recording from the auditory nerve and other structures of the internal auditory meatus. The round-window membrane is recessed, creating a cavity connecting the bulla and the external wall of the modiolus. This cavity has been named the round-window antrum. A small opening made in the dorsomedial wall of the round-window antrum gives access directly to the modiolus and internal auditory meatus, with no other openings in the cranium required. This surgery is less drastic than that needed for similar access in most other mammals. The anatomy of the specialized region is presented from studies with the light microscope. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between external features of the wall of the round-window antrum and the internal anatomy of the modiolus and internal auditory meatus. In addition, these studies reveal that cell bodies of the acoustic-nerve nucleus are located in the auditory nerve, central to the glial dome. About 22 +/- 8 cells are found in an auditory nerve. Their appearance with a Nissl stain is similar to cells found in rat, mouse, and man. The cell dendrites are preferentially oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal course of the auditory-nerve fibers. The anatomy of the gerbil auditory system should allow direct electrophysiological recording from these cells.


Penfluridol in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenic patients newly discharged from a brief therapy unit.

Penfluridol, a long-acting neuroleptic that can be administered orally once a week, was compared with chlorpromazine in the maintenance treatment of 29 schizophrenic patients newly discharged from a brief therapy unit. The results indicate that penfluridol was of a similar efficacy to chlorpromazine in the treatment of these patients. Penfluridol-treated patients experienced less drowsiness but more extrapyramidal symptoms than those treated with chlorpromazine.


The effect of quinidine sulfate on QRS duration and QT and systolic time intervals in man.

QRS duration, QT interval, total electromechanical systole (QS(2)), left ventricular ejection time (LVET), and preejection period (PEP) were determined in five male and two female healthy volunteers in a fasting state at hourly intervals for 7 hours during a control period and after administration of 400 mg quinidine sulfate. Changes of QRS duration (delta QRS) and rate-corrected QT interval (delta QTc) were calculated before and after quinidine. Deviations of measured QS(2), LVET, and PEP from the normal were calculated as the differences between the observed interval and those predicted from the normal regression equation. The effect of quinidine on systolic time intervals (delta QS(2), delta LVET, DELTA PEP) were expressed as the differences between the deviations from the normal regression equation during the control period and after the drug administration. After quinidine sulfate delta QRS, delta LVET, delta PEP, and delta PEP, delta LVET were slight and inconsistent. However, delta QTc and delta QS(2) were significant (at P is less than 0.05 or better) from the first hour to the 7th hour and from the 2nd hour to the 5th hour, respectively. The mean maximum delta QTc was 44.8 milliseconds and delta QS(2) was 29.9 milliseconds. The significant changes of QTc and QS(2) seemed to occur at the plasma level range of 0.75-1.9 mug/ml. This study indicates that of the various systolic time interval measurements obtained after quinidine administration, the changes of QT interval and QS(2) are most significant and that these changes seem to occur even at low plasma levels.


Some paradoxical aspects of the cardiovascular pharmacology of alpha-methyldopa.

In an effort to help explain why it is often difficult to demonstrate hypotension with alpha-methyldopa on an acute basis in normotensive anesthetized animals, the drug was administered intravenously in single doses of either 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg to chloralose-anesthetized cats while monitoring mean arterial pressure; the systolic pressor response in arterial pressure to bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries; hind limb vascular resistance in a vascularly isolated, extracorporeally perfused but neurally intact hind limb; and the response of hind limb vascular resistance to CCO. Alpha-methyldopa failed to cause any significant hypotension and also failed to affect vasomotor tone to the hind limb vasculature, but the drug augmented the pressor response to CCO on MAP and hind limb vascular resistance. Alpha-methyldopa also had no effect on hind limb vascular resistance when added directly to the extracorporeally perfused hind limb vascular resistance when added directly to the extracorporeally perfused hind limb circuit, indicating a lack of direct vascular smooth muscle dilating properties in these preparations. It is postulated that the augmented baroreceptor demonstrated may help th explain why it is difficult to record hypotension on an acute experimental basis with this drug. Such actions of alphamethyldopa might also provide a basis for understanding the development of tolerance to the antihypertensive effects of the drug and instances of paradoxical hypertension with it when these occur in the hypertensive human.


Abnormal interhemispheric connections in the visual system of Boston Siamese cats: a physiological study.

In the normal cat most visual fibers in the splenium of the corpus callosum are concerned with a representation of the vertical meridian of the visual field. These fibers for the most part originate from cortical regions forming the border between adjacent architectonic areas, such as the anatomical 17-18 border. Due to a genetic mutation in Boston Siamese cats, the anatomical 17-18 border now represents a region in the ipsilateral visual field roughly 20 degrees away from the vertical meridian, and the representation of the vertical midline is displaced from the border to regions within areas 17 and 18 proper. Do visual fibers in the Boston Siamese cat corpus callosum originate, as in normal cats, from the 17-18 border even though the vertical meridian is no longer represented there? The present paper deals with this question from a physiological standpoint. Single visual fibers in the corpus callosum of 11 Boston Siamese and two normal cats were recorded using extracellular microelectrodes. Receptive fields were mapped and their positions used to infer the likely cortical site of origin for each fiber. In confirmation of earlier findings, most callosal receptive fields in the normal cat were closely apposed to the vertical meridian, as would be expected if only those visual cortical regions which represent the vertical meridian, such as the border between areas 17 and 18, contribute to the corpus callosum. In Boston Siamese cats, however, an abnormally large amount of visual field was represented in the corpus callosum, with some receptive fields located as far as 25 degrees away from the vertical meridian. The representation of the vertical meridian was nevertheless substantial. The present findings suggest, therefore, that in Boston Siamese cats callosal fibers do not originate solely from the boundary regions between adjacent cortical areas, such as the anatomical 17-18 border, but originate also from other cortical regions, especially the vertical meridian representation, regardless of their location with respect to such boundaries.


Structure of the Purkinje cell membrane in staggerer and weaver mutant mice.

The structure of the plasma membrane of Purkinje cell dendrites was examined in weaver and staggerer mutant mice. Purkinje spines in weaver mice have clusters of intramembrane particles which resemble those at normal synapses with parallel fibers, even though no parallel fibers are formed in this mutant. There are very few spines in the staggerer, and these manifest normal intramembrane structure at contacts with climbing fibers. The spines which would normally be involved in synapses with parallel fibers are never formed in the staggerer, and the intramembrane structures which would have been associated with these spine synapses are also lacking. Thus, during postnatal cerebellar development in the mutants, acquisition of intramembrane specializations requires Purkinje spine formation but can occur independently of the development of parallel fibers.


The developing caudate nucleus in the euthyroid and hypothyroid rat.

The basal ganglia are presently implicated in learning, and thyroid deficiency induced neonatally is known to affect mentation. The effects of such a deficiency on the developing causate nucleus might be used to provide insight into structure and function of the normal subcortical brain, as well as possible influences of these extrapyramidal structures on mental retardation. Propylthiouracil was added to the diet of lactating rat dams and observations of the developing caudate nuclei of normal hypothyroid rats were made at 8, 14, 20, 30 and 42 days by using various tissue stains and Golgi-Cox preparations. Seven different types of neurons were distinguished in the caudate nucleus. Differences in the size of cell somata and the varying morphology of axons and dendrites were criteria used to make distinctions. Normally, the nucleus acquires cytoarchitectural complexity during the first three postnatal weeks. Within this period, neuron incidence increases in the caudate neuropil with age while the germinal matrix density decreases. Neuron accumulation reaches a plateau after the third week and cell migration is essentially complete at the end of the first postnatal month as shown by computer analysis of Nissl stained cell counts. Branching of cellular processes, attainment of receptor spines and complexity of the fiber network also appeared during this period. Retardation of structural development with thyroid hormone deficiency was shown by decreased numbers of neurons, inhibition of dendritic arborization, decreased numbers of dendritic spines and a reduced complexity of axonal plexuses. Thyroid deficiency delays cell migration during the first three weeks when compared to age-matched normal controls. The lack of thyroid hormone does not appear to influence the size of neuron somata, and the extent of related dendritic fields, nor does hypothyroidism affect a specific cell type population. Generalized disturbances of caudate nuclear morphological maturation are caused by the deficiency. An apparent compensatory process, including a spurt of neural growth and differentiation, takes place in the period between days 14 and 30 in the deficient animals and a seemingly "normal" caudate cytoarchitecture is seen after the third postnatal week. Quantitative data, however, show that this rapid "catch up" process is inadequate. The developmental imperfection of the caudate nucleus which persists might be a part of the underlying substrate for the mental retardation, disturbed motor performance and perceptual handicaps which are found in the human patient.


The specificity of re-innervation by identified sensory and motor neurons in the leech.

Re-innervation of skin and muscle by identified sensory and motor neurons in segmental ganglia of the leech was studied using physiological techniques. After lesions of peripheral nerves, sensory axons which re-innervated the skin always regained sensitivity to their original stimulus modality (touch, pressure or noxious stimuli). Motor neurons invariably re-innervated the appropriate type of body wall muscle, such as longitudinal or circular muscle layers. Both sensory and motor axons usually returned to the appropriate region of the body wall (dorsal, lateral, or ventral) when regenerating after a nerve crush or cut. This capacity was lost, however, when growth along old nerve branches was prevented by evulsing long segments of the nerve. Re-innervation usually occurred by way of growth of new axons all the way to the periphery, but in a few cases reconnection with the surviving distal segment of the original axon had taken place. The specificity of re-innervation can be accounted for by a combination of selective growth along appropriate nerve branches and specific interactions with target tissues.


The central projections in the retina in Necturus maculosus.

The projections of the retina in Necturus maculosus were studied by injecting radioactive proline into one eye. Labeling was seen in both the contralateral and ipsilateral diencephalon and tectum. The contralateral fibers are divided into three major tracts: the marginal, axial, and basal. The ipsilateral fibers separate into a marginal and an axial optic tract. The contralateral and ipsilateral axial optic tracts have a similar distribution. The contralateral and ipsilateral marginal optic tracts projecting to the diencephalon also have a similar distribution. However, in the tectum the ipsilateral marginal optic tract ends in the anterior third while the contralateral extends almost the entire length of the tectum. The retinotectal ipsilateral projection ends in clumps as has been described in other vetebrates. A direct ipsilateral retinotectal projection has not been described in any other amphibian.


Retinal projections in larval, transforming and adult sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus.

Unilateral enucleations were performed on larval, transforming and adult sea lampreys. Following 5 to 11 days survival, the animals were sacrificed and the brains were processed using a modified Fink-Heimer technique. In larvae, contralateral optic projections were found to the posterior one-third of the dorsal thalamus, the pretectum, and the optic tectum. No ipsilateral projections were present in the larvae. In enucleated transforming and adult lampreys, degenerating axons were observed in the optic chiasm and bilaterally in the optic tracts. Retinal efferents projected bilaterally to a lateral neuropil region ("tractus opticus") in the posterior one-half of the dorsal thalamus. Contralaterally, a conspicuous dorsomedial cell group (lateral geniculate nucleus) also received a projection. Contralateral projections to the superficial layers of the pretectum and optic tectum were observed. Ipsilateral retinal projections to the pretectum and optic tectum in transforming and adult lampreys were restricted to a small zone at the ventrolateral margins of the pretectum and tectum. The changes in distribution of retinofugal projections during transformation appear to be occurring at the same time that the eye differentiates into its adult form.


The postnatal development of neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the rat: a Golgi study.

The postnatal differentiation of neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the albino rat was studied using the Golgi-Cox technique. At least four animals were used at postnatal ages 12 hours, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 35 days and adult. Presumptive thalamo-cortical projection cells (Class A cells of Grossman et al., '73) and non-projection, intrinsic neurons (Class B cells) are distinguishable at 12 hours after birth. At this stage both types of neuron are immature, with prominent growth cones at their dendritic extremities. Dendritic growth and differentiation appear to be complete by 18 days. Relay cells display two apparent "growth spurts" characterized by noticeable enlargement of the perikaryon and a marked increase in dendritic length and complexity. One occurs between days 4 and 6 and coincides with a period of enhanced synaptogenesis and gliogenesis: the second occurs between days 14 and 15, around the time of eye opening (day 14) and may be related to a further phase of increased synaptogenesis and gliogenesis (Karlsson, '67; Biesold et al., '76). Class B cells appear to "lag" behind class A cells in their initial postnatal differentiation, but also reach their mature condition by day 18.


Freeze-fracture studies on the synapses in the organ of Corti.

Receptoneural junctions and synapses in the organ of Corti of the chinchilla have been examined with the freeze-fracture technique. The presynaptic membranes at the receptoneural junctions of inner and outer hair cells have many structural features in common with membranes found at chemical synapses outside the organ of Corti. However, the membranes of the postsynaptic afferent terminals are quite different depending on whether they are part of an inner or outer hair cell synapse. These differences in the distribution of intramembrane particles suggest that the transmitters, or transmitter actions, may be different at these two synapses. The distribution of particles in the postsynaptic membrane at efferent synapses with outer hair cell differs from that in the postsynaptic membrane at efferent synapses with afferent terminals or fibers, suggesting that transmitter actions at these locations could also differ.


Development of the barrels and barrel field in the somatosensory cortex of the mouse.

Barrels of the PMBSF of the mouse somatosensory cortex become apparent in Nissl-stained tangential sections simultaneously, on the fourth postnatal day. At this time they are miniatures of those in the adult and are situated in the deepest sublamina of the trilaminar cortical plate. An early barrel appears as a patch of decreased cell density: the prospective hollow of the barrel. Septa become noticeable during the sixth postnatal day. From that period to adulthood, the relative contribution of the PMBSF to the total cortical surface area increases -- an increase that goes against one's expectation: the barrel related periphery matures very early and so does the central, lateral region of the cortex. Barrel growth parallel to the pial surface is greater along the major axes than along the minor axes. By using the barrels to identify prospective layer IV in immature cortex, we could determine that layers V and VI attain their adult height during the sixth postnatal day -- an age when prospective layers I-IV are only half their adult height. The onset of barrel formation coincides with the moment after which injury to the pertinent somatosensory periphery (the vibrissal papillae) no longer causes profound alterations in barrel morphology.


Histochemical evidence of altered development of cholinergic fibers in the rat dentate gyrus following lesions. I. Time course after complete unilateral entorhinal lesion at various ages.

The entorhinal cortex of rats was removed at various times during development, and the reaction of the cholinergic septohippocampal input to the dentate gyrus was examined by use of acetylcholinesterase histochemistry. When the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex is completely removed, the outer 70-75% of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus is almost completely denervated. After such a lesion at 5 to 33 days of age, the acetylcholinesterase staining initially intensified throughout the denervated area, indicating that the septohippocampal fibers branched or elongated. This reaction could be detected within one day after a lesion at 11 days of age and within three or five days after lesions at earlier or later times. Whereas the initial response of the septohippocampal fibers was independent of the age at which the lesion was made, their final localization depended on the developmental state of the animal. After lesions at the age of 5 or 11 days, the reactive septohippocampal fibers became restricted to the outer one-sixth to one-third of the molecular layer within two days after appearance of their initial reaction. A similar concentration of reactive fibers was demonstrable after lesions at 16, 18 or 21 days of age, but some reaction persisted in the middle third of the molecular layer. Finally, after lesions at 26 or 33 days of age the proliferating cholinergic fibers ultimately were uniformly distributed throughout the outer 60% of the molecular layer. These results suggest that septohippocampal fibers initially extend or sprout throughout the denervated area to replace the lost perforant path fibers. However, the reactive fiber population becomes restricted to the outer edge of the molecular layer if the entorhinal lesion is made before the period of cholinergic synaptogenesis and concentrates in this same zone if it is made while cholinergic synapses are forming. We suggest that either the proliferative reaction continues in the outer part of the molecular layer and subsides in other parts of the denervated area or septohippocampal fibers move outward through the molecular layer to assume a more superficial location. After entorhinal lesions at 16 days of age or later the pale-staining zone (containing fibers that originate in hippocampus regio inferior) immediately deep to the denervated area widened. If the lesion was made earlier, this zone never developed at most septotemporal levels of the dentate gyrus. These results are probably related to the extension of regio inferior fibers into the denervated area.


Histochemical evidence of altered development of cholinergic fibers in the rat dentate gyrus following lesions. II. Effects of partial entorhinal and simultaneous multiple lesions.

It has been concluded previously that the septohippocampal fibers which project to the rat dentate gyrus extend or branch in the denervated area of the molecular layer following a complete ipsilateral entorhinal lesion. The septohippocampal fibers thus appear to replace some of the perforant fibers which degenerate as a result of the lesion. The reactive fibers eventually become localized to a much smaller and more superficial area after lesions of immature rats than after lesions made in adulthood. To determine whether this difference in the response results from a selective reaction to loss of the lateral perforant path in the immature rat, various portions of the entorhinal cortex were removed at the age of 11 days, and the cholinergic septohippocampal fibers were visualized by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry. An alternative possibility, that the difference between immature and adult rats is attributable to an interaction with other reactive afferents, was tested by removing other sources of input (the contralateral entorhinal cortex, contralateral hippocampal formation or both) along with the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex at the age of 11 days and then demonstrating the septohippocampal fibers histochemically. Lesions of the lateral part of the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex (source of the lateral perforant path) at 11 days of age evoked a septohippocampal reaction along the outer edge of the molecular layer, where the lateral perforant path fibers normally terminate. This result matched that produced by a complete entorhinal lesion. Lesions of the medial entorhinal cortex evoked no obvious reaction. In contrast, the septohippocampal fibers in adult rats proliferated in the denervated area of the molecular layer after lesions of either part of the entorhinal cortex. Combining lesions of other sources of innervation to the dentate gyrus with an ipsilateral entorhinal lesion at 11 days of age did not alter the response of septohippocampal fibers, as determined histochemically. Neither did the septohippocampal fibers react to removal of commissural afferents alone. The response at any age was unaffected by prior or subsequent removal of the contralateral entorhinal cortex. These results indicate that in immature rats the septohippocampal fibers respond only to loss of the lateral perforant path, but these same fibers can later react to loss of any part of the perforant path. They are regarded as support for the hypothesis that the reactive septohippocampal fibers preferentially interact with dendritic growth cones. Our results do not support explanations based on a hypothetical attraction between septohippocampal and crossed perforant path fibers (which react in the same area) or on competition with commissural fibers (which reinnervate an adjacent area). We suggest further that proximity to the degenerating elements does not in itself determine the pattern of reinnervation after lesions of the central nervous system.


Aging of the rat olfactory bulb: growth and atrophy of constituent layers and changes in size and number of mitral cells.

A quantitative study of the rat olfactory bulb during aging was carried out by directly measuring or calculating the following parameters at 3, 12, 24, 27, and 30 months: The volume of the glomerular, external plexiform, and internal granular layers, a relative measure of the size of the olfactory nerve layer, the mean volume of mitral cell nuclei and perikarya, a relative measure of the mean volume of the mitral cell dendritic tree as well as the total length and mean cross-sectional area of its constituent dendrites, and number of mitral cells. In addition, measurements of the size and number of mitral cells in the accessory olfactory bulb were performed. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance, multiple range tests for differences means at the various ages, and simple, partial, and multiple product-moment correlations. From 3 to 24 months a linear increase of approximately 50% occurs in all layers of the olfactory bulb. During this time the mean perikaryal volume and dendritic volume of mitral cells increases, also in a linear fashion, approximately 100%. No significant change occurs in the number of mitral cells. From 24 to 30 months a significant decrease occurs in the volume of the layers. Although the total volume of mitral cell dendritic trees decreases slightly from 24 to 27 months, the volume of individual mitral cell dendritic treess, as well as perikaryal and nuclear size, increases sharply during this period, apparently in compensation for a sharp decrease in the number of mitral cells which occurs at this time. From 27 to 30 months no further decrease in mitral cell number occurs, but the size of mitral cell perikarya, and especially dendritic trees, decreases sharply. The coordinated increase in olfactory bulb size from 3 to 24 months appears to be a comtinuation into adult life of earlier postnatal increases. The atrophy from 24 to 30 months appears not to be associated with peripheral rhinitis, since the glomerular and olfactory nerve layers do not show greater atrophy than the other layers, and atrophy also occurs in the accessory olfactory bulb, which is supplied by nerves from the vomeronasal organ, a structure not normally subject to rhinitis.


Ultrastructure of the feline area postrema.

The morphology of the feline area posterma (AP), a circumventricular organ, has been studied by scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In SEM preparations the boundary of the AP was sharply delineated by the absence of kinocilia. Microvilli were numerous and seemed to be concentrated at the junction between ependymal cells, imparting a polygonal surface pattern superimposed on cell boundaries. Some cell processes were present on the AP surface, but no supra-ependymal cell bodies could be seen over the AP proper. In TEM preparations the AP was characterized by blood vessels with distinct perivascular spaces. These spaces contained fibroblasts and collagen, and were limited by basal laminae. Capillary endothelial cells were typically fenestrated and contained numerous pinocytotic vesicles. Bulbous ending of attenuated cellular processes terminated on the external basal laminae of AP vasculture. Some of these endings could be traced to the cells covering the ventricular surface of the AP. These cells demonstrated several features co-mon to ependymal cells which have been identified as tanycytes. The presence of small neurons frequently seen in groups of three or four confirm previous light microscopic studies. Synapses predominantly of the axodendritic variety were observed, and both dense cored and clear cored vesicles were present on the same ending. Myelinated and unmyelinated axons were a consistent finding in the AP with the former being more abundant in the lateral margins of the AP and in the region of the area subpostrema. The chemoreceptive function of the AP has been widely accepted; however, studies indicate that it is not possible to distinguish species possessing an emetic reflex on the basis of ultrastructural morphology. The possibility that the AP serves functions in addition to emetic chemoreception is considered.


Nasal polyps in asthma and rhinitis. A review of 6,037 patients.

Data from records of patients with asthma and rhinitis in the Rhode Island Hospital Adult Allergy Clinic and in an adult allergy private were reviewed. The frequency of nasal polyps in the total population of 4,986 was 4.2%; in the asthmatic portion of the population the frequency was 6.7%, and in the rhinitis alone group the frequency was 2.2%. Asthmatics with negative allergy skin tests to inhalant allergers had significantly more nasal polyps than asthmatics with positive skin tests, 12.5% vs 5.0%, p less than 0.01. The frequency of nasal polyps increased with advancing years. Of the total 211 cases of nasal polyps, 71% had asthma and 29% had rhinitis alone. Also, 14% of the patients with nasal polyps had aspirin intolerance, primarily of the bronchospastic type. In addition, 1,051 patients with asthma and rhinitis from the Pediatric Allergy Clinic with a mean age of 6 yr were similarly evaluated. Only 1 (0.1%) of these pediatric patients had nasal polyps.


Clinical value of bronchial provocation testing in childhood asthma.

Previous studies have shown a positive relationship between the results of skin tests, radioallergosorbent tests, and bronchial provocation testing. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of skin and bronchial provocation testing to determine the extent to which the results of provocation testing could be predicted from puncture and intracutaneous skin tests. In the 1,596 provocation tests performed in 276 patients, more than 90% of patients with a wheal greater than or equal to 5 mm in diameter on skin testing by puncture technique using 1:20 w/v allergen extract experienced positive reactions on provocation testing for most antigens. If the wheal produced by puncture testing was less than 5 mm in diameter, a large wheal on intracutaneous testing only slightly increased the likelihood of a positive challenge, but if the wheal on intracutaneous testing was less than 5 mm, a positive challenge did not occur. It is concluded that the results of provocation tests may often be predicted from simple skin testing, and that in clinical use, provocation testing is likely to be useful primarily in patients for whom skin testing indicates moderate sensitization to allergens.