An experimental study of the interaction between the soil amoeba Naegleria gruberi and a glass substrate during amoeboid locomotion. The amoeboid locomotion of the soil protozoon Naegleria gruberi has been studied using reflexion-interference microscopy. Two types of contact are made with a planar glass substrate. One, formed at a considerable distance from the substrate in deionized water (congruent to 100 nm) has been termed 'associated contact' and usually involves a considerable surface area (of the order of 100 micrometer2), i.e. about a third of the cell profile. From this broad platform filopodia are produced which form close contacts ('focal contacts'). In locomotion the area of associated contact is very mobile, in contrast to the focal contacts which, once established, are stable. Focal contact sites are left behind on the glass surface ('footprints') when the amoeba moves away. The cell-substrate gap in the associated contact is greatly affected by the ionic strength of the medium and particularly the valency of the cation component. This suggests that long-range forces of attraction play an important role in keeping the amoeba close to a substrate and thus allow the production of filopodia from the ventral surface to form focal contacts.


Long-term maintenance of reaggregated hypothalamic cultures developed from embryonic rat hypothalamus: prostaglandin release during synaptogenesis in vitro. Hypothalamic aggregate cultures were developed from hypothalami taken from rat embryos at 17-19 days gestation. The aggregate cultures exhibited a prominent morphological differentiation during 3-4 weeks in culture. The fine structure of the synapses formed in the aggregates resembled synapses in tha adult animal. During synaptogenesis the aggregates spontaneously release prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The amount of PGE2 released in the media was reversed upon the morphological differentiation of the hypothalamic cultures. Media containing a higher PGE2 concentration increased the extracellular prolactin accumulation in monolayer cultures developed from adult rat hypophysis.


The mechansim of antibody-dependent, eosinophil-mediated damage to schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni in vitro: a study by phase-contrast and electron microscopy. A characteristic sequence of events has been identified by phase-contrast and electron microscopy during antibody-dependent, eosinophil-mediated damage to schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni in vitro. Human eosinophils initially adhere to the intact schistosomulum and then, in the presence of antibody, flatten and spread very intimately over the parasite's surface. Subsequently, dense material similar to the contents of the lysosomal granules of the eosinophils appears in the extracellular space between the eosinophil and the schistosomulum, probably following fusion of the granules with the plasma membrane of the cell. Eventually all the eosinophils adhering to the parasite are completely degranulated and large amounts of the dense material are observed on the surface of the schistosomulum. This release of granular material from the eosinophils is followed by structural changes in the schistosomulum, starting with vacuolation of the inner layer of the tegument, followed by removal of the tegument, often in the form of large sheets. Subsequently the tegument disintegrates and the fragments are phagocytosed by other eosinophils which have not degranulated. Eosinophils then attach to the exposed muscle layers of the schistosomula and participate in the further degradation of the parasites by phagocytosing fragments of muscle fibres and other cellular components. This sequence of events is compared with published observations of the damage induced by various combinations of antibody, complement and effector cells in vitro, and of cell-mediated damage to schistosomula in vivo, and it is concluded that the observations described in the present paper may reflect a process of destruction of schistosomula in the immune host.


Acetylcholinesterase: a useful marker for the isolation of sarcolemma from the bivalve (Modiolus demissus demissus) myocardium. The presence of cholinesterase activity in M. demissus hearts was demonstrated by light- and electron-microscopic histochemistry and by enzymic assay. The enzyme proved to be acetylcholinesterase (AChE) since acetylthiocholine was the preferred substrate, and eserine or BW284C5I inhibited the enzyme activity, while isoOMPA was without effect. The AChE was localized and uniformly distributed along the cell surface membranes of the cardiac muscle cells. A fraction 8-fold enriched in AChE was isolated from pooled ventricles by a combination of differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. This sarcolemmal fraction contained little mitochondrial contamination as determined by electron microscopy and by succinate cytochrome c reductase activity. In addition, this fraction stained uniformly for AChE, indicating that it was free of other membrane types (for example sarcoplasmic reticulum which did not stain for AChE). Therefore, this fraction contained purified cell surface membrane free of contamination by other membranous organelles.


Fine-structural changes in the nucleus of primordial oocytes in immature hamsters. This study reports observations on fine-structural changes in the nucleus of the oocyte in hamsters during the establishment of the primordial (unilaminar) follicle at 7 to 12 days after birth. Following pachytene, the nuclei at early diplotene contain simple chromosomal cores surrounding by a sheath of fibrillo-granular material symmetrically disposed in the form of lateral projections and loops. From 9 days onwards increasing numbers of the oocytes show nuclei lacking such chromosomal threads: instead, they contain randomly disposed, condensed fibrillar clumps with associated dense knots of material, and prominent aggregations of 25--30-nm granules. This second nuclear form is assumed by all oocytes examined at 11 and 12 days and appears to be the definitive diplotene phase. These changes in the appearance of the nuclear chromatin are discussed in the light of those found in oocytes of other species, and it is concluded that the hamster diplotene phase consists of a transitory 'compace' or uniform lampbrush stage, followed by a definitive dictyate condition like that in the rat, but with markedly differential condensation or extreme diffusion of lateral loops. This conclusion is examined in relation to findings which report a marked increase in the sensitivity of hamster oocytes to X-radiation at the time that the observed changes in nuclear configuration are taking place. The combined observations support the hypothesis that the dictyate stage in rodent oocytes represents a modified diplotene phase in which the high degree of spatial diffusion of components of chromosomes of the lampbrush type results in a reduced capacity for repair following exposure to ionizing radiations.


Change of the nuclear pore frequency during the nuclear cycle of Physarum polycephalum. The change of the nuclear pore frequency during the nuclear cycle of synchronous plasmodia of Physaru- polycephalum was investigated. Counts were made on platinum-carbon replicas of isolated nuclei. Pore numbers varied markedly at any given time of the nuclear cycle, possibly due to the variable DNA contents of the nuclei. The average pore frequency per nucleus increased from 336 at 1 h after mitosis to 770 at 50 min before the subsequent mitosis. The results suggest a quantitative relation between the nuclear DNA content and pore frequency. This is compatible with the hypothesis that pore complexes serve as attachment sites for nuclear DNA.


DNA-binding properties of nuclear matrix proteins. Mouse nuclear matrix proteins, examined by a filter assay, were found to bind to DNA. There was no preference for homologous mouse compared to heterologous E. coli DNA. Competition assays showed a preference for AT-rich DNA and of the 4 single-stranded homopolymers there was a preference for poly(dT). These observations are consistent with the possibility that the matrix may play a role in the formation of AT-rich chromomeres (G-bands).


Regulation of interstitial cell differentiation in Hydra attenuata. IV. Nerve cell commitment in head regeneration is position-dependent. In hydra, nerve cells are a differentiation product of the interstitial cell, a multipotent stem cell. Nerve cell commitment was examined during head regeneration in Hydra attenuata. Within 3 h of head removal there is a 10- to 20-fold increase in nerve cell commitment in the tissue which subsequently forms the new head. Nerve cell commitment is unaltered in the remainder of the gastric region. This local increase in nerve cell commitment is responsible for about one half the new nerve cells formed during head regeneration, while one half differentiate from interstitial cells that migrate into the regenerating tip.


RNA transcription on the giant lateral loops of the lampbrush chromosomes of the American newt Notophthalmus viridescens. By counting silver grains in autoradiographs of lampbush chromosomes the rates of incorporation of [3H]adenine, [3H]cytidine, [3H]guanosine and [3H]uridine, administered separately, into RNA on the giant loops of chromosome II of Notophthalmus viridescens, were compared with the rates of incorporation of these same precursors into RNA on other, unidentified loops. The overall rate of RNA transcription on the giant loops is only about half that on the generality of other loops, and the RNA transcribed on the giant loops is computed to have a base ratio of approximately 25 A:39 C:9 G:27 U, implying that there must be about 4 times as many guanine residues on the transcribed as on the non-transcribed strand of the giant loops' DNA.


Evidence for centriolar region RNA functioning in spindle formation in dividing PTK2 cells. The light-activated, nucleic acid-binding drugs, psoralens, were used in conjunction with a 365-nm laser microbeam to selectively bind to any nucleic acids in the centriolar region. 4'-aminomethyl-4,5',8--trimethyl-psoralen (AMT) has a high affinity for both RNA and DNA and can be shown to cause mitotic abortion when centriolar regions of prophase PTK2 cells and reacted with AMT and 365-nm laser light. Other psoralen derivatives which have a high affinity for DNA and a low affinity for RNA are not effective in blocking mitosis in dividing PTK2 cells. Examination of psoralen-bound centriolar regions by single-cell electron microscopy shows that at various times after treatment, the number of microtubules associated with the irradiated poles is much lower than in normal, dividing cells. Light-activated psoralen binding of the centriolar regions does not seem to affect the condensation or structure of mitotic chromosomes. It is concluded that there is an RNA in the centriolar region that is responsible for the formation of the spindle in dividing cells.


Nuclear divisions with reduced numbers of microtubules in Tetrahymena. Ultrastructural observations on micronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila, WH-6 dividing in the presence of colchicine suggest that the microtubules present at the time of drug addition persist, but no new microtubules are formed. It is suggested that the great amount of elongation seen in these drug-treated micronuclei may not be due to the persisting microtubules alone. On the basis of ultrastructural and light-microscopic observations, it is proposed that at least part of the motive force responsible for the elongation which occurs in colchicine may be due to an active sliding of the micronuclear membrane on some element of the cell cortex. In addition, the macronucleus of this species of Tetrahymena was found to be capable of dividing in colchicine in the absence of internal nuclear microtubules.


Regulation of interstitial cell differentiation in Hydra attenuata. V. Inability of regenerating head to support nematocyte differentiation. Nematocyte differentiation was examined during head regeneration in Hydra attenuata. Nematocyte precursors were found to decrease in head-regenerating tissue. This decrease could not be attributed to decreased stem cell commitment or to altered cellular kinetics. The nematocyte precursors could be 'rescued' by regrafting a head onto the initially regenerating tissue only prior to the time at which head determination occurred. These results suggest that concurrent with head determination an irreversible change occurs in the tissue environment, resulting in decreased survival of cells committed to nematocyte differentiation.


Associated changes in the size and number of mitochondria present in the midgut of the larvae of the housefly, Musca domestica and phospholipid composition of the larvae. A possible relationship between the phospholipid base composition of larvae of the housefly and the size, number and total volume of midgut mitochondria was examined. The phospholipid composition of the larvae was altered by restricting the amount of choline, substituting choline by N-dimethylethyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)-ammonium salt or 2-N-dimethylaminoethanol and by the addition of 2-aminobutan-1-ol to the larval diet. Mitochondrial measurements were made on electron micrographs of the epithelial cells in the midgut of third instar larvae. Reduction in the normal proportion of phosphatidylcholine in the phospholipids of the larvae was associated with an increase in the average size of the mitochondria and a decrease in their number, probably due to enhanced mitochondrial fusion. The opposite effect was noted when phosphatidyl-2-aminobutan-1-ol was present as a part replacement of the phosphatidyl-ethanolamine normally present in the larvae. Larvae which contained both phosphatidyl-2-aminobutan-1-ol as well as reduced amounts of phosphatidylcholine, contained mitochondria which were intermediate in both size and number. The effects associated with the changes in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidyl-2-aminobutan-1-ol were independent of each other. The presence of the analogue of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidyldimethylaminoethanol had no significant effect on the mitochondrial distribution. Total mitochondrial volume remained unaffected by alterations in the phospholipid composition of the larvae.


The preparation and ultrastructure of avian erythrocyte nuclear envelope enclosed by the plasma membrane. A procedure is described for the preparation of avian erythrocyte nuclear envelope ghosts which remain enclosed by the ellipsoid plasma membrane. Haemoglobin-free nucleated chicken erythrocyte ghosts are treated in a low ionic strength buffer plus heparin which brings about decondensation of the chromatin. This is followed by solubilization of the chromatin by digestion with pancreatic deoxyribonuclease-1. When studied by light microscopy using either phase-contrast or Nomarski interference optics, the ellipsoid plasma membrane is clearly seen to remain with the collapsed nuclear envelope trapped inside. This interpretation is supported by negative-staining electron microscopy using ammonium molybdate, which in addition reveals the presence of the nuclear pore complexes. The suggestion is advanced that structural protection is provided for the fragile nuclear envelope system by the surrounding plasma membrane, which might account for the final nuclear envelope being in the form of relatively intact ghosts with well defined nuclear pore complexes. The nuclear envelope is highly fragmented when the plasma membrane is absent, the nuclear pore complexes showing appreciable breakdown. Thin sectioning supports the results of negative staining and in addition shows the nuclear envelope retained within the plasma membrane to be composed of both inner and outer nuclear membranes, but the nuclear pore complexes are not clearly defined.


The distribution of spectrin along the membranes of normal and echinocytic human erythrocytes. Spectrin molecules are distributed uniformly throughout the submembranous regions of intact human erythrocytes. Spectrin does not appear to extend into the red blood cell cytoplasm to any significant extent. Thus, it does not form a recognizable internal scaffolding nor does it seem to connect distant segments of the cell membrane. Spectrin retains its submembranous location in the spiny processes of echinocytes produced by ATP depletion. Thus, these processes do not seem to form by a simple extrusion mechanism powered by contraction of the spectrin network. Spectrin seems to be important for the stability of the lipid bilayer of the red cell membrane, and it probably also plays a role in regulating red cell shape. How it performs either function is still unknown.


[Preoperative intravenous cholangiography and residual common bile duct calculi. 600 cases reviewed 2 to 15 years after operation]. The authors have carried out as a routine since 1960 before operation a good intravenous cholangiography, i.e. showing up satisfactorily the bile ducts from the bifurcation of the common bile duct to the duodenum and have abandoned routine per-operative radiography. Satisfactory cholangiography was obtained in 96% of cases of simple cholecystitis and in 80% of complicated cases. 600 cases were questionned 2 to 15 years after operation (average 7 years).  The 567 controllable cases were all questionned or seen again. The reliability of pre-operative cholangiography is excellent: no common bile duct declared normal on X-ray was found to contain a gall stone either during or after operation and the negative choledocotomies were only 0.17%. The operative simplification permitted us to reduce the operative mortality of simple cholecystectomy to 0.4%. The number of controlled residual calculi was 5.8%. With routine per-operative radiomanometry, the average level without control at the Lille Colloquium in 1968 was 7%. But with late control according to the estimation of the authors it should be about 10%.


[Medullary carcinomas of the thyroid. General review apropos of 3 further cases]. The authors report of three cases of medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and, from a review of the literature, study the definition, frequency, embryological and etiological characteristics of this disease. The physiology of thyrocalcitonin, the concept of the APUD system the secretion of active substances by the tumour cells are considered. The macroscopic and microscopic characteristics and its mode of spread are described. The two main clinical forms, the sporadic form and the familial form are described together with the other endocrine involvements. Among the factors in positive diagnosis, accent is placed on per-operative histological examination and on biological tests of familial detection. Among the forms of treatment the essential place of surgery explains partly the relatively favourable course and prognosis of the malignant disease.


[Internal pinning of the humerus by the supra-epitrochlear route. Apropos of 20 cases]. The authors report 20 cases of internal fixation of the humerus by the internal route, they discuss the place of internal fixation among other therapeutic methods and recall the advantages of the supratrochlear internal route, more simple to carry out and always atraumatic. This method is however only used where orthopedic treatment has failed.


[Urinary complications of the resectable cancers of the cervix uteri (author's transl)]. The authors studied the urinary complications following 721 operations performed between 1960 and 1974 for cervix uterin carcinoma. The surgical method was the one used at the Fondation Curie according to the protocol of treatment. They have noted that: --first, the surgical act as primary treatment (672 cases) was innocuous, as this series showed only 0,6% of the severe complications; in contrast, when the surgery is performed for a recurrence after a total dose irradiation, the severe complications raised to 8%; --secondly, the uretero-hydronephroses following this type of surgery are relatively frequent on the systematic urograms, but most of them are quite asymptomatic and without later sequelae only 0,3% of them required a surgical treatment. The authors analyse the factors influencing the ureteral stenoses, especially the extent of lymphadenectomy and the associated external irradiation. They studied too the ureteral stenoses due to a local recurrence.


[End-to-side ileo-colonic anastomosis perpendicular to the band (30 cases) (author's transl)]. Over the last 3 years, the authors restore intestinal continuity after ileo-colonic removal by end-to-side anastomosis according to Bloch's technic the colonic incision is made perpendicular to the peritoneal band. This type of anastomosis, in view of the mode of distribution of the colonic arterioles does not cause any loss of blood supply as is sometimes the case on the antemesocolic border of the incision when it is made on the band. The first results appear very encouraging as in the first thirty cases there was only one case of breakdown of sutures in the anastomosis. The latter was not due to the technic but to recutting of the ileum in an area with a poor blood supply.


[Fracture of the penis (author's transl)]. We have made a bibliografic review on the base of a personal observation rare case of a traumatic rupture of the corpus cavernosum. Upon all-literature, we have study, the only were 18 cases until 1956 and 64 in 1977. Ours would be the 65th. In this report we talk about the etiopathogenesis and symptomatology of this process. We insist on the need of a early surgery to get a good haemostasia, emptying of the haematoma and as a result prevention of cicatrization sequels which would determine penis significant deformities with subsequent disturbances in the erection and normal intercourse.


[Congenital cyst of the common hepatic duct. Adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder and of the stomach (author's transl)]. The authors report an unusual case of coexistence in the same patient of a congenital cyst of the common bile duct, a mucous adenocarcinoma of the stomach and a gall bladder adenocarcinoma. There was a favourable short term course after gastrectomy, cholecystectomy and resection of the cyst followed by bilio-digestive anastomosis on a long jejunal Y-shaped loop. The authors review recent literature.


[Comparative biochemical and histological studies of the effect of magnesium and profound hypothermia on the preservation of the isolated perfused rat liver (author's transl)]. In order to determine, if magnesium aspartate has the same favorable effect on the liver as on the arrested heart, the isolated rat liver preperfused with isotonique Mg-aspartate or saline solution 15 minutes and stored 1 hour at 36 degrees C or 12 hours at 36 degrees C has been reperfused 150 minutes at 37 degrees C. During the storage the concentrations of ATP and ADP decrease significantly whereas AMP, lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate increase remarkably, accompanied by a pronounced breakdown of glycogen. Upon reperfusion a de novo synthesis of ATP and ADP is resumed. Lactate, beta-hydroxybutyrate and AMP approach normal values whereas a resynthesis of glycogen is missing. A focal distribution of well preserved and disintegrated hepatocytes is being observed and seems rather to be due microcirculatory disorders. No conclusive evidence of a protective Mg-effect as observed in induced cardiac arrest has been obtained. Several concentrations of Mg-aspartate should be studied, in order to elucidate the different acting mechanism of Mg++ on the two organs.


Metabolism of biphenyl in the rat.

Metabolism of biphenyl in the rat. The metabolism of biphenyl in the rat has been studied by using gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. The free and conjugated urinary metabolites were characterized. Eight new metabolites were isolated: a dihydrodiol and two hydroxydihydrodiols were characteristic for the epoxide--diol pathway. There were two dihydroxybiphenyls, a trihydroxybiphenyl, a trihydroxymethoxybiphenyl and 4,4'-dihydroxy-3-methylthiobiphenyl. The mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the metabolites exhibited characteristic doubly charged and metastable ions.


Headspace volatiles of marihuana and hashish: gas chromatographic analysis of samples of different geographic origin. The sweet odor of marihuana is of interest for instrumental monitoring of illicit drug traffic and for applications in forensic work. Headspace volatiles of marihuana and hashish of different origin are examined by gas chromatography, and relative compositions of 24 samples are compared. No correlation between volatile make up and geography was found, but the profiling procedures are shown to be of use in the forensic problem of relating samples to a common source.


Extraction and liquid-solid chromatography cleanup procedures for the direct analysis of four pyrethroid insecticides in crops by gas--liquid chromatography. The extraction of four pyrethroid insecticides, fenpropanate (WL 41706, S-3206), permethrin (WL 43479, FMC-33297, PP 557, NRDC-143), cypermethrin (WL 43467, NRDC 149), and fenvalerate (WL 43775, S-5602) from carrots, tomatoes celery, and onions with acetone followed by extraction of the resulting acetone--water mixture with hexane, was investigated and found suitable for residue analysis. The elution of the four materials from two types of silica and alumina absorbents with mixtures of organic solvents of varying polarity was examined. The elution patterns and recoveries from silica gel, aluminum oxide, and water deactivated Florisil indicated potential utility in cleanup. Florisil was found to provide cleanup for asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, tobacco, and onions permitting analyses to less than 0.01 ppm for most of the insecticides by electron capture gas--liquid chromatography, at extract concentrations of 1 g/ml. The other adsorbents, singly or in combination, were found to provide the cleanup required for radishes and those cases involving other crops where Florisil cleanup was insufficient.


Determination of indicine N-oxide and indicine in plasma and urine by electron-capture gas-liquid chromatography. A sensitive and specific method is described for the quantitative analysis of indicine N-oxide and indicine in plasma and urine. Indicine N-oxide is reduced to the tertiary amine with zinc--acetic acid (plasma) or zinc--ammonium chloride (urine). The indicine is derivatized with pentafluoropropionic anhydride to provide electron-capture detection. Assay of rabbit and human plasma and urine samples can detect 100 ng/ml (plasma) and 200 ng/ml (urine), and the method was applied to the analysis of indicine N-oxide and indicine in rabbits and one patient following administration of indicine N-oxide.


Micro-determination of tolmetin in plasma by electron-capture gas chromatography. A highly sensitive, specific and precise gas chromatographic method for the determination of the anti-inflammatory agent tolmetin in micro-samples of blood plasma is described. The pentafluorobenzyl ester derivative of tolmetin, which can be detected down to picogram levels using electron-capture detection, has been prepared. The lowest concentration of tolmetin which can be measured accurately and precisely (coefficient of variation less than 15%) in a 25-microliter plasma sample is 0.1 microgram/ml. Previously reported assays require a sample size 20--80 times larger and have a detection limit of 0.5 microgram/ml. The pentafluorobenzyl ester derivatives of both tolmetin and the internal standard have been identified from their chemical ionization mass spectra. The present method was found to be in good agreement with another published gas chromatographic assay when both methods were employed to analyze the same set of plasma samples from four juvenile reheumatoid arthritic patients.


The micellar sink: a quantitative assessment of the association of organic anions with mixed micelles and other macromolecular aggregates in rat bile. Although the importance of mixed micelles in the solubilization and biliary excretion of lipids is established, little is known about a possible role of mixed micelles in the excretion of other biliary solutes. Ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation techniques were used to investigate the interaction between substances that are excreted in bile and biliary mixed micelles. Substances (urea, erythritol, sucrose) excreted in bile at concentrations equal to, or less than, that in plasma did not show an association with mixed micelles, whereas substances (indocyanine green, iopanoic acid, rose bengal, unconjugated and conjugated sulfobromophthalein, and conjugated bilirubin) excreted in bile at high concentration relative to plasma did. The percentage of these latter substances in bile associated with micelles varied from 26 to 93% and was relatively independent of concentration. In addition to their association with mixed micelles, these test solutes formed self-aggregates that were stabilized primarily by ionic bonds, and only a small percentage (range = 0-5%) of these solutes were present in bile in the form of monomer or complexes small enough to pass a 5,000-mol wt membrane.These findings offer a possible explanation for the increase in sulfobromophthalein, bilirubin, and indocyanine green maximal biliary excretory rate produced by bile salt infusion, and suggest that the concentrative transport into bile of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics may result from their incorporation into mixed micelles and other macromolecular complexes.


Human monocyte antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity to tumor cells. Previous investigations of mononuclear cell antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) toward tumor cells suggest that K lymphocytes and not monocytes are active in this cytotoxic reaction. This report, however, demonstrates that human monocytes are able to carry out ADCC toward three different human tumor cell lines (CEM T lymphoblasts, Raji bone marrow-derived (B) lymphoblasts, and HeLa cells). The cytolytic event was found to be temperature dependent and rapid, with most of the lysis occurring in the first 4 h of incubation. The extent of lysis was directly related to the number of monocytes (effector cells) and to the degree of antibody sensitization of the target cells. The antibody-dependent cell contact-mediated nature of the cytolytic event was confirmed by inhibition with competing nonspecific monomeric immunoglobulin and by the ability of monocytes in "innocent bystander" experiments to lyse antibody-coated targets but not nonantibody-coated target cells. Evidence that monocytes were clearly the effector cells in the monocyte preparations included the observation that preincubation of effector cells with opsonized zymosan particles abolished ADCC by monocytes, but had little effect on lymphocyte ADCC. Furthermore, no evidence for Fc receptor K lymphocyte contamination of the monocyte preparations was found using antibody-coated target cells that were selectively lysed by lymphocytes but not monocytes. We suggest that ADCC toward tumor cell targets may prove to be a useful assay of monocyte function in normal and disease states.


Properties of endogenous somatostatin-like immunoreactivity and synthetic somatostatin in dog plasma. Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) in the peripheral venous plasma of dogs and in their pancreatic and gastric venous effluents was characterized and compared with synthetic somatostatin. Both endogenuous plasma SLI and somatostatin added to plasma were eluted from Sephadex gels at pH 8.8 in the 150,000--200,000-mol wt region but at pH 2.5 both appeared in the 1,500--2,000-mol wt region. The SLI released from the isolated dog pancreas perfused with plasma-free buffer was eluted entirely as a 1,600-dalton polypeptide, but when the pancreas was perfused with plasma, SLI was eluted in the 150,000--200,000-mol wt zone. Affinity chromatography of plasma samples on immobilized antibodies directed against the central portion of the somatostatin molecule (residues 5--9 and 11) removed approximately equal to 90% of both endogenous SLI and somatostatin added to plasma, but neither was removed by affinity chromatography on antibodies directed against the NH2-terminal region of somatostatin (residues 1--4). The SLI from plasma and from pancreas perfusate isolated by affinity chromatography was identical in molecular size, charge, and immunometric properties to synthetic somatostatin. It is concluded that endogenous SLI is secreted by the pancreas and stomach in a form not distinguishable from synthetic somatostatin, but circulates in plasma bound to large molecular weight components; the NH2-terminal residues of somatostatin appear to be important in this binding.


Reversible depression in myocardial performance in dogs with experimental phosphorus deficiency. The effects of phosphorus depletion on cardiac muscle function in six awake dogs were evaluated with surgically implanted transducers to serially measure ascending aortic root blood flow and high fidelity left ventricular pressure. After the animals recovered from surgery, phosphorus depletion was induced by feeding them a synthetic phosphorus-deficient diet plus aluminum carbonate gel for 35 days, followed by the same diet with phosphorus supplementation for 21 days. In addition to the cardiac studies, sequential measurements of phosphorus content in skeletal muscle and phosphorus in serum were obtained to ascertain the level of phosphorus depletion. Serum inorganic phosphorus concentration (mg/100 ml) decreased from 5.1 +/- 0.1 on day 0 to 0.9 +/- 0.1 on day 35 (P less than 0.01), and total muscle phosphorus (content mmul/100 g fat-free dry weight) decreased from 28.0 +/- on day 0 to 22.6 +/- 0.5 on day 35 (P less than 0.01). During the period of phosphorus depletion, there was no significant change in heart rate; however, stroke volume (milliliter) and peak blood flow velocity (centimeter per second) declined from 24 +/- 2 to 17 +/- 2 (P less than 0.01) and 121 +/- 12 to 98 +/- 7 (P less than 0.01), respectively. Maximum ascending aortic blood flow acceleration (centimeter per second square) and maximum left ventricular time rate of change of pressure (mm Hg per second) also decreased from 4,630 +/- 313 to 3,817 +/0 346 (P less than 0.01) and 2,582 +/- 347 to 2,120 +/- 297 (P less than 0.01) during phosphorus depletion. After repletion all values returned to control values. These results indicate that moderate diet-induced phosphorus depletion can depress myocardial performance. With repletion of phosphorus, myocardial performance improves.


Deep nephron function after release of acute unilateral ureteral obstruction in the young rat. The effects of acute unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) of 18 h duration on deep nephron function was evaluated in 14 weanling rats with the technique of micropuncture. After release of UUO, 3.4 +/- 0.66% (SE) of the filtered water remained at the tip of the collecting duct nearly fivefold greater than in controls (0.75 +/- 0.10%). Similar differences were seen in fractional sodium that remained at this site. The ratio of tubular fluid osmolality to that of plasma was also reduced in the UUO group (1.53 +/- 0.06 vs. 4.60 +/- 0.26 in controls, P less than 0.001). Single nephron glomerular filtration rate of cortical and deep nephrons was significantly less (P less than 0.001) after release of UUO. Although the percentage of filtering nephrons was significantly reduced in both nephron populations, the decline in glomerular filtration rate was greater in cortical than in juxtamedullary nephrons (cortical:juxtamedullary nephrons = 27.6 +/- 4.5% vs. 53.3 +/- 5.2% in controls, P less than 0.005) which suggests that single nephron glomerular filtration rate is redistributed to deep nephrons after release of UUO. In contrast to cortical nephrons, the amount of tubular fluid which remains near the bend of the loop of Henle of deep nephrons was greater after release of UUO. This appeared to be the result of a decrease in the reabsorption of both water (tubular fluid:plasma inulin = 2.41 +/- 0.16 vs. 7.94 +/- 0.69 in controls, P less than 0.001) and sodium (52.3 +/- 4% vs. 40.7 +/- 2.9% of the filtered sodium in controls, P less than 0.02). It is suggested that this altered reabsorption occurs along both the proximal tubule and descending limb of the loop of Henle of juxtamedullary nephrons. Inner medullary plasma flow (IMPF), as measured with the [125I]albumin-accumulation technique, was significantly depressed before release of UUO, but exceeded control values 90 min postrelease. Such changes imply that the filtration fraction of deep nephrons is decreased and that physical factors in the proximal tubular reabsorption of sodium have been altered. When papillary solute content was measured before release of UUO it was low (428 +/- 23 vs. 1,205 +/- 106 mosmol/kg in controls, P less than 0.001) which indicates that the decline in papillary osmolality is not a consequence of the increased IMPF seen after ureteral release, but rather precedes it. In fact, the decline in papillary osmolality may contribute to the increase in IMPF after release of UUO and to the decreased reabsorption of fluid along the descending limb of the loop of Henle.


Circulating immune complexes in sera of children with neuroblastoma: correlation with stage of disease. The presence of circulating immune complexes (ICS) in freshly drawn sera of 67 children with neuroblastoma was studied by the Raji cell radioimmunoassay of Theofilopoulos et al. (J. Clin. Invest. 57: 169--182), with particular emphasis on the correlation of levels of ICS with stage of disease and changes attributable to treatment. There was a close correlation between amount of complexes and stage of disease and treatment. Levels of ICS increased as the stage of the disease advanced, and were significantly higher (P less than 0.005) in stage IV than in all other stages combined. When patients with stage IV disease were subdivided into "before," "during," and "after" treatment groups, there was a significant decrease in ICS levels as treatment progressed. Studies of complement and complement components did not give such a clear relationship. A significant decrease of hemolytic C1 values was found in patients with "active disease" compared to normal age-matched controls. Some high C3 levels, determined immunochemically, were associated with low hemolytic levels of C3, which were attributed to C3 cleavage detected by immunoelectrophoresis. Based on our survival data, ICS, which were significantly different in 20 patients now decreased when compared to those of other patients, are very valuable in the prognosis of neuroblastoma.


Hypophosphatemia and rhabdomyolysis.

Hypophosphatemia and rhabdomyolysis. Clinical observations suggest that overt rhabdomyolysis may occur if severe hypophosphatemia is superimposed upon a pre-existing subclinical myopathy. To examine this possibility, a subclinical muscle cell injury was induced in 23 dogs by feeding them a phosphorus- and calorie-deficient diet until they lost 30% of their original weight. To induce acute, severe hypophosphatemia in the animals after partial starvation, 17 of the dogs were given large quantities of the same phosphorus-deficient diet in conjunction with an oral carbohydrate supplement, which together provided 140 kcal/kg per day. After phosphorus and caloric deprivation, serum phosphorus and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity were normal. Total muscle phosphorus content fell from 28.0+/-1.3 to 26.1+/-2.5 mmol/dg fat-free dry solids. Sodium, chloride, and water contents rose. These changes resembled those observed in patients with subclinical alcoholic myopathy. When studied after 3 days of hyperalimentation, the animals not receiving phosphorus showed weakness, tremulousness, and in some cases, seizures. Serum phosphorus fell, the average lowest value was 0.8 mg/dl (P <0.001). CPK activity rose from 66+/-357 to 695+/-1,288 IU/liter (P <0.001). Muscle phosphorus content fell further to 21.1+/-7.7 mmol/dg fat-free dry solids (P <0.001). Muscle Na and Cl contents became higher (P <0.01). Sections of gracilis muscle showed frank rhabdomyolysis.6 of the 23 phosphorus- and calorie-deprived dogs were also given 140 kal/kg per day but in addition, each received 147 mmol of elemental phosphorus. These dogs consumed their diet avidly and displayed no symptoms. They did not become hypophosphatemic, their CPK remained normal, and derangements of cellular Na, Cl, and H(2)O were rapidly corrected. The gracilis muscle appeared normal histologically in these animals. These data suggest that a subclinical myopathy may set the stage for rhabdomyolysis if acute, severe hypophosphatemia is superimposed. Neither acute hypophosphatemia nor rhabdomyolysis occur if abundant phosphorus is provided during hyperalimentation.


Direct release of parathyroid hormone fragments from functioning bovine parathyroid glands in vitro. To determine the origin of circulating parathyroid hormone fragments, hormonal peptides released from bovine parathyroid tissue in a physiologically responsive in vitro "perifusion" system were analyzed by gel exclusion chromatography and region-specific radioimmunoassays. When exposed to low Ca++, the tissue released large quantities of intact hormone (parathyroid hormone 1--84) as well as amino- and carboxyl-terminal fragments. Fragments of the hormone were also released when the tissue was exposed to high Ca++, but the carboxyl fragments comprised a much greater proportion of the hormonal peptides released. Control experiments indicated that fragmentation of the hormone occurred within the gland and not after it was secreted. These experiments provide direct evidence, therefore, that release of fragments from the parathyroid gland may contribute to the immunologic heterogeneity of the hormone in the circulation.


Evidence that the brain participates in the humoral natriuretic mechanism of blood volume expansion in the dog. We examined the role of the central nervous system in the activation of the humoral natriuretic mechanism elicited by blood volume expansion. Studies were performed in anesthetized dogs pretreated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (15 mg/day) and sodium chloride for 12 days. An isolated dog kidney perfused with blood from the femoral artery of the volume expanded dog served as the bioassay system for the humoral natriuretic factor. In group I volume expansion of intact dogs (n = 14) with equilibrated blood promoted an increase in fractional sodium excretion (FE(Na)) from a control level of 2.6+/-0.5 to 13.6+/-1.6%, P <0.001. In the isolated kidney FE(Na) increased from 3.6+/-0.8 to 6.8+/-1.1%, P <0.01. The natriuresis from the isolated kidney occurred in the absence of significant changes in renal arterial pressure, glomerular filtration rate, plasma protein concentration, or packed cell volume, whereas renal blood flow decreased slightly. In group II (n = 20) the dogs were decapitated by means of a specially designed neck vise. In 10 dogs blood pressure was supported by a constant infusion of dopamine (3.8+/-0.7 mug/min per kg body weight). Despite the fact that in response to the same volume stimulus, decapitated dogs manifested an increase in blood volume and cardiac output similar in magnitude to that of intact dogs whereas the rise in mean arterial pressure of decapitated dogs exceeded that of intact dogs, the natriuretic response of decapitated dogs was significantly less than that of intact dogs. FE(Na) in decapitated dogs increased 4.7+/-1.1 compared to 11.1+/-1.4% in intact dogs (p <0.01). Furthermore, volume expansion of decapitated dogs failed to elicit a natriuretic response from the isolated kidney. FE(Na) in the isolated kidney measured 2.6+/-0.4 before and 2.6+/-0.4% after blood volume expansion. These data indicate that decapitation inhibits activation of the humoral natriuretic mechanism elicited by blood volume expansion and are consistent with the interpretation that the brain is the source of the natriuretic factor or that the brain participates in the activation of the humoral natriuretic mechanism at some other site in the body.


Evidence of incomplete left ventricular relaxation in the dog: prediction from the time constant for isovolumic pressure fall. Although it has been proposed that incomplete relaxation explains certain increases in left ventricular end diastolic pressure relative to volume, there has been no clear demonstration that incomplete relaxation occurs in the intact working ventricle. To identify incomplete relaxation, left ventricular pressure-dimension relationships were studied in 10 canine right heart bypass preparations during ventricular pacing. The fully relaxed, exponential diastolic pressure-dimension line for each ventricle was first determined from pressure and dimension values at the end of prolonged diastoles after interruption of pacing. For 167 beats during pacing under widely varying hemodynamic conditions, diastolic pressure-dimension values encountered this line defining the fully relaxed state during the filling period indicating that relaxation was complete before end diastole. The time constant for isovolumic exponential pressure fall (T) was determined for all beats. For this exponential function, if no diastolic filling occurred, 97% of pressure fall would be complete by 3.5 T after maximal negative dP/dt. For the 167 beats the fully relaxed pressure-dimension line was always encountered before 3.5 T. With very rapid pacing rates (170-200 beats/min) and(or) with pharmacologic prolongation of relaxation, incomplete relaxation occurred as evidenced by the fact that the line defining the fully relaxed state was never reached during diastole (n = 15). This evidence of incomplete relaxation occurred only when the subsequent beat began before 3.5 T but did not always occur under these conditions. Thus, an increase in end diastolic pressure relative to diastolic volume may result from incomplete relaxation under conditions of sufficiently rapid heart rate or sufficiently prolonged ventricular relaxation. Incomplete relaxation does not occur when the next beat begins more than 3.5 T after maximum negative dP/dt.


Aldosterone stimulation of riboflavin incorporation into rat renal flavin coenzymes and the effect of inhibition by riboflavin analogues on sodium reabsorption. This study was designed to investigate a possible relationship between the effect of aldosterone upon urinary electrolytes and the incorporation of [(14)C]riboflavin into renal [(14)C]flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and [(14)C]flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Adrenalectomized Sprague-Dawley rats that weighed between 185 and 210 g were pretreated with 15 mug/100 g body wt dexamethasone intraperitoneally. 16 h later they were administered aldosterone (1.5 mug/100 g body wt) and [(14)C]riboflavin (5.0 muCi/200 g body wt). The urethra of each rat was ligated, and the rats were sacrificed by decapitation 3 h later. The urine was aspirated from the bladders of each rat and analyzed for total Na(+) and K(+) excretion while the kidneys were removed and the formation of [(14)C]FMN and [(14)C]FAD was determined for each kidney. There was a significant increase in the formation of renal [(14)C]FMN and [(14)C]FAD (27.3 and 14.4%, respectively) after aldosterone treatment. Aldosterone significantly decreased the excretion of Na(+) by 50%, and increased that of K(+) by 55%. To determine if the increased incorporation of [(14)C]riboflavin into renal [(14)C]FMN and [(14)C]FAD was an important intermediary step in the aldosterone-induced alterations in urinary Na(+) and K(+), the riboflavin analogues 7,8-dimethyl-10-formylmethyl isoalloxazine or 7,8-dimethyl-10-(2'-hydroxyethyl) isoalloxazine were given to the animals i.p. to diminish the conversion of riboflavin to FMN by competitively inhibiting the enzyme flavokinase (EC 2.7.1.26). These analogues were found to significantly counteract the decreased urinary excretion of Na(+) as a result of aldosterone from 26+/-9% to 124+/-58% (SEM) with a dose-related response when administered from 10 to 25 mug/100 g body wt. The same doses of the analogues that significantly increased the urinary output of Na(+) when administered simultaneously with aldosterone also significantly decreased the formation of renal [(14)C]FMN from 15+/-4 to 38+/-3% when compared with the effects of aldosterone alone. The analogues exerted no significant effect on the increased urinary excretion of K(+) by aldosterone. The analogues alone had no influence on urinary Na(+) and K(+) output or the formation of renal [(14)C]FMN and [(14)C]FAD at the dose levels that we investigated. These data strongly suggest that the enhanced synthesis of renal FMN and FAD may be a causative factor in the increased reabsorption of Na(+) as a result of aldosterone; and, consequently, riboflavin analogues may function as a novel class of antimineralocorticoids.


Bile formation in the rat: the role of the paracellular shunt pathway. Transepithelial movement of water and solute occurs both through the cell membrane as well as across the intercellular junctional complex (paracellular shunt pathways). Permeability of paracellular shunt pathways is increase by transmucosal osmotic gradients, and in certain epithelia these changes are associated with bullous-like deformations (blisters) of the zonula occludens and localization of lanthanum within junctional complexes. Although bile acids increase biliary secretion by osmotic forces, the source of this water movement into bile is not known. In the present studies we examined whether a choleretic infusion of sodium dehydrocholic acid (DHC) or its taurine conjugate, taurodehydrocholate, altered the solute permeability characteristics and morphologic appearance of the junctional complexes of rat hepatocytes. Animals were continuously infused for 1 hr with 1% albumin--0.9% NaCl alone or 120 mumol of DHC and bile flow and biliary clearance of [14C]sucrose, an indirect marker of biliary permeability were measured. The number of intercellular blisters adjacent to the bile canaliculus were counted in an unbiased manner from photographs obtained with scanning electron microscopy. Bile flow and the biliary sucrose clearance remained unchanged in control animals whereas DHC infusions resulted in a progressive increase in the biliary clearance of [14C]sucrose during the 60 min of infusion even though the choleretic response to DHC was stable during the final 30 min of infusion. DHC infusions produced surface invaginations, or blisters, (0.1--0.7 micrometer in diameter) which were located immediately adjacent to the hemi-bile canaliculus and occurred with a frequency of 1.62 +/- 0.08 per hepatocyte surface, which was fivefold greater than observed in controls. In separate groups of animals 5 mM ionic lanthanum chloride was perfused intraportally after taurodehydrocholate infusions, and the number of junctional complexes that contained the electron dense marker were quantitated by transmission electron microscopy. Localization of lanthanum in the junctional complexes of fasted control animals was not observed, whereas approximately equal to 50% of the zonula occludens in DHC-infused animals contained lanthanum which was also occasionally identified within the lumen of the bile canaliculus. These results indicate that infusions of DHC cause blisters adjacent to the junctional complex of rat hepatocytes in association with changes in solute conductivity of the zonula occludens to cations such as ionic lanthanum chloride, and presumably to larger solutes such as sucrose. Qualitatively similar morphologic findings were also observed during the infusion of sodium taurocholate at physiologic rate (40 mumol/h). These studies suggest that the paracellular shunt pathway in the liver is an important site for bile acid-induced water and solute movement into bile.


Haemangioendothelioma (Kupffer cell angiosarcoma), myelofibrosis, splenic atrophy, and myeloma paraproteinaemia after parenteral thorotrast administration. A case of thorotrastosis occurred 25 years after thorotrast angiography, with the previously unrecorded association of myeloma type paraproteinaemia. The relationship between haemangioendothelioma due to thorotrast and other vascular sarcomas of the liver is briefly reviewed.


Acute hepatitis: significance of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. The value of testing for core antibody (anti HBc) in acute hepatitis was assessed in 503 patients. All hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients tested were also anti HBc positive. Of the 110 HBsAg negative, anti HBc positive patients, 32 were found to have surface antibody, indicating previous infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Of the remaining 78 patients in whom anti HBc alone was detectable, follow-up specimens were received from 28 and, of these, 21 were then found to be anti HBc negative. Thus in acute hepatitis non-specific transient reactions to core antigen may appear, and the presence of anti HBc alone cannot be considered adequate evidence for a diagnosis of HBV infection.


An evaluation of two new haemagglutination tests for the rapid diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Two haemagglutination tests using preserved turkey erythrocytes are described for the detection of thyroglobulin and microsomal antibodies, respectively. Comparative studies with the more traditional sheep cell techniques show good correlation  of titres when testing sera from patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders.


Latex agglutination, counterimmunoelectrophoresis, and protein A co-agglutination in diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Specimens of cerebrospinal fluid from 201 patients with meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis groups A/B/C/135, Streptococcus pneumoniae (23 types), and Haemophilus influenzae type b were tested for the presence of specific bacterial antigens by latex agglutination, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), and protein A co-agglutination. Specific antigens were found in 75% of the specimens by latex agglutination and CIE, and in 60% of the specimens by protein A co-agglutination. Non-specific reactions in protein A co-agglutination were prevented by heating the specimens to 100 degrees C for a few minutes. The three methods are simple and quick to perform. The smallest amount of antiserum was used in protein A co-agglutination, but we found this method less sensitive. Latex agglutination and CIE proved to be equally sensitive, but the first method was easier to adopt in practice.


Acquisition of antibiotic resistance by Staphylococcus aureus in skin patients. Acquisition of resistance to neomycin, gentamicin, fusidic acid, or clindamycin has been observed in three strains of Staphylococcus aureus and data from three patients infected with these strains are presented in detail. Clindamycin resistance followed the expected pattern by appearing in a strain of Staph. aureus with dissociated resistance to erythromycin after treatment with erythromycin and clindamycin. Low-level resistance to fusidic acid appeared in two strains in the apparent absence of exposure to that antibiotic. Labile neomycin resistance was encountered in a previously sensitive strain after topical neomycin therapy. Gentamicin resistance appeared in all three strains after topical therapy. In all three strains, a labile resistance (presumably plasmid-mediated) occurred with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 64-128 microgram/ml but in one strain a stable resistance with MIC over 3000 microgram/ml appeared.


A computer system for clinical microbiology. The Department of Clinical Microbiology at St Thomas' Hospital has been producing bacteriological reports on a computer for more than three years and is now producing some 2300 reports per week. The system is operated entirely by laboratory staff without special training, and involves the use of optical mark reader (OMR) forms as worksheets, automatic validation and release of most reports, the use of local terminals, and scrutiny of reports by pathologists using a visual display unit. The OMR worksheet records not only the final result but also most of the tests and observations made on the samples; it is the only working document used by technicians. One specialist clinic submits its laboratory requests on an OMR form, which is subsequently used to record the results. The reports are printed and also filed in the computer to produce analyses for hospital, laboratory, and clinical management.


Frequency distribution and 'reference values' of plasma alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) activity in the adult population of a Scottish new town. As part of a study to establish the prevalence of renal calculus disease, alkaline phosphatase activity was measured by the method recommended by the Scandinavian Society for Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Physiology in the plasma of 3823 adults from the Scottish new town of Cumbernauld. The enzyme activity differs in males and females and increases with age. Reference ranges are presented.


Effect of calcitonin treatment on osteoclast counts in Paget's disease of bone. Histological and biochemical changes during calcitonin treatment have been studied in 15 patients with Paget's disease of bone. For each patient, osteoclast counts were made by the same observer on serial needle biopsies of diseased bone from the posterosuperior iliac spine. Serial estimations were also made of the serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline excretion. A total of 66 biopsies was examined (ranging from two to seven per patient). Osteoclast populations and the biochemical measurements were log normally distributed. During calcitonin treatment there was a statistically significant decrease in: (1) the total osteoclast count per square millimetre; (2) the number per square millimetre of osteoclasts in resorption cavities on the trabecular surface; (3) the relative proportion of osteoclasts sited in resorption cavities compared with total osteoclasts; (4) the serum alkaline phosphatase level; (5) 24-hour urinary hydroxyproline excretion. On stopping treatment there was a statistically significant increase in all of these histological and biochemical values except that the proportion of osteoclasts in resorption cavities remained low. The trabecular cement line pattern remained abnormal during and after treatment in all biopsies examined, and complete suppression of osteoclast activity was not observed. One of the patients developed a Paget's osteosarcoma while on calcitonin therapy.


Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia with unusual cytoplasmic inclusions. A case of congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia is described which appears to be at variance with the accepted classification. The morphological findings are of normoblastic hyperplasia with marked cytoplasmic vacuolation. Electron microscopy shows these to be myelin figures in all stages of erythroid differentiation.


Differential cell counts in the histiocytic variant of lymphocytic predominance subtype of Hodgkin's disease. Differential cell counts were made on a lymph node, the structure of which was replaced by the histiocytic variant of the lymphocytic predominance subtype of diffuse Hodgkin's disease. In terms of numbers of cells in various categories, this lymph node bears a closer relationship to the mixed cellularity subtype than to the classical lymphocytic predominance subtype. In this node, unlike the mixed cellularity subtype, the histiocytes are largely differentiated into epithelioid cells; the significance of this cellular adaptation for defence against neoplastic cells is not known.


Comparative study of the endotoxin-stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium test in disease and health. Endotoxin-stimulated nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction was evaluated in 853 individuals: 270 healthy controls, 334 with various non-neoplastic conditions, 220 with solid non-lymphomatous tumours, and 29 with lymphoma. Each of the above groups was divided into three age subgroups: less than 60, 60-69, and greater than or equal to 70 years. In the controls and in patients with nonmalignant diseases, significantly lower values were recorded for elderly subjects (greater than or equal to 60 years) compared with younger subjects of the same group, whereas in cancer patients the results were independent of age. Under the age of 60, stimulated values for both patient groups were significantly lower than the control values, and in patients with solid non-lymphomatous tumours significantly lower values were attained than in the other patients. NBT reduction in lymphoma patients was comparable to that of the controls. In the elderly (age greater than or equal to 70) no significant differences were noted between patients and controls. It is suggested that stimulated NBT reduction declines with advancing age. While this test clearly demonstrates some leucocyte dysfunction in solid cancer, its value in investigating neutrophil behaviour in elderly subjects is questioned.


Inhibition of GH1 rat pituitary tumor cell adenylyl cyclase activity by somatostatin. Somatostatin inhibits basal and chlorpromazine stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in homogenates of GH1 rat pituitary tumor cells. The Dtryp8-Dcys14 analogue is more potent than tyrosyl somatostatin as an inhibitor of both basal and chlorpromazine-stimulated adenylyl cyclase. Somatostatin had no effect on sodium fluoride or quanylyl-imidodiphosphate-stimulated cyclase in GH1 cell homogenates or on basal, epinephrine or prostaglandin E1 stimulated cyclase activity in sonicated BHK fibroblasts. These results indicate a specific effect of somatostatin to inhibit pituitary adenylyl cyclase activity.


Effect of exercise on glucocorticoids and other cellular components of blood. The effect of exercise during the dry period on glucocorticoids, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, total leucocytes, and differential leucocyte count was examined with 87 Holstein cows. Cows were divided randomly into groups: 1) control, 2) 3.2 km at 3.5 km/h, 3) 9.6 km at 3.5 km/h, and 4) 3.2 km at 5.5 km/h. Sampling for blood analysis was at weekly intervals preexercise and immediately postexercise. Both glucocorticoids and hemoglobin concentrations were increased by exercise. Correlations between glucocorticoids and most other traits were practically zero. No eosinopenia was noted with increasing glucocorticoids. Lymphocyte numbers were correlated negatively with all traits measured. Glucocorticoid concentration increased from pre- to postexercise with both distance and speed. Although glucocorticoid concentration varied among cows, neither day sampled, days dry, weight, nor age affected glucocorticoids. Increased hemoglobin of postexercise cows could not be attributed to speed or distance exercised. Traits measured in this study, other than glucocorticoid concentration, are ineffective in evaluating response to increased exercise.


Milk progesterone to predict reproductive status in a commercial dairy herd. Progesterone was measured in milk strippings of cows to evaluate potential diagnosis of pregnancy and to estimate embryonic mortality. Progesterone in milk was measured at 20 days and at 10-day intervals thereafter through 90 days after artificial insemination when the cows were palpated for pregnancy. Mean progesterone for 24 nonpregnant cows in estrus was 4.5 ng/ml at 20 days after insemination. Cows were classified as pregnant or nonpregnant by a formula which provided a progesterone concentration for which the probability of nonpregnancy was .8. At 20 days after insemination, the success in identifying the nonpregnant and pregnant cows was 87% and 67%. Ten of 34 nonpregnant cows with low (nonpregnant range) progesterone in milk on day 20 were not seen in estrus. Progesterone at sampling intervals after 20 days was used to investigate incorrect assessments. Seventeen nonpregnant cows had progesterone indicative of pregnancy at day 20. Progesterone in milk decreased at various later sampling intervals in all 17 cows. Two of these cows were diagnosed as having pathology of their reproductive tracts. If the other 15 cows experienced death of their embryos, the frequency of embryonic mortality was 28%.


Blood metabolic profiles: their use and relation to nutritional status of dairy cows. Profiles of blood metabolites have been used widely to identify problem herds and to indicate dietary causes of disease or low production. Related herd survey studies and designed experiments are reviewed. An initial study of profiles and estimated nutrient intake of five "normal" and four "problem" herds was conducted between 1972 and 1974 to establish baseline values for blood metabolites. Profiles of blood metabolites for additional problem herds were obtained during 1974 through 1977. Variation due to herd of origin, production, stage of lactation, and season of year are important causes of variation in concentrations of metabolites in jugular blood of dairy cows. They need to be considered carefully in interpreting profiles of blood metabolites. Several relationships between dietary intake of nutrients and concentrations of associated components in jugular blood are significant. Concentrations of metabolites are of almost no practical use for individual cows because of extreme variations in diet required to generate abnormal concentrations of blood metabolites. Averages of glucose of blood and nitrogen in urea on seven to ten cows, adjusted for the factors mentioned above, have limited practical value in detecting inadequate energy and protein intake, respectively.


Use and limitations of profiles in assessing health or nutritional status of dairy herds. A number of factors limit the usefulness of blood or metabolic profiles. These include sampling problems, low correlations with nutrient intake, inconsistent patterns in disease, and difficulties in interpretation. Despite these limitations, profiles properly used may serve as an adjunct to more conventional technology in alleviating some dairy herd problems. Their use appears justified when feed analysis, ration evaluation, disease testing, and checks on management do not alleviate herd problems. Considerable potential for misuse of profiles exists due to the complexities of interpretation.


Orthoptic treatment of strabismus.

Orthoptic treatment of strabismus. The purpose of this paper will be to carefully examine the effectiveness of orthoptics as a viable treatment modality for strabismus. It will be necessary to first examine the scope of this problem and the significance of functional cure. A short discussion of perceptual and psychological effects will be included. A review of pertinent literature and an analysis of the data will be presented. Any commonalities or generalizations which can be identified will then be discussed and analyzed. Finally, the training of the optometrist in orthoptics and associated subjects will be examined to demonstrate the qualification of the optometrist to administer orthoptics in the treatment of visual anomalies.


Strabismus therapy in private practice: Cure rates after three months of therapy. In this study, a random strabismus sample of 86 strabismus therapy patients meeting certain criteria was evaluated. The roles of retinal correspondence, amblyopia, eccentric fixation, prior surgeries, type and magnitude of deviation, number of therapy sessions undertaken, age  at onset of therapy, and academic difficulties were scrutinized to see how they affect prognosis for functional cures(Flom's criteria), cosmetic cures (angle less than, or equal to 15 prism diopters) and total cures; the sum of functional cures and cosmetic cures.


Stability of CAB contact lenses with hydration. The effects of hydration on the base curve of CAB lenses were measured with a radiuscope. A significant amount of lens warpage and variability in curvature was detected in all lenses under conditions of continuous hydration. Thinner lenses flattened more than thicker lenses of the same power. Lenses of greater minus power flattened more than lenses of less minus power for a given lens thickenss. Plus power lenses were more stable than minus power lenses. Control lenses, stored dry, did not flatten or warp.


Eye care delivery in prepaid group practice. This paper represents original research from the clinical implementation over a five-year period of eye care as a primary health care resource within the Medical Group of the Genesee Valley Group Health Association at the Joseph C. Wilson Health Center in Rochester, New York. The primary care delivered at this health maintenance organization has been organized in a multidisciplinary fashion with the doctor of optometry functioning as the primary eye care provider, and clinical administrator, and the ophthalmologist functioning as the medical and surgical consultative specialist. The data and information generated from this research represents four years of extensive clinical care delivered to a prepaid patient population in excess of 35,000 members.


The effect of non-contact tonometry on corneal topography. A sensitive photokeratoscope was used to determine the effect on corneal topography of non-contact tonometry in six subjects. No corneal distortion was detected.


RNA polymerase activities in liver and brain tissue of aging mice. RNA polymerase activity has been measured in liver and brain of C57BL-6J mice to determine if a change in enzyme activity can be correlated with decreasing survivorship of the animals. The RNA polymerases in tissue homogenates were solubilized by treatment with a buffer of high ionic strength and resolved by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. Enzyme activity was quantitated by measuring the incorporation of [3H]UMP into RNA using heat denatured calf thymus DNA as the template. Statistically significant differences in polymerase activities were not observed in liver tissue from 18-, 25-, and 29-month-old animals or in brain tissue from 23- to 31-month-old animals. These age groups span the period of most rapid decrease in survivors,ip in our colony of mice (from 93% to 16%). The evidence indicates that changes in liver or brain RNA polymerase activities are not correlated with the rapid decrease in survivorship of these animals.


Serum cholesterol and triglycerides and hyperlipoproteinemia in elderly women. Calculated energy, fat and carbohydrate intakes, and serum cholesterol and lipid concentrations for 70 elderly women 62 to 99 years of age were related to age, income, education, and type of residence. Serum lipoproteins were determined by electrophoresis. Total fat and saturated fatty acid intakes decreased with age. As percentage of energy from fat decreased, percentage of energy from carbohydrate increased. Approximately one-fourth of the women had cholesterol levels in excess of 250 mg/dl, and 41% had triglyceride levels above 170 mg/dl. Mean triglyceride and cholesterol levels were higher in younger subjects than in older subjects, in higher income groups compared to lower income level, and cholesterol levels of women with education beyond high school level exceeded those of women with less education. Hyperlipoproteinemia, diagnosed for 14% of the subjects, occurred most often in the 70- to 79-year group.


Training and oxygen conductance in the elderly. I. The respiratory system. Static lung volumes, closing volumes and pulmonary diffusing capacity have been measured in a group of 19 subjects (9 M, 10 F) 60 - 76 years old, all volunteers for an exercise training program (nominal 4 hours per week for 11 weeks). Initial static lung volumes were larger than in some previous series, perhaps because our sample was health-conscious and mainly nonsmokers. Training produced no significant changes in any of the pulmonary variables tested, despite a 10% increase of maximum oxygen intake seen in those members of the group who progressed to intensive training (heart rate 145 - 155/min). This reflects the fact that oxygen transport depends more on blood transport than on the respiratory system.


Training and oxygen conductance in the elderly. II. The cardiovascular system. CO2 rebreathing measurements of cardiac output have been made in 8 men and 7 women aged 60--76 years, before and immediately after participation in an 11-week endurance training programme. Initial values showed a lower heart rate than in younger subjects at a given percentage of maximum oxygen intake. Stroke volume decreased slightly over the range of 40--80% of maximum oxygen intake. Relative to younger subjects, metabolic needs were thus met to a larger extent by a widening of arterio-venous oxygen difference and redistribution of blood flow. Over the period of observation, training induced a decrease in heart rate and cardiac output at a given sub-maximum work load, with no change in stroke volume or arterio-venous oxygen difference.


Age differences in visual sensory memory. Age differences in visual sensory memory were studied using the direct measure procedure of Haber and Standing (1969) -- the longest interstimulus interval at which subjects reported a single stimulus as continuous was measured. The visual storage of the young (mean age 24 years) was found to persist for 289 msec compared to 248 for the old (mean age 67 years). Similar estimates of sensory memory duration were obtained when either monoptic or dichoptic stimulus presentations were employed, supporting the idea that visual storage is centrally mediated for both age groups. The relevance of these findings for age differences in the registration of information into primary and secondary memory and their implications for the stimulus persistence hypothesis are considered. The appropriateness and validity of the persistence of form task for studies of sensory memory and aging are also discussed.


Evaluated time: a life course perspective. Evaluated time is a dimension of time perspective which has received minimal attention from researchers; it subsumes those constructs dealing with the affective tone, or feelings, placed upon different points of the life cycle. Using data from a cross-sectional study of 216 men and women aged 16 to 67, a variety of approaches to the study of evaluated time were examined. Evaluations were found to differ by the respondents' stage of life and by sex, with older respondents and women generally being more optimistic in their perceptions of later life. For example, while all the younger respondents viewed old age more negatively than other periods, older respondents drew a distinction between the young old and the old old. The former period was protrayed as a time of continued satisfaction.


Actual and perceived sex and generational differences in interpersonal style: structural and quantitative issues. This study investigated the validity of using the Interpersonal Checklist in self-ratings by older individuals and under across generation instructional sets by college students. Effects of sex of target and sex of rater were also investigated. Qualitative evaluation of correlation matrices indicated construct validity for the instrument for self-report instructions among the aged but that the matrices obtained under across generation instructions differed from the expected model. The implication for the heteroperception methodology is that dimensional or trait comparisons should be interpreted with caution. The quantitative results indicated significant generational differences and significant misperceptions of older adults by students. These findings suggest a hypothesis of interpersonal conflict between the generations with interpersonal dominance as a possible central issue.


Adult age differences in reflection-impulsivity. Adult age differences in reflection-impulsivity were examined on a modified version of Kagan's adult Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF). The sample consisted of 20 elderly adults (mean age = 70.6) and 20 young adults (mean age = 21.9), each of whom was administered the modified MFF by an adult examiner. On half of the 24 items, the original (i.e., the standard) was present among the four alternatives ("original present" condition), while on the other half, all the alternatives were variants of the standard ("original not present" condition). The elderly subjects were generally more impulsive (had shorter latencies and committed more errors) than were the young adults. The results, though, varied somewhat with the two stimulus conditions employed. An analysis of the mean scores of both age groups indicated that the elderly took less time to respond only in the "original present" condition. A higher number of errors was observed for the older group in both conditions, and both age groups had fewer errors in the "original present" condition. Possible interpretations of these findings, in terms of age group differences in search strategy, anxiety, and other aspects of decision style are offered, and implications for further research are provided.


Long-term durability and transfer of enhanced conceptual performance in the elderly. To evaluate the durability and transfer of enhanced cognitive functioning in the elderly, subjects (ages 64 to 84) who had previously participated in a unidimensional concept identification study were tested on a bidimensional conjunctive concept identification problem. The conjunctive problem was administered approximately 12 mo after completion of the unidimensional study. In the earlier unidimensional study, substantial and equivalent improvement had been found with both a training group and a reinforced training group. In this study, efficient conjunctive problem solving was found with the (unidimensional) training group, showing that enhanced cognitive performance can be durable and transfer to a similar task. Durability and trasnfer were not observed with the (unidimensional) reinforced training group, however, a finding that appears to have resulted from the extrinsic reinforcement token system employed in the unidimensional training with that group.


Incentive and practice in the psychomotor performance of the elderly. Adults aged 64 to 76 years were compared to adults aged 19 to 25 years in regard to the effects of practice and special incentive in Digit Symbol substitution performance. Differential age effects of motivation were not observed but those of practice were.


Reality orientation versus sheltered workshops as treatment for the institutionalized aging. The effects of two psychosocial treatments, Reality Orientation and Sheltered Workshops, were evaluated against an assessment-only control. Thirty nursing home residents (mean age, 64.4 years) were randomly assigned to one of two groups in one of the three experimental conditions. Residents assigned to therapy conditions met for 15 group sessions led by trained nursing home personnel. Program effects were assessed before and after treatment using three variables: the Life Satisfaction Index-A, nurses' ratings, and behavior observations. The Sheltered Workshop treatment produced significant gains in Life Satisfaction Index-A scores and staff perceived social interest; Reality Orientation resulted in nonsignificant decrements in Life Satisfaction Index-A scores. Neither treatment produced effects on observer-rated on-ward behavior. The results underscore the importance of empirically evaluating therapy effects with the institutionalized aging and suggest that Sheltered Workshops may be more beneficial for this population than has previously been recognized.


Comparability of the measured labor force of older women in Japan and the United States. Older women in Japan are more likely to be in the labor force than are women in the United States, according to national Census and survey data. However, differences in measured participation, rather than reflection major differences in labor force behavior or utilization between the two countries, may be due to differences in enumeration procedures. The definition of unpaid family work and the timing of the census are different in Japan and the United States and affect the comparability of the measured level of and changes over time in participation by older women in the labor force.


Aging in minority populations. An examination of the double jeopardy hypothesis. The plight of minority aged has been characterized by many as one of double jeopardy: in addition to the disadvantages imposed by their minority group status, the minority aged are said also to experience the devaluation in status associated with old age in our society. Other research has indicated, however, that the gaps between minority and majority individuals tend to decline with age, such that the status disparity between white and minority aged actually may have decreased from middle to old age. To test these competing hypotheses, a series of health, income, life satisfaction, and social participation variables (interaction with family, kin, neighbors, and friends) was examined with data from a large (N = 1269) sample of middle-aged and older blacks, Mexican Americans and whites in Los Angeles County. Differences among the three ethnic groups were found which, in some cases, constituted a case of "double jeopardy" for minority aged. On variables measuring life satisfaction or frequency of contact with relatives, however, the extent of ethnic variation declined across age strata, indicating some support for the "age as leveler" hypothesis.


An empirical typology of adjustment to aging. Using the PGC and LSI indices of adjustment to old age, an empirical typology of adjustors was developed. Cluster analysis was employed to locate three male types of adjustors: Low adjustors, Acceptors, and Fighters, and two female types: Low adjustors and Moderate adjustors. These findings were compared to previous typologies. The solution was cross-validated. Further examination of the data revealed that the types did not differ on level of activity in either formal or informal organizations. Both activity and disengagement theories of adjustment to aging may therefore be questioned.


Residential segregation by age in American metropolitan areas. Dissimilarity Indexes were computed for 241 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in 1970 measuring the dissimilarity of residential distribution between the population 65 and over and the population under 65. When possible comparable indexes were also computed for the same areas for 1960, 1950, and 1940. The pattern of age segregation in 1970 was analyzed and trends were computed from 1940--1970. The average DI in 1970 was 23.1 with a range from 10.9 to 44.4. The highest segregation was found in rapidly growing SMSAs, particularly in the West and South, and in areas with major military or educational institutions which fostered aggregations of age-homogeneous populations. A trend toward increased age segregation was found, especially in the period of rapid urban sprawl during the 1950s. The main factor conducive to age segreation was growth and differentiation accompanying it, although the presence of higher proportions of aged retarded the process and high proportions of nonwhites accelerated it.


[A consideration of "avoidable deaths". A study on early neonatal mortality in Ille-et-Vilaine from 1972 to 1977 (author's transl)]. The authors have made a study of 514 case notes of early neonatal deaths that occurred in Ille-et-Viliane from the 1st January 1972 to the 1st January 1977 among a total of 61,400 deliveries. They had 3 objects in mind: 1. To know what mechanisms had produced these deaths. In order to do this they divided their observations into 4 groups according to what seemed to them at the time to be the primary cause of the death, namely a lethal congenital malformation, a complication occurring in pregnancy, an accident that happened during the delivery, prematurity and dysmaturity. 2. To establish the importance of what is now called "avoidable deaths" and the conditions under which they were produced. 3. To show the means and methods that might eventually reduce this mortality after studying these results. On the conclusion of this study it seems to them that this improvement can here and now be obtained not so much by new procedures as by better monitoring of the state of pregnancy and the puerperium, and by more attention to the classical rules and more sensible use of the numerous techniques that already exist today.


[Plasma prolactin, progestrone and oestradiol during labour and postpartum (author's transl)]. The changes in the levels of plasma prolactin, progesterone and oestradiol were studied in 20 women during labour and immediately after delivery. The study of these levels shows that there is a mechanism for inhibiting the galactopoietic action of prolactin. Lifting this inhibition allows the milk to come in. This inhibition is probably due to circulating steroids, but this study does not allow us to differentiate clearly between the respective roles of oestradiol and progesterone, chiefly because of their short half-life.


[The antenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies. A preliminary study (author's transl)]. From now on antenatal diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies is possible. Fetal blood can be taken from the uterus from the 17th to the 20th week of the pregnancy by direct puncture of the placenta or placentocentesis or by selective puncture of a straight vein close to its insertion in the cord on the fetal surface of the placenta, using a fetoscope. Biochemical techniques today allow us to detect beta thalassaemia major (with total absence of synthesis or with synthesis of less than 2 per cent of the beta A chain of haemoglobin by the fetus) and drepanocytosis (which is the synthesis of the chain beta S by the in the absence of production of the chain beta A). It is possible in cases where the fetal blood that has been taken is seriously contaminated by maternal blood (which is often the case with direct punctures) by using purification methods to increase the proportion of fetal red blood cells in the sample by eliminating adult reticulocytes which could cause errors in diagnosis. There are several centres where this type of diagnosis is being carried out. Some of them now have two years' experience and their results are encouraging. In spite of their difficulty these methods of investigation can allow couples at risk to have normal children or heterozygous infants. They can help them to avoid the need for termination of pregnancy or permanent contraception.


[Pelvic echinococcus in Tunisian women. 12 cases histories (author's transl)]. We have seen 12 cases of pelvic echinococcus in the Gynaecological and Obstetric Department of the Charles Nicolle Hospital in the last 10 years. These case histories have been worked up into a thesis. The frequency of this infection in a country like ours where it is endemic, and the rarity of its localisation in the pelvis among other sites has persuaded us to report the conclusions of this study. It recalls the difficulties of the diagnosis and of the treatment of pelvic hydatid disease.


[Myasthenia and pregnancy (author's transl)]. In the past 25 years, we have studied 73 cases of Myasthenia. 19 of these have had 24 pregnancies. We confirm the results that are given in the literature (15). Pregnancy does not trigger off Myasthenia. The action of pregnancy on Myasthenia is variable and there is an equal chance of worsening, improvement or a stationary state of the condition. All the same, patients who are well stabilised and have been for some time do not become worse. Worsening, when it does happen, happens especially in the first trimester of the pregnancy and calls for precise observation of the patient in order to regulate the treatment. Myasthenia has no direct or indirect action on the fetus and the pregnancy is not disturbed. Labour can be normal but the second stage often has to be aided because of the patient's muscle tiredness. In labour and particularly in the second stage an acute crisis can occur with difficulty in breathing. For this it is necessary to have an anaesthetist present who can resuscitate the patient and if necessary give respiratory aid by ventilation. Curare and like substances are absoultely contra-indicated if general anaesthesia is required. Transitory neonatal Myasthenia is rare, but the severity of the respiratory complications can be such that is should be sought for routinely and if there is the slightest doubt the newborn should be transferred to the special care neonatal unit.


[The effect of amniofetography on the fetal thyroid (author's transl)]. Although there are certain advantages of amniofetography they must be considered against the risk of fetal hypothyroidism "in utero" with its prognostic danger. The authors report six case histories which illustrate this risk and they draw attention to the possible effect on the thyroid gland "in utero". Amniofetography should therefore be reserved solely for those cases in which the indications exist and there are no other possible means of diagnosis. If it is indicated means must be found of treating the possible transitory iatrogenic hypothyroidism.


[Progress in the treatment of tubal sterility: microsurgery (author's transl)]. During the last few years microsurgery has evoked general enthusiasm in several surgical specialities and especially in plastic surgery. This is also true of gynaecology, where it is used for the surgery of sterility. Tubal microsurgery improves the results of operations by ensuring that the anatomical reconstruction shall be more precise and by lessening the amount of adhesions and secondary fibrosis. The first results that have been published prove this. The superiority of these difficult techniques is especially demonstrated by tubal recanalisations effected after sterilisation when the anastomosis is made in healthy tissue, being from the isthmus to the isthmus or from the isthmus to the uterus. Microsurgery is also the sole hope for the surgery of tubes that are at present inoperable. It will effect transplantation of the tube as soon as the problem of rejection has been solved.


[A histological study of a microsurgical tubo-tubal anastomosis (author's transl)]. We report a histological study of a microsurgical tubo-tubal anastomosis undertaken to restore patency after ligation. It confirms the good level of tissue tolerance of the suture material employed. It emphasizes the difficulty of anastomosis in the ampulloisthmial region because of the discrepancy in size of the parts that have to be brought together. From this we can emphasize the need for carrying out sterilizations only on a limited lenght of the isthmus.


[The progesterone releasing I.U.D. Its indications in function of the menstrual disorders (author's transl)]. Progesterone releasing I.U.D. improves dysmenorrhea and hypermenorrhea. This type of I.U.D. may be used whereas other I.U.D. are contra indicated. But over all it is a new kind of drug delivery system which could be used with other medications, for other purposes than contraception.


Postnatal development of the mouse cerebral neocortex. IV. Evolution of the total cortical volume, of the population of neurons and glial cells. The total neocortical volume delimited between precise anatomical features was measured. Serial frontal sections cresyl-violet stained were measured with plainimetric methods and the total volume evaluated at 5, 10, 30, 60 and 180 days. The total volume was used to obtain the total number of neurons and glial cells at each age using our quantitative data (published in our previous papers). The evolution of the cellular densities were studied in the sensory and motor areas 10--4--3 and 2 (Leuba and coll. 1977) and in the visual and auditory areas 17--18a--18--41 and 20 (Heumann anc coll. 1977) in the mouse cerebral neocortex. 1. The total neocortical volume increases rapidly between 5 and 10 days, less between 10 and 30 days, slightly decreases at 60 days and reincreases at 180 days. 2. Between 5 and 30 days, the loss of cortical neurons is of about 30% by neuronal death. 3. The total number of glial cells doubles between 5 and 180 days. The increase is progressive through the development.


Divergent responses to thyroid hormone treatment of the different secondary germinal layers in the postnatal rat brain. The effect of daily triiodothyronine (T3) treatment (first injection on the day of birth) was studied on the postnatal development of various parts of the rat brain. It was found that the T3 treatment resulted in an increase of the cell multiplication in the external grannular layer of the cerebellum but decreased the cell division or had no significant effect in the periventricular germinal layer and in the polymorph layer of the dentate gyrus. From the 10th day the T3 treatment resulted in a decrease of the cell division in all secondary germinal layers examined. As a reason for this different effect is can be suggested that the triidothyronine acts differently upon the various neuronal and glial precursors or upon the germinal layers producing them.


[Embryonic development of the brain of Scyliorhinus canicula (L.). III. The optical system and adjacent nuclei in the tegmentum mesencephali]. The ontogenesis of the optic system in the brain has been studied with reference to the general biology of the embryo and to the cytoarchitecture of the optic tectum. 1. Sharks vary in terms of retinal structure (Franz 1931). Scyliorhinus shows densely packed and large cellular layers alternating with thin fiber layers. 2. The optic tracts, which are not excessively large, cross in the optic chiasm by approximately 95%. The optic fibers, forming a medial and a lateral tract, enter the tectum in zones 9 and 11. 3. The eye muscle nuclei do not differ from the general vertebrate pattern. The oculomotor nucleus represents the largest portion; the abducens nucleus is small. 4. The nucleus interstitialis of the fasciculus longitudinalis medialis is remarkably developed and consists of large neurons. Together with the interpreduncula nucleus it receives fibers of fasciculus retroflexus.


Dentritic range of the neurons of the intermediate gray at the levels of the first and second lumbar segments of the spinal cord in the cat. 3. The range of dendrites of the lateral region neurons. The first and second lumbar segments of the spinal cord in kittens and mature cats were examined with Golgi method. It was found that the dendrites of large and medium neurons situated in the lateral region of the intermediate gray penetrated lamina V dorsally, and lamina VIII and motor nuclei ventrally. Laterally these dendrites reached the lateral horns and even the lateral funicles. Paracentrally they ran along the whole intermediate gray of the cord, entered the thoracic nucleus, and even the white commisure.


Dentritic range of the neurons of the intermediate gray at the levels of the first and second lumbar segments of the spinal cord in the cat. 4. The range of dendrites of the lateral horn neurons. The topography of dendrites of the lateral horn neurons at the level of L1--L2 have been investigated in young and mature cats using Golgi impregnation method. It has been stated that the dendrites of investigated neurons reach the lamina III (dorsally), the lateral funiculi (laterally), and the lateral and central parts of the intermediate gray (medially). They penetrate the thoracic nucleus as well. In their ventral course they were found within the laminae VIII and IX. Afferent connections of the neurons are also discussed.


[Relationship between the environment and pyramidal neuron differentiation in the hippocampus (CA 1) of the rat. Differentiation of apical lateral and basal dendrites]. A total of 60 newborn Wistar-rats was divided into three groups, each of which was exposed to a different environmental situation. The first group was reared in complete darkness while the second one was subjected to permanent noise. The third group (controls) was reared under normal laboratory conditions. The animals of all three groups were sacrificed on postnatal day 15 and prepared according to the Golgi-Kopsch technique. Apical oblique dendrites and basal dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal cells (CA 1 region) were ranked in a centrifugal ordering system for measurements of dendritic length and for spine counts. In the successive dendritic orders as well as in the dendritic field (all branches of a dendrite arising from the cell body or main apical shaft) no statistically significant differences between the groups were found with regard to dendritic length. The spine counts, however, revealed significant changes. In the dark reared group, the number of spines on oblique dendrites as well as on basal dendrites is significantly decreased in comparison with the controls. On the contrary, animals subjected to permanent noise exhibit significantly more spines on oblique and basal dendrites when compared with the controls (mean number of spines in the apical dendritic field: controls 30.1 +/- 26.9, dark reared animals 17l1 +/- 15.4 (-43.2%), animals subjected to noise 36.4 +/- 31.4 (+ 20.9%); basal dendritic field: controls 82.2 +/- 70.1, dark reared animals 47.3 +/- 35.1 (-42.5%), animals exposed to noise 114,1 +/- 94.6 (+ 38.8%)). These results confirm previous studies on the number of spines along the main apical shaft of CA 1 pyramidal cells (Frotscher et al. 1975) and on the number of synapses in the stratum radiatum of CA 1 (Frotscher et al. 1977) in rats reared under identical experimental conditions. On the basis of these results it seems to be obvious that synaptogenesis in the hippocampus is influenced by the environmental conditions used though this region is not directly involved in the optic or in the acoustic pathway.


Variations of the dog cerebral sulci, compared in particular with those of the cat. Various types of 15 sulci, ill on the lateral and 4 on the medial surface, of the dog cerebral hemisphere, were examined. Each sulcus has several formes and a sulcal pattern which shows the highest frequency is taken as a "standard" type. A standard map of the dog brain is presented based upon the present observation. Sulcal patterns of the dog cerebrum are in general as consistent as those of the cat brain. However, some sulci, i.e., a small branch of the suprasylvian sulcus, the suprasplenial and postsplenial sulci, the ectolateral, the genual, the prorean, and the eetosylvian sulcus, show variety of formes. Variations of the dog sulci are discussed and compared with those of the cat. The comparison shows that the sulcal patterns which appear only in the dog are on the whole most variable.


An ultrastructural study of the subependymal plate in the hamster. The subependymal plate of the hypothalamus of the hamster has been studied in this work. Our observations with the electron microscope show that the basal surface of the ependymal cells in this area are situated directly over the astrocytic elements. Ultrastructural studies which indicate two types of glial cells in the subependymal plate contradicted by the results of the present investigation demonstrating one type of glial cells in the hypothalamic subependymal plate. This fact is interpreted as the final result of a glial differentiation in adult hamsters.