[Study of sleep of shift workers with alternating schedules: adaptation and recovery in case of rapid shift rotation (3-4 days) (author's transl)]. An electroencephalographic study of the sleep of shift workers (3 x 8) was performed in a French oil refinery. The recordings of diurnal sleep showed: a severe disorganization of the first day sleep (very short duration, decrease of PS and SWS in absolute amount); a trend towards better sleep characteristics (duration, PS and SWS amount) through the day-sleep period. Recovery night sleep appeared different when following curtailed night sleep (morning shift) and when following curtailed day sleep (night shift). Nocturnal sleep following immediately the diurnal sleep shows only partly the characteristics of a real recovery. Thus there seems to be a beginning adaptation to schedule reversal. This result supports a rapid shift alternation (3-4 days) which restrains both the cumulated sleep deficit and the adaptation to schedule reversal.


A central nervous component in local muscular fatigue. It has been shown previously (this journal) that any activity, physical or mental, performed as "diverting activity" in the pauses between bouts of exhaustive musclar work has a positive effect on the recuperation after fatigue. It was concluded that this effect was primarily of central nervous origin (Setchenov, 1903) and not a circulatory effect (Weber, 1914). In the present experiments it is shown that the amount of work that can be performed before exhaustion is larger when the subjects work with their eyes open than when they work with closed eyes. Further, when complete exhaustion has been reached with closed eyes, opening of the eyes results in an immediate return of a working capacity amounting to 15-30% of that already performed. It is demonstrated, that patellar reflexes are brisker when the eyes are open than when they are closed. The same is the case during the diverse forms of "diverting activity" used in this and the previous article. The brisker myotatic reflexes are taken to mean an enhanced central nervous arousal, and the recuperative effect of "diverting activity" is consequently explained as being due to an increased facilitation of the neuro-motor system, which in fatigue is inhibited centrally through afferents from receptors in the fatigued muscles.


The acetylcholine receptor as part of a protein complex in receptor-enriched membrane fragments from Torpedo californica electric tissue. The acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica electric tissue consisting of polypeptide chains of molecular weight 42000 (+/- 2000) is part of a protein complex. Cross-linking experiments with bifunctional reagents have shown that this complex has possibly a pentameric structure with a molecular weight of 270000 (+/- 30000). Besides the receptor subunit (alpha-chain), at least three further classes of polypeptide chains are part of the complex: beta (Mr 48000), gamma (Mr 62000) and delta (Mr 68000). This can be shown by cross-linking the proteins extracted from receptor-enriched membrane fractions with a cleavable reagent: From the 270000 molecular weight particle the four predominant polypeptide chains of the membrane, alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, can be obtained. The gamma-polypeptide chains appear to form a dimer connected by an inter-chain disulphide bridge.


Blood-group ABH-specific macroglycolipids of human erythrocytes: isolation in high yield from a crude membrane glycoprotein fraction. Highly glycosylated, water-soluble ABH-specific sphingolipids, designated macroglycolipids, were isolated in high yield, up to 5 mg per unit of blood, from the crude human-erythrocyte-membrane glycoprotein fraction which is obtained by extraction of the membranes with chloroform/methanol/water. Both serological tests and radioactive labelling experiments indicated that these substances, rather than the glycoproteins, are the principal ABH-components in this fraction. The activities of A-specific, B-specific and H-specific macroglycolipids were very high, approximately 0.1 microgram inhibiting four hemagglutinating doses of the respective agglutinating reagents, and were thus comparable to those of secreted blood-group ABH-specific glycoproteins. The substances were stable to mild alkaline conditions. They contained fucose, galactose, glucosamine, glucose, sialic acid, sphingosine and fatty acids; blood-group-A-specific substances contained, in addition, galactosamine. No amino acids were detected. Assuming one glycosyl residue per molecule, the average number of sugars in A and B macroglycolipids was 31, and their molecular weights approximately 6100. The presence of beta-D-galactosidase-labile and sialic acid residues indicated that these substances contain nonreducing termini additional to the ABH immunodeterminants. In the B macroglycolipid, the ratio between nonreducing terminal alpha-D-galactopyranosyl and beta-D-galactopyranosyl residues was 1.7:1.0. The macroglycolipids formed clear aqueous solutions at concentrations as high as 30 mg/ml, were insoluble in 60--70% aqueous ethanol, and did not migrate on thin-layer chromatography unless they were acetylated. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate showed the macroglycolipids to be a heterogeneous mixture migrating throughout most of the region in which the periodic acid/Schiff-positive membrane glycoproteins are found. On the basis of the evidence presented, it is concluded that macroglycolipids are the predominant ABH-specific component in human erythrocyte membranes, and that they most likely account for previous observations of ABH activity in membrane glycoprotein fractions.


A circular dichroism study of DNA.platinum complexes. Differentiation between monofunctional, cis-bidentate and trans-bidentate platinum fixation on a series of DNAs. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of a series of DNA . platinum complexes are presented. The following platinum compounds, [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl, cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2, cis-Pt(en)Cl2, trans-Pt-(NH3)2Cl2, K[Pt(NH3)Cl3] and K2[PtCl4] were complexed with the DNA extracted from bacteria Micrococcus lysodeikticus (72% dG + dC), Escherichia coli (50% dG + dC), Clostridium perfringens (32% dG + dC) and salmon sperm (41% dG + dC). Strong differences were found between the different DNA . Pt complexes. Three types of spectra clearly demonstrate the different platinum binding modes on DNA. In the first type, the platinum compound, i.e. [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl, is fixed to DNA with only one bond (monofunctional complex formation) and no significant change of the CD positive band of DNA is found. The main feature of the second type is a continuous intensity decrease of the positive band as observed for trans-Pt(NH3)2Cl2 (trans-bidentate complex formation). The third type concerns the cis-bidentate platinum fixation obtained with cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2, cis-Pt(en)Cl2, K[Pt(NH3)Cl3] and K2[PtCl4]. The CD spectra are in this case characterized by an increase in the positive Cotton effect which is dG + dC-dependent up to an rb value around 0.10 (where rb = number of platinum atoms bound per nucleotide), followed by a decrease until DNA saturation with platinum is reached. A linear decrease in the amplitude of the negative band is detected in all the complexes except in the case of the monofunctional DNA . Pt complexes. For the cis-bidentate and trans-bidentate platinum fixation, a continuous bathochromic shift occurs.


The structures of some peptides from bee venom. The sequences are given of two peptides (secapin and melittin F) whose isolation from the venom of the common European honey bee (Apis mellifera) has previously been described [Gauldie et al. (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 61, 369--376]. Some structural studies on the known peptide 401 (MCD peptide) are described. The positions of the two disulphide bridges in peptide 401 have been determined by (an essentially) novel method.


Decreased heparin sensitivity of cycholhexanedione-modified thrombin. Modification of 5--6 arginine residues of thrombin with 1,2-cyclohexanedione has resulted in the selective abolition of the heparin sensitivity of the enzyme's reaction with antithrombin-III, whereas the antithrombin-III sensitivity of native and modified thrombin was indistinguishable. It is suggested that heparin accelerates the thrombin antithrombin-III reaction by interacting with thrombin.


Formate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas oxalaticus. Formate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.2) from Pseudomonas oxalaticus has been isolated and characterized. The enzyme (molecular weight 315000) is a complex flavoprotein containing 2 FMN, 18--25 non-heme iron atoms and 15--20 acid-labile sulphides. In the last step of the purification, a sucrose gradient centrifugation, a second catalytically active species has been found apparently originating from a dissociation of the enzyme into two equal subunits. The enzyme is specific toward its natural substrate formate. It transfers electrons to NAD+, oxygen, ferricyanide, and a lot of nonphysiological acceptors (dyes). In addition electrons are transferred from NADH to these acceptors. The (reversible) removal of FMN requires a reduction step. Reincorporation has been followed by the reappearance of the reactivity against formate and by fluorescence titration. The deflavo enzyme also binds FAD and riboflavin. The resulting enzyme species show characteristic catalytic abilities. Activity against formate is peculiar to the FMN species.


Fatty acid synthesis by isolated chromoplasts from the daffodil. [14C]Acetate incorporation and distribution of labelled acids. Isolated daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) chromoplasts showed high rates of [14C]acetate incorporation into lipids. The fatty acids synthesized were predominantly palmitic acid (93%). The radioactivity incorporated was shared mainly between long-chain acyl-CoA (25%), free fatty acids (24%), phosphatidic acid (17%), diacylglycerol (15%), and phosphatidycholine (11%). Galactolipids were not labelled. ATP, NaHCO3, and also the structural integrity of the organelles were essential. Omission of exogenous CoA led to a decreased incorporation (49%); under these conditions the label was distributed mainly between free fatty acids (66%) and diacylglycerol (19%). Addition of lysophosphatidylcholine increased the labelling of phosphatidylcholine, whereas addition of glycerol 1-phosphate increased the labelling of phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. Acyl-CoA synthetase and acyl thioesterase (acyl-Coa) activities could be demonstrated. The results are discussed in terms of chromoplasts as non-photosynthetic organelles exhibiting high lipid-synthesizing capabilities.


Urinary abnormalities in fucosidosis. Characterization of a disaccharide and two glycoasparagines. The urinary excretion of fucose-containing material was found to be highly increased in a patient with fucosidosis type 2. Three structurally related compounds, a disaccharide and two glycoasparagines, were isolated from the urine. The isolation procedure included ultrafiltration, gel chromatography on Sephadex G-25, preparative zone electrophoresis and paper chromatography. From structural studies including optical rotation, sugar analysis, methylation analysis, ninhydrin degradation, reduction with lithium aluminium hydride and partial hydrolysis, the following structures were deduced: formula (see text), where Fucp is fucopyranose, Manp is mannopyranose, Galcp is galactopyranose, GlcNAcp is 2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucopyranose and Asn is asparagine. The yields of these compounds were 1.7, 40, and 6 mg/l, respectively. The origin of the disaccharide and the two glycoasparagines is probably the core region of glycoprotein carbohydrate chains.


Location of tyrosine residues in the disk of tobacco-mosaic-virus protein and comparison of the subunit packing with that of the virus. The products of iodination of the disk of tobacco mosaic virus coat protein have been investigated in order to locate the reactive amino acid residues in the three-dimensional structure. Reaction occurs mainly with tyrosine-139 and, to a lesser extent, tyrosine-2 and the positions of these modified residues have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Different extents of reaction are found in the two rings of the disk and also, on adding the high salt concentration needed for stabilisation of the crystal during reaction, some conformational changes in the polypeptide chain in the inner part of the disk. Comparison of the relative positions of residues 27 and 139 in the disk and virus shows that little distortion occurs in the outer part of the subunit during the transition between the disk and virus structures.


Interaction of contractile proteins with DNA. The interaction of contractile proteins (myosin, actin, tropomyosin and troponin) with DNA was studied in vitro using a nitrocellulose filter binding technique. The data indicate a high affinity of myosin and troponin for DNA, a lesser interaction between DNA and tropomyosin and the absence of binding of actin to DNA. When binding to DNA was detected, the interaction was higher with single-stranded DNA than with RNA or double-stranded DNA, although in some conditions myosin binds equally as well to native as to denatured eukaryotic DNA. Myosin binds better to eukaryotic than to phage native DNA.


Transfer of bovine J-blood-group determinant onto erythrocytes: isolation and identification of a blocker. The bovine J-blood-group determinant is transferred from a serum glycoprotein to an erythrocyte membrane lipid by incubation in vitro. This transfer is inhibited by a lipid (called 'blocker') occurring in bovine and human serum, in other bovine and human tissues, yeast and plant tissues. The blocker was isolated from bovine spleen and identified as phosphatidylserine. Moreover, phosphatidylinositol acts as a blocker, while a variety of other phospholipids, glycosphingolipids and neutral lipids have no function as blockers. Mild alkaline deacylation deletes the blocker activity of both phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. Methyl esters of these phospholipids, or exchange of the amino group for a hydroxyl group in phosphatidylserine or N-benzoylation of phosphatidylserine, do not affect the blocker function. The blocker function of phosphatidylinositol is lost after periodate oxidation. The blocker reacts with the J-containing serum protein, not with the erythrocyte membrane. After preincubation of the J-positive serum protein with the blocker and reextraction of excess blocker, the serum protein remains J-positive, but is then unable to transfer the J determinant to the erythrocyte membrane.


Factors affecting glucosyl and mannosyl transfer to dolichyl monophosphate by liver cell-free preparations. GDP-mannose and UDP-mannose (each at less than 1 micrometer) markedly inhibit glucosyl transfer from UDP-glucose (1.6 micrometer( to dolichyl phosphate in liver microsomal preparations. The biphasic response suggests the presence of two glucosyl transferases only one of which is inhibited. The inhibition appears to be a property of the intact nucleotide phosphate sugars and not due to competition for a limited pool of dolichyl phosphate. UDP-galactose and UDP-xylose cause a less marked inhibition of the same enzyme. The failure of UDP-glucose to inhibit mannosyl transfer suggests that the pool of dolichol monophosphate used by mannosyl transferase is not available to the glucosyl transferase. The relationship between the degree to which an exogenous prenol phosphate acts as an acceptor of mannose and the degree to which it inhibits mannosylation of endogenous dolichyl monophosphate varies among different prenyl phosphates. Mannosyl transferase exhibits two pH optima.


Closely spaced nucleosome cores in reconstituted histone.DNA complexes and histone-H1-depleted chromatin. It has been demonstrated by digestion studies with micrococcal nuclease that reconstitution of complexes from DNA and a mixture of the four small calf thymus histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 leads to subunits closely spaced in a 137 +/- 7-nucleotide-pair register. Subunits isolated from the reconstituted complex contain nearly equimolar amounts of the four histones and sediment at 11.6S. On DNase I digestion both the reconstituted complex and the separated subunits gave rise to series of single-stranded DNA fragments with a 10-nucleotide periodicity. This indicates that the reconstitution leads to subunits very similar to nucleosome cores. Nucleosome cores closely spaced in a 140-nucleotide-pair register were also obtained upon removal of histone H1 from chromatin by dissociation with 0.63 M NaCl and subsequent ultracentrifugation. In reconstitution experiments with all five histones (including histone H1) our procedure did not lead to tandemly arranged nucleosomes containing about 200 nucleotide pairs of DNA. In the presence of EDTA, DNase II cleaved calf thymus nuclei and chromatin at about 200-nucleotide-pair intervals whereas in the presence of Mg2+ cleavage at intervals of approximately half this size was observed. The change in the nature of the cleavage pattern, however, was no longer found after removal of histone H1 from chromatin. This indicates that H1 influences the accessibility of DNase II cleavage sites in chromatin. This finding is discussed with respect to the influence of histone H1 on chromatin superstructure.


Accumulation of carnitine esters of beta-oxidation intermediates during palmitate oxidation by rat-liver mitochondria. Rat-liver mitochondria were incubated with [14C]palmitate in the presence of L-malate, fluorocitrate, and L-carnitine. The specific activities of acetyl groups incorporated into citrate, ketone bodies and acetyl-L-carnitine were measured. During state-4 oxidation of [1--14C]palmitate the specific activity of the acetyl-CoA pool was 1.3-times higher than that of the average acetyl group of palmitate, indicating an incomplete breakdown of the palmitate molecule. Accumulation of carnitine esters was observed in this condition. The acyl moieties of carnitine esters formed during the state-4 oxidation of [U-14C]palmitate or [16(-14)C]palmitate were analysed by radioactive gas-chromatography. Substantial amounts of beta-oxidation intermediates were found. The accumulation of carnitine esters of C6-C14 intermediates can quantitatively explain the high specific activity of the acetyl-CoA pool during the state-4 oxidation of [1(-14)C] palmitate. The localization and control of beta-oxidation are discussed.


Evidence for a homogeneous pool of acetyl-CoA in rat-liver mitochondria. Rat-liver mitochondria oxidized [1-14C]palmitate or [U-14C]palmitate and unlabelled pyruvate in a medium containing fluorocitrate and L-carnitine. The oxidation products (acetyl-L-carnitine, ketone bodies and citrate) were separated by anion-exchange chromatography and their specific activities were determined. The distribution of radioactivity over the two halves of the ketone bodies was essayed. Significant differences between the specific activities of citrate, acetyl-L-carnitine and the carboxylhalf of the ketone bodies were not observed; this was consistently the case, even when pyruvate contributed for more than 80% to the acetyl-CoA pool. Our results argue against compartition of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA. Instead, they strongly suggest that the acetyl-CoA originating from the simultaneous oxidation of pyruvate and palmitate equilibrates before being distributed over the various pathways of further metabolism.


The effect of vincamine on the regional cerebral blood flow in man. The cerebral hemodynamic action of Vincamine is measured in 17 patients with primary or secondary cerebral circulation disorders, by use of the multiregional 133Xe clearance technique. The statistical analysis of the results justifies the grouping of all the cases and the distinction between reference, ischemic and hyperemic zones by determining for each subject a range of + or - 15% of his own mean regional cerebral blood flow. The drug, in a single injection in the internal carotid artery, shows a significant beneficial hemodynamic effect on the ischemic regions of the brain. No steal phenomenon is recorded in the middle cerebral artery territory. The action of the drug leads to a decrease  and an equalization of the hemodynamic resistances of the cerebral vascular bed.


Relapsing polyradiculitis after portocaval anastomosis. A case of relapsing polyneuritis in a cirrhotic woman with a surgical splenorenal shunt is reported. The ultrastructural study of the nerve biopsy shows widespread segmental demyelinization with total myelin breakdown in most fibers; some Schwann cells are invaded by mononuclear cell processes. Such histological changes are characteristic of the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Alcohol and diabetes are unlikely to be the causative factors of the nerve damage. The possible role of unidentified toxic metabolites such as those which cause portosystemic encephalopathy, also present in our patient, is discussed.


Effect of prolonged ingestion of gamma-linolenate by MS patients. The absolute electrophoretic mobility of erythrocytes from MS patients is reduced in the presence of 0.08 mg/ml of linoleic or arachidonic acid, whilst that of normal or other neurological disease patients is increased in the presence of these acids. When an MS patient ingests gamma-linolenate (in capsule form equivalent to 413.4 mg of gamma-linolenic acid and 2.664 g of linoleic acid per day) the reaction of MS erythrocytes begins to change. After 3 or 4 months the reaction becomes normal with arachidonic acid (i.e. mobility is speeded up) and 2 months or so later this occurs also with linoleic acid. Very prolonged administration of gamma-linolenate leads to a markedly increased sensitivity to the effect of prostaglandins (PGE2) on RBC mobility. The observations are interpreted to mean the induction of a biochemical-biophysical change in the membranes, and the significance of this in the aetiology and treatment of multiple sclerosis is discussed.


Continent ileostomy. A pilot study in dogs. Nipple valve ileostomies with and without a performed pouch as well as conventional ileostomies were compared in dogs. In both groups with a nipple valve, a 150-200 ml reservoir developed. It was about 30 cm long when not preformed by an operation. Equal dilatation of the proximal bowel was observed in both groups with a nipple valve and both these groups had a substantial loss of weight which seemed to correspond with mucosal changes indicating malabsorption. For continent ileostomy function in dogs, the performed pouch thus seems unnecessary.


Pressure-induced ischemia. II. A metabolic study in hamster cheek pouch. The effects of pressure-induced ischemia on energy metabolism, measured as ATP and glucose content, is studied in hamster cheek pouch. Metabolic deterioration during ischaemia is studied and after 2 h the glucose content was significantly reduced but not the ATP content, which was significantly reduced after 4 h of ischemia. Restoration of glucose levels in the cheek pouch tissue was achieved within 30 min of recirculation after release of pressure. The cellular energy metabolism is unable after 4 h of ischemia to restore ATP levels in the tissue during the 120-min of postischemic observation time. There is a difference in ability to resume normal energy metabolism after 2 and 4 h of pressure-induced ischemia.


The local hemodynamic effects of operation in a bloodless field. Skeletal muscle blood flow and transport function were investigated in 25 patients operated on for a knee injury in a bloodless field. With a double-isotope-clearance technique, measurements were carried out in the operated leg immediately after re-establishment of blood flow, and 1-2 days postoperatively in both the operated and the non-operated leg. A significant increase in blood flow and transport function was registered immediately after release of the tourniquet. The initial maximal hyperemic flow and transport responses were inversely related to the duration of the occlusion. The peak of the blood flow response was more marked and somewhat earlier in the patients with a short duration of occlusion (less than or equal to 60 min) than in those with longer occlusions. 9 of 16 operated legs showed a maximal transport function 1-2 days postoperatively. Peripheral vascular resistance decreased after re-establishment of blood flow. The blood flow in the non-operated leg showed no changes after release of the tourniquet in the operated leg.


Inhibition of secretin-stimulated exocrine pancreatic secretion by diazoxide in the rat. Diazoxide, a known insulin inhibitor, inhibits the pancreatic exocrine response to secretin in unanesthetized rats and does not modify the CCK-PZ-stimulated secretion. These results suggest that insulin may have a role on the stimulation of exocrine pancreas through secretin.


Role of platelets and lymphocytes for the hemodynamic effects of rapidly injected antilymphocyte globulin. Xenogenic antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) given as a rapid intravenous injection into dogs caused a significant decrease in arterial blood pressure and oxygenation as well as an increase in portal pressure. At the same time, there was an almost complete elimination of lymphocytes and an extensive but almost completely reversible thrombocytopenia. Lymphocytopenia induced by a previous injection of ALG was found to eliminate completely the circulatory response to a second injection of ALG in spite of the fact that an extensive thrombocytopenia was induced. Extensive thrombocytopenia induced by injection of an antiplatelet globulin was also found to prevent completely the hemodynamic effects of ALG although as many lymphocytes were eliminated as in the intact dogs. Thus both platelets and lymphocytes are necessary to trigger the circulatory response induced by ALG.


Adrenergic and nonadrenergic activation of isolated human renal veins of normotensive and hypertensive patients. In human renal venous strips from normotensive and hypertensive patients, adrenergic- and nonadrenergic-induced contractions were elicited. The maximal amplitude of contractions remained unchanged whatever the mode of activation. However, in the hypertensive group the forces generated reached only about 20% of those in the normotensive group. Furthermore, preparations from hypertensive patients showed a reduced sensitivity for noradrenaline: the ED50 was shifted from 0.13 +/- 0.03 to 0.66 +/- 0.19 microgram/ml (p less than 0.01). This reduced sensitivity is discussed in connection with the pathogenesis of hypertension.


Transcatheter arterial embolization in the management of tumours of the urinary tract. The technique of transcatheter arterial embolization in the management of malignant tumours of the urinary tract and in particular of the kidneys and bladder is described. The results in a series of 10 patients (9 with hypernephroma and 1 with a carcinoma of the bladder) are analyzed and the advantages as well as the dangers of this method in the management of operable and nonoperable tumours of the kidneys are discussed.


Juxtavesical hydatid cysts.

Juxtavesical hydatid cysts. Out of 177 different hydatid localisations 9 were juxtavesical. In 3 patients the cysts were recurrent. The diagnosis, based on the clinical and radiological examinations and exploration was facilitated by the history or the co-existence of other parasitic lesions. Other pathological lesions in 2 patients brought about hesitation and delay in micturition. In one case, size, consistency and fixation of the cyst initially suggested a malignant pelvic tumour. One severe late renal complications was recorded. 7 patients underwent surgical treatment.


Essential renal haemorrhages.

Essential renal haemorrhages. On the basis of the conception of renal hypertension, worked out by the authors, the new interpretation of the cause of 'essential' renal haemorrhages is discussed. Special attention is drawn to secondary 'arterial' venous hypertension in the kidney, which happens in cases when there are no obvious reasons for the distortion of the outflow through the renal vein. In a case of renal haematuria, the origin of which is not connected with the distortion of the venous blood outflow from the kidney, it is necessary to bear in mind the relationship between the venous pressure in the kidney and the systemic arterial pressure. In arterial hypertension the contralateral kidney may become the source of haematuria. The rarity of isolating a calycovenous canal as a separate definite cause is discussed.


Ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of hydrocele. In addition to the conventional examination methods, ultrasonography was applied in the diagnostics of testicular lesions in 18 cases. This harmless method differentiating hydrocele from testicular tumour and inguinal hernia is recommended.


Bladder neck suspension for stress incontinence: long-term evaluation. Remembering that the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence is essentially clinical, the authors describe the fundamental stages of their technique, i.e. the musculo-aponeurotic suspension of the bladder neck (Goebell-Stoeckel technique). This operation has enabled them to have good results in 88% of their cases. The long-term study of these results shows slight deterioration of the success rate which becomes stable after 2 years.


Retrocaval ureter in children. Report of two cases. 2 cases of retrocaval ureter in children diagnosed by the combination of pyelography and cavography are reported. Transection and repositioning of these ureters corrected their abnormality. Retrocaval ureter in children is briefly discussed.


Renal revascularization by splenic artery implantation in the dog. 36 mongrels were subjected to splenic artery implantation into the left kidney. A stenosis of the left renal artery was created in 33 of the dogs. The revascularization process from the implanted artery was studied by angiography in vivo and ex vivo, by histological examination and by blood flow measurements. After creation of the stenosis and eventual occlusion of the left renal artery, newly formed intrarenal vessels could be demonstrated next to the implanted artery. These vessels formed communications between the splenic and intrarenal arteries. The experimental animals survived contralateral nephrectomy and ligature of the ipsilateral renal artery with a slight or moderate elevation of the serum creatinine level, provided that a slowly progressing stenosis of the renal artery was created.


Left spermatic vein syndrome.

Left spermatic vein syndrome. The left spermatic vein syndrome might be characterized as a compression of the left ureter in its proximal segment by the pathologically altered left spermatic vein with impairment of the urine flow which causes urine congestion and its consequences.


Epidermoid cyst of the testis.

Epidermoid cyst of the testis. Surgical exploration of a mass in the right testis revealed an epidermoid cyst. In the literature some controversy exists on surgical treatment of this lesion. Orchiectomy seems to be recommended although several patients treated by simple enucleation had an uneventful follow-up from 6 to 15 years.


The renal blood flow/renal mass relation in renovascular hypertension. A new concept is established in the etiopathogenic mechanism of renovascular hypertension. After performing two stenoses of the renal artery, according to Goldblatt's method, with an interval of 5 months between each, it is noted that the variations in the figures for arterial blood pressure depends directly on the reduction of renal mass. This is backed up by reninemia and pathological anatomy. With this, the concepts of static or dynamic stenosis of the renal artery are pinpointed.


Chemical analysis of renal stones from 377 Belgian patients by using qualitative or quantitative methods. The renal stones of 377 patients from the Brussels' area have been studied by chemical methods; 239 stones were submitted to qualitative analysis and the other 138 to a quantitative analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that, in Belgium as well as in other Western countries like the USA and Great Britain, calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate are, in decreasing order of frequency, the major constitutents of renal calculi. The fact that calcium oxalate-containing stones are mainly found in men associated with sterile urine, and magnesium ammonium phosphate stones in women associated with urinary infection, is confirmed in the present series. The percentage of uric acid-containing stones is similar to that in the USA and Great Britain, but lower than that observed in several European countries including France, Spain, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Sweden. A small group of Mediterranean patients living in Belgium show no specific pattern, suggesting that the formation of calculi could be more dependent upon environmental than upon ethnic factors.


Treatment of renal tuberculosis. I. Clinical and bacteriological patterns and results. The clinical and bacteriological results of 200 cases of renal tuberculosis treated with rifampicin (RFM), isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB) over a period of 4 months to 2 years are presented. This combination produced the highest theoretical score.


Cysts of the adrenal gland.

Cysts of the adrenal gland. 3 cases of adrenal cysts are reported. The incidence of cyst originating in the adrenal gland was found to be 0.02-0.06% in autopsies. Adrenal cysts are usually symptomless making the diagnosis difficult. The cases described here were diagnosed and removed at operation. One of them was associated with hypertension, and another with pregnancy, considered to be exceptional. Two of these cysts were calcified. All of them were benign. The definite preoperative diagnosis is difficult and the surgical procedure recommended is resection of the cyst with preservation of as much adrenal tissue as possible if malignancy is excluded by frozen section. Since the number of operated cases diagnosed preoperatively are too small, the possibility of treating adrenal cyst by percutaneous aspiration and injection of opaque material to eventually avoid surgery could not be established.


Age-related differences in electric shock detection and escape thresholds in Sprague-Dawley albino rats. For both male and female Sprague-Dawley albino rats, shock detection thresholds decreased as a function of age over a range of 90 to 660 days of age. Shock escape thresholds also were found to vary inversely with age. The findings are discussed in light of previous shock threshold experiments and in terms of implications for studies of age-related learning changes.


Effects of mild cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders on serial reaction time performance. Medical examinations were used to classify 271 adults aged 18-77 into 6 groups: normotensive, treated and untreated hypertensive, coronary heart disease (CHD), transient ischemic attack (TIA), and recovered stroke. They were also divided by age into 3 groups: 18-36, 37-55, and over 55 years. Each subject completed 12 reaction time (RT) tasks which involved making 16 consecutive responses without interruption. Serial RT increased with age throughout the lifespan. RT was also increased in treated hypertensive patients; this slowing was unrelated to type of drug treatment. Patients with cerebrovascular disorders showed greater slowing and also made more errors; TIA patients showed greatest impairment. No significant performance deficits were observed in untreated hypertensive or CHD groups. However, a trend toward slowing among untreated hypertensive patients with high plasma renin activity was observed. Behavioral deficits associated with both aging and diagnosed vascular disorders were interpreted as evidence of impaired brain function.


The effects of age on perceptual problem-solving strategies. Witkin's Embedded Figures Test (EFT) was used to measure the changes with age in field dependence and problem-solving ability Qualitative data concerning problem-solving strategies and quantitative data were collected. EFT was administered to 12 females in each of the following decades: 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60, 70s. All subjects were moderately to well educated, healthy, and relatively active members of the community. All had at least 20/33 corrected or uncorrected vision. An interview was held with each participant after completion of the EFT. ANOVA of time scores indicated that significantly (p less than 0.01) more time is needed to solve the items with an increase in age; a Tukey (a) test revealed a significant (p less than 0.05) increase between the 40s and 60s age groups. With an increase in age a significant (p less than 0.01) decline in the number of items solved was found. Partial correlations revealed that age is the most important factor, vis-á-vis general intelligence, visual acuity, and the personality factors measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The relative stability of performance up through 49 and after 50 implies a decline in field independence rather than in higher-order cognitive processes.


Differences in the magnitude of the simultaneous and successive Mueller-Lyer illusions from age twenty to seventy-nine years. The simultaneous Muller-Lyer illusion, a Type I phenomenon, and the successive Muller-Lyer illusion, a Type II phenomenon, were used to examine differences in perceptual functioning with subjects age 20 to 79 years. A significant main effect of age was found. These results were interpreted as tentative support for the stimulus persistence model.


Age and the perception of incomplete figures. Three experiments are described. They investigated four possible explanations for the previously reported poorer performance of older adults relative to younger adults in accuracy of identifying incomplete figures: (1) a higher criterion on the part of older adults for producing a response; (2) a lesser familiarity on their part with the stimulus materials; (3) a less adequate knowledge of the information value of particular segments of the figure; (4) a less efficient utilization of partial information. The results of the experiments supported the fourth hypothesis and indicated that older adults are unable to utilize stimulus information as effectively as younger adults in making perceptual inferences.


Value of echocardiography in routine diagnostic use during the first year of life. 100 consecutive patients with symptoms indicating heart disease during the 1st yr of life were studied with M-mode echocardiography. The echocardiographic diagnosis was compared with the final diagnosis based on heart catheterization, angiocardiography, operation, autopsy or follow-up of the patient. An echocardiographic examination could be made in all infants. The most important intracardiac structures when present could be identified with the following frequencies: mitral valve 100%, tricuspid valve 97%, aortic valve 95%, pulmonic valve 79%, interventricular septum 94%. The echocardiographic investigation gave a correct diagnosis in 26% of the patients, made an important contribution to the diagnosis in 22%, made some contribution to the diagnosis in 34%, ruled out important diagnostic questions in 5% and did not contribute to the diagnosis in 13% of the patients. This investigation has shown that echocardiography, when used as a first diagnostic step in a routine manner, can give much valuable diagnostic information.


Reentry within the atrioventricular node in man: a reassessment. 6 patients with reentrant supraventricular tachycardia were studied using the atrial extra-stimulus (S1-S2) technique. 3 patients had smooth curves of H1-H2 intervals plotted against A1-A2 intervals, and echoes occurred only in the relative refractory period of the AV node. These patients met traditional criteria for reentry within the AV node, but all 3 were found to have accessory pathways which functioned only in the retrograde direction. 3 other patients had discontinuous curves of H1-H2 intervals plotted against A1-A2 intervals, and the echo zone was confined to coupling intervals producing the longer of the two observed AV node responses. Accessory pathways could not be demonstrated in these latter 3 patients. In patients with accessory pathways the effect of changing atrial pacing site on the echo zone was studied. Pacing at a site remote from the accessory pathway shifted the echo zone to shorter coupling intervals. Some patients previously thought to have reentry within the AV node may have had accessory pathways which conducted only in the retrograde direction. The prevalence of this syndrome is unknown but is important because ablation of the accessory pathway is curative.


Cardiac arrhythmias after intravenous administration of glucagon. The effect of glucagon on the circulatory system was studied in 22 healthy men. The drug was administered in doses of 50 microgram/kg of body weight for 30 sec. In the case of 5 subjects, arrhythmias occurred that manifested themselves as ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles. In the case of 1 subject, who had sporadic ventricular fusion beats in the preexamination period, the arrhythmia increased following glucagon injection.


Jaccoud's arthropathy in patients with chronic rheumatic valvular heart disease. In a prospective study over a period of 3 yr, involving all patients with rheumatic valvular heart disease seen at our hospital, we found the diagnostic signs of Jaccoud's arthropathy in 17 of 400 cases (4.2%). All 17 patients had a past history of acute arthritis involving the joints and showed deformities at the time of diagnosis. The valvular lesions were mitral and aortic in 11 cases, mitral in 5 cases and aortic in 1 case. The most frequent joint deformities were: ulnar deviation at the metacarpo-phalangeal joints (12 cases), lateral deviation at the metatarso-phalangeal joints (12 cases), and hammer toe deformity (6 cases). The deformities were reducible in all of them. None of the patients had pain or signs of acute inflammation and functional capacity was normal. Other causes of joint deformity were ruled out by means of radiographic and serologic studies. Jaccoud's arthropathy is not a rare entity and its recognition is important for a differential diagnosis with chronic arthritis of other etiologies, also associated with valvular heart lesions.


3H-Haloperidol binding to dopamine receptors in rat corpus striatum: influence of chlorpromazine metabolites and derivatives. A series of chlorpromazine metabolites and derivatives have been assayed for their ability to compete with 3H-haloperidol binding to dopamine receptors in membranes of rat corpus striatum. 3-Hydroxylation of chlorpromazine doubles affinity for receptor sites, while 7-hydroxychlorpromazine has a potency similar to that of chlorpromazine itself. Other patterns of hydroxylation reduce affinity. Side chain demethylation lowers affinity for binding sites. Several metabolites which lack neuroleptic activity in vivo, such as chlorpromazine-5-oxide, also are inactive in competing for 3H-haloperidol binding. Since blood levels of 7-hydroxychlorpromazine tend to be similar to those of chlorpromazine itself in patients, these observations indicate that 7-hydroxychlorpromazine may account for a major portion of the antischizophrenic efficacy of chlorpromazine. The structure--activity relationships observed in the present study support a model in which chlorpromazine interacts with dopamine receptors by assuming a conformation with its side chain tilted toward ring A.


Cannabinoid effects on plasma corticosterone and uptake of 3H-corticosterone by mouse brain. The effects of three cannabinoids, 11-hydroxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-HO-delta9-THC), delta9-THC and cannabinol (CBN), ranging in behavioral activity from high to low, were studied on two aspects of pituitary--adrenal function. Plasma corticosterone levels were used as an index of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release. All three cannabinoids elicited an increase in plasma corticosterone elvels in a manner similar to their behavioral potency. These cannabinoids also elicited an increase in the concentration of 3H-corticosterone taken up by the brains of adrenalectomized mice in a manner similar to their potency in elevating plasma corticosterone levels. The significance and possible underlying mechanism of the apparent correlation resulting between these effects and the behavioral effects of cannabinoids are discussed.


Analysis of the vasodilator action of alprenolol. The effect of alprenolol and other beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, including d-isomers, on blood flow in femoral, coronary and mesenteric vascular beds was measured in anesthetized dogs. Under conditions of constant perfusion pressure, intra-arterial injection of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists produced vasodilation. Propranolol and alprenolol were approximately equipotent in coronary and mesenteric beds but alprenolol was significantly more potent in the femoral bed. Practolol was virtually inactive in all beds. The vasodilating potency of d-alprenolol and d-propranolol was not significantly different from that of the respective racemic mixtures. The vasodilator response to alprenolol was not affected by pretreatment with atropine, diphenhydramine or propranolol. In conscious normotensive dogs i.v. injections of d,l- and d-alprenolol produced dose-dependent decreases in blood pressure and increases in heart rate. Under similar conditions, i.v. d,l-propranolol was without effect on either measurement. The results suggest that the hypotensive action of alprenolol in dogs may derive from its vasodilator activity.


Comparison of in vivo and in vitro responses to sulfated and non-sulfated ceruletide. Responses of, guinea pig gall bladder to sulfated and non-sulfated ceruletide were compared in vitro and in vivo. Tested in vivo, sulfated ceruletide was 75 times more potent than non-sulfated. In vitro, sulfated was 150 times more potent. Thus, differences in potency are substantially less when tested in vivo, and reported differences in relative potency reflect not only chemical structure but also the method used for testing.


Electroencephalographic study of the short-acting hypnotics etomidate and methohexital in dogs. Beagles, implanted with cortical and subcortical electrodes, were given etomidate i.v. (1 mg/kg) over a period of 10 sec. The effects on the EEG were compared with those obtained with 7 mg/kg of methohexital. Both compounds induced hypnosis for a duration of approximately 8 min. The EEGs showed a remarkable similarity. Visual inspection of the records as well as power spectrum analysis revealed a sustained theta-activity with underlying fast activity. The configuration of the waves was rather sharp. The power obtained after etomidate was, however, 2 to 3 times that obtained after methohexital. When the animals awoke from etomidate-induced hypnosis slow waves appeared and were followed by alpha-activity, whereas after methohexital-hypnosis beta-activity predominated. Etomidate slightly increased heart rate, but respiratory depression was not observed. Methohexital caused pronounced tachycardia and apnoea. In 3 out of 6 dogs methohexital caused myoclonus of the hind legs upon awakening from anaesthesia. Etomidate induced myoclonus in one dog during hypnosis.


Chronic atenolol treatment and hypertension development in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), heart rate and plasma renin concentration (PRC) have been compared in three different groups of rats between the ages of 5 and 20 weeks. The groups were: spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), atenolol-treated SHRs (200 mg/kg/day orally throughout the 15 weeks) and normotensive rats of the same strain (WKYs). Treatment with atenolol markedly inhibited the onset of genetic hypertension, reduced HR and PRC from the outset and diminished the heart weight/body weight ratio. Comparison of changes in these parameters in atenolol-treated SHRs, control SHRs and WKYs strongly suggests that the mechanism of atenolol's preventive action against hypertension development in SHRs primarily involves its effects on heart and on the renin--angiotensin system.


Effects of morphine on electrical activity of single myenteric neurons in cat small bowel. Quantitative parameters of the discharge patterns of burst-type units and single-spike units were increased, decreased or unchanged after application of morphine. The results were the same when morphine was added in the presence of naloxone. The results suggest that morphine had no consistent effect on the spike discharge of continuously active neurons in Auerbach's plexus of cat small intestine.


Neuronal norepinephrine as mediator for ouabain-induced smooth muscle contraction. With some latency, ouabain (10(-6)--10(-5) M) induced a long-lasting contractile response of the isolated vas deferens of the guinea-pig. The ouabain-induced contraction was potentiated by pretreatment with tropolone, whereas it was prevented by pretreatment with cocaine, bretylium, reserpine or phentolamine. The response was unaffected byatropine, methysergide and tetrodotoxin. Ouabain, perfused into the isolated tissue, enhanced dose-dependently the release of norepinephrine into the medium. However, this enhancement of norepinephrine release was prevented by reserpine or by removal of Ca from the medium. These findings support the hypothesis that the ouabain-induced contraction of vas deferens might be due to norepinephrine released from the adrenergic nerve ending granules through a Ca2+-dependent process.


Quinidine-like activity of atropine in rabbit atria. Direct effects of atropine and quinidine on contractile force, overdrive suppression, and effective refractory period was studied in rabbit atria. Left atrial contractile force at normal CaCl2 concentration (2.2 mM) and the contractile force response to elevated CaCl2 (5 mM) were unchanged over 30 min. Atropine exposure (1.7 X 10(-5) M) for 30 min significantly reduced contractile force at both normal and elevated CaCl2 levels. Quinidine exposure (6.2 X 10(-6) M) for 30 min produced similar but statistically insignificant changes. At 4 h, control contractile force at 2.2 mM CaCl2 decreased to the post-atropine level, but the response to 5 mM CaCl2 was unchanged. The asystolic interval of right atria following overdrive (for 2 min at 3 rates) was increased after 30 min by 4% for controls, 14% after atropine (1.7 X 10(-5) M) and 45% after quinidine. The effective refractory period of left atria (evaluated by paired pulse stimulation) was unchanged after 30 min for controls, but increased by 20% after atropine and 45% after quinidine.


Stimulus properties of d-amphetamine as compared to l-amphetamine. Rats were trained to discriminate between d-amphetamine and saline. The discriminable ED50 values for amphetamine isomers were calculated from dose--response curves and the potency ration was 4.9 Co-administration of the ED50s was shown to produce synergistic effects suggesting that the amphetamine isomers may share a common site of action.


Differential effect of pentazocine on primary cortical evoked potentials elicited by stimulation of the trigeminal tract and spinal cord pathways. The influence of pentazocine on primary cortical evoked potentials was studied in guinea pigs under pentobarbital anesthesia. Pentazocine (10 mg/kg, i.v.) increased the latency time of evoked responses to posterior limb stimulation, more than that of response to lip stimulation. This result suggests that pentazocine decreases the velocity of nervous conduction.


[Phylogenetic studies on some Japanese amphibia by means of immunoelectrophoresis. II. Relationships of some amphibians to Japanese pond frogs (author's transl)]. Since the Japanese pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata and R. brevipoda) are known to be very closely allied with each other in morphological, ecological, physiological or immunological characters, the phylogenetical relationships between the Japanese pond frogs and other 10 species of Japanese amphibians were investigated by means of immunoelectrophoretic analysis of liver extract. The results obtained are as follows: (1) There are conservative antigens which are commonly found in all species of Anura. (2) The Japanese pond frogs have specific antigens. (3) R. nigromaculata and R. brevidpoda are very closely allied with each other. (4) Four species of the genus Rana (R. rugosa, R. catesbeiana, R. ornativentris and R. japonica) are closely related to the Japanese pond frogs. (5) Two species of the genus Rhacophorus (Rh. arboreus and Rh. burergeri) are related to the Japanese pond frogs. (6) R. limnocharis is related to the Japanese pond frogs at the same extent as the genus Rhcophorus is. (7) Tow species of the suborder Procoela (Hyla arbored and Bufo bufo) are only partially related to the Japanese pond frogs. (8) Cynops pyrrhogaster pyrrhogaster of Urodera had only a few common antigens with the Japanese pond frogs.


[Serological examinations on natural infections with mouse pathogens in inbred mouse strains: difference in antibody detection among the strains (author's transl)]. Serological surveys on several infections were performed on the inbred mouse strains maintained at the Central Institute for Experimental Animals. In the first survey, 11 strains of mouse, which were 8 weeks of age or older and were kept in separate cages in the same animal room, were tested for antibodies to Salmonella enteritidis, Corynebacterium kutscheri, Tyzzer's organisms, Mycoplasma pulmonis, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), Sendai virus (HVJ), pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) and minute virus of mice (MVM). Positive results were obtained in MHV, HVJ, PVM and MVM. Positive rates for these viruses except for MVM were different among mouse strains. In the second survey, 5 strains of mouse kept together in the same cage for 4 weeks after weaning were examined for MHV and HVJ antibodies. Positive rates to MHV were different among mouse strains as observed in the first survey. For HVJ antibody, no difference was demonstrated in positive rates unlike in the first survey, but the titers varied between the strains. These results suggest the difference in antibody response to natural infections dependent on mouse strains.


[Learning behavior of rats on the water maze (author's transl)]. The Learning behavior on a water maze was observed in Wistar-JCL rats which were 10 weeks of age at the beginning of tests. Each rat was given five swimming trials in a straightway on the first day, as well as daily five trials to escape from a water maze on the 2nd to 4th day of the tests. In the first trial of the straightway, the harmonic means of the swimming time were 12.0 and 17.4 seconds in the male and females, respectively. In each trial of the water maze, there were no significant differences between the female on the spent time and the number of errors. During the test days, the median of total of errors were 25.2 and 24.3 times in the male and female, respectively. Error response entered into a blind alley occurred beside the starting point more frequently than the goal.


Independent biaxial reorganization of the retinotectal projection: a reassessment. It has been previously suggested that the retinotectal projection can reorganize independently along two orthogonal tectal axes. This possibility was reexamined by removing roughly a quarter of the retina and slightly less than a quarter of the tectum. In the tectal case, the unseated fibers arborized rostral to the ablation, but not lateral to it, and the projection shifted irrespective of tectal axes to maintain topographic order and a roughly uniform representation of retinal areas. In the retinal case, expansion into the denervated quadrant was only from the rostral, never from the medial or lateral directions. Analysis of the movements of fiber arbors shows that they respond to local competition for tectal space rather than following tectal axes.


Some further observations on the effects of unilateral cortical ablation on sound localization in the cat. It has previously been shown that unilateral ablation of the whole auditory cortex in the cat disrupts the precedence effect, and also interferes with the ability of the normal animal to discriminate in the Y-maze between a single sound on one side and a double sound consisting of a signal on both left and right sides. The present work has confirmed these effects and has shown that both can be obtained with lesions confined to AI and AII. The "one-versus-two" deficit has invariably been seen in all the animals studied, but a proportion of animals do not show the precedence effect deficit. It has been confirmed that the apparent sucess of some animals can be due to the training effect of the one-versus-two paradigm, as was proposed in the earlier paper; however it has also been shown that this cannot be explanation in all cases. It has been demonstrated that cats are able to localize sound behind them with some success; turning around in the start box to reverse right and left space is therefore a possible strategy for overcoming a unilateral deficit. However, even with the head "fixed" in the forward-facing position, one animal was still able to run well above chance. The size of the lesion does not appear to be a correlate of the performance level.


Interaction of receptive field responses and shift-effect in cat retinal and geniculate neurons. Spike activity of single optic tract fibres and lateral geniculate cells of the lightly anaesthetized immobilized cat were recorded in response to short, small (local) test flashes into the receptive field center before, during and after rapid displacements of a remote, large (global) pattern. 2. The majority of retinal and geniculate neurons failed to produce algebraic summation of the excitatory shift-effect and an excitatory test response. 3. For many cells outside lamina A and A1 of the dorsal lateral geniculate body the test response was smaller than the control even though two excitatory responses were combined. 4. The resonses to displacements of a steady, local spot are weakly affected by simultaneous displacements of a global pattern if the local responses are strong; but if the latter are weak the global shift-effect dominates the response to a displacement of the total pattern. 5. Saccadic suppression may be explained by retinal and geniculate neurons functioning in two modes of local or global responses, both of which cannot be transmitted properly at the same time.


Effects of lesions of areas 17, 18 and 19 on interocular transfer of pattern discriminations in split-chiasm cats. Split-chiasm cats with unilateral or bilateral lesions largely removing the commissurally connected portions of visual cortical areas 17, 18 and 19 showed good interocular transfer of monocularly learned pattern discriminations. The capacity for interocular transfer in these cats was in fact little or not different from that of split-chiasm cats with an intact cortex. Split-chiasm cats with an additional section of the forebrain commissures, as well as two split-chiasm cats with 17-18 lesions also submitted to forebrain commissurotomy after having shown good interocular transfer, were generally incapable of transferring pattern discriminations between the eyes. It is concluded that interocular transfer of pattern discriminations, in split-chiasm cats does not require areas 17, 18 and 19 and must therefore depend on other cortical areas.


Inhibition of noradrenaline release from sympathetic nerves by pentobarbital. Pentobarbital concentrations of 10--100 micrometer selectively inhibited the noradrenaline release evoked by activation of the nicotinic receptors on the terminals sympathetic nerves of the rabbit heart. Higher concentrations also decreased the noradrenaline release induced by KCl or by electrical stimulation of the nerve axons.


Effect of Tween 80 on lipids of Mycobacterium phlei ATCC 354. Addition of Tween 80 to the growth medium brings about qualitative and quantitative changes in the lipids of Mycobacterium phlei ATCC 354. The results suggest that Tween 80 itself may be a variant in the system.


Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity in carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridemia in mice. Feeding to mice of both basal as well as high sucrose diet led to increased levels of plasma triglycerides, which was associated with increased lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity. Although males had significantly higher LCAT activity than females in all the dietary groups, sex difference in the plasma triglycerides was observed in high sucrose group only. Increase in plasma triglycerides in experimental groups was associated with an increase in LCAT activity.


Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity was higher in the serum, the mesenteric artery and the cerebral cortex of 4-week-old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), and lower in the nucleus tractus solitarii than it was in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).


The lack of insulin-binding to simple glycosidic receptors. The results of affinity electrophoresis at pH 8.9 show that insulin does not interact with any of a number of glycosidic ligands which bind various lectins. The results are discussed with respect to some similarities between insulin and concanavalin A.


Fractionation of mouse DNA by precipitation with F1 histone intro fragments differing in their base composition. Several fractions of mouse DNA were obtained by gradual precipitation with histone F1. The analysis of their base compositon revealed that histone interacted selectively with sequence of DNA rich in adenine plus thymine, regardless of the type of DNA molecules present in the DNA solution to be fractionated.


Erythrocyte catechol-0-methyltransferase and plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in human umbilical cord blood. Plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase enzymatic activity and immunoreactive protein levels in human umbilical cord blood are only about 2% as great as values in the blood of older subjects. Erythrocyte catechol-0-methyltransferase activity levels in umbilical cord blood are very similar to those in the blood of adult subjects.


Protein water binding ability correlates with cellular osmolarity. Water adsorption isotherms were determined for soluble proteins of organisms differing widely in intracellular osmolarity. A positive correlation was observed between protein-water affinity and total cellular osmotic concentration.


Effect of vasectomy on hepatic drug metabolism. 2 months after bilateral vasectomy the metabolism of aniline but not aminopyrine was increased in rat liver homogenates, whereas vasectomy did not affect the metabolism of either compound in guinea-pig liver homogenates.


Radioimmunoassay of polyacrylamide.

Radioimmunoassay of polyacrylamide. Antiserum to polyacrylamide has been produced in rabbits. It can be used in a sensitive radioimmunoassay for quantitation of polyacrylamide at very low concentrations. This novel approach to the analysis of a synthetic, biologically inactive, hydrocarbon polymer has potentially widespread implications, for example, in the downstream measurement of flocculating agents used in water purification treatments.


Studies on substrate specificity of X-prolyl dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase during new chromogenic substrates, X-Y-p-nitroanilides. Substrate specificity of X-prolyl dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase (dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV) was examined by using newly synthesized 8 chromogenic substrates, X-Y-p-nitroanilides. Homogeneous enzyme from human submaxillary gland hydrolyzed glycylproline p-nitroanilide almost specifically, except alanylalanine p-nitroanilide which had 11% activity.


Mutagenicity testing of 3 hallucinogens: LSD, psilocybin and delta 9-THC, using the micronucleus test. Using the micronucleus test as a screening method for mutagenic activity, no significant increase in the number of micronuclei was found when LSD, psilocybin or delta 9-THC were administered in 3 logarithmically increasing doses to mice, Azathioiprine (Imuran), given as a positive control, caused a statistically significantt increase in the micronucleated cells.


Chromosomal polymorphism caused by supernumerary chromosomes in Rattus rattus ssp. frugivurus (Rafinesque, 1814) (Rodentia, Muridae). A chromosomal numeric polymorphism 2n = 38, 39, 40 and 41 in the species Rattus rattus ssp. frugivurus (Rafinesque, 1814) is reported for the first time for this subspecies. The numbers 2n = 39, 40 and 41 are new for the species. The polymorphism is due to the presence of 1, 2 or 3 B-chromosomes, which are all small metacentrics of the size and shaped vary close to the other autosomes of the normal complement, and whose character of being supernumeraries is shown in Meiosis.


Aneuploidy as a consequence of senescence and ovariectomy in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). The hypothesis of the preferred X-chromosome loss in elder human females was reevaluated in the golden hamster: early castration of females proved that the increase of aneuploid cells is correlated with the loss of the ovaries. But here, and in old females, aneuploidy consisted of random loss of excess of chromosomes, in no case an X-chromosome.


Fusion of microsomal vesicles.

Fusion of microsomal vesicles. Studies which indicate the fusion of rat liver microsomal vesicles show that the rate of fusion of microsomal vesicles, as revealed by electron microscopic examinations, is dependent on the fusion temperature and the amount of detergent present in the microsomal suspension.


Uterine fluid from progesterone treated rabbits contains subcellular membranes. Uterine fluid from progesterone treated rabbits was shown to be rich in subcellular membrane components consisting of vesicles and cilia-like fragments. In contrast, uterine fluid from untreated does lacked subcellular membranes. Thus, they arise when uterine sperm capacitation ability is suppressed.


Isolation of filaments of the chick lens. A preparation of intermediate filaments isolated from the chicken lens is enriched with a 50,000 dalton polypeptide.


Effect of beta-adrenergic blockade on intramuscular triglyceride mobilization during exercise. It was shown in the rat that mobilization of intramuscular triglyceride during exercise is controlled by the adrenergic system.


A lack of correlation between rat kidney mitochondrial swelling and glutaminase activation in metabolic acidosis. We found no overall correlation between mitochondrial swelling and PDG activity under many different conditions. We conclude that augmented PDG activity in acidosis is not related, at least to any great extent, to increased anion permeability produced by mitochondrial swelling.


Colchicine inhibition of ADH effect on frog skin permeability. ADH and AMPc enhance both thiourea unidirectional fluxes in frog skin. This effect is completely abolished by colchicine pretreatment. The ADH increase of thiourea discharge with or without colchicine led us to suppose that colchicine does not directly affect ADH action on outer membrane permeability, but exerts its effects on a site which is limiting for the ADH action on transepithelial permeability.


Difference in the sensitivity to Ca ion among glycerinated skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscles. Glycerinated smooth muscle was contracted almost maximally with 15 mM Mg and 5 mM ATP, while extracted skeletal and cardiac muscles needed Ca ion with 15 mM Mg and 5 mM ATP for producing contraction.


Endolymphatic leakage in case of acute loss of cochlear microphonics. Rapid loss of cochlear microphonics in guinea-pigs previously exposed to high-energy impulse noise was shown to be related to the breakdown of the endolymphatic boundary. The cochlear duct was rendered leaky by deterioration of the reticular membrane, and damage of sensory and supporting cells.


Lysozyme levels in tissues of iron-deficient rats. Fats were fed either diets sufficient (300 ppm) or insufficient (5 ppm) in iron for 10 weeks. The iron-deficient animals had lowered hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and higher levels of kidney lysozyme activity than did control animals. There were no significant changes in serum and spleen lysozyme activity levels.


Large regional and strain differences in rat brain sialic acid and 2-deoxyribose. Sialic acid, a very polar component of glycolipids and glycoproteins that is exposed on membrane surfaces, was observed in rat brain to vary in the descending order: forebrain, midbrain, cerebellum and medulla. Levels of 2-deoxyribose were also differentially distributed, with about 3.5 times as much in the cerebellum and nearly equal amounts elsewhere. Similar results were obtained with another genetic strain, but clear quantitative differences were evident for both chemicals.


Thermoregulatory effects on the sheep of intracerebroventricular injections of L-glutamic acid. L-glutamic acid injected in doses of 200--1000 n moles . kg-1 into the cerebral ventricles of sheep had dose-dependent thermoregulatory effects: an increase in heat production and/or a decrease in respiratory frequency, and a rise in rectal temperature. A dose of 800 nmoles . kg-1 had effects comparable with those of a similar injection of 3 nmoles . kg-1 carbamylcholine.


[Time and theophylline influence on the quantitative variations of the glomerular basement membrane ferritin pathway (author's transl)]. A fine quantitative evaluation of ferritin aggregates in rat GBM permits to counts 5.08 +/- 1.51 and 18.30 +/- 3.21 g/cm2, respectively 30 and 60 min after ferritin injection; likewise, 30 min after ferritin administration, 5.08 +/- 1.51 and 17.11 +/- 3.9 g/cm2, respectively in normal and theophylline-treated animals.


Visual pigment regeneration: occurrence in frog retina upside down upon the pigment epithelium. Visual pigment regeneration in the frog requires apposition between the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. However, regeneration occurs nearly as well with the retina upside down (i.e. with the inner limiting membrane facing the pigment epithelium) as right side up.


Uptake of glusose-C14 and fructose-C14 by buffalo spermatozoa in extenders during cold storage. Buffalo spermatozoa exhibit insignificant uptake of glucose-C14 and fructose-C14 when semen samples were preserved in cold for 96 h in 2 extenders. Incorporation of C14 in spermatozoa, TCA precipitable proteins and soluble sugar phosphates was either equal or less in semen samples preserved in cold. CAW appeared to be a better extender than SKMEY as revealed by sugar uptake in cold.


Increased ALA dehydratase activity and spleen weight in lead-intoxicated rats. A consequence of increased blood cell destruction. Lead was given in the diet (1%) to rats from birth and at different times the animals were studies for delta amino levulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity, spleen weight, 59Fe incorporation in erythrocytes and 51Cr-labeled erythrocytes survival. The increased ALAD and spleen weight found after lead treatment is explained as a consequence of a shortened survival, which results in a younger age of circulating erythrocytes with higher ALAD activity.


Is the effect of diphenolic laxatives mediated via release of prostaglandin E? The diphenolic laxatives, bisacodyl and phenolphthalein, and the osmotic laxative mannitol increase intestinal fluid volume in the rat colon in situ. The diphenolic laxatives stimulate the biosynthesis of prostaglandin E (PGE) whereas mannitol does not. Inhibition of PG-biosynthesis by pretreatment with indomethacin only reduces the effect of the diphenolic laxatives. It is suggested that diphenolic laxatives increase intestinal fluid volume via stimulation of PGE biosynthesis in the colon.


The effects of hydrocortisone and glycyrrhizine on the enzyme releases of arylsulfatase and hyaluronidase from lysosomes of liver. Hydrocortisone and glycyrrhizine act as both stabilizers and labilizers of the lysosomes of liver. The effect of both agents on the lysosomes is changeable according to the duration of their administration.


High-voltage electron microscopy of adrenal medulla: direct connections between mitochondria and catecholamine-storage vesicles. A high-voltage electron microscopic study of adrenal medullary cells from hypoglycemia-stressed rats revealed the existence of tubular channels which create a luminal continuity between the mitochondrial compartment and the catecholamine-storage vesicles. It is suggested that these channels allow for the transfer of materials such as high-energy nucleotides between the mitochondria and the catecholamine-storage vesicles without an intervening membrane.


Effect of dimethyl sulfate on the secondary structure of DNA. Hydroxyapatite chromatography has been used to demonstrate that alkylation of DNA at neutral pH may lead to denaturation under conditions where no significant depurination occurs. Presence of salt has a preventive effect on such denaturation.


[Neuroactive compounds and vertebral teratogenesis in the bird embryo (author's transl)]. Anticholinesterasic and depolarizing (analogues of acetylcholine) agents administered to quail embryos after 3 days of incubation give rise to vertebral fusions in addition to neck deformities. Antagonists of acetylcholine (gallamine and hexamethonium) produce only vertebral joint fusions. The incidence of all these compounds in the vertebral defects by the way of there neuroactive properties is proposed.


Comparative incorporation of uridine-3H into nucleolar RNA of mouse subcutaneous and skin tissues at early times after 20-methylcholanthrene administration. A single s.c. injection of 20-methylcholanthrene (1 mg in 0.2 ml olive oil) is found to stimulate the relative uptake of uridine-3H by the skin and the s.c. tissue 17- and 3fold respectively, 24 h post-administration.


A preliminary report on gamma-irradiated protein-dye complexes. In spectral studies of gamma-irradiated protein-dye complexes, influences of concentrations of the components and changes in dye character are mainly noted.


The level of noradrenaline in terminals and varicosities after the ligation performed in the sympathetic ground-plexus. It is well-known that the ligation of nerve trunk induces an intensive accumulation of noradrenaline proximally to the ligation. A similar ligation, performed in the sympathetic ground-plexus, induces no changes in the segments of terminal fibres situated proximally.


Vascular permeability in malignant disease. Experimental demonstration that vessels draining large tumours are impermeable to cellular elements. Thus the pulmonary vessels of animals bearing large, primary (other than gastro-intestinal) cancers can become impermeable to tumour emboli. This imperviousness prevents the establishment of secondaries in the lung and promotes the transpulmonary passage of tumor cells. This phenomenon may account for the development of paradoxical metastases.


Virus-like particles in the opossum submandibular gland. Numerous inclusion bodies (virus-like particles) were observed in the lumina of the intercellular canaliculi, mucous tubules and intralobular ducts of the opossum submandibular gland. The particles are spherical in outline, show an electron dense core, and are surrounded by a peripheral membrane.


Close association of erythrocytes with surface of late mouse blastocysts: SEM analysis. SEM analysis of preimplantation mouse blastocysts reveals closely associated red blood cells on involuted surfaces of trophoblasts, and indication of the capability for initial phases of phagocytosis at an early developmental stage.


Reciprocal changes in serum free thyroxine fraction and thyrotropin level after administration of thiocyanate to rats. The administration of thiocyanate to rats caused a significant increase of serum free thyroxine fraction, which coincided with the significant decrease of TSH level. The other components (AFT4, T4, T3) in serum at this time were decreased or unchanged. The finding suggests the role of free thyroxine fraction in feed-back regulation of TSH secretion.


Blood volume and extracellular space (ECS) of the whole body and some organs of the rat. Methods are described for estimation of blood volume and extracellular space (ECS) in the whole body and in some organs with 51Cr, 14C-thiocyanate and 3H-inulin. A mean blood volume of 47 ml/kg, a thiocyanate space of 350 ml/kg and a inulin space of 288 ml/kg were determined in the rat. The corresponding values of organs are shown in figures 1--3.


Large-scale purification of hepatitis B surface antigen using affinity chromatography. Large-scale purification of hepatitis B surface antigen, applicable to the preparation of potential vaccines for prevention of hepatitis B, is described. The method involves the following steps: precipitation of serum with polyethylene glycol 6000, affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and on omega-aminononyl-Sepharose, and isopycnic centrifugation.


[1H-pyrazolo/1,2-b/phthalazines with anti-inflammatory activity]. The synthesis of forty-one 2,2,6,7-substituted 2,3,5,10-tetrahydro-1H-pyrazolo[1,2-b]phthalazine-1,3-diones A) by reaction of 4,4-di-substituted pyrazolidine-3,5-diones with substituted or unsubstituted alpha,alpha'-dibromoxylene and B) by tetrahydrophthalazine and 2-substituted malonic acid chlorides is described. The antinflammatory activity was tested on carrageenan oedema in comparison with phenylbutazone.


Studies related to the metabolism of ergoline drugs. Structure determination and spectroscopic properties of 1,6-dimethyl-12-hydroxy-10alpha-ergoline derivatives. The structure of some 1,6-dimethyl-12-hydroxy-10alpha-ergoline derivatives, related to an active metabolite of metergoline, is established by using physical methods (mass spectrometry, electronic and fluorescence spectroscopy, and 1H N.M.R. spectroscopy). The 13C N.M.R. spectrum of compound (II), 1,6-dimethyl-8beta-(acetylaminomethyl)-12-hydroxy-10alpha-ergoline, is analyzed.


Cyclic GABA-GABOB analogues. II - Synthesis of new 2-oxo and 2,5-dioxo-delta3-pyrroline derivatives. Within the framework of a research program on new compounds potentially active on learning and memory processes, some esters and amides of 2-oxo- and 2,5-dioxo-delta3-pyrroline-1-acetic acids were synthesized. Such compounds can be regarded either as dehydration products of the corresponding 4-hydroxy-2-pyrrolidinones or as cyclic derivatives of 4-aminoisocrotonic acid. Two approaches were used in an attempt to synthesize pyrrolinone derivatives. One method involved the direct alkylation with ethyl bromoacetate of 1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one (III b), obtained for the first time in pure form by cyclization of 4-amino-3-hydroxybutyric acid (GABOB). Another approach involved the preparation of the ethyl 3-bromo-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetate (VI), by cyclization of N-(2,4-dibromobutyryl)glycine ethyl ester (V), and its 4-bromo isomer (X b) by bromination of ethyl 4-hydroxy-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetate (X a). While the dehydrobromination of (VI) was unsuccessful, heating of (X b) with TEA afforded ethyl 2,5-dihydro-2-oxo-1H-pyrrole-1-acetate (IV a). Alternatively, (X a) was treated with methanesulfonyl chloride, then with TEA to give (IV a). Final ammonolysis of (IV a) provided the corresponding amide (IV b). For the synthesis of the maleimide analogue (XIII b), the N-(carboxymethyl)maleamic acid (XII a) was treated with PCl5 and then with anhydrous ammonia.


Antibacterial activity and chemical reactivity of sulphanylamides. Rate constants of alkaline hydrolysis of N4-acetylsulphanylamides. The alkaline deacylation rate constants of a collection of N4-acetylderivatives of acidic and non-acidic sulphonamides (SA) clearly show a definite trend due to the intramolecular effects induced by the different substitutions on the N1 nitrogen. The rate constant is interpreted as a reactivity index of the corresponding non-acetylated compound, and is found to be strictly correlated with the electron-availability of the p-amino group; thus providing an interesting correlation with the antibacterial activity of these drugs. Moreover, the reported experiments corroborate early predictions that the greatest reactivity of the p-amino group pertains to p-aminobenzoate (PAB) in the series of chemically related compounds, and that SA anions show the highest chemical and electronic resemblance to the essential metabolite (PAB); thus the high antibacterial activity of SA anions correctly corresponds to its close resemblance to the metabolite.


[Cyclic hydrazides. IV. Synthesis of 2-amino-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one]. The synthesis of a number of derivatives of the 2-amino-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, substituted in position 3, 6 and 7 is described. No improvement of the antiinflammatory activity in comparison with the parent compound was observed.


[Cardiovascular action of 1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide derivatives. VI]. A series of 3,4-dihydro derivatives of 6-chloro-, 7-chloro-, 5,7-dichloro-, 6,7-dichloro-, 5,7-dibromo-, 5-nitro-7-chloro-, 7-nitro-, 7-amino-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide, various substituted on the heterocyclic carbon, was prepared and tested for cardiovascular activity. It was found that in this series of compounds cardiac activity predominates and is exclusively of the depressant type. Bradycardial activity seems to be affected both by the nature of the substituent on the heterocyclic carbon atom and by the substituents on the benzene ring. An alkyl chain of three carbon atoms, normal or alpha-ethylsubstituted, on C3 and the presence of a chlorine atom in positions 6 or 7 seem to be the most significant structural features for this activity. Some of the substances tested showed a pressor effect (hypotension and/or increase in differential pressure).


[Derivatives of 3-hydrazinopyridazine. II. Synthesis and antihypertensive activity of new 3-hydrazino-6-monoalkylaminopyridazines]. The synthesis of some 3-hydrazino-6-monoalkylaminopyridazines (VIII) by reaction of 3,6-dichloropyridazine with various N-monoalkylbenzylamines, followed by reaction with hydrazine and final debenzylation in an acidic medium, is described. The new compounds were evaluated as antihypertensive agents and exhibited the same or higher activity than hydralazine, but lower activity than propildazine (ISF 2123).


"Nucleolar test" as a system for screening and analysis of immunosuppressive activity of chemical and biological agents. The numbers and nucleolar activity of lymphocytes were followed in the control and SRBC-stimulated popliteal lymph nodes following administration of known immunosuppressive agents of different classes which were given in doses effective in the Jerne test and graft-versus-host reaction. Immunosuppressive agents had a non-selective effect on different lymphocyte populations (characterized by the activity of nucleolar RNA synthesis) in the control, antigen-untreated lymph nodes, but had a marked inhibitory effect on lymphocytes with compact nucleoli in the antigen-stimulated lymph nodes. This decrease is in good correlation with suppression of the Jerne haemolytic plaques and GVHR. The nucleolar test as a simple technique appears to be adequate for a rapid screening of immunosuppressive activity of the chemical and biological agents.


Plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels in male rats following x-irradiation at different times of day. Adrenal and plasma corticosterone levels were investigated in male rats irradiated at 3-h intervals during the 24-h period (light : dark - 12 h : 12h). Adrenal and plasma corticosterone levels were markedly increased in animals exposed to a single whole-body X-irradiation with a lethal dose of 387 X 10(-3) C/kg (1 500R) and a 24-h fasting, compared to the sham-irradiated fasting controls, even during the lowest values of the intact group (08.00 h); the difference between the mean values of the irradiated and control group was not significant. The basal diurnal rhythm of corticosterone was retained even after irradiation. In comparison with the control, sham-irradiated group, the animals exposed to irradiation with a non-lethal dose of 64.5 X 10(-3) C/kg (250R) and a 48-h fasting showed adrenal corticosterone levels insignificantly higher in the light phase and lower in the dark phase. In comparison with the intact controls, both irradiated and sham-irradiated groups showed considerably shifted fluctuations during the 24-h period: the lowest levels in the middle of the dark phase and the highest in the middle of the light phase. Plasma levels of corticosterone were lower in irradiated animals than in the controls throughout the 24-h period. There were more irregular fluctuations and the diurnal rhythm was disturbed.


[Glucagon-releasing activity of xenopsin, neurotensin and substance P in the perfused rat pancreas (author's transl)]. It has been reported that Xenopsin, Neurotensin and Substance P change plasma glucagon and insulin levels when they are administered in vivo. In order to clarify whether these agents have a direct effect on glucagon and insulin secretion from the pancreas, the action of each substance was examined by using the rat pancreas perfusion technique. The results were as follows: The perfusion with 1 and 5 nmole/min of Xenopsin for ten minutes resulted in a significant but transient release within two minutes. Neurotensin did not show any stimulatory effect on glucagon release in the concentration of 1 or 5 nmole/min for ten minutes. However, Substance P lowered significantly the glucagon concentration in the perfusate in a similar concentration. None of these substances influenced significantly insulin release from the perfused pancreas. These findings suggest that the hyperglucagonemia caused by these three agents in vivo may not be attributed to the direct effect on the pancreatic A-cell.


[A radioimmunoassay for the measurement of thyroglobulin in human serum and its application to clinical study (author's transl)]. A sensitive and specific double antibody radioimmunoassay for the measurement of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) has been developed. The minimum detectable concentration of Tg was 5.0 ng/ml. Coefficients of within and between assay variation were 2.4% and 12.0%, respectively. The mean recovery of Tg added to normal serum was 102.9%; and T4, T3, DIT and MIT did not crossreact in this assay system. Dilution curves of normal thyroid extract, tumor extract and patient's serum were shown to be parallel with the standard Tg preparation. The mean serum Tg level in normal males and females was 42.8 +- 5.3 ng/ml (mean +- SE) (N=29) and 117.1 +- 20.9 ng/ml (N=20), respectively. There was a significant difference between male and female groups (p less than 0.001). The mean serum Tg level was 365.0 +- 69 ng/ml in 19 hyperthyroid patients with Graves' disease and 248.1 +- 35.8 ng/ml in 21 patients who were in a euthyroid state from the treatment with antithyroid drugs, showing statistically no significant difference. However, 8 patients in permanent remission showed definitely low Tg values, 83.6 +- 16.2 ng/ml. The mean serum Tg level was 2101.1 +- 57.6 ng/ml in 6 patients with chronic thyroiditis without auto-anti Tg and 525.1 +- 207.5 ng/ml in 5 patients with thyroid adenoma. The effect of total thyroidectomy on the serum TSH and Tg was studied in a patient (M.T.) with pulmonary metastases from thyroid follicular adenocarcinoma. The serum TSH level rose progressively to hypothyroid levels during nine days after thyroidectomy; the value was 45.7 muU/ml on the 9th day after the thyroidectomy. The serum Tg level in this case was 4 925 ng/ml before surgery. After a transient fluctuation caused by the operation, the serum Tg level in the patient increased progressively during 39 days after surgery with a concomitant increase in serum TSH; the levels at the 3rd, 6th and 9th day after surgery were 5,825 ng/ml, 7,910 ng/ml and 11,190 ng/ml, respectively. The suppression of endogenous TSH secretion with treatment of T3 60 MICROGRAMS/DAY WAS FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL FALL In serum Tg levels, decreasing to 630 ng/ml at the 114th day. Bovine TSH was administered to this patient at the 114th day, so as to study the effect of exogeneous TSH on serum Tg. Serum Tg reached a maximal peak at the 24 hr. after bovine TSH injection. The maximal increase of serum Tg above baseline was 221%. Despite complete removal of the thyroid gland, the increase in serum Tg after thyroidal stimulation with endogenous and exogenous TSH was observed in the patient. In addition, the increase in serum Tg after bovine TSH injection was also observed in two patients with  differentiated thyroid carcinoma who underwent a total thyroidectomy and had only metastatic tissue. These results indicate that the elevated serum Tg was released from metastatic tissue by TSH. The present study demonstrates direct evidence that metastatic tissue from thyroid carcinoma is responsive to TSH...


[Study on suppression of the pituitary-adrenocortical function by the therapeutic use of corticosteroids and its spontaneous recovery (author's transl)]. The present study was undertaken to investigate suppression of the pituitary-adrenocortical function by long-term corticosteroid therapy and spontaneous recovery from such a suppressant drug effect. Sixty patients who were on corticosteroids (hereinafter their dosage is expressed as the equivalent of prednisolone) given at 10 to 40 mg initially and then on a gradually decreasing basis down to below 10 mg currently or who had already been withdrawn from such a drug regimen were involved in the study and analysed for baseline values for plasma cortisol. These patients were evaluated for the functional status of the pituitary-adrenocortical system in relation to varying combinations of such factors as the total dose of corticosteroids, the duration in days of medication, the duration in days of mecication at reduced dosage levels, and time in days elapsed from cessation of medication. The results led to the following conclusions: (1) In patients receiving corticosteroids at such daily dosage levels as are reduced gradually to 7.5 mg or below within the duration in days as defined by the inequality Y greater than or equal to 8.4X + 222 (where Y stands for total dose given and X stands for the duration in days of administration), the pituitary-adrenocortical function is assumed to be in a state of being suppressed. When corticosteroids have been given at daily dosages reduced gradually to 7.5 mg or below within the duration in days as determined by the inequality Y less than or equal to 6.8X + 140 (where Y and X, respectively, stand as mentioned above), the pituitary-adrenocortical function of the recipient patient is considered to be in a state either of being not suppressed or of being recovered from suppressant drug effect. (2) In cases where corticosteroid therapy is started with a moderate dosage, then reduced to a low dosage level or stopped within relatively short period of time, the recipient patient can be safely withdrawn from the drug therapy without suppression of the pituitary-adrenocortical function if the dosage schedule is in line with the inequality Y less than or equal to 5.9X + 331 (where X denotes the duration in days of medication and Y, total dose). These results led the author to formulate a model of a corticosteroid dosage schedule which is reasonable free from the risk of causing pituitary-adrenocortical insufficiency. More particularly, the dosage of corticosteroids is reduced by a 5 mg decrement at regular intervals of 5, 8, 13, 27 and 103 days, respectively, when the initial daily dose is 30, 25, 20, 15 and 10 mg. By following this dosage regimen one might expect safe withdrawal from corticosteroid therapy without risking suppression of the pituitary-adrenocortical function. (3) Corticosteroid therapy, when given at a dosage of 7.5 mg or less daily, is considered to have little suppressant effect on the pituitary-adrenocortical function...


Annexation as a factor in the growth of U.S. cities, 1950--1960 and 1960--1970. The incidence of annexation, the growth in the original area and in the area annexed, and the proportion of growth due to annexation between 1950 and 1970 are analyzed for U.S. cities grouped by size, metropolitan status, and region of the country. Over this period, annexation was a principal means of population growth for incorporated places outside the Northeast. Though often associated with metropolitan growth, annexation was even more important in the growth of nonmetropolitan cities. Overall growth differences by size of place, metropolitan status, and decade (1950--1960 or 1960--1970) could not be explained by the incidence and nature of annexation.


Is nonmetropolitan America being repopulated? The evidence from Pennsylvania's minor civil divisions. We analyze population change and net migration, by age and sex, from 1940 to 1970, for 1,834 Nonmetropolitan Pennsylvania Minor Civil Divisions (MCD's) classified by residence, population potential, socioeconomic status, and distance from metropolitan centers. Our analysis indicates, as expected, reconcentration of residents from both urban and remoter nonmetropolitan localities into exurban peripheries 25 to 35 miles for metropolitan centers. Since 1960, however, a "turnaround" appears in many truly rural tracts, which have been experiencing an influx or retention of persons 35 years of age and older. Statistical explanations are strongest for males in poor, isolated places, weakest for more accessible, socioeconomically advanced places and their female inhabitants. Throughout the study period and area, nonurban MCD's register more positively than the rural.


The momentum of population growth with time dependent net maternity function. The momentum of population growth problem of Keyfitz is generalized to contain a gradual change of the age-specific birth rate ro the level of bare replacement. Assuming a time dependence for the net maternity function of the form (formula: see text) R being the net reproductive rate, we show that for the Malthusian model the asymptotic birth rate is increased by exp (r/lambda), where r is the rate of increase of the population before t = 0. A numerical method for obtaining the asymptotic birth rate for a general net maternity function with the same time dependence is outlined.


The stable births resulting from a time dependent change between two net maternity functions. The asymptotic birth rate for a one-sex population in which the net maternity function changes to one of bare replacement was first discussed by Keyfitz and has since been studied by several authors. The present generalization allows for a time dependent transition from any net maternity function to another and, thus, includes all previous models.


Effects of migration on the educational levels of the black resident population at the origin and destination, 1955--1960 and 1965--1970. Using the 1960 and 1970 census data, this paper analyzes the net effects of the interregional migration of black males on the educational levels of the resident black male population at the regions of origin and destination. Significant variations are observed in the educational selectivity of out-migrants from each region, by region of destination. Comparing the educational levels of the return migrants to the South with those of the resident population in the nonsouthern regions provides no evidence that the return migrants are "failed" migrants. The net effect of interregional migration on the educational levels of the black male resident population at the regions of origin and destination is insignificant in most age groups, for both the 1955--1960 and 1965--1970 periods. In particular, in-migration from the South to nonsouthern regions has little effect on the educational levels of the resident population in most age groups. In fact, for nonsouthern regions, out-migration is more detrimental to the educational level of the resident black male population than is in-migration from the South. Furthermore, the net effect of interregional migration has declined from the 1955--1960 period to the 1965--1970 period.


Husband-wife agreement about reproductive goals. Data from Malaysia on the reproductive goals of husbands and wives are analyzed to determine level of agreement, using new scale measures on preferences for number and sex of children as well as the conventional measure of desired number of children. The level of agreement between husband and wife varies considerably depending on the focus of analysis and the measure of agreement used. Overall aggregate agreement of men and women is high but lower for subgroups of the population, particularly among various ethnic groups. For marital partners, the agreement is much lower, especially on sex preferences. The level observed depends on whether the measure is identity of responses or an index of homogeneity which allows for couple concordance based on chance or common socialization factors. The views about the reproductive goals of one marital partner cannot with confidence be assumed to represent the views of the other.


Age and marital status at first birth and the pace of subsequent fertility. Taking care to minimize the truncation bias inherent in cross-sectional data and controlling for other variables, this paper demonstrates the strong effects of both age and marital status at first birth on the pace of subsequent fertility. These effects are particularly strong in the interval immediately following the first birth but persist even into the fourth interval. Important differences are found with respect to the experience of rapid fertility, rather than in the mean lengths of intervals. These results add to the growing attention to the social dimensions of age as a variable in fertility processes.


Effects of various factors on selection for family planning status and natural fecundability: a simulation study. The effect of various factors on selection for family planning status and for natural fecundability is studied in a simulation that incorporates a beta distribution of fecundability among women. The mean fecundabilities of current spacers, current limiters, current nonusers, and pregnant women are compared. These ratios are influenced by duration of marriage and by desired number of children. Effects of different levels of contraception are measured. Another strategy, spacing the last two wanted births, is also studied. It is found that breast-feeding status has little effect on fecundability selection. The women usually found to have greatest fecundability are not those recently pregnant at durations of marriage five and ten years, unless they wanted fewer than two children, but rather those who are using contraception to limit the number of children.