[Distribution of carbon dioxide and oxygen tension in neurons of the cerebral cortex and their surrounding tissue]. Mathematical model of the capillary network with a neuron body in the center makes it possible to calculate CO2 and O2 pressures at different points of the neuron and the tissue. On this model the influence of arterial pCO2 on the O2 transport from the capillaries to neuron and surrounding tissue was studied. The pCO2 in the brain tissue, in contrast to pO2, was found to be distributed evenly. Considerable arterial pCO2 changes (up to 20 torr) resulted in but small pO2 in the brain tissue (about 5 torr). The data obtained corroborate the idea of the CO2 important role in regulation of cerebral circulation.


[Consequences of partial deafferentation of the hindlimb in cats]. The hindlimb deafferentation was found to entail disorders of the motor activity and sensitivity, as well as a decrease in the evoked activity in the cortical somatosensory areas, although in a lesser degree than transection of the same amount of dorsal roots innervating the forelimbs. Apparently, the afferent organization of the cat hindlimb is different from that of the forelimb. This accounts for preservation of a part of the afferent inflow from periphery to the cortex after partial deafferentation, as well as for the considerable rehabilitation of functions of deafferented hindlimb.


[The mechanism of skin receptor excitation during temperature stimulation]. The skin was found to contract under the cold effect, and pilomotors were contracting during stimulation of the C efferents. The pilomotors were shown to take no part in the temperature deformation of the skin. Using the colliding impulses method, the skin mechanoreceptors were shown to be activated both by contractions of the pilomotors and by the temperature deformation of the skin. The possibility to activate the skin mechanoreceptors by the temperature deformation of the skin collagen, is discussed.


[Conditions for indefatiguability of skeletal muscles]. Studies in rats with indirect stimulation of the m. triepssurae showed that the muscle worked for scores of hours without any signs of fatigue. Such working ability of the neuro-muscular apparatus (NMA) is only possible if the loads do not exceed 0.15-0.20 of the maximal tetanic strength, and the stimulation frequency is about 40/sec. Such parameters of stimulation permite to achieve unfatiguability of muscle in isometric contraction regimen. The constant amplitude of action potentials during the whole period of work, and quick relaxation of the contracting muscle working for many hours indicate the intensity of electric and metabolic processes in the muscle.


[Tecto-cortical connections in the rat visual system]. Electric stimulation of the colliculus superior evokes potentials (EP) in the visual cortex of the ipsilateral hemisphere of the rat brain, their localization coinciding with the zone of flash-evoked potentials. EPs of maximal amplitude were observed during stimulation of the central layers of the colliculus superior. Short latency of the EPs (3.2 +/- 1.1 msec; p less than 0.05) and the relevant morphological data suggest a single relay in rat's tecto-cortical visual system. The data are discussed in regard to the comparative telecephalisation of the retino-tectal system in submammalian vertebrates and in mammals.


[The effect of microiontophoretic administration of acetylcholine on evoked activity of visual cortex neurons subjected to direct cortical stimulation]. Reactions of visual cortical neurons (field 17) were studied in unanesthetized curarized cats. Neuronal responses to direct electric stimulation of the 18th and the 19th fields were studied after microiontophoretic administration of acetylcholine--chloride through 2-channel microelectrodes. The acetylcholine effect upon the primary discharge and the first trace pause, was specifically organized. Some neurons reacted differently under acetylcholine to stimulation of the 18th and the 19th fields. Participation of acetylcholine in information processing by transcortical mechanisms, is discussed.


[Laminar analysis of commissural evoked potentials of the hippocampus following microiontophoretic administration of glutamate]. The hippocampal commissural evoked potentials (EP) were studied by means of microiontophoretic application of glutamate in unanesthetized immobilized rats. Near the reversion level, glutamate strongly decreased the primary positive component of the commissural EP, with a parallel enhancement of the negativity. An increase in the stimulus intensity restored the EP shape. In the stratum radiatum, glutamate considerably increased the deep commissural response. Using paired microelectrodes, the effect of glutamate disappeared at a distance more than 100 m from the phoretic electrode tip. When delivering paired stimuli with 20-200 msec interval, the second EP was changed under the glutamate effect.


[Central nystagmus and its interaction with optokinetic and reversive postoptokinetic nystagmus]. In rabbits, the interaction of central nystagmus (CN) with optokinetic (OKN) or reversive postoptokinetic (RPN) nystagmi (irrespective of their direction) resulted in their inhibition. Cessation of electric stimulation led to restoration of OKN or RPN. Coincidence of CN with OKN or RPN in the direction led to a considerable shortening of the period from the moment of electric stimulation till the resulting rhythmic nystagmus, as well as till the rhythmic OKN or RPN.


[Functional characteristics of rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor units of the rat mammary gland nipple]. Two types of rapidly adapting mechanosensitive units were found in the teat of the rat mammary gland (RAI and RAII). Neither was spontaneously active. 10% of the units were RAII and had the functional characteristics of "transient" receptors. The relation between the average frequency of discharge and the velocity of displacement at a constant displacement amplitude was linear for RAI. The latency of the first spike decreased when indentation velocity increased. The number and frequency of afferent impulses decreased at a repeated mechanical stimulation. Vibratory tuning points were in the range 10--25 Hz for RAI. RAI units were not directionally sensitive to the teat displacement.


[The functional heterogeneity of the synapses of the frog sartorius muscle]. Three main types of neuro-muscular junctions were revealed by means of the e.p.p. quantum content and the e.p.p. dynamics during high-frequency stimulation. Heterogeneity of synaptic apparatus seems to be mainly due to different intensities of quantum release. Subctances facilitating neuro-muscular transmission (Ca2+ ions, imidazol) were more effective in myoneural junctions with low e.p.p. quantum content, while depressing chemical agents (acetylcholine, tubocurarine) exerted a more potent effect in junctions with high quantum content.


[Transformation of the strength characteristics and work capacity of antagonistic muscles during rabbit postnatal ontogenesis]. In the rabbit muscles-antagonists in situ, the dependence of work (A) of isotonic contraction of the load (P) was studied in different age periods. For the range of loads 1.5 - Popt greater than or equal to P greater than or equal to 0.5 - Popt, the results were found to be satisfactorily approximated by the equation A = A opt = a - /Popt - P/2, where Aopt, Popt, and a are constants. The experiments revealed that the ratio Aopt. m. gastrocnemius/Aopt. m. tibialis anterior sharply increases during realization of the standing posture (16-18 days) and then drops at the grown-up age. Similar age changes were revealed for the Popt parameters ratio of the same muscles. At the same time, the respective ratio of the a parameters of the muscles under study drops sharply by the 16-18th day age, practically remaining the same afterwards. The obtained changes of the strength parameters and working ability of skeletal muscles in the course of postnatal ontogenesis are regarded from the standpoint of peculiarities of the skeletal muscles functioning at different age periods and with regard to ecological peculiarities of individual development of rabbits.


[Catecholamine metabolism during adaptation to muscular activity]. In rats, an increased O-methylation in the brain, heart, liver, and in the m. gastrocnemius as well as an increased intensity of oxidative desamination in the liver were revealed after muscular training and administration of retabolile. After additional 70-min swimming, in intact rats the MAO activity was raised in the liver, and the intensity of O-methylation - in the muscle and the heart. In rats adapted to muscular training, no increase of O-methylation in the heart or MAO activity in the liver was observed which may be regarded as an adaptive hypometabolic reaction of the organism for a more "ecomonic" usage of the catecholamines. An increase of the catecholamines contents was revealed in adrenals of the rats after training and retabolile administration. The 70-min swimming obviously suppressed the catecholamines synthesis in the rat adrenals. The synthetic activity of the adrenals in trained animals was also decreased, although insignificantly, which resulted from the preliminary adaptation of the organism to muscular activity.


[The existence of a thrombocyte refractory state]. The degree of ADP-induced platelet aggregation was considerably decreased during incubation of platelet-rich plasma with ADP. The data obtained showed that neither inhibitory action of the excess of adenosine, nor ADP breakdown in the plasma could account for this phenomenon. The results seem to indicate the significance of refractory state of platelets for the regulation of their aggregability.


[Filtration-absorption function of the lungs during hemodynamic stress in the pulmonary circulation]. The transcapillary fluid exchange in the lung during elevation of the pulmonary venous pressure (PVP) was studied in cats. The weighing technique in vivo for a lung lobe, the comparison of the hematocrit of pulmonary arterial and venous blood, and the measurement of the outflow from the lung lobe at constant volume perfusion were used for the estimation of the filtration rate. The latter was not linearly related to PVP. Capillary filtration coefficient was about 0.040-0.055 ml/min/100 g tissue/mm Hg during the PVP rise by 5-10 mm Hg, and about 0.068-0.087 at PVP raised by 20-25 mm Hg. Under conditions of the open chest, the fluid accumulation was observed in the extravascular compartment of the lung even after relatively small and short PVP elevations.


[The effect of low-frequency stimulation of the diencephalon on the topogram of cortical potentials in freely moving rabbits]. The spatio-temporal organization of the cortical potentials in rabbits was investigated by means of comparison of successive electroencephalotopograms. This systemic organization was characterized by the potentials' sagittal gradient and its inversion within the 4-6/sec range due to higher amplitudes in the frontal cortical areas, - during natural transition from the active to passive behavior as well as after low-frequency stimulation of the thalamic midline nuclei and of the hypothalamic supraoptic area. Single stimuli applied to the structures under study ordinarily prevented any obvious active behavioral periods, although entailed no long-lasting changes in the rest-activity dynamics.


[Representation of cutaneous sensitivity in the cat red nucleus]. Responses of the red nucleus neurons to the skin stimulation in unanestethized chronic cats showed most of the neurons to have wide receptive fields with areas stimulation of which caused an extremely intense and stable activation of respective neurons. The somatotopic principle of the cutaneous representation in the red nucleus was revealed. Destruction of the cerebellar nuclei and sensory motor cortex lowered the spontaneous activity of the red nucleus neurons, changed their responses to the skin stimulation, and caused the narrowing and the redistribution of the peripheral receptive fields preserving, however, the somatotopic character of the cutaneous representation in the red nucleus.


[Functional significance of alpha- and beta-adrenoreceptors in structures of the stropallidal system]. Microapplication of noradrenaline, isadrine, phentolamine, and propranole to neuroanal populations of the striatum in curarized unanesthetized rabbits revealed an inhibitory and stimulatory effects of noradrenaline and isadrine. A specific antagonism between alpha- and beta-adrenomimetics and respective alpha- and beta-adrenoblocking agents, was noted. Noradenaline seems to have a very important mediatory function in the adrenergic synapases of the striatum. Existence of alpha- and beta-adrenoreceptors with different functions in different brain areas, is suggested.


[The effect of thyroid hormones on inhibition of monosynaptic extensor reflexes]. In thyreotoxic cats with intact or transected spinal cord, intensity of direct and presynaptic inhibition induced by a single  volley in a flexor nerve afferent fibers was diminished and the delayed postsynaptic (polysynaptic) inhibition from the skin afferent fibers was more intense than in control cats. The mechanisms for the thyroid hormone effect on the cerebrospinal control of the extensor reflex inhibition, are discussed.


[Impulse flows of crayfish neurons].

[Impulse flows of crayfish neurons]. During adequate stimulation of the uropods hairs (1/sec.), comparative analysis of adaptive changes due to the impulse flows from the receptor and motor neurons of the 6th abdominal ganglion of the crayfish revealed that, in afferent neurons with a slow-frequency spontaneous activity, the first signs of adaptation occurred by the 25 th-30 th min. after beginning of the stimulation, and in neurons with a high firing rate-by the 35 th-40 th min.


[Detemination of the hearing characteristics of the dolphin by the evoked potential method]. The evoked potentials were recorded in the dolphin Tursiops truncatus auditory cortex with implanted electrodes. Thresholds of the responses to sounds (clicks, noises and tones) ranged from 10(-2) to 10(-3) Pa. Noises evoked potentials with the lowest threshold of about 1-10(-3) Pa. The evoked responses were elicited both by on and off sound effects as well as by change of the sound intensity or frequency. The thresholds of responses to changes of intensity were about 0.6-0.8 db (7-10%); those of responses to changes of frequency were about 0.25%. The temporal summation could be observed up to 20 msec.


[The state of anticoagulant system of animals following injections of purified thrombin and N-acetyl-thrombin]. I. v. administration of N-acetyl-thrombin, similar to thrombin, increases the fermentative fibrinolytic potency of the plasma, although to a lesser extent. This is also expressed in the increased esterase activity of the plasma and euglobulin fraction. When blocking the forming plasmin, esterase activity is observed in kallekreine. (The inhibitory effect of plasma after N-acetyl-thrombin administration tells also on the nonfermentative fibrinolytic activity of the Fibrinogen-Heparin complex, activity of the latter dropping practically to the zero level. Warming up at 60 degrees C decreases the nonfermentative fibrinolytic activity of the complex N-acetyl-thrombin (thrombin-esterase) does not provoke the activation of the second anticoagulang system, while the native thrombin does it.


[Vasopressin concentration in the blood and sensitivity of the cardiovascular system to it during aging]. With aging the content of the blood vasopressin increases. In old animals smaller doses of vasopressin induce coronary insufficiency (rise of T wave, shift of S-T segment, disorders of the atrio-ventricular conductivity). On continuous administration of vasopressin (during a month), arterial hypertension appears only in old animals due to increase in cardiac output, stroke volume at unchanged cardiac rhythm, and to some decrease in the total peripheral resistance.


[Enzyme activity of the mucous membrane of the rat small intestine during heat exposure]. In acute experiments, the amylolytic, invertase, glycyl-L-tyrosindipeptidase, monoglyceridlipase,and alkaline phosphatase activity of the mucosa homogenate of the rat small intestine was studied 4, 24, 48 and 72 hrs after a two-hour exposure to 36-37 and 40-41 degrees C. No decrease in the activity of any of the ferments was observed. Exposure to heat is concluded to lead to the changes of small intestine ferments spectrum. The character of these changes depends on the heat stress degree and its duration.


[Sodium release from tissue paracellular space under the influence of angiotensin II]. Angiotensin II added in vitro in concentration 3-10(-10) M increased the sodium release from the aorta wall, myocardium, and skin in the rat. The action persisted at 2 degrees C and in presence of monoiodacetate. Sodium loading increased the sensitivity of aorta to the action of the angiotensin. The angiotensin-induced sodium release seems to be a step towards the myotropic action of the peptide.


[Spectral-correlation analysis of the bioelectrical activity of rabbit brain structures during electrosleep]. Changes of electric activity of the rabbit cortical and subcortical structures were studied by means of spectrum-correlation analysis during sleep caused by low-frequency stimulation of the supraoptic hypothalamic nucleus. The electrosleep affected the similarity of the electric events in neocortex and subcortical structures. The disturbance of the spatial synchronization is supposed to be due to the activity of nonsynchronized autonomous bioelectric pace-makers in different brain structures.


[The role of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus in thyroid hormone secretion during defensive conditioned reflex activity]. In chronic experiments on adult rabbits, the EEG revealed participation of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus and mediobasal hypothalamus in conditioned avoidance response. Secretion of the thyroid hormone was increased during the response in intact dogs. This reaction of the thyroid gland was maintained for several months. After coagulation of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus the reaction disappeared. This suggests a triggering role of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus in secretion of the thyroid hormone during the avoidance response.


[Transformation of neuronal activity in the cat lateral geniculate body]. The neuronal activity transformations were studied in the cat LGB under the action of nembutal, light stimulation, and micropolarization of geniculate cells. The transformation of single spike activity into bursts was found to reflect the inhibitory state of the neurons. Their excitation entailed a reverse transformation. Short feed-back connections functioning within the microsystems of LGB neurons are supposed to underlie the transformations.


[The role of the autonomic nervous system in regulating the hydrodynamics of the intact eye]. In cats, the low-molecular indicator: radioactive phosphorus, and the tonography revealed that the local application of acetylcholine accelerates the fluid exchange in the intact eye, considerably facilitating the outflow. Noradrenaline and the threshold stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerve slow down the intraeye fluid exchange, decreasing the outflow. The data obtained suggest that the neural regulation of the eye hydrodynamics involves, mainly, a direct effect of the vegetative innervation on the eye drainage system.


[Discrimination of the direction of the E-vector of linearly polarized light by the goldfish retina]. Responses of the goldfish ganglion cells to flashes of linear-polarized light with different positions of the E-vector divided them into on-, off, and on--off types. Change in the E-vector position changed the responses of all three types of the ganglion cells. These ganglion cells register the E-vector position with different degrees of accuracy. Analysis of the responses revealed that the information on the polarization plane position is encoded by the number of spikes of the ganglion cells discharges.


[Changes in the functioning of the anticoagulant system of splenectomized animals during immobilization]. Changes of the anticoagulating system's (ACS) function depend on time elapsing after removal of the spleen, therefore different degrees of ACS activation after 30-min immobilization stress can be observed. In the animals with completely or partially removed spleen, the stress induces activation of the ACS function as expressed by increase in the plasma total fibrinolytic activity, nonfermentative fibrinolysis, decrease in the fibrinogen concentration, activation of the blood plasma anticoagulating function. Hovewer, on the 7th--9th day after removal of the spleen, when the ACS function is thoroughly depressed, the 30-min immobilization stress decreases the plasma anticoagulating activity and, to a certain extent, restricts the appearance of the heparin complex compounds. The latter is due to antagonistic effect of the factor XIII whose activity increases in the blood of the experimental animals. By the 21st day a complete restoration of ACS function occurs in the spleenectomized animals which accounts for the same degree of ACS activation in response to the stress both in the experimental and in control animals.


[A new model of the cardio-cardiac reflex]. A special cardiac vagal afferent stimulation was used in frogs. Bursts of stimuli were applied to the central end of the left cardiac bransh of the vagus with frequency of 1 burst per a heart beat during 2--5 heart beats. In this way the R-wave of the ECG triggered the stimulator after a desired delay. The stimulation induced hypotension and decreased the heart rate, both effects being abolished by cutting the right cardiac branch of the vagus. Every burst of stimuli applied to the left cardiac branch evoked a discharge of the efferent cardiac fibers in the right vagus. Both bradycardia and the energy of the efferent discharges were found to depend on the intensity of stimulation and on the bursts relation to the phases of the cardiac cycle. Maximal cardiac slowing and maximal energy of the efferent vagal discharges were observed when the bursts were synchronized with S--T interval, while minimal those - when the stimulation occurred during T--P interval of the ECG.


[Reactions of the volume vessels of skeletal muscles to adrenergic stimulation at different levels of venous pressure]. In cats, during perfusion of the shank with a constant blood volume and in artificial changing of the venous pressure, the electric stimulation of the lumbal sympathetic chains and administration of noradrenaline in the perfusate were shown to be able to evoke both the constrictory and the dilatory responses of the capacitance vessels against the background of constriction of the resistance vessels. The 10--15 mm Hg venous pressure was optimal for the constrictory responses of the shank capacitance vessels. At the extreme levels of venous pressure (0;5 and 20;25 mm Hg), the relative weight of dilatory responses of the capacitance vessels was increased in the sum total of responses to the used adrenergic effects.


[The effect of exogenous adrenaline and angiotensin II on the resistance vessels of the cat kidney]. In experiments with perfusion of the renal vessels with isotonic saline solution, the ability of angiotensin-II to activate the smooth muscle cells of these vessels was shown: both by direct myotropic action and in an indirect way - by catecholamines. Obvious tachyphylaxis is characteristic only for the direct myotropic effect of angiotensin-II. The data obtained suggest that the direct effect of angiotensin-II is selective for certain intrarenal vessels, while indirect action is more universal.


[Changes in intracranial pressure and impedance in the presence of air and gad embolism]. In biophysical models and in acute experiments on animals, the air was administered in measured volumes into the artificial blood flow and into the common carotid artery in dogs. When air bubbles get into the electric field between electrodes, specific changes of impedance depending on the bubbles size could be recorded. A lot of small bubbles sharply increased the impedance according to their total volume. Ih the air compression up to 10 kgs/cm2 and in following  decompression, the intracranial impedance and pressure smoothly changed according to barogram. After 15 min of stying under pressure the dogs developed during decompression a sharp increase of the intracranial impedance and pressure which, similarly to the results of the model experiments, should be regarded as the consequence of formation of a free gas phase in the system of intracranial circulation.


[The pressor reflex induced by skeletal muscle contraction and its influence on the reflex from the sino-aortic zones]. The cardiovascular response to 10 sec tetanic muscular contractions was studied in the decerebrated cat. A pressor reflex about 30 mm Hg occurred during hindlimb contractions evoked by ventral roots (L6, L7, S1) stimulation. The pressor reflex was associated with a decrease of blood flow in working and resting muscles and a minimal changes of heart rate and left ventricular contractility. An increase of systemic resistance, as a main cause of pressor reflex is suggested. Static contractions of muscles and stimulation of muscle nerve evoked stronger inhibition of baroreflex than cutaneous nerve stimulation of nociceptive stimuli. Inhibition of the cardiac component of baroreflex during muscular exercise was shown.


[The dynamics of changes in oxygen tension, circulatory rats, muscular and rectal temperatures in dinitrophenol hyperthermia]. In rabbits, i. v. administration of 2,4-dinitrophenol (20 mg/kg) rapidly increases the temperature and the blood flow speed, simultaneously decreasing the oxygen available, in the skeletal muscle. The muscular and rectal temperatures go on raising up to the maximum till about 90th min and then slowly decrease. The blood flow speed starts rapidly to decrease after the 5th-6th min, while oxygen available starts to increase fradually by the end of the 1st hour. The data obtained are related to the mechanism of increase in the peripheral heat production.


[Several statistical patterns in the control of vascular thermoregulatory reactions]. In intact rabbits, in near to natural conditions with ambient temperature changing from 15 to 40 degrees C, switching on (off) of the thermoregulatory vascular response in the ear occurs at the moments when the suspended temperature of the hypothalamus, the temperature of the back skin, and speed of changes in the skin temperature attain (drop to) some extreme value. Quantitative estimates of the weight for this summation, were obtained.


[The role of renal beta-adrenoreceptors in regulating its blood supply and urine formation]. The dog kidney blood flow and filtrative and reabsorptive functions were studied with the aid of electromagnetic flowmeter and endogenic creatinine. Beta-adrenostimulation with izadrine caused dilatation of the kidney vessels. Beta-adrenoblockade led to the opposite though insignificant effect. Beta-adrenostimulation in intact animals entailed systemic hypotension, activation of the kidney blood flow and reabsorption, decrease of filtration and diuresis. Following stabilization of arterial pressure or central inhibition of vasopressin, the beta-adrenostimulation led to the decrease in reabsorption. The data obtained seem to indicate that the direct effect of beta-adrenostimulation of the kidney channels is manifested by the inhibition of reabsorption.


The blocking effect of conditioned media from tumour cell cultures on the lysis of target cells by immune lymphocytes and macrophages. Conditioned media prepared from tumour cell cultures of three mouse strains and man blocked the lytic reaction of target cells by allogeneic immune lymphocytes and macrophages. No effect was exerted on this reaction; when conditioned media prepared from non-tumour cell cultures were utilized. The lytic reaction was even enhanced in some cases. It is suggested that tumour cells cultured in vitro release into culture media substances which may inhibit the lysis of target cells by lymphocytes and macrophages.


Cytological and histological changes in the spleen of continuously irradiated rats. The study evaluates quantitative cytological and histological changes in spleen white and red pulp of rats continuously irradiated for up to 140 days with daily dose rates ranging from 0.5R--82.5R. Significant reduction of lymphocyte incidence begins at the rate of 5R/day and the decrease deepens with the rising dose rate until a steady state around 5 per cent is reached at 82.5R/day. Small lymphocytes are relatively more affected. Irradiated animals show a wave-like rising of ectopic erythropoiesis in spleen red pulp from day 30 on even with the lowest dose rates of 0.5R and 1R/day. The ratio or relative incidences of haemocytoblasts to erythroblasts increases approximately twofold, indicating that a substantial reduction of stem cells is compensated to a large extent already at an early stage of erythropoiesis. Beginning with the 40th day of exposure, the incidence of myeloid elements also rises, the increase being more apparent at medium-range dose rates for eosinophils than neutrophils. Both the red and white spleen pulps of exposed animals display an increased incidence of plasma cells.


Heterokaryosis in Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Heterokaryosis was demonstrated in the dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Ten biochemical mutants of this fungus, requiring, tryptophan, histidine, methionine, arginine and thiamine, were used in the experiments. Six mutant pairs with different biochemical markers formed the heterokaryotic mycelium (trp + his, trp + met arg, trp + thi, his + met arg). The heterokaryotic constitution was determined by ths dissociation of a heterokaryon into auxotrophic components in microconidial spreads and by the isolation of the hyphal tips from which the prototrophic colonies grew out. The heterokaryotic constitution was expressed by the complementation of nutritional requirements and morphologically.


Independent cyclic fluctuations of cell surface parameters: expression of H-2 antigens, rosetting capacity and thickness of the cell coat. Cultures of a mouse X mouse cell hybrid (synchronized either by hydroxyurea or Colcemid) were tested for fluctuations during the cell cycle of several parameters characterizing the cell surface: expression of H-2 antigens, capacity of the cells to form rosettes with sheep red blood cells and thickness of the cell coat. H-2 antigenicity of cells collected at different phases of the mitotic cycle was assessed on the basis of their capacity to bind 125I-labelled antibodies as well as their sensitivity to complement dependent immune lysis. The latter parameters fluctuated more or less independently: around mitosis, their trends were even opposite and minimum antibody-binding capacity roughly coincided with maximum cytolytic sensitivity. The cyclic fluctuations of H-2 antigenicity were similar, but not identical for two antigens contributed to the cell hybrid by different parents and even the curves for two antigens of the same parental origin displayed a slight shift one from another. The frequency of cells forming large rosettes (i.e., of more than six SRBC) reached its peak roughly at the boundery of G1 and S phase. Mitotic (versus non-mitotic) cells had a significantly thicker cell coat (as visualized by ruthenium red staining and electron microscopy) and a high incidence of morphological abnormalities. The tested parameters thus seem to fluctuate independently of each other.


H-2 associated differences in the weight of some androgen influenced organs in (C57BL/10ScSnPh X AKR/J) F2 individuals. We have followed the possible influence of H-2 system on the differences in the relative weights of testes, vesicular gland and thymus in animals of a segregating (B10 X AKR) F2 generation. H-2b/H-2b male mice had significantly higher values of relative vesicular gland weight and significantly lower values of relative testes weight than H-2k/H-2k males. No differences in the relative thymus weight were found between these two groups of animals. The differences are caused by a complex effect of the H.2 associated genetic factor(s) because they influence simultaneously the body weight and the organ weights, the two indicators being mutually dependent to some extent.


The continuation of education after marriage among women in the United States: 1970. Data from the 1970 National Fertility Study are used to assess the extent and determinants of post-nuptial education among women in the United States. Over one-fifth of all women have attended high school or college since marriage; over one-third either have returned to school or anticipate returning to an academic institution sometime in the future. This phenomenon is apparently increasing since women married less than five years have already attended school in as great a proportion as women married 15-19 years. Examination of differentials reveals for both blacks and whites that post-nupital education is higher among women who: (1) attended college before marriage, (2) married early, (3) are currently separated or divorced, (4) support egalitarian sex-role attitudes, or (5) whose most recent occupation is in the professional, managerial, or administrative category. Post-nuptial trends in education undoubtedly reflect the much broader social phenomenon of changing sex-role perceptions.


Family size in successive generations: the effects of birth order, intergenerational change in lifestyle, and familial satisfaction. Studies of family size in successive generations have found a small but persistently positive effect of size of family of orientation. Recent work has suggested that this relationship may be influenced by birth order, intergenerational change in lifestyle, and familial satisfaction. Data from a 24-year longitudinal study of women in Pennsylvania indicate that number of siblings does influence size of family of procreation. More important, this relationship is stronger among women who were first-born that later-born, stronger for those not experiencing intergenerational change than for those who changed, and stronger among those who at age 16 were satisfied with their parental family than for those who were dissatisfied.


An analysis of the impact of education on family size. The impact of education on family size is divided into a direct effect (holding labor force participation and age at marriage constant) and an indirect effect (varying labor force participation and age at marriage). The results suggest that (1) the indirect effect of education is greater at higher levels of the wife's education, (2) the direct effect is greater at lower levels of education in most cases, (3) the indirect effects do not vary systematically with husband's education, (4) but the direct effect does vary systematically with husband's education if the education of the wife is low but not if wife's education is high.


A comparison between Northern and Southern  blacks residing in the North. Differences between Southern and non-Southern blacks living in the North and West are considered for a wide variety of attributes such as employment, occupation, income, marital stability, and offspring's performance in school. Migrant blacks have generally more favorable rates than their Northern- and Western-born compatriots after standard domographic controls are applied to an unusually detailed set of cross-tabulations based on the One-Percent Sample Tapes for 1960. Perhaps the sharpest gap exists with respect to marital conditions; Southern blacks of both sexes are more likely to marry and, among those ever married, live more frequently with their spouses. Some of the results reported by earlier investigators require considerable modification; For example, the fact that Northern black men are less often at work than migrants has led to speculations about regional differences in work orientation among blacks, but a detailed analysis of labor force activity indicates this pattern does not hold for women. Likewise, the migrant income advantage is found to vary by education such that it is confined to those with low educational attainment. The use of sample tapes permits a novel analysis of differences between Northern-born blacks classified by whether they are second or at least third generation residents of the North (children of Southern- or Northern-born parents, respectively). For the attribute measured, school performance, the gap is essentially nil. Finally, an alternative is suggested to the existing causal interpretations of North-South gaps among black residents of the North. Reconsidered in particular are the higher labor force rates of migrant men and their more frequent employment in blue collar jobs;


A refined estimator of measures of location of the age at first marriage. Because of bias of unknown sign and extent introduced by age misreporting when calculating the singulate mean age of marriage in the usual manner, Van de Walle has suggested a fairly robust estimator based on stable population structure. Unfortunately not much is known about the properties of this estimator. Various demographers have argued informally that it indeed estimates the SMAM; others feel that it instead estimates the mean age of marriage in a cohort, the mean age of marriage in the stable population, or the singulate median age of marriage. In this paper the properties of this estimator are examined. Further, extensions of the Van de Walle estimator based on regression are shown to be significantly superior to the estimator alone.


Annual fertility rates from Census data on own children: comparisons with vital statistics data for the United States. This paper begins by describing the procedure and data requirements for calculating annual fertility rates from census data on own children. Then, using data from the United States Censuses of 1960 and 1970, fully adjusted estimates are presented and compared with recorded vital statistics rates. Total fertility estimates derived from own children data for whites average less than two percent lower than the recorded rates- a difference that can be attributed partially to the fact that the estimates are adjusted for net census undercount but the recorded rates are not. Even without adjustments for mortality, children not living with their mothers, and net census undercount, the own children data estimates accurately replicate recorded trends (even though the levels are misspecified). The utility of own children data for the study of differential fertility is discussed.


Effect of adjustment for sex composition in the measurement of fertility on intrinsic rates. The inconsistencies inherent in the one-sex models created a need for the construction of what are known as marriage functions, especially for the measurement of fertility. But attempts to develop marriage functions have been frustrated by the inability of the proposed functions to meet certain consistency conditions and also by difficulties in empiracally determining function parameters. Among several functions proposed so far, Das Gupta's (1972) "effective population" deserves special mention. He uses both sexes in its formulation, and has shown that the constancy of fertility rates based on such a function together with the constancy of survivorship probabilities of both sexes would result in a stable population. It is suggested in this article that the major source of the problem in a two-sex model seems to be the requirement that the model has to be specific both for sex and age. The ideal of incorporating the relative composition of one sex in the age-specific rates of the other, thereby creating a function dependent on both sexes, is advanced in this article. Such functions, defined explicitly for births, can be easily translated into age-specific birth rates. In addition to simplicity in the definition and form, the conditions leading toward stability can also be established. Interestingly enough, the intrinsic rate for this two-sex model lies in the interval determined by the rates obtained from the two one-sex models.


A technique for estimating life expectancy with crude vital rates. This paper describes a method of estimating life expectancy at birth on the basis of crude vital rates. The method is derived from stable population theory and it furnishes good estimates insofar as the current crude vital rates of a population are close to its intrinsic rates. This condition is generally met in closed populations which have not experienced sharp movements in fertility. The method is useful for estimating life expectancy in developing nations with good sample registration systems but for which information on age is of poor quality. It is also useful for estimating the movement of life expectancy in certain European nations in the period prior to regular census taking. There are a number of nations and regions in Europe for which long series of birth and death rates are available but for which census age counts are widely spaced.


Some sources of error and their effect on Census statistics. Often the reliability of survey data is examined only in relationship to sampling variances, excluding many other potential sources of error. If the sampling variance dominates the mean-square error, then few mistakes result by considering sampling variance only; however, if sampling variance is only a small part of the mean-square error, serious mistakes in inference could be made. The Bureau of the Census has developed a model describing the joint effect of sampling and nonsampling errors on census statistics. This article shows how a study of the components of error may lead to methods of improving the accuracy and reliability of survey data.


Nitrogen metabolism and insulin requirements in obese diabetic adults on a protein-sparing modified fast. A protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF), which is a total fast modified by the intake of 1.2-1.4 gm. protein per kilogram ideal body weight (IBW), fluids ad libitum, and vitamin and mineral supplementation, allows effective control of carbohydrate metabolism and hunger. It reduces serum glucose and insulin concentrations in obese diabetic patients and increases free fatty acid and ketone body concentrations; ketonuria appears within 24-72 hours. When this fast was applied to seven obese adult-onset diabetics who were receiving 30-100 units of insulin per day, insulin could be discontinued after 0-19 days (mean, 6.5). In the three patients who had extensive nitrogen-balance studies, balance could be maintained chronically by 1.3 gm. protein per kilogram IBW, despite the gross caloric inadequacy of the diet. The PSMF was tolerated well in an outpatient setting after the initial insulin-withdrawal phase had occurred in the hospital. Significant improvements in blood pressure, lipid abnormalities, parameters of carbohydrate metabolism, and cardiorespiratory, symptoms were associated with weight loss and/or the PSMF. For diabetics with some endogenous insulin reserve, the PSMF offers significant advantages for weight reduction, including preservation of lean body mass (as reflected in nitrogen balance) and withdrawal of exogenous insulin.


Insulin and free fatty acid levels during oral glucose tolerance tests and their relation to age in 70 healthy children. In 70 healthy children aged from three months to 15 years, blood glucose, immunoreactive insulin, and free fatty acids were measured during a three-hour glucose tolerance test. The results are presented for the whole group as well as for three age groups: three months-five years, six-10 years, and 11-15 years. It is demonstrated that (1) glucose levels are significantly lower in young children (younger than five years); (2) there are no significant age-related changes in free fatty acid concentration; (3) insulin levels are increasing constantly and significantly with age, the most strikingly at the age of onset of puberty; the absence of notable changes in glucose tolerance results in a rise of the I/G ratio as well. The causes for the increase of insulin secretion with age, whether of peripheral or pancreatic order, are still speculative.


Diabetes mellitus in American Indians - standards for diagnosis and management. In most American Indian tribes the frequency of diabetes mellitus is much greater than among the non-Indians, and surveillance of health records has shown that many types of illnesses occur more often in the diabetics than in the nondiabetics. Standards, or guidelines, have been developed for diabetes detection and treatment for purposes of limiting diabetes diagnoses to persons with high probabilities of having the disease and concentrating diabetes case finding among high-risk groups or individuals. The guidelines emphasize that early diagnosis and careful management of diabetic pregnancies can decrease rates of macrosomia, congenital malforamtions, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Diabetes management is based on staging criteria and requires trained paramedical workers in many aspects of management of asymptomatic diabetics, while the physicians concentrate more extensively on diabetes with symptoms and remediable complications.


Human maternal and fetal serum insulin and growth hormone (HGH) response to glucose and leucine. Maternal and fetal serum insulin and HGH responses to glucose, leucine, and glucose plus leucine were examined by infusions to pregnant women at term immediately before cesarean section. Leucine (15 gm.) with glucose (50 gm.) administered for 30 minutes to the mothers stimulates markedly maternal and fetal insulin secretion while infusion of glucose (50 gm.) causes a lower insulin response. When infusing glucose alone we noted that the duration rather than the degree of hyperglycemia determined the fetal insulin response. In fact, when glucose is given to the mother for 60 minutes the fetal insulin response is higher than when the same dose is infused for 30 minutes. Maternal infusion of leucine (15 gm.) for 30 minutes elicits only a very slight increase of insulin secretion in the mother and no change in the fetus. None of the infusions causes any alteration whatsoever in either maternal or fetal HGH secretion.


Effect of somatostatin on blood sugar, plasma growth hormone, and glucagon levels in diabetic children. In nine children with clinically overt insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus the authors injected cyclic somatostatin (3 mug./kg. bolus, followed by infusion of 13 mug./kg. in 60 minutes) and measured blood glucose, plasma growth hormone, and glucagon concentrations throughout the infusion. The rapid administration produced no significant changes of these parameters. With the prolonged infusion there was a significant reduction of blood glucose from a mean of 148 +/- 19.7 to a mean of 88.5 +/- 18.1 mg./100 ml. (P less than 0.005) and of plasma glucagon from a basal mean of 33.3 +/- 2.4 to a minimum mean of 22.1 +/- 1.7 pg./ml. (P less than 0.01). There was a statistically significant correlation between the two parameters (0.01 less than P less than 0.05). Plasma GH values also diminished during the infusion, but the reduction was not statistically significant. These results show that somatostatin lowers blood glucose concentrations as a secondary effect of inhibition of glucagon secretion. Somatostatin is not suitable for therapy in diabetes. We speculate that a similar substance with a more prolonged and specific action on glucagon might prove of practical value in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.


Evaluation of a 'true' fractional removal rate of glucose in man by bolus and simulated-ramp increase of glucose. An infusion method designed to produce a gradual ramplike rise in plasma glucose levels in man showed that the observed slope of the ramp was not significantly different from the calculated slope only when both of the following parameters were used: 1. When the glucose disappearance rate coefficient (k) was calculated by an incremental method in which the fasting plasma glucose level was subtracted from each plasma glucose value obtained during a standard rapid intravenous glucose tolerance test. This proved to be superior to a contrasting method in which absolute glucose values are used for the semilogarithmic plot of glucose concentration versus time. 2. When the dilution technic was used to estimate directly the volume distribution of glucose rather than relying on standard reference tables that predict glucose distribution space in man. By using these two parameters obtained during standard intravenous glucose tolerance testing, we have shown that it is possible to calculate the rate of glucose infusion required to achieve successfully in man a ramp of plasma glucose of any desired steepness and to characterize the consequent insulin secretion. This simulated ramp increase of glucose provides a potentially useful tool for investigation of the dynamics of islet-cell function in man.


Insulin response to oral glucose in patients with a previous myocardial infarction and in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Hyperinsulinism and its relationships to hypertriglyceridemia and overweight. The insulin response to an oral glucose load (100 gm.) in 127 patients with a previous myocardial infarction (MI) (six months to one year) and in 65 patients with surgically treated or arteriographically identified peripheral vascular disease (PVD) was compared with that of 89 controls after matching the three collectives for age, glucose tolerance, and per cent ideal body weight (% IBW). The insulin response was of greater magnitude in MI and PVD groups than in respective control groups also in the absence of hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and obesity. This finding suggests that hyperinsulinism may represent an early metabolic alteration associated with the development of MI and PVD. The insulin secretion pattern was prevalently of the delayed type in association with impaired glucose tolerance and with hypertriglyceridemia but not with overweight. Correlations between serum insulin, triglyceride (TG) levels, and % IBW were also investigated. We found a strong correlation (p less than 0.001) between stimulated insulin levels and % IBW in MI patients and none in PVD patients; conversely, the correlation between serum insulin and TG levels was very high (p less than 0.001) in PVD patients and only weak (p less than 0.05) in MI patients. No correlation was found between cholesterol (CH) levels and any of the other parameters studied. According to these results, it seems likely that hyperinsulinism plays a major role as a closely associated factor to obesity in those subjects who develop an MI, whereas in PVD patients the raised insulin levels may favor lipid accumulation in the arterial intima and accelerate the progress of atherosclerosis.


Somatosensory evoked cortical responses: detection in normal infants. The detection of evoked cortical potentials to a peripheral stimulus is a possible method of studying sensory innervation in children. The purpose of the present study was to determine the consistency with which evoked responses to the electrical stimulation of nerve trunks can be recorded, and to assess the validity of computer analysis of the records. Automated analysis was felt to be desirable because the identification of evoked potentials is usually subjective. Recording sessions were carried out on 37 normal children between the ages of one and six months, and where possible were repeated on three occasions at intervals of at least one month. Using a rigid recording regime, evoked responses could be obtained in 90 to 95 per cent of sessions, the success rate varying with the site of stimulation. An objective computer analysis of records has been developed which is able to recognise evoked potentials as successfully as an experienced human observer.


The perception of passive joint-movements by cerebral-palsied children. Luce's choice theory provided the psychophysical basis for investigating the ability of cerebral-palsied children to detect passive movement of the elbow joint. The method included testing "yes" responses when the forearm was moved, and "false-alarm" responses of "yes" when no arm movement had occurred. The children were tested with their eyes closed. The results showed that, in general, the children with spastic cerebral palsy had no deficits, or only very minor ones, in passive movement sensation. In contrast, the athetoid children had considerable deficits. It is suggested that the athetoid child is affected by a continuous barrage of irrelevant proprioceptive information and so finds difficulty in discriminating any particular proprioceptive cue.


Light patterns as a means of assessing and recording gait. I: methods and results in normal children. A method of analyzing and documenting gait in normal children is described. Patterns produced during walking, by means of lights situated at seven sites on the head, trunk and extremities, were recorded on color transparency film. With this technique, features of both normal and pathological gait are identifiable. The wide applicability of this method, its satisfactory reproducibility and uncomplicated design are emphasised.


The Landau reaction: a clinical and electromyographic analysis. Thirty normal infants aged two months (N=10), five months (N=11) and eight months (N=9) participated in a three-month longitudinal study of the Landau reaction. Each infant's response to horizontal suspension was filmed and electromyographically recorded. Thoraco-lumbar extension and head elevation 90 degrees above the horizontal (face vertical to the horizontal) were present in 45 per cent of infants at four months and in 90 per cent of infants between five and 10 months. The postural response changed little between five and ten months of age. Less than 10 per cent of the infants regressed in postural response between monthly examinations. No infant hung limply over the examiner's hand, and electromyographic activity of the neck extensors never decreased to zero. All infants were able to reassume neck and spinal extension following active and passive flexion of the neck. Kicking activity was observed in 80 per cent of infants over four months of age. A pattern of motor responses for the normal infant was noted and variations from this pattern which have been observed in infants with motor dysfunction are discussed. The EMG recordings correlated well with the visual observations and provided an accurate written record of the responses. They proved to be a reliable research tool in the study of infants' gross motor responses.


Cross-sectional study of developmental test items in children aged 94 to 97 weeks: report of the British Births Child Study. A 10 percent random sample of legitimate children drawn from a national cohort of 16,955 live births were examined between 94 and 97 weeks of age by clinical medical officers, using a screening examination designed to detect children requiring further investigation for developmental delay. Girls were more advanced than boys, particularly at verbal and personal-social items, but care is needed in interpreting the significance of differences found in a single cross-sectional examination when the child is around the mean age for acquiring a particular skill. For many questions mothers also recorded their estimations of their children's abilities; these were appreciably greater than those of the examiner, the difference varying according to the difficulty of the task and whether they were questioned before or after the examiner had carried out the test. It is suggested that the results of a single screening examination at two years will depend upon the skill of the examiner (a) to persuade a child to co-operate or to be able to assess his ability, (b) to interpret the mother's estimation of her child's skill, and (c) to distinguish between late development and delay due to a handicapping condition.


Early identification of children likely to have specific learning difficulties: report of a follow-up. In an earlier study, a group of pre-school children noted to have neurological dysfunction in the newborn period were given psychological tests and the results were compared with those from a control group of children with normal birth histories. The index children scored significantly more poorly on a number of items likely to lead to later learning difficulties at school(Frances Williams 1974). In the follow-up study, groups of the same index and control children were tested again between 8 and 9 1/2 of age. 11 of the 42 index children were unable to read, whereas there were no non-readers in the control group. A further 13 index children were backward by 12 months or more in reading accuracy, compared with five of the 43 control children. Only nine of the index children were reading at or above their appropriate age-level, compared with 22 of the controls. On a test for computational skill, many of the index children also scored much below the level expected for chronological age. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible identification of later learning difficulties from the results of pre-school examinations.


Unusual development of motor skills in a child with trisomy-18. A child with trisomy-18 is reported who had by the age of four years developed motor skills considerably more advanced than any abilities previously noted in other children with this disorder. It is not possible to demonstrate how far this improvement was due to natural development, to physiotherapy, to the parent's handling or to other causes. However, if the degree of parental understanding, stimulation and participation in treatment has a significant effect on a child's progress, then further attempts to assess the value of physiotherapy for children should take this factor into consideration.


Clinical aspects and long-term prognosis of intracranial tumours in infancy and childhood. The long-term prognosis in 316 children (aged 0-14 years), in whom intracranial tumour was diagnosed during the years 1935 to 1959, has been evaluated. 196 patients survived for longer than four weeks after diagnosis or operation, and a total of 74 patients survived to follow-up after an observation period of 15 to 40 years. The prognosis for children with intracranial tumour is dependent on the age at which the diagnosis is made--the older the child the greater his chance of survival. However, in this study, the older-age group (10 to 14 years) also had the greatest number of recurrences after more than 10 years. A clinical history of more than six months is associated with a better prognosis. Long-term survival was independent of whether the tumour was supratentorial or infratentorial, but all patients with deep cerebral tumours and brain-stem tumours died within the observation period. Patients with intrapontine tumours had a very poor quality of life up to the time of death, whereas the majority of patients who survived for more than one year before recurrence were almost free from symptoms during the interval.


Agenesis of the corpus callosum revealed by computerized tomography. Computerized tomography is a new, safe, non-invasive method of diagnosing intracranial disorders. It has been used in the detection of intracranial tumors, hydrocephalus, hemorrhages, atrophy, abscesses and subdural hematomata. Two cases of agenesis of the corpus callosum are presented, in which the diagnosis was made or confirmed by computerized tomography. The embryology, clinical course and radiological aspects of the disorder are reviewed.


The functions and the training of a paediatric neurologist. A total of 2018 office referrals of children with neurological problems is compared with 635 adult neurological referrals in the same Canadian city. Data of children and adults admitted to hospital with neurological problems are also compared. It is suggested that the different types of caseload encountered justify changes in the training programs for paediatric neurologists.


Opening windows into a child's mind.

Opening windows into a child's mind. Children may not know, or cannot tell, what is causing their psychosomatic symptoms. Methods are outlined which may help paediatricians to see what goes on in children's minds and also help children to express it. For some children, such expression may itself be healing: for others, further help will be needed. Interested paediatricians will learn to distinguish between these groups.


Epilepsy: a neurological complication of thalidomide embryopathy. The possibility of epilepsy resulting from maternal thalidomide ingestion was investigated by obtaining a telephoned neurological history from all suspect families in the United Kingdom in which the specific diagnosis was uncertain. The annual incidence in the first seven years of life was found to be five times the figure for the general population, and the prevalence of active epilepsy is significantly increased in the teenage thalidomide population. That this increased incidence and prevalence of epilepsy is not a chance observation is supported by published clinical and experimental evidence of central nervous system abnormalities in thalidomide embryopathy, in addition to the known neurological effects of the drug in the adult.


An approach to head, neck and trunk stabilization and control in cerebral palsy by use of the Milwaukee brace. This paper reports the successful use of the Milwaukee brace in nine children with cerebral palsy and lack of head, neck and body control. After an initial period of apprehension, the brace has been approved by the patients themselves, their families, teachers and therapists and has added greatly to the quality of life within the limits of the patients' abilities. Follow-up has ranged from three months to five years (mean 3 1/2 years) and no deleterious effects have been noted.


Quantitative assessment of oral tactile sensitivity in pre-term and term neonates, and comparison with adults. The tongues of 34 infants between 31 and 40 weeks estimated gestational age were stimulated with filament esthesiometers. Stereotyped ipsilateral movements of the tongue were elicited in all infants. An assessment of tactile sensitivity based on this reflex is minimally affected by infant activity state and habituation to repeated stimulation. Small pre-term infants (31 to 35 weeks gestation) and infants born near term (37 to 40 weeks gestation) were more sensitive to tactile stimulation than an intermediate group (35 to 37 weeks gestation). In infants followed longitudinally, a transient decrement in sensitivity occurred at two weeks postnatal age. The tactile sensitivity in 12 adults (as measured by their correct reports of stimulus location) was far greater than the sensitivity of the infants.


Fetal spinal-cord injury secondary to hyperextension of the neck: no effect of caesarean section. A 24-month-old Japanese girl is reported who had upper spinal-cord injury secondary to fetal hyperextension of the neck in breech presentation. She was first noted to be in this position 10 days before the expected date of birth and was delivered by caesarean section.


Lactic acidaemia due to hyperventilation in a child with severe mental retardation. A 16-year-old girl with severe mental retardation of unknown aetiology presented with increased blood content of lactate and pyruvate. It was demonstrated that the biochemical abnormalities were due to hyperventilation.


An animal model of fulminant hepatic failure: a feasibility study. An attempt was made to produce animal model of fulminant hepatic failure in the pig by intragastric administration of acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol). The effect of varying doses was observed in phenobarbital-pretreated and untreated animals. Assessment of optimal dose was made in terms of duration of survival and coma in animals exhibiting biochemical and histological evidence of liver necrosis. Significant liver necrosis was observed in enzyme-induced pigs only, whereas in the noninduced pigs respiratory arrest was considered a likely cause of death. Although liver necrosis occurred consistently at a dose of  0.5 to 1.1 g per kg of acetaminophen in phenobarbital-pretreated animals, survival time and coma duration were unpredictable. Only one-fifth of the total number of phenobarbital-pretreated pigs administered acetaminophen in this dose range fulfilled the prescribed criteria for a satisfactory model. There was a good correlation between survival time and duration of coma, although survival time did not correlate with acetaminophen dose, or with any of the following: peak plasma acetaminophen levels, thrombocytopenia, fall in hematocrit or fibrinogen, or alteration in other biochemical parameters. In addition to the unpredictable duration of survival and coma, the occurrence of acute anemia in 60% of the enzyme-induced animals was a major detraction from the possible usefulness of this model to evaluate various therapeutic regimes.


Alcohol, amino acids, and albumin synthesis. II. Alcohol inhibition of albumin synthesis reversed by arginine and spermine. The effects of alcohol and spermine on albumin synthesis and polysome aggregation were studied in the isolated perfused rabbit liver system. Fed or fasted males served as donors and the perfusate contained, singly or in combination, alcohol, 200 mg per 100 ml, spermine, 1 mM, and arginine, 10 mM. The results indicate that in the presence of alcohol, using a liver from a fed donor, albumin synthesis is depressed from 16 to 6 mg per 100 g of wet liver weight per hr and the bound polysome is disaggregated. Spermine partially reaggregates the bound polysome and a combination of spermine and arginine augments albumin synthesis to the control rate. When the donor is fasted, and alcohol is present in the perfusate, the addition of spermine results in aggregated bound and free polysome patterns, whereas the combination of arginine and spermine is necessary to restimulate albumin synthesis. The results indicate that spermine plays an important role in the integrity of the polysome system and that arginine and spermine appears synergistic in maintaining albumin synthesis.


Double lumen esophagus due to reflux esophagitis with fibrous septom formation. The unique endoscopic finding of a double lumen esophagus due to the development of a fibrous septum within an area of peptic reflux esophagitis is presented. The pathogenesis of this septum was felt to represent adherence to granulation tissue from opposing esophageal walls. This abnormality was easily managed by esophageal bouginage.


Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in familial pancreatitis. A young man and his father, both with pancreatitis, were recently seen at the Mayo Clinic. The histories, physical findings, and laboratory values were those of chronic pancreatitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was valuable in confirming the gross pathological changes and in orienting the surgeon preoperatively.


Tumor-induced acute pancreatitis.

Tumor-induced acute pancreatitis. Primary neoplasms of the pancreas and tumors metastatic to the pancreas are capable of initiating an epidode of acute pancreatitis severe enough to cause the development of a pancreatic pseudocyst and ascites. There are now three case reports of bronchogenic carcinoma metastatic to the pancreas causing acute pancreatitis. In the present case, there was histological evidence of rupture of pancreatic ducts by tumor and obstruction of ducts by nests of tumor cells.


Gastric ulcers in the fundic gland area. Gastric ulcers have been thought to occur only in the pyloric gland area. However, endoscopic examinations using the Congo red test showed that 18 of the ulcers examined (7.8%) were surrounded by an acid-secreting area, and so were in the fundic gland area. Histological examination of specimens obtained by gastrectomy also showed that five of the lesions examined (4.5%) were located in the fundic gland area. Ulcers in the fundic gland area were found most frequently in the angle and lower gastric body, adjacent to acid-secreting boundary. These ulcers were associated with little or no fundal gastritis, whereas ulcers in the pyloric gland area were usually associated with moderate or severe fundal gastritis. Unlike ulcers of similar depth in the pyloric gland area, ulcers surrounded by normal fundic mucosa healed rapidly and completely. No recurrence of these ulcers was seen in a 1-year endoscopic follow-up period.


Effect of secretin on gastric function in normal subjects and in patients with duodenal ulcer. The effect of constant intravenous infusion of secretin in doses of 0.25, 0.50, 1.50, and 3.0 mug per kg per hr on meal-stimulated acid secretion was measured in vitro titration to pH 5.0. The pattern and degree of secretin inhibition of food-stimulated acid secretion depended on when the secretin infusion was begun, the effect being more pronounced when the secretin was begun 1 hr before the test meal than when the meal and secretin infusions were begun simultaneously. Inhibition of acid secretion in normals was approximately the same as in 2 patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency who could secrete only small amounts of pancreatic bicarbonate in response to secretin. Secretin in dose of 0.25 and 0.5 mug per kg per hr inhibited acid secretion only slightly, whereas 3.0 mug per kg per hr completely stopped acid secretion. Inhibition of acid secretion by secretin was similar in controls and in patients with duodenal ulcer. Secretin also reduced the rise in serum gastrin concentration after the meal, and delayed gastric emptying; both responses were approximately the same in normals and in duodenal ulcer patients. Secretin inhibited basal gastric acid secretion but had no consistent effect on basal serum gastrin concentration.


Effect of metoclopramide in chronic gastric retention after gastric surgery. The effect of metoclopramide, a stimulant of gastric motility, on gastric emptying was tested in 6 patients with chronic gastric retention after vagotomy and gastric resection, unexplained by mechanical obstruction or stomal ulceration. Gastric emptying was measured using a gamma camera technique and a solid meal labeled with 99mtechnetium-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. Metoclopramide produced a 2.6-fold increase in gastric emptying in the first 90 min after eating the meal, compared to placebo (P less than 0.01). Metoclopramide did not alter gastric emptying in 8 normal volunteers. These data indicate that metoclopramide may be useful in treatment of patients with chronically impaired gastric emptying after gastric surgery.


The mechanism of hypergastrinemia in achlorhydria. Effect of food, acid, and calcitonin on serum gastrin concentrations and component pattern in pernicious anemia, with correlation to endogenous secretin concentrations in plasma. The effect of protein-rich food, intravenous calcitonin injections, and intragastric instillation of hydrochloric acid on serum gastrin concentrations and gastrin component pattern was studied in hypergastrinemic patients (pernicious anemia) and matched control subjects. Moreover, plasma secretin concentrations were measured during intragastric acidification. The intragastric acidification resulted in rapid fall in serum gastrin concentrations, although not below the upper limit of normal range. The small components, III (gastrin-17-like) and IV (gastrin-13-like), almost disappeared, whereas the concentrations of component I and component II (gastrin-34-like) were less affected. The increase in secretin concentrations after intragastric acidification was smaller in patients with pernicious anemia than in normal subjects, although the difference was not significant. In contrast to the results in normal control subjects, neither food nor calcitonin produced significant variations in serum gastrin concentrations and gastrin component pattern of pernicious anemia patients. The failure of food to stimulate and of calcitonin to inhibit release of gastrin in the majority of pernicious anemia patients might suggest that gastrin secretion in these patients is autonomous. However, considering the recently recognized slow metabolic clearance rate of big gastrins, the effect of intragastric acidification suggests that the mechanism for acid inhibition of the antral gastrin secretion is intact in patients with achlorhydria.


Studies on the mechanism of esophagitis-induced lower esophageal sphincter hypotension in cats. Perfusion of 0.1 n HC1 5 cm above the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in cats for 30 min on 4 consecutive days produced biopsy-documented esophagitis and marked decreases in LES pressure. Using this model the effects of experimental esophagitis on the LES response to edrophonium, pentagastrin, and bethanechol were determined. The sphincter response to both edrophonium and pentagastrin after esophagitis was induced was significantly less than preperfusion responses. When the esophagitis had resolved, the pressure response to edrophonium and pentagastrin returned to preperfusion levels. In contrast, the sphincter response to bethanechol during esophagitis was not different from the preperfusion response and remained unchanged after resolution of the esophagitis. Lower esophageal smooth muscle taken from cats with active esophagitis appeared normal by both light and electron microscopy. These studies indicate that besides decreasing resting LES tone, esophageal inflammation causes functional impairment of a cholinergic mechanism regulating LES pressure. In contrast, the smooth muscle appears to be unaffected by inflammation despite the LES hypotension.


Giardiasis in the mouse: an animal model. An animal model for giardiasis was developed using Giardia muris in Swiss albino mice. Intraesophageal inoculation of G. muris cysts caused a reproducible pattern of infection, with trophozoite and cyst counts reaching a maximum on days 5 to 14 after cyst inoculation and thereafter showing a progressive decline. Spontaneous resolution of infection occurred in most mice after 21 to 28 days. When compared to uninfected controls, Giardia-infected mice had significant impairment of weight gain and a significant reduction in the villus to crypt ratio of jejunal mucosa. Although maximal trophozoite and cyst counts were independent of the size of the cyst inoculum, those mice receiving inoculations of larger numbers of cysts showed earlier attainment of maximal counts, greater impariment of weight gain, and earlier and more severe small bowel changes than mice receiving inoculations of smaller numbers of cysts. This model offers unique opportunities for study of this poorly understood gastrointestinal parasite.


Genesis of basal sphincter pressure: effect of tetrodotoxin on lower esophageal sphincter pressure in opossum in vivo. Currently it is believed that lower esophageal sphincter closure is maintained by tonic neurohormonal activity. Studies were performed to evaluate the role of neural and myogenic activity in the genesis of resting sphincter pressure in the opossum. The neural activity in the sphincter was blocked by intravenous administration of the puffer fish poison, tetrodotoxin, in intact animals. The respiration in these animals was assisted with a respirator, their blood pressure was supported by intravenous administration of Ringer's solution, and their body temperature was maintained by heating lamp. The lower esophageal sphincter pressures were measured with water-filled and continuously perfused catheters which were anchored to the lower esophageal sphincter using a new technique. Tetrodotoxin blocked the sphincter response to neural stimulation with vagal stimulation, esophageal distention, and local electrical stimulation of the sphincter. The mean resting sphincter pressure before tetrodotoxin was 59.0 +/- 2.6 mm Hg, and it was 64.4 +/- 6.9 mm Hg after tetrodotoxin (P greater than 0.05). During neural block with tetrodotoxin, the sphincter response to administration of isoproterenol or bethanechol was similar to that during the control period (P greater than 0.05). These studies show that: (1) Tetrodotoxin can be administered in intact animals to achieve complete block of neural activity in the lower esophageal sphincter; (2) sphincter muscle is not adversely affected by tetrodotoxin; and (3) block of neural activity does not alter the resting lower esophageal sphincter pressure.


Evidence for a single common carrier for uptake of a dipeptide and a tripeptide by hamster jejunum in vitro. This paper describes an investigation of whether a dipeptide and a tripeptide were taken up by hamster jejunum by the same transport system, or whether there was evidence of uptake by more than one transport system. The work was carried out with rings of everted hamster jejunum in vitro, under conditions of influx, using the "model" peptides glycylsarcosine, glycylsarcosylsarcosine, and glycylsarcosylsarcosylsarcosine. These peptides are all exceptionally resistant to hydrolysis, appearing intact in the rings, and the di- and tripeptide have previously been shown to be concentrated in the rings by active transport. The results showed that influx of glycylsarcosine was inhibited by glycylsarcosylsarcosine in a competitive way, and that each of the peptides was capable of causing virtually complete inhibition of influx of the other. Glycylsarcosylsarcosylsarcosine had no effect on influx of glycylsarcosine or of glycylsarcosylsarcosine. It was concluded that although the existence of multiple transport systems shared by both glycylsarcosine and glycylsarcosylsarcosine could not be ruled out, the simplest hypothesis was that both the dipeptide and the tripeptide shared a single common carrier for uptake. The tetrapeptide glycylsarcosylsarcosylsarcosine was apparently not transported by this carrier, in agreement with previous results. The possible effects of the "unstirred layer" were taken into account in considering the results and are discussed. They do not alter the conclusions reached.


Metabolism of chenodeoxycholate by intestinal mucosa. The metabolism of 14C-labeled bile salts was studied in vitro during their absorption from infused segments of rat intestine. The transported bile salts were recovered in transudates which were collected from the serosal surface  of infused segments. In the jejunum, 36% of transported [14C]deoxycholate and 48% of transported [14C]chenodeoxycholate were recovered as metabolites which migrated as a seemingly single polar compound on thin layer chromatography; 52 to 72% of these metabolites could be deconjugated by cholylglycine hydrolase to yield original [14C]deoxycholate or [14C]chenodeoxycholate, respectively. The jejunum metabolized 9 times more [14C]chenodeoxycholate than the ileum (38.1 nmoles per hr per g compared with 4.2 nmoles per hr per g), despite the fact that both segments transferred the same amount of radioactivity. In contrast, [14C]cholate, [14C]glycocholate, and [14C]glycodeoxycholate were transferred intact by the jejunum, ileum, and colon. Human jejunal and rectal mucosa were able to metabolize [14C]chenodeoxycholate to polar metabolites in vitro. Polar metabolites were also found in the portal plasma and jejunal wall 20 min after the feeding of [14C]chenodeoxycholate to bile fistula rats. It is suggested that these results complicate the interpretation of in vitro experiments on absorption of dihydroxy bile salts, and that they indicate that the human small intestine may be able to metabolize chenodeoxycholate.


Jaundice in severe bacterial infection.

Jaundice in severe bacterial infection. Thirty patients are described who developed jaundice during the course of severe bacterial infection. Although the infecting organism was variable, as was the site of infection, the patients were generally ill and pyrexial. The group had a very high mortality rate (43%). A positive blood culture was obtained in 11 patients. Biochemical abnormalities noted were those of an increased concentration of conjugated bilirubin in the serum with only a modest increase in alkaline phosphatase and transaminase levels. Serum cholesterol was found to be normal. The mean serum urea level was significantly elevated, as were creatine phosphokinase and lactic dehydrogenase. Most patients exhibited a neutrophil leukocytosis  and an elevated sedimentation rate, and the mean hemoglobin level was low. Liver histology was studied in 13 patients. There was evidence of mild bile stasis in 5 and moderate bile stasis in 2. Findings were otherwise nonspecific and were characterized by fatty change and/or inflammatory cells in the portal areas. There was no correlation between degree or duration of juandice and prognosis, although all patients who died remained jaundiced until death. It is suggested that this syndrome is not one of true cholestasis in that all biliary substances were not shown to be elevated in the serum, but that it is rather a selective defect in the excretion of conjugated bilirubin.


Test for alcoholic cirrhosis by conversion of [14C]- or [13C]galactose to expired CO2. After ingestion of galactose (10 g per m2) labeled with 14C or 13C, breath was collected from subjects at intervals for 4 hr followed by measurement of 14CO2 by liquid scintillation counting or of 13CO2 by mass spectrometry. Nine subjects without liver disease and 21 "cirrhotic" patients were tested with 14C; 8 control subjects and 4 patients with diagnosis of cirrhosis were tested with 13C. The mean rates of expiration of labeled CO2 by the patients with "cirrhosis" were one-third to one-half of mean normal rates during the first 90 min. The time of peak concentration of tracer CO2 for cirrhotic patients (150 to 180 min) was later than for normal subjects (90 to 120 min). There was distinctly greater separation between control and liver disease groups by test of 14CO2 radioactivity at 1 hr than by serum alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and transaminase, but only slightly better separation than by serum albumin concentration (which was highly correlated with 14CO2 output). The [14C]galactose test is simpler than the standard intravenous galactose tolerance test, and , like the latter, appears superior to some other tests for recognition of cirrhosis. The use of 13C provides an example of a new direction for clinical application of this stable, nonradioactive nuclide.


Studies on the development of endocrine glands in fishes. V. Development of the thyroid gland in two species of teleosts. In Channa punctatus the thyroid anlage is seen 40 h after hatching and is recognized as cells aggregating in the form of follicles with no colloid. During subsequent stages of development the thyroid follicles increase in number and in 5 days old larva an active division of cells and many follicles in the form of epithelial cords are seen. In 2 months old juvenile fish several thyroid follicles and lymphatic vessels are seen enclosed by connective tissue capsule. In Clarias batrachus the thyroid anlage is seen as a group of cells around tiny colloid droplets and is situated just below the bifuration of the 1st branchial artery. This stage is seen in 60 h old larva and is developed into thyroid follicles which is a long chain along the jugular vein and ventral aorta during latter stages of development. It is concluded that during early larval period of these fishes, the thyroid cells begin to trap iodine from the blood and synthesize it in the form of thyroid hormone which is stored as colloid and is also liberated in blood stream simultaneously. The compact nature of the thyroid gland in C. punctatus is because of development of connective sheath around follicles during early stages.


[Altitude adaptation. Biological problems in the context of the environment]. The following part of the description of adaptation to high altitude describes the geographical specifities of the relevant regions of the world. There are several factors which require an adaptive answer, such as hypoxia, temperature, terrain, nutrition etc. The terms of genetically determined and of individual adaptation are discussed, with special consideration of a duration of settlement in the main altitude regions of about ten thousand years, as well as the principles of adaptation in general, including the phenomenon of maladaptation. The problem of adaptation of animals to high altitude is reviewed in short especially in regard to mammals. The differential fertility proves to be most important in the survival of a species in high altitude as well as the individual adaptability, is the fitness which makes high altitude tolerable to newcomers.


[Results of cytologic examinations of the cervix in women under the age of thirty (author's transl)]. 154 suspicious and positive findings for carcinoma in women between the ages of 18 and 30 were reported. Included here were 7 cases of invasive carcinoma, 57 cases of epithelial carcinoma, 8 cases of advanced dysplasia and 17 cases of dysplasia in beginning and intermediate stages. The findings from two gynecologic practices in which the physicians annually conducted a cytologic examination of the cervix on every woman, regardless of age, were studied in particular. In both of these practices, 64 of the 89 preliminary stages of carcinoma and carcinoma itself in this age group were discovered in this way. The total material came from 26 contributors. The participation on the part of the young women in both gynecologic practices was unexpectedly high (33% of all those patients receiving preventive examinations). The established practice of conducting cytologic cancer tests on the cervix uteri only after the age of 30 can no longer be justified. One possible causal factor for the increased morbidity and the earlier occurrence of the disease is the coincidence between genital infections and the increased occurrence of neoplasia of the cervix due to earlier onset of sexual activity. It is imperative that women be informed of the increased risks and that they be given the opportunity of a cervical cancer test even before the age of thirty.


[The value of local application of a vasoconstrictive peptide during colposcopy (author's transl)]. The vasoconstrictive peptide (Ornithin-Vasopressin, experimental name POR 8) was tested regarding its usefulness in colposcopic diagnosis and differential diagnosis. In a concentration of 5 IE/2 ml of normal saline the compound resulted in good hemostasis in 88% of the cases. The differential diagnosis of the atypical transformation zone was much easier because of the difference in constriction between normal and abnormal vessels. The local application of "POR 8" is a valuable aid in the colposcopic diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the bleeding cervix in the cervix with an atypical transformation zone.


[Retroperitoneal diseases and geriatric-gynecologic laparatomy (author's transl)]. 24 cases are described in which retroperitoneal processes were operated on for primarily gynecologic reasons in women of at least 60 years of age. They include 6 sarcomas, 3 neurinomas, 1 cyst, 1 fibroma, 1 lipoma, 1 congenital sacciform kidney, 1 hydronephrosis, 3 pancreatic carcinomas, 2 renal carcinomas, 1 ureteral cyst and 4 metastases of various malignomas. These cases were gathered in 18 West Berlin Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology during a 10-year period. The post-operative mortality rate was 37.5% (9 deaths); this is probably due to the relatively low incidence of symptoms and signs associated with retroperitoneal diseases and their anatomical localization. Finally, new procedures for the diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors are indicated.


[Investigation of HL-antigens in cervical cancer patients (author's transl)]. Twenty-three of HL-antigens were investigated in 119 patients with clinical cancer and 230 female controls. Patients with cervical carcioma showed significant differences of some HLA frequencies from that of the controls. HLA-A 3 and A 28 were increased, HLA-A 1 was decreased. HL-antigens could be factors, together with others yet unknown, which produce an increased susceptibility to the disease.


[The frequency and causes of spontaneous abortion following artifitial insemination (author's transl)]. This paper is concerned with the causes of spontaneous abortion in a sample of 200 pregnancies induced by artificial insemination. In particular it examines the importance of the following factors: existing disorders in the woman's menstrual cycle, the influence of hormone treatment during the conception cycle, the age of the woman treated, and the type of semen used. Of the 200 pregnancies in our treatment sample 27 terminated in abortions (13.5%). Clinical examination before treatment established the presence of menstrual disorders in 69 of 180 women to be treated: 23.9% exhibited corpus luteum deficiency, 12% anovular cycles, and 2% oligomenorrhea. On the basis of this preliminary examination the principal cause of abortion proved to be an existing corpus luteum deficiency, since 15 of the 27 abortions occurred in women with this type of menstrual disorder. Our observations show that it is important when performing artificial insemination to correct the patient's existing menstrual disorders by means of hormone treatment. This emerges from the following figures: In 26 cases without hormone treatment the incidence of abortion was 35%. In 174 cases that received hormone treatment during the successful cycle only 18 abortions occurred (an incidence of 10.3%). Breaking down hormone treatment into 6 basic types, we get incidences of abortion ranging from 0 to 25% in the different groups. Dividing the treatment sample into age groups reveals an 11 to 14% incidence of abortion in the 30 to 34 age group; in the 35 to 40 group age group the incidence doubles to 26%. Whereas existing menstrual disorders and adequate hormone treatment significantly influence the incidence of abortion, there is no close relationship between incidence of abortion and the type of semen used. The innocuousness of using deep-frozen semen with an admixture of glycerine has been shown by various authors reporting on laboratory and clinical investigations. For 117 pregnancies induced purely with deep-frozen semen we had an incidence of abortion of 13.7%. This figure is of the same order as the incidence of abortion in pregnancies induced by insemination with fresh semen. The results obtained permit one to conclude that incidence of abortion is not significantly dependent on the type of semen used. Our work demonstrates the importance of assessing the patient's genital constitution from both the functional and the organic points of view, not merely in order to achieve conception but also for the purposes of preventing abortion by means of the appropriate hormone treatment. If satisfactory therapeutic results are to be achieved candidates for artificial insemination must therefore be given a thorough diagnostic examination beforehand and, if necessary, adequate hormone treatment during the insemination cycle.


[The frequency and clinical significance of incomplete removal of epithelial lesions on the cervix uteri by conisation (author's transl)]. In cone biopsies of 413 patients we found 394 cases with premalignant or malignant lesions of squamous epithelium. Judged by the examination of the margins of the cone biopsy specimens, the removal of these epithelial lesions was found to be complete in an average of 62,9%. The increasing degree of epithelial atypia correlated with an increasing rate of residual malignant or premalignant tissue. The operation was mostly not radical in the endocervix. In 154 cases subsequent hysterectomia was performed. In 22% of the cases in which the margins of the cone biopsy specimens were free of epithelial changes, residual atypia was discovered in the uterus. On the contrary, in 35% of patients in which residual epithelial atypia was suspected, the uterus was found to be free of malignancy. The reasons are discussed. It is emphasized to pay attention to radical excision especially in the endocervix. Follow-up and smear controls are also necessary when margins of cone biopsy specimen are free of epithelial atypia. In young females desiring further pregnancies, treatment can be left at conisation even if it was not radical; frequent smear controls are obligatory in these cases.


[Massive bleeding from a ruptured corpus luteum (author's transl)]. A case is demonstrated, where a 37-year old patient who was continuously dialyzed due to bilateral renal insufficiency, developed an acute and severe bleeding from a ruptured Graafian follicle. The bleeding was life-threatening, most likely due to the continuous treatment with heparin (up to 30,000 IU/day) needed for hemodialysis procedure. Differential diagnostic considerations and treatment measures are reported.


When seizures are complicated by coma.

When seizures are complicated by coma. Convulsions in elderly patients result from systemic biochemical or focal structural processes. These patients require a thorough evaluation, because idiopathic seizures are virtually unknown in this age group. Marginal circulatory and pulmonary function compromises central nervous system function, which can result in prolonged postictal coma. Furthermore, the patient's fragility can coma. Furthermore, the patient's fragility can complicate anticonvulsant therapy. The physician must be prepared to support the patient in prolonged postictal coma, since many patients can recover the preictal level of function.


Finding medical reasons for psychiatric behavior. Medical disease was the cause of the primary disability in the majority (61.2 percent) of 116 elderly psychiatric patients treated at Bellevue Hospital Center. A change in behavior signaled the onset of medical illness with acute brain syndrome. The history that documented a change in behavior was derived from sources other than the patient. It is important to obtain such history during admission evaluation of elderly persons who are confused or whose memory is impaired. Multidiciplinary services enabled many patients to improve so that they could return home rather than being institutionalized. Had such services been available before their admission, many patients might have avoided hospitalization. As a result of this study, the geriatrics unit at Bellevue Hospital Center began to devote its efforts to elderly persons in the community.


Growth of the pig: changes in red cell and plasma volumes. In the pig, plasma volume increased from 58.0 +/- 2.53 ml/kg on day 1 to 66.7 +/- 3.35 (P less than 0.05) on day 2, and decreased between days 7 and 9 to 56.4 +/- 1.16 (P less than 0.02). The next significant change in volume occurred at weaning: from 53.1 +/- 1.24 ml/kg at week 4 to 44.16 +/- 2.2 at week 5. It then increased to 56.1 +/- 1.41 ml/kg by week 7 and decreased to 48.5 +/- 1.44 by week 9; then between weeks 10 and 11 it increased to 59.33 +/- 3.01 (P less than 0.005). Red cell volume on day 1 was 32.3 +/- 1.25 ml/kg and decreased to 20.2 +/- 1.37 (P less than 0.01) on day 2. The only other change of significance in red cell volume over the 12-week growth period was a small increasan 0.05) at week 6. The mean for BVRcells was 0.88 +/- 0.01 for the growth period. The pattern of changes in plasma and red cell volumes differed from those for the beagle.


Skeletal muscle cellularity in mice selected for large body size and in controls. Body composition and skeletal muscle weights, fiber diameters, fiber numbers, and RNA and DNA concentrations were studied in mice selected for large body size (GLW) compared to an unselected control (C) line. At 60 days of age, body weight of GLW mice was 70 to 75% greater than C mice, but % body water, fat or dry fat-free residue did not differ between the lines. In both GLW and C mice, greater muscle weight in males compared to females was due to larger diameter fibers and not to significant differences in fiber number between sexes, although in most cases, males had slightly higher mean fiber number. Fiber diameters were similar in the two lines and the greater muscle weights of GLW mice were due to more fibers than in the muscles of C mice. RNA and DNA concentrations were slightly, but not significantly, higher in GLW skeletal muscles.


Relationship between red cell mass, body weight, lean body mass, and body cell mass in growing pigs and beagles. During growth in 55 pigs (from birth through week 12) and 42 beagles studied (from birth through year 1), there was an equally close association between red cell mass (RCM) and body weight, lean body mass (LBM) and body cell mass (BCM); the coefficients of correlation were between 0.94-0.99. The association of RCM with body weight was the result of BCM, extracellular tissue (ECT), and fat, each increasing at a constant rate relative to body weight. The primary relationship appears to be between RCM, the oxygen-delivery system, and BCM, the principla oxygen-using system; and the close association of RCM with body weight and LBM the results of the growth patterns of their components.


Effects of cytochalasin B on the morphogenesis of explanted early chick embryos. Effects of cytochalasin B (CB) on chick embryos explanted at stages 4-5 and cultured for 24 hours were studied. CB (2-4 mug/ml) inhibited blastodermal expansion and neural tube closure in over 90% of the embryos. Somite formation was inhibited only where neural tissue was very degenerate. The development of other structures was usually unaffected. Cellular degeneration occurred in severely affected neuroepithelium, but cells at various phases of mitosis were found throughout its thickness, suggesting that interkinetic nuclear migration had been inhibited. Electron microscopic studies of the flattened neural tube showed that CB disrupted microfilaments and reduced the number of cytoplasmic extensions, but had no apparent effect on microtubules and other organelles. These effects were reversible. Futhermore, dimethyl sulfoxide, at 0.2-0.4% (concentrations present in 2-4 mug/ml CB medium), had no adverse effect, indicating that the observed abnormalities were direct consequences of CB treatment.