[Intracellular on--off responses of carp retina amacrine cells adapted to the dark].

Dependence of the amplitude and latency of on and off responses of amacrine cells in the isolated dark-adapted carp retina upon the light spot intensity and diameter was studied by intracellular recordings. It is shown that the responses of amacrine cells to onset and offset of light consist of trasient depolarizations with oscillatory potentials and impulses. The latency of the on response decreases and the latency of the off response increases when the light spot intensity and diameter are increased. A dependence close to linearity on logarithm of the spot diameter up to 3 mm is observed for the on response amplitude with changes in intensity within 4 log. units. The amplitude and zone of summation of the off response decrease, when intensity of the stimulus is increased. It is supposed to result from differences in the amplitude and time characteristics to offset of light in the bipolars which give inputs to amacrine.


[The spontaneous electrical activity of the isolated rabbit superior cervical ganglion].

Spontaneous electric activity (mean amplitude of impulses--200-300 muV and frequency--0.0m-2.9 Hz/s) was observed in isolated rabbit superior cervical symphathetic ganglia using the sucrose-gap method. This spontaneous activity was completely abolished by d-tubocurarine (5-10(-5) M) and hexamethonium (1-10(-4) M). The frequency of the spontaneous discharges was increased by doubling of osmotic pressure, increasing of [K]0 and adding theophilline or ethanol to perfusing solution. These findings suggest that the activity observed is due to spontaneous release of the transmitter by preganglionic nerve endings. However tetrodotoxin in relatively low concentrations (2.5-5-10(-7) g/ml) reversibly inhibited this activity. In high [Ca]0 solutions spontaneous discharges of an isolated ganglion were reduced or completely blocked. These facts suggest that the action potential generation mechanisms also participate in the spontaneous activity of the isolated cervical sympathetic ganglion.


[Changes in the synaptic vesicles of cat motor cortex axon terminals upon stimulation].

The relation of the synaptic vesicle size to the distance between the vesicle and the synapse active zone was studied in the axon terminals at the motor cortex neuron spines and dendrites of resting cats (under moderate barbiturate anesthesia) and after prolonged repetitive stimulation of the somatosensory SII area. Thes sizes of the vesicles belonging to any of the three strata observed in the terminal section profile under the electron microscope were registered as a decrementing variation sequence. The predominance of small vesicles in stratum I adjoining to the synapse active zone was found by means of the statistical analysis (symbol criterion and criterion chi2), both in the control and experimental material. A significant gradient of the vesicle size diminution from peripheral stratum III to stratum I as well as vesicle size decrease both in stratum I and intermediate stratum II in comparison with the control developed after the cortico-cortical projection stimulation. The functional role of this phenomenon is discussed.


[Spinal nerve root distribution of the myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers of a cat cutaneous nerve].

The distribution of myelinated and nomyelinated nerve fibres from n. saphenus in the dorsal and ventral roots of the cat spinal cord was investigated, using methods improving the signal-to-noise ratio in the neurogram of the nerve evoked response. Nerve fibres from n. saphneus enter the spinal cord through roots of segments L4-6. In the dorsal roots of these segments the nerve fibres have conduction velocities from 80 to 0.38 m/s. In the ventral roots four groups of the nerve fibres with conduction velocities 80--60, 40--30, 12.0--3.0 and 1.1--0.51 m/s are found that are likely to be afferents. The conditions for low amplitude potentials detection in the spinal cord roots as well as the possible functional significance of the nerve fibres in the ventral roots are discussed.


Distribution and age-dependent concentration in brain tissue of glycoproteins containing N-acetylgalactosamine.

Glycoproteins that yield non-dialyzable, alkali-labile, N-acetylgalactosamine-containing heteropolysaccharides upon proteolytic digestion show a threefold enrichment in white matter relative to gray matter. Approximately 50% of these glycoproteins appear in soluble extracts prepared from rat brain. This distribution contrasts with that of the predominant alkali-stable sialoglycopeptides, which account for 60% of the total brain glycoprotein-carbohydrate. The latter glycopeptides showed a twofold enrichment in gray matter compared with white, and only about 10% of the glycoproteins that yield these glycopeptides could be solubilized by extraction with aqueous solvents. The concentration of the N-acetylgalactosamine-containing glycoproteins in the 3-year-old cerebral gray matter from human brain was respectively 7-15 and 15-30 times greater than in 8- and 72-year-old tissue. Electrophoretic analysis of the non-dialyzable, alkali-stable, acidic glycopeptides that contain NANA, fucose, mannose, galactose, and N-acetylglucosamine, obtained from the microsomal and synaptosomal fractions, revealed that the composition of these glycopeptides in the two fractions was identical.


Morphological, histochemical and chromosomal patterns of neuroblastoma parental and purine resistant lines.

Several neuroblastoma clones and the same clones adapted to proliferation in a medium containing 15 mug/ml of 8-azaguanine and 6-thioguanine are characterized with respect to their morphology, acetylcholinesterase activity, catecholamine content and chromosomal pattern. Interclonal as well as intraclonal heterogeneity was found for the cell parameters studied. A reduction in the number of catecholamine-containing cells was observed in the azaguanine and thioguanine resistant adrenergic (M1, N115) cells compared with their parental lines. An increase of choline acetyltransferase activity was found in the M5 cholinergic clone, and a decrease of the same activity in the S21 cholinergic line selected in the medium with the purine analogues. Furthermore, a striking change in the distribution of chromosomes and chromosomal markers appeared in the resistant cells of all clones.


Effects of freezing and storage on subcellular fractionation of guinea pig and human brain.

Subcellular fractionations were carried out on guinea pig and human brains. Distributions of protein marker enzymes, and galactolipids were examined with guinea pig cerebral cortex that was (Group I) homogenized immediately; (Group II) stored 3 to 5 days at -70 degrees C prior to homogenization; (Group III) stored 3 to 6 months; (Group IV) homogenized after 3 h at R.T. and 16 to 18 h at 4 degrees C and then stored at -70 degrees C for 7 to 9 months. Human frontal lobe obtained at autopsy was fractionated immediately (Group V) or stored at -70 degrees C for 5 to 8 months prior to fractionation (Group VI). Protein recoveries in myelin, microsomal, synaptosomal, and supernatant fractions were decreased in brains that were not frozen for several hours prior to storage (Groups IV-VI). SDH and MAO recoveries in the nuclear and free mitochondrial fractions were increased in these groups. AChE, a membrane marker, was also increased in the free mitochondrial fractions in Groups IV-VI, suggesting increased contamination of mitochondria by synaptosomal membrane fragments. Arylsulfatase, a lysosomal enzyme, was decreased in the free mitochondrial fraction with freezing, but the distributions in tissues not frozen for several hours showed only an increase in the nuclear fraction and a decrease in the microsomal fraction. Freezing brought about an increase in supernatant LDH and a decrease in this enzyme in the free mitochondrial fractions. Total galactolipid contents in synaptosomal and free mitochondrial fractions were increased by freezing and storage. Though some redistribution of enzymes takes place, meaningful subcellular fractions can be obtained after storage of fresh and postmortem brain tissues.


Progesterone facilitation of sexual receptivity in rats with neural implantation of estrogen.

The neural substrate for estrogen (E) AND E plus progesterone (P)-induced sexual receptivity was examined in 3 classes of adult rats: (1) adult females ovariectomized for 11 days, and (2) females and (3) males gonadectomized on the day of birth. E responses were found only after implantation in the preoptic or medial hypothalamus; adult females had the largest fraction of responders. The addition of P significantly increased the fraction of adult and neonatally ovariectomized females responding when E implantation was made throughout the hypothalamus from preoptic to mammillary bodies. No E-P synergistic effects were seen in the day-1 gonadectomized males. E-P synergistic effects were found in the amygdala of the adult ovariectomized females. However, midbrain implants of E were ineffective for facilitating E-P-induced receptivity in the 3 classes of animals studied.


Effects of environmental lighting, superior cervical ganglionectomy and adrenergic drugs on microtubule protein levels of the rat hypothalamus.

Bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy or exposure of rats to light for 10 days resulted in comparable increases in microtubule protein content in the hypothalamus. Administration of norepinephrine, L-dopa or isoproterenol decreased hypothalamic tubulin levels to a greater extent in ganglionectomized rats. A prior injection of phentolamine prevented norepinphrine's effects in intact rats and decreased but did not abolish the effect of the catecholamine in ganglionectomized animals. Phentolamine impaired L-dopa activity in intact and denervated rats as did propranolol; beta-adrenergic blockage impaired the effect of norepinephrine in denervated rats and abolished that of isoproterenol. Phentolamine plus propranolol prevented norepinephrine's effects whereas it only impaired L-dopa activity on hypothalamic tubulin content. The prior administration of actinomycin D blocked the effects of norepinephrine, L-dopa or isoproterenol. Pinealectomy abolished the isoproterenol-induced decrease in microtubule protein content and impaired that following L-dopa. These data suggest that tubulin levels of the rat hypothalamus are controlled by adrenergic transmitter via alpha- and beta-receptors, the latter involving the pineal gland.


A counter antigonadotrophic effect of melatonin in male rats.

Blinding and anosmia in male rats is followed by retarded bodily development, reduced weights of the gonads and adnexa, and depressed levels of pituitary luteinizing hormone and prolactin. The effects of dual sensory deprivation are negated, for the most part, by either pinealectomy or the weekly subcutaneous implantation of melatonin (in beeswax). This is the first report that melatonin negates the antigonadotrophic influence of the rat pineal gland.


Electrical stimulation of the median eminence in ovariectomized and estradiol-treated sheep. Increased LH release and evidence for neural regulation of spontaneous LH rhythms.

Plasma LH was significantly increased by electrical stimulation of the median eminence (ME) in ovariectomized and in estradiol-treated sheep. In untreated castrates, spontaneous discharges of LH occurred at regular intervals of approximately one hour (LH rhythm). When ME stimulations were initiated as early as 5-15 min following a spontaneous discharge, they increased LH as much as either ME stimulations initiated at other times or spontaneous discharges. These data failed to demonstrate any pituitary refractoriness to ME stimulation, and presumably to endogenous LH-releasing factor (LRF). Therefore, neural mechanisms involving rhythmic release of LRF were indicated. The chronic administration of estradiol inhibited the spontaneous discharges of LH, and subsequent ME stimulation increased plasma LH even more markedly than in untreated castrates.


Thrombosed giant middle cerebral aneurysms.

Two giant thrombosed aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery are reported with a review of the pertinent literature. A tortuous channel through the thrombus results in an unusual and characteristic angiogram. Mechanisms involved in the formation of this lesion are discussed.


Selective cerebral angiography through the axillary artery.

The femoral artery approach to cerebral angiography has become well accepted. Some patients, however, are not candidates for femoral catheterization because of severe arteriosclerosis. One hundred cerebral angiograms were performed in 88 severely arteriosclerotic patients, using No. 5 French polyethylene catheters and the axillary approach. The technique, degree of success, patient population, and their complications are described. This approach allows selective vertebral and internal carotid artery injections. Only one serious complication occurred, thrombosis of the axillary artery. Because of the time saved, this technique is often preferable to the femoral approach in severely arteriosclerotic patients.


Radiation dose to the eyes of the patient during neuroradiological investigations.

Radiation dose measurements suggest that patients undergoing extensive neuroradiological investigations may receive a corneal dose in excess of 60 rads in tissue over a relatively short period. - There is no direct evidence that lens damage occurs in man at this level but it is important that high dose levels should be appreciated and measures taken to reduce them. Protective spectacles have been devised to effect such a reduction in two high dose procedures, namely petrous tomography and cerebral angiography, without degradation of the radiographic image.


A simple method for embedding anatomical specimens.

A simple embedding method for brain slices using epoxy resin is described. The embedding can be done immediately after cutting the brain and can be completed in 5-6 hrs. Discoloration of the slices is insignificant.


Measurements of the normal hemispheric sulci with computer tomography: a preliminary study on 44 adults.

44 normal adults were examined by computer tomography (CT) withe fine matrix EMI scanner. Measurements of the width of the hemispheric sulci were possible in all but one case. An average value of 3.4 mm was found, but no sexual difference or influence of age could be shown statistically. The necessity of larger investigations of the normal population is stressed.


Selective anterior cervical gas myelography by the lateral approach.

In order to observe pathological changes in the anterior cervical subarachnoid space with the least disturbance to the patient by gas myelography, needle puncture into the cervical spinal subarchnoid space was performed between the arch of C1 and the lamina of C2 with the patient in a horizontal supine position, gas was introduced selectively into the anterior cervical spinal subarachnoid space.


Postoperative angiographic control of chronic subdural hematomas in adults.

After surgical evacuation of a subdural hematoma there is a constant relationship between the return of the deep veins to the midline, the clinical recovery and the absence of a new subdural collection, even when the anterior cerebral artery remains deviated across the midline.


Planigraphic measurement of angiograms and pneumencephalograms in the diagnosis of hydrocephalus.

Instead of the usual descriptive criteria commonly adopted for angiographic assessment of hydrostatic hydrocephalus, planimetric measuring methods were tried out. It was shown that the surface area under the anterior cerebral artery (pericallosal) as measured in the lateral angiogram increases proportionally to the volume of the cella media. A high degree of conformity was shown between the clinical and descriptive neurological findings and the planimetrically obtainable values.


Skeletal mass conversions in hepatolenticular degeneration.

The influence of hepatolenticular degeneration, a hereditary disease, and the skeletal mass, has been studied in the present work by determining various parameters of the skeletal mass. As such, the results of the morphometric observation on the second left metacarpal have been considered. The results have shown: a significant decrease of the skeletal mass (osteoporosis), an increased innter diameter (d) which reveals an equally increased osteal absorption (osteolysis) and no connection of the sex, type and duration of the disease with the skeletal mass.


Relationships between the vertebral parameters C2--C6 during movement of the cervical "vertebral units" in the sagittal plane.

In the paper it is endeavoured to set up objective criteria for the detection of a qualitatively abnormal mobility of the cervical vertebral units. Three scalar parameters were chosed to characterize the position of a cervical vertebra in the sagittal plane. By the aid of the parameters, graphs were drawn illustrating the reciprocal functional dependence of the vertebral parameters. It is stated that a discontinuous variation of the angle between the straight lines shown in the Fig. 4 and 8 and the axis of abscissae can be taken as an objective criterion of a qualitatively abnormal movement of the cervical vertebral units.


Posttraumatic aneurysm of the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery.

Report of a case with double aneurysm of the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery in a 42 year old man. The initial injury, 24 years previously, had also caused a fracture of the mandible.


[Current acquisitions on phlebopathies of the lower extremities].

Phlebology has made considerable efforts to free itself from empiricism in recent years. Careful scientific methods have enabled previously unhoped-for results to be obtained in very widespread and debilitating diseases. New and in some cases revolutionary concepts are described, whose application presupposes the existence of well-trained teams. Personal results are also presented.


[Evaluation of the reliability of the Heremans serum protein index in the differential diagnosis of jaundice].

Heremans' serum proteins index was evaluated in the diagnosis of 58 cases of icterus. Analysis of variance was employed in assessing the behaviour of the index in various forms of the disease. Its reliability was evaluated in the light of its sensitivity, specificity, suspicion, positivity, confirmation, validity and accuracy indices, information content and entropy. Multivariance analysis was also used to determine the mean and optimal values for the discriminating functions of neoplastic and non-neoplastic icterus forms.


[Enterobacteria and endotoxins in abdominal surgical pathology. Critical review and clinico-experimental studies].

A detailed critical review on the role of endotoxins from gram-negative bacteria in the pathogenesis of most of the intestinal experimental models of surgical interest is presented. Data of an investigation on 10 cases of acute appendicitis and 2 cases of intestinal occlusion associated with toxaemia are then presented: in all these cases the Limulus test significatively revealed the presence of endotoxin in the blood and in the peritoneal fluid, also in absence of bacteria in the blood. The implications of these results and the use of the test in clinical practice are discussed.


[Anatomo-clinical studies and therapeutic results in 2 cases of essential mixed cryoglobulinemia with renal insufficiency].

Two cases of essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia selected from a personal series on account of their clinical features (hyperviscosity syndrome in one case and frank renal involvement in the other) are presented. Extensive seroimmunological examinations were carried out, along with histopathological studies designed to reveal significant changes in organs and tissues, particularly the skin and kidneys. Reference is briefly made to the debate pathogenesis of the immunological phenomenon that probably lies at the root of the disease. A short account is also given of attempts at treatment with corticosteroids, immunosuppressors and plasmapheresis.


[Technic and indications for acupuncture in psychiatry].

On the basis of personal experience in the People's Republic of China, Chinese Psychiatry and acupuncture are reviewed. The application technique is described and the syndromes in which it is most indicated discussed. Its association with psychodrugs is also considered.


[Alkaptonuria with ochronosis and monoclonal gammopathy].

A case of alkaptonuria with ochronosis is described. It is suggested that such cases are not so much rare as unobserved. Their aetiology is to be sought in a metabolic error, though the pathogenesis is not clear. The syndrome is of interest because ochronosis, wich is the articular manifestation, is one of the few rheumatological affections with a certain aetiology. The case described is unusual on account of the presence of monoclonal gammopathy. Since the presence of myeloma and macroglobulinaemia could be excluded, an immunological relation was sought between the alkaptonuria and the particular serological picture.


[Use of coil negative pressure in the kidney].

A sealed compartment recycling system has been created for use with Extracorporeal commercial filters in order to exploit the negative pressure of the dialysate for purposes of ultrafiltration. The results of in vivo and in vitro tests regarding ultrafiltration and dialysates of urea, creatinine, Hipaque I125 and vit. B12 Co57 are reported. The tests highlighted improved dehydration characteristics in the system compared with the traditional coil technique, while the dialysates of small and medium molecules showed no decrease. The system can profitably be used as an alternative to the open compartment coil system and is particularly interesting because it can be combined with monitors which provide exclusively for the use of closed circuit dialysate instruments.


[Endemic goiter and inflammatory lesions of the hypothalamus].

Inflammation of the hypothalamus, consisting of perivasal parvicellular sleeves between the paraventricular nucleus rostrally, the mamillary nuclei caudally, 3rd ventricle wall below the sulcus, medially and o sagittal plane taken a little beyond the column of the fornix laterally--i.e. in the space shown to include the hypophysothyrotropic structures by experimental physiopathology--was observed in a woman with endemic goitre. Reference is made to a similar finding in goitrous dogs from enzootic areas of Piedmon. Epidemiological and clinical considerations are put forwary for the view that endemic goitre is responsible for primary cerebral damage, perhaps of encephalitic origin.


[Case of severe renal insufficiency appearing during a course of viral hepatitis].

Notes on the literature data concerning renal alterations observed in the course of virus diseases, and on the results of experiments designed to show the nephrotoxic action of viruses and their possible investigation of certain nephropathies, are followed by the presentation of a case of serious renal insufficiency in a young woman with virus hepatitis. The clinical data, the history and the results of blood chemistry and function tests showed this to be attributable to glomerulonephritis, probably caused by the same virus.


Histogenesis of leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (disseminated fibrosing deciduosis).

Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD) is a rare clinical entity. Widespread subperitoneal nodules of apparent smooth muscle are found in patients who are pregnant or have recently been so. This clinical appearance together with mitotic figures found in frozen sections suggests malignancy. We believe, in contrast, that LPD is a benign reparative process in which fibroblasts replace subperitoneal decidua.


Studies on tumor variability. V. In vivo and in vitro investigations on H10Z tumor lymph node metastasis.

In vivo and in vitro investigations of a Syrian hamster tumor metastasis in the lymph node (H10Zm) in comparison with the primary tumor (H10Z) are performed. It is shown that the metastasis differs from the primary tumor by the prevalence of M secondary cell type characterized by globulous appearance, decreased adhesion and the presence of two long submetacentric marker chromosomes. Since a cell type with such cytogenetical characters was also found in the primary tumor as well as in a non-metastasizing tumor variant, it is suggested that the role of the induction-selection phenomenon in the occurrence of H10Z tumor metastases, i.e., new inductor agents occurred in the tumor's environment, might produce the induction of certain repressed mutant genes in M secondary cell type, bringing about certain phenotypical alterations (e.g., the decrease of the mutual cell adhesion) which could favorize the migration and selection of this cell type.


In vitro cultivation of human tumor tissues.

In order to develop cell substrates suitable for the isolation of human oncornaviruses, a large number of human tumors, mostly sarcomas, were sultured in vitro. All explants yielded primary outgrowth of cells. These were of various nature and morphology and exhibited different growth potentials. About 40% of the tumors yielded cell strains which were undistinguishable from diploid human embryonic cell strains. About 20% yielded 'difficult' diploid cultures; 35% yielded short-term cultures mostly composed of undefinable cells, rarely of clearly recognizable tumor cells. About 5% yielded cell strains or lines which were aberrant in morphology or karyotype, or both. The malignant nature of the cell strains obtained in our study is conjecturable. Although some of the cell cultures showed evidence of tumoral origin, none complied with currently employed in vitro criteria for malignancy such as lack of topoinhibition and high density growth.


Multiple primary malignancies in patients with alcoholic liver disease. A report of two cases.

Two patients, each with three primary malignant neoplasms are presented. In an effort to identify a possible common denominator of induction of these tumors, it was found that both patients were alcoholics with liver disease, and that both had impaired delayed hypersensitivity reactions. The possibility of an increased susceptibility to cancer among alcoholics with liver disease is noted and the need for careful follow-up of these patients is suggested.


Use of hydrazine sulfate in terminal and preterminal cancer patients: results of investigational new drug (IND) study in 84 evaluable patients.

In a series of 84 various evaluable disseminated cancer patients treated with hydrazine sulfate as a result of a pharmaceutical-sponsored investigational new drug (IND) study, it was found that 59/84 or 70% of the cases improved subjectively and 14/84 or 17% improved objectively. Subjective responses included increased appetite with either weight gain or cessation of weight loss, increase in strength and improved performance status and decrease in pain. Objective responses included measurable tumor regression, disappearance of or decrease in neoplastic-associated disorders and long-term (over 1 year) 'stabilized condition'. Of the overall 59 subjective improvements 25 (42%) had no concurrent or prior (within 3 months) anticancer therapy of any type. Of the 14 objective improvements 7 (50%) had no concurrent or prior anticancer therapy. Of the remaining cases in which there was either concurrent or prior anticancer therapy, improvements occurred only after the addition of hydrazine sulfate to the treatment regimen. Duration of improvement was variable, from temporary to long-term and continuing. Side effects were mild, comprising for the most part low incidences of extremity paresthesias, nausea, pruritus and drowsiness; there was no indication of bone marrow depression.


Primary C-cell hyperplasia within a nodule of thyroid isthmus.

The electron microscopy method was used to study one case of primary C-cell hyperplasia in 'hot' thyroid nodule of isthmus. Hyperplasia of the light form of C cells was found within nodule tissue. It suggests that C-cell hyperplasia within the nodule as well as in normal thyroid tissue plays a role preceding C-cell carcinoma.


Pseudomyxoma peritonei: report of an unusual case.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare disease, is characterized by accumulation of mucinous material in the peritoneal cavity and is commonly caused by ovarian tumors or appendicular lesions. This report presents necropsy findings of an unusual case of pseudomyxoma peritonei caused by dissemination of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach, hitherto unreported in literature.


Genetic factors in breast cancer. Identification of a high risk group by means of dermatoglyphic investigation.

We have studied dermatoglyphic traits in a group of breast cancer patients. Comparison with a control group demonstrated that it is possible to delineate a high-risk group for the breast carcinoma through certain characteristic patterns of the surface markings of the hands.


Combined 5-fluorouracil and hydroxyurea therapy for gastrointestinal cancer.

19 patients with metastatic gastrointestinal malignancy were treated with a regimen of 5-fluorouracil (FU) 500 mg/m2 intravenously and hydroxyurea (HU) 80 MG/KG orally administered on consecutive days weekly. Antitumor responses were not observed and an unusually high incidence of neurotoxicity (21%) was noted related to dose. It is suggested that the lack of therapeutic effect and the observed toxicity may be related to the biochemical interaction of FU and HU resulting in an inability to convert FU to the active metabolite and an accumulation of catabolic products with neurotoxic effects.


Intraocular lenses: one hundred consecutive cases of intracapsular cataract extraction with Copeland iris plane lens implantation.

A series of one hundred consecutive cases of intracapsular cataract extractions with insertion of the Copeland iris plane intraocular lens implant are presented. The preoperative management, surgical technique, and postoperative management are discussed in detail. Complications that may arise during surgery, early postoperative phase (first week), convalescent period (one to six weeks), and early long-term phase (1.5 through eight months) are presented and discussed. Short-term results to data have been most gratifying. The incidence of surgical complications closely parallels any consecutive series of one hundred intracapsular cataract extractions without lens implantation. The usual problems associated with adjustment to aphakia (particularly unilateral) are eliminated to the relief of patient and surgeon. The level of patient satisfaction is extremely high in comparison with standard cataract surgery. Elderly patients experience a sense of social rejuvenation that is phenomenal.


The surgical treatment of post-pseudophakos membranes.

Eleven patients who had previous pseudophakos surgery had secondary surgery for discission of post-lenticular membranes. The secondary surgery was performed 1-1/2 to 36 months after initial pseudophakos surgery. The results were excellent in ten out of the eleven cases. The surgical technique is atraumatic and well tolerated.


Prognosis and treatment of perforating ocular injuries. The John Luhr memorial lecture.

A review of 77 perforating ocular injuries was undertaken with emphasis on prognostic indicators and a better approach to therapy. The most common cause of perforating eye injuries was violence. It was found that over one fourth of the cases resulted in blindness or enucleation. Scleral involvement had a grave prognosis with nearly half of the eyes lost to blindness or enucleation. When vitreous was involved, 70% of the eyes were lost. The social disability associated with perforating ocular injuries is a significant factor. Microsurgical therapy must be carefully planned for each case and radical treatment of the lens and vitreous is essential. Serial sub-tenons steroids are necessary to decrease the destructive fibrosis associated with the healing process. It is felt that this retrospective review establishes a clear relationship between inadequate surgical technique and blind eyes while providing suggestions to prevent further blindness.


A new intraocular foreign body retriever.

A new intraocular foreign body retriever especially suited for removal of small nonmagnetic foreign bodies was devised. Initial clinical trials have proved satisfactory, especially with vitreous surgery.


Optic discoscopy through a miotic pupil.

A technique is described whereby visualization of the posterior pole of the retina is accomplished through a very miotic pupil. The technique is simple and quick to perform. A wide field of view is maintained as well as stereopsis.


Macular vision following retinal detachment surgery.

We studied 100 retinal detachment patients with macular involvement who had successful scleral buckling procedures using encircling fascia lata. Aphakic patients and patients with pre-existing ocular pathology in addition to the detachment were not excluded from the series. Follow-ups of one year or more (average 26.1 months) were available for 77 of the patients. Forty-four of these patients (56.5%) achieved acuities of 20/60 or better. The duration of the detachment was an important prognostic factor; one month was the critical period for the duration of the detachment. The existence of preoperative ocular pathology in addition to the detachment was also an important prognostic indicator. There was no significant difference in the visual acuities of phakic versus aphakic patients. Half of the patients studied with respect to refractive error became more myopic with an average change of -1.01 diopters.


Optimized underwater diathermy for vitreous surgery.

The properties of radio frequency (RF) diathermy currents are briefly reviewed. The inadequacy of damped currents is stressed. The recommended machine generates a frequency of 13.56 MHz. It has a power amplifier, crystal control, coaxial lead from machine to handle, and an impedance of 200 ohms. The two types of electrodes and handles described are shielded from the electrode tip to the diathermy machine. One has a short handle, and an electrode angulated at 35degrees, used in open-sky vitrectomies. The other has a longer handle and straight probe, and is provided with a system for saline infusion. It is used in closed transscleral operations. Electrodes require 35 to 50% more current when used underwater than when used on dry sclera. If charring of tissue is to be avoided, it is advisable to keep the intensity near the level at which gas bubbles form at the electrode tip. Blood vessels can be closed reliably and safely with these electrodes.


Intraocular irrigating solutions for clinical vitrectomy.

Two different intraocular irrigating solutions were used during pars plana vitrectomy. Use of glutathione-bicarbonate-Ringer's (GBR) solution resulted in significantly fewer corneal complications and less endothelial damage when compared to lactated Ringer's solution. The visual results were disappointing.


Phakoemulsification with vitrectomy through the pars plana.

Phakoemulsification through a pars plana incision has been performed on 30 patients, as the initial portion of a combined lensectomy-vitrectomy operation. The technical ease of accomplishing lens removal and the reduced stress on the cornea and irido-ciliary area are described.


Vitamin A deficiency in the captive African lion cub Panthera loe (Linnaeus, 1758).

Dietary, breeding and clinical histories and pathological findings are presented from 2 confirmed and 5 presumed cases of vitamin A deficiency in immature African lions. Five of the 7 animals were born in the wild while 2 were born in captivity. All animals were fed lean red meat sprinkled with a vitamin/mineral supplement. Salient clinical signs were incoordination, "star gazing", blindness and intermittent convulsions. Pathological lesions seen in 4 animals included severe thickening of the cranial bones, with consequent marked compression of the brain and partial herniation of the cerebellum. Vascular damage in the cerebellum and ensuing haemorrhages, resulting in acute increases of an already high intracranial pressure, were thought to be the cause of some of the clinical signs, particularly convulsions rather than direct pressure-necrosis and atrophy of nervous tissue.


Studies on schistosomiasis. 7. A comparison of various methods for the infestation of sheep with Schistosoma mattheei.

The percutaneous (leg and thorax and abdomen) and subcutaneous routes of infestation with Schistosoma mattheei were compared in 29 sheep. Larger percentages of cercariae developed after percutaneous than subcutaneous infestation and the difference was highly significant (P less than 0,0001). Furthermore, if the leg was used for percutaneous infestation worm development was significantly higher (P less than 0,02) when the skin was washed thoroughly in water before exposing it to cercariae, than when it was left unwashed. Washing was apparently not necessary if the thorax and abdomen served as the route of infestation.


An apparatus for the restraint of sheep during infestation with schistosomes.

With this adjustable apparatus sheep aged from five months to five years and varying in mass from 16-95 kg could be restrained effectively. Cercarial suspension was split by only 2/44 sheep during infestation with Schistosoma mattheei. Using a battery of seven cages, it was possible to infest 23 sheep, each for 30 minutes, in one day. No cercariae were more than 4-1/2 hours old at the end of exposure.


Life and chirality beyond the earth.

An attempt is made to show that the phenomenon of chirality- of which optical activity is but one consequence- is by no means restricted to life on Earth, but is common throughout the universe. Several independent sources have been investigated including: statistical fluctuations; stereoselective physical factors; and energetic differences between enantiomeric molecules. It is emphasised that a search for chirality as an indicator for life elsewhere in space provides an excellent tool for the fascinating question of exobiology. Still one must be aware of the limitations of the experimental methods and their interpretations.


The mechanisms of amino acids synthesis by high temperature shock-waves.

The mechanisms of amino acids synthesis behind high temperature shock-waves were elucidated and distinction was made between the steps occurring in the gas phase and those occurring in solution. In the presence of water vapor, aldehydes and HCN are formed separately in regions of different temperatures along the reacting gas. The aldehydes and ammonia condense to aldimines which add HCN to form alpha-amino nitriles, all in the gas phase. The hydrolysis to amino acids takes place in solution. In the absence of water vapor, aldimines and HCN are formed in the gas phase but condense to alpha-amino nitriles only in solution. A fair amount of oxygen only lowers the production of amino acids, which consequently could be still produced in the presence of oxygen in the Earth's primitive atmoshere. The waterless mechanism can operate in the Jovian atmosphere and supply it with ample amounts of amino acids, especially aspartic.


Effect of H2S on the formation of organic compounds from C, N,H, S model atmospheres submitted to a glow discharge.

H2S has been often invoked as the initial source of sulfur in prebiotic evolution, and several sulfur-containing compounds have been proposed as intermediates in the primordial synthesis of biologically relevant sulfur-containing chemicals. The possibilities of synthesis of the principal key intermediates by glow discharges in CH4-N2-H2S mixtures is studied. It is shown that synthesis of important intermediates such as HCN, (CN)2, CHCCN and CH3SH is possible from such mixtures if the amount of H2S is not more than 10%. For higher amounts of H2S, the syntheses are strongly inhibited.


Transformation of some hydroxy amino acids to other amino acids.

It has been observed that beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acids are transformed into other amino acids, when heated in dilute solutions with phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid or their ammonium salts. It has been shown that as in the case of previously reported glycine-aldehyde reactions, glycine also reacts with acetone to give beta-hydroxyvaline under prebiologically feasible conditions. It is suggested, therefore, that the formation of beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acids and their transformation to other amino acids may have been a pathway for the synthesis of amino acids under primitive earth conditions.


Methyleneaminoacetonitrile: possible role in chemical evolution-II.

Methyleneaminoacetonitrile (MAAN) when reacted with other amino acids, gives rise to the formation of peptides in addition to the usual hydrolytic products. It acts as a precursor of glycine and also as a dehydration condensing agent. It has been shown that MAAN is easily formed by the reaction of hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and formaldehyde as well as by the reaction of formaldehyde with aminoacetonitrile, in dilute ammoniacal solution.


Search for amino acids in Apollo returned lunar soil.

The lunar samples from Apollo flights 11 through 17 provided the students of chemical evolution with an opportunity of examining extraterrestrial materials for evidence of early prebiological chemistry in the solar system. Our search was directed to water-extractable compounds with emphasis on amino acids. Gas chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry were used for the analysis. It is our conclusion that amino acids are not present in the lunar regolith above the background levels of our investigations.


The origin of the genetic code.

A new approach to the origin of the genetic code is proposed based on some regularities in the nucleotide distribution pattern of the code. The relative amounts of various amino acids in primitive proteins were possibly different from those in organisms living today. The primordial ratio was supposed to shift to the modern one guided by the action of primitive nucleotides. Each primitive tRNA had a discriminator site and, distinguished from it, an anticodon site. It also postulated that primordially each amino acid could correspond to a wide variety of codons. During the course of the evolutionary change, a selective mechanism worked among the protobionts so that less frequent nucleotides became associated with more abundant amino acids in the primordial conditions,thus finally leading to the present codon catalogue.


Osteopetrosis associated with familial paraplegia: report of a family.

A clinical analysis of three members of a family with documented osteopetrosis and familial paraplegia is presented. All patients had a long history of increased bone density and slowly progressing paraparesis of both legs. A thorough review of the literature has revealed no other cases which presented with paraplegia without spinal cord compression. Although the etiologic factor or factors remain unknown, our review supports the contention that this is a distinct clinical entity.


Changes in the upper urinary tract as demonstrated on intravenous pyelography and micturating cysto-urethrography in patients with spinal cord injury.

1. Thirty-two per cent of cases examined by I.V.P. showed evidence of disease (20 per cent hydronephrosis, 12 per cent chronic pyelonephritis). 2. The incidence of V.U. reflux on micturating cysto-urethrography was 13 per cent. V.U. reflux is associated with chronic pyelonephritis in a high proportion of cases as would be expected. A normal pyelogram does not exclude V.U. reflux as mentioned by Cobb (1966). 3. Patients with complete paralysis show a significantly high incidence of chronic pyelonephritis, hydronephritis and V.U. reflux. 4. In case of unilateral hydronephrosis and chronic pyelonephritis there is a striking predilection for involvement of the right kidney. The cause for this is not evident but possibly the fact that the right ureter is shorter than the left is a factor.


Anaesthesia of the spinal cord-injured patient: cardiovascular problems and their management.

An increased venous capacity and a decreased myocardial contractility can be expected in patients with an acute spinal cord lesion at or above T6. Both factors may contribute to a high incidence of arterial hypotension and pulmonary oedema in these patients especially during anaesthesia. We feel that the Swan-Ganz catheter provides valuable information concerning prevention, diagnosis and treatment of arterial hypotension and pulmonary oedema. Although there may be occasional difficulty in interpretation of measurements from the Swan-Ganz catheter if high airway pressures are used, it is a more sensitive monitor than C.V.P. measurement and is particularly useful in patients with a sympathectomy secondary to spinal cord trauma.


The use of halothane anaesthesia to control autonomic hyperreflexia during trans-urethral surgery in spinal cord injury patients.

Forty-five spinal cord injury patients undergoing trans-urethral surgery were anaesthetised using a mixture of nitrous oxide and halothane in oxygen. The use of halothane to control the hypertensive manifestations of surgically induced autonomic hyperreflexia is discussed.


Stability of the cervical spine after conservative treatment.

175 patients with cervical spine and spinal cord injuries were admitted to the Spinal Injuries Unit, Austin Hospital, in the five-year period from the 1 July 1968, to the 30 June 1973. Only 4-2 per cent of the patients required delayed spinal fusion for instability after a conservative treatment regime.


Stability following fracture-dislocations of the cervical spine.

After having dealt with over 150 cases of fracture-dislocations of the cervical spine, the authors conclude that conservative orthopaedic treatment leads to the best results. The lesions are classified in upper and lower cervical spine. The latter has been divided into two subgroups according to the presence or abscense of neurological involvement. The importance of skull traction and of a well-moulded minerva plaster jacket is stressed. An adjustable leather collar is a useful alternative for immobilisation and exercises, favouring spontaneous fusion. In neither group, should surgical fusion be considered a routine procedure.


Cervical spine dislocations with unilateral facet interlocking.

From this series it would appear that 17-5 per cent (92 cases from a series of 525) of all cervical lesions associated with spinal cord trauma are dislocations with unilateral facet interlocking. This type of dislocation is often missed but nevertheless with suitable radiographs the very characteristic radiographic appearances are well demonstrated. Two-thirds of these cases are initially incomplete neurological lesions which carry a good neurological prognosis directly proportional to the degree of initial neurological escape. A significant percentage reduce easily on traction alone--51 per cent of the entire series. Taking the year 1973, with 17 cases on a standardised regime of treatment and disregarding the two cases reduced by immediate manipulation under general anaesthesia, ten out of 15 (66 per cent) reduced easily on skull traction alone-possibly a more realistic figure.


The behaviour of the nasal mucosa towards blood borne colloidal carbon in experimental animals.

A single dose of 8-16 mg of carbon C11/1431a was injected intravenously into rats, guinea-pigs, mice, goats and two pigs. Examination with the naked eye, dissecting microscope, light microscope and electron microscope of tissues from these animals sacrificed minutes, hours, weeks and up to 23 months after the injection revealed phogocytosis of most of the infected carbon by the professional phagocytes of the reticuloendothelial system (RES). However, in the non-RES sites carbon was trapped in significant amounts in the endothelial cells, the interendothelial spaces, pericytes and perivascular macrophages of the subepithelial capillaries and venules in the anterior nasal mucosa. The catchment area often showed partially fenestrated capillaries and redundant porous basement membrane around the venules. The leakage of carbon through these vessels was through these vessels was thought to be caused partly by the unusual porosity of the vascular walls and partly due to vascular stasis induced by constant loss of heat to the inspired air stream in post-natal life. The importance of these findings in the predilective localization of several granulomatous diseases and various forms of vasculitis in the nasal mucosa id discussed.


Tumour metastasis in mice with reduced immune reactivity. IV. Restoration of relative resistance to metastasis formation in thymectomized sub-lethally irradiated mice by spleen cells.

Adult thymectomy and/or sub-lethal irradiation increased spontaneous metastasis formation in several syngeneic murine systems (MCA-induced sarcomas MCG101 in C57BL/6J mice, MCG12 in CBA mice and MCA-induced epidermoid carcinoma EpCa1 in CBA mice). In order to differentiate between immunological and non-immunological effects of these treatments on tumour spread the effects of presumed selective restoration of immune competence by transfer of syngeneic spleen cells from normal donors shortly after irradiation (1.5 months before tumour transplantation) was perfomed. This procedure brought the resistance of thymectomized irradiated mice to tumour spread back to the level seen in untreated mice, providing further evidence for the conclusion that the indrease of tumour spread in this experimental model to a major part was immune-mediated. In thymectomized irradiated mice adoptive transfer of concomitant immunity by spleen cells from tumour-bearing mice soon after tumour transplantation completely inhibited the spread of the highly antigenic MCG101 and reduced that of the weakly antigenic MCG12 to control level. In contrast, adoptive transfer after tumour resection had no significant effect of the spread from either to the tumours.


In vitro activity of cotrimoxazole on the intracellular multiplication of Toxoplasma gondii.

Cotrimoxazole, from 60 mug/ml, inhibited the replication of Toxoplasma gondii within Hela cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages. The percentage of inhibition reached practically 100% after 18 hours of treatment at 37 degrees C. More prolonged treatment resulted in an eradication of the organisms from the cell monolayers. In contrast, similar doses of spiramycin were quite ineffective against intracellular toxoplasma. The active doses of cotrimoxazole used were not harmful for cell cultures. Cotrimoxazole also destroyed clones (rosaces) of toxoplasma which were formed during the past 18 hours of intracellular replication in the absence of the drug. Trimethoprim was the only effective compound of cotrimoxazole on intracellular parasites; the adjunction of sulfamethoxazole produced a marked synergistic effect. The present findings confirm the great efficiency of cotrimoxazole in the treatment of experimental toxoplasmosis in mice performed previously in this laboratory.


Histological modifications of the lymph nodes in mice bearing syngeneic grafts of tumours induced by methylcholanthrene.

Light and electron microscopical studies demonstrate that regional but also non-regional lymph nodes of C57BL mice grafted by tumours, induced by methylcholanthrene, are able to elicit a complex immunological response of the cellular, as well as of the humoral types. No significant difference was found according to the growth rate and the immunogenicity of the six tumours investigated. The cellular immunization is predominant during the two first weeks. It is mainly characterized by the appearance in the paracortical area of numerous immunoblasts which are in close connexions with'dendritic' macrophages showing multiple long cytoplasmic expansions. During the same period of time, the reticulum cells become hyperplasic in the sinus. From the 15th day to the death of the animals, the cellular immunizaiton progressively regresses while a humoral immunity develops. It shows itself as an hypertrophy of the lymph follicles and an increase in the number of medullary cord plasma cells.


Effect of angiotensin II upon platelet adhesiveness and the thrombelastogram in patients with essential arterial hypertension.

Platelet adhesiveness increases significantly after angiotensin II administration, in pressor and subpressor doses, only in the hypertensive patients with urinary infection. The k index on the thrombelastogram decreases significantly following angiotensin II infusion in pressor doses both in the hypertensive patients with urinary infection and in those without urinary infection. At the same time, angiotensin II infusion in pressor and subpressor doses determines a significant increase of epsilon index in both hypertensive patients with urinary infection and in those without urinary infection. These results pose the problem of thrombocyte sensitization by the urinary infection to the vasopressor substance. The increased tendency to thrombosis by angiotensin, in hypertensive patients with urinary infection, could constitute a mechanism of malignant transformation of arterial hypertension.


Occurrence of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, southern Florida--1968-72.

The frequency with which chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides appear in samples of southern Florida surface waters decreased sharply between 1968 and 1972. Sediment analyses attest to the earlier widespread use of chlordane, DDT, and dieldrin. Insecticide residues are more frequently detected in southern Florida than in other U.S. cropland soils. Transport of DDT, DDD, and DDE from the Everglades agricultural area into water conservation areas and undeveloped parts of the Everglades of southeastern Florida is facilitated by a system of water-management canals. Canal sediments within the urban area of southern Florida have high DDD, DDE, and dieldrin residue concentrations which may reflect local use of insecticides rather than their transport from adjacent agricultural areas.


Total mercury levels in selected human tissues, Idaho-1973-74(1,2)

Total mercury levels were determined in human tissues taken at autopsy from six hospitals in the three basic geographical areas of Idaho. Of the 242 specimens analyzed, 76 percent contained detectable mercury. Levels were compared with respect to the age, sex, and geographic residence of autopsied individuals. Mean levels detected were 1.04 ppm in kidney tissue, 0.34 ppm in liver, and 0.08 ppm in brain. Mean mercury levels for the three geographical areas were: southeastern Idaho, 0.22 ppm; southwestern Idaho, 0.80 ppm; and northern Idaho, 0.43 ppm. The relatively high means in southwestern Idaho specimens may be related to the preponderance of natural cinnabar deposits in that portion of the State. Mercury levels were higher in women than men for all tissues in both the southwestern and northern areas, but the reverse was true in the southeast. Data were compared with findings of other investigators in an attempt to arrive at background levels of total mercury residues in human tissues.


Mercury residues in breast muscle of wild ducks, 1970-71.

Samples of breast muscle from 327 ducks collected from October 1970 to March 1971 in the conterminous United States were analyzed for total mercury by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. Mercury levels for the entire collection ranged from less than 0.01 to 3.91 ppm wet weight with a median of 0.10 ppm. Twenty-five ducks had levels equalling or exceeding the 0.5 ppm guideline for fish and shellfish established by the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Dabbling ducks, which are shallow-water feeders and mostly vegetarian in fall, winter, and spring, usually had lower levels than diving and sea ducks. Levels were generally higher in ducks collected in areas where environmental mercury levels were known to be greater than in ducks from nonsuspect areas. Despite the mobility of the ducks, levels seemed more closely linked to local environmental contamination than to various factors associated with large geographic areas.


Organochlorine pesticide residues in small migratory birds, 1964-73.

Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide burdens, especially those of DDT and its metabolites, have been determined for 19 species of small terrestrial migratory birds killed chiefly at Florida television towers from 1964 to 1973. All 128 samples were sorted into pools by species. All pooled samples except one contained DDE and often DDT and DDD; dieldrin was present in 60 of the samples; but no PCB's were detected. In small subsamples, sigma DDT (p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDE) residues sometimes differed between males and females, adults and immatures, and northbound and southbound migrants but results of these comparisons were inconclusive. Sigma DDT burdens were highest in adipose tissue and much lower in liver and brain samples. Especially among birds taken since 1970 have the pesticide levels in adipose tissue been at low levels, generally less than 3 ppm sigma DDT. These low quantities are comparable to those quoted in other reports on birds of similar trophic levels. The insectivorous and/or partly granivorous birds feeding on or near the ground tended to have higher sigma DDT levels than did the more arboreal species.


Insecticide residues in the Tuttle Creek Reservoir Ecosystem, Kansas-1970-71.

Various components of the aquatic ecosystem of Tuttle Creek Reservoir on the Big Blue River in northeastern Kansas were examined for organochlorine insecticide residues in 1970-71. Components examined were water, sediments, periphyton, zooplankton, insects, and whole-body samples of 10 common fish species. Only dieldrin and sigmaDDT residues were detected. Dieldrin was found in part of the nonfish samples at levels ranging up to 0.01 ppm and in 97 percent of the fish samples with a high level of 0.17 ppm. SigmaDDT residues were also detected in part of the nonfish samples at levels ranging up to 0.42 ppm, and in 98 percent of the fish samples at levels as high as 0.57 ppm. Authors' findings are roughly similar to those of other surveys of Kansas fishes. All levels are relatively low compared with those reported in surveys from other parts of the Nation.


Pesticide residues in total diet samples (VIII).

During the eighth year of the Total Diet Study, residues remained at the relatively low levels reported previously. A total of 35 market baskets were collected in 32 cities which ranged in population from less than 50,000 to 1,000,000 or more. Averages and ranges of residues found are reported for the period June 1971 through July 1972 by region and food class. Results of recovery studies within various classes of residues are also presented.


[Medical insurance estimation of risks].

The purpose of insurance medicine is to make a prognostic estimate of medical risk-factors in persons who apply for life, health, or accident insurance. Established risk-groups with a calculated average mortality and morbidity form the basis for premium rates and insurance terms. In most cases the applicant is accepted for insurance after a self-assessment of his health. Only around one per cent of the applications are refused, but there are cases in which the premium is raised, temporarily or permanently. It is often a matter of rough estimate, since the knowlege of the long-term prognosis for many diseases is incomplete. The insurance companies' rules for estimate of risk are revised at intervals of three or four years. The estimate of risk as regards life insurance has been gradually liberalised, while the medical conditions for health insurance have become stricter owing to an increase in the claims rate.


[Hypertension, smoking and life insurance].

The insurance companies' data on blood-pressure and longevity have certainly contributed to the trend among both laymen and doctors to take hypertension more seriously. Smoking is also of special interest, having proved to be a clear risk-factor in coronary disease. It holds a unique position, in that - at least theoretically - it would be possible to eliminate. The insurance companies could undoubtedly contribute to an altered attitude towards the problem of smoking. Non-smokers might be granted a bonus and heavy smokers be charged an additional premium.


[Results of treatment of hyperthyroidism with 125-iodine].

About 100 patients with hyperthyroidism and diffuse goiter (gland weight not more than 60 g) were treated with an individually calculated dose of 125-Iodine. After a follow-up time between 1.5 and 2 years there are the following results: 82% of the patients are euthyroid and 18% are still hyperthyroid. Relapse rate was 10%. More than 30% of the residual or relapse hyperfunctions were T3 toxicosis. The status of 125-Iodine in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis is discussed with regard to the necessity of a "destructive" therapy in the major part of the patients. Published results of 125-Iodine therapy are summarized.


Comparison of various treatment schedules for accelerating the elimination of radioiodine from the thyroid and the human body.

In 68 euthyroid patients undergoing 131I thyroid function tests the thyroidal, urinary and plasma protein-bound radioactivity has been serially measured for 14 days. The patients were subdivided in controls and 9 groups treated with potassium iodide, carbimazole, potassium perchlorate and TSH, singly or in combination. The aim was to devise a treatment scheme for accelerating the release of iodine from the thyroid and the elimination from the body in cases of accidental radioiodine poisoning if the patient is seen after the radioiodine has already been taken up by the gland. All treatment schedules were effective, but TSH injections gave the best results, especially if combined with carbimazole and potassium perchlorate. This combination is the treatment of choice under these circumstances.


[Myocardial blood flow in actively employed coronary cases].

In the course of coronary angiographies the blood flow of the right and left coronary artery was determined by the 133Xe lavage method in 89 patients with coronary heart disease. There was a statistically significant difference between the flow values of the LCA and RCA, while there was none between the blood flow values of blue- and white-collar workers suffering from coronary artery disease. Also a significantly better blood circulation of the right as well as of the left coronary artery was found in female employees in comparison to male employees.


[Determination of regional ventilation-perfusion ratio with xenon-133].

Knowledge of the regional ventilation/perfusion ratio is of great interest for the diagnosis and therapy of disorders of pulmonary function. By injecting intravenously a bolus of Xe-133 during breathholding and by recording the influx of activity into the lung with a scintillation camera and analogue tape storage, the regional perfusion of the lungs can be determined, using the count-rate increase per unit time. Once the maximum count-rate is reached the patient is allowed to breathe normally. The slope of the count-rate decrease over the lungs is a measure of ventilation. The regional ventilation/perfusion ratio is calculated by dividing these two indices. Regional disturbances of the ratio are the most frequent cause of hypoxia. The demonstration of such disturbances are therefore of significance in the diagnosis and therapeutic control of pulmonary diseases.


[Studies with radiolabeled autologous and heterologous thrombocytes to determine life-span and destruction sites].

The kinetic of 51Cr-labelled autologeous and heterologeous thrombocytes was studied in 12 healthy volunteers. The mean recovery value was 63% (SX = +/- 15%). The survival times (t50% and t10%) were determined as 94 hrs. (SX = +/- 11 hrs.) and as 202 hrs. (SX = +/- 13 hrs.) respectively. The "excess counts" over spleen and liver were measured and the spleen to liver ratio calculated. In every parameter investigated no significant difference between autologeous and heterologeous labelled thrombocytes could be found. The "excess counts" over spleen and liver were calculated on the basis of the radioactivity of blood and of the heart surface area. The values obtained from the blood radioactivity calculations showed significant lower variation coefficients than the corresponding values derived from the heart measurements.


Isotope profile investigations for the detection of venous thrombosis in the legs with the use of 131I-MAA.

Twenty patients were tested with an isotope profile method for the detection of venous thrombosis in the leg. 131I-MAA was introduced into the dorsal vein of the foot. The results of the test agreed with the results of phlebography. The authors stress the simplicity and accuracy of the above method.


[Distribution of 14C-Diazepam (Valium) in pregnant and lactating rabbits].

14C-labelled Diazepam is applied i.v. in a single dose to pregnant rabbits and in three repeated doses to lactating rabbits. The distribution patterns of the radioactivity in the mother animal and in the fetus resp. in the sucklings are investigated at different intervals post inj. within a range of 10 to 120 minutes for the pregnant and at 8 hours after last injection for the lactating animals. With regard to its metabolic properties it is still admissible to identify the recorded radioactivity with the intact pharmaceutical to large extent for the intervals used in the experiments. The compound is distributed rapidly within the maternal organism and is excreted preferentially by the liver. Compared to blood level a considerable 14C-enrichment is obvious in the brain during the total time of investigation, which seem to be of special interest for the clinical use of the diazepam. An organotropism to the ovary is indicated by the patterns of radioactivity. A rapid diaplacental passage can also be shown, but the 14C-concentrations in blood and organ tissues of the fetus are generally found to be lower than those of the maternal organ tissues. Thus, the 14C-concentration in the fetal brain is equal to 1/3 of that of the maternal brain. Due to the mammoglandular passage the 14C-concentrations in the sucklings are reaching a maximum of one half of the values in the maternal organs.


On the stability of a tin-phytate complex.

The stability of tin-phytate solution stored at room temperature has been studied. It was found that there is a pronounced increase in the rate of degradation of this complex, both temperature and phase change contributing to the enhanced rate of decomposition. The kidney uptake which is occasionally observed clinically with an aged tin-phytate complex labelled with 99mTc is probably due to an intermediate product which subsequently breaks down on further storage. Lyophilized tin-phytate complex 'kits' have a longer shelf life than the aqueous complex.


S-adenosylhomocysteine inhibition of three purified tRNA methyltransferases from rat liver.

Three tRNA methyltransferases from rat liver have been fractionated and purified greater than 100-fold. These enzymes have been examined for their sensitivity to inhibition by S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). The methyltransferase which forms m2-guanine in the region between the dihydrouridine loop and the acceptor stem of tRNA (m2-guanine methyltransferase I) is least sensitive to SAH inhibition, with a Ki of 8 muM. The enzyme responsible for forming m2-guanine between the dihydrouridine and anticodon loops (m2-guanine methyltransferase II) has a Ki of 0.3 muM, while m1-adenine methyltransferase shows intermediate sensitivity to SAH (Ki = 2.4 muM). All three methyltransferases have similar Km's for the S-adenosylmethionine substrate (1.5-2.0 muM). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that activity of individual tRNA methyltransferases may be controlled by enzyme systems which alter cellular SAH levels.


The influence of alkaline elements on the metabolism of 5-hydroxytryptamine in rat's brain.

A single or four time-administration of Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs chlorides at the doses of 2-5 and 5 mEq/kg ip does not significantly affect 5-HT level. The level of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) increase only after the administration of LiCl. This increase occurs already after 1 hr and persists up to 24 hrs after the last injection. LiCl given together with probenecid induces the increase in 5-HIAA level greater than that after probenecid alone. The decrease in 5-HIAA level after pargyline-induced inhibition in MAO is more rapid in animals submitted to two action of Li. The increase 5-HIAA level in rat's brain results from Li ions-increased 5-HT turnover.


Serotonin and proteolytic enzymes in brain of irradiated animals.

Early and late irradiation effects on biogenic amines (5-HT and NA) contents, intracellular hydrolytic enzyme activity and MAO in brain tissue was studied on mice and rats. In mice in the majority of cases (irradiated on the first day after birth) there occurs a remote effect of irradiation in the form of the increase in 5-HT content and different, species-dependent, changes in hydrolytic activity. Among early effects (24 hrs following the irradiation) the decrease in 5-HT and NA contents was stated in rats. These changes were accompanied by the increase in MAO and hydrolytic (proteolytic) activities.


The effects of serotonin injections into the locus coeruleus on ponto geniculo occipital (PGO) waves and cortical EEG pattern in cats.

Reserpine injected iv at 0-8--1-0 mg/kg doses induced continuous ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO-like) waves in immobilized cats. Both 5-HT and quipazine injected into the locus coeruleus decreased the frequency of reserpine-induced PGO waves and increased cortical synchronization. Suppression of PGO activity persisted for 15--30 min whilst synchronizing effects lasted much longer. Methysergide increased the frequency of PGO activity but caused no clear changes in the EEG pattern.


Para-substituted amphetamines and brain serotonin.

Among the para-substituted amphetamines was V-111 the most potent inhibiting of examined synaptosomal reuptake of 3H-5-HT. In this respect both optical isomers of V-111 were equally effective while in the inhibition of the uptake of 3H-NA and mainly in that of 3H-DA the (+) form was found to be more potent inhibitor. Concerning the releasing potency of the former amines, in the case of 3H-5-HT both isomers were equally effective releasers. The release of 3H-NA and 3H-DA was influenced more effectively by the (+) form. The stereoselective influence of V-111 on the amine reuptake and release suggests a possibility to reach more selective serotonergic and catecholaminergic effects of amphetamines. For the irreversible inhibition of the uptake in vivo presumably one of the metabolities of V-111 is responsible.


The effects of apomorphine and 1,3-dimethyl-5-aminoadamantane (DMAA) on ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves in cats.

The effect of AP and DMAA on the activity of Ro4-1284-induced PGO waves in lateral geniculate body (CGL) of cats is bidirectional. Higher doses decrease, whereas lower doses increase the intensity of PGO waves. DMAA inhibitis PGO activity in a dose-dependent manner. SP antagonizes AP inhibiting activity but does not affect the action of DMAA. The present study deals with the effect of AP and DMAA, the compounds stimulating central dopamine receptors, on the function of serotonin neurons.


The effect of serotonin microinjections into the nuclei amygdalae on EEG and behavior in the rabbit.

In chronic experiment with rabbits the influence of 5-HT on the behaviour and bioelectric activity of different brain structures had been examined. Bilateral 5-HT microinjections mostly into the basal amygdaloid nucleus cause the increase of motor activity as well as the arousal in EEG. Agents considered to be inhibitors of central serotonin receptors (cypropheptadine, methysergide) weaken the above mentioned reactions only slightly. Atropine causes the inhibition of effects produced by 5-HT. On the ground of the results obtained it seems that the stimulation caused by injecting 5-HT into amygdaloid nucleus proceeds through the mediation of acetylcholine neurons.


The effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine given IVC on rat behaviour.

Up till now no univocal answer to the question concerning the role of 5-HT in the control of behaviour of normal animal has been given. The effect of 5-HT was studied after ivc injection. The doses of 10, 50, 80, 100 and 200 mug of 5-HT induced a statistically significant prolongation of immobility time and the decrease in the number of rearings. The dose of 1 mug did not affect animal behaviour. The same dose ivc brought about a statistically significant decrease in locomotor and exploratory activities in rats of high activity, the decrease in locomotor activity in rats of medium-activity but did not affect the behaviour of rats of low activity. 0-1 mug did not bring about any changes in animal behaviour. 5-HT depressed locomotor and exploratory activities in rats in relation to the dose and dependently to the type of behaviour of a normal rat.


The effect of low protein diet on sleeping time and on the metabolism of hexobarbital in rats.

In rats with protein deficiency a shorter time for the onset of sleep and the reduced sleeping time were stated, the level of hexobarbital being unaltered at the moment of awakening. The decrease in the amount of hexobarbital excreted with urine collected within 24 hrs and more rapid drug metabolism were observed in the experiments in vivo and in vitro.


The activation of the renin--angiotensin system in the dog after injection of noradrenaline into the lateral brain ventricle.

Experiments were made on 15 mongrel dogs of either sex. Biologically active substances circulating in the blood after administration of noradrenaline (NA) into the left lateral brain ventricle of the dog were detected using the blood bathed organ technique of Vane. Plasma renin activity was also estimated. NA injected intraventricularly (ivc) in doses of 50-500 mug activated the renin--angiotensin system. Phentolamine prolonged the effect of NA. Propranolol abolished this central effect of NA. The increase in the concentration of endogenous NA in the brain by desmethylimipramine and RO 4-1284 also caused an activation of renin--angiotensin system.


The effect of long-term administration of adrenaline, metanephrine and propranolol on the triphasic intestinal reaction on adrenaline in the rat.

The effect 6 weeks long treatment of rats with L-adrenaline (1 mg/kg sc), D,L-metanephrine (20 mg/kg sc) and D-propranolol (10 mg/kg po) on isolated ileum triphasic reaction on adrenaline was studied. Adrenaline and metanephrine increased the sensitivity of relaxation response and decreased the contraction phase of smooth muscle to adrenaline. In the contrary propranolol decreased relaxation and increased contraction phase of triphasic reaction. The results presented by us support our previous suggestion that the triphasic intestinal reaction on adrenaline is related to extraneuronal accumulation of catecholamines.


Bioassay of prostaglandins in the presence of high concentrations of catecholamines.

A column filled with activated aluminium oxide is incorporated into the bioassay system of Vane in which a rat stomach strip, a chick rectum and a rat colon are superfused in cascade. The absorbance of catecholamines by the column and the passage of prostaglandins through the column are almost 100%. This modification of Vane's technique enables PGE1, PGE2, PGF2, F2a to be estimated at concentrations as low as 0-5--1-0 ng/ml in the presence of catecholamines at a concentration as high as 50 ng/ml. Using this method we have demonstrated the release of small amounts (2 ng/ml) of an endogenous PGE-like substance from rabbit ear vessels contracted by an infusion of norepinephrine (500 ng/ml/min).


The flavonoids in the leaves of Vinca minor L. (Apocynaceae).

Five flavonoids were isolated from the leaves of Vinca minor L. The structure of 4 glucosides was established as: kaempferol 3-rhamnogluco-7-glucoside (A), kaempferol 3-rhamnogluco-7-galactoside (B), quercetin 3-rutino-7-glucoside (D), quercetin 3-rhamnogluco-7-glucoside (E). One flavonoid isorhamnethin glucorhamnoside (C) was identified only partially. The occurance of flavonoids in the other organs of the plant was compared chromatographically.


[Protection of the operating field in thoracic surgery using membrane-forming spray dressing].

Considerable decrease of the incidence of purulent complications was observed when using the membrane-forming spray dressing to protect the operating field in thoracic surgery. It is concluded that the use of these dressings in surgery is a simple and effective method to prevent complications of wound healing.


[Use of Plastubol as the exclusive dressing of surgical wounds].

The membrane-forming Plastubol-Spray was used to dress the wounds immediately after surgery in 2088 patients operated on in the Surgical Ward of the Miners' Hospital in Bytom. Compared with conventional dressing, there was observed the decrease of incidente of purulent complications. The membrane-forming Plastubol dressing features the following advantages: easiness of dressing application, tightness, possibility of better nursing of the patient and lesser cost compared with conventional dressing.


[Use of 3M adhesive tapes in the treatment of wounds].

For several years, operative skin wounds were closed using sterile or non-sterile 3M adhesive tape. Irrespective of their size, the wounds treated in this way healed easier and quicker compared with similar wounds closed using non-resorbable surgical sutures. No reaction at the site of the wound was seen in the patients in whom the wounds were closed by means of non-sterilized adhesive tape.


[Use of plastic catheters for the catheterization of the umbilical vein in newborn and premature infants].

The use of catheters for exchange transfusion in newborns for the treatment of hemolytic disease is discussed. Basing on over 5-years' clinical observation period it has been concluded that Polish catheter for exchange transfusion satisfactorily meets the demands.


[External gastric fistula in neoplastic esophageal stenosis].

The leakage of gastric contents along the catheter introduced in the gastric lumen is the most frequent complication of the external gastric fistula made in cases of neoplastic esophageal occlusion. In 5 patients, the author applied the modified Witzel's operation using polyvinyl chloride catheter fixed on the skin to prevent it from disengaging. In all these patients the operative wound healed by first intention and no gastric leakage was observed.


[Tracheal and esophageal endoprostheses made of soft plastics].

Soft PVC endoprostheses were used in 87 patients for long-term dilatation of post-inflammatory and neoplastic strictures of the esophagus and trachea. Satisfactory results have been obtained in about 80% cases.


[Use of ethylene oxide for the sterilization of thermoplastic articles].

The author applied ethylene oxide for sterilization of articles incompatible with thermal sterilization. This method has been widely accepted in many counteries. The tests have been made in the Warsaw Medical School Clinic of Pediatric Surgery, the Polish made "Rotanox" being the source of ethylene oxide. The following items served as sterilizing chambers in this order: Polyethylene foil bags, glass flask and pressurized chambers. The gas pressure of 1 at and temperature of 40-50 degrees C were maintained in the chamber. Sterilized material was closed in the polyethylene foil bags. The effectiveness of this method was proved by bacterial tests.


[Prophylaxis of influenza with a clathrate of polyvinyl alcohol with iodine and boric acid].

Taking advantage of the viricdal and antimicrobial properties of the clathrate of polyvinyl alcohol with iodine and boric acid (PVAIB) and taking into account successful results obtained during the action in 1969, it was used again as a preventive measure during the epidemy of influenza in Poznań at the turn of 1971/1972. In this period, the prophylactic action included 1477 persons who recieved the drug as nasal drops in 30 gram bottles. After the extinction of influenza we checked 459 persons who had taken the drug regularly, according to medical prescription. Out of this group, only 23 persons or 5% fell ill with influenza. If compared with general morbidity, this rate proved to be four times smaller.


Biological testing of surface-modified acrylic polymers.

The author describes three variants of the surface treatment of PMMA using a special method suggested by Wichterle. Modified surfaces of PMMA discs in three variations A, B, C were followed in subcutaneous implantation in rats during three months and were well tolerated. The final stage was characterized by a stabilized fibrous capsule. The relationship between modified PMMA, glass and pure PMMA in vitro using human and animal blood was also investigated. The author analyzes experiments carried out with human blood (Lee-White's time of blood clotting and fibrin formation after Bürker) and proves better antithrombogenic properties of modified PMMA to control on glass and pure PMMA.


[Polyester knitted nets in pediatric surgery].

The paper concerns the clinical evaluation of polyester knitted nets produced by Central Laboratory of Knitting Industry in Lódź used for reconstructive operations of abdominal and chest wall. The polyester knitted net was used in 29 children (newborns, infants and older children). Basing on the clinical observations and microscopic examinations there is discussed healing-in of the knitted fabric and complications observed during the postoperative course.


[Clinical study of resorbable surgical sutures. A suggestion].

There has been attempted in the Institute of Surgery, Wrocław Medical School, in 1975 the clinica study with the purpose of comparative evaluation of two kinds of tissue-resorbable surgical sutures, namely catgut and polyglycolic acid threads. To standardize the basic methods of clinical examination to be followed by teams of experts, basing on literature data and own experience, a proposition was elaborated including indications and methods of choosing the groups of resorbable and non-resorbable threads, aseptic demands, and intraoperative, postoperative and laboratory examinations.


[Production and testing of biologically active fibers with hemostatic properties].

The authors presented the method of laboratory elaboration of biologically active surgical sutures with hemostatic and antiiinflammatory properties as developed by the Leningrad S. M. Kirov Memorial Institute of Textile and Light Industry. With the carboxyl groups of the KFM type fibres (addition product of polyvinylfurfural with maleic acid) adrenalin sorbed from aqueous suspensions was linked by ionic bond. The sutures were tested in the A. I. Bakuliev Memorial Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. Due to the slow release of adrenalin the sutures exert hemostatic effect. In the in vitro tests there were determined the serum calcium level, hemolysis of red blood cells, pH, prothrombin time and plasma protein content changes. The authors showed also preliminary data on the sterilization of the fibres.


[Use of polymers in the treatment of skull and brain traumas].

After preliminary experiments, over a period of the recent 10 years there were repaired skull bone defects in 116 patients using Styracryl, AKR-100, AKR-15 and Protacryl. The acrylic plastics polymerize at relatively low temperature, feature good mouldability, are readily sterilizable and result in no inflammatory lesions in the surrounding tissues. Good cosmetic results are obtained.


[Use of synthetic latex LBS 3022 in anatomical technic].

The use of Polish-made synthetic latex LBS 3022 in the anatomical technique was studied. The optimal composition of the latex mixture was established with due consideration of pigments, emulgators, stabilizers and curing substances. The LBS 3022 synthetic latex meets the demands applicable to good injection composition as being capable of filling the vessels of different section area, and quick setting by way of coagulation. The obtained castings are durable; they feature considerable tensile strength and elasticity.


[Adhesion of blood platelets to electric-featuring polymers].

The authors studied the effect of electric potential arising on the plastic surface upon the blood clotting process. The study was performed according to the Breddin method. The study concerned fluorosilicone rubber, fluoroplast, polyester, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride with various surface potentials. The authors found that the negatively charged blood platelets adhere to negatively charged plastic surfaces only to a low extent and undergo no disintegration and agglomeration. To the surfaces of the same plastics being electrically neutral, only small aggregates of blood platelets adhere. On the other hand, on the positively charged surfaces the accumulation of blood platelets takes place with concurrent aggregation and disintegration, thus initiating the thrombus formation. The authors observed the intensity of these changes using blood platelet adhesion index and fluorescence microscope.


[Laboratory and clinical testing of modern adhesive tapes and dressing materials].

Twelve kinds of adhesive tapes and dressing materials produced by Beiersdorf were evaluated using laboratory, experimental and clinical tests. There were performed examinations of physical, physico-mechanical and bacteriostatic properties. Tests for supradermal and intradermal reactivity were performed in experimental animals. Moreover, different clinical tests of these materials were made.


[Structural presentation of oxygen: its medical value].

Oxygen is presented as a molecule transported by the heme. The use of molecular energy diagrams makes possible to visaulize the energy levels related with the atomic and molecular orbitals in the case of considering the oxygen atom with and without hybridation. Get up of Griffith's and Pauling's models relative to the nature of the O2-Fe-Heme bindings.


[Comparative study of respiratory exchanging surfaces in birds and mammals].

Anatomical studies of the respiratory apparatus of birds show evidences for a gas exchanging tubular system (parabronchi and air capillaries); these exchanging structures are entirely dissociated from the ventilatory drive acting on the air sacs. A "cross-current" gas exchanging system (perpendicular disposition of air and blood capillaries) allow a good wash-out of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 lower than PECO2). The great efficiency of this lung is allowed by its very large diffusive surface (ASa) and by the high values of lung specific oxygen diffusing capacity (DO2/ASa) and of O2 extraction coefficient in inspired air. The ventilatory pattern of birds is characterized by a greater tidal volume and a smaller respiratory frequency than in mammals of same weight. Respiratory centers of birds receive afferences from lung stretch receptors, CO2-sensitive lung receptors and arterial chemoreceptors.


[Oxygenation phenomena in plant tissues].

Study of the influence of oxygen tension on the respiration of plants does not allow to know the nature of cell oxydase(s). Conversely it gets interpretated as a limitation of the respiration by the intracellular diffusion of the oxygen, the oxydase respiration having a very high affinity for the oxygen (this is the characteristic feature of the cytochrome oxydase).


[Transfer of reduced equivalents in the cell: lactate excess].

The classical biochemical diagram that explains the part played by lactate in hypoxia is shortly recalled. The systems that insure the transfer of reducing equivalents of the cytoplasma towards the mitochondria (and conversely) are then described with full details. The excess lactate concept (XL) advanced by Huckabee (1958) in order to differentiate an hyperlactatemia with hypoxic genesis from an another one is object of discussion. This concept is false from the theoretical point of view and has no longer to be used nowadays.


[Affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen and tolerance to hypoxia].

The transfer of O2 in the system between the lung captation and the delivery to tissues is insured by a whole of factors that are components of Fick's equation. The two most important in this O2 transfer are heart output and blood concentration in hemoglobin (transfer capacity of O2). The affinity of blood for O2, evaluated by the determination of P50 (PO2 of half saturation of Hb) interfers also, but we have till presently no precision for what concerns its relative importance. Two demonstrative situations of chronic hypoxia are taken in consideration: adaptation to high altitude hypoxia and the reaction of the system to hypoxia in chronic respiratory deficiency. The influence of displacements of the dissociation curve of HbO2 (Bohr effect, variation in the erythrocytary DPG) is object of discussion. Authors insist particularly on the fact that the fall in the affinity of Hb for O2 (increase in P50) is not always a beneficial mechanism for the delivery of O2 to tissues, particularly in the case of severe hypoxia.


[Study of erythrocyte organic phosphates and the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen in a hyperbaric atmosphere with slightly hyperoxic helium-oxygen mixture].

The affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen and organophosphoric compounds 2-3 DPG and ATP was studied in three divers in the course of a simulated diving at saturation in an helium-oxygen mixture at 31 ATA, with a sejourn of two weeks at this pressure.


[Oxygen transport by the fetal blood].

In the mammalian foetus, the blood oxygen tension is low (PaO2 congruent to 25 Torr). The factors limiting the oxygen transfer from maternal into foetal blood are mainly the vascular arrangement and the distribution of blood flow within the placenta. The oxygen diffusion across the placenta in facilitated by a higher oxygen affinity in foetal than in maternal blood. During placental gas exchange the Bohr Effect acts in both the maternal and foetal blood to shift their oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve so that the mean oxygen pressure gradient across the placental membrane is increased. The two main characteristics of foetal blood, a high oxygen capacity and a high oxygen affinity are well adapted to hypoxaemia since, together with a high cardiac output, they ensure an adequate oxygen supply to the foetal tissues. These characteristics of foetal blood disappear during the postnatal period in all the species thus far investigated. The change in the blood oxygen affinity which occurs in the foetus and the newborn have been attributed in some species to the presence of a foetal haemoglobin (HbF) which differs from the adult haemoglobin (HbA) either by an intrinsically higher oxygen affinity, independant of any intracellular cofactor, or by an impaired reactivity towards cofactors which alter haemoglobin oxygen affinity by directly interacting with the haemoglobin molecule (2,3 DPG, CO2). In those species in which HbF has not been shown to be structurally and functionally different from HbA, change in 2,3 DPG concentration can explain change in oxygen affinity.


[Study of oxygen consumption in infants of diabetic mothers].

The energy expenditure (VO2) was measured during the first 36 hours of life in 10 infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) and in 16 normal newborns (NB). The mean VO2 was 5,72 ml/kg/min +/- 0,4 for the NB and 4,94 ml/kg/min. +/- 0,3 for the IDM. The respiratory quotients were similar for both groups. Blood glucose determination from all IDM were greater than 44 mg%. Although the low VO2 for IDM is unexplained, several hypothesis might be anticipated: either lack of utilization of abundant endogenous glycogen stores or increased metabolism of glucose by the cells.


[Blood gas determination in the newborn infant (prognostic and therapeutic value)].

A study of 55 blood gas determinations performed on the umbilical vein blood in the new-born (determinations of pH, SAO2, PaCO2, O2 vol% of total blood, CO2 vol% of total plasma, hemoglobin, hematocrit and, in some cases, PaO2). The cases include: 26 girls, 23 boys, issued from 9 primiparas (mean age: 25 years) and 40 multiparas (mean age: 28 years). In 18 of these cases, the parturient woman was administered oxygen. In 6 cases the delivery was complicated. The comparison of the data obtained by means of blood gas determination with the Apgar test evidences the value of the determination of these biological parameters. Authors insist on the necessity to make a functional respiratory study in the pregnany woman exhibiting a chronic respiratory deficiency, and to perform a blood gas determination and an oxygen-therapy (with an hyperoxygenated gas mixture -- O2 60% -- N2 40%) during the labour in order to avoid a fetal anoxia and its consequences, always redoubtable.


[Correlation between the biological half-life of tritiated water and the body surface area in man. Preliminary report].

The literature about the half-life of the tritiated water has shown a great variety from one specimen to another. In order to determine the influence of this variations upon metabolism, mass or body surface we studied 16 healthy subjects and one patient with renal failure. We founded that there is a good correlation between the body surface and the biological half-life of the tritiated water in humans. The correlation average was 1.02.


[Lupus nephropathy. Clinical, chemical and histological correlations of 15 cases].

Until a few years ago, the pathological findings of the nephropathy of the disseminated lupus erithematosus had been interpreted and classified with any pronostic criteria. However many papers in the literature conclude the importance of the renal involucre based only in the clinical observation of the patients. In view to take a morphologic criteria about the lesions which can be observed in the disseminated lupus erithematosus we studied the biopsy renal specimens of 15 patients with this illness and correlate the findings with the clinical and laboratory state. The clinical evolution of our patients was highly variable according with the different type of the lupus nephropathy they suffered and because of this we consider of great pronostic importance a new classification of the renal lesions of the disseminated lupus erithematosus.


[Recurrent pancreatitis and hyperlipemia. Clinical case and review of the literature].

It is discussed the case of a patient, a 45 year old female, who suffered two episodes of acute pancreatitis in one year. This patient is not an alcoholic but diabetic, atherosclerotic and with type IV hyperlipemia. It is presented some reports of the medical literature on the matter and some possible pathogenic mechanisms to explain the pancreatitis associated to hyperlipemia. In this particular case the authors do not consider the hyperlipemia secondary to a pancreatitis but a precipitating factor.


[Work motivation in an institutional hospital of Mexico City].

It was studied the laboral motivation of the medical staff, nurses, social laborers and administrative personnel of a hospital through interviews which investigated the factors proposed by Herzberg: intrinsec, command, work conditions, salary, progress, security, institution and directives and personal interrelations. The author found that the intrinsec aspects, the personal interrelations and the command was the most important things for the employee. There were also some differences between the various categories of employee: the effective command was a general preoccupation for all the personnel in the different areas and the security to retain the job was the prior motivation of the chief nurses, social laborers and administrative personnel.


[Changes in the activity of glyoxylate cycle enzymes of yeast during hydrocarbon nutrition].

Six strains of Candida guillermondii of different productivity showed a higher isocitrate lyase and malate dehydrogenase activity of cell-free extracts when grown on paraffin than when grown on glucose. In most cases isocitrate dehydrogenase activity was higher on glucose than on paraffin. A positive correlation between isocitrate activity and growth rate was found from studies of the strains of varying growth rate and the cultures cultivated under different conditions (nitrogen content and the presence or absence of biotin or autolysate in the medium).


[Effect of nucleotide containing corrinoids on vitamin B 12 synthesis in Propionibacterium shermanii].

The influence of B12-CN, B12-OH, coenzyme B12, factor III and factor B on the synthesis of vitamin B12 and porphyrins by different strains of P. shermanii was investigated. Neither compound inhibited the development of propionic bacteria or suppressed porphyrin formation. All nucleotide containing analogues of vitamin B12 produced a strong repressive effect on the synthesis of corrinoid compounds regardless of the modifications in the upper and lower cobalt ligands. Factor B containing no nucleotide moiety did not show this effect. It is suggested that the nucleotide moiety of the vitamin B12 molecule is responsible for the binding of vitamin to protein aporepressor.


[Effect of aeration on lysine biosynthesis in nutrient media with different concentrations of components].

The lysine synthesis by the culture M. glutamicus T-3 on nutrient media with varying molasses concentrations was studied during cultivation under different aeration conditions. With an increase in the nutrient concentration the relationship between the lysine yield and aeration rate became very manifest. An elevation of aeration (Kv) from 1.2 to 6.3 g O2 1/hr increased the yield of lysine in the 15, 20 and 28% molasses medium by 3, 6 and 11 times, respectively. A decline in aeration decreased the biomass yield and increased the content of lactic acid and alanine in the culture liquid (to 19 and 4 g/l, respectively). The rate of respiration of the culture in the filtrate of the culture liquid measured in the Warburg apparatus depended on the cell age and molasses concentration in the nutrient medium and not on the aeration rate.


[Effect of cultivation conditions on the accumulation of poly-beta-hydroxy-butyric acid in Rhizobium lupini].

The influence of the age of the culture and nitrogen source on the accumulation of poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid by different strains of Rhizobium lupini was studied. The accumulation depended on the age of the culture and reached maximum at the end of the logarithmic and at the beginning of the stationary phase of the bacterial growth (about 50-60% dry weight). The accumulation varied in relation to the nitrogen source used: it was the highest in the glutamate medium and the lowest on nitrate nitrogen; the culture grown on ammonium phosphate was intermediate.