The "hot stroke" and transient vascular occlusions.

Two patients with left middle cerebral artery (MCA) distribution infarctions fulfilled the "hot stroke" criteria on sequential 99m Tc pertechnetate flow and static gamma camera studies. The radioisotopic finding of a paradoxical relative increased flow to the affected hemisphere correlated with serial angiography showing multiple MCA branch occlusions becoming patent with a vascular blush and early venous drainage. The angiographical finding of transient vascular occlusions suggests embolism. Using the present cases together with prior observations, some transient vascular occlusions can be diagnosed by finding an increase in relative radioisotopic flow to the involved hemisphere within a few days to weeks of the infarction. This finding should launch a search for a possible embolic source.


Increased platelet aggregates in patients with transient ischemic attacks.

In order to evaluate the pathogenetic importance of platelet aggregates in cerebrovascular disease, a platelet count ratio method was used to study 66 patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Thirty normal subjects and 22 patients without thromboembolic disorders were also included as controls. The mean platelet aggregate ratio of the TIA group was 0.75 +/- 0.03 SEM which was significantly lower than that of normal subjects (0.90 +/- 0.02) or patients controls (0.88 +/- 0.01) (P less than 0.01). Seventeen patients with TIA were then treated with aspirin (1,200 mg) and dipyridamole (200 mg) daily. The platelet aggregate ratios were normalized in 13 patients. Of four patients who did not respond to this regimen, one did respond to sulfinpyrazone. When sulfinpyrazone was discontinued, recurrence of symptoms was preceded by an increase in platelet aggregates. These findings suggest that platelet aggregates may play an important role in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular insufficiency. The determination of platelet aggregates appears useful in selecting patients for antiplatelet therapy.


Transient global amnesia associated with cardiac arrhythmia and digitalis intoxication.

A 54-year-old woman with transient global amnesia (TGA) was found to have digitalis-induced bradyarrhythmia with atrioventricular dissociation. The amnesia cleared only upon resolution of the arrhythmia. Cardiac arrhythmia has been postulated as a cause, but TGA in the setting of cardiac arrhythmia has not been documented previously. Cardiac arrhythmia should be excluded in patients with TGA, and TGA, a syndrome diagnosed on clinical grounds alone, must be recognized as one possible manifestation of treatable, potentially serious cardiac or cerebrovascular disease.


Localization of apo-lipoproteins in human carotid artery plaques.

Apoproteins from plasma lipoproteins were localized by immunofluorescence techniques in human carotid artery atherosclerotic lesions. These studies were performed in light of the possible importance of these apoproteins in both lipid metabolism and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. ApoA-I from high density lipoproteins, apoB from low density lipoproteins, and apoC-III from very low density lipoproteins were localized also as markers for their respective lipoproteins, since the latter cross-react immunologically. The three apoproteins were localized to the same regions of lesions as neutral lipids and, to some extent, fibrinogen. These regions consisted of bands of collagen fibers, usually deeper within the lesion, and the lipid core or atheroma of such advanced lesions. Although the superposition of localization for the three apoproteins and lipid was only 53%, it was suggested that deviation from complete superposition was due to the abrupt changes in lesion structure resulting from the focal nature of the atherosclerotic process. These results suggest that there is a broader specificity than previously implied of the interaction between such lesion components as connective tissue and extracellular lipid accumulations, and apoproteins from plasma lipoproteins. This interaction is believed to result in a net retention within atherosclerotic lesions of human extracranial arteries of these plasma-derived factors, either as free apoproteins or as native lipoproteins.


Patterns of cerebrovascular disease in Japanese and other population groups in Hawaii: an angiographical study.

Angiograms of the carotid system were analyzed for incidence and type of intracranial and extracranial lesions in 296 patients with a final diagnosis of non-hemorrhagic stroke. These patients represent all the major ethnic groups in Hawaii. A significant difference was found between the ratio of frequency of involvement of the extracranial and intracranial vessels in Caucasian and that in the Hawaiian-born Japanese populations, similar to that reported by others in native Japanese. The Filipino, Chinese, Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian populations showed no such significant difference.


Sympathetic innervation of cerebral arteries: prejunctional supersensitivity to norepinephrine after sympathectomy or cocaine treatment.

The inactivation of the norepinephrine transmitter in the region of the adrenergic receptor is one important function of the sympathetic nerve terminals innervating blood vessels. This capacity was tested on isolated cat's middle cerebral artery (MCA) by recordings of the contractile response induced by norepinephrine at various stages after sympathectomy (excision of the superior cervical ganglion). Within three days after denervation, when fluorescence microscopy revealed a disappearance of neuronal norepinephrine in the vessel wall, there was a threefold increase in sensitivity of the test system which was not further enhanced at two weeks. This, and the finding of a similar amount of sensitization (of non-denervated vessels) to norepinephrine or tyramine after cocaine treatment, showed that a prejunctional type of sensitivity had developed. The sympathetic denervation did not influence the dose-response curve obtained with acetylcholine, supporting the specific nature of the supersensitivity reaction only to the sympathetic transmitter. Half a year after sympathectomy the sensitivity of the pial arteries to norepinephrine returned to control levels despite the absence of reinnervation, indicating that postjunctional changes also occurred. The findings offer further evidence for a functional role of the sympathetic nerves supplying intracranial arteries and show that the mode of innervation resembles that found in peripheral vessels.


Prognosis and quality of survival in a hospitalized stroke population from the south.

Likelihood and quality of survival were assessed for patients (79% blacks) consecutively admitted to a southern teaching hospital stroke unit. The functional condition of 260 patients in eight categories of cerebrovascular disease was determined at discharge and three years later. Cumulative probability of five-year survival was calculated for 400 patients and compared to the population at large. Clinical variables were related to the prognosis in 155 patients with anterior circulation infarction. Mortality during hospitalization varied from 8% to 52%. More than half of the patients in most diagnostic groups died within three years of their stroke. Only 22% of patients with anterior circulation infarcts were fully ambulatory three years later. Prognosis worsened markedly with age and known pre-existing hypertension, and survival was decreased in blacks and in men. Overall five-year survival probability for all stroke patients discharged alive was 49%. Survival was similar in patients discharged ambulatory with or without aid, but poor in patients not ambulatory at discharge. Less than half as many individuals in the anterior circulation infarct group survived five years than did in the general population. The prognosis for blacks was even somewhat worse when compared to the black population at large.


Naturally occurring immunosuppressive agents. I. The presence in normal pig liver of a factor possessing immunosuppressive properties with respect to pig lymphoid cells in vitro.

Saline cell-free extracts of normal pig liver, but not normal pig spleen, contain a noncytotoxic factor (or factors) capable of suppressing the blastogenic response of pig lymphocytes to stimulation with a number of plant mitogens: phytohemagglutinin, pokeweed, and concanavalin A. This reaction is generally considered to be a reflection of the capacity of the cell to participate in an immune reaction. Normal pig serum does not display inhibitory activity. The liver extract must be in contact with the lymphocytes for at least the final 48 hr of the 72-hr culture period in order to suppress the blastogenic response. Whether this active constituent in normal pig liver extract is an immunosuppressive agent in vivo remains to be determined.


Papin-solubilized Ag-B antigens. II. Characterization of small sized Ag-B molecules.

Papain solubilization of rat Ag-B histocompatibility antigens produces Ag-B molecules of about 59,000 daltons which have been shown to contain two fragments bound noncovalently: one fragment about 37,000 daltons carrying Ag-B allospecificity, and another about 11,000 daltons, an apparent rat homologue of human beta2-microglobulin. Beside the 59,000-dalton Ag-B molecules, papain digests of liver cell membranes of ACI strain rats were found to contain Ag-B molecules of about 25,000 and 35,000 daltons. These smaller Ag-B molecules carried Ag-B private specificity of the rat strain (i.e., Ag-B4), as did the 59,000-dalton Ag-B molecules, and accounted for 40% of the solubilized Ag-B alloantigenic activity. The smaller Ag-B molecules were tested for the antigenic specificities that are characteristic of each of the two fragments of the 59,000-dalton molecules and detected by rabbit antiserum against rat cell membranes. The 35,000-dalton Ag-B molecules were found to contain the Ag-B 11,000-dalton fragment (i.e., rat beta2-microglobulin homologue) and to differ from the 59,000-dalton Ag-B molecules only in absence of a part of the 37,000-dalton fragment portion. The 25,000-dalton Ag-B molecules did not contain the rat beta2-microglobulin homologue and contained only a single component that is similar to the alloantigenic fragment portion of the 35,000-dalton Ag-B molecules. Similar 25,000-dalton Ag-B molecules (carrying Ag-B1 private specificity) of a single component were found in Fischer rat material. They accounted for 10% of the solubilized Ag-B alloantigenic activity.


Cerebrovascular disease in Uganda.

Cerebrovascular disease in Uganda is probably as common as in developed countries. However, the aetiology is very different. Predisposing factors such as hypertension and systemic embolization from an intracardiac source are common, whereas atherosclerotic vascular disease is not. The relative frequency of these factors and the incidence of the various types of cerebrovascular accident differ in the present autopsy series from two previously published clinical series from Africa. The reasons for this are discussed. Luetic vascular disease, a common aetiological factor in earlier series, is now rare.


A local outbreak of paralytic rabies in Surinam children.

A rapidly fatal encephalomyelitis, which was in most cases characterized by ascending paralysis, developed in seven children of the age of 3 to 10 years in a bushnegro village in the interior of Surinam. Rabies virus was recovered from the central nervous system of three autopsied children. Although the source of infection has not been detected, there is an indication that, at least in some cases, the disease has been transmitted by rat-bite rather than by vampire bats. During the same period a few cases of minor febrile illness occurred in the same community. Since virological and serological evidence of a wide-spread distribution of Coxsackie A virus type 4 was obtained, the latter illness may presumably be attributed to this virus.


Clinical observations of scrub typhus on Penghu (the Pescadores Islands).

Between May and September 1973, 68 cases of scrub typhus in Chinese military personnel on the Pescadores Islands were studied. The common symptoms and signs were fever, chills, headache, eschar, myalgia, and lymph node enlargement. Most eschars were located in the axilla, waist, groin and genitals, and neck. These lesions were painless and not noticed by the patients themselves. Regional lymph node enlargement at the site of eschar drainage was common. Relative bradycardia with fever was observed in 40%, a skin rash in 35% of the patients. Leucopenia was noted more frequently in the febrile than in the convalescent stage, but more than half of the patients had a normal count. Lymphocytosis was prominent, especially during the convalescent period. An acceleration of ESR was noted. Instead of depression of the erythroid series in the marrow which was reported previously, 47% of examined patients were found to have erythroid hyperplasia. Two patients showed marked hypocellularity of the marrow in the acute febrile stage; later on became normocellular. Albuminuria was present in 15 and BUN increased in 12 patients. Elevation of serum bilirubin and SGOT was also noted. Biologic false positive VDRL tests were observed in nine patients. In 30 tests elevation of Proteus OX-K titres between 1:160 and 1:640 was noted. A geometric mean OX-K titre rise in the patients is presented; the mean titre reached a peak in the third week of illness, and then fell off. Most of the patients were treated with tetracycline 500 mg every six hours for about nine days. The fever usually subsided within 36 hours. Complications or mortality were not encountered.


Epidemic pleurodynia (Bornholm disease) outbreak in Singapore. A clinical and virological study.

In 1974, an outbreak of Bornholm disease occurred in Singapore. The period 1st May to 31st July was delineated for study. From the clinical presentation 53 patients were placed into two categories "typical Bornholm disease" and "atypical Bornholm disease". The clinical features of only those in the "typical Bornholm disease" group including those with positive Coxsackie B3 virus isolation were described. The virological studies, both faecal isolation for virus and serology were correlated with clinical diagnosis. Fever and characteristic abdominal or chest pain appear to be constant features of Bornholm disease. Positive faecal virus isolation are significantly high in the "typical Bornholm disease" group. Bornholm disease could be diagnosed clinically with fair accuracy. The importance of diagnosing Bornholm disease is emphasized.


Serological evidence for syphilis in different population groups in Rwanda.

The prevalence of serological syphilis, based on qualitative VDRL slide test was studied in different population groups in Rwanda. A positive VDRL was found in 0.7% of female students of a social school, in 2.2% of male and female premarital consultants, in 3.2% of prenatal consultants, in 6.5% of soldiers, and in 27.9% of prostitutes. As the first groups were not exposed to venereal disease, VDRL reactivity due to biological false positive reaction or to yaws antecedents is estimated at 0.5 to 2%. Accordingly, VDRL reactivity due to syphilis is estimated at 1 to 2% in prenatal consultants, 5 to 6% in soldiers and 25 to 26% in prostitutes. It is concluded that syphilis is not yet an important public health problem except in certain promiscuous population groups in towns, as soldiers, migrant workers and prostitutes.


The topographic distribution of Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale in the human intestine.

During an investigation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 28 human intestinal tracts were systematically inspected on the presence of hookworms. In total, 643 hookworms (508 Necator americanus and 135 Ancylostoma duodenale) were isolated from 19 intestinal tracts. The localization of these hookworms was determined. N. americanus worms were concentrated in the duodenum and jejunum, whereas A. duodenale worms rather prefer the jejunum and proximal ileum. Some preference of hookworms for the antimesenteric site of the intestinal wall was found. The relative distance between adjoining worms in the observed hookworm populations was 3.8 cm on the average for Necator and 5.5 cm for Ancylostoma. The distribution of the sexes in the worm-population revealed no monosexual or bisexual prevalence of the hookworms.


Australia antigen (HB Ag) in genitourinary secretions of Nigerians.

HB Ag was determined in blood and urogenital fluids of Nigerians attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. The antigen was found in 10 (5.43%) of 184 blood samples and in two of 72 urine samples. 189 samples of seminal fluid and vaginal secretions were negative. The antigenemia was similar to that reported in blood donors. The low frequency of the HB Ag in genito-urinary secretions may be due to intermittent excretion. Sexual intercourse may not be an important route of transmission in Nigeria.


Dietary intakes and food taboos of lactating women in a South Indian community.

The diets of women, studied at regular intervals in the first year of lactation, showed that food taboos adversely affected the daily intake of energy, protein and some nutrients in the first month. Despite the poor intakes, the women breastfed their babies successfully and the weight gained by the babies in the early months was satisfactory. Breast feeding continued until the next pregnancy. Most women believed lactation prevented conception.


Cow's urine poisoning in Nigeria. Experimental observations in mice.

The method of preparation and administration of "cow's urine" and the signs and symptoms of cow's urine poisoning have been described. Experimental investigations were carried out in mice to assess the toxicity ot this concoction. Effect of the preparation was compared with that of pure nicotine. The effect of each component used in preparing the concoction was also tested. Results of the experiments show that both "cow's urine" and nicotine cause excitement in low doses and cause convulsion and/or death in higher doses. Both also depress respiration. The role of "cow's urine" toxicity following administration to patients with convulsion and the possible aetiology of the neurological sequelae of "cow's urine" poisoning are discussed.


Acute intermittent porphyria in Africans. A report of two cases.

The cases of two Nigerians with acute intermittent porphyria are reported. They both had severe hyponatraemia and are the first patients to show serum electrolyte disturbances in documented cases of Nigerians with the disease. The clinical picture did not differ from that described in temperate countries. The rarity of this disease in Africans might be more apparent than real and we believe that a high index of awareness will bring more cases to light.


Vibrio parahaemolyticus as a cause of gastroenteritis in Indonesia.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from rectal swabs in two cases of acute gastroenteritis from different districts of Jakarta.


Traditional medical practitioners among the Bambara of Mali and their role in the modern health care delivery system.

The Bambara of Mali, who are sedentary agriculturists, number about two million and are the most important ethnic group in the country. They are gradually being Islamized, but retain many animist beliefs. Their traditional medical care system possesses a heterogenous group of practitioners who have either an animist or an Islamic culture reference. The traditional medical care system of the Bambara was studied and an evaluation of the quality of its practitioners made on the basis of a survey conducted in 128 villages over an eight-year period. During the study, patients, traditional practitioners and modern health workers were interviewed and their attitudes towards one another recorded and analyzed. Certain categories of traditional practitioners have a definite constructive role to play in a modern health care delivery system. Others, however, have had a long history and high incidence of charlatanism. Legitimatization of these categories and their incorporation into the modern health care system is not recommended.


[Light microscopic and electron microscopic study of the cells of tissue cultures irradiated with a neodymium laser].

Damage of tissue culture cells (Hela, a human amnion, a primary rat liver culture) caused by the neodymium laser radiation was studied by time-lapse phase-contrast microfilming and electron microscopy. The tested cultures were shown to display different sensitivity and the degree of cell alteration within the same cultures varied considerably. A physical mechanism of cell damage is probably of thermal and shock-wave nature.


[Relationship of the frequency of acrocentric chromosome associations and the immune response in children primarily vaccinated against smallpox].

The frequency of acrocentric chromosomes associations in the lymphocytes of periferal blood decreased on the 7th and 30th day after vaccination. The rate of the decrease was in direct dependence on the intensity of the immunological response, that probably was due to shortening the length of the interphase of the lymphocytes induced for immunopoiesis. Frequency of the acrocentric chromosomes associations did not differ from the control level 6 months after vaccination.


[Ultrastructure of the "dark" hepatocytes under physiologically normal conditions and in toxic lesion of the liver (a morphometric study)].

Quanity and structural organization of the "dark" hepatocytes are different depending on the functional state of the liver. Therefore, functional estimation of the liver state with a changed number of "dark" hepatocytes demands detection of factors determining the changes in their organization and quantity in the organ.


[Action of Co60 gamma radiation on the nucleic acid concentration and ribonuclease activity in the splenic tissues of inbred and hybrid mice].

The spleen tissue radiation injury expressed in the organ weight loss, nucleic acid concentration decrease and ribonuclease activity increase was observed to a greater extent in mice of the AKR line and to a less extent in those of C57BL line; C57BL X AKR hybrids occupied an intermediate position. It shows that animal radiosensitivity is probably determined by the genotype.


[Proliferative characteristics of the endothelial cells and pericytes from the capillary vessels of rabbit bone marrow].

The high labelling index with the low mitotic activity of pericytes as well as an interdependent change in labelling indexs and labelling intensity in endothelial cells and pericytes for 72 hours of the experiment permit pericytes to be regarded as a proliferating cell reserve for the vessels proper and, probably, for the topographically adjacent histogeneses, myeloid and osseous.


[Study of the chromosomes in the bone marrow cells of mice inoculated subsequently with various vaccines].

Studies in the effect of a complex of inoculating preparations (poliovaccine, APDD-vaccine, smallpox vaccine, measles vaccine) on dividing cells of bone marrow in mice in line CC57Br showed that a reduction of the interval between introduction of vaccines different in the antigenic respect from 14 days to 4 days results in an increase in frequency of structural chromosomal aberrations 1-2 months after the whole course of inoculations.


An obstetric test for resolution by ultrasonic echoscopes.

Very small fetal intervertebral and intercostal distances can be measured in B-mode echograms. Such measurements provide a physiological test object which is freely available and devoid of artefact for assessing resolution by ultrasonic echoscopes. Intercostal distances of 2mm have been measured.


Electromyographic study of muscular activity in the amputation stump while walking with PTB- and PTB-suction prosthesis.

A comparative electromyographic study of the muscular activity while waling with PTB and PTB-suction prosthesis is presented. The PTB-suction prosthesis has been used clinically since 1969 with generally promising results. This prosthesis is mainly of value for patients with skin problems (poor sensibility and contact sores) and also has a cosmetic advantage. The present investigation has demonstrated that there is frequently a muscular activity pattern when walking with the PTB-suction prosthesis which is similar to that of a normal leg. The PTB prosthesis often shows a pattern of simultaneous contractions of antagonistic muscles. Furthermore, when the EMG-pattern is more "normal" and the amplitude higher with the PTB-suction prosthesis, it is probably the more suitable prosthesis. These EMG investigations can thus be a possible adjunct in the selection between the PTB-suction prosthesis and PTB prosthesis.


Mode of spontaneous onset and termination of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.

ECG tracings from 16 patients with spontaneous onset and/or termination of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTA) were studied. Of these recordings, 13 were made with a special technique which gives a high resolution of the atrial waves. At the onset of SVTA, the first atrial wave invariably had an aberrant configuration. The coupling index (coupling interval (P-1P) preceding cycle length) was 0.05 or less in 9 of 16 cases but more than 0.60 in 4 cases. In the 5 cases of onset of atrial fibrillation, the intervals between the first few atrial waves corresponded to a frequency of 300-350 per minute. Acceleration of the atrial activity occurred within the first 30 seconds. At the termination of SVTA, no successive modification of the atrial activity was found. The termination often did not occur at or shortly after a QRS complex. It is concluded that a premature atrial beat--even a single one--with a short coupling interval may well intiate a circus-movement SVTA, while an ectopic atrial beat with a long coupling interval apparently must be followed by repeated rapid discharges from the ectopic focus in order for SVTA to ensue. The functional conditions of the atria may then determine which kind of SVTA eventually results.


High-resolution arteriography of the major peripheral vessels.

In experimental studies using a 0.1 mm focal sport tube, rare-eath screens, Cornex 4 film and diluted contrast agent (120 mgI/ml), 6Xmagnification detail in the walls of major arteries that could not be identified with standard radiography or 3Xmagnification. The method is applicable to studies of arteriosclerotic changes in the wall of the femoral artery in patients.


Results of partial thyroidectomy for thyrotoxicosis.

In a retrospective study, two series of surgically treated patients with thyrotoxicosis were compared. The series differed with respect to preoperative treatment and operative techniquue. In one series a combined preoperative treatment with an antithyroid drug and 1-thyroxine was given and the recurrent nerves and parathyroid glands were routinely identified. In the other series no such operative routine was followed and iodine was given preoperatively. The complication rate was low in both series. There was no postoperative mortality. The existing differences, although subtle, in the frequency of recurrent nerve paralysis, postoperative hypoparathyroidism or hypothyroidism, as well as recurrent toxicosis, favoured the surgical approach with the combined preoperative treatment and a meticulous technique with identification of recurrent nerves and parathyroid glands.


Sodium secretion as part of the formation of gastric juice.

Experiments with Heidenhain pouch dogs showed the well known high sodium concentrations at low secretion rates and low sodium concentrations at high ones after stimulation with a continuous intravenous injection of histamine. It was previously thought that the primary secretion did not contain any sodium, but that all the sodium present in the gastric juice appeared as a result of diffusion. A more detailed analysis of the experimental data showed, however, that there is in fact sodium present also in the primary juice in the small concentration of 3-5 mEq/l. The origin of the secreting volume containing this concentration of sodium is unknown.


Ultramicroanalysis of metals by means of an integrating atomic absorption spectrometer and a carbon filament atom reservoir.

A fast reacting atomic absorption spectrometer in combination with a carbon filament atom reservoir was used for ultramicroanalysis of calcium and magnesium. The analysis of 1 X 10(-12) mole of magnesium gave a variation of coefficient of +/-3% and analysis of 2 X 10(-11) mole of calcium gave one of +/-5%. The effect of adding various common biological substances to the samples in great excess was tested. No interference could be observed.


Effects of carotid artery injections of some roentgen contrast agents on the EEG in the unanesthetized dog.

The effects of carotid artery injections of some roentgen contrast agents on the EEG have been studied in unanesthetised dogs. The results support earlier clinical studies that the new contrast agent Ph DZ59B is suitable in carotid arteriography.


Acid-base status in dogs during long term anaesthesia.

The acid-base status in dogs anaesthetized with chloralose or combinations of chloralose and barbiturates was studied. No surgical procedures were used to elucidate whether the anesthesia per se changes in the acid-base status. Irrespective of the anaesthetic used, a progressive metabolic acidosis developed after 2-3 hours. This progressed for several hours despite normal arterial blood pressure and pulse rate. A theoretical model, based on the results, is presented. Even the induction of anesthesia caused an impairment of the peripheral circulation. This impairment, in combination with rising body temperature, might be strong enough to cause a detectable metabolic acidosis. It is concluded that, as compared with blood pressure and pulse rate, the acid-base status of the blood is a reliable and early sign of the impairment of circulation during anesthesia.


Amyloid of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid; partial characterization.

Amyloid was isolated from lymph node metastases of a medullary thyroid carcinoma. SDS electrophoresis and gel filtration revealed a major subunit protein of MW less than 10 000. This subunit was capable of forming fibrils when dialysed in a solution against water. The amino acid composition of the subunit differed unequivocally from that of calcitonin. The amyloid also differed from systemic amyloids, since it did not form a top layer when homogenized and, further, did not seem to contain significant amounts of tryptophane. Since the amyloid of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid showed definite similarities to islet amyloid it is concluded that these two amyloids form a special class.


Cutaneous reactions of alloxan diabetic rats to local thermal trauma.

Thermal injury was induced on the external ears of nondiabetic and untreated alloxan diabetic rats of various ages. The skin reaction (erythema and necrosis) was assessed by naked eye inspection, 1, 7, 14 and 21 days after injury. Erythema was found to be more intense in young than in old controls after 1 and 7 days. The late erythematous reaction was more pronounced in short-term diabetic animals than in controls of the same age, indicating that the diabetic metabolic derangement per se alters the reaction. In addition, long-term diabetic rats had a markedly increased skin redness after 1, 7, 14 and 21 days when compared with controls of the same age. Thus, long-term diabetes enhances the erythematous reaction. As to the extent of necrosis, there was no significant differences between the experimental groups. There was, however, a tendency for an increased amount in the long-term when compared with the short-term diabetic rats.


Primary obstructive megaureter in children.

Sixty-five cases of primary obstructive megaureter were retrospectively evaluated. The clinicoradiologic features of the abnormality are characteristic; however, a complete urologic workup is necessary to exclude the more common causes of ureteral dilatation. Treatment must be planned according to status of renal and ureteral functions. Surgical excision of the obstructive segment, reduction of ureteral caliber when indicated, and reimplantation achieved the best results in this series. A brief period of nephrostomy drainage prior to surgical remodeling of the lower ureter can be useful in selected cases. Conservative treatment of children with relatively few symptoms and slight ureteral dilatation is worthwhile.


Percutaneous nephrostomy: techniques, indications, and results.

During the past six years at our institution, percutaneous nephrostomy has been utilized for temporary diversion of the upper urinary tract in 33 patients and 42 individual kidneys. Two techniques are described, one of which has been developed recently by one of us (A.R.G.). Indications and results, including complications, are discussed. In our experience this procedure has been found to be safe and highly useful in the management of selected patients who have unilateral or bilateral urinary tract obstruction from a variety of reasons.


Indications for combined psoas-bladder hitch procedure with Boari vesical flap.

The combination of two operative methods ordinarily used for correction of injury to the pelvic portion of the ureter, the psoas-bladder hitch procedure and the Boari vesical flap, allows repair of injuries of the middle third of the ureter. The proximal third of the ureter becomes easily accessible for reimplantation in the tunneled Boari flap, provided the mobilized and extraperitonealized bladder is fashioned into a sausage-like extension toward the psoas muscle. Possibilities for a longer Boari flap exist provided the bladder is of normal capacity and one adheres strictly to the recommended technique for fashioning a bladder flap, using a long oblique segment of the anterior bladder wall.


Diagnostic value of 99mTc in scrotal scan.

The radioisotope 99mTc scans reflect the vascular flow to the testis. As a result the scan shows a distinct cold pattern when arterial profusion is compromised and a hot pattern when blood supply to the organ is increased. This is the basis for use of the technetium scrotal scan to differentiate between testicular torsion and other conditions simulating it. It can also be used to follow vascular flow in the testis after orchiopexy. To date there has been no erroneous result in this study. Although this is a new diagnostic technique and experience is still limited, it does show promise as an adjunctive tool when the differential diagnosis of testicular torsion and conditions simulating torsion is not readily apparent. Findings in other lesions of the scrotum are discussed.


Epidemiologic association between Gonorrhea and prostatic carcinoma.

The curves for death rates from prostatic cancer and gonorrhea incidence rates in Denmark, over a span of thirty years, matched well with a lag period of forty-five years. Moreover, a retrospective study conducted in the United States involving 75 cancer patients and 75 age-matched controls demonstrated a statistically significant association between gonorrheal infection and subsequent development of prostatic carcinoma. Two postulates are presented: the viral-venereal and the chronic infection theories. The recent increase in incidence of prostatic cancer in the United States could be the beginning of an epidemic in which astronomically high rates may be reached.


Replacement of tunica albuginea of corpus cavernosum penis using human dura. Experimental study on dogs.

The tunica albuginea of corpus cavernosum penis was excised and replaced with human dura in experiments on 11 dogs. The surface of the implant epithelialized within three weeks, and later the implant was replaced by autologous tissue with no scarring and shrinkage. After resection of placques in Peyronie's disease the tunica albuginea can be replaced with specially treated human dura.


The gravity suit: a useful device in complicated urologic hemorrhage.

External counterpressure with a gravity suit was used to control intractable postoperative bleeding in 4 urologic patients. Two patients had coagulation defects, and 2 had been unsuccessfully reexplored prior to application of the G-suit. The bleeding was controlled with preservation and restoration of vital signs in each case. In 3 cases external counterpressure may have been lifesaving.


Postpuberal castration and prostatic carcinoma.

The occurrence of prostatic carcinoma after postpuberal castration is rather unique since only one other case has been reported. However, there was no lack of androgens in the patient in this report, because the testicular ablation was compensated by nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex maintaining a normal plasma testosterone.


Urethral duplication, with associated agenesis of left kidney and right ureteral ectopia.

We report an unusual case of an accessory or duplicated urethra. This case is unique because of its association with multiple urologic anomalies which made management and diagnosis of this condition unusual. The unusual combination of right ectopic ureter and left renal and ureteral agenesis in association with the accessory urethra is presented, along with the diagnostic and surgical management particular to this case.


Traumatic renal artery thrombosis with acute malignant hypertension and hyperreninemia.

Renal arterial thrombosis from blunt trauma causes delayed hypertension in many patients, but few reports have been well documented. This first report of immediate onset of malignant hypertension in a patient following blunt renal trauma, with documented histologic and renal vein renin data, stresses the pitfalls associated with the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.


Solitary intrarenal cyst: correctable cause of hypertension.

A patient with hypertension was found to have a solitary renal cyst in his right kidney. Peripheral plasma renin activity was elevated following furosemide challenge, and there was increased renal vein renin activity on the affected side with suppression of renin secretion from the contralateral kidney. Percutaneous aspiration of the cyst and injection of a sclerosing contrast medium was associated with a sustained decrease in blood pressure.


Prostatic carcinoma producing syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone.

The syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone was recognized in a sixty-year-old man with a poorly differentiated metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland. Elevated levels of antidiuretic hormone were found in the patient's serum and in the prostatic tumor but not in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient's clinical course is detailed, and the pathophysiology of this syndrome is discussed.


Retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma.

A case of a large retroperitoneal tumor in a previously asymptomatic twenty-two-year-old white female is presented. A review of the literature confirms the rarity of this tumor. Its histologic and embryologic derivation as well as its subtle and bizarre method of presentation are discussed. The cause of such lesions is debatable, but primary cure can be accomplished by meticulous excision of the lesion or marsupialization. This seldom seen neoplasm must enter into the differential diagnosis of all retroperitoneal masses.


Hypernephroma arising in wall of simple renal cyst.

An unusual case of hypernephroma arising from the wall of a simple renal cyst is presented. Despite prior controversy as to the existence of this entity continuity between normal and neoplastic cells lining the cyst wall was demonstrated thus confirming this lesion as a distinct entity. Furthermore, we wish to direct attention to the limitations of biochemical and cytologic analysis of renal cyst fluid in distinguishing benign and neoplastic lesions.


Obstruction of ureter by abnormal right spermatic vein.

The first reported case of an enlarged right spermatic vein with an atypical course causing hydronephrosis and hydroureter in a twenty-eight-year-old man is presented. Transection of the obstructing spermatic vein improved the hydronephrosis. Causes, symptoms, and treatment of obstruction of the ureter by enlarged gonadal veins are discussed. The similarities between the "ovarian vein syndrome" in the female and this case are pointed out.


Pickwickian syndrome, 20 years later.

The Pickwickian Syndrome stimulated new pathophysiological concepts in regard to control of ventilation. With the advent of sleep laboratories, the peculiar sleep apnea occurring in some of these patients has been explained on the basis of intermittent upper airway obstruction. Two patients with different manifestations of the Pickwickian Syndrome are presented. The suggestion is made that these two subsyndromes should have unique designations. The Auchincloss Syndrome is manifested by right heart failure and respiratory acidosis in obese patients who are alert and have no major abnormality of breathing pattern. The fundamental cause of this abnormality is the increased work of breathing caused by the obesity. The cost of breathing is so high that the ventilatory regulation is compromised and respiratory acidosis results. The Gastaut Syndrome is characterized principally by hypersomnia and sleep apnea. The fundamental defect is upper airway obstruction during sleep, resulting in increased work of breathing, which together with the increased work caused by obesity leads to respiratory acidosis and right ventricular failure. Hypersomnia, rather than heart failure or respiratory acidosis, is the major manifestation of this syndrome, and is the result of sleep loss.


Primary aldosteronism and malignant adrenocortical neoplasia.

Our experience indicates that although adrenal carcinoma is not a common cause of primary aldosteronism, 4 to 5% of patients in a single large series may have a malignant adrenocortical tumor. The magnitude of the hypokalemia and the hyperaldosteronuria tends to be greater in patients with malignant tumors, but these patients cannot be clearly separated from those with benign tumors or hyperplasia on this basis. Patients who have malignant tumors may have no chemical evidence of adrenocortical dysfunction other than excessive aldosterone secretion. Finally, a good response to spironolactone for months does not exclude adrenal carcinoma as the cause of primary aldosteronism.


The nature of endotoxin tolerance.

Certain of the mechanisms by which man develops pyrogenic tolerance to bacterial endotoxins have been considered. After an initial intravenous injection of toxin, two temporally distinct phases of tolerance can be discerned, early and late, each with very different characteristics. Early tolerance appears to be mediated by a non-antibody mechanism entailing a transiently occurring refractory state, apparently involving to a major degree decreased production of endogenous pyrogen by the macrophage system, particularly the hepatic macrophages. Late tolerance appears to be mediated by anti-endotoxin antibodies directed against both "O" and common core antigens which blunt the release of endogenous pyrogen from macrophages. The common core antigens are masked in the presence of the "O" antigenic side chains and become effective immunogens only when these "O" side chains are lacking. Accelerated reticuloendothelial system clearance of circulating endotoxin provides an ancillary protective mechanism in that it brings the toxin more efficiently into the macrophages that are refractory or protected by antibody. When endotoxin is administered repeatedly at closely spaced intervals, both the early phase (non-immune) and late phase (immune) mechanisms may become superimposed. In addition, a third mechanisms, enhanced detoxification capabilities of macrophages, also now appears to come into play. At any given time, it is the relative contribution of each mechanism, which in turn is dependent upon the immunization schedule, antigenicity of the endotoxin, dosage, and immunological competency of the host, that determines the expression of the endotoxin tolerant state.


Spontaneous uterine rupture in cattle; a review of 26 cases.

The clinical features of uterine rupture in 26 cows are reviewed. In 12 animals, the foetus was still mainly or entirely within the uterus but in the remaining 14 it was displaced into the peritoneal cavity. Apparent predisposing causes suggest that the condition is usually secondary to some other form of dystocia.


Age detection by radiography in Hereford cross Friesian steers.

The mandibles of 78 Hereford cross Friesian steers all showing a full complement of temporary teeth were examined both visually and by radiography to determine whether it was possible to differentiate their various ages. All but one animal were slaughtered at the same weight (1020 lb-464 kg) and their ages at slaughter ranged from 1 year 3 months to 1 year 9 months. Differences were found between the mean ages for stages of resorption of the first temporary incisor roots, stages of first permanent incisor root formation and stages of second incisor crown formation, as determined by radiographic inspection. The results indicated that the age of a group of animals could be defined, but the age range within each development stage meant that it was not possible to define the age of individual cattle.


Anthrax in England and Wales 1963-1972.

The records of confirmed anthrax diagnoses held by the bacteriology department of the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, for the years 1963 to 1972 inclusive, were analysed. During this decade, 86 per cent of the 2944 deaths recorded were in cattle and 11 per cent in pigs, correlating significantly with the cattle and pig populations in England and Wales during this period. Also, the country could be separated into high and low prevalence counties for cattle anthrax. Norfolk and Somerset had higher than usual cattle deaths per farm ratios and the reasons for this are explored.


Observations on experimental perineal exteriorisation of the bovine urinary bladder.

A new technique for perineal exteriorisation of the urinary bladder was evolved and successfully performed in 15 buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis). Its merits are maximum visibility of the bladder for cystorrhaphy and easy digital accessibility to the bladder neck. An indwelling urethral catheter made of polyvinyl chloride tubing with an improvised wire stilette was well tolerated for up to 20 days.


Investigation of suspected cases of mycotoxicosis in farm animals in Britain.

Mycotoxins were detected in 13 out of 131 feed samples examined over two years. Screening of feeds associated with cases of suspected mycotoxicosis occurring in farm animals over a further 12 month period showed that most incidents occurred during the winter and involved mainly cattle and pigs fed concentrates. A haemorrhagic syndrome in cattle and abortions in sows were most frequently connected with mouldy food. One or more known toxins (the aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, sterigmatocystin and zearalenone) were detected in three out of 65 cases and a wide variety of fungi were isolated. Toxicity to experimental animals was demonstrated in four out of 22 samples.


[Activity of several serum enzymes in swine with acute plague].

Nonvaccinated pigs were infected with a pathogenic virus of swine fever in order to follow up the changes with some enzymes in their blood serum. It was found that there is a dependable rise in the values of the blood serum GOT (2.6.1. 1.) - From about 38 to approximately 108 mU per cu. cm; GPT (2. 6; 1.2.;-From about 12 up to 66 mU/cu. cm; LAP (3. 4. 1. 1)-from about 13 to 27 mU/cu. cm; and ALD (4. 1; 2. 7.) - from about 6 up to 19 mU/cu. cm. These changes were noticed as early as the 48th hour of infection, prior to the manifestation of the clinical symptoms of swine fever. They remained stable up to the end of the infection process. The activity of LDH (1. 1. 2. 7.) and amylase (3. 2. 1.1 .) was said to rise (not dependable statistically), and that of cholinesterase (3. 1 1. 8) - to drop gradually with the development of the infection process. The two phosphomonoesterases (3. 1. 3. 1 and 3. 1. 3. 2.) showed no essential changes. The changes taking place in the activity of these enzymes did not depend on the extent of the hemorrhagic diathesis characteristic of swine fever. So, this test, which has been unknown so far, is referred to as a characteristic paraclinical symptom of swine fever.


[Immunoelectrophoretic studies in Marek's disease].

Immunoelectrophoretic studies were carried out with the sera obtained from 10 chickens affected with acute Marek's disease. The diagnosis was confirmed clinically, morphologically, and via the embryonic test of von Bulow. The blood sera of ten normal hens served as controls. Results showed that in the sera of the diseased chickens there were changes in the protein spectrum, whereas the alfa and gamma-globulin fractions were divided into three subfractions. The exhaustion of the diseased sera with hyperimmune sera against sera of normal chickens revealed characteristic alfa2-globulins. The results obtained were confirmed with the active anaphylaxis in guinea-pigs.


[Passive immunity in calves born of cows that have recovered from foot-and-mouth disease or been vaccinated against it].

It has been found that the antibody titers in the case of passive immunity in calves from cows that have recovered from foot-and-mouth disease or have been vaccinated against it rise immediately following the intake of colostrum. They have been found to reach a peak level, displaying maximal values for a long period of time. Later on the antibody titers decline gradually. Specific antibodies have also been demonstrated at the age of more than two months following birth. Higher values of passive immunity have been established in calves from survivals and from cows that have been vaccinated twice and this is explained by the presence of a higher content of foot-and-mouth disease antibodies in the dams. The importance of passive immunity for the prevention of the disease in growing animals is discussed.


[Changes in the quantity of aldehydes, peroxides, the iodine and saponification number in bovine and swine fats following irradiation with gamma-rays].

The studies were carried out during the process of storing fats obtained from cattle and pigs under refrigeration conditions at plus and minus temperatures. The production of peroxides and epihydrinaldehyde in the fats after irradiation and during storage depended on the presence of oxygen, the rate of treatment, the temperature, and the period of storage. The intensity of production of peroxides and epihydrinaldehyde in the bovine fats was higher than in swine fats. Gamma-treatment at 2.00 Mrad had no effect on the changes of the iodine number and the index of saponification.


[Biochemical changes in the blood of geese infected with Borrelia anserina].

Studied were the changes in the values of some hematologic indices (hemoglobin, erythrocytes, leukocites) as well as the values of some biochemical (total protein and protein fractions, urea, total lipids, bilirubin, inorganic, phosphorus calcium) and enzyme factors (lactatedehydrogenase, alkaline and acid phosphatase, aldolase, amino transferrases, creatinephosphokinase) in geese prior to and after experimental infection of Borrelia anserina. It was found that in the peak stage of spirochetemia the content of hemoglobin, total lipids, and calcium, the percent of albumins and alfa-globulins, and the activity of the alkaline phosphatase in the blood decreased. The prealbumin fraction of the serum protein was completely reduced. The activity of the lactatedehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, amino transferrases, and aldolase showed higher values that were statistically significant, while the activity of the creatinephosphokinase rose to a slighter extent. The urea, bilirubin, inorganic phosphorus, and the alfa-, beta-, and gamma-globulins correlated positively with the course of the infection.


[Pathomorphologic changes in calves with ruminal acidosis for fattening].

Studied were the morphologic changes in the organs of 17 calves for fattening with massive acute and subacute acidosis of the rumen. The disease broke out as the result of an abrupt change in the regime of feeding and tending. The gross observations consisted of hemorrhagic and necrotic foci in the rumen, hemorrhages and hyperemia in the omasum and reticulum, and ulcera in the abomasum. Established was also enlargement of the lymph nodes in the forestomach as well as odemas in the liver and kidneys. Histologically, there were necrotic inflammation of the rumen, serous and fibrinous exudate, leukocyte infiltration, hyphae, thrombuses, and arteritis. The omasum and reticulum presented desquamation of the cutaneous mucosal membrane, and the abomasum--necrotic foci, edema, and leukocyte infiltrations. There was also hepatitis, and fatty infiltration of the kidneys and heart and an activation of the interstitium. Degenerative process and hyperemia were observed in the thyroid gland, and fatty infiltration--in the pancreas. The kidneys, the adrenal glands, and the liver had higher alkalinephosphatase activity.


[Extraction of fats from dry milk products].

Attempts were made to obtain fats from the following types of dry milk: Dry milk for children, Dry milk of full fat value, Biolakton, Vitalakt, and Bébé 1, employing methods of extraction making use of chloroform-methanol, mechanical churning, freezing of restored milk, as well as combinations of these. Good results were obtained with the variant using chloroform-methanol. Compared were the values obtained of the peroxide and thiobarbiturate numbers for fats derived by the various methods. Precised was the ratio between the milk powder the diluents for the optimal extraction of fats.


[Sensitivity of different cell cultures to 1-aminoadamantan].

Studies were carried out on the sensitivity of primary cell cultures of pig kidney (PK), pig thyroid gland (PTG), and chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) to the synthetic viral inhibitor 1-amino adamantane (1-AA). The 1-amino adamantane was shown to have no effect on the cell growth in the cultures of PK and PTG in a concentration of up to 50 micrograms per cu. cm, and the CEF culture in a concentration of up to 25 mcg/cu. cm. When the cultures were treated after the cellular monolayer had been formed a concentration of 50 mcg/cu. cm initiated no cytotoxic effects in PK and CEF cultures in the course of 6-days while in PTG there were no such effects for twelve days. The cytotoxic changes consisted in the appearance of rounded and swollen cells, vacuolization of the cytoplasm, and deformation of the nuclei.


[The epizootologic effectiveness of Deptavac-HVT vaccine against Marek's disease in growing parents].

Three experiments with a total of 15 855 test birds and 20,081 controls were carried out to study the epizootiologic effectiveness of the immunoprophylaxis of Marek's disease using Deptavac-HVT vaccine under productional conditions.


[Bacteriocinogenesis in cultures of salmonella isolated in Bulgaria. I. Type bacteriocins in several salmonellae].

A total of 1645 strains of Salmonella organisms isolated in Bulgaria were studied for the production of bactericins in the course of three years (1971-1973). The strains were isolated from farm and wild animals and birds, food products, environment, forage, human beings, poikilothermic animals, and insects. Seventy-two of them (4.37 per cent) proved bacteriocinogenic. The following types of bacteriocins were established: I+V, B+F+V, F+I+V, B+Y+V, E+F+Y+V, E+F+V, B+V, B+YmF.


Manganese intoxication.

We have reported two cases of chronic manganese poisoning. Case 1 followed exposure to manganese fumes in cutting and burning manganese steel. Case 2 resulted from exposure to dusts of manganese dioxide, an ingredient used in glazing of ceramics. There were initial difficulties in establishing the correct diagnosis. Prominent clinical features were severe and persistent chronic depressive psychosis (Case 1), transient acute brain syndrome (Case 2) and the presence of various extrapyramidal symptoms in both cases. Manganese intoxication has not previously been reported as occurring in California. With increasing use of the metal, the disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neurologic and psychiatric disease. Our observations were made in the period 1964 through 1968. Recently the prognosis of victims of manganese poisoning has been improved dramatically by the introduction of levodopa as a therapeutic agent.


Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase. An index of adrenergic function in hypertensive patients.

Previous attempts to assess sympathetic nervous system activity in patients with hypertension have used a variety of physiologic, pharmacologic and biochemical techniques. Results have been conflicting and confusing. Recently, the activity in plasma of the catecholamine synthesizing enzyme, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), has been proposed as an index of sympathetic nervous system activity. Studies of apparently healthy subjects show that high values (greater than 60 units per liter) for plasma DBH activity correlate with pronounced daily lability of blood pressure and frequent readings greater than 130/85 mm of mercury. Studies of patients referred for evaluation of established hypertension show significantly higher values for plasma DBH activity in patients with primary hypertension than in those with commonly recognized forms of secondary hypertension-that is, renovascular, renal parenchymal and adrenocortical. Therefore, the measurement of plasma DBH activity may be helpful in the study and differential diagnosis of hypertensive diseases. Measurement of DBH in plasma is inexpensive, reproducible and relatively easy to do.


The diagnostic pitfalls of subarachnoid hemorrhage from intracranial aneurysms.

The subtle manner in which subarachnoid hemorrhage frequently presents may delay appropriate treatment. The patient may deteriorate and die from aneurysmal rebleeding or from cerebral ischemia associated with vasospasm before the true nature of the disease is recognized. Five patients are described in whom subarachnoid hemorrhage was initially not recognized. Pitfalls in diagnosis are discussed, and an outline is presented for the evaluation of patients suspected of harboring ruptured intracranial aneurysms.


Ultrastructure of Lactobacillus fermentum during early and late growth phases and during thiamine deficiency.

Thin sections of exponentially growing and stationary-phase cells of L. fermentum from thiamine sufficient and thiamine deficient media were studied by electron microscopy. Compared to the exponential-phase cells the stationary-phase cells from both types of media had thicker cell walls and cross walls and fewer and smaller granules of storage material. Exponential-phase, thiamine deficient cells had rather thin cell walls and small mesosomes.


Different types of thermoconditional clear plaque-mutants and prophage induction by heat or cold of Serratia phage kappa.

Phage kappa of Seratia marcescens was treated with different mutagens to induce thermoconditional clear plaque-mutants. 176 mutants obtained were analysed by crosses and found to be located in clear plaque-region III. Two types resembling the mutants t2 and t1 of phage lambda were identified. Lysogens for the mutant 126 can be induced by heat and even by cold whereas they are scarcely inducible by uv. Nevertheless, a 126 prophage like a uv inducible ct 163 prophage can be sensitized to thermoinduction by short preirradiation if the cells are incubated for 30 to 45 min between uv exposure and heating. With ct 163 this time corresponds to the minimum extension of latent period after uv induction compared with infection at low moi. A mutant of clear plaque-region II, c154, shows an inverted thermoconditional behaviour forming clear plaques at 30 degrees C and turbid plaques due to lysogenization at 37 degrees C.


[Clinical and physiological aspects of transcutaneous oxygen measurements in perinatal medicine (author's transl)].

We report the technical premises, the physiological aspects in connection with calibration, handling, clinical reliability and applicability of the non-invasive Po2 method (tcPo2 technique). In particular we discuss the diagnostic possibilities in monitoring the newborn, for detecting hypoxemia, in monitoring mother and fetus during delivery and the relation of tcPo2 to other parameters usually recorded for monitoring patients.


[Prevention of premature birth with nylidrin and verapamil (author's transl)].

108 cases of threatened premature birth were treated with i.v. drip-infusion, followed by oral treatment with Dilatol and Isoptin. This was successful in 81% of cases. A birth-weight of over 2500 g was considered a positive result. In 14% of cases there were side effects. The results are compared with earlier investigations.


[Infants of low birth weight after deliveries, morbidity and mortality (author's transl)].

Morbidity and mortality of 908 immature births (newborn infants under 2501 g; still births with crown-heel lengths 35 cm plus) which occured at the University Clinic, Mannheim, Department of obstetrics and Gynecology between the years 1966 and 1971 were studied and compared with a random selection of 782 newborn infants with birth weights of at least 2500 g. From a total of 832 live born immatures, one quarter had an initial Apgar score of 1--7. 67% of these were under 1000 g, 22,07% had birth weights between 1501 and 2000 g and 12,72% between 2001 and 2500 g. Immediately post-partum 89,7% of these infants were placed in the hands of the pediatricans. Most common post-natal complications were icterus neonatorum, aspiration, asphyxia and congenital mal formation. Total mortality was 27,75%; 8,7% being still-births and 21,2% postnatal deaths; perinatal mortality was 26,98%. Mature groups 0,64% perinatal mortality was recorded. 90% of the immature infants died with in the first three days. On 30% of these cases, cause of death was unknown, 30% died from immaturity, approx. 16% from Apnoe and approx. 6% from cerebral hemorrhage. Premature breech deliveries carried a higher mortality rate as compared with deliveries from a normal cephalic presentation.


[About the estimation of fetal risk by evalution of the serum -- amniotic liqour -- ratio of HPL during the pregnancy (author's transl)].

Radioimmunoassay of human placental lactogen (HPL) is a valuable diagnostic tool for the early recognition of placental dysfunction. But, the rather wide normal range hampers HPL estimations to be used as a good prognostic tool. However, the simultaneous determination of HPL in maternal serum and in amniotic fluid allows a better diagnosis of the fetal well-being. Results of amniotic fluid HPL levels are expressed as percent of maternal serum levels. In this pilot study it was shown that this ratio of maternal serum HPL level to amniotic fluid level is below 10% in normal pregnancies. The ratio is between 10 to 20% in subjects where fetal distress was recorded, and dystrophic babies were observed. The value is above 20% in cases where intrauterine fetal deaths were found. This good correlation of the HPL ratio in maternal serum and amniotic fluid with the outcome of pregnancy offers a new means of using HPL estimation as prognostic tool.


[Significance of various oxytocin challenge tests in monitoring pregnant women at risk (author's transl)].

Three different oxytocin challenge tests were used for the anssessment of placentar function in pregnant women at risk: For the oxytocin test after Ray et al. Oxytocin was given in continuity with rising doses. In the two other tests Oxytocin was given intermittently with identical doses. The test described by Ray et al. Proved useful for predicting respiratory insufficiency of the placenta. The two other intermittent tests are, according to our investigations, less suitable as tests of placentar function because their significance is limited or non-existent. The continuous oxytocin challenge test takes more time (one hour on average). Essential for exact interpretation are a careful technique and surveillance of the patient throughout the test by trained personel. In our opinion the indications for the continous oxytocin challenge test are pregnancies at risk, where antepartum cardniotocography shows suspect or hard-to-interprete results (e.g. non-classifiables decelerations, loss of fluctuation, absence of Braxton-Hicks contractions) or when other monitoring techniques indicate placentar insufficiency (e.g. low oestriol excretion). The test is not suitable in placenta previaprevia, threatened premature birth and premature ruptur of the membranes. In contrast to other authors we cannot decide with certainly whether patients with a positive oxytocin challenge test should in every case be treated with Caesarean section [9]. This decision will depend not only on the result of the test but on the assessment of all parameters, mainly on the clinical picture. In any case delivery of patients with positive oxytocin challenge tests will have to be carried out under strict technical and biochemical supervision.


[The influence on the outcome of pregnancies of sociologic and medical changes during 1963--1972. II. Special section: prenatal dystrophy, diabetogenic fetal disease, the impact of previous miscarriages and twins (author's transl)].

Analysis of 16 486 obstetric and neonatal case histories of the years 1963--1972. 30.7% of all neonates of Austrian (A) mothers showed one or more signs of placentar insufficiency. Pronounced prenatal dystrophy (p.d.) occurs in similar numbers in women with or without EPH gestosis, but has other important causes as well. In p.d. excentric umbilical cord insertion is more common than in neonates without dystrophy (56.4 : 52.4). Very young mothers often have neonates with p.d. During the ten year period p.d. increased considerably until 1967. After that it decreased slightly but not to the numbers at the start. These changes in frequency apply to all maternal age groups equally. Pronounced and highgrade p.d. in foreign workers' (f.w.) children is significantly more common than with A mothers (p 0.0001). Cushing's syndrome as a symptom of fetal disease due to diabetes has become rarer by over 50% owing to more intensive preventive measures; at the same time still-births of those weighing 4000 g or more have disappeared. The frequency of Cushing's syndrome rises according to the age of the mother from 0.8% to 3.5%. In Austrian mothers the number of previous abortions has decreased during these 10 years, just as has the number of births. The chances of actual pregnancies are the worse the higher the number of previous abortions. In f.w. mothers previous artificial abortions are far more numerous, but the outcome of pregnancy does not deteriorate with an increase in previous abortions. In A mothers the effects of previous premature or still births are the same as after abortions but much more pronounced. The percentage of normal births following premature births has fallen somewhat in A mothers during the ten year period, also after one miscarriage from 86% to 71%, probably owing to effective prevention of late abortions. Of 173 pairs of twins the first-born was heavier than the second in 71 instances. It is confirmed that the second twin is still-born almost twice as often as the first-born and this in twins of whom the second is heavier than the first. 11% of individual twins weith more than 3000 g and 28% between 2501 and 3000 g. The heavier the twins the lower the average age of the mother (from 30.8 to 26.6). The mothers whose first twin weighs more than 2500 g, the second less, appear to be younger than those with an inverse ratio (27.6 : 30.7).


[Acrodermatitis enteropathica--a disturbance of zinc metabolism with zinc malabsorption (author's transl)].

The intestinal resorption of zinc using 65ZnCl2 was estimated in 3 patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica, 2 healthy controls, and 3 heterozygotes. After oral application of 65Zn the whole body activity was measured by a whole body counter for 34 days. The 65Zn resorption of the patients amounted to 16, 42 and 30% of the applied dose, whereas the resorption values of the heterozygotes and the controls were in the range of 58 and 77%. The elimination of 65Zn from the body amounted to about 0.7% of the applied dose with no difference between controls and patients with acrodermatitis enteropathica. Before therapy the serum-zinc levels of patients were markedly decreased. After oral application of high doses of zinc aspartate (2 times 400 mg/day) all clinical symptoms disappeared within a week. The results point at a causal connection between zinc and the pathogenesis of acrodermatitis enteropathica. Ultrastructural alterations of the Paneth cells of the intestines are also shown in this disease [12] as have also been seen in Paneth cells of zinc deficient rats [Beitr. Path. 145, 336 (1972)].


Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXXVIII: The BD syndrome. A "new" multiple congenital anomalies/mental retardation syndrome with athetoid cerebral palsy.

Two patients with a virtually identical physical examination syndrome are reported. Both had severe microbrachycephaly, profound mental retardation and athetoid cerebral palsy. The anomalies include prominence of forehead, hypoplastic midface, mandibular prognathism, apparent midline "cleft" of mandible with absence of lower central incisors, ear and eye anomalies, growth failure, and various similar secondary anomalies due to hypotonia, cerebral palsy and immobilisation. The patients probably represent a "new" MCA/MR syndrome, the etiology of which is still unknown. A genetic cause, i.e., a gene mutation with pleiotropic effects, is suggested. This may involve an autosomal recessive trait, an autosomal dominant new mutation, or an X-linked dominant-hemizygous lethal trait.


A longitudinal study of red cell enzymes in infants of low birth weight.

A longitudinal study of red cell enzyme activity in newborn infants of low birth weight has been conducted over the first 2 months of life. The enzymes investigated are acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.3.7), an integral part of the red cell membrane and subnormal in ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn; and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49), an intracellularly-located, sex-linked enzyme, implicated in neonatal jaundice and of significance in drug-induced hemolytic anemias. Acetylcholinesterase activity, which is lower in normal full-term infants and in low birth weight infants than in adults, was further diminished during the initial weeks of life of the infants of low birth weight and the higher levels of activity, characteristic of adult red cells, had not appeared by 2 months of age. By contrast, red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, which is higher in full-term newborn infants and in infants of low birth weight than in adults, did not diminish as a function of age and the lower adult levels were not discernible by 2 months of life.


[Reciprocal translocation t (5p--;19p+) in three generations (author's transl)].

A reciprocal translocation t (5p-;19p+) in 3 generations is reported. Three carriers with this translocation were healthy, the propositus with the same translocation showed cheilopalatochisis bilaterally, microphthalmus, coloboma of the retina and dysplasia of the hip joints. The cytogenetically unremarkable father of the propositus exhibited micropthalmus and coloboma of the disc and a bifid uvula. It was supposed that there is no correlation between caryotype and phenotype in the propositus. His abnormalities might be induced genetically by the father. The risk data for the descendants of carriers with balanced translocations are discussed.


[The biology of the warble-fly oestromyia leporina Pallas 1778 (Diptera, Hypodermatidae), a parasite of the field-mouse Microtus arvalis Pall (author's transl)].

The present paper deals with the discovery of the warble-fly Oestromyia leporina in the surrounding of Giessen. The behaviour of the flies in the field is described; in particular the behaviour of both sexes before and during mating and of the female during the oviposition period is described for the first time. The relations between host and parasite are explained as well as the development from third-instar larvae into the puparaium and then into the imago. By further experiments it is attempted to find out the factors causing the long time of ten months' quiescence in the puparium. The range of hosts is tested by natural and experimental infections' furthermore it is discussed if the present findings can be applied to other populations of the same warble-flies in far-off regions.


The effects of rafoxanide and nitroxynil on the survival, growth and morphology of Fasciola hepatica in rabbits.

Two experiments were carried out to assess the effects of nitroxynil (10 mg/kg p.o.) and rafoxanide (6.7 mg/kg p.o.) against 2,4, 6 or 8 weeks old F. hepatica in rabbits. The results show that the efficacy and incidence of stunted and abnormal surviving flukes were directly related to the age of infection at treatment. Rafoxanide was the more potent compound against immature forms. The testes were the most consistently abnormal reproductive organs in flukes surviving treatment with both drugs and spermatogenesis per se was disrupted.


[The Salter innominate osteotomy as the treatment of congenital dislocation and subluxation (author's transl)].

The Salter innominate osteotomy is useful in the treatment of congenital dislocation and subluxation of the hip after the age of 18 months. The procedure provides stable reduction of the femur even with weight bearing. In addition, the acetabulum depth is not diminished and the head is covered with hyaline cartilage. Derotation-varization intertrochanteric osteotomy improves hip biomechanics and when done in combination with the innominate osteotomy, the wedge of bone from the femur may be used in the ilium, precluding the necessity for a separate iliac graft. Combined Salter innominate osteotomy, intertrochanteric femoral osteotomy and open reduction as a single operation has produced satisfactory results and has distinct advantages over staged procedures.


[The influence of surgically introduced muscle tension on the function of total hip prostheses (author's transl)].

The functional results of total hip prosthesis are influenced significantly by the tension given to the glutaeus medium muscle at operation. Low tension may result in a limp (positive Trendelenburg sign), high tension may decrease movement. In 206 cases of total hip replacement the Trendelenburg sign (grades from 0-3), the movement (in grades 0-4) and a grade of extension (distance or prosthetic femoral head and plastic acetabulum in cm at maximal extension after resection of the capsule) have been evaluated. In 191 hip joints not operated before the Trendelenburg sign was negativ before operation in only 31%, after operation it was negativ in 73%. The evaluation of the partial correlation coefficient showed a definite relation between Trendelenburg sign and the grade of extension. The higher the extensibility of the hip joint the more pronounced the Trendelenburg sign. In 71% of 191 cases the movement was increased after total hip replacement. With increased extensibility, the movement becomes better. However it is also related to the movement before operation. The optimal muscular tension and movement of the hip joint can be expected at an extension grade of 1.5-2.0 cm (distance between the prosthetic femoral head and the plastic acetabulum at maximal extension during operation).


[Statics and dynamics after total hip arthroplasty. An electromyographic study (author's transl)].

The weightbearing of the hip of 147 patients after total prosthesis operation was controlled by the two wages method. In most of them the weightbearing becomes normal in a few months after the operation. In 39 patients with 48 total prostheses an electromyographic examination of the erectores trunci and the glutaei as well as the quadriceps of both legs in standing and walking was performed. In standing the patients demonstrate an hyperactivity of the paravertebral muscles and glutaei before as well as after the operation. They cannot find the normal standing posture with its typical lack of activity of the back, pelvis or leg muscles. In standing on one leg as well as in walking the innervation of the glutaei is diminished. In many cases it becomes normal after the total hip operation. Only in 1/3 of the cases we can observe a fully normal electrical activity of the glutaei with the classical "fan sign" which corresponds to the normal rotation of the pelvis during the stand phase. The erectores trunci demonstrate before and after the operation the same anomalies of innervation.


[Modern trends in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis (author's transl)].

The author presents 360 patients with chronic osteomyelitis, treated with auto genous staphylococcus inoculation. In several cases there was additional surgery. The probable therapeutic effects of inoculation related to the special pathogenicity of staphylococcus aureus is discussed. The results shown in two different series encourage the author to recommend autogenous inoculation. In his clinic it has been in use for over 10 years.


[The Thibièrge-Weissenbach syndrome (author's tranls)].

Case report on a 60-year-old woman suffering from Thibièrge-Weissenbach syndrome, a combination of scleroderma (microstoma, atrophy of all fingertips) with extensive universal calcinosis of the skin on the lateral aspect of the right thigh, on both shoulders and the fingertips. Surgical removal of the "tumor" which weighed over 2000 grams was technically very difficult and not radical, since it infiltrated large areas of the muscles around the hip and thich.


[Arthropathy as a late result of trauma (author's transl)].

On the basis of 5 cases the syndrome of post traumatic arthropathy is described. Like its other forms it shows radiographyically a high degree of osteolysis, fragmentation and para-articular calcification of soft parts. The picture is similar to that of syringomyelia and tabes. If trauma occurs in childhood there will also be developmental retardation. One has to assume that trauma may be responsible for these isolated arthropathies at its site. Since the further course corresponds to that of a neurogenous arthropathie it is likely that in these cases there is an underlying disturbance of the relationship between nervous system and bone and joint which, so far, cannot be proved clinically.


[Fatigue fractures in the anterior part of the pelvis following replacements of the hip-joints (author's transl)].

In a woman aged 74 fatigue fractures occurred in the anterior part of the pelvic ring following bilateral replacement of the hipjoints with Müller-Charnley prostheses. After increasing pain in the inguinal region radiographs disclosed fractures through the public and ischial bones on the side of the last replacement. There was no concomitant disease. The possible dynamic causes of fatigue fractures after well-placed hip-prostheses are discussed.


[Biomechanic contribution to measurement of power and action of neck muscles (author's transl)].

The position of the head depends on the function of the neck-muscles. Once the power of stabilization has been exhausted, the ligaments, particularly the superficial posterior, are stressed. A mathematical model has been developed for measuring the power of the muscles. This enables us to find out when and to which degree stress on the ligaments contributes to stabilization.


[Biomechanics of the hip joint. I. A new model for the calculation of the forces in the hip joint].

After a short review of the theory of the forces acting in the human hip joint we develope a new model for the calculation of the forces R acting on the head of the supporting femur, of their direction phi and of the maximal pressure of the femoral head. The new concept is the determination of a fixed point A, the attachement of the resultant muscle force M at the pelvis, and the insertion T of this muscle force at the trochanter. After determination of this points in a single standard radiography of the pelvis and hips, the model calculate the resultant force R at the hip joint. The pressure in the articulation is calculated also by the same proceeding. The influence of the choice of the point A is discussed.


[Mechanics of the knee joint, part II, the final rotation (author's transl)].

Mobility of the knee of the horse. The modification of medial and lateral femoral condyles by additional movement of the cruciate ligaments shown on the animal joint. Final rotation in the human knee-joint shapes the femoral condyles by additional movement of the cruciate ligaments. The roll-slide movement and final rotation lead to curving of the medial condyle of the femur in the transverse plane. The transition from the roll-slide into a tilting movement in the final phase of ultimate rotation reduces the power of the posterior ligamentous system of the knee-joint when there is a force tending to hyperextend.


[Magneto-implants in surgery of the motorsystem. A project (author's transl)].

The high quality material of permanent magnetos permits various applications to the surgery of the motor system. When designing artificial joints, for certain osteosyntheses and osteotomies, for the stimulation of growth at the epiphyses and in orthopedic techniques. Encouraging attempts at "magneto-medicine" exist in ophthalmology, urology and general surgery. We propose to test permanent magnets for attraction and separation in orthopedic and traumatic surgery.


[The massaging and circulation--beneficial effect of the trunc-type stump stocking compared with the conventional stump stocking (author's transl)].

Whereas the conventional stump stocking grips the end of the stump--and at the same time the tender centre part of the latter--more and more tightly during walking and can result in the stocking fabric wrinkling, overstretching and tearing, the trunk-type stump stocking leaves the central stump area completely free as it ends in a narrow, tube-shaped extension piece below the end of the stump. This results in a large amount of spare fabric with a correspondingly good possibility of buffering and elasticity in the upper part of the extension piece, increasing even more when washed repeatedly. The relative movements between the stump and the artificial leg during walking, in conjunction with the temporally lagging movements of the stump protective covering, bring about an active muscle massaging and circulation-beneficial effect by means of the trunk stocking, at the same time preventing any wrinkling of the stump protective covering. An adjustable elastic secured at the base of the shaft is provided at the end of the trunk for individual adjustment of the pull tension at the end of the stump. At the same time this prevents arm and leg stumps from slipping out of the shaft area. The so far considerably "shrinking" of the stocking as a result of transpiration and washing is catered for to a large extent by the spare fabric in the area of the trunk, which means that it is no longer necessary to wear outsizes and that there is a large evaporation area, with a possibility of the transpiration flowing off into the end of the trunk, with good compatibility of the skin and less wear of the stocking.


[Angle-measurement on patient and radiograph, simpler, quicker and more exact with the zero-angle-meter (author's transl)].

A new angle-meter, clinically proved, is described. It permits angle measurements on the human body with the zero technique (Debrunner 1971, 1973) and on radiographs, particularly of angles of scoliosis after Cobb (1948). It is much simpler, more exact and quicker than the present techniques which are critically analyzed. Its advantages in practice are shown.


[Osteochondritis dissecans of the carpal scaphoid? (AUTHOR'S TRANSL)].

The article describes a sequestrated portion of the carpal scaphoid bone, which is interpreted as a marginal fragmentation by partial necrosis of the scaphoid bone. In the authors' opinion, earlier writings have not proved incontestably the occurence of a genuine osteochondritis dissecans of the scaphoid bone.


[Quantitative determination of trace metals in frozen fish, fish oil and fish meal (author's transl)].

As a contribution to the discussion on the "Verordnung uber Umweltkontaminanten" (draft) we examined 73 double samples of the frequent types of edible fish and 2 samples each of fish oil and fish meal for their content of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). Arsenic was determined photometrically, cadmium and lead by anodic stripping voltammetry and mercury by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. We found the following average contents (ppm): 0.84 As, 0.003 Cd, 0.08 Pb, 0.06 Hg. The limits (ppm) set up in the draft for a German "Höchstmengenverordnung" (regulation specifying the maximum concentrations allowed) were by far not reached in the case of Cd, Pb, and Hg with all samples while they were fulfilled in the case of As by only 18% of the samples. It seems that the limit for As of 0.5 ppm has been set up too low. In the average, the following proportion applies for the trace contents found: Cd:Hg:Pb:As = 1:20:27:280. Correlations between the contents of trace metals on the one hand and fishing grounds or trawler or sample piece on the other could not be found.


[Further measurements of the 14C-content of fermentation alcohol in dependence of growth times and location of the fermentation material (author's transl)].

The carbon-14 content of ethanol obtained from material (mostly potatoes) grown in the years 1964--1973 is compared with that of material of the vegetation periods 1956--1966 determined by other laboratories. Six ethanol samples from material grown 1973 in different parts of Europe show no significant differences. The average value is 19.3 dpm/g carbon. Furthermore no significant difference was found in ethanol from potatoes cultivated 50--800 m east and west of a freeway with very heavy traffic. The same is true also for ethanol from potatoes grown near a large industrial area and others grown far from such an area.


[Imprinting of domestic animals on man].

Male farm animals (kids, lambs and piglets) were kept isolated from conspecifics for their first 10 days of life. Until reaching sexual maturity they lived like pets in close contact with human beings; later some of them were removed to farms. Here they could interact with animals of other species, but not with conspecifics. Their first contact with conspecifics took place after they were sexually mature. In simultaneous choice experiments, offering a conspecific and a human being as passive participants, the animals were tested for any imprinted preference for human beings. Criteria were sexual advances and copulation attempts, as these indicate a strong social attachment. Two conditions proved necessary for imprinting on another species: 1. long-term isolation from conspecifics, and 2. close contact with another species during this time. Under these circumstances the term "sensitive period" may not be appropriate. Contrary to imprinting in birds isolation during the first days of life is not necessary for imprinting on another species to take place.


[Solving of simple problems by a fish (free water experiments with Balistes fuscus)].

The problem-solving behaviour of Balistes fuscus was investigated in the Red Sea by under-water observation of three tame animals. The foraging behaviour of Balistes is adapted to moving objects aside with the mouth to get at hidden prey. In test problem situations with familiar objects, obstacles were deliberately and expediently removed in order to reach the prey (sea urchins). In test situations with unfamiliar objects (flat lid, glass cylinder: Fig. 2) it was also evident that the animals have a grasp of spatial connections and can solve arranged problems forthwith. If a once-solved problem is again presented the successful action sequence unwinds very quickly in the new situation. Modified tests for delayed action show that Balistes can retain short-term information for up to about 3 mins. The analysis of behavioural sequences makes it probable that, according to the criteria of Yerkes and Hassenstein, we are dealing with problem-solving behaviour guided by regrouping of engrams. The behaviour is interpreted as ecologically occasioned adaptation to an intensely structured habitat. The solving of problems by the moving of environmental objects seems to have evolved, in vertebrates, in interaction with their habitat, and independently of their systematic position.


[The circannual rhythm of reproductive activity in the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) under the influence of homosexual and heterosexual mates of the same species].

1. 30 European starlings, kept for 20 months under a constant 12-hour photoperiod and at constant temperature, were investigated at regular monthly intervals with regard to the state of gonadal development, bill coloration and moult. 8 male male lived in individual cages (group 1), 10 male male were housed together in a group cage (group 2), and 6 male male lived together with 6 female female in another group cage (group 3). All birds had acoustical contact with each other. In addition, the birds of groups 2 and 3 could see one another. 2. In all male male the testes regressed following the beginning of the experiment in April. Subsequently they carried out a complete postnuptial moult. In the following spring, all male male went through a full cycle of testicular size which was followed by a second postnuptial moult. The bills of all birds turned yellow as the testes grew and blackened as the testes regressed (fig. 1).--Most of the female female showed similar circannual rhythms of gonadal growth and regression, bill coloration and moult (fig. 2). 3. In 6 male male of groups 1 and 2, a small increase of testicular size was observed subsequent to the termination of the first postnuptial moult. This transient testicular activity most probably corresponds to the autumnal sexual activity known from freeliving starlings. Hence, these results suggest that both spring and autumnal sexual activity of the starling are endogenously preprogrammed. 4. The testes of most male male of group 3 developed to full size immediately after the termination of the first postnuptial moult; subsequently they remained active for at least 7 months. This observation suggests that stimuli emitted by the female female augment the endogenously preprogrammed readiness for autumnal sexual activity and prevent the subsequent testicular regression. It is concluded that exogenous factors from the social environment are capable of modifying the endogenous annual pattern of testicular function in the starling.


Obervations on a population of Bohor Reedbuck, Redunca redunca (Pallas 1767).

From 1967 to 1969 the age and sex composition of Bohor Reedbuck groups encountered randomly in the Serengeti region had been recorded. In September and October 1972 the composition of the complete population in an area of about 2,5 km2 and the behaviour of the animals relevant to their social and spatial organization was recorded. 1. Of the 41 animals representing a density of 16 animals/km2, 56% were female female, 49% adult, 29% subadult and 22% immature animals. 2. Adult female female lived on their own -- together with their immature offspring, at most one fawn of either sex and one female of up to subadult age, the previous fawn -- inoverlapping home ranges of 15 to 40 ha. The subadult female female started to develop a home range in parts different from that of their mothers. 3. The ranges of 1 to 5 mature (subadult + adult) female female were defended by the same adult buck, their common ranges thus becoming a territorial area of 25 to 60 ha. The animals of one such area sometimes moved together for some hours, rarely days. 4. The territorial buck defended the territorial area only if female female were near. 5. The home ranges of female female who were defended by different bucks overlapped but much less than those of the female female of the same buck. 6. The territorial bucks chased male fawns off before they reached maturity (before the tips of their spike-like horns started to bend forward). The female fawns stayed in the territorial area. 7. 56% of the adult male male were territorial (26% of all male male), no subadult male was territorial. 8. Immature, subadult and the nonterritorial adult male male lived between the territorial areas in bachelor areas, in one case 6 bucks on 48 ha. Although the bachelor bucks did not defend their range its boundary line was set by the neighbouring territorial areas. The social and spatial organization of the Bohor Reedbuck is compared with that of the Southern Reedbuck (Jungius 1970, 1971). The social and spatial organization of the 3 Redunca species is compared with that of the other Reduncinae species.


[Changes of various organs in joint diseases].

In a review of organic changes of rheumatic diseases the more important changes of skeletal musculature, gastro-intestinal apparatus, kidneys, blood vessels and eyes are discussed. The paper is based upon investigations, publications and post-graduate activities of the Rheumatism Research Institute of Prague.


[Comparative studies by the electron microscope of rhabdoviruses of plant and of animal origin. III. Egtved virus (VHS) of the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and rickettsia-like organisms (author's transl)].

With the exception of isolates from blood and homogenates of diseased fish, the presence of Egtved virus (=VHS, viral haemorrhagic septicemia of the rainbow trout) could not yet be demonstrated directly in host organs by electron microscopy, although recently, antigen has been identified in a number of organs by means of fluorescent microscopy. Demonstration of virus from organ extracts by means of a permanent cell culture from a coldblooded animal: Salmo gairdneri (RTG-2) as described in the present paper does not allow for a clear conclusion as to the presence of virus within organ cells. Egtved virus was studied in various organs (brain, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, gills) of naturally and artificially infected trouts. Virus could not be demonstrated by electron microscopy in any of the organ sections. However, in RTG-2 cell cultures infected by organ extracts from naturally diseased trouts, a clear cytopathogenic effect could be observed in the 1st passage at + 15 degrees C after 48-72 hours and virus demonstrated by electron microscopy (Table, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4). Both in organ sections (heart, kidney, spleen, and gills) from diseased trout and in RTG-2 cells infected with organ extracts, additional organisms were observed which on account of their ultrastructure could be classified as rickettsia (Table, Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). On account of the fact that these organisms were found in the organs of trout infected with Egtved virus and which partially died in great numbers, a pathogenic behaviour of these organisms is suggested. It has not yet been clarified whether they have any influence on the course of the viral infection or temporary mass dying of rainbow trout when kept in hatcheries.


[Sterility control: basic mathematical considerations (author's transl)].

The subject of control of sterility in homogenous lots by means of random sampling is discussed. The probability that non-sterile lots may be declared as accepted, was calculated by means of hypergeometric, binomial, and Poisson distribution. The following factors were considered: size of samples, size of lots, and degree of contamination of lots. The values obtained were reproduced in graphs (Figs. 1, 2, and 4). Reference is made to the conditions that have to be met in each case to enable a use of the various distribution functions for a calculation of the acceptance probability of non-sterile lots (Table 1). Furthermore, the necessary size of samples to contain at least one contaminated unit was calculated by means of binomial distribution for probabilities of 90, 95, and 99% (Fig. 3). For example, from a lot having a degree of contamination of 10%, 30 units would have to be assayed for sterility to recognize non-sterility of such a lot in 95% of cases. A degree of contamination of 1% would reguire already 300 units to be examined...


Sensitivity of eels (Anguilla anguilla) and carp (Cyprinus carpio) to type C and E botulinum toxin.

This study has shown for the first time that fish such as eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) and carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) are sensitive to type E botulinum toxin. With oral administration the MLD for eels was 27.500 mouse LD50 per kg body weight, while for carp it was only 236 mouse LD50 per kg. Carp were also found to be sensitive to a slight degree to type C botulinum toxin, the MLD of the most virulent toxin of this type being 457,000 mouse LD50 per kg with oral administration. Eels, however, showed no sensitivity to type C toxin.


[The etiology structure of the leptospiroses in Bulgaria (author's transl)].

In the course of many years the authors have studied the etiological structure of the leptospiroses in Bulgaria and have typed a significant number of leptospira strains isolated from humans and animals. The strains have been isolated by the authors themselves for the most part, while some others have been received from other laboratories in the country. The contributions of other authors in this field have been taken into consideration. In identifying these strains use has been made of the methods of the cross agglutination-lysis reaction and the cross absorption according to Schüffner and Bohlander, while in typing the strains from the Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis serogroups there have been applied also factor sera according to the method of KMETY. The presence of the following serotypes has been established in Bulgaria: L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. copenhageni, L. sofia, L. canicola, L. bulgarica, L. srebarna, L. lora, L. jalna, L. bratislava, L. pomona, L. mozdok, L. tsaratsovo, L. sejroe, L. balcanica, L. saxkoebing, L. mini, L. batabiae, L. tarassovi. Three of these serotypes, namely, L. sofia (874) L. bulgarica (Nikolaevo) and L. balcanica (1627 Burgas), have been isolated for the first time in Bulgaria, accepted as independent serotypes, and included as such in the International Classification Scheme of the Leptospirae. The serotypes srebarna and tsaratsovo have recently been established by MANEV as independent Bulgarian serotypes, but they have not yet been accepted internationally as such, since no control has been carried out by other reference laboratories.