Area health education centers and health science library services.

A study to determine the impact that the Area Health Education Center type of programs may have on health science libraries was conducted by the Extramural Programs, National Library of Medicine, in conjunction with a contract awarded by the Bureau of Health Manpower, Health Resources Administration, to develop an inventory of the AHEC type of projects in the United States. Specific study tasks included a review of these programs as they relate to library and information activities, on-site surveys on the programs to define their needs for library services and information, and a categorization of library activities. A major finding was that health science libraries and information services are generally not included in AHEC program planning and development, although information and information exchange is a fundamental part of the AHEC type of programs. This study suggests that library inadequacies are basically the result of this planning failure and of a lack of financial resources; however, many other factors may be contributory. The design and value of library activities for these programs needs explication.


A  perspective on the global problem of enteric diseases.

Experience has shown that neither drugs nor vaccines can hope to solve the world's enteric disease problems. But oral-fluid therapy, which has sharply reduced cholera mortality, is proving effective in treating other enteric diseases as well. And most developing countries are making real progress in providing the safe water supplies and sanitary conditions that deny enteric pathogens an opportunity to flourish and spread.


[Morphological virus diagnosis].

Morphological virus diagnosis is based on the detection of pathological changes in organs, tissues and cells at the macroscopic, lightmicroscopic and/or ultrastructural levels. Cytopathic effects may be caused directly by virus replication or be secondary in nature. A number of morphological methods with different degrees of specificity are available for the demonstration of virus particles and viral antigens. Examples are presented and the most important morphological characteristics of the viruses of the major groups are summarized.


[Information and statistics in pathological anatomy].

The theme is centred on the topics: informatics without computer-stitistics without numbers. Informatics without computers: the development of electronic data processing in medicine and especially in pathology has demonstrated that we are still far from clear text processing or automated diagnosis. An essential reason is seen  in the fact that the present nomenclature allows no clear distinction between the terms of entity of disease and diagnosis. An exact differentiation between these terms is prerequisite for a further development of data processing. Statistics without nombers: In a larger interdisciplinary study we examined how the known risk factors to arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction can be correlated upon the morphometrical explored patho-anatomical changes of the coronary vessel system. The method used was the factor analysis. In about 30% of the observed cases (total number: 419) the morphologic aspect alone and under simultaneous consideration of the risk factors did not sufficiently explain the patho-anatomically detected myocardial infarctions. As a possible explanation of this phenomenon the simultaneous and concordant attack of the intramural coronary vessels is being discussed.


[The significance of the clinical autopsy from the viewpoint of the pathologist].

Selected examples are cited to show that, even today, autopsy can provide the clinician with essential information. The most important task of clinical autopsy is analysis of the individual case and correlation between clinical and autopsy findings. The discrepancies that may arise here are illustrated by cases of endocarditis. Spontaneous or therapeutic alterations of disease forms can only be established by autopsy, as is exemplified by indigenous systemic mycoses. The part autopsy can play in the analysis of new disease entities is illustrated in the case of analgesic nephropathy. From this it emerges that autopsy serves not only to establich terminal states but also the early stages. The example of malignant tumors which eluded clinical diagnosis is cited to demonstrate the value of autopsy statistics. In conclusion, an appeal is made for more intensive cooperation between clinician and pathologist and wider use of modern methods in the evaluation of autopsies.


[Anatomical and clinical correlates statistical analysis].

A retrospective study of the clinico-pathological correlation was undertaken on 1000 consecutive autopsies required by a university department of medicine. For each case the following data were collected on a standardized card: information on the patient, the hospital stay, the therapy; the main clinical and pathological diagnoses, classified according to their importance; judgements on the clinico-pathological correlation related to each single diagnosis as well as to each case as a whole. The data were analyzed by computer. Two samples of the results are presented her. 1. 18 cases of active tuberculosis were observed. In 7, among which 5 were autopsy discoveries, the tuberculosis was rated as the cause of death. 2. General estimate of clinico-pathological correlation. In the cases where the clinical picture was obscure the autopsy was able to solve the problem completely in 2 cases out of 3. Even when the clinival situation was thought to be obvious, the post mortem examination brought to light important errors or omissions in just over 30% of the cases. On ther other hand, in one case out of 10, the autopsy could not solve in part or in whole the clinical problems involved. There results show that routine autopsies are generally still useful today, but fail fairly ofter to meet the clinician's expectation. These failures can probably be in part corrected.


[The necropsy, contribution to the knowledge of the undesirable effects of medications and toxic agents].

All the examples quoted demonstrate that in the field of toxicology, pathologic anatomy still offers the means of establishing the first links between macroscopic and microscopic lestions and physiology. The current trend in this disciplin is to look beyond the clinical symptom or morphologic disturbance and seek the causal biochemical interactions. Through the methods of systematic autopsy and electron microscopy of biopsy specimens, pathologic anatomy continues to provide the alarm signal for the pharmacologic warning system our modern environment demands.


[Functional lymph node diagnosis].

This short review focuses on recent developments in the field of functional morphology of peripheral lymphoid tissues, in particular of lymph nodes. Emphasis is given to cellular and histological characteristics of lymph nodes in the course of cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. Against the background of regional and age-related changes, selected examples of a functional interpretation of structural changes are presented.


The aetiology of acute pulmonary embolism and the identification of high risk groups.

Although the cause of venous thrombosis remains obscure, preventive methods have been described. The fact that pulmonary embolism continues to cause a high death toll suggests that there is still a failure to recognize the need for prevention or to employ those prophylactic methods that are known to be effective. While it may be impracticable to offer prophylactic treatment to all patients at risk, an awareness of the important predisposing factors and the application of effective prophylaxis to high risk cases could bring about a reduction in the mortality rate from a disease that at present causes as many unnecessary deaths as motor vehicle accidents.


Plasma concentrations and cardiotoxic effects of desipramine and protriptyline in the rat.

1 Desipramine and protriptyline were administered to anaesthetized rats by two consecutive intravenous infusions in order to obtain a peak level (first infusion) followed by lower steady state concentrations (second infusion) (Wagner, 1974). Theoretical plasma level time courses were confirmed experimentally.2 Desipramine and protriptyline were measured in atria and ventricles. Increasing infusion rates led to proportional increases in plasma and atrial concentrations. The tissue/medium ratio ranged from 57 to 21 for desipramine and from 43 to 11 for protriptyline according to the time of determination during infusions.3 Heart rate changes, deviation of the electrical axis of the heart and prolongation of atrioventricular conduction were recorded at fixed times during infusion.4 Positive chronotropic effects were noted at plasma concentrations ranging from 0.035 to 0.1 mug/ml for desipramine and from 0.04 to 1.2 mug/ml for protriptyline. At higher plasma concentrations the positive chronotropic effect decreased and bradycardia developed. Both drugs induced right rotation of the electrical axis of the heart. Threshold plasma levels giving 40 degrees rotation were 1.35 mug/ml (desipramine) and 1.75 mug/ml (protriptyline). Atrioventricular conduction was prolonged at threshold plasma concentrations of 2.2 mug/ml for desipramine and 3.6 mug/ml for protriptyline.5 Desipramine is more cardiotoxic than protriptyline. This difference is discussed in relation to the plasma and heart concentration of the two drugs.


A comparison of the effects of bradykinin, 5-hydroxytryptamine and histamine on the hepatic arterial and portal venous vascular beds of the dog: histamine H1 and H2-receptor populations.

1 The hepatic arterial and hepatic portal venous vascular beds of anaesthetized dogs were separately perfused in different experiments.2 From measurements of perfusion pressures and blood flows in the two series of experiments, hepatic arterial vascular resistance (HAVR) and hepatic portal venous vascular resistance (HPVR) respectively were calculated.3 Bradykinin, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and histamine were injected intra-arterially and intra-portally and dose-response curves constructed from these data.4 Bradykinin injected intra-arterially caused dose-dependent hepatic arterial vasodilatation, and with an ED(50) of 2.66 x 10(-13) mol was more potent than any other vasodilator agent yet examined on this vascular bed.5 Bradykinin injected intraportally at doses up to 10 times those which were maximal on the arterial circuit did not alter the calculated HPVR.6 5-HT injected intra-arterially caused weak and variable rises in HAVR, indicating vasoconstriction. The maximum rise in HAVR was much less than that attained with noradrenaline in the same preparations.7 5-HT injected intraportally caused dose-dependent rises in HPVR indicating portal constriction at doses above 15-100 mug: in some experiments small doses of 5-HT resulted in reductions in calculated HPVR.8 Histamine has previously been shown to cause hepatic arterial vasodilatation: by intraportal injection, it caused dose-dependent rises in HPVR.9 In order to examine the receptors responsible for the effects of histamine, dose-response curves were constructed before and after mepyramine and metiamide.10 On the hepatic arterial vascular bed, metiamide did not antagonize the vasodilator effects of intra-arterial histamine, but these effects were antagonized by mepyramine.11 Similarly on the hepatic portal bed, the rises in HPVR due to histamine were antagonized by mepyramine but not by metiamide.12 The effects of histamine on both the hepatic arterial and portal venous vascular beds of the dog are therefore mediated predominantly by histamine H(1)-receptors.


Selective inhibitory actions of sodium-p-benzyl-4-[1-oxo-2-(4-chlorobenzyl)-3-phenyl propyl] phenyl phosphonate (N-0161) and indomethacin on the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and thromboxanes from arachidonic acid.

1 Sodium p-benzyl-4-[1-oxo-2-(4-chlorobenzyl)-3-phenyl propyl]phenyl phosphonate (N-0164) selectively inhibited the formation of thromboxane-A(2) from prostaglandin endoperoxides by human platelet microsomes in a dose-dependent manner (IC(50) 2.2 x 10(-5) M or 11.6 mug/ml).2 N-0164 was approximately 15 to 20 times as potent as indomethacin as an inhibitor of thromboxane-A(2) formation. In contrast, indomethacin was 20 times as potent as N-0164 as an inhibitor of prostaglandin endoperoxide formation from arachidonic acid (IC(50) 2.6 x 10(-5) M or 9.4 mug/ml).3 Spiral strips of dog coronary arteries relaxed in the presence of prostaglandin endoperoxides and were contracted by prostaglandin E(2) and thromboxane-A(2) and were therefore used to distinguish between prostaglandins and their intermediate precursors, the endoperoxides.4 Neither indomethacin nor N-0164 (both 50 mug/ml) significantly inhibited the formation of prostaglandin-like activity from the endoperoxides following incubation with indomethacin-pretreated rabbit kidney medulla microsomes.5 It is not known whether this action of N-0164 is related to its ability to antagonize certain actions of prostaglandins (and related compounds) or whether N-0164 can penetrate the cell membrane to inhibit thromboxane formation in the intact cell.6 Selective inhibition of thromboxane formation by drugs such as N-0164 may be useful both clinically and as a pharmacological tool to elucidate the patho-physiological roles of the thromboxanes.


The nature of potassium chloride-induced relaxations of the rat anococcygeus muscle.

1. The nature of KCl-induced relaxations of the rat anococcygeus muscle was investigated. 2. The relaxations were mimicked by other K+ salts, but not by NaCl. 3. The muscle was more susceptible to the relaxant effects of KCl than the contractile effects. 4. Addition of ouabain (100 micron) had no effect on the relaxations. 5. The relaxations were abolished by tetrodotoxin (5 microgram/ml), procaine (500 micron), and by section of the inhibitory nerves. 6. The results suggest that KCl-induced relaxations are due to stimulation of the inhibitory nerves by K+.


The effects of gastrin and gastrin analogues on pancreatic acinar cell membrane potential and resistance.

1 Intracellular recordings of membrane potentials and input resistance have been made from the exocrine acinar cells of mouse and rat pancreas placed in a tissue bath perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution.2 The resting acinar cell membrane potential was about -38 mV. The acinar cells were stimulated by cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ), gastrin and the gastrin-related polypeptides, caerulein and desulphated caerulein. The immediate effect of stimulation with these secretagogues was always a depolarization and a concomitant reduction in input resistance and time constant. Depolarization of the acinar cell membrane by these secretagogues was not abolished in the presence of atropine (1.4 muM).3 These peptide secretagogues were divided into the gastrin group and the CCK-PZ group according to the time course of the depolarizations and the shape of the dose-response curve. The depolarization evoked by the gastrin group returned quickly to the resting level but that evoked by the CCK-PZ group was long lasting. The time course and the dose-response curve for desulphated caerulein was identical with that of gastrin.4 It was confirmed electrophysiologically that the activity of gastrin is exerted by the C-terminal tetrapeptide; but the activity of caerulein depends on the C-terminal heptapeptide, especially the presence in the molecule of the sulphated tyrosyl residue at position 7 (numbering from the C-terminus). The equivalent sulphated tyrosyl residue in CCK-PZ is probably necessary for optimal activity of this polypeptide.5 The dose-response curves obtained by electrophysiological methods indicated that the relative potencies of the peptides on mouse pancreatic acinar cells were caerulein > CCK-PZ > gastrin. Synthetic human gastrin I was found to have a higher potency than either tetra- or pentagastrin.


Plasma nortriptyline and cardiac responses in young and old rats.

1. The relationship between plasma concentrations and cardiac effects of nortriptyline was studied in anaesthetized young and old rats. 2. Nortriptyline was administered by two consecutive intravenous infusions which resulted in a peak plasma concentration followed by steady state values. Increasing infusion rates were followed by proportional increases in the drug plasma concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 6.0 microgram/ml. 3. In young rats, nortriptyline induced an increase in the heart rate, a right rotation of the electrical axis and a prolongation of the PQ interval. Heart rate changes were not correlated with nortriptyline plasma concentrations, while significant correlations were found for the other two parameters. Plasma concentrations inducing 20% increase of the PQ interval and 40 degrees rotation of the electrical axis were 1.65 microgram/ml respectively. Arrhythmias occurred at concentrations higher than 5.2 microgram/ml. 4. Nortriptyline caused more severe cardiac effects in old than in young animals. However, plasma concentrations of nortriptyline in old rats were two to five times higher than those found in young rats at similar infusion rates. A higher concentration of the drug at its sites of action seems to be responsible for the more severe cardiac toxicity of nortriptyline observed in old rats.


Responses of motoneurones to electrophoretically applied dopamine.

1. The effect of electrophoretically applied dopamine upon motoneurone excitability has been investigated. Field potentials originating from antidromically activated motoneurones were recorded from the ventral horn of the rat lumbar spinal cord. 2. Field potentials showed an increase in amplitude following electrophoretic application of dopamine. Dopamine was shown to be less potent than noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine in producing these changes. 3. Measurement of the transport number of dopamine suggest that the relatively low potency of dopamine cannot be attributed to differences in ionic mobilities between the amines. 4. Electrophoretic application of alpha-flupenthixol was shown to discriminate between dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine responses. Dopamine responses were profoundly reduced. 5. Electrophoretically applied alpha-flupenthixol also discriminated between dopamine and noradrenaline. Noradrenaline responses were consistently potentiated by alpha-flupenthixol. The possibility is discussed that dopamine may not merely be a precursor for noradrenaline in the rat spinal cord.


Inhibition by Cd2+ verapamil and papaverine of Ca2+-induced contractions in isolated cerebral and peripheral arteries of the dog.

1 In helically cut strips of canine cerebral arteries exposed to Ca2+-free media and depolarized by K+, the addition of Ca2+ caused biphasic (transient and sustained) contractions, while in coronary and mesenteric arteries, the additon of Ca2+ produced a sustained contraction sometimes preceded by a slight transient contraction. 2. These Ca2+-induced contractions were attenuated by Cd2+ (50 to 100 micron) in a dose-dependent manner, the attenuation being greater in cerebral than in coronary and mesenteric arteries. The inhibitory effect of Cd2+ was prevented and partially reversed by 1 mM cysteine. 3. Verapamil and papaverine were also effective in attenuating the Ca2+-induced contrations in cerebral and peripheral arteries: susceptibility to verapamil was in the order, cerebral greater than coronary greater than mesenteric, while that to papaverine was in the order, cerebral=coronary greater than mesenteric. 4. It may be concluded that the agents that interfere with trans-membrane influxes of Ca2+ cause a greater relaxation in cerebral than in peripheral arteries, as is seen with papaverine, a non-specific vasodilator.


Possible mechanism of adverse reaction following levodopa plus benserazide treatment.

1 Rats treated for seven days with seryl-trihydroxybenzylhydrazine (benserazide), and inhibitor of peripheral aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) alone or in combination with L-DOPA methylester (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) for seven days showed a moderate but significant decrease of liver aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), without accompanying change in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, compared with saline-treated controls. 2 Administration of L-DOPA methylester (500 mg/kg, daily, i.p.) alone for seven days had little effect on liver ADH or ALDH. 3. The combined treatment might be conducive to the in vivo formation of L-DOPA-derived tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives which might be implicated in L-DOPA produced adverse effects.


The effect of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol on body temperature and brain amine concentrations in the rat at differnt ambient temperatures.

1. Rats were injected intravenously with 2 mg/kg (-)-trans-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC) at ambient temperatures of 4 degrees, 21 degrees, 31 degrees and 37 degrees C. 2. The general behavior exhibited by rats treated with delta9-THC was similar at all four ambient temperatures. 3. Body temperatures were recorded continuously before and after drug administration. At 4 degrees and 21 degrees C, delta9-THC caused hypothermia whereas no change in body temperature occurred at 31 degrees and 37 degrees C. 4. The concentrations in the whole brain of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined spectrophotofluorimetrically 1 h after drug administration. At 4 degrees C delta9-THC caused an increase of 5-HT, at 21 degrees C an increase of 5-HIAA, at 21 degrees C an increase of 5-HIAA AND A decrease of NA, and at 37 degrees C an increase of 5-HT and 5-HIAA. 5. At all ambient temperatures, delta9-THC increased the brain levels of 5-HT and/or 5-HIAA. A correlation between the delta9-THC-induced hypothermic response and the possible alteration of brain 5-HT metabolism cannot be excluded.


Intrarenal stimulation of renin secretion by frusemide in the isolated kidney of the rat.

1. Intrarenal infusion of frusemide markedly stimulated renin secretion in the isolated perfused kidney of the rat. 2. Renin vales increased from 24+/-6 to 195+/-34 units of secretion rate (renin concentration (nmol angiotensin I/h per litre) X flow rate (ml/min)) following administration of frusemide for 8 min, compared with corresponding control values of 13 +/- 2 (P greater than 0.05) and 47 +/-18 (P less than 0.001). This stimulatory effect was also observed when urine flow was interrupted by ligation of the ureters. 3. The changes in renal perfusion pressure and perfusate flow rate were not significantly differnt from the control values. 4. These findings indicate the existence of an intrarenal site of action for frusemide on renin secretion. 5. Since frusemide did dot appear to alter perfusion pressure or flow rate, and was effective when urine flow was abolished, a dominant role for a vascular or macula densa receptor mechnaism seems unlikely. A direct effect of frusemide on the renin secreting cell is therefore suggested.


Metabolic basis for the supra-additive effect of the ethanol-diazepam combination in mice.

1 The comination of ethanol and diazepam elicits additive or supra-additive pharmacological effects in animals and humans. Since the mouse appeared to be a reasonably good animal model for man, this species was examined to determine if a biochemical basis for these effects could be established.2 The effect of ethanol (3 g/kg, orally), administered 0.5 h before [(14)C]-diazepam (5 mg/kg, orally), on the pharmacokinetics of diazepam in male Swiss Webster mice was examined.3 At 4, 6, 8 and 12 h after dosing, blood levels of (14)C were higher in ethanol pretreated mice than in vehicle pretreated controls. A tissue distribution study indicated that ethanol had similar effects on levels of (14)C in most tissues at 2, 6 and 12 hours.4 Both pretreated and control mice eliminated approximately 25% of the dose of isotope in the urine and 50% in the faeces by 48 hours.5 Biliary excretion was the major route of clearance in mice in which the bile ducts had been cannulated and ethanol reduced excretion at all time periods examined up to 12 hours.6 Oxazepam (the glucuronide in bile) and desmethyl diazepam were the major metabolites identified in bile, plasma and brain. Ethanol reduced oxazepam levels but increased desmethyl diazepam levels, suggesting that 3-hydroxylation of desmethyl diazepam was inhibited by ethanol.7 The accumulation of the pharmacologically active desmethyl diazepam in the brains of ethanol pretreated mice offers an explanation for the supra-additive effect of the ethanol-diazepam combination on motor coordination.


Frequency distribution of hospital-referred parasuicidal episodes in Edinburgh.

This paper presents frequency distributions of parasuicidal episodes (suicide attempts) in Edinburgh for four subgroups of people for each of the years 1970, 1973, and 1974. Probability distributions are fitted to these data and it is shown that the log-series distribution best fits the data for two subgroups. The stability of the parameters of these distributions is examined and is demonstrated for two of the subgroups.


Acute respiratory illness in the community: effect of family composition, smoking, and chronic symptoms.

Respiratory illness and infection was studied in the community of Tecumseh, Michigan, USA, during a six-year period. Acute illness was ascertained by making weekly telephone calls, and prevalent agents were identified by microbial isolation. Infection rates were determined serologically using blood specimens collected routinely at six monthly intervals from those reported to be ill. Illness rates were higher in the youngest children of families up to the age of three years than for the oldest children of the same ages. Above the age of three, the pattern was reversed. Among the adults, rates of illness were shown to relate not only to the presence, but also to the age of children in the home. Throughout this comparison, women were more likely to be ill than men in the same groups. Smoking in itself was not related to increased acute respiratory illnesses, but persons with symptoms of chronic bronchitis were found to have higher illness rates independently of whether they smoked.


A scoring system for sick children.

A scoring chart for sick children was designed using the vital signs of temperature, respiratory and pulse rates, and the central nervous system. The scoring chart was used on 68 sick children who had been randomly selected from a child welfare clinic in Lagos. Analyses of the charts showed that although values overlapped when related to clinical impression, there was an inverse correlation with the severity of the illness. The correlation coefficient between the doctors' and nurses' scores was high. Despite the need for further modification and investigation the scoring chart was promising as a screening tool for use by people who were not doctors and, possibly in some situations, by those who were not nurses.


Bias resulting from missing information: some epidemiological findings.

The biases resulting from missing information were examined in three psychiatric epidemiological studies. In each study, cases with missing information could be compared with the main sample because data were available from several sources or at several points in time through a longitudinal study. In almost all instances, cases with missing data differed systematically in terms of variables crucial to the questions being studied. In general, they tended to include a higher proportion with problems of various kinds--such as, behavioural deviance, reading backwardness, child or adult psychiatric disorder, and marital discord. The characteristics or circumstances of those giving information were generally more strongly associated with co-operation in testing or interviewing than the characteristics of those about whom information was sought. In some situations, the nature and degree of distortion resulting from missing information could lead to biased results.


The power of a test for seasonality.

The power of a test of Edwards to detect seasonality or cyclic variation in the rate of an epidemiological event is derived and tabulated. A simple harmonic or sinusoidal form of variation is assumed, but the power results should also apply approximately to other situations with similar types of rate oscillation. The results may be used by investigators to determine the sample size required in order to detect seasonal variation of a given magnitude, or conversely to calculate the probability of detecting seasonality of various amplitudes with a sample of fixed size.


Foods and diseases.

An examination was made of the statistical correlations between the main foodstuff and nutrient intakes and the chief causes of mortality in 20 different countries, comprising 17 in Europe, and Canada, USA, and Japan. Subsidiary examinations were made of the effects of including and excluding Japan, and of the effects of various statistical standardisation procedures. Complex food patterns were identified and related both to geographical latitude and to levels of affluence; these, in turn, were related to complex patterns of mortality. Criteria for drawing special attention to specific associations were identified, based partly on statistical significance tests and also on strength-of-association yardsticks supplied by diseases with known causes. Findings suggesting causal interpretations were: (a) alcohol intakes and cirrhosis of the liver, cancer of the mouth, and cancer of the larynx; (b) total fat intakes and multiple sclerosis, cancer of the large intestine, and cancer of the breast; and (c) beer and cancer of the rectum.


Some behavioural changes in 493 patients after an acute myocardial infarction.

A retrospective study of behavioural changes in 493 consecutive patients who had survived a first acute myocardial infarction was carried out. The changes in behaviour that were studied related to smoking, physical activity, and weight loss. The personalities of the patients were also studied by means of the Eysenck personality inventory to find out if there was any relationship between the personality factors, extroversion and neuroticism, and the changes in behaviour. Sixty-six per cent of the men and 59% of the women reduced or stopped smoking, 60% of the men and 81% of the women reduced their physical activity, and 67% of the men and 56% of the women lost weight. Some significant associations were found between these changes and the medical advice given, the patients' views of the value of the change in behaviour, and the severity of the illness. Personality factors as assessed were not associated with any of the observed changes, except in the case of physical activity. Those who increased or decreased their physical activity had a significantly higher mean neuroticism score than those who did not change their behaviour in this respect.


Are poor living conditions in childhood and adolescence an important risk factor for arteriosclerotic heart disease?

Norwegian counties show considerable variations in their rates of mortality from arteriosclerotic heart disease. These variations cannot be explained by present-day differences in standard of living. Such differences did exist in the past as was shown by large variations in infant mortality. A significant positive correlation has been found between the county age-adjusted mortality from arteriosclerotic heart disease in people aged between 40 and 69 years and county infant mortality relating to the early years in the same cohorts. The findings suggest that great poverty in childhood and adolescence followed by prosperity, is a risk factor for arteriosclerotic heart disease.


Coronary risk factors in various occupational groups: the Oslo study.

Coronary risk factors (CRF) have been recorded for nearly 15 000 men aged between 40 and 49 living in Oslo in 1972. These data are matched with the 1970 census data for Norway so as to analyse CRF within various occupational groups. A fairly good agreement between mortality statistics for Norway and CRF was found in many occupations. For instance, persons in pedagogical work have low total mortality rates consistent with their low coronary risk factors. Taxi and busdrivers, on the other hand, have been reported to have mortality rates from lung cancer and coronary heart disease consistent with their high smoking prevalence, serum triglycerides, and cholesterol levels.


Psychiatric illness in male doctors and controls: an analysis of Scottish hospitals in-patient data.

An investigation was undertaken into the first admissions to (for the years 1963, 1965, 1968, 1972) and the total discharges from (for the years 1963-72) Scottish mental hospitals and psychiatric units of male doctors and other social class I males. The overall rates for both first admission and for all discharges were more than twice as high among male doctors as among other social class I males. First admission and total discharge rates for drug dependence, alcoholism, neurotic and 'functional' depression and for affective psychosis were all significantly higher among doctors than non-doctors. Doctors were more likely than non-doctors to have been referred by themselves or by medical sources other than general practitioners, and were as willing as non-doctors to enter hospital voluntarily. Creater access to psychiatrists may have contributed to their higher rates in in-patient care, but it is improbable that such factors accounted for all of the excess in rates of drug dependence, alcoholism and depression.


One hundred doctors at The Retreat. A contribution to the subject of mental disorder in the medical profession.

A study of the cases of 100 doctors admitted to The Retreat, York, confirmed the findings of a'Brook et al  (1967) in all important respects, addiction being the outstanding feature of the series.


Coping behaviour after shipwreck.

A description is given of the coping behaviour of seven men who survived a shipwreck and were not rescued until 13 days later. The principal behaviours shown by the men were attachment ideation, drive to survive, modelling, prayer and hope. Particular attention is paid to the first of these, and consideration given to its likely origins in behavioural evolution. It is proposed as a hitherto inadequately recognized coping behaviour. A follow-up examination 12 to 24 months later showed that five of the seven men available had developed substantial psychiatric disorder, while by contrast one was not only well but claimed to have been enriched by the experience. Exposure to extreme adversity or disaster may have long-term effects on mental health. Further longitudinal studies of disaster victims are necessary for the design of informed after-care.


Pathological mourning after the death of a domestic pet.

Pathological bereavement reactions following the death of a close relative or friend have been well documented in the literature. Similar grief reactions have been described following other personal losses, such as the loss of a limb or the loss of one's homes. The cases of three women are described in whom pathological grief followed another category of loss, that represented by the death of a much loved domestic pet. The patients suffered disabling psychiatric symptoms following the death of their pet dogs. The dogs were all of the toy dog variety and had been at least 13 years of age at the time of their death. Institution of psychiatric treatment resulted in rapid recovery and at follow-up after a year there had been no recurrence of symptoms.


Life events and illness: a three year prospective study.

In an investigation of the relation between life events (stressors) and illness, 87 medical students reported on a prospective basis their health and life events history over a three year period. There were a few positive findings, e.g. that subjects who reported more life events during the period also reported more illnesses during that period. Overall, however, the study showed a lack of statistically significant association between life events and illness.


Multiple personality--an objective case study.

A case of multiple personality is presented and described. Psychological and neurophysiological parameters obtained on the personalities are evaluated. Major differences between the personalities in the processing of sensory information (augmenting-reducing parameter) are discussed.


Eighteen years of community psychiatric service in the island of Samsø.

An analysis has been made of patients aged 15 + referred to the community psychiatric service in a Danish rural population during 18 years. The mean referral rate per year was 17.9 per 1,000. The majority of the patients (79 per cent) were referred to the clinic by the general practitioners, and it is stressed that a close and good co-operation between the psychiatrists and the local physicians is one of the most important factors in establishing a good community psychiatric service. Only 11 per cent of all referrals were admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The admission frequency for psychoses was only 19 per cent, and it was estimated that it would have been approximately 44 per cent higher, if the service had been of the usual hospital-oriented type. Forty-three per cent of the patients were visited by the psychiatrist in their home at least once and 42 per cent of all 6,000 consultations were home visits. When evaluating the treatment possibilities it was considered that approximately 50 per cent of all patients referred could be treated by the local physicians after examination by psychiatrists and discussion of the cases with them.


Validity of the Hamilton Rating Scale for depression.

In 26 depressed patients, a high correlation (0-89) was found between the Hamilton score and a psychiatrist's global rating and between the change (0-68) in these ratings during treatment. The Hamilton scale was able to differentiate at the o-01 level four degrees of severity based on the global rating. Limiting the range of severity measured was found to lower significantly the correlation between the ratings. A prospective examination of a six-item sub-scale of the Hamilton scale developed by Beck and associates failed to confirm its claimed improvement in sensitivity or validity.


A replication study of Foulds' and Bedford's hierarchical model of depression.

Seventy-eight depressives were assessed on the Delusions-Symptoms-States Inventory. The results supported Fould's and Bedford's hierarchy model, in that nearly all patients fitted this model, and the relationship between delusions of Contrition and state of Depression was found to be an inclusive, non-reflexive one. Suggestions are made for extensions to this study.


A test of the hierarchical model of personal illness.

To test the Foulds and Bedford hierarchical model of personal illness, the Delusions-Symptoms-States Inventory (DSSI) was administered to 100 psychiatric in-patients. Ninety-six had symptom patterns compatible with the hierarchy. This is significantly more than expected on the basis merely of the number of DSSI items affirmed, and overall the results support the model.


The relationship between extra- and intracellular lithium concentration in human red blood cells: an in vitro study.

Red blood cells (RBC's) from normal volunteers were incubated in vitro at four different extracellular lithium concentrations. Extracellular lithium concentration affected RBC lithium accumulation in several ways. As extracellular lithium concentration increased, the inter-individual variability of RBC lithium accumulation increased. Furthermore, the ratio of RBC lithium concentration to extracellular lithium concentration (lithium ratio) increased in relation to increasing extracellular lithium concentration. A lack of agreement among the authors of recent reports dealing with the significance of the lithium ratio as a psychobiological measure has been noted. It is suggested that this lack of agreement may be due, in part, to the study of patients with differing levels of extracellular lithium.


A ten-year follow-up study of Chinese schizophrenics in Hong Kong.

One hundred and thirty-three Chinese schizophrenic patients first seen in 1965 were traced for a follow-up assessment in 1975. Eighty-two patients attended and were fully evaluated, 47 failed to attend and 4 were known to have died. The course and outcome were graded into four categories, and it was found that 65 per cent of the fully evaluated group had full and lasting remission or showed no or mild deterioration only, despite some relapses. Intra-group comparison showed that being female, a shorter duration of illness, an acute onset, symptom-groups other than disturbances of emotion and volition, and the presence of a supportive relative are factors which affect the prognosis favourably.


Thought disorder and the predictability of schizophrenic speech.

Previous research suggests that the predictability of speech in schizophrenic patients may be related to certain measures of thought disorder. Two uninterrupted passages of 200 words were taken from 25 randomly selected schizophrenic patients recently admitted to hospital and were 'Clozed' by students under both fourth- and fifth-word deletion. Thought disorder was measured by the Bannister-Fransella test, and the Cloze scores were found to be related neither to Intensity nor to Consistency.


Anorexia nervosa and the secretion of prolactin.

Theoretically, one would expect to find increases in prolactin secretion in patients with anorexia nervosa: the evidence for this is reviewed. However, relevant work to date seems to indicate that this is not so. These paradoxical findings are discussed, and areas of further research are outlined.


A study of consanguinity between the parents of transsexuals.

During recent years there have been published a number of reports of more than one case of transsexualism or other sexual pathology occurring within the same family. As long as the aetiology of transsexualism remains unknown the authors consider that a possible effect of recessive genes cannot be definitely excluded. To ascertain whether transsexual patients are born of cousin marriages to a greater extent than expected the authors have fully investigated family relationships for 61 known cases of transsexualism. No case of cousin marriage was disclosed.


The phenomenology of severe obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

The case histories are examined of 41 patients who were admitted to hospital for the first time with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive neurosis. Aspects of the phenomenology are reported which presented between the first appearance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and discharge from the first admission. The mean age for admission was 31-6 years (SD 14-3) and 68 per cent of the sample were women. The women showed significantly higher incidences of contamination phobia and of compulsive cleaning behaviour than did the men. Cleaning behaviour and avoidance of feared stimuli were the most frequently encountered manifestations of compulsive behaviour.


Psychiatric morbidity and the menopause: survey of a gynaecological out-patient clinic.

Two hundred and seventeen women between the ages of 40 and 55 years referred to a gynaecological out-patient clinic were screened for psychiatric illness by means of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and a brief special questionnaire. Of the 114 women identified as possible psychiatric 'cases' 104 were interviewed. A standardized psychiatric interview schedule was used. Compared with a general population sample from the same geographical area and in the same age range, women presenting at the gynaecological out-patient clinic were predominantly pre-menopausal and from the lower end of the 15-year age range, and were more likely to be separated or divorced, less likely to be single, and more likely to have had previous or to have subsequent contact with the local psychiatric services. A higher proportion of women were identified as psychiatric 'cases' in the clinic population than in the general population, and their psychiatric disorder appeared to be severe and more depressive in nature. The findings for this age group support the view that among women presenting for hysterectomy there is already an excess of psychiatric illness before the operation. The association of gynaecological complaints and psychiatric morbidity in the pre-menopausal years is discussed.


The Stockton Geriatric Rating Scale: a shortened version with British normative data.

This paper presents information on a shortened form of the Stockton Geriatric Rating Scale, which is shown to be as effective as the original version in discriminating among the elderly. The results for 400 people in the care of hospital or social services provide provisional normative data for the use of the scale, which should be of value in assessing the behavioural competence of the elderly on an individual and group basis.


Some experiences with the F scale in Yugoslavia.

Two studies in which the original F scale (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson & Sanford, 1950) has been used in Yugoslavia are reported. The first one considers inter-item correlations whereas the second rates total score to several personality variables. It has been found that these studies provide evidence for the existence of several hard-to-interpret first-order factors which do lead to one higher-order factor. The F scale measures anxiety, independence (dominance) and also unexpected social adjustment second-order personality factors. Both political and cultural influences could be considered as explanations for these results but the latter seem to be more pronounced. That being the case, revisions of the scale have been suggested.


Fluctuations in national levels of neuroticism and extraversion, 1935-1970.

National levels of neuroticism and extraversion in 18 advanced Western nations are measured at intervals from 1935 to 1970. It is shown that levels of neuroticism rose significantly in the nations that suffered military defeat and occupation in the Second World War and then declined during the 1950s to prewar levels. National levels of extraversion have been generally rising over this period.


The effect of distractor strength versus rate of item presentation on retention in schizophrenics.

Predictions made from Chapman & McGhie's attentional dysfunction theory of schizophrenia were compared with those made from Yates' slow information processing theory. Retention in a free-recall, short-term memory task was studied with 20 chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics and 20 psychiatric controls matched on age, educational level and intelligence as subjects. Schizophrenics performed consistently poorer than controls, but no differences between groups were found as a function of either variation in distractor strength or in item presentation rate. Thus, neither theory was supported, but several uncontrolled aspects of the task variable were suggested as possible reasons for some of these conflicting findings.


The prediction of psychiatric patient's work adjustment in the community.

Five aspects of patients' work behaviour were assessed by supervisors in a rehabilitation unit. The assessments involved task competence, response to supervision, relationships with other patients, motivation and enthusiasm, and confidence-initiative. These assessments were compared with work adjustment after discharge, and also with intelligence, personality, chronicity and age. All aspects of work behaviour correlated with work success in the community. Predictions based on both the workshop and clerical assessments were very accurate, and the predictions of outcome were better for the clerical than the "manual" patients. Work behaviour was, in general, unrelated to intelligence, personality, age and chronicity, though there were specific exceptions to this trend. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.


Direct assessment of social behaviour from videotape recordings.

A number of frequency and duration measures, and also general ratings, were made to assess specified aspects of interpersonal behaviour. These were taken from videotape recordings of interviews, or informal conversations, involving psychiatric patients. The frequency and duration measures were found to have high inter-rater reliability. Pearsonian correlations were in the range of 0-88--0-99. The general ratings were less reliable (0-42--0-86). The patients were divided into two groups. The first were patients whose major difficulties were interpersonal problems. The second contained patients with other psychiatric problems. Comparisons between these groups revealed a number of significant differences in the behavioural frequency and duration measures. Significant differences were also found in the general ratings, but there were disagreements between the two raters which made the interpretation of these differences difficult. When, within the interpersonal problem group, informal conversations were compared with formal interviews, it was found that subjects spent longer looking at the other person during the conversation. No other differences were evident. The implications of the results for social skills research are discussed.


Avulsion fractures in athletes.

34 cases of avulsion fractures are described. Each fracture took place during athletic training or competition. Excepting six sportsmen participating in a general fitness programme, every patient was an active competitive athlete. There were six women and 28 men; their average age was 20.1 years, raised by a few middle-aged "fitness sportsmen". Most avulsion fractures took place in sprinters and hurdlers; next were middle and long distance renner, footballers, fitness joggers, skiers and ice-hockey players. The most usual location of a fracture was the anterior pelvic spines; avulsion fractures were also detected in various parts of lower limbs. There were fewer avulsion fractures in the area of the trunk and upper extremities. Roetgenologically, the diagnosis of an avulsion fracture is generally easy to make. However, the diagnosis is facilitated by knowing the mechanism of the injury, the technique of the athletic event, and some of the training methods. Generally, a fracture heals well, even if it requires both sufficient immobilisation and some delay in resuming physical exertion.


Prevention of karate injuries--a progress report.

Methods of preventing karate injuries are discussed. These fall into three groups:--1. Prevention by control. 2. Prevention by using protective clothing. 3. Pre-fight medical examination. The results of the above methods in reducing the incidence of injury in karate competitions are described. After a follow up one year (1102 fights) it is concluded that the incidence and severity of karate injuries has been reduced significantly thus making the sport safer.


LaTulippe--a case study of a one hundred and sixty kilometre runner.

A 55 year old runner covered 160 km within a 20 hour period. His speed averaged 8.16 km/h, at an estimated 59.1% of maximum oxygen intake. After the first four hours of running, one of five fluids was taken in rotation every twelve minutes. Volumes ingested whe heart rate for the final four hours (125/min) was not increased relative to oxygen consumption for this portion of the run. Constancy of heart rate, continued urine production and formal fluid balance calculations all indicate that hydration was well maintained over the run. Caloric intake averaged 480 kcal/h (2.01 MJH), being greatest fro the ice-creas/syrup mixture; the energy deficit (56/KA/H, 235 kJ/h) was small during that part of the run in which food was provided.


Urinary excretion of free noradrenaline and adrenaline in trained and untrained men.

Measurements of free noradrenaline and adrenaline were made in the urine of 28 men sampled after rest and exercise prior to, and following six and twelve weeks of an excercise programme. The training consisted of thirty minutes of running and walking four times per week at an intensity estimated at 75% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate. A fifteen minute standardized cycle ergometer work test was conducted on all subjects prior to the training and following six and twelve weeks of training. Noradrenaline and adrenaline excretions in the urine were measured before and after the work test.


Circulating immune complexes in patients with breast cancer.

In a retrospective study in women with breast cancer circulating immune complex levels were measured by radioimmunoprecipitation with 125I-Clq. Before operation all the patients showed plasma immune complex levels significantly higher than those in controls. Twelve months after mastectomy patients identified clinicopathologically as having a good prognosis had almost normal levels of immune complexes. By contrast, patients with detectable dissemination on diagnosis or those who died within 22 months after mastectomy had significantly raised plasma levels. The tumour-specific nature of the immune complexes detected remains to be shown and suggestions about the applicability of this test not only for prognosis but also for monitoring the course of malignant diseases need to be confirmed by further investigations.


Femoral vein thrombosis and total hip replacement.

Of 160 patients who underwent total hip replacement, 81 developed venographic evidence of thrombi in the operated leg. In 46 cases (57%) the thrombus originated from the femoral vein, and in 43 of these the exact site of origin was defined by venography. In 34 cases (74%) the thrombus arose from the wall of the femoral vein at the level of the lesser trochanter. This region was studied by intraoperative venography in eight patients undergoing total hip replacement, and in every case severe distortion of the common femoral vein was observed, producing almost total occlusion. We suggest that intraoperative damage to the femoral vein results from manipulation of the leg, and that this is one reason why the operation is followed by a high incidence of deep vein thrombosis in the upper femoral region.


Effects of naloxone on pethidine-induced neonatal depression. Part II--Intramuscular naloxone.

Thirty full-term infants whose mothers had had pethidine during labour were given either naloxone 200 microgram or normal saline intramuscularly. The drugs were chosen blindly and administered within one minute of birth. Naloxone produced a significant reduction in mean alveolar carbon dioxide tension and an increase in carbon dioxide excretion and mean alveolar ventilation at all times up to 48 hours after birth. The mean rate of habituation to a repeated auditory stimulus, the mean sucking frequency, the sucking pressure, and the mean consumption of milk were all significantly higher in the naloxone-treated group than in the placebo-treated group up to 48 hours after birth. Intramuscular naxolone therefore seemed to reverse the undesirable effects of pethidine.


Vaccination of rubella-susceptible women during oral contraceptive care in general practice.

Over a six-month period women attending a general practice surgery for contraceptive pill prescriptions were asked whether they had had rubella and if they would give a blood sample to test for immunity. Of 459 interview, 104 (23%) did not want any more children and 69 (15%) had been vaccinated or had been shown to be immune by serotesting. Only three refused to give a blood sample, and 283 patients (62%) had their antibody concentrations checked. Two hundred and twenty-five (79-5%) could be reassured that they were immune, and the rest were offered rubella vaccination. It is thus quite feasible, and would add little to the work load, to screen the susceptible women in a practice and offer rubella vaccination to those needing it.


Propriobulbar fibre connections to the trigeminal, facial and hypoglossal motor nuclei. I. An anterograde degeneration study in the cat.

The local bulbar connections to the V, VII and XII motor nuclei in the cat have been studied by means of the anterograde fibre degeneration technique in combination with the Fink-Heimer silver impregnation procedure. For this purpose electrolytic lesions were made mainly in the reticular formation of the medulla oblongata and the pons. For control purposes also, extrabulbar lesions were made in the cervical cord and the upper brain-stem and in addition, primary afferent fibres were interrupted by section of the upper cervical and trigeminal roots. The findings indicated the existence of a lateral and a medial propriobulbar fibre system, the former of which projects to the motor nuclei mainly ipsilaterally, while the latter tends to project bilaterally. Since the cells of origin of the propriobulbar fibre systems are difficult to determine by means of the anterograde degeneration technique these systems have also been investigated by means of the labelled amino-acid tracing technique. The findings thus obtained are reported in the adjoining paper.


The organization of the bulbar fibre connections to the trigeminal, facial and hypoglossal motor nuclei. II. An autoradiographic tracing study in cat.

In 34 cats 3H-leucine was injected in the pontine and medullary tegmentum. The location of the labelled neurons and the distribution of the labelled fibres and terminals were studied autoradiographically. The findings indicate that the neurons in the bulbar lateral tegmental field (Berman, 1968) represent the main source of the propriobulbar projections to the hypoglossal, facial and motor V nuclei, while those in the medial tegmental field distribute their fibres mainly to the spinal cord. The neurons in the lateral part of the lateral tegmental field give rise to ascending and descending fibres which compose the lateral propriobulbar system, and distribute fibres mainly to ipsilateral bulbar motor nuclei. The neurons in the medial part of the lateral tegmental field compose the medial propriobulbar system, which is organized bilaterally and tends to distribute fibres to the motor nuclei bilaterally. The various neuronal cell groups which project through the medial propriobulbar system to the different motor nuclei bilaterally show relatively less spatial segregation than those which project through the lateral system to these motor nuclei.


Ballistic movement overflow myoclonus a form of essential myoclonus.

The clinical and electrophysiological findings in 2 cases of familial essential myoclonus are presented. The myoclonus was inherited apparently as an autosomal dominant trait, onset was in the first decade of life and the course was benign without the development of other significant neurological deficits. The electroencephalogram was unremarkable. The electromyographic appearance of the myoclonus was 50-100 ms complex bursts, usually occurring alternately in agonists and antagonists, similar to a normal ballistic movement. Muscles throughout the body were activated synchronously. In one of the cases myoclonus occurred at rest, but in both cases the myoclonus could be regularly produced by attempting a rapid movement. The myoclonic activity occurred simultaneously with the appropriate muscle activity which initiated the ballistic movement. It was as if the command to generate a ballistic movement overflowed into an excessive number of muscles. From a review of the literature it was concluded that this physiological mechanism was probably responsible for a definite sub-group of essential myoclonus. The relation of this type of myoclonus to other types of myoclonus and other involuntary movement disorders is discussed.


Sensations of heaviness.

We have studied the appreciation of heaviness in two groups of subjects; in 8 patients with varying degrees of unilateral 'upper motor neuron' weakness but without sensory symptoms or signs, and in 10 volunteers during partial curarization of the forearm and hand. In all experiments the subjects matched a reference weight lifted on the weak side with a variable weight on the strong side to provide an objective indication of the heaviness of the reference weight. Patients matched the weights of tennis balls filled with mercury or weights lifted by extending the index finger. Weights were judged as heavier when lifted by the weakened side both in the hemiparetic patients and in normal subjects weakened with curare. In both the hemiparetic patients and the subjects weakened with curare peripheral sensory information would signal the forces exerted in lifting the weight; however, both groups of subjects clearly placed more reliance on the effort that was being put into the contraction than on peripheral tensions achieved. The concept that we rely in part on a sensing command to the motoneurons when estimating weight agrees with observations by Holmes on patients with unilateral cerebellar dysfunction, and with recent physiological experiments.


Visuomotor ataxia.

Visuomotor ataxia is a disorder of movement performed under visual control. It can occur in the absence of disturbance of ocular fixation and in the absence of spatial agnosia. This disorder may extend over the whole visual field or it may be localized to one visual half-field, right or left. It may involve both hands or one hand only, so that visuomotor ataxia may be divided into: (1) Unilateral visuomotor ataxia, localized to a single field. In this case it may affect both hands or a single hand. It is direct when the hand is ataxic in the ipsilateral visual field and it is crossed when the hand is ataxic in the contralateral visual field; (2) Bilateral visuomotor ataxia, involving the whole visual field. Each hand may be ataxic only in the contralateral visual field, that is, bilateral crossed visuomotor ataxia; or in the ipsilateral field when it is called bilateral direct visuomotor ataxia. The observed clinical variations which are described here imply the existence of both direct and crossed visuomotor connections, the latter probably crossing the corpus callosum in the splenium.


Clinical testing of olfaction reassessed.

Odours in current use for testing olfaction (e.g., peppermint, camphor) cause considerable trigeminal nerve stimulation; this would render them relatively inefficacious in the detection of lesions of the main olfactory pathway. Musks and floral odours are considered to be relatively 'pure' olfactory stimulants, acting virtually exclusively via the first cranial nerve. These odours have been compared with standard odours in a group of patients whose olfactory pathways had been damaged by frontal tumours, surgical operation, head injury, multiple sclerosis and miscellaneous causes. Hyposmia or anosmia was detected more frequently and more reliably by musks and floral odours in all groups of patients; a number of patients had gross deficits of odour description without hyposmia or anosmia. Two-thirds of an unselected group of patients with multiple sclerosis had olfactory abnormalities. A substantial improvement in the rate of detection of organic lesions affecting the olfactory pathway can be achieved by substituting odours such as musk ketone, exaltolide, linalyl acetate and coumarin for those in current use.


The role of the optic tectum in various visually mediated behaviors of goldfish.

Five visually mediated behaviors were assessed following ablation of one or both lobes of the optic tectum in goldfish. Three of the behaviors disappeared following tectal ablations: optomotor response (swimming with the stripes in a rotating striped drum), food pellet localization and shadow-induced deceleration of respiration. Two of the behaviors persisted following tectal ablation: optokinetic nystagmus (movement of the eyes with the stripes in a rotating striped drum) and dorsal light reflex (tilting of the vertical axis toward the brighter of two laterally placed lights). The unexpected result that lesioned fish tracked the stripes with their eyes, but did not swim after them as normal fish did, suggests that the tectum serves a pre-motor function in addition to its sensory role. In addition, the results demonstrate that selected behaviors can be used to establish whether functional tectal or non-tectal connections are made by regenerating goldfish optic nerves.


Reversal of sign of long spinal reflexes dependent on the phase of the step cycle in the high decerebrate cat.

Reversal of the sign of long ascending and descending spinal reflexes dependent on the phase of the step cycle has been shown in the high decerebrate cat. Electrical stimuli were applied to the skin over the dorsum of the metacarpals and metatarsals and the effects were recorded in the corresponding hindlimb or forelimb of the same side. Stimulation generally evoked an increase in activity of flexor or extensor muscles shortly before, and during, activity of the muscle. Inhibition of a muscle occurred when its activity overlapped with the activity of an antagonist muscle. From the latencies it was concluded that at least the early components of the long reflex responses are due to spinal mechanisms. In the stimulated limb the activity of flexor and extensor muscles was also modulated in a phase dependent manner. No consistent long spinal responses to skin stimulation were obtained in high spinal cats during stepping. Electrical stimulation of cutaneous nerve trunks in decerebrate preparations during stepping gave variable though phase dependent long spinal reflex effects.


Thermosensitive midbrain neurons in the cat.

Responses of single neurons in the midbrain of cats anesthetized with chloral hydrate were studied during manipulations of midbrain temperature produced with a bilateral water-perfused thermode. Temperatures of the thermodes and the anterior hypothalamus were monitored while single neuron activity was recorded between the thermodes and correlated with the midbrain temperature. Q10's and thermal coefficients were calculated from the estimated temperature at the neuron itself. A surprisingly high percentage (72%) of the 72 neurons recorded in the caudal paramedian midbrain of 11 cats were thermoresponsive. Most of these were heat sensitive and exhibited a variety of frequency/temperature curves. Explorations of more rostral regions of the midbrain in 9 cats yielded only 18% thermoresponsive units out of the 99 neurons sampled. We suggest that the concentrated pool of warm-sensitive neurons in the caudal midbrain is part of an extensive system of brain stem thermosensors which are involved in establishing and controlling normal brain temperature.


Effect of prostaglandin, pyrogen and noradrenaline, injected into the hypothalamus, on thermoregulation in newborn lambs.

Thirteen newborn lambs were implanted stereotaxically with an array of 4 guide tubes positioned bilaterally so that their tips lay above various hypothalamic loci. At postnatal ages 50-70 h, rectal temperature was monitored, and bilateral 1 microliter injections were made into the hypothalamus. Prostaglandin E1 (0.2 microgram) and prostaglandin E2 (0.2-2.0 microgram) did not cause fever on any occasion though injections were made into 44 sites throughout the hypothalamus. Nevertheless, lambs that did not develop fever following central injection were often, if sensitized by bacterial pyrogen given earlier able to develop fever after intravenous injection of bacterial pyrogen. Infusion of a bacterial pyrogen (S. abortus equi, 0.2 microgram) into these same sites caused fever only when injections were made into the anterior hypothalamic/preoptic area (AH/POA). Eight lambs were placed in a 10 degrees C environment and noradrenaline was injected. Rectal temperature fell by 0.5-1.4 degrees C after 7 bilateral injections into the AH/POA, but 9 injections into other hypothalamic areas caused little temperature change. When 6 lambs were placed at a temperature of 30 degrees C and noradrenaline was injected, no consistent temperature changes were observed after microinjection into the AH/POA or other parts of the hypothalamus.


Functional development of mechanoreceptive neurons innervating the glabrous skin in postnatal kittens.

We studied single units innervating the glabrous forepaw skin of 35 domestic kittens ranging in age from 1 to 52 postnatal days. There aspects of coding were emphasized: (a) size and force thresholds of receptive fields, (b) time course of recovery between stimulus presentations, and (c) electrical conduction properties of the afferent nerve fibers. Receptive field (RF) size and force thresholds were (a) positively correlated with age for palmar but not digital RFs, and (b) were significantly larger on palm than on digits. Unit responsiveness was highly dependent on intertrial interval, complete recovery requiring at least 30 sec. Conduction velocity increased more rapidly than nerve fiber length, thus conduction time decreased with age. Refractory period decreased with age, but the conduction velocities of sequential spikes were proportional, regardless of age. These changes which we observed can more readily be ascribed to alterations of the mechanical properties of skin and conduction properties of nerve fibers than to changes in the coding mechanisms themselves.


The role of the septal nuclei in the release of acetyl-choline from the rabbit cerebral cortex and dorsal hippocampus and the effect of atropine.

Acetylcholine (ACh) was collected from the alvear surface of the dorsal hippocampus and cerebral cortex in chloralose-urethane anaesthetized or unanaesthetized rabbits. With anaesthesia, the resting release of ACh from the hippocampus was greater than that from the cortex. Wthout anaesthesia, the resting release from both areas was much higher and very similar. The addition of atropine sulphate (1 microgram/ml) to the collecting fluid or the administration of Artane (2 mg/kg i.v.) increased resting ACh release from both the hippocampus and cortex to similar output levels. Atropine also increased ACh release due to stimulation of the medial septum (MS) or mesencephalic reticular formation (MRF). Removal of the septum abolished the effect of atropine on resting ACh release and on release evoked by MRF stimulation from both the hippocampus and cortex. The data indicate that the septum is an essential pathway for cholinergic fibres ascending to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. They also demonstrate that the septal cholinergic fibres must be intact and active for atropine to increase ACh release from their terminals.


Effect of NGF on in vitro preformed microtubules. Evidence for a protective action against vinblastine.

The nerve growth factor protein (NGF) induces organization of in vitro preformed microtubules (MTs) to form multiple arrays. These complexes, in cross-section, appear to be formed by clusters of single tubules in parallel in close contact with center distance similar to the diameter of a microtubule. In the absence of NGF, on the contrary, microtubules are far apart from each other. Addition of vinblastine to NGF-MT complexes does not result in the usual reorganization of microtubules into paracrystalline arrays, noticeable when the growth factor is not present. The vinblastine treated NGF-MT complexes have several round-shaped elements along the tubules and at their endings which, at higher magnification, appear to be formed by closely packed, ring-like structures. These 'boutons' are postulated to represent the point of resistance to the depolymerizing action of the vinca alkaloid. These findings are discussed in relation to a similar antagonistic effect observed in vivo between NGF and vinblastine and to the possible involvement of microtubules in the mechanism of action of the growth factor.


Effect of reserpine on cell proliferation in the developing rat bran: a biochemical study.

Reserpine, a well-known CNS depressant which depletes central monoamine stores, was found to produce in the brains of 11-day-old rats a severe depression in cell proliferation in terms of the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. The effect was studied in detail 12 h after ther administration of the drug (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) when the rate of in vivo DNA synthesis in the forebrain was about one-third of control: the decrease was less marked in the cerebellum (rate about two-thirds of control). It was possible to exclude side effects of the drug, such as restricted food intake, hypothermia and an elevation of the level of blood corticosteroids being responsible for the reduction of [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA. Kinetic studies showed that reserpine had no marked effect on the entry of [3H]thymidine from blood to brain, but it caused some retardation in the rate of [3H]thymidine conversion into [3H]thymidine nucleotides. Nevertheless, the severe depression of DNA labelling was evident even after correcting the values on the basis of [3H]thymidine nucleotide concentrations. In contrast to these effects, thymidine kinase activity was normal in the brain of reserpine-treated animals.


Effect of reserpine on cell proliferation in the developing rat brain: a quantivative histological study.

Rats aged 11 days were injected with reserpine (2.5 mg/kg body wt.) and the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation into brain DNA was followed over a period of 36h. In the forebrain this was significantly depressed by 2h, and it reached a nadir of about 30% of the control level at 4h, at which it remained for another 26h. A partial recovery occurred by 36h. The effect was less pronounced in the cerebellum. On the basis of this information brains of rats were examined histologically and by autoradiography between 7 and 36 h after reserpine to obtain estimates of cell cycle parameters and of rates of cell proliferation and cell loss. In the forebrain lateral ventricular subependymal layer the labelling index was markedly reduced in comparison withe controls. Cell cycle time was prolonged by 50% and turnover time increased by 60%. In the cerebellar external granular layer, the mitotic index was reduced and increased numbers of degenerate postmitotic nuclei were found, notably in the latter part of the experimental period. These effects are potentially of functional and clinical significance.


Electrical stimulation of the rat diencephalon: differential effects of interrupted stimulation on on- and off-responding.

Rats were trained to turn on and to turn off electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus. Breaking trains of stimulation into bursts of pulses separated by intervals of no-stimulation attenuated off-responding more than on-responding. Current intensity was raised in an attempt to maintain a constant level of performance when either burst duration was decreased or interburst interval was increased. Current increases necessary to maintain on-responding were consistently smaller than the increments required to maintain off-responding. At shorter burst durations, off-responding usually ceased while on-responding continued. Four interpretations of the results are discussed: (1) temporal integration characteristics of the underlying neural systems, (2) reward adaptation, (3) electrode location, and (4) procedural artifacts. Only the first explanation which holds that the buildup of activity in the rewarding system is more rapid than in the aversive system is consistent with all the results. If correct, this conclusion indicates that multiple effects of electrical stimulation at a single brain site can be differentiated by manipulating the temporal pattern of the stimulation.


Serotonergic innervation of the forebrain: effect of lesions on serotonin and tryptophan hydroxylase levels.

Concentrations of serotonin and tryptophan hydroxylase activity in individual hypothalamic and limbic nuclei, as well as cortical regions, were measured by radioenzymatic microassays after dorsal raphe nucleus lesions and various surgical transections of the brain stem. Fourteen days after lesioning of the dorsal raphe nucleus there were 43-65% decreases in 5-HT concentrations of certain hypothalamic and limbic nuclei. More pronounced decreases were found in the parietal cortex and in the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra. Degenerations of nerve terminals in various regions of the hypothalamus and the limbic system were detected by electron microscopic studies 1-8 days after dorsal raphe nucleus lesions. There was no change in the 5-HT concentration of the spinal cord following dorsal raphe nucleus lesions. Surgical transections at the level of mesencephalic-pontine junction caused no significant changes in 5-HT concentrations or tryptophan hydroxylase levels in the hypothalamus, limbic system, cerebral cortex or spinal cord. Serotonergic fibers ascending from the mesencephalic raphe nuclei constitute a well circumscribed bundle dorsal to the interpeduncular nucleus. The axons enter the hypothalamus between the mammillary body and crus cerebri just ventral to the medial forebrain bundle. The ascending pathway contains all the ascending 5-HT fibers innervating the hypothalamus and the rostral limbic and cortical areas.


Two types of presynaptic configurations in insect central synapses: an ultrastructural analysis.

Two structurally distinct types of synapses have been identified in the cockroach metathoracic ganglion. The two synaptic types are distinguished on the basis of (a) the shape and position of the presynaptic density seen by serial thin sectioning and (b) the arrangement and location of vesicle attachment sites (VAS) on the presynaptic membrane obtained from replicas of aldehyde-fixed, freeze-fractured neuropile. Bar-type synapses in thin sections possess a long presynaptic density located in a trough or groove opposite the extracellular space between two contiguous postsynaptic processes. In freeze-fracture, this trough is flanked by two rows of vesicle attachment sites. The second synaptic conformation consists of rows of discrete dense projections located on the convexities of the presynaptic membrane, i.e., directly opposite a single postsynaptic process. This conformation has been correlated with groups of VAS linearly arranged also on the convexities of the presynaptic membrane. These structurally different synapses may represent functionally different contacts within the insect ganglion.


Early course of Wallerian degeneration in myelinated fibres of the rat phrenic nerve.

A quantitative study of Wallerian degeneration was carried out on teased fibres. The breakdown into ovoids was used as the criterion of degeneration. The fragmentation of fibres begins near the point of nerve interrruption and spreads along the unbranched parts of axons at velocities correlated with fibre diameter and internodal length. The latent period, preceding the onset of fragmentation, lasts from 25.6 h in thin fibres to 45.0 h in the thickest fibres. The speed of the subsequent advance along the nerve varies correspondingly from 250 to 46 mm/day. In each internode the first ovoids appear in the middle, the ends of the internodal segment being initially spared. The spatiotemporal pattern of degeneration is consistent with the hypothesis that a neuronal trophic substance, normally ensuring the integrity of the axon, exerts transcellularly an inhibitory influence on the Schwann cell. This influence disappears when the amount or concentration of migrating trophic substances falls below a critical level in a stretch of axon. The overlying Schwann cells become mobile and exhibit intense metabolic activity, leading eventually to axonal disruption.


Selective cell loss in the lateral geniculate nucleus of adult cats following binocular lid suture.

Two weeks of binocular lid suture in adult cats caused selective cell loss in lamina A1 of the lateral geniculate nucleus. The loss was manifested as a shift in the latency distribution of LGN cell responses to optic chiasm shock. Proportionately fewer LGN cells with slowly conducting retinal afferents (X-cell range) were in evidence following binocular suture. This change was observed only in lamina A1 while laminae A and C retained normal latency distributions. These observations confirm and extend recent reports of the susceptibility of adult cat visual system to environmental modification.


Electrophysiological properties of so-called inactivation response and their relationship to dendritic activity in hippocampal pyramidal cells of rabbits.

(1) The so-called inactivation response (IR), i.e. a prolonged (duration, 40-80 msec) and large (magnitude, more than 20 mV) depolarization of the cell membrane with superposed spike burst exhibiting a strong tendency of spike inactivation, was studied with an intracellular microelectrode in hippocampal pyramidal cells of rabbits, which were anesthetized with Nembutal and, in addition, curarized. (2) Evidence was presented that an all-or-nothing process was involved in the mechanism of production of the IR. (3) The threshold of the spontaneous IR was lower by more than 10 mV than that of the IR induced with depolarizing current injected into the cell body. From this, it was inferred that the IR originated at a site away from the cell body, possibly in the dendrites. (4) Two kinds of small fast spikes (magnitude, 10-20 mV) and spike-like potentials (magnitude, 8-22 mV; duration, 6-15 msec) were shown to exist. All of them were of high threshold and not related in magnitude to the membrane potential of the cell body. The dendrites were suggested as possible sites of their origin.


The efferent projections of the nucleus accumbens in the rat.

The efferent projections of the nucleus accumbens have been examined in the rat. This has been achieved by mapping the distribution of degenerating axons and terminals following the placement of small electrolytic lesions within the accumbens. Quantitatively, the majority of accumbens efferent fibres appear to terminate in the diencephalon, while there are also projections to cortical and brain stem structures. The evidence suggests that the nucleus accumbens sends efferent fibres to the cingulum, lateral hypothalamus, globus pallidus, thalamus (including the reuniens, gelatinosus, parataenial, medial and anteromedial nuclei) and the substantia nigra.


Taste responses in the facial lobe of the carp, Cyprinus carpio L.

Single unitary discharges in the facial lobe of carp, Cyprinus carpio L., were studied electrophysiologically in response to chemical stimulation of the chemoreceptors of the facial skin. Of 258 neurons recorded, 95% were facilitated by taste stimuli and 5% were inhibited. According to responsiveness to the 4 basic tasting substances, the taste neurons were classified into 5 types: type I which was activated by one stimulus (43% of total neurons), type II by two (35%), type III by three (12%), type IV by 4 (5%), and type V which was inhibited by certain qualities (5%). Statical analysis revealed that responsiveness of taste neurons differed somewhat in receptive fields of the face. The taste neurons in the barbel and lip areas of the facial lobe showed variable responsiveness to chemical solutions, but those in other areas belonged generally to types I or II and did not respond to sucrose. Sodium chloride solution was the most effective among the 4 basic stimuli in this experiment. About 90% of the taste neurons also responded to mechanical stimulation of taste receptive fields. Tactile neurons in the facial lobe were localized in a topographical manner and the taste neurons were arranged in the tactile areas, but chemotopical organization was not recognized in the present study.


Neurotensin, a central nervous system peptide: apparent receptor binding in brain membranes.

Neurotensin, a tridecapeptide recently isolated from bovine hypothalamia, has potent pharmacologic effects in several peripheral systems and a regional distribution in rat brain suggestive of a specialized function. 125I-neurotensin binds to membrane preparations from rat brain saturably, reversibly, and with high affinity (apparent KD = 3 nM) under conditions that minimize degradation of the polypeptide. This binding is displaced by neurotensin sequence fragments with relative potencies generally paralleling their potencies in peripheral systems. 125I-neurotensin binding is highest in specific thalamic, cerebral cortical, and hypothalamic areas of rat and calf brain. White matter, brain stem and cerebellar regions have substantially lower amounts of binding. Characteristics of this binding suggest an association with a physiologically revelant neurotensin receptor.


Differentiated short latency response increases after conditioning in inferior colliculus neurons of alert rat.

The responses of 35 inferior colliculus multiple units (MUs) to tone onset were measured in 10 freely moving rats before and after differential behavioral conditioning. MU response changes were found in the 16.8 msec after tone onset (includes 2 msec air travel time) after learning. Responses to CS+ onset increased in 12 of the 35 individual MUs, and in the group of MUs as a whole, after conditioning. The CS+--CS- difference increased in 17 of the 35 individual MUs, and in the group of MUs, after conditioning. The response differentiation was significant in the 3.6-6.4 msec interval after the tone reached the animal's ears, the time at which neuronal responses were first evident. Since the inferior colliculus increases were differentiated between CS+ and CS-, they could not be explained by sensitization caused by changed middle ear contractions or by alterations in orientation to the speakers.


The indolaminergic innervation of the inferior olive. 2. Relation to harmaline induced tremor.

The possible involvement of serotoninergic mechanisms in the induction of harmaline generated tremor in the inferior olive has been investigated electrophysiologically in the cat and rat. Mass recordings of Purkinje cell activity in the cat showed that harmaline induces strong, synchronous and rhythmic activity in those parts of the climbing fibre system originating in the caudal part of the medial accessory olive and the caudolateral parts of the dorsal accessory nucleus. These are the areas of the cat olive shown to receive a dense serotoninergic innervation. In the rat, the selective removal of the serotoninergic innervation--produced by an intraventricular injection of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine, or 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine in combination with desipramine--caused a significant attenuation of both the tremor and the climbing fibre activity induced by an intravenous harmaline injection. In the 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine-treated animals the reappearance of the harmaline tremor seemed to parallel the regrowth of new serotoninergic axon sprouts in the inferior olive. On the basis of the present results it is proposed that the serotoninergic afferents to the accessory olivary nuclei are of critical importance for the tremor induction of harmaline in the inferior olive. It is suggested that harmaline, rather than acting directly on the olivary neurones, exerts its effect through an interference with a serotoninergic (possibly inhibitory) innervation of these cells.


Some synaptic inputs and ascending projections of lateralis posterior thalamic neurons.

(1) Some synaptic inputs and telencephalic targets of lateralis intermedius-lateralis posterior (LI-LP) thalamic neurons have been investigated in the encéphale isolé cat by recording extracellular unit discharges and focal slow waves following stimulation of cortical areas 5 and 7, center median (CM) thalamic nucleus and mesencephalic reticular formation (RF). (2) Orthodromic and/or antidromic discharges in LI-LP neurons following anterior suprasylvian stimulation are electrophysiological evidence of thalamocortical reciprocal pathway in this "association" system. A few neurons were backfired from several cortical stimulated foci at different latencies, thus suggesting the existence of LI-LP output cells with branching axons. The numerous cases of cortically elicited synaptic excitation in LI-LP cells, taken together with evidence of an unexpectedly high proportion of corticothalamic neurons found in parallel experiments of this laboratory on areas 5 and 7, support the suggestion that complex functions of the "association" cortex partially depend on its downstrem connections with thalamic integrative structures. (3) Monosynaptic and oligosynaptic excitatory projections link the brain stem reticular core with LI-LP nuclear group. For some neurons, this is a high-security pathway as shown by the ability of thalamic cells to follow at short latencies fast repetitive reticular shocks. The RF-elicited phasic excitation is followed by a period of suppressed spontaneous and evoked discharge. The excitatory projections from the upper brain stem RF to the LI-LP nuclei are discussed in relation to disfacilitatory phenomena in thalamocortical systems due to withdrawal of reticulofugal ascending activation at sleep onset.


Reticular influences on lateralis posterior thalamic neurons.

(1) Spontaneous firing of lateralis intermedius-lateralis posterior (LI-LP) thalamic output cells, as well as excitatory-inhibitory sequences elicited in LI-LP neurons by anterior suprasylvian cortical and center median (CM) thalamic stimulation were studied in encéphale isolé preparations during control periods of EEG synchronization and during EEG activation induced by stimulating the mesencephalic reticular formation (RF). (2) Mean rate of spontaneous firing of identified thalamocortical neurons increased during spontaneous or RF-induced EEG activation and decreased during EEG synchronization, occuring spontaneously or elicited by hypocapnia. Compared with the sustained firing during EEG activation, discharge patterns of output cells during EEG synchronization were characterized by very short (less than 5 msec) and very long (greater than 1 sec) interspike intervals, and by a class of intervals reflecting rhythmic (2.5-4/sec) periods of neuronal silence between high-frequency spike bursts. (d) The following effects were exerted by a short conditioning mesencephalic RF stimulation on cortically evoked events in single LI or LP thalamic neurons: (a) increased probability of the early, antidromically or orthodromically elicited discharges; (b) decreased probability of late (15-25 msec) discharges; (c) shortened latency of the subsequent inhibitory period; (d) reduction in the duration of the first inhibitory phase, and blocking of subsequent, cyclic inhibitory pauses as well as disorganization of postinhibitory clustered excitation.


Avian sympathetic cardiac fibers and their cells of origin: anatomical and electrophysiological characteristics.

The sympathetic cardiac innervation of the pigeon was investigated to describe certain anatomical and physiological properties of the cardiac nerve fibers and their postganglionic cells of origin. The compound action potential of the right cardiac nerve has two major components, one conducting at 2.0-5.6 m/sec with no chronotropic effect on the heart and the other conducting at 0.4-1.0 m/sec with a cardioacceleratory effect. Postganglionic neurons responding antidromically to cardiac nerve stimulation were then studied in ganglion 14 which contains most cells of origin of the cardiac fibers. These neurons have refractory periods of approximately 4 msec, following frequencies of less than 4 HZ, and axons conducting at 0.4-2.0 m/sec; this conduction velocity range corresponds to the slower compound action potential component. Electron microscopy of the cardiac nerve revealed unmyelinated fibers ranging in diameter from 0.2 to 1.2 micrometer and a population of myelinated fibers 1.0-3.6 micrometer in diameter. The unmyelinated fibers account for the slower compound action potential component and are largely postganglionic cardioaccelerator axons. The myelinated fibers account for the faster compound action potential component which has no chronotropic effect and is not reflected in postganglionic antidromic latencies; it is suggested that these myelinated fibers are cardiac sympathetic afferents. This study thus establishes electrophysiological criteria for identifying cardiac postganglionic neurons and describes the anatomical basis of these criteria.


Anatomical and physiological characterization of avian sympathetic cardiac efferents.

In the preceding paper6 describing the right sympathetic cardiac nerve of the pigeon we reported a fast compound action potential component with no chronotropic effect, and single unit recordings from sympathetic postganglionic neurons demonstrated that this action potential component was not reflected in the antidromic postganglionic latencies. Electron microscopy then indicated the presence of numerous myelinated fibers in the nerve, and together these findings suggested the existence of a substantial number of sympathetic cardiac afferents in the right cardiac nerve. The present paper confirms this by demonstrating with retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase that some fibers of the right sympathetic cardiac nerve have their cells of origin in dorsal root ganglia. This was also shown to be the case for the left sympathetic cardiac nerve. Selective activation of the myelinated fiber contingent was then shown to elicit a short latency decrease in arterial blood pressure that could be further augmented by the activation of the smaller unmyelinated fibers. This reflex depressor response to activation of sympathetic cardiac afferents survived bilateral vagotomy but was blocked by atropine. It is therefore concluded that both the left and right sympathetic cardiac nerves of the pigeon contain afferent fibers, both myelinated and unmyelinated, and that the reflex effect of activating these fibers is a sympathetically mediated vasodilation that is atropine-sensitive.


Stimulation by autologous serum preheated at 66 degrees C of the incorporation of [3H]uridine by cultured lymphocytes: comparison with stimulation by concanavalin A.

Rabbit serum, preheated at 66 degrees C for 30 min, produced a stimulation of the incorporation of [3H]uridine by cultured autologous lymph-node cells similar to that caused by concanavalin A (Con-A). However, whereas the percentage stimulation by Con-A increased with time, that by serum preheated at 66 degrees C(66 degrees C-serum) reached a peak after 3-4 h and then declined. The decline was greater at higher cell concentrations. Isotope-dilution studies showed that stimulation at 3 h by 66 degrees C-serum or by Con-A reflected an increase in the maximum velocity of the rate-limiting step for incorporation of [3H]uridine and not a decrease in a the pool of uridine and (or) uridine competitors. Experiments in which serum concentration and the relative proportions of serum preheated at 66 degrees C and serum preheated at 37 degree C were varied, suggested that preheating serum at 66 degrees C removes an inhibitory factor and exposes a stimulatory factors. The stimulatory activity of 66 degrees C-serum was not dialysable. The results are compatible with a model which requires that lectins activate cultured lymphocyted by influencing the distribution of an inhibitory molecule (perhaps alpha 2-macroglobulin) between the cell surface and the culture medium.


Enzymic preparation of adenosine 5'-[beta-2P]triphosphate.

A simple method for the preparation of adenosine 5'-[beta-32 P]triphosphate is described. When [32P]orthophosphate was incubated with polyadenylate and phosphoenolpyruvate in the presence of polynucletide phosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.8) and pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40), up to 75% of 32P radioactivity was recovered in ATP. [32P]ATP was purified to 99.5% radiochemical purity by chromatography on polyethyleneimine-cellulose thin-layer plates. Analysis of hydrolysis products of [32P]ATP with apyrase (EC 3.6.1.5) indicates that 32P in the beta-phosphate position accounts for all 32P label in ATP.


Structural studies on cross-lined peptides containing lysinonorleucine from elastin of porcine aorta.

Three lysinonorleucine peptides were isolated from mature porcine aorta elastin after enzymic digestions and partial acid hydrolysis. The structural investigation which were performed suggest that different regions containing lysinonorleucine may exist. The role of this cross-link in mature elastin is discussed.


Further evidence for the presence of androgen receptors in the lungs and in the head appendages of the cock.

The presence of cytoplasmic dihydrotestosterone receptors in the lungs, the comb, the wattle, and the ear lobes of the cock was demonstrated by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation. All these tissues exhibited saturable 'in vitro' binding of dihydrotestosterone in the 8-11S region of the gradient. When 0.5 M KCl was added to the lung, wattle, and comb cytosol and to the gradients, the radioactive dihydrotestosterone migrated in the 4-5S region. These studies suggest that the mechanism of action of androgens in the head appendages of the cock and in other target tissues is similar.


Proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies on methylthiohydantoins, thiohydantoins, and hydantoins of amino acids.

Proton magnetic resonance spectra of methylthiohydantoin (3-methyl-2-thiohydantoin), thiohydantoin (2-thiohydantoin), and hydantoin derivatives of amino acids were studied in dimethyl sulfoxide-d6. Their parent amino acids could be identified by the spectra. An application to the N- and C-terminal amino acid analysis of a tripeptide was examined.


A convenient preparation of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase from commercial bovine serum albumin.

A simple procedure for the preparation of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.52), free from other glycosidases, from commercial bovine serum albumin is described. It has been fractionated into three peaks on a DEAE-cellulose column. The Km and V values for 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminide (4MU-gluNAc), 4-methvlumbelliferyl-beta-D-N-acetylgalactosaminide (4MU-galNAc), p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminide, and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-N-acetylgalactosaminide for each was established. The inhibition by several structural analogues on 4MU-gluNAc and 4MU-galNAc hydrolysis by the enzyme present in peak 1 was investigated.