Studies on the interaction of immobilized trypsin and specific ligands by quantitative affinity chromatography. The interaction of beta-trypsin [EC 3.4.21.4] immobilized on Sepharose with competitive inhibitors was quantitatively studied by frontal affinity chromatography. Analysis of the dependence of the elution volume of an inhibitor on its initial concentration gave two important parameters. One is the dissociation constant (Kd) of the immobilized trypsin-inhibitor complex, and the other is the total amount of trypsin retaining binding ability that is present in the column (Bt). Experiments using benzamidine showed that frontal affinity chromatography is a theoretically simple system and can be treated in the same way as enzyme kinetics. The Kd value obtained for benzamidine was very similar to the Ki value. The Bt value corresponded to 73% of the immobilized trypsin. These results suggest that the function of trypsin was hardly affected by the immobilization. Results obtained with beta-naphthamidine were somewhat less satisfactory, probably due to a considerable non-specific interaction. In the case of proflavine, analysis was almost impossible due to extremely strong non-specific interaction. This procedure is very useful to analyze specific interactions if non-specific interactions are not significant. The basic features of frontal affinity chromatography are discussed.


The different effects of N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide on the activity of rat liver 60S subunits for peptide bond elongation. The activity of 60S subunits of rat liver ribosomes in poly(U)-dependent polyphenylalanine synthesis was inhibited by incubation with N-ethylmaleimide. However, when 60S subunits were incubated with iodoacetamide, their activity decreased only slightly. Furthermore, iodoacetamide-pretreated 60S subunits became insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide. Similar results were obtained for the activity of EF-2-dependent GTPase of 60S subunits. As a whole, the labeling patterns of ribosomal proteins on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis were similar for 60S subunits labeled with both 14C-labeled sulfhydryl reagents, although the extent of labeling of some proteins was somewhat different. These results indicate that the SH groups in the 60S subunits are not directly involved in the activities of the subunits described above.


Chromatium sulfite reductase. I. Characterization of thiosulfate-forming activity at the cell extract level. Thiosulfate and sulfide were detected in the sulfite reductase reaction catalyzed by a cell-free extract of photoautotrophically grown Chromatium vinosum. Hydrogen was consumed upon addition of sulfite to the extract in the presence of hydrogenase and methylviologen. Hydrogen uptake proceeded biphasically. During the first phase, thiosulfate and sulfide were formed concomitant with the decrease in sulfite. After the disappearance of sulfite, hydrogen was consumed with reduced velocity and sulfide accumulated as the final product with the total consumption of three mol of hydrogen per mol of sulfite. The molecular weight of a major sulfite reductase was estimated to be about 180,000 by the polyacrylamide disc electrophoresis method using enzyme staining. Arsenite. EDTA, alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl, cyanide, or azide did not inhibit the activity at the concentration of 1 mM. The activity was present in the soluble fraction and was stable at --20 degrees C.


Modulator protein as a Ca2+-dependent activator of rabbit skeletal myosin light-chain kinase. Purification and characterization. The Ca2+-dependent activator protein of myosin light-chain kinase, which was identified as the bovine brain modulator protein of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, was isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. The purified protein binds about 2 Ca2+ per mol in a medium containing 5 mM MgCl2, 10 micron CaCl2, and 0.1 M KCl at pH 6.8. The Ca2+ binding caused a conformational change of the activator protein which was measured by difference ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy. In the same Ca2+ concentration range as that causing the conformational change, activation of myosin light-chain kinase was observed.


Characterization of phospholipase A activity of beta1-bungarotoxin from Bungarus multicinctus venom. II. Identification of the histidine residue of beta1-bungarotoxin modified by p-bromophenacyl bromide. beta1-Bungarotoxin modified with p-bromophenacyl bromide (BPB) was reduced and carboxymethylated, and the resulting two constituent RCM-polypeptide chains (the RCM-A and B chains) were separated. The RCM-A chain was found to be modified by BPB by measuring its UV absorption spectrum and was shown to have lost one histidine residue by analyzing its amino acid composition. To determine the location of the modified histidine residue in the A chain of the toxin, the RCM-A chain was digested with TPCK-trypsin, and the resulting peptides were fractionated by gel filtration followed by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The modified residue was finally identified as histidine-48 in the A chain by Edman degradation and from the amino acid composition of the BPB-modified peptide. The amino acid sequence around the modified histidine residue in the A chain is highly homologous with those of porcine pancreas phospholipase A2 and presynaptic toxin, notexin. We conclude that histidine-48 in the A chain participates in the phospholipase A activity of beta1-bungarotoxin.


New assay method for fatty acid synthetase with mass fragmentography. A new assay method for fatty acid synthetase using mass fragmentography is described. The amounts of fatty acids synthesized in deuterated water are determined by mass fragmentography by monitoring the intensities of m/e 77 and m/e 74 fragment ions using heptadecanoic acid as an internal standard. This method is suitable for any fatty acid synthetase which produces several species of fatty acids and is also applicable to crude enzyme preparations. This procedure is more sensitive and specific than the conventional spectrophotometric method. Fatty acid synthetases from rat liver and Brevibacterium ammoniagenes are analyzed by this method.


An isochizomer of TaqI from Thermus thermophilus HB8. A site-specific endonuclease has been isolated from Thermus thermophilus HB8 and named TthHB8I. It recognizes the same sequences as TaqI from Thermus aquaticus YT-1 does. The amount of TthHB8I in the cells was comparable to that of TaqI. T. thermophilus HB8 has an advantage over T. aquaticus YT-1 for preparation of a TaqI-like enzyme since it is easier to obtain T. thermophilus HB8 cells in quantity.


Visualization by fluorescence of chloroplast DNA in higher plants by means of the DNA-specific probe 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. The DNA in isolated chloroplasts was visualized by the fluorescent probe 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). When excited with light of 360 nm, the DNA-DAPI complex fluoresces brilliantly at 450 nm. Nuclei also fluoresce but their nucleoli do not. RNase and Pronase treatment of chloroplasts did not affect the fluorescence but both pre- and posttreatment of DAPI-stained chloroplasts with DNase specifically destroyed the fluorescence. DNA-DAPI complexes in the chloroplasts show up as bright dots. These are distributed uniformly within the chloroplast except for the outer margins. The fluorescent dots can be seen at different focal levels. The number of DNA dots is roughly proportional to chloroplast area which, in turn, is a function of leaf size. The number of fluorescent dots also gave the impression that large leaves with large chloroplasts contain more chloroplast DNA than nuclear DNA.


Evidence that the amount of chloroplast DNA exceeds that of nuclear DNA in mature leaves. Cell-free homogenates containing intact chloroplasts and nuclei were allowed to settle for up to 1 h before the top 2 ml of the 5-ml homogenate was withdrawn. Whereas less than 18% of the chloroplasts moved from the top to the bottom portions, the ratio of nuclei to chloroplasts in the top portion changed from approximately 1/200 to 1/900. The total numbers of chloroplasts and nuclei were counted in the homogenate before settling and in the top 2 ml and bottom 3 m1 after settling. The total DNA content of the homogenate and the top and bottom portions after settling was determined by the diphenylamine colorimetric assay. By simultaneous equations, the absolute amount of DNA in chloroplasts and nuclei was determined. The results are consistent with previous observations of chloroplast DNA by fluorescence microscopy which indicated that the amount of chloroplast DNA per chloroplast is a function of chloroplast size. In addition, the results show that the amount of chloroplast DNA per average chloroplast in large leaves is 0.14 times 10(-12) g, a magnitude higher than previous reports in the literature, and that large leaves contain about twice as much chloroplast DNA as nuclear DNA.


Tipping and mating-structure activation induced in Chlamydomonas gametes by flagellar membrane antisera. Antisera raised against vegetative and gametic flagella of Chlamydomonas reinhardi have been used to probe dynamic properties of the flagellar membranes. The antisera, which agglutinate cells via their flagella, associate with antigens that are present on both vegetative and gametic membranes and on membranes of both mating types (mt+ and mt-). Gametic cells respond to antibody presentation very differently from vegetative cells, mobilizing even high concentrations of antibody towards the flagellar tips; the possibility is discussed that such "tipping" ability reflects a differentiated gametic property relevant to sexual agglutinability. Gametic cells also respond to antibody agglutination by activating their mating structures, the mt+ reaction involving a rapid polymerization of microfilaments. Several impotent mt+ mutant strains that fail to agglutinate sexually are also activated by the antisera and procede to form zygotes with normal mt- gametes. Fusion does not occur between activated cells of like mating type. Monovalent (Fab) preparations of the antibody fail to activate mt+ gametes, suggesting that the cross-linking properties of the antisera are essential for their ability to mimic, or bypass, sexual agglutination.


The fine structure of a rectifying electrotonic synapse. The synapses between the lateral giant axon and the giant motor axon found in the abdominal ganglia of the ventral nerve cord of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii are electronic. The junctional membrane rectifies, favoring impulse transmission from lateral giant fiber to giant motor fiber. This rectifying electronic junction consists of closely apposed membranes indistinguishable from ordinary arthropod gap junctions. The apposed membranes contain intramembrane particles that are approximately 12.5 nm in width. These particles have a central depression and are arranged in a loosely ordered array with a center-to-center spacing of about 20 nm. The only obvious morphological evidence of asymmetry is the presence of vesicles (about 80 nm in diameter) in the cytoplasm adjacent to the junctional region of the presynaptic lateral giant fiber. Vesicles are not present in the adjacent cytoplasm of the postsynaptic giant motor fiber; however, mitochondria and smooth tubular endoplasmic reticulum are more frequent in the cytoplasm of the giant motor fiber.


Membrane recycling in the cone cell endings of the turtle retina. The ultrastructural effects of dark, light, and low temperature were investigated in the cone cell endings of the red-eared turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans). Thin sections revealed that in dark-adapted retinas maintained at 22 degrees C, the neural processes which contact the cone cells at the invaginating synapses penetrated deeply into the photoreceptor endings. When dark-adapted retinas were illuminated for 1 h at 22 degrees C, the invaginating processes were apparently extruded from the synaptic endings. On the other hand, 1-h exposure to a temperature of 4 degrees C in the dark caused the invaginating processes to become much more strikingly inserted than at room temperature. A morphometric analysis showed that the ratio between the synaptic surface density of the endings and their total surface density decreased in the light and increased in the dark and cold. Freeze-fracturing documented fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane in all conditions tested. These observations suggest that the changes in configuration of the pedicles in the light, dark, and cold reflect a different balance between addition and retrieval of synaptic vesicle membrane from the plasmalemma; in the dark, the rate of vesicle fusion is increased, whereas in the cold, membrane retrieval is blocked. When the eyecups were warmed up and illuminated for 30-45 min after cold exposure, a striking number of vacuoles and cisterns appeared in the cytoplasm and coated vesicles were commonly seen budding from the plasmalemma. 60-90 min after returning to room temperature, the endings had reverted to their normal configuration, and the vast majority of vacuoles, cisterns, and coated vesicles had disappeared. When horseradish peroxidase was included in the incubation medium, very few synaptic vesicles were labeled at the end of the period of cold exposure. 30-45 min after returning to 22 degrees C, vacuoles and cisterns contained peroxidase, whereas most synaptic vesicles were devoid of reaction product. 2 h after returning to 22 degrees C, coated vesicles, vacuoles, and cisterns had disappeared and a number of synaptic vesicles were labeled. These experiments suggest that vacuoles, cisterns, and coated vesicles mediate the retrieval of the synaptic vesicle membrane that has been added to the plasmalemma during cold exposure.


The synthesis of ninety proteins including actin throughout the HeLa cell cycle. Abundant cytoplasmic proteins pulse-labeled with [35S]methionine at specific times throughout the HeLa cell cycle were analyzed with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. More than 300 proteins could be resolved in this way. The frequency of appearance of label in the most abundant 90 proteins, ranging from 4% to less than 0.1% of the total methionine incorporated, was determined at six time points in the cell cycle. 84 of these proteins were made as a similar proportion of the total at all times during the cell cycle. A nonmuscle actin protein (spot 1) identified by molecular weight and isoelectric point represented 2-4% of the total methionine incorporated at all the time points. Only six proteins were found which varied by greater than fourfold during cell division, four appearing to represent a greater proportion of the total synthesis during the period at or immediately surrounding M (spots 31b, 44, 53, and 70d). Two appear to represent a smaller percentage of total synthesis during the early (spot 78) or the total (spot 74) G2 period.


Inhibition of basal protein degradation in rat embryo fibroblasts by cycloheximide: correlation with activities of lysosomal proteases. Rat embryo fibroblasts were grown in medium containing 14C-leucine and 3H-thymidine. After a 24-hour chase in nonlabeled medium, cultures were placed in either fresh growth medium or medium containing 10-20 microgram/ml cycloheximide. Cell monolayers were processed at daily intervals for three days. Four hours prior to processing, cultures were placed in fresh medium and the accumulation rate of trichloroacetic acid soluble 14C in the media assayed. Cycloheximide effects a progressive decrease in the fractional degradation rate of the labeled cell protein, primarily during the first 24 hours. The specific activities of cathepsin D, cathepsin B, and neutral protease correlate closely with the fractional degradation rate. Other lysosomal hydrolases show little change during this period. The activities of the lysosomal proteases approach a new steady state which is correlated with the new steady state level of protein synthesis. A model is proposed which relates the rate of protein breakdown in the cell to the level of protein synthesis. The data also suggests the possibility that subpopulations of high turnover and low turnover cells exist in these cultures.


Detection of in vitro macrophage colony-forming cells (M-CFC) in mouse bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood. In vitro macrophage colony-forming cells (M-CFC) have been detected in bone marrow (BM) (317/10(5) cells), spleen (SPL) (81/10(5)), and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) (242/10(5)) of the mouse. These M-CFCs were similar to those previously detected in thymus (T) (30/10(6)) and lymph node (LN) (22/10(6)) tissue in several respects. BM- and SPL-derived M-CFC required PMUE to consistently initiate colony formation, whereas PBL-derived M-CFC formed colonies with stimulation by either PMUE or L-cell-conditioned medium. All colonies formed showed a singular macrophage line of differentiation, a lag of 13 to 18 days prior to initiating colony formation, a marked ability to survive in culture in the absence of PMUE, and markedly slow rates of appearance in culture once colony formation was initiated. The macrophage progeny were identified on the basis of morphology, glass adherence, the phagocytosis of agar, bacteria and SRBC, and the presence of receptors for IgG. These characteristics are also shared by those macrophage CFCs observed within stimulated peritoneal exudate, pleural effusion, and alveolar space. These M-CFCs are most likely members of a large, heterogeneous population of macrophage progenitor cells distributed throughout the hemato-lymphopoietic organs, serosal cavities and surfaces, and inflammatory and alveolar tissue sites. The degree of heterogeneity may be determined in part by the influence of tissue-specific microenvironment.


Inhibition of growth in vitro by glucocorticoids in mouse embryonic facial mesenchyme cells. The growth of primary embryonic facial mesenchyme cells established from cleft palate sensitive A/J and resistant C57BL/6J (C57) mice is inhibited by glucocorticoid treatment. A reduction in cell number in both A/J and C57 culture is accompanied by a significant decrease in [3H] thymidine incorporation into both acid soluble and insoluble material. No significant changes in total cellular protein or [14C] leucine incorporation were observed in either cell type. A greater reduction in [3H] thymidine incorporation occurs in cells undergoing exponential growth following steroid exposure than in cells approaching stationary growth. In both A/J and C57 cultures the reduction in cell number exhibits a dose-dependent response to dexamethasone; is specific for glucocorticoids; and is dependent upon the concentration of serum in which the cells are maintained. A/J cells show a greater sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on cell number and thymidine incorporation than comparably treated C57 cells. Specific, high affinity, saturable cytoplasmic receptors for [3H] dexamethasone are present in the maxillary cytosols from which the primary cultures were established. These receptors exhibit binding specificity for glucocorticoids, and have properties which are similar to glucocorticoid receptors identified in other systems. In both cell types, a correlation exists between the degree of growth inhibition or reduction of [3H] thymidine incorporation and the level of glucocorticoid receptors. These results provide evidence for a receptor-mediated set of responses to glucocorticoids in these cells.


Isolation of mutant mammalian cells altered in polyamine transport. Chinese hamster ovary and rat myoblast cells resistant to the toxic action of methylglyoxal bis guanylhydrazone (MGBG), an antimitotic agent and inhibitor of polyamine synthesis, have been isolated by single step selection. Mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate increases the recovery of the variants at least 30-fold. Intracellular accumulation of MGBG is greatly reduced in resistant cells. This property is accompanied by a 99% decrease in the uptake of all three naturally occurring polyamines. Both the resistant phenotype and the defect in polyamine transport behave recessively in somatic cell hybrids.


Methionine metabolism in BHK cells: preliminary characterization of the physiological effects of cycloleucine, an inhibitor of s-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis. Cycloleucine is in vitro a competitive inhibitor of methionine adenosyltransferase, an enzyme involved in S-adenosylmethionine biosynthesis. The physiological effects of this drug on baby hamster kidney cells have been studied. When cells are grown in a medium containing 10 micron methionine, cycloleucine is an inhibitor of cell proliferation; high concentrations of methionine are able to withdraw this inhibition suggesting that cycloleucine toxicity is related to methionine metabolism. The drug does not primarily affect methionine uptake and its subsequent use for protein biosynthesis. Cycloleucine toxicity is correlated with a block of SAM biosynthesis and nucleic acids methylations. The actions of cycloleucine on progression in the cell cycle and DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis are studied. The implications of these results are discussed.


Requirements of BHK cells for the exit from different quiescent states. We have investigated the kinetics of exit from the resting state of BHK cells which had been arrested by isoleucine deprivation, serum starvation, or high temperature in the case of three ts G1 mutants. In addition, we have studied the effect of imposing a secondary deprivation on cells which had been released from one of the above mentioned blocks. The results obtained show that the quiescent states reached by BHK cells following serum or isoleucine deprivation cannot be differentiated on the basis of the exit kinetics from Smith and Martin's probabilistic A-state. Nevertheless, the response of cells to secondary deprivation is different, depending on the nature of the primary arresting condition used, reflecting physiological differences between the different resting states. A model is presented which postulates that cycle transition specific genes require the presence of different proliferative agents for their expression.


Evidence for variation in the number of functional gene copies at the AmaR locus in Chinese hamster cell lines. The hypothesis of functional hemizygosity has been examined for the alpha-amanitin resistant (AmaR, a codominant marker) locus in a series of Chinese hamster cell lines. AmaR mutants were obtained from different cell lines, e.g., CHO, DHW, M3- 1 and CHO-Kl, at similar frequencies. After fractionation of different RNA polymerase activities in the extracts by chromatographic procedures, the sensitivity of the mutant RNA polymerase II towards alpha-amanitin was determined. While all of the RNA polymerase II activity in mutant CHO and CHO-Kl lines became resistant to alpha-amanitin inhibition, only about 50% of the activity is highly resistant in AmaR mutants of CHW and M3- 1 cell lines. The remaining activity in the latter cell lines shows alpha-amanitin sensitivity similar to that seen with the wild-type enzyme. This behaviour is similar to that observed with a 1:1 mixture of resistant and sensitive enzymes from CHO cells. These results, therefore, strongly indicate that while only one functional copy of the gene affected by alpha-amanitin is present in CHO and CHO-Kl cells, two copies of this gene are functional in the CHW and M3-1 cell lines.


Cultured human fibroblasts: distribution of cell generations and a critical limit. In circular outgrowths of human skin fibroblasts we found that mitotic cells at the circumference had consumed more of their replicative lifespan than cells located more centrally. The lifespan remaining in cells at a given radial position could be predicted by determining their generation level based on the rate at which the outgrowth expanded and the cell doubling time. The data also show that outgrowths contain a heterogeneous mixture of cells described by a linear distribution of generations which can account for the variable replicative capacity observed in clones and the exponential increase in the fraction of nondividing cells with serial passage. These results support the concept that a critical limit of cell divisions determines the replicative lifespan.


The effect of oxygen tension on haemopoietic and fibroblast cell proliferation in vitro. The effects of providing low oxygen tension in the gas phase of two different types of cell culture systems were investigated. The clonal growth of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells in an agar culture system was improved markedly by incubation within a low oxygen tension gas phase (48 mmHg--6.8%) instead of the conventional air (135 mmHg--19%), the effects being measured by increases in numbers of colony forming cells detected and in the colony sizes. The increased efficiency of colony formation was observed both with mouse and human marrow cells. A similar effect was observed in a liquid adherence culture system with primary cultures of foetal mouse fibroblasts both at clonal and higher cell densities.


Gas chromatographic determination of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in vinyl chloride polymers and in foods. A gas chromatographic method is described for the quantification of levels of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in vinyl chloride polymer resins and in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) bottles used in the packaging of foods. By application of electron-capture detection the method can be extended to foods which have been stored in PVC bottles and 1,1,1-trichloroethane can be estimated with a limit of detection in the foodstuff of between 0.002 and 0.01 ppm depending on the food. The results of a small survey of the amounts of this compound in PVC bottles and foodstuffs purchased from retail outlets are reported.


Gas chromatographic head-space determination of residual acrylonitrile in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins and migration into a simulated fatty foodstuffs liquid. Head-space methods are described for the determination of residual acrylonitrile in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins and in olive oil, which simulates fatty foodstuffs. Dimethylformamide was used as solvent for the resin, with flame ionization detection. The injection of water into the resin dispersion prior to head-space analysis greatly enhances the detection capabilities. The use of a nitrogen-selective detector required dimethyl sulphoxide as the solvent. The determination of acrylonitrile in olive oil was carried out employing both types of detector. The detection sensitivity was much greater with the nitrogen-selective detector.


Quantitative determination of styrene in biological samples and expired air by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (selected ion monitoring). Styrene, phenylethylene, is an oily liquid of commercial importance in the manufacture of various plastics, rubbers, resins, and insulating materials. A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method is described for the determination of low levels of styrene in biological samples. The procedure utilizes an internal standard and specificity is gained by monitoring selected ions.


Determination of 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (virazole) in blood and urine by chemical ionization-mass fragmentography. A combined gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric technique is described for the quantification of virazole in serum and urine. Proteins are removed by molecular filtration, lipids by extraction with dichloromethane and interfering endogenous constituents by acidic and basic ion-exchange resins. Virazole is quantified by monitoring the protonated molecular ions of the fully silylated derivatives of virazole (m/e 533) and the arabinose analog (internal standard) obtained by methane chemical ionization. The detection limit is 150 pg (0.6.10(-12) mole) of virazole injected. In serum 10 ng/ml (4.10(-8) mole) can be detected, 25 ng/ml quantified. In urine 0.5 microgram/ml can be quantified without preconcentration. Virazole was detected in serum for at least 96 h at the 70-ng/ml level.


Determination of 7-chloro-3-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4h-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide (DU-717) in plasma using electron-capture gas chromatography. A gas chromatographic method has been developed which enables accurate determination of a new antihypertensive agent, DU-717, in plasma. DU-717 is first extracted with ethyl acetate and, after a clean-up procedure, derivatized with peracetic acid followed by diazomethane to form 2-methyl DU-717 N-oxide (direct methylation leads to mixtures). The N-oxide is then pyrolyzed to 2-methyl DU-717 on a gas chromatograph equipped with electron-capture detection. Accurate determinations are possible over a concentration range from 10 to 150 ng/ml of DU-717 in plasma at a relative standard deviation of 6.2%. The minimum detectable concentration is 1 ng/ml. Plasma levels of DU-717 in spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats following single oral administrations (10 mg/kg) have also been determined.


Comparison of thin-layer chromatographic detection methods for histamine from food extracts. The specificity and sensitivity of four visualization reagents, ninhydrin, o-phthalaldehyde (OPT), fluorescamine and o-diacetylbenzene (DAB), for the detection of histamine on thin-layer chromatograms developed in several optimal solvent systems were compared. While the ninhydrin reagent is the most sensitive with a detection limit of 0.4 nmoles of histamine, the DAB and fluorescamine reagents offer the most potential as histamine-specific visualization reagents. The OPT reagent was unsatisfactory because the fluorescent sports developed with this reagent were unstable. Of 19 amines tested in addition to histamine, ninhydrine reacted with 17, fluorescamine with 8 and DAB with 15. Since only histidyl-leucine, octopamine, serotonin and tryptophan interfere in the resolution of histamine in any of the solvent systems used, DAB provides some advantages by not reacting with histidyl-leucine. In addition, with the acetone-ammonia (95:5) solvent system, which adequately separates histamine from all other tested amines, no background interference problems were noted when using DAB as the visualization reagent. Background interference problems with the acetone-ammonia system were evident with the other visualization reagents. The sensitivity of the DAB and fluorescamine methods (4 nmoles of histamine) allows both reagents to act as semi-quantitative screening agents for potentially toxic levels of histamine in food extracts. With a variety of food samples, DAB visualization following development in acetone-ammonia (95:5) was the optimal thin-layer chromatographic method.


Separation of thiols as phenyl mercury derivatives by thin-layer chromatography. I. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine metabolites. A method is described for converting thiol metabolites of azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine into phenyl mercury derivatives. Separation of these derivatives was performed by chromatography on silica thin layers and they were detected by low temperature (--196 degrees) fluorescence. The parent compounds were regenerated on the chromatogram by spraying with 2 N HC1 and these were detected by low temperature fluorescence. Mercury was also detected in spots by spraying with dithizone. The method provides a simple solution to the problem of oxidation of thiol compounds during isolation procedures.


Gas chromatographic studies of vinyl chloride in air by catalytic hydrogenation to ethyl chloride. In order to investigate the amount of vinyl chloride in air, the hydrogenation of vinyl chloride to ethyl chloride is used. This method of determination is preferable to the other methods described in the literature because: (a) it proves that only vinyl chloride goes through hydrogenation by its displacement to the ethyl chloride peak in the chromatogram; (b) the actual amount of vinyl chloride can be obtained in the case of superimposed or interfering peaks (e.g., various gases contained in air samples), either by calculating the ethyl chloride peak area or by the reduction of the peak area in the region of the same retention time as the vinyl chloride peak in the related chromatogram. In this study various kinds of catalysts for hydrogenation purposes at temperatures ranging from -20 to 250 degrees have been used. Among the catalysts used palladium gives the best results at low temperature.


Excretion of methoxyphenamine and its metabolites in rat urine. Metabolites of methoxyphenamine in urine obtained after oral administration of the drug to rats have been isolated by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and identified as the O-, N,O- and N-demethylated derivatives of methoxyphenamine by thin-layer chromatography, spectrometry, and comparisons with synthesized compounds. The unchanged drug and the metabolites excreted in urine have been extracted and determined by gas chromatography after treatment with trifluoroacetic anhydride.


Determination of papaverine in blood samples by gas chromatography using a flame-ionization and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. The determination of papaverine in blood samples using a flame-ionization and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector is described. The method is quite simple and permits the determination of papaverine at blood levels at 5-500 ng/ml.


Quantitative determination of propildazine in rat plasma by gas-liquid chromatography. A gas-liquid chromatographic method for the evaluation of the new anti-hypertensive drug propildazine (ISF 2123) in rat plasma is described. The procedure involves separation of the drug from plasma by cation-exchange chromatography, subsequent acylation of the dried eluate with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and quantitation with electron-capture detection. Propildazine can be determined in concentrations down to ca. 0.4 microgram/ml.


Quantitation of lidocaine and its deethylated metabolites in plasma and urine by gas chromatography-mass fragmentography. A sensitive, precise and accurate method for simultaneous quantitation of lidocaine and its deethylated metabolites by gas chromatography-mass fragmentography has been developed. Propyl derivatives of the deethylated metabolites are formed directly in either plasma or urine by treatment with propionaldehyde and sodium cyanoborohydride. The propyl derivatives and unchanged lidocaine are extracted, separated by gas chromatography and quantitated by mass fragmentography using mepivacaine as the internal standard. Quantitation of these compounds to levels as low as 50 ng/ml body fluid has been achieved with coefficients of variation less than 10%.


Gas-liquid chromatography of triazine herbicides as heptafluorobutyryl derivatives and some applications to analysis in foods. The heptafluorobutyryl (HFB) derivatives of ten triazine herbicides were prepared by reacting the pesticides with heptafluorobutyric anhydride in benzene, in the presence of trimethylamine or pyridine as catalyst. The reactions produced mainly the mono-HFB products while some of the herbicides had small quantities of the di-HFB derivatives present. The derivatives were 300 fold to several thousand fold more sensitive to electron-capture detection than the underivatized triazines. They also were 5-10 fold more sensitive than the parents by electrolytic conductivity detection in the halogen mode while they were of similar sensitivity with the same detector in the nitrogen mode. The derivatives eluted in the same general order as the parent triazines on stationary phases of OV-1, OV-101, OV-101/QF-1, and OV-210. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of potatoes, peas and tomatoes spiked with various triazines at levels of 0.13-0.86 ppm.


High-pressure liquid chromatographic separation of the naturally occurring toxicants myristicin, related aromatic ethers and falcarinol. The naturally occurring toxicants myristicin, twelve related aromatic ethers and the toxic acetylenic alcohol, falcarinol, were separated from one another by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The technique employed a microparticulate nitrile phase column and used heptane and tetrahydrofuran as the eluting solvents. Preparative HPLC with 5-micrometer silica allowed isolation of gram quantities of parsleyapiole and dillapiole from extracts of plain parsley seeds and dill seeds, respectively. Commercially available myristicin as well as other aromatic ethers were also purified in gram quantities with the preparative column.


Separation and identification of water-soluble food dyes by ion-exchange and soap thin-layer chromatography. Eighteen water-soluble food dyes have been studied by chromatography on thin layers of anion-exchange (AG 1-X4, DEAE-cellulose, PAB-cellulose and chitosan) and cation-exchange (Dowex 50-X4, Rexyn 102 and humic acid) materials; layers of silanised silica gel impregnated with cationic or anionic detergent were also used. Fourteen of the dyes were separated, but the two orange and the two black dyes were not. Some applications of the techniques to commercial products are reported.


Qualitative detection of placidyl (ethchlorvynol) alone or in combination with poly-drugs in drug abuse urine screening programs using ion-exchange paper and/or liquid-liquid extraction. Two procedures for the detection of ethchlorvynol are presented. Procedure I involves the use of SA-2-cation-exchange resin loaded paper. The use of multiple ion-exchange resin papers is proposed in a sequence that enables the detection of amphetamines, barbiturates, phenothiazines, propoxyphene (Darvon), phencyclidine, cocaine (benzoyl ecgonine), pentazocine (Talwin) and benzodiazepines in addition to ethchlorvynol. This procedure discusses the details of detecting ethchlorvynol in combination with the entire array of drugs of abuse depending on the needs of a clinical program. Procedure II involves the principle of liquid-liquid extraction using either raw or spent urines.


[The quantitative analysis of the mycotoxin patulin in fruit juices by high-pressure liquid or thin-layer chromatography (author's transl)]. A new method determining patulin in apple and grape juice is proposed. The juice is extracted with an Extrelut column and the quantitative determination is made by high-pressure liquid or thin-layer chromatography with lower limits of 5 and 20 ppb (10(9)), respectively. The recovery is more than 90%. Compared with other methods the proposed procedure is faster, needs less solvents and is therefore suitable for serial investigations.


Pyrolysis gas chromatography of enzymes. Pyrolysis gas chromatography (PGC) has been shown to be useful for differentiating enzymes. The enzymes alpha-chymotrypsin, lactate dehydrogenase, catalase, and urease were easily "fingerprinted" on a 1.8 m 0.5% Carbowax 20 M column. Also, in some cases, isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase could be distinguished. Based on the pyrolyses of the free aromatic amino acids, four major enzyme pyrolysis peaks were tentatively identified as organic compounds derived from tyrosine and tryptophan. The use of a nitrogen-selective detector in conjunction with the FID and measurement of peak retention times by computer on three different types of columns permitted confirmations of peak identity.


Determination of polyamines by liquid chromatography and precolumn labelling for fluorescence detection. Procedures are described for the separation and detection of picomole quantities of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine by liquid chromatography. The polyamines are labelled by precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride followed by reversed-phase chromatography with a methanol and water mobile phase. The derivatized polyamines are measured with a fluorescence detector using an excitation wavelength of 340 nm and emission wavelength of 515 nm. The polyamines are eluted within 12 min and 0.5 ng of each could be detected. Some preliminary data on urine samples is presented.


Determination of trace organic impurities in water using thermal desorption from XAD resin. A small water sample (20 to 250 ml) is passed through a small tube containing XAD-4 resin; this effectively retains the organic impurities present in the water. This tube is connected to the permanent apparatus and the sorbed organics are thermally transferred to a small Tenex pre-column while the water vapor is vented. The pre-column is closed off, preheated to 275--280 degrees C, and then a valve is opened to plug-inject the vaporized sample into a gas chromatography. The procedure works well for a variety of model organic compounds added to the water and can be used for the analysis of actual water samples.


Ion-pair partition chromatography analysis of anthraquinone glycosides of senna and pharmaceutical preparations of senna. Ion-pair partition has been combined with HPLC for the rapid detection and separation of the major anthraquinone glycosides of senns, sennosides A and B. A Corasil C18 column (5 microns) with methyl alcohol (30 percent in water) containing 0.005 M tetrabutylammonium phosphate, pH 7.5, as mobile phase was used. In the application to the assay of drugs, sennosides A and/or B constituents of the crude senna drug, Senokot syrup, Senokot tablets, and Pursennid tablets have been estimated in the presence of other constituents of the crude drug and pharmaceutical preparations. The results obtained are compared with colorimetric assay results.


High performance liquid chromatography determination of sulfamethazine at low levels in nonmedicated swine feeds. A method for the determination of sulfamethazine at the 0.5 ppm level by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been shortened and simplified by use of a mini-column clean-up procedure. Fortified feed samples were extracted with acetonitrile, concentrated, and redissolved in the mobile phase. Sulfamethazine was separated from most extraneous material by a mini-column of C18/Porasil B and AX/Corasil, and analyzed by HPLC at 254 nm. Liquid standard solutions were used to fortify four formulated swine feeds and corn sample each at three levels, giving an average recovery of 98% and a relative standard deviation of 7.3%. Tests were run using 32 antibiotics and drugs to determine if they would interfere. Most of these substances were not eluted under the conditions used. Compounds which absorbed at the wavelength used did not interfere with the sulfamethazine peak.


Quantification of 5-fluorouridine in human urine by capillary gas-liquid chromatography with a nitrogen-selective detector. A method for the quantitative determination of 5-fluorouridine (I) in human urine is presented. The analysis involves the isolation of 5-fluorouridine and the internal standard, 5-chlorouridine (II), on immobilized phenylboronic acid; the extract is further purified by mini-column anion exchange chromatography. The resulting methanolic eluate is evaporated to dryness, the residue is dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and permethylated using potassium-t-butoxide and methyl iodide. The permethyl derivatives of the nucleosides are reextracted from the reaction mixture and analyzed by GLC on a glass capillary column coupled to a nitrogen-selective detector. Analytical recovery of 5-fluorouridine added to human urine in the 0--1 microgram/ml concentration range was 68 +/- 6% and a linear detector response was obtained up to 1 microgram/ml. The detection limit was found to be 10 ng/ml, using a 1-ml urine sample.


Trace determination of chlorpheniramine in plasma by GLC using a nitrogen-phosphorous (N-P) detector. A fast, sensitive and specific method for the determination of chlorpheniramine in plasma is described. The drug was extracted with diethylether, back extracted in hydrochloric acid and reextracted in diethylether. The extract was evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in isopropyl alcohol. The isopropyl alcoholic solution was gas chromatographed without any derivatization and the detection was carried out using a nitrogen sensitive detector. The mean recovery of chlorpheniramine was found to be 96% and a drug level as low as 0.5 ng/ml can be accurately measured.


The determination of paraquat.

The determination of paraquat. Methods for the determination of paraquat are reviewed. Procedures are described in detail for the determination of paraquat in diverse materials such as food stuffs, body fluids, and water. The recommended procedures include visual spot test, spectrophotometric, gas chromatographic, and high performance liquid chromatographic techniques.


An optimized assay for adenosine deaminase using reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography. A sensitive, optimized assay for adenosine deaminase (E.C. 3.5.4.4), is presented which is based on a reverse phase HPLC analysis of adenosine. In this method a sample of erythrocytes was incubated with adenosine and the decrease in the adenosine concentration with time was analyzed by HPLC. The precision of the method averaged approximately 5% RSD with a sensitivity of about 0.1 U/ml of packed erythrocytes. Comparison with other literature values showed similar activities for adenosine deaminase in erythrocytes (0.229 +/- 0.025) U/ml (alpha = 0.05). The optimization included studies on the ionic strength, pH, enzyme and substrate concentration, and reaction time. The Km for adenosine deaminase was found to be (0.178 +/- 0.018) mM (alpha = 0.05). The method offers several advantages over other assay methods, including an improved capability to discern competing side reactions from other enzymes.


Clostridium pseudotetanicum bacteremia in a patient with Pasteurella multocida conjunctivitis. Clostridium pseudotetanicum only once previously has been identified as causing disease. Pasteurella multocida has been identified only three times as the cause of purulent conjunctivitis. A very debilitated patient had C. pseudotetanicum bacteremia and P. multocida conjunctivitis from which she recovered only to die of a nosocomial Staphylococcus epidermidis septicemia, originating in a site for the administration of intravenous fluids.


Factors affecting production of catalase by Bacteroides. Several variables affected the production of catalase by members of the "Bacteroides fragilis group" of anaerobic bacteria. Both media yielded higher catalase levels than the respective agar media. Addition of hemin to media after autoclave sterilization, rather than before, significantly increased production of catalase. Both of these  variables could be related to the available hemin concentration present in the medium being tested. Significantly higher amounts of hemin were required for catalase production than were required for growth. For catalase production by B. fragilis ATCC 25285, 1 microgram of hemin per ml was required. Of the various media tested, the use of chopped meat broth resulted in the highest levels of catalase production (up to 50 to 60 U of catalase per mg of protein). Of the various species and DNA homology groups tested, strains of B. fragilis and Bacteroides distasonis were catalase positive. Strains of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, and Bacteroides eggerthi possessed variable catalase activity. Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides uniformis, and DNA homology groups "3452A" and "subsp. a" were catalase negative. A catalase well test, in which equal volumes of 3% H2O2 and chopped meat culture are mixed, is described and recommended for routine catalase tests.


Serological typing of Ureaplasma urealyticum isolates from urethritis patients by an agar growth inhibition method. An agar growth inhibition method for serotyping Ureaplasma urealyticum is described, and the results of applying this method to serotyping 338 strains of the organism are presented. The serotyped strains consisted of cloned isolates from male patients with primary and recurrent nongonococcal urethritis (NGU), isolates from symptomatic patients with other genitourinary tract infections and disorders, and isolates from asymptomatic carriers of U. urealyticum in the genitourinary tract (controls). Among 122 male patients with NGU, serotype 4 was associated most frequently (52%) with this disease at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Seventeen percent of the isolates were type 2. The remaining isolates consisted of types 1, 3, 6, and 8 and accounted for 6 to 9% each of the serotypes isolated from the NGU group. Types 5 and 7 were not isolated. Among 91 symptomatic patients with other genitourinary tract infections and disorders, U. urealyticum type 4 also was associated most frequently (37%) with these disorders. The remaining isolates, represented by types 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8, accounted for 9 to 15% each of the types isolated from this group. Type 5 was not isolated. Among 125 symptomfree carriers of U. urealyticum in the genitourinary tract, type 8 was recovered most frequently (30%), whereas type 4 was isolated next most frequently (24%). The remaining isolates consisted of types 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 and accounted for 2 to 15% each in this asymptomatic control group. Type 7 was not isolated. Of the present eight serotypes of U. urealyticum studied in this investigation, type 4 was associated most frequently with disease (NGU) and certain other disorders of the genitourinary tract at Camp Lejeune. A previously unknown association of U. urealyticum with frequently abacteriuric, unexplained pyuria (with or without urethral pruritus and dysuria) is reported, suggesting the existence of asymptomatic Ureaplasma urethritis.


Abscess associated with Rothia dentocariosa. Rothia dentocariosa, an aerobic member of the Actinomycetaceae, was isolated from a pilonidal abscess. The clinical occurrence, bacteriological characteristics, and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern are presented.


Differentiation of Bacteroides fragilis species by gas chromatographic detection of phenylacetic acid. Of 382 strains tested, 261 strains of the species Bacteroides fragilis, B. thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, and B. distasonis produced phenylacetic acid; the remaining strains, belonging exclusively to the species B. vulgatus, failed to do so. This differentiation characteristic may be useful in routine clinical bacteriology.


Quality of Cary-Blair transport medium after aging nineteen months. Cary-Blair medium retains its ability to serve as a transport medium after 19 months of aging at room temperature. This eliminates the necessity for the frequent replacement of the stored supplies of this medium.


Using competing speech to estimate articulatory automatization in children: the possible effect of masking level and subject grade. In order to study the possible influence of masking level and subject grade on a procedure for determining a child's articulatory automatization (Manning et al., 1976) 47 first and second grade and 49 third and fourth grade children were administered the McDonald Deep Test of Articulation under one of five conditions of auditory masking (earphones only, or presentation of competing speech at 50, 60, 70, or 80 dB SPL). Results indicated no significant difference in subject performance across the factors of masking level and subject grade. The findings suggest that these factors do not appear to be critical in the clinical application of the suggested procedure for estimating children's automatization of newly acquired phonemes.


Some effects of delayed auditory feedback on dyspraxia of speech. This investigation was designed to determine if delayed auditory feedback (DAF) might have a facilitating effect on dyspraxic speech. Five subjects with dyspraxia of speech and minimal aphasic involvement were used. Two reading tasks were administered under conditions of DAF and no DAF. Reading tasks were constructed of 24 monosyllabic words with initial consonant clusters and 10 polysyllabic words. Three experienced judges scored word production, consonant cluster production, and 12 types of production errors. Temporal duration of word productions was measured in both conditions. No significant differences between the conditions were found in any of the measured parameters. There was no demonstrable improvement of dyspraxia of speech errors under DAF. Contrary to earlier research, distortions rather than phonemic substitutions were found to be the most frequently occurring articulatory errors.


On the production of low tongue tip /s/: a case report. X-ray motion pictures and electromyography were combined to record tongue movement and tongue muscle activity of a normal speaker during /s/ production. The /s/ was in /i/, /alpha/, and /u/ vowel environments and in two and three consonant clusters. Lead pellets attached to the tongue tip and dorsum were tracked by frame-by-frame analysis of the X-ray film. Recordings from the tongue muscles were graphed and compared with the movement data. Results demonstrate that this subject produces /s/ with the tongue tip down behind the lower incisors and the blade elevated toward the alveolar ridge. EMG data from the tongue shows that the tongue tip depression is not passive but is an active part of the motor strategy used by this subject to elevate the tongue body. These findings suggest that speech pathologists might well include the tip-down strategy of /s/ production in the therapeutic process as an alternative to the tip-up /s/.


Articulation training of profoundly hearing-impaired children: a distinctive feature approach. Three profoundly hearing-impaired children were trained to articulate stop consonants /b,p,d,t,g,k/ in words. As training progressed, generalization of correct production across positional and phonemic boundaries was assessed. Results indicate that hearing-impaired children can use distinctive feature similarities to improve their articulation.


Evaluation of vocal pitch in male transsexuals. A 49-year-old male-to-female transsexual was administered voice therapy following surgery. Tape recordings were made of her speech prior to and each week during therapy. Selected sentences from these reocrdings were analyzed. Results indicate that changes in both fundamental frequency and perceptual judgments of femininity were statistically significant and supportive to the client. The voice of the client was still discernible from that of a female speaker, although less so than before therapy. It is suggested that a composite treatment program combined with laryngeal modification through surgical intervention may be necessary.


The effects of a contingent light-flash on stuttering and attention to stuttering. The hypothesis that a light-flash made contingent on stuttering would reduce stuttering to the extent that it called subjects' attention to their stuttering responses was investigated with two adult female stutterers. Attention to stuttering was measured by asking subjects to depress a switch each time they detected a stuttering in their speech. For one subject, the contingent light produced a marked reduction in stuttering but had no effect on switch-pressing. For the other subject, the light had little effect on stuttering but resulted in an increase in switch-pressing. For both subjects, reductions in stuttering occurred when they were asked to note their stutterings by pressing the switch. The results suggested that the effect of the light on stuttering was not due to its role in calling attention to stuttering.


An investigation of the variability of judgments of experienced and inexperienced listeners in their use of a screening test of articulation. This study examines the extent to which the mean, or average degree of agreement, of a group of listeners actually represents the consistency of judgments of all members of that group. Twenty-two experienced and inexperienced judges scored the responses, from tape recordings, of six children with multiple articulation errors on the McDonald Screening Deep Test of Articulation. The intra- and interexaminer reliability of the judges was assessed. Results suggested that, as a group, both experienced and inexperienced listeners were capable of making consistent decisions about children's responses on the Screening Deep Test of Articulation. It was determined, however, that group averages may not reflect accurately the consistency of all members of the group or accurately estimate the population average. Variances for both groups were high and significant differences were found between the variances of the groups. Confidence intervals were reported and their clinical implications discussed.


Quality assurance in primary care: a strategy based on outcome assessment. We describe an outcome-based approach to quality assurance in primary care and present data from an initial study made to explore its usefulness. A questionnaire, which asked patients to report on the status of their problem in terms of the amount of symptoms, activity limitation, and anxiety it caused, was mailed to adults who had been seen a month previously for upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, or urinary tract infection. Outcome standards developed for these conditions indicated that patients should report no symptoms, activity limitation, or anxiety. Of the 127 patients who responded, 17% failed to meet these standards. A review of their medical records was conducted to test the value of using substandard problem-status outcome as an indicator of important deficiencies in care. Definite deficiencies in care were found for 57% of those with substandard outcomes and for 2% of those with acceptable outcomes. Corrective action was judged likely to benefit 95% of the cases with substandard outcome and 7% of those with acceptable outcomes. Data from the medical records were insufficient to explain the reasons for substandard outcome in all cases, thus emphasizing the need to examine also patient- and system-related variables not evident in the medical record. An approach to quality assurance that is based on measuring outcome and then determining the reasons for poor outcome in useful for uncovering correctable errors in the delivery of primary care. In order for the approach to be effective in improving care, the outcome measures used must be sensitive to the role of primary care in assisting partients to resolve health problems.


The effect of outreach workers' services on the medical care utilization of a disadvantaged population. An original goal of the Kaiser-Permanente Neighborhood Health Center Project was to organize the project so that a medically indigent population would be able to utilize fully and appropriately the services of a complex medical care program. A special program of outreach services was designed as the principal means to achieve this goal. This study was made to determine the effects of these outreach services on (1) the use of or nonuse of ambulatory care services; (2) the volume and type of services used; (3) the patterns of use; and (4) the appointment-keeping behavior of the project population for a 12-month period. Outreach and medical care services were provided to an average of 7,000 persons in 1,500 low-income families who were enrolled as health plan members in the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care Program. Project participants were randomly divided into two groups, one with and one without services, and utilization data were collected from their medical and administrative records. The findings suggest that outreach intervention had a positive effect on access to care. Persons who received outreach services were more likely to contact the medical care system; these persons also showed a substantial difference in the volume of services they used, when compared to those without outreach services. Outreach workers were less successful in changing utilization patterns, although slight differences were found in the direction of more appropriate use. Persons with outreach services were more likely to have made contacts with their regular physician, to have made a smaller proportion of walk-in contacts, to have had a higher proportion of regularly scheduled contacts, and to have made a higher proportion of continuing visits. Outreach workers also had little or no effect on appointment-keeping behavior.


Hospitalization as a life crisis for the preschool child: a critical review. Review of the literature on the psychological effects of hospitalization on children reveals that it has not increased substantially in quality or quantity since Vernon and his associates published their extensive review a decade ago. More recent research supports the earlier contentions that children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years are especially vulnerable to upset but are also more amenable to change and growth than other age groups. Maternal separation appears to be the primary stressor, but the presence of emotional disturbance prior to hospitalization and the child's level of cognitive development at the time may also be significant factors. Attempts to prepare children for hospitalization and surgery have met with some success, but not for preschool children. The need for some comprehensive theoretical perspective on which to base research is evident. Studies to date appear to have been based either on the concept of "anticipatory worry" or on some form of modeling theory. The author suggests that hospitalization can be considered as a life crisis for a child, a crisis that may result in blocks or distortions in his development if not mastered properly. Crisis theory provides a meaningful and useful model for understanding the experience of hospitalization for young children and for providing a basis for intervention. The psychopathology present in some children and their families is made apparent during such a crisis as hospitalization; this may present the only time when they are accesible to mental health professionals.


Health care decision making in Southern County. We combine two standard approaches to analyze power and influence in health policy formulation within a moderately large county in the south. Intrinsic methodologic weaknesses are discussed and several conclusions are drawn regarding power in the health care sector of that community. The most significant finding is the shift in power over time, away from the individuals to committees and health care organizations. The ignorance of most physicians about the broader health care issues that affect the community was reflected in their lack of recognition by others in the community as influential decision makers. The insular relationship of the university to the rest of the community was also noted. Past racial politics had a continuing effect on later health policy formulation. These findings are discussed in light of current and past issues. Because we had promised confidentiality to the persons we interviewed, fictitious names were given to the county, the institutions, and the interviewees.


Interdisciplinary health education: a case study of fact and fancy. Meeting the health needs of patients and providing comphrehensive health care services require the integration and coordination of several professional health services. Traditional methods for training students in the health professions independently are being challenged by the need for future practitioners to understand and to utilize effectively the skills offered by the other disciplines. However, the movement of educational institutions toward interdisciplinary training programs entails the careful assessment of program design, content, and basic philosophy. Two and one-half years of experience with such a program at one academic health center are reviewed.


An evaluation of undergraduate family care programs. Evaluation of the many new family care programs (FCP), and others of similar intent, however defined, is as essential as determining the value of any other curriculum change. Replies to a questionnaire from 101 U.S. and 15 Canadian medical schools indicated that 80% of the former and 93% of the latter had FCPs; 35% and 29%, respectively, were not evaluating their program by any method. No single evaluative technique was used by more than 42% of the American medical schools. A review of the literature on FCPs frequently indicated that the conclusions that could be drawn about the programs were ambiguous. Students in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center FCPs elected family practice or pediatric internships significantly more often than did the FCP nonparticipants, but they indicated that the program had little effect on this choice, despite almost uniformly favorable testimonials. We discuss the possibility that FCPs may be educating the wrong students, that FCPs, if not reinforced in other clinical areas, may have few lasting effects on student attitudes or career choice, and that we may be asking the wrong questions, and with inadequate methods.


The superior colliculus control of pinna movements in the cat: possible anatomical connections. Possible anatomical pathways mediating superior colliculus control of pinna movements were determined in the cat using the orthograde autoradiographic tracing method and the retrograde horseradish peroxidase technique. This was done in the following manner. First, the division of the facial nucleus that innervates the pinna muscles was determined by injecting the pinna muscles with HRP and surveying the facial nucleus for retrogradely filled cells. Second, the brainstem regions that project the facial nucleus were identified using the horseradish peroxidase method. Third, the superior colliculus projections to these areas were studied using the autoradiographic tracing method. The results suggest that superior colliculus control of pinna movements is mediated entirely by  indirect connections with the facial nucleus and that these connections occur mainly in a paralemniscal zone in the lateral midbrain. Of all the brainstem regions shown by the horseradish peroxidase experiments to project to the facial nucleus only this midbrain paralemniscal zone received a projection from the superior colliculus that was dense and overlapped precisely the region containing facial projecting neurons. Further autoradiographic tracing revealed that the facial nucleus was the primary brainstem target of this paralemniscal zone and that all paralemniscal fibers projecting to the facial nucleus ended in the subdivision that innervates the pinna muscles. Other paralemniscal efferents terminate in the opposite paralemniscal zone. The data suggest that other connections between the superior colliculus and the facial nucleus may occur in the cuneiform nucleus of the midbrain, the region around the oculomotor complex, and the reticular formation dorsal to the superior olive.


Horizontal cells of the turtle retina. I. Light microscopy of Golgi preparations. In Golgi preparations of turtle retina, four types of horizontal cells were observed and their morphological characteristics determined in vertical thick sections, whole mount preparations, and reconstructions from serial 1-micrometer sections. H1 consists of a nucleated, stellate cell body (H1CB) and an irregular, tuberous axon terminal (H1AT) connected by a slender axon. Both parts of these cells make contact with receptor cells. H1CB's appear to correspond to "L2-type cells" while H1AT's correspond to "L1-type cells" described in the physiological literature. H2 and H3 are axonless stellate cells which are similar to one another in vertical profile and may occasionally appear similar in horizontal view. In general, the dendritic tree is more densely branched and the density of receptor cell contacts is higher for H2 than for H3. H2-type cells may correspond to "R/G C-type cells." H4 is also an axonless stellate cell type which is smaller than H2 or H3 at equivalent retinal locations. The dendritic fields of H1CB's vary widely, but systematically, in size and shape over the retina. Their size is inversely related to receptor cell density, and the shape of the dendritic tree varies from roughly circular in the central area to elliptical in the periphery of the retina.


Horizontal cells of the turtle retina. II. Analysis of interconnections between photoreceptor cells and horizontal cells by light microscopy. Criteria were established whereby the chief and accessory members of double cones, red-, green-, and blue-sensitive single cones, and rods could be distinguished from one another in 1-micrometer sections through the retinas of Pseudemys scripta elegans and Chelydra serpentina. Criteria included the presence of absence of an oil droplet, the size, color, and radial position of the oil droplet, the size and shape of the inner and outer segments, and the shape orientation of the connection between the perikaryon and synaptic terminal of each receptor cell. Using these criteria, the color-specific interconnections between horizontal cells and receptor cells were analyzed using 1-micrometer serial sections through Golgi-stained examples of horizontal cells of each type. The results of this analysis are: (a) H1 cells bodies contact both the red- and green-sensitive members of double cones, as well as red- and green-sensitive single cones. (b) H1 axon terminals contact only the red-sensitive chief members of double cones, red-sensitive single cones, and rods. (c) H2-type cells contact only green- and blue-sensitive single cones. (d) H3-type cells contact only blue-sensitive single cones. (e) H4-type cells contact only the green-sensitive accessory members of double cones. With the exception of H1 cell bodies, all horizontal cells generally contacted every appropriate receptor cell type within their receptive field. A model for the generation of complex horizontal cell light responses is proposed and discussed.


Anatomical and physiological localization of visual and infrared cell layers in tectum of pit vipers. Visual and infrared cell layers were identified in the tectum of the pit vipers Crotalus viridis and Sistrurus melitus. Histologic reconstructions of 48 lesions utilizing the Prussian Blue technique were correlated with micrometer depth readings for 251 visual, infrared and bimodal single unit recordings. The visual cell layer extends caudally from approximately the level of the habenula to the rostral border of the posterior corpora quadrigemina. Neurons responding to visual stimulation are generally contained within zones 7b-13, i.e., the superficial 600--700 micrometer of the optic tectum (stratum fibrosum et griseum superficiale and the superficial sublayer of stratum griesum centrale). The infrared cell group is found in layer 7 (a and b; stratum griseum centrale) throughout the optic tectum. Eighty percent of the infrared neurons are found within 500--1,200 micrometer of the surface. In layer 7b the visual and infrared cell groups are mixed; bimodal neurons that respond to a combination of visual and infrared input are located predominantly in this sublamina. The lamination pattern for visual and nonvisual cell groups in the rattlesnake tectum appears to more closely resemble the colubrid tectum and mammalian superior colliculus than the tecta of other reptiles.


Photoreceptors and oil droplet colors in the red area of the pigeon retina. Six types of photoreceptors in the red area (dorso-temporal quadrant) of the pigeon retina are identified using Golgi impregnation, light microscopy and electron microscopy. Golgi impregnation is used to categorize the receptors into morphological types. Examination of oil droplets in the inner segments of cones in fresh, unfixed tissue shows five different types which can be characterized by color, size and stratification. Therefore, in sections through the length of the receptors examined by electron microscopy, the oil droplets contained in the inner segments of the cones can be identified as to their color by their characteristics (i.e., size and stratification), and the groups of receptors thus classified, further characterized as to the morphology of their terminals. Rods have no oil droplets in their inner segments, and their synaptic terminals are located in the outermost stratum of the outer plexiform layer OPL). Principal members of double cones have yellow oil droplets in their inner segments, while accessory members contain small colorless oil droplets. The synaptic terminals of double cones are located in the same (outermost) stratum of the OPL as rod synaptic terminals. Two types of single, straight cones house either red or orange oil droplets and terminate in the intermediate stratum of the OPL. Oblique single cones with yellow-green oil droplets in their inner segments contribute synaptic terminals to the innermost stratum of the OPL.


Ultrastructural specificity of synaptic sites in nerve terminals mediating both presynaptic and postsynaptic inhibition. The ultrastructural basis of presynaptic inhibition of the excitatory efferent axon innervating the opener muscle of the crayfish walking leg was studied using the electron microscope. The inhibitory efferent axon terminals form axoaxonal synapses onto excitor terminals in very close proximity to sites of excitatory transmitter release. There is no evidence that these synapses are located at regions of low safety factor of action potential conduction in the excitor. In the area of axoaxonal synaptic connections, the inhibitory axon also forms inhibitory neuromuscular junctions on the opener muscle. Synaptic vesicles are clustered in active zones bordered postsynaptically by extensive invaginations, or junctional folds, in the sarcolemma. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the primary effect of presynaptic inhibition is to shunt depolarization-secretion coupling at specific sites of transmitter release in the target cell, rather than to block impulse propagation into a more generalized population of nerve terminals distal to the axoaxonal synapse. Further physiological implications of this structural arrangement are considered.


A Golgi study of cell types in the hilar region of the hippocampus in the rat. The morphology of neurons in the "hilar region" of the hippocampus (fields CA3c and CA4 of Lorente de Nó, '34) was analyzed with several variants of the Golgi technique. Hippocampi were dissected from the brains of 28-day-old rats, fixed and impregnated by immersion, and sectioned perpendicular to the long axis. Based on the resident cell types, aspects of the neuropil, and published data related to afferent termination, the area under study was divided into four zones. At least 21 cell types were observed throughout these zones, several of which had not previously been described. Many cells in this area exhibited an impressive number and variety of dendritic and axonal appendages, including spines on the proximal portion of some axons. The close apposition of fibers to these axonal spines suggested the possibility of axo-axonal interactions. The influence of dentate granule cells, through their mossy fibers, on the synaptic economy of the "hilar region" was found to be more extensive than previously reported. Mossy fibers appeared to terminate on the dendrites of several types of non-pyramidal cells, which bear no thorny excrescences, by means of thin filiform extensions which emanate from the mossy fiber expansions and by means of thin mossy fiber collaterals which are devoid of typical expansions. Consideration is given to a long-standing debate as to whether the deep "hilar region" (CA4 of Lorente de Nó, '34, hilus of the fascia dentata of Blackstad, '56) is related more to the hippocampus or to the fascia dentata and it is concluded that the deep hilar region is an area of mergence of the polymorphic zones of these two cortical structures. The results of the present study do not support the proposition that the deep hilar region is an extension of the pyramidal layer of the hippocampus as suggested by Lorente de Nó ('34), and thus CA4 is a misnomer. Rather, the cells in this area are most closely related to the fascia dentata and should thus be considered to lie in the polymorphic zone of "area dentata" as proposed initially by Blackstad ('56).


Localization of sensory neurons traversing the stellate ganglion of the cat. The distribution of sensory cells whose axons traverse the stellate ganglion and project via sympathetic cardiac nerves to the heart of the cat has been examined quantitatively. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injected at multiple sites in the right stellate ganglion, or applied to the middle cardiac nerve, labelled small numbers of cells in the thoracic dorsal root ganglia (DRG) from T1 to T8. These cells were most numerous between T2 and T5 and were consistently small (less than 40 micrometer) relative to other cells in the DRG. When HRP was applied to middle cardiac nerves, the numbers of labelled sensory cells always exceeded the numbers of myelinated axons counted in the same nerves from other cats. It is concluded that the distribution of the cells of cardiac sensory fibers is more extensive within thoracic DRG than has been previously reported, and it is suggested that such fibres travelling in the sympathetic cardiac nerves may be either myelinated or unmyelinated.


Development of the diencephalon in the rat. III. Ontogeny of the specialized ventricular linings of the hypothalamic third ventricle. The development of the specialized linings of the hypothalamic third ventricle was examined autoradiographically in mature rats that were labelled with 3H-thymidine during the developmental period, and in a closely spaced series of embryonic and infant rats. We distinguished in mature rats, apart from the typical ependymal wall, three specialized linings: the convoluted ependyma, the laminated epithelium, and the tanycytic epithelium. The ventricular wall of most of the anterior hypothalamus, and of the dorsal portion of the posterior hypothalamus, is composed of ciliated ependymal cells and most of them are generated several days before birth, soon after the cessation of neurogenesis in the adjacent hypothalamic nuclei. The cells of the rostral convoluted ependyma adjacent to the paraventricular nucleus are produced at about the same time as the neighboring cells of the smooth ependyma. Its cells come from the same germinal region that we have assumed to generate the neurons of the magnocellular neurohypophysial secretory system. The structural differentiation of the convoluted ependyma starts after birth and is completed by the beginning of the second week. Many of the ependymal cells of the laminated epithelium are produced postnatally, and the production of the specialized cells that form a parallel subependymal row extends into the third week. These cells appear to arise from the same matrix that generates earlier the neurons of the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei; their structural differentiation begins during the second week. Also the cells of the tanycytic epithelium are produced mostly postnatally, predominantly during the first week. They appear to arise from the same matrix that generated earlier the neurons of the hypophysiotropic tuberomammillary and arcuate nuclei. It is postulated that these three specialized ventricular linings are specifically related to the three cpmponents of the endocrine hypothalamus with which they have shared neuroepithelial sites of origin.


Ingestional aversion learning in preweanling rats. Ingestional aversions were conditioned in 12- and 15-day-old rats by infusing a .5% solution of saccharin into the oral cavity and following this oral infusion by the injection of lithium chloride. At both ages, subjects for which the saccharin exposure was followed by lithium injection within 2-3 min drank less when the saccharin solution was again presented by oral infusion 12 hr later; such suppressions of intake were not observed in subjects that previously received the saccharin and lithium in an unpaired fashion (Experiments 1 and 3). Ingestional aversions were also learned by 12-day-olds when a 30-min interval was introduced between saccharin exposure and lithium toxicosis but not when toxicosis was delayed by 120 min (Experiment 2). In contrast, 15-day-olds learned aversions with both the 30- and 120-min-delay intervals (Experiment 3). Despite the absence of long-delay learning in 12 day olds, ingestional aversions conditioned at 12 days of age were retained for 2 wk (Experiment 4). These results provide further evidence of the associative abilities of neonatal rats and illustrate a developmental aspect of long-delay learning.


Habituation of the EEG arousal response in rats: short- and long-term effects, frequency specificity, and wake--sleep transfer. Presentation of auditory stimuli over interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of several minutes to sleeping rats produced significant habituation of the electroencephalographic (EEG) arousal response. The arousal response habituated to an asymptote after only two or three stimulus presentations. Little or no spontaneous recovery occurred between sessions separated by 24 or 72 hr. The habituation produced by a single stimulus presentation was retained for at least 24 hr, and orderly habituation was shown with a 24-hr ISI. Approximately 90% retention of habituation was shown 32 days following 10 stimulus presentations, and some degree of retention was shown for as long as 50 days. After habituation had reached a long-term asymptote, 600 stimulus presentations over 2-sec ISIs produced further response decrements, but these decrements recovered completely within a matter of minutes and responsiveness returned to the previously established long-term asymptote. Habituation was shown to be frequency-specific over both 24-hr and 32-day intervals. Habituation produced by stimulus presentations to awake animals transferred to the condition in which stimuli were presented to sleeping animals.


Learning performance varies with brain weight in heterogeneous mouse lines. Three lines of unselected heterogeneous stocks of mice were tested for learning and activity in active avoidance acquisition and extinction, water-maze discrimination learning and reversal learning, operant discrimination, and passive avoidance acquisition tasks. Ambulation in the open field was also measured. Small to moderate correlations (absolute values of .17 to .42) between brain weight and learning measures were obtained for all tasks except passive avoidance. A moderate correlation between brain weight and activity was found only in the open field (r = .39). Partialing out differences in operant level and body weight and learning performance. When ambulation in the open field was partialed out, however, all correlations between brain weight and learning performance decreased. Previous research has suggested a positive relation between brain weight and learning scores across mammalian orders and species. The results reported here extend this relation to within-species variation in brain size. The results also emphasize the limitations of estimating genetic associations between brain and behavior from comparisons between small numbers of inbred strains or selected lines.


Auditory sensitivity, equal loudness, temporal resolving power, and vocalizations in the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Absolute thresholds for pure tones were measured in four house finches by use of avoidance conditioning and a modified method of limits. Response reaction time to each tone presentation served as a data base for generating a family of "equal loudness" contours. Temporal resolving power was measured in two additional birds and compared with similar measures in man. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies of vocalizations in the house finch, and the average power spectra of selected individual vocalizations are presented.


Ontogeny of thermal and olfactory determinants of huddling in the rat. In standardized tests of huddling behavior, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-day-old rat pups spent substantial and equivalent amounts of time with an immobile rat or a heated, fur-covered tube, which suggests that the conspecific and inanimate stimuli were equally attractive to the pups. Two-choice preferences tests, however, revealed dramatic developmental differences in attraction. Younger pups preferred to huddle with the warmer, inanimate target, whereas older pups preferred the conspecific. The emergent conspecific preference appears mediated by attraction to species odors. The 5- and 10-day-olds huddled equally with an immobile rat and an immobile gerbil, stimuli with similar thermal and tactile properties, but older pups preferred the conspecific. Intranasal zinc sulfate treatment eliminated preference for the conspecific in 15- and 20-day-olds but did not disrupt huddling per se. Thermal cues were sufficient to elicit huddling at all ages, but olfactory cues became a more salient influence before weaning. An ontogenetic transition from "physiological" to "filial" huddling is discussed in terms of changes in sensory control of early behavior.


Novel taste facilitation of the association of visual cues with toxicosis in rats. The present experiments examined the conditions under which rats rapidly learn to avoid ingesting visually distinctive food objects associated with toxicosis. It was found that the presence of a novel taste associated with a visually distinctive food object faciliated acquisition of visual-cue-toxicosis associations. Further experiments failed to support either higher order conditioning or sensory preconditioning models of this phenomenon. The results are discussed in terms of species' differences in the conditions under which attention is directed to visual cues associated with ingesta. The implications of these findings for the existence of visual aposomatisms (warning colors) in naturally occurring toxic species are also examined.


Effects of posttraining injection of cholinergic agonists and antagonists into the amygdala on retention of passive avoidance training in rats. Rats were given a single footshock while licking a water tube and tested 24 hr later for retention of the footshock experience. A single bilateral injection of a subseizure dose of physostigmine into the amygdala applied immediately, but not 18 hr, after the footshock imparied retention. This effect appeared to be somewhat localized, as physostigmine injected into the hippocampus or lateral ventricles did not disrupt retention. Conversely, a subseizure dose of atropine sulfate into the amygdala, given immediately or 18 hr after the footshock did not impair retention. Atropine injected concurrently with physostigmine into the same amygdaloid loci counteracted a potential physostigmine-induced retention deficit. Injection of carbachol into the amygdala also impaired retention; however, carbachol precipitated seizures and possibly exerted proactive consequences on performance. The time-dependent nature of the deficit following physostigmine is consistent with the view that injection of cholinergic agonists into the amygdala disrupts memory for the footshock experience.


Changes in posterior hypothalamic self-stimulation following experimental cerebral infarction in the rat. Bioplar stimulating electrodes were placed bilaterally in the posterior hypothalamus of rats following which the animals were shaped for intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). When ICSS rates were stable for 1 wk, the right middle cerebral artery was ligated. During the 25-day postinfarction period, the rate of ICSS at specified current values was compared with preoperative rates. At 2 days after operation, there was a 33% decrease in the maximum frequency of ipsilateral ICSS. However, by 8 days after experimental stroke, there was a 16% increase in the maximal rate of ICSS above the preoperative value,  and the rate returned to control levels by 20 days after surgery. The minimum current necessary to elicit the maximal rate of response also changed in a biphasic manner, i.e., the minimum required current was greater than preoperative control levels until 8 days after operation but then dropped below control level until 20 days postoperatively. There were no changes in the current or rate of response in the contralateral electrode. These results are discussed in relation to what may be the underlying neurophysiological changes causing these biphasic alterations in ICSS.


Alterations of clinically normal skin in early eruptive guttate psoriasis. A light- and electron-microscopic study. In clinically normal skin of early eruptive guttate psoriasis, in patients with psoriasis for the first time, the epidermal changes were restricted to small tissue areas showing a slight hyperplasia and a condensed stratum corneum but no parakeratosis. The center (zone 1) of the small tissue areas was characterized by (1) exoserosis with spongiotic dilatation of the intercellular space in the non-cornified epidermis, (2) derangement of keratinocytes with respect to shape, orientation, and number of desmosomes and fibrils, (3) dyskeratotic keratinocytes of two types, A and B, (4) agranulosis restricted to the dyskeratotic deratinocytes of type A, (5) exocytosis of mononuclear cells and Langerhans' cells into the entire non-cornified epidermis, (6) large gaps in the basement membrane between the dermis and epidermis. No polymorphonuclear leukocytes were seen. The periphery (zones 2) of the small tissue areas showed slight changes. The alterations of the upper dermis were slight: besides a very mild general inflammatory reaction with capillary dilatation and perivascular cell infiltrate there was also a focal accumulation of inflammatory cells immediately beneath the epidermis, with cells seemingly infiltrating the stratum basale. It is postulated that the epidermal and dermal changes as shown here represent primary posoriatic changes.


The behavior of reticulin fibers in and around melanomas. A previous study confirmed the correlation between the vertical diameter of malignant melanomas and prognosis. In 72 of these tumors we examined the pattern and number of reticulin fibers (RF) around and within the melanomas. An increase in vertical diameter was accompanied by an increase of RF within the tumor and a decrease of RF on its edges. The differences were not sufficienty signficant to allow firm prognosis.


Hidroacanthoma simplex with in situ porocarcinoma. A case suggesting malignant transformation. A case of hidroacanthoma simplex, suggesting malignant transformation into porocarcinoma in situ is reported. It represents further evidence that epidermotropic eccrine carcinoma may originate from the acrosyringium. This lesion demonstrates that the upper portion of the dermal eccrine duct may participate in the oncogenesis of hidroacanthoma simplex. It may also provide the missing link in the chain of evolution of benign eccrine poroacanthoma into porocarcinoma.


Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum. Localization in surgical scars. Necrobiosis lipoidica is a skin disorders with an interesting predisposition for areas of trauma such as the anterior shins. In this report a patient with diabetes mellitus and generalized necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum with localization in surgical scars is described. A brief review of other skin disorders occurring in scars is also included.


Regeneration of axillary hair and related phenomena after removal of deep dermal and subcutaneous tissue by a special "shaving" technique. A subcutaneous tissue "shaver" was used in the treatment of axillary bromhidrosis. Regeneration of axillary hair was observed postoperatively even if subcutaneous tissue and dermis were removed almost up to the level of sebaceous ducts. Hair regenerated more often in male patients whose sebaceous glands and follicular isthmus were designedly left intact than in female patients whose sebaceous glands were designedly removed completely. Some function of apocrine and eccrine glands tends to return over a two-year period.


Subcutaneous island interpolation flap: "serpentine layering" to increase the intra-defect pedicle thickness. While developing a subcutaneous island interpolation flap, "serpentine layering" of an extended subcutaneous pedicle was noted to give more adequate filling of a deep nasal defect, thus enhancing the final cosmetic result.


Granulomatous reaction to autologous hairs incarcerated during hair transplantation. Incarceration of autologous hairs resulting in a granulomatous reaction to them is an unusual complication of hair transplantation. The clinical presentation, histology, pathomechanism, and treatment of an instance of this complication are described and discussed.


"Pseudomelanoma" in a keloid.

"Pseudomelanoma" in a keloid. A pigmented lesion resembling a superficial spreading malignant melanoma appeared in keloidal scarring resulting from partial excision of three closely set intradermal and compound nevi. Complete excision of nevi when feasible is recommended as the wisest course to obviate future uncertainty.


Parent behavioral training for problem children: an examination of studies using multiple outcome measures. The purpose of the present paper was to review parent training studies that have used multiple outcome measures to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Twenty-four studies were identified which used at least two of the following three measures: independent observer-collected data, parent-collected data, and parent-completed questionnaire data. A description of the instruments and procedures used with each assessment technique was presented. The results indicated that all three outcome measures have yielded positive results; however, parent-collected data and parent questionnaire data were associated with more positive outcome results than data collected by independent observers. Limitations of each assessment procedure were discussed and recommendations about which measures to use were made.


Peer evaluations of the competence of children vulnerable to psychopathology. Peer evaluations of the behavior of 75 children of schizophrenic mothers, 57 children of depressed mothers, and 153 controls were collected using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory. The children, both boys and girls, were in grades 2 through 9. Both male and female children of schizophrenics were viewed more deviantly than controls on Aggression and Unhappiness-Withdrawal factors. Only the female children of schizophrenics were viewed as less likable than controls. In general, children of schizophrenics did not differ from children of depressives. The exception was the older daughters of schizophrenics, who were rated as more deviant than members of both the remaining groups.


Laterality and selective attention in hyperactive children. Laterality and selective attention were investigated in a group of 20 hyperactive children and their matched controls using a dichotic listening task. There was a strong right-ear advantage for both groups indicating that hyperactive children were not different from normal children in hemispheric specialization for verbal stimuli. In the selective attention experiment hyperactive children were again not different from normal children in their ability either to select the input designated as relevant or to resist the distraction of input designated irrelevant. Both groups gave more correct responses from the right ear than from the left ear, and more intrusions from the right ear than from the left. The results do not suggest abnormalities of lateralization for verbal material or indicate the existence of a selective attentional deficit. It is suggested that such reported deficits may be situation or task-specific.


Effect of noise distractibility on the spans of apprehension of hyperactive boys. Denton and McIntyre (1978), using a forced-choice letter-recognition procedure, demonstrated increasing reductions in the spans of apprehension of hyperactive as compared to normal boys when a signal letter was embedded within an increasing number of noise letters. In the present study, the effect of variations in the amount of physical signal-noise similarity and noise redundancy upon the spans of apprehension of hyperactive and normal boys was compared to determine whether noise letters act as more potent distractors for the hyperactive boys. Results indicated the spans of both groups were effected equivalently by variations in signal-noise similarity and noise redundancy. No evidence for a distractibility explanation was obtained.


Positive parental praise: increasing reactivity and accuracy of self-observation. The parents of a 6-year-old disruptive boy were observed interacting with their son during 20 assessment-oriented, 10-minute experimental sessions. An experimental design consisting of alternately arranged baseline and self-monitoring conditions was utilized. Following the reversal-to-baseline phase, parents were given specialized training in self-recording positive parental praise. Results indicated that (a) self-monitoring of positive verbalizations was an effective means of producing reactive changes in parental behavior, and (b) training in self-monitoring increased parent-observer accuracy scores to more than acceptable levels of agreement. These findings were discussed with regard to the simplicity of a parental self-observational intervention and recommendations were made for continuing investigations in the area.


Research on research.

Research on research. The AOA Committee on Basic and Applied Research sent a questionnaire to all Oregon optometrists requesting information on their attitudes toward 1) research areas to be emphasized in the schools, 2) funding sources for research, and 3) optimum ways of reporting research results. The majority of the O.D.s responding felt that new equipment and techniques, contact lenses, and vision training should be given first priority as research areas, and felt that 5% or more of their AOA dues should be devoted to research. The Journal of the AOA was reported to be the most helpful of all the optometric journals in presenting research information and the vast majority of O.D.s responding selected a complete article with an abstract as the most appropriate report style.


Profile of peripheral visual anomalies in the disabled reader. A vision screening was performed on 80 disabled readers. The purpose of this screening was to examine the incidence of specific peripheral visual anomalies so as to isolate those visual anomalies most commonly found in this population, thus forming a visual profile of the disabled reader. The results of this vision screening indicate the same basic visual profile found by numerous other investigators; i.e., a significantly higher percentage of failures in tests of accommodation, fusion, and oculomotor skills relative to visual acuity, refractive error and ocular pathology, as well as the need for a more comprehensive vision screening to detect those vision problems known to most commonly exist in the disabled reader. It is important to note that the implications of this investigation would indeed be broadened if comparison tests were similarly administered to a population of non-disabled readers. Comparison studies by other investigators are therefore provided among the references to acquaint the reader with the specific differences in incidence of peripheral visual anomalies found when comparing disabled and normal readers.