Urogenital infection and seminal excretion after inoculation of bulls and rams with chlamydiae. Five mature rams and 4 bulls were inoculated parenterally with bovine or ovine chlamydial strains of type 1 and 2. One to 3 days later, all animals developed a chlamydemia lasting 4 to 8 days. Chlamydial agents were isolated from the semen near the end of the chlamydemic phase. All rams and 3 of 4 inoculated bulls excreted chlamydiae in the semen for 22 to 29 days. From 8 to 39 days after inoculation, selected rams or bulls were killed to test for chlamydial infection in the urogenital tract and other organs. Chlamydiae were isolated in developing chicken embryos from testis, epididymis, and accessory sex glands. Bulls examined 29 and 39 days after inoculation did not harbor chlamydiae. Chlamydiae were also not isolated from 3 control bulls which were from the same herd as the principal bulls. All inoculated bulls and rams had a group-specific chlamydial antibody response within 7 days. The titers reached maximal levels of 128 to 512 at 14 days after inoculation. Subsequently, the antibody titers decreased gradually. Seminal plasma collected at different times after animals were inoculated did not fix complement in the presence of chlamydial group antigen. The number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the semen increased during the experiment. The semen was grossly purulent in 2 rams inoculated with the type 2 chlamydial strain of polyarthritis.


Arsanilic acid-induced blindness in swine: electroretinographic and visually evoked responses. Arsanilic acid (1,000 ppm) caused blindness in pigs within 25 to 30 days. The visually evoked response was "nonrecordable" in blind pigs, but was consistently recordable in normal pigs. The electroretinographic response was recordable in both normal and blind pigs, and significant differences were not apparent between results of tests of the 2 groups. Optic disk atrophy was noted ophthalmoscopically; lesions of the optic nerve are probably responsible for the nonrecordable visually evoked response.


Immunoglobulins in porcine umbilical cord blood and maternal placenta. Studies were made of the immunoglobulin (Ig) in serums from umbilical cord of newborn pigs and maternal placenta. The neutralization test for porcine parvovirus and Japanese encephalitis virus was carried out with the serum of the sow and that of the umbilical cord of the newborn pig. Comparative studies of the serums from the dam and the umbilical cord were also done with gel filtration. Of 20 umbilical cord serum samples, IgG was seen in 5 samples (25%), IgA in 1 sample (5%), and IgM in 9 samples (45%). The amount of any 1 of the 3 classes of Ig in the serums was between 13.5 and 28.0 mg/dl. Among the samples examined, 1 had both IgG and IgA and 1 had IgG and IgM, but none had both IgA and IgM and none had 3 classes of immunoglobulins (i.e., IgG, IgA, and IgM). Only 7 samples (35%) did not have any class of Ig. The IgG disappeared from the blood of hysterectomy-produced colostrum-deprived pigs at 3 days of age, and IgM disappeared when pigs were 7 days of age. Neutralization antibodies of porcine parvovirus and Japanese encephalitis virus in maternal serum were not transferred to the fetus through the placenta. Results of immunohistologic surveys indicated that the sow's Ig were not transferred to the fetus through the placenta. Therefore, it is believed that the Ig in the porcine fetus might be synthesized in certain cells in the placental tissue, and the degree of production of the Ig in the placental tissues may differ in each case. The component, which seems to be Ig, was observed as the obscure band of the beta- to gamma-globulin area in serum of the umbilical cord. Comparison was made, with gel filtration, of maternal serum and serum from the umbilical cord of the newborn pig originating from the same sow. Seemingly, the IgG in the umbilical cord serum is mainly in the lower molecular weight fraction, whereas IgG in the sow's serum was distributed in the high to low molecular weight fractions.


Strongyloides ransomi: prenatal and transmammary infection of pigs of sequential litters from dams experimentally exposed as weanlings. Prenatal infection of pigs with Strongyloides ransomi occurred in 12% of 104 pigs and in 14% of 21 litters farrowed by 13 sows experimentally exposed to infective larvae as weanlings. Transmammary passage was observed in 38 of 39 litters studied. Milk samples obtained from 14 sows showed that larvae were usually shed in the colostrum within 24 hours after farrowing; however, larvae were recovered from samples of milk of sows up to 20 days after parturition. Larvae were recovered from milk samples obtained after each parturition up to the fourth. Prenatal infection in pigs was not detected after the 1st litter.


Enzootic calcinosis in sheep: clinical signs and pathology. Enzootic calcinosis in Corriedale sheep was characterized by degeneration and mineralization of elastic connective tissue of aorta, arteries, lung, and kidney and by ulceration of cartilage of joints of limbs. Results of serum chemical analysis revealed low Ca X P value and significantly low, but inconsistent magnesium concentration and normal inorganic phosphorus content. The Ca:P ratio in bone was low in affected sheep. Clinicopathologically, calcinosis of sheep at Mattewara, India, appeared to be similar to the disease described as Enteque seco in South America, Naalehu disease in Hawaii, Manchester wasting disease in Jamaica, and calcinosis in central Europe, Israel, and South Africa. The disease might be due to complex mineral imbalance, although the possibility of a plant poisoning has not been ruled out.


Enzootic calcinosis in sheep: soil-plant-animal relationship. Chemical compositions of soil, water, feeds, and forages on a farm where sheep were affected with calcinosis (experimental site) and a farm with sheep not affected with calcinosis (control site) were determined. The study lasted 1 year. It was observed that water from the experimental site had higher electrical conductivity and calcium level than from the control site. Higher conductivity indicated greater mineral content in the water. Soil from the experimental site had lower levels of potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus and higher content of exchangeable calcium as compared with these values of the control site. Exchangeable Ca:Mg ratio for soil of the experiemntal site was twice greater than that of the control site. Forage plants of the experimental site had lower concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and copper, but higher values of potassium and sulfur. The K:Ca + Mg, K:P, and K:Ca ratios for plants from the experimental site were higher and Ca:P ratio was lower than those of the control site. Analysis of ruminal content of the affected sheep revealed higher K:Ca + Mg, K:P, and Ca:P ratios than those of the control sheep. Due to the close relationship of metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, evidence of the existance of their imbalances in feeds and forages of the affected farm possibly contributing to the causation of the pathologic calcification of soft tissues of the sheep has been presented.


Distribution of chloramphenicol in some tissues and extravascular fluids of dogs after oral administration. Chloramphenicol concentrations were assayed chemically in tissue homogenates, blood, and certain extravascular fluids of Greyhounds killed 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 hours after they were orally given the drug (50 mg/kg). The concentrations of hemoglobin in blood and tissue homogenates were used to estimate "corrected values" to allow for differences in vascularity of the tissues sampled. The distribution of chloramphenicol in the body was not uniform. In all sampled tissues except brain, the initial corrected values were higher than the concentrations in blood. The tissues sampled, in diminishing order of initial corrected value, were lymph node, spleen, pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, muscle, and brain. The persistence of antibiotic in different tissues varied, and in some tissues it was detectable when blood concentrations reached zero. Penetration of chloramphenicol into brain and cerebrospinal fluid was slower than in other tissues and fluids. In aqueous humor and cerebrospinal fluid, concentrations were lower than those in blood, but high concentrations were present in urine. The findings indicated that during chloramphenicol therapy it may be advantageous to select dosage frequencies according to the site of infection.


Blood volume changes and production and destruction of erythrocytes in newborn dogs. Erythrocyte, plasma, and total blood volumes were measured in dogs from birth to maturity. All of these volumes (per kilogram of body weight) were significantly greater in the dog at birth than at maturity. Erythrocyte volume decreased during neonatal and postnatal periods to less than that during adult period. Erythrocyte production and destruction were measured with a technique combining dilution method of T-1824 for blood volume measurement with uniform tagging of newly formed erythrocytes with 29Fe. Erythrocyte destruction was high during the first 2 weeks after birth.


Morphologic and physical characteristics of feline infectious peritonitis virus and its growth in autochthonous peritoneal cell cultures. Characteristic viral-type particles were seen in liver of kittens experimentally infected with the feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) agent. The particles were from 70 to 75 nm in diameter, with a central doughnut-shaped nucleoid 50 to 55 nm in diameter; numerous spikelike projections extended from their envelopes. Similar particles were seen by electron microscopy in peritoneal cell cultures derived from the peritoneal exudate of experimentally infected kittens, and viral antigens were identified in these cells by immunofluorescence. Cells and supernatant fluids from cultures containing these particles produced FIP when injected into the peritoneal cavity of kittens. The FIP agent is heat sensitive, ether labile, and relatively phenol resistant and is inactivated within 24 hours at room temperature. The FIP agent is inactivated by recommended viricidal concentrations of chlorhexidine and benzlkonium chloride.


Effects of uterus and prostaglandin F2alpha on corpora lutea in Mongolian gerbils and guinea pigs. One   or both uterine horns were removed on postpartum day 6 day 1=parturition in pseudopregnant gerbils. On dy 16, the corpora lutea (C) in unilaterally hysterectomized gerbils were smaller (P less than 0.05) in the ovary adjacent to an intact horn than in the ovary adjacent to a removed horn. The cL were smaller in uterine-intact than in completely hysterectomized gerbils. I n another experiment, the cl were smaller (P less than 0.05) in pseudopregnant gerbils given a single intrauterine injection of a 30- or 20-mug dose of prostaglandin F2alpha) (PGFalpha) on postpartum day 6 and theen necropsied on day 10 than in gerbils given 10-, 5-, 1-, and 0-mug doses; CL were smaller (P less than 0.05) on the side ipsilateral to the treated horn than on the opposite side, although the interaction of dose and side was not significant...


Pathologic changes in ferrets exposed to pseudorabies virus. Ferrets experimentally infected by various routes with pseudorabies virus were examined for gross and microscopic lesions. Nonsuppurative meningoencephalomyelitis, as well as visceral lesions, occurred. The incubation period seemed related to the viral dose and to the distance between the inoculation site and the central nervous system. The distribution of the lesions in the central nervous system appeared to be closely related to the peripheral nerve pathways from the inoculation sites. Other findings indicated that the lymphohematogenous route could have a role in the dissemination of the virus in infected ferrets.


Interrelationships between athyreotic and manganese-deficient states in rats. Possible interrelationships of manganese-deficient and hypothyroid (thiouracil treatment) states in rats were examined. Clinical signs, necropsy changes, and plasma thyroxine concentrations were determined in control rats (group A), thiouracil-treated (hypothyroid) rats (group B), rats given manganese-deficient feed (group C), and rats given thiouracil and manganese-deficient feed (group D). Clinical signs observed included a hyperemic condition of the ears in group C and D rats that was considerably more severe in the latter group. One rat from group D also had middle ear changes, as reflected by a tilting of the head. Fluid intake was severely reduced in group D rats near the end of the 60-day experimental period and resulted in marked dehydration. Pathologic change (fatty liver) was observed at necropsy in only 1 rat from group D. Thiouracil treatment of rats reduced plasma thyroxine concentration to 48 to 68% of base line from experimental days 20 to 60. The same thiouracil treatment combined with feeding a manganese-deficient ration significantly reduced plasma thyroxine concentrations to 37% of base line at day 20 and 5% of base line at day 40; the concentration at day 60 was 76% of base line, apparently approaching normal because of concentration of the plasma (and thyroxine) in the dehydrated rats. Mean adrenal gland weight was significantly less than normal in group D rats, whereas mean thyroid gland weight in this group was increased, although less than that of group B rats treated with thiouracil only. Thus, clinical signs of deficiency were enhanced when athyreotic and manganese-deficient states were combined, and plasma thyroxine concentrations were markedly decreased, giving added meaning to the need for awareness of hormonal and trace mineral status of animals.


Comparative hematology: studies on goats. Results of blood coagulation and hematologic studies on 6 goats, each tested 3 times, were compared to the values seen in persons. Special blood platelet studies were done on an additional goat. Blood coagulation values in the goats and in persons were similar, with these exceptions: In the goat, activated partial thromboplastin time was shorter and thrombin time was longer; one-stage assays of factors V, VIII, and IX were very high, and platelets aggregated poorly epinephrine and ristocetin. Both platelets and erythrocytes were small. On scanning electron microscopy, the erythrocytes appeared as flat disks or triangles, occasionally having a dimpled center, compared to the deeply dimpled doughnut shape of the larger human erythrocytes. Osmotic fragility of these small erythrocytes was greater than that of their human counterparts. By transmission electron microscopy of ultrathin sections of goat buffy coat, platelets had fine structures similar to those of human platelets. Unlike in human platelets, most of the dense bodies in goat platelets were surrounded by clear vacuoles. Biochemical studies showed higher than human levels of phosphorus, chloride, sodium, alkaline phosphatase, and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase.


Lactic acid-utilizing bacteria in ruminal fluid of a steer adapted from hay feeding to a high-grain ration. A mature, rumen-cannulated steer fed Coastal Bermuda grass hay for 8 weeks was adapted to a high-grain ration by stepwise increases in grain over a period of 4 weeks. The grain rations had concentrate-to-roughage ratios of 40:60, 70:30, and 85:15 and were fed for 10, 7, and 11 days, respectively. Numerical estimates of lactate-utilizing bacteria in ruminal fluid of the steer the last 3 days each ration was fed were made by colony counts. Lactate-utilizing bacteria were identified as Megasphaera elsdenii, Peptococcus asaccharolyticus, and Selenomonas ruminantium. Maximal numbers of lactate-utilizing bacteria were observed in the ruminal fluid of the steer during feeding the concentrate-to-roughage ration of 70:30.


Survey of anaplasmosis in elk of the Clearwater National Forest (Idaho). Samples of blood from 27 free-roaming elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis) from the Clearwater National Forest in north central Idaho were tested by the rapid card agglutination test and complement-fixation test for the presence of antibodies against Anaplasma marginale. The serum card test and complement-fixation test gave incomplete and false-positive reactions; the plasma card test did not give any reactions. Anaplasma bodies or other blood parasites were not observed in stained smears of elk blood. Blood from 11 elk, including 2 that were serum card test-positive, did not produce clinical, hematologic, or serologic evidence of infection in 3 anaplasmosis-susceptible bovine calves.


Efficacy of divided doses of fospirate against immature Echinococcus granulosus infections in dogs. Seventy dogs were used to evaluate efficacy of divided doses of fospirate against immature Echinococcus granulosus infections in dogs. Dose rates of 10 to 80 mg/kg given on 1 or 2 occasions resulted in the clearance of 70.6 to 94.5% of expected worm numbers. At least 3 treatments may be required before dogs can be free from E granulosus. Vomiting, which occurred in dogs given doses of 40 mg or more/kg, seemed to interfere with anthelmintic efficacy in some dogs.


Efficacy of divided doses of GS-23654 against immature Echinococcus granulosus infections in dogs. One hundred dogs were used to evaluate the efficacy of GS-23654 (4-nitro-4'-isothiocyano-diphenyl-ether) against immature Echinococcus granulosus. A 25% suspension of active ingredient was administered at dose rates of 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg of body weight on 1, 2, or 3 occasions. Anthelmintic efficacy was dosage dependent and increased with the number of times the dosage was repeated. At none of the treatment schedules tested were all worms eliminated from all dogs, although 92.6% of the expected number of worms were eliminated from dogs given 400 mg/kg on 3 occasions.


Chronic bifascicular block: evaluation of familial factors. We studied whether familial factors are significant in chronic bifascicular block. One hundred thirty-four first- and second-degree relatives of 44 outpatients with chronic bifascicular block were examined. These relatives were studied to ascertain the presence or absence of cardiac disease and conduction defects. A race-, age-, and sex-matched control group (age range, 18 to 65) was randomly chosen from a population of employed volunteers for comparison purposes. The study group had a significantly greater frequency of conduction defects than the control group (24/95 versus 10/95, P less than 0.02). Study group members less than 18 years of age (32 patients) had a similar frequency of conduction defects when compared with patients described in the literature. In study group members older than 65 years, 5 out of 7 had conduction defects, a high frequency. In conclusion, the findings suggest an age-related familial tendency to conduction disease among relatives of patients with chronic bifascicular block.


Normal diluting capacity in hyponatremic patients. Reset osmostat or a variant of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. Four patients with chronic illnesses and stable hyponatremia and plasma hypotonicity had normal urinary diluting capacity, with excretion of greater than 80% of a standard water load (20 ml/kg) within 4 hours and maintenance of a urine osmolality less than 100 mosmol/kg, during sustained water diuresis. Administration of a chronic salt load did not correct the hyponatremia. However, it was stabilized after treatment of the underlying medical condition. These subjects may represent a true resetting of the osmostat or a variant of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.


Leukemia and lymphoma patients linked by prior social contact. Evaluation using a case-control approach. A case-control approach was used to evaluate whether patients with leukemia or lymphoma have a greater than expected tendency to have had prior close personal associations. Two census enumeration districts in different states with low population mobility were chosen, and each resident who had developed leukemia or lymphoma during a predetermined fixed interval was ascertained by review of tumor registry records. For each patient, a resident of the area was selected as a control matched for age, sex, race, and geographic location as of the time of diagnosis. Close personal associations between patients, controls, and both were determined by interviewing. In Area 1 the 8 patients had 11 social links (3 direct, 8 indirect) and the controls had 2 (both direct); P=0.0156, one-tailed significance test. In Area 2, the 21 patients had 21 close links (15 direct, 6 indirect) whereas the controls had 10 (direct 8, indirect 2; 0.25 greater than P greater than 0.20).


Survivors of cancer in childhood.

Survivors of cancer in childhood. Late effects of childhood cancer in 142 patients, presently aged 18 years and older, were examined with a medical record review and questionnaire survey. Seventy-four patients (52%) had major defects in treated organs, while 17 (12%) developed second primary neoplasms (10 malignancies and 7 benign tumors). Despite these disorders, most patients had fully active lives. Eighty-six (61%) had attended college, and many were employed as professionals or managers. Seventy-five (53%) were married; 46 had progeny. Disabling psychological illness attributed to cancer in childhood was uncommon. These findings indicate the potential for high quality of extended life for most survivors of childhood cancer. Comprehensive long-term care of these patients may further reduce adverse physiologic and psychosocial sequelae.


Therapy of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia associated with a removable focus of infection. We did a retrospective study of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia--from removable foci of infection--treated with short course antimicrobial therapy. Patients with S. aureus endocarditis were excluded from our study. The majority of patients had sepsis from intravascular devices. After removal of the focus of bacteremia, antibiotics were administered for a mean period of 15.2 days. There were no relapses, and no patient developed endocarditis. A  10- to 21-day antibiotic regimen can be curative in S. aureus bacteremia associated with a removable focus of infection.


An "experimental" epidemic of Reiter's syndrome revisited. Follow-up evidence on genetic and environmental factors. The relation between a specific infective event (shigellosis), a specific disease entity (Reiter's syndrome), and a specific histocompatibility antigen (HL-A B27) is documented by follow-up study of an epidemic of post-Shigella Reiter's syndrome. Five of the original 10 patients have been traced, HL-A typed, and clinically assessed 13 years after the initial episode. One of the 5 has minimal disease, remains symptom-free, and is HL-A B27-negative. The remaining 4 have followed a chronic course, have persistent active disease, and are HL-A B27-positive. It is estimated that after this single episode of shigellosis, from one sixth to one third of the persons who were HL-A B27-positive developed Reiter's syndrome. The prognosis for postdysenteric Reiter's syndrome must be guarded, especially in the subject who is B27-positive.


Hereditary angioedema: the clinical syndrome and its management. Hereditary angioedema is manifested by attacks of swelling of the extremities, face, trunk, airway, or abdominal viscera, occurring spontaneously or secondary to trauma. It is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait and is due to deficient activity of the inhibitor of the activated first component of complement. The clinical diagnosis can be confirmed by the findings of low levels of C4 or C1 esterase inhibitor activity, or both. Therapy may be divided into three phases: long-term prophylaxis of attacks, short-term prophylaxis of attacks, and treatment of acute attacks. Long-term prophylaxis may be achieved with antifibrinolytic agents and androgens. Short-term prophylaxis with these agents and plasma transfusions has been successful. Specific therapy for acute attacks is not available, but good supportive care, together with a knowledge of the course of the disease, can prevent asphyxiation from airway obstruction. Before the advent of therapy, mortality was reported as high as 30%.


Practice habits in a group of eight internists. A method was devised to offer a group of internists a system by which to analyze their practices, allowing them to identify areas where a change in practice habits might be beneficial. More than 3000 encounters between patients and internists in an eight-man group were analyzed for a number of variables. Significant differences existed between physicians as to the percentage of encounters that were physician-initiated rather than patient-initiated. Disposition of the encounters also varied significantly. The effect that the recycling of patients has on productivity, cost, and use of hospital facilities is discussed. In addition to geographic and specialty maldistribution, the maldistribution of physician time is a significant barrier to meeting the demands for medical care.


Evaluation of the techniques used for investigating the in vitro synthesis of bromegrass mosaic virus RNA. The paper is dealing with the study of RNA polymerase activity using endogenous RNA templates in extracts of leaves infected with bromegrass mosaic virus (BMV). The in vitro labeling of BMV-RNA in such extracts is associated with a particulate replication complex which is able to synthesize totally or partially single-stranded BMV-RNA under conditions where exogenous BMV-RNA (purified from the virus) is rapidly degraded. This suggests that rapidly-labeled BMV-RNA is protected from endogenous nuclease effect.


Host and virus specific RNA polymerases in alfalfa mosaic virus infected tobacco. The particulate fraction of a homogenate of alfalfa mosaic virus infected tobacco was found to contain the viral replicase, and one or more host-specific RNA-polymerases. Using an endogeneous template, the membrane-bound replicase incorporates 3H-CTP in virion-type RNA. The synthesized RNA is part of a replicative intermediate; after RN-ase-treatment the product comigrates with viral double-stranded RNA in polyacrylamide gels. A preliminary characterization of this double-stranded RNA was made by RNA-RNA hybridization. Treatment of the particulate fraction with lubrol releases a host-specific RNA-polymerase. The activity of this enzyme is completely dependent on exogeneous template-RNA. Probably only a very small region of the template is transcribed. After washing with lubrol, the particulate fraction still contains the viral replicase. When this fraction is resuspended in a Mg++-deficient buffer, about 60% of the enzyme activity is released into the supernatant. No such activity is found in a comparable extract of healthy leaves.


Transitional control in Semliki forest virus infected cells. The cistron of the 42 S RNA, which codes for other than structural proteins, is poorly translated in the middle of the growth cycle. The translational control operating in the infected cells is not expressed in cell-free protein synthesising systems programmed with the 42 S RNA, since mostly non-structural proteins are made in vitro. One of our temperature-sensitive mutants of SFV, ts-1, directs the synthesis of two non-structural proteins with molecular weights of 78,000 (ns-78) and 86,000 (ns-86) but only at the restrictive temperature. This indicates that the synthesis of the non-structural proteins is controlled by viral rather than cellular factor(s). Temperature shift experiments revealed that the control mechanism was only slowly affected by the change of the temperature.


Separation studies of TMV replicase.

Separation studies of TMV replicase. By means of affinity chromatography RNA-agarose a partial purification of a soluble TMV replicase is obtained in addition to a poly(U) polymerase when extracts of fresh, systemically TMV-infected tobacco leaves are used. An active replicase fraction always shows a certain amount of poly(U) polymerase. The replicase is inactivated by electrophoresis and the enzyme shows a harmful adsorption to certain supporting materials. When a purified replicase fraction, or an extract from frozen infected leaves, was gel filtrated on Sephadex G-75 in 50 mM Tris-HC1 pH 7.2, three peaks of replicase activity could be detected. Peak I was found in the void volume, peak II was elute with about 1.8 times the void volume and peak III with about 2.6 times the void volume. The activities of peaks II and III had very short half-times. Peak II was not obtained with extracts of frozen healthy leaves.


Amino acid accepting structures in tymovirus RNAs. We have shown that the 3' terminal nucleotide of tymovirus RNA binds valine as do tRNAs. We have mainly studied eggplant mosaic virus which presents two types of particles. The heavy particle contains the genome which binds valine and a 4S satellite RNA esterified by lysine. The light particle contains 4S RNAs, possessing various acceptor capacities. Among these 4S RNAs we have identified the host plant tRNAsVal, a single tRNA Lys and probably the moiety of the genome which accepts valine.


Location, rate and asymmetry of ds-RNA synthesis during replication of TYMV in Chinese cabbage. The ds-RNA induced by TYMV infection in the nuclei of infected Chinese cabbage leaf cells became labelled with [32P]phosphate most rapidly before production of virus could be detected. In contrast, the ds-RNA associated with the chloroplasts became labelled most rapidly during the period of maximum virus production.


Towards an understanding of viroid nature and replication. In leaf strips and in nuclei isolated from potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV)-infected tomato, incorporation of [3H]UMP into PSTV is shown to be inhibited by pre-treatment of the leaf-strips with actinomycin D. These results demonstrate that PSTV is synthesized in the cell nucleus and that replication may occur from a DNA template.


Environmental correlations of skin colour. Skin colour data obtained by reflectance spectrophotometry on indigenous populations are compared with environmental variables--latitude, temperature, humidity and altitude. Association with latitude predominates at all wavelengths. Temperatures show a small but appreciable association at the shorter wavelengths, humidity at wavelengths above 595 nm. Over 80 per cent of the total interpopulation variance at each wave length is accounted for by these variables, more at the shorter wavelengths. It is suggested that skin colour should be regarded as a complex of entities of differing selective values rather than a single entity.


Biological correlates of modernization in a Guatemalan highland municipio. The demographic correlates of modernization were studied in a municipio of the Guatemalan highlands using, as indicators of modernization, the introduction of chemical fertilizers and of a religous revitalization movement. Accion Catolica. Records, taken from interviews, of 340 women divided into declines (decennial groups) within ten-year birth cohorts extending from before 1925 to 1954, were checked for representativeness against the birth registries for the entire municipio for the years 1965-69.


Comments on the critical metabolic mass and the age of menarche. Data from Frisch and Revelle (1971) and Frisch et al. (1973) are used to show that some of their biological conclusions relating body composition to age at menarche follow directly from arithmetical operations on the two observed items of information: weight and height. This emphasizes the dangers of drawing biological conclusions from derived, as opposed to observed, data. The hypothesis that an age-unrelated critical body weight triggers off menarche is examined in relation to preliminary data from a longitudinal study of adolescent girls. It is unacceptable because: (a) mean weights at menarche showed an upward trend with increasing age; (b) for given body weights the proportion of girls starting to menstruate increased with age; (c) at all ages the variation of body weight at menarche was as large as that among non-menstruating girls: (d) only 41 per cent of girls started to menstruate at weights 48 +/- 5 kg; and (e) eleven of the 20 girls whose weight exceeded 48 kg at the age 10-5-11 years did not start to menstruate although 1-1-5 years had elapsed since they attained the "critical" weight. Although no direct body composition data are presented the behaviour of skinfold suggests that body composition is unlikely to be the primary trigger of menarche.


Variation in upper arm length and forarm length in normal British girls: photogrammetric standards. A photographic measuring technique has been used to study the lengths of the upper arm and forearm in normal British girls. The data are presented graphically, and show: 1. Ellipses which include 97 per cent of normal subjects when upper arm length is plotted against forearm length. 2. Variation of upper arm length and forearm length according to age. 3. Variation of upper arm length in relation to forearm length, irrespective of age. 4. Variation of upper arm length and forearm length in relation to sitting height, irrespective of age. The charts collectively provide a means of defining the exact nature of abnormalities of growth in the arms or of differences between populations. They provide a new aid to the classification of disorders involving abnormal growth of the arms.


Day-to-day variation in body weights of children. Day-to-day fluctuations in the body weights on five consecutive days of 54 boys and 50 girls aged between 2 and 6 years were measured. The standard deviation of the body weights over this period were of the order of +/- 0-2 kg in boys and girls. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that only loss or gain in body weights of more than twice this amount should be taken as indicative of real change.


The adolescent growth spurt of boys and girls of the Harpenden growth study. Logistic curves have been fitted to the growth during puberty of the 55 boys and 35 girls of the Harpenden Growth Study who were measured every three months during puberty and thereafter until growth ceased. Very good fits were obtained for stature, sitting height, subischial leg length, biacromial and bi-iliac diameters from approximately six months after the beginning of the adolescent spurt. This beginning, called "take-off", was determined graphically as the point of minimum velocity. The total height gained from take-off point to cessation of growth averaged 28 cm in boys and 25 cm in girls with standard deviations of about 4 cm. The adult sex difference in height was due much more to the later take-off in boys than to a greater male adolescent spurt. A sex difference in the spurt occurred in sitting height but not in leg length. Mean-constant curves for the four measurements are presented. In each measurement size at take-off and total adolescent gain were nearly independent, the average correlation coefficient being --0-2. The correlations between adolescent gains in different measurements averaged only 0-47, and between peak velocities of different measurements only 0-27. This implies considerable shape change at adolescence. In contrast the average correlation between ages at which the peak velocities were reached was 0-87. Ages at take-off, at peak velocity, and at menarche were independent of mature size, though correlated with percentage of adult size reached at the ages in question, a measure of somatic maturity. Relationships with the development of breasts, pubic hair and genitalia were examined; ages at take-off and at peak velocity correlated to the extent of 0-6 to 0-8 with ages of B2 and PH2 but both these parameters and also peak velocities were uncorrelated with the rapidity with which sex characters developed.


Blood polymorphism frequencies in the Sara Majingay of Chad. Blood samples of 258 Sara Majingay of Ndila (Southern Chad) were analysed. Phenotype and allele frequencies are given for 22 polymorphisms. For each of these, the Majingay are compared to a number of other African populations. Then they are included in a set of 8 African populations between which multivariate distances for 25 alleles at 9 loci are computed. A two-dimensional representation is derived from the matrix of distances, and is discussed. It bears the stamp of gene flow in central Ethiopia, where an Arab admixture is evident, and in Southern Africa, where a reciprocal gene flow has marked the gene pools of Khoisan and Bantu speakers to a varying degree. The Majingay stand relatively near to the Bedik, another population of West-Central Africa. The non-Arab or non-Khoisan components of the gene pool of the other populations do not seem to differ largely from the gene pools of the West-Central African populations.


Maximum aerobic power and physical dimensions of children. Age, height, mass, fat-free mass and vital capacity were used as predictors of maximum aerobic power (VO2 max). The variables were cast in linear form by logarithmic transfomation and submitted to multiple regression analysis. Results indicate VO2 max as a power function of age, height and mass in 50 untrained boys aged 7 to 13 years. In this group the relationship between VO2 max and body mass may be expressed by the equation Y=0.076X0.88 (r=0.92, P <0.01). Age, height and mass together accounted for 89 per cent of the variance in VO2 max (R=0.94, P <0.01). In 30 girl swimmers and in 14 young boys during 22 months of running training, VO2 max was proportional to body mass and indicated greater maximum aerobic power for their size and age. In normally growing children, VO2 max appears to increase more slowly than body mass. Children subjected to aerobic training evidently maintain VO2 max in proportion to their increasing mass throughout adolescence.


Skeletal maturation of children in Okinawa. A radiological investigation of 115 boys and 149 girls aged 7-15 years on Okinawa Island was undertaken. The skeletal maturation of the hand and wrist was compared with that in Tokyo and Sapporo. For assessing skeletal maturity, the Tanner-Whitehouse-1 (1962) and Kimura (1972) methods were used. The children of Okinawa were somewhat retarded skeletally compared to those of Tokyo in early childhood. However, they matured more rapidly in childhood and at adolescence than children in Tokyo and Sapporo. These facts seem to agree well with the results from the physical measurements.


The relationship of kyphosis to the shape of vertebral bodies. An index which measures the wedge deformity of vertebral bodies in lateral chest radiographs in older people was calculated by dividing the sum of the vertical anterior heights of the lower six thoracic vertebral bodies and discs by the corresponding sum of vertical posterior heights. This index increased with increasing age in a similar manner in men and in women, in contradistinction to an index measuring kyphosis in which the age effect was greater in women. The index of wedging explained 42 per cent and 48 per cent of the variation in kyphosis in men and in women respectively. Additional effects due to age, detected in women only, added a further 4 per cent to the explained variation and may be due to ageing of soft tissues.


A longitudinal study of the growth of trunk surface area measured by planimeter on standard somatotype photographs. Thoracic and abdominal surface areas have been measured by planimeter on 340 photogrammetric somatotype photographs of 15 boys of the Harpenden Growth Study followed at regular intervals from 3 to 20 years of age. Mean distance and velocity curves are given, estimated by Patterson's method for extracting maximum information from mixed longitudinal data. Both areas showed a marked adolescent growth spurt with the age at peak coinciding with the age of peak height velocity of the same children. The correlation coefficients between thorax and abdominal surface areas rose from an average of about 0-3 at ages 5-8 to 0-5 at ages 9-12 and 0-7 at ages 13-19. Trunk index (thorax/abdomen area) fell gradually with age from 5 to 9 and thereafter remained constant.


Prevalence of dental caries of Chinese in Liverpool. The dental caries prevalence of adult Chinese immigrants in the Liverpool area is considerably lower than that of the native British. This is in contrast to Chinese children born in the U.K. who appear to have a higher prevalence compared to the same age group of British children.


Enolase: human tissue distribution and evidence for three different loci. Four different cellogel electrophoretic patterns of enolase were found in human tissue extracts. They consisted of: (A) one strongly stained band (I) and two minor bands (II and III) found in haemolysates, white cell, skin fibroblast and kidney extracts; (B) a three-banded pattern in brain resembling that of haemolysates except for heavier concentrations of bands II and III; (C) a single component corresponding to band I, found in liver, heart, intestine spleen and placenta; (D) a single band with slightly faster mobility than band I, found in adult muscle extracts. The haemolysate of an individual with the heterozygous ENO1/ENO2 genotype had a triple banded pattern replacing band I, a double-banded pattern replacing band II and a single weakly staining band III. This finding, as well as the results of dissociation and recombination experiments, supports the hypothesis that the enzyme is a dimer formed by random interaction of two polypeptide chains (alpha and beta) synthesized by two independent gene loci (ENO1 and ENO2). Evidence for a third locus, ENO3, is supplied by the electrophoretic pattern of muscle extracts.


Human alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1, ADH2 and ADH3 loci in a mixed population of Bahia, Brazil. 1. The three structural gene loci of human alcohol dehydrogenase have been studied in liver, jejunum and lung from 300 newborns in a triracially mixed population of Bahia, Brazil. 2. The frequency of the ADH23 allele was 0-1392, suggesting that the ADH23 allele is less frequent in Negroes. 3. A new ADH2 variant was identified. The electrophoretic pattern was interpreted as due to a new allele which is provisionally called ADH2Bahia. 4. By electrophoretic classification the 'atypical' variant was found in 2-8% of the sample. A question is raised regarding the ancestral origin of the 'atypical' variant in the population. Because this variant is common in Japanese it may have reached the present day population of Bahia through their American Indian ancestors. 5. Subjective estimation of the proportions of beta chains by giving scores to the liver isozymes alphaalpha, alphabeta and betabeta showed a clear relationship between the fetal weight and the beta chain activity. 6. The proportion of beta chains in the liver is significantly less when there is no enzyme activity in the lung, indicating some synchronous 'turning on' mechanism for alcohol dehydrogenase synthesis in both tissues.


Genetic markers in trisomies 13 and 18.

Genetic markers in trisomies 13 and 18. Data on centromeric linkage for trisomies 13 and 18 are presented. There is no substantial evidence that any of these loci studied are on either chromosome. There is weak evidence relating the locus defining the Kidd groups to chromosome 18.


Population structure of Barra (Outer Hebrides). Historical demography, surname concordance (isonymy), migration, and genealogy give a consistent description of population structure. The census size has averaged about 1400 over the last five centuries. Conjoined with an effective migration rate of 3-05 per generation as estimated by three different methods, this gives an evolutionary size of 638, random kinship of 0-008 and inbreeding of 0-007 relative to the rest of Britain. The population structure of Barra is similar to other British isolates in the recent past, but an order of magnitude less inbred than slash-and-burn agriculturalists and Pacific Islanders. Some consequences for rare genes and polymorphisms are discussed.


Selection of biochemically variant clones of human lymphoid cells. Two established clones of human lymphoid cells, Raji and P3HRI, could be cloned in semi-solid agarose-containing medium at high efficiency. Several other human lymphoid cell lines examined cloned poorly if at all under these conditions. Variant clones of Raji and P3HRI resistant to 6-thioguanine, and in the case of Raji also to either 8-azaadenine or 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, were selected and characterized.


Bernstein's and gene-counting methods in generalized ABO-like systems. Although the simple and adjusted Bernstein's methods are fully efficient for m=2 and m=3 (ABO system) respectively, their efficiency declines for larger values of m. For m greater than or equal to 4, the adjusted or modified Bernstein's method with a single counting iteration leads to a nearly efficient estimator. A single degree of freedom chi-square test of the Hardy-Weinberg law for all m is derived. Some findings on the statistical efficiency of typing various numbers of antigens are given. All the results are illustrated in numerical examples.


[Study of the chemical makeup of the mycelium from an active strain of Act. rimosus and from an inactive mutant in relaiton to oxytetracycline biosynthesis]. Chemical composition of the mycelium of the active and inactive mutants of Act. rimosus grown under conditions favourable for oxytetracycline biosynthesis on the starch or maltose medium and under favourable conditions on the glucose medium was studied. It was shown that according to its chemical composition the above strains did not practically differ. When grown on the starch medium the mycelium of both strains contained great amounts of carbohydrates and comparatively small amounts of nucleic acids and nitrogen. Replacement of starch in the medium by glucose or maltose induced significant changes in the mycelium composition: the synthesis of intracellular polysaccharides was markedly suppressed and the synthesis of nucleic acids and nitrogen containing compounds increased. RNA was the main nucleic acid in both strains on starch and glucose media. The content of DNA was low and did not practically change. The mycelium of both strains contained small amounts of lipids which did not significantly change during the process of cultivation and did not correlate with the antibiotic activity.


[Isolation and study of the physicochemical properties of the partial acid hydrolysis products of the aglycone actinoidin]. Two new fragments, i.e. products I and II were found in the process of studying the products of acid hydrolysis of actinoidin aglycone. Both compounds were isolated in the form of homogenous preparations by the method of ion exchange chromatography on cellulose KM. Their physico-chemical properties and element composition were studied. It was found that product I was phenylalanine dipeptide (Phe) and oxyaromatic triamiotricarboxylic compound (Y) not described earlier, while product II was tripeptide including diaminodicarboxylic actinoidinic amino acid (B) in addition to phenylalanine and fragment Y.


[Study of the dynamics of n-propyl alcohol in an Act. erythreus culture during the biosynthesis of erythromycin using a gas-liquid chromatographic method]. The effect of n-propyl alcohol on biosynthesis of erythromycin and the dynamics of the precursor consumption were studied with the method of gas-liquid chromatography. It was shown that neither the optimal concentration of the precursor, nor its stimulating effect on different media correlated. n-Propyl alcohol was used not only for the antibiotic biosynthesis but also according to other metabolic path-ways and in addition its evaporation from the medium was registered. During the first period of the fermentation n-propyl alcohol suppressed the antibiotic biosynthesis.


[New antibiotic, parvulomycin, produced by a culture of Actinomyces parvullus var. chromogenes var. nov]. Actinomycete LIA-O784 was isolated from a soil sample. By its morphological and cultural properties the isolate was close to Act. parvullus but differed from it in synthesis of melanoid pygment, thyrosinase, hydrogen sulphide and pronounced antifungal activity. The actinomycete was classified as a new variant and designated as Actinomyces parvullus var. chromogenes var. nov. The culture produced a new polyglycoside antibiotic named parvulomycin. The physico-chemical characteristics of the antibiotic is presented.


[Sensitivity of Mycoplasma hominis cultures isolated from clinical material to certain antibiotics]. Sensitivity to II antibiotics of 80 strains of M. hominis isolated from patients with various inflammatory processes of the urogenital tract was studied by the method of suppressing the metabolic activity. Inhibition of the arginine metabolism of mycoplasma was used as a test for determination of the growth suppression. All the strains tested were highly sensitive to tetracycline and lincomycin. Kanamycin and neomycin were less active against M. hominis. All the strains tested were resistant to erythromycin, oleandomycin, ristomycin, novobiocin and streptomycin. The inhibitory effect of tetracycline and lincomycin on M. hominis decreased by the 5th day.


[Actinomyces streptomycini mutant blocked in streptidine biosynthesis]. Mutant 170 not capable of forming streptidine and streptomycin was obtained using chemical mutagenes. This mutant can produce streptomycin only with suplementation of exogenous streptidine. Experiment with labeled C14-streptidine showed its specific incorporation in streptidine moiety of streptomycin molecule.


[Antibiotic interaction with proteolytic enzymes]. The effect of penicillin, tetracycline, aminoglucozide antibiotics and streptomycin on BAEE-esterase activity of trypsin was studied. It was found that benzylpenicillin in amounts of 50, 100 and 300 mg, ampicillin in an amount of 25 mg, methicillin in an amount of 12 mg and tetracycline in an amount of 2.5 mg as calculated per 1 mg of trypsin had no effect in vitro on the esterase activity of the enzyme. Neomycin, kanamycin and streptomycin in amounts of 5, 10, 100 or 300 mg per 1 mg of trypsin catalyzed splitting of BAEE by trypsin. When the antibiotics were added to the bile, its esterase activity increased. Preliminary intramuscular administration of trypsin and kanamycin to the rats had no effect on the ampicillin levels in the blood serum and brain and did not affect the permeability of the hemato-encephalic barrier as compared to the use of trypsin alone.


[Local use of neomycin. The histomorphological changes on the part of the neuroreceptor apparatus of the rabbit cornea]. The experimental histological studies with rabbits showed that neomycin in the form of 1 and 10 per cent solutions and ointments used for prolong periods of time affected the neuroreceptor apparatus of the animal cornea. It is not recommended to use 10 per cent solutions and ointments in the ophthalmological practice. Before using neomycin it is necessary to examine the cornea sensitivity and if it is lowered, the antibiotic should not be used.


[Effect of population density on Actinomyces resistomycificus biosynthesis of heliomycin and resistoflavin]. Determination of heliomycin and resistoflavin contents in colonies of Act. resistomycilicus grown on pads with different density showed that the population density may be a factor controlling the level of the antibiotic biosynthesis by Act. resistomycificus and directing it along production of heliomycin or resistoflavin.


[Action of N-nitroso-N-methylbiuret on Penicillium nigricans Thom and the protective effect in UV irradiation]. N-Nitrozo-N-methylbiuret (NMB) in a concentration of 0.2% and exposition for 2,3,4 and 6 hours with the survival rate of the conidia of 4-25% induced slight morphological variation of the griseofulvin-producing organism and increased the variation rate with respect to the antibiotic production by 40-140%. Preliminary treatment of the conidia with NMB decreased the lethal effect of UV-rays approximately by 15-25 times. The protective range with respect to morphological variation was 10 times lower. With an increase in the toxicity of NMB its protective effect in irradiation with UV-light decreased.


[Study of certain carbohydrate metabolism enzymes in an active oxytetracycline producer strain and in an inactive mutant in relation to antibiotic biosynthesis]. The activity of the glycolysis enzymes, i.e. aldolase and pyruvate decarboxylase and the enzymes of the pentose cycle, i.e. transketolase were investigated in the process of cultivation of an active strain and inactive mutant of Act. rimosus under conditions favourable for oxytetracycline biosynthesis on starch medium and under unfavourable conditions on glucose medium. It was shown that the aldolase and transketolase activity in the inactive mutant was higher on the starch medium as compared to the active strain, while the activity of pyruvate dekarboxylase was lower. The above difference between the both strains was preserved on the glucose medium and the activity of aldolase and transketolase in both strains increased, while the activity of pyruvate dekarboxylase remained at the same level.


[Utilization of automatic systems for determining the biological activity of antibiotics by the agar diffusion method]. The Automatic Zone Analyzer AR-140 of Millipor intertech., inc. is an apparatus used for measurement of inhibition growth zones of test-microbes and estimation of antibiotic activity. The analyzer provides automatic registration of the data with high levels of accuracy and at least 99% reproducibility. The analyzer gives an effect in saving time as compared to the manual method by 5-7 times for the single-dose procedure and by 10-12 times for the three-dose procedure.


[Sensitivity to antibacterial preparations of the pathogenic staphylococci isolated from carriers]. After discontinuation of the use of antibiotics for sanation of the carriers of pathogenic staphylococci among the staff of a maternity unit, the number of the strains resistant to penicillin, streptomycin, chlortetracycline, tetracycline, levomycetin, erythromycin, monomycin and neomycin decreased 1.3, 2.9, 10,4.3,5.5,1.5,3.9 and 2.4 times respectively. The differences were statistically reliable. The causes of the antibiotic resistance decrease require further investigation.


[Effect of some antibiotics on the resistance of white mice to staphylococcal toxin]. Penicillin and streptomycin in experimental staphylococcal intoxication had different effects on the disease depending on the period of their use. Penicillin injections prior to administration of the toxin increased significantly the resistance of the animals to it, while with the use of streptomycin there was only a tendency to its increase. The use of both antibiotics against the background of the intoxication had a reverse effect: there was a tendency to a decreased animal resistance to a greater extent with the use of streptomycin. The use of tetracycline hydrochloride had no effect on the animal resistance to the staphylococcal toxin.


[Distribution and binding of oxytetracycline in the body of immunized animals]. Distribution and binding of oxytetracycline in immunized animals at various periods of immunogenesis (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 90 days after vaccination) were studied on rabbits, using dry live brucellosis vaccine, strain 19 as the antigen. The results of the study showed that immunological reconstruction of the macroorganism, its protective forces had a definite effect on the character of distribution, absorption and levels of oxytetracycline, as well as the processes of the antibiotic binding in the organism. The changes were indirect dependence on the immunogenesis periods: at the beginning of immunogenesis there was some increase in the antibiotic levels, as well as increased binding of the drug in the organs where reconstruction, activation and hyperplasia of the lymphoreticular cells occurred. During the productive phase of the antigen formation the antibiotic levels were 1,5-2 times lower, however, the processes of the antibiotic binding were more pronounced in the organs, where immunocompetent cells and antibodies were synthesized. During extinction of immunogenesis reduction of the initial antibiotic levels was recorded. Therefore, the changes directly depended on the periods of immunogenesis.


[Differentiation of the degree of bioavailability of peroral drug forms of tetracycline hydrochloride in experiments on laboratory animals]. Difference in the levels of bioavailability of 4 types of tetracycline hydrochloride tablets was shown on rabbits and guinea pigs. The rates of the antibiotic absorption into the blood of the laboratory animals and volunteers were the same. Relation between the rate of disintegration of various types of tablets of tetracycline hydrochloride and the antibiotic blood levels in the rabbits after administration of the same tablets was found.


[Antibiotic penetration through the blood-brain barrier in rats and the effect on this process of proteolytic enzymes]. Penetration of penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, tetracycline, streptomycin and gentamycin through the hemato-encephalic barrier in rats and effect of proteolytic enzymes on the above process were studied comparatively. The levels of penetration to the brain were highest for ampicillin, then followed penicillin, tetracycline, oxacillin, streptomycin and gentamycin. Preliminary intramuscular administration of trypsin and chimotrypsin (10 mg/kg) to the animals had no effect on permeability of the hemato-encephalic barrier for the antibiotics tested, except penicillin. Higher levels of the antibiotics in the brain tissue may be explained by higher antibiotic blood levels under the effect of proteolytic enzymes.


[Study of the immunological properties of Actinomyces rimosus ribonuclease]. The immunological properties of ribonucleases from Act. rimosus were studied in comparison with RNA-ase from the cattle pancreas. The activity of anti-RNA-ase immune sera were determined by the method of specific neutralization of the effect of the above exzymes. The results of the study showed that with the use of homological RNA-ases as the antigens, the maximum level of enzymatic activity neutralization by the immune sera ranged within 70 to 90% and the capacity for induction of specific antibody production expressed in the serum titer was somewhat lower in the actinomycete RNA-ase than in the pancreatic one. When heterological antigens were used, neutralization of the RNA-ase effect by the immune sera was either not detectable or very low which is indicative of the antigenic differences in the actinomycete and pancreatic RNA-ases.


[Study using the probit-analysis method of the process of increasing resistance to dipin and bruneomycin in Fisher L-5178 lymphadenosis cells in experiments on animals]. The study of the process of resistance induction in the cells of lymphadenosis to dipin (subline L-5178/D) and bruneomycin (subline L-5178/B) showed that with increasing of the resistance relation between the drug dose and the antitumor effect gradually faded. It was found that only at the first stages of induction of the resistance increase may be found by comparison of values ED50 and ED70 of the lymphadenosis sensitive strain and its resistant sublines. The probit-analysis method provided registration of the resistance increase also at later stages. In this case the resistance level may be estimated by the slope of the dose-response curve.


[Primary cell cultures of leukosis P-388 as a possible model for the screening of antitumor substances]. A substrain of the ascitic leucosis P-388 was obtained as a result of interchanging passages of P-388 leucosis cells in the primary cultures and abdominal cavity of mice. The tumor cells of the ascitic leucosis P-388 multiplied in the primary suspended culutres as well as in vivo. The substrain lost its hemorrhagic properties. The content of DNA and RNA in the primary cultures of P-388 doubled every 16-18 hours and the number of the cells doubled every 24-26 hours. The cells of the adapted substrain of P-388 grew also in the semiliquid agarized medium forming compact colonies by the 4th-5th day of cultivation. The primary suspended cultures of P-388 were highly sensitive to cytostatics and in particular to vinblastin and kolchamine (alkaloids). In this connection they were recommended for prescreening antitumor compounds.


[Experimental study of the action of the antitumor antibiotic reumycin on the macroorganism]. The side effect of reumycin, an antitumor antibiotic was studied experimentally. The average lethal dose for mice and rats on intravenous administration of the drug was 45.5 and 42.2 mg/kg respectively. When reumycin was administered to rats and dogs for prolong periods of time, an increase in the levels of total protein, urea nitrogen and inorganic phosphorus in the blood was observed, while the levels of hemoglobin and thrombocyte counts decreased, the process of the blood coagulation being slower. The changes in the ECG were similar to those observed in the myocardium dystrophy. The morphological changes in the organs were characterized by perivascular edema, swelling of the vessel walls and edema of the interstitial tissues.


[Purification of antibiotic solutions of finely dispersed admixtures]. A possibility of complete separation of fine disperse admixtures from antibiotic fermentation broth filtrates by filtration with the use of special additives was shown. The purity of the filtrates and filtration rate depended on the procedure of addition, amount and average size of the particles of the filtration material.


[Use of a rotation chart for studying the flocculation of admixtures in native solutions]. The process of admixture flocculation in fermentation broth filtrates of penicillin was studied experimentally according to the schemes of rotatabel planning of the 2nd order. Equations describing the effect of the main factors on the process were worked out and the main effects of the pair interactions were found.


[Lysozyme activity in the leukocytes and blood serum of white rats administered massive doses of penicillin preparations]. Activity of lysozyme in the blood serum and leucocytes was determined. The experiments were carried out on albino unbred rats weighing 170 to 200 gm. Benzylpenicillin and oxacillin were administered intramuscularly in doses of 500000 Units/kg or 20000 gamma/kg once every 24 hours for 2, 4 and 6 days. The activity of lysozyme was determined by the turbidimetric and agar-diffusion methods. It was found that the activity of lysozyme in the leucocytes increased by the 5th day accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in its level in the serum followed by reaching the initial values. The data are indicative of the fact that the use of antibiotics in mega-doses is not contraindicated from the point of view of their effect on lysozyme activity.


[Rifampicin in the therapy of gonorrheal urethritis in men]. The therapeutic efficiency of benemycin (rifampicin of Polish production), a semisynthetic antibiotic was studied in 96 male cases with gonorrhea urethritis. The antibiotic was used in a dose of 300 mg every 6 hours (2.1--3gm for the treatment course depending on the desease severity). Observation of the patients for 1--2 months showed etiological recovery in 91 (94.8 per cent) out of 96 patients. Postgonorrhea inflammatory processes were observed in 8.7 per cent of the cases. For studying late results of the treatmant 62 patients were observed for 3 to 12 months. Gonococci were isolated from none of the patients. No side reactions were found in the patients treated with rifampicin.


[Blood coagulation system in oncological patients treated with rubomycin, adriamycin and carminomycin]. Systems of blood coagulation in patients treated with antibiotics of the anthracycline group were studied. Rubomycin was used in the treatment of patients with acute leukemia Adriamycin and carminomycin were used in the treatment of patients with solid tumors. The antibiotics affected the process of blood coagulation mainly through their cytostatic effect on thrombocytopoesis. Thrombocytopenia induced deficit of thrombocytal factors participating in the process of blood coagulation which resulted in hypocoagulation and hemorrhagic complications. The plasmic factors did not significantly change during the antibiotic therapy. A tendency to decrease in the levels of prothrombine, fibrinase and fibrinogen was noted which was possible due to an inhibitory effect of the antibiotics on the function of the reticuloendothelial tissue cells or indirectly to suppression of the tumor process. More pronounced changes in the system of blood coagulation of patients treated with rubomycin were probably associated with inferiority of the thrombocytal apparatus of the patients with acute leukemia treated with the antibiotic.


[Madumycin biosynthesis by an Actinomadure flava culture under conditions of varying aeration]. Production of madumycin I and madumycin II by 2 strains of Actinomadure flava 2171 was studied. Intensive aeration was an obligatory condition for the antibiotic biosynthesis. The content of madumycins I and II in the culture fluid depended on the strain, aeration conditions and fermentation cycle. Strain 2171/852 produced maximum amounts of madumycin I and madumycin II by the 2nd--3rd and 5th days of cultivation respectively. Strain 2171/2544 mainly produced madumycin I during the whole period of fermentation.


[Structure of the carbohydrate moiety of actinoidins A and B]. The structure of the carbohydrate moiety of actinoidins A and B was found with partial acid hydrolysis (metanolysis) of the antibiotics and their methyl derivatives and the method of periodate oxidation. Actinoidins A and B had 3 carbohydrate branches presented by the residues of monosugars of D-mannopyranose and 2, 3, 6-tridesoxy-3-amino-4-O-methyl-L-arabinopyranose(L-actinosamine) and disaccharide of 2-O-(2, 3, 6-tridesoxy-3-amino-L-arabinopyranosyl)-D-glucopyranose.


[Effect of amphoterecin B on the plasma membranes of a tissue culture of puppy kidney]. The effect of amphotoericin B on the chemical composition of the plasmic membranes of the puppy kidney tissue was studied. It was shown that amphotericin B in a concentration of 10 Units/ml induced changes in the quantitative content of proteins, lipids and RNA in the chemical composition of the plasmic membranes. The effect of amphotericin B on the composition of proteins and lipids in the membranes was also studied. It was found with the method of electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel that after exposure of the culture cells to the antibiotic significant shifts in the composition of the membrane proteins took place. According to the findings of thin-layer chromatography amphotericin B markedly changed the quantitative content of the fractions in the composition of lipids in the plasmic membranes. Significant deviations under the effect of the antibiotic were observed in the quantitative ratio of separate fatty acids contained in the lipids of the membrane preparations studied. On the basis of the results obtained it was supposed that the mode of action of amphotericin B on the cell was associated with impairement of the plasmic membrane structure by the antibiotic.


[Penicillin distribution in the body of animals with experimental chronic pneumonia when administered repeatedly in combination with prednisolone]. The dynamics of penicillin concentrations in the blood and lung tissue of animals with chronic experimental pneumonia after its repeated administration in combination with prednisolone was studied. An increase in the period, during which the antibiotic was found in the lung tissue of the animals under conditions of its repeated use with prednisolone was shown.


[Comparative study of the semisynthetic penicillins in the experimental therapy of pneumococcal and streptococcal infections in mice]. Penicillins were studied comparatively on mice with infections caused by pneumococci and streptococci. It was shown that klomethacillin was superior by its chemotherapeutic effect to other penicillins in treatment of pneumococcal septicemia when used subcutaneously or intragastrically. Ampicillin was superior in treatment of streptococcal infection.


[Effect of chymotrypsin on the urinary excretion of antibiotics in rabbits]. The effect of cymotrypsin on excretion of penicillin, methicillin, oxacillin, streptomycin and gentamycin with urine including the kidney clearance was studied on rabbits. It was found that the enzyme introduced intramuscularly in a dose of 20 mg/kg increased excretion of penicillin, methicillin, oxacillin and gentamycin by 37, 24, 26 and 16 per cent respectively. The only exclusion was streptomycin. Chymotrypsin increased the kidney clearance of penicillin, methicillin, oxacillin, streptomycin and gentamycin by 1.7, 1.9, 2.2, 1.2 and 1.5 times respectively.


[Acidocillin concentration in middle ear exudate]. Acidocillin levels were determined in the middle ear exudates and serum of patients with acute exudative otitis media after oral administration of the drug. Acidocillin rapidly diffused exudate into the ear and its level in the exudate in 1 hour was 0-1.7 gamma/ml. At the same time the serum levels ranges within 4 to 25 gamma/ml. acidocillin remained longer in the ear exudate than in the serum. In 12 hours 0.2 to 1.3 gamma/ml of acidocillin was still found in the exudates, while there was no antibiotic in the serum.


[Macrolide antibiotics for oral intake in the treatment and prevention of suppurative surgical infection]. The authors studied the clinical efficacy of antibiotics of the macrolides group--erythromycin, oleandomycin, triacetylalleandomycin and leukomycin--in complex treatment of 280 patients with suppurative surgical infection caused by a gram-positive, mainly staphylococcal, microbial flora. Various medicinal forms were used: tablets, capsules, granules, syrup. Efficacy of treatment comprised 70-78 per cent. Tolerance of antibiotics was good in the majority of patients.


Microbial degradation of oil spills enhanced by a slow-release fertilizer. The improved cleanup of marine oil spills by stimulating biodegradation through the use of a slow-release fertilizer is reported. A paraffin-supported fertilizer containing MgNH4PO4 as active ingredient was developed and evaluated in laboratory and field experiments using quantitative infrared spectrometry and chromatographic techniques. The biodegradation of Sarir crude oil in the sea was considerably enhanced by paraffin-supported fertilizer. After 21 days 63% had disappeared as compared to 40% in the control area.


Teratogenicity of patulin and patulin adducts formed with cysteine. The mean lethal dose of patulin for the chicken embryo injected in the air cell before incubation was determined to be 68.7 mug and that for the 4-day-old embryo was 2.35 mug. Both patulin (1 to 2 mug/egg) and the reaction mixture between patulin and cysteine (15 to 150 mug of patulin equivalents) were teratogenic to the chicken embryo. At least two ninhydrin-negative and four ninhydrin-positive products were formed during the latter reaction. Our explanation of the reaction mechanism remains to be elaborated.


Use of a quantitative oxidase test for characterizing oxidative metabolism in bacteria. It was possible to quantitate the terminal oxidase(s) reaction using bacterial resting-cell suspensions and demonstrate the usefulness of this reaction for taxonomic purposes. Resting-cell suspensions of physiologically diverse bacteria were examined for their capabilities of oxidizing N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) using a manometric assay. For organisms having this capability, it was possible to calculate the conventional TMPD oxidase Q(O2) value (microliters of O2 consumed per hour per milligram [dry weight]). All cultures were grown heterotrophically at 30 C, under identical nutritional conditions, and were harvested at the late-logarithmic growth phase. The TMPD oxidase Q(O2) values showed perfect correlation with the Kovacs oxidase test and, in addition, it was possible to define quantitatively that point which separated oxidase-positive from oxidase-negative bacteria. Oxidase-negative bacteria exhibited a TMPD oxidase Q(O2) value (after correcting for the endogenous by substraction) of less than or equal 33 and had an uncorrected TMPD/endogenous ratio of less than or equal 5. The TMPD oxidase Q(O2) values were also correlated with the data obtained for the Hugh-Leifson Oxferm test. In general, bacteria that exhibited a respiratory mechanism had high TMPD oxidase values, whereas fermentative organsims had low TMPD oxidase activity. All exceptions to this are noted. This quantitative study also demonstrated that organisms that (i) lack a type c cytochrome, or (ii) lack a cytochrome-containing electron transport system, like the lactic acid bacteria, exhibited low or negligible TMPD oxidase Q(O2) values. From the 79 bacterial species (36 genera) examined, it appears that this quantitative oxidase test has taxonomic value that can differentiate the oxidative relationships between bacteria at the subspecies, species, and genera levels.


Effect of dietary aflatoxin on fertility, hatchability, and progeny performance of broiler breeder hens. The effects of aflatoxin on egg production, fertility, hatchability, and progeny performance were investigated by feeding dietary aflatoxin at dose levels of 0,5, and 10 mug/g to mature broiler breeder hens for 4 weeks. Sixteen hens were used for each dietary dose level. Egg production decreased significantly during weeks 3 and 4 after initiation of toxin feeding for hens fed 10 and 5 mum of aflatoxin per g of diet respectively. Whereas fertility was not affected by dietary aflatoxin, hatchability of fertile eggs decreased significantly within week 1 of toxin feeding. Hatchability of fertile eggs collected during week 1 of the treatment period was 95.1, 68.9, and 48.5% for the control, 5- and 10-mug/g groups, respectively. At the dose levels used in this study, no latent effects of the aflatoxin or its metabolites were observed on the performance of surviving chicks. Six hens from each experimental groups were necropsied at the end of the 4-week treatment period. These birds exhibited typical symptoms of aflatoxicosis, including enlarged, fatty and friable livers, and enlarged spleens.


Estimation of viable airborne microbes downwind from a point source. Modification of the Pasquill atmospheric diffusion equations for estimating viable microbial airborne cell concentrations downwind form a continuous point source is presented. A graphical method is given to estimate the ground level cell concentration given (i) microbial death rate, (ii) mean wind speed, (iii) atmospheric stability class, (iv) downwind sample distance from the source, and (v) source height.


Airborne coliphages from wastewater treatment facilities. The emission (from wastewater treatment plants) of airborne coliphages that form plaques on two strains of Escherichia coli was investigated. Two activated-sludge and two trickling-filter plants were studied. Field sampling procedures used large-volume air samplers with recirculation devices. Coliphages were enumerated by a most-probable-number (MPN) procedure. Temperature, relative humidity, windspeed, and presence of sunlight were monitored. Concurrent samples of sewage were taken during each air-sampling run. Average coliphage levels in the airborne emissions of trickling-filter beds and activated-sludge units were 2.84 X 10(-1) and 3.02 X 10(-1) MPN/m3, respectively, for all positive observations, and sewage liquor concentrations from the sources were 4.48 X 10(5) and 2.94 X 10(6) plaque-forming units/liter, respectively, depending upon the E. coli host used for assay. This work establishes minimal airborne-coliphage concentrations from the plants studied. The procedures employed will be useful in evaluating the animal virus levels in these emissions.


Resistance of a strain of Pseudomonas cepacia to esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Cells of a strain of Pseudomonas cepacia were isolated from an oil-in-water emulsion containing methyl and propyl p-hydroxybenzoates (methylparaben and propylparaben) as preservative additives. This strain demonstrated the ability to destroy these additives, to utilize the propyl ester as sole carbon source, and to hydrolyze the methyl ester. When the isolate was grown on Eugon agar, exposure to the methyl ester killed 99.9% of the inoculum, but the surviving cells grew logarithmically. On the other hand, cells grown on media containing propylparaben were less susceptible when subsequently exposed to emulsions containing methylparaben. These observations demonstrate one mechanism by which microorganisms develop resistance to antimicrobial preservatives.


Activated sludge degradation of adipic acid esters. The biodegradability of three aliphatic adipic acid diesters and a 1,3-butylene glycol adipic acid polyester was determined in acclimated, activated sludge systems. Rapid primary biodegradation from 67 to 99+% was observed at 3- and 13-mg/liter feed levels for di-n-hexyl adipate, di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, and di(heptyl, nonyl) adipate in 24 h. When acclimated, activated sludge microorganisms were employed as the seed for two carbon dioxide evolution procedures, greater than 75% of the theoretical carbon dioxide was evolved for the three diesters and the polyester in a 35-day test period. The essentially complete biodegradation observed in these studies suggests that these esters would not persist when exposed to similar mixed microbial populations in the environment.


Environmental factors influencing the rate of hydrocarbon oxidation in temperate lakes. Rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation were estimated by following oxygen uptake during mineral oil oxidation or oxidation of [1-14C]hexadecane to 14CO2, when these substrates were added to natural water samples from Wisconsin lakes. A lag phase preceded hydrocarbon oxidation, the length of which depended on population density or on factors influencing growth rate and on the presence of nonhydrocarbon organic compounds. Hydrocarbon oxidation was coincident with growth and presumably represented the development of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms in response to hydrocarbon additions. In detailed studies in Lake Mendota, it was found that, despite the continued presence of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms in water samples, seasonal variations in the rates of mineral oil and hexadecane oxidation occurred which correlated with seasonal changes in temperature and dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus. The temperature optimum for oil biodegradation remained at 20 to 25 C throughout the year, so that temperature was the main limiting factor during winter, spring, and fall. During summer, when temperatures were optimal, nutrient deficiencies limited oil biodegradation, and higher rates could be obtained by addition of nitrogen and phosphorus. The rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation were thus high only for about 1 month of the ice-free period, when temperature and nutrient supply were optimal. Nutrient limitation of oil biodegradation was also demonstrated in 25 nutrient-poor lakes of northern Wisconsin, although in almost every case oil-degrading bacteria were detected. Knowledge of temperature and nutrient limitations thus will help in predicting the fate of hydrocarbon pollutants in freshwater.


Effect of a sputum digestant on the viabiltiy of Mycobacterium fortuitum. A microcolony technique has been demonstrated as being useful for the rapid determination of the viabilities of single cells of Myocbacterium fortuitum. Cultures of M. fortuitum grown to early logarithmic phase in broth were treated with the sputum digestant N-acetyl-L-cysteine-sodium hydroxide (NALC-NaOH) for periods of 10 to 40 s. After growth for three generations (7.5 h) on agar films, viabilities were determined by counting under a phase contrast microscope. The viable mycobacteria grew into microcolonies that exhibited extensive branching, whereas the nonviable mycobacteria remained as single cells. Sputum was mixed with some broth cultures before treatment to stimulate the digestion process in a clinical laboratory. When broth cultures were treated with sputum digestant for 40 s, only 2.8% of the cells remained viable. When the broth cultures were mixed in a ratio of 1:4 with sputum and then treated for 40 s, 16.4% of the cells remained viable. The results also indicate M. fortuitum is very sensitive to the digestant. The results also indicate that a microcolony technique could be used for the assessment of the viability of mycobacteria.


Acrodermatitis enteropathico. Abnormalities of fat metabolism and integumental ultrastructures in infants. Acrodermatitis enteropathica is a rare disease of childhood, characterized by periorificial and perioral dermatitis, acrodermatitis, diarrhea, and alopecia. Two patients were successfully treated with diiodohydroxyquin (Diodoquin). Lipid concentrations disclosed abnormal distribution of fats that resembled those of less mature infants fed diets low in linoleic acid even though the patients were actually on diets with high linoleic acid levels. Fatty acid distribution showed increased levels of linoleic acid that correlated with clinical improvement in the patient who was more ill. Skin fatty acids showed decreased levels of linoleic acid. Electron micrographs and histochemical staining disclosed increased lipids droplets in epidermal cells. Linoleic acid and zinc may have a role in the origin of the disease, and measurement of both skin and serum linoleic acid is suggested in the evaluation of its progress.


Green autofluorescence in human epidermal cells. A characteristic and natural autofluorescence that appears brilliant green in frozen sections of untreated skin when viewed under the fluorescent microscope is demonstrated. Study with various barrier filters and exciter filters indicates that the optimum absorption for visualization of this is 300 to 330 nm, and the optimum fluorescence is between 500 and 530 nm under the conditions used. Clinical study of skin from 52 patients including black, white, Puerto Rican, and Chinese indicates a relationship between skin color and intensity of autofluorescence. In addition, the cellular localization of autofluorescence corresponds to sites of melanin. Cells in the basal layer are involved most conspicuously and nuclei are spared.


Lupus erythematosus-like syndrome with a familial deficiency of C2. Several cases of isolated C2 deficiency in man have been reported in the medical literature. The earliest cases did not seem to be associated with known diseases or syndromes; more recently, reports of C2 deficiency associated with systemic lupus erythematosus; anaphylactoid purpura, recurrent infections, and dermatomyositis have appeared. We report here another case of C2 deficiency. The propositus, a 24-year-old woman, had a lupus erythematosus-like rash and a history of arthralgia, as well as a selective deficiency of C2. Studies of hemolytic C2 of the immediate members of her family indicate an autosomal-recessive mode of inheritance. These findings add to the increasing evidence that a C2 deficiency predisposes some persons to serious vascular diseases.


Dependence of corticosteroid penetration on the vehicle. The penetration of corticosteroids through epidermal membranes in vitro proved to be better when the corticosteroid was dissolved in, or salicylic acid was added to, the vehicle. Hydrocortisone 17 butyrate (HCB) penetration from an ethanolic solution or a vehicle containing propylene glycol (PG) exceeds the penetration from an oil-in-water (O/W) cream or a petrolatum-polyethylene base (Plastibase), both without PG. The addition of PG led to higher penetration from a cream containing 0.2% HCB as compared with that from one containing 0.1% HCB. When the atmosphere on the donor side of the chamber was kept dry with a molecular sieve, the penetration from an O/W cream containing PG was enhanced, whereas that from an O/W cream without PG was substantially diminished.


Schistosomiasis. Paraplegia and ectopic skin lesions as admission symptoms. A 33-year-old man, who had been a teacher in Africa from 1966 to 1969, was hospitalizaed in December 1973 for radiculomyelitis with progressive paraplegia and analgesia of the lower limbs. On his fourth day in the hospital, a pruritic, papular dermatitis appeared on both lower thoracic paraspinal areas. Microscopical examination of biopsy specimens of skin from those areas showed schistosome ova within many palisading granulomas in the dermis. The morphological features of the skin lesions, as seen by gross and microscopical examination, and the morphological and staining characteristics and the pathophysiology of the schostosome organism will be discussed. The longevity of the adult worm in the portal circulation is particularly important; a long interval may elapse between the time the patient leaves the area where he became infected and the time of appearance of the lesions.


Lichen aureus.

Lichen aureus. A case of lichen aureus is described to record its clinical and histopathologic features. The disease is a variant of the pigmented purpuric eruptions, the common characteristic of which apparently resides in an abnormality of the minute cutaneous blood vessels.


Neonatal lupus erythematosus. Report of four cases with review of the literature. We report four newborn infants with a distinctive evanescent cutaneous eruption that clinically and histologically resembled lupus erythematosus; two of the mothers had undifferentiated connective tissue disease. The tendency for lesions to occur in a periorbital location and the association of prominent telangiectasias were characteristic clinical signs in our patients. Immunoglobulin deposition at the basement membrane was demonstrated in one patient. Cytogenetic studies, done to exclude Bloom syndrome, revealed only nonspecific chromosomal abnormalities. A brief review of the literature, with speculations on the possible relationship of these changes to the occurrence of connective tissue disease in the mothers, is included in the discussion.


Mycobacterium kansasii infection with dermatologic manifestations. A patient with cutaneous lesions as a manifestation of systemic infection with Mycobacterium kansasii is described. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of a patient with dermatologic lesions secondary to M kansasii infection. A brief review of the classification and clinical presentations of atypical mycobacteria is given.


Keratosis lichenoides chronica. Possible variant of lichen planus. A chronic, asymptomatic, keratotic, papular eruption, present for 15 years and resistant to all modes of therapy, was observed in a 49-year-old woman. Many of the papules formed a reticulated configuration over the arms and legs. This case resembles several others that have been described in the literature under different names, ie, keratosis lichenoides chronica, porokeratosis striata, and lichen verrucosus et reticularis. It is likely that all of these names refer to the same condition, constituting a definite clinical entity, which, on the basis of histological study, may represent a variant of lichen planus.


Hereditary phlebectasis of the lips. An autosomal dominant disorder. A new hereditary syndrome is described in three, perhaps four generations, with a male-to-male transmission that denotes an autosomal dominant inheritance. Usually after the age of 40, there is a swelling of the lower lip by varicosities, a phenomenon usually seen in older individuals. Ten individuals have had this disorder. They do not seem to have any of the hereditary disorders that cause vascular changes in the lips, although the autosomal dominant disorder, Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome most resembles this disease.


Alopecia with fibrous dysplasia and osteomas of skin. A sign of polyostotic fibrous dysplasia. Localized alopecia of the scalp proved to be the cutaneous sign of underlying polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (Albright disease). Histologically, the hair follicles had been replaced by a strange coil of fibrous tissue. Some of these follicular sites showed ossification so prominent as to be evident in soft tissue reoentgenograms. In this patient, the skin itself showed a fibrous dysplasia analogous to that which has always been identified as occurring within the bones in Albright disease. In her skin, it is the hair follicle that is the site of this dysplasia. The appearance of ossification in the skin and fibrous dysplasia in the bone would seem to demonstrate a delicate equilibrial balance between fibrous and osteal tissue in organs of a common mesenchymal origin. Localized connective tissue stromal dysplasia is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of not only the bony, but aslo the pigmentary and endocrine abnormalities of the disease.


Rapid assessment of gestational age at birth. A simple scoring system based on skin colour, skin texture, breast development, and ear firmness that can be performed even in an ill baby without manipulation or movement enables gestational age to be estimated to within +/- 15 days (95% confidence limits) at any time in the first 2 days of life. More complex techniques only marginally improve this estimate.


Value of brain biopsy in neurodegenerative disease in childhood. During the period 1968-1974, 45 children with suspected neurodegenerative syndromes underwent brain biopsy of the right frontal lobe. The histological examination was normal in 44% and nonspecifically abnormal in 43% of the specimens. In 13% a specific histological abnormality was found, namely 3 with spongy degeneration, 1 Alexander's leucodystrophy, 1 metachromatic leucodystrophy, and 1 pachygyria. Chemical analysis by thin-layer chromatography had little to offer in this series, being specifically abnormal only in the case of metachromatic leucodystrophy and nonspecifically abnormal in 6 cases. Postoperative generalized convulsions occurred in 3 children and a mild hemiparesis contralateral to the site of biopsy was noted in one patient. Comparing the outcome of the group having histologically normal biopsies with the group having nonspecifically abnormal ones it is concluded that frontal biopsy is not of such high prognostic value as has been claimed in previous reports. Some flexibility in the choice of the biopsy site is suggested. The specimens should be examined by chemical analysis as well as electron microscope in addition to the routine histological and histochemical methods. The neurodegenerative disorders of childhood which are at present identifiable in life only by brain biopsy are listed.


Menkes's steely hair syndrome.

Menkes's steely hair syndrome. Three unrelated cases of Menkes's syndrome are described. In addition to the typical features these cases all showed abnormalities of the urinary tract characterized by hydronephrosis, hydroureter, and bladder diverticula. There was no organic obstruction in the urinary tract and the changes are presumed to be due to disturbed innervation. The 3 patients showed no overall clinical response to parenteral copper therapy administered for periods of 1 to 8 months. Necropsy studies showed structural changes in veins as well as arteries together with aneurysm formation in both, and one case showed a polypoid lesion in the stomach.


Criteria for diagnosis of temporary gluten intolerance. Strict criteria for the diagnosis of temporary gluten intolerance are formulated in the light of the case of an 8-week-old infant with severe diarrhoea and failure to thrive, who recovered on an elimination diet that was gluten-free. 8 weeks later an oral challenge with 2.5 g twice daily of powdered gluten for one day produced diarrhoea, weight loss, and impaired xylose absorption. Gluten was successfully reintroduced into the diet 9 months later without incident. Jejunal histology remains normal after 26 months of a daily diet that contains 5 to 10 g gluten.


Respiratory complications in long-term survivors of oesophageal atresia. One hundred of the 192 survivors of repaired oesophageal atresia at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, aged one year and over on 1 November 1973, were reviewed to determine the frequency of respiratory complications. 78 children suffered from more than 3 attacks of bronchitis per year during the first 3 years of life and 48% of the children aged over 8 years were having more than three attacks per year. Episodes of cough persisting longer than 2 weeks were also common. In the year preceding review, about half the children had more than 3 such episodes. 58 children had been admitted to hospital on at least one occasion for chest infection. It is suggested that recurrent inhalation of milk and food, consequent upon disordered oesophageal motility, is the major factor causing these respiratory complications.


Serum creatine phosphokinase in normal newborns. Serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity in 70 normal newborns was found to be significantly higher than the normal values found in adults or older children, and in some cases reached a level up to 10 times normal. It declined to near normal activity during the first 4 days and to normal level of activity by age 6-10 weeks. No clear correlation between birth trauma and increase in serum CPK activity was shown. CPK activity in cord blood was lower than in venous and capillary blood. Because of the increased CPK activity found in normal newborns, screening for Duchenne-type muscular dystrophy should be postponed for a few weeks after delivery.


Modification to single catheter exchange transfusion technique. A simple modification to the standard 'in-out' exchange transfusion technique is described which requires cannulation of the umbilical vein only, yet provides many of the theoretical and practical advantages of a 2-catheter arteriovenous technique. The advantages include a reduction of cardiovascular disturbance; a reduction of the inevitable pressure changes in the portal venous system (probably important in the pathogenesis of complicating necrotizing enterocolitis); administration of alkali or drugs diluted in donor blood; accurate assessment of balance; a more efficient exchange; and general ease of management allowing better clinical observation of the infant.


Mortality in juvenile diabetes mellitus over 25 years. Deaths over the past 25 years associated with diabetes mellitus under the age of 15 years are reviewed. Information is derived from the Registrar General's figures for England and Wales and from the records of a large paediatric diabetic unit.


Cystic fibrosis screening in the newborn. A new technique of measuring stool enzyme activity on dry specimens of faeces from newborn children at 4-5 days of age has detected 3 cases of cystic fibrosis in the first 6000 tests. No known cases of cystic fibrosis have been missed. Additionally, one case of pancreatic achylia of at least 4 months' duration has been detected. It is proposed that the detection of cystic fibrosis by this technique is sufficiently practical to be acceptable as a worthwhile newborn screening programme. The screening test has been in use in Auckland for over a year and is now being set up in Hamilton, Wellington, and Dunedin (New Zealand), and Sydney (Australia).


Thyrotoxicosis in a neonate of a mother with no history of thyroid disease. A newborn infant had rectal prolapse, congenital lactase deficiency, and temporary neonatal thyrotoxicosis. The thyrotoxicosis was associated with a raised long-acting thyroid stimulator index in a mother with no personal or family history of thyroid or related autoimmune disease. The parents were first cousins.


Problems in anlysis of faecal sugar.

Problems in anlysis of faecal sugar. Significant amounts of sugar were found in 22% of 180 faecal samples from 135 children with acute or chronic diarrhoea. The methods used were the Clinitest method and paper chromatography. There was very good correlation between the results of these methods. Screening by Ph was less reliable. Various di- and monosaccharides were found. However, a disaccharide was never found without the simultaneous finding of its component monosaccharides. In vitro studies showed that the faecal flora has the ability to split disaccharides very rapidly. Within a few minutes much of the disaccharide had been split and no traces could be found after 30 minutes. Since the same process is assumed to take place in the lower gut, children with disacchardase deficency cannot be expected to excrete disaccharide alone in their faeces without the corresponding monosaccharides. The lack of a disaccharide in the faeces does not exclude the possibility of disaccharidase deficiency. Acid hydrolysis of faecal samples in cases of suspected sucrase deficiency seems not to be necessary.


Effect of gestational length on albumin content of meconium. During a screening programme for the detection of CF using the meconium albumin technique, the overall false-positive rate was found to be approximately 1%. When the gestational age of the infants was taken into account the false-positive rate was found to be significantly higher in preterm (8%) as compared to term infants (0.55%). This was due largely but not solely to the presence of occult blood. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed and attention drawn to the limitation of meconium albumin content as a screening technique for CF in preterm infants.


Chrysanthemum allergy III. Identification of the allergens. Experimental and chemical studies in guinea pigs on contact allergy caused by Chrysanthemum indicum L. (Chrysanthemum of the florists) led to the isolation of several sesquiterpene lactones. From the crude extract of dried flowers 12 fractions were obtained of which four gave strong reactions on epicutaneous application to guinea pigs sensitized with an extract of C. indicum L. One of these allergens was identified as a sesquiterpene lactone of the guaianolide type. It is identical to Arteglasin-A derived from Artemisia douglasiana Bess. The occurrence of Arteglasin-A in Chrysanthemum indicum L. as well as its allergenic properties are described forthe first time. These findings give rise to the assumption that the other, as yet unidentified sesquiterpene lactones of this flower also belong to the guaianolide type.