Hippocampal afterdischarges and their post-ictal sequelae in rats: a potential tool for assessment of CNS neurotoxicity. Two types of AD and post-AD sequences are described. Type 1, which were most common (83%), are followed by a profound post-ictal depression (PID). PIDs can be quantitatively measured by integrating the EEG. The post-ictal EEG power normally returned to 75% of its prestimulation power within 4-5 min. PIDs are usually interrupted by a brief rebound AD, occurring about 1.5 min after the end of the AD. Wet dog shakes (WDSs) often punctuate the end of the AD and the end of the rebound AD. Type II ADs (12% of those recorded) do not have profound PID, but do have irregular post-ictal spikes which may persist for over 30 min. Type IIa ADs do not have the post-ictal spikes or the PID, and represented 5% of the ADs recorded. Females had higher AD thresholds than males, and had more Type IIa ADs than males during threshold testing. AD durations were longest in the subiculum and shortest in the area dentata. Correlations among the different measures of AD activity are discussed. With repeated elicitation, AD and PID durations increased. Stimuli 400% of threshold produced shorter ADs and longer PIDs than stimuli 115% of threshold. High intensity stimuli did not significantly alter frequency of WDSs or rebound AD characteristics. Increasing dosages of sodium pentobarbital decreased AD duration, increased threshold, decreased the probability of a Type I AD and produced depressions which were not accompanied by rebound ADs. At the highest (30 mg/kg) dosage of sodium pentobarbital, the spike frequency within the AD was decreased. When PIDs occurred, they were somewhat longer at higher dosages of sodium pentobarbital. The feasibility of the AD as an index of neurotoxicity is discussed, and it is concluded that it may provide a valuable mirror of dysfunction in the hippocampal formation. Further work must determine its sensitivity to toxicant-induced alterations.


Effects of carbon disulfide on motor function and responsiveness to d-amphetamine in rats. Male, albino rats of the Fisher strain were exposed to 2 mg carbon disulfide/l of air for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks. Neurobehavioral effects were not observed after 3 weeks of dosing, but hindlimb extensor responses and performance on the inclined screen (motor coordination) were impaired after 6 weeks of exposure. Forelimb grip strength and exploratory locomotor activity were not affected. Three weeks after cessation of dosing, recovery of function was observed. Rats exposed to CS2 for 6 weeks were found to be stimulated less than air ventilated controls by 3 mg/kg of d-amphetamine. In addition, d-amphetamine-induced augmentation of an acoustic startle response was attenuated in CS2 exposed rats. These data suggest that repeated exposure to CS2 affects the availability of brain norepinephrine for release. Enhanced responsiveness to the stereotypic effects of a high dose of d-amphetamine (6 mg/kg) suggested changes in functioning of dopaminergic systems. Three weeks after cessation of dosing, there was no difference between groups in their response to d-amphetamine.


Analysis of nominal dose-effect data with an advanced programmable calculator. A step by step procedure is described for programming the method of Bliss for analyzing nominal dose-effect data for use with an advanced programmable calculator. A comparison of the results using this method with the results of others shows a good correspondence.


Behavioral effects of fetal and neonatal exposure to methadone in the rat. Twenty-two pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on methadone hydrochloride solution (14 mg/kg/day, PO, ad lib) throughout gestation, or served as prenatal controls with equal intake of tap water. Within 48 hr of birth 129 pups were cross-fostered to dams of postnatal control or methadone (27 mg/kg/day, PO, ad lib) status. A significant increase in stillbirths occurred among prenatal methadone litters. Disturbed maternal behavior sometimes developed when a dam was switched from prenatal control to postnatal methadone or vice versa. Foster pups of such females showed long-lasting growth retardation and less emotionality in Open Field trials as adults. They were less active on Day 28 in a circular path test, but when tested after Day 65, they were more active. Pups exposed to methadone both pre- and post-natally were lest active in initial Open Field tests (both on Day 28 and after Day 65) of all treatment groups. No severe withdrawal symptoms were noted in pups at birth or weaning. The effect of methadone on growth, emotionality and activity level was mild compared to the effects of drug-induced maternal disorganization.


Effects of carbon monoxide on operant behavior of laboratory rats and baboons. Carbon monoxide (CO) was evaluated for its effects on the operant behavior of laboratory rats and juvenile baboons. For the rat studies the procedures included a 2-min variable interval (2-min VI) or fixed interval (2-min FI) schedule of reinforcement, a 60:1 fixed ratio (FR) schedule and a multiple fixed ratio, fixed interval (FR:FI) schedule. Carbon monoxide concentrations of 50-200 ppm for 2-hr exposure periods produced minimal effects on VI rates. Response rates were increased for all animals somewhere in the concentration range of 25-200 ppm. Response rates were depressed at 500 ppm CO. Behavioral effects at 50 ppm CO were not correlated with blood CO levels. Data averaged for grops of three animals show FI rate increased slightly above controls at 50 and 100 ppm CO and decreased at 200 ppm. FR rate increased at 50 ppm and decreased at 100 and 200 ppm. For the baboon studies, a delayed match-to-sample discrimination task was used. The effects of CO (6 hr per day over a 5-day period) on the discrimination task was limited to an occasional mistake by an animal. CO did produce a slowing of the animals' response times as well as an increase of extra responses during the delay intervals. The changes in extra responses were dose related.


Influence of lactation on rate of disappearance of ethanol in the rat. The rate of blood ethanol disappearance was significantly increased in lactating rats compared to virgin controls and parturient rats that had their offspring removed in birth. Liver but not kidney size was also increased in lactating rats.


Magnesium deficiency: brain acetylcholine and motor activity. Deprivation of magnesium ion in the diet caused a significant decrease in whole brain acetylcholine content. At the reginal level, the most pronounced effect was seen in the corpus striatum, diencephalon and cerebellum. The rate of depletion and recovery varied from region to region, and what appeared to be a return to normal acetylcholine in whole brain was the total of regions either higher or lower than control. The data presented here suggest that a positive relationship exists between the lowered cholinergic activity in the corpus striatum and increased nocturnal spontaneous motor activity.


Postnatal behavioral changes in prenatally irradiated rats. Rats were exposed on gestational day 15 to 125 r X-irradiation, a treatment known to severely alter brain morphology. At 4-6 weeks of age the behavior of these animals was studied using two methods: (1) measurement of circadian locomotor activity, (2) photographic analysis of behavioral acts. The circadian locomotor activity of irradiated rats was similar to that of controls tested individually or as groups in a residential unit. After morphine sulfate, 2 mg/kg, the increase in locomotor activity was greater for the irradiated than control groups. Successive frames of photographic film were analyzed to determine the frequency, duration, sequencing of behavioral acts. No significant differences were present in these parameters of behavioral acts of control and irradiated rats. After morphine, irradiated rats showed a greater increase than controls in frequency and initiations of some behavioral acts, and these acts were more randomly dispersed in the sequences of acts. In this experiment activity was little affected by an agent which severely alters brain morphology, but the latent behavioral effects of the permanent brain damage became manifest, when the testing situation included challenge with a low dose of a drug which caused hyperactivity.


Behavioral teratology evaluation of trichloromethane in mice. Trichloromethane (TCM) has been identified as an important contaminant of drinking water. TCM was evaluated for possible behavioral effects in the offspring of mice treated throughout the reproductive period. Male and female albino mice were gavaged with vehicle (Emulphor: saline) or 31.1 mg/kg/day for 21 days prior to mating, throughout mating (21 days or until a vaginal plug was detected) and the dam was continued with daily gavage throughout gestation and lactation. The pups were also gavaged daily with the same dose beginning on Day 7. Five TCM and five control litters were used for this study. On the day of birth each litter was reduced to 8 pups. For the next 15 days, 3 pups from each litter were randomly selected each day for evaluation on a battery of tests of neurobehavioral development. The scoring system for this test battery was developed for this study. On Day 17 motor performance for all pups was evaluated using the latency to right themselves on an inverted screen. On Days 22 and 23 they were evaluated on a one-trial passive avoidance learning task. No consistent significant differences were observed in any of the measures between TCM and vehicle treated groups.


Effects of chronic lead ingestion on social development in infant rhesus monkeys. The social behavior of infant rhesus monkeys during the first year of life was examined under a variety of lead (Pb) exposure conditions in four separate experiments. Daily ingestion of PB acetate in milk for one year elevated blood Pb levels to 30-100 microgram/dl, suppressed play, increased social clinging, and exacerbated the disruption of social behavior caused by changing the play environment midway through the year of observation. The presence of control monkeys in social test-groups reduced the magnitude of Pb-induced social behavior changes. In contrast to daily postnatal Pb exposure, chronic exposure to Pb during gestation had no measurable effect on postnatal social development, and acute, transient postnatal Pb exposure (producing blood Pb levels > 200 microgram/dl during month 2 of life) affected only the monkeys' response to the change in the plan environment. These data suggest that daily ingestion of Pb, and not a previously-acquired tissue burden, was responsible for the long-term changes in social development observed. The results are discussed in the general context of primate social development, which is thought to require adequate interactive play for appropriate social integration and reproductive behavior at maturity.


Postnatal effects of maternal nicotine exposure. Rats were given dilute nicotine solutions as their only source of drinking water while control rats received distilled water. Two months after the start of treatment the rats were mated. At birth litters born to nicotine treated rats were either left with the dams until weaning (nicotine group) or cross-fostered to control dams (cross-fostered nicotine group). Both parents and offspring were tested when the pups were 60 to 80 days of age. The drug-treated adult rats showed a marked reduction in body weight gain during the period of drug treatment. The dams were more active during the day and exhibited a reduced plasma corticosterone response to stress. Male but not female offspring of nicotine treated rats were significantly lighter at birth than control males. Offspring in the nicotine group showed an increased spontaneous motor activity in the light which was not prevented by cross-fostering to control dams at birth. The results support the hypothesis that pre-natal exposure to nicotine causes significant changes in behavior in later life.


Behavioral deficits in adult rats following neonatal lead exposure. Rats exposed to lead via the maternal milk were tested at maturity on three different visual discrimination tasks. Starting at parturition the dams were given either tap water, 0.20% sodium acetate, 0.02% lead acetate, or 0.20% lead acetate in the drinking water. At weaning, the pups from all the groups were placed on normal chow and tap water. At 20 days of age, the concentration of lead in the blood and brain of the high lead-exposed offspring was approximately 6 times that of controls (11 microgram% vs 66 microgram%). A significant deficit was found in the ability of the high lead-exposed group to acquire a simultaneous visual discrimination task conducted in an operant chamber. No significant differences were observed in the ability of lead-exposed rats to acquire either a successive visual discrimination task or a cued go/no-go discrimination. Thee results suggest that early lead exposure can affect certain behavioral processes and that the effects may persist even after the rat has reached maturity.


A method for the routine assessment of fore- and hindlimb grip strength of rats and mice. A technique to measure the fore-and hindlimb grip strength of rats (adult and preweanling) and mice is described. the procedure utilizes inexpensive equipment, is rapid and efficient, and provides continuous level data. As a means of validating the sensitivity of the test, the effects of phenobarbital and chlordiazepoxide on the grip strength of adult Fisher strain and Sprague-Dawley derived adult rats were investigated. Dose-related decreases in fore- and hindlimb grip scores were observed in both strain of rats. The interanimal variability in this test was less in Fisher rats than in Sprague-Dawleys. The technique appears to have a great deal of potential in studies concerning the neuromotor effects of environmental and psychopharmacological agents.


Management of congenital cataracts.

Management of congenital cataracts. The management of congenital cataracts at the Wilmer Institute is presented, with emphasis on the need for careful preoperative assessment. The indications and techniques for surgery in uncomplicated cataracts are discussed, and the advantages of using vitrectomy instruments in complicated congenital cataracts, such as those associated with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous, are described.


Late results of congenital cataract surgery. Generally speaking, it can be said, when considering all operated bilateral congenital cataracts, that a visual acuity of over 20/100 is found in approximately 50% of patients. In this study, 230 eyes were followed; of these 100 (43%) had an acuity of 20/60 or better and 130 (57%) had 20/100 or less. In conclusion the functional prognosis is better for incomplete cataracts than for total congenital cataracts. The main reason for this is the fact that total cataracts are often associated with cerebroretinal lesions or anomalies. The patient's age at operation and the surgical technique chosen are secondary factors. When considered from the standpoint of visual acuity, the results of congenital cataract surgery are discouraging, at least in the eyes with complete cataract. The visual prognosis could be better for total congenital cataracts if we operate on them at birth or immediately after birth.


Use of silicone lenses in infants and children. A contact lens made from silicone rubber has been fitted successfully for extended wear in children. The lens has been used primarily with aphakic children, but it has also been tolerated by children with anisometropia, high myopia, and keratoconus. The lens can be handled like a hard contact lens and can be fitted by a variety of methods. The eye shows excellent tolerance of the lens and complications or failures to wear the lens have been due primarily to discomfort. After about a year of wear the lens surface can no longer be cleaned.


Applanation-Schiøtz disparity after retinal detachment surgery utilizing cryopexy. Previous reports of applanation-Schiøtz disparity following retinal detachment surgery involved patients whose detachments were treated with diathermy and scleral buckling. In 73 patients with retinal detachments treated by cryopexy and scleral buckling, applanation and Schiøtz pressures were measured before and after surgery. In the postoperative period, applanation tension values were significantly higher than Schiøtz values in the operated eyes only; the mean disparity was 6 mm Hg, with a range of 0 to 14 mm Hg. Sex, age, surgical aphakia, and length of time after surgery did not influence the data. Placement of the buckle, rather than extent of cryopexy, appeared to be the main factor in producing this disparity. Ophthalmologists who utilize the Schiøtz tonometer should be aware of the various conditions, including retinal detachment surgery, which produce low ocular rigidity.


Glaucoma associated with precipitates on the trabecular meshwork. Precipitates on the trabecular meshwork may be the only sign of ocular inflammation. Fourteen patients who had glaucoma associated with precipitates on the trabecular meshwork and minimal or no other signs of ocular inflammation did not respond to usual antiglaucoma therapy. Treatment with topical steroids eliminated the precipitates and lowered the intraocular pressure. Careful gonioscopy is the key to accurate diagnosis.


Natural history of senile disciform macular dystrophy. Twenty-nine patients with severe visual loss in one eye from disciform macular dystrophy were prospectively studied for the incidence of visual loss in the fellow eye. Four developed such loss in the second eye during a mean period of follow-up of 32 months from the time of onset of visual loss in the first eye, an annual incidence rate of 5.2%. The degree of drusen and retinal pigment epithelial and subretinal pigment epithelial pathology correlated positively with the incidence of visual loss in the fellow eye.


The Schachar Lens: A two-year follow-up. In the past two years, 216 implantations have been performed with a minimum of a three-month follow-up; visual acuity was better than 20/40 in 89% of cases.


Severe enophthalmos following irradiation of the anophthalmic socket: surgical approaches. The combination of enucleation plus irradiation often leads to a significant orbital volume loss and severe enophthalmos. Surgery for enophthalmos correction involves the replacement of intraorbital volume with autogenous or alloplastic material, either subperiorbitally, or in the muscle cone. Subperiorbital implants technically are easiest to perform, but implant absorption, migration, and other complications can be cosmetically unacceptable. Alternatively, approaching the muscle cone through a lateral subperiorbital dissection avoids trauma to the irradiated conjunctiva; allows easy access to the muscle cone for implantation of silicone spheres glass beads, or RTV silicone; and provides an excellent cosmetic result.


Diagnosis and treatment of lacrimal sac cysts. A case of lacrimal sac cyst is presented. The presenting symptoms, work-up, and differential diagnosis are discussed. We advocate excision of the cyst as the treatment of choice in an attempt to preserve the functional anatomy of the patient's lacrimal system.


Ultrasonically guided needle biopsy and cytologic diagnosis of solid intraocular tumors. Six solid intraocular tumors were reliably diagnosed by needle biopsies and cytologic examination of the aspirates. All of the tumors had an unusual clinical or diagnostic feature that raised the possibility of a non-melanomatous tumor. Two intraocular lesions that were obscured by opaque media or a retinal detachment were successfully biopsied under B-scan ultrasonographic guidance of the needle. Cytodiagnosis of narrow spindle B, plump spindle B, and eipthelioid cell types, as well as one case of Coats' disease, was possible and correlated closely with the predominant cell types comprising the lesions discovered on histopathologic examination of the globes that were enucleated. The ocular tissues were not significantly disturbed and hemorrhage was not a serious problem. Details of the biopsy and cytologic techniques, the major clinical indications, for the procedure, and the authors' belief that the procedure is not likely to produce local seeding or extraocular metastasis in cases of melanoma are presented and discussed. Considerable profit may attend the use of this technique for the diagnosis of possible metastatic lesions and tumors of the ciliary body. The technique, however, should not be routinely employed and should be restricted to extremely difficult diagnostic problems.


Micromorphology of the skin (epidermis, dermis, subcutis) of the dog. Grossly, the skin of the dog is characterized by varying thicknesses, density of the hair coat and the implantation angle of the hairs. Multiple folds varying in shape are formed by the epidermis and the papillary layer of the corium. The epidermis consists of a stratum profundum with a continuous layer of basal cells, a stratum spinosum consisting of 3-6 cell layers, a stratum superficiale with single granulosa and "lucidum" cells and a well-developed stratum corneum. The corium shows a narrow stratum papillare corli containing delicate fibres and a broad stratum reticulare corii with mainly coarse fibre bundles. The subcutis is divided into adipose and fibrous layers. The broad adipose layer displays breed and individual differences which vary with the region of the body. The fibrous layer corresponds to the connective tissue layer, formerly described as fascia trunci superficialis. The morphological and functional unity of the corium and subcutis is discussed.


The effect of temperature on the frons width in males of Stomoxys calcitrans Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae). Laboratory experiments established that males of Stomoxys calcitrans, raised at a high temperature (30 degrees C), had frons widths that were very significantly smaller (P=0,01) than those of males raised at a lower temperature (20 degrees C). Thus, although the frons width is apparently controlled genetically, it can also be influenced by temperature. It was also established that temperature acted on the fully-fed 3rd instar larva to affect the adult male frons width.


Cooperia connochaeti sp. nov. (Nematoda, Trichostrongylidae) from the blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus (Burchell, 1823). A new species of nematode. Cooperia connochaeti, was collected from cross-bred blue and black wildebeest at Krugersdorp (Transvaal), blue wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus (Burchell, 1823) from the Kruger National Park (Transvaal) and Lake Xhau (Botswana), as well as from impala Aepyceros melampus (Lichtenstein, 1812) at Malelane (Transvaal) and Pafuri (Kruger National Park). These nematodes are smaller than Cooperia pectinata Ransom, 1907, and their spicules, which are bifid in the distal third, are shorter (145-166 micron) than those of C. pectinata (240-280 micron). In addition, the lateral branches of the dorsal ray of C. connochaeti are directed ventrally and slightly anteriorly, while those of C. pectinata are directed posteriorly.


Subcutaneous and pulmonary emphysema as complications of bovine ephemeral fever. Subcutaneous and pulmonary emphysema was observed in some cattle on farms on which outbreaks of bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) occurred. BEF virus was isolated in baby hamsters from one of the cases and cattle were injected with blood from this animal. Although the experimental animals developed typical BEF symptoms, no signs of emphysema could be detected by clinical and pathological examinations. The histopathological changes in the skeletal muscle and synovial membranes of the natural case resembled those of BEF described by Basson, Pienaar & Van der Westhuizen (1970). The lumina of the terminal and respiratory bronchioles in the lungs were obliterated by cellular debris and the muscular portion of some of these bronchioles was necrotic. The possible pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema is discussed.


Actinobacillus seminis infection in sheep in the Republic of South Africa. I. Identification of the problem. A clinical palpation and semen smear examination of 647 rams submitted to the Regional Veterinary Laboratory during 1967 revealed that 42 (6,5%) of these animals had clinical epididymitis or orchitis, 6 (0,9%) showed other types of genital lesions and 98 (15,1%) suffered from subclinical genital infection. A. seminis and A. seminis-like organisms were isolated from semen specimens of 18 out of 35 rams with clinical epididymitis or orchitis, 25 out of 33 rams with subclinical infection and none out of 13 rams which showed no neutrophils in their semen. On 4 stud farms where Elberg Rev. 1 vaccine was meticulously applied and the complete absence of Brucella ovis infection was established, of a total of 327 rams examined, 10 (3,6%) were found to be clinically and 72 (22,0%) subclinically affected. A. seminis was isolated from 5 out of 6 of these rams with clinical lesions and 10 out of 15 of those which showed evidence of subclinical infection.


Actinobacillus seminis infection in sheep in the Republic of South Africa. II. Incidence and geographical distribution. To obtain information on the incidence and distribution of Actinobacillus seminis infection in the Republic of South Africa, a clinical and serological survey was carried out on 409 farms situated in 29 districts. All rams submitted for certification to the Regional Laboratory from 1/1/69 to 31/1/74 were included in a separate investigation. These particular rams represented different breeds and originated from farms in over 48 districts. Examinations were also carried out on all rams on 11 stud farms in the Middelburg and adjacent districts with a high incidence of epididymitis, despite regular immunization with Elberg Rev. 1 vaccine. These investigations confirmed that genital infection of rams still presents a major problem in the main sheep breeds and the main sheep farming areas of South Africa. A high incidence of infection with A. seminis, an organism which appear to be the most important one associated with genital infection in this country, was also established. Genital infection due to A. seminis is geographically also very widespread.


African swine fever: pathogenicity and immunogenicity of two non-haemadsorbing viruses. The virulence of 2 non-haemadsorbing African swine fever virus isolates were compared with 2 haemodsorbing viruses. While 3 of these isolates usually produced acute death in pigs, 1 non-haemadsorbing virus caused either a fatal infection with an extended course, or few or no obvious signs of infection. Pigs that survived infection with the latter virus were resistant to the lethal effects of the other 3 strains as well as to a pool of 7 isolates made from Ornithodorus porcinus porcinus (senus Walton, 1964) and warthog obtained in the Northern Transvaal.


The role played by wildlife in the epizootiology of rabies in South Africa and South-West Africa. The role played by wildlife in the perpetuation of rabies is discussed in the light of information obtained during a routine examination of specimens at the Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort, during the 10-year period, 1967-1976. In the course of the investigation, 9 additional hosts of rabies were confirmed and 4 rabies areas identified. The chief disseminators in 2 of these areas were found to be the dog (Canis familiaris) and the black-backed jackal (C. mesomelas); in the third area, the yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), and in the fourth Genetta and Felis spp., including the domestic cat (Felis catis). It was noted that the domestic cat is of less importance in those areas where dogs and jackals are the chief disseminators.


Wesselsbron disease: a cause of congenital porencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia in calves. Fifteen pregnant cows were inoculated subcutaneously and intravenously between 101-147 days of gestation with the wild-type Wesselsbron disease virus. In addition, 2 foetuses were injected directly through the uterine wall after surgical exposure of the pregnant horn. The clinical symptoms, viraemia and serology in the cows are reported, as also the gross- and histopathology and the virological and serological results of the calves and foetuses. Abortion was not an important manifestation of experimental Wesselsbron disease in cows, as it occurred in 3 animals only. Apart from a short temperature reaction in some cows no other clinical symptoms were recorded. A viraemia was not always present in these cows and, when detected, was of low magnitude and short duration. One cow, in which the foetus was ioculated at 115 days of gestation, aborted at 231 days. The foetus showed marked porencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia.


The use of frequency diagrams in the survey of resistance to pesticides in ticks in Southern Africa. A method whereby resistance data can be analysed by means of frequency distributions is described. This method established that Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R. evertsi evertsi show either little or only developing resistance to the pesticides chlorfenvinphos and dioxathion. Boophilus spp., however, show more instances and higher levels of resistance to these 2 pesticides.


Production and application of a live Salmonella gallinarum vaccine. The production and application of a freeze-dried Salmonella gallinarum vaccine are described in this report. The vaccine is stable when kept at 4 degrees C and a single injection elicits a good immunity for 2 months, though its effect gradually diminishes. Immunity is neither enhanced nor depressed by repeated injections of the live vaccine, and no interference effect was observed in experimentally infected chickens. Furazolidone therapy jeopardizes the immunogenicity of a live vaccine, but its effect can be countered by the administration of either an inactivated or a live vaccine when medication is commenced and this is followed by the application of live vaccine 6 days after cessation of medication.


Viruses isolated from Culicoides midges in South Africa during unsuccessful attempts to isolate bovine ephemeral fever virus. Five viruses, unrelated to bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV), were isolated from Culicoides biting-midges collected during the summer months of the years 1968-69 and 1969-70 near a cattle herd in which cases of BEF occurred and at an open horse stable at Onderstepoort. These viruses were investigated by means of serological, electron-microscopical and physicochemical tests. It was established that 2 isolates, Cul. 1/69 and Cul. 2/69, were related to each other and belonged to the Palyam subgroup of the genus Orbivirus, that isolate Cul. 3/69 belonged to the equine encephalosis subgroup of the genus Orbivirus, while Cul. 1/70 was related to Akabane virus, which belongs to the Simbu subgroup of the family Bunyaviridae. One isolate, Cul. 5/69, though prevalent in the cattle population, could not be identified at this point. A brief serological survey indicated that the cattle in the nearby herd possessed antibodies against all the isolates except Cul. 3/69. BEFV could not be isolated in mice or in cultured cells from the wild-caught Culicoides.


Studies on Haemonchus contortus. II. The effect of abomasal nematodes on subsequent challenge with H. contortus. Fifty-thousand infective larvae of Trichostrongylus axei dosed to 7-9-month-old Merinos protected them against a subsequent challenge with 50 000 infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus. Protection varied with the period between an initial dosage of T. axei and challenge with H. contortus as follows: After 90 days it was more than 80% effective in more than 80% of sheep; at 119 and 180 days there was still a significant reduction in the numbers of H. contortus recovered (P < 0,05 and P < 0,001, respectively). Prior infestation with either Ostertagia circumcincta or with Haemonchus placei was ineffective against challenge with H. contortus.


The immune response of horses to tetanus toxoid. An intramuscular injection of 8-16 Lf tetanus toxoid in water-in-oil emulsion protected adult horses against tetanus for at least 128 weeks. A booster dose of 8 Lf toxoid in aqueous solution protected them for a further period of at least 3 1/2 years. Colostral immunity protected foals for at least 10 weeks. An intramuscular injection of 8 Lf toxoid in water-in-oil emulsion given to foals from immune dams when they were 10-18 weeks old did not elicit any antibody response. They did respond, however, to a booster injection of 8 Lf toxoid in aqueous solution given 12 weeks after the first dose. New-born foals were shown to be inherently unable to respond to an injection of tetanus toxoid.


The haemocytology and histology of the haemopoietic organs of South African fresh water fish. I. The haemopoietic organs of Clarias gariepinus and Sarotherodon mossambicus. The haemopoietic organs of the catfish, Clarias gariepinus, and the Mozambique bream, Sarotherodon mossambicus, were studied. In both species the primary haemopoietic organs are the pronephros, the mesonephros and the spleen. The peritoneum and, particularly in catfish, the omentum are of secondary importance in haemopoiesis.


Comparative efficacy of six Brucella vaccines in guinea-pigs. Immunity assays in guinea-pigs based on spleen mass: body mass ratios showed that live vaccines were markedly more effective than inactivated oil adjuvant vaccines in providing protection against challenge with 5 000 virulent organisms.


Scanning electron microscopy-aided observations on and therapy of teat canal infections. An examination of teat canal swabs established that 51 teat canals out of 68 quarters of machine-milked cows were colonized by Staphylococcus aureus. Only 31 of these quarters yielded milk from which S. aureus could be cultured, and 6 out of the 31 produced milk containing somatic cell counts in excess of 500 000/ml. No inhibitory substances could be detected in milk samples 12 h after 10 mg of sodium cloxacillin had been deposited in the test canal on 1-4 successive occasions. Teat canal swabs and milk sample cultures of the same quarters became and remained bacteriologically negative for at least a week after the last treatment. Six quarters, which according to the International Dairy Federation criteria were suffering from subclinical mastitis, became negative after local teat canal therapy. Scanning electron micrographs of one infected teat canal revealed the presence of cocci in depressions and crevices on the epithelial surface, suggesting that such cocci are not always flushed out into milk samples. Teat canal therapy should make a marked contribution to the control of bovine mastitis.


Expulsion of Nematospiroides dubius from the intestine of mice treated with immune serum. This paper describes experiments which demonstrated that the survival of Nematospiroides dubius was severely impaired in mice treated with immune serum. CFLP donor mice were given a series of infections ranging from 25 to 200 infective larvae, at weekly intervals for 6 weeks. The mice were treated with anthelmintic on day 21 and/or day 28 to prevent the accumulation of lethal numbers of parasites in the intestine, and were bled between day 42 and day 49. Female NIH recipient mice were given a total of 2.0-2.5 ml of immune serum i/p., in several separate smaller doses at various times in relation to the day of infection. Between the administration of immune serum begun during the first 4 days of infection and the animals being killed within the next 3 weeks, the mice harboured fewer worms than control animals, the worms were stunted and their fecundity was greatly reduced. Furthermore, these worms were subsequently lost from the intestines of treated mice, during and after the fourth week of infecton. These effects on N. dubius were not observed when mice were given normal serum nor when immune serum was administered after day 6 of the infection. The delayed rejection of adult worms from mice treated with immune serum is of particular significance and suggests that immune serum contained factors which facilitated the expression of a second component in worm expulsion not nornally effective in a primary infection. The possible immunologcal mechanisms underlying these findings are discussed and related to the immunosuppression which N. dubius is known to induce in the host.


'Arc 5' antibodies in sera of sheep infected with Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia hydatigena and Taenia ovis. The 'arc 5' precipitin band, formed when test human serum is reacted against immunoelectophoresed hydatid cyst fluid antigen, has provided a positive diagnosis of Echinococcus granulosus infection. These antibodies to 'arc 5' antigen have now been found in the sera of sheep. They appear 2 weeks after infection with Taenia ovis, after 3 weeks with T. hydatigena and after 16 weeks with E. granulosus. An antigen similar to the 'arc 5' antigen of E. granulosus cyst fluid was also demonstrated in cyst fluid from T. hydatigena, but it would not be positively identified in T. ovis cyst fluid. The presence of 'arc 5' in immunoelectrophoresis tests is not suitable for specific immunodiagnosis of E. granulosus infections in sheep in New Zealand. 'Arc 5' antibodies were only associated with living E. granulosus cysts and were not present if cysts were dead. The location of the cysts in either liver or lungs and the onset of brood capsule production did not influence the presence of 'arc 5' antibodies.


Effects of immune serum and cells on newborn larvae of Trichinella spiralis. Serum and cells, collected from mice immunized by infection either with newborn larvae (NBL) or per os with infective larvae of Trichinella spiralis, were passively transferred to mice which were challenged with NBL. Serum always gave very strong protection if given before challenge but not if given within 2 h after challenge. Cells from mice immunized with NBL also gave good protection, whereas those from mice immunized per os did not. If NBL were incubated in serum from immunized mice their infectivity was reduced, but if the serum was pre-absorbed with NBL this effect was lost. Such absorbed serum did not confer immunity on recipient mice.


Failure of nude (athymic) rats to become resistant to reinfection with the intestinal coccidian parasite Eimeria nieschulzi or the nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. The course of each of three successive infections with Eimeria nieschulzi in nude (athymic) rats was the same as the primary infection in nu/+ animals, with the production of more oocysts. This indicates that resistance to reinfection with this parasite is mediated by T lymphocytes but that these cells do not control the duration of the life cycle, since oocyst production was not prolonged in the nu/nu rats. After the three infections with E. nieschulzi, the rats were exposed twice to the intestinal nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, and the nu/nu were completely susceptible even to the second infection. Egg production by both infections in the nu/nu animals was similar and continued at a high plateau level for 28 days before falling to a low level. It appears that the strain of N. brasiliensis used in this study is unable to sustain high egg production for more than 4 weeks in T cell deficient rats.


Successful vaccination of cats against Brugia pahangi with larvae attenuated by irradiation with 10 krad cobalt 60. Cats were vaccinated by the inoculation on 10 occasions of approximately 300 larvae of Brugia pahangi which had been irradiated with 10 krad cobalt 60. They were challenged on 3 occasions with normal larvae of either B. pahangior B. patei. The vaccinated cats were resistant to challenge as demonstrated by either longer pre-patent periods or failure to become microfilaraemic and by having fewer third, fourth or adult worms than normal controls. Although the vaccination procedure was unpractically heavy these results lend encouragement to the possibility of developing vaccines against filarial infections.


A comparison between a new serological method, thin layer immunoassay (TIA), and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies in schistosomiasis. A comparison has been made of a new serological method, thin layer immunoassay (TIA), and an established method, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in the detection and quantification of antibodies in schistosomiasis. Using sera from known S. haematobium and S. mansoni cases, the performance of the two tests was almost identical; 95.6% positive for TIA and 96.4% by ELISA. TIA however produced a small number of false positives with sera from other helminth infections whereas ELISA gave none. There was excellent correlation between the tests in the quantification of anti-S. haematobium antibodies, both in human cases and in infected baboons. TIA has the advantage of being extremely simple to perform, but has the disadvantage of requiring a higher concentration of antigens.


Altered intestinal fluid movement in response to Trichinella spiralis in immunized rats. Net intestinal fluid movement was measured in immunized and non-immunized rats infected with the enteric stages of the nematode, Trichinella spiralis. Animals were studied 30 min, 5 days and 30 days after receiving infective larvae. Net water movement across the mucosal surface of the gut was measured in vivo by perfusing a cannulated segment (approximately 30 cm) of proximal small intestine with an isotonic solution containing a nonabsorbable marker, 14C polyethylene glycol, at a rate of 0.5 ml/min. Uninfected rats showed net absorption of water, 25 microliter/h per cm of intestine. This response was unaltered when rats were infected (7 x 10(3) larvae/rat) and examined 30 minutes later. Five days after primary infection net tissue-to-lumen fluid movement, ie. net secretion, occurred at a rate of 45 microliter/h per cm. When rats were studied 30 days after primary infection, net absorption equivalent to the preinfection level was observed once again. Previously infected (immunized) rats, when challenged (secondary infection, 7 x 10(3) larvae/rat) and examined within 30 min showed a significant decrease in net absorption rate as compared with non-immunized rats. Absorption returned to the preinfection level at both 5 and 30 days post challenge. Results support the conclusion that T. spiralis caused a decrease in net lumen-to-tissue fluid movement during primary and secondary infections. The response was initiated faster in previously infected hosts. The rapid induction of net fluid movement in the direction of secretion upon secondary contact with the parasite is associated temporarily with prevention of worm establishment.


The development of resistance in different inbred strains of mice to infection with Nematospiroides dubius. Infection by the intestinal nematode parasite Nematospiroides dubius was studied in seven different inbred mouse strains. Although there was some minor variation in the susceptibility of the different strains to a primary infection there were marked differences in their ability to develop resistance to infection following repeated exposure to infective larvae. The strains of mice which developed the best resistance also expelled adult worms arising from the previous infections. The adult worms resulting from a primary infection were slowly eliminated in two inbred strains studied whereas no loss occurred from outbred LACA mice. Although males and females of two strains, C3H/HeJ and CBA/H were equally susceptible to a primary infection, the females developed better resistance than the male mice following two oral administrations of third stage larvae. Infected mice of every strain and both sexes contained high levels of IgG1 in the serum.


Increased hepatotoxicity of bacterial lipopolysaccharide in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni were highly sensitive to the lethal effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The hyper-reactive state of LPS coincided with the development around the parasite eggs of multiple granulomas in the liver. Elevated aspartate transaminase levels in blood and severe hypoglycaemia in LPS-challenged animals indicated extensive liver parenchymal cell damage. There was also a complete depletion of glycogen in hepatocytes of these animals. From this work and studies on other hepatitis models, it is suggested that individuals affected with granulomatous disorders may be at risk because of everyday exposure to LPS from the gut.


Murine Schistosomiasis mansoni: anti-schistosomula antibodies and the IgG subclasses involved in the complement- and eosinophil-mediated killing of schistosomula in vitro. Protein A-sepharose affinity chromatography was used to isolate IgG subclasses from the serum of CBA mice chronically infected with Schistosoma mansoni. The subclasses were tested for the presence of two antibodies which are responsible for the death of young schistosomula in vitro; 'lethal antibody' (LA), which kills schistosomula in co-operation with complement and 'eosinophil adherence antibody' (EAA) which causes the death of schistosomula by promoting the adherence of eosinophils to the parasite. LA and EAA were detected only in the IgG fraction of the serum. LA was concentrated in the IgG2a fraction and EAA in the IgG1 fraction. The development of IgG subclasses specific for schistosomula was followed in mice exposed to twenty cercariae by the fluorescent antibody technique. IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b antibodies were detected 2 weeks after infection and their titres rose steadily to reach high levels by weeks 12 or 14. IgM antibody was not detected until week 6 and IgA until week 10; both were present at lower concentrations than the IgG1 antibodies.


Malignant tumor of humerus with features of "adamantinoma" and Ewing's sarcoma. This female patient was born in 1935 and died in 1976 with a malignant bone tumor involving the proximal humerus following multiple local recurrences, axillary lymph node metastases, and pulmonary metastases. Histologically, over the course of time, there was an increase in features of an atypical Ewing's sarcoma, at the expense of findings of a typical, extra-cranial so-called adamantinoma. In contrast to another report, our case showed neither epithelial nor endothelial features on fine structural examination, but rather primitive mesenchymal cells, as is described for Ewing's sarcomas.


Ameloblastic fibroma and its sarcomatous transformation. A case of ameloblastic fibroma, and one of its more aggressive variety, the ameloblastic "fibrosarcoma", are presented. The clinical and morphologic differences are discussed. In our opinion, ameloblastic "fibrosarcoma" is a semimalignant tumor. Therefore we propose "proliferating ameloblastic fibroma" as a more appropriate designation.


The importance of epidemiology in the study of causes of bone tumours. Research into the causes of disease in human populations makes use of epidemiological methods for recognizing avoidable risk factors which may be active prior to the occurrence of malignant tumours. With the exception of the risks or irradiation, the aetiology of bone tumours remains unclear, and it is particularly striking that in the literature to date and in a survey of research currently in progress there are no epidemiological studies which involve other than radiation-exposed populations. This is the reason why it has only been possible to obtain initial suggestions of potential areas of risk from ecologic correlations based on the evaluation of mortality and morbidity rates with respect to environmental factors. Several results obtained from systematic comparisons of mortality in the countries of the world and two correlative relationships are reported, and the difficulties in interpreting the results are discussed. Population-based registration of bone tumours and case-control studies based on registries are recommended.


Experimental bone tumors as models of human bone tumors. Experimental models of human bone tumors may be classified as causal, descriptive, and selective models. These models are useful for analyzing the morphology, biology, and therapy of human bone tumors. The application of these models, however, requires us to define clearly the questions to be answered and to consider the special features of experimental and human bone tumors. The suitability of experimental bone tumors as models can be determined only on the basis of a large amount of relevant experimental and clinical data.


Ultrastructure of benign chondroblastoma. Electron microscopic examination of three chondroblastomas showed two main cell types, namely pale and dark cells. Multilobulate nuclei characteristic of typical neoplastic chondroblasts were found in both the cell types. Besides differences in cytoplasmic and nuclear density, the cells also differed in nuclear shape and in proportions of various cytoplasmic organelles. Small pale cells resembled prechondroblasts of embryonic cartilage. Large pale cells showed features of chondroblasts. From pale cells of the above type, smooth transitions were observed to the dark cells, possessing dense, less regularly shaped nuclei and typically a larger amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum. Some of the dark cells may represent cells undergoing regressive alterations, but the majority of them seem to represent chondroblasts with imperfect maturation towards chondrocytes. Such findings suggest that benign chondroblastoma is composed of cartilaginous cells with various degrees of differentiation. The finding of occasional cilia is reported.


Histomorphometric analysis of bone changes in surgically proven primary hyperparathyroidism and nephrolithiasis--the importance of bone biopsy in diagnosis. The morphologic changes in trabecular bone were studied in 60 patients with surgically proven hyperparathyroidism and in 69 patients with nephrolithiasis. The hyperparathyroid bone lesions showed substantial variation in their extent. Four, typical stages were defined. The structure of trabecular bone remained intact in most cases. Bone turnover is significantly higher in the patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Fifty percent of all patients with nephrolithiasis had bone changes similar to those found in the surgically proven hyperparathyroidism group. In 50% of so-called asymptomatic cases of hyperparathyroidism, the iliac crest biopsy is a useful supplement to clinical and hormonal data in deciding whether to operate on the parathyroid glands. In about 45% of cases, however, no definite diagnoses is possible. The determination of serum parathyroid hormone in primary hyperparathyroidism has a greater importance for diagnostic purposes than morphologic investigation of the bone biopsy.


The complement system in host defense and inflammation. In this discussion I have reviewed the major role of complement in host defense and inflammation. In addition, I have discussed dificiency states. Although these are rare, their clinical signs and symptoms can be predicted, at least in part, on the basis of our current understanding of the biological activities of complement and the various pathways of complement activation. This is not to say that complement plays no role in a wide variety of other illnesses. However, when complement plays a role in an illness, often this is not because it is functioning in an aberrant fashion. The usual situation is that complement is being activated and is serving its normal function in causing inflammation and damage to tissues under abnormal circumstances. Thus, for example, circulating antigen complexes may be deposited in the kidney, activate complement, and mediate tissue inflammation. In this case, complement is functioning normally but is being activated under abnormal circumstances. The same type of analysis can be made for many diseases of many different organ systems. At present, we have no drugs that are effective in humans in controlling the activation of complement and complement-mediated inflammation. We have not yet even established whether local variations in the activity of complement may affect the course of a clinical infection, but there is certainly strongly suggestive evidence to support this idea. It should be clear that under certain circumstances complement may well be a major factor in controlling the course of an infection. The near future should bring a vast expansion in our understanding of how complement contributes to specific clinical illnesses and to the defense of the host against specific microorganisms.


Are we ready for a National Salmonella Control Program? Control of contamination of meat and poultry with Salmonella is difficult because of the complexity of the paths of transmission of the organism, the large number of sources of the organism, and the large number of persons, groups, and agencies involved in the production of animal feed and food and in the regulation of these industries. Furthermore, there is a gap between the basic technology available to destroy or prevent contamination with Salmonella and the technology available that is acceptable, inexpensive, and applicable on a large scale. Support of research for the development of new technology amounts only to about $2.7 million. There are programs for the control of Salmonella in certain feeds and in the production, processing, further processing, and cooking of food. With current technology, an eradication program would likely cost far more to the consumer than could be justified by the benefits the consumer would derive from such eradication. Nevertheless, practical control of salmonella contamination can be achieved through progressive application of new technology developed through research.


Maxwell Finland lecture: the influenza viruses and the human respiratory tract. This paper has reviewed evidence concerning the changes brought about in the structure and function of the lower airways by influenza virus infections. Disposal of inhaled bacteria is believed to be hindered by the mechanical damage to the epithelium of the respiratory tract caused by the virus infection, and phagocytosis is inhibited as well. Alteration in the ventilation, particularly of the peripheral small airways, which has been found in previously healthy persons during and after influenza, may add to the obstruction of the airways in those with chronic bronchitis and emphysema during influenza and may be important in the genesis of these disorders. The immunological defense of the respiratory tract against the influenza viruses has been discussed briefly with reference to the best available means of enhancing this defense, particularly in individuals with chronic pulmonary disease.


Epidemiologic characteristics of infant botulism in the United States, 1975-1978. Between January 1, 1975, and July 31, 1978, 81 cases (47 type A, 34 type B) of infant botulism were reported to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia. Most cases occurred in the western states, with the majority in California and Utah, where active surveillance is in progress. Most of the cases reported have occurred in the fall months, but this pattern may be attributable to a reporting artifact. The median age at onset of illness was 10 weeks, with a range of three to 35 weeks. The case-fatality ratio was 3.7% (3 of 81). CDC has developed a reporting form for case investigation and has encouraged private physicians and state and territorial epidemiologists and laboratory directors to keep active surveillance of cases of infant botulism. State health departments and CDC are available for consultation regarding suspected cases of the illness.


The clinical spectrum of infant botulism. Infant botulism is the systemic illness that results when spores of Clostridium botulinum germinate in the infant's intestine and then produce botulinal toxin in vivo. As with other infectious diseases, infant botulism has a spectrum of clinical severity that ranges from a mild, outpatient illness to fulminant, sudden death. Most cases reported to date have been recognized in infants so weak and hypotonic that their need for hospital care was unquestioned; yet even this group of patients displayed a wide range in severity of illness. The outpatients were initially considered to be cases of "failure to thrive," while the fulminant cases were indistinguishable at autopsy from typical instances of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, crib death). This article discusses the observed spectrum of clinical severity, the management of the hospitalized patient, and the manner in which sudden death might result from production of butulinal toxin in the intestine.


Laboratory procedures for cases of suspected infant botulism. The recent development and evaluation of procedures for examination of fecal specimens for botulinal toxin and Clostridium botulinum have provided the means by which infant botulism can be recognized. The toxicity for mice of fecal extracts containing botulinal toxin can be neutralized with specific botulinal antitoxin. The presence of C. botulinum in the feces is detected by demonstrating the presence of botulinal toxin in enrichment culture supernatant by means of toxicity tests in mice. C. botulinum is isolated by streaking enrichment cultures on egg yolk agar and picking typical lipase-positive colonies. The experience of both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Botulism Laboratory and other laboratories has been that botulinal toxin and C. botulinum are rarely, if ever, found in the feces of humans (infants or older people) not afflicted with botulism. Results of the examination in the CDC laboratory of specimens from 24 babies with infant botulism are given.


Viridans streptococcal endocarditis: the role of various species, including pyridoxal-dependent streptococci. The viridans streptococci are a heterogeneous group of organisms frequently associated with microbial endocarditis. Isolates from consecutive patients with endocarditis due to viridans streptococci who were seen at The New York Hospital from 1944 to 1955 and from 1970 to 1978 were speciated, and the relative frequencies and patterns of sus ceptibility to penicillin were determined. Vitamin B6-dependent streptococci, classified as Streptococcus mitior, accounted for 5%-6% of microbial endocarditis in both time periods. Since these nutritional variants require the active forms of vitamin B6 for growth in routein media, they can be responsible for culture-negative endocarditis. Media must be supplemented with either pyridoxal hydrochloride or pyridoxamine dihydrochloride (the active forms of vitamin B6) for isolation, identification, and subsequent testing of susceptibility to antimirobial agents. Pyridoxine hydrochloride does not support the growth of these organisms in vitro.


Current experience of neural tube defects in the West of Scotland. The experience at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children,Glasgow, of infants admitted due to a neural tube defect has been reviewed. Two hundred and seventy-one infants were admitted in the years 1972 to 1978. In 1972 amniocentesis and in 1975 serum AFP screening were commenced in the region. Analysis of the results in Glasgow shows the latter programme to have resulted in the termination of 78% of these pregnancies complicated by the fetus having anencephaly but only 19% of those with spina bifida cystica. Spina bifida patients are a continuing medical and social challenge for which continued resources must be deployed.


Myelination of the corpus callosum. II. The effect of relief of hydrocephalus upon the processes of myelination. A clinico-pathological study has been carried out on 32 brains of children with hydrocephalus in whom the hydrocephalus had been completely controlled by shunting. The cell and myelination activity of the corpus callosum in these children is within the normal range for children of the same age, which contrasts markedly with the findings in children in whom the hydrocephalus is in a progressive state.


The infundibulum of the hypophysis in hydrocephalus. This study describes the normal gross anatomy of the infundibulum and compares it with those in untreated and treated hydrocephalus. The infundibular length is 2-8 mm long (mean 5 mm) and shows little or no increase in length after birth. In treated hydrocephalic brains it has a mean length of 4 mm and in the untreated cases a mean length of 2.4 mm. The normal anterior angle is 65 degrees-120 degrees (mean 90 degrees). The treated cases range between 40 degrees to 130 degrees (mean 81 degrees) whereas the range of the untreated cases is even wider at 0 degrees to 160 degrees (mean 88 degrees). There is no correlation in the hydrocephalic groups between the angle and the length, angle and cortical thickness or length and cortical thickness. The changes observed appear to depend on the stage and severity of the hydrocephalus the caudal and cranial displacement of the brain stem. In only two of the fifty hydrocephalic brains examined did the infundibulum have a "normal" length, thickness and angle. Histological and cytochemical examination of the hypothalamus, infundibulum and hypophysis is needed to correlate the clinical findings of frequent endocrine abnormalities with histological ones.


The superior surface lesion of the cerebellum in children with myelomeningocele. The lobular pattern of the superior surface of the cerebellum has been described in 100 children with myelomeningocele. There is a wide range of abnormality. The inferior displaced cerebellar segment shortens with age, but the superior surface deformity probably remains unchanged and is, therefore, useful in indicating the original extent of the caudal part of the defect in the older child. The most severe change showed the cerebellar h emispheres to be separated by a deep midline identation (split cerebellum); this was associated with hypoplasia of the superior vermis which supports an inception during the organogenetic period of development. Other cerebellums showed less severe deformities and their inception was comparatively later in development. Thus the degree of deformity of the cerebellum is probably related to its time of onset. Furthermore, the findings suggest that we are dealing with a secondary disturbance. It is evident that the cerebellar defect is not limited to its caudal aspect; this should increase the specificity of the hindbrain malformation is children with myelomeningocele.


A retrospective analysis of conservative versus active management in severe open myelomeningocele. 88 patients with thoraco-lumbar myelomeningocele not operated upon in the 1976-1977 period were compared with 76 patients with the same condition operated upon in the 1964-1971 period. There was no significant difference in sex and hydrocephalus at birth in the two groups. Mortality was less in the surgically treated group only after the age of three months. Ventriculitis appeared to be related to the incidence of hydrocephalus in the surgically treated group. There was a reduced risk of developing progressive hydrocephalus after birth in the untreated group, and the neurological status of the survivors at one year was the same in both groups. Interpreting the results as indicating that early surgery increased the incidence of progressive hydrocephalus and ventriculitis, and might increase survival of more disabled infants, then non-surgical treatment is justified since survivors are no worse as a result of this non-active approach.


The prognosis of occipital encephalocele. 147 cases of occipital cranium bifidum have been followed: 32 had meningoceles and 115 encephaloceles. Females predominated (69%). 90% of the meningocele and 43% of the encephalocele patients survived. Of the former 48% are normal and 16% are both physically and mentally handicapped. Of the latter only 4% are normal and 26% are physically and mentally handicapped. Cerebral tissue in the sac and associated microcephaly are bad prognostic features.


Hydrocephalus associated with arterio-venous malformation - the vein of Galen aneurysm. Aneurysm of the vein of Galen is a rare cause of hydrocephalus. It should be suspected clinically when there are dilated frontal veins, and/or an intra-cranial bruit. Nearly all cases present in infancy. CAT brain scans will demonstrate the vascular lesion and the degree of hydrocephalus. Arteriography is only thought to be necessary if ablative surgery is planned; embolisation treatment may be applicable. Four cases from the Sheffield Children's Hospital are reported in detail and the methods of diagnosis and possible treatment are discussed.


Nature and severity of hydrocephalus and its relation to later intellectual function. In 102 cases of infantile hydrocephalus, treated within 365 days of birth, the possibilities of predicting later intelligence were investigated, largely by means of multiple regression methods. No significant effect of aetiology, date of shunting or severity (measured in various ways) could be demonstrated. Within the spina bifida group however the 3 cases of encephalocele had considerably lower IQ's. There was no effect of lesion level in the rest of this group. Educational level of the parents had a significant, but not very marked impact on the IQ's of their children. Most outstanding was the difference between non-communicating and communicating hydrocephalus: nearly 50% of the non-communicating cases were mentally retarded, while this percentage was 22 for the communicating ones.


Residual shunt infection in a program aimed at its prevention. Measures designed to prevent infection after cerebrospinal fluid shunts were described earlier. These include refinements in technique, postponement of operations when there is an actual or threatened leak of cerebrospinal fluid and the use of topical, systemic and intraventricular antibiotics. Six hundred and twenty-four operations in 404 patients, carried out after instituting these precautions were complicated by 13 new infections (2.1%) while in 5 instances (.8%) infection complicated a procedure conducted in the presence of a pre-existant but unrecognized infection. In almost every case the pathogenesis of new infection was clear. The circumstances suggest that some of the residual infections, both new and renewed, might by preventable.


The aetiology and prevention of shunt nephritis. The pathogenesis of shunt nephritis is reviewed and attention is drawn to the association between this disease and chronic shunt colonisation with delayed diagnosis. The results of applying a surveillance scheme, involving serological to patients having shunt surgery are reported. Ten cases of shunt nephritis occurred in a group of patients not followed by this method, whereas only one case occurred in the surveillance group.


Dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials in children with myelomeningocele. Evoked responses were obtained from electrical stimulation of dermatomes representing individual lumbar and sacral roots. Normal ranges of latency have been established for adults, but have not been extended to children at this time. DSSEPs can be utilized, however, to sequentially follow lumbo-sacral cord function in individual children at risk of progressive myelopathy.


Vertebral body widths and heights in normal infants and in those with myelomeningocele. Measurements were made of vertebral body widths and heights from post-mortem radiographs of 20 newborn children with myelomeningocele and 10 "normal" children. The only statistically significant difference was reduction of vertebral body widths at T11 in infants with myelomeningocele. There was no evidence of shortening of the lumbosacral region as proposed by previous workers.


Kyphectomy in myelodysplasia.

Kyphectomy in myelodysplasia. The techniques used and results obtained in the surgical treatment of the kyphotic deformities of fourteen patients with paraplegia and myelomeningocele are presented. The best results were obtained by vertebral resection at the apex of the deformity, wiring together the facing vertebrae to promote interbody fusion, and correction and maintenance of the realignment with a Harrington distraction rod.


Intermittent Catheterisation of the bladder in patients with neuropathic incontinence of urine. 60 patients with neuropathic bladder are presented in whom intermittent catheterisation was attempted as a form of therapy for incontinence over an 18 months period. The treatment was successful in 70% of the patients who presented essentially in an unselected group. It is recommended that this type of treatment is eminently satisfactory for many forms of neuropathic incontinence of urine and patients should be screened and selected for their suitability for such treatment.


[Experimental study on the possibility of tuberculosis transmission by coitus]. The following conslusion can be drawn from the results obtained: 1. A male guinea pig, in which tuberculosis of genitals was caused by BK-typus humanus, might infect a healthy female guinea pig in cohabitation. The experiments proved that the possibility of such infection was expressed as the ratio of 1:6. 2. On the basis of the results obtained, we feel entitled to draw our patients' attention to the possibility of infection resulting from sexual intercourse and the necessity of application of suitable contraceptives. It should also be noted that appropriate examination of the patients' present partners is indispensable.


[Studies of the consecutive hydrolysis of dipeptidyl-4-(phenylazo)-phenylamides by an aminopeptidase from Brassica napus]. The relatively alanine-specific amino peptidase from Brassica napus hydrolyzes dipeptidyl-4-(phenylazo)-phenylamide according to a consecutive mechanism. Enzyme-kinetic studies of dipeptidyl-4-(phenylazo)-phenylamides carried out by means of spectrometrical procedures of measurement are only possible when the increase in the concentration of the fission product p-aminoazobenzene is recorded. For assessing the kinetic parameters of the intermediary steps of the hydrolysis of dipeptidyl-4-(phenylazo)-phenylamides a function is derived describing the dependence of the concentration of fission products of p-aminoazobenzene on reaction time. The satisfactory correspondence of the kinetic parameters calculated for the intermediary-originating substrate L-ala-4-(phenylazo)-phenylamide as substrate demonstrates the applicability of the procedure described in the present paper.


Pre-mRNA from erythroid enriched bone marrow cells of the rabbit. Different fractions of cellular RNA from erythroid enriched bone marrow cells of the rabbit, extracted by the temperature fractionation method, were investigated by hybridization to globin cDNA. 97.4% of all globin sequences were found in the 4 degrees C franction (cytoplasmic RNA) 0.11% are in the 40 degrees / 50 degrees C fraction and 2.47% in the 65 degrees C and 85 degrees C franctions (pre-mRNA). This shows a substantial purification of the pre-mRNA fractions from cytoplasmic mRNA. 33% of the globin sequences in the 65 degrees C and 85 degrees C fractions are polyadenylated. The poly(A)+-RNA from the 65 degrees C and 85 degrees C fractions separated in a formamide sucrose gradient showed a clear hybridization to globin cDNA in the region between 9S and 28S and around 4S. In a control experiment in which RNA from baby hamster kidney cells (BHK) was mixed with globin mRNA and separated in the same manner hybridization was observed at the 9S position of the gradient only.


[Studies of differences in protein accretion in mice by means of cell-free protein synthesis systems]. A comparison of the stimulating activity of the muscle cell sap fraction of mice of the 0th, 4th and 6th generations selected according to the protein content in their carcasses in the cell-free ribosomal and polysomal protein synthesis systems showed that both systems are applicable to detect differences in accretion of protein. These differences ar much more distinct in the cell-free polysomal system than in the ribosomal poly(U) system.


Effect of external sodium and calcium on calcium efflux in arteria carotis of cattle. The dependence of the 45Ca-efflux from the smooth muscle cells of the arteria carotis of cattle on external sodium and calcium was studied. In the absence of external calcium the replacement of NaCl by sucrose leads to a decreased 45Ca-efflux rate, replacement by LiCl to an increased efflux rate. With regard to the presence of sodium and calcium in the external medium, the 45Ca-efflux rate decreases in the following order: Na + Ca less than less than Na + Ca-free less than Na-free (Na substituted by sucrose) + Ca-free. LiCl considerably stimulates the 45Ca-efflux rate in the presence of external calcium. An inhibition of the Na, K-ATPase activity lasting for more than 20 min leads to a decrease of the 45Ca-efflux rate. The results obtained suggest the existence of a Na-Ca-exchange in the arteria carotis of cattle.


[Studies of the deformability of preserved red blood cells using a simple filtration method]. The applied method to measure the filtrability of red blood cells is accurate enough for the study of the effects of the conditions of storage on their deformability. In this work the standard deviation of the method, the mean biological deviation of the deformability of human red blood cells and their deformability in the course of storage in the ACD-AG-medium have been investigated. Considerable loss of deformability occurs towards the end of storage time of the cells, which is not reversible be restitution of ATP alone. The applicability of this method as a simple test of the vitatity of preserved erythrocytes if to be tested.


Effect of repeated carbon monoxide intoxications on the myoglobin concentration in heart and skeletal muscle of rats. A study was made to determine whether or not myoglobin plays a role in the adaptation response of an organism to chronic carbon monoxide exposure. Rats were injected subcutaneously with carbon monoxide (2.4 and 7.2 mmol CO/kg body weight, once daily on 5 days a week) 30times, 60times, or 107times. These exposure conditions resulted in carboxyhemoglobin concentrations of about 45 and 60%, respectively, as well as in an increase in both the hemoglobin concentration and the hematocrit. In skeletal muscle the myoglobin concentrations were not changed significantly, whereas the heart muscle showed an increase mean myoglobin concentration after the prolonged CO hypoxia (7.2 mmol CO/kg, 107times) by 54%.


[Methodical optimization of redioiodine uptake experiments in living rats]. The paper deals with the estimation of thyroidal uptake of 131I in living rats. The animals are fixed in a specially marked glass tube. This tube is discontinuously moved over a scintillation counter within a lead collimator. Counts of 131I are estimated segmentically. The highest counts ratio with the geometrical factor of the appropriate segment is used to calculate the thyroidal radioiodine uptake. Similar results, obtained with an 131I-source placed in various segments of the top side of glass tube, indicate that the uptake values obtained in this manner exact. Thyroidal uptake values, which were received on living rats with this method (in vivo) and compared with values obtained with the prepared and plated thyroid of the same rats (in vitro) show a very high correlation (r = 0,99; p greater than 0,001). In repeated estimations of the thyroidal 131I-uptake on one animal a variation coefficient of 1.5% (n = 13) was obtained. The advantage of this in vivo method is the possibility to determine the thyroidal activity at various times after 131I-application (2 phase test) and by repeated 131I-applications under different conditions (diet, age, for instance).


Neurophysiological aspects and learning processes in schizophrenic patients. Two groups of schizophrenic patients (acute and chronic subjects) were observed in order to study possible differences in neuropsychological performances and their relationship with symptomatology. 16 acute and 16 chronic patients, aged 18 to 35 years were tested with a battery of neuropsychological tests (Word Association Test, Serial Verbal Learning, Weigl's test, Simple Reaction Times, Choice Continuous Reaction Time). Clinical profiles were evaluated by means of MMPI and WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale). Findings concerning cognitive processes show no significant differences between the two groups. Results suggest a correlation between clinical profiles and performances in acute patients, whereas in chronic subjects this correlation seems markedly reduced. Finally, chronicity (i.e. the length of illness) does not seem so be an important factor in determining consistent defects in neuropsychological performances.


Approximate tear volumes under flexible contact lenses. The quantification of tear volume trapped under a flexible contact lens in situ is important for an understanding of both optical and physiological lens behavior. Mathematical treatment is used to calculate the flexed back radii of flexible contact lenses in situ from the various hypotheses available. For each hypothetical radius the tear volume under the lens is calculated. The method is limited in accuracy due to several underlying assumptions. Twelve lens situations are analyzed, and the results indicate a tear volume of the order of 10 microliters.


The effect of fit and parameter changes on soft lens rotation. An evaluation of the effect of changing the base curve, overall diameter and amount of prism incorporated in the lens, on the extent of blink-initiated rotation of prism-ballasted and truncated soft contact lenses was undertaken. Increasing the prism power and the base curve (while increasing lens diameter to maintain a constant fitting relationship to the cornea) are both ineffective in changing the amount of rotation. Only steepening the base curve reduces rotation, and this change should be made cautiously because steep lenses tend to rotate to off-axis positions.


A case of mucolipidosis II: biochemical, nutritional, and immunological studies. A case of mucolipidosis II was studied biochemically, nutritionally and immunologically. A possible functional deficiency of T cells was observed, but discrepancy between B cells and immunoglobulin content was not reasonably explained at this moment. There was no basic nutritional problem in this case and it is more likely that his growth retardation was due to frequent episodes of severe respiratory infection because he received adequate calorie intake with low normal basal metabolic rate. Results of enzymatic assays were also presented.


Tuberous sclerosis: early neurologic manifestations and CT features in 18 patients. Early clinical manifestations and radiologic features of tuberous sclerosis were studied in 18 consecutive patients encountered in the past two years, including two patients harboring an associated intraventricular tumor (giant-cell astrocytoma). Depigmented naevi rather than adenoma sebaceum, infantile spasms and intracranial calcifications were the cardinal early features in this present series, and CT scanning proved to be the single most useful diagnostic technique in the early detection of intracranial calcifications and therefore for the early diagnosis of this disorder. CT scanning was also useful in detecting the intraventricular tumors in the early stage before they became clinically manifest.


Heart rate variability in full-term normal and abnormal newborn infants during sleep. Heart rate variability was studied in normal and abnormal newborn infants during sleep in relation to the EEG background. The background EEGs of the full-term newborn infants were classified into normal, minimal depression, mild depression, moderate depression, burst-suppression and flat patterns in order of increasing severity. Nonsequential and sequential histograms were produced with the aid of a computer from some 500 consecutive RR intervals of the ECG recorded on a magnetic tape during polygraphic recordings. The seuential curves mainly showed fast oscillation during quiet sleep and slow oscillation during active sleep in normal infants. The infants who had moderately depresed EEGs presented pronounced oscillation. In those whose EEGs displayed burst-suppression and flat patterns, the sequential curves showed very little heart rate variability. They were often flat (fixed heart rate). Thus, heart rate variability was found to be one of the valuable parameters in evaluating abnormality of the CNS in newborn infants.


A case of Ullrich's disease (Kongenitale, Atonisch-Sklerotische Muskeldystrophie). An unique myopathy described by Ullrich in 1930 was reported in a 4-year-old Japanese boy. Major clinical findings included proximal joint contracture, muscle hypotonia, prominent calcaneus, high-arched palate, and normal intelli gence. Muscle biopsy showed rather small muscle fivers with variations in size and proliferation of connective tissue. A review of 15 cases in the literature revealed this type of myopathy as a distinctive entity to be classified as a myopathic arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, rather than in the group of muscular dystrophies.


Sleep and EEG features of newborns with 18 and 13 trisomy syndromes. Serial polygraphic recordings of two to three hours duration were made in five full-term newborns with trisomy 18 and one full-term newborn with trisomy 13 syndrome. The newborns with 18 trisomy syndrome were poor sleepers with long periods of wakefulness and/or drowsiness. There were no consistent abnormalities in the sleep profile characteristic of 18 or 13 trisomy syndrome. These infants had some difficulty in organizing a stable sleep cycle especially during the immediate neonatal period. There was poor correlation between EEG patterns and states. After one to two weeks, cyclic organization of sleep showed some tendency towards normalization, although there were more trace alternant and fewer high voltage slow patterns in quiet sleep even around and after 44 weeks conceptional age. Other abnormal features of sleep often observed were an increase of indeterminate sleep, a decrease of quiet sleep, and an increase or decrease of active sleep in some records.


[Histometric studies of functional assessment of the parathyroid glands in healthy and sick cattle]. --Weights and mean nuclear surfaces of external epithelial bodies were examined in 53 clinically intact young fattening bulls, 49 clinically intact dairy cows, 55 young fattening bulls slaughtered on account of emergency mainly for osteolamacia and rickets, and 50 cows that had died of various diseases. --Absolute parenchymal levels were found to increase along with growing age. --In young fattening bulls, epithelial bodies lost weight and nuclear surface along with severity of pathological bone changes. --Epithelial bodies in cows and young fattening bulls feeding primarily on silage were more active than those of animals feeding to a larger extent on meadow hay or kept grazing. --No signs of increased activity of epithelial bodies were recordable from animals with osteomalacia or those close to parturition. --All results so far derived from the above studies seem to suggest that, with the present regime of cattle feeding, calcium deficit or phosphate excess are not involved in the development of skeletal diseases. The findings so far obtained in the context of epithelial bodies have confirmed the contrary to the effect that calcium excess and phosphate deficit have remained to be the major causes of skeletal diseases.


[Trials to improve weight development of suckling piglets by administration of substances with gestagenic activity to sows in puerperium]. The investigations reported in this paper were undertaken against the background of literature data on successful increase of milk yield of sows by offering them gestagens, between the eighth and 21st days of lactation, and on higher weight increases thus induced in piglets before weaning. Those results should be reproduced under conditions of industrialised production, with the view to reducing the percentage of weaned piglets below normal weight. However, the results published were not confirmed by three experimental approaches, using litters of different sizes as well as different megestrol acetate doses (20 mg and 30 mg per sow/die), between the eighth and 21st days of lactation. Involved in these experiments were 579 test animals and 582 controls.


[Histometric studies of thyroid glands of swine with treated and untreated strumata with special reference to the importance of morphological findings for the assessment of thyroid function]. Thyreocyte measurements were applied to 20 thyroids each of three groups of pigs for slaughter kept in the region of the Baltic coast. The first group consisted of clinically intact animals, the second of animals with untreated goiters, and the third of animals with goiters and potassium-iodine treatment. Hundred cells were measured in each of the animals, the magnification factor being 2,000. Mean values were calculated for each animal and group. The mean epithelial levels were 7.34 +/- 0.71 micrometer in Group 1, 13.77 +/- 1.97 micrometer in Group 2, and 4.25 +/- 0.52 micrometer in Group 3. The follicles recorded from the third group were one-a-half to three times as large as those recorded from the first. The mean thyroid weights were 11.8 +/- 5.0 g in the first group, 46.3 +/- 28.9 g in the second, and 23.5 +/- 7.9 g in the third. The relevance of such morphological findings to assessment of thyroid function is discussed. It is proposed to include such tests in any assessment of a problem situation in the context of thyroid function and in any evaluation of therapeutic success.


[Behavior of Mycoplasma strains in media with L-cystine]. Mycoplasma strains of all origins and species can grow on PPLO agar (pleuropneumonia-like organisms), if thallium and L-cystine are added. Brown-black is the coloration of the growing colonies, with the intensity of blackening varying by colony age. Blackening of the mycoplasma colonies is likely to facilitate germ counting, cloning, and evaluation of the growth inhibition test.


[Pathogenicity of Mycoplasma to calves]. An account is given of the importance and position of enzootic pneumonia in the general complex of mycoplasmic infections of cattle stock. Intra-mammary inoculation proved to be an adequate approach to testing the pathogenicity of isolated strains. The changes thus identified may be used together with an evaluation diagram to reduce virulence.


[Mycoplasma mastitis in cattle].

[Mycoplasma mastitis in cattle]. Reported in this paper are experiments from which the conclusion was drawn that Acheloplasma laidlawii could cause changes in the mammary gland under certain circumstances.


[Clinical picture of experimental Mycoplasma bovis mastitis in cattle]. Experimental intracisternal infection, using mycoplasma bovis strains, proved to cause typical mastitis of grave severity. The clinical pattern was in conformity with published findings. Testing of mycoplasma strains for their pathogenicity to cattle udder during lactation was found to be an adequate approach to elucidating the importance of mycoplasma species isolated from cattle herds.


[Experience in identification and control of mycoplasma in dairy cattle stock under routine laboratory conditions]. Exacting demands have to be met by milk testing routine laboratories where mycoplasma species are to be cultured from milk samples. Cleanliness of sampling, immediate cold storage, and no-delay transport of the milk samples to the testing centre are of greatest importance to the informative value of all mycoplasma tests. In the summer season, it is recommended to freeze the milk samples immediately after sampling. Mycoplasma broth should not be inoculated to animals of the herd from which the samples had been taken. A modified mycoplasma culturing medium is described in this paper. It will enable wider introduction of mycoplasma diagnosis by more Regional Institutes of Veterinary Medicine. Also reported in this paper are diagnosis and successful control of enzootic mastitis caused by Acholeplasma laidlawii and Acheloplasma axanthum. Repeated bacteriological testing of milk and secretion of all cows in the herd helped in picking out all bacteriologically positive animals and isolating them from the negative individuals. All animals that had produced positive responses to bacteriological testing were killed, notwithstanding clinical udder and general milk findings. Definite success of any control action undertaken against mycoplasmic mastitis will depend strongly on no-delay bacteriological testing of milk and secretion samples from all cows of the given herd, as early as in the acute phase of mastitis caused by mycoplasma.


[Experience regarding the suitability of liquid and solid PPLO culture media produced in GDR for mycoplasma cultivation]. Proper isolation of mycoplasma from milk or tissue was found to entail exacting demands on nutrient substrates. Several institutes of the GDR have jointly developed and tested a medium which consists exclusively of GDR-made substances. It is a culturing medium which is suitable for detection and identification of acholeplasma and mycoplasma species in milk and organ samples taken from cattle.


[Acholeplasma laidlawii--a pathogenic or apathogenic species?]. The question is discussed, whether Acholeplasma laidlawii is a pathogenic or apathogenic species. Studies have shown that it is a species of potential pathogenicity, however, with virulence properties differing greatly by strains. Nothing so far has become known of contributive factors which might be needed for an infectious disease to develop.


Cochlear and fast electrical responses to frequency modulated tones: a frequency specific  stimulus. Some characteristics of "the fast response" to frequency modulation were explored here by examining (1) CM and AP in animal experiment and (2) BER in human study. CM to frequency modulated tone showed frequency change and amplitude change, the latter of which is probably due to frequency characteristics of the sound conductive system of the ear. Compared with AP to tone burst, latency and amplitude of AP to FM tone depends less on stimulus intensity. AP to FM tone is suspected to be a result of new excitement of the restricted area stimulated by shifted frequency. The result of analysis on human BER is well consistent with the result of AP study in animal experiment, and latency curves of BER were to some extent linear to a log scale of shifted frequencies. Thus, FM tone is possibly a frequency specific stimulus.


Computer analyses of Rohrer's coefficients. In the field of respiratory physiology computers have been used for theoretical and automatic analyses of the test results. The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether computers are available in measurement of the nasal resistance. The nasal cavities, simulated by an acryl resin model, were ventilated at various volumes and speeds. The pressure and flow changes were recorded by a data recorder and analyzed by a minicomputer according to the prescribed situations. Rohrer's formula P = K1V+K2V2 and its modification R = K1+K2V were used for calculation of K1 and K2. The calculated values differed significantly when sampling was made on a particular part of the respiratory excursion or sampling time was extraordinarily prolonged. They were also different from the ordinary values when too slow or too rapid ventilatory speed was applied. It was concluded that more than twenty samplings were necessary at regular intervals in a normal inspiratory or expiratory phase. Too slow and too rapid respiration should be avoided because of functional limitations of the measuring apparatus.


Ventilatory function in laryngectomized patients. It is established that maximum expiratory flow-volume curve coupled with closing volume curve may give important information on obstructive impairment in the laryngectomized patients. In the patients after laryngectomy, the pattern of the flow-volume curve was similar to that found in patients with chronic bronchitis. These abnormalities of the flow-volume curve which became convexity to the volume axis can be reversed at least partially by bronchodilator drug inhalation. It is concluded that the patients after laryngectomy have abnormalities of ventilation distribution despite relatively normal results of routine pulmonary function tests and respiratory resistance.


Symptomatology of depressive disorders in Bangladesh. Presenting symptomatology of 191 cases with depressive disorders has been presented and discussed. The selective nature of the sample has been pointed out. Predominant symptoms were both psychological and physical. Sleep disturbance, burning pain, anorexia and other gastro-intestinal symptoms occurred frequently. Palpitation and diminished libido were also common. Guilt feelings and ideas of worthlessness were frequent but retardation was not common. Suicidal feelings were expressed by large number of patients but actual suicidal attempts were low. Anxious personality was more prone to develop reactive depression. Physical symptoms were generally more complained by females but diminished libido was more often complained by males. Both physical and psychological symptons were present in the endogenous and the reactive groups. Overlaping nature of the symptoms has also point out.


[Experimental acute pancreatitis caused by papillary lesions in the rat]. The importance of the papillary structure in the control of biliary and pancreatic outflow induced the authors to investigate the effect of papillary damage, chemical and physical, on the pancreatic parenchyma of the rat. The results show that mild papillary lesions produce acute interstitial flogosis of the pancreas; in 16,6% of the investigated animals this inflammation develops with the clear findings of a lethal acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis. This model is like the aspects of the post-operative acute pancreatitis.


[Concentrations of polyamines in maternal and umbilical-cord blood and in the amniotic fluid during normal human pregnancy and in feto-placental insufficiency]. Blood maternal polyamines during normal pregnancy exhibit an important augmentation around the 10th and the 34th-38th week, and a minor increase between the 20th-25th week of pregnancy. These peaks coincide with extremely important metabolic events in the feto-placental unit such as maximal growth rate in the placenta and fetus, respectively. The levels of polyamines measured from the 38th to 41th week in the blood of the umbilical cord are higher than in the blood of the mother. Putrescine, spermidine and spermine are not detectable when measured in the non-hydrolized amniotic fluid during normal pregnancy, instead a band with a lower Rf than spermine is present. In case of feto-placental insufficiency polyamine concentration in maternal blood are well below the normal values, from the 34th to 38th week of pregnancy. Such a behaviour appears for umbilical cord blood at the 38th and 39th week. Also the unknown polyamine of the amniotic fluid undergoes evident modification in feto-placental insufficiency. These results show that blood polyamines of the mother are probably of fetal origin, and that modified pattern of maternal polyamines may indicate an insufficient body growth of the fetus.


[Parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism: anatomo-surgical observations on experience in 16 treated cases]. The authors, on personal experience, based on parathyroidectomies for secondary hyperparathyroidism, relate the surgical anatomic findings after a brief discussion on indications. They relate beside some atypical seats of parathyroid glands, observed in 11 glands of the 59 removed. Finally they emphasize the importance of accuracy of surgical exploration because that cannot be helped by instrumental methods or by gross pathologic observation.


[Plunging and intrathoracic goiters].

[Plunging and intrathoracic goiters]. The authors report 21 cases of cervico-substernal and 9 cases of mediastino-cervical goiters. On the base of their experience they remark that the diagnosis of topographic mediastinal extent of goiter has never been a problem in the mean time that it remains difficult to recognize the possible tumoral nature of the lesion, also utilizing both thyroid angiography and superior caval phlebography. Removal of 27 of 30 goiters was effecuted by cervical approach alone. In two cases a thoraco-lateral approach was added to remove endothoracic neoplastic goiters and in the last case a partial sternotomy was necessary. The authors conclude that the occasional use of sternotomy is not the result of an aprioristic decision, but the consequence of a correct removal obtained through the cervicotomic approach, also for large mediastino-cervical goiters.


[Serial evaluation of blood polyamines in children treated with growth hormone]. Blood polyamines were evaluated in normal children of various ages (from infancy to adolescence). Polyamines show a distinctive pattern: maximal values were observed during infancy; they decrease during childhood and again increase at puberty. After i.m. injection of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), polyamine concentrations increase significantly in the first 60 minutes. Polyamines increase more in patients previously untreated or treated intermittently with HGH than in patients under continuous treatment. The results suggest that in humans as well as in animals, polyamines could be involved in the growth processes and that the effect of HGH probably consists in a stimulation of polyamine synthesis.


[Comparison between lymphangiovenous and adeno-lymphovenous anastomoses in the rat with mesenteric lymphostasis]. A comparison between lymphangiovenous and lymphadeno-venous anastomoses has been realized in rats with mesenteric lymphostasis. The lymphangiovenous anastomoses have showed a better patency than lymphonode-venous shunt owing to technics and biologic problems. Their function was verified until 15th p.o. day, while all lymphonode venous shunt were closed at 10 th p.o.. The shunt occlusion may be related with lymphatic newborn vessels, which exclude the anastomoses from lymph flow.


[Orthodontic treatment and prosthetic reconstruction in severe anodontia]. The authors describe a few cases of "real anodontia" treated with removable, removable-irremovable or fixed prosthesis in which a preprosthetic orthodontal treatment was needed. Various aspects of this are examined: indications, counter indications, treatment plan and coordination of orthodontics and prosthesis.