Bowel habit in a Yoruba rural community: preliminary report. The bowel habit of a rural population 80 kilometres outside Ibadan was examined. Based on the pattern of the diet there, 91% of the apparently healthy subjects have daily bowel actions, 60% have two or more motions a day and the stool was soft in 51% of them. There was no alteration in the frequency and consistency of the stool with advancing age. The range of bowel actions was two to three soft motions per day. Recognizable dietary factors producing this pattern include not only the bulky carbohydrate diet but also the vegetables, pepper, fruits and traditional as well as proprietary laxative products commonly taken by these subjects. The implication of the bowel habit on the prevalence of certain gastrointestinal disease on the basis of Burkitt's hypothesis was examined. Measurements of food transit time and stool weights will form the basis of subsequent studies.


A comparison of the haematological values of cord bloods of African, European and Asian neonates. A comparative study of the haematological values of 162 African and forty-one Asian and European cord bloods was conducted in Lusaka, Zambia, to determine whether neutropenia found in the majority of healthy African adults was present at birth. No significant differences in the total W.B.C., neutrophil and lymphocyte values of the three racial groups were found, from which it is concluded that Africans are not born with neutropenia. A review of previous studies, shows that as Africans changed from native to European type of diets, the incidence of neutropenia fell remarkably (in one community, from 88% to 27%), and no other environmental factors like hot climate or occult infections had such an effect. Absence of neutropenia in Africans at birth thus strengthens the case that this development in later life is acquired.


Depressive symptomatology in drug addicts: therapeutic and aetiological implications. 213 male and female patients attending a methadone maintenance clinic completed Zung's self-rating depression scale (SDS). The mean SDS index was 53.71 (s.d. = 11.15), which falls within the morbidity range of depression as found in previous studies of psychiatric and normal populations. There was no significant correlation between methadone dosage and SDS scores. The difference between the mean SDS index of subjects on a stable dosage of methadone and subjects being detoxified was not significant. The result may have important theoretical and practical implications with respect to the role of depression in addiction.


Daily short course (6 months) chemotherapy for treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in Nigerians: a preliminary report. A trial of daily short courses (6 months) chemotherapy of previously untreated cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Nigerians was carried out, using two regimens containing rifampicin. All patients had sputum conversion at 3 months, with over 90% of them being sputum-negative at 2 months. There was evidence of radiographic clearance in all the patients at 6 months. It is suggested that patients who still had extensive radiographic lesions at 6 months, though bacteriologically sterile, should have their chemotherapy extended to 9 months to reduce the chance of developing a bacteriological relapse. It was observed that the addition of streptomycin did not make any important contribution to the therapeutic success of rifampicin-isoniazid regimen. No bacteriological relapse was encountered 3 months after the cessation of chemotherapy. Rifampicin was well tolerated and toxic reactions were virtually non-existent. This study confirms the efficacy of short course regimens containing rifampicin. The regimen is advocated, especially in areas where patients' co-operation at taking the 18 month standard treatment cannot be guaranteed.


Ureaplasma urealyticum (T. mycoplasma) and male infertility in topical countries. In view of the potential role of ureaplasma urealyticum in reproductive failure, sample of semen from 100 Nigerian males was cultured in oxoid mycoplasma broth. In 39% of the patients, Uraeplasma uraelyticum was cultured. Of those with positive culture, 92.3% were infertile patients. Five subfertile males achieved pregnancy in their partners after eradication of the ureaplasma urealyticum by a course of tetracycline.


Biophysical and biological studies on Jos virus (a new tick-borne virus isolated from Nigeria). Jos virus possessed no haemagglutinating property within pH range 6.0--6.6 at room temperature and 37 degrees C. Haemagglutination-inhibition tests with Jos virus immune mouse ascitic fluid against other arbovirus antigens further confirmed the lack of serological relationships with any of the major arbovirus groups. Serum neutralisation tests showed that nonspecific neuralising inhibitors of Jos virus were absent in normal sera. Jos virus is highly thermolabile; a sharp reduction of virus infectivity occurred on exposure to various temperatures. Ultraviolet irradiation rapidly inactivated the virus; considerable loss of infectivity occurred within one minute of exposure to ultraviolet light. Electron microscopic studies of infected suckling mouse liver revealed necrosis of hepatocytes, phagocytosis of necrotic debris and mononuclear infiltration. Jos virus produced plaques in Vero and duck embryo cell cultures. Assay of stock virus in these cell cultures and in suckling mice showed that mouse inoculation was more sensitive than plaque assay.


The detection of antibodies to hookworm larva in patients by immunofluorescence: a preliminary report. Using the fluorescent antibody technique 84% of patients with severe hookworm infection and 74% of Nigerian blood donors have detecable antibodies that react with surface antigen of hookworm larvae. On the other hand only 24% of Nigerian medical students and 20% of Caucasians (Canadians) have such antibodies in their sera. It is suggested that while the results of tests on students may be due to the relatively infrequent contact with hookworm the antibody positivity in the Caucasians may be due to cross reaction with other related helminths. The titre of antibody produced in the hookworm infected patients was similar to that of the blood donors but differed from other groups. Lower positivity rates were observed with further dilution of sera in the hookworm infected patients. This may be due to their relative incapacity to produce potent hookworm antibody. Further work on this aspect is required as well as improvement of the specificity of the technique.


Effects of haemoglobin electrophoretic pattern and seasonal changes on urine concentration in young adult Nigerian males. Renal concentrating capacity has been measured in healthy young adult Nigerian males with normal (AA) and abnormal (AS) haemoglobin types in both the dry and the wet seasons after 13 to 15 hours hydropenia respectively. The results show that, in the dry season, urine osmolality values in AA subjects are similar to those observed in Caucasians. They further confirm that renal concentrating capacity is impaired in persons with the S gene, and emphasize the limitations of the specific gravity test as a measure of renal concentrating capacity. In healthy AA subjects, the urine osmolality during the wet season is significantly less than in the dry season, even after longer periods of hydropenia. AS subjects, on the other hand, exhibit no seasonal variation in renal concentrating capacity.


Depressive symptomatology in patients attending a hospital-based general out-patient clinic. The prevalence of depressive symptomatology was estimated in 154 patients attending a general out-patient clinic for the first time. The instrument used was Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The mean score on the SDS fell within the range of scores obtained by mildly depressed patients in previous studies. Even though many patients obtained scores corresponding to moderate or severe depression, non of the patients was referred to the psychiatric out-patient clinic located in the same hospital. The findings are discussed with respect to their diagnostic significance and the role of the general parctitioner in the management of patients with psychiatric disorder.


Correlation of birthweight with foeto-maternal immunoglobulin, total protein and albumin profile. Using immunodiffusion and biuret methods, immunoglobulins (GAMD), total proteins and albumin measurements were performed at birth on 100 apparently healthy Nigerian mothers and their babies. Sizeable concentrations of IgG were present at birth even in babies with low birth weights (1360 mg/100 ml). The mean IgG level in babies with low birth weights (2,500 g or less) was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than in average weight and above average weight babies. The mean maternal and cord IgG levels were approximately equal in all except in the low birth weight babies where the mean maternal level was about 40% higher than the mean cord level. The scatter in IgG values was more pronounced in babies with low birth weights than the others. Mothers with higher IgG levels than in their corresponding babies were most prominent in the 'low birth weight' group. There was no significant difference between the maternal as well as between the cord serum IgA and IgM levels. The mean cord serum IgA and IgM levels were about 4 and 10% respectively of their mothers. Compared with the Caucasians, relatively higher quantities of IgD were found in the Nigerian mothers. Twenty-one percent of the maternal and all the cord sera had no detectable amount of IgD. The mean maternal total proteins though higher than the cord serum proteins, showed no statistical difference. The foeto-maternal serum albumin differential, showed statistical difference when average weight babies and above average weight babies were considered (P less than 0.05) but not with low birth weight babies (P less than 0.2).


Management of empyema thoracis: report of a 3-year study. Experience with cases of empyema thoracis in Nigerian adults is reported. Twenty-seven patients with empyema diagnosed on aspiration of the chest were studied. The clinical features, the radiolographic appearance and the results of laboratory studies carried out on the patients were analysed. Micro-organisms were cultured from the pleural fluid in 41% of cases. In this study, the commonest cause of empyema was pneumonia, occurring in 48% of cases, closely followed by tuberculosis with 40%. No death was recorded among cases of empyema due to pyogenic and tuberculous organisms. This is due to increased awareness of the cause and the methods of treatment applied. The author is of the opinion that cases of tuberculous empyema are being misdiagnosed and, consequently, they are not given appropriate chemotherapy, and this might have contributed to the high mortality rate previously reported.


Localized cystic disease of the kidney: angiographic-pathologic correlation. Each of the three patients with a type of unilateral, localized cystic disease of the kidney that did not fit into a specific category of existing classifications had numerous cysts involving a part of one kidney. Selective angiography showed stretching of arteries around cysts that remained radiolucent in the nephrographic phase, and microscopic examination demonstrated that septa among the cysts contained compressed renal elements. The condition appeared to be neither progressive nor familial. All three had hypertension. Two patients who had nephrectomy for the cystic lesion became normotensive postnephrectomy. Despite some morphologic resemblances, this condition is believed to be different from adult type polycystic kidney disease in its clinical and genetic aspects.


Coronary spasm: Prinzmetal's variant angina vs. catheter-induced spasm; refractory spasm vs. fixed stenosis. An analysis of 2,394 selective coronary angiograms yielded 23 examples of coronary artery spasm. Of these, nine occurred in patients with Prinzmetal's variant angina and 14 were instances of catheter-induced spasm. Angiographic criteria can distinguish between the spasm of variant angina and catheter-induced spasm. The latter is usually asymptomatic, almost invariably in the right coronary artery, at the catheter tip, smooth, concentric, and less than 2 mm long. The former can occur in any coronary artery at a distance of 1--4 cm from the catheter tip, is usually irregular and eccentric, and is associated with angina, ST segment elevation, hypotension, and dysrhythmia. Response to nitroglycerin is often, but not always, complete in both. Stenoses that seem to be fixed in patients with Prinzmetal's angina should be suspected to be spasm even if unresponsive to nitroglycerin, especially when the rest of the vessel is normal. Additional pharmacologic manipulation and even recatheterization may be necessary to prove the dynamic nature of the lesion and avoid unnecessary surgery.


Arteriographic demonstration of spontaneous right coronary artery spasm in a patient with Prinzmetal's angina. Coronary artery spasm may occur spontaneously during coronary angiography in patients with clinically documented or suspected Prinzmetal's angina. In other patients with Prinzmetal's angina, the spasm can be provoked by the administration of ergonovine. A patient with spontaneous spasm of the right coronary artery during coronary angiography is reported and some considerations for diagnosis and therapy of this entity is offered. Although intraoperative spasm has been reported in the cardiology literature, no such case has been described in the radiology literature.


Evaluation of left ventricular free wall asynergy due to coronary artery disease: use of an interlaced ECG-gated radiography system. A new radiographic technique produces a high quality image of the chest at end systole and end diastole in a single radiograph. A preliminary study of this method for evaluating various degrees of segmental asynergy of the left ventricular free wall in 25 patients with coronary artery disease showed excellent correlation with left ventriculography (r = 0.88). The method showed a high sensitivity (94%) and specificity (96%). It seems potentially useful to increase the information gained from the chest radiograph in patients with cardiac disease.


Comparison of scintigraphy, sonography, and computed tomography in the evaluation of hepatic neoplasms. A comparison of scintigraphy, ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT) in 94 proven patients with clinically suspected liver disease is reported. CT proved to be the most accurate in detecting masses and assessing the complete extent of intrahepatic disease. The most reliable combination was CT and scintigraphy. The specific advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed. The diagnostic scheme followed in the imaging evaluation of an hepatic mass in our clinical practice is discussed.


Diagnosis of pyogenic hepatic abscesses by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography. Four of 83 patients undergoing percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography were demonstrated to have hepatic abscesses communicating with the biliary tract. The abscesses resulted from obstruction of the common bile duct. The etiologies of the obstructions were chronic pancreatitis, recurrent cholangiocarcinoma. Radiographic demonstration of suppurative cholangitis is associated with a very poor prognosis.


Gastric volvulus in childhood.

Gastric volvulus in childhood. Gastric volvulus, organoaxial or mesenteroaxial, is an uncommon cause of upper gastrointestinal obstruction in childhood. It may be suspected on plain radiographic examination of the abdomen and confirmed by upper gastrointestinal series. Seven affected children are described. In childhood, gastric volvulus often coexists with mesenteric abnormalities or with lesions that lead to distention of the gastrointestinal tract.


Osteoblastic response to successful treatment of metastatic cancer of the prostate. Increasing sclerosis of bone in patients with prostatic cancer most commonly is associated with disease progression. In a study of serial radiographs in a group of 18 patients who experienced objective clinical remission after treatment of metastatic cancer of the prostate, eight (44%) showed an osteoblastic response as part of their healing reaction to successful therapy. The importance of a blastic response as a possible sign of clinical improvement is emphasized. Clinical, biochemical, and bone scan correlations are discussed as they apply to patients who respond favorably to treatment of metastatic cancer of the prostate.


Computed tomography of lower extremity tumors. Fifty cases of lower extremity tumors examined with computed tomography were reviewed. Of the 50 cases, 41 had gross pathologic correlation, either by enbloc resection (26) or by amputation (15). Important information regarding size, location, definition, and anatomic relation of tumors to vital structures (neural, vascular, and osseous) may be ascertained by this means with great accuracy. Localization of vessels by intravenous infusion of contrast material during the scan, or after arteriography with intraarterial contrast infusion, is found to enhance such evaluation. This information is particularly important where the feasibility of en-bloc resection is being evaluated.


Finger joint swelling: correlation with age, gender, and manual labor. A soft tissue immersion radiography technique was used to study changes in 4,648 finger joints of 166 patients free from signs of inflammatory joint disease. An age-specific correlation was found for joint swelling, joint space narrowing, joint margin spurs, and intraarticular loose bodies. The distal interphalangeal joints were more commonly swollen in women, and the proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints more commonly swollen in manual laborers. Both correlations are highly significant (P less than 0.001). The second and third digits showed a definite predilection for joint swelling. Swelling of finger joints is closely correlated with age and degenerative disease, and its occurrence in older patients is associated with degenerative changes. In manual laborers it should not be interpreted as evidence for inflammatory joint disease.


Radiographic features of olfactory neuroblastoma. Olfactory neuroblastomas are malignant, slowly growing neurogenic tumors originating from the olfactory mucosa of the nasal cavity. Fourteen patients with this tumor were evaluated and showed variable extension into adjacent structures such as the ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses, orbit, and anterior cranial cavity.


Arthrotomography of the temporomandibular joint: new technique and preliminary observations. A technique for arthrography of the temporomandibular joint using multidirectional tomography is described that greatly simplifies interpretation. In 21 attempts, 20 successful arthrograms were obtained in patients complaining of pain, tenderness, and clicking and locking of the joint who had not responded to conservative therapy. Abnormalities demonstrated were perforation of the meniscus, anterior dislocation and subluxation of the meniscus; and redundancy of the bilaminar zone. In all 11 patients who underwent surgical meniscoplasty, disc abnormalities included thinning, perforation, flaccidity, and bilaminar redundancy. No permanent complications of the arthrographic procedure occurred, but temporary postprocedure discomfort was frequent. This preliminary experience with temporomandibular joint arthrotomography suggests this easily performed procedure offers reliable information about disc function and integrity that may assist in a selection of patients for meniscoplasty and other surgical treatment.


Malignant external otitis: a radiographic-clinical correlation. Malignant external otitis is an infectious process of the ear which may cause marked destruction of the surrounding bony structures. After evaluation of the plain skull films, mastoid series, temporal bone tomography, arteriography, and venography in nine cases of malignant external otitis, we divided the disorder into an early stage and late stage. The early stage is manifested by a soft tissue mass within the external canal or clouding of the mastoid air cells with no bone destruction. In the late stage, bone destruction may extend to the middle ear cavity, temporomandibular joint, and/or base of the skull. A correlation can be made between the clinical findings and these radiographic stages. Complex motion tomography is essential to appreciate the bone destruction in patients with late stage disease.


Two features of the atlas vertebra simulating fractures by tomography. The bipartite superior joint surface and the pseudonotch of the atlas, although well described in anatomic and radiologic literature, may be mistaken for fractures by tomography. The first may appear as a trough on the superior articular surface of the lateral mass of the atlas. The second, the normal tubercle for insertion of the transverse ligament of the atlas, may look like a separate ossicle or a chip fracture.


Significance of low level echoes within the gallbladder. Thick bile may appear as a nonshadowing, dependent, echogenic layer within the gallbladder. In vivo sonographic imaging of the canine gallbladder showed that highly viscous, desiccated bile appeared echogenic and could potentially prevent imaging an enlarged gallbladder or dilated bile ducts. Selected clinical cases demonstrated that multiple nonshadowing calculi, pus, cholesterol crystals, and possibly abnormal mucous in the gallbladder may be sonographically indistinguishable from thick bile.


Acoustic shadowing due to refractive and reflective effects. Acoustic shadowing may be seen distal to the margins of rounded structures having different acoustic velocities from the surrounding tissue. Refractive and reflective mechanisms for such shadowing are reviewed and in vitro demonstrations of such shadowing are presented. Clinical examples of refractive and reflective shadows are given, and their importance is discussed.


T-shaped uterus in diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure. Radiographic findings in four young women with small T-shaped uteri are reported. Three of the women had been exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero. In the fourth, radiographic findings were typical of in utero diethylstilbestrol exposure.


Need for chest radiographs during and after lymphography. Retrospective review of 100 lymphograms showed that routine chest radiography after injection of the lymphographic contrast medium and follow-up films 24-48 hr later yielded no clinically useful information. It was concluded that routine postlymphography chest radiography is not necessary and should be reserved for patients in whom complications are suspected.


Variant angina pectoris: investigation of indexes of sympathetic nervous system function. One thousand forty-five spontaneous episodes of S-T segment elevation were observed in three patients over a total of 72 days of continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. Eighty-nine percent of episodes were asymptomatic; chest pain tended to occur with episodes longer than 3 minutes, and ventricular ectopy occurred almost exclusively with symptomatic episodes. Nitroglycerin regularly relieved angina or S-T elevation, or both. Plasma and urinary catecholamines and their metabolites were normal. Episodes of variant angina were not associated with a generalized increase in sympathetic outflow because serum catecholamine levels at the onset and termination of the S-T abnormalities were not elevated. Controlled trials of propranolol showed no significant beneficial effect. Propranolol significantly increased the length of episodes of S-T elevation in one patient, increasing ventricular irritability. The overall course of variant angina was quite variable, with spontaneous and long-lasting remissions, necessitating cautions interpretation of clinical trials.


Utilization of D-methionine during total parenteral nutrition in postsurgical patients. Utilization of intravenously administered D-methionine was measured by morbidly obese subjects fed parenterally after elective gastric bypass surgery. Five patients were infused with a 25% glucose--4.25% amino acid solution containing DL-methionine, and four were treated with a 25% glucose--3.5% amino acid solution containing only L-methionine. Mean (+/- SD) total daily methionine excretion was 0.06 +/- 0.04 mmoles (of 28 +/- 4 mmoles infused) in patients treated with the L-methionine containing solution, and was 15.2 +/- 4.2 mmoles/day (of 45.2 +/- 5 mmoles DL-isomer infused) in patients treated with the DL-methionine containing solution. In these latter patients, 90 to 98% of the excreted methionine was the D-isomer. The data indicate 64 +/- 23% of infused D-methionine is excreted in the urine. Four patients excreted between 70 to 85% of infused D-methionine in the urine, but one patient excreted only 35 to 55%, suggesting better utilization. Plasma methionine levels were higher (9.9 +/- 1.9 mumoles/100 ml) in patients infused with solutions containing DL-methionine than those infused with the L-methionine solution (4.5 +/- 1.0 mumoles/100 ml). In the former case, 49% of plasma methionine was the D-isomer. The data indicate poor D-methionine utilization by postsurgical patients during total parenteral nutrition when given as DL-methionine in the presence of other amino acids and glucose.


Effect of a low protein diet during pregnancy of the rhesus monkey. II. Physiological adaptation of the infant. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and ability to maintain body temperature were evaluated in six infants born to rhesus monkeys that had been fed a low protein diet throughout pregnancy. All infants were kept in incubations equipped with a "servo" control thermal unit that maintained the infants' skin temperature at 37.0 C (98.6 F). The thermal units were disconnected and the infants were exposed to room temperature (approximately 27 C) for 6-hr periods each day after 24 hr of age in order to determine the efficiency of thermal control mechanism. The thermal servo control units were "on" for a longer period of time in experimental animals than in control animals during the first 24 hr of life. Infants from mothers fed the low protein diets were also less able to maintain their own body temperatures after exposure to room temperature. This function was seriously compromised in two of the six experimental infants. The compromised temperature control mechanism seen in these infant monkeys is a serious and potentially lethal side-effect of protein-calorie malnutrition during pregnancy. The possible relationship of inadequate maternal nutrition to the inefficient thermal mechanism of certain "high risk" human newborns should be reevaluated.


Nutritional survey of hospitalized pediatric patients. A nutrition survey in a pediatric referral center revealed one-third of patients had evidence of acute malnutrition. Weight for height was below 90% of standard in 46 of 129 (36%), arm muscle area was below the 15th percentile in 67 of 180 (37%), triceps skinfold was below the 15th percentile in 34 of 181 (19%), and total lymphocyte count was below 1500 in 26 of 137 (19%) subjects. Protein-energy malnutrition may be an important contributor to prolonged hospitalization and hospital-acquired morbidity amond United States pediatric patients.


Petri dish concavity--a potential source of error in antibiotic assay and agar diffusion antibiotic susceptibility tests. Concave deformaties of the bottom of Petri dishes are a potential source of error for disk agar diffusion antibiotic assay and susceptibility procedures. This is due to differences in agar depth between the central and peripheral areas of the Petri dishes. We have observed significant concave deformities in both empty and commercially filled 150-mm plastic Petri dishes. For this reason we recommend that inspections for Petri dish deformity be incorporated into microbiology laboratory quality control programs.


Identification of specific antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens by passive immunodiffusion. Extractable nuclear antigens have been identified in a number of systemic rheumatic diseases and may be useful in differentiating those with overlapping clinical features. A number of detection systems have been described but technical feasibility and sensitivity have limited widespread application. We describe a simple immunodiffusion method to identify extractable nuclear antigens with high specificity and sensitivity that compares favorably with parallel hemagglutination studies. This method can be applied easily to routine analysis of antinuclear antigens.


Miliary tuberculosis in children. Clinical and laboratory manifestation in 19 patients. The clinical course of 19 children with miliary tuberculosis was studied. Complaints were nonspecific and included fever, anorexia, weight loss, and night sweats. Although all but one child had a miliary infiltrate visible on the chest roentgenogram, only 13 had a positive reaction to the purified protein derivative of the tuberculin test at admission to the hospital. Outcome was excellent unless the child also had tuberculous meningitis or was in a far advanced state of the disease. Miliary tuberculosis continues to be a rare but important cause of illness in the pediatric population. Seriously ill children with undiagnosed conditions of febrile disease deserve an aggressive evaluation for miliary tuberculosis, including an epidemiological survey, serial chest roentgenograms, and extensive, repeated culturing.


Epidemic occurrence of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. In case-control studies of three epidemics of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in three different high-risk nurseries in three states, no particular risk factor was associated with affected infants or their mothers. Epidemic cases had higher birth weights and Apgar scores and fewer perinatal difficulties than those previously reported for sporadic cases. Seven infants fed primarily breast milk were not protected against disease. Early antibiotic therapy was associated with a significantly decreased risk of disease in one outbreak. In two hospitals, affected infants who received antibiotic therapy during the first three days of life had a significantly later disease onset. The occurrence of the disease in epidemics and the decreased risk or modification of disease with antibiotic therapy support an infectious etiology for NEC.


Effect of endogenous hyperprolactinemia on human lower esophagel sphincter pressure. The cause of gastroesophageal reflux occurring during pregnancy is not completely understood but may be related to changes in the hormonal environment specifically related to pregnancy. To evaluate the possible role of prolactin, one of the hormones elevated during pregnancy, we studied the effect of endogenously elevated serum prolactin concentrations, induced by I.V. thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), on lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LESP) in normal subjects. Elevated prolactin concentrations (P less than 0.0001), did not change LESP over a 60-minute period. Serum gastrin concentration did not change significantly at any time during the study. We conclude: 1. acute elevations of serum prolactin comparable to the concentrations that occur during pregnancy did not change LESP; 2. there is no evidence that the hypothalamic regulating factor TRH affects serum gastrin concentration in man.


Bed rest in twin pregnancy: identification of a critical period and its cost implications. Since twin pregnancies often result in poor perinatal outcomes, many physicians advise prolonged bed rest. Recommendations concerning the timing of bed rest conflict and are made with little assessment of costs. This review of twin pregnancies in the North Central Illinois perinatal region establishes that twins are most vulnerable if they are born between 27 and 34 weeks' gestation. If bed rest is to be imposed, it probably should be timed so as to influence this vulnerable period. Intervention (bed rest in the hospital from 27 to 34 weeks' gestation) would cost between $5,720 and $6,909 per twin pregnancy, whereas nonintervention (intensive care nursery charges for infants born before 34 weeks' completed gestation) would cost $1,689 per twin pregnancy. Before intervention can be universally advocated and costs of this magnitude incurred, a prospective controlled trial to determine the efficacy of bed rest in twin pregnancy is mandatory.


Demonstration of immunoreactive somatostatin-like substance in villi and decidua in early pregnancy. With the use of the radioimmunoassay for growth hormone--releasing inhibiting factor (GIF), it was found that measurable amounts of GIF-like substance existed in the chorionic villi and decidua of pregnant women. The indirect immunofluorescent method revealed that the higher intensity of GIF-like immunofluorescence was presented in cytotrophoblasts rather than in syncytiotrophoblasts of the villi and in stromal cells of the decidua.


Schwann cell proliferations mimicking medullated retinal nerve fibers. Ophthalmoscopically visible white patches in the optic nerve head and adjacent retina in a rhesus monkey histologically represented peripheral rather than central nervous myelin. This case of Schwann cell proliferations appearing as medullated retinal nerve fibers raises questions concerning the relationship of this phenomenon to developmental and acquired lesions of the optic nerve head in man.


Unilateral cryptophthalmia.

Unilateral cryptophthalmia. Two patients had the variable clinical features of unilateral cryptophthalmia. A 5-month-old boy had isolated unilateral cryptophthalmia: a small boney orbit, deformed optic canal, and a small amorphous mass with no normal intraocular tissue representing the globe. No extraocular muscles or optic nerve were identified by B-scan ultrasound or by computed axial tomography x-ray techniques. The second patient, a 13-year-old girl, had unilateral cryptophthalmia, and numerous systemic abnormalities including a head circumference less than the third percentile, severe mental retardation, hypoplasia of the left side of the head, and a left facial cleft deformity. She also had contractures of hips, knees and ankles, and bilateral spasticity and jerky movements. The left boney orbit was contracted and deformed and contained a small amorphous tissue with no ocular detail, as revealed by B-scan and computed tomography scan.


Medical therapy of metastatic meningococcal endophthalmitis. We treated a 15-year-old girl who had meningococcal meningitis and metastatic endophthalmitis with large doses of intravenously administered penicillin G. The patient promptly improved with this therapy, and the visual axis completely cleared during the subsequent five months.


Locomotor adaptations within the Cercopithecus Genus: a multivariate approach. Multivariate analysis as a technique for investigating locomotor differentiation among primates has proven its power and usefulness in many studies on various skeletal dimensions. In these analyses primate genera were distributed and sometimes clustered in a manner that was interpretable based on current knowledge of gross locomotor differences. In an effort to advance our understanding of arboreality and terrestriality in primates, the present research involves a careful look for the most subtle morphological differences in locomotor behavior. It is believed that by looking at such subtle shape differences an understanding of what it means morphologically for a primate to be either more or less arboreal may be achieved. The species within the primate genus Cercopithecus were analyzed. This genus includes species which may be placed along a habitat (ground-living to tree-dwelling) or activity spectrum. The different habitats or activity patterns clearly require slight variations in patterns of movement, which in turn may require subtle structural adaptations. Multivariate analyses of 67 postcranial variables on seven species within the genus allowed detection of slight degrees of morphological variation. However, when morphological differences are small, size variance among specimens may take on an inflated importance. A substantial amount of work was devoted to finding the least biased method of removing size variance from the variables while incorporating a discrete size variable into the study. Using these transformed skeletal variables, interspecific groupings were discovered. Much of this infrastructure is then related to differing locomotor behavior and provides an insight into the fine structure of primate locomotor adaptation in an arboreal habitat.


Electrophoretic variants in three Amerindian tribes: the Baniwa, Kanamari, and Central Pano of western Brazil. Data are presented on electrophoretic variants of 25 polypeptides found in the blood serum and erythrocytes, in 812 individuals from three Amerindian tribes, the Pano, the Baniwa, and the Kanamari. Two "private polymorphisms" were encountered, of PEPB in the Pano and CAII in the Baniwa. A single example of a different PEPB variant was encountered in the Baniwa, and two possible examples of an unstable variant of HGB A2 in the Kanamari. In addition, the well-known A variant of ACP1, the Duarte variant of GALT, the 2 variant of Hp and the 2 variant of PGM1 occurred in polymorphic proportions in all three tribes, and the TFDChi variant was present as a polymorphism in the Baniwa. These data have recently been incorporated into a treatment which concludes that the eight electrophoretically-defined "private polymorphisms" thus far encountered in Amerindian tribes can be explained by a mutation pressure of 0.7 x 10(-5)/locus/generation on the assumption of neutrality of the phenotypes in question (Neel and Thompson, '78).


Genetic studies in Saudi Arabia: red cell enzyme, haemoglobin and serum protein polymorphisms. Population genetic studies in Saudi Arabia are performed for EsD, GPT, AcP, ADA, AK, 6-PGD, PGM, C3, Tf, Hp, Gc, Pi, Bf, Hb, ABO-blood groups and Rh-factor, level of the third component of complement and immunoglobulins. The data are compared with reported frequencies in European and African populations.


Computed tomography and biomechanical analysis of fossil long bones. Computerized transverse axial scanning (computed tomography) is a relatively new radiographic technique designed to recover precise cross-sectional images (tomograms) of 3-dimensional objects. This highly sensitive process permits tissues of similar density to be separated and displayed unambiguously. These special features are, therefore, ideal for analyzing the cross-sectional geometry of intact fossil long bones, even when they are highly mineralized and their medullary cavities are occluded by matrix. In order to demonstrate the utility of this method in assessing the complex relationship between fossil structure and probable function, geometrical and biomechanical properties of midshaft tomograms of femora and tibiae have been analyzed for a comparative primate sample consisting of Megaladapis edwardsi (an extinct giant prosimian from Madagascar), Indri indri (the largest extant prosimian), and Homo sapiens.


Inhibition of short-circuit current by triaminopyrimidine in isolated toad urinary bladder. The organic cation 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) produced inhibition of short-circuit current (SCC) when added to either the mucosal or serosal surface of the isolated urinary bladder of the toad. Fifty percent inhibition was produced by 10(-3) M TAP in the mucosal solution at pH 6.8 when the mucosal [Na+] was 113 mM. The actions of TAP resemble those produced by amiloride in several ways: a) inhibition of SCC by mucosal application is rapid; b) the mucosal inhibition is fully reversible; c) high concentrations in the serosal solutions produce irreversible inhibition; and d) the concentration required to produce 50% inhibition from the mucosal side is reduced when mucosal [Na+] is reduced. It is postulated that mucosal application of TAP and amiloride inhibit short-circuit current in high-resistance epithelia via action at a common locus.


Calories and gastric emptying: a regulatory capacity with implications for feeding. Gastric emptying in four unanesthetized male Macaca mulatta was studied with the serial test meal method of Hunt and Spurrell. Liquid meals were infused into the stomach through a chronic indwelling Silastic cannula. Saline meals empty rapidly and exponentially. Doubling the volume of saline from 150 to 300 ml increased the emptying rate so that the half-life remained unchanged (15 min). The 150-ml glucose meals (0.05, 0.125, and 0.25 g/ml) emptied more slowly than saline, progressively more slowly with increasing concentrations (0.05--1.8, 0.125--0.78, and 0.25--0.37 ml/min) and linearly through most of their course. Doubling the volume of 0.125 g/ml-glucose meal did not change the rate of emptying. Converting grams of glucose to their caloric content, the emptying rate in kcal/min becomes constant (approx 0.4 kcal/min) in this range of concentrations. Isocaloric casein hydrolysate and medium-chain triglyceride oil meals at 0.5 kcal/ml empty at the same rate as glucose. The precision of this regulation is sufficient to give it a role in preabsorptive satiety and the control of caloric intake.


Glycogen synthase activation in human skeletal muscle: effects of diet and exercise. We investigated the role of glycogen synthase in supranormal resynthesis (supercompensation) of skeletal muscle glycogen after exhaustive exercise. Six healthy men exercised 60 min by cycling with one leg at 75% VO2max, recovered 3 days on a low-carbohydrate diet, exercised again, and recovered 4 days on high-carbohydrate diet. Glycogen and glycogen synthase activities at several glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) concentrations were measured in biopsy samples of m. vastus lateralis. Dietary alterations alone did not affect glycogen, whereas exercise depleted glycogen stores. After the second exercise bout, glycogen returned to normal within 24 h and reached supercompensated levels by 48 h of recovery. Glycogen synthase activation state strikingly increased after exercise in exercised muscle and remained somewhat elevated for the first 48 h of recovery in both muscles. We suggest that 1) forms of glycogen synthase intermediate to I (G6P-independent) and D (G6P-dependent) forms are present in vivo, and 2) glycogen supercompensation can in part be explained by the formation of intermediate forms of glycogen synthase that exhibit relatively low activity ratios, but an increased sensitivity to activation by G6P.


Acid secretion by isolated primate gastric mucosa. Pentagastrin, histamine, and acetylcholine stimulated acid secretion in the isolated rhesus (Macaca mulatta) gastric mucosa. The potencies were in the order pentagastrin greater than histamine greater than acetylcholine. However, histamine was more effective, the calculated maximal response being twice as great as for the other two agonists. Metiamide inhibited acid secretion induced by both histamine and pentagastrin. Whereas the inhibition of histamine by metiamide was surmountable, that of pentagastrin was not. Atropine inhibited the response to acetylcholine. Even in higher doses, atropine had no effect on histamine. With stimulation, transmucosal potential differences and resistances decreased; the changes were reversed on inhibition.


Isozyme characterization of cattle (Bos taurus) and American buffalo (Bison bison) cell cultures. Four Bovidae cell lines (BEK-1, MDBK, Bu and EBTr) were characterized by means of enzymatic biochemical markers. Out of 15 enzymatic systems, 3--adenosine deaminase (Ada), phosphoglucomutase (Pgm) and nucleoside phosphorylase (Np)--were found to be polymorphic and quite suitable for biochemical identification of each cell line. The Bu cell line has shown a Np phenotypic pattern which could be distinctive of the Bison bison species.


Recent progress in pharmacological therapy of male subfertility--a review. A review of pharmacological therapy in male infertility shows that apart from specific therapy with gonadotropins in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, treatment in normogonadotropic idiopathic oligozoospermia and asthenozoospermia is still empirical and often unsuccessful. Modern therapy is based on three pharmacological groups of compounds: gonadotropins, androgens and kininogenases, the latter releasing pharmacologic active kinin peptides from kininogen. In addition, antiestrogens and gonadotropin-releasing hormones seem to be promising agents for the near future. The use of antibiotics is of great importance in the therapy of male genital tract infections which often to a reduced fertility. Several other drugs (amino acids, psychopharmaceuticals, spasmolytic agents, trijodothyronine, glucocorticoids, vitamins) seem to be suitable in individuals cases, but in greater group of patients these agents do not improve fertility. Using the mentioned hormonal and nonhormonal pharmacological agents considerable progress can be demonstrated in the therapy of male infertility. However, before initiating any therapy it is important to exclude patients whose cause of infertility is untreatable or those who require surgery. Finally, it is hoped that additional progress in treatment of male infertility will soon be made possible by further improvement of fundamental research in andrology. Especially important is the development of better criteria for selection of patients for any form of therapy in order to make more specific and less empirical approaches for treatment of male infertility available.


A rat model of chronic respiratory infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Chronic, nonlethal, pulmonary infection of rats by Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be initiated by intratracheal inoculation of 10(4) bacteria enmeshed in agar beads. The number of bacteria recoverable from the lung increased to approximately 10(6) within 3 days and remained at that number during 35 days of observation. Histologic examination of the infected lungs revealed lesions resembling those seen in lung tissue of humans with acute or chronic nonbacteremic, Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia, including the presence of goblet-cell hyperplasia, focal areas of necrosis, and acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrate. This model should be useful for investigating the interactions between microbial virulence factors and host defense mechanisms.


Filtering hospital air decreases Aspergillus spore counts. We performed counts of airborne spores in a hospital with filtered air where a decrease in nosocomial infection with Aspergillus organisms had been documented. For comparison, similar studies were performed at a nearby general hospital in a ward with open windows. The total spore count inside the hospital with filtered air was significantly less than inside the ward with open windows. The total count of Aspergillus organisms in the filtered air was significantly less than that in the room with open windows. We conclude that the decrease in nosocomial infections with Aspergillus organisms in the hospital with filtered air is probably associated with fewer airborne spores.


The booster phenomenon in serial tuberculin testing. To determine the frequency, magnitude, and causes of the booster phenomenon in tuberculin testing, a total of 1,478 employees from 10 hospitals throughout the United States received sequential intradermal tests using PPD-T. In addition, approximately 70 per cent were initially tested with PPD-G. Boosting was found in all age groups tested, but increased with age. It occurred as soon as one week after an initial tuberculin test, but rarely before that time. The boosted reactions were apparently caused either by remote tuberculous infection or recent or remote sensitization by one or more of the nontuberculous mycobacteria. In areas endemic for nontuberculous mycobacteria, they are the most likely cause of the sensitivity that may be boosted. On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that when repeated tuberculin testing is required as part of a hospital control program, a second identical tuberculin test be given one week after the first. When subsequent tests are given, this should permit separation of boosted reactions from reactions caused by new infections. Persons who do not boost when giben repeat tests at one week, but whose tuberuclin reactions change to positive after one year, should be considered to have newly acquired tuberculous infection and managed accordingly.


Primary drug resistance in children. Drug susceptibility of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from children during the years 1973 through 1977 at the Kings County Hospital Center of Brooklyn. A continuing study of the frequency of primary drug resistance among children treated at the Kings County Hospital Center of Brooklyn during the years 1973 through 1977 showed a high incidence of primary drug resistance to isoniazid (8.8 per cent) and to streptomycin (12.3 per cent). In contrast, there were no strains resistant to cycloserine, viomycin, ethambutol, or rifampin, and only one of 57 strains (1.8 per cent) was resistant to ethionamide, and one (1.8 per cent) was resistant to para-aminosalicylic acid. Comparison with previous studies begun in 1961 showed no significant increase in resistance to isoniazid during 3 prior periods of study and no increase in resistance to streptomycin during the last 2 periods of study. It must be emphasized that these findings relate only to the children of a local community, and do not reflect the prevalence of primary drug resistance elsewhere in this country or among different age groups.


Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteremia associated with C6, C7, or C8 deficiency. We summarize data from 24 previously described or newly diagnosed cases of homozygous deficiency of the sixth, seventh, or eighth components of complement. Thirteen of 24 patients had at least one episode, and usually two or more episodes of Neisseria meningitidis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteremia, or both. Deficiency of C6, C7, or C8 is a meaningful risk factor for repeated neisserial bacteremia; conversely, hemolytic complement studies are indicated in patients who develop recurrent neisserial infections. When a person with C6, C7, or C8 deficiency is identified, family members should also be studied.


Fate of middle ear mucosa introduced into the vestibule. The etiology of poststapedectomy reparative granuloma remains obscure. To evaluate the possibility of inadvertently introduced mucous membrane into the vestibule as a possible cause of granuloma formation, this animal study was devised. The stapes was removed from the right ear of four squirrel monkeys and middle ear mucosa placed in the vistibule, the stapes then being replaced. In the left ear, a control operation was done in which only the stapes was removed, then replaced. The animals were sacrificed between the 2nd and 17th day and their temporal bones were prepared and studied. The mucous membrane was identified within the vestibule of all animals. It was well-tolerated and did not evoke the inflammatory response, which would be expected if mucosa was a cause of granuloma formation. The mucosa was still present at 17 days, eventually becoming surrounded by the endosteal lining of the vestibule.


High dose preoperative irradiation for advanced laryngeal-hypopharyngeal cancer. Combined therapy, consisting of 5000 rads delivered in five weeks by total laryngectomy +/- radical neck dissection, was compared with treatment by irradiation (6000-7000 rads) with surgical salvage when clinically possible for radiation failure. Patients were categorized according to site of primary cancer (glottic, supraglottic and pyriform sinus) and staged (T, N, M). Survival was equally good in the two programs for glottic and supraglottic lesions, N0 or N1. The combined treatment program was judged superior for supraglottic and pyriform sinus lesions, N2 or N3.


Radiologic diagnosis of labyrinthitis ossificans. Labyrinthitis ossificans is the pathological ossification of the membranous labyrinthine spaces in response to processes which are destructive of the membranous labyrinth or the endosteum of the otic capsule. It has been primarily a histopathologic diagnosis. Complex motion tomography however, allows a detailed view of the osseous labyrinth and permits the diagnosis in the living state. Radiologic documentation of labyrinthitis ossificans is objective evidence of a process destructive of the membranous labyrinth. It supports the likelihood of an absence of cochlear and vestibular function. It alerts the surgeon to the possible obliteration of key inner ear anatomical landmarks.


An immuno-haematological study among pregnant women of Patiala (India). The present study has been conducted on 500 pregnant women belonging to Patiala city (Punjab State, India), during various stages of pregnancy, who were investigated for evidence of immunization. Incidence of immunization was found to be 1.20% in total sample and 25.00% in Rh (D) negative pregnant women. All the immunized cases were multiparae. Immunized cases were more in second trimester. Obstetrical histories of immunized cases suggest that five of them were probably immunized due to repeated pregnancies and one case was probably due to previous still births. A greater fertility was observed in the immunized group as compared to other groups. No case of immunization had previous history of blood transfusion. Rh-immunization was also studied in relation to AB0-incompatibility.


Influence of age on results of vestibular function tests. Review of literature and presentation of caloric test results. Following a bibliographic review of currently known, age-dependent morphological and functional changes of the vestibular and auditory system, results are presented of our investigations concerning the influence of age on the outcome of the caloric test on 102 healthy subjects from six age groups ranging between the ages of 11 and 70 years. They prove, without any doubt, that the absolute values of nystagmic parameters in the caloric test are dependent upon age; but not in such a way that the intensity of reaction decreases with advancing age. On the contrary, they indicate that in awake, healthy subjects of middle and late middle-age, the most intensive reactions occur (maximum slow phase velocity, maximum amplitude, maximum frequency, total number of beats). In addition, based on the statistical analysis, it seems probable that the extent of the side difference of excitability depends upon age. Individuals in their middle years show side differences to a considerably lesser degree than children and elderly subjects. These represent findings which, to our knowledge, are reported here for the first time. Provided our results gain further substantiation, standard values for a true quantitative evaluation of the caloric test could only be determined as in the audiometric functional tests on the basis of larger test series of healthy subjects belonging to different age groups.


[Possibility of the spectral analysis of heterogeneous biological systems. The determination of the mycelium concentration of Actinomyces aureofaciens, a producer of tetracycline, cultured on a medium with corn meal]. A possibility of using spectroscopy of attenuated total reflection in the IR region for analysis of the heterogenic system consisting of the microorganisms and plant cells is discussed. The method of spectroscopy is proposed for estimating the mycelium concentration of Act. aureofaciens producing tetracycline in the presence of corn meal in the medium. The experimental data confirming this possibility are presented. The peculiar properties of the spectral analysis under these particular conditions are discussed. It is supposed that the method may be used for analysis of heterogenous systems including other microorganisms.


[Participation of the antibiotics of Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis in the regulation of bacterial spore formation]. Sporulation and antibiotic production, as well as the effect of exogenic antibacterial substances on bacterial sporogenesis were studied in various strains of Bac. pumilus and Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis. The bacteria were grown on a solid sporulation medium with and without the antibiotics. After 5-day incubation the presence of refractyl spores was determined with a phase-contrast method. It was found that in the strains of Bac. pumilus producing antibacterial substances the sporulation was normal. The loss of the capacity for synthesizing such substances resulted in asporegenicity or oligosporogenicity. This allowed a conclusion on existence of phenomenological connection between sporulation and antibiotic production. The study of the antibiotic effect on bacterial sporogenesis showed negative results which are discussed in the paper along two directions: (1) the antibiotics did not probably participate in regulation of the bacteria cell differentiation, (2) the antibiotics regulated the bacterial sporogenesis though their effect was not as yet detected because of methodical difficulties. Therefore, the problem of the antibiotic participation in regulation of sporulation in Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis remains open.


[Luteal insufficiency and benign breast diseases. Study in the light of data from the combined LH-RH + TRH test together with the study of ovarian steroids]. Luteal deficiency has been attributed a patho-physiologic role in benign fibro-cystic breast disease, whereas Prolactin would not be involved in this disease. To tes these hypotheses, patients with fibro-cystic breast disease have been investigated through the combined LH-RH + TRH test, coupled with ovarian steroids estimations. 63 menstruating patients with ovulatory cycles, as evidenced by the temperature curve and proven fibro-cystic breast disease, as demonstrated by senography and thermogrphy and/or operation, have been selected for this study. The findings do not favour the role of luteal dificiency but rather the role of PRL hyperactivity in the pathol-physiology of fibro-cySTIC BREAST DISEASE.


[Action of chlortetracycline on the enzymes of the producer itself, Streptomyces aureofaciens]. When preparing a cell-free extract of Streptomyces aureofaciens from the culture to which chlortetracycline (1000 gamma/ml) was added before disintegration with alumina, a considerable decrease in the enzyme activity was reached. The presence of chlortetracycline during disintegration of the cells by means of glass beads did not substantially affect the enzyme activity of the cell-free extract. Addition of chlortetracycline directly to the reaction mixture for the enzyme assay (up to a concentration of 200 gamma/ml) did not induce any inhibition effect. The results suggested that during studying enzyme systems of organisms producing secondary metabolites, the product might distort the results on the use of an inconvenient method.


[Comparative study of the antibacterial activity of a number of new antibiotics and their combinations in relation to Pseudomonas aeruginosa]. Tobramycin and sisomycin proved to have the highest antibacterial activity against 156 clinical strains of Ps. aeruginosa and were 4--8 times more effective than monomycin, kanamycin, neomycin and to a lesser extent gentamicin. The combination of mecillinam and sisomycin had a synergistic effect with respect to 26 out of 50 strains of Ps. aeruginosa and the combination of mecillinam and tobramycin had a synergistic effect on 18 strains. An antagonistic effect was observed with the use of the above combinations in 3 cases. The effect of the combinations depended on sensitivity of Ps. aeruginosa cultures to the aminoglycoside antibiotic included into the compositions.


Electron microscopy of methanol-utilizing bacteria. Two different groups of methanol-utilizing bacteria were studied by electron microsocpy. Bacteria using the serine pathway for the assimilation of methanol were found to have a thin cell envelope (outer membrane, periplasmic area and cytoplasmic membrane). Those using the assimilatory ribulose monophosphate pathway of formaldehyde fixation had a much thicker cell envelope and in the case of Pseudomonas C protrusions of the outer membrane were found.


Different phenotypes for the lactose utilization system in Kluyveromyces and Saccharomyces species. Analysis of the system for the utilization of lactose in some strains of yeasts belonging to the genera Kluyveromyces and Saccharomyces revealed the occurrence of several genetic variants, corresponding to mutants expected on the basis of the model of Jacob and Monod for the lac system in E. coli. These results could be useful in the taxonomic analysis and in the phylogenetic evaluation of the Saccharomycetaceae.


A rapid pigmentation test for identification of Cryptococcus neoformans. A rapid pigmentation test for identification of Cryptococcus neoformans is described. The method is based on the formation of a characteristic, mouse-grey to violaceous-black pigment when shake cultures of C. neoformans in a phosphate-buffered, l-DOPA - ferric citrate medium are incubated at 37 C for one hour.


The acrodermatitis enteropathica-like syndrome. An acrodermatitis enteropathica-like syndrome occurred as a result of severe bowel disease and the use of zinc-deficient hyperalimentation regimens. Emphasis is placed on early and adequate zinc replacement to effectively prevent or reverse this entity.


Whole body elemental composition during drug treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary study. Thirty-two female patients with rheumatoid arthritis were divided into 3 groups and treated for 6 months with prednisolone, depot tetracosactrin, or indomethacin. Their whole body content of calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen was measured before and after 3 and 6 months' treatment by in-vivo neutron activation analysis. No significant changes in these body elements were observed as a result of the treatments. The average amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and nitrogen were lower than normal in these patients, a finding consistent with the frequent observation of osteoporosis and muscle wasting in rheumatoid arthritis.


Effects of gold, dapsone, and prednisone on serum C-reactive protein and haptoglobin and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in rheumatoid arthritis. Sequential measurements of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum haptoglobin (Hp), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were made in 209 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 78 of them were treated with gold, 71 with dapsone, and 60 with prednisone. The results were expressed as proportional changes in the measurements at 28-day intervals after treatment began. The period of study was 140 days. During treatment with gold and dapsone there were statistically significant gradual and progressive falls of similar magnitude in serum CRP and ESR. During treatment with prednisone serum CRP and ESR fell abruptly by 28 days and thereafter altered little. At 140 days prednisone had had the largest proportional effect on both measurements. During gold treatment the fall in serum Hp was similar to that of the ESR. In contrast, prednisone had little effect on Hp levels despite large falls in serum CRP and the ESR. Either prednisone stimulates Hp synthesis or the divergence is an expression of the difference in type of effect between gold and prednisone on RA. The effect of dapsone on serum Hp was large and progressive; it partly reflects haemolysis and, since the haemolysis was not progressive, partly improvement in the RA. The results show the relative efficacy of the drugs and suggest that dapsone may be a useful alternative treatment for RA.


Nutritional status and the nonspecific cellular and humoral immune response in esophageal carcinoma. In carcinoma of the esophagus, two major factors are operative, both of which are capable of suppressing the immune response, namely starvation and the presence of a malignant tumor. Twenty patients who were treated by palliative intubation for unresectable carcinoma of the esophagus were investigated. All patients were suffering from protein-calorie malnutrition and were shown to be in negative nitrogen balance. Lymphocyte counts and the nonspecific cellular and humoral immune response were evaluated before and after correction of the nutritional deficit. No attempt was made to reduce tumor bulk. The cellular immune response was compromised in all patients. The DNCB skin test was negative, absolute lymphocyte counts and T-lymphocyte numbers were significantly depressed, and the mitogenic response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation also significantly depressed. Immunoglobulin A levels were significantly elevated but serum complement concentrations were normal. Reversal of the negative nitrogen balance resulted in a significant increase in absolute and T-lymphocyte numbers, and a significant increase in the mitogenic response to PHA. The DNCB skin test, however, remained nonreactive. Nutritional repletion also significantly increased serum C(3), C(4) and C(3)PA concentrations. Reversal of negative nitrogen balance may reverse in vitro evidence of immunoparesis and produce an increase in complement concentrations, without therapeutic reduction in the tumor load.


[Myelodepressive effect during intracavitary cytostatic treatment of bladder tumors]. The authors present the results of a new course of treatment with thiotepa which has the advantage of presenting almost no myelodepressive effects while being as effective as the treatment put forward by other authors.


The septic burned patient: a model for studying the role of complement and immunoglobulins in opsonization of opportunist micro-organisms. Studies were performed to determine the effects of septicemia on complement levels and activities and opsonic function in septic and nonseptic burned patients. None of the nonseptic burned patients had consumption of classical pathway activity during their clinical course. Patients who did not survive septicemia had consumption of all of the classical complement components (C1-C5) prior to and during their septic episodes. Patients who survived septicemia had multiple patterns of classical complement pathway consumption. In these patients, classical pathway activity was restored to normal following the last positive blood culture. Alternative complement pathway consumption was demonstrated in only one of the septic burned patients, as evidenced by decreased factor B and C3b INA levels and decreased C3 and C5 conversion in sera treated with 10 mM ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid and 10 mM MgCl(2) (MgEGTA) and in untreated sera. In all of the other septic patients and in the nonseptic patients, reduction in C3 and C5 conversion in MgEGTA sera and untreated sera was not associated with decrease in factor B or C3b INA. Reduction in complement levels and activities did not reduce the ability of the patients' sera to promote phagocytosis and intracellular killing of their infecting micro-organisms by normal human peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The results indicate that measurement of classical pathway activity in burned patients can be used as a diagnostic tool for predicting the severity of septic episodes and for monitoring recovery. In addition, the observation that complement consumption did not reduce the opsonic capacity of the patients' sera for their infecting micro-organisms suggests that current concepts regarding the role of immunoglobulins and complement in opsonization of opportunist micro-organisms require re-evaluation.


mu-chain disease. Report of two new cases. We report two cases of mu-heavy-chain disease. Both patients were affected with a lymphoproliferative disease that shared several suggestive features with the previously reported cases of mu-chain disease: the presence of vacuolated plasma cells in bone marrow, a small amount of alpha 2 moving abnormal mu-chain protein, and urinary kappa Bence Jones protein in one case.


Separation of algal mixtures and bacterial mixtures with flow-microfluorometer using chlorophyll and ethidium bromide fluorescence. The applicability of flow-microfluorometer to separate microbial cells was demonstrated with algal and bacterial cells. Algal mixtures were sorted according to the natural chlorophyll fluorescence and the bacterial mixtures were sorted according to the fluorescence of ethidium bromide-stained nucleic acid.


[Supply of vitamin A, E, C, B 12 and folates during total parenteral nutrition in pediatrics]. Serum vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B12, folate and leucocyte vitamin C were measured in 45 patients between the ages of one month and 2 1/2 years who were receiving total parenteral nutrition. After allowing for variations in intake the following recommendations are made: Vitamin A (central vein) 2,500 i.u./day (peripheral vein) 1,000 - 1,500 i.u./day. Vitamin E (peripheral vein) 0.8 mg/kg/day, Vitamin B12 (central vein) 0.8 - 1 microgram/day, Folate (central vein) 10 - 80 microgram/day, Vitamin C (central vein) 25 mg/day.


Effect of Listeria monocytogenes lipids on the course of infections with some gram-negative bacilli in mice. The effect of Listeria monocytogenes lipids on the course of infections with Salmonella enteritidis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae was studied in mice. The lipids were extracted with chloroform and methanol and used in various doses before and after infection with the bacilli. The lipids significantly increased mouse resistance toward the examined bacteria. The protective effect depended, to a large extent on the applied dose of lipids and its timing.


Electromyographical findings in human chronic Chagas' disease. An electromyographical investigation of 80 patients with chronic Chagas' disease was made. It was found that 79% of the studied patients had EMG manifestations of old and chronic denervation of the upper and lower limbs without clinical features of nervous system involvement.


An electrophysiological investigation of skeletal muscle in human chronic Chagas' disease. An electrophysiological study has been made of the thenar, hypothenar, soleus and extensor digitorum brevis muscles and their inervation in 90 patients with chronic Chagas' disease. Some of them showed a reduced number of functional motor units with increased size of many of the surviving units. No decremental muscle response was found to repetitive nerve stimulation. Motor and sensory conduction velocities as well as motor terminal latencies were on the normal range. These findings suggested that the muscle changes resulted from a primary defect of the alpha spinal motoneurone soma.


Meningococcal conjunctivitis.

Meningococcal conjunctivitis. Meningococcal conjunctivitis is typically described as an acute purulent infection. An atypical case of mild catarrhal conjunctivitis occurred in a 19-year-old college student. The meningococci were identified as Neisseria meningitidis, group A, and were isolated from the throats of the patient and her roommate. The conjunctivitis responded rapidly to treatment with sodium sulfacetamide, and it was not treated systemically. A short review of the literature of meningococcal conjunctivitis is presented, and the current recommendation for prophylaxis is discussed.


The histology of retinal nerve fiber layer bundles and bundle defects. The fiber bundle striations recognized clinically in normal monkey eyes appear to be bundles of axons compartmentalized within glial tunnels formed by Müller's-cell processes, when viewed histologically. The dark boundaries that separate individual bundles are the broadened foot endings of these cells near the inner surface of the retina. Within one week after focal retinal photocoagulation, characteristic fundus changes could be seen in experimental eyes. In histologic sections of the involved retina, there was marked cystic degeneration of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Within one month, atrophy of distal axon segments was complete. With the drop-out of damaged axons and thinning of individual fiber bundles, retinal striations became less prominent. The resulting fundus picture in these experimental eyes is similar to fiber bundle defects that can be seen clinically in various neuro-ophthalmic disorders.


Bone formation in association with a limbal dermoid. A healthy female infant was born with a unilateral limbal dermoid. When the lesion was surgically excised, a plaque of bone was found under the scleral portion of the lesion. The occurrence of bone in ocular dermoinds is extremely uncommon and, to our knowledge, has been reported only twice in dermoids that occur in epibulbar locations away from the limbus.


Antiviral drops: comparative therapy of experimental herpes simplex keratouveitis. The present, masked, controlled study compares the therapeutic efficacy of guttate 3% vidarabine, 0.1% idoxuridine, and 1% trifluridine in herpes simplex keratouveitis in rabbits. Vidarabine, whether given every hour, every two hours, or every three hours was significantly better than controls but significantly worse than idoxuridine or trifluridine. Trifluridine and idoxuridine were not significantly different from each other. Viral cultures taken at the end of the six-day treatment period were positive in the majority of all treatment groups except for the trifluridine group, which was 100% negative. Although previous studies have shown that vidarabine is very effective as an antiviral ointment, vidarabine drops are not as effective as guttate idoxuridine or trifluridine.


The course of axons through the retina and optic nerve head. By identifying degenerating axons in tissue specimens from 22 primate eyes, it was possible to demonstrate the normal course of axon fibers. Nerve fiber bundles from a group of retinal ganglion cells travel together with little tendency to disperse laterally. In addition, axons are stratified such that processes from more central ganglion cells are successfully added to the inner strata of the retinal nerve fiber layer. Within and behind the lamina cribrosa, areas of degeneration following retinal photocoagulation were well circumscribed and confined to a group of adjacent axon bundles. This degree of retinotopic organization of axons within the nerve head and retinal fiber layer is believed to be consistent with the premise that isolated lesions within the lamina cribrosa could cause well-organized paracentral scotomas such as those characteristic of early glaucoma.


Locomotor dysfunction after surgical lesions in the unilateral vestibular nuclei region in squirrel monkeys. The present experimental results in squirrel monkeys indicated that the performance of psycho-physically advanced locomotor task (squirrel monkey rail test) was severely impaired after the placement of the medium to relatively large surgical lesions in the unilateral vestibular nuclei area, and therefore, confirmed that this brain-stem structure is essential for the signal relay and/or input coordination. The severest locomotor disability was found 10-14 days after the surgery; thereafter, squirrel monkeys showed very gradual and only limited degree of performance recovery. The post-ablative performance levels were no better than 1/5 of their pre-ablative performance levels.


Glycosaminoglycan accumulation with partial deficiency of beta-glucuronidase in the C3H strain of mice. Young (60--80 days) mice of the low beta-glucuronidase strain, C3H/HeJ, showed no differences in hepatic levels of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) when compared to the randombred, "normal" Swiss-Webster mice of the same age. However, by 12 months of age hepatic GAG is nearly twice as high in C3H/HeJ mice as in Swiss-Webster mice. Studies of beta-glucuronidase, beta-galactosidase, and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in four tissues of the two types of mice at the two ages revealed that glucuronidase was the only enzyme with lower activity in the C3H/HeJ strain.


Peromyscus alcohol dehydrogenase: lack of cross-reacting material in enzyme-negative animals. Two forms of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), coded by allelic genes, have been purified to homogeneity from Peromyscus. Monospecific antisera to the purified enzymes have been raised in rabbits. These antisera fail to detect cross-reacting material in the liver of ADH-negative animals on Ouchterlony plates. Immuno-titration of anti-ADH antiserum with ADH in liver extracts from AdhS/AdhS and AdhS/AdhN animals results in identical equivalence points, again suggesting the absence of cross-reacting material coded by the AdhN allele. Over a wide range of anti-ADH antiserum dilutions, radiolabeled protein was not immunoprecipitable from liver extracts of AdhN/AdhN animals. These immunochemical tests, in conjunction with previous studies, suggest that the AdhN allele in Peromyscus does not produce inactive polypeptide in normal levels that bears immunological determinants similar to those of the fast and slow ADH isozymes.


A genetic and developmental analysis of an acid deoxyribonuclease in Drosophila melanogaster. A deoxyribonuclease, called D Nase-1, that is active at acid pH in the presence of EDTA has been studied in Drosophila melanogaster. The locus for the Enzyme maps genetically to 61.8 on the right arm of the third chromosome. Cytogenetically, DNase-1 has been localized to within five to ten bands between 90C-2 and 90E. This analysis utilizes both electrophoretic variants and the Y-autosome translocations of Lindsley et al. (1972). DNase-1 is present in all stages of the life cycle, and the paternal genome actively contributes DNase-1 to the ambryo between 0 and 1 hr after fertilization.


Nucleoside phosphorylase 2 (Np-2) of mice. Isozyme patterns of nucleoside phosphorylase (NP) in 16 inbred strains, two recombinant inbred, one congenic, and three species of wild mice were studied. Evidence is provided for a genetic locus, Np-2, encoding an electrophoretic variant which is expressed exclusively in erythrocytes of certain inbred strains. This finding establishes the occurrence of genetic polymorphism of NP among inbred strains of mice. In addition, the Npla allele previously reported only in inbred strains has been observed in one of the species of wild mice (Mus musculus castaneus) studied.


Aminotripeptidase, a cytosol enzyme from rabbit intestinal mucosa. Aminotripeptidase, a cytosol enzyme from rabbit intestinal mucosa, was purified to homogeneity. The pure enzyme is a glycoprotein containing a very small amount of sugar. It is composed of only one subunit of 50,000 mol. wt. and possesses 1 zinc atom per molecule. Its specificity is primarily directed towards tripeptides with an N-terminal proline residue. However, the enzyme is also able to hydrolyse other tripeptides, except those with either a charged amino acid in the N-terminal position or a proline residue in the second position. The purified aminotripeptidase accounts for almost all the tripeptidase activity of the soluble fraction from intestinal mucosa.


Isolation and characterization of thiamin-binding protein from chicken egg white. A thiamin-binding protein was isolated and characterized from chicken egg white by affinity chromatography on thiamin pyrophosphate coupled to aminoethyl-Sepharose. The high specificity of interaction between the thiamin-binding protein and the riboflavin-binding protein of the egg white, with a protein/protein molar ratio of 1.0, led to the development of an alternative procedure that used the riboflavin-binding protein immobilized on CNBr-activated Sepharose as the affinity matrix. The thiamin-binding protein thus isolated was homogeneous by the criteria of polyacrylamide-gel disc electrophoresis, double immunodiffusion and sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, had a mol.wt. of 38,000 +/- 2000 and was not a glycoprotein. The protein bound [14C]thiamin was a molar ratio of 1.0, with dissociation constant (Kd) 0.3 micrometer.


An improved method of light-induced pigmentation. An improved procedure was developed whereby a primary light signal can be intensified and made visible by activation of a pre-tyrosinase (pre-phenoloxidase) enzyme [isolated from silkworm (Bombyx mori)] by alpha-chymotrypsin; this activation results from the light-activated conversion of the inactive cis-cinnamoyl-alpha-chymotrypsin.


Stimulation of defective Gunn-rat liver uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase activity in vitro by alkyl ketones. Addition of alkyl ketone (10mM) to Gunn-rat liver homogenates increased UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity towards 2-aminophenol by 10--20 fold, up to enhanced values of enzyme activity observed with similarly treated Wistar-rat liver homogenates. Alkyl ketones also activate the defective enzyme purified from Gunn-rat liver. This genetic deficiency of UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity is no longer apparent when assayed in the presence of alkyl ketones.


Developmental pattern of rat intestinal brush-border enzymic proteins along the villus--crypt axis. At various postnatal stages, intestinal epithelial cells were isolated sequentially from villus tip to crypt base by successive EDTA treatments. According to the localization of marker enzymic activities, isolated cells were pooled into three cell compartments: villus (V), lower villus and upper crypt (VC) and crypt (C). Purified brush-border-membrane proteins were separated by 7.5%-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. Enzymic activities could be assigned to some protein bands: maltase/glucoamylase (protein band 3), sucrase-isomaltase (protein bands 3 and 6), lactase (protein band 5) and alkaline phosphatase (region of protein bands 8 and 9). The findings suggest the following. (1) Sucrase-isomaltase activities appeared in compartment C at 17 days with a simultaneous increase of the pre-existing protein band 3 and appearance of a well-defined protein band in position 6; the enzymic complex remained still present in the crypt cells until adulthood. From the day 21 onwards, sucrase-isomaltase was detected in compartments VC and V. (2) Lactase was only present in the three cell compartments until day 21; at this developmental stage its activity completely disappeared from compartment C, in spite of the persistence of a weak protein band. (3) Alkaline phosphatase activity could be detected as a single peak corresponding to protein band 9 in all three cell compartments until day 21; thereafter it was replaced by two peaks of activity showing a less precise correlation with the well-defined protein bands 8 and 9. In the crypt cells of the adult rat, however, the preweaning situation, which was regularly observed, is an unexpected phenomenon. (4) Maltase and glucoamylase did not display any marked qualitative or quantitative modifications either along the villus-crypt axis or during the period of postnatal development studied. Evidence is given from the present data that each brush-border enzyme investigated has a specific developmental pattern.


Demonstration of two functionally heterogenous groups within the activities of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase towards a series of 4-alkyl-substituted phenols. 1. A simple colorimetric assay for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities towards phenolic substrates, using Folin & Ciocalteu's phenol reagent, is described. The assay is used to measure rat liver transferase activities towards substrates from a series of 4-alkyl-substituted phenols. 2. Activities towards phenol, 4-methylphenol and 4-ethylphenol develop near-adult values before birth, are precociously stimulated by dexa methasone in utero and are stimulated 3--4-fold by 3-methylcholanthrene in adult liver. These are assigned to a "late-foetal" group of transferase activities. 3. Activities towards 4-n-propylphenol, 4-s-butylphenol and 4-t-butylphenol are negligible in late-foetal liver, developing to near-adult values in the first 4 postnatal days, and are not affected by dexamethasone or 3-methylcholanthrene. They are assigned to a "neonatal" group of transferase activities. 4. Although 4-ethylphenol and 4-n-propylphenol differ only by a single --CH2-- moiety, this is sufficient to change the acceptability of these substrates respectively from the late-foetal to the neonatal group of transferase activities. The change is distinct, with no overlapping of substrate acceptability between the two groups of transferase activities. 5. From consideration of the above and other substrates, the two groups of transferase activities do not distinguish substrates on the basis of their molecular weights or lipophilicity. The distinguishing feature appears to be the specific molecular configurations of the substrates.


Studies on the specificity and clinical correlation of antiribosomal antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus sera. The specificity of antibodies reactive with cytoplasmic ribosomes detected in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera was studied by a radioimmunoassay procedure with 3H labeled HeLa cell polysomes. The antibodies were directed primarily against RNA or a ribosomal RNA-protein complex (rRNP). Anti-RNA antibodies exhibited comparable reactivity with ribosomal RNA, nuclear RNA, structural RNA, and a slightly lower degree of reactivity with low molecular weight RNA. Anti-rRNP antibodies may be detected by precipitation in agar gel and appear to require both the RNA and protein moieties of ribosomes for reactivity. SLE sera containing only anti-rRNP antibodies are limited to patients with active disease. Sera from patients with both active and inactive SLE contain either anti-RNA or a mixture of anti-RNA and anti-rRNP antibodies. The possible participation of anti-ribosomal antibodies in immune complex formation is discussed.


Lyme arthritis: correlation of serum and cryoglobulin IgM with activity, and serum IgG with remission. Forty-eight patients with erythema chronicum migrans (ECM) were studied prospectively for 6 to 18 months. Twenty-six patients had no later symptoms, but 22 subsequently developed Lyme arthritis and 9 of them also experienced neurologic abnormalities. Eighty-seven percent of patients with active ECM followed by subsequent involvement had cryoglobulins containing IgM compared to only 13% of those with active ECM and no later symptoms. The former group also had significantly lower IgG, C3 and C4 levels. Sixty-seven percent of patients still had serum cryoglobulins when neurologic disease was most active, and 45% had them when joint symptoms were most severe, but only 11% continued to have small amounts in remission. The number of patients who continued to have serum cryoglobulins with recurrent attacks of arthritis decreased with time. In contrast, patients always had cryoglobulins in joint fluid, a finding Lyme arthritis shares with rheumatoid arthritis. The cryoprecipitates from 2 of 10 patients contained particles with internal structure, but their viral nature is problematic. All components of antisera obtained from goats and rabbits immunized with cryoglobulins were absorbed by normal human sera. The amount of IgM in cryoglobulins correlated directly with serum IgM, which generally rose during exacerbations and fell during remissions; serum IgG and IgA moved conversely. Thus, IgM was an important correlate of clinical disease activity and IgG or remission.


Des 4-trans-hydroxy-glibenclamide show hypoglycemic activity? Different doses of glibenclamide and of 4-transhydroxy-glibenclamide (main metabolite in man) were administered i.p. to rats and blood glucose was measured. The comparison of the doses capable of producing a 30% decrease of the glycemia shows that 4-trans-hydroxy-glibenclamide is about 6.5 times less potent than glibenclamide in our experimental conditions.


[14,15-beta-oxido analog of proscillaridin (HOE 040). A new cardiac glycoside with low arrhythmic activity and greater absorption ratio]. The 14,15-beta-oxido analogue of proscillaridin A (HOE 040), in a dose 4 times higher showed equally positive-inotropic effect on the isolated guinea pig heart as did proscillaridin A. In the dog in vivo HOE 040 was equally positive-inotropic, as measured by the increase of dp/dt of the left ventricle of the heart, as proscillaridin A. In combination with aconitine, HOE 040 also in 4fold higher dose caused less cardiac fibrillation on the isolated guinea pig heart than did proscillaridin A. The dose of HOE 040 which by infusion in the guinea pig in vivo precipitates cardiac arrhythmias was 4 times higher than that of proscillaridin A, the lethal dose was 5 times higher. In dogs in vivo the dose of HOE 040 by infusion causing prolongation of PQ or cardiac arrhythmias, resp., was twice the dose necessary of proscillaridin A, the lethal dose was nearly 5 times higher. The decrease of cardiac activity in Rhesus monkeys amounted to 69% in 24 h, whereas proscillaridin A decreased cardiac activity only by 41% in 24 h. The absorption of HOE 040 from the duodenum of dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital amounted to 72%, whereas proscillaridin A is observed by only between 14 and 25%. The concentration of the drug HOE 040 in hearts of rats was twice, in the hearts of dogs 3 fold that of proscillaridin A. The concentrations of both drugs in the brain of rats and dogs were not different. In the biochemical test system in vitro the blocking effect of both drugs on the Na+K+-ATPase of ox brain was not different.


[Current status of simple radial immunodiffusion for determination of minimal  quantities of IgA and IgM]. IgA and IgM determination has been performed in the blood of the umbilical cord of 120 healthy newborn infants at different gestational ages. The utilization of the "Tripartigen Platelets" and "L.C. Partigen" has shown the extreme sensibility of the latter in determining minimum quantities of IgA and IgM.


[5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase from the human prostate. 1. Purification and partial characterization]. 5'-Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase has been purified approximately 340-fold in 20% yield from human prostate: the use of affinity chromatography by Sepharose-Hg has been found particularly advantageous. The enzyme has been partially characterized and an apparent Km of 2.5 x 10(-5) M has been calculated for 5'-methylthioadenosine. The reaction is activated by thiols and shows an absolute requirement for phosphate ions.


Haemodynamics of cardiac tamponade during various modes of ventilation. Cardiac output and pleural, pericardial, arterial and cardiac pressures were measured in baboons during different modes of ventilation in the presence of acute cardiac tamponade. Fluctuations in pleural pressure during intermittent positive pressure ventilation were transmitted to the pericardial fluid. Cardiac output and transmural right ventricular end-diastolic pressure were significantly greater during spontaneous ventilation than during intermittent positive pressure ventilation with or without positive end-expiratory pressure. It is recommended that a patient undergoing surgery for cardiac tamponade be allowed to breathe spontaneously until the chest is opened and the pericardium incised.


Modification of the immunogenicity and antigenicity of rat hepatoma cells. I. Cell-surface stabilization with glutaraldehyde. gamma-Irradiated rat hepatoma cells are immunogenic in syngeneic WAB/Not rats, so that immunized animals are protected against tumour-cell challenge and circulating tumour-specific antibody is produced. Treatment of the immunizing cells with glutaraldehyde at concentrations of 0.001% or greater for 30 min rendered these cells non-protective in tumour-rejection tests and no longer able to induce significant formation of specific antibody. However, tumour-specific antigens were shown to be expressed upon treated cells; they specifically bound tumour-specific antibody from syngeneic immune sera assessed in indirect membrane-immunofluorescence tests. Also, these cells specifically absorbed antibody from immune or tumour-bearer sera, as demonstrated in the indirect membrane-immunofluorescence test or a complement-dependent 51Cr-release test. Alloantigen expression was not influenced by glutaraldehyde treatment, although glutaraldehyde-treated hepatoma cells failed to induce alloantibody formation in KX/Not rats. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of treated cells, surface-labelled with 125I, indicated that extensive cross-linking of the surface protein occurred as a result of glutaraldehyde treatment. The present findings establish that although the expression of a tumour-specific antigen is necessary for the induction of immuno-protection against tumour-cell challenge, this alone is not a sufficient condition for eliciting tumour immunity.


Spontaneous development of cytotoxic activity in cultured lymphnode cells from tumour-bearing rats. Incubation in vitro of lymphnode cells (LNC) from rats bearing a transplanted syngeneic methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma (Mc7) resulted in the generation of a potent cytotoxic activity. Four to seven days' culture was required for development of cytotoxic activity, which was shown to be mediated by a heat-stable soluble factor. The cytotoxicity was not detectable in a 3 h or 15 h 51Cr-release assay, but was demonstrated in a 48 h microcytotoxicity assay, where post-labeling with isotopically labelled cell precursors was used to quantitate cell survival. The cytotoxicity of the cultured tumour-bearer LNC and their supernatant factor was shown to be cross-reactive for tumour cell lines other than sarcoma Mc7, and was also expressed against adult or embryonic fibroblasts.


Effect of lipophilicity of nitroimidazoles on radiosensitization of hypoxic bacterial cells in vitro. The effect of radiosensitization of hypoxic bacterial cells by 9 nitroimidazoles was measured in the bacterial strains E. coli AB 1157 and S. lactis 712. Seven of these compounds were similar to misonidazole in their redox properties, but differed widely in their lipophilicites. The dependence of sensitization enhancement on reduction potential was similar to that reported in mammalian cells. The efficiency of sensitization was similar for compounds of low lipophilicity, but increased if the octanol: water partition coefficients of the compounds were higher than about 3.5. With one compound, otherwise similar to misonidazole, the increased lipophilicity led to about one order of magnitude lower concentration achieving the same degree of radiosensitization.


Lipid peroxidation of the microsomal fraction and extracted microsomal lipids from DAB-induced hepatomas. NADPH- and ascorbic acid-induced microsomal lipid peroxidation was almost absent in subcutaneously implanted DAB-induced hepatomas D23, D30 and D192A, and present at greatly reduced levels in DAB-induced primary hepatomas when compared with normal liver controls. Fatty acid analysis of the microsomal lipid from passaged tumours demonstrated adequate levels of substrate in the phospholipid fractions to support lipid peroxidation. Lipid extracted from hepatoma microsomal fractions was shown to undergo ascorbic acid-induced lipid peroxidation, but to a lesser extent that the corresponding liver extract. This may be partially explained by a decrease in the phospholipid content of hepatoma microsomal membranes. However, phospholipid extracted from microsomal fractions of hepatoma and liver supported lipid peroxidation to a similar extent. The possible role of the non-lipid component of the membrane in the process of lipid peroxidation is discussed.


Biosynthesis of "drosopterins" by an enzyme system from Drosophila melanogaster. The red eye pigment of Drosophila melanogaster consists of six complex pteridines known as neodrosopterin, drosopterin, isodrosopterin, fraction e, and aurodrosopterins (2); these pigments are greatly reduced in the purple mutant. Conditions for biosynthesis of these "drosopterins" are described and compared with those for the synthesis of sepiapterin. The enzymes are contained in a soluble, pteridine-free extract obtained between 40 and 60% saturated ammonium sulfate. The results indicate that sepiapterin synthase consists of two enzymes, the first of which provides a precursor for "drosopterin" biosynthesis. The evidence is (1) the purple mutant, low in accumulated sepiapterin and "drosopterins", is known to have approximately 10% of the sepiapterin synthase activity of wild type; (2) unlabeled sepiapterin does not cause isotope dilution of "drosopterin" synthesis; (3) the 600g pellet prepared from a wild-type head homogenate contains "drosopterin" synthesizing activity and no sepiapterin synthase, yet a heat-labile factor in this fraction stimulates sepiapterin synthesis in the 100000g supernatant of wild-type or pr flies; (4) sepiapterin and "drosopterin" syntheses require Mg2+; (5) sepiapterin synthesis is stimulated by NADPH; "drosopterin" synthesis responds to either NADPH or NADH. Although "drosopterins" are complex pteridine-type pigments, we have demonstrated their biosynthesis by soluble enzymes. This allows us to consider investigation into the mechanism by which the amounts of these pigments are regulated.


The differential action of metronidazole on nitrogen fixation, hydrogen metabolism, photosynthesis and respiration in Anabaena and Scenedesmus. Metronidazole (2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-ethanol) at 1--2 mM levels has been shown to be a selective inhibitor of nitrogenase activity in Anabanena. Two constitutive hydrogenases and photosynthesis are insensitive to metronidazole at these same concentrations. At higher concentrations metronidazole inhibits photosynthesis in Anabaena while photoreduction and to a lesser extent photohydrogen production are retarded in Scenedesmus. Respiration is slightly stimulated at high metronidazole levels in both algae. The reductant source for nitrogenase in Anabaena and photohydrogen production and photoreduction electron transport in Scenedesmus are discussed. Due to the activity to metronidazole as a selective inhibitor of ferredoxin-associated processes, it should prove to be useful in N2 fixation studies and in distinguishing between ferredoxin-linked reactions of different sensitivities and other activities not associated with low reduction potential components.