Heart/body weight ratios for aging high and low blood pressure mice. Heart weight and heart/body weight ratios were determined for stocks of mice bred from Schlager's high and low blood pressure mice. Results of an analysis in which three different age groups (means = 15, 17, and 28 months) were compared indicated a nonsignificant interaction between age and blood pressure for heart weight and between age and blood pressure for heart/body weight ratios. Heart weight and heart/body weight ratios were significantly higher for the high than for the low BP mice at all ages with one exception; heart weights did not differ between the two lines at mean age 28 months. It was concluded that high blood pressure mice do not exhibit cardiac hypertrophy in the strictest sense of a disproportionately greater increase in heart/body weight ratios across the life span than low blood pressure for this particular stock.


[Identification of muscle spindles by direct and indirect electric stimulation of intrafusal muscle fibers]. In two series of experiments on 25 anesthetized deefferented cats methods of quick identification of muscle spindles were used. The first method was based on the postcontractory sensory discharge in a muscle spindle after brief strong electrical stimulation of the muscle nerve. In another approach the concentric electrodes inserted into the muscle were used. If the intrafusal muscle fibers were selectively contracted by direct electrical stimulation the sensory discharge appeared without any increase in the total muscle tension. It seems that these methods enable to identify the unit under study more precisely in comparison with conduction velocity measurements, as the group I and II afferents are sometimes present in muscle nerve from joint and deep tissues.


[Mechanism of action of parathyroid hormone on the functional activity of myocardial tissue]. The effect of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) on AP and the ventricle myocardium contractions in frogs was studied under conditions of the calcium permeability blockade and in calciumfree solution: the AP duration shortened, while AP amplitude increased like in control solution. The hormone's ion mechanisms are supposed to be based on increased transfer of calcium along the "slow" channels of membrane and of sodium--along the "fast" channels, as well as on activation of the Na-K-dependent ATPhase.


[Changes in adrenal gland and thymus induced by sex steroid administration in newborn rats (author's transl)]. Testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, estradiol-17beta, estrone, estriol, 2-hydroxyestradiol-17beta, 2-hydroxyestriol, deoxyestrone and diethylstilbestrol were injected s.c. in a dose of 0.5 mg each into newborn rats on the first day of life, and changes in the adrenal gland, thymus and spleen were examined 3 days later. Increase in the body weight during the 3 days was less in rats treated with DHEA, 2-hydroxyestriol and deoxyestrone, as compared with that in controls. Development of the thymus was significantly impaired in rats injected with various kinds of sex steroids, except progesterone and diethylstilbestrol. Reduction of the spleen weight by sex steroid treatment was not marked. The weight of adrenal gland decreased in rats injected with DHEA and progesterone, while the weight increased in those given estrone and diethylstilbestrol. Estrogens, particularly estriol, induced a marked increase in adrenal corticosterone content, while 2-hydroxyestriol caused only slight elevation and 2-hydroxyestradiol and deoxyestrone had no influence on the content. Suppressive effect of cortisol on the adrenal gland of newborn rats was slightly, but significantly, lessened by estriol treatment. From the results, physiological role of estriol and DHEA in adrenal secretion was discussed.


Chromosomal mosaicism in Down's syndrome: a diagnostic challenge. In individuals with mosaicism for trisomy 21, phenotype-karyotype correlations are unpredictable. Two patients are described--one with typical features of Down's syndrome and the other with severe mental retardation only. Both had normal karyotypes in their peripheral lymphocytes but high percentages of trisomic cells in skin fibroblasts.


Modification of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats by pretreatment with cortisone. Cortisone pretreatment considerably enhances the mortality of young, male, streptozotocin-injected Holtzman rats. In those that survive, cortisone pretreatment decreases the ensuing hyperglycaemia, extends the period during which streptozotocin-induced B cell damage can be observed from less than two to as much as four to seven days and permits the persistence of poorly granulated B cells in such animals. These effects are at least partially attributable to a cortisone-induced augmentation of the total B cell mass. Compared with the high degree of protection against alloxan-induced damage afforded the pancreatic B cells of cortisone-pretreated rabbits, the protective effect of cortisone against B cell destruction in streptozotocin-injected rats is thus much more limited in scope. Species differences as well as differing pathogenetic mechanisms may account for these results.


[Genetic heterogeneity of G6PD deficiency: mutant alleles of G6PD in the Shekii district of Azerbaijan]. Examination on G6PD deficiency in 349 patients of Shekii district hospital (Azerbaijan) revealed 16 hemi-, 4 homo- and 9 heterozygotic carriers of the defect. Gd- frequency, calculated from the data obtained (7.7%), may be compared to neighbouring regions' frequencies (6-30%). Carriers of G6PD deficiency are residents of 11 villages located in Alasani-Aphtalan valley, highly endemic with malaria in the past; nearly all marriages are endogamic. Physico-chemical and kinetic study of 10 mutant forms of G6PD, according to WHO program, led to identification of 5 variants of the II class (Shekii, Bideiz, Shirin-Bulakh, Okhut I and Zakataly) and 2 variants of the III class (Okhut II and Martinique-like). Resemblance of the majority of variants in electrophoretic mobility and the level of erythrocyte enzyme activity permit to suggest the existence of a common parental mutant G6PD allele distributed in this area.


[Phenotypic frequencies of ABO, rhesus and MN erythrocyte antigen systems, their gene npool and comparative study of the inhabitants of Central Kazakhstan]. The distribution of ABO, Rh and MN blood groups among 6450 persons of six main nationalities in Karaganda is found to be the following (in percent); O blood group-Ukrainians (34.04+/-1.5), Germans (35.46+/-1.5), Kazakhs(34.62+/-1.6), Tatars (35.9+/-2.2), Russians (37.01+/-1.5), Byelorussians (40.36+/-2.4); A blood group--Kazakhs (27.47+/-1.5), Tatars (32.57+/-2.1), Russians (32.66+/-1.5), Byelorussians (37.23+/-2.4), Ukrainians (37.70+/-1.5), Germans (46.32+/-1.5); B blood group--Germans (13.37+/-1.1), Byelorussians (16.55+/-1.8), Ukrainians (19.30+/-1.3), Russians (23.11+/-1.3), Tatars (24.22+/-0.2), Kazakhs (28.33+/-1.5); AB blood group--Germans (4.85+/-0.7), Byelorussians (5.86+/-1.2), Tatars (7.30+/-1.2), Russians (7.22+/-0.8), Ukrainians (8.96+/-0.9). Reliable differences in Rh system were discovered only in Kazakhs and Tatars, among persons of different nationalities.


Dissolution of noncovalently bonded fibrin in the presence of bromide ions. Two peaks were demonstrated after gel chromatography on Sepharose 6-B of noncovalently bonded firbrin dissolved in 1 M NaBr at pH 5.3. One was eluted at the void volume while the other one was eluted at the elution volume of fibrinogen. Both fractions were stable during rechromatography. The fraction eluted at the void volume was highly heterogeneous and consisted of noncovalently bonded aggregates of fibrin monomer units. Our experiments indicate that these high molecular weight derivatives develop during dissolution of fibrin in NaBr solution. The possible explanation of these results is discussed.


[Psychosomatics of acne].

[Psychosomatics of acne]. Psychopathology occurs much more frequently in cases of persisting than in juvenile acne. Moreover, a neurotic personality structure is much more common in cases of persisting than juvenile acne. When a neurotic structure is present, the juvenile acne patient maladjusts to the acne and develops neurotic symptoms. Such psychological consequences represent further stress and cause exacerbations, thus transforming the juvenile into persisting acne. The increased psychopathology in persisting acne is thus both a result as well as a partial cause. It is a link in a vicious circle. The typical pathological patterns of reaction in acne are described.


[Acquired isolated ventricular septal defects]. Among the acquired defects of ventricular septum the rupture of the septum are known to occur as a rare complication following penetrating and non-penetrating injuries of the chest and more common as sequel of myocardial infarction. A left to right shunt usually follows the acute rupture of the interventricular septum, and is usually lethal. Only a few patients survive for several months under conventional therapy. Early diagnostic procedures using heart catheterization are crucial to determine whether surgical maneuvers are necessary. We present patients who experienced acute rupture of the ventricular septum. We discuss their pathological and clinical findings as well as the problems related to prognosis and therapy.


[Results of the Wertheim-Meigs hysterectomy with special regard to postoperative complications]. From 1965 to 1975, 232 radical hysterectomies (using the Wertheim-Meigs method) were performed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Mannheim. Statistical evaluation showed that the average patient was 43,3 years old. In more than 50 percent of all cases the reason for admission to hospital was given as bleeding problems and contact bleeding, in 30 percent of the cases the readon was given as suspicious cervical os findings. 80 percent of all patients were operated on in stage Ia or Ib. An indwelling catherer was in place for an average of 14.96 days. Postoperative complications occurred in 194 (83.62%) patients. Of those, a majority (71.55%) was found to be an urological problem. Wound healing disturbances amounted to 12 percent of all cases. The mortality rate was 1.29 percent.


Abnormal neutrophil chemotaxis and T-lymphocyte function in staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in an adult patient. Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, a disease rarely reported in adults, developed in a 38-year-old male while on steroid therapy for chronic active hepatitis. Studies of immunologic parameters important in staphylococcal host defense revealed normal opsonic activity and phagocytic function but marked defects in neutrophil chemotaxis and T-lymphocyte function. Compromised host defense appears to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the syndrome in adults.


Growth inhibitory effects of interferon on normal and malignant human haemopoietic cells. A study of the effects of human leukocyte and lymphoblastoid interferon preparation on the growth of normal, immune and malignant haemopoietic cells has been carried out. At a standard dose of 10,000 U/ml, incorporation of tritiated thymidine ([3H] TdR) was reduced by 7-92% of control values, and cell survival by 35-82% in acute myelogenous leukaemia cell cultures, whereas in normal bone-marrow cultures interferon showed a 58-62% reduction in [3H] TdR uptake but only up to 13% reduction in cell survival. [3H] TdR incorporation by MLC-stimulated lymphocytes was also significantly reduced by interferon but the blastogenic response to PHA was not. These effects of interferon were shown to be dose-dependent. The problems of using interferon in the treatment of AML in the light of these findings are discussed.


[Staphylogenous Lyell's syndrome].

[Staphylogenous Lyell's syndrome]. The scalded skin syndrome or Lyell syndrome can now be divided into two distinct forms. One form is associated with staphylococci that are usually phage group II Staphylococcus aureus, are penicillin resistant, and produce a protein exotoxin which produces epidermolysis by causing a split to develop in the epidermis between the stratum granulosum and the stratum spinosum. The other form is associated usually with drug reactions and is characterized by necrosis of the epidermis with a split between epidermis and dermis. The staphylococcal Lyell syndrome should be treated with penicillinase resistant antibiotics and not with corticosteroids; the non-staphylococcal form of the Lyell syndrome often requires systemic corticosteroids. Therefore the correct diagnosis must be established early. This is possible since the histopathology of the two forms is different.


Influence of fixation and buffer treatment on the release of enzymes from the plasma membrane. 1. Pretreatment of frozon cryostat sections with formaldehyde or calcium ions inhibits diffusion of the plasma membrane enzymes 5' nucleotidase, ATP-ase and alkaline phosphatase during incubation. 2. Treatment of fixed sections with different kinds of buffer at 37 degrees C induces diffusion of enzyme activity from the plasma membrane to other sites of the section and into the incubation medium. This buffer influence depends on temperature: at 4 degrees C only a slight diffusion occurs. Addition of phospholipase C, digitonin or taurocholate to the buffer opposes the buffer effect. 3. Pretreatment  of  frozen cryostat sections with a mixture of equal parts of chloroform and acetone give a good fixation of the plasma membrane enzymes 5'-nucleotidase, ATP-ase, alkaline phosphate and leucyl-beta-naphthylamidase. During this treatment the different kinds of lipids present in the membrane are ex-racted equally. After this fixation buffer treatment does not cause a visible diffusion of enzyme activity in the section. Only a slight diffusion (1 till 7 percent) into the buffer solution takes place. 4. The mentioned  treatments open up possibilities to get insight into the membrane anchorage of plasma membrane enzymes.


Kinetic characterization of the two phosphate uptake systems in the fungus Neurospora crassa. The kinetics of phosphate uptake by exponentially growing Neurospora crassa were studied to determine the nature of the differences in uptake activity associated with growth at different external phosphate concentrations. Conidia, grown in liquid medium containing either 10 mM or 50 micronM phosphate, were harvested, and their phosphate uptake ability was measured. Initial experiments, where uptake was examined over a narrow concentration range near that of the growth medium, indicated the presence of a low-affintiy (high Km) system in germlings from 50 micronM phosphate. Uptake by each system was energy dependent and sensitive to inhibitors of membrane function. No efflux of phosphate or phosphorus-containing compounds could be detected. When examined over a wide concentration range, uptake was consistent with the simultaneous operation of low- and high-affinity systems in both types of germlings. The Vmax estimates for the two systems were higher in germlings from 50 micronM phosphate than for the corresponding systems in germlings from 10 mM phosphate. The Km of the high-affinity system was the same in both types of germlings, whereas the Km of the low-affinity system in germlings from 10 mM phosphate was about three three times that of the system in germlings from 50 micronM phosphate.


Adaptive changes in phosphate uptake by the fungus Neurospora crassa in response to phosphate supply. The phosphate uptake rate of Neurospora crassa germlings growing exponentially in media containing phosphate at concentrations between 10 mM and 50 micronM was virtually constant. The uptake characteristics of these germlings were studied in detail assuming the simultaneous operation of two uptake systems, one of low affinity and one of high affinity. The Km of the low-affinity system was constant after growth at phosphate concentrations greater than 1 mM but became progressively lower as the concentration was reduced below 1 mM. In contrast, the Km of the high-affinity system was independent of the phosphate concentration of the growth medium. The Vmax of each system was highest after growth at low phosphate concentrations. As the phosphate concentration was increased to a maximum of 100 mM, the Vmax of the low-affinity system fell gradually, whereas that of the high-affinity system at first fell rapidly but then reached a constant minimum value at concentrations of 2.5 mM and higher. The differences in the kinetic parameters fully account for the constancy of uptake rate shown by the germlings.


Unstable S-Adenosylmethionine synthetase in an ethionine-resistant strain of Neurospora crassa. A pleitropic ethionine-resistant mutant of Neurospora contains an S-adenosylmethionine synthetase that is labile to heat and dialysis but exhibits normal kinetics for methionine and ethionine.


Effects of free fatty acids on fibrinolytic activity. A novel method for the estimation of fibrinolytic activity is proposed. In this method, a fibrin clot suspension is used as a substrate (fibrin is known to be a physiological substrate of plasmin). The fibrin clot suspension was prepared by homogenization of human fibrin clots. With this method, we found that free fatty acids inhibited the plasmin activity, and long-chain, unsaturated free fatty acids had a particularly strong inhibitory action on plasmin. As regards the mechanism of the inhibitory action, free fatty acids may not inhibit complex formation between plasmin and fibirin, but may make it impossible for plasmin to act on fibrin due to deformation of the surface of the fibrin clot.


Synaptic vesicle fraction devoid of adenosine triphosphatase activity from bovine caudatolenticular nuclei and thalamus. 1. As a part of studies on the mechanism by which catecholamines are released from the nerve terminals, the synaptic vesicle fraction was isolated from bovine caudatolenticular nuclei and thalamus by differential centrifugation essentially according to the method of Kadota and Kadota (17). 2. Further centrifugation on a sucrose density gradient of the synaptic vesicle fraction by the method of Whittaker et al. (1) yielded white materials on the upper portion of 0.4 M sucrose, which consisted of vesicles averaging 600-800 A in diameter, and did not show Mg2+-dependent ATpase activity. On the other hand, the denser materials centering on 0.6 M sucrose, consisting of  a mixture of microsomes and synaptic vesicles of 400-500 A diameter, showed an ATpase activity activated by either Mg2+ or Ca2+ but not inhibited by ouabain. 3. The white materials on 0.4 M sucrose were almost free of mitochondria, but they contained a large amount of non-heme iron, as reported elsewhere (2). Furthermore, the protein components analyzed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels were similar to those already reported for purified synaptic vesicles (3). 4. Based on these results, the white materials were assumed to be synaptic vesicles devoid of Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity.


Identification of myosin in Nitella flexilis. A myosin B-like protein was extracted from the alga Nitella flexilis. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of myosin heavy chain and actin as the main components. At high ionic strength, its ATPase [EC 3.6.1.3] reaction was activated by EDTA or Ca2+ and inhibited by Mg2+. At low ionic strength, superprecipitation was induced by the addition of ATP. Myosin was purified from Nitella myosin B. The molecular weight of the heavy chain of Nitella myosin, estimated by SDS-gel electrophoresis, was slightly higher than that of skeletal muscle myosin. At low ionic strength, Nitella myosin aggregated to form bipolar filaments about 0.2 micron long. At high ionic strength, its ATPase reaction was activated by EDTA or Ca2+, and inhibited by Mg2+. The Mg2+-ATPase reaction of Nitella myosin was activated by skeletal muscle F-actin.


Effect of methyl mercury on phosphorylation, transport, and oxidation in mammalian mitochondria. the toxic effects of CH3HgCL on mitochondria of  mammalian organs including human and rat liver were examined. [203Hg]CH3HGCl was bound mainly to mitochondrial proteins. The binding was not effected by the energy state of mitochondria. The state 3  respiration, oxidative phosphorylation and 32Pi-ATP exchange reaction were inhibited by 10 to 50 nmol of CH3HgCl per mg of mitochondrial protein, while NADH-and succinate-dehydrogenase and ATPase were more resistant to it The difference spectrum of the treated mitochondria indicated that the point of inhibition was located after flavin and before cytochrome b. Mitochondrial swelling was induced by CH3HgCl, in accordance with previous morphological observations  in vivo. The swelling, stimulation of ATPase and energy-dependent H+ extrusion cauded by CH3HgCl were equally dependent on K+. Under these conditions, uptake of K+ by mitochondria was increased and the membrane potential was dissipated. Unlike the case with other organomercuric compounds, transport of phosphate was not inhibited by CH3HgCl. When tested on liposomes, CH3HgCl itself was not lipid-soluble, as some organomercuric compounds are, and was not an uncoupler or a K+-carrier. It was concluded that protein bound CH3HgS-induced K+ uptake into mitochondria and the resulting loss of membrane potential was the major cause of uncoupling, though at higher concentrations, the electron transport system was also inhibited.


Competitive and uncompetitive effects of 2,4-dinitrophenol on ATPase activities of rabbit skeletal actomyosin and myosin. A kinetic  study of the ATPase reactions catalyzed by myosin and actomyosin was carried out by varying the concentrations of ATP and 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP). Mg-ATPase of myosin in the initial burst and that of actomyosin were both inhibited competitively by DNP. The dissociation contants for the DNP-myosin interaction (Ki) were estimated to be very similar, that is, 4.2 mM in the initial burst of ATP splitting, and 3.3 mM for the actomyosin ATPase. It is therefore suggested that DNP acts at the same site when it inhibits the burst splitting of ATP and the actomyosin ATPase. In contrast, Mg,-Ca-, and EDTA-ATPase activities of myosin in the steady state were all affected uncompetitively by DNP. Moreover,  the Ki value for Mg-ATPase of myosin in the steady state was found to be 31 mM, which is much higher than those mentioned above for the initial burst and actomyosin ATPase. It is therefore suggested that the site at which DNP acts to inhibit the burst splitting of ATP is different from the site at which DNP acts to affect Mg-, Ca-, and EDTA-ATPases in the steady state.


Changes in allosteric properties of phosphofructokinase bound to erythrocyte membranes. Human and rabbit erythrocyte membranes prepared by hypotonic hemolysis contained 5 to 15% of the phosphofructokinase in the erythrocytes. The membrane-bound phosphofructokinase can be eluted by a saline wash. Human erythrocyte and rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase bind to the saline-washed membranes. This binding is specific for the inner surface of the membrane. The amount of phosphofructokinase bound is dependent on pH; at pH 7, 6 times more enzyme is bound than at pH 7.5. Unlike free phosphofructokinase, the membrane-bound phosphofructokinase is not inhibited by ATP or 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, and its fructose-6-P saturation curve is nonsigmoidal.


Biosynthesis of carnitine in Neurospora crassa. In growing cultures of Neurospora crassa lysine auxotroph 33933, (a) beta-hydroxy-epsilon-N-trimethyllysine and gamma-N-trimethylaminobutyraldehyde, postulated precursors of carnitine in the rat, effectively blocked synthesis of labeles carnitine from epsilon-N-[CH3-3H]trimethyllysine; and (b) beta-hydroxy-epsilon-N[CH3-3H[trimethyllysine and gamma-N-[CH3-3H]trimethylaminobutyraldehyde were effectively utilized for carnitine formation. From these isotopic experiments, the latter steps of carnitine synthesis in Neurospora are postulated to be epsilon-N-trimethyllysine leads to beta-hydroxy-epsilon-N-trimethyllysine leads to gamma-N-trimethylaminobutyraldehyde leads to gamma-butyrobetaine leads to carnitine.


Vanadate is a potent (Na,K)-ATPase inhibitor found in ATP derived from muscle. A potent (Na,K)-ATPase inhibitor purified from "Sigma Grade* ATP has been identified as vanadium using electron probe microanalysis and confirmed by microwave-induced emission spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Sodium orthovanadate (Na3 VO4) is identical with the purified inhibitor with respect to ultraviolet absorbance, migration on thin layer chromatography, and inhibition of (Na,K)-ATPase. The (Na,K)-ATPase is in-inhibited 50% by 40 nM Na3 VO4 under optimal conditions (28 mM Mg2+) and the inhibition is 100% reversible by millimolar concentrations of norepinephrine. The physiological significance of this inhibition is discussed in relation to vanadium concentrations in vivo.


Purification and properties of a cytosol Ca2+-activated ATPase from Tetrahymena pyriformis. A Ca2+-activated ATPase has been isolated from the cytosol of Tetrahymena pyriformis. The enzyme, whose specific activity increases with culture age, was purified to homogeneity from extracts of stationary phase cells. The pure enzyme which has a molecular weight of 89,000 was found to contain three identical subunits of molecular weight approximately 29,000. ATP is the preferred substrate for the enzyme and maximal activity is dependent on either Ca2+ or Ba2+. Inhibitors of known ATPases do not affect the enzyme activity. Antibodies developed against the pure enzyme only react with ATPase in the cytosol fraction prepared by differential centrifugation of a crude homogenate of cells. The function of the cytosol ATPase which has, thus far, only been detected in various strains of Tetrahymena pyriformis is presently under investigation.


Isolation and characterization of native and lower molecular weight forms of sheep plasminogen. Two major forms of native sheep plasminogen (SPg-a) have been isolated from plasma by affinity chromatography. These forms differ in molecular weight, charge characteristics, affinity for epsilon-aminocaproic acid (epsilon-Ahx), and carbohydrate content. Upon treatment of SPg-a with plasmin, lower molecular weight  plasminogens can be isolated. A plasminogen (SPg-b) of molecular weight approximately 8,000 less than native plasminogen is rapidly produced when either major plasminogen form is treated with plasmin. The molecular weight differences found in the major SPg-a forms are retained in the SPg-b forms, derived from each SPg-a. Upon protracted treatment of either major form of SPg-a or SPg-b with plasmin, a plasminogen (SPg-c) or molecular weight approximately 32,000 less than SPg-b is produced. A single peptide (P) is also produced in this step. The SPg-c species produced from each original SPg-a major form possess essentially the same molecular weights and carbohydrate compositions; but the P cleaved retains the molecular weight and carbohydrate differences found in each major SPg-a or SPg-b form. A large decrease in the S20,w of SPg-a is observed upon the binding of epsilon-Ahx to this protein. A much smaller alteration in the S20,w of SPg-b and SPg-c is observed upon binding of epsilon-Ahx to these proteins.


On the mechanism of sodium- and potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase. Time course of intermediary steps examined by computer simulation of transient kinetics. In order to learn whether the kinetics of transient phosphorylation of sodium plus potassium ion transport adenosine triphosphatase was compatible with the hydrolysis of ATP, computer simulation of experimental data was studied. The enzyme mechanism was described in terms of first order and pseudo-first order reactions. The resulting system of linear first order differential equations was solved by a Runge-Kutta method. Phosphorylation kinetics was studied by means of a rapid mixing apparatus at 21 degrees in the presence of 100 micron ATP, 3 mM MgCl2, 120 mM NaCl, and 10 mM KCl. Computer simulation gave a close fit to experimental data with a model of the reaction mechanism which included a sequence of two dephospho forms and two phospho forms of the enzyme. With this model, rate constants obtained by computer simulation were in agreement with constants which had been determined in separate phosphorylation and dephosphorylation experiments. Within experimental limits, the net flux of reaction in each partial step was compatible with the (Na+,K+)-stimulated hydrolysis of ATP (about 324 and 300 nmol-mg-1-min-1, respectively).


Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-specific glutamate dehydrogenase of Neurospora. V. Tryptic peptides. The isolation and sequences of an additional 80 peptides from a tryptic digest of the NAD-specific glutamate dehydrogenase of Neurospora crassa are reported. These include an additional peptide containing a lysine residue labeled at the epsilon-amino group with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The sequence of this peptide shows some homology with the reactive lysine residue of other glutamate dehydrogenases.


Trypsin-induced changes in the orientation of latent ATPase in protoplast ghosts from Mycobacterium phlei. Latent ATPase, located on the inner surface of protoplast ghosts of Mycobacterium phlei, was unmasked either by trypsin or an impermeable form of trypsin, ethylene maleic anhydride-trypsin. Density gradient experiments showed that the ghost preparations remained intact following trypsin treatment. Evidence was obtained that 125I-trypsin failed to penetrate the ghost membranes. Thus, attempts were made to determine whether the ATPase molecule in the ghost membranes is accessible from the outer surface. Treatment of protoplast ghosts and trypsin-treated ghosts with 125I by the lactoperoxidase method resulted in the labeling of ATPase only in the trypsin-treated ghost preparations. The antibody to latent ATPase inhibited ATPase activity in trypsin-treated ghosts. The changes in the fluorescence polarization of diphenyl hexatriene indicated that trypsin treatment of the ghost membranes resulted in an increase in membrane fluidity. These studies suggest that the latent ATPase moiety has undergone translocation to the outer surface or it became accessible to trypsin digestion from the outer surface of the membranes as a result of removal of some proteins covering ATPase molecule in the membranes.


Evidence that coated vesicles isolated from brain are calcium-sequestering organelles resembling sarcoplasmic reticulum. Coated vesicles from the brain have been purified to near morphological homogeneity by a modification of the method of Pearse. These vesicles resemble sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments isolated from skeletal muscle. They contain proteins with 100,000- and 55,000-dalton mol wt which co-migrate on polyacrylamide gels, in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, with the two major proteins of the sarcoplasmic reticulum fragment. These vesicles contain adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity which is stimulated by calcium ions in the presence of Triton X-100 (Rohm & Haas Co., Philadelphia, Pa.), displaying maximal activity at 8 x 10(-7) M Ca ++. They take up calcium ions from the medium, and this uptake is stimulated by ATP and by potassium oxalate, a calcium-trapping agent. The 100,000-dalton protein of the coated vesicles displays immunological reactivity with an antiserum directed against the 100,000-dalton, calcium-stimulated ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. As with the sarcoplasmic reticulum fragment, this protein becomes radiolabeled when coated vesicles are briefly incubated with gamma-labeled [32P]ATP. The possible functions of coated vesicles as calcium-sequestering organelles are discussed.


Changes of the cell surface and of the digestive apparatus of Dictyostelium discoideum during the staruation period triggering aggregation. The effects of starvation on the cell morphology of Dictyostelium discoideum were studied with different cytochemical techniques, and with a morphometric method by which the surface areas of the cell membrane and of the digestive system can be determined. During the first 2 h, the cell membrane becomes very wrinkled and many phagocytic cups and filopods are formed. These changes are in accord with the 40 percent increase in the cell surface area to cytoplasmic volume ratio observed, which is mainly due to a strong decrease in the cytoplasmic volume. At this time of starvation, cells are able to ingest twice as many yeast as during growth. Afterwards, while the phagocytic ability decreases, the phagocytic cups disappear, and all the cells become bristled with many thin filopods. In spite of these morphological changes, no quantitative or topological differences have been observed concerning the polysaccharide content of the plasma membrane, whether it was stained with phosphotungstic acid, silver proteinate, or ruthenium red. During this time, the digestive vacuoles imbricate one into the other. Part of the vacuoles are degraded by this process, thus leading to an atrophy of the digestive apparatus. The digestive apparatus is progressively replaced by an autophagic system. Polysaccharide stainings and morphological observations show that the cytosegresomes seem to originate from the food vacuoles which flatten and sequester portions of cytoplasm. After 5 h of starvation, the digestive system is entirely transformed into an autophagic apparatus. The cell population appears to be homogeneous with respect to these changes. Therefore, potential precursors of prestalk and prespore cells were not observed.


Basolateral plasma membrane localiztion of ouabain-sensitive sodium transport sites in the secretory epithelium of the avian salt gland. The distribution of Na+ pump sites (Na+-K+-ATPase) in the secretory epithelium of the avian salt gland was demonstrated by freeze-dry autoradiographic analysis of [(3)H] ouabain binding sites. Kinetic studies indicated that near saturation of tissue binding sites occurred when slices of salt glands from salt-stressed ducks were exposed to 2.2 muM ouabain (containing 5 muCi/ml [(3)H]ouabain) for 90 min. Washing with label-free Ringer's solution for 90 min extracted only 10% of the inhibitor, an amount which corresponded to ouabain present in the tissue spaces labeled by [(14)C]insulin. Increasing the KCl concentration of the incubation medium reduced the rate of ouabain binding but not the maximal amount bound. In contrast to the low level of ouabain binding to salt glands of ducks maintained on a freshwater regimen, exposure to a salt water diet led to a more than threefold increase in binding within 9-11 days. This increase paralleled the similar increment in Na+-K+-ATPase activity described previously. [(3)H]ouabain binding sites were localized autoradiographically to the folded basolateral plasma membrane of the principal secretory cells. The luminal surfaces of these cells were unlabeled. Mitotically active peripheral cells were also unlabeled. The cell-specific pattern of [(3)H]ouabain binding to principal secretory cells and the membrane-specific localization of binding sites to the nonluminal surfaces of these cells were identical to the distribution of Na+-K+-ATPase as reflected by the cytochemical localization of ouabain-sensitive and K+-dependent nitrophenyl phosphatase activity. The relationship between the nonluminal localization of Na+-K+-ATPase and the possible role of the enzyme n NaCl secretion is considered in the light of physiological data on electrolyte transport in salt glands and other secretory epithelia.


Amniotic fluid androgens and estrogens in midgestation. Amniotic fluid androgen and estrogen levels associated with 48 male and 72 female fetuses between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation were measured. Amniotic fluid testosterone levels were significantly higher (P less than 0.001) in the male (224 +/- 11 pg/ml) than the female fetuses (39 +/- 2 pg/ml) with no overlap of values. Amniotic fluid androstenedione concentrations were also significantly higher (P less than 0.001) with male (1024 +/- 53 pg/ml) than female fetuses (668 +/- 39 pg/ml), but there was overlap. There was no difference between anmiotic fluid dehydroepiandrosterone levels for the two sexes. Estrone concentrations were slightly but not significantly higher with the male (353 +/- 33 pg/ml) than with female fetuses (331 +/- 28 pg/ml), while estradiol concentrations were significantly higher (P =0.002) with the female (96 +/- 8 pg/ml) than male (64 +/- 4 pg/ml) fetuses. It is interpreted that the higher amniotic fluid testosterone and androstenedione levels for the male fetuses reflect fetal testicular secretion. The significantly higher estradiol concentrations for the female fetuses may reflect early ovarian secretion.


Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the rectus sheath case report with ultrasonic findings. The ultrasonic findings in a 54 year old white male with a rare tumor, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, involving the rectus sheath are described. The sonogram confirmed the tumor's location in the anterior abdominal wall and provided useful information regarding its extent. An interesting feature was the lesion's relative sonolucency, apparently due to its myxoid content.


Effect of bovine plasmin on alpha-S1-B and kappa-A caseins. Both alpha-S1- and kappa-caseins were incubated at 37 C in the presence of bovine plasmin (.28 mg/ml) prepared from fresh blood plasma. The electrophoretic pattern of kappa-casein A was unchanged following 60-min incubation with plasmin. However, the electrophoretic band corresponding to alpha-S1-casein B gradually disappeared during the initial 30-min incubation with plasmin. Proteolysis was accompanied by the formation of one polypeptide band with electrophoretic mobility slightly slower than alpha-S1-casein B and several bands with faster electrophoretic mobilities. Two of the faster electrophoretic bands contained phosphorus. Estimates of molecular weights were 20,500, 12,300, and 10,300 daltons for three of these early degradation products of alpha-S1-casein B by plasmin.


Digital arthroplasty by power surgery with minimal incision. A description of a new method for arthroplasty of the fifth toe, its postoperative considerations, complications, reoccurrence, advantages and disadvantages has been presented.


The expression of Ia antigens on immunocompetent cells in the quinea pig. I the differential expression of Ia antigens on T cell subpopulations. We have examined the effect of negative selection with anti-Ia serum and C on a number of T cell functions and have clearly defined two subpopulations of guinea pig T lymphocytes. One subpopulation is susceptible to the lytic effects on anti-Ia serum and C and includes the majority of the primed T cells which proliferate and which produce migration inhibition factor in response to specific antigen stimulation in vitro. The lytic effects of anti-Ia serum were directed against the antigen-specific T cell and not an accessory cell such as a macrophage or nonantigen-specific T cell. No evidence for allelic exclusion of the Ia antigens of the antigen-responsive cell could be demonstrated. The susceptibility of the mitogen-responsive T cell to lysis by anti-Ia serum and C varied with the mitogen used, anatomic origin of the T cell, and the strain of animals studied. A second subpopulation of T cells is completely resistant to the lytic effects of anti-Ia serum and C and includes the primed T helper cell and the T cell that proliferates in response to alloantigenic stimulation in the MLR.


The expression of Ia antigens on immunocompetent cells in the guinea pig. II. Ia antigens on macrophages. Only 15 to 25% of purified oil-induced guinea pig macrophages could be lysed by treatment with anti-Ia serum and C. Those cells remaining alive after treatment were not damaged and were metabolically active since they readily phagocytized latex beads. However, the "Ia-negative" macrophages were markedly deficient in their ability to present protein antigens to immune T lymphocytes and to function as stimulator cells when mixed with allogeneic T cells in the mixed leukocyte reaction. It thus appears that Ia antigens are expressed on a subpopulation of macrophages and that this subpopulation plays a critical role in the activation of T cell proliferation to soluble protein antigens and to alloantigens.


Interaction of T cells with allogeneic macrophages in mixed leukocyte cultures in rats. The role of macrophages in rat mixed leukocyte cultures was investigated. Previous studies indicated that macrophages in the responding cells suppressed the proliferative and cytotoxic responses. When, in the present study, macrophages were depleted from the stimulating cells, the proliferative and cytotoxic responses were greatly depressed. Reconstitution of the macrophage-depleted cultures with low concentrations of irradiated peritoneal exudate cells of the stimulator but not the responder haplotype resulted in the generation of strong cytotoxic responses. Further, highly purified stimulator peritoneal macrophage populations induced the generation of strongly cytotoxic effector cells, which suggested that macrophages are the predominant stimulating cells in rat mixed leukocyte cultures.


Murine B lymphocyte heterogeneity: distribution of complement receptor-bearing and minor lymphocyte-stimulating B lymphocytes among cells with different densities of total surface Ig and IgM. The distribution of complement receptor-bearing (CR+) and minor lymphocyte-stimulating (Mls)-defined lymphocyte-activating determinants (LAD) among B lymphocytes with different densities of total surface immunoglobulin (sIg) and sIgM was determined. B lymphocytes that bore intermediate densities of sIg and low densities of sIgM had the highest frequency of CR+ cells and were the most active in expressing Mls-defined LAD. The distribution of these and other surface markers on B-lymphocyte subpopulations is discussed.


Ia antigens in inbred rats and their relationship to the MLR phenotype. Three different alloantisera were raised by using Ag-B/MLR disparate rats, and the cytotoxic activity remaining after absorption with erythrocytes to remove anti-Ag-B antibodies was examined. The alloantisera detected surface antigens present only on B cells and segregation studies demonstrated that the genes that code for these antigenic specificities were linked to the major histocompatibility complex. The reactivity of the alloantisera with splenic lymphocytes from a panel of strains representative of the currently known Ag-B groups showed that multiple specificities were present in two of the three antisera and that these specificities were shared by many inbred strains. The appropriate absorption studies showed, however, that each antiserum detected an unique specificity that was found only in those inbred strains that shared the same mixed lymphocyte reactivity (MLR) phenotype as the donor strain. The alloantiserum produced against the KGH strain inhibited the MLR reactions involving this strain only when it was used as the stimulating cell population. The antigens detected by the three alloantisera described here have the characteristics of Ia antigens, and they have tentatively been designated Ia.1 (ACI anti-KGH), Ia.3 (B3 anti-BN) and Ia.4 (MNR anti-DA).


Characterization of guinea pig mitogenic factors. I. Evidence that antigen-induced mitogenic factor and mitogenic factor from mixed leukocyte cultures are distinct molecular entities. Mitogenic factor from BCG-sensitized cells stimulated with antigen (PPD) was found to have a m.w. between 20 and 25,000 daltons and an isoelectric point of about 7.5. The blastogenic activity of this factor was not affected by L-fucose or heating at 56 degrees C for up to 1 hr. Mitogenic factor obtained from supernatants of allogeneic cell mixtures (MLC-MF) on the other hand, had a m.w. at 15 to 18,000 daltons and an isoelectric point of 6.5. The blastogenic activity of MLC-MF was inhibited by 0.1 M L-fucose. The factor was stable at 56 degrees C for 1 hr. An antibody prepared against MLC-MF inhibited the MLC reaction as well as the activity of MLC-MF on non-committed cells. This antibody, however, did not affect the response of lymphocytes to PHA or PPD and had no suppressive effect on PPD-MF. The antibody was not cytotoxic and its suppressive activity in the MLC response could not be absorbed out by lymphoid cells indicating that it is probably directed against a lymphocyte activation product (MLC-MF) rather than membrane antigens. The chemical and immunologic differences exhibited by PPD-MF and MLC-MF indicate that these two lymphokines are distinct molecular entities.


Characterization of functionally distinct lymphoid and myeloid cells from human blood and bone marrow. I. Separation by a buoyant density gradient technique. A buoyant density gradient procedure for mammalian cell separation is described. Gradients of Ficoll and Hypaque in balanced salt solution were used in a zonal rotor to separate distinct leukocyte populations from human peripheral blood and bone marrow. This method possesses the advantages of uniform osmolarity, density determination by refractometry, ease of preparation of gradient solutions, large sample capacity, and low viscosity with consequent ease of sterilization. Granulocyte-monocyte colony-forming units (CFU-C) from blood and bone marrow banded as a homogeneous peak with a density of 1.056 g cm-3 on steep gradients. Recovery of CFU-C was 36% with a 7- to 9-fold enrichment on shallow gradients. Both fractionated and unfractionated peripheral blood cells were stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), Concanavalin A (Con A), and allogeneic lymphocytes. In contrast, cells from unfractionated bone marrow and cells from the light density fraction of marrow were inhibited by Con A and responded variably to PHA.


Characterization of functionally distinct lymphoid and myeloid cells from human blood and bone marrow. II. Separation by velocity sedimentation. Velocity sedimentation in a zonal rotor using gradients of uniform osmolarity was used to separate leukocyte subpopulations from human blood and bone marrow. The separations were performed at high sedimentation rates having the advantage of rapidity over conventional unit gravity separations. Myeloid stem cells (CFU-C) and cells reactive with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), Concanavalin A (Con A), and in mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) were separated and their sedimentation profiles obtained. CFU-C sedimented ahead of lymphoid cells and behind mature myeloid elements. Two distinct marrow subpopulations separated by velocity sedimentation were consistently stimulated by Con A, and variably stimulated by PHA and MLC reactions. Both large cells (predominantly myeloid) and small cells (predominantly lymphoid) from bone marrow were stimulated by Con A in [3H]thymidine incorporation assays. When separated subpopulations showing stimulation by Con A were mixed, inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation resulted.


Trends and seasonality of antibiotic resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Over 8,400 pretreatment isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae collected in the United States between November 1972 and April 1975 were tested for their in vitro resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and spectinomycin. Trends and seasonality of resistance were examined by use of a harmonic regression technique. During the study period, there was a significant difference among years in the mean minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for each antibiotic (P less than 0.001 for penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline; P less 0.05 for spectinomycin), and the mean MIC for each antibiotic decreased. Resistance to tetracycline and penicillin was highest in the winter months. Seasonality  of resistance, alone or as an interaction with year, approached significance (P less than 0.10) or was significant (P less than 0.05) for all four antibiotics.


The impact of the computer-reported vectorcardiogram on the cardiologist interpreter of the scalar electrocardiogram. The purpose of this study was to determine if the computer-reported vectorcardiogram (VCG) had a notable impact on the cardiologist interpreter of the 12-lead scalar electrocardiogram (ECG). Three cardiologists read 100 12-lead scalar ECGs and four months later again read the same tracings while having available the VCG computer report. The diagnosis was altered in 25% of the repeated interpretations. Forty-five per cent of these had only minor changes and can probably be disregarded. Major or significant changes occurred in 14% of the records, and 80% of these were apparently attributable to the computer report. It was concluded that the use of a computer-assisted interpretation of a VCG may enhance the uniformity and consistency of the cardiologist's interpretation of the scalar ECG.


Left bifascicular block with normally conducting middle fascicle. A case of aortic insufficiency showing an ECG pattern of left ventricular hypertrophy and strain has been followed over time. One year after the initial observation, the ECG and VCG recordings showed the appearance of a left bifascicular block, due to involvement of the anterior and posterior fascicles, with normal septal activation. It is suggested that the normally functioning middle fascicle activates the inferior two-thirds of the septum. This hypothesis is discussed in light of recent experimental data.


Hereditary chorea without dementia.

Hereditary chorea without dementia. We describe here a distinct syndrome of chorea without dementia, occurring in three generations of a family and inherited as a mendelian dominant.


The objective corroboration of back pain through thermography. The potential usefulness of thermography  as an aid to the diagnosis of neuro-musculo-skeletal disease in  occupational settings is discussed. The characteristics of the infrared spectrum are briefly outlinded, followed by a description of basic concepts and technics necessary to ensure reproducible results. A pilot study demonstrating the association between thermographic changes and back pain is presented. Findings are compared with normal thermograms and are statistically evaluated. Thermography seems to have the potential to be developed into a useful tool of occupational medicine  in general.


Occupational exposure to chloromethyl ethers. A retrospective cohort mortality study (1948-1972). This industry-wide epidemiologic study to evaluate the human carcinogenicity of the chloromethyl ethers (CME) included 1827 CME-exposed workers and 8870 controls. Duration and relative intensity of exposure were classified by job description in the personnel records. This information permitted assigning relative magnitude of exposure scores for each job category at several plants, with allowance for temporal changes in the plant processes. Social security records were used for the ascertainment of deaths among separated employees. Death certificates were obtained for virtually all known deaths, and hospital pathology reports were obtained where possible for the cancer-related deaths. No differences in noncancer death rates were found. An increased risk of respiratory cancer death in CME-exposed workers was found at only one firm where high exposures are known to have occurred. A clear dose-response relationship with risk ratios exceeding ten for the longest duration and greatest exposure subgroups was demonstrated for this firm.


The interaction of monovalent cations with the sodium pump of low-potassium goat erythrocytes. 1. The activation by Na ions and the effect of the anti-L antibody on the sodium pump of low-potassium type (LK) erythrocytes, have been studied by measuring ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity of red cell membranes of LK goats. The experimental data were first corrected for incomplete occupation of the external K sites of the pump, using a saturation function obtained from influx experiments.2. Double-reciprocal plots of the corrected rates against Na concentration at various fixed K concentrations, yield a pattern of competitive K inhibition when it is assumed that three equivalent sodium sites take part in the internal activation of LK-(Na+K)-ATPase. The dissociation constant of Na at each site (K(m)) lies between 10 and 20 mM and that of K as competitive inhibitor (K(i)), between 1.5 and 4.5 mM.3. The maximal rate of hydrolysis of LK goat (Na + K)-ATPase is not different from those usually obtained with the high-potassium type (HK) red cell enzyme. Then, the low pumping rate of LK erythrocytes in physiological conditions is only reflecting the poor Na affinity, both absolute and relative, at the internal Na sites of their sodium pumps.4. The stimulation of the ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity by sensitization of the membranes with anti-L serum, is mediated by a threefold reduction of the K(m)/K(i) ratio at each site. K(m) decreases by a factor of 10, but there is also a smaller diminution of K(i). The maximal rate of hydrolysis, however, is unchanged by the anti-L treatment. The least-squares fitting of the pooled data by the rate equation, converges better with less than three and more than two equivalent sodium sites.5. The affinity sequence at two external K sites of the LK goat erythrocyte sodium pump, determined in the presence of 100 mM external Na, is Rb > K > Cs. It is obtained from the concentration dependence in influx experiments, and is the same as reported for human red cells.6. Cubic-root Dixon plots of the corrected ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity against the concentration of K and its congeners, show the sequence Tl > K > Rb > Na > Cs for the affinities at the internal cation sites of the LK sodium pump. Anti-L treatment decreases the relative magnitude of Na and Cs selectivities, it being not certain whether a Rb-Na transition then occurs.7. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms whereby the sodium pump of LK and HK red cells may adjust the properties of their cation sites upon translocation of monovalent cations.


Levamisole: anthelmintic activity in calves following dermal application. A series of seven experiments designed to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy of levamisole (1-tetramisole) by dermal application is described. This work involved use of 181 artificially infested calves. The drug was formulated at a concentration of 10% m/v levamisole base in a solvent system promoting dermal absorption and was applied to both sides of the spine in the lumber region at a dose rate of 10 mg levamisole base per kg livemass. A consistent performance was achieved in these investigations, the results from all of which were based upon necropsy findings. Efficacy of treatment was assessed against the third and fourth larval stages and fifth stage larvae/adult worms of six nematode species; the respective efficacies obtained were Haemonchus placei 72,0%; 99,3%; and 100%: Ostertagia ostertagi 85,5%; 38,1% and 74,5%: Cooperia spp. 98,9%; 99,9% and 100%: Bunostomum phlebotomum 83,0%; 100% and 98,5%: Oesophagostomum radiatum 47,4%; 94,9% and 99,6% and Dictyocaulus viviparus 79,5%; 94,1%; 90.9% (fifth stage larvae) and 93,8% (adult worms). The anthelmintic efficacy of levamisole in these experiments is of the same order as that achieved by orthodox methods of administration at dose rates between 7,5 and 10,0 mg levamisole HC1 per kg livemass. These findings add a new dimension to the use of levamisole and to anthelmintic therapy in general.


Trials with rafoxanide. 8. Efficacy of an injectable solution against trematodes and nematodes in cattle. Four experiments are described in which the efficacy of an experimental 5% injectable solution of rafoxanide was evaluated against various adult and immature helminths in cattle. Subcutaneous injection at a dosage of 3 mg/kg live mass resulted in the following reductions in mean worm burdens: adult Fasciola hepatica, 82,6%; adult Fasciola gigantica, 99,8% immature Paramphistomum microbothrium, 10,1% adult Haemonchus placei, 99,6%, third stage H. placei, 73,7%; adult Bunostomum phlebotomum, 99,8%; adult Oesophagostomum radiatum, 99,9%; and fourth stage O. radiatum, 76,9%. At 5 mg/kg live mass, rafoxanide solution was 97,5% and 99,2% effective against 8-week old F. gigantica and third stage H. placei respectively and at 7,5 mg/kg, 92,4% against 6-week old F. gigantica.


[Laparoscopy in the diagnosis of polycystic kidneys (author's transl)]. Nineteen cases of polycystic kidney disease were studied by laparoscopy in order to demonstrate the presence of renal cysts. The right kidney was seen in all cases and the left in 14. Cysts were not seen in 2 cases in the right kidney and 7 cases in the left. At endoscopy the cysts hve the appearance of thin-walled vesicles, highly variable in number and size. Diagnosis by intravenous pyelography was not possible in 7 cases whilst laparoscopy failed to provide the necessary evidence in only 2 patients.


Covered cloacal exstrophy: another variation on the theme. Two cases showing many of the visceral features of exstrophy of the cloaca are described. In addition, there were the typical pelvic skeletal deformity and lumbosacral spina bifida but the abdominal wall was intact, although thin and weak. The embryogenesis is discussed. It is considered that the condition resulted from the breakdown of an infra-umbilical membrane at the 5 mm. stage. Later, mesodermal infiltration led to secondary closure of the membrane but visceral development was halted.


Pyeloileovesical diversion in a case of prune belly syndrome. A case of prune belly syndrome that was managed at birth with cutaneous ureterostomies and later reconstructed with a pyeloileovesical diversion (reversed 7) is presented. This constitutes the first report of such treatment in this anomaly. The indications, operative procedure and results after long-term followup are discussed.


Observations on the seasonal prevalence, pathology and transmission of Dracunculus insignis (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) in the raccoon (Procyon lotor (L.) in Ontario. Lesions due to Dracunculus insignis in the legs of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in southern Ontario occur seasonally as most larvigerous females emerge in the spring and early summer (April-June). The pathology of dracunculiasis in the raccoon is described and the transmission of the parasite in the wild is discussed with respect to seasonality and local agricultural practices. Crayfish, fishes and frogs (including tadpoles) were given infective third-stage larvae of D. insignis to test their suitability as paratenic hosts. Most of the larvae fed to adult Rana pipiens and R. clamitans were recovered from the somatic musculature. Larvae had increased in size and were highly infective to raccoons.


Effects of cadmium on the active transport of sodium by the abdominal skin of a bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). Effects of Cd on the active transport of Na in SO4-Ringer's solution on the abdominal skin of a bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) were investigated. The short circuit current (SCC), potential difference (PD), and Na flux were determined. The skin resistance (Rm), the electromotive force of active Na transport (Ena), and the resistance to the active Na current (Rna) were calculated from the measured data. The application of Cd to the epidermal side at 2 mM was more effective in increasing SCC than that to the dermal side at the same concentration. The time course of changes in SCC induced by Cd were classified into three types: (I) a simple increase in SCC during Cd application, (II) an early decrease followed by an increase in SCC, and (III) a decrease in SCC except for a small increase in the initial short period. Type I response was observed in the majority of cases (about two-thirds). Types II and III were observed in 7 and 32 percent of 28 cases, respectively. The Cd-induced changes in SCC were analyzed on the basis of changes in ENa and RNa. In Type I, the increase in SCC was due to a remarkable decrease in RNa without an appreciable  change in ENa (since SCC = ENa/RNa). In Types II and III, the changes in SCC in the early and the later stages could be explained by the differences in the extents to which ENa and RNa decreased. The experimental and calculated ratios of PDcd to PDcontrol in these stages were in good agreement with each other.


Effect of exercise on the skeletal myosin of growing rat. In order to study the effect of running on ATPase activity of myofibril and myosin in the hindlimb muscles, male wister rats of the same venter weighing approximately 50 g were housed in individual cages and allowed to run unimpeded on a treadwheel for 25-30 days. The myofibril and myosin prepared from the exercised rats had lower activation energy of ATP hydrolysis reaction and higher specific ATPase activity than those from the control rats. The myosin prepared from the running-group contained a much higher amount of the light chain having a molecular weight of 16,000, characteristic of white skeletal myosin, than that from the control group. These observations suggest that physical training changed the ratio of populations in myosin molecules, for instance, white and red skeletal myosin.


Effect of lipid peroxidation on phospholipase A2 activity of rat liver mitochondria. Effect of lipid peroxidation on phospholipase A1 activity was examined in rat liver mitochondria. Content of lipid peroxides in rat liver mitochondria was markedly increased in the presence of ascorbic acid (0.1 mM) and ferrous ion (40 muM, as compared to the control. Phospholipase A2 activity in mitochondria was activated by approximately 60% after lipid peroxidation. Mg2+-activated ATPase activity in mitochondria was markedly stimulated by about 200% following treatment with ascorbic acid and ferrous ion. There was no difference in calcium content of mitochondria before and after lipid peroxidation.


[The cialit-conserved trachea homograft (author's transl)]. After all techniques for reconstruction of tracheal segments with trachea-homografts, known from the literature, have failed to show satisfactory functional results, we have carried out further experiments concerning this subject. Our main interest was focused on the following topics: 1. the regeneration pattern of the respiratory epithelium in the trachea, 2. possibilities of the conservation of trachea-transplants, 3. the behaviour of the receptor area against trachea homografts. We found, that in correspondence with clinical observations, even large circumferencial defected epithelial areas in the mucous layer of the trachea have been regenerated in a form of new mucous membrane which showed no morphological difference from normal structure. Segments of trachea can be preserved in Cialit solution. Prefixation in formaldehydsaline fixative improves the preservation of the tissue structure. Homografts obtained in the above described technique could almost always be made to heal, either directly in the trachea or in the subcutaneous tissue of the recipient-animals. The behaviour of the cartilage and the epithelium is demonstrated by histological methods as well as by scanning electronmicroscopy.


[Reconstruction of a larynx and trachea after polytraumatism (author's transl)]. The sourse of a larynx and oesophagus-which had suffered repeated lesion-is reported. Because of the cicatrization and the proliferation the lumen of the larynx was unadapted to respiration. Into the stoma of the cicatrized trachea only a child's cannula could be inserted. The tracheal proliferation was removed surgically and the cicatrial entrance was duly dilated. Afterwards by dilating operation satisfactory air passage was assured. Finally, by wandering of a flap obtained from a thoracal skin the larynx and the tracheostoma were covered. The satisfactory results of the surgical intervention are verified by the time of two years, passed symptom-free and free of complaints since the operation.


[Leukoplakias of the larynx (i. clinical and histological classification) (author's transl)]. A clinical and histological classification of leukoplakias of the larynx is described. Basis for this classification is the prognostically important systematical, histologic and cytologic knowledge gained in gynecology. The early clinical diagnosis limited to a macroscopic description of leukoplakias is completed by a prognostic attribute won by cytology and/or histology. Thus the final diagnosis of precancerous lesions of the larynx is classified into leukoplakias with low-graded dysplasias, middle-graded dysplasia, highgraded dysplasia and atypical epithelium. The old nomenclature regards dysplasias as facultative precancerous lesions and the atypical epithelium as an obligatory precancerous lesion.


[A simplified method of the endolaryngeal laterofixation of the vocal cord (author's transl)]. In a modification of Thornell's procedure of surgical treatment of bilateral abductor paralysis of the vocal cords, the arytenoid cartilage is preserved, but only its vocal process is removed. After preparing of a pedicled subglottic mucosaflap a partial resection of the vocal cord and of the vocal muscle is followed. An endolaryngeal packing with a soft foam-rubber stent allows an optimal adaptation of the mucosaflap. Two years follow-up studies have shown that all 14 patients had a satisfying respiration, their voice was either partially hoarse or almost as good as before the operation. All 14 cases could be decannulated, 12 of them within 12 days.


[Surgical aspects at the treatment of foreign bodies in the oesophagus trachea and bronchies in infancy (author's transl)]. In the course of the last 8 years 53 such cases, with reference to the age of the children, the frequency, the localisation, and the nature of the extracted foreign bodies, had been carefully examined. Some diagnostic problems, the technique of the endoscopic extraction, as well as the post-extractional treatment are briefly described and special emphasize is given to the advantages of general anaesthesia. Further on the surgical aspects-which are the consequences as well of the extraction, as of post-extractional complications-are discussed, on the base of four typical cases.


[Judgement of function of eustachian tube in children with polyethylene tubes (author's transl)]. Report about the evaluation of tubal function in children with tubulated ear drums because of chronic-secretory otitis media. With the aspiration-deflation method only 9% of 243 cases showed active tubal opening in swallowing when negative pressure was produced in the middle ear. The probable cause is discussed.


[Mucoserotympanon in adults (author's transl)]. In a great number of adults we investigated anamnesis, etiology, symptomatic, age and sex distribution and quantity of seromucotympanon. Tympanometry is represented as the final method for diagnosis and control. Moment and application of conservative and operative therapy are discussed.


[Chronic mucous effusions of the middle ear and the influence on inner ear function (author's transl)]. Audiometric recordings of children suffering from chronic mucous effusion of the middle ear have revealed a statistically significant and permanent sensorineural hearing loss of high frequences. Attemps for mechanical or physical factors as explanation are not convincing. We believe that inner ear disturbances in chronic mucous effusion rise by direct intoxication of the basal turns of the cochlea caused by pathologic alterations of mucous membrane tissue. Certain substances like lysozymes or histamine are supposed to diffuse via round window membrane to the inner ear. On the other hand mucous effusion which fills the middle cavity prevents oxygen to diffuse from the middle ear to the inner ear. Maass et al. (1976) and Morgenstern (1977) clearly have shown that under physiological conditions oxygen tension in the perilymph of the basal cochlear turn partly depends on diffusion from the middle ear. The results of our clinical observations indicate that early diagnosis and prompt treatment is necessary to prevent permanent sensorineural hearing loss of high frequencies, especially in infants and children.


[Clinical comparison of dextran 40 and xantinol nicotinate in the treatment of sudden deafness caused by shock waves (author's transl)]. The therapeutic success of inner ear lesions by acute acoustic trauma was examined by two statistically comparable groups of patients. 80 patients were attended by dextran 40 and 59 by xantinol nicotinate. The amelioration of hearing and tinnitus was statistically better after treatment with dextran 40.


[The alcohol effect on the latency time of acoustically evoked potentials (author's transl)]. The alcohol effect on the latency time of acoustically evoked potentials (ERA and 7 ms-Potentials) was investigated in 19 normal hearing persons. The latency time for N1 of the slow evoked potentials was significantly longer by alcohol concentrations of more than 1%. By blood levels=1.5% and by low stimulus intensity the results were more distinct. The alcohol effect was not registered by the brainstem potentials.


[Is hearing of the students damaged by environmental noise in their leisure time? (author's transl))]. An examination of 1300 students between the ages of 10 and 20 who had not yet been exposed to industrial noise was performed in order to establish to what extent general environmental noise influences hearing. The fact that there was no age-dependent increase of high tone hearing loss, as well as the small correlation between hearing loss and total noise load are evidence that there is no hearing loss produced by increasing environmental noise exposure of teenagers in Germany. Middle ear infections, infections diseases and skull trauma are suggested as causes of the usually minimal high tone hearing losses.


[The reliability of audiometry based on conscious orientation of the hearing impaired child (author's transl)]. The authors present the audiometric procedure for hearing impaired children, which has been developed and performed routinely for some years by the Department of Audiology in the ENT-Clinic of the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena. Problems of children's audiometry are discussed. The procedure developed, is based on the children's conscious orientation to the source of sound which can regularly be registered especially in children of the age from 5 or 6 months to 3 or 4 years. The threshold provoking orientation is 45 to 50 dB (absolute). The results gained by the method described are compaired with those which were obtained 4 to 9 years later in 41 subjects suffering from heredodegenerative hearing loss. A coefficient of correlation r = 0.77 was found, indication a very near correlation of results for both procedures. When compaired to ERA, the test presented is simple to perform and is though to be very valuable for praxis. The orientation audiometry is more exact than the test of subjective audiometry and various procedures based on acoustical reflexes, too.


[A model for different types of computers for recording, managing and evaluating data of middle ear operations (author's transl)]. A system is presented for recording, managing and evaluating data which is so simple that the clinician is able to handle it. The recording of data is done by marking on preformulated questionnaires without any coding of information by the doctor. From the documents, the key-punch operator then makes the punch cards (the alternative: marking documents that can be read directly by an optical mark page reader). The managing of data is done by an own program written in FORTRAN. It creates a tape-sentence of equal length and fixed format for each case. That means each case would contain the same variables, and the order of variables within each case would be the same. The ordering is done by means of an identification code which is derived from the employee numbering system and which makes it independent of all archive-based records. The evaluation is carried out by means of a data processing system which is available for most computers (SPSS). The preformulated questionnaires used for recordings, the program for managing the data and the evaluating procedure punch cards are described. All will be sent by demand.


Dedifferentiation of lens epithelial cells in tissue culture. Lens epithelial cells can be kept in their original differentiated state or brought to dedifferentiation depending on the culture conditions. The different stages of differentiation can be identified using specific markers, namely the activity of steroid metabolizing enzymes, and the synthesis of specific structural lens polypeptides. For this reason lens epithelial cells in tissue culture provide a unique system for the study of the regulation of RNA and protein biosynthesis.


A microspectrophotometric study of the periodic acid-Schiff reaction product in the rat central nervous system. The comparison of microspectrophotometric curves recorded from PAS-stained brain slices reveals clear-cut differences concerning the fixation method and the age of the animal, namely the colour is weaker in Carnoy-fixed tissue and in perinatal rats as referred to Bouin mixture and adult animals, respectively. It seems that the PAS-positive reaction in the rat brain is mainly due to glycolipids rather than to complex polysaccharides.


Histopathological study of human placenta in women infected with rubella virus during pregnancy. A histopathological and virological study is carried out on a group of placentae in the second trimester of pregnancy, obtained during the 1974 rubella epidemic in Cuba. The comparison between the positive and negative cases did not show characteristic lesions of the virus passage through the placenta, which does not coincide with the reports of other authors who generally consider these alterations as a result of this pathology. Eosinophilic intracytoplasmic granules were found in the Hofbauer cells, which should be studied by employing other techniques for accurate identification.


Sister chromatid exchanges in Down syndromes and normal human beings. The BrdU-Giemsa method was used to analyze the frequency of SCEs in a group of five Down syndromes and in a group of five normal human beings. In total 25 second mitoses were scored for SCEs in each individual. Although Down syndromes exhibited a tendency to have higher rates of exchange than normal human beings the analysis of variance showed that these differences were not statistically significant. On the other hand, significant differences were observed in the rates of SCEs between individuals within each group. This variability may reflect inter-individual differences in the efficiency of the mechanisms involved in the production of exchanges. The frequency of SCEs in blood cultures in probably the average of the rates exhibited by two or more lymphocyte sub-populations with different sensitivities to BrdU. Hence, the variability in the rate of exchange between different cultures of the same individual probably arises by changes in the percentage of cells in the second mitosis deriving from each lymphocyte sub-population.


The diagnostic value of interpleural lymph node biopsy. The authors examined biopsies of the interpleural lymph nodes harvested by mediastinoscopy and hilloscopy in 162 patients (133 males and 29 females). The diagnostic efficiency is very high in sarcoidosis, silicosis and in Hodgkin's disease. In sarcoidosis biopsy is able to indicate the evolutive stage of the disease. In malignant lymphogranulomatosis all the observations belonged to type II of nodular sclerosis. In bronchial carcinoma interpleural lymph node biopsy may be practised with diagnostic purposes or in order to check up operability.


Myocardial necrosis through chemical-calcic mechanism. An 18-day-old child is presented with a ventricular septal defect and aspiration bronchopneumonia with abscesses. An extensives myocardial necrosis with calcium deposits is also present. The authors think that the myocardial necrosis is a consequence of the calcium deposition on the mitochondria of myocardial fibres, favoured by the general and local changes, especially the heart hypoxia due to the combined action of the heart congenital diseases and of bronchopneumonia.


The systemic conception and its methods in pathology. Theses for a theoretical attempt. A theoretical attempt concerning the use of the systemic conception and of its methods in pathology and in morphological research is presented in several theses. These bear on the systemic conception, the open informational biological systems, the structural analysis useful in biology and medicine, the possible development in the normal and pathological morphology. Some other theses are referred to: the pathological process as a whole and its features as a system formed by lesions and sequences, the internal and external relationships of pathological processes, the effects of different structural-organizational levels involved, the ensemble of determining factors, the stereotypes of pathological processes and the possibilities to influence them by the organismic mechanisms and by extrinsic interventions, including therapeutic ones. The relatively independent evolution of constituted pathological processes and its relationships with the integrating suprasystem (the organism) are also discussed.


[Aortoplasty with dacron patch in the surgical treatment of aortic coarctation]. The indications for aortoplasty and the techniques employed are described. The advantages of using Dacron patches are explained, namely: restricted mobilisation of the aorta, no sacrifice of intercostal vessels, no risk of haemorrhage from ectasic collateral vessels with weak walls, or from the calcified aorta wall, and simplicity. The method requires lengthwise section (extended as necessary) of the aorta where it is restricted following the application of clamps, removal of the stenosing diaphragm and application of a lozenge-shaped patch, with continuous suture of the anterior edges of the opening in the vessel. It is pointed out that the method is especially indicated in cases with marked atheromatous alterations and in chil-childrens, whose aorta is thereby enabled to grow normally, since a sufficient part of the wall is left in its natural continuity.


The granulocytic chalone-a specific inhibor of granulopoiesis: molecular weight and chemical nature. Chalones specifically inhibit cell rpoliferation not only in their respective normal cell system, but also in the malignant descendants of these cells. Consequently, a number of hypotheses have been put forward as to how chalones could be used in cancer treatment or related areas. As chalones are not cytotoxic themselves, but merely inhibit proliferation, the regression of tumors which have been observed in some cases must have been caused by other mechanisms, not directly related to the increased chalone level. Some of the potential advantages and drawbacks of this direct approach will be discussed. Some models in which chalones serve as adjuncts to other forms of therapy will be discussed. The experimental testing of these procedures and hypothesis is hampered severly by the unavailability of satisfactory chalone preparations. A possible approach to overcome this by using synthetic granulocytic (and possibly other) chalone(s) is discussed in detail.


Tumor-specific immunity in sarcoma patients. Stimulatory responses of 40 patients with bone [33] and soft tissue [7] sarcomas to autologous tumor cells were correlated with clinical data and prognosis. Although conclusive judgments for individual patients cannot be made, some genral features emerge: patients with stimulation indices greater than 1.5 have a 50 percent relapse-free interval after surgery of 22 months, patients with indices, below 1.5 have a 50 percent relapse-free interval of 5 months. 7 out of 10 responder patients are tumor-free 1 year after surgery as compared to 5 out of 19 (26 percent of non-responder pateints (p less than 0.05). Removal of the tumor is followed by an increase in the stimulatory response and by the dissappearance of blocking serum factors in patients with favourable prognosis. Responses return to baseline levels in tumor free patients 9-12 months after surgery. The results suggest that tumor-associated immune responses play a role in the development of human sarcomas. In addition, 47 lymphocyte samples of 25 patients were tested for stimulation by autologous tumor cells and for cell-mediated cytotoxicity against allogeneic sarcoma cell lines. Similar results were obtained in both test systems when pre-therapy lymphocytes were used. Discordant results were frequently seen at times after surgery. Both test systems may complement each other and may help clarify the tumor-specificity of certain lymphocytotoxic activities.


Application of glass capillary gas chromatography to the study of urinary steroid excretion in normal children and in patients with various endocrinopathies. A method of gas chromatography on glass capillary columns (g. c. c. c.) is presented which allows the determination of 26 urinary C19 and C21 steroid metabolites in one procedure. Hundredthirtyseven normal individuals of both sexes from 6 months through 32 years of age were studied regarding their urinary steroid patterns. These were compared to the excretion patterns of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia before and during treatment and of a child with virilizing adrenal carcinoma. From the results it is concluded that g. c. c. c. may be considered a valuable tool in the study of steroid production and metabolism.


In vivo lability of red cell phosphofructokinase in term infants: the possible molecular basis of the relative phosphofructokinase deficiency in neonatal red cells. Cord blood erythrocytes from nine term infants were separated by density gradient centrifugation into cohorts of intact cells of progressively increasing density and compared with red cells treated in a similar manner from four healthy adults. Pyruvate kinase (PK), an age-dependent enzyme, progressively decreased in activity from the lightest to the heaviest fractions, in both neonatal and adult red cells, indicating that red cells from newborn infants exhibit the same relationship between red cell age and density that had previously been demonstrated in red cells from adults. The rate of decline of red cell PK activity was essentially the same in neonates and adults, whereas phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity in cord erythrocytes decreased at a significantly faster rate when compared to adults. These data suggest that PFK has an accelerated rate of in vivo decay in neonatal red cells and is an unstable enzyme in the newborn.


Static and dynamic balance skills of trainable children with Down's syndrome. This study compared static and dynamic balance performance of 25 subjects with Down's Syndrome and 25 without Down's Syndrome; controls were placed on CA and IQ. No significant difference between the two samples' static balance performance was noted; subjects with the Down's Syndrome had significantly superior dynamic balance performance.


[The influence of abnormal vertebral column on failure in epidural anaesthesia (author's transl)]. In 387 pat., we observed the interdependence of abnormal vertebral column and failures in epidural anaesthesia by medial tap with the "los of resistance" method. We could show that in contradistinction to other opinions scoliosis induces no higher rate of failure of epidural anaesthesia than the normal vertebral column. In patients with kyphoscoliosis and ossified ligaments the epidural space was identified less frequently than in the normal group, perforations of the dura were encountered more frequently. These results are statistically significant. In patients who had or have pain in the back (p.e. lumbago) and those with ossified ligaments we found significantly more pain during operation although analgesia was tested before. In these three abnormalities of the vertebral column we recommend to judicously balance advantages against disadvantages of epidural anaesthesia and alternative anaesthetic procedures.


Serotonergic basis of reward in median raphé of the rat. Rats were trained to self-stimulate simultaneously in the ventromedian tegmentum (VMT) and the median raphe (MR) by pressing two independent bars. Bar-pressing rates for VMT self-stimulation (SS) were increased following methamphetamine and decreased following alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine while no appreciable effects were observed on SS in the MR. On the other hand, MR SS was specifically decreased following para-chlorophenylalanine. The above results taken together support the hypothesis that SS in the MR is due to the stimulation of serotonergic neuronal elements.


Do hormonal (stress) and vascular (ischaemia) factors contribute to reflex muscle atrophy induced by chronic nociceptive stimulation in rats? 1. Reflex muscle atrophy was induced in rats by fracturing the metatarsal bones of one hind paw and injecting 0.02 ml turpentine oil into the planta under shortlasting ether anaesthesia. The atrophy thus evoked in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) was compared with the contralateral muscles. 2. There was a twelvefold increase of plasma corticosteroid levels one hour after application of the above nociceptive stimulus and the levels were still somewhat enhanced at 3 days. Neither bilateral adrenalectomy nor administration of corticosteroid hormones or cold stress affected the development of reflex atrophy. 3. Restriction of the arterial blood supply (ligature of the common iliac artery) led to a slowly progressing atrophy with a maximum 10 days after the ligature. Reflex atrophy introduced at different times after ligature was not enhanced. 4. These results are interpreted as evidence that neither general stress (and the effect of catabolic hormones) nor local restriction of muscle blood flow (by reflex vasospasm, for example) are likely to play any appreciable role in the mechanism of reflex muscle atrophy.


Corticosterone synthesis and serum levels at the end of the perinatal period a study of the effects of stress, diazepam and polyethylene glycol treatments. The effects of stress (intraperitoneal injections onece daily for three days), diazepam (Faustan, Germed) and polyethylene glycol (Macrogolum, Spofa) on the corticosterone production rate (BPR) and concurrent changes in serum corticosterone levels (BSL) were investigated in 4-day-old male rats. Stress stimulation increased the BSL but the BPR was affected only slightly and the difference was not statistically significant. A low dose of diazepam (1 mg/kg) prevented the stress-induced rise in BSL and decrease of BPR, in comparison to stressed animals. On the contrary, high doses of diazepam (10 mg/kg) increased the BSL, while BPR corresponded to control values. Polyethylene glycol (0.12 g/kg; substance of this class is contained in the diazepam vehiculum) decreased the BSL, but the BPR was increased above control values; a higher dose of this substance (1.2 g/kg) yielded only scattered, non-significant results. It is concluded that in preweaned animals 1. the changes in BSL may be associated with minor or transient changes in BPR which indicate small changes in brainpituitary adrenocorticotropic activity, 2. changes in peripheral corticosterone metabolism can play an exceptionally important role in the regulation of glucocorticoid activity in very young rats, 3. a comparison of controls with stressed animals which had received low doses of diazepam indicate a relatively high steady state activity of adrenal cortex and its regulation in 4-day-old control rats.


Significance of the weaning period for natality and maternal behaviour of laboratory rats. Normally weaned females (at 30 days) displayed seasonal cyclic changes in natality and the characteristics of the young. Natality in the spring and summer was high, the litters were large, the proportion of females and males in the litter was equal and deaths among the unweaned young were very few. Natality in the autumn and winter was low and the litters were small and consisted mainly of males. The death rate among the young was higher than in the spring and summer. Prematurely weaned females (at 15 days) displayed no seasonal cycle either in natality or in the characteristics  of the young. The studied parameters corresponded to the values found in the spring and summer in normally weaned females. No differences were found in maternal retrieving, but there was a marked difference in nest-building. The normally weaned female tore up paper (building material) into small fragments 24 hours before giving birth and dropped the young into a soft nest of finely shredded paper. On leaving the nest it covered the young up. The prematurely weaned female scattered the paper about the cage 24 hours before giving birth and dropped the young into a depression stamped out among whole pieces of paper. It did not cover the young up on leaving the nest. The cause of the difference in building behaviour is evidently that prematurely weaned females failed to acquire early experience of this behaviour between the 15th and 30th day of life.


The development of spontaneous motility in chick embryos interaction of picrotoxin and GABA. The effect of the systemic administration of picrotoxin (1 mg/kg egg weight) and GABA (103 mg/kg e.w.) on the spontaneous motility of 11- to 21-day check embryos was studied intact eggs. Embryonal motility was recorded by the method of Kovach (1970). The activating effect of picrotoxin on 11- and 13-day embryos was unaffected by the administration of GABA. In 13- and 17-day-old embryos, GABA did not modify the paroxysmal effect of picrotoxin, but when the two substances were administered together, it prolonged the interparoxysmal intervals. The effect of GABA was most pronounced in 19- and 21-day-old embryos, in which it either stopped picrotoxin paroxysms from developing at all, or noticeably altered the length of the paroxysms, the amplitude of the movements and the length of the interparoxysmal intervals. The results show that the sensitivity of central apparatuses of embryonal spontaneous motility to GABA develops later than the early activatory effect of picrotoxin and are evidence of specific antagonism of these two neutrotropic substances.


Age differences in interrelationships between saline consumption, blood pressure and kidney weight in salt hypertension in the rat. Young and adult uninephrectomized male rats (aged 25 and 87 days respectively) were exposed to an increased salt intake (1% saline as the only drinking fluid) either alone or in combination with DOCA-treatment for 25 and 46 days respectively. Age dependent differences of interrelationships between saline intake (SI), blood pressure (BP) and kidney weight (KW) were studied during development of salt and DOCA-salt hypertension to specify possible factors involved in the higher susceptibility of the young rats to these regimes. Correlation analysis was employed using the step-wise regression procedure. Only in the young rats did saline treatment induce an increase in KW, which preceded the development of mild hypertension. This age group also responded to DOCA-saline treatment with a more pronounced increase in both BP and KW. SI was higher in the young than adult rats exposed to either saline or DOCA-saline treatment. This, however, does not account by itself for the higher hypertensive response of the young rats, since there was no primary relationship between SI and BP in the hypertensive groups. Increase in KW accompanying development of hypertension was dependent on BP in the young rats and on SI in adult rats. This indicates that saline and DOCA-saline treatment renders the kidneys of young rats more sensitive to damaging effects of BP, which play a part in the more pronounced hypertensive response.


Effect of oestrogen and ascorbic acid on the serum ceruloplasmin level in rats. The administration of long-acting oestrogen (1 mg twice a week for 3 weeks) is followed, in rats, by an increase in the serum ceruloplasmin concentration to about 150% of the control value. The simultaneous administration of ascorbic acid in a dose of 10, 20 or 50 mg/rat/day in food raises the ceruloplasmin concentration to 180-200% of the control value (no significant difference was observed in the effect of the various doses of ascorbic acid). The increase produced by combining ascorbic acid with the oestrogen amounts to 20-30% of the value recorded in animals treated only with oestrogen. The mechanism by which ascorbic acid potentiates the effect of oestrogens on the ceruloplasmin level is not known.


Acute effect of large doses of calcitonin on calcium, magnesium and inorganic phosphate levels in rat serum in correlation to differences in thryroid function. The acute effect of pharmacological doses of porcine calcitonin were studied on the calcium, inorganic phosphorus and magnesium level in correlation to thyroid function in experimental rats. In every case, and with all three doses, the serum calcium and inorganic phosphorus level fell significantly within 60 minutes after calcitonin administration. The drop in both minerals was most pronounced in the group with experimental hyperthyroidism, in which all different doses had the same effect. In experimental hypothyroidism, the decrease was correlated to the dose. In the case of the serum magnesium level, a statistically significant drop was observed in animals with hyperthyroidism after the two largest doses of calcitonin, while only a mild increase occurred in animals with hypothyroidism after the smallest dose. None of the doses of calcitonin affected the magnesium level in animals with normal thyroid function.


Spreading depression analysis of contact behaviour of rats. Social contact behaviour induced by spreading cortical depression was studied in rats. The controls looked for and remained in contact, whereas between the rats with spreading cortical depression and their other partners there was no contact. This phenomenon is due mainly to the absence of an active urge for contact. The contact behaviour of rats is evidently controlled by the cerebral cortex or by subcortical areas of the brain which are inhibited after the elicitation of spreading depression. The experiments show that the contact behaviour of rats has at least two components - an active urge for contact and passive tolerance of contact.


Role of the claustrum in sensory activation. The functional organization of the claustrum was studied in acute experiments in cats from birth to adulthood. No somatotopic organization was found, but, on the contrary, multisensory convergence was confirmed. The significance of the claustrum for somesthetic and acoustic afferentation is emphasized. The claustrum is activated mainly by a "cortical loop", along the following route: the diencephalic nuclei (the relevant modality system) leads to cortical projection areas (including secondary and probably association areas) leads to the claustrum. All the correlations described exist from the very first period of postnatal development.


Localization of the interference of ascorbic acid deficiency with bile acid biogenesis. The catabolism of 26-14C-cholesterol and of 26-14C-7alpha-hydroxycholesterol, the first stage in the transformation of cholesterol to bile acids, was studied in guinea-pigs with chronic latent vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C deficiency markedly inhibited the oxidation of 26-14C-cholesterol to 14CO2, but did not significantly affect the catabolism of 26-14C-7alpha-hydroxycholesterol. The distribution of 14C in the tissues and body fluids of control and vitamin-deficient guinea pigs injected with labelled 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol was likewise the same. Ascorbic acids is probably needed only for 7alpha-hydroxylation of cholesterol, while the other stages of bile acid biogenesis are independent of vitamin C.


Determination of cholesterol turnover rate by a one-and two-pool kinetic analysis. The cholesterol turnover rate in rabbits with alimentary cholesterol atherosclerosis and in guinea-pigs with chronic vitamin C deficiency was studied by a one- and two-pool kinetic analysis. The one-pool analysis yielded exaggeraged values for the turnover rate, but the turnover rate differences between the control and experimental groups in the one- and the two-pool analysis were very similar. One-pool analysis can be used in initial studies to obtain preliminary data on the effect of nutritional, pharmacological and other factors on cholesterol turnover rate.


The course of ionic transmembrane currents during cardiac action potentials. The course of the total transmembrane ionic current (Ii) during a natural action potential (AP) was reconstructed from a family of current traces recorded for single voltage clamp depolarization steps to various levels. The experiments were performed on 9 papillary cat muscles driven at 0.5 per second in oxygenated 31 degrees C Tyrode. Under varying experimental conditions very good agreement was found between the resulting Ii curve and another indicator of Ii, the first time derivative of the AP (dV/dt). Furthermore, the coefficient needed to adjust dV/dt to reconstructed Ii may serve as an indicator of the membrane capacity. The results suggest the validity of the employed approximation and, in general, the adequacy of the sucrose gap technique applied to cardiac muscle.


Changes of regional myocardial blood flow during and after acute focal experimental ischaemia. The regional blood flow through the myocardium of the left ventricle was measured in 11 dogs after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, by means of a local injection of 133Xe depot and precordial detection of its washout 2 hours after ligation. Immediately after ligation the blood flow in the ischaemic area declined considerably but at the same time there was a significant increase of blood flow in the non-ischaemic left ventricular myocardium. The regional flow in the ischaemic and non-ischaemic area increased insignificantly for 2 hrs. These changes were not due to alterations in coronary artery pressure, as the mean arterial pressure declined significantly during the first hour. After temporary ischaemia by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 2--4 minutes, an intensive reactive hyperaemia developed in the ischaemic region (the blood flow reached 221% of control values on the average) which was the more intensive, the greater the drop of blood flow in the ischaemic area after ligation.