The role of bile acids in phalloidin poisoning. Glycocholate and other bile acids inhibit the response of isolated hepatocytes to phalloidin in a concentration dependent manner. It is suggested that the inhibition is due to a block of phalloidin uptake. This interaction might explain the high specificity of phalloidin for liver tissue.


[Post-traumatic craniocerebral syndrome of vasomotor origin: Livido racemosa universalis, pyramidal-extrapyramidal signs, speech disorders, progressive dementia, sometimes convulsions and hypertension]. The author reports another 4 observations concerning the syndrome of vasomotor origin developing after craniocerebral trauma--originally described by himself.


[Motor development in children with muscular dystrophy of the Duchenne type]. For determination of the age of onset and the age of immobilization in Duchenne's progressive muscular dystrophy the motor development was studied in 129 affected children. It was demonstrated that motor development was delayed and abnormal in 58% of the cases. On the average the affected children started to walk in the 19th month of life. According to the history data in 83% of the cases the age of onset of the disease was 1 year; in 10% of the cases the onset was placed before and in 7% after the 5th year of life. It was observed that earlier age of onset was not associated with a more rapid development of the disease and independently of the onset the age of immobilization was about 10 years. The results of investigation were compared with reports in the literature.


[Lipoprotein lipase in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis]. The authors determined the activity of lipoprotein lipase in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid in 25 patients with exacerbation of multiple sclerosis and in 20 controls. A significant decrease in the activity of the enzyme was found in blood of the patients, while only trace activity was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid in both groups. The significant decrease of lipoprotein lipase activity in blood of patients the with multiple sclerosis requires further investigations.


[Role of familial factor in vasomotor headache in children]. The author analysed from the standpoint of familial history of headaches 89 cases of headaches treated at a neurological outpatient clinic in a period of 3 years. In 14 cases migraine was diagnosed, in 31 cases vasomotor headaches, in 16 post-traumatic headaches, in 7 psychogenic headaches, in 5 cases sinusitis, in 4 intracranial hypertension, in 12 cases the aetiology was unclear. In cases of vasomotor headaches in 90% of cases strong headaches were present in close relatives of the patients while in other groups the familial factor was infrequent.


[Recurrent subarachnoid hemorrhage from ruptured aneurysm]. The authors discuss the problem of recurrent haemorrhage in neurosurgical practice on the basis of a material of 36 cases out of a groups of 401 treated surgically for arterial aneurysms in the years 1971--1975. They describe the methods of prevention of recurrent haemorrhage by administration of pharmacological agents, methods of transport to neurosurgical units and selection of time of operation as well as the principles of qualification of patients according to Botterell's scale.


[Lioresal in the treatment of hemiplegia. Clinical and electromyographic evaluation. Preliminary report]. On the basis of an analysis of the clinical condition and electromyographic changes in 9 patients treated with Lioresal and 3 controls attention is called to the favourable effect of Lioresal in hemiparesis of cerebral origin. Lioresal was given in daily doses of 50 mg and no unfavourable side effects were observed. Reduction of muscular hypertonia and improvement of general motor activity was obtained.


[Diagnostic difficulties in cases of expanding intracranial lesions where the anterior cerebral artery does not fill in arteriograms (2 cases)]. The author describes two cases of frontal-lobe brain tumours which expanded compressing the anterior cerebral artery and closing its lumen which simulated on arteriography intravascular obliteration of the vessel.


[Faciolingual dyskinesia].

[Faciolingual dyskinesia]. The authors report 4 cases of faciolingual dyskinesias associated with involuntary movements of extremities and akinetic seizures in 12 cases. Improvement followed treatment with Rivotril. The syndrome is undoubtedly of organic extrapyramidal character, the disturbances probably orginating in reticular formation of the brainstem.


[Concentration of lactates, sodium and potassium in brain tissue obtained during neurosurgery]. In samples of brain tissue obtained during operations from 40 neurosurgical patients the concentrations of lactate, sodium and potassium were determined. A statistically significant fall of potassium concentration and increased sodium concentration was found in patients with lactate concentration exceeding 0.9 mg/g of fresh tissue. All patients with raised lactate level in the cerebrospinal fluid before the operation tolerated poorly the neurosurgical intervention. Examination of brain tissue in these cases showed changes compatible with advanced brain oedema.


Stimulation of rat prolactin secretion in vivo by arginine vasotocin: influence of age of solution, nighttime administration, and dose. In male rats pretreated for 3 days with 50 microgram of estradiol benzoate (E) and 25 mg of progesterone (P), the i.v. administration of 1 microgram of arginine vasotocin (AVT) from solutions that were 0, 6, 24 or 48 h old caused a significant rise in plasma prolactin (Prl) 10 min after injection. In the 2nd experiment, the i.v. injection of 1 microgram AVT into EP-primed adult male rats at either 01:00 (during darkness) or 13:00 h (during light) resulted in a significant and similar elevation in plasma Prl levels. In the 3rd experiment, normal adult male rats under urethane anaesthesia were given an i.v. injection of diluent or of 100 ng, 1 microgram or 10 microgram AVT. A significant rise in plasma Prl was observed at 10 and 20 min following injection only in the group treated with 1 microgram AVT. In none of these experiments did AVT alter the content of pituitary Prl.


Subcellular hypothalamic fractions active on ovulation and luteinizing hormone release in the rat. Nuclear, microsomal and cytosol fractions were obtained from hypothalamic cells by differential centrifugation in sucrose solutions of different molarities. The nuclear fraction (NF) from immature female rats had an inhibitory effect on ovulation induced with pregnant mare's serum (PMS) in immature rats and with luteinizing hormone (LH) in chlorpromazine (CPZ)-treated proestrous rats. The microsomal fraction from the same rats increased both types of ovulation. Nuclear and microsomal fractions obtained from immature male rats were inactive on ovulation. Cytosol fractions were inactive. NFs active to inhibit ovulation significantly reduced the release of LH induced with synthetic LH-RH in immature male rats and in chronically castrated male rats primed with testosterone (T).


Effect of hypo- and hyperthyroidism on regional monoamine metabolism in the adult rat brain. The effects of hypo- and hyperthyroidism were investigated on brain levels and accumulation rates (after pargyline) of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) in discrete brain regions of the adult rat. Whereas NE remained unchanged in all brain areas except in the cerebellum, alterations in brain 5-HT and DA suggest that the behavioral abnormalities associated with thyroid dysfunction in adulthood may be related to neurotransmission disturbances. In hypothyroidism, 5-HT content decreased in cerebral hemispheres and mesodiencephalon and DA content decreased in these regions and also in cerebellum and pons-medulla. Concomitantly, accumulation rate of 5-HT was lower in pons-medulla whereas that of DA was increased in cerebral hemispheres and mesodiencephalon. In hyperthyroidism, 5-HT levels increased in cerebral hemispheres alone. Accumulation rate of 5-HT increased in pons-medulla and that of DA increased in mesodiencephalon. These data indicate that the influence of thyroid hormones on monoamines (MAs) in the adult brain varies with the neurotransmitter and the brain area considered.


Complications of cerebral angiography.

Complications of cerebral angiography. All types of complications, both minor and major, are tabulated and analyzed in 5531 consecutive cerebral angiographies performed on 3730 patients during a period of 5 years.


Computed tomography in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of glioblastomas. A qualitative study of 295 cases. The CT patterns of 295 glioblastomas examined with pre- and postcontrast scans using an EMI scanner Mark I (Matrix 160/160) have been reviewed and compared with the CT appearances of other brain tumors, metastases and abscesses. There is a great variety of CT patterns with glioblastomas. However, a garland-shaped CT appearance, representing a subgroup of ring-shaped lesions, seems to be most typical for glioblastomas since it was observed in 19% of ring-shaped glioblastomas but in only one out of 172 metastases and in no case of an astrocytoma grade II or an abscess in our series. The initial CT diagnosis, based on the CT finding, the patient's history and the clinical data, was correct in 69.8% of the glioblastomas, 41 recurrent glioblastomas included. In 12% of the cases the presence of a glioblastoma was within differential diagnosis. These results lead to the conclusion that in many cases additional diagnostic methods, such as serial scintigraphy and/or cerebral angiography, are required for a reliable differential diagnosis.


Fissures in the anterior arch of the atlas diagnosed by careful study of the lateral radiographs. Fissures in the anterior arch of the atlas are rare. The defect can properly be diagnosed on axial radiographs and can be suspected in studying carefully the lateral x-ray. The developmental cause of the split anterior arch and its clinical significance are discussed. A median cleft, analogous to a fissure in the anterior arch of the atlas, may also occur in the proatlas, as shown in one case.


Pathognomonic aspect of germinoma on CT scan. Bilateral visual impairment, associated with amenorrhea, diabetes insipidus and mental deterioration were observed in a 28 year old woman. CT scan revealed bilateral symmetrical infiltrative processes surrounding the ventricular system, which was confirmed by postmortem examination. Histologically the lesion was a germinoma.


[Indications and results of colon-rectoplasty using the modified soave method in surgical treatment of megacolon in adults]. Variations of Soave's operation for the correction of dolichocolon are described. The indications for this form are explained and a personal series is described. Reference is made to the complications observed and the advantages and disadvantages associated with the method which, it is hoped, will be more widely employed.


[Regional ileitis. A case of ileo-rectal internal fistula]. A case if ileorectal internal fistula during the course of regional ileitis is described. The clinical course and main forms of surgical managent are illustrated. The clinical, morphological and experimental pathological data indicated that this case should be classed as example of delayed hypersensitivity.


[Acute intestinal occlusion caused by pseudo-neoplastic, endometriosic rectosigmoid stenosis]. Bilateral hysteroadnexectomy and rectosigmoid resection were successfully employed in a case of acute intestinal occlusion due to endometriotic rectosigmoid stenosis in a 36-yr-old woman. The endometriotic character of the stenosis was only made clear histopathologically. The clinical features of intestinal endometriosis are examined. Its lack of pathognomonic symptoms makes diagnosis difficult and may result in confusion with cancer, even intraoperatively. Ex tempore histological examination is thus fundamental in clinching diagnosis and hence the extent to which intestinal resection is required.


[2 cases of isolated traumatic rupture of the pancreas]. The clinical progression and treatment of two cases of isolated rupture of the pancreas are described. This lesion is rare and of unusual aetiology. Its symptomatology is often modest. Considerable surgical and medical treatment required.


[Benign tumors of the stomach].

[Benign tumors of the stomach]. Personal experience in cases of benign tumour of the stomach is presented. Diagnosis cannot be based on the clinical evidence alone, but must be supported by radiological examination and, more particularly, by endoscopic biopsy. Endoscopic resection and continuous follow-up examinations provide an alternative to radical surgery and gastrotomic resection.


[Intrahepatic bilio-jejunal anastomosis]. Personal experience in intrahepatic biliojejunal anastomosis is described, along with the operative tactics and techniques now employed. Stress is laid on the importance of peroperative cholangiography in the division of patients into two groups with respect to drainage of intrahepatic bile, depending on whether or not a wide pathway exists between the two halves of the liver. The strategy to be used for each group is explained.


[Selective radiological visualization of the ileum and colon using total isoperistaltic entero-lavage. Personal methods]. A personal technique for the selective visualisation of the ileum and colon by means of total isoperistaltic enterolusis is described. Various cases and pathological conditions in which the method can most usefully be employed and its advantages with respect to conventional techniques are illustrated. These include a reduced risk of perforation in some instances and the possibility of carrying out a physiological examination of various aspects of intestinal function.


[Treatment of simple and complicated varices of the lower limbs. Surgical technics used in 600 cases]. The methods of treatment used in the cure of simple and complicated lower extremity varices are described. These conditions are found in about 10% of the population throughout the civilised world and their social and economic repercussions are by no means negligible. The lines of surgical management dictated by the latest view of the pathogenesis and physio-pathology of these varices are explained. Treatment is by no means simples or of secondary importance with respect to the surgery of other vascular sectors. Emphasis is placed on the high percentage of recurrences. These are the result of mistakes in surgical technique or inadequate sclerosing management, as shown in the literature. Postoperative cure and the absence of local inflammation or infection come from the employment of non-reabsorbable, inert and very thin threads, rational in addition to the methodical use of widely diffusible antibiotics, fibrinolytics, and modern platelect anti-clumping agents.


[Primary thrombosis of the axillary and subclavian veins]. A case of effort thrombosis of the axillary vein caused by violent abduction of the arm in the act of raising a 40 kg weight over the head is reported. The patients was treated conservatively with anti-coagulants, antibiotics and rest. A slight functional deficiency remains one year later while control phlebography has shown good recanalization of the clot. It is personally considered that a particularly close relationship between vessels and surrounding anatomic structures may, during violent effort and in a particular position of the extremity, trigger compression of the venous wall with lesion of the intima and clot formation.


[Treatment of shock using pharmacological doses of corticosteroids]. Following a review of present-day knowledge and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of shock, three personal cases are presented. Aetiology differed in the three cases and they were treated with methylprednisolone succinate of sodium (Solu Medrol) at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Treatment resolved the state of shock and enabled the three patients to be operated.


[Clinico-experimental studies of the diagnostic value of plate thermography in the detection of thyroid cold nodules]. Thermography was employed in addition to scintiscanning in the preoperative diagnosis of 87 surgically treated cold thyroid nodes. A new thermographic method was used. Comparison with the scanning and clinical data and the histological finding showed it to be useful, so that its routine employment has been principally in the investigation of cold nodes in addition to hyperfunctioning nodes. The results obtained are of particular value, since they enable a resonably reliable differential diagnosis to be made of benign and malignant forms prior to surgery.


[The polysaccharide components of the ground substance of the connective tissue in retraction of the palmar aponeurosis (Dupuytren's disease)]. Histochemical methods were employed to study the behaviour of connectival glycoproteins in Dupuytren's disease. Increases were observed in glycoproteins and acid glycosaminoglycans in the sections with higher cell intensity. In segments where fibrosis was more marked, a prevalence of neutral polysaccharides was encountered. A possible role of these alterations in the development of palmar aponeurosis retraction is discussed.


[Hydrochloric acid, gastrin, parietal cell mass in active and quiescent phases of duodenal ulcers]. The A. studied the behaviour of gastric acid secretion, of gastrinemia and of the parietal cell mass in 14 patients with duodenal ulcer (in active state and then in quiescent state) and in 20 symptom free control subjects, in absence of circumscribed gastroduodenal lesions. The analysis of the results demonstrates the persistence in the quiescent state of the physiopathological behaviour found in the active duodenal ulcer.


[2 cases of thorotrastosis].

[2 cases of thorotrastosis]. Two cases of thorotrastosis unsuspected by the patients themselves are reported. Attention is drawn to the relevance of this disease at the present time. Reference is made to the relevant literature in asserting that the pathology of thorotrastosis must be understood if early diagnosis is to be obtained, and so initiate suitable treatment and satisfy medicolegal requirements.


[The Spacelab program: a major gateway to biological and medical research]. The Spacelab programme will run for about 10 years starting from 1980. It is the outcome of scientific, technological and financial cooperation between NASA and ESA. The latter has got together a large laboratory which will be equipped in accordance with individual flight programmes. A large number of scientists are involved in the preparation of suitable and original research projects. The main features of the laboratory and its vector are described and a brief reference is made to main advances that have been gathered from previous medical and biological programmes. The essential aspects of the nine European programmes (one of which was put forward by Italy) accepted for the first flight are explained.


[Some functional changes of the nervous system of pilots and pilot trainees and the need for checking the psychological status of the pilot]. Thirty years' experience as a physician pilot are referred to in an examination of changes in nervous system performance encountered in pilots and trainee pilots of light aircraft. It is felt that through psychiatric controls should be performed on trainers to ensure that suitable condidates are selected in time, and, where necessary, on experienced pilots especially those of a certain age.


[Toxological problems inherent in varnish and paint products used in aeronautics]. Paint products and the need for their employment on aircraft and spacecraft are described and reference is made to the types of poisoning that may arise from their application. The main solvents and diluents are listed, together with their toxicological features. Lastly, mention is made of technical products required by the aeronautical regulations, the dangers associated with them, and the preventive measures required.


[Importance, especially in aeronautics, of color perception tests under dynamic conditions. Study of a suitable experimental apparatus]. Following a review of the most recent opinion on the physiology of colour vision, a device for examining it in dynamic, i.e. real-life conditions is described. The apparatus consist of two projectors which flash two absolutely identical pictures on to the screen, one of them is upside down. It appears at fixed but adjustable intervals so that the exposure time of the intelligible image can be varied. Subjects were also controlled with Ishihara charts and Nägel anomaloscope. The results are compared and point to the higher sensitivity of the dynamic test to even slight degrees of dyschromatopsia.


[Aeromedical problems in the patient with multiple fractures]. The importance of the aircraft in the rapid handling of the patient with multiple fractures is shown. Stress is also laid on the need for an albeit summary classification of the various types of multiple fractures since immediate or differed transport depends on correct diagnosis. Treatment must be a function of the lesions and cannot be standardized owing to polymorphous, complex lesions that accompany fractures. The patient with multiple fractures presents complex modifications in the biochemical blood and biohumoral pictures and untimely intervention may definitely compromize the normal automatic or artificial resolution of metabolic and electrolytic imbalances. Following brief mention of the complications to which multiple fractures victim is liable, stress is laid on the need for correct ground management of the patient prior to flight and on the precautions necessary during transport.


[Behavior of the impedance of the middle ear and of the stapedius reflex under static conditions of barometric depression]. The authors present the preliminary results of a range of their aero-space medicine studies, carried out in hypobaric chamber, in simulated flight and at different atmospheric pressures, to asses the tubal function in normal hearing people. The tympanometric determination through a Z072 Madsen inpendenzometer in static and dynamic conditions of barometric depression gave a clear and exact indications about the impedence variation capacity of the middle ear in similated flight, giving homogenous data which allow the use of this method in flying recruitment aptitude test routine.


[Relations between athero-arteriosclerosis and chronic liver diseases. Anatomopathological and statistical studies]. Starting from well known anatomopathological premises and on the basis of relative physiopathological concepts, particularly lipid metabolism and the lipidaemic fractions in patients suffering from chronic hepatopathy and athero-arteriosclerosis, a statistical investigation was carried out into the relations between the two disease conditions on the basis of the anatomopathological material collected over a period of six years in the S. Giovanni and S. Giacomo Hospitals in Rome. The conclusion is that there is a smaller incidence of athero-arteriosclerotic pathology in patients suffering from chronic hepatopathy up to the sixth decade of life.


[Study of changes in certain immunoglobulin fractions in acute and chronic hepatopathies treated with alpha-mercaptopropionylglycine]. 15 patients have been treated with alpha-MPG (Thiola) by the intramuscular route and by venous infusion at doses varying from 500 mg to 1000 mg i.v. and from 100 mg to 200 mg i.m. for a treatment period of from 20 to 40 days. In a number of cases parenteral therapy was followed by oral therapy depending on the degree of liver insufficiency and the therapeutic response of the drug. In all cases, the drug proved to possess antitoxic and liver protector effectiveness and was without side effects gastroenterically and generally, even when administered at high doses for long periods. The results obtained are summarised in tables and data regarding patients at admission and discharge noted.


[Prognostic and therapeutic considerations on intraventricular block during a course of acute myocardial infarct]. Intraventricular block was observed in 10% of a series of 250 cases of acute myocardial infarct observed at the Medical Division, S. Angelo Hospital, Messina. Mortality was not strictly related to the presence of block, though this was a negative factor in prognosis, but essentially to the degree of myocardial efficiency. It is felt that temporary pacemakers should only be fitted where myocardial insufficiency is slight, though this step can also be taken in more serious cases until further clinical evidence finally establishes the question of treatment.


[Influence of various gastrointestinal disorders and dysproteinemia on the determination of blood digitalis by means of radioimmunoassay]. Radioimmunologically determined digoxin and beta methyl digoxin values were the same in cardiopaths with and without clinical and instrumental changes referable to chronic cirrhosis or hepatitis. Lower values, however, were noted when gastroenteric disturbances were present. This was especially true of beta methyl digoxin in subjects with hyperkinetic-hyperchlorhydric syndromes due to depressed gastric pH, with a consequent inhibition of beta methyl digoxin absorption, presumably caused by lability of the molecule as a result of methylation of the terminal digitoxose group.


[Regulation of flowering plants of different biotypes]. The patterns of control of flowering are analyzed in plants of different biotypes. The photoperiodic reaction of flowering taken as an example, the whole net of control is considered: from the environmental stimulus through its physiological transformation in the leaf in the corresponding hormonal impulse which, in turn, controls the realization of genetic programme and formation of generative organs in the stem buds. The photoperiodically neutral plants taken as an example, the patterns of age control of flowering are considered. In plants of different photoperiodic groups the synthesis of complementary components of florigen was shown to proceed either autonomously under the photoperiodic effect or under the inducing effect of definite photoperiods. The autonomous and inducible mechanisms of biosynthesis of the flowering hormones have a common base, the genetic system to which the environment sends its stimuli through the hormonal interactions. The interaction of hormonal and genetic developmental factors is considered, the evocation of flowering in the stem buds taken as an example.


Unilateral congenital cataracts and their management. Eight cases of unilateral congenital cataract were operated in the first two years of life. They were treated with contact lenses fitted within the first three weeks postoperatively and with patching of the good eye. None of these eyes achieved better than 3/100 vision. This dense amblyopia would seem based on the marked refractive difference. In addition to the ocular aspects, the psychological aspects of this evaluation would indicate that such surgery and postoperative management is probably not indicated for unilateral congenital cataracts.


Management of a patient with orbital varices, visual loss, and ipsilateral glaucoma. A man with congenital orbital varices developed progressive ipsilateral visual loss beginning at age 62. Work-up demonstrated elevated intraocular pressure, decreased outflow facility, and mildly elevated episcleral venous pressure in the affected eye. Initiation of adequate glaucoma treatment was associated with interruption of declining visual acuity and with expansion of the constricted visual field. Medical control of coexisting glaucoma should be attempted prior to consideration of surgical intervention in any patient with visual loss and an ipsilateral orbital varix.


In vitro evaluation of intraocular infusion fluids: effects on the lens and cornea. Glutatione-bicarbonate-Ringer solution (GBR), GBR deficient in adenosine and glutathione, and a newly proposed glucose-phosphate-Ringer solution (GPR) have been found to maintain lens function and corneal endothelial viability with approximately equal efficacy during prolonged periods of incubation. Currently used intraocular irrigating solutions do not perform as well in maintaining the function of borderline decompensated lenses and in sustaining endothelial viability.


Complications associated with the orbital bead implant operation. The primary objective of this paper is to suggest various precautionary measures in order to decrease the occurrence of possible complications associated with the orbital bead implant operation for anophthalmic "enophthalmos". It is important that the subperiosteal insertion of glass beads by used primarily in an anophthalmic orbit. A preoperative x-ray of the patient's orbit will help the surgeon decide the ideal location in making entry into the subperiosteal space. Cautious dissection of the subperiosteal pocket is important in order to avoid damage to the levator muscle, blood vessels and nerves of the orbit. An accurate and careful positioning of the bead inserter is necessary in order to deposit the beads properly into the posterior portion of the subperiosteal space.


Surgical correction of the lateral canthal deformity associated with anophthalmic "enophthalmos". In order to correct the lateral canthal and lower eyelid deformities associated with anophthalmic "enophthalmos", this paper proposes that a surgical modification of the bead implant operation be used in order to reposition the lateral canthal tendone to a higher level than its preoperative location. The surgical technique is described, and its usefulness in correcting similar lateral canthal deformities associated with fracture dislocations of the zygoma is mentioned.


Staphyloma as a late complication of trabeculectomy. A clinicopathologic study was performed of a scleral staphyloma occurring two years after a trabeculectomy for neovascular glaucoma. In a series of thirteen cases with secondary glaucoma four developed staphylomas in the area of the excision of sclera and trabeculum. A young, black male with atypical pigmentary glaucoma also developed a staphyloma. The possibility of the development of a staphyloma should be considered when selecting an appropriate operative procedure for uncontrolled glaucoma.


Periosteal graft in scleromalacia.

Periosteal graft in scleromalacia. A case of scleromalacia perforans in a 60-year-old white male without any associated systemic diseases is reported. The patient had central retinal artery occlusion and Mooren's type of peripheral corneal degeneration in this eye preceding the development of scleromalacia. Various modalities of treatment, both medical and surgical, have been described in the literature and among surgical procedures various tissues were used as graft material in the areas of scleral thinning. We chose periosteum as the graft material on the basis of our experience with it in cases of "through-and-through" keratoprosthesis and the result has been very encouraging. Though our experience is limited to only one case, we feel that periosteum as graft material has a place in cases of scleromalacia.


Cataract aspiration with the O'Gawa double-bore cannula. Sixty-eight soft cataracts were removed utilizing the O'Gawa double-bore aspirating-irrigating cannula. The postoperative visual acuity was found to be 20/100 or better in 83% and 20/40 or better in 59% of the 64 cases in which visual acuity was obtainable. In congenital cataracts, associated ocular defects such as strabismus or nystagmus reduced the visual prognosis. All cases of traumatic cataract had associated defects, usually a corneal laceration, however, visual improvement was noted in 81% of the cases. Significant postoperative corneal edema was not seen. Complications attributable to the operation included: rupture of the posterior capsule, insufficient removal of lens cortex, and pupullary block glaucoma. Discission of the posterior capsule was necessary in 26% of the eyes with an intact capsule. Retinal detachment followed the operation in three instances. The O'Gawa double-bore cannula is recommended for the removal of soft cataracts.


Proptosis secondary to closure of the lids posterior to the globe. A five-year-old black male was seen with acute unilateral proptosis of one to two centimeters following blunt trauma with retraction of the eyelids behind the involved eye. The proptosis was cured by performing a lateral canthotomy and replacement of the eyelids in front of the globe.


Glare sensitivity in corrected aphakes.

Glare sensitivity in corrected aphakes. Groups of elderly aphakic patients treated with contact lenses, spectacles and intraocular lenses, as well as elderly phakic patients, all with good visual acuity were tested for glare sensitivity. All groups showed comparable glare sensitivity. However, aphakic patients with lesn material, or postop membranes in the the pupil area, were statistically more glare sensitive. These membranes occur when the cataract extraction is extracapsular in nature. Finally, the study shows that measurement of visual acuity in the typical examination room environment does not accurately describe the manner in which the patient visually functions in a bright, glare laden environment.


Use of Na-hyaluronate during intraocular lens implantation in rabbits. It is now established that there is a destructive biophysical interaction between a plastic intraocular lens and the corneal endothelium during intraocular lnes implantation. In the present study , Na-hyaluronate was placed into the anterior chamber of one eye of 20 rabbits, after lens extraction and prior to pseudophake implantation, in an attempt to protect the corneal endothelium. The other eye of each rabbit was subjected to a lens extraction and pseudophake implantation in the conventional manner. During the 4-week postoperative period, it was observed that the eye treated with Na-hyaluronate showed significantly less corneal edema as well as less iris engorgement and edema.


Echothiophate iodide for flat anterior chamber following cataract extraction. Three cases are presented of late flat anterior chambers which were cured by echothiophate iodide treatment. Two of the cases required repeated instillations to achieve permanent restoration of normal chamber depth. We now recommend that echothiophate treatment be considered in cases of late flat anterior chamber unresponsive to standard medical treatment.


Ultrasonic diagnosis of posterior lens rupture. A case of ultrasonically-diagnosed posterior lens capsule rupture, confirmed at surgery, is presented. The A-scan and contact B-scan findings enabling the diagnosis to be made are presented. The ability to make such a preoperative determination allows for the planning of more rational therapy, and should help improve the final visual results in such cases.


Chemical evolution and the evolution of the earth's crust. It is hypothesized that there is a close relationship between the geologic evolution of the global plates of the Earth's crust and the chemical evolution of life on the Earth. Characteristics of the axes of plate spreading are discussed in relation to postulated environments conductive to the synthesis of chemical compounds thought to be important biological precursors. Likely locations for in situ measurements to test the hypothesis are identified.


The phenomenon of formation of prebiological compounds in volcanic processes. Organic matter has been found in the juvenile ash of seven volcanoes in Kamchatka, the Kurile Islands and Indonesia. Its amount in one eruption is of the order of 1 00 000 tons. This matter constitutes a multicomponent mixture (more than 150 components) of, mainly, high boiling (b.p. over 250 degrees C) organic compounds of a complex structure. These are represented by hydrocarbons of saturated and aromatic nature, and, among them, polycyclic hydrocarbons, amino acids, amino sugars and other heteroatomic molecules, also containing N, O, S and C1. The formation of the above mentioned organic compounds is associated with volcanic processes--with abiogenous synthesis taking place in ash-gas clouds and, possibly, in the entrails of the Earth (hydrocarbons and their heteroatomic derivatives have also been found in volcanic bombs). On the strength of these facts, volcanic phenomena are regarded as the process which serves as the starting point of the chemical evolution from the inanimate to the animate matter.


Synthesis of purine and pyrimidine bases and nucleosides under the cold plasma conditions (IX). Living-matter precursors are obtained by the action of the high-frequency electrical discharges on a methane-ammonia-water mixture. Some purine and pyrimidine bases as well as nucleosides are detected and estimated quantitatively by column chromatography, one- and two-dimensional paper chromatography, paper chromatography with standard addition, colour tests as well as by optical density measurement within the UV region.


Remark on models for amplification of asymmetry. There exists a number of evolutionary models in which a tiny asymmetry in the size of several subpopulations is amplified. In the present paper a counterexample is given based on equally justifiable starting conditions. The existence of similar models leading to contradictory results clearly demonstrates the highly hypothetic nature and questionable value of conclusions drawn from 'by chance' selection models.


beta-decay and the origin of optical purity. Improving Keszthelyi's simple model the evolutionary appearance of concentration difference of enanthiomeric compounds due to their differential decomposition by beta-rays is investigated taking into account the racemization as well. It is shown that if the difference in the cross sections is very small then the resulting concentration difference will never exceed the statistical fluctuations, while in the case of a sufficiently large difference in the cross sections the concentration difference can overgrow the statistical fluctuations in an evolutionary reasonable period of time. The relative difference of the concentrations, however, will be generally much smaller than that of the cross sections. Therefore some other, amplifying mechanism must be postulated in order to explain the optical purity of living beings.


The effect of dorsal column stimulation on the nociceptive response of dorsal horn cells and its relevance for pain suppression. The effect of single and repetitive electrical stimulation of the dorsal columns on cells in laminae IV and V of the ipsilateral dorsal horn at S1 was examined in spinalized cats. About two-thirds of the cells responded to thermal nociceptive cutaneous stimulation and of these most responded also to low threshold mechanical stimulation. The other one-third of the cells were innervated by mechanoreceptors including type I or Haarscheiben. A single shock to the dorsal columns typically caused short latency activation of the cells, followed by inhibition lasting about 100 msec. Several minutes of repetitive dorsal column stimulation (DCS) at 3 Hz or 50 Hz had no prolonged effect on about two-thirds of the cells. The rest of the cells were less responsive for up to 30 min after the cessation of 50 Hz. Assuming that the studied interneurons have a pain-mediating function, the results indicate that some cumulative and poststimulatory DCS suppression of pain may be ascribed to spinal mechanisms. The more effective and longer lasting suppression produced by DCS in pain patients would, however, be dependent on other types of interneurons, on suprasegmental loops and/or on effects on pathophysiological mechanisms which may be operative in the chronic pain state. The lack of cumulative inhibition in most of the cells in this study is compatible with the previous observation of a retained perception of acute pain during DCS in man.


Sensation evoked by bipolar intrapulpal stimulation in man. Bipolar intrapulpal stimulation was applied to human teeth using the same procedure as in animal experiments. The effects of variation of stimulus parameters on the quality of sensation were studied. A prepain sensation exists which cannot be explained by diffusion of the stimulus to periodontal tissues. When the intensity of stimulation is increased, the prepain sensation is gradually replaced by a pinprick sensation. With long, high intensity stimulation, an acute long lasting very painful sensation appears. To evoke a pinprick sensation the best stimulation seems to be a 50 msec train (0.5 msec, 300 Hz, 0.5 mA). Longer train duration and a higher intensity of current are necessary to evoke a long lasting, acute very painful sensation. Since the exclusively Adelta and C nerve fiber content of the dental pulp is well documented and since it is possible to avoid current diffusion outside the dental pulp cavity, the tooth pulp implantation seems to be a good technic for studying pain, as long as the investigator uses adequate stimulation.


Pain, depression, and illness behavior in a pain clinic population. The relationship between depression, illness behavior and persistent pain was studied in 100 patients referred to the University of Washington Hospital Pain Clinic. The instruments used were the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and the Levine-Pilowsky Depression Questionnaire (LPD). To delineate those aspects of illness behavior characteristic of the Pain Clinic group, their scores were compared to those attained on the IBQ by a Family Medicine Clinic sample. The Pain Clinic group showed greater conviction of disease and somatic preoccupation than the comparison group. Further, they were reluctant to consider their health problems in psychologic terms, and denied current life problems. The Pain Clinic group's performance on the LPD indicated a low degree of depressive affect overall and few patients manifesting a depressive syndrome. The association between IBQ and depression scores suggests that the predominant clinical pattern presented by pain clinic patients is best characterized as a form of "abnormal illness behavior".


Radiosensitivity testing, virulence indices, and stromal reaction in carcinoma of the cervix uteri. A relatively simple, clinically applicable, analytic-pathologic approach to the complex problem of carcinoma of the uterine cervix is given. Careful study of control and post-test radiation cervical biopsies and evaluation of the type and grade of the carcinoma, the lymphatic vessel involvement, the stromal host reaction, and the tumor response to test radiation offer additional parameters in the therapeutic approach, aiming at the improvement of prognosis. We also hope that this work offers a contribution to the complex problem of tumor biology and pathology.


Collaborative study of children treated for phenylketonuria: study design. Studies that have attempted to test the effectiveness of treatment in phenylketonuria (PKU) have been handicapped by small samples due to rarity of the disorder and inadequate control of other sources of error. The present study was designed to overcome these limitations by treating a large number of children with PKU under controlled conditions from near birth to 6 years of age. Nineteen medical centers in 13 states have participated in the study, which is currently in progress. This article is one of a series of final reports. It describes the study design and sampling procedures employed to answer questions of interest for which results will be reported in subsequent articles. The study serves as a model for future collaborative investigations of a similar nature.


Intellectual assessment of 111 four-year-old children with phenylketonuria. Of the 216 children with phenylketonuria (PKU) who were initially enrolled in the Collaborative Study of Children Treated for Phenylketonuria, 203 were placed on dietary therapy between 3 and 92 days of age. Of these, 111 are now at least 4 years of age and constituted the sample for the present analysis. Their mean IQ on the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale was 93 (1972 norms). The children assigned to two treatment groups based on "moderate" and "low" serum phenylalanine levels were comparable on their IQs at age 4, although many of the children could not be maintained in the specified categories. Females scored a significantly higher mean IQ than males (97 vs 90). Those children for whom dietary treatment was initiated during the first month of life scored a mean IQ of 95, compared with 85 for those initially treated from 31 to 65 days. However, the interpretation of dietary inception data may have been contaminated by familial and psychosocial factors. The PKU Collaborative Study is still in progress in 15 clinics located in 11 states.


Development of auditory function in newborn infants revealed by auditory brainstem potentials. Auditory brainstem potentials were recorded from scalp electrodes in 42 infants ranging in gestational age from 25 to 44 weeks. The latencies of the various potential components decreased with maturation. Wave V, evoked by 65-dB sensation level clicks, changed in latency from 9.9 msec at 26 weeks of gestation of 6.9 msec at 40 weeks of gestation. Central conduction times in the auditory pathway also decreased with maturation from 7.2 msec at 26 weeks to 5.2 msec at 40 weeks. The effects of brainstem and cochlear disorders on auditory brainstem potentials were noted in several abnormal infants. The application of all of these techniques could permit an objective definition of both normal and abnormal sensory processes in newborn infants.


Acute and chronic theophylline therapy in exercise-induced bronchospasm. This study examined the effectiveness of theophylline therapy in modifying exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in children with perennial asthma and evaluated whether tolerance to theophylline developed with prolonged use. Twenty-one children between 7 and 16 years of age were studied by a standardized treadmill exercise test carried out before administration of theophylline, 90 minutes after administration of theophylline, and again after three weeks of round-the-clock theophylline treatment. Changes in forced expiratory volume at one second, forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity, and peak expiratory flow rate were measured before and after each exercise test. Theophylline inhibited EIB in 20 of 21 subjects. There was considerable intersubject variation in the response to theophylline, however, ranging from complete inhibition in five subjects to no inhibition at all in one subject, even though theophylline controlled perennial asthma in all subjects, and all but one had theophylline levels between 10 and 22 microgram/ml when tested. On repeated testing after three weeks of therapy, no tolerance developed to theophylline. These findings suggest that EIB and perennial asthma may result from different causes and tha theophylline's ability to control asthma will not predict its effect on EIB. Subjects who have severe EIB should be retested after theophylline pretreatment of evaluate the effectiveness of therapy.


Electrophysiologic study of the condition system in normal children. Values for cardiac conduction intervals obtained from normal children are reported so that the data will be available for comparison with patients who are suspected of having abnormalities. Sinus node recovery time correlated linearly with the resting PP interval. The mean intra-atrial conduction was considerably shorter in children (less than 25 msec) than in adults (42 msec). The atrioventricular node had similar electrophysiologic properties in the child and adult. With aging, the His bundle to Purkinje fiber time increased significantly (P less than .01).


Hospital-based group practice and comprehensive care for children of indigent families. The replacement of a community hospital's pediatric outpatient clinics with a physicians' group practice is described, and the effects of this development on the receipt of services by children of indigent families are analyzed. An expanded patient population, frequent telephone utilization, decreased emergency room use, and satisfactory parental perceptions are found. A comparative measure of effectiveness is obtained from a record review of the preventive care received by infants delivered by the hospital's staff obstetricians. The latter data show the group practice to be more successful than the clinics in initiating and maintaining well-child care in its facility, and in achieving the timed completion of immunizations and screening procedures. The experience indicates an acceptance by low-income families of an outpatient service that emphasizes the physician-patient relationship with limited use of outreach services and nonphysician providers. It also inidicates that such a system of care can be provided to a heterogeneous patient population within the same facility.


Bone mineral status measured by direct photon absorptiometry in childhood renal disease. Bone width (BW), bone mineral content (BMC), and their ration (BMC/BW ratio) were measured in renal patients using direct photon absorptiometry. Serial measurements were made on the radius and ulna in 74 children with renal diseases. Values were compared to age-, sex-, height-, and weight-matched controls. The SD from the mean in normal subjects is +/- 10%. Significant demineralization (greater than -2 SD) was found in 42% of all patients and in 75% with tubulointerstitial disease. Twelve patients with nephrotic syndrome and two with systemic lupus erythematosus, all of whom were receiving prednisone therapy and had a serum creatinine level less than 1.0 mg/dl, and three treated with anticonvulsants had significant demineralization. Severe demineralization (greater than -3 SD) was found in four rachitic patients with tubulointerstitial disease. Normal mineralization was present in 32 patients with various primary glomerular diseases, seven of whom had a serum creatinine level greater than 1.5 mg/dl. BMC declined with daily prednisone therapy but increased with alternate-day dosage in seven patients. This study suggests that demineralization is more common in patients with tubulointerstitial disease and in patients with primary glomerular disease who are receiving prednisone (16 patients) or anticonvulsants. Photon absorptiometry appeared more useful than conventional radiographic evaluation in assessing skeletal involvement in childhood renal disease.


Reflex sympathetic dystrophy in children. Two pediatric patients had reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which has been well described in adults but is rarely recognized in children. The syndrome consists of continuous pain, hyperesthesia, and autonomic symptoms occurring in an extremity, usually following trauma. The various types of presentation, differential diagnosis, and modes of therapy are discussed.


Chorioretinitis in the adolescent: two case presentations with discussion. Two cases of chorioretinitis in adolescence demonstrate the characteristic course of events. It is typically caused by Toxoplasma gondii and is usually acquired congenitally. Toxocara infection must be considered in younger children. Other etiologic agents are rarely implicated in children and youth. Diagnosis of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis is based on a characteristic history of visual disturbance and specific funduscopic appearance, along with confirmatory serological studies. Management is complex, utilizing pyrimethamine (Daraprim), sulfadiazine, and prednisone in combination for several weeks or months. The combined long-term care by the physician generalist and ophthalmologist is essential. Recognition of adolescent developmental issues is important to insure optimal compliance. The prognosis is guarded, with 5% to 30% recurrence rates noted after treatment. Severe visual impairment may be seen.


Traumatic aortic insufficiency in children: case report and review of the literature. Aortic valve regurgitation and saccular aneurysm of the ascending aorta developed in a 5-year-old boy following severe compressive injury to the chest. While rare, traumatic aortic valve disruption may lead to serious cardiac dysfunction. Recognition of acute arotic insufficiency and other forms of cardiac damage requires special attention in patients with nonpenetrating chest injury.


Increased incidence of gram-negative neonatal sepsis with intramuscula iron administration. During a five-year period the incidence of neonatal sepsis was 20 times higher in Polynesian newborns compared with European newborns (11 per 1,000 vs. 0.6 per 1,000 total births). This high incidence in Polynesians was confined to a period when the infants were being given intramuscular iron dextran. When the iron administration was stopped the incidence of disease in Polynesians decreased from 17 per 1,000 to 2.7 per 1,000 total births. An analysis of the Polynesian iron-treated and non-iron-treated groups showed a statistically significant difference in the incidence of sepsis, the type of causative organism, and mortality. The data suggest that the iron dextran injections have impaired the immunity of the treated infants, making them more susceptible to Escherichia coli sepsis.


Two modes of administration of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test to kindergarten children. Using Otis-Lennon IQs 104 kindergarten children were paired and divided into two groups. The first was administered a group Bender test based on transparencies of the Bender designs and 10 to 14 days later the standard individual Bender Test. The second group was administered the Bender tests in reverse order. A significant correlation was found between Koppitz scores from the group and the individual Bender scores. It is suggested that the group Bender test might be used as a screening device without significant loss of information on a later administration of the individual Bender test.


Lack of effects of carbon monoxide on human vigilance. Previous publications on the effects of low levels of carbon monoxide (CO) on human vigilance performance have found conflicting results. While several studies have found statistically reliable effects, none have gone unchallenged. This article presents a critical review of the literature and the results of a study employing 52 human male subjects performing a numeric monitoring task. CO levels were 0, 100, and 200 ppm which produced mean carboxyhemoglobin levels 0.01, 4.61 and 12.62 percent respectively. No CO-exposure levels produced any effect on vigilance performance. The power of the statistical test for CO effects was shown to be quite high, even for fairly trivial possible decrements of performance.


Lateral asymmetries in visual perception: a review of tachistoscopic visual half-field studies. Experiments using the visual half-field paradigm are reviewed with special reference to the three theories which purport to account for perceptual asymmetries: the left-to-right internal scanning mechanism theory, the direct anatomical access theory, and the attentional bias theory. Recent evidence has clearly shown that the direct anatomical access theory can account for virtually all lateral asymmetries in the perception of verbal and spatial stimuli. The results of the studies reviewed strongly support a model of brain function which suggests that the simultaneous processing of verbal and spatial stimuli does not constrict the attention of either hemisphere. The difficulty in separating the factors of hemispheric processing and stimulus characteristics is discussed. It is suggested that a reliable conclusion about the role of the cerebral hemispheres can only be made when a better description of the operating characteristics of the hemispheres is available.


The Golden Section and structure of self-concepts. It was hypothesized that, when subjects form impressions of a person whom they have just met for the first time, the mean proportion of perceived differences between self and other will be approximately 0.368. Undergraduates, 15 women and 15 men, were asked to categorize a new acquaintance, following a brief conversation with him, on 22 bipolar dimensions elicited from themselves. They also categorized themselves on the same dimensions. The mean proportion of judgments of unlike-self of the new acquaintance was 0.364, which is quite close to the predicted value and consistent with the results of related experiments. Perhaps differences between self and others define the contours of the self as "figure" against a diffuse background of similarities.


Characteristics of near-point and far-point binocular and monocular sighting in classroom and ophthalmological populations. Near-point and far-point binocular and monocular sighting tests given 240 high and low achievers from regular classrooms at Grades 4, 8, and 12 yielded significant differences by chi2 in distributions of near-point binocular sighting only. Twelfth-grade subjects were significantly different on this test from those in other grades. Classroom distributions for all other tests were not significantly different from those found in an ophthalmological population reported by Fink in 1938. The distributions of all tests were highly skewed and could not be considered normal. Comparisons of individual tests for total high and low achievers and all groups combined indicated that near-point and binocular tests appear to be independent of, and far-point and monocular tests appear to be related to, other sighting tests.


Sex-role orientation: effect on self-esteem, need achievement and internality in college females. This study investigated the effect of sex-role orientation on self-esteem, n Achievement, and internality in 98 college females. Specifically it was predicted that (a) college females possessing a non-traditional sex-role orientation would score higher in n Achievement than those possessing a traditional sex-role orientation; (b) no statistical difference would exist in the self-esteem scores of the two groups; and (c) the strength of the relationship between self-esteem and internality would vary for "non-traditional" (r = .41) and "traditional" females (r = .11). All three hypotheses received support from data of 98 undergraduates.


Judgments of time intervals by young children. 22 preschool children were either trained (experimental group) or not trained (control group) to indicate a 15-sec. time interval by the method of production. The accuracy was significantly improved by brief training. The children were generally accurate whether attending to the stopwatch at the right or left ear or given sound- or light-filled intervals. Neither age nor sex differences were found. These results demonstrate the possibility of conducting research on time-estimation at an early age if the procedures are relatively short and of interest to the young child. Because most of the children were unable to count as a guide to their judgments, the inner neural clock theory is supported.


Individualized, success oriented instructions in achievement and self-concept of first graders. Gains in achievement and self-concept of 23 first graders receiving individualized, supportive, success-emphasizing instruction were compared with those of 22 receiving more traditional instruction. The individualized group showed greater gains in certain academic skills but no greater gain in self-concept. This study did not support the contention that a supportive, success-emphasizing classroom environment enhances self-concept.


Visual organization ability in brain-damaged adults. 49 brain-damaged patients (15 with left-hemisphere lesions, 19 with right-hemisphere lesions, and 15 with bilateral lesions) and 17 non-brain-damaged patients were administered the Hooper Visual Organization Test. Non-brain-damaged patients performed significantly better than the brain-damaged patients; however, the differences among the brain-damaged patients were not significant. Hooper Visual Organization Test seems valuable for identifying organicity but its usefulness for determining lateralization is limited. It is also suggested that both hemispheres form a close functional loop in subserving visual organization ability. A hypothetical diagram has been proposed to describe the functional dynamics of the visual synthesis ability measured by the Visual Organization Test.


WISC patterns and other characteristics of reading disabled children. Theoretical positions and significant factors associated with reading disability are noted. Review of WISC studies indicates that retarded readers as a group generally perform more poorly on Information, Arithmetic, Digit Span, and Coding and more highly on Picture Completion in comparison with nonretarded readers. These results are related to factorial studies of the WISC and methodological suggestions for future research are specified.


Lateral recognition of abstract and concrete Kanji in Japanese. Abstract and concrete non-phonetic logographic symbols (Kanji) were unilaterally presented in either the left or right visual field. Subsequent recognition performance of 15 male and 15 female students was superior for both abstract and concrete Kanji in the left visual field. Concrete Kanji were more correctly recognized than abstract Kanji in the left visual field. These results suggest that the right hemisphere possesses some ability to process verbal materials.


The errant spouse: a study in person perception. College students rated protagonists of vignettes involved in extra-marital affairs in two separate studies. In the first study, where the affair resulted in the errant spouse falling in love, both the husband and wife were perceived more favorably when they cheated than when they were being cheated. The results of the second study, where the affair did not involve love, were opposite from those of the first. The cheating spouse was viewed negatively. No significant differences were found between married and unmarried subjects' perceptions. Results indicated that the motivation for an extramarital affair may be crucial in evaluation. Implications of perceived competence of the spouse were considered.


Pupillary responses as a measure of attitudes about alcoholic beverages. Pupillary and verbal responses of 39 adult subjects were not significantly associated though mean pupillary responses while viewing slides of a seascape, an automobile accident, and a control slide were significantly different. There was a positive relation between stated dislike of the accident scene and pupillary constriction. Pupillary responses and Bell Alcohol Scale scores correlated--.42.


Screening and remediation of preschool children from low income families. A preschool intervention screening, diagnosis and remediation program for 100 3- and 4-yr.-olds administered by a Community Mental Health Center is evaluated. Statistically significant improvement by project children compared with non-project controls indicated prevention techniques applicable to older school age children are also applicable to 3- and 4-yr.-old preschoolers.


Field dependence--independence and performance with the passive transformation. An investigation of the influence of children's levels of field dependence-independence on their performance with the passive transformation is presented. Eighty 6th graders classified as field dependent or field independent were presented with sentence-question combinations, each in either the active or passive voice, and numbers of correct responses were recorded. Results showed that field-independent subjects performed better over-all than did field-dependent subjects. The three-way interaction of field dependence-independence, sentence voice, and question voice was also significant. Field-dependent subjects performed significantly more poorly on the active-passive and passive-active combinations than on the active-active and passive-passive combinations. There were no significant differences among the four treatments within the field-independent subjects. Thus field-dependent subjects had greatest difficulty with combinations requiring them to isolate the essential elements of a sentence and use them in a different form; field-independent subjects did not experience this difficulty.


Lateral eye movements and field-dependence--independence. The relationship between field-dependence--independence and lateral eye movements was investigated for a sample of 41 male and 39 female right-handed undergraduates. Subjects were administered the Portable Rod-and-frame Test, the Embedded-figures Test, and the Block Design, Object Assembly, and Picture Completion scales of the WAIS. Eye movements in response to 60 questions requiring reflective thought were recorded. Contrary to predictions, right-movers did not perform better than left-movers on the tests of field-dependence--independence. Among males, however, both consistent right- and left-movers performed significantly better than inconsistent movers. The correlation, for males, between lateral eye-movement consistency and a composite measure of field-dependence--independence was .65 (p less than .001). It was argued that eye-movement consistency and cognitive ability level are a joint function of extent of brain lateralization.


Memory coding for movement.

Memory coding for movement. 16 subjects were presented with a series of 12 simple movements. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, counterbalanced for the sex of the subjects. There were two recall conditions, recall by performing the movements and by verbal description of the movements. One group recalled first by performing the movements and second by verbal description. In the second group the recall conditions were reversed. Results showed that regardless of order, motor recall was superior to verbal recall. On this basis it was argued that there exists a specific coding system for remembering sequences of movements.


Organization of spontaneous behaviors of sleeping neonates. The time intervals between spontaneous behaviors of 209 infants were tallied. The frequency distributions of time intervals between spontaneous behaviors showed that behaviors were usually spaced closely in time. However, none of the spontaneous behaviors occurred with a set interval between successive behaviors. All spontaneous behaviors conformed to a single pattern of temporal organization, regardless of the particular behaviors displayed, the infant's sex, or sleep state. The pattern approximated a systematic alternation of periods of increasing and decreasing time intervals between successive behaviors. These data conflict with Wolff's theory of neural discharge but support Wolff's hypothesis about substitution.


Perception of hue re-examined: an analytical consideration of color-oddity test results. The purpose of this study is to investigate an earlier finding wherein more than 100 subjects in four age groups responded systematically but differently to Munsell hues. According to the theoretical construction of the Munsell Color System, the spacing of the 10 hues is in perceptually equal intervals; the error responses to all hues at constant chroma should therefore be equal. The mean error rates were compared with Munsell hue distribution on seven linear and non-linear transformations of the International Commission on Illumination chromaticity diagram to uniform chromaticity systems. Hue intervals are not equal: red and green have the smallest intervals and largest error, and yellow and yellow-red the largest intervals and smallest error rate. These observations were substantiated by results from multidimensional scaling experiments reported elsewhere.


Effects of physical and phenomenological distance on self-disclosure. This study was designed to investigate the effects of physical and phenomenological distance on self-disclosure. Two physical distances, culturally appropriate and culturally inappropriate, and three degrees of phenomenological closeness were selected. Differences in physical and phenomenological distances had significant effects upon the subjects' (n = 60) durations of self-disclosure. Subjects' feelings toward the experimenter and experiment were affected by differences in physical distance. No significant interactions between physical and phenomenological distance were evident.


Reactive schizophrenia and perceptual sensitization. The perceptual behavior of process and reactive schizophrenics under neutral and stress conditions suggests an hypothesis that the former employ a repressive ego defensive mode in these conditions while reactives employ a sensitization mode. The Repression-Sensitization scale of the MMPI was administered to a sample of hospitalized process and reactive schizophrenics to test the hypothesis. Scores of the process group did not indicate modal repression. Reactives' scores were, however, well toward the sensitization pole and significantly higher than those of the process group. Results support the concept of a sensitization defensive mode as a characteristic dimension in the etiology of reactive schizophrenia.


Note on parental similarity, acceptance of authority, and field independence. Bieri (1960) suggested that, particularly for males, the combined unconventionality of low acceptance of authority and greater perceived similarity to the opposite sexed parent would be associated with high field independence. This study challenged that argument suggesting that a mixture of conventional and unconventional personality variables, i.e., low acceptance of authority, same sex parental similarity or high acceptance of authority, opposite sex similarity, would be associated with higher field independence than consistently conventional or unconventional combinations of variables. 66 female and 57 male students completed an embedded-figures test, an acceptance of authority scale, and a semantic differential measure of perceived similarity to parents. The hypothesis was confirmed for males but not females. There were strong differences between these results and those obtained by Bieri with comparable measures.


Preference for stimulus complexity and architectural creativity. Previous research linking creativity with preference for stimulus complexity was questioned. A measure of preference for stimulus complexity was derived from a previous study in which mean ratings of complexity of stimuli in the Welsh Figure Preference Test were obtained. Preferences for complexity by 116 architects in MacKinnon's (1961) study were unrelated to judged creativity. Barron-Welsh Art Scale scores of these subjects were significantly related to creativity only after the effects of preference for stimulus complexity were statistically removed.


Correlates of females' sexual fantasies. The intent of the study was to obtain data on the incidence of female sexual fantasy and on the relationship of background, personality, and attitudinal factors to the quantity of sexual fantasies. The participants were 102 university women students between the ages of 19 and 45 yr. An original Female Sexual Fantasy Questionnaire, a short form of the Attitude Toward Women Scale, the 16 PF, and the background variables of age, sexual experience, marital status, and religion provided data for the analysis. Conclusions were that 99% of the women engaged in sexual fantasy at least occasionally and that age, sexual experience, anxiety, independence, and liberal attitudes toward women are all related to frequency of sexual fantasy.


Rejection, motivation and athletic performance: is there a traded player syndrome? It is widely held that the professional athlete who is traded tends to perform better against the trading team than against other teams. Two psychological explanations for this hypothesis were advanced (a separation-hostility mechanism and an esteem loss-counteraction mechanism). Data were examined for 47 (30) professional baseball players over a 2-yr. (3-yr.) period. Support for the hypothesis was weak across the entire sample; however, some support appeared among players who (a) were traded for the first time, (b) had long tenure with the trading team, (c) were young, and (d) had high ability. Somewhat stronger positive results were found for individuals who met two or more of the conditions favorable to the hypothesis. As predicted, results attenuated over time.


Study of Graves design Judgment Test and Barron-Welsh Revised Art Scale. Previous research suggests that scores on both the Graves Design Judgment Test and the Barron-Welsh Revised Art Scale correlate with education in art and with aspects of creativity but have little validity with respect to artistic performance. With a heterogeneous group of 48, the Graves test correlated significantly with fine-arts education, interest in the arts, artistic achievement, and creative independence. The Barron-Welsh scale correlated significantly with only fine-arts education in a similar group of 47.


Gender stereotypes, ascribed gender and social perception. This study studied the effects of gender labeling on the descriptions made by naive observers (43 males and 104 females) of filmed presentations of five individuals. For several of the five individuals the chromosomal and anatomic gender was discrepant with the apparent gender assumed from dress or physical appearance. The observers were informed after the first rating of the biological gender of the five persons and were asked to repeat their descriptions. Merely changing the label, i.e., male/female, significantly altered the descriptions. The label appeared to invoke the observers' stereotypic model of male/female qualities and overrode "objective" assessment.


Comparison of selected measures of field dependence. An examination was made to determine the extent to which the Flexibility of Closure subtest from Hakstian and Cattell's Comprehensive Ability Battery could be substituted for Witkin's Rod-and-frame Test of field dependency. Although the data for 48 subjects (aged 11 to 17 yr.) yielded a significant zero-order correlation between the two tests for females, it was judged insufficient to warrant substitution of the former for the latter test.


Responses by graduates to memory of their internship in clinical psychology. This study is a two-part investigation of clinical psychology internship training at the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute. The first part surveyed 25 intern graduates to identify the relationship between experiences as an intern and current professional activities. Results are related to findings from other research in training clinical psychologists. The second part pertains to suggestions of intern graduates for specific additions and revisions of intership training at the Institute.


Autokinetic word technique and personality. 24 male subjects were divided into four groups on the basis of their scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory and were administered the autokinetic word technique test as elaborated by Rechtschaffen and Mednick (1955), with numbers of words and letters reported constituting the response measures. Stable introverts reported significantly more words and letters than stable extraverts; there was no difference between neurotic introverts and neurotic extraverts. On the basis of the large inter-subject variability, the usefulness of the autokinetic-word situation in the investigation of projection is doubted.


Some factors affecting the perceived ordering of natural speech stimuli. Primary auditory stream segregation--the perceptual segregation of acoustically related elements of a continuous auditory sequence into spatially distinct streams--disrupts recovery of the relative temporal order of repeated sequences of consonant and vowel syllables. Three experiments were performed to determine why the apparent temporal order of natural speech is not similarly disrupted. Exp. 1 (N =24) showed that the disruption is not dependent on repetition of the 32 experimental sequences of consonant and vowel syllables. Exps. 2 (N = 48) and 3 (N = 20) showed that when 4 English monosyllables are used as stimuli and syntactic and intonational structure is present then the temporal integrity of the acoustic signal is preserved perceptually. Despite accurate resolution of order for the 40 experimental sequences, errors of words were common. These errors often imposed a syntactic organization on the resulting sequence.


Role of sex identification in perception of a social blunder. 4 groups of subjects observed an interaction between a male and a female on videotape: in one interaction the male blundered, in another the female blundered, and there were two control conditions in which the interaction was not followed by a blunder. Results indicated an effect of sex identification; the male blunderer was derogated most by male subjects (n = 34) and the female most by female subjects (n = 34).


Effects of marijuana on human reaction time and motor control. In this research were analyzed the effects of marijuana on human reaction time and on performance for motor responses involving both linear and rotary serial arm movements aimed at a target. A total of six experienced marijuana users served as subjects and three drug conditions (dose levels) were used, i.e., 0, 6.5, and 19.5-26.0 mg delta9-THC. The results showed that (a) (simple and complex) reaction time was not significantly affected by marijuana or by the interaction between drug conditions and the amount of information transmitted during the task, (b) linear movement time was significantly reduced after smoking marijuana, while rotary movement time was not significantly affected, (c) interaction between drug conditions and task complexity was insignificant in the case of both linear and rotary movements, and (d) error rates for the two types of motor movements increased significantly and especially for linear movements as the dose level increased.


Influence of age, ability, and angle on pupils' judgments of size of angles. 80 subjects of 11 to 14 years were tested with 8 cards on which were printed angles between 0 degrees and 180 degrees, and on the Raven's Progressive Matrices Test and the Schonell R4 Reading Test. Significant differences on performance were found in relation to age and ability variables and as between angle sizes 0 degrees--90 degrees and 90 degrees--180 degrees.


Effect of selective visual interference on visualization. The extent of visual processing involved in visualizing objects was investigated by the use of selective visual interference. Subjects read concrete words and visualized them. This produced an approximately ten-fold increase in the slope of the latencies of wholistic visualization as a function of set size compared to that when subjects responded after listening to the descriptions of the objects. Males produced significantly steeper slopes than females in both listening and reading conditions, indicating that they find visualization more difficult. It is concluded that the interference on the visualization task was in the main disrupting active visual processing as no spatial manipulation of the objects was required.


Effects of size of home town on environmental perception. 168 subjects used a 23-item semantic differential to rate forest, beach, small town, desert, and large city. The ratings served as dependent variables for 23 3 X 56 X 5 analyses of variance employing size of home town, subjects within size of home town, and type of environment. Size of home town was a significant effect on one of 23 scales; subjects from large and medium-sized cities rated environments more toward the good end of the good-bad scale than subjects from small towns. All main effects for type of environment were significant. The order in which environments were rated depended upon the particular rating scale. Significant interactions of home town by environment were examined in terms of the differential patterns of environmental ratings produced by subjects from various sized home towns.


Comparison of the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration and the Bender-Gestalt test. The Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration (Beery) and the Bender-Gestalt test (Bender) were administered to 44 second-grade children. Developmental age scores (Koppitz scoring) and age equivalents (Beery) were compared. The correlation of .43 between Bender (Koppitz scoring) and Beery scores was moderate but statistically significant. A t test for dependent groups indicated a significant difference between the means on the Bender and Beery tests. These results confirm that neither test should be utilized as the sole indicator of visual-motor perception.


Relationship of lateral eye-movement to cognitive mode, hemispheric interaction, and choice of college major. The direction and frequency of lateral eye-movements and frequency of midline crossovers, while reflecting on selected questions, are related to college major. Students in language-related fields produce larger ratios of right to left lateral movements, and fewer left movements, than do other students. Students in visual arts produce greater total numbers of movements as well as more frequent midline crossovers. Moreover, cognitive demands of questions (verbal or nonverbal) influence direction of movement most prominently in students majoring in other than art and language-related fields. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive mode, hemispheric interaction, and choice of college major.


The geometry of the correspondence between two retinal projections. Since each retinal projection of an object has some definite geometric relation to it, the two projections of a same object are related to each other. The correspondences between points, linear segments, and orientations on the two retinas are discussed thoroughly in three-dimensional geometry, and the constraints that tie the projections (the 'projective invariants') are presented. Some widely held conceptions on disparity or the ambiguity problem in binocular stereopsis appear to be based upon representation that are correct in particular situations, but are misleading in the general case. I suggest that in order to achieve binocular stereopsis, the brain does not proceed by complete trial and error, but may guide its search for correspondences by taking advantage of the geometric constraints. There are at least four major possible strategies: (i) a metric strategy, as initially proposed by Julesz; (ii) a projective strategy based on the law of invariance of the anharmonic ratio and Desargue's theorem; (iii) a perspective strategy discussed in relation to the homology relationships between vanishing points and in relation to physiological studies on cells of visual cortex; and (iv) a more dynamic strategy based upon the geometric properties of the Zöllner illusion.


Stochastic models and fluctuations in reversal time of ambiguous figures. Five probability distributions for the description of temporal fluctuations in the perception of ambiguous figures were fitted to previously obtained experimental results and classified according to their efficiency in describing the data. The gamma, Wiener, and Capocelli-Riciardi distributions showed the highest efficiency, while the chi2 and Taylor-Aldridge distributions showed a very low effiency. Therefore the underlying process may be described either by a simple Poisson model or by a random-walk model. For the gamma distribution there was a strong correlation between the parameters, while for the Wiener distribution this correlation was lower.


Geometry in visual space-some method-dependent (arti)facts. The measure of scalar curvature K varies with the method used to determine it. Overconstancy is found only with simultaneous comparison, nearly perfect constancy results from successive judgement, while absolute judgement produces underconstancy.


Field dependence and the role of visual frameworks in the perception of size. The extent to which apparent size is relationally determined has been studied by Rock and Ebenholtz and by Wenderoth, who came to widely differing conclusions as to the magnitude of this phenomenon. In both studies, a large range of individual differences was observed. In the present study, an attempt was made to account for variations in the influence of visual contexts on the perception of size by relating them to the cognitive style dimension of field dependence/independence. In two situations, relativelyfield-dependent observers made size judgments which were influenced by a frame surrounding the target figure, while relatively field-independent observers made size judgments which were influenced by a frame surrounding the target figure, while relatively field-independent observers tended to be less influenced by the frame, making their judgments approximate the retinal size of the target. The results suggest that assessment of the magnitude of the relational determination of apparent size must consider the cognitive style of the observers as well as situational variations.


The unit membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the nuclear pores are artefacts. It is shown on the basis of solid geometry that the trilaminar appearance of membranes described by Robertson must be an artefact, although the membranes themselves are not. However, considerations of solid geometry as well as observations on living cells indicate that the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear pores are artefacts resulting from preparation for electron microscopy. Suggestions for their genesis are proposed.


Pictorial perspective: perception of size, linear, and texture perspective in children and adults. Perception of size, linear, and texture perspective was investigated in third-grade and sixth-grade children and in college adults in three separate studies. A matching task required the observer to choose from a set of four alternative real scenes the correct match for the test stimulus, which was either a picture or a real scene. Correct performance required that the subject utilize perspective information for both size and distance distance relations. Erroneous choices available to the subject indicated errors in size judgement, in distance judgment, or in both simultaneously. View was either restricted at the correct station point or was free, with head motion. There were no significant effects of grade level. For all three groups, mean percent correct was nearly 100% with the real-scene test stimuli, and significantly below the chance level with the picture test stimuli. Errors in size judgment occurred most frequently, indicating that the geometrically correct rate of perspective convergence was too rapid to be seen by the subjects as perceptually acceptable. With size-perspective information alone, the number of size plus distance errors also increased significantly. There was no significant effect of viewing condition.


Discrimination by young infants of stimuli presented discontinuously. Four experiments are reported showing that young infants can pick up visual information from very brief displays. Pattern, edge orientation, and form can be discriminated when stimuli are presented for repeated exposures of only 300 ms.


Sex differences in choice behaviour: the object-person dimension. When viewing two conflicting stimuli in a stereoscope, males reported seeing objects significantly more often than human figures. The opposite effect was observed in females.


Metacontrast as measured under a signal detection model. Metacontrast is assessed both by percent accuracy and by the dichotomous sensitivity and criterion measures of a signal-detection model in a forced-choice detection task. The results showed a monotonic increase in sensitivity with increasing mask delay, and an abrupt shift of subjects' response criterion at an 80 ms interstimulus interval. The results are discussed in terms of the interpretational advantages of a signal-detection approach to metacontrast investigation.


The perception of brief temporal intervals: power functions for auditory and visual stimulus intervals. Two experiments were performed to examine the role of method of estimation and the employment of a standard stimulus on the judged duration of auditory and visual stimuli presented for brief temporal intervals (0.25 to 5.0 s). The results indicate that the relationship between judged and physical duration is nearly direct and linear. Psychophysical methodology and stimulus modality exerted little influence on the obtained power functions.


Visual motion aftereffect induced by simulated rectilinear motion. Visual motion aftereffect characteristics comparable to those associated with rotary and translatory movement of a test field are demonstrated for simulated rectilinear motion of the observer. The intensity and time duration of the phenomenon are shown to be positively correlated. The implications of this for individual observers are considered. The results of this experiment are correlated with those for adaptation and for recovery from adaptation that were obtained from the same group of observers. The findings are shown to support the hypothesis that visual motion affereffect is a manifestation of the adaptation recovery function of velocity sensitive mechanisms.


Recovery from adaptation to moving gratings. Short-term adaptation to moving sinusoidal gratings results in a motion aftereffect which decays in time. The time decay of the motion aftereffect has been measured psychophysically, and it is found to depend on (i) the spontaneous recovery from the adapted state, and (ii) the contrast of the test grating. We have measured the decays for various test conditions. An extrapolation of the measurements allows us to obtain a decay which represents the time course of the spontaneous recovery of the direction-sensitive mechanisms.


Effects of reducing DDT usage on total DDT storage in humans. Agricultural uses of the insecticide DDT were cancelled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency December 31, 1972. However, the domestic use of DDT had begun to decline before this action. Beginning July 1969, residues of DDT and its metabolites were measured in human adipose tissue collected through an annual national survey. Levels of total DDT equivalent residues in human adipose have decreased slightly, but the frequencies of finding DDT or its metabolites have remained high. The most marked decline in residue concentration has been found in the youngest age group (0-14 years). Approximately 80 percent of the total DDT equivalent found in this survey was DDE. These data show that the reduction of the agricultural uses of DDT has decreased human exposure to and storage of this chemical.


Mirex residues in bobwhite quail after aerial application of bait for fire ant control, South Carolina--1975-76. Mirex, the organochlorine compound used for control of the imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren), was applied aerially under supervision of the South Carolina Plant Pest Regulatory Service in October 1975 to a game management area in Hampton County, S.C. Influenced by recent reports indicating that low levels of mirex were toxic to certain nontarget organisms in laboratory studies, authors initiated a program for monitoring mirex residues in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). Pretreatment residues were recorded on a dry-weight basis in bobwhite quail breast and adipose tissue; conversion factors for determining wet-weight concentrations are approximately as follows: fat, 0.77; and breast, 0.29. Residues ranged from 0.000-0.178 ppm and 0.247-2.763 ppm, respectively. Mirex residues in quail adipose tissue showed up to five-fold increase within the first month after treatment and declined thereafter. A residue peak was noticed the spring following mirex treatment, corresponding with insect emergence. Mirex residues in quail collected in summer 1976 following a fall bait application showed slightly higher residue levels than had birds taken in summer 1975; however, little, if any, human food chain contamination would result in the consumption of birds with residue levels found in this study.


Organochlorine insecticide residues in field soils of the Kitakyushu district--Japan 1970-74. Residues of organochlorine insecticides were monitored in field soils of the Kitakyushu District, Japan, from 1970 to 1974, before and after the insecticides were banned from agricultural fields. The arithmetic mean (AM) and geometric mean (GM) of BHC reached maximum levels in 1970 and 1971, then decreased rapidly during 1972 and 1974. Among BHC isomers, beta-BHC had highest mean levels and was therefore thought to be the most persistent of the isomers in field soils. Residues of aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin peaked in 1970 and/or 1971, and then decreased yearly. The percentage of sites which had aldrin contamination have decreased; those with dieldrin contamination have increased. Mean values of p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, and sigmaDDT declined more slowly than did BHC and cyclodienes. Values of DDT and its related compounds were higher than were those of BHC, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin. The residues of p,p'-DDE were most frequently detected of the DDT compounds.


Preliminary monitoring of agricultural pesticides in a cooperative tobacco pest management project in North Carolina, 1971--first-year study. A preliminary tobacco pest management pesticide monitoring project was initiated in two counties of North Carolina in 1971 to develop an ecologically, economically, and socially acceptable system for protecting tobacco from damaging insect and disease pests. Results from the first year's study including sampling procedures, sample preparation, and analysis and residue data are presented in this paper.


Respiratory diseases in calves. An economic analysis. From a Danish dairy herd comprising 350 milking cows data were obtained on all (1010) single, liveborn calves dropped over a three year period. Deaths incurred before, during, and immediately after delivery were not included in the study. The mortality rate up to the first few hours after birth was 10% leaving 910 calves to be included in the present study. The overall respiratory disease (r.d.) attack rate among calves from birth up to the end of the sixth month was 23%; the r.d. case fatality rate was 40%; the r.d. mortality rate was 9%. The mortality rate due to ailments other than r.d. was 11%, and the overall mortality rate during the first six months of life was 20%. The economic impact of r.d. in the herd was evaluated using a disease model which, in mathemathical terms, conceptualizes the basic patterns of the disorders within the calf population. The economic implications of various changes in the prevailing herd health status with respect to r.d. are outlined and discussed (Table VII, IX, XI). Also the economic expectations under different sales policies were studied (Table VIII and X). The study clearly demonstrates the versality of health models and how these may be applied to prepare economic forecasts during periods with rapidly changing market and production conditions.


Atrophic rhinitis in swine fattener herds. A field study of the spread of the disease with infected pigs bought at market. In three different fattener herds pigs primarily AR infected as baby piglets were mixed in the fattening units with healthy pigs at an age of 11--13 weeks. Snout alterations were registered on cut snouts at a slaughter weight of about 70 kg. Severe AR was registered in the groups of primarily infected pigs (Tables I--III). The incidence of snout alterations was lower in the groups of pigs infected at an age of 11--13 weeks, but was much higher than in the groups of healthy control pigs or in the normal pig population in the region (Table IV). The results indicate that pigs infected at a rather late age in the fattening units can develop severe atrophic rhinitis.


Trichinella spiralis in wild boars (Sus scrofa). During the period 1.7. 1972--31.6. 1977 muscle samples from 137 wild boars were examined for Trichinella spiralis. Larvae of T. spiralis were demonstrated in 4 animals. The major part (83) of the wild boars examined, including the 4 positive ones, originated from one particular game park. The rate of infection with T. spiralis in the game park concerned was 4.8%. Calculated on the basis of the total of animals examined, the rate of infection was 2.9%.


A study on the toxicity of spontaneously molded bread. Molds of geni Penicillium, Aspergillus and Paecilomyces were found in spontaneously molded Finnish bread. Patulin was detected in 91% of 23 samples analysed in concentrations ranging from 27 to 138 microgram/kg. The toxin was found in dark bread in higher amounts than in white. Neither aflatoxins (12 samples) nor ochratoxin A (10 samples) were detected. Penicillic acid was found in one of five samples. No significant changes were found in the haemoglobin or leucocyte counts of rats kept on feed containing extracts of the molded bread. Extracts from bread contaminated with A niger were more toxic and less palatable than extracts from the other samples. The feeding test indicated a relatively low toxicity of molded bread.


Histiocytic ulcerative colitis in a boxer. A case report. A case of canine histiocytic ulcerative colitis, a disease of boxers, is here described. It appears that this disease has not been previously reported in Scandinavia. The diagnosis was established at necropsy of a 5-month-old boxer, which had shown bloody diarrhoea since the age of four weeks. Treatment with antibiotics had only given a temporary remission of the condition. Macroscopical findings included thickening of the wall of the descending colon and rectum, multiple ulcers in the rectocolonic mucosa and marked enlargement of the colonic lymph nodes. Microscopically the lesions were characterized by large accumulations of PAS-positive histiocytes, mixed with cells of the plasma cell type, in the mucosa and submucosa of the rectum and descending colon and in the colonic lymph nodes. The importance of using proctocolonoscopy and colon biopsy for the clinical diagnosis of this condition is stressed.