[Quantitative hyperpnea in EEG (author's transl)]. After summarizing the phenomena of respiratory physiology involved in the hyperpnea test, the author studies the quantitative relation between the drop in PECO2 (pressure of CO2 in expired air) and changes in the EEG during hyperpnea. Normal subjects are divided into two groups of a hundred (6 to 19 1/2 years of age; 20 to 59 1/2 years of age). The PECO2 at rest is higher among the young subjects than among the adults, and its decline during hyperpnea is sharper. Thus, children show discrete respiratory acidosis in comparison with adults. The EEG of normal adults is practically unchanged during hyperpnea whereas, in the young group, moderate changes in the profile were observed in 45 out of 100 cases (classified empirically as normal). The PECO2 reaches a lower level in subjects showing EEG changes than in those showing none. All the reported differences are statistically significant (p less than 0.01). The probability of hyperpnea modifying the EEG profile becomes progressively less with age, and may be related to the reduced production of CO2 in older subjects. Epileptic subjects (primary generalized epilepsy) produce more CO2 than normal subjects during the hyperpnea test. The statistical data reported in the study show the importance of the size of the drop in ventilatory CO2 in the determination of EEG changes. The rest of hyperpnea in EEG can therefore be validly interpreted only if capnographic variations are measured. A standard quantitative hyperpnea test of this type should be devised, with specification of the hypocapnia level to be achieved.


Comparison of beta-adrenoceptors mediating vasodilatation in canine subcutaneous adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Blood flow changes in response to various drugs in simulataneously autoperfused canine subcutaneous adipose tissue and gracilis muscle were compared to study the vascular beta-adrenoceptors. Compared to isoprenaline the beta 2-selective agonist salbutamol was 4--6 times more potent as a vasodilator in the muscle than in adipose tissue. Furthermore two beta 1-selective agonists (Tazolol and H80/62) caused vasodilatation in adipose tissue but not in the gracilis muscle. When given by close i.a. injection after beta-adrenoceptor blockade, adrenaline was a more potent vasoconstrictor than noradrenaline in both tissues. Before beta-blockade, however, noradrenaline was the more potent vasoconstrictor in the gracilis muscle whereas adrenaline was more potent in adipose tissue. Intravenous infusion of adrenaline in doses causing vasodilatation in the muscle caused vasoconstriction in adipose tissue whereas intravenous infusion of noradrenaline caused vasoconstriction in both tissues. The present findings suggest that the beta-adrenoceptors mediating vasodilatation in skeletal muscle are mainly ose tissue. Since adrenaline is a much more potent beta2- than beta1-agonist, these differences point to different roles of intravascular adrenaline in the two sites. In skeletal muscle circulating adrenaline is mainly a vasodilator whereas in subcutaneous adipose tissue it mainly acts as a vasoconstrictor.


Proton translocating ATPase: its pump, gate, and channel. Proton translocating ATPase of oxidative phosphorylation was divided into three functional units: pump, channel, and gate. This was achieved by the use of highly stable pure ATPase obtained from a thermophilic bacterium PS3. The pump and gate were found in a catalytic moiety of the ATPase called TF1, and the channel was in the remaining hydrophobic moiety of the ATPase called TF0 which rendered TF1 sensitive to energy transfer inhibitor such as DCCD. TF1 was composed of five subunits (alpha, 56,000; beta, 53,000; gamma, 32,000; delta, 15,500; epsilon, 11,000 daltons). The essential component of the pump was beta-subunit, since beta gamma-complex or alpha beta delta-complex showed ATPase activity. The gate which blocked passive leakage of protons through TF0 in the proteoliposomes was shown to be gamma delta epsilon-complex in TF1. Both delta- and epsilon-subunits were required to connect alpha beta gamma-complex to TF0. TF0 was identical to the channel and was composed of three kinds of subunits (19,000, 13,500, and 5,400 daltons) and the smallest one was [14C]-DCCD binding protein. When the ATPase was incorporated into vesicles containing highly stable saturated branched phospholipids, ATP-driven electrochemical potential of proton (delta mu H+ = 253mV) and proton gradient driven net synthesis of ATP were demonstrated. For these activities, pump, channel, and gate of proton translocating ATPase were all required.


Role of serotonin in the regulation of respiratory system function. Role of serotonin in the regulation of respiratory system function. Acta Physiol. Pol., 1978, 29 (2): 131--138. This study examined respiratory centre reflector excitability, the electrical activity of respiratory muscles, outer breathing, pH and arterial blood gas composition under conditions of experimentally induced serotonin excess or deficiency in 48 dogs. It was found that excess of serotonin in the animals leads a strenghthening of respiratory action in terms of increased respiratory centre bioelectrical excitability, muscular electrical activity and outer respiratory indices, such as frequence, volume and lung ventilation per min. In addition the pH of blood shifted to alkalic and oxygen tension of the blood increased while CO2 tension of the blood decreased.


Increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity in patients with pancreatitis associated with type I and V hyperlipoproteinemia. Oxyhemoglobin dissociation curves were performed from blood of subjects with pancreatitis associated with Type V and Type I hyperlipoproteinemia. The hemoglobin-oxygen affininty was markedly increased with P50 varying from 22.3 to 17.7 mmHg. As the hyperlipoproteinemia subsided the clinical and laboratory signs of pancreatic affection disappeared. The increased hemoglobin-oxygen affinity and decreased flow of red cells due to hyperchylomicronemia in the microcirculation may lead to tissue hypoxia, which may act as a precipitating injurious factor leading to pancreatitis during severe hyperlipemia.


Disturbances of extracellular pK, pNa and pH during no-flow anoxia. The initial period of no-flow anoxia can be divided in at least two parts. During the first period lasting approximately 1 min., the O2 available in tissue gives rise to CO2 which increases hydrogen ion activity and may lead to Na+ influx2 (presumably due to increased  membrane permeability to Na+). In the second period, starting after the first minute, the increase in lactate content leads to further decrease in pH and is accompanied by extensive sodium influx and a distinct potassium efflux. However, it is striking that the isolated perfused rat liver is able to tolerate 1 hour of norm-flow anoxia without severe cellular damage, whereas two minutes of no-flow anoxia lead to a decrease in cellular ATP content by 28%.


Skeletal muscle PO2: indicator of peripheral tissue perfusion in haemorrhagic shock. The following conclusions can be made on the basis of this work: 1) Measurements of skeletal muscle oxygen tension provide an excellent index of tissue perfusion in haemorrhagic shock. 2) Correction of cardiac output and arterial blood oxygen tension in haemorrhagic shock does not necessarily ensure normal tissue oxygenation. 3) In haemorrhagic shock adequate replacement of blood loss using a balanced salt solution in addition to blood replacement is an integral part of the fluid management. 4) Correction of hypovolemia with an equivalent volume of a plasma expander and subsequent reinfusion of shed blood also returns tissue perfusion to normal. However, this treatment results in marked haemodilution and correction of extracellular fluid loss remains inadequate.


Pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis in rat embryo cells infected with X14 or H-1 parvovirus. The activity of some enzymes involved in pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis was studied in rat embryo cell (REC) cultures infected with X14 or H-1 parvovirus. dCMP aminohydrolase activity of the infected cells was 64--121% greater than that of the mock-infected cells. dTMP synthetase activity was 18% greater in X14 virus-infected cells and 34% lower in H-1 virus-infected cells. These results suggest some differences in the infected cells, as regards the biosynthesis of dTMP. Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase activities appeared nearly unmodified compared to the mock-infected cells. The addition of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) to the cell suspension incubated with [6-14C] orotate increased the specific radioactivity of acid-soluble uracil, 5-fold in the mock-infected cells and 15- --24-fold in the X14 or H-1 virus-infected cells (72 hr p.i.). This result suggests that the lowered pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis in infected cells depends to a large extent on the diminished PRPP pool.


Increased susceptibility to infection with herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 of cold-adapted L cells. L cells (L-As subline) have been adapted to a temperature of 4 degrees C. In the cold-adapted cells, designated LC3, greater amounts of infectious herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) were synthesized than in the original L-As cells or in another control L-cell line. Two strains of HSV-1 reached higher infectious titres in LC3 cells grown at 36 degrees C than in those grown at 32 degrees C. The HSV-2 strain tested replicated in LC-3 cells grown at 32 degrees C better than at higher temperature. Increased reproduction of HSV in LC3 cells was not due to enhanced adsorption of virions on the cells as compared with control L cells. The multiplication of cold-adapted LC3 cells was and was not more intensive than of L-As and control L cells, respectively. The virological results are confronted with known physiological properties of cold-adapted cells.


CV-1 monkey kidney cell line -- a highly susceptible substrate for diagnosis and study of arboviruses. The CV-1 cell line, derived from Cercopithecus aethiops monkey kidneys, acquired in the course of serial passaging an epitheloid morphology and heteroploid karyotype. As compared with Vero and GMK cell lines, the CV-1 line proved to be more susceptible to a broad spectrum of arboviruses belonging to the families Togaviridae and Bunyaviridae. Most of them reached high titres and were markedly cytopathic in CV-1 cells so that all tests based on the cytopathic effect could be carried out. The CV-1 cell line can thus be recommended as an extra-ordinarily suitable substrate for the diagnosis and study of arboviruses.


Long-term persistence of cell-mediated and humoral immune response in specifically resistant mice given live attenuated langat (E5 "14") virus. In a long-term experiment, the features of humoral and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) were investigated in mice given intravenously (i.v.) a single dose of live attenuated Langat (E5 "14") virus of the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) complex. The inapparent infection induced in mice specific resistance against challenge with virulent TBE virus, CMI was assayed by the capillary method of murine splenic lymphocyte migrarion inhibition (LMI) in the presence of partially purified TBE vurus. Significant LMI values were observed as early as 4 days after inoculation (p.i.), persisting for at least 15 months. Specific virus neutralizing (VN) antibodies were detected in the pooled serum of mice on the 4th day p.i. by a VN test potentiated with monospecific anti-mouse IgG serum. For the whole experimental period, significant antibody levels were found in the immunized mice which also displayed a complete resistance against 1000 s.c. LD50 of the virulent virus. Organ cultures of brain and spleen from these mice did not yield infections virus.


Attenuated variants of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus: pathomorphological, immunofluorescence and virological studies of infection in Syrian hamsters. A virulent strain of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus produced in hamsters a lethal infection with severe lesions of nerve cells predominatly in the anterior parts of the brain. Parenchyma necroses occurred in the liver and lymphoid organs. Infectious virus and viral antigen were found in all the organs examined with the greatest accumulation in the brain. Attenuated variants of the virus produced in most hamsters an inapparent infection. In some animals without clinical signs, focal inflammatory-dystrophic lesions were found in the central nervous system (CNS) and the liver, as were immunomorphological changes in the lymphoid tissue. In the latter infectious virus could be detected for 6 days after inoculation (p.i.), whereas in the brain only viral antigen could be found up to 14 days. At 3 and 6 months p.i., no persistence of attenuated virus in the brain and lymphoid tissues could be established by organ culture and co-cultivation methods. Nor was virus antigen detected. No pathomorphological changes or proliferative-hypertrophic astrocyte reaction were found.


Transmissible virus dementia. I. An unusual space and time clustering of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and of other organic presenile dementia cases. A peculiar grouping of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) and of other organic presenile dementia (OPD) cases in a small, prevalently rural area in Czechoslovakia to the east of 19 degrees 35' E and to the north of 48 degrees 15' N was studied. Between August, 1972 and November, 1976, three histologically proven CJD cases, bearing no sporadic of familial patterns, were observed. The distance between their dwellings was 13--17 km. In addition, seven cases of OPD were detected in the same area, two of them being suspected as possible CJD according to clinical evidence.


Transmissible virus dementia. II. Neurohistology of three, geographically clustered cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Histopathological findings in three temporo-spatially linked cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are reported. The patients were males, unrelated and without positive family history. Their mean age at the onset of the disease was 52.3 years. The mean duration of the illness was 6.6 months; the clinical symptomatology differed considerably. Neurohistology revealed in all patients a neuronal loss, intracyoplasmic vacuolation, spongiosis and astrocytosis. Besides the cortical regions, basal ganglia and cerebella were severely affected. All cases were pathologically suggestive of the cortico-striato-cerebella variant of CJD. Attention is drawn to this apparent topical similarity of most pronounced lesions. The possible significance of the pathoanatomical consistency, observed in the cases studied, for the unusual pattern of natural occurrence of CJD is considered.


Comparative studies on sindbis virus strains isolated in Slovakia. Two variants of Sindbis virus strains were distinguished according to the dextran sulphate (DS) marker. Large-plague strains freshly isolated from Cricetus cricetus and Rana ridibunda produced exclusively small plaques after DS treatment. The prototype Sindbis virus strain produced both large and small plaques after DS treatment. Kinetic haemagglutination-inhibition tests revealed a higher reactivity of freshly isolated strains than of the prototype strain. For differentiation of newly isolated strains of Sindbis virus, their sensitivity to sodium deoxycholate is recommended: a freshly isolated strain proved to be resistant to sodium deoxycholate.


T lymphocytes as an indicator in influenza vaccination, influenza and acute respiratory diseases. Significant differences in T-lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood of normal subject and volunteers vaccinated with live and inactivated influenza vaccines as well as patients with influenza and viral acute respiratory diseases (ARD) were demonstrated. A laboratory test using T lymphocytes was proposed for the evaluation of the safety of live influenza vaccine.


Temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus. I. Isolation and preliminary characterization. Fifty-seven temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of a neurotropic variant of vaccinia virus were obtained. A comparison of the effectiveness of 6 different mutagens showed that in in vivo experiments nitrosomethylurea induced 10%, nitrosoguanidine 8%, and bromodeoxyuridine 2.5% ts mutants. In vitro, at the same degree of inactivation, UV irradiation, hydroxylamine and nitrous acid induced 2.5% ts mutants. Out of 49 mutants studied, 27 had a DNA+ phenotype, 19 a DNA+/-and 3 a DNA- phenotype. Under permissive conditions, two thirds of all the mutants tested formed thermolabile virions. In experiments on genetic recombination, the recombination frequency between different pairs was from 2.8 to 57%. Seven of the mutants were plotted on the virus genetic map in a certain sequence.


Pseudotype particles of vesicular stomatitis virus with surface antigens of bovine leukaemia virus--VSV (BLV) -- as a sensitive probe for detecting antibodies in the sera of spontaneously infected cattle. Phenotypically mixed particles containing the genome of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and envelope antigen corresponding to bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) -- the VSV (BLV) pseudotypes -- can be employed as a rapid, specific and sensitive probe for detecting BLV-neutralizing antibodies in bovine sera.


Comparative study of virion transcriptase of some influenza virus strains. The activities, the temperature and pH optima of in vitro functioning and stability upon heating of virion transcriptase of 10 human influenza virus A strains differing in reactogenicity and isolated in different epidemiological situations, and of fowl plague virus (FVP) were compared. As compared with virion transcriptase of human influenza virus strains studied, that of FPV had a higher pH optimum, was capable of functioning in vitro at a higher temperature and was more stable on heating. Freshly isolated and vaccine influenza virus strains on the one hand and strains isolated at the peak and in the end of an epidemic did not differ in the virion transcriptase properties. The virion transcriptase of a strain isolated from a local influenza outbreak was much less active than transcriptase of a highly epiedmic strain.


The benzodiazepines.

The benzodiazepines. The benzodiazepines are remarkably effective anxiolytic drugs. However, they are prone to misuse by both physicians and patients. They should be used in clearly defined clinical situations for short periods, at the lowest possible dosages. Although rare, toxicity can be severe. These agents should be used with caution in persons likely to abuse medication, in the elderly, in patients with glaucoma and in patiens with known hepatic impairment. Sudden cessation may be followed by a withdrawal state.


Non-specific aorto-arteritis in Singapore with special reference to hypertension. Aorto-arteritis has recently emerged as a distinct disease entity with involvement of aorta and its major branches by a non-specific inflammation of unknown etiology. Though the distribution of this disease is worldwide, it is more prevalent in Japan, India, and South-east Asia. This paper describes a series of 48 cases seen in Singapore and emphasizes the protean nature of this disease. Though modes of clinical presentation were many, hypertension appeared to be the commonest as it occurred in 33 patients, giving an incidence of 69 per cent. This incidence was much higher than the 48 per cent reported among Europeans and 42 per cent reported among South Africans. It would therefore appear that hypertension was a far more common manifestation of aorto-arteritis among Asians. The commonest cause of hypertension in aorto-arteritis in this series was renovascular, with renal artery stenosis or occlusion occurring in 27 cases (85 per cent). The frequency of involvement of the renal artery is much greater than the 34 per cent reported by the Japanese. Therefore renovascular hypertension should be regarded as a predominant feature of aorto-arteritis in Singapore.


Involvement of the cardiac conducting system in panarteritis nodosa. Histopathological observations on the conduction system of the heart were carried out in three cases of panarteritis nodosa. This specialized tissue was involved in each case secondary to ischemia and/or periarterial extension of the inflammatory process affecting the nutrient arteries of the conducting system. The high risk of disturbances in impulse formation and conduction in patients with panarteritis is emphasized as well as the need for appropriate clinical investigation (protracted cardiac monitoring and control by catheter recording and stimulation) in order to secure early detection and prevention of life-threatening arrhythmias.


Drug therapy in the treatment of minimal brain dysfunction. The pharmacotherapy of minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) is reviewed. Studies using central nervous system (CNS) stimulants (amphetamines and methylphenidate, deanol, pemoline, caffeine), antidepressants (imipramine and desipramine), anticonvulsants (phenytoin and primidone), antianxiety agents (chlordiazepoxide, hydroxyzine, meprobamate), antipsychotic agents (phenothiazines, thioxanthenes, butyrophenones) and miscellaneous agents (benztropine, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, megavitamins) are discussed. When drugs are indicated, the CNS stimulants are the agents of choice in the treatment of MBD. The use of tricyclic antidepressants in MBD is regarded as investigational and warrants careful monitoring to minimize toxicities. Anticonvulsants have been ineffective in controlling behavior problems; however, phenytoin may be helpful in auditory perception problems. Anti-anxiety and antipsychotic agents are not as desirable as the CNS stimulants for treatment since they do not decrease distractibility or increase attention spans.


Acidosis of synovial fluid correlates with synovial fluid leukocytosis. The antibacterial activity of aminoglycoside antibiotics is significantly reduced by lowering the pH of the incubation medium. Since gram-negative septic arthritis responds poorly to aminoglycoside antibiotic therapy, we sought to determine whether synovial fluid acidosis contributes to this poor outcome. Synovial fluid samples from 22 patients with various forms of acute and chronic arthritis were examined for white blood cell count and pH. A close correlation (r = -0.92, p is less than 0.001) between an increasing white blood cell count and a decreasing pH was demonstrated. Since septic arthritis is associated with high white blood cell counts, in synovial fluid, the resultant low pH may contribute to the poor response to gram-negative septic arthritis treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics.


Chronic cutaneous graft-versus-host disease in man. This clinicopathologic study of patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic marrow transplantation emphasizes the most prominent feature of the syndrome, the cutaneous aspects, and describes the ophthalmic-oral sicca syndrome with sialoadenitis and the neurologic findings. Chronic cutaneous GVHD affected 19 of 92 recipients surviving 150 days or more. In 6 patients chronic GVHD presented as a continuation of acute GVHD; in 8 it occurred after the resolution of acute GVHD; and in 5 it arose without preceding acute GVHD, ie, de novo late onset. Two cutaneous types were distinguished. The generalized type affected 16 patients and ran a progressive course resulting in late complications of poikiloderma, diffuse dermal and subcutaneous fibrosis, and contractures. Microscopically, it resembled generalized morphea and lupus erythermatosus hypertrophicus et profundus. The local type affected 3 patients with a more variable picture of poikiloderma, dermal sclerosis, and contractures. Microscopically, it resembled lupus of erythematosus profundus and scleroderma. Guidelines for defining and subclassifying chronic cutaneous GVHD are proposed.


Hypnosis and related clinical behavior.

Hypnosis and related clinical behavior. The essential aspect in the experience of the hypnotized person is the altered or distorted perception that is suggested to him. Not all people are capable of the experience, but it is possible that spontaneous distortions occur in those with high hypnotizability. These distortions are frequently experienced as frightening symptoms. The author draws attention to the similarity between hysterical symptoms and events in hypnosis and to the high hypnotic responsivity in hysterical subjects reported in the clinical literature of the nineteenth century. Phobic patients have relatively high hypnotic responsivity. The author believes that it is sometimes possible to predict hypnotizability from clinical behavior, and that hypnotic responsivity can be utilized in psychodynamically sensitive therapy to teach such patients that they can learn to gain control of their symptoms.


Drug use by the polysurgical patient.

Drug use by the polysurgical patient. The authors compared the drug use of 23 patients with 5 or more major surgeries (mean number of surgeries = 9.8) with that of a matched control group (mean number of surgeries = 1). Total drug use of the polysurgical patients was 3.7 times greater than that of the controls and involved narcotics, analgesics, barbiturates, and minor tranquilizers. The authors describe the characteristics of polysurgical patients, one of which is chronic pain, and propose a treatment plan that involves psychological intervention for the patient and his or her family.


The treatment of severely depressed schizophrenic patients. The diagnosis and treatment of severe masked depression in schizophrenia is discussed, and the difficulties in management are stressed, with particular reference to drug therapy, E.C.T., and psychotherapy.


[Investigations on the plasm amino acids of old patients with rheumatoid arthritis (author's transl)]. The amino acids of blood plasma of 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 19 controls were investigated by ion exchange chromatography. It was proofed simultaneously whether human more than 60 years old exhibit significantly different amino acid concentrations from younger individuals. It was found that RA patients more than 60 years differ significantly in 23 out of 30 amino acids. Only Asparagine was decreased, all other amino acids were increased. The controls did not show the same uniform direction of results. Older individuals exhibited differences in only 14 amino acids. Phosphoserine, Cystathionine and Arginine were increased to a great extent while Threonine, 1-Methylhistidine and Tryptophane were apparently diminished in this group of age.


[DNA--"rejoining" in lymphycytes of patients with a minifestation of rheumatoid arthritis in older age (author's transl)]. Relations between the time of manifestation of the disease and the course of the rheumatoid arthritis were found from the clinic frequently. Patients with later first manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis show clear differences against patients with earlier manifestation of the disease at which the late first manifestation a high activity of the process of the disease exhibit. In males first manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis in middle age of 54,5 years was observed, while in a first manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis in middle age of 47 years a normal course of the disease was found. The difference between the both courses was proved as significantly. In former investigations we could prove that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis the 3H-Thymidin-build in the course of not programmed DNA-synthesis in the DNA of lymphocytes after damage with ionizing was retarded. The rate of not programmed DNA synthesis seems to be in old persons equal. The ligase reaction is possibly diminished because the number of DNA-strand breakes with the age is strong increasing.


[Unexplained accelerated blood cells sedimentation rate in the aged (author's transl)]. There is one reason for unexplained accelerated blood cells sedimentation rate in the aged, which is often neglected:Polymyalgia arteriitica or Arteriitis temporalis. Long-term therapy with cortison normalizes pains and sedimentation rate. Nevertheless, short-term treatment is a way to diagnose the disease "ex juvantibus".


[Interactions of drugs, used in the treatment of rheumatism in the elderly (author's transl)]. This paper reviews the possibilities of interactions of drugs, used in the treatment of rheumatism in the elderly. Exspecially glycosides, antikoagulants, diuretics, uricosurics, salicylates, barbiturates and corticosteroides are discussed.


[Scleroderma, an ageing process? I. Clinical and immunological aspects (author's transl)]. Scleroderma with its different manifestations is mainly a disease of connective tissue and of vascular system. Next the alteration to collagen, which is demonstrable in lesions by decrease of embryonale collagen type III, there are also humoral and cellular phenomens of autoimmunity. In more than 70% of our patients we found antinuclear antibodies, and in most of them, we found with the leukocytemigration--inhibition-test cellular immunphenomenons to RNA, collagen and muscle. There is a small connection between ageing and immunological defense and repair, accordingly of immunocytes and fibroblasts. Further more precise characterization of this cell-compartments under the aspect of a premature ageing could bring a new understanding in the largely unknown etiopathogenese of scleroderma.


[The total alloplasty of the hip in very aged people (author's transl)]. By means of a short follow-up study about all patients of more than eighty years of age, who had done a total alloplasty of the hip in the BG-Unfallklinik Ludwigshafen/Rhein, this is a report of the problems of surgery in the very aged people, the indication of surgery, the pre- and postoperative management and furthermore on complications and long-time results.


[Age and time of hospitalization (author's transl)]. A reduction of the time of hospitalization has been repeatedly considered as a cost-saving possibility in the projects of reforming the hospital system. The time of hospitalization of older patients is longer than that of younger patients. Every plan to reduce it fails for lack of flanking institutions, such as geriatric hospitals, nursing homes, etc. However, all age groups include a small number of patients staying in hospital for long periods of time and taking therfore a disproportionately large share in the nursing day total. This fact is proved by statistic data on 11,875 internal cases admitted to the Nuremberg hospitals. The transformation of the complex acute-case hospital into a graded ward system could create a possibility of accommodating, and attending to, this small group of people in better medical conditions and on better financial terms.


[Suicides in patients of a geriatric hospital (author's transl)]. Problems of suicide during treatment in an internal geriatric hospital are discussed. Particular attention is given to possibilities of preventation.


[Cause and incidence of suicides and attempted suicides by patients over 65 years old in psychiatric hospitals (author's transl)]. Case reports of 184 suicides and attempted suicides in the six hospitals of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland from 1964-1974 were analyzed. 25 patients were over 65 years old. The combination of almost 30 variables revealed no significant constellation caused by old age. Furthermore no criterias could be found to assess increased suicidal tendency of hospitalized patients. Two conclusions are of importance. 1. The risk of suicides in hospitals does not increase by loosening of restrictions and open environment. 2. The concept of hospital suicide should include the time after being discharged and enlarge on other institutions which are involved in the psychiatric care system. A center of crisis intervention is disucssed which offers its services to different institutions for the purpose of suicide prophylaxis.


[Historical aspects of suicide in the old age (author's transl)]. Beginning with a very different attitude of the antiquity taken up to suicide, which was normally not regarded as a self-murdering but as a voluntary departing this life and as such as a philosophically based act of liberty especially by members of the stoic system who not seldom commited suicide themselves, another estimation is discussed which was exercised by the Pythagoreans and the members of the Aristotele's doctrine. They rejected suicide as immoral. The suicide in the old age was regarded under the different aspects of old age  and his positive and negative evaluation. As predecessor of the absolute refusal of suicide in the Christian era can be mentioned Cicero, who had regarded suicide in a special paper on the old age as the desertion without order of the commander-in-chief. However with the renaissance this attitude against the suicide changed and now the first time in the Christian era the possibility was discussed that very dangerously ill patients could end their pains by suicide. In the time of enlightenment more and more people thought, that very much cases of suicide were committed in severe illness. Especially suicide in the old age was regarded more and more as a psychiatric problem. There were new aspects contributed by medical statistics which could shown clearly the increase of tendency to suicide in the higher age of men. Today the question is vividly discussed if suicide in the old age is more the result of special environmental factors in the sense of isolation or economic instability or is produced by pathological processes in the brain such as cerebral sclerosis.


[Causes, motivations and tendencies of suicidal acts in old age (author's transl)]. The conditioning problems of suicidal acts of aged people were described by demonstrating the results of investigations in 125 patients (over 65 years). The control group consisted of 3004 suicidal patients below 65 years. Depression has been the prevailing psychiatric diagnosis (50% in contrast to 33% in the control group). 24% of the patients alleged conflicts with partners or other relatives as a motivation for the suicidal act. Fear of somatic illness or social isolation follows next. It is remarkable that vocational or economical conflicts were not mentioned. At last prevention problems were discussed. The need for modifying the attitude toward the aged was stressed.


[Social psychological aspects of suicide in the old age (author's transl)]. Referring to Emile Durkheim's classical appraoch the normative aspects of suicide are emphasized, regarding suicidal behavior not as a purely individual phenomenon but as always co-determined by the normative expectations of a person's social environment. Starting from the dramatic increase of suicide rates with age combined with a marked decrease in non-letal suicide attempts it is argued that normally suicide-inhibiting social norms become less effective as a person appraoches old age, thus weakening the appellative motivation components of suicidal behavior and strengthening evasive strivings. Results of 2 representative studies are reported which tend to support these as well as a number of more specific hypotheses. Moreover, some aspects in the attitude to younger persons to suicidal acts of old people seem even compatible with the assumption of latent suicide-facilitating expectations.


[Isolation, loneliness and suicidal ideas in the aged (author's transl)]. The relationship between various dimensions of social isolation, loneliness and suicidal ideas among a group of 406 respondents over 65 years of age were analyzed. The survey findings show that suicidal ideas emerge as a result of both, a loss of or a social denial to intimate and highly valued personal relationships. Generally, these suicidal ideas are connected to feelings of loneliness which are unrelated to the quantity of other social contacts. It seems to be of particular relevance whether the disengagement occurred voluntarily and whether the personal life style showed consistency of persistency resp. Based on these findings the fundamental problems of a social psychological approach to gerontology are discussed. These problems arise out of the more or less perfect correspondence between objective indicators of a social situation and its subjective correlates.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Experimental aspects]. In a personal statement the author takes the view that gerontology and geriatrics deal with the same fundamental biological phenomenon, namely loss of adaptability and of the capacity to maintain the parameters of homeostasis. Two focal points of recent research in gerontology are cell cultures and the central nervous system. Work with cell cultures has so far been unexpectedly disappointing as far as basic understanding of the ageing process in vivo is concerned. Biochemical, morphological, physiological and pharmacological investigations into the ageing brain have on the other hand provided a wealth of new data which promise major insights into basic mechanisms of the ageing process. Aim of all gerontologocal research must be an "old age worth living" rather than a speculative search for a prolongation of lifespan.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Epidemiological aspects]. Using the methods of comparing statistical data from the population in different countries on should have in mind that the age distribution could differ very much according to her biological and social structure. As example serves the system of social indicators applied by several supranational bodies in order to develop an instrument for measure the "quality of life". Life expectancy and and disability rates in different age groups are among those methods. National statistics do not use only mortability rates and to some extend also morbidity rates but also scaled values about the amount of activities in daily living. Sociomedical figures like the number of restricted-activity, bed-disability, school-loss, and workloss days per person per year seem to give more appropriate data for this purpose than the biomedical counts of the past. On would recognize--at least in the angloamerican countries--that there is a newer trend to find indicators for epidemiological studies and statistics applicable by non-medical personnel as disability components for an index of health in age.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Psychological aspects]. The present paper is based on the analysis of congress reports and gerontological journals and points up new trends in gerontological research. Quantitatively, there was an increase in the number of psycho-gerontological publications. However, relatively seen, they represent an almost unchanged percentage of the contributions to gerontological literature on the whole. Predominant themes in USA and West Germany are discussed. There is, on the one hand, an increasing differentiation and specialization of methodical contribution and, on the other hand, an increasing number of contributions which neglect the methodical aspect. A trend toward practically oriented research is shown, as can be seen in intervention gerontology. Aging is seen as a phanomena with biological, social, and ecological determinants. In conclusion the universality and generality of aging is questioned, the concept of a differential gerontology is proposed and so a greater consideration of the individuality of the aging process is found to be necessary.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Sociological aspects]. Some new trends of the following theoretical models of the sociology of aging are discussed: 1. Models of life cycle which allow a clearer differentiation between the age groupings. 2. The logic of the scientific analysis and the lack of further analysis of the specific sociological content of the disengagement theory. 3. Quantitative and qualitative aspects of roles in the old age and age cohorts. 4. The significance of exchange-theory to analyse the special social situation of the elderly. 5. New results discussing the situation of the elderly as a minority group or subculture. 6. Organisational analysis of the welfare programs of the elderly.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Psychiatric aspects]. The author puts a survey of new books, book's contributions, and recurrent publications of Geropsychiatry in last years. Special extracts are engaged with epidemiological investigations, clinical and diagnostical factors of presenile and senile dementia, and longitudinal studies of depressive disorders and schizophrenia. Sexual deviations, problems of therapy (Lithium, psychotherapy), and problems of expert opinion in older age are reported.


[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Morphological aspects]. Ageing develops during the whole life with differences on cells, tissues and organs, and begins if their capacities for adaptations and compensations decrease. Theories about ageing are insufficiently. That results from the further development of ageing research in morphology also. Parenchymal cells are reduced in all organs, in favour of an enhanced connective tissue content, the function of the single parenchymal and mesenchymal cell is not diminished coincidently in ageing. In the most organs are young and old cells in every age stage (but more old cells in senile age). The most cells don't live endless, but they can be regenerated. Their organelles possess own biological half life times, which are very shorter than their cell life times. Ageing-typical increase of the total content of connective tissue, esp. of collagen in many organs is combined with alterations of the proteoglycan and collagen metaoblism rates and patterns (collagen types included), and are thereby connected with age dependent changes of the several functions of the cells, tissues and organs. Everybody, and esp. the physician has to know that the mean age of the population (and of the patients) becomes higher. So we need the morphological research in gerontology also, as demonstrated and summarized in this review.


[Glucose absorption from the small intestine in rats of different ages (authors transl)]. Glucose absorption from the ageing rat's small intestine was studied "in vivo" using the recirculation-perfusion method of Sheff and Smyth. Different initial concentrations were used and animals of various ages (6 mo., 12 mo. and more than 27 mo. old) tested for their glucose uptake from the total small intestine (including duodenum) in the course of a twenty-minute period. Glucose was estimated by the modified o-toluidine method of Hultman. The (reciprocal) absorption data, reduced on dried intestine weight units were plotted by the Lineweaver -- Burk (regression) equations and the Km and Vmax indices derived. The results show that there is an apparent increase of the Km value in case of the old rats. Regarding the Km as an apparent affinity constant of the glucose for the carrier transport, ageing induces a considerable loss in affinity and a concomitant increase of the maximum absorptive capacity (Vmax) possible by the transfer capacity of the ageing small gut. The interpretation of the data suggest that the role of the probable age-dependent changes of diffusion-components cannot be ruled out.


Bone mineral content of the healthy aged. Using Norland-Cameron photon-absorption technique, bone mineral content of 436 healthy aged was measured and compared with that of 198 healthy, aged 21-50. Bone mineral content of postmenopausal females decreased continuously with age and bone mineral content of males began to decrease at age over 70. Bone width and menopausal age seemed to be important factors influencing bone mineral content, but previous physical activity seemed to have no effect on the bone mineral content of the aged.


Gerontological aspects of hyperostosis frontalis interna. Authors discuss hyperostosis frontalis interna observed in a large number of aged persons, on the basis of age and sex distribution as well as its clinical and roentgenomorphological analysis. In various forms of the ossification of the frontal bone no significant difference was found between the localisation of hyperostosis and the clinical symptoms. On other hand, there is a direct correlation between the extension and severity of hyperostosis and the frequency of occurence of the associated symptoms (obesity, hypertension). They found the aetiological classification more adequate than the morphological categorization of Moore. Their cases are discussed 1. as partial phenomenon of the Morgagni's syndrome; 2. as independent alteration, showing no other symptoms; 3. as transitionary forms inserted between the two groups mentioned above. They discuss also the question of senile, compensatory hyperostosis frontalis interna. On the basis of the study of a large autopsy material they support the opinion that there is a direct connection of this form with old age.


[Further data on the isolation of the aged (authors transl)]. Author's studies performed on 100 aged persons over sixty revealed the factors which play a role in the decline of the interpersonal connections. From his results, he suggests two forms of the communication-decrease during senessence. One form is a factor of exogen origin, which comes into existence as a result of deprivation effects, respectively. On the other hand, the second one is of intra-individual origin, whose nature formed by special characteristics of personality. These are typical of the individual during whole life. Both forms verify that in certain cases favourable, compensating components must be taken into account, however, sometimes this effect could be inauspicious. Separating the two forms is of great importance from the point of geriatrics, as well.


Immuno-electronmicroscopic studies after influenza vaccination of young and old individuals. Authors examined the lymphocytes of young and old individuals after influenza vaccination. They stated that membrane bound surface IgG and IgM were detectable on the lymphocytes and occasionally on lymphoblasts in both the old and young age groups. In both age-groups intracytoplasmic tubulo-reticular structures (TRS) were seen in the lymphocytes and lymphoblasts. In young individuals TRS was present in the peroxidase positive cells, in the contrary in old persons TRS was never found in cells with surface immunoglobulins. In the TRS themselves peroxidase positive IgG and IgM could be detected.


Autoantibodies in aged individuals.

Autoantibodies in aged individuals. Authors determined in 282 individuals autoantibodies in 132 T and B lymphozytes. Theirs results were as follows: 1. The frequency of the presence of autoantibodies increases with age. 2. In the presence of autoantibodies the absolute T and B lymphocyte counts of aged persons markedly decrease; the absolute T and B lymphozyte counts of young adult people do not change by existing autoantibodies. 3. There is a significant difference between the absolute T cell counts of aged and young adult age groups, both age-groups having autoantibodies. 4. Comparing the frequency of occurence of autoantibodies in aged healthy persons and in aged ones with cardiovascular changes and being in the habit of smoking and consuming alcohole, respectively, a significant difference could be demonstrated; in the latter group the frequency was much higher.


Age-related change of the absolute number of IgG-, and IgM-bearing B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes in human peripheral blood following influenza vaccination. The absolute number of IgG-, and IgM-bearing B lymphocytes and of T lymphocytes was determined in the peripheral blood of 12 old (over 60 years) and 11 young (20 to 40 years) healthy persons before vaccination and 6 days and 6 weeks, respectively after vaccination. It has been found that as opposed to an approximately fivefold increase of IgG bearing cells in young persons, the increase did hardly reach double of the original value in old individuals. The absolute number of T lymphocytes participating in the immune reaction showed a transitory increase in young persons, while a gradual decrease has been observed in old individuals. In healthy elderly persons the administration of 10 U Honkong 5/72-B killed influenza virus as in vivo antigen stimulus resulted in a reduced proliferation of IgG carrier lymphocytes participating in antibody production.


Natural antibody level in old age.

Natural antibody level in old age. Antibacterial antibodies were determined with a passive hemagglutination micromethod using the Boivin extract of eight different strains of bacteria. Correlation between antibody values of different specificities and between the summarized titer values and individual antibody titers were found. A significant decrease in the average of the summarized titer values was observed especially for persons over 70. The possibility of genetic regulation of normal antibody levels is suggested. The question whether the decrease in agglutinating antibody level in old age is due to the decreased activity of the corresponding immunocompetent cells or is secondary to other changes occuring in old age, is discussed.


Influence of methyl xanthine treatment on calcitonin effect. The presented results clearly demonstrate that theophylline, caffeine and theobromine have a blocking action on calcitonin effect as determined by the elevation of serum calcium level, although different degree of potency was found with each drugs. There is no difference in respect of the serum calcium elevation after a single dose of methyl xanthines or after a 9-10 day lasting treatment. The castration had no additional enhancing effect of the calcitonin resistance of methyl xanthine treated animals. The administration of androgens simultaneously with the methyl xanthine treatment failed to produce improvement of calcitonin sensitivty preventing the elevation of serum calcium after calcitonin injection. So the calcitonin resistance of methyl xanthine treated animals appears to be different to the calcitonin resistance of sex hormone deprived conditions because the latter could be abolished by androgen administration. Theophylline treatment resulted in a slightly but significantly elevated serum calcium comparing to controls without exogeneous calcitonin. This magnitude of elevation remains between the normocalcaemic limits.


[Survived brain infarction in old age - clinical and morphological findings. part I: extracranial stenoses of carotis arteries (author's transl)]. By clinical and post mortem findings we searched for the risk factors, important for brain infarctions in people of nearly 80 years. We were especially interested in the conditions of the extracranial vessels such as the carotid arteries and the murmurs at this point. The number of arterial stenoses in this region, ascertained in younger people is similar in old age. Besides of others factors, caused by old age, the many cases of multiple extracranial stenoses are probably responsible for the overproportional big brain infarctions in this series. In nearly 50% of all stenoses we heard vascular murmurs, mostly in both of the carotid arteries. Despite of some uncertainly of the clinical importance - just in old age many cardiac murmurs of the ejection type with tendency to transmission have been heard - they should give rise to investigate carefully the region of the neck in symptomatic patients.


[Iatrogenic depression in the aged (author's transl)]. The increasing number of depressions, especially in old patients, is alarming. Partly these depressions, however, are avoidable since they are of iatrogenic origin. By the example of hormones, antihypertensives, antihistaminics, antirheumatics and even the psychotropic drugs themselves the attention of physicians shall be called to substances which are a potential danger of depression.


[Laparoscopic findings in aged patients (author's transl)]. A group of 165 geriatric patients is compared with a control group of 114 younger patients concerning different frequency of laparoscopic diagnoses. As it was suspected from the clinical view aged patients predominently suffered from posthepatic cirrhosis and from cirrhosis of unknown origin, from recurrent cholecystitis, obstructive jaundice, metastases and carcinosis of peritoneal cavity. Younger patients much more frequently showed toxic liver damage starting from fatty liver and ending up with fatty liver cirrhosis. Persistent acute hepatitis non associated with HBSAg was scarcely seen with the aged group. It was a frequent diagnosis with the younger control group. There are explanations given for the differing endoscopic results concerning aged persons and younger control persons.


[Results of a comparing study concerning men under 40 years old and above 60 years, affected by myocardial infarction (author's transl)]. We examined a group of 300 men in the age of under 40 and a comparing group of 300 men in the age of 60 and more years, with clinically or histologically ascertained heart infarct (according to criterions of (WHO). Our work brought the proof that clinically unambiguous heart-infarct in the group of men under 40 years was always connected with the following main risk-factors: 1. hear-infarct of sudden death under 60 years in the family anamnesis. 2. increased hypercholesterinaemy (6.708 mol/1), hypertriglyceridenaemy (2.0g/1) and hyperuricaemy (416.5 u mol/1). 3. Increased smoking of cigarettes (a day 20 cigarettes). Time since the beginning of the attack until ringing up the physician was found out to be longer in the group of men more than 60 years old. Noteworthy is also the age-dependence of the time of out-living after myocard-infarct.


Infectious mononucleosis in the case of two elderly (80 and 57 years old age) patients. There are reported two cases of infectious mononucleosis in elderly. In the first case (80 years; probably the oldest in the geriatric literature) the infection provoked a very serious illness and the patient deceased three months after dimission, because of diminished resistance. In the second case the mononucleosis induced an autoimmune haemolytic anemia. The patient's daughter and granddaughter must be treated for complications of an infectious mononucleosis too.


[Results concerning the sensitivity of old patients against digitalis (author's transl)]. It could be demonstrated that there was an age-dependent increase of digitalisintoxications in correlation with digitalisconcentrations in blood. This phenomenon can be explained with the frequently observed underweight in the senium. Some patients older than 70 years showed symptoms of intoxication in spite of a normal digitalisconcentration in serum. But the presented results did not demonstrate a significant difference between young and old patients concerning the sensitivity against digitalis. Therefore it is necessary to consider the bodyweight for digitalis therapy in older patients.


Treatment of painful osteoporosis with fluoride, calcium, and calciferol. Fourteen women averaging 69.5 years of age with painful osteoporosis of the spine were treated with sodium fluoride, calcium salts and calciferol. At assessment after 5-19 months of therapy 8 patients were free of pains while in 5 women pains had decreased and mobility improved. One patient had unaltered pains. Side effects were few and mild.


[Age-related problems in the procedure of fibrinolytic treatment with streptokinase (author's transl)]. 600 patients aged 24 to 78 were treated by streptokinase infusions. 38 patients were older and 562 patients younger than 65 years. Most indications of fibrinolytic therapy were chronic arterial occlusions and stenoses. The outcome of lytic treatment was dependent upon the occlusion's age, e.g., occlusions of 0--2 weeks standing were dissolvable in 75%, of 2--6 weeks standing in 57%, and of 6 weeks to 3 months standing in 38%. Very similar results were seen in iliac and aortic occlusions. Stenoses displaying crumbly irregular patterns in the angiogram responded as well to streptokinase infusion. No correlation between lytic success rate and patient's age was seen. Cerebral accidents occurring during fibrinolytic treatment amounted to 1.42% in the age group above 65 years and to 5.26% in the group under 65 years. This difference was significant at p less than 0.036.


[Problems in teaching gerontological facts to medical students (author's transl)]. During the medical training the geriatric problems are still not observed enough, and they are not taken into consideration yet in the medical indexes for the different sections of the medical examination either. Geriatrics though, which have to be more extensive because of the multiplicity of the disease, can counteract to the necessary specialicing in the medical schools.


[Expectations of participants in gerontological in-service courses as a didactic problem (author's transl)]. In planning and teaching gerontological inservice courses one has to take into account the fact that the participants are adult learners who have certain expectations and interests. In the present article typical expectations are discussed and didactic conclusions for the future organization of in-service courses are drawn.


[Psychological determinants of motivation in adult education (author's transl)]. The psychology of motivation in adult education has been mostly confined to the assessment of superficial causes for attending courses and seminars. The findings were not integrated in a ced in a conclusive theory of motivation elaborated for instance by American and German psychologists. Besides that the verbalized "motives" to attend courses were hardly correlated with other psychological and social context variables. An investigation of the relationship between verbalized "motives" to attend courses, certain personality dimensions (Freiburg Personality Inventory) and some aspects of the "life space" (occupational and non-occupatoinal) revealed that the motivation to participate in adult education is embedded in the context of psychological and socio-demographic factors and that the motive structure depends on the relevance of life-long learning, for example, to keep or improve the occupational status or to meet people involved in creative activities.


[Vocational training courses for personell in old age work--a problem- and participants-oriented education approach (author's transl)]. Working definitions of problem-oriented and participants-oriented approach in adult education. Planning problems in terms of needs and expectations of participants as central foci of approach; in terms of new role requirements requirements of learners and teachers; in terms of new objectives of learning such as behavioral changes as compared to information gathering. Report on three examples of courses for social workers and nursing personnell.


[Continuous education for people who work with the aged, especially for people who run homes for the aged (author's transl)]. In accordance with Paolo Freire learning is not only an intake of knowledge, but it is reflection of one's own life situation and finding of new solutions. The consequence for continuous education of people who run homes for the aged is that the process of learning has to be connected with the practical experience of the participants. The long termed course of continuous education for directors of homes for the aged therefore always starts with a definition of their tasks. That leads to a definition of learning goals, which will be approached by working out and following a planned schedule for the whole course.


[Continuing education for social workers in the field of gerontology (author's transl)]. This article reports on a first attempt to integrate advanced training programs for social workers in the field of psycho-social gerontology into university curricula. The report concentrates on experience and problems to transmit and translate gerontological research results for the use of practitioners. Especially effective proved the integration of social workers as "experts-in-practice" into open-curricular-learning and their participation in application oriented research.


[Activating help--aims and limits (author's transl)]. The publication attempts to analyze current work directed at aiding and encouraging aged people in the Federal Republic of Germany, seen from the viewpoint of the various welfare associations, and hense from a practical angle. The considerable contrast between aims, available knowledge, and realization, is made clear by discussing individual problem fields while presenting a catalog of relevant and necessary measures. The paper also describes the requirements training and continuing education, as well as the need for research based on practice and yielding results which are relevant in the everyday life of the aged.


[Ageing and geriatric agents in the view of experimental gerontology (authors transl)]. Applying the research methods used in natural sciences and medicine and the concept of bionomy, it has been attempted to make basic statements about the process of aging. 140 geriatric agents have been examined with reference to the medications for their use, their connection with the aging process and particularly their effect on vitality. Finally it has been pointed out that test procedures for age parameters in experimental and clinical gerontology, which can be used in assessing geriatric agents, are in existence.


[Gerontological investigations of the nucleic acid metabolism in the rat. II. DNA repair capacity in different ages (authors transl)]. We tried to develop a model of in-vivo investigations into the DNA repair capacity of rats and, by means of this model, to determine the effect of age. To this end the DNA repair capacity was determined after gamma-irradiation with 3 groups of male white Sprague-Dawley rats aged 6, 18-20 and 32-34 months. The organs liver, kidney, heart and spleen were used for this investigation. The relative repair (RR) showed a discontinuous course both in the 4 organs, and in the 3 different age groups. We define "relative repair" as the relationship between the specific activity of DNA decomposition products and the specific activity of DNA in an irradiated test group, as compared with an unirradiated control group. In all age groups the course was similar in the liver and the spleen, especially in the young rats, as well as in the heart and the kidney. Age differences were seen to be significant in all 4 organs at particular intervals after the irradiation, which means that the maximum relative repair occurs at different times. The integration over the whole course of the investigation shows a distinct reduction in the relative repair with increasing age in all the investigated organs except the spleen, where we could not see a difference between the 2 older groups.


[Tensibility measurements on the rat's aorta III. Analysis of longitudinal and transversal extension as related to age (authors transl)]. Stress-strain diagrams of standardizised longitudinal and transversal stripes of the thoracic aorta of 125 male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 9, 15, 24 and 30 months were recorded by an electromechanical instrument. The stripes were subjected to three successive extension-relaxation cycles. The relaxation curves of the third cycle were approximated to the functions y = a + bx and y = cxd (longitudinal stripes) and y = mxf and y = gxh (transversal stripes) respectively. The parameters could be interpreted as measures for structural and functional properties of elastic and collagenous fibers. The age changes of the curve parameters led to the following conclusions concerning age-dependent functional alterations of the aorta: The emphasis can be placed upon the increasing resistance counteracting the extension occuring with great stroke volumes. This may lead to the reduction of the capacity of the air chamber with great stroke volumes. These phenomena seem to be mainly caused by an increase of the pitch of the spiral of the collagenic fiber and the increase of the amount and/or the stability of the collagen. Age-related alterations of the elastin and of the net structure formed by the fibers influence also the distensibility at smaller extensions but seem to be less important. Therefore, the structural alterations of the aorta with age will affect the function in the first place at large stroke volumes and not be very obvious at a basic heart performance.


[The motor activity as an age parameter of the rat (authors transl)]. The motor activity as an behavioural parameter provides information about the functional state of the organism as a whole. Therefore it is an important age parameter. The results of activity measurements, however, depend strongly on the method of registration. Using 3 groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 9, 15 and 29 months two methods have been tested: 1) An electronic recording: the rats were registrated in their normal cages on the Animex-Activity-Meter during the dark-phase in complete darkness. The activity measured by this method has been regarded as spontaneous activity. 2) A kinematographic method: the rats were registrated in a changed environment at constant light during the dark-phase. The activity assessed by this method has been regarded as reactive activity. Spontaneous and reactive activity show a different age dependence. For the use of the motor activity as an age parameter, both, spontaneous and reactive activity, should be assessed to get a better information about the ageing of the different functional levels of the systems governing the animal's behaviour.


[Time-dependent functions of the age course of age parameters of the rat (authors transl)]. Using 136 male Sprague-Dawley rats of various ages, the ageing functions of parameters originating from different organisation levels of the organism were determined. The parameters which were investigated on different levels show a non linear time dependence which can be approximated by simple or composed exponential decay-functions or by rising logarithmic functions. The results suggest a logarithmic relation between biological and chronological age.


The age-dependent effect of caffeine on the plasma noradrenaline content in white mice. The level of noradrenaline (NA) in the plasma of white mice, determined radioenzymatically as described by Henry et al. changes with age. In 45 days old animals NA in plasma is 10.3 +/- 4.4 ng/ml, whereas in 220 days old animals it was found to be 22.7 +/- 8.8 ng/ml. In 45 days old animals NA in plasma is increased 30 min after caffeine (45 microgram/g) significantly to 109% of control level, whereas in the older animals it is raised insignificantly (14%). The observed NA increase in plasma with increasing age might be a compensatory reaction due to diminished sensibility of the postsynaptic adrenergic receptors to NA. The explanation for the missing raise in NA plasma level after caffeine in adult mice might be the following: Calcium ions are indispensable for the release of NA by nerve impulses and the stimulation of presynaptic beta-receptors of noradrenergic neurons by NA contributes to facilitations of NA release. As in older animals under physiological conditions the release of NA is higher than in young animals it can be assumed that in the older ones the NA release from sympathetic neurons stimulated by caffeine cannot be further enhanced since the calcium receptors are fully occupied by released calcium ions and the presynaptic beta-receptors by released NA molecules.


Advantages and disadvantages of beta-adrenergic blocking drugs in hypertension. This paper reviews the role of beta-adrenergic blocking drugs in the treatment of hypertension. A significant proportion of patients presenting with mild or moderate hypertension will respond to general measures and do not require specific drug therapy. Of the remaining patients, some will respond to treatment with a thiazide diuretic alone, and those with severe grades of hypertension will require the addition of a beta-adrenergic blocking drug, occasionally together with a vasodilator. The advantages of beta-adrenergic lbocking drugs alone or in combination and the problems associated with therapy are discussed.


[Fluorometric determination of free and total tryptophan in blood plasma]. Free and total tryptophan is estimated in the plasma by a spectrofluorimetric method using an amplification reaction and fluorescence by transformation of tryptophan into norharman using formalin and perhydrol (fluorescence is amplified about 15 times). Free tryptophan in the plasma is separated by ultrafiltration under pressure. We verified the analytical characteristics of the method in order to obtain optimal conditions. Values frequently found in 16 blood donors in good health were 10.4 +/- 3.3 micronmol/l. for free tryptophan (average +/- ts for a risk of 5%) and 54.6 +/- 18.6 micronmol/l. for total tryptophan.


Control of lung surfactant by ventilation, adrenergic mediators, and prostaglandins in the rabbit. In a previous study, we showed that increasing minute ventilation (VE) in rabbit lung by adding a dead space augmented pulmonary surfactant in the airspaces by a cholinergically mediated mechanism. Using the same model in the present study of 148 rabbits, we found that increasing VE augmented airspace phospholipid, the main component of surfactant, from 2.50 +/- 0.61 (mean +/- SD) mg per g of lung during normal VE to 3.15 +/- 1.22 (mean +/- SD) mg per g of lung during increased VE (P = 0.02). Both blocking beta-adrenergic receptors with propranolol or sotalol and inhibiting prostaglandin synthetase with indomethacin or sodium meclofenamate prevented the expected increase in phospholipid during increased VE (P is less than 0.05). The beta-2 agonist, terbutaline, increased phospholipid by 43 per cent during normal VE (P is less than 0.01), and propranolol blocked this increase (P is less than 0.05). Isoproterenol, arachidonic acid, prostaglandins E1, E2, F2alpha, and a cyclic endoperoxide analog of prostaglandin H2 (U-46619) injected during normal VE failed to increase phospholipid. We concluded that acetylcholine (previous study), beta-adrenergic mediators, and prostaglandins are involved in controlling alveolar surfactant during increased VE.


[A short loading acidificacion test with calcium chloride in infants (author's transl)]. The response of blood and kidney to orally administered CaCl2 (4.1 mEq. X Kg.) in a short acid loading was compared to that attained with standard agent NH4Cl (3.9 mEq. X Kg) in two groups of normal infants through a 6 hrs. period. Plasma pH and bicarbonate decreased significantly. Minimum urine pH was 5.0 o lesser in all infants. Decrease of urine pH was greater to CaCl2 than to NH4Cl group but the net hydrogen ion excretion by the kidney was minor. Accordingly this experience CaCl2 can replace NH4Cl as acidifying substance in a short acid loading test. Indication will be diffuse hepatic lesions rendering dangerous NH4Cl administration.


[Extraction and polarimetric method of determining phenacetyl-D(-)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid]. Equilibrium distribution of phenacetyl-D-(--)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid obtained on fermentative hydrolysis of D,L-aminophenylacetic acid in a two-phase system (chloroform-water) was studied within a wide range of the substance concentration in the organic phase. It was shown than in the organic phase the distributing substance formed associates. The empirical equation: y = A + Bx describing the dependence of the effective distribution of the non-dissociated form of phenylacetyl-D-(--)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid on its concentration in the organic phase was suggested. Coefficients A and B of the equation were determined and an equation for evaluating equilibrium concentrations in the equeous phase was suggested. On the basis of the studies an extraction-polarometric method for quantitative determination of phenacetyl-D-(--)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid concentration was developed. The method consists of extraction of the non-dissociated form of phenylacetyl-D-(--)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid with chloroform, determination of the equilibrium concentration of the distributing substance in the organic phase by the polarimetric method and subsequent estimation of the equilibrium and initial concentrations of the electrolyte in the aqueous phase.


Reisolation and growth conditions of bacillus agar-exedens. Several agarolytic Bacillus strains have been isolated. The properties agree with those described by Wieringa (1941) for Bacillus agar-exedens. These strains are the first reisolates since the original cultures were lost. A second group of isolates is related to the agarolytic B. palustris var. gelaticus of Sickles and Shaw (1934). B. agar-exedens requires carbohydrates for growth. In mineral-glucose media growth is inhibited by peptone at pH values of about 7 or less. Under alkaline conditions no inhibition by peptone is observed. A method for the enrichment of B. agar-exedens is described.


Inhibition of light-induced pH increase and O2 evolution of marine microalgae by water-soluble components of crude and refined oils. Light-induced alkalinization of the extracellular medium was found to be a common feature of the primary photosynthetic process of several marine microalgae. The light-induce PH increase of suspensions of whole cells was immediately and severely inhibited by a single dose of water-soluble components from crude and fuel oils. Differential effects on the rates of microalgal photosynthetic O2 evolution and cell suspension pH increase suggest different toxicity mechanisms of the water-soluble components of no. 2 fuel oil as compared with Southern Louisiana and Jay Crude oils. These short-term studies on the nature of sublethal petroleum toxicity to microalgae indicate that the primary effect may be through direct action on the energy-yielding electron transport systems.


Anaerobic utilization of phosphite and hypophosphite by Bacillus sp. A Bacillus sp. capable of utilizing phosphite and hypophosphite under anaerobic conditions was isolated from Cape Canerval soil samples. The organism was isolated on a glucose-mineral salts medium with phosphate deleted. Anaerobic cultivation of this isolate resulted in decreases in the hypophosphite or phosphite concentration, increases in turbidity, cell count, and dry-cell weight, and decreases in pH and glucose concentration. The optimum hypophosphite concentration for this isolate was 60 microgram/ml, whereas the optimum phosphate concentration was greater than 1,000 microgram/ml, suggesting that higher concentrations of hypophosphite may be toxic to this isolate. Hypophosphite or phosphite utilization was accompanied by little or no detectable accumulation of phosphate in the medium, and 32P-labeled hypophosphite was incorporated into the cell as organic phosphate. When phosphate was present in the medium, the isolate failed to metabolize phosphite. In the presence of phosphite and hypophosphite, the isolate first utilized phosphite and then hypophosphite.


Factors influencing intraoperative gastric regurgitation: a prospective random study of nasogastric tube drainage. A prospective study was conducted to determine the incidence of "silent" gastric regurgitation and aspiration during general anesthesia in 146 patients randomized with respect to presence of a nasogastric tube. A bland dye was instilled in the stomach to serve as the determinant marker. The overall incidence of regugitation was 8.9% and of aspiration, 2.1% in spite of the uniform use of an endotracheal tube. The incidence of regurgitation was twice as high when anesthesia was given by an inexperienced anesthetist (11% vs 5.6%) and in patients without nasogastric tubes (12% vs 6%), although such differences were not statistically significant. The primary agent used, difficulty of endotracheal intubation, location of surgical incision, and duration of anesthesia did not alter the incidence of regurgitation or aspiration. No correlation was found between the detection of subclinical aspiration and the development of postoperative pulmonary complications.


[2-Br-2-ethyl-4-hydroxybutyramide and 2-Br-2-ethyl-4-butyrolactam as carbromal metabolites (author's transl)]. 2-Brom-2-ethyl-4-hydroxybutyramide and 2-Brom-2-ethyl-4-butyrolactam have been isolated from the urine of patients with carbromal intoxications as well as from the urine of rat, mouse and dog after the application of either carbromal or bromdiethylacetamide and identified by means of mass-, NMR- and IR spectroscopy.


[Cardiotoxicity of bromethylbutyramide (carbromide) (author's transl)]. Bromethylbutyramide (Carbromide), a quantitatively important metabolite of carbromal, diminished the contractility of electrically driven and the frequency of spontaneously beating guinea-pig atria. The negative inotropic action of bromethylbutyramide occurred at concentrations which are reached in human carbromal poisoning. The cardiodepressive actions of bromethylbutyramide and carbromal may be important for the course and the ending of severe carbromal intoxications.


[Re-evaluation of barbexaclone in 20 epileptic patients]. The clinically observed results in 20 patients treated with barbexaclone for a period of 2 1/2 years are reported. Therapeutic efficiency as well as side effects are discussed. The authors draw attention to the fact that there was a concomitant improvement in the behaviour of some patients and a diminution of maintainence dosage in relation to a previously published trial.


Effect of orthophosphate and oxalate on the cold-induced release of calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations from rabbit skeletal muscle. The cold-induced release of calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations from both white and red muscles of the rabbit was studied. Part of the release was due to the increase in pH of the reaction mixture with cooling. Calcium release was greatly reduced or completely prevented by the inclusion of oxalate or inorganic orthophosphate in the medium. No release occurred in 5 mM oxalate. With phosphate, the proportion of the calcium previously taken up at 23 degrees C that was released at 0 degrees C became progressively smaller as the phosphate concentration was increased. When the pH was adjusted to be the same at 0 degrees C as at 23 degrees C there was little release from white muscle preparations in 10 mM phosphate and no release when the phosphate concentration was 20 mM or more. With red muscle preparations calcium was released at higher phosphate concentrations, 8% of the amount previously taken up still being released at 50 mM phosphate and a smaller amount at 100 mM phosphate. The effects of oxalate and phosphate can be explained in terms of the reduction in free calcium concentration inside the vesicles by calcium precipitants, and a difference in the temperature coefficients of calcium inflow and outflow.


Purification and properties of the pyrrolidonecarboxylate peptidase of Streptococcus faecium. Pyrrolidonecarboxylate peptidase (EC 3.4.11.8) from Streptococcus faecium was purified by fractionation with streptomycin sulphate and ammonium sulphate, by chromatography on Sephadex G200 and DEAE-cellulose, and by preparative electrophoresis on Sephadex G25. The purified enzyme on acrylamide gel showed a strong protein band which contained enzyme activity and a very faint band which had no activity.  The subunit molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated by acrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate to be 42,000 +/- 1,000. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 7.6 and was unstable in the absence of 2-mercaptoethanol. The sensitivity of the enzyme to alkylating agents (N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide) suggested that free sulphydryl groups were essential for enzyme activity. The enzyme was rapidly inactivated above 45 degrees C. The values of the Michaelis constants (Km) obtained with various L-pyrrolidonecarboxylyl dipeptides were similar although there was a 10-fold range in the maximal rates of hydrolysis of these substrates. Inhibition studies showed that the substrate analogues 2-pyrrolidone and pyrrolidonecarboxylate are competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. The binding of substrates and inhibitors to the active site of the enzyme is discussed.


Congenital and developmental anomalies of the genitalia of slaughtered bulls. The genital tracts of 968 slaughtered bulls (46% of which were young post-puberal animals) were examined for defects of a congenital or developmental nature. The overall occurrence of such lesions was 7%. These comprised persistent penile frenulum (0.5%), hypospadias (0.3%), detached urethral process (0.4%), testicular hypoplasia (0.2%), cryptorchidism (0.6%), mesonephric duct abnormalities (1.1%) and bulbourethral cysts, fusion and aplasia (3.6%). Segmental aplasia of the mesonephric duct, not previously recorded in the study area, was found in 4 Shorthorn bulls (0.4%); 2 affected animals were from one herd. In 3 cases of hypospadias (2 from one herd), the urethra communicated with the ventral surface of the penis at the junction of the body and glans through a slit-like orifice. The occurrence of defects observed was generally comparable to that found in bull populations elsewhere but elevated occurrence of several defects in particular herds emphasized the need for further study.


Biochemical aspects of cardiac muscle differentiation. Experiments were designed to determine whether DNA synthesis ceases in terminally differentiating cardiac muscle of the rat because the activity of the putative replicative DNA polymerase (DNA polymerase alpha) is lost or whether the activity of this enzyme is lost because DNA synthesis ceases. DNA-template availability and 3'-hydroxyl termini in nuclei and chromatin, isolated from cardiac muscle at various times during the developmental period in which DNA synthesis and the activity of DNA polymerase alpha are decreasing, were measured by using Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, Micrococcus luteus DNA polymerase and DNA polymerase alpha under optimal conditions. Density-shift experiments with bromodeoxyuridine triphosphate and isopycnic analysis indicate that DNA chains being replicated semi-conservatively in vivo continue to be elongated in isolated nuclei by exogenous DNA polymerases. DNA template and 3'-hydroxyl termini available to exogenously added DNA polymerases do not change as cardiac muscle differentiates and the rate of DNA synthesis decreases and ceases in vivo. Template availability and 3'-hydroxyl termini are also not changed in nuclei isolated from cardiac muscle in which DNA synthesis had been inhibited by administration of isoproterenol and theophylline to newborn rats. DNA-template availability and 3'-hydroxyl termini, however, were substantially increased in nuclei and chromatin from cardiac muscle of adult rats. This increase is not due to elevated deoxyribonuclease activity in nuclei and chromatin of the adult. Electron microscopy indicates that this increase is also not due to dispersal of the chromatin or disruption of nuclear morphology. Density-shift experiments and isopycnic analysis of DNA from cardiac muscle of the adult show that it is more fragmented than DNA from cardiac-muscle cells that are, or have recently ceased, dividing. These studies indicate that DNA synthesis ceases in terminally differentiating cardiac muscle because the activity of a replicative DNA polymerase is lost, rather than the activity of this enzyme being lost because DNA synthesis ceases.


On the mode of action of antianginal drugs. The antianginal action of coronary dilating drugs seems to be related at least partly to their effect of improving the blood supply of the ischemic myocardium. No correlation was found between coronary dilating action of these drugs in the normal myocardium and in the ischemic area, however. It has been shown that coronary dilator drugs are able to produce a further dilatation of the vascular bed which is already in maximum hypoxic dilatation. The antianginal effect of adrenergic beta receptor blockade cannot be explained solely by its negative chronotropic and inotropic action. It involves a favourable redistribution of the coronary flow which is increased in the ischemic area. In addition, there is evidence for a direct cardiac metabolic effect of beta blockade which reduces the myocardial oxygen requirement and moderates the ischemic diminution of the myocardial lactate uptake independently of its action on the autonomic nervous control and other extracardiac factors as well as on contractility, heart rate and myocardial blood supply.


Deacylation of acetyl-coenzyme A and acetylcarnitine by liver preparations. The breakdown of acetylcarnitine catalysed by extracts of rat and sheep liver was completely abolished by Sephadex G-25 gel filtration, whereas the hydrolysis of acetyl-CoA was unaffected. Acetyl-CoA and CoA acted catalytically in restoring the ability of Sephadex-treated extracts to break down acetylcarnitine, which was therefore not due to an acetylcarnitine hydrolase but to the sequential action of carnitine acetyltransferase and acetyl-CoA hydrolase. Some 75% of the acetyl-CoA hydrolase activity of sheep liver was localized in the mitochondrial fraction. Two distinct acetyl-CoA hydrolases were partially purified from extracts of sheep liver mitochondria. Both enzymes hydrolysed other short-chain acyl-CoA compounds and succinyl-CoA (3-carboxypropionyl-CoA), but with one acetyl-CoA was the preferred substrate.


Ultraviolet difference-spectroscopic studies of substrate and inhibitor binding to Lactobacillus casei dihydrofolate reductase. The u.v. difference spectra generated when methotrexate, trimethoprim or folate bind to Lactobacillus casei dihydrofolate reductase were analysed. The difference spectrum producted by methotrexate binding is shown to consist of three components: (a) one closely resembling that observed on protonation of methotrexate, reflecting an increased degree of protonation on binding; (b) a pH-independent contribution corresponding to a 40 nm shift to longer wavelengths of a single absorption band of methotrexate: (c) a component arising from perturbation of tryptophan residue(s) of the enzyme. Quantitative analysis of the pH-dependence of component (a) shows that pK of methotrexate is increased from 5.35 to 8.55 (+/-0.10) on binding. In contrast, folate is not protonated when bound to the enzyme at neutral pH. At pH7.5, where methotrexate is bound 2000 times more tightly than folate, one-third of the difference in binding energy between the two compounds arises from the difference in chaarge stage. A similar analysis of the difference spectra generated on trimethoprim binding demonstrates that this compound, too, shows an increase in pK on binding but only from 7.22 to 7.90 (+/-0.10), suggesting that its 2,4-diaminopyrimidine ring does not bind to the enzyme in precisely the same way as the corresponding moiety of methotrexate.


Characterization of the papain active centre by using two-protonic-state electrophiles as reactivity probes. Evidence for nucleophilic reactivity in the un-interrupted cysteine-25-histidine-159 interactive system. 1.2,2'-Dipyridyl disulphide (2-Py-S-S-2-Py) and n-propyl 2-pyridyl disulphide (propyl-S-S-2-Py) were used as two-protonic-state reactivity probes to investigate the active centre of papain (EC 3.4.22.2).2. The existence of a striking rate optimum at pH approx. 4 in the reaction of papain not only with the symmetrical probe but also with the unsymmetrical probe is shown to constitute compelling evidence that the thiolate ion component of the cysteine-25-histidine-159 interactive system of papain possesses appreciable nucleophilic character. It is not a necessary requirement that the probe reagent should engage the imidazolium ion of histidine-159 in hydrogen-bonding for the sulphur atom of the interactive system to display nucleophilic character. The single proton-binding site of propyl-S-S-2-Py cannot simultaneously interrupt the active-centre ion pair and provide for rate enhancement as the pH is lowered towards 4. The possible implication of this for the mechanism of papain-catalysed hydrolysis is discussed. 3. The suspected difference in the active centres of papain and ficin (EC 3.4.22.3), which could be a lack in ficin of a carboxy group conformationally equivalent to that of aspartic acid-158 of papain is confirmed. The reactivity of the papain thiol group towards both probe reagents is controlled by two ionizations with pKa close to 4 that are positively co-operative. 4. In the reaction of papain with 2-Py-S-S-2-Py. the reactivity appears to be controlled also by an addition ionization with pKa approx. 5. Possible origins of this additional ionization are discussed. K. The spectral and ionization characteristics of propyl-S-S-2-Py are reported. 6. The reagent reacts rapidly with thiol groups at the sulphur atom distal from the pyridyl ring to provide, at pH values below 9, stoicheiometric release of 2-thiopyridone. This property, together with the ability of the reagent markedly to increase its electrophilicity consequent on protonation, suggests alkyl-2-pyridyl disulphides in general as valuable two-protonic-state reactivity probes with exceptional specificity for thiol groups.


Purification of plasminogen activators from human seminal plasma. Two plasminogen activators (1 and 2) were isolated from human seminal plasma by hiigh-speed centrifugation, Sephadex-gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The activators were shown to be homogeneous by polyacrylamide-disc -gel electrophoresis at pH 8.3 and 4.5, and by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The molecular weights of activators 1 and 2 were estimated as 69 000 and 74 000. Their amino acid compositions are very similar, both being high in aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine and leucine, and low in methionine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine and histidine. Activators 1 and 2 each possess 16 cysteine residues. Both activators have isoelectric points of approx. 7.0, are stable over a wide pH range at temperatures up to 60 degrees C, but lose activity at higher temperatures, particularly under very basic or acidic conditions. They are not inhibited by EDTA, Mg2+ and Ca2+ at 10 mM concentrations, but their activity decreases on addition of 10 mM-cysteine or Fe2+ and 6-aminohexanoate or sera from pregnant women. The precipitin band formed between urokinase and its antiserum is continuous with the precipitin bands formed between the seminal plasminogen activators and the urokinase antiserum. Antisera to urokinase inhibit both the activity of urokinase and the seminal plasminogen activators.


Studies of an acid-induced species of purple membrane from Halobacterium halobium. A new spectral species of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium has been observed below pH 3.2. The formation of this new species is temperature-dependent and is favoured by increasing temperature up to the physiological range of the organism. The rate of formation at pH 3.0 and 22 degrees C is 7.9 x 10-3s-1. The spectral distribution and temperature-dependence of the new species suggest that it may be phototransiet O, stabilized by low pH. Flash-photolytic experiments in the pH range 7.2-2.7 show a pH-dependence corresponding to the static events and are consistent with a single protonation of bacteriorhodopsin below pH 3.22. These results can also be interpreted in terms of the stabilization of phototransient O at low pH. The temperature-dependence of the formation of the acid-induced species may reflect a relationship with the phase transition of the membrane.


Evidence for a proton/sugar symport in the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (glutinis). 1. The uptake of monosaccharides and polyols in the obligatory aerobic yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (glutinis) was accompanied by proton uptake. 2. The half-saturation constant of transport, KT, depended on pH, changing from about 2mM at pH 4.5 to 80mM at pH8.5 for D-xylose; this change of the effective carrier affinity was reversible. 3. The apparent dissociation constant of the monosaccharide carrier was estimated at pKa 6.75. 4. At pH8.5, when the pH gradient across the cell membrane vanished, no sugar accumulation was demonstrable. 5. The half-saturation constants of sugar uptake and H+ co-transport were very similar to each other, the latter obviously being controlled by the former. 6. The H+/sugar stoicheiometry remained constant under various physiological conditions; it amounted to one H+ ion per sugar molecule taken up. 7. The data are interpreted as a strong piece of evidence in favour of the active monosaccharide transport in R. gracilis (glutinis) being an H+-symport energized by the electrochemical gradient of H+ across the plasma membrane of the yeast.


Purification and properties of a manganese-stimulated deoxyribonuclease produced during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis. A DNAase (deoxyribonuclease) was isolated from culture supernatants of sporulating Bacillus subtilis 168. The purified enzyme migrated as a single band during polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme differs from other DNAases of B. subtilis in molecular weight, metal-ion requirement and mode of action. The enzyme was inactive in the absence of metal ions, and exhibited optimum activity with 10 mM-Mn2+, although Mg2+, Cd2+ and Co2+ could also permit some activity. The pH optimum for the enzyme was pH 7.5, and it degraded linear-duplex DNA or closed-circular-duplex DNA to acid-soluble material. There was little or no activity on single-stranded DNA or rRNA. Sucrose-gradient analysis of the products of DNAase action on bacteriophage T7 DNA showed that endonucleolytic cleavage had occurred by the introduction of single-strand breaks in both strands of the duplex. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined, by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, to be 12000.


Collagenolytic cathepsin activity in rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leucocyte granules. Collagenolytic cathepsin activity was detected in lysed rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leucocytes. The pH optimum was around 3, and activity was greatly enhanced by the presence of cysteine and EDTA. Digestion of polymeric collagen resulted in the release of alpha, beta, and gamma-chains. Collagenolytic cathepsin activity was associated mainly with the granule fraction isolated from homogenates by differential centrifugation. The granule fraction was further fractionated by isopycnic density-gradient centrifugation, and the collagenolytic cathepsin activity was shown to be associated with the azurophil and tertiary granules, both lysosome-like organelles.


Inorganic pyrophosphatase activity of the synovial fluid. Kinetic and clinical study. Inorganic pyrophosphatase activity has been partially characterized in joint fluid and determined in patients with sporadic and familial chondrocalcinosis and their controls. Optimal pH was established at 3.5 and Km values were estimated. Ca-2 and Mg-2 did not affect this activity whereas orthophosphate (Pi) strongly inhibited it. In the clinical study no significant differences were found among groups. This suggests that if a pyrophosphatase defect is present it might be localized in joint tissue and not be reflected in synovial fluid.


The psychopharmacological properties of pinazepam, a new benzodiazepine derivative. The pharmacological differences between the behavioural effects of 7-chloro-1-propargyl-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (pinazepam) and diazepam were investigated in rats. Pinazepam was more than twice as active as diazepam at a dose range between 1.25--10 mg/kg in reducing the conditioned emotional response (CER). Only at doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg prevented pinazepam the disruption of the avoidance responses induced by inverting the conditioned stimulus (CS). On the other hand pinazepam was less active than diazepam in reducing the number of avoidance responses in a conditioned avoidance situation. Neither pinazepam nor diazepam disrupted the conditioned responses in a fixed-interval operant behaviour.


[Comparative experimental studies in animals and humans on gastrointestinal blood loss following antirheumatic pharmacotherapy (author's transl)]. The gastrointestinal blood loss caused by the two antirheumatic drugs acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and 4-acetamidophenyl-2-acetoxybenzoate (benorilate, Benortan) was compared in experimental animals and humans by measuring the total body iron retention. In Wistar rats and humans the results indicate that the daily iron loss under ASA is significantly higher (almost by the factor 2) than that under benorilate.


A repeated dose comparison of the side effects of five antihistamines on objective assessments of psychomotor performance, central nervous system arousal and subjective appraisals of sleep and early morning behaviour. The side effects of five antihistamines (chlorpheniramine maleate, mebhydrolin, clemastine hydrogen fumarate, Tavegil; ketotifen, and promethazine hydrochloride) were measured on subjective assessments of sleep and the integrity of early morning behaviour and objective assessments of complex psychomotor behaviour and central nervous system arousal. Fifty consenting volunteers each received one of the five preparations for a period of four days with the subjective effects being reported on a set of 10 cm line visual analogue scales and the objective assessments being made via a computer assisted reaction time task and critical flicker fusion thresholds. Chlorpheniramine, 4 mg t.d.s. for four days, produces a significant impairment in critical flicker fusion thresholds with respect to pretreatment baselines but none of the preparations showed any significant impairment in complex reaction time assessments. The subjective assessments of sleep and early morning hangover showed mebhydrolin and clemastine to be free from detrimental side effects, but promethazine and chlorpheniramine produce significant impairments in the integrity of early morning behaviour.


[Capacity of clones of vaccinia virus to multiply at different temperatures and pH values]. The study of the biological characteristics of ten clones, isolated from plaque, of vaccinia virus has made evident that two of these characteristics--the capacity to multiply at 40 degrees C and the type of CPE in animal cell cultures--can be used as genetic markers of neuropathogenicity, valued in relationship to the property to induce demyelinating encephalitis in mice injected intracerebrally or intravenously. The most neurovirulent clones demonstrated high capacity to multiply at 40 degrees C and lytic CPE; the clones, that did not have (or had at a very low level) encephalitogenic activity in mice, presented poor capacity to multiply at 40 degrees C and CPE of syncytial type. The variation of the pH of the cell culture medium enhances the difference of CPE induced by clones that had different levels of neuropathogenicity. The results are discussed in relation to their use in improving the smallpox vaccine.