Experience with Sephadex gel filtration in assessing the risk of bilirubin encephalopathy in neonatal jaundice.

Clinical experience with Sephadex gel filtration for evaluation of the bilirubin binding affinity of serum in neonatal jaundice is reported. In serum specimens from 362 jaundiced neonates the results of the test were in most cases in good agreement with the independently determined decision to perform exchange transfusion. In all relevant cases of the 24 with bilirubin encephalopathy the Sephadex test was strongly positive. The test was positive at lower bilirubin levels and bilirubin:albumin molar ratios in preterm as compared with term neonates, especially those in poor clinical conditions. Among term infants the test indicated an increase in bilirubin binding affinity after the fifth day of life. The Sephadex test appears to be of practical value in supplementing and refining existing criteria for exchange transfusion.


Clinical experience with Sephadex gel filtration for the estimation of non-albumin bound bilirubin in sera of jaundiced infants.

Sephadex G-25 (Kernlute test) yields satisfactory results for the identification of infants at risk for BE and for estimation of the bilirubin binding capacity of the serum. In the presence of more than 2 mg/100 ml of conjugated bilirubin, the interpretation of the Sephadex G-25 test requires caution. Gel filtration through Sephadex LH-20 and chloroform elution of the free unconjugated bilirubin not bound to albumin seems to be a useful tool for eliminating interference by conjugated bilirubin, which is not chloroform-extractable.


Clinical application of phototherapy in neonatal jaundice.

Phototherapy is effective in preventing jaundice in the LBW infant. Using the schedule of lights on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours, continuous phototherapy was more effective than intermittent phototherapy. Metabolic requirements of the infant during phototherapy appear to increase. Whether these can be offset by appropriate therapy requires further study. No deleterious long-term effects of phototherapy were found on 2-year follow-up.


Characteristics of a photoproduct of bilirubin found in vitro and in vivo, and its effect on the bilirubin binding affinity of serum.

The 430 pigment isolated from bilirubin-albumin solutions illuminated in vitro, decreased the bilirubin binding affinity of serum. This effect was demonstrated for both tightly and loosely bound bilirubin in serum, but in albumin solutions pretreated with charcoal only the binding of loosely bound bilirubin was decreased. This finding is of importance because a similar pigment has been isolated from the body fluids of an infant with Crigler-Najjar syndrome. The production and accumulation of 430 pigment during phototherapy might decrease the binding of bilirubin to albumin in the circulation.


Effect of phototherapy on bilirubin excretion in man and the rat.

Further evidence that the bilirubin excreted by Gunn rats during phototherapy is unconjugated is presented. The unconjugated bilirubin is not carried into bile as a water-soluble complex with rapidly excreted bilirubin derivatives, nor as a result of leakage of plasma protein into bile. Phototherapy does not augment biliary excretion of bilirubin in normal nonjaundiced rats, but does increase the concentration of conjugated bilirubin in the bile of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, although their serum bilirubin concentrations are unaffected. The mechanism for augmented excretion of unconjugated bilirubin during phototherapy remains unexplained.


Differential diagnosis and treatment of dislocated lenses.

Ectopia lentis continues to be a perplexing diagnostic and therapeutic problem for most ophthalmologists. However, thorough investigation, both systemic and ocular, can in most cases, establish either an environmental etiology or the nature of the heritable disorder. In cases with systemic disease and ectopia lentis, the ophthalmologist should insure that each patient obtains adequate consultation with other specialists in order that proper prophylactic and therapeutic measures are available. The Marfan syndrome, homocystinuria, and the Weill-Marchesani together account for the majority of dislocated lenses. Each of these requires a somewhat different therapeutic approach. Glaucoma should be recognized as a frequent complication in each of these conditions but is most serious in the Weill-Marchesani syndrome in which it often occurs early in life and remains unrecognized until serious damage has occurred. Because of the pupillary-block nature of the glaucoma in this condition, a prophylactic peripheral iridectomy must be seriously considered in every case while lens surgery should be undertaken if the glaucoma cannot be controlled by medical or surgical means. In homocystinuria, because of the potential vascular complications of general anesthesia, the ophthalmologist is often in a dilemma. The lens in this condition seems to be more mobile than in other ectopia lentis disorders and therefore likely to compromise vision earlier in life. However, due to the risk of vascular thrombosis, lens surgery should be delayed whenever possible until the patient is old enough to tolerate local anesthesia. Likewise, patients with the Marfan syndrome should be handled conservatively and, in general, function quite well simple with spectacle correction. Due to the high frequency of immediate surgical complications, it is advisable to avoid an open-sky technique to lens removal, using aspiration or a pars plana approach instead.


Retinal involvement in a case of nephronophthisis associated with liver fibrosis Senior-Boichis syndrome.

Electroretinographic and electroencephalographic studies were conducted in a 12-year-old boy with nephronophthisis, chronic hepatic fibrosis, mental retardation and tapetoretinal degeneration (Senior-Boichis syndrome). Markedly reduced ERG amplitudes and flat oscillatory potentials were found in the proband. Delayed scotopic implicit time and reduced amplitudes of the beta-wave were found in the mother's ERG. ERG may identify the carrier state of  the Senior-Boichio syndrome.


Ring Y chromosome without mosaicism.

A 53-year-old man with a short stocky build, mild mental retardation, gynecomastia and hypogonadism was found to have a small ring Y chromosome unassociated with mosaicism. The ring Y was represented by a minute portion of chromatin or sometimes paired dots which were no larger than the short arm of the normally expected Y. No brightly fluorescent segment of the ring Y was present nor was it observed elsewhere in the karyotype. A primary medical problem was severe osteoarthritis, necessitating bilateral hip arthroplasties. Plasma testosterone was markedly decreased and plasma gonadotropins were increased. Potency was improved following testosterone injections. We conclude that genes responsible for testicular differentiation, maleness and possibly height are located close to the centromere of the Y chromosome, possibly on both the short and long arm. We also conclude that multiple genes are required for a fully developed male phenotype and apparently some of these genes were deleted or not expressed in this patient.


Partial trisomy of chromosome 14: (+14q-).

Partial trisomy 14 as a 47, + 14q- karyotype is compatible with life and this state is distinguished on cytogenetic, not clinical, grounds. Clinical features are nonspecific and these children are most obvious because of growth and mental retardation. This extends and broadens the indications for chromosome analysis. The significance of finding a +14q- karyotype must, however, be considered in the knowledge that ESA fragments have been associated with disorders that do not have a chromosome aberration pathogenesis. A balanced translocation should always be sought in parents of affected children. Finally, the proximal long arm of chromosome 14 apparently has at least 2 sites of relative fragility: 14q12 in vitro and 14q22 in vivo. Blood group analyses have been uninformative (2, 5).


Deletion of 11q: report of two cases and a review.

A terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 11 is compatible with life, and the affected child uniformly shows growth and mental retardation and telecanthus. However, no clear-cut, distinctive clinical syndrome is apparent. Mental and growth retardation alone may be the sole indications for chromosome analysis, as the virtual absence of dysmorphic features in some cases (Case 2) is noteworthy. Other appropriate family members should be evaluated to determine whether there is a familial balanced reciprocal translocation present and proper genetic counseling provided.


Terminal (1)(q43) long-arm deletion of chromosome no. 1 in a three-year-old female.

A 3-year-old Latin female is reported with a terminal deletion of the No. 1 chromosome, karyotype formula 46, XX, del(1) (q43). Principle clinical features include: Anatomic - microcephaly; bilateral, convergent strabismus; epicanthus; brachycephaly; bulbar nose; sparse hair; partial soft tissue syndactylism between 2nd and 3rd fingers which are slightly tapered; whorls on all 10 fingers; mild prognathism; solitary kidney; vaginal stenosis; vesicoureteral reflux; asymmetric feet; and subluxation of peroneal tendons around the fibula with severe pronation and heal valgus deformity. Neurologic - moderate motor and mental retardation; high-pitched, shrill cry; absent pincer grasp at 3 years; and grand mal seizures documented from 9 months of age.


Trisomy C and cystic dysplasia of kidneys, liver and pancreas.

Trisomy C is documented in a 17-hour-old full-term male infant with bilateral diffuse renal dysplasia, Potter facies, pulmonary hypoplasia and other congenital anomalies. In addition to renal dysplasia, intrahepatic bile duct and pancreatic dysplasia are demonstrated microscopically. The extra C-group autosome is morphologically consistent with a No. 11 and this is regarded as the etiology of the multiple malformations of this infant. The phenotype and the renal malformation are essentially similar to those described by Juberg et al (3) in an infant with trisomy C. It is suggested that the same chromosome is involved in both cases. Karyotype analysis should be performed on patients suspected of congenital renal malformations since the evidence implicates trisomy C as the etiology of at least some cases of bilateral renal dysplasia.


A syndrome manifested by brittle hair with morphologic and biochemical abnormalities, developmental delay and normal stature.

We have presented 2 affected sibs-a male and female-with unaffected parents and sib from a small remote northern Mexican village. The syndrome includes mental deficit, brittle hair with decreased cuticular layer and an apparently collapsed cortex. The patients' hair contains decreased sulfur content and increased concentrations of trace elements as determined by x-ray fluorescent spectroscopy. Studies are underway to evaluate other apparently similarly affected children from the village where our family originated.


Deafness and vitiligo.

Seven cases of congenital deafness and an autosomal recessive pedigree pattern were observed in an inbred kindred. Three of the cases also had vitiligo, and there were 2 other cases of vitiligo in this kindred. The vitiligo also appeared to have an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern.


Tumoral calcinosis and Engelmann disease.

Four cases of Engelmann disease were observed in a dominant inheritance pattern in a family of St. Landry Mulattoes. In the youngest sibship, one of the cases also had tumoral calcinosis. Another sib had only tumoral calcinosis, though some findings suggested that this sib may also have had Engelmann disease. All 3 of the younger sibs had snow-capped teeth. It is suggested by this family that snow-capped teeth may be part of the syndrome of Engelmann disease.


Sacral agenesis and associated anomalies.

Sacral agenesis can no longer be considered an uncommon disorder. The condition occurs often enough that the clinician should be alert to any signs that may suggest its presence in a newborn. This disease is frequently associated with other anomalies, especially those of musculoskeletal, GU and GI systems. Diagnosis--early diagnosis--is the key to prevention of permanent damage to the kidneys and urinary tract in patients with the disease.


Aberrant tissue bands and craniofacial defects.

A report of 8 cases of craniofacial anomalies and aberrant tissue bands has been presented. Analyses of the pedigrees, pregnancy histories and chromosome analyses were unrevealing. This syndrome appears to be a sporadic disorder and it is important to delineate it further from other syndromes for which recurrence risks are known.


E trisomy phenotype associated with small metacentric chromosome and a familial Y-22 translocation.

As a result of this case report, several entities are postulated due to an extra metacentric D or E chromosome: 1) infants presenting with a phenotype similar to the E 18 trisomy; however, the karyotype can be interpreted as either a deleted E or D chromosome; 2) another group of children all presenting with mental retardation, facial asymmetry, scoliosis and cerebral palsy, postulated due to a partial trisomy of E 16 or E 17; 3) individuals with a normal phenotype, but chromosomally presented with an additional satellited metacentric chromosome consistent with centric fusion of a D or G chromosome and 4) children presenting with an inconsistent phenotype and chromosomally presenting with an extra chromosome manifesting satellites or satellite association; the same chromosome abnormality often is found in unaffected parents and/or sibs.


[Effect of bradykinin on the microcirculatory bed of the rat small intestine mesentery].

The effect of application and of intravenous injection of bradykinin on the rat mesenteric microcirculation was studied by direct microscopy methods in vivo. Electrophysiological experiments failed to reveal the reaction of the vascular smooth muscle cells to bradykinin. Under the same conditions the dynamics of vasomotions was studied by the image-splitter method. It appeared that the microvascular response to bradykinin application varied and primarily depended on whether the application was primary or repeated. It is suggested that the action of bradykinin on the mesenteric vessels was mediated through the other vasoactive agents.


[Microcirculatory bed of the small intestine in different phases of its motor activity].

Experiments were conducted on guinea pigs, rabbits and rats with a simultaneous recording of the motor activity of the small intestine and the state on its microcirculatory bed, it was shown that the diameter of parietal vessels of the small intestine depended on the contractile activity of the muscles of this intestine. Proceeding from these data the authors explained the mechanism of derangement of the secretory and absorptive function of the small intestine after its neuro-reflex isolation and transplantation.


[Effect of droperidol on corticofugal influences in food motivated responses].

The influences of droperidol (butyrophenon derivative) on feeding reaction evoked by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic "feeding centre" were investigated in unrestricted rabbits. Intravenous injection of droperidol (0.3 mg/kg) decreased the threshold of evoked feeding. Inhibitory influences of the anterior areas of the brain cortex on feeding reactions were absent in the animals under droperidol, but the facilitating influences of the posterior areas of the brain cortex on feeding reactions were retained or even became stronger. These findings are explained by dophamine-negative action of droperidol and by disturbances of the inhibitory system of the brain.


[Growth and hematopoiesis during early postnatal ontogenesis in rats subjected to cold exposure].

Rats developing the first month after birth under conditions of periodic cold exposures displayed earlier establishment of erythropoiesis as compared with control animals. This was expressed in a shorter period of physiological anemia and in increase of blood volume. As a result of improvement of body and tissue blood supply there occurred an acceleration of growth and development of experimental animals together with economy of energy expenditure at rest in comparison with control ratlings of the same age.


[Changes in hemorheologic indices during hemorrhagic shock].

Experiments were conducted on dogs. A study was made of interrelationship between the rheological, hemodynamic and metabolic indices in hemorrhagic shock. As found, mechanical properties of the blood altered after the blood loss in parallel with the macrohemodynamic disturbances and preceded metabolic acidosis. A conclusion was drawn that determination of blood fluidity threshold could be applied for the establishment of the extent of hemodynamic disturbance in shock.


[Influence of burned skin toxin on the state of hemodynamics in rats].

The toxin of the burned skin of rats purified by the immunochemical method possessed a definite physiological activity towards the cardiovascular system of homologous animals. The preparation introduced into the circulation caused in the course of 2 hours a reduction of the total arterial pressure from 125 +/- 7 mm Hg 74 +/- 8 mm Hg. Development of systemic hypotension was accompanied by secondary disturbance of microcirculation in the mesentery of the small intestine in the form of contraction, of arterioles, retarding the blood flow along the venules, and reduction of the capillary circulation.


[Changes in the mesenteric microcirculation of rats in acute hypoxic hypoxia].

Hypoxia was induced in rats giving them to inspire gaseous mixture corresponding to an altitude of 6000 m. Arterial and venous vessels of the mesentery, from 9 to 43 mum in diameter, were studied; their diameter, blood pressure and blood flow velocity in them were measured. Arterial microvessels proved to dilate in hypoxia. The maximal increase in their diameter (by 3-5 mum) occurred during the first 3-5 min after the gaseous mixture was given to inspire. Blood pressure and blood flow velocity in these vessels decreased during the whole course of the experiment.


[Influence of prolonged hypokinesia on the water and fat composition of the human body].

A study was made of a combined action of prolonged hypokinesia (period - up to 30-49 days) and of different position of persons under trial (healthy men) to the gravitation vector on the body composition. Changes in total water content in the organism largely depended not on the limited mobility, but on the body position in space. In antiorthostatic position of persons under trial water "elimination" occurred chiefly during the first several days. The "lean mass of the body" decreased as a result of prolonged hypokinesia, and water content fell in it; but water content was rapidly restored with the restoration of the motor activity.


[Resistance of regenerating liver to hepatotoxins].

Treatment of mice with CCl4 and paracetamol induced massive centrilobular necroses. Preliminary induction of hepatocyte proliferation by partial hepatectomy significantly weakened or completely eliminated the toxic action on the liver depending on the time passed after the operation. Practically no damage was observed two days after the operation. Damage of the liver with CCl4 paracetamol and other hepatotoxins is thought to be related to metabolism of these drugs by the hepatocytes and their transformation into toxic substances. In the regenerating liver a reconstruction of metabolism takes place which provides for the proliferative processes. Some tissue-specific functions of hepatocytes, drug metabolizing function in particular, are temporarily lost. This is responsible for nonsensibility of the regenerating liver to the toxins under study.


[Artificial "adaptation" to cold using noradrenaline].

A study was undertaken to evaluate the muscle thermogenesis of rabbits 2-3 weeks after the intravenous injection of norepinephrine under conditions of cold. Electrical activity of the muscles proved to decrease single administration of norepinephrine proved to maintain (for several weeks) the temperature homeostasis with a much lesser electrical activity of the muscles than before the administration of norepinephrine. Apparently this phenomenon underlied adaptation of animals to cold.


[Different heparin fractions].

It was shown that treatment by 2-3 M KCl solutions of complex unfractionated preparations of heparin with hexamminecobalt (III) resulted in incorporation into the solution of a heparin fraction containing 3 residues of sulphuric acid per 1 residue in glucosamine. In the precipitate released of hexamminecobalt (III) there remains a heparin fraction containing 4 residues of sulphuric acid per 1 residue of glucosamine. Both fractions were isolated in a chemically individual form.


[Intensity of phospholipid and cholesterol synthesis in the brain and spinal cord of rabbits with experimental allergic encephelomyelitis].

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in rabbits by inoculation of homologous spinal cord myelin with Freund's adjuvant. During the paralytic stage of EAE rabbits were injected with 2-C14-acetate and sacrificed in two hours. As revealed, the intensity of phospholipid and cholesterol synthesis decreased markedly in rabbits with EAE not only in the lumbar part of the spinal cord (where the greatest lesions of myelin were localized), but also in the brain stem (where demyelinization was absent).


[Intracellular distribution of hyaluronidase in rats with acute and chronic hepatitis and reparative liver regeneration].

Subcellular distribution of hyaluronidase of rat liver was studied during spontaneous restoration during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd days, and 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks of acute and chronic CCl4-hepatitis. Redistribution of relative specific activity of hyaluronidase was seen in the fractions of heavy and light mitochondria, microsomes and supernatant fraction, after an acute hepatic injury. Four weeks after the injury subcellular distribution was not yet normal. In chronic hepatitis the relative specific hyaluronidase activity was almost identical in the five subcellular fractions. In the course of restoration the relative specific activity was increased in the fractions of heavy and light mitochondria and microsomes, but decreased in the nuclear and supernatant fractions.


[Changes in the concentration of sialic acids in the intestinal tissues of animals immunized with live vaccine against poliomyelitis].

A single oral administration to albino mice weighing from 12 to 14 g of live poliomyelitis vaccine of the immunological type II was accompanied by an increase in the content of free sialic acids from the 5th to the 20th day and of bound sialic acids from the 20th to the 45th day from the beginning of the immunization, in the small intestine of the vaccinated animals.


[Several biochemical characteristics of rat skeletal musculature during the development under conditions of skeletal muscular loading and hypodynamia].

The weight and biochemistry of the skeletal muscles of rats developing under conditions of the action of the skeletomuscular loads (the I group), under conditions of hypodynamia - at the environmental temperature of 20-22 degrees C (the II group) and at the environmental temperature of 28-30 degrees C (the III group) were studied. Rats of the I group displayed an increase of the mass of the skeletal muscles and also an elevation of protein, glycogen, ATP, creatine phosphate and a decrease of lactic acid content in these muscles. Rats of the III group showed a considerable decrease in the content of enumerated indices both in comparison with indices of control animals and of rats of the I group. This decrease was less marked in rats of the II group.


[Comparative characteristics of ribonuclease isolated from the lliver and pancreas of burned and intact rats].

Alkaline RNA-ase was isolated from the pancreas and liver of intact and burnt rats, and purified 1400 and 2000 times accordingly. The optimum of the enzyme activity was achieved at pH 7.6-7.8. Normal and post-burn RNA-ase biosynthesis was studied using radioamino acids (C14-lysine and C14-glycine). Burnt animals displayed a slowed down alkaline RNA-ase biosynthesis, both in the liver and in the pancreas. Ribonuclease "half-life periods" of the liver of intact rats was 65 min, whereas in that of the burnt animals it was prolonged to 100.7 min. The end-preparation activity of the liver and pancreas alkaline RNA-ase of the intact and burnt animals showed no significant difference.


[Stability of physico-chemical parameters of DNA during long-term storage].

DNA was extracted from calf thymus and sturgeon milt and purified of admixtures; this highly polymeric DNA was studied under conditions of its prolonged storage (for 1 1/2-2 years) at a temperature of 0-4 degrees C in 1 M NaCl in the form of a precipitate under a 70% ethanol and in the lyophilized state. It appeared that DNA obtained from the mentioned sources could be stored for at least 1 1/2 years under the said conditions without any significant damage of its polymeric properties or secondary structure. Although DNA from sturgeon milt had the initial physico-chemical indices similar to those of the thymus DNA, the former displayed much greater stability under the same storage condition, indicating stability of its molecular structure.


[Effect of retabolil on renal tubular secretion].

Chronic experiments on dogs and rats showed retabolil, an anabolic steroid (given in a dose of 2-5 mg/kg for 7 days) to produce an increase in renal tubular secretion of cardiotrast. Rats displayed a simultaneous elevation in the content of protein and RNA in the kidney cortex. The data obtained were interpreted from the aspect of protein nature of carriers taking part in the renal secretory transport.


[Effect of striatectomy on the course of corazole seizures in rats].

Behaviouristic and EEG-manifestations of pentylentetrazol convulsions were studied in unrestrained rats with preliminarily destroyed striatum. The operation caused no significant disturbance of the appearance of the spike-wave activity, but sharply inhibited provocation of myoclonic and their change into tonico-clonic convulsions. Besides, there was an increase in the threshold, the duration and the severity of the attack; an epileptic status was even observed in 50% of these rats. Striatectomy eliminated the action of catecholaminergic agents (apomorphine, DOPA, haloperidol, chlorpromazine) on the thresholds of myclonic jerks and the attack.


[Mechanism of action of nonachlazin on nervous regulation of coronary circulation].

In experiments on cats and dogs under general anesthesia nonachlazine, a new antianginal agent, depressed the reflex decrease of the blood flow to the coronary arteries (electromagnetic recording). Nonachlazine also depressed the reflex decrease of the blood flow in the system of common carotic artery, and the pressure vasomotor reflexes. During recording the tonic and reflex activity in the heart sympathetic nerves nonachlazine proved to selectively inhibit the vasoconstrictor impulses from Adelta-afferent fibers of the spinal nerves, that is it influenced the vasomotor component of the "primary" pain reaction. This mechanism could underlie the block by nonachlazine of the pain syndrome during the heart ischemia disease.


[Isolation and immunochemical analysis of the breakdown products of gammaG-globulin contained in the serum of partially hepatectomized rabbits].

As demonstrated by immunochemical methods, the serum of partially hepatectomized rabbits contained a Fab-like fragment of IgG. This fragment was isolated by fractionation of the serum on CM-cellulose following affinity chromatography on Sepharose coated with antibodies against rabbit IgG. The sedimentation constant of the Fab-like fragment was 5.2 S; complete antigenic identity to pepsin F (ab')2 fragment was thus demonstrated. No Fab-like fragment was shown in the serum of sham-operated animals, or in the serum of partially hepatectomized rabbits injected with protease inhibitor Trasilol before and after the operation. It was concluded that Fab-like fragment found in the partially hepatectomized rabbits appeared as a result of splitting the autologous IgG with protease(s) from cells of the liver injured during the operation.


[Several properties of low-molecular weight tetanus antitoxin].

Following intravenous injection of tetanus antitoxin, obtained by tryptic digestion of the horse immunoglobulin "Diaferm-3", purification and concentration of active fragments, the antitoxin was eliminated from the rabbit organism three times more rapidly than after the injection of the original "Diaferm-3" antitoxin. After injection of the split antitoxin its urinary excretion lasted up to 6 days, whereas following injection of the "Diaferm-3" antitoxin it was excreted for up to 19 days; in the first case considerably less antitoxin was excreted than in the second one (2 and 3.5%, respectively). In both cases in the antitoxin excreted with urine represented monovalent. Fab'-fragments, producing a delay in precipitation in the cross reaction in agar gel between the tetanus toxoid and the tetanus antiserum. Fab'-fragment obtained by the mentioned method possessed anaphylactogenic properties.


[Brucellosis protective antigen, its chemical and immunobiological characteristics].

The data on brucella nontoxic protective antigen without any sensitizing properties isolated from the cell wall of brucella are presented. The antigen had a marked protective effect against the experimental infection for 3-4 months after a single immunization of guinea pigs.Molecular heterogeneity of the antigen, which is mainly a protein-polysaccharide complex, is given. High- and low-molecular fractions detected by gel filtration technique differed according to the chemical and immunobiological characteristics. The high-molecular fraction of the antigen was found to be highly immunogenic and serologically active.


[Role of macrophages in the mechanism of specific entrapment of sensitized lymphocytes in lymph nodes containing antigen].

A study was made of the participation of macrophages in the phenomenon of specific trapping of lymphocytes activated with the antigen in the lymph nodes containing the same antigen. Administration of peritoneal macrophages which phagocytized in vitro sheep erythrocytes (as well as of erythrocytes alone) led to specific trapping of lymphocytes in the regional lymph nodes. Preliminary treatment of macrophages loaded with the antigen with antierythrocytic serum decreased the lymphocyte trapping. A supposition was put forward that lymphocytes with receptors on their surface were bound on the macrophage membrane into which the antigen molecules were incorporated.


[State of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal neurosecretory system of rabbits following anaphylactic shock].

The hypothalamo-hypophysial neurosecretory system of rabbits was investigated 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the anaphylactic shock. It was found morphometrically that dimensions of the nucleoli of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei gradually increased as compared with the moment of anaphylactic shock, but did not reach the control level. Restoration of the size of the nucleoli of the supraoptic nucleus was slower than of the paraventricular one. The quantity of the neurosecretory substance in all the system is significantly higher than in the control up to the end of the observation period (21 days). Thus, the intensity of the processes of synthesis and secretion of the neurohormones in the hypothalamo-hypophysial neurosecretory system was decreased for 21 days of the post-shock period.


[Stimulation of humoral immunity to surface antigens of leukemia cells using interferon-containing sera].

C57BL/6 mice were immunized once with leukemic cells L 1210; (CBAXC57BL/6) F1 mice were immunized once with leukemic cells L 1210 and P-388. These animals were injected intraperitoneally for 8 days (including the day of immunization) with 0.4 ml each of allogeneic or syngeneic interferon-containing serum; as to control animals, they received the same amount of normal serum from the intact mice. The interferon-containing serum was obtained from the (CBAXC57BL/6) F1 mice 24 hours after the intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg of tilorone hydrochloride. Some of the samples of the interferon-containing serum were subjected to the 48-hour dialysis against the physiological saline. The interferon titer in the serum was 512-1500 units/ml. The sera from mice were tested in the microcytotoxic test against leukemic cells 9-10 days after the immunization. A distinct stimulation of the cytotoxic activity of the sera from mice given the interferon-containing serum was observed. Syngeneic interferon-containing serum caused a more marked immunity-stimulating effect than allogeneic serum.


[Completeness of skin regeneration].

Healing of the wound involving full thickness of the skin was investigated in carnivorous mammals (cats, foxes, polar foxes). Square wounds (2.2 cm2) were inflicted on the back and the head of cats and onthe thigh of foxes and polar foxes. In all the animals investigated the wounds closed chiefly by contracture of their margins. A small regenerate was formed in the centre of the wounds; its structure was almost the same as that of the intact skin: there were hair and sebaceous glands. Connective tissue skeleton of the regenerate resembled the derma by the fiber distribution.


[Extracorporeal fertilization and cleavage of human oocytes].

A method of extracorporeal cultivation and fertilization of human oocytes is described. A special method of selection of active spermatozoa was used. The zygote formed 24-36 hours after the fertilization of oocytes; cleavage of two blastomeres occurred in 36-40 hours. Formation of the four-cell stage embryos was observed in 48 hours. The number of blastomeres reached eight in 60-64 hours and the morula formed in 100-120 hours. The results obtained in this work open opportunities for wide study of physiology and pathology of early human embryonic development.


[Cytologic analysis of the secretory epithelium of submaxillary salivary glands hypertrophied by repeated amputation of the lower incisors in rats].

Repeated amputation of the lower incisor in August line rats induced hypertrophy of the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands. This was true hypertrophy accompanied by hypertrophy of the structural units (acini, cells, nuclei). Cell hypertrophy depended on the hypertrophy of the organellae and the accumulation of secretory materials in the cells. Hypertrophy of the nuclei of acinar cells was conditioned by polyploidisation. Polyploidisation and the changes in the cell ulctrastructure in the submandibular salivary glands pointed to the increase in the functional activity of the organ.


[Changes in the ultrastructure of human epidermis as a result of freezing].

Freezing at -35 degrees C and -70 degrees C of unfixed human epidermis brings about an electron microscopic increase of intercellular spaces, a destruction of cellular membranes, homogenization of tonofibrils, and a decrease in the volume of mitochondria with a partial destruction of their inner surface. Nuclear changes are characterized by disruption of nuclear membranes and by massive passage of nucleoproteids into the cytoplasm. Destruction and fragmentation of cytolemma and nuclear membranes is accompanied by formation of myelin-like figures. Freezing at -70 degrees C leads to greater changes in the structure of the epidermis cells, and is accompanied by the appearance of vacuoles of different sizes and shape in the horny scales and in the cytoplasm of some epidermal cells. This is probably due to formation of ice crystals.


[Response of cerebral vessels to noradrenaline under hypocapnic conditions and inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis].

Acute experiments were conducted on cats; vasoconstrictor action of noradrenaline on the cerebral vessels and arterial pressure were considerably depressed under conditions of hypocapnia. Inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis with indomethacin against the background of continuing hypocapnia promoted marked elevation of cerebrovascular resistance and of arterial pressure in response to intracarotid noradrenaline injection. A hypothetical scheme of prostaglandin participation in the regulation of the tone of the cerebral vessels in hypocapnia and adrenergic actions is presented.


[Microcirculatory and vascular permeability disorders during short-term immobilization stress].

Immobilization of rats for 1 or 3 hours increased the vascular permeability for colloid carbon particles and led to disturbances of the microcirculation in microvessels (formation of aggregates, appearance of "plasmatic vessels", opening of arteriolo-venular shunts). A prominent role of histamine, released from mast cells without any degranulation of the cells, in the pathogenesis of these disturbances was shown. It is supposed that the histamine release served as the trigger mechanism in the development of vascular permeability disturbances in the course of prolonged immobilization stress.


E1Age and the development of coronary insufficiency under the influence of vasopressin.

Experimental results showed that the ECG changes (elevation of T wave, a shift of the S-T segment and disturbances of the atrio-ventricular conduction) under the effect of vasopressin occurred in rats aged 24-26 months after lower doses of vasopressin than in the animals aged 10-12 months. With the administration of the same doses coronary insufficiency was more pronounced in the old animals (more frequent disturbances of the atrio-ventricular conduction, grade II or III, and greater derangement of general hemodynamics).


[Experimental pain and pruritic syndromes of thalamic origin].

Pain and itch syndromes of thalamic origin were experimentally induced in rats by creation of generators of pathologically increased excitation in the gelatinose thalamic nucleus by local disturbance of the gelatinose thalamic nucleus by local distrubance of the inhibitory mechanisms in this nucleus with the aid of tetanus toxin. The latter was injected into the mentioned nucleus in the microvolumes using sterotaxis technique. The results of investigations agree with the concept of generator mechanisms of the neuropathological syndromes and the role of hyperactive determinant dispatch stations in the central nervous system activity.


[State of the thyroid gland under hypokinetic conditions in rats preliminarily adapted to hypoxia].

A 50-day hypokinesia caused in rats a sharp depression of the functional activity; an 80-day adaptation to hypoxia led to a moderate thyroid gland hypofunction without any pathological changes in the thyroid parenchyma. Adaptation to hypoxia beginning one month before hypokinesia produced a prophylactic effect decreasing the pathohistological influence of hypokinesia on the thyroid gland function.


[Increased thymidine excretion under the influence of polyanions].

During the first 24 hours following injection of polyanions (dextran sulphate in a dose of 62.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight; poly I. poly C in a dose of 2.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight) to rats and mongrel albino mice an increased urinary excretion of thymidine was revealed which occurred after their exposure to high X-ray doses. An increase in urinary excretion of thymidine is assumed to be due to migration of lymphocytes to the blood channel.


[Heart lesions in mice with experimental infection caused by Coxsackie virus A13].

The results of pathomorphological and virological studies of experimental Coxsackie A 13 virus infection in BALB/C mice are described. Chronic myocarditis, endocarditis and valvulitis were observed in mice inoculated 10 to 12 hours after birth. The virus was revealed in the infected mice for 15-20 days only.


[Collagen metabolism in the skin with different vitamin K regimens].

Secondary vitamin K deficiency in rats caused by pelentan was accompanied by a decrease in the total collagen content and a rise in free oxyproline in the skin. Under these conditions the rate of collagen hydrolysis proved to increase. Vitamin K (vikasol) prevented development of the mentioned shifts in collagen metabolism.


[Effect of total gamma-irradiation on the rate of steroid hormone hydroxylation by rat liver microsomes].

gamma-irradiation in doses of over 600 r proved to decrease the rate of androgen hydroxylation significantly; the rate of hydroxylation of the estrogens under study altered but little. Under the mentioned irradiation conditions the content of cytochrome P-450 in rat hepatic microsomes diminished. A reduction of the hydroxylation rate of steroid hormones by rat hepatic microsomes under the effect of total gamma-irradiation apparently depended on the qualitative changes of cytochrome P-450.


[Dynamics of cardiac and skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity following a single exposure to an alternating magnetic field].

A rise in LDH activity and a change of the enzyme distribution in the cytostructures of the heart and skeletal muscles of albino rats was revealed during the first 48 hours after a single twenty-four-hour action of an A. C. magnetic field (200 e, 50 cps). A displacement of the enzyma ratio in the direction of M-type was noted. Complete normalization occurred in the 3rd or 4th week only.


[Structural derangements in deoxyribonucleoprotein complex damaged by N-nitroso-N-methylurea].

The effect of deoxyribonucleoproteid (DNP) solubilization under conditions of the ionic strength of the medium approaching the physiological one depended greatly after the treatment with a mutagen - N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) on the NMU concentration. Apparently, for the change of DNA into a soluble state the critical number of groups in the DNA and protein should be modified. On the basis of the data obtained by circular dichroism and viscosimetry a conclusion was drawn that after the NMU treatment the DNP complex became soluble in the solvents with the ionic strength approaching the physiological one, chiefly as the result of labilization and dissociation of DNA-protein bonds.


[Effect of the protease inhibitor--contrical--on granulation tissue metabolism].

Studies of the influence of contrycal on metabolism of rat granulation tissue showed that this protease inhibitor stimulated C14-glycine incorporation into collagen proteins and caused reorganization of the isoenzyme LDH spectrum; at the same time there was a delay in the maturation of the granulation tissue with its marked growth.


[Effect of prostaglandin F2alpha on the lysosomal membranes of eye tissues].

It was demonstrated that both in vitro and in intravenous injection of prostaglandin F2alpha there occurred labilization of the membranes of sclera and ciliary body lysosomes, in difference from the cornea in rabbits. Glycosidase activity appeared in the vitreous body under the effect of prostaglandin, which was absent under normal conditions.


[Effect of dexamethasone on RNA synthesis in blood lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinin].

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated RNA synthesis 6 hours after the beginning of incubation of blood lymphocytes in vitro. Dexamethazone in a concentration of 60 mug/ml depressed the RNA synthesis in the blood lymphocytes of donors, treated with PHA, 6 hours after the beginning of cell incubation with the hormone and PHA in vitro. Changes in the action mechanism of the hormone which can lead to the change of sensitivity to glucocorticoids of the same cells at various stages of the cell cycle are analyzed.


["Molecular organization" of the vagus nerves and cardiac muscle in different functional states].

On the example of the system vagus nerves - the myocardium of rabbits the author considers structural changes in the molecular substrate connected with electrical stimulation of one of the nerves varying by strength. Mitogenetic radiation of the nerve in experiments in situ permitted to assess the increase (or decrease) of the unbalanced structural conditions - molecular constellations. In subthreshold stimulation the quantity of unbalanced constellations proved to increase. Physiological significance of this phenomenon is discussed.


[Effect of narcotic analgesics on impulse conduction along the afferent pathways of visceral nerves].

Experiments were conducted on chloralose-anesthetized cats. The action of morphine and promedol upon the potentials of the cortical and subcortical structures occurring after the visceral nerve stimulation was studied. Morphine proved to depress the potentials evoked by stimulation of the inferior cardiac and vagus nerves, in the specific, associative and nonspecific structures of the brain; promedol produced an analogous effect. Morphine also inhibited the potentials occurring after the stimulation of the splanchnic nerve in the associative and nonspecific structures; depression of the responses in the specific pathways was less pronounced.


[Enhancement of the immune response following immunization with L1210 cells preliminarily incubated with interferon].

A single intraperitioneal injection of L 1210 cells preincubated in interferon or in "false interferon" was given to mice. These mice were sacrificed on the 10th day, and cytotoxicity of the sera against the L 1210 leukemic cells vas determined in the microcytotoxic test (modification of Terasaki's method). Leukemic cells treated with interferon before the immunization caused a more pronounced immune response in comparison with the cells treated under the same conditions with "false interferon". By the results of cytotoxic reaction immune response was enhanced 2-4-fold.


[Determining hypersensitivity to antigens by computing cells migrating from capillary tubes].

The test technique of inhibition of leukocyte and macrophage migration from the capillaries in the presence of a specific antigen is described. The method is highly sensitive and permitted to use a small amount of cells and many (up to 600 and more) capillaries. Sodium azide, phitohemagglutinin and incubation at 4 degrees C inhibited the cell migration from the capillaries. Dead cells did not pass from the capillaries into the medium. Tuberculin and BCG vaccine inhibited the migration of macrophages of guinea pigs immunized with BCG, but not with staphylococcus allergen.


[Antituberculosis immunity in adult thymectomized mice].

Thymectomy performed in adult animals 6 months and more before the inoculation of mycobacteria H37Rv reduced the resistance to tuberculosis infection considerably. This reduction was the greater, the more time passed after the operation. There also developed immunity disturbances mainly connected with the damage of the thymus-dependent cells (depletion of thymus-dependent zones, reduction of tuberculin sensitivity of the skin and of the cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes on antigen-containing target cells).


[Immunochemical identification of a new embryonal antigen in ovarian tumor tissue].

A new embryonic antigen was found in the ovarian tumour tissues by immunodiffusion methods. This antigen consists of two components with a different electrophoretic mobility: a low peak migrates in the alha0-globulin zone, and a rapid one - in the prealbumin zone; it differs immunologically from alpha-fetoprot ein and cancer embrynoic antigen of the large intestine. This antigen was found in the fetus and newborn blood serum and also in the tissue extracts of ovarian tumours. No such antigen was revealed in the normal tissues of adults, or in the blood serum of donors and oncological patients.


[Concentration of adenylic nucleotides and respiratory phosphorylation in the mitochondria of rats with transplanted tumors].

A study was made of adenylic mononucleotides, the process of oxydative phosphorylation and ATP-ase activity of hepatic mitochondria of rats with transplantable sarcoma 45 and Walker carcinosarcoma at various stages of tumour growtli. A reduction of the ATP levels observed in the hepatic mitochondria of tumour-bearing rats was caused, on the one hand, by suppression of its formation as a result of a partial uncoupling of the oxidative phosphorylation, and on the other hand - by intensification of its decomposition as a result of increased ATP-ase activity.


[Myocardial cell ultrastructure of yaks dwelling at high altitudes].

The ultrastructure of myocardial cells of the left, right ventricle, and the ventricular septum was studied in the Altai and Pamir Yaks permanently living at the altitude of 3000-3600 m. Electron microscopic studies of myocardial cells revealed, along with the normal mitochondria, the ones with a peculiar structure of the cristae; these had the appearance of polyhedral wavy membranes in some groups of the mitochondria, and of polyhedral netted structures - in the others. Considerable accumulations of glycogen granules were found beneath the sarcolemma, in the perinuclear cytoplasmic zone and between the myofibrils. The results suggest that by undulating and creating a certain structural regularity the mitochondrial cristae increased their active area ensuring the efficacy of the mitochondrial function. Considerable accumulation of glycogen granules in the majority of myocardial cells seems to maintain the energy potential of the myocardium preventing the development of hypoxia.


[Seasonal changes in several ultrastructural indices of lake frog heart ventricle myocytes].

The method of electron microscopy with morphometric analysis was applied to the study of some ultrastructural indices of frog heart (ventricle) myocardium - the interlocated discs, the lateral junctions and mitochondria - in spring and in autumn. The results obtained pointed to seasonal differences in the cardiomyocyte ultrastructure, this being confirmed by the quantitative analysis.


[Human oogenesis in organ culture].

The authors compared the extent of development of the germ cells of the human fetus ovaries developing in the organ culture and of control ovaries obtained of fetuses of "equivalent" age. The capacity to enter the meiosis prophase under conditions of the organ culture was expressed by the germ cells of fetuses of 8-9 week of gestation, and older; only individual oocytes reached the leptotene stage in the explants of the ovaries of 7-8 week fetuses. The oocytes at the leptotene, zygotene and pachitene stage appeared in the culture at the same periods as in the organism. However, the percentage of cells of these stages in the explant was as a rule lower than in control ovaries. In case of pulse administration of thymidine-3H into the culture labeled oocytes at the zygotene stage appeared in 4, and at the pachitene stage - in 14 days.


[Circadian rhythm of mitoses and number of cells synthesizing DNA following adrenalectomy in mice].

The diurnal changes in the number of mitoses and DNA-synthesizing cells were studied in intact and adrenalectomized mice. In the corneal epithelium of adrenalectomized mice the diurnal rhythm of DNA-synthesizing cells became biphasic, and the variation amplitude of the 24-hour mitotic activity was sharply intensified. In the liver the diurnal rhythm of DNA-synthesizing cells was similar in the intact and the operated on mice; as to the mitotic rhythm - it became biphasic in the operated on animals. Thus, adrenalectomy deranged the phasic structure of the mitotic and DNA-synthesizing rhythms in the tissues under study and led to dissociation in the entrance of cells into the DNA-synthesis and mitosis.


[Skin regeneration in several species of mammals].

The healing of full-thickness wounds (1.2 cm2) was studied in minks and sables. The wound closure in both animal species resulted mainly from the contraction of the wound. A small regenerate containing hair and sebaceous glands was formed in the centre of the wound. It is supposed that these hairs developed from the old hair roots transfered with the lower layers of the corium adjoining the wound.


[Mechanism of the damaging effect of chloridine on white rat embryos].

A study was made of the dynamics of pathohistological changes occurring in the embryos of albino rats under conditions of a single action of teratogenic doses of daraprim of the 9th day of pregnancy. Decidual tissue proved to be the most sensitive to daraprim the first disturbances in this tissue were noted to soon as one hour after the injection. Cells of various embryonic tissues reacted to daraprim differently. Most pronounced cytotoxic effect of daraprim is seen on the embryonic mesoderm and on the extraembryonic ectoderm. A conclusion was drawn on a significant role played by hemodynamic changes associated with disturbances of decidual tissue in the mechanism of the pathogenic action of some chemical teratogens on mammalian embryos.


[Adrenergic terminal structures in mamalian mesentery].

The work is devoted to the study of adrenergic terminal structures in the mesentery of mammals by fluorescent microscopy of catecholamines. The system of adrenergic innervation of the mesentery proved to be based on well-developed perivascular plexuses. In many points of these plexuses individual adrenergic fibers penetrated the avascular mesenteric areas, where they formed preterminal and terminal portions as a result of repeated dichotomic divisions. These innervating structures built by the principle of widespread or restricted arborizations displayed morphological similarity to free sensory nerve endings. In this connection a possibility of distinction of the sensory (afferent) links in the catecholamine-containing vegetative nerve plexuses is discussed.


[Microspectrophotometric study of DNA concentration in the nuclei of muscle cells in the peri-infarct zone of the rabbit heart].

A comparative microspectrophotometric study of the nuclear DNA content in the myocardial cells of the periinfarction region of the left ventricle was made in rabbit hearts during different periods of experimental ischemia. A moderate increase of both the polyploid and amitotically divided nuclei were revealed. This results are discussed from the aspect of possible participation of nuclear polyploidia and mitotic division in the mechanisms of intracellular regeneration of the myocardium.


[Interstitial cells of the renal medulla in rats with genetic spontaneous hypertension].

Electron microscopic studies of interstitial cells (IC) of the renal medulla inspontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were carried out. Morphometric analysis revealed no differences in the total volume of the lipid granules of IC in the 1 1/2-month-old SHR and control Wistar rats; one-year-old SHR showed an increased volume of granules, IC of SHR displayed hypertrophy and hyperplasia of both the rough and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, especially marked at the early stage of hypertension. Apparently the state of ultrastructures of the synthesis and secretion should be accepted as a criterion for the assessment of the IC function, at least in arterial hypertension, but not the degree of decreased lipid granularity as supposed formerly.


[Electron-cytochemical study of cerebral mitochondria at different periods after death].

3'3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) oxidation was studied in the human and rat brain by electron cytochemistry at different periods after death. The product of DAB oxidation localized in mitochondria, lipofucsin pigment granules and erythrocytes. DAB oxidation by rat and human brain mitochondria proved to decrease but slightly even two days after death.


[Hydroxyurea synchronization of cellular proliferation in the esophageal epithelium of mice with tumors].

The synchronizing effect of hydroxyurea on the passage of the esophagus epithelia cells through the stage of the DNA synthesis and mitosis was investigated in albino mice bearing sarcoma. Dinrnal variations in the number of epithelial cells at these stages of the mitotic cycle were taken into consideration. Two mutually complementary indices for the measurement of the shifts in the cell population and the rate of the synchronization are used. Two cell groups which passed the S-phase and mitosis synchronously were found in artificial synchronization in the esophageal epithelium. The synchronization indices characterizing the first group were lower than control. In the second group the cell count during the DNA synthesis was double as compared with the number of cells synthesizing DNA in natural synchronization; however, the rate of the changes in the synchronism was the same in the experimental and control groups.


[Several methodologic features of prolonged human lymphocyte storage].

When using in the lymphocytotoxic reaction lymphocytes stored in frozen condition the proportion of perished cells after thawing should not exceed 10-20%. Therefore, a study was made of the influence of various concentrations of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), composition of the medium and of other parameters for the purpose of elaboration of the optimal conditions of freezing human lymphocytes. The best results were obtained in freezing cells in the autologous serum with 12.5% DMSO. However sufficiently favourable results were also seen in using AB serum and 20% bovine serum in Eagle's medium.


[Serotonin concentration in the hypothalamus following alteration of pituitary thyrotropic function].

The hypothalamic serotonin content in the altered pituitary thyrotropic function was determined in mature male rabbits by the fluorescent method. No distinct correlation was found between the intensity of the pituitary thyrotropic function and serotonin level in the hypothalamus. Intensification of the hypophysial thyrotropic function under the effect of 6-methylthiouracil or partial thyroidectomy was accompanied by a rise in serotonin concentration, while in aseptic inflammation in the thyroid gland, or in combination of the upper cervical sympathetic ganglia ablation with chlorpromazine administration this adenohypophysial function proved to increase without any significant shifts in the hypothalamic serotonin level. The mentioned findings suggest that the role of serotonin in the hypothalamic regulation of the hypophysial thyrotropic function could not be considered as determining.


[The role of adrenocortical response to physical stress on the body's work capacity].

Adrenocortical reaction to muscular exertion was inhibited by the intramuscular injection of 125mg of dexamethasone for 2 days of every week of the training. The maximal swimming time in the water (33--34 degrees C) with an additional load of 3 per cent of body weight failed to increase after 5 weeks of training in the animals to which dexamethasome was infected. In these animals the blood corticosterone level increased less after the maximal swimming test than in rats trained without any dexamethasone administration.


[Role of the splanchnic nerves in regulating maximal glucose transport in the kidneys].

Glomerular filtration in the kidney decreases at side of the splanchnic nerve stimulation; as to the maximal glucose reabsorption -- it remains unchanged. After demedullation of the adrenal glands stimulation of the splanchnic nerve increases the filtration in the contralateral kidney, without altering the maximal glucose transport. Adrenergic fibers of the splanchnic nerve produce no direct action on the maximal glucose transport in the kidneys.


[Potentiation and restitution of the myocardial contractility of rats adapted to physical stress].

Initial contractile amplitude of the myocardial strips determined the inotropic response to paired stimulation. The higher the initial amplitude -- the lesser the degree of potentiation and the greater the degree of contraction restitution. At equal amplitudes the myocardial strips taken from rats adapted to exercise showed a greater degree of potentiation and a lesser degree of restitution as compared to control. These changes appear to be due to the changes in the ionic transport in the myocardial cells.


[Influence of salivary kallikreins on microvessels of the hamster cheek pouch and rat mesentery].

By means of in vivo microscopy the influence of human, rat, and hamster purified salivary kallikreins upon the microvessels was studied in rat mesentery and hamster cheek pouch. Dilatation of arterioles, a decrease of the venule diameter, and an increase in the number of active capillaries was revealed. The species and organ peculiarities of these effects were described. The mesentery and the cheek pouch homogenates, albumin proteins, histamine and some amino acids were capable of activating the salivary kallikreins.


[Adrenal cortical function in rats with traumatic shock following removal and deafferentation of the hypothalamus].

The 11-oxycorticosteroid (11-OCS) content was studied in the blood plasma of sham-operated rats, rats with intact, ablated and deafferentated medial-basal hypothalamus (MBH) in traumatic shock. There were no reliable differences in the 11-OCS basal level in various groups of rats. MBH ablation led to the reduction in the weight of adrenal and pituitary glands and MBH deafferentation -- to increase in the weight of the former. The 11-OCS level was reliably higher in traumatic shock of rats with complete MBH deafferentation than in sham-operated animals.


[Pathogenesis of the low cardiac output syndrome in postreanimation states].

Functional reserves of the cardiovascular system during sharp depression of the cardiac output  in the postreanimation period after 15-minute cardiac arrest were studied in experiments on dogs (by loading with different fluid volumes). Acute hypervolemia did not produce any circulatory decompensation. Reinforcement of venous return and changes in the peripheral circulation due to polyglucine loading augmented the CVP temporarily, and produced a stable increase of the AP, of the cardiac output, systolic volume, the work of the left cardiac ventricle and of the total oxygen consumption by the organism. Meanwhile there was a decrease of the peripheral vascular resistance. In model experiments on dogs, which sustained 20-minute isolated compression ischemia the syndrome of low cardiac output developed too. This indicated the relation of this phenomenon to the disorders in the neuro-humoral regulation of blood circulation.


[Toxic and hemolytic properties of serum in the massive transfusion syndrome].

Toxic and hemolytic properties of the sera of dogs which received massive homologus blood transfusions were studied in experiments on 20 dogs and 432 mice. The toxicity of the recipient's sera was evaluated in vivo on mice with blocked reticulo-endothelial system and by the method of hemocultures. Red cells labeled with radioactive chromium were used to study the hemolytic activity. Investigations carried out demonstrated the acute blood loss wilth the subsequent massive transfusion of the homologous blood to result in the production in the recipient's serum of toxigenic products. These toxigenic properties were determined by two biotesting methods. The maximal toxigenic action was noted in 2 hours and in the course of the 1st day after the substitution. No toxic effect of the sera was found on the 17th day. A parallel study of hemolytic properties of the sera revealed a marked increase of its activity; it was the greatest during the first 24 hours. In three days the hemolytic properties of the serum were no different from the initial one.


[Changes in mesenteric microcirculation in rats following repeated skin burns].

Acute experiments were conducted on rats; repeated extensive burn of a convalescent who formerly sustained the burn disease was better tolerated, led tono fatal outcome and was accompanied by moderate microcirculatory disturbances. The smae burn was accompanied in intact rats by a severe shock followed by death, intravascular aggregation of erythrocytes and significant microcirculatory disturbances leading to disturbance of tissue nutrition. It is supposed that the results obtained could serve as an indirect proof that toxemia played an important role in the genesis of intravascular aggregation of erythrocytes in burn shock.


[Mechanism of action of benzene on hematopoiesis (a study of hematopoietic stem cells)].

A study was made of the effect of benzol on the colony-forming activity in the spleen and the bone marrow of mice in 4 different experimental variants. In benzol hypoplasia of hemopoiesis there was a decrease in the number of the CFU in the hemopoietic organs without any changes in the distribution of their cell types. Incubation of the cells of normal mouse bone marrow with benzol did not induce any decrease of the colony-forming efficiency. Administration of benzol to the lethally irradiated mice after the transplantation of normal bone marrow suspension led to a sharp decrease in the number of CFU with a preponderant depression of the granulocytic colony formation. These data afford to suppose the change in the properties of microenvironment of the hemopoietic stem cells in experimental benzol poisoning.


[Effect of contrical on the activity of dehydrogenases and their isoenzymes in the muscles and organs of animals with developing granulation tissue].

Studies of the influence of contrycal on condition of the enzyme systems of the muscles, liver, kidneys and heart of rats with developing granulation tissue showed contrycal, a protease inhibitor, to have a stimulating effect on the LDH and MDH activity and on their isozyme spectrum. The effect of the inhibitor was expressed in the changes occurring in the state of the enzyme system, both at the site of damage (granulations and the underlying tissue) and in a number of internal organs -- the liver and kidneys.


[Effect of training for increased physical loads on the concentration and biosynthesis of ubiquinones in rat skeletal muscle].

Rats were subjected to a strenuous program of treadmill running for 2.5--3 months. Ubiquinone content was determined in the skeletal muscles and the muscle mitochondria; at the same time incorporation of labeled acetate-1-14C precursor into ubiquinone and sterols by thin muscle slices was studied. Ubiquinone and mitochondrial protein content increased in the muscles of trained rats. Incorporation of 14C into ubiquinone of trained rats increased; as to sterols, their incorporation remained unchanged.


[Influence of dexamethasone on RNA synthesis in human peripheral blood lymphocytes].

Biphasic character of dexamethasone action on the lymphoid tissue is observed in the tissue culture of partially purified peripheral blood lymphocytes. Stimulation of the RNA synthesis occurred after 6-hour incubation of lymphocytes with the hormone. Sedimentation analysis of labeled RNA, fractionated in a column containing poly-U sepharose pointed to increase in the quantity of the messenger RNA and enrichment of the cytoplasmic RNA with poly-A sequences. At the same time the Mn++-dependable RNA polymerase sensitive to alpha-amanitin was activated. Inhibition of the RNA synthesis is observed after 24-hour cultivation of lymphocytes with the hormone. Biphasic effect of the steroid is also seen in the reaction of rosetteformation.


[Effect of bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on the activity of several energy metabolism enzymes in the liver].

Bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy resulted in a significant decrease of hexokinase, glucokinase, glucose-6-phosphoric and 6 phospho-gluconic dehydrogenases, and lactic dehydrogenase activity in the soluble fraction of rat liver. Blood sugar remained unchanged at all the postoperative periods. It is suggested that the above-mentioned alterations in the enzyme activity were caused by the absence of parasympathetic impulses to hepatocytes.


[Effect of a lysosome triton WR 1339 load on distribution of C14-albumin in the livers of rats with chronic hepatitis].

A possible mechanism of the protective effect of Triton WR1339 during chronic CC14-hepatitis was considered. Supposing that the improvement of the process was due to the intensification of the lysosome heterophage function the authors studied the intensity of the C14-albumin uptake by the liver and its subcellular distribution in the liver of rats in the administration of the detergent to the animals with chronic CCI4-hepatitis, Preliminary administration of the detergent failed to influence the intensity of C14-albumin uptake; subsequent administration of triton WR1339 to rats with toxic hepatitis decrease the protein uptake which reached the values in intact rats. In chronic hepatitis C14-albumin was concentrated in the lysosome fraction. Administration of trition WR1339 to CCI4-treated animals was not accompanied by any coincidence in the peaks of labeled protein and lysosome enzymes. The selective participation of lysosomes of the Kupffer cells providing a more rapid restoration of the liver in chronic hepatitis is discussed.


[Effect of hypoxia on intercellular interaction in the myocardium].

Passive electrical properties of rabbit papillary muscle were studied under normal and hypoxic conditions. The input resistance and the lenght of the electrotonic decay were measured. The results obtained suggested that within a frame-work of a two-dimentional model for anisotropic syncytium the resistance of electrogenic membrane displayed a 1.4-fold decrease on the 10th min after the onset of the hypoxic condition: also the longitudinal (sigma x) and the transverse (sigma y) resistances of the intracellular medium of the syncytium increase 1.39- and 1.3-fold, respectively. An increase in the sigma x and sigma y should be ascribed to the increase in the contact membrane resistance. Derangement of the intercellular interaction under hypoxic conditions is of importance for the understanding of the mechanisms operating in the cardiac arrhythmia due to heart ischemia or myocardial infarction.


[Effect of several tropane derivatives on noradrenaline absorption by hypothalamic synaptic vesicles].

The influence of some tropan derivatives on the absorption of exogenous norepinephrine was studied in experiments on the isolated synaptic vesicles of the hypothalamus. LK II (beta-morpholinopropionic acid tropine ester dihydrochloride) at the concentration of 1. -5M decreased (like cocaine) the passive consumption of norephinephrine. The dependence of this effect on the transmitter concentration in the incubation medium was demonstrated.


[Galanthamine interaction with mouse brain acetylcholinesterase in in vivo experiments].

Armine treatment of mice against the background of preliminary galanthamine injection diminished the inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase of the brain caused by a reversible inhibitor. This effect was connected with the acetylcholine accumulation and the displacement by it of galanthamine from the active centres of the enzyme. Thus, a competitive character of galanthamine-acetylcholinesterase interaction was shown in vivo.


[Effect of phenformin on fat-carbohydrate metabolism in pregnant rats].

Rats given phenphormin, an antidiabetic biguanide, from the 1st (8th) day of pregnancy displayed a fall of cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids in the blood; no maldevelopment of the fetus or placenta was seen. Permissibility of prescription of biguanides during pregnancy is discussed.


[Effect of inhibitors of DNA and protein synthesis on production of mitogenic factor by human lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin].

A study was made of the influence of DNA and protein synthesis inhibitors on the production of mitogenic factor (MF) by human lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin. Inhibition of the DNA synthesis with mitomycin failed to decrease MF production but in inhibiting the protein synthesis MF factor production was even increased. A conclusion was drawn that MF preexisted in the lymphoid cell before the beginning of stimulation, not in the ready from but as an inactive precursor; it became activated only in the living cells stimulated with phytohemagglutinin no protein synthesis is required at that moment.


[The state of several indices of non-specific immunity in rats with nephrotoxic glomerulonephritis].

Changes in the interferon reaction of leukocytes, bactericidal property of the blood serum against the E. coli and streptococcus, the activity of beta-lysins in experimental nephrotoxic glomerulonephritis reproducible with the aid of heterogenous nephrotoxic serum in mongrel male rats were studied. This model permitted to trace the changes in the nonspecific protection mechanisms depending on the pathological process in the kidneys. In nephrotoxic glomerulonephritis the most pronounced changes were seen in the interferon reaction of leukocytes: it decreased up to 90% in comparison with the normal depending on the duration of the disease. In difference from this the changes in the anti-bacterial immunity indices were observed at the period of marked nephrotic process activity.


[Presence of cross-reacting thymus and brain antigens in the cerebral cortex].

Rabbit antisera against antigens of mouse, rabbit, guinea pig and human whole brain cross-reacted in the cytotoxic test with the lymphocytes of the thymus, lymph nodes and the spleen of these animal species. Mouse thymocytes were most sensitive to the antibrain sera (cytotoxic index -- 63--100 per cent); cells from other mouse lymphoid organs and lymphocytes of rabbit, guinea pig and man were more resistant. Bone marrow lymphocytes were not damaged by any of these sera. The antigens which induced the cytotoxic properties of the sera were found only in the human cerebral cortex, but not in the white matter of the brain stem.


[Effect of the combined action of rimantadin and dimethyl sulfoxide on phage reproduction].

Separate and combined action of Dimethylsulfoxid (DMSO) and Rimantadin on the reproduction of phages T--3, T--4, T--7 and lambda was studied. The maximum activation of reproduction of phages T--3 and T--7 by DMSO was observed for 6 minutes of latent period. At the same time this compound did not render the action on reproduction phages T--4 and, because they utilize cell RNA-polimerase. It was shown that DMSO stimulated the synthesis of T--3 phage DNA by action on T--3 phage RNA-polymerase. Combined application of both DMSO and Rimantadin eleminated in some degree its reciprocal effect on T--3 phage macromoelecules synthesis and complet eliminated inhibitory action of Rimantidin on infective phage T--3 production.


[Influence of antilymphocyte sera on the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis].

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in guinea pigs by sensitization of myelinomas of homologous or heterologous (rabbit) brain in the complete Freund's adjuvant. Antilymphocytic serum (ALS) obtained by immunization of rabbits with the lymphocytes of the lymph nodes of guinea pigs was injected subcutaneously for 3--6 days at the early periods before or after the sensitization. ALS produced a marked inhibitory action on the development of the neurological signs of EAE and of histological changes in the form of demyelinization and perivascular cell infiltration in the lumbo-sacral and cervical portions of the spinal cord. Administration of ALS beginning from the 3rd--5th day before the sensitization or from the date of the EAE induction proved to be the most effective. When the injections were started from the 7th or the 12th day after the sensitization an increase in the incidence of the disease occurred in the grooups. A fall of morbidity correlated with a reduction of percentage of positive skin tests in response to the intradermal injection of a homologous myelin. No reduction in the production of the complement-fixing, antibodies to the heterologous antigen was seen in the animals given ALS. This pointed to the participation of cell factors in the development of the pathological process.


[Adrenalectomized mice as an experimental model for studying the biological activity of immune complexes].

Adrenalectomized mice may develop local (skin) and systemic reactions on the introduction of immune complexes formed in vitro. Regularities in respect to the composition of immune complexes (in which their general, toxic, action and the capacity to produce local reactions was expressed) were revealed. Treatment with agents depressing the anaphylactic reaction (cortisone, antihistaminic drugs, anesthetics) diminished the reactions to the immune complex. Local reaction to the immune complex decreased in animals with artificially-induced fall of the blood complement level.


[Detection of an antigen containing 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid in the sera of patients with tumors of different localizations].

An unusual antigen containing a carcinogenic tryptophane metabolite -- 3-hydroxyanthranylic acid as a hapten (3-HAA-antigen) was found to be present in the blood serum in the overwhelming majority of patients with malignant tumours of various stages and localizations. The 3-HAA-antigen was rarely determined in the patients with nonmalignant diseases was not revealed in the blood serum of healthy donors and patients with benign tumours. The significance of the data obtained for the diagnosis of the tumour process, irrespective of its localization, is discussed.


[Circadian rhythms of cell proliferation in mice during the early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis induced by ortho-aminoazotoluol].

The 24-hour rhythms of the mitotic activity and the changes in the number of DNA-synthesising cells were studied in mouse hepatocytes at the early stages of carcinogenesis of the liver induced with orthoaminoazotoluol in these animals; the autoradiographic method with thymidin-3H was used. During the first stage (that of diffuse irregular hyperplasia) and the second stage (that of focal proliferation) the rhythms of of the changes in the mitotic activity of test animals as incontrols had a distinct monophasic character with the maximum number of mitoses at the early morning hours and the minimum at the evening-night hours. Under normal conditions and during the first stage of carcinogenesis of the liver the DNA-synthesizing cell rhythms had a distinct monophasic character with the maximum during the day and evening hours, respectively; during the second stage of carcinogenesis the rhythm was characterized by the appearance of the second maximum at the early morning hours. The mean 24-hour values of both indices increased during the carcinogenesis.


[Influence of antibiotics of the penicillin series on the fetal and newborn development of rats].

Penicillin injected to rats in high doses at various periods of pregnancy produced no negative effect on the devloping fetus and neonate. At the same time bicillin-3 produced resorption of the embryonic cells and had a negative effect on the heart development.


[Effect of cortisone on post-traumatic regeneration of mammalian skeletal muscle].

Prolonged administration of cortisone to sexually immature rabbits and rats, in which m. tibialis anterior was injured preliminarily, inhibited the process of regeneration of the skeletal muscle tissue; this was expressed in the retarded growth of myosymplasts and of the muscle tubes. By the 15th postoperative day experimental rabbits (in comparison with control) showed a lesser area of muscle component of the regenerated tissue. Analysis of the intensity of methionine-H3 incorporation into the regenerating elements of the muscle tissue demonstrated a significant reduction of the label incorporation into the nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins of the myosymplasts of rats to which cortisone was given. Inhibition of the protein synthesis at the early stage of differentiation of the muscle tissue was expressed to a lesser extent than in the mature differentiated muscle fibers of the intact muscle.


[Cytologic features of rat liver growth in the embryonal and neonatal periods and during regeneration].

August rats were used for experiments. The growth of intact embryonal and neonatal liver was compared with the growth of adult regenerating liver at the early periods after partial hepatectomy (22, 48 and 78 hours after resection of 2/3 of the liver). Mitotic activity and the area of hepatocyte nuclei were determined; binucleated cells were counted. There proved to be a number of general regularities in the dynamics of the cytological parameters of growth for the intact embryonal, neonatal and regenerating adult liver of rats at the early periods after the resection.


[Mechanism of reversibility of colchicine mitosis induced by colcemid].

Restoration of the normal mitosis after its block by colchicine was due to the additional protein synthesis (reformation of the spindle microtubules). Studies of reversibility of the statmokinetic reaction induced by colcemid showed the block of the protein synthesis by puromycin to have no influence on the rate of restoration of the normal mitotic regimen, but copper ions delayed this process. On the basis of these results it is considered that restoration of the K-mitosis induced by colcemid was mainly due to the tubule reassembly. Probably the prevalence of the processes of reformation and reassembly of microtubules during the restoration depended on the extent of their destruction and the pattern of binding by the damaging agent of the tubular protein pool subunits.


[Electron-microscopic radioautography of DNA-synthesizing cells of growing rat smooth muscle tissue].

DNA-synthesizing cells of rat stomach muscle tissue following 50% resection of the fundal part, identical cells of the vena cava after disturbance of the blood out flow, and of the appendix on contraction of the ascending part of the large intestine were studied by electron microscopic autoradiography. DNA synthesis in the differentiated myocyte nuclei of the stomach muscle tissue, and of the "activated" myocytes of the stomach and the vein was observed. There were signs of asynchronous DNA synthesis in the nuclei of some smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts.


[Post-traumatic regeneration of the epithelium of the gastric and intestinal mucous membranes of dogs].

The work was devoted to the study of the sources of reparative regeneration of the epithelium of the gastric and intestinal mucosa. A number of surgical interventions on the stomach and intestine of 1 dogs were performed for the solution of this problem. On the basis of the investigations carried out the leading role in the regeneration of the gastric and intestinal mucosa was found to be played by uninjured epithelium surrounding the area of the surgical intervention. This was confirmed by the fact that a mucosa-free intestinal pedicle graft implanted into the defect of the wall of the stomach was covered by gastric mucosa; a stomach graft devoid of own mucosa became covered with intestinal mucosa when displaced in the form of a cylindrical "insertion" into the intestinal tube; mucosa-free stomach pouch became obliterated; this could be reliably attributed to the absence of the main source of regeneration -- uninjured mucosal epithelium along the periphery of the defect. No regeneration of the epithelium of the gastric mucosa from the implanted cells was revealed; this served as an additional confirmation of the fact that regeneration under conditions of the mentioned experiments occurred on account of creeping of epithelial cells surrounding the area of the surgical intervention over the free surface of mucosa.


[A method of studying hydrochloric acid secretion in isolated gastric mucous membrane using a two-channel pH-meter].

A new method of hydrochloric acid secretion recording on two symmetrical parts of the same isolated gastric mucosa is described. A two-channel system which had a number of important advantages over a single-channel system was used. The advantage of this method lay in a possibility of a more exact differentiation of the influence of different substances on the rate of H+ secretion and in a considerable decrease in the number of animals required for the experiments. The apparatus scheme for a two-channel recording of H+ secretion, and design of the four-chamber cuvette are described.


[A rapid method standardizing cholagogue substances on mice].

The authors described a rapid method of selection and quantitative assessment of the specific activity of substances (insulin, chologon and mebethizol: 2-mercaptobenzthiazol with a cholagogue action of mice. The gall bladder obtained from the animals was weighed with and wihtout the bile; it was thus possible to determine the amount of bile accumulated in the gall bladder under the action of the agents under study during a definite period of time. The method described may be used for pharmacological screening.


Human marrow erythropoiesis in culture. I. Characterization of methylcellulose colony assay.

We examined the morphological and functional characteristics of human marrow erythrocytes cultured with a recently developed methylcellulose colony assay technique. Erythrocytic cells in various stages of development were observed, and a significant degree of maturational synchrony within individual colonies was noted. By light microscopy, colonies consisting of late normoblasts appeared compact, had an orange hue attributable to their hemoglobin, and demonstrated pseudoperoxidase activity, whereas colonies composed of early erythroblasts grew less compact or in clusters of smaller cell aggregates and showed no reddish tinge. Colonies possessing intermediate features were also observed. Maturational synchrony of individual colonies was confirmed using ransmission and scanning electron microscopy. The ultrastructure and cytochemistry of most immature cells were normal. The mature erythrocytes, however, were severely microcytic and hypochromic and contained one to several Heinz bodies. These defects in the cytoplasmic maturation of erythrocytes corresponded with impaired granulocytic maturation in culture, which we observed previously, and suggest environmental or nutritional defects in culture. Linearity of the method was confirmed using five normal bone marrows. Erythropoietin dose-responses observed in ten normal marrows were comparable to the previously reported results and revealed significant variation in individual plating efficiencies.


Erythropoietic events in cultured embryonic mouse spleen.

The events of erythropoiesis in cultured embryonic mouse spleens isolated on the 12th day of gestation were compared with those occurring in spleens of corresponding gestational days in vivo. It was found that the development of erythroid precursors in the cultured spleen depended on the presence of erythropoietin in the culture medium. A progressive increase in the number of erythroid precursors, with a marked shift to mature cells, was observed in spleens cultured with erythropoietin. Although the origin of the hemocytoblasts in the spleen isolated in the earliest stage of its development remains obscure, the present study provided evidence that erythropoiesis in the embryonic mouse spleen was indigenous to this organ and did not result from colonization of erythroid precursors originating in the liver.


Factors which affect erythropoiesis in partially nephrectomized and sham-operated rats.

Current concepts of the pathogenesis of anemia in uremic animals are derived mainly from the results of studies performed either in vitro or in bilaterally nephrectomized animals. These data may not be applicable to the situation which exists in more chronically uremic animals. In 1932, Chanutin and Ferris showed that removal of five-sixths of the renal mass caused rats to become uremic and to remain so for a prolonged period of time. Rats made uremic in this manner were utilized as models for studying the pathogenesis of the anemia of uremia. Removeal of five-sixths of the renal mass of rats caused their BUNs to rise to over 100 mg/100 ml and to remain at this level for over 3 wk. The hematocrits of these uremic rats fell from 42% to approximately 30% in 3 wk. Erythropoietin (Ep) production immediately fell to a barely detectable level postoperatively and did not increase significantly in 3 wk, although the renal remnant hypertrophied. Extrarenal Ep production also remained at a low level and did not increase during the 3-wk observation period. The response of plethoric uremic rats to 2 units of Ep was as great (in some experiments greater) as that of sham-operated ones. A surprising finding was that plethoric uremic rats, injected with saline rather than with Ep, incorporated more 59Fe into their red blood cells than did sham-operated ones. This finding suggested that in uremic rats erythropoiesis was less markedly suppressed by plethora than it was in non-uremic rats.


Evaluation of the iron status of a population.

The iron status of a population of 1564 subjects living in the northwestern United States was evaluated by measurements of transferrin saturation, red cell protoporphyrin, and serum ferritin. The frequency distribution of these parameters showed no distinct separation between normal and iron-deficient subjects. When only one of these three parameters was abnormal (transferrin saturation below 15%, red cell protoporphyrin above 100 mug/ml packed red blood cells, serum ferritin below 12 ng/ml), the prevalence of anemia was only slightly greater (10.9%) than in the entire sample (8.3%). The prevalence of anemia was increased to 28% in individuals with two or more abnormal parameters, and to 63% when all three parameters were abnormal. As defined by the presence of at least two abnormal parameters, the prevalence of iron deficiency in various populations separated on the basis of age and sex ranged from 3% in adolescent and adult males to 20% in menstruating women. It is concluded that the accuracy of detecting iron deficiency in population surveys can be substantially improved by employing a battery of laboratory measurements of the iron status.


Distribution of spermidine and spermine in blood from cystic fibrosis patients and control subjects.

Previous studies have shown an abnormality of the spermidine-to-spermine (Spd/Spm) ratio in whole blood of cystic fibrosis homo-and heterozygotes. To investigate Spd and Spm distribution amoung blood components as a possible cause of the abnormality, blood was fractionated using Rabinowitz's glass bead technique and Boyum's Ficoll-Hypaque method. Free (unconjugated) polyamines were  extracted with perchloric acid and quantitated on an amino acid analyzer. In controls, mean +/- SEM concentrations in nmoles/10(9) cells of Spd and Spm, respectively, were 1.02 +/- 0.08 and 0.894 +/- 0.28 for erythrocytes; 126 +/- 31 and 357 +/- 105 for lymphocytes; 36 +/- 16 and 240 +/- 33 for granulocytes; and less than 0.5 and less than 0.5 nmoles/ml for plasma. When converted to the concentration in whole blood, it was found that greater than 90% of Spd and over 70% of Spm was associated with erythrocytes. While the higher cellular concentration in leukocytes was not unexpected, the fact that Spd and Spm in whole blood were primarily associated with erythrocytes was a new finding. Comparison with controls revealed that the Spd/Spm ratio in both whole blood and erythrocytes was significantly higher in the group of cystic fibrosis patients.


Peptic ulceration in men. Epidemiology and medical care.

Estimates of the population prevalence of peptic and duodenal ulceration in men aged between 25 and 64 years were made in the London borough of Lambeth. The sampling frame for these estimates was a 20% private census. The lifetime prevalence rate of proved peptic ulcer (haematemesis, gastric and duodenal ulcers as validated by operation or barium meal), adjusted for age and social class, was estimated to be 6-7%, while the similarly adjusted lifetime prevalence for duodenal ulcer was 4-4%. The lifetime prevalences increased with age but not significantly so. A social class gradient was demonstrated with the highest prevalence in social class I and II. Previously described associations with blood group, secretor status, and serum pepsinogen were confirmed. Reported use of medical services increased with increasing severity of symptoms. A large number of respondents, however, who reported symptoms reported no medical care. It seemed unlikely that those men who reported symptoms and no medical care had demonstrable peptic ulcers.


Personality scores and smoking behaviour. A longitudinal study.

The personality scores at 16 years of age of 2753 people, all members of the National Survey of Health and Development, were related, in a follow-up study, to cigarette smoking behaviour in their young adult years. Survey members who recorded high neuroticism scores were found to be more likely to smoke than those with low scores and, among the smokers, deep inhalers formed the most neurotic group. Extraverts were more likely to smoke than introverts, the mean extraversion score being greatest for the male smokers with a high daily consumption of cigarettes. The personality scores were found to have some power in predicting changes in smoking behaviour. Neurotics and extraverts who had not started to smoke by the time of completing the personality inventory at 16 were more likely than the stable and introverted to take up the habit subsequently. Among survey members who were regular smokers at the time of completing the personality inventory the proportion giving up smoking by the time they reached the age of 25 years was related to consumption level recorded at 20 years and the personality scores recorded at 16, stable extraverts among the men being most likely to stop smoking.


Anencephalus in Scotland 1961-72.

Data relating to the incidence of anencephalus for the 12-year period 1961-72 were abstracted from the Statistical Reviews of the Registrar General for Scotland. It was shown that considerable geographical variation is still apparent with the highlands having, in general, the lower incidences. In comparison with the earlier study of Edwards (1958), there were some changes: the incidence in the areas to the west had increased and that in those to the east decreased. During the 12-year period there was an overall decline in the incidence of the lesion; this was most marked in births to women under 20 years, and to those of social classes III, IV, and V. The decline was least apparent for births to women of high social class and the unmarried. It was shown that there was little seasonal variation in the time of delivery, but that even when the trend had been taken into account the yearly fluctuation was significantly different from that expected, with an excess of cases in 1961 and 1971.


Cancer in the offspring of fathers in hydrocarbon-related occupations.

A case-control study has been conducted to see whether a hydrocarbon-related occupation of the father at the time of conception constitutes a risk factor for malignant disease in the offspring. The series comprised 852 cancer cases from the Finnish Cancer Registry and 852 controls matched for date of birth and domicile. The father's occupation for both the cases and controls was ascertained from the records of antenatal clinics. No significant associations were found between the commonest types of childhood cancer and hydrocarbon-related occupations--that is, motor-vehicle mechanics, machinists, miners, painters, and motor-vehicle drivers. Risk ratio 2 was excluded from most of the 95% confidence intervals for children under 15 years of age. The results do not support the hypothesis that there is an excess risk of cancer in the children of fathers in hydrocarbon-related occupations.


Disability: a model and measurement technique.

Current methods of ranking or scoring disability tend to be arbitrary. A new method is put forward on the hypothesis that disability progresses in regular, cumulative patterns. A model of disability is defined and tested with the use of Guttman scale analysis. Its validity is indicated on data from a survey in the community and from postsurgical patients, and some factors involved in scale variation are identified. The model provides a simple measurement technique and has implications for the assessment of individual disadvantage, for the prediction of progress in recovery or deterioration, and for evaluation of the outcome of treatment regimes.


The needs of old people. The 'interval' as a method of measurement.

A survey was conducted on 1035 persons constituting a semi-random age-structured sample of the populations of three areas in the west of Scotland. The object was to attempt to estimate the needs of this population for domiciliary services. A method was developed of classifying the subjects into 12 'care groups' based on two characteristics, those of 'potential need' and 'solitude'. 'Potential need' was a measure of disability and its severity was graded according to the intervals that elapsed between necessary periods of help. 'Solitude' was a measure of the time during each day when potential sources of help were spontaneously available. 'Potential need' was found to be related linearly to age but to be independent of the other variables studied. 'Solitude' was commonest in the 75-84-year age group and varied in the three areas studied, but no relationship with any other variable was detected. An estimate was made of the domiciliary services which would be required to ensure a satisfactory standard of care for the subjects in the sample. Assuming present or slightly better levels of hospital provision and slightly lower provision of residential homes there is still a need for a very great increase in domiciliary services if satisfactory standards of community care are to be attained.


The coal gas story. United Kingdom suicide rates, 1960-71.

A detailed analysis of suicide rates between 1960 and 1971 for England and Wales and for Scotland confirms that all age-sex subgroups have shown a marked decline in suicide due to domestic gas, corresponding in time to the fall in the CO content. After considering data on the effects of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Eighth Revision, accident mortality, some personal characteristics of coal gas suicides, and the use of coal gas in parasuicide it was concluded that a simple casual explantation was likely. Suicide due to non-gas methods has in general increased, markedly so in some groups. It was suggested that neither improved psychiatric services nor voluntary agencies could have produced such changes. The 'compensatory' trend of gas and non-gas suicide rates was indicated for certain age-sex subgroups. The continuing need for suicide research was pointed out, and questions were raised concerning the psychological meaning of the epidemiological data.